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."
Ukraine's interior minister has vowed there won't be any "whitewash" as authorities investigate the death this week of a 31-year-old man at the hands of a half-dozen policemen with the man's family looking on.

The minister, Arsen Avakov, made the pledge via Facebook after angry residents tried to overturn a police vehicle transporting police officers who were detained over Aleksandr Tsukerman's death in the village of Krivoye Ozero in the southern Mykolayiv region.

With several of the officers already facing charges, Avakov also promised to disband the district police department and replace its entire staff. He said anyone who committed criminal activities would face trial.

Shouting "Murderers!" and spitting, punching, and demanding justice, hundreds of people had converged on the district prosecutors office, where the six officers were being transferred to a detention facility.

Some of the officers in custody were said to have been injured in the attack, despite Ukrainian security forces' efforts to contain the mob.

Ukrainian media reports suggested that an unarmed Tsukerman was handcuffed and beaten by police before being shot dead in front of his mother, wife, and young son in his home late on August 23.

The officers were reportedly summoned by Tsukerman's wife during an argument with her husband.

Tsukermans mother described the police officers as kicking and beating him before shooting him several times. Tsukerman died at the scene.



But the police officers' version of events contends the officers used force in self-defense after Tsukerman came out with a shovel and attacked the policemen, running after them for some 30 to 40 meters.



There was also a related phone call and complaint from a taxi driver directed at Tsukerman the same evening, officials said, possibly involving a robbery.



Local reports say at least three of the officers have been charged with murder.



Angry Krivoe Ozero residents are calling their action the Second Vradiyivka, in a reference to public reactions to the brutal rape and beating of a local woman by police officers in the village of Vradiyivka, also in the Mykolayiv region, in 2013. At the time, hundreds of protesters stormed the Vradiyivka police headquarters, smashing windows and setting the building on fire after authorities were accused of trying to cover up the policemen's crime.

Public protests continued until the police officers were given lengthy prison sentences and several high-profile law-enforcement officials were dismissed for mishandling the situation.

Written by Farangis Najibullah based on local reports and reporting by RFE/RLs Current Time
The United Nations said Russia has agreed to a 48-hour humanitarian cease-fire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, but security guarantees are needed from other parties in the conflict.

The UN has pushed for a weekly 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo to alleviate suffering for about 2 million people. But with Russia and other major powers back opposing sides in Syria's five-year civil war, carrying that out has proved difficult.

"We have...agreement now from the Russian Federation for the 48-hour pause. We're waiting [for] it from the other actors on the ground. That has taken more time frankly than I thought was needed," Jan Egeland, who chairs the UN humanitarian task force, told reporters on August 25.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, echoed his comments.

Russia is the main backer of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rebel groups opposing Assad are supported by Western and Gulf powers.

The U.S. State Department said while Washington backs the 48-hour Aleppo cease-fire, it is focused on achieving a broader country-wide cessation of hostilities.

Based on reporting by AP and Reuters


Mohammad Nayeb-Zehi was among the hundreds of worshippers who gathered on September 30 at the Great Mosalla, a religious site in Iran's southeastern city of Zahedan, for Friday Prayers.

Just hours later, the 16-year-old's family learned he was dead.

Nayeb-Zehi was among the scores of people gunned down by security forces in a brutal crackdown following anti-government protests in Zahedan, the provincial capital of Sistan-Baluchistan Province, which is home to the country's Baluch minority.

"He was a simple laborer and not political," Nayeb-Zehi's brother, Ahmad, told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in a telephone interview from Zahedan, adding that his sibling had been shot in the heart. "We're in pain, and we cannot accept it."

The crackdown in Zahedan came amid weeks-long nationwide protests triggered by the death of Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old who died on September 16, days after she was detained by Iran's morality police.

In Sistan-Baluchistan, public anger at the authorities escalated amid reports that a 15-year-old Baluch girl had been raped by a police official in the province's southern port city of Chabahar.

The violence erupted soon after protesters gathered outside a police station near the central mosque in Zahedan. Members of the crowd chanted anti-government slogans, and some threw rocks. Security forces responded with deadly force by firing on the crowd from the station, according to witnesses.

Security forces also raided the central mosque and the nearby Great Mosalla and opened fire on worshippers using live ammunition, rights groups said, adding that many were shot in the head, heart, neck, or torso, revealing a clear intent to kill or seriously wound.

At least 94 people were killed and 350 wounded on that day, referred to as "Bloody Friday," according to the U.S.-based Iran Human Rights Documentation Center. At least 13 minors were among those killed, including Nayeb-Zehi.

The victims were overwhelmingly Baluch -- a mostly Sunni ethnic group that has long faced disproportionate discrimination at the hands of the Iranian authorities.

"He was martyred inside the Mosalla while holding his prayer mat," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi.

Nayeb-Zehi's family first visited Zahedan's Khatam al-Anbia hospital, hoping he was among the wounded. They later found his body in a seminary at the Great Mosalla.

"We entered a room there and saw about 10 bodies," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi. "[Mohammad] was among them."

He said the authorities prevented the family from filming the scene. "I told them this has to be documented, it has to be published by international media," he said, adding that footage later emerged on social media showing the gruesome scene at the seminary.

The family refused to send Nayeb-Zehi's body to the morgue. Instead, his body lay in the living room for around 24 hours before he was buried.

"We said he was martyred and there was no need for an autopsy," said Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi.

The authorities accused Jaish al-Adl, a Sunni militant group, of attacking the police station. The group is recognized as a terrorist organization by both Iran and the United States and has previously claimed deadly attacks in Sistan-Baluchistan targeting Iranian security forces.

But local and independent sources have rejected the authorities' claims.

The authorities have also reported a much lower number of fatalities, announcing that only 19 people, including several members of the security forces, were killed.

Ahmad Nayeb-Zehi said the authorities were "rubbing salt into the wounds of the people" by claiming "terrorists" were involved.

He said he witnessed a military helicopter shooting at civilians near the Great Mosalla. "I haven't even seen such scenes in Hollywood movies," he said. "A helicopter was shooting at people. A lady was shot in front of my eyes."

RFE/RL could not verify his account. But activists have accused security forces of shooting at protestors from helicopters.

"I don't know what the intention of this crime was," he said. "Our only demand from the establishment is for the murderers of our [family members] to be punished."

The killings have led to widespread anger in Sistan-Baluchistan, one of Iran's poorest provinces.

Anti-establishment protests have been reported in Zahedan since the crackdown, including on October 14 and October 21, when protesters took to the streets after Friday Prayers and chanted "Death to the dictator."

During his Friday Prayers sermon on October 21, influential Sunni cleric Molavi Abdolhamid Ismaeelzahi said senior officials, including Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, were "responsible" for the September 30 killings.

"We are surprised by the silence of the high-ranking officials," he said in his sermon, which was posted on his website.

"Scores were killed here without any reason. I don't have the exact number. Some have reported 90, some say less, some say more," Ismaeelzahi added.

He also said people will not be satisfied until "those who killed the people" are brought to justice.

The Iran Human Rights Documentation Center said the events of September 30 amounted to "a massacre of protesters by security forces."

"The government's total denial of responsibility for the massacring of citizens by its security apparatus is consistent with similar past denials and is evidence that internal calls for investigation of such crimes are insufficient," said the rights group, which documents human rights violations in Iran.
Raises for state employees, teachers and other public workers remain a priority for Gov. Terry McAuliffe and General Assembly leaders, but they say pay increases may not be possible in a two-year state budget with a projected $1.48 billion revenue shortfall.

The shortfall that began in the last fiscal year already has resulted in $125 million planned for raises on Dec. 1 being diverted to help defray a projected $843 million shortfall in this fiscal year.

The remaining $221 million budgeted for public employee pay increases in the budgets second year also is imperiled in the face of an additional projected shortfall of $632.7 million, legislators say.

Its going to be very difficult, House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, said Friday after McAuliffe addressed the assemblys money committees.

House Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, called the possibility of pay increases for state employees very problematic in the fiscal year that will begin July 1, 2017, and end June 30, 2018.

But the top lobbyist for state employees remains hopeful that if tax revenues recover  as they did two years ago, when a $2.4 billion shortfall was projected  state workers and other public employees will be at the front of the line.

The thing thats encouraging is, its still a priority, R. Ronald Jordan, executive director of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, said Friday.

Salaries for state employees  more than 105,000 full-time and 22,000 part-time  lag the private market by more than 23 percent and overshadow a new push by House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, to move the state away from traditional pension benefits for its workers.

But raises in the two-year budget were tied directly to revenues in the last fiscal year, which fell short by about $279 million.

Pay increases are still on our mind and a high priority, Secretary of Finance Richard D. Ric Brown told members of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations and Finance committees.

Advocates for teachers were dismayed by the retreat on a teacher salary increase, which McAuliffe had proposed in the second year of the budget and the assembly had moved to Dec. 1 of the first year.

Virginia Education Association President Jim Livingston said teacher salaries are $7,200 below the national average and the states funding of K-12 has declined 12 percent since 2009.

Our states leaders have consistently let children down, and thats why an unexpected dip in tax collections is causing the state to roll back its commitment to public schools even further, Livingston said in a statement on Friday.

But K-12 education is McAuliffes biggest priority in the budget. He and the assembly agreed to include more than $900 million in new funding to update the states share of public education costs and give school systems more flexibility in spending money allocated through Virginia Lottery proceeds. Public education accounts for 29 percent of the budget and most of the $8.6 billion the state had expected to send to local governments this year.

When cuts are made, the one thing we want to protect is our education, the governor told the committees in a speech that lasted just less than a half-hour.

McAuliffe said the state has the option of using about $378.2 million from its revenue stabilization, or rainy day, fund in the first year, which combined with the deferred raises would leave about $340 million in spending cuts for the budget year that ends June 30.

House leaders had estimated the potential first-year withdrawal from the fund at up to $420 million. First, however, the state is scheduled to make a $605 million deposit to the fund that was included in the budget.

The governor didnt address another potential withdrawal in the second year of the budget, but Appropriations Director Robert P. Vaughn estimated the state could tap an additional $210 million which, combined with $221 million in deferred pay increases, would leave a hole of about $200 million to close with spending cuts.

State agencies will be asked shortly to identify spending cuts in their budgets, as the administration works to determine how to close the immediate shortfall by early October and begin preparing budget amendments for the governor to propose in December.

McAuliffe said after his speech that compensation for state employees is a top concern for all of us but said its too soon to make any promises about restoring raises in the second year of the budget.

These decisions are always tough, he said.

The states options also are limited by lagging growth in payroll income tax collections because of lower wages, as well as the threat of additional cuts in federal spending under sequestration when a two-year congressional budget deal expires in October 2017, during the second year of the state budget.

The revised revenue estimates I report to you today have been further reduced to reflect the belief that the trend toward lower-paying jobs will continue in the short term, as well as our concern about next Octobers sequestration trigger, the governor said.

Income tax collections withheld from payroll account for about two-thirds of state general fund revenues. In the last fiscal year they grew by 2.4 percent, not the 4.1 percent in the forecast on which the budget was based.

The new forecast, produced in consultation with the Joint Advisory Board of Economists and the Governors Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, lowers the expectation for revenue growth from 3.2 percent this year to 1.7 percent  a $564.4 million swing.

In the second year, the new forecast drops from 3.9 percent to 3.6 percent, for an additional reduction of $632.7 million.

Still, Republicans expressed skepticism about the revised projection in the second year. I dont think the job-growth numbers are as rosy as the governor would foresee, Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, told Brown.

Other Republicans sought to tie sluggish wages and income tax collections to Democratic policies, particularly the Affordable Care Act, which they said has prompted employers to reduce hours to part time so they dont have to provide health insurance to workers.

They dismissed McAuliffes renewed call for Medicaid expansion, which he said would bring billions of dollars in federal money into the budget to relieve the state general fund. He needs to take that off the table, Cox said.

McAuliffe also urged legislators to lobby Congress, as he has, to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act. He said the proposed law would generate up to $300 million in revenues for transportation in Virginia by allowing the state to tax internet sales, as his Republican predecessor, Gov. Bob McDonnell, proposed as part of transportation funding legislation in 2013.

Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, expressed surprise at lagging sales tax revenues. Their growth forecast dropped from 4 percent to 2.6 percent, a loss of $118.6 million.

To me, a greater concern (than income tax collections) is that sales taxes are down and people are spending less, said Norment, a champion of the tourism industry that dominates his Williamsburg-area district.

The governor acknowledged the growth in part-time jobs, as well as the substitution of younger, lower-paid workers for retiring veteran employees, but he blamed uncertainty over the national economy.

The fiscal year 2016 wage and revenue figures underscore the large number of temporary employees in the workforce, a likely sign that our businesses are still looking for assurances that our national recovery is sustainable, he said.

The new forecast lowers the expected growth rate for payroll withholding from 4 percent to 3 percent this year, a half-percentage point lower than originally proposed, reducing available revenues by $312.6 million. The additional reduction reflected the opinion of business leaders and legislators on the governors advisory council that the state should be cautious.

It would have cost an additional $700 million if the council had adopted the most pessimistic scenario, Brown told the committees.
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The rainy day came sooner than expected for Gov. Terry McAuliffe and General Assembly budget leaders.

The $1.5 billion shortfall that McAuliffe will announce Friday will require the state to tap the Revenue Stabilization Fund, or rainy day fund, to fill an estimated $420 million of the hole in this fiscal year and an additional $210 million in the second.

But first, the administration will have to deposit $605 million in the fund that the governor and legislature included in the two-year budget, and the General Assembly will have to agree to tap the fund when it convenes in January for a 45-day session.

Any withdrawal has to be appropriated, Secretary of Finance Ric Brown said Thursday.

The immediate challenge for McAuliffe will be to cut spending in the current fiscal year to account for a reduction in revenues of about $850 million, most of it from a pessimistic outlook on individual income taxes withheld from payroll.

Payroll withholding taxes account for about two-thirds of state general fund revenues, which amount to about $40 billion of the $105 billion, two-year budget that took effect July 1.

Withholding taxes have been a steady source of revenue, but the governor and legislative budget leaders were surprised by withholding collections that fell about 1.7 percentage points below forecast for the fiscal year that ended June 30.

The result was a $266.3 million shortfall in the last fiscal year that carried over into the current year. That forced McAuliffe to re-forecast revenues for the two-year budget and suspend pay raises scheduled later this year for state employees, teachers, college faculty and state-supported local employees.

The governors new forecast lowers total general fund revenue growth from 3.2 percent to 1.8 percent in the current year, which would reduce available funds by about $550 million.

More than half of that reduction will come from dramatically reduced expectations for payroll income tax collections, which budget officials say reflects a growth in lower-wage and part-time jobs.

McAuliffe will lower the forecast for withholding this year from 4 percent to 3 percent, a half-percentage point below what the Joint Advisory Board of Economists had recommended in July.

The additional reduction reflected a somewhat pessimistic outlook by business leaders and legislators on the Governors Advisory Commission on Revenue Estimates who met with McAuliffe about two weeks ago.

The governor is expected to notify executive branch agencies Friday or Monday that they must submit various scenarios for cutting spending to balance the budget in the current fiscal year. Under law, he can make cuts of up to 15 percent in agency budgets.

Brown said the administration will present a plan in early October for balancing the budget this year, while decisions about the second year will be addressed in budget amendments McAuliffe will propose in December and the General Assembly will consider next winter.

The second year, fiscal 2018, is going to be the real challenge, House Appropriations Chairman Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, said Thursday.

McAuliffe will revise predicted revenues downward by $630 million in the budget year that will begin July 1, 2017, and end June 30, 2018.
More debates and forums for candidates running for Virginias 5th Congressional District seat have been announced, bringing the current total of scheduled events to seven through September and October.

The race for the 5th District is between Democrat candidate and former Albemarle County Board of Supervisors Chairwoman Jane Dittmar and state Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, as well as Libertarian candidate Stephen Harmon and independent candidate Yale Landsberg.

GOP incumbent Rep. Robert Hurt has announced he will not run for a fourth term .

The laterst debates and forums are scheduled throughout October.

The first is the Rural Madison Candidates Forum, which will be hosted by Rural Madison Inc. at Woodberry Forest Oct. 5.

The Warrenton Congressional Candidate Debate is scheduled Oct. 17 in Warrenton, but an exact location has yet to be announced. This debate will be hosted by the Fauquier Chamber of Commerce, The Fauquier Times, FauquierNow.com, the Greater Warrenton Chamber of Commerce, the Fauquier Farm Bureau and the Southern Fauquier Business Association.

The League of Women Voters will host a candidate forum at Greene Countys William Monroe High School Oct. 18.

Another debate, hosted by the Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership at the University of Virginia, is scheduled Oct. 27 in Danville. The time and location have yet to be finalized.

Of the previously scheduled and announced debates and forums, the next is set to take place at the Appomattox Inn & Suites Sept. 26. That debate is hosted by the Lynchburg Regional Business Alliance and the Appomattox Chamber of Commerce and will focus on economic development issues.

A debate at UVas Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy will take place Sept. 28, and the other is set to take place at Piedmont Virginia Community College on Oct. 10, which will be hosted by CBS19, a media partner of The Daily Progress.

Dittmar and Garretts first meeting was Aug. 10 at the Senior Statesmen of Virginias forum at the Senior Center in Albemarle County.

The 5th District stretches from Fauquier County in the north to Danville and the North Carolina border in the south.
#flight resumption Flights from Gimpo airport to Osaka, Taipei to resume Sunday Flights from Seoul's Gimpo International Airport to Osaka and Taipei will resume later this week, the state-run airport operator here said Saturday, more than two years after the r...

#football Daejeon earn promotion to top division in S. Korean football After eight years of toiling in the second division in South Korean football, Daejeon Hana Citizen FC will be playing with the big boys in 2023. Daejeon routed Gimcheon Sangmu F...
The Angolan government through the state-owned diamond company Endiama is drafting regulations to formalise semi-industrial and artisanal diamond mining the operations in the country.

Company director for geology Luis Kitamba was quoted by Macauhub as saying that the mulled regulations were a response to a request from the provincial government of Lunda Norte, which wanted an end to clashes between security forces and companies with diamond concessions in the area.

He also said that the regulations would allow the inclusion of young people in diamond mining as well as improve the process of granting artisanal mining licences and smooth tax collection.

The regulations, he said, would also help combat illegal diamond mining and trading.

Meanwhile, Kitimba said 13 semi-industrial diamond cooperatives had been approved.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




Kennady Diamonds acquired six mining leases from GGL Resources Corp. adjacent to the high-value Gahcho Kue mine in Canada for $154,949 (CAD 200,000) in cash.

The leases adjoin Gahcho Kues southern border and comprise roughly 4,233 hectares, bringing the land taken up by the miners Kennady North Project to 71,000 hectares.

GGL retains a 0.75 percent royalty interest in all mineral products produced, but Kennady retains the right to buy a third of the royalty, or 0.25 percent of output, for $774,743 (CAD 1 million) at any time until production commences.

The acquisition is a natural extension to our portfolio and strengthens our land position within the Kelvin-Faraday corridor, said Rory Moore, president and chief executive officer of Kennady Diamonds. Although our primary focus will remain the Kennady North area, we look forward to testing kimberlite targets within the new leases, beginning with an in-depth review of the historical data.

The Blob Lake target, located within the Kelvin-Faraday kimberlite corridor, is of particular interest as previous studies identified it as an anomaly, the miner said.




The Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC) has announced the second edition of the Africa Dubai Precious Metals Forum (ADPMF). The Forum, which will focus on the theme Connecting Africa to the World, will be held at the Kempinski Hotel in Accra, Ghana on 7th and 8th September 2016. ADPMF will seek to foster stronger relationships between government, miners and traders in the African continent and industry stakeholders in Dubai.

The two-day Forum will examine how collaboration between Dubai and countries across the African continent can enable sustainable economic development for the gold mining industry.

Franco Bosoni, Director, Commodity Services, DMCC, said:

Ghana is an important precious metals trading hub for ECOWAS and neighbouring countries, offering excellent services, along with specialised and in-depth regional expertise. Our aim at the Forum, alongside our partners, is to align with representatives from government ministries and institutions from across the African continent and to strengthen connections to Dubai which enhances the access of regional miners to the global supply chain.



Aruna Gaitonde, Editor-in-Chief of Asian Bureau, Rough & Polished




Diamcor has announced a C$5-million ($3.9 million) brokered private placement for the acquisition of additional operational equipment and materials for further development of the Krone-Endora at Venetia project, in South Africa.

The funds would also be used for general and administrative purposes.

Diamcor said 4.54-million units would be floated at a price of C$1.10 each.

The units would each comprise one common share and one-half of a common share purchase warrant.

Each whole warrant would entitle the holder to purchase an additional share at an exercise price of C$1.60 for a period of 36 months from the date of issuance.

The offering was, however, subject to stock exchange approval and completing definitive documentation.

Diamcor recently reported that it raked in $1.9-million from 13 384.72 carats of diamonds sold during the first quarter of 2016.



Mathew Nyaungwa, Editor in Chief of the African Bureau, Rough&Polished




The Diamond Development Initiative (DDI) announced a grant from jewelry retailer Brilliant Earth for the mobile schooling program in the DRC.

The Brilliant Mobile School, one of two that were launched in 2015, offers a two-year remedial curriculum, in order to prepare children for national exams and the opportunity to progress on to high school.

DDI established its mobile schooling program, "Sending schools to kids," in response to a need expressed by artisanal diamond mining communities. Schools are often far away from the mining villages, and children who miss out on formal education may end up working in the mining fields. Finding a way to get them back to school is the top priority of their parents.

DDI, with support from Brilliant Earth, has provided a facility, uniforms, school materials, and daily meals for the students, as well as training teachers and sending them into the community. Villagers have participated in the project through construction, furniture building, security and maintenance.

According to Dorothee Gizenga, Executive Director of DDI, "This small group of children is receiving high quality education that could enable them to break the cycle of poverty," she says. "But there are hundreds, even thousands of children like them in artisanal mining communities in Africa. We call on local and international partners to do more to respond to this need."



Alex Shishlo, Editor in Chief of the European Bureau, Rough&Polished




UTA

After serving as the Utah Transit Authority (UTA) interim president and CEO for a year, the UTAs executive committee for the Board of Trustees formally recommended Jerry Benson this week to hold the title permanently.

With more than 30 years of experience in public transportation, Benson was the standard other candidates were compared to during the search for a lasting replacement, said UTA Board Chair H. David Burton.

After none of the candidates proved themselves more qualified than Mr. Benson, the executive committee asked him to reconsider, Burton said. I am happy to say he has done so, and he is very excited at the possibility of serving as UTAs president [and] CEO.

The board is currently considering the recommendation and representatives say voting on the decision will take place at an Aug. 31 board meeting.

Benson has been with the UTA for 32 years, and he most recently held the role of vice president of operations. For more than three decades with the company, representatives say Benson has been focused on service operations and operations support, having held positions in operations performance, human resources and personnel and labor relations.

Jerrys extensive experience in operations is aligned with UTAs current focus on expanding and improving service, and he has worked closely with the board this past year making a number of changes and reforms, Burton said. He understands the challenges facing the agency and is fully engaged and committed to continuing these initiatives and ensuring UTAs future success.

The UTA reportedly received more than 120 applications for the job through an extensive national search process that was conducted throughout the past year. Officials say the committee reached out to potential candidates, accepted recommendations and carried out interviews.

Benson has launched multiple programs over the years that have made the UTAs rail network more reliable, officials say, adding that he led the operations strategies necessary to open five rail lines in three years.

Jerrys experience in the day-to-day operations of the agency is invaluable as UTA transitions from building large rail projects to an increased focus on operations, Burton said.

Following the Aug. 31 vote, Bensons salary will be negotiated with the board and made public. Representatives say his pay will be on par with the UTAs compensation policy, which determines salaries based on those of comparable organizations.

Benson is also adjunct professor at the University of Utah, where he earned his doctorate in organizational communication.
Computacenter plc (CCC.L), the independent provider of IT infrastructure and services that enables users, reported that its statutory profit before tax for the six month period ended 30 June 2016 was 23.6 million pounds, a decrease of 66.6 per cent in actual currency from last year's 70.7 million pounds, with the comparative performance in the prior year significantly enhanced by the disposal of the Group's subsidiary, RDC, in February 2015.

Profit attributable to equity holders of the parent fell to 16.06 million pounds from 61.74 million pounds in the previous year. Statutory earnings per share decreased by 73.0 per cent to 13.2 pence from 48.8 pence last year.

The Group's adjusted profit before tax has decreased by 13.9 per cent in constant currency to 25.3 million pounds, and by 13.1 per cent in actual currency. It should be noted that at a country level, a somewhat disappointing result in the UK was offset by a stronger than expected performance across the rest of the Group, particularly in France.

Group's adjusted revenues decreased by 0.6 per cent in constant currency to 1.478 billion pounds, and increased by 2.8 per cent in actual currency.

The company expects the full year to show modest progress in its adjusted profit before tax, as compared to 2015 after allowing for the 3 million pounds benefit from the one-off gain realised in the comparative period.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
European stocks slipped into negative territory on Friday, although across Europe came off their intra-day lows in reaction to solid German and French consumer confidence data and in-line reports on French and U.K.GDP.

With several Federal Reserve officials arguing the case for another interest-rate increase and the recent run of U.S. data suggesting improving economic conditions, market participants are waiting to see whether Fed Chair Janet Yellen will keep open the option of a further rate hike in September, when she delivers her speech at Jackson Hole later today.

The pan-European Stoxx Europe 600 index was down 0.2 percent in midday trading after losing 0.8 percent in the previous session in the wake of hawkish comments by Fed officials and disappointing German confidence data.

The German DAX was moving down 0.3 percent and France's CAC 40 index was losing 0.2 percent while the U.K.'s FTSE 100 was rising 0.1 percent.

Media company Vivendi slumped nearly 4 percent in Paris as it logged a steeper-than-expected fall in second-quarter profits and unveiled plans to cut 300 million euros in costs from its pay-TV unit Canal Plus.

Volkswagen rallied 2 percent in Frankfurt on a Bloomberg report that the car maker will spend about $1.2 billion to compensate its 652 U.S. auto dealers for losses caused by its diesel-cheating scheme.

Restaurant Group shares soared 5 percent in London. The struggling owner of the Frankie & Benny's and Chiquito chains announced a major overhaul of its operations after posting a pre-tax loss in the first half.

Defense, security and aerospace company BAE Systems rose over 2 percent after Berenberg upgraded its rating on the stock to 'buy' from 'hold'.

Netherlands-based-based digital security company Gemalto jumped 6 percent after its first-half results beat expectations.

In economic releases, GfK market research group's forward-looking consumer confidence index for Germany rose to 10.2 in September, its best reading since June last year.

French GDP stagnated as estimated in the second quarter, but the country's consumer confidence improved unexpectedly in August, separate reports from the statistical office INSEE showed.

The U.K. expanded at a faster pace in the second quarter as previously estimated, in the run-up to the EU referendum, the second estimate from the Office for National Statistics showed.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Market Analysis
Millennial Moms Review: 2022 Acura MDX is pretty close to the perfect family car

I dont know if perfect is attainable, especially considering weve got the world of options when it comes to modern vehicles. Were spoiled and, as such, we have very specific needs and wants. Driving-wise, the 2022 Acura MDX is one of my favourite ...
Its no secret that churches in Samoa hold a lot of influence over the people and that is expected with a nation claiming to be founded on God.

But when churches misuse that strong influence then thats when we know we need to take a few steps back.

It is noticeable that many times in Samoa, some preachers favorite teachings always centre on giving to the church tithes and offerings, even when they see that many of their flock are struggling as it is.

And for Afoa Aliva, a farmer from the village of Tafitoala Safata, this is one of the reasons why rural villages suffer.

There are many families in the rural villages just like my own who have no working family members, Mr. Aliva told the Samoa Observer.

It is just me and my wife with our kids in school. None of them have graduated yet, they are all in school.

A lot of our money goes to schooling because we put their education first. In these back villages there are many things that take up money such as village activities.

But the money going to village activities is nothing compared to what goes to the church; they say that 1:10

Mr. Aliva admits that life in the rural villages can get difficult at times with a lot of his money going to many different unnecessary things.

Money goes to things for the villages and especially things for the churches, he said.

I will repeat what I said before the money going to village activities is nothing compared to the money going to the churches.

This is because village activities arent common; but for the church, wow, there is not a single denomination that doesnt have church activities.

At times I find myself praying to God asking if this is right.

The fact of the matter is that there are way too many church activities and that is why the village really suffers.

With Mr. Aliva having ties to both the Congregational Christian Church of Samoa (C.C.C.S.) and the Catholic Church, he claims that his comments on the matter are not biased in any way.

For him, all the churches are the same.

My denomination is the C.C.C.S. but my family is Catholic, he said.

What Im saying does not target one church; every church is the same. For my Catholic church there is so much money going into things.

I think the problem here is the mindset that we are Christians, we are a people of the church.

Mr. Aliva feels that the solution lies within the leadership of the church to find ways to help the people rather than bleeding them dry.

But the only thing he and the rest of the villagers can do, is to just sit back and be obedient.

You notice a lot of land being bought by the churches and they just tell you ok this money goes here and there and all we can do is sit down and listen, he said.

The Bible teaches us that the most important thing is obedience even though you feel in your gut that that something is wrong but you just still obey.

Aside from a lot of money going to the church, Mr. Aliva feels that people in rural villages can help themselves pull away from poverty if they just work hard.

If you dont work, then you wont get anything, he said.

Theres no hardship if your money is managed properly and sitting down doing nothing will make you poor.

But other than all the money going out, life in the villages isnt so different from that of the urban areas.

There is not enough money going around in these villages, Mr. Aliva said.

The Prime Minister is so right. People sit around too much and they dont go around and work. There is a lot of money in farming; you can make a lot of money with your plantations.

For me personally, there is no big difference between life in Apia and life here in these villages.

There are minor differences but thats all.

Living in Apia is like living overseas. They live on money, they eat good food but thats the same as over here.

If the people werent lazy and they have cows, pigs or chickens, then they will be all right.
Yesterday, as you are now aware, a new feature in your newspaper, the Samoa Observer, began.

Called Village Voice, its aim is to give those members of the public who are living in the villages further away from Apia, the chance to talk about their lives in general as well as exercise their right to express their opinions freely and openly.

So that not only do we believe this is vitally necessary for everyone who calls this country home, but it can also be used as the chance to respectfully seek help from their government, when help is desperately needed.

Which reminds of the Third International Conference on Small Island Developing States (S.D.S.), that Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi hosted in Apia on 1 September 2014, and was attended by the United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon.

Guided by the slogan, Island Voices, Global Choices, Mr Ban Ki-moon, in his remarks, told his audience: I see small island developing states as a magnifying glass.

When we look through [their] lens, we see the vulnerabilities we all face.

And by addressing the issues facing small island developing states, we are developing the tools we need to promote sustainable development across the entire world.

He also said: We are here to seek a renewed commitment to small island developing states by focusing on practical actions and durable partnerships.

Mr Ki-moon was probably not aware, but when he described small island developing states as a magnifying glass, explaining that when we look through their lenses, we see the vulnerabilities we all face, he was speaking directly to the majority of the people of this country who are living in the villages, and have been doing so over the years.

Today we see their vulnerabilities showing up boldly everywhere, and yet with the way bureaucratic corruption is being allowed to run wild in this country thus depriving many of their rightful share, it seems clear there is really nothing anyone can do to make things right.

Incidentally, when Samoa Observer reporters drove around Falealili on Thursday this week, they found that villagers were pretty eager to say what they thought.

Published in the Village Voice yesterday, please read what they said, if you have not done so already, and then tell the rest what you think.

Sale and Leata Petersen of Tafatafa.

They said the government was still ignoring our cry for help to rebuild our home.

The elderly couple explained that their home was destroyed by Cyclone Evans in 2012, and now we are tired of waiting.

The whole front part of our house has gone thanks to Cyclone Evan, said Mr. Petersen.

We were left with just the back of our house and that is what weve been using from 2012 till now.

We have been contacting the government officials who are dealing with these kind of problems but they told us to be patient, they are working on it.

From 2012 till now 2016, and look at the condition of our home? Still no improvement and up until now, all the government is telling us is to be patient.

Mrs. Petersen said they have been patient for four years now and it seems like their cry for help is being ignored by the government.

We see that there have been some nice buildings going up that cost millions of tala and when we ask other people they say they were built by the government, she said.

Our home is not going to cost them $50,000 tala and yet we have been waiting for four years.

Afoa Aliva of Tafitoala, Safata.

He is of the opinion that Church commitments, are the cause of poverty.

He says it is no secret that churches in Samoa hold a lot of influence over the people, and that is to be expected in a nation that claims its founded on God.

But when churches misuse that strong influence, then thats when we know we need to take a few steps back.

He says its noticeable that many times in Samoa, some preachers favorite teachings centre on giving to the church, even when they see that many among their flocks are struggling.

A farmer by profession, Afoa says this is one of the reasons those living in rural villages suffer.

There are many families in the rural villages just like my own who have no working family members, he reveals.

It is just me and my wife with our kids in school. Not one of them has graduated yet.

A lot of our money goes to schooling because we put their education first. In these back villages there are many things that take up money such as village activities.

But the money going to village activities is nothing compared to what goes to the church; the ration is 1:10.

Mr. Aliva admits life in the rural villages can get difficult at times with a lot of his money going to many different unnecessary things.

Money goes to things for the villages and especially things for the churches, he said.

I will repeat what I said before  the money going to village activities is nothing compared to the money going to the churches.

This is because village activities arent common; but for the church, wow, there is not a single denomination that does not have church activities.

At times I find myself praying to God asking if this is right.

Samoa is without Poverty?

Nive Tulaga of Poutasi and Falealili

She tells his familys story: We have child vendors everywhere; beggars on the street and if one takes time to drive in the rural areas, you will notice that there are definitely people living under the poverty line.

The village standard of living is just too difficult to handle.

Nive said she found that taking care of her elderly mother, and putting her five children in school with what shes earning from selling crops from her small plantation, we are barely getting by every day.

Life in the rural villages is hard, she told the Samoa Observer.

I am currently unemployed because I was asked to come here and look after the family, but now Im trying to find another job to help out with everything here at home.

We need money to help with everyday life; I have a sibling in Apia who works but they need to support their own family, so that for us we are struggling.

We just got our childrens school bills and theyre pretty expensive, especially with the School C and S.S.L.C. bills.

Aside from not being able to earn any decent money, Mrs. Tulaga also claims that the cost of living is too high and the goods at shops are getting more and more expensive.

The cost of living is just too high nowadays, she said.

If you dont have work then your children wont eat. Simple as that; right now we are living on our plantation and that is also our source of money.

There are so many things to do here in the village but we dont know where we can find the money to do them all.

Grandmother, Faatolu Seigafo,

of Siumu.

Aged 62, she says village life is hard.

She told the Village Voice that life in the village was not as easy as that in town.

When we talk about poverty we refer to money, because money is everything and so life is hard when it comes to money, she said.

With our family we have only one working person and that is my son who is employed at the Sinalei Resort.

His pay helps us to pay for one of his brothers children and then we have church commitments and as well as village commitments.

However, with village commitments we can afford but as for church and school, that is where we suffer.

I have three grandchildren who are attending school at the moment and they all need money for registration and then, we have their lunch to worry about and then school activities that also require us parents to fork out money for their tausala.

Its very hard because sometimes I would complain to the teachers that not all families are rich but they are demanding money for this and that but they dont know how hard it is for other families to survive.

Ms. Seigafo said that not only with school but also with the churches as well.

I know that this problem doesnt happen in just one village but it happens in all the villages and to everyone else.

Sometime I think that we are more worried about how we are going to give to the church but at the end we suffer because we dont know how we are going to feed our families.

That is the problem that the government doesnt know about the life here in the rural, commitment is everywhere and all those commitment it requires us to give money.

Ask about what she thinks the government should do, Ms. Seigafo said they (government) should really come up with ways to help the villages in the rural areas.

This is hardship here not in the town area, she said.

We should be able to be treated the same way as people in Apia are being treated but it seems like they (government) are more focusing on the development of Apia rather than focusing on us too.

We need help in any way, we are not telling them to give us money for free we are basically asking them to provide more opportunities for our children to work so they can look after our family.

That is what we are asking for is help give opportunities for the young ones because they are the ones who are looking after our family.

We know that the cost of living is sky rocketing but that is how it is, but at least help the people of Samoa first before you consider helping others.

So what do you think?

Should the government help?

Have you got a solution?

If so, please share it with the rest.
Dear Editor

Re: Law passes with no objections

Sadly, this is what happens when there is a one party system. They will pass laws that will diminish the rights of our true indigenous people in the near future. With this law, our government just gave away our lands and culture.

I pray the next election will have different results and the next government can rescind this law.

I am not against foreigners owning lands as long as they reside in our beloved Samoa instead of leasing the land to other businesses.

T Samatua Leone
Preparing Your Future is this years NUS Open Day theme.

Held at Vaivase, 31 colleges were invited to come and participate in this years event and for children to tour around the campus to see which career they want to choose once they finish college year.

Guest speaker for the day was a representative from Business System Limited who is also the major sponsor for the NUS Open Day this year.

Assistant Manager of BSL Leeroy Feaunati who delivered the speech encourages the young ones to study at NUS under different programmes.

We at Business Systems Ltd are very humbled to be the Major Sponsor for NUS Open Day 2016, she said.

It is our mantra to be helping and supporting all programs and activities that are geared towards children and a school because we believe our contribution in shaping a better future and a better Samoa is through investing in children of today as well as schools.

We are the longest serving stationary store in Samoa, and has committed to a number of partnerships with the Education Sector and our communities over the many decades to try and raise the quality of education not only through the products but also the services it provides.

Today we are very proud to be alongside NUS in opening this important event, which sees our entire university opening its doors, and engaging with the many young and future leaders of our country and communities. BSL is fully in support of todays open day program, as it is important for the younger students to be able to identify what profession or career path they can pursue once they reach university level. This long term planning is an opportunity to better prepare future decisions, therefore improving the quality of education on an individual basis ensuring they achieve their future goals and dreams more effectively.

For NUS Open Day, we sincerely hope that our support and involvement will have provided an opportunity for all the students and potential students in the future to have a fair idea of all the programs available here in the National University of Samoa.

We hope they see the light; the light that the education provided in Universities overseas is also made available right here on our shores, here in Le papaigalagala.

Vice Chancellor and President of NUS Fui Asofou Soo encourage the students to use their time wisely.

Use the time and the opportunity that you have been given to come here to the NUS Open Day wisely, he said. This opportunity will not come again as the saying goes If you miss the bus the bus miss you so therefore use the time wisely.

Choose wisely and as you are prepared for the next step of your educational life you must know what you want to do and what you want to become in the future.

So therefore learn more as you go touring different faculties here at NUS and ask as many questions as you can and you want while you are here so that you will know exactly what you want to do before you come to NUS.
The Minister of Finance, Sili Epa Tuioti, has denied claims his new offices refurbishment cost the public half a million tala.

That is absolutely not right, Sili told the Weekend Observer. Its a standard office with a meeting room and space for my secretary.

The office is a part of the Central Banks renovation upgrading in its 6th and 7th floors.

Silis office is in the sixth floor.

He said he had just settled in his new office located on the 6th floor of the Central Bank of Samoa building on Beach Road.

Sili denied that the office costs more than the half a million luxury office of the former Minister of Finance, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga, on the second floor of the SNPF Plaza. Asked how much it cost for his new office renovation, the Minister said it was best to ask the C.B.S. Governor who handled the works.

According to Sili, since he started his Ministerial term, he was working in a small temporary office.

Glad that he is settling in the new office space, Sili said part of the reason why he does not have a secretary is because the temporary office was too small.

He explained the meeting room was necessary and convenient during Ministerial and tenders board meetings that he is Chairperson.

Instead of us looking for a meeting room in Finance its best for us to have that room, he said.

Now that I have a permanent office the next challenge for me is to find a secretary. I was working in a small temporary office and I had used the Finance and Governors secretary because we are all in the same floor.

Sili added that he does most of his research and not having a secretary was not a problem for him.

In response to an email from the Weekend Observer, Governor Maiava Atalina Enari did not specifically say how much the office works cost.

However, she explained; we have about 4 tenants in our building and they are Ministry of Finance (our biggest tenant), Ombudsman, Ministry of Public Enterprises, World Bank and ADB Offices and Intertrust.

Maiava stressed that the C.B.S. building is over 20 years old. She said; You can imagine that the building is getting old and a lot of areas need to be renovated and to continually upgrade and refurbished to provide quality space for tenants.

The current renovations are not specifically for the Ministers office, she said.

Its renovation for the whole of Level 6 that has the Governors office, C.E.O. Finance and office for Minister of Finance. On the other side of Level 6 is the conference room that is usually hired out to other Ministries and government agencies for their workshops and seminars while the other side has the offices for Governor, C.E.O. Finance and Minister of Finance.

Furthermore the Governor said all the rooms in Level 6 are occupied and has two small meeting rooms used by the tenants.

This is not the only renovation work being carried out at the moment, said Maiava.

Work is now underway at Level 7 to renovate the offices of the World Bank and A.D.B, she said. She added: We also plan to replace the elevators because the old elevators of the building having multiple problems.
Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, would not reveal his governments plan for Sogi, saying the Samoa Observer already knew about it.

He said: The plan was announced before, so I will not respond to any more questions on the topic.

Told that he did not say anything about what the government was planning to use the lands for; he disagreed.

He said: Go back and dig up the previous release from the government.

The Minister at the time has already explained it. Asked which Minister he was referring to, Tuilaepa declined to give any more details.

That is my answer, go back to release by government in the past. It should be in your previous publications.

Last week, Tuilaepa made it clear that the government will not change its mind in relocating the residents of Sogi.

He added that the Samoa Land Corporation (S.L.C.) has been directed by Cabinet to deal with the last remaining residents in the area.

In a recent interview with the S.L.C. Chief Executive Officer, Ulugia Petelo Kavesi he denied rumours about government development in the area.

I have no knowledge on that issue so I have no comment to make, said Ulugia.

In 2009, the Siva Afi company was forcefully evicted from leased public land at Sogi by the government.

That land currently houses the Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi six storey building consisting of a conventional center at the back and a garage on the side.

At the time, Siva Afi owner, Leota Lene took the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment to Court.

Leota accused the government for not honouring a lease agreement where they were evicted prior to the expiry date of their lease.

His company leased the land in 2006 for 20 years with a right of renewal.

The dispute went a step further when the government amended the Taking of Land Act in October 2009 in order to evict Siva Afi from Sogi on 16th November 2009.

The proposed change was tabled by the then Minister of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, Faumuina Tiatia Liuga.

The bill gave government the power to take over for public purposes public land and freehold land. It also gives the power to the M.N.R.E. Minister to make an offer of compensation for land and to setup a procedure for its acquisition if the offer is not made or is refused.

Any debt relating to the land or estate or interest in the land owed the government or public body may be subtracted from the compensation sum.

At the time, Siva Afi was offered a total compensation of $462,000 which the business rejected.

In a decision on July 2013, the Supreme Court awarded Siva Afi compensation of $748,186.15

Leota later filed an appeal heard in November 2012 in the Court of Appeal.

A decision was delivered on December 2012 in which a final payment out of $1, 769, 332.90 was awarded to Siva Afi.
Youth are the future leaders of any country.

With that belief, the Office of the Legislative Assembly has been carrying out Youth Parliamentary Programmes, for four consecutive years.

They give our young people an insight into how parliament operates and this year, another 80 young people from various youth groups, have joined up.

On Tuesday when Parliament assembled, it was an opportunity to listen and observe parliament sitting and its procedures.

Deputy Clerk of the Office of Legislative Assembly, Leatisa Utime Tala, says the youth programme provides the opportunity to learn about parliament and encourages participation in the law-making process.

The Youth Parliamentary Programme started when the former Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Fepuleai Attila Ropati and the Speaker at the time, saw that there was a need to improve how parliament operated.

Having such a programme was part of that change, he said. One area which needed improvement was the relationship between the Members of Parliament and members of the public.

A lot of people think that their job is done after the election and after they vote.

Moreover, we noticed that a lot of people do not know that they have a role to play in parliament procedures. They are also unaware of their rights to contribute not just the Members of Parliament.

They who have attended include Primary Schools students, College Students, University Students, Youths and Women.

The main objective is to start early with our kids and the younger generation as they will be in charge of things in the future.

They are the future of families, villages, churches and of course our country so they need to learn and know these things.

A lot of people probably do not know and are unaware that they have a huge role to play in law making process in parliament. We have a democratic system of government, and it is very important that the majority of our people agree with whatever is discussed in parliament.

Yesterday, a mock parliament was held as the main activity to finish off the two-day programme.

Said Leatisa, they have been getting a lot of feedback from the different participants from the previous years about the importance of this programme.

A lot of them are also encouraging us to have this programme every year which is good sign that our youth are happy with the programmes and are interested in learning about this important part of our lives. What we are trying to do and encourage is for all the participants who participated in this programme, to share their knowledge and experience with their friends and others.

One of the participants, Malaeoloa Iese from Lalovi said hes been going to the Youth Parliamentary Programme for four years now.

The 25-year-old praised the organizers saying that this is a great way to nurture the future leaders of Samoa.

This is very useful and indeed an important one for us the youth of Samoa, said Malaeoloa.

We often hear the saying that we (youths) are the future of Samoa. And thats what this programme is all about and I thank the organizers for setting it.

This is an opportunity for us to learn and observe how parliament operates and also experience it.

On Tuesday, we had the chance to listen to parliament sitting and observe how it operates. And today, we are having a mock parliament where we get to use the skills and the knowledge that we have learned from observation and also the put sessions into action.

Malaeoloa urged the youths of Samoa to join the programme in the years to come.

Its very useful and you never know whats going to happen in the future. And its always good to be prepared for whats waiting for us. 
Twelve-year-old Y.A.J. is a child vendor. He is from Leone.

Im from a family of four, he said. My parents, me and my two youngest brother. My mother stays home and my father works at one of the shops in town.

Last year he decided to quit school so that he could provide for his family, he told the Weekend Observer.

My fathers salary is not enough to feed our family. That was why I decided to go on the streets and sold sei, clippers and other stuff.

I go home only after Ive sold all of the clipper. It means I have to spend many hours selling, from seven in the morning till late at night.

Although now and then some youths abused him and robbed him of his money, Y.A.J. said he never went to the Police.

He said: I dont want to report them to the Police or my father. They told me not to tell anyone because that would invite more troubles for me.

In my family we are struggling everyday to find food and money. We have no hope if I go back to school. So Ill keep on working hard to sell this stuff to help feed my family.

Y.A.J. said: Last Friday, I earned only $5 from selling clipper. I wanted to help. Thats why I do this because this helps my family to survive. Because most of the time we dont have enough money to buy food.

He said: Yesterday, I went to a nearby restaurant looking for food, they gave me food to eat. But, whenever I have food, I will not eat it. I will take it home to share it with my brothers and my mother.

Thats how our family survive most of the times. It is too hard for me to see my parents struggling. Thats what motivates me to keep going.

Y.A.J. is one of a growing number of child vendors who provide for their families by hawking cheap goods on the streets of Apia.

The International Labour Organisation (I.L.O.) says law reforms are a vital part of the solution to the problem of child vendors everywhere including Samoa.

However it is understood there is no legislation stopping child vendors from working at night time in Samoa, but there is one preventing it during school hours.

The National Coordinator in Samoa, Tomasi Peni, says: The country needs to work together, especially the ministries and [social organisations] that deal with child labour.

What they need to do is look at the gaps [in legislation] and see where they can work together to include street vendors in the legislations.

He also said young children working into the late hours of the night on the streets of Apia, are exposed to dangerous activities such as stealing and whatnot.

He predicted that the street vendor issue would take some time to be resolved, but any intervention by the government would be a big help.

In the meantime, the community and social organisations throughout the country had an important role to play in ensuring that children were not working as street vendors, he said.

Urged Peni: What we want to see is for those social partners working with I.L.O. to take action.

We urged parents to put a stop to their kids working as child vendors. I think its time they take the issue seriously.
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Principe, Democratic Republic of Saudi Arabia, Kingdom of Senegal, Republic of Serbia and Montenegro Seychelles, Republic of Sierra Leone, Republic of Singapore, Republic of Slovakia (Slovak Republic) Slovenia Solomon Islands Somalia, Somali Republic South Africa, Republic of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands Spain, Spanish State Sri Lanka, Democratic Socialist Republic of St. Helena St. Kitts and Nevis St. Lucia St. Pierre and Miquelon St. Vincent and the Grenadines Sudan, Democratic Republic of the Suriname, Republic of Svalbard & Jan Mayen Islands Swaziland, Kingdom of Sweden, Kingdom of Switzerland, Swiss Confederation Syrian Arab Republic Taiwan, Province of China Tajikistan Tanzania, United Republic of Thailand, Kingdom of Timor-Leste, Democratic Republic of Togo, Togolese Republic Tokelau (Tokelau Islands) Tonga, Kingdom of Trinidad and Tobago, Republic of Tunisia, Republic of Turkey, Republic of Turkmenistan Turks and Caicos Islands Tuvalu Uganda, Republic of Ukraine United Arab Emirates United Kingdom of Great Britain & N. 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King of Prussia, PA -- (SBWIRE) -- 08/26/2016 -- Anyone searching for a great place to take their pup for boarding, daycare, grooming, or dog training in Wayne, PA and surrounding areas, is encouraged to contact the reputable staff at Perfect Pooch. Owners can certainly count on the professionals to take excellent care of their best friend. Conveniently located at 200 King Manor Drive in King of Prussia, PA, Perfect Pooch is the go-to spot for pups living throughout the Greater Philadelphia region.



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Researchers blamed Microsoft's Excel for errors found in their academic papers on genomics. The researchers called Microsoft out and claimed that the spreadsheet software automatically converts the names of genes into dates.

In a report by BBC News, researchers of a genomic study said that Excel automatically converts specific gene names into dates. Examples of which are the gene symbols SEPT2 (Septin 2) were found to be altered to "September 2" and "MARCH1" gene becomes "1-Mar". However, Microsoft, which released the first version of the software in 1985, explained that the gene renaming errors can be solved if users make necessary changes in the application settings.

"Excel is able to display data and text in many different ways. Default settings are intended to work in most day-to-day scenarios," a spokeswoman for the corporation told the BBC. "Excel offers a wide range of options, which customers with specific needs can use to change the way their data is represented," she added.

The paper also noticed that this problem has been identified for over a decade, but has remained prevalent over time. The trio, Mark Ziemann, Yotam Eren and Assam El-OstaEmai, of the Baker IDI Heart & Diabetes Institute in Australia studied 35,175 Excel tables linked to 3,597 scientific papers published between the years 2005 and 2015 and discovered errors in "987 supplementary files from 704 published articles."

"Of the selected journals, the proportion of published articles with Excel files containing gene lists that are affected by gene name errors is 19.6 per cent." Another spreadsheet software that had the same conversion problem, according to the researchers was LibreOffice Calc or Apache OpenOffice Calc. However, the systematic error was not present in Google Sheets, mspoweruser.com reported.

Meanwhile, Ewan Birney, director of the European Bioinformatics Institute, does not blame Excel and told the BBC: "What frustrates me is researchers are relying on Excel spreadsheets for clinical trials." The Excel gene renaming issue has been known among the scientific community for more than a decade, Birney added. Theregister.co.uk also reported that Birney recommended the program should only be considered for "lightweight scientific analysis".

Assam El-Osta, one of the paper's three researchers said that the errors were specifically found on the supplemental data sheets of academic studies. He also said that the supplemental pages contained "important supporting data, rich with information," and added that resolving these errors was "time-consuming".

The Baker IDI claimed that the first time the scientific community discovered Excel's automatic renaming of certain genes was in 2004. Since then the problem has "increased at an annual rate of 15%" over the past five years.
Researchers from the University of Glasgow discovered that children with learning disabilities were often conceived in the winter months, January to March. The findings showed that lack of exposure to sunlight, which is the source of vitamin D, causes delay in the development in the womb.

The study was printed in the American Journal of Epidemiology. In partnership with England's National Health System, the Scottish government and Cambridge University, the researchers examined 800,000 children, who attended school between 2006 and 2011.

The findings showed that 8.9 percent of those conceived in the first quarter of the year had learning disabilities. On the other hand, 7.6 percent contrasted to 7.6 percent of babies conceived between July and September. The researchers concluded that lack of vitamin D in the winter months' lead to delayed development in the womb. This may result in learning disabilities ranging from dyslexia to autism, according to Romper.

What do sunshine & #eggs have in common? Both are great sources of vitamin D! pic.twitter.com/quzdvyBwtv  Ohio Poultry Assn. (@OhioEggFarmers) August 19, 2016

"We know that vitamin D is essential for healthy brain development in babies, and the first few weeks of pregnancy are a critical period when the brain develops," explained Prof. Jill Pell, director of the Institute of Health and Wellbeing at the University of Glasgow. She further told the BBC that in the United Kingdom during the winter months, they don't have enough sunlight for their bodies to actually produce vitamin D.

Other studies conducted in animals have confirmed that if they have lesser vitamin D, their offspring likely have brain problems, but if they are given vitamin D, these problems are avoided. Experts also believe that young babies receive sufficient vitamin D through their mother's breast milk or formula, which contains nutrients.
Windows 10 sends personal information about computers up to Microsoft, even if users have changed all their settings to prevent it. While much of the information is harmless, some of it includes an identification number that could be traced back to the computers' users.

A recent report from the EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) now claims that Windows 10 collects more user data than ever before. "Windows 10 sends an unprecedented amount of usage data back to Microsoft," warns EFF's Amul Kalia.

What are the accusations?

There's a non-exhaustive list of data sent back: location data, text input, voice input, touch input, webpages you visit, and telemetry data of your computer, including which programs you run and for how long. "The traffic could be innocuous, but the inclusion of a machine ID gives it a suspicious appearance," concludes Peter Bright, writing for the site.

Computers running the new operating system regularly get in contact with Microsoft servers to download and upload identifying data, Ars Technica reports. Windows 10 users should also be aware that enabling Cortana, Microsoft's virtual assistant, adds to even more data sent back to Microsoft.

France's National Data Protection Commission, 'CNIL' points to Windows 10's telemetry service, the complaint is that "these data are not necessary for the operation of the service". The company has been ordered to "stop collecting excessive data and tracking browsing by users without their consent" by the France Government.

Other information that the computers send out is "quite impenetrable". The computers seem to be sending out information through a special network that means that it can't be monitored. However, Microsoft told Ars Technica that, "No query or search usage data is sent to Microsoft, in accordance with the customer's chosen privacy settings. This also applies to searching offline for items such as apps, files and settings on the device."

The EFF has urged Microsoft to offer some real choices to users, implementing substantial opt-outs that would actually work."There's no doubt that Windows 10 has some great security improvements over previous versions of the operating system. But it's a shame that Microsoft made users choose between having privacy and security," EFF ended.
Russian billionaire and internet entrepreneur Yuri Milner accompanied by Nobel-prizing-winning physicist Stephen Hawking, announced back in April that he is investing 100 million dollars into his Breakthrough Starshot Project, with a goal of sending a fleet of probes to Alpha Centauri, our nearest neighboring star, in search of life.

"Earth is a beautiful place, but it might not last forever," Hawking says in a press release. "Sooner or later we must look to the stars." Facebook's Mark Zuckerberg and Hawking both are said to join Milner on the board of directors. Pete Worden, former director of NASA's Ames Research Center, has signed on as executive director, according to the press release.

Why Alpha Centauri?

The system is not just the closest one, researchers also think an Earth-like planet may orbit Alpha Centauri B, believes New Scientist. "The discovery ... provides an obvious target for a flyby mission," Avi Loeb, a Starshot mission advisory committee chair, wrote in an email to Business Insider. Noting that exisiting telescopes can't photograph the new planet, Loeb added: "The curiosity to know more about the plan will give the Starshot initiative a sense of urgency."

The Project

"Breakthrough Starshot," the program Milner is backing, intends to squeeze all the key components of a robotic probe into tiny gram-scale "nanocraft." These would be small enough to boost to enormous speeds using other technology the program plans to help develop, including a ground-based kilometer-scale laser array capable of beaming 100-gigawatt laser pulses through the atmosphere for a few minutes at a time, and atoms-thin, meter-wide "light sails" to ride those beams to other stars, pushing a nanocraft to relativistic speeds.

Is it really possible?

"There are about 20 key challenges we are asking the world's scientific experts to help us with-and we are willing to financially support their work," Pete Worden, former Director NASA's ARC, tells The New York Times.

Milner believes that the technology will advance to the point where this is possible, targeting the Atacama Desert for the laser array. "If you have a reasonable sized battery, and a reasonable sized array, and a reasonable sized power station, you probably can do one shot a day," Milner states. "And then you recharge and shoot again. You can launch one per day for a year and then you have hundreds on the way."

At this point Starshot already has a prototype for the StarChip. It's smaller than an iPhone, and it will be backed with cameras, photon thrusters, power supply, navigation, and communication equipment. "Even if Proxima B doesn't support life", Loeb says, "It's still important to explore the not-so-distant world."
There have been many studies regarding dreams. Scientists found that they are neurological activities mainly done during the REM Stage of sleep. While many of us see moving pictures that range from ordinary to baffling in our sleep, there is one question that everyone, at some point, had asked: how do blind people dream?

Neuroscientists from the University of Copenhagen actually looked into it. They gathered 25 blind people for their study, 11 of which were blind from birth, and 14 who became blind after age 1. They also gathered with them 25 sighted participants. Over the course of four weeks, they interviewed the participants about their dreams and asked them to fill out a structured dream diary that they should fill in upon waking up each day. In the diary, the participants were asked all kinds of questions regarding the dream, including the form that these dreams take, the things that they see (if they do) and whether or not they experience nightmares.

The study, which was published in the journal Sleep Medicine found that while sighted participants tended to remember visual sensations from their dreams, the blind participants actually have a far richer and wider variety of senses in their dreams. They experience vivid sensations of sound, touch, smell, and even taste.

Those who acquired blindness later in life, meanwhile, have experienced visual dreams, with the study noting that many of these people "described an object or a scene verbally in such rich visual terms that the interlocutor began to doubt if these individuals really lacked vision." However, they did also find that the longer a person had been blind, the shorter their memory of the dream and the more hazy the visual impressions are.

Scientists only made a thorough study about this recently, but the question as to how blind people dream, as noted by IFL Science, had been answered long ago. For instance, blind YouTuber and film critic Tommy Edison addressed the issue long ago. Edison shared that if his brain does not know how to see, it is likely that his brain won't help him, either. "A drug wouldn't be able to make me see. If it could, don't you think I'd take it every day!?"
DARLINGTON, S.C. -- Firefighters from three departments teamed up to fight a brush fire off Hoffmeyer Road Friday afternoon.

Darlington County firefighters initially responded to the fire in the 3800 Block of Hoffmeyer Road, according to a release issued by the West Florence Fire Department.

They were joined at 2:10 p.m. by West Florence and also South Carolina Department of Forestry Firefighters and associated equipment, according to the release.

Capt. Anthony Fox wrote in the West Florence release that the field fire was threatening structures and had spread into nearby woods.

Forestry crews cut a break around the blaze to limit its spread and protect endangered structures while Darlington County and West Florence firefighters worked to extinguish the blaze, Fox said.
The European Commission is planning to introduce an EU-wide system of visa authorization for the citizens of countries that can enter the blocs territory without a visa. The first draft will be presented in the upcoming autumn and it will modeled based on the American ESTA  a US scheme requiring international travellers who do not need a visa to enter the US territory to apply online and pay an administrative fee of $14.

Germany and France have been pushing for a pan-European visa-free authorization travel for long and the proposal comes right at the time of heightened security concerns. French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve confirmed that the system would be inspired by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in the United States, an automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the country. Similar systems also exist in Canada and Australia.

The idea has not only been triggered by increasing security concerns but also in the light of the latest visa liberalization proposals for counties such as Georgia, Ukraine, Kosovo and Turkey. The main goal of the scheme is to make sure that travellers do not overstay their visa. On top of the ESTA planning, the EU has also stepped up anti-terrorism coordination with proposals for new EU rules to make operators of mobile messaging services provide access for terrorism investigators to encrypted content. Brussels is also planning a pilot project called ADEP, which will enable automated transmission of judicial records between police services. Six EU Member States are already part of the initiative and if it proves to be working well, all members will be included.
Tim Wilkins, regional manager Asia-Pacific & Environment Director at Intertankos Asia representative office in Singapore, observed that the success of curbing piracy at the Gulf of Aden has led to an economic cost of $2.2-2.3bn in 2014 alone.

Among the total, around $1.2bn went to hiring armed guards from PMSC (private military security companies), $805m on government and civil society costs such as naval patrols, payment of ransoms, counter-piracy operations, and $175m on insurance and labour.

The Gulf of Aden is a success story that has come at a price, Wilkins said at a piracy seminar held on Friday in Singapore, co-organised by Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF) and General Insurance Association of Singapore (GIA).

Back in 2007-2008 there was a significant rise in piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off Somalia coast. Today, we have witnessed a staggering change and dramatic drop in incidences since 2010, he said.

While the Gulf of Aden has seen a drop in piracy incidences, the same cannot be said over at Gulf of Guinea, West Africa, a region active in oil exports. Wilkins said the pirates mode of operation in the Gulf of Guinea is much more aggressive compared to the Gulf of Aden.

Regretably the problem of piracy in the Gulf of Guinea will not go away soon, mainly arising from government instability in the region, he said. There have been more and more attacks in the Gulf of Guinea as the pirates have seemingly realised the rich source of finance especially by targeting tankers carrying valuable oil cargoes.

Elsewhere, there could be signs of emerging threats in the Latin American region particularly in the Caribbean Sea, Wilkins noted, though the incidents are mostly still confined to petty thieves and robberies.

He highlighted that the community at large would need to tackle the piracy problem from three key approaches, namely government support of naval forces, developments ashore particularly in countries where pirates originated, and best management practices including self-protection measures onboard ships.
Julien Barnes-Dacey (European Council on Foreign Relations)

Five years have passed since the beginning of the civil war in Syria and its impact on the country and the region has been devastating. In June this year, a series of attacks by the Islamic State sparked the fear of escalation and expansion of the conflict to the neighboring countries, in particular Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey. Similar concerns have arisen many times since the beginning of the crisis and the individual countries have dealt with the problems in different ways.

Despite the influx of the refugees, the economic problems caused by the war in the neighboring countries and the attacks by the Islamists, Jordan and Lebanon have coped with the crisis well. Lebanese Hezbollah and the Jordanian army closed the border at the right time and thus prevented an uncontrollable arrival of refugees and ISIS units. Both countries have also experienced internal unrests, which they, however, endured while they continue to prevent any escalation and spread of the conflict from Syria.

In Turkey, though, the situation is completely different. The Turkish government is actively involved in the Syrian crisis, which has become a big problem. Not only has Turkey exacerbated relations with its Kurdish population, it has also openly launched a campaign against the Syrian Kurds but has also failed to prevent the arrival of 2.7 million refugees. Turkeys position has also deteriorated outside the region when the downing of a Russian aircraft over the countrys borders provoked retaliatory sanctions by Russia, which has so far cost Ankara about 10 billion euros. The relations with the EU have deteriorated as well since the EU does not agree with the Turkish policy in Syria.

However, in addition to the disagreement, the Union can engage in the conflict in a different way. Member States should increase financial and other support for Syrias neighbors. For example, the number of refugees in Lebanon accounts for around 25 percent of the countrys population, and therefore Lebanon is dependent on foreign aid. The EU can neither forget about the cooperation within the region, nor can it, at the same time, turn a blind eye to the policies of President Erdogan, which are targeted against the Syrians and Turkish Kurds. That does not, however, mean that the EU should rashly send resources to the region. The EUs support must arrive where it is supposed to go and not to the hands of other gunmen and gangsters, who will further destabilize the region.

(The study can be downloaded here:http://www.ecfr.eu/publications/summary/the_war_next_door_syria_and_the_erosion_of_stability_in_jordan_lebanon_7066)
Scott Manley spends a lot of his spare time playing with little green people -- that is, the famous astronauts of the "Kerbal Space Program" computer game. This makes the Silicon Valley techie very similar to others in his neighborhood, except for a crucial twist: Manley has an academic background in astrophysics, and he uploads his playing sessions to a YouTube channel with more than 500,000 subscribers. RELATED: Voyager Probes Found in Online 'Elite: Dangerous' Universe He calls himself the "Astronogamer" and profiles all sorts of games on his channel, from the classic Kerbal to the brand-new No Man's Sky. And while playing, he muses aloud about the science he sees, educating his viewers as he plays. "Kerbal gets me continual traction for all sorts of crazy things," Manley said. "I can do straight up pure science, how to build aircraft, how to keep your rockets balanced as the fuel burns down. Or let's take a nuclear submarine and see what it takes to fly."

Manley once fancied himself working purely on asteroid hazards as an academic, even though his Ph.D. supervisor warned him he would never be taken seriously. He was then headhunted and now works for a "major tech company" in San Francisco. Astronogamer is purely Manley's spare-time persona. But it's funny how things work sometimes. Manley uploaded a 360-degree video in honor of Asteroid Day 2015, showing how near-Earth asteroids would look if you could take away the horizon and peer all around you in space. He mentioned how the B612 Foundation's planned Sentinel telescope will be able to look for many more. That caught the attention of the organization itself. RELATED: Immerse Yourself: 10 Amazing Virtual Reality Games Manley participated in this year's Asteroid Day with B612; the organization's mission is to help with detecting and deflecting asteroids. Manley also had the chance to sit down with Ed Lu, a former astronaut who co-founded the organization. Manley had Lu try Kerbal Space Program in front of the camera. "He had a lot of trouble because he was a real pilot trying to fly a rocket with a keyboard," Manley said, adding he always feels a little bad when watching the video. "But these things take a long time to learn, and he was fantastic."

A favorite recent project of Manley's is when he visited Arizona's Meteor Crater with B612 and talked about the famous asteroid impact that caused the 0.8-mile divot in the Earth. Right now his channel is about 80% gaming and 20% science, and he plans to integrate more science as the years go on. "The scripted science content feels more fulfilling ... and I think I do a good job of that," he said. One of his future projects will be how our understanding of science changed through the centuries, in some cases because what was taught in schools was purposely wrong, he added. RELATED: Most Destructive Space Battle Rocks Virtual Universe As a bonus, Manley gave us his list of most recommended space games. Happy exploring the (virtual) universe! GALLERY: No Man's Sky: Explore a Virtual, Evolving Universe

style="text-align: left;"> According to multiple media reports, players will begin their journey on a unique planet. That is, a planet that is unique to every person playing the game. These won't be tame locations, either. You may find yourself running into what looks like some dinosaurs (cue Jurassic Park theme) or other strange creatures. Engadget says the team behind the game borrowed from classic sci-fi and comics (namely, by working with folks who worked on Star Trek and The Watchmen) to create a "lore" for people to explore. style="text-align: left;"> RELATED: Mars 2030: Explore Your Own Virtual Red Planet style="text-align: left;"> "Their contributions to the supplemental materials that come with certain versions of No Man's Sky influenced the development team to consider how things worked in the game proper," Engadget wrote, "like landing gear on a ship, for instance." style="text-align: left;"> Credit: Hello Games

style="text-align: left;"> This game appears to be a combination of ideas such as what was seen on Microsoft Space Simulator (this was a long-ago game from the 1990s that ran on DOS) and the current game Celestia (where you can fly around locations real or imagined, thanks in large part to the power of crowdsourcing). The scale of No Man's Sky is advertised as grand: "If you can see it, you can go there," Hello Games writes. "You can fly seamlessly from the surface of a planet to another, and every star in the sky is a sun that you can visit." And as you trek around from planet to planet like a sci-fi hero, the team promises that the experience won't get repetitive in a hurry. "Every creature, geological formation, plant and spaceship is unique," the studio adds. style="text-align: left;"> RELATED: Most Destructive Space Battle Rocks Virtual Universe style="text-align: left;"> Credit: Hello Games

style="text-align: left;"> Much as some people like playing the solitary hero (like wandering the forests of Skyrim), it can get lonely out in space without company. So players have the choice of finding other real-life people and exploring the universe in tandem or in groups. It's not clear yet if this will lead to epic space battles such as what we're used to in Star Wars, or huge trade wars as people fight over resources. It sounds, however, like it could be along the lines of EVE Online or World of Warcraft -- as long as there is some compelling, shared goal for teams to work towards. style="text-align: left;"> RELATED: Voyager Probes Found in Online 'Elite: Dangerous' Universe style="text-align: left;"> This picture appears reminiscent of sci-fi series such as Battlestar: Galactica, where humans had to wander the universe after Cylon robots wiped out their homeland. But nomadic species could also happen for different reasons: the urge to explore, the need to find resources after running out at home, or the desire to colonize other places and spread the word about how awesome your species is. style="text-align: left;"> Credit: Hello Games

style="text-align: left;"> It's hard to tell how much action there actually will be in this game. If it's one of those long-winded exploration types of games, that would appeal to one distinct audience. But it might be harder to draw in the folks who love playing versions of Grand Theft Auto -- that is to say, excellent games that have you learn how to (say) fly a plane while trying to escape an enemy who is shooting at you. But screenshots like this show that there could be some quick-timed flight mechanics, as this shows small spaceplanes leaving a hanger -- akin to the online game Elite: Dangerous. style="text-align: left;"> RELATED: Is There a Secret Astronomy Story in 'Game Of Thrones'? style="text-align: left;"> Credit: Hello Games
Photo: Mecca Laa Laa wears a 'Burkini' on her first surf lifesaving patrol at North Cronulla Beach in Sydney, Australia / Getty Images A top French court on Friday overturned a controversial, temporary ban on the "burkini," a swimsuit that covers most of the body.

The Council of State's ruling applies to one town -- Villeneuve-Loubet -- but the decision is expected to set a legal precedent for several other seaside towns that have issued similar bans, CNN reported.

Human rights groups and other argued the French government telling Muslim women what they can't wear is just as bad as governments in the Middle East telling women what they must wear.

France's debate over Islamic clothing has been ongoing for decades, but in 2004, France officially banned hijabs from public schools, as well as other religious articles like Christian crosses and Jewish kippahs, reports The Independent. This decision was in line with their national concept of laicite, the principle of keeping religion out of public affairs and fostering a post-religious society.

In 2011, the country officially banned wearing full face coverings in public, which includes burqas and niqabs. Many Muslim women saw this move as a violation of their religious rights and some even brought lawsuits against the French government.

RELATED: How Muslim Women Are Reclaiming The Veil in France

This summer, the contention between French secularism and Islamic clothing made its way to the beach. Three French towns, Cannes, Villeneuve-Loubet and Sisco, banned the full-coverage burkini from being worn in public. The ban in Sisco, on the island of Corsica, was put into effect after a beach brawl was allegedly prompted by people taking photos of women swimming in burkinis, reports The Los Angeles Time.

According to the mayor of Cannes, the reason for the burkini ban was the same as the national burqa ban; burkinis don't respect "good morals and secularism," he told the Associated Press. But Muslim women see it quite differently.

"Here in France we have a principal of secularism... but this law only talks about Muslim women," Feiza Ben Mohamed, spokeswoman for the Southern Federation of Muslims, told The Local. "The mayor (of Cannes) talks about protecting public order, which means he thinks the presence of a Muslim woman on a beach will cause trouble," she said.

"He also invokes the fight against terrorism so he is basically saying a Muslim woman who wears a burkini is a terrorist. Yet again it's ordinary Muslims who pay for the actions of terrorists even though they had nothing to do with it," Ben Mohamed added.

WATCH: What Does It Mean To Be a Feminist in Islam?
A shark research group working in the North Atlantic says it has found the first-ever great white shark nursery in those waters. Ocearch was able to tag nine baby great whites off Long Island in New York, after finding a nursery there during a recent expedition, according to WABC. "We have just been totally overwhelmed by the abundance here and the volume of sharks we're seeing," Ocearch researcher Chris Fischer told WABC. RELATED: Paddleboarder Gets Cozy with Great White Sharks The scientists have the shark-tagging process down pat and can outfit sharks with sensors and trackers in under 15 minutes. The gear should allow them to study the big fish for the next decade. Among the sharks tagged was a 4-foot female called Montauk and another female, named Gratitude, shown below in an Ocearch tweet:

Visitors to Ocearch's website can track the sharks tagged by the organization, which also has a tracking app available. Great white sharks, while not protected under the Endangered Species Act, nonetheless are covered under a number of federal laws and regulations. Pinpointing this nursery's location could help establish further restrictions aimed at protecting the species. VIEW PHOTOS: Top Shark Spots Identified



The worlds No. 1 place for sharks has just been identified -- off the coast of Darwin Island and Wolf Island in the northern portion of the Galapagos archipelago. The waters of these Pacific islands contain the largest shark biomass ever reported, about 13 tons for every 2 1/2 acres. The findings are published in the journal Peer J. The more sharks, the greater the biomass. And the larger the sharks, also the greater the biomass, said lead author Pelayo Salinas de Leon, of the Charles Darwin Research Station (CDRS). In this gallery, see how conservation efforts are working at the famous Pacific archipelago. PHOTOS: Close Encounter With A Great White Shark: Photos

The natural rock formation called Darwins Arch, named after the British naturalist who spent so much time in the Galapagos Islands, protrudes from the water southeast of Darwin Island. The region is packed with multiple species of sharks and other marine life, the new study determined. The findings come after Ecuador designated the area a marine sanctuary in March 2016.

Salinas de Leon and his team of divers surveyed marine life in the area, where at least 33 species of sharks are found. The team most often found hammerheads, Galapagos, silky, black tip, whale, white tip and tiger sharks, he said. Other surveys found that waters within Costa Ricas Cocos Island National Park, as well as within the Chagos Marine Reserve in the Indian Ocean, have the next largest shark biomasses. Shark Files: Shark Bite Risk Down 91 Percent Since 1950

Worldwide, overfishing has reduced the biomass of most sharks and other large predatory fishes by more than 90 percent -- even in remote areas -- which makes the new findings all the more remarkable. Charles Darwin made the Galapagos Islands famous, but for the underwater world to be so full of life is something he probably never imagined, said Enric Sala, National Geographic Society explorer-in-residence and leader of the Societys Pristine Seas project. In December 2015, the Pristine Seas team of international scientists and filmmakers conducted the expedition in collaboration with the Galapagos National Park and CDRS.

Estimates by mass are important, as this enormous whale shark demonstrates. Several smaller sharks could fit into the same space taken up by this one. Until the recent establishment of the marine sanctuary, the northern Galapagos Islands region was not fully protected from fishing. There were some prior fishing restrictions, created in the late 1990s, which allowed marine life to recover somewhat from earlier depletions, but conservationists deemed them insufficient. Now, it can truly be said that sharks rule the waters there. Shark Files: Great White Shark Photobombs Friend

Like an opening scene from a James Bond movie, a school of fish parts ways to form a circle around a savvy predator -- in this case is a sea lion. Sharks feast on sea lions that feast on fish, including sometimes smaller sharks, demonstrating the regions healthy food chain. The isolated oceanic islands of this region provide productive feeding areas and also cleaner fish services," Salinas de Leon said. Like a car wash for sharks, certain fish like to eat dead skin, parasites and other unwanted things off of sharks. The sharks will often patiently wait while the cleaner fish do their work.

As the Pristine Seas divers rose from the depths around Wolf Island and paused to let the compressed nitrogen slowly dissolve in their bloodstream, a pod of bottlenose dolphins came to visit. Studies of beached whales and other marine mammals suggest that even these natural divers can suffer decompression sickness, or the bends, if they rise too quickly from too great a depth. Shark 'Highways' Crisscross The World: Photos

Juvenile snappers find protection from predators among the densely woven roots of mangroves at Fernandina Island, which is the third largest island in the Galapagos archipelago. (Isabela is the largest, followed by Santa Cruz.) As adults, the roles of these fish will change, and they'll be the ones hunting for smaller species in the same environment. Change is also constant for the sharks. Hammerheads, for example, move between oceanic islands in the tropical Eastern Pacific, Malpelo in Colombia or Cocos in Costa Rica. During February through March, we believe that the large schools of female hammerheads frequently encountered around Darwin and Wolf Islands migrate to give birth to their young in mangrove areas of Colombia, Costa Rica and Panama, Salinas de Leon said.

Being cold-blooded reptiles, marine iguanas must return to the surface not only to breathe, but also to warm up and gain the energy to maintain body functions. Before and after their midday diving, they lie in the sun on the sun-warmed rocks of the Galapagos Islands, absorbing heat from above and below. Sharks are known to eat the iguanas, so these reptiles can rest a bit easier while on land. How Shark Panic Gave Way To Protection: Photos
Whole Foods sells it, Trader Joe's promotes it, even Safeway, Walmart and Target Superstores carry it. Organic food. Produce grown without conventional pesticides or synthetic fertilizers. Meat raised without antibiotics or growth hormones. What's not to like? It's one of the fastest growing sectors of the U.S. food industry. WATCH VIDEO: Does It Cost More To Eat Healthy? But peel back the rind and organic food may not be what you think. There's pesticide use, farmworker exploitation and questionable livestock management, as well as hundreds of products sold under the guise of being organic without coming close. Here we take a closer look at a few of the unseemly issues spoiling the organic food industry and suggest choices and simple actions that could make a big difference.

CORPORATE VS. AUTHENTIC The phrase "organic food" strikes a wholesome note with most people because it evokes images of small family farms where happy cows roam and glossy produce bursts from the soil. But not all organic farms are created equal. Mark Kastel, co-founder of and senior farm policy analyst at The Cornucopia Institute, a farm policy research group based in Wisconsin, says there are two kinds of organic: corporate and authentic. "Corporate" refers to large, industrial-scale farms that call themselves organic, but have managed to skirt regulations, inspections and other USDA oversight. "Authentic" means farms that meet the USDA's requirements and have been certified. RELATED: Overcoming Obstacles to Organic Farming But there is some gray area. Organic farms that sell less than $5,000 a year are not required to get the certification, and because acquiring a certification involves paying a fee, some organic farmers skip it because they simply cannot afford it. "I have seen small farmers say it's prohibitively expensive," food systems analyst Kristy Athens told DNews. Athens is the author of "Get Your Pitchfork On!: The Real Dirt on Country Living." This means some farms that claim they're organic may not be in practice and other farms that are not certified organic may indeed be organic. What's a consumer to do? RELATED: Organic Farms Not a Conservation Cure-All Start by checking out the scorecards on The Cornucopia Institute's website, which rank just about every product category in every geographic location for how well they meet the organic standard. You can also track down one of the 300 or so community-supported agricultural farms around the country, which according to Kastel, represent the highest standard of organic. "Almost all of their food is local," says Kastel. "It's picked 10 hours ago, not 10 days ago. That's the gold standard." Search for a local farmer's market in your neighborhood. As of 2013, 8,144 farmer's markets were registered with the Agriculture Department, up from 4,685 in 2008. At both a farmer's market and in a CSA, you can speak directly to people who work on the farm and ask about their farming methods.

CHEMICALS According to the rules laid out by the USDA, farms can call themselves organic if they follow specific guidelines and obtain certification. Within those guidelines are strict rules about which substances can and cannot be used to deal with pests, mold and fungi. "A misconception about organic is that there are no chemicals used, but there is a long list of chemicals used and some of them are synthetic," Marylhurst University's Kristy Athens told DNews. WATCH VIDEO: Why Eating Organic Is Better Synthetic substances are allowed when a naturally derived one doesn't exist. But in some cases, even naturally derived substances could be harmful. The pesticide spinosad, which comes from a soil bacterium, fatally scrambles the nervous systems of insects. Other natural substances, including azadirachtin, derived from the Asian neem tree, and pyrethrin, from chrysanthemums, have been labeled slightly toxic by the EPA. And because naturally derived chemicals degrade faster in the environment than synthetic ones, farmers may have to apply more. That doesn't bother strong advocates of organic farming. "I might have to spray a second time, but it breaks down in sunlight and in the environment," said The Cornucopia Institute's Mark Kastel. "It's less apt to kill non target species, like butterflies or honeybees." RELATED: How Farming Almost Destroyed Ancient Human Civilization The best farms avoid monoculture crops like corn and soybeans that, over time, deplete the soil of nutrients and its natural ability to fight pests. Instead, they grow a variety of crops that complement each other. "It's not just about producing food, but producing a healthy landscape that's more resilient to climate change and preserves water," said Danielle Nierenberg, president of New Orleans-based Food Tank, a think tank for food justice.
Cayetano to Congress: don't prolong Filipinos' suffering; give the President emergency powers vs traffic ASAP

The longer it takes for Congress to grant emergency powers to the President, the longer it will take to resolve the country's perennial traffic and congestion problem.

Senator Alan Peter Cayetano issued this warning during last Thursday's (August 25) Senate committee hearing on the proposals to give the President emergency powers to address the crisis.

Cayetano urged his colleagues at the Senate to immediately pass an emergency measure soonest to end the traffic mess.

"For every one month na hindi maibigay ang emergency powers, additional three to six months sa implementation ng (infrastructure) projects," he said.

"Marami kasi sa ating kapwa senador ang nag-iisip na kung one month delay, one month lang. We need to explain na hindi ganun. The earlier (the President) gets the emergency powers, the more na mabilis ang momentum of real change," he added.

Cayetano also appealed to members of the House of Representatives to fast-track the passage of a counterpart bill in the Lower House. "Nakiki-usap tayo sa House of Representatives na sabayan at bilisan din nila ang pagpasa ng panukalang ito," he said.

Cayetano was among those who filed a measure at the Senate seeking to fix the country's worsening traffic situation.

He filed Senate Bill No. 999 or the "Freedom from Traffic and Congestion Act of 2016," which seeks to authorize the President and heads of transport-related executive agencies to utilize necessary resources and employ executive actions to address the crisis.

Cayetano said that giving emergency powers to the executive branch would speed up the procurement of transport and infrastructure projects, which will pave the way for the construction of faster and more reliable transport services throughout the country.

SBN 999 will empower the executive branch to override various transport agencies' regulations, licenses, and procedures, exercise right of eminent domain by expropriating private property, and be exempted from procurement laws and Temporary Restraining Orders (TROs), which usually delay infrastructure projects.
Press Release

August 26, 2016 Villar SIPAG opens 4-day training on aquaculture Sen. Cynthia Villar today welcomed 50 participants to the 4-day training on aquaculture at the Villar SIPAG (Social Institute for Poverty Alleviation and Governance) Farm School located at the boundary of Las Pinas and Bacoor City. Villar SIPAG partnered with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources- Region 4A to conduct free training for participants coming from the National Capital Region and provinces in Region 4A. "With the dwindling catch from the wild, we are now turning to aquaculture as the main source of fish and marine species for food. We are training fisherfolk to improve present practices and to increase their productivity, and also farmers who want to venture into fish farming," Villar, director of Villar SIPAG, said. The first day of the training will cover topics under fresh water aquaculture, such as red tilapia culture, fish health management, good aquaculture practices, record keeping, and hands-on training. Day 2 will involve training on post-harvest such as smoking, drying, fishball making, and kikiam making. Day 3 will be a module on ornamental fish culture and breeding and Day 4 will cover aquaponics or a system that combines aquaculture and hydroponics. "Overfishing is a major concern globally, with experts issuing warnings that if sustainable fishing is not practiced and oceans are not given time to recover, they could become 'virtual deserts' by 2050 or barely 36 years from now," Villar stressed. The chair of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural resources also cited studies saying 20 years ago, 70% of our fish production came from the ocean and 30% from aquaculture. At present, fish production is 50% wild catch and 50% aquaculture. Villar noted that the Philippines, being the sixth biggest fish producer in the world, has an aquaculture production of over US$1.58 billion. The fisheries sector also provides direct and indirect employment to over one million people, or about 12 percent of the agriculture sector of the labor force.
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Just five months after receiving a $1 million donation to back efforts to build a UC Berkeley international research complex in Richmond, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said the project has been indefinitely suspended.

Dirks blamed ongoing budget challenges for the collapse of the UC Berkeley Global Campus project despite more than two years of debate, community meetings, planning and fundraising already invested in the effort.

Additionally, Dirks resignation  announced last week amid concerns over his handling of a $150 million budget crisis and sexual harassment complaints  means the Richmond project will lose its biggest champion when he departs next year. There was little indication from the campus on Friday that it will be revived.

University spokesman Roqua Montez said that with the project on hold, the University will ... continue to explore options for the site that reflect new priorities for the campus around enrollment growth and housing in the near future.

The plan to develop the property was approved by the UC Regents in 2014, and included developing 5.4 million square feet of building space on university land along the Richmond shoreline.

The global campus was more than anything else an idea that Chancellor Dirks was pushing, said Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, who supported the project. It was something he wanted to be his key accomplishment during his administration.

The university described the 134-acre project as a development similar to UC San Franciscos Mission Bay site, forming a research and action hub, with undergraduate and graduate-level programs focused on global governance, ethics, political economy, cultural and international relations and practical engagement.

Dirks announced the suspension of the project Thursday night to university staff and those participating in the projects task force, the Richmond Community Working Group.

It came just five months after the Koret Foundation gave the university a $1 million planning grant to help shape the research agenda for the project.

Building on a long history of support, the Koret Foundation is honored to fund this planning grant at a pivotal time in the formation of the Berkeley Global Campus, Michael Boskin, president of the San Francisco-based philanthropic foundation, said in March. By creating a hub of scientific innovation, this partnership has the potential to shape the next generation of medicine, benefiting the health of humankind for decades to come.

The university will keep the money.

The Koret grant is for research and planning with UCSF on global and public health issues, Montez said. The grant was not to do any actual construction, so the research and planning will go on as planned since it was not dependent on new facilities.

Officials from the foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dirks had pushed the project even as he battled loud criticism of his leadership. In 2015, the university paid $200,000 in consulting fees to improve the chancellors strategic profile nationally and internationally.

Chancellor Dirks decided that the firms services were needed based on his assessment that the university would benefit if he were to have expanded access to and engagement with philanthropists around the world in order to increase philanthropic support for Berkeley, according to a university statement.

Butt said the fundraising efforts for the Global Campus had yet to yield significant contributions.

The longer this went without happening the more frustrating this became, he said.

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.

In fact, the project had its own share of controversy prior to the abrupt discontinuation Thursday.

Last year, Dirks named former UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor Graham Fleming to help lead the effort  after the administrator had resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. Fleming, who was on sabbatical, was paid a $20,000 stipend and international travel expenses to be the Global Campus ambassador  compensation in addition to his annual $276,500 salary.

In March, University of California President Janet Napolitano ordered Dirks to remove Fleming from all administrative posts.

In Richmond, the project was also controversial, with community groups and students demanding the university agree to conditions regarding job opportunities, housing and other benefits to residents and local businesses. The lack of an agreement resulted in protests, including incidents at the chancellors residence on campus in 2015.

This is the second time plans have fallen through for the site. A plan to expand the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on the land fell through in 2013 after the lab lost out on federal funding.

While we are deeply disappointed about the announced suspension of the UC Berkeley Global Campus in Richmond, we will continue to work with the city, the UC system, our national labs, and the state to pursue every opportunity to develop this valuable site for the benefit of our residents and the community, said Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord.

Butt said he believes there is still significant opportunity for Richmond in the development of the shoreline property.

I think there are still great opportunities here, he said. I think Richmonds involvement has to change. Richmond has to be seen as a productive partner.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
A Santa Clara County judge who provoked national outrage after giving what was perceived as a slap on the wrist to an ex-Stanford student convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman will be reassigned from the criminal to the civil division, the court announced Thursday.

Judge Aaron Persky, who sentenced Brock Turner in June to six months in jail for sexually assaulting a 23-year-old drunken woman after a fraternity party, asked for the change, according to Rise Jones Pichon, the presiding judge of Santa Clara Superior Court.
Judith Liteky, who spent decades organizing support for Central American war refugees and protests against a U.S. training center for Latin American military leaders, died Saturday of multiple myeloma at her home in San Francisco. She was 74.

Ms. Liteky left an order of Catholic nuns in 1973 to become a college teacher in San Francisco, where she developed a program for young Latina women and later became involved in the sanctuary movement for refugees.

In 1984, she married Charles Liteky, who as an Army chaplain in Vietnam had won the Medal of Honor for carrying more than 20 wounded soldiers through gunfire to safety in 1967.

Charles Liteky is now ailing. But a friend and fellow activist, Dolores Perez Priem, recalled that he accompanied his wife on a trip to war-torn El Salvador, and soon joined her in the protest cause.

In 1986, Charles Liteky became the first Medal of Honor recipient to return the award, which he deposited at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington, D.C., along with a letter to President Ronald Reagan protesting his Central American policies.

Ms. Liteky joined the protest campaign, School of the Americas Watch, when it was founded in 1990 and organized its Western branch in San Francisco in 1999. The government-run School of the Americas, at Fort Benning, Ga., trains Central and South American military leaders in combat and counterinsurgency techniques.

Some of its graduates have been implicated in the 1989 killings of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her 16-year-old daughter in El Salvador. Another attendee was the late Roberto dAubuisson, a rightist Salvador politician accused by his opponents of promoting death squads in his nations civil war.

The Defense Department changed the schools name to the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation in January 2001. But Ms. Liteky, in a letter to the editor in The Chronicle three months later, commented, The record of the schools graduates and the deaths of their civilian victims has not been changed by the new name.

One participant in the protests Ms. Liteky organized was Brian Willson, a Vietnam veteran whose legs were severed by a munitions train at the Concord Naval Weapons Station in September 1987 as Willson lay on the tracks to voice opposition to the shipment of weapons to Central America.

Judy was very instrumental in organizing people to protest against the School of the Americas in nonviolent and peaceful ways, Willson said. She taught the truth about the reasons for immigrants fleeing the conflicts in Latin America, and continued to inspire us throughout her life.

She was also a calming influence, said Roy Bourgeois, the Catholic priest who founded School of the Americas Watch.

Whenever I felt that anger about injustice was getting the best of me and I was losing hope, I would call Judy and discuss my feelings, he said. After our talk, my anger was in check and my hope and joy was restored.

Ms. Liteky was a plaintiff in an ongoing lawsuit seeking to require the U.S. government to release the names of the Latin American military personnel who have attended the school. President Bill Clintons administration had begun making the information public, starting in 1994, and the list contained more than 60,000 names dating to the schools founding in 1946, but the disclosures were halted in 2004 under President George W. Bushs administration, an action the Obama administration has continued.

Ms. Liteky and other plaintiffs said they had evidence that the school admitted military personnel who had previously been accused of human rights violations. In 2014, she and co-plaintiff Theresa Cameranesi received the James Madison Freedom of Information Award from the Society of Professional Journalists in San Francisco for their role in the case, which is still making its way through the federal court system.

Judith Balch Liteky was born in Los Angeles in 1942. She attended Pomona College and obtained masters degrees in religious education at Marquette University and in statistics at Stanford before entering the Catholic Churchs Order of Immaculate Heart in 1965. She left the order in 1973 and moved to San Francisco to teach mathematics at City College and later at Canada College.

In addition to her husband, Ms. Liteky is survived by a brother, Steven Balch of San Diego.

A memorial service is scheduled at 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Cyprians Church, 2097 Turk St. in San Francisco. A tribute to Ms. Liteky is scheduled for Sept. 25, during the 9:30 a.m. sanctuary Mass at St. John of God Catholic Church, 1290 Fifth Ave. in San Francisco.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
Imagine Lorraine Hansberrys play/film A Raisin in the Sun with a Cameroonian cast of characters in early 21st century New York City, and you may come up with something close to Behold the Dreamers, a poignant and bittersweet debut novel by Imbolo Mbue.

The author plunges her protagonists, married couple Jende and Neni Jonga (like Mbue, natives of Limbe, Cameroon, who now live in the Big Apple), into the maelstrom of the 2008 economic crisis. For many in the U.S., that vicissitude of global proportions transmogrified the American dream. For Jende and Neni, parents of a young son, Liomi, it gets piled atop several concerns already weighing on them. What will happen if Jendes application for asylum, which he based on the flimsiest of grounds, is turned down?

He would have to return to a country where visions of a better life were the birthright of a blessed few, to a town from which dreamers like him were fleeing daily.

Mbue alternates between the perspective of Jende and that of Neni. Initially, their shared reverence for both America and their employers (Jende works as a chauffeur for Lehman Bros. senior executive Clark Edwards, Neni as a maid for Clarks wife, Cindy) renders them almost indistinguishable from one another in outlook.

However, as Mbue, through an often unadorned prose style that relies a bit too heavily on dialogue, enmeshes both Jende and Neni in different aspects of the Edwards familys strained domestic life, they each come into their own. And thanks to the authors nuanced and sympathetic approach to family portraiture, the troubled Edwardses (including kids Vince and young Mighty) are not made to serve as an insufferable upper-class foil for the storys toiling immigrant protagonists.

Meanwhile, the Jongas are about to gain a new member. Neni, whos busy with her duties as a maid, her classes at a community college (she wants to become a pharmacist) and the demands of running a household, discovers that shes pregnant. Soon, a diligent and indefatigable Jende has spent hours wiping the dust-covered walls of their apartment and killing the roaches that sprinted from one end of the living room to the other like track-and-field athletes, all so he could protect the health of his unborn child.

Behold the Dreamers suffers from a dearth of action, the Wall Street crash qualifying as the only exception, albeit one relegated to the background. Mbue partially compensates for this deficit by injecting the story with generous doses of suspense. Of course, the asylum application, which keeps the Jongas stuck in an immigration purgatory so long as it remains pending, looms large over the proceedings. But the author deftly inserts other twists into her tale to stoke the readers apprehension.

The economys nosedive does not claim Jendes job. After all, he works for a high-powered executive, the kind who emerges from such otherwise costly dust-ups unscathed  and still handsomely moneyed. (Indeed, Clark retains his post, reporting to Barclays once it acquires Lehman Bros.) But when Cindy demands that Jende record Clarks every move (she correctly suspects him of marital infidelity), the suspense quotient soars.

Mbue proves adept at elongating story lines even after they seem to have reached their end. When Cindy eventually discovers that Jende has deceived her about Clarks comings and goings, she convinces her husband to fire him. A diminished Jende, pitilessly bowed by life, sinks into a funk. It falls upon Neni, whos staying home with newborn baby girl Timba, to demonstrate that the fat lady hasnt sung just yet. She screws up her courage and sets in motion a cunning plan to secure financial compensation from Cindy.

Ethics and risks aside, such a strategy, even if successful, might still fail to significantly ameliorate the Jongas situation. I dont know if I can continue suffering like this just because I want to live in America, an emotionally depleted and physically ravaged Jende, now an overworked and poorly paid dishwasher at two restaurants, confesses to Neni.

What happens to a dream deferred? asks Langston Hughes in his poem Harlem. He wonders whether it dries up like a raisin in the sun  which provided Hansberry with the title of her play. The Jongas (who, as it happens, live in Harlem) know a thing or two about putting their shared dream on hold. Thats all they did back in Cameroon. Yet husband and wife begin to come around to a devastating reality: They would do best to take America out of their dream altogether.

Rayyan Al-Shawaf is a Beirut writer. His reviews have appeared in the Los Angeles Review of Books, the Boston Globe, Chicago Sun-Times and other publications. Email: books@sfchronicle.com

Behold the Dreamers

By Imbolo Mbue

(Random House; 382 pages; $28)
PARIS  A botched attempt to break into the iPhone of an Arab human rights defender using hitherto unknown espionage software has led to a global upgrade of Apples mobile operating system, researchers said Thursday.

The spyware took advantage of three previously undisclosed weaknesses in Apples mobile operating system to take control of iPhone devices, according to reports published Thursday by San Franciscos Lookout smartphone security company and Internet watchdog group Citizen Lab. Both reports fingered the NSO Group, an Israeli company with a reputation for flying under the radar, as the author of the spyware.

The threat actor has never been caught before, said Mike Murray, a researcher with Lookout, describing the program as the most sophisticated spyware package we have seen in the market.

The reports issued by Lookout and Citizen Lab outlined how an iPhone could be completely compromised with the tap of a finger, a trick so coveted in the world of cyberespionage that in November, a spyware broker said it had paid a $1 million dollar bounty to programmers whod found a way to do it. Such a compromise would give hackers full control over the phone, allowing them to eavesdrop on calls, harvest messages, activate cameras and microphones and drain the device of its personal data.

Arie van Deursen, a professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said both reports are credible and disturbing. Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski described the malicious program as a serious piece of spyware.

In response, Apple released a patched version of its mobile software, iOS 9.3.5. Users can get the patch through a normal software update.

But the security hole may have gone unpatched had it not been for the wariness of an embattled campaigner for human rights in the United Arab Emirates.

Ahmed Mansoor, a well-known human rights defender, alerted Citizen Lab to the spyware after receiving an unusual text message on Aug. 10. Promising to reveal details about torture in the United Arab Emirates prisons, the unknown sender included a suspicious-looking link.

Mansoor wasnt convinced. Not only had he been imprisoned, beaten, robbed and had his passport confiscated by the authorities over the years, Mansoor had also repeatedly found himself in the crosshairs of electronic eavesdropping operations. In fact, Mansoor already had the dubious distinction of having weathered attacks from two separate brands of commercial spyware. And when he shared the suspicious text with Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak, they realized hed been hit by a third.

Marczak, whod already been looking into the NSO Group, said he and fellow researcher John Scott-Railton turned to Lookout for help picking apart the malicious program, a process which Murray compared to defusing a bomb.

It is amazing the level theyve gone through to avoid detection, he said of the softwares makers. They have a hair-trigger self-destruct.

Working feverishly over a two-week period, the researchers found that Mansoors phone had been infected by an unusually sophisticated piece of software which probably cost a small fortune to arm.

Ahmed Mansoor is a million-dollar human rights defender, Scott-Railton said.

In a statement that stopped short of acknowledging that the spyware was its own, the NSO Group said its mission was to provide authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime.

The company said it had no knowledge of any particular incidents. It said it would not make any further comment.
Volkswagen has reached a tentative deal with its U.S. dealers to compensate them for losses they said they suffered as a result of the companys emissions cheating scandal, attorneys for the carmaker and dealers told a San Francisco federal judge Thursday.

The value of the settlement with the roughly 650 dealers was not disclosed, although Volkswagen said later that it would include cash.

We believe this agreement in principle with Volkswagen dealers is a very important step in our commitment to making things right for all our stakeholders in the United States, Hinrich Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagen North America, said in the statement.

Details of the settlement were still under discussion. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer gave the attorneys until the end of September to submit a final proposal. The deal would require Breyers approval.

Volkswagen previously reached an agreement with attorneys for car owners. That deal calls for it to spend up to $10 billion buying back or repairing about 475,000 vehicles involved in its scandal and paying their owners an additional $5,100 to $10,000 each.

Details about the repairs have not been completed.

The settlement also includes $2.7 billion for unspecified environmental mitigation and an additional $2 billion to promote zero-emissions vehicles.

Breyer gave the deal preliminary approval last month.

Ride services

Uber testing

flat fares in S.F.

Uber is testing preset flat fares in San Francisco and three other cities that bring the cost of rides to a new low. San Francisco riders who receive an invitation to the pilot program will be able to pay $20 for a package of flat flares for up to 20 trips, or $30 for up to 40 trips.

The fares, good only in September, will be $2 for shared UberPool rides or $7 for UberX. They apply only to trips that begin and end north of Cedar Chavez Street. Those amounts are on top of the $20 or $30, meaning a rides total cost will be about $3 or $8.

Singapore

Self-driving

taxis debut

The worlds first self-driving taxis are picking up passengers in Singapore.

Select members of the public began hailing free rides Thursday through their smartphones in taxis operated by NuTonomy, a vehicle software startup. While a number of companies, including Google and Volvo, have been testing self-driving cars on public roads for several years, NuTonomy says it is the first to offer rides to the public. It beat ride-hailing service Uber, which plans to offer rides in autonomous cars in Pittsburgh, by a few weeks.

The service is starting small  six cars now, growing to a dozen by the end of the year. The ultimate goal, say NuTonomy officials, is to have a fully self-driving taxi fleet in Singapore by 2018, which will help sharply cut the number of cars on Singapores congested roads.

Chronicle News Services
The Warriors signing of Kevin Durant may not change the world, but it could change the name of an Oklahoma city (no, not Oklahoma City). The Oklahoman reported that fan Ryan Nazari started an online petition asking politicians to change the name of Durant, Okla., to Westbrook, honoring the remaining star of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Michael Westbrook. More than 2,000 people have signed the petition, which says in part, Yes, it is understood that the city Durant was not named after the evil Kevin Durant, but it is just another hideous reminder of what happened to our community.

Did they find the right recipe?

Colonel Sanders nephew might have inadvertently revealed the secret blend of 11 herbs and spices behind KFCs fried chicken. The recipe published in the Chicago Tribune got its start when a reporter visited Joe Ledington, a nephew of Col. Harland David Sanders. At one point, Ledington pulled out a scrapbook containing the will of Sanders second wife. On its back is a handwritten list of 11 herbs and spices to be mixed with two cups of white flour. Ledington initially told the reporter that it was the original recipe, then said he wasnt sure. KFC denies that its real.

The road to Detroit

Self-driving cars may be driving traffic on United Airlines. The Detroit Free Press reported that United will resume nonstop flights between San Francisco and Detroit in June  after a 25-year hiatus. The story said airport officials have seen increased demand for the flights because so many tech workers in the two regions are working on autonomous vehicles.

The Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techbriefing
If you missed it ...

In a week when the prime minister of Japan posed as Super Mario, we also saw ...

Rumors about the iPhone 7s headphone jack werent exactly music to the ears of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak. He told the Australian Financial Review that people will be upset if Apple removes the jack and connects strictly via Bluetooth. The company is mum, of course.

Sarah Jessica Parker suggested a new slogan for EpiPen: Stick it.

As a tornado approached a Starbucks in Kokomo, Ind., employees guided the 20 or so customers into the stores two bathrooms  which, according to the companys blog, were supposed to be the safest spots in the cafe. They were. Final statistics: 1 flattened Starbucks, 2 unflattened bathrooms, zero injuries.

CNBCs Carl Quintanilla tweeted that 10 percent of Twitter is just people quoting Hamilton to each other. Just you wait, San Francisco. Just you wait.

The Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techbriefing
J.C. Penney Co. is in a surprising position more than four years after it was almost run aground by a former chief executive officer: It could be the last department store standing at your local mall.

As rivals retrench, J.C. Penney is adding merchandise, exclusive partnerships and services to draw shoppers to its more than 1,000 stores. Sears has closed stores amid $9 billion in losses in recent years and Macys said this month it would shutter 100  an act likely to leave J.C. Penney as the main anchor in some malls.

When I joined the company, my first thought was, Man, weve got a lot of stores to close, said Marvin Ellison, who became president in 2014 and CEO a year ago. It was the opposite.

Some of J.C. Penneys most profitable locations turned out to be small stores in rural areas where the retailer pays almost no rent. Two California stores opening this year will be completely funded by the landlord. Ellisons focus on mall negotiations, coupled with the changes in merchandising, are helping to move the retailer beyond $1 billion in earnings this year for the first time since fiscal 2012. Its stock is up 50 percent this year, compared with 12 percent for Macys Inc. and a 32 percent decline at Sears Holdings Corp.

Today, J.C. Penney has fewer than 10 stores that arent making money, Ellison said. The Texas companys second-quarter loss was smaller than analysts predicted, and comparable-store sales rose 2.2 percent last quarter.

They have really unique opportunity, given theres a strong employee commitment to service and a customer focus, said Oliver Chen, an analyst at Cowen & Co.

Ellison, a former Home Depot executive, succeeded Mike Ullman, who had returned as CEO after Ron Johnsons disastrous run ended in 2013. Ullman had tossed much of Johnsons strategy and stabilized the chains finances through loans and stock offerings. That set the stage for Ellison to focus on improving customer service, selling more private brands and revamping online operations.

While the turnaround isnt complete, the company is strong enough to take advantage as rivals pull back. When a Sears or Macys closes, J.C. Penney uses direct mail to win over those customers. You make sure you invite them in, Ellison said.

The bad news keeps coming at Sears, which reported a $395 million loss Thursday. Through April, Sears had closed 18 percent of its stores since 2006, compared with 6 percent for Macys and just 2 percent for J.C. Penney, according to Green Street Advisors, a real estate research firm.

J.C. Penney has spent a lot of time and energy identifying its customer. It plans to focus on beauty, home goods and special sizes to achieve these goals, along with investments in customer service and online capabilities.

Theyre putting their eggs in reliable baskets in beauty and home, Cowens Chen said.

About 70 percent of J.C. Penneys shoppers are women, and it is working to attract a younger, more diverse set of moms. More than half its revenue comes from shoppers who are, on average, 60-year-old women with incomes above the U.S. median. Most of the rest comes from mothers, with an average age of 33 and more reflective of U.S. cultural demographics.

J.C. Penney is using beauty products to help draw technologically savvy women looking for value in both time and money. The retailer has a 5 percent market share in prestige cosmetics, Chief Merchant John Tighe said. Thats due in large part to the 574 Sephora stores open inside J.C. Penney locations. There are plans to expand that partnership even to smaller sites.

The company collaborated with beauty magazine InStyle to rebrand 120 of its 850 beauty shops as Salon by InStyle, and sales at those have increased.

Ellison wants the retailer to be the go-to destination for women shopping for their homes. The chain is introducing 500 appliance showrooms this year.

Lindsey Rupp is a Bloomberg writer. Email: lrupp2@bloomberg.net
Chinese firm to help nurture local ICT talents in Nigeria Updated: 2016-08-26 10:45 (Xinhua)

Pedestrians walk past a store of Huawei in Yichang city, Central China's Hubei province, August 15, 2016. [Photo/IC]

ABUJA - Chinese technology firm Huawei has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian government to assist the country in nurturing its local talents in information and communications technology (ICT).

The leading global ICT solutions provider, while signing the agreement with the Nigerian government on Tuesday, said it aims to promote knowledge transfer, improve people's interest in and understanding of the telecom industry through its "Seeds For The Future" initiative.

The agreement will give Nigerian government officials the benefit of partaking in the "Seeds For The Future" program, Huawei's flagship corporate social responsibility project since 2008, the ICT firm said in a statement released in Abuja.

The company is launching the program for Africa's most populous country at a time the Nigerian government is pushing hard to deepen ICT uptake, penetration and use, especially through discovering and training of young talents and government officials in ICT-related areas who are viewed as the hope of the country's future.

Nigeria, with a population of over 170 million people, shows demographics of young population of around 50 percent.

Huawei said it is desirous of promoting the ICT industry for the development of Nigeria through innovation and self-reliance for development.

Commenting on the MoU signing, secretary to the Nigerian government, Babachir David Lawal, said the authorities recognize the acquisition and development of ICT skills as a major contributor to the success so far achieved in the ongoing fight against corruption, insecurity and insurgency.

"It is also a major employment enabler and wealth generator for the teaming masses of unemployed Nigeria youths. I will therefore wish to assure Huawei of government's unflinching support for the success of this program and that the government is indeed very grateful," he added.

Last April, 20 young Nigerians were sent to China to participate in "Seeds For The Future" (students) program during the first state visit to China of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ten Nigerian officials have been selected to participate in another batch of the program in China, designed particularly for officials.
A South Bay father was charged with murder Friday after his 6-week-old daughter died from injuries hes accused of inflicting in what authorities called a horrific case of child abuse.

Matthew George Zabala, 32, was arraigned in Santa Clara County Superior Court in San Jose on charges of murder, felony domestic violence and felony assault on a child with force likely to produce death. He was being held in jail on $1 million bail.

Zabalas daughter, Mila, died Thursday night at Valley Medical Center in San Jose, where she had been rushed four days earlier in cardiac arrest from the familys home outside San Jose, officials said.

The babys mother, who had been in a relationship with Zabala for five years, told detectives she was in a separate part of their family home Sunday when she heard her infant make a blood curdling scream, according to court records.

Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department / Santa Clara County Sheriffs Department

The mother went to check on her daughter, then called 911 at 1:50 p.m. to report her baby was not breathing and possibly choking, according to the report. Emergency responders and sheriffs deputies went to the home and found the baby unconscious and not breathing.

Paramedics tried intubation and various lifesaving efforts at the home before taking the child to the hospital.

At the medical center, doctors continued to try resuscitating the baby and cooling her body down. By the time the infant was taken to the emergency room, personnel estimated she had not been breathing for 30 to 35 minutes.

The baby had no brain activity, according to doctors. An MRI exam performed Monday showed Mila had a skull fracture that was not caused by accident and was the result of intentional crushing of the skull, according to court papers.

X-rays determined the girl suffered 14 factures, including nine broken ribs, a fracture in her left arm and multiple fractures on her legs.

Its a horrific crime, and it touches our hearts, said Sgt. James Jensen, a spokesman for the Santa Clara County Sheriffs Office.

Sheriffs deputies were called to Valley Medical Center on Tuesday. They arrested Zabala on suspicion of child abuse after interviewing several witnesses, including his wife, and collecting evidence at the familys home on Boston Avenue in unincorporated Santa Clara County.

Zabala was also charged with felony inflicting corporal injury on a spouse or cohabitant, stemming from abusing the babys mother, officials said. The childs mother told authorities he had a history of beating her.

The mother accused Zabala of slapping, punching and choking her on several occasions. She had a bruised jaw during the interview with detectives, officials said. She told authorities she was injured two weeks before when Zabala grabbed her face.

She also said he was too rough with her daughter, which Zabala admitted to detectives.

Zabala told investigators he believes the skull fracture resulted from him ripping Mila from a car seat, which made her strike her head on the carry handle. Mila cried out in pain for about 20 minutes afterward, according to court records.

The Sheriffs Office and the staff at Valley Medical Center have set up an online GoFundMe page to raise money for the babys funeral.

Jenna Lyons is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jlyons@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JennaJourno
1 Mars test flight: NASA has conducted the second-to-last splashdown test for its Orion spacecraft as the agency prepares to eventually send humans to Mars. Scientists at NASAs Hampton, Va., facility on Thursday used a pendulum and explosives to fling a test capsule into a pool of water at about 25 mph. The 11-foot craft disappeared behind a bowl-shaped splash before bouncing buoyantly against safety netting. Crash test dummies were also inside to measure safety designs. The spacecraft sailed through its first unmanned test flight in 2014, splashing down in the Pacific Ocean. Another unmanned launch is scheduled for 2018. The agency hopes Orion will carry astronauts into space by 2023.

2 Protecting dolphins: Swimming among the dolphins in the clear waters off the Hawaiian coast has long enticed island visitors. But federal officials say the activity is harmful to the creatures when they are supposed to be resting and socializing, and they are proposing a ban on the popular tourism activity. The proposed rules, announced this week by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, would prohibit swimming with or approaching within 50 yards of Hawaiian spinner dolphins. That would end many current tour group practices, which involve snorkeling in the water with them.
The Army reservist who killed five Dallas police officers last month showed symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder after returning home from Afghanistan in 2014, but doctors concluded that he presented no serious risk to himself or others, according to newly released documents from the Veterans Health Administration.

Micah Johnson had sought treatment for anxiety, depression and hallucinations, telling doctors that he experienced nightmares after witnessing fellow soldiers getting blown in half. He also said he heard voices and mortars exploding, according to the documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.

I try to block those out, but it is kinda hard to forget, Johnson told his care provider.

Johnson, 25, was the sniper who targeted the officers at the conclusion of a peaceful march July 7 in downtown Dallas, where demonstrators were protesting fatal police shootings in Minnesota and Louisiana. Armed with an assault rifle, he took multiple positions as he fired. Hours later, authorities used a bomb-carrying robot to kill him.

During his deployment, Johnson was largely confined to base in an area of Afghanistan that had seen heavy combat but that was relatively quiet when his unit arrived in November 2013, according to his former squad leader.

Upon his return to the U.S. nine months later, Johnson told doctors he was experiencing panic attacks a few times a week, including once while at Walmart, where there was an unspecified conflict that required a police response, the records said.

Veteran states hearing all the noises, fights and police intervening caused him to have palpitations, My heart felt like someone was pinching it while it was beating fast, the records state. Johnson said he began shaking, felt short of breath and got chills after the Walmart incident.

The records do not show that Johnson was formally diagnosed with PTSD.

Johnson was prescribed a muscle relaxant, an antidepressant and antianxiety and sleep medication, and a nurse offered him tips on managing anger, records show.
Australian products selling like hotcakes on Alibaba Updated: 2016-08-26 15:40 (Xinhua)

SYDNEY - A host of Australian companies are increasingly using Alibaba and reaching out to a growing, well-healed number of middle-class Chinese, who have a penchant for Aussie supplements, food and cosmetics products.

Chemist Warehouse chief operating officer Mario Tascone, which operates an online store on Alibaba's shopping site called Tmall.com, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday that any type of product in the health and nutrition sphere is very desirable in China, especially among the nation's thriving middle class.

Chemist Warehouse sells a variety of vitamins, cosmetics and health products on Tmall, and has reached a record of AU$2 million ($1.53 million) in sales within the first 46 minutes of trade on China's singles' day on November 11.

"We don't look at promoting brands that are going to be popular in China and second guess what the Chinese market does," said Tascone.

Alibaba, which Forbes say is worth $157.7 billion, is set to open its first Australian office in Melbourne this year.

To date the conglomerate has already formed partnerships with Woolworths and in May 2015 it signed a deal with Australia Post to connect Australian consumers with Chinese manufacturers while at the same time boosting Chinese consumption of Australian products.

Demand for Australian products has also been spurred by the rise of 'daigou' or buying agents, effectively a Chinese person overseas who purchases goods for a customer back home in China.

Tascone said the company had seen a rise in tourists buying stock off shelves because of the lower price.

"The future for us is making sure we can co-exist in China and get products to that market but, all the while, making sure we don't miss our supply chain to what made us where we are today and that's the local customers," he said.

Tmall currently features 1,300 Australian brands of which 80 percent had entered China for the first time through Alibaba.

Alibaba's Australia and New Zealand managing director Maggie Zhou however cautioned that not everything from Australia sold well in China.

"You need to find the right products, and then you'll sell very well. But if the product is not right, you cannot be successful," she said.

"Price, what kind of right price is also very important. If you have several channels you need to manage the price very well, otherwise it would be a chaos."
Host of issues Updated: 2016-08-26 08:38 By Andrew Moody(China Daily Europe)

Historic G20 Summit in Hangzhou is seen as the diplomatic equivalent of the Beijing Olympics in 2008 and the Shanghai Expo in 2010

World leaders who are set to descend on the Hangzhou International Exhibition Center will be taking part in what is being seen as a historic event for China.

The world's second-largest economy is hosting the G20 Summit for the first time on Sept 4 and 5 and has the opportunity to shape the agenda in what is a difficult time for the global economy amid renewed fears about sluggish growth.

China is not the first Asian country to hold the summit - South Korea did so in 2010 - nor is it the first emerging economy, with Turkey having hosted it last year, Mexico in 2012 and Russia in 2013.

The 11th summit, however, comes at a time when there is an increasing debate about the shape of the global governance architecture and whether the Washington institutions, the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, largely a product of a post-World War II settlement, are fit for purpose in a world where emerging economies increasingly dominate.

Unlike the G8, which excludes China and is made up of developed countries -apart from the currently suspended Russia - the G20 better reflects the changing world with its members including South Africa, Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, India, Indonesia, Saudi Arabia, Russia and Turkey.

Some in China believe the hosting of the summit has a status equivalent to Beijing staging the Olympics in 2008 or the Shanghai Expo of 2010 - although the Hangzhou meeting will not attract the same international audience and most of the action will take place behind closed doors,

William Kirby, T. M. Chang professor of China Studies at Harvard University, says China's hosting the G20 is clearly historic.

"It is, of course, a sign of China's global importance, economically and otherwise. It is at the same time a very large and in many ways a still-emerging economy," he says.

The leading US-China expert and author of Can China Lead? says it is also particularly fitting it is being held in Hangzhou, which according to Forbes magazine is the No 1 business city in the country.

"Hangzhou and Zhejiang (the province of which the city is the capital) have been centers of economic growth since the Southern Song Dynasty (1127-1279)," he says.

"Today it is home to many of the most dynamic private businesses in China, including Wanxiang (the Chinese autoparts maker) and (e-commerce giant) Alibaba. If you want to understand about a wealthy city, just read Marco Polo."

Zhu Ning, deputy dean of the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance, believes it also marks China's coming of age and enables it to lead from the front.

"It can't set the general agenda. That is, of course, collectively set. What the host can do, however, is highlight and influence particular aspects or the interpretation of the agenda."

The economist believes China might be particularly influential in what might prove to be one of the big themes of the summit, the need for a concerted and coordinated fiscal stimulus in order to counteract sluggish global growth.

"China is heavily promoting the idea of using infrastructure investment to propel economic growth and other countries are starting to think this way as well," he says.

"The problem is that other countries lack the political streamlining to push this forward and they also lack the fiscal resources. It is not always easy for developed economies such as in many European countries to find the projects in which to invest."

Martin Jacques, author of the highly influential When China Rules the World, says that even if the G20 summit is not a pivotal event in itself, it could be seen as a staging post in a process that will see a major overhaul in the way the world is governed.

"There is a crisis of global governance. This is because developing economies, which accounted for a third of global GDP in the mid-1970s, will make up two-thirds by 2030 and the existing institutions have not shifted in response," he says.

"If China could come up with some strategic initiatives that were accepted by a range of other countries then this summit could turn into a significant moment. Otherwise it will certainly be a significant moment in a process that is unquestionably pivotal."

Jacques, who is set to take up a post as visiting professor at the Institute of Modern International Relations at Tsinghua University in Beijing, says a number of the G20 members already see China as a leader as the largest and arguably most successful emerging economy.

"Many countries, particularly in the developing world, are now looking for China to take a lead. If you look at what is driving growth in Central Asia, it is China's Belt and Road Initiative. Similarly, in Africa, it is China investment in infrastructure.

"With new institutions like the Asia Infrastructure Investment Bank, China now sees itself as a mover and shaker of globalization and if you went back only three or four years, you would say that no way that would this be the case."

Kerry Brown, professor of Chinese Studies and director of the Lau China Institute at King's College, London, argues that hosting the G20 is just a reaffirmation of China's new status in the world.

He points out it already held the APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) forum, in November 2014.

"I think economically China has long come of age. In that sense, the convening of the G20 is just further confirmation of China's centrality to global issues, to global discussions over matters about governance, and on how to rebalance the world economy.

"The summit, along with APEC two years ago, and a host of other meetings, only reaffirms a trend - that China is now a major player. Only the most purblind would deny that now."

Jonathan Fenby, the China commentator and author of the Penguin History of Modern China, agrees that no one should now be surprised that China is host to a major summit of this kind.

"Given the size of its GDP, it is entirely logical that a G20 Summit should be held in China. It would be surprising if it did not happen. So I see this as a recognition of reality that has been around for some time, rather than a 'historic' event," he says.

Shi Yinhong, professor of international relations and director of the Center on American Studies at Renmin University of China, does not believe that just by hosting the summit, China can assume a lead role.

"It is not, after all, the first Asian country to hold the summit, since South Korea had done it before. Neither does it mean that China has become the economic leader of the world," he says.

"It is probably not in the same position, either, to act as a role model to other emerging economies. Its slowing economy has meant a reduction in demand of resources from a number of African countries and also Brazil and Argentina, which has probably led to a decline in influence."

David Shinn, adjunct professor of international affairs at The George Washington University, is a former US ambassador to Ethiopia and Burkina Faso.

Also author of China and Africa: A Century of Engagement with Joshua Eisenman, he believes African countries will be following closely what happens at the summit.

"African nations will be interested in the outcome in terms of its overall impact on them, not just the role of China at the summit. In theory, the outcome will reflect the views of all participants and Africa will look especially at the impact on commodity prices and exports, trade policies, and foreign direct investment in Africa," he says.

The former US diplomat says one lasting legacy of the summit could be if it manages to promote a free trade agenda.

There have been some 4,000 free trade restrictions imposed by G20 countries alone since 2009. Donald Trump, the Republican nominee in the US presidential election, has called for tariffs as high as 45 percent on Chinese goods.

"Trade protectionism has been a growing trend in a number of Western countries. We certainly see it in the American presidential campaign based on the argument globalization results in the loss of American jobs," adds Shinn.

"Most Americans understand that protectionism and resulting trade wars do more harm than good."

George Magnus, senior independent adviser at UBS in London and a leading China commentator, says that while China might be adding to its history by hosting the summit, the final outcome of Hangzhou is unlikely to be historic.

"G20 summits have so far had a poor track record in making a real mark. The one that did make a difference was London in 2009 (which coordinated the international response to the global financial crisis). Even it, however, was the icing on the cake since its outcome was largely the result of a series of individual measures agreed earlier."

Jeffrey Wasserstrom, Chancellor's professor of history at the University of California, Irvine and editor of the recently published Oxford Illustrated History of Modern China, says whatever the outcome, the summit is likely to cement China's reputation as the place to hold major international events.

"One of the big China stories of recent years has been the country playing the role of host for major global spectacles, such as the Olympics, and major global meetings, from academic conferences to summits," he says.

He believes it will also be a major boost for Hangzhou, already regarded as one of the country's most beautiful cities.

"These events help raise the profile of specific cities, as tourist destinations and potential sites of investment. The summit has the potential to do this for Hangzhou, a city that was much more famous than neighboring Shanghai up until the mid-1800s but which has been in its shadow ever since."

andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page1)
Ancient breakfast going global Updated: 2016-08-26 08:38 By Matt Prichard(China Daily Europe)

We arrived in China in 2012 in a blur of excitement and exhaustion.

In less than three months, I accepted a job in Shanghai, married my then-girlfriend Delores, and we sold two houses, quit our jobs, and reduced most of our personal belongings to fit into a 3-by-3 meter storage space.

After saying our farewells to family and friends, we were ready for a new adventure and a new life.

We got on a plane in Los Angeles and landed at Shanghai's Pudong International Airport. I barely remember the drive to a serviced apartment. Once we finally set our bags down, the exhaustion won out, and we spent most of the next few days sleeping, living off chocolate bars we had intended as gifts.

We finally emerged one morning, still in a bit of a daze, to hunt for some real food. After wandering down the street, we ended up in a line of people apparently waiting for something delicious for breakfast. As our turn neared, we watched the cook ladle batter onto a round griddle, crack an egg over it, and add chili paste, chopped scallions, cilantro and spices. Then it was folded up with some crispy wafers.

We had discovered the crunchy, eggy, spicy deliciousness of jianbing guozi, a traditional Chinese savory breakfast crepe, often with a rectangular strip of fried, crispy cracker placed inside. The name is a combination of "fried pancake" and "fried dough". I told my wife, "I hope McDonald's doesn't get ahold of this - they'd ruin it."

Four years later, jianbing have spread to the United States, but not in the form I'd feared. A recent article on the food website Tasting Table says: "The go-to breakfast Chinese students have been downing for years is about to hit big." It cites several entrepreneurs in New York City and San Francisco who are improvising, using such ingredients as Peking duck, tuna and even fried chicken and slaw.

It turns out this portable breakfast is quite ancient. The World of Chinese website explains: "According to legends, jianbing was invented nearly 2,000 years ago during the Three Kingdoms period (AD 220-280) when Zhuge Liang ... was faced with feeding an army of soldiers who'd lost their woks."

Zhuge, chancellor of the state of Shu, ordered cooks to mix water with flour and spread the dough onto a griddle suspended over a fire. "The dish lifted his soldiers' morale and they fought their way out of an ambush," the article says.

This breakfast of champions is most common in East China, and they're often made on street corners in carts fashioned to be pulled with a bicycle. There are regional variations, with my favorite being Shandong style. We recently discovered that a small vendor a few blocks from our Beijing apartment is willing to make Shandong style jianbing, which seems crispier than the local Beijing version. It's a wonderful discovery - except for perhaps my waistline.

We've never tried to make them at home. First, it's best to have a fairly large, flat griddle. The professionals have round ones perfect for the task. An old-fashioned recipe from a friend in the know, purported to deliver the genuine taste of jianbing, first popularized in Tianjin, is deceptively complicated, or at least time-consuming. The batter includes millet, two kinds of beans and corn, which first should be soaked overnight. Once the batter is made, it should rest overnight. Of course, there are all kinds of recipes out there, some of which advise using any flour you have on hand. But why go to the trouble when you can get great ones on the street? (One of the perks of living in China!)

The Tasting Table article says the new jianbing phenomenon abroad is particularly popular with overseas Chinese communities, who consider it a comfort food with a taste from home.

But more people outside those communities are discovering them, too.

The article quotes Brian Goldberg, "proud New Yorker and founder of Beijing street food company Mr. Bing" as saying in Big Apple style: "'It's a bing. Get used to it, people.'"

matthewprichard@chinadaily.com.cn

Jianbing guozi

(Easy home version)

Ingredients:

Thin Lebanese flatbread, carefully separated into two rounds (or use smaller pita bread and split them)

Eggs

Lettuce

Chopped fresh coriander and spring onions

Hot chili bean paste or doubanjiang (a type of fermented bean paste)

Hoisin sauce

Youtiao or Chinese dough fritters, toasted till crisp

Preparation:

Use a lightly oiled flat frying pan or griddle to toast flatbread.

Break an egg onto flatbread, spread it evenly.

Flip flatbread so egg side cooks.

Flip it back to crisp edges.

Next, assemble it.

Smear hoisin sauce and/or chili bean paste to taste, sprinkle chopped coriander and spring onions on top and place a lettuce leaf in middle, add the toasted crispy youtiao and fold over like a burrito.

Eat immediately before it loses its crunch.

Original Tianjin-style jianbing

Soak 1 cup millet, 1 cup green mung beans, 1 cup yellow corn and 1 cup black beans overnight. Blend together and mash with a little salt and enough water to make a thin batter. Allow to rest eight hours, or overnight.

Make the cracker by mixing plain flour with enough salted water and baking soda to make a stiff dough. Roll out thinly and fold into three pieces. Roll out again as flat as possible and cut into 20cm squares. Deep fry until crisp and puffed up. Keep in airtight container when cool.

Heat a flat griddle until a drop of batter sizzles when tested. Lightly oil and drop a ladle of batter over, using a spatula to spread it very thin, easing the edges up to release the steam and crisp the pancake.

When pancake is cooked but not golden, drop an egg over it and spread evenly.

Flip the pancake over and cook the egg side. Flip it again, and smear on your choice of sauces - fermented red bean curd, chili paste or sweet bean paste (hoisin sauce). Sprinkle chopped coriander and spring onions on top with lettuce leaf.

Add a crispy cracker square and fold the pancake over the cracker. You may also add sausage to bolster the protein content.

Recipes: Courtesy Pauline D. Loh

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page1)
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Californias right-to-die law for terminally ill adults remained in effect Friday after a judge rejected a group of doctors arguments that patients could be coerced to end their lives.

In response to arguments that the law could be exploited by unscrupulous relatives and others who could profit from a patients death, Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia recited the measures safeguards. They include requirements of diagnoses from two physicians that the patient will die within six months, findings of the patients mental competence, a series of oral and written requests from the patient and self-administration of lethal medication that a doctor has prescribed.

Ottolia refused to dismiss the groups lawsuit. He said the doctors could represent the interests of future patients, but he denied an injunction to halt enforcement of the law, which took effect June 9.

This ruling is a victory for terminally ill Californians and their families because now they know they wont have to live through needlessly painful and prolonged deaths, said John Kappos, a lawyer for Compassion & Choices, a group that sponsored the law and filed arguments supporting the states legal defense.

Elizabeth Wallner of Sacramento, who has terminal cancer and worked to pass the new law, attended the hearing and praised the ruling. Now my son Nathaniel on longer faces the prospect of having to witness his mother die in agony, she said in a statement issued by her lawyers.

Attorney Alexandra Snyder of the Life Legal Defense Foundation, representing six doctors and a physicians group who challenged the law, said they would appeal the ruling, either immediately or after further proceedings in Ottolias court.

There are no safeguards to protect people from being coerced into receiving and then taking these drugs, Snyder said. She also said that since the law took effect doctors have misleadingly listed a patients cause of death as the underlying illness, rather than suicide.

California is the fourth state to pass a right-to-die law, following Oregon, Washington and Vermont. Oregons voter-approved law took effect in 1997 and withstood an attempt by Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2001 to revoke the federal prescription licenses of any doctor who prescribed lethal drugs. The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 2006 that Ashcroft had no authority to act against the doctors.

California voters rejected a similar law in 1992, and four subsequent bills were defeated in the Legislature, with opposition from some religious groups and advocates for the disabled. But the effort gained new support from the plight of Brittany Maynard, a 29-year-old schoolteacher from Alamo who was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer in 2014. Facing a painful death, she moved to Oregon and legally obtained doctors prescription for the drug she used to end her life.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @egelko
London is typical of liberal, multicultural Britain Updated: 2016-08-26 08:39 By Chris Peterson(China Daily Europe)

In a place where so many nationalities mix so easily, hearing about violence against Chinese students is shocking

Walking the few hundred yards or so from the train station to my office this week, I was struck by how cosmopolitan London is, as I threaded my way through office workers of both sexes, skin colors, and myriad different cultures.

You notice different languages more now with the advent of the smartphone, as people chatter away, and I picked up traces of French, German, Spanish, Italian, Polish, Arabic, Vietnamese and Chinese as well as English before I reached the front doors.

No belligerence, no threats, and above all, no heavily armed police officers on each corner, although in this modern day and age security cameras are everywhere, and that gives a sense of well-being.

Of course, this was in broad daylight and everyone was intent on getting to work.

So like many others of my acquaintance, I was shocked by the results of the research my colleague Angus McNeice did on a growing threat to Chinese students in this country, particularly in the university city of Birmingham.

He found a growing trend of opportunist robberies against Chinese students, possibly because in the summer months they are perceived as having cash about them to fund their English studies, as well as expensive items such as iPads and smartphones.

That kind of mindless behavior toward people who are wholly innocent guests in this country, attracted by its academic traditions, its even-handed way of life, and above all tolerance toward visitors, must not be allowed.

It is ironic, too, because of all the cultural groups in this country, Chinese are known for their hard work, dedication to family, and above all being able to blend into the fascinating patchwork that Britain has become.

There's a similar worrying trend in France, which culminated this month in the killing of a Chinese man who lived with his family in Aubervilliers, northeast of Paris. He was the target of robbers.

I've been to Aubervilliers, in the 1980s, and back then it was a nondescript, middle-class French town. Now, it has become a center for cut-price fashion items, an industry run mainly by Chinese.

Like many French towns, it has attracted its fair share of migrants, mainly from North Africa, and there's unemployment there. Somehow, word has got around that the Chinese, who quietly go about their business, carry large amounts of cash. You can guess the rest. Suffice to say that Chinese residents feel so worried they have had to form a community support group.

So why has the situation in the UK come about?

Sadly, I feel it's the current wave of xenophobia and anti-immigrant sentiment stirred up by the divisive referendum campaign on European Union membership, which has affected parts of the country.

Britons shocked everyone by narrowly voting to leave the EU, and immigration was seen as one of the main subjects.

Nigel Farage, a former commodities trader seen more often than not with a glass of beer in his hand, stoked up anti-immigrant feeling as head of UKIP, a political party that has one MP in Parliament and is loathed by many.

What worries me is that antagonism toward immigrants, never far below the surface in lots of ways, has gained a momentum of its own.

I'm not scaremongering, and I can assure you most of my wide circle of friends feels exactly the same way. It's always the bad news that makes headlines.

Sadly, animosity against immigrants is at its worst in areas like the agricultural counties of East Anglia, where traditional, low-paid seasonal jobs have been taken by workers from Eastern Europe.

But that doesn't represent the whole of this country, which I believe on the whole maintains its friendly and tolerant attitude toward genuine visitors.

I really hope that's true, and I trust our Chinese student friends here will feel as safe as they would in the relatively secure atmosphere of Beijing.

We're not all like that.

The author is managing editor of China Daily European Bureau. Contact the writer at chris@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page11)
'Invisible' Chinese at threat from UK violence Updated: 2016-08-26 08:39 By Angus McNeice in London(China Daily Europe)

Police say racially motivated crimes are widespread and underreported

A series of muggings of Chinese students in Britain may be part of what one social justice expert calls the "deteriorating situation" of violent attacks, discrimination and hate crimes against Chinese people living in the country.

Anecdotal reports of as many as eight break-ins and robberies of Chinese students since early July at the University of Birmingham have led to suspicions they are being targeted for their perceived wealth and are seen as easy marks.

One confirmed attack of a male student in the Selly Oak area of the city resulted in severe facial injuries.

A Birmingham student says she and her roommate have become scared to venture out alone after an attempted break-in of their room, as well as an incident in which strangers followed them home at night.

"My roommate was at home, and she heard violent knocking before someone outside started to pick the lock. She waited until I came back to call the police," recalls Yang Zidan, 21. "It took about 20 to 30 minutes before the police came. Now, I'm afraid to go out alone."

Birmingham University issued a statement after the attack on the male student, warning people to be on their guard.

The incident in Britain came days after textile designer Zhang Chaolin was fatally injured by robbers in Aubervilliers, a northeastern suburb of Paris. Zhang, who hit his head on the pavement, fell into a coma and died five days later.

Meriem Derkaoui, the mayor of Aubervilliers, described the attack as a racially motivated murder. Members of the Chinese community in Paris gathered to mourn Zhang.

Le Parisien quoted one student who said the attack was "based on prejudices that the Chinese are weak, docile and rich".

Aubervilliers is home to a sizable Chinese community, many of who work in the area's cut-price fashion outlets.

Reported cases of violence against Chinese are just the tip of the iceberg, according to Gary Craig, a professor of social justice at the University of Hull. He says working-class Chinese - often from the service industry - across Britain are frequently subject to violent crime and racist abuse that goes unreported because the Chinese community has a documented lack of confidence in the police.

"The two projects I've worked on both showed very high levels of racism against Chinese people in the UK," Craig says. "If they are subject to racist attacks or abuse, Chinese people tend to be very wary of the police, either because they have had a bad experience in the past or because they don't trust the police will take it seriously. So they don't report it. The whole issue of racism against Chinese people tends to be somewhat hidden."

Craig contributed to a 2016 survey conducted by the Zhejiang University of Finance and Economics in Hangzhou into the social and economic issues facing the Chinese population in Northeast England. Seventy percent of those interviewed said that reports to the police were not followed up.

He also worked on a 2009 study by anti-racist charity The Monitoring Group, which concluded that the Chinese community faces levels of racial harassment that are perhaps even higher than those experienced by any other minority group.

A 2012 survey of more than 9,000 students across Britain by the National Union of Students saw similar results. Thirty percent of Chinese respondents said they had been victims of racial hate incidents, more than any other ethnic group.

Addressing crime is made harder due to underreporting of incidents. A 2013 report by the British Chinese Project and the All Party Parliamentary China Group found a "lack of confidence" in the police within the Chinese community. Half of the 520 people surveyed said they did not trust the police to "deal effectively with their cases".

Manchester's Chinese Community Centre set up a hate-crime report center in 2005 in response to rising levels of bigotry toward Chinese and the murder of restaurant owner Mi Gao Huang Chen. In April that year, Chen was beaten to death by a large group of youths outside his takeaway in Wigan, Greater Manchester.

According to a report by the center, Chinese people are verbally or physically harassed on a daily basis in the northern city. The center found that while 61 percent of Chinese in Manchester had been victims of hate crimes, 75 percent said they chose not to report incidents to authorities.

Hate crimes across Britain surged by 42 percent in the two weeks after the June 23 referendum on Brexit compared with the same period in 2015, fueled by anti-immigrant sentiment.

"Hate crimes have come under greater scrutiny in recent times," Craig says. "One structural problem is in the data collection of hate crimes. When you look at the way data is collected in terms of ethnic origin, you get black African, Afro-Caribbean, Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani, but Chinese fall under 'other'.

"So the Chinese are made 'invisible' by public policy. The police collect the data but don't disaggregate it to show the impact on Chinese people."

Rosa Hui, director of the Bristol and Avon Chinese Women's Group, says there are cultural and practical reasons many in the Chinese community choose not to report a crime.

"Sometimes, it's a language barrier, and sometimes it's a cultural thing - Chinese people have a perspective of 'Everything is fine. I don't want to make trouble. I am in a foreign country. I should be self-sufficient'.

"Asking for help is against the grain, it's seen as a sign of weakness."

Hui explains that the perception that reporting a crime to the police is futile also contributes to underreporting. She received lottery funding in May to set up a helpline for Chinese people to report crimes without going directly to the authorities.

Third-party reporting is a tactic employed by Chinese associations and police departments around the country to tackle the problem of under-reporting. In its study, the All Party Parliamentary China Group emphasizes a need for an increase in funding for local Chinese associations, identifying them as the most effective organizations to deal with "the most hard to reach Chinese".

In 2012, the West Midlands Police launched a third-party reporting center along with the Chinese Society in Birmingham, allowing victims to speak with trained staff in their own language.

"Some people who come from other countries have a notion of what the police service is like that might be different to how we operate in Britain. Sometimes those perceptions of the police service might lead to mistrust," says Inspector Gareth Morris, a neighborhood policing manager for central Birmingham.

"We want to encourage people to talk about their problems, so setting them up with a familiar face, someone who speaks the same language, who operates and exists within a community that people are familiar with, can help break down some of those initial reporting barriers and at least give us some picture of what's going on."

Morris says the West Midlands Police have taken a number of measures to try and improve communication with the Chinese community, including language training and working groups that bring together officers and Chinese business owners.

"We want Chinese people to have the confidence to report to us, and equally we want them to feed us intelligence and information, to be a set of eyes and ears, that's how the British police functions. We'd like people to work with us and to join the police."

Dai Tian contributed to this story.

angus@mail.chinadailyuk.com

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page14)
Lifetime of ideas Updated: 2016-08-26 08:41 By Wang Kaihao(China Daily Europe)

Cartoonist Tsai Chih-chung's decadeslong work has been inspired by ancient Chinese philosophy and history

During a telephone interview, Tsai Chih-chung suddenly stops to ask me, "What is your date of birth?" I tell him the date and the year and without a moment's hesitation he says, "It was a Sunday."

The 68-year-old artist from Taiwan is both sharp and versatile. So it is difficult to do him justice with a brief introduction.

Tsai Chih-chung, a well-known cartoonist from Taiwan, has published an autobiography titled Genius and Master: The Cartoon Guru Tsai Chih-chung's Legendary Life. The book, including 300 cartoons drawn by Tsai, shows him and figures from his popular comic works. Photos Provided to China Daily

An author who has published several books since May 2015, he is also an animator and winner of a Golden Horse, one of the most coveted awards in Chinese cinema, for kung fu comedy Older Master Q in 1981.

He is a bridge champion and even spent a decade studying theoretical physics.

Above all, he is a cartoonist. More than 40 million copies of his books have been sold in more than 40 countries and regions.

Speaking of his pursuits, he says: "Many people ask me, 'If you could turn back the clock, would you have done something else instead of being a cartoonist?' Well, is there anything sweeter than realizing your dream?"

Tsai's career as a cartoonist did not follow an orthodox path. He quit school at 15 to move to Taipei. In spite of starting his career with four-panel cartoons, the man from Taiwan's Changhua county gained fame not by creating a superhero franchise but by using ancient Chinese philosophy and history.

In 1985, he began doing comic books to explain the work of Chinese philosophers, including Laozi, Liezi and Zhuangzi.

Explaining how he ventured into being a cartoonist, Tsai says: "In 1985, I had an animation company that had been in operation for seven years and I owned three properties. "According to my calculations then, I would have had enough money to survive till 80 on instant noodles, as long as I did not squander my money on gambling or undertaking risky ventures. But I had to do something more meaningful with my life."

The cartoon series, which was introduced to the Chinese mainland in 1989, has since become firmly etched in the collective memory of children on both sides of the Straits.

"My roots taught me how to use Western methods to promote Chinese culture," Tsai says.

He recently took only 11 days to write his autobiography, which includes 300 cartoons.

The autobiography, Genius and Master: The Cartoon Guru Tsai Chih-chung's Legendary Life, was published by China CITIC Press this month.

Speaking of the title, he says: "Every kid is a genius, but not every mother knows it."

Tsai, who was born in a Roman Catholic family, says his father was a renowned calligrapher while his mother was a fan of local operas, and she often took him along to watch performances.

He grew up eating American butter and says he also was exposed to Hollywood movies in his childhood.

Tsai confesses that he was habitually late to the cinema and often missed the start of films. "So, when I entered the theater, I would imagine the bit of the movie that I had missed."

Tsai says this habit helped him to hone his imagination. He also says his habit of reading the Bible helped him understand how to blend imagination, myths and history in his work.

"The church was my window to the West. But, what flows in my veins is Chinese culture," he says. "It's a perfect combination."

Tsai was based in Vancouver, Canada, at one point and now spends a lot of time on the Chinese mainland, where he runs an animation studio in Hangzhou, the capital of East China's Zhejiang province.

Among the feature-length animation films he is working on is a biographical film on Guan Yu, a third-century general and a synonym for loyalty and valor in Chinese culture. The movie is expected to be completed by October.

Another project is Kung Fu Shaolin Temple, which is expected to be ready for release in 2017.

"Zen, kung fu and the Shaolin Temple are evergreen Chinese cultural symbols," he says. "They will always be popular themes for viewers not only in China, but also overseas."

Tsai says the plot and emotions comprise the core of animated movies. "If the storytelling and choice of topic are poor, everything will be in vain, even if advanced technology is used."

As for how he sees his new mainland career, Tsai says his knowledge of physics tells him that there is a formula for each industry and the cultural sector is no exception.

"If people with great ideas want to be successful in the cultural sector, they need to cooperate with someone who can turn their ideas into products. And they have to find a person who can use the products to make money."

He says he does not see the point of avoiding the market. But he says: "Anyone who survives on catering to public tastes is doomed to fail at some point. So, it is always better to educate the public about better things by giving them something unprecedented."

In August, Tsai will hold a cartoon exhibition in Beijing, inspired by dozens of Robin Hood-like characters from the 14th-century Chinese classic Shui Hu Zhuan (Outlaws of the Marsh).

He also plans to produce a series of souvenirs, including umbrellas, cups and playing cards, to mark the exhibition, which he expects will sell well.

"When it comes to animation, people are used to Walt Disney and Japanese works, as Chinese cartoonists cannot always match them. "If we can create something equally good, people will buy," he says.

wangkaihao@chinadaily.com.cn

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page21)
Halal haute cuisine Updated: 2016-08-26 08:41 By Pauline D Loh(China Daily Europe)

Editor's note: To understand China, sit down to eat. Food is the indestructible bond that holds the whole social fabric together and it is also one of the last strong visages of community and culture.

There are about 20 million Muslims in China, or slightly more than 1.6 percent of the total population.

According to most recent population counts, that number includes Hui, Uighurs, Khalkhas, Kazaks and Uzbek minorities, mainly spread over provinces such as Gansu, Qinghai, Yunnan provinces and the Xinjiang Ugur and Ningxia Hui autonomous regions. But there are Muslims living in almost every large city across China.

Erduoyan Zhagao is known for halal cuisine in Tianjin. Photos by Pauline D Loh / China Daily

We have come to identify halal cuisine as associated with Xinjiang and Ningxia due to their more significant Muslim communities, yet halal food in the northern cities of Beijing, Tianjin and Xi'an, too, boasts a long history.

Halal food is prepared according to the religious requirements of the Islamic faith.

Islam itself entered China as early as the Tang Dynasty (618-907) with the first traders along the Silk Road. During the Yuan Dynasty (1271-1368), more and more West Asian influences arrived as the marauding Mongolians swept across Asia right to the fringes of Europe.

When the armies returned to China, they brought along migrants who were craftsmen, traders and mercenaries. Perhaps some were even reluctant bounties of war.

My first impressions of Muslim food had come from the delicious curries, rice and noodle dishes from my home in Southeast Asia. Later, in China, it came mainly from the cumin-dusted lamb skewers that originated from Xinjiang but are now standard street fare in almost every city.

Later, again in Beijing, I discovered whole roast lamb, mutton hotpots, tripe salads and the delicate pastries that are all continuing legacies of the Muslim pioneers.

But it was not until a recent visit to the port city of Tianjin that I was surprised with halal food, haute cuisine style.

It has now become a relaxing weekend retreat for harried Beijingers, being just a 30-minute train ride away.

Visitors to Tianjin are beginning to discover yet another dining option.

What few realize is that the city has a well-established Muslim community of more than 200,000 who have contributed much to Tianjin's epicurean style, including many of its iconic street snacks.

Zhagao, or fried cake, is an example. A light, glutinous rice dough is made into dumplings filled with sweet bean paste. It is then deep-fried until the insides are cottony soft, with a crusty crisp skin.

The most famous is Erduoyan Zhagao, which started off on a little handcart but is now housed in an imposing, three-story building with colorful facades and bronze pavement sculptures commemorating its humble past.

Now, aside from selling its famous zhagao, the restaurant is known for its halal cuisine. Diners fight to get on the two-month waiting list, and private dining rooms are almost impossible to book unless you are a familiar and generous regular or know an insider.

Halal cuisine is pork-free and uses mainly lamb, beef and chicken. Tianjin is unique in that it also uses lots of seafood and river produce.

At Erduoyan, the signature dishes include a braised oxtail stew, stir-fried lamb with egg and black wood-ear mushrooms, or muxurou, deep-fried sweet and sour fish fillets creatively stacked on the plate, and a beautifully crafted prawn in chicken stock named after the Chinese peony.

Vegetable dishes included a mustard stem lightly blanched in chicken stock, braised tender Chinese yam and peeled cherry tomatoes seasoned with pickled plums.

Erduoyan is the total package, with opulent decor perfectly color coordinated with blue and white crockery, cutlery, and table linen down to the qipao worn by the waitresses.

That is also the reason most of its dishes command three-digit prices. As our friendly but astute Uber driver told us on our drive back to the hotel, it's mostly for the rich and famous.

On a less opulent scale but equally impressive is another restaurant in Tianjin's Muslim quarter named Yongyuancheng.

According to my host Wang Jun, a newly retired Tianjin tourism board official and a Muslim himself, this is the real deal. This is where Tianjin Muslim families gather on special occasions, he says, as we sat down and he proceeded to give us a history lesson.

Tianjin Muslims were among those who first came to China during the Yuan Dynasty and they filtered down south from Xi'an and Beijing. Most still practice their faith, especially observing food restrictions.

The food at Yongyuancheng is definitely less decorative and more hearty, and Wang was happy to share his favorite dishes.

First up was a deliciously simple prawn dish, seasoned with ginger juice, lightly dusted with starch and deep-fried. Unlike the usual Chinese prawn fritters, the flavor shone through the pink morsels, and I particularly enjoyed the subtle fragrance of ginger.

Another Wang family favorite was the brown-braised flatfish known locally as dieyu or butterfly fish. It looks like a sole but slimmer than a turbot, with harder bones and thicker meat. Shallow-fried and braised, it was an unexpectedly hearty dish.

Next, we had an ox tongue, thinly sliced and soused in a savory, sesame-scented brown sauce, followed by stir-fried lamb with Chinese leeks. We also got to taste beef and prawn dumplings called shaomai.

The dumplings are robust in both shape and flavor, and you need to like the honest pastoral origins of beef to appreciate them.

Both meals offered an insight into Chinese Muslim food and its evolution through history. Judging from its popularity, halal haute cuisine may well soon become yet another important branch of China's rich gastronomic heritage instead of hovering in the background.

paulined@chinadaily.com.cn

Tianjin's favorite halal dishes

Lamb tripe salad

Boiled tripe is served with a vinegary dressing, hot chili oil and plenty of coriander. The tripe is almost crisp in texture and the chili oil and coriander make you forget it is offal.

Braised oxtail

Tender sections of oxtail are cooked in a sesame oil-based sauce. The fragrant sauce and the fall-off-the-bone texture make this dish an all-time favorite. The use of spices is sparing and subtle.

Peony prawns

At first sight, it is a multi-petaled peony nestling in a pond of crystal liquid, surrounded by a few green leaves. In actual fact, the flower is crafted from a few prawns carefully woven together so they blossom into a flower when carefully scalded with chicken stock.

Stir-fried lamb

This is the mutton version of muxurou, a Beijing classic that uses pork. The lamb slices are fried with black wood-ear mushrooms and cucumber, with scrambled eggs.

Mahua fish fillets

Fillets of fish are battered, deep-fried and coated in a sweet and sour sauce. They are then arranged in a twisted tower that resembles Tianjin's famous dough fritter snack - the mahua.

Mustard stems in top stock

A light vegetable dish that is deceptively simple. The mustard stems can make the stock very bitter if they are actually cooked in it. The solution is to cook them in a batch of flavorful broth, then serve them in fresh stock.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page19)
Still life in the city Updated: 2016-08-26 08:41 By Hatty Liu(China Daily Europe)

Building artist villages away from the hustle and bustle

If the 19th-century European stereotype of the artist is a depressive genius in a drafty garret, the 20th-century American cliche is of artists taking over post-industrial urban lofts, scratching out a living in a warehouse before being priced out by gentrifying forces.

China is no different.

The 21st-century Chinese art scene has areas like Beijing's 798 Art District, with graffitied facades and rusty pipes. However, in the northeast quadrant of Beijing's Chaoyang district, there are art communities of a "post-agricultural" character that is unique to the story of Chinese urban development.

The village of Feijiacun is a 10-minute bus ride from the second-last stop on Beijing's Subway Line 14. A dusty road leads from a traditional gate past a line of scrappy groceries and diners. However, now and then, the road opens onto vine-covered entrances of what seem to be traditional courtyard homes adorned with signs in vivid colors, impeccably spelled English, and sleek typefaces.

Feijiacun, though the smallest village by area in Chaoyang district's Cuigezhuang county, is one of the 10 major art districts of Beijing. Painters, photographers, tattoo artists and film distribution companies live and work side by side with newly arrived migrant workers attracted to the city's outskirts by affordable rent. In the middle of the village, a former pickled vegetable factory houses the Shangri-la Cultural and Arts Community, one of the larger art communities in the district.

There you can find the airy new rehearsal and training center of the Beijing Dance Theater, an internationally renowned contemporary dance troupe, and smaller tenants ranging from potters and sculptors to the Red Gate Gallery international residency program.

"Most regular people don't know about us, but artists have been coming here for a long time," says Tan, the property manager of the Shangri-la Community who wished to go by his surname. "Most people have heard of 798, and they're of course a bigger deal than us, but we actually got started earlier. What the artists here are looking for is a peaceful and affordable environment to work in and above all, a quiet place to live."

"Art districts and villages are seen in many Chinese urban areas, including Shanghai, Chengdu and Xi'an. Beijing's art villages, however, are undoubtedly among the most well-known. The most famous of them all, Caochangdi, is actually a little closer geographically to 798 and more used to being the center of the action.

Architects and media alike have been struck by the visual of kooky sculptures, international gallery shows, and China's finest avant-garde sensibilities being made in close proximity to chickens, sheep, and marginal and migratory parts of Chinese society.

"It's under the radar, it's not pretentious, and there are the large spaces and freedom to move and do without all the eyes of those living with all the norms of society looking on," says Mary-Ann Ray, who along with Robert Mangurian are the principals behind BASE Studio, a Beijing architectural think tank, and the authors of Caochangdi, Beijing Inside Out, an architectural and sociological study of the contemporary transformation of Caochangdi.

"The urban village (, village within the city) is a description applied to Caochangdi, Feijiacun and several hundred other locations in Beijing, though they are more prevalent in South China. As Chinese cities sprawl outwards, villages located on the outskirts of cities have seen their agricultural land purchased by the government to allow new construction while the villagers themselves were permitted to remain on residential land.

These days, rural collectives in urban areas in China can transform themselves into collectively owned property companies. Villagers can have a new livelihood in remodeling or adding onto their traditional single-story dwellings, which can be rented out.

Caochangdi and Feijiacun were both once imperial burial grounds of the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), and later agricultural people's communes. They also saw industrial development in the past decades. Architecture that reflects both the agricultural and industrial development eras can be seen.

Because construction in the urban villages is mostly illegal and unregulated, it results in very dense development poorly served by utilities. But Caochangdi and Feijiacun still have courtyards, fields and an average building height of less than three stories. Nonetheless, even in Beijing the term "urban village" conjures an image of lawlessness and poverty.

"Urban village is not a good concept - I don't want that label to be applied here," Tan says.

"Artists have been settling here for a long time, before a lot of the development, before there was even much migrant housing, and they come here because it's actually a nicer environment than the city."

Image problems aside, villages within the urban sprawl have an undeniable economic appeal. Lofts for rent in Caochangdi are currently advertised online for as low as 0.8 yuan (12 US cents; 11 euro cents) per square meter per day, while most cost two to three yuan per square meter per day. Though artists can spend tens of thousands of yuan on renovation, these prices are a steal in a city where office space rents for an average of 311 yuan per square meter per month.

China's 11th Five-Year Plan (2006-2010) identified the development of China's cultural and creative industries as a national economic priority and encouraged the development of creative industry hubs in major cities. City governments responded with their own policy outlines.

Even in an ad-hoc village like Caochangdi, which has traded on a marginal and counter cultural character from the start, government support can have benefits. Village leaders got the art district designated a cultural industry zone.

"The dusty road leading from Feijiacun's gate terminates in a T-crossing resembling a scene out of a ganji (), weekly market days that county towns across China host for surrounding villages. Amidst a row of butchers, rotisseries and small restaurants, there are vendors hawking shoes in screaming colors and music pounding from a stereo outside a tiny, two-chair hair salon.

The village certainly seems like a world apart from the loft of co-owned by actor-turned-photographer Weng Yang and his friends, newcomers who moved to Feijiacun only four months ago in search of an affordable space for their new business, Su Studio. The studio's interior is made up of pristine white walls, floor-to-ceiling windows, and Apple electronics. The courtyard and the low walls of the compound block out most of the noise from the street.

"I'd say economics are still the primary reason - here the rent is lower, even lower than some other art villages. But there's a bigger context: Whether you do photography like us, or sculpture or painting, as an artist you look for a certain ambience ()," Weng says.

"Everybody here walks the same path, as artists, and there's a lot of opportunity to exchange - though you'll find our work a little more commercially oriented than some of the other artists," he admits.

"But the village ambience is what I aspire to creatively: Creation comes from life, or actually, it depends on life. We're not holed up in (the studio), thinking of the villagers as these rustics that don't go with our image.

Courtesy of The World of Chinese, www.theworldofchinese.com

The World of Chinese

A former pickled vegetable factory in Feijiacun has become an artist workshop. Hatty Liu / The World of Chinese

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page23)
Gree makes foray into e-vehicles Updated: 2016-08-26 08:42 By Li Fusheng(China Daily Europe)

China's largest air conditioner manufacturer is jumping on the electric vehicle bandwagon, having agreed to pay 13 billion yuan ($1.95 billion; 1.72 billion euros) to acquire an automaker in Guangdong province.

Gree Electric Appliances Inc will finance the takeover of Zhuhai Yinlong New Energy Co by selling 834.9 million new shares at 15.57 yuan apiece, about 19 percent lower than the stock's last traded price, according to its filing to the Shenzhen stock exchange on Aug 18.

Gree shares have been halted from trading since Feb 22 "because of a possible important takeover". Its shares will remain suspended until after the Shenzhen Stock Exchange and other government agencies review and approve the acquisition, the appliance maker said in a statement on Aug 18.

Established in 2004, Yinlong started making inroads into the new energy sector in 2009. The company sold 3,189 electric buses last year, seizing a 3.6 percent market share in China.

It has a lineup of seven electric passenger cars and 18 e-buses, and manufactures lithium-ion batteries and controller systems for electric vehicles, according to its website.

Dong Mingzhu, the president of Gree, has long made public that the company plans to produce e-cars as part of its strategy to diversify its business interests.

She told China Daily this year that Gree's business activities will range from its core air conditioners and white goods to smartphones, new energy vehicles and intelligent equipment.

The company launched the second generation of its smartphone in June, after an almost yearlong trial operation of its first generation, which was sold only to employees for testing purposes.

Auto industry analysts believe Gree's foray into the e-car sector is mainly a result of the favorable policies such as subsidies that have been introduced to promote and develop the sector.

China, already the world's largest new energy vehicle market, plans to put 5 million such vehicles on its roads by 2020.

However, some media reports have suggested Gree's takeover is aimed more at Yinlong's battery technology than its auto division.

Dong revealed in March that Gree is developing new products that will serve air conditioners and generate electricity for home appliances under the same roof, Automotive Business Review reported. The magazine said such products would require electricity generation and storage technologies, which Yinlong specializes in.

Gree also released its mid-year financial report on Aug 18. Its net profit rose 12 percent to 6.4 billion yuan in the first half of the year, while its revenue slipped 1.85 percent to 49.2 billion yuan.

Its revenue slumped nearly one-third to 99.8 billion yuan last year, the company's first annual sales decline on record.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page30)
China's full-year exports forecast to drop again Updated: 2016-08-26 08:42 By Du Xiaoying(China Daily Europe)

China's full-year exports are likely to see a bigger drop than in 2015 due to downward economic pressures, according to a senior analyst at a government think tank.

"Besides weak external demand, the country is suffering a hard time," Long Guoqiang, deputy director of the Development Research Center of the State Council, said in Beijing on Aug 19.

He indicates that traditional advantages enjoyed in previous years, such as relatively low-cost, labor-intensive manufacturing, were losing traction in a weaker global economy, while emerging advantages from expansion of China's high-tech sector are still evolving.

"Export growth will remain slow in the coming years," Long says.

China's exports dropped 1.8 percent last year to 14.14 trillion yuan ($2.12 trillion; 1.88 trillion euros), while imports plunged 13.2 percent to 10.45 trillion yuan, according to data from the General Administration of Customs.

That was the first time China saw declines in both exports and imports since 2009. In the first seven months of the year, exports were down 1.6 percent and imports decreased 4.8 percent.

Analysts say seasonal trends, as shown in the customs data, indicate that total yearly exports will drop even further during the rest of the year.

In the January-July period, foreign trade was 3 percent lower than a year earlier.

However, Long says the structure of China's foreign trade was getting better and the long-term outlook is promising. He says the development of new business formats such as cross-border e-commerce and buying from international markets, as well as the increasing number of exports with independent intellectual property rights, all showed structural upgrades.

Zhang Ji, assistant minister of commerce, says China still retains its global leading position on trade in goods, with a rise in the global market share of its exports from 11.2 percent in 2013 to 13.8 percent in 2015.

"After three decades of high-speed growth, we should treat the issue more objectively and rationally," he says.

duxiaoying@chinadaily.com.cn

Workers check and select pieces of china to be exported at the factory of a ceramics firm in Zhangjiakou, Hebei province. Wu Diansen / Xinhua

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page28)
Commission downgrades 60% of brokerages Updated: 2016-08-26 08:42 By Wu Yiyao(China Daily Europe)

More than half of China's 95 brokerages have been downgraded by the China Securities Regulatory Commission in its annual classification.

The main reasons for the downgrades are brokerages' noncompliance with regulations, flouting of rules and below-par risk management capacity, according to Dong Dengxin, a researcher at the Wuhan University of Science and Technology and a financial analyst.

Researchers say the downgrades will help make the market more transparent and cleaner.

Investors talk about the stock market at a brokerage in Haikou, Hainan province. Shi Yan / For China Daily

The downgrades are also expected to further squeeze brokerages' already shrinking net profit due to market fluctuations.

The commission's classification system accords ranks or ratings to brokerages based on their record or performance.

A set of criteria determines a brokerage's rank. Key factors are risk management capacity, profitability and compliance.

Eleven ranks are distributed over five classes. The top-rated A class has three ranks: AAA, AA and A. Ditto for the B class and the C class, followed by the D class (D) and the bottom-of-the-pile E class (E).

Currently, no brokerage has the highest AAA rating. Only eight brokerages are rated AA.

According to the commission's regulations, a downgraded brokerage is required to increase its allocation to its investor-protection fund.

Otherwise, it would attract fresh restrictions that would stop it from starting a new line of business as well as expanding current businesses, analysts say.

Founder Securities Ltd, which was classified as A last year, was downgraded to C this year for several instances of flouting commission rules.

According to Founder Securities, it has been investigated and punished for breaking disclosure rules and for not meeting the "know your customer" norms in some transactions.

Following the downgrade, Founder Securities now needs to augment its investor protection fund from 1 percent of revenue to 3 percent.

Shenwan Hongyuan Securities says in a note that brokerages can compete fairly only when they all operate based on the rules and law. The downgrades, it says, suggest the market regulator is strengthening compliance and risk management - and cracking down on misbehavior and dishonest and illegal practices.

A downgrade may affect a brokerage's business activities such as investment banking. Bond issuers generally do not prefer to hire low-ranked brokerages as underwriters, particularly when other higher-rated ones bid for the same role, says Yin Jianjun, a researcher with Shanghai-based Shenda Asset Management.

Stricter compliance requirements and fluctuating market conditions will likely hurt the profitability of brokerages in the second half of 2016, according to a research note from China Merchant Securities.

"The equity market is going to be more active in the second half of 2016 with more channels anticipated to open to investors, such as the Shenzhen-Hong Kong stock connection, and more initial public offerings to be seen. New issuance of stocks and bond issuance will certainly benefit larger players in the sector," China Merchant says in the note.

(China Daily European Weekly 08/26/2016 page29)
Chinese and US militaries must avoid crisis Updated: 2016-08-26 07:43 By Zhou Bo(China Daily)

Missile frigate Yuncheng launches an anti-ship missile during a military exercise in the water area near South China's Hainan Island and Xisha islands, July 8, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

News of the Sino-Russian joint exercise, Joint-Sea 2016, in the South China Sea in September is apparently irritating to the Commander of the US Pacific Fleet Admiral Scott Swift, who, despite visiting China in early August, described the joint drill as an action "not increasing the stability within the region" but "could have been conducted" in other places.

Russia's involvement in the South China Sea is not something the United States is happy about. A China-Russia exercise could easily dwarf the joint exercise of the US and the Philippines. It will also show China is not standing alone after the ruling of the arbitral tribunal. It also contrasts with the US' failed bid to call on Japan, Australia and India to join its patrols in the South China Sea.

China has held joint exercises with both Russia and the US, but those exercises were fundamentally different in purpose. The Sino-Russian exercise this September reflects the strategic partnership between the two nations which is not, but next only to, an alliance. Both countries have criticized the deployment of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea. They believe the move would destabilize the strategic equilibrium on the Korean Peninsula and damage China's and Russia's strategic security. Recent years also found the drills extended to previously uncharted waters in the Mediterranean and the Sea of Japan. The scenarios became increasingly sophisticated and were not confined to tactical level. Last May the two countries also held a joint computer-assisted anti-missile drill.

This is in sharp contrast to the subdued military exercises between China and the US which are restricted to "non-sensitive" humanitarian areas such as humanitarian aid and disaster relief, and anti-piracy and rescue missions at sea. Both sides have made painstaking efforts to explore new areas, but there is a glass ceiling for further cooperation. Since 2000 the US Congress has forbidden exchanges between the US military and China's People's Liberation Army in 12 operational areas because the PLA could learn too much from such exchanges and "create a national security risk".

If the greatest challenge to China-US relationship is trust, then the top priority for the two militaries is crisis management. Many accidents or near accidents have occurred, such as the Chinese and US aircraft collision in 2001, the standoff between USNS Impeccable and USS Cowpens on one side and Chinese ships on the other in 2009 and 2013, and the deadly close encounter between a Chinese J-11B fighter jet with a USN P-8 in 2014. The accidents or near accidents occurred in China's exclusive economic zones. But given the PLA's increasing involvement overseas, the possibility of unplanned meeting between Chinese and the US military vessels or aircraft has increased.

That is why confidence building measures such as Code for Unplanned Encounters at Sea and the Rules of Behavior for Safety of Maritime and Air Encounter between China and the US are important. CUES, for example, provides a set of communication and operational procedures to avoid a ship getting too close to any vessels in formation; avoid aiming guns, missiles, and fire control radars in the direction of vessels or aircraft encountered. They can help avoid miscalculations and misjudgments.

Can China and the US conduct joint exercises on CUES and Rule of Behavior in the South China Sea? The Chinese and US navies practiced CUES during two Rim of the Pacific Exercises in the waters off Hawaii. But it is the waters of the South China Sea that is most volatile. And China is more determined to safeguard its sovereignty after the arbitral ruling that Beijing rejected.

The US has vowed to continue flying and sailing in the South China Sea in the name of "freedom of navigation". But despite China and the US being at loggerheads, it is in the interest of both countries to avoid accidents, let alone a conflict, in the future. A manageable relationship between the two giants is also an assurance for littoral states in the region, because "the grass will suffer, if the elephants fight".

The author is an honorary fellow at the Center on China-American Defense Relations, Academy of Military Science.
SACRAMENTO  A year after Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed six bills aimed at increasing the transparency and accountability of the California Public Utilities Commission, a suite of reforms is again on the governors desk, but this time its expected to earn his signature.

SB215 by state Sens. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, and Ben Hueso, D-Logan Heights (San Diego County), passed the Legislature on Thursday after a unanimous bipartisan vote in the state Senate. The bill would require commissioners and other decision-makers to disclose their ex parte meetings and provide substantive descriptions of what is said at those meetings, while prohibiting judge-shopping by utilities and increasing penalties to a maximum $50,000 per violation.

The bill would also authorize the attorney general to prosecute anyone who violates the ex parte rules.

I claim this to be a major victory for ratepayers in California, Leno said.

The commission has been under scrutiny since the deadly San Bruno pipeline explosion in 2010 highlighted what many have called a cozy relationship between state regulators and utilities. After the explosion, the regulatory agency was roundly criticized for its lax oversight of Pacific Gas and Electric Co., and revelations soon followed that utility executives colluded with the regulatory agency for favorable rulings.

In the wake of the scandal, PG&E fired three senior executives, and commission President Michael Peevey and Executive Director Paul Clannon retired under pressure.

The CPUC is not something on the minds of Californians on a daily basis, Leno said. It operates with some distance from most peoples daily lives, but it impacts every Californian. We only are reminded of that when the CPUC and the utilities they regulate fail Californians, and weve seen devastating examples of that failure.

Leno was among the lawmakers that attempted to pass legislation last year designed to rein in the commission.

In his veto message of the six bills he killed, Brown wrote that he supported some of the important and needed reforms at the commission, but that the bills taken together had various technical and conflicting issues that made them unworkable. Brown committed to working with lawmakers this year on the reforms at the commission, whose governing board is appointed by the governor.

The reforms included in SB215 will put an end to the secret, back-door meetings that have tainted the CPUCs decision-making process and its reputation, said Mark Toney of The Utility Reform Network, in a statement.

Melody Gutierrez is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
Chinese, Russian experts hold talks on G20 summit Updated: 2016-08-26 10:15 By Wang Mengzhen(chinadaily.com.cn)

Scholars from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences exchange view with their Russian counterparts in a telephone conversation held between Beijing and Moscow on Aug 25 ahead of the 2016 G20 summit. [Photo by Wang Mengzhen/chinadaily.com.cn]

Scholars from Beijing and Moscow called for emerging economies such as China and Russia to make their voice heard more at the G20 summit in Hangzhou, as they exchanged views in a telephone conversation on Monday.

The telephone conference, initiated by Russian news agency Sputnik, invited economic experts from key think tanks from China and Russia: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS).

"In recent years, trade protectionism among the group 20 members has not declined but worsened, and 40 percent of these barriers have been set by the United States," said Vyacheslav Kholodkov, head of International Economic Organizations Sector at RISS. "Thus China, as the chair of the 2016 summit, should initiate steps to counter the trend in Hangzhou."

"China and Russia, as major BRICS countries, are likely to discuss the further connectivity of China-led Belt and Road Initiative and Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union at the G20 summit," said Kholodkov.

"How to build a mature global financial safety net, especially the currency swap system, in the post-2008 financial crisis era will be one of the most important tasks in this year's G20 summit," said Liu Dongmin, director of International Finance Research Division at CASS.

Liu added that it is of great need for emerging economies such as China and Russia to push forward reforms of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank by raising the voting shares as well as the establishment of a multilateral international payment settlement system.

This year's G20 summit, scheduled for Sept 4-5 in China's eastern city of Hangzhou, has invited the largest number ever of developing countries, providing a unique opportunity for the developing world.
Ive long felt that taxis are underrated, scenic time savers that can zip you effortlessly from one sight to the next  except during rush-hour traffic, when theyre stuck like everyone else. In the past, cabs were expensive for a lone budget traveler, but a good deal for a group of three or four. Now with the advent of ride-sharing services like Uber, there are more deals than ever for getting around European cities.

One of my favorite cab experiences is to hire a taxi after dinner for a private, tailor-made tour of floodlit Paris. In my Paris guidebook, Ive included a list of the great floodlit monuments and a rip-out map for the cabbie to follow. Now, in the age of ride-sharing, the whole party just got a lot more fun  and about 30 percent less expensive.

The last time I was in Paris, I tried this taxi tour with Uber instead of a cab. It was a great little gig for our driver, who really got into the fun (and kept my guidebooks map as a souvenir). I hopped out at each stop with my fellow travelers to shoot goofy selfies and celebrate the magnificent floodlit monuments  so emblematic of the City of Light.

A highlight was singing Joe Dassins Les Champs-Elysees song with our driver (even without remembering most of the lyrics) as we approached the Paris Ferris wheel, all lit up and fancy. What a fine way to cap the day  and especially fun after a tasty dinner and a bottle of wine. The price for our Uber ride: about $40 for a 75-minute party all over Paris.

Uber is available in a number of European cities, including Amsterdam, London, Prague, Berlin, Rome, Athens and Vienna, and rides can be cheaper than taxis. Like at home, you request a car via the Uber app on your mobile device, and the fare automatically gets charged to your credit card. Youll need an Internet connection to request a car, so its best to do it when youre on Wi-Fi (unless you have an international data-roaming plan). They can pick you up anywhere, and you can text them if you cant find them. Keep in mind that some countries dont allow traditional ride-sharing that uses private drivers, so you may find that your Uber car is a licensed cab or from a limousine service  and can be more expensive.

European taxi companies are not standing by and letting Uber take over. Several apps work like Uber but are for booking a regular cab. One popular European app is Hailo, which covers a number of cities, mostly in Great Britain and Ireland. Another is MyTaxi, which operates in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland, Spain, and Italy. For pricey limousine service and airport pickups, theres Blacklane.

The gig economy has also changed the way you can pay for a taxi. European cabdrivers still prefer cash, but many have started taking credit cards. London, for example, has required all its official black cabs to accept credit cards by October 2016. For convenience, you cant beat a smartphone app: Uber, Blacklane, MyTaxi, and Hailo all use credit cards exclusively.

There are still plenty of times when taking a taxi makes sense, or is your only alternative. If you didnt bring a smartphone or dont have coverage, its easy to flag down a cab in some cities; otherwise, you can always find cabs at a taxi stand. These stands are often listed as prominently as subway stations on city maps; look for the little Ts (or ask a local to direct you to the nearest one). When hiring a cab, make sure it has a big, prominent taxi-company logo and telephone number. Avoid using unmarked beaters with makeshift taxi lights on top.

A taxi zipping you right to your hotel can be a relief after a long flight or train ride. But dishonest cabbies sometimes lurk at major transit points, ready to take advantage of travelers who are jet-lagged and travel-weary  and at their most susceptible to getting ripped off.

To avoid problems at airports and train stations, head for the official taxi stand and join the queue, rather than flagging down a taxi. (If you dont want to worry about getting conned the minute you arrive at a new destination  or to save money  skip the cab and link to the city center by public transportation.)

Shrink and tame big European cities by hopping into the occasional taxi or using a ride-sharing service. By knowing when a private ride is the best way to get somewhere, youll save time, money and energy.

Rick Steves writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email: travel@sfchronicle.com
GENEVA  Secretary of State John Kerry says he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov have achieved clarity on a path to restore a truce in Syria but details remain to be worked out.

After meeting off-and-on with Lavrov for nearly 10 hours in Geneva on Friday, Kerry said the vast majority of technical discussions on steps to reinstate a cease-fire and improve humanitarian access have been completed. Kerry says experts will remain in Geneva with an eye toward finalizing the unresolved steps in the coming days.

Lavrov echoed that, saying we still need to finalize a few issues and pointed to the need to separate fighters from the al-Nusra Front, which has ties to al Qaeda, from U.S.-backed fighters who hold parts of northwest Syria.

Lavrov insisted that a resumption of U.N.-mediated talks between the Syrian government and the U.S.-backed opposition that were suspended in April should help reduce hostilities that have flared in recent months. He also hailed an improved atmosphere between Moscow and Washington.

We have continued our efforts to reduce the areas where we lack understanding and trust, which is an achievement, Lavrov said. The mutual trust is growing with every meeting.

Fridays meeting came a month after the two men met in Moscow and agreed on a number of unspecified actions to get the all-but-ignored truce back in force. However, as in Moscow, neither Kerry nor Lavrov would describe them in detail.

We are close, Kerry said. But we are not going to rush to an agreement until it satisfies fully the needs of the Syrian people.

In a nod to previous failed attempts to resurrect the cessation of hostilities, Kerry stressed the importance of keeping the details secret.

We do not want to make an announcement ... that is not enforceable, that doesnt have details worked out, that winds up in the place that the last two announcements have wound up, Kerry said. Until we have, neither of us are prepared to make an announcement that is predicated for failure. We dont want a deal for the sake of the deal, we want a deal that is effective.

And, underscoring deep differences over developments on the ground, Kerry noted that Russia disputes the U.S. narrative of recent attacks on heavily populated areas being conducted by Syrian forces, Russia itself and the Iranian-backed Hezbollah militia. Russia maintains the attacks it has been involved in have targeted legitimate terrorist targets, while the U.S. says they have hit moderate opposition forces.
DARAYA, Syria  Syrian rebels and their families began evacuating a long-besieged Damascus suburb Friday as part of an agreement reached with the government following four years of grueling air strikes and siege that left the suburb in ruins.

The surrender of Daraya, which became an early symbol of the nascent uprising against President Bashar Assad, marks a success for his government, removing a persistent threat only a few miles from his seat of power. It provides a further boost for the Syrian army as it fights opposition forces for control over Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

Darayas rebels agreed to evacuate in a deal late Thursday. Under the terms of the agreement, around 700 gunmen will be allowed safe exit to the opposition-held northern province of Idlib, while some 4,000 civilians will be taken temporarily to a shelter south of Daraya.

The suburb has been besieged and blockaded by government forces, with only one food delivery by the United Nations allowed to reach the district during this time. It has been held by a coalition of ultraconservative Islamic militias, including the Martyrs of Islam Brigade.

As the first white bus with rebels and their families emerged from Daraya, Syrian army soldiers swarmed the vehicle, shouting pro-Assad slogans.

The U.N.'s Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, called for the protection of people being evacuated from Daraya and said their departure must be voluntary. In a statement issued in Geneva, he said the United Nations was not consulted or involved in the negotiation of the deal reached between rebel factions and government forces.

The world is watching. De Mistura said.

Located just southwest of Damascus, Daraya has been pummeled by government air strikes, barrel bombs and fighting over the years. In August 2012, around 400 people were killed over several days in a killing spree by troops and pro-government militiamen who stormed the suburb after heavy fighting and days of shelling, according to opposition activists.

At least 48 green and white buses, eight ambulances and several Red Crescent and U.N. vehicles were lined up at the entrance of Daraya earlier Friday, waiting for the green light.

A journalist who entered the suburb from its northern entrance saw a landscape of severely damaged and deserted buildings, some of them charred. A group of uniformed soldiers celebrated, shouting pro-Syria slogans and flashing victory signs.

Black smoke rose on the horizon  caused by the rebels burning their belongings before evacuating, according to Syrian army soldiers.

Footage posted on the Internet by a member of the Daraya local council shows a small group of a few dozen people milling about in a street lined with destroyed buildings.

Daraya, which lies in the western Ghouta region, saw some of the first demonstrations against Assad after the uprising against his family rule began in March 2011, during which residents took to the streets, sometimes pictured carrying red and white roses to reflect the peaceful nature of their protests.

It is the latest rebel-held area to surrender to government troops following years of siege. Opposition activists and human rights groups accuse the government of using siege and starvation tactics to force surrender by the opposition.

The first major truce deal was struck in the Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh, west of Daraya, in 2014. It was followed by truces and cease-fires in Babila, Yalda, Barzeh around the Syrian capital  all deals that swung heavily in the governments favor and pacified the region.
New Zealand shares fell as Air New Zealand declined after warning its record profit might not be repeated and investors cashed in recent gains in an earnings season where companies have responded to increasing demand for yield with bigger dividend payments. Sky Network Television gained after beating earnings expectations.

The S&P/NZX 50 Index declined 35.98, or 0.5 percent, to 7391.3. Within the index 28 stocks fell, 17 rose and six were unchanged. Turnover was $160 million.

Air New Zealand fell 0.5 percent to $2.22 after the national carrier reported a record profit and declared a special dividend, though warned cheap fuel and the country's tourism boom was attracting more foreign carriers which would weigh on the company's earnings in 2017.

"That looks to be showing the business is under pressure from a lot of competition around in the market," said James Lindsay, who helps manage $400 million of NZ equities at Nikko Asset Management. "There have been a lot of new routes opened up on the international side and their domestic competition is doing pretty well."

A2 Milk Co led the market lower, falling 3.3 percent to $2.05 after reporting a return to profit earlier this week, while Metlifecare dropped 3 percent to $6.08 having posted increased earnings and dividends when it reported on Wednesday.

Nikko's Lindsay said the benchmark index had been near record highs with New Zealand's relatively strong economy attracting investors in search of yield.

"Corporate management teams have realised that yield and capital structure are fairly well supported by the market, and you've certainly seen that a number of those stories that have continued that theme with yield," he said.

Sky TV rose 2.8 percent to $4.82 after the pay-TV operator posted a profit of $147.1 million, which included one-off costs associated with a planned merger with Vodafone New Zealand, while managing to increase subscriber numbers to 852,679.

Lindsay said Sky TV had predicted a decline in subscriber numbers in its merger documents and investors had welcomed its ability to maintain its customer base.

Port of Tauranga rose 1.5 percent to $19.65, Vital Healthcare Property Trust gained 1.32 percent to $2.31 and Tegel Group increased 1.2 percent to $1.76.

Fletcher Building declined 0.9 percent to $10.49 and Spark New Zealand increased 0.6 percent to $3.925.

Outside the benchmark index, CBL Corp gained 2.8 percent to $2.90 after lifting first-half operating earnings on increased gross written premium and affirmed guidance for annual profit of $40.4 million. Its first-half bottom line was impacted by a $4.4 million foreign exchange loss.

Vista Group International fell 7.5 percent to $6.20 after the cinema software developer more than doubled first-half profit as revenue was bolstered by a series of recent acquisitions and affirmed guidance for annual sales to rise by 20-to-30 percent.

NZME gained 1.2 percent to 83 cents after the publisher and radio broadcaster increased first-half earnings 0.5 percent as it stripped out costs faster than advertising revenue declined.

Delegat Group was unchanged at $6.10 after the winemaker increased its annual dividend after confirming a record operating profit.

Seeka Kiwifruit Industries was unchanged at $4.50 after the fruit grower almost doubled first half profit and raised its interim dividend as its benefited from its Australian acquisition and record fruit crops.

Cavalier Corp gained 1.1 percent to 89 cents after the carpet maker returned to profit and said it was continuing to put the business on a stable footing.

Marsden Maritime Holdings was unchanged at $3.30 after the half owner of Northport boosted annual profit 44 percent to $12.1 million as the port operation handled record cargo volumes.

BusinessDesk.co.nz

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NEW DELHI: While governments the world over are concerned about how to tackle growing cyber crimes, Indian firms are more vulnerable to data breach because poor investments in adopting and implementing top-of-the-line security solutions, a top executive of US-based network security company FireEye has said.

"If we had to compare countries, the Australian Strategic Policy Institute ranks India lower in cyber security maturity than Singapore, Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Chinaand Vietnam," said Vishak Raman, Senior Regional Director for India and SAARC, FireEye.

"It is important to see the bigger picture and not see vulnerability as a horse race between regions. The US cyber security far outpaces India's and yet, the US is routinely plagued by massive cyber challenges," Ramn told IANS as FireEye released its first "Mandiant M-Trends Asia Pacific" report on Thursday.

"In some ways, India is more vulnerable to advanced attacks and in some, we are less vulnerable because cyber security is increasingly becoming a priority for our leaders," he noted.

The report highlighted that the Asia-Pacific organizations were breached for a median period of 520 days before discovering it, trailing European and US counterparts.

"We can all agree that 520 days is far too long for attackers to be lurking inside organisations," Raman said.

The report shared statistics and insights from Mandiant - a subsidiary of FireEye  investigations in the region in 2015 and examined the latest cyber trends and tactics threat actors used to compromise businesses and steal data.

Most breaches in the Asia Pacific region never became public.

Unlike in markets with greater security maturity such as the US, most governments and industry-governing bodies lack effective breach disclosure laws.

According to the findings, the Asia-Pacific organisations are often unprepared to identify and respond to breaches.

They cannot defend their networks from attackers because they frequently lack basic response processes and plans, threat intelligence, technology and expertise.

"Determined attackers can do significant damage. It is imperative that organizations bring together the threat intelligence, technology and expertise necessary to effectively combat these threats," Raman noted.

"While the RBI's cybersecurity framework, released in June this year, has emphasized the need for banks to develop a cyber-crisis management plan and prepare for zero-day attacks, remote access threats and targeted attacks, other industry sectors in India do not have similar guidelines," the FireEye executive commented.

FireEye's earlier research showed that about 24 per cent of Indian organizations were exposed to advanced threats, compared to 15 per cent globally.

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BENGALURU: Whispers and murmurs has always been a part of the corporate culture. Wackiest things are always heard, some turns out to be true, some dont. ET brings to you a weekly roundup of the wackiest whispers and murmurs in corporate corridors and policy parlours.

Paddle towards healthiness

Last week, India greeted Lars Rebien Sorensen, CEO of the world's largest insulin maker Novo Nordisk. While attending an event, the Danish-born Sorensen was asked by a diabetes specialist that how can awareness of the disease be built in a nation having dubious distinction being dubbed its capital? A dictum from Mahatma Gandhi was chosen by Sorensen as an answer: "Be the change you wish to see." The top global CEO as named by Harvard Business Review last year then alluded to regular, vigorous exercise as the best treatment for diabetes.

At the age of 61, Sorensen sets a personal example by being a devout fitness enthusiast. Although, this statement from Sorensen didnt gather much applause from the leading physicians in New Delhi gathered to hear him.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- In 1980, at the Alpine Pontiac dealership in Brooklyn, a young Michael Gorgia fell in love not once, but twice.

The young mechanic would ogle a 1975 Pontiac Grand Ville Brougham convertible with a sleek black paint job and, coincidentally, it was in the same shop where he would meet his future wife.

"In 1982, a lovely young lady drove in and bought Pontiac Grand Prix, she had so much trouble with the car, the only way to get it fixed is she had to marry me," he chuckled.

"My wife and I are married 33 years."

After winning over his first love at the Brooklyn dealership, Gorgia saw an opportunity to acquire the other.

I always loved that car and I always wanted one," he said. "Two years ago I found one in Bronxville, New York through Craigslist."

The car was in near-perfect condition with all the tell-tale signs collectors look for.

"When I bought the car it had the original brakes in it and the original [retainer] clips holding the brake drums," Gorgia explained.

Mr. Gorgia even still had his old uniform from the dealership, which he proudly wore, as he popped open the massive hood and revealed the 400 cubic-inch V8 engine with 48,000 miles.

It wasn't as densely packed as newer, contemporary models and its power wasn't as noticeable as the Pontiac muscle cars of the 1960s, but Gorgia said it was plenty of power to move such a long body.

"Unfortunately, in 1975 the cars were kind of de-tuned ... but it's a big enough engine to rocket the car down the road," he said.

It's hard not to notice the sheer size of the car, which naturally, translates to an abundance of room in the interior. And GM really took advantage of the design to afford owners that kind of space.

"A lot of people compliment how big the cars were back then, and yes, they were very big cars, they're boats ... but the car is in great condition and it's a great show car."

In addition to the engine compartment, the trunk also seemed to have endless space -- Gorgia's Jeep Cherokee may well have been able to fit inside of it.

Before we took a ride around the neighborhood, the coolest feature of the car was unveiled -- the automatic convertible top. Of which, the design was also meant to save room in the interior.

Typically on a convertible when the top goes down the mechanism folds into the quarter panels, but with this model the top folds behind the seat.

"They have the scissor top and the reason General Motors did this was to increase rear seat room ... like they needed a bigger rear seat," he mused.

It was a nice sunny day for a ride with the top down. The breeze was perfect for making the July heat feel temperate.

Rain, however, is the arch enemy for older cars with a fold-down rag top. They're prone to water leaks and aren't as tightly sealed as the newer models today.

When asked if there was a rain-proof top for older convertibles, Gorgia simply answered:

"Yes, the garage."

To see the convertible in action watch the video above and for more photos click the gallery below.

Want more classic cars? See the others here.
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George Way taken June 2016. (Staten Island Advance/ Jan Somma-Hammel)

Staten Island, N.Y. -- At my age, getting up before the crack of dawn for me is almost unheard of these days. However, just a few weeks ago on a Saturday morning I decided to drag myself to the 25th Street flea market in Manhattan.

For whatever reason, I had an inclination that I was going to find something of great interest. I boarded the Staten Island Ferry at 7 a.m. and heading straight to the market. When I arrived, I could see those flea market junkies already running around the lot in search of anything that would catch their eye. Lucky for those who live in the area, they do not have to take trains and boats to arrive early.

I noticed many dealers were still setting up, many delayed since there was still a threat of rain. I noticed one of the dealers whom I have known for some years still unpacking; I decided to guard his open space in the parking lot while he fetched more merchandise out of his large van. As I sat there relaxing, I noticed he had a large portrait of an Englishman resting against the wall on a table. This was no ordinary portrait, since the sitter was sporting a wonderful green waistcoat with flowers painted along the edges. The moment I spotted it, I knew it was early 18th century and that it was English.

The only artist to come to mind was Sir Godfrey Kneller, who was the leading portrait painter in England during this time. It definitely looked like his style of work. Alongside this sitter, on the right side of the painting, there was a painted landscape typical of Godfrey's early works. When the dealer returned, he thanked me for looking out for his merchandise, making sure no one ran off with anything of value. I asked him if he could shed some light on the painting as to age and country of origin. He told me it was early 19th century and that it was probably English. At least he got one thing correct. It was, indeed, English.

He quoted me a price; however, it did not take me long to get him to agree on a lower amount. Soon I was off and heading straight to the train to return home on the Staten Island Ferry. The dealer was unable to find some bubble wrap, so I was forced to carry it unwrapped for all to see. The painting measures 26'' x 36'' minus its frame and was relined some years back, letting me know whoever owned it knew it was an important painting. The frame, though appealing, was not of the period. It was American, dating to the early 1800s and made of birds eye maple. On the way out of the lot, an older gentleman approached me, asking me if the painting was for sale. I had to disappoint him.

Another man came over, asking me if I would be willing to sell him the frame. I told him I wanted to hang it when I arrived home and did not want to spend a fortune on another frame. I arrived safely at my destination, only to discover something the dealer had overlooked. I decided to clean the back of the period stretcher, which was covered with dust, when I noticed a hand-written label in ink. I was able figure out what it said, which helped in identifying the sitter. The label reads "Henry Bullock Earl of Doyle House died 1762." I wondered why the dealer had missed such an important clue in identifying this mysterious man.

Lucky for me, I had a flashlight in hand, since the label was located at the bottom of the stretcher and difficult to see. Sir Godfrey Kneller was actually born Gottfried Kniller (1686-1723) and was considered to be the most prolific and distinguished painter of baroque portraiture in England. He indulged in religious paintings as well. In the early 1600s he had some training from the Dutch painters Rembrandt and Ferdinand Bol. He, like many artists of the period, traveled to Italy and came to London in 1676. In 1688, he was appointed principal painter to King Charles II, was made a knight in 1692 and a baronet in 1715. He also became portrait painter to King George I.

There were other artists at this time who followed in the footsteps of Kneller. Many of them copied his style in order to make a decent living. One artist in particular was John Kerseboom (1680-1708), whose many patterns derive from Sir Peter Lely and Kneller. The other artist was Isaak Paling (1664-1729), who was a Dutch painter but settled in London. He soon painted portraits in the English style, many close to those by Kneller.

There is a lovely portrait hanging in our beautiful Staten Island Conference House Museum that shows a man also wearing a wonderful colored waistcoat dating to the early years of the 18th century. This information is based upon a letter he is holding in his hand that was painted long before the American Revolution. I have constantly said, there is always something for everyone since most people are not looking for the same thing.

I called a friend of mine that evening, who happens to live blocks away from the flea market, to see if he got up early enough to hunt around. He told me he got up late and could not find anything, and if he had come upon this portrait he would have purchased it for his lovely 18th century house in Connecticut. I have been telling him for years that you need to go to bed early the night before so you can find those sleepers that do pop up once in a while. I wonder, though, if he would have purchased this portrait, would he have noticed the label identifying this mysterious sitter?

Like I have always said, "the early bird catches the worm."
EpiPen.jpg

A package of EpiPens, an epinephrine auto-injector for the treatment of allergic reactions. Lawmakers are demanding more information on why the price for live-saving EpiPens has skyrocketed. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. - After a public backlash from those paying hundreds of dollars out of pocket for EpiPens, the maker of the potentially life-saving product has enacted new money-saving measures.

EpiPen maker Mylan has a monopoly on the plastic tubes that supply a dose of epinephrine to stop potentially deadly allergy attacks.

The cost of a pen in 2007 was $56. In 2015, it was $317, a more than 400 percent increase, while the price of the epinephrine inside the EpiPen is just $1.

Sold in two-packs, out-of-pocket costs exceed $600.

A movement was started on Facebook, not only to get petition signatures to send to Congress along with a letter-writing campaign, but to shame Mylan into lowering its cost. It was partly successful.

On Thursday, the company announced it would offer $300-off savings cards for the $600 two-pack, effectively saving people half of what they were paying.

While some insurance companies cover the cost of the pen, the uninsured and those with high deductible health plans pay the full $600 out-of-pocket cost, something Mylan is hoping to end with the 50 percent-off savings card.

But many are balking at the still high price.

The company is also changing its policy to make more people eligible for low-income help through its patient assistance program.

Those earning up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level are eligible for free EpiPens -- a family of four earning up to $97,200 would qualify.

By keeping the drug the same high price and offering discounts to people paying out of pocket, Mylan can still charge insurance companies the full price.

Some allege the company raised its price with the impending release of a generic version, hoping to make some big bucks before competition eats up its revenue.

Mylan would not explain why it drastically increased the price, the New York Times reported.

The Food and Drug Administration recently rejected a generic version and a non-generic was pulled from the market last year after dosage issues, the Times reports.

In a statement, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch said, "We have been a long-term, committed partner to the allergy community and are taking immediate action to help ensure that everyone who needs an EpiPen(r) Auto-Injector gets one. We recognize the significant burden on patients from continued, rising insurance premiums and being forced increasingly to pay the full list price for medicines at the pharmacy counter. Patients deserve increased price transparency and affordable care, particularly as the system shifts significant costs to them."

Bresch has come under fire for receiving a more than 600 percent increase in pay during the same time the EpiPen cost was going up.

In 2007, when the cost of the EpiPen was $56, Bresch earned almost $2.5 million.

In 2015, when the price soared to $317, Bresch's total compensation was almost $19 million.

Some have called for Senate hearings on potential price gauging, and some senators have called on the Food and Drug Administration to answer for the price hike, as well as say when alternatives to the EpiPen can be expected.

STATEN ISLANDERS FEEL THE BURDEN

West Brighton resident Kari Byrnes has tree nut allergies, and her two sons, Thomas, 13, and Aidan, 11 are allergic to peanuts, and peanuts and apples, respectively.

Between the three of them, there are EpiPens at home, at the boys' schools, at grandma's house.

"I keep them everywhere," Byrnes said. "I always carry it with me."

Her health insurance covers the drug, but each person has a $100 copay for medication, adding up to $300 Byrnes shells out every year before the boys go back to school.

She has been lucky not to have to use the pens, but they expire every year, so it's an annual cost.

Byrnes has been carrying the EpiPens since her sons were toddlers, adding up to thousands she has spent over the years.

"School's starting and we have to put out $300 for them," she said.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- The Staten Island couple who owns Caesar, a 7-year-old killer pit bull on death row, claims the city had the responsibility to properly care for the canine after he was taken from them, according to a new federal lawsuit.

Kristina and Douglas Panattieri are suing the city, the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene and New York City Animal Care and Control (ACC), saying their fourth amendment rights were violated after their property -- Caesar -- was seized and forced to survive in squalid living conditions at the ACC, the suit claims.

"If you take someone's property, then you have an obligation to provide a certain level of care," said the couple's attorney, Thompson Page. "He could get kennel cough or pneumonia because they're not providing good and clean air.

"(Kristina) was there (at the shelter) two days ago and she said she could hardly breathe in there."

According to the suit, filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, the defendants had a duty to provide "a sufficient supply of good and wholesome air, food, shelter and water."

Caesar was taken from the Panattieri's on May 17 and weighed 87 pounds, then he went down to 62 pounds, contracted pneumonia and needed surgery, Page said.

"Something went wrong," Page said. "The conditions are outrageous. He's in a three- by three-and-half (foot) cage. The owners see him twice a week for 15 minutes."

A spokesman for the city law department said the suit has no merit.

"The City is proceeding in the best interest of the public health and safety," he said.

The couple also filed a suit in Manhattan Supreme Court hoping to keep Caesar alive. The owners want the dog to return home and are fighting a city Department of Health and Mental Hygiene decision that Caesar should be euthanized.

In that suit, according to Page, his clients are seeking the opportunity to contest the city's claim that the dog is a danger to the pubic.

The city determined the pit bull should be euthanized after it had killed two dogs, a cat and mauled two pet owners.

Eugene Charles, who is in his late 70s, suffered deep wounds when he was bitten on May 17 while unsuccessfully trying to save the life of his beloved chihuahua, Charlie. Caesar, who lived nearby, allegedly attacked the dog and owner while they were walking near the Charles family home in Grant City.

Anne Charles, the wife of Eugene, decried a media account "blaming my Charlie."

In emails to the Advance for an earlier story, she maintained that Caesar "killed Charlie." Parents have asked her if the dog is back home and said if so, they would be afraid to let their children walk down the block, she said.

The woman questioned whether her husband or a child walking by would have to be "murdered" for the dog to be euthanized. She urged the judge to "remove that dog from our community."
Castorina calls for longer yellow lights at red light cameras

Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr. (R-South Shore) is supporting a new legislation that will standardize the timing of yellow lights at red light cameras. (Staten Island Advance/Annalise Knudson)

STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Assemblyman Ron Castorina Jr. (R-South Shore) is supporting new legislation mandating standard timing between yellow and red traffic lights throughout New York State.

Castorina made the announcement on Friday at the corner of Huguenot Avenue and Woodrow Road in Huguenot, where a red light camera stands.

"That's not a camera," Castorina said, pointing to the red light camera. "That's a cash register for the city of New York. It's a cash register throughout the state of New York."

The proposal is in support of Long Island Assemblyman Dean Murray's legislation that would ensure that yellow lights will shine for no fewer than four seconds.

"Motorists need some reliability and to reasonably expect how long it's going to take for them to get through the intersection in a safe manner without also having to worry about getting fined," Castorina said.

According to the National Motorists Association, states like New Mexico and Florida have successfully implemented longer yellow lights and made their roads safer in a significant way.

Duration of yellow lights vary throughout New York State, and there is no standardized time for yellow lights.

"When you notice that the time period is shortened particularly where there are red light cameras, that's clearly nothing more than a trap," Castorina said.
Donald Trump

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump meets with active and retired law enforcement in Akron, Ohio, on Aug. 22, 2016. If this week's string of vague and contradictory statements by Trump and his team revealed anything, it's that his immigration policy is still evolving. Just days ago Trump reshuffled his campaign staff just as he tries to recalibrate his message for the general election, in which his tough stance on immigration may be more of a liability than it was in the Republican primary. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert, File)

At a town hall on Tuesday, Donald Trump claimed to be open to "softening" the hardline anti-immigration stance he's famous for. Relaxing his stance might be a bid to improve his poor numbers with Latino Americans, but it could alienate the pro-deportation zealots who actually gave him the nomination.

Do you think #TrumpShouldSoften on immigration, or #StayToughTrump? Read more and vote below!

PERSPECTIVES

Ann Coulter is furious and says she will cancel her pro-Trump book tour if he softens his stance at all. His hard-line stance on immigration is what attracted so many of his supporters in the first place.

It also makes him look like a major flip-flopper.

It's 100% going to happen until suddenly it's off the table. @realDonaldTrump breaks every promise. No surprise.  WeWantBeadedCurtains (@SkepBy) August 24, 2016

But many of his fans believe in him and continue to support him.

@realDonaldTrump No change in Immigration plan, everything #Trump said is already a law. He will just ENFORCE those LAWS #TrumpPence16 #MAGA  Deplorable Veteran  (@trumpswithyou) August 24, 2016

Some don't see it as a "softening," but as a common sense switch.

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A first-class ride for Cowboy Kel Bridle Path residents show love for mail carrier

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SV Womans Club to meet Detectives Kelly King and Jessica Getchius of the Simi Valley Police Department will discuss the problems faced by victims and perpetrators of domestic violence at the monthly luncheon meeting of...

Womans flight aboard B-25 bomber honors grandfathers WWII bravery As Kerri Braemer-Castro looked down at the mountains and valleys of Camarillo from the cockpit of a World War II B-25 bomber earlier this month, she finally felt connected to...

Shred your documents The Simi Valley Chamber of Commerce will hold a drive-thru document shredding event from 1 to 4 p.m. Fri., Nov. 11 in the parking lot behind the Chamber office, 40...
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The play is also a groundbreaker in that it will be the first USF production to include a content advisory. There's no sexual content or physical violence, but there is a fair amount of rough language commensurate with the challenging subject matter. It revolves around a married couple, Brad and Jodie, who enlist an apparent stranger named Tate to help them resolve a situation that leaves no room for compromise. As to the nature of that conflict, the less said the better; audience members at last weekend's readings said the surprises heightened the impact of the play.
The ACT government will intervene to protect the embattled Safe Schools program supporting LGBTI students.

Chief Minister Andrew Barr, the first openly gay state or territory leader, cited his own struggles at school as he announced a decision to provide $100,000 in funding for the program.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr cited his own struggles at school while announcing funding to support the embattled Safe Schools program Credit:Rohan Thomson

"I can say from personal experience in the ACT education system as a teenager, struggling with my own sexuality at that time, that I would have benefited from the support of organisations like the Safe Schools Coalition," Mr Barr said

"School would have been a better place for me in the 1980s if these sorts of services had been available," he said.
The concept of moving schools for years 11 and 12 may seem bizarre to students in many parts of Australia that are unfamiliar with Canberra's secondary college system .

But Gungahlin College Student Bailey Lutton is confident the flexibility that stems from a college system separated from high-school has prepared him well for university.

Gungahlin College year 12 student Bailey Lutton believes other states should give students the option of the college system. Credit:Rohan Thomson

"It's 40 years old now so you would think that some people in other states and territories would have transitioned to it to give some students the option of doing it that way," he said on the Q&A panel at the 40th anniversary ACT public college system commemorative breakfast on Friday.

Canberra and Tasmania are the two states or territories that have established the revolutionary secondary college system.
At first glance, it is an arresting image of a single helicopter soaring in an empty blue sky.

But this painting, by one of China's most significant contemporary artists and worth about $800,000, is both a potent symbol of Australia-China relations, and a powerful statement about the deconstruction of media.

Painting titled 'Flying Machine' is the centrepiece of 'Zhang Peili: from Painting to Video' exhibition at the Australian National University. Pictured with co-curators Olivier Krischer and Kim Machan. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

The Australian National University in Canberra recently gained Flying Machine by Zhang Peili, after it was donated by American photographer Lois Conner.

She gave it to the university after an exhibition of her own works at the Australian Centre on China in the World, and had acquired it from the artist in the 1990s, as a trade with some of her own works.
Thorne is a Canberra girl through and through. "I was the kid at Rivett Primary that was always standing up to read her short story out loud. And so I always loved writing and it was always my lifelong dream to have a book," she recalls. But she put that dream aside when she went to university, studied law and entered the APS. She got married (they eloped). "I just kind of forgot about writing as a hobby completely."

The romance novel, The Hating Game, is an office romp about Lucy, a young publishing executive, and her bitter rival Josh, who sits directly opposite her at work. Lucy is short and sassy. Josh is tall and smouldering. There is a lot of rapid fire banter, a swirl of sex, and a plot that touches on the boredom and gloss of the corporate world and the people who navigate it.

This is a story of how the internet sometimes makes dreams come wildly true. In the space of a few crazy months last year, Sally Thorne went from public servant at Customs and Border Protection to landing a two-book deal with HarperCollins on the back of a romance novel which was first written in just six weeks. All from the comfort of the study at her home in Gordon in Canberra's south, where she lives with her husband and pug. "I'm pretty much still in shock," she laughs.

Sally Thorne remembers with shining clarity the moment she realised her life was about to change in a huge way. "I remember going in to my desk at work [in the public service] and sitting down and just feeling like suddenly an escape hatch had opened in what was a pretty dry, corporate world," she says. "And I spoke to the guy next to me and I just said, 'I was given a book deal.'"

Things changed one dark, cold winter (really, you couldn't make this stuff up). "I was trying to think of a new hobby and I thought, creative writing, I could go back to that," she says. So Thorne enrolled in a course at the Canberra Institute of Technology and started to write fiction for fun. She joined online writing forums, finding her voice. One day, a friend suggested that Thorne write a short story as a birthday gift. Thorne agreed but wanted a challenge. "I said look, you have to give me a prompt word or something to get me started," Thorne remembers. "She said 'nemesis' and straight away I could see these two characters, a man and a woman, sitting in a silent office opposite each other, just completely hating each other's guts."

She started writing, with no plan, no outline, no idea of where this idea would take her. Inspiration flowed. Six weeks later, she'd finished the first draft of The Hating Game. "It was the first time I'd completed anything, and I gave it to the friend and she really loved it, which it was nice," she says. Thorne put the novel on the back burner, revisiting it in her spare time to edit and polish. She thought of it as a project for her own amusement, to learn to write better. Then she turned to another pair of online contacts for more advice.

Thorne had become friendly with Christina Hobbs and Lauren Billings, the popular American romance novelists who write under the combined pen name of Christina Lauren. "I'd known them online for a few years and they said when you've got something finished send it and we'll have a read of it," Thorne says. So she passed on a copy of her new piece, hoping to get feedback and constructive criticism from two successful authors. Instead, Hobbs and Billings came back with a very different request: they asked if they could send the novel to their literary agent.

This is where everything started to tilt gently into the surreal. "I said, sure, why not, still, like, just completely thinking it will come to nothing," Thorne says. "I got a call probably a week later from [New York literary agency] Waxman Leavell and talked to an agent who said look this is really great, I'd like to be your agent, are you being represented by anyone?"

Thorne pauses because she's laughing so much. "And I'm sitting in my study here in Gordon, ACT, you know, trying to play it pretty cool I said, no, I'm not talking to any other agents. (I'd never spoken to an agent, I'd never done a pitch to an agent.) So I suddenly had this really amazing agent in New York." At this point, Thorne was still feeling mostly disbelief. She played down her expectations, telling herself that nothing would come of the exercise but useful feedback. While the agent shopped the manuscript around New York in July last year, Thorne got on with her life as a Canberra public servant.
For nearly 25 years, Caroline Brunner has lit up the offices of Housing ACT in Belconnen, bringing the mail with a smile and a kind word, and putting together housing application kits - an estimated 250,000 of them in her long career.

The Canberra public servant retired on Friday with a big party and a bit of media attention.

Caroline Brunner has worked at Housing ACT for more than 25 years. Credit:Jamila Toderas

Caroline made headline news in 1992 when she started as a full-time permanent employee in the ACT public service - the first Canberran with Down syndrome to do so.

Her mother Renata Brunner had worked tirelessly to advocate for integrated employment - not just for her daughter but all Canberrans who have Down syndrome. When she took her cause to then attorney-general and prominent lawyer Bernard Collaery, he decided to create an opening.
The sound of glass breaking in Kate Bush's Babooshka, the 'chica-chichaaah' in Yello's Oh Yeah, the popped-collar electronic beats of Jan Hammer's Miami Vice Theme.

These iconic sounds in such major pieces of international musical culture were only made possible through the work of two Australian men  Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie  and their landmark 1979 invention, the Fairlight CMI (or Computer Musical Instrument).

Kim Ryrie and Peter Vogel and their landmark 1979 invention, the Fairlight CMI (or Computer Musical Instrument). Credit:National Film and Sound Archive

Ryrie and Vogel and their Fairlight CMI invention were inducted into the National Film and Sound Archive's 'Sounds of Australia' registry last year, among such other iconic Australian people and sounds as Peter Dawson's 1931 Along the Road to Gundagai, Joy King's 1938 The Areoplane Jelly Song, and AC/DCs 1975 hit It's A Long Way To The Top (If You Wanna Rock/n/Roll).

Peter Vogel and Kim Ryrie will be in Canberra next Friday 2 September for an evening of discussion (and most likely a little bit of musical tinkering) on stage with NFSA Sound Curator Thorsten Kaeding, talking about their technology and the musicians who used it to change the way music sounded in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
"So I would like to thank Paul's family for recognising and acknowledging, not only the plaque, but the relationship that existed all those years ago," Mr Cotter said.

Liam Cotter, great, great grandson of the white man, Garrett Cotter, said when his family honoured Onyong with a plaque at the original Cotter cottage high on the range between the Murrumbidgee and Naas rivers more than 25 years ago, some people questioned history.

Descendants of the main characters in the novel (from left) the great-great-great-grandson of Onyong, Paul House, and the great-great-grandson of Garrett Cotter, Liam Cotter and author Richard Begbie overlook the Cotter area from Mt Macdonald. Credit:Karleen Minney

One was a black warrior, the other a white Irish convict. "They still exist today in modern times, their spirit is still with us through our descendants, through our families," Paul House, the great, great, great grandson of Onyong the warrior, said. "Their identity, belonging and connection to country comes through us all as modern day people."

Above the Cotter Dam, where mountains disappear into clouds and the Murrumbidgee and Cotter valleys below head south, the spirits of two powerful men in Canberra's early history returned.

A new book to be launched at the Canberra Writers Festival on Saturday brought the families together on the land Onyong had revealed to Cotter. Its author Richard Begbie was at the gathering, overjoyed to be with them on Mount Macdonald.

"Onyong died in 1851, or 1852, Cotter in 1886," Begbie said. "There was no one who knew this country like either of those men and I think that probably remains true today. No one would have covered that country on foot in the same way as Onyong did and Cotter," Begbie said.

Cotter: A Novel [Longhand Press] begins about 1822. "I had written 100 pages before Onyong suddenly appeared, and he sort of snuck his way into the story and then, I don't say he took it over, but it really then became the story of these two men, and that's how the book ended up, as the story of these two men," Begbie said..

Having written extensively of the high country throughout his years with the Canberra Times, in the children's adventure story Tennant's Gold, and in a recent biography, Max Oldfield: The Story of his Ride, Begbie relies on extensive historical research, his time in the Naas Valley with Cotter's great grandson Bill Cotter, and the novelist's imagination for this book.

Reading from Cotter, Begbie recounted the assigned convict working near a creek near Lake George, building cattle yards when he encountered Onyong for the first time. He was already on alert after earlier seeing a bloated, dead, white man at Lake Bathurst speared in the back for trying to take away young Aboriginal girls.
The dark underbelly of Australia's labour market has been out on full parade at convenience store giant 7-Eleven for the past 12 months. Foreign workers paid as little as $5 an hour, stories of staff, mostly foreign workers on student visas, being bullied and threatened into breaching their visa conditions and franchisees as both perpetrators and victims.

Some franchisees, operating in low volume shops or in areas that have become overcrowded with competing 7-Eleven stores, were caught falsifying payroll records and underpaying workers to survive. Others exploited the situation because they could. They were motivated by greed.

But overarching this entire systemic worker exploitation sat head office, which managed the payroll for franchisees, installed CCTV cameras into most stores and yet cried ignorance at the extent of the scandalous behaviour.

Once the extent of the illegal activity was made public, and the organisation's reputation in tatters after a community and political backlash, the convenience store giant has sought to put things right. Twelve months on, the jury is out on how some of it is going.
The federal government will have to plow another $20 billion into the national broadband network as it battles higher than expected costs next year.

And NBN Co has been forced to change plans for 1.5 million households to avoid a potential cost blowout.

Originally designed as 93 per cent fibre network, NBN was changed by the Coalition government to incorporate existing infrastructure to save time and money. However, it now appears fewer people are signing up to the NBN than expected and that the Coalition under-estimated the costs of connecting old cables.

While there should be 8.1 million active customers each providing about $52 of monthly revenues by 2020, the government-owned business won't be profitable until 2022.
Hotel investment is tipped to escalate in the coming year as investors seek to take advantage of the growth in overseas and domestic tourism in a market that is deemed under-supplied.

Development will also increase as operators look to introduce new brands to the sector as well as upgrade existing sites to cater for the up-and-coming traveller that expects technology to be part of the standard room rate.

Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, Sydney, which has undergone a $13 million renovation.

The owners of the Radisson chain, Carlson Rezidor has recently completed an upgrade of its Radisson Blu brand in its Sydney, O'Connell Street property and is looking for new sites for the more "agile" Radisson RED brand.

Carlson Rezidor has been in takeover talks with conglomerate HNA Group, which consists of six core areas of business, aviation, holdings, tourism, capital, logistics and eco-technology, with annual revenue of US$25.6 billion.
An artist's impression of the controversial Marvella Heights apartment project in Ballarat. Phileo, which paid GMH $22.5 million 10 years earlier, repurposed the factory as an exclusive industrial park, but sold out of the development opportunity after constructing only a handful of new buildings. Its sale to Cbus included 12 hectares of undeveloped land and about 90,000 square metres of ageing GMH-related factories. After producing more than 4 million vehicles, GMH closed the factory 25 years ago  the last model it produced being the Nova, and Toyota Corolla-badged twin. The General Motors railway station, which the car company paid to construct in 1956, closed in 2004. Modern Bendigo office sells A near new Bendigo office leased to the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, with options, until 2029, has sold to an investor for just over $10 million.

The three-storey, 1957-square-metre asset at 7-15 McLaren Street offers depreciation benefits as well as an annual rental return of more than $710,000, next year, from the next lease period, starting in December. The NABERS 5.5-star energy rated building sits on a 1924-square-metre block with 44 on-site car parks. Burgess Rawson's Jamie Perlinger and Shaun Venables, with Tweed Sutherland First National's Craig Tweed and Tom Harrop, closed an expressions of interest campaign in mid-July. Investor flipping in Ballarat An investor is flipping a Ballarat site after obtaining a controversial permit to build flats  a practice which has recently proven profitable for Melbourne land dealers.

The opportunity to build Marvella Heights on a long-vacant central site for years owned by the state education department, is asking about $3.5 million. At 29 St Pauls Way, Bakery Hill, the 9608-square-metre block was recently permitted to make way for 102 dwellings  77 of these apartments within three buildings, the tallest rising four levels. To the surprise of locals, the land fell into private hands nearly two years ago, after the state government sold it to BEST Employment, which on-sold it to the current owner. Gross Waddell's Andrew Waddell and Andrew Thorburn have the listing. Spotswood activity centre proposed Spotswood may soon be hard to miss to commuters taking the West Gate Bridge, with the owner of a large industrial site near the train station advertising plans to build a neighbourhood activity centre with 346 dwellings in buildings rising between five and nine storeys.

The plan for 31-69 McLister Street also includes a medical centre, bottle shop and supermarket with a cafe, chemist and specialty retail. The permit request seeks for a reduction in the statutory car parking requirements for the land, seven kilometres west of town. Tick for city's first Skypark The divide between the south-west edge of the CBD and Lang Walker's multibillion Collins Square project, in Docklands, is set to be filled after planning minister Richard Wynne approved Lendlease's proposed Melbourne Quarter village this week. The $2 billion plan includes about 1690 dwellings in three skyscrapers, set to rise over six years in and around where the Bunjil sculpture was erected in 2002. Half of the 2.5-hectare site is earmarked to become public space, and will include Melbourne's first Skypark opposite the Southern Cross train station west of The Age office, Media House.

Lendlease secured developments rights over the Batman Hill airspace between Collins and Flinders streets, in 2013. The precinct is where John Batman, one of Melbourne's founders, built the home he lived until his death in 1839. In 1998, the Grollo Tower  a landmark 560-metre super-scraper (which replaced an earlier 678-metre concept) was rejected for development in this pocket. Bruno Grollo, who proposed that controversial structure, went on to build the 297-metre Eureka Tower in Southbank, currently Melbourne's tallest building. Folk buys in Windsor with taxpayer funds Fresh from banking $19 million of taxpayer dollars selling his Fishermans Bend headquarters to the government, businessman Pitzy Folk will relocate his central office a few kilometres south, to Windsor, after buying a historic building for years owner-occupied by Telstra as part of an exchange. The former hotelier and restaurateur turned coffee roaster and director of boutique soft drink chain, CAPI, is paying about $6.5 million for 168 Peel Street, a red-brick building opposite the Windsor train station, five kilometres south of the CBD.

On an 817-square-metre block, the vacant 1387-square-metre structure was marketed by CBRE's Tom Tuxworth, David Minty and Josh Rutman, with Colliers International's Peter Bremner and Jeremy Gruzewski. The pre-emptive rezoning of Fishermans Bend by the former Liberal planning minister Matthew Guy prompted a huge spike in land values and caused major planning headaches later when the government was forced to buy-back sites at inflated values to use as public open space. Mr Folk's CAPI warehouse at 2-4 Buckhurst Street, South Melbourne, was one of those parcels. The government delivered a windfall to Mr Folk, who paid $4.4 million for the 4000-square-metre block in 2008, when it purchased the site for $19 million last year to use as a park. Mr Folk had previously lodged plans to replace the CAPI site with a much more profitable mixed-use village containing two apartment buildings.
Overhauling its letter delivery service and a boost in parcel deliveries have helped rescue Australia Post from the wrong side of its balance sheet, with the government-owned company returning to the black after last year's massive financial loss.

Australia Post reported a $36 million full-year after-tax profit on Friday, up from a $222 million loss last year, as reforms, including more expensive stamps and a two-tiered delivery system implemented in January, started to pay off.

Australia Post has returned to "modest" profit. Credit:Glenn Campbell

Letter volumes continued to plummet, falling almost 10 per cent in 2016  the biggest 12-month decline on record  while financial losses from the letter delivery business were cut from $208 million in 2015 to $138 million. The letters business would have gone $300 million further into the red if the reforms had not been implemented.

Parcel deliveries picked up and profits rose 8 per cent to $314 million, due to strong growth in online deliveries.
It's a staggering statistic. In 2011 a first home buyer could secure a house and land package in Franklin for about $370,000.

Today the equivalent package in Throsby will set you back about $620,000; a jump of about a quarter of a million dollars.

Housing affordability is emerging as a major issue in the ACT. Credit:Michele Mossop

The increase, according to the Master Builders Association, is the result of moves by the Territory government, through the Land Development Agency, to maximise returns to the treasury from the sale of land.

Such increases, and the impact they are having on thousands of Canberra families, have prompted former chief minister and affordable housing champion, Jon Stanhope, to call for an inquiry into the LDA.
The NT is like that. Minor philosophical and ideological differences between the two major parties are but minor compared with an overweening pragmatism, cynicism, and a common enterprise of plundering both taxpayers, and indigenous territorians, of the rivers of gold coming from Canberra. Enormous sums notionally spent in remote settlements never leave Darwin or Alice Springs. It is likewise with the direct Commonwealth spend. The problem of NT government is not primarily one of how to deliver effective solutions for disadvantaged Aboriginal communities. The NT may have black problems, but the dysfunction of NT government (and arguably of Commonwealth government inside the NT) is primarily a white problem. It won't change much this weekend. The former NT chief justice, Brian Martin, presided over an important murder trial in Western Australia, when the incestuous nature of its legal establishment made local jurisprudence seem undesirable. As an outsider, he also conducted the inquiry that recommended the quashing of David Eastman's murder conviction in Canberra. But on NT affairs, he, too, has been an insider. He was, for a few days, the would-be royal commissioner into allegations of abuse in the juvenile corrections system in the NT. But then he bowed to objections (with which he disagreed) that his past role in the territory's justice system made him unsuitable. The fear of getting caught is the great deterrence for white-collar crime. From next week, the ACT may be the odd man out.

Few noted that, only just before this, he had handed down a report on the form a NT anti-corruption commission might take. The NT Assembly had done one of its periodic revolts against the minority CLP government to decide in principle that there ought to be such a body; he was advising how to do it. John Lawrence, SC, a former Crown prosecutor now at the NT bar, said that "in my opinion the need for an anti-corruption commission is obvious and urgent". "I bear witness to an NT legal system which, when I joined, was smaller and effectively self-controlled. Over the last 20 years, I have witnessed in many, if not all aspects of the legal profession a decline in standards and quality as to the service provided to the public by the legal profession as well as the quality of the entire legal system. This stretches from the quality of law graduates entering the profession to the standard of jurisprudence being produced by the judiciary. This decline in standards is not unique to the legal system and has occurred in other government departments and institutions, including the NT Police Force. "In more recent times, standards of public life have descended to mediocrity, all of which is relevant and causative for the need now for the establishment of an anti-corruption commission. In my opinion, mateship and mediocrity are the bedfellows of corruption. The NT has become a fertile place for corrupt conduct assisted by these two features." We must all be thankful, no doubt, that no one, at least no one with things to hope or fear from any of the arms of ACT government, would dare say this of organs of the ACT. But I am happy to. Of course, most in a position to make comparison are, by definition, over the age of 40  people not on the wave Chief Minister Andrew Barr is surfing.

Many in the Darwin maelstrom, particularly in politics, government, the law and big business, were not enthusiastic about such an anti-corruption body. Barr, who thinks that such a commission would be entirely unnecessary here in the ACT, because it would have no work to do, would be familiar with all the arguments. It would be expensive. It would be otiose, because the ACT is a model of transparency, of efficiency, of accountability, effectiveness, of good stewardship and of rigid adherence to the public interest. It would also be an irritant, an extra unnecessary cog in the system. It could cause baseless allegations to be made that damage the reputations of the actually great and good. And, anyway, the ACT is already replete with watchdogs, minders of the public interest, people to whom one can complain and appeal, or busybodies and narks ready to make a fuss if they disagree with anything. Oddly, the Labor man who is likely to be the NT's chief minister next week, disagrees with such propositions, at least for the NT. Gunner has committed NT Labor to an ICAC. Of course one might expect this from a person coming straight from opposition. After all, a major part of his crusade for government has come from a rich catalogue of CLP misfeasance, maladministration and apparent outright corruption. Perhaps, like Nick Greiner in NSW, he will come to feel differently after it has bitten him. (The ACT Liberals are far more sensible, willing to repeat any innuendo of risk to the public interest, but as ready as Labor to deny it is even possible.) Submissions to the Martin inquiry serve as a useful (and privileged) refresher on some of the regular scandals over all parts of NT administration (though we are mostly spared the all-too-frequent accounts of sexual misdemeanours and indiscretions).

Many harp on the problems of a society in which everyone knows everyone else, where conflict of interest is common, and where people with whom one is dealing, or socialising, are at one moment neighbours, then political party colleagues, next moment lobbyists for themselves or others, next moment holders of statutory appointments and a part of the administration. Or judicial officers who have forgotten to resign their party positions. It's the humidity, I think. Hardly anyone thinks that this incestuous nature must be accepted as simply unavoidable. If you do, you are saying that the people of the NT (or the ACT) deserve lower standards of probity, integrity and accountability than citizens elsewhere in Australia. There was a want of enthusiasm for a new body, let alone a paramount one, from existing watchdog agencies. It could be that they are too much part of the system they are supposed to police. It could not have been because any was doing a good job. It could be that here in Canberra, the brisk dry air banishes any tendency to venality or greed. Though a supposed expert on public administration was insisting this week that appetite for money was the only, or best, incentive for good performance by public servants. But one can be sure that what is currently protecting us from shonks, crooks and shysters is not the fear of getting caught. The Australian Federal Police, in particular, does not even have a unit focused on serious corruption, local or federal. It has failed to develop the structures, the expertise or the professional relationships to mount investigations of a sophistication common in Britain or the United States.

Political risk-aversion at senior levels has seen the AFP fail to deliver on matters such as the wheat-for-oil scandal, and to manifest excessive zeal on investigations it believes will win it brownie points with government. The AFP shows signs of a want of professional detachment from politicians on both sides. It does no proactive work against government corruption, as bodies such as the FBI do. All of the states have an ICAC-style body, if only to frighten those who might be tempted. The fear of getting caught is the great deterrence for white-collar crime. From next week, the ACT may be the odd man out. The expense of such a prophylactic is whatever one wants. Queensland's has 337 staff and costs $55 million a year. NSW's, by contrast, has 122 staff and costs $22 million. South Australia's costs $8 million, and Martin has recommended it could take on NT work to provide some distance from the mates, the incest, the humidity and the beer. Tasmania, with a bigger population than the ACT, has one costing $2.5 million a year. That's about a third of the money the ACT government seems to have given, accidentally, to a developer instead of the Brumbies. Less than the sum an ACT agency, supposedly of its own motion, is accused of overpaying the same developer for a block of land near the casino. We must hope Canberrans are to have a complete accounting of both before the election. But a welter of Supreme Court suppression orders on one matter and the reflexive secrecy and limited terms of reference of the McPhee inquiry give little grounds for confidence in Barr's willingness to be called to account. As ever, it seems, we must take Labor, or the Liberals, on a faith and trust they have not earned.
Rooting around in the storeroom of the Fairfax Canberra bureau recently, a young colleague unearthed a relic from past journalistic whimsy: the (not so) legendary Golden Whisk.

This mock trophy consists of the standard wire kitchen utensil, sprayed gold and artfully mounted on a wooden plinth, replete with title plate.

The ground is fertile in Australia for Donald Trump's beat-up politics. Credit:Gerald Herbert

Presumably, it would have been bestowed at the bureau Christmas party to the scribe responsible for the year's most egregious tabloid-style beat-up.

Such "in" jokes were common in the writing caper before the electric blender of 24-7 digital news turned the meat and two veg of print plus TV and radio into the "nutritious" puree we consume today.
Millions of Australians would like to mount a principled boycott of any number of laws, starting with tax laws. Which laws should the courts enforce, Nick? Which offenders should the police bother arresting? If we take Xenophon's approach seriously, we wouldn't bother convening the new Parliament at all. What's the point of a legislature if we are free to ignore legislation? Save us millions, including the salaries of the NXT politicians. In truth, Xenophon is mounting a stunt, but a badly misjudged one. Just as stupid are the other senators who leapt onto his stuntwagon. From the Greens, Sarah Hanson-Young, Larissa Waters, Scott Ludlam, Lee Rhiannon and Janet Rice. And from her eponymous party, Jacqui Lambie. Unfortunately, that makes a total of seven senators out of a total crossbench of 20. In the event that Labor and the Coalition disagree on any legislation, the crossbench holds the balance of power. If they can't tell the law from a stunt, it's a very poor omen for the new Parliament. All these politicians are in Parliament already. They no doubt consider themselves more savvy and more serious than the absurd newcomer Derryn Hinch.

In a wonderful illustration of monumental narcissism, Hinch said he'd never voted until this last election because no candidate was worthy "but I think this time I have found someone to vote for". He had nothing but disdain for Parliament until he wanted to enter it. Famously, the broadcaster has been twice jailed for contempt of court and three times for breaking a court suppression order. In sum, he had no respect for the Parliament, the courts or the law. The census law-breakers, Xenophon and friends, are no better than Hinch. Their stunt-running suggests that they may even be a touch envious of his attention-getting ability, a skill that won him the nickname The Human Headline. The truly principled position on the census matter was demonstrated by Senator David Leyonhjelm. He is a libertarian, and as a libertarian he is opposed to empowering the state and, therefore, opposed to supplying his details for the census. Yet he said that, duty bound by the law, he would do so anyway. When it comes to stupid, it'd be remiss to overlook Pauline Hanson and her One Nation colleague, Malcolm Roberts.

Not because they're bigots  that's a matter of their opinions  but because of their approach to facts. Even Hanson's recent thought on squat toilets  "It starts with toilets and ends up costing us our Australian way of life"  is entertaining yet still in the realm of opinion. But on points of fact  such as the constitution  Hanson and her party are spouting stupid. One Nation's policy platform calls for a ban on Muslim immigrants, a ban on the building of new mosques, the installation of surveillance cameras in mosques and Islamic schools. Section 116 of the constitution provides that "the Commonwealth shall not make any law  prohibiting the free exercise of any religion".

Hateful policy is bad. Unconstitutional policy is no policy at all. Again, it's a disdain or a denial of the fundamental legal facts on which the entire system stands. Her neophyte colleague, Roberts, has won attention for saying that climate change is not real. He's not alone; some members of the Coalition share this view, though their ranks thinned when Dennis Jensen lost his seat. The Coalition flat-earthers have learned to go quiet on their conspiracy voodoo. Roberts is wearing his around his neck like a proud talisman of stupidity. The two main parties have been better at keeping to the fundamentals of the law and the constitution. They've veered not so much into stupidity as vandalism. Labor's leader, Bill Shorten, for instance, has set himself up since the election in the mould of Tony Abbott, the hyper-oppositionist opposition leader. When the government called on Labor to honour its own election promises to cut federal spending by $6.5 billion over four years, Shorten reacted as if it were a fiendish trick.

The Turnbull government is proposing to put all of these spending cuts into a single "omnibus" bill ask ask Labor to help pass it. Labor factored these savings into the budget numbers that it took to the election. Yet now Shorten disavows them like a gambler disowning his own debts. He demands that Turnbull negotiate on the spending cuts that Shorten himself had proposed. Says Shorten: "It is not a matter of he gets everything he wants and Labor and the people get none of what we think is important. Mr Turnbull has got to come to the party and give up some of the things he thinks are important." He's asserting equivalence. It seems to have escaped Shorten that the Coalition won the election. He acknowledges no voter imprimatur for the newly re-elected government. Denying his own promises, demanding negotiations on equal terms, Shorten is playing a brand of hard, oppositionist politics to the breaking point. And he's hoping that it will be the Turnbull government that breaks.

And many of the members of the Turnbull government are so absorbed in their own little games that they seem oblivious to the deadly intent of Shorten Labor. The conservative faction of the Liberal Party is indulging in ideological fetishism, for instance, over the law on racial hate speech, shorthanded as 18C. This is, at best, a distraction for the government. At worst, it's an active undermining of their own prime minister. More damaging to the government is the Liberal clique that is forcing Treasurer Scott Morrison to amend the superannuation plan that the government took to the election. Turnbull seems unable to manage these outbreaks in his own ranks. His backbench, and especially on his conservative wing, doesn't seem to care that they're vandalising their own prospects in power. Remember the argument that, once elected by the people as prime minister, Turnbull could govern in his own right? It was always a chimera.

The Prime Minister has shown that he is captive to the need to appease the cliques and agitators in his own party. One of his big points of differentiation with the vanquished Abbott was that he would not run a government of "captain's picks" but of proper consultation. Yet under pressure to appease the West Australian Liberals, and with a speech to give to the party faithful in Perth two weeks ago, Turnbull panicked. The West Australians are angry that, during the mining boom, their share of the GST raised in WA fell to an historic low, exactly as the formula for revenue-sharing provided. They have been demanding change. Turnbull cracked and promised to revise the revenue-sharing formula, setting a new minimum share. But in appeasing WA he infuriated the other States, who were not consulted. In all, whether it's the crossbenchers or the big benches, old hands or new arrivals, government or opposition, there's a troubling lack of seriousness, an absence of national responsibility, right across this 45th Parliament. It's all parlour games, all the time.
Liberal senator Cory Bernardi is one of several prominent conservatives to have voiced support for Smith. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The view from the inside To report this piece, Fairfax Media spoke to a dozen current and former Liberal MPs, ranging from cabinet ministers to backbenchers to those who lost their seat on July 2. Priorities for Malcolm Turnbull include changing Commonwealth workplace laws to protect volunteers in Victoria's Country Fire Authority. Credit:Penny Stephens The overwhelming  though not unanimous  view among Turnbull and Abbott supporters was that the government was "shell-shocked" by the close election result, and is only now getting into gear.

Anecdotes about dysfunction and disorganisation, big and small, were freely offered, as were larger concerns about drift in Team Turnbull. Malcolm Turnbull will be facing a diverse Senate, including a bunch of new senators. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen We are entirely reactive. Malcolm had a plan to become PM, but not for what he wanted to do as PM". Liberal MP Since the election, there have been staff clear-outs and big changes in ministerial offices including Turnbull's, as well as cabinet ministers George Brandis, Michaelia Cash, Sussan Ley and Barnaby Joyce; there has been a delay of at least a month-and-a-half in issuing of "charter letters" that set out specific ministerial responsibilities; ministerial media advisers have not yet had a post-election meeting; even the (often derided) morning talking points, which cover issues of the day, are no longer being sent out to the backbench, replaced by a more ad-hoc system. As one MP, who backed Turnbull last September, put it, "we are drifting and it's very disappointing".

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten believes a plebiscite will unleash a "vile, negative campaign". Credit:Alex Ellinghausen "He [Turnbull] needs to do an address to the nation. We are borrowing $100 million a day, we need to hold an intelligent conversation with the whole country about the budget. And we need a summit, with the welfare lobby, unions and business, and to say this is the goal  to cut this many billion off the bottom line, how are we going to do it?" Another MP, who did not back Turnbull in last year's leadership contest, concurs: "We are entirely reactive. Malcolm had a plan to become PM, but not for what he wanted to do as PM. "When you take no mandate to the people at an election, you have nothing to prosecute immediately afterwards. That's our problem." While concern is growing in Liberal ranks about the government's direction and policy program, these MPs asked not to be identified for the purposes of this story.

Liberal senator Cory Bernardi, a factional foe of the Prime Minister, has no qualms about putting his name to criticism. In his email newsletter, Bernardi blasted "a stupendously boring eight-week election campaign" that led to the government holding "the barest of majorities in the House of Representatives and fac[ing] a significant crossbench holding the balance of power in the Senate". Bernardi's critical comments could be filed in the "well he would say that, wouldn't he?" category. But doing so would be a mistake. Fifty thousand people have registered support for his Australian Conservative movement  and many of those same supporters are pushing for the Turnbull government to revisit the repeal of section 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act and more significantly, to redesign or even dump the $6 billion package of superannuation changes.

Turnbull, Morrison and co. are not going to do that, but steering the package past a backbench that wants it watered down and a Senate that wants it toughened up is shaping as a nightmare task. The challenge for Turnbull In addition to a restive conservative base, Turnbull confronts a diverse Senate crossbench and a populist Labor Party that threatens to block the same-sex marriage plebiscite and try to ram through a motion calling for a royal commission on Australia's banks. He is captive to a partyroom  or what is left of it  still smarting from a command and control Prime Minister's office, a tendency towards captain's picks, and his own promise to be more consultative than his predecessor, Abbott. A third MP, another backer of Turnbull, says this promise now has Turnbull in a bind.

"His promise of no more captain's calls was the right one, but it has become his Achilles heel. It is now stopping him from being decisive." The first few items of business are clear; they include bills to re-establish the construction industry watchdog, setting up a registered organisations commission, changing Commonwealth workplace laws to protect volunteers in Victoria's Country Fire Authority and the so-called omnibus savings bill, worth about $6.5 billion. The 10-year company tax cut plan, and legislation for modest income tax cuts will also be presented, but the company tax plan is all but certain to be picked apart in the Senate and the "jobs and growth" mantra has barely survived the election campaign. Meanwhile, the plebiscite on same-sex marriage legislation is a ticking timebomb; Labor, the Greens and some on the crossbench are threatening to block the plebiscite; but if Turnbull were to back away from the pledge  there is no sign he will  and move to hold a vote in Parliament the right of his party will, in the words of one Liberal, "explode". Instead, Turnbull leads from the back and is buffeted by events, rather than defining them.

The census debacle, the decision to block Kevin Rudd's bid to be UN secretary-general and even his decisive move to call a royal commission on the youth detention scandal in the Northern Territory are all cases in point. As a Labor strategist puts it: "People know where we stand on our issues but they have no solid foundation, which is why we can exploit issues like Rudd and the census. "Turnbull doesn't have the patience to deal with [the] partyroom, which pulls him one way on an issue like super, and then the Parliament, which wants to pull him the other way." So Bill Shorten runs rampant; one minute wedging the government with a superannuation reform proposal at the National Press Club that looked like a smart policy compromise, while tightening the screws on the government; the next doubling down on his so-effective election campaign "Mediscare", all the while acting like he plans to govern from opposition.

Greens shoots But there are signs of life. Turnbull delivered a speech to the Committee for the Economic Development of Australia, on the economy last week; the Prime Minister pressed Shorten to back the omnibus savings bill, which contains a swag of savings measures Labor either said it would back, or would likely back, during the election campaign and attempted to re-start the conversation about the budget. In keeping with the recent run of outs, his speech was disrupted by protesters calling for Australia's offshore detention centres to be closed. Finance Minister Mathias Cormann and Treasurer Scott Morrison have followed up with speeches that warned about debt and deficit and the need to further trim spending.

But for all the heightened rhetoric, Labor has easily fended off the calls for it to back the omnibus savings bill because, more than a week after it was announced, the government has not released the actual legislation; again, this has been a tactical failing on the part of the government. When Parliament resumes on Tuesday pressure will begin to rise on Labor to finally say where it stands on the omnibus bill and on other matters such as the same-sex marriage plebiscite. Shorten gave his clearest signal yet this week Labor would block the plebiscite; it is a high-risk move for Labor, and there may be some blow-back for the opposition. As a cabinet minister told Fairfax Media on Thursday, "the media is desperate for colour and movement. Once Parliament resumes, and we deliver on the ABCC, on the savings measures and on other parts of our agenda, people will see us in action." That minister dismissed suggestions that the Prime Minister had been driven by events, rather than driving them, since the election.

"A lot of work goes on behind the scenes. It goes publicly unnoticed  but the benefits will be derived in the next 12 months," the minister says. And Shorten? "He is where we were in 2010 at the moment, but the reality of opposition will dawn on him about three questions into question time. He has skeletons in his closet and we need people to see that. It will be gloves off  if he reminded us of anything in the campaign, it's that negative tactics work." A Liberal strategist promises that while "Labor will try to distract and destabilise us, we will be making our priorities clear". And there will be more to come in the weeks and months ahead, with Morrison set to deliver two more major economic speeches and Turnbull to step up his appearances and speech making too.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale has defended his decision to dump Sarah Hanson-Young from her immigration portfolio, but promised the party's strong pro-refugee stance would not change.

Senator Hanson-Young said she was "disappointed" about being transferred to the education, finance and trade portfolios in a reshuffle announced on Thursday, revealing she had "fought hard" to retain responsibility for asylum seekers and immigration.

Senator Di Natale praised his colleague for being "a tremendous advocate" for refugees in the high-profile role she held for nine years, but said it was time for a refresh.

"I think the country owes her a great debt," he told the ABC. "She's led the charge on a more humane, compassionate and decent approach to the treatment of refugees."
The bank made good on the fraud. Their replacement cards were waiting for them when they returned home to Sydney. The latest report on payment card fraud from the Australian Payments Clearing Association shows fraud against Australians using credit cards overseas, particularly in the United States, has risen dramatically. Between 2014 and 2015, the amount skimmed from cards used overseas increased 77 per cent. Because Australia now uses chip technology, domestic skimming fraud decreased by 10 per cent over the same period. Fraudsters target US

Chip-enabled cards and payments terminals, where PINs are required, are much more easily traceable than cards with the fraud-prone magnetic strips where signatures are required. The use of chip-enabled cards and PINs is standard in much of the developed world. In Australia, merchants were given a deadline to change over. In the US, merchants have an incentive to change because they are liable for the fraud if they don't. However, while the large retail chains and hotel groups have changed, many "mom and pop" stores still require cards to be swiped and signed as they do not want to pay for the new point-of-sale card processing terminals. That is creating a rush among fraudsters to present fake cards at US merchants where the magnetic strip is still used.

The report also shows fraud in Australia is increasingly migrating online. "Card-not-present" fraud in Australia grew by 38 per cent over the two years. This is fraud where valid card details are stolen and then used to make purchases or other payments with the card, mainly online and sometimes by phone. Consumers are protected from personal loss caused by fraud and will be refunded as long as they have taken due care with their confidential data, says Andy White, the acting chief executive of the Australian Payments Clearing Association. But there is the form that has to be filled out for the bank and the delay, usually of several weeks, before the new cards arrive. There are a couple of things that card holders can do to reduce internet banking fraud and to reduce the risk of skimming when travelling overseas.

No one should transact online with retailers that do not have secure payment as shown by a "padlock" icon, says Angus Kidman, the tech expert and editor-in-chief at comparison site finder.com.au. The padlock symbol means any information you are sending to the site, such as your name, address and credit-card details, has been encrypted so that even if someone gets the data they cannot read it, he says. "If you're making a purchase online, see if the website has https:// at the start of the website URL address as the 's' means the website is secure," Kidman says. Payment by smartphone Phone-based payment platforms such as Apple Pay and Android Pay potentially offer an additional level of security, provided your device is protected with fingerprint scanning, Kidman says.

Smartphone payment systems work like PayPal in that the details of your card do not go to the retailer. "Remember though that these won't be as widely accepted overseas, and that you may well end up needing a physical card as a back-up payment option," he says. Protecting against skimming fraud while overseas, in countries that are converting to chip and PIN technology such as in the US, is much more difficult. "Don't let the waiter take your card away," he says. "If they can't bring the reader to your table, pay by cash, otherwise it is just asking for trouble," Kidman says. "To further minimise risk, use a prepaid travel credit card rather than your regular card. "That way you won't risk more money than is on the card and if there are issues, you can cancel it without having to change all your other automatic payments and stored credit-card details."
A senior officer in the Australian Air Force Cadets has told a royal commission he was "out of his depth" when confronted with an allegation of a sexual affair between a 15-year-old cadet and her instructor.

The former commanding officer of the Australian Air Force Cadets in Tasmania, Carroll James, told the inquiry he had never received formal instruction on how to deal with such matters.

Took her own life: Air Force cadet Eleanore Tibble.

"I was out of my depth in this area," he said. "I had received no training for the job."

The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse is hearing evidence into the treatment of Eleanore Tibble, a teenage Air Force cadet who took her own life in 2000 after being falsely accused of having an affair with a 30-year-old instructor.
It's the Battle of Broadway.

On Saturday, the main western thoroughfare out of the CBD will become a sea of prospective students, as three universities and Sydney TAFE vie for business at their annual open days.

In the western corner, there is the nation's oldest higher education institution, the sandstone spires of the University of Sydney.

In the eastern corner, the brutalist concrete tower and fast-rising new facades of the University of Technology, Sydney.
A member of the Australian Defence Force has been charged with child pornography offences in an undercover sting.

Police allege Andrew Strange, a 45-year-old father-of-two from Townsville, was chatting online with an undercover officer who he believed was a 14-year-old girl.

Andrew Strange was allegedly having sexual conversations with an undercover officer. Credit:Facebook/Andrew Strange

It's alleged he committed the offences in the United Arab Emirates in May and June, while he was on a six-month deployment to the Royal Australian Air Force's main operations base in the Middle East.

The conversations were allegedly sexually explicit and went on for three months, the NSW Joint Anti-Child Exploitation Team said in a statement on Friday.
Senior NSW Health bureaucrat Chris Leahy has been stood down over the fatal gassing error that resulted in the death of one baby and severe injury to another at Bankstown-Lidcombe Hospital.

The news comes as the families of the two newborns were provided with the Chief Health Officer's report into the error, NSW Health announced on Friday.

A baby boy died and a baby girl was left with permanent brain damage after they were administered nitrous oxide instead of oxygen earlier this year.

The report will be released to the public on Saturday after the families have had time to consider its contents, Health Minister Skinner said in a statement.
The young female medical trainee went to the home of a senior oncologist hoping to talk about a mentoring program and her future as a doctor.

But what happened to her that night now has her questioning whether she wants to have anything to do with the medical profession.

John Kearsley drugged and assaulted a female colleague and has since been sentenced to jail. Credit:Jane Dyson

The woman, who was a registrar at the time, would later tell police that she felt drowsy not long after eating some prawns and sipping red wine with former doctor John Kearsley in his Glebe unit.

Kearsley, 63, was the director of radiation oncology at St George Hospital, in Sydney's south, when he slipped a heavy sedative into the woman's wine in November 2013.
Bus passengers in parts of western Sydney and on the central coast face disruptions to services on Monday when Busways drivers plan to take industrial action following a breakdown in negotiations over a new wage agreement.

Busways services at Penrith, Blacktown, Windsor and Castle Hill will be among those affected between 5am and 9am on Monday while drivers hold a stop-work meeting as they escalate their industrial campaign.

Drivers who are members of the NSW division of the Transport Workers Union have also attempted to apply pressure to Busways management by allowing passengers to board services on Thursday and Friday without paying for their trips with Opal cards.

Busways management has been unsuccessful in its attempt to seek an order from Fair Work to suspend the planned work stoppage on public welfare and safety grounds.
There are other differences in the mechanics of the legislation which Bret Walker, SC, in advice for the City of Sydney, has suggested makes the roll vulnerable to manipulation. Baird's government says it does not agree with that advice.

One difference with the Melbourne legislation is that the Baird model imposes a requirement on the council to register eligible businesses to vote. The council has therefore added 23,000 potential business voters to the 70,000-odd residents who cast ballots four years ago.

Baird supported it after Borsak drew up legislation. "This is sensible reform, no one can oppose it," Baird said almost two years ago to the day, arguing the voting model merely mirrored that of Melbourne. He was wrong about the lack of opposition.

He approached the Shooters and Fishers' Robert Borsak who, despite the lack of recreational hunting on George Street, maintains an outsize interest in the city, as well as Borsak's fellow upper house MP Fred Nile.

But the electoral impact of the 23,000 extra voters remains unknown. When residents (or company directors) come to vote on September 10, they will be casting two ballots. They will cast one for the mayor, and another for councillors. And while it is the mayoral poll that will grab the attention, much of the import of the election will be on which councillors are elected.

Voters elect 10 councillors on the City of Sydney, including the mayor. At the 2012 ballot, the lord mayor, Clover Moore, was elected along with four others on her ticket. The effect was to give Moore, and her casting vote, essentially executive power over what is nominally a council.

This dynamic has made it difficult for other councillors, such as the Liberal Christine Forster or Labor's Linda Scott, to get traction with their own ideas. They can work the community, develop policies, respond to concerns, but the numbers have meant they have tended to strike a wall in council chambers. To be a non-Clover Moore councillor on the City of Sydney has meant a perennial frustration. (And even to be a Clover-councillor has mostly meant to roll with the flow).

It is the potential breakdown of that dynamic that could be one of the more interesting results of the poll. Moore, mayor since 2004, received about 58 per cent of the vote in the 2008 elections and 51 per cent in 2012. On this form, even with the extra business votes, she is likely to retain the mayoralty.

Her essential policy platform  Sustainable Sydney 2030  remains a popular vision that includes well-serviced villages knitted together by transport projects like bike paths, and a strong emphasis on design and curated public space, such as the successful remodelling of Sydney Park. But should fewer councillors be elected on her ticket  say three instead of four  Moore could find herself in the relatively new position of having to compromise with councillors from other parties.
Preparations for his epic defamation battles had been "bigger than Ben-Hur", a Sydney court heard. But underworld figure George Alex has had a series of lawsuits against the ABC, Fairfax Media and News Corp dismissed after he emerged a "reluctant gladiator" by failing to turn up to court.

The standoff between Mr Alex and three of the country's biggest media outlets had been running since 2014 and was expected to culminate in a lengthy jury trial in the NSW District Court in March next year.

George Alex controls companies that have supplied contract labour to construction sites including Barangaroo. Credit:James Alcock

The jurors would have been asked to pore over a series articles in the Sydney Morning Herald and The Age spanning 2014 and 2015, along with an ABC 7.30 broadcast in September 2014 which featured an interview with colourful business identity James "Big Jim" Byrnes.

A single article in The Daily Telegraph, published in February 2014, was also at the centre of the costly battle.
More than one challenged him to ban socks, staircases and water in an echo of the charge Baird is running a "nanny state" following the ban on greyhound racing and drinking in the city after 3am. Health Minister Jillian Skinner. The previously calm health portfolio has been hit with a series of scandals. Credit:Janie Barrett It was what arguably any prominent Australian politician should expect. But this is a man recently hailed as one of Australia's most popular politicians, even feted in 2014 as a potential replacement prime minister for his unpopular mate Tony Abbott. NSW Premier Mike Baird is suffering a voter backlash. Credit:Janie Barrett

It's the same "Magic Mike" whose cleanskin image helped save the NSW Liberal party from electoral oblivion after the spectacular downfall of Barry O'Farrell and the shame of an inquiry by the corruption watchdog into party fundraising. It reflects a tough year for the Premier and his government. Mike Baird posted this X-ray on social media after fracturing his vertebrae. Credit:Facebook: Mike Baird I can't pretend to anyone that it's been easy. It's not. NSW Premier Mike Baird The laws were introduced by O'Farrell, but their impact over two years on business and Sydney's cultural life has been placed squarely at Baird's feet.

The push forward on council amalgamations and revelations about the harsh treatment of home owners having their properties compulsorily acquired for projects like the WestConnex motorway have prompted questions about his government's commitment to fairness. The previously calm health portfolio has been hit with a series of scandals. Baird's part privatisation of electricity company Ausgrid was temporarily derailed by the federal government on national interest grounds relating to Chinese bidders. The extended brawl over the decision to end greyhound racing in NSW has not only put offside an entire industry but also key former supporters of the government in the media who now brand him a "dictator". Even his strong Christian faith is coming under attack as some accuse him of wowserism in their search for a motive. Two years into his tenure even some of Baird's most ardent supporters are beginning to ask: has his bubble finally burst?

If so, what does that mean for the Coalition government's chances of claiming a third term in 2019  something until recently almost universally taken for granted? In a candid admission, Baird tells Fairfax Media: "All of us feel the impact of the past few months. I can't pretend to anyone that it's been easy. It's not." But he insists there is "something quite energising about focusing on why we're in politics, as local members in government and what we can do with that opportunity". "I think all of us want to be in a position that when we come to the end of the race we hand across the baton and [the state]'s in much better shape in the short, medium and long term than what we inherited." Upon coming to the Premier's office Baird almost immediately distinguished himself from his predecessor's more cautious approach by pressing ahead on the long-term lease of state-owned electricity poles and wires businesses.

Against significant odds, Baird took an issue that had become toxic in NSW politics to the 2015 election and won. The experience emboldened him and cemented his belief that if you clearly explain your reasons to the electorate, voters will reward you with support. But with these latest decisions the formula has not held. Whether this is simply the inevitable result of being in government for nearly six years and eventually needing to make unpopular decisions or a more fundamental shift is a question now occupying the minds of government MPs. Baird won last year's election but the swing against the government put Labor within reach come 2019.

Labor has been left with 34 seats in a 93-seat Legislative Assembly and needs to gain 13 seats for majority government in 2019  a uniform swing of 8.2 per cent. Exclusive Reachtel polling commissioned by Fairfax Media has Labor and the Coalition locked at 50-50 on a two-party preferred basis  a strong turnaround from the 54-45 per cent March 2015 result. The government also faces three byelections in Wollongong, Orange and Canterbury in November  sure to serve as another measure of its popularity. Peter Chen, a lecturer in politics at the University of Sydney, says Baird needn't be overly worried. "Baird might be annoying people but he's not annoying people enough that he's going to lose government," he says. "Because the state of NSW needs a viable opposition to say, 'Well if we throw this guy out we're comfortable with [the alternative]."

Chen contrasts Baird's situation with that of former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett when he was defeated by Labor's Steve Bracks in 1999. "[Luke] Foley is an interesting character, he's a bit underrated," Chen concedes. "But it's not like you can say he has this great new team of people who are like the 'new Labor' in the way that Bracks was. He had his own agenda. He wasn't just waiting to take over government again." Liberal MLC Peter Phelps, at times a harsh internal critic of the government, believes voters will focus on the economy at the ballot box. Phelps railed against the government's decision to ban the greyhound industry and quit as whip over its moves to force more petrol stations to sell ethanol. Yet he believes the NSW government's positive economic story will prevail in 2019. NSW has the lowest unemployment rate of all states  5.2 per cent  and routinely tops Commsec's "State of the States" list which measures economic growth, construction activity and retail spending.

"While there might be a bit of white noise on a range of issues, come 2019 people are going to be asking themselves what they ask at every election. That is, am I happy and better off than I was before?" he says. "Is Baird burning a bit of capital on these issues? Of course. But it's not in my view going to have a material effect on the vote barring an economic downturn in this state. And I don't see how that could happen short of a national economic meltdown." However political strategist Bruce Hawker, who was chief of staff to former NSW Labor premier Bob Carr, says there are warning signs for Baird. "You can see a significant cooling in the public enthusiasm for him; that's a very dangerous development for him," Hawker says. "Because one thing I know from personal experience having been Bob Carr's chief of staff throughout our time in opposition is that once governments lose their lustre, particularly at a state level, find it very difficult to retrieve it." Hawker believes there are strong parallels between Baird and former NSW Liberal premier Nick Greiner, who "came into office promising great reforms and a new broom but in a very short time was looking quite the reverse".

Part of Greiner's problem, Hawker says, was that "he was seen to be doing things in a high-handed and non-consultative way, particularly around issues around the sale of historic buildings which he planned, the closure of schools and cuts to health services". Hawker also disputes the view Foley is not an effective alternative premier. "Luke Foley is firing on all pistons," he says. "As a result of that we will see the same thing that we saw with Carr: his public recognition will rise. People will see him as an alternative premier, somebody who has an alternative vision for the state who is fighting for what he believes in." He says Foley "is doing what you have to do as an opposition leader. You have to get onto the front foot and be heard in the electorate. People can then start to form a view about you as an alternative." Less than three years from the March 2019 election, there is no doubt Baird is feeling the weight of office.

"It's tough and I'm not going to pretend otherwise," he says. "I never envisaged being in this role. I went into it with no illusions. It's as tough if not tougher than I expected." He says the expectation is 2016 will be "obviously the toughest year in government. But you can't guarantee that because there are challenges that come along." Baird acknowledges "there's no doubt that polls may well have tightened, so [Labor] might view that as a success." But he accuses Labor of being "soulless" in its pursuit of power, as evidenced by its "opportunistic" decision to oppose the ban on greyhound racing. "It's actually not about gaining power," he says. "It's about what you can do if you get there."
Queensland's population grew by more than 60,000 between 2014-15 and 2015-16 and it was mainly due to active sex lives.

The Queensland Government Statistician's Office has released the 2016 edition of its Population growth highlight and trends report, which showed the state's population had reached 4,780,700.

Birth rates in Queensland were responsible for most of the state's population growth last year. Credit:Craig Sillitoe

The fastest growing local government area was Ipswich (2.7 per cent), which welcomed 5040 new residents, Gladstone (2.1 per cent with 1390 new arrivals) and Moreton Bay (2 per cent, with 8510 new arrivals).

But while the state's population continued to grow, the rate of that growth slowed to 1.3 per cent in 2014-15, down from 1.5 per cent the previous year.
The Anglican Church has been ordered to pay more than $450,000 to a former Anglicare employee for psychological injuries she sustained when she was left alone with an abusive client.

Rachel Greenway's assailant was 15 years old in August 2013, when he became verbally abusive and physically aggressive towards her as she supervised him at an Anglicare residence.

Rachel Greenway was awarded more than $450,000 in the Queensland District Court. Credit:Harrison Saragossi

The details of the incident were outlined in graphic detail within Queensland District Court Judge Fleur Kingham's recently published decision.

"The young person pushed past Ms Greenway and went to his bedroom. She followed," Judge Kingham said.
Architect James Davidson's floating Queenslander idea is similar to the floating jetties along the Brisbane River. Credit:Tony Moore The idea to 'float' Queenslanders began while the pair offered help to Ipswich families in 2011-12. "We noticed there was a massive resilience between brick veneer, slab on ground homes in flood plains and elevated, lightweight timber frame Queensland homes in flood plains," James Davidson said. Flotation devices placed under the floor joists in architect James Davidson's 'floating Queenslanders' Credit:Tony Moore "Basically you can wash a Queenslander out and go on with your life after you wait for it to dry out, because it has mostly hardwood timbers and single skin walls."

Hardwood Queenslanders retain less moisture than pine-frame homes. Normally timber has 10 per cent moisture. After the floods, hardwood frames had 14 per cent moisture. Pine timbers had 30 per cent moisture. James Davidson's 'floating Queenslanders' - before flood (left) and during the flood (right). Credit:Tony Moore "So there is really only a 4 per cent moisture content increase. So they did really well," he said. They began to design homes "that could be washed out" and took their ideas to architects in Holland  where architects are used to dealing with flooding  and Louisiana, where part of James' research during a Churchill Fellowship was to see how architecture could respond to climate change. James Davidson's 'floating Queenslanders'. Before flood (below) and during the flood (above) Credit:Tony Moore

One outcome  after an experiment raising a house on World Heritage-listed, Lizard Island  is the specially-designed pontoon to float old Queenslanders. It already has the attention of insurers, Suncorp. The pontoon is connected by specially-designed movable brackets to the steel poles supporting the Queenslanders. As the floodwaters rise, the pontoon rises and the house rises too. The floating pontoon structure is put in place as the homeowner decides to raise their house. It works, James Davidson says, because engineers place the homes on steel posts, strengthened by big steel beams, to carry the load when the house is raised.

"We use the same kind of idea, we use the same steel members," James Anderson said. "That way people are not spending more, other than what they need to spend to spend," he said. Their idea is one pontoon, with a series of floats spread across the underneath of the first floor. It works like the floating jetties along the Brisbane River, rising and falling with the tide. "The actual system is a series of 1200 by 600 modules that basically get 'pinned together' and are bolted into the floor joists," James Davidson explains.

The top floor, which includes the furniture from the bottom floors, simply rises over the floodwater. The bottom floor gets washed out. The cost of the pontoon, floats and 'brackets' is between $20,000 and $40,000, the architect estimates. "I believe for it to be affordable, it needs to be doable for between $20,000 and $40,000," Mr Davidson said. "That is the key, it has to be affordable. Because I think that people who can afford to have big houses on the river, they will be covered by insurance and they will pay for that," he said.

"Whereas the people in Rocklea or Goodna, they live in flood plains and possibly they may not afford to be insured. "So we are targeting un-insured people." He predicts the idea would result in lower flood premiums. "Realistically, if you put this system in place and you are sacrificing your lower level and you've moved your furniture and your goods upstairs, your premiums should hopefully come down," he said. "Because you've taken preventative action to prevent the house from being flooded which can be used in future generations."

The idea is now being trialled on a client's home. It is just one "potential solution" to a challenge from clients to look at the bigger suite of challenges to Brisbane-ites living in a flood plain, James Davidson said. That meant inviting Dutch, American and Australian flood experts to meet Brisbane planners last week to "brainstorm" solutions in a five-day workshop funded by the University of Queensland and Suncorp. "Basically we have attempted to create an integrated water management plan that takes into account flood and drought, flash flooding and extreme flooding," he said. "At the minute there is no one holistic approach from the (Moreton) Bay to the Lockyer Valley.
A man has died after his car rolled several times before bursting into flames in the Queensland town of Yarwun, near Gladstone.

The 34-year-old was driving along Calliope River Road late on Friday night when his car left the road and burst into flames. He died at the scene.

Three people have died after separate traffic accidents in Queensland. Credit:Tom Threadingham

Earlier, a Sunshine Coast woman died following a week-long battle in hospital from injuries sustained in a serious car crash in Brisbane.

The 22-year-old from Wurtulla was driving south along Kingston Road in Underwood about 11.15pm on August 22 when she crashed into a car travelling west on Compton Road.
A developer will build a shopping centre on the Southport Spit if it is refused the right to build twin 44-storey towers with a gallery, museum and aquarium that has been designed by one of the world's most respected architects.

Sunland Group proposes the development at Mariners Cove on the Southport Spit, in a move which has divided opinion on the merits and traffic impact of the development.

Sunland says it will build a shopping centre on the Spit if these twin towers are rejected.

On Friday morning Sunland Group managing director Sahba Abedian confirmed he would build a shopping centre on the site, if the tower complex was rejected next month.

"The fall-back position - in the event The Mariner development is not approved - will be the establishment of a three-storey mixed-use development, including a shopping centre and supermarkets," Mr Abedian told Fairfax Media.
The Andrews government has agreed not to remove dozens of squatters living in homes left vacant to make way for the now-defunct East West Link for another three more weeks.

Dozens of people, including children and pregnant women, have been living in houses in Collingwood since March, when about 50 homeless people and members of the Homeless Persons Union Victoria moved into Bendigo street in protest against what they argued was a waste of inner-city housing.

Some of the squatters fought eviction notices in the Supreme Court, securing a court-ordered injunction which has prevented Victoria Police from forcibly removing the residents this week.

The parties were due to appear before Supreme Court Justice Gregory Garde on Friday.
The National Park Service (NPS) turned 100 on Aug. 25, and visitors are getting an amazing gift in honor of the milestone.

Admission to all 58 national parks will be free Aug. 25-28. Admission fees will also be waived at 354 protected areas, including national parks, monuments, battlefields, military parks, historical parks, historic sites, lakeshores, seashores, recreation areas, scenic rivers and trails and the White House.

The price of admission varies from one national park to another, and depends heavily on the location and season. For example, entrance to Yellowstone National Park costs $30 per car. At Mesa Verde National Park, cars have to pay $15 in the summer months and $10 during the rest of the year.

From Acadia to Zion, the best part about national parks is that there are so many options. Whether you like to hike, kayak or just gaze at a mountain, youre bound to find one that sparks your interest. If you can decide what park to visit, search the hashtag #Findyourpark on Instagram, where park people have been sharing their outdoor experiences for other would-be visitors.

Weve also put together our list of cant-miss national parks hosting special centennial celebrations this weekend.

1. Great Smoky Mountains



You might think that the Grand Canyon attracts the biggest crowds, but with 307 million visitors in 2015, Great Smoky Mountain National Park  which straddles the border between Tennessee and North Carolina  has proven to be more popular. Join a ranger on Aug. 26, for an evening campfire at the Elkmont campground to discuss what makes this national park so great.

2. Grand Canyon National Park

With the NPS waiving admission fees, you can guarantee that the Grand Canyon will get a lot of attention this weekend. In addition to the awe-inspiring natural beauty, the NPS will also be hosting the Grand Canyon Music Festival starting Aug. 25. Free concerts on Aug. 26 include the world premiere of Puhatawi, a new genre of Hopi music, and an evening with local students sharing their love of rock music. Concerts on other days cost $15 for adults and $8 for children.

Story continues

3. Yellowstone National Park

Yellowstone will celebrate the National Park Service centennial on Aug. 25 with an Evening at the Arch. Tickets are sold out, but the event will be live streamed. If youre able to visit the park this weekend, make some memories while gazing at the Grand Prismatic Spring or biking and camping in backcountry. But be on your guard, there are some fire restrictions in effect due to fire danger.

4. Everglades National Park

If you want to cover a lot of ground in a limited amount of time, hop on your huffy for a canal biking tour you wont soon forget. On Aug. 27, the NPS will host a free, guided bike tour down the canal berm of Floridas Everglades National Park. The ride starts at 7:30 am, making it a scenic and eye-opening way to break in a new day. Reservations are required and can be made by calling the park office.

4. Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park

The National Park System might be 100 years old, but its basically a toddler compared to the 2,000 year-old Sequoia trees in this California national park. Celebrate the centennial by watching the Mountain, Forest and Desert players put on a free performance of Ersa of the Red Trees from Aug. 26- 28. This classic Sequoia tale takes place in front of the historic General Sherman tree, and contains fairies, beasts, magic and poetry.

6. Mount Rainier National Park

Mount Rainier National Park in Washington has several events this weekend to celebrate the NPS centennial. Watch history come alive on Friday at the Paradise Inn Lobby, when rangers share stories about the breathtaking park and the people behind its success. The park is also hosting a Centennial Star Party on Saturday, where astronomy volunteers will point out constellations for visitors. Star gazing begins at the Visitor Center at 9:30 pm.

7. Yosemite National Park

President Obama and the first family visited Yosemite National Park  set within Californias Sierra Nevada mountains  this summer, and for good reason: Its gorgeous! Known for its rock formations like El Capitan and its stunning views from Glacier Point, Yosemites beauty can easily be appreciated by even the moodiest of teenagers. If you cant experience the park in real life, no worries. In celebration of the centennial, the White House has released a 360-degree virtual reality tour so you can experience the park just like the Obamas.

Brittany Jones-Cooper is a writer for Yahoo Finance.

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His wife's father, Ken Hall, is the senior elder at the Plenty Kingdom Hall in outer Melbourne, where Hill now worships. "I am allowed to attend under strict conditions," Hill said. "The police know about that."

Hill, a roofing plumber of Doreen with an office in Brunswick, this week maintained his innocence and confirmed he was working with children while doorknocking as part of the Jehovah's Witnesses religious practice called 'proselytizing.'

Richard Hill was found guilty last year of the offences against his six-year-old female cousin, who was also in the religion. He was put on the sex offenders' list and fined. The offences happened in 1981 when he was 20.

Hill appealed his conviction but then dropped the appeal.

"I pleaded not guilty to all charges but we decided not to keep going because of mental stress on my family and the costs  I spent over $100,000 defending myself in the courts. You get to a point where you turn the other cheek and walk away. I am definitely not guilty. It comes down to one man's opinion over another person's opinion."

However he apologised to his victim, Melissa Buchanan, on social media, as she was preparing to tell police what had happened to her as a little girl. "I'm truly sorry Melissa," he told her in a Facebook message. "I know you must be hurt and I'm so sorry for that. Trust is very hard to earn but easy to destroy."

Ms Buchanan, 41, who is no longer in the sect, told police Hill was living in her family home in the northern suburbs in the 1980's and one night after a shower he came into her bedroom dressed only in a small yellow towel and after making her sit on his lap sexually abused her while telling her to be quiet.

Her family, she says, all staunch Jehovah's Witnesses, hushed it up to save face and the church's reputation, and Hill later became an elder.
A fast and furious chase that spanned more than 200 kilometres across Melbourne saw a couple of prolific thieves co-ordinate three car changes in their failed escape.

It began when a stolen Audi tore past police on the Calder Highway at 12.30am on Friday. The car was believed to be clocking speeds of up to 200km/h.

Inside the Audi were two men who police say were well-practiced at getaways - run a red light here, drive down the wrong side of the road there - and the pursuit would generally be called-off.

But this time they had a different beast to contend with.

The police chopper, which is now being used to track car thieves who pose a danger to the public, was on their tail.
One of Australia's most influential Aboriginal leaders has labelled the City of Fremantle's decision to scrap their Australia Day fireworks a "silly mistake", as neighbouring council the City of Cockburn considers hosting its own event.

The council, on Wednesday night, voted 9-2 to ditch its annual event, claiming it was culturally insensitive to Aboriginal people who identify the date as "invasion day".

Chair of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council, Warren Mundine, on Friday told Macquarie Radio the council's decision was not the right approach to the issue.

"I think it's a silly decision," he said.
The Perth mother under fire for painting her son's face brown to emulate his AFL hero Nic Naitanui at a school dress-up day says she has been called "every single name under the sun" since bragging about her son's costume online on Thursday.

The mother, who WAtoday has chosen not to name, posted a photo on Facebook of her son dressed up as the West Coast star, with a black wig and his skin painted brown, for book week, where kids come as their favourite hero or book character.

Book Week blackface: The boy dressed up as AFL footballer Nic Naitanui. Credit:Twitter

In the post, which has since been deleted, the mother said she was originally worried about painting her son because of "politically correct extremists", but decided to dress him up anyway.

The photo of the boy sparked widespread condemnation on social media.
Beirut: Residents and rebels have started to leave to leave the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya as part of an evacuation plan to end one of the longest stand-offs in Syria's bloody five-year war.

The evacuation came as US Secretary of State John Kerry met his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva on Friday in a renewed bid to end the conflict, which showed no signs of abating.

Separately, Turkey's Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said Turkish forces would remain in Syria for the forseeable future, further complicating an already complex situation.

Insurgents and government forces agreed on Thursday to evacuate Dayaya, which the Syrian army has surrounded since 2012. The UN said only one shipment of aid had reached the area in the past four years.
Paris: A controversial ban on the burkini was overturned by France's highest administrative court on Friday, prompting a Right-wing backlash as mayors vowed to defy the ruling.

The State Council's judgment suspended a ban in the Riviera resort of Villeneuve-Loubet and set a legal precedent for about 30 other towns that have also prohibited the full-body swimsuit worn by a minority of Muslim women.

The council ruled that mayors overstepped their powers by introducing the bans this month amid growing anxiety over security after a series of terrorist attacks including the Bastille Day massacre of 86 people in Nice.

"The emotion and the anxieties resulting from the terrorist attacks and especially the one committed in Nice on July 14, are not sufficient to justify legally the prohibition," the judgment said.
Ankara: Nine people were killed and at least 64 wounded in a car bomb attack at a police headquarters in the town of Cizre in south-east Turkey on Friday, hospital sources said.

Cizre is in Sirnak, a province that borders both Syria and Iraq and has a largely Kurdish population.

News channel NTV showed large plumes of smoke billowing from the site which it said was a police checkpoint.

State-run Anadolu Agency blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has been involved in almost daily clashes in the region since last July, when a ceasefire between it and the government collapsed.
Bangkok: A five-year-old girl has become the youngest victim of tough-talking Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte's "war on drugs" that has left more than 1900 people dead in seven weeks.

Danica May died from a gunshot wound to the head after unidentified gunmen opened fire on her family as they sat down to lunch in their home in Dagupan, a city of 170,000 north of Manila.

The killing came as president Duterte shrugged off criticism of his campaign from the United States, United Nations, the Catholic Church and human rights groups, declaring "this fight against drugs will continue until the last day of my term".

Little Danica's grandfather, Maximo Garcia, who she was living with after her 29-year-old mother separated from her husband, learnt last week that he was on a list of alleged drug suspects that somebody had given to local police.
Oslo: The Philippines government and Maoist-led rebels agreed indefinite ceasefires on Friday as part of an accord to accelerate efforts to end a conflict that has lasted almost five decades and killed at least 40,000 people.

The government expressed hopes that a peace agreement could be reached within a year after the Oslo talks, the first formal meeting for five years. The guerrillas, who reiterated demands for "revolutionary change", stopped short of setting a deadline.

Both sides, at a signing ceremony in a hotel on the outskirts of Oslo, hailed the ceasefire deal and measures to step up negotiations as a breakthrough after 30 years of fitful peace talks.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende, hosting the ceremony, urged both sides to mirror an agreement between Colombia's government and Marxist FARC rebels to end Latin America's longest conflict, dating back more than 50 years.
Sydney barrister Peter Strain has been instructed by the family of Sara Connor to provide assistance after the Byron Bay woman was named a suspect over the death of a Bali police officer.

Ms Connor's former husband Anthony "Twig" Connor will fly to Bali at the weekend with Mr Connor expected to meet Ms Connor on Monday.

Mr Strain is the co-founder of the Australasian Lawyers Surfing Association and is familiar with Bali and the region.

Ms Connor's boyfriend, British DJ David Taylor, has admitted hitting police officer Wayan Sudarsa on the Kuta beach.
The devotion of some Trump supporters is whipped up to emotional breaking point. Credit:Evan Vucci Trump knows that in the last half-century redistributive policies have brought about a substantial shift in income, power and status from the formerly impregnable white males to women and minorities. Everywhere they look they see women and African Americans, Latinos, lesbians and gays with wealth, celebrity and influence. Donald Trump pitches his speeches straight to the core of his supporters - middle-aged white men. Credit:Evan Vucci He also knows that when the Reagan years handed the women's vote to the Democrats, the Republicans got the men's to about the same degree. So Trump insults women and Mexicans and singles out black men in his audiences and (while promising, after Orlando, to be the best defender the LBGT community ever had) opposes gay marriage.

Poll numbers among Republican men  graduates and non-graduates  provide a compelling picture of Trump's rusted-on base: for instance, 64 per cent of college-educated white Republicans and 75 per cent of those without a college education support Trump's idea of a fence along the entire border with Mexico. Clint Eastwood says "everyone is walking around on eggshells". Credit:AP The reason is simple: they believe immigrants are a threat to both American jobs and "American values". A majority of Americans believe the increase in imports is "taking away US jobs" and a majority (among whites 59 per cent) believe that "trade with other countries" causes a net loss of jobs. It is not, as they say, rocket science. Millions of Americans feel they have been robbed of their birthright. The country's wealth, history and traditions have been subverted or gifted to others. The American future is not theirs. They were losing long before the Great Recession, and since it hit they've lost even more. The greatest country on earth is becoming someone else's: that's if it still is the greatest country. Hell, when did they last win a war? An actual shooting war? Grenada? Benito Mussolini, master of the bombastic speech and jutting jaw and the impossible-to-fulfil promises.

Democrats should look to themselves for the answers. This is what happens with identity politics. It's also what happens when you "embrace globalisation", as all good liberals have done for the past 30 years. Liberals  the well-off ones at least  love globalisation for all the excitement and sophistication of it: and, loving that about it, they love immigration, multiculturalism and social inclusiveness. They can truly say these things enrich their lives. But what enriches one tribe impoverishes and threatens another. Globalisation has swallowed jobs, communities, unions and pride. It even takes patriotism: and sends it back relabelled as bigotry and racism. Ordinary prejudices are "inappropriate"; old forms of speech are "inappropriate". Clint Eastwood says Trump gained support because "secretly everybody's getting tired of political correctness, kissing up. That's the kiss-ass generation we're in right now". You don't have to like Clint Eastwood to acknowledge that he has a political point, at least. You can loathe Bret Easton Ellis, and everything he says about feminists, objectified breasts and the male gaze, and still recognise that they're probably not a first-order issue for people who have lost their jobs or their roots in the country, or grew up thinking that gazing was harmless. In an era when the New Left used the term loosely, George L. Mosse was at pains to find and preserve what the word "fascism" meant. Not much he saw in Madison in the 1960s would qualify. But Donald Trump might be different. Reactionary politics lives off "normative threats".

Reactionary politicians instinctively know how to exploit them. European fascism is a case in point. Nationalism and xenophobia; a stress on law and order; the glorification of war and violence; anti-intellectualism; anomie and alienation; impatience tending to disdain for democratic politics; ditto for corrupt big cities (even while practising corruption and dealing with the corrupt): these dispositions Trump's core followers share with fascism. Some of them are as old the United States itself, and some would describe the outlook of millions who could never be called fascist. That does not mean Trump cannot call them up to his cause and "leverage" them. Mosse found the fascist temperament was at the heart of communitarianism. Fascism was a "scavenger doctrine" that pulled together old threads of community, picked up on prejudices and affections that people scarcely knew they had. Fascism posits a heroic, even mythic, past that portends the true destiny of the people and the nation. Often it sees the values of that past and the prospect of that destiny as betrayed, and promises a return to greatness. It values nationalism and militarism above all other virtues. Fascism rejects individualism, but absorbs its power in the collective, "each through the power of his own will". Mosse described fascism as a "civic religion", or the "people worshipping themselves". Little here is inconsistent with the politics of Trump. Watch the Tea Partiers performing the rituals of their religion: in the uniforms of the disfranchised, the non-elites; hands on hearts gazing up to the flag, joining in the anthems, repeating the oaths and the nationalistic platitudes; calling out the treacherous enemies.

If fascism makes scapegoats, Trumpism has them in abundance. If it advances a story of betrayal, manipulates the truth with lies and exaggeration, plays to the emotions more than the intellect, bullies and struts, promises to eliminate the nation's enemies at home and abroad, sets up "counter-types" to the national (or racial) aesthetic, plays on fear (Bolshevism in the 1930s case, Islam now), artfully uses the media as an instrument of mass persuasion while avoiding all serious scrutiny and indulges in spectacular display, Trumpism does that too. If, as Mosse insisted, with all fascisms there is a unifying aesthetic, watch the Republican convention. According to Gwynn Guildford, who went as an ethnographer to Trump rallies in Ohio this year, in each case, in the long wait before Trump arrives, the crowds are told over loudspeakers to look out for protesters in their midst, but not to touch them. Instead they are to chant, "Trump! Trump! Trump!" until security arrives. "This happens repeatedly . . ." Until Trump turns up, they are constantly reminded that their community is threatened by saboteurs and non-believers, which means that when he finally arrives their devotion is at emotional breaking point. The press, meanwhile, have been corralled in a "cattle pen" at the back of the room. At various points in the speech Trump "scowls" at them and calls them the "most disgusting" and "most dishonest" people he's ever seen, pantomiming his disdain with an elaborate sneer before goading his supporters to turn and glare too. On cue, the crowd turns and boos. The orchestrated hate-filled rally was the primary grass-roots weapon of European fascisms.

"I alone," he said in his convention speech. If fascism pivots on the concept of the great leader with uncanny, almost supernatural instincts who alone can lead the nation from its existential crisis into greatness, Trump qualifies here as well. The choreography of his arrival at the RNC in the Trump helicopter, with the music from Air Force One booming out over the whirring of the blades, as the "Aryan" wife and children rushed forward to meet him, was fascist theatre, and it is hard to believe the performance was unconscious  unless it was unconscious self-satire. When the family are lined up behind him, you could think he was making a point about racial purity  but it's probably more about the 1950s. Yet, were he to win the presidency in ways resembling Hitler's or Mussolini's, it's inconceivable that Trump's next steps would resemble theirs. His brutish and ingenious destruction of the country club Republicans, and the capitulation of most of the remainder, are shameful and concerning, but even if this meant the end of the Republican Party, that is not the same as the end of US democracy. The Germans of 1933 had had a decade of democracy. The Americans have had a lot more than that. The one condition on which fascism depends is a nation in deep economic crisis with nowhere else to turn. The US is not in that condition. Far from going backwards, much of the US is doing very well.
Berlin: Paul Wolfowitz, a Republican adviser to former US President George W. Bush, plans to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November presidential election despite his "serious reservations", German magazine Der Spiegel reported on Friday.

Mr Wolfowitz  widely seen as an architect of the second Iraq war  served as deputy defence secretary under Mr Bush, and as president of the World Bank.

He described Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a security risk because of his admiration of Russian President Vladimir Putin and his views on China, the magazine reported.

"It's important to make it clear how unacceptable he is," the magazine quoted Mr Wolfowitz as saying in an interview.
Said INSOs Bid should have been disqualified --- No Dialysis, Oncology Center, and Special Wing will be included if INSO constructs Hospital.

PHILIPSBURG:---KPMG and USZV has one more hurdle to cross before the finalization of the contract for the new hospital is realized and they may well have to face court litigations if the contract is awarded to INSO. Two of the three companies that bid on the project has submitted their objections to the project manager at KPMG. According to information and documentation, SMN News obtained the objections were filed on August 12th, 2016.

Some of the arguments used by VAMED, the Austria company that worked on a concept for USZV invested a significant amount of time and also incurred significant costs in order to participate in the tender for the new hospital on St. Maarten. The company also argued that by the media statements made by the current Minister of VSA will tarnish their reputation, and the decision taken by USZV to award the contract to INSO is not correct especially on the instructions for the tendering.

According to the information, SMN News obtained some 12 companies were interested in the project, but only five of them were qualified to bid. Of the five only three of the companies participated in the bid which are VAMED, INSO, and BAM PHILIPS.

INSOs pricing for the construction of the hospital is in close proximity of USD 60M while their maintenance cost for a period of 20 years will be USD 46M

VAMED, on the other hand, submitted a bid which amounts to USD 80M for construction and $100M for maintenance for the 20 year period. It should be noted that in the concept and bidding VAMED agreed to provide a full turn-key, life cycle hospital and they would have maintained not only the structure but also the equipment over the 20 year period. As for BAM PHILIPS, their bid was in the range of USD 140M.

While there is much talk about VAMED obtaining the contract to construct the new hospital without a bidding process being held research done by SMN News shows that VAMED spent six months preparing a full concept for USZV because they were given a letter of intent that they will obtain the project if they were able to provide St. Maarten with the hospital they need at the price USZV could afford.

USZV and KMPG the consultant can well be looking at a court case because they both led VAMED to believe that they were going to get the project after the company spent months working with USZV to prepare the concept free of charge since they were almost sure they were going to get the project that will cater to St. Maartens needs even though the island is small.

Research shows that VAMED, contacted Cees Klarenbeek of the St. Maarten Medical Center when they saw on SMMC website that they wanted to expand the hospital and when they also saw the drawings from the UPP leader Theodore Heyliger on billboards which were also online during the 2014 parliamentary elections. Due to this VAMED contacted and eventually met with Klarenbeek of SMMC, the interim director USZV Glen Carty and KMPG where they introduced themselves as the company that builds only hospital and has built over 700 medical projects around the world. During the discussions (negotiations) with the tripartite committee VAMED proposed to build a new hospital that would include a dialysis center, and a private wing that the hospital could rent for USD 150M but USZV said they were only willing to invest USD 100M however after fierce planning and to deliver what St. Maarten wants the price of the construction falls in the range of USD 105M. The hospital would have been constructed in five phases, one being the dialysis center, the oncology center, and the private wing were all part of the plan if USZV had accepted the plan VAMED provided them with since SMMC neither USZV had a master plan. At some point, USZV decided that they would have dropped one of the five phases, mostly likely the oncology center. In the bidding process, the much-needed facility for cancer patients was left out.

The SMMC section would have gotten four operating rooms that would have been fully equipped while the private (separate) wing would have had six theaters for smaller surgeries that would have also been available to SMMC especially for patients that had to be referred abroad for medical care SMMC could not provide, while at the same time they were going to provide more beds for SMMC both in their section and the private wing.

The plan VAMED had for USZV was for the hospital to generate funds through the separate wing and through cutting cost by sending patients overseas while collecting rent from those that would have rented that wing.

VAMED also even proposed to finance the hospital but USZV (SMMC) could not have provided the company with a business plan in order to show how they would have repaid the loan.

VAMED started their project for USZV in 2015 and by the first week of November 2015 the company delivered the concept which was tweaked on the request of USZV and KPMG.

Today, the company feels that the current Minister of VSA Emil Lee thinks because he owns a construction company he knows what it cost to build a hospital and to fully maintain it so that equipment do not fall apart. The company also believes that Minister Lee does not think that the private wing is needed even though USZV would be saving monies by sending patients abroad for surgeries that SMMC cannot conduct. They are also annoyed that the Minister twisted the truth when it comes to the plan when he said that SMMC would have had two operation rooms and the private wing would have had four. SMN News managed to obtain the plan that VAMED had for the new hospital that plan shows that SMMC would have had four fully equipped theaters while the private wing would have had six operating theaters, a total of ten operating rooms at the new hospital.

In the objection, VAMED requested that KPMG discloses INSOs price elements and structure, specifications in order for them to determine functional and technological is in conformity with the tender. VAMED wants the number of square meters in order to see if INSO complied with the minimum as per the tender documents and their net gross factors, medical equipment, mechanical and electrical equipment among other things.

In their conclusion they said based on their calculations INSOs bid should have been declared invalid and their bid should have been the winning bid. They urged KPMG to remain open and transparent and to reconsider their award recommendations and to provide the company with their feedback along with the information they requested. VAMED also made clear to KMPG that after receiving the feedback and information they would need sufficient time in order for them to start legal proceedings.

SMN News made several attempts to get a direct comment from VAMED in Austria on Thursday but they refused to comment on the ongoing process.
Its past time we do this for our people

PHILIPSBURG:----The United St. Maarten (US) party will seek to enact a five-year profit tax break for young local entrepreneurs who seek to invest in up and coming fields of business. Leader of the USP Frans Richardson stressed on Thursday that the world is evolving and so too should St. Maarten by giving young entrepreneurs an opportunity to succeed, not strangle and stagnate them right out of the gate. We are very serious about this. We dont say things just t sound nice in an election year. Its past time to do this for our people, he said.

He said should the USP be given a mandate to govern, the party will see to it that all required preparations are made and requirements are put in place for this form of tax reform to take place. Richardson mentioned up and coming industries such as agro-farming, e-zoning, technology and automation as examples of industries that young entrepreneurs want to invest in.

We send our best and brightest away to attain higher education. We have to ensure that they can get a fair chance in their country. There must be tax incentives for our people not just to survive in year-one of their business, but at least to grow that business into a success story for five good years, Richardson said.

There are a lot of young people who want to do business, who want to be self-employed. But before they even get off the ground properly they receive a letter by the 15th of the month about taxes. If a government can give incentives to foreign investment, then giving incentives to local entrepreneurs should be second nature, he added.

Offering a five-year profit tax break to local entrepreneurs is part of USPs tax reform initiative as outlined in its 2016 Manifesto. Richardson said that since the USP is a party of inclusion, the following definition will be adopted to the word local: persons born in St. Maarten/Saint Martin of Dutch nationality, naturalized citizens, persons with permanent residency.
As I announced on my Facebook page (Robert.Budike) I will be running on the National Alliance slate as the # 18 candidate. You all will agree with me that when something can be done, it should be done!

I believe that it is important for the electorate to know who the candidate is and why they choose a particular party, but most of all  what they can actually do to help the country progress ?

A short history about your candidate with the funny last name:

My Roots

Born in the Netherlands on January 30, 1971, of Surinamese descent and son of August Budike, a civil engineer, and Susan Karsters, a primary school teacher, I was the third of 4 boys. I grew up in Zorg & Hoop, Clevia and Geyersvlijt. My late grandfather Leo Budike lived and worked in Curacao (Suffisant).

Motivation to postulate

Did it not occur to everyone that every time the National Alliance is in power, whether it is for a short or for a longer period, they accomplish! The National Alliance are goal getters. The National Alliance is there for the small men and women as they have proven to have an all-inclusive socio- economic agenda. As I embrace that philosophy Therefore I want to serve this country with all the good intentions and to the best of my abilities under the umbrella of the National Alliance.

My Education

After completing the VWO in Surinam I attended the Anton de Kom University also in Surinam. While I was in an advanced stage of my studies Economics I had to make a decision to further my studies in the Netherlands. There I obtained my Bachelors degree at the Business College For Economic Studies. I furthermore obtained certificates of the MBA and SPD Accounting Programs. During my time at the Anton de Kom University, I was involved with the Agape Movement. Their vision was that once a country is governed by Christian principles it should prosper. There should be no place for corruption, nepotism and lack of integrity, but instead one just needs to aim for good governance, human capital development, transparency and a very important aspect is that the country's wealth should be shared among its people. As I was not eligible for study financing (In retrospect I thank God for that) I had to make ends meet by working as news delivery boy for a great part of my studies and a part-time bookkeeping clerk. As a news delivery boy, I had to work every morning from 04.00 in the morning regardless the weather, rain or snow.

My work

In St. Maarten I was blessed with a solid career where I worked in a variety of levels in different sectors e.g.:



- Senior Financial Policy Worker (Government e.g responsible for the budgets);

- Assistant Manager Financial Reporting and Accounting (RBTT);

- Project Evaluator (AMFO - NGO);

- Financial Manager ( Innovations Bureau in Education);

- Branch Manager BZV (St. Maarten/Statia);

- Member of Management Team SZV;

- Manager Finances and Operations (University of St. Martin). At the USM I was part of the project team

that delivered St. Maarten the first accredited program in Hospitality via BTEC;

- Author of the Bankable Business Plan in Aquaponics (SBDF);

- Project Leader to prepare the New Basic Insurance Law for St. Maarten

- Founder/Director of PCMI and PCMI Academy, an Accounting, Tax & Training Consultancy firm.

For the aspiring entrepreneur and other professionals who can't afford the high start-up costs they

have launched Rent A Desk;

- Supervisory Board of Winair (First-year boards compensation was used to purchase school materials

for the children of the staff on my initiative);

- Board Member of the Foundation Judicial Affairs dealing with the rehabilitation of ex-inmates and the

placement of children in foster care;

- Nominated to become a member of the Caribbean Institute of Certified Management Consultants



As a parliamentarian, you need to be able to do proper research and write comprehensive policies in order to propose legislation for different topics that will benefit the people. I truly believe that I have gained sufficient relevant expertise to execute this responsibility task at a satisfactory level.

Voluntary Work/Agriculture

I was involved in sharing home cooked food for the homeless and drug addicts on St. Maarten. That inspired me to start my own greenhouse where I did agriculture and as such drastically cut down the cost of buying vegetables for my household. A seed was planted in my mind, that St. Maarten can also be for great part self-sufficient where it pertains vegetables if the policies and laws are in place.

In my next article,I will share sincere ideas how to move the country forward. St. Maarten has a lot to offer if the electorate choose for the right persons to form a stable government. Please follow me on Facebook and you can email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you have any questions.

Disclaimer:

Please just dont cast your for me, because you happen to know me or because I have a catchy song or have placed the biggest poster. After you have read and comprehended my plans for the people of St. Maarten, I want to encourage you to make a conscious decision to vote for the National Alliance.

God bless you and God bless the people of St. Maarten.

Robert O. Budike

Candidate # 18 on the National Alliance Slate

It can be done !
PHILIPSBURG:---The third edition of The Law Matters to You lecture series, a joint information and educational project between the Department of Communication (DCOMM) and University of St. Martin (USM), will be about the Parliamentary Elections 2016 and the Electoral Laws on St. Maarten on August 29th.

There will be two main speakers on the issue, one of which is Jason R. Rogers, LL.M., Chairman of the Main Voting Bureau.

According to the Sint Maarten Governments website, www.sintmaartengov.org it describes the objective of the Central Voting Bureau as an institution enacted by Government to execute the voting and election procedures as stipulated and regulated in the Electoral Ordinance. The Central Voting Bureau operates independently from Parliament and Government. Its general function is to ensure that the entire election process, which includes the postulation, the voting and the determination of the outcome of the election, is conducted in accordance with the applicable laws.

Before returning to St. Maarten, Jason Rogers lectured in the subjects of Criminal and Administrative Law at the University for Applied Science, in Amsterdam, and has supervised projects in his areas of expertise, including European Law, while in Europe/the Netherlands.

In regards to the Chairman of the Central Voting Bureau, Rogers has been working on St. Maarten since his return from the Netherlands/or United States in 2007. He has a Masters degree in Dutch Law (NL) and U.S. Comparative Law (USA).

Rogers has been practicing Law on St. Maarten and in the Dutch Caribbean. For several years, he has also taught Criminal Law and Criminal procedures to several members of different local enforcement agencies.

From the first Parliamentary Elections in 2014 to the present, Rogers has been Chairman of the Central Voting Bureau, where he derives much satisfaction by serving his community, in addition to being a Vice President of the St. Maarten Red Cross.
GREAT BAY:--- The nine political parties contesting the Parliamentary elections scheduled here for September 26, 2016, have been invited to participate in a debate organized by the Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF).

The debate will be held this Sunday, August 28 at the University of St. Martin, starting at 8 PM.

According to the foundation, five of the political parties have confirmed the participation in the debate by their party leader or another candidate on the election list.

Independence continues to be a transcendental issue that wont go away, the foundation stated. It is, therefore, crucial to hear the positions of the various political parties that are seeking the support of the electorate on such an important matter, said the ISMF.

Immigration, campaign financing, St. Martin identity and education, and new economic opportunities will also be among the debate issues for the candidates to discuss, said the ISMF.

The general public is invited to attend the debate, which the foundation hopes will be educational and very informative, said ISMF.
Uncle Sam becomes Chuckie cheese as FDA attempts to cure surplus

It's wrapped in wax, and as orange as Donald Trump's hair. If you don't specify what cheese you want to, it's going to end up on your sandwich at Subway. And there is so much of it that the government may have to buy the excess.

Yes, it's cheddar cheese folks, and due to an oversupply of milk and less buying from China than expected, there is an over supply of cheddar cheese in the United States, reports the US Department of Agriculture.

The Feds bailed out the auto manufacturers and major banks, so why not the cheese mongers?

Department of Agriculture said today that the feds will purchase about 11 million pounds of cheese for "private inventories." Before you get in line, you should probably be aware that this means the cheese will be given to food banks and charity groups.

Cheddar cheese hit a 21 month high today in agricultural markets in the Midwest, the highest price since November 2014.

Cheddar cheese is a relatively hard, off-white or orange, sharp"-tasting, natural cheese. Originating in the British village of Cheddar in Somerset, cheeses of this style are produced beyond this region and in several countries around the world, says Wikipedia.

Pizza, anyone?

Cheese is valued for its portability, long life, and high content of fat, protein, calcium, and phosphorus. Cheese is more compact and has a longer shelf life than milk, although how long a cheese will keep depends on the type of cheese; labels on packets of cheese often claim that a cheese should be consumed within three to five days of opening. Generally speaking, hard cheeses, such as parmesan last longer than soft cheeses, such as Brie or goat's milk cheese. The long storage life of some cheeses, especially when encased in a protective rind, allows selling when markets are favorable.

There is some debate as to the best way to store cheese, but some experts[who?] say that wrapping it in cheese paper provides optimal results. Cheese paper is coated in a porous plastic on the inside, and the outside has a layer of wax. This specific combination of plastic on the inside and wax on the outside protects the cheese by allowing condensation on the cheese to be wicked away while preventing moisture from within the cheese escaping.

A specialist seller of cheese is sometimes known as a cheesemonger. Becoming an expert in this field requires some formal education and years of tasting and hands-on experience, much like becoming an expert in wine or cuisine. The cheesemonger is responsible for all aspects of the cheese inventory: selecting the cheese menu, purchasing, receiving, storage, and ripening. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese
Julian Assange Investigates the Mysterious Murder of DNC DC Staffer Seth C. Rich

Seth C. Rich was fatally shot on July 10, 2016. He was a 27-year-old employee of the Democratic National Committee (DNC). His mysterious murder followed the DNC Email hack. The timing is frankly suspicious. Or just coincidental.

Tonight on FoxNews, Megan Kelly talked about the mysterious murder of Seth Rich, 27, a DC Democratic Party Staffer with Wikileaks founder Julian Assange. At the time of his death, Rich was Deputy Director of "Data-for-Voter Protection/Expansion" at the DNC, where he had been employed for two years. He developed a computer application to assist voters in locating polling stations.

Assange has mention Rich's name before, in reference to the dangers of working for Wikileaks.

Rich was gunned down in an intersection in Georgetown, DC at 4 am. He had been seen drinking just hours before. 19 minutes before he was shot, Rich spoke to his girlfriend.

Police say they have no motive, but are looking at attempted robbery. Rich's watch and wallet however were not taken.

Sources involved with the Newsweek investigation, say Rich had been ruled out of responsibility for the DNC email leak and hack. Kelly asked Assange, "Was your source Seth Rich who was shot in a robbery last month?" he said:

"The police in DC offered $25,000, and Wikileaks offered $20k for information leading to the arrest of his killer. We're not saying his death necessarily is related to our publications, but if there's any question about a source of Wikileaks being threatened, this organization will go after whoever may have killed our source."

"We've received some information, but we don't think it's enough for an indictment. That type of allegation is very serious, and is taken seriously by us."

Kelly: Are you in favor of Trump in this election?

Assange: No. We would publish information about Trump or Clinton. I like to think that any good organization would've published Hillary's e mails. I don't think MSNBC or the NYTimes would have. The allegation by Clinton, who has positioned herself as the security candidate, has accused everyone of being a Russian agent. The Turmp campaign are not Russian agents. It's really hard for us to release anything worse than anything that comes out of DT's mouth every second day. "

Wikileaks released footage of an apache helicopter of the military killing journalists and children in Baghdad. "The US Government had to release that not a single person was hurt by our disclosure. In court in 2013," Assange proudly added.

Rich left the Lou's City Bar in Columbia Heights at 1:45 am and told the bar manager he would go to a nearby bar.[6] The bar manager stated that Rich was not drunk or even tipsy.

An intersection in Columbia Heights. At the time of his death, Rich was Deputy Director of "Data-for-Voter Protection/Expansion" at the DNC, where he had been employed for two years. He developed a computer application to assist voters in locating polling stations.

Police were alerted to gunfire at 4:20 am by an automated gunfire locator called ShotSpotter.[8][9] Rich was shot[7][10] about a block from his home[11] in the Bloomingdale neighborhood of Washington, D.C. in the vicinity of Howard University.[12][8] His father believes that his son engaged his assailants before he was killed.

He was found conscious but later died in the hospital. Although his belongings were not taken, DC police stated that Rich may have been killed in an attempted robbery.[5] According to police, the neighborhood had been 'plagued' by such robberies. The Metropolitan Police Department posted a customary reward of $25,000 for information about the death.

DNC Chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz issued a statement mourning the loss and praising Rich's work "to protect the most sacred right we share as Americans - the right to vote." Hillary Clinton spoke of this fatality during a speech advocating limiting the availability of guns.
Region slowly recovers, much cultural heritage appears to be damaged or lost.

Before and after photo of the clock tower in Amatrice, Italy.

A major earthquake struck central Italy this evening, 6.2 miles southeast of the town of Norcia. People were reported to be trapped under debris, with heavy damage. There were 3 major shakes between 3:36 am and 4:33 am local time, said Cindy Wooden.

There's been a landslide in Amatrice. People are reportedly trapped under rubble in town, said @deriklattig. The mayor reports 73 deaths By evening.

Buildings in Amatrice go back hundreds of years, which makes the town historic. But not an ideal place to be in an earthquake. Brick and earthen buildings are especially vulnerable.

The USGS gave the earthquake a preliminary magnitude of 6.2, and advised US Citizens in Italy to check in with friends on social media.

At least two people were killed in the quake, which sent frightened townspeople out of their homes and running into the streets. Experts say to find a doorway during an earthquake; but panicky people tend to run into the street as if by instinct.

The shallow quake, estimated to have struck after 3:30am at a depth of 4km, was felt across a broad section of central Italy, including the capital Rome where people in homes in the historic centre felt a long swaying followed by aftershocks.

The region is among the seismically most active in Italy, being affected by the meeting of the African and Eurasian tectonic plates and a fault running along the Apennine Mountains. This was the largest tremor since 2009,[4] when an earthquake near L'Aquila in the Abruzzo region killed more than 300 people and displaced about 65,000 people.

The initial earthquake was followed by at least 40 strong aftershocks. The quake was initially reported by USGS to have occurred at a depth of 10.0 km (6.2 mi) with a magnitude of 6.4.

The magnitude was later corrected by USGS to 6.2 while the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre put the magnitude at 6.1[7][8] and the INGV registered the quake as having a 6.0 magnitude.

Early reports indicated severe damage in the town of Amatrice, near the epicenter, and in Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto. Sergio Pirozzi, the mayor of Amatrice, stated that, "Amatrice is not here anymore, half of the town is destroyed." Photos of the destruction depicted a massive pile of rubble in the town's center with only a few structures still standing on the outskirts. The tremor and a number of aftershocks were felt across large parts of central Italy, including Rome, Naples, and Florence.

Amatrice before the earthquake had medieval buildings. Duomo is damaged

In addition to the loss of human life, widespread destruction of cultural heritage is also feared. In Amatrice, the facade and rose window of the church of SantAgostino were destroyed. The quake also created cracks in the Baths of Caracalla in Rome. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2016_Central_Italy_earthquakes

The mayor of Amatrice near Rieti, Sergio Perozzi, told state-run RAI Radio 1 that there were downed buildings in the city centre and that the lights had gone out. He said he was unable to get in touch with emergency responders or reach the hospital. "What can I tell you? It's a tragedy," he said.

In 2009, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake struck in the same region and killed more than 300 people. The earlier earthquake struck L'Aquila in central Italy, about 55 miles south of the latest quake. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amatrice
In sustaining demur, Judge holds that a reasonable person would expect a drink with ice to be diluted

A federal judge in Los Angeles has dismissed a lawsuit saying that Starbucks to see use its customers by putting ice in their drinks instead of products.

The lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles federal court in June, alleged that Starbucks' iced drinks "contain significantly less product than advertised."

Judge Percy Anderson dismissed the suit as ridiculous, saying even a kid knows better.

"If children have figured out that including ice in a cold beverage decreases the amount of liquid they will receive, the court has no difficulty concluding that a reasonable consumer would not be deceived into thinking that when they order an iced tea, that the drink they receive will include both ice and tea and that for a given size cup, some portion of the drink will be ice rather than whatever liquid beverage the consumer ordered," he wrote in his Aug. 19 opinion.

The judge also pointed out that Starbucks uses clear cups for cold drinks, making it easy for customers to see how much ice they are getting.

Moreover, Starbucks never explicitly states on menus or signs that a given drink size contains a specified amount of liquid, according to the judge.

After the suit was filed, Starbucks said customers who are unhappy with their drink can always ask the barista for a new one. They can also ask for light ice or extra ice when placing their order.

In other Starbucks news, A tornado touched down in Howard County, Indiana, Wednesday and leveled a Starbucks coffee shop.

"We're relieved to report that all employees and customers in the store are safe," said Starbucks spokesman Reggie Borges, adding that no injuries had been reported. "Our heartfelt concern goes out to those affected by this," he said.

Governor of Indiana Mike Pence, who is also Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's running mate, told reporters on his campaign charter plane that he was not aware of any deaths or serious injuries. The plane is headed back to Indianapolis.

"I'll be traveling on the emergency operations center for a full briefing, and we'll have more information for you at that time," Pence said. "The storm system has not left the state of Indiana yet, so this is a real-time event were monitoring very closely"

Pence praised first responders in Indiana before stating his intentions to stay in the state while the damage is assessed.
No fan of Donald Trump, Assange really hates Hillary Clinton. Release may come on eve of 3d debate

Julian Assange Claims to have the goods on Hillary, and is planning an election surprise.

He lives in exile in an embassy in London and considers himself a journalist, while the Obama administration and many Americans consider him to be a traitor.

Appearing on Megyn Kelly's Fox News program, WikiLeaks founder and editor-in-chief Julian Assange said on Wednesday that he planned to release "significant" information linked to the campaign of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton.

Asked if the data could be a game-changer in the election, he said "I think it's significant. You know, it depends on how it catches fire in the public and in the media."

WikiLeaks released files in July of audio recordings taken from the emails of the Democratic National Committee. These were obtained by hacking its servers. That release, during the Democratic National Convention where Clinton was officially named the party's presidential nominee, was the second batch in a series that deeply rattled the Democratic party, and ultimately forced DNC chairwoman, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, to step down--which Assange seemed to brag about tonight.

Kelly speculated that the timing of the dump would be just before Clinton's third debate with Donald Trump. Everyone would be tuned in then and it would do the most damage to Clinton, she said, referring to the Obama administration's hunt for Assange. It was led by then Secretary of State Clinton.

On 4 July 2016, WikiLeaks tweeted a link to a trove of emails sent or received by then-US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton published on their website. The leak contained 1258 emails sent from Clinton's personal mail server which were selected in terms of their relevance to the Iraq War and were apparently timed to precede the release of the UK government's Iraq Inquiry report.

On 22 July 2016, WikiLeaks released approximately 20,000 emails and 8,000 files sent from or received by Democratic National Committee (DNC) personnel. Some of the emails contained personal information of donors, including home addresses and Social Security numbers. Other emails appeared to present ways to undercut Bernie Sanders and showed apparent favoritism towards Clinton.

WikiLeaks is an international non-profit group of journalists that publishes secret information, news leaks, and steals or appropriates classified media from anonymous sources.

Julian Assange Claims to have the goods on Hillary, and is planning an election surprise.

Its website, initiated in 2006 in Iceland by the organization Sunshine Press, claimed a database of more than 1.2 million documents within a year of its launch.

Julian Assange, an Australian Internet activist, is generally described as its founder, editor-in-chief, and director. Kristinn Hrafnsson, Joseph Farrell, and Sarah Harrison are the only other publicly known and acknowledged associates of Julian Assange. Hrafnsson is also a member of Sunshine Press Productions along with Assange, Ingi Ragnar Ingason, and Gavin MacFadyen.

The group has released a number of significant documents that have become front-page news items. Early releases included documentation of equipment expenditures and holdings in the Afghanistan war and a report informing a corruption investigation
Most people pay their bills online, so no need to pay the rent on retail space

The interior of the Southern California Gas company office. In a story as old as the internet: Most people pay their bills online, so there's no need to pay the rent on retail space. So Cal Gas will close it's SM office permanently on 11/01/16. No worries, you can still pay at a couple retail stores in Santa Monica, or online at www.socalgas.com

Southern California Gas Company has announced that they are closing their Santa Monica storefront payment location after 40 years. The location at 1300 6th Street, allowed you to pay your bill "Low tech" way, i.e. with cash. It will close on November 1, 2016.

Those who wish to pay their Gas Co. bills in cash in Santa Monica, may still do say at Patton's Pharmacy, 734 Montana Avenue; at Mike's Liquor Store, 2402 Wilshire Blvd, or at Ocean Park Pharmacy, 2731 Ocean Park Blvd.

These days of course, most people mail in a check or pay their bill online at http://www.socalgas.com, which So Cal Gas company still welcomes you to do.

Natural gas is a fossil fuel used as a source of energy for heating, cooking, and electricity generation. It is also used as fuel for vehicles and as a chemical feedstock in the manufacture of plastics and other commercially important organic chemicals. It is a non-renewable resource.

The Southern California Gas Company (referred to as SoCalGas) is the primary provider of natural gas to the region of Southern California. Its headquarters are located in the Gas Company Tower in Downtown Los Angeles.

Can anyone else remember standing in line with their mom or dad to pay the gas bill?

This gas company's roots trace back to the 1800s when new settlers arrived in Los Angeles in search of a new frontier. In 1867, Los Angeles Gas Company, the forerunner of today's Southern California Gas Company, installed 43 new gas lamps along Main Street, making the city safer at night. The gas lighting business was run by five entrepreneurs who manufactured the gas from asphalt, a tar-like substance, and later from oil.

The company was enjoying modest success until Thomas Edison introduced his electric light in 1879.

With the future of the gas lamp business uncertain, the company began looking for other uses for gas, and Los Angeles soon had its first gas stove and heater. Meanwhile, Pacific Enterprises was looking to expand its gas business. Founded in San Francisco in 1886 as Pacific Lighting, the company bought several small gas manufacturing and distribution companies in the area, including the Los Angeles Gas Company in 1890. These companies ultimately became Southern California Gas Company.

By the early 20th century, natural gas-a colorless, odorless gas found in association with oil underground-was starting to gain attention. The breakthrough came with the discovery of the Buena Vista Oil Field near Taft, California in 1909, which included a huge reservoir of natural gas. Since natural gas had twice the heating value of manufactured gas, the company took the bold step to convert its system to natural gas and build pipelines throughout the state. Natural gas was soon found throughout the country, and demand for the fuel was rapidly growing. To meet customer demand, the company began storing gas in large holding tanks.

In 1941, the company introduced a new system to the Southwest United States: underground storage of natural gas. By 2016, the company had four separate underground storage facilities, all of them depleted oil and gas fields repurposed as gas storage. The four are, in order from largest to smallest, the Aliso Canyon field, north of Porter Ranch; Honor Rancho, near Newhall; the La Goleta Gas Field adjacent to Goleta; and the Playa del Rey storage facility, north of Playa del Rey, near the Los Angeles International Airport.

It is a story as old as the internet: Most people pay their bills online, so there's no need to pay the rent on retail space.
Fracking laws complicate recovering 264 billion barrels of American reserves, for no reason

From www.Calbuzz.com. Citizen fears about hydraulic fracturing, a drilling procedure used to pry oil and gas from rock deep underground, have made "fracking" a political question in California.

Oil imports could soon be a thing of the past.

That's the main takeaway from a new report from Nordic consulting firm Rystad. Researchers estimated the total recoverable oil reserves still buried under American soil. The final figure is astonishing: 264 billion barrels -- more than any other nation in the world.

Unlocking these reserves would generate tremendous benefits for the economy and move America towards full energy independence. Yet the White House has repeatedly stood in the way. Time and again, this administration has tried to smother our businesses with excessive regulations.

Consider fracking. The Rystad report found half of this country's recoverable oil can only be accessed through this drilling technique, which involves pumping a high-pressure mixture of sand and water into rock formations to loosen up embedded oil and gas. While fracking has existed since the 1940s, recent advances allow producers to access previously unreachable reserves.

In 2015, the Interior Department issued strict fracking controls on federal and Indian lands, accounting for five percent of domestic oil production. These rules, grounded in scientifically specious concern about the technique's environmental effects, significantly slowed energy development in these areas. Fortunately, a federal judge recently struck down these controls as exceeding Interior's authority.

These anti-fracking measures are just the start. In April, the White House imposed a requirement on offshore drilling, demanding that producers hire outside organizations to conduct safety exams.

This mandate was redundant. Offshore drilling operations have taken dramatic strides to improve safety, including hundreds of new rules and the creation of a central industry association to share best practices.

This offshore requirement ratcheted up the cost of drilling operations for no discernible safety gain.

A few months later, the Environmental Production Agency unveiled regulations governing methane emissions generated by oil wells. These rules had minimal environmental benefit, but will cost producers over half a billion dollars over the next decade.

The White House isn't an ally of the energy industry. Its regulatory aggression suppresses sector growth and undercuts the American economy.

The costs of this crusade aren't purely economic -- they're also geopolitical.

Exploding domestic production has allowed our country to wean itself off oil sourced abroad. Since 2005, oil imports dropped by 27 percent. Last year, only one-fourth of oil consumed came from foreign countries -- the lowest level since Nixon's administration. So the United States consumes significantly less oil from Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, and other hostile regimes.

Many foreign countries are eager to buy U.S. oil. Last year, Congress lifted the decades-old ban on oil exports and international sales surged. Just this April, the United States exported 17.7 million barrels -- the highest monthly total ever.

The bulk of those exports went to European and Asian allies that previously relied on Russian imports to meet their energy needs. The Kremlin used its energy dominance to force other countries to capitulate to its aggression in the Ukraine and elsewhere. Our allies are now much less vulnerable to such intimidation.

The Obama administration's suppression of domestic oil industry growth slows our oil exports. That hampers this geopolitically advantageous migration away from oil sourced from dangerous regimes. And it costs good jobs here at home.

Citizen fears about hydraulic fracturing, a drilling procedure used to pry oil and gas from rock deep underground, have made "fracking" a political question in California.

The energy industry has transformed the American economy. As this new report makes clear, our country is well-positioned to reap the economic and geopolitical benefits of a domestic oil boom for years to come -- but only if the White House gets out of the way.

Dan Kish is a senior vice president for policy at the Institute for Energy Research.

-------

Disclaimer: Although the IAR presents itself as an objective science-based institute, many reports and watchdog organizations have disputed this, citing funding from oil industry companies and describing IAR's work as ignoring science. The institute is considered by many to be a front group for the fossil fuel industry. The Institute for Energy Research has a political arm, the American Energy Alliance, and it has been reported that both the IEA and the AEA are partially funded by the Koch brothers and their donor network.
BeWhere Holdings Inc. Announces a Non-Brokered Private Placement, Debt Settlement and New Director

TORONTO, ONTARIO  (Marketwired)  08/25/16  BeWhere Holdings Inc. (TSX VENTURE: BEW) (BeWhere or the Company) designs and manufactures Bluetooth beacons that in combination with mobile applications, middle-ware and cloud based solutions, provide users with real-time information on the condition and location of their items in transit or at facilities.

The Company is pleased to make the following announcements:

Non-brokered private placement.

A proposed non-brokered private placement of 1,333,333 units of the Company (the Units) at $0.15 per Unit for net proceeds of $200,000 (the Offering). The offering will be fully subscribed and placed with Owen Moore and Chris Panczuk, directors of the Company.

The Each Unit will consist of one common share in the capital of the Company (a Share) and one half share purchase warrant (a Warrant). Each full Warrant will entitle the holder to purchase one additional common share in the capital of the Company (a Warrant Share) at a price of $0.25 per Warrant Share for a period of 36 months from the closing of the Offering. The net proceeds from the Units will be used for general corporate working capital.

Chris and I continue to be committed shareholders and firm believers in the business. Our reinvesting into the Company shows the strength of that commitment, said Owen Moore, CEO of BeWhere Holdings Inc.

Debt Settlement.

Concurrent with the non-brokered private placement there will be a proposed $80,000 retirement of debt owed to senior management (the Debt Settlement). To retire the obligation, the Company will issue 533,333 common shares at $0.15 per share.

Converting the debt to shares helps to strengthen our balance sheet as we continue to rollout our product offering, said Mr. Owen Moore, CEO of BeWhere Holdings Inc.

The closing of the proposed Offering and Debt Settlement is subject to a number of conditions, including receipt of all necessary corporate and regulatory approvals, including the Exchange. All securities issued in connection with the Offering and Debt Settlement will be subject to a statutory hold period of four months plus a day from the date of issuance in accordance with applicable securities legislation.

The directors who will be participating in the Offering and senior management who will be participating in the Debt Settlement are related parties and the participation in the Offering and Debt Settlement will each constitute a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 Protection of Minority Securityholders in Special Transactions (MI-61-101). The Offering and Debt Settlement will each be exempt from minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 as the fair market value of the securities being issued to the related parties will not exceed 25% of the Companys market capitalization.

New Director.

The Company is pleased to have Mr. Greg Cameron join the Companys Board of Directors effective immediately. Greg is an accomplished capital markets leader and advisor, with a successful track record of helping small cap companies such as ourselves realize their potential. We are excited to leverage his network and experience in order to further expand our business, said Mr. Owen Moore, CEO of BeWhere Holdings Inc.

To facilitate the addition of Mr. Cameron to the Board, Mr. Peter George has agreed to resign his Board appointment. Peters presence will be missed at the Board level but I am delighted that he has agreed to remain with the Company in an advisory role, said Mr. Owen Moore, CEO of BeWhere Holdings Inc.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

Owen Moore, CEO & 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.

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.

BeWhere Holdings 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 Companys historical experience with technology development, uninsured risks. Actual results may differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements.

Contacts:

BeWhere Inc.

Owen Moore

CEO

1 (844) 229-4373

Facebook:

LinkedIn:
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For the first time since the late 1970s, productivity in the U.S. has fallen for three straight quarters. This decline has been called perfectly normal by some experts, while others say the slide makes it hard to be anything other than pessimistic.

We cant seem to agree on why productivity is declining. Explanations include the rise of imports, the increase in automation, weak business investment, the stagnation of wages, and the levelling off of efficiencies gained by the tech revolution. Miraculously, the kitchen sink hasnt been implicated.

Most seem to be throwing up their hands and calling it a mystery.

Yet for the multitude of explanations for the cause, meaning and solution to the most protracted decline in productivity since the Carter administration, one foundational element has been ignored: changes in the workforce and workplace behavior as a consequence of increased longevity and an aging population.

Related: The American Retirement Crisis in 5 Charts

A good example of the profound shift is the impact of elder caregiving on older workers. As the population ages, American adults are finding themselves thrust into the role of unpaid family caregivers. The 80+ demographic is growing faster than any other, and their adult children are becoming their caregivers.

Elder Caregiving is a massive, complex job, and it can be all-consuming, with an impact on the productivity of family and friends of these seniors in need. Yet, only very few workplaces recognize that employees are struggling to care for parents, spouses or other elder loved ones. From the Fortune 100 to a pizza shop in the Bronx, employees in their 50s, 60s and 70s are spending more of their time on elder caregiving, while employers and economists assume theyre just working.

This illustrates a major mismatch between 20th century workplace practices and policies and 21st century needs, demands and real lives.

Consider, for example, the staggering number of Americans who act as family caregivers. According to research from AARP and the National Alliance for Caregiving, nearly 20 percent of Americans -- approximately 40 million individuals -- provide care to an adult. Of these, the vast majority  roughly 85 percent  are providing care to an adult age 50 or over.

Story continues

It is likely that this figure is artificially low. Many people who provide care do not think of themselves as a caregiver, and surveys often struggles to identify accurately the number of people who provide caregiving.

Related: The Retirement Cost That 80% of Americans Arent Ready For

Of those surveyed, 61 percent admit they sometimes come to work late, leave early, spend time during the day online or on the phone focused on helping mom or dad with the fall they just had, getting to the doctor or hospital  well you get the picture. No mystery here on the impact on productivity.

Moreover, research finds that the average adult child caring for her father spends 24 hours per week providing care. Thats the equivalent of three work days. As a result, the value of family caregiving in the U.S. amounts to a jaw-dropping $450 billion per year.

If that figure were taken as revenue, family caregiving in America would be the second-largest company in the world, behind only Walmart and ahead of Exxon, Apple and Berkshire Hathaway on the Fortune 500 list.

The elder caregiving burden disproportionately affects women. Approximately two-thirds of elder caregivers are women, and more than half of these women are now part of the sandwich generation, caring for both aging parents and young children. As we celebrate the strides that women have made in the workforce over the past half-century, it would be hypocritical not to recognize that this success is hamstrung by elder caregiving. In a troubling trend, the female labor force participation rate in the U.S. has declined from 59 percent in 2008 to 56 percent in 2014. If we wish to open further opportunities for women professionally, we must find ways to empower them to balance work and caregiving.

Last months roundtable sponsored by the Womens Bureau of the U.S. Department of Labor gathered 20 forward-looking businesses to discuss policies that can benefit both employee caregivers and employers. Bank of America Merrill Lynch was a notable attendee, as it offers employees flextime, compressed work weeks, back-up care and a care referral service. Another attendee, CBS, offers eldercare programs and dependent care spending accounts. Were just getting started.

A recent study by AARP and ReACT, employer-focused coalition dedicated to addressing the challenges faced by employee caregivers, finds that there is a business case for family caregiver-friendly policies, and that such benefits allow caregivers to balance their jobs with other responsibilities. In fact, the study found that for every dollar invested in flextime, businesses can expect a return of between $1.70 and $4.34, and for every dollar invested in telecommuting a return of between $2.46 and $4.45. Spread across employers, this could help mitigate the national productivity loss now epidemic.

Nor is this just an American issue. In Europe, the EU has officially recognized the profound character of this uniquely 21st century challenge by supporting a new CARE (Care and Ageing Reimagined Across Europe) Initiative under their EIT Innovation Program. And in Asia, from Japan to China, South Korea to Singapore, the impact is equally profound.

As Labor Day approaches, lets find ways to be honest about the changing character of work in our 21st century  and recognize that one reason the productivity loss seems to be such a mystery is because few are looking at it through the 21st century aging lens.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
Donald Trump

Donald Trump once bragged about polls constantly  during the Republican primaries, when he was winning.

Lately the Republican presidential nominee has been relatively silent on the matter, as many recent surveys have shown him to be trailing Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee, both nationally and in key swing states. In the absence of positive poll numbers, Trump has taken to suggesting that the election might be "rigged" against him.

On Thursday he touted the results of polls in states that have traditionally voted for Republican presidential candidates, a curious move for the party's nominee at this stage of the general-election race.

"Poll numbers are starting to look very good," Trump tweeted. "Leading in Florida @CNN Arizona and big jump in Utah. All numbers rising, national way up. Wow!"

Arizona is considered a swing state in the 2016 election. But the state had voted for the Republican candidate by wide margins in each of the four previous presidential elections.

And only one recent Florida poll, from Florida Atlantic University, has shown Trump leading in that state. The survey found him up by 2 percentage points, with a margin of error of 2.7 percentage points. All other recent polls from that state have found Clinton leading, some by several points.

Utah is a different story. The heavily Republican-leaning state looks set to hand Trump a blowout win (he was up by 20 points in the latest poll there), but he remains highly unpopular with Utah voters. Only 31% of them said they viewed Trump favorably, but Clinton was even worse off with a 23% favorability rating there.

National polls have been even more troubling for Trump.

While his poll numbers have improved in the past couple of weeks, he still has a long way to go to close the gap with Clinton:

Polls

And a new national poll from Quinnipiac University out Thursday showed Clinton leading Trump by 10 points.

Story continues

NOW WATCH: Trump rips a protester in Pennsylvania: 'Your mother is voting for Trump'





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Everything you need to know about Notre Dame vs. the Orange Saturday in Syracuse, N.Y.
By Claire Milhench

LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Emerging equities were set for their first weekly loss in seven on Friday ahead of a key speech by U.S. Fed chair Janet Yellen, while South Africa's rand and bonds remained under pressure after a tumultuous week.

The benchmark emerging market stocks index edged up 0.1 percent in wafer-thin trading but was on course to end the week down 1.2 percent and in the red for the first time since the start of July.

Traders are now awaiting guidance from Federal Reserve chief Yellen, to see if she will match the rate hike hints of some Fed policymakers in the run up to a central bankers' meeting at Jackson Hole, Wyoming, or take a more cautious line.

"The market is getting more confident on a December rate hike but after such a huge rally, we are seeing a bit of positioning indigestion heading into important events such as Jackson Hole today and the G20 and ECB next week," said Manik Narain, emerging FX strategist at UBS.

"People are booking profits after a strong run and (strains in) South Africa has given them an excuse to do that."

South African assets sold off sharply this week after Finance Minister Pravin Gordhan, who is popular with investors and businesses, was ordered to report to police in an investigation into the tax department.

President Jacob Zuma said he backs Gordhan but says he is powerless to halt the investigation, signalling that a prolonged tussle may be in prospect.

Markit data showed South Africa's five-year credit default swaps up 13 basis points (bps) from Wednesday's close to 256 bps, the highest level since mid-July.

The South Africa rand firmed 0.2 percent but was on track to end the week 5 percent down and sovereign dollar bonds continued to sell off, with the 2025 issue trading at its lowest level in a month.

Narain said the rand had been looking overbought heading into the week's developments, which appeared to signify a rebellion from the pro-Zuma camp in favour of populist policies.

Story continues

"This is all happening ahead of the December 3rd S&P (BBB-) rating review," he added. "The rand is one of the most fundamentally overvalued currencies in EM, so I don't think it's easy to make the case a downgrade is fully priced in."

The Turkish lira also weakened a touch against the dollar after a car bomb killed at least eight people at a police headquarters in the southeast.

This came a day after Turkey's interior minister accused Kurdish militants the PKK of attacking a convoy carrying the main opposition party leader.

Emerging Europe and Asian stock markets delivered a mixed performance with gains of 0.2 percent in Moscow and 0.4 percent in Hong Kong offset by losses of 0.3 percent in Korea and 0.5 percent in Budapest.

Poland's zloty firmed slightly against the euro and Polish bonds held up, shrugging off a warning from ratings agency Moody's that an escalating constitutional crisis in Poland could affect its credit rating.

Warsaw shares slipped 0.2 percent though, taking their losses for the week to over 1.1 percent, roughly double the eastern European region's average.

Back in Africa, Kenya's biggest bank shares tumbled, with KCB and Equity Bank down 10 percent following the government's move earlier this week to cap the level of interest that banks can charge borrowers.

Brazil's real, one of the EM spectrum's best FX performers of the year, firmed 0.15 percent after the Senate began the trial of the suspended President Dilma Rousseff which is expected to culminate in her removal from office next week.

For GRAPHIC on emerging market FX performance 2016, see http://link.reuters.com/jus35t

For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging index performance 2016, see http://link.reuters.com/weh36s

For GRAPHIC on MSCI emerging Europe performance 2016, see http://link.reuters.com/jun28s

For GRAPHIC on MSCI frontier index performance 2016, see http://link.reuters.com/zyh97s

For CENTRAL EUROPE market report, see

For TURKISH market report, see

For RUSSIAN market report, see ) Emerging Markets Prices from Reuters Equities Latest Net Chg % Chg % Chg

on year

Morgan Stanley Emrg Mkt Indx 898.78 +0.68 +0.08 +13.18

Czech Rep 853.10 -2.69 -0.31 -10.79

Poland 1779.06 -2.62 -0.15 -4.31

Hungary 27652.23 -127.39 -0.46 +15.60

Romania 6967.36 +4.97 +0.07 -0.53

Greece 566.96 +1.13 +0.20 -10.20

Russia 967.36 +1.07 +0.11 +27.78

South Africa 46772.34 +12.76 +0.03 +2.13

Turkey 76784.39 -5.50 -0.01 +7.05

China 3070.48 +2.15 +0.07 -13.24

India 27751.28 -84.63 -0.30 +6.26

Currencies Latest Prev Local Local

close currency currency

% change % change

in 2016

Czech Rep 27.01 27.01 +0.02 -0.03

Poland 4.33 4.33 +0.09 -1.55

Hungary 309.20 308.97 -0.07 +1.76

Romania 4.45 4.45 -0.06 +1.48

Serbia 123.22 123.23 +0.01 -1.42

Russia 64.80 64.73 -0.12 +12.58

Kazakhstan 339.06 339.06 +0.00 +0.42

Ukraine 25.43 25.43 +0.00 -5.81

South Africa 14.17 14.20 +0.21 +9.11

Kenya 101.30 101.30 +0.00 +0.89

Israel 3.76 3.76 +0.05 +3.48

Turkey 2.93 2.93 -0.02 -0.59

China 6.67 6.66 -0.18 -2.64

India 67.05 67.01 -0.06 -1.26

Brazil 3.23 3.24 +0.14 +22.52

Mexico 18.39 18.36 -0.18 -6.63

Debt Index Strip Spd Chg %Rtn Index

Sov'gn Debt EMBIG 362 1 .01 7 68.25 1

(Additional reporting by Sujata Rao)
Fugitive U.S. millionaire Jacob "Kobi" Alexander sits with his wife Hanna, as he awaits the start of his extradition hearing in Windhoek, September 17, 2008. REUTERS/Stringer /File Photo

By Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - The former chief executive officer of Comverse Technology Inc pleaded guilty to securities fraud on Wednesday and was ordered detained a decade after fleeing the United States for Namibia to avoid prosecution.

Jacob "Kobi" Alexander, the Woodbury, New York-based software developer's founder, entered the plea in federal court in Brooklyn, after ending his fight to avoid extradition.

Following his plea, the 64-year-old Israeli citizen's lawyers sought his release on a $25 million bond pending his Dec. 16 sentencing. But U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ordered Alexander detained, calling him a flight risk.

"His intelligence and his guile are a clear indication that he can't be trusted," Garaufis said.

Benjamin Brafman, Alexander's lawyer, said he was "bitterly disappointed." It was unclear if Alexander would appeal.

The case was one of the last open U.S. prosecutions arising from government or internal investigations of stock options backdating at over 200 companies, including Comverse, which was acquired in 2013 by former unit Verint Systems Inc (VRNT.O).

In backdating, a company retroactively grants stock options on dates when stock prices are lower, making them more valuable. Concealing the practice through improper accounting is illegal, and can inflate earnings.

In court, Alexander admitted he and other executives from 1998 to 2001 used "hindsight" to select the effective dates for granting options for employees, resulting in misleading statements to investors.

"I deeply regret having participated in this conduct," said Alexander, who faces up to 10 years in prison.

Alexander fled to Namibia with his family in July 2006 amid the investigation, prosecutors said. Charges were announced that August against himself, William Sorin, Comverse's general counsel, and David Kreinberg, its finance chief.

Extradition proceedings were still pending when Alexander reached a deal in May to return to the United States to plead guilty to the single count. He had faced 35 counts.

Story continues

In court, Brafman said Alexander returned "so he would have this nightmare behind him." Alexander's effective exile forced him to attended his parents' funerals by Skype, he said.

Sorin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison. Kreinberg was spared prison after pleading guilty.

While abroad, Alexander agreed in 2009 to pay $60 million to Comverse in connection with shareholder litigation, and to waive over $72 million in claims he had against Comverse.

He settled related civil government lawsuits in 2010, resulting in a $6 million penalty by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.

The case is U.S. v. Alexander, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 06-cr-00628.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; editing by Alan Crosby and Tom Brown)
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By Nate Raymond NEW YORK (Reuters) - The former chief executive officer of Comverse Technology Inc pleaded guilty to securities fraud on Wednesday and was ordered detained a decade after fleeing the United States for Namibia to avoid prosecution. Jacob "Kobi" Alexander, the Woodbury, New York-based software developer's founder, entered the plea in federal court in Brooklyn, after ending his fight to avoid extradition. Following his plea, the 64-year-old Israeli citizen's lawyers sought his release on a $25 million bond pending his Dec. 16 sentencing. But U.S. District Judge Nicholas Garaufis ordered Alexander detained, calling him a flight risk. "His intelligence and his guile are a clear indication that he can't be trusted," Garaufis said. Benjamin Brafman, Alexander's lawyer, said he was "bitterly disappointed." It was unclear if Alexander would appeal. The case was one of the last open U.S. prosecutions arising from government or internal investigations of stock options backdating at over 200 companies, including Comverse, which was acquired in 2013 by former unit Verint Systems Inc . In backdating, a company retroactively grants stock options on dates when stock prices are lower, making them more valuable. Concealing the practice through improper accounting is illegal, and can inflate earnings. In court, Alexander admitted he and other executives from 1998 to 2001 used "hindsight" to select the effective dates for granting options for employees, resulting in misleading statements to investors. "I deeply regret having participated in this conduct," said Alexander, who faces up to 10 years in prison. Alexander fled to Namibia with his family in July 2006 amid the investigation, prosecutors said. Charges were announced that August against himself, William Sorin, Comverse's general counsel, and David Kreinberg, its finance chief. Extradition proceedings were still pending when Alexander reached a deal in May to return to the United States to plead guilty to the single count. He had faced 35 counts. In court, Brafman said Alexander returned "so he would have this nightmare behind him." Alexander's effective exile forced him to attended his parents' funerals by Skype, he said. Sorin pleaded guilty and was sentenced to one year in prison. Kreinberg was spared prison after pleading guilty. While abroad, Alexander agreed in 2009 to pay $60 million to Comverse in connection with shareholder litigation, and to waive over $72 million in claims he had against Comverse. He settled related civil government lawsuits in 2010, resulting in a $6 million penalty by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. The case is U.S. v. Alexander, U.S. District Court, Eastern District of New York, No. 06-cr-00628. (Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; editing by Alan Crosby and Tom Brown)
Astronomers have discovered a galaxy as big as the Milky Way that consists almost entirely of dark matter, a mysterious and invisible substance that scientists have been trying to figure out for decades. Only one-hundredth of one percent of the galaxy is ordinary, visible matter like stars and planets. The other 99.99 percent of the stuff in this galaxy can't be seen.

This dark galaxy, named Dragonfly 44, was first detected in 2015, through the use of the Dragonfly Telephoto Array in New Mexico. With a combination of eight telephoto lenses and cameras, the array is designed to look at objects in space that aren't bright enough to see with other telescopes. [Dark Matter and Dark Energy: The Mystery Explained]

Dragonfly 44 is one of 47 ultradiffuse, or "fluffy" galaxies that Pieter van Dokkum of Yale University and colleagues found in the Coma Cluster, a group of at least 1,000 galaxies around 300 million light-years from Earth. This distance is easily close enough for a telescope to see; the Hubble Space Telescope can see billions of light-years away. But no one had noticed these galaxies hiding in the dark before. Dragonfly 44 was one of the largest and brightest galaxies they found. While it's as big as the Milky Way, it only emits about 1 percent as much light.

Dragonfly 44 is an ultradiffuse, or "fluffy" galaxy discovered in 2015 when astronomers used the Dragonfly Telephoto Array to look at several unidentified blobs in the constellation Coma. (Image credit: P. van Dokkum, R. Abraham, J. Brodie)

A cosmic dragonfly

Astronomers know more about what dark matter is not than what it actually is. See what scientists know about dark matter in this Space.com infographic (Image credit: Karl Tate, Space.com Infographics Artist)

Van Dokkum and his team later realized that there was something very odd about Dragonfly 44: a galaxy that big couldn't possibly hold itself together with so few stars. There wouldn't be enough gravity, and the stars would drift apart. They suspected that dark matter was responsible for holding the galaxy together, and this particular galaxy seemed like it contained a ton of it, so they set out to determine exactly how much.

To investigate the amount of dark matter in Dragonfly 44, the team turned to one of the largest telescopes on Earth, located at the W. M. Keck Observatory in Mauna Kea, Hawaii. They used a tool on the Keck II telescope called the Deep Imaging Multi-Object Spectrograph (DEIMOS) to study the movement of stars in the galaxy.

Motions of the stars tell you how much matter there is," van Dokkum said in a statement. They dont care what form the matter is, they just tell you that its there. In the Dragonfly galaxy stars move very fast. So there was a huge discrepancy: using Keck Observatory, we found many times more mass indicated by the motions of the stars, than there is mass in the stars themselves.

In other words, van Dokkum and his team found evidence of way more mass than they could actually see. Only 0.01 percent of the galaxy is made of ordinary, visible matter: stuff that is made of atoms containing protons, neutrons and electrons. But the other 99.99 percent of Dragonfly 44's mass is the ever-elusive dark matter. Of all the stuff in this Milky Way-size galaxy, we can see almost nothing.

"This has big implications for the study of dark matter," van Dokkum said. "It helps to have objects that are almost entirely made of dark matter so we don't get confused by stars and all the other things that galaxies have. The only such galaxies we had to study before were tiny. This finding opens up a whole new class of massive objects that we can study."

A dirty smudge in space

The team then went to the Gemini Observatory, also in Mauna Kea, to take new photos of Dragonfly 44. Using the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrometer (GMOS), they created a color image of the galaxy. The dim, spheroidal galaxy looks a bit like a dirty smudge on a photo of deep space.

New images from GMOS also revealed a halo of star clusters similar to the halo around the Milky Way. Some researchers believe that dark matter could be responsible for light halos around galaxies. If true, this means that dark matter might not be perfectly dark at all.

Ultimately what we really want to learn is what dark matter is, van Dokkum said. The race is on to find massive dark galaxies that are even closer to us than Dragonfly 44, so we can look for feeble signals that may reveal a dark matter particle.

Email Hanneke Weitering at hweitering@space.com or follow her @hannekescience. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
An Ariane 5 rocket carrying the Boeing-built Intelsat-33 and SSl-built Intelsat-36 satellites lift off Aug. 24.

PLYMOUTH, Massachusetts  A European Ariane 5 rocket on Aug. 24 successfully placed two Intelsat-owned telecommunications satellites into geostationary transfer orbit, a launch that included the second of Intelsat's do-or-die Epic high-throughput satellites.

Operating from Europe's Guiana Space Center on the northeast coast of South America, the Ariane 5 orbited the Intelsat-33e Epic and the Intelsat-36 C- and Ku-band wide-beam satellites in the vehicle's 73rd consecutive success and the fourth in 2016. Both satellites were reported by Intelsat to be healthy in orbit and sending signals.

The Intelsat-36, built by Space Systems Loral of Palo Alto, California, weighed 3,250 kilograms at launch. Carrying a C- and Ku-band payload, the satellite will be co-located with the Intelsat-20 satellite at 68.5 degrees east longitude.

South African direct-broadcast television provider MultiChoice, a long-time Intelsat customer, will use Intelsat-36 to expand its broadcast offering. Intelsat-36 is scheduled to enter service in early October.

Ken Lee, Intelsat senior vice president for space systems, said after the launch that Space Systems Loral built the satellite "in a remarkable 24 months" to keep to the demanding schedule asked of the manufacturing program.

Intelsat-33e is the second of seven Epic-class satellites Intelsat intends to essentially remake the company as it traverses a delicate period of high debt service and low overall revenue growth. It weighed 6,575 kilograms at launch  double the weight of the Intelsat-36  and was in the upper berth on the Ariane 5.

Intelsat-33e, with a high-throughput satellite (HTS) payload including multiple spot beams in Ku-band, will replace Intelsat-904, and provide expanded services, at 60 degrees east.

The Epic HTS payloads are designed to offer lower-cost bandwidth to open new markets to satellite connectivity, including aeronautical and maritime broadband. Intelsat is counting on the Epic series, with two more to launch in 2017, to provide enough product differentiation to allow the company to return to revenue growth and meet its debt obligations.

Intelsat said Intelsat-33 should begin service in early November.

Originally published on SpaceNews.
NASAs Juno spacecraft captured this dual view of Jupiter on Aug. 23, 2016, from a distance of 2.8 million miles (4.4 million kilometers).

NASA's Juno spacecraft is about to get its first up-close look at the king of planets.

At 8:51 a.m. EDT (1251 GMT) on Saturday (Aug. 27), Juno will zoom within 2,600 miles (4,000 kilometers) of Jupiter's cloud tops  closer than the probe is scheduled to come during its entire mission, NASA officials said.

And Juno will have all of its science instruments during Saturday's flyby. This was not the case during the spacecraft's only previous close approach to Jupiter, which occurred July 4 when Juno arrived in orbit around the giant planet.

"Back then, we turned all our instruments off to focus on the rocket burn to get Juno into orbit around Jupiter," Juno principal investigator Scott Bolton, of the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio, said in a statement today (Aug. 26).

"Since then, we have checked Juno from stem to stern and back again," Bolton added. "We still have more testing to do, but we are confident that everything is working great. So for this upcoming flyby Juno's eyes and ears, our science instruments, will all be open. This is our first opportunity to really take a close-up look at the king of our solar system and begin to figure out how he works."

The $1.1 billion Juno mission launched in August 2011, tasked with mapping out Jupiter's magnetic and gravitational fields and determining the planet's interior structure and composition, among other goals.

On July 4, Juno arrived at Jupiter after a nearly five-year deep-space trek. The spacecraft is orbiting Jupiter on a highly elliptical path that goes over the gas giant's poles; Juno is scheduled to make a total of 36 close flybys before its primary mission ends in February 2018, NASA officials said.

During Saturday's close pass, all eight of Juno's science instruments will be collecting data, and the probe's visible-light imager, known as JunoCam, will take close-up photos.

But don't expect to see these shots right away.

"A handful of JunoCam images, including the highest-resolution imagery of the Jovian atmosphere and the first glimpse of Jupiter's north and south poles, are expected to be released during the later part of next week," NASA officials wrote in the same statement.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
A view of the skies over the European Southern Observatory's La Silla Observatory in Chile. At bottom right is Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the sun; at bottom left is the pair of stars called Alpha Centauri A and B.

You can check out the nearby star Proxima Centauri  which hosts a newly discovered, potentially Earth-like planet  during a free webcast by the Slooh Community Observatory tonight (Aug. 26).

The Slooh show features live telescope views of Proxima Centauri, a red dwarf that's the sun's nearest stellar neighbor at just 4.22 light-years away. You can watch the webcast at Slooh.com, beginning at 8 p.m. EDT tonight (0000 GMT on Aug. 27). It should run about 30 minutes. You can also watch the Proxima Centauri show at Space.com, courtesy of Slooh.

On Wednesday (Aug. 24), a team of astronomers announced the discovery of Proxima b, a roughly Earth-mass planet that resides in Proxima Centauri's "habitable zone," the range of distances at which liquid water could exist on a world's surface.

Discovery team member Michael Endl, from the McDonald Observatory at the University of Texas at Austin, will join Slooh host Eric Edelman to discuss the find. Also participating is Lisa Kaltenegger, director of the Carl Sagan Institute at Cornell University in New York, who will discuss what Proxima b means for the search for alien life.

"It's amazing to watch that small, red dot live in the online telescopes every night and imagine the Earth-like world that we now know orbits the star," Slooh astronomer Paul Cox said in a statement. "With the possibility that liquid water exists on Proxima  who knows?  there may be some Centaurian amateur astronomers gazing back at us every night!"

While the Slooh webcast will provide good looks at Proxima Centauri, don't expect to see Proxima b; the planet is too small, and too close to its host star, to spot with current instruments. (However, the huge next-generation telescopes under construction in Chile and Hawaii should be able to do the job, astronomers have said.)

Viewers can ask questions and interact with the host and guests during the show by tweeting @Slooh or by joining in on the live chat on Slooh.com.

Follow Mike Wall on Twitter @michaeldwall and Google+. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook or Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
Venus and Jupiter will appear so close together in the sky this Saturday (Aug. 27) that, from some locations, the two planets will appear to almost touch. But as close as they may appear, these two planets have very distinct images in the public's perception  and that history stretches back centuries and has evolved greatly over time.

Venus and Jupiter were the first two planets to be systematically observed with telescopes. Through his observations in the early 1600s, Galileo Galilei transformed the way humanity saw Venus and Jupiter, and with them, the universe.

"With Galileo, those lights transformed into worlds," Edwin. C. Krupp, director of the Griffith Observatory in Los Angeles, told Space.com. Previously, no one was able to see that the planets weren't just points of light, but disks. [Venus-Jupiter Conjunction 2016: When & How to See It]

Venus and Jupiter will get so close together in the evening sky on Saturday, Aug. 27, that they will appear to almost touch. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope diagram)

Krupp, who has become an expert on ancient astronomy in his 40 years at Griffith, noted that Galileo, with his early telescope, discovered that Venus had phases, just as the moon does, proving once and for all that it was spherical and located closer to the sun than Earth was. This was a major discovery, because it showed that Venus had to be moving around the sun, and between the sun and Earth.

Up to that point, most people thought the Earth was at the center of the solar system, with the sun and planets orbiting Earth. Some of the planets appeared to move in one direction some nights, and then back in the other direction other nights  what is now called retrograde motion.

At the time, this backward motion was explained by epicycles: Each planet had a point that it would swing around, describing a small circle, even as it simultaneously circled the Earth. The system, invented by Ptolemy more than a millennium before, was unwieldy, but it did a decent job of predicting planetary motion. Galileo's observations fit better with the idea that Nicolaus Copernicus proposed in the 16th century: that the Earth and other planets go around the sun.

Galileo also discovered that Jupiter had moons. He found four: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. The names weren't fixed until long after he died, but we still call those four moons the Galilean satellites in his honor.

Galileo's work sparked "a key transformation in human perspective," Krupp said. That transformation was only exceeded, in Krupp's opinion, by the dawn of the so-called space age in the 1950s, when humans could not only study the cosmos, but travel there.

Finding Jupiter's moons put additional cracks in the Earth-centric system of astronomy because astronomers had to acknowledge that the Earth was not the center of all motion, with all heavenly bodies revolving solely around it. Galileo also showed that Earth was no longer the only world that had a moon. If the other planets could have one, Earth was not unique in this regard.

But seeing the planets, even through a telescope, wasn't enough to solve the mysteries of what kinds of worlds these were. And that's where the human imagination filled in the blanks.

Science-fiction writers once predicted that Venus might look like Earth underneath its thick layer of clouds; in reality, the planet is baked dry by a runaway greenhouse effect. (Image credit: NASA/JPL)

Venus: from jungle to hellscape

Krupp noted that before the dawn of the space age, astronomers tended to study stars; in the 1950s, the idea of a planetary scientist was in its infancy. So the very idea of applying models learned from geology on Earth to Venus was unusual.

"Part of it had to do with the relatively small population of astronomers engaged in those problems," he said. "Planetary astronomers were relatively few."

One limitation was technical:the telescopes available in the first half of the 20th century could only pick up so much detail from the ground. Covered in clouds, Venus looked like a featureless, white ball when viewed in optical light from Earth. (The pictures from space probes that show cloud structure are usually shot in ultraviolet light.)

A view of Venus with visible light reveals a smooth, white sphere. The light cannot penetrate the planet's thick cloud layer. (Image credit: NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center)

Without the ability to sample Venus' atmosphere or observe the planet more closely, the best anyone could do was take spectrographs (which can reveal the chemical composition of clouds through the light they reflect) and temperature measurements of Venus. But Krupp said the temperature at the cloud tops of Venus didn't reveal anything about the temperature at the surface. Meanwhile, the composition of the planet's atmosphere was known to be largely carbon dioxide, but that was about all the information that was available until the early 1960s.

Breakthroughs came in the 1960s and 1970s when radar imaging revealed that Venus had a rough surface that was solid, and that the planet rotated very slowly.

Imaginations ran wild. Clouds, of course, had to be made of water, so most of the early ideas about Venus revolved around it being a wet planet.

"I credit Edgar Rice Burroughs," Krupp said, referring to the famed writer who created Tarzan and the Martian warrior John Carter. Burroughs posited that Venus was a jungle planet, but other writers  among them, C.S. Lewis, best known as the author of the "Chronicles of Narnia" series  ran with the ocean world idea. Some authors  notably, science-fiction legend Ray Bradbury  thought Venus might be a rainforest.

A succession of orbiters and landers, mostly the Soviet Union's Venera probes and the U.S.' Mariner missions, put to rest any notion of Venus as a planet that was essentially identical Earth, with a few tweaks. Surface atmospheric pressures on Venus are 90 times those on Earth, and it's hot enough to melt lead and zinc, they found. These missions also revealed that the clouds were largely made of sulfuric acid.

The discoveries showed that Venus was more alien than anyone had thought, and turned the popular imagination elsewhere.

"I think, pre-Venera, there was a lot of speculation about the conditions on the surface," Paul M. Sutter, an astrophysicist at The Ohio State University (and a frequent contributor to Space.com's Expert Voices section), said in an email. "If anything, Venera turned people off to the concept of colonizing or exploring Venus. Perhaps that's why there's so much focus on Mars now."

Jupiter gets a close-up

Jupiter, by contrast, never got quite the science-fictional treatment Venus did. Krupp noted that Jupiter's bands became visible through telescopes in the 17th century. It was pretty clear they were atmospheric, not terrestrial features. Few writers posited adventures on a Jovian surface, he noted, although Jupiter played a somewhat significant role in the 1968 movie "2001: A Space Odyssey" and the accompanying book by Arthur C. Clarke.

A drawing of Jupiter (with stripes) by Giovanni Cassini around 1667. (Image credit: NASA)

"I'd be hard-pressed to think of any [film] that had the impact that ["2001: A Space Odyssey,"] did, that handled Jupiter as a real physical place," Krupp said.

The Pioneer and Voyager probes, and later the Galileo missions, journeyed to this giant planet, and changed human perspectives of Jupiter. More recently, the planet has become a sideshow to its moons.

"The real revelatory image was when the Voyager pictures had just appeared," Krupp said. "I was at this meeting, and they had been put out on the table. We had these prints just sitting there  Europa and Io in front of Jupiter. And in the three-dimensionality of the scene, they suddenly turned into worlds."

Prior to Voyager, nobody thought Jupiter's moons would be very dynamic, Krupp said.

"People thought, just more lumps of rock, like [Earth's] moon, fundamentally the same kind of thing," he said. "[Voyager] really altered once and forever the idea of what worlds in the solar system [are] really about."

Jupiter's moon Io was even the fictional site of a Hollywood film: the 1981 movie "Outland," starring Sean Connery, is a science-fiction version of the 1952 western "High Noon" and takes place on the Jovian satellite.

The four Galilean moons, in order of increasing distance from Jupiter: Io, Europa, Ganymede and Callisto. (Image credit: NASA/JPL/DLR)

Real places

Beyond these two planets' fictional representations, though, science has wrought changes in the way people see and interact with Venus and Jupiter, Sutter said.

"For me, it was the growing realization that these planets are 'alive,'" he said. "They're not just static pictures; [they] change over human timescales. For example, [Jupiter's] Great Red Spot isn't as great as it was 100 years ago. The Venusian atmosphere has complex cycles that we're barely beginning to understand."

The biggest change is making planets into places in the public consciousness, Krupp said. Before Galileo, the planets were mystical objects, he said; now, humans can imagine standing on one.

"We see that they [have] landscapes; we imagine [them] in a far more personal way than was possible before," he said.

You can follow Space.com on Twitter @Spacedotcom. We're also on Facebook & Google+. Original story posted on Space.com.
It might seem odd to talk about the Star of Bethlehem during the month of August, rather than December, when the celebration of Christmas prompts many people to recount the biblical story of three wise men guided to the birthplace of Jesus Christ by a bright object in the sky.

There have been numerous possible scientific explanations of what the Star of Bethlehem may have been. And whether you believe in the story of the star or not, one of those proposed possibilities will play out in the night sky soon after sundown on Saturday evening (Aug. 27): an exceedingly close encounter between the two brightest planets, Venus and Jupiter.

Along the East Coast of the U.S., just before sunset, the two planets will be at their very closest and will come within 4 arc minutes (0.06 degrees) of each other. (For comparison, look for the middle star of the Big Dipper's handle, Mizar. There is a tiny companion star next to it known as Alcor, and separation between the two stars is 12 arc minutes, or 0.2 degrees). [Venus-Jupiter Conjunction 2016: When, Where and How to See It]

Venus and Jupiter will get so close together in the evening sky on Saturday, Aug. 27, that they will appear to almost touch. (Image credit: Sky & Telescope diagram)

Two planets coming this close together makes for a very striking sight, if they do not differ too much in brightness.

It must be remembered that the Chaldeans who occupied Mesopotamia 2,000 years ago were assiduous observers of the night sky and were very familiar with the motions of the sun, moon and planets. They would never simply mistake something like the bright star Sirius or a bright planet as being something out of the ordinary. These ancient stargazers were much better acquainted with the stars and constellations than most people in our 21st century world (thanks largely to the scourge of light pollution, which blocks the stars from view). But if something very rare took place in the sky, the ancient skywatchers would have noticed it immediately.

Saturday's Venus-Jupiter encounter is one of those rare events, and something similar appeared in the sky more than 20 centuries ago.

A rare apparition

Taken literally, the biblical account of the story of the Star of Bethlehem calls for not one, but two "stars." One to be seen at the start of the Magi's journey, while the other appearing to them upon their arrival in Bethlehem.

Interestingly, in August of 3 B.C., Venus and Jupiter were prominent in the predawn eastern sky, and on Aug. 12 they came within just 9 arc minutes (0.15 degrees) of each other as seen from the Middle East. Incidentally, this sign would have been seen by men "in the east," explaining the phrase in the Book of Matthew.

Ten months later, Venus and Jupiter got together again for an even more spectacular encore on June 17, 2 B.C., when at sundown from Babylonia they were separated by just 4 arc minutes of each other, about 35 degrees above the western horizon. As the sky grew dark, the two brightest planets drew closer to each other until finally at 9:15 p.m. local time they drew to within 36 arc seconds (0.01 degree) equal to the mean apparent width of Jupiter as seen through a telescope, at an altitude of 15 degrees above the horizon. To most people, the two planets must have appeared to coalesce into a single "star" somewhat brighter than Venus alone. Eyeglasses were many centuries in the future, so only people with unusually acute vision would have seen the planets separated.

This simulated image shows the separation between Venus and Jupiter on Aug. 27, 2016. The two planets look like one bright spot just above the horizon. For some viewers, the planets will be separated by no more than 1/15th of a degree on the sky. (Image credit: Science@NASA)

The fact that Jupiter and Venus had such a close conjunction at this time in history has led some people theorize that it could be an explanation for the Star of Bethlehem. Space.com makes no such claim, we only point out that such an event is truly eye catching, as skywatchers will have the opportunity to observe this Saturday. [The Brightest Stars in the Sky: A Starry Countdown]

A very challenging observation

It certainly will be interesting to see what kind of spectacle Venus and Jupiter will offer Saturday evening. Unfortunately, unlike 2,000 years ago, seeing the two planets will be a bit of a challenge. Skywatchers who wish to observe the event should make sure they have a clear view of the western horizon, with no tall obstructions, like trees or buildings, to block the view.

Near and along the Atlantic seaboard, about a half hour after sunset, Venus and Jupiter will be difficult to observe, because they will only be about 5 degrees above the horizon, and partly obscured by the bright background of the twilight sky. The planets will be separated by only 5 or 6 arc minutes, and the twinkling caused by Earth's atmosphere, particularly at the horizon, will also make it difficult to distinguish the two planets. Only the sharpest eyes will be able to split them. Farther west, the separation between the two planets will be greater, and for those along the West Coast people with normal eyes should be able to distinguish the two planets, even though the planets will be closer than the stars Mizar and Alcor in the Big Dipper's handle. Wherever you are, binoculars will certainly help you in making a sighting.

Places farther south will see the two planets at a higher altitude. From New York City, Venus and Jupiter will be a mere 5 degrees above the horizon a half hour after sunset. From Brownsville, Texas, or Key West, Florida, the planets will appear twice as high at around 10 degrees. South of the equator, the "double planet" will appear even higher.

From Rio de Janeiro, the planets will appear nearly 20 degrees above the western horizon a half hour after sunset. Remember that your clenched fist, held at arms length, measures approximately 10 degrees. So a half hour after sunset, New Yorkers will see Venus and Jupiter only "half a fist" above the horizon. Those in south Florida and south Texas will see them about "one fist up," while in Rio theyll appear at a more manageable "two fists" up in the western sky.

Sadly, for those living in more northerly locations, it will be very difficult, if not impossible to see the two planets in the twilight. From Edmonton, Alberta, for instance, at a latitude of 54 degrees north, Venus and Jupiter will be sitting on the horizon, about to set out of sight.

In other parts of the world, Venus and Jupiter will appear to come quite close to each other, though not quite as close as Western Hemisphere viewers will see them. Europeans will see them approach to within about 12 or 13 arc minutes of each other. From eastern Asia and Australia, theyll be separated by about half a degree (the apparent width of a full moon), but the closest approach will come on Sunday, not Saturday evening (local time).

How frequent?

I did a computer check to see just how often Venus and Jupiter come within 6 arc minutes of each other, in a dark or twilight sky as seen from North America. We have to go as far back as Nov. 14. 1660, when the two planets were within 6 arc minutes as they rose above the eastern horizon a few hours before sunrise. Our next opportunity will come on the morning of Nov. 22, 2065, when Venus and Jupiter will be merged together as one brilliant singular point of light as they rise above the east-southeast horizon just before sunrise.

Joe Rao serves as an instructor and guest lecturer at New York's Hayden Planetarium. He writes about astronomy for Natural History magazine, the Farmer's Almanac and other publications, and he is also an on-camera meteorologist for News 12 Westchester, N.Y. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
An Atlas V 541 launches NASA's Mars Science Laboratory on Nov. 26, 2011. The same version of the Atlas will launch Mars 2020.

SANTA FE, N.M.  NASA's next Mars rover will fly on the same version of the launch vehicle that launched its predecessor, NASA announced Aug. 25.

NASA awarded a contract to United Launch Alliance for the July 2020 launch of the Mars 2020 rover on an Atlas V 541. The total value of the contract, including payload processing and related services, is $243 million.

Mars 2020 is based on the Mars Science Laboratory mission, which landed the Curiosity rover on the surface of Mars in August 2012. That mission also launched on an Atlas V 541 under a contract awarded to Lockheed Martin, one of the parent companies of ULA, in June 2006 for $195 million, or approximately $232 million in current-year dollars.

The selection of the Atlas V is not surprising, given both the similarities between Mars 2020 and Mars Science Laboratory and the limited launch options available for such spacecraft. Only the Atlas V is certified by NASA to launch payloads carrying radioisotope thermoelectric generators, a nuclear power source that the Mars 2020 rover, like Curiosity, uses.

A NASA official also inadvertently identified the choice of launch vehicle for Mars 2020 a month earlier. "It'll be the Atlas V carrying Mars 2020 to Mars," said Jim Green, director of NASA's planetary science division, at a July 25 meeting of the NASA Advisory Council's science committee. Green corrected himself later in the meeting and said no vehicle had been selected yet for the mission.

Originally published on SpaceNews.
SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft traveled home from the International Space Station today (Aug. 26) and made a successful splashdown in the Pacific Ocean at 11:47 a.m. EDT (1547 GMT). (The pictured craft arrived at the station in April, 2014.)

SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft has safely splashed down in the Pacific Ocean off of Baja California, Mexico. The vessel returned to Earth with more than 3,000 lbs. (1,360 kilograms) of cargo and science experiments, including 12 mice.

The crewless spacecraft was released from the International Space Station earlier this morning by NASA astronaut Kate Rubins and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi using the station's robotic arm. The spacecraft returned to Earth at 11:47 a.m. EDT (1547 GMT) today (Aug. 26), NASA officials said in a statement.

"Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed, carrying thousands of pounds of @NASA science and research cargo back from the @Space_Station," SpaceX officials tweeted.

Space station astronauts packed the capsule with NASA cargo, equipment and research samples making the journey home. After a successful landing in the Pacific Ocean, the spacecraft was retrieved by SpaceX employees and taken by ship to a port near Los Angeles, where some of the cargo was removed to be sent to NASA.

See more

The Dragon space capsule arrived at the space station July 20 carrying experiments, science equipment, tools and supplies for the space station crew. Dragon also delivered a very important piece of hardware: the first of two international docking adapters (IDAs), which will let future spacecraft dock directly with the U.S. segment of the space station.

Among the science materials that returned to Earth in the capsule are 12 mice kept on the space station for 30 days. Now that the animals have returned, researchers plan to analyze DNA from the mice's organs, as well as DNA of the spacefaring animals' offspring. The results of this study will help researchers better understand the effects of microgravity on DNA expression.

Astronauts on the space station had a busy week preparing the Dragon space capsule for its return to Earth, and their work is far from over.

Thursday (Sept. 1), Rubins and Expedition 48 Commander Jeff Williams will head out on another spacewalk to retract a thermal-control radiator that is no longer operable and to install at least one high-definition camera onto the station's exterior. Retracting the radiator will help protect it from space debris and preserve it as a spare for the station, NASA officials said in a briefing.

Williams, who recently set a new American record for most days in space, will return home Sept. 6 with Russian cosmonauts Oleg Skripochka and Alexey Ovchinin.

Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
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With Republicans gleefully attacking Hillary Clinton over the latest episode in the endless email saga and with new revelations about the coziness between the State Department and the Clinton Foundation while she was secretary of state, the last thing the Democratic nominee needed was a broadside from her left flank.

Related: The Other Woman Running for President Starts to Get Noticed

But Green Party nominee Jill Stein went after Clinton this week, telling reporters at the National Press Club its no coincidence that Hillary has the numbers that she has as one of the most untrusted presidential candidates ever, according to The Washington Post.

In fact, Stein seems to have Clinton in her cross-hairs more often than she does Republican nominee Donald Trump. At a CNN town hall on Aug. 17, she said: Part of the problem with Hillarys abuse of the rules  she was sort of too big to jail. And she violated those rules with a sense of impunity and she violated them with a purpose, which she stated herself: She wanted her private information private.

Steins criticism of Clinton goes beyond the email scandal. She told the editorial board of The Washington Post Thursday that more and more Republican officials have landed in Hillarys camp  as the consensus grows that she is the vehicle for the shared Republican and Democratic agenda.

I think we are at a very powerful moment in an election that represents a political realignment, with Republicans having fallen apart, the Democrats moving substantially to the right and showing signs of continuing to do so, she said. We are producing one combined Demo-Republican corporate party right now 

Related: Your Vote for a Third Party Candidate Wont Be a Waste in 2016

A harsh Post editorial that came out of the interview, with the headline Jill Steins fairy-tale candidacy, called the policy proposals of the Massachusetts activist poorly formed and wildly impractical. The editorial also ridiculed Steins statement that the presidency is not rocket science.

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The Green Party has managed to get on the ballot in 36 states, but as of now Stein still will not be an official candidate in the battleground states of Virginia and New Hampshire. And with the Real Clear Politics poll average showing Stein pulling just 4 percent of the vote in November, there is zero chance that she will ever be sitting in the Oval Office. So it remains unclear what her purpose is in making Clinton her No. 1 target.

But the potential voters Stein appeals to  many of them young voters whom Clinton and Trump have had a hard time attracting -- include supporters of Vermont Senator and Clinton primary challenger Bernie Sanders, and since he has not yet been actively campaigning for Clinton, more could drift to the Greens.

However, in an interview with AP on Wednesday, Sanders urged supporters not to switch to Stein  who invited him to join the Green ticket when he lost the Democratic nomination -- or Libertarian candidate Gary Johnson. Sander said he would be stumping for Clinton in the fall, though he has been preoccupied with the rocky launch of the organization he set up to keep his movement going, Our Revolution.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
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On the night after the earthquake, the Bishop of Rienti arrived in Amatrice. Domenico Pompili, a quiet cleric wearing simple black clothing. He viewed the rubble of the town known as "Ciento Chiese," for its 100 churches, one of the prettiest places in Italy. He stood before the 15th century bell tower, where the arm on the clock is frozen at 3:38 a.m., the time of the earthquake.

Only days before, the bishop had been here to consecrate a church. Now he was listening, with bodies of children and seniors within sight, to stories of suffering. Stories like the baker who survived because he was standing in front of the oven when the earthquake struck. His wife and children were sleeping at home: They were pulled dead from the rubble.

It's no longer possible to navigate the streets in Amatrice's historic center. The only way to make one's way through the town -- past the police, fire department, mountain rescue and civil protection emergency vehicles with heavy rescue equipment that are backed up at the entries into the town -- to get an overview of the damage in Amatrice is by motorcycle. The wail of the sirens, the flashing blue of emergency lights, the clatter of rescue helicopters and the barking of search-and-rescue dogs creates an almost obscene contrast to the deadly silence that has crept over the area.

Will Failures of L'Aquila Be Repeated?

The bodies of the victims have been placed in blue plastic bags at the other side of town near the road leading to L'Aquila. The sign pointing to the capital of Abruzzo almost feels like a warning. To this day, the name L'Aquila is synonymous with the government's failures in responding to natural disasters.

Debris still remains from the devastating earthquake that struck L'Aquila on April 6, 2009. Corruption and squabbling among the authorities hindered the rebuilding of the city to the extent that the mayor famously quipped: "If the government wants this city to remain like Pompeii, then they should tell us." There has since been some movement in the city, but some parts of the regional capital still look as though the earthquake struck only recently, despite the billions that have flowed into reconstruction efforts. The awarding of contracts in L'Aquila were tainted by bribe payments, leading to the arrest of local politicians and suspected members of the mafia.

The seven-year long wrangling over the reconstruction effort there is reflective of the fundamental problems Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has been trying to combat for two and a half years now -- corruption, bureaucracy and the close links between local politicians and organized crime. Renzi's government will now be judged on its response to the disaster in Amatrice and the other villages. "Amatrice will determine which face Italy is capable of showing," Renzi said on the day of the disaster. The Italian leader also praised helpers at the scene. "In the most difficult times, Italy shows its best face."

Italy Needs To Do More

The country's leading geoscientists, for their part, would like to see fewer moments in Italy in which the country must show its best face. On risk maps created by seismologists, central Italy has long been colored deep red. Strong earthquakes along the northwest-southeast fault lines of the Apennine mountain range have been a regular occurrence for hundreds of years.

Neither the devastating earthquake in L'Aquila in 2009 nor the one this week came anything close to the magnitude of previous tremblors, and yet they still could have been even more devastating had they occurred in more populous areas. "We geologists have been stressing for years that Italy is far from being a country with a culture of prevention," says Francesco Peduto, president of the Italy's National Council of Geologists.

Domenico Giardini, an Italian professor of seismology and geodynamics at ETH Zurich and director of the Seismic Risk Sector of the Italian High Risk Commission, concurs. "It unfortunately takes an earthquake in Italy before earthquake-proof buildings are constructed," he says. "Earthquakes cannot be prevented, but the total collapse of buildings is preventable."

Scientists, Giardini says, "cannot predict whether an earthquake will happen in one hour or one year, but they can predict with certainty that old buildings will collapse at a strength of 6 on the Richter scale." Why, then, was one of the first buildings to collapse a school that had been refitted with allegedly earthquake-proof reinforced concrete? There will be investigations, but will they yield any results?

Turning Their Backs

The night the earthquake flattened the hamlet of Rocchetta, it startled Andrea Fontanella out of his sleep. He called out to his wife and they both kicked against the door until they were able to free themselves, barefoot and in their pajamas. The building across the street from them had been reduced to a pile of rubble. Andrea could hear whimpering and he heard his neighbor Piero calling for help.

He was trapped under a kitchen shelf and was having trouble breathing. Fontanella, the former police force member, called the federal police's local office in Amatrice and in Rieti at 4 a.m. and then again at 6 a.m., but no one came. He says he demanded to speak to the Comandante Generale, the most senior official. His former colleagues laughed at him, saying they had too much to do that night.

At sunrise, Andrea pulled an unconscious Piero out of the mountain of rubble himself, over there, Andrea says, pointing at the hole in the debris. Piero is now at a hospital in Rome and is doing better.

Rome is also where Andrea and his wife now want to go. They want to turn their backs on Rocchetta for good.
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Aug 26, 2016) - Lithium Americas Corp. (the "Company" or "LAC") (LAC.TO)(LACDF) is pleased to provide an update on the Cauchari-Olaroz Lithium Project ("Cauchari") joint venture with Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. ("SQM") in Jujuy province, Argentina.

The Board of the joint venture company, Minera Exar S.A. ("Minera Exar"), has recently been authorized to proceed with development planning for 50,000 tonnes per annum ("tpa") of lithium carbonate equivalent ("LCE") production capacity from Cauchari based on the following parameters: (i) a two stage development consisting of an initial phase at 25,000 tpa LCE capacity, followed by a second stage at 25,000 tpa LCE capacity; and (ii) a timeline targeting full stage one production during 2019.

Tom Hodgson, Chief Executive Officer of LAC, commented, "This new guidance is another exciting step forward in the project and a tangible example of what we hoped to achieve in the JV. The SQM technical team, with decades of development and operating experience, has analyzed existing and new data and collectively we have set a course of development that we believe will materially de-risk the advancement of Cauchari and enhance the project economics. Construction on a work camp, project roads and drilling platforms has commenced, and long lead items such as earth moving trials and pond liner tests are scheduled. Additional near term investment is expected as the exploration and development program is expanded. The decision to advance the project in a staged approach should reduce financing and shareholder dilution risks and represents the most sustainable approach to development of the Cauchari-Olaroz basin, consistent with our corporate mission."

About the Company

The Company is developing the Cauchari-Olaroz Lithium Project, located in Jujuy province, Argentina, in a joint venture with SQM, and the Lithium Nevada project in Nevada, USA, with the intent to become a major supplier of lithium products. In addition, Lithium Americas is a supplier of organoclay products and specialty drilling additives for the oil and gas and other industries.

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Forward-looking statements

Statements in this release that are forward-looking information, including statements about development planning targets and timing for production, are subject to various risks and uncertainties concerning the specific factors disclosed here and elsewhere in the company's periodic filings with Canadian securities regulators. When used in this document, the words such as "believe", "estimated", "explore," "intent", "should" and similar expressions is forward-looking information. Information provided in this document is necessarily summarized and may not contain all available material information.

All such forward-looking information and statements are based on certain assumptions and analyses made by Lithium Americas management in light of their experience and perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, as well as other factors management believes are appropriate in the circumstances. These statements, however, are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking information or statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements include those described under the heading "Risks Factors" in the Lithium America's most recently filed Annual Information Form. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any obligation to, update or revise the forward-looking information contained in this news release, except as required by law. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking information or statements.
SPIEGEL: So what would you say was executed wrong by the US government?

Wolfowitz: I think a number of things should have been done differently. It took us too long to develop a counterinsurgency strategy. If we had stabilized Iraq in 2005 the way we eventually did in 2008, we'd be talking about a completely different situation today.

SPIEGEL: As a consequence of the policies pursued under Bush, President Obama has acted even more carefully and defined a new doctrine: "Don't do stupid shit." After the Bush administration's interventionism, he countered it with "Obama realism."

Wolfowitz: It reminds me of Mark Twain, who said: If a cat sits on a hot stove once, it will never sit on a cold one either. I think Obama sees everything through one lens. Doing nothing in the face of the slaughter in Syria is not only shameful, it is unrealistic. This approach leaves Syria as a broken country and a breeding ground for extremists for decades. Instead of focusing on Iraq in 2003, Obama should have thought more about what happened there in 1991. In the north, we protected the Kurds -- in the south, we were not intervening while the Shia were slaughtered and gassed by Saddam Hussein. To stay back from an intervention is not always a good solution.

SPIEGEL: Meanwhile, structures of IS are being relatively successfully attacked in Iraq and Syria. However, the ideology seems harder to destroy in this way.

Wolfowitz: I agree that there is an ideological issue that is huge. In that respect, the Arab Spring was a missed opportunity. To allow Syria to get to the point that it is at today has been a terrible defeat for moderate Muslims all around the world. Other failures were not to follow up and create stability in Libya (after Gadhafi), as well as the fact that Egypt has gone in the wrong direction. If the Arab world today looked like Tunisia, it would be a huge blow for the extreme ideologies. But Tunisia needs more support than it is getting, particularly from their close neighbors in Europe who have a great stake in North Africa.

SPIEGEL: Paris, Brussels, Orlando, Nice -- is the West threatened even more today by terrorists than it was 15 years ago?

Wolfowitz: Fifteen years ago, we had 3,000 people killed in a single day. We had a very real concern that terrorists were going to get their hands on anthrax or sarin. The fact that that hasn't happened is itself an achievement. But, obviously, these so-called smaller attacks are a problem. People change their habits. I know Americans who don't go to Paris because they think it is too dangerous. I think that is an overreaction. Countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh have been living with this level of terrorism for a long time. But life goes on.

SPIEGEL: Recently, 50 former senior Republican security officials declared Donald Trump to be a security risk. Is he?

Wolfowitz: Yes, he is.

SPIEGEL: Why?

Wolfowitz: He says he admires Putin, that Saddam Hussein was killing terrorists, that the Chinese were impressive because they were tough on Tiananmen Square. That is pretty disturbing.

SPIEGEL: Do you think it's time for people like you to speak out against Trump?

Wolfowitz: It's complicated. Trump says that it is precisely we and our policies that are responsible for the mess in Iraq. But I certainly think it's important to speak up and say how unacceptable he is. I'm always more than willing to do that.

SPIEGEL: Are you afraid of the possible consequences a Trump presidency would have on foreign and security policy?

Wolfowitz: The only way you can be comfortable about Trump's foreign policy, is to think he doesn't really mean anything he says. That's a pretty uncomfortable place to be in. Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Trump mainly shows contempt for them. And he seems to be unconcerned about the Russian aggression in Ukraine. By doing this he tells them that they can go ahead and do what they are doing. That is dangerous.
Because it is running out of troops, however, Assad's army in July began recruiting a new militia as part of the "National Defense Force" from Sunni tribes in Hasakah -- fighters from the same clans that were involved in earlier plundering and killing of local Kurds when they rose briefly in 2004. The Kurds haven't forgotten and within days, the situation escalated, with the two sides firing on each other and the Kurds conquering almost the entire provincial capital, likewise named Hasakah. Then on August 18, the Syrian air force bombed Kurdish positions in the region for the first time in five years.

The air strikes didn't have much impact on the local fighting, but they completely altered the international balance of power. Though Turkey has long been fighting against Syrian President Assad, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recognized that the Syrian strikes against the Kurds could be useful. As a leading member of Erdogan's Justice and Development Party formulated it in June: "Ultimately, Assad is a killer and tortures his own population. But he doesn't support Kurdish autonomy. We abhor one another, but in this respect, we are pursuing similar policies."

Assad's attack on the Kurds also facilitated rapprochement between the Turkish and Russian governments on the Syrian question. Ankara and Moscow have long been far apart on Syria. Erdogan has been demanding Assad's deposition since 2011 and finances some rebel groups. Russian President Vladimir Putin, meanwhile, has preferred to prop up the Assad regime in the hopes of a more orderly transition of power. But the ice age between Erdogan and the West, which has only become colder since the recent putsch attempt in Turkey, has once again made Russia a potential ally for the Turks.

Dropping the Kurds

On the other hand, the Kremlin is no longer making much progress towards its own vision for Syria. The Russian air force, to be sure, has been effective in propping up Assad's rump empire despite ground troops from Iran, Afghanistan and elsewhere doing their best to defeat him. But Bashar Assad has refused to make even the tiniest of concessions. His renewed military strength is entirely the product of Russian support and Moscow's plan was not to dump him, but to present him as an example of their own successful strategy of intervention.

Were Turkey to accept a transition goverment under Assad's leadership, this would be easier to achieve. Assad would never step down on his own, but the Russians would be in a position to swap him out with a favorable general at their convenience. That would clear the way for an international agreement -- with the West likely footing the bill for Syrian reconstruction -- and for Russia's departure from Syria.

Turkish support would make the plan easier to achieve -- and such support appears to be forthcoming: Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said last weekend that Turkey would tolerate an Assad-led transition government. The deal would involve concessions for Turkey in exchange for Ankara's agreement that Assad could remain in power for the time being. Russia, meanwhile, would then drop the Kurds as an ally, a partnership that only came into being last autumn.

In the tactical shifting of alliances in Syria, the Kurds had hoped to be the cleverest player. Now, however, it looks as though they may have risked too much.

To make matters worse for the Kurds, their relations with the US have likewise deteriorated rapidly, despite being Washington's closest ally in the fight against Islamic State. After pushing IS out of its own areas, Kurdish fighters did not, as had been agreed with the US, turn their attentions to the de facto IS capital of Raqqa but opted instead to head in the opposite direction and push IS out of the Arab city of Manbij before heading north to Jarabulus, another predominantly Arab city.

From the Turkish perspective, any further Kurdish advance west of the Euphrates River crosses a red line -- and the Turkish name for the tank operation in northern Syria, Euphrates Shield, indicates as much. The US is likewise uninterested in seeing the Kurds conquer additional Arab cities. "We've put a lid on the Kurds moving north," a US government official told the Wall Street Journal this week, "or at least doing so if they want any support from us, which I think is a fairly significant piece of leverage."

The Turkish operation in Jarabulus also received US air support and US Special Forces are thought to have participated. Furthermore, just hours after the invasion, US Vice President Joe Biden landed in Ankara in an attempt to smooth over tense relations between the two countries. The upshot, though, was that on the ground south of Jarabulus, the sudden change of course very nearly led to two American-supported groups firing on each other.

Miscalculation

The recent events mark an unfortunate example of history repeating itself -- of the PKK allowing itself to be used by the Syrian regime only to be dropped at the whim of Damascus. For many years beginning in the 1980s, Assad's father and predecessor Hafez Assad allowed the PKK to maintain a presence in the Syrian-occupied Bekaa Valley in Lebanon. But when Turkish tanks appeared on Syria's northern border in 1998, Hafez turned his back on the Kurds and the PKK had to abandon its Bekaa Valley camps. That marked the beginning of Ocalan's odyssey across the world, which ended with his arrest by Turkish special forces in Kenya.

Now, it looks as though the PKK has once again miscalculated. The group had hoped to take advantage of the US and Russian battle against IS to establish a Kurdish state in northern Syria. And Russia had been happy to use the Kurds to pressure the Turks. Now that Moscow has achieved its goal, though, it looks to be abandoning the PKK.

On Wednesday, Shirwan Darwish, spokesman for the Kurdish military leadership in Manbij, issued a threat to Turkey during a conversation with DER SPIEGEL. "We have established our defensive lines on the Sajur River (west of the Euphrates) and will defend ourselves against anyone who even comes close to this line. It has been drawn with the blood of our martyrs."

Most of the residents who fled Jarabulus, the majority of whom are Arabs, see the situation a bit differently. "If you liberate an area, that doesn't mean that it subsequently belongs to you," says Darwish Chalifa, a local politician. "The majority of the people here are for the Free Syrian Army and against Assad. We hope that our Kurdish brothers understand that and don't begin fighting against us."

The fact that Assad's air strikes targeting the YPG were close to a US Special Forces camp has finally moved the US to prevent all Syrian planes from flying into the region -- "that is extremely positive," says Chalifa.

"As soon as the situation has calmed down, we want to go back home," says Ahmed Abd al-Hossein, a member of the city's former municipal government. "We've been preparing for months and have established a stabilization committee for several villages. First, we intend to evaluate the damage that has been done and then to meet with international aid organizations next week to determine what is needed. The FSA has promised to withdraw, with the exception of one small unit, and then we plan to open up a police station."

Under the Eyes of the Russians

City elections are expected to be held soon. A naive hope maybe, but it at least offers a clear perspective. For the larger protagonists in the region, it isn't yet clear whether they will profit from the recent changes or not.

Islamic State, which all sides insist is the true enemy, has lost Jarabulus and will quickly be forced to give up its last bastions on the Turkish border

That will likely mean that the willingness of the Kurds to attack the IS stronghold of Raqqa on behalf of the West has sunk dramatically.

Syrian rebels are rejoicing over the successful invasion. But a rude awakening could be on the horizon when Turkey turns its back on them so it can join Assad in the battle against the Kurds.



Turkey has improved its relations with Russia and the US and put a halt to the Kurdish advance. But the conflict may now flare in Turkey. Already, several hundred people have been killed there in recent months in skirmishes between the Turkish military and the PKK.



Bashar Assad has now added the Kurds to his list of enemies, but Turkey isn't as great of an enemy as it used to be. His fate, though, remains in the hands of Moscow.



And the US now has the problem of having two allies in Syria who actually would like to shoot at each other.

The Russians would seem to have gained the most, and the Kurds look to be on the opposite end of that spectrum.

The fighting in Hasakah, where it all began, was hastily brought to an end on Tuesday. Emissaries from the government in Damascus and YPG representatives agreed to put a stop to the skirmishes. Furthermore, the only road to Qamishli is to be reopened: Assad's troops still control part of the town in addition to its airport, which is the only airfield in northeastern Syria.

Negotiations for the agreement took place at the Russian air force base at Khmeimim, which has long since become a second center of power for the Assad regime. It is here where the government leads talks with all manner of Syrian groups -- under the close watch of the Russians.
A drunk co-pilot, who was arrested after a colleague noticed his bizarre behavior, has been fired by Talon Air. Early Thursday morning, Captain Manny Ramirez was about take off in a charter plane with a co-pilot at Cherry Capital Airport in Grand Traverse County, Michigan when he noticed something was wrong.

According to Traverse City police Capt. Kevin Dunklow, Ramirez realized that his co-pilot whose identity has not been revealed was acting strangely and took action. The plane was heading to Bedford, Massachusetts.

Authorities were called to the aircraft where the suspected drunk pilot was removed and asked to take a breath test that revealed a blood-alcohol level of 0.30, nearly four times the legal threshold for drunken driving. The pilot was arrested. The 12 passengers were taken off the plane as police investigated the matter.

Talon Air rapidly moved to fire him. In a statement the company also praised Ramirez for his quick thinking. The statement read:

We are very proud of Captain Manny Ramirez immediate action in detecting the co-pilots condition and removing him from his position.This is yet another example of Talon Airs safety procedures working effectively on behalf of our clients and for airport safety. The individual in question has been immediately terminated.

The accused pilot, 35, is from Florida and is in the Grand Traverse County jail awaiting arraignment, which could come as early as Friday. He has refused to talk to the media about the incident. According to experts:

Michigan law prohibits flying an airplane under the influence of alcohol. Pilots or crew members cannot fly if their blood-alcohol content is 0.02 percent or more, or within eight hours of drinking alcohol. A conviction on the misdemeanor charge is punished by up to 93 days in jail.

Mr. Dunklow also issued a statement detailing the surprising arrest:

Police received a call Thursday morning after dispatchers for Talon Air, the flights operator, contacted airport tower personnel. They did so after the pilot called the companys dispatchers to report that his co-pilot was acting odd. Police found the co-pilot,sitting in the co-pilot chair preparing for take-off with his headset on. Police escorted him off the plane and performed a field-sobriety test. A preliminary breath test showed the co-pilot had a blood-alcohol content of 0.30. Police took the co-pilot to Munson Medical Center for a blood draw, and he is being held at the Grand Traverse Countys jail.

Airport Director Kevin Klein spoke to local media saying that stories of drunken pilots getting arrested at his airport are rare. He shared:

Ive been here since 2002, and its the first time its happened that I know of.

Klein wrote an incident report that said:

Airport operations personnel were headed to the parked plane when an Avflight ground crewmember told them that something was not right with one of the pilots, but they didnt smell alcohol in his presence.

Elizabeth Cory, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman, said the pilot could lose his license and added:

A pilots license is a combination of a medical certificate, and a knowledge certificate similar to what youd have for driving a car.This type of event causes a reexamination of the medical certificate. The FAA would encourage a pilot involved in such an incident to seek treatment, and monitor that treatment as part of their medical certification reapplication. The administration decides on a case-by-case basis whether to suspend a pilots license. Pilots are obligated to be fit for duty when they report. That includes being well-rested and drug- and alcohol-free. Its up to the airline whether a pilot or other employee is obligated to report their coworkers suspected intoxication.

In late May, American Airlines co-pilot John Maguire made headlines after it was discovered that he was drunk like a sailor on board a Detroit-to-Philadelphia flight at Detroit Metro Airport

The pilots blood-alcohol level was twice the legal limit, according to Detroit police.
KUHN is currently in the process of recruiting eight new members of staff to its UK structure and has appointed two non-inversion crop establishment experts and a parts and Amenity Pro specialist. Two additional sales specialists, two product specialists and a second parts and Amenity Pro specialist are still to be recruited with interviewing currently ongoing.

Non-inversion crop establishment experts

Marcus Ainley and Will Waterer have been appointed as KUHNs new non-inversion crop establishment experts and will provide a key sales support to KUHNs dealers and customers.

Marcus Ainley joins KUHN from Sands Agricultural Machinery Ltd where he held the role of Area Sales Manager. Prior to that he was employed by Sumo UK Ltd, initially as a product demonstrator and latterly as the companys drill specialist.

Marcus has 30 years experience within the arable machinery sector, including the management of a 1,200 acre arable farm, and is a former Bishop Burton College student.

Will Waterer is an experienced agricultural machinery sales manager, specialising in crop establishment and conservation agriculture as well as professional work including dealer development and sales training. He joins KUHN from Mzuri where he was sales manager with a specific remit for the day to day management of dealer sales across the east of England and export.
The traditional opener to Skiptons 2016 breeding sheep season attracted a full ringside of both regular local and new customers, some of whom had travelled quite a distance looking for quality sheep.

Continental sheep were in great demand, especially the good sorts, with Texels up 35.71 per head on average to stand at 155.44 across the board. Mule sheep were also better to sell on the year and a healthy average of 138.48 was recorded, up almost 15 on 2015.

The annual highlight featured three show classes for pens on ten, with the red rosette in the Mule section going to the Ribble Valleys John and Beth Greenhalgh, and their daughter Anne, from Rugglesmere Farm, Bashall Eaves, Clitheroe.

It was the third time in recent years they had won the class at the opening fixture, receiving the Edgar Boothman Memorial Trophy, presented in the ring by his nephew Thomas Boothman, of Linton. Their latest victors sold for a section-topping 215 each to Leicestershire buyer Warwick Gill.

The Greenhalgh family  John is still going strong at the age of 82  were represented with their entire 97-strong consignment of 2016 Mule gimmer shearlings, a good number of which were acquired as gimmer lambs at Skipton. They averaged 162.97 per head overall. The Greenhalghs say they will be back at Skipton in the near future to source more gimmer lambs.

Another Ribble Valley farming family, brothers Peter, Edward and Robert Fox, of Withgill, Clitheroe, who presented the first prize Mules last year, were again to the fore at the latest renewal when consigning the second and third prize pens, which sold at 172 and 190 per head respectively. They also had a third pen at 172.

Pure-bred Texels from Lambert and Joy Coverdale and their son, also Lambert, from Crimple Meadow Farm, Beckwithsaw, Harrogate, took first prize honours in the Continental show class, selling for 170 each to Mark Crabtree, of Kettlesing.

All were home-bred by a Wigglesworth Spellbound-sired tup from David Towells Moor Top flock at Upper Leys Farm, Glusburn Moor. Spellbound has produced multiple show champions and high-priced progeny for Mr Towell, among them many frontrunners at Skipton.

Mr Coverdale said:

I never for one minute thought I would win first prize here with a commercial packet of sheep. We have won before with single animals, but to do so with a pen of ten is very satisfying. We have more to come.

The Continental class also produced the days highest price of 240 per head for the second prize pen of Beltex-cross-Texel from Ruth Thorpe, of Balderstone, Sheffield. They sold locally to Harold Peel, of Embsay.

Standing third in class was Henry Atkinson, of Felliscliffe, Harrogate, with a Texel-cross-Beltex pen that made 200 each.
Since 1971, August 26 has been Women's Equality Daya date chosen to commemorate the passage of the 19th Amendment.

In a year when the Unites States has seen its first female presidential candidate, it seems appropriate to celebrate this day.
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Connecticut Republicans moved to strip former Congressman Christopher Shays of the state partys highest honor this week in retribution for his pledge of support for Hillary Clinton against Donald Trump.

GOP leaders briefly entertained a motion Wednesday night to rescind the Prescott Bush Award that was presented to Shays in the early 1990s, Hearst Connecticut Media has learned. The honor is named after the late patriarch of the Bush political dynasty, which has overwhelmingly rejected Trump.

But the unprecedented measure was ultimately withdrawn from consideration by the 72-member Republican State Central Committee, with opponents arguing that it would draw negative attention to the party.

That did not stop GOP leaders from admonishing Shays, who represented the southwestern part of the state in Congress from 1987 until he lost in the 2008 tsunami of Barack Obama.

It shows total contempt for the Connecticut primary voters for any Republican to come out and say theyre supporting Hillary Clinton after Donald Trump won overwhelmingly in the primary, said Andy Wainwright, a State Central Committee member from Stamford and alternate delegate for Trump to this summers GOP national convention in Cleveland.

Standing his ground

Shays stood by his endorsement earlier this month of Clinton, which put the political maverick back in the national spotlight, including appearances on MSNBC and CNN.

Our party has lost its way, said Shays, who was aware of the reprisal attempt. So I guess the only thing that they could take from me is that I have a plaque. What they cant take away ... was a recognition for what I had done for the party back then.

This is not the first time Shays has infuriated Republicans when it comes to the Clintons. In 1998, he voted against the impeachment of President Bill Clinton during the Monica Lewinsky scandal.

Chris has been an apologist for the Clintons criminal activity for decades, said Edward Dadakis, a State central member from Greenwich. The Republican Party has done a lot for him over many years. The least he can do is say, thank you, and keep his mouth shut. But stripping him of an old Bush dinner award makes no sense, and thats why state central took no action.

The Bush Award, named for the late U.S. Sen. Prescott Bush, the father of former President George H.W. Bush and grandfather of former President George W. Bush, is presented for distinguished service to the GOP during the state partys annual fundraising dinner in the late spring.

Past recipients include Linda McMahon, the former WWE chief executive and two-time Senate candidate; former Gov. M. Jodi Rell and former state Senate Minority Leader John McKinney.

The list, as Shays pointed out, also includes former Gov. John G. Rowland, who resigned from office in 2004 and went to prison for accepting bribes from state contractors.

No, Im not an apologist for the Clintons, but Im faced with the fact that my party has nominated a very dangerous candidate to be president of the United States, Shays said. To me, there is no comparison between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. ... Donald Trump has no moral compass and Hillary Clinton has a very shaky moral compass.

How can you support her?

The motion to strip Shays of the partys highest honor was introduced by Westport Republican Allen Levy, who was an alternate delegate for Trump at the national convention in July. A request for comment was left Friday for Levy.

Allen is fairly right-wing kind of guy, very comfortable with Trumps outrageous behavior, Shays said. He actually called me when Trump was at Sacred Heart (University, on Aug. 13) and clearly had his speakerphone and said, I understand youre supporting Hillary. He said, How can you support her? I thought, hes one reason why Im happy to be supporting Hillary Clinton.

Shays endorsement of Clinton is reminiscent of estranged Democrat Joe Liebermans embrace of GOP Senate colleague John McCain during the 2008 presidential race. During this years primary, which Trump won by a landslide in Connecticut, Shays backed former House colleague and Ohio Gov. John Kasich.

Shays, a former Bridgeport resident who grew up in Darien and represented Stamford in the state Legislature, has had his share of differences with the Clintons as well. When Hillary Clinton was in the Senate, she campaigned multiple times for Democrat Diane Farrell against Shays. Shays has also referred to Clinton as an enabler of her husbands immorality.

State GOP Chairman J.R. Romano said he was disappointed the inner-workings of party meetings were getting more attention than the ongoing military confrontation between the U.S. and Iran.

neil.vigdor@scni.com; 203-625-4436; http://twitter.com/gettinviggy
STAMFORD  As many as 3,000 residents are expected to register to vote before the presidential election, many of them millennials who will cast ballots for the first time.

Were expecting people of all ages, said Ron Malloy, Democratic registrar of voters, but, in particular, young ones because theyre new to the city.

The number of expected new voters represents about 5 percent of the current voter roll. Stamford has 60,429 registered voters  25,143 Democrats, 21,245 unaffiliated and 12,963 Republicans, as well as a small number registered with third parties. The new voters could register with any party or choose to be unaffiliated.

Millennials and college-age voters from Stamford who will be away from home during the election may vote by absentee ballot. The town clerks office handles absentee ballots, which are counted by the registrars.

This election has woken up the younger generation, Norwalk Town Clerk Richard McQuaid said. Absentee voters are going to be important this time because of college students.

The latest Quinnipiac University poll has Hillary Clinton leading Donald Trump by 10 percentage points nationally in a survey of likely voters. Clinton polled at 51 percent to Trumps 41 percent.

Young voters

Anne Caldwell, 18, voted for the first time in the Democratic primary in April. She will attend Syracuse University in the fall and wants to make sure her voice is heard as an absentee voter.

I dont like how its going, Caldwell said of the election. I dont think theres a good choice, just because theres Trump and all his madness, and he lies a lot, and then theres Hillary who lies a lot, too. Its just not good.

There are plenty of resources to learn about candidates policies, so there is no excuse not to vote, she said.

I dont think thats making a statement, she said. Choosing nothing isnt really a choice. Someones going to be chosen.

Caldwell said she reminds her friends to vote and hopes for progress on issues that include the national debt, gun control and racial tension.

Sonam Katira, 17, valedictorian of Norwalk High Schools Class of 2016, will attend Northeastern University in the fall to study engineering. She is not yet registered, but plans to do that and apply for an absentee ballot before she leaves for school.

Katira plans to vote for Clinton.

I believe its better to have a qualified president than to have someone with no experience as president, she said. If Donald Trump is elected, I dont know what the future will entail.

Priyanka Thakkar, 18, is registered to vote, but since shes attending the University of Connecticut in Storrs, she doesnt plan to apply for an absentee ballot.

I dont fully support either candidate, but I would say I support Clinton before Trump, Thakkar said. I think our generation is a lot more educated about voting and a lot more aware, especially through social media and the easy access to information. However, I do think some students do pass up the opportunity just because they dont think its important enough or their vote isnt going to count.

How to Register to Vote

Residents may register at voterregistration.ct.gov or by filling out a voter registration form, available at the offices of the town clerk or registrars. Both are on the ground floor of the Stamford Government Center, 888 Washington Blvd.

Once registered, voters qualify for absentee ballots if they will be out of town during voting hours on election day. To vote by absentee ballot, they must complete the application available at the town clerks office or at stamfordct.gov.

After the application is processed, the voter will be sent an absentee ballot 31 days before the general election. To be counted in the election, it must be returned in person or by mail by the close of polls on election day.
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DANBURY, Conn.  The Connecticut State College and University system's finance committee gave approval Thursday to offer in-state tuition to prospective Western Connecticut State University students of seven New York counties in the Hudson Valley.

The program, however, must first be approved by the CSCU Board of Regents before it is enacted at the university. The program would begin Fall 2017 if approved.

WCSU Director of University and Community Relations Paul Steinmetz said while the pilot project is not a done deal yet, it's an option that can potentially bring a large area into WCSU's fold.

"Danbury and western Connecticut, and Putnam and Westchester counties have had a relationship already built. Residents of each go to stores and retailers in the part of the same region, but it has a state line through it. It tends to stop initiatives like this," Steinmetz said. "The Hudson Valley would be in our traditional enrollment area if it wasn't for the state line."

The plan also represents a chance to capture a declining age demographic, Steinmetz added.

"In Connecticut the traditional high school age, college-age student is declining. We need to expand our reach. We're doing this for all the other Connecticut state universities to show whether it's possible. If it works for us it can work for them too," he said.

CSCU Director of Communications Maribel La Luz said the program is something that could potentially be brought to other CSCU campuses as well.

"This is an example of us trying something new. We hope it will be a model, that's why it's a pilot program. So we can try it and learn from it," La Luz said. "There's a couple of other institutions that are interested in doing this as well. We're going to see how this goes."

The plan could drop tuition for certain students from New York from $8,441 a semester to $2,608, not including other fees.

About 250 students, or 4.4 percent, of WCSU's Fall 2015 undergraduate class are from New York, according to the university. WCSU also enrolls more New York students than the system's other three universities.

Enrollment at the campus, however, has been on a decline. Between the Spring 2016 and 2015 semesters, enrollment sank 3.3 percent. Between the Fall 2015 and 2014 semesters, the rate dropped 2.1 percent.

One potential cause for the drop could be a cost barrierin the form of the New York state borderthat cuts WCSU's reach short.

"This is a pretty good opportunity for us to make our case to more students and to lower that cost barrier that we think stands in the way and prevents more New York students from coming here," Steinmetz said.

The efforts are part of a broader plan to increase the appeal of schools that are part of CSCU across the region.

The CSCU system implemented a similar two-year pilot program at Asnuntuck Community College, in Enfield, last June. The plan also offered in-state tuition to nearby Massachusetts students. Asnuntuck has seen similar drops in enrollment between Spring and Fall semesters of about 2 percent.

"There's a lot of competition out there for students so we want to try something we haven't tried before," La Luz said. "We're really excited about this."

The impact of Asnuntuck's program won't be released for another week or so, according to La Luz, but she said she has heard positive results thus far.

Local students shouldn't become fearful that out of state residents will increase competition for their enrollment, Steinmetz noted. He said the push for more New York students wouldn't impact Connecticut residents negatively.

"Our Connecticut residents are always going to get first shot here," Steinmetz said. "There are no Connecticut people that are going to be shoved out because we're bringing in New York people. We have excess capacity here."
A n investment fund run by the Chief Commissioner of the Scouts raised 61 million today by floating on Londons junior market to fuel its emerging-markets investments.

Guernsey-based APQ Global, run by chief executive Wayne Bulpitt, has joined AIM with a 78 million market value after placing shares at 100p. They edged up on debut to 101p.

Bulpitt is better known as the first UK Chief Commissioner of the Scout Association, having been a Scout since he was eight.

He also founded Active Group, the financial support services firm.

The fund was set up by chairman Bart Turtelboom, the former boss of emerging markets at GLG Partners and before that Morgan Stanley.

APQ, which is backed by Old Mutual and the Merseyside Pension Fund, has bought the APQ Alexandria fund from Turtelboom, who is also APQ Globals joint majority shareholder.

APQ Globals management team is of the view that emerging markets will offer tremendous opportunities in the years ahead, Turtelboom said.
O ne of the worlds biggest infrastructure investors is betting against the stock-market performance of Balfour Beatty, the UKs largest building contractor  despite both playing key roles in the redevelopment of Stratford.

The Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPP), Canadas state-owned pension fund which manages almost C$300 billion (176 billion) of assets, has built a 0.5% short position worth 10 million in the hope of profiting from a share price decline from the FTSE 250 firm.

It is the first time CPP, which has a stake in the UKs biggest port operator Associated British Ports, has shorted a British construction or infrastructure company, say Financial Conduct Authority filings.

Unlike most pension funds, CPP and other Canadian funds are active investors and directly back huge infrastructure projects. Both Balfour and CPP have been at the centre of Stratfords regeneration.

The pension fund bought a 25% stake in Westfield Stratford City in 2010, a year before the shopping centre was opened on the edge of the Olympic Park.

Balfour converted the Olympic Stadium into the new home of West Ham United and was also behind the Olympics Aquatics Centre. CPP declined to comment on its reason for the short.

Balfours first-half results last week beat analysts forecasts. Broker Numis called it a turning point for the company, which has been hit by a series of profit warnings in the past few years.

Carillion, which failed two years ago to merge with Balfour, has been targeted by short-sellers and remains one of the most shorted stocks on the LSE.

It is CPPs first notable investment decision since the Brexit vote, which it claimed would not affect its outlook for the UK. It yesterday saw ITV ditch its 1 billion bid for eOne, in which it is the largest investor.
S o, no prizes for guessing where were all going to be this Sunday evening at 9pm, is there? Glued to our tellies, thats where. The new ITV series Victoria kicks off then with Jenna Coleman (Doctor Whos Clara to you) as the young Victoria and  be still my beating heart!  Rufus Sewell as her ageing, worldly prime minister, Lord Melbourne, who has a bit of a thing for the young queen. And next Sunday itll go head to head against Poldark. Tricky.

The series occupies, obviously, the Sunday-evening Downton slot, without the shame. This is costume drama, only its history, so its respectable, see? Its got a good, entirely fictional, Upstairs Downstairs narrative going (spoiler: the housekeeper and butler at Buck House are flogging the Queens old gloves and wax candles for sordid gain)  as well as the actual history.

And the history is sound; the adviser to the series being A N Wilson, whose admirable biography of the monarch underpins the whole thing. As he observes, the series restores the real thing, that is to say, the real Victoria, rather than the imagined one.

Thats a necessary exercise. There are a number of reasons why our perceptions of Victoria, perhaps the most important woman in English history, are so wildly at odds with reality.

One problem is that the remaking of Victorias image began right after her death, when her son Bertie, who detested her, went through her papers and possessions, destroying anything that he didnt like the look of.

The other is that our concept of Victoria is obscured by Victorianism. That is to say, we project all our prejudices about the age  puritanical, jingoistic, hidebound about sex  on to the woman who gave her name to it. Yet almost none of these things is true of Victoria, especially in her youth.

Like the young Jane Austen, she was in fact a child of the Regency era. Her royal uncles home lives  only one of them features in the programme  were rackety, with their irregular unions blessed with umpteen bastard children. Victoria grew up in a period that was unprudish about sex, though thats not wholly evident here.

There are other ways in which this series is a useful corrective to our misperceptions about Victoria. For one thing, shes young when we meet her: Jenna Coleman is in fact 30 (and, with her Cara Delevingne eyebrows much prettier than the original), but she is convincing as the young queen at 18, which is when she succeeded to the throne. She looks insecure and vulnerable at her coronation: as she was. Theres also a palpable sense of her humour here in her relationship with Lord Melbourne  she was a woman who could be very much amused.

Our image of Victoria is of a rather terrifying old lady but we forget that at the start of her reign she was utterly unprepared for her role

Our image of Victoria is of a rather terrifying old lady, which is how she ended up at the end of her long life, but we forget that at the start of her reign she was utterly unprepared for her role. She seems taken aback when she gives orders to her elders, and they obey her. She still plays with her doll.

Before she succeeded to the throne she shared a room with her mother. And she was, in fact, culpably unworldly about politics and the court. That ignorance can be attributed to the so-called Kensington system, under which she was educated, whereby her upbringing was dictated by her mother, the Duchess of Kent, and her Svengali-ish adviser, Sir John Conroy, who wished to establish a regency by which they would exercise control. Much of the human drama of the series concerns the way Victoria breaks free of them and establishes herself as her own woman, with the help of Melbourne.

Theirs was, quite genuinely, a close friendship; its fair to say he adored the young queen in a chaste way and she depended on him, at least until he left office and was displaced by Albert.

That brings us to another very useful aspect of the series: it reminds us how very German the royal family was back then  well, from the start of the eighteenth century until the First World War, when the family prudently changed its name to Windsor.

We see Victorias mother speaking to her in German, until Victoria crossly tells her to use English. Her family is German, with their roots back home in Hanover. Her governess, Louise Lehzen, is German; Albert, when he appears, speaks German with her. The servants observe dourly that there are too many Germans round here.

But for the Queens subjects it wasnt a problem as we  conditioned by two world wars  might see it. For the Victorians, being German meant Protestantism and social liberalism, both rather good things. Indeed, when the English middle classes started to travel abroad, it wasnt to the hot places we go to now  it was to Germany, Austria and Switzerland. In dynastic, family terms, Victoria was German and European, and thats how she saw herself.

There are ways in which the actual history is overegged in this series for dramatic impact. For instance, one of Victorias early mistakes was to insist that her mothers confidante Lady Flora Hastings should undergo a physical examination to determine if she was pregnant, though unmarried; this is weirdly interspersed with scenes from the coronation. But it really was a scandal at the time. This was an age in which the personal was political, in a way we cant quite conceive now.

In one way, though, we are quite well placed to appreciate the series, given that the present Queen has just out-reigned Victoria and holds a position in public affection faintly reminiscent of hers in old age. But where Elizabeth II has seen Britain discard many of her dearest values, such as its Anglicanism, Victoria came to reflect the culture of the country over which she reigned. She became, if you like, more Victorian, especially in respect of the empire.

The beauty of this series is that it ends after Victorias marriage, with the birth of her first child. Which means it could go on for umpteen series with as many successive incarnations of Victoria as Doctor Who. Which beats Poldark. This could, like Victoria, run and run.
I t was a door that was supposed to stay shut until the end of time. But when the end came early in 2012 it took a bunch of pick-axe-wielding Islamist thugs just minutes to undo 500 years of history.

The trial of Ahmad al-Faqi al-Mahdi this week for destroying 14 mausoleums and attacking the entrance to the 15th-century Sidi Yahia mosque in the Malian city of Timbuktu marked a first for the International Criminal Court.

It was the first time anyone has ever been tried at The Hague for a war crime solely because they destroyed historic artefacts.

The ICC has its faults. Proceedings take place slower than an iceberg moving out of the way of the Titanic, and there is truth to accusations that it spends a disproportionate amount of time chasing African despots and not wealthier and more powerful leaders.

Yet the trial of Al-Mahdi, in which he pled guilty and now faces up to 11 years in prison, cannot be dismissed as a case of Western imperialism or jurisdictional overreach.

Who were the victims? Malians. Who wanted Al-Mahdi to face justice? Malians. In fact, if it werent for the efforts of locals, who risked their lives to smuggle out ancient manuscripts under the noses of the jihadists, the cultural devastation would have been far greater.

For these werent just pretty pictures on a wall to glance at, they were part of the communitys living, breathing history. Malians told the court how they felt shame at the desecration of their saints and ancestors. Cultural loss cant be measured in the same way as human lives or other atrocities inflicted on people during wartime, but that doesnt mean its impact isnt as keenly felt by victims, or that perpetrators shouldnt be held to account.

Islamic State probably doesnt concern itself too much with the niceties of international law. Given the chance, it would probably repeat the destruction of the idolatrous 2,000-year-old city of Palmyra in Syria, but long after the terror group has become a footnote in history, what will be left of its own culture? Probably nothing save for a few video clips of beheadings.

The jihadists dont have any new ideas themselves so the old ones, hijacked from diverse and pluralistic Islamic societies, have to be manipulated to fit their version of history. When something doesnt fit they tear it down.

IS isnt the first to try to rewrite history and probably wont be the last. But at least a statement has been made this week: that a society is more than just a sum of its parts and that we value our history as much, if not more, than life itself. Khaled al-Asaad, the 82-year-old overseer of antiquities in Palmyra, who was beheaded by IS militants because he refused to tell them where he had hidden valuable artefacts, certainly thought so.

Who is to blame for TV mysogyny?

Tough cookie: Gillian Anderson as Detective Superintendent Stella Gibson in The Fall / BBC / Helen Sloan

Playwright and screenwriter Lucinda Coxon, who penned the film adaptation of The Danish Girl, made an interesting point in this paper about TV crime dramas such as The Fall (starring Gillian Anderson) trading on voyeuristic thrills and an appetite for bruised female flesh.

While its hard to disagree with her observation, I wonder if it is due to misogyny from the TV-makers and not wider society. Women are much more likely to be victims of sexual violence than men, and then there is a question of vulnerability.

On-screen serial killers, and they kind of have to be repeat offenders on a longer-running series, usually target women or children. Its more believable and also easier for the audience to feel that heart-in-your- mouth suspense when a helpless victim is lured to her death.

But where I agree with Coxon is that victimhood shouldnt rob someone of their personhood. Real people have hopes and dreams and flaws and arent just to be looked at and pitied even if they do come to an unfortunate end. Something worth bearing in mind by TV scriptwriters and journalists.

Italians lead the way with culture bonus

Italians could do with some good news, and none more so than the countrys teenagers, who face record unemployment rates and dismal job prospects.

However, every 18-year-old will soon be in line for a 500 euro culture bonus to spend on anything from theatre and concert tickets to visiting museums and buying books.

Obviously there needs to be some small print to stop some from blowing it all at a culturally enriching music festival, but its a smart move that we would do well to imitate.

Italian PM Matteo Renzi said he wants youngsters to appreciate their cultural heritage and believes it could help in the fight against terrorism.

Thats a big aspiration, but even if it only gets kids off their smartphones and into an exhibition for a few hours, the scheme will be a success.

London gets the best of theatre

Edinburgh fatigue? Londons theatre folk are coming back from the festival with variable reports on the quality of this years shows. Its always a hit-and-miss affair as its whole purpose is to offer a testing ground for new work, whereas by the time we see it in the capital the wrinkles have been ironed out.

The hard work starts now as the crucial autumn programmes are announced and the countdown to awards season (our theatre awards are on November 15) begins. Edinburgh might be all about the art, but London does the business as well.
T he Notting Hill carnival is celebrating its 50th birthday this Bank Holiday weekend.

More than two million Londoners are set to descend on west London, policed by 9,000 of the Mets finest, to enjoy a weekend that celebrates Caribbean culture, music, food and drink. By the end of the weekend, Londons economy will be 93million for the richer, 15,000 costumes will have shimmied during the parade and a hangover-inducing 25,000 bottles of rum will have been polished off. It is a weekend of impressive numbers: only Rio has a bigger carnival and Notting Hill is the most popular street party in Europe. Its come along way from its Trinidadian roots.

What to bring

Remember it's not a serious weekend, it's a carnival: come to have a good time and you most likely will. Still, it gets busy and sweaty, so being at least a little prepared helps.

Take a bottle of water to stay hydrated: lots of shops shut-up, and those which dont sell out.

Pack napkins, hand sanitizer, or both: sticky hands makes for a sour afternoon.

A jumper, or a hoody: once the sun is done, it can get icy. An alcohol jacket only goes so far.

Notting Hill Carnival in numbers

What's on

Saturday August 27

Things officially begin late on Saturday. Head down to Emslie Horniman Pleasance Park on Bosworth Road, where, from 6pm until 10pm, theyll be hosting Panorama. Its a free, family friendly, open-air evening of steel band performances.

The show must go on: rain won't damped the party mood / Ben A. Pruchnie/Getty Images

Sunday August 28 (Family Day)

The next morning, the early risers of Notting Hill will lead Jouvert from 6am. Its the first parade of the carnival, with steel bands, riddim bands and African drummers. It begins and ends at Canal way in Ladbroke Grove, coming to a halt around 9am.

Sunday is the more family friendly day, with the highlight being the Childrens Parade, which has most of the costumes, Sound Systems and steel bands of its bigger sister on Monday. Things begin at 10am and run until around 8.30pm.

Over in Powis Square, the World Music Stage boasts calypso and soca performances from the Association of British Calypsonians.

Monday August 29

For anyone wanting the true carnival experience, head west on Monday, which features the main parade and grand finale. Food stands will be sizzling, Sound Systems will be blaring, dancers will be dancing and their costumes will be dazzling. The parade itself is 3.5 miles long, and follows the route in the map below, starting off at 10am and running until 8.30pm, though sometimes those in high spirits keep things rolling on later.

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There are a number of after-parties, listed here.

As with Sunday, Powis Square will host the World Music Stage.

Across the weekend

Elsewhere, there are around 38 static Sound Systems. These are, arguably, the heart and soul of the Carnival, and some have been running almost forty years. These are where the parties really get going, but youll need to get to one before 3pm, when most become intolerably busy.

Otherwise, there are 10 steel pan bands ringing out throughout the two days, and 70 stages showcasing various talent from across London.

Notting Hill Carnival over the years - In pictures 1 /53 Notting Hill Carnival over the years - In pictures 1972 Charlie Gillett/Redferns 1975 Richard Braine/PYMCA/Rex 1976 Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1977 Associated Newspaper 1977 Daily Mail 1978 Frank Barratt/Getty Images 1978 Bill Johnson/Associated Newspapers 1978 Frank Barratt/Evening Standard 1980 Stuart Nicol/Evening Standard 1980 Evening Standard 1980 Evening Standard 1983 Peter Anderson/PYMCA/Rex 1984 John Minihan/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1994 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1994 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1995 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 2003 Scott Barbour/Getty Images 2004 Graeme Robertson/Getty Images 2005 Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images 2005 Chris Jackson/Getty Images 2006 Miles Willis/Getty Images 2006 Miles Willis/Getty Images 2006 Miles Willis/Getty Images 2006 Chris Jackson/Getty Images 2007 Chris Jackson/Getty Images 2009 Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 2011 Oli Scarff/Getty Images 2012 Oli Scarff/Getty Images 2015 Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images 2015 Daniel C Sims/Getty Images 2017 Getty Images 2017 Getty Images 2017 Getty Images for RedBull 2017 Getty Images for RedBull 2017 AFP/Getty Images 2018 Getty Images for Redbull 2018 Getty Images 2018 Reuters 2019 Getty Images 2019 Reuters

Food and drink

With more than 300 food stalls, you wont go hungry. The perception of carnival food being all jerk chicken isnt exactly true, but isnt exactly untrue either: five tons of the stuff were shifted last year. Still, if you can, wander around  youll find curried goat, rice and peas, fried plantain (a must), spicy Jamaican patties and Caribbean dumplings.

Drinks wise, Red Stripe is naturally the go-to, and after than, rum. Guinness Punch is a must-try: despite the obvious Irish heritage, its stuff of carnival legend: Guiness packed full of spice, and sometimes milk, and sometimes rum.

Coconut water is hard to beat for refreshment, and theres a certain novelty to carrying around a coconut with a straw in it.

Parties

There are plenty of parties on across London cashing in on the Notting Hill theme. The Hip Hop Karaoke Carnival Special at Camdens recently refurbished Jazz Cafe gets our vote for the Sunday evening, to warm up for the celebrations on Monday, and if you're looking for an after party, have a read of these picks.

For more information, visit thelondonnottinghillcarnival.com

London Live (Freeview 8, YouView 8, Sky 117 and Virgin 159) will be live from Notting Hill on Sunday August 28 and Monday August 29, 4-6pm.

Follow David Ellis on Twitter @dvh_ellis

Follow Going Out on Facebook and on Twitter @ESgoingout
Review at a glance









P edro Almodovars last film, Im So Excited! was a preposterously camp farce set on a flight and a complete tonal disaster. Julieta is an entirely different, you might almost say opposite, proposition: grave, literary, richly textured, retrospective and episodic, spanning lives.

Some viewers who treasure Almodovars substantial back catalogue (some 20 films now) have found its comparative reserve to be slightly disappointing, a toned down, de-energised version of his flamboyance. Taken on its own merits, though, Julieta is extremely moving, all the more rewarding on a second viewing.

Julieta is based on three linked short stories, Chance, Soon and Silence, by the great, Nobel-winning Canadian short story writer Alice Munro, from her 2004 collection Runaway. They present different stages of the life of Juliet: first as a 21-year-old classics teacher in Vancouver who meets by chance a fisherman called Eric on a train and six months later goes to see him in his remote west coast home, discovers he is newly widowed, and becomes his partner; then, a few years later, in Soon, Juliet takes their baby daughter, Penelope, across country to see her distant, retired parents near Toronto; finally, in Silence, Juliet, widowed herself since Eric drowned in a storm when Penelope was just 13, goes to pick up her daughter, now 20, from a six-month retreat at an island Spiritual Balance Centre, only to find that Penelope has disappeared, choosing, for her spirituality and her growth, to cut off all future contact with her.

Years later Juliet is still waiting, still hoping to hear from her daughter again. She hopes as people who know better hope for undeserved blessings, spontaneous remissions, things of that sort, the story ends, severely.

Julieta Clip - The Sea

In his initial adaptation of these narratives, planning his first English language film, Almodovar moved the setting to New York but even so, writing in Spanish, he found himself scared to change language, culture and geography and didnt pursue the project. It was only when he moved the setting to Spain that the story flowed, necessarily moving further away from Munros original, he says. If its difficult to translate the Canadian writers style to a discipline as opposed to literature as cinema is, making it into a Spanish story is an impossible task, he comments, asking that his film should be taken as a tribute to Munro, rather than an adaptation.

Sex and death: Adriana Ugarte as the young Julieta

Actually, it is remarkably faithful to the original, skilfully weaving the three discrete stories into one, filling in Munros lacunae. We first see Julieta in the present, in her mid-fifties, now, packing up her stylish, minimalist flat in Madrid, to move to Portugal with her new partner, tall, gentle writer Lorenzo (Dario Grandinetti) who knows nothing of her missing daughter, Antia, so completely has Julieta erased her from her life.

In this incarnation, Julieta is excellently portrayed by Emma Suarez; in the scenes when she is younger, shes played equally well but quite differently by another actress, Adriana Ugarte. Almodovar says hes not in favour of the same actress playing all the ages of the same characters. Nor is anybody who has seen such horrors of prosthetics as Leonardo Di Caprio playing J Edgar Hoover all the way up to 77. There are risks in the multiple actor strategy too but here the gamble has paid off, crucially for a film that is so much about continuities and broken connections in the passing of time. Adriana Ugarte has the confidence, optimism and immediate sensuality of youth; Emma Suarez is a woman whose losses and disappointments have been so deeply internalised that they have affected her whole physical being.

Julieta Clip - Julieta Meets Bea

In the street, the older Julieta bumps into Bea, the former teenage best friend of the daughter she has heard nothing from for 12 years. Bea tells her she saw Antia recently at Lake Como, thin, still beautiful and with three children of her own. Shocked, Julieta decides not only to stay in Madrid but to return to the apartment building where she and her daughter once lived, haunting the streets of the area, reviving the memories she has suppressed. She also begins to write a notebook about Antia, perhaps for her one day even, she hopes, addressing her in her absence, telling her everything she couldnt tell her when she was a child  and so the film launches back into the past.

It is astonishingly rich and bold in its staging, in such a distinctively Spanish way, so direct in its tragedy

She was 25. She was travelling on a train one stormy night (here reading a book on Greek Tragedy, whereas in the Munro its more slyly The Greeks and the Irrational). An unappealing older man tries to strike up a conversation and she changes carriage, meeting the much more fetching fisherman Xoan (Daniel Grao) in the buffet car. After the next stop, the train brakes suddenly. The older man has committed suicide on the line. Xoan tells Julieta it is not her fault and they make love, as the train moves on through the night. Strangers on a train: sex and death.

A few months later, Julieta receives a letter from Xoan, haphazardly addressed to the school where she teaches. She takes it as an invitation to go to him in his Galician fishing village, where she arrives on the very day of his invalid wifes funeral and is scornfully received by his fearsome housekeeper, Marian, full of cynical savvy (Almodovar regular Rossy de Palma in a fright-wig). But when Xoan returns home, despite Marians warnings that he has another girlfriend, local artist Ava (Inma Cuesta), he and Julieta immediately make love. And she is already bearing his child.

Antia (played by successive actresses too, Ariadna Matin, Priscilla Delgado and Blanca Pares) grows up loving the fishing way of life, as a schoolgirl reluctant to leave even for summer camp. But while she is away, Julieta and Xoan row over Ava, although she is by now Julietas friend too. Not such a terrible row: Julieta goes off for a walk, Xoan goes out fishing. But the sea turns stormy

It seems that Antia has the strength to help her mother through their shared loss, moving to Madrid, making themselves a new life. But then at 18 she sets off for a three-month spiritual retreat in the Pyrenees and, as she goes, in her final look, Julieta, always troubled by partings, sees flashbacks to the old man on the train and Xoan as she set off on her walk that day

Compared to other Almodovar films, Julieta may be austere, concentrated on its tragic story, with few allusions, jokes or diversions, with only one song, over the end credits (Dont leave, I dont want you to leave). Here theres nothing camp, kitsch or pop, no relishing of outrage, no melodrama. But it remains astonishingly rich and bold in its staging, in such a distinctively Spanish way, so physical, so strongly coloured and clearly stated, so intense, so direct in its tragedy.

Perhaps it can be accommodated to his famously female-centric worldview? Women forged his character, he has said, and he celebrates their resilience: I never identified with the male figure: maternity inspires me more than paternity. But here that vision has been wholly melded with that of Alice Munro, a great writer about loss, dislocation and the harm we cause as well as suffer. Spectacular.

Cert 15, 99 mins

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Review at a glance









G ive War Dogs this much credit: its not a film that goes out of its way to be loved.

If producers were aiming to make their sordid tale about callow, shallow young American arms traders more endearing to general audiences, they probably wouldnt have cast Miles Teller and Jonah Hill  two capable actors not known for their charm-school qualifications  in the leading roles. And they certainly wouldnt have handed the reins to Todd Phillips of The Hangover fame, a director whose brand very much hinges on lairy dude-bro entitlement. Make no mistake: War Dogs is a film that sets out to portray its true-life characters as dirty-handed douchebags, and succeeds fully in that task.

So why isnt it better? Largely because, while acknowledging the gaping moral void in the story of David Packouz (Teller) and Efraim Diveroli (Hill)  two yeshiva schoolmates from Miami who became fast millionaires by illegally supplying weapons to the US Army in Iraq and Afghanistan  Phillips semi-comic approach for much of the film is to shrug his shoulders and enjoy the boys antics regardless. This isnt about being pro-war... this is about being pro-money, Diveroli offers as a slender ethical alibi, and War Dogs comes perilously close to sharing that grinning, disingenuously apolitical stance. Whether theyre dodging bullets while haplessly driving through Fallujah to deliver a truckful of Beretta guns to the troops, or smoking a fat joint before a critical meeting with top brass at the Department of Defence, the film cant help gawping a bit at the coolness of it all, complicit in the pairs out-of-their-depth roguishness.

The model here  down to the second-hand tics of Phillips first stab at serious direction, with its agitated editing and blindingly obvious soundtrack selections  is Martin Scorseses The Wolf of Wall Street, a film itself not immune to charges of taking a little too much vicarious pleasure in its characters destructive misbehaviour. Whats missing, however, is the conviction of that films cynicism, not to mention the helter-skelter speed of its wit. Only as the foundations of Packouz and Diverolis dizzily built business empire begin to crumble, pitting them against each other, does the film rather huffily discern between right and wrong, oblivious to its own potential for vengeful, black-hearted irony. By bantering with the lads and slapping their wrists at the same, War Dogs is left with countless rounds of illicit ammo and no clear satirical target.

Cert 15, 114 mins

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T he Red Hot Chili Peppers will perform two gigs at the O2 in December as part of a European tour which will also see them play in Birmingham and Manchester. It will be the first time the band has toured in the UK for five years.

The announcement comes as the Red Hot Chili Peppers gear up to headline Reading and Leeds Festivals this weekend. The tour will support the Grammy award-winning bands 11th studio album, The Getaway, which is out now.

The tour arrives in the UK on Monday December 5 and kicks off at the O2 on 5 and 6 December followed by Birminghams Genting Arena on 10 and 11 December and Manchester Arena on 14 and 15 December.

Tickets are available from September 2 and can be booked here.

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W hipping up a seven-course tasting menu where each plate consists of many carefully paired components is no easy operation.

Even less so when many of these individual components are themselves pickled, cured, dried or fermented on site as they are at Salon.

Judging by the food you are served at this Brixton restaurant, you might expect that it was constructed by a team of chefs in a swish modern kitchen, kitted out with the latest technology and plenty of worksurface space.

The reality is very different. And far more charming. Chef-owner Nicholas Balfe, who launched this 20-seat restaurant after leaving Vauxhalls acclaimed Brunswick House where he was head chef, is a large proportion of the team, and the kitchen is but a square in the corner of the dining area.

Knowing this only serves to make the resulting dishes all the more impressive.

Watch our video above to hear Nicholas Balfe discuss the challenge of a small kitchen, and see Salon's intricate dishes from a new seven-course menu being created.

Follow Ben Norum on Twitter @BenNorum

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A teenager is in hospital after being stabbed when a street fight broke out in north London.

Police were called to reports of boys fighting in Cricklewood Broadway at 10pm last night.

When they arrived they found a 17-year-old boy near Cricklewood Lane who was suffering from stab wounds.

Police cordoned off the road while the boy was rushed to hospital for treatment.

His injuries are not though to be life-threatening, police said today

Investigating officers remained at the scene of the crime until the early hours of this morning but no one was arrested.

Police are now appealing for anyone who saw or heard anything in the area to come forward.

Anyone that can assist the police investigation is asked to call police in Barnet police via 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
T hree men have been convicted for their role in the theft of fire-fighting equipment worth more than 100,000 from fire stations across London and the south-east.

Jermaine Okakpu, 26, Jack Edwards, 20, and Luke Sixsmith-Hughes, 22, targeted up to 24 fire stations in a crime spree throughout August and September last year.

They broke into fire stations in Havering, Barking & Dagenham, Newham, Redbridge, Tower Hamlets, Hackney, Haringey, Enfield and Lewisham, as well as one station in Dartford, Kent and stole high-value equipment including thermal imaging cameras, fire service uniform and radios.

Police believe the men were selling the stolen equipment overseas.

After an intelligence-led police operation, Edwards and Sixsmith-Hughes were arrested in a vehicle in Silvertown in Newham on September 15.

A battery for a thermal imaging camera, stolen the same day from a fire station in Lewisham, was found inside the vehicle.

Police then linked the two men to burglaries at 24 fire stations, with some stations broken into more than once.

Jailed: Luke Sixsmith-Hughes, 22, of Driffield Road, E3 / Metropolitan Police

Both Sixsmith-Hughes and Edwards admitted their involvement in all of the offences.

Police later identified Okakpu, of Evelyn Road, E16, as another player in the conspiracy, and he was arrested on September 24, before admitting his involvement in eight burglaries.

On January 22, Sixsmith-Hughes, of Driffield Road, E3, and Edwards, of Sark Walk, E16, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit burglary, and both were jailed for three years on February 19.

On July 14, Okakpu pleaded guilty at Basildon Crown Court to conspiracy to commit burglary, and he was today sentenced to two years in jail, suspended for 21 months.

Okakpu was also ordered to carry out 150 hours of community service.

Detective Sergeant Robert Walls, from Havering CID, said: "Those involved showed a total disregard for the potential impact these losses could have had on the fire service's ability to respond to fires and other critical incidents.

"The most frequently stolen items - thermal imaging cameras - are used by the fire brigade to locate trapped persons and to stop fires spreading.

"I have no doubt that the quick detention of those involved and the effective partnership work between the police and fire service enabled us to secure the overwhelming evidence that left the men with no alternative than to admit their guilt."

London Fire Commissioner Ron Dobson added: Id like to thank our colleagues in the Metropolitan Police for their hard work in securing this conviction.

"This was life saving equipment that was stolen and its theft could potentially have had an impact on our ability to respond to Londoners in need of our help. I sincerely hope that the sentences handed down deter anyone else from attempting to break into our fire stations.
A jilted lover who falsely accused her ex-boyfriend of a catalogue of serious crimes while harrassing his new partners has been locked up for five years.

Sandra Danevska, 38, of Winslow Road, Hammersmith was sentenced at Isleworth Crown Court today to five years in prison, and was slapped with a restraining order.

During her vendetta, Danevska sent 134 bogus online reports, leading to 170 police reports being created.

She falsely implicated her ex-boyfriend as a suspect for rape, acid attacks and stabbings, and she also subjected the two women he went on to date to a traumatic online campaign.

Danevska was found guilty on Wednesday, June 29 following a trial at the same court of three counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress.

She was also convicted of two counts of perverting the course of justice.

The court heard that Danevska had dated her former boyfriend for a few weeks about ten years ago, and had another brief relationship with him in 2013 before he said he wanted to go back to simply being friends.

Danevska then subjected the 45-year-old man, and his two subsequent partners, women aged 34 and 37, to repeated stalking and harassment.

She set up bogus social media profiles and fake email addresses in her ex-boyfriend's name to send threatening and malicious messages to other people, and used different mobiles to make silent calls and send text messages to him.

In 2014, Danevska began sending him almost daily emails from unknown accounts commenting on things he had done during the day, leading him to fear he was being followed.

She created 134 hoax online crime reports using the details of 60 different people to implicate him as a suspect in crimes, with police visiting him 42 times at home and ten times at work in response.

Among the many bogus allegations were claims that various made-up victims had been stabbed, raped or had acid thrown in their faces.

A woman who went out with Danevska's former boyfriend in 2010 also became the target of her campaign, receiving numerous threatening and malicious text messages and emails.

Danevska set up several social media accounts and email addresses in her name, which were used to send threatening messages to other people.

She also targeted another of his girlfriend's, who he had dated between October 2012 and October 2013.

Police visited her at home a number of times responding to crime reports that had supposedly been created by her.

She also received numerous malicious messages that were from Danevska usinf various social media accounts, some of which commented on her movements during the day.

A police investigation into the harassment began in 2011, but Danevska had covered her tracks so well that she could not be identified.

It was only in 2015 that a series of bogus social media profiles were traced to various addresses where Danevska had been employed as a nanny.

Police obtained a warrant to search her home in May 2015, and seized SIM cards, computer equipment and a diary in which she had written down he ex-boyfriend's movements.

In September 2015, she was charged with the offences.

Detective Constable Dean Puzey, of Hammersmith and Fulham CID, said: "This woman's actions caused her victims unimaginable distress and the sentence reflects the serious nature of her offending.

"Danevska stalked multiple victims and used social media and the police crime reporting system to make their lives intolerable. Her ex-boyfriend, an entirely innocent man, found himself a suspect for rape, stabbings and acid attacks - the impact on his life in particular was horrendous.

"Her actions also caused a massive waste of police time. Throughout Danevska's campaign, 17 of London's 32 boroughs responded to bogus reports of crime as a result of her malicious calls; her vendetta was a huge drain on police resources.

"Thankfully cases of multiple stalking are very rare and, despite all her efforts to avoid detection, we have finally been able to bring her to justice."
T his is the moment a teenage killer fled the scene after stabbing a man to death in broad daylight in an east London park.

Kaleb Amponsah, 18, of Robertson Road, Newham, was yesterday found guilty at the Old Bailey of killing Ade Afariogun by stabbing him in the stomach in front of his horrified friends.

Today, Amponsah appeared for sentencing at the same court today, when he was jailed for 22 years.

On Friday, January 29, the 27-year-old victim was in Plaistow Park with three female friends.

Whilst there, they noticed Amponsah repeatedly ride his bike past the group, and stare aggressively at the victim.

Shortly before 1.15pm, just as Mr Afariogun was leaving the park, Amponsah pulled up his bike in front of him and started an argument with him.

A scuffle followed, and punches were thrown between the two.

The victim's friend attempted to intervene by pulling Amponsah away, but he produced a large knife from his waistband, and stabbed the victim in his stomach twice.

The attack was so brutal that Mr Afariogun sustained a 12cm wound to his abdomen.

He was rushed to Royal London Hospital, but despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died during the early hours of Monday, February 1.

Amponsah fled the park following the stabbing, leaving his victim bleeding on the ground.

Jailed: Kaleb Amponsah, 18, has been locked up for 22 years / Metropolitan Police

However, in his haste he left behind his bike and mobile phone, and detectives were able to retrieve his DNA from both.

After leaving the park, Amponsah called a friend and went straight to his house, which was just a few streets away from the murder scene, and waited there for less than 20 minutes before getting a taxi to drop him off near his home.

He then went home to change his clothes, before taking a second taxi to a friend's house, where he spent the remainder of the afternoon.

Victim: Ade Afariogun had turned his life around / Metropolitan Police

Amponsah was arrested his home on February, 5, and when officers searched the house they discovered clothing worn by the killer, as well as a large knife hidden in the mattress in his bedroom.

Following the sentencing, Detective Sergeant Perry Benton said: "Five months after the original charge, Amponsah admitted being responsible for the fatal stabbing but claimed he had acted in self-defence after the victim attacked him.

"Thankfully the jury saw through this unlikely scenario, recognising this for the needless and cold-blooded murder it was.

"The park where this took place is well used by a wide range of borough residents and the local community should feel reassured that this type of attack is an extremely rare occurrence.

"Ade was in the park with friends when he was killed for reasons that we have been unable to ascertain. He was well loved by his family and friends, who miss him very much."

Three other teenagers arrested in connection with the incident were released with no further action.
A judge who was taunted on Facebook by a thug he spared from prison told him as he was finally jailed: As they say, LOL.

David Newlands, 24, had been given 150 hours community service for punching a man with learning difficulties in Glasgow last year  but refused to perform the work even after he was given a second chance.

He also went on to boast about the apparently lax justice, posting on Facebook about how he planned to duck the sentence.

On returning to Glasgow High Court for a third time, judge Norman Ritchie jailed Newlands for nine months.

As he did so, he said: Its always interesting to see a different view on sentencing, as in Im out bro, easy.

As they say, LOL.

Newlands, from Glasgow, is currently serving an eight-month sentence for assault and breach of peace, and will serve the latest sentence once that ends.

His Facebook boast, posted on June 22, was written in broad Scottish slang and read: A got a high court conviction n they never sent me eh jail instead gave me a community order ..told them to stick it...so got sent back to court n what do they dae?

"The judge says mr Newlands I would refer to you as an idiot..n then what does he dae? He geez me it again...probation am no dayn it simple!!!"
A new facial recognition system to identify wanted offenders will be in operation at the Notting Hill Carnival this weekend to help catch criminals.

The technology, introduced for the first time by Scotland Yard, will use the use of cameras to scan the faces of carnival-goers and flag up matches with a database of custody images.

The database is full of images of people who are banned from the event, as well as wanted individuals who might attend to commit offences.

In addition, highly-skilled officers dubbed super-recognisers, who can recall offenders faces after seeing them briefly in person or on file, will be monitoring the event from a CCTV control room. They will help spot anyone who has bail conditions banning them from attending the event, where two million people are expected.

Notting Hill Carnival over the years - In pictures 1 /53 Notting Hill Carnival over the years - In pictures 1972 Charlie Gillett/Redferns 1975 Richard Braine/PYMCA/Rex 1976 Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1977 Associated Newspaper 1977 Daily Mail 1978 Frank Barratt/Getty Images 1978 Bill Johnson/Associated Newspapers 1978 Frank Barratt/Evening Standard 1980 Stuart Nicol/Evening Standard 1980 Evening Standard 1980 Evening Standard 1983 Peter Anderson/PYMCA/Rex 1984 John Minihan/Daily Express/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1994 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1994 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 1995 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images 2003 Scott Barbour/Getty Images 2004 Graeme Robertson/Getty Images 2005 Daniel Berehulak/Getty Images 2005 Chris Jackson/Getty Images 2006 Miles Willis/Getty Images 2006 Miles Willis/Getty Images 2006 Miles Willis/Getty Images 2006 Chris Jackson/Getty Images 2007 Chris Jackson/Getty Images 2009 Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images 2011 Oli Scarff/Getty Images 2012 Oli Scarff/Getty Images 2015 Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images 2015 Daniel C Sims/Getty Images 2017 Getty Images 2017 Getty Images 2017 Getty Images for RedBull 2017 Getty Images for RedBull 2017 AFP/Getty Images 2018 Getty Images for Redbull 2018 Getty Images 2018 Reuters 2019 Getty Images 2019 Reuters

The Met have made 215 arrests this week as part of an operation to thwart and disrupt troublemakers before the two-day carnival, and homes were raided as more than 200 search warrants were executed.

The History of the Notting Hill Carnival

Most arrests have been for drug-related offences, with heroin, crack cocaine and cannabis seized. Officers also confiscated knives and machetes, along with six firearms and 50 rounds of ammunition.

Superintendent Robyn Williams appealed to the public ahead of the carnival on Sunday and bank holiday Monday, saying: If you know of anyone who is planning to use this exciting and vibrant event as a cover for crime or violence then let us know and help us keep it safe for you.

Mayor Sadiq Khan said there will be record numbers of officers policing the event and added: Its really important people feel safe going to Carnival. Last year there were over 400 arrests.
A student was slashed across the face by her ex-boyfriend who lay in wait as she left campus to go to an International Womens Day event, a court heard.

Tanya Pinnock, 35, separated from Carlington Francis, 38, the father of her three children, two years ago, Blackfriars crown court heard. She obtained a court order in February which banned him from contacting her or seeing her.

On March 8, she met a lecturer after classes at London Metropolitan University and then booked a 7.15pm taxi to take her from the campus to City Hall for the event.

The driver was just confirming where they were going and in this moment she saw Mr Francis at the side of the car, said prosecutor Richard Witcombe.

She felt slashes on her face  the person slashing her face with a knife was Carlington Francis.

Ms Pinnock, who was disfigured in the attack, fled the taxi and stumbled back to the campus in Holloway Road crying out for help.

Francis, who denies he was the man who attacked her, was arrested the next day at Heathrow. He had searched online for countries which did not have an extradition treaty with the UK, the court heard.

Francis, of Tottenham, denies wounding with intent and breach of a non-molestation order.

The trial continues.
T hree men have been charged with fraud after they allegedly mixed horsemeat with beef before passing it off as beef.

Londoner Andronicos Sideras, 54, will appear in court in September alongside Ulrick Nielsen, 57, from Denmark, and Alex Ostler-Beech, 43, from Hull, with the trio accused of dishonestly arranging "for beef and horsemeat to be combined for sale as beef", the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.

They are jointly charged with conspiracy to defraud between January 1 and October 31 2012 following an investigation led by City of London Police.

In 2013 UK supermarkets were rocked by the horsemeat contamination crisis, with products labelled as beef and other meats were found to contain various amounts of horse flesh.

Kristin Jones, CPS head of specialist fraud, said: "The CPS has today authorised charges against three men relating to the sale of mixed beef and horsemeat products which were sold as beef.

"After carefully considering evidence from the UK and overseas, the CPS has decided that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to charge these three men."

City of London Police, which worked with the CPS and the Food Standards Agency, said that Ostler-Beech, of Highfield Close, Hull, and Sideras, of Friars Walk, Southgate, north London, were first arrested and questioned in July 2013.

Nielsen, from Gentofte, near Copenhagen, was interviewed under caution in Hull the following month along with a 52-year-old man who faces no further action, the force said.
D etectives today issued fresh CCTV as they revealed a DNA breakthrough three years after a lone woman was raped in a terrifying attack in west London.

The woman, 27, was assaulted while walking home in Hillingdon three years ago  but detectives have since put together a full DNA profile which they hope can be used in a renewed hunt for the suspect.

The allaged attack happened at around 2.30am on June 16, 2013 in an alleyway which runs onto Fairfield Road near to the High Street in Yiewsley.

Detectives recently reviewed the unsolved attack and relaunched their appeal to make sure "all lines of inquiry" are explored.

Detective Constable James Ashton, from Scotland Yards Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: "Following a review, including forensics, of the original investigation by the HMCC we have obtained a full DNA profile of the suspect.

Suspect: Police want to speak to this man in connection with the unsolved rape. / Met Police.

Whilst three years have passed since the offence, we are very keen to identify and speak to the person seen in the CCTV, or anyone who may have witnessed something that Saturday night who can help.

"Given that we have a full DNA profile any information about potential suspects given to us can be quickly and easily ruled out or verified.

The DNA sample has been searched on UK databases and circulated by Interpol as part of our efforts to trace the man responsible.

"It is possible that there are people out there who the suspect has spoken to about the attack, if he has, then it is not too late to come forward and talk to us."

The suspect, who police want to speak to, is a white man of stocky build and was spotted in CCTV footage leaving the alleyway.

Dressed in a dark jacket, light coloured top and dark trousers, the man turns into Fairfield Road and the High Street before heading towards West Drayton. As he leaves the alleyway he is passed by a car.

At this stage detectives have no evidence to believe that the rape is linked to any other offence.

The HMCC regularly carry out reviews of unsolved stranger rape cases to ensure all lines of enquiry are exploited, including appealing to the public.

Anyone with any information is asked to contact the incident room on 020 8358 0200 or Crimestoppers, anonymously on 0800 555 111.
T his is the first picture of a London schoolboy killed when a devastating earthquake hit central Italy.

Marcos Burnett, 14, died after the 6.2 magnitude quake struck on Wednesday along with family friends Maria and William Henniker-Gotley.

The trio were killed when the villa they were staying in the tiny hamlet of Sommati collapsed in the early hours of the morning.

The family had been staying at the villa about 1.3 miles (2km) from Amatrice, which belonged to Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley, aged 51 and 55.

Their devastated families have paid tribute to the tireless work of the Italian rescue workers and hospital staff".

Maria and Will Henniker-Gotley, who died in the Amatrice earthquake in Italy

A statement from their families said: "It is with sadness that we can confirm the deaths of Maria, 51, and Will, 55, Henniker-Gotley and Marcos Burnett, 14, in the earthquake in Amatrice, Italy on 24 July.

"Their families have paid tribute to the tireless work of the Italian rescue workers and hospital staff and expressed their gratitude for the love and support they have received from the Italian people.

"Their thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the earthquake."

Rescue: Firefighters have spent hours searching the rubble for survivors / EPA

A neighbour in south London, who did not want to be named, said: "It's terrible news, so awful. I knew them all very well.

"They were lovely. They were a lovely family. It's very hard to take in.

"They were very warm and friendly, extremely good neighbours. It's just so awful to think of their children."

She added: "I think Maria's father came from the village and was possibly born there. When he was ill - he has since died - they bought a house there and they go out every summer."

Search: Rescuers have been working all day to pull people trapped in the rubble. / AP

Another neighbour, who also did not want to be named, said: "They were just absolutely lovely people. He was an entrepreneur and she was finance director for Children & The Arts."

The children of Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley, believed to be aged 12 and 14, survived but their condition is unknown.

Marcos parents, Anne-Louise and Simon Burnett, were both taken to hospital and their daughter also survived. Her condition is unknown either.

Timeline of Italy earthquake aftershocks

The mother and father were initially taken to separate hospitals 40 miles (60km) from each other, where she was treated for facial fractures and he was being treated for a broken leg.

Rieti Hospital director Pasquale Carducci said: "The British woman was brought here by rescue workers on Wednesday while her husband was taken to L'Aquila.

"When we discovered he was there, we decided they would be happier together, so we decided to reunite them.

"Since the man was less badly hurt, it was easier to bring him to her. We hope that they can be a support to each other."

The earthquake levelled three small towns and has left at least 250 people dead.

The latest aftershock hit the region at 6.28am local time on Friday. The US Geological Survey said it had a preliminary magnitude of 4.7.

Italy's national geological institute put the magnitude at 4.8. It was preceded by more than a dozen weaker aftershocks overnight and followed by another nine in the subsequent hour.

The quake zone has experienced more than 500 aftershocks, some measuring 5.1, in the two days since the original pre-dawn quake on Wednesday.

Today, Buckingham Palace revealed the Queen has made a personal donation to support the work of the Italian Red Cross in the search and rescue effort following the earthquake.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday that a number of Britons had been "affected" by the earthquake.

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He said extra staff had been sent to the region to help provide support to Britons, while the Government has offered "any assistance that we can" to the Italian authorities.
A n elderly woman died after she was hit by a lorry in a busy shopping street in west London today.

Shoppers looked on in horror as the 85-year-old pedestrian was killed when she was hit by the HGV in Southall.

Paramedics battled to save her but she was pronounced dead at the scene at The Broadway.

Emergency services were called to the crash at the junction with Herbert Road at 11.05am.

Londons Air Ambulance was also scrambled to the scene.

On Twitter, witnesses described seeing a huge police cordon in place and a large emergency services presence in the area.

One user Puja K said: The whole of broadway is sealed off, police everywhere. Someone was knocked over by a bus/car and died I've heard.

Jags Sanghera tweeted: Serious incident on Southall Broadway - avoid.

Scotland Yard said the womans next of kin have been informed and that the lorry driver stopped at the scene and is assisting police with their enquiries.

A London Ambulance Service spokesman said: We sent an ambulance crew, a single responder in a car, an incident response officer and an emergency responder to the scene alongside Londons Air Ambulance.

"The first of our medics arrived at the scene in under five minutes.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police at the Serous Collision Investigation Unit on 020 8991 9555.
A police officer has apologised after being criticised after posting a selfie as motorists were stuck in 19-mile queues.

The M5 motorway ground to a hault on Thursday when a woman threatened to jump off a bridge above it.

Sergeant Harry Tangye, a traffic officer from Devon and Cornwall Police, posted a message saying "sorry guys and girls" alongside a picture of himself looking out over the queues near Wellington.

He was called to the motorway between junctions 26 and 27 near Wellington after reports of a woman threatening to throw herself from the bridge.

Drivers were delayed for hours with some even walking their dogs and playing rugby as police negotiated with the woman, 25, for several hours before bringing her to safety.

But some found Sgt Tangyes tweet insensitive.

Ross Honnor, an on-call firefighter, said on Twitter: And you were that concerned with the situation you thought that a selfie would help?

Sgt Tangye replied with an apology. He said: My official twitter page updates police issues daily. Sorry you felt it was inappropriate.

But Mr Honnor smoothed things over when he apologised to the under-fire police officer and said he was just "sightly puzzled" by the selfie method.

Later yesterday evening, around five hours after the original tweet, Sgt Tangye said: "Well it's been going too well for too long. Busy RTC day. Apologies for any offence. None meant"

Many Twitter users leapt to Sgt Tangyes defence saying there was "nothing wrong" with the tweet and there was no need to apologise.

Nigel Green said the tweet was "perfectly good police/public/media relations" while Mark Twist said the police sergeant showed great compassion."

The incident shut the road at about 11am on Thursday morning causing 19 mile tailbacks which meant many motorists had a delayed start to their bank holiday weekend.

In a statement Avon and Somerset Police apologised for the delay and said the woman was "safe and well" ut was arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance. Sgt Tangye said she was given healthcare support.

For confidential support on mental health call the Samaritans on 116 123, email jo@samaritans.org or attend a local Samaritans branch.
B ritains decision to exit the European Union has been used to derail the extradition of an alleged sex offender from Ireland  prompting fears that dozens of suspected criminals could use Brexit to avoid trial.

The High Court in Dublin agreed to pause a case involving a 78-year-old Irish man wanted to face prosecution in London on 10 counts including rape, attempted rape and indecent assault.

The case involves the use of a European Arrest Warrant issued by Westminster magistrates court in September last year. Prime Minister Theresa May warned during the referendum that Britain could lose the power to issue European warrants if it left the EU.

The court was told that the alleged offences took place in the Camden area and Essex on dates between 1960 and 1973. But the judge agreed to delay the proceedings for three months after lawyers argued that any trial might take place after Britain was out of the EU.

Labour MP Stella Creasy, who is representing several families seeking justice in cases involving extradition, said: This is a nightmare. This ruling provides a lawyers charter to delay cases where criminals are being extradited and where British families risk being denied justice. The Brexiteers assured voters that this could not happen, yet here we have a case where a man accused of serious offences is using Brexit to argue against extradition to face trial in London.

Theresa May and Boris Johnson need to sort this out urgently.

The mans barrister, Patrick Gageby, argued that the court could not be sure whether any trial would happen before or after Britains EU exit. Counsel for Irelands minister for justice, Ronan Kennedy, said the court must treat Britain as a member of the EU.

Ms Justice Aileen Donnelly reserved judgment in the case until October 14.

The case involves the use of a European Arrest Warrant that was issued by Westminster Magistrates Court in September 2015. Prime Minister Mrs May warned during the referendum that Britain could lose the power to issue European warrants if it left the EU.

Ms Creasy said she had been told that other cases of extradition from Ireland to the UK had been put on hold.

A Home Office spokesman was unable to confirm or deny this, but said Britain currently retained all its rights as an EU member.

The spoeksman said: There will be no immediate changes to our relationship with the EU. Until we have left the EU, the UK will remain a member of the EU with all the rights and obligations that membership entails, and UK authorities have continued to cooperate with their counterparts on security matters.


H illary Clinton has launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage after the former UKIP leader spoke at a rally for her White House rival Donald Trump.

The Democrat presidential candidate branded Mr Farage as one of Britains most prominent right wing leaders and accused him of being aligned to Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mr Farage spoke at a rally for outspoken Republican nominee Donald Trump in Mississippi on Wednesday, drawing parallels between the EU referendum campaign and the property billionaires White House bid.

If I was an American citizen I wouldnt vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me, he told the cheering pro-Trump crowd.

Hitting back: Hillary Clinton's accused Nigel Farage of having alliances with Russian / Getty

The remark clearly irked the former First Lady, who singled out Farage in a speech in Reno, Nevada yesterday, claiming he stirred up anti-immigrant feelings to help win Junes Brexit vote.

Just yesterday, one of Britains most prominent right-wing leaders, a man named Nigel Farage, who stoked anti-immigrant sentiments to win the referendum, to have Britain leave the European Union, campaigned with Donald Trump in Mississippi, she said.

Farage has called for a bar on the children of legal immigrants from public schools and health services, has said women, and I quote, are worth less than men, and supports scrapping laws that prevent employers discriminating based on race.

Thats who Donald Trump wants by his side when hes addressing an audience of American voters. And the grand godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Support: Donald Trump greets Nigel Farage on stage / Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

She continued: In fact, Farage regularly appears on Russian propaganda programmes.

"Now hes standing on the same stage as the Republican nominee. This is part of a broader story: The rising tide of hard-line right-wing nationalism around the world.

Mr Farage hit back last night, saying Mrs Clinton was running scared.

Her attacks on me are completely baseless, he told Bretbart London.

She sounds rather like Bob Geldof and cant accept Brexit. Perhaps Mrs Clinton should spend more time speaking to normal, working people in her country than trying to attack me using dodgy half-quotes, he added.

In her Nevada speech, Mrs Clinton sought to link Mr Trump with the extreme right movement, saying he espoused a steady stream of bigotry and claiming: This is someone who retweets white supremacists.

At a rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, Mr Trump said Mrs Clinton was accusing his supporters of being racists, which were not.
L abour's divisions deepened today as the partys most senior official clashed with shadow chancellor John McDonnell.

General secretary Iain McNicol publicly slapped down Mr McDonnell for accusing the party machine of launching a rigged purge of Left-wingers.

Writing on Twitter he said: John, just to clarify you say party officials. Decisions are made by elected NEC members, and not party staff.

The latest row blew up after Left-wing union boss Ronnie Draper, who leads the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, was suspended by Labours ruling National Executive Committee.

Allies of Jeremy Corbyn are furious at what they see as attempts to tilt the leadership contest by purging the party membership of his backers. Officials insist they are just enforcing the rules.

In a statement that prompted Mr McNicols retort, Mr McDonnell said: Labour party members will not accept what appears to be a rigged purge of Jeremy Corbyn supporters. The conduct of this election must be fair and even-handed.

Mr Draper, a party member for 40 years, told PoliticsHome he thought his suspension was something to do with Twitter.

TODO: define component type apester

Mr Corbyn was setting out what he called a transformative vision for the arts during campaigning in Scotland. He claimed: There is creativity in all of us but we need to give people the opportunities for this creativity to flourish.

Rival Owen Smith last night accused Mr Corbyn of being happy about the vote for the UK to leave the EU.
G rowing cash deficits in Londons hospital trusts are revealed today amid pressure on health chiefs to merge hospitals and close smaller units around the capital.

A new analysis said Londons five NHS areas are under growing financial strain and are planning closures that MPs fear will deprive communities of much-loved local units.

NHS bosses throughout England are drawing up plans to close A&E departments and district hospitals amid a dire funding crisis, according to a study by campaign group 38 Degrees.

In London, where there have already been heated controversies over closures, an analysis of public plans reveals the pressures getting worse.

In North Central London, health and social care is projected to be 771 million short and the NHS area is proposing to rationalise mental health inpatient services.

Over in North East London, there is a projected 511 million shortfall and the plans speak of transformations without making clear what it would mean for patients.

The draft plan in North West London indicates reducing demand for acute services by approximately 500 beds. By 2021, it is projected to be 1 billion short of the funds it needs to maintain current care levels.

In South East London, a 1 billion shortfall is projected by 2021. In South West London, the shortfall is forecast to be 600 million.

Labour MP Steve Pound, who campaigned against Ealing Hospital being stripped of its childrens ward and other units, said the loss of such facilities was heartbreaking to local people.

What these closures are doing is undermining confidence in the NHS which is so important and is actually crucial to feeling healthy, he said.

It causes real pain and distress when people have to travel longer distances for treatments or check-ups.

A spokesman for NHS Improvement said: It is an essential part of the planning process for local areas to identify which services could be unsafe, under-used or unsustainable.

It is absolutely right that decisions on the future of health services are taken locally in consultation with the people who use those services. That planning process is still going on and no decisions have been taken.

Nationally, experts say there is a looming 23 billion funding deficit. Some 44 Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs)  which aim to rationalise NHS hospitals into bigger more efficient units  are being drawn up.

Director at 38 Degrees Laura Townshend said: These proposed cuts arent the fault of local NHS leaders. The health service is struggling to cope with growing black holes in NHS funding. These new revelations will be a test of Theresa Mays commitment to a fully funded National Health Service.

The Department of Health said it had protected the NHS by giving it an extra 10 billion to fund its own plan to transform services.

A spokesman said: Changes to local services will only go forward where they are designed by doctors and in the clear interests of local patients.


T om Watson today appeared to troll Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn with a tweet about his explosive Traingate row with rail operator Virgin.

Labours deputy leader appeared to make fun of Mr Corbyn after he was accused of lying about being unable to find a seat on a long-distance Virgin train for a publicity stunt.

Mr Watson wrote: There a [sic] those that choose to be seated and those that sit on floors. A brief history of chairs.

His tweet including a link to a blog in the Paris Review titled Sitting up: A brief history of chairs.

A bizarre feud broke out between Mr Corbyn and Virgin after the rail operator disputed his claim that he was unable to find a seat on a ram-packed service from London to Newcastle.

On social media, some praised Mr Watson for his trolling game, while others accused him of being childish and immature.

Ben Gartside quoted the tweet and said: "Tom Watson is the best thing about the Labour Party at the moment."

But Karen P tweeted: What a childish post. I guess we know you won't be going into Comedy when politics is over for you.

Paul Yandle said: What a foolish, immature thing to tweet. Take a look at yourself and your position.

Corbyn asked to clarify why he sat on the floor on the train

The leader of the opposition rebuked reporters on Wednesday after being asked about the incident at a press conference, where he admitted there had been spare seats.

He told them: "Yes, I did look for two empty seats together so I could sit down with my wife to talk to her.

"That wasn't possible, so I went to the end of the train."

It comes as Labour Party members continue to vote in the leadership contest between Mr Corbyn and Owen Smith, with the outcome due to be announced on September 24.
F rances top judges have suspended a ban on burkinis on French beaches which sparked worldwide outrage and criticism.

The countrys highest administrative court released a statement saying the ban would be suspended pending a definitive ruling.

It said the ban "seriously and clearly illegally breached fundamental freedoms to come and go, freedom of beliefs and individual freedom".

The Conseil d'Etat gave the ruling following a request from the League of Human Rights to overturn the burkini ban in the Mediterranean town of Villeneuve-Loubet on the grounds it contravenes civil liberties.

Controversial ban: Armed Police reportedly forced a woman to remove a burkini on a beach in Nice (Twitter/Feiza Ben Mohamed ) / Twitter/Feiza Ben Mohamed

A human rights lawyer says the decision by France's top administrative court to overturn a ban on burkini swimsuits should set a legal precedent for the whole country.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, told reporters that other mayors who have banned burkinis must conform to Friday's decision regarding the town of Villeneuve-Loubet.

He also said women who have already received fines can protest them based on Friday's decision.

"It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent," he said. "Today all the ordinances taken should conform to the decision of the Council of State. Logically the mayors should withdraw these ordinances. If not legal actions could be taken" against those towns.

Burkini protest outside French embassy

"Today the state of law is that these ordinances are not justified. They violate fundamental liberties and they should be withdrawn."

But the mayor of Sisco in northern Corsica says he won't lift his ban which was put in place after sunbathers of North African origin clashed with Sisco villagers on the beach earlier in August.

He told BFM-TV on Friday: "Here the tension is very, very, very strong and I won't withdraw it."

A protest against Frances oppressive ban on was staged at the countrys embassy in London on Thursday.

Both Muslim and non-Muslim women donned burkinis, bikinis and swimsuits to sit on a makeshift beach in a bid to force the French government to repeal the "oppressive" law, under which women on beaches have been ordered to remove religious clothing by armed police.

Under the French legal system, temporary decisions can be handed down before the court takes more time to prepare a judgement on the underlying legality of the case.

This page is being updated.
A t least eight people have died and dozens of others are injured after a car bomb was detonated at a police building in Turkey.

The blast took place today at a police headquarters in Cizre, which lies in the southeast of the country, bordering Syria and Iraq.

Local media reported the blast took place at a police post in the city.

Health Minister Recep Akdag said more than 70 were wounded in the attack, four of them critically, but that the death toll was uncertain.

It was not clear whether the casualties were civilians or police officers.

Photographs broadcast by private channel NTV showed a large three-storey building reduced to its concrete shell, with no walls or windows, and surrounded by grey rubble.

State-run Anadolu Agency blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has been involved in almost daily clashes in the region since last July, when a ceasefire between it and the government collapsed.

The blast comes less than a week after a child suicide bomber attacked a wedding party in the country, killing more than 50 people.

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That attack, in Gaziantep, was blamed by President Tayyip Erdogan on Isis and was followed by a series of strikes by the Turkish military on targets held by the extremist group in Syria.

This page is being updated.
T he full story of how a mass murderer used the dark net to obtain a gun and plan his shooting spree is re-vealed today.

Teenager Ali David Sonboly killed nine people and injured 21 during his rampage in Munich last month before shooting himself.

Now an investigation by the Standard provides a disturbing insight into how the underground web enabled him to plot the attacks  and could be used by others to carry out more.

Last December, seven months before he carried out the murders, Sonboly, 18, used the codename Mauracher to place a specific seven-line message requesting a Glock 17 pistol and 250 rounds of ammunition. He offered a price of 2,500 Euros but ended up paying almost 2,000 Euros more. The full extent of his use of the dark web was exposed in a lucky break for German police, as they investigated two separate attempts to use the underground network to ob-tain weapons, by a 62-year-old accountant and a student aged 17.

Fear on the streets: people being escorted from the Olympia shopping centre / Getty

Armed police arrested a 31-year-old unemployed salesman in the town of Marburg after setting up a sting operation. He allegedly incriminated himself and revealed to undercover officers that he had supplied the Glock 17 pistol Sonboly used to cause the carnage.

The arms seller allegedly told detectives he handed the Glock and 350 rounds of ammunition to Sonboly at meetings on May 20 and July 18, four days before the attack. There is no evidence Sonboly, a German-Iranian dual national, was linked to Islamic State or other Islamist terror groups.

He had written what has been called a manifesto of murder after studying the actions of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian neo-Nazi who killed 77 in a bomb and gun attack five years ago. He had also suffered psychological problems and had been bullied at school, factors which the authorities say may have triggered his rampage on July 22.

The scene of the shooting in Munich

Sonboly used the internet to carry out research into mass shootings and lure his victims to his chosen killing ground  a McDonalds in north-west Munich. He shot at his victims in and outside the restaurant and continued the rampage in the nearby Olympia shopping centre, before shooting himself in the head. Seven of the victims were teenagers.

Security agencies of Germanys Western allies have been kept informed about the inquiry which followed  the information feeding into already rising concern about the use of illicit internet sites by terrorists and violent criminals. The dark net is utilised for a range of illegal purchases including drugs, child abuse images and arms. Users need to be adept at navigating its complex avenues while ensuring anonymity.

After the suicide bombings in Brussels last March, French interior minister Bernard Cazeneuve called for greater control of websites which are not indexed by traditional search engines and which run a large amount of data issued by criminal organisations including jihadists. Those who attack us use the dark net and encrypted messaging to get access to weapons to hit us.

When Sonboly bought his gun he used the encryption system PGP, making his purchase with Bitcoins. There is a strong possibility he bought a second weapon. Police are looking at claims that he was seen with another gun and his internet searches also included requests for .45 calibre ammunition, not needed for a 9mm Glock.

British security analyst Robert Emerson said: If teenagers can get on it, so can many others involved in terrorism and organised crime. When guns are supplied to terrorists and robbers there is always a chance that it can be traced, networks dismantled. But there are serious obstacles if the deal is done through the dark net because the raison detre for that market is secrecy.

It is also, of course, an international market on the web, and goods can be shipped anywhere  this is why we are likely to see increasing use of it by terrorists and criminals. Despite the difficulties, British and German security agencies have successfully carried out a joint operation to uncover firearms trafficking involving the dark net.

In 2014 career criminal Alexander Mullings used a mobile from his Wandsworth jail cell to order Skorpion sub-machineguns from Germany. The supplier, who had been active in the underground internet market, turned out to be a student in the Bavarian city of Schweinfurt.

At Luton crown court last year, Mullings was given a life sentence after being found guilty of conspiring to possess firearms with intent to endanger life.

The German government maintains it has tight gun control laws, However, after the Munich shooting, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere said further regulations could be brought in, and in Europe, we want to make further progress with a common weapons policy. We have to look very carefully at where to make legal changes.

Mark Mastaglio, a fellow of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences and a forensic ballistic adviser to the UN, said: The UK has the gold standard when it comes to deactivating guns. But although the laws are very strict in the UK, that is not the case in some places elsewhere and the dark net affects all. That is a serious problem.
S trong aftershocks have hit central Italy as the death toll from the devastating earthquake rose to 267 today, including a teenager from London.

Hopes of finding any more survivors were fading as the biggest aftershock hit at 6.28am, with a magnitude of 4.8.

It was preceded by more than a dozen weaker ones overnight and was followed by another nine in the subsequent hour - some of the nearly 1,000 aftershocks that have hit the seismic area of Italys central Apennine Mountains in the two days.

About 5,000 rescue workers are nevertheless still combing through rubble for survivors using heavy machinery or bare hands.

Razed to the ground: Much of historic Amatrice has been reduced to dust / AP

UK Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said additional staff had been deployed to the region to provide consular support.

He added: My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people and everyone affected by the terrible earthquake that struck central Italy.

The British government has offered any assistance that we can to help with the recovery effort and I have spoken with Italian foreign minister Paolo Gentiloni to express my condolences personally.

The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours on Wednesday 65 miles north-east of Rome.

At least three Britons are understood to have been killed.

Rescue: Firefighters have spent hours searching the rubble for survivors / EPA

One victim, a 14-year-old boy, was visiting Italy with his family who were staying with the owners of a house in the village of Sommati, just over a mile from Amatrice, one of the worst-hit areas.

The British owners are also believed to have been killed, however their two children appeared to have survived the earthquake.

The boys parents were injured, and are currently been treated in Rieti Hospital, while his sister survived and did not need hospital treatment, the Daily Mirror said.

Rescue: Firefighters search for victims amid the rubble. / Italian Fire Brigade.

Rieti Hospital director Pasquale Carducci said the teenagers mother was suffering from facial fractures and his father had a broken leg.

The British woman was brought here by rescue workers on Wednesday while her husband was taken to LAquila.

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When we discovered he was there we decided they would be happier together, so we decided to reunite them.

Since the man was less badly hurt it was easier to bring him to her. We hope that they can be a support to each other.

Search: Rescuers have been working all day to pull people trapped in the rubble. / AP

The couples daughter was being looked after by other relatives while her parents were in hospital, the Mirror said, adding that the family were visited in hospital by British Embassy officials.

Italian news reports said the first funerals were due to be held on Friday, while Italian prime minister authorised a preliminary 43 million in emergency funding and ordered the cancellation of taxes for residents of the region.

He also said it was absurd to think that Italy could build completely quake-proof buildings.

Distraught: A devastated woman is comforted by rescuers (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino) / Alessandra Tarantino/AP

Its illusory to think you can control everything, he said.

Its difficult to imagine it could have been avoided simply using different building technology. Were talking about medieval-era towns.

Alessandra Cioni, 45, who managed to crawl out of her crumpled house in Amatrice after the quake, said: People like myself have lost everything, but at the same time the fact that we have survived means we have to move forward one minute at a time.

Devastation: At least six people have died in the quake / REUTERS/Remo Casilli

We have been saved, not like half the people in this place who have lost their lives."
A British backpacker today told of his devastation after being caught up in a knife rampage in Australia which ended in his friend being stabbed to death.

Chris Porter, from Kent, has been discharged from hospital after reportedly damaging both ankles when he jumped from a second-storey window to flee the knifeman.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was killed in the attack at the Shelley's Backpackers accommodation in the Home Hill area of Queensland on Tuesday night.

A 30-year-old British man, named by police as Tom Jackson, was admitted to hospital with critical head injuries, while a 46-year-old local man suffered non-life threatening injuries.

In a Facebook posting, Mr Porter said: "I'm truly devastated and heartbroken about what has happened and I'm still in shock.

Backpacking tour: Mia Ayliffe-Chung had been travelling through Australia

"Never thought I'd be heading back through that airport without Mia. I'd appreciate if everyone just gave me some time to myself for a while and I will get through all my inbox gradually."

Smail Ayad, 29, has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.

The aftermath of the knife attack in Australia

Superintendent Ray Rohweder, of Queensland Police, also said there was an indication that Ayad had taken cannabis on Tuesday evening.

Police have confirmed he shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack but said there is no indication that radicalisation or political motives were involved.

Mr Rohweder said there were a "number of concerns in relation to both officer and public safety" after the suspect allegedly attacked a number of officers.

The 12 serious assaults he has been charged with are in relation to 12 separate police officers. Ayad has had access to legal representation and the French consulate and has declined to be interviewed.

A post-mortem examination found Miss Ayliffe-Chung died from multiple stab wounds.

Additional reporting by Press Association.
A tourist today told of her miracle survival in the New Zealand wilderness for a month after her partner plunged to his death on a walking holiday.

Czech national Pavlina Pizova, 33, broke down in tears today following her remarkable rescue, describing how a dream trip to ramble along the famous Routeburn track turned to tragedy and a battle for survival.

After watching her partner, Ondrej Petr, 27, slip and die in a freak accident, Ms Pizova spent two freezing nights in the open before stumbling across a locked wardens hut in the Fiordland National Park in the South Island. She broke in and prayed for rescue.

Finally, she used ashes to make an H help sign in the snow, and fashioned snow shoes with sticks during the ordeal.

For the next four weeks she existed on meagre supplies of food she found inside, firewood and gas left behind by department of conservation workers.

She frantically tried to operate the hut radio but could not understand the English instructions.

Police said extreme and severe conditions, including heavy snow and the risk of avalanche, along with her minor injuries - frostbite and possible hypothermia - prevented Ms Pizova from walking to safety.

No other hikers passed through the area and the track was officially closed for winter.

Survival: Pavlina Pizova sought shelter in a remote hut / AFP/Getty Images

The alarm to find the missing couple was only raised this week by the Czech consulate when relatives in their homeland began a social media campaign to find them.

Earlier Ms Pizova told how she helplessly watched her partner die after he slipped and fell, then found herself stranded in the remote South Island hut for nearly a month.

Ms Pizovas partner died after the pair fell from the track when they got lost. Mr Petr got stuck and died about July 27. His body was recovered this morning.

She said: After his death it took me another two nights out in the open before I reached the safety of the hut.

The recent heavy snows meant I was walking through waist-deep snow and because all track markers were covered, I had to find my own way. During this time I got extremely cold, exhausted and my feet were frozen.

Looking pale and exhausted, Pizova thanked her rescuers and described how she could see avalanches outside the wardens hut at Lake Mackenzie, and knew she was stuck.

Ms Pizova described the ordeal as harrowing and her partner falling and dying was a tragic accident.

Because of her health and the weather, she thought it was best to stay in a safe place.

I made a few attempts to leave the hut but because of the weather and my physical conditions, it discouraged me from doing so.

She took the opportunity to send safety messages to anyone travelling in the New Zealand mountains.

We made a few mistakes with not leaving our intentions with somebody and not carrying a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon) and underestimating the conditions of the track, she said.
E x-French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called for a nationwide burkini ban after launching his campaign to return to office.

The former French president, who announced on Tuesday he would be running for the top job again in Frances elections next year, took a hard line on the controversial burkini debate.

Several seaside towns in south-east France have already banned the full-body swimwear, arguing it breaks the countrys law on secularism.

Nice became the latest town to introduce a ban and pictures emerged this week of armed police on a beach apparently forcing a woman in a headscarf to remove clothing.

Mr Sarkozy said if he was re-elected, there would be a complete ban on burkinis across France. He said he refused to let the swimwear impose itself in French beaches and swimming pools.

At a rally this week the 61-year-old said he wanted to guarantee the safety of France and of every French person and re-establish the authority of the state.

He told crowds: There must be a law to ban it throughout the republics territory.

On Thursday a Wear What You Want demonstration was held outside the French embassy in London in a bid to force the French government to repeal the oppressive ban.

Both Muslim and non-Muslim women donned burkinis, bikinis and swimsuits and sat outside the Knightsbridge embassy.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan also waded into the row, as he travelled to Paris to discuss community integration and condemn the ban.
B ritain was today warned of a rising threat from Islamic State fighters sent on mission from Syria.

The alert came as the EUs top law enforcement officer revealed that increasing numbers of jihadis are using fake documents to sneak into Europe.

Europols director Rob Wainwright said IS had taken a strategic decision to send its fanatics to attack the continent in an attempt to distract attention from battlefield defeats in its heartland.

He also highlighted the weapons trade on the Dark Net, saying it was a major part of the security challenge that is now facing Europe. Mr Wainwright said some IS extremists were using false Syrian passports in a bid to arrive undetected  with a small but increasing number posing as refugees.

Others were exploiting the industrial scale production of false documents by criminals to obtain EU passports and move freely over the continent.

Mr Wainwright said Europe also faced the return of thousands more extremists as IS crumbled in Syria in a long, long struggle that will pose an onerous security challenge for years.

Jihadis are being sent to Europe to wage attacks / Reuters

The warnings, in an interview with the Standard at Europols HQ in The Hague, came as Mr Wainwright also:

Said a new squad of 200 counter- terrorism officers is to be deployed to the Greek islands within weeks to spot extremists seeking entry to Europe.

Predicted more attempted Paris-style spectacular attacks, saying there are more than 50 counter-terror investigations under way in Europe.

Warned of reports that extremists are attempting to radicalise migrants at refugee reception centres in Greece and the Balkans.

Revealed that hundreds of law enforcement operations are trying to stop illegal firearms being moved to Britain and other EU nations.

His comments come amid reports by the Italian newspaper La Stampa that fake passports intended for use by IS extremists were found by law enforcement staff at refugee camps in Greece.

That will heighten concern about the terror threat facing Britain and follows a recent warning by Met Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe that it is a matter of when, not if Britain suffers another terrorist atrocity.

In his interview today, Mr Wainwright warned that this threat by returning foreign fighters was increasing.

He said: Theres a lot pressure on IS now. I suspect morale might be flagging and a number of fighters of their own volition will want to return. Over several years well have to deal with the re- integration of thousands of Europeans wholl come back having been exposed to a highly radicalised environment.

Thats going to be a long, long struggle for us to deal with the numbers involved and how we can get them back into society, plus sort out which among them pose the biggest security threat.

Given the numbers involved, thats quite an onerous security challenge the authorities will face. Some fighters will be sent back by IS to engage in terrorist activity. We have, in the last year and a half, seen a strategic decision by IS to do that and carry out spectacular attacks of the type we saw in France and Brussels. There will be further attempts at that kind of activity, not least as a distraction.

If they are having less military success in Syria then the ability to carry out spectacular attacks in Europe is an alternative way to sustain morale among their fighters and demonstrate that IS is still being successful. That is a strategic path IS is trying to take.

On the security challenges we face, well have a long-term struggle to reintegrate returning fighters, some of whom will have been sent back on mission.

The other is the possibly even larger number who have never been to Syria but are still capable of being radicalised to carry out attacks.

On the use of migration routes, Mr Wainwright said he was surprised IS had not exploited the refugee crisis more extensively so far, but warned that the number of foreign fighters entering Europe with false documents was growing.

Weve had cases, and they continue to be identified, of clandestine attempts at return  forged passports, assumed identity, typically a Syrian passport, to get into Europe, sometimes through the migratory/refugee channel.

Some cases involve the use of a fake Syrian ID to claim asylum and on arrival in Greece  then help by an accomplice for onward journeys to other European countries.

At this point in some cases another assumed identity is taken on, this time with a forged EU passport to travel within the Schengen free movement area. We continue to see more cases. Mr Wainwright said that to reduce the danger Europol would deploy counter-terrorism officers to help border guards spot potential extremists. The system would be modelled on the techniques of British law enforcers at Heathrow.

He said: The officers will, on rotation, be deployed to the Greek islands, maybe Italy. There will be a second line of defence. We hope to deploy some into the camps where the refugees, the asylum seekers, are being held.

We are concerned over reports these kinds of reception centres are being targeted for radicalisation activities.

At least two of those behind the Paris attacks last November are known to have re-entered Europe from Syria via Greece using false Syrian passports.

Mr Wainwright said Europol, which coordinates intelligence sharing be- tween EU members, was also trying to identify and bring to trial those trading in illegal arms and fake documents.

He added: The criminal underworld is supplying industrial amounts of forged documents  principally for people-smuggling but some of which we know are being directed to terrorist networks. We also have tens of thousands of suspects involved in the illegal firearms trade.

A pretty large-scale criminal underworld is supplying illegal firearms to mainly criminal contacts, a small but significant proportion of which are destined for use by terrorists.

The supply is still connected a lot with the former Yugoslavia and a fair bit is coming from America.

Also a lot of it is managed, arranged, bought, sold and traded online  especially on the Dark Net.

The ability of police to identify both the buyer and seller there is very low.

There are large-scale trading sites for illegal firearms  as there are for drugs  on the Dark Net, which is accounting for a significant part of this problem.

On the impact of Brexit, Mr Wainwright said British law enforcement would benefit from retaining the European Arrest Warrant and access to the Schengen Information System.

Under that system, data is shared Europe-wide on people or objects with suspected connections to crime.

Mr Wainwright said an unprecedented deal would be needed to secure this but he was optimistic that Theresa May could negotiate a successful outcome.
T his week I hosted a bloggers breakfast at the new Attribute London pop up shop in Shoreditch.

The brand is super cool and definitely one to check out.

I wore a shirt from Sister Jane, jeans from Donna Ida and bag and shoes from Attribute.

I had my hair and make up done by Secret Spa in the comfort of my own home, which was AMAZING.

(Rosie Fortescue/Instagram) / (Rosie Fortescue/Instagram)

I am obsessed with my dewy, highlighted skin and cute plait!

This week I had a super healthy food delivery from Bearfaced Groceries, which I have recently discovered.

I am trying not to eat dairy since being back from France and this Ombar dairy free chocolate is to die for!

(Rosie Fortescue/Instagram) / (Rosie Fortescue/Instagram)

My skin has been dry since coming back from being on holiday, and I can safely say my skin has been totally rejuvenated by Rhian Truman Therapies.

I had the most incredible facial of my life and my skin is now glowing and feels plump and clear.

Rosie Fortescue/Instagram

Rhians method of using facial massage felt amazing, but also really got my circulation going and has totally revived my skin!

My beauty product of the week this week is Dr. Lipps Original Nipple Balm for Lips,which is 100% natural and very nourishing. Its a wonder balm for dry patches on hands and elbows too!

Follow @RosieFortescue and @StandardEnts.
M cVities has had its say on the Jaffa Cake debate sparked by the first episode of The Great British Bake Off.

Fans were split over the age old biscuit or cake question when contestants were tasked with making Jaffas as their first technical bake during cake week.

But even more contentious was Paul Hollywoods decision to dunk his Jaffa Cake into his tea in the manner of a biscuit.

Now McVities has spoken out to set the record straight about its product and about Hollywoods shocking behaviour.

The Great British Bake Off 2016: Launch Trailer

McVities Brand Director Kerry Owens has said: Only Brits could be so passionate about this issue, and they have spoken  Jaffa Cakes are not for dunking!

As the experts of all things Jaffa Cake (and dunking) we tend to agree  the sponge base just isnt robust enough to hold up in a hot drink.

Clearly not wanting to shame expert baker Hollywood too much, Owens added: However, Paul is the nations expert of all things baking so maybe well see him starting a new trend.

Great British Bake Off 2016 - contestants in pictures 1 /17 Great British Bake Off 2016 - contestants in pictures Full tent The bakers taking part in the Great British Bake Off 2016 have been revealed BBC/Love Productions Rav Age: 28

From: Kent

Bio: After studying Criminology at university, Rav went on to support students at City University, London. Hes experimental with his baking and is inspired by vegan baking and eastern cuisine

Speciality: Flavour combinations BBC/Love Productions Andrew Age: 25

From: Derby

Bio: Northern Irish-born aerospace engineer Andrew was taught to bake by his mum and gran. Hes a straight-A student who went to Cambridge University

Speciality: Structurally ambitious bakes BBC/Love Productions Louise Age: 46

From: Cardiff

Bio: Hairdresser Louise progressed her skills by making cakes for charity sales at work. She adventurous in her designs and in her hobbies  having completed a trek around the Andes and various other mountains

Speciality: Elaborate cakes BBC/Love Productions Lee Age: 67

From: Bolton

Bio: Builder-turned-theologist-turned-Pastor Lee used baking as a way to fill his days in the Eighties when an injury stopped him from playing cricket.

Speciality: Traditional flavours, including cherry, hazelnut, vanilla and chocolate BBC/Love Productions Kate Age: 37

From: Norfolk

Bio: Qualified nurse Kate is a Brownie leader and uses seasonal fruits which she gathers with her kids in her baking

Speciality: Sugar craft BBC/Love Productions Val Age: 66

From: Yeovil

Bio: Semi-retired substitute teacher Val incorporates her baking into her teaching. She does aerobics in her kitchen  but she might not do so in the Bake Off tent

Speciality: Traditional classics BBC/Love Productions Benjamina Age: 23

From: South London

Bio: Teaching assistant Benjamina takes inspiration from the likes of Instagram and Pinterest for modern takes on classic bakes. She takes feedback from her family to improve her creations

Speciality: Fresh and modern versions of traditional cakes BBC/Love Productions Michael Age: 20

From: London

Bio: Currently studying Politics and Economics in Durham, Michael has Cypriot heritage grew up making Greek pastries with his nan

Speciality: Big grand cakes BBC/Love Productions Selasi Age: 30

From: London

Bio: Ghanaian-born Selasi works in finance, and his hobbies include motorbikes, basketball, and travelling. He recently ran a 10k, half marathon, and trekked through Malawi for charity

Speciality: Delicate cupcakes BBC/Love Productions Jane Age: 61

From: Beckenham

Bio: Garden designer Jane wakes up at 5am to bake her bread. Her grandfather owned a bakery, and she s passionate about the classics

Speciality: Classic cakes, biscuits and pastry BBC/Love Productions Tom Age: 26

From: London

Bio: Rochdale-born Tom works for the Royal Society of Arts and is creative with his flavours and ingredients. He lost 30 kilos, and has a have your cake and eat it mentality

Speciality: Surprising twists BBC/Love Productions Candice Age: 31

From: Bedfordshire

Bio: Secondary school PE teacher Candice was taught to bake by her nan, and loves everything vintage. She lives with her boyfriend Liam and pug Dennis

Speciality: Baking the classics like her nan BBC/Love Productions

Mary Berry seemed unimpressed with Hollywoods decision to dunk, telling him:We dont do that in the South, you know.

Many viewers were equally outraged, with one person writing on Twitter: Never been so disgusted watching Paul Hollywood dunk a Jaffa cake in his tea.

Paul Hollywood dunks his Jaffa Cakes in tea. This is unacceptable. Just dunk a Digestive instead you savage, someone else posted.
A rlene Phillips is reportedly being lined up to return to Strictly Come Dancing.

The dance choreographer and presenter, who was a judge on the BBC show from 2004-2009, is in talks to replace Len Goodman.

According to The Sun, Phillips, 73, could be making her big return to the show next year, seven years after she was axed.

Producers have a limited pool to pick from for Len's replacement, a source told the newspaper.

They know Arlene would be a shock to the audience but they'd love it. This time her age actually works in her favour as part of the BBC's new diversity and gender targets.

Anton du Beke is still the favourite, but bosses love him being a dance mentor.

Despite her strong dance background and expertise, Phillips was axed from the show and replaced by Alesha Dixon in 2009.

Speaking on Good Morning Britain on Wednesday, Phillips suggested that shed been keen to make a return to the popular show.

Strictly Come Dancing 2016: full confirmed line-up 1 /21 Strictly Come Dancing 2016: full confirmed line-up Keep dancing! The line-up for Strictly Come Dancing 2016 has been announced in full BBC/Ray Burmiston/Matt Burlem Ed Balls Jeremy Selwyn / Evening Standard Greg Rutherford Competing: Greg Rutherford will join Strictly Come Dancing fresh from the Rio Olympics Alexander Hassenstein/Getty Laura Whitmore Confirmed: TV presenter Laura Whitmore is set for Strictly Come Dancing 2016 Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Ore Oduba Confirmed: Olympic Games presenter Ore Oduba will take to the dance floor BBC /Adrian Meyers /Matt Burlem Will Young John Phillips/Getty Claudia Fragapane Alex Livesey/Getty Melvin Odoom Dave Benett Louise Redknapp Luca Teuchmann/Getty Danny Mac Tim P. Whitby/Getty Images Naga Munchetty Confirmed: Naga Munchetty will be taking part in Strictly Come Dancing 2016 BBC Daisy Lowe Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images Anastacia Jeff Spicer/Getty Judge Rinder Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Lesley Joseph Stuart C. Wilson/Getty Tameka Empson Jeff Spicer/Getty

Len is going and as always when the BBC said goodbye, the BBC do what the BBC want to do so I have no clue, she said.

But I do know that I want to be there this year because Greg Rutherford is adorable.

Goodman, 72, recently announced that this year would be his last on Strictly after 12 years as head judge.

He said: In 2004, I was asked to take part in a brand new BBC Saturday night show and who would have thought me, old Len Goodman, would still be part of this amazing series more than 10 years on.

This adventure began when I was 60 and now that Ive reached my 70s, Ive decided after this year its time to hand the role of Head Judge to someone else.

It is an honour being part of the wonderful Strictly Come Dancing family and Im looking forward to my last series very much and to whatever comes next.

While Goodman is leaving Strictly, it is thought that he will be taking a the head judge role on US series Dancing With the Stars in the future.


C hannel 4s new documentary The God Terrorist poses a controversial question: can extremism ever be a force for good?

The film explores John Harris infamous act of defiance against apartheid, and its consequences then and now.

In 1964, Harris walked into the whites only section of Johannesburgs central train station and dropped off a suitcase bomb,

The resulting explosion killed 77 yr old Ethel Rhys and seriously injured others, including Rhys granddaughter Glynnis, 12.

Harris was a prominent activist and member of the African Resistance Movement, and nine months after the explosion he became the only white man executed for a crime against apartheid.

This eye-opening film shines a light onto the escalating actions of the AFM to take down apartheid through sabotage.

The filmmakers pair uncovered footage with the testimony of Harris family, friends and victims, as his son David travels to Johannesburg to reconcile his own family history.

We also follow David as he wrestles with his fathers actions, and finally meets Glynnis, who was left scarred by the events at the station.

Channel 4, Saturday, 9pm
Kurdish female iraq

It almost seems inevitable.

With such an oppressive regime and a weakening infrastructure, the organization that touts itself as the caliphate is facing growing dissent within its civilian populace.

And it looks like this gap is widening, especially after the efforts of a secret group called the Mosul Battalions.

In Mosul, Iraqs second largest city and one of the few remaining ISIS bastions, this secret network has been causing disarray for ISIS members by carrying out assassinations and hit-and-run strikes against ISIS targets.

In a report by CNN, online video from the Mosul Battalion has shown the capture and assassinations of ISIS members and the bombings of the militant's checkpoints.

"The roadside bombs they used, they would steal from ISIS," Abu Ali, a Mosul Battalion intermediary told CNN. "ISIS puts bombs in certain areas and those who have previous military experience go and steal these bombs and place them to target ISIS."

After ISIS captured Mosul on June 2014, the jihadists conducted a search for weapons that were both abandoned by fleeing Iraqi soldiers as well as arms held by citizens; however, many remained hidden outside of ISIS grasp. It is with these rifles and pistols that the Mosul Battalion wreaks havoc for ISIS, Ali explained to CNN.

"Saddam militarized the population, all Iraqi people have weapons training, continued Ali.

ISIS Iraq Man Mourning

Risking torture and death, the organization claims to be so secretive that many of their members dont know the identities of others. Contacting each other via cell phone  a crime thats punishable by cutting the hand off the offender or even death  the rebels have developed a crude, yet effective, way of communicating.

Story continues

"They work in two-person formations and a third person is at a higher level to avoid compromising the group if one is captured," he said.

Initially established by two close friends, the Mosul Battalion now claims to have between 100 and 300 fighters, many of them youth and former military members. If this figure is correct, their efforts may be invaluable in the coming months as coalition forces begin their massive campaign to liberate the city from ISIS.

ISIS airstrikes Manbjj Syria

The Mosul Battalion claims to have also already provided intelligence and coordinates of ISIS positions for coalition airstrikes.

They wanted to work with the coalition for a couple reasons. So that the coalition is precise and doesn't hit civilian populations but also to accelerate the elimination of ISIS," said Ali to CNN.

Given how past failures of the Iraqi military and US-led coalition forces led to the unintended rise of ISIS, the presence of an organic and local anti-ISIS resistance movement will be critical to the continued success of beating the militants.

NOW WATCH: EX-PENTAGON CHIEF: These are the 2 main reasons ISIS was born





More From Business Insider


Southeast Asia is bracing itself for its annual, uncomfortable tryst with haze as raging fires at Indonesian plantations worsen pollution in the region.

On Friday, Singapore woke up to a deterioration in air quality overnight, as a thin cloak of haze hung over the city-state. The country's environment agency said that its 3-hour Pollution Standards Index hit the unhealthy level at 10am SIN.

Neighboring Malaysia had already been feeling the effects of the drifting smog since mid-August, local media reported.

The latest bout of pollution comes even as Indonesia steps up efforts against the 'slash-and-burn' technique of cutting down vegetation on a patch of land, then burning off the undergrowth to make space for new plantations.

The country has arrested 454 individuals in connection with forest fires so far this year, more than double the 196 arrests made in 2015, Reuters reported, citing police data released on Thursday.

The 'slash-and-burn' method is prevalent in Indonesia as it the easiest, fastest and most cost-effective way to clear land. According to the World Bank , about 35 percent of the Indonesian workforce is employed in agriculture, with palm oil and pulp-and-paper industries key contributors.

The use of fire has been deemed illegal by the Indonesian government due to its detrimental environmental impac t.

Earlier in August, a sago plantation company was fined 1.07 trillion Indonesian rupiah ($81 million) for its link to widespread fires last year-- the biggest fine imposed on a plantation business so far.

In 2015, the pollution cost Southeast Asia economic powerhouse Singapore S$700 million ($517 million), the country's environment and water resources minister said in March.

The smog got so bad it led to school closures as well as air and sea traffic disruptions.



Indonesia, where most of the thick cloud originated, suffered even more economically, with the World Bank estimating damages at $16.1 billion in 2015.

Story continues

It is "difficult and tricky" to put a dollar value on damages this year, as what is at stake is often intangible, such as loss in productivity, delayed construction activities and sovereign risk reputation to tourists, said ANZ economist Ng Weiwen.

Singapore hosts the Formula One Grand Prix night time motorsport event in September yearly and concerns have surfaced in previous years over visibility.

There's hope that the pollution will not be as bad as last year in terms of duration and intensity as the weather forecast for the rest of the year points to a La Nina weather phenomenon , which is likely to result in increased rainfall, said a weather expert.

"Of course, this assumes the non-meteorological factors like land clearing through burning by humans don't increase in significance," said Winston Chow, a professor at the National University of Singapore's geography department.

According to the Asean Specialized Meteorological Centre based in Singapore, the number of hotspots (locations with active fires) in Indonesia hit a high of 184 on August 18 due to the ongoing dry spell, but that figure has since eased as rains doused the fires.

On Thursday, there were 17 hotspots in Indonesia.

Follow CNBC International on Twitter and Facebook.


This page is archived. Data published after 5 April 2022 can be found on the renewed website. Go to the new statistics page

Published: 26 August 2016

Municipalities operating expenses totalled EUR 18.5 billion in January to June 2016

In January to June 2016, municipalities' external operating expenses amounted to EUR 18.5 billion and operating revenue to EUR 4.0 billion. Municipalities received a total of EUR 11.1 billion in tax revenue and EUR 4.5 billion in central government transfers. Joint municipal authorities' external operating expenses amounted to EUR 6.5 billion and operating revenue to EUR 6.7 billion. These data appear from Statistics Finland's statistics on quarterly local government finances, for which data were collected from 80 municipalities and from 69 joint municipal authorities in Mainland Finland.

External quarterly data on the finances of municipalities and joint municipal authorities, EUR million 1)

Municipalities Joint municipal

authorities Total Total Operating revenue total 3 993 6 696 Operating expenses total 18 536 6 488 Annual contribution margin 1 519 169 Loan stock 14 895 2 999

Finances of municipalities and joint municipal authorities

1) Operating expenses include expenses from production for own use.

Municipalities' external operating expenses amounted to EUR 18.5 billion and operating revenue to EUR 4.0 billion in January to June 2016. Municipalities' tax funding, which consists of tax revenue and central government transfers to local government, totalled EUR 15.7 billion. In all, 71.1 per cent of tax funding comprised of tax revenues and 28.9 per cent of central government transfers. The combined annual contribution margin of municipalities was EUR 1.5 billion.

Municipalities investment expenditure stood at EUR 1.2 billion at the end of the first half of 2016. At the end of June, the combined loan stock stood at EUR 14.9 billion, which amounted to EUR 2,729 per capita. 1)

Joint municipal authorities' external operating expenses amounted to EUR 6.5 billion and operating revenue to EUR 6.7 billion in January to June 2016. The combined annual contribution margin of joint municipal authorities was EUR 0.2 billion.

Joint municipal authorities spent EUR 0.3 billion on investments during the two first quarters of the year. Joint municipal authorities' combined loan stock stood at EUR 3.0 billion at the end of June.

Information on the statistics

The statistics on quarterly local government finances are a sample survey that describes the development of the finances of municipalities and joint municipal authorities by quarter in Mainland Finland.

The data in the statistics on quarterly local government finances are preliminary and they might become revised in coming publications. No quarterly data by municipality or joint municipal authority are published.

The data published in the statistics on quarterly local government finances are not directly comparable with the data of the statistics on local government finances by quarter because of the different way of handling local government enterprises. In the statistics on quarterly local government finances, local government enterprises are combined with the data on basic municipalities and joint municipal authorities, while this was not done in the statistics on local government finances by quarter published between 2013 and 2015.

1) The population data used were the population of Mainland Finland on 31 December 2015.

Source: Quarterly local government finances, 2nd quarter 2016, Statistics Finland

Inquiries: Karen Asplund 029 551 3611, Atte Virtanen 029 551 3685, kuntatalous@stat.fi

Director in charge: Ville Vertanen

Publication in pdf-format (207.0 kB)

Updated 26.08.2016

Referencing instructions: Official Statistics of Finland (OSF): Quarterly local government finances [e-publication].

ISSN=2343-4139. 2nd quarter 2016. Helsinki: Statistics Finland [referred: 29.10.2022].

Access method: http://www.stat.fi/til/ktan/2016/02/ktan_2016_02_2016-08-26_tie_001_en.html
Countries & Areas

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An untrue rumor that litter boxes are being placed in schools for students who dress up in furry costumes and identify as cats has made its way to two North Carolina school districts  despite the claim being easily debunked. After hearing chatter about litter boxes inside schools, an employee at North Lincoln High School in Lincolnton decided to put the rumor to rest. There is nobody ...
Thanks to Wine Maestro, Rextency Technology and the Statesville Professional Fire Fighters Association 3137, 100 kids in Iredell County got a new winter coat last year.

And the three are teaming up again this year in the hopes of raising money to provide new coats to area children as part of the Coats for Kids campaign, Operation Warm.

The second Coats for Kids fundraising campaign will be held Friday at Wine Maestro, 121 W. Broad St. from 5 to 9 p.m.

The event is aimed at raising money to allow the association to buy new coats for children in the area.

Last year, the event raised $3,500, which allowed the association to buy coats for 100 children.

Members of the Statesville Professional Fire Fighters Association will be at Wine Maestro from 5 to 9 p.m. to explain the program and meet with people. The store is open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. and offers fine wines, craft beers and gourmet snacks as well as indoor and outdoor seating.

The Professional Fire Fighters and Paramedics of North Carolina and its statewide local associations are active participants in Firefighters Coats for Kids, an outreach foundation that provides new, American-made coats for children in need.

Liz Petree, who owns Wine Maestro with her husband, Jason, said she was happy to sign on for a second year.

Josh (Smith, secretary-treasurer of the N.C. Professional Fire Firefighters and Paramedics and a captain with the Statesville Fire Department) came to me last year and showed me what they do for the children," she said. "Theyre getting brand new coats and learning about fire safety."

Petree said she could see Smith was passionate about the cause and she quickly learned the members of the association care deeply about providing coats for children.

To see grown men care about young kids, it softens your heart," she said. "We do charity events throughout the year, and as a mother of two boys, this seemed like a great cause to help kids warm in the winter.

Smith said this year's goal is to raise enough money to buy 75 coats.

The event is not designed as a place to donate coats. The goal is to buy these children new coats, something to call their own, said local association President John Perry.

We found the need to provide coats to children in our community was more than we even realized, he said. People reached out to us asking for help, and we want to reach out to help all the kids in need that we can."

He said the money to purchase coats comes from drives and donations, like Fridays event, in addition to funds from the association. PFFPNC will match the total raised by Statesville Local 3137.

Rextency Technology, a local technology company in Statesville, will match Wine Maestros donation, which is 10 percent of sales on Friday.
In July this year, China imported 4.46 million mt of coking coal , down 33 percent year on year, according to monthly import and export data issued by the Chinese customs authorities.
Friday, 26 August 2016 11:13:50 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Credit rating agency Fitch increased the national long-term ratings of Dominican Republics steelmaker Gerdau Metaldom to A(dom) from A-(dom), at the same time it affirmed the companys short-term ratings at F1(dom). Gerdau Metaldoms outlook is stable.





According to the credit rating agency, the increase in the ratings of the Gerdau owned steelmaker is due to the positive synergies derived from the merger between Gerdau Metaldom and the Complejo Metalurgico Dominicano S.A. (Metaldom) in Q4 2014.





The merger, along with a higher production scale, helped Gerdau Metaldom reach more efficient costs, strengthening its management and helping it cope with a cycle of low prices and competitive pressures coming from unfair trade practices.





Fitch labeled Gerdau Metaldoms capital structure as conservative, adding it expects the company will maintain such a capital structure.





With revenues of $425 million in 2015, Fitch said Gerdau Metaldom is expected to increase steel sales volumes by 2016 and 2017 thanks to the improved dynamics in the domestic residential and commercial construction sectors. Export volumes should remain stable, it added.





Fitch also forecast Gerdau Metaldoms EBITDA margin to improve in 2016 thanks to synergies of the merger. The companys consolidated EBITDA in 2015 was $54 million.








Japan-based JFE Shoji Trade Corporation has announced that it has invested in Indonesian steel wire drawing company P.T. Mega Pratama Ferindo (MPF) through acquiring shares.

According to JFE Shojis statement, this investment will enable JFE Shoji to not only supply wire rods produced by JFE Steel for MPF, but in addition to construct a whole supply chain for processing cold drawn wire in Indonesia and also to supply to the export market. Furthermore, through this investment, JFE Shoji will enhance its abilities and functions in order to meet the needs of its customers, especially those of Japanese automobile-related companies in Indonesia
Gansu Province-based Chinese steel producer Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group (JISCO) has announced that its subsidiary Yuzhong Iron and Steel Co., Ltd (JISCO Yuzhong Steel) plans to demolish two 420 m2 iron-making blast furnaces and two 40 mt steelmaking converters, with demolition expected to be completed by the end of September this year.
According to the latest data released by Statistics South Africa , in July this year the country's producer price index (PPI) for the basic iron and steel industry decreased by 1.5 percent compared to June and was up 8.9 percent compared to July last year.

Meanwhile, in June the PPI for exported basic iron and steel in South Africa increased by 2.8 percent compared to May and was up by 5.7 percent compared to the same month of 2015, while the index for exported products of iron and steel increased by 10.1 percent month on month and was up seven percent year on year. In addition, in South Africa the PPI for imported basic metals in June this year increased by 6.3 percent month on month and was up 2.4 percent year on year.
Friday, 26 August 2016 14:02:11 (GMT+3) | Istanbul

In June this year, Turkey's pig iron imports amounted to 102,248 mt, falling by 13.8 percent compared to May and down 2.4 percent year on year, according to the data provided by the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK). The total value of Turkey's pig iron imports in the given month decreased by 3.1 percent month on month to $28.4 million, down 9.4 percent compared to June 2015.

Meanwhile, in the first six months of the current year, Turkey's pig iron imports increased by 17.8 percent to 617,679 mt, while the value of these imports decreased by 19.4 percent to $143.9 million, both on year-on-year basis.



In the January-June period this year, Turkey imported 354,216 metric tons of pig iron from Ukraine, up 57.19 percent year on year. Ukraine ranked first among Turkey's pig iron import sources in the period in question, followed by Russia which supplied 231,524 mt, down 14.76 percent year on year.



Turkey's pig iron import sources in the first six months of the current year are as follows:

Country Amount (mt) Jan-Jun 2016 Jan-Jun 2015 Y-o-y change (%) June 2016 June 2015 Y-o-y change (%) Ukraine 354,216 225,345 57.19 69,600 84,765 -17.89 Russia 231,524 271,622 -14.76 24,016 15,761 52.38 South Africa 21,588 14,150 52.57 5,000 - - Germany 6,438 11,527 -44.15 2,781 1,781 56.15

Turkey's pig iron sources in the first half of 2016 can be seen in the graph below:
Friday, 26 August 2016 23:46:16 (GMT+3) | Sao Paulo

Brazilian miner and iron ore producer Vale has contracted Portuguese firm Teixeira Duarte to perform expansion works at Vales Carajas railway, the Portuguese company said on Friday at a filing at the nations securities exchange commission, CMVM.





According to Teixeira Duarte, the expansion works will be performed by its Brazilian subsidiaries Empa and Somafel. Teixeira owns 100 percent of Empa and 60 percent of Somafel.





The Portuguese firm said Vale signed the EUR 66.4 million contract on July 26, 2016, but a signed copy of the document was released today.





Detailing the scope of the project, Teixeira said the works include a complete undertaking for the construction of civil works, drainage, common as well as special works along the route, earthwork and signaling infrastructure, referring to the implementation of infrastructure for the duplications of segments 44-45, 45-46 semi, 45- 46 addition, renovation of yard 46, 46-47 semi and 46-47 addition of the expansion of the EFC - Carajas Railway, part of North Logistics Training Programme (CLN) S11D, distributed along the railway line in the states of Maranhao and Para, plus supplying materials," on a full contract basis.





The Portuguese company said it should complete the project within 759 days from July 26, 2016.


To the business world, last weeks legal settlement that replaced Philippe Dauman as CEO of Viacom with his long-time lieutenant, COO Thomas Dooley, brought an end to the long-running courtroom saga over Sumner Redstones corporate holdings.

But his granddaughter Keryn and his one-time lover and long-time companion Manuela Herzer continue to press demands in separate courtrooms, on opposite coasts  determined to get something more when the 93-year-old billionaires estate is settled.

The intrigue continues Friday in Massachusetts probate court, where Keryn tries to keep alive her claim: that her grandfather made changes to two of his trusts that were improperly forced on him by his daughter, Shari, who is Keryns aunt. As part of that effort, the grandchild wants a mental and physical exam of Sumner Redstone, along with a deposition. The granddaughters lawyers say she is keeping alive a case, settled by Dauman and her grandfather, to protect the trust in which she and other grandchildren are the ultimate beneficiaries.

Other parties in litigation that has sprawled across three states say that Keryns case is merely a ploy to help her friend and Sumner Redstones ex-girlfriend, Herzer, after she previously passed on a $30 million settlement offer in yet another piece of litigation. That offer came in the case of Herzer contesting her ejection as Redstones health care agent. Herzer has another lawsuit still alive in Los Angeles, attempting to have herself restored to Redstones estate, a position that could grant her $50 million in cash, along with Redstones $20 million Beverly Park mansion.

Lawyers who have settled the corporate side of the dispute are now accusing Herzer and Keryn Redstone  both represented by the firm of Greenberg, Glusker, Fields, Claman & Machtinger  of keeping their litigation alive to try to resurrect something approaching the big settlement that Herzer rejected before losing her first round in court in May.

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Keryn Redstones motion to keep the case alive will be heard Friday morning by Massachusetts family and probate Judge George Phelan. The Redstone granddaughter is critical of Viacoms Dauman for settling his dispute with Sumner Redstone, before the court fully probed his accusation that he had been pushed aside as a board member over the familys holding company, National Amusements, because of undue influence by Shari Redstone.

In short, no one (other than Keryn) seems to have any interest in overseeing the fair, just and equitable administration of the Trust, her filing Thursday stated  referring to the trust that will oversee Redstones corporate holdings when he becomes incapacitated or dies. Plaintiffs have turned a blind eye to the evidence of Sumners incapacity and Sharis vicious undue influence that they denounced not so long ago.

Keryn also accuses her grandfathers legal team of being two-faced in its representations about him  saying he is vigorous and engaged when defending his business actions but feeble when it comes time to schedule a possible deposition. The allegedly vibrant stamina, decision-making and comprehension that Counsel ascribe to Sumner, immediately disappears when it is time to take a deposition, her papers say.

Prior to the settlement reached last week by other parties, the Massachusetts case was set for trial Sept. 19. Phelan will have to decide what, if any, of the case continues after the original plaintiffs  Dauman and fellow Viacom board member George Abrams  agreed to settle.

Herzers claim that her eventual inheritance from Redstone was unfairly denied survives in Los Angeles Superior Court. Lawyers for Redstone argue that it is premature to decide the case before the magnates death. But Herzers lawyers argue that their charges about Shari Redstones undue influence should be heard immediately. That question could be decided at a Sept. 7 hearing.

One of Herzers lawyers declined to comment on the claim that she almost bagged a $30 million settlement on her last foray into court, while acknowledging that a significant settlement was on the table. The 53-year-old Argentinian-born socialite became friends with Keryn Redstone, 34, when the two were helping care for Sumner Redstone at his mansion high above Beverly Hills.

I think there has been a very broad misconception that once George [Abrams] and Philippe [Dauman] settled that this case was done, said Ira Steinberg, one of the Greenburg Glusker lawyers representing both Keryn Redstone and Herzer. The Viacom angle wraps up significantly, but the issues of the trust and inheritance remain.

Related stories

Comedy Central Greenlights Series Starring Comedian James Davis

Long-Time Viacom Communications Chief Carl Folta Steps Down

After Philippe Dauman's Exit, Will Viacom and CBS Merge Again?
Friday, 26 August 2016 10:16:24 (GMT+3) | Shanghai

Hebei Province-based Chinese steelmaker Wuyang Iron and Steel Co. (Wuyang Steel), a subsidiary of Hebei Iron and Steel Group Co. (Hebei Steel Group), has announced that it has inked a strategic agreement with state-owned machinery company Xuzhou Construction Machinery Group Co., Ltd (XCMG) regarding cooperation in terms of supply of ultra-high-strength steel.
Friday, 26 August 2016 23:39:51 (GMT+3) | San Diego

August 16 data from the US Department of Commerce, Enforcement and Compliance shows that for the month of July, the US imported 107,443 mt (license data) of line pipe , with the two most significant offshore sources being Korea, at 39,604 mt and Japan, at 23,846 mt.





In July 2015, data shows that the US imported 204,969 mt (census data) of line pipe , with the two most significant offshore sources recorded as being Korea, at 45,105 mt and Greece, at 43,400 mt.





Current US import line pipe offer prices from Korean steelmakers for API X-42 ERW line pipe are unchanged since our last report a week ago and are still being heard at $26.50-$27.50 cwt. ($584-$606/mt or $530-$550/nt), DDP loaded truck in US Gulf coast ports.





In terms of domestic offer prices for API X-42 ERW line pipe , those have also remained lateral at approximately $40.00-$42.00 cwt. ($882-$926/mt or $800-$840/nt), ex-Midwest mill.








Cluj-Napoca mayor Emil Boc supports the scrapping of special pensions, stressing that there shouldn't be discrepancies between wages in the local and the central public administration. "I will always be an advocate of scrapping special pensions, because I have always considered that all must be equal before the law, and this means having a decent wage in order to collect a decent pension later on. I don't agree of special pensions that would create privileged categories. From this perspective it is preferable and desirable that local public administration staff have decent wages in order to collect decent pensions, and that there are not such wide discrepancies between wages in central and local public administration, with the former two times, or even three times higher than the wages in local administration. It's these principles that we are talking about and not necessarily the amount. (...) Such large discrepancies between the wages in central administration, for instance the ministers' wages, the pays of MPs - and those in local administration are unacceptable," Boc said Friday before the meeting of the National Liberal Party's League of Local Elected Officials.

Asked to define a decent wage Boc said this subject is for the government to address. Emil Boc conceded to judiciary professionals possibly collecting special pensions, although as a principle he considers such benefits shouldn't be paid in Romania at all. "Otherwise, wages must be such as to produce higher pensions on the basis of the contribution principle. (...) If wages are higher, the contribution is higher and the pension will implicitly be higher too. Attempts are being made again to award special privileges to various industries, but this way Romania's entire wage and pension system is sent crumbling. As long as this balance is not preserved, we will further have discrepancies like in 2009 - 2010. I think a certain ratio that is favorable to the central administration could be preserved, but not with figures two or three time higher as now, local governments should benefit too, under observance of the proportional contribution principle. Keeping this balance prevents the emergence of privileged categories which further disrupt the entire system. I already think the system is pushed to the brink by the distortions caused by the special pensions for MPs, diplomats, others. Having a unitary system is then impossible," Boc said. In a different thread he said he doesn't want to be the Liberals' proposal for PM.

Agerpres
A sign of Mega Financial Holding Co is seen outside its headquarters in Taipei, Taiwan August 23, 2016. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu

By Faith Hung

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan's financial regulator said on Thursday it will send inspectors to Mega Financial Holding Co Ltd's banking branches in New York and Panama in the government's latest probe into the state-run bank.

Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission (FSC) also said it expects to complete its local investigation within two weeks.

The comments come after New York's state financial regulator fined Mega's New York banking unit $180 million (136.64 billion pounds) for violating anti-money laundering regulations, including lax attention to risk exposure in Panama.

"We'll need consent from U.S. regulators to inspect the branches," FSC Chairman Ding Kung-Wha said at a news briefing. "If all goes smoothly, our people will leave for the United States next Monday."

The inspection is to discover what led to the fine and what the unit is working on to improve related issues, Ding said, declining to elaborate.

The FSC's Banking Bureau received a visit from the U.S. Federal Reserve in October to discuss topics such as financial technology, also known as fintech, said Banking Bureau Director General Austin Chan at the same press conference."We did not talk about Mega," Chan said.

A Federal Reserve spokesman declined to comment.

Earlier on Thursday, Taiwan's cabinet said it would tighten some of the island's anti-money laundering regulations to conform more closely to international standards.

(Reporting by Faith Hung; Additional reporting by Suzanne Barlyn; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Meredith Mazzilli)
CLEVELAND, OH--(Marketwired - August 26, 2016) - Things Remembered is showcasing the power of a gift with its new campaign, Gift To Louisiana, by donating money, and blankets, re-usable bottles, clothing and other items from its stores and website, as well as matching donations to help the people and communities impacted by the recent flooding in Louisiana.

"We are a gift company, so we understand how important a gift can be to let people know you care, that you support them. It's a way of giving hope. We wanted to encourage our employees and our customers to give something, so we're donating money, supplies and matching donations in our office, stores and through our website," said Lisa Gavales, CEO and President of Things Remembered.

Things Remembered is collecting donations in increments of $1, $5, $10 or $20 at ThingsRemembered.com and in TR stores, so customers can make donations while they shop or when they check out. 100% of contributions will be donated to the NOLA Pay It Forward Fund, which was set up by the Mayor or New Orleans in partnership with the Greater New Orleans Foundation to provide relief and rebuilding efforts to the people, families and communities affected by the recent floods in Louisiana. Things Remembered will be matching donations up to $5,000 total.

"Giving is a very simple and pure act of kindness and thoughtfulness, and that's why we encourage our employees and customers to give donations to help others," said Christopher Warnack, VP of Marketing at Things Remembered.

Visit ThingsRemembered.com to give a donation to help the people impacted by flooding in Louisiana, or to find a TR store in your area, where you can also make a donation.

ABOUT THINGS REMEMBERED

Things Remembered, based in Cleveland, Ohio, is the nation's leading retailer of personalized gifts, with more than 500 stores in the United States and Canada. For more information about Things Remembered or for store locations, visit ThingsRemembered.com or call 800-274-7367. For more news, follow Things Remembered on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
Diagnostic-testing company Alere Inc. said on Friday it sued Abbott Laboratories in an attempt to force the company to move ahead with its $5.8 billion takeover of Alere.

Alere said the lawsuit seeks to compel Abbott to obtain all the antitrust approvals it needs to complete the deal. It said the complaint was filed Thursday in Delaware Chancery Court and should be made publicly available next week.

Abbott has been reluctant to complete the deal, which was struck in February, and tried to call it off in April. Abbott has suggested that Alere misrepresented itself when it negotiated the merger agreement.

Alere has received two U.S. Department of Justice subpoenas this year as part of two separate government investigations into its sales practices, and patient-billing records related to Medicare, Medicaid and Tricare.

Alere's lawsuit was "without merit," an Abbott spokeswoman said.

"Abbott is compliant with its obligations under the merger agreement and continues to work toward regulatory approvals, despite Alere's nearly six-month delay in filing its 2015 10-K (annual report)."

Abbott is also in the process of buying medical device company St. Jude Medical Inc. for around $24 billion as it looks to expand its heart device business.

But St. Jude has had its own set of problems. Short-selling firm Muddy Waters said on Thursday it had placed a bet that the shares would fall, claiming its implanted heart devices were vulnerable to cyber attacks.

St. Jude said the allegations were false.
Airline miscues  such as the computer glitches that grounded hundreds of thousands of passengers this summer  are now the biggest cause of flight delays in the U.S.

Late arrivals triggered by mechanical breakdowns, a lack of flight crews and other factors attributed to the airlines were the largest category of delay last year for just the second time, and by the widest margin, since the government began collecting such data in 2003.

It exceeded what had been traditionally the biggest causes: weather and hiccups in the Federal Aviation Administrations air-traffic system, according to data provided by the airlines to the Department of Transportations Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

They dont have any give in the system anymore, said Charlie Leocha, president of Travelers United, which advocates on behalf of passengers. I think a lot of it has to do with this drive to profitability.

The 323,454 flights delayed last year because of the airlines exceeded the number attributed to the FAA by 6,770, the biggest margin ever. Almost six out of 100 flights were held up by factors attributed to the airlines. That doesnt include the ripple of delays that a late flight inflicts on subsequent ones.

And the difference is even more substantial when measured by the aggregate amount of time flights are tardy. Airline-caused delays totaled 20.2 million minutes last year  2.7 million more than all other categories combined.

Airlines for America, the Washington trade group representing most of the large carriers, said the government numbers dont tell the whole story. Airlines helped the system achieve an on-time rate of about 80 percent by reducing the number of flights, which eased congestion at the busiest airports, Sharon Pinkerton, the groups vice president for legislative and regulatory policy, said in an interview.

I do think that is a major part of the context that we need to be talking more about, Pinkerton said.

A delay is defined as any flight that reaches the gate at least 15 minutes later than its scheduled arrival time. Delays attributed to the airlines include such factors as maintenance, pilots who didnt arrive on time, aircraft cleaning or baggage loading.

Or, as some unlucky passengers recently learned, computer glitches. A power loss at Deltas computer center on Aug. 8 prompted more than 2,000 canceled flights worldwide. A computer failure at Southwest Airlines Co. on July 20 is expected to cost tens of millions of dollars after more than 2,300 flights were canceled, the company said.

Delays in recent years are far less severe than the period from 2006 through 2008, when there were more flights and carriers fought fiercely for market share at overburdened airports such as those around New York and Chicago. Since then, airlines deserve credit for cutting flights and working collaboratively with the FAA, according to the agency and academics who have studied the data.

That has reduced the delays attributed to the FAA system.

But the swelling share of airline-caused flight delays marks a sea change from the days starting in 2003 when passenger outrage prompted regulators to require carriers to report the reasons flights were delayed. For much of the 2000s, late flights attributed to the aviation system far exceeded those by the airlines.

That trend has gradually reversed itself, according to the U.S. data.

Last year carriers caused 20.2 million minutes of delays, according to their own reports to the government. The category known as National Aviation System  mainly weather, congested airports and problems with the air-traffic system  led to 14.3 million minutes of delay.

Other categories are reserved for severe weather events, such as hurricanes or snowstorms that shut down airports, and security delays. Even when combined with the national aviation delays, the total, 17.5 million minutes, is still less than the airline-caused ones.

Planes were held up for another 25 million minutes last year for undetermined reasons because the previous flight arrived late, something that reverberates through the system, according to the data. That type of delay is not attributed to the carriers in the data.

The existence of these unexplained delays muddies the picture quite a bit and makes it difficult to conclude what is most responsible for slowing flights, Pinkerton, of Airlines for America, said. Airlines have added to the scheduled times it takes to fly between many cities, which artificially reduces delays, she said.

Part of the reason that number is so good is we have adjusted our scheduling to basically cover for the air-traffic systems inefficiencies, she said.

At least one airline doesnt agree with the trade groups position. Delta Air Lines Inc., which split from Airlines for America last year and has the best on-time record of any major carrier, believes the nations air-traffic system is far from broken, Chief Executive Officer Ed Bastian wrote in an opinion piece posted on the airlines website in April.

The fact is the current air traffic-control system, run by the Federal Aviation Administration, is the same for every airline operating within it, Bastian wrote. What sets Delta apart is that we have invested in our people, our operation and our technology to enable us to outperform our competitors within the system where we all operate.

Delta last year had fewer flights delayed due to its own operations, 4.4 percent, than any of its large U.S. competitors, according to the data. All airlines averaged 5.6 percent for such delays last year.

United Continental Holdings Inc. and American Airlines Group Inc. each referred to Airlines for America for comment on the delay numbers. JetBlue Airways Corp. believes airline efforts to smooth traffic flows are masking underlying inefficiencies of the air-traffic control system, spokesman Doug McGraw said.

Partially as a result of these issues, members of Congress and most of the large airlines have called for placing the governments air-traffic system into a nonprofit corporation, arguing that it uses outdated technology and is clunky.

Putting the nations air-traffic control system into a nonprofit organization would help alleviate airline delays and cancellations, among other benefits, Robin Hayes, chief executive officer of JetBlue, wrote in an opinion piece published Thursday in Crains New York Business.

A proposal to partially privatize air traffic passed in the House, but wasnt included in a final bill setting FAA policy this year after Senators objected.

According to the government delay numbers, it is the system the airlines have been so critical of that has improved the most.

From a high of almost 600,000 delays in 2007 blamed on the U.S. aviation system, the total fell to 316,684 last year. The total time that flights were late due to this category fell almost in half from 28.2 million in 2007.

One reason: The system has gotten better at adapting to weather that slows flights, which includes thunderstorms, fog, unusual winds and snow. Flights held up by weather caused about half of all minutes of delay in the early 2000s. That fell to less than one-third the past two years, according to the data.

Since 2008, most of the overall decline in tardy arrivals has been due to a reduction in the number of flights after bankruptcies and mergers, the introduction of new air-traffic technology and improvements in how the FAAs controllers have adapted to thunderstorms in the summer months, according to John Hansman, a Massachusetts Institute of Technology aeronautics professor who has studied the issue.

Its less clear why the delays attributed to airlines havent fallen with other categories, said Hansman and Vikrant Vaze, an assistant engineering professor at Dartmouth College who has also researched the subject. Airlines arent required to provide the government with underlying reasons they caused flights to be late.

Air carrier delays  that category has been an enigma to me, Vaze said.
ACQUISITIONS

Integrated Facility Services acquired Wallys Refrigeration at Lake of the Ozarks.

HELPING OUT

The Cuivre River Electric Community Trust gave Cooldownstlouis.org a $4,000 grant to provide utility assistance to low-income, elderly and disabled cooperative members who are experiencing financial hardships.

Smoothie King franchisers donated $5,000 to the Boy Scouts of Americas Greater St. Louis Area Council.

First Bank employees at the Hazelwood Operation Center collected 1,357 food items and $590 in July for Operation Food Search.

Elizabeth SiSi Beltran, director of market activation for Build-A-Bear Workshop, joined the board of directors of Casa de Salud.

NEW BUSINESS

FreedomID DIRECT launched a consumer-direct website offering identity fraud protection: https://freedomiddirect.com.

OPENING

Advance Auto Parts has re-opened after remodeling due to last winters flooding:

 95 Fenton Plaza

 636-343-5430

PARTNERSHIP

ISS Insulation Services & Solutions and Lou Brock Mechanical announced it will collaborate on upcoming projects.

Dependable Lawn Care, 8012 South Broadway, signed on as a U-Haul neighborhood dealer.

RECOGNITION

Swift Print Communications won first place in Digital Outputs annual Application of the Year awards for its work with design firm Atomic Dust in creating two murals for the Porano Pasta restaurant in downtown St. Louis.

4M Building Solutions was awarded the Building Services Contractors Association International 2015 Safety Award for the large company category.

The following firms were recognized on Accounting Todays 2016 Best Accounting Firms to Work For list: Anders CPAs + Advisors, Purk & Associates and Mueller Prost CPAs + Business Advisors.

TripAdvisor awarded 109 Drury Hotels Co. properties with its 2016 Certificate of Excellence distinction.
Volkswagen is promising U.S. dealers a wider model range and lower pricing as the automaker tries to broaden its appeal and push the reset button in the wake of record fines and plunging sales.

We are getting the product weve been asking for, said Alan Brown, chairman of VWs U.S. dealer council. Volkswagen is also planning to cut the sticker price on cars to boost sales and is looking at this with a volume mindset, Brown said.

VW told dealerships about the shift to a more mass-market strategy for the brand as part of a settlement to compensate them for losses incurred from the emissions cheating scandal. VW on Thursday agreed to pay 652 dealers about $1.2 billion, a person familiar with the matter said. The German automaker said it will make cash payments and provide additional benefits to dealers to resolve their claims, without providing any details.

While VWs U.S. sales have fallen off a cliff this year, its troubles gaining traction in the market predate the scandal. Dealers have been pushing the automaker for years to extend the U.S. model offerings and build vehicles with less features that can then be priced more competitively. After opening a factory near Chattanooga, Tenn., to build a stripped-down, larger version of the Passat for Americans, the automaker didnt follow that with additional cars.

The failures show in the sales. Although the namesake brand accounts for more than 10 percent of all cars sold in Europe, its U.S. market share has dropped to 1.7 percent. VW brands sales fell almost 14 percent through July, even as industrywide deliveries rose 1.3 percent, according to researcher Autodata Corp.

Volkswagens U.S. woes stem from struggling to offer the kinds of cars that Americans want to buy. Its SUV lineup consists of two vehicles, neither of which are well-suited to the U.S. The compact Tiguan is generally too small for Americans, while the five-seat Touareg is expensive, starting at about $50,000. Thats almost $20,000 more than the Hyundai Santa Fe, Toyota Highlander and Ford Explorer, all of which can seat at least seven passengers.

VW has also not followed the practice in the U.S. of updating vehicles annually with minor alterations to draw in customers to the new model year. In Europe, automakers typically overhaul their cars every seven years, with a modest facelift in the middle of the cycle.

Dealers are miffed because they have invested heavily to build new, large stores after former Chief Executive Officer Martin Winterkorn vowed to lift the VW brands annual sales in the market to 800,000 by 2018. The marque last year sold 349,440 vehicles in the market.

Volkswagen is facing an uphill battle to revive the brand in the U.S., said Ferdinand Dudenhoeffer, director of the Center for Automotive Research at the University of Duisburg-Essen. Volkswagen is struggling with the loser image of the past, and now in the present the brand is burned. They need a good story that assures people its really a new start. Just adding another SUV wont do it.The settlement on Thursday ends a lawsuit from auto dealers and resellers who sued VW in the wake of the diesel scandal, alleging fraud and false advertising. The agreement, which raises the amount VW will pay to resolve U.S. lawsuits to $16.5 billion, removes one obstacle for the carmaker as it seeks to repair its tarnished reputation.

While the automaker has already settled with car owners and regulators, VW still faces investor claims and possible criminal charges. VW also doesnt have an approved fix for the 562,000 rigged diesel vehicles still polluting U.S. roads.

The dealers are VWs front line in this matter, so getting them compensated is critical, Rebecca Lindland, a senior analyst for Kelley Blue Book, said in an e-mailed statement. Not only do they represent the company to the owners, theyre also impacted financially since theyre hamstrung on what products they can sell.
PANAMA, REPUBLIC OF PANAMA--(Marketwired - Aug 25, 2016) - Thunderbird Resorts Inc. ("Thunderbird" or "Corporation") (TBIRD.AS)(4TR.F) announces that its Annual General & Special Meeting of Shareholders will be held on Wednesday, September 21, 2016, at 10:00 a.m. at the Fiesta Hotel & Casino, Alcanfores 475, Miraflores, Lima, Peru, for the following purposes:

Receive and consider the financial statements of Thunderbird together with the auditor's report thereon for the financial year ended December 31, 2015; Appoint the auditor for the ensuing year and authorize the Directors to fix the remuneration to be paid to the auditor; if the appointed auditor resigns at any point during the ensuing year, to authorize the Directors to appoint an interim auditor to serve for the period prior to the next annual general meeting; Elect 3 Directors for the ensuing year; Consider and vote to approve a special resolution to authorize a liquidation and dissolution of the Corporation as follows:

The Board of Directors of the Corporation is hereby authorized, at a time to be determined by the Board of Directors of the Corporation, to voluntarily dissolve the Corporation pursuant to the BVI Business Companies Act of 2004, which winding up process and dissolution application shall be commenced and implemented at such time as determined by the Board in their sole discretion; The Board of Directors of the Corporation is hereby authorized to make provision for and to discharge all liabilities of the Corporation in conjunction with the winding up and dissolution of the Corporation and in connection with such winding up and dissolution, is authorized to make a pro rata distribution to shareholders of the net proceeds available to the Corporation (after adjusting for carrying costs and other winding up and dissolution related expenses) from the sale of any or all remaining assets of the Corporation in such amounts and at such times as determined by the Board of Directors; Any one director or officer of the Corporation be and is hereby authorized and directed to do all such things and to execute and deliver all documents and instruments as may be necessary or desirable to carry out the terms of this resolution, including but not limited to, the filing of articles of dissolution under the BVI Business Companies Act; and The directors of the Corporation may, in their discretion, without further approval of the shareholders, revoke this special resolution at any time before the filing of articles of dissolution under the Business Companies Act (BVI) in respect of the foregoing.

Story continues

Transact such further business as may properly come before the meeting and any adjournments thereof.

Granting the Board of Directors the right to voluntarily dissolve the Corporation does not mean that the same will occur. Approval of Shareholders in advance allows the Board the flexibility to undertake the same should the Board of Directors deem it to be in the best interest of Shareholders based on the circumstances at the time, without the risk of delay of approval of specific transactions or the expense of calling another shareholder meeting to specifically approve such matter. In the event that the Company proceeds with its plan to liquidate and dissolve, the company in due course intends to delist from Euronext Amsterdam in accordance with the rules and procedures of Euronext Amsterdam.

Document Availability: Copies of the 2016 Notice of Meeting and Management Information Circular in the English language will be available at no cost at the Group's office in Panama as well as on the website at www.thunderbirdresorts.com. Copies are also available on SEDAR at www.SEDAR.com.

Our executive offices are located at Apartado 0823-00514, Panama City, Panama. Our telephone number is (507) 223-1234. Our website is www.thunderbirdresorts.com.

ABOUT THE COMPANY

We are an international provider of branded casino and hospitality services, focused on markets in Latin America. The Company's home Member State is the Netherlands where the shares are admitted to trading on the Euronext Amsterdam. Our mission is to "create extraordinary experiences for our guests". Additional information about the Group is available at www.thunderbirdresorts.com.

Cautionary Notice: This release contains certain forward-looking statements within the meaning of the securities laws and regulations of various international, federal, and state jurisdictions. All statements, other than statements of historical fact, included herein, including without limitation, statements regarding potential revenue and future plans and objectives of the Group are forward-looking statements that involve risk and uncertainties. There can be no assurances that such statements will prove to be accurate and actual results could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the Group's forward-looking statements include competitive pressures, unfavorable changes in regulatory structures, and general risks associated with business, all of which are disclosed under the heading "Risk Factors" and elsewhere in the Group's documents filed from time-to-time with the AFM and other regulatory authorities.
An upstart lingerie company based in St. Charles quietly launched a brazen fashion enterprise.

And its not just the sexy executive office underpinnings that make this venture audacious. The boudoir pink headquarters with chandelier lighting and huge picture windows on a sleepy Midwest street could mark the regions fashion manufacturing resurgence.

Kara Gatto says that she saw an opening for a luxury lingerie line that appealed to the modern American woman, but the complex needs of creating a new lingerie company based in the Midwest were tenfold.

She concluded that in order to have the type of control and quality assurance she needed to make this investment of time, energy and money worthwhile, she needed to open her own manufacturing plant.

Its really hard to find anyone who will manufacture (a relatively small supply of) your structured pieces and do it really well, so after a few failed attempts, I was like we might as well do it ourselves, Gatto said.

Midwest appeal

Shes recruited a former executive with a lingerie company in New York and a marketing executive from Los Angeles to relocate to St. Louis, and she has a designer with technical construction expertise working from New York.

I thought it would be an uphill battle of convincing people to move here to St. Louis, Gatto said. But Ive been really very shocked how many people from the east and west coasts are willing to move here.

She said it has a lot to do with the shift in manufacturing opportunities. Many operations are downsizing or closing to ship work overseas because they are fighting to maintain a low price point and competing with companies also producing in low-income countries. Gatto, to the contrary, plans to compete with luxury lines like La Perla, LAgent by Agent Provocateur and other high-end brands produced by workers in France and Italy with a First World labor force.

Now, Gatto is producing a line called Liviara thats designed and manufactured at their new headquarters and manufacturing plant known as St. Louis Sewn at 1708 South Fifth Street in St. Charles. She started in the citys business incubator space on Main Street.

Its no easy feat to start a fashion line, but imagine the exponential increase in difficulty it takes to not just start a line but to start a manufacturing facility.

She said that she was lucky that the city has a history of manufacturing and a few notable places still in production. Times are changing, and most regional factories have slowed and been plagued by layoffs, including Weissman Designs For Dance, where she picked up a number of displaced workers. The good news is we were able to hire skilled seamstresses right here and put some people back to work, she said.

Gatto initially feared that shed have to post listings in the Los Angeles garment district and entice people to relocate. This wasnt so far-fetched since shes paying better than the industry standard. The cost of living here makes those wages go a lot farther, so she knew that could be a key selling point.

Luck with labor force

But it wasnt necessary to look outside of the pool of workers already living in the region. After her first dozen hires, Gatto said that her least-experienced seamstress had worked in the industry for 17 years. And with the help of Lindenwood University assistant professor Nasheli Juliana Ortiz Gonzalez, who teaches a fashion course, Gatto has acquired a head designer and could reap the benefits of other top graduates from the region. Gonzalez said that shes even reaching out to some of her favorite students who have graduated and moved away to work in the fashion industry because shes thrilled that theres an opportunity for alumni to work and thrive in the region.

Gatto accidentally created a small version of the ecosystem that the St. Louis Fashion Incubator is hoping to bring to the entire St. Louis region with its fashion business incubator and its dream of making the garment industry a viable economic force in the city. Gatto is already talking about partnering with high schools or homes for the disadvantaged to launch apprenticeships or training programs. This is also on the fashion incubators list of future plans. And Gatto is already putting people with niche skills back to work.

Another business downsizing at Nick-O Sewing Machine Inc. in St. Charles yielded a full-time sewing machine repair mechanic with 30 years of experience.

She realizes that this all sounds too good to be true. With more than 24 garment workers currently, she expects to double within the month. Theyll probably be busy after she makes her debut at both New York Fashion Week and Los Angeles Fashion Week and the associated markets for retail buyers in September and October.

Before production officially begins in September, workers have been practicing the specialized techniques theyll need to master for sewing lingerie.

Her troop of more than two dozen veteran seamstresses have had a month of trials to ensure that they can work with her slippery silks, delicate laces, intricate strap details and tricky underwire construction.

Wait-list success

Oh, and Gatto has already outgrown her operation.

Thats right. She hasnt officially finished one saleable piece of clothing from her factory and shes plotting an expansion.

Gattos business acumen and confidence have been contagious. Well before the electrical outlets were all in place, Brooke Nunn Schultz of B the Collection said she planned to produce her next collection at Gattos company.

You love working in your own backyard and to have this at home in St. Louis, well, you know St. Charles, is amazing, Schultz said. Shed been producing in Chicago and overseas before, so producing locally will save time and shipping and give me a greater peace of mind because now I could drive over and watch the process if I wanted, but really, I trust her checks and balances.

We should remind you that she hasnt actually started yet, but her concept and business plan have been so well-received that shes already turning down orders from independent designers based in New York and Los Angeles looking for her to produce items at her shop.

Ive been telling people to let me get my line done first and then well see what else we can fit in, Gatto said. But its a nice problem to have.
Tony Armitage walked his son, Christopher, through the madness of the annual Bratfest celebration at Mary Queen of Peace Church and school in Webster Groves.

This is one of those church-school fundraisers where chaos reigns. Kids are running everywhere. Parents and community members pack the parking lot and school property.

Christopher, who has Down syndrome, insisted that the first stop be at the playground.

Armitage watched as his son walked through the wall of humanity, just hoping that he didnt get knocked down. What he saw amazed him.

Two older boys rushing across the playground slowed down just before they got to Christopher. They stopped and gave the 9-year-old a high-five. Soon, other children surrounded him and welcomed him into their game.

This is what Armitage and his wife, LeeAnn, envisioned when they asked the Catholic diocese in St. Louis to let them try to implement a new form of special needs education in church schools.

He is a genuine part of the community, and all the kids know him, Armitage says.

Their story is an example of how one person  or family  with an idea and persistence can have a huge impact on the community. It started when Christopher was in preschool at Mary Queen of Peace.

Catholic education is very important to the Armitages, but as they examined the programs available for special needs kids in the Catholic schools, and even in the public schools in the area, they didnt find what they thought would be the best fit for their child. So after preschool, they pulled Christopher out of school and educated him at home for a year while LeeAnn researched best education practices for children of special needs.

The couple settled on the concept of inclusion, where students with special needs  Down syndrome, autism and other conditions  are educated in typical classrooms with other children. The Catholic schools in St. Louis, long at the forefront of special needs education, had special schools for children with special needs, but the Armitages wanted Christopher in their neighborhood school.

They found an inclusion model being practiced in the Kansas City-St. Joseph diocese, supported by a nonprofit group called the Foundation for Inclusive Religious Education. It was started 20 years ago by a group of families seeking exactly what the Armitages wanted for their son.

In the inclusive model of special needs education, a para-educator is added to the classroom. He or she isnt just there to help the student with extra learning obstacles, but to help the entire class learn from each other. That way the special needs student doesnt feel isolated or unique. When its done right, the students peers become an important part of the education process, and they learn from the experience also.

Everyone benefits, not just the children with special needs. Typically developing students gain exposure to kids who many face challenges intellectually, but who have so many gifts to offer, said Lynn Hire, the director of the FIRE foundation. Authentic friendships form. Compassion and understanding flourish.

When the Armitages decided what they wanted to do, they sought a meeting with Archbishop Robert Carlson, who gave them the green light to seek funding and support for starting an inclusion program at Mary Queen of Peace.

So thats what they did. With the help of Tony Armitages boss, Fred Brown of the International Companies, they started a nonprofit foundation, One Classroom.

They raised money. They took a busload of educators and administrators from Mary Queen of Peace to Kansas City to see inclusion programs in action.

We knew the Catholic schools could do this, Armitage says. They just didnt know how.

But now they do, and the program is taking off.

This year, Mary Queen of Peace has four students with special needs  including Christopher  being educated in the inclusion model. They are in regular classrooms with their classmates all day long. They dont spend time in special schools or resource rooms.

Its transforming the school, Armitage says.

There are now plans to introduce an inclusion model at four other Catholic schools in the St. Louis diocese by next year. Beyond that, the programs growth will be up to individual schools, and the Armitages ability to raise money for the foundation to support it.

Its so much in line with our faith, LeeAnn Armitage says.

Tony Armitage points to a picture on his phone of Christopher with his classmates. One girl holds his hand. Another child has a hand on his shoulder, and yet another leans into him, to help him hold his body up.

They werent taught to do this, Tony says. They figured it out on their own.

A program born out of necessity now offers blessings to children and families in an entire school.

When we got into this, we really didnt know what we were doing, Tony says. But bit by bit, were putting it together.
MARYLAND HEIGHTS  Tears filled Maj. Joe Delias eyes and his chin quivered as he recalled the moment when city leaders asked him and his chief, Bill Carson, to turn in their badges and guns Thursday following an unexpected suspension.

Embarassing, Delia said of the moment.

And puzzling, to say the least, his attorney Chet Pleban said during a news conference Friday at his office in Richmond Heights.

The men were put on paid administrative leave after allegations of unfair working conditions surfaced, according to a news release issued by City Administrator John Krischke. City leaders plan to hire a firm to assess the department and its issues while its leaders are on leave, the release continued.

But the nature of those allegations and who made them has not been revealed to Delia and Carson, Pleban said, and Pleban alleged that the decision to remove Carson and Delia was political.

Pleban is not representing Carson, and its unclear who is. Carson could not be reached for comment and was not at Delias news conference.

Krischke did not respond to a request for comment Friday. A city spokeswoman said Thursday that city leaders would not be commenting beyond the news release because it involves a personnel matter.

But documents obtained by KTVI (FOX2) indicate that the investigation includes a complaint to the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and the Missouri Commission on Human Rights, which look into discrimination allegations.

A memo Krischke wrote in advance of a closed meeting of the City Council on the police department earlier this month says: There is the potential that violations have occurred with respect to federal, state, and local laws for retaliation and discrimination.

Pleban called Krischkes news release about Delia and Carsons suspensions a work of fiction and touted the departments Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies certification as proof that all is well.

He (Krischke) came from Republic, Missouri, where he had control of the police department, and here, the chief answers to the mayor and he doesnt like that, Pleban said. So he wants to put his own guy in there to control it.

Sgt. Jeff Swatek, president of the Maryland Heights Police Association, spoke in support of Delia and Carson at the news conference. He said the board of his organization, which represents all of the departments 77 or so officers strongly supports, the chief and his deputy.

He said the city recently conducted an assessment that suggested it reduce its roster, and that Carson and Delia fought for us.

We vigorously oppose any reduction in manpower because of the impact that would have on officer safety and the safety of the community, he said.

Pleban said that the citys ordinance says that an employee can choose whether to have disciplinary hearings open to the public or not, and that his client intends to have them open.

I have nothing to hide, Delia said.

In Maryland Heights, a civilian police board reviews all disciplinary matters. But officers can appeal decisions and have whats known as a police board trial in which a hearing officer typically presides and prepares a report to the board. The board can then sustain or change a disciplinary decision.
The gunman was identified as Orlando Harris, 19, a recent graduate of the school. One survivor heard him say he was 'tired of everybody' in the school and that his gun jammed at one point.
ST. LOUIS  With a few days left of summer break, the class of 2020 moved into Washington University's residential halls Thursday.

Actually, it is the largest freshman class in the university's history.

This first-year class is 50 students larger than the previous year with 1,780 enrolled for classes that start Aug. 29, officials say.

In an attempt to rally the troops of volunteer movers, Chancellor Mark Wrighton kicked off the day with his banana dance, which is an annual tradition. Here is a version from a few years ago:

This is the chancellor's 22nd move-in day.
JEFFERSON CITY  Beginning Sunday, dozens of inmates convicted of some of Missouris most heinous crimes will win the right to argue for their freedom.

They include a prisoner convicted of killing a security guard in St. Louis in 1990 and an inmate from St. Charles who brutally beat, raped and killed a 15-year-old girl at a St. Louis County high school and later killed his cellmate in prison.

The change is part of a new law approved by the state Legislature in May and signed by Gov. Jay Nixon that closes what prosecutors called a giant hole in the states sentencing system and brings Missouri in compliance with federal court rulings.

It is among dozens of new laws that go into effect Sunday.

At issue in the revamped sentencing law are two court rulings that left the legal system in limbo when it comes to sentences for violent youth.

In each of the cases, the inmates committed the murders when they were under the age of 18.

A 2005 federal court ruling, however, found juveniles cannot be sentenced to death. That was followed by a 2012 decision that found there also must be a sentencing option for those same prisoners in addition to or other than life without parole.

Under the new law, a person who was sentenced to life imprisonment without parole for a crime committed before the person turned 18 years is eligible for a parole hearing after serving 25 years.

A person who is sentenced after Sunday to any term of imprisonment except life without parole for an offense of first-degree murder committed before the person turned 18 is eligible for a parole hearing after serving 25 years and is eligible for another hearing after serving 35 years.

It is not clear how many inmates will immediately qualify for the opportunity to seek a parole hearing.

A study by the Philips Black Project, a public interest law firm representing inmates with lengthy sentences, found that the city of St. Louis has the fifth-highest concentration of juveniles serving life sentences in the country, with as many as 41 cases.

For the prisoners, changing their parole status to comply with the law wont come automatically.

Inmates will have to first submit a request to the parole board to review their cases. And, they must have already served 25 years of their sentence before petitioning the board. Missouri Department of Corrections spokesman David Owen also said offenders must also notify the prosecuting attorney in the original jurisdiction where the offense occurred.

Its on them (the prisoners) to petition the parole board, added Jason Lamb, executive director of the Missouri Association of Prosecuting Attorneys.

Prosecutors acknowledged that some Missourians might have wanted to eliminate life without parole as a sentencing option for youth. But, in a letter to Nixon urging him to sign the legislation, Kevin Hillman, president of the prosecuting attorneys association, outlined a series of inmates and their crimes to highlight why tough sentences should remain intact.

Among them is Louis Jabar Clark III, who at age 16 in 1995 fired 15 rounds into the car of a rival drug dealer, striking Morris Howell and his 2-year-old daughter. When the victims didnt die immediately, Clark approached and delivered an execution-style shot to each above their left ears.

Nancy Cambria of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
Colombias government concluded a long-awaited peace accord Wednesday with the granddaddy of all the Marxist guerrilla movements launched during the Cold War. After decades of proxy wars, coups and military dictatorships, the Western Hemisphere might finally be at the cusp of democratic stability.

The peace deal marks a big victory for efforts by successive U.S. administrations to end the drug-financed mayhem that Colombia came to embody. The FARC, as Colombias guerrillas are known, rushed to fill the vacuum left by the U.S.-led takedown of the Medellin and Cali drug cartels in the early 1990s.

By the end of that decade, the billions of dollars they earned from cocaine and opium trafficking made them the worlds best-funded Communist insurgency.

Because of the FARCs explosive growth, the Clinton administration launched Plan Colombia, a $7.5 billion counternarcotics program that militarized the drug fight and secretly placed U.S. troops on the ground to assist Colombian forces. Initial successes in the jungle war were reversed after the 9/11 attacks diverted U.S. attention and Hugo Chavez assumed the Venezuelan presidency, launching his FARC-friendly socialist revolution.

From a U.S. perspective, Colombias low-level insurgency appeared to be little more than an irritant, but the guerrillas widespread campaign of kidnappings, bombings and hijackings roiled the region. More than 220,000 died in the war and millions more were displaced.

Panamas jungle border region with Colombia became a major rebel infiltration point. Ecuadors jungles hosted FARC top-level command posts. Brazils Amazon rain forest also provided refuge and an easy-to-access venue to carve out landing strips for supply and drug flights. Under Chavez, Venezuela provided safe houses and smuggling routes for the guerrillas.

Internally, FARC operatives terrorized Colombians with threats that children as young as 3 could be kidnapped for ransom. Senators, mayors, teachers and business executives wound up as hostages, commanding escalating ransom payments and spawning a new industry for negotiators and kidnap-and-ransom insurance. The economy collapsed as hundreds of thousands tried to flee the violence and threats.

Recall the chaotic years of the 1970s and 80s when Cuban-backed insurgencies destabilized El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua and Guatemala, and that offers a glimpse of the hell Colombians endured for more than five decades. A fear that FARC-like insurgencies were brewing in their own countries prompted generals across South and Central American to launch dirty-war massacres and military coups.

The peace agreement, in many ways, is a dividend of the Obama administrations controversial restoration of diplomatic relations with Cuba, a longtime backer of the FARC. Havana has effectively recognized that Latin Americas proletariat were never going to buy into the idea of mass armed uprisings in the name of socialism.

It remains the challenge of Washington and its Latin American allies to prove that democracy and capitalism can give the people the prosperity they still seek.
Can we be assured that the plant will not pollute our land or water supply so that we are not discovering something decades later like so many areas in Missouri?
As we have since July 2006, each Friday well post a mixed bag of quick cigar news and other items of interest. Below is our latest Friday Sampler.

1) In a press release distributed on Monday, J.C. Newmanthe oldest family-owned cigar maker in the U.S.announced its new boutique cigar division. The J.C. Newman Fourth Generation Cigar Company, as it is called, began shipping three lines to retailers last week: The American, Admiration, and The 1954. All of the cigars are handmade at J.C. Newmans El Reloj factory in Ybor City (pictured above). The American has a Florida sun-grown wrapper and is available in four sizes. Admiration is a bright, bold cigar that marries classic American and New World Nicaraguan tobaccos. Both will be sold in the ultra-premium $16 to $18 price range. The 1954, which commemorates the year company founder Julius Caeser Newman moved operations to Tampa, will be sold in one size (6.25 x 42). Our family and so many others make wonderful cigars overseas, said Drew Newman. With the J.C. Newman Fourth Generation Cigar Company, our goal is to prove that world-class cigars with unique, heirloom American tobaccos can be hand-rolled in America once again.

2) Officials in Dallas will soon vote on whether to ban outdoor smoking at all of the citys parks. The park board has been working on this ban proposal since November 2014. The proposal will go to the council for a full vote within the next 30 days, at which point exceptions could be added back to the proposed amendment by council members opposed to the outright ban, reports the Dallas Morning News. While the Park and Recreation Board moved to push forward the proposal with no exemptions, several council members said they werent on board with the ban, calling it unenforceable and nothing more than the nanny state in action.

3) Although Americans can now legally purchase Cuban cigars while abroad, and can even import up to $100 worth of Cuban cigars when returning from traveling on a visa to Cuba, not everyone has updated their policies. Forbes contributor Nathaniel Parish Flannery found his PayPal account frozen when he reimbursed a friend for a cigar purchased and smoked in Mexico. While PayPal should surely update their policies so as not to flag perfectly legal purchases, it would be wise to not mention cigars at all when transferring funds via PayPal.

4) Inside the Industry: Prometheus has announced the fall 2016 Fuente Aged Selection. In commemoration of the 20th anniversary of Fuente Fuente OpusX, an interview book with Carlos Carlito Fuente Jr. and 20 Years of Fuente Fuente OpusX will be released. The book will be presented with four Fuente Fuente Forbidden X cigars and six rare vintage Fuente Aged Selection cigars. The price, which will be substantial, has not yet been announced.

5) From the Archives: Last year Steve Sakas long-anticipated Sobremesa debuted. This year he has a host of new offerings. If you want some insight into those new blends, check out this interview with Saka last year.

6) Deal of the Week: Over the years, West Palm Beach retailer Smoke Inn has partnered with some of the biggest names in the cigar industry to create exclusive cigars for its Microblend collection. If you missed any of those cigars, some of which havent been sold for years, you can now obtain the entire collection. Grab yours here.

The Stogie Guys

photo credit: Tampa Bay Times
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A fuel pump assistant stands next to an old fuel pump during the early hours near the village of Salwa at the Qatari-Saudi border, south of the eastern provience of Khobar, Saudi Arabia January 29, 2016. REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed

By Devika Krishna Kumar

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices were largely unchanged on Friday in a volatile session, as traders reacted to comments from Fed Chair Janet Yellen and reports of missile activity in Saudi Arabia.

The market was taking its cues from the movement in the dollar, which has been choppy following Yellen's remarks.

At one point, crude benchmarks were up as much as 2 percent before drifting lower. Brent crude futures settled at $49.92, up 25 cents or 0.5 percent. U.S. crude ended the session 31 cents higher at $47.64.

Prices gathered support briefly from Baker Hughes data showing that U.S. oil drillers kept rig count steady after eight weeks of additions.

The market was primed to react to Yellen's speech in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, as her remarks initially caused a big rally in the dollar, which caused oil to slip. Later, the dollar pared those gains, with the dollar index at one point down as much as 0.5 percent. It was later up 0.8 percent.

Oil prices touched the day's highs after reports of Yemeni missiles hitting Saudi Arabia's facilities, traders said. Saudi state TV reported that a projectile fired from Yemen hit a power relay facility in Najran, in the southern part of Saudi Arabia.

Sal Umek, senior analyst at the Energy Management Institute in New York, said he did not see much effect on the market from the Saudi Arabia reports.

"At the end of the day, what is driving the market right now is short covering, being that it's Friday and the dollar," he said.

A weaker dollar can be seen as supportive for oil prices as it makes dollar-traded oil cheaper for countries using other currencies, potentially spurring demand.

Oil and natural gas traders have also been watching for the impact of tropical storms, saying some could possibly become a major hurricane in the Gulf of Mexico, taking out further supply.

BP said it began securing offshore facilities and evacuating non-essential personnel from our platforms and drilling rigs in the U.S. Gulf.

Oil prices were down over 2 percent for the week as the Saudi energy minister watered down expectations that the world's largest producers might agree next month to limit their output.

"We don't believe any significant intervention in the market is necessary other than to allow the forces of supply and demand to do the work for us," Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Reuters late on Thursday.

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum, which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria from Sept. 26-28.

(Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper in London, Henning Gloystein and Sarah Plattes in Singapore; editing by Tom Brown)
(Updated 8:20AM ET) - Adding credence to recent market rumors, the Wall Street Journal reported overnight that Carl Icahn discussed selling his 18% stake in Herbalife (NYSE: HLF) to a group of investors that included Bill Ackman's Pershing Square, which is short the stock.

Bankers from Jefferies have been looking for buyers for Mr. Icahn's stake, the report said.

The status of those talks is unclear and may not lead to a sale.

The report added that Ackman was only interested in buying a small portion of the stake. This suggests he is not looking to cover his short bet on Herbalife, which he has repeatedly said is going to "zero," but only help get Mr. Icahn out of the stock - something he has said he would like to do.

Link to WSJ Article

UPDATE: Bill Ackman confirmed in a CNBC interview Friday morning that he was in fact contacted by Jefferies about buying Carl Icahn's Herbalife stake. He said he would be interested in buying a minority position in the Icahn block for a quick trade.

Ackman said Carl Icahn knows Herbalife 'is toast' and that his selling accelerates the demise of the company. He added that investors were right to buy with him at $32 and right to sell with him now.
TORONTO, ONTARIO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/25/16 -- Avante Logixx Inc. ("Avante" the "Company" or the "Group") (TSX VENTURE: XX)(OTC: ALXXF) through its subsidiaries, Avante Security Inc. ("ASI"), INTO Electronics Inc. ("INTO") and City Wide Locksmiths Ltd. ("CWL"), provides best in class residential and commercial security and automation services including system design and installation, rapid alarm response, alarm monitoring, video analytics, commercial and high-rise security integration, secure transport, electronic building management and high-end lock services through the use of advanced technology and a focus on client service. The Company is pleased to announce its results for the quarter ended June 30, 2016:

Results for the Quarter ended June 30, 2016

---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Quarter ended ------------------------------------ June 30, June 30, Variance 2016 2015 (%) Total revenues 4,723,384 3,355,122 40.8% Revenues - Recurring Monitoring and Response(1) 1,491,754 1,447,111 3.0% Revenues from other security and related services 3,231,630 1,908,011 69.3% Total gross profit 1,786,238 1,255,727 42.2% Adjusted EBITDA(2) 627,600 421,700 48.8% Net income before tax 371,674 342,184 8.69% Net income for the period 263,204 247,184 6.5% Basic income per share 0.003 0.003 Diluted income per share 0.003 0.003 Total common shares outstanding 81,382,052 81,112,052 Total common shares outstanding (diluted) 81,727,145 82,559,552 Total assets 16,465,865 14,941,239 Total liabilities 5,275,152 4,205,725 Total liabilities (excl. deferred revenue and bank debt) 2,916,657 2,018,440 Deferred revenue 2,233,753 2,080,939 Bank and other debt 124,742 106,346 Equity 11,190,713 10,735,514 Equity holders of the parent 10,730,923 10,735,514 Non-controlling interests 459,790 - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (1) Revenue: Recurring Monitoring and Response includes Alarm Response along with Digital, Wireless and Video Monitoring Services (2) Adjusted EBITDA is Net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization, share based payments and acquisition and integration costs

During the quarter, the Company generated revenues of $4,723,384, an increase of 40.8% over the quarter ended June 30, 2015. Revenue increased on both an organic basis and via the contribution of the recently acquired CWL. CWL contributed approximately $1.3 million to the revenues for the quarter.

Overall gross margin for the quarter was $1,786,238 or 37.8% as compared to $1,255,727 or 37.4% for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. The blended gross margin on rapid response, secure transport, international security travel advisory segment and monitoring services was 50.8% for the quarter ended June 30, 2016, which is in line with the 51.0% for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. Gross margin on installations was 17.6% for the quarter as compared to 15.6% for the same quarter in the prior year. The Company has made considerable progress in optimizing the acquisitions and realizing synergies in the past several months which we believe will have a positive impact on earnings in the coming quarters.

Adjusted EBITDA for the quarter amounted to $627,600 as compared to $421,700 for the quarter ended June 30, 2015. Net income for the year was $263,204, as compared to $247,184 in the prior year. Management expects that the Company will continue in a similar trajectory for the rest of the year.

"We are happy with the progress of Avante," said CEO George Rossolatos, "and we continue to work to grow the business organically and via acquisition. Much work has been completed on the integration in the past quarter which will have a positive impact going forward. The latest acquisition in CWL has validated our belief in growing by acquiring companies in other security related sectors. We continue to look at other targets which are likely to mesh well with our existing business and culture."

As announced yesterday, Avante will be hosting a conference call on Monday, August 29, 2016, to discuss the aforementioned results at 8:30 AM EDT.

Dial in details are as follows:

Local: (+1) 416-764-8658 -- Toll Free: (+1) 888-886-7786 -- Conference ID: 92493624

Playback details below, available until September 12, 2016:

Local: (+1) 416-764-8692 -- Toll Free: (+1) 877-674-7070 -- Playback Pin: 493624#

About Avante Logixx (www.avantelogixx.com)

Avante Logixx Inc. (TSX VENTURE: XX) is a Toronto based security, monitoring, system integration and technology company. Its subsidiaries, Avante Security Inc. (www.avantesecurity.com), INTO Electronics Inc., (www.247into.com), LVS Inc. (www.lvssecurity.com), and the recently acquired City Wide Locksmiths Ltd. (www.citywidelocksmith.ca) together provide best in class security systems and services for residential and commercial clients, and high-rise condominium applications, with industry leadership in designing and installing complex security systems, access control, intelligent video analytics, high-end lock services and smart home automation. Avante's group of companies strives to be best in class in each of its verticals including an industry leading rapid alarm response offering combined with alarm system and live video analytics monitoring. Avante's Executive Services team provides unparalleled end-to-end security solutions for high profile and high net worth families to ensure their safety in a comprehensive yet discrete manner, including an executive transportation option. Avante's International Travel Security team helps corporations protect traveling employees working abroad in medium/high risk jurisdictions and has executed travel details in over 60 countries. Avante continuously develops innovative products and applications within its core competencies. Please visit our website at www.avantelogixx.com and consider joining our investor email list.

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS

All statements in this press release, other than statements of historical fact, are "forward looking information" with respect to Avante within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information is often, but not always, identified by the use of words such as "seek", "anticipate", "plan", "continue", "planned", "expect", "project", "predict", "potential", "targeting", "intends", "believe", "potential", and similar expressions, or describes a "goal", or a variation of such words and phrases or state that certain actions, events or results "may", "should", "could", "would", "might" or "will" be taken, occur or be achieved.

Forward-looking information is subject to a variety of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking information, including, without limitation, the list of risk factors identified in Avante's Management Discussion & Analysis (MD&A) and other continuous disclosure, which list is not exhaustive of the factors that may affect any of Avante's forward-looking information. In connection with the forward-looking statements contained in this and subsequent press releases, Avante has made certain assumptions about its business and the industry in which it operates and has also assumed that no significant events occur outside of Avante's normal course of business. Although management believes that the assumptions inherent in the forward-looking statements are reasonable as of the date the statements are made, forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and, accordingly, undue reliance should not be put on such statements due to the inherent uncertainty therein. Avante's forward-looking information is based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and Avante does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, other than as required by applicable law. For the reasons set forth above, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

NON-IFRS MEASURES

References to EBITDA are to net income before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization. References to Adjusted EBITDA are to net income plus interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and charges for share-based payments and integration and acquisition costs. Neither EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA is an earnings measure recognized by International Financial Reporting Standards ("IFRS") and do not have a standardized meaning prescribed by IFRS. Management believes that Adjusted EBITDA is an appropriate measure in evaluating Avante's performance. Readers are cautioned that neither EBITDA nor Adjusted EBITDA should be construed as an alternative to net income (as determined under IFRS), as an indicator of financial performance or to cash flow from operating activities (as determined under IFRS) or as a measure of liquidity and cash flow. Avante's method of calculating Adjusted EBITDA may differ from methods used by other issuers and, accordingly, Avante's Adjusted EBITDA may not be comparable to similar measures used by other issuers.

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: Avante Logixx Inc. George Rossolatos CEO (416) 923-6984 x221 [email protected] Avante Logixx Inc. Leland Verner Chairman (416) 823-7474 [email protected]

Source: Avante Logixx Inc.
SYOSETT, N.Y., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviva Leebow Wolmer, chief executive officer of Pacesetter Steel Service, Inc., is the recipient of the 2016 CEO ConnectionMid-Market Rising Star Award.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401355

"As one of the rising mid-market business executives in the world, Aviva Leebow Wolmer has demonstrated true leadership not only in her role at Pacesetter but by thinking beyond the corporate walls to help improve lives and benefit the greater society," said Kenneth Beck, CEO of CEO Connection. "Her story reflects the importance of the mid-market to the economy and sets a standard for mid-market rising stars."

Aviva Leebow Wolmer has been a transformative and commanding force during her tenure of leadership at Pacesetter, the unprecedented leader in innovative solutions for the manufacturing industry. Initially, she was responsible for creating "Pacesetter University," before transitioning first to Vice President for People and subsequently Executive Vice President  a role responsible for the company's corporate, profitable growth.

Upon Leebow Wolmer's promotion to CEO, she released the "Vivid Vision." This document continues to inspire and direct a culture shift within the organization. Because of her dedication to innovation, partnership and personal fulfillment in the workplace, departmental boundaries no longer exist and she has ignited inspiration, creativity, enthusiasm and collaboration throughout the entire organization.

Leebow Wolmer is aggressively working to break down the perception that steel is an antiquated industry and replace it with her vision of a vibrant, technology-driven cornerstone of American manufacturing.

Last week, CEO Connectionannounced winners of three other 2016 Mid-Market Awards: Mid-Market Company of the Year  LinkedIn; Mid-Market CEO of the Year Ganesh Ayyar of Mphasis; and Social Impact Award  John Replogle of Seventh Generation.

The awards recognize mid-market leaders and companies that have demonstrated leadership, creativity, generosity and other qualities that represent the true spirit of the mid-market.

Award winners will be recognized at the 2016 Mid-Market Convention Sept. 18-21 at The Wharton School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This exclusive global gathering features hundreds of CEOs, political leaders and business experts convening to discuss issues and challenges for mid-market companies. For more information and to register for the convention, visit www.midmarketconvention.com/registration.

The CEO Connection 2016 Mid-Market Convention is made possible by the interactive support of strategic partners, including ABM, Andromeda Simulations International, Carpedia, Chief Executive Officer, Cooley, Invest in Canada, Delta Private Jets, KR Strategy, MasterCard, Minority Business Development Agency, Prime Genesis, RSM, Sibson Consulting, Mastered in Tennessee and Wharton.

ABOUT CEO CONNECTION:CEO Connection is the only membership organization in the world reserved exclusively for CEOs of mid-market companies  companies with between $100 million and $3 billion in annual revenue. Our mission is to help mid-market CEOs and their companies succeed. We accomplish this by connecting them to each other; connecting them to people, information and resources to which they would otherwise not have access; and promoting the interests, welfare and perspective of the mid-market.

Members are C-level executives with responsibility for all or significant portions of their respective company. They represent a wide variety of businesses across a broad geographic spectrum. Collectively, mid-market companies account for $10 trillion of the $30 trillion annual U.S. private sector gross receipts.

Inspired by C-level Wharton executives, CEO Connection began in 2005 and has evolved into a dynamic community with wide-ranging benefits uniquely designed to help the mid-market CEO and champion the mid-market perspective. For more information, visit www.ceoconnection.com. Stay connected on Twitter: @CEOConnection and LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-connection.

MEDIA CONTACT: Erin Allen, Email, 800-244-4719, ext. 501

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/aviva-wolmer-named-mid-market-rising-star-by-ceo-connection-300318395.html

SOURCE CEO Connection
MUNICH, Germany, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Combination of two leading manufacturers of towing systems

Complementary acquisition will transform global footprint

DPE will become largest shareholder of Horizon Global with 10%

DPE Deutsche Private Equity (DPE), together with its co-investors, has entered into a definitive agreement to sell Westfalia-Automotive and Terwa to Horizon Global (NYSE: HZN). Horizon Global is a global designer, manufacturer and distributor of towing, trailering, cargo management and related accessory products for original equipment, aftermarket and retail channel customers headquartered in Michigan, USA. The transaction combines two leading manufacturers of towing systems.

Very positive corporate development under DPE ownership

In 2011, DPE acquired Westfalia-Automotive, the innovative European leader of towbars and rear-end transport solutions, with a vision of geographical expansion and product line extension. Since then, DPE has executed several strategic growth initiatives, including the acquisition of sister company Terwa in 2015 that is central to the expansion of production capacity and strengthening of the aftermarket footprint in Eastern Europe, leveraging the local manufacturing cost advantage in Romania to further improve profitability. Capital provided by DPE also made possible the development and launch of the latest sensor based 4th generation of towbars.

"We are immensely proud of the achievements Westfalia-Automotive accomplished in partnership with DPE and pleased that more than 380 jobs were created during our involvement", says DPE founding partner Volker Hichert. Under DPE ownership, sales grew by more than 50% to 220 million. "We thank DPE for their patronage and are grateful for their valuable contributions and support during the last years. The sale of Westfalia to Horizon Global is a great outcome for our company which offers new exciting perspectives to employees, customers and shareholders. Now, we are very much looking forward to becoming a member of the Horizon Global family", Bernd Welzel, Chief Executive Officer, Westfalia-Automotive added.

Complementary acquisition will transform global footprint

With this transaction, the Westfalia brands will gain an expanded global reach and its products will become available to a significantly larger customer base, enabling the continued innovation of new technologies and products based on a global production footprint. The combination of the companies will greatly expand Horizon Global's OE footprint, supporting collective global customers, and also enhancing product leadership in the aftermarket channel. "Our company is extremely pleased to add the iconic brands, design innovation, and manufacturing expertise of Westfalia and Terwa to our proven global platform," said A. Mark Zeffiro, President and Chief Executive Officer of Horizon Global.

DPE will become largest shareholder in Horizon Global

Horizon Global intends to fund the acquisition with 89 million in cash, 36 million in Horizon Global common stock and assumed net debt of 42 million. With a 10% shareholding in Horizon Global, DPE will become the largest shareholder after closing of the transaction. Volker Hichert commented, "We are excited about the prospect of building a relationship with Horizon Global as it moves into the next phase of growth with the acquisition of Westfalia. DPE has been highly active in the sector, and Horizon Global stands for the type of company in which we seek to invest - a strong management team, leading industry brands and global scale with this new combination of companies representing an inflection point to drive significant global growth and shareholder value."

Subject to customary closing conditions, completion of the transaction is expected to occur in autumn 2016.

About DPE Deutsche Private Equity

DPE Deutsche Private Equity GmbH (DPE) is an independent German private equity investment company investing in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. DPE was founded in 2007 in Munch by Volker Hichert and Marc Thiery and since then has successfully launched two funds, now managing total assets of over 600 million. Since 2007, DPE has acquired an interest in 18 companies and invested in additional 30 add-on acquisitions, which on average have increased their turnover by 16% per annum. Furthermore, about 2,000 new jobs have been created within the DPE family of companies, which currently employs more than 7,200 staff. As an active partner, DPE helps companies to grow by providing them with the growth capital, experience, trust, respect and extensive support that only a family of companies like DPE can. DPE adopts a conservative approach to financing: the equity ratio of DPE participations is on average 80%.For more information, please visit http://www.dpe.de

About Westfalia-Automotive

Headquartered in Rheda-Wiedenbruck, Germany, Westfalia-Automotive is one of the worldwide leading manufacturers of towbars, wiring kits and carrier systems for cars and light utility vehicles with an international presence. In total, more than 1,700 different towbar types for almost all vehicle brands are developed and produced. The company has approximately 900 employees. For more information, please visit http://www.westfalia-automotive.com.

About Horizon Global

Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, Horizon Global Corporation (NYSE: HZN) is a leading designer,

manufacturer and distributor of high-quality, custom-engineered towing, trailering, cargo management

and related accessory products for original equipment, aftermarket and retail channel customers on a

global basis. Our mission is to utilize forward-thinking technology to develop and deliver best-in-class

products for our customers, engage with our employees and realize value creation for our shareholders.

For more information, please visit http://www.horizonglobal.com.

Media contact:

DPE Deutsche Private Equity GmbH

Tobias M. Weitzel

BSK Becker+Schreiner Kommunikation GmbH

Tel: +49-177-721-576-0

Email: [email protected]



SOURCE DPE Deutsche Private Equity GmbH
SAN DIEGO--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- KFx announced that it has been awarded a third patent (US 9,414,835 (835)) for self-punching or self-tapping orthopedic anchors that eliminate the need to drill a hole prior to insertion. US (835) is part of the family of patents that are the subject of KFxs pending patent infringement suit against Arthrex, a Naples, Florida based company.

In April 2015 KFx announced that the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit reaffirmed their ruling upholding a judgment of the United States District Court for the Southern District of California that Arthrex infringed three valid KFx patents for double-row rotator cuff repair. The total judgment in favor of KFx amounted to over $35 million. In the April 2015 ruling the Appeals Court denied Arthrexs petition for en banc rehearing and issued a mandate to enforce the judgment. Arthrex thereafter paid in excess of $35 million to KFx. In November 2015 KFx announced that a petition for writ of certiorari filed by Arthrex was denied by the Supreme Court of the United States.

Separately, Arthrex filed suit on July 31, 2015 versus KFx and Dr. Joe Tauro alleging various claims. KFx and Dr. Tauro denied the allegations. Previously KFx had announced that it considered the Arthrex lawsuit baseless. The Court agreed and promptly dismissed Arthrexs claims. In addition, KFx asserted new counterclaims for patent infringement based on Arthrex's infringement of two KFx patents for self-punching orthopedic anchors that eliminate the need to drill a hole prior to insertion. The KFx counterclaims remain pending. A trial date has not yet been set.

We are pleased to have the USPTO award the 835 patent to add to our family of self-punching or self-tapping anchors. This further supports our pending case versus Arthrex, remarked Tate Scott, president and CEO of KFx.

KFx is represented by Knobbe Martens of Irvine, CA and COLE SCHOTZ P.C. of Hackensack, New Jersey in the matter.

Cooley LLP is General Counsel to KFx.

About KFx Medical

Headquartered in Solana Beach, Calif., KFx Medical was founded in 2003 to develop products for tissue fixation in a variety of orthopedic surgical procedures performed on the shoulder, knee, foot, and ankle. KFx provides simple systems for orthopedic surgeons focused on sports medicine.

The company is privately held  Investors include Alloy Ventures, Charter Life Sciences, Arboretum Ventures, Montreux Equity Partners, and MB Venture Partners.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005527/en/

KFx Medical

W. Tate Scott, 619-742-2010

[email protected]

Source: KFx Medical
LOS ANGELES, Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) board of directors today awarded a $4 million contract to Syncromatics to design, install, and operate a network of 300 real-time bus information signs at the busiest bus shelters across Los Angeles County. The electronic signs, the first to be deployed widely in the Metro bus system, will provide real time arrival times, service alerts, and other information about Metro buses, as well as those operated by other regional transit agencies that share bus shelters.

Syncromatics has installed and operated electronic transit signs in cities across the United States, and this project will expand the Downtown LA technology firm's local footprint.

"Not knowing if or when your bus is coming can be very stressful, so these electronic signs will remove a barrier for new riders and deliver peace of mind to the millions of our neighbors who rely on Metro buses," said CEO Ian Sephton. "This contract validates the scalability of the Syncromatics technology platform, and we look forward to taking on more big projects like this in the future."

Improving the bus rider experience is a top priority for Metro. The new signs will feature text-to-speech technology to make audio announcements for visually impaired riders, and roughly 100 locations will include solar panels to eliminate any impact on the electric grid.

"Live bus arrival times and service alerts remain out of reach for the 62% of Metro who don't own smartphones," said Board Member and Los Angeles City Councilmember Mike Bonin, citing an internal Metro survey. "Bringing real-time information to the bus stop is a common sense technology solution to an age-old problem, and it will improve the transit experience for all."

As the prime contractor for the project, Syncromatics is responsible for the design, permitting, and construction of the signs, including providing electric service to many locations that currently lack power. Syncromatics will provide data management services to process real time and scheduled bus arrival times for thousands of vehicles and distribute the information to the electronic signs over the cellular data network. The company's software will also allow for dynamic messaging on signs to inform transit users of delays, detours, and special events. Spread across more than 25 cities, the phased roll out of new electronic signs will be completed in 2018.

About Syncromatics:

Syncromatics provides Intelligent Transportation Systems hardware and software to make public transit buses more comfortable for passengers and more efficient for cities. Syncromatics deploys cloud-based computer aided dispatching and automatic vehicle location (CAD/AVL) software, real time passenger information, automatic passenger counters, next stop announcement systems, Wi-Fi, and other SmartBus technologies to Make Transit Work. Syncromatics is headquartered in Los Angeles, California and serves more than 50 transit operations across the United States. In 2015, Syncromatics became a majority owned subsidiary of GMV, a global leader in Intelligent Transportation Systems based in Madrid, Spain. Find out more at www.syncromatics.com

About Metro:

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) is unique among the nation's transportation agencies. Created in 1993, Metro is a multimodal transportation agency that transports about 1.4 million passengers daily on a fleet of 2,200 clean air buses and six rail lines. The agency also oversees bus, rail, highway and other mobility-related building projects and leads transportation planning and programming for Los Angeles County. Through its oversight of one of the largest public works programs in America, Metro is changing the urban landscape of one of the country's largest, most populous counties. More info at www.metro.net

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/los-angeles-metro-selects-syncromatics-to-deploy-real-time-signage-300318635.html

SOURCE Syncromatics
Singapore, SG (PRWEB) August 26, 2016

Indoor agriculture continues to emerge as one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world and the return of an expanded Indoor Ag-Con Asia to Singapore will explore the cutting edge of the sector. This years' event will be focused on the accelerating innovation in the industry from plant biology in general hydroponics, to innovative farm designs, and new business models.

The two-day event will be hosted at the Marina Bay Sands, Singapore on January 24-25, 2017, and will include an exhibition hall and an exciting lineup of speakers and panels at the conference. Industry leading speakers from academia and industry will address topics from automating indoor farms to hydroponics grow lights to funding an indoor farm. Participants will receive an exclusive hard copy of the newest edition in Indoor Ag-Con's popular white paper series. And as usual for all Indoor Ag-Con events, participants will have the chance to network during the day and at the popular after party on the first evening of the event.

New this year will be Indoor Ag-Fest, a series of events and activities in the days leading up to Indoor Ag-Con. There will be opportunities to learn about and participate in indoor agriculture innovations, and details of these will be announced over the coming weeks and months. We are excited to be working with our sponsor Microsoft Singapore once again for a part of this year's events, and thank them for their support.

Indoor Ag-Con, which hosts meetings in Las Vegas and New York in addition to Singapore, is the leading convener of growers, corporate executives, entrepreneurs, policy makers, and investors involved in the growth of the sector. Our audience includes greenhouse and vertical farm growers, technology companies, executives from the food and beverage sector, venture firms, startups and established urban farmers.

Since it was founded in 2013, Indoor Ag-Con has captured an international audience at all its, attracting some of the top names in the business. Events have welcomed over 1,500 participants from more than 20 countries.

Newbean Capital, the host of the conference is a registered investment advisor; some of its clients or potential clients may participate in the conference. The Company is ably assisted in the event's production by Rachelle Razon of Origin Event Planning, and by Michele Premone of Allied Brede.

2nd Annual Indoor Ag-Con Asia

Date January 24-25, 2017

Place Marina Bay Sands, Singapore

Registration currently open to the general public from US$349

Features Two-day seminar, with keynote speakers, panel, after-party, VIP reception and pre-conference events

For more information, please visit http://www.indoor.ag/asia or call +1.775.623.7116

Read the full story at http://www.prweb.com/releases/2016/08/prweb13636128.htm
GREENSBORO, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) today announced that it has completed the sale of its Contemporary Brands businesses to Delta Galil Industries, Ltd (DELT/Tel Aviv Stock Exchange, DELTY.PK/OTCQX). The brands included in the transaction are 7 for All Mankind, Splendid and Ella Moss.

This announcement follows the June 30, 2016, news release in which VF announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement with Delta Galil regarding the sale of these businesses.

About VF

VF Corporation (NYSE: VFC) is a global leader in the design, manufacture, marketing and distribution of branded lifestyle apparel, footwear and accessories. The companys diversified portfolio of powerful brands spans numerous geographies, product categories, consumer demographics and sales channels, giving VF a unique industry position and the ability to create sustainable, long-term growth for our customers and shareholders. The companys largest brands are The North Face, Vans, Timberland, Wrangler, Lee and Nautica. For more information, visit www.vfc.com.

About Delta Galil Industries

Delta Galil Industries is a global manufacturer and marketer of branded and private label apparel products for men, women and children. Since its inception in 1975, the Company has continually strived to create products that follow a body-before-fabric philosophy, placing equal emphasis on comfort, aesthetics and quality. Delta Galil develops innovative seamless apparel including bras, shapewear and socks; intimate apparel for women; extensive lines of underwear for men; activewear, sleepwear and leisurewear. For more information, visit www.deltagalil.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005536/en/

VF Corporation

Lance Allega, 336-424-6082

VP, Investor Relations & Strategic Accounts

or

Craig Hodges, 336-424-5636

Senior Director, Corporate Communications

Source: VF Corporation
HELSINKI (Reuters) - Finnish police has arrested Iraqi man on suspicion of taking part in a 2014 mass killing of Iraqi soldiers by Islamic State militants at former U.S. military base Camp Speicher north of Baghdad, the authorities said on Wednesday.

As many as 1,700 mainly Shi'ite Muslim soldiers were killed after they fled the base when it was overrun by Islamic State, the ultra-hardline Sunni militant group.

He was likely a member of Islamic State or another militant group, police said. Finnish National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) said the 24-year-old man had entered Finland in August 2015.

It did not say whether the person has sought asylum. Most of the 32,500 people who sought asylum in Finland last year came from Iraq.

Finnish police is also investigating two Iraqi men shooting 11 unarmed prisoners at Camp Speicher, that were filmed by Islamic State.

Iraq hanged 36 militants on Sunday over the mass killing at the base.

(Reporting by Tuomas Forsell; Editing by Jussi Rosendahl and Raissa Kasolowsky)
An employee walks past a signage board in the Infosys campus at the Electronics City IT district in Bangalore, February 28, 2012. REUTERS/Vivek Prakash/File Photo

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - Indian IT services provider Infosys Ltd (NYSE: INFY) is seeing some 'softness' in clients after Britain voted in June to leave the European Union, a top company executive said during an analyst meet on Friday.

Infosys will be in a better position by October to evaluate the impact of this on its earnings outlook for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, Chief Financial Officer Ranganath D Mavinakere said.

"We want to give a more accurate picture on guidance after we execute Q2," he said, adding that he was confident growth in the second quarter would be better than the previous three months.

(Reporting by Nidhi Verma and Aditi Shah in New Delhi)
Public servants and contractors sit at their desks at a public housing administration center in Singapore June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Edgar Su

By Jeremy Wagstaff and Aradhana Aravindan

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - Singapore is working on how to implement a policy to cut off web access for public servants as a defense against potential cyber attack - a move closely watched by critics who say it marks a retreat for a technologically advanced city-state that has trademarked the term "smart nation".

Some security experts say the policy, due to be in place by May, risks damaging productivity among civil servants and those working at more than four dozen statutory boards, and cutting them off from the people they serve. It may only raise slightly the defensive walls against cyber attack, they say.

Ben Desjardins, director of security solutions at network security firm Radware, called it "one of the more extreme measures I can recall by a large public organization to combat cyber security risks." Stephen Dane, a Hong Kong-based managing director at networking company Cisco Systems, said it was "a most unusual situation", and Ramki Thurimella, chair of the computer science department at the University of Denver, called it both "unprecedented" and "a little excessive."

But not everyone takes that view. Other cyber security experts agree with Singapore authorities that with the kind of threats governments face today it has little choice but to restrict internet access.

FireEye, a cyber security company, found that organizations in Southeast Asia were 80 percent more likely than the global average to be hit by an advanced cyber attack, with those close to tensions over the South China Sea - where China and others have overlapping claims - were particularly targeted.

Bryce Boland, FireEye's chief technology officer for Asia Pacific, said Singapore's approach needed to be seen in this light. "My view is not that they're blocking internet access for government employees, it's that they are blocking government computer access from Internet-based cyber crime and espionage."

AIR-GAPPING

Singapore officials say no particular attack triggered the decision, but noted a breach of one ministry last year. David Koh, chief executive of the newly formed Cyber Security Agency, said officials realized there was too much data to secure and the threat "is too real."

Singapore needed to restrict its perimeter, but, said Koh, "there is no way to secure this because the attack surface is like a building with a zillion windows, doors, fire escapes."

Koh said he was simply widening a practice of ministries and agencies in sensitive fields, where computers are already disconnected, or air-gapped, from the Internet.

Public servants will still be able to surf the web, but only on separate personal or agency-issued devices.

Air-gapping is common in security-related fields, both in government and business, but not for normal government functions. Also, it doesn't guarantee success.

Anthony James, chief marketing officer at cyber security company TrapX Security, recalled one case where an attacker was able to steal data from a law enforcement client after an employee connected his laptop to two supposedly separated networks. "Human decisions and related policy gaps are the No.1 cause of failure for this strategy," he said.

"STOPPING THE INEVITABLE"?

Indeed, just making it work is the first headache.

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) said in an email to Reuters that it has worked with agencies on managing the changes "to ensure a smooth transition," and was "exploring innovative work solutions to ensure work processes remain efficient."

Johnny Wong, group director at the Housing Development Board's research arm, called the move "inconvenient", but said "it's something we just have to adapt to as part of our work."

At the Land Transport Authority, a group director, Lew Yii Der, said: "Lots of committees are being formed across the public sector and within agencies like mine to look at how we can work around the segregation and ensure front-facing services remain the same."

Then there's convincing the rank-and-file public servant that it's worth doing - and not circumventing.

One 23-year-old manager, who gave only her family name, Ng, said blocking web access would only harm productivity and may not stop attacks. "Information may leak through other means, so blocking the Internet may not stop the inevitable from happening," she said.

It's not just the critics who are watching closely.

Local media cited one Singapore minister as saying other governments, which he did not name, had expressed interest in its approach.

Whether they will adopt the practice permanently is less clear, says William Saito, a special cyber security adviser to the Japanese government. "There's a trend in private business and some government agencies" in Asia to go along similar lines, he said, noting some Japanese companies cut internet access in the past year, usually after a breach.

"They cut themselves off because they thought it was a good idea," he told Reuters, "but then they realized they were pretty dependent on this Internet thing."

Indeed, some cyber security experts said Singapore may end up regretting its decision.

"I'm fairly certain they would regret it and wind up far behind other nations in development," said Arian Evans, vice president of product strategy at RiskIQ, a cyber security start-up based in San Francisco.

The decision is "surprising for a country like Singapore that has always been a leader in innovation, technology and business," he said.

(Reporting by Jeremy Wagstaff and Aradhana Aravindan, with additional reporting by Paige Lim; Editing by Ian Geoghegan)
CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuela has signed over $5.5 billion in mining deals with companies including Canada's Barrick Gold Corp (NYSE: ABX) and China's Shandong Gold, President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday.

Barrick, the world's largest gold producer, said in a statement that "at the invitation of the government, we intend to review information pertaining to mining opportunities in the country."

A spokesman for the Toronto-based company did not respond to questions about spending or development plans in the country.

"Today we are signing investments and letters of commitment for projects for over $5.5 billion," said Maduro in a televised meeting with foreign mining executives.

The deals are part of a plan to ease the OPEC nation's grave economic crisis that has caused food shortages and supermarket riots.

Earlier this month, Maduro said Venezuela had struck $4.5 billion in mining deals with foreign and domestic companies. He also said that he expected $20 billion in mining investment contracts to be signed in coming days.

It was unclear if the $5.5 billion were part of the broader $20 billion investments.

(Reporting by Diego Ore and Susan Taylor in Toronto, writing by Alexandra Ulmer; editing by Meredith Mazzilli, Bernard Orr)
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif says Pakistan is committed to jointly working SAARC member states in changing economic landscape of the region and getting its people out of clutches of poverty, illiteracy and other social ills.

He was inaugurating 8th meeting of the SAARC Finance Ministers in Islamabad on Friday.

The Prime Minister said three decades back South Asian leadership had made commitment to accelerate economic growth, social progress and cultural development of our region.

He said Pakistan is ready to contribute to fulfill aspirations of the people of the region.

Nawaz Sharif said in this era of globalization, the world focuses on finding regional solution to common problems.

He said for economic and social progress of the masses, increasing connectivity, ease of communication, freer trade and finding solution to hunger, poverty and food insecurity has helped the world enhance regional and sub-regional cooperation.

The Prime Minister expressed the confidence that deliberations of Finance Ministers would complement the agenda of 19th SAARC summit, which Pakistan looks forward to host in Islamabad on 9th and 10th of November this year.

Addressing the conference, Secretary General SAARC Arjun Bahadur Thapa said that the South Asian region has the potential to become the global economic force.

He said that since the last SAARC Summit, significant progress has been made to bolster economic cooperation amongst the member states.

He said the leaders of SAARC countries have set an ambitious target of establishing South Asian Economic Union, which requires deeper interaction amongst the member countries.

In his welcome address, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said the South Asian region is blessed with immense resources and has the potential to meet the growth requirements of its peoples.

He said joint strategies is the way forward to exploit this potential for the socio economic uplift of our peoples.

He expressed the confidence that the vision of South Asian Economic Union will promote economic cooperation, investment and connectivity amongst the regional countries.

He said the leaders of SAARC countries have repeatedly been emphasizing upon the greater economic integration and cooperation.

He said though significant headways have been made in this regard, however, there is need to remove non-tariff barriers and simplification of procedures in order to enhance cooperation in different sectors including trade, investment and energy cooperation.

Ishaq Dar said the proposals to be finalized in today's meeting will be presented before the SAARC summit to be held in November in Islamabad.
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Brian Rogers

Rogers Rabbits

www.sunlive.co.nz

Or so the saying goes, in the water treatment industry.



The excrement has really hit the fan in Havelock North, where the community is finding out the hard way that it doesnt pay to skimp on the basics.



Water, roads, rubbish are the fundamentals that local authorities should be focused on getting 110 per cent right. The rest of the fancy nice-to-have luxuries mean nothing if half of the population is suffering the Down Under Thunder or doing the technicolour yawn. Calling for Ralph on the big white telephone. Driving the porcelain bus.



Its a shocking situation for a community to end up in. But let me tell you why we are lucky in the Western Bay and unlikely to experience the same disaster here.



Step into the RR Time Machine and make yourself comfortable.



Pfftang! (Or whatever noise Time Machines make).



It is now 1995. Taurangas water supply treatment plants are more-or-less stuffed. It is decided to upgrade with the latest technology, microfiltration at a cost of $20m. This is whittled to $16m thanks largely to the detailed investigation and world-leading consultant advice.



The so-called Water Action Group runs an anti-campaign for a much cheaper and inferior product, which could not remove all the nasties, particularly cryptospyridium and giardia. One headline in local media read: Three for the price of one says WAG.



The inference is Council is scaremongering to get the gold-plated version.



This in the face of overwhelming evidence that when, not if, the water supply is contaminated the community will be stricken. Some of NZ has been at risk for a while.



But not Tauranga.



So for a few years we had the best water processing system in the Southern Hemisphere until others caught up. Some of those elected members who put their tails on the line over this were not re-elected in 1999, due to continuing ignorance from sectors of the community who should have known better.



By the way, Hamilton put in the inferior system and had to upgrade it about 10 years ago at a cost of about $50m.



Pfftang! Fast-forward a couple of decades, back to today. As we enjoy affordable, quality water and follow the fallout from the Havelock North episode, lets be aware of any Government moves to seize the opportunity to privatise water supplyin order to tax water just like the rort the electricity supply system has turned into. But all in our best interests, of course!



Doom and gloom



Speaking of disaster, an Aussie father and son have been rescued this week after they got lost trying to visit Mount Doom, near Tongariro. Now youd think that after the rugby result in the weekend, Aussies would be extra cautious about tackling anything in New Zealand beyond their league. But especially something as ominously named as Mount Doom. Fortunately, they were saved with the help of a rescue helicopter and night vision goggles.



Let that be a lesson to any of you fancying yourselves as mountaineers, and beware of the warning labels that come with the terrain. A few years ago we pointed out the pitfalls with Mt Misery, Mt Difficulty and Mt Despair.



A few others around the world that we reckon you should avoid:



Alaskas Suicide and Homicide Peaks.



Cloudripper in the Inconsolable Range. Mount Terror. Chopping Block. The Bandersnatch.



Antarctica has the Apocalypse Peaks, and Port Circumcision.



Theres a whole range of mountains in Australia with smutty names involving various parts of the human anatomy, which we wont stoop to repeat here, but you can imaginetheyre named by Aussies.



Say no more.



Scratchy Bottom is a valley in Dorset. In fact, the English have some of the most whacko names on the planet. Catbrain. Bell End. We could write a book. In fact, there are several.



Towns to avoid would include Bitchfield (Lincolnshire, England) and Boring, (Oregon, Maryland and Tennessee). Bastardtown in Ireland. Nether Wallop (Hampshire).



Shades of Death Road (New Jersey) and Dead Woman Crossing (Oklahoma) are both apparently haunted.



Please dont go down the Gorge of Despair. Disappointment Islands, in French Polynesia unsurprisingly arent fit for human habitation.



You may well enter Fucking in Austria without knowing it; because its sign keeps disappearing. (Rhymes with booking, you sniggering smart Alecs).



Batman is a city in Turkey. Its mayor threatened to sue Warner Bros for using the name in films Batman Begins and The Dark Knight.



Sounds more inviting: Mollies Nipple. Coolville (Ohio).



Beer, a village in Devon. Upton Snodsbury. Matching Tye. Great Snoring.



And finally, heres one to end with. In the USA town of Coxsackie, theres a hamlet named Climax. Happy travels!



brian@thesun.co.nz



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Tauranga City Council is assuring the community that the citys drinking water supply is safe for consumption.

Communities across New Zealand have questioned the safety of their supplies after thousands of people in the Hawkes Bay region were struck down with a gastro illness caused by campylobacter from a contaminated Havelock North water supply.
Watch out Tauranga, because volunteers will be armed with hundreds of dinky daffodil pins today - and theyll be encouraging you to buy them.

But its okay, its all for a very good cause. Daffodil Day on August 26 signifies the end of a month-long awareness campaign, which ran through the month of August and will finish with a flourish of daffodils proudly pinned to the shirts of Bay residents supportive of the cause.
The town has lost 5,000 foreign residents in three years, most of them British. The crisis and taxation could be to blame

Marbella has lost around 2,000 British residents in three years. :: Josele-Lanza

Jay Lory is meeting a group of friends in a bar in the centre of San Pedro Alcantara, the same bar where for the past ten years he has shared experiences with fellow Brits who, like him, sold their property in the UK, packed their cases and set off for the Costa del Sol. Now, Jay is packing his bags again. This time hell be taking them with him on his journey home, although as he admits, Spain feels like home to me, not the place Im going back to.

At the age of 71, Jay believes the time has come to return to the place in which he was born. He is leaving. The British community has always been the largest here, as can be seen from the municipal population register, which currently shows a total of 144 different nationalities. In fact, it has been citizens from the UK who for years have boosted the demographic growth of the town that is the jewel in the crown of tourism in Malaga province. Until now, that is.

Experts in the sector and local authorities acknowledge that the figures are showing a changing trend in which the most striking statistic is that nearly 2,000 British residents have come off the population register in the past three years, dropping from 5,612 in 2013 to 3,900 in 2015, according to the latest data from the INE (national statistics institute). This exodus has meant that now the Moroccan community is the largest among foreign residents in Marbella. The figures show that in 2015, 17 per cent of inhabitants were Moroccan.

How can this change to the population pyramid be explained? Experts we consulted say that it is a general phenomenon and does not only apply to Marbella, although because of the municipalitys particular demographic landscape it is affected more than most.

After decades of living on the Costa, many people have left because of their age or because the economic crisis means their money doesnt stretch as far. However, when you look deeper, you find that some departures are the result of fiscal pressure, explains Ricardo Bocanegra, a lawyer who specialises in assisting foreign residents and is the head of the Federation of Foreigners Associations on the Costa del Sol.

He raises an interesting point: The fact that somebody doesnt renew their registration doesnt mean that they are not going to continue living in Marbella. This is a new situation and has arisen because people are afraid of taxes, especially since the Hacienda tax authority introduced the so-called Model 720 form which obliges people to declare all their assets, residences and bank accounts held abroad. In addition, they have to declare all their income, not just that arising in Spain. What Ricardo Bocanegra is saying, in other words, is that not all the British people who are no longer on the population register have left; they just dont want to be registered because they dont want to be seen as being resident in Spain and they can avoid having to declare their assets.

They make sure they are not here for more than six months, but they keep their home and continue to live here for much of the year, although from an administrative point of view they are no longer residents, he explains.

Despite Marbella councils expectations that the population would grow to reach 150,000, in recent years there has been little sign of an increase in the number of inhabitants. On the contrary, there has been a sharp decline. In 2012 there were 146,645 people on the population register (43,239 of them foreigners) but in 2015 the figure was only 139,537 (24,018 foreigners), so foreign residents had dropped from being 30 per cent of the local population to below 20 per cent.

It is clear that having to declare worldwide assets has had something to do with so many British people leaving, says Marbellas councillor for Tourism, Javier Porcuna. He says another factor should also be taken into account: We believe that the delay in updating the data also has something to do with the changes we appear to be seeing now, he explains. Although official figures indicate a sharp reduction in the foreign population in the past two or three years, it seems that in reality this exodus has taken place over a longer period and in stages. Foreigners have to renew their registration at the Town Hall every five years, if they are from EU countries. Some people are also thought to have left without deregistering.

This [the British] has always been a community which has been reluctant to register, because of its character and because so many people do not integrate totally, says Jolanta Jarczewska, the president of the Association of Foreign Residents of Andalucia, who points out that people of other European nationalities have also left, although to a lesser extent than the British. Germans, Belgians and Italians have also opted to leave in recent years.

Fear of the Brexit effect

The recent decision by the UK to leave the EU has led to uncertainty and experts are finding it difficult to say what effect it will have on the trend for British people to leave the Costa del Sol. Ricardo Bocanegra admits that his office is currently receiving five or six calls a day from British people who want to know how to apply for Spanish nationality, an option which is becoming increasingly popular among those who see it as a way of avoiding the possible effects that Brexit may have on their life in Spain.

Others cant bear the uncertainty and they have put their homes in Marbella up for sale with the idea of going back to the UK. Not that many, but I do see some cases, especially elderly people, pensioners who decide it would be best for them to go back home, he explains.

Theyre worried, because they dont know whats going to happen, what new conditions may be imposed on people wanting to stay in Spain and whether their finances will be affected, says Jolanta Jarczewska. That also means that people who have just arrived are unlikely to add their names to the population register.

On the other hand, Javier Porcuna reiterates the message that Marbella council has been giving out since the result of the EU referendum was known.

The profile of a British resident in Marbella is different to that in other towns. They have more purchasing power and the drop in the value of the pound has barely been felt. That has been clear from the latest figures issued by the provincial governments Tourism department, which supports what we have been saying, he says.

The drop in the number of foreign residents does not only apply to Europeans. Ecuatorians (399 fewer), Argentinians (179 fewer) and Colombians (100 fewer) have also returned to their own countries in large numbers because of the lack of job opportunities here now.

Despite this, there are now more Ukrainians (303 more than a year ago) and Russians (187 more than a year ago) in Marbella.

These people come here to do business, to look for work and economic opportunities. It is interesting that Marbella is becoming an industry that produces jobs. It is good if the money we generate here stays here, says Jolanta.

On the other side of the coin are the Moroccans, who now form the largest foreign community on the population register, with 5,015 in 2015.

With the Moroccans the figures have been similar over time and many of them have ended up by taking Spanish nationality, explains Javier Porcuna.

Each district of Marbella attracts certain nationalities. The Moroccans tend to live in the centre of Marbella (1,936) and San Pedro Alcantara (1,365), while the British seem to prefer the area from Arroyo Guadalpin to Guadaiza (Nueva Andalucia) and from Arroyo Primero to the boundary with Mijas (Las Chapas), districts that are also popular with Germans, Russians and Italians.

The most unusual statistic is to be found in San Pedro Alcantara, where 760 people from the Philippines are on the population register. Many of them work as live-in domestic staff in villas in residential developments such as La Zagaleta, Guadalmina and La Quinta.

It is still very obvious that Marbella continues to demonstrate its strength as a focal point for people who are looking for work and those who want to do business. They are all well aware of the potential economic benefits of being in a town which is the epicentre of tourism in southern Spain.
Shops in Malaga have noticed an increase in customers from Arab countries, especially Morocco. :: F. Gonzalez

The province of Malaga has become a key retail tourism destination among the growing middle classes in northern Morocco. The economic growth of the country is concentrated in the north, an area that is just three hours (by ferry then car from Tarifa or Algeciras) from the Costa del Sol.

Representatives from the provinces main shopping centres agree that sales to Moroccan customers have increased this year. Their presence is more than evident from the numbers of Moroccan-plated vehicles in the centres car parks, the language heard in the malls, the facial features and the veils worn by the older women.

Among their typical purchases are top brand clothes and accessories, especially for children. Luxury items, cosmetics and medicines are also on their shopping lists.

The Larios shopping centre in Malaga is a favourite. Centre manager Jesus Maria Condon said that this year for the first time the centre has carried out a marketing campaign on social media aimed at the Rabat area. The campaign was inFrench and promoted the launch of the summer sales; in the first week alone the Facebook profile received 150,000 visits. The shopping centre has noticed, mainly from the vehicles in the car park, that the majority of Moroccan shoppers travel as a family and come from the Moroccan capital or from Tangier.

They buy a lot and spend more than the average Spanish family, turn round and go back to their country with a full boot, said the manager. The time they spend inside the centre is also longer than average.

Morocco is growing fast, we are very close and sometimes we dont realise the potential we have. The average Moroccan sees Malaga as a benchmark [shopping destination] and knows us very well, added Condon.

While this is a relatively new client profile for centres like Larios, other shopping hubs on the Costa del Sol have been welcoming, and appreciating, their Moroccan clients for years.

For visitors crossing the Strait to Tarifa or Algeciras, Marbella is often their first, and perhaps only, port of call. The availability of brands that are not easy to find in Morocco has made La Canada shopping centre a favourite. In fact revenue from sales to visitors from the neighbouring country make up a substantial part of shops takings all year round and especially at weekends.

La Canadas manager, Francisco Javier Moreno, said,  Moroccans have always been very pro-Marbella and today they are by far the most loyal clients we have.

Meanwhile El Corte Ingles has not noticed an increase in numbers of shoppers or spending this year but has seen a change in habits, with more visits in August due to the dates of Ramadan. As far as retail preferences are concerned, sources at El Corte Ingles pointed out that Moroccans look for well-known brands that are more difficult to find in their home country.

Plaza Mayor is another shopping centre that predicts numbers of NorthAfrican shoppers will increase, especially with the planned Designer Outlet, which will be the first luxury factory centre to open in southern Spain. Malaga Nostrum, which is already home to outlet stores, is also a popular retail centre among Moroccan customers.

The planned direct ferry link between Malaga and Tangier is already raising expectations among commercial centres of a growth in retail tourists from Morocco, even though a date for the service to start operating has not yet been set.
Javier Martin Mata, Spanish worker in Manchester: This 27-year-old from Velez-Malaga went to live in Milnrow near Manchester in 2013 "because of the crisis"; now he's concerned about how he could be affected by Brexit

Javier Martin and Olivia Holt with their son Luca, in Cumbria. :: SUR This Spaniard has noted that now more and more people are rethinking their Leave vote

Javier Martin recalls the last three summers he spent in his native Velez-Malaga. I barely went out; I was working in a chiringuito in Almayate all day long, he says.

It got to the point where I said that things had to change and I decided to pack my bags and go to England. At first I thought of London, but I knew a girl from Manchester, who spent her summer holidays in Alcaucin, and she encouraged me to go there, explains this 27-year-old, thinking back to a time when Brexit was no more than a vague idea that few gave credit to.

Since October 2013 Javier has lived in the town of Milnrow, just 20 minutes drive from Manchester. At first he found work in the hospitality industry - the easiest way of finding a job [in the UK], according to Javier, whose parents run a restaurant in Velez, where he started to work when he dropped out of school.

Like so many other young people, before the crisis, when I was barely 16, I wanted to work and earn a salary, he explains from his home in England where he has settled down very well and has started a family. Fourteen months ago his girlfriend, 20-year-old hairdresser Olivia Holt, gave birth to their son Luca.

Now the young Spaniard explains that Brexit is an issue that worries him quite a lot, despite not knowing yet what the consequences will be for the British and for Europeans in Britain.

Theres a lot of uncertainty, because at first they said nothing would change, but weve already seen how Sterling has fallen, and the prices of products are already going up, he says.

Javier points out that the majority of his girlfriends family voted against the UK leaving the EU. They are the first to travel abroad, so it didnt make much sense for them to say they wanted to leave Europe, he says. The fear of immigration, especially Muslims, is what he believes is behind the unexpected Brexit result.

Although no one says so, I think people voted thinking that [with Brexit] they would control the arrival of immigrants, he says.

This Spaniard has noted that, just two months after the referendum, more and more people are rethinking their vote and are now calling for [Britain] not to go ahead with the exit, he says.

In any case he points out that the new post-Brexit scenario will not become clear for another two years.

Meanwhile Javier, whose girlfriend is not working at the moment due to the expense of nursery schools, earns a living with the flooring and carpet installation firm he joined a year ago. Im gradually learning, but my bosses are very happy with me, he says.

The most important thing when looking for a job in England is motivation and the language, much more than qualifications, he continues.

Here they dont ask you what qualifications you have, but whether you are able to work and are motivated and enthusiastic, he says, adding that what he found most difficult to get used to was the rainy and dull climate. Its the worst part for me, being used to Velez-Malaga, says Javier, who tries to visit his family in Spain at least twice a year. And my parents come here, he points out.

His next visit to the Axarquia will be in October when he comes home for his brothers wedding.

As for the future, Javier doesnt know what will happen but were staying here for the time being.

Things in Spain are not easy, although its clear I would like to live there with my partner and our son, he concludes.
Local town hall has announced that archaeological restoration works on the Roman ruins in Los Alamos are almost complete

The Roman settlement of La Cizana in Los Alamos. :: TONY BRYANT

The Roman settlement of La Cizana, situated close to Los Alamos beach in Torremolinos, will soon be open to the public, following several years of restoration and preservation work.

The Roman ruins, thought to be more than two thousand years old, were uncovered during the 1960s and yet, at the time, the site was not thought to be of any great significance.

However, research of the area was carried out thirty years later and this revealed that the settlement was once an important fish-salting plant.

The Romans acquired salt curing procedures from the Greeks and this method, which is still used today, was the only widely available method of preserving fish until the 19th century.

The remains of residential areas and industrial facilities have been unearthed, and ceramics and pottery typical of the Roman period have also been found.

Archaeologist Luna Caparros has overseen the preservation work and her team have excavated several tanks used for salting fish, a spa complex and a storage area with two large pottery kilns, which Caparros believes date to 100 BC.

The site has suffered all kinds of upheaval since it was first discovered in the 1960s, and the general apathy of local residents, as well as the erosion of more than 2000 years, have contributed to the settlements depletion.

Once the restoration work is complete, Torremolinos town hall will enclose the area to prevent further damage, and the settlement will be opened to the public.

Maribel Tocon, councillor for Urban Planning, said, La Cizana has important social value for the area and its necessary to preserve the settlement because it will become a site of cultural and tourist interest.
Here are a few key ways to keep yourself out of trouble this summer

This is our monthly message from Charmaine Arbouin at the British Consulate in Malaga. Charmaine is the Consul for Andalucia and the Canary Islands. Her team help thousands of British nationals in distress every year.

This holiday season, the British Consulate Malaga has dealt with 90 arrests, 80 deaths, 70 welfare cases, 50 hospitalisations, 16 missing people and eight victims of serious crime, not to mention issuing more than 500 temporary replacement passports. Whilst many situations are unavoidable, you can take steps to reduce the risk of you or a loved one becoming our next consular case.

Obey flag warnings on beaches

This summer, 13 people have drowned and more than 480 people have been rescued along the Andalusian coastline. Swim only when green flags are flying - swimming at other times puts your life at risk and that of lifeguards (or others) if you have to be rescued.

Keep safe on balconies

Balcony falls often cause life-changing or even fatal consequences. Climbing from one balcony to another or jumping from a balcony into a pool is reckless and dangerous. Leaning over balconies and standing on balcony furniture can also cause falls, and children should only be allowed on balconies with an adult.

Pay court fines

If a judge in Spain has ordered you to pay a fine, do so promptly or prepare to be arrested. If you owe fines, the police may hold an outstanding warrant and can arrest you anywhere in the country, even years later. For the same reason, if you are arrested, make sure you understand the conditions of your release.

Treat your passport like a 100 note

Passports are more likely to be lost or stolen at the airport, from parked hire cars, and whilst sightseeing. As well as the 100 fee for an Emergency Travel Document, think of the time and additional money youll need to spend getting to the Consulate.

I do hope that your summer in Spain, whether you are a visitor or a resident, has been happy and relaxing. And rest assured, if you do need to contact the Consulate, we will treat you fairly and without judgement.

Theres lots of information about staying safe and well in Spain on our website. Visit www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/spain
In the summer, the Mahou-San Miguel brewery doubles its production to meet the sharp increase in demand. Beer is the most popular drink in summer and it has not only withstood the economic crisis but has become a favourite among those with gourmet tastes

A view inside the brewery near Malaga airport. :: SALVADOR SALAS. IN FIGURES 2,500,000 hectolitres of beer, the equivalent of 446 Olympic swimming pools, are made each year at the Mahou-San Miguel brewery. The ingredients Malted barley (the process applied to the cereal grains, in which the grains are germinated by submerging them in water and then dried with hot air), hops (a plant from the cannabis family to counterbalance the sweetish taste of the malt), water and yeast (for fermentation). 6,000 B.C. is the year in which beer is believed to have first appeared. It was almost certainly the result of a mistake when handling cereals for making bread, in ancient Mesopotamia. 15-21 days is the time it takes to produce the beer. 46 tanks (the largest hold 8,000 hectolitres) mean that 168,000 hectolitres can be stored at the brewery in Malaga. 5.4 per cent is the strength of the alcohol of the factorys star product, San Miguel Especial. 150 people work at this beer factory in Malaga.

When there is an economic crisis, people may stop going out for dinner but they do still enjoy a beer with friends or their partner in a bar or, if things are really bad, at home. When the economy improves again, many will reach for a beer to celebrate: beer is the drink of choice for all occasions and it never seems to lose its popularity. In fact in southern Spain, where it is drunk most, it is almost a way of life.

During the summer months the native beer-drinking population is boosted by thousands of Spanish and foreign tourists who come to this region for their holidays, and as a result beer consumption multiplies. Unsurprisingly, this is one of the most coveted - and fought-over - markets for beer manufacturers, who send an army of sales representatives to the coastal resorts of Malaga province.

Nor is it surprising that Malaga should have its own brewery. In fact, for a large part of the 20th century it had two: one was La Victoria, which was founded in 1928 and closed in 1996, and the other is San Miguel, which opened half a century ago and, as director Jose Manuel Huesa insists, is here to stay.

Cervezas San Miguel began in 1897 in Manila; it was given that name because it was in the San Miguel district. In 1957 the first brewery opened in Spain, in Lerida, and almost immediately it was decided to open another in Malaga to take advantage of the tremendous potential of the Costa del Sol, he says.

That was a good business decision. The brewery, which began by producing 150,000 hectolitres a year ,now produces 2.5 million. That volume of liquid could fill 446 Olympic-size swimming pools. At the moment, the brewery is at peak production level. In summer we produce almost twice as much as in winter, says Jose Manuel. The brewery never stops, not even on Sundays, because the fermentation process of the barley doesnt, either. We work three shifts all year round, but in summer it is much more intensive.

About 150 people work at the San Miguel brewery and more than 90 per cent are on permanent contracts so the staffing level does not change a great deal, although it does increase by between five and 12 per cent in the summer.

High point: the fair

Mid-August is the time when beer consumption on the Costa del Sol reaches its peak, not only because it is the height of the tourist season but also because Malaga Fair takes place at this time. Sales normally increase by 15 per cent during the week of the fair, and between 12,000 and 15,000 beers a day are sold in the San Miguel temporary bar which is set up in the Plaza de la Constitucion.

The brewery has been part of the Mahou-San Miguel group since the 1990s: it is the market leader in Spain, with 35.5 per cent of the total of beer sold. The company spared no effort on promoting its products at the fair this year to celebrate its 50 years of association with Malaga.

For half a century we have been with the city at every moment and every landmark in its development. Now we want people to be aware of that fact, and celebrate it, because it makes us very proud, says Jose Manuel Huesa.

In the intensive commercial war between beer companies in the Costa del Sol market, Mahou-Malaga has the exclusive advantage of being the only beer brewed in Malaga and it doesnt hesitate to use that fact, especially now that people are starting to appreciate local products more.

This is a very open city; we are very cosmopolitan and welcoming to anyone from outside. In a way, that has made it hard for us to defend what is our own, but we are starting to realise and appreciate that what is done here is very good, says Huesa, who admits that there is fierce competition between brands. It is a mature market and Spain makes good beer, so it can be difficult, he explains.

While the reps are battling it out in terms of sales, in the factory there is a constant search for innovation. New products are constantly being added to the already extensive catalogue of the Mahou-San Miguel group, ranging from mojito or vodka-flavoured beer to craft beers and a wide range of alcohol-free varieties.

Consumers want something new, they want us to surprise them and San Miguel has always been a very innovative brand, says Jose Manuel.

The Malaga brewery produces 150 different types and sizes of San Miguel, Mahou, Alhambra and Reina beers. The plant can produce in every format: returnable and non-returnable bottles in different sizes, large and small cans, 20, 30 and 50 litre barrels... and the production is not just for this province: it is distributed throughout southern Spain and also exported.

Although they are all produced by the same brewery, each brand has its own recipe, marked especially by the yeast, which in the world of beer manufacturing has become like the secret ingredient in Coca-Cola.

Jose Manuel Huesa points out that no matter how much industrial production there may be, the method of making beer continues to be an art because we are working with living ingredients.

The art lies in always achieving the same product, despite using raw materials which are never the same. For this reason the brewery has two master beer-makers and a tasting panel formed by workers from different parts of the plant and led by a beer sommelier.

The director of Malagas San Miguel brewery also stresses the importance of technology. We have invested 35 million euros in the past decade, he says. We may be a 50 year-old factory but we have the latest technology and the maximum level of sustainability: we have the EMAS certification, which is strictest in Europe. The brewery in Malaga has successfully reduced its water consumption by 19 per cent, energy by 19 per cent and CO2 emissions by 49 per cent. Jose Manuel Huesa compares its evolution over the past 50 years with that of its neighbour, the airport, which is the reason the tanks at the San Miguel brewery are painted: otherwise the steel could dazzle the pilots.

In 1956 the airport was toy-sized. There was only what is now the aeroclub and hardly any motor-powered planes. It is the same for us: we used to be a modest brewery surrounded by sugar cane plantations. We have evolved at the same time, at the pace which Malaga dictated, he says.
Exploring Sicily in a Fiat 500. :: Andrew Forbes

After a few days immersing myself in the extraordinary beauty of Sicilys Noto province, I was feeling quite adept at driving the country roads and narrow streets of this, the largest island of the Mediterranean.

My road trip in Sicily had started in Palermo, the islands capital. The city is a captivating and chaotic mix of high renaissance extravagance and crumbling brutalist apartment blocks; baroque palaces standing against derelict homes; and tranquil piazzas surrounded by near-gridlocked roads. Upon leaving the car rental office I was swiftly engulfed by Palermos morning rush-hour traffic, a baptism of fire that was to put me in good stead for the rest of my trip. From that day on, the potholed and poorly-signposted roads of this predominantly rural island felt a like a breeze to navigate after the excitable frenzy of the city.

Yet upon arriving at my first destination, Ragusa, the strikingly beautiful baroque town in the islands south east, I was to face yet another self-drive challenge - that of parallel parking on an absurdly steep, cobbled street! The available space was mine; I had decided. There was no way I was giving it up, since I was impatient to begin discovering the first of these World Heritage towns found surrounded by the vineyards and olive groves of the Val di Noto region.

Earth-shattering

In the late 17th century, an enormous earthquake ripped through the area, devastating communities; it literally tore Ragusa apart, creating a deep gorge that now divides the town. The upper part, Ragusa Superiore, sits on one side, while the picture-perfect Ragusa Ibla is on the other. The towns streets at first appear a romantic sight, lined as they are with honey-hued limestone houses and highly ornate palaces and churches. However, the stone cobbled roads are unforgiving for both pedestrians, and drivers. Yet with determination (and the choking smell of the clutch burning) I managed to get the car into the space.

To truly enjoy the remarkable province of Noto, a car is essential. It affords the freedom to explore the towns and surrounding countryside. Yet, heres some advice; dont be tempted by the offer of a car rental upgrade  believe me, you want to keep things simple, and above all, small. I had opted for a Fiat 500; I felt it captured the romantic spirit of la dolce vita, ideal for an Italian road trip; and more importantly it is a car suited to the narrow streets and small parking bays of the old towns.

Although not my first visit to the island, it certainly was a new experience for me to travel across Sicily by road. The perceived wisdom is that the Italians love speed, and my experience would concur. Despite the islands roads being monitored by an elaborate network of speed cameras, the local residents seem to confidently take exceptional risks and swiftly overtake, apparently knowledgeable of speed traps, as well as each nuance of every bend and camber in the road.

Essential pit stops

Without this insider information, the drive from Palermo to the baroque treasures of Noto takes around three and half to four hours, so with a morning start, one has time to take a few stops. Even in the most dilapidated-looking rest stops or roadside bars you are assured an exceptional caffe macchiato and an indulgent cornetto al cioccolato.

The Valley of the Temples at Agrigento is not to be missed  the joke goes that Sicily has better Greek ruins than Greece, and here its tempting to believe it. My itinerary though obliged me to press on, so I didnt stay long among the remains of these seven Doric temples and instead continued my drive, heading down to Ragusa, a provincial capital and one of the highlights of the Val di Noto.

Once Id parked the car, I walked a few paces to the end of the street. There it was; that much-photographed view of Ragusa Ibla. Its a stunning sight and so perfectly Italian. The sun was low, its warm light igniting the subtle earthy tones of the historic houses and the golden limestone of the noble palaces and grand churches. It looks an idyllic Sicilian town. So its hard to believe then that only a few decades ago this area was hardly ever visited by international travellers.

Thats changing. In 2002 UNESCO designated eight towns in the region as World Heritage Sites: Caltagirone, Catania, Militello, Modica, Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, Ragusa and Scicli. Each offer remarkable architecture and wonderful places to eat.

The success of cultural tourism here has also been attributed to the popularity of Andrea Camilleris Inspector Montalbano detective novels set locally. TV adaptations have been broadcast across the world.

The secret is out

So, the region is no longer a travel secret. The marvellous 17th and 18th century buildings, the romantic landscape, and the wonderful food have been the draw. Now these towns are home to exquisite small luxury hotels, charming B&Bs, award-winning informal trattorias, and fine-dining restaurants. Yet it doesnt yet feel commercial or contrived; after all, there is an overriding rawness to Sicily that keeps things feeling down-to-earth.

There is so much to experience here that a short trip is hardly enough, but if time allows and you are still feeling the urge to explore, then I recommend driving across to Syracuse. Once the most important city in the ancient world, this industrial port retains unique archaeological ruins, as well as a wonderful fortified old town, Ortigia.

Built on an island, connected to Syracuse by three road bridges, Ortigia is a delight. Wandering the narrow, shaded lanes of the Jewish quarter, or enjoying a chilled glass of prosecco in the Piazza del Duomo overlooking the ornate cathedral bathed in the dazzling Mediterranean light are just a few of the unforgettable experiences to be enjoyed here - but first you just have to find a spot to park.
Paul_Morgan_DeWitt_2.JPG

Paul Morgan, former SPCA CNY executive director, was arraigned Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 in DeWitt Town Court on grand larceny charges. He's accused of stealing more than $400,000 from the non-profit group.

(Sarah Moses | smoses@syracuse.c)

DEWITT, N.Y. -- The former executive director at the Central New York SPCA and an SPCA worker were arraigned this morning on charges they stole nearly $700,000 from the charity.

Paul Morgan, the former executive director for the Syracuse-area Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, pleaded not guilty to second-degree grand larceny in DeWitt Town Court.

Another former SPCA worker - Taylor Gilkey - also pleaded not guilty to second-degree grand larceny.

Paul Morgan, 45, of Salina, was accused of stealing $475,000 between 2011 and July 2016.

Gilkey, 32, of Canastota, a former veterinarian technician at the SPCA, was accused of stealing $217,000.

That brings the total allegedly stolen to $692,000. The CNY SPCA's annual budget was about $1.3 million in 2014, according to the latest tax forms available for the group.

Both were released and their cases will be sent to an Onondaga County grand jury.

The town judge, Joseph J. Zavaglia, required Morgan to turn in his passport. Morgan is represented by lawyer Edward Z. Menkin. Defense lawyer Steve Cambareri is representing Gilkey.

Second-degree grand larceny is punishable by up to 15 years in prison. But typically, the punishment, if convicted, is predicated upon how much the perpetrator can pay back.

Taylor Gilkey, a former CNY SPCA employee, leaves DeWitt Town Court Friday after being charged with second-degree grand larceny.

Nick Pirro, the agency's treasurer, discovered financial inconsistencies earlier this summer, which prompted an investigation by the Onondaga County District Attorney's Office. Morgan and Gilkey were terminated from their jobs.

The CNY SPCA Board of Directors appointed Pirro interim executive director at a meeting Aug. 18. Pirro will not be paid for his work as interim and will serve until the board hires a permanent replacement. Pirro said he believes that will come after the conclusion of the investigation.

Morgan's salary was $118,118 in 2014, according to tax forms filed by the SPCA; forms for 2015 are not available yet. His compensation went up 47 percent from 2010 to 2014, from $80,000 in 2010 to $118,118 in 2014, according to the tax records.

After Morgan was arraigned, Menkin said his client, Morgan, is not guilty and is unaware of the details of the investigation by the DA's office.

"All we've been provided with this morning is a one-sentence, one-page complaint," Menkin said. "We'll find out more. This is obviously a very serious manner."

Cambareri, Gilkey's attorney, declined comment after the arraignment.

The Onondaga County District Attorney's Office will update the public on the investigation at 10:30 a.m.
CNY SPCA theft conference.JPG

CNY SPCA Interim Director Nick Pirro, left, speaks Friday morning as Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, right, listens. Pirro and Fitzpatrick spoke in the district attorney's Syracuse office about the case of two former SPCA employees charged with embezzlement.

(Samantha House)

DEWITT, N.Y. -- Five years.

That's how long it took Paul Morgan and Taylor Gilkey to pilfer $692,000 from the Central New York SPCA, said Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick. They used the money to go gambling and take trips, he said.

Fitzpatrick said the two used an unsubtle method to steal the money: They wrote checks to themselves and cashed them. They called the payments "performance bonuses," he said.

Fitzpatrick discussed the nearly $700,000 embezzlement case Friday morning after Morgan, CNY SPCA's former executive director, and Gilkey, a former veterinary technician, were charged with second-degree grand larceny in DeWitt Town Court. The non-profit organization Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals chapter has an annual budget of about $1.2 million, tax records show.

The investigation started in July, when a bank worker contacted the CNY SPCA about suspicious activity, Fitzpatrick said. Nick Pirro, the agency's treasurer, then contacted the district attorney's office, he said.

An investigation revealed money had been taken from an operating account between 2011 and July, Fitzpatrick said.

"There were checks and balances within the organization," he said. "Unfortunately, it is alleged that Mr. Morgan manipulated those checks and balances to conceal his nefarious crimes."

Morgan, 45, of Salina, and Gilkey, 32, of Canastota, appear to have had a physical relationship, Fitzpatrick said.

Over the course of five years, Morgan wrote himself 107 checks which he later cashed -- stealing $475,000, Fitzpatrick said. Morgan's salary from the SPCA was $118,118 in 2014, according to tax records filed by the SPCA.

Morgan also issued 52 checks totaling $217,000 to Gilkey, Fitzpatrick said. Gilkey cashed the checks and kicked back about half of the stolen money to Morgan, he said.

The pair used most of the money to go gambling, Fitzpatrick said. They also took trips to New Orleans, Las Vegas and the Turning Stone Resort Casino, he said.

Fitzpatrick said Morgan was not a successful gambler. That means there is a "very, very slight chance" of returning the funds to the CNY SPCA, he said.

The case remains open as investigators seek to determine whether more money was stolen, Fitzpatrick said. No other employees are suspected, he said.

Paul Morgan, former SPCA CNY executive director, was arraigned Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 on grand larceny charges. He's accused of stealing more than $400,000 from the non-profit group.

Pirro, who is currently serving as the organization's interim director, joined Fitzpatrick at the news conference. He helda dog Percy, one of the nearly 400 animals at the organization currently waiting to be adopted, as he spoke about the case.

Over the past five years, Pirro said Morgan has told CNY SPCA's board that money was tight. Citing a lack of money, Morgan turned down requests to hire more employees and make changes.

"It's a sad commentary on how a person can supposedly care so much and yet care so little," Pirro said.

Since the investigation became public, Pirro said he has answered calls from residents who are now concerned about giving the CNY SPCA money. He apologized for what happened, and asked the community to not give up on helping the animals still under the organization's care.

"We do need your help. We do need you to contribute," Pirro said. "And I can assure you that right now, I'm watching every penny very closely."
Libya- stalemate set to continue

On-going negotiations taking place in Libya regarding the reopening of two of the countrys largest oil export terminals could amount to nothing other than a continued stalemate.

Last month, Libyas UN backed Tripoli government was reported to have signed a deal with armed factions controlling the major Ras Lanuf and Es Sider oil ports in an attempt to end the export blockade, which has been in place since December 2014. These two ports have a combined export capacity of around 600,000 barrels per day, which could significantly elevate Libyas crude production from the mere 300,000 barrels per day in July, Gibson shipbrokers said in a recent report. Two other major oil export terminals, Zawiya and Zuetina also remained closed. Five years ago, before the ousting of the Gaddafi regime, Libya was producing 1.6 mill barrels per day, which provided steady support for the cross Mediterranean Aframax market. The deal to reopen Ras Lanuf and Es Sider was reported to have been signed in early July between the National Oil Corp (NOC) and the Petroleum Facilities Guard (PFG), set up by the rival Eastern Government. According to NOC, the plan is to quadruple (from what level?) the countrys oil exports by the end of the year, although thus far there has been no sign of any increased liftings at any of these ports. Details of the actual deal are very sketchy, but the UN backed Government of National Accord are reported to have said that the deal included an unspecified amount for PFG salaries and the NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla has complained about rewarding groups that have the ability to shut down these ports. Clearly, there remains a lack of trust of the PFG. Sanalla cited previous broken promises and facilitation payments, which have failed to improve oil exports. The Eastern Government has been accused several times about selling oil outside of the official structure. In April, a cargo of around 650,000 barrels of crude was loaded at the east Libyan port of Marsa el-Hariga but deemed illegal by NOC, which called for international forces to seize the cargo. The tanker was subsequently forced to return to Zawiya to discharge its cargo. Sanalla is also reported to have said this month that Libyas crude oil production was now around 200,000 barrels per day of which about half is sent to the local refineries. NOC was also said to be holding talks with local groups and national oil companies to restart other closed oilfields, such as El Sharara and El Feel, which combined could add another 450,000 barrels per day. The creation of the Libyan National Accord Government was expected to stabilise the countrys security situation, as well as rejuvenate its ailing economy which is very reliant on oil revenues. However, the new government has still to receive a vote of confidence from all the Libyan factions, including the Eastern Government. So clearly, despite all the attempts to unify the different factions, the nation appears to be as divided as ever and we are unlikely see any substantial increase in crude exports anytime soon, Gibson concluded.




Markets - VLCCs could fall further

The MEG September programme is underway, but at a rather leisurely tempo, as charterers hold back biding their time, whilst tonnage builds up.

Consequently, rates are under severe attack whenever charterers decided to negotiate and have softened both for East and West destinations, Fearnleys said in its weekly report. W Africa/East also remains docile, which adds to the tonnage availability. Some more Caribbean/East activity was seen, but rates here were also soft although they kept vessels from ballasting elsewhere. The entire VLCC segment is lacking in momentum and rates could soften further from present levels, the broker said. After a long period of rates scraping along the bottom, Suezmax owners are now in the driving seat, though for how long remains to be seen. A rush of enquiries in West Africa coupled with multiple cargoes loading US Gulf for east destinations saw rates in West Africa rise from WS35 to WS42,5 at the time of writing (Wednesday) for UK/Cont-Med discharge range. Long-haul voyages were also booked from Med/Black Sea, which will reduce the ample tonnage availability. MEG cargoes were being fixed steadily, but rates could easily move up, if the level of activity in the Atlantic basin continues, Fearnleys said. The North Sea and Baltic Aframax markets were fairly quiet in the past week. On the plus side, increased activity on fuel oil shipments were seen. However, this looked more like opportunity barrels rather than real business and fuel activity will not be enough to pick up the current slack. In addition, Primorsk will be closed from the 5th- 9th of September due to maintenance. Recent cargo activity in the Med and Black Sea have been exceptionally high, compared to what was experienced in the past few weeks. However, rates are still hovering around WS65-67.50. Owners appear to agree to keep the quoted cargoes private as competition is fierce due to charterers having a large list of ships to choose from. Consequently, charterers can pick ships under the radar and seemingly manage to keep the rates at current levels. Elsewhere, a report from Maritime Strategies International (MSI) suggests that current conditions in the VLCC market are not entirely attributed to seasonality, instead dynamics reflect lower rates of crude import growth across the year, combined with reduced waiting times and much higher deliveries. The impact of much higher fleet growth this year is being amplified by the slowing demand environment. Importantly, the market has also returned to normal with respect to congestion with little support from port delays, compared to earlier in the year. MSI said that it expected the supply-side to be the dominant theme for the large crude sector well into 2017 and its forecast view for earnings remained under pressure. We are seeing a step change in delivery volumes this year, concentrated in the larger crude and products segments. Notably we have yet to see any increase in scrapping activity to counteract this, but we do expect this to pick up in 2H16 and 2017, MSI senior analyst, Tim Smith, said, adding; the market is now operating under normal conditions with regard to congestion and bottlenecks, which were prevalent and constructive feature for freight rates earlier in 2016. Spot forecast for the Suezmax segment pales in comparison to the previous two years winter markets. MSI said. While some uplift is expected, gains will be muted. Lower levels of supply-side pressure on the uncoated Aframax segment could alleviate weaker demand conditions, but MSI expected this segments freight market to continue to broadly track its larger peers, the report concluded As for newbuildings, Japan Marine United (JMU) has won three VLCC orders, according to brokers reports. Yokohama-based JX Ocean has ordered two VLCCs and Kyoei Tanker has contracted one. All are due for delivery in 2018. No price details were disclosed as they were probably concluded in Yen. Elsewhere, two MRs, named Dank Silver and Madha Silver, have joined Oman Shipping Companys fleet (OSC). The two tankers were built at Hyundai, Ulsan and are the seventh and eighth MRs in the Silver Project series, which is an agreement between OSC and Shell to build 10 MRs. The two tankers will come under the technical management of Oman Ship Management Company, one of OSCs subsidiaries, which manages more than 75% of the current fleet. Tsakos Energy Navigation (TEN) has announced the delivery of the 74,200 dwt LR1 Sunray ,which will immediately enter a minimum 54 and maximum 78 month profit sharing contract to a significant oil major that could generate minimum gross revenues of about $40.5 mill. Sunray is the fourth of a 15-vessel fully financed fleet growth plan to be delivered since June, 2016. With 13 of the 15-vessel programme having been built against long term accretive contracts, the minimum gross revenues expected by just these vessels could exceed $1.3 bill, if certain inbuilt options get exercised, TEN said. Brokers also reported that an unnamed 2016-built TEN Aframax had been fixed to ExxonMobil for 12 months at $17,500 per day. In addition, Refidomosa was thought to have taken the 2008-built Koro Sea for three months at $22,000 per day, while ST Shipping was said to have fixed the VLCC Nave Electron for a trip from the US Gulf to Singapore for $2.75 mill on a lumpsum basis. In the S&P segment, Indonesian interests were believed to be behind the purchase of the 2003-built Aframax CSK Valiant for $18 mill, while UAE-based Onex was reported as the buyer of the 1999-built Aframax Great White for $13 mill. Brokers also circulated the two 1998-built Aframaxes Moscow and Moscow Kremlin for sale. The price ideas were in the region of $14.2 mill each. The 2002-built MR Maple Express was thought committed to Chinese-based Hai Linh at $12 mill. Reported leaving the fleet was the 1991-built MR Akamas thought sold to Pakistan recyclers on a P&C basis.




Odfjell on steady track

Odfjell said that it was still going steady in challenging markets when releasing its half year and second quarter results this week.

The Bergen-based company reported an EBITDA of $61 mill and a net result of $16 mill in second quarter of 2016, compared to an EBITDA of $69 mill and a net result of $24 mill in the previous quarter. First half 2016 EBITDA was $129 mill, compared to 1H15 EBITDA of $88 mill. The balance sheet also continued to strengthen, the company claimed. "Our markets are currently challenging, but we are pleased to see that the increased competitiveness of Odfjell means that we continue to generate positive results," said Kristian Mrch, Odfjell CEO. The chemical tanker spot market was softer in 2Q16, however, utilisation remained high due to stable contract nominations and agility in the spot market. EBITDA for the chemical tanker segment was $48 mill in 2Q16, compared to $56 mill in 1Q16. Morch confirmed that Odfjell had signed a Letter of Intent with a state-owned Chinese shipyard to build four firm stainless steel super segregators. A firm contract was expected to be signed in 2H16 and the capital commitments will be around $240 mill. Odfjell's shareholding in the tank terminal sector delivered stable results. EBITDA was $12.1 mill in 2Q16, basically flat from $11.9 mill recorded in the 1Q16. The occupancy rate of commercially available capacity was 97%, compared to 98% in the previous quarter. The two first vessels in Odfjell Gas' newbuilding programme have been cancelled and all paid instalments have been returned by the guarantor. Norne Research said in a note that the analysts had expected a decline in revenues quarter on quarter, but it came even lower than projected ($205 mill vs $210 mill). This was due to the softer chemical tanker market, while terminals generated stable revenues. However, a solid net profit marked the best six months since 2008. Odfjell said there will be a slight reduction in revenues from chemical tankers in 3Q16, mainly due to generally softer market. Furthermore, it was noted that the supply of ships is increasing, thus, the markets are under pressure. Terminals are forecast to remain stable for the remainder of 2016. A terminal in China is still waiting for a permit to operate and will start working as soon as it will be received, Norne advised. While Odfjell will likely cancel its remaining LPG carrier orders, it was announced that a letter of intent was signed for construction of a series of four firm stainless steel parcel tankers to strengthen chemical tanker fleet. After a solid report and in-line figures, Norne said that it expected the company to continue strong throughout the year and will likely keep its Buy recommendation with minor changes to the model.




September to see record US crude exports

US crude exports are forecast to grow to a record in September, as oil traders take advantage of a widening price differential between the Brent and West Texas Intermediate (WTI) benchmarks and cheap transportation costs.

According to a report from Bloomberg, for example, Trafigura planned to move 5-7 mill barrels of crude from the US to Europe this month and next, with the bulk of the cargoes loading in September, Ben Luckock, the companys global head of crude oil trading, said in an e-mail to the news agency. Most of the crude will be Eagle Ford or Midland from Texas or US sweet blends, he said. Trafigura has chartered three vessels to ship about 2 mill barrels of crude to Europe from Texas and Louisiana, according shipping sources. Two are Aframaxes, while third is a Suezmax. We believe September will be a new record month for US crude oil exports, Luckock said in the e-mail to Bloomberg. Trafigura is moving in excess of 10 Aframax-size parcels of US domestic crude oil to Europe loading across August and September, with the majority in September. The 2008-built Aframax Ace is expected to arrive at Rotterdam on 6th September after loading from Buckeye Partners terminal in Corpus Christi, Texas, according to ship tracking data compiled by Bloomberg. The 2006-built Suezmax Minerva Symphony is estimated to arrive at Milford Haven in the UKon about 7th September. She loaded at the Enterprise Oiltanking terminal in Houston. A third vessel, the 2005-built Aframax Adygeya, is heading for the oil terminal in St. James, Louisiana, based on Bloomberg data. Its destination is unknown. Shipping US crude to Rotterdam would cost about 80 cents a barrel on board a Suezmax, said Stefanos Kazantis, senior shipping and finance adviser at shipbrokers McQuilling Partners in New York, speaking with Bloomberg. Given the overall weakness in the crude tanker markets over the last month, we estimate that the same cargo would have cost charterers anywhere from 20-30% more in July. US crude exports climbed to a record 20.5 mill barrels in May, the latest month for which the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) has released figures. WTIs discount to Brent widened 11 cents last Tuesday to $1.86 per barrel. It reached $2.33 on 17th August, the steepest discount since December last year, Bloomberg said. This arbitrage has been facilitated by our significant logistics infrastructure and large customer base combined with low freight rates and weak WTI/Brent, Trafiguras Luckock confirmed.




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A double fatal stabbing was Aug. 15 in the 19000 block of Southeast Kokomo Lane in south Martin County. (FILE PHOTO)

By Laurie K. Blandford of TCPalm

MARTIN COUNTY  Austin Harrouff is slowly regaining consciousness but remains hospitalized and unable to talk to detectives, said sheriff's officials.

"He does appear to be alert," said Sheriff William Snyder on Friday afternoon. "He's responding by facial expression and head nods to his mother. He is not fully conscious yet though, but he is aware of his surroundings."

The 19-year-old Florida State University student hasn't been able to provide a statement about what happened the night of Aug. 15 when he's accused of killing John Stevens III, 59, and Michelle Mishcon, 53, in the garage of the couple's home on Southeast Kokomo Lane near Jupiter and Tequesta.

"He still has a breathing tube inserted down his throat, so he's not able to communicate other than head nods to his mother," Snyder said. "I think he smiled at his mother."

Harrouff has been at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach since the attack and remained stable Friday but in critical condition, Snyder said.

"They're weening him off his pain medication and sedation," Snyder said, "so slowly, but surely, he's coming back online and will probably be fully conscious some time this weekend."

Detectives don't know when Harrouff will be medically cleared to leave the hospital, Snyder said, but they plan to arrest him then on first-degree murder and other charges.

Doctors have sent the contents of Harrouff's stomach to a laboratory for analysis to determine what caustic chemical from the couple's garage he ingested that's been keeping him in the hospital.

Sheriff's officials got Harrouff's medical records Friday and forwarded them to the FBI laboratory in Quantico, Virginia. Snyder said the FBI was waiting for the records before they began testing Harrouff's blood to see if the chemicals found in flakka and bath salts were in his system at the time of the attack.

This could help answer the question about Harrouff's motivation in what appeared to be a random and unprovoked attack, Snyder said.

Meanwhile, a sheriff's deputy has been watching Harrouff around the clock in the hospital.

When Harrouff wakes up completely, Snyder said, he has the option to ask for his attorney or give his side of the story to detectives.

"He will be given an opportunity like anybody to explain his actions and to give us an insight into what he did," Snyder said. "That's going to be up to him."
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Jasmine McArthur, 22, 200 block of Southwest Langfield Avenue, Port St. Lucie; possession of a prescription pill (alprazolam) without a prescription.

Alexandria Bryan, 29, 5100 block of Southeast Primrose Way, Stuart; sale of marijuana.

Trevor Bryan, 40, 5100 block of Southeast Primrose Way, Stuart; possession of marijuana with intent to sell; sale of marijuana; possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.

Artavious Horton, 36, 1900 block of Southeast Hillmoor Drive, Port St. Lucie; warrant for violation of probation, possession of alcohol or drugs.
Water from Lake Okeechobee passes through the St. Lucie Lock and Dam near Stuart on Thursday, a low-volume day in the Army Corps of Engineers' current pulse release schedule. (ARMY CORP OF ENGINEERS WEBCAM)

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By Tyler Treadway of TCPalm

The Army Corps of Engineers plans to keep Lake Okeechobee discharges to the St. Lucie River at the current rate  an average of 420 million gallons a day  for the next week, but also plans to keep the option of an increase open.

Tropical activity in the Caribbean could lead to heavy rain in South Florida over the coming days, said Candida Bronson, the corps' acting operations chief for Florida. "With that in mind, we will continue releases at current rates with the understanding we may need to adjust flows depending on what happens with the weather over the next few days."

The corps announced the decision Thursday as a tropical wave off the Dominican Republic moved toward southeast Florida, expected to bring rain and gusty winds to the Treasure Coast starting Sunday.

The corps also will continue releasing water from the lake in "pulses" designed to mimic the natural flow of water through the river after heavy rains: Increasing discharges Saturday and Sunday, decreasing flows Monday and Tuesday and sending no lake water though the St. Lucie Lock and Dam on Wednesday and Thursday.

Lake O's elevation Thursday morning was 14 feet 8 1/8 inches, not quite an inch lower than a week before.

Under current conditions, the corps is authorized to discharge up to 750 million gallons of water a day to the St. Lucie. In June, the corps was sending more than 1 billion gallons of water a day to the river.

Since discharges began Jan. 30, more than 175 billion gallons of lake water have been dumped in the St. Lucie, causing widespread toxic algae blooms in June and July. Green slicks of algae can still be seen scattered through the river and throughout the C-44 Canal connecting Lake O and the river.
After 26 years, Connie Mainwaring, owner of Caramba! in downtown Stuart, will close her clothing and jewelry boutique on Tuesday. New management at the Post Office Arcade building, where Mainwaring has her store, wanted to increase her rent. Mainwaring did not want to pay the increase or move her store. She is one of three businesses that have moved out of the building. (MOLLY BARTELS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

SHARE Harbor Wear clothing store recently moved out of the Post Office Arcade building in downtown Stuart after owner, Judie Phipps, could not agree with the new management company, Master Mind Properties, on the rental terms. (MOLLY BARTELS/TREASURE COAST NEWSPAPERS)

By Lidia Dinkova of TCPalm

STUART  A downtown business has closed, another is to close by the end of the month and a third has relocated after a New York real estate company took over the Post Office Arcade building, where they operated.

Cooks Kitchen, a vintage kitchen items and gourmet oils and vinegar shop, has closed; clothing store Harbor Wear relocated; and Caramba! clothing and jewelry shop will close Tuesday. All, at least in part, blame the new landlord.

The landlord, Master Mind Properties, in April signed a long-term lease with the owner, said Bobby Zadeh, company president. Tenants now lease from Master Mind.

Palm Beach-based Stuart Arcade Associates LLC owns the Post Office Arcade, according to the Martin County Property Appraiser's Office.

Built in 1925 in the Masonry Vernacular architectural style, the light beige Post Office Arcade stretches along the northeast side of Osceola Street and is home to six storefronts, each with its own blue awning. The city considers it historic, but it's not officially designated since Stuart has no official historic-designation law.

The reason the tenants moved out  and the exact issues that arose between them and the landlord  aren't totally clear.

Bianca Davis, who co-owns Cooks Kitchen with her mother, Roxana Walker, claims the landlord wanted to increase their monthly rent for the 1,000-square-foot space from $1,500 to $3,200.

That's not true, said Zadeh.

Cooks Kitchen had a verbal, but no written, lease and was paying rent month-to-month, Davis said.

Zadeh, however, said in a phone interview Cooks Kitchen had a lease with the option to renew.

Lease terms never were discussed, Master Mind said in an email.

Davis, for her part, said she wouldn't have been able to afford a rent increase.

"It's summertime. It's our hardest time of the year already and we couldn't possibly make the rent (hike). We were barely doing it as it was," she said.

Caramba! owner Connie Mainwaring said she's not leaving entirely because of Master Mind Properties but also because of her health.

Mainwaring, who has been selling clothing at that location for 26 years, paid $2,100 a month but also had no lease, she said.

Master Mind offered to relocate her to the former Cooks Kitchen spot and up her rent, she said.

"I don't have the window exposure there, which is critical to what I do," she said.

Moving Caramba! next door would have meant about a $300 increase, but her rent hadn't been increased to current market rates, Zadeh said.

Harbor Wear, another clothing shop, has relocated to 307 Colorado Ave. Owner Judie Phipps said she and Master Mind Properties couldn't agree on rent and other lease terms.

Zadeh said he sees growth potential in downtown Stuart and that Master Mind is doing extensive renovations to the Post Office Arcade. Several tenants have expressed interest in moving into the empty storefronts but he declined to name them. Restaurant Caffe Martier will open in vacant space that housed B. Merry Gastro Pub.

Improvements include installation of terra-cotta tiles and a new facade, according to Master Mind.

"What has unfortunately existed as a dark, vacant space for too long now is being renovated into an elegant full-service restaurant that is expected to be a crowd pleaser," Master Mind said in an email, referring to the space that housed the former restaurant.

WHO'S LEFT AT POST OFFICE ARCADE?

Cooks Kitchen: The vintage kitchen items and gourmet oils and vinegar shop closed. It now sells items online at cookskitchentc.com and at the Sunday farmers market near Stuart City Hall.

Harbor Wear: The store has relocated to 307 Colorado Ave.

Caramba!: The store will close Tuesday.

WHO'S COMING?

Caffe Martier: The restaurant is to open in October.

Unknown tenants: The landlord declined to identify several other businesses that are interested.
The Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies

By Nicole Rodriguez of TCPalm

This story has been changed from the original.

PORT ST. LUCIE  The state likely will stop subsidizing the struggling Torrey Pines Institute for Molecular Studies for not living up to its end of a job-creation deal.

An independent auditor is reviewing the Tradition biotech's latest performance report after it missed a June 30 deadline to create 189 jobs. If it's confirmed the nonprofit drug-and-Alzheimer's research institute failed to meet job requirements of an incentive agreement, signed a decade ago with the Florida Department of Economic Opportunity, the state can cut off its money stream to Torrey Pines, according to the Department of Economic Opportunity.

That means withholding an estimated $3.5 million of the $32 million promised to the biotech. The state will not exercise its option to renegotiate a more lenient contract, Department of Economic Opportunity press secretary Morgan L. McCord said in an email to Treasure Coast Newspapers.

"The company's most recent performance claim is currently being reviewed, and once it is confirmed, (DEO) will follow the language in the agreement with Torrey Pines," McCord said. McCord did not provide a completion date for the audit.

Torrey Pines in October told the state it had 85 employees with an average salary of $61,140. That's more than 50 percent short of the required 189 jobs, at an average salary of $62,321.

Department officials earlier this year said they were aware Torrey Pines likely would fall very short of the requirement.

Why couldn't Torrey Pines fulfill its end of the pact?

Port St. Lucie city officials are keeping mum on specific financial details of the city's last remaining biotech, and executives for Torrey Pines are even less forthcoming.

Richard Houghten  Torrey Pines' founder, president and CEO  and other representatives did not return calls and emails seeking comment.

The biotech publicly approached the City Council in November 2014 for financial help, but rescinded its plea and never publicly addressed the issue again. If a deal with the city wasn't cut soon, Torrey Pines officials said at the time, it would be forced to leave the area.

Mayor Greg Oravec has declined to share what he's heard from Torrey Pines about its specific financial condition and whether it has been able to obtain private financing to stay afloat.

"Their financial status seems to be stable and improving because they have made prudent and sometimes difficult business decisions," Oravec said in an email in May. Still, he added, "I cannot speak for (Torrey Pines)."

Likewise, other city officials declined comment.

"The city has not been authorized to make statements or representations on behalf of Torrey Pines," city spokeswoman Kristina Ciuperger said in an email.

City Manager Jeff Bremer did offer a tidbit: Assistant City Manager Daniel Holbrook recently met with Torrey Pines representatives during a regular quarterly meeting between the city and Torrey Pines.

"All I know is the last financials they had, they were in the black," Bremer said, referring additional questions to Torrey Pines.

Holbrook declined to answer questions about Torrey Pines.

More than 300 emails obtained by Treasure Coast Newspapers from the city, from Sept. 12, 2014, to March 16  among Oravec, Bremer, former City Attorney Pam Booker and Torrey Pines executives  show the group did not discuss the financial condition of the biotech. A bulk of the email exchanges were revisions to a contract in which the city would allow Torrey Pines to mortgage its laboratory. Torrey Pines abruptly called off that deal.

To lure Torrey Pines to Port St. Lucie in 2006, the city mortgaged buildings in its municipal complex. It used the $45.6 million to build and outfit the 107,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art facility in Tradition, completing it in 2009. The city is to repay the money, with interest, through 2027 from the public building impact fee, not the general fund, Oravec said.
Protesters gathered along the edge of the St. Lucie River to bring attention to the algae crisis to Sen. Marco Rubio, who visited the Treasure Coast on July 1 to examine the pollution in the St. Lucie River. (FILE PHOTO)

On several occasions, I've praised the enviro-activist group Bullsugar, which tends to be a little hard-core.

Which, I've said, is a good thing. That's not intended as a dig at the people and organizations who have spent years working for cleaner waters. But when, after all that work and all that concern, the problem gets worse, what happens? Some people may shrug their shoulders and accept their fate. Others push harder, unapologetically, ruffling a few (million?) feathers along the way.

But how far is too far?

I ask because of an incident that took place last weekend at Stuart's Dancin' in the Streets celebration. Bullsugar had a tent; Kevin Powers  vice chair of the South Florida Water Management District's Governing Board  and his wife Marsha, a Martin County School Board member, happened by.

Someone apparently asked Powers to sign the "Now or Neverglades" declaration, a petition being circulated by Bullsugar that calls for the acquisition of land south of Lake Okeechobee to store water and eliminate the need for discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries.

The South Florida Water Management District isn't even interested in discussing a land buy until 2021  after the state's final option to buy U.S. Sugar-owned land south of the lake expires. Bullsugar considers the district obstructionist  which is putting it kindly.

Bottom line, as you might guess, Powers declined to sign the declaration. What ensued, according to an email written by Marsha Powers and circulated widely (I had two separate people send it to me), was "heckling" and "bullying." Apparently, the Bullsugar folks or people goaded by Bullsugar started yelling at Powers, making a scene.

The water wars got personal.

The people who forwarded this email did so to say: Look at these Bullsugar thugs, they're a menace! But as Bullsugar member Chris Maroney told me, it's not as if the group's opponents have treated them with kid gloves, either. "If there has been any bullying going on, it has been personal attacks on us," Maroney wrote in an email. Among other things, he cited election-related mailers "filled with lies about Bullsugar and its personnel" after Bullsugar endorsed Jacqui Thurlow-Lippisch for Martin County Commissioner.

Politics ain't beanbag, as the saying goes. This sort of thing comes with the territory when you become a public figure, or try to influence public policy.

Still, I'd like to think we can avoid what might be called the politics of personal confrontation. Because I feel like the country as a whole is lingering at the edge of that path, sorely tempted. And down that path lie dark things.

In an Aug. 24 essay in The Week, Damon Linker wrote that ours is an age of pessimism. Faith in public institutions has been falling; one recent Gallup poll showed only 8 percent of respondents had faith in Congress; 32 percent had faith in the Supreme Court; a mere 23 percent trust the criminal justice system.

Think about this in terms of Florida. Do you have faith in Florida government to fix our water problems? Do you have confidence Gov. Rick Scott and "the system," including the water district can  or will  solve the algae crisis?

If not  what do you do with that?

Sure, you try to vote the politicians seen as stifling change out of office, and maybe you succeed in some cases. But the sugar industry, which funds many of those politicians, is powerful. It has lots of money. So maybe, no matter how hard you try, the status quo endures.

Isn't that where we're at now? What follows this?

Writes Linker:

"People who believe their lives are likely to get worse over time tend not to accept that fate complacently. On the contrary, pessimists often end up searching for and tempted by would-be saviors  individuals or movements who promise to break the pattern of decline. But because the status quo is implicated in the decline, the individuals or movements that inspire the greatest hope for improvement are the often ones who threaten to do the most damage to the established order of things in preparation for a miraculous leap into a new and dramatically better world. Pessimism is a potent incubator of political radicalism."

What does that radicalism look like?

Well, maybe it looks like people confronting political opponents in the street.

The politics of personal destruction are usually waged at a distance  TV ads, letters to the editor, mailers, maybe debates where you don't really expect it to escalate.

But when a political system proves itself incapable of delivering improvement, when the conditions that fueled the anger persist or even worsen  maybe it can only escalate.

I'd like to think that here, at least, we can avoid that. But for that to happen there has to be reason for optimism  rather than a sense that nothing will ever change.
I'm going to hold my nose when I vote Tuesday  one case in particular.

The good news is I'm happy with choices in almost every race. There are some outstanding people seeking office. Some of my sentiments can be found in my past columns and endorsements of our editorial board. You can get tons of other election information on our website, TCPalm.com.

The bad news is there are one or two races where I'm not thrilled with the candidates. But the issue troubling me the most is the referendum seeking approval for a special tax of 50 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value (0.5 mills) for the Indian River County School District.

I'm not against funding schools. I wish the district had more money to focus on effective student-focused initiatives.

It's not the cost, only about $90 a year, slightly less than a special school tax we're paying now.

What troubles me is how the district manages our money. You've got to go back to the late 1980s to see the full picture.

That's when voters overwhelmingly approved a $61.7 million bond referendum that built Sebastian River High School and Oslo Middle School. It also allowed the district to acquire land across from South County Park to eventually build a third high school. The plan enabled the School Board to increase a tax for capital needs to the maximum 2 mills and pay cash for future improvements.

Fast-forward to 2010. Property values declined so dramatically, the School Board made deep cuts. To avoid making more, it asked voters to approve a 0.25-mill "critical operating needs" tax to preserve reading teachers, health assistants and librarians and replenish the district's reserve fund. Voters wisely approved this overwhelmingly.

By 2012, the district paid off bonds dating to the 1980s, ending an annual 0.35-mill tax. The district, though, asked voters to renew the 2010 tax of 0.25 mills and add a 0.35-mill tax to keep the 31 reading teachers, health assistants and librarians, but also rebuild a technology system it had long neglected. That tax passed overwhelmingly.

Over these 25-plus years, though, school boards opted NOT to seek voter approval to fund several new buildings and renovations. Instead, they borrowed money through so-called certificates of participation. At the end of 2015, the district's total debt was $188 million, including almost $114 million owed for the certificates of participation.

Paying off that debt has hamstrung the School Board. First, the Legislature cut the maximum 2-mill capital tax to 1.5 mills. Second, in fiscal 2017, interest payments just for the certificates of participation will be $11.4 million. That's a staggering 57 percent of the district's total budget for the 1.5-mill capital tax. Overall, the district projects paying $22.2 million of its $285 million budget on interest, up 19.4 percent from 2016. Compare that to $4.29 million in debt service the Martin County School Board projects to pay in 2017.

In a perfect world, voters would be asked to approve debt, and it would be clearly broken out on their tax notices.

Also for 2017, the Indian River district's health and life insurance fund is expected to be underfunded by more than $6 million, about 63 percent more than in 2016. The lack of management has put employees  asked to pay more for benefits  and taxpayers in a financial pickle.

On Tuesday, the School Board asks us to renew 0.5 mills of the 0.6-mill tax initially OK'd in 2012. It will pay for the 31 positions, technological enhancements and improvements to vocational education.

It's hard to say no.

But special taxes should be used for special purposes  buildings, starting new programs, enhancing existing ones. There's no way it should continue to fund positions that belong in an annual operating budget.

Hopefully a board with two new members will start getting the district's financial house in order  and make sure those 31 positions are returned to the general fund.

I'll reluctantly vote for the reduced tax. But I'd rather focus special spending on paying the best teachers and principals more, and enhancing or expanding programs that directly help children. Spending $22.2 million annually on debt seems like a waste.
This column could save your life.

Road rage incidents occur routinely in the Sunshine State  and most of us have given little thought to the actions and circumstances that might precipitate a violent encounter.

Or how to respond when confronted by an irate motorist.

There is almost always a precipitating event, real or perceived, that causes another driver to take aggressive, and sometimes violent, action against a fellow motorist.

Consider this road-rage incident that occurred the night of Aug. 15 in Port St. Lucie.

Port St. Lucie resident Jason Abinader, 31, was driving his vehicle in the 800 block of Bayshore Boulevard in Port St. Lucie when another motorist pulled out of a plaza and struck the side of his vehicle, according to Master Sgt. Frank Sabol, spokesman for the Port St. Lucie Police Department.

Abinader gave chase when the other driver fled the scene. He "pulled out his gun and pointed it at the victims to get them to stop," Sabol said. "Abinader then fired a shot in the air and one at the front tire of the victim's car."

Shortly thereafter, Abinader "fired more shots at the victim's car, flattening the right-front tire," Sabol said.

He was charged with a half-dozens infractions, including two counts of aggravated assault.

In this incident, the precipitating event was Abinader's vehicle being struck by another motorist who left the scene. In other cases, it takes a lot less to send a fellow driver into a fit of rage.

Earlier this month, a motorist in Gainesville honked at the driver of a pickup truck after the latter cut him off, according to police.

An encounter ensued. The driver of the pickup and two of his passengers were arrested and charged with various infractions, including aggravated assault and robbery.

Today, simply honking your horn might send someone over the edge.

Think you're immune to aggressive behavior that could escalate into road rage? You'd be in the minority, according to a recent study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. The study found almost 80 percent of drivers expressed significant anger, aggression or road rage behind the wheel at least once in the past year.

The list of behaviors include:

Tailgating

Yelling at another driver

Honking to show annoyance or anger

Making angry gestures at another driver

Purposely blocking another vehicle from changing lanes

Given the state of mind of some drivers, you are rolling the dice if you respond aggressively to the motorist who just cut you off, failed to signal or flipped you the bird. You never know what's lurking inside the mind of the driver behind or in front of you.

How can you avoid becoming the victim of an aggressive driver? AAA offers three suggestions:

1. Don't offend.

Avoid behaviors that consistently upset other motorists, such as tailgating, driving slowly in the left lane, cutting off other drivers and making gestures.

2. Don't engage.

Give angry drivers lots of room. Don't make eye contact. Call 911 if necessary.

3. Adjust your attitude.

Forget winning  driving is not a contest. Keep your composure and don't take other drivers' actions personally.

We all need to take a deep breath behind the wheel.
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Apple on Thursday issued a patch that addresses three recently discovered critical iOS zero-day vulnerabilities, and advised users to update their systems immediately.

State-sponsored actors exploited the flaws to target United Arab Emirates human rights defender Ahmed Mansoor, and a Mexican journalist who reported on government corruption.

Researchers at the University of Torontos Citizen Lab and security firmLookout discovered the vulnerabilities, which they dubbed Trident, after investigating suspicious text messages sent to Mansoor.

The messages included links to an exploit infrastructure connected with NSO Group, an Israel-based cyberwar company that sells the spyware product Pegasus exclusively to governments, according to Citizen Lab.

The NSO Group, which developed Pegasus, is owned by private investment firm Francisco Partners, Citizen Lab said. It reportedly has offered to sell the NSO Group, which it has valued at US$1 billion. The firm previously invested in Blue Coat Systems, which sold products to repressive regimes to aid their mass surveillance and Internet censorship efforts.

Apples response cements in my mind that it takes security seriously, said Bobby Kuzma, systems engineer at Core Security.

These are very complex exploits  and Apple has a patch out fixing them 10 days after it was notified, he told TechNewsWorld. Thats nothing short of miraculous.

Grade A Scary

The Trident vulnerabilities consist of the following:

CVE-2016-4657  an exploit targeting a previously undocumented corruption vulnerability in WebKit that allows execution of the initial shellcode;

CVE-2016-4655  a Kernel Address Space Layout Randomization bypass exploit to find the kernels base address; and

CVE-2016-4656  32- and 64-bit iOS kernel exploits targeting a memory corruption vulnerability that allows execution of code in the kernel. They are used to jailbreak an iPhone and allow software installation.

The jailbreak is the key here, Core Securitys Kuzma noted. Once youve broken out of the tightly compartmented application space in iOS, you can effectively and easily bypass all the security controls built into the device and the operating system. This is grade A scary stuff.

Pegasus on the Loose

The spyware Trident implanted appears to be NSOs Pegasus product, a highly advanced tool that makes use of zero-day flaws, obfuscation, encryption and kernel-level exploitation, Lookout noted.

Pegasus can use an iPhones camera and microphone to eavesdrop on activity. It can record the users calls over WhatsApp and Viber, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and track the users movements.

It includes a renamed copy of Cydia Substrate, a third-party app developer framework that facilitates recording of messages and phone calls from targeted apps, Citizen Lab said.

Pegasus clearly shows the dangers of mobile devices [that] can be transformed into ideal tracking devices, said Yair Amit, CTO of Skycure.

While Pegasus is a sophisticated tool thats likely to be used against specific victims, there are tools that allow attackers with minimal technical background to easily penetrate iOS and Android, he told TechNewsWorld.

News of the zero-day exploits led Rep. Ted Lieu, D-Calif., who has a degree in computer science, to call for a congressional hearing on the issue of mobile security.
Delta Air Lines reportedly canceled 300 flights Tuesday morning, a day after a mammoth outage that forced it to temporarily ground thousands of flights worldwide and ultimately cancel more than 400 of them.

Although an update posted at 10:00 p.m. ET Monday night warned that there would be more than 100 flight cancellations and roughly 200 delays Tuesday morning, the actual numbers appeared considerably worse.

The disruption began with a power outage that took place around 2:30 a.m. on Monday at the airlines Atlanta headquarters, according to Delta and Georgia Power.

Delta CEO Ed Bastian apologized to customers later Monday in a video message taped live from the airlines operations and customer center, saying the carrier was engaged in an all hands on deck effort to restore service.

Mea Culpa

I apologize for the challenges this has created for you with your travel experience, Bastian said in his video message.The Delta team is working very, very hard to restore and get these systems back as quickly as possible.

The company instituted system-wide waivers, he added, which would allow customers to rebook their flights or get refunds without penalty. Those waivers were available through Delta.com and the companys reservations agents.

The airline was investigating the cause of the outage, Delta spokesperson Traci Messier told TechNewsWorld on Monday, noting that it had not yet discovered the exact cause.

A hack may have been responsible, early media reports suggested, but that hypothesis remains unconfirmed.

Georgia Power responded to the outage, which appeared to be related to Delta equipment that interconnects with Georgia Power, which serves more than 2.4 million customers in the state, according to spokesperson John Kraft.

The utilitys other customers were not impacted by any power problems, he said, adding that Delta has been a great customer of Georgia Power for a long time.

Delta issued a number of updates on Twitter and its corporate website, noting that there were lag times on the flight arrival and departure screens at the airport and on its reservations site and mobile app.

Mondays failure was one of a very few major outages at Delta in many years, according to Henry Harteveldt, a travel industry analyst at Atmosphere Research Group.

Delta generally has a strong record with handling technology issues, he noted.

Clearly something extraordinary happened today, Harteveldt told TechNewsWorld on Monday. What Im curious about is why the backup systems didnt kick in to make sure the flights werent canceled.

Delta responded admirably to the outage, which appeared to be limited to departure control systems, he said. The airline was able to get flights from Europe and Asia back on track and also was able to maintain its mobile app and website functionality.

Southwests Meltdown

The Delta outage followed by about three weeks an hour-long outage at Southwest Airlines, which was due to the failure of a notebook-sized router that didnt know it had failed, said Melanie Jones, a spokesperson for Southwest.

So it broke, but did not trip a backup, she told TechNewsWorld. It kept bringing traffic into itself for processing.

That outage, which caused the cancellation of 2,300 flights, required Southwest to reboot all of its systems, which took hours to complete.

Southwest Airlines responded to its outage like the Keystone Cops, according to Atmosphere Research Groups Harteveldt, who said it was embarrassing to watch.

Southwest had failed to make necessary upgrades in technology, he maintained.

Two major unions at Southwest called for the ouster of CEO Gary Kelly after that outage. However, the company pushed back, criticizing the statement as a negotiating tactic.

Southwest has taken action to shore up its technological defenses, according to spokesperson Jones.

First, we have developed a backup procedure for this router brown out condition, should it ever recur. The router in question is an older model, and we will soon have upgraded all routers that will be more reliable and not subject to a brown out, she explained.

Beyond addressing the immediate problem, Southwest will continue on our journey of updating, enhancing, replacing and modernizing our software, systems and technologies, said Jones.

We are also replacing, upgrading and modernizing our entire primary data center, currently housed in Dallas across the street from TOPS, she added.

Thats the place where we store and run our vast array of computers that provide the systems we use to support our customers every day, Jones said. We have a complete remote data center as a backup to our primary data center, and we run redundant systems and networks even in our primary data center.

Delta has made healthy investments in its technology over the years, Harteveldt said.

The airline two years ago signed an agreement with Travelport to reacquire its data and intellectual property rights, which are critical for passenger service and flight operations.

The agreement made Delta the only major carrier to have direct control over those systems, the company said.

Under that agreement, Travelport continued to host the Delta platform of its Atlanta data center.

Delta previously was the owner of the Worldspan global distribution center, which Travelport acquired in 2007. GDS systems historically have been used by travel agencies to book reservations for airline flights, hotels, car rentals and cruises.
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The Internet of Medical Things, Part 1: A New Concept in Healthcare

The Internet of Medical Things, Part 2: Devices and Apps

Though quick to capitalize on connected health devices and the coming Internet of Medical Things, hardware manufacturers may be moving too slowly when it comes to building the necessary protections into the back end.

The National Security Agency last month told participants in a defense technology summit in Washington that it was looking into hacking connected medical devices.

The agencys interest is confined to researching the possibility of hacking IoMT devices, for now, and the fruit of its labor may be just another tool in the toolbox, according to NSA Deputy Director Richard Ledgett.

However, if the NSA is looking into hacking such devices, consumers can be sure that the black hats are on it too.

Where Theres a Web, Theres a Way

The cost of connected health programs will challenge the cultivation of the IoMT, as well the user experience and user interfaces, observed Scott Sellers, CEO of Azul Systems. Underneath it all lies a threat to the security of consumers most intimate data.

IoMT challenges include slow or uneven regulatory responses to changes in approach, mostly focusing around data security and, in some markets, reliability of communications, Sellers told TechNewsWorld, especially when traveling, or if patients are in rural areas with less robust network infrastructures.

In theory, any Internet-connected device can be hacked, said Brian Wassom, leader of Honigmans social, mobile and emerging media industry group.

Cybersecurity attacks thus far have focused on large networks  systems that have plenty of access points, are rich with high-value data, and are built on computer languages common enough to invite exploitation, he pointed out.

None of these conditions were met when connected medical devices were in the experimental stage, Wassom told TechNewsWorld.

Carriage and Horse

The Federal Trade Commission last year kicked off the conversation about getting out in front of possible security and privacy issues sure to proliferate as the number of IoT and connected medical devices pile up in coming years.

The Food and Drug Association for the past three years has been issuing guidance on improving the safety and security standards of connected medical devices, noted Stu Bradley, vice president of cybersecurity at SAS.

The proliferation of IoMT technology, and the healthcare industrys enthusiasm to adopt it, has put the veritable cart before the horse in terms of security, he told TechNewsWorld.

Manufacturers will need to embed more robust security solution into IoMT devices, meaning they must proactively address security concerns instead of retroactively responding, Bradley said.

This poses a real challenge for manufacturers whose core competency has historically been device, not software, development, he added.

Manufacturers of connected devices generally have focused on building systems to deliver the needed functionality of a device as cheaply and precisely as possible, noted Matt Gross, director of the SAS health care and life sciences global practice.

Manufacturers, in turn, use the cheapest underlying platforms  usually open source  to keep costs down and accelerate time to market, he told TechNewsWorld. That leaves these devices quite vulnerable to compromise.

Day Zero

Roughly 70 percent of IoT devices were vulnerable to cyberattacks as of two years ago, Honigmans Wassom noted, citing an HP study.

Weaknesses in admin tools, paltry means for updating firmware, and a lack of transport encryption were among the 250 vulnerabilities researchers found.

Bad habits die hard  and the practice of using basic passcodes carried over to IoT devices, the study revealed. About 80 percent of passwords securing IoT devices were 1234 and the like.

Medical devices are not immune to this minimalistic approach to data security, Wassom said.

Two researchers detailed how they remotely accessed a hospitals neonatal monitors in a presentation Wassom attended at last years DEFCON.

In many cases, hospital employees may not even realize that certain devices even have Internet connectivity, much less how to secure them, he said.

Another hacker found an easy way to take charge of an infusion pump, a device that delivers fluids to patients and is common in hospital rooms.

In theory, he could have emptied an entire vial of medication into a patient, said Wassom, and a hospital staff person monitoring the device from a central location would never have known.

While hackers could leverage exploits to modify systems and cause physical harm to other humans, its more likely theyll be motivated to use stolen data for financial gain, said SAS Gross.

They likely will use ill-gotten information to gain access to other systems, or encrypt it for use in ransomware attacks, he suggested. Until the first major breach occurs, however, focus will stay on more immediate threats.
James Dyson has plenty of reasons to sit around and bask in what he's accomplished. Having invented the first bagless vacuum and bringing it to market in the early 1980s, the 69-year-old British inventor has since turned out dozens of successful products across multiple markets.

Last year, for example, his 58 products generated around $2.4 billion in sales with an estimated $340 million in profit - and that's after Dyson reinvested 46 percent of the company's EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization) back into research and development. As a sound businessman, he also owns 100 percent of his company that's worth roughly $4.8 billion.

To say that money isn't a concern would be the understatement of the century but like many inventors and entrepreneurs, there's a drive within that simply won't let him rest on his laurels. As Forbes notes, he is looking to invest hundreds of millions of dollars in an effort to develop at least 100 new products by 2020.

The most interesting of them all, however, has to do with batteries.

Dyson believes our current rechargeable lithium-ion batteries don't hold a charge long enough and aren't all that safe. To help solve these issues, he purchased battery startup Sakti3 last October and is experimenting with solid state lithium-ion batteries that'll use ceramics. To realize his goal, Dyson is planning to invest $1.4 billion over the next five years which, as the publication notes, is a huge gamble for a company of that size.

Image courtesy Nadav Kander, Forbes
Like many people, I've unwittingly appeared in several online photos that have made me briefly question whether or not the internet is actually a good thing. Such embarrassing, often drunken moments captured for all to see can make you want to destroy the entire web, and that's exactly what one Chinese man tried to do.

According to reports from multiple Chinese websites and noted by The Nanfang (via Kotaku), a man from Weifang, a city in China's central Shandong province, was so worried about 'humiliating' photos of himself appearing online that he decided to dismantle the local optical networks in his neighborhood.

The man, who is only known as Liu, had arrived in Weifang looking for work. Last Summer, he participated in a neighborhood square dance, an activity that's often enjoyed by older women. As he was dancing away, Liu noticed people in the crowd were laughing at him and taking photos.

After the dance, Liu lived with the worry that the pictures would end up online. So he decided that the best way to prevent people seeing his dancing was to destroy four nearby optical cable network receivers. The Nanfang points out that Liu had only an elementary school education.

Police arrested Liu on August 19 for causing over 100,000 yuan ($15,000) in damages.

The Nanfang reports that it hasn't been able to locate any photos of Liu's dancing, but there are plenty of other images and videos of other men enjoying the activities from that night, none of whom have taken it upon themselves to destroy the local physical internet infrastructure.

image credit: Weifang
In line with the fast approaching holidays, Best Buy reveals that half its stores will host VR headset demonstrations so consumers can experience virtual reality immersion.

Best Buy's VR headset demonstration started in May using Facebook's Oculus Rift, which was released before March ended. Hubert Joly, CEO of Best Buy, has revealed that the company plans to extend the demos to 500 of its stores during the holiday shopping season. Aside from the Oculus Rift, Best Buy will also run 200 demonstrations for Sony's PlayStation VR, which is scheduled for an October release. The demos will rotate between multiple locations.

"It's going to be really cool and fun for our customers," says Joly in an interview. "Virtual reality has the potential to contribute to our growth."

Best Buy saw a 1.2 percent decline in domestic sales during the 2015 holiday shopping season because of consumers' waning interest toward mobile devices and the peripherals that come with them. Analysts have commented that the virtual reality movement is a big opportunity for Best Buy to turn things around and see an increase in sales. The electronics chain, with its physical locations and the VR demos it is doing, is seen as a unique advantage over e-commerce distributors such as Amazon.

"We're hopeful that virtual reality turns into a new traffic driver for Best Buy," Keybanc Capital Markets retail analyst Brad Thomas tells Bloomberg.

Although Best Buy wagers to catch the public's eye with VR products and attract them to its stores, Joly remains realistic and comments that a significant impact on sales should not be expected since virtual reality is still in its early stages. The substantial cost for each VR headset is also seen as a major deterrent.

Note that the Oculus Rift comes with a $599.99 price tag, while the PlayStation VR is purported to cost $399. Factoring in the computer hardware needed for a proper virtual reality experience, shoppers would need to spend almost two thousand dollars.

Thomas comments that while VR headsets attract gamers, it's hard to gauge how many others will also grab it. Thomas also thinks that if only the hardcore gamers pick up the headsets, it could alienate other consumers, which will lead to a slowed down mainstream acceptance.

"It's so early that no outcome would surprise me," Thomas concludes.

Forrester estimates that by 2020, consumers and enterprises will put to use 52 million units of VR headsets. Super Data research expects the VR hardware market to be worth $15 billion by the same year. Deloitte Global predicts about $700 million in VR hardware sales for 2016. The figure involves the estimated sales for 2.5 million headsets and 10 million game copies.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
AMD recently rolled out more details about its upcoming Zen x86 core processor technology during this week's Hot Chips 28 convention.

The company partially unveiled its plans earlier this year, simultaneously with Intel's San Francisco developer forum. However, the recent reports aim to shower AMD fans with all the technical details about Zen, which shapes up as a strong rival to Intel's Kaby Lake desktop processors.

In resonance with previous reports, Zen cores will sport 40 percent extra instructions per clock compared with anterior Excavator chips.

Each core will rely on two threads (lanes), and will tap into 8 MB of shared L3 cache, a consistent quantity of "private" L2 cache, as well as a micro-op cache. Other noteworthy mentions are the two AES encryption units that will boost security and transistors crafted using the novel, energy-saving FinFET tech.

AMD calls Zen a "clean sheet" design, which means that almost all the thinking and the manufacturing methods deployed by the company are new. One aspect that AMD aims to accomplish in the Zen family is to boost performance per clock, while cutting the energy required for each cycle.

AMD has some experience in balancing wide performance with smart energy necessity, as seen in the Excavator cores. However, Zen appears to take a leaf from Excavator and write a whole new book.

During the Hot Chips 28 convention, AMD showcased a long list of power and performance records that come with Zen. Among them are a faster L2 and L3 cache, a 500 percent increase in L3 bandwidth, larger instruction schedulers and a significant Op Cache.

According to AMD, Zen was crafted with "low power design methodologies," meaning the chipset can rank to top levels of performance as it maintains low power consumption.

AMD spilled the beans in terms of specific power needed to run its upcoming chipsets. The OEM notes that its high-end desktop parts will sport a thermal design power ranging from 95 to 100 watts. That puts AMD toe to toe with Intel, which stayed in the 90 watts area with its latest generations of chips. Additionally, AMD is looking to deploy the mobile version of Zen to notebooks, which could come with a 15-watt power demand.

The first processors to feature the novel Zen cores are the Summit Ridge series.

Earlier this year, AMD affirmed that the first Zen-based CPUs will be part of the premium desktop market and although an official release date is yet to be revealed, early 2017 sounds about right.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Alphabet CEO Larry Page reportedly wants to cut costs in the Google Fiber division after it has fallen "well short" of the intended subscriber goal.

Last month, the executive issued an order to the subsidiary's chief Craig Barratt to downsize the team that consists of 1,000 employees by half and reduce the expenses in delivering the ultrafast internet service to customers' homes.

According to sources who got in touch with The Information, Alphabet cofounders Page and Sergey Brin found the expenditure and rollout of Google Fiber to be more or less disappointing, and as a result, they are now taking the appropriate measures.

At this point, it's still unclear whether or not the layoffs have been carried out already.

A recent report indicates that Google Fiber is now focusing on wireless technology instead of fiber-optic cables, as the original design proved to be too time-consuming and costly. Interestingly enough, the unit has also been renamed as Access, and it's likely because of this development.

Back in the beginning, the company announced the gigabit internet service in February 2010, and it first launched the project in November 2012 in Kansas City. Case in point, Recode reported back in May that $1 billion was spent to set up fiber optic piping in the area.

Initially, Alphabet is said to have aimed for 5 million subscribers within five years, but by the end of 2014, only 200,000 had signed up for the service, a former employee tells The Information.

Fast-forward to today, the current number of users hasn't been disclosed, but a person close to the parent company says that it's still far behind the goal.

Regarding exactly what will happen to the division moving forward is still not known, and whether or not shifting focus from fiber optics to wireless is going to help the team is still uncertain too.

Alphabet CFO Ruth Porat is also said to be supporting the Google Fiber unit wholeheartedly, and she has been telling Page that it's still a viable venture and that it just needs time to work out.

In a recent earnings call (PDF), Porat stated that the company still sees the gigabit internet subsidiary as a "huge market opportunity" and that it's "thoughtful and deliberate" in its execution path.

Google Fiber is currently available in seven locations: Kansas City, Nashville, Atlanta, Charlotte, Austin, Provo and most recently Salt Lake City. It's expected to go live in San Francisco, Irvine, San Antonio, Huntsville and Raleigh-Durham soon.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
More than three centuries ago, Dodo birds  a species endemic to the Mauritius Islands  were slowly being hunted down, eventually leading to their extinction.

Although this flightless animal no longer exists, we still know of them through historical accounts and the remains they left behind.

Now, a rare, composite skeleton of the Dodo bird will be sold at the Summers Place Auctions in West Sussex, England. The skeleton comes from a collector who compiled bones from auctions and private collections in the 1970s and 1980s.

According to The Independent, it was about a decade ago when the seller realized that there were nearly enough bones in his collection to complete the skeleton of the Dodo bird. The skeleton was missing one claw and a section of the skull. Both parts have been reconstructed for the auction.

Rupert van der Werff, Summers Place Auctions director, says individual bones of the Dodo bird come up for sale occasionally. However, this is the first time that an almost-complete skeleton is being sold since the early 20th century, he says.

The rarity and completeness of this specimen cannot be over emphasized," says van der Werff.

The director believes that the skeleton offers individuals or an institution the unique opportunity to own a specimen of this extinct species.

No price guide has been disclosed for the Dodo bird's skeleton, but it is expected to go high.

Van der Werff says a huge part of auction estimates depend on precedent of similar objects being offered, which is quite impossible in this case. Given the skeleton's desirability and rarity, the auctions are anticipating a price in a high six-figure sum, he says.

In 1598, the Dutch East India company found the bird in Mauritius island, and hunted them for food. As more ships from Europe arrived, so did animals such as rats, cats, dogs and monkeys which fed on birds. Within a century after its discovery, the Dodo bird was wiped out.

And unfortunately, this has turned the Dodo bird into a symbol of how humans can negatively impact the natural world.

What's more, even after the animal was gone, its remains "were treated with little preservation," according to The Christian Science Monitor.

The Dodo bird is known for being "clumsy" or "stupid," but previous studies have shown that the animals were actually well-adapted to their life on the islands. The animals also might have been as intelligent as a common pigeon, as reported by Tech Times.

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Mylan, the maker of anti-allergy drug EpiPen, will give as much as $300 in discounts to families who rely on the emergency anaphylactic shock treatment.

The move now aims to make EpiPen more accessible to patients just a day after the company faced backlash for hiking the price to $600 for a pack of two, marking a 500 percent increase in the past six years.

"This effectively reduces their out-of-pocket cost exposure by 50 percent," Mylan states.

A family of four with an annual income of $97,200 will also no longer need to pay out of pocket since they will be eligible for assistance.

No Price Rollback, Just Discounts For EpiPen

Mylan this week raised the price of the popular treatment just as back-to-school season is beginning, and parents and school administrators are starting to stock up on the auto-injector.

But Mylan's announcement is a mere discount  not an outright rollback of EpiPen's list price. With no branded drug to rival EpiPen and no generic equivalent, employers and insurers, which usually cover payments for prescription drugs, have been forced to pay 150 percent more since 2013.

The discount then serves as a quick PR fix in the eyes of the general public, while businesses and insurance companies are left to grapple with the same skyrocketing drug price.

"Mylan should not offer after-the-fact discounts only for a select few  it should reverse its massive price increases across the board immediately," says Maryland Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D).

Bresch: 'The System Is Broken'

With drug companies in the U.S. refusing to rein in prices, the higher costs will translate into higher insurance premiums. This means patients will still ultimately bear the brunt of higher drug costs.

To Mylan CEO Heather Bresch, however, structural reforms are needed across the U.S. healthcare industry since the changes brought in by the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare, has prompted employers to opt for high-deductible plans  the very reason patients are paying larger sums out of pocket.

"There's no question: the system is broken," Bresch says. "There's no transparency, there's no clarity and no one knows what anything costs."

Hillary Clinton Calls On Mylan To Reduce Price Of EpiPen

On Wednesday, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton called Mylan's price hike "outrageous" and urged the pharmaceuticals company to "immediately reduce" the cost of EpiPen.

"It's just the latest troubling example of a company taking advantage of its consumers," says Clinton, who also slammed another drug company, Martin Shkreli's Turing Pharmaceuticals, for increasing the price of the HIV treatment Daraprim by a staggering 5000 percent.

While Clinton has vowed to clamp down on drug price hikes if elected, Shkreli took to Twitter to weigh in on the EpiPen controversy and defend Mylan's move.

"With 8 percent margins, Mylan is close to breaking even. Do we want them to lose [money]?" Shkreli tweets. "The sole supplier of a life-saving drug should have a better margin."

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
With just a few months before his term ends, U.S. President Barack Obama announced on Friday, Aug. 26, new plans to create the world's largest marine reserve off the coast of Hawaii.

According to the White House, the plan is to expand Hawaii's Papahanaumokuakea (Papa-ha-now-moh-koo-ah-kay-ah) Marine National Monument so that it will cover approximately 582,578 square miles (1.5 million square kilometers) of land and sea  about 50 times bigger than the land area of the Hawaiian Islands. The move emphasizes the extent to which the incumbent president has focused on issues of climate change and conservation during his second term.

On Sept. 1, Obama is set to visit the protected area to address the threat that climate change poses to the ocean. The President will travel to Midway Atoll, which is a remote coral reef that became the site of a pivotal battle during World War II and is now prominent for its monk seals, seabirds and sea turtles. Obama will also visit his native Hawaii to participate in a conference of Pacific Island leaders plus a conference on world conservation in Honolulu.

The new plan will consequently protect underwater habitats and coral reefs that are home to more than 7,000 marine species, including sea turtles and rare whales listed under the Endangered Species Act. The act will ban commercial fishing and drilling in that region of the Pacific Ocean. There are also implications for navigation as voluntary restrictions will be imposed on traveling through certain areas.

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was designated by former President George W. Bush 10 years ago as the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument. It was later renamed into its current name in honor of two Hawaiian gods, Papahanaumoku and Wakea, husband and wife whom natives believe preside over the earth and sky respectively.

The 2006 proclamation by Bush designated about 139,800 square miles (362,080 square kilometers) in area. Friday's plan stretches the reach all the way to the western edge of the country's territorial waters. The national monument was officially considered a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2010.

Seth Horstmeyer, Global Ocean Legacy project director of American think-tank Pew Research Center, says only about 3 percent of the oceans on Earth are as protected as the marine reserve in Hawaii.

"We think of Papahanaumokuakea's original designation as a catalyst," Horstmeyer told Reuters. "[W]e're hoping it will be again."

Photo: NOAA's National Ocean Service | Flickr

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Uber, the most valuable startup in the world, seems to be financially struggling, as a Bloomberg report revealed that the company has lost $1.27 billion over the first half of the year.

The company, which was most recently valued at $62.5 billion, is not a public company, which means that it does not need to disclose its financial performance. Only dozens of shareholders listen in on a conference call held every quarter by Uber head of finance Gautam Gupta to know how the company is performing, and these people will likely not have been impressed with what they heard in the latest call.

According to the report by Bloomberg, Gupta told investors that the losses of Uber worsened during the second quarter.

In the first quarter, Uber posted a negative EBITDA of $520 million, according to Bloomberg's sources. The figure dipped even lower to a loss of $750 million in the second quarter, including about $100 million loss in the United States, taking the losses of Uber for the first half to a total of $1.27 billion.

Gupta told investors that most of Uber's losses globally were due to the subsidies to its drivers, which the company gave out in order to keep the prices low so that customers will continue using the ride-sharing service.

Most of the drivers that received subsidies are from China, where Uber was locked in a high-cost battle with local ride-hailing service Didi Chuxing. Uber recently decided to sell its China business to Didi for $35 billion, though, as the startup realized that it had no chance of beating its rival in the Asian country. As such, Uber will not be recording losses related to China in its financial statements after this month.

In the United States, Uber's standing is not as solid as previously hinted. Earlier in the year, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said that operations in the United States are stable, but the $100 million loss that the startup posted in the second quarter for its home operations is a legitimate concern.

Similar to China before its exit, Uber is facing a fierce competitor in the United States in the form of Lyft. As the ride-sharing services continue to lower their fares, they are both forced to issue subsidies to their drivers. There have been rumors that Lyft is looking to be bought out, but until that happens or until Lyft is driven out of business, Uber will have to continue the battle against its rival in the United States, even if that means to continuously accept mounting losses.

This month has not been a good one at all for Uber. After being forced to cut its losses and sell its Chinese operations, Uber saw its proposed $100 million settlement for a class action lawsuit filed by drivers rejected. Just recently, the startup was also beaten to the punch in offering self-driving taxis to passengers by MIT spinoff nuTonomy, which has launched a public trial in Singapore.

Not everything is bad for Uber, though, as bookings increased significantly from more than $3.8 billion in the first quarter to more than $5 billion in the second quarter. GAAP net revenue also increased from about $960 million to $1.1 billion, equivalent to an 18 percent increase between the past two quarters.

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Orlando Health and Florida Hospitals will not be billing victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in June, writing off at least $5.5 million in accumulated costs.

The Orlando Health network has eight facilities in the area and Orlando Regional Medical Center (ORMC), its main hospital, was just a couple of blocks away from the nightclub. After the June 12 attack, ORMC attended to the 44 out of more than 50 people hurt while Florida Hospital treated dozens of others.

"The Pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families and our entire community," said David Strong, CEO and president for Orlando Health, adding that the move to not bill the victims is a way of paying forward the kindness and support the hospital network received from individuals, charities and organizations.

According to Kena Lewis, the hospital chain's spokesperson, bills will be sent to health insurance providers for ORMC patients with coverage and whatever their policies will not cover will be shouldered. Nine people died after arriving at the hospital and their families too will not be charged.

At Florida Hospital, however, bills will not be sent to insurance providers nor will patients be charged for any follow-up surgeries that they will need due to the attack.

Follow-up surgeries for victims will also be covered at Orlando Health.

Daryl Tol, CEO and president of Florida Hospital, said it was incredible to see the community coming together after shooting and he hopes their gesture will add to the goodwill and heart defining Orlando.

Survivors were more than glad to hear the news.

One victim, for instance, was just visiting from Miami when he went to Pulse after a housewarming party at a friend's. However, what was supposed to be a fun night out with friends turned to a nightmare quickly after a gunman opened fire at the nightclub.

After the traumatizing event in Pulse, he then had to spend seven hours in the hospital after fragments of a bullet exploded into his left side and he split his elbow on a glass shard after being hit. He may have survived the shooting, but he was going home with a possible $20,000 bill had he been charged for the care he received for his injuries.

According to Terry DeCarlo from the LGBT Center of Central Florida, Orlando Health's move to foot the bill will have a strong psychological effect on the victims.

"To have this taken off their shoulders lets the healing go a little further, and faster," he said.

With zero hospital bills to worry about, the victims can focus on addressing other financial issues they may be facing once grants from the One Orlando fund are released starting in October.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Facebook, Twitter And Google Terrorised! | TechTree.com

Just as we Indians came to terms with the Torrents ban and the three-year jail sentence along with a fine of up to INR 3 lakh, across the globe the U.K. Parliaments Home Affairs Committee has accused social networking heavyweights Facebook and Twitter as well as tech giant Google of siding with Islamic State and other terrorist groups by turning a blind eye to the surge of radical content on their sites.

According to the news published by The Wall Street Journal, Keith Vaz, a member of the opposition Labour Party is reported to have said, Huge corporations like Google, Facebook and Twitter, with their billion-dollar incomes, are consciously failing to tackle this threat and passing the buck by hiding behind their supranational legal status, despite knowing that their sites are being used by the instigators of terror,

Twitter had earlier announced that it has suspended more than 125,000 accounts since mid 2015 and on August 18, Twitter announced, we have suspended an additional 235,000 accounts for violating our policies related to promotion of terrorism in the six months since our February 2016 post. This brings our overall number of suspensions to 360,000 since the middle of 2015. As noted by numerous third parties, our efforts continue to drive meaningful results, including a significant shift in this type of activity off of Twitter.

Read : Vietnam Shuts Facebook, Citizens Switch To Hola

The heart wrenching image of a little boy covered in dust and blood has been circulated across all forms of social media. For some the image is disturbing and will haunt their conscience and their would be a few who would presume it to be glorifying violence and terrorism.

The matter of serious concern is that, for every account suspended anyone can create another account. How would Facebook, Google and Twitter along with world governments collectively fight against terrorism? Would Facebook, Google and Twitter take a moral responsibility to screen accounts and content online? Would this compromise the privacy and security of innocent users.

As for responsible users all they can do is flag off or report any content that glorifies or promotes ISIS or infact anything that is violent. Terrorists attacks in France, Brussels and the on going devastation in Syria has pricked humanity hard. Millions across the globe pledged their support for the victims of terror strikes by on social media forums. Not even in the worst of his nightmares would have Mark Zuckerberg ever thought that a platform that he created for people to remain connected to people and discover new friends would be misused by coldblooded fanatics to unite and disrupt world peace.

Frankly and bluntly, if these guys cant keep hackers at bay, then how would they eliminate the cancerous spread of terrorism online? Maybe you have to lose a few battles to win a war.

Image Courtesy : Aleppo Media Centre

TAGS: Facebook, Twitter, Google, Social Media, Social Networking
Android Nougat 7.0 To Soon Get Navigation Bar Customizer | TechTree.com

Google is now looking at creating a navbar customizer (navigation bar customizer), for the latest Android OS, the 7.0 Nougat. This will allow users to add, move icons, or simply remove icons from the navigation bar of their devices, or in other words, allow tweaking the 'home', 'back', and 'recent' options. As per NDTV quotes, this new feature is supposed to be hidden inside the code for Android Nougat 7.0, but a final revelation of the additional feature is yet to come. Most of the information currently available to the media has been through a network of resources who have leaked details about the new feature.

The feature first made an appearance, as a code, on January 22 this year, but removed a month later by February 24, as the feature was not yet ready then, as per details furbished on the code repository site GitHub. The customization option will now perhaps be added to Google's System UI Tuner, which was introduced with Android 6.0 Marshmallow's early build. System UI Tuner has essentially provided developers with various tweak options over the time like removing various icons from status bar, helping them take screenshots or videos of their apps. According to the source available, the navigation bar customizer was re-enabled, by modifying the SystemUI, and the screen-shots and descriptions of each new navbar modifier have been made public. All the standard buttons earlier known to be constant will now be removable and modifiable with newer options for icons.

According to the leaks available, the new options for functional icons on the navbar include a spacer, clipboard button, a button to which any keyboard function can be assigned and a switch button for menu/keyboard. There are also newer icons like the double-headed arrow, a cross and an icon with two horizontal lines. These icons resize, delete, and move the icons on navigation bar itself.

For those looking to tweak with the new feature, do check out XDA Developers, where the leak source has uploaded a flashable .zip file, which can be experimented with on the Nexus 6P handset running the Android Nougat 7.0 OS. However, considering the it would involve tweaking codes in the root of the Android OS, there should ideally be a recovery option, and the data on the handset ought to be backed up beforehand.

Image via liliputing.com

TAGS: Android, Android 7.0 Nougat, navbar modifier
Nokia is testing its Nokia 5320 and RM-1490 Android smartphones if the leaks from benchmarking website are true

Ever since it was reported that the yesteryears smartphone king is going to make a comeback with Android-run smartphone, people have been keenly awaiting for more news on that front. We had reported that Nokia will be entering the smartphone market again with two smartphones running on Android, one of which will be called Nokia P1.

The primary reason, buyers are awaiting Nokia Android smartphones is that they still remember the ruggedness of Nokia 3310 and other feature phones that the company sold in olden times. If its new Android smartphones will be as good as Nokia 3310, rest assured that Samsung and Apple will have a tough time in retaining their numero uno position in Android and iOS respectively.

Now it seems the reports of Nokia Android smartphones were true if we are to believe the benchmarking website, GeekBench.

The specs and the first evidence of Nokias Android smartphones appeared Geekbench which Nokia Power User was quick to notice. According to Nokia Power User Nokia 5320 was benchmarked and it appears to run a quad-core processor clocked at 2.27GHz, but only 2GB of RAM. The processor could be Snapdragon 821, considering that Snapdragon 820 peaks at 2.2GHz.

Users may note that Qualcomms latest processor, Snapdragon 821 is of 2.4GHz. Considering Nokia 5320 Android smartphone will be clocking 2.27 GHz, Nokia may increase the 2GB RAM to something like 3-4GB at the time of the release of the smartphone.

The second Nokia smartphone carries the code name Nokia RM-1490 and has an AMD a8-5545M processor clocked at just 500MHz, but has 2GB of RAM. By all accounts, this seems to be a budget smartphone while Nokia 5320 is targeted at the top end of customers.

The Nokia RM-1490 was found to be running on Android 4.2.2, which definitely means that its an early prototype and the final version will have different specs. Benchmark tests only offer a hint on the specs of upcoming smartphones and in many cases, the final product could carry some significant changes.

One point is sure from the leaks that both Nokia Android smartphones will come with a 5.2-inch display. Nokia 5320 could, however, have a bigger 5.5-inch screen. In addition, both devices would come with 2k displays and Z-Launcher System UI.

Aside from this, they could have IP68 certification for protection against water and dust. Full metal bodies will certainly make the phones attractive, aside from the prospect of 22.6MP rear cameras.

At this point, its uncertain when Nokia will release the upcoming smartphones. However, if reports are to be believed we could see Nokia 5320 and RM-1490 hit the market by end of this year. So if you are planning on buying an Android smartphone this holiday season, it would be worthwhile to wait for the upcoming Nokia Android smartphones.
Elecciones presidenciales

El pais mas grande de la region elige este domingo a su proximo mandatario. Tras no lograr hacerse con la mayoria de los votos en los comicios del 2 de octubre, Luis Inacio "Lula" Da Silva y Jair Bolsonaro se disputan la Presidencia en una balotaje que enfrenta tendencias y valores contrapuestas. Con equipos en el terreno, Telam presenta una cobertura exclusiva con noticias, analisis, opinion, fotos y mas.
On Friday, former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took advantage of the last debate between candidates before Sunday's presidential elections to accuse the current president,... | Read More
Food and beverage companies in Vietnam are seeking government permission to import a total of 268,000 tons of sugar even though local stockpiles of the sweetener are growing.

The companies, including Coca Cola, Friesland Campina and Vinacafe, plan to import between 14,000 and 25,000 tons of sugar each, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade.

Do Thanh Liem, vice chairman of the Vietnam Sugar and Sugarcane Association, said imported sugar is now cheaper than domestic products due to low import tariffs. This is the reason why many companies refuse to buy local sugar, he said.

Several food companies, however, said they prefer imported sugar because supply of local products was not stable and prices keep fluctuating.

Deputy Minister of Industry and Trade Nguyen Thanh Bien said the sugar association needs to negotiate with local companies first, and then the ministry will decide whether or not to allow the imports.

Meanwhile, Vietnam's agriculture ministry said it has requested the government to allow sugar exports of around 100,000 tons to help clear stockpiles. It also proposed more loans to domestic companies to store 200,000 tons of refined sugar for three months starting in May.

Vietnam is expected to produce 1.45 million tons of refined sugar in 2012. The sugar association expects a surplus of up to 300,000 tons.
Despite the doctors' efforts, they were still in critical condition at press time.

Four people are in critical condition due to gas poisoning after they slept in a closed room with a charcoal stove which burned all night, doctors at a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City said Friday.

The patients included a 19-year-old man, his 20-year-old wife and her mother and aunt, both 38, according to the doctors at Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital.

They were all unconscious when being admitted to the hospital on Friday morning. Despite the doctors' efforts, they were still in critical condition at press time.

According to their relatives, the couple, who live in Binh Chanh Dist., just lost their premature baby on Thursday.

That night they and the wife's mother and aunt slept in the same air-conditioned room

They burned charcoal in a stove in the room, since it is a tradition belief that doing so during the first postnatal weeks will keep women and newborns strong and healthy.

Their relatives found them lying motionless when they entered the room at 6 a.m. Friday, and rushed them to the hospital.

Doctor Phan Van Nghiem, vice director of Nguyen Tri Phuong Hospital, warned against the practice of using charcoal burners to warm mothers and newborns, saying that it can emit poisonous gases such as SO2, NO2 and CO that can cause respiratory inflammation or deadly suffocation in a closed room.

This is not the first time the practice has resulted in tragic outcomes.

The incident has been reported to local police for further investigation.
Three Vietnamese drivers died from asphyxiation after burning charcoal in a closed trucks cabin for a long time, authorities in the northern province of Lang Son said Wednesday.

The provincial authorities received the three bodies handed over by Chinese authorities the same day, Tien Phong newspaper reported.

They said two men, aged 34, 35 and 47, drove a container truck carrying fruits from Lang Son to a market in Chinas Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region near the border last Saturday night.

While they were waiting for the cargo to be unloaded, they burned charcoal in an open burner to heat the trucks cabin.

They then suffered from inert gas asphyxiation.

Their bodies have been returned to their families.
A Vietnamese trainee pilot was killed when his fighter jet crashed into a rice field, an official said Friday, the third deadly military plane accident since June. A Vietnamese trainee pilot was killed when his fighter jet crashed into a rice field, an official said Friday, the third deadly military plane accident since June.

The pilot, identified as Sergeant Major Pham Duc Trung, 24, was the only one on board when the plane went down in south-central Vietnam, the Ministry of Defense said on television.

Sergeant Major Pham Duc Trung (R). Photo: CTV The fighter jet crashed crashed into National Highway 1 before plunging into a rice field The Czechoslovakia-made Aero L-39 Albatros fighter jet belonged to the air force pilot training college near the crash site in coastal Phu Yen Province, chief administrator of the provincial people's committee told AFP.

During its training session, the fighter jet crashed crashed into National Highway 1 before plunging into a rice field, killing the trainee pilot on board, Ho Thi Nguyen Thao said.

She corrected earlier reports that a civilian was killed in the crash, saying the man, identified as Dang Hung, was injured.

Dang Hung, who lives in Phu Yen Provine, was injured when the jet trainer crashed into the National Highway 1

According to the defense ministry, the jet took off at 8.40 a.m. on a training mission. Its engine failed 5 minutes into the flight.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has expressed his condolences to the deceased pilot's family and relatives, and asked the defense ministry to investigate the cause of the crash.

Though Vietnam's civilian aviation sector has a strong safety record, there have been several recent accidents involving military aircraft.

In June, a jet fighter carrying two pilots crashed during a training mission off the coast of northern Nghe An province, with only one of the pilots rescued.

Days later, a military search plane deployed to find the missing pilot lost contact and was later found crashed with all nine people on board dead.

The L-39 fighter jets line up at the air force pilot training college in Phu Yen province. Photo: PLO

One of the worst accidents in recent years was in July 2014, when 19 people were killed after a Russian-made Mi-171 chopper crashed in the capital Hanoi during a training exercise.

Vietnam has been keen to update its almost exclusively Russian-made military hardware amid tensions with Beijing over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

It is increasingly looking to Western nations to buy military equipment, including the United States after President Barack Obama lifted a Cold War-era ban on arms sales to the country during his visit to Vietnam in May.
A gang of mostly teenaged robbers who preyed on many tourists in downtown Ho Chi Minh City last year and injured a foreigner they mugged have been sentenced to jail.

Nguyen Thuyen Tam, 17, Vo Tuan Kiet, 16, Huynh Huu Loc, 15, Nguyen Cong Tan, 16, Le Van Thanh Hung, 16, Nguyen Tuan Thanh, 20, and Pham Ngoc Thach, 16, carried out a rash of robberies in Districts 1 and District 4.

On Thursday the People's Court of HCMC handed down sentences of seven years to Tam and Thanh, five years to Loc, three years to Kiet, Tan and Hung, and 18 months to Thach.

The gang targeted both locals and foreigners for cash, mobile phones, and cameras.

On October 19, 2015, five of them attacked German Sebastian Graetz and his Kazakh girlfriend Yekaterina Ponomarenko, with knives, sticks and bricks near the Tau Hu Canal in District 1.

Graetz was stabbed several times in his head and back but managed to escape, and the gang fled with his belongings.

The five were caught six days later after they robbed two women at knifepoint under Calmette Bridge in District 1.
A court in the southern province of Tra Vinh on Tuesday sentenced a man to four years in jail for running an operation that sought out pregnant women in order to claim postnatal insurance on their behalf.

Doan Van Cuong, 29, was found guilty of misappropriating more than VND210 million (US$10,070) in insurance payments from social insurers in Tra Vinh and other Mekong Delta provinces of Vinh Long, Kien Giang and An Giang.

He used insider's knowledge from working at the delta's Can Tho City Social Insurance Department between 2006 and 2009 to carry out the operation, which was disguised as the Online Communication Company with offices across the delta.

Cuong contacted local pregnant women and asked to use their personal information to make them look like his employees, paying them VND4 million (US$193) each for co-operation with him.

Five women who did so said they did not lose anything by cooperating with Cuong, and were actually paid for it.

Vietnamese law allows women to receive four months' salary as a postnatal assistance from social insurance agencies as long as they have fully paid up social and health insurance premiums and contributed to unemployment funds for at least six months prior to giving birth.

RELATED CONTENT Insider busted for social insurance scam in Vietnam

The Vinh Long Social Insurance department launched investigations after noticing that all five women had their insurance paid for exactly six months, the minimum payment required by the law.

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Hanoi is set to ban all vehicles on streets around Hoan Kiem (Sword) Lake every evening from Friday to Sunday starting September 1 to make it tourist-friendly.

They will be pedestrians-only from 7 p.m. to midnight, and relevant agencies will assign personnel to regulate traffic and prevent possible congestion elsewhere as a result, according to Hanoi Transport Department.

Several bus routes will be modified to avoid the banned areas.

Around the area, there will be 18 parking lots for buses and cars and 57 for motorbikes with a capacity of more than 600 cars and 2,700 motorbikes.

The capital got its first walking-only street in 2004 when a section of Hang Dao Street was made off-limits to vehicles.

A decade later more walking streets were designated in the old quarter: like Hang Buom, Hang Giay, Luong Ngoc Quyen, Ma May, Dao Duy Tu and Ta Hien.

From September 1 the city will also lift a midnight curfew on restaurants, bars, cafes, karaoke parlors and others in another move to promote tourism.

They will be allowed to remain open until 2 a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday.
"Budgie smugglers", a term for men's tight-fitting swimming trunks, has been included in the updated edition of the Australian National Dictionary

Heading Down Under where locals are "dry as a dead dingo's donger" and beachgoers don "budgie smugglers", but unsure what this means? Fear not, the latest edition of the Australian National Dictionary offers a primer on all things 'Straya.

Both phrases along with 6,000 other Australian terms such as "bogan", "ranga" and "rurosexual" have been added to the country's dictionary, the first update in almost three decades.

The second edition of the Australian National Dictionary -- a heavy two-tome hardback containing the definitions and histories of 16,000 words, compounds and phrases unique to Australia -- was released this week and also includes words from more than 100 indigenous languages.

"It is a lot (of Australianisms)," chief editor Bruce Moore, who has worked on the dictionary for more than two decades, told AFP Thursday.

"Most Australians are aware I think of the fact that there's something very distinctive about our language, probably in a way that other English-speaking groups are not so much."

Colourful phrases that made the grade included "dry as a dead dingo's donger" (very thirsty) and "do a Bradbury" -- which refers to Australian Olympian Steven Bradbury, who won the short track gold at the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics after all his rivals crashed.

"Bogan" (an unsophisticated person), "ranga" (a person with red hair) and "rurosexual" (a male with no real concern for his appearance who lives in rural area) were among the new word entries. "Budgie smugglers" refer to men's tight-fitting swimming trunks.

Moore said he was surprised by the "extraordinary increase" in the number of words from indigenous languages. In the new version, there are now 530 words from 100 indigenous languages, compared to 250 words in the first edition released in 1988, he added.

"Most people would believe that when colonial people come... lots of place names are taken but not very many words from the indigenous languages," said Moore, a former director of the Australian National Dictionary Centre at the Australian National University who also used to teach Old and Middle English.

A recent example is migaloo, which is a term from several northern Queensland languages meaning a ghost or spirit and that was used by Aboriginal Australians to describe a white person.

The word now represents an extremely rare white humpback whale regularly sighted off the Australian coast and which has built up a loyal following in the country since it was first spotted in 1991.
Police remove the body of a suicide bomber from the scene of an attack in Solo, Indonesia, July 5, 2016 in this photo taken by Antara Foto. Antara Foto/Maulana Surya/via REUTERS/File photo

During a May 2011 shootout, Indonesia's counter-terrorism forces killed the leader of a militant group thought to be behind a series of failed bomb attempts around the city of Solo in Central Java.

The death of "Team Hisbah" founder Sigit Qurdowi caused the group to splinter. Some formed an anti-vice squad in the city; many others became associated with a former Solo resident called Bahrun Naim, who authorities believe is a leading Indonesian coordinator for Islamic State (IS).

Now, five years later, Naim, based in IS's stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, is building an ever-more sophisticated network of militants from his former hometown, according to police, self-proclaimed radicals and people who work with the militants in Solo.

Solo, which has a long history of schools and mosques associated with radical Islamists, is a breeding ground for Naim's recruits, counter-terrorism officials say, and many of his lieutenants in Indonesia have come from Team Hisbah.

As a result, authorities fear the risk of a major attack in Indonesia is growing.

Islamist militancy in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation has been contained since a crackdown on Jemaah Islamiyah - al Qaeda's franchise in the region - put hundreds of its leaders and followers behind bars in the mid-2000s.

But like al Qaeda before it, IS is reviving a fragmented radical Islamist movement in Indonesia that has endured in various incarnations for the past century, authorities say.

Nearly $800,000 has been transferred from foreign countries to fund radical Islamist groups in Indonesia since 2014, officials from Indonesia's financial transactions watchdog said at an international counter-terrorism conference in Bali in mid-August. It wasn't clear how much money has come from Naim, who police say is now Indonesia's most-wanted militant.

Reuters contacted a man identified as Naim last November on the Telegram app, using details provided by one of his acquaintances. In that exchange, Naim said IS had "enough men in Indonesia to carry out an action, more than enough support. Just waiting for the right trigger." Reuters could not independently verify the man's identity or his assertions.

"Booming movement"

Amir Mahmud, a former Afghan-trained mujahideen, started the Islamic State Supporters Forum in Solo (also known as Surakarta) in July 2014 to "accommodate the development" of a jihadist movement in Indonesia.

Around 2,000 people showed up to one of its first gatherings at the Baitul Makmur Mosque, where many backed an Islamist caliphate in the Middle East, he said.

"This is a spontaneous spiritual calling," said Mahmud, who is also an Islamic university lecturer.

"Islamic State," he added, "is a booming movement."

Amir Mahmud, a former Afghan-trained mujahideen, gestures during interview with Reuters in Solo, Indonesia, August 11, 2016. Mahmud said two of his sons left Indonesia to fight for IS in the Middle East, and one has since been killed. Indonesia does not prohibit citizens from supporting groups such as IS or fighting for them abroad. Mahmud said two of his sons left Indonesia to fight for IS in the Middle East, and one has since been killed. Indonesia does not prohibit citizens from supporting groups such as IS or fighting for them abroad.

Police say they can arrest terrorism suspects only once they have committed a crime on Indonesian soil.

"If there is a person who declares support for ISIS, that becomes preliminary evidence for police to investigate whether they are involved in terrorist groups or activities," Freddy Haris, the justice ministry's director-general for laws told Reuters. "If there is proof they are involved, then we proceed with (legal) action."

Mahmud, who has not been charged in any militant plot, noted that contacting Naim online was not difficult. "Bahrun Naim created a website on detonation, and people can access that," he said, speaking in a small restaurant near the palace of the Solo sultan.

That has been difficult, however, since the government has blocked blogs and websites linked to Naim. Security officials acknowledged that Naim continues to communicate with his recruits through social media and messaging apps.

Edi Lukito, leader of an Islamic anti-vice squad called Laskar Umat Islam Surakarta (Surakarta Muslim Battalion) said he knew of regular bank payments Naim made to at least one young recruit in the city.

"This young generation has an extraordinary passion for jihad and they want to carry guns quickly," said Lukito, who said he does not support IS.

Jakarta attacks

Although not a member of Team Hisbah himself, Naim was the liaison between IS and Hisbah members when he was running an Internet cafe in Solo, the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said.

Agus Junaedi, who took over the vigilante wing of Team Hisbah after the death of its founder Sigit in 2011, gestures during an interview with Reuters in Solo, Indonesia Central Java province, August 10, 2016. Picture taken August 10, 2016. He disappeared in January 2015 after serving time in prison on a 2011 conviction for possession of ammunition and police believed he moved to Syria. He disappeared in January 2015 after serving time in prison on a 2011 conviction for possession of ammunition and police believed he moved to Syria.

Naim emerged from obscurity a year later, when police identified him as the mastermind of gun and bomb attacks in central Jakarta that killed eight people, including the four attackers.

Since then, he's been linked to other thwarted attacks, including a foiled plot, led by Solo native Gigih Rahmat Dewa, to launch a rocket into Singapore's Marina Bay casino resort area, using a boat from the neighboring Indonesian island of Batam.

Another member of Team Hisbah, counter-terrorism police told Reuters, was 31-year-old Nur Rohman. He blew himself up outside a police station in Solo in July, one of a series of attacks claimed by Islamic State across the world during the Ramadan fasting month, including the killings of foreigners at an upscale cafe in Dhaka just days earlier.

Javanese culture

Nestled in the lush volcanic hills running down the spine of Java, the archipelago's most populous island, Solo is a hub of traditional Javanese culture, blending elements of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism. The city of 800,000 is the hometown of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and of the Solo royal family.

Solo also has long been host to radical Islamist movements that take their inspiration from the Middle East. It is the hometown of Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), who is serving a 15-year sentence for helping to fund a militant training camp in Indonesia's staunchly Islamic province of Aceh. The city features dozens of Islamic boarding schools, including Bashir's al-Mukmin Ngruki.

"The population of radical groups in Solo is already very high, so they are like raw material ready to be radicalized," said Solahudin, a leading authority on Islamic extremism in Indonesia. "It's easier to recruit people in Solo than in other places," said Solahudin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

A dozen or so radical youth groups operate in the city, including bands of vigilantes, modeled after Saudi Arabia's religious police like Team Hisbah and the Surakarta Muslim Battalion, who raid the city's gambling dens, cafes, and brothels, security officials said.

They became especially prominent after the fall of Indonesia's late strongman President Suharto in 1998, who had ruthlessly suppressed any sign of opposition from hardline Islamist groups.

Agus Junaedi, who took over the vigilante wing of Team Hisbah after the death of its founder Sigit in 2011, insists the group only conducts anti-vice raids: "Nothing more than that."

"Every time there is an arrest that involves terrorists, it is always linked to Hisbah in Solo," Junaedi, who runs a small store selling herbal medicines and Korans, complained.

Lacking expertise

Naim uses his contacts in Solo to look for people he believes can be easily radicalised, said a senior counter-terrorism official.

"After online contact is established, he will teach them how to make bombs and give them tactical instructions on how to plan attacks," the official said.

Naim's followers are not capable of mounting a major attack, said Mahmud of the Islamic State Supporters Forum.

"They cannot get materials like in the Bali bomb," he said, referring to the 2002 bombings of night clubs in Kuta Beach, Bali that killed 202 people, most of them foreigners. "It was easy to access in the past, but it has been tightened."

That could be changing.

Last week, Indonesia's counter-terrorism force arrested a suspected militant with alleged ties to Naim. Authorities say he was planning an attack in Bali with the same kind of explosive material used in IS attacks in Paris last November and in Brussels in March.

Police seize 150 grams of the peroxide-based explosive TATP (triacetone triperoxide), known as "the mother of Satan" in militant circles, in the raid.

"They may look amateurish now," said the senior counter-terrorism official, when asked about the threat posed by Naim's network. "But the pattern in which they seem to be moving and organizing themselves means it's only a matter of time before they can launch a dangerous attack."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry speaks during an event to promote the Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) educational program for girls in Abuja, Nigeria, August 24, 2016.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva on Friday to try to hammer out final details of a cooperation agreement on fighting Islamist militants in Syria.

The hope is that a deal on fighting jihadists in Syria will help lead to a cessation of hostilities between the army and its militia allies on one side and non-jihadist rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad, as a step towards relaunching talks on a political transition to end the five-year Syrian conflict.

The meeting between Lavrov and Kerry at a luxury hotel on Lake Geneva began shortly after 10 am (0800 GMT). Asked what the main impediment was to a nationwide ceasefire, Lavrov quipped: "I don't want to spoil the atmosphere for the negotiations."

While Kerry said this week that technical teams from both sides were close to the end of their discussions, U.S. officials indicated it was too early to say whether an agreement was likely.

"There are still issues that need to be ironed out," a senior State Department official said as the talks began.

"We're hopeful that today could see resolution on at least some of them, and that we can move this plan forward," the official said, "But we're mindful of the challenges."

When Kerry launched the Syrian cooperation talks in July during a visit to Moscow, the proposal involved Washington and Moscow sharing military intelligence to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State and grounding the Syrian air force to stop it from attacking moderate rebel groups.

Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit the fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more, as well as preserving a political track.

The talks take place just days after Syrian rebels backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes entered Jarablus, one of Islamic State's last strongholds on the Turkish-Syrian border.

The advance westward in the next phase of their Turkey-backed operation could take weeks or months to complete, a rebel commander told Reuters.

Turkish military shelled the Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, south of Jarablus and demanded that the YPG retreat to the east side of the Euphrates River within a week.

The YPG had moved west of the river earlier this month as part of a U.S.-backed operation, now completed, to capture the city of Manbij from Islamic State.

Turkey's stance puts it at odds with Washington, which sees the YPG as a rare reliable ally on the ground in Syria.

By reaching a deal with Russia, which supports Syrian Assad, Washington hopes that it will help launch talks on a political transition in Syria.

On Thursday, the UN said Russia had agreed to a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, although U.N. officials said they were waiting for security guarantees from parties on the ground before moving forward.

The United Nations has pushed for a weekly pause in the fighting in Aleppo to deliver food, water and medicine to civilians caught in the fighting.

Separately, Syrian rebels and government forces agreed in a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents from the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict.
The Louisiana National Guard deployed troops to rescue victims of the torrential downpour of rain that created flooding in south Louisiana. Here are some of the images they shared from their response to several devastated areas.

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In an escalating feud, state Attorney General Jeff Landry asked Gov. John Bel Edwards' administration to justify why a felon should serve as legal counsel for the Louisiana State Licensing Board for Contractors.

Landry, who was recently involved in controversy over hiring a felon in his own office, said in a letter to the board's executive director that an explanation is needed for retaining Larry Bankston, a former Democrat state senator from Baton Rouge who served 41 months in prison for a 1997 conviction on a video-poker related bribery scheme.

"Mr. Bankston is a convicted felon who has been previously disbarred," Landry said in a letter to Michael McDuff, executive director of the 15-member panel.

"An attorney who represents the board acts in a fiduciary capacity to the board and is a legal representative of the state of Louisiana," he wrote.

"In light of Mr. Bankston's previous actions, I am concerned about his appointment to this position of trust," Landry said.

Both Bankston and the governor's office disputed the criticism.

Both also noted that Landry's office earlier this year approved contracts for Bankston to do work for two state boards, including the same licensing board for contractors in dispute Thursday.

"If they are having some concerns they must be a recent concern," Bankston said.

Matthew Block, executive counsel for Edwards, said Landry has only a ministerial role in attorneys hired by boards and commissions, including whether they have adequate experience.

Block said the attorney general's letter "makes us obviously concerned that the attorney general is trying to play politics" with the issue.

The state Supreme Court voted in 2004 to allow Bankston to practice law again.

The court disbarred him in 2002 but made it retroactive to 1997, when the justices had suspended him on an interim basis after his conviction in June 1997.

The board, which is named by the governor, is supposed to protect consumers from contractor fraud.

The panel is in the limelight after floods overran south Louisiana starting Aug. 12, sparking a wave of contractors into the state to get in on the rebuilding.

Landry noted that his office has oversight over the appointment of counsel for the contractor panel and other boards and commission.

The proposed contract for Bankston is for Aug. 1, 2016 to July 31, 2017.

Bankston said he is to be paid $175 per hour.

Asked if Landry wanted to comment, a spokeswoman said he stood by the letter.

Bankston said the attorney general's letter is confusing because Landry's office approved two short-term contracts earlier this year, including one where his firm aided the contractors board in the Legislature when its rules were revamped.

He has also been the attorney for the Amite River Basin Commission for the past six years or so.

Block said it is inappropriate for Landry to come up with "arbitrary standards" for board-hired attorneys never required before.

In an email, McDuff said his board voted unanimously to hire Bankston.

"We are confident with the integrity and character of Larry Bankston," he said.

Landry and Edwards have had a tense relationship since both took office in January, including disputes over budgets, gay rights and car allowances.

+2 Spat over cars latest insight into Edwards admin-AG Landry tension, Dardenne says Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry asked for state approval for both a car allowance of 

Landry is as Republican who is considered a 2019 gubernatorial possibility.

Edwards is a Democrat who hopes 2016 is the first of eight years in office.

Both politicians are attorneys.

Landry's letter, which was sent on Wednesday, raised questions just three weeks after the attorney general was embroiled in a separate controversy.

A story in The Advocate disclosed that Landry, after being endorsed by Democrat rival Geri Broussard Baloney, hired Baloney's daughter Quendi for a job in his office's fraud section at a salary of $53,000 per year.

Quendi Baloney in 1999 was charged with 11 felony counts of credit card fraud and theft, pleading guilty to three of them, according to records in Virginia.

She got a six-year prison sentence, all of which was suspended.

A spokeswoman for Landry said at the time Quendi Baloney was forthright about her criminal record when she sought the job.

Geri Broussard Baloney denied that she and Landry ever discussed her daughter's employment.
A 68-year-old Baton Rouge woman was put on probation for two years Thursday and ordered to repay more than $38,000 in stolen federal housing assistance funds.

Louella Robertson and her daughter, 47-year-old Rhoda Renae Robertson, pleaded guilty earlier this year in federal court to theft of government funds.

Baton Rouge mother, daughter plead guilty to fraudulently obtaining housing assistance money A Baton Rouge mother and daughter have admitted to fraudulently obtaining nearly $51,000 in 

Louella Robertson was sentenced Thursday by U.S. District Judge John deGravelles. Rhoda Robertson, also of Baton Rouge, is awaiting sentencing by U.S. District Judge Shelly Dick.

The Robertsons stole $38,000-plus in U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher funds from mid-2011 to late 2014 by submitting fraudulent documents to the East Baton Rouge Parish Housing Authority, court records indicate.

Rhoda Robertson also illegally obtained more than $12,000 in HUD Section 8 housing assistance funds prior to mid-2011, court documents show.
In the coming days, state-directed crews will begin clearing drywall, ripping up carpets, inspecting electrical systems and performing other small-scale repairs to get people back into their flood-ravaged homes. And all of it will come for free for those homeowners in a program the state is testing for the first time.

"Shelter At Home" was unveiled this week as a key component of the state's plan for addressing the needs of thousands of flood victims who have been displaced from their homes, while also lessening the burden on an already squeezed housing market. The idea is to get homes into a habitable state, so people can live there while they make more permanent repairs on their own dime.

The state and federal partnership will be the first time that such a program has been used in Louisiana  though a similar effort faced mixed reviews when it was used in New York following Superstorm Sandy and faced criticism over questionable repair quality.

Officials here have touted it as a key piece to Louisiana's post-flood housing puzzle.

"Everybody wants to go home if they can," Gov. John Bel Edwards said Thursday, noting he expects crews will be in homes by Monday, when Shelter At Home is set to formally launch.

Since catastrophic flooding swept across South Louisiana earlier this month, thousands of people have been forced to live in hotels, rental properties or large shelters.

The Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness estimates that many as 160,000 homes have been affected by the flood. Already, more than 120,000 households have applied for federal disaster assistance.

State and federal leaders say that the program will help people return to their communities and settle back into their lives.

"The housing issue is significant to the extent we have to come up with some unique ideas," said Mark Riley, the deputy director of GOHSEP.

If a home can be back in a livable state with up to $15,000 in repairs, then the state will OK the work and a crew will be sent out to do the work.

The program only covers minor repair work: basic electrical and plumbing inspections; carpet and insulation removal; air conditioning and hot water heater repairs; and installing temporary bathroom fixtures, are among the types of tasks they will consider.

The program will also pay for mini-refrigerators or microwaves to be installed to serve as makeshift kitchen appliances.

Riley said that the state will hire a project manager over the weekend. An estimated four-to-seven general contractors will then be hired, and they are expected to then hire sub-contractors to help with the work.

The homeowners merely fill out the required information when the program goes live via a state-run state website or by phone.

"All the homeowner has to do is express an interest and we will do the work," Riley said.

Riley said that the program has been modeled off of "Rapid Repairs"  a program that popped up in response to Superstorm Sandy. The Louisiana flood has been called the worst natural disaster since that storm struck in 2012.

According to congressional testimony during a hearing on Sandy recovery, New York City's version of the program managed to within 90 days restore heat, hot water and electricity to nearly 20,000 residential units, paving the way for thousands of New Yorkers to return to their homes.

The program was seen as of particular significance for Manhattan, where space is at a premium and room for sheltering people is scarce.

But the program didn't come without complaints.

Stories soon popped up in the New York Post, New York Daily News and the Staten Island Advance with reports of "shoddy" repairs through the program.

All of them featured people complaining that government-funded repairs had left their homes with potentially dangerous conditions and in desperate need of additional fixes.

Riley said that Louisiana had to "talk FEMA into" agreeing to try the housing repair program here. Others downplayed the negotiations as merely attempting to reach the right fit for the state's needs.

"We had to convince them there was a real need for it here," Riley said after a state legislative hearing on the flood on Thursday.

Riley said that there was a perception of problems in the New York program that gave reason for pause before attempting something similar here, but he said the needs were similar in that a large population has been displaced with no housing stock to meet the increased demand.

Riley said that the $15,000 cap was one point the federal government required to agree to it. The cap had been higher in New York, he noted.

Edwards downplayed the concerns stemming from the earlier iteration.

"We worked very hard with FEMA and the folks in New York and New Jersey to fashion a program here that took advantage of their lessons learned," the governor told The Advocate on Thursday.

He said that any contractors would be licensed and have to meet standards and regulations.

But Edwards said it's also important for people to keep in mind the goal of the program.

"People's expectations need to be in line with what the program is. This program is not designed to go in and repair everything in your home. It is designed to make your home safe and livable and secure so that you can shelter there and live in your communities where your kids can go to their schools and you can go to your church," he said. "I don't want anybody thinking that when this crew comes in that they are going to leave a home that no longer shows any effects of the flooding. That's not the case."

"Part of this is managing expectations but we're not going to put up with shoddy work because we're not paying for shoddy work," Edwards added.

Gerry Stolar, the regional coordinator for FEMA said that the "Shelter At Home" program won't work for everyone. He said that different options were developed to meet various needs.

"It can't be one solution for all," he said. "We're trying to get as many feasible options as possible."

While homeowners will pay nothing, the state will be on the hook for 25 percent of the total cost, and the federal government will kick in 75 percent.

Edwards has requested that President Barack Obama lower Louisiana's share of the cost from 25 percent to 10 percent, with the federal government picking up the rest of the tab.

But unless that is granted, the state will be on the hook for whatever 25 percent of the total cost turns out to be. That request has not been acted on yet.

State legislators have largely responded to the program positively.

Sen. Bodi White, R-Central, spoke highly of the program and said he thought it would be beneficial to people.

"Most people do want to live in their homes if they are going to repair it or very near," said White, who chairs the Homeland Security committee and is running for Baton Rouge mayor.

Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, said she worries that people are living in their cars or in unsafe homes  just to avoid a prolonged stay in a shelter.

"I'm just really concerned about the whole housing piece," she said. "Our housing stock was already extremely limited before this flood."

"Most people aren't staying in shelters. they are staying with family members or their trucks or cars or in those homes," she said.
In this May 5, 2015, photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton speaks on immigration at an event at Rancho High School in Las Vegas. To judge them solely by their travels over the past month, you might think Jeb Bush has already plunged into the general election and Clinton has a serious fight on her hands for the Democratic nomination. (AP Photo/John Locher)
One of the odder images of this week's post-flood presidential visit to South Louisiana was Louisiana's two Republican U.S. Senators flanking Democrat Barack Obama as he spoke to the nation.

Face it, neither David Vitter nor Bill Cassidy is a fan. In fact, both won their Senate elections by focusing more on the president than their own Democratic opponents.

Two years ago Cassidy beat longtime Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu, who had reinvented herself as a disaster response specialist after Louisiana was ravaged by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, by relentlessly pounding her votes for the president's more ideologically divisive policies. Who can forget Cassidy's constant refrain of "Mary Landrieu, Barack Obama, 97 percent, a reference to the percentage of votes she'd taken that Cassidy said aligned with the president's preferences?

When journalists asked Cassidy back then whether it would hurt the state to lose someone with Landrieu's expertise and track record, he said that, when Louisiana's interests came into play, he'd pretty much replicate what Landrieu did.

Now's his chance to prove it. And with Louisiana's relatively diminished presence in Congress, that's not going to be easy.

Landrieu's post-Katrina and Rita record was strong enough that a number of Republicans backed her reelection in 2008. With the monster storms in the rearview mirror, partisan politics reasserted itself in 2014 and a majority of the conservative-leaning state's voters decided other matters were more important. That's one leading voice on these matter gone.

Soon to join her is Vitter, who now heads the Senate Small Business and Entrepreneurship Committee, a post that Landrieu once held and that gives him oversight of the Small Business Administration, which plays a key role in doling out the disaster loans that many homeowners, businesses and non-profits will need.

So as far as the Senate is concerned, Cassidy will have to play point.

Cassidy has already put his money where his mouth is on several related measures over the years. During the 2014 campaign, he joined Landrieu and a broad bipartisan coalition to push legislation to keep flood insurance rates in the state's most vulnerable regions affordable. After he was elected, he vocally criticized an Obama proposal to divert offshore oil revenues that Landrieu had secured for the state's coastal restoration efforts back to the national treasury. In an interview this week, Cassidy argued that one way for Obama to help out now would be to drop the idea, which has gained no traction.

In some other respects, Cassidy has stepped into Landrieu's shoes. She was a longtime member of the Appropriations Committee, which put in her a strong position to send money back home. He now sits on that panel. She once chaired the Homeland Security subcommittee, where Cassidy is now a member. And of course, the Republicans are now in the majority at least through January, when Cassidy will step up as senior senator once Vitter retires.

This week, he vowed to do whatever's needed to bring relief to the communities that flooded, a promise that Obama also made as Cassidy nodded along. Specifically, Cassidy said he'd join the delegation and governor in seeking aid, probably through Community Development Block Grants, for redevelopment, as well as longer-term mitigation projects such as a fast-tracked Comite River diversion.

The bigger obstacle is likely to be skepticism from fellow Republicans over big spending measures, the same sentiment that emerged nearly four years ago after Superstorm Sandy hit New York, New Jersey and Connecticut.

Back then, Cassidy, a member of the House, joined House colleagues Steve Scalise and John Fleming in voting against a larger aid package that they said contained too many non-emergency measures. This week, Cassidy defended that vote, and argued that bloated post-disaster bills can "undermine the support for relief."

Still, that vote could come back to haunt him. U.S. Rep. and Senate candidate Charles Boustany, who advocated for the full Sandy aid package, said this week that he'd warned his fellow Republicans that they could look like hypocrites the next time Louisiana got hit. Paul Rainwater, who once headed the Louisiana Recovery Authority and now advises governments seeking disaster aid, noted that "the conversations about the politics of it are pretty brutal, but that's the nature of how it happens in Washington. People pay each other back."

So now Cassidy's going to be pleading with his colleagues for help for his own backyard, just as Landrieu spent years doing. Those should be some interesting conversations.
It's a question most people wonder but are too polite to ask: How much are your neighbors paying in property taxes, and how much money are the
An effort to mitigate mildew and fungus in the home of Debbie Bueche , left, by cleaning the house with water and then vacuuming it up with a wet vacuum is being done by employees of United Fire & Water, a Baton Rouge-based damage remediation firm. Despite the tens of thousands of area homes that were damaged by the flooding, local builders said there are enough workers to handle the repair work.
Greens leader Shane Rattenbury. Credit:Rohan Thomson The latest independent is Marea Fatseas, who led the campaign against a big, new suburban development near Government House in Yarralumla, and who is typical of the politically active, centrist independents who are emerging, fed up with Labor. Michael Moore, Canberra's longest-serving and most successful independent historically (until 2001), believes there is fertile ground for independents this year, but their chances are slim. And getting elected will take more than being a reasonable person with appealing polices. It takes strategy, which none of the independents and few of the minor parties are showing any signs of grasping todate. It takes 17 per cent of the vote to get a seat, which means a significant preference flow is needed. And while Barr is almost certain to cop a significant voter backlash, as the retired nurse fronting the pro-Labor union-funded advertising campaign epitomises, many people might lodge their anti-Labor protest by giving their first preference to an independent, even their second, and then reverting to Labor and the Greens. This is what Jude Dodd says she will probably do  show her displeasure at the tram by voting for an independent or Green, then heading down the preference line back to Labor. While this no doubt came as unwelcome news to the unions and Labor, Dodd's protest vote is a vote that will help return the Labor government. The only effective way for an independent or minor party to be elected is if almost one in five voters are savvy and determined enough to keep their vote with those independent and minor parties without straying into the major party columns. A strong minor party would have a better chance, but there are 12 parties and the sheer numbers are likely to split the vote. For all the political track record of Richard Farmer in getting people elected, he is yet to come up with a candidate or present a coherent and comprehensive platform. The Sex Party likes its chances in Tuggeranong, but a win for it there would come at the expense of the Liberals, increasing the chance of majority Labor government. Strong crossbench for good government

While the most likely outcome on October 15 is 12 seats to Labor, 12 seats to the Liberals, and one seat to king-making Green Shane Rattenbury, there is much to be said for an active crossbench. Jeremy Hanson's confidence ignores the fact the Liberals are a long shot to win Assembly clerk Tom Duncan told a forum this week that more crossbenchers means more scrutiny. Using the number of completed committee inquiries as an indicator of scrutiny, Duncan said the seventh assembly had a big crossbench, with four Greens, and the result was 154 committee reports. In contrast, the current Assembly, with no crossbench (the sole Green having joined Labor in coalition government), has delivered 133 reports. Duncan said the membership of committees was locked two Labor and two Liberal, with anecdotal evidence that inquiries one side wanted to pursue, were blocked by the other. Observers of the strength and fearlessness of the Senate committee system in the Federal Parliament might also like to see a more robust set of committee inquiries in the ACT. Labor the frontrunner

But given the need for strategic and sophisticated voting in significant numbers to ensure a populated crossbench, it is not the most likely outcome. Labor is the frontrunner, not only because of the political proclivity of ACT voters and the crucial help of the Greens, but also because of its willingness to play politics ruthlessly. We have seen this in the past few weeks with the untruths over Liberal job cuts and the appointment of Liberal Brendan Smyth to the plum job as commissioner for international engagement  an appointment that looked calculated to create a political headache for the Liberals  never mind the spending of public money. We have also seen it in the brazen deck-clearing. Changes to liquor laws to address late-night violence that would have forced massive fee hikes on venues staying open after 3am were jettisoned at the last minute. Higher fees for bottle stores and other changes remained on the agenda an extra couple of weeks before they too were shelved. Plans to allow bailed defendants to be held in custody were scaled back and "anti-consorting" laws were dropped altogether. A law change that would have gagged public servants from saying anything that damaged the government's reputation was also dropped at the last. Now, the government has begun a review of the Land Development Agency's methods for buying land, headed by a former national auditor, as it seeks again to defuse election anger. Barr was talking vaguely last week about a different way of consulting Canberrans on major developments, saying the system failed to include the views of "significant chunks of the community". As an aside, while the theme of this thought bubble is consultation, it looks likely, if it leads to anything at all, to be aimed at downplaying the views of the vocal and motivated people who successfully fought the Manuka Oval redevelopment and the new Yarralumla suburb, and are gearing up to do the same on West Basin.

Much of this speaks of panic, unsurprising given the apparent electoral mood. What is more of a mystery is why Barr waited so long to heed the upset. Barr is shaped in the ungentle political playground of the ACT parliament where he has worked as a staffer and politician for 14 years (before that also mostly as a local and federal political staffer). He's a creature of politics, which gives him the strategic edge, but could also backfire if he continues to treat the electorate as though they will swallow anything. Nonsense costings One of the problems of a party jaded by long-time incumbency is they think the goal justifies almost any tactics in the fight. Political parties have a habit of this kind of end-justifies-the-means thinking, telling themselves they are more caring/reliable/competent than their opponents so the voter will be in much better hands if they win. Therefore winning is the point and virtually anything goes in the pursuit of that goal. It didn't matter to federal Labor whether the Coalition did intend to privatise Medicare, nor that Malcolm Turnbull denied it flatly and vehemently over and again; what mattered was to plant the doubt in voters' minds. It was a plausible thought that a Liberal government would do such a thing; perhaps they will after all. By the same token, the nonsensical "costings" of Liberal "promises" coming out of Barr's office in the past few weeks can be as silly and meaningless as anything  and they are. The point is that they raise a question. Barr sets up a straw man, erroneously attributes a $400 million budget black hole to the Liberals, and makes it gospel.

The figure came from an adviser in Barr's office, who trawled through every suggestion the Liberals have made this term, every call the party has made on the government to do something, and collected these ideas and suggestions with the election promises made in the past few months. Lumped together, they were then "costed" (although without Treasury's input), and added to a grand figure over four years of $400 million. The Liberals have now come up with their own tally, of $230 million over four years, including the government-estimated $223 million compensation payment for scrapping the tram. But costings debates are notoriously un-useful and while clearly it is incumbent on both parties to cost their promises and identify some savings or accept a likely impact on the bottom line, confusing the numbers with promises the Liberals haven't even made simply makes it more difficult for voters to make head or toe of the result. Costings scorecards are little more than a tactic. More ridiculous, though, was Barr's extra "analysis", which concluded that spending $400 million over four years meant Hanson would sack 2000 public servants. "More than 2000 Canberrans will lose their jobs if the Liberals win the next ACT election, " Barr trumpeted.

"Health will be hardest hit, with around 680 staff to go  and with most staff working on the front line that means hundreds nurses disappearing from hospital wards. "Next on the Liberals' hit list will be our teachers. More than 530 education staff will be sacked, so hundreds of teachers will be torn from our classrooms. And with the ACT government funding non-government schools, the Liberals' cuts will be felt in Catholic and independent school classrooms too." The first assumption is that the Liberals must save $400 million to pay for the promises they haven't even made. Then, Barr's wacky analysis went like this: The Liberals will share the "savings" across the budget evenly. About half the government's budget goes on wages, so $195 million must be saved in wages. These cuts will be made pro-rata across the public service, which is how they got to 680 jobs from health and 530 from teaching. None of which bears any connection at all with the world we live in. But worse still, the numbers were wrong anyway. If the Liberals did want to save $195 million in wages over four years, they would cut 500 jobs, not 2000. Barr's people had made the elementary mistake of simply dividing $195 million by an average of about $100,000 per job, forgetting that the person who costs $100,000 a year, costs $400,000 over four years. Five-hundred jobs gets you there. Except that the Liberals have no intention, they say, of cutting any jobs, and are busy announcing more nurses. Deep conservatives in Liberal ranks

The Liberals don't look vulnerable on jobs, no matter how hard Barr pushes his line on this. They are, however, perhaps more vulnerable to another line of attack from Labor: That their ranks are populated by some deep conservatives. Barr is fond of saying the ACT Liberals are the most conservative branch in the country, a claim designed to strike fear into the heart of Labor voters who might be inclined to punish Labor and looking warily towards the Liberals. The Liberals are sensitive about this issue. Hanson has already said there is "no desire from me or my colleagues to change the social fabric of this city in a significant way". He has repeated the statement in an interview with The Canberra Times, and emphasises that he personally is anything but a social conservative  he is pro-choice on abortion, voted for a republic at the referendum, and supports same-sex marriage. His deputy, on the other hand, is firmly in the conservative camp, holding the opposite views to Hanson on each of those issues. Alistair Coe says his conservatism shapes him as a person, but he says it is not what motivates him as a politician  he is focussed on the economy, efficiency in delivering government services, health, education and public transport. He has no intention, he says, of embarking on a social agenda of his own in government. Asked how the public can trust him not to pursue deeply held views on issues such as abortion, Coe says look at his record in the Assembly, where he has never sought to raise such an issue, and look also at the unity of the Liberal team. He will not attempt abortion law change, he insists. For his part, Hanson says that if the conservatives wanted to pursue such issues "why would they have elected a pro-choice atheist as leader?" "I'm probably one of the more socially liberal Liberal leaders in Australia so to say that I have been elected by my peers demonstrates that we are not a party dominated by one group or another," he says.
Police are investigating a break-in at John James Village after thieves stole donated whitegoods and damaged property on Thursday night.

The Garran site provides accommodation for blood cancer patients being treated at Canberra Hospital and opened three weeks ago.

John James Foundation chairman Paul Smith said staff and trade contractors arrived at work on Friday to find the Rusden Street property had been targeted overnight.

"It's hard to imagine why anyone would want to steal from people who are facing a life-threatening illness like leukaemia or myeloma," Professor Smith said.

"It's obviously extremely disappointing that something like this has happened at a facility designed to assist families who are facing a very difficult period in their life."
Finals are back at the SCG while a blockbuster September Sydney derby would be held at ANZ Stadium under a deal finalised by the AFL on Friday.

After weeks of negotiations, the AFL secured an early release from its finals agreement with ANZ Stadium in a development that is being seen as a major win for the code in Sydney.

Spiritual home: Xavier Richards shows a clean pair of heels at the SCG, where the Swans will return to finals football after an 11-year absence. Credit:Mark Nolan

It is also a fillip for the Swans, who are playing their first final in 11 years at their beloved SCG home. The venue switch puts the Swans back in the running to host a first-up final on Thursday or Friday night.

The Swans would have had their home-ground advantage diluted if their finals remained at ANZ Stadium, where they have not played all season.
The Fair Work Ombudsman has launched a fresh investigation into scandal-plagued convenience store chain 7-Eleven after new evidence emerged franchisees were still exploiting workers.

Fairfax Media can reveal the Fair Work Ombudsman is investigating "serious allegations of breaches of workplace laws" at the franchise giant just months after it completed its inquiry into rampant wage fraud at the company.

The Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James told Fairfax Media "there is a real prospect we will take further legal action against 7-Eleven operators."

The new investigations come as the federal government has vowed to crack down on wage fraud across the $170 billion franchise industry, including 7-Eleven, with new legislation set to be drafted and introduced into Parliament.
According to a 7-Eleven store database seen by Fairfax Media, Ren's store had ongoing payroll compliance issues, however, sources close to the company said she was far from being the worst offender. At least 50 more 7-Eleven stores are speculated to close in the next 12 months. They include at least three stores in the surrounding area near Ren's. 7-Eleven had a hardship program in place  involving a subsidy - to help stores that were making almost no money. It increased the threshold for this program just after the wage rorting scandal was exposed, and changed the way it shares profits with store owners. "It ensures our network is positioned for growth, and removes any suggestion that store owners cannot afford to comply with the law  including paying staff the right wages," says 7-Eleven. The company is now closing stores that are not performing, including those that it might previously have re-signed or extended regardless of performance. In 2015 at least 138 stores across a network of 620 were not making enough money to pay the correct wages and other costs, according to company documents seen by Fairfax Media. It's been 12 months since Fairfax Media exposed systemic wage fraud, financially struggling franchisees, falsification of payroll records and a head office cover-up.

The Fair Work Ombudsman conducted an investigation and found that head office "compounded" the problems of wage fraud by failing to use systems and processes to detect or address deliberate worker exploitation. In one of the worst dirty laundry airings in Australian history, 7-Eleven staff were revealed to be working for as little as $5 an hour up to 60 hours a week, sometimes in menacing and dangerous conditions, including robberies. Workers, often international students, were threatened with deportation by their bosses if they reported their underpayment to the authorities; some were even beaten. Since then a lot has changed  sometimes for the better, sometimes worse. While hundreds of workers have been given back pay, thousands more are still waiting. And the financial pressure on franchisees like Ren has continued.

The company sums up the past year as "difficult but transformative". Ahead of the July election, both sides of politics made it clear they wanted to tackle the issue. Employment Minister Michaelia Cash announced a $20 million funding boost to Fair Work and a suite of polices that will increase the powers of the regulator - including a tenfold increase in fines. As part of the 7-Eleven-inspired policy package, the minister also pledged to set up a Migrant Workers Taskforce within Fair Work to be headed by Allan Fels and David Cousins. "The systemic exploitation of vulnerable workers by 7-Eleven franchisees demonstrates that more needs to be done to protect vulnerable workers," Cash tells Fairfax Media.



"The 7-Eleven scandal revealed not only a business model that encouraged systemic underpayment of workers, but also a widespread practice of franchisees paying their employees the lawful rate, but then coercing them to pay back a certain proportion of their wages to the employer in cash." In the past year, 7-Eleven has established a compensation scheme for underpaid workers, changed its profit share model and given financial breaks to its struggling franchisees. So far it has paid $26 million in back pay to 680 workers.

7-Eleven has no legal obligation to make these payments but with a reputation in tatters, and a business model that has now been exposed as flawed and blind to wage fraud, it had little option but to accept responsibility and accountability. Chairman Mike Smith, in an opinion piece written earlier this week, said "no organisation in Australian corporate history has responded as swiftly, comprehensively and transparently as 7-Eleven in dealing with the activity uncovered in its network." The company's billionaire owner-chairman Russ Withers, chief executive Warren Wilmot and general manager operations Natalie Dalbo have stepped down from their positions after being hauled before a Senate Inquiry into the wage scandal and the company hired new chief executive Angus McKay. But at the same time 7-Eleven appeared to be making positive change, Fairfax Media revealed franchisees had found a new, sinister way to underpay their workers by paying them in full only to demand the worker hand back half in cash away to the franchisee in what has been dubbed the 'cash back scheme'. The independent compensation panel set up by the company and chaired by former competition tsar Allan Fels was sacked by the company after only eight months and replaced with a company-run panel flaming concerns by Fels that 7-Eleven was not serious about repaying its defrauded workers.

Fels had, only a month before, estimated that 7-Eleven's back pay bill could top $100 million. Meanwhile, few franchisees have been turfed out of the system for the cash back scam while franchisees with so-called "dog shops", that could never make money, are thrown to the wolves, like Ren. 7-Eleven has terminated 14 franchisees for a range of reasons, including wage payment issues. But it argues the current franchise code makes it hard to terminate. "As it stands, we are in a position where we have to prove multiple breaches and the bar is a high one," a spokesman says. Shockingly, Fairfax Media can reveal one franchisee in Victoria has been charged for installing secret cameras in his stores' toilets to spy on customers. Victoria Police confirmed the man had been charged for using the cameras for his own sexual gratification. He has also understood to have been involved in the cash-back scam, yet 7-Eleven has not terminated the franchisee, who Fairfax Media has chosen not to name.

A 7-Eleven spokesman says the company reported the franchisee to the police but declined to answer questions about whether it would terminate the franchisee saying the matter was before the courts. Sources close to head office have also told Fairfax Media that a new burning issue for the company is another scam by franchisees where workers are employed as casuals but paid the much lower part-time rate. Indeed the Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James said Fair Work was conducting new investigations into "serious" allegations of breaches of workplace laws. "There is a real prospect we will take further legal action against 7-Eleven operators," she said. Ms James said 7-Eleven had not yet entered into a compliance partnership with the regulator, a recommendation put to the convenience store giant in December and outlined in a report released by Fair Work in April. 7-Eleven says it received the first draft of the compliance deed in April. "Discussions between 7-Eleven and the FWO are well advanced and 7-Eleven looks forward to concluding the partnership as soon as possible." Other recommendations from the report include head office setting up a "guarantee" reserve fund to repay workers when the franchisee fails to rectify the wage breach, introducing photographic identification of all employees, owning and operating all CCTV systems in 7-Eleven franchises and introducing a biometric time recording system for all employees and franchisees to enable head office to monitor accurate records of working hours.

"7-Eleven head office understands such an arrangement will give us, and the broader community greater confidence that its commitment to compliance is both sincere and real," Ms James said. Consumer advocate Michael Fraser, who blew the whistle on wage fraud at 7-Eleven, said he had spent the past 12 months talking to workers and franchisees and says underpayment is still "rampant" within the 7-Eleven system. "It seems like head office is looking for underpayment but they are only closing down the stores that are not performing well." He says he knows of other franchisees who want to leave the system but they are getting low offers, which aren't enough to cover the debts they owe.

Concerns are also mounting about the new compensation scheme, with some suggest makes it difficult for underpaid workers to prove their claims. Fels says more detail and transparency is needed surrounding the payouts. "When the numbers and amounts of payments are all taken together, so far there isn't enough evidence to satisfy doubts about [7-Eleven's] commitments to go through with the extent of the payments. "It is difficult to judge from present numbers what is happening. We need to know more about the process, the role of Deloitte, the role of 7-Eleven, where the onus of proof for lodging a claim lies." Fels says he is encouraged by the government's "stern" attitude to wage fraud, the changing of the law and its pressing of 7-Eleven to make up the underpayments. "The most important development in the long-term will be establishing accessorial liability for franchisors when franchisees underpay. That will have a profound effect." Maurice Blackburn offered to help workers pro-bono. Principal Giri Sivaraman, who is heading up the 7-Eleven cases, says 77 claims have been submitted, valued at $6.1 million. He said 49 claims remain outstanding.

In one case, a worker, who worked for two stores between 2010 and 2016 at between $10 and $12 an hour, is owed almost $400,000. His claim was submitted in April and has still not been paid. He was threatened with violence by his boss after coming forward with his underpayment claim. "For most of my time at the store the timesheets did not reflect my actual hours worked. I was forced to sign on forged time sheets to show reduced working hours and I always felt bullied because of this," he said. A lot has happened to Melbourne-based Tejinder Jit Singh over the past year since he first came forward to give explosive evidence to the joint  Jeet, as he is known to his mates, is now a father and has won a $7,000 back pay claim from Fair Work. But the Fair Work payment didn't cover the entire time he worked a 7-Eleven, says Jeet, who was nearly blinded after being slashed on his face just under his eye during a horrific assault at a 7-Eleven store. "I was working there for years and I am still owed back pay," Jeet says. He says since the new panel came in not one of his friends has received a back-pay claim through 7-Eleven. Jeet himself filed a claim months ago but it is yet to be processed.

"7-Eleven knows we were underpaid but they are asking for all this evidence. We don't have any evidence. The payslips are false. We don't have the timesheets and the timesheets will be false anyway," Singh says. McKay rejects claims the company is unfairly putting the burden of proof on claimants, and says the process aimed to deal with claims in a "fair, consistent and efficient" way. Fairfax Media can reveal that 7-Eleven's internal panel sometimes requires these young workers to meet with private investigators, some of whom are ex-police officers, so the veracity of their claims can be tested. Fairfax Media has obtained video footage of the first few minutes of one such meeting which recently took place at New Farm Library in Brisbane between a back-pay claimant and a representative of Austrace, a investigations and surveillance group. The covert video shows the lengths the Austrace representatives will go to save money on behalf of the company.

"They've got a room we can use but they [the library] don't open until 10 [am] so in 5 minutes," the Austrace representative tells the claimant. "I've just told them [the library] we're doing a uni project because sometimes they charge you for the room so we're from the university doing a project together," the Austrace representative says as the claimant nervously laughs. As he goes to ask the librarian for a meeting room, the representative tells the claimant, "so just go read a book or something for now". Brisbane City Council offers meeting rooms for hire at many of its libraries including New Farm. But the council's website states the room "cannot be used for business purposes". A representative from Austrace referred Fairfax Media's questions to 7-Eleven. A spokesman for 7-Eleven said "all investigations undertaken by the unit are done so on the basis of protecting the integrity of investigations and where appropriate the identity of witnesses".

Pranay Alawala, a former 7-Eleven worker who has had a successful back-pay claim through the Fels panel, and risked deportation by coming to the media with his story, attended the meeting and said it was very strange. "He wanted photo evidence. My friend had already given them what evidence they had but they wanted more and more evidence," Alawala says. The Greens Industrial Relations spokesman Adam Bandt criticised the time it was taking for the government to act on their policies. "One year on, it seems the government and 7-Eleven have done the minimum possible to fend off public outrage, but disappointingly many workers have still not received the wages they are owed."
Research found there were 680,000 temporary visa-holders with work rights living in Australia. Credit:Miquel Llonch / Stocksy This year, the overall proportion of foreign-born Australian residents has hit a 120-year-high, at 28 per cent. Many are over-represented in some of the country's riskiest and dangerous industries, including farming, food processing, fruit-picking and construction, the report said. Factors that increase their exposure to harm include poor language skills, being vulnerable to exploitation and "valuing job security over health and safety". Afghan refugee Mohammad Zafar Rahimi has had three of his fingers sliced open, and now lives with chronic pain from neck and spine damage, after working as a vegetable cutter at Melbourne's Dandenong Market.

How many more operations can I go through? I'm not an animal Disabled worker Mohammad Zafar Rahibi Receiving flat-rate pay of just $14 an hour, he worked gruelling 14-hour shifts  from 3am to 5pm, with no rest breaks and would chop up to 1400 cabbages a day using a blunt knife he had to sharpen on the pavement. "I had to apply a lot of force. My pain aggravated and got worse day by day ... and now my pain is constant, shooting from my neck and my back," he said. "I've had to have many operations on these important parts of my body ... How many more operations can I go through? I'm not an animal." Mr Rahimi, a father of six who now lives on the disability pension, said he had never received workplace safety instructions, and was not provided adequately safe equipment needed to perform his job.

Among the Safe Work Australia report's most damning findings are the results of a previously unseen survey of more than 1000 Australian workplaces, revealing 91 per cent of employers with staff from non-English-speaking backgrounds had failed to provide safety information translated into other languages. The report's finding that migrants are more likely than other workers to be injured or killed on the job are based on workplace inspection and enforcement activity, anecdotal data and international research. But the true extent of the problem in Australia remained largely hidden because of a "significant gap" in statistics, the report said, with regulators including state workplace watchdogs and the Immigration Department failing to track and exchange crucial information. Central to the problem is the unexplained decision to shelve arrangements established between state and federal agencies in 2010 to regularly share the names of all 457 visa-holders and the businesses employing them, and details of workplace injuries and deaths. The arrangements suddenly stopped after little use, leaving "no data source that adequately identifies and collects information".

Workers' compensation lawyer Lachlan Fitch, a principal at Maurice Blackburn, said the report revealed that government authorities needed to do more. "We regularly see employers pay insufficient regard to inducting migrant workers in safe work practices; it's often very basic on-the-job training that may not be properly understood," he said. "Addressing the problem needs to be a priority for all levels of government because the lives and health and safety of workers are at risk." Mr Fitch said the report demonstrated the need to re-instate data-sharing arrangements between watchdogs and immigration authorities, which would lead to better education, inspection and enforcement actions. The report said state-based activities to address migrant worker risks had been previously conducted on ad hoc or industry-wide basis.

Safe Work Australia said it understood that some jurisdictions identified as failing to have migrant-specific intervention activities had introduced targeted programs after the report. WorkSafe Victoria said the report "clearly states that WorkSafe addresses the risks associated with migrant workers as part of industry-wide compliance and education programs". The agency also said it was preparing to launch a "major public awareness campaign" in October to alert Chinese-speaking workers of their rights, and was working to address migrant risks with other federal agencies and state regulators. SafeWork NSW said there had been 70 workers' compensation claims involving 457-visa workers in three years, costing $1.46 million. WorkSafe Victoria does not track victims' visa status. "SafeWork NSW is working to better identify the needs of high-risk groups that include workers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, those on temporary visas and migrant workers," a spokeswoman said.
Not that long ago, Volkswagen dealerships were among the hottest properties in the retail auto business.

The German brand was growing rapidly, and an ambitious goal of tripling sales in the United States to more than 800,000 cars a year seemed within reach, helped by increasingly popular diesel models and a new plant in Chattanooga, Tennessee. With the future looking bright, buyers as recently as 2014 typically paid premiums of $US3 million ($3.9 million) to $US4 million to acquire Volkswagen franchises in the United States.

But the diesel scandal that erupted almost a year ago, setting off a plunge in Volkswagen sales, changed all that. Some dealers who tried to sell their franchises in the last year found their dealerships were worth little more than the value of the land they stood on and their inventory of cars and spare parts, according to brokers involved in dealership sales.

Now help is on the way.
C.J. Johnston, Duffy Overzealous official Andrew Meares's photograph illustrating your story "Raids not political, say police and Govt" (August 25, p6) exemplifies two iron laws of public affairs: (1) there will always be an overzealous official or officer throwing his or her weight around; (2) said official or officer will always end up looking like a goose. David Stephens, Bruce Political personalities

As the Parliament we had to have gathers for the first time it seems the biggest winner in the recent election was the Egotist Party with so much of the popular vote going to "political personalities" instead of professional politicians. The eponymous Nick Xenophon Team, Pauline Hanson's One Nation, Jacquie Lambie's Network and Derry Hinch's Justice Party attracted groupie voters in their thousands to the extent that they now hold the balance of power in our nation. How long will it be therefore before voters get to pick between Bill Shorten's Labor, Richard Di Natale's Greens or 'Insert name here's' Liberals? And locally, how long before our current and former Canberra Times superstars join the fray with Jack Waterford's Indigenous Rules Party, Ian Warden's Fuchsias First, and Frank Cassidy's Republic NOW! John Clarke, Pearce

Victims of insults Meredith Doig ("On the contentious matters of 18C, it may pay us to look to the soics, or the sense of a former judge", Comment, August 25, p16-17) quotes Epictetus: "If someone responds to insult like a rock, what has the abuser gained with his invective". In most contexts concerning racial discrimination, it might be appropriate to contemplate the definition of Chinese water torture: "a process in which water is dripped continuously on to a person's forehead, allegedly driving the restrained victim insane". Many victims of derogatory insults are possibly bemused at their first encounter with bigotry but there comes a time when this wears very thin. 18C might discourage the first drop from falling rather than wait until the point of insanity is reached.

D.P. Coen, Macquarie Meredith Doig's suggestion of of a new test for 18C of the Racial Discrimination Act  how "a reasonable member of the community at large" would respond  misses the whole point of federal anti-discrimination legislation. Surely a key purpose is to protect racial minorities. Whether a member of the "community at large" would feel intimidated (or indeed would understand how a member of a racial minority would feel) is surely irrelevant if the behaviour in fact intimidates members of a minority racial or ethnic group. The test must turn on the impact of the behaviour on the minority racial or ethnic group the legislation seeks to protect.

Ernst Willheim, Forrest Krystallnacht again We are all in debt to Judy Bamberger (Letters, August 22) for warning us that Andrew Bolt's writings vilifying Aborigines could lead to an Australian version of Krystallnacht, where Nazis smashed the windows of Jewish-owned shops throughout 1938 Germany and let them be looted. This explains why shops in Walgett, Brewarrina, Wilcannia and elsewhere are barred and grilled with enough iron to fit out several prisons. It's so that their Aboriginal owners can protect themselves against the inevitable Krystallnacht rampages by frenzied fascist readers of Bolt's columns.

It's called shooting yourself in the foot, Judy. Bill Deane, Chapman Climate predictions David Barratt's assertion (Letters, August 24) about the virtues of the IPCC's climate modelling cannot go unchallenged. Climate modelling is a very imprecise science. One only needs to look at the accuracy of our current 7-day weather forecasts  which are derived from a sub-set of the broader global circulation models  to see that this is the case. If we cannot predict the weather seven days hence, what hope do we have of describing the climate decades or a century ahead?

Climate and weather are complex beasts with myriad feedback loops and considerable internal buffering and our knowledge and computer models are not sophisticated enough to predict their vagaries. Let's not pretend otherwise. Wayne Ralph, Hawker 'Taxed nots' Does Scott Morison's reference to the "taxed nots" include the wealthy and the multinationals that dodge paying tax in Australia. R. Smith, Scullinc

Bigger is not always better Former Chief Minister Jon Stanhope wants a review of the Land Development Agency and for more land to be released, faster. In other words, accelerated urban sprawl and urban infill. But you can bet your bottom dollar the role Canberra's rapid population growth plays in creating demand pressure on land prices will not be on Mr Stanhope's agenda. Once again it will be taken as a 'given' that Canberra will double in size over the coming 50 years or so. And once again, confused and disoriented politicians (and ex-ones) will fail to acknowledge the 'elephant in the room' as they cling, like barnacles on a sinking ship, to their unsustainable 'bigger is better' economic ideology. It's time Mr Stanhope broadened his vision. This is now far too serious an issue to look only at the politically convenient solutions. Housing is a fundamental need and a basic human right.

To this end, we need high profile people, like yourself, to have the courage to speak about the population issue, if we are going to secure a socially sustainable ACT. Martin Tye, Kaleen Think of abuse victims When approached by an eager candidate in the forthcoming ACT elections, all electors should think of the victims of domestic violence and ask what is being done to help the wives, mothers and other females who comprise 87 per cent of the victims, trying to free themselves from controlling men. Nation-wide a woman is murdered at least once every week, one hospitalised every three hours and with many enduring, on average, 35 assaults, before calling for police protection.

What then, apart from calling the police, are the avenues available for those seeking to end a violent relationship? Beyond motel accommodation, which is short-lived by many, especially by those with children, what other secure accommodation, along with essential services, are readily available to such vulnerable people? Above all, are these services adequately funded to help bring an end to this dreadful scourge? Voters should ask themselves that on polling day. Keith McEwan, Bonython Misleading statement

According to the ACT government, the new Crookwell wind farm will be "able to power 41,600 Canberra homes" ("Crookwell, SA wind farms 'final piece' in renewable plan", August 24, p5). The actual number is zero, as homes need continuous power. A commercial organisation would be fined for using such a lie to promote its products. Fining a government organisation wouldn't make sense, so the responsible politicians and other managers should be fined, demoted, or sacked (without golden handshakes). Truth in political statements should be policed by the Competition and Consumer Commission, or by a similar organisation set up for that specific purpose. Mike Dallwitz, Giralang Freehold security A. Brown (Letters, August 24), in response to my suggestion (Letters, August 19) that Canberra's residential leases be converted to freehold to give "home-owners" the security of tenure that freehold provides, says that's not necessary  because "the law permits an extension of a lease". It does.

But that doesn't provide the security of tenure that a perpetual freehold certificate of title does; the home-owner has to rely on some bureaucrat's interpretation of the law  and, more importantly, laws can very easily be (and often are) repealed by future governments. Incidentally, Mr Brown, you're wrong to say I think I'm a "wise old owl". I'm only 91. R.S. Gilbert, Braddon Homeopathy research Jenny Heywood (Letters, August 25) seems convinced that evidence of homeopathy's effectiveness exists, but was either excluded or suppressed when both the National Health and Medical Research Council and the Review of the Australian Government Rebate on Private Health Insurance for Natural Therapies produced their reports last year.

I would suggest that neither body's "future depends on patentable pharmaceuticals"  as she so cynically imputes  and that were such folk-remedies able to pass clinical trials, pharmaceutical companies would be mass producing so-low-as-to-be-effectively zero cost tinctures instead of their expensive evidence-based preparations. Perhaps Ms Heywood might be kind enough to cite the peer-reviewed research showing homeopathy having anything other than a placebo effect. If this research exists, it it seems to have somehow flown under the radar. James Allan, Narrabundah Health funds should pay homeopathy rebates with homeopathic money. Soak a $100 note in 100 litres of water until the water has absorbed the essence of the money, soak blank pieces of paper in that water until they have absorbed that essence and then pay the rebates with those pieces of empowered paper. Heino Lepp, Macquarie

Spin on kangaroos Mike Dallwitz (Letters, August 24) is convinced that "the [kangaroo] cull aims to reduce kangaroo numbers to the level that is most beneficial for the environment". But what does that mean? In the six years since the ACT kangaroo management plan has been published, there has been no effort made to ensure we are not killing off kangaroos unnecessarily. And after all this time, the government has yet to identify the causal link between kangaroos and the threatened and endangered species that are meant to be the beneficiaries of all this culling. There is a view that the government is killing too many kangaroos. Annual targets are not met; cattle have to be deployed to keep the grass down in nature parks; there are wide scale burn-offs due to increased bushfire risk; and bushwalkers write into The Canberra Times to say there are no kangaroos left to see.

Perhaps the government is indeed on the wrong track. And Mike has been taken in by all their spin. Philip Machin, Wamboin, NSW TO THE POINT GAY MARRIAGE ACTION It is high time our newly elected federal MPs did the work they're meant to do. A plebiscite completed by our population and at a cost 0f $160 million has to beapproved or rejected by the Parlimentarians. I suggest MPs take such steps once Parliament sits next week.

John Belcher, Flynn John Howard didn't need a plebiscite to change the Marriage Act in 2004 so why do we need to spend nearly $200 million on a plebiscite now when some members say they will ignore the will of the people no matter what the outcome? Organise a joint sitting of both Houses and have a conscience vote. Ray Armstrong, Tweed Heads South, NSW JOYCE'S PRIORITIES Hooray for Alan Joyce ("$1b profit: Qantas to pay first dividend in 7 years", BusinessDay, August 25, p21)! He cut costs. Never mind the Aussie jobs sent overseas, or compromising safety standards.

Don't think about the significant drop in aviation fuel prices. He made a lot of money. Hero. S.W. Davey, Torrens SHORT ON FIGURES There are lies, damned lies and no statistics. Phil O'Brien, Flynn
May Fahmi claims that "France sure has a bizarre way of ensuring 'liberte, egalite, fraternite' for all" because some regions have banned the burkini on some beaches. Au contraire, for many French, wearing burkinis, burqas and veils explicitly says "I am not one of you". It is therefore seen as a deliberate political rejection of French history, culture and republican values; particularly fraternite and laicite (secularism). The ban is not 'repression by men in power' dictating what a woman wears; unless Marine Le Pen and others have changed sex recently. Nor are surfers' wetsuits political or religious statements. Ms Fahmi may happily wear her burkini on Australian beaches but surely the French are entitled to regulate theirs. Richard Pickersgill Forest Hill Let's take to the sand full clad Banning the burkini is against both liberty and secularism. A secular society protects individual rights and tolerates diversity unlike societies dominated by religion as exemplified in the excellent movie Timbuktu. Face coverings are problematic and antisocial I agree. We do like to see faces. But even here there are exceptions to be found in fancy dress and no-one took exception to my dressing as a dog in the main street of Bowral to raise money for the animal shelter. No-one could see my face, not even the dogs who barked and pissed on my legs.

As an older woman I don't like wearing a swim suit and prefer a baggy T-shirt and pants long enough to hide knee surgery. But these days there is always someone ready to tell you what you should or should not wear. I don't wear a hat and that infuriates the hat police when you are out in the sun without one. The beaches of southern France should not just be for the young and beautiful and there are plenty of us who don't feel comfortable flashing a lot of flesh in public. One way of making the point would be for all the people who are sympathetic to the plight of burkini wearers to purchase one and turn up on the beaches in droves. I remember marching down Oxford Street in the '60s for the right to wear trousers instead of a skirt to Teachers College. There's nothing like a good old fashioned protest march or rally. Jenny Ferguson Sutton Forest Respect has no limits Jane Wilks (Letters, August 26) somehow manages to twist a plea for protection of young girls ("Where is male outrage at violation of girls? Fathers must talk to sons", August 25) into an argument against marriage equality.

You can't pick and choose which sectors of society you want to respect. Stephen Broderick Avalon Jane Wilks, look at the divorce statistics. Maintaining the existing status marriage laws will not ensure that a son has his father to guide him daily nor will it ensure that they are guided in the right direction. Rose Cunningham Yarravel I challenge Jane Wilks to produce unbiased, statistical evidence that shows adult children of homosexual couples display any more or less respect for others than those of heterosexual couples.

Felicite Ross Vaucluse Messy desk is OK When I was in the workforce 20 years ago I was constantly taken to task for having an untidy desk. It was with considerable pleasure that I read scientific research had shown a messy desk may be a good thing ("Neat or messy? What a desk says about you," August 26). It bears out the truth of that classic messy desk defence: You show me a tidy desk and I'll show you a sick mind. Garth Clarke North Sydney Scrutinise donors to determine loyalty

Foreign donations that influence political decision-making and lead to commercial advantage to foreign investors in Australia should be of concern to every voter ("Foreign donations trigger concerns", August). Historically, the Chinese Communists ranted against Western influence through economic imperialism, and excluded foreign investment from China. Foreign investment in China remains difficult and risky to this day. So it is ironic that the pseudo Communist government of China now wants Australia to fling our doors wide open to Chinese investors. Buying a commercial advantage by paying politicians may be normal in parts of Asia, but it is not acceptable in Australia. Elected governments should represent voters and not particular foreign or other interests. Because of the reliance of both main federal parties on foreign donations, perhaps it is time to implement Malcolm Turnbull's 2008 proposal under which political party donations from foreign individuals and entities would be prohibited. However, given the current situation in Australia, his proposal should go further. Transparency is not enough. Australian donors should be subject to scrutiny in order to determine the source of their funds, and their ultimate loyalty and motivation. Geoff Black Caves Beach

Julie Bishop, as a solicitor, defended asbestos manufacturer CSR against workers' compensation claims in court in the 1980s. Will she now, as Foreign Minister, step in to defend the right of Australian building workers to an asbestos-free work environment, or defend China's multinational manufacturer Yuanda, and Yuanda Australia who are importing building products containing asbestos, which they label "asbestos-free" ("Company linked to asbestos imports supplied three Canberra buildings", smh.com.au, August 12)? This scandal grows by the day, but our leaders are nowhere to be seen when Australian workers' lives are threatened. Rob Davies Denistone There is no chance of an investigation into Julie Bishop and Chinese businesses and the Chinese government and money flowing to the Liberal Party. If there was it might distract us from our efforts to inquire into unions and their links to the Communists.

Peter Bourke Rockdale Critique of NT unfair What a disappointing editorial, which suggests subverting democracy in an Australian jurisdiction a day before 135 000 Australians go to the polls to vote for their representatives ("The problems with Territory politics", August 25). The Northern Territory is an Australian jurisdiction where 24 per cent of the elected members of its assembly are people of Aboriginal heritage. The assembly is young democratic institution which has been in place just 42 years, its members face immense challenges relating to distance, capacity and population and yet it has had many success stories with more Aboriginal members in its short history than all of the other Australian parliaments combined.

On 34 occasions in the Northern Territory over 12 assemblies since 1974, a person of Aboriginal heritage has been elected. Today that number will increase again. Advocating a Canberra takeover in 2016 would be akin to recommending the British government should have taken over responsibilities in the NSW colony after 42 years of self-government there. Democracy must be encouraged to grow and flourish. The Territory is an easy target, however its Legislative Assembly is a benchmark of Aboriginal participation amongst Australian parliaments. Comparisons to the electoral outcomes in Queensland in the 1970s and '80s are flawed and outdated. Michael Tatham Clerk of the Legislative Assembly, Darwin (NT) Too many people exploiting the system

The Treasurer is correct when he describes our nation's economy at tipping point ("Morrison warns debt blowout of $1 trillion", August 25). Expenditure on welfare payments far outstrips that spent on education, health, defence etc. as illustrated in a cute graph which accompanied my recent tax assessment notice. While those suckling the public teat continue to grow at the same time as those working to support these hand-outs is in increasing decline, the number of those who have made a career of plundering the public purse will tip the voting scales towards sustaining a political party who allows this abuse to continue. The biggest squealing against the Treasurers' proposed changes are from those who have had it too good for too long. Daryl Binning Winthrop (WA)

If Scott Morrison is really worried about the economy, here are a few tips. First, understand that good economics has no relationship with political ideology, either left wing or right wing. Second, to find the most effective ways to build prosperity, study the best performing countries in the OECD. In general, they have a progressive tax system, a generous welfare system, excellent public education (especially in vocational training), and adequate public housing for lower paid workers. They usually ensure that natural monopolies such as roads, ports, airports and public transport are publicly owned. All this provides business with motivated, trained workers and excellent infrastructure, ideal conditions for private enterprise to thrive. And the punchline? Initial funding for all this was debt, now largely repaid by a progressive, realistic tax system.

George Rosier Carlingford It's not just on-field dominance - Kiwis love living here too The All Blacks Supporters Club Sydney on behalf of its members would like it known most Kiwis in Australia are happy with their lives here, hence why we moved here and continue to enjoy Australia as a beautiful country and our closest neighbour. ("New Zealanders unhappier with Aussie life than any other type of immigrants", August 24). How would it be possible to be upset in Australia right now given the All Blacks have just annihilated the Wallabies, had one of the best Olympics campaigns ever in terms of medals per capita, and are all enjoying our adoptive home Sydney and the great Australian sunshine. As immigrants, Kiwi's have the lowest unemployment rate in Australia, contribute billions in taxes and generally are of great benefit to the Australian economy.

Yes, Kiwis that arrived after March 2001 are not entitled to many social benefits that Australians are automatically granted in New Zealand, we currently make up the largest ethnicity in Australian detention centres awaiting deportation or processing and we have a very tough road towards Australian citizenship - issues that should be dealt with by the policy makers. However most Kiwis that have crossed the ditch did so for personal prosperity and enjoy the great Australian way of life. Andy Swears chairman, All Blacks Supporters Club Sydney When charity begins with a discount I'm pretty sure that what Malcolm Turnbull was doing when he gave a mendicant money was thoughtfully providing him with a lesson in economics, as well as current government policies ("Turnbull generosity is nothing new", August 26); an act which was quite possibly accompanied by some sage advice along the lines of: "Here's $5 - It's yours today, but don't spend more than 60 cents of it because next week I am going to take $4.40 back from you" ("Folly of the taxed and the taxed nots", August 26).

Alicia Dawson Balmain Lenient sentences a travesty of justice How can Justice Hulme and his fellow judges be given this honorific before their names when we continually see lenient sentences for heinous crimes ("Man who murdered his wife with scissors is jailed for 21 years", August 26)? The grisly murder of the poor hairdresser by her estranged husband, for whom an AVO meant nothing, and then the resulting light sentence (non-parole period of 15 years), will do little to convince women that their lives are precious and that they can rely on the justice system. Paul Ryan Emu Plains Postscript

There are some days when it is easy to predict what story will provoke an outcry. Other times a big response comes out of left field. That happened on Thursday when Herald letter writers clearly had their buttons pushed. A certain conservative correspondent from Vaucluse waded into the marriage equality debate. George Fishman quoted the 18th century political theorist Edmund Burke: "It is with infinite caution that any man aught to venture upon pulling down an edifice which has answered in any tolerable degree for ages the common purposes of society." More than 20 writers took issue with the quote. So multi-faceted was the response that providing a fair representation was impossible, but they were all writing in opposition Jim Ayling of Kirawee wondered whether the same approach should be applied to "the many controversial decisions made by the Baird, Abbott and Turnbull governments since coming into office".
Australia has great potential but the key to unlocking has gone missing  lost or stolen.

When did this happen? It's hard to say; perhaps it was mislaid around the time John Howard and Peter Costello decided to secure their own political futures by doling out large handouts to taxpayer  bribes financed at the expense of future health, education, infrastructure and research.

Malcolm Turnbull has not had the economic good fortune of his predecessors, and the political landscape is more barren now too.

Or perhaps with the meanness, narrowness and lack of leadership inherent in the remark "'we shall decide who comes here and when". No country could hope to prosper with such inward-looking leadership. And that set the benchmark for political discourse and decision-making for the next 20 years. It put the nation on hold. Like Bob Menzies before him, Howard was lucky with a booming economy. Malcolm Turnbull has not had that economic good fortune, and the political landscape is more barren now too.

In from a working-class backyard has blown Pauline Hanson, representing the anger and disillusionment of a lot of unversed Australians. Resilient and tough she may be, but her simple solutions to complex social problems mark her more as a populist demagogue than a democrat; she has no inhibitions in pushing and pursuing bigotry and racism. The times appear to suit her.
ASIO has proposed scrapping the need for judge-approved warrants to detain and question Australians for up to a week without charge in terrorism investigations, in a watering down of safeguards that has alarmed lawyers and rights advocates.

The power to grant the security agency a controversial "questioning and detention warrant" would rest instead with the Attorney-General  a situation the Law Council of Australia has branded "unprecedented".

The changes being requested by ASIO would also remove a current separate requirement that an independent legal authority, such as a retired judge, is present when a person is being questioned. Rather, oversight of questioning would rest with the intelligence watchdog, the Inspector-General of Intelligence and Security.

Under laws passed in the wake of the September 11 and Bali bombing attacks, ASIO has the power to hold someone for up to seven days and question them if it may "substantially assist the collection of intelligence that is important in relation to a terrorism offence", even if the person isn't a terrorism suspect themselves.
A failure to act swiftly to remove refugees from Nauru and Manus Island could result in "the worst of all scenarios", veteran Liberal MP Russell Broadbent has warned.

"It's one thing to have people die at sea; it's another to have them die in your arms and be responsible for that," Mr Broadbent told Fairfax Media.

"I don't want to be part of a government that takes people to that point."

Mr Broadbent is calling on his leader Malcolm Turnbull to devote all necessary resources of the Prime Minister's office to finding a solution for asylum seekers and refugees on Nauru and Manus Island.
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has called on conservatives within his party to hold their nerve, and to convince ordinary voters that cutting spending was in the national interest.

Mr Abbott used a speech to the Master Builders Association in Melbourne on Friday to rally so-called "reformers" within the Coalition, despite the knife-edge election result that saw Malcolm Turnbull's government returned with a majority of just one.

Mr Abbott said the Labor Party had successfully pursued an obstructionist agenda against the government, with the Coalition passing fewer than 80 per cent of bills in the last parliament.

"When it comes to budget repair, the reality is that this government has been in office, but not really in power," he said.
Barack and Michelle Obama's new photoshoot has the internet shouting about relationship goals". Credit:AAP According to Peter Slevin, author of Michelle Obama: A Life, the criticism and its potential effect on her husband's campaign concerned her. "It rattled her, but she is supremely disciplined and focused, and she rebounded," he tells Sunday Life. For a China state dinner, 2015 Michelle diplomatically chose a dress by Chinese-American designer Vera Wang for a state dinner for President Xi Jinping. Credit:AP "Aides call her the most strategic person they've ever met. In telling stories about her working-class upbringing and the obstacles she faced, particularly as a black woman, she came across as authentic."

Once in the White House, conscious of the scrutiny she faced but determined to use her time effectively, she walked the line between fulfilling the expectations of a very antiquated role and remaining true to her values. To rock, 2015 Michelle rewrote the style guide by wearing this edgy, off-the-shoulder dress by Zac Posen to a Black Girls Rock! event. Credit:Getty Images Funny, sharp, politically astute, she's as much a product of her working-class upbringing as her dual Ivy League degrees. She became a globe-trotting advocate for education who used Snapchat and rapped with Missy Elliot on Carpool Karaoke; a proud feminist who was also a fashion icon; a fierce political surrogate for her husband while being America's devoted "mom in chief". Most would agree she walked this line effectively, and rarely put a step wrong. She has been a warmer and more energetic figure than most in political life, but rigidly disciplined in the face of intense scrutiny. Her appeal transcends the political and racial divide, but her tenure has been particularly meaningful for black women, making "many of us feel more comfortable in our skin," as Alicia Garza, a co-founder of the Black Lives Matter movement, told the BBC.

For the fashion crowd, 2014 What do you wear in the company of Vogue editor Anna Wintour, SJP and Donatella Versace? This hot Naeem Khan dress. Credit:AAP Michelle's deep devotion to her two daughters and husband has been central to her public persona, but she has always projected a strong sense of her own identity and strength, too. Her marriage to Barack is a partnership of equals, imbued with mutual adoration and respect, buoyed by the odd ribbing of each other in public and even a little public flirtation. For the second Inaugural Ball, 2013 For a movie-star moment, Michelle knew she could rely on Jason Wu, in this case devore red velvet and a jewelled neckline. Credit:AP "Watching my husband walk off of [the presidential helicopter] Marine One and go to the Oval Office, it's like, mmm, mmm, mmm," she told Oprah Winfrey recently in an interview, describing him as "swagalicious".

But despite being one half of a modern marriage to a self-declared feminist man, Michelle has nonetheless inhabited a very traditional role, putting her own distinguished career - which includes stints as an attorney after attending Harvard Law School, and in public service - on hold. On the campaign trail, 2012. Accessibly chic in this affordable cotton ASOS dress. She was also praised for a yellow floral shift from US chain store Talbots. Credit:Getty Images Liza Mundy, who wrote Michelle: A Biography, tells Sunday Life she does not think Michelle had been able to transform the role itself. "I think in her own contemporary way, she fulfilled the very old-fashioned mission of a first lady, which is to provide sort of comfort and domestic succour to the president," says Mundy. On The Tonight Show, 2012. When she first wore a J. Crew pencil skirt in 2009, she sent America shopping. Then she backed it up three years later. Credit:Getty Images

"The public sense is that she has inhabited the role comfortably and happily and made her peace with it." Michelle has nevertheless used her time strategically, becoming an effective advocate on social issues that are simpatico with her maternal image but that also, in Slevin's view, are "grounded in her lifelong understandings of inequalities in race, class and gender". To meet the Queen, 2009. "You don't go to Buckingham Palace in a sweater," griped Oscar de la Renta. Wrong. Suddenly the humble cardie was deemed chic. Credit:Getty Images Michelle has advocated for the education of girls throughout the world with the "Let Girls Learn" campaign, for military families, and championed the fight against childhood obesity by promoting healthy eating and exercise with the "Let's Move" initiative. Though attention focused on the footage of her hula-hooping at the White House, the news website Politico reports the campaign involved plenty of lobbying of fast-food corporations and successfully "transformed the American food landscape in ways considerably deeper than the public appreciates".

Despite her effectiveness and celebrity status, this hugely capable woman has had to hold much of herself back. "When your husband's the president of the United States and you have children, something's gotta give," Michelle told Winfrey. There is some mystery about what will come next for Michelle. We know the Obamas will vacate the White House in January, but will stay in Washington DC for a few years to allow their younger daughter, Sasha, to finish high school. Michelle is working on a memoir, according to Slevin, and tells anyone who asks that she is relishing some privacy. "I want to open my front door, without discussing it with anyone, and I want to walk out that front door, and just walk," she told Winfrey. Her speech to the Democratic Convention supercharged discussion that she too might run for office - even for president - but Michelle has rejected the idea. However, she says she plans to continue her advocacy in an "unbiased way". "She is in great demand among Democratic candidates, and she will campaign for them and raise money for them this year," says Slevin. "But elective politics is most definitely not her thing."
"Liam has it sitting in his man-cave in Los Angeles, which in itself is a sight to behold," Cox explained. And yes, the boards are all built to surf, though the wax tends to dull the chrome finish somewhat. Richard Roxburgh and Simon Baker enjoying drinks on Hamilton Island. Credit:Ken Butti Other recognisable faces popping up on the island this week included Simon Baker, Richard Roxburgh, Asher Keddie, Sarah Snook, Melissa Doyle, Sandra Sully and Terry Biviano. Heiress Francesca Packer Barham brought along her globetrotting travel buddy Ian "Stewbergs" Stewart, laughing off reports the pair were dating. Indeed Stewbergs explained his role was to haul Francesca's designer-stuffed luggage across the globe, provide witty dinner banter and monitor Francesca's constantly bleeping and flashing iPhone.

The eldest grandchild of the late Kerry Packer told PS she was busy settling into her new $2 million Elizabeth Bay apartment, is happily single, taking a break from her psychology studies, enjoying life and contemplating where her future lies. Ian Stewart and Francesca Packer Barham at Hamilton Island. Credit:Ken Butti Out on the water an equally intriguing collection of yachts and their owners were carving up the Coral Sea, including Phillip Turner, a professional gambler from Sandy Bay, Tasmania. Turner is one of the "mathematical geniuses" who make up a gambling syndicate turning over billions of dollars a year, which has reportedly beaten the odds at the world's racetracks and poker tables, accumulating tens of millions of dollars in profits along the way. Clearly some of that dough has been poured into Turner's boat, Alive.

Ervin Vidor's boat, Charlotte, named after his wife, has also been sailing. The Vidors founded the Toga Group, one of Australia's largest privately owned corporate groups which run the Adina, Medina, Vibe, Travelodge and Rendezvous brands. BRW estimated their fortune at a not too shabby $784 million earlier this year. Hong Kong department store baron Karl Kwok returned with his crew aboard Beau Geste, as did fellow billionaire Robert Salteri and his boat, One O Nine. Meanwhile, back on dry land, a hectic schedule of cocktail parties, champagne soirees, gourmet dinners and parties kept the land lubbers busy, with the Paspaley pearling family hosting a spectacular lunch on Friday showcasing exquisite pearl and diamond jewels to keep the wives of those billionaire yachties entertained. Indeed, just as PS has often missed seeing a horse amid the social madness of the Melbourne Cup marquees, on Hamilton Island it is often a challenge to keep track of the yachts. Andrew Hornery travelled to Hamilton Island as a guest of the Oatley family.

Stenmark twins' whiff of Armani success Zac and Jordan Stenmark in new perfume commercial they created for Giorgio Armani. They've spent the past 24 years together and built a career around each other's good looks, so it would make sense that Sydney's modelling twins the Stenmark brothers look set to continue down the same career path. But they are diversifying  albeit in the same direction. The debonair duo have been discovered by one of the most stylish men on the planet: Giorgio Armani.

Brothers, business partners and best mates, Zac and Jordan won the imprimatur of "Mr Armani", who gave them complete creative control to create and produce a new short film-cum-commercial for his new men's fragrance, Armani Code PROFUMO. The brothers launched the 60-second promo on their website Stenmark.life. The commercial shows the brothers arriving at Sydney's Park Hyatt Hotel and getting ready for a big black tie function, complete with moody shots capturing the boys spritzing themselves in Armani's new fragrance. It's all very James Bond, but better  with two hunks for the price of one. "We are looking at different directions to go in but obviously we will keep on modelling because that's where it all began ... this is just about exploring new ways to see what other creative paths we can go on," Zac told PS. Brother Jordan added: "And we tend to agree on most things ... we share common ideas on how something should be done, so our work relationship is like everything else ... it just flows."

Brynne Gordon liquidates dresses bought by 'obsessive' Geoffrey Edelsten Brynne Gordon, in the Brownlow get-up. Credit:Paul Rovere Declared bankrupt with debts of $70,000 in June, Brynne Gordon, the ex-wife of Geoffrey Edelsten, has been rummaging through her closet to pay back her creditors. A collection of dresses once owned by Gordon found their way onto the GraysOnline website this week, with racy frocks and sequinned g-strings which once sold for thousands of dollars attracting bids as low as $9. "To be honest I'm glad to be rid of them," Gordon told PS this week. "They are reminders of a bad period in my life ... Geoffrey was so obsessive, he was the one who wanted to buy the dresses for me ... I would get one in every colour just to keep him happy."

Not among the dresses was the now infamous Brownlow get-up, which Gordon said was now living in her mother's closet in America. Liza Minnelli should have been Grizabella, insists Trevor Ashley Trevor Ashley will return to the Sydney stage in September. Credit:Helen Nezdropa Entertainer extraordinaire Trevor Ashley has exhumed his alter ego, Liza Minnelli, and is set to return to the Sydney stage with a new show, Liza's Back! (is broken), which explores the parts Minnelli should have done over the last 40 years from Mame to Grizabella to Norma Desmond. The show hits the stage at Hayes Theatre in Potts Point from September 8 to 18.

Brown has far more than common touch Laura Brown with Karl Largerfeld. Credit:Daniel Adams She is being billed as New York's "next Anna Wintour", but Sydney born and raised Laura Brown declares she is "far too common" to live up to such a title. Nor does she sport the regimental helmet bob. But there is no denying Brown has certainly scaled the dizzying heights of the global fashion business, having just been named the new editor-in-chief of the American edition of InStyle magazine. In the world of fashion magazines, it doesn't get any bigger.

Having started her fashion magazine career at the now defunct Mode magazine when it was owned by the late Kerry Packer and produced out of his Park Street offices, Brown has cemented herself among the elite of the cut-throat world of international fashion magazines, having worked her way up to executive editor of Harper's Bazaar America. "I've always had delusions of grandeur, as I'm fond of joking. Always loved fashion, film, art, all of it. Over the years, I have built a career mixing them all together," she told PS from New York this week. "I think there are few greater attributes professionally than enthusiasm and ability. I do think Australians are just happy to be in New York, and people respond to that 'energy'. I try to keep myself away from DWP (Devil Wears Prada) people  but honestly, I think a lot of that has been replaced by social media posing. The rest of us have a job to do." Though Brown has managed to build an enviable social media presence, with the likes of no less than Princess Eugenie, Oprah Winfrey, Bono, Brooke Shields, Kim Kardashian and Karl Lagerfeld, among others, all posing with her in cosy Instagram posts. And while it has been a long road for Brown, she says the same opportunities existed for anyone back in Sydney hungry for a similar career. Indeed, her advice was simple: "Save your money. Get on a plane. Work hard. Make friends. Go where your passion is and make yourself useful. If you have this business in your DNA, you will get there. Underthink it!"
The prospect of losing funding from state and local Liberal governments has cowed the Mardi Gras board into silence about the conduct of a former employee who misused almost $14,000 of charity funds on personal expenses.

Liberal candidate for Sydney lord mayor Christine Forster confirmed her campaign manager Mitchell Price resigned on Thursday, two days after Fairfax Media revealed the young Liberal used a corporate credit card to purchase $13,800 of personal expenses while employed by the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras.

But according to leaked communications obtained by Fairfax Media, the executive board of Mardi Gras has been engaged in tense discussions about whether to dispute Mr Price's claim that his conduct was the result of an innocent "error".

When Fairfax Media provided written questions to Mr Price on Monday, he said he had "mistakenly" linked the company's corporate credit card to accounts on his computer while employed by the charity from November 2013 to April 2015. As a result, he spent almost $14,000 on personal hire-car travel and social media and Facebook advertising.
A run of controversial policy decisions and hospital scandals has seen support for the NSW government crash to leave Labor and the Coalition neck and neck almost 18 months after Premier Mike Baird's 2015 election victory.

An exclusive poll conducted for Fairfax Media shows support for Labor and the Coalition at 5050 on a two-party preferred basis, using preference flows from the 2015 election.

This is a swing away from the government of about four percentage points from the 2015 result which delivered it a second term.

If applied as a uniform swing it would not be enough for Labor to win the next election in 2019 but could bring it tantalisingly close to forming minority government with crossbench support.
The younger brother of a NSW government minister is set to face trial, accused of sexually assaulting a student at a University of Sydney college party.

Jean Claude Louis Perrottet, 19, was charged late last year after police received a report about a woman being allegedly assaulted at the college party.

Jean Claude Louis Perrottet (left) is charged with three counts of having sexual intercourse with a woman without her consent. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Mr Perrottet, who was not a student at the college, was charged with three counts of sexual intercourse without consent.

The talented sportsman, who is the brother of NSW Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet, has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Paramedics have been unable to revive a two-year-old child found face down in a water tank on a private property near Toowoomba.

Paramedics were called just before noon on Friday to Helidon to reports of a child in water and, upon arrival, conducted CPR on the patient.

The man was rushed to hospital after he was hit by a piece of machinery.

A spokesman for Queensland Police confirmed the child, a two-year-old boy, had died and that there were no suspicious circumstances.
The NBN rollout continues to accidentally rip through phone lines, leaving homes and business without internet or a dial tone for up to weeks at a time, as the broadband network extends across the country.

Craigieburn Taxation Services was left without telephone lines or fixed-line internet access for a total of six weeks across May and June after the Melbourne suburb's fibre to the node rollout accidentally disconnected the phone service and later severed the copper line.

Businesses and homes have been knocked offline around the country as a result of NBN work.

"We had seen the NBN installers working in a telephone pit near our office before the first outage, so we reported the problem to Telstra," says office manager Cheryl (who requested her surname not be used).

"We didn't hear a word from the NBN about it but Telstra were great, they organised wireless broadband for the office and diverted our office number to a mobile  but we normally have four phone lines so it was still a major disruption to the business, especially in the lead up to tax time."
The Supreme Court has paved the way for the public watchdog to investigate allegations the Labor Party misused staff budget entitlements for the 2014 election campaign.

Three state Labor MPs last year anonymously accused Premier Daniel Andrews' office of directing upper house MPs to pool electorate officer entitlements and using the staff to campaign at the election.

Victorian Ombudsman Deborah Glass. Credit:Damian White

Justice Anthony Cavanough ruled on Friday that Ombudsman Deborah Glass had legal power to investigate the allegations.

Ms Glass filed an application to the court in February to clarify her powers, after Parliament's upper house referred the allegations to her for investigation. Attorney-General Martin Pakula later joined the case as a defendant to argue the Ombudsman did not have power to investigate the matter.
A shop assistant who was repeatedly told she was "beautiful" while a customer sexually assaulted her in the middle of a Melbourne shopping centre is now scared of working in retail.

Eve*, 20, was sexually assaulted by a male customer while selling perfume at a pop-up store in Casey Shopping Centre at Narre Warren last month. She remembers her attacker's "bulky hands" and "strong grip".

She said the man, believed to be aged in his 60s, approached her stall not long after it opened for the day and was still quiet.

Initially, she thought the man was a potential customer and struck up a conversation with him to explain the products.
Three police officers have been attacked while trying to corner a suspected car thief in a dead-end street in Melbourne's north.

The officers say it was almost like the car thief tried to drive "over the top of them" as he rammed their patrol cars in Thornbury in the early hours of Friday morning.

He almost ran over one detective, before smashing into the car of an unsuspecting young woman as he was trying to make his escape.

It was the second case of out-of-control drivers dicing with death to evade police overnight.
A teenager was on parole when he allegedly kidnapped a five-year-old girl by stealing the car she was sitting in.

The 18-year-old - who cannot be named - was one of two people who allegedly stole the car from a property in Wyndham Vale on August 18 while the girl was sitting in the back seat.

A five-year-old girl was unharmed in the terrifying carjacking. Credit:Kiara Parker

Police have said the pair stopped on a median strip about 40 kilometres away in Norlane and fled the car, leaving the girl, who was unharmed, behind. She was later reunited with her family.

The teenager appeared via video link at the Melbourne Magistrates Court on Friday.
The Greens are accusing the Fisheries Department of breaching its own guidelines after drumlines were set off Perth's northern beaches in response to scores of shark sightings.

Capture gear was deployed off Trigg Beach on Thursday afternoon and the area was closed: drumlines were removed from the water on Thursday evening with no catches and the coastal zone has been reopened.

Rick Knoppert's amazing photograph last month of surfers heading to the shore at Mettams Pool after a shark was swimming among them. Credit:Rick Knoppert

Fisheries took the action in response to what it called "an unprecedented number of sightings over a sustained period of time and in a small stretch of water," saying there was a risk to water users in the area.

Up to 61 sightings of sharks were recorded off the coast from June 6 to August 25, with the majority in a two kilometre stretch of beach from Mettams Pool to Watermans Bay.
Johannesburg: A South African judge said on Friday she would not grant permission to state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, saying their petition had no reasonable prospects of success.

Judge Thokozile Masipa Masipa had sentenced the Paralympic gold medallist in July for the 2013 murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, but the prosecution claimed the decision was too lenient.

Pistorius' defence had earlier argued the state was prejudiced and had dragged the case on for too long

"I'm not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal or that another court may find differently," she said in her ruling.
Children from a German school in Buenos Aires wearing swastika armbands and fake Hitler moustaches attacked Jewish pupils in a resort where several Nazi war criminals lived after the Second World War, including Dr Josef Mengele, Auschwitz's "Angel of Death".

The incident drew swift condemnation of the pupils and the parents accompanying them during the school's end-of-course trip to San Carlos de Bariloche, in the Andes.

An image of the Argentine youths dressed in Nazi-related costumes broadcast on TV.

The town became a haven for Nazis fleeing Europe after the war. They were welcomed by the Peronist regime.

According to witnesses, pupils from the Lanus German School arrived at a party in a nightclub dressed as Nazis.
Chase Launches First End-to-End Digital Car-Buying Service for Customers







LEARN MORE: Get a "Better Deal" As A "Free-To-The-Dealer" Unencumbered Car Buyer

NEW YORK August 25, 2016; Chase today announced the launch of Chase Auto Direct, a new digital offering that lets Chase customers shop for a car and secure financing through their computer or smartphone, and then close at a dealership served by Chase. This new service is now available to existing Chase customers in select U.S. states.

Customers today are shopping for everything online, including cars, said Bruce Jackson, head of retail lending for Chase Auto Finance. By pairing financing with the online car shopping experience, we can provide more opportunities for Chase dealers, and make it easier for customers to get in the drivers seat.

Chase customers can configure their preferred options for a new or used car, find matching cars online, and get approved for their loan, all through Chase.com. Customers can then connect with a dealership in the Chase network that has inventory meeting the customers preferences to enjoy a seamless, transparent customer experience.

The new service also benefits Chase dealerships by providing them with a significant financial benefit, and brings dealers pre-qualified, ready-to-buy consumers.

Chase has been providing auto financing directly to customers for some timethis new online offering showcases our dealers vehicle inventory to more than 57 million Chase households in the United States. Dealers in the Chase network will now benefit from new leads that they didnt have yesterday, Jackson said. We want every Chase customer to have a good experience when buying a car, and were confident that the dealers we do business with can provide that experience.

Chase Auto Direct is currently available to existing Chase customers in 30 U.S. states, and will roll out further in phases through early 2017. Chase serves about 14,000 auto dealerships in the U.S.

About Chase

Chase is the U.S. consumer and commercial banking business of JPMorgan Chase & Co. , a leading global financial services firm with assets of $2.5 trillion and operations worldwide. Chase serves nearly half of Americas households with a broad range of financial services, including personal banking, credit cards, mortgages, auto financing, investment advice, small business loans and payment processing. Customers can choose how and where they want to bank: 5,300 branches, 18,000 ATMs, mobile, online and by phone. For more information, go to Chase.com.
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Cancer support community to host remembrance event Cancer Support Community Valley/Ventura/Santa Barbara invites family members and friends of those who have died from cancer to attend the second annual Evening of Remembrance from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thurs., Nov. 3 at Cancer Support Communitys Garden of Hope,...
That woman standing behind Donald Trump in Jackson, Mississippi Wednesday night wasnt the only person taken aback by the GOP candidates use of the word bigot to describe his opponent Hillary Clinton. CNNs Anderson Cooper also took notice.

During their interview on Thursday, Cooper gave Trump a chance to explain what he meant. While Trump had used the word bigoted to describe some of Clintons policy prescriptions in the past, this was the first time he called the candidate herself a bigot. Unsurprisingly, he then doubled down on the charge.

Well, she is a bigot, Trump repeated, pointing vaguely to her treatment of inner-city African-Americans and Hispanics as well as military veterans as evidence.

But how is she bigoted? Bigotry is having hatred towards a particular group, Cooper replied.

Trump replied that she is not doing anything for those communities,

Cooper again asked, So youre saying she has hatred or dislike of black people?

Trump once again called her policies bigoted but when Cooper reminded him that he has said shes personally bigoted he said, Oh she is. Of course she is, adding, Shes totally bigoted theres no question about that.

Cooper kept at it. But it does imply that she has antipathy, that she has hatred toward, I guess in this case youre talking about African-Americans, but I dont want to put words in your mouth, he said, as Trump continued to attack Clintons positions on issues like poverty. But hatred is at the core of that? Or dislike of African-Americans? he asked.

Trump finally relented: Or maybe shes lazy.

For her part, Hillary Clinton fired back at Trump on Thursday with a speech of her own In Reno, Nevada, using the word bigotry to describe not only Trumps words in this campaign but also his discriminatory actions as a landlord in New York.
Ben Carson, the former presidential candidate and adviser to Donald Trump, wants the GOP nominee to stop calling his opponent a racist.

I dont generally get into the name-calling thing, Carson said in a phone interview with The Daily Beast on Friday morning. I kind of left that behind in the third grade. I certainly dont encourage it because the issues that were facing are incredibly importantfor us and for the future generations.

On Thursday, Trump defended calling his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton a bigot. A term with which hes taken to describing her this past week.

She is a bigot, he said in a CNN interview. She is selling them [African Americans] down the tubes because she's not doing anything for those communities. She talks a good game. But she doesnt do anything.

During a rally in New Hampshire on the same day, at which Carson introduced him, Trump assailed Clinton for saying that his voters are racists. (She did not characterize them monolithically like this but rather pointed to a number of troublesome connections between Trump and white nationalists in a sharp critique of the candidate in Reno yesterday).

But Carsonan often contemplative counterpart to Trumps brash, bullying personasaid that he would not call Clinton a bigot, echoing the same sentiment as RNC spokesperson Sean Spicer, who chose not to use the word on MSNBC Friday morning.

Thats what people do who dont have anything to talk about, Carson said of name-calling on both sides of the aisle. He said that it is the medias responsibility to help guide candidates away from such attacks, despite the fact that Trump himself is the one who often perpetuates these self-inflicted errors.

Carson attended a meeting in Trump Tower on Thursday morning directed at beginning a process of outreach by the Trump campaign to the African-American community; a tall order for a candidate polling in the single digits with black voters in the final two months of his campaign. Its a task made even more difficult by Trumps history with housing discrimination and championing the birther movement.

But Carson is hopeful that Trump showing interest in issues relevant to the community will help him gain traction. He said that Democrats take black votes for granted while not providing real solutions so theres an opening for Trump to offer a new option in the Republican party.

The important thing is that he has started the process, Carson asserted. As you know, the Republican Party has been relatively missing in action when it comes to reaching out to minority communities in recent decades. I think particularly in the African-American community, a large number of people recognize that the Democrats have not done diddly-squat for them. But they dont feel that they have any other place to go.

In an attempt to give them another option, Trumps campaign has planned to start visiting African-American communities, beginning with a visit to Carsons hometown of Detroit on Sept. 3.

The former neurosurgeons place in the Trump orbit has waxed and waned this year, often with the former playing referee on some of Trumps most vicious attacks. In June, Carson said it was a bad idea to attack Clinton over her faith. He also cautioned against Trump attacking judge Gonzalo Curiel over his ethnicity, saying that it was indicative of a moral descent.

That pattern continues today. Trump and some of his surrogates have publicly speculated about the health of Clinton, with Trump frequently commenting on her lack of stamina, while Carson, the only licensed medical practitioner of the bunch, has taken a different tack. He thinks that more medical information about both candidates should be publicized.

There are plenty of people who are in their 60s, 70s, or 80s who are fit, healthy, and perfectly capable of vigorous activities, Carson said (Trump is 70 and Clinton is 68). When you get into that age range, obviously theres more concern than somebody who is in their 30s or 40s. So it is not at all an unreasonable expectation to know about their health status.

He implored both of the candidates to release even more up-to-date medical information.

At this critical juncture in the presidential election, Trumps most ardent and sometimes perplexing surrogate thinks they are in good shape to begin chipping into Clintons sizeable lead with black voters.

This is something that hes going to focus on, Carson said. Now that people understand that, as he goes into the communities, I think their interests will be piqued.

That is, so long as Trump ditches the name-calling.
The release of a new Britney Spears album tends to be terrifying.

Britney Spears is cherished. She is, goddammit, a survivor. That one popular meme is shameful for the way it mocks and judges mental illness and the way we treat female celebritiesbut, yeesh, its also so very true. If Britney Spears can survive 2007, then we can make it through this day. Guys, Britney Spears is an inspiration.

Britney Spears is also, and we can say this with certitude now that were solidly into the second decade of this millennium and have weathered the garbage noise that has farted its way through the musical zeitgeist these last 16 years, one of her generations greatest pop stars.

Is she an auteur? No. But she has croaked, lilted, and auto-tuned her way through some of the most significant and musically sound pop songs of the last 20 years, commanding the stage with a zeal and stage presence that warranted coronations as the next Madonna.

The gee-golly wholesomeness of Britney Jean Spears from Kentwood, Louisiana, contrasting with the Lolita sexpot begging us to hit her, baby, one more time is seared into our minds, as is the red leather catsuit, and the glitter body suit, and the Rolling Stones striptease, the snake, and those later honest-to-god jams: Piece of Me, Circus, Work Bitch.

Thats the Britney we think of. Thats the Britney we root for. Because we really do root for her.

We root for her through her breakdown, her conservatorship, that too-long stretch when she looked kind of dead in the eyes. Through the period when it seemed she hated being a performer altogether. Through that period when the music kind of sucked.

It was 2003 when Spears released In the Zone, widely regarded as her crowning achievementa cohesive, current, boundary pushing pop album at a time when Spears was at her supernova best, performance-wise.

And it was 2007 when she released Blackout, her musically adventurous club album that was eventually overshadowed by her personal struggles, and defined by that trash heap conflagration of a VMAs performance with Gimme More.

So its been nearly a decade since Britney unleashed an album of top-to-bottom great music. And 13 years since shes been able to perform that great music competently. So we get scared.

We get scared every time a new albums announced. (Circus and Femme Fatale were good. Well, good-ish.) We get scared every time she teases an album using demonic phrases like my most personal album ever :) and produced by Will.I.Am. (Britney Jean, dear god.) We quiver at the mention of an Iggy Azalea collaboration, and we wonder how, possibly, a new effort could live up to a title like Glorythe release that became available Friday.

The long wait is over. Britney is great again. Glory be to Godney.

Whats striking is how much Glory feels like a Britney Spears album. An old Britney Spears album.

Sure, she appropriates a fair number of current pop trends. That clappy-clappy tribal percussive thing that everyones doing these days drives the irresistible Clumsy. Those electro-sonic burpy-coo sounds (technical term) that every pop artist is using, supposedly to hint at some sort of EDM influence, creeps up everywhere on Glory, especially on Better and the Soul Cycle-ready lead single Make Me (Ooh..).

She hops on the reggae-lite bandwagon with Slumber Party and Love Me Down, and puts her best Selena Gomez/Fifth Harmony whispery repetition skills on display in Just Luv Me and Private Show.

But while deferential to the current pop landscape, shes not beholden to it and, for the first time in a while, not pandering to it. Theres no inauthentic courting of an urban sound or overreliance on any sort of EDM cacophony. To cheesily borrow a favorite Brit lyric, shes no longer a slave to producers pulling her in different directions.

Indeed, the most prevalent sound on Glory is that of Britney. Quite literally: Her vocals return to the forefront in a way they havent in over a decade. Sure, theyre still sweetened and processed, but theyre not robotic beyond recognition as in Britney Jean, Femme Fatale, and Circus.

Her vocals in Glory actually have personality, character, and emotion. What You Need, with its Motown-evoking brass, has Spears attacking the lyrics with sass, ferocity, andis that? could it be?actual fun. She belts the chorus to Liar like its a Katy Perry or Carrie Underwood sing-along (which, really, it very much is).

Listen, were not talking Adele or Beyonce here. But Spears first broke out on the uniqueness of her voice, and the way she would skillfullyand often nasallycontort it to snap along to the bubblegum beat until you either wanted to give her a Sudafed or another Gold record.

Shes more playful than shes ever been on Private Show. By the time her voice kicks in on the chorus, youre almost joyous. She did it, you think. My girl really did it. She became a pop star again.

In many ways, Glory is like Blackout and In the Zone had a baby and it was raised by Oops!...I Did It Again.

Theres nothing lofty going on here. Theres no reinvention, evolution, new sound, or artistic boldness. These are not things we want from Britney Spears anymore. As evidenced by the popularity of her career-celebrating Vegas residency and the nostalgic orgasm we collectively had over her greatest hits medley performance at the Billboard Awards, we want a Britney that feels familiar.

And so we cut her some breaks.

Sure, her lip-syncing has reached such a parody point that she even lip-synced her Carpool Karaoke with James Corden. (She lip-synced karaoke) But we dont mind. Theres Britney, our survivor, looking hot as hell and marking her dance moves on stage anyway, and sitting shotgun next to Corden looking actually happy to be there.

Were cutting her some breaks with Glory, too. Aside from the effective moodiness of the first two tracks, the seductive and aptly titled Invitationon which a lightly cooing Spears sounds almost unrecognizableand the almost spiritually erotic Make Me, Glory is a dance album of the late 90s, early 00s pop variety.

Its not particularly sophisticated or tapped into any underground dancehall sound; in fact, its at times rather corny.

Man on the Moon is the apex of the albums cliche-riddled lyrics: Houston, I know theres a problem here / Must be a hole in the atmosphere. She starts speaking French in the middle of a cheesy Disney-like interlude scored by a maudlin orchestral build. What the hell? you think, and also: Hell yes.

Clumsy and Private Show are almost unabashedly silly. Were it not for the slight raunch, Id liken them to Lucky from Oops!...I Did It Again. They might not get much play at the clerb. But they will get played out at my 2 a.m. living room dance parties, thats for damn sure.

The chorus for Clumsy is literally, Whoa oh oh (oh oh) / Oh oh oh (ohhh) / Whoa oh oh (oh oh) / Oh oh oh / Oops! Or maybe the chorus is actually just the beat drop afterwards and thats the pre-chorus. In terms of lyrical content, Glory is mostly just sounds and constantly repeated cliches. And thats just fine because, for the most part, its catchy.

Are any of us popping on a Britney Spears tune because were looking for it to say something?

Shes built a career as the ultimate tease. Shes bared all, sure. At the same time, shes bared nothing at all. Thats what made the purported personal goal of Britney Jean so confusing. It failed to deliver any meaningful insight into who this Britney Jean person isbut also, did we really want or expect it to?

That doesnt mean she lacks substance. Glory masters the ecstasy of sexual freedom, desire, empowerment, and agency, themes made all the more interesting when viewed through the lens of the sourcea performer who has in her career been objectified, capitalized on her sexuality, and grappled with both those things as she becomes a mother who is still very much a sexual being.

Thats all great and deep and everything, but Glory is wonderful because it is simple. Spears has made much of late about how shes just a Caesar salad-loving 34-year-old mom, yall, and I suspect the reason most of these tracks made the cut for Glory is no more complicated than she just thought they sounded good and made her want to dance.

Hell, if you look at If Im Dancing, the albums penultimate song, as its rightful final track (Coupure Electronique actually concludes the album, and again I cant figure out WTF with the French), its lyrics sum this up quite accurately.

If Im dancing / I know the musics good, she sings.

See you on the dance floor, Brit.
With Donald Trumps campaign continuing to careen into incoherence, its becoming increasingly clear that barring some unforeseen circumstance (or low non-white voter turnout) Hillary Clinton will likely win the presidency. However, she will never win the peace. Hillary seems destined, if she wins, to be a president without popular devotion or even a public honeymoon. And she will likely spend four, or eight, years at constant war with a hostile press.

Why the relationship between Mrs. Clinton and the media is so fraught is a complicated tale. Journalist Jonathan Allen last year tackled the miserable web of mutual distrust and distaste that has defined the rules by which the press has covered the Clintons for more than a quarter-century.

The fact that many journalists approach the Clintonsespecially Hillary Clintonwith a presumption that she has done something that if its not outright corrupt is at least worthy of looking into, inevitably colors the way the public views the former secretary of state, and the way they respond to her in the polls.

But the negative public perception of Mrs. Clinton often feels more visceral; almost primal, than something produced merely by bad press and polls. She is also a woman of a certain age, who has refused throughout her life to play by the Rules of Public People. She is a poor public speaker, who lacks the pleasing air of a more expert retail politician (though she is clearly wittier and more personable in small groups or one on one.) She refuses to be conventionally stylish. As first lady, she never evinced a flair for fashion or a knack for popular culture, the way Michelle Obama has or Nancy Reagan or Jackie Kennedy did; nor did she evoke the momly air of a Barbara Bush, or the quiet spousedom of Laura. And Clinton has never had the good sense to pretend she doesnt actually want power, the way women are supposed to. Her assertive wonkiness and sometimes callous, sometimes tone deaf statements in defense of her husband or herself have even led some younger Americans to blame her even more than Bill Clinton for the policies of his administration.

Perhaps most importantly, Hillary Clinton has steadfastly refused to cultivate a relationship with the Washington press corps; there are no cute nicknames; no rides on the straight talk express and few uncontrolled encounters. She has, instead, made the rejection of the media, and the people who work in it, a feature of her public life. Her campaign has deployed a literal rope line to keep the press penned in and at bay. That incenses reporters, who feel entitled, on behalf of the public, to face time with the candidate. Indeed, it has been nearly 265 days since Clinton last held a press conference; though its not hard to anticipate how that would go.

But perhaps Mrs. Clintons most venal sin is that she is almost manically secretiveand theres nothing the media hates more than a secretive pol. There is a conventional wisdom in our world that if you keep things to yourself its because youre a liar or a cheat, and eventually we, the press, will dig up your secrets and reveal the rot that we know, inherently, is there.

Consider the latest faux outrage, over Clinton Foundation donors supposedly getting untoward access to the then-Secretary of State. The AP scoop on the matter is a movable feast of innuendo, but it contains nothing that even hints at an actual exchange of favors from the Secretary of State in exchange for charitable donations. There is nothing in the story that suggests that emails requesting a meeting were met with demands for cash; for supplying some 11 million people around the world with AIDS medication, or for rebuilding Haiti or for the microloans to African women, which are some of the things the Clinton Foundation actually does, and does quite well. Theres also nothing in the story that suggests that being a Foundation donor was the only way someone could get a meeting with the Secretary; given that it found fewer than 90 such meetings out of 1,700 known to have taken place at State during her tenure.

But that hardly matters. In the new Beltway math, which presumes the Clintons always do just enough to stay ahead of the law, but not enough to quite be ethical, the mere act of longtime Clinton aide Huma Abedin responding to an email connotes potential corruption, or the more careful version: the appearance of conflict. No evidence of actual pay for play is needed. There are those who are so invested in the idea that Hillary Clinton is fundamentally mendacious, every ephemeral accusation flung onto the table by Judicial Watch in its quarter-century quest to nail the Clintons at last, simply adds logs onto the slow-burning fire.

And so, the secretary of state meeting with Melinda Gates, or the late Elie Wiesel, or Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning economist who holds both a Congressional Gold Medal and a Presidential Medal of Freedom, who also happens to be a friend of the Clintons since the early 1980s, is given the air of scandal.

In Yunuss case, after several pleas for assistance in stopping the government of Bangladesh from forcing him to resign from his bank, he is cashiered anyway. What, then, did he receive, other than Mrs. Clintons sympathy and public support? It seems that itself is an act of corruption, when exhibited by our modern-day Lady Macbeth.

Whatever its cause, the medias general Hillary Clinton loathing is a foundational truth that would define her as president. Even a landslide victory in November would surely be accompanied by a sidebar emphasizing how very unpopular and utterly disliked she is; and how her presidency could not have been possible without the utter decrepitude of Donald Trump.

Republicans, as longtime Clinton friend and adviser James Carville predicted this week on Bloomberg and MSNBC, would surely declare her presidency to be both accidental and illegitimate because of phantom voter fraud and Trumps distortion of the political alchemy. If the past eight years of is prologue, the GOP will paint this supposed illegitimacy onto every proposal out of the Clinton White House; from budget bills to Supreme Court nominations, and attempt to freeze the federal government in place until 2020, when Paul Ryan or Marco Rubio can have another go.

The Republican-controlled House would likely begin to immediately investigate the new president, rehashing the amorphous, never-ending media bait that is emailgate, perhaps with an eye toward impeachment. And their cries of corruption and criminality will be duly covered by We, the Media, reinforcing the age-old narrative of Clintonian chicanery in a public already battered by Bad Hillary narratives. The coverage will of course be the most brutal on Trump TV, where perhaps Roger Ailes will direct a new cast of Trump TV characters, led by Sean Hannity and Alex Jones, to whip Hillary Clinton on a daily basis. When the first polls are taken, after this narrative has been sufficiently flogged, the new president will come up short in usual areas: honesty, trustworthiness, popularity, and raw public support.

The feedback loop is endless, its self-reinforcing, and it is not ever going to change.

Clinton supportersand yes, they do existneed to let this fact sink in, and think about what that means for the next four years; particularly the two leading up to the 2018 midterms. On the surface, it seems there is nothing that Hillary Clinton can do about it, short of throwing herself on the mercy of the D.C. press corps for a forensic examination of her entire life, to include many, many apologies (and perhaps even tears). And somehow I doubt thats going to happen. Hillary is really just not that girl.

What she is, essentially, is Lyndon Johnson, who faced the presidency knowing he would never enjoy the public and media devotion heaped onto the martyred JFK; or George H.W. Bush, knowing the same was true of him and the sainted Ronald Reagan. With Obama nostalgia now coursing through an exhausted nations veins, Hillary Clinton is staring at a short-term future that promises to be nothing short of brutal.

She may not care. Hillary Clintons time in the Senate indicates she is happier being a policy workhorse than a show horse. And she has a history of disarming her Republican colleagues once they are in the negotiating room rather than under the klieg lights. But to the extent her terrible relationship with the media extends into her time in the White Houseit has the potential to negatively impact her agenda, and her ability to implement the policies shes running on. After all, LBJ wasnt fighting the Dixiecrats and The New York Times.

Transparency has become the buzzword of Washington. To lack itincluding by keeping the press at a distance is to be held in eternal suspicion. Barack Obama has discovered as much, but then again, he and Michelle are far more careful than the Clintons, who one former aide once described to me as having adopted the attitude a long time ago that no matter the issuebe it accepting that speaking gig or choosing privacy over a State Department emailthe press pack will come for them no matter the merits, so fuck it.

I suspect were in for a long four years.

Joy-Ann Reid is the host of AM Joy on MSNBC and the author of Fracture: Barack Obama, the Clintons and the Racial Divide, which is out in paperback on Sept. 27.
Whatever happened to Gretchen Carlson? How did the one-time beauty queen who spouted right-wing bromides and conspiracy theories on cable television suddenly became a feminist icon?

In July, Carlson filed a lawsuit against Fox News then-CEO, Roger Ailes, claiming he had sexually harassed herbeginning a process that has seen dozens of other women make similar allegations.

Ailes was subsequently forced from his Fox News throne.

Carlson has been little heard from in recent days, with the exception of her Twitter feed chronicling the cuteness of her daughters Lagotto Romagnolo dog, Bella, and a family vacation in her native Minnesota, along with the occasional shout-out to female empowerment.

Aside from two guarded interviewswith The New York Times and The Washington PostCarlson has been silent, and declined an interview request from The Daily Beast.

Yet Los Angeles attorney Lisa Bloomwhose practice, like that of her mother, Gloria Allred, specializes in sexual harassment and discrimination casescalls Carlson a true heroine in the field of sexual harassment, and that is not a term I use lightly. A heroine is someone who exposes themselves to personal danger by taking a stand that helps a lot of other peopleand that is what she chose to do.

Former ABC News executive Shelley Ross, who wrote for The Daily Beast about her own early-career encounters with Ailes and sexual harassment in the television business generally, said of Carlsons public stand: I hope it represents a way forward for women. I hope it is, whether intentional or not, a watershed moment.

While the 50-year-old former Miss America quietly awaits a reported eight-figure settlement in her July 6 lawsuit against the 76-year-old Ailesin which she claims he vindictively ended her 11-year career as a Fox News anchor in June after she repeatedly complained about a hostile work environment and rebuffed his sexual advancesthe particulars of Carlsons circumstance have been overtaken by even more lurid headlines.

They include: tales of high-level corporate intrigue involving James and Lachlan Murdochs behind-the-scenes efforts to dislodge Ailes, a favorite of Rupert Murdochs; Ailess alleged 20 years of psychological torture and sexual abuse of a female Fox News employee (denied by Ailess attorneys); his alleged paranoia and use of paid spies to report on perceived enemies (even to the point of sending a young female staffer a decade ago to date then-college kid, now-CNN media maven Brian Stelter in order to learn Stelters attitudes about various media outlets when he was running his influential TVNewser blog); the massive, bunker-like door with a closed-circuit camera that Ailes installed to protect his private office from unwanted visitors; and what former Fox News personality Andrea Tantaros, in her lawsuit this week against Ailes and four other Fox News executives, described as the conservative-leaning channels sex-fueled, Playboy Mansion-like cult, steeped in intimidation, indecency, and misogyny.

Bloom, who is representing onetime Donald Trump business associate Jill Harth for alleged defamation in an oft-denied, two-decade-old attempted rape complaint against the Republican presidential nominee, told The Daily Beast that Carlson deserves credit for bringing the Fox News evidence to light.

Most women are scared to death to come forward, and when the alleged perpetrator is a very powerful person, that fear is only multiplied, Bloom said. I know what Gretchen had to go through before she filed that complaintthe kind of emotional pain and fear she had to go through to go up against the most powerful man in media, the man who has a reputation for retaliating against people in the most ugly and vicious ways. Im sure her career is just as important to her as mine is to me. But thats what it takes to move forward.

Bloom, an avowed liberal, added: Its true that Gretchen and I disagree on political issues but, listen, sexual harassment happens to conservatives, it happens to liberals, it happens to women, it happens to men, and it shouldnt be a political issue.

Indeed, Ailes, a legendary former Republican political consultant, retained liberal Democratic attorney and Fox News contributor Susan Estrich to defend him legally and in the court of public opinion. Estrich, a University of Southern California law professor and a senior partner in Quinn, Emanuelthe law firm that defended Bill Cosbyis something of a feminist icon herself, having written about being raped as a young woman and later, in 1988, becoming the first female campaign manager of a major-party presidential nominee, Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis.

Estrich didnt respond to an interview request for this article, but she spoke at length to The Daily Beast last month about the allegations of Carlson and others, including a report that Fox News star Megyn Kelly also claimed privately that Ailes harassed her.

The interview occurred the day before Ailes abruptly resigned the chairmanship of Fox News with a reported $40 million severance package.

Ive known Roger for 20 years and its very hard for me to believe, Estrich said. When I started reading these stories, I thought, This is nuts. Whats going on here?

Estrich continued: You know me. Im pretty sensitive to sexual harassment. Ive been writing about it for 30 years. Im the sexual harassment officer of my own law firm. And bawdy talk is not sexual harassment. Sexual harassment is either quid pro quo or a hostile environment that is severe and pervasive, according to the standards of a reasonable person or a reasonable woman

But if you look at all the women who have come out for Rogerincluding Foxs Greta Van Susteren and Jeanine Pirro, who both suggested Carlsons lawsuit was payback because her contract wasnt renewedit would be very hard to make a case Yes, hes made comments on peoples appearance. This is television. Its a visual medium. But this is not somebody who sexually harasses women.

Its a rich irony, of course, that Ailes, as Vice President George H.W. Bushs take-no-prisoners media strategist and admaker in 1988, played a decisive role in the defeat of Estrichs candidate.

Bloom, who has been friendly with Estrich, said: Most lawyers will represent just about any client. I didnt go to law school to represent the Roger Aileses of the world, but Im not going to judge Susan. Most lawyers would be thrilled to represent him.

On the other hand, Bloom said, its the oldest trick in the book for the alleged harasser to hire a female attorneyespecially one with Estrichs feminist bona fides. When I do a racial case, its never a surprise that theres an African-American attorney on the other side.

Carlson, for her part, is no stranger to sexual harassment, and Ailes is not the first man who apparently didnt figure on her hard-hitting response.

In her 2015 memoir, Getting Real, Carlson recounted a situation, early in her career as a local TV reporter, in which a cameraman reached under her blouse to clip a microphone to her bra for a standup, and then, on their way back to the office, asked her: How did you like it when I put that microphone under your shirt? I was touching your breasts

Suddenly I was terrified, Carlson wrote. We were in the middle of nowhere and I was in the car with a lunatic. For a moment I actually thought about opening the door and rolling out of the car, like you see in the movies. I wondered how much it would hurt. He kept talking in a low, seductive voice about my breasts and his feelings, and I was seriously frightened.

Still shaken when she arrived at the office, she reluctantly related the cameramans behavior to the assistant news director.

I really didnt want to talk about it, but he was extremely intent on making sure I told him what was wrong. I finally caved. It turned out there were other issues with the photographer, and the station let him go. Like so many young women who are the victims of harassment, I worried for months that I had invited his advances in some waythat I had done something wrong, which was not the case.

In the years since, I have always felt great compassion for women who are caught in the vise of a sexual harassment scandal.

Even though we have laws against it and HR departments to handle it, a womanespecially if she is young and just starting outcan never be sure that reporting harassment wont hurt her career.

Had my boss not pressed me to talk about what happened to me, I probably would have said nothing and been alone with my misery and shame. And even then I was worried that people would find out and blame me. I cling to the hope that with more and more women in the workplace, we can teach younger generations to be respectful, and also encourage young women to speak up when theyve experienced abuse.

As Carlson was writing these fine sentiments, she had already experienced repeated instances of sexual harassment, discrimination, and retaliationaccording to her lawsuitby Ailes and Steve Doocy, her co-anchor on the popular morning show Fox & Friends.

Yet in her book, she heaped praised and affection on both mena fact the Fox News media relations department relentlessly pointed out during the two weeks that Ailes kept his job after Carlson filed her bombshell complaint.

Carlsons attorneys explained the discrepancy this way: Ailes does not allow his employees to speak to the press or publish anything without prior approval In her book Gretchen told her story while trying to keep her jobknowing that Ailes had to approve what she said.

Carlsons metamorphosis to outspoken truth-teller is, for several people who have worked with her, a revelation.

The calibrated caution that she apparently brought to her book was in fact typical of her reserved manner at Fox News, where, according to colleagues, she treated most people politely, and othersespecially female on-air personalities with whom she was competitivewith a coolness reminiscent of a Minnesota winter.

Carlson had come to Fox in 2005 from CBS News, where she anchored the Saturday edition of what was then called the Early Show. She was considered hardworking, reliable, and diligent, the opposite of a diva, but was continually frustrated in her wish for a more prominent on-air role.

She wanted a career path that was going to be more than anchoring the Saturday Early Show, and it was clear that wasnt happening at CBS, and there wasnt anything that was going to lead anywhere different for her at CBS, recalled former CBS News executive Marcy McGinnis, who supervised the program as head of the networks hard news operation.

She knew what she wanted and was probably more focused in her ambitions, so she was willing to leave CBS, which not everybody would do it because it was still the Tiffany Network. (CBS was dubbed the Tiffany Network under the aegis of its 1927 founder, William S. Paley, because of the quality of its programming.)

Another CBS News colleague, a former co-worker who asked not to be named, was surprised when I caught her on Fox & Friends and saw how completely she had drunk the Kool-Aid. I was kind of shocked. I had no idea. I didnt find her to politically motivated at all, and I was so shocked at how easily she adapted to this vitriol at Fox, which she spewed like she was Ann Coulter.

Although Carlson never really aspired to Coulteresque levels of spleen, Media Matters, the left-leaning media watchdog group founded by Hillary Clinton acolyte David Brock, has assembled a voluminous file of her offhand snarks concerning President Obama and Nancy Pelosi, among other Democrats, her claims that the administration has something against Christians, and numerous other Fox News memes.

Jon Stewart once devoted a segment of The Daily Show to how Carlsona violin virtuoso who was a high school valedictorian, graduated with honors from Stanford University, and studied at Oxfordhad dumb[ed] herself down to connect with an audience that [she thinks] sees intellect as an elitist flaw.

Shelley Ross applauded Carlsons image makeover, which seems to be grounded in something deeper.

Its never too late to learn, she said.
ISIS released a new video Friday showing children of its foreign soldiers shooting a group of prisoners. The terror group said the executed men were members of the YPG, a Syrian Kurdish force that is supported by the United States and has been one of the most effective armies fighting the self-proclaimed Islamic State.

ISIS is known for its grisly videos of beheadings and other sadistic killings. But the new video is particularly grisly and horrific even by ISIS cruel standards. It shows five boys, some of them visibly frightened, shoot kneeling prisoners in the backs of their heads. One boy speaks to the camera while the others look on silently.

The SITE intelligence group, which analyzes the terror groups propaganda, said the boys are British, Egyptian, Kurdish, Tunisian, and Uzbek citizens. Their parents came to fight with ISIS and apparently brought their kids along.

Its not clear when the video was made. However, it was released at a particularly important moment in the United States war against ISIS, which has been making progress as a combination of air and ground strikes takes back territory from the group.

This week, Turkish air and ground forces pounded ISIS positions in northern Syria along the Turkish border. U.S. officials have long been urging Turkey to get into the fight, and Turkish intervention helped to evict ISIS from the Syrian town of Jarabulus.

Vice President Joseph Biden visited Turkey this week and declared that the YPG fighters, who have proven so effective, must withdraw to a position east of the Euphrates River. That was seen as a move to placate Turkey, which views the YPG as a terrorist group and an existential threat. Turkey worries that the Kurds could form an autonomous zone in northern Syria. Pulling back east of the river would help ensure that doesnt happen. And Biden warned that if the Kurds didnt withdraw, the U.S. would pull the plug on its support.

Against this political backdrop, the new ISIS video can be seen as a message to the Kurdish forces. It may also be an attempt to show that ISIS still enjoys support from a broad range of foreign fighters. The truth, though, is that officials say the flow of foreigners into ISIS-controlled areas has been dramatically reduced, thanks in part to Turkey cracking down on the flow of militants across its borders.
They did not teach us about Nat Turner at the nearly all-white public schools I attended. Nor at the nearly all-black ones I went to.

While our lessons, especially and almost solely during Black History Month, were festooned with images and chronicles of nonviolent freedom fighters, there was little if anything about the slave rebellion led by Turner that unfolded in Southampton County, Virginia, in 1831.

So this January, I cheered when the feature film The Birth of a Nationco-written, directed, and produced by Nathaniel Nate Parker, another of Virginias native black sonswas bought by a major Hollywood studio. The period drama based on the life of Turner is set to make its debut in early October.

That news did not happen in a vacuum and it certainly did not happen without controversy.

Historically neither diverse nor inclusive, Hollywood did not just happen to finally recognize the value of black filmmakers. It took #OscarsSoWhite, the viral hashtag launched by @ReignOfApril on social media, to force the industrys hand in supporting black filmmakers. The record $17.5 million deal for Birth of a Nation, coupled with the move to diversify the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences , was the answer many of us were waiting for.

I knew little about Parker, outside of his standout theatrical performances in Beyond the Lights and The Great Debaters. But I believed Turners story was necessary and long overdue.

Be careful who you let tell your story, I mused when the deal was announced.

At the time, I was woefully oblivious to the tragic irony in my own personal mantra. I only knew that the story of Turner, who was hunted down, convicted, and hanged for leading the bloody insurrectionone that claimed the lives of 65 white people, to say nothing of the 200 black people massacred in its aftermathwould finally be available to the masses.

Unbeknownst to me, Parker had previously declared in an interview published by BET that he would never play the role of a gay black man because he wanted to preserve what it meant to be black and male.

I refuse to allow any piece of work to emasculate me for very specific reasons, he reportedly said at the Essence Music Festival in 2014 . That kind of shrinks the pool of available material, but the material that I am blessed to do is material that I can be proud of, that my kids can watch, that my grandmother can watch. And I think that those are the things that over time create legacies.

And, like most people, I was unaware then that Parker had been previously tried and acquitted in the 1999 gang-rape of a Pennsylvania State University student.

Reading through the list of charges, transcripts of witness testimony, and tape-recorded telephone calls between Parker, his co-defendant (who now has a writing credit on The Birth of a Nation), and the accuserI was immediately uneasy about the film and about personally supporting a work produced by Parker.

I am, it should be said, a sexual assault survivor and, irrespective of the jurys verdict, I could not divorce myself from the notion that by seeing the film I would be potentially supporting a culture of rape and violence against women. Then too, my late brother Donnie succumbed to HIV/AIDS after a decade-long battle. My nephew Teddy, my brothers eldest son, was a gay black man. In 2006, he was knifed to death outside a nightclub in Lake County, Illinois.

They were menblack menwhose deaths arguably stemmed directly from their sexual orientation. I suffered a million spiritual deaths after a series of sexual assaults and childhood molestations. I survived, in so many ways, but they didnt.

The Jane Doe in Parkers case ultimately committed suicide. By evidence of this writing, I did not kill myself. But I wanted to and I tried. The weight of the grief became too awful: losing my father, who was gunned down in St. Louis, and later my brothers and nephew. I wept aloud for myself, a woman who has struggled with debilitating depression and whose passions and pains run as deeply as the great Mississippi on the banks of which I was raised.

Now I have a decision to maketo see Parkers movie or not. Unlike other thoughtful columnists like Roxane Gay , who wrote that she would not watch it, it hasnt been an easy choice for me. Columnist Michael Arceneaux , for whom I have a great deal of respect and admiration, agrees with Gay.

To recognize that the American criminal justice system is broken evokes a folly of generosityfor rape victims and for black men. I have spent a lifetime fighting for bothfor their equal protection under the law and for their recognition in the broader society. Those were not fights I ever wanted, but ones thrust upon me and from which I cannot turn away.

That Parkers alleged victim was white played no part in my thinking. In fact, until I read a deeply reported piece published on The Daily Beast , I never knew her race. And for me, it didnt matter.

But while Parker was acquitted, I wondered if I could watch The Birth of a Nation without recalling the moments when someone drugged and pinned me to a mattress. My circumstances were different from those alleged by Parkers accuser in many ways, but all too familiar in so many others.

She wanted it, my rapist said years later. They all did.

For the record, there were no slave rebellions in my eighth grade history book and, if there was even a paragraph in the AP American History text I studied in my junior year, then I missed it. That negroes were transported from African shores on monstrous shipsmany dying torturous deaths, stacked atop one another, without name in the Middle Passagesold as human chattel, and then freed after the Civil War was certainly no secret. The awfulness of it all, however, was another matter.

The stories of rape, torture, murder, family destruction, and disease were absent from the schoolbooks. It was as if there had been no struggle, as if the negroman, woman, and childhad suffered in silence until a right-minded president deemed slavery an immoral enterprise and waged a bloody battle to destroy it. It wasnt as simple as all of that, of course, but we were led to believe that slavery was finally abolished by American Exceptionalism as the nation demonstrated a unique ability to heal itself without the complications of foreign intervention.

Not unlike rape victims, the colored soul was expected to be docile, never violent, and always noble.

That was not the truth, but it is the one we were taughtabout American slavery, Reconstruction, and Jim Crowone that was filled with joyful songs to a benevolent God, an unseen power that moved over, through, and among us.

In grade school it was acceptable, I recall, to submit glowing reports about the heroism of the likes of Harriet Tubmanthough no one dared speak of her gun-slinging waysW.E.B. DuBois, George Washington Carver, or Rosa Parks. According to the history books, the American negros road to freedom, to fully join the citizenry and be afforded equal protection under the law, was paved by peaceful men of great letters or orators like Frederick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King. Missing were the blood-soaked narratives like Turners, in which the oppressed took up arms to fight, not only metaphorically, for our liberty. Brother Malcolm and Huey Newton were missing, too.

For centuries, we were fed the Disney-fication of our struggleone that paid almost exclusive homage to nonviolence and worked to diminish the uneasy truth of the complicated, at times brutal, corridors through which we trod. Let the history textbooks tell it, and every battle was waged within the well-polished confines of state and federal legislatures, in the hallowed halls of a courthouse or along the bridges, highways, and byways by Bible-toting, peace-loving civil rights activists.

We were taught that freedom was won by a deeply moral crowd, largely led and populated by men. They were peace-seeking people who worshipped an Almighty God and who eschewed the impulse to murder and maim in the name of righteousness. Turners story was, until now, deemed inconsequential and unworthy of celebration.

In his unreleased film, judging by the trailer, Parker directly challenges the strictures of that narrative. Although his is a fictionalized version of Turners life and our collective history, Parker does not turn away from the brutality of the era. He does not leave barbarism and malice on the cutting-room floor.

Notably, the famous silent film of the same namereleased in 1915 and based on the book The Clansman portrayed the Ku Klux Klan as a heroic force. It inspired the resurrection of the terrorist organization that same year and was the first American motion picture screened at the White House under then-President Woodrow Wilson.

In the final months that the first black president will inhabit the Oval Office, Parker is not only reclaiming the nameThe Birth of a Nationbut righting some of the wrongs we were taught to believe. That the controversy surrounding Parker would erupt now, in the height of his career, is not lost on me.

In November 2015, I wrote an Ebony magazine cover story charting the fall of Bill Cosby and the legacy of the hit television show that bears his name. I was able then to cast aside my own history to listen fully to the academicians and cultural critics who said it was impossible to separate the man from his artno matter how egregious the actions, no matter how good the work. Invited to join NPRs podcast Code Switch, which aired Wednesday, I grappled with the same dilemma.

Let me now answer a few questions.

Do I believe, from the public information I have reviewed, that Parker knew that his alleged victim was so inebriated that she could not consent to sex with one or multiple partners? Yes. Do I believe the revisiting of his long-ago trial now is a grand conspiracy to keep black voices and our stories out of Hollywood? No, but Parkers newfound prominence has everything to do with it. Do I think we would care about Parker or Cosbys alleged crimes if not for their fame? Absolutely not.

But ultimately, will I pay my hard-earned dollars to see strong performances by Aunjanue Ellis, Aja Naomi King, and Gabrielle Unionwho is another sexual assault survivor? Yes.

That may well mean I am putting money in Parkers pockets. Though, unless and until he publicly owns the pain he caused that night in 1999, it will almost certainly be the last time I do so.

In my heart of hearts, I need this film to be successful despite Parker. I do not have it in me to let the legacy of Nat Turner, a man our history books hid from us, die.
ISTANBUL  Hundreds of civilians and rebel fighters abandoned the Damascus suburb of Daraya on Friday, boarding buses after a negotiated surrender that ended one of the longest sieges of the Syrian war and marked the latest victory in the Assad regimes surrender-or-starve military campaign. International observers voiced fears of another Srebrenica, the July 1995 massacre where Serbs captured the east Bosnian enclave after a three-year siege and then executed 8,000 captive Muslim men and boys.

There was no international supervision nor support for the operation, and armed Shabiha, the regimes ill-trained militias, boarded each bus as it left the devastated city. Live shots broadcast by a Beirut TV channel showed the buses crawling through crowds of cheering Shabiha, but no interviews with evacuees.

Relatives said townspeople felt abandoned by the world, despondent to be leaving their homes and deeply fearful as they proceeded to an unknown fate.

Daraya, once home to more than 200,000, has been under siege since November 2012 and received only one shipment of food aid and one of medical supplies, both last June. After a fierce regime offensive this summer that seized their farmlands and destroyed their sole field hospital one week ago, they had run out of food, water, ammunition, and medical care.

Residents said they had no choice but surrender.

We reached a terrible stage, said Hussam Ayash, an activist and former member of the local council in a Facebook message exchange. The regime captured our farmland. Our hospital ran out of services.

While the initial evacuation appeared to go without incident, the journey to rebel-held Idlib province or camps for the internally displaced was fraught with risk. State news media said some 400 fighters and families left for Idlib province and 600 civilians went to Qadsaya and Harjalleh, two government-controlled enclaves in western Ghouta where they would join thousands of other internally displaced.

There was no written agreement spelling out the details of the exodus, and an enormous discrepancy in the numbers, with city officials saying there were more than 8,000 civilians, and Syrian government agencies using the figure of 4,000.

We find the agreement unsettling, said Elise Baker, research coordinator at Physicians for Human Rights, a U.S.-based group. She expressed fear that Daraya residents would be detained arbitrarily, which had occurred repeatedly following negotiated cease-fires with other Syrian towns. She said residents, already the victims of countless war crimes, should have the choice of staying in their homes.

Valerie Szybala, executive director at the Syria Institute, a nonprofit research group, feared the arrest of evacuees, forced military conscription, relocation to other besieged areas and the denial of the right of residents to return to their homes. You know the situation is bad when you hope that it is just ethnic cleansing, and that the population will be safely moved elsewhere instead of killed, arrested, and abused, as we have seen in past forcible surrender situations, Szybala told The Daily Beast.

The decision to abandon the town, reached Thursday after nearly a month of negotiations, appears to have embarrassed both the United Nations, charged by the world community with keeping besieged towns like Daraya alive, and to the International Committee of the Red Cross, which ordinarily plays a lead role in any organized movements of civilians in wartime.

Calling the situation in Daraya extremely grave, UN special envoy Staffan de Mistura said that the UN had neither been consulted nor involved in the negotiations, and he only learned of the agreement Thursday evening.

He appealed to Russia and the United States to ensure that implementation of the agreement and its aftermath is in compliance with international law.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry was meeting his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Geneva on Friday to discuss Syria, but there was no sign they intended to take ownership of a situation beyond their control.

It took de Mistura 19 hours to issue his statement following a query by The Daily Beast on Thursday evening. And while he said he was taken by surprise, townspeople in Daraya said the UN was updated on the negotiations almost daily.

We have been in contact with De Misturas office in Damascus, and they are fully acquainted with the agreement, said Ayash, the former city councilman. We asked them to be the monitors for this agreement, but frankly, we never heard back from them.

The Syria Institutes Szybala was withering in her criticism of the supranational body. The UN took no action to protect civilians from this fallout, she said. Their efforts began and ended with that insufficient aid convoy in June. This is the epitome of negligence.

The International Committee of the Red Cross said it had been aware of the negotiations but said it was not involved in them and was playing no role in the transfer of civilians.

To be able to fulfill our tasks, we would need necessary guarantees that humanitarian relief workers will be respected and protected, said Ingy Sedky, an ICRC spokeswoman in Damascus.

Despite a military onslaught as intense as anywhere in Syria, Daraya has long been known for having one of the most stable and resilient rebel forcestwo moderate units of the Free Syrian Army umbrella group that have long been under the control of a civil administration.

Since January 2014, when the Assad regime began attacking opposition held areas with barrel bombsold barrels filled with shrapnel and explosivesits helicopters dropped 8,940 on Daraya, according to city statistics. From July 1 to Aug. 16, 886 bombs or shells targeted the city, more than double the number of the preceding four months, according to Western humanitarian aid officials.

All the vital structures for the survival of the population were targetedhouses, roads, mosques, water networks, and electricity facilitiesbut the crowning blows came during August, when the regime deliberately targeted the citys food supply and attempted to burn major facilities with incendiary bombs.

We have been under siege for four years, said Ayash, the local activist. We depend on the food we plant ourselves. All the people in Daraya can live on one meal a day. But in the last three months, all the crops were destroyed, and the regime captured our farming area, he said.

City defense organizers counted 54 barrel bombs with what they said was napalm, an inflammable liquid that starts fires that cannot be doused with water. Human Rights Watch, the independent monitoring group, said the weapon may not be napalm, but it more probably an incendiary weapon banned under international treaty.

With additional reporting by Michael Weiss
Tom Wolfe has been skewering and illuminating the American scene since the 60s, starting with such books as The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby and The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test, his account of Ken Kesey and his Merry Pranksters as they traveled around dishing out, and eating, copious amounts of LSD. His style of immersive reporting became the cornerstone of the New Journalism movement, and his unique voice and critical eye for pop and counterculture mores earned him a cult-like following in the ensuing decades.

Even before he hooked up with the Pranksters, Wolfe had donned what would become his trademark: a white suit and homburg hat. Arriving in New York City in 1962 to work for the New York Herald Tribune, he wanted to find a way to stand out from the crowd, and so he bought a white silk. Wolfe found it too hot to wear in New Yorks sweaty, humid summers, and instead donned it in the winter, which, as he told USA Today in 1999, created such resentment, I loved it.

The young writer also found the suit gave him certain advantages over something more nondescript. By standing out in the crowd, or, as he put it, being the man from Mars who simply wants to know, he was able to more easily get people to confide and open up to him, a valuable tool for a reporter. Wolfe also credited the outfit with making him appear more interesting than he actually was, especially at first, describing them as a substitute for a personality for the first 10 years of wearing them.

Now 86 years old and firmly established in the pantheon of great American writers, Wolfe still wears his white suit, even to the gym, though he no longer needs any such visual cues to appear interesting. As summer begins to wind down, the average mans opportunity to dress like a Southern gentlemanor an iconic author  does as well. Heres a quick guide to seizing the moment. After all, as Mr. Wolfe himself said, you never realize how much of your background is sewn into the lining of your clothes.

THE HAT

The homburg is a fedora-like hat with a rounded brim that curls in the back and has a dent in the center of the crown. It was originally made fashionable by Englands King Edward VII in the early 20th century, though over the years hat makers have taken artistic license with its silhouette. It is traditionally made of felt, but to accommodate summers heat wed recommend going with a slightly more breathable material, such as Optimos Montecristi Panama straw version. If you arent prone to perspiration, the Stacy Adams wool felt Homburg in ivory white should do the trick.

THE JACKET

Even Wolfe acknowledged that wearing a full suit in the summer can be torture. Get around looking like you just stepped out of a sweat lodge with a summer weight coat, preferably half-lined, and made from a light fabric such as seersucker. Created in 1909 by Joseph Haspel Sr. to beat the heat in pre-air conditioner New Orleans, the seersucker jacket is made from a puckered cotton originally designed for workers summer uniforms. Still going strong over a century of gentle evolution later, Haspels Gravier sportcoat is nothing short of an icon in itself, if youre bold enough to wear it. And if youre going to go seersucker, this is undeniably the first name in doing so. If the $700 price tag has you sweating in a different way, J Crews Ludlow summer weight linen coat is an affordable, and accessible, option.

THE PANTS

If you went with Haspels white seersucker for the coat, theres no reason not to do it for the pants as well. Their Bernard trouser features the same white puckered Italian cotton and a tailored fit in matching white. That said, you shouldnt be afraid to go with a slightly darker shade for pants, or even make a bold radical chic statement of your own, such as with Ralph Laurens red pepper pima twill pants.

THE SHIRT

The lighter weight the better. Joseph Abbouds white linen modern fit sport shirt is a perfect example, as is Brooks Brothers Brookscool supima cotton shirt. Of course, this is also another perfect opportunity to add a little splash of uniqueness, like Polos checked poplin shirt.

THE TIE

While Wolfe will occasionally wear a matching white tie, hes just as often shown with a bold slash of dark color, flecked with a pattern such as polka dots. Ermenegildo Zegnas paisley jacquard necktie will make a statement, as will Brionis circle jacquard tie. Brunello Cucinellis plain cashmere tie is a simpler choice, and comes in a variety of colors.

THE SHOES

Wolfe favors two-tone black and white patent leather dress shoes. Saddle shoes, a type of Oxford shoe, are a summertime staple. Thom Brownes textured leather version is as good as they get, and will scale back the formality of the suit a bit, perfect for summers casual vibe. If you really want to get out of the box, consider a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor lows in optical white.
The Dean of Students at the University of Chicagos undergraduate college sent a weird letter to incoming first-year students this week.

On the one hand, it welcomed the new kids, expressing delight that theyd chosen the University of Chicago. On the other hand, it warned them that those evil bugaboos of college campuses, trigger warnings and safe spaces, will find no quarter in Hyde Park.

Was Dean Ellison responding to a wave of organizing among U Chicagos notoriously conservative student body? Were its bookish economists and classics majors objecting to the literature of dead white males?

NoI think this was all about donors.

Just two weeks before the deans letter, The New York Times ran a lengthy investigation of the decline of donations to Yale, Princeton, and Amherst, profiling seven old white guys (aged 57 to 86) who were writing the colleges out of their will, penning angry letters to student newspapers, and the like.

According to the article, 29 percent of small, liberal arts colleges reported a decline in donations between 2015 and 2016. At Amherst, the alumni participation rate dropped to its lowest level since 1975, when the college began admitting women.

Another report described a drop in donations to the University of Missouri in the wake of now-former professor Melissa Click, who cursed at a police officer and tried to prevent journalists from approaching a student protest.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, a letter from the dean telling U Chicago students not to be babies.

Considering that anti-P.C. crusaders often depict students as humorless bratsthey missed irony class that day said one frustrated Yaliethere were a lot of ironies in the Chicago letter.

First, the university isnt actually doing anything. Safe spaces, for example, are generally declared by student groups, not universities. And trigger warnings are provided, or not, by professors.

And what are safe spaces, really? Theyre temporary zones where the usual privileges of being, yes, a straight, white, relatively rich, empowered male are turned on their heads, and other peoples sensitivities come first. If, like me, youre in that demographic, youre meant to feel uncomfortable. Ironically, its the white dudes like me who need to grow a pair, not the activists pushing back against us. Were the ones who apparently need to be told to grow the hell up.

Second, by not tolerating trigger warnings, Dean Ellison is suppressing free speech in the name of free speech. As one professor wrote in the Times, its professors business if they want to warn their students before they read texts involving rape, sexual abuse, and other topics that could trigger traumatic reactions. Trigger warnings arent for delicate students; theyre for trauma survivors. And if a professor wants to issue onenot so that students can dodge issues they prefer to avoid, but so that they can prepare themselves so they dont freak out about themwhy should the dean of students forbid her from speaking as she wishes, in her own classroom?

In fact, the deans letter itself is a gigantic trigger warning.

Beware, it basically tells incoming students, you will not receive trigger warnings at the University of Chicago. Consider this your trigger warning.

In fact, the letter will likely have the opposite effect on some students. For example, the letter said we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial. Well, then bring on Rami Kanzu, Monzer Taleb, and other speakers who have been invited by chapters of Students for Justice in Palestine, only to be opposed and sometimes banned by conservative pro-Israel groups.

And it seems inevitable that the proposed ban on safe spaces will be discussed by various affinity groups in safe spaces, i.e., places free of angry white men who have a habit of interrupting women and people of color without noticing.

Thats why its clear that this letters true audience was not the students to which it was addressed, but the alumni who can now read it on the right-wing blogosphere. (Interestingly, the site to which the letter referred its readers, freexpression.uchicago.edu, was down when I checked it today.) After all, for every one Amherst alumnus dismayed at the renunciation of Lord Jeffrey Amherst (who advocated the genocide of Native Americans by spreading smallpox among them), there are hundreds of conservative Chicago alumni. This, after all, is where neo-conservatism was born.

This letter, in other words, was a prime example of virtue signaling, which is when a person makes a statement merely to burnish their credentials within an ideological community. Look at me, the letter says, I oppose political correctness. And thats pretty much all it says.

Which is why issues like trigger warnings, safe spaces, and political correctness have been so blown out of proportion of late. Of course, there have been occasional outrages like Yales ousting of Erika Christakis over an innocuous Halloween notebut then again, she resigned, unlike Professor Click, who was fired by Mizzou. And really, who cares if a professor says warning, theres some racist language in this book or a student group says were not here to discuss whether white privilege exists right now?

Well, donors care, readers care, potential voters care, and so therefore, people will write letters and blog posts to inflame tempers, or as is likely in this case, to calm them.

By coincidence, the U Chicago deans letter came out the same week that the National Labor Relations Board ruled that teaching and research assistants, who work for years as barely-paid serfs, and who until now have frequently been banned from organizing a union, are entitled to do so. The University of Chicago sent out another letter, this time to all faculty and graduate students, alleging (with no evidence, since none exists) that such a union could be detrimental to students education and preparation for future careers.

That kind of issue points toward the real crises affecting American higher education, issues that have nothing to do with Halloween costumes and everything to do with decreases in state funding, increases in corporate funding, the demise of tenure, and outrageous spirals of indebtedness and even poverty among academics. Funny, Dean Ellison didnt provide any trigger warnings for those.
Taiwanese Kavalan whisky arrives in New York

Some of the 330,000 daily visitors to Times Square over the next five months may see an unusual whisky beaming down on them from not one, but 11, of the square's massive electronic billboards.

Taiwan's premier whisky maker, Kavalan Distillery, has joined the thousands of iconic American and global brands that over the past century have advertised at one of the most popular commercial intersections in the world.

As part of its push into the US market, Kavalan's award-winning whiskies are currently being projected onto the Thomson Reuters Building at No. 3 Times Square, central Manhattan.

Kavalan founder YT Lee says he hopes the US market will become a leading market for the brand. "This is about telling people Kavalan whisky is available in the US. We're here and we're in business."

The prestigious World Whiskies Awards (WWA) named the Kavalan Solist Vinho Barrique its 2015 World's Best Single Malt Whisky and the Solist Amontillado Sherry Single Cask Strength the 2016 World's Best Single Cask Single Malt Whisky.

Retailers in New York will be offering special tastings and promotions over the next five months. For more information, contact Kavalan's US importer, Anchor Distilling www.anchordistilling.com.

The Kavalan Distillery in Taiwan has been dedicated to the art of single malt whisky since 2006 and the recipient of more than 190 gold awards. At its distillery, a world-class R&D team, UK-trained master blender, and an international whisky consultant, oversee the production of an annual 5 million bottles.

Aged in American oak casks in intense humidity and heat, Kavalan also benefits from sea and mountain breezes and the Snow Mountain's spring water, which combine to create Kavalan whisky's signature creaminess. Kavalan takes its name from the old name for Yilan County and is backed by 30 years of beverage-making thanks to parent company, King Car Group. It is available in 40 countries. Visit www.kavalanwhisky.com/en/

26 August 2016 - Felicity Murray The Drinks Report, editor
Liberals to unveil plans for UN peacekeeping forceFederal cabinet ministers will troop out to one of the country's principal fighter jet bases on Friday to outline the Trudeau government's rebooted commitment to international peacekeeping  a pledge that sources tell CBC News will eventually involve hundreds of soldiers and police officers over time.Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, along with International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion and Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale are scheduled to make the announcement at the Bagotville air base north of Quebec City on Friday.The announcement is coming two weeks ahead of a United Nations peacekeeping conference in London, a gathering Canada was almost excluded from because, according to a series of sources, it had not made  until recently  a firm commitment on the number of troops it could provide.The initial list of countries prepared by conference organizers did not include Canada, said two UN sources with knowledge of the file. The officials could not speak publicly because of the diplomatic sensitivity.The Liberal government, which made a return to peacekeeping one of its core themes in last year's election, was required to commit in writing how many soldiers would be available should the world organization ask for volunteers as missions arise.The figure quoted to the UN was in the range of 450-500, according to the sources, who went on to say troops might not be assigned to a single mission and could be spread out over various countries where they are most needed.The announcement on Friday is also expected to commit upwards of 100 police officers to various capacity-building missions.The Liberals have been tight-lipped about how many troops, and where they would be going. They are not expected to reveal specific missions until a later date.Sajjan recently returned from a five-country scouting mission of possible locations in Africa.He said he knew how many soldiers he had at his disposal, but needed the blessing of cabinet to finalize the plan.That authorization was apparently given at the cabinet retreat earlier this week in Sudbury, Ont., and comes in the midst of a Liberal caucus meeting in Quebec's Sageunay region.
March 20, 1922 - August 24, 2016

Freddie Lee Honeycutt, was born on March 20, 1922 in Temple, Texas to Oscar and Muna (Allen) Honeycutt. Fred was the youngest of 7 children who all predeceased him. He attended a one room school house in Old Howard, Texas where he studied on desks ordered by his father from a salesman's model; Oscar demanded the model as part of order to give to Fred to play with. Fred's favorite story from his school days was about a young man with a pretty blonde woman (Bonnie and Clyde) who parked their fancy sedan outside the school house to drink from the well.

Fred worked on the family farm from childhood until 1944 when he was hired by American Desk in Temple to ironically build school desks. In 1947 he joined his brother-in-law, Lloyd Mousner, as a delivery man for Bell Bakery in Temple. Fred delivered any pecan pies that he didn't eat. In 1954 Fred followed Lloyd to Texas A&M Power Plant and was hired by Guy Hines to work as a turbine operator. The Texas A&M power plant generated electricity, heat and hot water for the entire campus and power for sections of College Station. In 1962 Fred completed basic fireman training and was a volunteer at the local station.

With his wife, Vivian, and later his son, Steven, he lived in University Housing on Ball Street in a wonderful close-knit neighborhood with other A&M families including Lloyd and Cleo Mousner, Charlie & Betty Hodges, Alvin and Florene Houston and the Henry Lenz family. In 1969 he moved his family to Gilchrist Avenue in College Hills.

Fred retired as assistant manager from the power plant in 1984. Never one to sit still in 1985 Fred began shuttling vehicles for local car dealerships, such as Tom Light, with a group of men who became his close friends. Fred was always interested in cars from the time he drove his family's Model T. For his own cars Fred did all his own maintenance.

Fred trained a couple of his backyard squirrels to eat pecans out of his hand. It's surprising that he shared pecans with these squirrels because pecan pie remained his favorite dessert. Over the years he received many funny birthday and Father's Day cards with photos of squirrels on them.

In June 2008 Fred's house on Gilchrist was destroyed in a fire when the water heat exploded from gasoline vapors. This fire made front page news in The Eagle. Interviewed neighbors described Fred as the Mayor of Gilchrist because he had lived there the longest.

Fred and Vivian moved to Allen, north of Dallas, to be close to their son, Steven, and daughter-in-law, Maureen. Living in Allen, Fred could also visit Steven's best friend, Don Mason, and his wife Patricia. Fred also enjoyed visits with Steven and Maureen's close friends, the David and Tammy Sudduth family, and Maureen's family members when they visited from out of state.

Fred, on the morning of August 24, 2016, we know your son Steven greeted you in heaven but we will miss you sneaking up to tickle the back of our necks. We will miss hearing you ask "Are you hitting on all 4 cylinders." And we will miss seeing your Aggie Maroon Walker with the "Aggie #1 Fan" license plate.

Funeral service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, August 27 at Memorial Funeral Chapel in College Station. Visitation will be one hour prior to service time at the funeral home. Private burial will be held Rest-Ever Memorial Park Cemetery.
SOUTH SIOUX CITY  South Sioux City officials have given final approval to the sale of a 7-acre tract that will become the future site of a $3.75 million renewable fuels power plant.

Built by Kentucky-based Green Star Energy Group LLC, the proposed 3-megawatt plant will bring 15 jobs to the community. When up and running, the plant, which would run on wood waste, would provide roughly 8 percent of the electricity for the citys municipal utility.

Were always looking into ways to lower the electric bill and to boost our economy, city administrator Lance Hedquist said Tuesday. With this project, we can do both.

Green Star is purchasing the land, located in South Sioux Citys Roth Industrial Development Park, from South Sioux Citys Community Development Agency for a total of $140,000. The city council approved a development agreement with Green Star at its weekly meeting Monday.

Hedquist said the purchase price will be paid at a rate of $20,000 per year for seven years, with funding coming from tax-increment financing. Tax-increment financing, or TIF, is a finance tool that diverts property tax increases that result from new construction in order to fund economic development.

Hedquist said construction will likely begin in spring of 2017, with the projected slated for finish by July 1, 2018.

According to city documents, Green Star will be working with the city to meet the requirements to apply for a $1 million economic development loan to assist with site construction, as well as apply for a $300,000 Community Development Block Grant to help fund infrastructure at the site.

In the future, Green Star will have the option to purchase 10 more acres of land, also at $20,000 per acre. Hedquist said Green Star has plans to purchase the additional land within the next two years. He declined to say what the land would be used for.

Earlier this year, Green Star unveiled a smaller power plant, or gasifier, in the citys Scenic Park. The gasifier, fed with wood waste and dead trees from the riverfront park, break down the molecular structure of the wood to create clean electricity with no emissions. The system will be used to power the city-run campground and nearby water treatment plant, helping save the city about $40,000 a year in energy costs.

Hedquist said Green Star also has future plans to relocate its headquarters from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to South Sioux City.

To lower rates for residential and business customers and add more renewable sources of power, the South Sioux City municipal utility has spent the last few years moving to diversify its mix of wholesale power. In January 2015, the city council voted to reduce by 30 percent the power it gets from its longtime partner, Nebraska Public Power District, starting Jan. 1, 2018. The citys contract with the states largest utility, is scheduled to expire in 2021.
Franklin County students improved on over half of their Standards of Learning (SOL) tests in 2015-2016, according to results released last week by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE).

Division-wide, students met or exceeded their scores from 2014-2015 on 14 of the 28 comparable tests.

However, scores in English reading tests dipped in all grades, except for fifth grade, and math and science scores fell by two (math) and three (science) points. Eighth-graders and high-schoolers also saw a decrease in their English writing scores.

We do acknowledge a decline in the performance of some grade areas and specific subjects, said Director of Curriculum and Instruction for Franklin County public schools (FCPS) Brenda Muse. There are many factors that tend to lead to the fluctuations of grade level SOL performance from school to school. Comparing last years student performance is measuring a different group of students.

Many students require more support than others, given their ability level and as students transition from one grade level to the next, the content becomes increasingly more difficult with more and more skills expected of students to master, she added.

Last year, third-graders achieved an overall score of 80 on their reading tests, compared to a score of 85 the year before. Sixth-graders scored a 78 (82 the previous year), seventh-graders scored an 83 (84 the previous year), eighth-graders scored a 72 (75 the previous year) and high-schoolers achieved an 88 (91 the previous year.)

In addition to the reading scores, eighth-graders scored a 67 on last years writing tests, compared to a 70 the previous year, and high-schoolers scored a 71, compared to a 75 the previous year.

Students met or exceeded scores on all math SOLs, except for fifth and sixth-graders, who saw a dip of two points and one point, respectively.

Scores in Algebra I and II were both improved with a significant improvement in geometry. Last years geometry score was 81, compared to a 2014-2015 score of 67.

Reading, writing and math skills must be at the basic level in order for students to not fall further behind, Muse said. When we compare our schools SOL performance to the state average, we are well above the recommended guidelines in the majority of our schools.

Franklin County elementary and middle school students all improved in the area of social studies. High-schoolers saw a decrease of one point in Virginia and U.S. History and in Virginia Studies, while their World History II scored dropped by six points (from a 92 to an 86). High-schoolers maintained their score of 88 in World History I and improved their score in Civics and Economics by two points.

Students improved on science tests as a whole, but scores dropped in fifth-grade science and earth science. In 2015-2016, fifth-graders scored an 81 in science, compared to an 84 in 2014-2015. In earth science, scores dropped three points to an 85.

Technologically-enhanced questions in science and social studies continue to be an area in which we need to improve, said Muse. Teachers continue to examine student data and make determinations relative to the specific areas of weaknesses students are struggling with. Once these skills are identified, teachers provide intensive remediation, small group tutoring, one-on-one assistance and continued use of scientific researched-based strategies to improve student performance. Targeted student interventions are a daily part of the instructional day.

All Franklin County schools are accredited for the 2015-2016 school year, and administrators continue to be proud of students, Muse added.

This success is attributed to a team effort led by administrators, teachers, paraprofessionals and support staff, she said. Our staff will continue to seek ways to increase and enhance student performances across the division. We have a dedicated and committed staff that goes above and beyond ensuring our students are successful. They are committed to life-long learning for our students.

Statewide, the percentage of students achieving at the proficient or advanced level on SOL assessments in reading, mathematics and science increased by one-point during 2015-2016.

Student achievement in English writing and history/social science was unchanged.

The highest pass rates in English, mathematics and science were on the end-of-course tests high school students must pass to earn credit toward graduation.

Of the commonwealths 1,822 public schools, 915 improved in mathematics, 904 in reading and 939 in science.

Under our current accreditation system, relatively high overall achievement in fully accredited schools can mask underperformance by certain groups of students, said Board of Education President Billy K. Cannaday Jr. The board is committed to implementing reforms that will shine a light on achievement gaps and hold all schools accountable for raising the achievement of students who historically have struggled to meet Virginias high expectations.

Virginias online SOL tests in English, mathematics and science require students to apply critical-thinking skills as well as their knowledge of grade-level or course content to solve multistep problems. The mathematics tests taken by most students in grades 3, and 6-8 in 2015-2016 were computer adaptive assessments.

Computer adaptive SOL tests begin with a question or problem of moderate difficulty. If a student answers the item correctly, the computer selects a slightly more challenging problem as the next item. Conversely, an incorrect response results in the selection of a slightly less difficult item. Students scores are determined by the number of questions answered correctly and the relative difficulty of the correctly answered items.

Governor Terry McAuliffe and the state Board of Education have advocated the expansion of computer adaptive testing as a means of better measuring academic growth and improving the assessment experience of students. VDOE expects to convert all mathematics and reading SOL tests in grades 3-8 to the computer adaptive format by fall 2017.

Additional information on the performance of students on SOL tests during 2015-2016  including results for schools and school divisions  is available on the VDOE website and on the online report cards for schools and divisions.

VDOE will announce 2016-2017 state accreditation ratings in mid-September. Accreditation ratings may reflect achievement over three years and include adjustments to reward schools for successful interventions and allowances for certain transfer students and English learners.
What we know so far about alleged Iowa serial killer Donald Studey
Reflect on your success in business and life. Think of all youve done to get where you are. Consider the books youve read, the conferences youve attended, and the courses for which youve paid (the good ones and the not-so-good ones). Surely the path has had some twists and turns, but youve met each challenge with patience and curiosity. Now is the time to look to your future and ask yourself two questions:

Successful people continue working on the skills necessary to propel them toward the next big thing. Though you might not know exactly what youll be doing a year from now, continual improvement is the key to achieve more in business and in life. Here are three things the most successful people do to challenge themselves.

1. Get ready before you need to be.

Is there anything else, before we go on to our next thing? This question surprised me the first time I heard it -- and I got it more often than not. One day while traveling to a client meeting, I opened my notebook at 37,000 feet and wrote, If they offer, heres what Ill ask. Since then, Ive used this tactic hundreds of times to come up with the one (yes, just one!) extra ask, should the opportunity arise.

When you need to be on, its often too late to gear up. Scan your calendar and look ahead to the next 10 meetings with your clients, staff, vendors or community members. List the topics you can imagine naturally becoming part of those conversations. Think about books to discuss with a client, upcoming opportunities to share with staff, specific requests for vendors and that one big idea you have for the local nonprofit foundation you support. Remember to prepare for the anything else? question.

Related: 50 Quotes With the Power to Motivate You to Do Anything

2. Give and observe the process.

When I was in college, an academic counselor told me, "To get more, give more. To learn what you'll need, teach what you know. At the time, I took her advice literally. I tutored fellow students and I volunteered at the local library. It wasnt until years later I realized just how profound this advice really was.

When youre in a position to share what you know, you get to watch the process unfold. Since I left university more than 20 years ago, Ive mentored others, given them ideas, acted as a sounding board and counseled them. Each time, I watched as they weighed the options and learned to navigate through career and life, just as I'd done.

The next time youre asked to meet over a cup of coffee or go for a walk with someone seeking your advice, say yes. Watch the process unfold. How do they invite you? How do they prepare for the meeting? What do they do to facilitate the discussion or follow up? If youre lucky, theyll do some things really well and they might not do things up to your standard. Either way, you have an opportunity to observe that learning process.

Related: The Secret to Becoming Exactly Who You Want to Be

3. Create your own accountability.

I write more when Im on a deadline, and my content is better quality. I'm more productive in the two days before I leave on vacation. And I work out more when a race is scheduled on my calendar. You see, I'm much more engaged in what Im doing when I feel as if Im accountable to something or someone.

Make up your own accountability factor if you have to, or ask someone to help you. Recently, I emailed a mentor and asked him if hed be willing to offer advice and feedback after looking at one of our businesses. He said yes and then offered to do something special: He emailed several of his associates, friends and advisors to ask if theyd also attend our meeting.

I flew to New York City with my wife and business partner, Jodi. We gathered in a conference room with my mentor and four other trusted individuals to talk about our mission and the tactics we currently used to grow our business. In less than two hours, those five had helped Jodi and me outline a strategic plan for one critical component of that business.

When we left I, promised to let them know how things went. Every four to six weeks, we sent my mentor an update. We shared lessons learned and committed to a new milestone. A year later, when we returned to New York to visit him, he told us hed often given people advice. Rarely, though, was he kept so informed of the results. Then he asked, When are we going to do that again?"

Related: 7 Success Secrets Every Entrepreneur Eventually Must Learn

Everything youve done, every conversation and every one of your travels have gotten you here. Congratulations!

Now the big question remains: What will you do to achieve your next level of success?

Your future depends on you.

Related:

3 Ways to Drive Continual Improvement

6 Ways to Make Motivation a Verb

Late Summer Reading List for Entrepreneurs, Disruptors and Innovators



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
WESTPORT  Summit Saugatuck, the development company that wants to build a 155-unit affordable housing development at the end of the Hiawatha Lane Extension, has filed an appeal against the towns Water Pollution Control Authority.

On July 27, Summits application for an extension of a private sewer from Davenport Lane to Hiawatha Lane Extension and a conditional approval to connect residential development was denied by the WPCA in a 2-1 vote, with Selectman Avi Kaner dissenting. The appeal, filed in state Superior Court in Stamford, asks the court to sustain the appeal and approve the application.

When the developments application was brought to the Planning and Zoning Commission in April, Tim Hollister, the attorney representing Summit, said the development will be built in two stages: phase one first, with 85 market-rate units; phase two would include 70 affordable units.

In order for the project to move forward, a sewer line 1,600 feet long would have to be installed from Davenport Lane to Hiawatha Lane in order to support both the new development and eight pre-existing homes in the vicinity.

The 155-unit complex and the houses require a combined 38,960 gallons per day of sewer capacity. According to the suit, in their April application, Redniss & Mead, a firm Summit enlisted, said the Westport sewage treatment plant, which can handle 3.3 million gallons per day, has the ability to handle an additional discharge of 38,960 gallons per day. The suit also maintains Redniss & Mead verified the existing Davenport Avenue sewer line is intact and able to accommodate additional sewage.

The suit also alleges the population density of Summits application was an issue of contention for the town.

At the July 21, 2016, WPCA hearing, Public Works Director Edwards acknowledged that: Summit had pledged funds that would pay for the upgrade; the force main upgrade would take two months to complete; the pump station upgrade was routine; and a sewer extension to serve 30 residential homes would be acceptable, thus showing that his departments concerns was the proposed density, not the extension, the suit says.

There is law in Connecticut that towns are not supposed to use sewers to control density, Hollister said.

Town Attorney Ira Bloom refuted what the suit alleges, along with Hollisters comment.

That is not what the WPCA did, in fact. They denied it because, at present, the pump station behind Black Duck Cafe needs repairs and theres a force main pipe, which goes under the Saugatuck River to the sewer treatment plant, that has to be repaired, Bloom said. And until those things are done, an estimated two to five years to complete, it is not possible to hook up a development of that size, and thats what the engineering reports said quite clearly, as did Mr. Edwards, so this application is premature, and thats what the WPCA said, Bloom said.

If the force main pipe under the Saugatuck is forced to handle the sewage of the complex in its current state, it could cause grave issues for the town, Bloom said.

The current pipe, which is deficient under the Saugatuck River, could burst, and that would create huge environmental issues. They didnt even look at the force main pipe. Their engineer said he did not do any work on the force main pipe. Until the force main pipe is fixed, it cant be done. Its not a zoning question, its an engineering question, Bloom added.

@chrismmarquette/ cmarquette@bcnnew.com
NORWALK  With the first day of school right around the corner, Norwalk police released some safety reminders for sharing the road with school buses, pedestrians and bicyclists.

Slow Down: Back-to-school means sharing the road

School days bring congestion. Yellow school buses are picking up their charges, kids on bikes are hurrying, and parents are dtopping their children off. It is never more important for drivers to slow down and pay attention than when children are present  especially before and after school.

If youre dropping off

Schools often have specific drop-off procedures. Make sure you know them for the safety of all children. According to the National Safe Routes for School Program, more children are hit by cars nears schools than at any other location.

Dont double park  it blocks visibility for other children and vehicles.

Do not load or unload children across the street from the school.

Carpool to reduce the number of vehicles at the school.

Sharing the road with young pedestrians

According to research by the National Safety Council, most of the children who lose their lives in bus-related accidents are 4 to 7 years old and are walking.

Dont block the crosswalk when stopped at a red light or waiting to make a turn, forcing pedestrians to go around you. This could put them in path of moving traffic.

In a school zone when flashers are blinking, stop and yield to pedestrians.

Always stop for a school crossing guard holding up a stop sign.

Take extra care to look out for children in school zones, near playgrounds and parks, and residential areas.

Dont honk or rev your engine to scare a pedestrian.

Never pass a vehicle stopped for pedestrians.

Sharing the road with school buses

If youre driving behind a bus, allow a greater following distance than if you were driving a car. It is illegal in Connecticut to pass a school bus that is stopped to load or unload children.

Never pass a bus from behind-or from either direction if you are on an undivided road, if it is stopped to load or unload children.

If the red lights are flashing and the stop arm is extended, traffic must stop.

The area 10 feet around a school bus is the most dangerous for children, stop far enough back to allow space to safely enter and exit the bus.

Be alert. Children are often unpredictable and they intend to ignore hazards and take risks.

By exercising a little extra care and caution, drivers and pedestrians can co-exist safely in school zones.

llake@hearstmediact.com
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NORWALK  For the first time in decades, teachers and administrators at Norwalk Public Schools are armed with a plan.

I think everyone in the room would agree this is an exciting time to be a part of Norwalk Public Schools, said Board of Education secretary Mike Barbis, addressing a full auditorium of educators at Norwalk High School Friday morning for districts 2016 convocation.

This road is not going to be straightforward, there will be curves, there will be setbacks, Barbis said. We had our fair share of controversy last year, but we cannot achieve what were trying to do without change and some turmoil.

The plan, of course, is the 2016-2019 Strategic Operating Plan, which was introduced in its final form in June. Developed by Superintendent of Schools Steven Adamowski, the Board of Education, school administrators and feedback received from teachers, staff, parents and members of the community. The mantra of the plan, which is publicly available in its entirety at norwalkps.org, is to raise the bar and close the gaps among Norwalk students.

Adamowski outlined the six goals in the strategic plan, which include improving achievement of all Norwalk students in reading, math and science, increase the achievement of Norwalk's high needs student subgroups to reduce achievement gaps and developing exemplary teachers and school leaders by training and promoting within the district.

We are ready to get to work to raise the bar and close the gap because the students deserve it, said Mary Yorden, president of the Norwalk Federation of Teachers. And we will do that by allowing data and research to inform our instruction, but also with humanity and common sense.

Ray McNulty, a senior fellow and past president for the International Center for Leadership in Education, was the keynote speaker Friday.

McNulty has also worked as a senior fellow for the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, where he focused on reinventing and improving high schools across the nation. He is also a past president of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and currently serves as Dean of the School of Education at Southern New Hampshire University.

McNulty praised the district for its emphasis on developing a plan and a district-wide system for achieving its goals to close the achievement gap and raise the bar for academic rigor in Norwalk.

You guys are doing such phenomenal stuff, McNulty said. Talking about systems and talking about relationships and talking about collaboration, its exciting ... The Norwalk System, thats important because systems help to make our schools successful by design. We cant have systems that are successful by chance. They have to be successful by design. This is a school district that is really taking on a significant challenge.

KKrasselt@scni.com; 203-354-1021; @kaitlynkrasselt
COLUMBUS  Photographer Michael Forsberg and videographer Peter Stegen are getting an up-close look at the Platte River  the entire Platte River.

The men began traversing the river July 1, starting at its beginning in western Wyoming.

But when they were traveling south of Columbus last weekend, they had to walk instead of paddle.

There wasnt enough water to float the canoe, said Forsberg. It became basically a llama to carry our equipment.

Its part of canoeing on the Platte, he said.

Forsberg has been documenting waterways since 2011 when he and Michael Farrell, a special projects manager at NET television, started a time-lapse project to explore waterways across the state. Their final destination is where the Platte meets the Missouri River south of Omaha.

I thought (this project) would be a good way to connect the dots of all these places, said Forsberg. I wanted to explore where our water comes from and explore its story as it makes its immense journey.

Along the way hes taken note of wildlife, such as deer, coyotes, raccoons, great horned owls and screech owls. Forsberg said hes also seen some wildlife that were endangered but seem to be thriving along the river, such as bald eagles.

We saw a family of river otters, which was really cool, he said. River otters are making a comeback in Nebraska, but theyre very uncommon, so that was really neat.

Hes also seen some of the challenges for the rivers ecosystem.

Its not Disneyland out there, Forsberg said. There are huge issues with invasive species.

One of those invasive species is the Asian carp, which is causing problems in rivers across the Midwest and South and threatening the Great Lakes. Forsberg has seen the fish in the Platte.

Theyre infamous. When youre paddling, theyre like fish shot out of a cannon, he said. They fly out of the water.

Humans are also responsible for some of these challenges.

Theres some areas of the Platte that are really beautiful and theres other areas where its trashed, where theres a bunch of junk in the river, said Forsberg. Its not that way everywhere, but thats the reality.

Forsberg and Stegen have met and heard the stories of people whose lives are closely tied to the river  either they live, work and, increasingly as they travel east, vacation along the water. South of Columbus, an area businessman gave them permission to camp on his land for the night.

They think were nuts but then they want to know more (about the project) and then they think its cool, he said. Pete and I are doing this trip to tell the story of water and what it means in our lives. Its also a gateway to other peoples lives.

Forsberg found many people with personal memories of the river.

My impression is how intimate water is in their lives. They remember the time the river flooded, or remember growing up along the banks of the Platte hunting or fishing with dad, the first time they saw an eagle, said Forsberg. Its those stories.

Forsberg said the area south of Columbus is particularly important for the life of the river because thats where the Loup River flows into the Platte, bringing water from the Ogallala Aquifer.

When you turn on your water in Lincoln, it comes from three places. It comes from snowpack in the Rockies, rainfall and from the aquifer, Forsberg said. Very few of us understand the story of it except that were thankful it comes out of the tap. But we dont want to take that for granted, because its not guaranteed.

Forsberg and Stegen arrived Wednesday at the Missouri River, completing the 1,000-mile journey. Their route, images and reporting on the river and water issues can be viewed online at plattebasintimelapse.com.
Of all John Adams published writings, two works provide an especially fruitful resource for an inquiry into his deepest political reflection.

As a political writer, John Adams is most remembered today for the constitutional prescriptions by which he helped to solidify the American Revolution. His Thoughts on Government was widely circulated in 1776 and helped hasten and shape the formation of independent states out of former British colonies. His Report of a Constitution for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts was adopted with few changes, by that state, in 1780 and became the model for movements toward constitutional revision in other states.[1] Both writingsthe first in outline and the second in detailindicate Adams view of the arrangement of political power which would best secure liberty. Neither work, however, elaborates Adams understanding of why a certain arrangement of power is necessary to the securing of liberty. To uncover this reasoning, the student of Adams thought must turn to his last published and least studied writings, the three-volume Defence of American Constitutions and one volume of Discourses on Davila.[2] In these works, which Adams later grouped together as his four volumes of Defence and Discourses on Davila,' he set before his audience fairly, fully and impartially the true principles of republican government as he had come to understand them from careful study of human nature, society, and universal history. The Defence and Davila are concerned less with detailed prescription than with a rational theory of republican politics out of which prescriptions can be drawn.[3] Of all of Adams published writings, then, these last works provide an especially fruitful resource for an inquiry into his deepest political reflection.

The nascent order of the Defence and Davila[4] can be grasped most readily by reflecting on Adams immediate purpose in these books. The particular occasion which spurred both works was the attack on American constitutions launched by French encyclopedists and economists, and especially by Ann Robert Jacques Turgot and Marquis de Condorcet.[5] Adams wrote to defend those American constitutions which most nearly embodied right principles of political construction.[6] Turgot and Condorcet had argued that free government is possible only when the English model of balanced government is eschewed and all political authority is collected in a unicameral representative assembly; they had denied that distinct social orders exist naturally and that any effective government must involve some mixture of social orders. Adams countered by showing his readers that free government will endure only when political power is constituted as a triple equipoise; free government must consist of three equal, independent branches exactly balanced against one another, and those branches must correspond to social distinctions which arise naturally among men. The dispute between Adams and the French party thus proceeded on the basis of a basic agreement: all antagonists were friends of liberty; all agreed that free government is the only legitimate government. But the partisans of liberty disagreed on how best to secure liberty; they disputed the form of government best adapted to their shared purpose. As Adams put the dispute in a 1790 letter to his cousin, Samuel, the antagonists agreed on the principles of liberty but disagreed on the principles of political architecture. It is not surprising, then, that principles of liberty were taken up in the Defence and Davila only as a subordinate theme and occasionally; Adams considered them only when the means of government required illumination from the ends. His major subject in the two works was political architecture and especially its principles.

The rod which allows the reader to divine the order of the Defence and Davila is provided by Adams intention to elaborate the subject of political architecture in terms of principles. Adams wanted to show his readers the rational theory of political construction rather than simply to indicate the imperfection of M. Turgots idea of all authority in one center.[8] This latter, narrower, and merely polemical purpose he could easily have achieved, he said, by recording the disastrous consequences for freedom which have invariably followed from actual efforts to collect all political authority into a unicameral representative assembly. But the historical analysis which would have disproved his French antagonists could not have established the necessity of three political orders and a balance between them. To accomplish this positive purpose of showing his readers the true and only reliable principles of political architecture, Adams had to engage in a more ambitious investigation: he had to take the most extensive views of men and societies. For Adams, an extensive view entailed examination of all writers of reputation in the art of political construction and of the most celebrated actual political structures, whether they remain entire or in ruins. Adams intention was to see how far both the theories and the [actual] models were founded in nature, or created infancy.[10] Only when he had shown that the triple equipoise is the one republican form solidly founded in nature, not fancy, would he have adequately accomplished his larger task of setting forth invariable laws of political construction.

The Defence and Davila proceed in two ways to discover which political arrangements are founded in nature. The two ways are separable but ultimately compatible. In fact, the distinction between the two methods indicates the major difference between the two works; the relation between the methods indicates the deepest unity of the books. In both ways, Adams proceeded as a modern scientist: He attempted to discern the invariable operation of efficient causes and their effects. For nearly all of the Defence, he examined political constitutions as proximate causes. He hoped to show that all governments which have lacked a perfect balance among three orders have resulted in either tyranny or anarchy, while all governments which have achieved such a balance have preserved the principles of liberty for their people.[11] Adams review of constitutions showed to his satisfaction the dangerous effects of all unbalanced or imperfectly balanced governments. Moreover, he saw the historic short-lived triumphs of liberty as having occurred in many cases because of a governments approximation of balance. But his search for unequivocal positive evidence on the side of the triple equipoise encountered a difficulty: Only one government outside the United States had reduced the requirements of balance to practice and that government could not stand as conclusive evidence for Adams position. The government of England had embodied all of the components of a free constitution for fewer than two hundred years; it therefore could not be used to demonstrate the power of balance to preserve liberty for thousands of years. Moreover, aside from the recently created American constitutions, England stood alone in its commitment to balance; it therefore did not provide Adams with the comparative material needed to separate reliably the effects of political form from the effects of peculiarly English circumstances.[12] The first way of demonstrating the principles of political architecture was consequently useful but insufficient for Adams highest aim. Adams other way of assessing the utility of various constitutions for liberty was to discover the human elements on which any political form must work in order to endure. He likened the systems of legislators to philosophers making experiments on the elements; systems of government are experiments made on Adams other way of assessing the utility of various constitutions for liberty was to discover the human elements on which any political form must work in order to endure. He likened the systems of legislators to philosophers making experiments on the elements; systems of government are experiments made on

Adams other way of assessing the utility of various constitutions for liberty was to discover the human elements on which any political form must work in order to endure. He likened the systems of legislators to philosophers making experiments on the elements; systems of government are experiments made on Adams other way of assessing the utility of various constitutions for liberty was to discover the human elements on which any political form must work in order to endure. He likened the systems of legislators to philosophers making experiments on the elements; systems of government are experiments made on human life and manners.[13] Accordingly, history can be read for what it reveals not only about political constitutions as proximate causes, but also about human nature as a cause. The best historians help their readers unravel the secret springs of human action; they disclose the operation of those passions which move men in all times and places.[14] Once identified and measured in terms of their natural tendency, these springs of action comprise a standard by which to predict the efficacy of any political proposal. For this reason, the most decisive inquiry for a science of political architecture concerns the question of what kind of beings men are.[15] Inattention to this inquiry had led the French party to faulty political prescriptions. Specifically, Adams antagonists had ignored the spring of human action: the natural human passion for distinction. Consequently, they had failed to take into account the problem of the social orders which inevitably result from the workings of that passion and to consider how government could incorporate those orders so as to make the passion for distinction support the principles of liberty.

It is concerning the springs of human action that the Davila plays a special role in Adams four volumes. In the three volumes of the Defence, Adams devoted occasional brief passages to the inquiry regarding the natural foundation of government, but he did so only as his treatments of particular aspects of political construction required deeper illumination. While inquiry into human nature provides the final measure for his teaching on political forms, Adams wrote the Defence as if he could settle the issue of the proper political form without giving extended attention to the nature of the human elements. By the time he resumed the task of political teaching in Davila, however, he had clearly concluded that the inquiry into human nature requires its own exposition. He therefore ended his first Davila discourse by observing to his readers that before we proceedit will assist us, in comprehending (Davilas) narration, as well as in making useful reflections in morals and policy, to turn our thoughts for a few moments to the constitution of the human mind.[16] In Discourses IIXIII he then explicated the standard to which he had made only occasional references in the Defence.[17] The Davila can thus be viewed, not simply as the last of four volumes, but as a statement of the groundwork on which the political teaching of the other three volumes rests and in terms of which the soundness of that teaching must be judged. The Davila completes the Defence theoretically, and, therefore, will receive special emphasis in the following exposition of Adams political teaching.

The Principles of Liberty

In the Defence and Davila, as in all of Adams writings, the reasoning for the principles of liberty received only brief attention. The principles and their natural source, Adams believed, had been adequately investigated as early as 1556, when John Poynet had published his Shorte Treatise of Politicke Power. That work had contained all the essential principles of liberty which were afterwards dilated on by writers on the side of liberty during the two periods marked by the Interregnum and the Revolution of 1688. Those writers, especially Locke, had taught Voltaire, Rousseau, and their disciples what they knew about liberty, so that the principles of liberty were becoming universal and needed no further defense.[18]

Adams sense of satisfaction with the English theorists of liberty, however, did not prevent him from suggesting his own understanding of the source and substance of the principles of liberty. The principles of liberty have their foundation in natural law, which human reason is in principle capable of discerning and which ought to govern all men.[19] Following his English predecessors, Adams identified the natural laws as two: the law of selfpreservation and the law of respecting the rights of others as much as [ones] own. As these statements of the law indicate, Adams understanding of natural law was thoroughly modern.[20] The good which reason discerns is primarily the existence of rights in each individual, possessed by him by virtue of his constitution as a human being. The two natural laws are inferences or reflections about the proper ordering of human conduct entailed by those rights. Since the rights concern the things or goods which are proper to an individual as a solitary being, the first law simply states the necessity that each man preserve himself. Since each man is equal to every other with respect to his natural rights, however, the second law indicates the implication of natural rights for human relationships: each man should treat every other human being as equally a rights-bearing individual.[21]

In Adams analysis, natural law has two direct implications for political legitimacy. First, since each man is equal to every other with respect to his right of disposing of his own, only a mans consent can legitimately place him under the power or rule of another. It was just this understanding which made Marchmont Nedhams book, in spite of its faults, so ancient a monument of liberty and political knowledge in England. Nedham had asserted the most excellent maxim which later Englishmen had englarged on, with great success: that the original and fountain of all just power and government is in the people. A hallmark of the American Revolution was its success in fully demonstrating and exemplifying among men this maxim, for in the Revolution Americans had exhibited to the world for the first time in human history an example of governments founded on the natural authority of the people without a pretense of miracle or mystery.[22]

One of the weaknesses of Nedhams reasoning about the political implications of the principle of consent was his mistaken inference that only simple democracy could satisfy its requirements. Adams readily agreed with Nedham that a free government is most natural, and only suitable to the reason of mankind, but he disputed Nedhams contention that only a democracy can be accurately denoted free. As Adams understood the principle of consent, it means two things about the forms which governments can legitimately take. First, since the origin of all just power is in the people, they have a right to erect whatever form of government they consider best suited for their liberty, happiness, and prosperity. The people may choose to retain power in their own hands, in which case they have constituted themselves as a simple democracy, in which the vote of the greater number is decisive. But simple monarchy or aristocracy or some mixture of the three simple forms of government is no less compatible with the principle of consent than is simple democracy, since that principle merely specifies that the people are the origin of just government, not that they must exercise government themselves. The people must constitute government; they need not actually run government.[23]

In an important respect, however, the principle of consent does alter the traditional meaning of the non-democratic forms of government. By deriving government from the consent of men who are by nature equal in rights, Adams identified a power in the people which they can never fully relinquish. As he later said to John Taylor, the summa potestatis, the supreme, sovereign, absolute, and uncontrollable power, is placed by God and nature in the people, and they can never divest themselves of it.[24] Under any form of government, the people retain a legitimate power of judging whether the governors are in fact securing their liberty, happiness, and property. The same people who erect a particular government have at all times a right to interpose, and to depose for maladministrationto appoint anew. This right, in fact, exists even under the traditional form of hereditary monarchy, for while the people have a right to appoint a first magistratefor perpetuity in his descendants, no appointment of a king can be, in the nature of things, for a longer period than quam diu se bene gesserit, the whole nation being judge. The clear implication of the peoples power is that all legitimate forms of government other than simple democracy are representative government, in which the governors, even if appointed for life or perpetuity, hold office only until further order as that order is given by the nation. Even a hereditary monarch, to be legitimate, must be viewed as the representative of the whole nation, and his possession of office is finally subject to the judgment of those he represents regarding the adequacy of his performance.[25]

While the people possess ultimate sovereignty, however, legitimate government is not simply identical with popularly willed government, but has a second requirement imposed by natural law. The very equality which yields consent as one of the principles of political legitimacy also specifies the ends that government is to serve. Men are equal, not in all ways, but only with respect to certain natural rights of private possession. Adams generally adopted the traditional English formulation of those rights as life, liberty, and property or liberty, property, and safety.[26] The only cause which could have prevailed upon reasonable creatures to consent to government was the discovery by experience that government is necessary to the preservation of their lives, liberties, and properties, from the injustice of another. Again, Nedham was correct in asserting that the end of all government is the good and ease of the people, in a secure enjoyment of their rights, without oppression. The proper standard for good government is the Golden Rule transformed by the theorists of modern natural law: government should ensure that we do to others as we would have others do to us in the sense that each man should be made to respect the rights of others as much as his own. Thus formulated so as to accord with nature, the Golden Rule forms a perfect statement of the principle of justice, applicable at all times, in all places, among all persons, in all circumstances. just government is characterized by a constant and perpetual disposition and determination to render to everyone his right, which it does by compelling each man to respect the legitimate private possessions of others. In other words, justice is the proper end of government, and justice was understood by Adams to mean securing to each man those things to which he has a right by nature.[27]

This is the first essay in a series of four essays. Republished with gracious permission from Political Science Reviewer (Fall 1976).

The Imaginative Conservative applies the principle of appreciation to the discussion of culture and politicswe approach dialogue with magnanimity rather than with mere civility. Will you help us remain a refreshing oasis in the increasingly contentious arena of modern discourse? Please consider donating now.

[*] I wish to thank the Earhart Foundation for financial support to complete this article and Professors Daniel Klenbort, Paula Wolff, and M. Richard Zinman for their helpful comments on an earlier draft.

Notes:

[1] All of Adams public writing can be found in The Works of John Adams, Second President of the United States 10 vols., edited by Charles Francis Adams (Boston: Little, Brown & Co., 1850-56), hereafter cited as Adams, Works and relevant volume. For Thoughts, see Adams, Works, IV, 189-200 and for Report, see ibid., IV, 219-267. For the judgment of a leading student of the period regarding the influence of these writings, see Gordon S. Wood, The Creation of the American Republic, 1776-1787 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1969), pp. 203 and 435.

[2] For these two works, see A Defence of the Constitutions of Governments of the United States of America, Against the Attack of M. Turgot, in his Letter to Dr. Price, Dated the Twentysecond Day of March, 1778in three volumes, in Adams, Works, IV, 283-588, V, and VI, pp. 3-220; and Discourses on Davila; A Series of Papers on Political History by an American Citizen, in ibid., VI, 223-399. The three volumes of the Defence were published in 1787-88. The Davila papers were published serially as newspaper articles in 1790-91 and were collected into one volume fifteen years later.

[3] Ibid., X, 96 and VI, 482; letters to John Taylor, April 1814; VI, 416-17; IX, 573: letter to John Trumbull, 23 January 1791.

[4] The reader who turns to the Defence and Davila for the first time is likely to react with dismay. These four volumes appear to be poorly organized compendia of historical and theoretical writings on politics by other authors, sometimes, dissected and analyzed by Adams but snore often quoted verbatim without comment. All clearly touch on politics, but they do not form a treatise on the theory of republican government. This is a defect for which Adams apologized to his readers at the end of the Defence. But it is a defect of style and method brought about by the circumstances of writing, not a defect in Adams understanding of his subject. Our aim in this essay is to sketch that understanding systematically.

[5] While Adams immediate antagonists in the Defence and Davila were Turgot and Condorcet, his most important audience was American. There had been, from the beginning of the revolution in America, a party in every State, who have entertained sentiments similar to those of M. Turgot. In two of the states, that party had managed to establish governments upon his principle of all authority in one centre. More recently, Shays Rebellion and similar movements elsewhere in Massachusetts had threatened to depose the Governor and Senate as expensive, useless, and pernicious branches of the constitution; See ibid., IV, 299-300 and IX, 623: letter to Samuel Perley, 19 June 1809. Adams intended to correct the mistakes of great men so that those mistakes could no longer countenance the prejudices of numbers of people, especially in a young country and under new governments (ibid., IV, 299-302).

[6] The worst of the state constitutions, in Adams view, were those of Pennsylvania and Georgia (ibid., IV, 300 and VI, 274). The others all contained sufficient ingredients of balance to be defensible, although the best and most defensible was my Constitution of Massachusetts (ibid., IX, 623: letter to Samuel Perley, 19 June 1809).

[7] Ibid., VI, 411-12: letter to Samuel Adams, 18 October 1790.

[8] Ibid., IV, 435.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid., IV, 293.

[11] I have given a more extensive discussion of Adams use of history in chapter II of my doctoral dissertation, The Ethics of John Adams: Prolegomenon to a Science of Politics (University of Chicago, 1974). The rigor of Adams method is one reason for the initially confusing wealth of material in the Defence and Davila, for he examines all countries where the governments may be called in any reasonable construction of the word, republican (Adams, Works, IV, 379)

[12] For Adams statement of the discoveries in the constitution of a free government which England had reduced to practice, see ibid., IV, 284. He also suggested two lines of criticism of the English constitution, one at ibid., IV, 284-85 and VI, 183 and the other at IV, 359 and 440.

[13] Ibid., IV, 297.

[14] Ibid., VI, 365.

[15] Ibid., IV, 406.

[16] Ibid., VI, 232.

[17] See especially ibid., IV, 387, 391-98, 406-10; V, 40, 488; VI, 8-9, 57, 94-5, 114-15, 141, 182 and 205-211.

[18] Ibid., VI, 4-5, 412 and 160.

[19] Adams seems to have accepted the existence of a separate moral faculty without having been concerned to identify precisely the nature of that faculty. Compare note 46 below.

[20] Ibid., VI, 234. I mean the term modern here as do such diverse scholars as C.B. MacPherson and Leo Strauss when they interpret the turn in political theory which occurred at least as early as Thomas Hobbes and achieved its liberal form with John Locke. The older tradition had made the duties of human beings its primary concern and had understood those duties in terms of the proper ends of human life. The new view emphasized the claims which each man could legitimately make for himself against others and justified those claims in terms of the natural beginnings of human action in the passions. Under the modern view, then, natural law does not state positive obligations to benefit others but only the limits to which self-claims can go; we are bound not to hurt others, at least when our own preservation is not at stake.

[21] Ibid., VI, 234.

[22] Ibid., VI, 160, 116, 292-93. Adams devoted the last half of volume III of the Defence to a critique of Nedhams book, The Excellency of a Free Government, published in 1656.

[23] Adams, Works, VI, 114 and 117 (italics mine).

[24] Ibid., VI, 469: letter to John Taylor of Caroline, April 1814 (italics mine). Adams series of thirty-two letters to Taylor, all written during April of 1814, are his only extended response to criticisms of the Defence. They were induced by Taylors attack on the Defence in his An Inquiry into the Principles and Policy of the Government of the United States (Fredericksburg,Va.: Green and Cady, 1814).

[25] Adams, Works, VI, 117. See also ibid., VI, 469: letter to John Taylor of Caroline, April, 1814. Adams use of the people in this context was made possible by that same shift in political theory which had transformed the meaning of natural law. The modern meaning of the people is directly linked to the emergence of the distinction between sovereign people and representative government. In the above discussion, the people designates the fundamental unity of the political community as consisting of the will of equal individuals to live together; the government which they bring into being merely implementsin this sense represents in actionthe intention of each individual to have a cooperative existence. Traditionally, however, the people referred, not to the whole, but only to the many or majority (and usually the poor majority) and the problem of political unity was treated, not in terms of sovereignty and representation, but with sole attention to ruling the city. Aristotle, for instance, viewed the city as a composite of qualitatively diverse classes, of which the people was only one (demos or plethos). The several classes, on their own terms, had nothing in common; each made an exclusive claim to rule based on its own vision of justice absolutized. The only semblance of unity which could be attained between such conflicting classes occurred when one class successfully imposed its rule on the others and thereby determined the direction which the life of the composite would take. In this older view, then, the assertion that the people had constituted a government could only have the restricted meaning that the many had successfully established their rule over other classes. Such an assertion had no necessary connection with legitimate or good government.

While Adams occasionally used the people in other contexts to designate the social order of the many, this more restricted usage was for him governed by the modern doctrine of popular sovereignty: The acts of the many can be legitimate only as they aid the intention of the people as a whole to live together securely.

[26] Ibid., IV, p. 300. For typical enumerations of the natural rights in the Defence and Davila, see also ibid., IV, pp. 304, 407, 415, 444, 462-63, 466-68, 557 and 579; V, pp. 115, 288, 453f, 457, 494-96; VI, pp. 65-6, 88-9, 96, 117, 158 (where Adams adds honor and reputation to the list), 242 (where he adds fame), 277-78, 280, 300 (where he adds tranquillity), 395 (where he adds our conveniences, com- forts and pleasures) and 399.

[27] Ibid., VI, 65 (italics mine) and 475. Adams understanding of justice as the end of government is of a piece with his adoption of the modern view of politics in other respects. The sovereign people do not simply will to live together, but will to cooperate for the purpose of making their equal natural rights secure against outsiders and each other. On this one purpose they can unanimously agree, but on no other, for they do not all naturally or necessarily have any other purpose in common. The end of government, then, is to ensure that no mans rights are invaded, and to achieve this purpose, government must treat all men under its jurisdiction as equally entitled to protection.

In contrast, Aristotle viewed political justice as the distribution of equal things to equals, and unequal things to unequals. The determination of who is equal and who unequal depends, he said, on the contribution which each makes to the proper end of politics. That end is not solely or primarily security; it is preeminently a good quality of life. To this end, the contributions from the several classes will by nature be unequal and the classes should be treated accordingly, with their benefit from politics being determined by the degree of importance of their contribution. Since the people (the many), for instance, can contribute necessary conditions for the good life, they must be recognized as having some legitimate claims on politics. But since the people can contribute only necessary and not sufficient conditions for such a life, their claim is not the preeminent one in the best city and the members of that class ought not be treated by government as equal to those whose contribution to a good way of life is greater.

Adams did not deny that human excellence is a proper concern of government, but he treated excellence as a necessary means to just government in the modern sense, not as the primary end of government.

The featured image is a photograph of a marble bust of John Adams by Daniel Chester French, and is in the public domain, courtesy of Wikimedia Commons.
Phillies complete comeback with 10th inning HR to win Game 1 of World Series

Philadelphias catcher hit a go-ahead solo home run in the top of the 10th after his team had rallied out of an early 5-0 deficit.
Without knowing it, Madison County Board member Mike Walters crystallized what needs to be done in an effort to get Illinois back on track.

Walters, from Godfrey, was speaking out on a non-binding referendum that will give voters here a chance to voice whatever displeasure they may have with lawmakers who have routinely been funding schools at a level far below what is required by the state constitution.

Walters, who understood why the referendum was being proposed, still wasn't sold.

It almost feels like were attacking some of our own legislators on both sides of the aisle.

Bingo.

That's exactly what needs to happen.

Democrats, Republicans, independents - all of them share blame in Illinois' ongoing collapse.

The state has amassed more than $7 billion in unpaid bills and can't seem to find a common ground for a budget.

As a result, schools are struggling, services are being cut and, while Madison County remains healthy, businesses are moving out.

To just blame current governor Bruce Rauner or former governor Pat Quinn would be foolish.

No one in Springfield, now or in the last decade or so, is clean on this deal.

Gridlock takes two parties.

Something needs to be done or the hole is just going to get deeper.

We're not in any way picking on Mike Walters, we just think he might have found the answer.

Maybe legislators on both sides of the aisle do need a wakeup.
It is estimated that one in five undergraduate women will be victims of sexual assault while attending school.

While that statistic is alarming, another statistic, the result of a survey conducted by the U.S. Senate, found that 40 percent of 440 four-year higher education institutions had not conducted a single investigation into allegations of sexual violence.

But a new Illinois law that took effect this month requires Illinois colleges and universities to implement procedures to prevent and better respond to sexual violence complaints.

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan initiated the Preventing Sexual Violence in Higher Education Act.

Madigan said the law will protect victims.

As another school year begins, Illinois students should be focused on going to college to learn and not to be derailed by sexual assault, she said in a press release. This new law ensures anyone who experiences a sexual assault is heard, protected and supported.

The act requires colleges and universities to develop a clear, comprehensive campus sexual violence policy, including detailed incident reporting options and university response guidelines.

Chad Martinez, director of the Office of Equal Opportunity, Access & Title IX Compliance, said Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles policy regarding sexual assault reporting and complaints addressed most of the details of the new law.

We were 98 percent compliant with the new law, he said. We did update the policy in very specific ways.

One of the big changes is the university has a dedicated confidential advisor and counselor on the campus to help victims of sexual assault.

One of the laws requirements is that colleges and universities notify student survivors about their rights including their right to confidentiality and the protections the university can provide to ensure the students health and safety, such as obtaining an order of protection, changing class schedules or campus housing and the availability of medical and counseling services.

In addition, the law requires the college or university to provide a confidential advisor to survivors to help them understand their options and rights, including to report the sexual assault and to seek medical and legal assistance.

We have named Lindsay Serrano as the confidential advisor. She will serve any student who has suffered a sexual assault. She will provide services and information about how to navigate through the complaint process as well as providing counseling to the victim, Martinez said.

He said the Serrano has a strong background in sexual assault victim advocacy and will serve as a vital resource to the campus population.

Martinez said the other change to the universitys policy is training for students and staff.

The law requires that the institutions train students and campus employees to prevent sexual violence and improve awareness and responsiveness to allegations of sexual violence.

Martinez said while the university has required training for incoming students and staff, the training is now required annually to old and new students and staff.

In the past it was just a requirement for incoming students, he said. Now we are requiring training annually for everyone.

Martinez said the training will change so that it is not the same every year.

Other requirements of the new law are:

 Adopting a fair and balanced process for adjudicating allegations of sexual violence.

 Allowing students to report data and information electronically, confidentially or anonymously (in addition to other methods offered). A third party or bystander can also report an incident. Colleges and Universities must respond to a report submitted electronically within 12 hours.
Landowners and area municipalities will have access to more than $500,000 in grant money aimed at reducing pollution in the Silver Creek Watershed.

The HeartLands Conservancy recently announced it will receive over $500,000 from the Illinois EPA, and the money will be made available to landowners and municipalities to install eligible projects that reduce non-point source pollution through 2018.

The program is part of the Upper Silver Creek Watershed Plan developed by IEPA, the Heartlands Conservancy and Madison County along with other key stakeholders that include Edwardsville and Glen Carbon.

The watershed encompasses roughly 120,000 acres of land with an estimated population of more than 26,000 people. While most of the land located within the watershed is agricultural, portions of Edwardsville, Glen Carbon and Maryville are part of the Silver Creek drainage.

Madison County Planning and Development Administrator Matt Brandmeyer said it was good to see the work being recognized by the state.

We are pleased to see the countys storm water planning being recognized by the state, he said. The watershed plan was an important factor that helped marshal these funds for the area.

HeartLand Conservancys Janet Buchanan, who helped develop the plan, said the money would allow people to start projects in the watershed.

All of our partners in the watershed plan, as well as residents and landowners weve spoken to, are looking forward to building on the Upper Silver Creek Watershed Plan, she said. Weve examined the water quality problems and flooding problems and now were ready to implement projects that help solve those problems.

Buchanan said the types of project that may be eligible for funding are grassed waterways, terraces, water and sediment control basins, ponds, animal waste storage structures, stream channel stabilization and stream bank stabilization.

There is a required 45 percent match for all projects. The IEPA will provide 55 percent of the costs of eligible projects, while the landowner or local partner will contribute the remainder.

Costs may include project design, permits, materials and construction costs.

To find out more about the grant program contact Janet Buchanan at HeartLands Conservancy at (618) 566-4451 ext. 25 or email janet.buchanan@heartlandsconservancy.org.
The Glen Carbon Board of Trustees discussed upgrades to the Miner Park Playground.

The discussion involved whether to spend $65,000 to make American with Disability Act improvements to part of the playground area, or spend an additional $100,000 to make the entire playground area ADA accessible.

Some board members felt the additional $100,000 expenditure should be used to develop Schon Park.

The issue was presented to the full board after the public services committee and the finance committee had different opinions about the issue.

Village Administrator Jamie Bowden told the board that the $65,000 upgrade would be paid for through Madison Countys Park Enhancement Program, and would only cover the cost to do a portion of the playground area. He said an alternate bid to make the entire playground area ADA compliant was obtained and added $100,000 to the project.

While the Public Service Committee made a recommendation to spend the additional $100,000, the Finance Committee recommended not spending the additional money because it had not been budgeted for.

Trustee Micah Summers said the decision from the public services committee was based on the fact that spending the $100,000 now on the project would save money in the future when and if the project is completed.

If we did this at a later time it would cost an additional $10,000 - $15,000, he said. At the time of the meeting there were also discussions about the cost of upkeep and the current condition of the playground.

Trustee Jorja Dickemann said if the structure is in good shape and is safe, she doesnt see the need to spend the additional $100,000.

I think it would be hard to explain to residents why we are tearing down a structure that is in good shape, she said. If we spend $65,000 making the ADA improvements and then use the $100,000 on Schon Park then we have two structures. And I believe the fact that we are moving toward being more ADA compliant on a regular basis, will satisfy the ADA regulations.

Trustee Mary Beth Williams said she would rather spend the $100,000 now, than an additional $15,000 later when the structure had to be replaced.

When the issue came up for vote, the board voted to spend the $65,000 to improve only part of the playground area.

Williams cast the only no vote on the motion.

In other business regarding village parks, the board voted to approve a contract for professional services with Millennia Professional Service, in the amount of $19,600 to do a study on the lake dam at Schon Park.

Bowden said the board has been discussing options regarding the leaking dam for quite some time.

Weve discussed the options of rebuilding the dam, vacating the dam and creating a wetland or doing a dam reduction and fix the leak and lower the overflow level of the lake, he said. The consensus from the board was to keep the dam and do a reduction.

Millennia will provide geotechnical evaluation of the dam, hydrology and hydraulics studies, schematic design of the dam and cost estimate of the dam reduction.
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Linkedin Mohammed Ali Berawi Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Technological innovation must contribute to the development of new models of sustainable social, economic and environmental growth in order to make the system more sustainable for the well-being of society.

Sustainable development requires value changes, institutional changes and cultural adjustment. Incorporating sustainable development into mainstream policies is crucial for achieving national and international cooperation.

Sustainable infrastructure development is arguably one of the main drivers of economic growth. Infrastructure systems create the backbone of an economy, as they provide social, as well as economic, benefits to society. Furthermore, it lowers costs, enlarges markets and facilitates economic activity. Efficient and effective infrastructure systems to provide goods, services and information to the public will contribute to the economic and social growth of a nation.

In order to achieve accelerated economic development, the government of Indonesia is targeting gradual economic growth in the next five years through large-scale infrastructure development programs. According to the government, the country needs approximately US$416.5 billion for infrastructure development in 2015 to 2019.

The ASEAN Secretariat (2015) estimates that Indonesia requires about $1.3 trillion in public infrastructure development funds until 2030. Sources of financing for infrastructure development are mainly from state budgets, foreign direct investment and public-private partnerships.

In response to this situation, the government released economic policy packages. The latest stimulus package, issued in April, focuses on enhancing the ease of doing business by reducing business procedures and permits in order to attract more investment.

A study mapping priorities for the development of transportation, waste, water and energy infrastructure in 33 provincial capitals was also identified and can be used to strategize plans to reduce regional infrastructure gaps (CSID, 2014-2016).

As presented in the recent Asian Development Bank (ADB) roundtable on infrastructure provision in China, India and Indonesia, I argue that the key factors for successful participation in Indonesian infrastructure development will be supporting project planning and delivery, collaborating in public private-partnership (PPP) schemes with Indonesian state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and increasing participation from national small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and channeling knowledge transfer and technology to strengthen national industries.

PPPs play an important role in the success of infrastructure development by producing optimum benefits for stakeholders: providing public infrastructure, reasonable community pricing for accessing infrastructure services and generating revenue for the private sector. In order to create these optimum benefits and increase project feasibility, innovation and value-added infrastructure projects must be generated. Value-added projects will directly affect financing and partnership schemes.

In short, a key success factor for infrastructure public-private partnerships is the quality of project feasibility, assessed through value for money (vfm). The application of value engineering in megaproject planning can also be utilized. For example, the construction of Jakartas MRT, airport railways and flood control tunnel, at a total estimated cost of more than $5 billion, could be achieved through integrated project development, combining the functions of flood control and public transportation to break the bottleneck of funding availability.

A proposed Public Railways and Stormwater Infrastructure (PRASTI) Tunnel, 19 meters in diameter, would stretch approximately 9 kilometers. The first and second levels can be used for MRT and airport rail transportation, and the lowest level as a flood control tunnel.

On top of that, the construction of network utilities such as telecommunications and high-speed internet, as well as underground commercial development, can be utilized to optimize the projects benefits. Cross-subsidy transportation revenues and the development of direct business can be used to cover public funding for the flood tunnel, saving billions of dollars.

Efforts in cost effectiveness and the creation of value-added projects form the basis of accelerating infrastructure development when there are financial constraints. The allocation of funds for infrastructure financing can be supplemented by utilizing Indonesias domestic financial potential in the stock market, government bonds, projects bonds, mutual funds, pension funds and insurance.

Financing potential can be maximized by enacting laws and policies that are conducive to the inclusion of infrastructure investment and government incentives by considering payback options and rates of return. Value-added infrastructure projects and effective infrastructure financing schemes will be able to improve project feasibility and thus boost strategic alliances between the government and the private sector.

Last but not least, the establishment of a dedicated government agency to formulate, coordinate and evaluate cross-sector infrastructure policies that focus on the facilitation and provision of incentives and partnerships is suggested in order to accelerate infrastructure development, channel knowledge transfer and technology and strengthen national industries.

____________________________

The writer is a member of the executive board for the Center for Sustainable Infrastructure Development (CSID) at the University of Indonesias School of Engineering in Depok, West Java.
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Linkedin Christopher Lingle (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Beijing has irredentist claims on all its borders and over all the waters that wash onto its shores. Indeed, it claims about 80 percent of the South China Sea (SCS), including the Spratlys and Paracels that are on a broad plateau up to 1,600 kilometer from Chinas eastern coastline.



For its part, the Peoples Republic of China insists on a sacred duty to recover and reunify what it perceives as lost territories.



Besides Taiwan, it claims Zhang Nan or Southern Tibet as is its name for Indias state of Arunachal Pradesh.



In 2006, Chinas ambassador to India declared the whole state of Arunachal Pradesh is Chinese territory [...] we are claiming all of that. That is our position.



In a challenge to its most powerful neighbor, Beijing claims the Diaoyu Island that the Japanese identify as the Senkaku Islands and in English is the Pinnacle Islands.



These consist of eight small, uninhabited volcanic islets in the East China Sea within 120 nautical miles of Taiwan and 200 nautical miles of Okinawa.



An insistence on sovereignty over the South and East China Seas incited disputing parties to apply treaties that China has approved in order to resolve jurisdictional conflicts.



To this end, The Hague Arbitral panel declared Chinas excessive claims to resource jurisdiction of the South China Sea has no basis in the Law of the Sea Treaty.



Driven by an obsessive desire to fulfill a singular sense of geographical destiny, Beijing ignored the panels findings that its historic rights arguments were legally unsound.



Meanwhile on its border with India, China has moved to take a mile while appearing to give back an inch on its claim to all of Arunachal Pradesh.



This was backed up by probing moves into Sikkim while improving infrastructure near disputed areas that have military as well as commercial uses



For its part, New Delhi deployed two additional army divisions and two air force squadrons to positions near its border with China.



Despite its own actions, Beijing denounced Indias recent troop movements and insisted there will be no compromises in its border disputes with India.



Concerning its maritime claims, since China is not an archipelago country, it has no legal basis to extend its continental shelf to claim natural resources in stretches of open water.



As it is, Beijings assertions overlap the continental shelves of the Philippines and Vietnam.



By claiming sovereignty over the Spratlys, it can apply the 200 nautical-mile economic zone, and it will do so regardless of recognized limits of other littoral countries.



Another ruse to consolidate claims over its border with the Koreas involves an egregious distortion of the past. Beijing published books and articles known as the Northeastern Project asserting that much of Koreas ancient history began in China.



This attempt to rewrite history met with official objections from Seoul and Korean learned societies demanded Beijing put the kingdom of Koguryo in proper historical perspective. The claim is that the geographic overlapping of two Korean kingdoms with northeastern China implies they belong to Chinas ancient history.



It is likely that the incident is part of a well-orchestrated and purposeful attempt to increase its political influence in Northeast Asia.



It also reflects concern over large numbers of ethnic Koreans living in northeastern provinces of Laoning, Jilin and Heilongjiang that were granted considerable autonomy during the early 1950s.



On the face of it, fudging an historical moment might seem small potatoes. But territorial claims based on history have enormous strategic political and diplomatic importance.



If Beijing successfully creates fake history to extend its borders, it can then rigorously apply its doctrine of absolute sovereign rights that is a central tenet of its foreign policy.



Under this dogma, it rejects outside criticisms about events or policies within its declared borders and refuses to compromise on this point regardless of the consequences.



As it is, Beijing insists that other countries exercise the highest standards of historical probity. For example, Chinese media and diplomatic channels have been used to criticize the content of Japanese history textbooks.



Beijing is blatantly hypocritical in insisting on others engage in correct renderings of past deeds and misdeeds.



Significantly, Beijing rejects interpretations of the Law of the Sea Treaty that contradict its aims yet applies the logic of the treaty to support its own territorial claims.



But hypocrisy, duplicity and deception are recognized skills and among the most valuable tools of international diplomacy. Ignoring Chinese intent and ability to wield these dark arts to promote the interests of the Middle Kingdom comes with great peril.



To extend its reach across maritime Asia, China developed a string of pearls consisting of naval bases, commercial ports and listening posts.



These include port facilities in Bangladesh, radar and refueling stations in Myanmar, a deepwater port in Gwadar, Pakistan and access to the port of Hambontota in Sri Lanka.



More recently, it has gone further afield by constructing a naval facility in Djibouti, within a few miles of Americas largest military base in Africa.



Given these steps, it remains to be seen whether Chinas insistence on being engaged in a peaceful rise will be contradicted by its future actions.



While Beijing invites ridicule for making weak or baseless territorial claims, the rest of the world should note it is deadly serious in defending them.

***

The writer is research scholar at the Centre for Civil Society in New Delhi and visiting professor of economics at Universidad Francisco Marroquin in Guatemala.

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Fri, August 26, 2016

The gradual restoration of the haj quota for Indonesians this year has apparently not done much to significantly reduce the growing number of pilgrims on the countrys waiting list.

This year, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia  host of the annual ritual of the fifth pillar of Islam  has given 20,000 more slots in addition to last years 168,000.

Still, the figure is much lower than in 2012 when Saudi Arabia allowed 211,000 pilgrims from Indonesia.

The quotas were originally set based on each countrys population, but since 2013 they have been reduced due to the ongoing renovation and expansion of the al-Haram Grand Mosque in Mecca. The project is expected to be completed at the end of this year.

Year by year, the period of waiting continues to protract as more and more Indonesians become financially capable of performing the haj, particularly due to the ease provided by bank-saving plans.

Under the scheme, pilgrims do not need to deposit a certain amount of money to be registered as eligible candidates, but simply pay monthly installments as the banks cover the deposits for them.

The waiting period for Indonesians differs from one region to another. According to the most recent list from the Religious Affairs Ministry, the earliest departure will be pilgrims from North Sulawesi and Gorontalo in 2027, while the latest departure will be candidates from South Kalimantan in 2043.

A different case can be seen in the countrys most populated province, West Java, as scheduled departures for candidates differ from one city or regency to another. The soonest departure will be candidates from Sukabumi and Cianjur regencies in 2027 and the latest from Bekasi in 2034.

It is under these circumstances that people have been looking for any possible way to avoid waiting for years to go on the haj. The latest case in point is the arrest last week of 177 Indonesians at Ninoy Aquino International Airport, the Philippines, on their planned pilgrimage using Philippine passports. They were reported to have used slots from the underused haj quota of the Philippines, a predominantly Catholic country.

The protracted waiting list cases need an immediate solution. One possible solution is for the government to ask for unused slots from countries with underused quotas, including the Philippines.

Another is to ask the Saudi government to allocate more slots for Indonesian pilgrims.

To cut the long waiting list the government could also strictly give priority to those who have not yet performed the pilgrimage.

The last and most extreme effort would be to abolish the bank-saving plans for pilgrim candidates. The haj is meant for those considered capable in many aspects, including financially.

Those joining such bank schemes are actually not financially eligible to perform the haj as yet. Should they wish to go to Mecca in haste, they could still go on umrah (minor pilgrimage) instead.
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Linkedin Xie Feng (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

The next G20 summit will be held from Sept. 4 to 5, 2016 in Hangzhou, China. Chinese President Xi Jinping and Indonesian President Joko Jokowi Widodo will join the leaders of other G20 members and international organizations to discuss matters of vital importance for global economic cooperation.



As the premier forum for global economic governance, the G20 summit mechanism was set up at the height of the international financial crisis in 2008. At the time, member states forged close partnerships that enabled us to jointly tide over a difficult time.



We have coordinated monetary and fiscal policies, pushed ahead reform of international financial institutions and brought the world economy back from the precipice.



Today, the global economy and economic cooperation have reached another crucial turning point. The momentum for global recovery remains weak. A lack of internal dynamism and a strong economic foundation further prolongs the restructuring and adjustment process.



The global economy is yet to fully stabilize and bottom out from the crisis. Weak demand in advanced economies further moderates the pace of recovery.



Restructuring difficulties in the developing world add to downward pressure. Recently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) once again lowered its growth forecast for the global economy. Given the sluggish global trade and emerging protectionism, it remains a long and arduous task to build a truly open global economy.



At this crucial juncture, all eyes are on the G20. As an important forum for cooperation among developed countries, emerging economies and developing countries, the G20 plays a key role in leading and advancing international economic cooperation. It should act with a broad vision and deliver concrete outcomes. It should address critical issues affecting the global economy and endeavor to reenergize the global economy.



As the holder of the G20 presidency, China is keenly aware of the heavy responsibilities on its shoulders. During preparations for the G20 Hangzhou summit, China is working with all parties to pull in one direction in the spirit of a win-win partnership and to help pool wisdom and form synergy. We are working to seek common solutions and contribute Chinas wisdom to this years summit themed Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy.



The Hangzhou summit is expected to deliver nearly 30 outcomes, making it the most fruitful one in G20 history. We will forge new impetus to promote robust, sustainable and balanced growth of the global economy through innovation; provide new solutions to various difficulties faced by the economic and financial sectors through structural reform; find new ways to reignite the engine of growth for global trade and investment through stronger policy coordination; explore new prospects in leading the global implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development through greater development cooperation; and lay the groundwork to facilitate the G20s shift from a crisis response mechanism to a long-term governance mechanism through enhancing its decision-making, implementation and influence.



I am confident that with concerted efforts from all parties, the Hangzhou summit will fulfill our expectations and help build confidence and hope across the globe.



As an important emerging economy and a major developing country, Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian member of the G20. Under the leadership of President Jokowi, Indonesia is committed to promoting reform, development and peoples livelihoods and has achieved sustained and rapid growth.



Now, Indonesia plays an indispensable role in stabilizing the global economy. It has become the third-fastest growing economy among G20 members with an annual growth rate of 4.8 percent in 2015.



Statistics from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) also show that Indonesias realized foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first half of 2016 increased by 12.3 percent to exceed US$14 billion, including $1.01 billion from the Chinese mainland, which increased significantly by 532 percent from the same period last year.



These figures demonstrate the confidence of Chinese and other international investors in Indonesias economy. I have full confidence in Indonesias growth prospects as well as our trade and investment cooperation.



As an active participant in previous G20 summits, Indonesia has made important and unique contributions to the reform of international financial institutions, infrastructure cooperation and global sustainable development and helped to uphold the interests of developing countries. China and Indonesia are the two largest emerging economies in East Asia and share similar positions and broad common interests in enhancing and reforming global economic governance.



To maintain close communications, coordination and cooperation constitutes an integral part of our comprehensive strategic partnership. During preparations for the G20 Hangzhou summit, China has received, as always, strong and continuous support from Indonesia.



President Jokowi will soon leave for China to attend the G20 summit and meet with President Xi. This will be President Jokowis third visit to China and the fifth meeting between our two presidents. Such frequent high-level exchange is unprecedented in our bilateral history and demonstrates the high standards of performance of our relationship.



The two presidents will have in-depth discussions on aligning our development strategies, enhancing practical cooperation and jointly promoting peace and prosperity in the region and beyond. Hangzhou, renowned for its rich history, is also a city of innovation.



It is a cosmopolitan city with a distinctive Chinese cultural appeal and global vision. I believe President Jokowis upcoming visit will not only help to ensure a successful G20 summit but also reinvigorate the growth of our bilateral ties.

***

The writer is the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia.

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Linkedin Trissia Wijaya and Gatra Priyandita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

As US President Barack Obama ends his presidency in early 2017, he would have left a meaningful legacy on US-Indonesia ties. As part of the Obama administrations strategy of rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific, the US government has been improving its public engagement in the region, including Indonesia. However, compared to its engagement commitment to other Asian countries, US public engagement in Indonesia remains behind. Considering Obamas own personal popularity in Indonesia, this is an opportunity wasted.

Obama came to power during a period of global discontent with US leadership. The administration of his predecessor, George W. Bush, was deemed aggressive and unilateralist, and left terrible perceptions of the US throughout the world. While Jakarta and Washington made special efforts to improve and expand security ties, many Indonesians were angered by Bushs invasions of Iraq and Afghanistan, as well as the treatment of Islamist militants in Guantanamo Bay and Abu Ghraib.

When Obama came to power in 2009, his Hope campaign invoked enthusiasm that went beyond US borders. Tales of Barrys childhood in Menteng Dalam were enough to inspire movies and even a statue of Obama in Jakarta. His image and popularity were significant factors that improved public perceptions of the US in Indonesia. According to Pew Global Research, favorable US perceptions in Indonesia jumped from 37% in 2008 to 63% in 2009. Beyond his charisma, many Indonesians admired Obama for his willingness to reach out to the Muslim world and reinvigorate the multilateral institutions that the Bush administration ignored.

Public engagement, particularly people-to-people relations, has been a key feature of the 2010 US-Indonesia Comprehensive Partnership, which upgraded ties between Washington and Jakarta. In recent years, the Obama administration has increased funding for public diplomacy, with public diplomacy efforts in Indonesia receiving the 11th highest funding.

Indonesia and the US have worked together on a series of initiatives that are pertained to shared values, such as human rights, democracy, and open governance. Through these institutions, both governments have engaged civil society actors to participate. For instance, Indonesian civil society actors have been keen actors in the US-formed multilateral initiative, Open Government Partnership, in which they work together with the US and Indonesian governments, on matters of government transparency and accountability. The Bali Democracy Forum, an initiative founded by the Indonesian government for best-practice sharing of democratic governance, is another avenue in which the two governments engage civil society actors.

Youths have been a key focus of the Obama government, which seeks to provide opportunities to them through scholarship and exchanges. In 2013, Obama launched the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), an initiative that promotes education and civic engagement. The YSEALI embraces 500 exceptional young leaders annually from Indonesia and other ASEAN countries with the aim of not only deepening US collaboration with young leaders, but also fostering community building among youth in ASEAN. Education has also been a focus, with the Obama administration establishing the US-Indonesia Joint Council on Higher Education Partnership in 2010 to foster understanding and collaboration between both countries through various educational, cultural, and youth engagement programs.

Despite increasing US public engagement in Indonesia, there remains considerable limitations.

First, US public engagement has primarily focused in the field of education. But even then, there is an apparent lack of grassroots inclusion.

For instance, since 1998, PT Freeport Indonesia has collaborated with Fulbright to fund graduate study scholarships for eastern Indonesian students. However, this program is only open to two individuals annually. Fulbright also provides some other programs, such as the Fulbright-DIKTI scholarship and the Fulbright-KEMLU scholarship, but they are only eligible for young academics and diplomats, respectively. The expectation is that US-graduated diplomats and scholars would project and disseminate the knowledge they have garnered to society and help create an environment of mutual understanding. This argument was vindicated during the New Order era with the Berkeley Mafia, whose members assumed key cabinet posts and leveraged industrial policy as well as tightened US-Indonesia economic relations.

Second, engagement of the Indonesian public remains behind that of many other Asian powers.

The 2015 Joint Statement between the US and Indonesia under President Joko Widodo as the watershed of the Comprehensive Partnership is yet to stipulate a tangible target and strategy for advancing people-to-people engagement. In comparison, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and former Chinese State Councillor Liu Yandong have signed the US-China People to People Exchange in 2012, which launched the 100,000 Strong Initiative to encourage private sector student exchanges and encourage 100,000 American students to study in China. Similarly, in India, Indias Ministry of Human Resource Development and the US University Grants Commission have launched a project to establish an additional 200 community colleges in India. The goal of the program is to reach 40 million students, especially those studying to enter such professions as healthcare, hospitality, and automotive industry. Considering the seismic importance to maintaining positive perceptions of the US in India and China, it is understandable why US public engagement in these countries is much larger than that in Indonesia. Nonetheless, considering Indonesias growing strategic and economic importance, commitment on strengthening public engagement in Indonesia has remained far behind.

US engagement of Indonesia under Obama has overall been lacking, particularly considering the attention that nearby neighbors have received through public engagement projects. Obamas most important legacy to US perceptions in Indonesia is himself. Through his popularity, charisma, and personal connection to Indonesia, Obama has successfully captured the hearts of many Indonesiansa feat that few foreign leaders can claim to accomplish. Nonetheless, his popularity does not guarantee the longevity of positive US perceptions in Indonesia.

The US and Indonesia should formulate a concrete strategy to enhance people-to-people relations in order to maintain a stable and strong relationship. Only this way can we ensure that strong ties between Jakarta and Washington translate into positive perceptions of the US in Indonesia.

***

Trissia Wijaya is a MEXTs scholar at the Graduate School of International Relations at Ritsumeikan University, Kyoto, Japan. Her research interests primarily lie in international relations in the Asia-Pacific and foreign policy.

Gatra Priyandita is a PhD candidate at the School of Political and Social Change of the Australian National University, Canberra, Australia. His research focuses on Indonesian public diplomacy and domestic politics in the post-Suharto era.

---------------

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Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the official stance of The Jakarta Post.
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Linkedin Bagus Handoko Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

The Communications and Information Ministry recently launched the 1,000 Digital Startup Movement initiative in cooperation with KIBAR, the countrys technology star-up ecosystem builder in Indonesia.

Through this program, the government wants to realize Indonesias potential for the Digital Energy of Asia by 2020 through the creation of 1,000 tech start-ups, which are expected to help overcome problems by utilizing digital technology. This initiative should be appreciated, given the global digitalization trend in all aspects of life. Nonetheless, most of these start-ups have not touched traditional sectors, such as agriculture.

According to the start-up ranking issued by TechInAsia, the top 15 start-ups in Indonesia are still dominated by e-commerce. This indicates that Indonesian private consumption is very high. But if we look at the national agricultural sector, the condition is inversely proportional to feed its population.

In the midst of growing food demand, it is unlikely that the Indonesian agricultural sector will be able to provide sufficient food. Although such start-ups would be identical to those in information technology and digitalization, this does not mean they only dwell in the two realms.

Many lines of business could be developed by start-ups, including agriculture.

The effort to synthesize digital start-ups in agriculture has been made in several countries. In 2010, some Silicon Valley-based programmers initiated a meeting with investors to discuss how a start-up and investors could benefit agriculture, which later gave birth to the term Agriculture 2.0.

Another country that has continued to develop its agricultural start-ups is India. Narendra Modis government is currently trying to increase investment in the agricultural sector, which is able to employ half of Indias workforce.

For Indonesia, based on the purpose of the movement and definition of a start-up itself, the role of an agricultural start-up could be crucial.

Based on the 2013 Agriculture Census, the national agricultural industry is still dominated by the home industry, with a total of about 26.14 million households, while the number of agricultural companies totaled only 4,165.

This means that the majority of Indonesian farmers are working on a small scale with undeveloped technology and limited access to education and information. If start-ups can work well in agriculture, they will not only grow new companies but also strengthen millions of small farmers in Indonesia.

Furthermore, the census also showed a decreasing number of industrial farming households compared to the 2003 census. Indonesia has lost about 5 million farmers due a lack of support and low profits.

Nonetheless, the current hype to reinforce agriculture has been taken by some start-ups, such as I-Grow and Limakilo, which empower local farmers to eliminate the role of brokers while providing professional management. In software development, names like Matadaun, PEKA and Duty Plant have been established to assist farmers with planting, financial management and agricultural knowledge.

This could be a new hope since they bring science, digital technology, as well as access to information and global networks for the local farmers to utilize and compete globally.

A few things need to be undertaken, starting with building awareness and providing knowledge about the needs of start-up farming. It is important for founders, investors and public officials to understand the necessities of agricultural start-ups.

This is essential given the current start-up trend, which is dominated by the service sector and sales.

Second, comprehensive policy support, ranging from licensing issues, access to capital and incentives, is needed. Licensing facilities are in line with the governments goal to improve its ranking in ease of doing business.

Access to capital is not just about access to banks but also the ease of investment. A government-established incubator is a good starting point because it facilitates access to capital and advocates for policy support.

Last but not least is the approach to farmers and local administrations. Literacy technology, particularly in IT for farmers, is very important. Without it, they cannot use the services and software provided by start-ups.

Local government support is also crucial since they are dealing with farmers and the locus of agriculture. For example, cooperation between start-ups and local administrations to arrange village funds to develop agricultural products and empower farmers. Without involving farmers and local governments, agricultural start-ups will only be a discourse at the urban level.

_____________________________

The writer works at the Center of Macroeconomic Policy in the Finance Ministrys Fiscal Policy Agency.
Indonesia is truly a big country blessed by Almighty God with abundant natural resources and great potential human resources. There is no reason for such a big country not to be independent, always working hard to be free of dependence on other nations.

Presented by Ministry of Communication and Information Technology

The tax amnesty is an instrument used by the government not only as a source of revenue, but also as a mode to transfer wealth from the well-to-do to the less advantaged in society, transferring or returning wealth from another country to Indonesia through repatriation, and new investment, which will help grow the national economy.

Economic growth is a gateway to new business opportunities and will create a lot of employment. The increase in work activities will improve the peoples purchasing power, thus, boosting demand. The increase in demand will lead to new subjects and objects to tax, thus, ensuring increased revenue from taxes in the future.

The tax amnesty appeals to all Indonesians to repatriate their wealth. It will take a mountain of funds to fully develop the nation, but by relying on the countrys own abilities, there is no reason to look overseas for assistance.

The tax amnesty calls for high-minded people to report the wealth that they may not have yet the time or opportunity to include in their annual tax assessment (SPT). This is no fools errand as the reporting and revealing of wealth are protected by law. Taxpayers receive a guarantee that the data they submit will not be rechecked and they will also receive a certificate letter of tax amnesty to ensure legal certainty.

Following long deliberation and three draft bill revisions since 2015, Indonesia officially enacted the Tax Amnesty Law on June 28. President Joko Jokowi Widodo immediately launched a tax amnesty program early last month, with high hopes that the flagship policy will bring multiplier benefits.

Even the chief himself has been promoting the tax amnesty in big cities all over the country to show the governments commitment, stressing that the government will go all out with the program.

The tax amnesty aims to not only increase tax revenue but also to improve tax compliance and transition to the new taxation system, in addition to capital repatriated from safe havens, which will spur economic growth, Director General of Taxation Ken Dwijugiasteadi told thejakartapost.com

During a conversation at the Directorate General of Taxation in Jakarta on June 26, Ken, who took over the helm of the tax office in March, explained that the program, initiated by President Jokowi and endorsed by the House of Representatives, had both budgetary and regulatory purposes.

The budgetary purpose is to inject additional tax revenue of Rp 165 trillion to state coffers as stipulated in the revised 2016 state budget. In the regulatory purpose, the tax amnesty aims to encourage the repatriation of Indonesian assets stashed overseas.

The investment flow [from repatriated assets] will drive economic growth. With faster economic growth, and investment flow, we will be able to reduce unemployment. These workers will increase people's purchasing power so that production keeps rolling. The final goal is that the program will lead to a new tax base that will boost tax revenue in following years, Ken explained.

With the tax amnesty, the government appeals to all Indonesians living and working in the country to reveal and report the wealth they have not yet reported in their SPT and redeem this with the new tax payment slip (SSP) at the appointed reception banks/post offices.

The tax amnesty is a great opportunity to redeem any oversights taxpayers may have made in their previous tax reports as it is effective until 31 March 2017. Should the tax office discover any oversight which the taxpayers themselves have failed to report, they run the risk of facing taxation actions based on the regulations and of getting penalties in the form of increased fines of 200 percent from income tax (PPh) the taxpayers have not paid.

Limited-time opportunity

The program, running from July 18 to March 31, 2017 is a limited-time opportunity for Indonesians to pay a redemption fee in exchange for a pardon from tax liabilities including interest and penalties -- related to a previous tax period without fear of criminal prosecution.

Currently, individual taxpayers are subjected to a progressive tax rate with a maximum rate of 30 percent and corporate taxpayers are subject to a flat rate of 25 percent. Under the amnesty program, the redemption fee is calculated by multiplying the relevant rate by the amount of declared additional net assets.

The redemption charges are set between 2 and 5 percent for those declaring and bringing back assets to Indonesia.

The following are the redemption charges based on the phase of the program.

July 1 - Sept. 30 is the first phase of the program with the redemption charge set at only 2 percent of the wealth declared.

Oct.1 - Dec.31 is the second phase with a redemption charge of 3 percent of the wealth declared.

Jan.1 - March 30 is the third phase with a redemption charge of 5 percent of the wealth declared.

In general, the benefits for taxpayers who avail of the amnesty are waiver of outstanding taxes, administrative sanctions and criminal sanctions accruing on or prior to 2014 or 2015. The taxpayers will also be exempted from tax audits, preliminary evidence tax audits and tax investigations for all tax obligations for fiscal years up to and including 2014 or 2015. Any ongoing tax audits on them will also be terminated, as well as preliminary evidence tax audits, tax crime investigations for all tax obligations.

Data confidentiality is guaranteed [.] the data input from taxpayers cannot be used for prosecution purposes unless another data source is found, Ken said.

To support the program, the tax office has launched a dedicated website with basic information and contact details. Taxpayers, however, are advised to visit tax offices to get further information about the amnesty program.

The tax office expects the amount of declared and repatriated assets to reach Rp 1 quadrillion, thus generating revenue Rp10 to Rp 40 trillion from redemption fees, while the amount of wealth declared would be Rp 3.5 quadrillion to Rp 4 quadrillion.

As of June 26, more than Rp 1.019 trillion worth of assets stashed offshore have been repatriated, with redemption fees amounting to Rp 25 billion, Ken said.

The government has appointed 18 banks, 18 investment managers and 18 securities companies as gateways for the expected trillions of rupiah in repatriated assets in the tax amnesty program.

The law stipulates that repatriated assets are to be placed in investment instruments in the country for three years. In order to absorb possible excessive liquidity during the tax amnesty program, the government and financial authorities have prepared several instruments, namely government bonds, state-owned enterprises bonds, corporate bonds, Islamic bonds (sukuk), time deposits and savings accounts at designated banks, mutual funds, collective investment contracts, real estate investment trustees (REITs) and property investment through a private equity scheme (RDPT).

Meanwhile, those who opt to declare their wealth only will face penalty rates of 4 to 10 percent, depending on which period the taxpayers avail of the amnesty.

For those who declare offshore funds in the first three months of its implementation to Sept 30, a 4 percent tax rate applies. For those who declare their assets between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, a 6 percent tax rate applies. Last, for those who declare their assets between Jan. 1 to March 31, a 10 percent tax rate applies. For small and medium enterprises, lower rates of 0.5 to 2 percent apply.

Sabotage

Within a week after its implementation, Indonesian businesspeople claimed that Singapore, considered a safe haven for rich Indonesian to stash assets, was introducing policies to thwart the amnesty program. Singaporean banks have been accused of luring Indonesian customers with a special offer  4 percent versus 2 percent interest -- to stop them from declaring and repatriating their assets between July and September.

Responding to Singapores reported attempt to stymie Indonesian assets from leaving the city-state, Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung disclosed that the government was preparing several advanced instruments to ensure that the assets of Indonesian citizens parked overseas, especially in neighboring Singapore, would be repatriated, stressing that Singapore's move to cut tax rates and offer facilities to keep Indonesian assets from leaving the country would not hamper the implementation of the tax amnesty.

"The government is preparing instruments to anticipate attempts by countries hosting Indonesian assets to discourage them from participating in the tax amnesty. Of course, there will be further steps," Pramono said at the State Palace.

He added that President Jokowi had been leading the campaign to promote the program and would revise several laws, including the General Taxation System (KUP) Law, to make the Indonesian taxation system more credible and attractive.

"The taxation system will be improved so that people will keep the money they earned in Indonesia in local vaults," he added.

However, the Singaporean Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) quickly denied the accusation in a joint statement on July 23, stating that recent claims in the Indonesian media that Singapore was introducing policies to thwart Indonesias tax amnesty program were untrue.

Singapore has not cut tax rates or changed any of our policies in response to Indonesias tax amnesty, the statement said.

The statement also claimed that the city-state thrived on being a clean and trusted financial center by subscribing to international standards for combating money laundering and for the exchange of information.

If there is any case of suspected cross-border tax evasion, concerned authorities can approach Singapore  we have assisted and will continue to assist in line with the international standards, it stated.

Despite Singapore's denial of the accusation, it is believed that Singaporean private agents have been approaching businesspeople to use these facilities, said the executive director of Centre for Indonesia Taxation Analysis (CITA), Yustinus Prastowo.

Ive heard from businesspeople in Makassar that they have been approached by agents of Singaporean banks to keep their assets in their country. This kind of thing must be anticipated by providing incentives and legal certainty on the program, he said.

Incentives and certainty

The government expects to book additional tax revenue of Rp 165 trillion from the total Rp 1.53 quadrillion tax revenue in the revised 2016 state budget. Without incentives and certainty, Yustinus is pessimistic that the government will meet its tax revenue target.

We predict it will only reach Rp 80 trillion as a result of taxpayers enthusiasm for this program in the first three months, because it offers the lowest redemption rate, he said.

If the government insists on aiming for the ambitious target, he recommended that the government extend the period of lowest redemption rate of only 2 percent of total assets repatriated. However, to do so the government would need to adjust the Tax Amnesty Law.

We will have to consider the nine months of implementation. On the other hand, there is huge enthusiasm on the part of taxpayers. The government could issue a government regulation to adjust the penalty period. Politically, it is feasible, he added.

Newly appointed Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said the ministry would do whatever it took, including issuing a supporting regulation and building public trust in the program in a bid to meet the ambitious tax revenue target set in the revised 2016 state budget.

We are trying. During July to September, we will build peoples trust and convenience, and eventually succeed in developing the taxation system, the former World Bank managing director said, adding that the program was not a stand-alone objective but was a part of a comprehensive fiscal policy and prudent state budget.

No place to hide

In a related development, Sri Mulyani reminded those who have been keeping their wealth overseas and evading their tax liabilities. "Today I want to tell you that you have been comfortable keeping your money under the mattress or overseas to evade paying tax, she told 10,000 participants in a seminar on the tax amnesty held at JIExpo, Kemayoran, Jakarta recently.

You should be aware that today all finance ministers across the world are making extra efforts to increase tax revenues. Those sought in the US run to the UK, sought in the UK run to Italy, sought in Italy run [] on and on, she said.

She said that today businesspeople are very adept at evading paying taxes but finance ministers, too, are also adept. "The worlds finance ministers are committed to conducting automatic exchanges of tax data, she said.

Those who have been evading taxes anywhere they are in the world can no longer do so with this data exchange, Sri Mulyani reminded her audience.

"The world has now a commitment. Those of you who have been feeling untroubled hiding your money, be aware that we are now implementing an automatic exchange system," she added.

Indeed, starting 2018 there will be an automatic exchange of data in the world for the sake of taxes. So, no one can secretly stash their wealth overseas without running the risk of detection, she said.

Thats why, Sri Mulyani said, she further advised the people who have yet to correctly report their wealth in their SPT, to join the tax amnesty program. The reason is a low tax redemption charge.

"Take advantage of this opportunity now because the [redemption] charge is small, she said. Until late September the lowest rate is only 2 percent," she said.

Obviously, taxpayers who avail themselves of the amnesty will enjoy the aforementioned great benefits. But most importantly, by joining the program, you will not only do good to the country but also to the less advantaged in society. The added revenue will support government plans to increase spending on a number of projects to help boost growth, which translates into a lot of employment. Thus, you will lead a meaningful life. So, why wait?
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

The secret chicken recipe of global restaurant chain KFC may have been accidentally revealed to a reporter from the Chicago Tribune by Colonel Sanders nephew himself.

The nephew, Joe Ledington, 67, still lives in his uncles hometown, Corbin, Kentucky, where the first KFC chicken was served more than 75 years ago.

The newspaper said that when their reporter went to the small lakeside town to write a story about it, Ledington displayed a handwritten recipe. And, apparently, the key ingredient is white pepper.

(Read also: KFC's new marketing gimmick: Giving away scented sunscreen)

KFC's secret recipe revealed? Tribune shown family scrapbook with 11 herbs and spices https://t.co/k0ieLSbcPI pic.twitter.com/gg3NygwFqN  Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) August 19, 2016

KFC takes the secrecy of the recipe very seriously, insisting that it is still safe in a vault and transported in an armored truck. Many people have made these claims over the years and no one has been accurate  this one isnt either, the company said in a statement as reported by AFP.

However, the newspaper tried the recipe in its kitchen and claimed that it was virtually indistinguishable from the batch bought at KFC.

The possibility that someone may have finally stumbled upon the long-hidden recipe has caught the attention of other US media. However, one newspaper, The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Kentucky, also home of the KFC corporate headquarters, said they would side with KFC on the matter. "Too much paprika" a Courier reporter wrote of the alleged secret recipe. (tif/kes)
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Linkedin Asmara Wreksono (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

After being selected by the Japan Foundation, Teater Satu, a theater troupe from Lampung is set to be the only group representing Indonesia at the annual SCOT Summer Season festival in Toga, Japan. The troupe gave a special preview of the play they will bring to Japan at Taman Budaya Lampung, Thursday.

In the performance, the 1952 absurdist classic The Chairs, two characters known as Old Man and Old Woman tell each other stories to pass the time and prepare chairs for a series of invisible guests.

(Read also: Actress Chelsea Islan encourages young people to join theater)

Director Iswadi Pratama divided the play into five different fragments played by nine different actors in total. Each fragment is delivered with a simple, yet unique approach, which highlights the actors ability to switch into different roles.

In the performance, a 1952 absurdist classic 'The Chairs', two characters known as Old Man and Old Woman tell each other stories to pass the time and prepare chairs for a series of invisible guests. (Teater Satu/-)

Regarding the upcoming showcase in Japan, Iswadi said the real challenge was to deliver a performance for a non-Indonesian-speaking audience. To tackle the issue, he capitalized on interesting choreography, physical comedy and pantomime so the essence and message embedded in the play is wholly delivered to the audience.

The special preview also served as a trial performance, with people of various backgrounds being invited to see how the classic play would be received by the general public. As Iswadi said in a statement, I feel that this opportunity came at the perfect time to further push the boundaries of Teater Satus creative process and bring it to the international scene.

(Read also: Reza Rahadian wants more actors, actresses to turn to theater)

Teater Satu is a theater community from Bandar Lampung founded by husband-and-wife artist team Iswadi Pratama and Imas Sobariah in 1996. Most members of Teater Satu had no prior experience in acting when they first joined the community.

The troupe embarks for Japan on Saturday will perform The Chairs on August 31. SCOT Summer Season festival has been held annually for the past 50 years and is helmed by Japanese theater director Tadashi Suzuki from the Suzuki Company of Toga.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Samsung has revealed plans to introduce its mobile payment service, Samsung Pay, for Android users in Indonesia.

Previously the service has been made available South Korea, the US, Australia and Singapore.

"Based on the development, we still cannot confirm when [Samsung Pay] will be launched in Indonesia. [But] as long as we can implement it, we will bring it [here]," Samsung Electronics Indonesia IT and mobile marketing director Vebbyna Kaunang said in Jakarta on Wednesday as quoted by tempo.com.

"It's already included in our plans," added the company's IT mobile and product marketing head Denny Galant.

(Read also: How Android Pay is different from Samsung Pay and Apple Pay)

Indonesia is said to have the technological means to implement Samsung Pay, but a lot of factors have to be considered, including support from various parties such as credit card companies, banks, the government and businesses willing to use the service.

In developed countries like South Korea, it is easier to implement such services as businesses and merchants are more advanced, said Vebbyna.

She also revealed that Samsung was currently the archipelago's market leader for smartphones, leading with a 44-percent market share, with quite a large gap in the premium segment to its closest competitor. In addition to Java, Sumatra has also become an important market for the company. (kha/kes)
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Linkedin Corry Elyda (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Thu, August 25 2016

Once hailed as an urban traffic panacea, the train system in Greater Jakarta has become less popular among commuters amid worsening services.



A victim of its own fame, the train system accommodates about a million passengers every day, many of whom suffer through rush hour.



Aliah, a 51-year-old resident of Depok, quit taking the train after growing tired of jostling with other train passengers on her way to work.



During rush hour, I was always crushed by the crowd inside the train car and at one point I just had enough. So since 2014 my husband has been driving me to my office in Central Jakarta, said Aliah, who had been a regular train commuter for nine years.



A 23-year-old Tangerang resident, Bramaseta Janottama, said he had given up taking the train primarily because of frequent delays that caused him to be late to work in South Jakarta.



Now I always leave earlier with my car or Go-Jek. Even though I incur higher expenses, at least I get to the office on time, said Bramaseta, a research executive.



Bramaseta and Aliah are two of many daily commuters from Greater Jakarta who have stopped taking with train and opted the more convenient transportation, their private vehicles.



A rapid growth of passengers and frequent train delays to and from Greater Jakarta are two main problems that have yet to be handled by PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (PT KCJ), the train operator that manages passengers from Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi.



According to KCJ data, the company currently transports an average of 885,642 passengers every day, a 40 percent hike from 2015 when it disembarked approximately 705,556 passengers every day.



KCJs total passengers in a year grew from 121 million in 2011 to 257.5 million in 2015, an extraordinary increase of 112 percent in a course of only four years.



The ceaseless growth of KCJ passengers exemplifies an increase of suburbanites working in Jakarta. The increase, however, may overwhelm the company as the trains provided seem inadequate to transport the passengers.



KCJs assistant communication manager, Adli Hakim Nasution, told The Jakarta Post that the problems derived from a lack of KCJ-dedicated railways, which hindered the company from adding more embarkations to its schedule.



Many railways are used by more than one operator, so we have to compromise with them, he said on Wednesday, citing the Manggarai-Bekasi line as among those problematic.



KCJ is making new schedules that may be implemented as soon as December, Adli said.



Adli continued that at present, the best the company could do was add more train cars to accommodate more passengers.



KCJ currently operates about 764 train cars on a daily basis. KCJ imported last month 30 secondhand train cars from Japan, with another 30 to follow next October. Those train cars will undergo feasibility studies by the Transportation Ministry before commencing operation.



However, the addition of the train cars may still not accommodate KCJs current figure of daily passengers.



That is the best we can do for now, while hoping the city administration eases regulations, Adli said.



The Jakarta administration has been working to handle the citys severe traffic congestion in recent years, such as by encouraging residents to opt for public transportation instead of private vehicles. The administration has also issued supporting regulations, including the soon-to-be implemented electronic road pricing system and odd-even policy, which has been on a trial run on the citys main roads since July 27. (adt/sha)

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Thu, August 25 2016

One would not burn down their house to catch a mouse, and it would be wise for the political factions at the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representative Council (DPD) to take note of this in their endeavor to reinstate the now-defunct state policy guidelines (GBHN).

The factions concern that the country has progressed from one administration to another without an overarching goal is pretty legitimate. In the period following the fall of president Soeharto in 1998, one president after the other appeared to have simply muddled through, and once their terms expired there was little that they could claim as their major achievements.

In fact, policies of an outgoing president could easily be repudiated by his or her successor. One president wanted to have thousands of friends and zero enemies in international politics while another wanted to have friends that could benefit the country. One administration wanted to open the domestic market to imported goods while another wanted to erect trade barriers. Policies in the country have been swinging from one extreme to the other.

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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

A request to move detained Indonesian haj pilgrim out of a Philippine immigration detention center has been granted by local authorities, with all 177 people expected to be relocated to the Indonesian Embassy in Manila, an official has confirmed.

"The relocation would begin Friday after the Indonesian Embassy was handed a letter of guarantee," the Foreign Ministry's director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said in a statement received by The Jakarta Post on Friday.

Poor conditions at the detention center had embassy officials pushing for a move to the Philippine Justice Ministry, a request which was conditionally granted.

Officials from the Philippine Justice Ministry are expected to pay a visit to the embassy on Tuesday, Iqbal further said in the statement, adding that the haj pilgrims were not yet allowed to return to Indonesia until all legal processes had been concluded.

The verification process is still ongoing with the aim of obtaining all the necessary information for the legal proceedings in Manila, where several of the detainees are expected to testify as witnesses in a future court hearing. In support, the Foreign Ministry acknowledged that both countries had a common interest to prevent similar illegal practices happening in future.

At the same time, Jakarta has reiterated that the pilgrims were victims of a scam orchestrated by illegal travel agencies and are continuing efforts for their immediate return. (bbn)
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru, Riau  Fri, August 26, 2016

The Riau Polices special crime investigation director, Sr. Comr. Rivai Sinambela, said on Friday 85 suspects had been arrested for their alleged involvement in 67 land and forest fire cases in regencies and municipalities across the province.

He said the investigation dossiers of 47 land and forest fire cases had been declared "complete." An order for the termination of an investigation (SP3) had been issued for one case because its suspect suffered from mental health problems, he went on.

The suspects comprise not only workers who were ordered to clear lands with the slash-and-burn method, but also the land owners. They intentionally burned land to open plantations. The total land they burned amounts to 400 hectares, said Rivai.

Made Ali, deputy coordinator for environmental group Riau Forest Rescue Network (Jikalahari), urged the Riau Police to revoke SP3 letters previously issued in relation to 15 companies that allegedly started land and forest fires in the province, as hot spots again sprang up in the companies' concession areas.

Since Aug. 1 to Aug. 15, the Terra-Aqua satellite has detected 623 hot spots in Riau, 267 of which are located in concession areas of 45 oil palm plantation companies and industrial forest permit [HTI] holders, Made said.

Eight of the 45 companies received SP3s for land fire cases in their areas from the Riau Police.".

PT Sumatera Riang Lestari has the most hot spots with 13, followed by PT Hutani Sola Lestari and PT Suntara Gajah Pati, each with three, and PT PT Ruas Utama Jaya with two. Four companies, PT Dexter Perkasa Industri Indonesia, PT Siak Raya Timber, PT Bina Duta Laksana and PT Perawang Sukses Perkasa Industri, have one hot spot each in their areas. (ebf)
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Tokyo  Fri, August 26, 2016

Japanese airline All Nippon Airways has started grounding Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" flights after detecting problems with their Rolls-Royce engines.

Nine domestic flights were canceled Friday, and others will be canceled through September. ANA says there will be no cancellations on international routes.

The airline operates a fleet of 50 Dreamliner jets. It has been repairing some of the 37 used on international routes since a problem with the engine was detected in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February.

ANA spokesman Tetsuya Yokoi said the airline has decided to repair the 13 aircraft used for domestic flights too.

Yokoi said turbine blades are being replaced due to possible corrosion. Improved parts being developed by Rolls-Royce won't be ready until next year, so the planes will be rotated out of service again then.
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Indonesia  Fri, August 26 2016

Indonesia will host a dialogue between Indonesians and Australians later this month in an attempt to enhance people-to-people relations and improve mutual understanding about one another.

Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi is expected to give a keynote speech at the event, which will be held in Yogyakarta on Aug. 29 to 30, ministry spokesperson Arrmanatha Nasir said.

The topic of the discussion will vary, ranging from politics, the economy and cooperation in the areas of science and technology innovations, Arrmanatha said on Thursday, adding that the event would be attended by a total of 20 people from each country.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Bali Police have put murder suspect Sara Connor through a psychiatric test to shed light on her personality as part of the ongoing investigation.

The Australian citizen left the Denpasar precinct police station at 8 a.m. to travel to the Bali Police headquarters under tight police escort. She was seen wearing a scarf to cover her face.

"The test is not related to her being guilty or not. It is to give us information about Sara's personality," Connor's attorney Erwin Siregar said as quoted by kompas.com.

Connor and her boyfriend David James Taylor were named suspects by the Bali Police last week for the murder of local policeman I Wayan Sudarsa at Bali's most well-known beach, Kuta, on Aug. 17.

Police arrested the pair, who were in Bali for a holiday, after collecting evidence at the crime scene. Police suspect the pair became violent after accusing Wayan of taking Connor's bag that she had lost on the beach. Wayan's body was found severely bruised and still wearing his police uniform. (rin)
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Bank Indonesia Governor Agus Martowardojo said on Friday that the creative economy and tourism could support the country's future economic growth, as small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in these sectors could potentially contribute 70 percent to gross domestic product (GDP).

The central bank said SMEs had contributed 60.3 percent of GDP and absorbed 97 percent of the total working population in which it was showing that it was becoming a catalyst for the economy, similar to what was experienced in the country just after the monetary crisis of 1998.

"We see potential in tourism and the creative economy to contributing to our economic growth," Agus said in Jakarta.

Indonesia posted robust economic growth in the second quarter, at 5.18 percent year-on-year but growth was still dominated by Sumatra and Java, while Kalimantan and other eastern regions of the country were still experiencing a slowdown, he said. (dan)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

The Health Care and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) now has an application to detect fraudulent claims by hospitals seeking larger reimbursement funds from the agency.

The application named PIN-F will now scan claims sent by hospitals, Togar Siagalla, head of the BPJS Kesehatans research and development team, said Thursday.

Hospitals will send a claim for reimbursement to the agency every month as health care fees of BPJS members. Then, the agency will process the claim and reimburse the expenses.

Furthermore, the PIN-F application would help the agency detect false medical treatments and procedures. For example, a doctor performed minor surgery on a patient with a minor injury but the claim stated major surgery was performed, Togar said.

The BPJS Kesehatan has a team in every province to detect suspicious claims, consisting of medical experts to consult whether a particular treatment was necessary for a patient. If such actions are considered false, reimbursement is denied and the hospital in question will be required to explain.

The application has been in existence since 2014. (wnd/bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Publicly-listed independent power plant producer Cikarang Listrindo has secured a permit from public shareholders to issue US$550 million in bonds through its subsidiary Listrindo Capital.

Of the proceeds from the issuance, $500 million will be used to service the companys debts.

Cikarang Listrindo finance director Christanto Pranata said the remaining $50 million would be spent on underwriting, administrative and legal fees.

After the debt payment, Christanto is optimistic that the company will receive higher revenue this year. The company has allocated $70 million in the first half of 2016 from internal cash and is expected to spend another $60 million in the second semester for capital expenditure.

We expect to get some new customers in the second half this year, he said in Jakarta on Friday, adding that the company has been granted a BB rating from global ratings agency Standard & Poors (S&P). The rating is two notches below investment grade.

Cikarang Listrindo is the first private-electricity operator that supplies energy to factories in Indonesia since 1993. The company has been fulfilling demand of five industrial estates in Bekasi, West Java, from its gas-fired power plants. The company is building a 280 MW coal-fired power plant in Bekasi which is expected to be completed at the end of 2016. (rez/ags)
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Linkedin Callistasia Anggun Wijaya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

In the murder trial of Jessica Kumala Wongso on Thursday at the Central Jakarta District Court, a criminal law expert from Gadjah Mada University, Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej, said circumstantial evidence would be enough for the court to decide on a premeditated murder case.

He also said as stipulated in the Criminal Law Procedures Code (KUHAP), to prove a premeditated murder, the court did not need to find the motive. The court doesnt need to work hard on it, because the law doesnt require it, Edward said.

There is a dolus premeditates theory, which says a premeditated murder can be proven by three factors. First, when a person plans to commit murder, he or she is in a stable mental state. Second, there is a space of time between the planning and execution. Third, when the person kills, he or she does it calmly.

In the prosecutor's indictment, Jessica is accused of murdering her friend Mirna Wayan Salihin in an act of revenge. She allegedly killed Mirna because she was upset about Mirna's advice to break up with her boyfriend at the time, Patrick.

Edward also stressed the judges could make a decision on the murder case without eyewitness accounts. According to the law, besides direct evidence, there is also circumstantial evidence. Should the judges believe they have enough evidence from documents, witnesses and defendant testimony, they can decide the case without doubt, Edward said. (evi)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

While the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) continues to be silent over the candidacy of Surabaya Mayor Tri Risma Harini for the Jakarta gubernatorial election, the Kinship Coalition has tried hard to convince Risma and the PDI-P that she has a strong chance to win the election.

United Development Party (PPP) secretary general Arsul Sani said his party would nominate Risma even if the PDI-P would not. We will seek permission from the PDI-P to nominate Risma, even if her own party does not nominate her, said Arsul in Jakarta on Friday as reported by tribunnews.com.

The PPP and PDI-P are members of the Kinship Coalition together with five other partiesthe Gerindra Party, Prosperous Justice Party (PK), the Democratic Party (PD), the Awakening Party (PKB) and National Mandate Party (PAN).

However, the PDI-P reportedly is now considering to join the Golkar Party, NasDem Party and Hanura Party to nominate incumbent Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama.

The Kinship Coalition plans to pair Risma with Sandiaga Uno of the Gerindra Party.

Arsul said his party had been communicating with Risma for a long time: She said she would pray for istikharah [seeking help from God to make the best decision], said Asrul.

A similar move was made when PAN chairman Zulkifli Hasan reportedly made communication with the Surabaya mayor. Bu Risma is considering to accept the nomination, but she also is being pressured to stay in Surabaya, said PAN deputy chairman Yandri Susanto.

From a number of surveys, Risma is considered the strongest contender to Ahok, who will seek reelection in the Jakarta gubernatorial election on Feb. 15, next year. (bbn)
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Linkedin Haeril Halim and Margareth S. Aritonang (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Although low-ranking Supreme Court (MA) official Andri Tristianto had little authority in the institution, he wielded enough clout to influence whether a convict went to jail.



His modus operandi was simple: He asked for cash payments from convicts and had copies of their verdicts withheld so that they did not go to jail immediately, if at all.



In February this year, Andri asked for Rp 400 million from Ichsan Suadi, a graft convict from Mataram who was sentenced to five years in prison by the court in 2015. In return, Andri planned to delay the delivery of the cassation verdict to the Mataram District Court.



Earlier this year, Andri also accepted Rp 500 million from a lawyer in Pekanbaru, Riau, identified as Asep Ruhiat, as a fee for his pledge to guard some of the cases he handled at the Supreme Court.



Andris luck ran out when Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators arrested him in February this year.



He was apprehended after a conversation with another court official, Kosidah, a witness in his bribery case whose phone was bugged by KPK investigators.



Soon after the arrest, Andri and Kosidah were dismissed and the KPK took them to the Jakarta Corruption Court for a trial in June.



On Thursday, the court sentenced Andri to nine years in prison, less than the 13 years demanded by KPK prosecutors, for accepting bribes from Ichsan and Asep.



In the course of the two-month trial, it was also revealed that Andri was the right-hand man of Supreme Court secretary Nurhadi, who recently resigned from his position amid a graft investigation launched by the KPK.



The trial also shed light on corruption that allowed people like Andri and Kosidah to influence the selection of justices to handle cases.



In an online conversation with Kosidah that was recorded by KPK investigators, he told her to avoid selecting justice Artidjo Alkostar, who is known for his penchant for increasing the sentences of graft convicts, and recommended other justices such as Timur Manurung or Syarifuddin.



The defendant was found guilty of corruption together with other parties in the case, presiding judge Jhon Halasan Butarbutar said.



Andris connection to Nurhadi was further revealed during the trial after KPK prosecutors found that Nurhadis in-law, identified as Taufik, asked Andri to keep an eye on an appeal filed by senior Golkar Party politicians who were competing for party leadership.



Taufik also ordered Andri to monitor cases filed by individuals from Semarang in Central Java, Kediri in East Java, Banjar Baru in South Kalimantan and another case filed by CIMB Bank.



Following Andris arrest, the KPK vowed to step up its effort to prosecute corrupt officials at the court.



Not long after the promise, the KPK in April arrested Central Jakarta District Court clerk Edy Nasution in a bribery case that later implicated Nurhadi.



Soon after, the KPK slapped a travel ban on Nurhadi following the discovery of Rp 1.7 billion in cash stashed at his official residence in South Jakarta, allegedly related to the handling of a plea filed by subsidiaries of the Lippo Group.



Instead of giving up his position following the raid, Nurhadi appointed himself chairman of a team tasked with starting reform efforts at the Supreme Court.



The move was a response to antigraft activists calls for his resignation and reform at the judicial institution.



The KPK has so far failed to name Nurhadi a suspect after the National Police declined to give access to four of their personnel, who were adjutants to Nurhadi and were key witnesses in the Lippo case.



The KPK issued multiple summons for the four officers but to no avail, as in May the National Police sent them to join Operation Tinombala to catch wanted terrorist Santoso in Palu, Central Sulawesi.



The KPK failed in its attempt to implicate Nurhadi after Edys trial began last month. The KPK then launched a new preliminary investigation on Nurhadi in the Lippo case in July.



Nurhadi tendered his resignation days after the fresh probe began.



Now, efforts to name Nurhadi a suspect will be more difficult because in a preliminary investigation, the KPK has no authority to bring in suspects by force.



KPK spokesman Priharsa Nugraha said the KPK would continue to probe the four police personnel in the preliminary investigation and urged the police to voluntarily hand them over.



The problem with preliminary investigations is that the process is secret and it has a high level of difficulty because [witnesses] cannot be forced to give testimony. We are still trying to summon them and we hope that they will be cooperative, Priharsa told The Jakarta Post on Thursday.



National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Boy Rafli Amar was noncommittal when asked if the police would help the KPK in its probe on the four personnel.



We will liaise again with the KPK to see what we can do to help with the additional investigation, Boy said.

__________________________________



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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Criminalizing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) and extramarital relations represents an excessive intrusion into peoples private lives and would incriminate too many people, Institute for Criminal Justice Reform executive director Supriyadi Widodo Eddyono said on Friday.

Supriyadi made the statement in response to a testimony given by an expert at the Constitutional Court on Tuesday in support of a motion that would criminalize extramarital and homosexual sex.

If the court grants the motion, the government will go too far in controlling the private acts of its own citizens, Supriyadi told The Jakarta Post.

The petitioners, a professor from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), Euis Sunarti, and activists from the Family Love Alliance say they are seeking a revision of three articles in the Criminal Code (KUHP) for the sake of the nations morality.

The disputed articles currently only prescribe punishment for adultery and adults sodomizing underage children.

Family Love Alliance chairman Rita Hendrawaty Soebagio recently said sex outside marriage between single people and sodomy committed by adults should also be considered criminal acts. She said the revision would be able to prevent the occurrence of such acts that are not line with the countrys norms.

Supriyadi argued that prosecutors would be overwhelmed as they would also have to handle cases involving sexual activity committed by adults that should be considered non-criminal acts and relatively trivial problems.

He added that the increased number of raids and people entering the criminal justice system would overwhelm the countrys law enforcement and judicial institutions. (wnd/bbn)
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram  Fri, August 26, 2016

Panca Nugraha

The Jakarta Post/Mataram

About 80 displaced Ahmadis in the Wisma Transito shelter in Mataram, Lombok, donated blood on Friday to show they were still following their beliefs.

This is a regular event. We have been doing this since we moved here in 2006, Syahidin, the coordinator of the displaced Ahmadis, told The Jakarta Post. He said the blood donation was done three to four times a year.

Dozens of families have been displaced since February 2006 when they were forced to leave their homes in Ketapang hamlet, in Lingsar district, West Lombok, because of their beliefs.

Syahidin said 2016 is their 11th year in exile from their homes and their future still looked bleak. There are 33 families and 118 Ahmadis who live in Wisma Transito. Since 2006, 25 children have been born in the shelter and nine adults have died, he said.

We have stopped sending letters to offices. Our attempts [to gain justice] have fallen on deaf ears, he said.

A displaced resident, Pramono, 50, said he had donated blood 50 times in the shelter. He said even though the government did not care for them, they wanted to show that they still wanted to contribute to humanity.

Our teachings say, love for all, hatred for none. Amid our limitations, we can only donate blood for anyone who is in need, Pramono said.

We want to go home, to live in normal situation like other Indonesians, to have the freedom to work as we wish, raise our children, give them education and health, resident Asmawati, 35, said.

We feel neglected. If we can return home, my husband can farm and grow crops, she said. (evi)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26 2016

The government is set to continue with its controversial State Defense program, a paramilitary training program for civilians, despite concerns that the program will exacerbate thuggery.



Defense Minister Ryamizard Ryacudu said he hoped the program would eradicate three major concerns highlighted by President Joko Jokowi Widodo, namely thuggery, radicalism and drug abuse.



The minister explained that the program would vary, depending on regional needs. He also said the program was not a form of military conscription.



The training will include, among other things, staying at camp to learn about nationalism and discipline and physical training.



It is alleged by some that a training program with the ninth regional military command (Kodam IX) Udayana, held in Bali in June, involved gangsters and mass organization and reportedly included lessons on how to use firearms.



Ryamizard said the program would help curb problems and would transform thugs into productive nationalists.



I am confident we can achieve our target of 100 million cadres by 2019. We are not preparing them for war, but rather to face separatism, transnational crime and disasters, he said, claiming that around 60 million citizens had already taken part in the program.



The ministry will develop a map to determine the focus of the program for each area. The program will vary depending on the particular problems relevant to each part of the country. For example, the program will work to tame the growth in radical thinking in Poso, Central Sulawesi, and East Nusa Tenggara.



The principles underpinning the program were well received by others attending the meeting.



Intan Ahmad, the director general for learning and student affairs with the Research and Technology and Higher Education Ministry, said he planned to apply the program in universities to ensure that its reach was comprehensive. There are 4,400 universities across the archipelago with more than seven million students. It will be dangerous if they fall into radicalism. Lecturers have to find time to provide these additional values, he said.



Institute for Defense and Security Studies (IDSS) executive director Mufti Makarim told The Jakarta Post that if the program was not backed up with comprehensive targets, it could lead to political, social and economic problems.



The aim of the program is not clear. If its part of the Presidents ambition for a mental revolution, a militaristic approach is not the answer, he said.



Thugs or others trained in the program might misuse the power to intimidate other citizens, he said.



I am also not sure who will be held liable if those people create social unrest in their respective areas, he said.



The military has been in the national spotlight of late following the excessive involvement of their personnel in the public square.



In Tabanan, Bali, for example, a music concert featuring well-known band Superman Is Dead was guarded by armed military personnel. Those attending the concert wearing shirts expressing their opposition to reclamation projects on the island were reportedly forced to take off their clothes. (fac)

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Linkedin Joyce Lim (The Straits Times/ANN) Singapore  Fri, August 26, 2016

Hong Kong confirmed its first case of Zika virus late Thursday night, after a foreigner based in the city returned from the Caribbean showing symptoms of the virus.

The foreigner had travelled with two other family members to the Caribbean and stayed there from Aug. 6 to 20, the Centre for Health Protection (CHP) of the Department of Health said. Authorities have not revealed her nationality and identity.

Zika is a mosquito-borne virus that can be passed from a pregnant woman to her unborn baby and cause birth defects, including microcephaly where a babys head is smaller than expected. There is currently no vaccine for Zika.

The CHP said the woman alleged she had been stung by a mosquito at the Caribbean, not in Hong Kong.

Symptoms surfaced on Aug. 20, in the 38-year-old when she felt sick with arthritis and redness in her eyes. She arrived in Hong Kong on Monday and visited a doctor on Tuesday. This was followed by a blood test on Wednesday. Doctor confirmed on Thursday she has been infected with the Zika virus. The patient is now isolated in a mosquito-free hospital.

The CHP said after the woman returned to Hong Kong, she has been to work at the Central district and travelled to the New Territories.

Her family members have not shown any symptoms.

Health authorities also said they will follow up on her case and monitor closely the places she has been to.

According to the World Health Organisation, people infected with Zika can have symptoms including mild fever, skin rash, conjunctivitis, muscle and joint pain, malaise or headache. These symptoms normally last for two to seven days.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Indications of fraud committed by hospitals claiming larger reimbursements from the Healthcare and Social Security Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) can be seen through hospital readmission and up-coding records, a public health expert has said.

Based on my analysis, from the approximately 47 million outpatient cases, 76 percent are readmissions, Budi Hidayat, a public health expert from the University of Indonesia (UI), said on Thursday in a discussion entitled When Economics and Health Meet.

He added that of the 8.8 million inpatients, 9.7 percent were readmissions. However, Budi said not all readmissions were suspicious.

Readmissions are considered as fraud when patients are hospitalized temporarily and then released as outpatients before recovering properly. However, they will then be re-admitted in order to claim extra reimbursements for further treatment.

Based on Budi's observations, 4.4 percent of inpatient cases were suspicious, and costs the BPJS Kesehatan Rp 1.86 trillion (US$140.5 million). For outpatients, 43 percent cases, costing Rp 6.9 trillion, needed further investigation.

Budi went on to say that the BPJS Kesehatan had to find a way to detect which hospitals were submitting false claims. He estimated the country could save up to Rp 2.5 billion if they could track which hospitals committed such actions.

BPJS has been predicted to suffer losses of Rp 9 trillion by the year-end. As of April, the government decided to increase BPJS premiums to cover the deficit. (wnd/bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

House of Representatives deputy speaker Fadli Zon has called on the government to complete the latters amendment of the General Elections Law as soon as possible to give more time for the House to deliberate the content.

Hopefully, longer deliberation time for the elections law amendments will mean a better quality law, Fadli said in a written statement on Friday.

Khairunnisa Nur Agustiyati of the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) said earlier that the bill should be ratified at least 30 months before the elections to give preparation time for the General Elections Commission (KPU) and for preparatory work for candidates.

Khairunnisa added that there would be many agenda items and programs, linked to the elections bill, such as regional elections in 2017 and 2018, recruitment of KPU and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) members this year.

Indonesia will hold simultaneous general elections in 2019 to elect a president and vice president as well as legislators and local councilors.

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo said on Thursday that the ministry would hand the proposed amendments to the bill to the House in September.

I hope the House will receive the proposed amendments by mid-September. The bill should be ratified in March 2017 at the latest. Thats because the election stages should begin in July 2017, Tjahjo said. (wnd/dmr)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Kupang  Fri, August 26, 2016

Despite having the second-longest coastline in the world after Canada, Indonesia is aiming to import 3 million tons of salt this year, a 42.86 percent increase compared to 2.1 million tons last year.

Most of the imported salt will be used to meet the needs of the chemical industry. Last year, the industry absorbed 1.7 million tons of salt, while the remaining 400,000 tons were for public consumption, according to the data compiled by state-owned salt producer Garam.

We are relatively self-sustainable in terms of salt for [public] consumption, but we still have a deficit in supplying salt for industrial use, thus salt imports are unavoidable. Every year, the industrys demand keeps increasing, said Garam president director R. Achmad Budiono in Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), as quoted by kompas.com on Aug. 25.

Given its 34,000 miles of coastline, Indonesias maritime industry, including salt, is seen as having a lot of potential. However, while the full potential remains untapped, Australia and India benefit by shipping more than 1 million tons of salt to Indonesia per year.

Budiono expressed his optimism that the company would be able to fully supply salt for public consumption this year. Meanwhile, to reduce dependency on imported salt for industrial use, the company started developing a salt production center in Bipolo village, Kupang, in May.

The production center, being built on a 385-hectare plot of land, is expected to produce 50,000 tons of salt per year starting next October. It cost Rp 4.5 billion (US$340,000) in investment and is set to utilize another Rp 10 million for further development. (ags)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26 2016

After coming to an agreement with fellow top rubber producers Thailand and Malaysia to further cut exports by the end of this year, Indonesia will also attempt to persuade the two countries to reduce their production in order to stabilize rubber prices, which have been on a downward trend for years.



Coordinating Economic Minister Darmin Nasution said in Jakarta on Thursday that besides dealing with Thailand and Malaysia, Indonesia would also approach emerging rubber producer Vietnam to make the same approach in order to prop up prices.



The key is we need to talk with Vietnam, Thailand and Malaysia to discuss the possibility of reducing our rubber production together, Darmin said. We need to convince them so that we can jointly replant the rubber trees.



He said Indonesia would use the opportunity provided by low rubber prices to rejuvenate old rubber plantations in order to help reduce the market glut. Darmin said that Indonesia also wanted other producers to carry out a similar rejuvenation programs so that it would make a significant impact on reducing oversupply in the world market.



Rejuvenation would be the right move because the trees have become too old, he said. Some of the countrys rubber trees are more than a century old.



Grouped in the International Tripartite Rubber Council (ITRC), Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia signed an agreement in February to cut exports by 615,000 tons in the six months until Aug. 31. As a strategic partner, Vietnam also agreed to cut its exports by 85,000 tons. In total, the cuts in exports amount to 700,000 tons.



The move was expected to lead to a recovery in rubber prices, which have plunged 70 percent over the past five years. As Vietnam failed to meet its commitment, the three ITRC members, which supply 67 percent of the worlds rubber, have agreed to take over Vietnams export quota and will implement the export restrictions until the end of this year.



I guess its still a good thing for us as rubber prices have slightly recovered. Since we implemented the restriction policy, the price has increased to US$1.50 per kilogram and settled down to $1.30 per kilogram recently, up from $1 per kilogram earlier this year, Indonesian Rubber Producers Association (Gapkindo) chairman Moenardji Soedargo said.



Furthermore, Moenardji said that ITRC should persuade more rubber producer countries, such as Cambodia and Myanmar, to join the council so that they could together stabilize global rubber prices by showing the spirit of ASEAN.



Gapkindo estimates with the export cut deal Indonesias total exports would decline this year to 2.45 million tons from 2.6 million tons last year. Meanwhile, the countrys rubber production is also expected to fall to 2.95 million tons from 3.15 million tons last year because of the La Nina weather phenomenon that has been predicted for the second half of this year.



Moenardji expected the government to start promoting the rubber processing industry so that production would be more diversified and some of the rubber could be used for road construction. He estimated that Indonesias infrastructure development can absorb about 100,000 tons of domestic rubber annually.



Separately, Darmin also said that rubber could be used as a material to build roads, port dock fenders, or even railroads.



Indeed, rubber asphalt is 20 percent more expensive than the usual one, but the durability of the roads will increase by 50 percent by using it, he said.



Previously in February, the government said it would closely monitor and make sure 30 priority infrastructure projects across the country would finish within the next four years to help boost economic growth.



According to a blueprint from the Committee for the Acceleration of Priority Infrastructure Delivery (KPPIP), the priority projects will be constructed in the 2015 to 2019 period with a total investment of

Rp 819.41 trillion ($61.8 billion). (vps)

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jambi  Fri, August 26 2016

The local administration is set to hold a tender for investors to develop a geothermal power plant in Graho Nyambu, Merangin regency, Jambi.

Regent H. Al Haris said on Thursday that the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry had opened up opportunities for investors to develop the area. He expected the tender to be held immediately.

If the tender starts, it could support power demand in Merangin regency in the future. We will make efforts so that by 2018 all villages can benefit from power supplies through state power company PLNs power grids and other power sources, he said.

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Linkedin Tom Odula (Associated Press) Nairobi  Fri, August 26, 2016

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has arrived in Kenya to launch the Tokyo International Summit on African Development which 35 heads of state are expected to attend.

Abe was welcomed Friday by Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta at his official residence, State House, with a guard of honor and 19-gun salute. Kenyatta says the exchange of ideas and technology can hasten industrialization in Africa, which is key in alleviating poverty.

Kenyatta said at a joint press conference that Japan and African leaders should work together to encourage industrialization of the continent. Abe said the key to economic growth is industrialization. This is the sixth edition of the Tokyo summit on African development the first to be held outside Japan and in Africa in its 20-year history.
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Linkedin Andi Hajramurni (The Jakarta Post) Makassar, South Sulawesi  Fri, August 26, 2016

Indonesians detained in the Philippines who attempted to go on the haj using Philippine passports should be returned home immediately because they were victims, a lawmaker has said.

Lawmaker Dede Yusuf from House of Representatives Commission IX made the comments during a visit to a haj dormitory Sudiang, Makassar, on Friday, along with a number of other lawmakers.

We are asking for their immediate return to Indonesia, he said. If they are continuing to Mecca, who will be responsible for their safety?

Amriadi, 30, a resident of Wajo in South Sulawesi, hoped his wife Rosdiana, 30, could continue her journey to Mecca. Rosdiana has been detained in the Philippines along with 176 other pilgrims from Indonesia.

She has been saving for this trip for years. When she got an offer from Aulad Amin Tours, I approved her intention to go on the haj, Amriadi said on Friday.

He said if the government wanted to bring his wife home, he hoped she could still go on the haj through the Religious Affairs Ministry.

He also demanded that Aulad Amin Tours take responsibility for the cancelation of his wifes pilgrimage. If there is no way she can go on the pilgrimage, I want the company to return our money so we can use it to try for another pilgrimage, Amriadi said. His wife had paid the company Rp 135 million (US$10,227), he said.

Lawmaker Dede criticized the long waiting times for Indonesians to go on the haj. This is not a healthy practice, he said.

He expected the government to lobby Saudi Arabia for a higher haj quota. (evi)
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Linkedin Prima Wirayani (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26 2016

The governments planned cuts to the 2016 state budget will require approval from lawmakers through a new legislation revision process, the House of Representatives has said, despite the governments plan not to do so.



House Commission XI overseeing financial affairs warned the government that it could not make budget cuts single-handedly as it would break the State Budget Law, which stipulates that state budget revisions require House approval, said Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) lawmaker Hendrawan Supratikno.



The law also regulates that in a state of emergency, the approval of revisions can be granted in a working meeting within 24 hours after the government proposes an adjustment to lawmakers, he added, quoting Law No. 12/2016 on the revised 2016 state budget.



We hope the Finance Ministry pays attention to this [clause] to avoid any uproar, Hendrawan said during a working meeting between Commission XI and the government on Thursday.



Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who attended the meeting along with high-ranking officials from her ministry, told the House that a presidential instruction (Inpres) would soon be issued to regulate and explain the cuts to ministries and institutions.



Previously, Sri Mulyani ministry officials asserted that the austerity measures did not require approval from the House and an Inpres would be sufficient, quoting Law No. 14/2015 on the 2016 state budget.



It says measures can be taken by the government in a situation when state revenue is not sufficient to fund spending.



The government will cut Rp 133.8 trillion (US$10.1 billion) from government spending outlined in the revised 2016 state budget approved by the House in late June on the back of a projected Rp 219 trillion state revenue shortfall this year.



Sri Mulyani, the former World Bank managing director and chief operating officer who was reinstalled in her position less than a month ago, explained to lawmakers on Thursday that ministries and institutions spending worth Rp 767 trillion would suffer cuts amounting to Rp 64.7 trillion.



Meanwhile, regional transfer and village funds would be adjusted by Rp 70.1 trillion and Rp 2.8 trillion, respectively, making total cuts swell to Rp 137.6 trillion.



Johnny G. Plate, a lawmaker from the NasDem Party, expressed similar views, saying the self-blocking measure, which means each ministry and institution self-adjusts its budget, regulated in an Inpres would potentially break the rules.



We have to thoroughly go through the Constitution and the laws so that this policy doesnt breach them, he said.



Despite debate about the legal steps, lawmakers have applauded the governments proposed budget adjustments, saying the second cuts would make the state budget more realistic.

--------------

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

The jury for the Suardi Tasrif Award for freedom of expression on Friday night bestowed the prize on two groups that have fought stigma and the legacy of a dark past.

They had been courageously voicing violence and discrimination against them to uphold freedom of opinion and expression in Indonesia, it said.

The jurors  Press Council member and Jakarta Post Digital chief editor Nezar Patria; Ignatius Haryanto from the Press and Development Study Institute (LSPP); and Luviana, journalist and Suardi Tasrif Award laureate in 2013  gave the award to the LGBTIQ Forum and the International Peoples Tribunal 1965 (IPT 65) group.

The forum for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and questioning (LGBTIQ) individuals consists of more than 20 organizations concerning the minority groups rights while the IPT 65 consists of victims of the 1965 communist purge, researchers, advocates, lawyers and organizations concerned with justice for victims.

We hope the award for these two groups can lead to greater respect for the message they want to send to us, and also as an attempt toward national reconciliation. We hope this award will give both groups the spirit to continue their fight for equal rights and to get complete information of what happened in the past, and moreover for our growth as a sovereign and civilized nation like our founding fathers wanted, the jury wrote.

The award is given annually by the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI), coinciding with its anniversary on Aug. 19. This years awards, granted on Aug. 26, marked the AJIs 22nd anniversary.

Last year, the award was won by Joshua Oppenheimer and his codirector Anonymous, who made the Academy Award nominated documentaries on the 1965 mass killings The Act of Killing and The Look of Silence. (evi)
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Linkedin Ayomi Amindoni (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Starting Saturday morning, all domestic flights of the countrys largest low-cost carrier Lion Air will leave from Terminal 1 of Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten, an official with state-owned airport operator PT Angkasa Pura II (AP II) said.

AP II head of corporate secretary and legal, Agus Haryadi, said his company had coordinated with relevant parties to ensure a smooth transfer of some Lion Air flights from Terminal 3 to Terminal 1.

"All Lion Air domestic passengers are being told to go to Terminal 1 for their departures. The passengers are also advised to arrive early so that their departures run smoothly," Agus said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday, adding that Lion Air international flights will still depart from Terminal 2.

With Terminal 1 being dedicated to Lion Air domestic flights, while all AirAsia flights are being relocated to Terminal 2, Agus said he expected a smooth integration of the newly built Terminal 3 and parts of Terminal 3 that are still under construction for national flag carrier Garuda Indonesia.

AP II expects Terminal 3 to be fully operational by March 2017, with supporting infrastructure, such as an airport train and shuttlebus network, expected to be ready by that time. (dmr)
A brief summary of the countrys lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community is shown during a discussion between advocacy groups Arus Pelangi and Sanggar Swara during their visit to The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Thursday. They lamented the growing public hostility toward the minority group.(JP/Jerry Adiguna)(LGBT) community is shown during a discussion between advocacy groups Arus Pelangi and Sanggar Swara during their visit to The Jakarta Post in Jakarta on Thursday. They lamented the growing public hostility toward the minority group.(JP/Jerry Adiguna)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

East Java Deputy Governor Saifullah Yusuf said Muslims wanting to go on the haj should follow official procedures as set by the government. He later expressed his disappointment with the abuse of trust recently shown by several travel agents by facilitating several Muslim pilgrims to go on the haj via illegal ways.

They have misused the trust they had. I pity them [the haj pilgrims] all, the governor said as quoted by kompas.com in Surabaya on Thursday.

He referred to the arrest of 177 Indonesian haj pilgrims by immigration authorities at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila for using fake Philippine passports. They were lured to go on the haj via the Philippines, regardless of the extremely high costs they had to pay, as the Philippine haj waiting list is not as long as in Indonesia.

(Read also : PH unlikely to repatriate Indonesian haj pilgrims this month)

With around Rp 150 million [US$11,333] worth of fees, they actually could have taken a special lane with not too long a waiting list, instead of using improper procedures, such as using unused seats of the haj quota of other countries, said Saifullah.

Saifullah said he was concerned with the fate of 14 East Java residents, who were among 177 Indonesian haj pilgrims arrested by Philippine authorities. Accompanied by Pasuruan Regent Irsyad Yusuf, the deputy governor went to meet Nurul Huda, the leader of the Arafah haj pilgrimage counseling group (KBIH) that had facilitated their departure.

Saifullah warned East Java residents to not trust the Arafah KBIH, saying it was illegal to go on the haj from other countries. The KBIH also did not have a permit to organize haj travels, he added. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

The Indonesian Embassy in Manila says it is unlikely the Philippines will repatriate the 177 Indonesian haj pilgrims arrested by Philippine authorities for passport fraud this month due to ongoing administrative procedures.

The embassy transferred 39 Indonesian haj pilgrims from an immigration detention facility to guest houses in its compound in Manila on Friday morning, following 138 others who had been moved from the facility on Thursday.

Deputy chief of mission Ade Petranto said the removal process could be conducted following a transfer request sent to the Philippine Department of Justice, which included appropriate facilities in the embassy compound as one of its considerations.

The transfer was authorized after the embassy provided a letter of guarantee on Thursday, said Ade on Friday in a written statement.

He further said the group could not be repatriated yet as Philippine Department of Justice officials were scheduled to meet them next Tuesday.

Ada further said the Indonesian embassy was continuing to make the case to the Philippine authorities that the 177 haj pilgrims were victims. Therefore, it was expected that they could be repatriated before too long except for several people who would likely be presented as witnesses in the trial of the case.

Philippine Immigration head Jaime Morente said the fake Philippine passports used by the haj pilgrims were reportedly provided by their brokers.

Haj fees paid by the pilgrims reportedly varied, starting from US$6,000 to $10,000 per person. They used unused seats of the haj quota provided by Saudi Arabia for the Philippines.

Morente said the group was exposed after airport staff discovered that they were unable to speak Tagalog. (ebf)
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Linkedin Rizal Harahap (The Jakarta Post) Pekanbaru, Riau  Fri, August 26, 2016

The Riau Police are intensively investigating three companies for their alleged negligence in regard to fires within their concessions during the last two weeks.

The three companies, identified only by the initials PT APSL, PT DBD and PT SS, operate in the oil palm plantation sector. Two companies, APSL and DBD, operate in Rokan Hulu regency while SS operates in Rokan Hilir, where a member of the Indonesian Navy, Chief Pvt. Wahyudi, died during efforts to extinguish fires on Tuesday.

The total burned land in the three companies concession areas amounts to approximately 300 hectares.

The polices special crime investigation (Reskrimsus) director Sr.Comr.Rivai Sinambela said Rokan Hulu and Rokan Hilir Police were now handling the fire cases.

Their investigations are under way. Criminal investigation unit chiefs at the two police precincts have been instructed to work maximally. The Riau Polices Reskrimsus has dispatched investigators to help strengthen efforts to find evidence. If their investigation achieves maximum results, the Riau Police will take over the case, said Rivai in a press conference on Friday.

He further said the police would involve expert witnesses in evidence collection to determine whether or not the burned land was within the concession areas of the companies.

We suspect the burned land is within the companies concession areas, however, our investigators cannot straightaway conclude that the areas belong to the companies, said Rivai.

We should have enough evidence. We [the Riau Police] dont want the issuance of a termination of investigation [SP3] on land fire cases implicating 15 companies to happen again. Thats why the case handling and suspect naming in land and forest fires will be conducted more carefully, said Rivai. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

A police investigative team is interested in speaking with Liberty Sitinjak, the former head of Batu prison on Nusakambangan Island in Cilacap, Central Java, in connection with a testimony made by Freddy Budiman, a drugs convict, before his execution

On Aug. 29, the team will go to East Nusa Tenggara to question Pak Sitinjak. I have sent a letter and Pak Sitinjak had agreed, said team head Corm. Gen. Dwi Priyatno in Jakarta on Friday as reported by tribunnews.com.

Batu prison is one of the seven prisons on the island.

The investigation is related to Freddys testimony that he had used billions of rupiah to bribe officials in law enforcement institutions to allow him to distribute drugs.

The results of the investigation would be crosschecked with John Kei, a murder convict, who was now being imprisoned on the island, said Dwi.

He added that Sitinjak would be questioned on a meeting between coordinator of the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Haris Azhar with Freddy that took place in 2014 at the prison.

Haris previously revealed Freddys testimony claimed the involvement of the National Police, the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) in his illegal businesses. According to the statement, Freddy said he managed to operate an international drug network with the help of top officials, but did not reveal any names.

The three institutions previously filed a report against Haris with the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim), but later, President Joko Jokowi Widodo ordered law enforcers to investigate Freddys testimony. (bbn)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26 2016

Indonesia will push for stronger cooperation in maritime security during the upcoming gathering of ASEAN heads of state in Laos, Foreign Ministry officials have said. The push comes amid cases of Indonesians being kidnapped in the regions waters alongside other ongoing tensions.

We will emphasize the importance of maritime cooperation at the summit, especially the implementation of the EAS [East Asia Summit] statement initiated by Indonesia, said Derry Aman, the Foreign Ministrys ASEAN dialogue partner and inter-regional cooperation director, on Thursday.

Derry was referring to last Novembers joint statement released by the 18 heads of state in Kuala Lumpur, which among other things, encouraged more countries to accede to the 1982 UNCLOS, the UN Convention on the Laws of the Sea.

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Linkedin Marguerite Afra Sapiie (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto has shown an interest in purchasing Japanese US-2 amphibious aircraft, highlighting Indonesias commitment to strengthening its bilateral defense cooperation with the East Asian country.

Japanese Ambassador to Indonesia Yasuaki Tanizaki offered Indonesia the opportunity to acquire amphibious aircraft from Japan during his meeting at the security chiefs office in Jakarta on Friday.

In the meeting, Wiranto and Tanizaki discussed the follow-up steps to a defense cooperation agreement signed by the foreign and defense ministers of both countries in Tokyo last December.

"The offer is quite interesting, especially considering the fact that Indonesia is a maritime nation. Our territory is covered mostly by water," Wiranto said.

He further said the amphibious aircraft could benefit Indonesia because they were multi-purpose in nature. The aircraft could potentially assist personnel in tackling forest fires, which often occur in regions across the country during the dry season.

Wiranto said the US-2 aircraft could be modified to extinguish forest fires because they could land on sea to collect water and then later spray the water over burning forests.

The senior minister has yet to reveal how many US-2 units Indonesia might procure from Japan, or when the agreement on the purchase will be signed. (ebf)
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Linkedin Margareth S. Aritonang and Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

While President Joko Jokowi Widodo is dreaming of national connectivity and an advanced Indonesia, the government is still struggling to put in place the most basic administrative system, in the form of electronic identification cards (e-ID), for all citizens.

In his state address ahead of Independence Day this month, Jokowi said that to realize an advanced Indonesia, the government is committed to providing infrastructure, including telecommunications, in all regions to strengthen national connectivity.

But the commitment seems to have stumbled over the technical details of his digital vision.

A lack of supplies and tech-illiterate officials have hampered the migration from a manual recording of names in the civil registry to the nationwide centralized online system that began to be used in 2012.

Even in Jakarta, the countrys capital that has been equipped with the most sophisticated telecommunications infrastructure, there are still 17,000 people, about 3 percent of total residents, who do not yet possess the cards, also locally known as e-KTP.

We several times faced delivery delay of e-KTP forms from the Home Ministry. However, we have urged the ministry to send the forms as soon as possible, said Jakarta Population and Civil Registration Agency head Edison Sianturi on Thursday.

The situation is worse outside of the capital. While some regions share the logistics shortage problem that Jakarta is facing, some are also struggling with poor technological tools they must use to record citizens data.

In Kupang, East Nusa Tenggara, for example, only two out of six e-KTP recording machines are working. Four of the machines have been broken since last year, forcing citizens from other parts of the area to go to the Oebobo and Alak regencies, where machines still work, in order to have their e-KTP recorded.

The limited tools available, as well as a lack of e-KTP forms, have hampered officials from local administrative offices from satisfying the huge enthusiasm from the public to get e-KTPs.

Local administrative offices can only issue on average 130 e-KTPs every day, although more than 200 residents show up daily to receive theirs.

Similar problems were also found in other cities, such as Surakarta, Makassar and Pontianak.

I flew back to Pematang Siantar from Jakarta a few days ago specifically for creating an e-KTP. Unfortunately, I wasnt able to get one yet because they ran out of blangko, said Dennis Ng, 58, a resident of Pematangsiantar who currently resides in Jakarta.

Blangko are blank cards that consist of seven layers and chips, used to create e-KTPs.

Dennis said that when he arrived at the district, the officers only recorded his fingerprints and retinal eye scans. The officer asked him to wait an undetermined time for his e-KTP. Thus, he decided to come back to Jakarta.

The Home Ministry said that almost 162 million people have already registered for e-KTPs. The remaining 20 million people who have not received theirs come from West Java, East Java, Central Java, Sumatra and Lampung. The government recently set the end of September as the deadline for everyone to have an e-ID.

The government has threatened that if citizens fail to obtain theirs, they were not able to use many public services, such as receiving drivers licenses, opening bank accounts and obtaining health insurance through the Social Security Management Agency (BPJS).

Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo admitted that besides logistics problems, the lack of tech-literate officials makes the problems even more daunting. We do apologize for lacking things here and there, Tjahjo said.

 Andi Hajramurni from Makassar, Djemi Amnifu from Kupang, Severinus Endi from Pontianak and Ganug Nugroho Adi from Surakarta contributed to the report.
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Linkedin Satria Sambijantoro (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. This old adage was apparent at the House of Representatives on Thursday as Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati squared off once more with her political foes.

Many still vividly remember the days and hours of televised grilling by lawmakers that Sri Mulyani had to undergo over the controversial 2008 Bank Century bailout. She was accused of abusing her authority during the Rp 6.7 trillion (US$506 million) bailout.

Years later, on Thursday, one of the worlds most powerful women according to Forbes was greeted warmly at the House and even exchanged pantun (poetic quatrains) with a House member.

A dove pecks on a worm, frangipani flowers blossom. The state budget is intended for the people, it must be managed with wisdom, long time pantun fan Sri Mulyani said in response to a lawmakers poem in her first working meeting with Commission XI on Thursday.

The commission, which oversees financial affairs, was at the forefront of attacks on Sri in the past. Aired live by local television channels, the sight of the finance minister listening to a barrage of shouting and criticism from lawmakers while murmuring prayers with prayer beads in her hand became an iconic moment.

This time around, Sri Mulyani will have to face lawmakers to get her 2017 state budget passed into law. The budget will promote smaller but more realistic state spending and revenue targets.

Last month, Sri Mulyani accepted an offer from President Joko Jokowi Widodo to once again serve as the nations finance minister. In 2010, she had enough of the political pressure and resigned from her post to take a job as a managing director at the World Bank in Washington DC, with a farewell message: I will be back.

Words are prayers, and back she is indeed. Lets give a round of applause for the finance minister, Commission XI chairman Melchias Markus Mekeng said in his opening statement during the meeting.

She is back in the Cabinet at a time when the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P)  the party that led the political inquiry into the Bank Century bailout case in 2010  is now the ruling party.

The last time we met [our party] was in opposition. Now we support you, Ibu, PDI-P legislator Eva Kusuma Sundari said to the finance minister during the hearing.

One of Sri Mulyanis most vocal enemies in the Houses inquiry committee into the Bank Century bailout, Muhammad Misbakhun, has now softened on her. The Golkar Party lawmaker pledged to support Sri Mulyani and the 2017 state budget proposal she has designed.

Its not personal, Misbakhun said when asked whether he still considered the finance minister to be a foe.

Lawmakers will need to approve the state budget for it to be effective. The budget encompasses a wide range of policies and targets from taxes to state revenues, government spending, ministerial budgets, village funds and regional transfers.

Sri Mulyani admitted to a sense of deja vu when she sat in the Houses meeting room again.

It feels like turning the clock back 10 years, Sri Mulyani told Commission XI lawmakers.

 Prima Wirayani contributed to the story
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Linkedin Liza Yosephine (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

The Turkish government has released two Indonesian students who were arrested during a crackdown against anything related to Fethullah Gulen, a US-based Muslim cleric accused of masterminding a failed coup in Turkey last month.

"They were both released after proven to not have links with the Hizmet group, accused of orchestrating the failed coup," the Foreign Ministry's director for the protection of Indonesian nationals and entities abroad, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said in a statement on Friday.

The two students, Dwi Puspita Ari Wijayanti and Yumelda Ulan Afrilian, had been handed over earlier this month by the prosecutors to Indonesian Embassy officials who had traveled to Bursa, some 325 kilometers west of Ankara, to meet them. They were currently residing at the Indonesian ambassador's house in Ankara, Iqbal said in a statement on Friday.

"They are in a healthy state despite being visibly tired. They have both already spoken with their parents over the phone," Ambassador Wardana said in the statement.

Dwi and Yumelda were arrested on Aug. 11 in Bursa, at a home managed by the Pacific Countries Social and Economic Solidarity Association (PASIAD) that was linked to Gulen. As many as 35 other students who were grantees of the PASIAD scholarship were temporarily residing at the ambassador's home since they no longer were receiving funds from the foundation. Embassy officials are to maintain communications with the Turkish government to ensure the safety of all Indonesians, especially students of the PASIAD.
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Linkedin Josh Lederman and Eric Tucker (Associated Press) Washington  Fri, August 26, 2016

Turkey says the United States is legally bound by a treaty to immediately hand over Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric it accuses of plotting to overthrow Turkey's government.

The US government says it can't comply until Turkey can convince a judge its allegations against Gulen are legitimate.

Any solution lies in the murky world of extradition, where the US criminal justice system overlaps with diplomacy and international law.

Unable to agree about the process, Turkey and the US are feuding over Gulen, who denies involvement in the thwarted July 15 coup attempt. It's become the biggest irritant between the two strategic partners just as they struggle to reconcile their approaches to fighting the Islamic State group across Turkey's border in Syria.

During Vice President Joe Biden's visit to Ankara this week, the disagreement played out in unusually sharp and open fashion. Both Turkey's prime minister and president publicly badgered Biden and said the US was harboring a terrorist, while Biden tried simultaneously to show sympathy and defend US legal traditions.

"It's never understood that the wheels of justice move deliberately and slowly," Biden said.

A look at the case against Gulen and how extradition works:

Q: Why does Turkey want Gulen extradited?

A: Once an ally of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Gulen now lives in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania. He's associated with Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, and a founder of a movement known as Hizmet  "Service" in Turkish  that first expanded outside Turkeyin the early 1990s after the Soviet Union fell. Gulen's followers have established a network of schools around the world, and Turkey accuses Gulen of surreptitiously grooming students to eventually overthrow Turkey's government. But US officials say privately they're skeptical about claims that Gulen was involved in the failed coup.

Q. Has Turkey provided evidence that Gulen should be returned?

A: Yes and no. Turkey has submitted extradition requests for Gulen, but senior Obama administration officials say those requests were based on alleged crimes prior to the coup attempt. Turkey's justice minister says more evidence relating specifically to the failed coup will be submitted next week.

Q: How does extradition ordinarily work?

A: Foreign countries seeking to prosecute individuals located in the United States must submit a formal request to the US government laying out evidence. The requirements are spelled out in a treaty between the US and Turkey, signed in 1979, that allows for extradition for crimes recognized in both countries.

The State Department and the Justice Department both have a hand in processing requests. The US Attorneys' Manual says after the State Department receives the requests, the Justice Department evaluates them. Those determined to be legally sufficient are forwarded to the court district where the person being sought lives so he or she can be brought before a magistrate.

The process generally unfolds in secret, with countries inclined to avoid tipping off subjects of their extradition requests. By publicly broadcasting their intent to seize Gulen, Turkey is "playing to the public arena" rather than standard legal protocol, said former State Department legal adviser Ashley Deeks, who teaches national security law at the University of Virginia.

Q: How does the US decide whether Turkey's request moves forward?

A: This appears to be where the understanding between the US and Turkey has broken down.

The treaty doesn't lay out in detail how much discretion the US has to evaluate the merits of the allegation before turning the request over to a judge. So Turkey, having submitted a request, says Gulen should be turned over immediately  or "at least be detained, arrested and kept under surveillance" while the process plays out, Erdogan said on Wednesday.

But aside from the treaty, the US government also has constitutional and domestic legal requirements to worry about. That includes making sure any arrest warrants issued in the US meet the standard of probable cause.

"They're not going to just pick him up and put him on a plane to Istanbul. That's crazy," said Douglas McNabb, a Houston-based lawyer specializing in extradition. Added Andrew Levchuk, formerly an attorney in the Justice Department's Office of International Affairs: "It's entirely up to us what steps we take."

Q: Let's say the US decides the request is legitimate. What happens next?

A: Gulen would be brought before a magistrate in Pennsylvania. It's not a trial. The US Attorney's Office wouldn't have to prove he's guilty, just that there's sufficient legal basis for him to be tried in Turkey.

If the judge recommends extradition, the request goes back to the State Department. That's where Gulen's attorneys could present other arguments against extradition, such as claims he'd be tortured if he were returned or that the health of Gulen, who is in his 70s, is too poor for him to travel.

Q: Are there any exceptions in the treaty?

A: Yes, a big one.

The treaty says extradition may be refused if the crime is regarded to be of a "political character or an offense connected with such an offense." Turkey's longstanding gripes with Gulen could provide fodder for such an argument, though the treaty does say any offense committed against a head of state can't be classified as of a "political character."

"The defendant in this case is going to scream to the high heavens that this is politically motivated," predicted Frank Rubino, a lawyer who defends individuals facing extradition.
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Linkedin Panca Nugraha (The Jakarta Post) Mataram, West Nusa Tenggara  Fri, August 26, 2016

Violence continues to threaten female Indonesian migrant workers, including those from Sumbawa, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries, despite ongoing efforts to improve their working conditions.

Muhammad Saleh, the coordinator of the NTB chapter of the Migrant Workers Legal Assistance Center (PPHBM) said repressive acts inflicted on the workers included physical violence, excessive working hours and unpaid salaries.

In the last two months, we have handled 18 cases of violence affecting our female migrant workers in the Middle East. Most of them departed to work as migrant workers after 2012, or after the Indonesian government issued a moratorium on migrant workers to Saudi Arabia and other countries in the Middle East, said Saleh on Friday.

Despite the moratorium, he said many women in NTB, especially those from Sumbawa Island, were still eager to work as migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and the Middle East.

They are determined to work as domestic helpers in the Middle East, even illegally, because of the shortage of job opportunities in their hometowns and because of the larger salaries on offer in the Middle East.

In most cases, they departed to Saudi Arabia on the pretense of going on umrah [the minor pilgrimage] while some others travelled via transit countries such as Malaysia and Singapore, said Saleh.

Many of them became victims of trafficking.

Saleh said that although all female domestic helpers receiving PPHBM legal assistance had engaged in illegal activities, they were still Indonesian citizens and their rights deserved to be protected.

We have handed over their reports to the Manpower Ministry and the Agency for the Placement and Protection of Indonesian Migrant Workers (BNP2TKI), with the hope that the central government will pay close attention to the problem, he said.

At least 2,000 3,000 Sumbawa residents currently work as female migrant workers in Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries. (ebf)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Teman Ahok (Friends of Ahok), the volunteer team supporting Jakarta Governor Basuki Ahok Tjahaja Purnama, has said the donor behind Ahoks campaign team headquarters, Rumah Lembang, wanted to stay anonymous.

Teman Ahoks spokesperson Amalia Ayuningtyas said on Thursday evening that a donor was financing the operations of Rumah Lembang, from covering the rent and equipment, to funds for daily logistics. She said the donor was not from one of the three parties that had declared their support for Ahok, namely Golkar, NasDem and Hanura.

This is purely from a person who supports Ahok, just a volunteer, not from any party. I cannot tell you more about this person, but [he or she] will be working here, she said as quoted by tribunnews.com before the opening of Rumah Lembang on Jl. Lembang in Menteng, Central Jakarta, Thursday.

She said the anonymous donor hoped non-party volunteers and party members could get along to work together to push Ahok to victory in the 2017 gubernatorial election.

This house is open to anyone. This is a space for everyone who supports Pak Ahok to express their opinions. With this house, we want to erase the negative stigma on the relationship between parties and volunteers, and close the distance between both, said Amalia. (evi)
Transportation Minister Budi Karya (center) speaks after inspecting burned-out train cars at Tanjung Priok Station in North Jakarta on Thursday. The train burst into flames as it was being cleaned at the station. No casualties were reported.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)(center) speaks after inspecting burned-out train cars at Tanjung Priok Station in North Jakarta on Thursday. The train burst into flames as it was being cleaned at the station. No casualties were reported.(JP/Dhoni Setiawan)
At least 11 police officers have been killed and 78 others wounded after a car bomb exploded outside a police facility in southeast Turkey.

The blast occurred on August 25 in Cizre, a town near the border with Syria and Iraq that has a largely Kurdish population.

The blast caused extensive damage to the headquarters of the special riot police force in Cizre, with television footage showing plumes of black smoke rising above the town.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yidirim said the blast had been carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which Turkey, the European Union, and the United States consider a terrorist organization.

Clashes between Turkish security forces and PKK fighters have increased since a two-and-a-half-year ceasefire collapsed in 2015.

The attack comes two days after Turkey launched its first major offensive in neighboring Syria which authorities said is aimed both at Islamic State (IS) militants and Syrian Kurdish militias with ties to the PKK.

Yidirim denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that Ankara's military operation in Syria was singling out Kurds rather than militants.

Based on reporting by AFP and Reuters
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Linkedin Gabriel Cardinoza, Carmela Reyes-Estrope and Maricar Brizuela (Philippine Daily Inquirer/ANN) Dagupan City, Philippines  Fri, August 26, 2016

The Philippines war against drugs has claimed the life of an innocent five-year-old girl whose grandfather was in the watch list of the police.

Maximo Garcia, 53, surrendered to the police on Saturday after he was told that he was on a drug watch list.

Three days later, a man approached his house at Barangay (village) Mayombo at 12:30 p.m. and opened fire on Garcia as he and his family were having lunch.

Garcia fled to the back of the house but was shot and wounded by the gunman. His 5-year-old granddaughter, Danica May, was hit in the head and later died in hospital, the youngest fatality and latest collateral damage in President Dutertes war on illegal drugs.

Garcia, who is recuperating from a bullet wound in the stomach in a hospital guarded by policemen, was a tricycle driver until he suffered a stroke three years ago.

He had been helping his wife Gemma operate a small eatery in front of their house provided by the Department of Social Welfare and Development in the flood-prone village.

The wife said earnings went to food, Garcias medicines and caring for Danica, whose 29-year-old mother has separated from her husband.

But life had been good for Danica, Gemma said.

Danica had always been excited about attending kindergarten at East Central Elementary School here, the woman said. The child would take a bath early, eat her lunch and head for school.

This is so painful to us, she said. I would miss the nights when Danica would massage us until we fell asleep. I would miss her laughter when she teased her mother.

Gemma said she was surprised to learn that her husband was on the police drug watch list. He was later persuaded by the barangay captain to surrender to clear his name and also for his own safety.

She said she could not understand why anyone would attack her husband, who she said had never been involved in illegal drugs.

We are afraid to stay here. But the problem is where will we go? The killers may come back for my husband, she said.

Supt. Neil Miro, Dagupan police chief, theorized that drug dealers were behind the attack.

As of Tuesday, 26 suspected drug dealers had been killed in the city, four of them in a clash with police, Miro said.

In Bulacan province on Monday night, a 14-year-old boy was beheaded allegedly by his drug-crazed uncle in the City of San Jose del Monte.

The boys body bore multiple stab wounds when it was found by his family members on a dump in Barangay Minuyan Proper at 10 p.m., hours after witnesses saw him fleeing from his uncle, who was wielding a knife, said Supt. Wilson Magpali, San Jose del Monte police chief.

On Tuesday, the police arrested the attacker, who led them to a place near a river where the boys head was buried. The suspect was incoherent when policemen detained him.

Also on Tuesday at Barangay San Jose in Quezon City, three drug suspects were killed in an encounter with police during a buy-bust operation at 2:35am.

Senior Supt. Guillermo Lorenzo Eleazar, city police chief, identified one of the fatalities as Rodolfo Hallare, 48. The two other slain suspects remain unidentified but policemen estimated them to be between 20 and 30 years old.

Operatives said one of their colleagues posed as a buyer of shabu (methamphetamine hydrochloride) and bought from Hallare and his group. Hallare was about to receive payment when his partners shouted they were around, triggering a gunfight.

Recovered from the scene were two .45-cal. pistols, one .38-cal. revolver, three plastic sachets of shabu (methamphetamine) and 1,490 pesos (US$32) cash.

As of Wednesday, 56 drug suspects have been killed in police operations in Quezon City since July 1.

Eleazar, however, said that more than 700 drug suspects did not resist arrest.
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Linkedin Niniek Karmini (Associated Press) Jakarta  Fri, August 26, 2016

Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanketed a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze.

Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra across the city-state and into southern Malaysia.

The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Kalimantan by weather satellites has increased in the past month though they are below levels last year when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis.

Singapore's three-hour air pollution index had risen to 198 by early afternoon. Its environment agency doesn't give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

"The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside," said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work. "I'm having a cough and it's getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home," she said.

Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect including aerial water drops.

The haze is an annual problem for Southeast Asia, but last year's fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbors. About 261,000 hectares (644,931 acres) burned, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said Friday that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.

About 2,800 hectares (6,918 acres) have burned so far this year, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry.

___

Associated Press writer Annabelle Liang in Singapore contributed to this report.
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Linkedin David Keyton (Associated Press) Oslo  Fri, August 26, 2016

Philippine communist rebels announced an indefinite cease-fire Friday in peace talks aimed at ending one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

The Maoist rebels announced their agreement to put down their arms in a joint statement with Philippine government officials at the end of weeklong talks in Norway.

The government announced its own cease-fire earlier.

Some 150,000 people have died in the conflict that began almost half a century ago.

Both sides said they had made important progress in the talks in Oslo in advancing a peace process that has dragged on for decades.

"The joint statement we are signing manifests the historic significance of what we have achieved," said Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Philippines Communist Party.

Philippines presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza called the statement a "historic and unprecedented event" and gave credit to President Rodrigo Duterte.

In the statement, the two sides reaffirmed previous agreements and agreed to discuss the release of detainees and who should get immunity to take part in the talks. Negotiators said they aim to complete the peace talks in nine to 12 months.

Although less numerous and less violent than Muslim separatist rebels in the country's south, the Maoists have fought and outlived successive Philippine administrations for nearly 50 years, holding out against constant military and police offensives. They draw support from those dissatisfied with economic inequality, especially in the countryside, and the Philippines' alliance with the US.
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Linkedin (Associated Press) Manila  Fri, August 26, 2016

Philippine troops have killed at least 11 Abu Sayyaf militants, including an influential commander, in an assault on the extremists following their beheading of a captive over an unpaid ransom.

Regional military commander Maj. Filemon Tan says 17 soldiers were wounded when hundreds of army troops surrounded a vast jungle area in Sulu province's mountainous Patikul town Friday and clashed with scattered groups of about 100 militants.

Tan says one of the 11 dead militants was Amah Maas, a commander with severed arms, who had been implicated in ransom kidnappings, including of European tourists.

President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the troops to seek and destroy the militants in their jungle bases after the extremists beheaded a Filipino teenager abducted last month.
Sheldon Silver will remain a free man for at least a few more weeks. He was supposed to start serving a 12-year prison sentence at the end of this month after being convicted on federal corruption charges. Judge Valerie Caproni today set a new schedule for the former Lower East Side assemblymans case.

Silvers attorneys asked the judge to allow him to stay out of prison while appealing the conviction. They believe his appeal gained more traction after the U.S. Supreme Court recently overturned a Virginia corruption case.

The judge has not decided on the appeal just yet. If she rules against the former speaker, he is widely expected to appeal to a higher court. Silver would not be required to surrender and pay $6.6 million in fines until 14 days after the appeals court decision, or Oct. 27, whichever date is later.

Silver was convicted late last year of fraud, extortion and money laundering.

UPDATE 11 p.m. Later in the day on Thursday, Judge Caproni ruled that Silver may delay reporting to federal prison until his appeal is considered. The New York Times reported:
DES MOINES  The state utilities board has denied landowners request to delay construction of a crude oil pipeline through Iowa.

The three-member Iowa Utilities Board on Thursday afternoon unanimously rejected the emergency motion filed by 14 landowners who wanted construction halted while the courts consider a lawsuit they have filed to stop the project.

Board members said they rejected the request because they think the landowners lawsuit is unlikely to succeed, and because any lengthy delay in the project may cause substantial harm to Dakota Access, the Texas-based company building the pipeline.

The landowners said they will appeal the boards decision in court.

The board sustained a short-term order to halt construction on the 14 landowners property until Monday.

Plans call for a $3.8 billion, 1,168-mile underground pipeline from North Dakotas Bakken oil fields to a distribution hub in Illinois. The pipeline would transport up to 570,000 barrels of crude oil daily and cross from northwest to southeast Iowa, spanning 347 miles and 18 counties.

Construction began on the project in Iowa in June, and thus far 22 percent of the piping has been laid in the state, the company said in a court filing this week. Roughly three-fourths of the route through Iowa has been cleared, and half has been graded, the company said.

Pipeline construction in South Dakota is nearly complete, and is 63 percent complete in North Dakota and 62 percent complete in Illinois, the company said.

Opponents of the project cite environmental safety concerns and question the authority of a private company to use eminent domain to acquire land for the project.

The state utilities board heard arguments earlier Thursday on the landowners request for a delay.

Attorneys for Dakota Access said landowners have missed their legal opportunity to halt the project and should no longer be allowed to stand in its way.

Bret Dublinske, an attorney for Dakota Access, said landowners could have taken legal steps to halt the project after multiple board and court rulings earlier this year and accused them of going first to the courts in an attempt to sidestep the board.

Dublinske said seeking board action now threatens to cause financial harm to the company and the project.

As (the district court judge) pointed out, the only emergency is of their making.  Theyve made no effort until we were on their doorstep, Dublinske said, accusing a small fraction of zealous landowners of sitting on their rights.

An attorney representing 14 Iowa landowners in the pipelines path argued the board must put the project on hold until the dispute between those landowners and the pipeline company is resolved by the courts, because if the courts rule in favor of landowners after the pipeline is already laid on their land, those landowners lose their constitutional right to due process.

William Hanigan, an attorney representing the landowners, noted the list of petitioners originally included 15 landowners, but by Thursdays hearing, that number was reduced to 14 because pipeline construction finished on one of the landowners property.

If you dont (grant the emergency stay), then the petition for judicial review is meaningless, Hanigan said.
OSAGE  Moments after a jury found him guilty of first-degree murder for killing his girlfriend, Ronald Rand turned around and looked at the couples friends and family seated in the gallery.

Im so sorry, he mouthed.

His daughter, seated directly behind him, began crying softly.

Jurors took three hours to find Rand, 61, of Hampton, guilty of first-degree murder for the death of Michelle Key on Dec. 13, 2016.

Key, 51, died on the couch in Rands living room from a sawed-off shotgun blast to the neck.

The question put before the jury was not whether Rand shot Key  he and his attorneys admitted that he did  but if shooting her was murder or manslaughter.

Prosecutors argued that Rand, angry at Keys infidelity, was guilty of first-degree murder because the crime was intentional and premeditated.

Rands attorney, Susan Flander, maintained the crime was an accident.

She said Rand never meant to hurt his girlfriend and that the fatal shot was the result of recklessness, not hatred or anger.

He was intoxicated and got a shotgun. Stupid  he was stupid, said Flander, urging the jury to find Rand guilty of involuntary manslaughter, not murder. And, he ended up ending the life of his beloved. His baby.

Closing arguments held Friday morning took an emotional toll on Rand and Keys friends and family members.

Rand clasped his hand tightly over his mouth, shaking slightly, and looked down as Assistant Iowa Attorney General Coleman McAlister showed an autopsy photo of Keys gaping neck wound.

One of Keys supporters left the courtroom when the photo was shown, crying softly while walking to the door.

Across the aisle, one of Rands friends leaned forward in his seat and looked down. The woman beside him rubbed his back.

Rands family and attorneys declined to speak after the verdict. A victim advocate told the media Keys family also did not want to comment.

Franklin County Attorney Brent Symens said he was thankful to the jury members for their time in considering the case.

We were pretty confident that was where it was going to end up at, he said of the first-degree murder verdict. Theres always a possibility of lesser verdicts, everybodys aware of that. Theres no such thing as a slam-dunk case.

First-degree murder in Iowa is punishable by life in prison without the possibility of parole. Official sentencing will be held at a later date.

As Rand prepared to leave the courtroom after the verdict, his daughter continued to cry with her hands on her temples.

Rand looked at her as he was being led away, saying, I love you too, baby.
Another strong aftershock has rattled quake-ravaged central Italy, reportedly causing more damage to crumbled buildings in hard-hit Amatrice.

The US Geological Survey said the aftershock had a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 and Italys national geological institute put the magnitude at 4.8, saying the 6.28 am tremor on Friday was preceded by more than a dozen weaker aftershocks overnight and followed by another nine in the subsequent hour.

The quake zone has experienced more than 500 aftershocks, some measuring up to 5.1, in the two days since the original pre-dawn quake on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, prime minister Matteo Renzi has pledged new money and aid to rebuild the quake-devastated region amid mounting soul-searching over why seismic-prone Italy continually fails to ensure its buildings can withstand such catastrophes.

Rescuers stand among debris and the bell tower of Amatrice (Andrew Medichini/AP)

A day after the deadly quake killed 250 people, a 4.3 magnitude aftershock sent up plumes of thick grey dust in the hard-hit town of Amatrice.

The aftershock crumbled already cracked buildings, rattled residents and closed clogged roads.

Firefighters and rescue crews using sniffer dogs worked in teams around the hard-hit areas, pulling chunks of cement, rock and metal from mounds of rubble where homes once stood.

Rescuers refused to say when their work would shift from saving lives to recovering bodies, noting that one person was pulled alive from the rubble 72 hours after the 2009 quake in the nearby town of LAquila.

Rescue workers and volunteers search for survivors from the debris of a collapsed building (AP)

We will work relentlessly until the last person is found and make sure no-one is trapped, said Lorenzo Botti, a rescue team spokesman.

Worst affected by the quake were the tiny towns of Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, 60 miles north-east of Rome, and Pescara del Tronto, 15 miles further to the east.

Many were left homeless by the scale of the destruction, their homes and apartments declared uninhabitable. Some survivors, escorted by firefighters, were allowed to go back inside briefly to get essential necessities for what will surely be an extended absence.

Last night we slept in the car. Tonight, I dont know, said Nello Caffini as he carried his sister-in-laws belongings on his head after being allowed to go quickly into her home in Pescara del Tronto.

Rescuers search for victims beneath destroyed houses (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

An official from the town of Amatrice has told the BBC that three British nationals were among the dead.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday that a number of Britons had been affected by the earthquake and extra staff had been sent to the region to help provide support to nationals in the area.

The Government has offered any assistance that we can to the Italian authorities.

The quake zone has experienced more than 500 aftershocks (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

Charitable assistance began pouring into the earthquake zone in traffic-clogging droves on Thursday.

Church groups from a variety of Christian denominations, along with farmers offering donated peaches, pumpkins and plums, sent vans along the one-way road into Amatrice that was already packed with emergency vehicles and trucks carrying sniffer dogs.

Italys civil protection agency said the death toll had risen to 250 by Thursday afternoon, with more than 180 of the fatalities in Amatrice.

At least 365 others were taken to hospital and 215 people were pulled from the rubble alive since the quake struck. A Spaniard and five Romanians were among the dead, according to their governments.

A firefighter marks a house with paint signalling the end of a search (Gregorio Borgia/AP)

There was no clear estimate of how many people might still be missing, and the Romanian government alone said 11 of its citizens were missing.

Renzi authorised a preliminary 50 million euros (42.7m) in emergency funding and the government cancelled taxes for residents, pro-forma measures that are just the start of what will be a long and costly rebuilding campaign.

He announced a new initiative, Italian Homes, to answer years of criticism over shoddy construction across the country, which has the highest seismic hazard in Western Europe.

People prepare to spend the night in a makeshift camp set up inside a gymnasium (Andrew Medichini/AP)

But he also said that it was absurd to think that Italy could build completely quake-proof buildings.

Its illusory to think you can control everything, he said. Its difficult to imagine it could have been avoided simply using different building technology. Were talking about medieval-era towns.

Those old towns do not have to conform to the countrys anti-seismic building codes. Making matters worse, those codes often are not applied even when new buildings are built.

Armando Zambrano, the head of Italys National Council of Engineers, said the technology existed to reinforce old buildings and prevent such high death tolls when quakes struck every few years.

At least 365 others were taken to hospital and 215 people were pulled from the rubble alive since the quake struck (Andrew Medichini/AP)

While he estimated that it would cost up to 93 billion euros (79.5bn) to reinforce all of the historic structures across the country, he said targeted efforts in the riskiest areas could be done for less.

We are able to prevent all these deaths. The problem is actually doing it, he said. These tragedies keep happening because we dont intervene. After each tragedy we say we will act but then the weeks go by and nothing happens.

Some experts estimate that 70% of Italys buildings are not built to anti-seismic standards, though not all are in high-risk areas.

Geologists surveyed the damage on Thursday to determine which buildings were still inhabitable, while Culture Ministry teams were fanning out to assess the damage to some of the regions cultural treasures, especially its medieval-era churches.
A British backpacker has spoken of his devastation and heartbreak after being caught up in the attack in Australia, which ended with his friend being fatally stabbed.

Chris Porter from Kent has been discharged from hospital after reportedly damaging both ankles when he jumped from a second-storey window to flee the knifeman. Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from Derbyshire, was killed in the attack at the Shelleys Backpackers accommodation in Queensland on Tuesday night.

Porter posted on Facebook that he was truly devastated and heartbroken.

A 30-year-old British man, named by police as Tom Jackson, was admitted to hospital with critical head injuries while a 46-year-old local man suffered non-life threatening injuries.

Smail Ayad, 29, has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an obsession with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.

Superintendent Ray Rohweder, of Queensland Police, also said there was an indication that Ayad had taken cannabis on Tuesday evening.

Police are investigating reports that the suspect was obsessed with Mia Ayliffe-Chung (Tommy Martin/PA)

Police have confirmed he shouted Allahu Akbar during the attack but said there is no indication that radicalisation or political motives were involved.

Rohweder said there were a number of concerns in relation to both officer and public safety after the suspect allegedly attacked a number of officers.

The 12 serious assaults he has been charged with are in relation to 12 separate police officers. Ayad has had access to legal representation and the French consulate, and has declined to be interviewed. A post-mortem examination found Ayliffe-Chung died from multiple stab wounds.
After global shock and outrage, Frances top administrative court has overturned the controversial burkini ban in one town. The ban meant that some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches.

So is the beach now safer after this woman was forced to take her top off by the police?I'm curious #France #Burkini pic.twitter.com/eUrI40NhUQ  shaimaa khalil BBC (@Shaimaakhalil) August 24, 2016



The ruling by the Council of State specifically concerns a ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the binding decision is expected to set a legal precedent for the 30 or so French resort municipalities that have issued similar decrees.

Armed police force woman to take her clothes off. What part of that sentence is OK? #BurkiniBan  (((Dawn Butler MP))) (@DawnButlerBrent) August 24, 2016



Lawyers for two human rights groups challenged the legality of the ban, saying the orders infringe basic freedoms and that mayors have overstepped their powers by telling women what to wear on beaches.

So worrying that French armed police can force a woman to take her clothes off. Total violation of rights makes no one safer. #BurkiniBan  Claire Jones (@claireylegs) August 24, 2016



Mayors had cited concern about public order after deadly Islamic extremist attacks this summer, and many officials have argued that burkinis oppress women.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, told reporters that the decision should set a precedent, and that other mayors should conform to it.

He also said women who have already received fines can protest against them based on todays decision.

protested Yesterday in London, activistsagainst the ban outside the French embassy.

(Frank Augstein/AP)

After all the outrage around the ban, the reaction to this news has largely been of one of relief as human rights are seen to have been restored.

France overturn their burkini ban after intense bout of criticism. Free speech works, folks.  Charlie Peters (@CDP1882) August 26, 2016



The Burkini Ban has been suspended in France. A victory for common sense over absurd and counter-productive stupidity.  Conor Pope (@conor_pope) August 26, 2016



French court suspends Burkini ban. It was a total disgrace to the nation.  Stig Abell (@StigAbell) August 26, 2016



As you can see, although many are relieved at this outcome, the ban itself has left something of a sour taste.
Hillary Clinton has accused Nigel Farage of capitalising on a "rising tide of hardline, right-wing nationalism" to secure a Leave vote in the referendum on Britain's membership of the European Union.

Addressing a crowd in Nevada, the Democrat nominee attacked the outgoing UKIP leader for sharing a platform Addressing a crowd in Nevada, the Democrat nominee attacked the outgoing UKIP leader forwith Donald Trump in Mississippi earlier this week.

Describing him as "one of Britain's most prominent right wing leaders," she said Mr Farage had "stoked anti-immigrant sentiments to win the referendum."

She said, "Farage has called for a bar on the children of legal immigrants from public schools and health services, has said women are, and I quote, worth less than men and supports scrapping laws that prevent employers from discriminating based on race. That's who Donald Trump wants by his side when he is addressing an audience of American voters."

Speaking to Breitbart London, Mr Farage dismissed Ms Clinton's claims, saying that she "couldn't accept Brexit" and suggesting that she should "spend more time speaking to normal, working people in her country than trying to attack me using dodgy half quotes.
In a modern musical landscape that sees authenticity as the ultimate standard, Hot 8 Brass Band should be viewed as one of the greatest bands in existence.

For 20 years, the Hot 8 have been putting a funky spin on the trials and tribulations of the dark heart of home-town New Orleans, projecting aural sunshine to the world.

From the traditions of second line parades, jazz funerals and parties in local jazz clubs, this is a band who have taken the sound of their community to clubs everywhere.

Such are the global aftershocks of their funky earthquake that their New Orleans street music has impacted the whole world, not least here in the UK, where their music is released by cult Brighton label Tru Thoughts and they have a swathe of influential fans like Craig Charles and Giles Peterson.

We caught up with founding member, sousaphone player and band leader Benne Big Peter Pete before the band took to the stage in Nottingham as part of a sell-out tour of UK venues and festivals.

The casual music fan might have encountered the bands stunning cover of Marvin Gayes Sexual Healing and know how great they are on record, but catching the Hot 8 live is something else  an explosion of pure joy.

On a recent trip to New Orleans, off Frenchman Street (a street packed with incredible musicians) the Hot 8 took the roof off and blew my mind.

When people come see us , you know what they say? They say, that was the best thing I ever did, I am so glad I saw you guys, laughs Pete.

New Orleans is a Mecca for musicians, the city of Louis Armstrong, Alan Tousiant and Professor Longhair, and a city where music is the beating heart. Nothing is quite like the New Orleans sound; rough, ready and real.

We're not the best of musicians, so its not about the musicianship or how hard youve studied, or what great technique yall have, its way beyond that, it touches people deeper than that.

In most music things are very standard, dont miss a beat, dont miss a note but with New Orleans music, the worlds not going to end if you play the wrong note. Sometimes you make the best pieces of a wrong note, because it all goes into what that artist is expressing, he adds.

The main ingredient is to just PLAY music, if some wants to stop and listen thats just wonderful. You know, if I can get an audience to listen to me. Its almost more of a way of life than something that youre doing because you were taught it at school or something.

Every time a New Orleans artist puts it out there you know what he has been through, or is going through, because they put it in the music.

And it is this deeper that makes the Hot 8 so interesting, for all the life and joy in their music the underlying reality is that their music is a coping mechanism for a city (and nation) that is broken for much of their community.

The tourist spiel for NOLA suggests that it has risen from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina to be reborn, revitalised  it is a healed city of opportunity. But Bennie begs to differ, When they say everythings OK thats just something they want tourists and out of town people to buy into so they can come and spend money. New Orleans has always been like that. Just come down here, you can drink in the streets, live the life of Riley, eat good food and listen to good music. But the music is off the backs of the people who are struggling.

And this goes a long way to explaining the feel of the brass band (and other) music that emanates from the city. From the days of slavery to the modern day, it is an expression of survival and identity that captivates the listener.

Its a big, big part of just creating opportunity for people, especially people struggling. A big part of healing whatever brokenness, people going through trials and tribulations, uniting people, getting people to come together with the Second Line and things of that nature. They didnt allow black people to have life insurance, so during those times in the earlier years in the history, music was a big part of fixing all those things. Letting people have an easy way to cope with living through it, just like today.

And today what they dont want to talk about is a city with a homeless problem, corrupt politicians, no jobs, a lack of medical services and, other than the tourist hotspots, areas where a decade on very little has been done to mend the wounds of Hurricane Katrina.

Whilst NOLA has always had its issues, it is still reeling from the devastation of 2005. The disaster still fuels part of what the band is about, and in a bitter-sweet moment of karma, is something that allowed the band to rise to further prominence. An appearance in Spike Lees acclaimed documentary When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts shone a spotlight on their music and gave them legions of new fans.

Today, in the largely black areas of the city, the ones the Hot 8 represent, very little has changed. I myself took a drive into the main hit area the Ninth Ward, which still today resembles a damaged, ghost town.

Its got a real bad crime problem, the murder rate has reached sky-high and its all because people are broke and they dont have job opportunities. Wages are at the bottom of the barrel. Health is a big issue, with all that good food all year round, no one is giving you nutrition tips and knowledge about what is good and whats not, youre just used to eating all that fatty food so the whole city has diabetes. Everybody going blind, everybody has heart problems. But in New Orleans you can drink all night and have fun, until you die.

Talking about the problems in his beloved home town Bennies voice is cracked, and sounds a little dejected, which only increases as the subject turns to darker personal matters for the band.

The Hot 8 are no strangers to the crime problem, in particular the crime of murder by both criminals and the police, having lost three members in gun murders since 1996.

One killing in particular echoes a wider issue in American society right now, showing in the eyes of the law black lives dont always matter. In 2004, trombone player Joseph Williams was shot dead in the street by police. Eyewitnesses confirmed he was unarmed with his hands in the air.

You can see it now, its not hidden no more. Its crazy because what its saying is yeah we are killing yall and everybody can see it now. There are people who dont want to talk about it, people who say he was resisting arrest and they will bring all these things up before they say this guy has lost his life and you straight murdered him in cold blood. Our trombone player was killed the same way, the whole community was outside and saw it happen, but they didnt tape it because they didnt expect it was going to happen. At the same time, if we are citizens and the community said the police killed him the evidence was that he didnt have weapons, he didnt have drugs, he didnt have anything but a cellphone and a trombone, hes a known musician, common sense has to come in somewhere to say how was he trying to kill the police?

He carries a cultural torch for us all over the world and he was murdered in cold blood. The shot him down fifteen, sixteen times. Now with the technology, people are more alert and they are pressing record early.

The band reacted in the only way they know how, with positivity and music, releasing the stunning album Tombstone in 2013, a release that was largely dedicated to formed band members, living and dead.

For Bennie and the Hot 8 Brass Band what they do can be part of the message, the idea the Black Lives Matter, all lives matter and in a world that still attempts to pave over the blatant racism still apparent in our lives, their music is almost more important than ever.

Bennie is quite clear with his message on this: Now America sees it and they ignore it. If it was happening to white people, it wouldnt go down like that. And when judges kids are getting killed, or politicians kids getting gunned down, it wouldnt carry on, it just wouldnt happen.

Its up to us as citizens, black, white, yellow, purple to say what we gonna do.

The Hot 8 Brass Band are one of the most real, authentic and genuine acts around, making music because it makes a real difference to their lives and the lives of others, and that is worth getting excited about.

If the positive politics and authenticity dont do it for you, then theres always the fact that these guys are funky as hell! They can make you forget all the bad things in the world as well as reminding you of them.
MASON CITY  Robert Bob I. Johnson, 95, of Mason City, died Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, at the Good Shepherd Health Center.

Graveside services will be held at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, at Memorial Park Cemetery with the Rev. Steve Hansen of Wesley United Methodist Church officiating. Military honors will be conducted by the Mason City Veterans Association.

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

Robert was born Sept. 13, 1920, the son of Irwin C. and Fannie (Roberts) Johnson in Mason City, Iowa.

After graduating from Mason City High School, Bob enlisted in the United States Navy on Aug. 18, 1942, and served his country until his honorable discharge on Jan. 5, 1946.

Robert traveled the world seeing things he would have never had the opportunity to see if it wasnt for the Navy. He was very proud of his country and his service in the Navy.

On Aug. 18, 1951, Robert was united in marriage to Mildred Harris at her parents home on their farm southeast of Mason City. To this union two sons were born.

After 32 years of working hard at Interstate Power, Bob retired and the couple started wintering in Mission, TX. They enjoyed the southern warm climate for 25 years.

Bob was a champion cribbage player. He will always be known for his great attitude, the smile on his face, and the kind words that he embraced everyone he met with.

Those thankful for having shared in Bobs life include his sons, Paul R. (Marta) Johnson of Fontana, California; Mark I. (Mary) Johnson of East Amherst, New York; one granddaughter, Kate (James) Ritter of Louisville, Kentucky; three sisters-in-law and one brother-in-law.

Mr. Johnson was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Mildred and one sister, Lucille Sutcliffe.

Arrangements are with Major Erickson Funeral Home & Crematory, 111 N. Pennsylvania Avenue, Mason City, Iowa 50401, 641-423-0924, www.majorericksonfuneralhome.com.
MASON CITY  Purina Animal Nutrition of Mason City on Friday showcased a $2.4 million addition that will open next week.

More than 80 Purina employees from other facilities and local customers visited the plant to see how their animal feed is made.

The plant has produced livestock feed in Mason City for 56 years, serving swine, dairy cattle, beef cattle, sheep and poultry farmers. The plant is at 1609 19th St. S.W.

There are 364 products produced at the plant in different forms to service many types of farm operations in North Iowa and Southern Minnesota. Most of the feed is sold to farmer-owned cooperatives within 120 miles of the plant.

The investment will boost production and help the plant better serve the community, plant manager Wesley Fiddelke said.

Purina built a new bulk load-out facility, which includes a truck scale. This addition, which includes 12 finished feed bins, will mean faster loading of pellets, which are fed to growing pigs and dairy calves.

Pellets account for 60 percent of the plants production.

Weve needed this expansion and new equipment for about 10 years, Fiddelke said.

Fiddelke, who has worked at the plant since 1997, said this is the biggest expansion hes seen.

Its a blessing, and its good for us to better serve our customers, he said.

Dan Moran, senior director of livestock feed marketing, said it used to take 72 hours to fill a feed hour. Now, Moran said orders will be filled in 48 hours.

The load-out facility will be operational Monday.
Democrats went all in with abortion. Voters will soon make them pay.
MASON CITY | The owner of a downtown wine bar filed Friday to run for city council.

John Carden, 40, will face seven other candidates in a special election Sept. 20.

He opened Fion Barra, a Irish-themed wine bar and bistro in downtown Mason City earlier this year. He is also pursuing degrees in psychology and business at NIACC.

As a first-time political candidate and past resident of Austin, Texas; Duluth, Minnesota and Iowa City, Carden believes he can bring a fresh perspective, focusing on keeping young residents and spurring jobs and economic development.

Carden lives in Mason City with his wife, Hailey, and four children.

The winner of the special election will serve the remaining three-plus year term of Alex Kuhn, who died July 15. The filing deadline to be on the ballot was Friday.
Driver of Chinese tour bus in Patong Hill crash fined, set free

PHUKET: The driver of the Chinese tour bus that crashed at the bottom of Patong Hill on Monday night (Aug 22) has been charged with driving an unsafe vehicle, Patong Police Chief Col Chaiwat Uikum confirmed today (Aug 26).

Chinesetourismtransportaccidentspatongpolice

By Chanida Summast

Friday 26 August 2016, 06:12PM

The driver of the Chinese tour bus that crashed at the bottom of Patogn Hill on Monday night has been fined and set free. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

The bus was carrying more than 30 Chinese tourist when it crashed while descending Patong Hill. All victims of the accident were taken to Patong Hospital, but no serious injuries were reported from the incident. (See story here.) The driver has been fined and free to go after questioning, Col Chaiwat told The Phuket News today. All victims involved in the accident were discharged from the hospital that night, he said. Col Chaiwat did not elaborate on further action by police, and said that he was unable to recall the drivers name.
First elephants arrive at new Phuket sanctuary

PHUKET: The first two elephants to call the new Phuket Elephant Sanctuary home have arrived and the welfare park is making strides toward opening late next month.

animalsnatural-resourcestourism

By Tanyaluk Sakoot

Friday 26 August 2016, 11:58AM

Louise Rogerson watches as elephants Kannika and Madee make their way into the central Phuket jungle. Photo: Peter Yuen Photography

Elephants Kannika and Madee now rumble through the 70 rai park located near the Khao Phra Thaew Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo: Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

Elephants Kannika and Madee now rumble through the 70 rai park located near the Khao Phra Thaew Wildlife Sanctuary. Photo: Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

Kannika, 32, and Madee, 60, have been retired from working in Phukets tourism industry and have become the first elephants to arrive at the new Phuket Elephant Sanctuary. Photo: Phuket Elephant Sanctuary

Madee, a 60-year-old female originally from a logging camp in Narathiwat, along with Kannika, a 32-year-old female originally from Surin province, arrived at the reserve, located on 70 rai near the Khao Phra Thaew Wildlife Sanctuary in Thalang, on August 20.

Madee spent most of her life working in the logging industry near the Thai Malay border, but was moved to Phuket in 2009 to start providing jungle trek tours to tourists.

Kannika, although only middle-aged, has already spent more than 20 years in Phuket working in the tourism industry.

We are due to rescue more elephants very soon, Louise Rogerson, Project Director of the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary, told The Phuket News.

Ms Rogerson explained that the park is no longer called Elephant Nature Park (ENP) Phuket, as initially proposed when work on the sanctuary began in May, simply for promotional purposes.

We changed the name so it would be easier for tourists to remember and easier to find on Google, nothing more, she said.

The Phuket Elephant Sanctuary remains a partnership between Lek Chailert, founder of the Save Elephant Foundation, myself as founder of EARS Asia, and Mr Montree Todtan, she explained.

The ENP group operates much-respected elephant welfare reserves in Chiang Mai, Kanchanaburi, Surin and Cambodia, and Ms Lek Chailert has become a globally respected figure for her many decades of work dedicated to saving and protecting elephants. (See story here.)

Kannika and Madee both used to be at my old camp, but it is time for them to retire, explained

Montree Todtan, former owner of At Hill Adventure Park in Chalong but now CEO of the Phuket Elephant Sanctuary.

We expect the park to become home to about 20 to 30 elephants. We have to pay for older elephants, but if any owners would like to donate their elephants to us, it would be our pleasure. We expect the sanctuary to become where older and injured elephants can be retired, he said.

Mr Montree donated the 70 rai for the park to be built. The park is hoped to be expanded to 100 rai later.

Now, I am using my own funds to take care of the elephants and to pay for the construction. Some of the budget has donated by Louises friends, who love elephants. The investment is also being used to build four shelters for the elephants, Mr Montree said.

Ms Rogerson said she hoped for the sanctuary to open about the end of September.

We are busy working through the rainy season and still have construction for the visitors centre to complete. I worry about saying a specific opening date at the moment in case we have a week of heavy rain, she said.

Mr Montree added, The opening of the sanctuary has been delayed from this month as initially proposed because some parts have yet to be completed, such as the visitors centre, which will be able to accommodate about 40 visitors at any one time.

Heavy rain is the main reason for the delay in construction, and it has also affected the delivery of construction materials to where they are needed in the park, he said.
Former ICT minister Surapong jailed for Thaicom case

BANGKOK: The Supreme Courts Criminal Division for Political Office Holders on Thursday (Aug 25) handed down a one-year jail term to former ICT minister Surapong Suebwonglee over the Thaicom shareholding case.

technologycorruptioncrimepolitics

By Bangkok Post

Friday 26 August 2016, 03:03PM

Former information and communication technology minister Surapong Suebwonglee returns a wai to supporters after arriving at the Supreme Court to hear the ruling on the Thaicom shareholding case. Photo: Bangkok Post / Tawatchai Kemgumnerd

The nine judges unanimously ruled that Surapong was guilty of dereliction of duty by authorising the amendment of a concession to allow Shin Corp to reduce its minimum shareholding in its satellite affiliate Shin Satellite, now renamed Thaicom, from at least 51% to 40%.

The approval by the former information and communication technology minister was made on grounds it would help the firm be more competitive and expand business. However, the court found that it was against the principle of the constitution on protecting the telecom business from foreign dominance.

Surapong was immediately accompanied by Corrections Department officials to the Bangkok Remand Prison after the ruling.

The case also involved two other defendants: former permanent secretary for ICT Kraisorn Pornsuthi and former director of the Space Affairs Bureau Thailand Chaiyan Puengkiatpairote.

The court also found them guilty and sentenced them to one year each before reducing the sentence to a five-year suspended jail term and fined them B20,000 each because they acted under the orders of the former minister.

The case was filed by the National Anti-Corruption Commission who accused the three of malfeasance. It took place in 2004 when Thaksin Shinawatra was prime minister.

Read original story here.
Patong tunnel stalls on environmental impact

PHUKET: The plan to build a B6 billion tunnel through the dangerous hills from Kathu to Patong has stalled as the current proposed plans have failed to pass Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements, Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup revealed today (Aug 26).

patongtransportaccidents

By The Phuket News

Friday 26 August 2016, 12:50PM

Patong Mayor Chalermluck Kebsup has yet to be informed of which part of the comprehensive plans for the tunnel had yet to be approved.

The plan to build a B6 billion tunnel through the dangerous hills from Kathu to Patong has stalled as the current proposed plans have failed to pass Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) requirements.

However, Mayor Chalermluck confessed that she did not know which part of the comprehensive plans had yet to be approved.

The studies and design for the project were concluded last year, but the EIA study has yet to be approved, said Mayor Chalermluck.

It is a large project that has required a lot of time to conduct studies to cover a wide range of issues. I am not sure which area of the project that has not passed the EIA this time, she said.

But my office will be notified of what needs to be done and how to improve the plan to make it environmental friendly, and we will make those adjustments.

We will keep public updated on this as soon as we get some information from the EIA approval body, Mayor Chalermluck added.

The news of the Patong tunnel project stalling comes as local residents in Patongs Baan Mon community are calling for some action by officials to prevent tour buses and trucks from crashing into buildings in their neighbourhood, where children play on the streets. (See story here.)

The call for action follows yet another tour bus crashing at the bottom of Patong Hill on Monday night. More than 30 Chinese tourists were taken to hospital after the driver brought the bus to a halt by ramming the vehicle into the perimeter wall of Wat Patong. (See story here.)

Plans to build a tunnel through the hills separating Patong from Kathu and Phuket Town have been bandied about for more than a decade.

The Expressway Authority of Thailand (EXAT) made the first real advancement when along with former Patong Mayor Pian Keesin the government agency proposed the tunnel in 2011.

Since then, EXAT has been leading the charge, working to find the best operational ideas for the tunnel and learning new and different construction techniques. (See story here.)

The latest plans aim to build a four-lane expressway from Phra Meita Rd (off Phang Muang Sai Kor Rd) in Patong, with two lanes for cars and two for motorbikes.

The first 900 metres of the expressway from Patong is planned to rise above Phisit Koranee Rd, where the Baan Mon community currently remains in danger from runaway tour buses and trucks, to a tunnel through Patong Hill.

Toll stations are to be located at the end of the raised carriageway in Kathu, where the tunnel road will join Route 4029. The total length of the raised expressway is planned to be 3.98 kilometres.
Phuket culture officials fight to save classic Sino-Portuguese home

PHUKET: Local officials are calling for people to support the fight to save a century-old Phuket Sino-Portuguese home slated for demolition as part of the plans to expand Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

culturepropertyconstruction

By Chanida Summast

Friday 26 August 2016, 01:27PM

Phuket officials have launched a campaign to preserve the century-old classic Sino-Portuguese home from demolition. Photo: Watanyoo Thephuttee

Phuket officials have launched a campaign to preserve the century-old classic Sino-Portuguese home from demolition. Photo: Watanyoo Thephuttee

Phuket officials have launched a campaign to preserve the century-old classic Sino-Portuguese home from demolition. Photo: Watanyoo Thephuttee

Known as the Boonphat Building, the abode is in classic Sino-Portuguese mansion style and surrounded by mahogany trees planted during in the reign of Rama VI (Phra Bat Somdet Phra Poramentharamaha Vajiravudh Phra Mongkut Klao Chao Yu Hua) in 1917.

I want every one to join the campaign against the idea of demolishing this Sino-Portuguese building because the building is important to Phuket, Atsawin Auttatum, President of the Culture Office in Phuket Town, posted on his office's Facebook page yesterday (Aug 25).

I thank all of you who love our culture. We should care and be concerned about Phukets historic sites, he said.

Thawatchai Thataisalsilp, Archaeologist at the Region 15 Office of the Fine Arts Department, based in Phuket, visited the area and inspected the building today.

The building is almost 100 years old and in Sino-Portuguese style. It is located near the Baan Khun Phum Building and the Ranong Building, he told The Phuket News.

The building must be repaired and renovated, but any such work must first be approved by the Fine Arts Department, he added.

The hospital, as the owner, has the right to demolish the building, but in this case it involves a historical site, and as such demolishing the building would contravene the Act On Ancient Monuments, Antiques, Objects Of Art And National Museums (see here), he added.

Tomorrow, a Deputy Director of The Fine Arts Department will come to inspect this building himself, Mr Thawatchai said.
Phuket police probe into extortion, corruption falls silent

PHUKET: Officials and police investigating allegations of corrupt officials extorting of cash payments from employers so that migrant workers can continue working in Phuket have fallen silent on any progress in the case, but have revealed that the case has been quietly handed over to Region 8 Police to handle.

policecorruption

By The Phuket News

Friday 26 August 2016, 10:51AM

Phuket Provincial Police Chief Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen is no longer leading the investigation into corrupt police and officials in Phuket.

The allegations were propagated by a list of 20 names of corrupt officials  including police  and the government agencies they supposedly worked for going viral on social media earlier this month.

The names listed resembled nicknames, such as Region 8 Narin, Wichai and Pi Moo (Elder Pig), and the agencies named included the Patong Police, Phuket City Police, Kathu Police, Wichit Police, Tourist Police, Region 8 Police, as well as the Kathu Civil Defense Office and even the local anti-human trafficking centre, among others.

The list gave specific mobile phone numbers for each person and noted the cash payments collected on the 10th of each month. (See story here.)

Phuket Provincial Police Chief Maj Gen Teeraphol Thipjaroen vowed to investigate when confronted with allegations that his own officers were involved in the systemic extortion.

We have to investigate whether this list was fabricated. Do the officers on the list exist, are they just made-up names? We also will investigate to find out where this list came from and who posted this list online, Gen Teeraphol said.

I have no involvement in this type of operation and I encourage the victims to come forward and file a complaint so we can bring those corrupt officials in to face the law, he added.

However, asked by The Phuket News, Gen Teeraphol on Wednesday (Aug 24) revealed, Region 8 Police have taken over this case. This case has been transferred to them. For details or updates, please ask Region 8 Police. I have no idea who is taking of this case now.

Gen Teeraphol declined to reveal when Region 8 Police took over the case.

Meanwhile, Phuket Provincial Chief Administration Officer (Palad) Pakpoom Intarasuwan has declined to reveal any progress by the special investigative committee set up to investigate the alleged extortion racket by police and offiials.

The committee was given 15 days to present its findings, with a deadline for handing over its findings by Thursday last week (Aug 18). (See story here.)

The investigation is still collecting information, Mr Pakpoom told The Phuket News this week.

Other complaints can filed at police stations. he said.

However, he noted, Some cases have appeared in the media without evidence, that is not fair to the accused. Please, follow the law.
Questions mount as Italy quake toll hits 250

ITALY: The death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Italy rose to 250 on Thursday (Aug 25) as rescuers continued a grim search for corpses and powerful aftershocks rocked the devastated area.

disastersdeathaccidents

By AFP

Friday 26 August 2016, 08:43AM

Residents of Amatrice, Italy, stand atop collapsed buildings after a magnitude-6.2 quake hit at 3:30am. Wednesday. Photo: AFP

The bulk of the confirmed deaths  193 at the latest count  were in the small town of Amatrice, where Rita Rosine, 63, wept as she mourned her 75-year-old sister, who was buried under the ruins of her house.

The situation is worse than in war. Its awful, awful they say it will take two days to dig her out because they have to shore up the surrounding buildings, she told AFP.

She didnt deserve to die like that, she was so good.

As hopes of finding any more survivors in the rubble faded, questions mounted as to why there had been so many deaths in a sparsely-populated area so soon after a 2009 earthquake in the nearby city of LAquila left 300 people dead.

That disaster, just 50 kilometres south, underscored the regions vulnerability to seismic events  but preparations for a fresh quake have been exposed as limited at best.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced on Thursday the launch of a plan to help better prepare Italy for earthquakes.

Italy should have plan that is not just limited to the management of emergency situations, he said after a Cabinet meeting.

(In this area) we are the best in the world, but thats not enough.

Renzi admitted that Italy has a difficult task ahead to secure buildings  and its vast collection of historical heritage  against quake damage, but said that modern technology could play a role.

He also stressed that priority would be given to securing a place to sleep for those who had lost their homes in the quake.

Giuseppe Saieva, the chief public prosecutor for most of the area affected, said he would be opening an investigation into whether anyone could be held responsible for the disaster.

Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said Thursday that some 293 historical buildings were damaged or destroyed by the quake.

No new survivors

In Amatrice, a 4.3 magnitude aftershock shook the already badly damaged village on Thursday, fuelling fears of fresh collapses which could hamper the rescue operation.

Amatrice normally has a population of around 2,500 but it was packed with visitors when the quake struck as people slept in the early hours of Wednesday.

A total of 215 people have been rescued from the rubble since Wednesday morning. But there have been no reports of survivors being found since Wednesday evening, when eight-year-old Giorgia was rescued 16 hours after being trapped, having been located by a labrador called Leo.

Her parents also survived but her 10-year-old sister did not make it. I hope Giorgia will be able to forget what she went through, Angelo Moroni, the head of the team that saved her, told La Repubblica.

The last survivor in LAquila was found 72 hours after the quake.

What happens tomorrow?

Hundreds of people spent Wednesday night sleeping in their cars or in hastily-assembled tents, the aftershocks adding to their discomfort.

Mario, a father of two small boys, said he was still in shock. We slept in the car last night, though with the quakes it was hard to sleep at all, he told AFP.

Weve booked a tent for tonight. But then tomorrow, the next day?

The extensive damage to lightly-used properties has raised the spectre of some of the smaller hamlets in the region becoming ghost towns.

If we dont get help, LArquata is finished, said Aleandro Petrucci, the mayor of Arquata del Tronto, which accounted for 57 of the confirmed deaths to date.

Petrucci said it was impossible to say exactly how many people were in the 13 tiny communities that make up LArquata when the disaster struck.

In Pescara del Tronto, which was virtually razed by the quake, there are only four permanently resident families but there could have been up to 300 people there on Wednesday.

Measuring 6.0-6.2 magnitude, the quakes epicentre was near Amatrice and its shallow depth of four kilometres exacerbated its impact.

It occurred without warning but in an area with a long history of killer quakes.

The Civil Protection agency which is coordinating the rescue effort said that in addition to the dead, 365 people had suffered injuries serious enough to be hospitalised. Several of them are in a critical state.

Nothing ever done

After LAquila, the Civil Protection agency made almost one billion euros available for upgrading buildings in seismically-vulnerable areas.

But the take-up of grants has been low  because of form-filling attached, critics say.

Here in the middle of a seismic zone, nothing has ever been done, said Dario Nanni of the Italian Council of Architects.

It does not cost that much more when renovating a building to make it comply with earthquake standards. But less than 20 per cent of buildings do.
Region pairings set for South Dakota's Class A, B volleyball teams

A look at the region volleyball pairings for Aberdeen and Watertown Class A and B teams
First Product Approved for ME/CFS Indication Anywhere in the World

Breakthrough Approval Provides Clear Path for Growth in Latin America and the European Union

PHILADELPHIA, Aug. 25, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. (NYSE:HEB) (the Company or Hemispherx), announced that it has received approval of its New Drug Application (NDA) from Administracion Nacional de Medicamentos, Alimentos y Tecnologia Medica (ANMAT) for commercial sale of rintatolimod (U.S. tradename: Ampligen) in the Argentine Republic for the treatment of severe myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). The product will be marketed by GP Pharm, Hemispherxs commercial partner in Latin America. We believe that rintatolimod is the first drug to receive approval for this indication anywhere in the world. We also believe that there are no other products in the pipeline for approval, worldwide, for this debilitating disease. A copy of the official approval from ANMAT, translated in English, is available on the Companys website at http://ir.hemispherx.net/Events_Presentations.

The approval was based on submission of two pivotal studies, AMP-502 and AMP-516. Safety data also included additional CFS and non-CFS studies for a total of over 800 subjects including over 100 subjects with severe CFS who received Ampligen for one year or longer. Several post-approval activities are required to be completed before product launch, including manufacturing site inspections and reimbursement evaluation by the Health Services Authority (SSS), the central health authority in Argentina. Working closely with our partner in this effort, GP Pharm, our team at Hemispherx addressed all medical and scientific issues presented by ANMAT and deserves great credit for this major success. At Hemispherx, we may be small by big pharma standards, but our commitment to addressing this dire unmet medical need makes us mighty, stated Hemispherx CEO Tom Equels.

Approval for commercial sale in Argentina provides a platform for potential commercial sales in certain countries within the European Union under regulations that support cross-border pharmaceutical sales of licensed drugs. Hemispherx and GP Pharm are now working to expand the approval of rintatolimod to additional countries with a focus on Latin America. In Europe, approval in a country with a stringent regulatory process in place, such as Argentina, adds further validation for the product as the Early Access Program (EAP) is launched in Europe.

In Argentina, rintatolimod (Ampligen) has just been commercially approved for the severe disabling form of ME/CFS. The number of patients with ME/CFS is estimated to be over three million worldwide, however, only a portion of these have the severe and disabling form of the disease which we are targeting with this drug, stated Tom Equels. Until now, there has been no commercially available effective treatment and there are no advanced clinical candidates, other than rintatolimod, that we are aware of. This commercial approval in Argentina will dramatically improve our ability to treat patients suffering from severe ME/CFS in Latin America. We continue to work aggressively to clarify a path toward approval for those with severe ME/CFS in the United States, where we have Orphan Drug status, and therefore seven years of product exclusivity upon approval. We are greatly encouraged by this new regulatory approval in Argentina. This is the most significant accomplishment to date in Hemispherxs plan to bring our drug to severe sufferers of ME/CFS worldwide.

We have worked diligently with Hemispherx to get to this point, and are now preparing for the commercial launch of rintatolimod for ME/CFS in Argentina, commented Jorge Braver, chief executive officer of GP Pharm Latin America. Looking ahead, we will continue to seek approval in additional Latin American countries.

About Hemispherx Biopharma

Hemispherx Biopharma, Inc. is an advanced specialty pharmaceutical company engaged in the manufacture and clinical development of new drug entities for treatment of seriously debilitating disorders. Hemispherxs flagship products include Alferon N Injection and the experimental therapeutics rintatolimod (tradenames Ampligen or Rintamod) and Alferon LDO. Rintatolimod is an experimental RNA nucleic acid being developed for globally important debilitating diseases and disorders of the immune system, including Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. Hemispherxs platform technology includes components for potential treatment of various severely debilitating and life threatening diseases. Because both rintatolimod and Alferon LDO are experimental in nature, they are not designated safe and effective by a regulatory authority for general use and are legally available only through clinical trials. Hemispherx has patents comprising its core intellectual property estate and a fully commercialized product (Alferon N Injection), approved for sale in the U.S. and Argentina. The Companys Alferon N approval in Argentina includes the use of Alferon N Injection (under the pending brand name Naturaferon) for use in any patients who fail or become intolerant to recombinant interferon, including patients with chronic active hepatitis C infection. The Company wholly owns and exclusively operates a GMP certified manufacturing facility in the United States for commercial products. For more information, please visit www.hemispherx.net.

Forward-Looking Statements

To the extent that statements in this press release are not strictly historical, all such statements are forward-looking, and are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as intends, plans, and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. The inclusion of forward-looking statements should not be regarded as a representation by Hemispherx that any of its plans will be achieved. These forward-looking statements are neither promises nor guarantees of future performance, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond Hemispherxs control, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contemplated in these forward-looking statements. Examples of such risks and uncertainties include those set forth in the Disclosure Notice, below, as well as the risks described in Hemispherxs filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the most recent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date hereof, and Hemispherx undertakes no obligation to update or revise the information contained in this press release, whether as a result of new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise revise or update this release to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

Disclosure Notice

The information in this press release includes certain "forward-looking statements including without limitation statements about additional steps which the FDA may require and Hemispherx may take in continuing to seek commercial approval of the Ampligen NDA for the treatment of Chronic Fatigue Syndrome in the United States. The final results of these and other ongoing activities could vary materially from Hemispherxs expectations and could adversely affect the chances for approval of the Ampligen NDA in the United States and other countries. The clinical studies referenced herein have been previously reviewed by the FDA and are not, in and of themselves, a sufficient basis for approval in the United States. Any failure to satisfy the FDA regulatory requirements or the requirements of other countries could significantly delay, or preclude outright, approval of the Ampligen NDA in the United States and other countries.

Information contained in this news release, other than historical information, should be considered forward-looking and is subject to various risk factors and uncertainties including, but not limited to, general industry conditions and competition; general economic factors; the Companys ability to adequately fund its projects; the impact of pharmaceutical industry regulation and healthcare legislation in the United States and internationally; trends toward healthcare cost containment; technological advances, new products and patents attained by competitors; challenges inherent in new product development, including obtaining regulatory approval; the Companys ability to accurately predict the future market conditions; manufacturing difficulties or delays; dependence on the effectiveness of the Companys patents and other protections for products; and the exposure to litigation, including patent litigation, and/or regulatory actions; and numerous other factors discussed in this release and in the Companys filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The final results of these efforts and/or any other activities could vary materially from Hemispherxs expectations. Approval of Ampligen for CFS in the Argentine Republic does not in any way suggest that the Ampligen NDA in the United States will obtain commercial approval. Also, it is noted that ANMAT approval is only an initial, but important, step in the overall successful commercialization. Namely, additional steps required for commercialization in Argentina will require, among others, an appropriate reimbursement level, appropriate marketing strategies, completion of manufacturing preparations for launch (including possible requirements for approval of final manufacturing, etc., and there are no assurances as to whether or when such multiple subsequent steps will be successfully performed to result in an overall successful commercialization and product launch.
By Keli Vitaoli

vitaoli@grinnell.edu

This July, Grinnell was transformed into a movie set while Saints Rest, an independent modern-day musical, was filmed on location throughout the town. Titled for the infamous coffee shop, every scene in the movie was shot in Grinnell. The movie was directed by Noga Ashkenazi, a Grinnell alumna, and co-written by Ashkenazi and fellow alumna, Tyson Stock.

In her request to the town of Grinnell to block off nine spaces on Broad Street for filming, Ashkenazi refers to the film as her love song to Grinnell. The film centers around two sisters from the town. One goes on to become a Broadway star while the other stays behind to run Saints Rest and grows resentful. The two attempt to reconcile the summer after their mother dies.

Sam Cox, owner of Saints Rest, was approached by the film crew in January to discuss filming that would occur in July. While at first the request was only to close and occupy her coffee shop for two days, that quickly spiraled into a request for one week, July 7th to the 14th.

There was a little negotiating there, Cox said. Theres a lot of people that we are a big part of their day, seven days a week. And you dont want to lose customers, but at the same point you want to supportive of the creative process, so its just a big risk.

While they used the space, Cox claims the crew did not use most of the existing furniture and when she came back the place was, tore up from the floor up, with most of her furniture ending up in the kitchen for the duration of the shooting. Cox did provide the crew access to her coffee beans, an offer they happily took her up on, and her dog, Toby, did make an appearance.

I love the movie Mystic Pizza, but I have yet to take a drive to Maine visit Mystic Pizza, Cox said. But if it brings us to the foreground, then good for us.

Melissa Fandos 17 and Grace Lloyd 16 were two of the production team hired from the PioneerLink intern search. Fandos was the movies second assistant director and Lloyd headed the Makeup and Hair department. Lloyd commented on the balance between appreciating the town in the film and disrupting the lives of the inhabitants to do so.

The thing is the film is both honoring Grinnell and just using Grinnell, and thats a fact, and thats a fact of any film I think, Lloyd said. The film itself is a very beautiful portrayal of Grinnell, but the process of filming it was definitely rough.

The film shows off the beauty of Grinnell and also the beauty of the College itself with a scenes being shot on campus

We did a few scenes near the train tracks by South Campus by Mears, and it was cool to see the campus on film  it looked really good, Fandos said. We also shot a few in the loggia on North Campus and the campus looked so beautiful.

For Fandos, it made the dream of being involved in film production post-Grinnell seem more attainable even with the Colleges lack of film production courses.

It was awesome because there is not a lot of film production on campus, Fandos said. So to see an alum actually doing it and making it happen was really cool for me to know I could also do this and make these connections.

The film drew in a lot of big name talent with the two lead actresses, Hani Furstenberg and Allie Trimm, being current Broadway stars, and the third, Dana Ivgy, holding two Israeli Film Academy Awards for Best Actress. It also features current and past Grinnell students as extras, and even Crosby, a regular attendee at campus events, makes an appearance.

With hopes for acceptance in Sundance, the film will be shown across Israel, home to Ashkenazi and two of the lead actresses, in select cities in the United States and make a premiere where it all started in Grinnell.
By Michael Cummings

cummings@grinnell.edu

For all the insanity of this 2016 Presidential Election cycle, Iowa at least has seen a respite for the past few months. After being flooded with candidates in the early months of the cycle leading up to Iowas first-in-the-nation caucuses, the state has been largely left alone since February. But this has started to change in the past month, as the Democratic and Republican National Conventions marked the transition from the primary season to the general election campaign.

Iowas status as a relatively purple state  one with a fairly balanced mix of Republican and Democratic voters  means that both major party tickets will be hitting the state hard in the months leading up to Election Day. The race in Iowa between businessman Donald Trump and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will be close by all accounts.

RealClearPolitics, a website which aggregates polls to put together election predictions, lists Iowa as one of eight toss-up states along with states such as Ohio, Missouri, Florida and Arizona. However, their current average of Iowa polls shows Clinton with a very slight lead  42.0 percent with 40.5 percent for Trump.

Statistics blog FiveThirtyEight also projects an advantage for Clinton, with their polls-only model predicting as of Aug. 24 a 67.9 percent chance of Clinton carrying Iowas six electoral votes. However, the projected percentages of the vote that each candidate will win are much closer  in the range of 46 percent for Clinton to 43 percent for Trump.

It is clear that the candidates are taking the close race in Iowa very seriously. Clinton has visited Iowa once since securing the Democratic nomination, on Wednesday, Aug. 10 when she held a rally at Lincoln High School in Des Moines. Trump has also made several visits to the state since he secured his partys nomination, including one stop in Des Moines on Aug. 5 and a swing through Eastern Iowa at the end of July.

The presidential candidates themselves arent the only ones campaigning in the state. Trumps running mate Governor Mike Pence, R-IN, has campaigned in Iowa as well, hoping to use his status as a strong social conservative to win over Iowas large evangelical population. On the Democratic side, Senator Tim Kaine, D-VA, Clintons running mate, made headlines with a surprise visit to the Iowa State Fair, where he greeted voters accompanied by Secretary of Agriculture and former Iowa Governor Tom Vilsack.

While most media attention has gone to Clinton and Trump, several third party candidates running for President have also been focusing on Iowa. Libertarian Party nominee Gary Johnson, Green Party nominee Jill Stein and Independent Evan McMullin have all collected the requisite 1,500 signatures needed to get on the ballot in Iowa, as have candidates for the Constitution, New Independent, Socialism, Legal Marijuana Now and Liberation Parties.

Additionally, Stein, who has focused her campaign on winning over supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT), plans to hold a rally on Sunday, Sept. 11 at the Iowa Capitol Building in Des Moines.

The Presidential Election is far from the only race affecting Iowans this cycle. Other notable races include long-time Republican Senator Chuck Grassleys reelection bid, the race for the House of Representatives in Iowas First District, in which Grinnell is located and hotly contested State Senate and State House races across the state.

In the Senate race, Grassley is going up against former Lieutenant Governor Patty Judge, who is campaigning hard against Grassleys refusal as Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold hearings on President Obamas Supreme Court nominee. To this end, she has billed herself humorously to voters as the one Judge Grassley cant ignore.

Grassley has easily won reelection every time since he first joined the Senate in 1981, and while his reelection seems likely, political ratings organization The Cook Political Report downgraded Grassleys seat from Solid R to Likely R for this race, showing growing discontent among Iowans with Grassleys actions in Congress.

In the race for Iowas First District House seat, incumbent Republican businessman Rod Blum, part of the Republican sweep of 2014, is up against former Cedar Rapids councilwoman and former candidate for Lieutenant Governor Monica Vernon. Blum is considered by many to be the most vulnerable Republican in Congress, considering the districts Democratic tilt and concerns about a Trump effect harming Republicans down the ballot.

Vernon, who has been campaigning hard against Blum around the district, will visit Grinnell on Sunday, Aug. 28 at 5:30 p.m. in JRC 101. She will be accompanied by former Maryland Governor and former Democratic candidate for President Martin OMalley.

In local elections, State Senator Tim Kapucian and State Representative David Maxwell, both of whose districts include Grinnell, are up for reelection. Both incumbents are Republicans, and they are being challenged by Democrats Dennis Mathahs and Jake Tornholm, respectively.

With all of these elections affecting the Grinnell community, campaigns are planning to hit the town hard in the coming months. The Republican Party has already opened a campaign office in Grinnell, complete with a cardboard cutout of Ronald Reagan, located downtown on Main Street. The Democratic Party has plans to open an office in the coming days on Fourth Avenue in the location previously occupied by the Pioneer Bookshop.

While this cycle has been plagued by unpredictability, one thing is for sure: candidates from all parties, up and down the ballot, are going to be all over Iowa in the coming months, leaving the states political vacation following the Caucuses far in the past.
By Emma Friedlander

friedlan@grinnell.edu

Students received a special campus memo from President Raynard Kington on August 1 announcing that a number of new alcohol-related policies will be implemented in the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. Although alcohol use has long been a common conversation topic among Grinnell students and administration alike, these changes have put an official stance on the discussion.

These policies, which aim to reduce the prevalence of alcohol in campus culture, were crafted by Andrea Conner, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs and Mike Latham, Vice President of Academic Affairs.

Weve been looking at these issues for several years now, Kington said. Every year weve been asking ourselves, how are we going to compare to our peers? Are we doing everything we can to ensure the Grinnell experience is what we want it to be?

The policies were informed by data and recommendations from Grinnells Task Force on Residential Learning, the National Institute for Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, expert consultation, sexual assault prevention research and Grinnells 2015 spring survey and legal requirements.

The policies are comprised of four major changes: providing substance-free housing for every student who requests it, restricting the use of alcohol in campus lounges, training servers for campus events and revising campus traditions that feature alcohol consumption. One of the most notable changes is the reconstruction of 10/10, an annual tradition wherein students travel around campus drinking alcohol at designated locations.

For the hundreds of students that dont attend the party, its not community building or unifying, Conner said of 10/10. Theres always something after the 10/10 party that we cant be proud of. I would be really excited to see a student or young alum be asked about their favorite tradition at Grinnell and have their answer be something other than a couple of alcohol related parties.

The decision to replace 10/10 is influenced by the new policys increased control of alcohol in campus lounges. Conner noted that previous regulations did not adequately protect against underage or dangerous drinking at campus events. The new regulations also aim to streamline the process of hosting a lounge event.

We had no institutional regulations in place to ensure that alcohol was not being consumed by people under 21. Thankfully, we have a lot of privacy as a private institution, but kitchens and lounges are public spaces, Conner said. We hope that the use of alcohol agreements skyrockets. Some of my staff in the last week or so have been working to streamline the alcohol agreement process so that its not an obstruction for people to continue to socialize.

Student Government Association President Anita Dewitt 17 stated that although further alcohol restrictions were inevitable, she wishes students had more input. Dewitt reported that she and other SGA members had little communication with the administration during the creation of the policies and that Conner warned them of the changes only a couple of days before the official announcement.

The administration knew it was a liability to keep doing these things, Dewitt said. They said, We talked to students about they want, but the bottom line is if something happens to the students while theyre here and they dont have these policies in place and people dont know about them, [the administration] can get in a lot of trouble.

Despite Dewitts disappointment in the administrations practices, she is optimistic about the SGA and student bodys ability to implement positive change going forward. She believes that the committee of students tasked with deciding on a different event for 10/10, which will be comprised of members from SGA, Weekend, Ultimate Frisbee, Concerned Black Students and other campus groups, will come up with an exciting and productive event.

I would really like to see the new 10/10 be played as a sort of community service thing. Community service is something that nobody is going to show up to blazed. If we do something in the community I think people will be a lot less subject to alcohol  Its going to be tricky but I have a good amount of faith in the students, Dewitt said.

Other students have expressed similar concerns about the new policies specific restrictions not effectively preventing dangerous drinking practices. One such student is Dylan Ambrosoli 18, a previous Student Advisor [SA] for Clark Hall who chose to discontinue his student staff role in the upcoming school year.

Last spring, Ambrosoli hosted a campus event called The Funeral for Self-Gov?, a mock funeral which provided a venue for students to discuss the current state of Self-Governance at Grinnell. Originally called The Funeral for Self-Gov, the administration required Ambrosoli to add a question mark to the official title in order for the event to proceed.

My overall concern would be where people will end up drinking, Ambrosoli said of the new policies. This is a sort of reactive policy rather than a proactive policy. Ultimately its not going to affect students decision to drink, its just going to affect where and how they drink. My concern is that by removing more public spaces and lounges, [drinking] might enter into peoples rooms, which would lead to antisocial behavior, or it could enter into more off campus events, where there will be less immediate response from various sorts of response services.

Kington and Conner recognize this potential consequence, as well as the need to put more protections for off-campus incidents in place.

We previously had one program where a training session was issued to off-campus residents. We need to expand that program pretty dramatically so that folks have opportunity to learn about resources or know that they can contact campus security or the RLC on-call about an off-campus incident, Conner said. We have some work to do in this area to make sure thats not an unintended consequence of these policy changes.

The special campus memo also rearticulated the introduction of regular walkthroughs in campus residence halls by Community Advisors (CAs). When this new CA duty was announced last spring, it resulted in wide speculation of what the walkthroughs would entail and whether they might compromise the relationship between CAs and their residents.

Nothing that the CA would confront would ever result in a punitive measure, Conner said. We solely expect that with their good training and the respect of their peers, their moments of intervention on any issue should be successful  Theres no expectation to call the police.

This new CA responsibility requires additional training and, Dewitt expects, additional time commitment and pressures for the CAs.

Andrea Conner came and talked to [the CAs] so that they can ask questions specific to their role in the alcohol policies. A lot of what she said is that [the walkthroughs] are to their discretion, Dewitt said. They also now have on-call procedures, and I just know its going to be a lot of work.

Dramatic policy changes governing student behavior have naturally fueled conversations about the current state of Self-Governance at Grinnell College. When asked about what increased restrictions mean for Self-Gov, Kington expressed that the problem is not a reduction of Self-Gov, but instead a wide misinterpretation of what Self-Gov means.

Its about community responsibility, not just privileges, Kington said. This is really about that: a responsibility to care about other people and act as a community to do what you can to promote a positive healthy experience for your peers. That part of the Self-Gov concept is often ignored.

Ambrosoli, informed by his role conducting public conversations on Self-Gov in the past, doubts the extent to which Self-Gov is prioritized by the administration when making these decisions.

When I was working on the funeral event, my alumnus faculty advisor posited to me, Has Self-Gov ever not been dead at Grinnell? which was his initial takeaway. He thought that during his time at Grinnell Self-Gov was already pretty dead, and given whats changed its become even more dead, Ambrosoli said. I think that Self-Governance, probably around the time that we were arriving at Grinnell but definitely now, is more of a marketing buzzword than something thats super important in and of itself.

The new policies are official, but their implementation is only just beginning. President Kington will host a Town Hall Meeting to allow students to learn more and discuss opinions about the policy changes during the 11 a.m. community hour on Tuesday, Aug. 30.
By Teresa Fleming

flemingt17@grinnell.edu

While the electoral fervor on campus may have waned since the Iowa caucus last February, some students are still finding opportunities to participate in the national election.

National Council Vice Chair at College Democrats of America and the President of College and Young Democrats of Iowa, Austin Wadle 18 charters new campus organizations and acts as a liaison between the nationally elected executive board and our chartered state federations.

We are working to make sure that we get [the] message out and show that Democrats are the party of progress and smart government. The GOP are clearly not the party for young people, whereas Democrats are the party that do not want dictate which restroom a gender non-conforming person like myself can use, Wadle wrote in an email to the S&B.

Wadle encourages Grinnell students to get involved in local politics in addition to voting in Novembers presidential election, reminding them that because Iowa is a swing state their votes will have a significant impact on the White House, Congress and local government.

I am really excited about the Democratic State House candidate here in district 76, Jake Tornholm, Wadle wrote. Hes a social worker from Williamsburg and is actually married to a Grinnellian, Erin Nicholson 99. Hes really committed to the progressive policies Grinnell College students really care about, like making sure public schools are fully funded across the state and raising the minimum wage here in Iowa because hes seen the good that these policies could do for the people in his community and across the state.

Students can also take part in the political process while remaining on campus. Anna Schierenbeck 18 is the co-chair of Campus Democrats, a group which is working to register students to vote and generate excitement about the upcoming election. She also highlighted the importance of participating in local elections.

Iowa, according to a lot of polls, is currently the only state thats actually ina dead heat between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, Schierenbeck said. And I know that a lot of the narrative were getting right now  which is honestly very true for a lot of states  is that Hillary is leading by double-digits and is on her way to pulling a landslide, but that being said we dont want to be a state that goes for Trump. Especially given the legacy of voting for Obama twice. That would be embarrassing.

Schierenbeck noted that the base of local support for Trump makes sense, given Iowas tendency to elect conservative politicians like Governor Terry Branstad. She encourages students to get involved with Campus Democrats, whether it be canvassing in town or on campus, registering voters, or even entering voter registration data.

Schierenbeck also acknowledges the disappointment students might feel that presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders failed to win the Democratic nomination, despite the success he encountered in theIowa caucus.

I think that its important to recognize where people are frustrated, but I also do think that given this two-party system and the fact that really only two party candidates are viable, and especially given that Iowa is so close, the [Democratic Party] does need all the votes it can get, to even make that incremental change that we need, Schierenbeck said. I think that [Clinton] has heard what Sanders supporters want, and shes going to take it into account, and she is the best option to put those policies into places, versus someone who could be the last president. Not to be so extreme, but rule of law is really at risk. It does feel like the end of days.
Increased gross margin and accelerating expansion  In July Zinzino launched their business in 19 new countries in Europe. This means that including the EU countries we are present in 33 countries in total in the world. That provides us a potential market with close to 1 billion people. During the second quarter we have launched new products and invested in a future in which we have a strong believe in. We will hold on to our ambitious goal to grow at least 20 percent in the coming 3 years and improve results every year.  Dag Bergheim Pettersen, vd, Zinzino AB SECOND QUARTER 2016 (COMPARED TO SAME TIME PERIOD LAST YEAR, 2015)  Total revenues amounted to SEK 109.1 (112.2) million which corresponds to a sales decline of 3% (+ 41%).  The product segment Health increased by 4% to SEK 74.5 (71.6) million, which represented 68% (64%) of the total revenue for the quarter. The product segment Coffee amounted to SEK 15.3 (20.9) million which represented 14% (18%) of total revenue and a sales decline of 27%. Faun Pharma and other revenues amounted to SEK 19.2 (19.7) million representing the remaining 18% (18%) of total revenue.  Gross profit amounted to SEK 35.8 (33.8) million and the gross profit margin amounted to 32.8% (30.1%).  EBITDA amounted to SEK 4.6 (7.8) million and the operating margin before depreciation and amortisation to 4.2% (6.9%).  Depreciation and amortisation amounted to SEK 2.2 (2.2) million, of which SEK 1.2 (1.4) million was attributable to depreciation of goodwill.  Operating profit amounted to SEK 2.3 (5.6) million and the operating margin was 2.1% (5.0%).  Profit before tax amounted to SEK 2.3 (5.2) million.  Net earnings per share after tax (fully diluted) amounted to SEK 0.03 (0.12)  The Annual Meeting of Shareholders adopted a dividend of SEK 0.25 (0.25) per share and in total distributed SEK 7.8 (7.7) million to shareholders. CUMULATIVE JANUARI - JUNE 2016 (COMPARED TO SAME TIME PERIOD LAST YEAR, 2015)  Total revenues amounted to SEK 221.7 (221.2) million which corresponds to a sales increase of 0% (+43%).  Zinzino Health increased by 10% to SEK 151.1 (137.6) million, which represented 68% (62%) of total revenue. Zinzino Coffee amounted to SEK 30.8 (42.4), which represented 14% (19%) of total revenue and a revenue decline of 27%. Faun Pharma and other revenues amounted to SEK 39.8 (41.2) million which represented the remaining 18% (19%) of total revenue.  Gross profit amounted to SEK 76.8 (70.6) million and the gross profit margin amounted to 34.7% (31.9%).  EBITDA amounted to SEK 12.8 (16.7) million and the operating margin before depreciation and amortisation to 5.8% (7.5%).  Depreciation and amortisation amounted to SEK 4.5 (4.2) million, of which SEK 2.5 (3.0) million was attributable to depreciation of goodwill.  Operating profit amounted to SEK 8.3 (12.5) million and the operating margin was 3.7% (5.6%).  Profit before tax amounted to SEK 8.0 (11.7) million.  Profit after tax amounted to SEK 5.2 (9.3) million.  Net earnings per share after tax (full dilution) amounted to SEK 0.15 (0.28)  Liquid assets amounted at the report date to SEK 24.0 (38.6) million. SIGNIFICANT EVENTS DURING AND AFTER THE SECOND QUARTER OF 2016  Through a new export initiative in the Swedish subsidiary Zinzino Sverige AB, Zinzino in early July commenced sales in the remaining, previously non -established markets in the EU such as Great Britain and Spain. The establishment model is simple and rapidly expansible with increased volumes. It is also very cost-effective to implement. If the investment turns out well it may generate substantial revenues for the company in the years ahead.  Towards the end of the second quarter, Zinzino launched an entirely new product in Zinzino Health  BalanceOil AquaX. This is a further development of Zinzinos BalanceOil to which has been added a unique emulsifying substance, Aquacelle. With BalanceOil AquaX the Omega-6/Omega-3 concept is taken to a whole new level.  The product was developed through the Zinzinos research company BioActive Foods together with the production unit Faun Pharma. This has led to the product development having been very fast and cost-effective.  The Annual Meeting of Shareholders adopted a dividend to the shareholders. The Annual Meeting of Shareholders decided dividend to the shareholders of SEK 0.25 per share, which resulted in a total of SEK 7.8 million being distributed to the shareholders for the previous fiscal year. The current Board of Directors was re-elected for an additional year.  The subsidiary Faun Pharma AS signed a supply agreement with Proteinfabrikken Zinzinos production plant Faun Pharma AS, during the second quarter, signed an important agreement with the key Norwegian customer Proteinfabrikken , this means an increase of Fauns production by 500-600 tonnes per year. The agreement was signed for three years with an expected total value of more than NOK 30 million in increased sales during the period. Production was started during the summer and is estimated to amount to fully NOK 20 million for the rest of 2016, substantially more than had been expected.  Internal efficiency improvements cut costs and reduced delivery times During the quarter Zinzino has done further work to increase the efficiency of its operations. For this reason Zinzino is changing its collaboration partner as relates to billing, reminders and collections. This, combined with further development of the business system will result in cost savings of about SEK 1 million per year.  Delivery of Zinzino Skin Serum - a new segment in Zinzinos product range. Zinzino Skin Serum is the first product in the new product segment Skin Care and will be launched initially only on the American market. Launch on other markets is expected to happen in the autumn.  Zinzino Skin Serum is developed by the companys own researchers and reduces wrinkles and fine lines which are commonly associated with aging. COMMENT BY DAG BERGHEIM PETTERSEN, CEO: We expand our business activity to the complete EU area In July Zinzino launched their business in 19 new countries in Europe. This means that including the EU countries we are present in 33 countries in total in the world. That provides us a potential market with close to 1 billion people. During the second quarter we have launched new products and invested in a future in which we have a strong believe in. We will hold on to our ambitious goal to grow at least 20 per- cent in the coming 3 years and improve results every year. Second quarter During the second quarter we have fulfilled different strategic projects and investments. We have reached a big milestone in launching our business in 19 new markets in the EU. We launched a new future-oriented web shop with a new design. Within the segment Health we have launched a new product  AquaX  a BalanceOil that can be mixed with water. We launched new price structures and put more time and resources in design, layout and marketing. All these improvements are important for increasing the strength of our brand and create long term growth. By doing the investments necessary we feel that we have put a foundation to come closer to our goal in the coming year. We are in line with the budget for this year and are relatively satisfied with the quarter although we still have not reached growth in comparison with the last year. Within Health we had a growth of 4 percent during the quarter but within the Coffee a decrease of 27 percent. We have bad margins on the coffee and therefor have to budget a decreasing on coffee with continuous higher focus on products within Health that have a bigger margin. We believe in a growth in the coming 6 months and have focus on improving the margins. We improved our gross margins up till 32,8 percent, which is 2,7 percent better than as to the second quarter of 2015. Better margins proves that we are doing the right thing when we choose to invest in our business, open markets and continue to develop our own products and focus on people in Zinzino. New IT-system As communicated before, during the last 12 months we have done huge investments in a new IT-system that can handle our growth and the geographic expansion that we planned. This is also an IT-system that can support us in our ambitious goal to have 1 million customers in 2020 and decrease costs for the next coming years. We faced challenges implementing the system which delayed our growth. We feel secure now with our IT-system and see that workflow is more effective, better and simple  that is something that makes us optimistic for the coming years. Expansion plan As said before, we picked up the pace of our geographic expansion and opened 19 whole new markets. The new markets started up in an effective way and now we are active in 33 countries with almost 1 billion people. Wewill use the next 2 years to work in this market and at the same time planning the next step. After 4 years of hard work with market approach we see now that USA starts to give results. I believe that USA will be our biggest market within 2-4 years and will be leading for our company. USA is the worlds biggest Direct Selling market and we are appealing to partners because we have business model that is very customer focused. Germany established in the first quarter and is the biggest Direct Selling market in Europe. This is a powerful purchasing market, with the focus on health, we have of course high expectations for this market and we already see positive results of being present in the market. Product development The last 18 months we have actively worked on our product development and thanks to that we could launch our new products. Now we pick up the pace even more and we will launch several strong product concepts during 2016. I see product development one of the deciding factors for success for us and that is why I am proud over the fact that we, thanks to our own research and factory, we can always be one step ahead. New products make us an appealing company for our customers and distributors. With pleasure I can announce that we launched self -developed Skin Serum and even BalanceOil AquaX that we expect will bring us a lot of new customers and attract new partners. Skin Serum has an enormous big market potential and I believe this is going to be a big segment for us in the next coming years. BalanceOil AquaX will be a key product in our biggest product segment Health. Ambitious Goal We still have a huge believe in our ambitious goal to have a growth of at least 20 percent in the next three years and improving the results every year. We have a vision that we can inspire a change in life for our customers and partners. We will do this by being the most customer friendly Direct Selling company in the world. To confirm this we even communicated earlier that we will do this by having a million customers by the year 2020. We aspire to inspire! Dag Bergheim Pettersen, vd, Zinzino AB For a full report, please see the attached PDF. INFORMATION ABOUT THE COMPANY: Zinzino was founded under the name Zinzino Holding in autumn 2007. In 2009, the company acquired 93% of the equity and 97% of the votes in Zinzino Nordic AB, partly by means of a non-cash issue and partly by means of a private placement. Zinzino Nordic is a sales company that uses independent distributors to market and sell products for commission via so -called direct sales. NEXT REPORT: Interim report Q3 2016 will be published on 15 November 2016 For more information, please contact: Dag Bergheim Pettersen, CEO of Zinzino, Tel. no.: +47(0) 93 22 57 00 For free to publish pictures, please contact: Anders Ekhammar, Tel. +46 (0) 707 462 579 Certified Adviser: Erik Penser Bank www.zinzino.se The information presented here is such that Zinzino AB (publ) is obliged to make public pursuant to the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Securities Markets Act. The information was submitted for publication, through the agency of the contact person set out above, on August 26, 2016. Zinzino AB (publ), which is listed on OMX First North, is a direct sales company focussing on health products. The company markets and retails products within two product lines: Zinzino Health, which focuses on long-term health and accounts for approx. 70 percent of sales, and Zinzino Coffee, which sells espresso machines and accessories. Zinzino has a market presence across the EU, Norway and Iceland, as well as in the USA and Canada. Zinzino offers eco -friendly products with a focus on quality, health and a sense of everyday luxury. The companys values are characterised by high quality, proximity to customers and active product development. Zinzino owns the Norwegian knowledge company BioActive Foods AS and the research and production unit Faun Pharma AS, which produces all of Zinzino Healths products and all protein products for Proteinfabrikken. Since 2005, Zinzino has been a general agent for the French Belgian coffee house Rombouts & Malongo. Zinzino forecasts a turnover of SEK 500 million for 2016. The Group has a head office in Gothenburg, a factory in Oslo, and offices in Helsinki, Oslo, Riga and Jupiter, Florida, and employs approximately 100 people.
The Intent

Absolutely Precise

What should you infer from these data points?

Quote:

Strange thing was that I had 6 incorrect out of 30 and all of them were hard. So getting a 72 didnt make sense.

Probably Not

probably yes.

Quote:

I stopped taking individual sections once I reached 80-90 ability in SC and CR. I redid a couple of individual ability quizzes to make sure that I did not fall for the same traps. This was an important step for me.



Absolutely Perfect

reach to a point and then maintain your performance.

Your Advice  Skip Scholaranium and focus on GMAT Prep



Quote:

Additionally, download GMATPREP collection from all-gmatprep-questions-verbal-quant-194907.html#p1503956 and solve the questions. There is no susbtitute for official questions. Again, you can time yourself for sets of 37 and 41 questions respectively for Q and V sections. This way you will get timed mini mocks.



can be misconstrued

that are representative of the set of questions

cannot simply put in a set of questions in a bucket, stir it and replace an ability quiz.

Repeatable and Avoidable learning



Bottom Line

to ensure the consistency in your GMAT Prep results.

Does it ensure that you do well on the BATTLE  YOU BET.

Scholarnaium is a Mock Test Preparation Tool, not a Mock Test Replacement Tool
Activists often argue that Airbnb is driving up New York City rents by allowing fly-by-night hoteliers to illegally rent out whole apartments year-round, thus taking much-needed housing off the market. The data news site FiveThirtyEight commissioned data from the for-profit Airbnb data-scraping service Airdna to understand the prevalence of whole-apartment rentals in cities nationwide, and concluded in its headline that "Airbnb Probably Isn't Driving Rents Up Much, At Least Yet."

From the article:

[T]he analysis shows that listings that are operated commercially, though a small minority, represent a major chunk of all host revenue. Thats especially important in cities such as New York, Los Angeles and San Francisco, where low vacancy rates, rising rents and progressive populations make Airbnb a prime target for activists and politicians seeking tougher regulations.

The data for New York shows that between June 2015 and May 2016 about 8 percent, or 2,464 of the city's 30,800 Airbnb listings offered whole apartments for more than 180 days out of the year. The listings account for $384 million in host revenue, 32.5 percent of all the host money made in New York. Airbnb takes a 3 percent cut of host fees, plus a 6-12 percent charge to guests for "service fees."

In New York, rentals where the owner is not present and the stay lasts less than 30 days are illegal under state law. Still, here in a city of 8.5 million with about 3.5 million apartments, it's easy to see 2,400 apartments as negligible in the grand scheme of things.

Looked at through the lens of New York's severe housing shortage, however, another picture emerges. A city housing survey in 2014 found that just 3.45 percent, or 75,900 of New York's 2.2 million apartments were vacant at a given time. Last month, data compiled by the firm Citi Habitats showed that just 1.92 percent, or 16,500 of Manhattan's about 854,000 apartments were available. In this context, 2,400 apartments (more or less) is kind of a big deal.

Murray Cox, an activist with the group Inside Airbnb, called FiveThirtyEight's 180-day threshold for classifying listings as commercial "very conservative," pointing out that San Francisco limits whole-unit rentals to 90 days in a year.

Along those lines, a recent report by MFY Legal Services and Housing Conservation Coordinators defined "impact listings" as whole apartment listings that are rented for less than 30 days, booked more than once a month, and listed more than either 3 or 6 months out of the year. Their analysis found 8,058 such units in New York, and determined that if all else remained equal and those apartments were returned to the rental market, the citywide vacancy rate would rise to 4 percent.



A map shows Airbnb listings around New York City. Whole apartment/home listings are in red. (Inside Airbnb)

Furthermore, listings are especially concentrated in lower Manhattan and gentrifying Brooklyn neighborhoods, meaning they account for a larger percentage of apartments that could otherwise be on the market there. In the East Village, where the trend was most pronounced, there was one commercial Airbnb listing for every five vacant apartments.

An Airbnb spokesman said that the data cited by FiveThirtyEight is flawed because: a) the "commercial" units could represent apartments and homes being sublet long-term through Airbnb, which is legal, and b) hosts could be traveling for much of the year, given New York's role as a creative hub (those listings, if short-term, would still be illegal). Airbnb regularly removes bad actors with multiple whole-apartment listings, the spokesman said, and has taken off 2,570 listings since November 2015.

Citing an Airbnb statistic showing that 96 percent of entire-home hosts have only one listing, the spokesman said in a statement, "The overwhelming majority of hosts in New York City share their own home. They rely on Airbnb as an economic lifeline to help earn extra money and cover the costs of living in an increasingly expensive city."

The spokesman said the company plans to eventually release more granular dataactivists have long said that Airbnb is in no position to criticize the conclusions of data scrapers as long as it keeps secret the details of who is renting which properties, and for how longbut that it wants to be careful about protecting host privacy. Andru Okun, with the New Orleans-focused NOLA Rental Report, said that Airbnb has recently worked to reconfigure its website to thwart data scrapers.

"Airbnb has been actively working to suppress the release of data," Okun said. "There's no transparency. City planners can't plan in an effective manner without real numbers." (The Airbnb spokesman said he wasn't aware of an effort to thwart data scrapers, but he'd look into it.)

The company drew criticism from state and city officials after Inside Airbnb showed it had purged about 1,500 illegal listings before releasing data last December, apparently to burnish its image. (The spokesman said Airbnb was simply following through in what company leaders had promised to do.) Airbnb also purged more than 2,000 listings in 2014, when Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said that his office's research showed more than two thirds of the apartment listings for New York City were illegal.

Cox said that, unless legislators create a limit on the number of days an apartment can be rented per year, a la San Francisco, New York city and state legislators' focus on enforcing the short-term rental ban will do. "I think the approach that New York is taking is the best one," he said.

More than half of Airbnb listings in New York are for whole homes or apartments, many if not most of which would be illegal under current state law, according to Airbnb's own data, and two thirds of listings are likely booked more than 60 days out of the year, according to Inside Airbnb. A proposed law would make even posting ads for whole apartments illegal.

Cox said that the startup's resistance to turning over even anonymized data shows that it doesn't care about concerns that it is adding pressure to an already extremely tight housing market.

"If they were really interested in accountability, they would be trying to work within the intent of [government] regulations and working with cities to protect affordable housing, and addressing what is abuse of the platform and what it is people are interested in protecting about neighborhoods," he said. "I think that Airbnb isnt interested in doing that at all. I think theyre interested in defending anything that they see as an attack on their revenue."
In this March 31, 2015 file photo, Muslim, Christian, minority and government leaders fix their eyes on a laptop screen showing a video as part of a federal pilot program called Countering Violent Extremism, at Roxbury Community College in Boston. The U.S. government is toning down efforts to prevent violent extremism from taking root. Massachusetts this month rebranded its controversial "Countering Violent Extremism" program as the "Promoting Engagement, Acceptance and Community Empowerment" project, or PEACE. Seated at center right is Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)
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But the tribe has a long way to go
A 48-year-old woman was arrested this week after allegedly fatally shooting her former boyfriend in the lobby of a Harlem apartment building....26 years ago.

Police say Zunilda Rosario, 48, was arrested on Thursday after flying into John F. Kennedy Airport from the Dominican Republic. She is accused of shooting and killing 19-year-old Juan Deleon on February 11, 1990. Rosario had reportedly been fighting with Deleonher former boyfriend and the father of her childover his alleged infidelity, while they were in the lobby of a building on West 150th Street.

Deleon's body was found with gunshot wounds to the head and chest, but Rosario had disappearedshe apparently left New York with her two daughters, eventually moving to Providence, Rhode Island. She appears to have lived there ever since, working as a school bus driver. Deleon's murder was left unsolved, but in February a witness came forward and told investigators Rosario was guilty. After that, cops reportedly interviewed other witnesses who also said she pulled the trigger.

She is charged with murder and criminal use and possession of a firearm, and is expected to be arraigned later today.
While much of India was busy cheering its two Olympic medallists last week, two Indian corporations quietly earned their own share of global glory. Fortune magazine's 'Change the World' 50-item list, which "recognizes companies that have had a positive social impact through activities that are part of their core business strategy", this year included 80-year-old pharmaceutical major Cipla at the the 46th position and the 119-year-old Godrej group at the 48th.

The list was topped by British pharma giant GlaxoSmithKline, followed by Israeli water desalination company IDE Technologies at the second spot and US-based industrial behemoth General Electric at the third.

The recognition for Cipla came as a nod to its strategy to make "affordability and global accessibility to medicines the cornerstone of its business plan, reflecting the company's vision: 'None shall be denied'," according to Fortune's website. Indeed, this core philosophy of the company goes back a long timeto 1939, to be precise.

Cipla was barely four years old and the Second World War had begun. Medicines from Europe were not reaching India. Mahatma Gandhi met Cipla's founder, K.A. Hamied, and asked the company to produce medicines for the Indo-British war effort, as Britain had promised India independence in return for support, writes a spokesperson for the company in an email. "Cipla pitched in, Britain and her Allies won their war, and India her independence in 1947."

Of all the interventions it has made in the interest of making quality drugs available to all, sometimes taking on multinationals much larger than itself, the company is proudest of the anti-AIDS cocktail it came up with 15 years ago. "But the drugs available at that timeNevirapine, Didanosine and Zidovudine, taken individuallycame at prices adding up to more than $12,000 per patient per year. The affected had absolutely no chance of survival as the drugs were out of reach of the common man," the spokesperson writes.

"On 6th February 2001, Cipla broke the barrier by making HIV drugs available at affordable prices. Cipla offered the triple ARV cocktail to the world for $350 per patient per yeara little less than a dollar a day." Today, one in three people living with HIV in the world are taking a Cipla drug for treatment.

The other Mumbai institution which made it to the list found acknowledgement for its commitment to eco-friendly products, renewable energy and skills training for youth from marginalised communities. But, the innovation which Fortune thought was the conglomerate's "most important innovation" is its paper-based mosquito repelling product, known as Good Knight Fast Card, which could be bought for a rupee.

"Our idea was to launch a product that would break the price barrier, work instantly and not require electricity," writes Nisaba Godrej, executive director at Godrej Consumer Products Ltd., in an email. "We leveraged the idea of this format from our Indonesia business and substantially modified the product for the Indian market."

She says the repellant became a 100-crore-rupee brand in less than a year and the company is looking to develop similar quality solutions at affordable prices across other emerging markets.

How easy or difficult is it to balance the seemingly contradictory goals of maximising shareholder value (read profits) and being ecologically and socially responsible?

Cipla, whose very core values are about leaving out none, says that both are equally important and it strives to meet both ends. Godrej, on its part, says that the group follows the 'shared value' approach to business growth and innovation formulated by Michael Porter of the Harvard Business School and Mark Kramer of social impact consulting firm FSG. "Shared value is different from social responsibility or philanthropy. It makes social progress a core part of the strategy and not just a peripheral consideration. The idea is to intertwine business success with social progress and find ways to create economic value such that it also creates value for society," says Godrej. Here's hoping more companies in India move to these and other models and, also, to next year's list.
It will be a busy week ahead for the ministry of external affairs. Diplomats will have to look east, act west and reach for the stars and the stripes as foreign dignitaries flock to desi shores. President of Myanmar U Htin Kyaw, President of Egypt Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and US Secretary of State John Kerry come calling next week.

All three are significant and represent differentall essentialblocks of the Modi governments strategy: better relations with the US, engaging Africa and of course, neighbourhood first. It will be an opportunity for India to push hard on terrorisman issue that will come up in each meeting. And it will be a chance for India to finetune another aspect of the foreign policy that this government believes very strongly inlinking commerce with diplomacy. Bettering ties through stronger bonds of business will be a part of the agenda of all the three visitors.

The Myanmar president kicks off these visits from Saturday. We intend to make this a substantial visit, said joint secretary, Myanmar and Bangladesh, Sripriya Ranganathan. India hoped to be able to take to the relationship to a new level, she said. One of the big components would be business. The presidents visit comes close on the heels of the visit by Indian foreign minister to Myanmar earlier this week. It is interesting to see how Myanmar is choosing to balance both its neighbours with the foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi choosing China as her first visit and the president India.

For Egypt, which has close to four billion dollars worth of trade with India, the ministry is hoping to push for level playing field for Indian companies. The visit begins on September 1. "Egyptian president is looking for more investment from India,'' said Amar Sinha, secretary, economic relations. "Egypt is growing at about five per cent which you can't sneeze at especially at a time when people are struggling to grow."

India will also use these visits to push its case about terrorism.

Egypt is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and an essential ally when it comes to the war on terrorism especially in fighting the Islamic State. "It is an important issue," said Sinha. "We will keep it in focus." There will also be an attempt by India to get Egypt to take a stronger stand when it comes to the statements made by the OIC members on Kashmir. "We will raise it with them," he said. Kashmir was an internal issue. The public stand of friends differed from what they told India in private, he added.

The T word will also figure in the biggest visit of them all by US Secretary of State John Kerry for the Second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. Kerry arrives on Monday. With the Barrack Obama administration at the end of its term, it will be essential for India to iron out the details of its rather ambitious commercial links with the US. India will also push its case about cross border terrorism from Pakistan with Kerry. "It will be strategic and commercial dialogues. We expect all bilateral issues, global developments on the strategic and commercial side to come up,'' said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup.
Protesting the atrocities against them in various parts of the country, including the violence perpetrated by so-called cow vigilantes, the dalit community is bringing its agitation to the national capital.

Giving a call for solidarity amongst dalit organisations, an umbrella forum of the community called Dalit Swabhiman Sangharsh was announced in Delhi on Friday. It will hold a dharna at Jantar Mantar, which is a stones throw from Parliament, on September 16.

Announcing the formation of the forum, dalit leader Prakash Ambedkar said the aim of DSS was to consolidate the dalits into a united voice to take on the RSS. "We will unite our force to counter the cultural nationalism of the RSS. Our fight will be to protect the individual liberty of dalits," said Ambedkar.

"In the recent period, cow vigilante gangs of Hindutva groups are attacking dalits frequently and torturing them in the name of gau raksha. In this context, various progressive forces have come together under the banner of DSS to consolidate and unite the different dalit organisations which are agitating and organising in the states," he said.

Ambedkar said the atrocities against dalits are happening in the name of cultural nationalism, and there has not been a word of caution or condemnation from those in power.

An appeal has also been made to all humanitarian organisations, dalit groups and the Left and socialist parties to join the rally. However, Ambedkar said dalit leaders, who have joined the NDA, will not be allowed to participate in the September 16 rally. They can be part of it only if they sever their ties with the BJP, he said.

While dalits have held agitations in different parts of the country against the atrocities on members of the community, especially in the backdrop of the violence unleashed on a group of dalits in Una district of Gujarat for skinning a dead cow, it will be for the first time that they will hold an agitation as a united forum in the national capital.
A Kerala-based businessman has sparked off an online debate after he posted on Facebook the video of an Air India air hostess who, he claimed, was sleeping mid-flight. While his post has drawn heavy flak with many accusing him of violating the privacy of a woman, a section of people have expressed safety concerns over the incident.

K.M. Basheer, president of the Malabar Development Forum, was booked by the Nadakkavu police after the air hostess filed a complaint against him. Basheer was a passenger of AI 998 flight from Sharjah to Kozhikode on March 27.

However, it is not yet clear whether the state police has jurisdiction to register a case in an incident which happened about 50,000 feet above the ground.

Nadakkavu police said they had already transferred the case to Karipur police station under which the Kozhikode international airport falls. However, when contacted by THE WEEK on Friday, the Karipur police ruled out receiving any file relating to this case so far. The businessman also said he had not received any communication from the police.

Despite a huge social media outrage, Basheer doesnt seem prepared to take it on the chin. Talking to THE WEEK, he went to the stake to defend himself, saying he released the video as his complaint that he made to Air India chief Ashwani Lohani five months ago elicited no response. He also dismissed allegations of violating modesty and privacy of the air hostess and said the woman had covered her entire body with two blankets.

Distance between Sharjah to Kozhikode is just 1,600 nautical miles and the travel time is nearly three and a half hours. Cabin crew in the flight in such a short distance are not supposed to sleep during the journey, unlike in the case of long distance, international flights that have special facilities for crew members to take rest, he said. Referring to the recent incident of crash-landing of an Emirates flight at Dubai airport, Basheer said that cabin crew should always be prepared to handle any emergency situation.

Our e-mail queries to the Air India officials remained unanswered.

However, does Basheers arguments have more holes than Swiss cheese? Was he right in filming a woman without her consent and putting it on social media? Going by the criticism, abuse and trolls that have flooded his Facebook account over the last couple of days, Basheer has really stirred up an hornet's nest.

Sree Parvathi, a senior journalist and writer said the person should have gone to the airline authorities with his complaint instead of publishing the video on a public platform. She trashed Basheer's contention that the woman had completely covered her body, and questioned his intention of taking the video which showed her face.

While many disagreed with Basheer's action of posting the video on Facebook, they also raised concerns over the violation of safety norms by the flight crew.

What she did was a major safety violation. What if the aircraft was hijacked at that moment or if there was a decompression.., asked a Mumbai-based air hostess working with a private airlines on condition of anonymity. She, however, agreed that taking video of another person without his or her consent was wrong.

You have proper rest areas like crew bunks to take rest. But what I see in the video is that the lady is asleep on the jumpseat which is strictly not allowed, she said.

We always have assist crew to take over work position in case of lean incapacitation of any primary crew member, she said on being asked about the eventuality of a cabin crew member falling sick.

Ashwin, a Chennai-based businessman and a frequent flyer, however, doesnt see it as a major issue. Unless you are in a coma, I dont think you will be sleeping during an emergency, he said on being asked about the level of alertness that cabin crew should have to handle an emergency situation.

People from Kerala always make mountains out of molehills, he said.

Do they?
Amid an outcry over a tribal man forced to walk 10 km with his wife's body in Odisha's Kalahandi, district health authorities on Friday claimed there was no negligence and an ambulance was arranged to take the corpse to their village when the incident came to light.

Even as a probe was ordered into the incident that took place on Thursday, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Kalahandi Dr B.K.Brahma claimed Dana Majhi, husband of the deceased, did not contact anybody for a vehicle to take the body from the hospital to his village.

Amana Dei, wife of Dana Majhi of Melghara village under Thuamul Rampur block, was suffering from TB and was admitted in the TB ward of Bhawanipatna Government Hospital on August 23.

She was given free injection and medicines by the doctor in-charge of the ward. In the night at about 10 PM, the doctor concerned attended her, the CDMO said in a press release.

However, the patient and her husband were not found around 1 AM. On inquiry it was known that without intimating anybody he took away his wife, the CDMO claimed.

"The patient was neither discharged nor declared dead by the ward in-charge doctor," the CDMO said, adding Majhi did not ask or contact anybody for a vehicle to carry his wife's body.

Stressing that there was no negligence on the part of the hospital, Dr Brahma said when officials learnt about Majhi carrying his dead wife home, an ambulance was immediately arranged and the body was sent to his village.

By then, Majhi, accompanied by his 12-year-old daughter, had already walked around 10 km carrying his wife's body on his shoulder.

District Collector of Kalahandi, Brundha D. has directed the Sub-Collector of Bhawanipatna to conduct an inquiry into the incident, officials said.
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said she faced humiliation by Prime Minister and central government whenever she visits Delhi. Citing the famous Alexander-Puru story, Mamata said, "If Alexander could give a good treatment to Puru, then why should not I get the same? I am also head of state and have not come to power by anybodys mercy." However, she did not detail how she was humiliated.

Mamata, who was speaking to the student leaders of TMC, was aggressive while describing PM Modi's rule in Delhi. She threatened to move to Delhi and hit the streets in protest if the financial aid to the state was not resumed in three months. She hinted that if state governments were to share 50 per cent of the government project expenditure, then the project should not be named by Central government. "In almost all the projects, they have reduced their share. On top of it, they name it after the Prime Minister, his junior ministers or BJP leaders. But in reality I am giving 50 per cent of the total spending," she said. She also said BJP government at the Centre had threatened to "block her attempt" to change the name of the state from West Bengal to Bengal.

Coming down heavily on the PM, Mamata said, "Modi does not spend money. He does not give states the money. He orders for costly coat and enters his name into Guinness Book of Records. Then he says that he has saved money. Just tell me if a man earns salary of Rs 10,000 and does not eat, does not buy clothes and does not spend on sanitation and allows himself to die will you call him sensible? Narendra Modi is such a person. He is pushing the country to death," said Mamata.

She also lambasted Modi for his stress on Aadhar card and asked students and youths to launch massive protests against it. "People can't get anything without Aadhar Card. In Bengal, 50 per cent of people dont have Aadhar card. Our students are deprived of scholarship and the old are deprived of pension. Is this a government for poor? Rubbish! Aadhar is a responsibility of the Central government but they are not doing it. Where is the money?" said Mamata.

'Plot against my government in the court'

The CM said it is not on the streets but in the courts that Congress and CPM alliance tries to upset her government. She said that even after doing much for the courts of Bengal, it has become a place for all political conspiracy against her.

"I have never kept the suggestion of the court pending. I gave them all infrastructure, I have recruited more judges than any states. But the unfortunate thing is that the court has become a place where all plots are being hatched by Congress and CPM. That alliance could not come to street," Mamata said.

Mamata also blamed the Central government for inciting separatists in Bengal. She alleged that Greater Cooch Behar Peoples Association (GPCA), which a few years back had launched a violent movement demanding separate state, has formed their own volunteer force named as Narayani Sena.

"And they are being trained by the BSF. The BSF, which tortured us during election, gives them training. GPCA is the one which wants to break West Bengal. When I took up the mater, BJP told me that they would be trained so that they could enter army and have their special regiment," said Mamata.
Homelessness in New York City is at an all-time high thanks to the chronic housing shortage, wage stagnation (and for low-income workers, wage decline), and Governor Andrew Cuomo and former mayor Michael Bloomberg's elimination of the Advantage rental assistance program in 2011, among other factors.

Mayor Bill de Blasio has poured energy and resources into reversing the trend and backing away from noxious Bloomberg policies such as placing shelter residents in apartment buildings at luxury rent rates with little oversight to ensure service provision, or even basic standards of repair. Money he has committed to providing legal services to people facing eviction, and to creating new voucher programs to replace Advantage have kept the record high shelter population of about 60,000 from creeping even higher, but massive problems persist throughout the shelter system, and the massive load of people in need of shelter means the city is rapidly repurposing hotels for use as shelters, recreating many of the problems of so-called cluster site apartment building shelterslacking services, lax securityand posing new ones in the process.

One partial solution that is widely agreed-upon among advocates, legislators, and service providers is what's called supportive housing. The model is to build subsidized housing complexes with on-site medical and psychiatric services for homeless people with mental illness and other disabilities. The units are supposed to cost several thousand dollars less annually than the $37,000 spent to house a family in a shelter, not to mention the $112,000 a year it costs to imprison a person at Rikers.

And Governor Cuomo and Mayor de Blasio have actually promised to make this happen. Late last year and early this year, the mayor and the governor pledged to build 35,000 units of supportive housing over the next 15 years, doubling the current amount available, at an initial combined cost of $3 billion in public money. The $2 billion promised by Cuomo is supposed to cover the construction of the first 6,000 state-funded units, while the city's $1 billion and $1.6 billion from developers and tax credits are supposed to cover 15,000 units.

A new call for action by the advocacy group Coalition for the Homeless condemns Cuomo for dragging his heels on actually coming up with his piece of the moneyit took him until June to line up a mere $150 million of starter funding, and the legislative session ended without a required contract between Cuomo and the heads of the state Assembly and Senate to let the rest go.

"The governors pathetic offer to provide a tiny fraction of what he promised underscores the shallowness of his commitment to housing our homeless neighbors," said Shelly Nortz, deputy policy director for the coalition, in a statement earlier this summer. She added, "Each month that passes, we see his promise to fund 20,000 units of supportive housing get whittled further and further down. If we wait another week, hell be asking the homeless to pay for their own programs. This is shameful."



(Governor's Office)

The delay in funding is "baffling to us since the governor has come out and said he's committed to this," coalition policy director Giselle Routhier told Gothamist. "That's why we've been continuing to press the governor."

Also in June, a 10-year city-state agreement for funding of supportive housing expired, and both Cuomo and de Blasio opted not to renew it, leaving the fulfillment of their promises reliant on their whims, and those of the legislative executives that will come after.

"The governor did release $150 million," Routhier said. "That's not sufficient for long-term planning, or for the developers who are going to take the risk and build." The previous arrangement, the third of what were called New York/New York Agreements, "provided that [financial] guarantee beyond any specific administration. In the absence of those agreements, the money needs to be identified."

The group's scathing report takes time out to praise de Blasio for funding the creation of 500 supportive apartments in existing buildings, identifying long-term capital funding for the other units he pledged, and making progress in helping homeless New Yorkers find permanent housingmore than 1,200 single adults in fiscal year 2015with his new voucher programs. Another 3,000 single adults made it into existing supportive housing that year.

Still, the shelter system is bursting at the seams, and only about a third of those who leave the system do so with the support of a voucher because of lack of funding for the programs, according to the report. Would-be tenants who do have vouchers also face rampant discrimination by landlords, despite a city law outlawing them from turning renters away based on their source of income. The average length of time that people are staying in shelters is also now at a record high 355 days. The percentage of people entering the shelter system who have previously been homeless is at a four-year low 41 percent, but the number of people becoming homeless for the first time is increasing, according to the report.

The authors applaud de Blasio's initial batch of supportive apartments for being on track to be completed by the end of the year, whereas Cuomo's new construction plans, even if fully funded, would not begin to bear fruit for two years.

It's unclear why Cuomo and his counterparts, Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan, continue to drag their heels on signing the required memorandum of understanding to unleash the promised $2 billion.

Cuomo spokeswoman Dani Lever told the Daily News, "It was the governor who advanced this unprecedented state investment in affordable housing and the $150 million earmarked for the first phase of supportive housing has been released for this year. The plan is on track and if that fact is not in this report, then that speaks to the credibility of it and its authors." As noted above, the release of the small amount of initial funding is noted in the report and acknowledged by the coalition, so it's not clear what Lever is talking about.

This isn't the first time Cuomo has been, shall we say, creative with his financial commitments. Last year Cuomo, whose vindictive dislike of de Blasio is known across the land, pledged $8.3 billion to fund the MTA's five-year capital plan after two years of delaying and then squeezing the mayor to commit far more to the agency than the city had in the past. By this March, the money hadn't materialized and the MTA's chairman was publicly pleading for a concrete budget commitment, lest the authority "run out" of capital funds at the end of June. Had the Assembly not intervened, Cuomo would have continued to pledge the money without specifying how or when the state would come up with it, and required the MTA to completely spend itself dry before offering the first set of funds.
Approximately two and a half weeks after Itiel Zuaretz, an Adei Ad resident and father of five, returned home after serving a 10-month administrative order, he received a new order distancing him from his home for an additional four months. Both orders were signed by the IDF Central District Commander Major-General Roni Numa.

On Monday 18 Menachem Av Zuaretz went with his wife and infant daughter to the street on which Maj-Gen. Numa lives in order to protest the order. When Zuaretz wanted to leave policemen stopped him and for approximately 40 minutes prevented the couple from leaving the site. No reason was given and after various clarifications one of the policemen claimed that Zuaretz is under an order distancing him from the street and the surrounding area, and ordered him to leave. The policeman also threatened Zuaretz with arrest if he returned to the area.

Zuaretz asked under which order or law he was distanced from the area. The policeman stated that, You are forbidden to approach this area and you know that better than I do, and claimed that the prohibition was written in the order, apparently referring to the administrative order served to Zuaretz on the night of Wednesday 20 Menachem Av.

However, the order distances Zuaretz from Yehuda and Shomron, not from Ramat Gan. The conduct of the police was especially inappropriate being as the Central District Commander does not have the authority to issue an order distancing someone from a region within the Green Line.

Honenu stated that in March 2016 the Central Command claimed that the arrival of an individual under an administrative order at a protest opposite Maj.-Gen. Numas residence constituted proof that he was a dangerous activist.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
A Jewish man in his 40s was arrested earlier this week for a second time in one week when he arrived in Jerusalems Old City. Police arrested him last week for reportedly covering his face with his hand and then uttering words of tefilla on Har Habayis.

At the remand hearing, the court ordered distancing him from Har Habayis until Sunday, 17 Menachem Av. When he arrived on Tuesday, 19 Menachem Av, an officer informed him he was not going to be permitted onto Har Habayis, explaining he is banned by a court order. The policeman instructed him to accompany him but he declined, aware the law did not compel him to do so.

Minutes after this, police accused the man of disturbing the peace when he asked to be permitted to daven outside the Har Habayis area. police alleged that despite instructing him to leave the area, escorting him to the Lions Gate, he was arrested after telling them you are cooperating with the Arabs. He was questioned in the police station and detained overnight. When they arrived in court the next morning, police asked to distance him from the Old City for 60 days as well as putting up a NIS 1,000 bond that would be forfeited if and when he failed to comply.

Police told the court that when the defendant said you are working for the Arabs it led to a gathering of Muslims that endangered police and therefore, he was charged with interfering with police, insulting an officer and disturbing the peace.

A Honenu attorney represented the man, insisting there was no justification to compel him to remain in jail overnight. Honenu added there was actually no justification for his arrest for no law was broken.

Justice Moriah Cherka felt there was sufficient probability that he disturbed the peace as he wanted to visit Har Habayis and thereby tried violating the sensitive status quo.

The court distanced him from Har Habayis for 21 days without compelling him to put up a cash bond. The court felt that since he did not violate the previous order distancing him, there was no reason to fear he would this time.

It is pointed out that this same man a few months ago won his lawsuit charging police for wrongful arrest pertaining to his visiting Har Habayis.

Gedolei Yisrael over the generations and the Chief Rabbinate of Israel prohibit visiting Har Habayis.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The director-general of the Justice Ministry signaled on Thursday 21 Menachem Av that there is no agreement among the other government director-generals serving on the committee addressing stores opening in Tel Aviv on Shabbos. The committee was formed to present its recommendations to the government regarding the operating of stores in Tel Aviv on Shabbos in line with the wishes of Tel Aviv City Hall and Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai.

Justice Ministry Director-General Emi Palmor announced on Thursday the committee members cannot reach agreement.

When asked if the committee failed, Palmor stated she would like to think this is not the case, and while the committee can make a number of recommendations, ultimately, it is the cabinet that has to reach a decision.

As a result of cabinet ministers passing the Tel Aviv Shabbos hot potato from one agency to another, the committee was assigned to study the case and make recommendations. It appears that the various scenarios that are likely to be presented to cabinet ministers all call for opening certain stores and businesses on Shabbos RL, and the committee is not expected to recommend maintaining the Shabbos status quo in that city.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Prominent Sephardi posek HaGaon HaRav Bentzion Mutzafi Shlita has spoken out harshly against groups arranged for women to fly to Uman and other area kivrei tzaddikim.

One of the ravs talmidim asked him about such a trip, asking about the tznius aspect of women traveling to the Ukraine on such a trip.

Rabbi Mutzafi is quoted saying Pritzus and insanity. We lost all proportions. Arent there enough rumors regarding disasters day to day Hashem save us.

Rav Mutzafi was then asked about a rabbanit who organizes communal taking challah events, one who frequently instructs parents to add a name to their children. The talmid explains his daughter attended such an event and was told to add a name.

The rav responded harshly, discarding the legitimacy of such a rebitzen, adding for her and others like her, it is all about money, nothing more.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Bayit Yehudi party leader Minister Naftali Bennett expresses his firm commitment to continue working with the chareidi parties, Yahadut Hatorah and Shas. In an interview with the weekly Mishpacha Magazine Bennett explains he does not see himself entering another coalition other than the current one with the chareidim.

He is quoted saying he will not enter another coalition at the expense of the chareidim, as was the case in the previous administration when Bennett teamed with Yesh Atid and the chareidim remained in opposition.

The dati leumi party leader adds There is a connection between the chareidi sector and Eretz Yisrael, the chareidi tzibur is right-wing and during bein hazmanim I see bochrim all around Israel.

Bennett is full of compliments for chareidi elected officials, making special mention to Health Minister Yaakov Litzman, adding I see the connection with Litzman as genuine, having depth, a connection that is above politics. I view this as an opportunity to bridge communities. I see him as a man who is concerned with all of Am Yisrael and for me, this is a chiddush.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Tourism Minister Yariv Levin responded angrily to the decision of Brussels Airlines to stop serving Achva brand halva on flights. The airlines decision followed objections to serving the product manufactured in the occupied West Bank by pro-Palestinians.

Minister Levin released a statement to the media saying There is a big difference between political debate and boycotts. This factory is located in the Shomron, tomorrow [it will be] Jerusalem and [then] all of Israel. Whomever does not accept us the way we are does not have to be here and we will not allow him to be here.

MK (Bayit Yehudi) Nissim Slomiansky, chairman of the Knesset Law Committee, spoke out too, calling for a reciprocal move by Israelis, a boycott of Brussels Airlines.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
The reports of salmonella and listeria in major food companies in Israel continue. The latest involves a major importer, Neto, pertaining to a shipment of frozen salmon intended for the smoked salmon industry. The contamination was detected before the product reached consumers so no recall is required.

Mako news reported on Wednesday, 20 Menachem Av the fish company involved supplies salmon for a number of major companies in Israel, highlighting the contamination was detected in time and there is no fear of the product reaching consumers. The fish in question was imported from Chile and used exclusively for smoking.

The contamination was found in standard inspections and the spoiled product was not permitted into the Kiryat Malachi warehouse. The contamination was only in a portion of the shipment, which was quarantined and the remainder cleared for use after inspection was carried out on the entire shipment.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Last week, Donald Trump tried to reset his campaign by appointing Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon as his new campaign chief executive. Yesterday, it was revealed that Bannon was accused of battering his second wife during an argument, which the police learned about because of a hang-up 911 call.

The incident occurred in 1996 in Santa Monica, California, between Bannon, who was then working for an investment firm in Beverly Hills, and his then-wife Mary Louise Piccard. The couple had only been married for seven months, but had twin daughter infants at the time. Politico reports:

According to the police report, on New Years morning 1996, Bannons then-wife asked for a credit card to go shopping, and they argued over whether she should just write a check. This quickly turned into a bigger argument about the couples finances and future. "She told him that maybe he should find another place to live, that she wanted a divorce. [REDACTED] said he laughed at her, and said he would never move out, the report states.

Bannon had gone out to their car, followed by his then-wife, the report says. She then spat at him, and Bannon reached up to her from the drivers seat of his car and grabbed her left wrist. He pulled her down, as if he was trying to pull [her] into the car, over the door." "[REDACTED] said Mr. Bannon grabbed at neck, also pulling her into the car. She said that she started to fight back striking at his face so he would let go of her. After a short period of time she was able to get away from him, the report states. The ex-wife then entered the house and said she was calling 911. She was dialing the number when, the report states, Bannon jumped over her and the twins to grab the phone from her. Once he got the phone, he threw it across the room, and then left the house. "[REDACTED] found the phone in several pieces and could not use it. She complained of soreness to her neck. I saw red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck. These were photographed, the police report states, adding that the ex-wife declined an emergency protective order.

Piccard said that Bannon threatened her after the incident. According to the NY Post , Bannon's lawyer allegedly "told her she 'would have no money [and] no way to support the children' if the case went to trial. Bannon then told Piccard to skip town. He said 'that if I wasnt in town they couldnt serve me and I wouldnt have to go to court,' she claimed in [a divorce] document... 'He also told me that if I went to court he and his attorney would make sure that I would be the one who was guilty. I was told that I could go anywhere in the world.'"

Piccard said in the divorce documents, "Because I was not present at the trial, the case was dismissed," and said that Bannon's lawyer told her when she and their daughters could return.

The divorce papers Piccard filed also accused Bannon of spanking their young daughters. She told the Post, "I have no comment and neither does my daughter." A Bannon spokesperson said, "Steve has a great relationship with his ex-wife and his twins."

Yesterday, Hillary Clinton questioned the hiring of Bannon, noting his history of fomenting misogynistic, nationalist views. But, hey, Bannon also hates the Republican establishment and he's going to let Trump be Trump so everything is just fine with Trump's vetting process.
In response to a controversial ticket issued to a Chaveirim volunteer for fixing a Hatzolah members flat tire on the Palisades Interstate Parkway Wednesday, Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn) vowed to work with elected officials to address the issue and prevent this situation from recurring.

Its very unfortunate that a Chaveirim volunteer, who went out of his way to help a fellow volunteer from Hatzolah, was penalized for being a good Samaritan, Assemblyman Hikind said. This cannot be permitted to happen again, and in the future, it is imperative we use a common-sense approach when analyzing these types of situations.

Hikind reached out to Chaveirim founder Rabbi Aron Kohn to reassure him that he would fight, with the help of elected officials in New Jersey, to rectify the situation.

As always, we applaud both volunteer services for their continued hard work and dedication to ensuring a better, safer community, Hikind added. It pains me, however, to see someone being issued a ticket for helping another in need. We will do all we can to ensure that this mishap doesnt become customary.

At around 10:00 p.m. on Wednesday, a member of Hatzolah pulled into a rest stop within the Palisades Parkway after realizing he had a flat tire. In noticing the situation, a Chaveirim volunteer began to work on fixing the flat tire until an officer approached the two and issued a summons to the Chaveirim volunteer for an unauthorized service vehicle, prompting Assemblyman Hikind to call for mandatory sensitivity training.

If I had the flat tire and someone helping me was issued a ticket, I would be outraged to see someones kindness repaid with a summons, Hikind said. In our community, and all throughout America, we take pride in volunteering, and to penalize a volunteer by issuing them a ticket demonstrates a lack of sensitivity. With the proper sensitivity training, we can prevent these types of situations from happening again.

(YWN Desk  NYC)
Donald Trump confronted head-on allegations that he is racist on Thursday, defending his hard-line approach to immigration while trying to make the case to minority voters that Democrats have abandoned them.

His poll numbers slipping behind Hillary Clintons with less than three months until Election Day, Trump tried to get ahead of the Democratic nominee, who addressed a rally in Reno, Nevada minutes later, warning that the Republican Party is being taken over by a radical fringe, motivated by prejudice and paranoia. Her speech focused on the so-called alt-right movement, which is often associated with efforts on the far right to preserve white identity, oppose multiculturalism and defend Western values.

Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists, Trump predicted at his rally in Manchester, New Hampshire. Its the oldest play in the Democratic playbook: say Youre racist, youre racist, youre racist. Its a tired, disgusting argument. Its the last refuge of the discredited Democratic politician.

To Hillary Clinton, and to her donors and advisers, pushing her to spread her smears and her lies about decent people, I have three words, he said. I want you to hear these words, and remember these words: Shame on you.

Clinton also warned that Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia, which is taking hate groups mainstream. The Democratic nominee, who has been working to paint her opponent as fearmongering and racist, also said that Trumps disregard for the values that make our country great is profoundly dangerous.

Her campaign also released an online video that compiles footage of prominent white supremacist leaders praising Trump, who has been criticized for failing to immediately denounce the support that hes garnered from white nationalists and supremacist, including former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke.

Trump  whose campaign says has never used the term alt-right and disavows any groups or individuals associated with a message of hate  tried to turn the tables on Clinton, suggesting that she was lashing out in order to distract from questions swirling around donations to The Clinton Foundation and her use of her private email servers.

She lies, she smears, she paints decent Americans as racists, said Trump, who then defended some of the core  and to some people, divisive  ideas of his candidacy.

People of this country who want their laws enforced and respected by all, and who want their border secured, are not racists, he said. People who speak out against radical Islam, and who warn about refugees, are not Islamophobes. People who support the police, and who want crime reduced and stopped, are not prejudiced.

Trump, who also met Thursday in New York with members of a new Republican Party initiative meant to train young  and largely minority  volunteers, has been working to win over blacks and Latinos in light of his past inflammatory comments and has taken to claiming that the Democrats have taken minority voters support for granted. At rallies over the past week, the Republican presidential nominee cast Democratic policies as harmful to communities of color and in Mississippi on Thursday he went so far as to label Clinton a bigot.

Theyve been very disrespectful, as far as Im concerned, to the African-American population in this country, Trump said. He was joined in Mississippi by Nigel Farage, one of the architects of Britains push to leave the European Union  a movement that succeeded, in part, because voters sought to block the influx of foreigners into the United Kingdom.

Many African-American leaders and voters have dismissed Trumps message  delivered to predominantly white rally audiences  as condescending and intended more to reassure undecided white voters that hes not racist, than to actually help minority communities.

In his speeches, Trump has painted a dismal picture of life for black Americans, describing war zones as safer than living in some of our inner cities and suggesting that African-Americans and Hispanics cant walk down streets without getting shot. The latest census data show that 26 percent of blacks live in poverty, versus 15 percent of the country overall.

But Trump insisted Thursday that his message had already had a tremendous impact on the polls.

People are hearing the message, he said.

Trump also said that hell give an immigration speech over the next week or two to clarify his wavering stance on the issue. During the Republican primary, Trump had promised to deport the estimated 11 million people living in the United States illegally. In recent days, hes suggested he might be open to allowing them to stay.

Before the meeting in New York, several protesters unfurled a banner over a railing in the lobby of Trump Tower that read, Trump = Always Racist. They were quickly escorted out by security as they railed against Trump for trying to pander to black and Latino leaders. Nothing will change, they yelled.

(AP)
For four days this week, some 500 Chabad-Lubavitch rabbis from across Europe are gathering in Moscow, Russia, for the largest rabbinical summit in recent European history. The historic meeting, which underscores the unprecedented growth of Jewish life and infrastructure in Russia during the last quarter-century, is not taking place in Moscow alone, however. On Sunday evening, fleets of buses departed the Russian capital, ferrying the rabbiswho hail from nearly every European capital and countryto the tiny villages where the movement was born nearly 250 years ago: Lubavitch (Lyubavichi), Russia; Liozna, Belarus; and Liadi (Lyady), Belarus.

On Tuesday, the group boarded flights to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where they will mark the 72nd anniversary of the passing of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson, the father of the Lubavitcher RebbeRabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, of righteous memorywho is buried in the central Asian city where he died in Soviet-imposed exile in 1944.

While certainly momentous, its not the first time that Chabad has chosen Russia to host its annual European gathering. Back in the summer of 1991, 170 Chabad rabbis arrived in the terminally ill Soviet Union for the first time to inspire a land that had been sealed off for generations and to witness the beginnings of what has since become the greatest renaissance in Jewish history.

It took place in [Soviet leader Mikhail] Gorbachevs final months in power, remembers Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, vice chairman of Merkos LInyonei Chinuchthe educational arm of the Chabad-Lubavitch movementwho flew from New York at the time to run the gathering. It was very emotional for all of us. We landed in Moscows airport, and there was an announcement in Russian, English and Hebrew welcoming the emissaries of the Lubavitcher Rebbe to the Soviet Union. At the time, who could have imagined such a thing?

Among that first group were a number of Russian-born emissaries who had fled the Soviet Union years earlier, such as Rabbi Issocher Dov Gurevitch, the longtime director of the Beth Rivkah Lubavitch girls school in Yerres, France, who passed away in 2008 at the age of 93. Gurevitch had been imprisoned twice by Soviet secret police and illegally escaped in the late 1940s. The rabbi was terrified to return to the country of his birth.

He was extremely scared when he gave his passport to the Soviet customs agent, says his grandson, Rabbi Mendel Gurevitch, who is attending the current gathering as a rabbi from Germany. When he saw what was going on with Judaism in the USSR, he was amazed. He talked about it for years later.

The elder Gurevitch was 23 when he and another Chassid were arrested after being caught teaching a group of children Torah in an empty synagogue in Berdichev, Ukraine. The children were sent to Soviet orphanages, and the two rabbis sentenced to a year of prison. Arriving back in Moscow in 1991, Gurevitch and his colleagues traveled to Chabads Camp Gan Israelthen in just its second summerwhere he emotionally retold the story, asking the Russian Jewish children to take full advantage of the new opportunities available.

Twenty-five years later, his grandson, co-director of Chabad of Offenbach am Main near Frankfurt, is being amazed once again. In 1991, there were just three permanent Chabad rabbis in the USSR: Rabbi Berel Lazar in Moscow, Rabbi Shmuel Kaminezki in Dnepropetrovsk and Rabbi Moshe Moskovitz in Kharkov. Today, the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS (FJC) boasts a presence in more than 250 cities throughout the former Soviet Union, nearly 100 of them with permanent rabbis.

Walking through Moscows seven-story Marina Roscha Jewish Community Center, Gurevitch recalls a story his grandfather used to tell him about the old days, when Marina Roschas synagogue was little more than a wooden hut and attending it came at a heavy price.

The police grabbed him, and told him theyd let him go if he agreed to report to their office once a week and report on all the activities in Marina Roscha synagogue, recounts Gurevitch. He went straight back to the synagogue and told everyone exactly what happened to him. Rather than inform, he ran away to Tashkent [Soviet Uzbekistan].

These days, Tashkent has a Chabad presence as well. Would Gurevitch have been able to visit now, he would be greeted by rabbis and a chorus of children at the Ohr Avner Jewish Day School.

Every town and townlet has its own chapter in Jewish history, wrote Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak, the Sixth Chabad Rebbe (1880-1950). There are towns and townlets that represent in themselves complete movements and complete periods in Jewish life. Such a town, or rather townlet, was Lubavitch in Russia. During 102 years and 2 months, Lubavitch was the seat of four generations of Chabad Rebbes, and the center of Chabad Chasidism with hundreds of thousands of followers all over Russia as well as in other countries.

In the fall of 1915, as World War I engulfed Europe, that period came to an end. The Fifth Rebbe, Rabbi Shalom Dov Ber, evacuated his Chassidic court from the village where his father and grandfatherleaders of Lubavitchwere buried and headed east to Rostov, Russia.

At that time, Lubavitch ceased to be the seat of the Lubavitch Rebbes and the center of Chabad, wrote Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak. But the name Lubavitch will always be bound up with Chabad Chasidism and will ever awaken sweet memories, and portray a wonderful chapter in Jewish history.

In 1991, it took the rabbis 14 hours to reach the muddy village; nowadays, with newer roads and better buses, it takes seven. But the feeling, say participants, remains much the same.

It was really unbelievable, says Gurevitch by phone from a bus in Belarus. All of these Chassidim walking along the streets of Lubavitch. For a few hours, if you looked around, it was like Lubavitch of old. Its like it came back to life.

On Monday in Lubavitch, the emissaries sang and prayed, gathering in a large white tent built for the occasion on the exact location of the historic court of the Lubavitcher Rebbes. Trudging along the perpetually muddy dirt roads, they made their way out to the long-silent Jewish cemetery, where an Ohel covers the resting place of the Tzemach Tzedek, Rabbi Menachem Mendel of Lubavitch (1789-1866); and his youngest son and successor Rabbi Shmuel (1834-1883).

Each year in November, emissaries from around the globe gather in New York for the annual International Conference of Chabad-Lubavitch Emissaries (Kinus Hashluchim). Its a time to meet old friends, to study and learn, and, as so many of them say, recharge their batteries. Regional gatherings take place as well, allowing rabbis in local areas to learn and share with one another. With Europe facing an alarming rise in anti-Semitism and a relatively recent onslaught of terrorism, Chabad rabbiswho serve from a majority of the continents pulpits, including in isolated places such as Malmo, Sweden, or Athens, Greecesee the coming together in Russia occurring at a particularly important time.

Every kinus is important, and the shluchim come away invigorated, says Kotlarsky, who was instrumental in arranging the current gathering. But for Lubavitchhaving grown to such a large extent in Russia, in Europe and around the worldto come back to Lubavitch, its really special.

Back in 1991, the Rebbe gave his blessings for the gathering, During the weeks that followed, he referred to it as wondrous recent event, drawing attention to the fact that rabbis from across Europe had been able to gather in the village of Lubavitch and in the capital of the Soviet Union to seek advice and discuss matters with each other  and make positive resolutions to add to their work in the spreading of Torah and Judaism and spreading the wellsprings out into the entire country and the whole world.

The Rebbe stressed the meetings uniqueness, and in a note to one of his secretaries said that it would be worthwhile for the group to visit the movements birthplaces of Liozna and Liadi, both of which are today in Belarus. The note reached the rabbis in Moscow late, and although they had made the trek to Lubavitch and the flight to the resting place of the Rebbes father in Almaty, they never did make it to the two Belarussian villages.

It was in Liozna that Chabad was first founded in the late 1700s by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, known as the Alter Rebbe, and it was there that his daughter Devorah Leah tragically passed away and was buried in 1792. After his second arrest by Czarist officials in 1801, Rabbi Schneur Zalman settled in Liadi, with which his name has been synonymous ever since. It was to Liadi that Napoleon Bonaparte famously came in search of the holy rabbi who stood in opposition to the French emperors conquest of Europe. These villages have been mostly empty of Jews since World War II, when the local populations were killed by the advancing Nazis.

On Monday evening, the emissaries buses crossed into Belarus, where they were greeted in each village by delegations of regional and local governments, as well as residents. Every window was open; the people couldnt believe their eyes, says Gurevitch. We had never seen these places, but they had never seen anything close to 500 rabbis.

The group will fly from Moscow to Almaty, Kazakhstan, where they will pray at the gravesite of Rabbi Levi Yitzchak Schneerson on his yahrtzeit, the 20th day of the Hebrew month of Av (starting on the evening of Aug. 23 and lasting through the evening of Aug. 24).

This has been a momentous century and a century of change, says Lazar, the chief rabbi of Russia. One hundred years ago, Lubavitch left the village of Lubavitch. Seventy-five years ago, the Rebbe left Europe and arrived in America, which began a new phase in the work of Chabad. Fifty years ago, the Rebbe began speaking about Uforatztaspreading out, creating the network that you see today. And 25 years ago, Communism fell and the Soviet Union crumbled, which was the beginning of the revival of Russian Jewry.

It is important to mark milestones, which is what we are doing. But it also means that the work is not complete; the next step is just beginning.
The National Federation of Independent Business recently released its legislative ratings for individual state lawmakers and the highest scoring lawmaker in the Senate was Brooklyn Senator Simcha Felder,

Small business in New York needs more than lip service from Albany, said NFIB state director Mike Durant. There needs to be a more concerted effort to not only promote Main Street, but to push for high impact legislative reforms to the cost drivers that already hamper job creators.

Im not surprised that Senator Felder ranked highest with the NFIB, said Robert Farley, Senator Felders senior counsel and Albany chief of staff. The Senator is pro-business and has made it clear that he wants to see business and jobs thrive in his community.

(YWN Desk  NYC)
On August 25, 2016, a federal court issued a final order determining that prohibiting Storzer & Associates client Yeshiva Gedola Naos Yaakov from operating its religious boarding school for advanced Jewish studies in Ocean Township, N.J. violates federal law. It further required the Township to permit the Yeshiva to operate its educational institution with 80 students at 1515 Logan Road in Ocean Township. This order ends the Yeshivas two-year struggle to locate its facility in the Township and vindicates its constitutional rights. The Yeshivas lawsuit was filed earlier this year in federal district court and alleged violations of the First and Fourteenth Amendments to the U.S. Const itution, the federal Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) and the Fair Housing Act. The Yeshiva is also represented by New Jersey attorney Donna M. Jennings of Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A.

We are grateful for this wonderful result that will permit our clients to operate their distinguished institution in Ocean Township. Zoning regulation should never be used as a tool to accommodate the unreasonable fears and prejudice of small-minded individuals desperate to keep a certain population out of their neighborhoods, said Roman P. Storzer, the Yeshivas attorney. Unfortunately, this has become all too common in New Jersey. In a rare bipartisan effort, Congress had enacted legal protections against this type of bigotry and we will seek to have these rights enforced where they are threatened.

There are currently similar lawsuits pending against Toms River and Howell Townships.

In its Order, the federal court stated:< br />The determination of the BOA [Board of Adjustment] denying plaintiffs application is hereby reversed and the plaintiffs use is deemed an inherently beneficial use, and the denial of that application is determined to be a violation of RLUIPA.

The court further ordered:

The plaintiffs are hereby granted approval to operate the subject property as a religious boarding school.

I was pleased to see how quickly we were able to get a just result for our clients. It is important to remember that our Constitution, statutes and ordinances are enacted for the benefit of everyone and so despite the enormous local opposition our clients religious rights could not be trampled, said Donna Jennings, co-counsel for the plaintiffs.

Rabbi Shlomo Lesin, an official with the Yeshiva, said of the decision: I am confident that we can build a solid relationship with this community, which is comprised of dedicated family-minded individuals, based on understanding and traditional values. We believe that the honor that we strive to bring to the name of the Al-mighty will resonate with our neighbors and foster unity and fellowship.

Zebra Holdings, one of the plaintiffs in the action, was pleased with the outcome designed to protect both the interests of the local community as well as the Constitution. We look forward to a good working relationship with the Township as well as the community at large, said one of Zebra Holdings principals.

Religious land uses are protected from undue burdens, discrimination and arbitrary treatment under RLUIPA, which was passed by Congress fifteen years ago to prevent discrimination against religious institutions in land use regulation. The attorneys of Storzer and Associates, P.C. have represented scores of churches, temples, mosques and synagogues in land use conflicts from Hawaii to Florida. Storzer has been described by the Religion Newswriters Association as one of the countrys most experienced litigators in religious land use law, and has successfully represented Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Native American, Sikh and other religious organizations in RLUIPA and First Amendment cases throughout the nation.

Ms. Jennings is a shareholder on the land use team at Wilentz, Goldman & Spitzer, P.A., a full-service law firm with four offices throughout New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania. She has represented a number of religious institutions before local municipal planning and zoning boards, and successfully litigated appeals on their behalf.

(YWN World Headquarters  NYC)
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They have nice homes, cars and Sky TV. And with an enviable household income of more than 50,000 a year  the average UK salary is 26,500  why not? But according to a survey, a third of middle-class families would not be able to pay an unexpected bill of 500, while 31 per cent said theyd be left in debt. So where does the money go? Here, four families explain why theyre so broke at the end of every month. . .

WEVE HAD NO TRIPS ABROAD SINCE 2012

Michelle Taylor, 35, is a researcher for a digital agency, earning 22,800 a year, and lives in Lightwater, Surrey, with husband Alex, 40, head of testing for a digital agency, who earns 35,000. They have two daughters Amelie, five, and Amber, 18 months, and a two-week-old son, Deacon.

Counting the pennies: Alex and Michelle have a joint income of 57,800 but overspend by 615 each month

GROSS JOINT YEARLY INCOME: 57,800

TOTAL JOINT MONTHLY TAKE HOME INCOME: 3,449 (Michelle 1,381 and Alex 2,068).

OTHER INCOME: child benefit 192 a month.

TOTAL MONTHLY TAKE HOME: 3,641.

MONTHLY OUTGOINGS

MORTGAGE: 500 on their four-bedroom end-of-terrace home.

CHILDCARE: 975 on childminder.

UTILITY BILLS (including gas, electric, home phone, mobile phones, broadband, insurance and council tax): 1,180.

CAR COSTS (inc. petrol, tax and insurance): 600 for Mini Countryman and Kia Sportage.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: 100.

GROCERIES: 500.

Alex and Michelle spend 500 on the mortgage for their four-bedroom end of terrace home. They also spend 1,180 on utility bills

CLOTHES: 0 unless the kids need something. Try to buy secondhand on eBay or get hand-me-downs from family.

CLUBS/GYM MEMBERSHIP/SWIMMING: 90 (40 for Alexs gym membership, 50 a month on yoga classes for Michelle).

GOING OUT/TAKEAWAYS: None.

HOLIDAYS: None.

PETS: 20 a month on a guinea pig.

HAIR: 33 for Michelle (100 every three months). 8 a month for Alex.

CREDIT CARD REPAYMENT: 250.

TOTAL: 4,256.

MONEY LEFT OVER EACH MONTH: 615 OVERPSEND

Michelle says: When our boiler went kaput earlier this year we had to pay for the 1,500 replacement on our credit card because, despite our seemingly healthy incomes, we have no savings, no pensions, 10,000 of credit card debt and are constantly down to our last penny.

No savings: Alex and Michelle say that despite their seemingly healthy incomes and working hard they are constantly down to their last penny every month

I work really hard, and am neither extravagant nor wasteful, yet I have nothing to my name at the end of each month. I cant even justify a new pair of tights. How can that be right?

Alex and I havent had a date night since our wedding anniversary last September nor a foreign holiday since 2012. Holidays now are visits to see Alexs family in Devon.

I log all our income and outgoings on a spreadsheet and spent an entire day recently contacting energy and insurance providers to find more competitive rates.

My parents have helped: Dad with the deposit on our first flat and Mum with childcare, two days a week, when Amelie was born.

But Mum fell ill while I was on maternity leave with Amber and we are now reliant on childcare  three days a week with a childminder, who charges 5.50 an hour  for Amber while Im at work, and two days before and after school for Amelie.

Alex works from home on the third day so he can do the school run and save a little money.

Now Im on maternity leave for a third time, we are frantically searching for more ways to save. This baby was unplanned and, though wonderful, is adding to our financial pressures. I will return to work three days a week when Deacon is nine months old, at which point childcare costs will double. Im training as a yoga teacher to top up my income. But I refuse to compromise on buying good-quality food, including meat from the local butcher, plus fresh fruit and veg as its important that we eat healthily.

Financially, it doesnt make a lot of sense for me to be working, but I wish to be a good role model to my children and dont want Alex to shoulder all the burden.

He doesnt show stress, but I think he must feel the pressure of being the main breadwinner for a growing family at a time when the cost of living is rising faster than salaries.

Our priority is to keep surviving  and try not to build up more debt.

OUR OLD HOUSE EATS MONEY

Lisa Sherwood, 38, and husband Gavin Smith, 42, live in Bromley, Kent, with their sons James, four, and Joseph, two. Lisa is a legal clerk who earns 34,000 a year and Gavin is a tutor at a training centre, on a salary of 22,000.

Last few pounds: Lisa and Gavin, pictured with sons James and Joseph, have just 4 left every month despite a joint monthly take home income of 3,400

GROSS JOINT YEARLY INCOME: 56,000

JOINT MONTHLY TAKE HOME: 3,400. (Lisa 1,850 and Gavin 1,550).

OTHER INCOME: 137 a month for child benefit.

TOTAL MONTHLY TAKE HOME: 3,537.

MONTHLY OUTGOINGS

MORTGAGE: 929 on a three- bedroom terrace house.

CHILDCARE: 1,200.

UTILITY BILLS: 334.

CAR COSTS: 65 on a Ford Fusion.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: Train, 140 a month to commute to London.

GROCERIES: 350.

CLOTHES: 50.

SWIMMING LESSONS (for James): 18 a month.

GOING OUT/TAKEAWAYS: 100.

HOLIDAYS: 83 (average based on 1,000 a year).

CHRISTMAS AND BIRTHDAYS: 54 (average based on 650 a year).

PETS: None.

HAIR/BEAUTY: 10.

CREDIT CARD REPAYMENT: 200 (balance now stands at 500 on a debt of 3,000 which was used to pay for double glazing two years ago).

TOTAL: 3,533.

MONEY LEFT OVER EACH MONTH: 4

Childcare is a big drain for Lisa and Gavin with more than a third of their earnings going on paying a childminder 11 an hour

Lisa says: A household income of 56,000 a year puts us among the UKs higher earners, yet always were down to our few pounds at the end of the month, if were lucky.

Childcare is the big drain: more than a third of our earnings goes on paying our childminder 11 an hour to look after the boys three days a week  Gavin and I cover the other two days.

Were very lucky to have a three-bedroom terrace, bought for 260,000 in 2009 before prices rocketed, but we still owe 165,000 on the mortgage.

Its an old Victorian house that constantly needs work. Earlier this year we had to fork out 1,000 to have a crack on the outside of the property repaired and the gutters cleaned because rainwater kept dripping into the house.

We save as much as we can on groceries by cooking most of our meals from scratch. I deliberately shop in Tesco at the end of the day, when I know they knock down prices. I buy frozen fruit and veg, and bake my own cakes and biscuits.Days out can be prohibitively expensive, yet we really love spending time in the open air as a family. Ive just invested in National Trust membership, which means its free to visit any of NT parks and sites.

We always dread the MoT coming round; our 2003 Ford Fusion is long past its best, but we cannot afford to replace it.

We do everything in our power not to go overdrawn. Hopefully, things will be more manageable when both boys are at school  James starts in September  but well still need after school childcare until one of us gets home from work.

Our one indulgence is a night out each month. We go separately with friends because we cant afford to pay a babysitter on top, and buy an occasional takeaway as a treat.

My fathers friend has a villa in Spain, and my dad pays for our flights out there most years, and Gavins parents have a caravan in Whitstable, otherwise we wouldnt be able to afford holidays.

We bring in almost 60,000 a year  why is life still such a struggle?

WE BORROW FROM RELATIVES

Rhiannon Stevens, 34 and Craig Harding, 34, live in Brentwood, Essex with twins Jack and Amelia, eight, and 18 month-old Phoebe. Rhiannon is an advertising company media manager earning 39,000 a year while Craig is a resourcing manager for a carpet company on 26,000.

Craig and Rhiannon say it is humiliating that they have to go to their parents for money despite being hard-working, professional people

GROSS JOINT YEARLY INCOME: 65,000

JOINT MONTHLY TAKE HOME: 3,400 (Rhiannon, 1,900 and Craig, 1,500).

OTHER INCOME: 190 monthly Child Benefit.

TOTAL: 3,590.

MONTHLY OUTGOINGS

RENT: 1,000 for a three-bedroom terrace.

CHILDCARE: 400.

UTILITY BILLS: 550.

CAR COSTS: 370 for a Citroen Picasso and Renault Megane.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT: 190 for a rail season ticket.

GROCERIES: 250.

CLOTHES: 60.

The couple's mortgage totals 1,000 for a three-bed terrace while groceries cost 250 and their cars account for 370

CLUBS/GYM MEMBERSHIP: 51.

CHILDRENS SAVING ACCOUNT: 60.

AFTER-SCHOOL CLUB: 100

GOING OUT/TAKEAWAYS: 65.

HOLIDAYS: 150 spending money (accommodation free).

CHRISTMAS AND BIRTHDAYS: 250.

PETS: 20 on a rabbit.

HAIR/BEAUTY: 30.

CREDIT CARDS: None.

TOTAL: 3,546.

MONEY LEFT OVER EACH MONTH: 44

Rhiannon says: When you hear the figure 65,000 as a household income, youd expect us to have a really nice lifestyle, with expensive holidays and shopping trips, but the truth is, Craig and I live in a constant state of nerves, dreading the arrival of an unexpected bill.

We have no savings, apart from the 20 each a month I put away for the children. When emergencies strike, we have to borrow money from our families. For hard-working, professional people in our 30s, going cap-in-hand to our parents is nothing short of humiliating.

Constant state of nerves: Rhiannon and Craig say they fear an unexpected bill

The nursery fees for the twins, at 1,000, were crippling enough, but then Phoebe came along. She was a surprise baby, and while there was no question of not having her, its been an added cost that we simply didnt foresee. We hadnt kept any of the baby things from our first two children so weve had to buy everything again.

Yet, ironically, we are deemed too wealthy to qualify for child credit.

We rent a three-bed terrace which is very old-fashioned. Wed love to own our own home but its not a realistic option. It also makes us feel vulnerable because the landlords could sell at any time. The twins have already moved four times.

Some people might wonder why we need two cars, but theyre essential for us to be able to get to work and nursery.

We have a few luxuries: we justify our 100-a-month Sky TV package, as we rarely go out to watch films. Also, my gym membership is the only thing I have thats truly mine and I use it every day.

I rarely buy myself clothes, and I go for months without having my hair cut. We havent had a holiday abroad for eight years, but will stay for free at my mothers caravan in Walton on the Naze, Essex. I take in a packed lunch to work and rarely treat myself to a coffee.

With the childrens clothes, I never take them shopping because I want to avoid pester power.

Instead, Ill order essentials from a catalogue and spread the cost over time. Were by no means on the poverty line, and I know Im lucky to have a healthy, happy family. But really, there should be more rewards for working this hard.

I BUY CLOTHES IN SUPERMARKETS

Susan Harrison, 48, works 28 hours a week as a hospice admin assistant, and earns 14,000. Husband Gordon is 43 and a community psychiatric nurse, earning 37,000. They have two children, George, eight, and Leah, seven, and live in Glasgow.

Susan, pictured with her husband Gordon and children George and Leah, said she dreamed of retiring at 60 but expects she will still be paying off the mortgage

GROSS JOINT YEARLY INCOME: 51,000

JOINT MONTHLY TAKE HOME: 3,250 (Gordon, 2,200 and Susan, 1,050.)

MONTHLY OUTGOINGS

MORTGAGE: 570.

CHILDRENS CLUBS: 132.

UTILITY BILLS: 452.

CAR COSTS: 495 for a Ford Fiesta and a Nissan Micra.

GROCERIES: 664.

CLOTHES: 100.

HOLIDAYS: 100, plus 100 towards a future trip to Florida.

CHRISTMAS AND BIRTHDAYS: 100.

FOOTBALL SEASON TICKET: 50.

GOING OUT (mainly weddings): 300.

PETS: None.

HAIR/BEAUTY: 20.

CREDIT CARDS: None.

TOTAL: 3,083.

MONEY LEFT OVER EACH MONTH: 167

Susan says food is the family's biggest expense but they consider themselves lucky if they get through a month without an unexpected bill

Susan says: If we get through each month without the car breaking down or the roof springing a leak we consider ourselves lucky. The money isnt there to pay for them, which seems ridiculous when you look at how much we earn.

We bought our three-bed bungalow 11 years ago for 150,000 using the money from the sale of the flats we each owned before we wed, which keeps the mortgage payments low.

Our biggest expense is food. I like to cook healthy meals from scratch, but fresh produce is so expensive. I buy frozen vegetables nowadays, and I cant remember the last time we had steak or lamb.

I used to love buying clothes from High Street stores like Next. I wonder what that old me would think now, watching me buying outfits at the supermarket  literally piling them on top of the sell-by date bread and dented beans.

Likewise, the children get a new set of summer and winter clothes each year  and thats it. Our social life is limited and we rarely go out to pubs or restaurants.

As well as our regular spending, one huge expense for us recently has been weddings. Weve had at least five close family weddings recently. Once weve bought presents, outfits, accommodation and travel it really adds up.

Holidays are in the UK. This year we have hired a house in Devon for two weeks. We are banking on good weather  picnics on the beach are so much cheaper!

We decided two years ago to start a savings account to save 6,000 for a holiday in Florida and are hoping to go in 2018. Anything we buy we save up for, but we did have to take out a car loan recently to replace my 13-year-old Polo.

I have a banking app on my phone and try to keep a track of the balance, but once the money is gone, its gone and we have to wait for the next month.

Years ago, I used to dream of retiring at 60. The way things are going, Ill probably still be slogging to pay off the mortgage.
Pharma firms were dragged lower amid talk of a Clinton clampdown on the drugs industry in the US.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for the country's presidential elections in November, has long been vocal on her plans to shake-up the pharmaceutical sector.

Last year she slammed one company which bought the rights to a drug used in HIV treatment and then hiked the price by 5,000 per cent.

Clinton called the practice 'outrageous' and vowed to take it on.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee for the country's presidential elections in November, has long been vocal on her plans to shake-up the pharmaceutical sector

This week the prospective future president called for the price of the allergy drug EpiPen to be lowered after it was revealed it is four times more expensive than a decade ago.

Her strong stance on the industry sent shares spiralling as investors feared what pricing pressure could mean for profits. Hikma Pharmaceuticals was the greatest blue chip faller of the day as the FTSE 100 dipped 0.28 per cent, or 18.88 points to 6,816.9.

It was the second day in the red for the firm after a disappointing update on Wednesday, and a two-month low for the stock.

Shares slipped 3.5 per cent, or 78p, to 2150p. Shire slumped 2.45 per cent, or 123p to 4902p.

Elsewhere in the sector, Spire Healthcare rose as it revealed profits were up 15.9 per cent. The independent hospital group reported profit after tax of 35.7million in the six months to June 30, up from 30.8million in the same period a year ago.

Revenue climbed 4.4 per cent to 469.5million. Spire has also seen the number of in-patient and day admissions climb 2.5 per cent to 139,800 in the first half of the year. But an increase in spending meant net debt climbed slightly to 422.6million.

STOCK WATCH - SOPHEON Sopheon provides software which helps companies which are innovating and developing products. Its shares soared yesterday as it revealed revenue of 8.7million in the first half of the year, up from 6.4million in the same period a year ago. Pre-tax earnings climbed from 0.7million to 2.2million. Sopheon has released two products since the start of the year and has added more staff to deal with increasing demand, with total headcount at the firm now 110. Shares surged 19.7 per cent, or 46p to 280p.

The group has opened two new operating theatres in the first half of the year with four more under construction.

Work on new hospitals in Manchester and Nottingham is progressing and they are on track to complete in the first quarter of 2017.

Spire, which will maintain its interim dividend at 1.3p a share, says its guidance for the year is unchanged.

Executive chairman Garry Watts said while it was unclear how Brexit will affect the sector, NHS funding constraints will continue to put pressure on waiting list targets, which presents an ever-increasing opportunity. Shares advanced 2.74 per cent, or 9.4p to 352.4p.

Air Partner flew higher on a pre-close trading update, which revealed pre-tax profit for the first half of the year is expected to be not less than 3million. That compares with 2.2million in the same period a year ago.

The global aviation services group said its training and consultancy division had won new contracts in the first six months of the year, while like-for-like performance in its broking division was strong.

Liberum said it was an encouraging update and suggested an improvement in profit of at least 36 per cent. Shares soared 2.1 per cent, or 8.62p to 423p.

Business-to-business media firm Ascential, which organises exhibitions and festivals, and provides business intelligence, announced the acquisition of One Click Retail.

The company is a US-based e-commerce analytics provider, whose customer base includes Unilever, Nestle and Panasonic.

Founded in 2013, the business delivered revenue of 3.7million in 2015. The deal was for an initial 33.4million and is expected to complete by the end of the month. Ascential stumbled 1.1 per cent, or 2.9p to 265.5p.

Irish house builder Cairn Homes rose as it reported revenues of 13.7million in the first half of the year and pre-tax profit of 400,000.

The firm, which listed on the stock market in June last year, now has a land bank of 27 sites which it plans to develop into more than 11,500 units.

It is active on five sites, which will deliver around 1,150 units. Development on five more sites should begin within the next 12 months.

Some 112 houses have now agreed sales with 39 completing in the first six months of the year. It said its gross profit margin is 16.5 per cent.
John Laing boss Olivier Brousse says Britain's infrastructure needs a major overhaul

Britain's airports must be upgraded without delay if the country is to retain its power as a trading hub, a top building boss has said.

John Laing chief executive Olivier Brousse believes the nation's infrastructure needs a major overhaul  and called on the Government to back growth.

Chancellor Philip Hammond is widely expected to announce fresh public spending in his Autumn Statement as he seeks to stave off a possible downturn.

Government borrowing costs have fallen to record lows in the wake of the Brexit vote as investors plough money into safe assets including UK gilts.

Heathrow and Gatwick have been battling to win support for another runway, with a decision due in October.

'Whether it's Gatwick or Heathrow is for the Government to decide. But the sooner they decide the better, because this country needs a new runway and more capacity,' Brousse said.

He also called on the authorities to invest in the railway network, energy and flood defences.

Brousse said international firms still saw the UK as a 'great venue' for investment and there was 'absolutely no doubt' investors would back British projects, despite the uncertainty of Brexit.

It came as Laing's profits more than trebled to 108.3million in the first half of 2016, up from 32.6million a year earlier, partly driven by a windfall from the drop in the pound, boosting the value of its foreign investments.

Dispute: Heathrow and Gatwick have been battling to win support for another runway, with a decision due in October

It is bidding for public-private contracts worth 1.3billion, up from 1.1billion a year earlier.

The dividend has been hiked by 15.6 per cent to 1.85p per share. Shares rose 7.5 per cent, or 17.7p to 254p.

Laing was not the only builder to announce a strong set of results yesterday as the industry largely shrugged off the Brexit vote.

Half-year profits at building materials giant CRH jumped from 53.9million to 348.3million, driven by growth in the Americas and the 4.9billionn acquisition of assets from rivals Lafarge and Holcim.

Shares rose 2.9 per cent, or 71p to 2540p.
A top German regulator has warned a takeover of the London Stock Exchange could pose a major risk to Europe's financial system.

Frankfurt-based Deutsche Boerse is planning to seize control of 215-year-old LSE in a deal worth 21million.

But Andreas Dombret, a board member at Germany's federal bank the Bundesbank, said he was concerned the tie-up could create a sprawling behemoth that was too big to be allowed to fail without massive costs, meaning taxpayers would be forced to pick up the tab.

Warning: Andreas Dombret, a board member at Germany's federal bank, said he was concerned the tie-up could create a sprawling behemoth that was too big to be allowed to fail

'When several clearing houses come together in a single exchange operation, I see it with a certain amount of concern,' Dombret said.

It came as the institutions submitted merger plans to competition authorities in Brussels amid scepticism in the UK and abroad.

The European Commission could sink the plans if it objects.

Dombret was echoing concerns raised in Britain by City grandee Lord Myners.

The former Treasury minister has said he feared British taxpayers might be left to foot the bill if the merged institution collapsed.

There is growing pressure on the Government to block the deal from critics who fear it is against Britain's national interest.
Aug 26, 2016 1:00 AM

Author: Office of Public Affairs

Structure helps kids feel safe. ~ Benjamin R. Chan, MD, University of Utah Neuropsychiatric Institute

Some kids cant wait to get back to class, see their friends, and excel at their scholastic work and extracurricular activities. Others loathe the pressure to fit in socially and fear they wont make the grade intellectually.

Regardless of where your child falls on this continuum, implementing consistent back-to-school rituals and annual traditions provide children with the security and stability they need to thrive while reinforcing family bonds.

Confront the Fear of Returning

Most kids feel better when they know whats coming, when they know what the expectations are. ~ Melissa Lang Kontz, PhD

If your child seems tentative about going back to school, engage them in a dialogue to pinpoint their specific concerns. Are they concerned about a potentially tough teacher? Is the thought of harder subjects making them anxious? Are they worried about a bully?

Approximately 60 percent of kids dont tell an adult if they are being bullied. Many kids dont report it because they worry that nothing will be done or that they will be partially blamed, explains Matt Woolley, PhD, child and adolescent psychologist with University of Utah Health's Neuropsychiatric Institute.

Be empathetic to your childs concerns while focusing on the positive things about going back to school. Generate excitement with a school supplies shopping spree. If the school is new to your child, arrange a visit to the classroom, cafeteria, and playground. Familiarize your child with the surroundings in advance of the first day to increase comfort and confidence.

Get in the Daily and Nightly Groove

Use the last few weeks of summer vacation to ease kids into a consistent school-day routine. Stress and life changes associated with going back to school can bring on nightmares, cautions Dr. Benjamin Chan. Re-establish your childs school-year sleep routine by ensuring shes in bed early and rises at her school-day time.

The National Sleep Foundation suggests:

Kids between the ages of 3 and 5 get 10 to 13 hours of sleep a night

Ages 6 to 13 need 9 to 11 hours of sleep

Teens 14 and older should get 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night

Make sure kids put electronic devices like cell phones, tablets, and laptops away well before bedtime. Research shows that the glowing light from screens disrupts sleep cycles.

Help your child start getting dressed at the normal school-year time a few weeks in advance, and serve her meals and snacks at the same time that they will be eaten when classes resume. Make an effort to have regular sit-down family dinners.

Designate a spot where backpacks and lunch boxes always go, and help your child set out what they need the night before to minimize morning chaos. Placing homework in the backpack and choosing the next days outfit eliminates last-minute scrambling.

Review Transportation and Safety Rules

Are your children walking to school, riding bikes, or taking the bus? Will you drive them, or have you organized a carpool? Are the exact drop-off and pick-up locations clear to everyone?

If they're riding the bus, review the schedule with them, and be clear about what they should do once they get off the bus. If they ride bikes, map out the safest route. Reinforce traffic safety information like crossing at the crosswalk and never accepting rides from strangers. The National Center for Safe Routes at School reports that most children arent prepared to cross the street alone until age 10.

Determine After-School Procedures

If your schedule permits, try to be home when the kids return from school for the first week or two. If your job does not offer this flexibility, arrange some sort of supervision from a responsible relative, friend, or neighbor.

If your kids or teens are home alone in the afternoons, KidsHealth advises that you establish clear rules:

Designate a time when they're expected to arrive home from school.

Require them to check in with you or a neighbor as soon as they get home.

Specify who is allowed in your home when you're not there.

Ensure they know what to do in an emergency.

You may want to look into after-school programs or special interest classes that inspire them to develop new skills and talents. Check with your local YMCA, places of worship, community and youth centers, or parks and recreation departments.

Set a Time and Place for Homework

Empower your child to succeed in school by making homework an important part of his days structure. You might let him decide if hed like to play outside when he gets home from school and do homework later, or get homework out of the way first so his evening is free.

"The more kids have ownership in creating a routine for themselves and setting expectations, the more likely they are to follow it," suggests Kelly Vaillancourt Strobach, National Association of School Psychologists Director of Government Relations.

Establish a specific place for studying at home. Can you purchase a small desk for your childs bedroom? Even if its just the kitchen table, "Children need a consistent work space in their bedroom or another part of the home that is quiet, without distractions, and promotes study," advises the American Academy of Pediatrics.
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By Patrick Donachie

U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-Jamaica) said GOP Presidential candidate Donald Trumps attempts at outreach to African Americans and Hispanics were doomed for failure.

The comments came during a conference call on Tuesday afternoon organized by the campaign of Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential candidate. The call was made up of African-American and Latino elected officials and it also included Public Advocate Letitia James and City Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito. .

At a rally in Dimondale, Mich., last Friday, Trump attempted to make inroads with African-American voters. Polling indicates he performs dreadfully with African-Americans, garnering single-digit support in some national and state polls. However, he created controversy when he pitched himself directly to African-Americans, though reports indicated the audience was mostly white.

Youre living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed, he said during the Michigan speech. What the hell do you have to lose?

Meeks and other elected officials on the call said the insinuation was an affront to black voters.

According to him, we are all poor. We are all uneducated, so therefore we should just throw our support behind him, Meeks said. The congressman said Trump had a questionable track record on race, including accusations of discriminatory housing and employment policies in his business dealings,, and he cited Trumps role as the head of the birther movement that alleged President Barack Obama was not born in the United States.

Its an insult to think that African Americans dont vote in their best interests. They do, he said.African Americans know whos for them and whos against them.

Meeks echoed the message of the other officials, and paraphrased a quote from the poet Maya Angelou to say that voters should be suspect of Trumps outreach to black Americans.

When someone shows you who they are, Meeks said, believe them the first time.
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By Patrick Donachie

Downtown Far Rockaway will be receiving an influx of investment from New York City in an attempt to establish the area as the commercial hub for the entirety of the Rockaway peninsula.

City Councilman Donovan Richards (D-Arverne), New York City Economic Development Corporation President Maria Torres-Spangler, City Planning Commission Chairman Carl Weisbrod and Department of Housing and Preservation Commissioner Vicki Been were on hand to announce the Roadmap for Action at a news conference held near the Mott Avenue subway station Friday.

The plan would serve as a guide for the allocation of a $91 million investment Mayor Bill de Blasio pledged for the area during his 2016 State of the City address.

Downtown Far Rockaway was once a vibrant commercial/beachfront business district that attracted shoppers from Rockaway, Nassau County and around the city. But divestment, lack of open space, lack of local employment options, lack of infrastructure and poor pedestrian circulation created not only a recipe for disaster, but hopelessness in this community, Richards said. But today, we begin the steps in righting these wrongs by paying our moral and economic debt owed to this community.

Downtown Far Rockaway is home to 50,314 residents, according to the NYCEDC report, with subway access via the A line, Long Island Rail Road access and several bus lines. Only 12 percent of the residents both live and work in the area.

The process began in November 2015, with Richards commissioning several working group meetings, followed by a public meeting in January. Recommendations were submitted to the mayors office the following month. The working group set goals that included encouraging mixed-income housing and improving access to community services, quality education and jobs.

The Roadmap suggests 25 different strategies for approaching Downtown Far Rockaways revitalization, including utilizing zoning tools in order to develop affordable housing on private land, the construction of a new public plaza between Beach 21st and Beach 22nd streets and the expansion of a public space at the corner of Mott and Central avenues.

Additional suggested improvements from the report call for assisting in improvements for about 20 existing storefronts on retail corridors in the area that will commence before the end of this summer and a continued focus on refurbishing and supporting existing community services, like the Far Rockaway branch of the Queens Public Library.

The full NYCEDC report on Downtown Far Rockaway can be viewed at www.edc.nyc/downt own-f ar-ro ckawa y.com .
A Montana Highway Patrol trooper from Helena has pleaded guilty to a charge of careless driving after he struck a pedestrian with a patrol vehicle while on duty.

Mike Zufelt, 41, appeared on the misdemeanor charge Thursday. Zufelt was turning left from Prospect Avenue onto Gibbon Road when he struck a 50-year-old Helena man who was walking in the crosswalk around 10 p.m. Aug. 19, according to police.

The pedestrian suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Peter's Hospital for treatment, police said.

Helena police investigated the incident and forwarded the reports to the city attorney's office for review. Zufelt was cited Wednesday. The charge comes from failing to drive in a "careful and prudent manner," according to Montana law, and comes with a fine of up to $100.

"I didn't see the pedestrian, and the pedestrian didn't see me," Zufelt said Thursday.

"I'm no different than anyone else. If I deserve a citation, I deserve a citation," he added.

MHP Sgt. Jay Nelson said any time a trooper is involved in a wreck, the case is inspected by a crash-review board. No disciplinary action has been taken.

"It is a tragedy. We're grateful the individual is OK," Nelson added.

Both Zufelt and Nelson said the incident serves as a reminder to all drivers to pay attention when behind the wheel.

"It can happen to anybody," Zufelt said.
By David Cortright

In June the influential Center for New American Security (CNAS) issued a report that urges greater U.S. military involvement in Syria to defeat ISIS and bolster Syrian opposition groups. The report calls for more American bombing, the deployment of additional U.S. troops on the ground, the creation of so-called no-bombing zones in rebel-held territory, and a range of other coercive military measures that would significantly increase the scale of U.S. involvement.

Also in June a group of more than 50 U.S. diplomats used the State Departments dissent channel to issue a public appeal for U.S. air strikes against the government of Syria, arguing that attacks against the Assad regime would help to achieve a diplomatic settlement.

Several of those advocating greater military involvement in Syria are senior advisers to Hilary Clinton, including former Under Secretary of Defense Michele Flournoy, who chaired the CNAS task force. If Clinton wins the presidency she will face significant pressure to deepen American military intervention in Syria.

I agree that the United States should do more to try to end the war in Syria and reduce the threat from ISIS and violent extremist groups, but greater American military intervention is not the answer. The proposed plans for more bombing and troop deployments would create more war in the region not less. It would increase the risk of military confrontation with Russia, lead to more American casualties, and could escalate into another major U.S. land war in the Middle East.

Alternative approaches are available, and they need to be pursued vigorously to help resolve the crises in the region and isolate ISIS and violent extremist groups.

Rather than plunging more deeply into the war in Syria, the United States should:

 place much greater emphasis on seeking diplomatic solutions, partnering with Russia and states in the region to revive and strengthen local ceasefires and create political solutions,

 continue and intensify efforts to impose sanctions on ISIS and block the flow of foreign fighters into Syria,

 support local groups in the region that are pursuing peacebuilding dialogue and nonviolent solutions,

 increase humanitarian assistance and accept refugees fleeing the conflict.

Current diplomatic efforts under the auspices of the United Nations should be sustained and strengthened, despite the many setbacks to the process. The United States should partner directly with Russia, Iran, Turkey and other neighboring states to revive and strengthen local ceasefires and create a long-term plan for political transition and more inclusive governance in Syria. Iran should be invited to co-chair the diplomatic process and asked to use its extensive leverage with Syria and Iraq to facilitate diplomatic and political solutions.

UN Security Council Resolution 2253 adopted last December requires states to criminalize support for ISIS and take vigorous measures to prevent their nationals from traveling to fight with the terrorist group and its affiliates. Greater efforts are needed to implement these measures and stem the flow of foreign fighters into Syria.

Many local groups in Syria are utilizing nonviolent methods to oppose ISIS and pursue peacebuilding dialogues and reconciliation efforts. Maria Stephan of the U.S. Institute of Peace has proposed a range of options for using civil resistance to defeat ISIS. These efforts by Syrian women, youth and religious leaders need international support. They will become critically important when the fighting eventually diminishes and communities face the grueling challenge of rebuilding and learning to live together again.

The United States has been a leader in international humanitarian assistance for the migrants fleeing the fighting in Syria and Iraq. These efforts should be continued and expanded. Washington must also follow the lead of Germany in accepting a greater number of war refugees into the United States and providing assistance for local governments and religious and community groups that wish to house and support the refugees.

It is also necessary to support longer term efforts to resolve the underlying political grievances in Syria and Iraq that have driven so many people to pick up arms and resort to violent extremist methods. This will require more inclusive and accountable governance across the region and greater efforts to enhance economic and political opportunity for all.

If we want to prevent more war, we have to show that peace is the better way.

The views expressed in this article are the author\s own and do not necessarily reflect The Times Of Earth\s editorial policy.
Russia has agreed to a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, but security guarantees are awaited from other parties on the ground, U.N. officials said on Thursday.

The United Nations has pushed for a weekly 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo to alleviate suffering for about 2 million people, but major powers back opposing sides in Syria\s five-year-old civil war, complicating its implementation.

"We have  agreement now from the Russian Federation for the 48-hour pause, we\re waiting (for) it from the other actors on the ground. That has taken more time frankly than I thought was needed," Jan Egeland, who chairs the U.N. humanitarian task force, told reporters.

Egeland\s boss, U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, echoed his comments, saying Russia was on board but they were waiting for others parties to agree: " we are ready, trucks are ready and they can leave any time we get that message."

Russia is the main external supporter of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rebel groups opposing Assad are supported by Western and Gulf powers.

The White House on Thursday said it supported U.N. efforts to bring all sides together to deliver humanitarian relief to Aleppo and would welcome Russia\s constructive engagement.

The U.S. State Department said while Washington backed the 48-hour Aleppo cease-fire it was focused on achieving a broader country-wide cessation of hostilities, which would be the focus of talks in Geneva on Friday.

"If the U.N. says they need 48 hours, of course we support the U.N. But  our focus is on a nationwide sustainable cessation of hostilities," said State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau. She said that would let all Syrians have access to aid and provide a basis for a political transition.

On Aug. 19, the main umbrella group for the Syrian opposition cautiously welcomed a proposal for a weekly truce in Aleppo, provided this would be monitored by the United Nations.

De Mistura has been trying to bring government and opposition representatives back to the negotiating table this month to revive a shattered broader ceasefire.

He said he awaited Friday\s meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva before commenting further on his "political initiatives" to relaunch the political process.

The U.N. relief plan for Aleppo entails simultaneous deliveries of food to the rebel-held east and government-controlled west, Egeland said.

"First, a lifeline to eastern Aleppo, going cross-border from Turkey. Initially we would be ready in the first 48-hour weekly pause to have two convoys, of 20 trucks each, that would carry enough food for 80,000 people in eastern Aleppo," he said.

Western Aleppo, where needs have "increased dramatically", would be supplied via Damascus, he said.

There would also be repairs of the electrical system in the "disputed south" that powers water pumping stations serving 1.8 million people.

Civilians in other encircled towns were also malnourished, Egeland said, singling out rebel-besieged Foua and Kefraya in Idlib and government-besieged Madaya near Damascus, which have not had U.N. food deliveries in 116 days.

"Starvation is just around the corner," he warned.

SOURCE: REUTERS
Hopewell Community Park remains a 'labor of love' for local community

The lush green park is a product of the combined efforts of the Hopewell Township community and a symbol of decades of conservation efforts in Beaver County.
Don't you hate when you don't know a restaurant's hours?

Thus was the challenge with the subject of the latest Lunch Bunching adventure. It's a place my buddy and I pass frequently but rarely see any signs of life coming from within. It's like a club in that we seemingly couldn't go inside without knowing the secret handshake. As it turns out (for my buddy and I, at least), the key to the eatery was happening upon the restaurant while it was serendipitously open for business. It was lunchtime, and as we drove past, heading to another destination, we spotted cars in the parking lot and called an audible: It was time to finally try El Gordo's.

I'd never been to El Gordo's, and my buddy hadn't since 'The Breakfast Club' was in theaters. I wasn't sure what to expect, but after all the rigmarole of finally getting to eat here, I had consequently romanticized a dark, speak-easy lounge-type atmosphere complete with poker games and cigar smoke. I was prepared for an experience, to say the least.

Alas, my visions were inaccurate  the real interior of El Gordo's was clean, if outdated, and very pleasant. The furniture and decor had obviously occupied their spaces for some time, but my buddy noted a lessening of the faux foliage from his previous visits. The clientele was certainly not the group of caricatures I had envisioned. Rather, I noted attire ranging from neckties to worn-out work gloves (both good signs for the fare to come). Fairly quickly, we were greeted by a nice waitress and ushered to a booth.

The first bit of fare at our table was the chips and salsa. I've described a lot of chips and salsa throughout my experience on the Lunch Bunch team, and differentiating between two seemingly similar dishes becomes quite the exacting task after a while. But El Gordo's salsa certainly deserves mention. It was chunky with a sweet, bright flavor to it, and a little kick. Paired with the tasty, crispy corn tortilla chips and the strikingly original queso (that we later ordered), this starter was top-notch.

For our entrees, my buddy and I ordered from the lunch menu. He selected the Your Choice No. 10 dish consisting of two chicken enchiladas with suiza sauce, Spanish rice and guacamole salad ($6.50). I ordered the Your Choice No. 3 dish which included two tamales with chili, one beef taco, and Spanish rice ($5.95).

When our main courses arrived at the table, my buddy and I were primed and ready to dig in. When we took our first bites is when we were really impressed. With each different food item, both my buddy and I muttered something along the lines of, 'Why is that so good?' or, 'Mmm, that one was really good.' We bypassed the sneaking-bites-from-each-other's-plates stage and just went straight to unapologetically eating each other's food.

For starters, the Spanish rice refrained from being sticky or clinging together, and was absolutely delicious. My buddy said it was the best rice he's had in a long time. Neither of us felt adding any spices was necessary  it was fully capable of standing alone.

My beef taco was one of those superior beef tacos that leads the pack in a world full of beef tacos. Like the rice, it didn't require any additional seasoning. The veggies tasted fresh, the cheese was thick, and the generous portion of beef was perfectly seasoned.

My tamales, as well, were top-tier. They were smothered in chili and cheese, yet it was not soggy. Upon my first bite, my immediate words to my buddy were, 'Hey. Try this.' (I'm sorry, Mom, I talked with my mouth full, but it was really good.)

The chicken in my buddy's chicken enchiladas was tender and fell apart just right. The real kicker of this item, however, was the sour cream suiza sauce. It was not too strong. Rather, it was a tasteful blend of cheese and sour cream and complemented the chicken perfectly. It completed the taste.

Overall, my buddy and I found no faults with our food. We received great service, and the restaurant was clean and tidy. My only qualm (and the one thing keeping this place from receiving a five-fork rating) is the fact that I have such a difficult time finding out when the place is actually open! In this day and age, correct business hours should be the first thing on my Google search results (such is not the case, currently).

Until then, we give El Gordo's four out of five forks.
Bringing new life to the downtown Wichita Falls area could mean planting some seeds near the Clarence W. Muehlberger Travel Center.

Members of the city council, the mayor, 4B tax board, and other community leaders listened to a presentation Thursday afternoon from Freese and Nichols concerning growth in the northern downtown area.

The Wichita Falls Metropolitan Planning Organization director, Lin Barnett, said the WFMPO originally began with a small-area development plan several months ago for the area within walking distance of the travel center. This study, concentrating on transit-oriented development (TOD), would help develop a portion of the downtown area with the best possibility of obtaining federal dollars due to its proximity to the travel center. Seeing an opportunity to expand that study, the city of Wichita Falls hired Freese and Nichols to investigate further.

The latest study looked at 250 acres surrounding the travel center, about a 10-minute walk in any direction from the center.

Paris Rutherford presented the market assessment study which looked at potential trade areas that are likely to see growth within the next decade. A positive aspect, Rutherford noted, is that Texas has led the country in job growth from 2004-2014. The study shows Wichita Falls has about 58,100 jobs and added approximately 200 new nonfarm jobs in 2015-2016. Growth trends show a large number of millennial-age people (age 17-34) are migrating from the cities to the Southwestern U.S., especially Texas. Millennials are the largest consumer generation in history, expected to spend $200 billion nationally in 2017.

The largest of this millennial group is what Rutherford called the 'creative class' market, millennials who are likely to work in a knowledge-based office environment.

The existing trade environment for the city's downtown area appears rather parched currently, with few residents living in downtown area, and of those that do, many fall below $15,000 in annual household income (32.4 percent). About 70 percent of people who lived within a five-minute drive of downtown had a household income of less than $35,000.

Because Wichita Falls is a moderate-sized city, F&N also took into account the entire city (15-minute drive in any direction) and that picture looked a little rosier. Those figures show about 32 percent of residents have an income sufficient for loft-style apartment rentals and about 21 percent could be in the market for entry-level homeownership, such as town houses.

One of the most surprising items to come out of these figures is that the largest population in Wichita Falls is millennials at 33 percent followed by baby boomers (age 60-64) with 21 percent. With this large number of millennials and their spending power, Rutherford suggests it is a wise move to cater to this blossoming economic powerhouse.

Looking at possible housing need in the next 10 years, Rutherford said the downtown could probably support 350 new housing units (apartments and/or traditional homes).

Another positive for the downtown area is there is a high density of people who already have jobs there.

'A driving factor for downtown development is proximity to jobs,' Rutherford said. With many residents already working downtown, it is easier to attract 'supportive' business such as residential units and restaurants.

Currently, many millennials in the city live in the southwest portion.

'The key is offering attractions that motivate this group to be downtown versus in the suburbs,' Rutherford said.

The next step for F&N is to identify possible federal grants available for projects because of the proximity to the travel center.

Assistant City Manager Jim Dockery said the assessment is a good vision of what the city is looking for.

'It's a good starting point. It could be tough to have a project perfectly come together like they had. It's a matter of deciding if downtown is a priority,' he said.

Over the past 10 years, Dockery said, the city and partner groups have, indeed, made downtown a priority, but more needs to be done.

'Downtown revitalization is a goal. The key is to get interested business owners to recognize that an active downtown gets people interested in the community as a whole,' he said.

To follow through with the assessment by F&N would mean the city participating as a proactive developer in the revitalization process.

'We have not done that in the past when trying to get things done, but if we are going to have a thriving downtown we need to have more people living there. To get people living downtown there needs to be services and things for people to do. It all goes together,' he said.

F&N said they want to shore up the funding possibilities before finalization of the plan. Once complete, they will present the ultimate implementation plan to the council and the council will then decide whether or not to adopt the plan.
HIDDEN LAKE OVERLOOK  One hundred years ago, Congress created the National Park Service and gave the federal agency its increasingly difficult marching orders.

On Thursday, the Secretary of the Interior spent much of that centennial day here in Glacier National Park, hiking a popular trail, traveling the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road in a historic 1930s-era Red Bus, and asking how we can fulfill the obligation given to us 100 years ago today, to preserve these resources for future generations?

Sally Jewell probably already knew part of the answer. It wont be easy, especially given the Earths changing climate, coupled with the increasing popularity of parks such as Glacier.

But, during a three-mile hike at the top of Logan Pass with Glaciers superintendent, park rangers, scientists and stakeholders, the secretary seemed especially interested in the parks interactions with people beyond Glaciers borders.

National parks cannot survive as islands, Jewell said. No place is further along in recognizing that than the Crown of the Continent.

That expansive area, which crosses an international border, encompasses Glacier and Waterton Lakes parks, and runs from Banff, Alberta, almost to Missoula, can better address the challenges as a whole than as separate pieces trying to solve a puzzle.

Glacier, at a million acres, isnt big enough to respond to climate change on its own, Superintendent Jeff Mow said. To be effective, he added, work must be done on a broader landscape.

***

The Glacier stop is part of a seven-day swing through National Park Service sites in eight states for Jewell, who began the week in New York City, worked her way West to California, and is now headed back East, where shell wind up at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine.

That just became a part of the National Park Service this week.

The Glacier visit focused on a warming planet. Jewell called Glacier the leading edge, maybe even the bleeding edge, for responding to climate change.

She later flew to Gardiner for Thursday nights NPS centennial celebration and concert at the Roosevelt Arch -- Yellowstone National Parks north entrance -- after winding up her day in Glacier.

The Yellowstone event promised more flair. Jewell was joined there by two governors, the director of the National Park Service, and descendants of President Theodore Roosevelt and Stephen Mather, the NPSs first director, for a concert by Emmylou Harris and John Prine.

But it wasnt likely to compare to Glaciers scenery on a beautiful late-summer day, and the Interior secretary also seemed to enjoy interacting with hikers she met on the Hidden Lake Trail.

Most were surprised to find themselves sharing the pathway and boardwalk with a member of President Barack Obamas Cabinet.

Daryl Sieker of West Linn, Oregon, was celebrating his 75th birthday and upcoming 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren  all making their first trip to Glacier Park  when they encountered Jewell and the entourage on the trail.

We heard people in the parking lot say they thought the Secretary of the Interior was up here, he said.

So we said hello and asked if shed take a picture with my children, added daughter Hilary Wirkkala. Soon the whole family was crowding around Jewell, one of dozens of times the former CEO of outdoor retailer REI obliged visitors with similar requests.

It was an incredible idea our leaders had 100 years ago that brought us the National Park Service, Jewell said. In other places in the world, such places would likely be playgrounds for the wealthy or royalty, but these lands belong to all Americans.

***

Jewell even got to see a bear -- a black bear, not a grizzly -- on her trip back down the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Highway after the hike. The bear was just yards off the pavement, wrestling berries from a bush.

While on the Hidden Lake Trail, Dan Fagre of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Glacier interpretive ranger Tiegen Tomlin, passed on a boatload of facts relating to climate change and Glacier.

Because of its disappearing glaciers, the national park is one of the worlds most visible pieces of evidence that climate change is happening rapidly.

Humans dont cause the climate to change, Tomlin said. We accelerate it.

There were 100 square kilometers of ice here when the park was formed, Fagre said, and 15 square kilometers today.

So 85 percent of the ice is gone, he said. The snowpack is in a 50-year decline. And it starts melting 30 days earlier than it used to.

Any patch of ground in Glacier has, on average, 26 fewer days of snow cover. Thats lengthened the growing season, added fuel for future wildfires, and tripled the height of trees in the alpine zone, encroaching on the habitat of mountain goats that need open spaces.

Climate change cascades through the whole system, Fagre said.

Another example: avalanches.

At a stop at Big Bend on the way down Going-to-the-Sun, Fagre told the group they were in one of the gnarliest parts of the road for avalanches. Avalanches are barreling at full force when they go through here.

But the snow was once dry. Now its wet, he said.

An avalanche is completely different with water-soaked snow, Fagre said. It has the force of moving concrete.

Glacier is at the forefront of this aspect of climate change too, he said, because the parks mountain peaks are at a lower elevation than many others in America.

***

Fagre also warned of the potential coming of major insect outbreaks.

Wintertime temperatures of 25-below-zero are needed for three weeks to control bugs that devastate trees, Fagre said, and Glacier doesnt get those anymore.

In British Columbia, 50 million acres of trees have been killed or knocked back, Fagre said. Thats 50 Glacier National Parks. If the larvae isnt killed, the next year youve got an Army of insects. The trees are also stressed by the heat in summer. The bugs get on a roll, and keep on rolling.

That reduces the forest canopy, and affects plant and animal life on the ground.

Some believe that going forward, the pine beetle species could move across Canada and then come down into the southern United States, decimating a major source of timber in this country.

Thats speculation, Fagre said, but its one of the things we need to start thinking of.

Jewell noted that Glacier isnt the only place where a parks namesake is in danger.

Joshua Tree National Park may not have Joshua trees one day, she said. Its hard to imagine places like these without those things.

The climate change deniers -- I just dont get it, Jewell added later. The science is abundantly clear. If you dont get on board, well, the rest of us are.
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton sent a letter to schools this week to tell administrators they do not have to follow transgender bathroom guidance issued by the U.S. government in May.

On Sunday, a federal judge in Fort Worth awarded an injunction against the Obama administration to Texas and 14 other plaintiffs in a landmark lawsuit. Judge Reed OConnor ruled that Texas, other states and school districts involved in the lawsuit do not have to have to follow a federal directive to make bathroom accommodations for transgender students.

In awarding the injunction, OConnor found the U.S. government had violated notice and comment rules set forth in the Administrative Procedure Act when it issued the guidance.

On Thursday, Paxton sent a letter to schools to explain the courts action, as his office has received multiple inquiries on what the state of the law is in light of the injunction.

No educational institution in Texas needs to change its policies regarding intimate facilities to comply with the unenforceable federal guideline, Paxtons letter to schools says.

My office brought this lawsuit to stop the Obama Administration from rewriting the laws that have been enacted by the elected representatives of the peopleand to stop his administrative agencies from threatening to take away federal funding from schools to force them to conform.

The injunction granted does precisely that, the latter reads.

Attorneys representing the U.S. government have not yet responded to the court action. Its unknown how they will proceed with the case.



Shortly after Paxtons letter was sent to schools, the American Civil Liberties Union fired back by accusing Paxton of attempting to mislead school districts about the law.

The order does not affect school districts at all, wrote Rebecca L. Robertson, legal and policy director of ACLU Texas. As the Attorney General knows, the order temporarily prevents the Obama administration from acting on the guidance it issued.

But school districts in Texas that already have inclusive policies to protect their transgender students are free to enforce them. Schools districts considering such policies are free to adopt them.

Though the fight over transgender bathroom rights is still being waged, Texas has already launched a new offensive against the federal government  this time over protections for transgender people enumerated in the Affordable Care Act. As in the transgender lawsuit, this case also has been filed in Wichita Falls and assigned to Judge Reed OConnor.

Significant Guidance Letter
Robert Schusteff, Wichita Falls

Reading the letter ('Hillary bad for country') in the TRN of Aug. 20 I was struck by what I considered to be extreme accusations against Hillary Clinton and felt compelled to balance the charges with a smidgen of information to the contrary.

It suggested that a quid pro quo was established for the donation by the Boeing to the Clinton Foundation in exchange for Hillary's 'granting' of a contract, worth billions to Boeing Corporation, to sell their airliners to Russia's Aeroflot.

Secretaries of State fulfill one of their basic duties by encouraging foreign governments and companies to trade with U.S. companies. No foul there.

In 2009, Aeroflot, with Putin's 'put-in' decided to 'ground' Tupelov and 'favor' Boeing due to high fuel costs of the Tupelovs.

It stated that Hillary had approved the deal for Uranium One (a Canadian company) to transfer a significant amount of weapons grade uranium to an unfriendly country.

Approval can only come from the Committee on Foreign Investment consisting of representatives of the State, Defense, Justice, Commerce, Energy, Homeland Security departments and the U.S. Trade Commission, all with no affiliation with the Clinton Foundation.

It was also intimated that Denmark has contributed $10 million to $25 million (a huge range, but perhaps chump change to the Donald) to the Clinton Foundation in return for Hillary building a $177.9 million embassy.

We are always building embassies around the world; compare the cost of Denmark's to Iraq's which is $750 million (both before cost overruns.) This is done not only for valid diplomatic reasons, but to enhance our prestige throughout the world.

Most egregious was the statement that Hillary will (not 'might'), if elected, appoint Muslim judges to allow Sharia law in the United States, I assume to the exclusion of English Common Law. Vacuous, indeed. Moronic in fact!

Hillary has baggage! She also has a record of effort and accomplishment that deserves to be 'ferreted' out along with her baggage.

She is not my first choice of a woman to be president. She is one of two our major political parties have nominated. I will vote my choice of the better of the two and that is most assuredly  not Donald Trump.
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COLONIE  After nearly 73 years, the remains of U.S. Marine Corps Pfc. George H. Traver of Chatham, who was killed in combat in the Pacific during World War II, came home on Friday.

Traver's remains were flown from a military laboratory in Hawaii to the Albany International Airport.

Marines carried a wooden coffin draped with an American flag to a receiving line with more than a dozen of Traver's family members waiting on the tarmac. A motorcade led by Patriot Guard motorcycle riders traveled to Chatham, where there will be a weekend of public events.

The Marine's bones were located earlier this year with the assistance of ground-penetrating radar, a dog specially trained to find human remains and volunteer searchers with History Flight, an organization committed to finding, recovering and repatriating 84,000 missing service members from America's wars of the 20th century.

Traver was 25 years old when he was killed on Nov. 20, 1943, on Betio Island in the Tarawa Atoll of the Gilbert Islands. It was the first American offensive against Japanese forces in the strategic central Pacific region.

READ MORE ABOUT TRAVER'S FAMILY'S LONG SEARCH FOR CLOSURE ON TIMESUNION PLUS.

Calling hours will be 3-7 p.m. Saturday at French, Gifford, Preiter & Blasl Funeral Home, 25 Railroad Ave., Chatham. His funeral will be at 2 p.m. Sunday at St. James Catholic Church in Chatham followed by interment with full military honors at the Chatham Rural Cemetery.

Donations may be made to the History Flight organization, 5409 Overseas Hwy #101, Marathon, FL 33050 would be appreciated.
Reno, Nev.

Hillary Clinton delivered a blistering denunciation Thursday of Donald Trump's personal and political history with race, arguing in her most forceful terms yet that a nationalist conservative fringe had engulfed the Republican Party.

In a 31-minute address, building to a controlled simmer, Clinton did everything but call Trump a racist outright  saying he had promoted "racist lie" after "racist lie," pushed conspiracy theories with "racist undertones" and heartened racists across the country by submitting to an "emerging racist ideology known as the alt-right."

"He is taking hate groups mainstream," Clinton told supporters at a community college here, "and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party."

Clinton said that while a racially charged and "paranoid fringe" had always existed in politics, "it's never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it and giving it a national megaphone, until now."

Clinton's remarks coincide with a conspicuous shift in strategy from Trump, who has spoken with more compassion about people in the country illegally and expressed a desire to win African-American support. He has even suggested he might revisit his call to deport 11 million immigrants in the United States illegally, a pivot seen as an attempt to draw in moderate voters turned off by his views.

With Trump's rise, Clinton has often struck a have-you-no-sense-of-decency theme in her critiques  warning sternly and repeatedly that the arc of his candidacy transcended standard political attack.

But her effort on Thursday was remarkable for its exhaustive accounting of Trump's controversial racial history in business and in his presidential campaign.

Clinton detailed the Justice Department's housing discrimination case against Trump during the 1970s, noting that the applications of black and Latino residents "would be marked with a 'C'  'C' for colored."

She said state regulators had fined a Trump casino for repeatedly removing black dealers from the floor and reminded the audience of Trump's promotion of "birtherism," questioning President Barack Obama's birthplace.

She recalled his opening salvo in the Republican primary, calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals when he announced his candidacy, and his more recent suggestion that a judge with a Mexican heritage could not be impartial in hearing a case involving Trump University.

"This is someone who retweets white supremacists online," Clinton said, citing a posting by someone with the user name "WhiteGenocideTM. "Trump took this fringe bigot with a few dozen followers and spread his message to 11 million people."

By the end, Clinton was quoting headlines from the Breitbart News website, which is overseen by Trump's new campaign chief, Stephen K. Bannon.

"I'm not making this up," she warned, before digging into the site's archives: "Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy"; "'Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?'"; "Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage."

The address came a week after Trump hired Bannon, who has eagerly described the site as "the platform for the alt-right"  a loosely defined and contested term often associated with white nationalist and anti-immigrant sentiment.

"The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump campaign represents a landmark achievement for the alt-right," Clinton said.

At a rally in Manchester, N.H., on Thursday afternoon, Trump offered a pre-emptive response to Clinton's speech, portraying her attacks as directed not only at him, but also at his many supporters.

"She lies, and she smears, and she paints decent Americans  you  as racists," he said, motioning toward the crowd gathered at a hotel. "She bullies voters who only want a better future and tries to intimidate them out of voting for a change."

He offered a pointed response to Clinton and those "pushing her to spread smears and her lies about decent people."

"I have three words," he said. "I want you to remember these three words: Shame on you."

Clinton's pitch seemed aimed largely at moderate Republicans and other voters who have watched Trump's attempts in recent days to soften his image.

"Trump is trying to rebrand himself," she said. "Don't be fooled."

She detailed explicit rejections of racist behavior from prominent Republicans in the past, like Bob Dole, George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain of Arizona. And she defended the House speaker, Paul D. Ryan, and Sen. Ted Cruz, who had been attacked by Trump's campaign.

Jason Miller, a spokesman for Trump, said that with her attacks, Clinton was merely trying to direct attention away from her own controversies.

"Hillary Clinton's attempt to delete the single worst week of her political career isn't going to work," he said, citing uproars over her private email server and the Clinton Foundation.

Trump's recent efforts to moderate his tone, which have come in front of predominantly white audiences, have more than occasionally offended minority voters.

Trump has said African-Americans live in neighborhoods resembling "war zones," struggle to get by on food stamps and constantly face down errant gunfire.

"What do you have to lose?" he has asked.

On Thursday, Clinton offered her response: "The answer is everything."
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Hoosick Falls

New York's health and environmental commissioners along with Mayor David Borge are among the public officials expected to speak at a state Senate hearing next week at which legislators have pledged to examine government responses to the discovery of a toxic chemical in the village drinking water supplies.

The hearing Tuesday at Hoosick Falls High School was announced by the Senate Standing Committees on Health and Environmental Conservation after months of criticism directed at state and federal officials, who waited more than a year to warn residents to stop drinking the water. The Senate scheduled the hearing after the U.S. House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform launched an investigation of the responses by the state and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

A state Senate source confirmed that Health Commissioner Howard Zucker was expected to speak. The Times Union also confirmed numerous other speakers who are expected to attend, including DEC Commissioner Basil Seggos.

"DEC welcomes any opportunity to continue to discuss the actions we've taken to address PFOA contamination in Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh, and around the state," a DEC spokesman said.

Multiple health and environmental agencies became aware beginning in August 2014 that the village's wells were contaminated with perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOA, but months of internal debate about how to handle the situation  and whether to tell the public  ensued, according to government emails made public by the Times Union in February.

PFOA is a suspected carcinogen that has been widely used since the 1940s to make industrial and household products such as nonstick coatings and heat-resistant wiring. It was utilized at a factory owned by Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics near the village's water treatment plant.

Michael Hickey, a resident who discovered and warned village officials about the pollution in August 2014, and Dr. Marcus Martinez, who runs a family medical practice in Hoosick Falls, also are scheduled to speak at Tuesday's hearing. Rensselaer County officials confirmed that Mary Fran Wachunas, the county's public health director, Hoosick Town Supervisor Mark Surdam also are expected to appear before the Senate panel.

The EPA plans to issue a statement to the panel, but no officials from that agency will appear.

Dina Pokedoff, a spokeswoman for Saint-Gobain, said the company is "unable to attend this hearing" but it also submitted a written statement to the committee.

State Sen. Kathy Marchione, R-Halfmoon, represents the district that includes Hoosick Falls and Petersburgh, where PFOA also contaminated water supplies. On Friday she said she wants local residents who are also signing up to speak at the hearing to "share their experiences, outline the difficulties they've endured and express the urgent needs they still have and the many community challenges that remain."

The hearing will focus on determining "who caused this crisis and are legally, financially and morally responsible to fix damage they have caused and make these communities whole," the senator said. "Accountability also includes asking government agencies about ongoing mitigation and eventual cleanup of the superfund sites." ,"

Marchione said said many residents lack health insurance and need help with medical expenses, including long-term monitoring of their health.

Marchione's office has been gathering records in preparation for the hearing. She is scheduled to be on the Senate panel along with Health Committee Chairman Kemp Hannon, R-Long Island, and Environmental Conservation Committee Chairman Tom O'Mara, R-Chemung County.

State Health Department officials and members of Gov. Andrew Cuomo's administration have defended their response to the water-pollution crisis, and cast blame at the EPA for issuing vague advisories about the potential health effects of PFOA.

In December, the state Health Department sent a toxicologist and a member of its Bureau of Water Supply Protection to an informational meeting in Hoosick Falls where they handed out "fact sheets" that included the statement: "Health effects are not expected to occur from normal use of the water."

At the same meeting, Mayor Borge told the Times Union "it's a personal choice" whether people should continue drinking the contaminated water."

Hundreds of emails turned over to the Times Union earlier this year in response to a Freedom of Information Law request indicate that Borge was receiving information from the state Health Department that it was not necessary to even test the water for PFOA, or publicly disclose that it was detected at levels that, at the time, exceeded the EPA's advisory for short-term exposure of 400 parts per trillion.

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The EPA has since issued a nationwide advisory recommending that PFOA in water supplies not exceed 70 parts per trillion.

PFOA was detected in Hoosick Falls water supply at levels that included more than 600 parts per trillion. High levels of the chemical also have been found in Petersburgh wells, and private wells in the town of Hoosick and village of Hoosick Falls.

The state Assembly has scheduled its own hearing on the Hoosick Falls water crisis for Sept. 7, and is expected to invite some of the same speakers appearing at next week's Senate hearing.

The Assembly's list of speakers includes Dr. Howard A. Freed, who was director of the state Center for Environmental Health for four years until 2012.

In February, the Times Union interviewed Freed for a story that raised questions about whether the Health Department unit he once headed has historically downplayed public health crises similar to the one facing the Rensselaer County communities. The story noted that six months after PFOA was discovered in the Hoosick Falls' public water supply, the CEH issued an advisory declaring the situation "does not constitute an immediate health hazard." Many residents were infuriated that 10 mre months passed before they were warned to stop drinking the water.

It's unclear whether the congressional committee that has asked Cuomo's office and the EPA to turn over records on their handling of the Hoosick Falls' water crisis will conduct a hearing. The House committee, in letters to the EPA and Cuomo, cited Times Union articles and other news reports indicating that officials at all levels of government, including the state and Rensselaer County Health departments, as well as the EPA, were aware for more than a year that the hazardous chemical had polluted the village's water system but did not warn residents to stop drinking the water.

The Senate said its hearing will center on water contamination and local, state and federal oversight issues; and what can be done to assist affected community and mitigate future contamination.

Earlier this month, Richard Azzopardi, a spokesman for Cuomo, said: "We will gladly share our experience in New York to clarify the facts and the steps we have taken to address these challenges in the face of shifting guidelines and the absence of clear federal regulation."

blyons@timesunion.com  518-454-5547  @brendan_lyonstu
THE ISSUE:

Fiscal purists in Congress suddenly see the need for federal disaster aid when their states are affected.

THE STAKES:

It's a start, but will they see the bigger picture of climate change?

More Information To comment: tuletters@timesunion.com or at http://blog.timesunion.com/opinion See More Collapse

Some Louisiana politicians have suddenly gotten religion. Call it the Gospel of Federal Aid.

Forget cold-hearted, tea party tight-fistedness. It's time for some brotherly love, America.

So say Reps. Steve Scalise and John Fleming, and U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, all budget hawks who, four years ago, voted against a $50 billion aid package for victims of Superstorm Sandy in New York and New Jersey. With recent floods in Louisiana leaving at least 13 dead and 60,000 homes damaged in what the Red Cross says is the worst natural disaster in the U.S. since Sandy, with the destruction in the billions of dollars, these same politicians are all for disaster aid. For their state, that is, and right now, please.

It's quite a change of tune for these three, all members of the House Tea Party Caucus and, in Mr. Fleming's case, of the ultra-conservative Freedom Caucus, as well.

But it's hardly a surprise. We saw exactly this abrupt change of heart last year when some South Carolina members of the Tea Party Caucus and the Freedom Caucus  who also voted no on Sandy aid  called for federal help for their state after historic rains caused widespread damage.

And they'll all get it, because this is ultimately about American values, not the duplicitous philosophy of a movement that preaches rigid fiscal conservatism except when it's politically inconvenient, as floods can be in an election year.

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This is, of course, natural political behavior. It's easy to take a hard ideological line until the consequences hit home  until one's state or district needs disaster aid, or a local military base is deemed unnecessary. Or a family member needs an abortion, or a child comes out as gay or lesbian. Suddenly political philosophy falls away; arguments get nuanced, and solutions complicated.

But the Louisiana floods challenge more than conservative fiscal philosophy and the obsession, especially in the last eight years or so, with deficits and debt. They also challenge the dogma of denial on global warming that's been preached by the tea party and much of the Republican majority in Congress. Scientists have been warning for years that as the planet warms, we will see more dramatic weather, including more severe flooding, especially in coastal areas. And here it is.

Our best understanding is that these sorts of multibillion dollar disasters will increase in frequency unless governments around the globe take steps to reduce reliance on fossil fuels and lower greenhouse gas emissions. It is not something we can wait until some imaginary last minute to fix; slowing and reversing the effects is likely to take decades as it is.

This requires more than the brief bursts of convenient enlightenment on disaster aid that we've seen in places like South Carolina and Louisiana. Congress needs a real change of thinking on global warming now, not in some uncertain future when it's more politically comfortable  a genuine conversion, one that endures even after the floodwaters recede.
Thumbs up

Thursday marked the 100-year anniversary of the National Park Service, which just might be Montanas favorite government agency.

Among the 59 officially designated national parks is our nations first, Yellowstone National Park partly located in southern Montana, and Glacier National Park to the north. And conveniently nestled about midway between these two gems is our beloved home in Montanas capital city.

In less than three hours, those of us in Helena can be in the presence of the largest supervolcano on earth or majestic fields of ice believed to have formed more than 7,000 years ago. And that probably wouldnt have been possible today if it werent for the self-restraint exercised by our federal government when it formed the National Park Service to protect instead of exploit these great places 100 years ago this week.

Happy birthday, National Park Service. You truly are "America's Best Idea."

***

Thumbs down

Lewis and Clark County has reached severe drought status, which means its time to start giving more thought to water conservation in our area.

The Governors Drought and Water Supply Advisory Committee Chairman Lt. Gov. Mike Cooney said the region has experienced two years of low snowpack, early runoff and little moisture under the soil, the Associated Press reported. And the Helena Valley is about two inches behind average yearly precipitation, Lewis and Clark County Disaster and Emergency Services Coordinator Paul Spengler said.

Local residents can take a number of steps to reduce their water consumption, including taking showers instead of baths, avoiding overwatering lawns and turning off the tap while brushing teeth.

Visit www.ready.gov/drought for more water-conservation tips from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
If this were like most election years, we would be in a season of hope  a time when partisans can imagine their candidates victorious and entertain visions of all the good acts that will follow.

But this is no normal campaign season. Casting a dark shadow over every race is a presidential contest provoking not hope, but fear. Hope brings energy to politics; fear brings anger.

It's felt on both sides: fear that Donald Trump, clearly untethered and perhaps unbalanced, might provoke global chaos and domestic violence; fear that Hillary Clinton, seen by many as pathologically untrustworthy, might somehow undermine fundamental American freedoms.

Any way things turn out on Nov. 8, millions of Americans will be bitterly disappointed. Political disappointment stings in an ordinary election year; this year, it could crush.

More Information Rex Smith is editor of the Times Union. Share your thoughts at http://blog.timesunion.com/editors. See More Collapse

Sometimes disappointed followers turn on their candidates, like the avid backers of Bernie Sanders who said last month that he had broken their hearts and betrayed their values when he endorsed Clinton. That lingering disappointment played out this week in the chaotic launch of Sanders' new political movement, Our Revolution: Most of its staff quit the day before the group's unveiling, in what looked like the sort of internecine conflict that so often disrupts progressive movements.

That's small potatoes, of course, compared to the threat issued by a disappointed Trump supporter, "Nate from Virginia," this week on Glenn Beck's radio show, amid signs that Trump was flip-flopping his stance on immigration to more or less match that of Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio. If Trump doesn't in fact build a wall along the Mexican border to keep out threatening Latino hordes, Nate said, "We're going to come after him, personally. You know what I mean? We're going to get him."

Talk like that can't be ignored this year, because this season's fear and anger  born in frustration with the political system's failures, stoked by the undeniably harsh tenor of Trump's campaign  has aroused a bellicose population.

Recent polling suggests Trump won't get a chance to build his wall, anyway, unless he can find some sucker financial institution to lend him enough to do it privately  surely unlikley, since Fortune Magazine estimates Trump is already propped up by $1 billion of other people's money.

The latest Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation projection says Clinton would have a 95 percent chance of winning if the election were held today. A lot can change before Election Day, but you have to wonder: What would Trump and his backers do in the face of a disappointing loss? And Clinton?

Some presidential losers quit politics: Michael Dukakis soon became a college professor; Bob Dole turned pitchman for Viagra and Pepsi. Some keep running: Eugene McCarthy, defeated for the Democratic nomination in 1968, ran four more times on various ballot lines, his support declining with each race.

It's more significant to weigh what the candidates' supporters will do when their hero falls. Will they turn violent, as Nate threatens? Disruptive, like the True Berners? Or just drop out?

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A small field in academia studies political disappointment. The research takes note of the fact that citizens expect a lot of their government in western democracies, but that increasingly stressed political systems, including our own, are ill-equipped to deliver.

Consider: If there's a Clinton presidency, it will almost certainly face a Republican majority in the House with even fewer moderate members than now, and probably a Senate with at least enough Republicans to block most major legislation by the threat of fillibuster, if not a GOP majority. If the Republican philosophy in 2017 echoes the make-this-president-fail mantra that greeted Barack Obama, the post-election disappointment of Trump backers will be augmented by post-inauguration disappointment of Clinton's corps.

"Unfulfilled expectations among citizens ... contribute to feelings of dissatisfaction and discontent with the political system," reports University of Kent researcher Ben Seyd. "Disappointed citizens are less likely to participate in politics than their contented counterparts."

A solution, Seyd suggests, is to better educate citizens on the complexities of decision making in our societies. If politicians are more honest about what government can and can't realistically deliver, he says, the disillusionment and cynicism of citizens may be diminished.

But what candidate can practice such honesty? Nuance is cumbersome. Fear works so well; never mind the hope-crushing anger it provokes, not now, anyway. Maybe some other year.

How disappointing.
Parents bringing their children to school next Monday could face delays as the next phase of Nenagh's 17m natural gas, water and waste water project commences.

With the contractors due to finish in Kenyon Street this Friday, the work will move from next Monday, August 29, to Kickham Street and MacDonagh Street roundabout to Kickham Street roundabout. This will affect some parents dropping and collecting children from St Mary's Secondary School and the Convent Primary School.

The work will be carried out in two phases and Gas Networks Ireland wrote to all businesses and residents on August 19 to outline how it will progress.

From 7am next Monday, work will take place from MacDonagh Street roundabout to the jucntion with Kickham Street. The south end of Pearse Street will be open to local traffic only while the Kickham Street junction is closed.

It is anticipated that the work will take up to six weeks.

When it is complete the second phase will start from the south end of Kickham Street to the Market Cross. This work is expected to last up to four weeks. The north end of Pearse Street will reopen to traffic prior to commencement of works in this area.

Buses serving Kickham Street will be relocated on a temporary basis, with the Athlone / Limerick bus stop moving to O'Rahilly Street and the Limerick / Dublin buses being relocated to Nenagh railway station.

Diversions will be in place but pedestestrian and emergency service access will be maintained.

Motorosist faced delays along St Conlon's Road over the past few days as the contractor pressure tested the gas pipeline. It expected to complete testing as far as Monaree junction this Thursday, which takes the works beyond the Gaelscoil road entrance - Joe Daly Road / Woodview Close.

However, traffic lights will be back up on St Conlans Road early next week to complete the section from Monaree junction to the entrance to Procter & Gamble.

Meanwhile, Tipperary County Council has put plans for Main Street, Borrisokane, on display in the Civic Offices, in Nenagh and Clonmel. Cllr Ger Darcy had asked that the plans be displayed in Borrisokane library. The public has until September 30, to make submissions on the plans.
The Gardai have urged homeowners to be extra vigilant in this the peak holiday season as burglars target temporarily vacated homes.

A spokesman urged property owners going on holidays to ask neighbours to keep a watch out on their homes or inform the gardai that they are away.

The warning comes after a house was broken into at Cluain Caoin in Nenagh on Monday of last week. A PlayStation and a game, worth a total of 520, were reported stolen by the occupant of the property.

On the same date a male was arrested for a suspected breach of public order at Sarsfield Street, Nenagh. The male is accused of being intoxicated and threatening and insulting members of the public. The incident was reported to have taken place at around 6.45pm.

Also on Monday of last week gardai in Roscrea arrested an individaul on suspicion of drink driving. The man was taken into custody after he was stopped on the Templemore road at 11.30pm.

Roscrea Gardai are investigating an alleged incident last Friday night last after a woman reported that a tyre on her car parked at Rosemary Square had been deflated and the fuse box of the vehicle pulled out.

There were also a numbe r of public order offences reported in the past week on Flannan's Street and Ormond Keep, Nenagh. Two men were arrested in the early hours of Sunday last. The arrests in Ormond Keep occurred at around 6.50am and those in Flannan's Street 10 minutes later. Gardai are investigating reports that a male was struck.

In a separate incident, a man was arrested for a suspected breach of public order at the Apple Green Service Station in Birdhill at around 6.30pm on Thursday last. Gardai in Killaloe detained the individual who was sitting in the passenger seat of a car, reportedly intoxicated and drinking a bottle of beer.
[August 26, 2016] 91% of Wisconsin Virtual Academy Students Benefitted Academically From Curriculum in 2015-2016

Students at Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA), a full-time online public charter school authorized by the McFarland School District, will return for their 2016-2017 school year on September 1 as the program marks its 8th year of operation in the state. According to a spring 2016 survey conducted by Edge Research, 91% of the families with students enrolled in the school during the 2015-2016 school year felt that their child had benefitted academically from the curriculum. This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005451/en/ "Another year brings another exciting group of students to the WIVA community," said Nicholaus Sutherland, Head of School at Wisconsin Virtual Academy. "Our program encompasses a unique, tailored approach to learning that allows students to reach their true potential. We're pleased to welcome both new and returning families to school this fall." WIVA is a tuition-free online academic option available to all students in grades K through 12 who reside in Wisconsin. Students and parents access lessons virtually and communicate online and over the phone with experienced, Wisconsin-licensed teachers who monitor student progress and provide professional instruction and remediation. The rigorous and engaging K1 curriculum utilized by the school includes courses in language arts/English, math, science, history, and art, with world languages or music available as electives for students in grades K-8. The high school program offers more than 150 courses with multiple academic levels, including core, comprehensive, Honors, and Advanced Placement.



"I really appreciate the support we receive," said Mary Dharsi, whose children will be returning to WIVA this year for 1st and 4th grade. "From the teachers to the tech support, we can always count on someone to be available when we need them. The adaptiveness of the program just works for us, and my kids really enjoy participating in online activities and clubs." Earlier this summer WIVA challenged enrolled families to prevent summer 'brain drain' by offering students free access to LearnBop, a self-paced solution that simulates a one-on-one, personalized math tutoring experience. The award-winning online program will continue to be available free of charge throughout the fall and can be used alongside the regular math curriculum to build math skills or prepare for high-level exams.

Families who meet one of the exceptions outlined by the Department of Public Instruction policy can apply through the Open Enrollment Alternative Process for the upcoming 2016-2017 school year. Families can find more information on the school at http://wiva.k12.com/how-enroll.html and follow on Facebook. About Wisconsin Virtual Academy Wisconsin Virtual Academy (WIVA), a charter school authorized by the McFarland School District, is the largest full-time online public charter school serving students in grades K through 12 in the state. As part of the Wisconsin public school system, WIVA is tuition-free, giving parents and families the choice to access the award-winning curriculum and tools provided by K12 Inc., the nation's largest provider of proprietary curriculum and online education programs. For more information about WIVA, visit http://wiva.k12.com. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005451/en/

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[August 26, 2016] A.M. BestTV: China Looks to Captives for Insurance Growth

In this A.M.BestTV episode, a host of new captive insurance organizations are emerging in China as the country's insurance regulator seeks sector growth. Click on http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=chinacaptives816 to view the entire program. "There are huge opportunities for growing captives in China," said Paul Owens, chief executive officer, global captive practice, Willis Towers Watson. "The Chinese Insurance Regulatory Committee (CIRC) has a stated aim to grow insurance premium by 20% per year, and one of the key elements and drivers to attain that goal will be the captive sector." Steve Kinion, director of captives, Delaware, believes that China not only is one of the largest insurance markets in the world, but in 10 years, "it will be the second largest insurance market, which allows for a lot of captive growth." Owens and Kinion said they are working very closely with the CIRC to help the senior managers understand the "real nuts and bolts" in developing a regulatory framework, which China presently lacks. Recent episodes of A.M.BestTV include: Captive Feasibility Studies Reveal Changing Risks, Says Milliman Consultant : Michael Meehan, a consultant at Milliman Inc., discusses how cyber risk and medical stop-loss coverages are becoming more common risk topics as sponsors conduct feasibility studies for potential captive coverage: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=meehan816.

: Michael Meehan, a consultant at Milliman Inc., discusses how cyber risk and medical stop-loss coverages are becoming more common risk topics as sponsors conduct feasibility studies for potential captive coverage: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=meehan816. Soaring Prescription Drug Costs Drive Insurer Expenses: Prescription drug costs are rising, fueled by new and generic drugs and by increased usage, at the same time that medical costs are trending down: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=prescription816. Analysts Review the State of Rated Captives : The aggregated financial results for the subset of captive insurance companies followed by A.M. Best are better than results for the broader U.S. commercial insurance sector: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=captivepanel816.

: The aggregated financial results for the subset of captive insurance companies followed by are better than results for the broader U.S. commercial insurance sector: http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=captivepanel816. Charting a Course for Insurance in Cuba, the 'Country That Time Forgot': The thawing relationship between the United States and Cuba is revealing opportunities for insurance companies:



http://www.ambest.com/v.asp?v=cuba816. A.M.BestTV covers exclusive A.M. Best information and reports, targeted topics and key developments in the (re)insurance industry every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Sign up for alerts of episodes at http://www.ambest.com/multimedia/ambtvsignup.html. View A.M.BestTV episodes at http://www.ambest.tv.

A.M. Best is the world's oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com. Copyright  2016 by A.M. Best Company, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005547/en/

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[August 26, 2016] Empire BlueCross BlueShield Announces One-Year Enrollment and Graduation Results of Free College Degree Program with College for America at SNHU

Just one year since announcing a debt-free college degree benefit, Empire BlueCross BlueShield already has 140 employees enrolled and nine graduates of the program. Operated in conjunction with College for America at Southern New Hampshire University, the benefit is available to any Empire full-time or part-time employee who works 20 or more hours per week and has been employed at least six months. Full-time employees who participate in the College for America program can earn an associate or bachelor's degree at no cost as a result of Empire's tuition reimbursement benefit. "By offering a free degree program through our partnership with College for America, we are reinforcing our commitment to supporting our associates in their career development and helping them achieve their professional goals. For many, their goal is to earn their college degree," said Larry Schreiber, president and CEO of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. "I am proud to say that nine members of our New York team have achieved their goal of earning their degree, and they did it at their own accelerated pace, using on-the-job skills and knowledge." College for America has also expanded its degree offerings to include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management in three concentrations - Insurance Services, Logistics and Opertions, and Public Administration. College for America partners with employers to offer a competency-based, online curriculum that is engineered to help associates fit a fully-accredited college degree in the busy lives of working adults.



"Thanks to the response from Empire BlueCross BlueShield associates, College for America is evolving its curriculum and expanding its educational offerings to meet the needs of the company's workforce - helping its associates earn an accredited degree that will help them get ahead in their life and career without taking on debt," said Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University. "This partnership continues to be a model for aligning employer demand with the kind of competency-based, workforce-applicable higher education we have pioneered at College for America." To date, nearly 1,600 employees of Empire's parent company are enrolled in the program nationwide and 92 degrees awarded.

About Empire BlueCross BlueShield Serving New Yorkers for 80 years, Empire BlueCross BlueShield is the largest health insurer in New York supporting more than four million members and more than 38,000 business, union and small employers in New York. Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice Assurance, Inc., and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice HMO, Inc., independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, serving residents and businesses in the 28 eastern and southeastern counties of New York State. Additional information about Empire is available at www.empireblue.com. Also, follow us on Twitter (News - Alert) at @empirebcbs. About College for America at Southern New Hampshire University College for America is the workforce development and competency-based education college at Southern New Hampshire University - a nonprofit, fully accredited University based in Manchester, NH. College for America partners with more than 100 employers nationwide to help their associates achieve a college degree through a program built specifically for working adults: competency-based, flexibly-scheduled, workplace-applicable, and just $3,000/year, often covered in full or part by employers. For more, visit www.collegeforamerica.org. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005447/en/

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Did you know that Montana was home to the first Social Security law in the United States? In 1923 Montana Gov. Joe Dixon signed the Old Age Pension Bill into law -- 12 years before President Roosevelt signed the Social Security Act.

Social Security has been, and continues to be, crucial for older Montanans.

So with the first presidential debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump quickly approaching on Sept. 26, folks across the state will be paying close attention -- hoping and expecting debate moderators to ask each candidate to explain their plans to strengthen Social Security.

Social Security is the foundation for financial security in retirement, yet many younger Montanans think Social Security is irrelevant to them. The reason, according to a 2015 AARP poll, is that more than half of all 18-29 year-olds and 65 percent of all 30-49 year-olds believe Social Security won't be there for them later in life.

Although these concerns are valid, the reality is that Social Security will continue to pay about three-quarters of scheduled benefits after the Social Security trust fund is depleted in 2034. Even a depleted trust fund can pay reduced benefits because every month, Social Security collects billions of dollars in payroll taxes, and those funds continue to pay for current benefits.

However, without immediate action, Social Security benefits could be substantially reduced for all Americans.

If Social Security is not updated and kept strong, after 2034 beneficiaries will lose $4,000 to $10,000 per year in benefits.

That's a lot of money. Thats why it's crucial that America's leaders explain where they stand on the protection of Social Securitys future.

In the last year, voters have heard nearly two dozen presidential debates. Yet fewer than 3 percent of all the questions asked in those debates have focused on Social Security.

That's unfortunate -- especially considering the impact that Social Security has on Montana families. Here are the facts:

 For more than half of Montana retirees, Social Security represents at least half of their overall income. For 22 percent of Montana retirees, Social Security is over 90 percent of their income.

 Because retirement savings continue to be alarmingly low for many Montana workers, the importance of Social Security will only continue to grow. In the just-released Employee Benefits Research Institute 2016 Retirement Confidence Survey, 42 percent of all U.S. workers surveyed said they had less than $10,000 saved for retirement. Younger workers are even more likely to have little saved -- in 2015, 57 percent of workers age 25-34 reported having less than $10,000 in savings.

 Social Security is the bedrock on which a successful retirement plan is built. Your Social Security check is there every month -- regardless of the ups and downs of the market. Unfortunately, even a lifetime of faithful saving can be wiped out by a stock-market crash, high medical costs or long-term care expenses.

 Keeping Social Security strong helps all of Montana. The program pumps a staggering $2.7 billion into Montanas economy each year.

To help make sure Social Security is there for all Montanans -- including our children and grandchildren -- AARP has launched a nationwide initiative called Take A Stand. Since last fall, AARP volunteers across the country have urged candidates to explain -- with specifics and in detail -- exactly how they would keep Social Security strong.

Lets hope the presidential debate moderators pose the same question.

In the meantime, AARP will keep urging all the candidates, including those running for Congress, to spell out their plans to ensure that Social Security is there for us -- and for future generations.

At TakeAStand.aarp.org/why-act-now, AARP provides details about major proposals that could help fix Social Security -- from cutting benefits, to raising the full retirement age, to raising the payroll tax cap. An interactive tool lets you test your favorite solutions to see how that specific measure would help strengthen Social Security's future.

Ultimately, strengthening Social Security is a test of leadership. Those who aspire to our nations highest elected offices -- be it the Presidency, the U.S. Senate or Congress -- should be able to tell voters they'll take action to keep Social Security strong.

This election season, urge those who want your vote to Take A Stand.

Tim Summers is the state director for AARP Montana.
[August 25, 2016] Ohio Drug Price Ballot Measure: Advocates Submit 19,000 Voter Signatures, Far More than 5,044 Needed

In response to ongoing legal wrangling over a proposed Ohio ballot measure that would lower drug prices for state programs in Ohio, attorneys for the backers of the measure, known as the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act, today filed over 19,000 additional voter signatures in support of the measure, which backers intend to get placed on the November 2017 statewide ballot. On August 15th, the Supreme Court of Ohio issued a ruling in a case brought by PhRMA (Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers Association), the lobbying association of large drug manufacturers, seeking to invalidate thousands of voter signatures on the ballot measure. That ruling denied most of PhRMA's claims and objections on the signatures. And although some previous voter signatures were thrown out, one part of the court ruling directed backers of the ballot measure to collect an additional 5,000 voter signatures by August 25th to make up for a signature deficiency prompted by the pharmaceutical industry's legal wrangling. Earlier today, backers submitted over 19,000 additional vote signatures-far more than the 5,044 signatures required by the court. The Supreme Court of Ohio had previously dismissed (without prejudice) a lawsuit by backers and members of the drug pricing ballot measure citizens' committee that was seeking restoration of the voter signatures. The court wrote at the time that the backers' lawsuit was "premature," pending the resolution of a separate, but related lawsuit brought in the SCO by PhRMA in conjunction with the Ohio Manufacturers' Association seeking to invalidate voter signatures on the ballot measure. That August 15th ruling that resolved and denied the majority of PhRMA's claims and objections to the signatures also meant that the backers' lawsuit that had been previously dismissed was no longer "premature." As a result, members of the citizens' committee sponsoring the allot measure filed a new legal action (Case No. 2016-1235) on August 17th with the Supreme Court of Ohio against Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted seeking restoration of other voter signatures. Backers allege the signatures were unlawfully invalidated by Secretary Husted earlier this year. The legal action was filed as a Complaint in Original Action in Mandamus with the Supreme Court of Ohio.



The Ohio Drug Price Relief Act will amend Ohio law to require state programs to pay the same or less for prescription medications as the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs1. Backers intended to have the initiative appear on Ohio's November 2016 presidential election ballot, but obstructionist-and backers believe, illegal-moves by Secretary of State Husted have forced the ballot measure proponents to aim for the November 2017 Ohio ballot instead. "Secretary of State Jon Husted rode roughshod over local County Board of Elections that twice certified voter signatures for the Ohio Drug Price Relief Act when he eliminated those signatures, an act that thwarted attempts to get this measure before voters and on the ballot in Ohio," said Tracy Jones, Midwest Regional Director & National Director of Advocacy Campaigns.

"The Supreme Court's August 15th ruling in the PhRMA case forced us to have to gather an additional 5,000 signatures in just ten days in order to keep our ballot measure viable and compel Secretary Husted to transmit the language of our proposed drug pricing law to the Ohio legislature, as legally required under the Ohio Constitution," said Tracy Jones, one of the proponents of the ballot measure as well as the Midwest Regional Director & National Director of Advocacy Campaigns for AHF, the primary funder of the ballot measure. "I am proud to say that we more than honored this deadline and have just delivered over 19,000 additional signatures to Ohio election officials, far more than the 5,044 needed. We also still have a legal case pending before the court seeking to restore more than 20,000 other voter signatures that we believe Secretary Husted illegally invalidated. Either group of signatures will be more than enough to move the ballot measure forward and force Secretary Husted to advance this measure for consideration and possible action by the Ohio legislature as the next procedural step in ultimately bringing the critical issue of drug pricing before Ohio voters in November 2017." AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 614,000 individuals in 36 countries worldwide in the US, Africa, Latin America/Caribbean, the Asia/Pacific Region and Eastern Europe. To learn more about AHF, please visit our website: www.aidshealth.org, find us on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @aidshealthcare and Instagram: @aidshealthcare 1 V.A. pricing is generally believed to be 20% to 24% lower than for almost any other government program. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825006403/en/

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[August 26, 2016] Top 5 Vendors in the Indium Tin Oxide Market from 2016 to 2020: Technavio

Technavio has announced the top five leading vendors in their recent global indium tin oxide (ITO) market report until 2020. This research report also lists six other prominent vendors that are expected to impact the market during the forecast period. The global ITO market was valued at USD 2.59 billion in 2015 and is expected to reach USD 3.46 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of almost 6%. Indium is the major raw material used in the production of ITO; therefore, any fluctuation in the production or supply of indium directly affects the market. Indium is rare; its availability is limited to certain geographies. The reserves of indium are heavily concentrated in China, Canada, and Peru. The demand is high in Japan, Taiwan, and South Korea - the leading manufacturers of electronic products. Further, the price volatility of indium affects the primary consumption of the element in the production of ITO. The ITO market in APAC is foreseen to reach USD 1.95 billion by 2020, growing at a CAGR of 5.39%. China is the leading producer of indium; it accounts for a share of about 62% of the total global indium supplies. Indium obtained as a byproduct during the refining of zinc ore is minimal; therefore, its availability is limited. Further, the fact that it is obtained as a byproduct elevates the cost as it is not exclusively refined. Competitive vendor landscape The global ITO market is oligopolistic in nature because of the presence of a few players such as 3M (News - Alert), Umicore Thin Film Products, Indium Corporation, Nitto Denko, and Touch International. These companies have an expanded portfolio of products and depend on their proprietary manufacturing technologies. Some of them have manufacturing facilities located worldwide and operate through strategic partnerships and joint ventures. "New capacities are being set up by these companies to ensure proximity and easy access to the industries manufacturing end products such as solar panels, LCDs, thin film transistors, and semiconductors," says Chandrakumar Badala Jaganathan, one of the lead metals and minerals analysts from Technavio. However, the ITO market structure has been disrupted by the entry of small and medium-scale companies, especially those from the US, China, and Germany. These players use various technologies to formulate ITO substrates and sell them at competitive prices. Most vendors in the global ITO market distinguish their products on the basis of technology, availability, formulation, and value addition. Request sample report: http://goo.gl/O3rB7D Top five ITO market vendors 3M The company manufactures a range of products for industrial, electronics, safety, graphics, energy, healthcare, and consumer markets. Its major industrial products include vinyl, polyester, foil, and specialty industrial tapes and adhesives, packaging equipment, hot melt adhesives, sprays, and structural adhesives. 3M's Electronic Solutions Division (ESD) is a major manufacturer of sensors, components, advanced electronic thin substrates, and comprehensive systems for enhancing and managing electronic signal properties. The products help in industrial and factory automation, consumer electronics, touch panels, enterprise and networking, semiconductor, and component markets worldwide. Indium Corporation The company produces, refines, supplies, and fabricates indium and indium chemicals to solar, electronics, thermal management, and semiconductor markets. The company also sells its products online. Indium Corporation supports thin-film deposition processes, offering materials for: Sputtering

Evaporation

Plating Nitto Denko Nitto Denko is one of the leading providers of optical films, adhesives, and semiconductor devices. It caters to the transportation, house equipment, infrastructure, home appliances, electronic and medical devices, packaging, and personal care industries. Nitto Denko markets its products such as tablet devices, smartphones, and several other portable electronic tools at a global level. It sells ITO films under the ELECRYSTA brand name. Touch International Touch International markets its products to medical, aerospace, military, industrial, transportation, and retail industries. Its offerings include: Projected capacitive touch screens

Resistive touch screens

Surface capacitive touch screens Umicore Thin Film Products The company is a subsidiary of the Umicore Group. It was formed following the acquisition and subsequent merger with Unaxis Materials in Balzers, Liechtenstein, along with its branches in the US and Taiwan. Umicore Thin Films Products provides a wide range of highly effective sputtering targets and evaporation materials. ITO is being used in the evaporation systems for depositing thin conductive transparent layers for a variety of applications, including sensors, LEDs, and antistatic coatings. The other prominent vendors are:







Corning (News - Alert) Precision Material Korea Evonik JX Nippon Mining & Metals Mitsui Mining & Smelting Tosoh ULVAC Technologies

Source (News - Alert): Technavio Browse Related Reports: Global Non-Ferrous Metals Market 2016-2020

Global High Performance Alloys Market 2016-2020

Global Tin 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 [email protected] 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 [email protected]. View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005015/en/

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[August 25, 2016] The Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market: 2016 - 2030 - Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts

LONDON, Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the bandwidth limitations of their traditional voice-centric LMR (Land Mobile Radio) networks, public safety agencies are keen to leverage commercial cellular network technology to support their growing broadband application needs. Considering its thriving ecosystem, spectrum flexibility and performance metrics, LTE has emerged as the leading candidate for public safety mobile broadband networks. In addition, with the recent approval of the MCPTT (Mission Critical Push to Talk) voice standard as part of 3GPP Release 13, LTE has also become an attractive substitute for providing LMR-like voice services.



The Qatar Ministry of Interior made headlines when it deployed a private 800 MHz LTE network in 2012. Since then, numerous public safety LTE networks have sprung up across the globe, including the UAE, China, Laos, Turkey and Kenya. Several early adopter LTE deployments are also operational in the United States, as part of the planned FirstNet nationwide public safety broadband network. While most initial public safety LTE investments are limited to small-scale networks, nationwide rollouts in the United States and South Korea are expected to trigger significant large-scale investments throughout the globe.



The European market is largely dominated by MVNO arrangements, such as the UK Home Office's ESN (Emergency Services Network) program that will use EE's commercial LTE network to deliver prioritized mission critical voice and data services for the UK's public safety agencies. As part of the program, EE is enhancing its existing network with additional sites, satellite backhaul and a dedicated mobile core for first responders, among other investments.



Driven by the thriving ecosystem, SNS Research estimates that annual investments on public safety LTE infrastructure will reach $600 Million by the end of 2016. The market, which includes base stations (eNBs), mobile core and transport networking gear, is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% over the next four years. By 2020, these infrastructure investments will be complemented by over 4.4 Million LTE device shipments, including smartphones, rugged handheld terminals and vehicular routers.



The "Public Safety LTE & Mobile Broadband Market: 2016  2030  Opportunities, Challenges, Strategies & Forecasts" report presents an in-depth assessment of the global public safety LTE market, besides touching upon the wider LMR and mobile broadband industries. In addition to covering the business case, challenges, technology, spectrum allocation, industry roadmap, value chain, deployment case studies, vendor products, strategies, standardization initiatives and applications ecosystem for public safety LTE, the report also presents comprehensive forecasts for mobile broadband, LMR and public safety LTE subscriptions from 2016 till 2030. Also covered are public safety LTE service revenues, over both private and commercial networks. In addition, the report presents revenue forecasts for public safety LTE infrastructure, devices, integration services and management solutions.



The report comes with an associated Excel datasheet suite covering quantitative data from all numeric forecasts presented in the report, as well as a list and associated details of over 90 global public safety LTE network commitments (as of Q2'2016).



Topics Covered

The report covers the following topics:

- Business case for public safety LTE and mobile broadband services, including key benefits and challenges

- Technology, economics, trends, commercial commitments and deployment case studies - List of public safety LTE engagements worldwide







- Industry roadmap, value chain and standardization initiatives

- Spectrum allocation, deployment models and funding strategies

- Profiles and strategies of over 260 ecosystem players including public safety system integrators and LTE infrastructure/device OEMs

- TCO analysis of private and commercial public safety LTE deployments

- Military and tactical LTE deployments

- Public safety LTE base station (eNB) form factor analysis

- Exclusive interview transcripts from 5 key ecosystem players: Ericsson, Airbus Defence and Space, Sepura, Aricent and Parallel Wireless

- Strategic recommendations for vendors, system integrators, public safety agencies and mobile operators

- Market analysis and forecasts from 2016 till 2030





Forecast Segmentation

Market forecasts are provided for each of the following submarkets and their subcategories:





Public Safety LTE Infrastructure

Submarkets

- RAN (Radio Access Network)

- EPC (Evolved Packet Core) and Policy

- Mobile Backhaul and Transport

RAN Base Station (eNB) Mobility Categories

- Fixed Base Stations

- Transportable Base Stations

RAN Base Station (eNB) Cell Size Categories

- Macrocells

- Small Cells

Transportable RAN Base Station (eNB) Form Factor Categories

- NIB (Network-in-a-Box)

- VNS (Vehicle Network System)

- SOW (System-on-Wheels)

- Airborne Platforms



Public Safety LTE Management & Integration Solutions

Submarkets

- Network Integration & Testing

- Device Management & User Services

- Managed Services, Operations & Maintenance

- Cybersecurity



Public Safety LTE Devices

Submarkets

- Private LTE

- Commercial LTE

Form Factor Categories

- Smartphones & Handportable Terminals

- Vehicle Mount Routers & Terminals

- Tablets & Notebook PCs

- USB Dongles & Others



Public Safety LTE Subscriptions & Service Revenue

Submarkets

- Private LTE

- Commercial LTE



Public Safety User Subscriptions over Private Mobile Broadband

Submarkets

- Private LTE

- Private WiMAX



Public Safety User Subscriptions over Commercial Mobile Broadband

Submarkets

- 3G

- WiMAX

- LTE

- 5G & Beyond



LMR Subscriptions

Submarkets

- Analog

- DMR

- dPMR, NXDN & PDT

- P25

- TETRA

- Tetrapol

- Others



LMR Data Subscriptions

Submarkets

- P25 - Phase 1

- P25 - Phase 2

- TETRA

- TEDS

- Tetrapol

- Others



Public Safety LTE Applications

Submarkets

- Video Applications

- GIS, AVLS and Mapping

- Mobile VPN Access & Security

- CAD (Computer Aided Dispatching)

- Remote Database Access

- Telemetry and Remote Diagnostics

- Bulk Multimedia/Data Transfers

- PTT & Voice over LTE

- Situational Awareness Applications



Regional Segmentation

- Asia Pacific

- Eastern Europe

- Latin & Central America

- Middle East & Africa

- North America

- Western Europe



Key Questions Answered

The report provides answers to the following key questions:

- How big is the public safety LTE opportunity?

- What trends, challenges and barriers are influencing its growth?

- How is the ecosystem evolving by segment and region?

- What will the market size be in 2020 and at what rate will it grow?

- Which regions and submarkets will see the highest percentage of growth?

- How does standardization impact the adoption of LTE for public safety applications?

- When will MCPTT and proximity services see large scale proliferation?

- What is the status of private LTE rollouts and public safety MVNO offerings across the globe?

- What opportunities exist for commercial mobile operators and MVNOs in the public safety LTE market?

- Is there a market for 400 MHz LTE networks?

- What are the prospects of tactical, vehicle-mounted and airborne LTE eNB platforms?

- How can public safety agencies leverage unused spectrum resources to fund private LTE networks?

- What strategies should system integrators and vendors adopt to remain competitive?



Key Findings

The report has the following key findings:

- SNS Research estimates that annual investments on public safety LTE infrastructure will reach $600 Million by the end of 2016. The market, which includes base stations (eNBs), mobile core and transport networking gear, is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 33% over the next four years.

- By 2020, these infrastructure investments will be complemented by over 4.4 Million LTE device shipments, including smartphones, rugged handheld terminals and vehicular routers.

- Following the Qatar Ministry of Interior's private 800 MHz LTE network deployment in 2012, multiple private LTE rollouts are underway by security forces throughout the oil rich GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region, including the Abu Dhabi and Dubai police forces.

- Driven by nationwide public safety LTE network rollouts in the United States and South Korea , the North America and Asia Pacific regions will account for nearly 70% of all public safety LTE investments over the next four years.

- Almost all major LMR industry players are leveraging partnerships with established LTE infrastructure OEMs such as Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei and Samsung, to offer end-to-end LTE solutions.

- Consolidation efforts are continuing to take place throughout the industry, particularly among the largest LTE infrastructure OEMs and public safety system integrators.

Download the full report: https://www.reportbuyer.com/product/3047360/



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 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-public-safety-lte--mobile-broadband-market-2016--2030--opportunities-challenges-strategies--forecasts-300318590.html SOURCE ReportBuyer

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[August 25, 2016]

ClickBid Implements Braintree Payment's Strongest Security to Provide PCI Compliant Mobile Bidding

NORTON SHORES, Mich., Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ClickBid, a leading provider in mobile bidding technology, has converted all of its credit card functionality to use Braintree hosted fields. Through it's six year partnership with Braintree Payments (a PayPal company) ClickBid is able to offer end-to-end security of card data. Hosted fields provide a way to present payment forms directly from a PCI Level 1 provider and allow card data to be transferred, stored and used within a fully compliant environment.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401439

Matthew Burnell, founder of ClickBid says, "PCI compliance is about securing credit card data from where it is entered on-screen to the networks the data is transmitted over to the storage facility where it is kept. Our rollout of hosted fields ensures that this entire pathway is secure."

Tom Huneke, partner at ClickBid adds, "Mitigating credit card security risk is a major concern for our clients. Our implementation of hosted fields provides our clients with the best credit card security available. It demonstrates our continued industry leadership in developing Simple Mobile Giving solutions."







Clients of ClickBid have immediate and full access to built in credit processing. All major credit cards are accepted and clients pay a flat percentage rate rather than being charged processing, compliance, per-transaction and additional fees.

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SOURCE ClickBid
[August 25, 2016] IACMI - The Composites Institute and University of Tennessee, Knoxville Officials Announce Newly Named Facility Dedicated to Composites Manufacturing and Engineering

KNOXVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation- IACMI and The University of Tennessee, Knoxville officials dedicated a revamped University of Tennessee building devoted to composites and fibers manufacturing and engineering. Over one hundred attendees participated in the naming ceremony and technology demonstration tours on Monday led by Dr. Uday Vaidya, IACMI Chief Technology Officer and Joint University of Tennessee (UT)-Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) Governor's Chair in Advanced Composites Manufacturing, and twenty of his engineering students.



The newly named Fibers and Composites Manufacturing Facility and Engineering Annex serves as a complementary resource to area facilities such as the Department of Energy's Manufacturing Demonstration Facility at ORNL. Dr. Vaidya and his student teams are already heavily engaged in projects and interactions with many of the industry partners in attendance at the event including Volkswagen, Magnum Venus Products, Alcoa, Techmer PM, Gamma 2, Resource Fiber, Minifibers and Local Motors. Leaders from Oak Ridge National Laboratory, East Tennessee Economic Council, Tennessee Valley Authority and the Knoxville Chamber of Commerce also attended the ceremonial ribbon cutting. Organizational partners expressed gratitude for the strategic thinking and expected future impact of the efforts. The use of advanced composites and innovative manufacturing techniques have growing importance in the nation's economy. "This facility will provide experiential learning for next generation engineers - undergraduate and graduate students in a real-world manufacturing setting. Our team of researchers and students are exploring the cutting edge of advanced manufacturing," said Dr. Vaidya. Dr. Craig Blue, IACMI's Chief Executive Officer concurred, "The work being done in this facility by Dr. Vaidya and his team is nothing short of amazing. By adapting manufacturing processes to reflect newly commercialized clean energy manufacturing solutions and training the workforce of the future, this team is enabling national impact."

Although the building itself is not new to campus, the newly acquired equipment has expanded facility capabilities allowing Dr. Vaidya's team to conduct research on a real-world, industrial scale. The finished facility should be a structure stop for many tours to The University of Tennessee, IACMI-The Composites Institute and many STEM and recruitment activities in the region. The newly named facility will serve to continually provide experiential learning for students and industry engagement and forms a bridge in advanced composites manufacturing between The University of Tennessee and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. About IACMI-The Composites Institute: The Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), managed by the Collaborative Composite Solutions Corporation (CCS), is a partnership of industry, universities, national laboratories, and federal, state and local governments working together to benefit the nation's energy and economic security by sharing existing resources and co-investing to accelerate development and commercial deployment of advanced composites. CCS is a not-for-profit organization established by The University of Tennessee Research Foundation. The national institute is supported by a $70 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Manufacturing Office and over $180 million committed from IACMI's partners. Find out more at IACMI.org. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401480 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/iacmi--the-composites-institute-and-university-of-tennessee-knoxville-officials-announce-newly-named-facility-dedicated-to-composites-manufacturing-and-engineering-300318599.html SOURCE IACMI-The Composites Institute

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[August 26, 2016] Samskritians' Glimpses of Gratitude on Samskriti Business Solutions' 8th Anniversary Celebrations at Goa

HYDERABAD, India, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Samskriti Business Solutions' 8th Anniversary Celebrations went on in high spirits at Goa marking eight glorious years of success. The team had a splendid time with a refreshing tour and geared up to involve more dedicatedly for the coming years of commitment towards Samskriti's progress and prosperity. Employees felt it as a family occasion that brought a bonding of togetherness for achieving a future goal of envisioning Samskriti, as the top most digital marketing company in India in the coming years. Most of the employees are connected to the company for the past five plus years and have been felicitated for their dedicated services.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150831/10129341 )

Here comes their expression of gratitude towards the management and celebrations: Pranaya Poddutoori said, "Samskriti 8th Anniversary celebrations in Goa were awesome and splendid. We had a great time with the team, colleagues and friends in the bus journey, beaches, shopping, restaurant, hotel and site seeing. Enjoyed every moment. Thanks to our wonderful boss, an inspirational personality with unlimited patience and heaps of tolerance, for making us a part of the celebrations. Thanks to Swapna, Madhavi and all the team members (Samskriti family) for making this a grand success. Hearty congratulations again to Sravan (SBS Founder and CEO), Rami (Director - Operations), Shyam (Head - Digital Marketing), and Samskriti team for completing eight years of success, and wish Samskriti all the success for many more years to come with great expansion and growth in different areas." Madhavi Anumula quoted, "Being a part of Samskriti is a boon to my life. My career started way back before Samskriti, but the recognition and true inspiration that I have attained and achieved today at this point of life is recommendable. I owe my success to the wonderful bosses, Sravan Sir and Rami Sir, who have always mentored me in my right or wrong at work and process. My sincere thanks to few of the ex-employees who helped me learn the basic digital marketing process (Santhi, Vijay, Sirish) which again coupled with my thought process and content marketing experience have proved certain results. Thanks to Shyam, Pranaya, Sirisha, Hamsa and Kavitha for supporting me. I'm glad that my services are treated to be dedicated and have been felicitated, I really feel honoured and pleasured for tat recognition.



Coming to the celebrations, though Goa, the name has a stigma to it and many of us earlier felt hesitant to tour it. The real experience proved and back-slashed the so called stigma. We really had a well dignified and nice party atmosphere as a home event. Thanks and congratulations to Sravan Sir, Rami Sir and Shyam who thrive to get the success and also take care to make the entire team a part of the success as one family. The entire team was excited to be a part of it and we all look forward and wish many more such successful years to come."

Swapna Akula added, "The 8th Anniversary celebrations were very cherishable and most memorable and I would like to thank the management and the entire team of Samskriti for making the event a success, happy to know that Samskriti is growing year-on-year in all different areas. I am very happy that I have been felicitated for seven years of my tenure with the company. I have travelled a long journey under the guidance of the best bosses (Sravan Paka and Ramireddy. TVS) in the whole world with unlimited patience and wish Samskriti all the success for many more years to come." Jyothi Katukam said, "I am very happy to be felicitated for five years of service from Samskriti. It was a great trip and had an unforgettable moment with our Samskriti team. The way our company is functioning is truly great. Great work has been done by the people under your leadership (Sravan sir and Rami sir). Hope this continues forever. I am very glad as I have got the opportunity to work with you all. And it was the best time to spend with our employees. We are very happy to know that our company is growing in different areas. Hearty congratulations once again to the entire Samskriti Team." Chandrahasa Paidpally said, "It was a great trip and had an awesome time and unforgettable moments with all our co-workers in celebrating our 8th anniversary. This trip was an opportunity to spend quality time with all our employees. The trip was totally a stress buster and enjoyed every moment of it. We are very happy to know that our company is growing in various aspects and expanding in different areas with new pipeline projects. My personal experience with this trip was that organising such trips will boost and fill positive energies in team members which will create a healthy working culture." Kavitha Gantla quoted, "I enjoyed a lot with all the members in Samskriti on the occasion of the 8th anniversary celebrations. Tour was awesome and I made many memorable moments. It gave a new energy to work more in the upcoming years." Srikanth Mallu said, "It has truly been a pleasure working with the dedicated and hardworking team who share our passion for clients and giving them the best experience possible. I am looking forward to many more years to come. It was a satisfying vacation (Goa) that delighted us and it had made us feel renewed, emboldened and inspired. It was a soulful visit to exceptionally sun-kissed beaches, historical structures, jaw-dropping shopping bazars, and fantasized local cuisine hotels. Thank you Sravan Paka, Ramireddy TVS and Shyam Prasad so much for being with us and providing a relishing trip. Cheers to a huge milestone and spellbinding trip." Sravan Kumar Paka, CEO and Founder, Samskriti Business Solutions, said, "It is a pleasure to get such kind of gratitude from employees. I'm glad to know and feel happy to be with such a wonderful team." About Samskriti Business Solutions: Samskriti Business Solutions is a digital marketing service provider, rendering high-end services in digital marketing for the past eight years. Samskriti Business Solutions, is the first online marketing company based out of Hyderabad, India to be qualified and certified as Google Partner Company in the state of Telangana. It also bags Bing Ads Accredited Professional recognition. Dynamic digital marketing experts and creative web development professionals at Samskriti believe in providing comprehensive quality services by delivering exceptional business value to customers. Samskriti Business Solutions delivers value-added business solutions that are beyond the edge, helping online businesses to trigger an exceptional growth. The rich experience, they have in implementing outreach strategies aided by the latest technological developments helps us to execute comprehensive plans for the online marketing arena. It helps our clients in building up their online business, making them the leaders in digital marketing services. Media contact:

Sravan Kumar Paka

CEO and Founder, Samskriti Business Solutions

[email protected]

+91-40-23402060



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[August 26, 2016] Scroll Launches Top-Down Social Media Solution for Law Firms

RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Scroll, LLC, known for its artificially intelligent SmartBoard where humans and robots work together to curate sharable content, announced today that it is bringing to law firms a way to share this content more effectively. This new platform is a complete social media and blogging system where a director can create and manage social media for thousands of attorneys and employees with just a few clicks, while maintaining posts uniquely branded to each individual attorney. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401705 "Allowing the director to have this level of control benefits the entire firm. The marketing professional can now easily create social media campaigns on each attorney's behalf allowing the attorneys to focus on billable tasks yet remain top of mind on social. The firm benefits by the exponential exposure of the brand through its employees' contacts that it otherwise would not be able to efficiently manage. It allows everyone in the firm to do the job in which they are most proficient," said Marlet Edwards, Attorney and Co-founder. This solution solves two problems. First, most attorneys do not have the time or tech savviness to create and manage their own social media campaigns. This becomes a lost opportunity as they are not staying in front of prospective clients nor showcasing thought leadership that leads to loyalty from current clients. On the flip side, expecting the centralized marketing director to manage every attorney's social media campaign is time- and cost- prohibitive without a tool like Scroll's platform. Now the director can produce thousands of unique posts to LinkedIn, Twitter and/or Facebook with a few clicks on a centralized dashboard. The templates ensure brand control, but the content shows up on social media with each attorney's unique branding page. The second challenge this system addresses is the ne in which clients expect to know their attorneys better than ever before. Providing the individualized branding tool helps attorneys showcase their strengths and personality in a way that allows them to become known beyond their law practice. This makes today's clients more comfortable throughout the entire process. In an era of less face to face time, human interaction is at a premium. Every effort at becoming more approachable and personable results in better business development.



This push and pull system also prevents a social media post from inadvertently leading the viewer to a page where a competitor firm may be advertising. Pushing out posts always pulls the viewer back to the attorney's branded page. The director can easily track results with the dashboard's analytics tool. Scroll's Social Media Platform: Key Features

Centrally create firm-branded social media posts that are automatically personalized with each attorney's name, bio, video, resources and more, and links to the firm's website.

Optimized for both desktop and mobile viewing.

Performance Analytics.

The ability to incorporate an artificially intelligent topic-specific news feed that boosts search engine rankings for each attorney's specific site.

All posts stay organized for later viewing.

Advance scheduling and optimized timing recommendations.

Each user has access to his or her own dashboard to contribute individually.

Top down approach with state of the art security features and links to the firm's privacy policy and disclaimers. About Scroll Scroll provides platforms in machine learning, collaboration and automated marketing to progressive law firms. Based in Raleigh, North Carolina, Marlet Edwards practiced law for fourteen years before co-founding Scroll. Scroll aims to help law firms better utilize the resources they already have  namely their people. To accomplish this, Scroll offers its SmartBoard, an artificially intelligent platform designed to delegate the searching to the machines so that the attorneys simply consult their boards to quickly learn a topic, stay up to date on many industries, collaborate and curate shareable content. Scroll now offers a top down approach for social media posting that stays individually branded. This platform frees the attorneys from managing their own social media campaigns and gives that control to the firm's marketing experts. Scroll cuts law firm labor costs while simultaneously amplifying business development efforts. If you would like more information about this topic, please contact Marlet Edwards at (919) 645-5712 or email at [email protected]. Related Images image1.png image2.jpg Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sFAKLs9imtQ This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/scroll-launches-top-down-social-media-solution-for-law-firms-300318820.html SOURCE Scroll, LLC

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What you need to know about Powerball and the $825 million jackpot
MISSOULA -- The former chief executive officer of Vanns Inc. is asking a federal judge in Missoula to delay for another year his trial on more than 200 counts of conspiracy and fraud.

George Leslie Manlove was charged in December with conspiring with Paul Lyn Nisbet to defraud the appliance and electronics company, which closed in 2013.

Nisbet, former chief financial officer of Vanns who was charged as Manloves co-defendant, pleaded guilty in June in an agreement with prosecutors. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

Allegations against the men said they defrauded Vanns for their personal gain. They were accused of creating shell companies and of having Vanns lease property from them without board permission. Prosecutors also accuse Manlove of using company money for personal expenses such as college tuition and shopping trips for his family.

Manloves trial is set for mid-October. But at the start of August his attorneys asked for it to be continued a full year, saying they need more time to sort through the digital evidence provided to them by prosecutors.

In a response brief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Duerk said the trial has already been continued once, and that further delays would hinder the governments ability to prosecute Manlove. Duerk said Manlove has claimed the case against him is as complicated as the trial of W.R. Grace & Co., the largest environmental criminal trial in U.S. history. In that case, prosecutors alleged that the worldwide chemical company and its former senior executives conspired to conceal the dangers of asbestos exposure from the companys vermiculite mine in Libby.

This case does not involve multiple expert witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense; over 1,200 victims; a three-month long trial; allegations of a 40-year conspiracy; the medical records of hundreds of miners and mill workers; an appeal to the Ninth Circuit; a half-dozen criminal defendants; bifurcated trials; a motion to change venue; more than a dozen law firms based in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and elsewhere; near-constant media coverage by the Missoulian and other newspapers, two books and a film, Duerk wrote.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dana Christensen has yet to issue an order regarding the request to postpone the trial.
Formerly the drummer for The Drones for a decade-long stint, Mike Noga has also peeked out from behind the kit long enough to record three solo albums  the latest of which, KING, has been released today.

Described as a dark, psychedelic concept album in three parts, its based on an 1830s play, Woyzeck, by German writer George Buchner, and features dramatic narration by actor Noah Taylor aka the man who chopped off Jaime Lannisters hand in Game of Thrones.

The record was produced by Something For Kates Paul Dempsey, and tells the tale of one mans descent into madness and the bloodshed that follows, described in detail below.

KING is out today through Cooking Vinyl, and Mike will be touring Australia throughout September, dates below.

Prologue

Mary

The first song I wrote for the album and, fittingly, the opener. Whilst living in london last year I was asked by immersive theatre company Punchdrunk to write a piece of music in response to their latest production

A re-imagining of Georg Buchners famous, unfinished play from 1836, Woyzeck. I wrote this on the set, which was a 1950s Californian town in the desert. I spent the day sitting on the main female characters bed in her caravan in the desert. Although I was aware from time to time that I was actually in a Warehouse in Paddington, for the most part it was a very surreal and strange experience.

I took the song home, listened to it, liked it, an decided to have a crack at my own version of Woyzeck. Mine being set in 1950s small town Australia and focusing on Jack and Mary, a struggling couple and Jacks eventual descent into jealousy induced madness.

This is the first time we hear the wonderful Noah Taylors narration. Noah sets the scene for us. Mary lives on the outskirts of town in the house that her and Jack used to call home. She dreams small dream etc. He then goes on to tell us that Jack has been hallucinating and that somethings not right. Which is a good line to describe the overall feel of the album. Theres a certain menace, an undefined unease, underlying each song.

Nobody Leads Me to Flames

I used an oft-seen film technique and decided to put the pivotal murder scene at the start of the album, and then go back and introduce the characters and start the story. This is Jack fleeing the scene of Marys murder.

Running through the forest, completely mad, hallucinating and hearing voices from above. We went for a 1950s Elvis / rockabilly type sound here. Two drum kits playing at once. A healthy dose of slap-back and one hell of a nutty sax solo. You dont see enough of those these days.

Act 1  Friday Night

Dont Fall to the Ground

The official start of the story. Here we meet Jack and Mary for the first time. Its Friday night and theyre in their lounge room in the house on the outskirts of a working class town. Mary is getting drunk and dancing and putting on her makeup. She wants to go out and party.

Jack is slowly getting drunk in front of the TV and although there is hope in this song for the pair of them, the last line,  and everythings alright, is actually an allusion to the fact that everything is indeed NOT alright. A little bit of the other Elvis here. Costello. With an early Tom Waits-esque fairy tale ending.

All My Friends are Alcoholics

Jack has left the house in a rage and has gone to the local pub, where a mysterious man slips him a pill. A pill he probably shouldnt take. A bit of a bar-room sing-along this one.

People seem to like this song when I play it live I think they can relate to the title? Things are still relatively upbeat here but not for long.

The Deceiver

This is a Mary song. Told through her eyes. She is at home alone now and is feeling strong and confident and that she has the will to leave Jack. She cant take his fits of jealous rage any more. Shes turned herself into a beam of light shes a lampshade to a storm.

Although this is Mary at her best, the song unfortunately ends with a spoken work monologue detailing her death in the forest. A pretty sad moment. First time we hear synths on the album. We were going for a Bowie/Prince kinda feel. Something really sad that you can dance to. An 80s drum sound and some falsetto complete the picture.

Act 2  The Murder

Love Meets No Stranger

A cover of a song by a guy called Gaylen Adams who I can find nothing about on the internet. From what I can tell, dude recorded one song in the 60s then disappeared. The original is a lot more upbeat than this.

Ive slowed it down and made it kinda sexy. At first we hear a crackly radio in Marys kitchen. Shes flicking through the dial trying to find something to listen to when she stumbles across a news report about a female body being found in the forest nearby. A prophecy of sorts. The DJ then introduces Mike Noga with the Gaylen Adams classic Love Meets No Stranger.

I wanted to incorporate theatrical elements across the album and heres a classic case of breaking the fourth wall. And yes I will be wearing more black turtle necks and glasses from now on. And sporting a sweet goatee.

Runnin at the World

This is where Jack starts to lose it. Hes returning to the house to kill Mary. Theres all sorts of voices in his head telling him to do strange things. Lizzie, Jimi, Freddie etc. That pill is kicking in.

The end of this song, where Jack has completely lost his mind, sounds quite terrifying to me. I like it. Pretty heavy Bowie swagger with the bass right up and the drums washed out. My favourite track on the album. Again, danceable and menacing all at once.

I Wanna Live in America

Part 2 of the murder scene. Jack is completely overcome with hallucinations. The voices in his head (played by Noah Taylor) are telling him he will the King of England OR a Hollywood movie star if he kills Mary.

Both things this poor country boy that works in a factory dreams of. This is the most mental song on the album. The drum machine sounds like a heartbeat / heart attack. The guitars and sharp and brutal and the vocals frighten me and Im the one that sang them. Poor Dempsey had to sit through me singing this about a metre away from him over and over. I hope he had nightmares.

Down Like JFK

A flat out, 12 bar, rock n roll song full of violent imagery. Lots of blood. This is Jack in celebratory mode believing he is now the King.

Act 3  The Fog Lifts / Regret

Mary (Reprise)

Jack is starting to come around and realise what hes done. Hes panicking but at the same time theres still faint voices in his head. I wanted a feeling of confusion here, hence the four separate vocal tracks all singing at once. Theres a sneaky reference to Elvis here too. The King.

We approached this song almost like a hip hop track. Stripped back beat. Some synth. Lots of room for the vocals. The one note tinkly piano makes another appearance in this song. Its something that threads through the whole album, linking pieces up. The progression is the same as the opening instrumental track hence the reprise.

Greys to Reds

The quietest moment on the album. The calm after the storm. Jack is sitting in the gutter in town as a marching band goes by. A shell of man. His girl dead. Pondering whether to take his own life.

We went for a very stripped back, almost Johnny Cash feel for this. It didnt need much more than my vocal and an acoustic guitar. Its a heavy country song. Jack wants to turn all his greys into reds. He wants to undo what he has done.

This is For You.

The final chapter. Strong Velvet Underground / Scott Walker influence in the way we recorded this and sound we were looking for. Here we see Jack and Mary re-united in a kind of fairy tale type scenario where Mary is waiting at the house for him to return. He pulls up in his car.

They eat and drink and dance the night away and she asks him to stay, which leaves the listener asking the question, was the murder and everything weve just heard all in Jacks head and THIS is the real song or is it the opposite? That he really did murder Mary and this song is the one that is in his head. Ill leave that up to you to decide.

The final sound we hear is quite scary, hinting at an unhappy ending until the album draws to a close with the final CUT from the director. Whos been directing?

Mike Noga Tour Dates

Fri 16 Sept  Brighton Up Bar, Sydney

Sat 17 Sept  Bearded Lady, Brisbane

Thurs 22 Sept  Grace Emily, Adelaide  (solo)

Fri 23 Sept  Four5Nine, Perth  (solo)

Sat 24 Sept  Odd Fellow, Freo  (solo)

Thurs 29th Sept  Northcote Social Club, Melbourne

Fri 30th Sept  MONA, Hobart
Live music venues shutting down in Sydney is nothing new thanks to the lockout laws, but new venues opening is rare and even rarer is a fallen venue reemerging.

But as The Music reports, iconic Sydney spot Selinas, which has previously hosted legendary names like Nirvana and INXS, is set to reopen its doors next month.

As The Daily Telegraph reported when the venue closed early last year, more than a million eager punters went through the doors of Selinas per month for more than 40 years.

The venue shut down last year temporarily for full refurbishment but now Selinas will make a comeback at the Coogee Bay Hotel and yes, it will be hosting live music.

Expect names like Foot Court and The Ruminaters to be gracing the stage and plenty of sweaty punters breathing life back into one of Sydneys most cherished live music spots.
Money quote: "Oh great, Kansas City's own Trump University."

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City program helps residents better connect with their government

Our blog community seems to think that City Hall is taking a page from the GOP Presidential nominee in order to exploit locals whilst building a brand . . .Checkit . . .Curious about how the City of Kansas City, Mo., government works? Want to learn from City staff how to improve your community? Sign up for Community Engagement University: a free program designed to connect residents with government to build a better Kansas City.Community Engagement University is a free, hands-on, interactive program for Kansas City residents 18 years of age and older. The sessions cover basic knowledge of the Citys functions and operations. The eight-week program begins on Tuesday, Sept. 13, from 6 p.m.-8 p.m. at City Hall, 414 E. 12th St. Community Engagement University sessions will continue for seven additional Tuesdays. Residents must register to participate by enrolling online at kcmo.gov/ceu or by calling 816-513-1313.Registration for the fall 2016 sessions opens on Aug. 29 at 9 a.m., but space is limited. If you miss the cutoff, go ahead and complete the registration so your name can be added to the waiting list.- Gain a better understanding of how local government functions- Participate and interact with knowledgeable staff to better learn and understand how City finances, operations, projects and services are developed, distributed and executed- Serve as role model for community and neighborhood residents- Help improve the quality of life for Kansas City residents- Build a livable, sustainable community- Learn about volunteer opportunities in city governmentLocal Government 101We Keep this City CleanWe Keep This City SafeDollars and SenseWe Keep This City Healthy and ActiveWe Build and Improve This CityWe Are in Your Neighborhood Part IWe Are in Your Neighborhood Part IIFor more information, contact 311 at 816-513-1313##############You decide . . .
Greater KC AFL-CIO recently posted: "Here is an example of what is wrong in America and moreover right here in our own back yard. The Kansas City Water Department put these out to bid and as usual the lowest bid was accepted and these outsourced cast iron covers are on our streets in KCMO. How do you feel about this?"

New York Times: From The Ladles Of Molten Metal

Here's a bit of Kansas City social media rhetoric earning a great deal of support amid the online echo chamber.Checkit;As always,and the discussion was a bit more nuanced than just emoji support, likes and other union cheerleader hype.While easy to agree with, the local union chest-pounding sentiment doesn't offer any insight into how these local bits of infrastructure are manufactured.Here's a bit more insight on that front which kinda reveals that nobody's getting rich on this low end product put together in dangerous working conditions . . .Meanwhile, U.S. industry has yet to offer a cheaper or less cruel alternative than relying on the global economy and a great deal of child and slave labor.So, as usual, a local special interest provides some impressive rhetoric that's mostly just venting and rage with very little solutions or insight beyond raising prices or building consensus for the the rest of their agenda in the very same way that most politicos prove their point by offering the bloodthirsty mob a scapegoat.You decide . . .
JACKSON COUNTY POLITICOS THERESA GARZA AND CRYSTAL WILLIAMS NEVER LIVED UP TO THEIR "GIRL POWER" ASPIRATIONS!!!

Disqualified Theresa Garza has yet to land another political gig . . .

Crystal Will Face A Challenger . . .

TKC EXCLUSIVE: JACKSON COUNTY INSIDERS CONFIRM THAT CRYSTAL WILL CONFRONT A CHALLENGE IS SHE TRIES FOR REELECTION!!!

Quick update for "Throwback Thursday" reminds us to reconsider the aftermath of so-called courthouse 'reformers' a few years after their rise to power.To wit . . .Consider . . .A tense run for City Council was thwarted and the career of this one-time rising star has yet to recover. Her closest confidants tell her to find work in the private sector but the civic life seems to keep calling Ms. Garza as she remains a regular presence at local political gatherings and competes for jobs connected to local democracy . . . Unsuccessfully.Here's a bit of news . . .Word is that she wants to skip across the street and run for council but that popularity contest is a much tougher proposition . . .Meanwhile, locals are forced to confront the uncomfortable fact that advocates of identity politics rarely live up to their promise and remain more concerned about their career over community concerns.You decide . . .
"This area is already saturated with subsidized housing. The school is about 80% free or reduced lunch. Neighborhood has been deemed unsafe for walking to school and has no plans to improve the infrastructure with the project.





"The area south of Vivion road and west of Worlds of Fun already is below the median northland and city income level. The neighborhood has a crime problem and the local grocery store is over a mile away and not walkable . . ."

The topic of poverty and crime reaches across the bridge and into Kansas City's suburban communities that are also coping with rising crime.In essence, a local community is complaining that the city is working to pack more poor people into a district that's already coping with a demographic shift.Take a look:An important perspective . . .Meanwhile, the project moves forward and locals are finding their complaints ignored by public officials.You decide . . .
Clay Chastain...Anne Hodgdon's Attorney, Todd Graves, seeks to overturn court ruling

Here's the latest from Kansas City transit advocate Clay Chastain who not only fights for his light rail proposal but also crusades against social media trash talk.Here's the e-mail he sent our way promising a courtroom show down.Checkit:Wealthy socialite Anne Hodgdon and her high-powered and wealthy Attorney, Todd Graves, are at it again after losing (Aug.15 ruling) their legal attempt to have my defamation case against Hodgdon thrown out of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas.Not only does Hodgdon's false and malicious accusation (that 20-years ago I sexually assaulted if not attempted to rape her and then chased after her down the street "enraged and screaming like a madman" intent on physically harming her) not add up in the slightest, but there is also plenty of "extrinsic evidence" to prove she published her Facebook post knowing it was false and is thus guilty of "actual malice."Graves reacted to the federal judge's decision in the Topeka Capital-Journal newspaper on Aug.23 where he said, "the court was required to give Chastain the benefit of the doubt at this stage."Then why, Mr. Graves, did you file your motion to have the case dismissed to begin with? And why Mr. Graves are you filing a new motion asking the court to throw out (reconsider) the motion you just said they should have granted?Our nation's Chief Justice, John Roberts, recently lamented that the U.S.Federal Court System is getting bogged down and unable to mete out justice in a timely fashion because, in large part, many attorneys are flooding the courts with numerous and vacuous pleadings designed to delay justice, wear down opponents, soak their clients, bamboozle and mislead judges, and otherwise abuse the United States Federal Court System.It appears Attorney Todd Graves may be exemplary of Robert's concern.P.S. Look for my legal response (again pro-se) to Graves' legal trickery early next week.Clay Chastain########
"Patel's attorney also argued that due to Patel's Hindu culture, his wife and children would be "ostracized" if he were sentenced to prison. In addition, more than a dozen of Patel's family members, including his wife, showed up in court or wrote letters to support him and ask that he be sentenced to probation. "The cultural part of it is very significant in this case," said Douglas County District Court Judge Robert Fairchild."

Friday we celebrate diversity throughout flyover country . . .Read more: Man who stabbed wife because of her weight gets probation due to Hindu culture
"This week, the Republican party also made cities an issue in their campaign. Donald Trump entered the conversation with a speech in Detroit outlining an ambitious infrastructure agenda, declaring "We will build the next generation of roads, bridges, railways, tunnels, seaports and airports that our country deserves. We look forward to seeing the details of his plan."

Mayor Sly James . . .One mayor's take: Why America needs a new agenda for cities

"The Cities Agenda was initially adopted by the Democrats, there is no reason that this should be a partisan issue. Republicans entering this dialogue is good for advancing the conversation on infrastructure investment. Business leaders need to weigh in just as much as labor and community members. All of us sit in the same ditch when something breaks and repairs need to made.





"Regardless of who wins the White House, or the majorities in Congress this November, we must increase the pressure on our federal leaders to fix our cities . . ."

This one came was published earlier in the week but the Mayor just started promoting it moments ago . . .Like it or not, this is a smart move from Kansas City's honcho that offers an olive branch to the Trump campaign and notes the Donald's commitment to infrastructure.The Mayor writes . . .Read the whole thing . . .Here's the money line . . .You decide . . .
DECATUR  Jerry Overlin has his sister to thank for his membership at Salem Baptist Church, where he has been a member for 57 years, 49 of them as a deacon.

When he was 18, he and his brother, Howard, made fun of their sister, Mary, who went to church all the time and was always talking about Jesus. In those days, Salem was a little country church adjacent to Salem Cemetery.

They got me, too, Overlin said with a chuckle, who started attending the church at age 21.

Salem will celebrate its 170th anniversary on Sunday with a special service at 10 a.m. Lunch will be served afterward, and games and inflatables will be on hand for kids. The community is invited.

The current senior pastor, the Rev. Derek Bradshaw, attended the church for years before becoming pastor 16 months ago. Assistant Pastor Rodney McCroskey has been there for eight months.

A lot of old-time churches had a cemetery, Overlin said. The guy that donated the ground for the church (also) donated the ground for the cemetery, because everything was handy. You know, (people traveled in) horses and wagons and buggies. Back in them days, you couldn't go very far. The old church is still there, being used.

The original Salem Baptist Church was organized in 1846, with the first service held in a log house, with about 40 people in attendance. Lewis Ward, a church deacon, donated timber to build the first church building, where services were held for the first time in 1857. In 1971, led by Pastor Russell Pittman, the congregation purchased the 35 acres on Illinois 48 where the church is currently located, and in 1987, the 23,000-square-foot building in use now was built by the church's own members.

Bradshaw, who jokingly refers to himself as still the new guy, said there are 80 volunteers involved in the special services over the weekend, dubbed the Weekend Warriors. Bob Ridings in Monticello has donated a new Chevrolet Impala to be awarded to the teen who brings the most guests, which has fired up the kids.

A missions conference is planned for Oct. 19-23, with several missionaries visiting to talk about their work, and the featured speaker is serving in Turkey. That conference will include an international banquet featuring foods from the missionaries' countries.

One of Salem's signature ministries is the bus ministry, with buses that go into the inner city and pick up children to bring them to church. A special celebration just for them will be on Saturday, Aug. 27, with a carnival, lunch and games, and Bradshaw said he hopes that event will convince the children's parents to come back with the kids the next day for the anniversary service.

Our youth pastor and our children's pastor were both reached as children through our bus ministry, Bradshaw said.

We want to give every person in our locale the opportunity to come to church and hear the Gospel preached, receive Christ into their heart and life and get their life on track, Overlin said. That was just one more vehicle that we decided to use to go out into the community and reach people that otherwise wouldn't be able to get to church on their own.

Keeping a church not only open, but active and growing, with an average weekly attendance of about 350, is due to prayer and trust in the Lord, Overlin said.

New ministries include a new adult Sunday school, Connections, for young adults, "Life Builders" for middle-aged adults and The Hive, which stands for Heavenly Instruction Valued Early, for kids in grades one through six. The church also operates Salem's Closet, a clothing bank.

Everything we do here is, in one way or another, geared toward reaching a lost and dying world for the Lord Jesus Christ, Overlin said.
Description of their efforts: "A one day pop-up art event in the Kansas City Metropolitan Area. Statues were dressed in Native regalia in celebration of Native cultures and Earth Day."

Take a peek at the Kansas City creative class engaging local icons and American history.Prologue:Take a peek atand adaptation of these Kansas City metro landmarks:You decide . . .
Remaining prior actions, 2.8bn tranche, second bailout review, NSRF and ELSTAT will be on the agenda

The Greek government and its creditors will resume negotiations at the Euro Working Group in Brussels on Monday. Alternate Minister of Finance Giorgos Houliarakis will represent Greece at the EWG, which will make preparations for the main talks scheduled for the Eurogroup that will take place on 9 September, where the 2.8-billion-euro tranche, second review, NSRF funding and ELSTAT  as it seems  will be debated.

According to a report in the Naftemporiki newspaper, the Minister of Finance Euclid Tsakalotos will meet with the European Commissioner for Economic and Financial Affairs, Taxation and Customs Pierre Moscovici before the return of the institutions to Athens, for talks on the remaining prior actions that will unlock the 2.8-billion-euro tranche.

Greece will be pressured to complete the remaining 15 prior actions, in order to progress to the next round of negotiations and complete the second review of the bailout program.

The same newspaper report revealed that the Minister of Economy Giorgos Stathakis will also enter talks on NSRF funding with the European Commissioner for Regional Policy Corina Cretu.

In relation the referral of former ELSTAT head Andreas Georgiou, the Greek Minister of Finance will underline the Greek governments position that the case is being handled by the Greek justice system.

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
Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said on Thursday Europe needs a new progressive agenda that will focus on growth and lowering unemployment, following a summit of the Party of European Socialists (PES) in Paris, where he was invited as an observer.

I think Europe is at a crossroads and it is necessary to put a progressive agenda on the table, an alternative agenda, and especially to focus on growth, and try to find a way to tackle unemployment. This is the most important issue for me, Tsipras told journalists.

We decided today to coordinate efforts and to cooperate in order to have a common position in Bratislava. I believe that Brexit was the alarm, Europe and European governments have to wake up because were going in the wrong direction, so it is necessary to put a growth agenda on the table to end austerity and unemployment. I believe today we put the basis in order to try to have more coordinated actions between the progressive forces and governments in Europe.

Summing up the four points he made in his intervention, he argued that since Europe cannot fully abolish the Stability Pact which is one of the causes of the crisis, it must gradually review it by correcting some parts or adding some exceptions.

He also proposed doubling the European funds available through the Juncker package and funneling of those funds as a priority to the countries that have a low GDP and have suffered most from the economic downturn. Which means transferring funds from the center to the periphery, from north to south, he said.

Tsipars also asked to propose exceptions to this strict fiscal framework, such as excluding costs on growth and public investments, as well as any expenditure on supporting employment and tackling unemployment.

A final proposal concerned setting up a forum of dialog between the social democrats and the Left in Europe to discuss European integration, political unification and ways to exit from the crisis.

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
The Greek coalition governments tender for the television broadcasting has provoked the ire of the opposition parties. Earlier, the leader of the Independent Greeks and Minister of National Defense Panos Kammenos claimed one of candidates in the tender  Yannis Kalogritsas  is using black money to pressure the government for a license. SYRIZA MP Giorgos Dimaras also warned that mafias may end up a television license.

Main opposition party New Democracy issued a statement underlining that it does not recognize or legitimize the tender for the television licenses and claims that the Tsipras-Kammenos government is attempting to manipulate the media.

Similarly, the President of PASOK Fofi Gennimata denounced the tender and argued that there can be no discounts on democracy, while underlining that the governments authoritarianism is unacceptable.

The Communist Party claimed that the tender is an attempt to redistribute power between vested interests, adding that the ultimate aim is to create a pro-government environment, in line with the practices of all previous governments. That is why SYRIZA and New Democracy are bickering, over which businessmen will control television and who they will  accordingly  support it concluded.

Finally, the leader of the River Stavros Theodorakis noted that television is going through a difficult period. Mr. Theodorakis commented that while there have admittedly been many problems he estimated that we are entering a totalitarian period.

State Minister Nikos Pappas responded to New Democracys statement, accusing the main opposition party of wanting to return to the state of vested interests and underlined that the tender is in line with the law and Constitution. Mr. Pappas also argued that the government does not need any validation from New Democracy, since the relevant bill was supported by opposition parties. The State Minister concluded that New Democracy is complaining because it was unable to block the tender by paralyzing the National Council for Radio and Television (ESR).

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
Once the issue of FYROMs name is resolved Greece will support the countrys path towards the EU, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said on Thursday

Once the issue of FYROMs name is resolved Greece will support the countrys path towards the EU, Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said on Thursday during a speech at the annual conference of the countrys ambassadors in Skopje.

Greece and FYROM ought to live together in peace, cooperation and prosperity. If and when the name issue is resolved and all types of irredentism are defeated, the two countries will march along the EU road. Greece will become the supporter and facilitator of such a course, Kotzias said.

We want to believe that irredentism will be overcome as, in our opinion, doesnt help anywhere and is not supported by historical or current realities.

The minister attended the summit following an invitation of Foreign Minister Nikola Poposki. Following their meeting, Kotzias and Poposki said that the confidence-building measures (CBMs) have boosted bilateral relations.

Both ministers clarified that CBMs are in no way connected to the name issue, but noted that they contribute significantly in improving relations and creating a sense of mutual trust.

Oil pipeline

Kotzias said the two ministers also discussed the construction of an oil pipeline first, and a gas pipeline at a later stage, which would connect Thessalonikis port with Skopje and stressed the importance of upgrading the railway line between Florina and Bitola.

The two officials agreed to cooperate more closely in economy and funding and find ways to take on joint projects with EU funding.

On his side, Poposki noted the need to open a new border crossing apart from the two in Gevgelija and Florina.

Concerning the name issue, he said: We have our differences, which are known, but we have to work in a framework that will change the two countries approach. Poposki added his country inclusion to the EU and NATO is still far because of the name dispute noting that he wants to develop bilateral relations.

He said society in his country wants to feel Greece as a partner and not as a country that doesnt want FYROM to exist, as it believes today: We want to chart our future in cooperation with our neighbours. We want to choose our destiny and not to wait with folded hands, he said.

Kotzias also met with FYROM Prime Minister Emil Dimitriev.

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
Seven Turkish nationals reportedly entered Greece illegally late Wednesday to request political asylum, according to US newspaper Wall Street Journal that cites Greek officials. A couple of university professors with their two children arrived in the northern city of Alexandroupoli via the Evros river on boat and requested political asylum as they fear for their lives in Turkey. Another three businessmen landed on the island of Rhodes also requesting political asylum.

All seven people will appear before Greek prosecutors and will be officially charged with illegal entry into Greece before they officially file their asylum applications. Their applications will come in the wake of a request for protection by a group of 7 Turkish military officers, who have been charged by Turkish authorities with collaborating with pro-coup forces on the 15th of July in Turkey.

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
It is natural for jobs to evolve, for functions to be diversified, for technology to intervene at all stages of management in order to control human resources, investments, costs and improve profitability. But the most delicate is to succeed in doing so without losing sight of the final customer experience and the perception they may have with respect to value, and especially the pleasure/price ratio. This is undoubtedly where that there was some distraction and the price increase was somehow disconnected from the satisfaction element...

While it would be nice to shift gears, the hotel sector continues to be a cyclical sector: not so much because of its seasonality, but because it must regularly adapt to major behavioral changes. Developments that once took nearly a generation now happen in just a few years. Successive waves have broken without the hotel industry having a chance to reinvent itself and succeed in catching the wave of communal sense, of a desire to share opinions and experiences, of the need to have less and use better.

While hoteliers' expectations evolved, too many properties tried to satisfy the basic needs of an undifferentiated clientele. The level of the customer experience remained close to zero and the added value of the service was no higher. They survived and even prospered at major destinations due to the artificially maintained supply shortage. Their marketing strategy has long been summed up by a simple increase in average daily rates. The speculative real estate bubble for urban hotels has attracted nonprofessional investors who are happy to escape taxes on fortunes, without any real interest in the business aside from a sudden passion for interior decoration. They are  and rightly so  the first victims of the AirBnB phenomenon, that served to reset prices. Restructuring will affect those that did not get in touch with reality and reevaluate their services beyond decor.

The good news is that survivors can always pull themselves back together and work a bit harder to catch the next wave, which will be the wave of a hotel product based on the offer of a renewed experience. Two segments understood more quickly than the others that it was necessary to reinvent themselves, and are strongly influenced by the expectations of Generation Y or the Millennials, also known as Generation What?, which questions certitudes and breaks the usual codes for more freedom, autonomy, availability, fluidity and sharing.

While the economy segment takes inspiration from youth hostels, resulting in hybrid concepts that mix clientele in a modern day Tower of Babylon, properties where knowing how to be and relations between collaborators is more vital than their savoir-faire. Conviviality is facilitated by the new organization of public spaces.

At the other extreme, the luxury hotel industry continues to focus more on the exceptional experience that it can provide through a higher degree of sophistication in terms of the level of comfort, technology or service. The Wow effect is played full force to deserve the average daily rate.

These last two niches rightly applied the plural conjugation of several verbs: seduce, share, surprise, innovate It is certainly also the direction business hotels as well as resorts should take that are having trouble leaving their traditional fetters. In most cases, they have a good location and many tried and true talents, but suffer from a lack of imagination. Hospitality needs to pick up again, because it is essential to regain the creative strength of the hotel industry of tomorrow.

A comparison may be made with a new F&B trend where the sleight of the hand is as important as product. The Chef's talent is expressed in a careful combination of ingredients that appears simple at first glimpse. Just as cooking has taken full advantage of time and money saving, preparation and assembly innovations, the hotel industry also benefits from new back office tools that allow more free time, energy and means to go out and reach the client. Those that have not understood this won't be around long enough to testify.

Source: Hospitality On

GEORGES PANAYOTIS, PRESIDENT & CEO - MKG GROUP

Georges Panayotis is President of MKG Consulting. Born in a family of hoteliers for three generations, Georges Panayotis, 51, left Greece at the age of 18 to pursue his studies in Political Sciences and to obtain his Master in Management at the French University of Paris Dauphine. He then joined the Novotel chain, which will become the Accor Group, to manage the International Marketing Division. After developing specific marketing tools for the hotel industry, he left the group in 1986 to start his own company, MKG Conseil, now MKG Group. In twenty years, the group has become the European leader in studies and consulting for the Hospitality industry. The company employs over 100 people in four departments: marketing studies, database, quality control and trade press, with two publications HTR Magazine and Hotel Restaurant Weekly. The company helped the development of over 2,000 hotels in France and in Europe, with offices in Paris, Cyprus, London and Athens. Georges Panyotis is the founder of the Worldwide Hospitality Awards and the Hotel Makers Forum, and the author of several publications on Marketing and Operations in the hotel business, He is a regular consultant for several television channels, among which Bloomberg Television, and radio networks.

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
The attacks on police came as Turkey was still reeling from a violent coup attempt on 15 July that killed at least 270 people

An attack with an explosives-laden truck on a police checkpoint in south-east Turkey has killed at least 11 police officers and wounded 78 other people, reuters.com reports.

The state-run Anadolu Agency reported that Kurdish militants were responsible for the attack on a checkpoint about 50 metres from a police station near the town of Cizre, in the mainly-Kurdish Srnak province that borders Syria.

Television footage showed black smoke rising from the mangled truck, while the three-story police station was gutted from the powerful explosion. The health ministry said it had sent 12 ambulances and two helicopters to the site.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which was the latest in a string of bombings targeting police or military vehicles and installations. Authorities have blamed the Kurdistan Workers party (PKK) for those attacks.

Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of a fragile two-year peace process between the government and the militant group. Hundreds of security force members have been killed since.

Deadly attacks

Turkey has also seen a rise of deadly attacks that have been blamed on Islamic State militants, including a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding in south-east Turkey last week that killed 54 people and an attack on Istanbuls main airport in June, which killed 44.

Turkey sent tanks across the Syrian border this week to help Syrian rebels retake a key Isis-held town.

Since hostilities with the PKK resumed last summer, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to the Anadolu Agency. Human rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed.

The PKK is considered a terror organisation by Turkey and its allies.

The attacks on police came as the country was still reeling from a violent coup attempt on 15 July that killed at least 270 people. The government has blamed the failed coup on the supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and has embarked on a sweeping crackdown on his followers.

On Thursday, Kurdish rebels opened fire at security forces protecting a convoy of vehicles carrying Turkeys main opposition party leader, Kemal Klcdaroglu, in the north-east, killing a soldier and wounding two others, officials said.

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
DECATUR  Lisa Creason spent more than a year stalking certain members of the General Assembly.

With the Decatur woman every step of the way was Amy Schneider, her caseworker at the Northeast Community Fund's Family Investment Program.

Both women smile at the memory.

The secretaries would sometimes like us and sometimes not, Creason said. If they didn't, we would just show up without an appointment.

We would wait, Schneider added.

Now the wait is almost over for Creason, 43, who discovered after earning an associate degree in 2014 she was barred from taking the state exam to become a registered nurse because of an attempted robbery conviction 20 years earlier.

On Thursday Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation allowing Creason and any other person convicted of a forcible felony, other than one requiring them to register as a sex offender, to petition the Illinois Department of Public Health for health care worker licensure as of Jan. 1.

During a signing ceremony at Richland Community College, where Creason earned her degree, Rauner praised her work on behalf of Senate Bill 42, which helped lead to its passage by the Senate March 26, 2015, and the House on May 26, 2016.

She advocated for herself and her family. She stood up and said, 'There are barriers holding back good people in Illinois; let's knock those down,' the governor said. She got out there and led this effort, and Lisa, God bless you.

The crime for which Creason was convicted in 1994 was a forcible felony and occurred when she tried to take money from the cash register at the Subway on East Eldorado Street but was thwarted by an employee.

The General Assembly added forcible felonies to the Health Care Worker Background Check Act in 2011 to prevent violent and sexual offenders from obtaining or holding a license.

As a result, Creason has been forced to keep working as a certified nursing assistant, a job she received a waiver to work more than a decade ago, and continue relying on public assistance to support herself and her three children.

Creason thanked everyone who helped her, including Schneider; Jeanelle Norman, president of the Decatur Branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People; and her family, including her mother and stepfather, Janet and Gary Ransdell of Decatur.

Other family members present were Creason's sister, Leslie Murphy of Decatur, and her children, Tasia Creason, 24; Lamontie Williams, 17; Avante Flesch, 17; and Jasean Creason, 11.

But Lisa Creason also had some special words for her former teachers at Richland after exchanging tearful hugs with many of them.

The nursing program here accomplished something that my mother was unable to accomplish in 20-some years; they taught me how to shut my mouth, Creason said. Thank you for offering to help me prepare for my state boards. It's a blessing to have all of you in my corner.
As reported by WisPolitics.com, the Joint Finance Committee approved redirecting more than $21 million in bonding to offset rising costs for Milwaukee and Racine counties as they build new facilities for young offenders. Meanwhile, one committee member warned inflation will likely raise the 
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PONTIAC  The recent altercation between inmates and staff at Pontiac Correctional Center that sent six correctional officers to the hospital is not linked to the 2013 closure of the state's super-maximum facility, a Chicago based prison watchdog group said Thursday.

Jennifer Vollen-Katz, executive director of the John Howard Association, took issue with comments from the union representing correctional officers, which claimed closure of Tamms Correctional Center has made the Pontiac facility more dangerous.

"To think that we need to reopen Tamm is a mistake. There's nothing about Tamms that was positive, humane or reform-minded," said Vollen-Katz, adding that a large number of human rights violations were alleged prior to Tamms' closure.

The Pontiac prison was locked down after an incident Sunday involving five inmates that sent officers to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening.

The Illinois Department of Corrections issued a statement Monday blaming the incident on a failure by staff to follow safety policies.

In response, the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees blamed the incident on the closure of Tamms, which housed inmates with a history of violence and/or severe mental illness.

AFSCME also argued that relaxed disciplinary measures implemented as part of reforms in mental health care in all the state's prisons has put staff at risk.

Joe Lewis, president of the AFSCME Local 494, accused Gov. Bruce Rauner's administration of putting mental health care above the safety of all inmates and staff.

"Many of the assaults are not being prosecuted as the inmates are considered SMI or seriously mentally ill so they are not held accountable for their actions, yet they will be on the streets soon," Lewis said.

The efforts to improve how the 11,000 inmates statewide who have some formed of mental illness are treated are spelled out in a settlement agreement in a class-action lawsuit resolved in January. The state agreed to sweeping changing that will provide counseling services and four residential treatment units for seriously mentally ill prisoners who have spent years in segregation, in some cases without proper care.

Alan Mills, one of the lawyers for the inmates in the lawsuit, took exception to Lewis' characterization of inmates as "the nightmares that are no longer on the streets."

"They're not nightmares, they're people," Mills said.

One of the recent violent encounters at the prison involved a mentally ill inmate transferred to Pontiac after the closure of Tamms in Southern Illinois, said Mills. The prisoner fought with officers as he was being removed from his segregation cell.

"He needs mental health care, not being locked in his cell 24 hours a day," said Mills.

Mills, executive director of Uptown People's Law Center in Chicago, acknowledged that correctional officers have worked without a contract for more than year in prisons that are overcrowded and understaffed. But blaming mental health care for the recent problems is not the answer, he said.
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 26

Industry is preparing to take up concerns and uncertainties on the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) with the Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers.

Assocham is seeking waiver of any penalties on unintentional compliance errors which may occur during the transition period of GST as was done in the case of introduction of service tax.

The Empowered Committee of State Finance Ministers will meet traders and industry chambers next week to seek feedback on apprehensions and problem areas.

Seeking adequate time for preparation of the required compliance systems for the industry, the Assochams memorandum to the empowered panel on GST is seeking waiver of penalties.

While the industry wants the GST to be introduced at the earliest in view of its benefits to all stakeholders, the Government and Empowered Committee should give adequate time for preparation for its smooth transition. Considering significant increase in documentary requirement and digitisation of the entire GST process, industry has to gear up and change their accounting and computer system after the GST Rules are released, said Sunil Kanoria, president, Assocham.

It said in such a mega tax reform, there will be requirement to issue clarification on various GST provisions and hence the governments at the Centre and states should gear up for such facility.
Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 26

After a four-hour high-voltage drama, officials of Punjab National Bank (PNB), the United Bank of India (UBI) and Asset Reconstruction Co Ltd (Arcil), a bad loan restructuring firm, sealed Hotel Park Plaza in Sector 17 with the help of the local police and the Administration over alleged non-payment of loans of Rs 130 crore (including interest).

Acting on an application filed by the banks, District Magistrate Ajit Balaji Joshi had, on August 3, allowed them to take the physical possession of the hotel.

Before completing the sealing exercise, around 200 guests, including actor Mangal Dhillon, were asked to leave the hotel by the bank officials. Left with no other option, some of the guests even left their breakfast on the table. As many as 60 rooms of the hotel were booked.

The exercise started at 10 am today when the bank officials reached the Sector 17 police station to take the help of the police for completing the exercise of taking over the hotel property.

The hotel management had deployed bouncers and staff to thwart the takeover.

At the entrance gate of the hotel, the police resorted to a mild lathicharge to enter the hotel premises. The hotel staff raised slogans against the UT Administration and the banks. Inside the hotel premises, the banks officials made announcements using a loudspeaker for the guests and exhibitors, who were there for an exhibition of clothes, asking them to leave the hotel.

After a four-hour ordeal, the hotel was sealed at 1.45 pm. Hotel CMD HS Arora, an NRI, targeted the bank officials and the local Administration alleging bias. He said he would approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Meanwhile, SN Gupta, Chief Manager, PNB, said they completed the exercise on the DMs order as the hotel management had failed to clear the loan.

SARFAESI Act

The banks approached the DM to take the physical possession of the hotel under Section 14 of the Securitisation and Reconstruction of Financial Assets and Enforcement of Security Interest (SARFAESI) Act, 2002.

James Hotels Ltd took Rs 85-crore loan

The company, James Hotels Limited, which was running the hotel, had taken loans of Rs 85 crore from the banks, starting in 2007. However, it stopped paying instalments in 2014 in spite of an operational hotel. The PNB had issued a notice for default of loan in August 2014. The banks, including the PNB, had declared the said loan as non-performing assets (NPAs) and a litigation was pursued with the Debt Recovery Tribunal, Chandigarh, for the recovery of the default amount.
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 26

The Punjab and Haryana High Court today made it clear that the possession of Hotel Park Plaza will remain with the secured creditors or the banks. A Division Bench of the High Court also made it clear that the banks will take a decision on whether they want to run the hotel.

The counsel for the hotel, senior advocate Anand Chhibbar, submitted that the banks should not take the physical possession of the hotel as it would cause inconvenience to guests who had booked rooms. At best, the banks should take over the management and not shut down the hotel to get the best price for recovering their dues, Chhibbar said.

The Bench, at the same time, added that the secured creditors would not cause inconvenience to the guests already staying in the hotel till August 31. Before parting with the case, the Bench asserted that the arrangement would continue till August 31.

The date has been fixed with the consent of the counsel appearing for the parties. Besides, the matter before the Debt Recovery Tribunal-I, Chandigarh, is listed for hearing on August 29 for consideration. We request the tribunal to consider the matter on the said date, the Bench of Justice SS Saron and Justice Lisa Gill concluded.
Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, August 26

The Supreme Court today directed DLF Ltd to hand over the possession of flats to about 50 members of the DLF Valley project in Panchkula by November 30.

A Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan, however, reduced the interest from 12 per cent to 9 per cent for the delay in the project.

DLF Ltd had come to the apex court, challenging the order of the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission for payment of 12 per cent interest. The commission had passed the order on a plea by SK Malhotra and others.

Nearly 1,500 home buyers had joined the DLF Valley project and most of them have got possession. The company assured the apex court that the litigants would get their flats by the November 30 deadline.
Rajinder Nagarkoti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 26

High drama was witnessed at Park Plaza hotel on Friday morning when bank officials from Punjab National Bank, United Bank of India and State Bank of India reached there to take physical possession of the hotel owing to its failure to pay a loan amount of Rs 130 crore.

The hotel management had deployed bouncers to thwart the bank officials. After a three-hour-long ordeal, the hotel was sealed at 1.45 pm.

Recently the DC had ordered to take the possession of the hotel on an application by these banks.

Around 200 guests were asked to leave by the police. Left with no other option, guests left their breakfast on the table. As many as 60 rooms of the hotel were booked.

Actor Mangal Dhillon, who was also present at the hotel, was also asked to leave. Dhillon along with 10 other people had booked the hotel for seven days.

Hotel staff, around 250 in number, said they had been rendered jobless.

Hotel CMD HS Arora, an NRI, targeted the bank officials and local administration alleging a bias. He said he would approach Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
New Delhi, August 26

Chandigarh will get its first international flight in mid-September as it will be connected with Sharjah and Dubai.

The first international flight will be run by Air India to Sharjah on September 15 while Indigo will fly to Dubai on September 26.

Official sources said the Home Ministry will set up the immigration counter by September 1 to facilitate the international travellers flying out of Chandigarh and for all in-bounds passengers.

Chandigarh airport is expected to be the gateway for the travellers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and part of Jammu and Kashmir.

With the operationalisation of international flights, the long-standing demand of the Punjabi diaspora would be fulfilled.

At present, international travellers have limited choice of flights from Amritsar and they have to come to Delhi all the way to catch flights connecting different parts of the world.  PTI
Our Correspondent

Mohali, August 26

Four persons were arrested after an alleged sex determination racket was unearthed at a private hospital at Kharar today.

The arrested persons are Sarabjit Kaur, a resident of Gillco Valley, Kharar, Gurmeet Kaur, a relative of a woman who had come for a sex determination test, Sikandar Singh (55), a resident of Bhagta Bhai Ka village in Bathinda district, and Balwinder Singh from Rohan village in Sirsa district.

SHO of the Kharar City police station Vijay Kumar said five persons were booked under Sections 420, 511 and 34 of the IPC and various Sections of the PNDT Act and the Indian Medical Council Act. Four of them had been arrested while the fifth was yet to be traced. The machine used to carry out the test had also been sealed. The case was registered on a complaint of Dr Manraj Singh, SMO in charge of the Kharar Civil Hospital.

He said Dr Viresh Bhushan, Dr Raj Kumar and Dr Rajesh Chaudhary, Deputy Civil Surgeons from Sirsa, Haryana, had got information that a person named Meet was allegedly getting sex determination tests done at a hospital at Kharar and was charging Rs 30,000 per case. He said Meet had also allegedly involved Sikandar Singh and Balwinder Singh in the alleged racket.

A trap was laid by sending a decoy customer. Health officials followed the decoy customer and reached Kharar.

Dr Manraj Singh, SMO, said officials from the Haryana Health Department informed the local health officials about the raid after which a team led by him and another one from the Mohali Civil Surgeons office reached the private hospital.

A raid was conducted and Rs 20,000 taken from the decoy customer was allegedly recovered from a suspect.

He said the Haryana officials team, along with the Haryana police, reached Kharar around 6 am and he and the Mohali Civil Surgeons team reached around 7 am.

He said the decoy customer, along with two persons, had started from Sirsa last night.

Mohali Civil Surgeon Ranjit Kaur Guru said a woman was allegedly caught red-handed doing the sex determination test. She had allegedly performed two such tests at the hospital today.

She said the centre had been registered in the name of a sonologist, who was not present in the hospital at the time of the raid.
S Nihal Singh

EUROPE is on edge. The most piquant symbol is the move by French beach resorts to ban the burkini, a full body covering swimsuit with a cap for Muslim women in contrast to the revealing bikini. But the disquiet is deep in many European countries leading to alarm bells ringing on the dangers of Islamophobia, with key elections in France and Germany next year adding to the troubled mix.

A series of terrorist attacks linked to IS sympathisers in Belgium and France in recent months has made the population jittery. And even in Germany, less prone to terrorist incidents, at least three attacks linked to jihadist sympathisers have roiled the political class. The gainers are the extreme right and anti-immigrant parties.

In France, presidential eletions are due next year, with the fortunes of the extreme right Marine Le Pen of the National Front soaring. While politicians are already lining up as candidates for the main conservative party, now in the opposition, President Francois Mitterands poll figures are at a historic low while it is widely believed that Ms Le Pen will reach the deciding second round in the presidential election.

Even more fragile is the outlook for German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who showed bravery and leadership in accepting more than 1.1 million refugees last year from the conflict-ridden Syria and other parts of the Middle East and Afghanistan. Inevitably, there was a backlash and the rise of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) anti-immigrant party. Most of the other members of the EU let down Ms Merkel by refusing to share the burden in any significant way.

Ms Merkel sought to recoup some of her domestic support by agreeing with Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on a dubious deal to stem the flow of refugees. It did slow down dramatically but it is doubtful how long it will last, given Ankaras wholesale arrest of thousands after a failed coup and the receding prospect of Turks being granted visa-free entry to the EU.

The problems linked to Muslims are somewhat different in the two main continental countries. In France, which has philosophically always prided itself on its version of secularism and equality, a large underclass of persons of largely Arab ancestry, the wages of the old French Empire, has grown up living in squalid conditions in the outlying suburbs of big cities. Some of them are ready recruits to the cause of the Islamic State. Belgium, which faces a similar problem, has the highest proportion of jihadists in relation to its population.

However, Germany, unlike France, is not a multi-cultural country. Even the few million Turks brought in as labour for a booming economy and now settled in Germany have largely lived segregated lives. Thus the induction of more than a million, largely Muslim, refugees has upset Germans who had first welcomed them with open arms. The fact that some of those indulging in terrorist acts had slipped through with genuine refugees has not helped matters. And the searing incidents in Cologne of sexual assaults on women involving refugees last New Year's eve has become imprinted on German psyche.

Europes efforts to live with Muslims and the Muslim world come at a time of change. With Brexit, the power balance on the continent has changed even as mainstream leaders are trying to cope with some truants in their ranks. The new dispensation in Poland, a great beneficiary of the EU, has gone nativist and is flouting the ground rules of a democratic state. And Hungary has for some time shown a cavalier attitude to democratic norms. Democracy is the benchmark of the coming together of old warring nations after World War II.

The question many Europeans are asking themselves is how they can reconcile with the new Muslim problem created by the events leading up to the formation of the Islamic State. Obviously, the values and culture of Europeans are inimical to the extreme version of Islam espoused by the jihadists. European countries such as France have failed to integrate their Muslim population for a variety of reasons. It has the biggest Muslim population in Europe.

Perhaps the most dangerous ramification of the problems created by the Islamic State is the rise of intolerance. European thoughts in an election season are focused on coping with this phenomenon. Both the centre-right and centre-left are nervously looking over their shoulders as pollsters suggest growing support for parties suporting extremist causes.

In France, Ms Le Pen now strikes a more confident note and leaders of the Alternative for Germany are preening themselves. All is far from lost but centrist leaders are struggling to find a new mantra to dispel their gloom. Democracy is for the large part underpinned by centrist politics and most sober politicians' effort is to bring back the pendulum to the centre.

In a sense, much will depend on Ms Merkels political future. She had enjoyed great popularity at home until the refugee crisis and much admiration abroad for dominating European affairs with aplomb. In the ultimate analysis, will she be able to win back popularity at home in spite of the dilemmas refugees have created for her country?

On a larger scale, Britain still has to begin formal negotiations on its departure from the EU by triggering an article that would give it two years to complete the process. Londons dilemma is how to continue to belong to the vital EU single market while restricting immigrants, a major cause of the vote to leave.

Misfortunes, as the famous adage has it, never come alone. European leaders must balance their endeavour to complete the process of Brexit with fighting the new menace of the growth of extremism in their respective countries. It must be the hope of much of the world that Europe will succeed. It is indeed a tantalising moment for the worlds future trajectory.
Sucha Singh Gill

Indian agriculture and rural society have been passing through a phase of transition since the introduction of the neo-liberal policy in 1991. This transition is reflected not only in the sharp decline in the share of agriculture in the GDP from 30 per cent in 1990-91 to 14 per cent in 2014-15, but also in the high level of agrarian stress on the peasantry, especially the small, marginal and tenant cultivators and agricultural labourers.

More than 3 lakh cultivators have committed suicide since 1997, the year when counting started. There is no record of the women from cultivator households and agricultural labourers who have committed suicide during this period. Their farming is unviable and livelihood is in crisis. Their children are not getting meaningful education due to the collapse of rural schooling and the virtual conversion of government schools into schools for have-nots, as the rural rich are sending their children to private schools.

The collapse of the public health system is also taxing for them, as they are forced to access private (costly) health care in emergencies, which pushes them further into debt. Children drop out of school after the fifth or sixth standard. Work has largely been taken away by machines in various agriculture operations, what remains is restricted to two or three months in a year. Unemployed children from poor families are easy prey to drugs.

The vast majority of the rural population have also lost hope of any improvement in their lives. Their land and other productive resources are going out of their hands through sale-purchase deeds, mortgage and reverse tenancy. Many of them are escaping to cities and some of them to even to war zones such as Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. The families are suffering endless agony and dying every movement. Is this avoidable or is the future of the poor in the rural India bleak?

There is decline in the absolute number of the workforce engaged in agriculture, which is caused by the fast rate of mechanisation, such as tractors for ploughing, harvester combines in harvesting and the use of weedicides to clear out weeds. Mechanisation and the use of costly market-priced inputs, and controlled prices of the output, have made agriculture for majority of the farmers unviable. This has produced a painful crop of rural suicides.

The working of the policy framework has made peasants producers of raw products, and excluded them from value chains. Consequently, they do not get a fair share of the price paid by the consumer. In some cases of vegetables and fruits it is as low as 10-15 per cent. A great tragedy is under way in the rural areas of the country. This is a phenomenon largely created by commercial and capitalist farming and accelerated by neo-liberal policies, leading to reduction of government support to farmers, cultivation system and withdrawal of funding to the agricultural research and extension system.

An eminent historian of the 20th century, Eric Hobsbawm, in his book Age of Extremes: A Short Twentieth Century 1914-1991 wrote in 1997, The most dramatic and far-reaching social change of the second half of this country and the one which cuts off for ever from the world of past, is the death of peasantry. He noted that in the 1980s only 3-5 per cent of the workforce engaged in agriculture in advanced countries did not produce a crop of peasant suicides during the transition. At that time only three regions of the globe remained dominated by workforce in agriculture. These were Sub-Saharan Africa; South Asia; and South-East Asia and China. He mentioned the solid block of peasants and agricultural labourers in India with contribution to the share of the total workforce standing at 66.4 per cent in 1981. He wondered how long this citadel of peasantry in India would stand the onslaught of the capitalist force. Within a few years, this citadel was falling fast with the share falling from 66.4 per cent in 1981 to 49.7 per cent in 2011-12.

Indian policy-makers are looking at this change as a positive structural change towards modern activities in industrial and commercial sectors. But they dont look at what is happening to the people leaving or being forced to leave agriculture. This change is accompanied by tremendous stress on the majority of the workforce, especially the small and marginal cultivators on less than 5 acres of land, who constitute 84 per cent of the total cultivating households. They are suffering declining living standards accompanied by mounting debt, which has put them in a debt trap. Majority of the small and marginal cultivators are facing a threat to their status as cultivators and are on the verge of collapsing. They are illiterate/semi-literate, lack any skill other than cultivation; they are poor and lack capital and organisational skills. They cannot create their own organisations and are today led by those who want to take away their land and livelihood.

The policy-makers are seeking solution to their problems through e-markets, greater role of traders and corporate sector in marketing and processing. This will further ruin the poor peasants. If one is to understand the kind of ruin of the neo-liberal policies can unleash in the impending situation of ecological disaster one has to read John Steinbecks 1939 novel The Grapes of Wrath, which described how thousands of farming families were forced to migrate to California from the Dust Bowl states in the US when their land was acquired by banks, corporate companies and big farmers in the wake of a disastrous dust storm. A large number among them perished on the way or at the destination even though some of them owned trucks to travel. The same fate awaits a large number of Indian peasants facing depletion of ground and surface water.

It is high time that the magnitude of this crisis is understood and suitable policies are devised. India must plan this structural change by investing in agricultural infrastructure, and support to research and extension. Much more needs to be done to resurrect rural education and healthcare. Serious thought is also needed for the introduction of cooperative farming, as suggested by the Expert Committee on Agriculture, and the generation of rural non-farm employment. The proposal to ensure a minimum income for each farming family deserves special attention. This must be linked with productive and asset making activities. The whole set of measures must start with making poor peasants and rural labour free from debt trap. Skill building has to be done for this workforce to make them partners in the value chain. The government has to change its role from promoter of the corporate sector to provider of social security to the rural population.





The author is on the faculty of CRRID, Chandigarh.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is facing a major test in Punjab after marginalising Sucha Singh Chhotepur, a two-term MLA with half a century of political life behind him. The man from Gurdaspur had become a prominent face in state politics by the sole virtue of being made the state convener of a party that perceives the political wind is in its favour. His post could have made him a contender for the Chief Ministers chair. But of late things were not hunky dory. Chhotepur, who should have been in the thick of the selection process, expressed his misgivings with the first two lists of candidates.

Chhotepur has accepted receiving money and not issuing a receipt. This violated AAPs cardinal rule of fund collection that purports to set it apart from its competitors. AAP may have had no option but to set an example before word got out about a similar culture taking root in the party. Already one of its activists has made a similar charge against its core committee member Sanjay Singh. It was also time to redirect the narrative at a time when MP Dharamvir Gandhi decided to back non-AAP candidates, the hedging of bets by Navjot Singh Sidhu and former Olympian Pargat Singh keeping up the suspense about their joining the party.

AAP will also be tested on former CM Amarinder Singh's charge that the partys Delhi leaders are calling the shots, although he himself was made Punjab Congress president on a directive from the High Command in the national capital. If the past is any indicator, the previous expulsion of heavyweights did not dent AAPs performance. Punjab is not cosmopolitan like Delhi but has a strong identity of its own, besides a layered societal set-up. The Punjab polls will be a do-or-die battle for all three formations in the fray. The challenge before AAP will be to beat battle-hardened veterans with a team bereft of weathered politicians. Chhotepurs removal may or may not be a conspiracy but it will send a salutory signal to AAPs rank and file.
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti delivered some home truths about the prevailing volatile situation in Kashmir at a joint press conference with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Srinagar on Thursday. Candidly, she said the boys engaged in stone-throwing protests were not on a toffee-or-milk-buying spree. They had attacked Army camps with stones and petrol bombs, and that had consequences. The children and adolescents of impressionable age, already angry with the system, are being instigated by calls for jihad and martyrdom from loudspeakers at mosques. The overwhelming presence of security forces fuels their rage. The instigators use the young as shields during attacks on Army camps. The larger reprehensible objective is to showcase Kashmir as a dispute for the resolution of which young Kashmiris are laying down their lives. It also helps them draw international attention. Anyone showing them the mirror is, therefore, viewed as an enemy.

The most contentious was Mehbooba Muftis remark that only 5 per cent troublemakers had held as hostage the remaining 95 per cent Kashmiris who also wanted a solution but through a peaceful process. She should have known that the press conference being held in a high-voltage situation wouldnt be a smooth affair. Her agenda of peaceful and political solution, she should have anticipated, would be an anathema to those engaged in a violent hate campaign ever since the PDP entered into an alliance with the BJP to form a government in March last year. Her outburst diverted the attention from Rajnath Singhs positive announcements of withdrawal of pellet guns and a dialogue offer to all to the Chief Ministers temperament trouble.

Understandably, during a crisis a leader is under pressure. But she should not have allowed this to disturb her calm, especially when a delicate peace process was at stake. Had she followed her father, Mufti Mohammad Sayeeds footsteps, she would have drawn the comparison between 2010 and 2016 with a cool head and disarming words. Mehbooba Mufti herself is an unrelenting advocate of dialogue and a political solution to the Kashmir crisis. Her angry utterances drowned the import of the larger message.
Legal Correspondent/ PTI

New Delhi, August 26

A CBI court here today sentenced INLD leader and former Haryana Assembly Speaker Satbir Singh Kadian to 7 years in jail for committing irregularities when he was heading Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative (IFFCO) Ltd in 1989-91. The CBI had registered an FIR in 1993 under the Prevention of Corruption Act against the accused.

Besides 66-year-old Kadian, Special CBI Judge Jitendra Kumar Mishra also awarded seven-year jail term to 64-year-old Vinayak Narayan Deosthali, former Assistant Manager (Funds) of UCO Bank, 65-year-old IIT alumni Anil Kumar Malhotra and 70-year- old Sunil Gorawara, former Senior Manager (Deposits) of UCO Bank.

The court also sentenced 84-year-old Karuna Pati Pandey, former Senior Manager (Cash) of UCO Bank, to two years imprisonment considering his old age and that he was facing financial burden and had suffered punishment during trial for a single mistake or offence committed by him.

Refusing to show any leniency to Kadian, the court said he was a role model for the country, including Haryana, and if such persons would be given minimum punishment, it would affect the morale of the entire nation.

According to the CBI, while working as IFFCO chairman, Kadian had invested Rs 32.90 crore, the surplus fund of IFFCO at lower rate of interest and caused a loss of over Rs 15 lakh to the organisation.

It said in one transaction of Rs 4 crore meant for UCO Bank, New Delhi, for investment, the money was dishonestly and fraudulently diverted to the personal account of accused share broker Harshad Shantilal Mehta (now dead) through his Delhi-based representative.

The court also imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 5 lakh, Rs 25 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 50,000 on Kadian, Deosthali, Malhotra, Gorawara and Pandey, respectively.

It said that out of the total fine collected, 25 per cent should be paid to the CBI towards litigation expenses and 75 per cent to the state.
Pradeep Sharma

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 26

It was a different type of pathshala for the Haryana legislators on the first day of the monsoon session of the state Assembly. Famous Jain saint Muni Shri Tarun Sagar Ji Maharaj tried to prick politicians conscience while calling upon them to wage a battle against social ills afflicting society.

In his discourse, the first by a religious preacher in Haryanas legislative history, the muni took potshots at the politicians for their alleged failure to check female foeticide and corruption, soft policy against terrorism vis-a-vis Pakistan and criminalisation of politics.

Spicing up his discourse with anecdotes and jokes, the saint, known for his kadve pravachan (harsh discourse), used his inimitable wit and barbs to drive home his point while urging the society to stand up against social evils. We will have to change our mindsthe society will not change for us, he asserted.

In fact, in his 45-minute discourse from the Speakers Gallery, the saint touched a variety of issues amid thundering applause from the members cutting across party lines. Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki was a special invitee to the discourse.

Though MLAs, including Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Leader of the Congress Legislature Party Kiran Chaudhry and Zakir Hussain (INLD) heaped praise on the national saint, politicians were at the receiving end of his discourse which he occasionally enlivened by poking fun at them.

Meanwhile, talking to reporters outside Vidhan Sabha, the Muni said Chief Minster Manohar Lal Khattar was being blamed for saffronising politics with the kadve pravachan programme in Vidhan Sabha. In fact, it is the purification of politics in real terms rather than saffronisation, he asserted.
Tribune News Service

Mewat, August 26

The quaint village of Dingerheri is yet to recover from yesterdays shock wherein a couple was killed and two women of the family were gang-raped by robbers.

The sleepy lanes of this village are abuzz with police vehicles, media vans and politicians visits.

Rewari Range IG Mamta Singh, said, We are on the job and have issued the sketches of four accused.

She said a Special Investigation Team (SIT) had been formed and raiding parties were on the look for the accused. Her words, however, failed to comfort the head of the family busy preparing for the last rites of his cousin and his wife.

All that flashes in front of my eyes are the horrifying wails of women being violated and the cries of my dying brother and his wife, he said.

Women sat huddled inside the house, including the two victims. They are in shock. They were violated as their parents and uncles looked on helplessly. The teen is scared. Its saddening, but death would have been better. Please leave them alone, says the house owners daughter, also the key complainant in the case.

Meanwhile, the politicians made a beeline expressing condolences. Senior Congress leaders, including Captain Ajay Yadav and Aftab Ahmed have sought an explanation from CM Manohar Lal Khattar on the failing law and order situation in the state.
A new state law taking effect in January will give a big price break to emergency response agencies that will be able to treat patients with severe allergic reactions with a syringe, rather than the widely used EpiPen, whose sudden rise in cost has caused outrage across the country.

The measure, sponsored by GOP state Sen. Chapin Rose of Mahomet, comes as Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen, is facing increased scrutiny from the federal government over the sticker-shock price hike.

The cost of a two-dose package of EpiPens  there were 3.6 million prescriptions filled last year  has jumped from less than $100 nine years ago to more than $600 in May, the Associated Press reported last week.

While the new Illilnois law is certainly good news for first-responders, families and others who need EpiPens available at a moment's notice are victims of Mylan's price gouging.

And, Congress  Democrats and Republicans alike  are rightfully demanding answers. Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., has asked the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee to hold a hearing on the issue.

That's at least a start because the skyrocketing price could mean some families who rely on the product to ward off potentially fatal allergic reactions cannot afford it any longer. We're talking about millions of adults and kids, who suffer from severe allergies to bee stings, spider bites and foods like nuts and eggs.

Mylan is feeling the hit.

At one point last week, its stock fell $2, or 4 percent, the second-biggest drop in the S&P 500, following the growing outrage.

Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, has written Mylan, asking for more information. He cited the cost to parents whose children need Epipens, and also to schools that keep EpiPens on hand.

He said the school costs are being passed on to taxpayers.

In a statement, Mylan said most customers have insurance that covers the cost, or most of it, and savings programs for patients, and that it also is offering 700,000 free EpiPens to schools.

But that's not really the point.

In the U.S., drug manufacturers charge what they think the market will bear. Unlike other countries, the U.S. government doesn't regulate drug prices, though the Veterans Affairs and Medicaid negotiate big discounts. Mylan hasn't answered questions about how it justifies its price hikes, including for the EpiPen that has virtually no competition in the U.S.

The simplest reason is to make more money, which only fuels the widespread belief that drug companies are only interested in turning massive profits. After all, the EpiPen is basically the same as it was when it came on the market.

EpiPens are certainly a worthwhile product, likely saving millions of lives over the years.

But Mylan shouldn't be allowed to boost up its price for such a vital product just because it can.

We urge Congress, and particularly our area lawmakers, to get answers to the questions being asked.
London, August 26

Physical activity can help reduce cardiovascular disease and premature mortality risk in people with psychological problems, scientists say.

The study by researchers from Kings College London in the UK examined whether complying with the World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations of 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous exercise per week is related to psychotic symptoms or the diagnosis of a psychosis.

The results indicated, on a multinational level across low-and middle-income countries, that a diagnosis of psychosis is associated with physical inactivity, especially among males.

The study also demonstrated that psychotic-like symptoms without a diagnosis of serious mental disorders do not appear to be associated with physical inactivity.

Across the entire population, the prevalence of people getting less than 150 minutes of moderate-vigorous physical activity was 26.9 per cent, researchers said.

Overall, the prevalence of low physical activity was 24.3 per cent in people with psychotic-like symptoms and no diagnosis and 33 per cent in people with a diagnosis of a serious mental disorder.

The prevalence of low physical activity in people without any psychological problems was 27 per cent.

Compared to those without a diagnosis of a psychological condition, patients with a diagnosis of psychosis were more likely to be physically inactive in the overall sample and in males while this was not observed in females.

People with psychotic disorders are among the most inactive clinical populations, spending on average almost 13 hours a day engaging in sedentary behaviour, researchers said.

The data from the World Health Survey was a cross-sectional survey carried out in 70 countries between 2002 and 2004.

Using a mailed survey and interviews, participants were asked how many days over the past week, on average, they engaged in moderate and vigorous physical activity.

Researchers also asked participants how much time they spent engaged in physical activity at a moderate and vigorous level.

Our data provides the first multi-national evidence that people with psychosis are less likely to achieve the recommended physical activity guidelines, said Brendon Stubbs from Kings College.

Importantly, our data also offers a novel insight into the potential factors which influence physical activity levels in males with psychosis, who were not only most likely not to achieve the recommended physical activity levels, but are also more likely to die early due to cardiovascular disease, said Stubbs.

The findings were published in the journal Schizophrenia Bulletin.  PTI
Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 26

Five members of a family from Nepal were killed while a 12-year-old visually and hearing impaired boy was injured in a massive landslide triggered by a cloudburst at Gawaldi village in Narayan Panchayat in Rampur area of Shimla district today.

The cloudburst occurred at the hilltop of Bandrali village and the gushing water washed away the kutcha house of Lachhman Dass and damaged six apple orchards, said panchayat president Naresh Chauhan, who reached the spot immediately after the incident.

Shimla Deputy Commissioner Rohan Chand Thakur said the bodies of Lachhman Dass, his wife Dev Kumari, son Suraj (6) and daughter Sunita (7) were recovered from debris while rescue operations were on to recover the body of 11-year-old daughter Purshottama.

Karan Bahadur (12), a visually and hearing impaired, who had a miraculous escape, got his leg fractured and was admitted to hospital. The area was located in the interior of Rampur and was inaccessible due to landslides, hampering the rescue operations, he added.

Rampur DSP Som Dutt, who conducted the rescue operations with the help of local people, said four bodies had been extricated from debris while operations were on to recover the fifth body.

He said the road to Gawaldi village was breached at many places and rescue teams had hard time reaching the village. Apple orchards of Hira Lal, Bogala Devi, Surja Devi, Gokali Devi and Bala were badly damaged. Rampur SDM Nishant Thakur reached the spot and announced interim relief to victims.

Meanwhile, moderate rain occurred at some places in the state. Una was the wettest with 27 mm rain followed by Jubbal and Shimla. Jubbal and Shimla recorded 17 mm and 15 mm rain, respectively, followed by Banjar 12 mm, Kumarsein and Sarahan 8 mm and Mashobra and Manali 5 mm each.

The maximum temperatures rose marginally and Una was the hottest with high of 36.2C while Bhuntar and Sundernagar recorded maximum temperatures at 33.5 C and 33.2C, respectively, followed by Nahan 31.8C, Solan 29.2C, Dharamsala 29.8C, Kalpa 24.6C and Shimla 23.4C. The local met office has predicted rain and thundershowers at few places in the lower, mid and higher hills over the next six days.
Bhanu P Lohumi

Tribune News Service

Shimla, August 26

While the public outcry over the brutal murder of four-year-old Yug refuses to die down, the families of the accused today joined the chorus for justice. They said: We will honour the verdict of the court.

Chander Sharmas father, who runs a grocery store in Ram Bazar from where the boy was kidnapped on June 14, 2014, said: My son is dead for me and now the court will decide his fate. I cannot believe that my son was involved in such a heinous crime.

Capital punishment is too little for my son, he should be dumped alive in a water tank, said Tajenders mother. Vikrants parents said: Our son should be punished, but he is not the main culprit as he was used by Chander and Tajender. DGP Sanjay Kumar said based on the report of the CID, the Shimla SP had been directed to examine and take action against the erring municipal officials.

Following this, a case under Sections 269, 270, 271, 217, 218, 34 of the IPC and Sections 42 and 43 the water (prevention and control of pollution) was registered at the Sadar police station against the erring municipal officials for negligence likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life.

The civic body had claimed that the water tank was cleaned many a time. The role of the MC employees was also under scanner as on January 29, 2016, they had cleaned the tank and threw the skeleton, but did not inform the police presuming that it was an animal skeleton. Moreover, a stone with blood stains and bones were recovered by the CID from the tank on August 22.

Yugs father, accompanied by members of the Veopar Mandal, today met Governor Acharya Devvrat and demanded capital punishment for the accused.

Meanwhile, protests continued with students of Kotshera and Sanjauli colleges boycotting the classes.
Ehsan Fazili

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 26

Curfew has been extended to the entire Srinagar district on Friday to foil the separatists march to Eidgah to offer Friday prayers, this being the seventh crucial Friday since the trouble started early last month.

The moderate Hurriyat Conference chairman Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, who was scheduled to lead the Azadi march to Eidgah, was taken into custody and lodged in the Nigeen Police Station here last evening.

This step was also taken to prevent him from delivering telephonic address at the last evening prayers at Srinagars Jamia Masjid (main mosque). The Mirwaiz (chief priest) continues to be under house arrest at his Nigeen residence since the current unrest began seven weeks ago.

Curfew is also imposed in Anantnag, Pulwama and Shopian towns of south Kashmir and Budgam in central Kashmir.

Normal life continues to remain paralysed due to curfew, restrictions and prohibitory orders and the separatists sponsored shutdown on day 49 following the killing of militant commander, Burhan Wani in Anantnag district on July 8.

The separatist leadersSyed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq heading their factions of Hurriyat Conference and the JKLF led by its chairman Mohamamd Yasin Malik have been spearheading the protest programmes and have already issued the protest calendar from August 25 to September 1.

At least 68 people including 66 civilians and two J&K Policemen have died in the clashes during the ongoing turmoil.

Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh, meanwhile, concluded his two-day visit to the state yesterday during which he met nearly 300 people comprising over 20 delegations.

His visit, second in a month, followed the meetings of opposition leaders with President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Home Minister returned with an offer of talks to all sections in Kashmir with the former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayees mantra of Kashmiriyat, Insaniyat and Jamhooriyat to bring Kashmir out of this situation.
Majid Jahangir

Tribune News Service

Srinagar, August 26

When Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh addressed a press conference on Thursday with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti by his side, he said it was for a first time that a Home Minister had visited Kashmir twice in just a month to assess the situation.

This depicts the grim situation on the ground zero in Kashmir where the state and Central governments in an effort to calm the protesters and contain the situation, have resorted to massive security clampdown following the killing of militant commander Burhan Wani. Since then, almost 50 days have passed and the Kashmir lockdown continues. Nearly 70 people have died and over 8,000 have been injured during these days.

Rajnath made his first visit to Kashmir on July 23, the 14th day of the unrest, and his second visit came on August 25, the 47th day of the turmoil.

Before landing in Srinagar on Wednesday, Rajnath invoked former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayees much-used three words  Kashmiriyat, insaniyat and jamhooriyat. He invited those people for talks who believe in these three phrases. Apart from the mainstream political groups, a few odd unknown civil society groups, no one from dissenting groups  Hurriyat or protesting youth  met him.

While wrapping up his two-day visit which was further muddied by his joint press conference with Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti where she lost her cool, Rajnath announced preparation for an all-party delegation and alternative to the controversial pellet guns, without further elaborating. In fact, doubts still persist regarding the mandate of such panel as Kashmir-based political parties insist that it wont work unless the recommendations of the all-party delegation are implemented without wasting time.

On the ground zero the situation remains same. Since last week, the government has even imposed night curfew across Srinagar and major towns of the Valley in a bid to scuttle the separatist protest programme. Mobile Internet services continue to remain suspended since July 9 while outgoing calling facility is barred on the prepaid mobile telephones.

In the absence of any political initiative to break the cycle of violence, the only option exercised by the governments has been to deploy more forces and use bullet and pellet guns coupled with curfew and restrictions in a hope to tire out the protesters who have emerged from every nook and corner of the Valley, including the remotest villages.

The only intervention, though late, came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on August 22, who had till then maintained a silence on the happenings in Kashmir. It came when a delegation of Opposition parties, led by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, called on him. Modi said a dialogue was a must for bringing to the unrest to the end and ensuring a permanent solution in Kashmir within the ambit of the Constitution.

However, that message too seems to have been lost in the din of street protests and almost-daily sounds of firing of pellet guns. The streets of Kashmir continue to witness protests and clashes, which are more fearful and loud in south Kashmir.

As the lockdown continues, Mehbooba Mufti statements appear to be out of sync with the mood of the people and reality on the ground. Though she may have appeared to be having an iron hand, for many in Kashmir that is not the requirement at the present when the aim is to pacify the angry protesters.

Turn of events

July 8 Hizbul Mujahideen militant commander Burhan Wani killed in a gunfight in south Kashmirs Anantnag district along with his two associates. The killing sparks instant protests.

July 9: 12 protesters killed in action of security forces. The authorities suspend mobile Internet services in Kashmir valley while the facility is completely snapped in south Kashmir.

July 12: The Prime Minister reviews the Kashmir situation, appeals for calm

July 15: Printing presses of newspapers raided and printing stopped after which local newspapers fail to hit the stands

July 20: The Army Chief reviews security situation in Srinagar

July 21: Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti chairs an all-party meeting in Srinagar, asks Delhi to start a political dialogue

July 26: Rajnath forms an expert team to explore alternatives to pellet gun

July 28: Mehbooba Mufti says nobody knew Burhan Wani was holed up at Kokernag in Anantnag

August 8: Three BSF men and a militant killed in Pakistan BAT teams action close to the LoC in Nowgam

August 12: The PM chairs all-party meeting on Kashmir, blames Pakistan for unrest

August 14: Pakistani flags hoisted at various places in Kashmir. Militants appear in Kulgam pro-Pak rally

August 15: A CRPF commandant and two militants killed in Srinagar gunfight. Five unidentified militants killed and a senior Army officer receives minor injuries when the Army foils an infiltration bid in the Uri sector of Baramulla district

August 16: Five civilians killed in clashes

August 17: Three security personnel killed in an ambush of an Army convoy in Baramulla district

August 18: Security forces beat college lecturer to death in Khrew, Pulwama. The Army orders probe order.

August 21: Opposition leaders, led by Omar Abdullah, meet the President

August 21: Union Minister Arun Jaitley during a rally in Jammu says there will be no compromise with those indulging in violence in Kashmir

August 22: The PM says a dialogue is a must for bringing an end to the unrest and talks about a lasting, permanent solution to Kashmir within the Constitution

August 22: Mehbooba says 95 per cent want peace

August 22: For the first time after 12 years, the BSF deployed in Srinagar for law and order situation

August 25: Rajnath Singh concludes two-day visit to Srinagar. Says pellet guns to go
Srinagar/New Delhi, August 26

Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flew to Delhi on Saturday evening for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Kashmir Valley remained on the boil with one more civilian killed in firing by security forces.

Government sources in Delhi and Srinagar said that the meeting between Modi and Mehbooba was scheduled for Saturday morning at his official 7 Race Course residence.

The sources said the Chief Minister was summoned to Delhi after Home Minister Rajnath Singh's two-day visit to the valley.

They said the Home Minister had asked the Chief Minister to act tough against and round up those perpetrating a deadly civilian unrest triggered by the July 8 killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.

"Rajnath Singh carried the same message and that is what Modi is expected to tell Mehbooba," one of the sources said.

The source said state and central intelligence agencies have prepared a list of around 170 ringleaders, found inciting the unrest and provoking people to take to the streets and throw stones at security forces.

Most of these ringleaders are from south Kashmir, the bastion of Mehbooba's Peoples Democratic Party.

Jammu and Kashmir Police have "not acted and the alleged troublemakers are roaming about free", the source said, adding that the Chief Minister was being pressurized to crack down on them.

As Mehbooba jetted off to Delhi, one more civilian died after security forces opened fire in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. This took the death toll in the ongoing unrest to 69.

More than 6,000 civilians and more than 4,000 security personnel have been injured during the unrest  the deadliest the valley has suffered in six years.

Police said Shakeel Ahmad Ganai, 22, was killed after he sustained bullet injuries in a clash with the security forces in Haal village.

A doctor at the sub-district hospital at Pulwama said Ganai had been hit by a bullet that pierced through his heart.

Some three dozen people were injured in other clashes across the valley after the Friday prayers.

The security restrictions were tightened on Friday amid apprehensions that separatist leaders may stoke further trouble. They had asked people to gather in Eidgah prayer grounds for a pro-freedom protest rally in the heart of the volatile old Srinagar city.

But the government thwarted the protest march to the sprawling prayer ground.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads the hardline Hurriyat Conference, was held outside his upscale Hyderpora residence as he defied restrictions and attempted to march to Eidgah.

The moderate Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was also arrested near his Nigeen house. Both the separatist leaders were briefly detained at police stations near their houses.  IANS
In a run-up to the festive and wedding season, its raining exhibitions in Tricity. Not just one every weekend but two at a time, in different corners of the city! And boy are we complaining? Nope.

Pakistani flavour

Riwaaz

This Indo-Pak fashion and lifestyle exhibition is put together by Glambiz; it brings together as many as 20 Pakistani exhibitors. The exhibition, inaugurated by actor Ali Khan and Anil Dhawan (David Dhawans brother), is likely to amuse those forever in search of or trailing the trends. There are countless suits  gota patti work, embroidered capes to be thrown over shararas or lehengas and even mirror-work. Some hunting will throw open options for everyone.

As for jewellery? There are stalls galore. Jadau, kundan and polki jewellery are forever. It is part of Rajwada jewels, earlier worn only by royals, shares Preeti Gaurav Wadhwa, from Daaj collection. There are ample stalls with unstitched lawn suits, and for those who may care to find out, in Rawalpindi style, Abbotabad style and Multani style.

Food court

While the women folk go and splurge, what do the rest do? Well, theres food court to amuse anybody not interested in shopping. Theres special mutton korma, chicken biryani, chicken korma and chicken seekh kebab to delight the non-vegetarian lovers, shares Imran Ahmed, who is co-ordinating the food court.

(On at Kisan Bhawan35, Chandigarh till August 28)

Neighbours magic

Nikaah

Seems like the Pakistani bug has bitten real hard! Praising the people of the country might invite legal troubles, but applauding and even emulating their fashion has always worked fine.

Yet another four-day, Indo-Pakistan wedding and lifestyle exhibition promises stuff from traditional to contemporary Pakistani-wear! Thrown in are stalls with Pakistani chappals, Punjabi juttis and of course jewellery. The fifth edition of the exhibition brings together 60 fashion designers. And yes gota patti, mirror work, aari embroidery, its all there, apart from a fair share of exhibitors from the city. Nowadays, in Pakistan short shirts worn with crushed dupattas are trending. These need to be matched with cigarette pants, opines designer Zubaida Aslam from Pakistan. Aaraish, a label from Islamabad, has brought collections strewn with Tarkashi work. Then theres Multani embroidery.

(On till August 28 at Himachal Bhawan28, Chandigarh)  Manpriya Singh
New Delhi, August 26

Backing party vice-president Rahul Gandhis strongly worded statement on the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the Congress on Friday asserted that it would continue to fight the process of thought that killed Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948.

Congress leader and spokesman Randeep Surjewala told ANI here that the atmosphere of hate and division, whether it is by an organisation or by an individual, would always be fought decisively by the party leadership and crores of Congress workers.

What Rahul ji said on Thursday was true. We will continue to fight the hateful and divisive agenda in this country and will never say die, will never be deterred by threats, either by persecution or prosecution, he said.

Further stating that Nathuram Godse was affiliated to the RSS, Surjewala said Godses brother Gopal is on record admitting to the fact.

It is true that Nathuram Godse killed Mahatma Gandhi. He was affiliated to the RSS and this has been said by his own brother Gopal Godse. We will continue to fight that process of thought, which killed Mahatma Gandhi, and also champion and promote the thought represented by Mahatma Gandhi, the Congress leader said.

On Thursday, Rahul said in a tweet, I will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said.

The development came a day after Rahuls counsel Kapil Sibal told the Supreme Court that Gandhi had never blamed the RSS for killing the Mahatma.

Following Rahuls submission, a Supreme Court Bench comprising Justices Dipak Misra and RF Nariman said if the complainant agreed to the submission, it would take the statement on record and dispose of the petition.

Sibal cited the affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court, saying Gandhi had accused only certain people of the RSS, and not the organisation, as the killer of Mahatma Gandhi.

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In his complaint, RSS Bhiwandi secretary Rajesh Mahadev Kunte had alleged that Rahul told an election rally in Sonale, Maharashtra, on March 6 last year, that the RSS people killed Gandhiji.

He alleged that the Congress leader had sought to tarnish the reputation of the RSS through his speech. ANI
Shiv Kumar

Tribune News Service

Mumbai, August 26

The Bombay High Court today ruled that women had the right to enter the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali shrine off Mumbai.

It ruled that women could not be discriminated against and the ban on the entry of women into the core area of the shrine violated Sections 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution.

However, Haji Ali Trust, which administers the shrine, has obtained a stay of eight weeks on the order so that it can move the Supreme Court. Until 2012, women were allowed inside the shrine. Thereafter, the Trust banned their entry on the plea that it amounted to committing a sin.

Backed by the Maharashtra Government, the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, a womens rights group, approached the court against the Trusts decision.

The dargah, built 500 metres into the sea, can be reached only during low tide. The Trust contended that Article 26 gave it the right to manage its affairs and the entry of women was not completely barred; they were given a secure place to offer prayers.

Former AG Shreehari Aney submitted that the Trusts rights had to be in tandem with Articles 14 (right to equality) and 15 (prohibiting discrimination).
Mumbai, August 26

Premier tech school IIT Bombay has blacklisted nine companies, including startups like Portea Medical and Chinese firm Johnson Electric, from placements for one year as a penalty for a variety of violations, like revoking the offers to some of its graduates.

The action follows a controversy over a host of companies, majorly startups, finding the going tough, either revoking the offer letters or delaying joining dates which have impacted students.

Online pharmacy player Portea, which has reportedly raised USD 46.5 million in two rounds, had been blacklisted for a year for revoking an offer, the school said in an official statement.

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Similarly, the NCR-based Peppertap that was into grocery sales, has also been penalised for revoking offers.

Johnson Electric of China has also been penalised for revoking offers.

Others who faced action for revoking offers included GPSK and Cashcare Technologies, the statement said.

For delaying the joining dates of the selected candidates, consulting companies IndusInsight, and the Houston-based American company LexInnova had been barred from placements for a year, it said.

A company named LeGarde Burnett Group was also blacklisted for both revoking an offer and after it was found fake with no proper office address, it said.

Another company, Mera Hunar, was found to have come up with a different name and hired students for another startup, which attracted the penal action of a year.

It can be noted that since IITs have a centralised placement panel called the All IITs Placement Committee and in all likelihood, the action by IIT-Bombay will automatically bar the startups from approaching any of the IITs in the country for placements next year. PTI
SPRINGFIELD  A referendum on amending the Illinois Constitution to take the process of redrawing legislative districts out of the hands of the General Assembly wont be on the Nov. 8 ballot, but that wont prevent redistricting reform from being a major campaign issue.

In a 4-3 decision that split along party lines, the Illinois Supreme Court ruled Thursday that a ballot measure creating an independent commission to redraw district boundaries went beyond the scope allowed for a petition-driven initiative. Referendums placed on the ballot through petitions are limited to making structural and procedural changes to the General Assembly.

The courts partisan divide sets up redistricting to be yet another contentious issue in an election season following a yearlong budget standoff between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and the Democratic-controlled General Assembly.

The four justices who were elected to the state Supreme Court as Democrats found that the redistricting proposal from the group Independent Maps, which gathered more than half a million signatures in support of its effort, is unconstitutional because it wouldve assigned new duties to the state auditor general.

Therefore, Justice Thomas Kilbride wrote for the majority, the proposition supported by Independent Maps must fail.

The three justices elected as Republicans strongly disagreed.

In direct contradiction of the clear and unambiguous intention of the people who drafted the constitution and the citizens who voted to adopt it, the majority has irrevocably severed a vital lifeline created by the drafters for the express purpose of enabling later generations of Illinoisans to use their sovereign authority as a check against self-interest by the legislature, Justice Robert Thomas wrote in one of three dissenting opinions.

Critics of the current redistricting process say it protects incumbents and puts too much power in the hands of the party that controls the legislature.

Rauner has made redistricting reform a major plank of his turnaround agenda, and he frequently accuses Democrats, especially long-serving House Speaker Michael Madigan of Chicago, who also heads the state Democratic Party  of blocking an idea thats popular with voters in both parties.

The Peoples Map, a group of minority business and community leaders that challenged the proposed redistricting amendment because they believe it would weaken minority voting rights, is represented by election lawyer Michael Kasper, whos represented Madigan and a long list of other Illinois Democrats. Madigan denies any connection to the case.

On Governors Day at the Illinois State Fair last week, Rauner spoke of a political machine that has taken over much of state government, including the judicial branch.

That machine is in court right now, trying to block fair maps, trying to take power away from you, trying to deny you the vote, Rauner said, adding, That machine elects a lot of those judges. This is Illinois.

But during a visit to Marion on Friday, Rauner sidestepped questions about whether the states high court is part of the rigged system he said is responsible for the states fiscal and economic woes.

Our entire system is broken, he told reporters.

Rauner has spent much of the past month traveling the state in an attempt to pressure lawmakers to approve a ballot question on term limits for elected officials, another issue the courts have said cant be addressed through a petition initiative. Hes now expanding that message to include redistricting reform.

Republicans want it; Democrats want it, the governor said Friday. The General Assembly should put it on the ballot.

Not always clear in Rauners message is that any action lawmakers take at this point wouldnt put those questions on the ballot until 2018.

It is clear, however, that the GOP wants to make term limits and redistricting campaign issues this year.

Several Republicans, including state Sens. Jason Barickman of Bloomington, Chapin Rose of Mahomet and Dale Righter of Mattoon and legislative candidates Paul Schimpf of Waterloo and Dave Severin of Benton, criticized the court ruling.

David Yepsen, director of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University, said the way the court divided plays right into Republicans hands.

Its unfortunate there was a partisan split, because this state is divided enough as it is, Yepsen said.

He said the ruling is going to increase public skepticism about government and politics and cause erosion of confidence in the judiciary.

It gives Republicans a real issue to talk about, Yepsen said.

The Illinois State Board of Elections certified the November ballot Friday without the redistricting referendum, but it could be added through a court order.

Independent Maps spokesman Jim Bray said the groups lawyers are still evaluating whether to ask the Supreme Court for a rehearing.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar/jammu, August 26

A day after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh concluded his two-day Kashmir visit to find ways for an end to the unrest, which enters its 50th day tomorrow, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flew to New Delhi today where she is likely to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The meeting with the PM, sources said, may take place on Saturday.

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The Centre has also asked Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh to reach Delhi to seek the state BJP units opinion on the prevailing situation in the state before initiating some confidence-building measures.

Although the local BJP unit has not been taken on board by the high command on important policy matters on Kashmir, the Deputy CM has reportedly been called to brief him about steps to be initiated at the state governments end to restore normalcy in the Valley. Curfew was extended in towns of South Kashmir today with yet another protester killed in Pulwama during clashes after Friday prayers.

A senior government functionary said Mehbooba Mufti would hold discussions in the national capital about the proposed visit of an all-party delegation to Kashmir.

Rajnath Singh, while concluding his two-day visit to Kashmir on Thursday, had said that he had conveyed to the Chief Minister that preparations should be made for the visit of an all-party delegation to address the present crisis.

The all-party parliamentary delegation is likely to visit the state in the first week of September and meet a cross section of people.
Patna, August 26

Tribune News Service

President Pranab Mukherjee will begin his three-day tour to Bihar and Karnataka from Friday.

Mukherjee is likely to arrive in Patna on Friday evening, spending his night at Raj Bhavan. He is scheduled to address the maiden convocation of Nalanda University on Saturday.

Mukherjee will also lay the foundation stone of varsitys permanent campus at Rajgir.

The President would confer gold medals on the batch of September, 2014. Mukherjee would confer medals on 12 postgraduate students of School of Historical Studies and School of Ecology and Environment Studies before leaving for Delhi.

At least 500 guests are expected at the convocation to be attended by Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

He will also grace a function to commemorate the serving of two billion meals of the Akshaya Patra Foundation in Bangalore, on the same day.

On Sunday, President Mukherjee will address the 24th annual convocation of the National Law School of India University, Bangalore. With ANI inputs
New Delhi, August 26

India on Friday asked Pakistan not to remain in a denial mode regarding its support to cross-border terrorism as the war of words between the two countries intensified.

In his latest response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhrys fresh invitation of August 19 for talks, Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar once again emphasised on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabads illegal occupation of PoK and conveyed that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is actually a prime perpetrator of terrorism.

The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that India seeks result-oriented talks with Pakistan with an agenda to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence by it, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

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Jaishankar while conveying his readiness to be available to engage any time at mutual convenience on these issues, however, mentioned that justifying terrorism and interference in the internal affairs of India are hardly serious basis for a result-oriented dialogue.

Asked about absence of the Finance Minister from the ongoing SAARC meet, indicating the growing strain in relationship, Swarup said, Providing support, safe havens and sanctuary to terrorists and making the distinction between good terrorist and bad terrorist has posed enormous risk to peace and stability to our region.

It is important for Pakistan to realise the reality and not remain in denial on the impact of cross-border terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Sooner Pakistan recognises this central and important fact, the sooner, India-Pakistan relationship can progress.

In the letter, the Foreign Secretary hoped that the government of Pakistan will reconsider its approach and show sincerity towards promoting good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.

This will also send a larger message to a region which is deeply troubled by the policies that emanate from Pakistan, Jaishankars letter said.

The Foreign Secretary has also reiterated that basis of further discussions between the two countries are -Simla Agreement of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999 and Joint statement of 2004, Swarup added.

On its part, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while briefing the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union countries in Islamabad about the situation in the Valley, regretted Indias virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir.

At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed in Kashmir which has taken a toll of more than 80 innocent Kashmiris since July 8, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people, the Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.

On the UNs statement on Dawood Ibrahims address, the spokesperson said this information about the international terrorist is the result of latest updating of records pertaining to him by UNs 1267 Committee monitoring team which periodically updates the record of the global terrorists on its database.

He added that Dawood continues to remain on the designated list as a global terrorist; the 1267 monitoring committee continues to retain his Pakistani passport as a valid document; the UN has also confirmed that he resides in and has properties in Pakistan; and that the UN continues to keep a regular watch on him.

Besides the fact that his Pakistan addresses have been verified, some other record have also been updated as result of info provided by India such as his wifes name, fathers name and several of his aliases.

India continues to maintain that it is incumbent upon Pakistan to extradite this global terrorist to whom they have provided sanctuary for a very long period of time to face justice for his many crimes. We hope Pakistan will heed international opinion on this issue, he added.

Asked whether India will raise the issue of Balochistan at the UNGA or UNHRC, Swarup remained non-committal, saying India has a strong human rights record at home and we are naturally concerned of gross violations of human rights in the region you have referred to. How this is expressed in our diplomacy is something that you will have to wait and see.  PTI
Legal Correspondent



New Delhi, August 26

The Supreme Court on Friday sought the Centres stand on the validity of Muslim personal law in the light of a fresh PIL by a young woman with four children abandoned by her husband by divorcing her through the triple talaq route.

A Bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur told Ishrat Jahan from West Bengal that her plea would be heard along with similar petitions it had already entertained.

Ishrats counsel VK Biju pleaded for urgency in the case as his clients former husband, working in Dubai, had already gone for a second marriage. Even without divorce, he can go for another marriage as the law allows him to have four wives, the Bench remarked.

Married in 2001, Ishrat has three daughters and a son in the age group of 7-12 years. She has also challenged other provisions of the Muslim personal law contending that these were detrimental to the well-being of women of her community.

While hearing earlier cases, the apex court has clarified that it would first decide if it had power to go into the validity of triple talaq, polygamy and other provisions of Muslim Personal Law before setting up a larger Bench of five judges for the purpose.

The All-India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has pleaded that such personal laws were based on the tenets of Islam and as such the judiciary had no power to adjudicate on the validity of these laws in the face of womens fundamental right to equality.

The Bench is hearing a batch of PILs, including a suo motu petition, for and against such laws, including Muslim women who have challenged the validity of triple talaq, polygamy and remarriage restrictions.

On March 28, a Bench comprising CJI Thakur and Justice UU Lalit asked the Centre to submit to the court the report of an experts panel that had studied the status of women since 1989 and the impact of personal laws on them.

The apex court had taken suo motu notice of various personal laws while dealing with a matrimonial dispute.
Washington, August 26

Strong economic relations between the United States and India can create employment opportunities in both the countries and strengthen their economies, a vision shared by both President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the White House has said.

The President believes that more effective cooperation between the two countries can improve the economy in both countries, create jobs and promote economic growth. And I know that Prime Minister Modi shares those goals, White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest told reporters on Thursday.

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He said Obama had found Modi to be an effective interlocutor and partner in pursuing those goals.

The President is pleased about the progress that weve made over the first seven and a half years of his presidency, and were going to spend the remaining five months or so here trying to do all we can to advance it even further, he said.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and the Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker are headed to India next week for the second Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD).

This is likely to be the last major meeting between India and the outgoing Obama Administration.

During the same days, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar would be in the US for a meeting with his American counterpart, Defence Secretary Ashton Carter.

Obama and Modi are likely to meet in China next month on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit.

However, no formal announcement has been made in this connection yet.

Earnest said Obama had devoted significant time and resources in strengthening the relationship between the United States and India.

The President has visited India on two occasions, I believe, and each of those trips has been dedicated to strengthening the political relationship between the worlds two largest democracies but also trying to strengthen further economic ties between our two countries, he said in response to a question. PTI
Pune, August 26

Elated after the Bombay High Court verdict allowing womens entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, members of city-based Bhumata Ranragini Brigade led by Trupti Desai, who has been spearheading the fight for gender equality in all places of worship, have decided to visit the shrine this weekend.

We welcome the decision of the High Court. It is a tight slap on the faces of those who put a ban on womens entry into the Dargah. Its a big victory of women power, said Desai celebrating the verdict with her group outside her office here.

This is a landmark decision. The right that women are entitled to get, the right that has been given to women in the Constitution, which was somewhere taken away from us. The ban was on entry of women in the mazar (area) of the Haji Ali dargah.

We have been fighting against the secondary status given to women...patriarch mentality, this dadagiri (high-handedness) attitude of the (shrine) Trust that we will not allow women...This (the verdict) is a victory of movement of Bhumata Ranragini brigade, she added.

The women group led by Desai will visit the shrine in the heart of Mumbai on August 28.

Though the high court has stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court, we will go on August 28 till the point where women are allowed and will seek blessings, she told reporters here.

Desai had led a high-profile campaign in April this year to break the bar on women at the core area of the Dargah, but was stopped short of entering the shrine at the last minute amid resistance by activists of outfits opposed to the move.

However, in May she offered prayers at the Dargah but skipped venturing into the inner chamber of the shrine where women were not allowed.

The womens rights activist, whose previous campaigns were centred around Hindu temples, had then maintained that her agitation for right to equality for women at places of worship is not linked to any religion.

Bibi Khatoon, another social activist and member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA)  a Muslim womens rights group, which had fought the ban, too rejoiced the verdict and said, Firstly, I would like to thank the High Court judge, Kanade Sir. All these women who have been fighting for this right for sometime now had taken a back seat fearing what society will say...but then let the society say what they want to...but what we want do, we will do.

The Sufi saints too were given birth by women, then why we are being barred (from entering into the inner area of the dargah). Had the court not decided in our favour, we would have approached the Supreme Court. But we are very happy today that the court came to our rescue. I am thankful to our advocates, Raju Moray sir, and the entire media, she said.

The demand for equal access to the Haji Ali Dargah was first raised by BMMA, which had filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court in August 2014 against the blatant discrimination on the ground of gender alone.

The Dargah Trust had defended its stand, saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin. Men have unhindered access to the actual burial place of the saint, and are also allowed to touch the tomb.

Earlier this year, women managed to break the gender bias and gained full access to Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

The fight to allow women into the shrine, built on an islet, 500 metres from the coast, intensified following a petition in the Supreme Court demanding entry for women to the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala.  PTI
Manav Mander

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, August 26

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said here today that Sucha Singh Chhotepur was not the only Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader who was pocketing money in the run-up to the Assembly election.

Talking to mediapersons, he alleged, The AAP leaders, including Sanjay Singh, are giving the ticket only to those people who make payments. Most of their candidates have a criminal background.

Sukhbir was in the city to attend a traders meet and lay the foundation stone of a water supply project.

Terming Chhotepur as a discard, he said the SAD did not accept rejected people. He claimed that AAP leaders had made a secret pact with Khalistani groups.

We have proof that the party has made a commitment to radical groups that it will give them control of the SGPC on coming to power. Jarnail Singh, AAP co-incharge, Punjab affairs, met leaders of such groups during his recent visit to England, the Deputy CM said.

He quipped that AAP was a solid waste management company. It is a frustrated party that has no issues to work upon. After the 2017 election, AAP will be given the charge of managing Ludhianas solid waste, said Sukhbir. He said the state government was ready to probe any written complaint about corruption by AAP leaders.

He said the setting up of the Cycle Valley would give a fillip to the small scale and ancillary industry of Ludhiana.

Party a house of cards, says Cheema

Ropar: The Aam Aadmi Party is a house of cards that will collapse soon as its leaders have starting exposing each other, SAD spokesman and Punjab Education Minister Daljeet Singh Cheema said here today.

Cheema, who was here to convene a training camp for Akali workers, said the SAD had been trying to convince the people that Arvind Kejriwal and his men were here to loot the state. "Chhotepur's allegations against AAP have vindicated our stand," he said.
Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, August 26

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh here today accused AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal of having links with US intelligence agency CIA, even as he backed beleaguered AAP leader Sucha Singh Chhotepur.

Addressing a Kisan Chetna rally, he said, When he (Kejriwal) was an income tax officer, he ran an NGO which received funds from abroad, particularly the US. I have been told by reliable sources that the CIA used to fund the NGO. The PM should order an inquiry into Kejriwals background.

Praising his old friend (Chhotepur), he said, He is 100 per cent honest, a man of unimpeachable integrity and character. I know him for the past 36 years and am really fond of him. The Uttar Pradesh men who are pulling the strings in AAP have conspired to defame Chhotepur.

He told the gathering that Chhotepur had wept like a child when Akali leader Harchand Singh Longowal was assassinated. He is an emotional man. He was very close to Longowal, who himself was an honest politician, Amarinder added.

The rally was organised under the leadership of Partap Singh Bajwa, Rajya Sabha MP and chairman of the PPCC committee on farmers issues. Capt said if the party came to power, he would ensure that the farmers loans were waived and their land was not taken away.

We owe it to you as you have done your due and now it is our responsibility to bail you out, he told the farmers.

He said the Centre must come forward to help the hard-working Punjabis who were feeding the nation. He reminded the gathering that in 2008, the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had undertaken a similar initiative and waived farmers debts.

Targeting the Badal government, he said, The industry has disappeared from the states map, while the agriculture sector is floundering as the farmers have to cope with very high prices of inputs. Under the leadership of Parkash Singh Badal, Punjab takes one step forward and two steps backward.

Capt reiterated that once back in power, he would bring the father-son duo to book for their acts of omission and commission.
Our Correspondent

Mohali, August 26

Four persons were arrested after an alleged sex determination racket was unearthed at a private hospital at Kharar today.

The arrested persons are Sarabjit Kaur, a resident of Gillco Valley, Kharar, Gurmeet Kaur, a relative of a woman who had come for a sex determination test, Sikandar Singh (55), a resident of Bhagta Bhai Ka village in Bathinda district, and Balwinder Singh from Rohan village in Sirsa district.

SHO of the Kharar City police station Vijay Kumar said five persons were booked under Sections 420, 511 and 34 of the IPC and various Sections of the PNDT Act and the Indian Medical Council Act. Four of them had been arrested while the fifth was yet to be traced. The machine used to carry out the test had also been sealed. The case was registered on a complaint of Dr Manraj Singh, SMO in charge of the Kharar Civil Hospital.

He said Dr Viresh Bhushan, Dr Raj Kumar and Dr Rajesh Chaudhary, Deputy Civil Surgeons from Sirsa, Haryana, had got information that a person named Meet was allegedly getting sex determination tests done at a hospital at Kharar and was charging Rs 30,000 per case. He said Meet had also allegedly involved Sikandar Singh and Balwinder Singh in the alleged racket.

A trap was laid by sending a decoy customer. Health officials followed the decoy customer and reached Kharar.

Dr Manraj Singh, SMO, said officials from the Haryana Health Department informed the local health officials about the raid after which a team led by him and another one from the Mohali Civil Surgeons office reached the private hospital. A raid was conducted and Rs 20,000 taken from the decoy customer was allegedly recovered from a suspect.

He said the Haryana officials team, along with the Haryana police, reached Kharar around 6 am and he and the Mohali Civil Surgeons team reached around 7 am. He said the decoy customer, along with two persons, had started from Sirsa last night.

Mohali Civil Surgeon Ranjit Kaur Guru said a woman was allegedly caught red-handed doing the sex determination test. She had allegedly performed two such tests at the hospital today. She said the centre had been registered in the name of a sonologist, who was not present in the hospital at the time of the raid.
GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, August 26

No action has been taken yet against former Youth Akali Dal (YAD) spokesperson Navdeep Singh Goldy, three weeks after he allegedly assaulted Amritsar Senior Deputy Mayor and Akali colleague Avtar Singh Truckanwala.

Senior SAD leaders intend to break the standoff between him and Truckanwala.

A SAD delegation led by acting urban president Gurpartap Singh Tikka will meet Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, who will be here to inaugurate the Durgiana Mandir beautification project tomorrow.

Taking a U-turn from his earlier stand of seeking the arrest of Goldy, Truckanwala said, At this moment, I have not yet made up my mind to strike a compromise with Goldy, but I cannot say anything about tomorrow.

Equally mellowed down was Tikka, who earlier demanded Goldys expulsion from the party. He said Goldy was in touch with him ever since the incident and wanted to reach a compromise. At present, it is a one-sided affair. We are all with Truckanwala. If he agrees to a compromise, we should honour it in the partys interest, he said.

Sources said suspended SAD MLA Inderbir Bolaria posed a challenge to the party in the Amritsar South constituency. In such a scenario, the party cannot afford to offend Goldy, who exercises influence in the area.
CHICAGO  A divided Illinois Supreme Court narrowly ruled Thursday that a voter referendum seeking to change how Illinois draws political boundaries is unconstitutional, making it ineligible to appear on the November ballot.

The high court, in a 4-3 decision, affirmed the ruling by a Cook County judge who determined the ballot initiative seeking to give legislative mapmaking power to an independent commission instead of lawmakers didn't meet constitutional muster. It's the second failed attempt to overhaul redistricting by petition in two years.

The ruling in the high-stakes case, falling the day before an election deadline to certify fall ballots, had the potential to alter Illinois' political power dynamic, where elected officials in the Democratic-leaning state run the once-a-decade process. But in a 63-page ruling the majority justices said the measure didn't meet narrow constitutional requirements.

"The intent demonstrated by both the plain constitutional language and this court's prior case law imposes clear restrictions on the scope of permissible ballot initiatives," Justice Thomas Kilbride wrote for the majority. "We may not ignore our mandate by simply deferring to the redistricting approach proffered by a particular ballot proposal, no matter how appealing it may be."

The legal arguments in the case have largely centered on whether the ballot measure met the constitutional scope of being "structural and procedural" to the state's legislature.

It's a high bar. Only one other petition-driven measure has made it to the ballot.

Justices were sharply divided.

Dissenting Justice Robert Thomas blasted the majority decision as "nothing less than the nullification of a critical component" of the constitution with "particularly unfortunate" timing.

"In Illinois, as throughout the United States, there is a palpable sense of frustration by voters of every political affiliation that self-perpetuating institutions of government have excluded them from meaningful participation in the political process," he wrote.

Backers of the measure  called the Independent Maps coalition  said they would consider whether to seek a rehearing. They collected about 563,000 signatures for the ballot measure, claiming the current mapmaking process is too political. They wanted voters to endorse a complex new system that would include an 11-member bipartisan commission, the state auditor general and a random drawing.

"Mapmaking by legislators, the very people whose re-elections depend on partisan maps, has led to a decline in competitive elections and voter dissatisfaction," said Dennis FitzSimons, the group's chairman. "Drafters of the Illinois Constitution would not recognize the interpretation made by the Supreme Court majority."

The ballot measure was challenged through a lawsuit brought by an attorney who has long represented top Democrats, including the leader of the state party, House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago. The complaint was filed on behalf of minority business and community leaders called the People's Map who claimed a new process would diminish minority representation. However, those arguments weren't addressed in court.

"Any attempt to weaken the rights of minority voters is an attack on democracy itself, making today's ruling a victory for a fair and truly accountable electoral process," People's Map Chairman John Hooker said.

Independent Maps, whose members included Republican former Gov. Jim Edgar and former White House chief of staff Bill Daley, dismissed the lawsuit as the work of "entrenched" interests. Democratic leaders have said they weren't involved in the lawsuit.

Independent Maps attorneys had argued that since legislative districts are the "building blocks of the General Assembly," redistricting is by its nature structural and procedural.

In briefs to the high court, they addressed the intent of the Illinois Constitution, last rewritten in 1970, and argued that not reversing the Cook County judge's ruling would "eviscerate the constitutional right" to directly propose reforms.

Gov. Bruce Rauner, the state's first GOP governor in more than a decade, supported a 2014 redistricting effort as part of his gubernatorial run. A Cook County judge rejected that attempt.

"Fair maps create fair districts," Rauner said. "The system is broken and controlled by career politicians,"

State election officials had already determined the measure appeared to have enough valid signatures ahead of Friday's deadline to certify ballots.
Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 26

Amid hectic lobbying and much chest-thumping, the political affairs committee (PAC) of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) today removed Sucha Singh Chhotepur as the Punjab unit convener, pending an inquiry by a two- member committee. If found innocent, Chhotepur could be back on the post, a party spokesperson said.

Edit: AAP on trial

The PAC met in New Delhi a few hours after an emotionally charged Chhotepur addressed the media in Chandigarh, ignoring pleas by Sanjay Singh, AAPs Punjab political affairs in-charge, not to do so. He was accompanied by a large number of supporters. Among them were disgruntled ticket aspirants, who threatened to launch a party.

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With MP Bhagwant Mann, PAC member, claiming zero tolerance for corruption earlier in the day, it was expected that Chhotepur would be expelled. But he was given a breather.

A section of leaders from Punjab stoutly defended him and the party seemed headed for a split into two camps  one led by Punjab leaders and the other by the leadership in Delhi. At this point, the PAC members decided to step back. Senior leaders HS Phoolka, Kanwar Sandhu and Sukhpal Khaira played mediators and defused the situation.

In Chandigarh, Chhotepur accused party leaders Durgesh Pathak and Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia of hatching a conspiring against him but desisted from making any allegation against Kejriwal.

He dared anyone to give evidence he had taken money for himself. I will quit politics if proved I have indulged in any kind of corruption during my 40 years of public life, from a sarpanch to state minister," he said, while insinuating that the Delhi coterie was anti-Sikh.

On the sting operation, Chhotepur said, I dare them (AAP leadership) to make the video public. I am willing to face a probe. I am a victim of a conspiracy hatched by the Delhi coterie, especially Durgesh Pathak, the party's national organisation head. Pathak and Kejriwal wanted me to take the blame for carrying the Golden Temple picture alongside that of a broom (party symbol) in the party manifesto. I refused to do so and earned their displeasure." He said he had been accepting money from volunteers for the past more than two years as party fund. For over two years, the party has not given us funds. How else was I expected to run the party except through volunteers money," he said.
Sunit Dhawan

Rohtak has been in the headlines ever since 23-year-old Sakshi Malik won a Bronze medal for the country in Rio Olympics. Just as the city seems to be in the news for all the right reasons post Sakshis feat after the tragic riot and arson during the Jat agitation a few months back, the real estate market in the city also seems to be getting back on its feet after the prolonged slowdown witnessed for the past three years. The city, which is just 77km from Delhi and a part of the NCR has all the ingredients for being a thriving real estate destination. It is not only the hub of educational institutions, but is also well ocnnected with the nearby cities as well as the national Capital. Besides several ongoing infrastructure projects the city was recently shortlisted by the Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) for launching new sectors. The city will have the highest number of plots in the state at 456 with the urban development authority eyeing to make a cool Rs 3,000 crore fromj the sale of these plots.

Plots more preferred in Rohtak

One of the main reasons for the city getting such a large number of plots is the buyer preference for these. Manish Garg, a local property consultant notes that a majority of buyers in Rohtak and its nearby areas prefer to purchase freehold plots, unlike those in Gurgaon, Faridabad and other parts of the National Capital Region (NCR), who go in for flats.

The availability of land at reasonable price is a big factor. Wherever a buyer has the option of getting a freehold plot at a price comparable to that of a flat, he/she will go for the plot. Then, safety and security are also big considerations, especially for nuclear families with both husband and wife working, says Garg.

Thus, there are not many takers for the flats in the private townships developed in Rohtak town.

If one buys an independent plot, he/she can build a single-storey house, with the option for future expansion. However, the owners of flats/floors do not have this privilege, says S.S. Dhankhar, who has recently bought a plot in a private township.

Nonetheless, the small-ticket buyers, who have limited finances at their disposal, and want to avoid the hassles and headache of building a house on their own or those who feel safe within a gated community, do opt for flats/apartments as well.

Prem Batra, a flat-owner in a private township located on Delhi Road, says more than 500 of the 600 flats at the township are now occupied.

The authorities of Maharshi Dayanand University (MDU), Rohtak, also seem to have caught up with the trend. The university administration, which used to build independent houses for the faculty members, has recently constructed faculty flats in the format of a housing society.

The apartments are much easier to maintain and we feel that our children are safe and secure here, feels Dr Rajender Sharma, a resident of the MDU faculty flats.

According to the local property dealers, business has picked up in HUDA Sectors 5 and 6, where the sale-purchase of plots is at transfer stage. In these sectors, the registration of sale-deed is required as of now and cash transactions are made as per the convenience of the buyers and sellers.

HUDA Sectors 2, 3 and 4 have also shown a marginal increase in property transactions over the past few months.

Apart from these, the private townships like Suncity and Omaxe have also witnessed an upswing in sales, with many new buyers getting attracted to these.

The property market is, however, more or less saturated in the other and older colonies of the town, though some rental and sale-purchase deals are getting materialised there as well.

Garg points out that apart from the residential property, many potential investors have started evincing interest in property for construction of educational institutions, hospitals, malls and other such infrastructure.

Commercial market stable

As far as the commercial property is concerned, the rates are more or less maintained, with most of the potential investors wishing to buy built-up property so that they can earn rental income from the very beginning.

The commercial market in the city had also suffered a setback a few months back in the wake of massive destruction of property during the Jat agitation in Haryana. However, market observers assert that the phase in which the residents as well as businessmen seemed intended to shift elsewhere has proved to be short-lived and is over now.

The agitation is over and the feelings of apprehension and insecurity also seem to have evaporated. It was an emotional phase, and is thankfully over now. The residents may also have realised that it is not that easy to dispose of their property here and buy some other property at Delhi-NCR, Chandigarh-Panchkula-Mohali zone or in any other area they consider peaceful, observes Sharma.

Silver lining to slowdown

The realtors, who had been keeping their fingers crossed for quite some time, are upbeat over the prospects of revival some time soon.

Thanks to the price-correction attained during the downward trend over the past few years, the end-users are considering this an opportune time to buy property.

An increasing number of members of the salaried class, especially those who are bracketed in the 30 per cent income-tax slab, are going for home-loans owing to the double-benefit of acquiring property as well as saving income-tax.

The tax-savings, coupled with the rental income, is usually enough to pay the loan instalments. Eventually, the loan gets repaid and there is an added appreciation in the price of the property. Hence, it is a win-win situation for the buyer, points out Narender Sharma, a Rohtak-based real-estate advisor.

Sharma maintains that the property boom witnessed a decade or so ago was artificially inflated and this bubble had to burst, and it did, but the good fall out of this is that prices have become rationalised now.

Then, there were a plenty of outside investors who pumped money into the property market, reaped sizeable profits and vanished from the scene. Consequently, the market crashed and a long period of stagnation ensued. As of now, we are banking on the end-users who want to buy property for themselves, he asserts.

Endorsing his views, other independent observers also feel that the current trend of upward consolidation is gradual, but firm, as it is based on actual demand.

The much needed push has also been precipitated by the recent announcement of the Seventh pay Commission that is likely to make a sizeable difference in the take-home salaries of government employees.

Market analysts also observe that the property sector is expected to brighten up as the benefits of the Seventh Pay Commission are transferred to the government employees.

We are pinning hopes on the government employees who want to own properties and are likely to start getting the revised salaries and arrears within a month or so, says Manish Garg, a local property dealer.
Peeling plaster, cracks in walls and ceiling, leakage, seepage  these are just a few of the nightmares that become a bitter reality formany a new home buyer often. Shoddy and sub-standard construction and a huge gap in the quality of show home and the real apartment often leave buyers fuming and fretting after having spent lakhs of rupees on a new home. Till now the only solution available to such buyers was to serve a legal notice leading to protracted legal battles, with builders refusing to accept any fault or take steps to rectify construction defects.

In view of this, the provision for a defect liability clause, or put simply, a warranty, in the Real Estate Act, could bring cheer to homebuyers. The Real Estate Act provides a defect liability (warranty) clause of five years.

Under the Real Estate Bill's Clause 14 (3), the defect liability period has been set at five years. Aggrieved buyers welcome the provision, maintaining that the law itself should serve as a deterrent for anyone who tries to get away with default or defect. Home buyers are now asking, whether this clause actually translates into a warranty.

Developers are also not complaining about the clause. They feel that this provision will be a market differentiator, in a business where the non-serious players outnumber the branded developers. Customers will be happy to have a warranty, as it assures them of the products quality and that the developer will fix problems, if any arise, they explain.

In international markets, such warranties boost developers reputation for transparency and adherence to best practices and hence, they should work equally well in India. In the international context, the defect liability period varies from country to country. It is as high as 10 years, in countries where the contractor liability and legal dispute redressals are efficient and robust. In India, with warranties in place, developers are likely to improve their construction quality, to avoid higher cost overruns that additional repairs at a later stage would entail.

In the past, when the real estate sector was unorganised, the defect liability period varied from region to region and from one developer to another. The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2016, now eliminates this anomaly and offers a fixed liability period of five years, with Clause 14(3) acting as a warranty. It will now be mandatory for developers to rectify construction defects, even after possession has been given.

This also raises a question, as to whether buyers will be willing to pay a premium on properties that come with stronger warranties.

Analysts believe that once systems and processes that boost home buyers trust are put in place, then, buyers will not mind paying a premium for properties with warranties. In the absence of warranties, buyers have been the victims so far, forced to undertake repairs at their own cost in case of any defect in construction.

However, the moot question for homebuyers now is: Will this mean better quality of construction or merely result in higher prices?

 Inputs from Housing.com/News
As regards the alleged misbehaviour of certain sepoys of the 59th Rifles in the Jullundur Cantonment which created considerable local excitement we are able to publish the following reassuring statement for general information. In the first of the two cases reported to the police, the complaint, Abdulla, who received some injuries, was unable to identify the rowdies, and, therefore, no action could be taken by the authorities. However, to avoid these complaints, ten men are detailed daily to patrol the Sadar Bazar from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and Sepoys have been warned that in future, if any further complaints are received, the Sadar Bazar will be placed out of bounds for all Indian troops. As regards the second and somewhat larger affair, in which the modesty of women is alleged to have been outraged, the case has been handed over to the police by the military authorities.
Jasmine Singh

Throughout the 33 years of his tenure as a Punjab Government employee, there wasnt one day when Balkaur Singh from Ludhiana didnt wear kurta and chaddra (sarong-like garment) to work. People mocked at him, called him an attention seeker, but none could deviate him from his decision to wear clothes that were his heritage. Official meetings were no excuse. Reprimanded he was, but in the end, everyone would make peace; his embellished jutti cynosure of many an eye. My attire defines who I am. I am not against modern dressing up but should we uproot ourselves from our identity? No, says Balkaur, who retired as an excise and taxation officer. He takes pride in his heritage, the threatened Punjabi virsa , that they say is fading away. Even if his talk sounds rhetoric to you, he doesnt care.

When Delhi-based Harinder Singh and his wife Kirandeep Kaur created 1469, a brand based on Punjabi heritage, they also consciously imbibed it in their everyday routine. Values inculcated in childhood go a long way in preserving tradition. For us, reciting five pauri of Japji Sahib before leaving home in the morning is not just a ritual, says Harinder.

This sounds pretty encouraging but sticking to roots without making it a ritual is not easy, especially when pitted against contemporary lifestyle. Who has the time and patience to sit with a madhani and churn milk for hours or endure the heat of cooking on a chulha. Holding on to virsa is a real challenge, agrees Prof Harminder Singh Dhanoa, an associate professor in Chandigarh, who, along with his wife, Rani, have devised ways to overcome this. We try to strike a balance between the old and the new, says Rani as she gives us a tour of her farmhouse in Zirakpur.

A manji to lie down upon, chaati and madhani to churn milk, clay hearth, a pakhi, the hand fan with phulkari, tokka, the obsolete cutter to chop fodder, traditional hooks adorning the walls... the farmhouse is a little Punjab in itself. Everything here is put to use, Professor Dhanoa says. To ensure the son nurtures love for heritage, they have made it a must for him to accompany them on all visits to the farmhouse.

The same can be said of the Sidhus from Chandigarh. Aman and her husband Neetu have created a mini Punjab in the backyard of their house. The two like to collect and preserve traditional items, but this is no show-off, they insist. This is how we live, says Neetu. This has also meant that their kids visit their farm near Landran quite often and see what farming is all about. On all such trips, Aman makes it a point to cook on chulha and food is served in traditional utensils.

For Diljit Kaur Kang, tradition is not just about stocking up old things. It also means making these relevant in these times. She has taken phulkari, the traditional form of weaving, to the length and breadth of the country. From making phulkari on sarees, suits, dupattas, and putting these to use in various ways, I have tried to incorporate the traditional aspect of phulkari in everything. Both Diljit and her husband Dr Kanwarjit Singh Kang, who shares her passion, believe that heritage should not be lost to time. Diljit also teaches this craft.

While these men and women are adding a bit of Punjab to their homes, many youngsters are getting themselves inked on heritage themes. Mandy Singh, Bathinda-based tattoo artist, says, Boys mostly get the holy symbol khanda sahib inked on their biceps. Girls usually go for a girl with parandi tied to the hair. Ask him if they do so to feel connected to their virsa, and he says slightly sheepishly, I dont think so. It is a style statement.

A yet another lot is connecting simply because it is driven by circumstances. Like young women vying to be Miss Panjaban at a recently held contest in Jalandhar. Contestants were quizzed about Punjabi heritage in the Know your virsa round. Surprisingly, 20 out of the 50 had all the right answers. Prior to the contest, Manjot Mann, a 21-year-old, made a quick dash to meet her grandfather in Moga, who gave her enough dope on Punjabi heritage. She was the second runners up. I couldnt win, but, now I know so much more about our virsa, she says with a hint of pride.

In this increasingly smaller world, identities are blurring. Even a little bit of space could go on to help you be different. Could that tattoo do it for these Punjabi mundas? Why not!
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, August 26

Over 40 villagers in the border area of Champawat district have decided to hold a demonstration in front of the District Magistrates office on August 29. They will be protesting in support of their demand for basic amenities such as electricity and drinking water and linking of remote Tamli village with the Champawat-Tamli highway.

We had held a demonstration at the district headquarters to press for our demand but despite an assurance from the administration nothing has been done in the last one year. We are compelled to demonstrate again this year, says Purushotam Joshi, former block pramukh and leader of the Talla Desh Vikas Mahapanchayat, who will lead the demonstration.

Villages situated along the Nepal border in Champawat district are without electricity and almost all of these are situated about 30 km from the ChampawatTamli highway. Local roads from Birmola to Ryal, Tamli to Grmukteswar, Simiauri to Uri, Lati to Aamra via Riyansi and Tarkuli, Manch to Dubar, Manch to Dubar and Bhamar to Rokunwar via Boyal, Gurukhoti and Bagoti that leaders had promised during the last election campaign have not been constructed. In the absence of these roads, the purpose of constructing the main Champawat to Tamli road has been defeated as local villages are 30 km away from it, says Joshi.

Villagers say besides lack of roads to these villages in Champawat, some other remote villages are without electricity even 70 years after Independence. Villages of Bagoti, Seri, Bhandara, Bakunda, Bunga, Chaukuni, Bheraghat, Seem, Chukka, Saurai Hrtola, Bakora, Katkara, Khatkiri, Gwani and Aamra are without electricity, says Navin Singh Deopa, another villager from the Talladesh area.

He adds they have no piped drinking water supply and there are no teachers in schools. We have to carry serious patients on palanquins and it takes them eight hours to reach the main road, sometimes leading to death in the absence of timely medical attention, says Deopa.
Tribune News Service

Mussoorie, August 26

Mussoorie BJP workers led by local MLA Ganesh Joshi today organised a protest march against the proposed hike in the entry fee to the Mall Road and other problems being faced by town residents.

The BJP workers, including activists of the womens wing of the party, also joined the protest and marched from Picture Palace to the SDMs office raising slogans against the Municipal Council of Mussoorie and demanded immediate resolution of their grievances.

The BJP workers met the SDM Jitendar Kumar and apprised him about the problems being faced by town residents. Ganesh Joshi along with party workers presented a memorandum addressed to the Governor to the SDM stating that the proposed hike in the entry fee at the Mall Road barriers for tourist vehicles from Rs 150 to Rs 500 was unwarranted and they would oppose it vehemently.

Joshi lamented that the state government headed by Chief Minister Harish Rawat was not interested in the development of the Mussoorie Assembly constituency. The construction of a combined health centre that was earlier known as Civil Hospital near Landour Bazaar was still incomplete even after 6 years. A portion that had been constructed had begun disintegrating. He said the construction of the health centre should be completed in the interest of the people.

Joshi demanded removal of the freeze zone clause that was introduced to ban constructions in a stipulated area of the town. Considering the increase in population of the town, there was need for new housing facilities but due to the freeze zone clause residents were unable to build or expand their houses. .

Mussoorie BJP president Mohan Petwal said a large number of students travel to Dehradun for education everyday and face problems in getting monthly bus passes. He demanded a separate pass counter for students travelling in the Uttarakhand transport corporation buses. He said Ganesh Joshi had raised all these issues in the past but the state government had initiated no action.

Mussoorie BJP general secretary Kushal Rana, BJP Mahila Morcha president Sarojini Kaintura, Landour Cantt ward member Badal Prakash, Pushpa Padyar, Chandrakala Syaana, Virendar Panwar, Ramesh Khanduri and Roop Chand Sharma took part in the march.
Istanbul, August 26

Eleven Turkish police officers were killed and 78 people were injured on Friday in a suicide truck bombing by suspected Kurdish rebels, three days into a two-pronged Turkish offensive against jihadists and Kurdish militia in neighbouring Syria.

The early morning blast almost completely destroyed the police headquarters in the southeastern town of Cizre, just north of the Syrian border.

At 6:45 am (0915 IST), a suicide attack with a vehicle laden with explosives was carried out by the PKK terror group on the building of anti-riot police, the provincial governors office said in a statement.

Eleven police officers were killed and 78 people injured, three of them civilians, the statement added.

Health Minister Recep Akdag said four people were in critical condition.

The explosion went off hours after the Turkish military shelled positions held by Kurdish militia inside Syria.

Turkey says its three-day-old operation in Syria - its biggest to date in its war-torn neighbour - is aimed both at Islamic State (IS) jihadists and the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia leading the fight against IS in the area.

Ankara has labelled the YPG, which has links to Turkeys outlawed PKK, as a terror group bent on carving out an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria on the Turkish border.

The blast in Cizre tore the facade off the four-storey police headquarters, sending up clouds of thick black smoke.

Adjacent buildings were also badly damaged.

The state-run Anadolu news agency said the bomb went off 50 metres away from the building at a control post.

Cizre, a majority Kurdish town, has borne the brunt of renewed violence between the outlawed PKK and government forces since the collapse of a ceasefire last year.

Turkish security forces have been hit by near daily attacks by the PKK since the two-and-a-half year truce collapsed, leaving hundreds of police officers and soldiers dead.

The latest bombing came at a critical moment, with hundreds of Turkish forces and dozens of tanks deployed inside Syria.

Turkey today sent four more tanks over the border, said an AFP photographer at Karkamis on the Turkish side of the frontier.

Kurdish activists have accused Turkey of being more intent on preventing Kurds creating a stronghold along its border than fighting IS jihadists.

But Prime Minister Binali Yidirim today denounced as a bare-faced lie suggestions in Western media that the Syria operation was singling out Kurds.

They either know nothing about the world, or else their job is to report a bare-faced lie, Yildirim said.

Ankaras hostility to the YPG puts it at odds with its NATO ally, the United States, which supports the YPG in the fight against IS.  AFP
Mogadishu, August 26

Seven persons were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a spokesman for the city authorities said on Friday.

Nine peorsons including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack yesterday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.

Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the citys Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.

By this morning officials said the attackers had been killed.

All the attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers, regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack, Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.  AFP
Harare, August 26

Zimbabwean police on Friday fired tear gas at opposition leaders and hundreds of demonstrators as a protest against President Robert Mugabe descended into one of the worst outbreaks of violence in two decades.

Opposition head Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice-president Joice Mujuru fled the rally in their cars while protesters ran for cover as police firing tear gas and water cannons broke-up the core of the demonstration.

Clashes then spread through the streets of Harare as riot police fought running battles with protesters who hurled rocks at officers, set tyres ablaze and burned a popular market to the ground, in some of the worst unrest since food riots in 1998.

"Mugabe's rule must end now, that old man has failed us," said one protester before throwing a rock at a taxi.

Mugabe's opponents have become emboldened by rising public anger and protests over an economic meltdown, cash shortages and high unemployment. Mugabe, 92, has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. Demonstrating is the only solution left to force the dictator out of office, said Tapfuma Make, an unemployed 24-year-old man.  Reuters
DECATUR -- It was tough on Sherry Mayberry when her mother died.

But seven years later, Mayberry discovered her mother had a life insurance policy with thousands of dollars that had gone unclaimed.

I had a cousin that was reading the newspaper, and the (treasurer offices) I-Cash program was in there, said Mayberry. So they called me and said, Hey, I saw your name and theres money coming your way. You should check it out.

Mayberrys story is one that has been heard a lot recently by Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs as he has toured the state with the Task Force on Unclaimed Life Insurance Policies. It is meant to draw attention to the hundreds of millions of dollars of death benefits left unclaimed by families and how insurance companies have no prerogative to contact beneficiaries.

(Insurance companies) say they cannot know when someone has died unless someone approaches them with a death certificate, Frerichs said. But we just know that is not true.

Part of the task forces purpose for visiting Richland Community College on Thursday morning was to raise awareness for the proposed Unclaimed Life Insurance Benefits Act. The proposal would require insurance companies to check a national Social Security database to determine whether policyholders have died and to make a good-faith effort to locate their beneficiaries. The plan passed the General Assembly with minor opposition and is awaiting action from Gov. Bruce Rauner. A spokeswoman for Rauner said the bill is under review.

Audits conducted by the treasurers office have identified $550 million in death benefits that were never paid to Illinois families over the past five years. Those audits only cover 20 of the nations largest insurers that committed to doing so as part of a national settlement with state authorities. Frerich said there could be hundreds of millions more at other companies that were not audited.

There were about a dozen people at the start of Thursdays hearing, which was overseen by Frerichs and included representatives from the AARP, Citizen Action Illinois, state Rep. Sue Scherer, D-Decatur, and state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Plainview, with the latter praising the hearings as a chance for residents to learn about the issue and present their own stories.

This is what open and honest government is all about, McCann said.
Prague, August 26

Czech police have arrested a man for attempting to drive into the motorcade of visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Prague, they said.

A man in a black Mercedes on Thursday attempted to join the motorcade as it moved between Prague airport and Czech government headquarters, police spokesman Jozef Bocan told AFP, adding that the suspect was in police custody and Merkel had not been in danger.

While attempting to join the motorcade, he tried to run down police securing the road, Bocan said, adding that officers had to use firearms to subdue the suspect.

The suspect acted alone. He was not armed, but items found in the car could easily have been used as weapons, particularly some cement cubes, Bocan added.

Merkel held talks yesterday with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and President Milos Zeman focused on the future of the European Union after Britains June decision to leave the bloc.

Several hundred protesters, including members of anti-Islam groups, rallied in central Prague against Merkel and her decision to open the EUs doors to refugees and migrants last summer.  AFP
Quetta, August 26

Gunmen in Pakistan killed six soldiers and a provincial government official in an ambush on their convoy in the insurgency plagued southwest province of Baluchistan, a senior official in the region said on Friday.

The attack took place about 80 km from Gwadar, a port that will play a vital role in a planned $46 billion China-Pakistan economic corridor stretching from the Arabian Sea to China's far-western Xinjiang district.

The convoy had been returning from dealing with a land dispute late on Thursday when gunmen fired rockets and hurled grenades at the group, Tufail Baloch, a deputy district commissioner for Gwadar, told Reuters.

"It was a sudden attack. They also used AK-47 rifles," he said. The dead included a senior local government official.

Separatist groups in Baluchistan, a sparsely populated but vast province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, have launched sporadic attacks on security forces during their decades-long struggle for an independent homeland.

Pakistan is particularly sensitive to attacks on Chinese workers and interests in Baluchistan, and promised them protection.

Militants have mostly targeted government personnel and security forces during the past decade, but attacks on civilians do occur.

Last year gunmen stormed Jewani airport in Baluchistan, killing engineers and destroying radar systems.

Baluch activists say security forces have carried out hundreds of extrajudicial killings, and thousands of people have disappeared.  Reuters
Singapore, August 26

Indian-origin former Singaporean president S R Nathan, who passed away earlier this week, was laid to rest after a state funeral on Friday with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong describing him as one of Singapores greatest sons.

Nathan, 92, had spent 40 years in Singapore civil service and two-terms as President from 1999 to 2011. He suffered a stroke on July 31 and was in intensive care of a hospital till he passed away on August 22.

The family held a private cremation after the state funeral service.

Seven eulogies were delivered at the state funeral service led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National University of Singapores University Cultural Centre this afternoon.

Prime Minister Lee described Nathan as one of Singapores greatest sons.

He played a leadership role in the Indian community. But he was also a President for all Singaporeans, and cared deeply about racial and religious harmony, said Lee.

A lone bugler from the military band sounded the Last Post after the state funeral for the Singapore-born Nathan.

A minute of silence was also observed, after which the Rouse was soundeda symbolic call back to duty after respect has been paid to the memory of the deceased.

Singaporeans, led by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, and diplomats paid their last respects to the late president at the Parliament, where he was laid to rest with full honours.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife also paid respects to Nathan, making a brief stop-over in Singapore en-route to Kenya.

Abe told Nathans wife that Japan will never forget Nathan as he was the first head of state to visit Hiroshima and meet the atomic bomb victims during a state visit to Japan in 2009.

For me, President Nathan was a great son of Singapore, a great educator, leader and statesman. He was also a great friend of Indonesia, wrote former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the condolence book he signed at Singapore Embassy in Jakarta.

Ambassador-at-large Gopinath Pillai, in his tribute at the state funeral service, said giving back to the Hindu and Indian communities was of great importance to Singapores late President.

Nathan was one of the founders of self-help group Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), and as chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB), he ensured better accounting procedures were put in place.

Pillai said Nathan had told him that he took on the role of chairman of HEB because he felt that just as there were credible Indian ministers who had won the respect of all races in Singapores political arena, the various Indian institutions here should also be credible.

He did not think doing your best was good enough. Doing what was required was more important, said Pillai, delivering the last of seven eulogies at the funeral service for Nathan.

I would venture to say that almost half the households in Singapore have a photograph of Nathan with a member of their family, Pillai said.

Reflecting on Nathans traitshis integrity, perseverance, and commitment to SingaporeLee also made a mention of the January 31, 1974, terror incident in Singapore.

In that incident, two Japanese Red Army terrorists and two terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine tried to blow up the Royal Dutch Shell-owned refinery Pulau (Island) Bukom.

When the terrorists attempt failed, they hijacked a ferry boat operating between Bukom and mainland Singapore.

Nathan, then 47 and a director of Security and Intelligence Division, led negotiations and had the terrorists surrender on February 7, on condition they be flown to Kuwait and freed.

He boarded the Japan Airlines plane from Singapores former Paya Lebar Airport along with a 12-man team, freeing the terrorists after 13-hour flight to Kuwait.

The terrorists had planned to blow up the Shell refinery and disrupt oil supply to South Vietnam to show their support for communist North Vietnam during the Vietnam war.

Nathan is survived by his wife, daughter, son and three grandchildren.

Recalling Nathans lighter side, Pillai said he loved watching Tamil and Malayalam movies, and listening to classical Carnatic music and light film songs.

The song Thanjavooru Manneduthu that played at the start of the funeral service was a favourite of his, he said.

Nathans friend Ramaswamy Athappan, recalled how the late President, despite being hospitalised helped four women motobikers from India, who arrived at the Singapore immigration at the causeway without motor vehicle insurance in July.

The four women from India arrived on their motorbikes at the Causeway on the last leg of a cross-border trip across Asia to raise awareness against female feticide in India.

But officers at the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore did not allow them to enter Singapore as they did not have proper vehicle insurance.

One of the bikers contacts happened to know Nathan and contacted him for help.

Despite being hospitalised, and the lateness of the hour, Nathan telephoned me. He requested my assistance to help the bikers and their accompanying motor car to secure the required motor vehicle insurance immediately, recalled Athappan, in his tribute to the former President.  PTI
Geneva, August 26

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russias Sergei Lavrov sought on Friday to finalise an agreement on fighting Islamist militants in Syria as the first evacuees left a besieged Damascus suburb under a plan which has aroused the UNs concern.

A deal on fighting jihadists in Syria could help lead to an end to fighting between the army and its militia allies on one side and non-jihadist rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. This could pave the way for talks on a political transition to end the five-year Syrian conflict.

As Kerry and the Russian foreign minister met at a hotel on Lake Geneva, residents and insurgents began to leave the beseieged Damascus suburb of Daraya where civilians have been trapped since 2012, witnesses said. Rebels and Syrias army agreed the plan on Thursday to evacuate all 4,000 residents and some 700 insurgents from Daraya in the coming days, ending one of the longest stand-offs in the civil war.

But the United Nations was not consulted on the plan and UN Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and UN humanitarian coordinator Stephen OBrien, voiced deep concern about it on Friday.

Civilians should be evacuated only if their safety could be guaranteed and it was on a voluntary basis, they said.

It is imperative that people of Daraya are protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily, de Mistura, who leads U.N. political and humanitarian efforts in Syria, said in a statement after holding talks with Kerry and Lavrov.

Senior White House officials from the National Security Council (NSC) joined the talks between Kerry and Lavrov, which broke after four hours, but were set to resume later.

While Kerry said this week that technical teams from both sides were close to the end of their discussions, US officials indicated it was too early to say whether an agreement was likely.  Reuters

Erdogan, Putin for faster aid delivery

Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin agreed in a phone call on Friday to accelerate efforts to deliver aid to Syria's Aleppo, Erdogan's office said in a statement

Erdogan informed Putin about Turkey's incursion into Syria that started early on Wednesday, and the two stressed the importance of cooperation for regional security against Islamic State

Wont leave Syria for now: Turkey
New Braunfels, TX (78130)

Today

A mix of clouds and sun. High 73F. Winds NNW at 10 to 20 mph..

Tonight

Mostly clear. Low 51F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
Despite an early start on developing an Electronic Logging Device standard, Canadian regulators are now scrambling to get something in place by the time the U.S. rule takes effect in December 2017.

The devices have been on Canadas regulatory radar since late 2007, and work began in earnest on a technical performance-based standard for e-logging devices in 2010 to prepare for an anticipated Canadian mandate.

The first draft was completed in 2013 and intended to roughly align with the first ELD final rule published by the U.S. Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) in 2010. That rule was vacated by the courts in August 2011 on grounds that it did not do enough to prevent driver coercion by carriers. It was back to the drawing board, and Canada decided to wait.

"We knew the U.S. was struggling to punch out its final rule, so we felt is best to wait and see what the U.S. final rule looked like before moving forward with our standard," says Reg Wightman, chairman of the Canadian Council of Motor Transport Administrators' Compliance and Regulatory Affairs Committee and a member of the ELD Working Group that developed Canadas first draft standard. "The working group believes that was a justifiable position."

Canadian regulators got their first look at the U.S. final rule at the same time everyone else did -- when it was published in December 2015.

"We were a little frustrated that the U.S. did not involve Canada in the consultative process," Wightman says. "I don't know why it had to be that way. We would have preferred to have been consulted rather than have the U.S. rule just land on our desk. And I think most of [the Compliance and Regulatory Affairs committee] felt that frustration. Having said that, FMCSA is now bending over backward to help us resolve some of the different policy issues."

When the final U.S. rule emerged, the Council of Deputy Ministers of Transportation tasked the committee, and ELD working group of federal and provincial regulators, to determine what differences existed between it and Canada's 2013 draft, and to make any changes it felt were necessary to align the two as closely as possible while taking into account Canada's regulatory needs and requirements. And there were a significant number of differences.

"We have the final cut of the ELD standard, complete with the functional requirements," says Wightman. "It was presented in July to a list of industry partners and other stakeholders for comment and we're expecting those comments back by September 2, 2016."

Following one last round of face-to-face meetings with stakeholders, manufacturers and industry, the working group will take the completed final draft to the Council of Deputy Ministers of Transportation in April 2017.

"This is a very ambitious timetable," notes Wightman, "but our hope is to have the final standard approved by September 2017."

There are some significant regulatory issues still to be tackled, including how to certify the devices and whether or not to allow existing AOBRDs devices to remain in service beyond the anticipated start date for the ELD rule, and how to certify future ELDs.

Canadas existing Hours of Service rules allow ELDs in a limited scope provided they meet the requirements of Section 83 of the rule. Wightman told Today's Trucking that he believes the working group will recommend that Canada adopt a grandfathering provision similar to the one in the U.S.

Meanwhile, FMCSA wants vendors to self-certify their devices but has yet to provide the tools and test cases the suppliers need. Canada will also require the devices be certified, but by what means has yet to be determined. Wightman says individual jurisdictions do not want to establish their own certification processes, and Transport Canada has little appetite to function as the certifying body for the devices.

Because of the regulatory structure in Canada, the federal government does not have the authority to force the provinces to accept the mandate for intra-provincial carriers. And while the federal Transport Minister can require ELDs for extra-provincial carriers, it would remain up to the provinces to enshrine the devices in their individual legislation.

"Some jurisdictions have come out in full support of mandatory ELDs for both intra- and extra-provincial carriers," notes Wightman. "Some are still just lukewarm to the whole idea and have made their positions known. There are still other jurisdictions that have said they want to consult with their intra-provincial stakeholders first. They have no problem mandating ELDs for their federal carriers, but they want to make sure they are doing what's in the best interest of carriers operating within their provinces. However, it becomes a huge issue if some jurisdictions do not adopt the ELD mandate for intra-provincial carriers, too."
The flooding in Lousiana has affected some Love's locations and directly impacted 5 of its employees. Photo: Love's Travel Stop

Loves Travel Stops has donated $25,000 to the Salvation Army to help with relief efforts in Louisiana after severe flooding devastated the region.

The truck stop chain has been impacted directly by the flooding, including five of its employees from the Port Allen location losing everything. The slow-moving storm system killed at least 13 people so far and displaced thousands of others from their homes.

Port Allen is 7 miles west of Baton Rouge, which received as much as 2 feet of rain over the course of three days. The storm shut down major interstates running through the region and forced Loves 523 in Duson to close overnight.

According to Loves blog, two employees lost their homes, one lost a vehicle, and two more have been displaced and arent allowed to return home yet. Loves has an assistance program in place to help employees most directly affected by the flooding.

Loves employees are also acting as guides to travelers coming through the region, helping both professional and non-professional drivers navigate around the high waters as well as provide hot food and clean showers.

"We give them directions, help them with maps, show them alternative routes they can take," said Jacob Kibodeaux, operations manager of Love's 243 in Lake Charles. "We want to go above and beyond to take care of our customers."
Armenias Court of Appeals today rejected a petition to release Artur Sargsyan, charged with aiding and abetting the Sasna Dzrer group that seized a Yerevan police building on July 17, from pre-trial detention.

Sargsyan, on July 26 managed to get through a police cordon and deliver food to the armed group members holed up in the police building.

Sargsyan has pleaded innocent to the charges. His lawyer, Davit Gyurdjyan, says that delivering food cannot be construed as aiding and abetting.
A design promotion for a bison license plate was not meant to trample on the unveiling of Oklahomas new scissor-tailed flycatcher license plate this week, but it appears a stampede is in progress.

The Oklahoma chapter of the Nature Conservancy announced Wednesday that voting is open through Sept. 7 to choose one of eight bison-themed license plate designs for a new specialty plate. Proceeds from the sales will go to the groups conservation efforts in Oklahoma.

The contest drew 8,543 votes in the first 24 hours, according to chapter director Mike Fuhr.

The timing of the announcement also confused some people who thought the bison plate was an option to the states new blue scissor-tailed flycatcher plate unveiled Monday by Gov. Mary Fallin.

The official state plate did not go through a public process, and the new look has drawn its fair share of critics in recent days.

Some people have already called, said Katie Hawk, spokeswoman for the Nature Conservancy. We were afraid that might happen with all the hype around the new license plates, but the timing just happened to work out this way.

We started this process in December 2015; we didnt even know about the new state license plates then, she said.

The group asked several designers to offer license plate ideas. The designs are ready, and now the selection process has to begin to get the plates up for sale by Nov. 1, she said.

While the group had no intention of trampling on the states unveiling, the extra publicity  and the fact that all Oklahomans will be getting new license plates next year anyway  could work in its favor.

Maybe some people will opt to spend a few extra dollars for a shiny new Oklahoma bison plate instead.

The bison plates are $35, with $20 of that purchase going to the Conservancy and $15 to the state.

We hope theyre popular and people decide to get them, Hawk said. Were just trying to raise awareness of the plight of the prairies. This year just seems to be the year of the bison; we thought this was one good way to do it, and thats why the design contest is happening now.

Oklahoma offers a wide variety of specialty license plates. The Oklahoma Tax Commission issues more than 200 styles for different purposes  including farm, government and school plates and other special designations, according to commission spokeswoman Paula Ross.

New plate designs can be approved through the Legislature, or a group or individual can apply to create their own  subject to approval, Ross said.

Plate designs that make it through the Legislature must prove their worth by pre-selling 100 copies before they go into production. Without legislative approval, the pre-sell requirement is 500.

Thats a lot harder route to go, Ross said. You have to be a well-organized group to make it happen.

For the Conservancy, the idea was to raise awareness of its mission and capitalize on this years naming of the American bison as a national symbol, along with the Oklahoma chapters 30th anniversary.

The Conservancy manages a herd of 2,500 bison at the Joseph H. Williams Tallgrass Prairie Preserve near Pawhuska, and recently acquired 3,000 acres in the Arbuckle Plains where it plans to introduce another herd.

The group attempted to get the license approved by the Legislature but, along with several others, the effort was lost in the mire of budget struggles, Hawk said.

There were several specialty plate ideas that were sort of put on the back burner, Hawk said. We could have waited until the next legislative session, but we really wanted to get this out there this year.
A Tulsa County judge on Friday granted bail for a 70-year-old Broken Arrow woman accused in the fatal shooting of her ex-husband, reversing a Thursday decision he said used discretion not allowed to him by the Oklahoma Constitution.

District Judge William Musseman, calling the matter a unique case, set bail at $250,000 for Judith Gayle Nix.

Nix has been in custody without bond since March on a first-degree murder charge in the death of 69-year-old Kenneth Nix. If Judith Nix posts bail, she would be required to wear an ankle monitor, surrender her passport and stay within the confines of Tulsa County unless given prior approval to leave by the court.

Family members of Kenneth Nix were in court Friday communicating with prosecutors about conditions they wanted on Judith Nixs release, which included a requirement that she stay away from them. Musseman granted that request and also ordered that Judith Nix be at her home from midnight to 5 a.m.

Musseman initially denied bail Thursday based on Article 2 of the Oklahoma Constitution, which states bail may be denied for offenses in which the maximum sentence is life imprisonment or life without parole. Family members told the Tulsa World on Thursday that they did not support her receiving bail and that they were relieved she would stay jailed pending her trial.

However, in a hearing Friday, Musseman said the same section of the constitution dictates that bail can only be denied on such offenses under the following circumstances: the proof of guilt must be evident, the presumption of guilt must be great, and the denial must be on the grounds that no conditions of release on bond would assure the safety of the community.

It is my opinion now that the Oklahoma (Constitution) Article 2  denies me in this case to hold her without bond, Musseman said, citing statements from state prosecutors that indicate Judith Nix would not be a risk or danger if released.

Musseman also said bond amount should not be arbitrary to the point where she cant make it because it is designed to mitigate flight risk and give appropriate assurances that a defendant will return to court.

Judith Nix is accused of shooting her ex-husband at his home in the 18500 block of East 101st Street and waiting 14 hours before calling 911 to report his death.

Court documents state that police said she first reported finding him dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. Preliminary hearing testimony indicates that she was arrested after investigators learned that she and her daughters discussed the shooting before deciding to notify authorities, and that one of her daughters testified her mother said she shot him after he tried to choke her.

In the Thursday bond hearing, Musseman said the defendants proof of guilt is sufficient and expressed concern over granting her the opportunity for release based on the severity of the crime, alleged efforts by her to conceal her role in her ex-husbands death and statements she reportedly made that suggested she would try to flee the country.

On Friday, Assistant District Attorney Ben Fu told the court, I believe she was a threat to her ex-husband, but thats not an issue on bond.

He requested Musseman set bail at $500,000, citing Judith Nixs ability to access funds through ownership of multiple properties.

The defendants attorney, Paul DeMuro, wanted it set at $50,000.

DeMuro said statements about his clients flight risk were a tenuous accusation at best and emphasized that Judith Nix has no prior criminal history. The Tulsa County Public Defenders Office assigned DeMuro to the case after determining Judith Nix was indigent, and he said he agreed to work pro bono regardless of whether she posts bail.

But Musseman said that if she makes bail, shes clearly not indigent and added that a defendants determination of indigency is a moving target. The court would need to set a hearing in order to change Judith Nixs indigency status, Musseman said.

DeMuro said after the hearing that he was unsure whether Judith Nix would be able to post bail but asserted that she is innocent. Court records indicate she will mount a strong self-defense and battered woman defense that will show a first-degree murder charge is improper.

The court balanced the necessary factors and were satisfied with the courts decision, DeMuro said, adding that his client is under financial pressure.

We are certainly appreciative of the courts careful consideration of the issue, and well move forward from there, DeMuro said. Were really looking forward to having her day in court and show all the evidence we have.
Bob Poe, a Tulsa businessman and civic leader who became well-known as the outspoken voice for various improvement efforts, ranging from job growth and economic development to higher education and health care, died Aug. 19.

He was 78.

A service is set for 11 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church, with a celebration of life to follow.

Stanleys Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.

Poe was founder of civil engineering firm Poe & Associates. From there he branched out, his business interests growing to span the nation and include real estate development and other industries.

Poe found a civic outlet with the Tulsa Regional Chamber and its board of directors. He was board chairman in 2004, and headed various committees and task forces during his long tenure with the body.

It was under Poes leadership as chairman, officials said, that the discussions and planning began on what would become Tulsas Future, an economic development initiative aimed at helping recruit talent to the area and create jobs. Launched in 2005, the successful program is beginning its third five-year phase in 2016.

Bob Poe was a leader for the chamber at a time when (it) was in need of a champion to help it withstand challenges coming from all directions, said Mike Neal, chamber president and CEO.

Poe was known for his candor, he added, and was unwavering in his opinions.

He could not be described as delicate in delivering his messages, Neal said, but one could always count on knowing exactly where he stood on an issue.  His opinions were always based on indisputable research.

That bluntness in delivery served Poe well as board chairman, during which time he spoke out frequently against a controversial Tulsa City Council voting bloc, which he accused of opposing community progress.

Poe was also the person behind the Center for Legislative Excellence, a Tulsa-based political action committee billed as a bipartisan effort to promote the interests of the city and area. Poe, a Republican, founded the center in 2001 out of a concern, he said, that the Tulsa area was losing out to Oklahoma City in the competition for state dollars.

As center chairman, Poe made weekly visits to the state Capitol every session for several years, joining other Tulsa civic leaders in pushing local needs, with special focus on higher education, transportation and health care.

Tulsa County Commissioner Ron Peters was a state representative when he met Poe, and he said the two worked together on the issues of better roads and higher education.

Bob was a very nonpartisan individual willing to work with anyone and everyone to make Tulsa, northeast Oklahoma, and the great state of Oklahoma better, Peters said.

I always found him to be a man of high moral ethics and willing to give countless hours of his personal time and money to achieve these goals. He was a straight-shooter who would disagree with you without being disagreeable. His efforts will surely be remembered, and hopefully inspire others to pick up where he left off.

Howard Barnett, president of Oklahoma State University-Tulsa and a board member of the Center for Legislative Excellence, praised Poes contributions to and through the center.

The center was Bobs vision and he made it happen almost singlehandedly, Barnett said. He felt that northeastern Oklahoma was not getting its fair share of state dollars for roads, higher education and health care.

Over the six years Poe devoted to changing that, Barnett said, he had many accomplishments with the organization. Topping the list, he said, was saving and assuring the long-term success of Oklahoma State University Medical Center in Tulsa.

Poe was the first chairman of the OSU Medical Center Trust, when the city took over the hospital in 2009 to prevent its closure.

In addition to these interests, Poe also supported the arts in Tulsa, donating to Tulsa Opera, Tulsa Ballet, Tulsa Philharmonic, and the Philbrook and Gilcrease museums.

In 2005, Poe was named Premier Volunteer of the Year by Volunteers of America of Oklahoma.

Born in Oklahoma City and moving later to Tulsa, Robert Charles Bob Poe attended Tulsa Public Schools until his junior year, when the family moved to Norman.

He graduated from Norman High School and then earned a bachelors degree in mechanical engineering from the University of Oklahoma. He would add two masters degrees  in civil engineering from OU and mechanical engineering from Pittsburg State University.

He founded Poe & Associates in McAlester in 1967, starting with just him and a draftsman. Growing into one of the regions leading civil engineering firms, it currently maintains offices in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Wichita, Kansas.

Bob Poes generosity and leadership have left an indelible mark on the Tulsa region and the state of Oklahoma, Neal said. Bob was a warrior.

Poe was preceded in death by a brother, George Purdum.

Survivors include his wife of 58 years, Jackie Poe; two children, Susan Dixon and Richard Poe; three grandchildren; and one brother, Patrick Poe.
The CEO of Ramps Logistics says he is "really really disappointed" with the Guyana Revenue A
Chris Bath returns to Sunday Night this weekend to report on a family friend who was a victim of attacks in Nice.

Like hundreds of thousands of other young Australians, Adelaide Stratton had been planning and saving for it for years  that first trip away from home to see the world.

But for many following this annual rite of passage, theres a new menace: random acts of senseless terror.

And so it was for Adelaide and three of her young Aussie mates, when the adventure of a lifetime came to a brutal and bloody end.

The recent Nice terrorist attack left Adelaide critically injured and fighting for her life.

But in those first crucial moments, as all those around her were dying, a stranger would become her

saviour.

Chris Bath is a close friend of the Strattons and has followed Adelaide on her slow and painful road to

recovery.

This week, Chris returns to Sunday Night with this very personal story. We hear from Adelaide for the first time and the brave man who saved her life.

Sunday at 8.00pm on Seven.
Hunter Hopkins Receives Texas FFA Scholarship

by Weston Born



Hunter Hopkins, the son of Brenda and Bud Hopkins, was a recipient of the Jim Bob Norman Fort Worth Stock Show Syndicate scholarship this past week in Dallas at the Texas FFA convention. Hunter is a 2016 graduate of Gruver High School and has been involved in the Texas FFA Association since his freshman year.



His four year FFA career was busy completing many different Leadership and Career Development Events, Supervised Agricultural Experiences, and spending each summer going to Area Leadership Camp and the Texas FFA convention. His LDEs consisted of Junior Chapter Conducting, Jr. Quiz, Public Relations, and Radio Broadcasting. He was an Area qualifier each year in LDEs. His CDEs consisted of Livestock Evaluation, Horse Evaluation, and Farm Business Management.



Throughout his CDEs he qualified twice to state competition in both Livestock and Horse Evaluation. His entrepreneurship SAE was a traditional livestock showing experience. During this experience his highlight was having the third place light weight Yorkshire barrow at the San Antonio Livestock Exposition.



His placement SAE is working for J.W. Ward Farms just south of Gruver. At the local level Hunter has been a chapter officer the past four years and also served the Top O Texas District as an officer his junior year. The Texas FFA Association awards over two million dollars in scholarship money each year to deserving FFA members.



This scholarship awards Hunter $10,000 to begin his wildlife biology studies at Sul Ross State University. Great job and good luck, Hunter!



If your child is interested in having the same type of opportunities please give your local Agricultural Science Teacher a shout. These opportunities are provided to any students that dedicate time and effort to the FFA. To be eligible for the Texas FFA scholarship, you must be enrolled in four years of agricultural science classes, participate in leadership and career development contests, perform well academically, and simply participate in local, area, and state FFA events. I am often asked if the student must be an agriculture major and the answer to this comes in two parts. One hundred and five of the total Texas FFA scholarships do not require being an ag major; however, those students must be in the top 25% of their class. The remaining scholarships are ag-based and do require an agriculture major that is very widely based. The student that falls into the agriculture major must be in the top 50% of their graduating class.






The world's largest brewer, A-B Inbev, expects to cut about 3 percent of its total workforce  equivalent to thousands of jobs  once it completes its huge takeover of its closest rival, SABMiller.

The company headquartered in Leuven, Belgium, has about 150,000 workers while the London-based SABMiller claims to have around 70,000.

That would put the estimated job losses at around 6,600 over a three-year period. However, A-B InBev said in documents published Friday that the estimate doesn't include its sales and front-office supply departments, for which integration plans are not completed. The statement means it was not clear if there would be even more job cuts than the announced 3 percent.

It expects losses at SABMiller's current headquarters, as the new company will be based in Leuven and New York.

Analysts say A-B InBev is known for being aggressive in cutting costs from takeovers and mergers. The company expects to make annual cost savings of about $1.4 billion after about four years.

Part of the logic of the $104 billion deal to buy SABMiller is to add new brands in countries it is not currently present in, particularly in fast-growing markets in Africa.

The deal has received backing from SABMiller's board but awaits approval from the company's shareholders. Some smaller shareholders have turned against the deal since a plunge in the value of the British pound eroded its value. Analysts, however, say it should be approved in a vote on Sept. 28.

The body representing SABMiller's European workers has also slammed the deal. In a letter last month it said it "does not welcome the takeover" and "expresses its strongest concerns for the future of the employees and for the sustainability of the business in Europe."

It's not know how the job cuts will affect A-B InBev's operations in St. Louis.

When Belgium-based InBev acquired Anheuser-Busch for $52 billion in 2008, the St. Louis brewer of Bud Light and Michelob had more than 6,000 employees in the St. Louis area. In the years that followed, A-B InBev slashed IT jobs and other functions, bringing its employee count to about 4,000 in 2011, the last year the company provided local workforce figures.

Hundreds more jobs left St. Louis last year when A-B moved its sales and marketing operations for the U.S. and Canada to New York, and brewery officials have repeatedly declined requests for a current local employee count.

Despite those reductions, A-B InBev continues to keep a big presence at its brewery south of downtown and elsewhere in the region. As part of its proposed acquisition of rival SABMiller, this month A-B InBev outlined its corporate office plans and said St. Louis will continue to serve as the company's North America zone headquarters. Also this year, A-B InBev completed construction on a $150 million expansion of its aluminum bottle plant in Arnold, adding 70 jobs.

Lisa Brown of the Post-Dispatch contributed to this report.
President Petro Poroshenko has held a telephone talk with Secretary General of NATO Jens Stoltenberg.

This is reported by the press service of the President.

The Head of State informed about the escalation of the situation in Donetsk and Luhansk regions, and the growing number of Russian provocations in the occupied Donbas and Crimea. Petro Poroshenko also called for keeping the issue of the Russian aggression against Ukraine on the agenda of the North Atlantic Alliance, reads the statement.

In its turn, Jens Stoltenberg underscored the importance of full implementation of the Minsk agreements.

At the same time, the parties discussed the status of implementation of the Integrated package of NATO assistance to Ukraine approved at the Alliance Summit in Warsaw. The President expressed hope that the package would help to modernize the Ukrainian army to the NATO standards.

ol
Ukrainian Defense Minister and Army General Stepan Poltorak has met the Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of Kuwait, Lieutenant-General Mohammed al-Khader.

During the meeting the sides discussed prospective areas of Ukrainian-Kuwaiti cooperation in the defense sector, the Ukrainian Government portal reports. Poltorak informed about the situation in Donbas.

"Unlike the enemy, we prefer a peaceful settlement of the problem. Any questions can be solved diplomatically, Poltorak said, adding that "diplomacy is successful only if there are well-trained and equipped armed forces. Therefore, since the beginning of the armed conflict in eastern Ukraine we have launched fundamental changes to the Ukrainian army."

In his turn, the Chief of General Staff of Armed Forces of Kuwait, Lieutenant-General Mohammed al-Khader,conveyed his personal greetings and those of the Kuwaiti defense minister on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine.

He expressed solidarity with the Ukrainian people, and said that he was impressed by the level of organization and holding of the military parade on August 24 and expressed condolences over the losses suffered by Ukraine in fighting in the east of the country.

pd
Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka does not agree with the position of his president and regards the removal of sanctions from Russia to be wrong.

He said this on Thursday at a joint press conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Prague, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"The sanctions are tied to Minsk II. We and our European partners repeat once again that sanctions can only be reduced if there are successful steps for the implementation of the Minsk agreements," Sobotka said.

He pointed out that these steps are not being observed at present, and without them "sanctions cannot be lifted." "First, we need progress in talks with Ukraine and Russia. This obligation must be met right now," said the head of the Czech government.

Merkel said she fully shares the views of her colleague. She also noted that "Germany and France have in recent days become very eager to make progress in the implementation of the Minsk agreements." She said with regret that the security situation in the summer not only did not improve but actually worsened, as everyday people are dying on the contact line, especially Ukrainian soldiers, the Chancellor added.

Earlier, Czech President Milos Zeman called the sanctions "a sign of weakness" and expressed the hope that they would be canceled within a year.

pd
First Vice Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Iryna Gerashchenko has called on Belarus not to send observers to the elections to the State Duma of the Russian Federation in the occupied Crimea.

Gerashchenko stated this at a briefing in Minsk. "We know that the Russian Federation holds elections to the State Duma in September. The Ukrainian side asks all our international partners, all our neighbors to refrain from sending their observers to the annexed territory, namely Crimea. Ukraine does not recognize these elections, which occur on the stolen Ukrainian land," Gerashchenko said. ol
The Ministry of Information Policy of Ukraine (MIP) and the Ukrainian World Congress (UWC) have signed a memorandum of cooperation.

This has been reported by the press service of the Information Policy Ministry.

"I am confident that our joint efforts will help Ukrainians in the world be more informed about their homeland, particularly through our International Broadcasting TV channel UA TV," Information Policy Minister Yuriy Stets said.

According to President of the UWC Eugene Czolij, a 20-million Ukrainian diaspora headed by this organization will actively contribute to spreading the truth about Ukraine in the world, thereby resist Russian disinformation.

The memorandum provides for cooperation between the parties in order to create a positive image of Ukraine in the world, develop the freedom of speech, informing Ukrainian and world community about major issues of domestic and foreign policy of Ukraine.

ish
Valida Aliyeva is consumed by a passion for reading. At 64 years old, she explains: "Ive read every book in our local library!"

But when she lost her glasses four years ago, the displaced Azeri grandmothers world was reduced to a blur in which she could neither read nor even see faces close-up.

Then, in May, something life-changing happened: a team of optometrists from Japan came to this city in western Azerbaijan to provide eye tests and give residents the glasses they needed  Aliyeva among them.

I plan to start reading again as soon as I get home  but first, I want to see my grandchildren up close!"

Lining up for the eye clinic in the apartment complex where she lives with hundreds of other families, she receives a pair of purple-framed spectacles that bring her world back into sharp focus.

Im so happy, she says, joyfully. I plan to start reading again as soon as I get home  but first, I just want to see my grandchildren up close!"

For a dozen years, optometrist Akio Kanai has been travelling to Azerbaijan with a team of specialists to help displaced Azeris, up to a million of whom were driven from their homes during the conflict over Nagorno Karabakh in the late 1980s and early 1990s.

Azeri grandmother Valida Aliyeva, who is far-sighted, has received a new pair of glasses in Barda, Azerbaijan.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Many are living in poverty and struggle to access proper healthcare and treatment. Many families also live in huts or shanty towns in rural Azerbaijan.

A pair of glasses will help people to have a better quality of life, can assist them to become independent, learn more, says Kanai, a former winner of the prestigious Nansen Refugee Award. Actually, without the glasses, I dont know how you can live your life."

The team of eight qualified optometrists from Kanais company, Fuji Optical Co. Ltd, work quickly during the day, conducting hundreds of eye tests and distributing glasses to residents of the citys new housing estates completed last year, which stand in stark contrast to the farming areas surrounding them.

The Japanese team have become minor celebrities here and are welcomed by the Azeri communities and local authorities alike. During their six-day visit, the team screened 2,882 people and distributed 2,433 pairs of glasses. A further 141 pairs were to be sent later from Japan.

"Some people shake hands, they kiss you. I see all kinds of gratitude. It does make it worthwhile.

Its very busy during the day, says Kanai, chuckling, as the UNHCR team works to manage the crowds outside the door of one temporary clinic. A lot of people say 'cox sag ol', which I know means 'thank you'. Some people shake hands, they kiss you. I see all kinds of gratitude. It does make it worthwhile.

Among those helped at one of the field clinics is Yalchin Aghayev, a teacher who fled Nagorno Karabakh with his family at age 17. He has struggled since childhood with an uncorrected eye problem.

Im a history teacher and I always look at maps. Often I point to the wrong place and cannot see my students clearly, he explains at the clinic, where the specialist team examines his eyes thoroughly and prescribes lenses. I thought life had to be like this. That the world was blurry all the time and vision consisted of this only.

Optometrist Akio Kanai examines Yalchin Aghayev's eyes at a temporary clinic in Barda, Azerbaijan. Aghayev, who was displaced from his home by war two decades ago, was five years old when an accident left him with poor vision.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Yalchin Aghayev's poor vision meant he would sometimes point to the wrong place on a map while teaching a class. But glasses have improved his eyesight.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

Hasan Hudiyev, 86, has his eyes tested by Akio Kanai and his team.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

A baby has her eyes tested by Akio Kanai and his son. In May 2016, during six days of eye testing, Kanai's team screened 2,882 people and dispensed 2,433 eyeglasses.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

The blocks of 886 apartments in Barda were built in 2015 to accommodate approximately 4,000 people displaced by the conflict in the Nagorno Karabakh region of Azerbaijan during the early 1990s.  UNHCR/Andrew McConnell

As his glasses are fitted, relief washes over Aghayevs face. Before wearing glasses, life seemed dark, as if it were night time. If I hadnt met Dr. Kanai, I would have stayed in the darkness. After wearing these glasses, my vision improved and my whole life became brighter.

Kanai was honoured with the 2006 Nansen Refugee Award, given annually by UNHCR to an individual, group or organization in recognition of outstanding service to the cause of refugees, displaced or stateless people.

Forcibly displaced himself from the northern Pacific island of Sakhalin during the turmoil at the end of World War II, Kanai has committed himself since 1983 to working with people uprooted by conflict. It is estimated that more than 140,000 refugees and internally displaced people now have improved eyesight thanks to his efforts.

Winning the award inspired me and pushed me to continue with the service."

Winning the award inspired me and pushed me to continue with the service. Im 74 now, but I feel I have energy left and it would be good for me to work for these people. So the award really gave me that power to keep going.

And his legacy is set to continue as his two sons have followed in his footsteps, becoming qualified optometrists and joining the doctor on his annual vision missions. Kanai reflects the spirit of Nansen award winners  courageous, determined and committed to improving the lives of those displaced by war and conflict.

The winner of the 2016 Nansen Refugee Award will be announced on September 6, with the ceremony taking place on October 3 at the Batiment Des Forces Motrices in Geneva.
ATHENS/GENEVA 26 August 2016  With the sudden increase of arrivals, hundreds more refugee and migrant children are becoming stranded in Greece with critical needs such as education and protection, says UNICEF.

More people arrived in the first three weeks of August than all of July 2016 (1,920 for July; 2,289 as of 24 August). This new influx comes at a time when Greece is struggling to cope with a strained welfare system due to the ongoing economic crisis, leaving refugee and migrant children facing a double crisis. In total, children make up nearly 40 per cent of the current stranded population.

There is a real sense in Greece of refugee families just waiting  waiting for their asylum request to be processed, a decision to relocate elsewhere in Europe, waiting for proper schooling and playgrounds for their children, proper housing, simply waiting to know what their future will be, said Laurent Chapuis, UNICEFs Coordinator for the Refugee & Migrant response in Greece.

For children this waiting is an eternity - many from conflict torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq have missed out entirely on education or lost years of schooling and are held back yet again.

Education is a one of the most powerful ways to protect children from all forms of violence, added Mr Chapuis. This means we need to all join forces to boost Governments efforts to get children back to school in September.

Recent reports of sexual abuse, violence, and neglect are an indication of unsuitable living conditions and weakened child protection mechanisms. An overstretched public service has also compounded the risks for refugee and migrant children.

There are almost 27,500 children stranded in Greece and the number continues to rise. There are at least 2,250 unaccompanied children in Greece yet only a third stays in formal shelters. Despite the continued efforts of the Government and partners, the need for temporary accommodation, child protection services and schooling remain acute.

Getting children into education is a key priority for UNICEF and its partners in Greece, especially in the light of recent reports of children at risk. UNICEF has been supporting learning and recreational activities for refugee children in Skaramangas camp, near Athens, with the Greek NGO Piraeus Open School for Immigrants, as well as providing 11 container classrooms. UNICEF education programmes are being scaled up beyond Attica to other camps, targeting at least 5,000 children by the end of the year and working with the Ministry of Education to help integrate refugee children into the Greek education system.



###
The documentary "Life, Animated" looks at Owen Suskind, who was diagnosed with autism as a toddler but used Disney movies to connect with the world.
A war widow allegedly lost $35,000 to Trump University according to reports.

Cheryl Lankford, the widow of late Command Sergeant Major Jonathan Miles Lankford who died of heart attack during his assignment in Iraq on 2007 reportedly lost a huge amount of money through an alleged scam investment linked to Trump University.

Command Sergeant Major Jonathan Miles Lankford and Cheryl had been married for eight years before his tragic death happened. The widow was left with her then two-year-old son whom she then had to raise alone, The US Uncut reported.

Being an army's wife, Cheryl was given certain benefits due to her husband who has served the army for 23 years. She used the monetary benefit to pay some expenses and finally purchased a new house dreaming for a new beginning for her and her son.

The war widow wanted to make sure that she provides the best future for her son in spite of her husband's loss so she tried to look for ways to make the most out of the remaining amount she has from the monetary benefit.

She started her own real estate firm in San Antonio and named it Lankford Land Development, LLC on 2008. It was not long that she gained attention from the Trump University, a for-profit university co-founded in 2005 by Donald Trump and some of his associates.

In 2009, Lankford began receiving invitations, postcards and phone calls from Trump University inviting her to be part of an introductory seminar that will help her boost her business' performance. Due to her knowledge on Trump's success and talent when it comes to business, Lankford finally gave in to the invitation.

The widow was then offered and enrolled in a once in a lifetime training and assistance package at $35,000. However, after the enrolment, there was no training that took place. Instead, she was pointed back and forth to different persons.

The Trump Organization denied the allegation through a statement released and ask the public to withhold judgment until the due process has been given, Glamour News and Politics reported.

Watch this video for more of the story.


Several new signs have been surfacing online confirming that the highly-anticipated Google Nexus 2016 release date will happen in October, however the sticker price is not likely to be economical as previous reports suggested. The HTC Nexus Sailfish will be available for a price starting at $449, while the larger Marlin variant will be up for grabs for $599.

The recently-leaked pricing flies in the face of the previously reported $350 and $500 starting prices for the Sailfish and Marlin respectively; however the aforementioned price leak comes from an HTC insider who also gave a nod to reports hinting Nexus rollout in October, NexusBlog reported.

The high-end specifications including of Snapdragon 820 chip and 4 GB of RAM for Sailfish and Marlin upholds the seemingly high price tag. Moreover, reports claim that both the devices will boast identical specs and features except for the screen size. The Nexus Sailfish is rumored to sport a 5-inch screen, while the Marlin - which is a phablet device - will come with a 5.5-inch display.

The two smartphones are likely to come out of the box with glass and metal as the main build materials.

Aside from hinting the October availability, the reports did not divulge further details. That being said, the timing was backed by the alleged Google confirmation noting that among the new devices slated to come out is the LG V20 that will get Android 7.0 Nougat first.

LG V20 First To Run Nougat?

LG is gearing up to introduce the the V20 on September 6 and the company will reportedly ensure that the flagship hits the store shelves before the month end.

Citing the fact that LG missed out on the coveted Nexus 2016 project, Google is making up for the mishap by allowing the company to be the first to showcase Android Nougat, and this has already been confirmed by Google, according to reports on Android Authority.

As existing Nexus models are already running on Nougat, an array of awe-inspiring features of the new OS have already been discovered, but one that outshines rest of them is the seamless update. This feature enables users to download security patches and firmware updates and apply them in the background without having to restart their devices.

The Nougat-exclusive feature is without-question a step up to amenity; however some reports claim that this will lead to waste of storage space.

Apparently, for the Nexus devices, the aforesaid feature will require a couple of separate partitions and one will only be used to run Nougat's background update activities, BGR reported citing developer LlabTooFer as source.

Although this may seem to be "a waste of storage," Google is likely to take care of this as rumors are running rampant that on release date the Nexus 2016 model will be up for grabs in 32 GB and 128 GB variants.
After 30 long years, Cambridge is giving entrance exams again to their upcoming college students.

Cambridge decided to implement the entrance exams due to the reducing number of students receiving the better academic level potential indicator. The university has frequently seen applicants who received A*s and As but very few AS-levels.

Believing that taking the entrance test will be the best way to assess the students' capabilities and to be able to screen out the best among them, Cambridge University created the exams specifically for different degrees. The said exams will contain both multiple choice and essays created to challenge how students will handle multifaceted issues.

The exercise of giving entrance exams was previously dropped for it was believed to be a form of discrimination on students, who are not able to afford tutoring services.

After almost three decades, Cambridge University finally decided to come back in line with Oxford University in carefully screening out their incoming students, The Daily Mail UK reported.

This step, however, gained both approval and criticism from many. Alan Milburn, former Labour minister and presently the chair of the social mobility commission believes that giving this entrance test creates further barriers to students who are not financially privileged but are highly intelligent.

On the other hand, Chris Ramsey, Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference (HMC) universities committee chairman expressed the team's support for the implementation of entrance exams as clarity on Cambridge admission is observed.

Meanwhile, schools were given notice early on about the said implementation. They were also encouraged to maintain the quality of education as Cambridge University will be using the AS-levels in selecting who will be given a slot.

As early as October and November this year, Cambridge will be giving the exams to the students while they are still in their present schools. Exam passers will then advance to the next phase which is the interview, The Telegraph reported.

Wach this video to know more about Cambridge admission process.
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UW Spin-Out Business Receives Grant to Develop Drug Manufacturing Platforms

GlycoBac LLC received a National Institutes of Health SBIR Phase II grant award for $939,580. The two-year grant will allow the company, a spin-out business of UW, to further basic research development on glycoengineered insect cell lines, says Don Jarvis, a UW professor of molecular biology and president of GlycoBac. (UW Photo)

GlycoBac LLCs efforts to create novel, insect cell-based platforms for drug manufacturing continue to be rewarded.

The company, a business spun out of academic research performed at the University of Wyoming, will receive a two-year, $939,580 National Institutes of Health (NIH) SBIR Phase II grant award. This newest grant, which begins Sept. 1, is an extension of a previous Phase I award worth nearly $600,000.

GlycoBacs current efforts are focused on developing new manufacturing platforms for a variety of drugs. The drugs include a novel Zika virus vaccine candidate to be tested in collaborative pre-clinical studies; other mosquito-transmitted (Dengue, West Nile and Chikungunya) viral vaccine candidates being tested in pre-clinical/moving to Phase I clinical studies; and a drug likely to reduce the risk of certain types of strokes, also being tested in pre-clinical/possibly moving to Phase I clinical studies.

This grant will facilitate our ongoing research and development on glycoengineered insect cell lines, which is a key element of our business plan, says Don Jarvis, a UW professor in the Department of Molecular Biology and president of GlycoBac. Ultimately, we hope these platforms will be used to produce protein-based drugs, or biologics, including several high-profile viral vaccine candidates.

Jarvis says GlycoBacs grant support has benefited UW by contributing direct and indirect costs through subcontracts to the university; service fees for office and lab space occupied by GlycoBac at the Wyoming Technology Business Center and in another location on campus; and annual minimum royalty fees. The university also has equity in the company.

Students have benefited from open access to technical and intellectual capacity within the company. Graduate and undergraduate students in the academic labs in the Department of Molecular Biology routinely interact with GlycoBac staff, and one UW postdoctoral researcher serves as a paid consultant to the company.

GlycoBac is the only biotechnology company of its kind in Wyoming and currently provides three new high-paying, full-time jobs for highly trained professionals.

For the past 30 years, including more than 18 at UW, Jarviss basic research has focused on developing an insect virus/insect cell system for recombinant protein production. Jarvis spun out GlycoBac in June 2011 after his student, Christoph Geisler, won UWs John P. Ellbogen $30k Entrepreneurship Competition. Underpinning GlycoBac are a number of patents, which the Wyoming Research Products Center (WRPC), working with Jarvis, secured to protect this valuable intellectual property. WRPC is located at UW.

The $12,500 award from that competition was used to establish the company and, since then, Jarvis and Geisler, who is now GlycoBacs chief research scientist, have submitted seven Small Business Innovation Research proposals to the NIH. Including the latest award, five have been funded. Jarvis says four of GlycoBacs grant submission efforts have been supported by Phase 0 Awards from the Wyoming SBIR/STTR Initiative (WSSI).

Jarvis adds that Davona Douglass, WRPC director, has worked hard to seek and obtain patent protection for inventions from the academic lab, which provided the initial intellectual basis for GlycoBacs commercialization efforts.

Without the fantastic support provided by the $30K; Kelly Haigler Cornish and WSSI; Davona Douglass and her staff at the WRPC; and William Gern, UWs vice president for research and economic development, GlycoBac would never have been able to pursue efforts to translate research performed at UW to the private sector, Jarvis says. In addition to the biomedical impact, this exercise has provided a great example of how research at UW routinely contributes to our students real-world education and training in the sciences that simply cannot occur in the classroom.
Wyoming Business Tips for Sept. 4-10

A weekly look at Wyoming business questions from the Wyoming Small Business Development Center (WSBDC), part of WyomingEntrepreneur.Biz, a collection of business assistance programs at the University of Wyoming.

By Mike Lambert, WSBDC Network Market Research Center manager

I have been hearing about 3-D printing for a while now. Is this just for hobbyists, or is it a real thing? Joe, Gillette

Like many technologies, 3-D printing has had its teething pains. However, it appears poised to be a real game changer for many areas of manufacturing.

With the list of printable materials increasing seemingly daily, now, nearly anything can be printed using the technology.

GE, one of the worlds largest manufacturers, is betting pretty heavily on 3-D printing (also known as additive technology). According to Forbes, GE has invested $3.5 billion in purchasing 3-D printing machines that can produce metal parts and to train the staff to run them. GE isnt doing this because the technology is cool; its because it is where the industry is heading.

Last year, GE opened a multi-modal manufacturing facility in Chakan, India. This $200 million plant is unique because, unlike a traditional factory, it doesnt make just one type of product. In Chakan, GE manufactures steam turbines, water treatment units and jet engine parts in the same factory.

Rather than multiple factories for each business line, the flexibility inherent in 3-D printing allows GE to manufacture a wide variety of products using the same machinery. This results in a large amount of flexibility and can save an enormous amount of money.

One of the success stories for GEs efforts is a jet engine fuel nozzle. This doesnt sound terribly impressive until you understand that, before 3-D printing, the nozzle had 20 different pieces, procured from different vendors, which were then brazed and welded together. This was time consuming and an expensive process.

The 3-D printed part is made as a single part, which is 25 percent lighter in weight and five times more durable than the old part. And, rather than needing to maintain tooling, jibs and special assembly areas, GE can print the parts it needs. With a change of computer programming, GE can create something completely different on the same machine tomorrow.

The U.S. military also is embracing 3-D printing for everything from personal weaponry to replacement parts. Gen. Ellen Pawlikowski, Air Force Material Command commander, sees additive manufacturing (3-D printing) as a massive game changer.

With 3-D printers moving from plastics and into high-quality metals, and even biological parts like replacement ears, bones and organs, the technology is poised to change multiple industries in the same way that Henry Fords assembly line improved the manufacturing process in the early 1900s.

Those in the manufacturing business who dont keep an eye on the developments in this field may find themselves becoming the next buggy whip makers.

A blog version of this article and an opportunity to post comments are available at www.wyen.biz/blog1/.

The WSBDC is a partnership of the U.S. Small Business Administration, the Wyoming Business Council and the University of Wyoming. To ask a question, call 1-800-348-5194, email wsbdc@uwyo.edu, or write 1000 E. University Ave., Dept. 3922, Laramie, WY, 82071-3922.
When the I-35 bridge collapsed into the Mississippi River on Aug. 1, 2007, it put in motion the events that resulted in a new bridge across the Mississippi River at Winona nine years later.

Seventy-two years earlier, almost to the day, the interstate bridge at La Crosse plunged into the Mississippi, an event that resulted in a new bridge across the river seven years later.

I heard it when it went down, E.C. Dickerman, a La Crosse garage attendant, told the Winona Republican-Herald. It was sort of a dull thud, then a splash. I thought a boat hit the bridge ... I ran out and saw the bridge in the river.

A Gateway Transfer truck loaded with about eight tons of silk fabric rolled across the bridge about 1:30 a.m. Aug. 9, 1935. Ten minutes later an Auburn sedan with two couples returning from the Bon Ton night club in La Crescent approached the span.

I was driving about 30 or 40 miles an hour and just as I reached the bridge the car skidded into the first girder, the driver, Capt. Fisher F. Blinn, told the Republican-Herald. As soon as we hit it the span went down and the car fell into the river. I believe we went down with the span.

Blinn said the front windows of the sedan were open. He crawled out the drivers side window, then managed to pull the front seat passenger, Marceline Patro, out the other. He helped Patro, who was injured and bleeding badly, swim to a bridge girder where they clung, waiting for rescue.

The couple in the back seat were not so fortunate. Francis and Ethel Landrieau were trapped in the vehicle and drowned.

A camper at nearby Pettibone Park was witness to the collapse. There was a big crash, Louise Koenig, of Milwaukee, said. She described a blue streak flashing across the sky as electric transmission lines between La Crosse and La Crescent shorted out as the bridge seemed to fold up and sink down.

She ran to the river and, seeing the car in the water, I took off my dress, jumped into the river, swam to the car and tried to get the care door open, but the current was so swift I had to give up, she said. I am sure when I got to the car the man in the rear seat was still living. A short time later the car seemed to sink farther into the river, and soon it disappeared from sight except for a small portion of the spare tire.

The police arrived in a boat, Koenig said, and helped Blinn and Patro off the beam. The campers went onto the roadway to flag down approaching motorists, stopping one La Crescent driver speeding along at 70 mph just short of where the bridge no longer was.

About 135 feet of the 1,000-foot-long bridge had sagged 40 feet into the Mississippi. La Crescent was without electricity or telephone service, the lines from La Crosse severed. Traffic backed up on both sides of the fallen span as motorists and truckers contemplated a 30-mile detour either to the bridge at Lansing, Iowa, or upstream to Winona.

The prospect of a sudden surge of traffic put Minnesota highway officials into a mild panic. The 1890-vintage high wagon bridge in Winona was already under weight and speed restrictions due to concerns about age and carrying capacity. Guards were posted at both approaches to the Winona bridge to strictly enforce load limits.

Commuters between La Crosse and Minnesota were faced with a long detour or chancy boat ride in the days after the collapse. Within three days, a ferry capable of carrying four cars was shuttling between Riverside Park and the west bank of the river, as construction crews worked overtime to replace the fallen span  a task completed by Aug. 20.

Investigations into the collapse pointed to a similar mishap that had occurred two years earlier on July 4, when a car struck the same girder, the impact carrying along the steel beam for nine feet. The damage was repaired, but it was believed that the beam was weakened and vulnerable.

The collapse spurred attention to aging bridges on both sides of the river. The La Crosse bridge was opened in 1891, a year after and similar in construction to the bridge at Winona. Both bridges were found deficient and in 1939 the Cass Street Bridge was opened between Minnesota and La Crosse, followed three years later by the interstate bridge at Winona.
North Dakota's three candidates for governor shared the stage Thursday for the first time.

The ND Gubernatorial Forum gave Republican candidate Doug Burgum, Democratic candidate Marvin Nelson and Libertarian Martin Riske a chance to share their ideas for how make the state a better place.

Burgum says he wants to make state government more efficient.

Nelson painted himself as someone who can get things done.

Riske says he wants to make sure independent auditors keep a watchful eye on state agencies.

"Take what the legislature has passed as law, compare that to staffing and then make sure that we are getting an efficient result. And also look for the management ideas that come from an audit," says Riske.

"People who know me know that I'm approachable, even when we don't agree and that I can solve a lot of these things. That's what I do is I solve problems," says Nelson.

"Many of these areas have gotten more money for the past 10 years but the results haven't gone up and one of the things I'm very interested in is not focusing on a contest of who gets the most money but focusing on who's delivering the best results," says Burgum.

The Greater North Dakota Chamber of Commerce hosted the debate.
A Racine man faces possession charges after he attempted to hide marijuana between his buttocks Wednesday.

Dorcas D. Tate, 26, of the 9000 block of Florence Drive, was stopped by officers on Grand Avenue near 17th Street around 6:22 p.m., according to the criminal complaint.

Officers observed Tate lower his body in his seat. When the officers reached the window, they reportedly observed Tate's hand inside his waistband and moving his arm around near his groin, the complaint said.

An odor of marijuana was allegedly smelled coming from the car. Tate was also discovered to have active commitments from the Racine Police Department and a hold from the Department of Corrections, according to the complaint.

Tate exited the vehicle and was searched by officers. Nothing was found; however, officers reportedly noticed Tate was clenching his buttocks during the search, the complaint said.

Tate was later searched and a knotted plastic baggie of 1.7 grams of marijuana was recovered from Tate, according to the complaint.

Tate faces one felony charge for possession of marijuana. He is scheduled for a preliminary hearing at the Racine County Law Enforcement Center, 717 Wisconsin Ave., September 1 at 9 a.m.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Toshi Kuge works on a customer in her beauty shop. She and other members of her church are in Japan to help people still impacted by the tsunami.

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By Christian Martinez, christian.martinez@vcstar.com

Toshi Kuge has made many trips to Japan in the more than 40 years she has lived in Camarillo.

"I try to go as often as I can," she said, noting her age, "I am getting older."

Kuge has mostly visited family, many of whom still live there. She recounted visiting Tokyo and marveled at the change the city has undergone since she immigrated almost 50 years ago.

"I feel like a tourist now," she remarked, laughing.

On Monday however, Kuge undertook a journey to Japan much different from the ones she has made in the past.

Kuge, along with five other members of the Japanese American Christian Chapel in Camarillo, departed on a mission to Ishinomaki City, an area of Japan still reeling from the 2011 tsunami which killed almost 16,000 people.

The group will stay for 11 days at a church called J's Cafe, assisting families still displaced by the tsunami.

"We have a team with many talents," Keiko Ichikawa, the wife of church pastor, Sho Ichikawa, said in a written statement. Each member will offer something different, she stated.

Kuge, who owns and operates Toshi's Hair Design in Camarillo, will offer free haircuts to the families as well as simple pedicures.

Another member will hold counseling sessions for children attempting to recover from the events of 2011.

The group will also hold free cooking and English tutorials.

Kuge said she has wanted to make this journey since she first saw news of the event more than five years ago.

"I remember sitting on my couch and not moving for 20 minutes," she said.

Kuge attempted to contact family in Japan but was unable to do so; all of the phone lines were blocked with calls.

"I felt helpless a little," she remarked. "But I thought, 'I'm going'. I had strong feelings to give back."

Kuge said making this journey had been a topic of discussion since the disaster struck. However, plans never fully materialized until 2015.

"Early last year Pastor Dave (Watanabe) had a vision of sending a mission team to Japan," Ichikawa said.

Watanabe pushed members of congregation to consider and undertake the journey, according to Kuge. Plans then began to form at a rapid pace.

"They (J's Cafe) called in April," Kuge stated, "and wanted us to come in August. We had to make up our minds quickly."

Kuge, though admittedly excited, remains thoughtful.

"I don't want to be a tourist. I want to make them comfortable," she said. "I want to do something."

Ichikawa echoes that sentiment: "We pray that in our special way we can give hope to the people of Ishinomaki."

"Most people forget," Kuge remarked, "but the feeling doesn't go away
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO At Reyes Adobe Days in October, Ventura's Tracy Lee Stum will create some of her three-dimensional chalk art for which she has become world famous.

SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO Butch Hartman, creator of Nickelodeon's "Fairly Oddparents" and the Noog app, will serve as grand marshal for this year's Reyes Adobe Days in Agoura.

By Robyn Flans, Special to The Star

Butch Hartman, creator of Nickelodeon's "Fairly OddParents," will serve as the grand marshal of the 12th annual Reyes Adobe Days, set for Oct. 6-9 in Agoura.

He'll lead the Saturday parade, perform with his band and draw his characters live for two hours each day.

Hartman's involvement will start at the Friday evening 21-and-over event called Night at the Adobe, where he and the other featured artist, Tracy Lee Stum, will display their work in what they are calling the Imagination Gallery.

Hartman will have his Nickelodeon work on exhibit, and he'll give a presentation on the development of the Noog app he created about a year ago.

"A Noog is a weird little creature," Hartman said. "There is an endless amount of Noogs."

Stum, a Ventura resident who has earned worldwide recognition for her three-dimensional chalk art, will be signing her new book, "The Art of Chalk."

Jaime Goldstein, cultural event coordinator for the City of Agoura Hills, said Stum will be creating a custom piece just for Reyes Adobe Days.

"She will also be doing live art Friday and Saturday," Goldstein said.

Nick Newkirk, the city's recreation supervisor, said five new breweries will be joining Ladyface Ale Company at Night at the Adobe, which will run from 6 to 9 p.m.

"You can go around and taste all of them," Newkirk said, adding that each stop will also have wine. "It will be paired with food. We have a great catering company coming out."

On Saturday at 10 a.m., Hartman will lead the parade down Reyes Adobe Road from Lake Lindero Road to the Reyes Adobe Historical Site.

"In the car we will have some characters from the Noog Network with us," Hartman said.

After the parade, from 12:45 to 1:30 p.m., Hartman will play guitar and sing with his classic rock band, the Red Tornados.

Hartman has also has created a scavenger hunt for Reyes Adobe Days using his Noogs. Every child who wants to enter the contest will pay $10 to get a stuffed Noog and a list of about 20 items to find and photograph with it.

"Some will be at the festival, and some will be around the city because we want to encourage kids to get to know the city," Hartman said.

Proceeds from the scavenger hunt will go to the Hartman House Foundation, a charitable organization he and his wife Julieann started more than a decade ago.

"We do things for people that need things done," Hartman said. "We've built houses in Guatemala. We've put in a water system in an orphanage in Haiti. We have an Agoura High School scholarship for performing arts students at the end of the year."

Reyes Adobe Days will also include the usual children's attractions like the petting zoo, pony rides and train ride. For adults, the popular RAD farmhouse tent returns, with jewelers, artisans and brew masters.

Sunday, what used to be the Gymkhana riding competitions in Old Agoura will now be called the Equestrian Playday and will begin with a 9 a.m. breakfast.

"Then they will take a community trail ride into the Santa Monica Mountains," Newkirk said. "And there will be a veterinarian to answer any horse ailments."
FILE PHOTO

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By Christian Martinez, christian.martinez@vcstar.com

A man suspected of stealing tires from a Thousand Oaks business was arrested late Thursday, officials said.

Robert Haupt, 45, of Thousand Oaks, was arrested on suspicion of burglary and possession of a controlled substance near the 1300 block of Thousand Oaks Boulevard shortly after 11:10 p.m., authorities reported.

According to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office, a witness reported a man taking tires from outside Discount Tire Center on Thousand Oaks Boulevard and loading them into a vehicle. The man allegedly left the scene in the vehicle, authorities said.

Sheriff's deputies responded to the witness report and arrived on scene at 11:11 p.m., officials said. Sheriff's officials reported deputies located Haupt and arrested him without incident after a five-minute search.

Authorities said the stolen property was recovered.
SHARE CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/THOUSAND OAKS POLICE DEPARTMENT Authorities were asking for the public's help to identify a man suspected of stealing from a Thousand Oaks store.

By Staff Reports

Authorities asked Thursday for the public's help identifying a man suspected of stealing from an AT&T store in Thousand Oaks.

Surveillance video from the store at 180 N. Moorpark Road showed that at 1:30 p.m. Aug. 21, a man took items from the store, put them in a shopping bag and leave without paying, according to the Ventura County Sheriff's Office. The items stolen were valued at more than $1,000, authorities said.

The man was described as 55 to 65 years old, about 6 feet tall and weighing 180 pounds, officials said. He has receding brown hair and wore a dark-colored Hawaiian shirt, blue jeans and dark-colored shoes, officials said.

Anyone with information is asked to call Thousand Oaks police Detective Michael Purnell 494-8219.
JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Sam Evans puts on a leash on his sheep Baby Boy, as his brother Demisu helps him by the corral. Demisu raised a lamb and sold it for a whopping $75 a pound at the Ventura County Fair after bidders learned he was using the money to buy a wheelchair. Demisu, who is originally from Ethiopia, lives in Upper Ojai and is a member of the Citrus Valley 4-H Club.

SHARE JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Demisu Evans smiles at his family by their corral. Demisu is from Ethiopia and uses a wheelchair, but he has trouble getting around the rugged land at his family's home in Upper Ojai. He raised a 113-pound lamb  3 pounds over the minimum  and sold it for a whopping $75 a pound at the Ventura County Fair after bidders learned he would be using the money to buy a new wheelchair. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Demisu Evans, 11, relaxes inside the kitchen with his family. Demisu is from Ethiopia and uses a wheelchair, but he has trouble getting around the rugged land at his family's home in Upper Ojai. He raised a 113-pound lamb  3 pounds over the minimum  and sold it for a whopping $75 a pound at the Ventura County Fair after bidders learned he would be using the money to buy a new wheelchair. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Demisu Evans, 11, relaxes with his siblings Sam, 14, Adeline, 12, and Sofia, 18, on the porch of their Upper Ojai home. Demisu is from Ethiopia and uses a wheelchair, but he has trouble getting around the rugged land at home. He raised a 113-pound lamb  3 pounds over the minimum  and sold it for a whopping $75 a pound at the Ventura County Fair after bidders learned he would be using the money to buy a new wheelchair. JUAN CARLO/THE STAR Sam Evans carries his brother Demisu to the corral where they keep the sheep. Demisu raised a 113-pound lamb and sold it for a whopping $75 a pound at the Ventura County Fair after bidders learned he would be using the money to buy a new wheelchair.

By Anne Kallas, Special to The Star

While most kids raise animals to be sold at the Ventura County Fair as a way to earn money for a college education, Demisu Evans, 11, of Ojai had a different goal this year: He wanted to buy a custom-made wheelchair.

Demisu, who is originally from Ethiopia, has been a member of the Evans family in Upper Ojai for about a year. He has triplegia, which means he has the use of only his right arm.

According to mother Elaine Evans, raising animals is important for her family of 10 children, four of whom were adopted from Ethiopia.

"These children come from rural settings," Evans said. "There are animals everywhere."

When she and her husband Steve moved from Montana to California two years ago, they chose the rural environment of Upper Ojai specifically so the kids could raise animals. They share their property with two cows, two chickens, a donkey, dogs and a couple of sheep that weren't used for 4-H projects.

But for Demisu, the rural homestead has been difficult to navigate in a conventional wheelchair because it is rocky and the ground is uneven. To get around, he has to either ride in a wagon or be carried.

So Evans found a wheelchair maker, Seanco Custom Wheelchairs in Tehachapi, where Sean Maheney makes special heavy-duty wheelchairs that provide mobility in otherwise inaccessible situations.

In Demisu's case, the wheelchair will be able to go over the tough terrain that leads to the animal pens where there are stick huts made in an Ethiopian style by Demisu and one of his brothers. The wheelchair will also be configured so Demisu can operate it with only one hand.

But wheelchairs are expensive  in this case, $6,000  and to raise the money he needed, Demisu raised a lamb that was sold at the Ventura County Fair.

According to Demisu's 14-year-old brother Sam, the bidding took off when people heard what Demisu planned to do with the money. Eventually, the 113-pound sheep sold for $75 a pound to the Wood-Claeyssens Foundation, which buys hundreds of animals at the fair each year to support students in agricultural endeavors.

Evans said that despite his physical limitations, Demisu still put in the time to raise the sheep on his own.

"He did a good job feeding and walking it," she said. "He would ride in the wagon and hold onto the lamb."

When it came time for the showmanship portion of the junior livestock competition, Demisu was helped out by his sister Felicity, 17, who pushed the wheelchair. Demisu set up the animal's front legs for display and answered questions.

"The judges said they could see the determination and how well Demisu related to his animal," Evans said. "The lamb was so calm."

Evans said six of her 10 children have gone through the 4-H program. They're members of the Citrus Valley 4-H Club, and this year they raised five sheep for the fair. Demisu had to earn the money for feed for his sheep, just as all 4-H members do.

Evans said the children in the family, who range in age from 7 to 21, have been doing 4-H projects since their oldest child was 9.

Evans said she had planned for a long time to adopt children from another country.

"There are a lot of situations where children can't get the medical care they need," she explained.

Demisu, who is shy around strangers, said he was excited to get his new chair, which will have a place to hang a bucket, another pocket for a water bottle and a place to put milk when the family goes shopping.

"It's exciting," he said, with an enormous grin.
ROB VARELA/THE STAR Bob Cuoto (second from left) sings as Ulysses Jasz performs for the Channel Cities Jazz Club at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Oxnard on Sunday.

SHARE Barbara Wallenhorst, of Simi Valley, and Len Cardoni, of Thousand Oaks, dance as the Ulysses Jasz Band performs for the Channel Cities Jazz Club at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Oxnard on Sunday. ROB VARELA/THE STAR Victor Sacco (right) looks on as his wife, Lynn, visits with legendary jazz radio broadcaster Chuck Cecil as the Ulysses Jasz Band performs for the Channel Cities Jazz Club at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Oxnard on Sunday. ROB VARELA/THE STAR Members of Ulysses Jasz, including Bob Couto (front) and Alex Marshall, perform for the Channel Cities Jazz Club at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Oxnard on Sunday. ROB VARELA/THE STAR Members of Ulysses Jasz, Alex Marshall (from left), Larry Jones, Bob Couto, Bob Efford and Dean Dods perform for the Channel Cities Jazz Club at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Oxnard on Sunday.

By Jeremy Foster, Special to The Star

Amid the feel-good tunes of Dixieland music, a dozen people sway along the dance floor at the Pacific Corinthian Yacht Club in Oxnard, whirling parasols, waving their arms and tapping their feet to the delight of more than 50 onlookers.

Ulysses Jasz, a Great Gatsby-style band, energizes the room full of jazz-swing enthusiasts who glide on and off the dance floor, catch up on small talk and chat about swing dance and jazz.

Welcome to the Channel Cities Jazz Club, which meets on the third Sunday of every month to express a love of all things swing, big band and jazz. The public is invited to the monthly dance, which features live music by guest jammers and house bands.

"This club goes back to 1983 at the Wagon Wheel restaurant, which proved to be too small for the crowd we drew," said Hank Johnson, club president. "We eventually chartered in 1991 because we wanted to expand our music from New Orleans-style jazz to include Chicago-style and swing."

The club's mission is simple: Keep the music and dance alive.

Johnson, 86, got his first taste of jazz music at age 13. He'd been given a ticket to attend an after-hours party in downtown Chicago that drew mostly jazz musicians.

"The star that session was Louis Armstrong," Johnson said. "He played continuously for five hours so musicians could join in. What struck me was that people weren't talking or yelling. They were listening. You could feel the love of the music."

Johnson has been a member of the club since the beginning and hopes to invigorate a new generation with the music.

"The kids are going back to swing, and so I think the only way they can get music, too, is through jazz," he said.

Most of the club's membership is made up of the 50-plus crowd, but part of the money the nonprofit raises goes toward sending high-school students to jazz camp in Sacramento.

"A lot of people don't know that jazz is original American music," said club Vice President Phil Seiflein. "A lot of dance moves from the '20s, '30s and '40s are the root of some modern hip-hop music. There's video of people doing the same moonwalk that was credited to Michael Jackson."

Seiflein fell in love with big band music, especially the works of Benny Goodman, Glenn Miller and Artie Shaw.

"I hope the music and dance grabs the younger generation like it did me," he said.

Sarah Byrd, 15, caught the jazz bug during her second semester at Rio Mesa High School. She joined the jam session on Sunday with her tromba.

A member of her high school's marching and concert bands, she said the jazz band and the music itself allows for spontaneity.

"You really get to mess around with the music in creative ways," she said.

"For me, it's nicer than simply reading off a page. You get to make it your own."

The club sent her to jazz camp, where she learned music theory and how to arrange and play jazz with professionals.

"I feel like jazz music would catch on more with my peers," she said. "I just don't think they know there are options to even learn."

Lynn and Victor Sacco have had a long love affair with jazz and partnered dance.

"I took swing lessons in the late 1980s and early '90s and then didn't dance for 10 years because I didn't have a dance partner," Lynn said.

But then she met Victor. They became dance partners and eventually married.

Both love jazz but are especially drawn to the Sunday events by the propulsive swing music of the live bands.

"With this kind of music and dance, you don't have to know the person you're dancing with because the moves are standard so you can get into the flow," Lynn said.

"It's just exhilarating. The adrenaline gets going from the music. It's infectious."

Lynn said she continues to learn about big band music popular from the mid-1930s to the early 1950s by listening to a weekly syndicated radio show called "Swingin' Years."

Chuck Cecil, a 93-year-old Venturan, hosts the show. He loves jazz and swing dance but isn't sure if the music will ever be popular again.

"This was a music I grew up with," he said. "Then again, I thought it was all over in 1988, but then it started to take off again. You never know when it will come back and catch hold with younger people."

Camarillo resident Bobbie Knapp, 78, joined the club three years ago.

In high school, she listened to Elvis and other early rock but eventually became a fan of swing and jazz  although the kind "with a more regular beat to dance to."

"We called swing dance the jitterbug," she said. "I love dancing and socializing, and the club is a great way to keep doing that."

Knapp was diagnosed with a spine curvature at 13 and said her love of swing has kept her youthful.

"I have a lot of energy for my age," she said. "It's from the joy of what we all do here."
PHOTO COURTESY CHANNEL ISLANDS MARITIME MUSEUM La Jenelle sinks off the Oxnard coastline in 1970.

SHARE RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Kate Crouse, curator and collections manager at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum in Oxnard, talks about the wreck of the La Jenelle, a passenger ship that ran aground in a storm off the Port of Hueneme in 1970. The wreckage was used to form the breakwater in the photo behind Crouse. Parts of the ship can still be seen jutting out from the breakwater. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR The remains of the passenger ship La Jenelle form part of a breakwater at the mouth of the Port of Hueneme. The ship ran aground in a storm April 13, 1970. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Craig Lewis (right) and his son, Seth Lewis Brogan, read a small plaque noting the existence of the La Jenelle, which ran aground at the mouth of the Port of Hueneme in 1970. The ship's hull was used to extend a breakwater at the port, and the area at the breakwater is now called La Jenelle Park. RICHARD QUINN/SPECIAL TO THE STAR Part of the hull of the passenger ship La Jenelle juts out from the breakwater it forms at the mouth of the Port of Hueneme. The ship ran aground off the port April 13, 1970.

By Doug Thompson, Special to The Star

Ocean waves break ceaselessly on the rusty metal remains of a 467-foot luxury liner that went aground off the southeast end of Silver Strand Beach in Oxnard.

Today, most people don't know it's there, but when the ship broke from its offshore moorings during a storm and scuttled on April 13, 1970, the wreck of the La Jenelle was a very big deal.

Old photos showing the ship lying inoperable on its side have a strong resemblance to those of the Costa Concordia, a 952-foot cruise ship that tipped over off the coast of Italy in January 2012 when the captain tried to cut through a narrow channel. For more than two years the Costa Concordia lay helpless until it was righted and towed away.

The La Jenelle also lay prone for more than two years, but it never floated again.

Professional marine salvage crews started officially dismantling the ship in 1972. But long before that, the adventurous, curious and criminal explored the off-kilter inside of the La Jenelle, removing bits of history out of ignorance, interest and greed. Once the superstructure and deck metal were cut away, the hull was filled with sand and the jetty was built around it.

Now, some items from the ship are on display at the Channel Islands Maritime Museum through Oct. 2. The exhibit tells the history of the ship that was launched from Bethlehem Shipbuilding Corp. in Quincy, Massachusetts, in 1930 and had four other names.

"That shipwreck created one of the best surf spots in California," said Jason Hodge, 41, a Ventura County firefighter and Port of Hueneme commissioner who grew up surfing the La Jenelle break. "It's a perfect little peak that will break in the summer because it catches a little bit of the south swell."

Referring to the surf spot and parking lot as "The Ship" or the "La Jenelle" identifies one as a local. Calling the break the south jetty of Silver Strand Beach brands one as a visitor.

"That shipwreck is an amazing piece of our history that is virtually unknown to the citizens here," Hodge said. "If more people knew about it they would come to see the exhibit and learn about the story. It's the largest luxury liner to sink off the West Coast. That is why I am passionate about it."

The ship was first launched as the Borinquen, and then renamed the Porto Rico (1949), Arosa Star (1954), S.S. Bahama Star (1959) and La Jenelle (1969).

Jason Hodge's father, Richard, had two distinct encounters with the ship. The first was at age 10 in 1957, when it was named the Bahama Star and took passengers from Miami to the Bahamas.

"We lived in Miami, and I went over to watch a Corvette race on one of the islands," said Richard Hodge, 69.

Now a resident of Barstow, the elder Hodge moved to Ventura County in the 1960s and was an Oxnard firefighter when the La Jenelle went aground.

"After it sunk, for awhile it was like open season. People would get on the ship and take anything they wanted. It was the weirdest thing to be in a ship on its side, and every open door is going downhill."

Richard Hodge adorned the family home he built in Oxnard in 1972 with La Jenelle artifacts. His son remembers them well.

"My dad used those parts as decorations, things like straps and lanterns, and he had a photo of a surfer going by the ship where it wrecked," Jason Hodge said. "That got me interested in it."

Jason Hodge has helped maintain a small exhibit at the Beachcomber Tavern on Silver Strand's Ocean Drive and worked with Maritime Museum Executive Director Julia Chambers and curator Kate Crouse for the past few years to get the exhibit up and running. Alas, at the July 14 exhibit opening, Hodge was fighting a fire near Lake Sherwood and could not attend.

One person who did attend was Neil Richardson, who crossed the Atlantic Ocean from England to Canada with his parents in November 1956, when the ship was named the Arosa Star.

"I was only 1, and the trip was apparently really rough," said Richardson, 61, of Santa Barbara. "The only people who didn't get sick were me and an old German guy. I have a picture of me on the ship, and another of a wave breaking across the bow."

IF YOU GO

What: La Jenelle: Recovered Relics from a Local Legend

When: Through Oct. 2.

Where: Channel Islands Maritime Museum, 3900 Bluefin Circle, Channel Islands Harbor, Oxnard.

Hours: 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.

Admission: $5 adults, $4 for seniors 62 and older; $2 for children 6 to 17; free for children younger than 6.

Information: 984-6260; www.cimmvc.org.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/SIMI VALLEY POLICE DEPARTMENT

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By Mike Harris of the Ventura County Star

Five years after it was envisioned, construction has yet to begin on a Simi Valley Police Department shooting range just outside the city on unincorporated land owned by Waste Management.

Though the range received its conditional use permit from Ventura County two years ago, since then, it has been redesigned twice, resulting in a number of delays.

Simi Valley Economic Development Director Brian Gabler said this week that some of the delays were due to unnecessary county requirements.

Dan Klemann, a county planning manager, disagreed, saying the range was processed in compliance with the law and no differently from any other project. He said a portion of the lag was caused by the city.

Gabler said construction may finally get underway early next year. The county approved the project's revised application in January, he said.

"It's been one thing after another," he told the City Council at its annual retreat last week at the Best Western Posada Royale Hotel in Simi Valley. "It's been a challenging project. This is not how you do it.

"Every jurisdiction has a different way of processing development applications," he elaborated in an interview. "The experience that we've had (with the county) would be different from how Simi Valley would process it."

The redesigns "led to a series of requirements and documentation that created delays," he said.

Among the "project challenges" listed in a slide presentation by Gabler at the retreat was "county planning."

Klemann said the county processes applications in compliance with the California Environmental Quality Act, the county general plan and the county zoning ordinance.

And thus the requirements and documentation the county requested of the city after the redesigns were mandated by state and county law, he said.

"It's the same thing we would ask of anybody  a private applicant or in this case, the city," he said. "What we were requesting was the information we needed to evaluate their project."

CUTTING OVERTIME

Simi Valley police say the range is needed to spare officers a 50-mile round-trip for firearms training at the Angeles Ranges in Los Angeles County and cut down on the resulting overtime. The new range could save the department as much as $80,000 in overtime pay annually, Police Chief Mitch McCann has said.

The range will cost roughly $1.5 million to $1.7 million to build, Gabler said.

Waste Management will contribute $75,000 for the construction as part of a lucrative benefits package it gave Simi Valley in return for the city's 2011 support of the expansion of the company's neighboring landfill. The rest of the building costs will be paid out of the city's general fund, Gabler said.

REDESIGNS, DELAYS

In August 2014, the county approved a conditional use permit for the range. The following January, architect WMM Associates, which the city had awarded a $157,800 design contract, met with county planning staff about possible changes to the project, including a maintenance room and an observation building, Gabler said.

In June 2015, the county told the architect that the maintenance room and observation building would need bathrooms, he said.

The city disagreed with the bathrooms requirement and in September abandoned the plans for the maintenance room and the observation building, Gabler said.

"If it was built in the city's jurisdiction, we would not have required bathrooms," he said. "There was already a portable bathroom planned for the site."

Klemann said the bathrooms requirement was based on the state's building code.

Also in September, the city narrowed the project's site by about 10 feet because of an unstable slope, Gabler said.

"Ideally, that would have been discovered earlier in the process," he said.

In mid-November, the city filed a revised project application with the county requesting a number of changes, including increasing the graded area by 9,300 square feet and creating a concrete access road, Gabler said.

"These were to save costs and create efficiencies at the site," he said.

Klemann said it took the city about five months to file the revised application. He said the county approved it roughly 60 days later on Jan. 14.

"And that was done even taking into account the holidays," he said.

"I empathize with their frustration, but this was not a county-caused failure in the system," he said. "This was whatever was going on over there (Simi Valley City Hall) for them to get their act together and get their application into us and enable us to process it."

In approving the city's revised application in January, the county required updated surveys for endangered or potentially endangered species such as the spadefoot toad and American badger, Gabler said. The city is awaiting the county's approval of the surveys, which were turned in July 18.

"It's our contention that those studies were not necessary," Gabler said.

Klemann said the studies are required by state and federal fish and wildlife agencies.

Other project challenges include insufficient electrical service, a less-than-high level of water service and no cellphone or Internet service, according to Gabler's slide presentation.

'KNOCK ON WOOD'

McCann said he doesn't want to get his hopes up too high that construction could at last begin early next year.

"I guess I'm happy that we seem to be on the home stretch, but it has been a long process and I'm at the point where I'll knock on wood and believe it when I see it," he said in an interview at the council's retreat.

"This is obviously going to save us many hours of overtime each month  not to mention fuel and other costs  so for us, we're really excited and just want to see it finally come to fruition," he said.
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Bernie Sanders never understood the epic quality of the Clinton scandals. In his first debate, he famously dismissed the email issue, it being beneath the dignity of a great revolutionary to deal in things so tawdry and straightforward.

Sanders failed to understand that Clinton scandals are sprawling, multilayered, complex things. They defy time and space. They grow and burrow.

The central problem with Hillary Clinton's emails was not the classified material. It wasn't the headline-making charge by the FBI director of her extreme carelessness in handling it.

That's a serious offense, to be sure, and could very well have been grounds for indictment. And it did damage her politically, exposing her sense of above-the-law entitlement and  in her dodges and prevarications, her parsing and evasions  demonstrating her arm's-length relationship with the truth.

But it was always something of a sideshow. The real question wasn't classification but: Why did she have a private server in the first place? She obviously lied about the purpose. It wasn't convenience. It was concealment. What exactly was she hiding?

Was this merely the prudent paranoia of someone who habitually walks the line of legality? After all, if she controls the server, she controls the evidence, and can destroy it  as she did 30,000 emails  at will.

But destroy what? Remember: She set up the system before even taking office. It's clear what she wanted to protect from scrutiny: Clinton Foundation business.

The foundation is a massive family enterprise disguised as a charity, an opaque and elaborate mechanism for sucking money from the rich and the tyrannous to be channeled to Clinton Inc. Its purpose is to maintain the Clintons' lifestyle (offices, travel, accommodations, etc.), secure profitable connections, produce favorable publicity and reliably employ a vast entourage of retainers, ready to serve today and at the coming Clinton Restoration.

Now we learn how the whole machine operated. Two weeks ago, emails began dribbling out showing foundation officials contacting State Department counterparts to ask favors for foundation "friends." Say, a meeting with the State Department's "substance person" on Lebanon for one particularly generous Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire.

Big deal, said the Clinton defenders. Low-level stuff. No involvement of the secretary herself. Until  drip, drip  the next batch revealed foundation requests for face time with the secretary herself. Such as one from the crown prince of Bahrain.

To be sure, Bahrain, home of the Fifth Fleet, is an important Persian Gulf ally. Its crown prince shouldn't have to go through a foundation  to which his government donated at least $50,000  to get to the secretary. The fact that he did is telling.

Now, a further drip: The Associated Press found that over half the private interests who were granted phone or personal contact with Secretary Clinton  85 of 154  were donors to the foundation. Total contributions? As much as $156 million.

Current Clinton response? There was no quid pro quo.

What a long way we've come. This is the very last line of defense. Yes, it's obvious that access and influence were sold. But no one has demonstrated definitively that the donors received something tangible of value  a pipeline, a permit, a waiver, a favorable regulatory ruling  in exchange.

It's hard to believe the Clinton folks would be stupid enough to commit something so blatant to writing. Nonetheless, there might be an email allusion to some such conversation. With thousands more emails to come, who knows what lies beneath.

On the face of it, it's rather odd that a visible quid pro quo is the bright line for malfeasance. Anything short of that  the country is awash with political money that buys access  is deemed acceptable. As Donald Trump says of his own donation-giving days, "when I need something from them ... I call them, they are there for me." This is considered routine and unremarkable.

It's not until a Rolex shows up on your wrist that you get indicted. Or you are found to have dangled a Senate appointment for cash. Then, like Rod Blagojevich, you go to jail. (He got 14 years.)

Yet we are hardly bothered by the routine practice of presidents rewarding big donors with cushy ambassadorships, appointments to portentous boards or invitations to state dinners.

The bright line seems to be outright bribery. Anything short of that is considered  not just for the Clintons, for everyone  acceptable corruption.

It's a sorry standard. And right now it is Hillary Clinton's saving grace.

Charles Krauthammer's email address is letters@charleskrauthammer.com. He writes for The Washington Post Writers Group.
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The California Supreme Court missed an opportunity when it refused to hold a hearing on the lawsuit challenging the state's teacher tenure law.

In a 4-3 decision, the court decided not to review an appellate court ruling that upheld tenure and other related job protections for teachers. That appellate decision had reversed a trial court ruling where a judge had said the system protected incompetent teachers and the resulting harm to students "shocks the conscience."

This is an issue that continues to divide our view of education in this state.

On the one side you have teachers who say that the current system of tenure and other job protections helps attract talented people, gives them protection from arbitrary dismissal and preserves academic freedom. This is championed by teacher unions, which provide the money and campaign volunteers for many Democratic candidates in our state.

The other side are those who have pushed to abolish the current system, led by groups like Students First, who advocate greater accountability in the classroom and have long driven the charter school movement as an alternative to the public school structure. There are several big-money individuals, including several Silicon Valley entrepreneurs and Los Angeles area philanthropists, who support this movement.

The Supreme Court had the opportunity in this case, usually referred to as the Vegara case after the lead plaintiff, to create a forum to examine these issues for the benefit of all California.

If the court had taken the case, it would have held the hearing where both sides would make their cases, which would allow us all to more clearly hear the divergent views. Then the court would be in a position to issue a ruling that, at a minimum, would have given firm grounding to the status of teacher tenure in this state.

We agree with Associate Justice Goodwin Liu, who voted to hear the case, and said, "As the state's highest court, we owe the plaintiffs in this case, as well as schoolchildren throughout California, our transparent and reasoned judgment" on the issues brought in Vegara.

Without that, the battle simply continues because the issue frankly is not resolved. And be clear that the battle, on both sides, is over the status and rights of teachers. That energy is not spent on bettering education for our children and that is where we want to see our focus.
Authorities did not release the name of the person killed or the deputy, who has been placed on leave while the DOJ investigates the shooting.


Tropicana headliners Murray SawChuck and wife Chloe Louise Crawford just shot a bunch of new illusions for CWs Masters of Illusion which will be airing worldwide in 2014 (Pictured: Murray and Chloe on the set of Masters of Illusion).

CW has revived the Masters of Illusion series which previously ran for three seasons, most recently on MyNetworkTV. In addition to Murray and Chloe, CWs new 13-episode series will feature other top magicians including Jan Rouven, Rick Thomas, Farrell Dillon, Drexus, Zelandra and Titou.

Be sure to watch as Murray and Chloe make a brand new JEEP appear, get cut in half and a one of Murrays newest tricks youll have to wait to see!

Murray stated, Its just so great to be performing with so many of my good friends and colleagues on this TV Special coming from Vancouver, Canada and finally in Hollywood shooting my 27th Guest Starring role on TV with my wife Chloe is just a dream come true!
General view of the damaged central Italian village of Amatrice, a day after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the region. (AFP/Filippo Monteforte)

Chefs around the world are being urged to follow suit after the Slow Food movement threw its weight behind the idea.

Amatrice was one of several mountain villages devastated by Wednesday's powerful quake and it will be some time before the hilltop beauty spot is once again serving up its signature dish to the gastronomic pilgrims who flock there in their thousands every summer.

In the meantime, amatriciana, one of the staples of the cuisine of Rome and much of central Italy, is going to be much more widely available thanks to Paolo Campana, a graphic artist from the Italian capital.

Under an initiative he launched on Facebook, restaurants are being encouraged to put amatriciana on their menus and to donate two euros from every dish sold to the relief fund for the quake victims.

The idea has taken off spectacularly with over 700 restaurants having contacted him by Thursday lunchtime to say they wanted to participate, he told AFP.

"I'm very attached to Amatrice," he said. "On New Year's eve last year I had dinner in the Hotel Roma which makes the best amatriciana in the village. Today there is nothing of it left."

The hotel Campana was referring to collapsed in Wednesday's quake, just days before it was due to be at the centre of an annual festival dedicated to a sauce first created by shepherds in the rugged mountains that surround the village.

"At the start it was just a rough idea I put up on Facebook. But it has taken off and I've made a little poster that restaurants can put up in their windows to show they are participating in the initiative.

CULINARY CONFUSION

"I've got requests from all over Italy, from Puglia to Tuscany, and also from abroad. I have been asked to translate the sign into several languages to export the scheme. Even restaurateurs who have never cooked amatriciana before are going to have a go."

Carlo Petrini, president of the Slow Food movement, urged restaurants around the world to put the dish on their menus for at least a year.

"We hope in this way to keep the public's attention for longer - we have to look beyond the immediate emergency and start working from today to rebuild," he said.

Amatriciana is one of those dishes that Italians love to argue about.

Although it is always essentially a combination of pork cheek (guanciale), onions, tomatoes and pecorino cheese spiced with a bit of chilli, recipes vary significantly, particularly as the dish has been exported around the world.

Some people use sweet-cured pancetta (pork belly) instead of guanciale, others, including the celebrated River Cafe restaurant in London, throw in a bit of rosemary.

Spaghetti is the most frequently used pasta but in Rome, where the restaurant trade is full of natives of the Amatrice region, they favour bucatini, a slightly thicker noodle with a hole in the middle.

There is also debate over whether to use red or white wine to deglaze the pan after frying the cured pork and onions to the (also much discussed) correct degree of caramelised crispness.

Against this backdrop of culinary confusion, the local council in Amatrice issued a decree a few years ago spelling out exactly how to make an authentic amatriciana.

Spaghetti gets the nod as the pasta of choice, no more than a splash of white wine is allowed and if you use anything other than fatty guanciale you must give your sauce another name.

"Only with guanciale will the dish be incomparably delicate and sweet," the council warns on its website.

San Marzano tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced, are de rigeur.

A tiny piece of fiery dried chilli is all that is required for a subtle heat and the grated pecorino must only be added at the end, to the cooked spaghetti just before the sauce.
Nha Trang, the capital of the south-central province of Khanh Hoa, is a coastal city famous for its beaches and historical sites.

The citys steady stream of local and international tourists has transformed it into one of Vietnams most popular tourist destinations, presenting the administration with a mix of new rewards and steep challenges.

On August 23, Nguyen Sy Khanh, vice-chairman of the Peoples Committee of Nha Trang, stated that the code of conduct aims to transform the city into a civilized tourist city.

One of the key points in the code of conduct urges visitors to avoid giving false information, a clause attempting to quell rampant disinformation from Chinese tour guides who allegedly distort the history of Nha Trang and its historical sites.

We are installing information bulletins in multiple languages at tourist attractions in order to give visitors a more comprehensive understanding of each site.

"Additionally, we plan to have tour guides at tourist attractions to explain the history and culture of those attractions without distortion, Dinh Van Cuong, director of the Office of Information and Culture of Nha Trang, said.

The code of conduct also extends to social media platforms, such as Facebook and Twitter, though Khanh admitted that enforcement of the set of principles on social media will be a challenge for authorities.

Were mainly just encouraging and promoting good behavior, but we will punish those who violate the code of conduct in accordance with the severity of their violation. These are not empty words, Khanh said.

Before Nha Trang released its code of conduct, several other cities, including Danang, had published similar documents.

Its difficult to enforce sanctions for violations of the code of conduct, as many violations included are not infringements of state law.

"However, we still caution tourists so that we can create a more civilized tourist environment, limit violations, and raise tourist awareness.

"Violations in public will be fined, depending on each case, said Tran Chi Cuong, vice-director of the Danang Department of Tourism, the agency tasked with creating Danangs code of conduct.



The code of conduct needs to be suitable to each local area and possible to implement," said Le Huu Minh, vice-director of Thua Thien-Hue Department of Tourism.

"There should not only be prohibitions, but also solutions to ensure that tourists follow the code of conduct without feeling uncomfortable.

"For example, if you require visitors to wear formal clothing at sacred places, then you should have that kind of clothing available for free at the tourist attraction."
PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc (4th from L) and the U.S. business delegation, Ha Noi, August 25, 2016 - Photo: VGP/Quang Hieu

PM Phuc made the point while receiving a delegation led by President and CEO of the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) Alexander C Feldman in Ha Noi on August 25.

PM Phuc underscored that Viet Nam and the U.S. have made gigantic progress in the bilateral ties over the last decade, especially in investment and trade.

Viet Nam appreciated US businesses assistance and cooperation with their Vietnamese peers, particularly the help given through the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), said PM Phuc.

He hoped that the US-ABC would continue to support the Vietnamese business community to improve operation and edge competitiveness; offer consultations and recommendations for the Vietnamese Government.

The host leader stressed that the Government completed a dossier for TPP ratification and the National Assembly is set to consider approving this trade agreement in October 2016.

On behalf of the US-ABC, Mr. Alexander C Feldman said his delegation to Viet Nam consists of representatives of 37 leading businesses in the US, which proves US firms interest in partnerships and investment opportunities in the Southeast Asian nation.

The US enterprises hope to contribute to the local economic development and will ensure their social responsibility while operating here, the guest leader said.

According to Mr. Alexander C Feldman, TPP is a milestone in promoting the countries trade and investment relationship, both their Governments and businesses strongly support the expansion of economic, trade and investment relations. The U.S. companies hope that Viet Nam would soon ratify this deal.

At the meeting, many other US entrepreneurs spoke highly of the better local investment environment. They also pledged to do long-term business in Viet Nam.
Customers doing transaction at a branch of VPBank. The police is investigating allegedly money missing from the bank's account.- Photo vpbank.vn

According to an official letter of the People's Committee of HCM City sent to the bank and the city police, it has also proposed that the bank's branch support the city police in investigating this case, while the committee and the bank would co-operate in removing any difficulties during the investigation.

The Division of Economic Crimes and Management Positions Investigation (PC46) of HCM City police has been investigating the case.

Meanwhile, the Viet Nam Prosperity Joint Stock Commercial Bank (VPBank) said on its website on August 24 that it would co-operate with the police to clarify the case surrounding a customer's complaint of the loss.

Earlier, Tran Thi Thanh Xuan, who is the VPBank customer and also legal representative of Quang Huan Company, said that a fake seal and signature of Quang Huan Company's account holder were created by the company's accountant, Pham Van Trinh, and some other persons to withdraw money from the company's account at VP Bank, according to VPBank deputy general director Nguyen Thanh Long.

Xuan opened the company's account at VPBank in March 2015 for trading activities, and the account had VND26 billion.

However, in July 2015, when Xuan came to the bank to withdraw some money she found that the money had disappeared and the account had only a few hundred thousand Vietnamese dong.

After the bank inspected its statements, it found that a staff member of VPBank, Xuan's husband and an accountant of Quang Huan Company had withdrawn and transferred the money through a cheque from Quang Huan Company's account to the company of the accountant's wife.

Xuan also said all transactions were not reported by the bank's SMS to her phone though she had registered services on reporting changes of account at the bank by SMS.

Therefore, in September 2015, Xuan had sent a letter to the HCM City's police about her case.

According to VPBank, the bank received Xuan's letter on October 19, 2015.

The bank had inspected the profile of the account and worked-related individuals but they rejected Xuan's accusation, while she did not co-operate with the bank to solve this case, and instead sent her complaint to the police.

Therefore, according to the bank, the police needed to investigate the case and clear any doubts about use of the account holder's signature and Quang Huan Company's seal, which led to the loss.
The concert will also be broadcast live on television on channel VTV3.

This years programme will feature the participation of popular artists, such as Dang Duong, Tung Duong, Hong Vy, Le Anh Dung and Thanh Le, conductor Le Phi Phi, and artists from the Vietnam Symphony Orchestra.

Following the national anthem will feature famous instrumental music works, by a number of Vietnamese composers.

In addition to the National Symphony Orchestra, the show has also drawn the participation of famous instrumentalists.

The show will continue introducing classic musical works by Vietnamese composers, in an effort to popularize Vietnamese music, and to honor Vietnamese music and Vietnamese talents.

The artists will bring audiences choruses, arias and ballads from the countrys revolutionary period, and extracts from symphonies of well-known Vietnamese composers.

Folk songs adapted to symphony orchestra and newly-released compositions will also be introduced at the event.

The concert has been held annually on September 2, Vietnams National Day, since 2009 to promote the spirit of national pride and the love for country and people.

The event also aims to pay tribute to the previous generations, who devoted their youth and lives to the cause of national salvation.
Vien Dong Securities JSC is registered in HCM City with a charter capital of VND135 billion in 2008. The firm had been facing losses since 2010. - Photo thiennamanh.com

Based in HCM City, VDSE was registered with a charter capital of VND135 billion (US$6 million) in 2008. The firm had been facing losses since 2010. In 2012, it closed its branch in Ha Noi due to losses. At the same time, it shut down some businesses at the head office.

On January 12 this year, the SSC chairman issued Decision No 17/QD-SSC that suspended work at VDSE for six months as the firm's financial status failed to meet the financial safety condition for operations.

But VDSE could not rectify its financial problems even after the deadline expired.

The SSC had fined the firm VND60 million last August for failing to submit its financial report on time.
Vietnamese and Austrian enterprises attended a business-to-business platform in Austria on Tuesday to seek partners in the fields of clean energy, banking, telecommunications and garments, as well as food.-VNA/VNS Photo Bich yen

Representative of the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry (VCCI), Nguyen Hoang Thang, described this event as a good opportunity for Vietnamese enterprises to get up tot date information about the European Union market and then draw up business strategies to access the market more effectively.

Participants at the event said Austria would be a good gateway for Vietnamese businesses to penetrate the lucrative European Union market. Meanwhile, Viet Nam will help Austrian firms to enter potential markets in Southeast Asia.

In his speech, Georg Brunauer, CEO of Novapecc Co, which specialises in hi-tech industries, said his company planned to enter the Vietnamese market as soon as possible.

Currently, Austria ranks seventh among the 10 largest importers in the European Union of Vietnamese goods such as footwear, smart phones, electronics and garments, with a turnover of US$2.2 billion in 2015.

Viet Nam, meanwhile, is the largest trade partner of Austria in Southeast Asia. Austria's total turnover from exports, including machinery, electronics, steel products and medicines, to Viet Nam hit $412 million in 2015.

The business exchange in Austria was organised as part of a Vietnamese business delegation's trip led by the VCCI to the European Union from August 18 to 28.


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The day after a massive explosion leveled a Fitchburg house, critically injuring the owner and scattering debris and rubble for half a mile, some nearby residents began returning to their homes Friday, while other dwellings remained uninhabitable.

Representatives from local, state and federal agencies were continuing to investigate the cause of Thursdays explosion. Fitchburg police Lt. Todd Stetzer said the cause would not be known until at least Monday because investigators need to get more information from the owner of the home destroyed in the blast.

Brian Grittner, 57, remained in critical condition Friday at UW Hospital, his mother, Neldine Nichols, said. The retired state IT employee suffered cuts, burns and broken bones, Nichols said.

Grittners house, at 5573 Cheryl Drive near South Fish Hatchery Road, was the center of the explosion but it had not been determined if the blast occurred inside or outside, Fitchburg Fire Chief Joe Pulvermacher said. At the very least, that house and an adjacent house and duplex would likely have to be bulldozed, he said.

Families from eight residences, not including Grittners, were not allowed to spend Friday night in their homes because of safety concerns, Fitchburg Fire Department spokeswoman Meredith Shelton said.

Six buildings remain uninhabitable, including two duplexes, Shelton said, though residents of one of the duplexes and one of the homes were allowed access to retrieve belongings.

Pulvermacher told reporters Friday afternoon that nothing had been ruled out as the cause of the blast. He said investigators were following up on reports of work being done in the vicinity of the explosion.

Fitchburg house explosion: Neighbor found victim in house debris Mike St. John found his neighbor, Brian Grittner, seated in a pond of pink insulation in what remained of his Fitchburg home. Two explosions had just leveled the building, leaving Grittner, prone and incoherent, but alive.

Were trying to determine what caused this and how we can prevent this from happening in the future, Pulvermacher said.

The investigation had found no evidence of a leak or explosion in the underground gas distribution system, said Steve Schultz, a spokesman for Madison Gas & Electric. That would rule out an underground gas main rupture, but not necessarily a gas leak inside the destroyed house.

MGE did not receive calls for a gas leak prior to the explosion, and the companys first responders were on the scene within 10 minutes to shut off gas to the residence, Schultz said.

We completed a thorough survey of the area to ensure the safety of the surrounding neighborhood, he said. We are actively participating with the ongoing investigation.

Grittner told his mother the last thing he remembered before waking up in an ambulance was opening up the refrigerator.

Its astonishing that he looks as good as he does, Nichols said.

Nichols said her son loves video games and computers and had been saving up to buy a Tesla electric car. He also had been thinking of moving into a smaller house, she said.

Grittner is married with a step-daughter, though his wife wasnt living in the house at the time of the explosion, Nichols said.

The ranch-style house was built in 1969 and assessed at $236,800, according to Dane County property records. It was purchased in 2011.

The American Red Cross assisted four families Thursday night who stayed with friends and relatives because their homes were close to the site of the explosion, spokeswoman Barbara Behling said.

Emergency workers helped rescue two cats and a dog from neighboring homes, which brought some relief to their owners, Behling said.

Debris was scattered for more than half a mile around the house. A box spring mattress was seen in the middle of Fish Hatchery Road, the busy arterial which was closed from McKee to Lacy roads overnight Thursday, opened to one lane of traffic in both directions Friday morning and fully reopened around 5 p.m.

Its truly remarkable that others werent hurt, Behling said. As we looked at the faces of the people who were getting past the initial police barricades there. They had a look of shock on their faces and some relief if it wasnt their home.

The Salvation Army of Dane County also provided assistance Thursday night to affected residents and emergency responders, handing out snacks and cups of water, Gatorade and coffee.

Ted Bendler, a relief worker for the agency, described pieces of wood, drywall, insulation and the remnants of a garage door littered across several yards.

Bendler said one neighbor living across the street from the destroyed home had a plate-glass window blown in by the blast. On a typical evening the neighbor would be sitting in a recliner looking out the window.

It was literally a miracle he wasnt home at that moment, Bendler said.

The Fitchburg police and fire departments are being assisted in the investigation by the State Fire Marshal, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Dane County Sheriffs Office.

Investigators ask that anyone who would like to report damage from the explosion, including debris, or has information concerning the incident, to contact the Fitchburg police at 270-4300. Anyone who would like to request access to a nearby property or to request shelter assistance can also contact police.

State Journal reporter Shelley K. Mesch contributed to this report.
Cambodia has reportedly said it is going to request a paragraph mentioning the conflict over the South China Sea be struck from a statement that will be released after the regional grouping meets next month.

The Asean summit will be held in Vientiane, Laos, in September.

On Wednesday, the Cambodia Daily quoted ruling party spokesman Cheam Yeap as saying that the government will ask the Asean Inter-parliamentary Assembly to strike a paragraph referring to the conflict from a statement the organization plans to issue at the end of a September meeting in Vientiane.

Government spokesman Phay Siphan said Cambodia wanted to keep Asean out of the dispute as it views the conflict as between China and individual Asean members, not the body as a whole.

So of course, Cambodia's position is to keep the relationship between Asean members as well as Asean and China, because the dispute is not with Asean. We keep the benefits of Asean separately and [will] not let [Asean] become the enemy of neighboring countries, he said.

We let all the countries that have conflicts with China deal with this issue by themselves. So we dont want to bring in the fire to our Asean families, he added.

Ou Virak, founder of the Future Forum think tank, said that Cambodia will be accused of being under the influence of China, which could have long-term effects.

Im concerned for the long run, because the accusation means Cambodia has lost support from countries other than China, especially when [the conflict] involves a country like Vietnam, which is our neighbor and [a country] which had influence on Cambodia in the past. So Im concerned, he said.

Siphan was quick to argue that other Asean countries share a similar position on the South China Sea, referencing a statement issued in August by the Asean foreign ministers, which also took out references to the conflict.

China is Cambodia's biggest donor and source of loans, with an estimated $15 billion in aid and loans distributed to Cambodia over the past 20 years.
In this archived edition of the program, Linda Pappas Funsch discusses her book Oman Reborn: Balancing Tradition and Modernization. She tells host Carol Castiel that the Sultanate of Oman is a truly good news story in a region wracked by instability. Friend to all and enemy to none, Oman possesses a unique blend of tradition and modernization that has enabled it to succeed where others in the region have failed. Its seafaring history has exposed the Sultanate to remote lands such as Zanzibar which has contributed to Omans openness toward other societies and cultures.
With only two and a-half months before the presidential election, Democratic and Republican candidates are appealing to minorities for support. Donald Trump is addressing African Americans in an effort to turn them against rival Hillary Clinton, who enjoys most of their support. Trump also has softened his stance on undocumented Hispanic immigrants, now saying they would not all be deported. Zlatica Hoke reports.
A retired Argentine general has received another life sentence for killings, kidnappings and torture committed during the country's crackdown on leftists decades ago.



Eighty-nine-year-old Luciano Benjamin Menendez is already serving several other life sentences for human rights violations.



Thursday's verdict is for 282 disappearances, 52 homicides, 260 kidnappings and multiple cases of torture at a clandestine military base in the central Argentine city of Cordoba



The repression of suspected leftists began under elected President Maria Estela Martinez de Peron and continued during the 1976-1983 military dictatorship.



Former Army Capts. Hector Pedro Vergez and Ernesto Barreiro also were sentenced to life imprisonment. They directly oversaw the La Perla-La Ribera torture center. It's believed to be the largest such center outside the capital.
Warring sides in Afghanistan have made conflicting claims about an overnight airstrike in the troubled southern Helmand province in which at least 24 people died.

Provincial Governor Hayatullah Hayat told VOA Friday that Afghan army warplanes struck a Taliban base in the Nad Ali district, destroying the facility and killing "24 enemies," including their regional commander, and wounding four others.

A spokesman for the Afghan Defense Ministry in Kabul, Dawlat Waziri, has also confirmed those details, adding that another overnight strike in the same area destroyed an enemy-run bomb-making factory.

But the Taliban has alleged the attack in Nad Ali was carried out by an American aircraft and it targeted a prison facility.

"The attack killed 22 [personnel] of Afghan army and police captured during recent fighting and were being held at the prison," a statement quoted a Taliban spokesman as claiming. He added that three other captive Afghan forces were wounded and confirmed the killing of three Taliban fighters who were guarding the facility.

Area residents have also supported the Taliban accounts, saying both prisoners and Taliban insurgents were among those killed.

But the provincial governor rejected those claims while speaking to VOA, saying the facility was an active Taliban base and held no prisoners.

US weighs in

A U.S. military representative in Kabul confirmed to VOA that, on Thursday, "U.S. forces conducted two airstrikes in Nad 'Ali district, Helmand province.  We are aware of Taliban claims of Afghan casualties, but after a review of all the intelligence related to these strikes, from before, during and after the strike, we are confident that there were no civilian casualties or captives."

It is difficult to independently ascertain claims by either side because fighting in several districts of Helmand has suspended traffic on key roads leading in and out of the province.

The airstrike took place in an area close to the provincial capital of Lashkar Gah, where some 700 American military personnel are deployed to help train and assist Afghan security forces better organize defense and counter-offensive plans.

On Tuesday, a roadside bomb near the city killed a U.S. solider and wounded another along with six Afghan partners.

The American soldiers were on a mission to help Afghan partners clear out some of the Taliban strongholds to enable conventional forces to move in, U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland explained.

Lashkar Gah called secure

Speaking to Pentagon reporters through a video conference Thursday, Cleveland again dismissed reports that the provincial capital was besieged or was on the verge of falling to the insurgents.

"We believe the city of Lashkar Gah is secure right now and we know that there is commerce ongoing, we see people coming and going," Cleveland said.

He added that "outside of Lashkar Gah  there may be some Taliban activity. The Taliban does have the ability to temporarily block this road or that road.  The final piece that were seeing is that they have laid out an awful lot" of improvised explosive devices.

He referred queries about casualties among Afghan forces to the Kabul government, which he suggested keeps statistics. What we do know is that the pace of the casualties for the Afghans this year has been higher, he noted.

Medical treatment disrupted?

The international charity Doctors Without Borders / Medecins Sans Frontieres, commonly known by its French acronym MSF, said Friday the intensified conflict in the districts surrounding Lashkar Gah has prevented people from reaching the citys Boost hospital, a 300-bed facility that MSF runs in partnership with the Afghan Public Health Ministry.

A statement released Friday quoted MSFs Dr. Erlend Gronningen as saying his team is frustrated at the significant drop in admissions at the hospital normally overwhelmed with patients.

"The beds in our pediatric ward and intensive therapeutic feeding center are almost always full of noisy children and young patients, often two to a bed, getting treatment for malnutrition or other life-threatening conditions. Those wards were eerily quiet, and many of the beds were empty. Empty beds are the face of war," Gronningen said while describing the situation.

Helmand, which borders Pakistan, is the largest of all 34 Afghan provinces and a major poppy-producing region. Massive income from the illegal crop also funds the insurgency.

According to the United Nations, the Afghan war has already caused more civilian casualties in the first half of this year compared to the record numbers in 2015.

Intense fighting has also been taking place in northern and northeastern Afghan provinces of Baghlan, Takhar and Kunduz, where residents have lately faced critical shortages of power, water and essential commodities.
In its assault against the Islamic State group this week, Turkey empowered an Arab rebel force that originally was formed to fight the Syrian regime, mainly in the city of Aleppo.

The offensive against the IS-controlled town of Jarablus included at least 10 rebel factions that have been involved in different battles against President Bashar al-Assads forces since the war in Syria broke out in 2012.

The factions are loosely known as the Free Syrian Army (FSA), which began as a secular force mainly composed of soldiers who had defected from the Syrian military.

These are a combination of Sunni Arab and Turkmen groups that have been entirely supported by Turkey, said Mustafa Abdi, a Syrian media activist who closely followed the Jarablus offensive.

The 1,500 rebels in the assaults included those from the al-Sham Legion, Levant Front, Nureddine al-Zanki Battalions, Jaish al-Tahrir and Ahrar al-Sham  Islamist groups that have fought under the umbrella FSA.

Competing forces

The battle against IS in northern Syria involves a complex array of competing forces, some of which have U.S. support.

The operation to liberate Jarablus from IS fighters came less than two weeks after the U.S.-backed and Kurdish-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces liberated the town of Manbij, another IS stronghold in the vicinity.

The Kurdish rebels have been a source of tension between the U.S., which views them as a key ally in the war in Syria, and Turkey, which sees them as terrorists allied with separatist Turkish Kurdish factions inside Turkey.

Fearing a Syrian Kurdish-led offensive on Jarablus, Turkey mobilized the rebels.

Sources told VOA that the operation was put together in less than 12 days and that rebels were taking instructions from the Turkish military. Turkish tanks led the way and were backed by U.S. bombers.

Kurdish forces retreated from the area, reportedly at the urging of U.S. officials. By Thursday, Kurdish forces had moved to their bases east of the Euphrates River, leaving Turkish forces and rebels to control the area around Jarablus.

These Turkey-backed groups were deployed to the battle to push out IS and stop Kurdish advances at the same time, said Rami Abdulrahman, head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, an anti-Assad group.

IS fighters gone

Most IS fighters had fled south to IS strongholds even before the Turkish operation reached the town.

There were small-scale confrontations between Syrian rebels and IS fighters, with IS knowing that Turkey was there to win, Abdulrahman said.

Turkish news reports said 46 IS fighters and two FSA fighters were killed.

The Turkish-backed FSA fighters are expected to move farther south into IS territory. They have announced plans to take control of the IS-held town of al-Bab.

They have the capability to go after IS in the area, Abdulrahman said, adding that they were fully trained by the Turks.

Rebel fighters reportedly were engaged in low-key clashes with Kurdish forces in southeastern Jarablus on Thursday. At some point, analysts say, Syrian rebel forces could confront Kurdish fighters.

The Kurds lost hundreds of fighters in the Manbij [battle]. It would be difficult for them to withdraw after gaining all these vast territories from IS, Abdulrahman said.

Kurdish forces said they were intent on protecting their territories.
Brazil's Senate on Thursday began deliberating whether to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the final step in a leadership fight that has paralyzed Congress and cast a pall over a nation in the midst of a severe recession.



Brazil's first female president is accused of illegally shifting money between government budgets to mask yawning deficits. Detractors say she did that to shore up support and argue those maneuvers exacerbated the recession in Latin America's largest economy.



Rousseff denies wrongdoing and says her enemies, including the country's elites, who have fumed about the lock her Workers' Party has had on power for 13 years, are conducting a "coup.''



Senators are now embarking "on their most somber duties,'' said Ricardo Lewandowski, the chief justice of the country's highest court who is overseeing the trial. "To judge the president, [senators] must act with the utmost impartiality and objectivity, considering only the facts they are presented and the laws.''



The impeachment push started late last year when Eduardo Cunha, then the speaker of the lower House of Deputies and a long-time Rousseff nemesis, introduced the measure. In April, his chamber overwhelmingly passed it. Then in May, the Senate voted 55-22 to impeach and suspend Rousseff for up to 180 days.



Vice President Michel Temer, Rousseff's one-time ally who turned nemesis, took over. If the Senate votes to permanently remove Rousseff, Temer will serve the rest of her term, which goes through 2018.

Several days of testimony, including an address by Rousseff on Monday, will wrap up in a final vote next week.



Lewandowski on Thursday rejected several attempts by Rousseff's lawyers to suspend or annul the process.



Opposition senators accused Rousseff supporters of employing chicanery to delay the process.



"I want to protest the use of the word 'chicanery,''' said Rousseff lawyer Jose Eduardo Cardozo. "At no point has the defense used any techniques to procrastinate.''



Lewandowski did accept one of the defense's requests: to prohibit testimony from a prosecutor who wrote a key report about Rousseff's alleged transgressions.



The defense argued, and Lewandowski agreed, that Julio Marcelo de Oliveira had shown bias against Rousseff by encouraging people on social media to rally against her and even attending anti-Rousseff protests.



Senators wasted no time in getting in their licks, even on a day largely dedicated to procedural matters.



"Up until now, all we have seen are excuses by the defense of President Dilma,'' said Sen. Casio Cunha Lima from the opposition Brazilian Social Democratic Party, who added that the slow process was "bleeding the country.''



Sen. Gleisi Hoffmann, a member of Rousseff's Workers' Party, had a different take.



"I never thought I was going to be elected senator to judge, in a questionable trial, the first woman elected president of the country,'' said Hoffman. "It's very sad for me.''

Like many in the Senate and the lower chamber, Hoffman is being investigated for corruption. In her case, investigators are looking at whether she used embezzled funds from Petrobras as campaign contributions.



"No one here has the right to judge anybody,'' she said. "What moral standing does the Senate have to judge the president of the republic?''
A Kurdish suicide bomber targeted a checkpoint near a police station in Cizre, southeast Turkey, Friday, killing at least 11 police officers and wounded scores of other people, the country's prime minister said.

Militants linked to the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, claimed responsibility. The terrorist group has been linked to a series of attacks against police targets in the same region.

Turkish authorities have vowed to retaliate.

"We will give those vile [attackers] the answer they deserve. No terrorist organization can hold Turkey captive," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said during a news conference in Istanbul.

The town of Cizre is in Sirnak, a province that borders Syria and Iraq and has a largely Kurdish population.

The PKK launched an armed rebellion in 1984, seeking an autonomous homeland in a vast area of the southeast bordered by Syria, Iraq and Iran. Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the fighting.

Last year, the armed wing of the PKK scrapped a three-year cease-fire with Ankara after Turkish warplanes struck the group's military training bases in northern Iraq while PKK fighters battled Islamic State militants. Ankara also bombed several other PKK bases.
China is the world's biggest exporter, but Chinese companies are desperately struggling to ensure that their brands are visible in the international market place.

So far they have relied on a price-cutting strategy instead of building trustworthy brands. But analysts say this strategy may not work at a time when China is going through an economic slowdown.

A recently-released survey found that no Chinese company was included in the top 100 brands in Asia. Even within China, only one Chinese company figured among the top 10 brands, with Chinese consumers opting for brands from Japan, South Korea and United States, according to the study jointly conducted by Nielsen ratings and Campaign Asia.

Long-term strategy

If China is serious about grooming local winners to become global winners, it will need to build trust and adopt a long-term strategy to brand building, Atifa Silk, Brand director of Haymarket Brand Media, which publishes Campaign Asia, the advertisement industry magazine, told VOA.



China must continually and consciously tackle issues such as food safety and quality control in order to compete on a regional or international level, besides reviewing its marketing strategies to engage consumers outside the domestic market, she said.



Angela Bainter, Growth and Partnership Liaison with consulting firm Web-Presence-In-China, said consumer trust is definitely something that definitely holds back Chinese retail and consumer brands.



Bainter cited the example of a Chinese cosmetic company she is advising because the firm is finding it difficult to convince local buyers to trust and buy its products instead of opting for foreign ones.



They (high end consumers in China) tend to trust international brands more. They think they are of higher quality, they are more trustworthy. They (consumers) are more likely to go to Japan or Korea to make their purchases and get them imported from an international brand (sources), she said.



Not in the top 100

At the same time, Bainter expressed surprise that the Campaign Asia study did not have any Chinese company in the list of top 100 brands.

I would still expect Baidu, Tencent and Alibaba to be somewhere in the list.... I find it very difficult to believe that there is no Chinese brand. This study focuses on Asia, (which means) they are cutting out western influence and just focusing on Asia. That is where Chinese brands would have much more impact, she said.

Another recent study conducted by London-based Brand Directory had one Chinese company, China Mobile, in the ninth position in its global rankings. Several Chinese companies figure in its list of top 100 brands.

Brand value of Chinese companies shoots up when their revenue earnings are combined with consumer perception about quality, reliability and goods worth recommending to others. Another factor supporting many Chinese companies is the perception that the government is behind them. This applies to three Chinese state-run banks, which figure in the list of top 20 global brands in the Brand Directory study.



Robert Haigh, a top executive of Brand Directory, said Chinese companies are somewhat weaker in terms of brand strength, which is largely based on consumer perception but they do well when overall brand value is calculated. This happens when financial data is taken into account as Chinese companies have strong revenue streams.



Impact of national image



At the same time, Chinese brands suffer due to the national image of China in the western world. He cited the case of German brands, which are known for efficient products and Italian fashion brands, which do well because of the countrys image as a fashion-loving nation.



There are national traits that help new and existing brands to perform well internationally because of the national image of the country. And Chinese brands dont have so much of the national image benefit, Haigh said.

In fact, Chinas image as a country that interferes in the manufacturing of sensitive telecom and other equipment has come in the way of Huawei expanding its businesses in several countries, including the U.S., he said.

Chinese companies need to invest more on marketing and brand building strategies to perform well in both the domestic and international markets.

The more they improve the development and execution of their marketing strategies, the less difference consumers see between Chinese brands and the multinational brands that operate in mainland China, Silk said. But those with global ambition and ability will need to bridge major gaps if they want to compete head-to-head with their multinational rivals abroad and establish brand loyalty.
A Florida man was found guilty Thursday night of attempted first-degree intentional homicide for shooting a Chicago-area man in the head in 2014 in a rural Deerfield driveway.

A jury deliberated for about seven hours before finding Yadiel Nunez-Munoz, 20, of Orlando, Florida, guilty of shooting 26-year-old Alvaro Avila-Jimenez on April 26, 2014, in a long driveway off Highway 73 near the intersection with Highway 12-18.

Nunez-Munoz was also convicted of aggravated battery.

Dane County Circuit Judge Josann Reynolds will sentence Nunez-Munoz in about two months after a pre-sentence investigation by the state Department of Corrections is completed. Nunez-Munoz is currently serving a sentence in Florida, also for attempted murder and aggravated battery in an unrelated case.

In closing arguments Thursday, Assistant District Attorney Robert Jambois said that Nunez-Munoz, who came to the Madison area to install countertops in housing being built on Madisons West Side, took Avila-Jimenez out to a rural area on the pretense of looking for a bank, in order to give Avila-Jimenez money he was owed for work he did with Nunez-Munoz.

Jambois said that Nunez-Munoz was broke, and set out to kill and rob Avila-Jimenez of about $500 he was carrying and the money he would have been paid for his work.

Forensic evidence showed that Avila-Jimenez was sitting in the passenger seat of a pickup truck driven by Nunez-Munoz when he was shot, Jambois said, and the bullet traveled through his left eye and sinus area.

After the shot was fired, Avila-Jimenez, now blind in one eye, struggled over the gun with Nunez-Munoz. Another shot was fired during the struggle, which struck one of Nunez-Munozs fingers.

As a man whose home is at the end of the driveway passed by, Nunez-Munoz jumped out of the truck and shouted that he had been shot and that Avila-Jimenez was trying to kill him.

Nunez-Munozs lawyer, Jason Gonzalez, said in his closing argument that the forensic evidence wasnt conclusive, and that if Nunez-Munoz had shot Avila-Jimenez, it was not done intentionally.

He also told jurors that they couldnt conclude that the gun that fired the shots even belonged to Nunez-Munoz, but could have been brought by Avila-Jimenez.

Jambois countered, however, that the gun was stolen from a home in the Orlando area, and that a key that unlocks the gun was on Nunez-Munozs key ring, which was found in his fanny pack at a motel where the two men had been staying.

Gonzalez implied that perhaps law enforcement had planted the key there, which drew a loud objection from Jambois, who called the implication sleazy.
For more than a week, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has been calling Democrat Hillary Clinton a racist and a bigot, accusing her of looking at African-American communities only for votes while ignoring joblessness and crime.

Trump has been telling black voters that decades of Democratic governments have failed them, asking them, "What have you got to lose?" by voting Republican in November.

WATCH: Trump Says Blacks, Hispanics Should Reject Politicians Who Have Failed Them

After days of little comment, Clinton hit back hard at Trump on Thursday.

Speaking in Nevada, Clinton said Trump has been talking about black neighborhoods in "insulting and ignorant" terms, only seeing failure, murder, drugs and bad schools.

She said it is "sad" that Trump does not see the successes, such as thriving businesses, successful graduates from black colleges, and strong churches deeply involved in their communities.

WATCH: Clinton Says Trump Builds Campaign on Prejudice, Paranoia

Lawsuit on rental policies

Clinton noted that the U.S. Justice Department has sued Trump for alleged racist policies in renting apartments to blacks and Hispanics, and that it was Trump who continued to insist Barack Obama was born in Kenya rather than accept a black man as president.

"I read and hear some people say that his bluster and bigotry is overheated campaign rhetoric  an outrageous person saying outrageous things for attention," Clinton said. "But look at his policies. The ones that Trump has proposed would put prejudice into practice. ... Here is the hard truth: There is no other Donald Trump."

Clinton said the "alternative right" has hijacked the Republican Party. She described it as a fringe element that rejects mainstream conservatism as a threat to white supremacy.

WATCH: Clinton: Donald Trump's Latest 'Paranoid Fever Dream' is About My Health

She said such paranoia and extremism have never had a "national megaphone" until now. She criticized Trump for not turning his back on far-right extremists like radio talk-show hosts, obscure politicians, conspiracy theorists and gossip-mongering tabloids  including one that said she is mortally ill and predicted she would be dead by this time.

Trump has said Clinton does not have the "strength and stamina" to be president.

"His latest paranoid fever dream is about my health," she said, telling Trump to "dream on."

Watch video report from VOA's Zlatica Hoke:

'Disgusting argument'

At a New Hampshire rally Thursday, Trump said charging opponents with racism is the "oldest play in the Democratic playbook" when policies do not work. He called it a "tired, disgusting argument." Clinton is "all talk and no action" on improving the lives of African-Americans, he said.

"I don't want to dignify her statements by dwelling on them too much, but a response is required for the sake of all decent voters that she is trying to smear," Trump told fellow Republicans. "Hillary Clinton is going to try and accuse this campaign and all of you and the millions of decent Americans ... of being racists, which we're not."

Trump said it is not racist to want to secure the country's borders from illegal immigrants, and that those afraid of radical Islam are not "Islamaphobes."

WATCH: Trump Says Democrats Use Racist Attacks as Excuse for Failed Policies

Trump boasted on Twitter that his national poll numbers are "rising ... way up."

But a new Quinnipiac University survey gives Clinton a 51 percent-to-41 percent head-to-head lead, and a 7 percentage-point lead when the Libertarian and Green party candidates are included.

WATCH: Harlem Residents on What Trump Must Do to Earn African Diaspora Votes
North Koreas submarine-launched ballistic missile test on Wednesday is prompting analysts in Seoul to speculate about what might have motivated Pyongyang to conduct it.

The missile flew 500 kilometers, an apparent leap forward for Pyongyang's technical efforts to achieve SLBM capability, which it has been pursuing since early 2015.

Kim Jin-moo, a senior research fellow at the Korea Institute for Defense Analyses, said the Norths SLBM program might be more advanced than previously thought, and that Pyongyang could be SLBM-capable within a year. The analyst cautioned, however, that whether the North will be able to mount a nuclear warhead on the missile remained to be seen.

Moon Sung-muk of the Korea Research Institute for Strategy in Seoul said Pyongyang's lack of large submarines meant the regime might be years away from acquiring full SLBM capability.

Wednesday's launch came two days after U.S.-South Korean annual military drills kicked off.

Chang Yong-seok of Seoul National Universitys Institute for Peace and Unification Studies perceived Wednesday's test as Pyongyangs attempt to dismiss speculation about regime stability following a series of high-profile defections by North Korean officials.

Last week, South Korea announced that North Koreas deputy ambassador in London defected to the South. South Korean President Park Geun-hye warned of possible North Korean provocations this week, calling the latest defection a serious fracture within the North Korean regime.

The test is aimed at rallying internal support for the regime by creating a message that the country has the ability to defend against possible attacks from the U.S. or South Korea, said Chang.

Defense system plans

Some tied the test to South Koreas plan to deploy Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD), an advanced U.S. missile defense system, which has sparked controversy in the South. Seoul insists that the system is needed to counter Pyongyangs missile threats. Critics question the missile defense systems ability to cope with the North Korean threats, and they cite possible health risks that the system might pose.

The North is trying to stir up divisions in the South over the deployment, said Koh Yu-hwan, a professor at Dongguk University in Seoul.

Koh said the missile defense system has a limited defense capability against an SLBM and the North is trying to turn it into controversy.

The United States condemned Wednesday's test, again accusing Pyongyang of violating U.N. resolutions.

We strongly condemn this and North Koreas other recent missile tests, which violate multiple U.N. Security Council resolutions explicitly prohibiting North Koreas launches using ballistic missile technology, Justine Higgins, a spokeswoman for the U.S. State Department's Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs, told VOA by email.
As the United States prepared to invade Taliban-ruled Afghanistan 15 years ago, then-first lady Laura Bush took over her husband's weekly radio address to tell the American people that part of the reason for going to war after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was to liberate Afghan women from the brutality that had been forced on them by the extremists' regime.

As the war against the Taliban grinds on, Afghan women are still largely treated as property and barely a week goes by without news emerging of a woman or girl being stoned to death, burned with gasoline, beaten or tortured by her in-laws, traded to repay a debt, jailed for running away from a violent husband, or sold into marriage as a child.

Abuse of women in Afghanistan remains entrenched and endemic, despite constitutional guarantees of equality, protection from violence and age-old practices such as trading young women to pay debts.

Earlier this month, news emerged from remote central Ghor province of Zarah, a pregnant 14-year-old who was allegedly tortured and set on fire by her in-laws as they took revenge on her father over a failed deal to marry one of their relatives.

Mohammad Azam, 45, traveled to the capital, Kabul, to call for justice for the killing of his daughter. Yet he too had taken a young bride as payment for construction work.

Rising violence reported

The British government said in a report in early July that "documented cases of violence against women have risen'' in the first half of 2016, with 5,132 cases reported to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, "including 241 murders."

Attending a small rally in western Kabul to support Azam's call for justice, women's rights activist Veeda Saghari said violence against women is largely ignored by Afghanistan's judicial sector.

"That is why all kinds of violence against women such as acid throwing, beating, stoning, informal community tribunal verdicts, burning, forced divorces, forced marriages, forced pregnancies, forced abortions have reached a peak,'' she said.

In fairness, much has improved for Afghan women since the Taliban were ejected from power. During five years of Taliban rule, women were not permitted to attend school or work, were largely confined to their homes, and subject to public beatings for violations of strict rules on what they could wear in public. When it came to their health, very few had access to doctors, and benchmarks such as maternal mortality were among the worst in the world.

Now millions of girls go to school, compared to practically none in 2001, and access to health care is widespread. The constitution protects women from the worst excesses they suffered before 2001. Figures published by the World Bank show a drop in maternal mortality, for instance, from 1,340 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 396 in 2015.

Many women work for the government and security services, run their own businesses, and are elected to parliament. Figures from President Ashraf Ghani's office show 33 percent of all teachers are women, and there are 240 women judges. He has nominated four women as Cabinet ministers, appointed seven as deputy ministers and four as ambassadors.

Struggles continue

Yet for most Afghan women, the struggles of today are little different to those under the Taliban. Many working women are targeted and often killed by extremists. High-profile lawmaker Shukria Barakzai, who ran a secret school for girls during the Taliban era, survived a suicide bomb attack in 2014, and was appointed ambassador to Norway last year.

But in impoverished and rural areas, girls can often be of less value to their families than their animals. A burns unit in the western city of Herat has a ward dedicated to treating young women who set themselves on fire, as much a cry for help as a suicide attempt. Women's prisons in major cities, including Kabul, hold hundreds of women accused of adultery for having sex outside marriage, as well as young women who have run away from home to escape arranged marriages or abusive, often much older, husbands.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of U.N. Women, has found that government officials, judges, clerics and educators are often receptive to the concepts of women's rights, as enshrined in the Afghan constitution. But, she said, "When we are dealing with extremism, there is pushback. Every step of the way, there is pushback.''

Resisting forced values

Following the fall of the Taliban, the Western push for women's rights led some Afghans to feel that Western values were being forced on them, she said, and that had led to problems of acceptance of women's rights as homegrown.

The situation is complicated by almost 40 years of conflict.

"We have a generation that has only known war, and at the same time you also have a generation that has been educated, that knows about the lives that are lived by people in other parts of the world. There has to be some confusion as people try to deal with all these issues,'' Mlambo-Ngcuka said, adding: "So the glass is half full.''

That doesn't mean Afghanistan should be given special treatment, she said.

"Rape is rape, physical violence is physical violence. So in our quest not to be overbearing and not to overshadow local efforts, I don't think that we should also move away and not talk about the universality of rights," she said.

As a member of the United Nations and signatory to the "same charters as all the other member states, we have to hold them to the same standards because the nation has actually signed on to the same value system as the other nations," she said.

"What is good for a child in Europe in terms of protection, in terms of making sure that they have a right to education, not to be married early  that is good for a child in Europe and it is good for a child in Afghanistan.''
A decision by Frances highest administrative court declaring the ban on burkinis illegal may stop more towns from prohibiting the full-body swimsuits, but does not end a heated battle between French secularists and the countrys Muslims, analysts said.

The three-judge State Council on Friday ruled the ban by the town of Villeneuve-Loubet dealt a serious and clearly illegal blow to fundamental liberties such as freedom of movement, freedom of conscience, and personal liberty.

The ban imposed by officials in Villeneuve-Loubet alleged that allowing the swimsuit posed a threat to public order, a claim the court said was not supported by evidence.

About 30 coastal towns have imposed the ban with the blessing of some high officials in the national government. Prime Minister Manuel Valls has said the swimsuit represents the enslavement of women.





Frances Minister of Womens Affairs Laurence Rossignol has called the burkini profoundly archaic. In a recent interview with the French newspaper Le Parisien, Rossignol said, the burkini is not some new line of swimwear. It is the beach version of the burqa and has the same logic: hide women's bodies in order to better control them."

Terror attacks stoke anger, suspicion



A string of terrorist attacks have raised anger, suspicion and aroused a need by many French to reaffirm the secular nature of their society.

French Muslims complain they are being made victims of collective punishment for terrorist attacks in which the majority were not involved.

President Francois Hollande said Thursday that life in France "supposes that everyone adheres to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatization.

A court earlier upheld a ban on womens head-to-toe swimsuits in the Riviera resort city of Nice, which is still mourning the deaths of 86 people after last months incident in which a truck plowed through hundreds of people who had gathered to watch Bastille Day fireworks. The truck was driven by a Tunisian immigrant and the Islamic State claimed responsibility.

The burkini issue has triggered debates on beaches across the south of France as the countrys vacation season winds down.

Reaction in France



At Nices main train station Friday, a Muslim woman wearing a headscarf, who identified herself only as Latifa, said she had chosen to avoid the beaches altogether.

Integrating does not mean giving up my tradition and my faith," she told VOA. "I would just as well not go to a beach where people stare at me or the police will interfere with me.

Reports this week said police in Nice fined an unidentified Muslim woman who was wearing a headscarf on the beach.

The anger unleashed over burkinis speaks of a battle between a strong religious tradition that mandates female modesty and a society that regards the secular state as sacred - one in which women have long felt free to sunbathe topless in beaches and other public places.

In a move reaffirming the separation of state and religion, France in 2010 enacted a ban on Islamic headscarves in some public spaces.

In Corsica, where tensions between members of the islands Muslim community and native Corsicans have erupted into several incidents of violence over the past several months, police remained vigilant on the beaches.

I am against burkinis, personally, said Zerdalia Dahoun, a retired Paris psychiatrist who was among a group of North African activists meeting in Corsicas main city, Ajaccio, this week to express their concern over tensions on the island.



But I am also against the fact that someone would be prevented from dressing as they want in a public space, Dahoun, originally from Algeria, said.

Even though I am personally against the burkini because when one goes to the beach where people are naked, one does not go dressed in a way that will cause one to be noticed. Either you dress accordingly, or you dont go at all. Its a provocation to go to a place where people are not dressed and to show up with your clothes on, Dahoun added.

Debate is not over



Fridays ruling may give pause to other towns whose leaders are thinking of imposing the ban, but analysts say public sentiment on the issue will mean the debate is not over. Polls show more than 60 percent of French citizens surveyed are in favor of the bans while a large percentage is indifferent.

Those figures are likely to favor Marine Le Pens right-wing, anti-immigration National Front movement in next years national elections.

Francis Nadizi, the head of the National Front in Corsica, said his opposition to the burkini comes from a desire to see Muslims integrated, not isolated from French society. It starts, with the clothing, he said, but wearing Islamic clothing in public, he said, is meant to mark a difference between them and the rest of society.

Zerdalia Dahoun is not undecided on the issue, but she  like many French  is conflicted.

I know in the United States the Burka is permitted, that it doesnt matter, but here in France its not like that. We have another system of integration. Its not the same. If youre in a public space, you dress so you dont call attention, Dahoun said.
Germany's foreign minister has called for a new arms control deal with Moscow to avoid an escalation of tensions in Europe, where intensified military exercises by Russia and NATO have raised concerns that a war could inadvertently be triggered.

In an apparent reference to Russia's annexation of the Crimea region of Ukraine, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Russia had violated basic, non-negotiable principles of peace, breaking delicate bonds of trust built up over decades.

"At the same time, we must all be united in the desire to avoid a further twist in the escalating spiral," he said in an advance release of an opinion piece to run in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung on Friday.

He said a new arms control process would offer a "proven means for transparency, risk avoidance and trust building."

"In addition, we want a structured dialogue, with all partners who carry responsibility for the security of our continent," he wrote, noting that the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe could be a forum for talks.

On Wednesday, a group of former foreign and defense ministers said Russia and NATO must agree on common rules to handle unexpected military encounters to reduce the risk of inadvertently triggering a war between Moscow and the West.

Steinmeier, a Social Democrat, drew the criticism from NATO officials in June after warning that their decision to stage military maneuvers in Eastern Europe amounted to "saber-rattling and shrill war cries" that could worsen tensions with Russia.

His Social Democrats generally back a more conciliatory stance toward Russia than Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc.
Just a few months ago, very few people were talking about the alternative right, or even had any idea what it is. The movement, more commonly known as the alt-right, pretty much only existed on the fringes of the internet, mainly in youth-dominated message boards filled with white nationalist and anti-Semitic memes.

But that's quickly changing. Bolstered in part by the unexpected rise of Donald Trump and Britain's decision to leave the European Union, the anti-establishment political movement has received big headlines in recent months. No longer just a fringe subculture, its young supporters boast about their perceived new influence in the Republican Party.

"We won the meme war; now we've taken over the GOP," said Andre Anglin, who runs The Daily Stormer, which bills itself as the world's most visited alt-right website. "And we did this very, very quickly."

Anglin was referring to Trump's decision last week to promote media executive Steve Bannon as CEO of his presidential campaign. That's notable because Bannon ran the conservative news website Breitbart, considered a major platform for the alt-right.

The website was founded by Andrew Breitbart, who died in 2012. Under Bannon's leadership, the outlet has increasingly warmed to the alt-right movement, publishing a steady stream of anti-immigrant, anti-feminist articles.

Bannon's promotion was the biggest public relations boost yet for the alt-right. It also provided an opening for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton to link Trump to the movement.

Clinton blasts Trump's 'prejudice'

In a Thursday speech on the alt-right, Clinton accused Trump of "taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America's two major political parties."

Clinton said Bannon's appointment to CEO amounted to an unprecedented merger between white supremacists and the Republican Party.

"Donald Trump built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump campaign represents a landmark achievement for the alt-right. A fringe element has effectively taken over the Republican Party," Clinton said.

Clinton: Trump Builds Campaign on Prejudice, Paranoia

Clinton also ran down the list of Trump's actions she said suggest discrimination, including: refusing to quickly disavow Klu Klux Klan leader David Duke; calling Mexican immigrants rapists, drug dealers and criminals; repeatedly retweeting white supremacist Twitter accounts; and proposing a temporary ban on Muslim immigration to the United States.

"A man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far reaches of the internet, should never run our government or command our military," Clinton said.

Trump rejects racist label

The Trump campaign has rejected accusations of racism and shrugged off any reported links between it and the alt-right. Ahead of Clinton's speech Thursday, Trump told a rally in New Hampshire that neither he nor his supporters are racist.

"When Democratic policies fail, they are left with only this one tired argument. 'You're racist, you're racist, you're racist.' They keep saying it ... and it's a tired argument," Trump said. When Republicans are labeled as racist, Trump said they "have a tendency to be defensive, to back down, and feel bad. Not Donald Trump."

Trump did not mention the alt-right, and indeed he has not brought it up on the campaign trail.

But earlier, Trump's campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, addressed the alt-right issue specifically, telling CBS News: "We've never even discussed it internally. It certainly isn't part of our strategy meetings."

Trump: Democrats Use Racist Attacks as Excuse for Failed Policies

Asked whether the Trump campaign was providing a platform for the alt-right, Conway responded: "No, not at all."

But just weeks ago, Bannon was expressing a different message. The media executive proudly boasted of Breitbart's influence in the alt-right community.

"We're the platform for the alt-right," Bannon told journalist Sarah Posner at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland in July.

Bannon, who has largely stayed out of the spotlight since taking his new position, has acknowledged that the alt-right may contain a certain number of white nationalists, anti-Semites and homophobes.

"That's just like, there are certain elements of the progressive left and the hard left that attract certain elements," he told Posner.

What is the alt-right?

But are the white supremacists within the alt-right just outliers, or is the group itself bigoted? That question is the subject of intense debate, partly because "alt-right" is an umbrella term that encompasses a diverse group of ideologies.

While neo-Nazis, white nationalists and anti-Semites often dominate alt-right forums, others do not express such outright racial animosity. For those, the alt-right isn't so much about race specifically as it is about lashing out against what they see as the social evils of political correctness: globalism, multiculturalism and feminism.

Notably, alt-right activists are also opposed to mainstream conservatism, which they see as naive and outdated.

The phrase "alternative right" itself was first used by conservative writer Paul Gottfried in 2008, in part to describe fellow conservatives who were opposed to President George W. Bush. The phrase became further popularized after one of Gottfried's colleagues, Richard Spencer, started the Alternative Right website, which espouses views described as identitarian.

'Reset' of white nationalism?

Whatever phrase is used, whether identitarian or other recent iterations such as race realist" or "racialist," it amounts to a rebranding exercise for white nationalists and an attempt to soft-pedal racism, says Daryle Lamont Jenkins, the founder of the One People's Project, which monitors far right groups.

"I am very apprehensive about using the term alt-right' or alternative right' because, in truth, it really is just another term that certain white supremacists out there have been using to avoid calling themselves white supremacists or even white nationalists," Jenkins told VOA.

"I understand that people are reacting to it because it's what's out there in the media, and that's what they call themselves," he said. "But personally, just because I've been doing this for a number of years, I have to reject this latest term.

Many alt-right activists agree with Jenkins on this point. That includes Anglin, who concedes the movement is white nationalism for a younger generation  essentially an attempt to make white supremacy cool again.

"The alt-right is a reset on white nationalism, as the older manifestations of it had become bogged down in libertarian claptrap, religious cult gibberish, and really uncool music," Anglin said.

According to Anglin, many people who identify as alt-right view the older incarnations of white nationalism, such as the Klu Klux Klan, as "a bit dorky, [and] definitely stale."

But while the alt-right may have different external trappings, any difference is superficial, Anglin says.

"I am against any attempts to classify the alt-right as something categorically different than white nationalism. It's an aesthetic difference," he added.

Even while lamenting the fact that Breitbart is "full of Jews," something he said "makes a lot of white nationalists uncomfortable," Anglin says he is happy overall with the direction of the site.

"Sometimes I read an article on Breitbart, and I think I am reading my own writing," he added.

Breitbart responds

For its part, in an article Thursday, two writers at Breitbart, Allum Bokhari and Milo Yiannopoulos, denied that the publication supports the alt-right, which they called a "complex and fascinating movement."

"The reason why the media can't stand Breitbart's coverage of the alt-right," the article said, "is that we actually made an effort to understand the movement, instead of lapsing into the tired, knee-jerk assumptions that prop up the establishment worldview."
In a key victory for women activists fighting for equal access to places of worship in India, the Mumbai High Court Friday lifted a ban on women entering the inner sanctum of one of the countrys most prominent mosques, the Haji Ali Dargah.



Womens rights campaigners, who are leading a nationwide campaign called Right to Pray, hailed the judgment as a major milestone in their agenda not just to end discriminatory practices in places of worship, but the notion that women are not equal to men.



A two-judge bench ruled that the restriction imposed on women in the 15th century Haji Ali Dargah mosque is contrary to the fundamental rights of a person as provided in the constitution and asked the state government to ensure safety for women devotees.



6-week waiting period



However, women will have to wait before they can set foot in the mosques inner sanctum. The high court has put a stay on its order for six weeks to give time to the mosques trustees to appeal to the Supreme Court.



Calling the verdict a big victory, one of the petitioners, Zakia Soman, said the time for change has come. The difference now is that there are several determined women who are willing to fight for justice and for equality, she said. Soman is the co-founder of a Muslim womens rights group (Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan).



Built on an inlet, the Haji Ali mosque was constructed on the spot where legend says the body of a Sufi saint, Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, washed up on rocks in the Arabian Sea. The Mumbai landmark is visited by tens of thousands of visitors every week.

Reason for ban

Although women had been allowed in the inner sanctum where his tomb lay for hundreds of years, trustees imposed the ban four years ago citing religious tradition. They argued in court that allowing women inside the dargah of a male saint was a grievous sin.



The judgment comes five months after women campaigners gained entry against opposition by Hindu priests to the inner sanctum of a prominent temple, Shani Shingnapur, in Ahmednagar district in Maharashtra state.



Trupti Desai, an activist who has been at the forefront of the Right to Pray Campaign, said their struggle has nothing to do with religion. We are not challenging tradition, we are challenging traditions that are wrong.



The campaign to enter the Haji Ali mosque is part of a larger reform agenda mounted by Muslim women activists in India.



Next battle: 'triple talaq'



The petitioners say they will wage their next battle for a ban on the practice of triple talaq that allows a Muslim man in India to divorce his wife by uttering the words talaq three times. Called instant or oral divorce, Muslim women say the arbitrary practice allows no room for a womans voice to be heard. The Supreme Court is currently hearing a case challenging the practice.



In an earlier interview with VOA, Zakia Soman said gender discrimination had nothing to do with Quranic traditions. Owing to the hegemony of patriarchal forces, the situation has come to be the way we are seeing today.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Friday that the situation in Syria had "dramatically deteriorated" since the "brief oasis of calm" following a cessation- of-hostilities agreement, and he promised that the U.S. and Russia were close to a new agreement on a more durable arrangement.

Kerry spoke in Geneva after meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. They discussed ways to agree on military cooperation and information sharing in a bid to defeat Islamic State militants in Syria  something both sides want.

Kerry said that Syrians benefited from the calm following the February accord, but that the gains were lost again when violations of the agreement began.

He said "the cessation, even flawed, was valuable." But he said violations "eventually became the norm, rather than the exception."

No military solution

Kerry said he and Lavrov agreed that there was no military solution to the Syrian situation.

He said the past few weeks of talks had been "fair, diligent, productive" and that the remaining "technical issues" would be worked out in the next few days, to "overcome the deep mistrust on all sides."

"The conflict will not end without a political solution," Kerry said. "It is really the only viable path towards peace and security and normalcy that the Syrian people deserve."

Kerry said the sides may differ about the causes for the rupture, but both agree more work is needed to revive the deal and make it enforceable. Until then, he says he does not want to make any announcement concerning a resumption of peace talks.

We are determined to dot the is and cross the ts and do the job necessary to make certain that if and when we are able to find the way forward, and we hope we can," he said. "As Sergei said, the work that can be done in the next week has the ability to resolve some of these remaining issues. But, until we have, neither of us are prepared to make an announcement that is predicated for failure.

Humanitarian crisis

Lavrov said the two men had discussed the political agreement and also Syria's deep humanitarian crisis, in the flashpoint city of Aleppo as well as elsewhere, where civilians are isolated by the fighting and unable to get basic supplies for living.

He said the impending agreement would prove beneficial for those Syrians in need of aid. Like Kerry, he promised that just a few details remained before an agreement could be announced, saying "a couple of dots should be placed in correct places."

Lavrov also said he believed "everyday dialogue" was key for solving the Syrian problem. He also said he was convinced that the United States and Russia should have normal relations in order to move forward on the Syrian situation.

Meanwhile, Syrian rebels and their families began evacuating the long-besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya as part of an agreement reached late Thursday with the government, after four years of airstrikes and siege left the suburb in ruins.

Under the terms of the deal, about 700 gunmen will be allowed safe exit to the opposition-held northern province of Idlib and 4,000 civilians will be taken temporarily to a shelter south of Daraya.

U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura called for the protection of people being evacuated from Daraya, in a statement issued in Geneva.

Voluntary departure

De Mistura said their departure must be voluntary, adding that the U.N. was not consulted or involved in the negotiation of the deal reached between rebel factions and government forces.

In reference to the closely watched U.S.-Russia meeting, de Mistura said, We are still working. He joined the talks in the early afternoon.

Speaking during a lunchtime break, Lavrov said the talks on Syria with Kerry were excellent.

As he entered the morning session, Lavrov avoided commenting on a reporters question about what the primary impediment to a cease-fire in Syria was. He said only that "I don't want to spoil the atmosphere for the negotiations." Kerry did not make any comments.

Previous rounds of international negotiations, including discussions between the top diplomats from Washington and Moscow, have failed to produce an end to the conflict in Syria, which is complicated by U.S. and Russian support for opposite sides and has killed more than 290,000 people.

The conflict also has forced millions from their homes in more than five years.

Heightened regional tensions

Kerry's initial plan, unveiled during July talks in Moscow, would have Washington and Moscow coordinate airstrikes against Islamic State fighters and stop the Syrian air force from launching any further air attacks.

The latest meeting comes amid heightened tensions in Syria after Turkey decided earlier this week to send tanks across the border into Syria to clear out a pocket of land controlled by the Islamic State group.

U.S.-backed Syrian Kurdish fighters said they were withdrawing to their bases east of the Euphrates River after Turkey's military and allied fighters launched the cross-border offensive.

The Kurdish rebels have been a source of tension between the U.S., which views them as a key ally in the war in Syria, and Turkey, which sees them as terrorists allied with separatist Turkish Kurd factions.

A U.S.-led coalition spokesman said the Kurds moved east "to prepare for the eventual liberation of Raqqa." It was unclear, however, whether all the Kurdish forces had withdrawn, as Turkey demanded ahead of its offensive.

The head of the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel Rahman, told Arab media that Kurdish militia fighters were still fighting on the western side of the Euphrates River and had even captured some ground.

Turkey's foreign minister said Kerry had spoken with him in a phone call early Thursday and said the Syrian Kurdish forces would withdraw.

Vice President Joe Biden this week told Turkey's leaders the Kurds would lose U.S. support if they did not move back across the Euphrates.

Russia's Foreign Ministry expressed deep concern about the Turkish border operation, especially Turkey's targeting of Kurdish militia fighters. It said that Turkey, by targeting both Islamic State militants and Syrian Kurds, could further inflame the Syrian civil war, leading to "flare-ups of interethnic tensions between Kurds and Arabs."

Middle East analyst Theodore Karasik told VOA that Turkey's military offensive on Syrian territory risked further complicating the war, influencing the shifting alliances among various militia factions that have made it difficult for any one side to dominate the conflict. He said Turkey risked escalating the conflict.
Mylan NV said on Thursday it would reduce the out-of-pocket costs of its emergency EpiPen allergy injection for some patients amid a wave of criticism from lawmakers and the public over the product's rapidly escalating price.

The list price of the drug will remain the same, but the company said it would increase the maximum copay assistance program to $300 from $100 for patients who pay for the 2-pak in cash or who are covered by a commercial health insurer.

The price of EpiPen has skyrocketed to $600 from $100 since it was acquired by Mylan in 2007.

Mylan also said it is doubling the eligibility for its patient assistance program, which will eliminate out-of-pocket costs for uninsured and under-insured patients and families.

Government paid programs are not eligible for the copay assistance program.

Ronny Gal, an analyst with Bernstein, said when all is said and done he estimates a total price reduction for EpiPen of 32 percent. The price rose 27 percent in the second quarter of 2016 versus the same quarter a year ago.

"Thus we are basically rolling back the increase of the past year," he said. "In all, we estimate that today's news results in a 20-25 percent hit on EpiPen revenues." He expects that to translate into a 3-4 percent hit to Mylan's earnings per share over the next few years.

He estimates the company will earn $4.77 a share in 2016 and $5.58 in 2017.

Mylan is the latest company to be caught up in the growing outrage at apparently egregious drug price increases. Valeant Pharmaceuticals International and Turing Pharmaceuticals have both been publicly excoriated for similar price increases.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who has spoken out against escalating drug prices, "welcomes the fact that Mylan is now apparently open to taking steps to lower some of the cost sharing burdens imposed on families," Tyrone Gayle, a campaign spokesman, said in a statement.

However, he added, "discounts for selected customers without lowering the overall price of EpiPens are insufficient, because the excessive price will likely be passed on through higher insurance premiums."

Clinton's view was echoed by Democratic lawmakers, including Rep. Elijah Cummings, who said Mylan's move is nothing but a public relations stunt that does nothing to help the majority of patients who need the drug.

"Offering a meager discount only after widespread bipartisan criticism is exactly the same tactic used by drug companies across the industry to distract from their exorbitant price increases," he said in a statement. "Nobody is buying this PR move any more."

Mylan Chief Executive Heather Bresch, defending the price in an interview on Thursday on CNBC, said her company had spent hundreds of millions of dollars improving EpiPen, including making its needle invisible, since acquiring the device from German generic drugmaker Merck KGaA.

"When we picked up this product, they [Merck] weren't spending a dollar on it," said Bresch,

Bresch said Mylan recoups less than half of EpiPen's list price because pharmacy benefit managers, which often require discounted prices or rebates from drugmakers, are involved, along with insurers and others.

Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar said Mylan's action was a "welcome relief" to many who are struggling to afford the medication, but said it does not address the root of the problem of rising drug costs.

Earlier this year, Clinton chastised drug companies for exorbitant pricing and unveiled a plan that she said would cut costs, making the issue not only a hot election discussion topic but potentially an issue that could have policy implications if she is elected. On Wednesday, Clinton pressed Mylan to voluntarily cut the EpiPen price, sending the company's share price lower and pushing down biotech stocks.

Mylan shares fell more than 10 percent this week before rising 3.2 percent on Thursday after announcement of the discount program.

EpiPens are pre-loaded injections of epinephrine (adrenaline) used in case of a dangerous allergic reaction known as anaphylaxis that could cause death if untreated.

Anaphylaxis can occur in as little as a couple of minutes of exposure to the allergen, which can come in the form of food such as peanuts or insects such as bees. Certain medications or latex can also cause a severe reaction.

Symptoms include itching, swelling of the lips, tongue and roof of the mouth, tight chestedness and difficulty breathing.

People who are susceptible to such reactions are frequently advised to carry an EpiPen, which can deliver an immediate emergency jolt of adrenaline to reverse the symptoms.

A group of lawmakers said on Wednesday they had written the U.S. Food and Drug Administration asking about its approval process for alternatives to the EpiPen.

Bresch, daughter of Democratic U.S. Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia, said she contacted members of Congress over the past two days and asked to meet with them to discuss what she called an "unsustainable" drug pricing system.

She said one of the calls was to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), who recently wrote a letter to Mylan asking for an explanation of big EpiPen price increases.
Officials in central Nepal say a bus has plunged into a river, killing 21 passengers.

Authorities say the accident happened early Friday when the bus fell into the fast-flowing Trishul river, near Chandibhanjyang, about 120 kilometers west of Kathmandu, the capital.

Sixteen people survived the crash, officials say.

Rescue workers continue to look for other possible victims and survivors.

Accidents happen frequently on Nepal's roadways, usually blamed on the country's poorly maintained vehicles and roads.
MILWAUKEE  Records show an excessive force complaint was filed against a Milwaukee police officer days before he fatally shot a suspect, which ignited two nights of violence in a north side neighborhood.

The unjustified force claim was filed by a man who says the officer and his partner approached him as he sat in a car at a gas station April 15 and asked him what he had in the bag he was holding.

Ronnie Martin told WITI-TV he tried to run. He said the officers threw him to the ground and used their Tasers on him.

Martin was not charged as a result of the incident.

In addition to the claim filed with the city, Martin said he lodged a complaint with the Milwaukee Fire and Police Commission.

Gov. Scott Walker and Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett will visit the north side on Friday to talk about economic development efforts.

Violence broke out there Aug. 13 and 14 after the fatal shooting of a black man by a black officer. Some political leaders and community members said poverty and lack of economic opportunity on the north side contribute to tension between the community and police.

A release from Walkers office said officials will make an important announcement regarding state efforts on economic development in the city.

The death of Sylville K. Smith, 23, is being investigated by the state.

Police have said Smith fled a traffic stop and turned with a gun in his hand toward an officer when he was shot.

A few hours after the shooting, violence erupted on the citys largely black north side, with protesters hurling rocks at police and burning several businesses.

Protesters clashed with police in the street again the following night. More than 30 people were arrested during the unrest and multiple officers were hurt. One man was shot, but his wounds were not life-threatening.
The political party of Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders has pledged to close mosques and ban Islams holy book, the Quran, as anti-Muslim sentiments in the Netherlands grow.



Wilders unveiled the one-page manifesto on his Facebook page on Thursday evening ahead of the Netherlands' parliamentary elections in March.

If they prevail at the polls, Wilders and his Freedom Party, or PVV, said its number one goal would be to halt the 'Islamization' of the Netherlands. The party also vows to close all asylum seeker centers, expel criminals with dual nationalities and refuse migrants from Muslim countries.



The PVV currently leads in almost every opinion poll amid growing anger at the Dutch governments handling of the refugee crisis.

Though Wilders is leading in national polls, it is unlikely he and the PVV will end up in a coalition as other political parties shun the Freedom Party.

Others rule out coalition with far-right

Sybrand Buma, the leader of the Christian Democratic Appeal, has said repeatedly his party will never form a government coalition with the Freedom Party. Buma said on Twitter that Wilders program was full of empty promises and called it a bizarre program that will only lead to fights with everything and everyone."



Wilders anti-Islam, anti-immigrant and anti-EU rhetoric is similar to that of other European right-wing parties. The leader of the Danish Peoples Party has proposed a ban on Muslim refugees. In Hungary, Prime Minister Viktor Orban is holding a referendum against the mandatory EU plan to relocate migrants across Europe. And, the leader of France's far-right National Front, Marine Le Pen, this week renewed her call for France to leave the European Union.



Wilders also called for a Dutch referendum on the issue immediately after British voters in June chose to quit the EU. His party wants the Netherlands to be "independent" again and states that "instead of financing the entire world and people that we dont want here, we will invest in ordinary Dutch people.



Wilders is to appear in court this October on allegations of inciting hatred and discrimination against Moroccan-Dutch citizens. It is unclear what effect the case might have on his campaign. Wilders was found not guilty in a previous case in 2011 when he was accused of insulting religious and ethnic groups.
Colombia's government peace negotiators hit back Thursday at critics of a deal to end half a century of war with leftist FARC guerrillas, saying the cost of bringing the rebel fighters into society was much lower than spending on the conflict.

The government and the FARC, or Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, said Wednesday that they had reached an agreement that effectively ends a 52-year conflict that led to the deaths of more than 220,000 people and left millions displaced.

Opponents of the deal, led by former President Alvaro Uribe, say it gives rebels amnesty for too many crimes and is unfair to law-abiding citizens because it calls for subsidizing fighters as they leave jungle and mountain hideouts to look for work.

Colombians now will vote on the deal in an October 2 referendum, and the government must win support from many who would prefer to have defeated the guerrillas through military force to avenge years of kidnappings and attacks.

The team that spent nearly four years negotiating with the FARC in Havana held a news conference to defend the deal, saying the government and society must help integrate the fighters, some of whom have spent decades in camps.

"This is for Colombia, so that what happened in Central America does not happen here  that we abandon them after they lay down their weapons and they end up in criminal groups or taking up weapons again," said Senator Roy Barreras, one of the negotiators.

Violent crime has increased sharply in Central American countries such as El Salvador and Guatemala since guerrillas and other armed groups were demobilized in the 1990s, a crisis some blame on the failure to help fighters adjust to civilian life.

Subsidy for fighters

Part of the plan to help the FARC fighters includes paying them 90 percent of Colombia's minimum wage as they emerge from their hideouts. The negotiators compared the monthly $200 subsidy to the thousands of dollars spent on each army bombing raid.

"War is much more expensive, even without counting the human cost," Barreras said.

The 297-page peace agreement went to Colombia's Congress for approval. President Juan Manuel Santos and a FARC representative will sign it before the October referendum, the negotiators said.

Most opinion polls suggest Colombians will back the deal, but the nation is deeply divided and caught in a heated debate over what sort of justice the rebels should face.

Under the agreement, the rebels and government soldiers will receive amnesty for all but the gravest crimes, an arrangement similar to one Uribe struck with right-wing paramilitary groups when he was in office.

If the deal is approved, FARC will have nonvoting representation in Congress until 2018 and can participate in elections. From then on, the former rebels will have to win votes like candidates in any other political party.

Once the agreement is signed, a 180-day countdown begins toward the full demobilization of the fighters, a process that the international community will monitor.

Both the White House and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton congratulated Colombia on the deal and promised U.S. support for implementing it.

"As president, I'll ensure that the United States remains their partner in that process," Clinton said. "The people of Colombia deserve nothing less."
In less than two months, nearly 2,000 people have been killed in Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes war on drugs and corruption. Rights groups oppose the extrajudicial killings and theres even been a government inquiry into suspected abuse. VOAs Asia Weekly spoke to those living in the Philippines to get their opinion on the program.

Juan Carlos Bautista is the CEO of a firm based in city of Muntinlupa. From his perspective, things have improved since Dutertes crackdown, with more businessmen investing in the country. He feels authorities are following the rule of law, and people who complain that the program violates human rights do not recognize the scope of the Philppines drug problem.

First of all you to realize that number one, were already in a bad situation as is, he says, Drugs are rampant. Ever since the President has stepped in, over 600,000 [people have surrendered]. Bautista said if that number doesnt indicate that theres a problem, then he doesnt know what will.

It [was] their choice on what you are doing illegally and [you have to] face the consequences. Isnt that what laws are all about, I mean we have certain laws and if we dont follow them  you get punished, said Bautista.

However, not everyone in the Philippines shares Bautistas view. Zena Bernardo works for an NGO in the Philippines that assists single parents who have been affected by violence.

She acknowledges there is a drug problem and that it should be controlled if it cant be stopped completely, but feels the current atmosphere surrounding the killings is like watching [a] Mad Max movie. Bernardo says some in the Philippines are calling for blood, something she finds scary and disgusting.

Many of her friends supported Dutertes programs, and where Bernardo comes from the majority of her relatives are happy with the killings. They are killing drug pushers, theyre killing drug addicts; however, when one of my relatives was killed, a small time drug pusher, there was a rush of emotion among my relatives because suddenly its very personal.

Carlos Kahn, a banking and finance manager based in Cebu, says the program has polarized the country. He says the Philippines should look abroad and learn from [what] other countries have gone through and those other countries have proven that wars on drugs do not really help.

Kahn points to Portugal, a country that decriminalized drugs and treated it as a health problem rather than a crime problem. They were able to reduce their drug problems significantly. Our present government seems to think that killing [drug dealers] is the solution.

What will the future hold?

Speaking to reporters on August 21, Duterte took issue with the United Nations calling on him to stop the extrajudicial executions and killings. He says he will not only uphold human rights in his fight against drugs, but also ordered investigations into alleged abuses. Duterte called the U.N. irresponsible for relying on unnamed sources without conducting adequate investigations.

Senator Leila de Lima, whom the Department of Justice is investigating, held a two-day congressional inquiry into the killings, questioning officials in an attempt to understand the "unprecedented" rise in killings. Lima says she is disturbed that we have killings left and right as breakfast every morning.

So where does the Philippines go from here? Zena Bernardo calls President Dutertes program a band-aid. You just killing unimportant people (her term), she says. Bernardo, like other critics, say the program focuses on eradicating low-level individuals, but not on those control the drug cartels. She asks for an honest forgiveness drug campaign and if youre not going to do that at least respect human rights.

Juan Carlos Bautista says that while The Philippines is a nation of laws, too many times laws and programs arent implemented. Now is the time for the Filipino people to rally behind the President and give him the support that he needs to rid of this menace, said Bautista, calling Dutertes plan the last chance the nation has to get rid of the drug problem.

Ultimately, whatever happens, Carlos Kahn says Filipinos should remember that the country is signatory to a number of international agreements and that theyre binding. So the government should continue to go after criminals of all types. However, if the current push to eliminate those affiliated with the drug trade is tied only to Dutertes campaign promises, he says thats a poor excuse for killing people.


The Philippine government and the countrys Communist guerrillas have signed an indefinite cease-fire agreement.

The truce, signed in Norway Friday, seeks to end one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies. It has claimed the lives of thousands of people.

"This is a historic and unprecedented event," said Jesus Dureza, the peace adviser to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte. Dureza also said, "There is still a lot of work to be done ahead."

The two sides have been meeting in Oslo since Monday and will meet again in October.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende described the deal as a "major breakthrough."
The Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed responsibility on Friday for a truck bombing at a security headquarters in Cizre, in southeastern Turkey near the Syrian border, that killed 11 officers and injured dozens more.

The attack, days after Turkish forces deployed into Syria, is seen as a harbinger of a PKK offensive.

Ankara is targeting Islamic State, as well as calling for the withdrawal of a Syrian Kurdish militia it claims is linked to the PKK.

Ertugral Kurkcu, a member of parliament for Turkeys pro-Kurdish HDP, said the intervention is a continuation of a policy of attacking Syrian Kurds in their self-declared region of Rojava.

Providing support

They are providing material and human support for the Jihadist campaign against Rojava. This is the Turkish governments foreign policy toward Syria," Kurkcu said.

Ankara strongly denies the allegation of supporting jihadists, but it accuses the Syrian Kurdish militia, the YPG, and its political wing, the PYD, of being an extension of the PKK, and claims it is seeking to carve out an independent state along its border.

Turkey fears the group's presence will incite its own restive Kurds, many of whom live close to the Syrian frontier.

Experts say much of the YPG forces are made up of PKK members and the threat of the PKK retaliating in Turkey is a growing risk.

Before the Turkish deployment into Syria, retired Turkish Brigadier General Haldun Solmazturk, a veteran of the PKK conflict, said any operation against the YPG risked reprisals in Turkey.

The security of the rear area that is inside Turkish borders would probably constitute a challenge," Solmazturk said.

A senior Turkish official, speaking on condition of anonymity via the communications application WhatsApp, claimed the government wanted to intervene earlier in Syria but blamed those responsible for last months military coup for blocking the operation.

Political climate

Observers say military officers in the current political climate will now likely be reluctant to question the ongoing operation.

Political columnist Semih Idiz, of Turkeys Hurriyet Daily News and Al Monitor website, said that even though the military has been sidelined following the failed coup, Turkish security forces remain capable.

"With the military in such a situation it becomes harder, but it doesn't become impossible," Idiz said. "A significant part of war in the southeast against the PKK was, of course, the military, but there was also a heavily armed special branch police force which are heavily armed with heavy weaponry and even helicopters.

Ankara is continuing to reinforce its presence in Syria, with pro-government newspapers claiming Turkey could increase its deployment in Syria from the present 500 to more than 15,000 soldiers.

Such a growing presence, observers say, increases the risk of clashes with Syrian Kurdish forces, which could result in the PKK stepping up its operations in Turkey.
The first driverless taxi began work on Thursday in a limited public trial on the streets of Singapore.

Developer nuTonomy invited a select group of people to download their app and ride for free in its "robo-taxi" in a western Singapore hi-tech business district, hoping to get feedback ahead of a planned full launch of the service in 2018.

"This is really a moment in history that's going to change how cities are built, how we really look at our surroundings," nuTonomy executive Doug Parker told Reuters.

The trial rides took place in a Mitsubishi i-MiEv electric vehicle, with an engineer sitting behind the steering wheel to monitor the system and take control if necessary.

The trial is on an on-going basis, nuTonomy said, and follows private testing that began in April.

Parker, whose company has partnered with the Singapore government on the project, said he hoped to have 100 taxis working commercially in the Southeast Asian citystate by 2018.

Nutonomy is one of several companies racing to launch self-driving vehicles, with automakers and technology firms striking new alliances.

Swedish automaker Volvo AB said last week it had agreed to a $300 million alliance with ride-hailing service Uber to develop a driverless vehicle.

Israeli driving assistant software maker Mobileye NV said its vehicle, developed with Delphi Automotive Plc, would be ready for production by 2019, while Ford Motor Co said its self-driving car was slated for 2021.
Hungary is offering to send police to Serbia's border with Macedonia and Bulgaria to help its neighbor stem the flows of migrants crossing illegally into Western Europe, Interior Minister Sandor Pinter said on Thursday.

Last year, hundreds of thousands of migrants took the Balkan route that includes Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia and Slovenia.

Balkan countries closed their borders in March, but thousands of migrants still resort to perilous illegal crossings or pay people smugglers. For the majority of them, Hungary is a key entry point into the EU's border-free Schengen zone.

"Hungary proposed to help Serbia to guard its (southern) borders ... with police and legal help," Pinter said after meeting his Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic in Serbia's border town of Hajdukovo. He spoke through an interpreter.

Stefanovic said the two Interior Ministries were ready to assess where additional police would be most needed when the migration routes switch back to the land from the sea as the weather worsens.

There are some 4,000 refugees in Serbia, most of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh. To stem the flow, Serbia last month formed joint military-police border patrols.

Since the beginning of the year more than 103,000 migrants have passed through Serbia, an EU membership candidate. Its authorities prevented 5,000 illegal border crossings and charged 356 people with the smuggling of around 2,000 people.

Separately, Serbia's Interior Ministry said on Thursday it detained 34 migrants found in a house in a Belgrade suburb. A day earlier, a 20-year-old Afghan migrant was shot dead near Serbia's border with Bulgaria. A hunter was detained in connection with the shooting.
The U.N. Security Council has unanimously condemned North Koreas latest ballistic missile launch, calling it a "grave violation" of its international obligations. The strong denunciation was backed by China, North Korea's main ally.

The 15-member council said late Friday in a statement drafted by the United States that it would "continue to closely monitor the situation and take further significant measures." The statement did not say what those measures might be.

The statement blasted North Korea for its diversion of resources "to the pursuit of ballistic missiles" while North Korea's citizens "have great unmet needs."

The statement was approved after several rounds of negotiations with China, which has not agreed to previous drafts, expressing concern of an increase in tensions in the region.

North Korea's latest ballistic missile launch Tuesday was fired from a submarine. The missile flew toward Japan. It was North Korea's first successful launch from a submarine and the most recent in a string of such tests and launches over the past few months in defiance of U.N. resolutions.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe said the the missile launch was an "unforgivable, reckless act" that threatened Japanese security.

Jon Min Dok, an official with the North Korean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said Saturday "The U.S. and its allies have called our test-firing a violation of (U.N.) resolutions and brought it up to the U.N. Security Council for discussion. This is really a terrible provocation, it's like the guilty accusing the innocent."

He went on to say, "The best way for the U.S. to escape a deadly strike from us is by refraining from insulting our dignity and threatening our security . . . ."

The United States and Japan requested an emergency meeting of the Security Council Wednesday. Afterward, council President Ramlan bin Ibrahim of Malaysia said there was a general sense of condemnation by most members, but that there would be discussions about how to phrase a statement to reporters.

This is the fourth time that an incident has occurred in recent times, and up until this point on [these] last four, something has not been agreed to by the council, Britains Deputy U.N. Ambassador Peter Wilson told reporters Thursday. We want to see a press statement agreed.

Main obstacle

The main obstacle to council consensus has been China. Traditionally Pyongyangs closest and most powerful ally, Beijing did express its frustration in March, supporting a new round of the toughest international sanctions on North Korea to date.

Since then, Pyongyang has launched more than a half-dozen missiles in defiance of the international community.

Charles Armstrong, Korean studies professor at Columbia University in New York, said the uptick in launches is due to the adoption of [Resolution] 2270, then the THAAD deployment and then, generally, the North Koreans showing they can get away with it.

THAAD, or Terminal High Altitude Area Defense, is the advanced U.S. anti-missile system that is soon to be deployed in South Korea to defend against North Korean missile threats. It has both Pyongyang and Beijing on edge.

Armstrong said on a recent visit to the Chinese capital that he heard a lot of anti-THAAD talk from government officials and in the official media.

The Chinese were completely obsessed with this, he noted. They really see THAAD as not directed against North Korea, but really a threat to China.

Bill Brown, a former U.S. official and an adjunct professor at Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service in Washington, said the Chinese are overreacting to THAAD.

I think it is probably caught up in a bad U.S.-China atmosphere. They think we have provoked them in the South China Sea; we think they are being too aggressive in the South China Sea," Brown said.

Regional issues

There is also the issue of the annual joint U.S.-South Korean military exercises involving thousands of air, ground, naval and special operations forces, further irritating the Chinese and North Koreans.

All of these factors have affected U.S.-Chinese cooperation on North Korea in the U.N. Security Council.

Brown said that it is a delicate game because the more noise the U.S. makes about the missile launches, the more some Chinese officials might think it's in their interest to let Pyongyang antagonize the Americans.

He said Washington also tends to blame Beijing for sanctions failures and hope they will toughen their implementation of them  an unlikely prospect.

China has different goals with respect to North Korea, some of which coincide with ours, but many of which do not," Brown said.

But in the end, a loud Security Council condemnation is unlikely to change the situation in either direction.

It is really about the enforcement of sanctions already on the books and whether that will move the situation in a positive direction, Armstrong said.
Somali security forces say they have ended a deadly siege of a beach-front restaurant in the capital, with at least seven people killed in the attack along with two assailants.

Mogadishu's police chief, Colonel Abshir Bishar, said the attack ended just before dawn Friday morning.

"The security forces have ended their operation in which they rescued most of the civilians who were stranded inside the restaurant building and now we are in full control of the restaurant," said Bishar, speaking from the scene of the attack in Mogadishu.

The attack started Thursday night when a car bomb went off near Banadir Beach restaurant, followed by a gun battle.

Al-Shabab militants quickly claimed the responsibility for the attack.

Bishar said the death toll included five civilians and two security personnel. He said two assailants were also killed. Security forces said they have arrested another militant involved in the attack.

Witnesses saw volunteers carrying the dead from the attack scene early Friday. Mogadishu emergency ambulances also transported four wounded people to hospitals.

"We found the driver of the car bomb with some wounds lying next to the burned-out car this morning, and now he is being treated at one of our health facilities," said Abdi Farey, the commander of Mogadishu regional security.

In an interview with the VOA Somali service, the owner of the attacked restaurant, Abdirisaq Mohamed Jumale, said two of the dead were the restaurant staff.

The area along Mogadishu's Lido beach has many new restaurants and up-market establishments popular with people in business and from the diaspora.

In June, Turkey opened its largest embassy in the world in the neighborhood.

Al-Shabab attacked a neighboring hotel in January, killing more than 20 people.

A separate blast Thursday at a market in the southern Somali town of Bardhere wounded 12 people, including security officials and the district commissioner.

Al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab is waging a campaign of terrorism to try to overthrow the Somali government. Police, security officials and tourist spots are the militants' most frequent targets.
The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) says Somali refugees in Kenya are leaving the country due to threats and pressure from security officials.



More than 300,000 Somalis reside in Dadaab, the worlds largest refugee camp, located in east-central Kenya. Kenyan officials have threatened to close the sprawling camp, citing national security issues.



Mohamed Mahad Gurhan, an officer in UNHCRs Dadaab office, says families registering to return home report fearing for their lives.



Families we have interviewed and many of those who filled the repatriation forms have shown that they are returning because of threatening rhetoric by Kenyan regional security officials who recently visited the camp, Gurhan told VOAs Somali Service.



He says Kenyan regional security officials told the refugees they must leave before they are forcibly driven out when the camp shuts down this month.



We spoke to families in the camp who are returning for fear, not willingly or voluntary, Gurhan said. A recent agreement between the U.N. and the Kenyan and Somali governments stated the refugees would not be forced across the border, back into Somalia.



The return of refugees to Somalia would contravene international obligations, Gurhan said.



"We are committed to ensure that all returns to Somalia are voluntary and carried out in dignity, safety and protection. UNHCR would never be part of a repatriation process that forces refugees, he added.



Gurhan said refugees forcibly returned to Somalia are vulnerable to theft and exploitation.



We fear that these people fall into the traps of armed groups when they return unprepared, he said. UNHCR has received reports that armed gunmen have robbed former refugees of their supplies.



Kenya not closing camp yet



Kenyan officials involved in the refugee repatriation process said a refugee verification exercise has been completed, but the repatriation process would take longer given the security situation in Somalia.

Earlier this week, Interior Minister Joseph Nkaissery said the Kenyan government would not implement its decision to close the Dadaab camp until peace in Somalia is restored.

[W]e are in the right direction and we are waiting Somalia to be pacified so that the refugees will be able to go back," Nkaissery told Kenyan media.



Nkaisserys statement apparently softened Kenyas previous decision to close the Dadaab refugee camp by the end of this year.



Omar Ahmed, a 27-year-old resident of Dadaab, said refugees were relieved to hear Nkaisserys statement.



Kenyas new position, though it is only said verbally by the interior minister, deserves welcoming because it gives us hope and space to decide our own [fate], he said.



Last month, the UNHCR appealed to donors for an additional $115 million to fund the voluntary return and reintegration of Somali refugees from Dadaab.



Previously the agency appealed for $369 million for the "Somalia situation".



During his recent visit to Kenya, U. S. Secretary of State John Kerry has announced that the U.S. is allocating an additional $117 million to support refugees, returnees and drought victims in Somalia.



Kerry said another $29 million will be donated to the U.N. refugee agency for the safe and voluntary return of Somali refugees in Kenya, primarily from Dadaab.
Two maintenance workers and a construction crew at East High School were credited with rescuing the occupant of an East Side house hit by fire Friday morning.

The workers called 911 after noticing smoke coming from the house at 118 N. Fifth St. shortly before 7 a.m., then pulled the man through a side window, Division Chief Tim Mrowiec said.

They played a pivotal role in saving this mans life, Mrowiec said of the quick-thinking workers.

By the time firefighters arrived, the man was lying on the terrace outside while smoke could be seen coming from the house.

Paramedics took the man, who appeared to be responsive, away in a stretcher, while firefighters entered the front of the house and quickly extinguished the flames. His condition was not available.

The cause of the fire, which spread into the walls and ceiling of a room on the first floor, was still being investigated. Damage was estimated at $100,000, Fire Department spokeswoman Cynthia Schuster said.

Mrowiec also credited the Dane County 911 centers new pre-alert system for the departments quick response. The system allows crews to be dispatched to major incidents as soon as the nature of the emergency and the address is known; further details are then learned en route.

East High School maintenance worker Freddie Carter said he and custodian Greg Gersbach noticed the smell of smoke about 6:30 a.m. and went to investigate, first thinking someone had set a fire in a nearby dumpster. They then noticed smoke coming from the house, three doors down from the school.

Joined by three workers helping remodel East High Schools auditorium, the pair went to the side of the house, calling through an open window for anyone inside, Gersbach said.

We heard him kind of moaning and, after pushing in a window fan, kind of halfway reached in and pulled him out, Carter said.

He described the man as barely conscious but breathing.
The son of a Russian lawmaker was found guilty Thursday in the United States on charges of organizing a global hacking ring, in what a prosecutor called one of the most prolific credit card trafficking schemes in history.

Roman Seleznev, son of Russian lawmaker and Vladimir Putin ally Valery Seleznev, was found guilty in a court in Seattle, Washington, after a jury deliberated for less than two days.

The defendant was found guilty of 38 charges, including nine counts of hacking and 10 counts of wire fraud. At his sentencing December 2, he could receive up to 40 years in prison.

His exploits resulted in nearly $170 million in credit card losses, according to prosecutors.

Seleznev's attorney said he was facing similar charges in the U.S. states of Nevada and Georgia. The attorney, John Henry Browne, has vowed to appeal.

Seleznev was charged with running a hacking scheme in which he broke into restaurants' computer systems and stole credit card numbers. Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said during closing arguments Wednesday that Seleznev had run the scheme from his base in Vladivostok, Russia, using several online nicknames.

When he was arrested in the Maldives in 2014, investigators found 1.7 million stolen credit card numbers on his laptop, along with passwords to computer servers.
A senior executive of one of South Korea's largest businesses has been found dead, just hours before he was scheduled to be questioned by prosecutors about allegations of corruption in the Lotte Group, a family-run conglomerate.

Lee In-won, who was 69, was Lotte's vice chairman, the company's highest-ranking executive outside the founding family. His body was discovered near Seoul Friday morning.

South Korean media are reporting the death as a suicide.

Lee had been with the company since 1973.

He was a top aide to Shin Dong-bin who last year beat back a challenge from his older brother, emerging triumphantly as the chairman of the Lotte Group, founded by their 93-year-old father.

Prosecutors raided the Lotte Group's offices in June as part of their investigation about the allegations of fraud. The ongoing investigation forced the company to withdraw its initial public offering in June for its hotel unit that could have raised more than $5 billion.

Besides hotels, the Lotte Group also has chemical and retail businesses.
One week after deadly clashes broke out between Syrian regime forces and Kurdish fighters, residents of the city of Hasaka in northeastern Syria are returning to their homes amid a Russian-brokered truce.

We are really happy that nightmare is over, said Samir Kermeti, a Hasaka resident who stayed in the nearby city of Qamishli during the fighting.

Nearly all of Hasakas 150,000 residents fled to neighboring towns as Syrian bombers attacked Kurdish forces in the city last week. At one point, U.S. fighter jets intervened to protect the Kurds. A further threat of escalation eased as Syrian jets left the area.

Fighting continued on the ground for several days. But it stopped after Russian mediation efforts this week brokered an agreement for a cease-fire and a withdrawal of government troops from most of the city.

The Kurdish-majority city had become a flashpoint as Syrian government warplanes targeted Kurdish fighters. It was the first time since the start of Syrias civil war in 2012 that a Kurdish city was bombed by regime airstrikes.

Protected by US warplanes

In an attempt to stop government airstrikes, the U.S. scrambled aircraft to protect coalition forces, and the Pentagon contacted Russia regarding the situation.

Local residents said the presence of U.S. warplanes helped protect the town and its people.

People felt that they werent alone, said local reporter Evan Hassib. The American warplanes indeed saved us from being bombarded by Assad fighter jets.

Now there is an agreement in place, with the U.S. and Russia involved; people are more comfortable to remain in town, he said.

According to Kurdish commanders, 80 percent of the city is now under the control of the Peoples Protection Units (YPG). The regime only controls the security district, said Idris Ahmed, head of the local Kurdish forces, known as the Asayish.

Regime tried to play ethnic card

Hasaka, a multi-ethnic city, is comprised of Kurds, Arabs and Christians. Tensions have occasionally risen among these groups since the beginning of the countrys civil war.

"The [Syrian] regime's scheme was to play the ethnic card," said Hussein Zedo, a Syrian affairs analyst, adding that the goal was to divide and conquer to reinforce its reign in the city. "But people of Hasaka rose above their differences and overcame the crisis."

Since 2012, the Kurdish enclave has been administrated by local Kurdish forces after government troops largely withdrew to focus on fighting rebels elsewhere. In major cities like Hasaka and Qamishli, however, government and Kurdish groups have been tacitly sharing control.

The two sides have also worked loosely together against Islamic State militants since 2014.
U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura says a resumption of the stalled intra-Syrian peace talks is likely to hinge on the outcome of bilateral talks between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, scheduled for Friday.

The United Nations is aiming to get a third round of Syrian peace talks under way by the end of this month. Two previous rounds have ended in failure.

As this deadline nears, U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura makes no effort to disguise his concern regarding the possible outcome of the meeting between the U.S. and Russian foreign ministers.

Those meetings that are taking place outside this office here in Geneva are going to have an impact certainly on the way we will be, and I plan to present what are the political initiatives of the United Nations in order to relaunch the political process on Syria, de Mistura said.

More than five years of civil war in Syria reportedly have caused the direct or indirect deaths of nearly one-half million people. It has displaced around 11 million people, triggering the biggest refugee crisis in Europe since World War Two.

While there is still some question if the peace talks are on track, de Mistura is repeating his appeal for a 48-hour humanitarian pause in the beleaguered Syrian city of Aleppo.

The U.N. envoy says it is critical the warring parties stop fighting so U.N. aid convoys can reach some 2 million people trapped in Aleppo. He says getting essential supplies into the city will help the political process.

That is why we are very much focused in maintaining our line. We want a pause for 48 hours , de Mistura said. "The Russian Federation replied, 'Yes.' We will wait for others to do the same, but we are ready. Trucks are ready and they can leave anytime we get that message.

U.N. officials say they would like to have a 48-hour pause every week. This, they say, would allow them to send two convoys of 20 trucks each containing enough food for 80,000 people in rebel held east Aleppo. They say simultaneous distributions would take place in government-held west Aleppo.

They note weekly pauses also would allow technicians to repair an electrical plant in southern Aleppo that serves 1.8 million people and a pumping station that provides water to east and west Aleppo.
The U.N. refugee agency has expressed concern that the agreement between the European Union and Turkey to curb the flow of Syrian and other refugees into Europe could unravel.

The EU-Turkey deal looks increasingly shaky as Turkish authorities warn they will pull out unless the European Union keeps its pledge to ease visa restrictions on Turkey.

U.N. refugee agency spokesman William Spindler said the UNHCR is following the situation closely. He told VOA the agency cannot afford to be complacent and has to be prepared for any contingencies.

Although we had some concerns about this deal at the beginning, we do not see any other alternative," he said. "There is no plan B. So, we are very worried that if this situation changes, we might see again ... widespread suffering by people, deaths at sea and so on. So, we do not want to see that repeated.

Spindler accuses the EU of not living up to its commitments. Last September, he notes, the EU agreed to relocate 160,000 refugees in Greece and Italy among 24 member countries. To date, he said, fewer than 4,000 asylum seekers have been relocated.

There is the impression in Europe that this crisis is over because we do not see the images, the horrible images that we saw last year," he said. "... The situation has obviously improved dramatically from last year, but we still need to deal with it.

Last year, more than 1 million refugees and migrants crossed the Mediterranean Sea into Europe. Slightly more than one-quarter of that number has arrived so far this year.

The U.N. Childrens Fund reports a sudden increase in the number of arrivals in Greece. UNICEF spokeswoman Sarah Crowe said hundreds more refugees and migrant children are becoming stranded in Greece, adding to the nearly 27,500 already there.

The most effective tool at a time like this for children who are in limbo, stranded, exposed to risks is really a sense of stability  getting children into the routine of class work, into the routine of learning and into the routine of activities, she said.

Crowe said UNICEF is supporting learning and recreational activities for refugee children in a camp near the Greek capital, Athens. She said education programs also are being scaled up in other camps.
The victory in Jarablus was as stunning as it was swift.

Less than 10 hours after Turkish tanks first crossed the border to meet up with Syrian rebels Wednesday, social media was full of selfies and videos showing the joint force in charge of a ghost town.

Some Islamic State terror group flags and signs still adorned walls and buildings. But as the Syrian rebels marched through the streets, there was little evidence of the hundreds of IS fighters and family members who, according to U.S. military intelligence, were inside of Jarablus before the Turkish operation began.

U.S. officials said it appears the overwhelming majority of them fled.

"ISIL's top priority is its own survival," a U.S. counterterrorism official told VOA on condition of anonymity, using an acronym for Islamic State. "The group has shown it will opt to flee and fight another day when faced with overwhelming force."

Whatever resistance IS fighters may have tried to mount seems to have been minimal, especially compared to the vigorous and desperate defense the group put up in nearby Manbij less than two weeks before.

"This is another important milestone," Pentagon spokesman Peter Cook told reporters Thursday. "ISIL has largely been forced out of the city."

Cook said the town that once was a "focal point for foreign fighter flow," helping to fill IS ranks, finally slipped from the terror group's grasp.

Watch video report from VOA Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb:

Lingering fear

Still, U.S. officials remain uneasy that the fight in both Jarablus and Manbij is not yet over.

"ISIL operates, in part, as an insurgent group which has proven adept at conducting guerrilla-style attacks," said the U.S. counterterrorism official.

Pentagon officials also have raised the possibility that IS fighters could try to infiltrate one or both of their former strongholds. And they noted that in Jarablus, clearing operations for both fighters and IEDs (improvised explosives devices) were still ongoing.

"The Jarablus operation was certainly an anomaly for coalition forces, as ISIS essentially conceded one of its last strategic border towns with Turkey," said Nicholas Glavin, a senior researcher at the U.S. Naval War College's Center on Irregular Warfare and Armed Groups. ISIS is another acronym for the terror group.

"I think ISIS is making a strategic calculation that it cannot hold the same amount of territory effectively as it had just two years ago," he said. "We're learning that ISIS is willing to concede territory and coalesce its efforts toward survival, not expansion or governance."

IS movement

It is a strategy that has worried U.S. officials for months.

Even before the start of the Turkish-led effort to take Jarablus, U.S. military officials were keeping a close eye on IS movements, dedicating extra resources to track the terrorist fighters as they fled Manbij to Jarablus, many trying to protect themselves by using civilians as human shields.

That type of surveillance is unlikely to have stopped. But there is still a high level of concern that IS will find a way to leverage its contacts in the region's black markets and criminal networks to help ferry its fighters out of harm's way.

Some fighters also may find refuge among civilians who sympathize with the group, or who simply remain distrustful of Syrian rebel or Turkish forces.

Just as worrisome to some is the possibility that IS may use to its advantage the tensions between the Turks and the Kurdish forces that took Manbij.

"What Turkey has done is give ISIS the space to regroup," cautioned Michael Pregent, a former intelligence officer now with the Hudson Institute. "They basically halted the Kurdish forces from destroying ISIS."

He said the Turkish takeover of Jarablus was simply too easy, "like dipping your toe in a pool," for the loss not to be an IS concession.

"ISIS certainly benefits from Turkish-Kurdish fighting," said Patrick Skinner, another former intelligence officer.

But Skinner, now with The Soufan Group, a provider of strategic security intelligence services, thinks that even if the terror group is able to buy time and space to regroup, it will not be able to make up for the loss of such a strategic hub.

"Turkey might be in turmoil, but it's more than capable of taking whatever town they want from ISIS along the border region," he said. "It's impossible to completely seal off a border as long and well-traveled as Turkey-Syria, but it's getting closer to being practically closed off."
Call it a long shot.

Republican nominee Donald Trump's campaign continues to try and woo black and Latino voters with whom he is lagging badly in the polls.

Trump, who trails Democrat Hillary Clinton nationally among African-Americans 87 percent to 8 percent  and 73 percent to 22 percent among Hispanics  met privately Thursday with black and Latino Republican activists in his New York campaign headquarters to discuss top concerns among minority communities.

The meeting's participants have launched a six-week get-out-the-vote initiative, to train more than 200 door-to-door volunteers to spread the word of Trump's economic policies, which he calls beneficial to minorities.

In recent stump speeches, Trump has produced a scathing assessment of Clinton's record with black voters, calling her a "bigot" and saying she has "no remorse" for impoverished inner-city communities.

Speaking to a mostly white New Hampshire crowd Thursday, Trump doubled down.

"Every policy Hillary Clinton supports is a policy that has failed and betrayed communities of color in this country, he said. But she just doesn't care; she's too busy raking in cash from the people rigging the system."

What Trump so far has failed to mention are specific policy proposals of his own, instead pointing to a history of welfare and incarceration-reform measures enacted in the 1990s by former President Bill Clinton and supported by the former first lady at the time.

Hillary Clinton, during a rally in Reno, Nevada, fired back at the businessman, whom she called "a man with a long history of racial discrimination."

"It takes a lot of nerve to ask people [who] he's ignored and mistreated for decades, What do you have to lose?' The answer is everything!" she said.

Black activists, for their part, are left asking if Trump cares about their communities, why has he yet to address any minority-led organizations.

"[Trump] made a real spectacle of himself to go to a white community to talk to the black community," said Hazel Dukes, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) New York chapter.

He is "not sincere," she asserted in an interview with VOA, noting that the NAACP had extended an invitation to Trump to speak, which he did not accept.

Many minds made up

In New York's minority communities thus far, Trump's modified stances do not appear to have stuck.

North of Trump Tower, on the other side of Central Park, is a vibrant West Harlem neighborhood called Le Petit Senegal. There, the minds of many of the African diaspora are already made up.

"He's too late," said Oumou Sy, a U.S. citizen from Dakar  proudly dressed in a floral orange-red m'boubou  who runs a salon on West 116th Street. "He cannot convince me  he's just a businessman."

Sy, who has lived in the United States for 26 years, says that in order to change minds in her community, Trump would have to radically change his stance on immigration reform and ensure affordable housing for the country's poorest.

Diouma Gueye, who became a citizen in 2011, agrees with Sy's priorities. She insists that nothing Trump says at this point will change her decision at the polls.

"From the get-go, when he talked about Mexicans and other races or ethnicities, I didn't appreciate that," Gueye said.

WATCH: Residents of Harlem Neighborhood Talk about Trump

Action over words

Nationwide, Sy and Gueye's sentiments echo much of the black community, who want to ensure that the next president  whether Clinton, Trump or a third party candidate  are held accountable for past remarks and future promises.

Benjamin Ndugga-Kabuye, policy analyst at the Black Alliance for Just Immigration (BAJI), told VOA there is reason to be concerned that either candidate might be detrimental to their causes.

"We need someone who  is committed to repealing the 1996 laws that not only created welfare, but also created the mass criminalization system that we have now," Ndugga-Kabuye said. "We don't see Trump willing to do that, or Clinton."

BAJI, a local organization which advocates to end structural racism and systemic discrimination against African-American and black immigrant communities, is dedicated to repealing the 1996 immigration laws enacted by former president Clinton  including mass detention and deportation measures  which they argue have unjustly and lopsidedly affected black immigrants and communities of color for the past two decades.

Ndugga-Kabuye said he believes a Trump presidency would only dovetail with a record of cutting social spending while increasing law and immigration-enforcement measures.

"Ultimately, there is nothing new or interesting about what Trump is saying," Ndugga-Kabuye said, "this is just a continuation of the Bush, Clinton, and Reagan trajectory."

Long history of minority outreach

Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign has placed racial justice as a priority in its policy platform, vowing to reform sentencing laws and fight for comprehensive immigration reform, including an end to private immigrant detention centers.

Eric Foner, American historian and member of The Nation's editorial board, describes Clinton's history with the black community as mixed.

On the one hand, he views the crime bill and welfare reform of the 1990s as disadvantageous to large numbers of blacks, but he says the view of the Clintons is mostly favorable.

"[African-Americans] tend to think positively about the Clinton administration back in the 90s when, in fact, many blacks did benefit from the general prosperity of that period," Foner told VOA.

But most voters, he said, are thinking, "What can you do for me now?"
Combating terrorism will be a top agenda item when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry visits Bangladesh. The South Asian country is still reeling from the July 1 attack  claimed by Islamic State  at a Dhaka cafe, which left 20 hostages dead, 17 of them foreigners. More from VOA correspondent Steve Herman in Washington.
With the stroke of a pen, U.S. President Barack Obama has created the largest sanctuary for ocean life in the world.

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument was created by President George Bush in 2006 and according to the White House, includes "the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Coral Reef Ecosystem Reserve, the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, the Battle of Midway National Memorial, and the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge."

The Monument was already huge, encompassing 362,000 square kilometers of uninhabited land and sea northwest of the big islands that make up most of the state of Hawaii. In the proclamation released today, President Obama nearly quadrupled the amount of protected land to 1.5-million square kilometers, extending the boundaries of the monument, which prohibits fishing or commercial exploitation in an area of 320 kilometers in all directions.

The White House describes the region as rich in biodiversity, home to "more than 7,000 marine species, of which approximately one quarter are unique to the Hawaiian Islands." The region was also chosen for its historic significance.



It is home to a number of sunken U.S. and Japanese planes and ships, including the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, which was sunk during the Battle of Midway in World War II, and is now submerged in nearly 5,000 meters of water. "All told," the White House said, the "area serves as a final resting place for the more than 3,000 people lost during the battle."

In a statement supporting the decision, the environmental group Greenpeace said that sanctuaries like the one Obama created today "have proven to be powerful tools to ensure the health of our oceans." They also urged more expansion of coastal areas in order to help fish stocks rebound.

Not everyone in the region was in favor of the monument's expansion. A number of Hawaii's state legislators sent the president a letter in May opposing the move, saying it would hurt Hawaii's fishing industry.

The latest of many

The expansion of Papahanaumokuakea followed Thursday's declaration of a 35,000 hectare area of land in Maine known as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument. Both designations coincided with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Park Service.



The White House said this "protected area -- together with the neighboring Baxter State Park to the west -- will ensure that this large landscape remains intact, bolstering the forests resilience against the impacts of climate change."
The Clinton Foundation has become the subject of national controversy, but not because Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump did not always admire its charity work.

The Clinton Foundation Programs The Programs The Clinton Foundation runs nine programs and two affiliated programs as nonprofit organizations. Among the more notable ones:  Clinton Health Access Initiative. Established in 2002, the flagship program remains the foundations largest initiative, accounting for 57 percent of total spending in 2014. Working with partner organizations such as the multinational UNITAID, it negotiates lower HIV/AIDS and malaria drug prices and trains health workers in developing countries.  Clinton Global Initiative. Described as a billionaire-studded matchmaking event, CGI links rich donors with social entrepreneurs through an annual summit in New York and other meetings throughout the year. Unlike other movers-and-shakers conferences such as the World Economic Forum, a requirement of attending CGI was to launch a program, partner with other organizations to take on one of these challenges  and the result has been spectacular, said Craig Minassian, the foundations chief communications officer. To date, CGI members have made more than 3,400 "commitments to action," ranging from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation giving $168 million to a malaria vaccine initiative to the Standard Chartered banking group funding 35 eye care projects in 25 countries.  Clinton Climate Initiative. Formed in 2006, CCI runs programs on energy efficiency and forestry with the aim of combating climate change and helping communities adapt to its effects. These include a program to reduce deforestation and forestry degradation in Indonesia, Kenya, Guyana, Tanzania and Cambodia.  Clinton Presidential Center. The center is home to the William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum and the Clinton School of Public Service at the University of Arkansas in Clintons hometown of Little Rock.

Trump recently called the foundation, co-founded in 2002 by Hillary Clinton, Trump's rival in the presidential contest, the most corrupt enterprise in political history. Yet he is listed on the foundations website among donors whove given it $100,000 to $250,000.

The foundation would not disclose when Trump made the donation, but Trumps campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, confirmed it, telling CNN on Wednesday that the foundation does a lot of good work.

While questions remain about whether large donors to the foundation sought favors from Hillary Clinton while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013, charity watchers say the political firestorm is eclipsing the often lifesaving work of the foundation  from fighting childhood obesity in America to providing low-price HIV/AIDS drugs in Africa.

Were it not for the controversy, I think it would be regarded as one of Americas great humanitarian charities, said Daniel Borochoff, president of Charity Watch, an independent charity watchdog based in Chicago.

Charity Watch recently gave the foundation an A rating, based on its financial efficiency, accountability, governance and fundraising costs. Charity Watch rates 600 nonprofits and has given "A" ratings to just over 200.

The brainchild of Bill Clinton, the Clinton Foundation was established the year after the former president completed his two terms in office. It was later rebranded as the Bill, Hillary & Chelsea Clinton Foundation. As vice chair of the foundation's board, Chelsea Clinton, the Clintons' daughter, serves as a driving force behind the organization's programs.

I wanted to continue working in areas I had long cared about, where I believed I could still make an impact, Bill Clinton said in an open letter Monday on the future of the foundation.

Those areas have included climate change, economic development, empowering girls and women, and global health and wellness.

Still best known for fighting AIDS in Africa, the Clinton Foundation has grown from small offices in New York City's Harlem and Little Rock, Arkansas, with a staff of 18 people into a global charity spanning four continents and dozens of countries, with 2,000 employees, 11 core programs and a focus on five key issue areas. The bulk of the work is carried out through partnerships with other organizations, such as the multinational health initiative UNITAID on HIV/AIDS.

Measured by spending, the foundation's most important activity remains health, with its flagship Clinton Health Access Initiative accounting for 57 percent of total spending in 2014.

A misnamed charity

Often confused with a grant-making private foundation, the New York-headquartered Clinton Foundation has been criticized  unfairly, it says  for giving very little to charity. Yet, the organization functions more like a public charity than a private foundation. Unlike a private foundation, which mainly distributes grants, it relies heavily on donations and grants from other sources, which it spends directly on programs.

All of the things it takes to run our programs and help people, we do on our own, Craig Minassian, the foundations chief communications officer, said in an interview with VOA.

According to Minassian, 88 percent of the foundations annual spending  in 2014, it was $250 million  goes into implementing programs ranging from hiring health workers to training entrepreneurs.

The industry standard, according to Borochoff of Charity Watch, is 75 percent.

The foundation gives grants in only very limited circumstances, according to another foundation official.

Core issue areas

From negotiating low HIV/AIDS test and treatment prices for poor African countries to supporting female entrepreneurs in Peru to reducing beverage calories consumed by American students, the Clinton Foundations programs and initiatives read like any deep-pocketed, well-connected do-gooders wish list.

But the foundation says it focuses on five key issue areas: improving global health; increasing opportunities for girls and women around the world; reducing childhood obesity in the United States; creating economic opportunity and growth; and helping communities address the effects of climate change.

Regional focus

The foundation works in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean, and, for the past decade, the United States. A major geographic focus of the foundation remains Africa, where it runs HIV/AIDS testing and medication programs in sub-Saharan countries, and agriculture and climate projects in the East African countries of Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania. In Latin America and the Caribbean, it manages economic development projects in Haiti, Peru and Colombia. In the United States, since 2005, it has run programs on children's health, energy efficiency and prescription drug abuse reduction.

Where it gets its money

To date, the foundation has raised an estimated $2 billion in grants and donations. In 2014, the foundation had $338 million in revenue, including $218 million in contributions, $114 million in grants and $6 million in other revenue.

It says it has 330,000 donors and that 90 percent of its donations came in amounts of $100 or less. Among other major donors, it has received contributions of more than $25 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and six other foundations.

But the foundation has also been criticized for accepting  and not always disclosing  donations from foreign governments, organizations and individuals. Among major foreign donors have been the governments of Norway, Australia, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany and Kuwait. On August 9, Judicial Watch, a conservative website, reported on a 2009 email in which a Clinton Foundation executive directed top aides to Hillary Clinton to put a major foundation donor in touch with the State Departments substance person on Lebanon.

Impact

Like other nonprofits, the Clinton Foundation claims to have a dramatic impact. It cites among its successes:

 11.5 million people in more than 70 countries have access to deeply discounted HIV/AIDS medications.

 105,000 farmers in Malawi, Rwanda and Tanzania have received climate-smart agronomic training, leading to higher yields and improved market access.

 More than 31,000 American schools are providing 18 million children with healthy food choices in an effort to eradicate childhood obesity.

 Members of the Clinton Global Initiative community have made more than 3,500 commitments to action, improving the lives of over 430 million people in 180 countries.

Minassian said the foundation's impact is verifiable.

Were very rigorous about data to measure impact, he said.

But not everything the Clinton Foundation has undertaken has aided its intended beneficiaries. As The Washington Post reported in June, the foundations work in Haiti has been a mix of success, disappointment and controversy. And Minassian cited a recent internal report that showed 11 percent of commitments made by the CGI community to date have remained unfulfilled, largely because of a lack of funding.

The controversy

The political controversy centers on whether large donors to the foundation sought to buy influence or access to Clinton and her aides while she was secretary of state. A recent investigation by the Associated Press showed that more than half the people outside the government who met with Clinton while she was secretary had given money  either personally or through companies or groups  to the foundation.

Clinton has dismissed the report and other accusations of influence buying. Newly released emails show that while some Clinton aides were asked for favors, there is no evidence that they were granted or that Clinton herself was involved.

On Monday, Trump demanded that an independent prosecutor investigate the foundation, saying the FBI could not be trusted to do the job. Several other organizations and media outlets have called for the foundations closure or transfer to another charity.

The future

In response to the growing controversy, Bill Clinton announced this week that he'd step down from the board of the foundation and stop fundraising for the organization and that the foundation would no longer accept foreign donations if his wife won the November presidential election. In addition, the Clinton Global Initiative will cease to operate in September, according to Minassian, adding that it "has achieved its goal."

WATCH: Clinton Foundation Raises Billions to Help People Worldwide

The foundation is looking to current partners to take on some of its programs, but it has no intention of closing immediately, Minassian said.

There is no reason to needlessly hurt people," he said, simply because "were getting political criticism, which has nothing to do with our philanthropic work.
An explosion Thursday evening in Fitchburg destroyed a single-family home, displaced neighbors and sent one man to the hospital.

The 57-year-old homeowner was conscious when he was taken to a hospital with significant injuries, authorities said. He was in critical condition Thursday night, Fitchburg Fire Chief Joe Pulvermacher said.

The home at 5573 Cheryl Drive near South Fish Hatchery Road was a total loss.

Three houses in the neighborhood also sustained major structural damage and may need to be demolished, and 23 other structures had minor to moderate damage, authorities said.

Debris from the explosion spread across South Fish Hatchery Road, which was closed from McKee to Lacy roads. Pulvermacher said the debris scattered more than half a mile from the explosion.

Authorities said that in an effort to preserve as much evidence as possible, as well as ensure the safety of the public, South Fish Hatchery Rd will be closed through the night, with one lane in each direction of re-opening at 6 a.m. Friday.

East Cheryl Parkway and Cheryl Drive (from Research Park Drive to the east to Florann Drive to the west) will continue to be closed to traffic until the investigation has been completed.

The cause of the explosion was not known, but Pulvermacher said gas was still leaking at the scene for hours after the explosion. Madison Gas & Electric was on the scene and brought the gas leak under control, he said, and gas and electricity were shut off to four houses.

Clearly there was a pretty strong smell of gas, said Cathy Fleming of McFarland, who was sitting on the outdoor patio at the nearby Me & Julio restaurant, 2784 S. Fish Hatchery Road, when the explosion occurred around 6:40 p.m.

We just heard a huge explosion, Fleming said. We just jumped up when we heard the explosion. There was debris flying everywhere.

People seated on the crowded patio ran into the restaurant, she said, then came back outside to see what had happened.

Employee Jaime Wagner, 23, was working on the patio at Me & Julio when the explosion occurred. I looked straight ahead of me and the house exploded into pieces. It was like one big boom, Wagner said.

Wagner went inside the restaurant, then went back out to help customers when she said she saw a second explosion.

Lights went out for about a minute, she said.

Deb Grandon and Rita Gillette, who live in Seminole Creek Apartments several blocks from the explosion, said they heard a loud boom and saw a cloud of smoke after the explosion.

At least three families have been displaced, Pulvermacher said. The American Red Cross and Salvation Army are assisting the families.

Fire, EMS and police units from Fitchburg, Verona, and the city and town of Madison responded to the scene.

An investigation is being conducted by Fitchburg police, along with the state Division of Criminal Investigation, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and the state fire marshal.

The Fitchburg Joint Fire/Police Investigation team asks that anyone who would like to report damage from the explosion, including debris, or has information concerning the incident, to please contact the Fitchburg Police Department at 608-270-4300 and leave your name and contact information so someone can follow up.

Anyone who would like to request access to their property should contact Fitchburg police after 11 a.m. Friday with their contact information and personnel will follow up with residents throughout the day.

Residents also can contact Fitchburg police at 608-270-4300 to request shelter assistance. American Red Cross personnel also will also be available at the Fitchburg Community Center, 5510 Lacy Road, on Friday after 8:30 am.

Contact Shelley K. Mesch at (608) 252-6143 or smesch@madison.com. Contact Sandy Cullen at (608) 252-6137 or scullen@madison.com.
Zambias main opposition party, the United Party for National Development (UPND), has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to send a team to the Southern African country to investigate ongoing post-election violence.

The party took the action after UPND leaders, including presidential candidate Hakainde Hichilema and his vice presidential candidate Geoffrey Mwamba, were accused of several human rights violations after the August 11 general election and referendum.

The Zambian-based law firm Lewis Nathan Advocates contacted the office of the prosecutor at the ICC, accusing the two UPND leaders of failing to stop their supporters from attacking partisans of the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) party across the country, mainly in the opposition partys strongholds.

"The ICC should have a fact-finding mission to Zambia and investigate this [election] case," UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma said. "They would actually find out that the culprits are different and not the ones being reported."

Post-election violence

The PF has also accused the UPND supporters of attacking its members, and burning down their shops, homes and property.

The violence occurred after the Electoral Commission of Zambia declared incumbent President Edgar Lungu winner of the presidential poll earlier this month.

However, Kakoma said the governing PF party is to blame for the escalation of violence. We think that it is part of the ruling partys propaganda to try to shift the attention from the petition case, he said, referring to a petition to the Constitutional Court that challenges the election results.

Hichilema, of the opposition party, has re-iterated his call for a meeting with Lungu to help resolve the ongoing post-election violence. He called on religious groups and the international community to arrange the meeting.

But Lungu dismissed the call, saying he would only meet the opposition leader if Hichilema renounces the violence allegedly perpetrated by supporters of the UPND.

Constitutional mandate

Kakoma said Lungu has failed at his core mandate in the constitution, which he says is to protect life and property of all Zambians irrespective of their political affiliations.

We want to meet the president so that he puts a stop to this because he is the commander-in-chief and the police are not doing anything to protect the other citizens except those who are in the ruling party, Kakoma said.

Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court postponed to next week the UPND petition seeking to challenge the outcome of the presidential election. The opposition party, citing voter irregularities, contends that the vote was rigged in favor of Lungu and his ruling party.

The Law Association of Zambia, an umbrella group of the countrys attorneys, has since officially written to the Constitutional Court supporting the UPNDs petition.
Zimbabwe police fired tear gas and water cannons to break up an opposition protest in the capital Harare, despite a court order not to interfere with the demonstration.

The police action led to running battles with protesters who threw rocks at police, burned tires and set market stalls on fire.

The confrontation began Monday when police in riot gear occupied the venue where protesters planned to demonstrate, and told them to leave as they arrived for the march. When some of the protesters refused to comply, police fired tear gas and water cannons.

Morgan Tsvangirai, opposition leader and head of the Movement for Democratic Change, and former Vice President Joice Mujuru led the planned demonstration, a rare occurrence for the country's fractured opposition to join in a single action.

More than 18 opposition parties and civic organizations came together for the planned march, which organizers estimated would draw tens of thousands of people.

"The people's anger is very deep," Tsvangirai said. "Today's brutal suppression of the people will not stop them from exercising their rights."

The opposition coalition has promised to demonstrate again next Friday.

Demonstrators are demanding electoral reforms before 2018 when President Robert Mugabe, who is 92, will seek re-election. Mugabe has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980.
Suspected Zanu PF supporters have allegedly burnt to ashes the homestead of Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) Masvingo youth chairman, Phillip Chingini, as cases of violence rise in Zimbabwe.

Chingini told Studio 7 that his three-bedroomed house was razed to the ground and property worth $9,000 was burnt to ashes.

Chingini said he was accused of mobilizing MDC supporters to attend a party demonstration led by Morgan Tsvangirai in Masvingo city early this month.

This happened two days ago and some hooligans came to my place where my daughter was sleeping alone at around eleven in the evening. They knocked and tried to open the door and failed they torched the house. My daughter later fled. I lost nearly everything.

Chingini said he has made a police report to the police.

MDC-T provincial leader Muranganwa Chanyau said there has been an increase in the number of cases of political violence against members of his party.

We are strongly convinced that it is the Zanu PF culture of perpetrating violence and our youth chairmans house was torched by them. We are saying the police must arrest the culprits.

Zanu PF provincial chairman, Amasa Nenjana, dismissed accusations that his party is responsible for torching the MDC-T members homestead.

We are not in any way responsible. Zanu PF is a serious party and we dont have time to waste engaging in violence against people of little significance like that guy.

Masvingo police declined to comment and referred all the questions to the police headquarters.
The United States says it is troubled by the economic policies and financial strains that have prompted numerous protests in Zimbabwe.

In a statement, the U.S. Embassy said,  We join many Zimbabweans in their deep concern over reports of violence during some of the protests. The United States supports freedoms of speech and assembly and we call on the government of Zimbabwe to exhibit restraint and respect the human rights of all Zimbabwean citizens, including those basic rights.

We urge everyone to engage in non-violent discourse and for all those involved in protests, participants and law enforcement alike to abstain from violence and intimidation and seek peaceful resolutions. Violence is never acceptable.

In the statement, the U.S. Embassy further noted that America is also monitoring recent threats to crack down on activists using social media. We fear these threats will further limit the right of Zimbabweans to exercise freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, which are enshrined in the Zimbabwean Constitution, protected under Zimbabwes international human rights obligations, and core values of any functioning democracy. We support Zimbabweans rights to freedom of speech regardless the venue --- be it in public, through print media, or social media.
Angry protestors are burning tyres and throwing missiles at the police who have opened fire at the demonstrators. It is still unclear how many people have been injured so far and sirens of ambulances can be heard throughout Harare's central business district.

Promise Mkwananzi and Sten Zvorwadza of Tajamuka-Sesijikile Campaign have been arrested, a few days before staging a protest to call President Mugabe to resign.

And suspected Zanu PF youths yesterday burnt to ashes MDC-T youth Masvingo Provincial secretary's homestead in Chiredzi destroying property worth thousands of dollars. The family has been left homeless.

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 Blessing Zulu and Gibbs Dube will be talking with listeners about todays protest and other public demonstrations in Zimbabwe. What are your views on this issue? Participate by sending your messages on our WhatsApp number 001 202 465 0318. Please note that we are livestreaming on all Studio 7 Facebook pages. Stay tuned!!!!!!
Nelson Chamisa, one of the newly-appointed deputy vice presidents of the MDC-T, says he is elated to be given the honour to re-energise his party ahead of the 2018 general elections.

Chamisa says despite the controversy that surrounded his appointment and that of Elias Mudzuri, who joined Thokozani Khupe to deputize Morgan Tsvangirai, everything was done above board.

The MDC-T had to make the necessary constitutional provisions after his appointment to make him a substantive Vice President of the party.

Chamisa becomes one of the youngest people to take up such a high-powered post in the country after also becoming the youngest Member of Parliament at 25 years old when he won the Kuwadza East seat.

He also became the youngest cabinet minister in the Government of National Unity in 2009 when he was appointed technology minister.

Chamisa says his controversial appointment did not faze him and he is ready to take up his new role with the other deputies.

"I am ready to take up my new position and ensure that I galvanize more people especially those in the rural areas to register to vote so that come 2018 elections the vote will not be stolen again, said Chamisa.
[8/26, 4:44 AM (EST), (10:44 - GMT)]; Police use water cannons to disperse protestors near the Sheraton Hotel

[8/26, 5:06 AM]: Protestors barricade roads with stones

[8/26, 5:19 AM]: Police fire gunshots in the air

[8/26, 6:26 AM]: Mwonzora confirms court has given them the go-ahead

[8/26, 6:28 AM]: Police firing teargas despite court order

[8/26, 6:28 AM]: People who were regrouping running away

[8/26, 6:54 AM]: Zimbabwe People First lawyer Gift Nyandoro shows the police the court order

[8/26, 6:55 AM]: Police refuse to receive it and order him to take it to their offices

[8/26, 6:56 AM]: MDC spokesman Obert Gutu says the security situation in Zimbabwe must be tabled at the next Sadc Summit in Mbabane Swaziland

[8/26, 6:57 AM]: Nyandoro says they are going to file another court application

[8/26, 7:00 AM]: Some activists now regrouping in batches around the venue

[8/26, 7:02 AM]: Police intensify firing teargas

[8/26, 7:02 AM]: People attending the Agricultural Show leaving

[8/26, 7:03 AM]: Entire venue now in smoke

[8/26, 7:04 AM]: Prisoners who were coming for court sessions have been returned to jails

[8/26, 7:29 AM]: Protestors burning tyres

[8/26, 7:32 AM]: All shops closed

[8/26, 8:56 AM]: Nigerian embassy windows shattered

[8/26, 8:58 AM]: Protestors put spikes on roads

[8/26, 9:09 AM]: Some anti-riot cops have camped at Zanu PF headquarters

[8/26, 9:10 AM]: Some people being beaten at Zanu PF headquarters

[8/26, 9:31 AM]: Gunshots all over the cbd
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Diane Lane. Illustration: Lauren Tamaki

Nearly 40 years ago, Diane Lane acted in Joseph Papps production of Chekhovs The Cherry Orchard; this fall, at 51, she returns to the play as tragedy-beset heroine Madame Ranevskaya. Though Lane is best known for her sultry onscreen presence, her theater roots run deep: She began acting as a child, with the experimental La MaMa theater in the East Village, and then graduated to musicals, Shakespeare, and Greek drama. While Simon Godwins new production (adapted by The Humans Tony winner Stephen Karam) isnt technically her first time on the Great White Way, this, she says, feels like my Broadway debut.

La MaMa in the 70s must have been a wacky place for a kid.

I was so young that it literally was my world. Life or death for me at, like, 7. I made every mistake there was, whether it was falling asleep backstage or forgetting to pee beforehand. Playing dead is difficult with a full bladder.

When you last did The Cherry Orchard, the cast included Meryl Streep and Raul Julia. Did you have a sense of their talent back then?

Raul was one of the great gentlemen of all time. He would play jacks with me backstage. Meryl was very gracious; one time she allowed me to go into her makeup bag! I feel like Im cheating getting to be in two productions of this play in my lifetime.

Can you describe the feel of Stephen Karams adaptation?

Its alive and accessible, and it conveys everything that is intended to be conveyed. Its not distracting. But adaptation is a slippery slope, right? Language is language, and when you have pentameter and things like that, theres a specific set of obstacles. But this is not poetry were toying with in that regard. Prose is a little more available for adaptation. I think Chekhov would feel quite blessed to have this sort of crisp, sincerely heartfelt filtration system to bring his play to people, and not have it caught in a historical vacuum.

Do I have it right that, for a while, youll be going back and forth between Chekhov and playing Martha Kent as you film Justice League?

I have to fly to London, film Justice League, do rehearsals, fly back, do more Justice League, then come back to rehearsals. Its hard to juggle mentally. Its like saying, Dont pay attention to the salamander in your sandwich. You cant not do it. Like, No, no, thats not supposed to be there! Im basically in denial. Ill do both and do it well, but Ill be glad when that very poor scheduling is behind me. I love Martha Kent, but shes getting awfully close to my Madame Ranevskaya, and thats a bit confounding.

*This article appears in the August 22, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.
Photo: Courtesy of Netflix

Shaolin Fantastic doesnt just walk into a scene  he flies. He leaps off of buildings, swings around fence poles, bounces off of refrigerators, and flips into a crowd before starting a B-boy dance battle. For the better part of the first episode of Netflixs The Get Down, hes glimpsed only in snatches: red sneakers, a hat, a cloud of dust. More than any other character in The Get Down, Shaolin (played by Shameik Moore) embodies the journeyman. Hes the kung fu warrior, someone with nothing more than his hands and feet and wits to hustle his way to the top. As Dead Prez rapped, They say karate means empty hands, so then its perfect for the poor man.

Bruce Lees legacy is everywhere in The Get Down, from the music to the Bruce Lee belt Shaolin wears to the master-student dynamic that runs throughout the show. Dude, that Hong Kong cinema was synonymous with everything back then, Rich Talauega  who with his brother, Tone, choreographed The Get Down  told me on the phone. Tone added, Especially with the communities that didnt have a lot. They resorted to that as inspiration and utilized that in their everyday life.

In the 1960s, Bruce Lee was best known in Hollywood for playing Kato in The Green Hornet, the sidekick to Britt Reid. It wouldnt be until the early 70s that Lee would enter the cultural Zeitgeist by way of China. After the show ended in 1967, Lee shopped around his passion project, a television show called The Warrior, which his wife Linda Lee Cadwell later said was stolen by Warner Brothers and repackaged as Kung Fu starring David Carradine. So instead, Bruce Lee left for Hong Kong, where he made a string of classic kung fu films starting with The Big Boss in 1971, before his sudden death just ahead of the release of Enter the Dragon, a Hong Kong-American production, in 1973. Thats when he became an international legend.

Whats funny is he slapped Hollywood upside the face, because he made Hollywood come to him, said Rich. Man, us brown people, us black people, we found a hero that superseded the pale-faced Hollywood media. Bruce was like, You know what? Im Chinese, Im brown, and I can whip your ass. Coming on the heels of the black radicalism of the 60s, Bruce Lees importance as a cultural figure in the U.S. had deep political resonance: Both as a character and as an actor, he had a philosophy of self-reliance and discipline that resonated with the messages of the black power movement.

As Bruce Lees films skyrocketed in popularity, hip-hop was in its nascent stages in New York. Those involved in the creation of the movement would go to cheap Times Square movie houses that often played kung fu films, and martial arts moves were eventually absorbed into the rising B-boying, a.k.a. break dancing, vocabulary. Enter the Dragon provided the blueprint for much of what would come, because it was arguably the first movie that brought martial arts and blaxploitation together  two genres that influenced hip-hop and would continue to intermingle throughout the 70s. Kung fu provides a nonwhite, non-Western template for fighting superiority, Nelson George, who was a supervising producer on The Get Down, writes in Hip Hop America. The flying, leaping, spinning angels and devils  are yellow men who awed us with their ability. And there was no one more awesome than Bruce Lee, the diminutive giant of the genre.

The Talauegas wanted the choreography for Shaolin Fantastic to show that kung fu wasnt just a nostalgic touchstone, but a key ingredient to making B-boy culture what it is. B-boying is the epitome of pop-cultural dance, because they took, unbeknownst and knowingly, stuff from the Nicholas Brothers, from Bruce Lee, from kung fu theater, from 70s gang culture, all this stuff, they put it in a pot, mixed it up, and made some gumbo and everybody liked it, said Rich. If it wasnt for Hong Kong cinema, hip-hop street-dancing culture would be a bit different, added Tone. For instance, the Talauegas recalled how kung fu filtered into how they played as kids. All the Shaw Brother films, Bruce Lee films, was escapism for us in the hood, said Rich. Subconsciously, after we watched that, we literally went outside and imitated and pantomimed what we saw from China.

The same sense of drive and purpose that courses through a kung fu movie propels The Get Down, too. The standard kung fu narrative has the protagonist seeking revenge or righting a wrong, but in order to do so, he must also practice his craft. The good guy, you see his journey throughout the whole film: Im gonna get better, said Rich. Look at how B-boys do each other. In order to be amazing as a B-boy, theres copious amounts of practice. The idea of practice is hammered in repeatedly in The Get Down: Shaolin and Books (Justice Smith) could have had an aha moment with the purple crayon, for example, but the series takes pains to show us its a technique to be mastered, not a wonder drug that grants you abilities.

The narrative arc for Shaolin Fantastic also mirrors that of many a classic kung fu flick: Hes an outsider challenging the system and he has a mentor in the form of Grandmaster Flash. Moreover, he has a code. He might hustle; he might sell drugs, but he wouldnt sell out his honor or betray Grandmaster Flash. Hes loyal to his tribe. Its a parallel to how Bruce Lee conquered the world and made everybody look at and respect Asians from a different perspective, said Rich. Shaolins journey is a heros journey: He wants to be the king. Hes going to make it because he has nothing else.
John Goodman, Nathan Lane, and John Slattery. Photo: Brigitte Lacombe

Two stars of The Front Page, Nathan Lane and John Slattery, are in the back room of a Chelsea Italian joint waiting for a third, John Goodman. He was in a car right behind us, Lane says before shrugging, ordering a Chardonnay, and settling in to reminisce with Slattery about a play, The Lisbon Traviata, that they did together back in 1989. Nathan was the toast of the town  I mean, it was a hilarious part, says Slattery. And I was naked. I made my New York theater debut naked. It was horrifying. Soon, the pair  now joined at dinner by Goodman, whos had a preprandial smoke  will again team up and begin rehearsals for their revival of The Front Page, a 1928 play by Ben Hecht and Charles MacArthur about a band of salty newspapermen waiting for a hanging, reveling in gallows humor, and making up headlines as they go.

Nathan Lane: Im the one who sort of got this going. [Producer] Scott Rudin said, Is there a play youd like to do? and I suggested The Front Page. Its a classic American comedy of the 20th century  some people say the American comedy. As Tennessee Williams famously said, It was the play that uncorseted the American theater, because it was rather profane and outrageous for 1928. Its also the Rosetta stone of plays about newspapers. And the media today still feels like, Oh yeah, if I dont have a story, Ill make one up.

John Slattery: Part of the issue with trusting the media now is that its as partisan as politics. You know, you watch Fox News or you watch CNN 

John Goodman: You read the Post or the Times.

Slattery: You get the news you want to hear. Look at this election: If you adamantly state something as the truth, it remains the truth until someone comes on the next day and says, Thats totally untrue.

Lane: Why struggling people think this so-called billionaire is going to look out for them, or the middle class, is ludicrous.

Slattery: Trump doesnt even believe the stuff he says 

Lane: No. Hes improvising.

Goodman: Were sitting here talking about him, wasting a perfectly good meal!

Lane: Lets change the subject then. Hecht and MacArthur lived in this era of journalism. They were both reporters in Chicago, and so the play has a very authentic feel. Oh, the poor press!

Goodman: When I was doing Roseanne, she was a magnet for the tabloids. I was collateral damage. Id walk out of a place with a friend of mines girlfriend  he was behind us  and they had me leaving my wife on the front page. Every five years, they say Im dying. I dont like to read my own interviews anyway, cause I sound like a horses ass.

Slattery: I feel the same way.

Lane: Well, I had a big interview, and the interviewer I knew very well, and the notion was we were going to talk honestly about things and it wasnt going to be a puff piece. And then she told me the editor had said, Go darker, darker. So the article made me out to be bipolar. I mean, people wrote me and said 

Goodman: Nathans on the roof again.

Lane: You need medication. It was ridiculous  the darkest sad-clown story ever. And the first thing I said to her was, Please dont write the sad-clown story, that Im the funny guy whos sad, because if we start to talk about my childhood  you know, I had a rather tragic, Irish Catholic childhood  but we all have our pains and our sorrows. Please dont make it that. And it became the utmost version of that.

Goodman: I did a New York Times Magazine interview in a bar. Not smart.

Slattery: Never a good idea.

Lane: Well, if were talking about bad ideas, I did an interview with Brian Dennehy in a bar.

Goodman: Oh, Lordy.

Grooming by Melissa Dezarate for Exclusive Artists Management using Chanel Cosmetics.

*This article appears in the August 22, 2016 issue of New York Magazine.
The actual cover of Tampa.

Harmony Korine is working on an adaptation of Alissa Nuttings Tampa, the filmmaker told the crowd at the Miami Beach Cinematheque according to the Playlist. The novel, which concerns a 26-year-old middle-school teachers attempts to seduce the 14-year-old boy of her dreams, is so perfectly Korinian that Slate once begged Hollywood to hire him to direct the movie version. (Who ever said that #content cant accomplish anything?) Korine suggested the film might air on HBO, which would fill the inappropriately sexual student-teacher gap left by the ending of Girls.
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The 2016 Emmy race is underway, and Vulture will take a close look at the contenders until the awards on September 18.

After five seasons on Veep, its hard to imagine anything could keep Julia Louis-Dreyfus up at night. But the actress, who is also an executive producer on the show, was terrified about the series fifth season in the wake of creator Armando Iannuccis departure and the series production move from Baltimore to L.A. The show ultimately proved impervious to these potentially tone-killing changes: Veep nabbed a whopping 16 Emmy nominations this year, including outstanding comedy series, outstanding supporting actors and actress (Tony Hale, Matt Walsh, and Anna Chlumsky), and another for the leading lady behind comedys most woefully ambitious politica, Selina Meyer. Here, Louis-Dreyfus shares why she thinks Veep achieved a rare seamless leadership transition, how the political comedy maintains a crucial fantasy element, and the mind-fuckery of being back at Saturday Night Live with her pal  and 2016 Emmy nominee  Larry David.

Have you had a nice summer?

Its been pretty good! Actually, I dont even remember now. Our writers room is up and running now for season six, so Im back into Veep land.

I recently re-watched season five and it confirmed my initial reaction that the series was much darker and dirtier this year. Was this an intentional shift?

Good, Im glad to hear that! It actually wasnt what we were going for, but Im assuming you like darker and dirtier?

Naturally. But it only makes sense that the show would evolve tonally seeing as you had two major changes this season in David Mandel replacing Armando Iannucci and the show moving its production from Baltimore to Los Angeles. How challenging were these transitions?

First and foremost, I went into this season absolutely adamant about preserving and protecting what we had done up to that point. I will admit to you that I was somewhat terrified because there were so many changes afoot. Not only did we move the show to California, but we had a new showrunner. I felt a lot of responsibility to protect what we had created and took it all very personally. Id worked with Dave in the past, but handing over the reins to a new person always involves a lot of risk  and almost a whole new writing staff. Some of our U.K. writers stayed onboard, but the majority were new. But I think Dave hit it out of the park.

What are the biggest differences you see between David and Armando as writers and producers?

They are both ferociously funny writers. Theyre also both very politically astute and have a great sense of government, politics, and history, which are vital qualities for this show. But I would say Dave is more about outlines and really mapping out where were headed. This probably comes from having worked with Larry David for years on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Hes used to tackling a lot of story in a tight 29 minutes. Whereas I think Armando was very comfortable with not being entirely sure where we were headed; having a more organic feeling about it. There was something delightful about that process as well. Both approaches have good things about them. Does that make sense?

Yes and they both worked, which is incredibly rare when you consider all the moving parts  on- and offscreen  for a show like this. For example, you no longer had access to all that great, stately east coast and Washington, D.C., architecture. How did you work to preserve the look of the series?

We were very cognizant of the fact that nothing could shift visually in a way that would take you out of the show. If all of a sudden youre saying Wait, that doesnt look like D.C., then weve got a problem. First of all, we kept the same set designer, Jim Gloster whos been nominated for an Emmy multiple times and is an incredible artist. Another thing was: We never shot anything exterior during the day in California to stand in for the East Coast because the light is so different there. We shot in California for the scenes in Nevada, but spent two weeks back east shooting at the end of our season to fill in all the holes.

What was the impact of creating season five during this, lets say, incredibly tumultuous and absurd political climate? Are you consciously pulling inspiration from the news or always trying to maintain this somewhat fantastical version of reality?

Weve always got an eye on whats happening currently. Thats for certain. But we very deliberately created an alternate universe on our show so that number one, were not parodying any single person. Were not going to have Wolf Blitzer or Katie Couric come on the show and play themselves. We need to stay in this pretend world. And number two, we dont identify political parties in the show. Im trying to think of the most current, real historical person that we referenced. I want to say maybe Ford or Nixon? And we made one Jimmy Carter joke, but that was it. We dont go beyond that, and thats very deliberate so everybody can come to this party and have a laugh.

After playing Selina Meyer for five seasons, have you found yourself becoming more or less like her in ways that you didnt at the beginning?

I would like to think Im a nicer, kinder person than she is. If I hadnt grown out of my toddler years, Selina Meyer is who I would be today. (Laughs.) But like her, I am ambitious and do like being called Madam President. I can say that I would like for people to always call me that. Its very lovely. Its feminine and also it has authority to it all at the same time.

It definitely implies elegant authority.

Elegant authority, yes, thank you! But of course, shes really not anything like me  but a delight to explore as a character. It is just a fucking gas-and-a-half.

Nailing the character the way you do must mean youre constantly hit up for your thoughts on the presidential race. Do you decline to share your opinions?

I am hit up a lot. And, yes. Whats really interesting is that Ill do interviews and all of a sudden I feel like Im on the MacNeil/Lehrer Report, which is just not my deal, man. I will say I am a tried-and-true Democrat and will certainly be voting for Hillary this fall.

Another bonus to your shooting in Los Angeles was that your husband, Brad Hall, was nearby to direct an episode in season five.

He did! He directed Cuntgate.

I saw that and I thought, How sweet for them work on such a romantic episode together.

(Laughs.) I know. It just so happened that was the one, and so very apropos that he got to direct me in an episode entitled Cuntgate, its perfect.

Youve been longtime collaborators, from Saturday Night Live to Watching Ellie. What was it like to work with him in this particular setting?

It was absolutely fantastic. He knows the show backwards and forwards. He knows the style, the look and what were going for, and he knew the process. You know, we do a lot of rehearsal and a lot of stuff comes out of rehearsal thats folded into the script, and he was aware of that. So it was like he was a new director coming onboard, but he was a new director who wasnt a new director in a sense. Hes spent a lot of time on set and watched a lot of stuff with me in the edit and all the rest.

Now that youre working back home in L.A., how do you like to spend your downtime in ways that you couldnt back east?

I love hiking in the Santa Monica Mountains and in Santa Barbara. Apart from almost stepping on a rattlesnake the other day, its a very relaxing way to be outdoors and get exercise. (Laughs.)

Another highlight for your fans this year was seeing you return as host of SNL in April, and watching you play Elaine Benes in the cold opening with your pal Larry David in his now Emmy-nominated guest stint as Bernie Sanders. The two of you were on staff together at SNL in the 80s. How surreal was it to back together at 30 Rock?

It was unbelievable. I knew he was doing it, but it hadnt occurred to me how surreal it was to be standing in Studio 8H together again after, how many years? Thirty years? Look where our lives had led us. The whole thing was mind-fuckery but in a wonderful way. Good mind-fuckery.

And unlike 30 years ago, Larry actually got a sketch on the air.

(Laughs.) Yeah, exactly. Unlike 30 years ago, he was shown a little respect. And, frankly, so was I, so that was a nice thing.
From The Layover, at Second Stage. Photo: Joan Marcus

In adapting Daphne du Mauriers dour novella The Birds for the movies, Alfred Hitchcock instructed his screenwriter to start the story with some screwball comedy in order to heighten the terror when it came. I think, but cannot be sure, that Leslye Headland is going for a similar effect in her Hitchcock homage The Layover, which opened tonight at Second Stage. Because this is 2016, the screwball element is reconfigured as rom-com: The play opens with two attractive professionals meeting-cute on an American Airlines flight stuck on the runway at OHare. Dex is an engineer with a high-strung fiancee waiting for him in New York; Shellie teaches American crime fiction at Hunter. In fact, when Dex interrupts her, Shellie is reading a thick James Ellroy; over drinks at the airport Marriott when the flight is later cancelled, she rhapsodizes about Patricia Highsmith, whose novel Strangers on a Train Hitchcock also adapted. We see bits of the 1951 movie projected on Mark Wendlands sleek set.

I forbear to go into detail beyond that; you already know that this cannot be quite as it seems. (Does anyone teach American crime fiction at Hunter?) And sure enough, following Hitchs rules, the levity soon gives way to dread; as soon as Dex and Shellie part the next morning, having spent a snowbound night together at the Marriott, the rom-com train derails, taking the play with it.

We now get a gloss on Strangers on a Train, whose brilliant premise was that two men with murderous grudges trade the task of carrying them out, producing a pair of motiveless and thus almost unsolvable crimes. Headlands version is basically metaphorical: Dex doesnt want to kill his fiancee, just dump her; Shellie, too, has a situation she cant resolve on her own. Unfortunately, once we are on this metaphorical plane, nothing in the plane of reality makes sense. The plot becomes etiolated as it scrambles after excuses for itself, and, worse, the characters, constantly reshaped to support a crumbling conceit, wind up resembling, despite the best efforts of the actors Adam Rothenberg and Annie Parisse, no human form. Under Trip Cullmans direction, the supporting cast, given some truly vile material to carry off, doesnt.

Headland is smart, and writes snappy scenes. The opening is a model of its type. But the Hitchcock-ian concept, compounded by its weak execution, reveals a problem: a greater interest in ideas than in people. Its telling that Headland has for several years been writing a septet of plays meant to address the seven deadly sins. Bachelorette, which Second Stage produced at its uptown venue in 2010  and which Headland adapted and directed for film in 2012  represented gluttony, not only with its wedding theme and substance abuse but with its toothsomely vicious dialogue. Greed, sloth, and wrath have also been covered, in plays not yet seen here. The Layover does not appear to be part of the sequence but possibly represents an eighth deadly sin, unrecognized by the ancients: overreaching. Its what happens when a playwright tries too hard, and not enough.

The Layover is at Second Stages Tony Kiser Theatre through September 18.


WASHINGTON  Bernie Sanders never understood the epic quality of the Clinton scandals. In his first debate, he famously dismissed the email issue, it being beneath the dignity of a great revolutionary to deal in things so tawdry and straightforward.

Sanders failed to understand that Clinton scandals are sprawling, multilayered, complex things. They defy time and space. They grow and burrow.

The central problem with Hillary Clintons emails was not the classified material. It wasnt the headline-making charge by the FBI director of her extreme carelessness in handling it.

Thats a serious offense, to be sure, and could very well have been grounds for indictment. And it did damage her politically, exposing her sense of above-the-law entitlement and  in her dodges and prevarications, her parsing and evasions  demonstrating her arms-length relationship with the truth.

But it was always something of a sideshow. The real question wasnt classification but: Why did she have a private server in the first place? She obviously lied about the purpose. It wasnt convenience. It was concealment. What exactly was she hiding?

Was this merely the prudent paranoia of someone who habitually walks the line of legality? After all, if she controls the server, she controls the evidence, and can destroy it  as she did 30,000 emails  at will.

But destroy what? Remember: She set up the system before even taking office. Its clear what she wanted to protect from scrutiny: Clinton Foundation business.

The foundation is a massive family enterprise disguised as a charity, an opaque and elaborate mechanism for sucking money from the rich and the tyrannous to be channeled to Clinton Inc. Its purpose is to maintain the Clintons lifestyle (offices, travel, accommodations), secure profitable connections, produce favorable publicity and reliably employ a vast entourage of retainers, ready to serve today and at the coming Clinton Restoration.

Now we learn how the whole machine operated. Two weeks ago, emails began dribbling out showing foundation officials contacting State Department counterparts to ask favors for foundation friends. Say, a meeting with the State Departments substance person on Lebanon for one particularly generous Lebanese-Nigerian billionaire.

Big deal, said the Clinton defenders. Low-level stuff. No involvement of the secretary herself. Until  drip, drip  the next batch revealed foundation requests for face time with the secretary herself. Such as one from the crown prince of Bahrain.

To be sure, Bahrain, home of the Fifth Fleet, is an important Persian Gulf ally. Its crown prince shouldnt have to go through a foundation  to which his government donated at least $50,000  to get to the secretary. The fact he did is telling.

Now, a further drip: The Associated Press found that over half the private interests who were granted phone or personal contact with Secretary Clinton  85 of 154  were donors to the foundation. Total contributions? As much as $156 million.

Current Clinton response? There was no quid pro quo.

What a long way weve come. This is the very last line of defense. Yes, its obvious access and influence were sold. But no one has shown definitively that the donors received something tangible of value  a pipeline, a permit, a waiver, a favorable regulatory ruling  in exchange.

Its hard to believe the Clinton folks would be stupid enough to commit something so blatant to writing. Nonetheless, there might be an email allusion to some such conversation. With thousands more emails to come, who knows what lies beneath.

On the face of it, its rather odd that a visible quid pro quo is the bright line for malfeasance. Anything short of that  the country is awash with political money that buys access  is deemed acceptable. As Donald Trump says of his own donation-giving days, when I need something from them ... I call them, they are there for me. This is considered routine and unremarkable.

Its not until a Rolex shows up on your wrist that you get indicted. Or you are found to have dangled a Senate appointment for cash. Then, like Rod Blagojevich, you go to jail. (He got 14 years.)

Yet we are hardly bothered by the routine practice of presidents rewarding big donors with cushy ambassadorships, appointments to portentous boards or invitations to state dinners.

The bright line seems to be outright bribery. Anything short of that is considered  not just for the Clintons, for everyone  acceptable corruption.

Its a sorry standard. And right now it is Hillary Clintons saving grace.
Waco Civic Theatre performers will present a MisCast Cabaret concert at 7 and 9:30 p.m. Friday at the Waco Hippodrome, 724 Austin Ave.

The show will feature actors performing songs by characters they would never be fit to play onstage  be it due to gender, race, age, or other characteristics.

Musical numbers will include Baylor visiting lecturer Lauren Weber performing Alexander Hamilton from Hamilton and Erin Shephard performing I Believe from The Book of Mormon and many more.

Cost is $10.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visit http://bit.ly/2bo1UGC.

Arts diversity panel

Baylor Theatre will host a panel discussion about The Current State and Future of Cultural Diversity in the Arts at 3:30 p.m. Friday at Mabee Theater in Baylor Universitys Hooper-Schaefer Fine Arts Center, 60 Baylor Ave.

Panelists will include actor and director Sheila Tousey; actor and director James Yaegashi; actor and playwright Dael Orlandersmith; and theater educator and advocate Brisa Munoz.

Sam Henderson, a Baylor Theatre actor and lecturer, will moderate the free event.

For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2bEv47s.

Car show, carnival

Valley Mills Cub Scout Pack 480 will have a car show and carnival fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday at the Valley Mills First Baptist Church, 302 Ave. C.

The car show is open entry for classic cars or any model. Entry fee is $20.

Peoples choice and best-in-show awards will be announced at 7 p.m.

The carnival will feature a dunking booth, games, a snow cone booth, food vendors and more.

For more information, call Robert Pruett at 424-8819.

Elm Creek boil notice

Elm Creek Water Supply Corp. issued a boil-water notice Wednesday for its customers who reside on East Stockton Road, from Porter Road and proceeding west on Stockton Road for about 1 mile.

The order was issued after a water line break.

For more information, call 853-3838.

Giveaway event

Zion Hill Baptist Church will have a giveaway event for clothes, shoes, housewares and other essentials from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Kate Ross Neighborhood Center, 1115 Cleveland St.

For more information, call 717-9218 or 224-1717.

HOT Storytelling Guild

The HOT Storytelling Guild will meet from 10:30 a.m. to noon Saturday at the South Waco Library, 2737 S. 18th St.

For more information, call 717-1763.

Submit items for Briefly to Briefly, P.O. Box 2588, Waco 76702-2588; fax to 757-0302.
President Barack Obamas visit to flood-ravaged Louisiana didnt assuage those critics who lambasted him for his failure to come earlier, but he didnt expect it to. As he noted while there, This is not a photo-op issue. This is how do you make sure that (months) from now, people still are getting the help that they need?

The president has learned to live with the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune  as well as the outrageous accusations of his arrow-slinging detractors. It goes with the territory.

Still, its no surprise that Republican nominee Donald Trump attempted to gain electoral advantage over Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, an Obama ally, by visiting Louisiana before the president did. Trump gained positive press coverage and accolades, not only from his GOP allies, but also from a stalwart Democrat, Louisiana native James Carville.

Donald Trump came  thank you, Donald Trump. He gave $100,000 to a church in Greenwell Springs. It was very effective, Carville said in an appearance on Fox News.

But those who are genuinely concerned about the catastrophe in southern Louisiana ought to be grateful to the president for his leadership on at least one issue: climate change. (They should also be grateful for a well-run, high-functioning Federal Emergency Management Agency, but thats another column.) While the experts rarely link a single event to global warming  and climate scientists have not said that it caused the devastating Louisiana floods  they point to increased rainfall and flooding as a likely result of a warmer climate.

As president, Obama has done more to mitigate climate change than any of his predecessors. Unable to budge a recalcitrant Congress, he nevertheless has managed to push through tightened vehicle emissions standards as well as stricter regulations for coal-fired power plants. He also helped lead the successful effort to secure a global agreement to reduce carbon emissions.

Trump, by contrast, has joined up with the flat-earth Republican chorus that insists climate change is a hoax. As the imaginative GOP nominee once tweeted: The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive.

Tell that to the Californians who are suffering through the fifth year of a severe drought  with not only acute water shortages, but also devastating wildfires. Tell that to the Brazilians and Central Americans who are living through the Zika epidemic, believed to be spread by mosquitoes, which breed more easily in a warming climate. Tell that to the leaders of the Marshall Islands, who worry that their nation may not exist in a few decades because of rising oceans caused by warmer temperatures.

Climatologists say the 10 hottest years on record have all occurred since 1998. Last year took the medal for all-time high, but scientists now believe 2016 will best that record.

Warmer temperatures lead not only to more devastating droughts, but also, counter-intuitively, to more rainfall in certain areas. Thats because warmer air is capable of holding more moisture.

By any measure, the rainfall and resulting flooding that struck a wide swath of southern Louisiana earlier this month was historic. The storm occurred over several days and didnt attract the attention that meteorologists give to major weather events such as Hurricane Katrina.

But experts are calling it the worst natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy hit the Northeast in 2012. (The damage from Sandy was also exacerbated by climate change, which created more flooding because of rising oceans.) Neighborhoods believed to be safely outside the floodplain were inundated with water. Tens of thousands of people have been left homeless, and more than a dozen were killed.

And while Louisiana has seen the worst flooding of late, its not the only state that has suffered. Five other states  Texas, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Maryland and Virginia  have all experienced severe flooding in the last 15 months. Those hundred-year events are coming with increasing frequency.

Trump, like his fellow Republicans, will continue to deny that climate change has anything to do with the severe weather events that just keep on coming. His visit to Louisiana, then, is much like the rest of his campaign: an episode from an un-reality show.
The civil rights violation lawsuits filed by bikers arrested after the Twin Peaks shootout will remain in Austin but must wait to proceed until after the criminal cases are disposed of, a federal judge in Austin ruled.

U.S. District Judge Sam Sparks, in separate orders filed Wednesday, denied a motion from McLennan County District Attorney Abel Reyna and other civil suit defendants to transfer the civil cases from Sparks Austin court to a federal judge in Waco.

Sparks also granted a defense motion to stay all proceedings in the 15 civil lawsuits until after the Twin Peaks criminal matters are resolved.

Fifteen bikers, arrested along with more than 160 others after the deadly May 17, 2015, shootout at Twin Peaks, have filed lawsuits in Sparks court claiming they were arrested unlawfully.

Eight of the 15 plaintiffs are not among the 154 bikers who have been indicted on identical engaging in organized criminal activity charges, and three of those eight allege in their lawsuits they hadnt arrived in Waco yet when the shootout occurred.

Besides Reyna, the civil lawsuits name former Waco Police Chief Brent Stroman, Waco Detective Manuel Chavez and an unknown state trooper as defendants.

No trial dates have been set for the criminal cases.

In his ruling to stay the civil proceedings, Sparks noted that the plaintiffs alleged claims and criminal charge are so closely interrelated that resolving the civil claims may impugn any conviction. . . . Most importantly, plaintiffs civil claims challenge the legality of his arrest, which may directly implicate or invalidate any conviction in his criminal case.

Dallas attorney Don Tittle, who represents the 15 bikers in Sparks court, argued against staying the civil suits, saying a number of his clients are not facing pending indictments and it could take years before all the criminal cases are resolved.

While we may have to wait a little longer for accountability than we had hoped, we respect the judges decision to put these cases on hold for now, Tittle said. My goal was to establish venue in Austin for the civil cases, and we did just that. Once the criminal cases are resolved, justice is going to come for Mr. Reyna and company in the form of an Austin federal court jury. The court recognized that Twin Peaks is not a Waco issue, but one affecting communities throughout Texas where detained or arrested bikers reside.

Sparks suggested at the hearing that Reyna has a conflict of interest in prosecuting the cases because the civil lawsuits have created for him a financial interest in the outcomes of the criminal cases.

Calling the scenario a Catch-22 situation, the judge wondered aloud how the criminal cases could proceed until Reyna is replaced by a special prosecutor.

Thats the reason I called this little powwow, Sparks said, according to a transcript of the hearing. Here, weve got lawsuits wherein the chief of police, policemen and the district attorney are sued, which would normally mean that I cant do anything in this case until the criminal case is over. And I noticed in the paper where theyre seeking to disqualify the district attorney, but that wont eliminate the problem.

So the criminal case wont be able to proceed because the defendants have a personal interest. I cant proceed because of the criminal case. So if yall have any novel way of trying to break up this logjam, Ill be glad to listen to you, but I dont see anything until the  somebody comes in outside of Waco to prosecute these cases.

Neither Reyna nor Tom Brandt, the attorney who represented him at the hearing, returned phone calls from the Tribune-Herald seeking comment. Reyna testified at a hearing last month in which two bikers sought to disqualify him from the Twin Peaks cases that he speaks to all Waco media outlets, with the exception of the Tribune-Herald.

Judge Matt Johnson of Wacos 54th State District Court, who presided over the disqualification hearing, has not ruled on the issue. Johnson is waiting to review legal arguments from both sides before issuing his order.

June hearing

At the June hearing in Austin, Waco attorney Charles Olson, who represents Stroman and Chavez, argued that the law is clear that criminal cases take precedence over civil cases.

Its been a year, and yall dont even know who is going to prosecute these cases, which is inexcusable, Sparks said.

Brandt told the judge that all of the 150-something cases Reynas office presented to the grand jury were indicted.

Makes one wonder why they indicted 150 people, the judge said. I dont need a comment on that. Its just so far from all of the experiences Ive had. Its just staggering to think of the problems.

The motions to disqualify Reyna pending in Johnsons court were filed by Dallas attorney Clint Broden on behalf of bikers Matthew Clendennen and Burton George Bergman and by Houston attorney Abigail Anastasio, who represents biker Ray Nelson. They allege Reyna also should be disqualified because he crossed the line between prosecutor and police officer.

Brodens motion alleges that Reyna interjected himself and his staff shortly after the shootout and countermanded the decision by the (Waco police) upper chain of command in an act of political opportunism.

Testimony from the hearing last month showed that Waco police officials had already interviewed, identified and photographed a busload of bikers detained that afternoon and decided to send them home when Reyna and two of his top assistants arrived at the Waco Convention Center, where bikers were being held.

After that, almost every biker was jailed on identical charges under $1 million bonds after Reyna gave orders to arrest anyone with ties to rival biker groups the Bandidos or Cossacks, the motions allege.

Reyna and Stroman testified at the hearing that the mass arrests were Stromans ultimate decision, after conferring with his assistant chiefs and Reyna.
Waco Independent School District employees will receive a 2 percent pay raise next year after the board of trustees included the bump in the 2016-17 fiscal year budget and tax rate approved Thursday.

Chief Financial Officer Sheryl Davis said the board of trustees has worked on the budget since March.

The budget focused on several areas of needs in the district, including instructional support, retention and communication, Davis said.

The budget includes several new positions and expanded the districts credit recovery program.

She said as part of the districts effort to keep, attract and retain employees, the budget includes a 2 percent pay raise across the board and an increase in starting teacher pay. She said the budget also includes an increase in the recruiting departments funding.

The district also will increase its contribution to group health insurance from $300 a month to $350 per month. The contribution was $285 in fiscal year 2014-15.

The general fund for the year will be $139,482,551; the child nutrition fund will be $9,631,913; and the debt service fund will be $14,546,796.

The board approved keeping the tax rate the same as last year, at $1.40 per $100 of property value.

The maintenance and operation portion of the tax rate is $1.17, and the debt service rate is 23 cents.

The average homeowner will see an increase in property taxes of $56.55 because of increases in appraised values.

As property values rise across the state, school districts are receiving more revenue, and because of that, the amount received from the state is decreasing, Davis said.

Two years ago, the district was receiving 58 percent of its revenue from the state, but this coming year, the district will receiving 53 percent of its revenue from state sources, she said.

President Pat Atkins said the way the district is dipping into its fund balance is not sustainable. Atkins said as the school board moves forward he wants to have more open meetings to address expenditure requests and ensure the fund balance doesnt take such a large hit next year.

Atkins said the budget includes about a $6 million increase in expenditures over the previous year.

Looking ahead, we may want to consider a process where more of those requests are brought to the board formally, he said.

The district has a policy to keep a fund balance equal to 20 percent of its expenditures. With $139 million in expenditures this year, the fund balance required by the policy would be $28 million, but the district has a larger balance.

Davis said the dip into the fund balance Atkins referred to is about $3 million, bringing the fund balance down to $31.5 million, still above the 20 percent mark.

Board member Allen Sykes agreed with Atkins and said the district may have to find ways to trim where possible moving forward.

Sykes said he is confident the district will do everything it can to stay ahead of the curve.

Board member Larry Perez asked what the biggest cost is for the district.

Salaries, Davis replied.

Its probably a bigger percentage than its ever been, she said.

Also at the meeting, the district chose to keep its contract with Coca Cola instead of switching to Dr Pepper.

The board agreed to renew its beverage agreement with Waco Coca Cola through August 2017 after a request for proposals for an exclusive beverage contract with the district. Two proposals were submitted. American Bottling Company, which does business as Dr Pepper Bottling Company of Waco, submitted a proposal, but the district chose Waco Coca Colas proposal.

Also Thursday, the board selected a vendor, Vending Truck Inc., to provide the district with custom food trucks.

The Child Nutrition Department uses school buses to provide mobile food services, but the bus engine is not designed to handle the load required for the food services, staff reported.

New trucks will allow the department to cover the summer feeding program and expand services to meet district needs by providing additional food service options to both high schools and to catering events in the district.

Two trucks will be purchased for more than $390,600. The New Jersey-based vendor provided a 4 percent discount because the district bought two trucks at once.
Bellmead police had checked on a man and his wife at the request of a family member hours before officials think he decapitated her in their home Thursday morning, Sgt. Kory Martin said.

Natasha Tagliarino Dauzat, 21, was found dead inside her mobile home in the 4300 block of Concord Road on Thursday morning. Her husband, Davie Dauzat, 23, was arrested on a murder charge.

Police and regional authorities were called to a Bellmead mobile home park after 11 a.m., Martin said. Davie Dauzat was reportedly inside the home with blood on him but would not immediately come out after officers arrived.

Martin said authorities were able to talk Davie Dauzat out of the home peacefully. The couples children, a 3-year-old girl and a 1-year-old boy, were inside the home at the time of the incident but were not injured, Martin said. Initial reports stated that the older child was 2.

Martin said the womans head and body were found in separate places in the home but would not elaborate on specific locations.

Bellmead police had been at the couples home shortly after 8:20 a.m. Thursday, just a few hours before they were called back with a report Natasha Tagliarino Dauzat was dead.

Davie Dauzats brother requested police do a welfare check on the couple, saying he had not spoken with his brother in months, then got a strange phone call earlier in the morning, Martin said.

The brother told police that Davie Dauzat made weird statements and asked funny questions. He said he was unsure whether they were drug related.

Officers spoke with both Natasha and Davie Dauzat and found no indication from the couple that anyone was in distress in the home, Martin said. They both appeared calm and expressed their curiosity as to why the police were there.

Officers left the home thinking that no emergency response was needed, Martin said. Davie Dauzats brother called police a second time at about 11 a.m., when he reported Davie Dauzat had called him again and stated that he had killed Natasha Dauzat.

After officers returned to the home, they were able to talk Davie Dauzat, who appeared to have blood on him and his clothing, out of the home, Martin said. Davie Dauzat reportedly told police that he had killed his wife, then was arrested on the murder charge and booked into McLennan County Jail with a $500,000 surety bond listed.

Officers secured the area and contacted the Texas Rangers for help in processing the scene. Martin declined to state whether a murder weapon was recovered or what was used in the crime.

A search warrant for the home was obtained, and the Texas Rangers with continue to work with Bellmead police and the local Violence Against Women Act detective in processing of the crime scene investigation.

The Texas Rangers have so much more expertise and equipment than we do as a department, so they will be working with us throughout this case, Martin said.
Over the past few days, one gets the impression that grim reality is setting in among Republicans. Both from outward signs and the Trump teams behavior, they can sense this is a campaign going down the tubes.

For starters, there is no good polling news for Donald Trump. No battlefield states look promising. No progress has been made even in consolidating GOP support (which hovers around 80 percent, dreadful by historic standards). Because Trump obsesses on crowd size, we would be amiss if we didnt note that hes not filling up huge arenas as he used to. He now plays to half-empty venues. (Remember Trumpkins love winners, not the guy they can see is heading for an embarrassing loss.) His fundraising has not materialized and there is no sign of a ground game. Any semi-objective onlooker can see there is no there there.

Even more telling is the Trump campaigns behavior. Trump cannot get a fraction of the free media he hoped for because he wont venture beyond the cozy confines of Fox night-time shows. His campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, is perpetually on the air  a bad sign for someone who is supposed to be running the whole campaign, not acting like a surrogate. (Multiple GOP consultants who think highly of her tell me this is to be expected of a mid-level operative thrust into the limelight that goes with heading up a presidential campaign. Intoxicated by the attention, who wouldnt recognize the opportunity to get name ID up and post-campaign speaking fees boosted?)

Unfortunately, Conways spin is hilariously awful. There are undercover Trump voters, we are told  unknown numbers in unknown states lurking in the shadows till Election Day when theyll materialize and lift Trump to victory. So hes ahead! The tragedy has now become a farce. Conway is a pollster, for goodness sake; she surely knows this talk about being ahead and having secret pockets of support is nonsense designed to keep the Sean Hannitys from setting their hair on fire.

Meanwhile, Trumps newfound desire to prove he is not a racist should be the stuff of a broad comedy; this campaign is much funnier and weirder than fiction. The more he insists to African Americans (Your lives are a disaster!) and Hispanics (You shouldnt get shot!) that he cares about them, the more evident it is that he has no understanding, no feel for the voters he is chasing down.

Then we have the mystery surrounding his immigration plan, which may change or may not, which may or may not be humane, which may or may not be just like his primary opponents plans. On Wednesday, he reached new levels of incoherence. On Sean Hannitys show  where else?  it sounded as though he had adopted Jeb Bushs legalization plan. Later in Mississippi, he deplored the media for pushing amnesty. If you are baffled by his stance or wondering whether he has one, you are not alone.

Its legitimate to ask whether he even listens to what he is saying  or can remember his words a few hours later. Surely all but his most oblivious fans can see he believes in nothing but himself, a trait that becomes obvious under the pressure of a losing campaign. Hes no longer able to fake coherence.

Does he really give up on Ann Coulter and the anti-immigrant set who imagined that he was serious about the wall and mass deportation. Does he try to convince more sober voters that hes not an extremist? The potential for alienating his base and fooling no other voters is all too real. Trump is reduced to pretending hes way up in the polls with minority voters while telling voters whose lives he imagines are pathetic: What have you got to lose? Plenty, it seems.

Even Trumps regret gambit  a vague line or two he read off a teleprompter  crumbled. Asked what he regrets, he responded Thursday, I dont want to talk about that. . . . A lot of people like my statements, frankly, a lot of people said, Oh, dont even say that. We love your statements. Sorry, Team Trump, Humble Trump was never going to fly.

Meanwhile, Trump still talks about winning New York and spends time in noncompetitive states, to the dismay of Republicans. And his big new scandal lost salience when the Associated Press story documenting foundation donors who got face time with Hillary Clinton as secretary of state proved to be statistically flawed. (Her chief strategist made a plausible argument: The AP took a small sliver of her tenure as secretary of State, less than half the time, less than a fraction of the meetings she was in . . . . This is a woman who met with over 1,700 world leaders, countless other government officials, public officials in the United States. And theyve looked at 185 meetings and tried to draw a conclusion from that.)

Even worse for the Trumpkins, many of the identified donors (a tiny fraction of thousands who gave her money) were people she should have been talking to or people she has known for years. (Theres huge overlap here, since it turns out that many of the people who have faith in the Clintons as political leaders also believe in their nonprofit work.) In any event, Trump has a water pistol, not a missile, on this one.

He ended the day in deep-red Mississippi, a ridiculous scheduling choice for a Republican at this point in the campaign. All he could do was holler that Clinton is a bigot something many of his supporters dont even believe.

Taken collectively, these developments create a picture of frenzied but useless activity. No one in Trumps campaign, including the candidate, is behaving as though he or she is serious about winning the race. There is no deliberate plan to get from here (a landslide for Clinton) to there (winning). The candidate flails away, seemingly confused about his own positions.

When Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus implausibly suggested that Trump would be ahead or tied in polls by Labor Day, maybe he was issuing a warning, not trying to console voters: If this thing keeps circling the drain, forget it. Were all in it for down-ticket Republicans. At least that is what Republicans should hope was intimated. Otherwise a whole lot of time and resources that could go to saving Republican senators are going to be wasted on Trump.

Jennifer Rubin writes the Right Turn blog for The Post, offering reported opinion from a conservative perspective.
WAHOO  A long-time Wahoo business and community leader will be remembered for his integrity and moral compass.

Terry OBrien, 77, passed away Saturday at his home in Wahoo. The civil engineer was the seventh employee to be hired at Price, Johnson and Erickson in Wahoo, the company that would later be renamed Johnson, Erickson and OBrien and is today JEO Consulting Group.

JEO Consulting Group President Rob Brigham called OBrien a phenomenal person who was a role model to many across the industry.

He was that guy we all aspire to be, Brigham said.

One of the moments that will always stick with Brigham happened during OBriens retirement party in 2006.

Brigham was giving recognition to OBrien in a packed house at the Eagles Club in Wahoo. He said there were colleagues, contractors, industry leaders and even competitors in the crowd that day.

When I talked about him being a moral compass, they all applauded loudly, he said. They all saw that same thing.

OBrien will also be remembered as the guy who could lead and mentor through consensus building.

He was just the guy that brought that sense of calm, Brigham said. He was that guy that recognized when it was time to say lets sit down and talk it out.

He was that guy who was willing to share what he knew with other people.

Brigham said OBrien always made sure to explain what he was doing and why.

There is so much of who we are today that I can trace back to Terry, he added.

OBrien started at JEO in 1971. During his 35 years with the company, he also made significant contributions to the engineering community. He was a life member of both the National Society of Professional Engineers and the Water Environment Federation (WEF). He ran through the leadership ranks of the Nebraska Chapter of the American Consulting Engineers Council (ACEC) and American Water Works Association (AWWA). In 2001, OBrien was presented the Fuller Award by AWWA and in 1983 the Arthur Sidney Bedell Award by WEF, both for his contribution of time and energy to water and wastewater issues in Nebraska.

In 2007, the Wahoo Chamber of Commerce started an annual business of the year award. The award is called the Terry OBrien Business of the Year.

OBriens involvement in the Wahoo Chamber and economic community continued after his retirement at JEO. He was still serving

on the Wahoo Chamber and Economic Development Advisory Board, the oversight group for Chamber and Economic Development Office. He served on the finance committee and was active with annual budget preparation. OBrien was one of the founding members of Wahoo Industries.

Community service was also important to him. Wahoo Lions Club Member Kal Lausterer said OBrien had been a Wahoo Lions Club member since 1989.

He served numerous leadership roles in the club, including president in 1999-2000. He was currently the chairman of the road ditch clean up committee.

He has done that for many year, and helped out at other activities, Lausterer said. He will be missed.

Funeral services for OBrien will be 10 a.m. Saturday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Wahoo. Visitation is 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Friday at Svoboda Funeral Home, with a 7 p.m. rosary.
WAVERLY  A new pre-school opened its doors in Waverly last week.

Bethlehem Covenant Church opened Bethlehem Pre-School at 10551 N. 140th Street, a building already owned by the church.

Darcia Cole is education director and teacher. Her sister, Colyn Niemeyer, will serve as business director and teacher.

Running a pre-school is not new for Cole, as she worked at one in Bellevue years ago.

But this time, we started from the ground up, she said.

Ten months ago they put together a proposal team that looked at the advantage of having a pre-school ministry.

We had the building, and this one room was not being used, she said. A portion of the building is used by teens during the evenings and weekends.

Everyone we talked to at church was encouraged by the idea, she said.

After giving a presentation to the church board, they gave in in-depth presentation to the congregation where they received the means to establish the pre-school.

Cole said that they spent the summer preparing the room and fenced-in yard for children to play in with plans to open when School District 145 students started school.

We were ready, had children enrolled, and decided that even if the district delayed school for a few days, we would start, she said.

Cole pointed out that they would follow the school schedule of when they would be in session.

Three- and four-year-olds attend classes Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. Children ages 4 and 5, attend the pre-school Monday, Wednesday and Friday at the same time. Fourteen children are enrolled in the pre-school, and theres room for more.

We really just want to keep holding classes in the morning and at this time have no plans for afternoon classes, she said.

Children, she pointed out, would have a Christian focus to their day.

It is for non-denominational families, she said. We are open for all Christian faiths.

Cole said that the pre-school would have a structured learning environment. Each day holds a greeting time, plan-work-recall time, small and large group time as well as play time and snack time. The curriculum they are following is HighScope Pre-School Curriculum and Growing Up Wild nature program, which, she said, would teach children how to make a choice and how to solve it.

Like when it comes to decorating an apple, Cole said. They have to make a choice of a leaf and then where to put it.

Cole said that they hoped to see confidence build in children.

We are interested in their strengths and their needs, she said.

Twice a month the minister or youth pastor will visit the daycare to tell stories or play guitar, Cole said.

As for mothers who leave their children at the pre-school, they will eventually be invited to join in a weekly Mothers Bible Study that will be held in the youth wing.

We have a lot of special activities for the year, Cole said. And one of them is to hold a monthly lunch with families so we can get to know each other better.
UW-Madison just ranked seventh in the world for patents.

Thats a lot of brainpower.

But the state of Wisconsin just ranked last for startup business activity.

Thats a lot of lost opportunity.

The disconnect needs fixing, with state leaders doing more to encourage a healthy and modern Wisconsin economy. More innovative ideas from the public and private sectors need financial backing and the ability to enter and expand in the global marketplace.

UW-Madisons Wisconsin Alumni Research Foundation (WARF) acquired 161 new patents last year, according to the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. Thats more than any other Big Ten university, Harvard or Johns Hopkins. Only a handful of universities, including MIT and Stanford, produced more patents than UW.

The patents developed here include the discovery of drugs, chemicals, medical imaging and clean technology. The results could be better flu vaccines, healthier newborns and more efficient solar energy.

WARFs licensing agreements also increased last year. So more patents are being turned into products. UW and its Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery encourage collaboration among researchers to spur invention. The university similarly stresses entrepreneurism to students, regardless of their fields of study.

Yet Wisconsin just finished at the bottom  again  among the states for startup companies, according to the Kauffman Foundation, which measures and promotes business creation.

Our state must do better.

Part of the challenge is the cost to launch new ventures, as Tom Still, president of the Wisconsin Technology Council, explained in a recent State Journal column. Wisconsins economy is dominated by manufacturing and agriculture, which require more capital. Workers here also tend to be older, less educated and more wary of risk.

To encourage more high-tech startups, Wisconsin has to attract more private business investment from outside the state. A tax credit that leverages more early stage investment is helping. But the program is relatively small and was just diluted.

Gov. Scott Walker has spent a lot of time trying to lure companies from neighboring states, promising lower taxes. A better strategy is to help Wisconsin business people, researchers and entrepreneurs advance the innovative ideas theyre already pursuing here.

Whats needed is more vision for the future economy, which values information, services and technology. Most new jobs will come from emerging, not longtime, companies.

Instead of cutting state funding of higher education, the governor and Legislature should be investing in our universities to attract and keep talent here.

Wisconsins economy has a lot going for it but needs more ingenuity to compete for the jobs of the future.
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CCH UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE  8/26/16

Missouri court finds law cutting duration of benefits unconstitutional based on timeliness issue

A Missouri law that cut the duration of benefits to 13 weeks has been ruled unconstitutional because the state senate lacked the authority to override the governor's veto on a timeliness issue. More specifically, the state senate lacked the authority to override the governor's veto during the September 2015 veto session because, under the Missouri Constitution, only bills returned by the governor on or after the fifth day before the end of the regular legislative session, that is, a late-vetoed bill, can be taken up during a September veto session. In this instance, the bill was vetoed more than five days before the General Assembly adjourned and, before adjournment, the Missouri House voted to override the governor's veto. However, the Missouri Senate adjourned without taking any action to reconsider the bill or to override the governor's veto. Because the bill was not passed over the governor's veto, none of its provisions became law. Thus, the judgment of the circuit court, which had upheld the bill, was reversed (Timothy S. Pestka v. Missouri, Mo. Sup. Ct., No. SC95369, July 26, 2016).
S&P 500 3,901.06

DOW 32,861.80

QQQ 281.22

Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises

McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High?

Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here?

Will Ryanair Stock Gains, Strong Estimates Help it Fly?

Why is Amazon Stock Falling? Is the Sell-Off Overdone?

Chevron Gushes More Profits; Is it Time for Investors to Buy?
Bank of America has a rich history dating back to 1800 and even earlier. It was begun by immigrants as a group of separate and unrelated banks that, over the years, merged and grew together. One such is the Bank of Italy which was founded in 1904 by Amadeo Giannini to serve Italian immigrants that were facing discrimination. He later buys out the Banca de America e de Italia (Bank of America and Italy) which was also located in San Francisco. Over the years additional mergers and changes in Federal banking legislation, as well as the boom brought on by WWI and then WWII, helped boost the bank to national prominence.

Things turned sour, however, in 1998 with a major bond default that led to yet another merger, this time with Charlotte, NC-based Nations Bank to officially become the Bank of America that exists today. At the time, the merger was the largest bank merger in history and the company has only grown in the time since.

Other additions to the new Bank of America include MBNA (a major credit card operator), Fleet Boston (then the US 7th largest and one of its oldest banks), and Merril Lynch, now Merril, which was added to the group in 2008 to provide an investment banking branch. Together the company dominates as one of the Big Four Banks in America. Bank of America lays claim to nearly 11% of all US deposits which ranks in line with its peer group and Bank of America Securities is listed as the worlds 3rd largest investment bank.

Today, Bank of America Corporation provides banking and financial services for individuals, small businesses, institutions, corporations, and governments worldwide. The bank operates in three segments Consumer Banking, Global Wealth & Investment Management, and Global Banking bringing in a combined revenue greater than $90 billion in 2022.

As of 2022, Bank of America serves approximately 67 million consumer and small business clients with approximately 4,200 retail financial centers. The bank also operates more than 16,000 ATMs and digital banking platforms with approximately 41 million active users.

Its Consumer Banking segment offers traditional banking and investment products for retail clients. These range from deposit accounts to savings, credit cards, consumer loans, and IRAs. The Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and wealth management solutions including, brokerage, banking, and trust and retirement products. The Global Banking segment provides lending products and services, including commercial loans and leases for businesses of all varieties. The Global Markets segment offers market-making, clearing, settlement, and custody services, as well as risk management, derivatives, and FX exchange services.
S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Will Ryanair Stock Gains, Strong Estimates Help it Fly? Why is Amazon Stock Falling? Is the Sell-Off Overdone? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Chevron Gushes More Profits; Is it Time for Investors to Buy? Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Will Ryanair Stock Gains, Strong Estimates Help it Fly? Why is Amazon Stock Falling? Is the Sell-Off Overdone? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Chevron Gushes More Profits; Is it Time for Investors to Buy? Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off

S&P 500 3,901.06 DOW 32,861.80 QQQ 281.22 Elon Musk takes over Twitter but where will he go from here? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) McDonalds Stock Sizzles, but Will it Hit a New All-Time High? Apple Inc. Stock Q4 Results Beat Negative Outlook, Stock Rises New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Will Ryanair Stock Gains, Strong Estimates Help it Fly? Why is Amazon Stock Falling? Is the Sell-Off Overdone? New Battery Tech to Eat Lithiums Lunch? (Ad) Chevron Gushes More Profits; Is it Time for Investors to Buy? Shopify Stock Price Surges as Losses Narrow, Investments Pay Off
There's a period in every toddler's life when, no matter how cute they are, they become Satan. Don't get me wrong, I love my friends' kids, but on this day my friend's eldest was rough-housing his little sibling, eventually pushing him over and making him cry. "Say sorry!" we said, pulling them off each other. For ages, the elder boy refused. Then he relented, fake-smiled and said in a spooky, sing-song voice dripping with contempt, "Sorryyyy." Then he skipped away happily, like Damien leaving a murder scene in The Omen. "Well, that was chilling," I said as we watched him leave.

Still, most of us aren't gracious about apologising as adults, either. We faux-apologise for minor shit  "Sorry for being five minutes late"; "Sorry, my house is a mess"  but can't apologise for stuff that matters: not seeing our parents enough, not being better partners, hurting friends carelessly. And when we do, our apologies are mangled, delivered through gritted teeth: "I'm sorry you feel that way." In the end, adults are just kids but better resourced.

Benjamin Law. Credit:James Brickwood

Sometimes, though, you gotta suck it up. Recently, I tweeted about how appalling it was that a prominent female journalist had been copping misogynistic abuse online. By pointing out the bloody obvious, I got a lot of righteous likes and re-tweets, and felt nice about being a Good Feminist Bloke. But soon a conservative newspaper columnist shot back, posting a screenshot of something I'd tweeted in 2011 about her female colleague, describing her as a "c from hell" for one of her columns.

My first thoughts were deeply uncharitable. "Well, I frankly still stand by that assessment!" (I really couldn't.) "But Australia is a country where the c-word is an expression of affection!" (Yeah, not in this case, Ben.) And finally, "Well, she can handle it." (Why should she have to?) I was a dreadful hypocrite. Sure, it was a tweet from five years ago, but I'm with Joan Didion when she wrote: "We are well-advised to keep on nodding terms with the people we used to be, whether we find them attractive company or not."
Nic Naitanui has offered to meet the child at the centre of the Book Week blackface scandal.

In a message posted to Twitter on Friday, the Eagles star responded to the furore with kindness and tolerance, saying he would "love to meet the little champion reader".

The boy's Perth-based mother posted a photo on Facebook on Thursday of her son dressed up as Naitanui, with a black wig and his skin painted brown.

The big Eagle said it was the wrong thing to do - but education, not condemnation, was the answer.
New Delhi: It's the monsoon season in India and the moist air is thick with tropical diseases  dengue, malaria, typhoid, and chikungunya (which is as vicious as it sounds). Mohan Gupta, who drives an auto-rickshaw, got worried when he saw boils erupting on his four-year-old daughter Priya's face.

He has brought her to the nearest clinic to home, in Munirka, south Delhi, where Dr Shoebul Haque allays his fears. "It's the humidity, it's caused folliculitis, a skin infection," Dr Haque tells him.

Dr Shoebul Haque checks the medical records of Mohan Gupta's daughter Priya on a tablet device. Credit:Amrit Dhillon

This is Mr Gupta's third visit to the clinic, part of a revolution being attempted by the New Delhi government to take good, free, medical care to the doorsteps of the poor. Before the "mohalla clinic" (mohalla means neighbourhood or community) opened, Mr Gupta had two choices. Go to a private doctor, pay a hefty fee and pay for the medicines.

"The other option was to go to Safdarjung (a government hospital) which is always so overcrowded you can't even walk because people are sleeping in the corridors. It used to be a 5 to 7-hour ordeal," he says. He used to lose a day's wages whenever this happened, even when the ailment was minor, such as the flu or diarrhoea.
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Search of Mayfield home snares alleged meth trafficker and two others
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By Bill Hughes

Aug. 25, 2016 | BENTON, KY

By Bill Hughes Aug. 25, 2016 | 06:30 PM | BENTON, KY

A Marshall County church is swarming the community with service projects Saturday as a way to meet the practical needs of others.



Pastor Don Wilson of Benton's First Baptist Church said the Kentucky Baptist Convention began promoting the InAsMuch events as opportunities for their churches a few years ago, using the words of Jesus from Matthew 25:40 as inspiration. In that Bible verse, Jesus says in the New King James Version, "And the King will answer and say to them, Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'"



Wilson said they've been planning for this weekend's work for 6-7 months, but serving others isn't new to them.



"Almost everything that we're doing on this particular day, we do it almost weekly, at least in one of these areas. Helping, providing assistance, things like that. But what this really does more than anything else is try to get as many of your folks involved as possible just on that one day, to really have an intensive kind of effort to get it done," Wilson said.



On Saturday, about 75 skilled members will be going to the homes of 7-8 families to do construction, painting, replacing windows, etc.



Meanwhile several other projects will provide opportunities for families to work together:



+ A team will be making packets of quick-and-easy food packets with the local branch of Kids Against Hunger.



+ A group will be going to Marcella's Kitchen to do some work. The kitchen provides hot meals to those who are in need.



+ Another team will be helping the Marshall County School System's resource center by making gift baskets full of cleaning supplies for families who may need them. This will free up those family budgets to cover other expenses like groceries or utilities.



+ A team will be putting together gifts for the several hundred teachers and staff at Marshall County Schools, just to let them know they are appreciated and are being prayed for.



+ A group will go to the high school to make bags for the charity Bags of Love, which contain clothes, toiletries, and usually a toy for children who are quickly removed from their normal home environment due to a crisis situation.



+ A free car wash will be held at the church, manned by the youth group.



+ A team will going to Hope Clinic, a crisis pregnancy center, to do some painting inside their building.



Wilson said they asked a Sunday School class to help provide for the Kids Against Hunger project, but everything else has been funded by people who contacted the church individually to donate.



He said, "We've been given another $3,000-4,000. So therefore - all the projects that are being done - nobody's having to pay for anything,"



Wilson said if anyone wants to help with one of the projects, they can call the church at 270-527-7575, or just show up at 8 am on Saturday. After a brief devotion, teams will split up and get busy. The church is located at 910 Main Street in Benton.



Wilson said a committee went to a training session to learn about how to plan, and they set a date on which to do the work. The opportunities for projects just kept coming up, and they have over 200 people who will be busy on Saturday.



For churches who are interested, the Kentucky Baptist Convention has already set dates for InAsMuch training sessions in 2017. You can see that information at http://kybaptist.org/inasmuch/ .
By The Associated Press Aug. 26, 2016 | 10:33 AM | FRANKFORT, KY

Kentucky's Speaker of the House has called a meeting of all state representatives to discuss the beleaguered public pension system.

An email to legislative assistants obtained by The Associated Press shows Speaker Greg Stumbo said all House members "are invited and encouraged to attend" a meeting at 2 p.m. on Tuesday in the House chambers. The email says members will "discuss several complex issues" and is signed by Stumbo.

Stumbo spokesman Brian Wilkerson confirmed the meeting and said the main focus will be to discuss the state retirement system in light of recent low investment returns. Public pension systems for teachers and state workers have an estimated combined debt of more than $30 billion, making it one of the worst funded pension systems in the country.
By The Associated Press Aug. 25, 2016 | 07:27 PM | LOUISVILLE, KY

Kentucky's only Democratic congressman stood outside in support of gay-rights activists while others in the state's political elite ate breakfast inside a state fair venue at the Kentucky Country Ham Breakfast.

U.S. Rep. John Yarmuth joined dozens of activists Thursday to protest Kentucky Farm Bureau's opposition to gay marriage or issuance of domestic partner benefits by state agencies.

The Louisville lawmaker said Farm Bureau is "on the wrong side" of history and the law. Yarmuth said the organization should stay out of social issues that have nothing to do with agriculture.

Yarmuth and other protesters wore orange T-shirts that accused Farm Bureau of being "big on discrimination."

Inside, Kentucky Farm Bureau President Mark Haney said the organization does not discriminate and that its policies reflect the view of its members.
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Ian McKellen and Patrick Stewart return to the West End this autumn in Harold Pinter's No Man's Land.

To celebrate, we have one pair of tickets to giveaway. All you have to do is sign up below and we will pick a name at random. Both tickets will go to one winner and are for the 7.30pm performance on 13 September.

After a short UK tour, the show arrives at Wyndham's Theatre from 8 September and runs to 17 December. No Man's Land is directed by Sean Mathias and also stars Owen Teale and Damien Molony. The production originally opened at the Cort Theater in New York in repertory with Samuel Beckett's Waiting For Godot.

The play follows two ageing writers Hirst and Spooner who meet in a pub in Hampstead and get increasingly drunk as the evening wears on.

The competition will close at midday Friday 2 September. The winner will be notified that afternoon.

Good luck!

This competition is now closed

Terms and Conditions:

 The prize is one pair of stalls tickets (seats D16 &D15 - value 63.75 per ticket) to No Man's Land at Wyndham's Theatre, London.

 Tickets are valid only for Tuesday 13 September at 7.30pm.

 Tickets are non-transferable.

 Any additional expenses incurred over and above the prize element must be covered by the winner. The cost of travel is not included in the prize.
Simeone Zaza is reportedly set to sign for West Ham this very afternoon after agreeing personal terms with the Premier League side.

According to the Guardian, the Hammers have struck a 24million deal with Juventus to take Zaza off their hands, with the striker now set to fly to England in order to undergo a medical.

Something of a super sub last season, Zaza scored four goals after coming off the bench for Juve in Serie A. Perhaps a little more worrying is the fact that he only managed a grand total of 5 (in 19 appearances) overall.

With the Hammers having already missed out on prime targets Michy Batshuayi and Carlos Bacca over the summer, this definitely has a hint of the desperation mega-flops about it.

Edit: Oh, sorry. Nearly forgot this
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After being hit by a couple of recent crushing blows, northern Manitobas razor-thin economic base likely has more bad news looming.

The suspension of the Port of Churchills 2016 shipping season, the reduction of freight shipments to Churchill from two trains per week to one and this weeks announced closure of the Tolko pulp-and-paper mill in The Pas are the latest in a string of bad news.

In addition to those hits, Vale Canada is planning to shut down its nickel smelter in Thompson in 2018, which could impact another 400 jobs, and Hudbay Minerals flagship 777 mine in Flin Flon is scheduled to run out of ore at the end of this decade.

MIKE DEAL / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files Hudbay Minerals 777 mine in Flin Flon will run out of ore at the end of the decade.

Its all contributing to a pall of anxiety being cast across the North.

Things look like theyre coming apart at the seams in northern Manitoba, said Ron Evans  chief of Norway House Cree Nation and co-chairman of the Manitoba Mining Advisory Council.

Chuck Davidson, president and CEO of the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce, toured several northern communities earlier this summer before Omnitrax Canada  which operates the Port of Churchill and the Hudson Bay Railway  announced it has decided to curtail operations.

There is a ton of nervousness in northern Manitoba, Davidson said.

A group of 20 business and government officials are flying to Churchill Monday as a show of solidarity with the North. Unfortunately, they may not be able to offer much more than moral support.

Some say the situation is so urgent it ought to prompt Premier Brian Pallisters Progressive Conservative government to move its northern economic development strategy up the priority list. But that is not likely to happen.

Cliff Cullen, minister of Growth, Enterprise and Trade, will be on the trip and is scheduled to meet with business and town officials. But hes not going to be able pass on any news of progress regarding the opening of the 2016 shipping season, for example, because he said this week he has not even spoken to Omnitrax officials lately.

Hes also not going to offer any stepped-up policy announcement to kick-start the northern economy.

Olivia Baldwin-Valainis, the provincial governments director of communications, said, This (a northern economic development strategy) was a priority for some time; its not a higher priority now than it was a month ago. We are not doing policy on the fly, and there is no knee-jerk reaction to these things.

In terms of the province coming in and talking about tourism, thats great. But thecommunity isbanking on, and the region is banking on, a fix for the rail and the port Churchill mayor Michael Spence

She said the Pallister campaign spoke about a broad strategy for the North not focusing on one community or one sector. Cullen alluded to that in remarks at the conclusion of meetings earlier this week with federal, provincial and territorial energy ministers when he spoke about consultation with indigenous communities and the need to create opportunities and an environment where investment can be attracted and opportunities allowed to be developed.

The Churchill trip was originally planned for three weeks ago but was grounded because of bad weather. Baldwin-Valainis said the purpose of the trip is to have a broad discussion about the North.

This is the next step of our development of a northern strategy that has emphasized tourism development, she said.

That was of little comfort in Churchill.

In terms of the province coming in and talking about tourism, thats great. But the community is banking on, and the region is banking on, a fix for the rail and the port, Mayor Michael Spence said.

He said that was the top priority for Churchill, but little progress has been made in that regard since Omnitrax announced the layoff of the entire port staff at the end of July.

Davidson said the Manitoba Chambers of Commerce wants to show support for the northern business community.

It is a huge issue, he said. We are going to be pushing them (the Pallister government) that this needs to be a top priority. It is long overdue.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS files The Vale mine, just outside of Thompson.

Davidson said his sense is the North has been ignored and taken for granted for far too long.

We need to raise awareness and remind people that the resource industry in Manitoba is important and has a huge trickle-down effect, he said. We cant just abandon it without putting an effort into a development strategy and looking at what other opportunities are out there.

MTS officials will be part of the delegation to Churchill and are expected to announce some service enhancements.

An MTS officials said, As with previous service announcements in Thompson, Morris and Winnipeg, our participation in the visit to Churchill underscores that were dedicated to delivering the best communications services to small towns, remote communities and major urban centres alike across the province.

martin.cash@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/08/2016 (2256 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Indigenous residents of northern Manitoba demanded Thursday that the provincial government find a way to buy out the Tolko mill in The Pas and turn over the companys timber rights to them.

Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson of the Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Inc. (MKO) expressed the deep concerns of the MKO First Nations following the announcement by Tolko Industries that the mill operations in The Pas will shut in December.

The announcement of the closure of Tolkos mill in The Pas will touch many MKO First Nations and will touch the lives of our MKO First Nation families throughout the north, she said in a news release.

JOHN WOODS/ WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES MKO Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson to meet with Premier Brian Pallister and Sustainable Development MInister Catherine Cox to find a solution after the Tolko mill in The Pas announced it would cease operations.

The forest industry has been part of the backbone of the northern economy for decades and First Nations have been part of the forest industry since the very beginning.

The closure of the Tolko operations in The Pas will not only result in the loss of more than 300 jobs at the mill  many of which are First Nation jobs  but will have a devastating impact on the economy of the region, said the MKO Grand Chief.

Premier Brian Pallister has said the future of the mill is up to the company, and the province will not provide a bailout.

Wilson said MKO wants to meet with Pallister and Sustainable Development MInister Catherine Cox to find a solution.

The closure of the mill will also affect many more jobs in the timber harvesting and forest renewal businesses in the MKO region, many of which have First Nation ownership such as Moose Lake Logging Inc., Wilson said. Many of these logging and tree planting businesses are family owned and operated enterprises from across our MKO region.

In 1989, the Swampy Cree Tribal Council and MKO explored the possibility of First Nation-worker-management consortium buying the former ManFor operations at The Pas from the former Progressive Conservative government of then-Premier Gary Filmon. MKO proposes that discussions for First Nation ownership of the mill and the allocation of the forest resources be immediately reopened, she said.
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 25/08/2016 (2256 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

One of the provinces most ambitious and costly mega-projects is in limbo after federal regulators found more than 100 flaws in its environmental impact statement.

Concerns about the $3-billion, 30-year East Side Road projects environmental effects have been echoed by the provinces wildlife and fisheries branch and in a recent consultants report for the Manitoba Metis Federation.

The Pallister government refused to talk about the issue or disclose any plans, funding commitments and the status of its response to concerns of the federal agencies.

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Federal regulators, Manitobas wildlife and fisheries branch and the Manitoba Metis Federation have concerns about the environmental effects of the road being constructed along the east side of Lake Winnipeg.

The next phase of the project, which is part of the planned 1,000-kilometre all-season road in northeast Manitoba, was anticipated to begin construction in November, the environmental statement said.

The Canadian Environmental Assessment Agency has told the Manitoba government no shovels can hit the ground until an environmental assessment is done.

That wont happen until the Manitoba government responds to multiple questions, concerns and clarifications the agency requested.

A letter sent in June to the East Side Road Authority  a Crown agency now under the umbrella of Manitoba Infrastructure  from the federal agency states that gaps were found in the report, making it impossible to determine the adverse effects the road could have on the environment.

The environmental impact statement was prepared by Winnipeg-based consulting firm Dillion Consulting and submitted to the federal agency in January, which is required for the federal environment minister to make a decision.

The proponent cannot proceed with the project until the agency has completed the federal environmental assessment and the minister has issued her decision, agency spokesman Christian Vezeau said in a prepared statement.

Vezeau said the project is paused, meaning while construction cannot continue, the feds can work on their assessment as the province prepares a response.

Since 2009, the road authority has been working to build a permanent network connecting Berens River and other First Nations on the east side of Lake Winnipeg  more than 36,000 people  to southern Manitoba.

The next phase would involve a 94- kilometre extension from Berens River to Poplar River over the next eight years. The 156-km stretch to Berens River from Provincial Road 304 is under construction.

Issues that need clarification or further analysis include concerns raised by the agency about the small sample size of fish data collected, a lack of mitigation plans for the permanent destruction of instream fish habitat, lack of clarity on how much of the areas boreal woodland caribou will be disturbed by the construction and a lack of inclusion of local Metis or Hollow Water First Nation people in the study of socio-economic impacts.

Government documents show the provinces wildlife and fisheries branch expressed dismay the authority did not consult with the branch when choosing the alignment for the road extension.

The road will be built in an area with a high population of moose and woodland caribou (which has been federally labelled as a species at risk) and will cover 33 water crossings.

The branch notes if the alignment moved five kilometres away from the Poplar River, the adverse effects to moose population would be mitigated. It notes that despite the impact statement saying there would be a minimal disruption to the moose population, evidence says otherwise.

Based on our experience in Manitoba, and discussions with our counterparts in other jurisdictions, we know this to be incorrect. We can expect (with a high degree of certainty) that a new (access service road) will lead to increased hunting access, increased moose harvests and the eventual disappearance of moose in the vicinity of the new access route, the branch wrote in reaction to the environmental impact statement.

Meanwhile, a Guelph, Ont-based consulting firm, Shared Value Solutions, produced a 40-page report for the Manitoba Metis Federation.

It concluded that insufficient environmental protection planning and followup program information has been shown by the East Side Road Authority. It pointed to several gaps in data relating to the effect on fish habitats and monitoring of the aquatic environment.

For the second time in two days, the province denied a request for an interview with Infrastructure Minister Blaine Pedersen on the topic of the East Side Road project.

In a prepared statement, Pedersen said the government is reviewing all aspects of the East Side Road Authority as it awaits the publication of the auditor generals report.

No decisions have been made regarding any specific stretches of road, Pedersen said in response to questions about the timeline for the next phase.

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Winnipeg woman who used UPS to ship a $9,000 heirloom painting to Montreal last month is outraged after learning the artwork was thrown in the garbage.

Judith Putter said she paid a UPS outlet in Tuxedo to professionally package the painting for shipping on July 20, which ensured the glass was masked for safety in case it broke.

When her nephew Jeremy Shinewald told her almost a week later it had not arrived in Montreal, she checked the tracking information on the UPS website. It stated the package was damaged in transit and all merchandise discarded.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Judith Putter shipped a large original painting via UPS from Winnipeg to Montreal. it never arrived. It was damaged in transit and discarded.

I looked at it and saw the discarded, and I almost had a fit, Putter said this week.

I dont believe it. It cant have been discarded. It boggles the mind, what they did at UPS. How do you discard peoples belongings?

Putter, a former gallery owner in the Exchange, said the painting belonged to her mother, Rochelle Putter, who died in 2015 and left it in her will to Shinewald, her grandson, as a wedding gift.

It was recently appraised at $9,000.

A collage in acrylic painted on heavy paper, it was an original creation called Bridge World: The Spirit Makers Come by the late Alicia Popoff, a renowned Saskatchewan artist whose work Putter had shown in solo exhibitions at the Thomas Gallery in 1989 and 1991.

She doesnt have photos of the large painting  a metre wide, 11/2 metres long and 18 centimetres deep, weighing about 16 kilograms  but said family members are searching for photos in which it appears in the background.

Putter said she expects to receive the UPS maximum $2,500 in damage insurance, nowhere near the value of the work, but said its irrelevant in any case because the one-of-a-kind painting had tremendous emotional significance for Shinewald.

My mother bought it in April of 89, and it hung in her place for years, and Jeremy always loved it. She kept saying, When you get married, thats going to be your wedding present, Putter said. I dont understand what is happening at UPS. It makes absolutely no sense.

Shinewald said he and his wife didnt have space for the painting when his grandmother urged them to take it after their wedding five years ago.

Its a beautiful piece of art, and I love it its something that was a beautiful reminder of a woman that I had an amazing relationship with. It was an artist that I appreciated, and my aunt had gotten me a smaller piece for my graduation, and this artist has passed on. So nothing can replace it. Nothing, he said.

I looked at it and saw the discarded, and I almost had a fit How do you discard peoples belongings? Judith Putter (above ), after she discovered UPS destroyed a valuable painting she had tried to ship from Winnipeg to Montreal. The painting seen behind Putter is similar but smaller than the one she shipped.

Shinewald said he and his aunt have contacted UPS customer service several times and been told various things  that it was stained or it was damaged or it was dangerous.

We always work to ensure that our customers receive the service that they expect, UPS said in an email to the Free Press, adding the company is working with the Tuxedo franchise and the customer directly.

Victor Avalos, who works at the Tuxedo location on Corydon Avenue, said the store is very sympathetic and employees have been trying to find out why the store wasnt notified before the package was trashed in Lachine, Que., a Montreal borough.

They say because the frame had glass and when the glass broke, its considered hazardous material and they had to discard it. But they didnt give details on how it got damaged, he said.

Shinewald said UPS sent him a copy of its right-of-disposal policy, which states it can dispose of anything that may cause harm to any UPS employee, the public, or damage to other Packages, pallets, UPS equipment or facilities, without prior notification to the shipper.

Shinewald said he filed a report Thursday with Montreal police.

ashley.prest@freepress.mb.ca
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JIM DAMASKE / TAMPA BAY TIMES / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS FILES Aedes Aegypti mosquito larvae swim in a container in a Florida laboratory that has been studying the type of mosquito that carry the Zika virus. Zika is considered a reportable disease in the U.S., but not in Canada.

Its been known since April Manitoba has at least two cases of the Zika virus, which causes severe brain defects in the fetus of an infected mother.

Since then, the provincial government has not updated the number of Manitobans infected by the virus, unlike other jurisdictions that promptly notify their citizens about new cases.

The Free Press learned Thursday the number of confirmed cases of Zika virus in Manitoba is five.

The current number of cases was not provided by the Manitoba government until it had been prodded for more than a day.

Alberta Health posts the number of confirmed Zika virus cases on its website, showing Alberta had 26 by Thursday. In Saskatchewan, Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab responded promptly to a Manitoba media inquiry, saying his province has three confirmed cases.

Jon Gerrard, a licensed pediatrician and Liberal MLA for River Heights, said Manitoba should do better in letting the public know about the spread of Zika here.

A Zika virus infection can have very serious consequences, he said. The virus, which is spread mainly by mosquitoes, has raised alarm bells around the world because infected mothers can give birth to babies with microcephaly, an abnormal smallness of the head associated with incomplete brain development.

It is helpful for people to be aware of how many cases there are in Manitoba, Gerrard said. Five is more than a doubling of what was first reported, said Gerrard, who would like to see Manitoba post the number of confirmed Zika virus cases online.

WAYNE GLOWACKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES The province should post the number of cases of Zika online, Liberal Jon Gerrard says.

Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said his department is focusing on education  but he didnt mention posting Zika numbers online.

We put (out) information last week advising the public that when they are travelling to areas where there is found to be Zika virus, there are certain precautions they should take and certain precautions they should take when they come back to Manitoba. A large part has to be to get that information out.

The Public Health Agency of Canada updated the number of confirmed cases of Zika virus in Canada Thursday. Its risen to 237 from 225 a week earlier. The federal agency will not identify where the cases were confirmed.

Canadas neighbour to the south has been much more open. In the U.S., the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists on its website the number of confirmed cases in each state and how the virus was transmitted.

By having states report Zika virus infections, we are able to monitor the epidemiology and geographic spread of Zika, provide timely information regarding regional and national trends and identify geographic areas where prevention and control efforts may be needed, CDC spokesman Benjamin Haynes said.

In the U.S., Zika virus has been a reportable disease since February, he said.

In Canada, it is not yet on the list of reportable or notifiable diseases. The Public Health Agency of Canadas list includes illnesses from anthrax to chlamydia to measles to West Nile virus, but not Zika virus.

Goertzen said he hasnt heard Zika should be made a reportable disease here.

At this stage, we are taking best advice from health-care providers in Manitoba and across Canada. They are indicating that it isnt something they would be looking at, he said.

The Association of the Faculties of Medicine of Canada says the Public Health Agency of Canada selects diseases as reportable or notifiable based on certain characteristics including national incidence, severity, communicability, potential to cause outbreaks and preventability.

No one at the agency was available Thursday to say why Zika is not a notifiable disease in Canada and why the agency doesnt provide a provincial breakdown similar to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in the U.S.

The Canadian agencys weekly report online said of all 237 cases of Zika virus that have been confirmed, three have been maternal-to-fetal transmissions, including one in which the baby was born with a severe brain defect. Two have been identified as being sexually transmitted, said the agency, which would not provide anyone to comment on what its recommendation to provinces is on how to handle Zika as a sexually transmitted disease.

The number of reports of sexual transmission has been increasing, suggesting this may not be a rare occurrence, the agencys own Canada Communicable Disease Report said in May. The Zika virus has been detected in semen two months after acute illness, but it is not known how long it can last there or how easily the virus can be transmitted by sexual contact, the report said.

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Health Minister Kelvin Goertzen said his department is focusing on education  but he didnt mention posting Zika numbers online.

Last week, Manitobas chief public health officer recommended in a media bulletin that men returning from Zika-affected areas use condoms for six months. If someone picked up the Zika virus abroad and had unprotected sex with an individual in Manitoba, there is a risk that person could infect the partner.

When asked what public health officials would do if that happened  if they could contact and inform the infected partners  the provincial spokeswoman said they would have to evaluate the situation.

The evidence around sexual transmission is evolving, and if we were presented with this situation, we would have to evaluate whether or not to invoke the relevant provisions under the Public Health Act, she said, noting all five cases of Zika virus in Manitoba so far have been travel-related and not sexually transmitted here.

Although its not officially reportable, each confirmed case of Zika virus has been investigated by regional public health officers, with data collected, risk assessment performed and notification sent to the Public Health Agency of Canada.

The provincial health departments surveillance and communicable diseases units are notified of every Zika virus test result, whether positive or negative, she said.

Positive cases are investigated by the responsible regional health authority, data is collected, risk assessment performed, and the Public Health Agency of Canada is notified. During public health followup of travel-related Zika virus cases, patients receive advice to prevent local transmission of Zika virus. Public health followup also ensures that local transmission (through sex), should it occur, would be rapidly identified, she said.

A persons sexual and reproductive history is part of the public health investigation of a Zika case  male or female. If a high-risk exposure was identified, public health would work with the case and contacts to ensure proper testing and management occurs, she said. There are provisions under the Public Health Act that support these activities.

Goertzen said Canada has its cold climate going for it. In terms of the potential for the strain of mosquito that carries it to be in Manitoba, one of the things we have in our favour is winter.

 with files from Kristin Annable

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jane Philpott is generally viewed as a highly talented health minister. Unlike most other previous ministers, Philpott is herself a doctor, and was previously chief of family medicine at an Ontario hospital. This gives her a rare, specialized policy expertise in her portfolio.

Political scientist Tom McIntosh writes that Philpott is perhaps the best minister of health in a very long time  engaged and active on a whole other level from predecessors. Philpotts style in the House of Commons is generally non-confrontational, and even opposition MPs have positive things to say about her. All this reflects well on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who took a risk by appointing Philpott, a first-time MP, as a minister following the 2015 election.

Nevertheless, Philpott has showed poor judgment in a matter related more to politics than policy. Conservative researchers learned while digging through Access to Information data that Philpotts staff had billed no less than $1,700 for a single day of being ferried throughout Toronto and Hamilton in a privately owned luxury sedan. Philpott was subsequently caught up in semantic wrangling when she told Parliament the car was not in fact a limousine, a statement that was hotly contested by opposition Conservatives.

DARRYL DYCK / THE CANADIAN PRESS Federal Health Minister Jane Philpott addresses the Canadian Medical Associations general council 2016 in Vancouver.

Perhaps more importantly, the owner of the company from which Philpott had acquired this service turned out to be a committed Liberal partisan  in an interview, Reza Shirani called the Liberal party the political party I love. He had volunteered on Philpotts election campaign in the riding of Markham-Stouffville. Philpotts staff admitted she knew who the owner of the company was before signing off on the service.

The issue has dragged on and transformed a well-regarded minister into, as journalist Joan Bryden puts it, Trudeaus problem pupil.

There are two problems with Philpotts decision. The first is simply that public officials should not use public money to live high on the hog. Scandals of this sort are catnip to political operatives and opposition politicians because, unlike other more complex examples of misbehaviour exhibited by politicians, they are easy for voters to understand and relate to. This was precisely why former Conservative minister Bev Odas infamous $16 glass of orange juice was so lethal to her political career. As former Liberal strategist Warren Kinsella wrote, This is the kind of stuff that sticks.

And why not? Shouldnt Canadians who are struggling to make a better living for their families be annoyed to learn a public official has spent a day travelling in a luxury Lexus when more economical options were available?

These types of issues can also be lethal for governments, as their culmination over time eventually contributes to a feeling that its time to throw the bums out.

The other problem with this episode is the perception the owner of the car company was being indirectly rewarded with public money for his volunteer service in the last election campaign. Conservative MP Colin Carrie has pursued this critique, arguing in a letter to Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson that Philpotts use of a supporters company constitutes a conflict of interest. The ethics commission has agreed to investigate.

Episodes such as this and Odas glass of orange juice may seem trivial, but we should also not underestimate the extent to which they affect Canadians perceptions of democracy in this country.

In 2015, the Jim Pattison Ethical Leadership Education and Research Program at Ryerson University explored Canadians perceptions of political ethics in a large survey. The survey found Canadians reject the idea that only unethical people run for public office: only 20 per cent of respondents agreed with that statement. Moreover, somewhat surprisingly, given the often negative terms in which politicians are generally discussed, Canadians tend to see their politicians as well intentioned; 57 per cent of those surveyed agreed with the view that most politicians try their best to do what is in the public interest.

On the other hand, Canadians have a very low view of how politics transforms people after they are elected. Sixty-three per cent of the respondents to the survey agreed politics tends to corrupt otherwise honest people. Perhaps even more depressing, 54 per cent of respondents agreed politics is a dirty game that inevitably leads to unethical behaviour on the part of politicians.

Philpott has apologized for her conduct and paid back money she felt was in excess of a fair market rate for the services of a driver. She has framed this episode as a mistake, claiming that she never intended to do anything that was wrong. I think this is a reasonable interpretation for a first-term minister and MP, and the Ryerson survey suggests Canadians are likely to accept that explanation as well. But just as Trudeaus appointment of a talented health minister reflected back on him, so too does this error and its subsequent handling.

Royce Koop is an associate professor and head of the department of political studies at the University of Manitoba.
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said earlier this week, Our government will not rest until we make life better for indigenous people right across the country.

But when northern Manitoba, home to the majority of this provinces aboriginal population, suffers a triple economic whammy that will put about 500 people out of work, theres silence from the Trudeau entourage.

Lets face it: making the economy work in the North will go a long way to improving lives and reducing poverty for indigenous people. But it wont happen unless government actively plays a role, going beyond empty rhetoric.

TREVOR WRIGHT / OPASQUIA TIMES FILES The Tolko Industries Ltd. paper mill in The Pas.

In July, Denver-owned Omnitrax announced it was shutting down the grain terminal at the Port of Churchill and cutting traffic to the north via the Hudson Bay rail line to just once a week. That laid off around 100 workers, but also had ramifications for the price of consumer goods brought up by rail. Of course, many First Nations people call Churchill home.

Then this week, Tolko Industries Ltd., the largest employer in The Pas, announced it, too, was closing. The town is also where the operational headquarters of the Hudson Bay Railway operate. Members of Opaskwayak Cree Nation, located nearby, rely on the mill for jobs  and theyre not low-wage positions either. They include truck drivers, electricians and heavy equipment operators.

Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak Grand Chief Sheila North Wilson said the loss of these jobs will be a blow to the economy.

Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister has said his government is working on a mid- to long-term plan to help the economies of the North but has ruled out bailouts for Tolko and Omintrax. But what about the short term? Mr. Pallister admits his plan, which is still being refined, wont help the short-term feelings of people who have lost their jobs.

The problem is, Tolko has been struggling for some time. Omnitrax has been struggling for some time. Neither of these situations happened overnight, in the short term, yet both levels of government appear to be walking away from it when people are losing their jobs, after failing to step in with a plan before the doors got shut.

Ms. North Wilson has asked for a meeting with the premier and the minister of sustainable development to find a made-in-Manitoba buyout of the operations and determine how indigenous people in the region can secure the timber volumes in Tolkos forest licence area. Meanwhile, the proposed buy of Omnitrax by a consortium of northern First Nations seems to be on hold, with no discussion about potentially revising the idea.

Heres where the rubber hits the road. Either make ending poverty for aboriginal people a priority by actively working on the economy with government help or quit the hand-wringing and the photo ops when poverty creates a crisis. You cant have it both ways.
The international controversy surrounding the burkini  the long, loose swimwear used by Muslim women, and banned by certain cities in France  has been unsettling for some women and girls in Minnesota.

My burkini is purple and hot pink, said Nausheena Hussain, 39, at her local YMCA in Coon Rapids. Its a nice color combination, especially when Ive got my purple Speedo goggles on. She laughed.

Citing security concerns after terrorist attacks, French authorities in at least 15 cities have been issuing citations and forcing some women to remove their swimsuits. Halfway across the world, in a pool in Minnesotas Coon Rapids, Hussain, executive director of a new group called Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment, sees such actions as counterproductive in the fight against extremism.

I feel like theyre just kind of playing right into what ISIS wants them to do, which is controlling women, she said. To me its such a misogynistic act. And to link the burkini to extremism is, to me ... I dont understand that connection.

The 39-year-old mother of two teenagers said she didnt learn to swim until four years ago. A Muslim instructor gave her private lessons in a pool, until she gradually became a strong swimmer who enjoys the ocean.

Just the way the waves hit you, she said, it feels, really, like youre one with nature. And, coming from a faith perspective, its a creation of God, and to be able to enjoy his creation just feels like being part of the master plan of his creation.

Zahra Hassan, a community outreach coordinator for the Minneapolis nonprofit Fairview Health Services, works to make swim opportunities available to Muslim girls and women as a matter of health. One day a week, her group offers free swimming lessons at the University of Minnesota to Muslim girls and women, with no men allowed.

It makes it easier for the community to learn when they know that they can be in a pool where they dont have to worry about wearing a scarf, she said. They can wear whatever they want in the pool, as long as the windows are covered, we have a female instructor, a female lifeguard. Its great.

Even with the windows covered, some of the student swimmers opt for greater modesty of a burkini. One 12-year-old Muslim girl asked not to be identified because she fears people might make fun of her swimwear.

When I swim in privacy, it helps me to not be stressed about whos looking at me because I dont have a really high self-esteem and Im shy, she said.

Hafso Warsame, 11, doesnt have a burkini. Instead she swims in a shirt and long pants.

When I swim it makes me feel good, makes me feel like a dolphin, she said. When Im in the water, it makes me feel happy.

Nearby, another swimmer, 56-year-old Nadifa Ahmed, floated in her leopard-print burkini.

Im really happy the days that I come to swim, she said in Somali. I have high blood pressure, and the days that I come swimming, afterwards Im very relaxed ... I wish the program was three days instead of the one day.

At another pool, this one at the Midtown Minneapolis YWCA, a diverse group of swimmers included Muslim women in burkinis who have chosen to swim in a co-ed facility.

Ellen Cleary, the community impact director at Midtown, lamented the real disparities when it comes to access to swimming, and safety around swimming, for communities of color in Minnesota.

So to be more inclusive of diverse groups and faiths, the YWCA changed its rules in recent years to allow greater variety in dress codes. Before that, burkinis would not have been permitted.

Water and swimming is part of our culture, she said. We dont want there to be barriers to that. We want all kids to grow up knowing skills to be safe around water.

My burkini is purple and hot pink. Its a nice color combination, especially when Ive got my purple Speedo goggles on. Nausheena Hussain,

39, Coon Rapids
With the coming of the new century, it was clear that interstate commerce in the United States was moving at a faster pace than the ferry boat.
The idea of free college has been gaining a lot of attention this presidential election cycle, with both the Clinton and Sanders campaigns integrating the concept into their platforms. Just over a year ago, in 2015, President Barack Obama proposed making two years of community college free through the Americas College Promise program. Some states have already implemented free community college, including Minnesota, Tennessee and Oregon.

These programs are a remarkable step toward making college more affordable and accessible. But affordability and accessibility do not equal completion. If our goal is providing the opportunity for all individuals, regardless of age, race or class, to receive a world-class education and training for life and career, we need better pathways to help students complete. Otherwise, free college is somewhat moot.

According to data from the federal governments National Center for Education, 28 percent of students seeking an associates degree from a community college graduate within three years. Even at four-year schools, completion rates are lackluster. Students seeking a bachelors degree have a graduation rate of 58 percent at public institutions, 65 percent at private nonprofit institutions and 27 percent at private for-profit institutions. This data is alarming. What good is free college if up to nearly three-quarters of students never finish?

In research from Public Agenda, students have spoken of several factors that inhibit their success, including full-time employment, dependent children, weak academic preparation and college affordability. Other research indicates that many college practices inhibit a students chance for success. Students academic pathways may be confusing, they may receive inadequate guidance or they have difficulty transferring from a community college to a four-year school. Diminishing these barriers can dramatically increase completion.

For example, schools can work to create environments that are more engaging for students. Research from the Association of American Colleges and Universities indicates that students who are academically and socially engaged during college are more likely to graduate. A student is academically engaged when he or she interacts with faculty and finds learning meaningful. Social engagement refers to participation in campus activities and multiple connections with other students.

Many students have challenging schedules and responsibilities outside school that make enhanced engagement more difficult, so its important for schools to choose deliberate approaches to meet students where they are.

The way schools design and structure courses can also create barriers for students, especially when courses lack clear outcomes or student support. In particular, redesigning gateway courses  those foundational courses nearly all students take in their first year  can reduce drop-outs, failures and withdrawal rates. Research from the Pell Institute indicates that students who return for their second year of college have a higher chance of graduating. If a student is successful the first time taking a course instead of needing to repeat a course, they will be able to move toward their certificate or degree faster and at a lower cost.

Transferring from a community college to a four-year school also trips up many students. While its true that a four-year degree isnt and should not be the only pathway to a better life and career, in recent research from the Community College Research Center, the Aspen Institute and the National Student Clearinghouse, 80 percent of students enrolling in a community college say they plan to get a bachelors degree or higher. Yet many students find it frustrating or impossible to transfer between two- and four-year institutions, often losing credits, time and money in the process. States and institutions need to create better transfer procedures and identify a general education core that is accepted by all institutions.

Finally, its important to note that all of the free community college programs currently enacted are limited to recent high school graduates, even as more and more individuals are returning to school later in life to earn a college certificate or degree. This trend will likely increase, given that estimates suggest that nearly 70 percent of all jobs will require some kind of post-secondary training, certificate or degree by 2020.

Free college is a giant step toward improving access, and its an easy rallying cry. But free college will not inherently lead to more college graduates with well-paying and stable jobs. Higher education leaders and experts need to think beyond free college and help colleges and universities create a stronger completion culture. While the solutions above are not as amenable to sound bites, these are the real solutions that will help more students complete a meaningful degree.
A man working to promote peace and healing in Africa and around the world spent time in Beaver Dam and shared stories of his work and hopes for the future during his visit.

Jerry Locula of Liberia arrived in the United States on July 26.

It was Liberias Independence Day, Locula said

He arrived to reconnect with friends on an unexpected break from his mission. Locula, who works as a human rights officer for the United Nations in South Sudan, was evacuated to Uganda when an outbreak of violence made it unsafe for him and his team to remain there.

While visiting, Locula also took a trip to Costa Rica, where he earned a masters degree at the United Nations University for Peace in 2010. He said he reunited with professors and other alumni while there, where the shared stories of conflicts and challenges in their countries while working to promote peace.

It was a reservoir of knowledge, Locula said.

Education served as a driving force in directing the path of Loculas life. He saw it as a way to escape poverty, so he left his parents home after high school to attend the University of Liberia in the capital city of Monrovia. He began his studies in September 2000, pursing a program that should have taken 3  to 4 years.

Civil war in Liberia made earning his degree difficult. Challenges included the risk of starvation, fighting malaria and a siege of the capital city that forced people to flee.

We were running for our lives, Locula said. We went through tough times.

Locula said Liberias civil war killed more than 250,000 people and displaced more than 300,000.

Locula finally completed the requirements for his degree in 2007.

An active member his church, Locula worked as a choir director general secretary or the Lutheran Youth Fellowship. He eventually began working for the Lutheran World Federations Department for World Service, which responds to and challenges the causes and effects of human suffering and poverty around the world. His work included interviewing and counseling ex-combatants from the civil war. He said he sought to teach them that the gun was not the way forward.

Locula also worked to help set up a trauma healing program, inspired by victims of domestic violence and the plight of a neighbor recovering from a gang rape.

She needed hope, Locula said.

Locula then began working for the United Nations human rights monitor in Liberia. He worked with displaced people and refugees. His work for the United Nations eventually sent him to South Sudan, still recovering after more than 22 years of conflict. His work includes helping people know what their rights are, serving as an advocate and building relationships.

His service in South Sudan will end in 2017. He wants to work with young people in Liberia and tackle issues including drug use, teen pregnancy, abuse and domestic violence.

I want to teach them how to become leaders Locula said.

Locula plans to marry in February, and asked Mark Molldrem to serve as the celebrant for the ceremony. Molldrem said Locula lives hopefully, and his upcoming marriage reflects that.

Locula said the smiles he encountered during his visit are the light of the city in Beaver Dam. He cited the generosity, friendliness, cordiality and eagerness to give he experienced while meeting with residents.

Locula share his story during a presentation on Aug. 22 at Beaver Dam Community Library and is now returning to Africa.
Aug. 4, 5:14 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a mutual aid call from the Fall River Fire Department for a large amount of straw bales on fire.

Aug. 5, 10:29 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department was dispatched and cancelled while enroute.

Aug. 5, 12:23 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a natural gas leak on Dix Street in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 7, 1:22 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to an alarm system malfunction on Western Avenue in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 7, 10:02 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries on Highway 151 in the town of York.

Aug. 12, 9:16 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to an odor investigation on East James Street in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 13, 1:24 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with injuries on Park Avenue and Fairway Drive in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 13, 4:43 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department was dispatched and found nothing at the location.

Aug. 14, 10:35 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department was dispatched and cancelled while enroute.

Aug. 17, 1:11 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to power line down on Farnham and Folsom streets in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 18, 8:30 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department was dispatched and cancelled while enroute.

Aug. 19, 10:34 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries on Highway 60 and West James Street in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 22, 1:19 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to assist EMS on Parkview Circle in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 22, 2:22 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to assist EMS on Park Avenue in the city of Columbus.

Aug. 22, 10:57 a.m. The Columbus Fire Department was dispatched and cancelled while enroute.

Aug. 23, 4:56 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with injuries at Chapin and Dix streets in the city of Columbus.

Total fire calls for the year so far: 128
Information is taken from the records of the Portage Police Department and does not represent a comprehensive list of police activity. Each individual named in this report is presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

Between 7:18 a.m. Monday and 7:49 a.m. Friday police responded to 176 calls.

East Cook Street: Police on Monday at 12:26 p.m. responded to a disturbance where a 17-year-old Portage female was tased and arrested on charges of battery, criminal damage to property and resisting arrest.

River Street and West Wisconsin Street: Police on Tuesday at 12:32 a.m. stopped April Lee Droster, 35, of Madison, for driving with loud exhaust and expired registration. Droster was issued citations for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license, possession of marijuana as a second offense and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Thompson Street and Pauquette Street: Police on Tuesday at 2:10 a.m. stopped Briana Kelley, 21, of Pardeeville, who was arrested on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a first offense, operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a ninth offense, possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Cattail Lodge: Police on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m., following an investigation and acquiring a search warrant, arrested Kaylonnie Lemon, 26, and Ramon Howard, 33, who were arrested on two counts of misdemeanor shoplifting and two counts of attempted misdemeanor shoplifting.

Summit Street: Police on Tuesday at 9:23 p.m. responded to a domestic situation where an argument had escalated and a Portage man was arrested on a charge of domestic disorderly conduct.

New Pinery Road: Police on Wednesday at 2:58 a.m. responded to a domestic incident in which a Portage man was arrested on a charge of domestic disorderly conduct.

East Conant Street: Police on Wednesday at 6:47 p.m. arrested Andrew Premo, 23, of Portage for possession of marijuana as a second offense.

East Franklin Street: Police on Wednesday at 8:37 p.m. responded to a report of a sexual assault, in which James Beers III, 22, of Westfield, was arrested on two counts of second-degree sexual assault.

Silver Lake Drive: Police on Thursday at 3:40 a.m. responded to an incident in which an argument escalated and a 24-year-old Portage man was arrested on a charge of domestic disorderly conduct.

West Cook Street: Police on Thursday at 2:35 p.m. initiated a stop on a motorcycle at the intersection of Cook Street and Wisconsin Street. Halfway into the intersection the motorcycle reportedly bounced off a car. After refusing medical treatment Joshua Knight, 27, of Portage, was cited for operating a motorcycle without a motorcycle endorsement, operating a vehicle after revocation of a license, reckless driving and felony eluding an officer.

East Cook Street: Police on Thursday at 8:48 p.m. responded to a situation resulting in search of an apartment and the issuing of misdemeanor summons for possession of marijuana to Zachary Johnston, 20, Christian Keim, 30, a 17-year-old female and a 17-year-old male. Johnston was also issued a citation for misdemeanor bail jumping, while the 17-year-old female was also cited for possession of drug paraphernalia and two counts of bail jumping.

East Wisconsin Street: Police on Friday at 12:32 a.m. stopped a vehicle for driving with a defective headlamp. During a search of the vehicle, marijuana wax and drug paraphernalia were reportedly found. Trevor Meisel, 31, of Portage was arrested on charges of possession of marijuana as a second offense, possession of drug paraphernalia, and driving with a restricted controlled substance as a third offense.

Main Street and East Conant Street: Police on Friday at 1:25 a.m. stopped Isaac Baer, 19, of Portage, for driving with expired registration, Baer was also cited for operating a vehicle after suspension of a license as a fourth offense.

Central Portage: Police on Friday at 6:31 a.m. stopped a vehicle for driving with loud exhaust. Mitchell VanWormer, 19, of Pardeeville was issued a citation for operating a vehicle while intoxicated as a first offense and driving with defective exhaust.
A Portage man was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for beating two men with a crowbar in a parking lot in 2015, with one man sustaining life threatening injuries.

Kendrick Dukes, 27, entered a plea of no contest to two counts of substantial battery on April 28. He was a no-show for an Aug. 2 follow-up hearing, resulting in a warrant being issued for his arrest. It was the second warrant issued during the case, the first was after he failed to appear for his initial bond hearing.

At 1:05 p.m. Thursday, as the court began considering issuing another arrest warrant, Dukes arrived, supported by his girlfriend who sat on the bench behind him during the proceedings.

Defense attorney Maura OConnell Melka provided a list of disagreements with the Department of Corrections pre-sentence investigation, saying that Dukes disputed the statement that he was difficult to reach and only missed one appointment while he was at a job interview. She argued with the statement that he would not go into detail, saying that he gave a full verbal account of the incident.

Im frankly astonished with this, said Melka. My client reports no criminal charges, convictions, until the two mentioned in Columbia County, Wisconsin. He has no Illinois criminal record as an adult.

Melka disagreed with references to a juvenile criminal history in Illinois that was not entirely explained in the report, she told the court.

In 2011, Dukes was convicted in two Columbia County cases  in May he was charged and pleaded no contest to misdemeanor battery and in August he entered a no contest plea to charges of bail jumping and resisting an officer.

Melka also took issue with the report mentioning Dukes reticence about his mother, which she said was understandable given his mothers death when he was 17 and the death of his grandmother coming shortly after, which left him on his own, and explaining a struggle to pull together any documents about him, even a birth certificate or a single photo ID, which have been absent since his arrest.

Misbehavior wasnt allowed in his home, said Melka. He was a good high school student, a dual-sport athlete, who ran into some bullying and trouble for leaving school early, because it wasnt unusual for the gangs to approach and bully kids as they left school.

Speaking on his behalf, Dukes girlfriend, due to have their child at the end of the year, stood up to address the court.

I just want to say that hes the best thing that ever happened to me. Im really excited to start a family with him in December and I have known him for years prior, she said. He has always been the life of the people we hung out with and theres nothing bad we can say about him. I just feel like that night was a mistake and he was under the influence and hes not even a drinker. He wants to do better. Im kind of at a loss for words.

Assistant District Attorney Christine Genda did not dwell on speculation of the circumstances that led to the incident on May 19, 2015, but said that according to one witness, there was possibly something with a prior relationship, that was at the heart of an incident when Dukes got into an argument with a group at The Ballroom in downtown Portage and then later in a parking lot adjacent to an apartment building and the Market Basket convenience store.

There was more than one person there that was injured with the crowbar, they were seriously injured and they both sustained head injuries, said Genda. A severe concussion was suffered by one man, he had staples in his head, for the other, he was in a medically-induced coma, he had a breathing tube, and according to reports, they were unsure whether he would pull through.

Dukes said he wants to move forward. I just wanted to say that I made the wrong decision and all I want to do is make things better and to work on my life, be a better person, he said.

Judge W. Andrew Voigt said he was conflicted. I have to admit that your case is a bit more than a conundrum for me, he said, explaining that he was looking at two vastly different descriptions of the same person, who appears to some broadly disinterested in this case, but appearing earnest when he is in attendance.

As the hearing progressed, Dukes went through tissues that Melka retrieved from the court reporters desk.

Despite police responding to the incident finding women in the hallway of an apartment caring for a semi-conscious man covered in blood, Dukes was described as an attentive parent to his two children that stay with him over summers and willing step-parent to his girlfriends children.

Voigt recognized the points of credit being due, highlighting that the incident could have been much worse, but was not, and that Dukes did enter a plea of no contest, suggesting the taking of responsibility. He also informed Dukes that he was fortunate in the three parties involved in his case.

The three of us could be accused of being cheerleaders, said Voigt of their respective enthusiasm for allowing the possibility of a person not being defined by a singular incident.

But when that singular incident involved beating someone over the head with a crowbar, there is something inescapable about that, said Voigt. Its awfully easy for me to conclude that all of those statements (you made) were about the negative consequences to you and the fact that you are sitting here today.

Voigt then sentenced Dukes to two years in prison and two years of extended supervision. Giving him a few moments to compose himself and say a few words to his girlfriend, court officers took Dukes into custody to begin serving his time.
MADISON (AP)  More than a million unregistered voters in Wisconsin likely will receive a postcard soon detailing what they can do to cast a ballot in the upcoming presidential election.

The states newly created Elections Commission is working on the mailing, which is expected to be sent next month.

The board is to vote on approving its plan for the mailing at its Tuesday meeting, which comes 10 weeks before the election. A memo released Thursday in advance of the meeting provides details about the mailing.

The Republican-controlled Legislature earlier this year passed a law requiring Wisconsin to join the multi-state consortium called the Electronic Registration Information Center, or ERIC, which works to identify people who are eligible to register to vote but havent. ERIC requires Wisconsin and its other member states to reach out before Oct. 1 every two years to voters who may be eligible but are unregistered.

Wisconsin plans to send out the postcards explaining how to register to vote in late September, giving recipients enough time to take action before registering by mail ends Oct. 19. Voters can also register at the polls Election Day, which is Nov. 8.

The Elections Commission expects between 1 million and 1.5 million postcards to be mailed to the best known addresses for potential voters who have drivers licenses or state ID cards but arent registered.

The commission estimates that mailing 1.4 million postcards will cost about $423,000. The Pew Charitable Trusts awarded the commission a grant of up to $150,000 for the initial costs; the rest will be paid for with federal funding under the Help America Vote Act.

The law requiring Wisconsin to join ERIC also made a number of other election-related changes, including allow residents to register to vote online and eliminating special registration deputies who help voters register in person.

While Democrats supported electronic voter registration, they opposed the elimination of deputies, saying it would hamper registration drives and could disenfranchise students, seniors and low-income voters.

The bill passed with no Democratic support and was signed by Gov. Scott Walker in March.
Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson recently suggested that we could cut the cost of higher education by reducing the number of the professors and letting students watch movies such as Ken Burns' documentary on the Civil War.
Illinois gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner pledged to be a divergence from the corruption and cynical leadership thats plagued the state for too long. Last week, Gov. Bruce Rauner proved it was all bogus. Hes just more of the same.

Rauner really doesnt want up to 2 million new voters in Illinois by January 2018. In fact, the threat of enfranchising swaths of underrepresented minorities and poor was just too much to bear for the first-term Republican.

On Aug. 19, Rauner grabbed his veto pen and struck down automatic voter registration, which would have made voters out of anyone receiving a drivers license.

Rauners administration has struggled to explain the last-minute veto. The legislation breezed through both houses of the General Assembly with sweeping bipartisan support. Automatic registration is on the legislative docket in about two dozen statehouses. Four have already approved it. More are expected to soon.

But Rauner and Rauner alone, somehow, concluded the bill violated federal voting laws, an assertion unsupported by case law.

Proponents rightfully went ballistic. They charged Rauner with single-handedly disfranchising blacks and Latinos, populations now incredibly underrepresented. They said Rauner wanted the effective date rolled back to 2019, after his re-election bid.

Rauner has, by and large, avoided the absurd culture wars that consume too many of his fellow Republican governors. Hes not calling for unconstitutional crackdowns on abortion clinics. Even on the voting front, hes not championing racially targeted voter ID laws, such as those in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Texas, all recently struck down in federal courts because they violated the Voting Rights Act.

So far, Rauner has shown little desire to pick those fights. No, his battle is against bloated budgets, high taxes and powerful unions. Hes even rightfully championed redistricting reform, which might help his cause. In general, Rauner stayed above the fray. At least, he did until Aug. 19.

Like those voter ID laws, Rauners intent here is to keep those who might oppose him from the ballot box. Minorities, the thinking goes, tend to be solid Democrats. So, in Republican states, anything that can suppress minority turnout carries political benefits.

So much for the 14th Amendment.

The assumptions that drive moves like Rauners veto are highly questionable. In 2008, sociologists Jack Citrin, Eric Schickler and John Sides called the entire theory into question in an op-ed in the Washington Post. Analysis of decades of Senate elections showed that even universal turnout wouldnt have swung most elections. Yes, Democrats do typically see a bump, but the non-voting public tends to be relatively politically aligned with the rest of society. The benefit of universal registration, others have argued, would be that it would force elected officials to pay attention to traditionally ignored populations.

Rauner talked a good game in 2014. He toured Illinois, promising to deviate from the waste, corruption and self-interest thats made the state one of the countrys most broken. It was always clear that most of his promises were impossible thanks to Democratic legislative control. But, in general, he worked to make gains, while suppressing the shameful instincts that favor self-preservation over representative government.

On Friday, he just couldnt quell those compulsions any longer.
Chris Utley came to Central Wisconsin Community Action Council 31 years ago looking for food for his family, and he ended up staying for a career.

Utley made note of these two facts Wednesday when he, along with several of his colleagues who manage CWCACs various departments, were recognized as part of a celebration that marked the organizations 50th year at its Wisconsin Dells offices.

Utley, manager of the weatherization assistance unit, plus Craig Gaetzke (homeless prevention and intervention unit), Kari Labansky (chief financial officer), Lisa Williams (hunger reduction and Section 8 [Housing] unit), Ed Czerkas (energy assistance unit) and Donna Lynch (administrative assistant) all were recognized, along with their staffs, by CWCAC Board President John Earl, for their contributions to the organizations efforts.

Several local dignitaries  among them State Rep. Ed Brooks and Wisconsin Community Action Program Association Executive Director Bob Jones (the person who 31 years ago hired Utley to work in the weatherization department)  were on hand for the celebration, which included a potluck lunch and commemorative cake.

Brooks read and presented a proclamation to Earl  with the gathered audience joining in for numerous uses of the word whereas  and the CWCAC board presented Earl with a plaque commemorating the anniversary and his 15-plus years of service to the organization.

Noticeable in his absence was CWCAC Executive Director Fred Hebert, unable to attend after an unexpected surgery had him still on the mend Wednesday. Im still recovering and its going well today, finally, Hebert said by telephone Wednesday morning.

The CWCAC was founded, along with hundreds of other Community Action Agencies across the U.S., on Aug. 24, 1966, with President Lyndon B. Johnsons signing of the Economic Opportunity Act of 1964. The act created the federal Office of Economic Opportunity and provided funding for local communities to create the agencies that provide programs and services that strive to lift people out of poverty and into a better quality of life.

Utley found himself in the position of needing the CWCACs services, especially food, in September 1985, after he lost his job at a factory in Reedsburg.

I had three little kids, and somebody said you can get a food box over at Community Action, he recalled after Wednesdays celebration. I went in there, and they said, yes, we can get you some food. Are you looking for work? The weatherization department might be looking to hire somebody.

Utley that day was interviewed by Jones  who was assistant director of the agency at the time  and was hired. Dan Cole, who also works in the weatherization department, started the same day as Utley.

Weve been here ever since, Utley said. Cole also attended Wednesdays celebration.
Wisconsin Dells police say a drunken driver with a child in her vehicle struck and injured a pedestrian in the parking lot of the Mt. Olympus resort Tuesday.

The man was flown by medical helicopter to an area hospital for treatment of what police believed were a compound fracture to one arm as well as cuts on his head. The victim's identity has not been released.

Florence Ann Shaffer, 39, of Adams, has been charged with drunken driving as a third offense, as well as drunken driving causing injury with a child in the vehicle. Online court records show Shaffer previously was convicted in 2012 of drunken driving with a child under 16 in her vehicle.

According to a news release from Dells Police Chief Jody Ward, upon arrival an injured male was located lying on the pavement with substantial injuries. It was determined that a vehicle driven by (Shaffer) had struck the injured male. Shaffer remained at the scene.

Online court records show Shaffer also has unresolved charges of driving with a suspended driver's license and driving without a seat belt from a July 24 incident, as well as a hit-and-run conviction from 2011.

Dells-Delton EMS, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Kilbourn Fire Department responded to the scene immediately after the accident. Kilbourn firefighters prepared and secured a portion of the parking lot for the medical helicopter's landing and takeoff.




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Kagoshima governor requests Sendai suspension

26 August 2016

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The recently-elected governor of Japan's Kagoshima prefecture has today requested Kyushu Electric Power Company temporarily suspends operation of units 1 and 2 of its Sendai nuclear power plant. Only one other power reactor is currently in operation in the country.

The two Sendai units were the first Japanese reactors to be restarted (Image: Kyushu)

Satoshi Mitazono was elected as the prefectural governor last month. He pledged during the election campaign that he would call for Kyushu to suspend operation of the two Sendai units while their safety and evacuation plans are re-examined. However, as governor, he has no legal power to halt operation of the reactors.

"As an operator of nuclear power plants, the company has a duty to sincerely listen and respond to the concerns of local residents. The company should temporarily suspend the nuclear plant and re-examine safety," Mitazono was reported by Reuters as saying in his written request to Kyushu.

In a statement, Kyushu president and CEO Michiaki Uryu acknowledged receipt of the request adding, "We will give the request serious consideration."

All of Japan's 48 operational nuclear reactors were gradually taken off line following the March 2011 accident at Fukushima Daiichi. A new regulatory regime has since been created and by mid-2013 the Nuclear Regulation Authority had rewritten the country's requirements for nuclear power plant safety. Power companies then submitted applications for reactor restarts, which have progressed slowly.

Sendai 1 was the first to be restarted last August, followed by Sendai 2 in October. Mitazono's predecessor, Yuichiro Ito, gave his approval in November 2014 for the units to resume operation.

In April, a high court rejected an appeal by local residents seeking a temporary injunction against the operation of the two Sendai units. A group of 12 citizens from Kagoshima and two neighbouring prefectures had claimed that the new safety regulations were too lax to protect the plant from earthquakes and volcanoes.

Under Japanese regulations, reactors are required to be taken offline after 13 months of operation for maintenance. Therefore, Sendai 1 and 2 are scheduled for routine outages starting in October and December, respectively.

Unit 3 of Kansai Electric Power Company's Takahama nuclear power plant in Fukui prefecture resumed operation on 29 January. Takahama 4 was restarted on 26 February, but has remained offline since 29 February following an automatic shutdown of the reactor due to a "main transformer/generator internal failure". However, an injunction imposed by a district court on 9 March led to unit 3 being taken offline as well and both units have since remained idle.

Shikoku Electric Power Company's Ikata 3 in Ehime prefecture was restarted on 12 August and reached full generating capacity earlier this week.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

Related topics
Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Bhutan, India, Guinea, and Japan are five countries that tie for the lowest position of one business created for every 10,000 working residents. Togo and Senegal create 3, Argentina creates 4, El Salvador creates 5, and Saint Lucia creates 6 jobs per every 10,000 working residents in their respective countries.

Japan

Among the first five is a rich country Japan, and it presents an interesting case that is in contrast to the other poor business initiating countries. It is a highly employed economy, with very few unemployed people, and where the unemployment rate is actually falling. Given the fact that it has a shrinking labor force due to its population demography, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth is negative, the economy in this country has lesser chances to grow and create new businesses. The situation is further promoted by the fact that the entry of immigrants to start new businesses is not highly encouraged in this country.

The Democratic Republic Of Congo

DRC suffers mainly from political and social problems. Many years of civil unrest beginning in 1996 have killed more than 5 million people and has devastated DRC. Political instability, deep-rooted corruption, and a history of centuries of both commercial and colonial extraction and exploitation also cripple development in DRC. Even though it has a lot of natural resources including precious metals, DRC residents are among the poorest in the world. Though literacy is 75.9%, education was disrupted for six years during wars, and only 23% have a secondary education and little access to technology, so the workforce is unskilled. This situation is compounded by gender inequality. The country's fragile security system inhibits investment in the country, and people have less access to capital, with the local financial sector being underdeveloped. Moreover, the property is not protected by legislation, and high taxes discourage investment in businesses.

India

Though a fast growing economy India is plagued by poor infrastructure, corruption, bribery, and excessive rules. Its transport, energy, information and communication technology sectors are insufficient and need to be further developed to allow new businesses to flourish. Decreasing investment and job cuts across sectors are slowing business start-ups in the last two years. However, the government of the country is trying to improve the current situation in an attempt to attract new businesses. A large section of the young crowd of the country is also taking the initiative of entrepreneurship to start new businesses in the country.

Bhutan

Bhutan had cut itself away from the world because it didn't want its culture and monarchy affected by external influences. It was in 1999 that television and Internet were first allowed in Bhutan. The first parliamentary elections were held in late 2007 to early 2008. In 2008, it had a growth rate of 22.4%, one of the fastest growing economies in the world. The industrial sector has just begun to develop, and so most of the trade comes from cottage industry. It has no railways, and road development is executed by employing informal contract labor from neighboring India. Very few of its residents earn enough to pay taxes.

Guinea

Guinea has the most natural mineral resources in Africa, but its people are one of the poorest in the continent. Agriculture is the main sector and provides 80% of the employment and is also responsible for many of its exports. The political situation is not stable, it was ruled by the junta for two years, and had many years of ethnic conflicts. In addition, it has a heavy influx of refugees from neighboring Liberia and Sierra Leone. The business environment is not good, with inefficient and inadequate infrastructure, energy supply and financial system.

Main Causes Of Stagnant Economy

Causes contributing to the low development of businesses vary dramatically, from a saturated economy in Japan to an emerging fledgling industrial sector in Bhutan. However, poor governance resulting in inadequate public spending and inefficient support systems hamper entrepreneurial spirit in most of the countries, with people remaining employed in the informal sector.
Angela Blackwell and William Blackwell

By: Wayne Morin

(Scroll down for video) A mother was arrested on a charge of homicide after allegedly killing her newborn baby by placing him inside a refrigerator, according to police in South Carolina.

Chester police said that they have arrested 27-year-old Angela Blackwell, after being accused of killing 4-day-old William Blackwell.

In court, Angela pleaded not guilty to homicide by child abuse.

She was booked into the Chester County Detention Center, where she is being held without bail.

According to the police investigation, William died of asphyxia and hypothermia from being placed in the cold refrigerator for three hours.

The incident occurred just four days after William was born.

After three hours, Angela took her son out of the refrigerator, but she did not seek medical attention despite the fact that he was unconscious.

Williams father and Angelaas wife, Jeff Lewis, said that the mother is mentally disabled, but she loves her children and is very protective of them.

Lewis and Angela have another child, a 3-year-old boy, who was taken by the Department of Social Services after the newborn died.

Lewis claims that his wife did not put William in the refrigerator, and he doesnt know who did.
Free Entry to Wrexham Heritage Sites During Open Doors Event

This article is old - Published: Friday, Aug 26th, 2016

Residents and visitors to Wrexham will have a chance to explore the countys architecture and heritage for free as part of the upcoming Open Doors events.

Across several dates in September, some of Wrexhams most iconic locations will open their doors to the public for free as part of Open Doors  a Wales-wide programme of events co-ordinated by CADW.

As part of European Heritage Days, Open Doors offers free access to a variety of buildings, heritage sites and events of all kinds. This is the largest volunteer-led event in the Welsh heritage sector.

Most of the events are delivered by local members of the community who have volunteered their own time to help tell the their story.

Wrexham Heritage Service will be putting on two Open Doors events:

10 September 2016  Minera Lead Mines

Discover the story of the lead miners of Minera. Guided tour of the archaeological remains at 11am and 1pm. FREE

10.30am  3pm

17 & 18 September 2016  Holt Castle : 15 C War of the Roses

11am to 4pm

A two-day festival featuring Sir William Stanleys Household and The Montgomery levy.

See living history and demonstrations of weapons & armour portraying the life and experiences of the troops whilst garrisoning a castle.

Enjoy a range of crafts and trade demonstrations showing the methods of producing the mass of goods needed to service the medieval army; including metal work, leather work, carpentry, clothes and a field kitchen. Discover the role of the river in transport and trade with a medieval boating and fishing display.

Have fun with hands-on activities including calligraphy; quern stone flour milling and rush light making.

Both events are free and full details can be found here.

Open Doors events in Wrexham

Open Doors  The Ceiriog Memorial Institute  03 and 10 September 2016

Open Doors  Iscoyd Park  06 September 2016

Open Doors  Chirk Castle  10 September 2016

Open Doors  Erddig Hall  10 September 2016

Open Doors  Minera Lead Mines  10 September 2016

Open Doors  Clwyd Family History Society Resource Centre  17 and 24 September 2016

Open Doors  Holt Castle  1718 September 2016

Details of all Open Doors events in Wales can be found here.

All events are free of charge, but some require pre-booking due to restrictions on numbers.
A recent report on anti-Semitism and racism in the Labour Party, commissioned by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, concluded that the party is not overrun by anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, or other forms of racism.

It placed anti-Semitism in the wider context of racism not anti-Zionism, thereby refusing to equate criticism of the Israeli state with anti-Semitism.

It stated that there is, however, too much clear evidence (going back some years) of minority hateful or ignorant attitudes and an occasionally toxic atmosphere that is in danger of shutting down free speech within the Party rather than facilitating it.

The report was published by Shami Chakrabarti, a human rights lawyer and former director of human rights organisation, Liberty. It made a number of recommendations for tackling allegations of racism, including procedures for investigating such claims in accordance with principles of natural justice and proportionality, instead of summary suspension based on accusations, a moratorium on new disciplinary cases, and a statute of limitation on old claims.

In so doing, she implicitly rejected the media-led hysteria based on anonymous claims and without evidence, as well as the trawling of old social media postings by low-ranking members, that the Labour Party is a hotbed of anti-Semitism.

This charge has played a key role in the right-wing putsch attempt by Labour MPs, working in cahoots with the Conservative Party, the pro-Conservative media, the military-intelligence apparatus in Britain and the United States, and pro-Israel groups, to remove Corbyn as party leader.

It is part of a broader attempt on the part of the financial elite to overturn Junes referendum result to leave the European Union. The re-fashioning of the Labour Party is their preferred means to achieve this, with the aim of shifting politics sharply to the right. These forces are vehemently opposed to the anti-austerity and anti-war sentiments of those who voted for Corbyn, against his right-wing opponents, as Labour leader last September.

According to numerous Labour MPsall hostile to Corbynand media reports, especially in the Guardiananti-Semitism had only become a problem since his election as leader last September. The charge was made that all criticism of the Israeli state and its suppression of the Palestinians are a form of anti-Semitism.

For example, last February, a Daily Telegraph article headlined Is the Labour Party's problem with racism beyond repair? stated that the reports of anti-Semitism are reflective of a perpetuation  and tolerance of  anti-Semitism that starts at the top of the Labour Party, then steadily works its way down. And are they no longer anathema to Labour or its heritage. Far from it. Anti-Semitism is now firmly embedded in the Labour partys DNA.

Similarly, Jonathan Freedland wrote in the Guardian, which has been at the forefront of the campaign to oust Corbyn, Thanks to Corbyn, the Labour party is expanding, attracting many leftists who would previously have rejected it or been rejected by it. Among those are people with hostile views of Jews.

Alex Chalmers, who had been an intern in the Israel advocacy and lobby group BICOM, resigned from the chair of the Oxford University Labour Club (OULC) alleging anti-Semitism. His resignation generated a media storm about anti-Semitism in the Labour Party and OULC.

Yet in his resignation statement, Chalmers made it clear that his resignation had nothing to do with anti-Semitism but was because of the OULCs decision to endorse Israel Apartheid Week.

Last May, Corbyn agreed to the suspension of his long-time ally, former London Mayor Ken Livingstone, from the party. This was in response to Livingstone speaking out against the suspension, the previous day, of Naz Shah, Labour MP for Bradford West, after she was accused of anti-Semitism in social media posts.

Livingstones remarks on BBC radio particularly incensed the Blairite coup organisers. He had stated, somewhat carelessly, Lets remember, when Hitler won his election in 1932 [sic] his policy then was that Jews should be moved to Israel. He was supporting Zionism. [He then] went mad and ending up killing 6 million Jews.

It is however, a matter of historical record that after Hitler came to power, significant sections of the Zionist movement in Germany sought an accommodation with the Nazi regime, which did agree to the transfer of some Jews to Palestine.

Instead of opposing and exposing the undemocratic methods of the right-wing plotters who are seeking to remove him and their broader political agenda, once again Corbyn capitulated. He agreed immediately to the suspension of Shah, Livingstone and numerous others, and set up an inquiry into racism in the Labour Party to be headed by Chakrabarti.

Significantly, the report found that many of the accusations of anti- Semitism relate to statements made before Corbyn became leader. It should be pointed out that the Labour Partys 2010 leadership contest was between two people of Jewish origin, while the polls show that the percentage of people in the UK that hold anti-Semitic views is small and has remained constant at around 7 percent.

Corbyn welcomed the reports findings and pledged to implement its recommendations.

Far from calming tensions, the findings have added to the already toxic atmosphere. It has met with a vitriolic response from some Jewish community leaders and the pro-Israel lobby, who called it a whitewash. They are incensed because it did not confirm their accusations of rampant anti-Semitism.

Chakrabarti was accused of bias, after announcing on the day she was asked to lead the inquiry, that she had joined the Labour Party to gain members trust and confidence. Ephraim Mirvis, the Chief Rabbi said the credibility of her report lies in tatters after the announcement that she was the only person on the Labour Honours list recommended for a peerage.

The Chakrabarti report in effect confirmed the inquiry into anti-Semitism at OULC, led by her deputy Lady Royall.

Royall wrote on the website of the Jewish Labour Movement (the British wing of the Israeli Labour Party and an affiliate of the World Zionist Organisation), I know that you will share my disappointment and frustration that the main headline coming out of my inquiry is that there is no institutional anti-Semitism in Oxford University Labour Club [emphasis added].

In acknowledging this, Royall inadvertently revealed that the real issue was not anti-Semitism but opposition of many, including Labour members, to Israels oppression of the Palestinians.

Dave Rich, Deputy Director of Communications for the Community Security Trust, a charity for the defence of the Jewish community in Britain, which has a pro-Israel agenda focusing on combating the Boycott, Divest, Sanction (BDS) movement, likewise acknowledged this in a letter to the Israeli daily Haaretz.

He wrote, Neither report [Chakrabarti and Royall] truly tackled the underlying question of whether the anti-Semitism in the party is a product of the obsessive mania over Israel that has gripped Corbyns part of the left for years.

His remarks confirm that the witch-hunt over anti-Semitism is part of a broader campaign to override the widespread hostility to Israels policy towards the Palestinians, and its role as policeman for US and British imperialisms interests in the Middle East.

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In a widely-publicized speech delivered Wednesday at a community college in Reno, Nevada, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton sought to exploit the increasingly fascistic tenor of the Donald Trump campaign to make an appeal for support from conservatives and Republicans.

Clinton used the speech, her only major public appearance in the second half of August, to shift her campaign further to the right, openly appealing for the support of more traditional right-wingers on the grounds that Trump was beyond the pale politically.

This is not conservatism as we have known it, this is not Republicanism as we have known it, she declared, adding that the November election was a moment of reckoning for every Republican dismayed that the Party of Lincoln has become the Party of Trump.

To refer to the modern Republican Party as the Party of Lincoln is a political travesty, as is the attempt to present the Trump phenomenon as something totally alien to the political establishment in general and the Republican Party in particular.

Beginning with the 1964 presidential campaign of Barry Goldwater and Richard Nixons southern strategy, the political and geographic base of the party was transformed, as diehard Southern racists who left the Democratic Party during the civil rights struggles were integrated into the Republican Party.

Clinton presented the Republican Party leadership as anti-racist--pointing favorably to presidential candidates Bob Dole and John McCain as well as former President George W. Bush. But as she well knows, the Republican Party has engaged in a devils bargain with the remnants of white supremacy over many decades. Among the plotters involved in the vast right-wing conspiracy about which Clinton warned at the time of the impeachment campaign against her then-president husband were unreconstructed segregationists in Arkansas and other Southern states.

It was Ronald Reagan, still invoked today as the chief Republican deity, who began his 1980 presidential campaign with a rally in Philadelphia, Mississippi, the rural town where three young civil rights workers were murdered by the Ku Klux Klan in 1964. Before an all-white audience, he pledged to defend states rights, the banner under which the segregationists had fought their losing battle.

Clinton pointed to the Republican candidates recent appointment of Stephen Bannon, the chief executive of the ultra-right Breitbart News, as his campaign CEO. This, she argued, showed that the Republican Party was being taken over by the alt-right, racist and white supremacist elements, previously on the fringes of the party, but now being brought into the mainstream by Trump.

Clinton cited a number of Trumps most outrageous statements and positions, from his call to ban Muslims from entering the United States to his vilification of a federal judge because his parents were born in Mexico. She declared, These are racist ideas. Race-baiting ideas. Anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-women.

Trump has provided ample ammunition for such an attack. The day before Clintons speech, he appeared at a campaign rally in Mississippi with ultra-right British politician Nigel Farage. The former head of the UK Independence Party (UKIP), Farage spearheaded the successful Leave campaign in the recent referendum on continued British membership in the European Union, mounting a racist campaign against immigrant workers.

The new Trump campaign chief, Stephen Bannon, is everything Clinton says and more: a neo-fascist (a word Clinton was careful to avoid), who seeks to transform the Republican Party along the lines of the National Front in France, the Alternative for Germany, the Freedom Party in Austria and Farages UKIP.

Based on Clintons speech, however, one could only conclude that Trumps appeal is based simply on racism and the significant support he has attracted, including among lower income and working class voters, reflects a broad popular constituency for racist views. Clinton did not, and could not for definite political reasons, acknowledge that there is an objective social basis for a response to Trumps right-wing populism--namely, the desperate social crisis facing broad sections of the American population due to the right-wing policies of the Democrats no less than the Republicans. Trump is exploiting the absence within the political system of any expression of the interests and needs of ordinary people.

He is able to get a hearing because millions of people are being driven into economic insecurity and poverty while the rich and the super-rich continue to amass obscene levels of wealth. He is able with some success to divert mass discontent along reactionary nationalist and racialist channels precisely because what passes for the left in American politics, anchored by the Democratic Party, has moved ever further to the right, culminating in the Obama administration, which has presided over endless war and an unprecedented redistribution of wealth from the bottom to the top of the economic ladder.

There was no hint in Clintons speech of the attacks on economic inequality that she occasionally indulged in when she was facing the primary challenge of Bernie Sanders. On the contrary, she denounced Trumps recent pretensions of sympathy for the appalling conditions of poverty and unemployment among African Americans in many US cities by declaring, He doesnt see the success of black leaders in every field, the vibrancy of the black-owned businesses, or the strength of the black church.

The other major component of Clintons campaign is racial and identity politics, which are used to divide the working class and secure the support of privileged social layers--including a thin layer of upper-middle class blacks, Hispanics and women--for American imperialism.

Trump was spawned by the rise of a parasitic financial aristocracy whose fortunes are based on speculation rather than the development of industry. This process has been accompanied by a vast growth in the political influence of the military-intelligence apparatus in the course of 25 years of nearly continuous US wars.

Clinton does not care to discuss these processes because she herself is demonstratively vying for the favor of Wall Street and the national security state, presenting herself as the most reliable commander-in-chief for US imperialism, while deriding Trump as unstable, if not outright disloyal.

That explains the seemingly bizarre detour in Clintons speech, as she went from mentioning Trumps appearance with Nigel Farage to declaring that the grand godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism is Russian President Vladimir Putin.

She continued, Trump himself heaps praise on Putin and embraces pro-Russian policies. He talks casually of abandoning our NATO allies, recognizing Russias annexation of Crimea, giving the Kremlin a free hand in Eastern Europe. American presidents from Truman, to Reagan, to Bush and Clinton, to Obama have rejected the kind of approach Trump is taking on Russia.

Clintons right-wing election campaignbased on praise for Obamas legacy, a refusal to even acknowledge the existence of a social crisis, and warmongering denunciations of Russiademonstrates that support for the Democrats and claims that they can be pressured to the left do not halt the growth of extreme right forces such as Trump. On the contrary, they fuel the spread of such tendencies.

The precondition for a serious struggle against war, inequality and attacks on democratic rights is a complete break with the Democratic Party and bourgeois politics as a whole, and the development of an independent political movement of the working class.
Legislation to allow New Zealands foreign intelligence agency, the Government Communications Security Bureau (GCSB), to spy on New Zealand citizens passed its first reading in parliament on August 18, with overwhelming cross-party support.

The Labour Party, New Zealand First, Act and the Maori Party all backed the National Party government by voting for the Intelligence and Security Bill. Only the Greens and United Futures Peter Dunne voted against sending the bill to the foreign affairs select committee, the next stage in its passage.

The bill is the result of a review conducted by former Labour Deputy Prime Minister Michael Cullen and lawyer Patsy Reddy. Cullen had served on parliaments Intelligence and Security committee, which covers the spy services. Reddy has recently been named as the countrys next governor-general.

The legislation will have been drawn up in close consultation with Washington. In March, US National Intelligence Director James Clapper visited Wellington for talks on intelligence matters, including the Cullen-Reddy review. Clapper held discussions with both Prime Minister John Key and Labour leader Andrew Little.

Along with a history of illegal spying on New Zealand citizens, the GCSB services the needs of US imperialism. Documents leaked by former US National Security Agency (NSA) contractor Edward Snowden revealed that the GCSB carries out mass surveillance on Pacific island nations and several Asian countries, including China. According to Snowden, Washington highly values the intelligence gathered by the GCSB on its behalf, including in areas and countries ... difficult for the US to access.

The legislation breaks a longstanding separation between the domestic security agency, the Security Intelligence Service (SIS), and the GCSB. Previously, the GCSB could only legally spy on foreigners. After revelations that the agency illegally spied on over 80 NZ citizens, including prominent Internet entrepreneur Kim Dotcom, a law was rushed through in 2013 to allow the GCSB to carry out surveillance on behalf of the SIS, police and the Defence Force.

The 2013 law triggered nationwide protests by thousands of people. According to Cullen-Reddy, however, the 2013 legislation did not go far enough. It only allowed the GCSB to spy on citizens and residents in exceptional, albeit broadly defined, circumstances. Cullen complained the GCSB became extremely risk adverse around interpretation of its powers.

The new law runs counter to assurances given by Key in 2013 that the GCSB would not target citizens. It was introduced the same week that fresh information from Snowden revealed the GCSBs monitoring of New Zealander Tony Fullman, who campaigned against the Fijian military regime following the 2006 coup.

The bill places the GCSB and the SIS under the same legislation and warranting regime. If the agencies operate under a joint warrant they will both be able to carry out all activities, including interception of communications, searches of premises, seizure and surveillance.

The minister in charge of the agencies, Christopher Finlayson, said citizens would be targeted by the GCSB only on national security grounds, unless a person was deemed an agent of a foreign power. In that instance, the GCSB already has the powers to spy on them.

The definition of national security is yet to be determined. Finlayson said the government wanted the select committee to have a robust debate on the definition, rather than ministers make a decision. Little thanked Finlayson for his bipartisan approach and for conducting himself with considerable distinction.

To further secure a parliamentary consensus on boosting the surveillance regime, Little said he wants membership of the Security and Intelligence committee expanded to include automatic representation from the Greens and NZ First. Labour previously gave one of its positions to former Green Party co-leader Russel Norman.

The Cullen-Reddy review was released under conditions of soaring social inequality, the collaboration of New Zealand in the US-led war in Iraq and escalating threats of a US war against Russia and China. As in America, Europe and Asia, there are signs that the turn to austerity and militarism is producing a shift to the left among workers and youth.

Under the rubric of the war on terror, the ruling elite is erecting the foundations for a police state in preparation to confront social and political opposition. The New Zealand Herald in March signalled media backing for unprecedented police and surveillance powers. It asserted that since the end of 2014, the spectre of ISIS terrorism [has prompted] all Western states to adopt stronger measures of surveillance and passport control.

The bill gives the agencies increased flexibility in obtaining warrants, including for classes of people and purpose-based warrants. The government raised the example of the intelligence agencies being alerted to a group of unidentified New Zealanders in Syria. A group warrant would allow the spy organisations to target them without having exact information on their identities.

A purpose-based warrant will specify the type of information soughtfor example, a warrant to intercept communications ostensibly to find out if New Zealanders are fighting with ISIS.

Whistle blowers who leak government information will be targeted. A new offence is created for people who hold a government security clearance, or have access to classified information, and communicate, retain or copy it. If intelligence agency employees provide evidence of wrongdoing to others or the media they face up to five years imprisonment.

Successive governments have expanded the spy agencies powers and resources. The 19992008 Labour government passed the GCSB Act in 2003, establishing the agency as a separate department. Labour and National have worked closely with Washington to integrate the GCSB into the global Five Eyes alliance, as part of the overall strengthening of US-led military and intelligence ties.

In 2013 and 2014, Labour and NZ First appeared alongside the Greens and Internet-Mana at public meetings, claiming to oppose the extension of the GCSBs powers. Labour made vague promises of a review into Nationals legislation if elected. This supposed opposition was a complete fraud. Both parties are now backing legislation that goes even further.

The Green Party has declared its opposition to the legislation, on the basis that it is invasive. However, the Greens are not opposed to the activities of spy agencies in principle, only saying the proposed oversight measures do not go far enough and there should be a clear distinction between the SIS and the GCSB.
One day after the devastating earthquake in central Italy, the death toll has climbed to more than 250. On Thursday evening, the Italian government declared a state of emergency.

Italys civil defence organisation earlier reported that 215 people had been pulled from the rubble in the earthquake region of Gran Sasso, with an additional 400 injured. In the destroyed villages of Amatrice, Accumoli, Arquata and Pescara del Tronto and the surrounding area, tens of thousands have lost all their belongings.

Throughout the night, volunteers continued to dig in hopes of saving those still buried alive. Civil defence and fire rescue services set up camps and army units have been called in.

The fear of aftershocks persists. According to the United States Geological Survey, 13 additional quakes were registered in Gran Sasso by Thursday evening, each with a magnitude of at least 2.5 on the Richter scale. As a precaution, the water reservoir at the Scandarello Lake Dam will be drained.

It is still unclear how many people actually remained in the numerous mountain villages on Tuesday. In any case, it is a much greater number than the normal population. An unusually large number of children are among the victims. It is a popular time for vacations in Italy and many families traditionally send their children to visit grandparents in the mountains.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi cancelled all appointments Wednesday morning in order to visit the disaster region. He promised all possible support to the population. We will neglect no one, he said, adding that rebuilding would take place swiftly and effectively.

The earthquake took the Renzi government by surprise. All of the warnings that followed the 2009 earthquake in LAquila had apparently come to nothing. No improvements had been made and any funds provided for them had leaked into the wrong channels. Renzi promised at a press conference that this time things would not be as they were in LAquila. Seven years after the earthquake there, thousands of people still live in intolerable emergency housing.

Today in Italy, one of the most earthquake-prone countries in the world, only 30 percent of all buildings meet the legal requirements for earthquake safety. These numbers were revealed by ENEA, the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development. Approximately 500 Italian hospitals were classified as vulnerable to earthquakes.

It is no accident that a primary school collapsed in Accumoli and a hospital and a hotel were destroyed in Amatrice. A new school building that also collapsed in the same location had been officially classified as earthquake proof.

On Thursday evening, Renzis cabinet met to declare a state of emergency and decide on relief measures. Renzi announced in a statement: In the next hours, days and weeks, we must brace ourselves for a state of emergency. But digging out survivors remains our top priority. Italy weeps for its countrymen and shows the whole world its tears, but also the big heart of its volunteers, civil defence and governmental authorities.

Other politicians have also discovered the big heart of the volunteers. Beppe Grillo of the Five Star Movement posted a similar comment online, in which he wrote: Let us show our solidarity and recall that the Italians have a big heart. In rare agreement with the government and the EU, against whom he otherwise spars so aggressively, Grillo appealed for quick aid measures. He called on the EU to make the European emergency fund available to the victims of the earthquake.

The Italian news media has also cited this big-heartedness and published images of overcrowded blood donation centres with the comment: Parents and children, schoolmates, office workers and pensionersall wait patiently for hours to donate blood for quake victims (la Repubblica).

While the solidarity and willingness to help among the population is overwhelming, the grand statements of the ruling class leave a bitter aftertaste.

The politicians shed crocodile tears while at the same time preparing for war and further social cuts. The same propaganda machinery that elsewhere bemoans the innate propensity to violence and depravity of human nature has suddenly discovered the energy and generosity of people who must now, of course, sacrifice whatever is necessary.

Such hypocrisy is typical and by no means new. More than a hundred years ago, the great Marxist Rosa Luxemburg pointed it out during another terrible natural disaster. When the Mount Pelee volcano erupted on the Caribbean island of Martinique in 1902, engulfing 40,000 people, her keen eye recognized the contradiction between the humanist posturing of the ruling elite and the cruel policies of war and colonialism that they were carrying out at the same time.

Amid the ruins of the disaster, the governments were again one heart and one soul, wrote Luxemburg, contrasting this with the atrocities and colonial massacres that the same imperialists unleashed on Africans and Filipinos. She concluded her text with the words: A day will come when another volcano will raise its thunderous voice, a volcano which seethes and boils, whether you know it or not, and will sweep the whole sanctimonious, blood-stained culture from the face of the earth.

Matteo Renzi has every reason to fear this coming day. Just hours before he appeared as the devoted father of his country, he presented himself at the side of Angela Merkel and French President Francois Hollande on the Italian aircraft carrier Garibaldi. The European Union leaders are determined to proceed with their policies despite the Brexit, the UK vote to exit the EU. Those policies consist of enormous social attacks on the working class and joint military operations in Libya and the Middle East.
Socialist Equality Party presidential candidate Jerry White took his campaign to a Detroit-area auto factory Thursday to speak to workers about the critical issues raised by the 2016 election, including the mounting threat of war, the growth of social inequality and attacks on democratic rights.

White received a warm response from workers. Many expressed disgust with the choice between the fascistic billionaire Donald Trump and the multi-millionaire stooge of Wall Street and warmonger Hillary Clinton. White explained that the SEP was the only genuine voice of working people in the election campaign, advancing a program aimed at uniting workers internationally to break the stranglehold of the financial aristocracy over society.

Detroit was long an industrial center and home to a militant and combative workforce. After decades of deindustrialization, the city has borne the brunt of a counteroffensive by big business after the financial crash of 2008, aimed at stripping workers of the gains made in an earlier period. This includes Obamas 2009 forced bankruptcy and restructuring of General Motors and Chrysler and the 2013-14 bankruptcy reorganization of the city of Detroit.

The Socialist Equality Party and the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter are well-known to autoworkers in the Detroit area. In 2015 the newsletter was at the center of a rebellion by autoworkers against the drive by the United Auto Workers to ram through a sellout agreement at the Detroit automakers. Thousands of autoworkers read and circulated the newsletter and hundreds attended online conference calls to organize opposition to the sellout.

SEP candidate White and an SEP campaign team encountered immense hostility to the establishment candidates Trump and Clinton while campaigning at the Fiat Chrysler Warren Truck plant just north of Detroit. The factory employs a highly diverse workforce including black, white and immigrant workers as well as a large number of young people.

SEP campaign team members distributed the latest WSWS Autoworker Newsletter and information about an upcoming campaign meeting on Sept 22 at Wayne State University.

A broad range of workers expressed their disgust with Clinton and Trump, some with words that are unprintable. Typical were the remarks of one worker who said, There is no choice in the election. I am very concerned about war, but they are not talking about that.

Another said, Its a joke. There are two people we dont like and dont want to vote for. What we will have is a sham president. I would rather not vote at all for four years than vote for them.

Juanita, a Fiat Chrysler worker with five years stopped to speak at length to White. I dont want to vote for someone who has never worked or had to earn a paycheck.

I have two kids, but from what I am making here it is still not enough. I never heard that Donald Trump had to work or punch a clock somewhere, or Hillary Clinton.

I would never vote for Clinton, just because she is a woman doesnt make her a good candidate. You still have to prove that you are for me. I dont trust her as far as I can throw her.

White replied, Everyone knows that Trump and the Republicans are for the rich. The Democrats are also for the rich, but they are a bit more sophisticated. They say, Look, I am the same skin color or gender as you, therefore you should vote for me. Obama was elected on the basis that he was the first black president, but he represented the bankers on Wall Street just like the Republicans.

Juanita added, At the end of the day it cant be boiled down to gender or skin color. It has to be whats on paper, what are you going to do for the people that are struggling.

White replied, In our view, the issue is class. The working class creates all of the wealth in society but we have no control over the wealth we create, thats why the neighborhoods have collapsed and they are hiking the prices for things like EpiPens, and they are making it impossible for people to live.

Juanita agreed, I am a diabetic. It is not right.

Another worker told the SEP candidate, I agree that Trump and Clinton are for the rich, but what can we do?

White responded, Both candidates speak for the banks and big business. The SEP is fighting to build an independent and socialist party of the working class to lead the fight against the threat of war and all the attacks working people are facing. If you agree with this struggle you should sign up and join our campaign.

A significant number of workers indicated they had supported the campaign of self-professed democratic socialist Bernie Sanders in the Democratic presidential primary. Sanders won the Democratic Party primary in Michigan, aided by the votes of large numbers of autoworkers.

When asked what he thought about Clinton and Trump, a young worker said, I feel the Bern, referring to the Sanders campaign.

White explained that the Sanders campaign was a fraud, using left-sounding talk with the aim of corralling workers behind the Democratic Party and Clinton, a warmonger and stooge of big business.

The young worker agreed, He betrayed us. It was fraudulent the way Sanders supported Clinton.

Yes, said White. But the conclusion workers need to draw is the need to break with the Democrats and Republicans and build an independent party of the working class. The working class creates all the wealth in society. That wealth must be placed under the democratic ownership of the working class to meet human needs not private profit. That is genuine socialism and that is what the SEP and my campaign fight for.

When White explained that the SEP fought for the working class to seize the ill-gotten gains of the super-rich and nationalize the auto industry under the control of the working class, a worker replied, They wont let us take their wealth without a fight.

White replied, The slaveholders didnt want to give up their property either. It took a Civil War in this country in the 1860s to end slavery.

Nodding in agreement, the worker added, I think its going to come down to that all over again.
With a highly unstable Australian parliament about to convene on Tuesday, and the economic situation worsening, opposition Labor Party leader Bill Shorten addressed the National Press Club this week, seeking to outflank the Liberal-National government by offering to impose deep cuts to social spending.

Shorten spoke against a backdrop of growing calls in the corporate media for a bipartisan front between Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbulls fragile government and the Labor Party to push through a severe austerity agenda in the face of popular opposition.

Parliament will meet for the first time since the July federal election, the results of which point to the continuation of the protracted political crisis that has developed since the 2008 global financial breakdown. Turnbulls government has been reduced to a razor-thin majority of just one seat in the lower house, despite Labors vote being its second lowest in history. The widespread hostility to the political establishment, including the Greens, found a distorted expression in the election of 11 non-major party crossbenchers, mostly right-wing populists, being elected to the 76-seat Senate, the upper house.

In his speech, Shorten said Labors assistance was needed to deliver budget cuts that went well beyond the measures proposed by the government. We are absolutely committed to budget repair, Shorten said. But lets be frankour budget and our economy need something a lot more serious and a lot more substantial than [the governments proposals].

Shorten accused the government of three years of waste and mismanagement that had placed Australias hard-won triple-A credit rating at risk. He reiterated Labors determination to honour its budget-cutting pledges, made during the election campaign, as long as our friends in the Liberals were ready to negotiate with Labor, rather than asking us to sign a blank cheque.

Essentially, Labor is proposing a united front with the government in order to carry through multi-billion dollar cuts to public health, education and welfare, while covering their tracks with efforts to give the austerity offensive a facade of fairness via limited reductions in some tax concessions to the wealthy. Shorten said both major parties want a stronger bottom line for the country, but the current disagreement is how we get there.

Shorten was replying to Turnbulls speech a week earlier, in which the prime minister appealed to Labor to pass an initial package of cuts, worth $6.5 billion over four years, as soon as parliament resumes. Turnbulls Omnibus Bill will be based solely on 21 tough measures that Labor pledged to support during the election campaign, including cuts to welfare, healthcare, tertiary education, pensions, aged care and family payments.

Among these commitments is scrapping a clean energy supplement that was originally supposed to compensate the countrys 2.2 million pensioners, unemployed and other welfare recipients for the cost of the previous Labor governments carbon tax. This cut alone, worth $1.3 billion over four years, will take $4 to $7 a week from the pockets of people already living in poverty.

In his address, Shorten confirmed that Labor would stick to these commitments, while trying to distinguish Labor from the government by saying that his party wanted to see the details of the bill, and to be consulted, before signing off on the entire package. Shorten vowed to deliver these measures during the election campaign, in order to seek the backing of the corporate elite, but there remains considerable nervousness about actually inflicting the cuts because of the intense popular discontent.

Shorten is also trying to deflect attention from the fact that Labor committed itself to even more severe measures during the campaign. In the lead-up to the election, it abandoned previous promises to oppose or reverse government budget measures totalling an estimated $33 billion over the next four years, as well as hospital funding cutbacks of $57 billion over 10 years.

To underscore his absolute commitment to budget repair, the Labor leader outlined a bigger package of budget savings than Turnbulls. Shorten declared that Labors practical, achievable plan would cut $8.1 billion off the budget deficit in four years, and $80.5 billion over a decade. His headline items were a $4.7 billion increase over four years in levies on tobacco productsa measure that will predominantly hit poorer layers and which the government has already embracedand a $1.9 billion reduction in tax concessions for negative gearing by property investors.

Shorten also volunteered some compromise proposals to assist the government to resolve bitter conflicts that have erupted within its own ranks since the election over slightly reducing the tax write-offs on superannuation schemes handed to the wealthy elite.

By these means, the Labor leader is seeking to attach a label of fairness to a long list of cuts, such as a $362 million abolition of a baby bonus and cutting subsidies for vocational education by $380 million over four years.

Shorten reiterated his pitch yesterday, responding to a speech by Treasurer Scott Morrison, in which Morrison tried to bolster the governments stocks by warning that the economy would be plunged into recession unless welfare spending was slashed. Shorten said that instead of engaging in bad tempered foot-stamping, Morrison and Turnbull should start governing. He declared: Australians dont want a whinger as treasurer, Australians want a doer as treasurer.

Significantly, Morrisons speech cited former Labor Treasurer Paul Keatings 1986 warning that Australia would become a banana republic unless pro-market economic restructuring was imposed to meet the requirements of global investors. That declaration was exploited by the Hawke and Keating governments, backed by the trade unions, to carry through a vast redistribution of wealth to big business and the rich, at the expense of working class jobs, living standards and basic rights.

A far greater social assault is now being demanded by the financial elite, because of the implosion of the mostly China-driven and debt-fuelled mining boom that temporarily delayed the full impact of the 2008 crash on Australian capitalism.

Editorials today in both the Australian Financial Review and the Austra l ian insisted that Labor must, like Hawke and Keating, play a central role in suppressing popular resistance to the dictates of the financial markets. Murdochs Australian urged the government to play up Labors special responsibility as a major party and custodian of the Hawke-Keating reform legacy.

The editorial declared: Labor faces a pivotal choice. If it solidifies as the party of welfare entitlement, winning office will be a Pyrrhic victory because the state of the budget will make government impossible. Much better for Labor to rediscover its pedigree as a mainstream party for aspiration, reform and government in the national interest.

In reality, Shorten and the Labor leaders are already striving to maintain that pedigree, including by positioning themselves to take office if Turnbulls government implodes. There is mounting anxiety in ruling circles that the current government, and the parliamentary order itself, cannot deliver the austerity agenda demanded.

There was a whiff of that discussion in todays Australian column by contributing economics editor Judith Sloan. I am fast coming to the conclusion this government couldnt operate a toaster, she wrote. The only conclusion is real economic reform and budget repair will occur only when a real crisis occurs because our crop of political leaders is not up to the task.

This is another warning to workers in Australia and internationally of a turn to more authoritarian forms of rule to impose the dictates of the capitalist class in the face of rising discontent and disaffection.

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Australian corporate chief suggests a dictator to resolve political crisis

[5 July 2016]
With support from the US Air Force and military advisers, Turkish soldiers expanded their invasion of northern Syria Thursday.

Operation Euphrates Shield is being justified by Ankara as necessary to seize the town of Jarablus from Islamic State forces and push back the Syrian Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) east of the Euphrates River. In reality, the military operation marks a major escalation of the US-backed regime change operation in Syria aimed at overthrowing the government of Bashar al-Assad in Damascus which threatens to plunge the entire region into conflict and draw in the major powers.

This was underscored Wednesday by a statement released by the White House in response to a United Nations-sponsored investigation which claimed that Assads forces had conducted two chemical weapons attacks over the past two years. Even though the inquiry found it impossible to apportion blame for the use of chemical weapons in six of the nine cases it examined, White House National Security Council spokesman Ned Price baldly declared in a statement, It is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people in violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and UN Security Council Resolution 2118.

The Obama administration has repeatedly exploited fabricated allegations of chemical weapons use to increase pressure on the Assad regime and create a pretext for war. Earlier this month, unverified claims of a government chlorine gas attack in Idlib province were widely trumpeted, while confirmed instances of gas attacks by opposition forces on civilians in Aleppo were ignored.

Washington came to the brink of full-scale war with the Assad regime in August 2013 when a manufactured campaign claiming that the Syrian government had launched a chemical weapons attack in Gouta near Damascus was concocted, as a subsequent investigation by journalist Seymour Hersh proved. A substantial section of the political and military establishment in the US have never forgiven Obama for deciding against direct US intervention.

Predictably, Price made no mention of the atrocities conducted by the so-called moderate Islamist forces being financed and armed by the CIA and US military in Syria. The US-initiated war for regime change has seen Syrias population shrink from 22-24 million to 17.1 million people, of which 12.2 million require humanitarian assistance and 8.7 million are internally displaced refugees. A further 4.8 million Syrians were recorded as refugees abroad by the UN in July.

The United States backing for the Turkish invasion, including from Vice President Joseph Biden who happened to be visiting Turkey the day it was launched, adds further fuel to a highly combustible political and military situation in the Middle East. Little more than a month has passed since a US-backed coup sought to overthrow the Erdogan government in Ankara, which was in part motivated by the Turkish presidents attempts to rebuild ties with Russia and Iran. Those tensions were on display Wednesday as Biden was questioned about the extradition of Turkish cleric Fathullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and is blamed by Erdogan for masterminding the 15 July coup attempt.

It is clear that Washingtons support for the Turkish invasion is aimed at creating the conditions for a broader intervention to topple the Assad regime. Turkey intends to establish a zone under its control in northern Syria along the Turkish border so as to block the emergence of a Kurdish-controlled area. But the seizing of Syrian territory in violation of international law prepares the ground for a direct clash or fabricated attack involving Assads forces that would serve as a justification for a wider NATO intervention. This would increase the likelihood of a war with nuclear-armed Russia, which intervened in Syria last year to defend its sole military base outside of the former Soviet Union and prop up its main ally in the region.

Just days before the Turkish intervention, the US accused the Assad regime of carrying out bombing raids close to an area where US special forces were operating in support of the YPG militia fighting ISIS in the town of Hasakeh. General Stephen Townsend, the US Armys military commanding officer in Iraq and Syria, subsequently warned that US forces would defend themselves if they felt threateneda tacit threat that Syrian government forces, or their Russian allies, would be fired upon.

Townsend also unveiled plans to step up US airstrikes in Syria and Iraq to assist its local proxy forces in the capture of Mosul and Raqqa from ISIS.

The Russian defence ministry reported Friday that two ships in the Mediterranean fired long-range cruise missiles for the first time against Jihadi targets within Syria. This comes on the heels of Moscows use of Iranian air bases to fly attacks in Syria.

Washingtons policies in Syria and the region more broadly are shot through with contradictions. Efforts at a rapprochement with Ankara threaten to undermine its previous policy in Iraq and Syria of relying on Kurdish militias, which have been supplied with extensive weaponry and training by the US and its allies, as key collaborators in the fight against the Islamic State. That this could have explosive consequences beyond these two countries by further stoking the civil war already raging in Turkey was shown on Wednesday, when the leader of the Turkish opposition Republican Peoples Party (CHP) narrowly avoided two assassination attempts by Kurdish Workers Party (PKK) militants.

Even the immediate consequences of the Turkish incursion remain difficult to predict. Turkish and western officials claimed Thursday that YPG forces west of the Euphrates had begun retreating, but Kurdish representatives contacted by AP refused to confirm this. Turkey reportedly gave a deadline of a week for Kurdish forces to retreat.

Late yesterday, Turkish forces reportedly opened fire on US-backed YPG units south of Jarablus in what the Anadolu news agency referred to as warning shots. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the YPG advanced eight kilometres northwards in a move aimed at preempting territorial gains by Turkish-backed Syrian rebels. Colonel Ahmad Osman, head of the Sultan Murad Group fighting alongside Turkey, explicitly threatened direct confrontation with the YPG if they failed to retreat. We are currently planning not to confront them, but if we have to confront them, we will, he told Reuters.

Clashes involving Turkish troops and the Kurdish militias could rapidly see the Syrian conflict, which has already claimed an estimated 400,000 lives, spill over into Turkey, a NATO member home to substantial deployments of US and other NATO forces and weaponry.

The very real prospect of a regional war rapidly spiralling out of control and engaging the major powers is the product of more than a quarter century of war waged by US imperialism and its allies throughout the Middle East, beginning with the 1991 Gulf War against Iraq. The sectarian divisions flaring up in Syria and across the region and the destruction of entire societies are rooted in Washingtons reckless drive to secure its hegemony over the worlds most important oil-producing region at the expense of its geopolitical rivals, above all Russia and China.

The US media has responded to the latest escalation of military violence in the Middle East by stepping up its propaganda campaign in favour of all-out war. Two pieces in the New York Times by two of the papers most notorious warmongers, Roger Cohen and Nicholas Kristof, attempted to provide Washingtons predatory imperialist interests with a veneer of humanitarian propaganda.

Cohen denounced Obama in his piece for his refusal to intervene more aggressively in Syria and pinned the blame exclusively on Russian President Vladimir Putin and Assad for the bloody civil war. Lamenting Obamas failure to wage war in Syria in 2013 following the previous manufactured chemical weapons claim, Cohen proclaimed, No outcome in Syria could be worse than the current one. Assads bomb-spewing jets and his airfields should have been taken out early in the war, before ISIS. The red line should have stood.

In a nauseating piece of human rights hypocrisy, Kristof equated the Assad regime with Nazi Germany by arguing, Today, to our shame, Anne Frank is a Syrian girl and urging Obama to do more to try to end the slaughter in Syria.

These proponents of human rights imperialism ignore the fact that such well-worn pretexts have been invariably employed to legitimise a vast escalation of US-led militarist violence that has claimed the lives of millions of men, women and children across the region and beyond. Nor does it seem to trouble Cohen and Kristof that Washingtons allies in the Syrian bloodbath are extremist Islamist forces which only one month ago were the official Syrian section of the al-Qaida terrorist network.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - Florida's K-12 Public Schools' Chancellor visited a capitol city elementary school today to read to students and deliver some school supplies.

With help from donations by the State Department of Education employees, Chancellor Hershel Lyons spent the morning with first graders at Pineview Elementary. The supplies included crayons, glue, notebooks, and pencils.

Lyons said that the community support of public schools plays an important role in the success of students. Nearly 2.7 million kids, in more than 42,000 schools, have gone back to class over the past few weeks in Florida.
TALLAHASSEE, FL (WTXL) - A local food bank has sent a truck with 22,000 lbs of rice and beans, water, bedding, and other essential items on Friday to the citizens impacted by the Louisiana flooding.

The Second Harvest of the Big Bend, a food bank based in Tallahassee, said they have sent staff to Louisiana and they will be staying for about a week to assist with the Louisiana disaster recovery effort.

"As a member of the Feeding America food bank network, we're committed to assisting other communities with disaster recovery, in the same way that other food banks will come to our aid should we ever need it here in the Big Bend," said Rick Minor, Chief Executive Officer of Second Harvest.

The remaining Second Harvest staff has filled in, so that regularly scheduled food deliveries within the Big Bend are unaffected.

Citizens wishing to help directly with hunger in the flood-impacted areas of Louisiana may visit the Baton Rouge Food Bank website here or the national Second Harvest website here. To help with Second Harvest of the Big Bend's work both locally and for future disaster relief efforts, please click here.
Verenice Gutierrez





The blog post's title? "When Men of Color Sacrifice Women of Color to Save Fragile White Women."



Gutierrez abruptly left Scott School in December, becoming one of several PPS principals to leave their posts in the 2014-15 school year, one that appeared to many teachers and parents to have unprecedented churn. She then joined Glenn Singleton's Pacific Educational Group , the contractor PPS has paid millions to facilitate its "Courageous Conversations" on race.

She's not one to back away from controversial ideas.

Portland Tribune on PPS's racial equity efforts blew up. In What about Somali or Hispanic students, who might not eat sandwiches?a she asked. Gutierrez drew national attention in 2012 after a story in theon PPS's racial equity efforts blew up. In the article , Gutierrez is quoted questioning a teacher's use of a peanut butter and jelly sandwich as a concept in a lesson. "





National news outlets distorted her message.





"Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwich is Racist, Says Portland School Official," one headline blared.





But the national spotlight hasn't weakened her opinions.



Here is Gutierrez's blog post (in italics) with annotations from WW to provide context:







This week I have been supporting two strong Latina leaders as they deal with situations that have no merit and really should have never happened.









What bothers me the most about their current situation is that it is two men of color, one Latino and one Black, who are the ones that are perpetuating the most marginalization, oppression and micro-aggressions on these two strong Latinas. AND they are doing so in response to White fragility, specifically White female fragility. Nothing stops racial equity work faster and more effectively than White women tears. Once they start to flow, the person of color that is the (alleged) cause of the tears is immediately demonized and everyone goes to her rescue. For more on this see this.





WW: It appears Gutierrez is talking about Assistant Superintendent Antonio Lopez and Sean Murray, chief human resources officer.



One of my Latina colleagues (and friend) already met with this duo and I was floored by what she told me about the meeting, how it went and what was said. This morning I woke up knowing that yet another colleague (and friend) would be meeting with these men later in the morning. I sent her a message, part of which I am sharing here because these thoughts are really, truly what every fiber of my being is telling me has happened to my colegas and amigas:



...ultimately you were leading the work that the district constantly says it stands for - racial equity for the most marginalized students. You and I both know, though, that when the work is real and deep the district panics - especially White teachers. You will face two men of color who should be ashamed of themselves!! They are completely perpetuating White fragility. In your case, especially White woman fragility. They gave into the construction of you as the "dangerous other" and ran right into being the protectors of the fragile White woman. Pendejos!! A couple hundred years ago the noose would be around their necks almost immediately after they sacrificed you because as men of color they are the ultimate "dangerous other". In this day and in this context, their noose will soon come from a predominately White board...So, remember my friend that you are brilliant, you have so much to offer and that you will bounce back from this to help nuestros hijos y futuras generaciones."





WW: Portland voters in May elected four new members on its seven-person board a new board. The new board has six white members and one woman who identifies at Chicana.



"A bit harsh? Perhaps but the anger and the passion that I feel when I hear my friends struggles mirror the ones that I went through at the hands of White teachers who had enjoyed privilege for way too long burns deep. When I went through the thick of it I had no support, no protection and very little guidance. It was until 13 months and into a second attack that I called my superintendent to very specifically demand that certain steps be taken. It was my very firm demands that finally got me something - a nice Facebook post saying (I'm paraphrasing), "this principal is ok and we kinda like her". Gee, golly. Thanks y'all! The rest of the time White women were working furiously to sabotage my work and defame my character at every turn.



But these are merely isolated incidents you may say. Well let's see...



A White lesbian Principal has an affair with her subordinate and she gets moved to a new school. A Latina Principal pushes racial equity work, White teachers complain to the union and she gets put on leave 'to protect the district.'"





WW: Teachers complained Gandarilla created a "hostile, threatening, and intimidating working environment."



"A White bisexual female Principal hacks into a server using her lover's access and gets told not to do that again. A Latina Principal that has pushed racial equity work that is making White teachers unhappy (and complaining to the union) and as soon as there is a "reason" she too is put on leave."





WW: The Latina principal she refers to may be Diaz.



"A White lesbian Principal bashes the district in the media. Nothing happens. A Latina Assistant Principal pushes racial equity work that makes her White lesbian Principal uncomfortable and she ends up on a plan of assistance.



So, are all White lesbian and/or bisexual female Principals held to softer consequences while strong Latinas pushing hard on equity get to be sacrificial lambs? And, disciplinary action is ultimately decided by TWO MEN OF COLOR!! Men of color coming to the rescue of fragile White women. Even still coming to the rescue of White LGBTQ women which is a strong power base in this particular organization. Scarier than a fragile White woman is a fragile LGBTQ woman. They are quite effective at interrupting the work. A lot of racist policies were meant to protect fragile White women from mean, dangerous coloreds and they milk that. Add the othering of the LGBTQ community and it is hard to deal with how their narrative screams oppression and White privilege simultaneously. But I have strayed...I'm not ranting about the LGBTQ White woman who uses her statuses to her advantage. Good for her, work that privilege and stand up to any oppression you encounter sister. As well you should. The problem here is with the two men of color.



For more, check out the rest of Gutierrez's blog post : The Latina principal she refers to may be Diaz.

WWeek 2015
Pies are a popular item at Jenny Maes Gluten-Free, especially during the holiday season when orders increase more than 400 percent.
ELLENSBURG  Rory Turner recalls a night back in 1976 when he tended bar at the Elks Lodge. 

The historic Ellensburg Elks Lodge, located on the northeast corner of Fifth Avenue and Main Street, will open its doors for a public party from 6-9 p.m. Sept. 29. A big band will perform in the second floor Grand Ballroom.

Elks building trivia

 The original name of the building at Fifth Avenue and Main Street is B.P.O.E. 1102 (Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks, Lodge 1102).

 A Spokane architect designed it; McWilliams & Ross of Yakima was the general contractor, and Puget Sound Marble Co. donated the cornerstone.

 It cost $56,000 to build in 1923.

 Wallace, Idaho, has an Elks building that looks just like it.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has performed extravagant shows for hundreds of journalists over the past month. The main event was preceded by a workshop in which he wrote, arranged and created a presentation of his own accomplishments and glory. In his performance in front of the journalists, Netanyahu was in his element: Eloquent, consistent, with a sophisticated sense of humor. His retorts were crystal-clear, moving like a graceful figure skater.

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The presentation was perfect. The content, though, was deceiving. And so I hereby offer Mr. Netanyahu an alternative, authentic and essential content that is intrinsic to our lives and future.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, no one will deny your broad education or your eruditeness in general and Jewish history. You know that twice during history, the zealots from the right overtook the moderates, went up against superpowers and were squashed by them, which was how the First and Second Temples were destroyed.





Prime Minister Netanyahu visiting the Air Force base in Tel Nof (Photo: Reuters)

You know that since World War II, no country in the UN has tried to exterminate another UN member. There are and have been conflicts, but no attempt at destruction. I think the only would-be exception was Tanzania's invasion to Uganda, which ended after Idi Amin was removed from power.

And yet, while no country was completely wiped out, dozens have imploded or fallen apart. Collapsed and crumbled. That is exactly what is going on here. That's the process taking place in Israel, and it's happening faster and faster still on your watch.

Many Israelis have been scrambling for a foreign passport over the last few years. They loudly explain that they need them to go to school abroad and for business, while they whisper about using them as an escape route. Under your leadership, the request for foreign passports grew, due to a lack of hope, and because it is no longer safe to live in a country that has reached the playoffs in the Global Hatred Seriesright after Iran and North Korea. People have been frequenting foreign embassies as if they were branches of IKEA. As foreign passports are placed into drawersfear is placed into minds.

You have the power of persuasion, you are a powerful orator. Your intimidation and terrorization, your method of "frighten and rule"all take their toll on people. You both charge them with fear and drain them of hope.

During your time in power, three linear and one-sided processes began to take place: the periphery is being depleted, while the West Bank is thriving; young people are leaving the Galilee and Negev regions and moving into the center of the country; and young people from the center move away to Berlin, the US, Canada and Australia. I'm sorry, I forgot, you have some trouble acknowledging that third point in your own biography, since you are actually the former immigrant who came back to torment us. Your brother, the late Brig. Gen. Yoni Netanyahu, used to refer to you as "my brother who made yerida (moved away from Israel)," in the years following the Yom Kippur War, when moving away was considered indecent.

Let's say, for the sake of argument, that you have made an enormous effort in the peace process, as you claim you have. That if you allowed your personal envoy lawyer Yitzhak Molcho and Mossad chief Yossi Cohen to reveal just how much you were willing to offer Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, it would shock your critics into silence. But that you discovered that sadly, there was no partner.

Prime Minister Netanyahu and wife Sara meet with Israeli judo Olympic medalists Yarden Gerbi and Ori Sasson (Photo: Amos Ben Gershom, GPO)

The thing is, though, that to release us from controlling the Palestinians, we don't really need a partner. Back as the early 90s, you mentioned during private conversations that we wont be able to control Gaza and all of Judea and Samaria forever, but that we should insist on the Jordan Valley and the Valley's side of the Judean Hills for security reasons. You later recounted that you spoke to MK Benny Begin on the eve of his announcing he was supporting you, and that you promised him you wouldn't divide Jerusalem or decrease the level of control Israel had over the Palestinians. I don't know for certain if that was what you actually told him, but I do know for certain that it was what you said you told him.

During your negotiations with Opposition Leader Isaac "Bougie" Herzog, you admitted that the isolated settlements dispersed throughout Judea and Samaria were a heavy burden in your eyes, which begs the question why you don't do anything about it.

Why indeed. The answer is that according to your interpretation, i.e. your cowardice, anyone trying would essentially be doing himself in. Cases in point: Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon and Ehud Olmert. You would probably say that even Yitzhak Shamir, the most rigid and far-right of the bunch, who agreed to a unity government and Rabin's autonomy plan, was eventually defeated during the elections.

On January 17, 2010, you gave an impassioned speech on the housing crisis during a government meeting. It was truly poetic, more moving than a Charles Dickens novel. You spoke about how people are mortgaging their lives for four walls, and that you were going to topple the wall of bureaucracy and end their suffering, hopefully in the upcoming Knesset session. Since your speech, though, almost seven years have passed and the prices of apartments have doubled.

We won't split hairs by bringing up your promise that in ten years, Israel would be one of the top ten leading economies in the world, when in reality we're closer to the 40th spot. We won't count the number of times you promised to erect two new cities in the Negev, the like of Las Vegas and Phoenix. We'll forget about your promise of a zero percent income tax on food products. We'll leave your plan for a longer school day for some other time. We'll forgo your promise for changing our system of government, which is just another excuse for poor leadership.

When they told you the agreement with the Iranians was a done deal and that you had to drop all the bravado and go after some kind of compensation for it, you responded by saying you can't think of anything that could compensate Iran achieving nuclear weapons. Well, I cant think of anything that would compensate the killing of six million Jews, but Ben-Gurion had the foresight to receive reparations from Germany, thereby saving Israel's economy.

You could have improved Israel's defense and created thousands of new jobs in the industry, but you chose to be a theater actor over playing from the heart.

You're about to turn 67 and reach 11 years as prime minister, which is a good time to think about those who might benefit from you, and not just your benefactors. You once urged someone to meet your American tycoon backer, explaining that he was the son of a cab driver from Boston who is now worth $40 billion. A few months ago, you were contemplating finally turning your back on the despicable world of politics, while stating that you could easily be making $300,000 a month. The person you were talking to responded by saying life is more than just about money.

Who knows how much longer you'll be prime ministeranother year, or perhaps another decadebut if things continue the way they have, history will hold its head in disbelief over you.

Try, if you can, to loosen your grip, particularly in regard to your media obsession. Stop nitpicking at editors and journalists, when in reality the media has been relatively soft on you compared to your predecessors. It has shown mercy to those who sit at your tableour table, really.

It should also be noted that fllowing the slew of media appearances you gave this summer, journalists from the right and left, secular and Orthodox, who have witnessed the spectacle, state that while they like you more for it, they believe you less.
WASHINGTON -- Turkey says the United States is legally bound by a treaty to immediately hand over Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Muslim cleric it accuses of plotting to overthrow Turkey's government.

The US government says it can't comply until Turkey can convince a judge its allegations against Gulen are legitimate.

Any solution lies in the murky world of extradition, where the US criminal justice system overlaps with diplomacy and international law.
BEIRUT -- Syrian rebels, who this week seized a strategic town from ISIS, aim to move westward in the next phase of their Turkey-backed operation, an advance that could take weeks or months to complete, a rebel commander said.

Colonel Ahmad Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, also told Reuters the rebels did not wish to fight Kurdish forces that have advanced in northern Syria as part of a separate campaign against ISIS, but would do so if necessary.

Osman, speaking to Reuters from Jarablus, said the priority was now to advance some 70 km (40 miles) westward to Marea, a town where rebels have long had a frontline with ISIS.

"We want to cleanse this area before moving south," Osman said. Failing to do so would leave the rebels at risk of ISIS counter attack, he said. "The priority is from Jarablus in the direction of al-Rai, reaching Marea."

Osman said there were dozens of villages between Jarablus and Marea that must be recaptured from ISIS. "Liberating these villages between Jarablus and Marea requires weeks and perhaps months, according to the nature of the battles," he said.

Osman, 49, said both Turkey and the US-led coalition against ISIS, of which Ankara is a part, were keen to provide air support for the operation.

"We are ready to supply greater numbers, depending on the nature of the battle," he said.
The Israeli government on Thursday rejected a UN request for diplomatic immunity for a Palestinian engineer who worked for the UN in the Gaza Strip, but is now in prison after being accused of assisting the territory's Islamic militant Hamas rulers.

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Israel arrested 38-year-old Waheed Borsh , who worked for the UN development agency (UNDP), on July 16 on suspicion of aiding Hamas. The government announced on Aug. 9 that he had been indicted on charges of assisting the militant group.

Waheed Borsh (Photo: Shin Bet)

Israel's Foreign Ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nachshon said, "Israel rejects the claim that a person assisting a terror organization recognized by the international community such as Hamas could enjoy immunity."

Israel's Shin Bet intelligence agency said that Borsh used UNDP resources last year to build a marina for Hamas' naval forces . In addition, the Shin Bet alleged that at Hamas' request, he persuaded his managers to prioritize the reconstruction of houses damaged in conflicts with Israel in areas where Hamas members lived.

Aerial photograph of Hamas naval marina

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UNDP said in a statement on Aug. 9 that it was "greatly concerned" by the allegations, that it was investigating them, and that it has "zero tolerance for wrongdoing" in its programs and projects.

Nachshon said the UN suddenly claimed in a letter Wednesday that Borsh is entitled to diplomatic immunity. The claim was examined by jurists who determined it is "unsubstantiated," he said.

"It is outrageous that a man assisting a terror organization could benefit from UN immunity," Nachshon said. "It is clear that immunity is not a license to commit acts of terror."

UN ambassador Danny Danon

Israel's UN Ambassador Danny Danon said the UN legal office claimed that any UN employee should receive diplomatic immunity from local authorities and that until Borsh's release from prison, he should be granted visits by the organization.

Shortly before Borsh's arrest, Israel charged the Gaza manager of the international charity World Vision for allegedly funneling millions of dollars to the group.

Danon said he has been in touch with international aid organizations operating in Gaza and advised them that, "Any dollar spent, and any local hire by an international organization, must be monitored to ensure they fulfill the purpose of aiding the residents of Gaza and not fund terror activities."
After Ynet reported on the recent change in dress code at Petah Tikva's Ulpanit Jeshurun that extended the female pupils' required skirt length to the floor and the parents' anger at such a change, the administration sent a new message to the parents on Thursday night rescinding the planned modification.

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Ulpanit Jeshurun is an all-girls school with 1,000 pupils from seventh to twelfth grade. It is a National Religious establishment. Its principal, Rabbi Yaniv Cohen, sent a letter to the parents last week in which he announced that the girls' skirts needed to reach the floor from now on. Previously, the requirement had been that skirts be knee-length.

Ulpanit Jeshurun students with now-acceptable skirt lengths

The letter enraged many of the students' parents. They complained that the new requirement was a sign of "ultra-Orthodoxizing" the school. They further protested that the change was announced just weeks before the beginning of the school year, when it would be nigh impossible to enroll their girls in a different school if they so wished.

Following the publication of this letter and the ire it inspired, a conversation began between the administration and the PTA. On Thursday, the principal sent a new letter to parents that announced that during the upcoming school year, the school would be implementing school uniforms. He wrote that the skirt length would be to the knees, adding "A team of the institution's management, the PTA, the pupils and fashion consultants will meet in the coming months about the style and selection of skirts."

His letter did clarify further that skirts must fully cover the knees and that pupils who failed to come appropriately dressed would not be able to continue learning at Ulpanit Jeshurun.
ANKARA -- Turkey's state-run news agency says Kurdish rebels have exploded a car bomb at a police checkpoint in southeast Turkey. Several people were wounded.

Anadolu Agency says the attack on Friday targeted a checkpoint some 50 meters (yards) away from a police station in the town of Cizre, in Sirnak province. It said the blast caused severe damage to the police station.

Details of casualties were not immediately clear.
Twenty-six years after Israeli Miriam Sharon was found murdered in her apartment in the Netherlands, a special investigation team from the Amsterdam Police has made progress in the case. A 52-year-old man has been arrested for involvement in the murder thanks to DNA evidence.

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Sharon emigrated in 1979 after leaving Israel on an extended trip and meeting, falling in love with, and marrying a Dutch painter. They had two children together and separated in 1989. Sharon's last visit to Israel was in August 1990. The following October 8, her body was found in her apartment in The Hague, violently stabbed with a knife. No suspects were arrested at the time.

Sharon was laid to rest in Israel, and her children, then eight and 10 years old, were raised by their father. One of them lives today in Israel.

Yedioth Ahronoth article on Hagenaar police asking Israeli police for assistance

Four months after the murder, the police in The Hague reached out to the Israel Police to ask for their assistance in the investigation. The Dutch Police suspected that Sharon's murderers were Israelis who had fled back to their home country. The case was not solved and it remained open and cold for 26 years.

Recently, the police in Amsterdam appointed a special cold-case squad. That special team decided to go over the physical evidence in the Sharon case and perform new DNA tests. Those tests led to the arrest on Monday of a man for suspected involvement in the murder.

The police released a statement announcing his arrest and only revealed his age (52) and that he would be indicted on Thursday the 25th. They also stated that this is the first time that such an old cold case has led to an arrest.

The Dutch police are asking to speak with the victim's family and acquaintances along with everybody who was investigated in the case over the past 26 years.

The Dutch and Israeli police are collaborating on the investigation via Israel Police representatives in Europe.
A new Tel Aviv-based startup seeks to transform bars usually shuttered during the day into vibrant working spaces.

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Pub Hub, which began operations Monday, rents out popular Tel Aviv pubs to those seeking a working space. Membership includes free coffee, Wi-Fi and office supplies. Memberships are offered on a monthly or bi-weekly basis and include the right to use any of Pub Hubs multiple locations.

A working at a bar managed by PubHub (Photo: Photo: Aviva Kagan)

Pub Hub co-founder and CEO Daniel Rubin says, People are looking for a sense of community or a network. People havent been getting that at coffee shops. We are trying to transform bars that are otherwise closed during the day into places where people can come and work. Instead of going to a coffee shop, where you sit, pay, dont meet anyone, and are in a generally unproductive environment, you can come to us and we will provide that for you.

We have had interest from big companies who want to use it for off-site meetings, Rubin continued. For example, if a company based in Jerusalem wants to have a meeting in Tel Aviv, they can use their membership with us and hold a meeting at one of our sites.

Rubin, 26, is originally from Los Angeles and currently lives in Jerusalem with his wife. He says that he came up with the idea for the startup while living in New York. I was working in New York for a Jerusalem-based startup, and all my work was at a shared space, recounted Rubin. I would pass by so many interesting looking bars every day and would just wish that I could work out of one of them. When I saw the market in Tel Aviv, I realized that there is a lot of potential here, so I opened it here and we will see where it goes.

Rubin met Pub Hub co-founder Doron Maman while attending IDC Herzliya and the two decided to launch the company together. Rubin and Maman have found many bar owners receptive to their pitch. It was incredible, exclaimed Rubin. Every single bar owner we approached has been interested in working with us.

The company is already renting out two separate bars, both of which are located on a main Tel Aviv thoroughfare and plans to expand to five more bars in the coming months. The pair of entrepreneurs plans to eventually expand their business internationally. There are bars all over the world that are closed during the day. We want to take advantage of that empty space and really transform it into something a lot more productive, Rubin explained.
Despite Haredi anger at construction on the Hashalom train station in Tel Aviv, construction will continue on Friday and Saturday. Ministers and Rabbis Aryeh Deri (Shas) and Yakov Litzman (United Torah Judaism), together with Rabbi Moshe Gafni, MK (United Torah Judaism), wrote a letter to Benjamin Netanyahu to complain that "the government is trampling on the Sabbath." Netanyahu announced Friday morning that a portion of the work will be postponed, but "all work that involves safety issues will continue as planned, including work on the Ayalon Highway."

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A statement from the Prime Minister's Office said, "After the ultra-Orthodox factions discovered that the Ministry of Transportation was going forward with infrastructure work on the train system, the coalition came to the brink of collapse. The Prime Minister intervened to solve the dispute and held discussions all night. After taking all points into consideration, it was decided that all repairs involving safety of passengers will be conducted as scheduled, including the Ayalon Highway. However, all work on tracks from Ben Gurion Airport to Modi'in and Beit Yehoshua to Atlit, will be postponed and not take place this Saturday."

Planned closures due to construction

The statement went on to mention that Netanyahu also decided to start a committee whose job will be "to strengthen the coordination between the Ministry of Transportation and the religious faction. The prime minister's chief of staff will be head of the committee, which will also include the director general of the Ministry of Transportation, the police commissioner, and religious faction ministers or their representatives."

After his behavior was described as "evasive" by Deri, Litzman and Gafni, Minister of Transportation Yisrael Katz (Likud) explained to the heads of the Haredsi parties that legal procedure forbade him from interfering with train repair and construction on Sabbath.

Ministers Deri and Litzman and MK Gafni (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

Katz went on to explain that the only legal method of preventing work on the Sabbath is the cancelling of permits by the minister of labor, Haim Katz (Likud), which will require professional explanations and other legal considerations.

The repairs will begin at 4:00pm and continue until 7:30pm. The work will be conducted within a passenger terminal at the Hashalom train station in Tel Aviv. Traffic on the Ayalon Highway heading south will be diverted via an access road interchange, while traffic heading north will be blocked on Hashalom Bridge and Ammunition Hill Street in both directions.

The aim of the project is the construction of a terminal that will allow the entry and exit of passengers directly to the Hashalom Bridge as well as a parking structure for bikes and motorcycles near the bridge.

Model of Hashalom station upgrades (Photo: Ari Goshen)

Deri, Litzman, and Gafni told Katz, "It is known that what doesn't need to be done, won't be done. You are the minister of transportation and you must take responsibility. If you don't take care of this, we see it as a violation of the status quo."

Senior Haredi leaders sent a letter to Netanyahu saying, "These works constitute a very serious precedent and flagrant violation of the status quo. In light of the urgency, and since we cannot be held accountable for the government desecrating the Sabbath, we request that you immediately postpone the work."

Prior to Netanyahu's announcement, Yisrael Beytenu called on the prime minister and minister of transportation to not endanger lives and allow the work to continue as planned. "We must not allow irrelevant considerations to intervene and disrupt the lives of hundreds of thousands of Israelis," said Minister of Defense Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beytenu).
Kurdish militants on Friday attacked a police checkpoint in southeast Turkey with an explosives-laden truck, killing at least 11 police officers and wounding 78 other people, officials and the state-run news agency said.

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The attack struck the checkpoint 50 meters from a main police station near the town of Cizre, in the mainly-Kurdish Srnak province that borders Syria, the Anadolu Agency reported.

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Site of suicide car bomb

Smoke seen billowing from remains of police station

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, which was the latest in a string of bombings targeting police or military vehicles and facilities. Authorities have blamed the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, for those attacks.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim confirmed the death toll, saying it was a suicide attack carried out with an explosives-laden truck. He vowed to "destroy the terrorists."

"No terrorist organization can take the Turkish Republic hostage," he told reporters in Istanbul. "We will give these scoundrels every response they deserve."

Television footage showed black smoke rising from the mangled truck. The three-story police station was gutted from the powerful explosion.

According to Srnak governor's office, three of the wounded were civilians. The Health Ministry sent 12 ambulances and two helicopters to the site.

Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of a fragile two-year peace process between the government and the militant group. Hundreds of security force members, militants and even civilians have been killed since.

Turkish tank on the way to Syria

Photo: AP

Turkey has also seen a rise of deadly attacks that have been blamed on ISIS militants, including a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding in southeast Turkey last week that killed 54 people and an attack on Istanbul's main airport in June that killed 44 people.

Turkey sent tanks across the Syrian border this week to help Syrian rebels retake a key ISIS-held town.

Since hostilities with the PKK resumed last summer, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to the Anadolu Agency. Human rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed.

Photo: AFP

Photo: EPA

The PKK is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its allies.

The attacks on police come as the country is still reeling from a violent coup attempt on July 15 that killed at least 270 people. The government has blamed the failed coup on the supporters of U.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and has embarked on a sweeping crackdown on his followers.

On Thursday, Kurdish rebels opened fire at security forces protecting a convoy carrying Turkey's main opposition party leader Kemal Klcdaroglu in the northeast, killing a soldier and wounding two others, officials said.
National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the overturning of a ban on burkinis in a French Mediterranean town is "not surprising" but the battle is not over.

The right-wing leader said that lawmakers must vote "as quickly as possible" on an extension of the 2004 law that banned Muslim headscarves and other ostentatious religious symbols in classrooms to include all public spaces. Le Pen, who is running for president in the 2017 race, wrote in a statement that: "The burkini would obviously be part of it." Former conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced this week he's seeking the conservative nomination for the race, similarly said at a rally Thursday night in southern France that he wants a law banning the burkini "on the entire territory of the Republic."

Human rights organization Amnesty International, on the other hand, praised a French court decision against bans of burkini swimsuits, calling such decrees invasive and discriminatory.
The US came out against the recent provocations carried out by Irans navy. A statement issued by the White House on Thursday said that the intention of four Iranian vessels that approached a US warship in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz this week were not clear, but that such actions could escalate tensions.

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"At this point, it's not clear what the intentions of the Iranian ships were, but the behavior is not acceptable, given that this US ship was in international waters," White House spokesman Josh Earnest said at a news briefing. "These types of actions and incidents are concerning and they have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions."

Footage of the Iranian vessels (: )

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On Wednesday, four vessels for Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) harassed the US aircraft carrier Nitze, stationed in the the Persian Gulf. As a result, several warning shots were fired. On Thursday, the US navy vessel fired three more warning shots after several vessels for the IRGC came within arms length of the American ship. The incidents are the latest in a line of provocations that have been taking place in the Persian Gulf since December.

UAV used by Iran to spy on US Navy vessel

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Last January, Iran successfully launched an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that managed to photograph the US naval vessel. An Iranian submarine that stayed at a very short distance from the aircraft carrier also took part in the clandestine Iranian operation.

The USS Nitze in the Stait of Hormuz (Photo: Reuters)

The USS Nitze (Photo: AP)

The US Naval Forces Central Command also issued a statement, describing the Iranian provocation as a clear violation of international law, as well as being reckless and highly unprofessional.
Police in central England have arrested five men on suspicion of commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism.

Detectives from the West Midlands police department's counter-terrorism unit arrested the men on Friday at different locations in Birmingham and nearby Stoke-on-Trent. Officers are searching several locations in both cities as part of the investigation.

A police statement says a military bomb disposal team has been deployed to the Lee Bank district in central Birmingham as a "precautionary measure."
Last week, members of Team Tinker had the opportunity to interact with the very Airmen their work supports.

Citizen Airmen of the 307th Bomb Wing, Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana, visited here Aug. 17 to deliver a heartfelt thanks to the workforce who maintain the B-52H aircraft they fly.

Col. Trey Morriss, 307th BW vice commander, said he wants the Tinker workforce to know how thankful the operators are for the work being done here and that they dont take their work for granted.

Colonel Morriss said to his knowledge this is the first time operators have been able to come and talk to the workforce and personally tell them thanks in such a forum. The colonel noted at each stop how his visit was a tide-turning event meant to ensure the entire workforce was publicly recognized for the important work they do by the B-52 operator community at-large.

Frankly, up until this point I feel we, as operators, have been remiss in acknowledging the complexity and importance of this team here at Tinker, Colonel Morriss said. Day-in and day-out we go fly training missions, or now combat missions, and that airplane does not leave the ground without the work of everyone here at Tinker AFB. Im sorry we as a community cant come here every month to say thank you. Thank you for what you do to keep these jets flying.

The commanders words were backed up at each stop as he recognized a Team Tinker worker or craftsmen through the presentation of a commanders coin.

Colonel Morriss was joined on his six-stop mission of praise through the Oklahoma City Air Logistics Complex by Col. Rob Burgess, 307th Operations Group commander; Maj. Aaron Bohl, a B-52 pilot with the 343rd Bomb Squadron; and Maj. Nathan Barnhart, a B-52 radar navigator/weapon system officer with the 343rd BS.

At each stop, all four officers extended their heartfelt thanks to the mechanics, electricians, avionics specialists, software specialists and logisticians who have sustained the B-52 for over 60 years and will sustain it for years to come.

Im speechless, Colonel Morriss said. The complexity of your team is overwhelming, but at the same time, the harmony of your team is also present. You are doing an outstanding job on a 60-year-old airplane.

The Air Force Reserve Command officers presented a short video that included weapon impact clips packaged as a salute to the OC-ALC maintenance team. Majors Bohl and Barnhart, both wearing desert-tan flight suits as they represented part of a combat crew who just returned to the U.S. from Al Udeid Air Base, Qatar, where they flew in support of Operation Inherent Resolve, told stories of how well the B-52 performed. The two had flown their last combat mission together a mere four days prior to visiting Tinker AFB on their strategic mission of praise.

Major Barnhart told a story of how, because of weapons upgrades done by the Tinker workforce, he and his crew had employed for the first time in combat the full capabilities of a laser-guided Joint Direct Attack Munition, also known as a laser-JDAM. Recent upgrades to the B-52 allowed Air Force Global Strike Command to declare Initial Operational Capability in May. The upgrades in place for the aircraft in theater flown by the 307th BW crews integrate laser-JDAM weapons on the external pylons.

Using these new upgrades Major Barnhart was able to self-designate, drop and continuously update the weapon until it exploded above the heads of six enemy fighters using a ground proximity fuse. The ability of a single weapon to eliminate the enemy fighters who had pinned-down Iraqi soldiers during a firefight gave Major Barnhart tactical efficiency he didnt have in the past.

We have confidence in the airplane. Thats because of you, he said. Were going back and will be there for a long time. So, I want to say, thank you.

The visit not only had an impact on the members of the 307th BW, but also on the workforce who had a chance to come face-to-face with the operators of the aircraft. Many employees took time to approach the visitors to acknowledge the importance of being recognized.

It was a humbling experience, said Nathan Smiley, of the 565th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, who received a coin from Colonel Morriss on behalf of his team. I enjoyed hearing the stories. It does put my job in to perspective. Those are real people flying the airplanes we work on. Personally, it does mean a lot to me to know theyre appreciative.

Brig. Gen. Mark Johnson, OC-ALC commander, said its always nice to hear from customers.

However, having our customers actually visit us in such a meaningful way while telling stories to connect our workforce directly to the fighter means a lot, the general said. Our craftsmen have a true stake in the fight and this personal connection let them know how important they are. The 307th BW leadership hit a homerun with Team Tinker today.

An important moment took place behind the secured walls of the software maintenance group when, following the speeches and stories from the 307th reserve members, Andre Leone, lead engineer for the weapons software group, assured the B-52 crewmembers they are working hard to keep the aircraft systems updated to provide a variety of weapons employment options from the conventional rotary launchers held inside the bomb bays of the jet. After Major Barnhart told of how important the recent upgrades have become he again extended his thanks to the team in front of him. Mr. Leone closed the loop with a broad smile and simple, Youre welcome, because he led the team that made the difference.

Major Bohl made it clear the impact the B-52 has on the prosecution of war and why visiting the OC-ALC was important. The major recounted a bit of history to note that in World War I it was not uncommon for thousands of people to be killed in a single day by artillery fire. This gave artillery the title king of battle. The former Marine helicopter pilot noted that, If artillery is the king of battle, then bombers are the gods of war  and you keep the gods flying.
Reserve team medals at international military competition

The U.S. military delegation earned a gold and three bronze medals at the annual CIOR Joint Forces Military Skills Competition in Madrid, Spain, July 28  Aug. 7.



Col. Scott Branning led the team comprised of 12 Air Force Reservists, an Army Reservist and an Army National Guardsman.



All competitors mastered NATO-standard obstacle courses (running and swimming in uniform), pistol and rifle marksmanship, the land navigation sport of orienteering, and combat first aid.



After training at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, the team traveled to the German Infantry School at Hammelburg to practice with the German team. It was an example of the international cooperation fostered by CIOR that will pay off big time in the future.



Open to all ranks in the Guard and reserve components, CIOR keeps its five-decades-old name from the French initials for Interallied Confederation of Reserve Officers.



Most NATO members, and countries such as South Africa and Switzerland, send teams to the MILCOMP. Normally, U.S. training starts at the Army Guards Camp Johnson, outside Burlington, Vermont, but 2016s training was entirely in Europe.



Competitors learn or sharpen military skills relevant to todays battlefield, from small unit leadership to self-aid and buddy care, navigation, and shoot, move, communicate. Many in the Air Force Reserve excel at these opportunities, not easily obtainable in standard training.



Twelve counties competed in three-person teams in male and female, novice, experienced, and veteran categories or on International teams made from extra team members.



International Team 2, led by Staff Sgt Reuben Sublett, Army Reserve, won gold and three U.S. teams won bronze in novice, experienced and female categories.



Events begin with all teams shooting the host nations pistol and rifle.



Day two involves a 500-meter NATO standard obstacle course with 20 obstacles -- team time is when the last team member crosses the finish line -- and a 50-meter swim in uniform (no boots) over five obstacles, again with team time from the last member to touch the end.



Day three hosts a 15 kilometer Orientation March (land navigation) usually involving multiple maps ranging in scale from 1:10,000 to 1:50,000 and including memory legs, dead reckoning (pace and azimuth), aerial photos and any other navigation tests devised by the host country. Land navigation includes tests in military skills as grenade accuracy, map reading and distance estimation.



Once in Spain all teams showed flexibility as events changed from past years. Competitors commented that the Spanish Lama 82 pistol paled in accuracy compared to the U.S. militarys Beretta.



No matter. All teams shot similar weapons.



The scoped G-36 assault rifle on the other hand and the change from a 200-meter outdoor range to a 100-meter indoor range (with correspondingly smaller targets) led to some of the highest rifle scores in recent competitions. The land navigation course required navigating to 19 precise locations (called controls) over a 13-kilometer course. Two maps were provided with three controls on a 1:10,000 scale aerial photo and 16 on a 1:25,000 sport orienteering map. At control 17 competitors donned a harness to cross a stream on two wire cables, one above the other, hung across a stream.



The host nation for the 2017 MILCOMP will be decided at the Mid-Winter meeting in Brussels in February.



Complete information, including a training manual, descriptions and videos of the events, and the application process, is available online at http://teamusamilitary.org/Home.php



Reservists interested in competing in CIOR events can contact Ferguson at usofrnr@cox.net.
Members of the Air Force Reserves 910th Civil Engineer Squadron, based at nearby Youngstown Air Reserve Station (YARS), Ohio, put the finishing touches on a project to rebuild a wooden staircase leading from the Veterans Park to the riverside here, Aug. 25, 2016.

The three week project for 910th Citizen Airmen to demolish the existing stairs and design and build the new stairs, which started on Aug. 8, 2016, is part of the Air Force Community Partnership Program (AFCPP), ongoing locally since June 2014. The AFCPP is designed to identify and develop mutually beneficial partnerships between Air Force installations and surrounding communities.

The stairs rebuilding project has been in the works since it was identified during AFCPP meetings held at YARS and required coordination between Air Force Reserve and city officials to work details such as project costs, liability issues and more.

The authority for the 910th to complete the work in Newton Falls is granted by a section of the U.S. Code and the Department of Defense Instruction outlining Realistic Military Training (RMT) Off Federal Real Property.

Jack Haney, Newton Falls City Manager, said city officials and 910th Airlift Wing leadership reached an agreement where the city provided project materials and the 910th Airlift Wing provided engineering and manpower at no cost to the city. He also said it provided the Air Force Reservists the chance to practice their skills and perform hands-on training.

Without this partnership, the city did not have the resources to complete this project, said Haney. Its been an honor to work with the 910th and their personnel. They exemplify the best in the nation.

Senior Master Sgt. Brian Phillips, 910th Civil Engineer Squadron heavy repair superintendent, noted the project provided a unique setting for the Citizen Airmen to get on-the-job training.

These guys had a great time on this project. They got to practice their craft in an off base environment. They were able to hone skills they can use down range, Phillips said. These are the same techniques our team would use to build a gazebo or a deck at an overseas base.

Senior Airman Charles Tazewell, a 910th Civil Engineer Squadron Structural Engineer, said the structural engineer team developed great camaraderie during the project and there was always something to learn.

These are the best projects. Real life and hands on, Tazewell said. Our team really gelled out here and what one person doesnt know, someone else does. That teamwork gets the job done.

Retired Air Force Reserve Col. Kevin Riley, special assistant to the 910th Airlift Wing commander, said the wing is excited to participate in this mutually beneficially partnership with the City of Newton Falls.

This RMT project is truly a win-win for the 910th and Newton Falls. Our Citizen Airmen have the opportunity to hone skills they need to do their jobs anywhere in the world right here in the Mahoning Valley, Riley said. In return, the city is able to utilize Air Force Reserve resources to help them realize the vision of having this landmark completely rebuilt.

Tazewell said many people stopped to compliment the 910th CES team on their efforts.

The old stairs had been here for about 30 years and had run their course. These new ones will be here for years to come, Tazewell said. People were really excited to see the project being done and that the stairs would be ready very soon.

The city manager agreed that the completed project will hold a special place in the hearts of the residents of Newton Falls.

This work will be appreciated for years to come, said Haney. This is a visible and lasting example of the cooperation between the 910th Airlift Wing and a local community.
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This has been a long time in the making, but in our continuing pursuit to bring only the best of firearms, 2nd Amendment and defence related news to our readers, we are very excited to announce the next step in our evolution as a company.

As of 2020, Minuteman Review is now the proud owner and operator of Your Defence News, a website with a long history of breaking huge news stories and investigative journalism.

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This means that now the teams of Minuteman can combine with the firepower of Your Defence News to stay at the absolute forefront for our readers.

Keep an eye. Big things are coming soon. We couldn't be more excited.

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As a homeowner, you probably already know that you should be working to maintain your home. But, chances are, you Read More
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Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "The United States condemns in the strongest terms the attack on the American University in Kabul, an institution created with the sole purpose to help educate and enlighten the future leaders of Afghanistan. On behalf of the American people, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the friends and families of those who were killed and injured. I know I join countless others around the world in saying that my thoughts and prayers are with you.

"This was a cowardly assault on talented and motivated scholars  students and faculty alike  dedicated to a better and more prosperous future for Afghanistan, as well as the police and security staff who help make that future possible. Though it took and altered innocent lives, this attack will ultimately fail to change that path or deter the cause of peace in that country.

"The American University of Afghanistan will continue to serve as a beacon of hope for all Afghans. And the United States, our allies and partners, will continue to stand with them as they confront the threat of terrorism, strive for peace, and educate themselves and their children. Now, as before, we affirm our dedication to those goals and to an enduring and vibrant partnership with the government  and the citizens  of Afghanistan."
Living Section

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On Thursday, September 8th and 15th, the Somerton Library will offer Intro to lynda.com at 10:30 a.m. Whether youre looking for professional development, or are just interested in pursuing a new hobby, lynda.com has something for everyone! There is no charge to attend.



The Somerton Library is located at 240 Canal Street in Somerton, AZ. For more information, call (928) 627-2149.
Buenos Aires: An Argentine court has sentenced 28 people to life in prison for torturing and killing opponents of the country's 1976-1983 military regime at a secret detention centre.

Those convicted yesterday included former general Luciano Menendez, nicknamed The Hyena for laughing during torture sessions at the clandestine prison known as La Perla.

Menendez, 89, was already serving 11 life sentences for human rights abuses committed at the infamous facility in the central province of Cordoba.

In the latest trial, he was convicted of 52 homicides, 260 kidnappings, 656 cases of torture and 82 disappearances of detainees who were never found.

In all, he and his co-accused were charged with kidnapping, torturing, killing or stealing the newborn babies of more than 700 victims, 279 of whom are still officially missing.

Ten other defendants were sentenced to between two and a half and 21 years.

Menendez showed no remorse during the trial, telling the court there was "never repression of any kind" at the detention center.

"These criminals accuse the armed forces and go to the courts saying they're victims," he said.

Some 600 people testified in the landmark case, which opened in 2012.

An estimated 30,000 regime opponents or suspected sympathizers were killed or "disappeared" during the dictatorship.
Mogadishu: The death toll from an attack late on Thursday by Islamic militants on a seaside restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 10, police said.

The attackers set off a car bomb at the Banadir restaurant at the city`s Lido beach before engaging security forces in a fight for several hours.

The casualties comprised six civilians, two members of the security forces and two of the attackers, Ali Abdullahi, a police officer, said on Friday.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed the attack, which ended at around 3:00 a.m. local time, police said.

The group has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the Western-backed government.

In a separate incident in southern Somalia, a roadside bomb planted by al Shabaab militants injured 10 people, police said on Friday, raising the number of wounded from three initially.

One of those wounded in the explosion in Baardhere town in Gedo region was the local district commissioner, police said.
Mogadishu: Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a spokesman for the city authorities said on Friday.

"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.

Al Qaeda-linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city`s Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.

By Friday morning, officials said the attackers had been killed.

All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.
La Paz: Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes has been killed after being kidnapped by striking mineworkers, the government said late on Thursday.

"At this present time, all the indications are that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly assassinated," Minister of Government Carlos Romero said in broadcast comments.

He said Illanes had gone to talk to protesters earlier on Thursday in Panduro, around 160 km (100 miles) from the capital, La Paz, but was intercepted and kidnapped by striking miners.

The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said.

Protests by miners in Bolivia demanding changes to laws turned violent this week after a highway was blockaded. Two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what they said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions with less stringent environmental rules, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

The vast majority of miners in Bolivia, one of South America`s poorest countries, work in cooperatives, scraping a living producing silver, tin and zinc. There are few foreign-owned mining firms, unlike in neighboring Peru and Chile.

Natural gas accounts for roughly half of Bolivia`s total exports. Ex-coca grower Morales nationalized Bolivia`s resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for ploughing the profits into welfare programs and boosting development.

However, his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and authoritarianism in recent years, and even the unions who were once his core support have soured on him as falling prices have crimped spending.
Washington: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump today ruled out a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants and said if elected to the White House he would authorise law enforcement agencies for deportation of those illegal immigrants who have committed crime.

There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US, of which several hundred thousands are of Indian origin.

"We are going stop illegal immigration pouring into our country. My first day in office, I am going to notify law enforcement authorities that all of the bad dudes, and we have a lot of them, that are here illegally, that are the heads of gangs and drug cartels and all sorts of people... They're out," Trump told CNN.

"There is no path to legalisation, unless people leave the country. When they come back in, if they come back in, then they can start paying taxes," he said.

Trump said using the existing laws of the country, Obama has deported a large number of illegal immigrants.

"You have a lot of people being deported. We're going to do that vigorously. We're going to go with the laws that are existing, but we're going to have a very strong border and we're not going to have people pouring back in," he said.

The Republican presidential nominee remained non-committal on deportation of all the 11 illegal immigrants even those who have not committed any crime.

"We're going to see what happens once we strengthen up our border... But there is a very good chance the answer could be yes, we're going to see what happens," he said.

"We're going to have a tremendous wall. We're going to have a wall that Mexico pays for, which will be very easy, because they are making a fortune with us, the wall is peanuts compared to the money that they make," he said.

The Hillary Campaign was quick to slam Trump for his remarks on illegal immigration.

"Confirming what we've seen from the start of his campaign: Donald Trump will be Donald Trump.

No one can change his hateful rhetoric or dangerous policies to send a deportation force into American communities, rescind DACA and DAPA, end birthright citizenship, and even ban remittances to families in Mexico in order to help build his giant wall. He may try to disguise his plans by throwing in words like 'humane' or 'fair' but the reality remains that Trump's agenda echoes the extreme right's will - one that is fueling a dangerous movement of hatred across the country," she said.

"Enough is enough. Donald Trump must stop playing games with the lives of law-abiding immigrant families in order to save his campaign. These are families who contribute to the greatness of our country and that need a President who will fight to keep them together - not someone who will denigrate them and tear them apart," Palmieri said.
Kathmandu: Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda today inducted 13 new ministers from major coalition partner Nepali Congress into his Cabinet, including the important Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking its total strength to 31.

With that expansion, Prachanda's Cabinet has taken a full shape.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered oath to the newly-appointed ministers during a ceremony at 'Sheetal Niwas' or the Rastrapati Bhawan here.

NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel, other than Premier Prachanda, attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Those sworn-in included: Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Bal Krishna Khand, Minister for Defence; Sita Devi Yadav, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction; and Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The porfolios of nine others were also assigned today.

Earlier, the Nepali Congress had sent Bimalendra Nidhi and Ramesh Lekhak to the Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport respectively.

Prachanda was elected Prime Minister on August 4 for the second time after being briefly in power in 2009. He succeeded CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli.
Islamabad: A Pakistani politician has come under attack from colleagues after saying that the poor are meant to serve the rich.

Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan Nasar, a Senator from the ruling PML-Nawaz party, made the controversial comments at a meeting of a Senate committee on Thursday, the Dawn reported on Friday.

It all began when Taj Haider of the Pakistan People`s Party began a discussion on how Pakistan had become the property of the ruling elite and that all decisions were made in the interests of the rich.

"The poor of this country will never get to decide their own fate," he said.

To this, Nasar remarked that if everyone were to become wealthy, there would be no one to grow wheat or to work as labourers.

"This is a system created by God and He has made some people rich and others poor and we should not interfere in this system," he said.

Haider countered that socio-economic classes were man-made and God had nothing to do with it.

Another Senator, Mohammad Usman Khan Kakar, also said that God created all people as equal and that the poor were not meant to serve the rich.

But Nasar could not be convinced and said: "Once in China all people were considered equal, which did not work out well.

"Those who cannot get an education and cannot earn more have no right to live the life of a bureaucrat," he said.
Manila: The Philippine government and Communist guerrillas have agreed an indefinite extension to a ceasefire to facilitate talks on a peace deal, Norway, which is playing the role of intermediary, announced Friday.

"Representatives of the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front (NDF) Communist movement will sign on Friday August 26, at 11:00 am (0900 GMT), a joint declaration in which the two sides commit to unilateral ceasefires without a limitation in time," the foreign ministry said.
Beijing: A top Chinese general has been arrested for violating party discipline, becoming one of the most senior incumbent military officials to be targeted in President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign which continues to shake the top brass of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

General Wang Jianping, 62, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department under the powerful Central Military Commission headed by Xi has been arrested for violating party discipline, Hong Kong based South China Morning Post reported.

Wang, a former ally of China's disgraced security tsar Zhou Yongkang, was taken away by discipline inspector in Chengdu, Sichuan province, yesterday, the report quoted sources as saying.

The charges against Wang weren't immediately clear, but "violating party discipline" is a common euphemism in China for corruption, the report said.

Wang's wife and secretary were taken away that same day, the source said.

His former secretary Su Haihui, deputy director of the armed police's training department, was also taken, he added.

Two more of China's former top commanders taken away for corruption investigation, the report said.

Wang was arrested by military prosecutors in Chengdu while he was on an inspection trip.

His wife and secretary were taken away in Beijing yesterday, the report said.

Wang is the first general still in active military service to be brought down since Xi launched his massive crackdown against deep-rooted corruption in the military in 2013.

His arrest followed the detention of Tian Xiusi, a former political commissar of the People's Liberation Army (PLA) air force and a member of the Communist Party's elite Central Committee.

Tian, 66, was detained by military graft-investigators and put under an internal probe last month.

While he holds the rank of general, Tian had already retired from the army when he was taken away.

So far nearly 50 top officials of the PLA including two former Chiefs were probed corruption in the unprecedented anti-graft campaign which also helped Xi to consolidate his hold on the powerful military, which also strengthened his position in the ruling Communist Party of China, (CPC) for which he is the General Secretary.

The report also said rumours were rife about the fate of Wang and his political ally General Xu Yaoyuan, a former political commissar of the armed police.

As top leaders of the PLA's armed police from 2009 to 2014, Wang and Xu directly reported to then security tsar Zhou Yongkang.

Zhou, who was arrested on graft charges in 2013, was sentenced to life in jail in June last year. He was the most senior official to receive such a heavy sentence since the Cultural Revolution.
New Delhi: A BJP member of the Lok Sabha refused to take the US visa after he was asked to remove his pugree at the US Embassy for security reasons, asserting that his turban was a matter of his "traditional honour" which he cannot remove.

Virendra Singh, a three-time Lok Sabha MP and presently representing Bhadohi (UP), said the US embassy had first interviewed him over farming issues and later invited him to visit to their country.

Singh said he went to the embassy on Wednesday for the purpose of visa and was asked to remove his pugree.

"I cannot do it. I am a farmer and pugree is a matter of honour for me. It is also a matter of the country's honour to me. How can I remove my pugree for the sake of security? I can never do it. It is they (US embassy) who had invited me to visit their country. I refused the visa. I said I am not interested," he told PTI.

He was scheduled to leave for the US today, Singh said.

Singh is invariably seen in Parliament in pugree and often speaks on the issues of rural concerns, including farming.

Peeved over the issue, he said he is contemplating taking up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs.

When asked an MEA spokesperson said the issue was not officially raised with the ministry and, when and if, it is done the matter will be taken up with the US officials.
District of Columbia: The tone of the US presidential campaign turned darker on Thursday, with Hillary Clinton skewering Donald Trump as a man who flirts with racism and paranoid ideas, while he in turn labeled her a racist whose family foundation was a "criminal enterprise."

Speaking at a campaign event in Reno, Nevada, Clinton employed unusually tough language as she detailed a history of what she said were the Republican real estate mogul`s discriminatory actions.

He had been sued as a young developer for failing to rent to black and Latino tenants, and by black employees of his casinos, the Democratic presidential candidate said.

The Republican nominee`s recent choice of Steven Bannion, a firebrand conservative, as his new campaign chief showed Trump was embracing the extremist white nationalist stances of the so-called "alt-right" movement, she said.

"A man with a long history of racial discrimination who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far dark reaches of the internet should never run our government or command our military," Clinton said.

Her speech came on a day when one poll showed her support reaching an important threshold -- backing from just over half of all respondents. The survey by Quinnipiac University gave her a 51 to 41 percent lead over Trump in a head-to-head race.

Trump has recently attempted to enlarge his tiny base of support among blacks -- it has been as low as 1 percent -- arguing that African Americans have "nothing to lose" by voting for him.

He met with a group of black and Latino supporters at his Trump Towers in New York early on Thursday.

Speaking in New Hampshire later, Trump lashed out at Clinton, saying she was accusing "the decent Americans who support this campaign, your campaign, of being racists, which we`re not."

Calling it "a tired, disgusting argument," he said it was Clinton who was being a "racist" by viewing minorities merely as a source of votes while doing nothing for them.

Trump also sought this week to moderate his earlier comments on immigration.

As president, he would focus on deporting the "bad" immigrants without uprooting the "good" ones, he said -- a sharp shift from his early insistence that all undocumented immigrants be deported.

Somewhat confusingly, however, he insisted again on Thursday that he would build a wall on the southern border and make Mexico pay for it.

Giving in to the persistent urging of party leaders, Trump has begun relying more on a TelePrompter, allowing for fewer troublesome off-the-cuff remarks.

That new discipline has enabled the Republican tycoon to concentrate his attacks on Clinton and his allegations that, as secretary of state, she trafficked in influence through the family`s Clinton Foundation.

Recently released emails showed that donors to the foundation had been given greater access to Clinton and her staff, he said.

"This week the curtain was truly lifted," he said." The corruption was revealed for all to see. The veil was pulled back on a vast criminal enterprise run out of the State Department by Hillary Clinton."

Clinton, who has denied the influence charges, pressed the argument that Trump lacks the temperament to be president.

"Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia," she said. "He`s taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party.

"His disregard for the values that make our country great is profoundly dangerous."
New Delhi: Drawing attention to a high dropout rate in upper primary schools, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday said schools are facing the "biggest crisis" in India.

Delivering the first lecture of government think-tank Niti Aayog's 'Transforming India' initiative, he said the world's second-most populous country also has the "biggest gap" between (rpt) between talent at the top and unfulfilled potential at bottom.

Speaking on the need for social mobility, Shanmugaratnam said experiments have shown that starting as early as possible in a child's life cycle helps.

"Intervention at pre-natal stage are critical, followed up with pre-school opportunities," he said, adding that India has some notable schemes in this regard citing the results of the Integrated Child Development Services and Anganwadis.

Things, he added, can be achieved with village-level interventions -- from reaching out to the mother and the child as early as possible and then schools.

"Schools are the biggest crisis in India today and have been for a long time. Schools are the biggest gap between India and East Asia. And it is a crisis that cannot be justified," the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore said.

Reeling off data, Shanmugaratnam said 43 per cent students drop out before finishing upper primary school. There is a shortage of 7,00,000 primary school teachers, only 53 per cent schools have girl's toilets and only 74 per cent have access to daily drinking water.

He went on to say this explains that when India took part in OECD PISA study in 2009, it was ranked 73rd out of 74 countries. "And this is in a country which has exceptional talent with people who go to IITs and IIMs and lead companies all over the world and are first-rated," he added.

"India has the biggest gap, I know and I have spent many years in education... Talent at the top and the unfulfilled potential of those in the rest of the society. And these things can be fixed. And it is not by way of ever-increasing budgets," he said.

Highlighting Singapore's example, the Deputy Prime Minister said it is not about spending more, but is about organisation and culture.

"How do we recruit our teachers, how do we train them, how do we hold the teachers accountable, how do we provide for quality across the system and not just at its most exclusive end? How do we ensure that every school is a good school?" he explained.

Shanmugaratnam saw a big challenge in the tertiary (higher) education system, which he said is not unique to India, but all over the world, the US, the UK, China, Europe and Korea.

"We are over-producing graduates who go through a general academic education. We have over-academised learning... We are producing students who do not have the skills required in the real world. We have to re-orient our system to focus on the skills required in the real world," he stressed.

On human resource development, Shanmugaratnam said: "Human capital development is not just what happens in first 12 years or 18 years of our life, it is about what happens through (rpt) through the life. It is about life-long learning. We need to refresh ourselves."

It means developing potential throughout life, having an infrastructure that encourages people to learn, he noted.

Shanmugaratnam also underscored "a very special role" cities play in Reform, Perform and Transform, particularly in a large continental-scale society like India. "Because it is cities which are crucibles of both innovation and inclusivity," he reasoned.

"It is in cities where you get a working relationship between government, business, ITIs and schools. We have to empower them. Hold them accountable, give them some financial autonomy and hold competition among them. Cities will play a special role in future," he predicted.

Shanmugaratnam endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policy, saying he has rightly emphasised that there is no strong economy and no strong nation without a strong society.

"And the social policies and the interaction between the social and economic policies have to be the primary arena for the government's ambition. Social policy at the end of the day is economic policy," he added.

He concluded saying the need of the hour is "what the Prime Minister emphasised in his speech".

"It's not just about budgets, it's not just about programmes, it is at the end of the day about a social and political culture...," he added.

Shanmugaratnam underlined the need for enhancing social cohesion and the need to bring various sections of society together.

Making the point that looking long term in developing culture always pays, he said: "A culture that focuses on the long term is essential for all that we want to achieve in an inclusive society. Short-termism is an enemy of social mobility."
Paris: France`s highest administrative court will decide Friday whether to overturn the ban on wearing the full-body burkini swimsuit which has sparked controversy at home and abroad.

The State Council heard arguments Thursday from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group who are seeking to reverse a decision by the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet to ban the Islamic swimsuit.

The ruling, due at 3:00 pm (1300 GMT), is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly along the sun-drenched southeast coast.

A court in the Riviera resort of Nice upheld the ban this week.

The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women`s rights and the French state`s strictly-guarded secularism.

President Francois Hollande said Thursday that life in France "supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation".

Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a Nice beach as she removed a long-sleeved top.

The office of Nice`s mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken.

The police fined her and she left the beach, the officials added.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday condemned any "stigmatisation" of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was "a political sign of religious proselytising".

"We are not at war with Islam... the French republic is welcoming (to Muslims), we are protecting them against discrimination," he told BFMTV.

But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the "proliferation" of burkini bans "was not a welcome development".Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed.

"In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach," she said, using another term for Islamic State.

But Valls contradicted his minister`s claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain "public order".

The former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency, has described the burkini as a "provocation".The administrative court in Nice ruled Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was "necessary" to prevent public disorder after the truck attack in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest by two jihadists in northern France.

The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles.

The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion.

Apart from the incident in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf.

"I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming," said the woman, who gave only her first name, Siam.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, condemned the bans as he visited Paris Thursday.

"I don`t think anyone should tell women what they can and can`t wear. Full stop," he told the London Evening Standard newspaper.

France firmly separates religion and public life and was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010.
Rome: The death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Italy rose to 267 Friday with 367 people hospitalised with injuries, the Civil Protection agency said.

Immacolata Postiglione, head of the agency`s emergency unit, indicated there had been no survivors found overnight as rescuers sifted through rubble for a third day.

The government has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected by Wednesday`s quake with Prime Minister Matteo Renzi releasing an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) for emergency aid.

Renzi also announced a new earthquake prevention plan as questions mounted over why so many people had died just seven years after the nearby city of L`Aquila was devastated by a quake that killed 300 people.
London: At least eight foreigners were among the 250 people killed when a powerful earthquake struck central Italy this week, officials said, as rescuers continued the grim search for corpses Friday.

The bulk of the confirmed deaths -- 193 at the latest count -- were in the small mountain town of Amatrice, which normally has a population of around 2,500 but was packed with visitors when the quake struck as people slept in the early hours of Wednesday.

Three British citizens were killed in the 6.0-6.2 magnitude quake, which had a shallow depth of four kilometres (2.5 miles) exacerbating its impact, an official from Amatrice told the BBC.

The British foreign ministry did not immediately confirm the report, but Foreign Minister Boris Johnson has said a number of British nationals were affected.

"My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people and everyone affected by the terrible earthquake," said Johnson, who sent condolences to his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni.

Britain`s Daily Mirror reported that one of the victims was a 14-year-old boy from London, who was visiting Amatrice with his family. The boy`s parents were injured, while his sister survived and did not need hospital treatment, the newspaper said.

Two Romanians were among the dead, the country`s foreign ministry said Thursday, while four nationals were injured and eight more were still missing.

Spain`s foreign minister said one Spanish national had been killed, with Spanish media saying it was young woman who had lived in the village of Illica with her Italian husband, who survived.

Canada and El Salvador both said that one of their citizens had been killed in the earthquake.

"We share in the grief of the lives cut short by this terrible event," said Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion in a statement.

El Salvador said the victim, Rosaura Valiente Oviedo, had been living in Italy since 2009. Her son, Roberto Valiente, survived with minor injuries.

The disaster comes seven years after an earthquake in the nearby city of L`Aquila left 300 people dead, raising questions about Italy`s ability to prepare for seismic events.
Chandigarh: In a spine-chilling incident, a couple was murdered and two teenage relatives allegedly sexually assaulted by unidentified persons who barged into the family's house in the wee hours Thursday in a village in Haryana's Mewat district.

The assailants first killed the couple, said to be about 40 years of age, with sharp-edged weapons and then injured six other members of the family, all of whom were sleeping in the house, which is located near the fields in Digerhedi village, police said.

Among the injured included the two women, aged 18 and 19 years, who were sexually assaulted by the assailants. They were relatives of the couple, they said.

The Haryana Police is examining the statements recorded by the family that two of the assailants were dressed only in undergarments while the rest were fully clothed.

In a statement, one of the rape victims said: "They snatched our dupattas, tied the men to the cots and beat everybody with rods and sticks...They were armed with country-made pistols."

"They raped us and threatened to kill everybody," The Times of India quoted the survivor as saying.

"A couple was killed in the incident. Two women have been sexually assaulted," SP Mewat Kuldeep Singh told PTI over the phone.

Efforts are on to nab the assailants. The injured have been hospitalised, he said.

A case under relevant provisions of the law has been registered and further investigations were underway, Singh added.

(With PTI inputs)
Bhopal: A youth from Tikamgarh district has alleged that the Indian Army disqualified him just because he had a tattoo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on his chest.

Saurabh Bilgaiyan, 23, now wants to meet the PM and the CM to know why he was rejected.

Impressed by Modi and Chouhan, Bilgaiyan got a line tattooed on his chest in February 2014 which read: "Jab tak sooraj chand rahega Shivraj mama aur Modi ka naam rahega".

The Class 10 pass-out told The Times of India, "Not once, but five times I attempted to join the Army, but in vain".

"In 2014, I went to Karadi near Pune in Maharashtra to join the Army when I was first disqualified. Later, I went to Anuppur and Guna Army camps for recruitment. But every time the same story was repeated."

Bilgaiyan said after he cleared 16-km run, he was asked to take off his shirt for measurement of his chest. When they would see a two-line tattoo, I was shown the door, said the youth.

He further said: I have tried to meet the chief minister many times. I also requested MLAs and ministers to show me some way to meet the chief minister, but I did not succeed...I just want to ask one question, `What was there in these names that led to disqualification`."
New Delhi: Chief Ministers of BJP-ruled states will give a presentation on any of the prominent schemes they are running in their respective states targeting the party's vision of "Antyodaya" at a conclave here on Friday, party sources said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, senior ministers of his cabinet and BJP president Amit Shah will attend the conclave among others at Maharashtra Sadan in central Delhi.

The conclave organised by BJP's Good Governance Cell will also be attended by Deputy Chief Ministers of the party where it is ruling the state with alliance partners and Leaders of Opposition, where the party is not in power.

All the members of BJP parliamentary board will also attend the meet.

Sources told IANS that the day-long interaction will conclude with the Prime Minister's speech, while before this, there will be a presentation of the central government's ambitious schemes.

Earlier, the Chief Ministers will make presentations on one of their ambitious schemes.

"The purpose behind such deliberation is to encourage one state to adopt ambitious schemes of other states," a BJP leader associated with the preparations of the conclave told IANS.

He added that states will be asked to ensure implementation of centrally sponsored schemes at ground level so that benefits could reach to needy people.

An SPG team on Thursday visited Maharashtra Sadan and took stock of security.
New Delhi: Amidst major concern over the use of pellet guns as a tool to control unruly mobs in Jammu and Kashmir, a report on Thursday said these can be replaced with newly-developed PAVA shells.

PAVA shells are a chilli-based non-lethal munition, which temporarily incapacitates the targets and renders them immobile for several minutes.

The option has been suggested by an expert committee constituted by the Union Home Ministry.

However, a final decision in this regard has not been taken as yet. The panel is expected to submit its report soon.

The seven-member panel, involving officers from the Home Ministry, Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Jammu and Kashmir Police, IIT-Delhi and Ordnance Factory Board, early this week held a full-fledged demonstration of the shells at a test field belonging to the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) in the national capital.

After conducting the test, the panel gave its nod for use by security forces in crowd control and protest-like situations in the Kashmir Valley. These shells are to be used in place of pellet guns which has led to wide-scale criticism as their usage led to cases of severe blindness and injuries to people.

The PAVA shells, as per a blueprint prepared in this regard and accessed by news agency PTI, were under test at the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory in Lucknow for over a year.

Sources privy to the working of the committee said the panel has favoured PAVA shells as an alternative to pellet guns and has recommended that the Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of the BSF in Gwalior should be tasked with the bulk production of the shells immediately, with the first lot not of less than 50,000 rounds.

PAVA stands for Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide, also called Nonivamide, and is an organic compound found characteristically in natural chilli pepper.

On the Scoville scale (the degree to measure the power of chilli), PAVA is categorised as above peak meaning it will severely irritate and paralyse humans, but in a temporary fashion. It is also used as a food additive to add pungency, flavouring and spicy effect to food.

The committee, the blueprint said, found that PAVA can be categorised in the less-lethal munition category and once fired, the shells burst to temporarily stun, immobilise and paralyse the target in more effective ways than a tear gas shell or pepper sprays.

The panel noted, sources said, that PAVA was biosafe, better than chilli grenade or tear smoke shell and can also be used in combination with stun and tear shells by security forces facing unruly protestors in place of pellet guns.

The committee also analysed and is understood to have recommended the supply of few other non-lethal/less-lethal munition to security forces personnel deployed for crowd control and counter-protests in the Kashmir Valley and other similar situations elsewhere.

These munitions include dye marker grenade with irritant which not only causes sensory trouble to the target once fired but also leaves a dye mark on them for easy identification by security personnel.

Another alternative to pellet guns include Tear Smoke Shell with Soft Nose which does not give serious injury to protesters when hit directly and its plastic body starts melting immediately on landing with emission of the smoke making it difficult to pick and throw away.

The committee, sources said, sought to recommend this munition as they were briefed that protesters used to pick and throw the shells fired by security forces back.

A stun grenade, made by the TSU of the BSF, which leads to temporary stunning of the target and makes a blinding flash for few minutes is another option studied and recommended by the committee, constituted last month.

The TSU was created in 1976 in Gwalior in Madhya Pradesh to equip the country in the production of indigenous riot control products. As of now, it produces over 75 varieties of munitions including five new ones to be launched soon.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Thursday said in Srinagar that the seven-member panel, with officials from various security forces and munition experts in it, will submit its report son and within few days, we will give an alternative to pellet guns.

In 2010, it was said pellet gun is a non-lethal weapon which can cause least damage but now we feel that there should be some alternative to this, Mr. Singh said.

Some other products made by Ordnance Factory Boards (OFBs) are also under the review of the committee, sources said, which is expected to finalise its report this weekend.

(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah will tomorrow address the chief ministers and deputy chief ministers of the party-ruled states as part of their effort for a stronger emphasis on the "pro-poor" agenda and better coordination between the organisation and government.

The chief ministers are expected to speak about their government's programmes aimed at executing the agenda.

The meeting comes in the wake of a day-long workshop of the party's core committee leaders of states on Tuesday in which Modi pitched for reaching out to all sections of society, especially the poor, while Shah underlined the need for expanding the organisation and greater coordination.

Modi had said that when the party is in power, then the aim should be to win over the masses with the government's work.

He had also cautioned party leaders against some elements trying to divert their attention from the developmental agenda, in an apparent reference to several rows stalking the party.
New Delhi: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Friday clarified that all the taped conversations among Indrani Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea being played in media, indicating that there was an attempt to cover up the Sheena Bora murder case, have been taken into account during the investigation and have also been submitted in the court.

The CBI will later today inform the special court in Mumbai how much more time is required to conclude the probe into the case.

Meanwhile, Sheena Bora's brother Mikhail Bora described the phone tapes as crucial and added that he was sure they would help the CBI. Hope justice prevails soon, said Bora.

In a statement, the CBI said: All the tapes being played on certain channels on the Sheena Bora murder case have been taken into account during the CBI investigation.

These form an integral part of the evidence against Peter Mukherjee and others which have already been submitted in the court. The matter is sub-judice.

A set of 20 tapes, which have been exclusively accessed by a news channel, are a part of the evidence that has been presented by the CBI as part of the ongoing investigation into the murder of Sheena Bora.

The recordings were made by Peter Mukerjeas son Rahul, who had been in a relationship with Sheena.

As reported, the recordings feature Rahul in conversation with Indrani and Peter, across a period of two weeks beginning with what seems to be the immediate aftermath of the murder.

Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and ex-driver Shyamvar Pinturam Rai had allegedly strangled Sheena Bora inside a car in April 2012.

The Mumbai Police arrested Indrani in connection with the killing of her 24-year-old daughter Sheena on August 24, 2015, three days after the arrest of Rai. Notably, it was Rai who had spilled the beans on the three-year-old crime.

Almost three months later, on November 19, 2015, Indrani's current husband Peter Mukerjea was nabbed in the case.

Sheenas body was found in a forest in Raigad.

A year into the investigations, the sleuths are yet to zero in on the exact motive behind Sheena's murder -- though various angles are being probed, including financial deals and possible money-laundering.

Shocking details unearthed during the probe into the high-profile case left the entire nation dumbfounded.

Born out of Indrani's earlier relationship with Siddhartha Das in Shillong, Sheena and her brother Mikhail were virtually abandoned by their mother and raised by their grandparents in Guwahati and later Kolkata.

In fact, till a couple of days after her arrest, Indrani -- who had since married twice -- had passed off Sheena as her "younger sister" for reasons still unclear.

(With Agency inputs)
New Delhi: Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday here.

Shanmugaratnam briefed Modi on the status of various bilateral cooperation initiatives, especially in the areas of skill development and smart cities, an official release said.

Modi recalled his visit to Singapore last November, during which bilateral relations were upgraded to a "strategic partnership".

Modi said he was keenly looking forward to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong`s visit to India in the near future.

Modi also conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the people of Singapore on the demise of former president SR Nathan.

Singapore has lost one of its great sons, the Prime Minister said.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Central Government on plea of a Muslim woman challenging the Constitutional validity of `triple talaq` to end a marriage.

The apex court has tagged this plea with pending matter in court.

The petitioner Ishrat Jahan has sought a declaration from the apex court, saying that Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 was unconstitutional, as it violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (life) and 25 (religion) of the Constitution.

In her petition, Jahan has asked whether an arbitrary and unilateral divorce through triple talaq can deprive the wife of her rights in her matrimonial home as also her right to have custody of her children.

A batch of petitions is being heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and notices have already been issued to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and others.

However, this is not first such type of petition that has been presented before the Supreme Court.

Uttarakhand based Shayara Banu, another Muslim woman and the Rashtrawadi Muslim Mahila Sangh through its president Farah Faiz, have raised similar queries.

On July 29, the apex court had favoured a wider debate on the petitions challenging the validity of triple talaq.

All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) president Shaista Ambar has demanded abolishing of the triple talaq system.

Talaq-e-bidat is a Muslim man divorcing his wife by pronouncing the word "talaq" more than once in a single tuhr (the period between two menstruations), or in a tuhr after coitus or pronouncing an irrevocable instantaneous divorce at one go (unilateral triple-talaq).

The Centre has set up a high-level committee to review the status of women in India, and according to reports, has recommended a ban on the practice of oral, unilateral and triple talaq (divorce) and polygamy.
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Friday demanded Pakistan to handover global terrorist Dawood Ibrahim, saying that his proof of residency has even been confirmed by the UN.

It's incumbent upon Pakistan to extradite this global terrorist, to whom they have provided sanctuary for a long time to face justice for his crimes.

Hope Pakistan will heed international opinion on this issue, ANI quoted MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup as saying.

He said the United Nations has updated Dawood's Pakistan addresses along with some other records as a result of the information provided by India.

Dawood's wife, his father's name and his several aliases have been included in the list, he said.

The UN's 1267th committee's monitoring team continues to retain Dawood's passport as a valid document. The UN has also confirmed that he resides in and has properties in Pakistan, he said, adding, that the world body continues to keep a regular watch on Dawood Ibrahim.

Swarup also said that Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar in a letter to his Pakistani counterpart said that the agenda for talks is to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement of violence.

The foreign secretary has underlined that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is the prime perpetrator of terrorism.

In his letter, foreign secretary has conveyed (to Pakistan) that India seeks result-oriented dialogue on the subject, Swarup said in his regular press brief.

The foreign secretary has reiterated that basis of further discussions is Simla Agreement of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999 and Joint statement of 2004, he added.

Swarup has also announced that Shaktikanta Das is India's official representative to the SAARC finance ministers meet in Pakistan.

He also said that the second India-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue will be held in Delhi on August 30.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking withdrawal of security cover given to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, as the Centre said the state government was taking care of his security.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said since the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stated that they have nothing to do with Thackeray's security, "the question of withdrawal of his security raised by petitioner does not arise".

"In view of the statement made by the Ministry, we cannot entertain this writ petition," the bench said, adding that "it is not a public interest issue which requires interference by this court".

The court refused to hear the plea alleging that Thackeray is provided with 'Y' category security cover by the government which should be withdrawn as he was neither holding a constitutional post nor was he a lawmaker.

It also refused to issue a direction to the Centre to frame guidelines about security cover given to private persons who are "engaged in hate speech or have criminal cases" pending against them.

The bench further said the petitioner can avail other remedies available under the law if he was not satisfied by the court's order.

The bench passed the order after the counsel for MHA, Saakshi Agrawal, submitted that the security to the MNS chief has been given by the state government and not by the central government.

The petitioner, Mithilesh Kumar Pandey, had alleged in his plea that persons who are involved in hate speeches and have the means to hire private security guards should not be given security cover by the government spending taxpayers' money and a guideline should be framed on the issue.

The plea had sought a direction to the Centre to frame guidelines while referring to the ratio of policemen and civilians in India.
New Delhi: Hundreds of people attending a Hindu festival in India`s western Maharashtra state on Thursday defied India`s Supreme Court order limiting the height of human pyramids due to safety concerns.

Members of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) regional party wearing T-shirts reading "I will break the law" formed a human pyramid 49 feet (15 m) tall in Thane district at a Janmashtami celebration marking the birth of Hindu deity Lord Krishna.

India`s Supreme Court on Aug. 17 upheld a lower court`s decision banning youths under 18 from participating in the ritual and restricting the height of the human pyramid to 20 feet (6 m).

The pyramids invoke Krishna who, according to tradition, formed human pyramids with friends to break pots of butter or curd hung from the ceilings of houses so that they could steal the contents.

Maharashtra`s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said that it would ask the court to reconsider its order.

"Government has taken note of all the feelings. We will once again approach the court but this time we have to respect the court and we have to take people with us," said BJP leader Kirit Somaiya.

In Mumbai, Krishna devotees lay on the ground in a human chain to protest the court order. Another group used a ladder to reach a curd pot and raised black flags in a show of protest.

Hundreds of people are injured every year while forming human pyramids as competition builds up to see which group can make the highest pyramid. Children are used to climb to the top levels without any safety harnesses.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday said the Maharashtra government's proposed legislation for internal security would be a "jolt to democracy" and if implemented, the situation in the state would be worse than that during the Emergency.

"If the government, in the name of 'internal security', is trying to impose Emergency in the state, its attempt has to be opposed. This law is worse than the Emergency of 1975 which (former PM) Indira Gandhi imposed," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Those in power today (the BJP) had levelled various allegations against the then government although there were no complaints to prove that the common man faced any hardship," the ruling coalition partner said.

It alleged that the present Fadnavis government is betraying the trust of people with the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act.

"This is an attempt to kill the freedom of people and a jolt to democracy. What has suddenly happened in the state that has threatened internal security? If Emergency has to be imposed, do it in Kashmir, or in Gujarat, where journalists are being killed and atrocities taking place on Dalits."

The Sena claimed that the proposed law gives unprecedented powers to the police to clamp down on persons taking part in marriages or naming ceremony of children.

"Tomorrow if Amitabh Bachchan is being followed by 100 or more fans, or if you see more than a 100 enthusiastic people outside Sena office, will you put them all behind bars?" the Sena asked.

The proposed legislation would be the first such state-level law for internal security which will give unprecedented power to the police department if implemented.

It proposes special security zones where movement of arms, explosives, and inflow of unaccounted funds will be prohibited.
Mumbai: In a major victory for women, the Bombay High Court on Friday ruled that there can be no discrimination on who is allowed to enter the inner sanctorum of the famous Haji Ali Dargah here.

Women are allowed in inner sanctum, the Bombay High Court said in its ruling. The high court also directed the state government to give necessary protection to the respondents.

The high court passed its order on the plea filed by a women's group challenging the ban on entry of women inside the inner sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah.

The plea was filed on June 28. The order was passed by the division bench of justices VM Kanade and Revati Mohite Dhere who had reserved its order a few months ago.

Hailing the verdict, 'Bhumata Brigade' chief Trupti Desai said this is a victory of women. ''Both women and men should be allowed to enter all temples across the country to offer prayer,'' she added.

Very happy, this is a great step towards justice for Muslim women, Zakia Soman, petitioner in Haji Ali Dargah case said.

However, the High Court ruling is likely to be most challenged in superior court. The HC should not have interfered but now that they have given a decision against us we will approach SC, said Haji Rafat of MIM.

Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz had filed the public interest litigation (PIL), which stated that gender justice was inherent in Quran and the decision contravened the Hadiths, which stated there was no prohibition on women visiting graves.

The state government had told the court that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of the dargah only if it was so enshrined in the Quran. "The ban on women's entry cannot be justified on the basis of an expert's interpretation of the Quran," argued advocate general Shrihari Aney.

On whether the court could interfere in the customs and traditions of a religion, Aney said, "If the religion (Islam) is going to fall by allowing women the entry, then the ban should prevail over fundamental rights."

The dargah trust defended its stand, saying it was referred in the Quran that allowing women inside the dargah of a male saint was a grievous sin. Advocate Shoaib Memon said, "Women are not allowed inside mosques in Saudi Arabia. They are given a separate place to pray. We (trust) have not barred women. It is simply regulated for their safety. The trust not only administers the dargah but also manages the affairs of the religion."

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With PTI inputs
Puri: The Odisha government has reportedly given a clean chit to a district hospital in Bhawanipatna for not helping a poor man was forced to carry his dead wife on his shoulders for at least 10-kms  an incident which triggered a massive public outcry.

A probe into the incident by Kalahandi district collector Brundha D concluded that the man Dana Manjhi had left the hospital without informing anyone.

In his probe report, sub-collector Sukant Tripathy gave a clean chit to the hospital staff.

Tripathy said Majhi did not even collect the death certificate, said a ToI report.

Majhi had walked 10-km when people noticed him in the early hours of Wednesday and informed the local administration, which then provided an ambulance to him.

The extremely disappointing picture of Dama Majhi, from Kalahandi district, carrying his dead wife home from the hospital went viral on the social media, drawing sharp response from several quarters.

Manjhi had claimed that he was forced to do so because no vehicle was provided to him.

The viral video showed Dana Manjhi, a daily-wage labourer, with his 12-year-old daughter by his side, carrying the body of his wife Amang Dei on his shoulders, wrapped in a blanket.

The woman had died of TB at Bhawanipatna hospital, some 60km from their village in Melghara.

When questioned, Majhi had said that hospital authorities ignored his pleas for a vehicle. "I could not afford a vehicle on my own," he said.

Odisha CM Naveen Patnaik had recently launched a scheme providing free transport to carry the dead home for extremely poor familes.

For those who have missed, here is the shocking video.

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Balasore: After a tribal man's 10-km walk with his wife's body on his shoulder drew widespread flak, another horrifying incident from Odisha has come to the fore.

According to a report, an old woman while crossing a railway track after alighting from a train at Bahanaga railway station was suddenly knocked down by a goods train passing on the same track.

Although she was right away taken to a hospital at Soro in Balasore district in an ambulance, the woman was declared dead by the doctor.

Despite the fact that the railway police was well aware of the incident, two of their personnel reached the hospital after a delay of 12 hours to take the body of Salamani Barik, a 76-year-old widow, to Balasore, it said.

Since rigor mortis had developed, those two police personnel in order to put the body inside a sack allegedly broke its limbs by climbing over the body and finally carried it all the way from the hospital to Soro railway station on their shoulders by tying it to a bamboo pole amid the full view of the public.

The Odisha Human Rights Commission has asked the district collector of Balasore and Inspector General of Railway Police to enquire into the incident.

The rights panel's acting chairperson Justice BK Mishra took up the matter suo motu basing on the news reports.

Justice Mishra in the order asked IG of Police, Railways, Cuttack as well as Collector, Balasore to cause an enquiry into the matter and furnish their report to the Commission within four weeks hence.

Earlier, a video showing a tribal man walking 10 km carrying his wife's body on his shoulder from a government hospital in Kalahandi district as he failed to get a mortuary van or an ambulance from the hospital authorities had shamed Odisha. The moving images of his trudge on TV channels had caused outrage across the country.
Patiala: Deploring the Aam Aadmi Party`s (AAP) move to expel Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur over a sting video allegedly showing him accepting money, party leader Dr Dharamvira Gandhi on Friday alleged that this is a party of a dictator and it is clear that the sting operation was done "intentionally", as part of a design, to defame him before his expulsion.

"This is a party of a dictator - of a single person known as (Delhi Chief Minister Arvind) Kejriwal, and it is clear that the sting operation was done intentionally, which is a design to defame him before expelling him from the party," Gandhi told ANI.

"This is a wrong tradition in the party. You would have hardly seen a party that had conducted a sting operation against its own convener. I strongly deplore and protest against it. They are getting stings conducted against their own leaders in Punjab, earlier it had happened in Delhi as well; I have never seen such distrust in any party," he added.

Alleging that the Punjab convener was intentionally framed into it, Gandhi said, "I don`t say he would have not accepted the money, but he also receives money for the party`s expenses. People give money (to the party) and he accepts that as per the party`s culture. There are no receipts, balance sheets or a treasurer in the party, thus, everybody is responsible for it. If Sucha Singh is guilty, then Durgesh, Sanjay and Delhi leaderships are more at fault. None of the AAP leaders, especially Delhi`s (central) leaders, never clarified on how much fund they have received from where."

"How much fund they received from abroad and how much they have received from Punjabis in the last one year. They have never issued receipts for the received funds, or maintained a balance sheet, or opened an account, and there is no treasurer as well. The charges against Chhotepur are small as compared to huge transactions that take place in Punjab, which even children know," he castigated.

Stating that he is not levelling allegations against any individual, he said, "I am accusing top leadership of the party for exploiting and plundering Punjab in the name of seats and party positions. They have crossed all limits."

"Besides, the AAP`s policy of the central leadership, especially of the league comprising Arvind Kejriwal, Durgesh, and Sanjay Singh, their policy is `use and throw` and `destroy`. They just don`t use a person, but they also throw and destroy him, whether he is Prashantji, Gandhi or Dr Daljit Singh. They have behaved in the same manner with all of them, which is a very wrong tradition for any political party," said Gandhi, who recently launched a new front for "alternative politics".

"If somebody says that Sanjay, Durgesh and Succha are bad and Kejriwal is good and honest, he doesn`t know anything. I am not at all ready to believe in such things. Because, the focal point of all of them is Kejriwal without whose permission and nod not even a leaf can move. Those who understand that Kejriwal is innocent they are in the dark, because they don`t know Kejriwal is standing at the lowest rung and doesn`t have understanding of politics," alleged the AAP Patiala MP.

When asked about AAP`s poll prospects in Punjab, he said their popularity graph had gone down after January 13 `mela` in Muktsar.

"There are so many reasons for that; including, featuring a broom alongside Darbar Sahib and to compare their manifesto with Guru Granth Sahib, Gita, Bible or Quran. Moreover, the two lists of candidates issued by the party clearly show that people having disputed political past and have joined the party recently have been preferred over party workers dedicatedly working for the past many years," he added.

The AAP Political Affairs Committee (PAC) is likely to meet at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal`s residence today to take a final call on Chottepur`s removal. AAP national convener and the party`s Punjab affairs in-charge Kejriwal has apparently refused to meet Chhotepur and asked him to file his clarification before the party`s Punjab state committee.

Sources said the Punjab State Committee has written to Kejriwal recommending Chottepur`s removal.

However, Chhotepur, in a tweet, said he had expressed reservations on the last two lists of AAP candidates announced for the upcoming assembly elections in Punjab and wanted to meet Kejriwal in this regard. "Have reservations on second AAP candidate list too, waiting to meet Kejriwal," he tweeted.

Later, in a statement issued yesterday, he said he would be holding a press conference today to reveal the truth before the people of Punjab.

"I have been working day and night to strengthen this party but some of my party colleagues are trying to tarnish my image by levelling false and baseless allegations. I will be holding a press conference in this connection to bring out the truth before the people of Punjab," he said.

Chhotepur had earlier dared the AAP leadership to make a video clip of him accepting money to prove that it was corruption.
Baghdad: Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday declared the liberation of Qayyara, a town near the Islamic State (IS) stronghold in Mosul, a government statement said.

"Our heroic forces made a great victory today on their way to liberate Mosul after they defeated the terrorist IS group. I congratulate our people about the liberation of the strategic town of Qayyara and surrounding areas," Xinhua quoted Abadi, who is also commander-in-chief of Iraqi forces, as saying.

Qayyara is located 50 km south of Mosul, the capital of Iraq`s northern Nineveh province.

The Liberation of Qayyara and the nearby airbase would mean that the security forces will be "closer to the main goal of liberating Mosul in order to rescue its people from the oppression of Daaish gangs," the statement said.

The Free Nineveh Operations Command said the battles in Qayyara left dozens of IS terrorists killed, including suicide bombers and snipers.

The operation to free Qayyara began on Tuesday when the troops advance at dawn from several directions toward the town and freed its nearby oil refinery before seizing the local government building after heavy clashes with IS terrorists.

Last month, security forces recaptured a strategic airbase near Qayyara.
Lucknow: In a big relief to the family of Mohammed Akhlaq, who was lynched to death by a violent mob over suspicion of consuming beef in the Bisada village near Dadri in Noida last year, the Allahabad High Court on Friday stayed their arrest in connection with the case.

Mohammed Akhlaq's family had moved the Allahabad High Court against a recent session court order directing a police case be filed against them for storing and consuming beef.

Akhlaq's Mother, wife, daughter and sons were made accused in FIR after session court's order.

Akhlaq's murder had triggered a huge public outcry and sharp criticism for the Centre over its failure to protect the minorities.

National President of Rashtriya Ulama Council, Maulana Amir Rahsadi Madni had alleged that evidences in the Dadri lynching case were "tampered" and raised questions over reports of Dadri and Mathura lab reports on the sample of meat sent for examination.

The sessions court had earlier ordered that a police case be filed against them following a petition by a neighbour in their village Bisada. The petition was backed by those accused of Akhlaq's murder.

Akhlaq's neighbour had claimed that on September 26 last year, Akhlaq and his son Danish were seen beating the calf. Later, a villager saw Akhlaq holding down the calf while his brother killed it, the petition said.

Akhlaq's son Sartaj, working with the Indian Air Force, however, alleged that there were many loopholes in the recent forensic report, after which the petition demanding legal action against the family was filed.

He said his family was being treated like criminals instead of victims. "We have already met the chief minister once and if needed we will meet him for the second time," he said.

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Columbia: Hillary Clinton said Friday she was certain no revelations from emails or foreign entities` ties to her husband`s charitable foundation will derail her bid for the US presidency.

"I am sure, and I am sure because I have a very strong foundation of understanding about the foundation" and the good work it has done, the Democratic candidate said in an interview with MSNBC.

Clinton, who is leading in the polls, has come under withering scrutiny over whether Clinton Foundation donors received favored access at the State Department while she was secretary of state during President Barack Obama`s first term.

Republican rival Donald Trump earlier this week called for an independent investigation after a fresh batch of Clinton emails released as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit showed foundation donors lobbying her top aides for access.

The Associated Press, meanwhile, reported that more than half the people outside government who met Clinton while she was secretary of state donated money to the Clinton Foundation.

"My work is not influenced by outside sources. I made policy decisions to keep Americans safe. I believe my aides also acted appropriately," she said on MSNBC.

"We have gone above and beyond most of the legal requirements, beyond the standards to voluntarily disclose donors and to reduce sources of funding that raised questions -- not that we thought they were necessarily legitimate, but to avoid those questions," she said.

Clinton said her critics should look at the good work the foundation has done, for instance making low-cost HIV medicines available to millions around the world.

Bill Clinton announced this week that if his wife is elected, the foundation will accept only US contributions, that he will step down from the board and will no longer raise funds for the charity.

Asked why the foundation didn`t simply turn over its programs to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or some other charity, she said it was now looking for partners.

"We are going to be testing that. That`s why the foundation is looking for partners and, you know, there are potential partners for some of the work but not necessarily the same partner for all of the work. I think winding down the program takes time."
Istanbul: Eleven Turkish police officers were killed and 70 people injured Friday in a car bombing blamed on Kurdistan Workers` Party (PKK) rebels, as Turkey`s Army pressed an offensive against a Kurdish militia in neighbouring Syria.

The early morning blast almost completely destroyed the police headquarters in the southeastern town of Cizre, just north of the Syrian border and close to northwestern Iraq.

The explosion went off hours after the Turkish military shelled positions held by Kurdish militia inside Syria.

Ankara says the operation is aimed both at Islamic State (IS) jihadists and Kurdish fighters vehemently opposed by Turkey.

The bomb blast gutted the four-storey headquarters of the anti-riot police in Cizre, with television pictures showing a thick plume of black smoke rising into the sky.

Adjacent buildings also sustained severe damage.

Cizre has borne the brunt of renewed violence between the outlawed PKK and government forces since the collapse of a ceasefire last year.

Eleven police officers were killed, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting the local governorate.

More than 70 people were injured, four of them critically, Health Minister Recep Akdag said in televised comments.

Anadolu said the bomb went off 50 metres (yards) away from the building at a control post, blaming the attack on the PKK.

Security forces closed the main road to Cizre from the provincial capital of Sirnak to the north after the attack, Anadolu added.Turkish security forces have been hit by near daily attacks by the PKK since the two-and-a-half year ceasefire collapsed in 2015, leaving hundreds of police officers and soldiers dead.

The latest bombing came at a critical moment with hundreds of Turkish forces and dozens of tanks deployed inside Syria in what Ankara has presented as a two-pronged offensive against Kurdish militia and IS.

Turkey on Friday sent four more tanks over the border into Syria, said an AFP photographer at Karkamis on the Turkish side of the border.

Kurdish activists have accused Turkey of being more intent on preventing Kurds creating a stronghold along its border than fighting IS jihadists.

Ankara sees the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People`s Protection Units (YPG) militia as terror groups acting as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

Ankara`s hostility to the YPG puts it at odds with its NATO ally, the United States, which works with the YPG on the ground in the fight against IS.

Pro-Ankara Syrian fighters, backed by Turkish tanks and fighter jets, on Wednesday seized the Syrian town of Jarabulus that had been held by IS since 2013 in a lightning raid.

On Thursday, Turkey again shelled the Kurdish militia fighters, saying they were failing to observe a deal with the US to stop advancing in jihadist-held territory.

Anadolu quoted security sources as saying that the military would continue to intervene against the PYD until it began to retreat.Meanwhile sounds of blasts were still audible from Jarabulus as pro-Ankara fighters blew up unexploded ordnance, the AFP correspondent said.

US Vice President Joe Biden, visiting Turkey on Wednesday, made clear that Washington has warned the YPG not to move west of the Euphrates after recent advances, or risk losing American support

Murat Karayilan, one of the top Iraq-based leaders of the PKK, said this week that the group was infuriated by the Turkish operation in Syria.

He claimed the campaign resulted from an "agreement" between Turkey and IS, alleging that "what is happening is an exchange rather than a military operation".

"ISIS has never abandoned a town in one day without putting up a fight," he told the pro-PKK Firat news agency.

"This dangerous agreement will extend the lifespan of ISIS."

The PKK has kept up its assaults in Turkey in the weeks since the unsuccessful July 15 coup by rogue elements in the military aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The government for its part has vowed to press on with the campaign to eradicate the PKK from eastern Turkey after a purge in the army of those accused of carrying out the coup.

The military has conducted several operations and imposed punishing curfews in towns and cities in southeast Turkey over the past year, including Cizre, a bastion of PKK support.

Over 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK first took up arms in 1984 with the aim of carving out an independent state for Turkey`s Kurdish minority.

It is proscribed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
Damascus: Fighters in the Damascus suburb of Daraya began to leave with their families and other residents under an evacuation deal on Friday, effectively surrendering the town to the government after a gruelling four-year siege.

A Reuters witness saw six buses leaving the town. Footage on state television showed buses driving past a large group of soldiers through streets lined with rubble.

Peeping from the window of one of the vehicles was a small child no older than four or five, too young to remember life before the siege.

Only one shipment of aid has reached the area since the Syrian army surrounded the town in 2012, the U.N. says.

Syrian state television reported that all the buses that left on Friday had arrived at a housing centre in Herjalleh, a suburb west of Damascus.

A Syrian Army general told reporters in Daraya that about 300 families of fighters would leave the town on Friday, and in total about 700 fighters and 4,000 civilians would be evacuated by Saturday. Fighters who did not want to make peace with the Syrian government would be transferred to Idlib, he said.

Two Free Syria Army rebel groups from Daraya, the Shuhada al-Islam and Ajnad al-Sham, would travel to Idlib, a rebel stronghold in northwest Syria, on Saturday, rebel factions in the south said in an emailed statement.

The plight of civilians in Daraya and other besieged areas has long been of concern to the United Nations, which has condemned the use of starvation as a weapon by both sides.

But the United Nations was not consulted on Daraya`s evacuation plan and U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and U.N. humanitarian coordinator Stephen O`Brien, voiced deep concern about it on Friday.

They said civilians should be evacuated only if their safety could be guaranteed and it was on a voluntary basis.

There have been previous deals outside U.N. control to allow similar evacuations of besieged fighters and civilians, or to let people return to their homes after ceasefires were agreed.

In February, about 4,000 people returned to their south Damascus neighbourhood under a local ceasefire deal.

SITE OF EARLY PROTESTS

Conditions were so bad in Daraya that, amid reports of the army burning local wheat fields, some people were reduced to eating grass and sending their children out to beg, the U.N.`s World Food Programme said.

Daraya, just 7 km (4 miles) from central Damascus, and flanking an important military airbase, was one of the first places to see peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad before the five-year-old civil war began.

Fighters in the suburb fought off repeated attempts to retake it by government forces as the conflict escalated. It was also the scene of one of the worst atrocities of the war.

In 2012, several hundred people were killed, including civilians, many execution style, when security forces stormed the suburb after locals took up arms. Both the army and rebels blamed each other.

In recent weeks, the army has escalated its use of barrel and incendiary bombs there. Last week its only hospital was hit, rebels and aid workers said.

Syria`s government denies deploying barrel bombs, but their use has been widely confirmed by outside monitors, including the United Nations, whose Security Council condemned the dropping of incendiary devices last year.

Daraya`s local council said in an online statement that civilians will be initially taken to the town of Herjalleh in the Western Ghouta suburbs of Damascus and "will move later to places they choose".

Herjalleh is the site of a government housing project for displaced people. About 11 million people have been forced to leave their homes and about 250,000 people have been killed since the war started in 2011.
Damascus: The first batch of Syrians on Friday started to leave the besieged town of Daraya under the new deal that allows evacuation of rebel fighters and civilians.

Military vehicles were waiting to escort the buses out of the city, whose landscape is similar to those in the movies depicting the Armageddon, or the doom`s day, Xinhua reported.

Ambulances as well as convoys from the Syrian Red Crescent were waiting at a government-held area of the town to evacuate 4,000 civilians and some 700 rebels.

Preparations started on Friday morning for the evacuation in batches that was expected to last four days, sources said.

The evacuation is part of a deal reached on Thursday between the armed rebels and the government army, which allows over 4,000 civilians to be evacuated to displacement shelters in government-controlled areas.

Meanwhile, 700 rebels will hand over their heavy and medium weapons and move to the northwestern province of Idlib, a stronghold for the rebels` Jaish al-Fateh, state news agency SANA reported.
Paris: France's highest administrative court on Friday suspended a ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit brought by a French Riviera town after it was challenged by rights groups.

In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if there was a "proven risk" to public order.

The case before the court concerned the French Riviera resort of Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns which have passed burkini bans.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as "a victory for common sense".

Police have fined Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in towns including in the renowned Riviera resorts of Nice and Cannes.
Jakarta: Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanketed a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze.

Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels today as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra across the city-state and into southern Malaysia.

The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Borneo by weather satellites has increased in the past month though they are below levels last year when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis.

Singapore's three-hour air pollution index had risen to 198 by early afternoon. Its environment agency doesn't give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

"The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside," said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work. "I'm having a cough and it's getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home," she said.

Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect including aerial water drops.

The haze is an annual problem for Southeast Asia, but last year's fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbors. About 644,931 acres burned, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said today that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.

About 6,918 acres have burned so far this year, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry.
Amatrice: The first funerals for victims of the devastating earthquake that hit central Italy this week were held Friday as the country prepared for an emotionally charged day of mourning.

Flags will fly at half-mast across the country on Saturday in respect for the victims of a disaster that claimed at least 278 lives, according to an updated official toll.

The Civil Protection agency`s emergency unit said no new survivors had been found Friday in the remote mountain villages blitzed by Wednesday`s powerful pre-dawn quake.

At least 388 people have been hospitalised with injuries. No one has been pulled alive from the piles of collapsed masonry since Wednesday evening.

"We will go on searching and digging until we are certain there is no one left," said Luigi D`Angelo, a Civil Protection officer working in the town of Amatrice, where 218 people died.

Forestry police officer Valerio Checchi said he expected rescuers to shortly start using mechanical diggers to move debris in a sign virtually all hope of finding survivors has gone.

"We will still use thermal devices that can detect the presence of human bodies." said Checchi.At least eight foreigners were among the dead, according to updates from foreign ministries.

Britain`s foreign office on Friday confirmed that a British couple in their 50s had been killed in the quake as well as a 14-year-old boy, and Romania said two of its nationals, who were living in Italy, had also died.

Spain, Canada and El Salvador each said that one of their citizens had perished.

As powerful aftershocks closed winding mountain roads and made life dangerous for more than 4,000 professionals and volunteers engaged in the rescue effort, survivors voiced dazed bewilderment over the scale of the disaster that struck their sleepy communities.

"I have been through earthquakes before, but this was not a quake, it was an apocalypse," said Anacleto Perotti, 66.

This resident of the tiny hamlet of St Lorenzo Flaviano has gone back to his house, which survived the quake. But he is sleeping in an armchair.

"It is too scary in bed. After a quake comes fear, depression takes you over from the inside."

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected by Wednesday`s quake, which occurred in an area that straddles Umbria, Lazio and Marche.

Renzi also released an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) in emergency aid.

The first funerals took place in Pomezia, south of Rome, home of six of the victims, including an eight-year-old boy.

Renzi and President Sergio Mattarella will on Saturday attend a funeral service in the city of Ascoli-Piceno for some of the 46 people who died in the mountain villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto.

The youngest local victim was three or four years old, the oldest in her nineties.Over 2,000 people who spent the night in hastily-erected tented villages were shaken by a 4.8 magnitude aftershock just after 6:00 am (0400 GMT) on Friday morning.

More than 900 aftershocks have rattled the region since Wednesday`s quake, which had a magnitude of 6.0-6.2 and triggered the collapse of hundreds of old buildings across dozens of tiny communities playing host to far more people than usual because of the summer holidays.

Many of the survivors, who are now living in tents, were carrying plastic bags containing the few possessions they grabbed before fleeing their homes in terror: clothes, ID documents, phones and wallets.

Quake experts estimate that the cost of the short-term rescue effort and mid- to longer-term reconstruction could exceed one billion euros ($1.13 billion).

There are also fears of a negative impact on an already-stagnating Italian economy, with tourism -- which accounts for four percent of GDP -- certain to take a hit.

Analysts noted however that the disaster could help Renzi get clearance for reconstruction spending to be excluded from EU calculations of the country`s compliance with budget rules.Renzi`s government and local authorities are now facing questions as to why there were so many deaths in a sparsely-populated area so soon after a 2009 earthquake in the nearby city of L`Aquila left 300 people dead.

That disaster, just 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the south, underscored the region`s vulnerability to seismic events -- but preparations for a fresh quake have been exposed as inadequate.

"Italy should have a plan that is not just limited to the management of emergency situations," Renzi said.

He said that proofing centuries-old buildings against the risk of collapse in the event of a quake would be difficult but that more could be done.
Islamabad: Pakistan has informed the Afghan government that no "technical traces" of telephonic contacts between the Kabul university attackers and people on its side of the border could be found.

This was conveyed during a telephonic conversation between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, Dawn online quoted a security source as saying.

According to the source, Pakistan has sought more evidence from the Afghan side over the attack.

Ghani had called Raheel Sharif and demanded that action is taken against the attackers` accomplices.

The conversation took place as US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson, Special Assistant to the US President Peter Lavoy and Commander of Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General John Nicholson visited Islamabad and held meetings at the General Headquarters and Foreign Office.

At least 12 people were killed and 45 injured in the attack on American University in Kabul on Wednesday evening that continued for over 10 hours.

The Afghan government shared three mobile numbers operating in Pakistan, which it claimed had remained in contact with the attackers. Subsequently, the Pakistan Army initiated a combing operation along the Pak-Afghan border near Chaman to find the suspects.

"We searched, but no-one was found during the operation," the source said.

The ISPR in a statement said: "Our evaluation of the evidence provided and outcome of combing operation so far, has shown that all Afghan SIMs used during the attack were from a network owned and operated by an Afghan company whose spillover signal affects some areas along the Pak-Afghan border."

Sharif assured Ghani of "all-out cooperation" in investigating the role of Pakistan-based elements in the attack, but stressed that it could happen only after Afghans provide "more information".
Harare Province: Riots erupted in Zimbabwe`s capital Harare Friday after police fired tear gas and beat protesters who responded by throwing stones in the latest of a string of highly charged demonstrations.

The violence came as a High Court judge ordered police "not to interfere (with), obstruct or stop the march".

Dozens of police blocked off the site of an opposition rally for electoral reforms by 2018, when 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe who has ruled the southern African country for decades will seek re-election.

AFP correspondents saw armed police firing tear gas and water cannon at protesters gathered on the fringes of the central business district who were waiting for the march to start.

Demonstrators began throwing stones at police while some set tyres ablaze and others pulled down the sign for a street named after Mugabe.

Some people caught up in the melee, including children going to a nearby agricultural show, ran for shelter in the magistrate`s court while riot police pursued the protesters and threatened journalists covering the rally.

The usually-bustling pavements were clear of street hawkers and some shops were shut, as rocks, sticks and burning tyres were strewn across the streets.

Opposition protesters also clashed with supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party who had refused to clear their street stalls.

ZANU-PF youths hurled stones at the opposition activists but were overpowered and their stalls set on fire.

Mugabe slammed the protests and accused foreign powers of having a hand in the unrest.

"They are burning types in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here," said Mugabe in remarks broadcast by state television.The march was organised by 18 opposition parties including the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru.

Opposition leaders condemned the brutal repression of the protest and vowed to increase pressure on Mugabe`s regime. "If that was meant to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday," former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa told reporters.

Protests "will continue until the day we vote," said Mutasa, a former top member of ZANU-PF who is now a senior member of Mujuru`s party.

"We have had enough of ZANU-PF misrule." Tsvangirai said the public would not be easily calmed. "The people`s anger is very deep. The people`s desperation is very deep," he said.

"Today`s brutal suppression of the people will not stop them from exercising their rights."Tsvangirai said the regime was in its "sunset hour", warning that efforts to suppress the protests would backfire.

"Citizens are like a spring: the more they are suppressed, the greater the rebound," he said.

Charles Laurie, an analyst with Verisk Maplecroft in London, agreed that the government was on the verge of losing control.

"The government is nearing a tipping point in its ability to control a population long used to violence and hardship, and who now have little to lose in putting themselves at risk in forcing political concessions," he told AFP.

Friday`s court order was issued after police had on Wednesday violently put down another march by opposition youths demonstrating against police brutality in recent protests.

Police on Friday arrested 67 people, and lawyers said one of them was a journalist.

Several foreign diplomatic missions based in Harare called on the authorities to ensure that basic human rights and freedoms are respected during policing.The US embassy expressed "deep concern over reports of violence during some of the protests" and called on government to "exhibit restraint" and respect human rights.

And the Canadian embassy also said it was "increasingly concerned with reports of violence and human rights violations in response to public protest" while the Australian mission said the use of violence was "not acceptable under any circumstance."

Friday`s march was to demand free and fair elections. The last elections in 2013 were won by Mugabe in a vote the opposition said was rigged.

Zimbabwe has seen a mounting tide of violent protests in recent weeks, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980.

Under his rule, there has been an economic collapse that has caused food and cash shortages, with the country battling to pay public servants.
Washington: Pakistan`s continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming US military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabads strategic importance as an ally to Washington, US military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said.

The United States has cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply in recent years, reflecting mounting frustration among a growing number of officials with the nuclear-armed country`s support for the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

That frustration has dogged US-Pakistan ties for more than a decade, but has spiked anew as the militant Islamic group has advanced in parts of Afghanistan that the US and allied forces once helped to secure, US officials and analysts say.

"We`re seeing a very definitive and very sharp reorienting of US policy in South Asia away from Afghanistan-Pakistan and more towards India," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank.

The US relationship with Pakistan has long been a transactional one marked by mutual mistrust, marriages of convenience, and mood swings.

The long-standing US frustration with Pakistan`s refusal to stop supporting the Taliban, especially within the US military and intelligence community, is now overriding President Barack Obama`s administration`s desire to avoid renewed military involvement in Afghanistan, as well as concerns that China could capitalize on fraying ties between Washington and Islamabad, the US officials said.

Obama announced last month he would keep US troop levels in Afghanistan at 8,400 through the end of his administration, shelving plans to cut the force in half by year-end.

American civilian and military aid to Pakistan, once the third-largest recipient of US foreign assistance, is expected to total less than USD 1 billion in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than USD 3.5 billion in 2011, according to US government data. The United States has not appropriated less than USD 1 billion to Pakistan since at least 2007.

The decrease also comes amid budget constraints and shifting global priorities for the United States, including fighting Islamic State militants, a resurgent Russia and an increasingly assertive China.

In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would seek to bar USD 430 million in US funding for Islamabad`s purchase of USD 700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter refused to authorize USD 300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan, citing the limited gains the country has made fighting the militant Haqqani network, which is based in the country`s tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The approval of such funding has been mostly routine in the past.

LIMITS OF COOPERATION

The US Congress has yet to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year. The Pentagon is due to authorize USD 350 million in military aid for the next fiscal year, and is unlikely to approve it under the Obama administration, a US defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Congress is no longer willing to fund a state that supports the Afghan Taliban, which is killing American soldiers," said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert and former CIA officer who headed Obama`s first Afghanistan policy review. In a stark illustration of the limits of USPakistan cooperation, the United States killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistans remote Baluchistan region in May, without informing Pakistan.

Some US officials still warn of the dangers of allowing relations with Pakistan to deteriorate. In a July 26 opinion piece in the Financial Times, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that "the strategic imperative for improved relations between the US and Pakistan is clear - for the safety of American troops and the success of their mission in Afghanistan, for the stability of the region and for the national security of both Pakistan and the US" A senior Pakistani defense official said the United States will continue to need Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. Authorities in Islamabad have long rejected accusations that Pakistan has provided support and sanctuary to militants operating in Afghanistan.

We have lost over a hundred billion dollars in fighting terrorism, which is more than anything they have given us," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In any event, the official said, Pakistan can turn to other sources of aid, including China. Last year the two countries launched a plan for energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan worth USD 46 billion.

Nevertheless, the US tilt toward India, Pakistan`s arch-foe, is likely to continue.

US defense companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co are entering the Indian market, and the country has become the world`s second-largest arms buyer after Saudi Arabia, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Earlier this year, India and the United States agreed in principle to share military logistics, as both sides seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China.
Washington: The United States has stressed on the need for Pakistan to not differentiate between terror groups based on their agenda or affiliation, asking it to ensure there are no safe havens for terrorists in the country.

"We have consistently raised our concerns at the highest level of the government of Pakistan on the need to deny safe haven to extremists," State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters yesterday.

"We have pressed the Government of Pakistan to follow up on their expressed commitment, their stated commitment, to not discriminate among terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation," she said.

Trudeau drew the attention to what Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif had said that they would not discriminate.

The terrorist attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul is against the best and brightest of Afghanistan and "is a sign that we can all do more", she said.

"As we have in the past, we encourage the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together, not only in the wake of this attack and to ensure that such attacks don't happen again, but to increase their cooperation countering violent extremism at large," Trudeau said.

Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, in a nearly 10-hour raid.
Miami (US): The United States repatriated 161 Cubans this week after intercepting them at sea as they attempted to reach American soil, the US Coast Guard said.

Coast Guard patrol boats shuttled the migrants to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba on three separate trips made Monday, Thursday and yesterday, the agency said in a statement.

"We discourage anyone from taking to the sea and attempting to reach US soil illegally - they are risking their lives with very little chance of success," Coast Guard Captain Mark Gordon said yesterday.

"Navigating the Florida Straits can be extremely dangerous for the unprepared on illegal voyages and often leads to injury or death."

The Coast Guard has seen a spike in the number of Cubans arriving in the United States by land and sea since Washington and Havana announced they would begin normalising relations in December 2014.

Cuban migrants who reach the United States are put on a fast track to residency and citizenship under a Cold War-era policy that many fear will be shelved as the two countries normalise relations.

The US Coast Guard has registered at least 6,318 Cubans who have sought to reach US shores by sea since October 1, compared to 4,473 intercepted in the Florida Straits, Caribbean and Atlantic in the fiscal year 2015. (AF
Air New Zealand has announced an operating windfall, posting a record NZ$463 million after-tax profit, up 42%

Air New Zealand announced an operating windfall Friday, posting a record NZ$463 million (US338.01 million) after-tax profit, up 42 percent, as the country benefits from a tourist boom.

It was "the best result ever" in the 76-year history of the New Zealand national carrier, chief executive Christopher Luxon said.

The before-tax profit for the year to June 30 stood at a record NZ$663 million, up 40 percent, with passenger revenue up 8.9 percent to NZ$4.5 billion.

The record numbers coincide with New Zealand recording 3.31 million short-term visitor arrivals in the year to June 30, up 11 per cent on the previous year.

Luxon expressed confidence in the future, believing the airline was well-placed to meet increased competition ahead.

"There's no doubt customers have more choice but we are confident that we have the right pricing, products and services to stay a step ahead of the competition as we grow our business at home and overseas," he said.

But given the uncertain impact of competition, and based on the current market conditions, Air New Zealand forecast pre-tax earnings for the full year 2017 to be in the range of NZ$400 million - NZ$600 million.

The airline is to pay an ordinary dividend of 10 cents per share, bringing the full-year dividends to 20 cents per share, up 25 percent on the previous year.

Employees will also benefit from the record performance with a bonus of up to NZ$2,500 to be paid to 8,200 staff not covered by other incentive programmes.

Air New Zealand shares dropped 0.45 percent to NZ$2.22 in Wellington trading following the announcement.

Earlier this week, Air New Zealand's main regional rival, Qantas, reported a record annual net profit of Aus$1.42 billion (US$1.08 billion) in a strong turnaround after major restructuring.

It saw the company pay a dividend of seven cents per share, its first payout since 2009.
Researchers at Lookout mobile security firm and Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto said they uncovered a fierce, three-pronged cyber attack targeting a dissident's iPhone "that subverts even Apple's strong security environment"

Owners of Apple mobile gadgets on Friday were being urged to install a quickly released security update to fix flaws exposed by a sophisticated attack on an Emirati dissident.

The California-based iPhone maker released a new version of its mobile operating system, iOS 9.3.5, on Thursday, saying in a post that it doesn't confirm security issues until they are investigated and patched.

Researchers at Lookout mobile security firm and Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto said they uncovered a fierce, three-pronged cyber attack targeting a dissident's iPhone "that subverts even Apple's strong security environment."

Lookout and Citizen Lab worked with Apple on an iOS patch to defend against what was called "Trident" due to its triad of attack methods, the researchers said in a joint blog post.

Trident is used in spyware referred to as Pegasus, which a Citizen Lab investigation showed was made by an Israel-based organization called NSO Group.

NSO Group was acquired by US firm Francisco Partners Management six years ago, according to Lookout and Citizen.

Lookout referred to Pegasus as the most sophisticated attack it has seen, sneakily accessing calls, cameras, email, passwords, apps and more on iPhones.

The spyware was detected when used against Ahmed Mansoor, a human rights activist in the United Arab Emirates, who has been repeatedly targeted using spyware.

- Phishing scheme -

After receiving a suspicious text with a link, he reported the matter to the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab which worked in conjunction with San Francisco-based Lookout to research the affair.

"The attack sequence, boiled down, is a classic phishing scheme: send text message, open web browser, load page, exploit vulnerabilities, install persistent software to gather information," the joint blog post said.

"This, however, happens invisibly and silently, such that victims do not know they?ve been compromised."

Mansoor received text messages on August 10 and 11 promising that secrets about detainees being tortured in UAE jails could be accessed by clicking on an enclosed link, researchers said.

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Had he fallen for the ruse, the Trident chain of "zero-day exploits" would have broken into his iPhone and installed sophisticated spy software.

Mansoor was targeted five years ago with FinFisher spyware and again the following year with Hacking Team spyware, according to Citizen Lab research.

"The use of such expensive tools against Mansoor shows the lengths that governments are willing to go to target activists," researchers said.

The cyber attack on Mansoor was not linked to a specific government. UAE authorities did not comment on the matter.

Lookout and Citizen believe that the spyware has been "in the wild for a significant amount of time."

"It is also being used to attack high-value targets for multiple purposes, including high-level corporate espionage on iOS, Android, and Blackberry."

Citizen Lab has also found evidence that "state-sponsored actors" used NSO cyber weapons against a Mexican journalist who reported on high-level corruption in that country and on an unknown target in Kenya.

The NSO Group tactics included impersonating sites such as the International Committee for the Red Cross; the British government's visa application processing website, and a wide range of news organizations and major technology companies, according to researchers.
For international hedge funds, car makers and mining companies, Brazil, Latin America's biggest economy, is an opportunity they can't ignore

Brazil is a mess, economists say, with the looming presidential impeachment vote fanning tensions in a country stricken by recession, corruption and inequality. So why are foreign businesses so excited?

For international hedge funds, car makers and mining companies, Brazil is more than just samba, bikinis and the Olympics.

It is Latin America's biggest economy, a diverse producer of goods, food and materials, and home to 200 million consumers -- an opportunity they can't ignore.

- Brazil 'mess' -

Political tension has risen this year as suspended president Dilma Rousseff, 68, has edged ever closer to being sacked over accusations of fiddling the state accounts.

Despite this Brazil's currency, the real, has strengthened by 25 percent since late January.

The Senate opened an impeachment trial on Thursday and is expected to vote next week to remove her from office to good.

Supporters of her conservative interim replacement Michel Temer say he was fairly elected on Rousseff's ticket as her vice-president. Opponents complain they never voted for Temer and his austerity policies.

"It's a mess," said Mark Weisbrot, co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, a think-tank in Washington, DC.

"You've got a government of dubious legitimacy doubling down on economic policies that have failed miserably, and no particular end in sight."

- Corruption, profits -

Analysts warn Temer could be the next in a series of politicians to get caught up in a corruption scandal over state energy firm Petrobras.

But his supporters insist he is the man to fix the economy where Rousseff failed.

"The political crisis is indeed a mess," said analyst Jimena Blanco, head of the Americas section at the British-based risk consultancy Verisk Maplecroft.

"The current government is also very much tainted by the corruption allegations. The difference is that the coalition supporting Michel Temer actually works."

- Investor confidence -

Despite the chaos, investor confidence has risen as the business-friendly Temer has taken charge. He plans to rein in spending, notably on pensions.

Story continues

Foreign direct investment in Brazil reached nearly $64.7 billion in 2015, according to the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. For 2016, the central bank has revised upward its forecast to $70 billion.

The Sao Paulo stock exchange is up 35 percent since late January. The yield on Brazil's 10-year government bond is about 28 percent lower, a sign of increased investor interest.

Temer's approval rating is very low, at 14 percent according to a survey in July by pollster Datafolha. But financial markets seem unperturbed.

"I don't think they care. They're focused on short-term profits," Weisbrot said.

- Boom to bust -

Rousseff's predecessor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, her ally in the left-wing Workers' Party (PT), presided over a boom.

During its 13 years in office, the party was credited with defending labor rights and lifting millions out of poverty.

Lula's bolsa familia, or "family fund," a system of targeted conditional subsidies for poor families, won international praise.

The shine came off in Rousseff's second term as recession hit in 2015.

"She did not have the political support in Congress to take the measures necessary to address the crisis," Blanco said.

Rousseff brands the current impeachment drive a "coup" by her political rivals.

- Regional knock-on -

Now Brazil is in its worst recession in decades. The economy shrank 3.8 percent last year. The International Monetary Fund forecasts a further 3.3 percent contraction this year before a return to growth in 2017.

"For Latin America, we need Brazil growing again," said Ramon Aracena, a chief economist at the Institute of International Finance, a global banking and investment association.

"There is a lot of interconnection in the region. If they do well (in Brazil), they pull up the rest of the economies."

China has been the top business investor in Brazil this year, buying some $4 billion in assets, according to Bloomberg.

"Even with its problems, it's a country that's too large to ignore," said Joao Augusto Neves de Castro, a director for the Americas at the Eurasia Group consultancy.

"The cost of doing business is very high, but once you're in for the long term, you make a lot of money."
Republican Presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks to the crowd at a rally at the Mississippi Coliseum on August 24, 2016 in Jackson, Mississippi

If New York developer Donald Trump wins the White House in November, the global economy could slip into recession, according to a forecast from Citigroup Thursday.

In a research note a team led by the US bank's chief economist Willem Buiter said the election was a major source of uncertainty in the global economy.

"Our base case is for a (Hillary) Clinton victory and mostly continuity in policies," the note said, adding that a Clinton administration could result in a major fiscal expansion.

A victory by Republican candidate Trump could foretell of darker times, however, they said.

Presuming increases in global uncertainty and tightening of US financial conditions, "a Trump victory could lower global GDP growth by around 0.7-0.8" percentage points, the note said, "pushing GDP growth easily below our benchmark for a global recession."

The note defined recession at world GDP expansion of 2.0 percent or less, at market exchange rates.

Trump, who has lent his name to a broad array of commercial ventures with of varying degrees of success, has campaigned on his business acumen as antidote to the perceived failures of conventional wisdom in Washington.

The New York Times on Thursday put the odds of a Trump victory over democratic rival Clinton at 12 percent.

The Trump campaign could not be reached immediately for comment on the Citigroup report.
Uber's rival in the United Arab Emirates, Careem, also said it had suspended ride-sharing services in the UAE capital, in a post on its Twitter account

The on-demand car ride service Uber lost at least $1.27 billion in the first half of this year, Bloomberg reported on Thursday, citing sources close to the matter.

As a private company, San Francisco-based Uber is not obliged to disclose details of its financial performance, however, it recently conducted a conference call with investors.

Uber chief financial officer Gautam Gupta led the call, during which it was revealed that the company lost $520 million in the first three months of this year and another $750 million in the following quarter, according to Bloomberg.

Uber did not reply to an AFP request for comment.

Uber has invested heavily as the ride-sharing service seeks to make inroads at home and abroad. The company is seen as a star of the "sharing economy," enabling people with smartphones to summon low-cost rides from motorists.

Uber has been valued at more than $60 billion, but has racked up losses at it expands and takes on competitors such as Lyft.

The prime cause of this year's red ink at Uber was believed to be a costly campaign in China with local rival Didi Chuxing.

Early this month, Uber announced that Didi Chuxing will take over its operations in China, ending a ferocious battle for market share.

In exchange for the Uber China assets, Uber and its Chinese partners will receive shares equivalent to 20 percent of Didi Chuxing, a statement said.

Since Uber launched its China operations little more than two years ago, both companies have spent billions of dollars and traded vitriolic accusations as they fought for dominance in the potentially lucrative market.

As part of the merger, Didi Chuxing also took a stake in Uber, with reports saying it will invest $1 billion, valuing the US firm at $68 billion.

Uber has become one of the world's most valuable startups -- with operations in more than 50 countries -- but the company has faced regulatory hurdles and protests from established taxi operators in most locations where it has launched.
Reuters

There is a greater chance of the U.S. Federal Reserve raising interest rates too far and tipping the economy into a recession, strategists and fund managers told the Reuters Global Markets Forum (GMF). "The biggest risk is that the Fed overdoes it since inflation tends to react quite slowly to higher rates, likely even more so this cycle given still not fully understood distortions to the economy caused by the COVID pandemic," said Nick Brooks, head of investment and economic research at ICG. While rate futures markets are still pricing in a 75-basis-point hike at the Fed's meeting next week, they now expect only a half-point increase in December and no more than a half a point further over the next two meetings.
By Rod Nickel WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters) - Canadian exporters are making small sales of canola to China under Beijing's stricter terms, an industry group and three sources said, possibly undermining Ottawas hardline negotiating stance with the worlds top market for the oilseed. The dispute over the new shipping standard, which industry groups in the world's biggest canola exporter warn would cripple C$2 billion ($1.55 billion) in trade, threatens to mar Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to China next week. The tougher standard on canola, also called rapeseed, takes effect on Sept. 1. Canada's trade minister told Reuters this week that the trade relationship could not progress until the issue is resolved, prompting Beijing to criticize Ottawa for linking the two matters. Trudeau will raise the issue with Chinese leaders next week, a senior Canadian official said. The sales of the oilseed, which is crushed to produce vegetable oil and animal feed, risk weakening Canada's negotiating stance with China, since they show trade continues. While Canadian industry groups say the standard would be expensive to meet, China wants the tougher rule on foreign material in shipments to protect against crop disease. Cargill Ltd, Louis Dreyfus Corp and Parrish & Heimbecker have made sales ranging from about 30,000 to 60,000 tonnes to China for delivery after Sept. 1, according to trade sources who were not authorized to speak publicly. Louis Dreyfus's Canadian unit, Cargill and Parrish & Heimbecker declined to comment. Canada's biggest canola exporters, Richardson International and Glencore Plc-owned Viterra Inc [VILC.UL], however, are balking at China's new standard. Viterra could not be reached, while Richardson referred comment to the Canola Council of Canada. CROSSING THE PICKET LINE? An industry source said the sales, which may intend to test China's new approach, weaken Canada's position, comparing their impact to striking workers crossing a picket line. Another source said holdout exporters may now feel compelled into sales to preserve market share. Asked if the sales hurt Canada's leverage, a spokesman for Canadian Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland said resolving the matter remains a government priority. Yang Yundong, spokesman for China's embassy in Ottawa, said the two countries were having "positive consultations" and the issue could be "resolved properly through joint efforts." The sales only show that deals are possible under the stricter regulation, but it is "not workable" for most of the roughly 4 million tonnes Canada annually ships to China, said Patti Miller, president of Canola Council of Canada. As of Sept. 1, China will allow no more than 1 percent foreign material per canola shipment, down from the current 2.5 percent maximum. Miller said China's move sets "a really bad precedent," and that agricultural trade should be based on science-based regulations. Chinese officials have said they are concerned about the crop disease blackleg infecting domestic crops, but traders speculate that the move is due to high Chinese stocks. China National Grain and Oils Information Center said last week that stocks of rapeseed were "plentiful," and demand looked "quite bad." ICE Canada's most-active canola futures dipped slightly on Friday. ($1 = 1.2869 Canadian dollars) (Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottawa and Dominique Patton in Beijing; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Lisa Von Ahn)
OTTAWA (Reuters) - The number of people who have traveled overseas from Canada and are suspected of involvement in radical activities has grown, security officials said in a report that found the number of women leaving to join Islamic State was also on the rise. At the end of 2015, 60 of what Canada calls "extremist travelers" had returned to the country, according to the annual report released on Thursday by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale. These returnees are being monitored by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as a top priority, Goodale's spokesman said. Goodale has overall responsibility for law enforcement, including the RCMP and Canadian Security Intelligence Service. The main security threat comes from individuals acting alone or in small groups who are inspired by militant groups such as Islamic State and al Qaeda rather than directed by them. The report comes just two weeks after an Islamic State supporter who was in the final stages of preparing an attack on a Canadian city with a homemade bomb was killed during a police raid at his home in Ontario. At the end of last year, the government was aware of about 180 individuals with a connection to Canada who were abroad and suspected of "engaging in terrorism-related activities", the report said. That is up from approximately 130 individuals in 2014. More than half of the 180 are believed to be in Turkey, Iraq or Syria, where the ongoing conflict has destabilized the region. Women now make up about 20 percent of total extremist travelers from Canada, in some cases taking their children to conflict zones, the report said. Although it is commonly assumed that women travel abroad to marry extremists, some may take on secondary roles within militant groups, while others appear to be taking part in combat, the report said. It was the first major security report issued since the Liberal government came into power last year. The Liberals campaigned on a plan to scale back a 2015 law that gave increased powers to security authorities in the wake of two deadly attacks by homegrown radicals in 2014. Since the thwarted attack earlier this month, the government has said it will continue with its plans to reform the law and is beginning national security consultations. A gunman killed a soldier at Ottawa's national war memorial before launching an attack on Parliament in October 2014, while a man ran down two soldiers in Quebec, killing one, around the same time. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Bernard Orr)
A bus passes in front of the 446-foot-high (136-meter-high) Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge in Dallas, Texas April 3, 2012. REUTERS/Mike Stone (Reuters)

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Trucks and buses in the United States may have to be equipped with devices to limit their speed under a proposed rule issued on Friday by the U.S. Transportation Department which said the move could save both lives and fuel.

The department will weigh setting speed limits at 60, 65 or 68 miles per hour for heavy commercial vehicles, but said it will consider other speeds based on comments from the public.

Speed limits on interstate highways vary across the United States, with some states allowing vehicles to drive as fast as 85 mph (137 km per hour), though many states have lower maximum speeds for trucks.

"There are significant safety benefits to this proposed rulemaking," Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

"In addition to saving lives, the projected fuel and emissions savings make this proposal a win for safety, energy conservation, and our environment."

The American Trucking Association, a trade group for the industry, praised the proposal, and noted that it had petitioned the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in 2006 to require speed limiting technology. The group has endorsed a national speed limit of 65 mph (105 kph) for trucks.

Carriers who already voluntarily use speed limiters have found significant safety, as well as fuel efficiency and equipment lifespan benefits with little to no negative impact on productivity," ATA President Chris Spear said in a statement. "We will be carefully reviewing and commenting upon todays proposal.

However, the Owner-Operator Independent Drivers Association, a group that represents independent truckers and small business operators, said the proposed rules would take control out of the hands of drivers preventing them from speeding up to avoid danger, and create unsafe disparities in the speed of vehicles on highways.

Under the long-delayed proposal, all new U.S. trucks and buses weighing more than 26,000 pounds (11,793 kg) would need to be equipped with a speed-limiting device.

Story continues

The department said the maximum allowable speed would be decided after the agency receives public input. Publication of the proposal kicks off a 60-day comment period.

It said both vehicle manufacturers and the companies that purchase and operate the vehicles would be subject to the rule.

Representatives of truck makers and large truck fleets contacted Friday did not comment or said they were still studying the proposal.

(Reporting by Timothy Ahmann and Joseph White; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Alistair Bell)
FRIDAY, Aug. 26, 2016 (HealthDay News) -- U.S. health officials report that the Zika virus can be spread sexually even when a partner shows no signs of infection.

A Maryland woman who had not traveled to an active Zika area was diagnosed with the virus in June after having condomless sex with a man who had been to the Dominican Republic, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The mosquito-borne virus is circulating in the Dominican Republic, but the man had experienced no Zika symptoms, such as fever, pink eye or rash. Although he had felt tired, he blamed that on traveling.

Testing, however, confirmed that he had been exposed to Zika, researchers said.

"As more is learned about the incidence and duration of seminal shedding of Zika virus in infected men, recommendations to prevent sexual transmission of Zika virus will be updated if needed," the CDC researchers said.

Zika can cause severe brain damage in babies whose mothers are exposed to it during pregnancy. It is also tied to a rare autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barre syndrome.

Only one other case of sexual transmission of Zika without symptoms is known to the CDC. But in that case a mosquito bite -- the usually source of Zika -- couldn't be ruled out because both partners had traveled to an active Zika region outside the United States.

This new twist in the myriad ways Zika can spread should strengthen warnings to couples hoping to start a family if either one plans to travel anywhere the virus is active, health officials said. Currently, it's circulating in South and Central American countries and the Caribbean. Parts of Florida have also experienced local Zika transmission.

Regardless of whether Zika symptoms surface, if one partner travels to a Zika region, couples should wait at least eight weeks before attempting to start a family, the CDC reiterated.

Also, men with a Zika diagnosis should wait at least six months before trying for pregnancy and women with Zika should wait at least eight weeks before trying to conceive, the agency says.

Couples not trying to have children should use reliable birth control and condoms to help prevent transmission of the virus. They also might consider abstaining from sex, the CDC says.

A second CDC report adds to knowledge about the link between Zika and Guillain-Barre, which is characterized by weakness and paralysis.

Since Puerto Rico's first Zika diagnosis last December, cases of Guillain-Barre there have dramatically increased, the CDC reported. Fifty-six suspected cases of Guillain-Barre were reported the first seven months of 2016, of which 34 were linked to infection with Zika or an unspecified flavivirus. (Zika is the chief flavivirus now active in Puerto Rico.)

"Overall, the number of persons with suspected [Guillain-Barre] and evidence of Zika virus or flavivirus infection was 2.5 times greater than the number of persons with suspected [Guillain-Barre] and no evidence of Zika virus infection," the report says. Most of the Guillain-Barre patients were older than 50, and one died.

Both reports were published Aug. 26 in the CDC publication Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

More information

The World Health Organization has more about Zika virus.
A sketch of a murder suspect as he might look today based on DNA left behind by the killer at the crime scene in 1984 is seen in an image released by the Aurora, Colorado, Police Department. Aurora Police Department/Handout via Reuters

By Keith Coffman

DENVER (Reuters) - Cold-case detectives seeking to solve the 1984 killing of three family members inside their Colorado home released on Thursday a computer-generated image of a suspect based on DNA left behind by the killer at the scene of the crime.

Police in the Denver suburb of Aurora have been stymied for 32 years in their efforts to find the person responsible for the stabbing and beating deaths of Bruce Bennett, 27, his wife, Debra, 26, their 7-year-old daughter, Melissa, and the beating of their 3-year-old daughter, Vanessa, who survived.

Employing DNA phenotyping, a technology company crafted a rendering of the suspect as he likely would have appeared at about age 25. The company also developed an age-enhanced image of how he might look today, police said in a statement.

The traits derived from the DNA can predict a person's ancestry, eye color, hair color, skin color, freckling and face shape, police said.

"This is the first time we have had some idea of who we're looking for," Aurora Police Department Detective Steve Conner said. "He is no longer invisible."

Sometime between 9 p.m. on Jan. 15, 1984, and 10 a.m. the next day, the killer entered the Bennett home and bludgeoned the family with a hammer and knife.

The couple died of "blunt force trauma" from the hammer attack, and Bruce and Melissa Bennett also suffered multiple stab wounds, police said. The intruder sexually assaulted Melissa Bennett.

The assailant left DNA at the crime scene and Conner said samples had been submitted to national and international national databases. But no match that could identify a suspect has turned up.

The same person has been linked through DNA to the killing of a woman in the Denver suburb of Lakewood five days before the Aurora slayings, Conner said.

Conner said several other U.S. law enforcement agencies had used the technology developed by companies such as Virginia-based Parabon NanoLabs, which created the images for Aurora, to aid in identifying criminal suspects.

While the renderings can provide an approximation of a person's appearance, it cannot take into account things that could alter someone's looks, such as smoking and scarring.

(Reporting by Keith Coffman in Denver; Editing by Eric M. Johnson and Peter Cooney)
Heather Bresch, Mylan, Bloomberg Interview

Despite all of the scrutiny and anger directed at Mylan, the maker of the EpiPen allergy treatment, the company's CEO will not say firmly that the price of the drug will be lowered after increasing by about 500% in less than a decade.

When asked about the matter, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch told CNBC only that she would be looking forward to working with Washington to find solutions for problems in the US healthcare system.

That's not really an answer, you may notice.

In fact, it's reasonable to assume that  until this week, at least  Mylan would have kept increasing the price of EpiPen through 2018.

Why? It all ties into Mylan's executive compensation plan. If the company can get to earnings per share of $5.40 (the goal is actually $6, but there's some wiggle room) by 2018, Bresch and her team stand to make millions in stock payouts.

And because EpiPen is the company's star product, Mylan is unlikely to pull off those gains without its help.

The structure

Bresch has 87% of her compensation tied to her company's stock price, compared with 82% for her executive board.

Of Bresch's payout, 67% is based on long-term targets. The next target mentioned over and over in the company's compensation documents is the $6 EPS goal to be hit by March 2018.

mylan EPS targets for compensation

If this goal is met "on March 4, 2018, Ms. Bresch is expected to vest in 76,984 shares," according to Mylan's compensation structure.

The rest of her team wins too. Director Rajiv Malik is expected to vest in 47,375 shares; Anthony Mauro, also a director, is expected to vest in 18,506 shares; and Robert Coury, the executive chair, is expected to vest in 71,951 shares.

(We should also note that in 2014 the company awarded Coury $20 million for his performance contingent on his continuation at the company to December of this year.)

At the company's current stock price, that's a nice $3.4 million payday for Bresch. Of course, it's almost assured that if the company's EPS increases, its stock price will as well. So it stands to reason she will get a more significant payday than that.

Story continues

Anybody got a pen?

The bulk of the burden of Mylan's success falls on the EpiPen  it has since Mylan bought the drug. The device has done more than $1 billion in revenue for the company since 2014. That same year, the investment firm Evercore ISI initiated coverage on Mylan, giving it a hold rating. The bank's analysts feared that if EpiPen ever came under threat from generic competition, Mylan would sink.

But that threat never materialized.

Business Insider reached out to Mylan for comment, and the company responded with, "Please refer to our 2016 proxy statement for details of our compensation structure and the diversity of our business."

In the past, Mylan has said its business is not predicated on price hikes.

EpiPen sales at its current price, $608 for a two-pack, were a big reason Mylan beat earnings estimates last quarter.

"Our strong second-quarter results delivered year-over-year total revenue growth of 8% and adjusted EPS growth of 28%," Bresch said in a statement. "Given our performance to date this year and our current trajectory, we are committed to our 2016 adjusted EPS guidance range of $4.85 to $5.15."

That's great, but how are you going to pump it up next year? How about the year after that?

There are other ways to boost a company's earnings. Stock buybacks are pretty popular, and executives who are gung-ho about those are often also incentivized to boost share performance. Bresch has also told investors the company is looking for an acquisition target. Securing that could boost earnings, but she was careful to say an acquisition was not by any means a sure thing.

Another way the company could get to $6 a share is to increase EpiPen's 2015 sales at its current price by about 50%. It's working on a partnership with Disney Parks and Resorts, for example, and if you read company documents about its "strategic growth drivers," it's mostly a discussion about how to sell more EpiPens. Even so, increasing sales by 50% in the next two years is highly unlikely.

EpiPen isn't the only Mylan drug that has seen its price hiked substantially. Ed Silverman at Stat News recently walked through several other products that have seen massive price increases  some by over 100%  in just the past six months. But none of these are as huge sellers as the EpiPen. They treat ailments that require treatments that needn't be nearly as ubiquitous as EpiPen, like gallstones, or face competition from generic drugmakers.

The easier way to get to $6 EPS is to keep on doing what the company has been doing and increase the price of an EpiPen.

At the very least, it's something Bresch refuses to rule out even under the most intense scrutiny. That should tell you something.

For more on Mylan's troubles, listen to Linette and BI's Josh Barro talk about it on their podcast, HardPass:

NOW WATCH: We got our hands on the $44,000 watch that only 352 people can own





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TORONTO, ONTARIO--(Marketwired - Aug 26, 2016) - Prism Medical Ltd. ("Prism Medical") (TSX VENTURE:PM) today announces the results of its special meeting (the "Special Meeting") of the holders of common shares of Prism Medical (the "Shareholders") held today. At the Special Meeting, Shareholders passed a resolution to approve the previously announced arrangement between Handicare Holdings Ltd. ("Handicare"), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of Handicare Group AB, and Prism Medical pursuant to which Handicare will acquire all of the outstanding common shares of Prism Medical for $14.00 per share by way of a court approved plan of arrangement under the Business Corporations Act (Ontario) (the "Arrangement").

The required shareholder approval thresholds were met with the Arrangement being approved by approximately 99.9% of the votes cast by Shareholders present in person or represented by proxy at the Special Meeting.

Completion of the Arrangement is subject to the receipt of a final order of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice (the "Court"), which is expected to be sought on August 29, 2016. In addition, certain closing conditions customary in transactions of this nature are required in order for the Arrangement to occur. Provided that approval of the Court is granted and all other closing conditions are satisfied or waived, Prism Medical expects the Arrangement to be completed shortly following receipt of the final order.

ABOUT PRISM MEDICAL

Prism Medical is a vertically integrated manufacturer and leading provider of equipment and services used to move and handle mobility challenged individuals in a safe and dignified manner. Prism Medical's products are marketed under the brand names of Prism Medical, ErgoSafe, Waverley Glen and Nightingale in the homecare, acute care and long-term care markets throughout North America. Prism Medical offers solutions that encourage improved care, quality of life and mobility, while seeking to lower the overall cost of the caregiving function in a number of ways, including reducing the incidence of handling-related injuries among caregivers. Through its network of dealers, Prism Medical provides an integrated suite of products and services that make homecare a viable option for many people. For further information visit Prism Medical's website at www.prismmedicalltd.com or www.sedar.com.

ABOUT HANDICARE GROUP AB

Handicare was founded in 1986 and supplies technical aids for the elderly and physically disabled. Its products include stairlifts, transfer and lifting products, automobile adaptation solutions and homecare products. Handicare's brand products are distributed through a comprehensive network of professional dealers and distributors in 30 countries around the world. Through its subsidiary Puls, the group is also a market leader in the sale of capital goods and consumables to hospitals and institutions in Norway. Handicare has 950 employees and its headquarters in Kista, Sweden, and has subsidiaries in Norway, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, England, Belgium, France, and the US. For more information, please see www.handicare.com.

FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws that reflects the current expectations of management of Prism Medical regarding the Arrangement and its consummation, including whether conditions to the consummation of the Arrangement will be satisfied, and the timing for completing the Arrangement. The words "may", "would", "could", "should", "will", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "expect", "intend", "estimate", "aim", "endeavour", "project", "continue", "predict", "potential", or the negative of these terms or other similar expressions have been used to identify these forward-looking statements.

Forward-looking statements are based upon a number of assumptions and are subject to a number of known and unknown risks and uncertainties, many of which are beyond management's control, and that could cause actual results to differ materially from those that are disclosed in or implied by such forward-looking statements. There can be no assurance that forward-looking information will prove to be accurate, as actual results and future events could differ materially from those expected or estimated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking information.

The following factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking information: failure to satisfy the conditions to completion of the Arrangement, including approval by Prism Medical's shareholders and court approval and the occurrence of any event, change or other circumstance that could give rise to the termination of the Amended Arrangement Agreement. Additional risks and uncertainties regarding Prism Medical are described in its most recent financial statements and MD&A which are available on SEDAR at www.sedar.com.

This forward-looking information represents management's views as of the date of this press release. While subsequent events and developments may cause such views to change, Prism Medical does not intend to update this forward-looking information, except as required by applicable securities laws.
 Net sales increased 21% to MSEK 159.1 (131.6).  EBIT rose 33% to MSEK 18.5 (13.9).  EBIT margin amounted to 11.6% (10.6).  Net income was MSEK 15.4 (9.7).  Earnings per share amounted to MSEK 1.54 (0.97). Stefan Jonsson, President and CEO: GARO performed strongly in many respects. The Groups net sales increased 21% in the second quarter with sustained strong growth in Sweden and Other markets. The EBIT margin improved, thus contributing to a 33% increase in EBIT, and was mainly the result of volume growth combined with stable expenses, generating economies of scale. Net sales for GARO Sweden rose 17%, with significant increases in all product areas. The construction market remained strong with backlog demand for new apartments and single family homes. With GAROs broad product range, this trend benefits our product areas of Electrical distribution products, Project business and Temporary electric installations. It is also gratifying to see that EV charging continues to grow strongly. Net sales for GARO Other markets rose 28%, with a strong increase primarily in EV charging in Norway, where we consolidated our leading position. Temporary electric installations also reported a satisfactory trend and it was gratifying that this product area performed so well in Finland. In Ireland, Electrical distribution products continued to follow the strong performance of the construction market. Gnosjo, 26 August, 2016 For more information, please contact: Stefan Jonsson, President and CEO: +46 70 588 66 73 Lars Kvarnsund, CFO: +46 070 516 59 98 Patrik Linzenbold, IR Director: +46 708 25 26 30 This information is such information that GARO aktiebolag is obligated to publish in accordance with the EU Market Abuse Regulation and the Swedish Securities Market Act. The information was published by the abovementioned contact persons on August 26, 2016, at 7:30 a.m. GARO develops, manufactures and supplies innovative products and systems for the electrical installations industry under its own brand. The company has operations in Sweden, Norway, Finland, Ireland and Poland and the Group is organized in two business segments GARO Sweden and GARO Other markets. GARO has a broad product assortment and is a market leader within several product areas. The Group has sales of about MSEK 600 and has approximately 260 employees. Its head office is located in Gnosjo. The business concept is with simplicity and design, GARO provides the smartest and most profitable solutions  fitted into systems.
Latvian English

Since 25th August 2016 Georgijs Krasovickis has joined SIA VIA SMS Group as board member, as previously Deniss Serstjukovs and Eduards Lapkovskis will continue their activities in SIA VIA SMS Group board.

SIA VIA SMS Group

SIA VIA SMS Group providing loans without collateral to individuals since 2009. It operates under the brand names VIA SMS, SAVA Card, VIA CREDIT and VIA CONTO, and offers loans for up to 12 months in Latvia, Czech Republic, Poland, Sweden and Spain. VIA SMS Group has more than 750 000 registered clients and total amount of annually issued loans has reached EUR 55 million.

ViaSpar (Sweden) which is part of VIA SMS Group has received permission to attract deposits in amount up to SEK 50K in Sweden.
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 Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Aug 26 (PTI) In an unusual case, over 20 metal pieces, including large nails and hair pins, were surgically removed from the stomach of a mentally unstable woman in Pakistan.

The incident occurred in Peshawars Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) yesterday, where a 22-year-old woman from Kurram tribal district was operated upon.

The 22-year-old woman, a resident of Kurram Agencys Parachinar area, complained of severe pain in her abdomen earlier this week and was rushed to the hospital.

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After conducting an examination and reviewing x-rays carefully, doctors reached the conclusion that there were metallic objects in the patients stomach, Dawn reported.

The doctor, who was leading a team of surgeons at LRH, said the team operated for four hours on the patient and removed 22 metallic objects from her stomach, including large nails and hair pins, and pieces of glass.

The woman is in stable condition, the doctor said.

He added that the patients case history showed that she suffered from fits and mental illness.

The incident comes just days after a similar case emerged in Amritsar, where doctors operated on a 42-year-old police officer to remove 40 knives that the policeman claimed he used to feel an "urge" to eat. He ate the knives over a period of two months. PTI SH UZM

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By now so many URLs have been blocked in India, using these John Doe orders almost no one knows the full list of websites and web links that are blocked in India.

By Javed Anwer: Barely days fiasco over the new warning message that an internet service provider started showing a few days ago to Indian web users accessing a blocked URL, the Madras High Court has ordered blocking of 830 more websites in the country. The order, popularly known as John Doe order because it is aimed at stopping unknown violators from digital piracy, came after Balaji Motion Pictures Ltd, producer of a Bollywood film A Flying Jatt, sought a ban on the ready-made list of 830 websites.

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However, unlike similar orders in the past that have led to thousands of URLs and websites now blocked in India on the flimsiest of grounds, the latest court order also directs internet service providers (ISPs) and stakeholders -- read the Indian government -- to block websites that might not be in the list of 830 sites submitted to court but may indulge in piracy of A Flying Jatt. If and when they indulge in piracy, the details of these sites will be provided to ISPs by Balaji Motion Pictures Ltd and those sites will have be blocked.

Also Read: Are you a criminal now? Users may get 3 years in jail for viewing torrent site, blocked URL in India

"The HC after hearing the plea presented through the producer's law firm ALMT Legal also directed the ISP to also block such sites within 24 hours of receipt of information on infringement from the film producer," noted a report by TOI.

Blocking of hundreds of URLs at the behest of film producers is not new in India. It has become almost routine to for film producers to approach court before release of a film and take John Doe orders, leading to the blocking of the websites. Not only torrent sites have been blocked under such orders but also image hosts, file hosts and websites that share URLs. Although, these orders are practically ineffectual in blocking or reducing the piracy of movies because of the way web works, film producers have sought them again and again.

Also, websites and web links using HTTPS, which is more secure network between a user and the site, aren't affected because ISPs in India cannot yet block such URLs.

By now so many URLs have been blocked in India, using these John Doe orders almost no one knows the full list of websites and web links that are blocked in India.

Also Read: Torrent downloads: Fiasco over 3-year jail term shows absurdity of India's John Doe orders

Recently, Bombay High Court asked internet service providers to not just block a website but also tell users why it has been blocked. In a message shown to web users, Tata Communications implied that the mere act of visiting a blocked URL and viewing information hosted there was a punishable offense. The message said that users would be jailed for 3 years as well as could be fined Rs 3 lakh for visiting such a site.

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Captain Amarinder Singh said that he will cancel the FIRs registered against Congress workers and avenge their persecution after he assuming the office of Punjab chief minister.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Former Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday said that the first thing he will do after assuming the office of Punjab chief minister will be to cancel the FIRs registered against Congress workers and avenge Congress worker's persecution.

"I will avenge each and every Congress worker's persecution. Not only will I cancel all the false FIRs against the Congress workers on the first day of taking over the government, will also ensure that all those people responsible, whether the Akali leaders or the police officials, will also be put behind the bars," Captain Amarinder Singh asserted in Gurdaspur while addressing the people.

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Addressing the people after a sit in, Captain Amarinder Singh said that it was a tragedy that the same farmers who at one stage fed whole nation were now either dying themselves for food or were killing themselves in despair for inability to repay their loans.

OUR RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP FARMERS



"We owe it to you as you have done your due and now it is our responsibility to bail you out," he told the farmers amidst loud shouts of Bole So Nihal, Sat Sri Akal.

Referring to the complaint about the exorbitant electricity bills slapped on the poor consumers by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, he asked them not to pay these bills and promised to settle these after Congress forms the government. He said, the PSPCL was resorting to loot of poor consumers and that electricity was most expensive in Punjab.

Lashing out at the Badals and Majithia, Captain Amarinder said, while the Badals ruined the farming community forcing the farmers to resort to suicides, Majithia forced the synthetic drugs on youth thus destroying an entire generation.

Also Read:

Badal responsible for sacrilege incidents: Captain Amarinder

Shiromani Akali Dal responsible for destroying Punjab's youth: Amarinder Singh



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Assassination attempt on the German Chancellor has been foiled.

By Indo-Asian News Service: An assassination attempt on German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly been foiled as Czech police detained an armed man who tried to join her motorcade during visit to the capital.

"The perpetrator has been detained," the Mirror quoted police spokesman Josef Bocan as saying on Thursday.

"He is suspected of attempting to cause a crime -- specifically an attempt to use violence against an official," he said.

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"The incident is currently being investigated by Prague detectives."

Merkel, who was in Prague to meet Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, was travelling from the airport to the city when the suspicious Black Mercedes appeared.

The driver refused to obey orders coming from the police cars accompanying the German Chancellor.

The suspect tried to enter the motorcade and cut off a police vehicle that was trying to stop him. He only stopped and got out of the vehicle after the police warned of shooting him.

EUROPE ON HIGH ALERT



The incident comes as Europe remains on high alert after a series of terror attacks over the past 12 months.

France, Germany and Belgium have been attacked by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, claiming hundreds of lives.

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According to latest reports Karnataka chief secretary Arvind Jadhav's mother still holds the land that he claimed was sold. The government is now investigating the case to find the value of land.

By Rohini Swamy: Karnataka chief secretary Arvind Jadhav is in deep trouble as documents show that the Devanahalli land that he claimed his mother had sold was still on her name.

Documents show that Jadhav's mother Tarabai Maruthirao Jadhav still holds 16 acres of land in Devanahalli, bearing the survey numbers 76A, 77, 80 and 81.

Another document further shows how Jadhav's mother owns another three acres of land under survey no 76A.

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WHAT HAPPENED

According to reports, Jadhav in the documents claimed that his mother is an agriculturalist, but according to Bengaluru Metropolitan Region Development Authority's website , she is a real estate developer.

Jadhav's mother Tarabai had applied for a residential layout approval in 1997, the same year when the Bengaluru International Airport Area Planning Authority was constituted to regulate development around Devanahalli area. According to file number BMRDA/LAO/29/97-98, she owned 16 acres of land under survey no 76A, 77A, 80 and 81.

Based on the report sought by the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on the land deal, pressure is also being put on the government to investigate the real value of the property which could be possibly 100 times more than the estimated conservative selling price, as the area has seen a huge boom since Bangalore international airport was constructed.

Also Read

Karnataka: Land grabbing charges against Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhav, report sought

Karnataka: Video shows Arvind Jadhav's personal secretary suspiciously 'destroying' papers





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First. And I'm serious.

Breathe.

Right now. In fact, after you read this line. Take five second and breathe in and out.

1.2.3.4.5

Now, been where you are. In the span of two years lost my brother to lung cancer, a dear friend in horrible auto accident, my husband's father died of lung cancer while living with us and then my mother died from injuries in a house fire.

So I get the fear the overwhelming fear. For a year or two (and still now) I couldn't plan our vacation or spend money because I thought somebody else was going to die.

I didn't have the financial concerns but still understand the fear. So here's what I want you to do:

-- Make an apt. to see a grief counselor. I know your brother is still here but you need to prepare for what's coming and the aftermath. Counseling really helped me. And still does

-- Go online to debtadvice.org and make an apt with a nonprofit credit counselor. These folks usually deal with folks in debt but they can also give you a second opinion about your budget for a very low cost. You may be in better shape than you think especially with your savings.

-- It's good that you've cut ahead of the layoff. Hopefully it won't come for some months because in a refinance the bank will confirm the income a final time before closing. See if you can hurry it along before he loses his job. But please don't fib. Be truthful if asked about his job situation.

-- Pay off the credit card and put it away. You don't need that type of debt out there.

-- If you can and if you aren't already and you have federal student loans look in to the Income Based Repayment plan. That adjusts your payments according to the household income and family size. If you are using it your changed finances might reduce what you owe and give you more breathing room until he can get another job.

-- Do not. Do not. Do not buy a rental property. You don't have the funds right now.

-- Take the $15,000 and put in the bank because you have no idea how long it might take for your husband to get a job.

You can do this. It's okay to be scared but don't let your fear paralyze you. Good luck
Think you've got no ties to the Clinton Foundation? Think again. Chances are, you're invested in or a customer of a number of corporations that have sent the charity money over the years.

The public charity has come under enormous scrutiny in recent months over concerns it represents a conflict of interest for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. The foundation, which was founded in 2001 by President Bill Clinton after he left the White House and has been widely praised for its work in treating millions of Africans with AIDS, announced last week that it will no longer accept donations from corporations or foreign entities if Hillary is elected to the presidency. It would mean nixing a number of big-name companies from the donor list.

Dozens of Fortune 500 companies are among those listed as contributors to the Clinton Foundation since its 2001 launch. Leslie Lenkowsky, expert on philanthropy with Indiana University and former CEO of the Corporation for National and Community Service under the George W. Bush administration, noted that the Clinton Foundation's corporate donor reach is not exactly common, but then again, neither is the foundation's founder.

"The thing about Bill Clinton is that it's been well known that he has an extremely broad network," he said.

Coca-Cola (KO) is one of the Clinton Foundation's corporate donors, giving in the $5-to-$10 million range to the charity (according to the foundation's website), with its latest contribution coming as recently as the second quarter of this year. Prepaid wireless service provider TracFone Wireless is in the same donation level category, as is the Elton John AIDS Foundation, the government of the Netherlands and German racecar driver Michael Schumacher.

In the $1-to-$5 million donation level are names like ExxonMobil (XOM) , Yahoo! (YHOO) , Cheniere Energy (LNG) , General Electric (GE) and Boeing (BA) . Microsoft (MSFT) falls in the same donor-level range. The charitable organization headed by the software company's founder, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, has given the Clinton Foundation more than $25 million.

Alibaba (BABA) , Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google, Nike (NKE) , Visa (V) and Citigroup (C) have contributed $500,000-to-$1 million to the Clinton Foundation, and Bank of America (BAC) , Delta Air Lines (DAL) , PepsiCo (PEP) , Hertz (HTZ) and Qualcomm (QCOM) are among those having giving at least $100,000.

The number of corporations giving money to the Clinton Foundation, and the levels at which they are donating, is not entirely unusual, experts say. Despite its name, the entity is not a private foundation (which generally acts as a pass-through for private donations to other charitable organizations) but is a public charity, much like the United Way or the American Red Cross.

"To have corporations giving either directly or through their corporate foundations to the Clinton Foundation, that is not at all uncommon," said Miranda Fleischer, a professor at the University of San Diego School of Law.

Some of the companies listed as having donated to the Clinton Foundation have, in different contexts, caused headaches for the Clintons. Goldman Sachs (GS) , where Secretary Clinton delivered much-discussed high-paid speeches, is in the mix, as are a number of banking entities her enemies often say indicate she has too close of a relationship to Wall Street.

But less-than-friendly entities to Bill and Hillary have donated to their foundation as well. Conservative news website Newsmax in 2015 pledged over $1 million to the charity. Pfeizer (PFE) , whose proposed inversion deal Clinton decried last year, is a Clinton Foundation donor. So is Mylan (MYL) , whose EpiPen pricing practices Clinton blasted just this week.

Despite the controversy swirling around the Clinton Foundation, it appears that plenty of companies and business leaders have had no qualms about giving the organization some money. Heck, even Clinton's Republican rival, Donald Trump, is a donor.

With Clinton and Trump both generating strong feelings from supporters and detractors, will consumers or investors care that a company they might patronize or invest in has donated to the Clinton Foundation? They shouldn't.

"In and of itself, the fact that corporations are supporting this public charity is no different than looking at the list of corporations that support the Metropolitan Museum of Art," said Richard Marker, philanthropy adviser and founder of NYU's Academy for Grantmaking and Funder Education.

GE, GOOGL, Visa, Citigroup and PepsiCo are holdings in Jim Cramer's Action Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. See how Cramer rates the stock here. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GE, GOOGL, V, C or PEP? Learn more now.
Banking, Retail, Payments, Security, and Regulatory Leaders to Address the Future of Commerce

CHICAGO, IL(Marketwired  Aug 25, 2016)  The Mobile Payments Conference (@MPCEVENT), today released its final agenda and speaker lineup for the upcoming 2016 Mobile Payments Conference taking place August 29  31, 2016, in Chicago, IL.

The Mobile Payments Conference provides unfettered access to the Worlds foremost leaders from banking and financial services; retail; technology; mobile computing; cybersecurity and data privacy; customer experience and loyalty; engagement and marketing; payments and commerce. Attendees benefit from the MPCs intimate setting, which allows them to interact with the individuals directly responsible for the continuing advancements in payments technology, consumer adoption, and aligning industry with governments and regulatory bodies worldwide.

Keynotes and executive panels will address the most pressing issues facing all touch-points of the mobile payments ecosystem, such as real-time payments, consumer privacy, network, platform and service provider selection, omni-channel engagement, loyalty programs and integration, encryption, compliance and security considerations, as well as the emergence of blockchain, host card emulation (HCE) and near field communications (NFC).

Tim Spenny, vice president, GfK Financial Services, noted that, Mobile payments have the potential to transform retail as a key enabler for positive consumer experiences. Despite the inherent advantages, adoption is still very low as only 3 percent of consumer transactions are executed as mobile payments.

The biggest challenge facing the industry is perception. To overcome public concerns relating to privacy and security, retailers must address those fears and educate their customers as to the many safeguards and protections currently in place, as well as the convenience, speed, and significant added value. Until retailers embrace how mobile payments can differentiate them from competitors, reinforce customer loyalty and growth their business, adoption will stagnate.

I look forward to joining several of the most esteemed financial, technology and retail executives at this years Mobile Payments Conference, a critical forum that helps push this metamorphic technology forward.

According to the World Economic Forum, Blockchain technology will form one of the foundations of next-generation financial services infrastructure. Mobile Payments Conference organizers are offering Blockchain Training to attendees on August 29, 2016. The training session will empower executives with the knowledge to leverage this powerful technology today, and insight to the banking, regulatory and financial factors influencing its evolution. Attendees will learn blockchains foundational elements and leave with an understanding of how the technology works and its various platforms.

Blockchain stands at the precipice of transforming a wide range of industries, said Nitin Gaur, director of IBM Blockchain Labs and MPC speaker. Work must be done to bridge the gap between what current blockchain fabrics can do and how it can evolve to meet business demands.

The 2016 Mobile Payments Conference in Chicago is where industry leaders gather to separate fact from fiction, said Marla Ellerman, Mobile Payments Conference executive director and publisher of Mobile Marketing & Technology. This years conference will examine the many new mobile commerce platforms, services, solutions, and standards that continue to enter this exploding market.

Chester Ritchie, senior sales and marketing executive with Zooz, added, The Mobile Payments Conference is one of my favorite events to attend every year. The venue offers great insights and speakers not found elsewhere. I always learn about new innovations at the Mobile Payments Conference.

For the latest Mobile Payments Conference news, updates and information, please visit www.mobilepaymentconference.com, or follow the event on Twitter at @mpcevent.
Most of us would have heard of the 5 Cs of Singapore. The term, which was coined back in the 90s, was used to describe the material aspirations that some people in Singapore strive towards.

The 5 Cs referred to the following: car, cash, credit card, country club and condominium.

Yet, one could argue that these material aspirations would not be possible without an individual having a great job. After all, having a great job is the first step towards earning these material possessions (if thats what makes a person happy).

But what exactly is the definition of a great job?

Here are the 5 Cs that we believe define a great job.

1. (C)ash

We hate to start this list with a material aspiration, but there is no denying the fact that earning enough cash in a job is important.

Having a comfortable salary that takes care of your personal and family needs, as well as provide you with enough to save and invest for the future, ensures a peace of mind in life. It assures us that whatever we are doing is sufficient in providing a decent living standard.

If you are being paid the equivalent of an intern, you could still do your job and enjoy it. But your joy would be short-lived because ultimately, you would need to find something sustainable.

If you are not getting paid for what you are doing, then all you have is a great hobby, rather than a great job.

That said, cash has a decreasing marginal utility. The more you earn, the lesser it becomes a factor of whether you have a great job. A job that pays $4,000 looks much better than one that pays $2,000. In contrast, a job that pays $14,000 would only seem marginally better compared to one that pays $12,000.

A Princeton study done in the USA reported that a salary of $75,000 annually ($6,250 per month) is the magic number. Beyond that amount, earning a higher salary does not translate any further to people being happier.

Read Also: Why Making Money Should Not Be A Life Goal

2. (C)areer Interest

Earning enough cash is great, but what is equally important is doing something that you like, or dare we suggest, love.

Story continues

What are the interests in your life? Do you enjoy writing, teaching, or working out complex problems? Alternatively, you might have an interest in a certain topic such as economics, finance, history, or art.

Think about job opportunities surrounding these areas that you are passionate about. All jobs would bring their own set of challenges. But if you have to overcome them on a daily basis, it may as well be about something that you have a passion for.

3. (C)olleagues

For most jobs in Singapore, spending between 9  10 hours each day in the office is the norm, rather than the exception. Hence, its important for you to spend it with people that you enjoy working with.

Colleagues have the potential of making your work either a joy or a living nightmare. If you were part of a cohesive group of team players, then tackling difficult projects would be a goal that you seek to achieve. If you are working with people that you already dislike (or dislike you), then even a simple project becomes difficult.

This extends to your bosses as well. There is a saying that goes people dont quit their jobs, they quit their bosses

Having a great boss is like striking the lottery. You didnt do anything to deserve it but you still reap the benefits.

4. (C)ompany Advancement

Todays generation takes company advancement very seriously. If we do our job well, we expect to be able to climb up the companys career ladder. This is why most MNCs and SMEs in Singapore will have a career advancement programme in their company.

A mentor once said this to us. If a company does not have a career advancement programme, then it is simply training people for its competitors.

Career advancement opportunities give employees something to work towards in a company. An executive holds to move up to a managerial position, and thereafter, a director or business unit head. A well-charted career advancement programme spells out clearly to employees what they can expect from the company if they perform well and remain loyal.

5. (C)ontrol

In the working world, we are all adults with rights. While most of us are working under someone else, it does not make us a slave of the person we are working for, or the company we are working for.

People want to feel like they have control over both their work and life. Nobody wants to be micromanaged every day by someone else.

Our personal time is equally important as well. If we are required to do work after office hours, we want to be in control of that.

Its Difficult To Find The Perfect Job

The 5 Cs highlighted is a simple framework on how we can evaluate the current jobs we are in. Most of us are staying at our place of work for a reason, be it the money, the people, the work, the career progression or the flexibility that it gives us.

In our opinion, a job that fulfils 3 of the above 5 areas can be considered a good job. If it ticks 4 of the above 5, you can consider it a great job. If your current job ticks all 5 of the above 5 areas, you already have the perfect job in life.

Read Also: 5 Reasons To Quit Your Job Even When You Have Not Found A New One

DollarsAndSense.sg is a website that aims to provide interesting, bite-sized financial articles which are relevant to the average Singaporean. Subscribe to our free e-newsletter to receive exclusive content not available on our website. Follow us as well on Instagram @DNSsingapore to get your daily dose of finance knowledge through photos.

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Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government on Friday committed 600 troops and Can$450 million (US$350 million) over three years to United Nations peacekeeping operations around the world. Touted by the Liberal administration as a recommitment to multilateralism, the move also positions Canada to make a stronger bid for a rotating seat on the UN Security Council. Ottawa's "commitment to increase Canadian participation in UN peace operations and supporting its mediation efforts, preventing conflicts, and engaging in post-conflict reconstruction" will give Canada "a stronger voice on the world stage," Foreign Affairs Minister Stephane Dion told a news conference. The announcement comes ahead of a major peacekeeping conference in London in two weeks. In order to attend, countries must make a tangible peacekeeping pledge. A decision, however, has not yet been made about where to deploy the military personnel, said Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan. Trudeau is likely to identify a specific mission or missions when he goes to the UN General Assembly next month. Whereas his Conservative predecessor Stephen Harper sought distance from the UN, Trudeau has signaled that Canada now intends to play an increased role beyond its borders through the global body. Speaking separately Friday with reporters, he said the 600 troops and nearly half a billion dollar contribution was only the "first part" of Canada's re-engagement with the United Nations. "It's recognition of the fact that Canada has a duty to be engaged and to be a positive player in the world in the coming years," Trudeau said. - Big rise in peacekeepers - According to government figures, 31 Canadian soldiers were deployed this year on UN peacekeeping missions in Haiti, the Jerusalem region, South Sudan, Cyprus, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Korea, down from a reported peak of 3,000 in 1993. "This will have a big impact," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said about the new deployment. "We have no doubt the Canadian armed forces can help us bolster our capabilities across the globe." Trudeau also announced in February, when he hosted UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Ottawa, that Canada would seek a seat on the Security Council, hoping to erase the humiliation of its first failed bid in 2010 under the previous Tory administration. In a statement Friday, the government said the Canadian deployment would tackle "multifaceted conflicts, requiring political, security, development and humanitarian responses brought together under the broad umbrella of 'peace operations.'" Funding would go to protect displaced persons, refugees, women and children, as well as to support "early warning, conflict prevention, dialogue, mediation and peace-building, and the empowerment of women in decision-making for peace and security." The 600 personnel will include ground troops and commanders, with engineering and medical expertise and military and police training. Military transport aircraft will also be deployed. Trudeau has said French speakers in the Canadian military are in demand in hotspots in some former French or Belgian colonies, including Haiti and the Central African Republic. Sajjan recently returned from a five-country scouting mission in Africa, providing a hint of possible countries in which Canada may deploy troops. International Development Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau also visited Colombia earlier this year, opening the door to Canada playing a role in an upcoming ceasefire observer mission following a truce between the government and rebel forces.
The startup also made history by becoming the first Angel Tax Incentive (ATI) accredited company to raise funds through equity crowdfunding

RunningMan team  L-R: Lee Hao Ting, Cham Khai Siang, Andrew Chee (CEO, Co-founder) and Tan Wei Yong (Co-founder)

Malaysia-based logistics delivery startup RunningMan has recently become the second company to be fully funded on pitchIN Equitys crowdfunding platform. Funding deal was led by Nexea Angels, BizANgel Network and WTF Accelerator.

The last mile logistics startup successfully raised its target amount of RM175,000 (US$43,538) moments after it went live on Monday, August 22, 2015.

RunningMan is a marketplace platform offering instant delivery (typically within an hour) that users can use to reach out to nearby shops and restaurants. RunningMan riders are stationed at strategic points within its coverage area.

RunningMan was picked best startup at the ASEAN Startup Campus Accelerator bootcamp held in conjunction with the 1AES summit last November.

Also Read: MaGIC, Uber and Digi join forces to launch an ideation lab in Malaysia

The startup also made history by becoming the first Angel Tax Incentive (ATI) accredited company to raise funds through equity crowdfunding.

We are very happy to see that investors believe in us. I want to record our appreciation to our lead investors, Nexea Angels, BizAngel Networks and WTF Accelerator for taking the lead in making this happen. We are a young team but we have proven with our results that we have the potential to become a leading player in the on-demand economy, said Andrew Chee, CEO at RunningMan, in a press statement.

With these funds, we will build better mobile and IT solutions and also expand to cover the full KLang Valley. RunningMan riders are ready to assist consumers and businesses with their delivery and purchasing needs, he added.

The post Malaysias logistics delivery startup RunningMan raises US$43,538 on pitchIN Equity appeared first on e27.
Skysuites SOHO

One developer will be marketing an Indonesian property to Singapore investors. Samator Land is rolling out Skysuites SOHO, a freehold strata development in Surabaya, which features small office home office concept. Surabaya is the provincial capital of East Java and the second largest city in Indonesia.

Property ownership by foreigners is still restricted in Indonesia. However, there are schemes that allow non-Indonesians to purchase local properties. One of them is through PT Penanaman Modal Asing (PMA), the local term for foreign investment company.

Under PT PMA, foreigners can establish an investment property company to buy local properties. PT PMA appears to be the most attractive option for foreign buyers at the moment as it affords them the same property rights as local citizens, such as holding a freehold title.

We understand that the price paid for a Skysuites SOHO unit would be adequate to form the paid-up capital required by the Indonesian government to set up PT PMA. For convenience, foreign buyers could appoint a local notary to help establish the company. This involves a one-time fee of IDR 35 million (SGD 3,570) and an annual fee of IDR 18 million (SGD 1,836) for filing company reports to the authority on behalf of the owner.

Samator Land is the real estate arm of Samator Group, a leading gas company in Indonesia which was founded in 1975. The Groups first property venture was Graha Pangeran, a high-rise office building in Surabaya which was a nominee for the ASEAN Energy Award in 2002. In 2013, the Group sold the building to its biggest tenant, Bank Negara Indonesia.

A mixed-use development

Skysuites SOHO is a 168-unit tower within The Samator Business Park, which also comprises an 18-storey office tower that will be available for lease only and a hotel. The hotel will be operated by AccorHotels under its Novotel brand.

The SOHO units will have two levels - a business space on the lower floor and a living area on the upper floor. Each level comes with its own lift lobby.

Story continues

While the office tower would house large multinational and local corporations, the SOHO units are ideal for start-ups. Together, they would form a synergy, says Imelda Harsono, director of Samator Group. Her company would occupy five floors of the office towers. Another major tenant will be Bank Mandiri.

While the office tower would house large multinational and local corporations, the SOHO units are ideal for start-ups, says Harsono

Imelda Harsono

Photo: Samuel Isaac Chua/ The Edge Singapore

Skysuites SOHO and the hotel are expected to be completed this year and the office tower in 2017. There will also be a few cafe on the ground floor that serve as hangout and informal meeting spots.

Harsono, the eldest daughter of Samator Group President and CEO Arief Harsono, was personally involved in the design and material selection for Skysuites SOHO as well as the office component of the business park while her brother helmed the hotel development.

Units at Skysuites SOHO will start from 110 sq m (1,184 sq ft) and priced from SGD 300,000 onwards, including discounts and taxes applicable for acquiring the property. Buyers can opt for a 13-month instalment plan offered by the developer. Samator Land has appointed RE/MAX Singapore as the marketing agent for Skysuites SOHO.

According to Colliers International Indonesia, asking rents for offices in East Surabaya where Skysuites SOHO is located, average IDR 230,000 (SGD 23) per sq m per month. In Indonesia, tenants typically sign a one- or two-year lease and pay the rent in a lump sum. The monthly service charge can be passed on to tenants.

Other expenses that buyers should take note of include income tax at 10% of rental revenue, property tax at 0.2% of the units assessed value and agents fees for securing and managing the tenant, typically at 5% of the rental revenue. Samator Land will be holding an investment seminar for Skysuites SOHO on August 27 at Mandarin Orchard Singapore.

Several macro policies could have positive impacts on Indonesias property market. The recent tax amnesty programme and further relaxation of foreign ownership in property and businesses are widely expected to boost property prices in the country.

Units at Skysuites SOHO will start from 110 sq m (1,184 sq ft)

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Impact of Indonesian tax amnesty on Singapore property prices

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The festival of Janmashtami is being celebrated in full splendour in Bangladesh, with even eminent leaders taking note of the occasion and conveying their greetings to the people.

By Sahidul Hasan Khokon: Janmashtami, the birth festival of Lord Krishna, is being observed with great fervour and enthusiasm by the Bangladeshi Hindu community today.

President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, in separate messages, greeted members of the Hindu community on the occasion.

The President will host a reception to eminent Hindu citizens at the Bangabhaban today.

TWO-DAY PROGRAMME AT DHAKESHWARI NATIONAL TEMPLE

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The Mohanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee has taken up a two-day programme at the Dhakeshwari National Temple from today to mark the occasion. The traditional Janmashtami procession will be brought out from the national temple at 3 PM today.

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu will attend the programme as chief guest while Dhaka South City Corporation Mayor Sayeed Khokon will formally inaugurate the procession. As part of the central programme, a discussion meeting will be held at Dhakeshwari National Temple at 4 PM on Saturday.

In a statement, leaders of the Bangladesh Puja Udjapan Parishad and Mohanagar Sarbojanin Puja Committee yesterday conveyed their greetings to all citizens of the country on the occasion of Janmashtami.

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YouTube is one of the hidden gems in online marketing. It is a terrific way for small business owners to compete with the big brands. But creating effective (as in watchable) content and then promoting it can be intimidating.

Of particular interest to business owners who are wondering if the time creating and marketing with video is worth it is the YouTube Partner Program, created in 2007. It now has more than a million creators earning money from their videos. Thousands of channels are making six figures a year.

I grabbed a few statistics from YouTube directly to give you an idea of the opportunity there:

More than 1 billion unique users visit YouTube each month.

Over 6 billion hours of video are watched each month on YouTube, almost an hour for every person on Earth, and 50% more than last year.

100 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute.

80% of YouTube traffic comes from outside the U.S.

Mobile makes up almost 40% of YouTubes global watch time.

The following 30+ ways to use YouTube effectively can help you make the leap into video marketing and harness it for your small business.

Tips & Resources to Use YouTube Effectively

1) One of my favorite training spots is Lynda.com where expert instructors teach on a wide range of topics of interest to small business owners. It is a membership-based site, but worth it if you need to take yourself up a steep learning curve. Heres the full Lynda site based on a search for YouTube courses with 4 courses made up of 109 tutorials.

2) If you dont know where to begin, The Small Business Guide to YouTube is a good place to get started. Clicking on the No answers will give you links to informative content to answer your YouTube questions.

3) Using YouTube for Your Business provides you with an overview of ways you can use YouTube to improve your business.

4) Similarly, How to Use YouTube for Effective Marketing gives you ideas for using YouTube to market your business.

TIP: Keep your videos short to keep them effective. Write a script and practice, then video it. Then watch it yourself and show it to peers.

5) Ways to Incorporate Video into Your Business helps you find new platforms for adding video to your content.

6) This list of 34 Ways To Use YouTube For Business from Gigaom is from 2009, but still loads of great ideas.

TIP: If you dont feel up to making a full video, use slides from your presentations and combine them with music and perhaps some recorded commentary.

7) Check out 4 Innovative Ways to Use Web Video for Small Businesses for some easy ideas to engage your customers in videos you can produce with little to no cost.

TIP: Run a contest that offers your customers a prize for submitting and showing how they use your product or service, in a video, of course. You load the winning entry to YouTube. Get proper permissions/releases as part of your contest.

8) YouTube Channel Setup explains how to get started by setting up a customized YouTube channel where you can publish your videos.

TIP: Dont get confused by the term channel  this is simply like having a page on Facebook or a profile on Pinterest. A YouTube channel is how you customize your presence on YouTube.

9) This infographic found at Digital Sherpa points out the major building blocks for creating good video content.

10) Before you start recording, you should view this Video Marketing Slideshow, which gives you an outline of how to create successful videos that will be seen by others.

11) Keep your video looking as professional as your business with these 5 Tips to Making Professional Looking Video.

TIP: Pay attention to the audio portion of your video creation. It is easy to record a segment outdoors, for instance, and have a ton of light wind overtake your voice. Test with some short duration recordings and listen to the results.

12) You should also check out Ten Tips for a GREAT Corporate Video. This video offers basic tips to help keep your audience interested in your visual content.

13) The DIY Marketers Guide to Marketing with Video gives you a list of some tools you can use to create successful videos.

TIP: Some of the best editing tools that Ive found are here on Small Business Trends: 8 Useful and Easy Video Editing Tools. Pinnacle and Adobe Premiere Elements are my two favs.

14) If you are looking for stock videos to enhance your business video, you can find low-cost, royalty free ones at Videohive. Or if you want video, image, sound, illustration and special effects, you can find them all at pond5.

15) You can also find low-cost, royalty free videos at iStock, but you have to purchase credit packs to buy these.

TIP: My advice is to use stock content to supplement what youre doing  not to be your entire video. Use sparingly.

16) Flixpress helps you to create professional intros to your videos online from templates. This service offers different plans ranging from free to a monthly fee for heavy users. The templates are priced based on their content (i.e. those containing people cost more), but there are several free basic templates.

NOTE: I like this service  it is similar to stock video and photo services, except you can customize it.

17) If you would prefer to do a screencast instead of filming a video, 5 Free Tools for Creating a Screencast suggests great tools for making video content from your computer screenshots.

TIP: Im a huge fan of screencasts, especially if you are educating users on how to use your software or service. Even though you are walking a user/viewer through the steps of using something, make sure you script it out first. Keep it short, under two minutes.

18) Look at How to Utilize Videoblogging for Business to learn about a more visual way of blogging for your business.

19) 10 YouTube Tips for Small Businesses provides you with good information on presenting your business at its best by suggesting ways to polish your content and channel.

20) Once your business invests resources in creating a video you want to have people watch it. Use these Simple YouTube Tips for New Traffic to build your viewers.

TIP: Do not leave the standard video camera file name that looks like this: 04012014_0345abdc. Always name your video file with key terms or company name because search engines will notice these words/terms and sometimes the file title shows in a search result. Give yourself every chance to be noticed, just dont go overboard.

21) Ways to Make Your Videos Viral gives you great insight into what makes customers share your video with their friends.

22) At the same time, you can keep your expectations real by avoiding these 5 YouTube Marketing Mistakes.

TIP: YouTube is part of the social media phenomena  people want to be entertained and they want to share things that are funny, heartwarming, exciting, so dont just stick to a traditional commercial format. Not everything has to be a hard sales pitch. If you havent seen Will It Blend or even the recently viral Worlds Toughest Job video, you have to look at how others are combining fun with marketing messages.

23) An important part of using YouTube or any social marketing is to look at it from a long-term perspective. 4 Tips for Marketing Your Business on YouTube will give you things to think about when developing your YouTube marketing strategy.

24) Learn how other small businesses were able to make YouTube work for them by checking out these 3 YouTube Success Stories that I wrote for American Express OPEN Forum.

TIP: Watch some of the most popular videos done by your competitors and peers. I always look to see how many views a video has  some YouTubers block this info, but you can often still see those stats if you click the link that states how many videos that channel has on it. In that gallery view, you can usually see the video views count for each video. Sort on popular, then watch and learn what others are doing to drive that success.

25) YouTube has its own Keyword Tool to help you find keywords for your video content.

TIP: This is a great way to take a step toward helping the YouTube search engine (and by extension Google) find your video content and is related to my later tip on naming your video file with keywords in it.

26) You can find many tips to help SEO your YouTube Channel and increase your Web visibility with these YouTube Marketing Tips and Maximize YouTubes Marketing Potential.

27) You can learn 5 Ways to Promote Your YouTube Video so you develop an audience and grow it.

28) Watch this YouTube Analytics Tutorial to see how to use YouTube analytics to find out if your videos are working for you. This is a great tool to find help identify what you may want to change or tweak about your YouTube video strategy.

29) Pixibility Inc. offers an entire YouTube channel devoted to YouTube marketing. They are advertising their YouTube marketing software but have many videos with helpful tips posted. I reviewed the service here on Small Business Trends.

30) Even if you arent quite ready to take the plunge into using YouTube to post videos for your business, you can still follow channels that contain content specifically for helping small businesses, such as the U. S. Small Business Administration Channel. This channel is dedicated to keeping you up-to-date with government information for small businesses.

TIP: If you use YouTube for educating yourself on different topics, you can save those videos into playlists or subscriptions  and make those available to your customers and prospects as content that you have found useful. I would do this if I wasnt yet willing or ready to create my own videos, but wanted to participate in the YouTube platform.

31) No one has to attend the university to get great advice from the Harvard Business Review. This channel is filled with the latest videos on everything business.

TIP: You can use these other educational channels to come up with ideas for your own videos. Many times, when I watch a video I think of ways I can use that information  those ideas can easily be used to jumpstart my own video. While I was watching this video on marketing from the Harvard Business Review, I thought of.

32) Yes, the Google Business Channel focuses on using Google products to increase your business, but most of it can be done at little or no cost.

33) Create a video transcript by following Jan Bears post from her Market Your Book blog. You can also find the same explanations within YouTubes support section. The transcript can help you get found in search engines, an added bonus for the effort.

TIP: Transcripts make your content easier for search engines to index. In addition, you can add in additional messages and ideas you may not have had time for in the video itself. Dont go hogwild on the hard sales pitch, but there is room in the description section for a variety of content, including links  just keep the full URL in that area as it wont hyperlink unless you have the http:// in front of the www.

34) Dont forget that you can upload/embed your YouTube videos on your Facebook page. I recommend you simply click the Share button just below the YouTube video you are watching and click the Facebook icon. It opens your Facebook page status update if you are logged in. Add your comment and post.

TIP: I wouldnt share only my own videos, but ones that my customers or allies have done, too. Again, YouTube is a social platform, use it to help yourself, but to help others, too.

35) Last tip: Always create a call to action at the end of your video. Splice in a slide that lists your website. The best post that Ive seen on this comes from my friend Jay Baer on his Convince and Convert blog (compelling blog name, huh?), 4 Ways to Include Calls to Action on Video.
If your website was built using WordPress, one of the best things you can do for your small business is to learn how to install a WordPress plugin.

While that may sound like hyperbole, consider this: WordPress plugins, the majority of which are free, extend and expand the functionality of your website up to and including the ability to automate and manage your business  from online marketing to lead capture and from sales to delivery  faster and more consistently than you do today.

How many more clients or customers could your business add and serve using that extra time?

Thats the power of WordPress plugins.

There are currently more than 36,375 plugins available at wordpress.org. Thats a lot. But dont let the sheer number of plugins scare you away, because were going to show you how to pick a good plugin out of that pile. Then were going to show you how to install a WordPress plugin you chose on your own site so you can start reaping the benefits of the plugins added functionality to manage your business.

Good to Know Before Moving On

Hosted vs. Non-Hosted

Of course, WordPress comes in two flavors: hosted and self-hosted.

When you create your WordPress site over at wordpress.com, youre using the hosted option. While not as customizable as the self-hosted option, its the perfect platform if you want to get up and running quickly. Unfortunately, your choice of plugins is much more limited when your site is hosted and that curtails the benefits you can realize from using plugins.

If you create your WordPress website over at one of the many available hosting companies, youre using the self-hosted option. Infinitely customizable, self-hosted WordPress sites can use any of the 36,375 plugins available over at wordpress.org and thats a good thing.

Two Key Factors to Consider Before Selecting a WordPress Plugin to Install

Because of feature enhancements and bug fixes, WordPress code is updated on a fairly regular basis. After each update, theres always a chance that a plugin that worked with the older version of WordPress may not work with the new one.

To make a particular plugin work with the latest version of WordPress, it needs to be updated as well and therein lies the problem. Since most plugin developers offer their work for free, they sometimes drop the project somewhere along the way and the plugin stops getting updated.

These plugins are dead and if a plugin you are using dies, youll need to search for a replacement.

To minimize the chance that youll face this headache, you should always pay attention to these two factors when selecting a plugin to install:

When Was the Plugin Last Updated?

A plugin that gets updated often is a plugin that is less likely to die.

To figure out if your plugin has been updated to the latest version of WordPress, first visit the plugins page on wordpress.org and look underneath the header on the right. There youll see up to which version the plugin is compatible (in the image below, thats version 4.1.1).

Next, head on over to the front page of wordpress.org and look at the lower of the blue download buttons on the right. As you can see, WordPress version 4.1.1 is the latest WordPress update, so the plugin above is A-OK.

Another way to check this is to search for a plugin using your WordPress dashboard (more on how to run that search in just a bit).

As you can see in the search results below, one of the plugins was tested and declared Compatible and one was not. Always try to select plugins that are tested and compatible as that means theyre up to date (assuming of course that you keep your WordPress version up to date which you should).

One other thing to beware of is when the Last Updated date is more than a year old (and many, many of them are). If thats the case, its likely that the plugin is dead.

Do the Developers Provide Timely Support?

Since most plugins are free, theres not a lot of incentive for a developer to provide support. They need to have the passion to continue supporting their work and the drive to see it through.

As this is the case, you should always check on the level of attention a developer devotes to support before selecting their plugin. To do so, visit the plugins page on wordpress.org and click on the Support tab as shown below:

Once youre at the support discussion forum for that plugin (as shown below), look around to see what you can find. Does the developer respond in a timely manner or do questions languish for weeks? Do they provide service with a smile or are they snippy and rude?

Bad service is a strong sign that the plugin may be dying.

How to Install a WordPress Plugin

There are two ways to install a WordPress plugin using the WordPress dashboard:

Search for a plugin and install the one you want to use, and Upload a .zip file containing the plugin and install its once its ready.

Search for a Plugin and Install the One You Want to Use

Here are the steps to follow:

Login to your WordPress dashboard and click Plugins in the left column:

Click on Add New under Plugins in the left column to be taken to the, Add Plugins screen:

Here, you can begin your search for plugins using the first of three methods. Using the links at the top, you can look for Featured, Popular, Recommended and Favorites plugins. This is the best way to search if you want to explore whats out there for you to use for your own site.

If you know the name of a plugin you want or some keywords for what the type of plugin you want does (e.g. social sharing, image slider), the second way to search is the search field on the top right of the Add Plugins screen:

This image also shows the, More Details link that well talk about in step 5.

The third and final way to search for a plugin is to use the tags at the bottom of the Add Plugins screen. This method combines the exploring of the first search method with the refinement of the second search method:

When you want to take a closer look at a plugin, click the More Details link (as shown in the image under step 3 above) and youll get this pop-up details screen:

Note the tabs along the top (under the red image). Heres where you can learn all about the plugin as well as see screenshots of the plugin in action.

If youre ready to install this plugin, click the blue Install Now button on the bottom left of the details screen.

Once the install is complete, youll see the following screen:

It is possible to install a plugin without activating it (e.g. you install a new plugin but want to minimize the impact if something goes wrong when you activate it so you dont activate it until the weekend when your website traffic is lower), which is why you see the choice to activate the plugin above. Lets say were ready to forge ahead and click the, Activate Plugin link.

And your plugin is installed! Congrats! To start using your plugin, look for its menu link in one of three places:

The left column,

Under the Plugins menu, or

Under the Tools menu as shown in this example:

Upload a Zip File Containing the Plugin and Install its Once its Ready

Often, a WordPress plugin will have a free version with basic functionality and a premium version with expanded features.

When you purchase a premium plugin, you typically receive a .zip file containing the plugin. Use this approach to install your new plugin:

Download the plugin according to the developers instructions. You can also download any of the free plugins on wordpress.org if you want to use this install method as opposed to the one above. In that case, each plugin has a button like the one shown below:

Once you click the download button, youll see a pop-up like this:

Choose to save the file and then click, OK:

Next youll need to tell your browser where you want the file saved to. Make sure you select a spot that youll remember.

Note: if you dont see a screen like the one below, your file was saved to you Downloads directory automatically so look for it there.

Now that you have the plugin .zip file downloaded, its time to upload it to your site using the WordPress dashboard.

Head on over to the Add Plugins screen and click the Upload Plugin button as shown below:

On the next screen, click the Browse button:

Then, in the window that pops up, find the plugins .zip file, click on it and then click the Open button:

Now that youve told WordPress which file to upload, click the Install Now button to begin:

And finally, were back at this screen. Head on back to the, Search for a Plugin and Install the One You Want to Use section and pick up from step 6 to finish up. Congrats! Youve installed a WordPress plugin for your site.
When launching or expanding your eCommerce business, consider drop shipping. It can provide an approach without the need for heavy upfront investment. In fact, even management of inventory is generally unnecessarily.

To get started, simply partner with a drop shipping wholesaler and begin marketing their products from your site. They handle all shipping and other logistics involved in getting the product to your customer.

Below is a list of drop shipping partners to consider for your business. But remember to do your research on drop shipping companies so you can choose the one that best suits your needs.

Sunrise Wholesale

Sunrise Wholesale has partnered with an import company, which has given it access to a 600,000-square foot warehouse and distribution center.

It is known for quick and accurate order processing and the service it provides has been recognized with an A+ award by the Better Business Bureau.

Membership is available for $29.95 per month or $99 annually, a saving of more than $250.

Vista Wholesale

Vista Wholesale started with eBay in 1996 and to this day it provides drop shipping for customer selling on eBay, as well as Amazon.

Although the company is a small family owned business, its program is completely free. That means no fees of any kind from signing up to viewing the company catalog.

Dropship Direct

Dropship Direct offers its customers in excess of 100,000 products from more than 900 brands. The membership is free, however access to its PushList data feed technology is $9.97 per month, which can be waived with a monthly order of $500.

The PushList technology provides a 100 percent fully customizable data feed so you can place your items on different sites with relative ease.

Inventory Source

Inventory Source prides itself on providing very accurate product information and giving its customers tools for finding the right supplier.

The membership has four tiers, starting with a free option. The Download File Package is $25 per month, Full Automation Package is $50 per month, and Hosted Website Bundle is $49.95 per month.

Salehoo

The Salehoo model is different than other drop shipping companies in that it doesnt offer products directly to its customers. Instead, it gives members access to a directory of more than 8,000 verified suppliers and drop shippers from more than 100 countries around the world.

It has a basic membership of $27 per month, $47 a month for the standard package and a premium package for $97.

The premium package offers an unlimited number of products, image storage and bandwidth as well as 20 email accounts and bonuses.

Doba

Doba is a directory for finding drop shipping suppliers. This type of service is a great way to get into the business until you gain some experience.

Doba offers a Starter Package for $19.99 per month and you pay $59.95 per month for the Advanced Package.

Worldwide Brands

Worldwide Brands helps online sellers find wholesale suppliers. Their wholesale directory includes more than 9,000 suppliers and millions of wholesale products, and they also certify suppliers.

According to the company, each supplier is put through a verification process to ensure its legitimacy. Worldwide Brands has a lifetime membership fee of $299 without any monthly or annual dues.

Megagoods

Megagoods is a direct supplier that has simplified the drop shipping model. The company specializes in consumer electronics with more than 45 categories. It has a large selection of brand names along with fast processing and private label shipping.

See Also: How to Turn Your Customer Complaints into Business Benefits

The company offers a 30-day trial and membership is $14.99 per month.

Wholesale Central

Wholesale Central has more than 1,971,918 products from 381 suppliers, with major brand names making up a large portion of the items.

Membership starts at $49.95 per month for basic. Each additional tier adds more services, including website integration, cart support, custom file formats and more.

Dropship Design

With more than 20 years in business, Dropship Design provides more than one million items along with memberships designed for beginners and seasoned pros.

The memberships start with the Basic Dropship Plan with a one-time fee of $49.99 and goes all the way to $199.99 for all its features. Those features include, access to CSV files, download of Dropship Designs product descriptions and images of those products to import to your website or marketplace.

Success in drop shipping depends on a firm understanding of the business model and also a knowledge of the drop shippers with whom you are partnering. Take time to research drop shipping companies so that you can find the partnerships that make the most sense for your company.

Image: Sunrise Wholesale Merchandise

Editors Note: Thus post has been edited to clarify that Worldwide Brands is not a drop shipper but a membership organization giving merchants access to drop shippers and wholesalers for their businesses.
Fighting Plagiarism

Turnitin Releases New, Free Teaching Resources

Turnitins back-to-school program, Rethink Feedback, features new, free resources and tools this fall. The new elements are designed to help K12 teachers and higher ed instructors teach proper methods of attribution, improve student writing skills and avoid plagiarism.

The free back-to-school resources include:

In the Loop: Feedback Quiz  A 12-question, online self-teaching tool that helps students understand the value of feedback and explains how to get the most from feedback, how to respond to instructor feedback, and how to separate feedback fro evaluative measures like grades.

Feedback that Makes the Grade  Seventy-eight percent of students say they want feedback from teachers, but how do they feel about the feedback teachers are giving? This infographic lists five tips for fantastic feedback, details how students use and think about feedback and explains what makes feedback effective in the classroom.

Aiming for Integrity Analysis  How well do students understand plagiarism? Compiling more than 12,500 data points from more than 25,000 responses to Turnitins Plagiarism Quiz, this report helps educators understand student perceptions of plagiarism and citation methods.

Plagiarism Spectrum  This infographic defines 10 different types of plagiarism. Each type has been given an easy-to-remember moniker to help students and instructors better identify and discuss the ramifications of plagiarism in student writing. Request posters for classrooms, or download a student handout or the full study.

Teachers intuitively know  and research supports  that there are best practices to giving feedback to students in writing exercises, said Jason Chu, education director at Turnitin, in a prepared statement. Feedback that is appropriately constructive, specific, actionable and given at the right time drastically improves how much a student learns about good writing.

Earlier this year, Turnitin added Revision Assistant to its product lineup. The program, designed for grades 6-12 and developmental writing in higher education, extends teachers reach by giving students immediate feedback during the writing process.

For more information about Turnitin products and back-to-school resources, visit Turnitins website.
By Hamid Ould Ahmed ALGIERS (Reuters) - Algeria's cereal crop is expected to drop by 40 percent this harvest after the worst drought in decades, the head of the country's farmers' union said on Thursday. The fall in cereal output comes as OPEC member Algeria seeks to reduce imports to offset a sharp decline in its energy earnings that has hit state finances. Drought has mainly affected the southern provinces of the North African nation, where agriculture relies heavily on rainfall due to its underdeveloped infrastructure, the farmers' union chief Mohamed Alioui told Reuters. "This was the worst drought in about 50 years," he said. Output in the central areas was weak but better in the east, he added. "Overall production has fallen by around 40 percent. Imports are likely to increase next year by the same level to offset the domestic output drop," Alioui said. The harvest campaign is over and final figures on production will be available within days, he said. Algeria's cereal imports reached 9.25 million tonnes in 2015 after weak domestic output of 3.77 million tonnes in the previous year. It imports mainly soft wheat, with France the top supplier. The cereal harvest rose 14.3 percent to 4 million tonnes in 2015. The agriculture ministry is hoping to increase wheat and barley output to 6.7 million tonnes by 2019, as part of a plan to cut food imports. To reach that goal, the government has been providing financial incentives to farmers, including interest-free loans. The government plans to raise total the irrigated area to 2 million hectares from 900,000 hectares now. The share of irrigation for cereals is expected to reach 600,000 hectares in 2019, up from 60,000 hectares currently. "Cereal production was excellent in irrigated areas," Alioui said. Government measures to boost crops coincided with a fall in energy earnings, which account for 60 percent of the state budget and 95 percent of total exports. With the oil price starting to fall in mid-2014, Algeria took its first steps to reform the farming sector by opening it up to foreign firms willing to invest in grain, vegetables and fruit farms. (Writing by Patrick Markey, editing by Jason Neely and David Evans)
The Bengaluru police said that prima facie, nothing that amounts to sedition was said during the event of Amnesty International.

By Rohini Swamy: The Bangaluru police today said that prima facie, no anti-India slogans were raised at the Amnesty International event in Bengaluru on August 15.

The Bengaluru city police, who are investigating the sedition charges against Amnesty International, said that they have watched unedited version of the 90 minute video footage of the event, and have not found anything that they can amount to sedition.



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Also Read: Bengaluru: Kashmiri separatist groups raise anti-India slogans, ABVP protests; probe on

IT'S NOT SEDITION



The footage is still being analysed by the forensic science laboratory.

The police said that slogans of "Azadi" were raised, but the slogans weren't against the Army or the country and so, it did not amount to sedition.

While slogans raised said "jaan se Lenge azaadi", "jor se lenge azaadi" and Cheenke Lenge azaadi", nothing in those slogans were directed towards the nation, a police source said .

WHAT REALLY AMOUNTS TO SEDITION?

Quoting a Supreme Court judgement of 1995, in Balwant Singh versus the state of Punjab case, it said "Sedition - whoever by words either written or spoken, or by signs or by visible representation or otherwise brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law, shall be punished with imprisonment for life of three years to which fine may be added."

What this means is that if there were instances of inciting tension leading to violence, or of raising slogans against the state, only then it would have been sedition.

In the case in point, nothing of this sort was heard or seen in the video footage, said the police source.

SO WHY DID THE POLICE FILE SEDITION CASE?

The source said that the case was based on a complaint filed by the ABVP, and that a legal opinion was taken before the FIR was registered against Amnesty and other unknown persons.

During the course of the investigation, it was found that the person who filed the complaint with the police on behalf of the ABVP was not physically present at the event.

Also Read: Bengaluru Police slap sedition charges on Amnesty International after pro-Pakistan slogans at event

It was based on hearsay and the statements by two other persons of ABVP who were present there.

However, the ABVP members could not provide adequate evidence to support their claim, said the Additional Commissioner of Law and Order, Charan Reddy while talking exclusively to India Today.

While investigations are still on as the Forensic Science Laboratory is still translating the Kashmiri play, but prima facie, the police have found no evidence indicating sedition.

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Also Read:

Amnesty unlikely to get permission to set up South Asian hub in India

Bengaluru: Kashmiri Pandits seek ban on Amnesty International



--- ENDS ---
OSLO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Exports of Norwegian gas to Britain will not be affected by Britain's vote to leave the European Union (KSE: 000910.KS - news) , Norway's oil and energy minister told Reuters.

The Nordic country is Britain's top foreign gas supplier, accounting for some 40 percent of all supplies in 2015.

"There is no reason to believe that market access for Norwegian gas exporters to Britain will be affected by Brexit. We have been a stable gas exporter and we will continue to be so," Tord Lien said in an interview.

The minister also said he saw signs of improvement in the Norwegian oil industry, which has been struggling for the past two years due to a 60-percent decline in crude prices since June 2014. (Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Gwladys Fouche)
(Adds background, reporting credits)

PARIS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Swiss bank UBS (LSE: 0QNR.L - news) is cutting about 15 investment banking jobs as it scales back its share-trading business in Paris, a source familiar with the bank's plans said.

The cuts under negotiation are on its share-trading platform and at its corporate centre as the bank shifts its trading focus in France to cash, leaving derivatives and structured products to be handled from London.

Seven or eight trading jobs are on the line, although the posts could be moved to London, the source told Reuters.

UBS declined to comment on Friday.

The move runs against a drive by Paris to lure more investment banking business away from London after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, leaving many banks looking to beef up operations within the euro zone.

The bank has restructured in recent years in France, including about 40 reductions in asset management last year.

Nonetheless, UBS is keen to build up its corporate advisory activity in France after hiring Gregoire Haemmerle from JPMorgan last year to head the business in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, the source said.

UBS also aims to expand its wealth management business in France, possibly through an acquisition, and is for now leaving UBS France out of its project for a euro zone platform based in Frankfurt.

The wealth manager has faced legal trouble in France and was forced to stump up a more than 1 billion euro ($1.13 billion)guarantee as part of an investigation into whether it had helped clients avoid taxes.

It is likely to learn soon whether it will face trial in the case.

In July Switzerland's tax agency ordered UBS to provide French authorities with information about its French clients after a request from Paris. ($1 = 0.8857 euros) (Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Additional reporting by Chine Labbe in Paris, Joshua Franklin in Zurich and Anjuli Davies and Huw Jones in London; Editing by Jason Neely and David Goodman)
By Rupam Jain and Tommy Wilkes NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - When Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top aides to prepare last week's annual Independence Day address, some senior bureaucrats warned him against mentioning Baluchistan, arch-rival Pakistan's restive southwestern province. Referring to Baluchistan in such a prominent speech would be a highly unusual move bound to ratchet up tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbors more used to trading barbs over Kashmir, the cause of two of their three wars. According to a senior official at the meeting in early August, the more hawkish politicians in the room, angered by what they saw as Pakistan's recent trouble-making in Kashmir, thought differently, and so did Modi. By siding with the hawks, and including Baluchistan in his address, Modi signaled a more muscular approach toward Pakistan. That dims prospects of bringing the bitter rivals closer together to reduce economic pain and the risk of more violence, an issue that will be high on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's agenda when he lands in New Delhi on Monday for a three-day visit. "The bureaucrats suggested that talking about Baluchistan is a good idea but may be the Independence Day speech was not a good platform for it," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the meeting's sensitivity. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar "rejected these ideas", while Home Minister Rajnath Singh "supported him (Parrikar) by saying we should do everything to silence Pakistan", this official said. India's Ministry for External Affairs declined to comment on the debate about Modi's speech. His office, and the defense and home ministries, did not respond to requests for comment. Speaking from the ramparts of the 17th-century Red Fort in Old Delhi on Aug. 15, Modi thanked the Baluch people for their support after a number of separatist leaders published videos praising him for acknowledging their cause previously. He also lashed out at supporters of "terrorism", in a more familiar broadside against India's old foe. CROSSING THE RED LINE Pakistan has seized on Modi's speech as evidence that India has a hand in a decades-long Baluch separatist campaign, in which insurgents in the resource-rich yet impoverished region have launched sporadic attacks and demanded independence. India denies the charge. A senior foreign ministry official in Islamabad said Modi had "crossed the red line". Indian officials said Modi's speech was designed to remind the world about alleged human rights abuses by Pakistani forces in Baluchistan, just as Pakistan accuses India of abusing civilians in the disputed region of Kashmir during recent unrest. But outside Modi's entourage, questions are being asked about what strategic reward, if any, India can hope to gain by raising the geopolitical stakes. "Politically, it's much less useful in terms of Pakistan using this as evidence of Indian meddling. It gives them ammunition," said Daniel Markey, a South Asia expert at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, referring to Modi's mention of Baluchistan. But he added: "There is a strategic utility in looking a little unhinged, in sending that message." A New Delhi-based diplomat from a major power with traditionally close ties to India said it will only escalate tension. DETERIORATING RELATIONS Relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated since the killing of a separatist leader in Indian-ruled Kashmir on July 8 sparked the worst violence in the disputed territory in six years. At least 66 protesters and two security personnel have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides, according to official state figures. India blames Pakistan for failing to stop militants crossing the heavily militarized de facto border between them and attacking Indian security forces. Pakistan denies this. Two senior Indian officials said Modi had become frustrated with Pakistan's latest attempt to draw wide international attention to the Kashmir question and the current clampdown, and to take the matter to the United Nations. "Dealing with militancy is our internal issue and we will not tolerate any other country's interference," said one of the officials, from Modi's nationalist ruling party, who is closely involved in regional policy. At the August meeting, Parrikar, the defense minister, also said that by raising Baluchistan, Modi would be highlighting China's role in unrest in the region, said the official present. The reference to China reflects Indian unease at Beijing's backing of a $46 billion trade corridor running through land in northeast Pakistan that New Delhi claims, onward through Baluchistan to the port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea coast. Some of the Baluch separatist leaders who praised Modi before his address worry that their battle for a homeland will become a political football between the South Asian neighbors. "If India's support is just a reaction to the politics and to Kashmir, then it could damage the political struggle," said Geneva-based Baloch Republican Party leader Brahamdagh Bugti. He said New Delhi had rejected his application for Indian asylum in 2007. (Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine in NEW DELHI and Asad Hashim in ISLAMABAD; Writing by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
By Rupam Jain and Tommy Wilkes NEW DELHI/ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - When Prime Minister Narendra Modi met top aides to prepare last week's annual Independence Day address, some senior bureaucrats warned him against mentioning Baluchistan, arch-rival Pakistan's restive southwestern province. Referring to Baluchistan in such a prominent speech would be a highly unusual move bound to ratchet up tensions between the nuclear-armed neighbours more used to trading barbs over Kashmir, the cause of two of their three wars. According to a senior official at the meeting in early August, the more hawkish politicians in the room, angered by what they saw as Pakistan's recent trouble-making in Kashmir, thought differently, and so did Modi. By siding with the hawks, and including Baluchistan in his address, Modi signalled a more muscular approach towards Pakistan. That dims prospects of bringing the bitter rivals closer together to reduce economic pain and the risk of more violence, an issue that will be high on U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry's agenda when he lands in New Delhi on Monday for a three-day visit. "The bureaucrats suggested that talking about Baluchistan is a good idea but may be the Independence Day speech was not a good platform for it," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the meeting's sensitivity. Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar "rejected these ideas", while Home Minister Rajnath Singh "supported him (Parrikar) by saying we should do everything to silence Pakistan", this official said. India's Ministry for External Affairs declined to comment on the debate about Modi's speech. His office, and the defence and home ministries, did not respond to requests for comment. Speaking from the ramparts of the 17th-century Red Fort in Old Delhi on Aug. 15, Modi thanked the Baluch people for their support after a number of separatist leaders published videos praising him for acknowledging their cause previously. He also lashed out at supporters of "terrorism", in a more familiar broadside against India's old foe. CROSSING THE RED LINE Pakistan has seized on Modi's speech as evidence that India has a hand in a decades-long Baluch separatist campaign, in which insurgents in the resource-rich yet impoverished region have launched sporadic attacks and demanded independence. India denies the charge. A senior foreign ministry official in Islamabad said Modi had "crossed the red line". Indian officials said Modi's speech was designed to remind the world about alleged human rights abuses by Pakistani forces in Baluchistan, just as Pakistan accuses India of abusing civilians in the disputed region of Kashmir during recent unrest. But outside Modi's entourage, questions are being asked about what strategic reward, if any, India can hope to gain by raising the geopolitical stakes. "Politically, it's much less useful in terms of Pakistan using this as evidence of Indian meddling. It gives them ammunition," said Daniel Markey, a South Asia expert at Johns Hopkins University in Washington, referring to Modi's mention of Baluchistan. But he added: "There is a strategic utility in looking a little unhinged, in sending that message." A New Delhi-based diplomat from a major power with traditionally close ties to India said it will only escalate tension. DETERIORATING RELATIONS Relations between India and Pakistan have deteriorated since the killing of a separatist leader in Indian-ruled Kashmir on July 8 sparked the worst violence in the disputed territory in six years. At least 66 protesters and two security personnel have been killed and thousands wounded on both sides, according to official state figures. India blames Pakistan for failing to stop militants crossing the heavily militarised de facto border between them and attacking Indian security forces. Pakistan denies this. Two senior Indian officials said Modi had become frustrated with Pakistan's latest attempt to draw wide international attention to the Kashmir question and the current clampdown, and to take the matter to the United Nations. "Dealing with militancy is our internal issue and we will not tolerate any other country's interference," said one of the officials, from Modi's nationalist ruling party, who is closely involved in regional policy. At the August meeting, Parrikar, the defence minister, also said that by raising Baluchistan, Modi would be highlighting China's role in unrest in the region, said the official present. The reference to China reflects Indian unease at Beijing's backing of a $46 billion trade corridor running through land in northeast Pakistan that New Delhi claims, onward through Baluchistan to the port of Gwadar on the Arabian Sea coast. Some of the Baluch separatist leaders who praised Modi before his address worry that their battle for a homeland will become a political football between the South Asian neighbours. "If India's support is just a reaction to the politics and to Kashmir, then it could damage the political struggle," said Geneva-based Baloch Republican Party leader Brahamdagh Bugti. He said New Delhi had rejected his application for Indian asylum in 2007. (Additional reporting by Douglas Busvine in NEW DELHI and Asad Hashim in ISLAMABAD; Writing by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Mike Collett-White)
By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe warned protesters on Friday there would be no "Arab Spring" in Zimbabwe after anti-government demonstrations descended it to some of the worst violence seen in the southern African nation for two decades. Zimbabwean police fired tear gas and water cannon at opposition leaders and hundreds of demonstrators at a protest against Mugabe and the ruling ZANU-PF, before unrest swept across large parts of the capital Harare. "They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country but we tell them that it is not going to happen here, Mugabe told state television, referring to a series of uprisings that toppled leaders across the Arab world. Mugabe accused Western countries, including the United States, of sponsoring the protests. "They are fighting because of Americans, said Mugabe. Earlier, opposition head Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice president Joice Mujuru fled a rally in their cars while protesters ran for cover as police broke up the core of the demonstration. However, anti-Mugabe leaders warned that this would be the first of a series of protests. Mugabe's opponents have become emboldened by rising public anger and protests over an economic meltdown, cash shortages and high unemployment. Mugabe, 92, has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. Clashes spread through the streets of the capital Harare as riot police fought running battles with protesters who hurled rocks at officers, set tyres ablaze and burned a popular market to the ground, in some of the worst unrest since food riots in 1998. Didymus Mutasa, a senior official from Mujuru's party and convener of Friday's protest, vowed to repeat the demonstration a week from now and blamed police for the violence and disobeying a court order allowing the march to proceed. "If that was intended to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say the opposite has been the case. We are going next Friday to do exactly the same as we have done today," Mutasa told reporters. Most businesses shut down early on Friday fearing looting by protesters. Mujuru said 50 people were injured and hospitalised. "Mugabe's rule must end now, that old man has failed us," said one protester before throwing a rock at a taxi. RIOT POLICE More than a hundred police officers in riot gear, backed up by water cannons and armoured trucks, occupied the venue that opposition parties planned to use for their demonstration. As opposition supporters arrived for the march, they were told by the police to leave. The officers then fired tear gas and water cannon when parts of the crowd refused to comply. Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said the force was still assessing the day's events. "We will let you know once we are done," she said. Officials from Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party were unavailable for comment. "Demonstrating is the only solution left to force the dictator out of office," said Tapfuma Make, an unemployed 24-year-old from Chitungwiza town, south of Harare. Zimbabwe's High Court earlier ruled that police should allow the protest to proceed between 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. (1000-1400 GMT) in what Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called a "victory for democracy". "Today has been for me the worst day that I have lived in this country, where I have observed with my own eyes, the state breaking its own laws and the state starting violence by attacking people who were just gathered together," Mutasa said. Opposition parties leading the protests say the electoral agency is biased in favour of the ruling ZANU-PF and is run by security agents loyal to Mugabe, charges the commission denies. The protesters want the next vote in 2018 to be supervised by international observers, including the United Nations. They are also calling for Mugabe to fire corrupt ministers, scrap plans to introduce local bank notes and end cash shortages. The latest demonstrations come nearly two months after the biggest large scale 'stay at home' strike in Zimbabwe since 2007, inspired by social media movements such as #ThisFlag led by pastor Evan Mawarire. Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo on Thursday called opposition leaders "foreign agents" using protests to cause chaos in order to justify international intervention. (Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by James Macharia and Andrew Heavens)
2016 EPT Barcelona Main Event Day 3: Anthony Chimkovitch in the Lead

August 26 2016 Yori Epskamp

Day 3 of the record-breaking 2016 PokerStars.es EPT Season 13 Barcelona 5,300 Main Event started off with 294 players who were already in the money when play resumed. Due to the new payout structure, the bubble broke late on Day 2, guaranteeing the remaining players at least 5,630. With the min cash in the bag, everyone in Casino Barcelona had set their sights on the life-changing first price of 1,122,800.

After five levels, it was Belgium's Anthony Chimkovitch who bagged the overall chip lead with 1,825,000. On his way to the chip lead, Chimkovitch eliminated Chance Kornuth in spectacular fashion. Kornuth made a move with his pair of queens. Chimkovitch, however, held a pair of kings and knocked out the American high roller in one of the biggest pots of the day.

The day was fast-paced right from the start. With no pay jumps in sight, players busted in quick fashion. Marko Neumann, Martin Acre Llobrera, Ilari Sahamies, and Day 2 leader Ognyan Dimov were among the first to fall. Mike McDonald, who received the EPT 12 Platinum Player of the Year award yesterday, saw his run in the Main Event come to an end when his pair of nines were no good against Vasili Firsau's pair of aces.

Connor Drinan, Govert Metaal, Leo Margets, Kitty Kuo, Harrison Gimbel, Sam Chartier, Kimmo Kurko, Gleb Tremzin, Darryll Fish, and Team PokerStars Pro Jake Cody all failed to make Day 4 as well.

Long time Norwegian professional and former EPT champion Andreas Hoivold saw his Main Event come to an abrupt end in a huge pot versus Marco Caza. Hoivoid's pair and flush draw couldn't get there against Caza's top two pair, skyrocketing Caza to the top of the standings. Caza finished the day in second place, bagging 1,520,000.

Besides Chimkovitch and Caza, a total of 98 players made their way to Day 4. Team PokerStars' last standing man is none other than Jason Mercier who sat at the feature table for a long time. Mercier bagged 1,006,000, making him a dangerous threat going forward.

A lot of other notables still have a shot at the seven-figure price, including Nuno Capucho (1,375,000), Adam Owen (857,000), Bryn Kenney (728,000), 2016 November Niner Vojtech Ruzicka (680,000), Sam Grafton (650,000), Byron Kaverman (442,000), Georgios ZIsimopoulos (438,000), Jason Koon (424,000), Mark Roovers (392,000), and Eugene Katchalov (215,000)

Action resumes tomorrow at 12 pm noon local time when a maximum of five levels of 90 minutes each will be played. The full end of day chip counts and Day 4 redraw will be published as soon as the PokerNews live reporting team receives them.

Get all the latest PokerNews updates on your social media outlets. Follow us on Twitter and find us on both Facebook and Google+!

Sharelines Anthony Chimkovitch Bags Chiplead After Day 3 of the 2016 EPT 13 Barcelona Main Event.
Raja Ram Tiwari, fondly known as 'Bhule Bhatke Walon ke Baba', who ran a 'lost and found camp' on the banks of the Sangam during Kumbh and Magh Melas, passed away at the age of 88 on August 20. Here's his story.

By India Today Web Desk:

For 71 years, Raja Ram Tiwari, fondly known as 'Bhule Bhatke Walon ka Baba', was on a mission to reunite lost Kumbh Mela pilgrims with their families. During the 41-day Kumbh Mela, held on a 4,700-acre site, countless devotees get separated from their relatives. The only saviour for the people who lost their was "khoya paya shivir" or "lost and found" camps set up by Tiwari.

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Tiwari, who died on August 20 at the age of 88, leaves behind a truly inspirational story and here's all you need to know about the iconic 'Bhule Bhatke Baba'.



Humble beginnings

Raja Ram Tiwari was an 18-year-old when he first attended the annual Kumbh Mela congregation on the banks of Sangam at Allahabad in 1946, and that's when the idea to reunite those who lost their way dawned upon him.

Back in the day Kumbh Mela was held every three years and it mostly attracted old people. During his first visit to the Mela, Tiwari caught sight of an old woman crying uncontrollably. As a young lad, ever-ready to throw caution to the wind, he made a makeshift Bhopu or a tin loudspeaker and called out for the woman's companion in the crowd until they were reunited.

This incident forced Tiwari to take up the idea more seriously and went on to set up camps called 'Khoya Paya Shivir' to help lost pilgrims find their way.



Man on a mission

Since he set up the camp, he united over 14 lakh adults and around 21,000 children with their families. According to him, while most separations last for few hours or days, some take months to find their loved ones.

Although he started with low-tech methods to find people, over the years he tried to improve things by engaging a group of volunteers to speed up the process. More than 150 volunteers now work at the Khoya Paya Shivir.

Photo: Facebook/Zersey



Tiwari dissed the age-old Bollywood film plots

Probably the most popular Bollywood film plots is of parents losing one of their children during a mela and reuniting after years of separation.



But for Tiwari, this was all too unrealistic. According to him people always found each other; it might take hours and days, but eventually, they do.

In just one extreme case he took nearly 10 days to help a hearing impaired woman to find her husband. In a 2013 interview with the LA times, he said, "There's no such thing as lost forever, that's only in films."



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His last mission was to see a clean Ganga



Apart from his selfless service in the Khoya Paya Shivir, Raja Ram Tiwari was an active social worker. Speaking to TOI, the yougest among his four sons, Umesh Tiwari, said, "Babuji initiated his new venture, that of undertaking massive cleaning work of Ganga from Purnima (full moon) of April and wanted to do the same on every Purnima, but could not do much (sic)."

His son Umesh Tiwari has now taken over as the chief of Khoya Paya camps.



All of Tiwari's family members, including 20 grandchildren, and his wife Shanti Devi (85) feel that the Central government hasn't given enough recognition for his relentless service.

--- ENDS ---
TORONTO  Illegally entering Canada and being rescued by the coast guard was not what the swimsuit-clad Americans who were swept into foreign waters on Sunday had in mind when they set off from Port Huron, Michigan.

But thats what happened to Ann Levere, who has spent many summer days in an inflatable raft on the St. Clair River bordering Michigan and the Canadian province of Ontario. The annual Port Huron Float Down, which draws cooler-toting revelers in colorful dinghies and inner tubes, is a tradition dating to the late 70s, and Levere has been a regular for nearly as long.

This year strong winds blew Levere eastward, separating her from her family. In an attempt to point her raft in the other direction, the 48-year-old grandmother slipped and fell into Canadian waters.

She wasnt alone  some 1,500 river partygoers inadvertently drifted across the northern border, entering Canada without documentation on Sunday. Most had to be rescued through a massive effort from several Canadian agencies, then were returned to the United States by bus.

Others were given a lift back to the American side by friendly Canadians on the water.

After Levere tumbled into the river, a Canadian woman pulled her up onto her own raft. Together, they latched onto a Canadian freighter that towed them toward Port Huron. By the time Levere reached land, she had been on the water for nearly seven hours.

They just made me feel so warm and comfortable, she said of her rescuers in a phone interview with The Washington Post. If it wasnt for them, I dont know what would have happened to me.

Other floaters were just as grateful for the neighborly assistance.

God bless Canada! a raucous group shouted in a Canadian Coast Guard video posted by the CBC.

A statement from the Coast Guard described the Port Huron Float Down as an unsanctioned event that poses significant and unusual hazards given the fast-moving current, large number of participants, lack of life jackets  [and] challenging weather conditions.

Speaking to the CBC, Coast Guard official Peter Garapick said he wishes the event would end but knows thats wishful thinking.

Some Americans who feared retribution from Canadian authorities tried to swim back to the Port Huron shore.

They were terrified of entering another country without documentation, Garapick said. No one carries their passport or any ID, and a lot were drinking alcohol. We had to pull a lot of people out of the water and say no. They were very upset, cold and miserable.

A line of buses transported the floaters, who were described as possibly drunk and refugees in Canadian media, over a bridge and back onto American soil.

Sundays festivities werent the first time Americans caused trouble in Canada this summer. In June, a big game hunter from Ohio posted a YouTube video showing himself killing an Alberta black bear with a spear, along with a photo of the bears intestines wrapped around a tree branch.

After the video went viral this month, the government of Alberta said they plan to ban spear hunting, calling the practice archaic and unacceptable, while commenters labeled it barbaric.

In 2012, a LivingSocial survey of Canadians found that 39 percent believe Americans are the worlds worst tourists. It may be due to what they bring with them: On Monday, the Canadian Border Services Agency issued a statement urging Americans tourist to leave their firearms at home.

In Sarnia, city workers on Monday were still cleaning up beer cans, coolers and flotation devices left behind by their unexpected Float Down guests.

This [years Port Huron Float Down] was the worst but also the best, said Levere, who noted that theres always a few drunk people who fight and make it seem bad for the rest of us.

She concluded: It was scary at first, crazy  but fun.

canada
MCT Development, an affiliate of an Albuquerque company that manufactures custom trailers and aircraft maintenance and ground equipment for commercial, military and government use, is asking Bernalillo County for up to $15 million in industrial revenue bonds to expand its operations and those of its tenants near Balloon Fiesta Parkway.

In its application, the company says the money will be used to renovate an existing facility at the site and to expand the MCT Industrial Park to accommodate its own business growth and those of current and future tenants.

MCT Development, an affiliate of MCT Industries Inc., said the bulk of the build out will occur in two phases over 36 months and will generate 170 construction jobs.

Part of the overall project calls for up to a $3 million renovation of an existing 88,000 square-foot office/manufacturing building (5601 Balloon Fiesta Parkway), requiring a new IRB for the firm, according to the application. The application states the company received a 20-year IRB for the building from the city of Albuquerque, but it expires in 2017.

Renovation of the building will help generate 15 full-time jobs for MCT and existing tenants, such as MIOX, HQ West and Wonix Quartz, the applicant projects.

A second IRB up to $12 million will fund the construction of new buildings at the MCT Balloon Fiesta Industrial Park, including a 40,000-square-foot office/manufacturing/industrial building and a 50,000-square-foot office/manufacturing/industrial building. The two buildings would be used by MCT or other tenants, according to Claudine Martinez, the company president.

Design plans and completion dates are pending, she said. Bernalillo County commissioners earlier this week agreed to accept the IRB applications and will vote at a later date.

In addition to the 170 construction jobs, the park at full capacity will create 53 permanent jobs, said Martinez.

She said the company needs the extra space in Albuquerque to meet the demands of new and ongoing clients. Its a good thing for us, she said. Its a good thing for the New Mexico economy, she added.

Government entities issue the bonds but companies like MCT are responsible for repaying the debt.

We are busting at the seams in Bernalillo, Martinez said of the 44-year-old family business, which was launched by her father Ted.

In 2014, MCT, which stands for Martinez Customized Trailers, was awarded $5 million in IRBs from the Bernalillo Town Council to help it construct and equip an 80,000-square-foot building to the east of the companys facility, between South Hill Road and Interstate 25. That increased capacity led to the creation of 32 new jobs at the site, said Martinez.

Total employment currently stands at 100-130, depending on the work load, said Martinez. The jobs, which include welders, metal fabricators and painters, pay very well, said Martinez.

Industrial revenue bonds give companies a break on property on property taxes. Government entities issue the bonds and companies are responsible for repaying the debt.
ALAMOGORDO, N.M.  Children who immigrated alone to the United States will soon be housed at a Fort Bliss complex in New Mexicos Dona Ana County.

The children are scheduled to arrive at the temporary shelter early next month.

U.S. Department of Health and Human Services officials say the facility will have the capacity for 1,800 beds, although the actual number of children who will stay there is difficult to predict.

The children will live at the shelter while Health and Human Services officials identify adults who can care for them while their immigration cases proceed in court.

Health and Human Services has more than 100 shelters in a dozen states.

Holloman Air Force Base outside Alamogordo sheltered migrant children in January and February, but that temporary shelter closed earlier this month.

___

Information from: Alamogordo Daily News, http://www.alamogordonews.com
ACCUMOLI, Italy  In this 12th-century town, as many as 70 percent of the homes were vacant in the off-season. There were fewer people on the streets. Numerous teenagers had left for good.

And that was before the earthquake.

As the search continued in the hard debris and as hopes dimmed that rescuers would find more survivors, cities and towns hard hit by central Italys devastating temblor began to process the full extent of the disaster.

Churches fell. Piazzas were ruined. Neighborhoods were leveled. The body count was at least 250 and set to grow.

But in many hard-hit central Italian towns already fighting a long battle against depopulation, a deeper anxiety began to spread.

Would the people ever come back?

Aftershocks  some strong enough to send already-damaged structures tumbling down  continued to belt the region Thursday. But for many, that was not what had them spooked the most. In some cases, these were towns already on the edge  places where sons and daughters had so little economic opportunity that many simply left. In quake-battered Accumoli, for instance, youth unemployment was already 30 percent in a town where 80 percent of the population was over 65.

In the aftermath of such destruction, some locals feared towns like this one might take years, maybe decades, to bounce back from the weight of Wednesdays 6.2-magnitude earthquake.

In the temporary tent city set up for Accumolis newly homeless, Lucia Di Gianvito, a 57-year-old house cleaner, said she had had no word from the elderly woman who once employed her.

She is probably dead, Di Gianvito said. Everything is going to be over now. No jobs. No shops left. Its over.

A woman nearby chimed in, saying that surely the town would rebuild.

Di Gianvito just laughed.

The situation wasnt good even before, she said, adding that only one of her two adult sons had managed to find work. There were no jobs. The young people are leaving. Should we leave, too? Maybe. But where will we go? There is no hope.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Thursday pledged a series of measures to aid and rebuild hard-hit towns, including tax relief and a 50 million euro ($56.4 million) package that he suggested was just a start.

We have a moral commitment to the women and men of those communities, Renzi said. The reconstruction of those towns is a priority of the government and country.

But as often happens in Italy after major quakes, the recriminations were already flying. Italy is the most earthquake-prone nation in Western Europe  as well as a nation stocked with ancient buildings and archaeological treasures whose care scholars see as paramount to preserving human history.

Yet vast numbers of older structures do not conform to anti-earthquake building codes adopted in the 1980s  and even many new buildings do no comply, experts say. Alessandro Amati, a seismologist at Italys National Institute for Geophysics and Volcanology, estimated that 70 to 80 percent of buildings in Italy are not earthquake proof. In Wednesdays quake, 293 cultural heritage assets in Italy were damaged  including several that totally collapsed.

When reinforcements are done here, they can be shoddy, and it is not unusual for criminal charges to be brought against architects and construction companies when allegedly safe buildings fail during quakes.

On Thursday, the Italian press reported that prosecutors were investigating how and why a school restored four years ago using government anti-earthquake funds managed to collapse.

But there is also evidence that such efforts can work: After earthquakes in 1979 and 1997, buildings in the city of Norcia, near Wednesdays epicenter, underwent substantial reinforcements. This week, those were credited with protecting the city, which sustained only limited damage.

More of that could have saved lives, many here argued. But there are enormous deficits when it comes to seismic safety in Italy, Amati said.

What might worry residents in hard-hit towns like Accumoli more is the track record for rebuilding. In 2009, a 6.3-magnitude quake struck LAquila, 72 miles east of Rome, causing widespread damage that claimed more than 300 lives. Seven years later, new housing structures have gone up on its edges, but the historic center remains largely a ghost town. A more complete restoration is not expected until at least 2021.

By comparison, the 1995 earthquake in Kobe, Japan, killed 4,600 city residents and led to the full or partial collapse of more than 100,000 structures. The city suffered lasting impacts, but a massive reconstruction effort led to an 80 percent economic recovery in under five years.

On Thursday, Renzi also insisted that he was prepared to make a serious investment in fortifying buildings and taking other steps to prevent further damage from natural disasters.

I do not want to repeat the mistakes of LAquila, he said.

In Accumoli, which suffered widespread damage, the fight now is to hold on to a future. The population had already fallen from 758 in 1991 to 667 in 2015. With fewer children, a middle school has closed. Some residents say economic opportunity has been hard to find  and would be harder now.

Giuseppina Chiaro, a 51-year-old housewife, said her 24-year old son had left the town to find work. Now she feared that her 21-year-old daughter, who worked at a local bar, might also need to leave.

Right now, all I can see is darkness, she said. We have no money, where should we stay? Who will give us the money we need to go away? And with a 60-year-old husband? Im over 50. Im the kind of woman who rolls up her sleeves and gets to work. But get to work on what?

Mayor Stefano Petrucci, however, said the town had improved its economic prospects in recent years. Although 70 percent of the homes were vacant most of the year, many of them filled up in August with temporary residents and vacationers escaping big cities.

On Wednesday, the earthquake caused damage even to towns most prized structures. A 12th-century civil tower. A 15th-century palazzo. But Petrucci insisted on Thursday that Italian politicians would move swiftly to rebuild here  at least they would if they wanted to look good.

Well become an example of how to rebuild a city center, he vowed. Well come out of this with our heads held high.

Yet even in their sorrow, many residents said they are ready to fight for this towns survival. Francesco Nigro, the local pharmacist, said he has already worked out a deal to open a temporary pharmacy in a shipping container because of a sense of community that he refuses to let go of. As he spoke near the light-blue tent city for homeless residents, an elderly woman in pain came up to him and asked for an analgesic cream.

He gladly supplied one.

We care about each other here and were not going to give that up, he said. Its going to take time and patience. But this town is not going to be defeated.

  

Faiola reported from London. Stephanie Kirchner contributed to this report from Berlin.



Video: A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake ripped through towns in central Italy in the middle of the night on Aug. 24, leaving fatalities and rubble in its wake. Rescuers are frantically working to reach survivors trapped in collapsed buildings and beyond blocked roads. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

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Its not necessarily a big bad guy who procures himself a wolf-dog so he can look tough, as is often the case with pit bulls. It could be a woman who craves closeness with nature. Or a family enchanted by a documentary on wolves.

What it boils down to, says Stephanie Kaylan, founder of Wanagi Wolf Rescue, is too many human beings think its a very cool thing to have a wolf or wolf-dog. Thats why they continue to be bred, legally or not  and, sadly, put to death because of their parentage.

Animals deemed to be part wolf are often doomed if their ancestry becomes known or even suspected, Kaylan says. Like coyotes, wolves are considered exotics in many jurisdictions and owning them can be illegal. At municipal shelters, wolf-dogs often are considered dangerous bully breeds and automatically go on a kill list.

It is an epidemic, says Kaylan, who founded Wanagi Wolf Rescue in 2005 to help shelter and find homes for these dogs. There is a wolf sanctuary or rescue in every single state.

In Albuquerque, if a stray or surrendered dog is known or suspected to be part wolf, Kaylan is brought in to evaluate. With more than 20 years experience and a reputation as a wolf whisperer, she can tell from appearance and behavior whether an animal has a low, medium, or high wolf content.

We do not use the word hybrid, because theres no gene splicing, she says. DNA testing can confirm an animals ancestral mix, but not the percentage of each breed.

She offers the example of a puppy from Oklahoma she recently adopted who was going to be put to death. She was convinced he was white German shepherd and Siberian husky, not wolf at all. He had a demand bark I had never heard before, she says.

She had DNA testing done to prove a point. It turned out the other part was bull terrier. Hes a dog! They were going to put to death a dog!

Waya, as the puppy is called, is the only pure dog in residence among the 11 canines at Kaylans sanctuary in the East Mountains; the others have some wolf ancestry, in some cases close to 100 percent.

Originally from Los Angeles, Kaylan herself was a woman enchanted by wolves and entrusted with adopting two rescue animals from Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary in Ramah, N.M., 20 years ago. She founded Wanagi after getting immersed in the plight of domesticated wolves and wolf-dogs. Wanagi is Lakota for the one who guards and protects the spirits of those who have passed onward and was the name of one of Kaylans canines that died of cancer.

The whole idea behind what I do is to stop the breeding, she explains. These animals are not prostitutes for us. As part of a nationwide online network, Kaylan attempts to find homes for wolf-dogs on death row across the country. She manages to save 10 to 15 of them every year.

People who have their hearts set on acquiring a wolf-dog should adopt, she says, and not encourage breeders.

But adopters also need to be aware of how demanding it can be to successfully care for these animals, especially high-content wolf-dogs that have not been socialized properly.

As with any dog, training is needed to strike a balance between human and canine desires. But the higher the wolf content, the more likely the animal will have strong instincts to escape, investigate, dig, chase prey, and exploit weakness. Owners who have a hard time training and managing a dog are going to be in way over their head with a wolf-dog, Kaylan says.

Indeed, while some of the canines who pace their outdoor pens at her sanctuary will wag, bark and lick like any family pet, others clearly answer to less tame instincts.

Living with this much wolf means knowing how to establish leadership and stay focused, Kaylan says. She is careful never to let down her guard, for example, or let herself feel pity for a rescue animal. A clever canine will interpret that as a sign of weakness and play you like a fiddle, she says. Likewise displays of anger or impatience betray a lack of balance.

Put your hand out like this, palm up, and then turn away, she instructs visitors who approach one of the enclosures. That tells him youre not afraid.

Kaylan often uses gestures and body language to communicate with her pack, including kicking dirt, or offering yips in response. You have to think like them.

When she gives presentations at schools, adoption events, or at the Open Space Visitor Center, Kaylan brings along two or three well-socialized members of the pack, and four to six human volunteers.

Everyone wants to see Angel, she says, talking about a magnificent, white, high-content Arctic wolf who has just a thimble full of white German shepherd. Angel is so well-socialized that he is as friendly as a dog.

Visitors also are welcome at the Wanagi sanctuary in Tijeras with an appointment and with a donation. Kaylan does not have room for any more rescue animals, but she will serve as a conduit for someone who wants to adopt a wolf-dog elsewhere.

Besides rescue, educating the public about wolf-dog myths and misconceptions is one of Wanagis central missions.

Were dealing with a life, a beating heart, Kaylan says. If people knew how many animals are killed, maybe they would do the right thing. I hope people will connect their minds and hearts and just stop the breeding.
Cheap but high-quality Mexican heroin smuggled across the border is wreaking havoc in the United States, and a coalition of federal and state prosecutors, health officials and addiction recovery advocates is getting creative in the battle against it.

Case in point: The U.S. Attorneys Office in Albuquerque is employing a rarely used law  distribution of heroin resulting in death  to go after a dealer who supplied the deadly drug to an Albuquerque teenager. Federal prosecutors have one of two accused dealers allegedly involved in the death of 18-year-old Cameron Weiss in their sights.

Raymond Moya is charged with supplying Weiss, a La Cueva High School athlete, with Mexican black tar heroin in August 2011. If Moya is convicted of distribution of heroin resulting in death, he faces a minimum of 20 years and a maximum of life in prison.

Weiss had met Joseph Dyson at the Metropolitan Detention Center in July 2011. Dyson was in for shoplifting under $250 and Weiss for violating probation on a disorderly conduct conviction.

According to Dysons account to prosecutors provided after Weiss overdosed, Dyson bought the heroin from Moya, a former Westside Locos street gang member and prison inmate with a history of drug charges. Then Dyson, Weiss and a high school friend injected some together. Weiss was found dead the next day.

In 2012, federal prosecutors charged Dyson with supplying Weiss the heroin. But Dyson took a plea deal for a lesser heroin distribution charge in exchange for testifying against Moya. Dyson has not yet been sentenced under the plea agreement.

This rarely used law is another way to make dealers responsible for actions that lead to death. While it can be difficult to link an overdose to a specific drug deal, in the Weiss case there are two witnesses  Dyson and Weiss friend.

The U.S. Attorneys Office is on the right track in using all the tools available to tackle the heroin crisis. New Mexico needs more of this out-of-the-box thinking if it is to get a handle on this epidemic.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
Elena Ortiz (in a column that ran in the Aug. 12 Journal North) states that Popay is in the National Statuary Hall in Washington, D.C., not DeVargas or Onate. At least that is an accurate history, not the pomp and pageant of inaccuracies and untruths celebrated by the Fiesta Council.

After the Indian and Spanish of New Mexico were conquered by the U.S., the government recognized exploitation of the Indian and set up the BIA to protect the Indian. This is why a statue of Popay sits in D.C.  government representation, not accurate history.

The Spanish had no such luck. If we had Indian blood, as many do, it was not recognized by the same government, which exploited the Spanish, stealing our lawful lands. Our Spanish great-great-grandparents were left to survive on their own; never mind that they did not know the language, laws or culture the American Anglo brought to New Mexico. Today, there is still no government voice for the native northern N.M. Spanish here for over 400 years, so we cannot expect Onate or DeVargas to represent us in the National Statuary Hall.

Ortiz does not acknowledge the Spanish for their historical contributions to northern New Mexico and to her people, the Pueblo Indians. Human history has been brutal worldwide, along with conquest and surrender. The Pueblo and northern N.M. Spanish have lived side by side since 1598, not only learning from each other, but also the Spanish had allied with the Pueblos for about 250 years against the fiercely violent Navajo, Apache, Ute and Comanche of those days.

Had the English claimed New Mexico, there would be no Pueblo Indians. The East Coast Indians were exterminated by the English, and the Tennessee and Kentucky Indians were forced to Oklahoma. Pueblos are deeply ingrained in the Spanish culture, Catholicism, saint-named feast days, hornos, adobes, their names, Pueblo Indian identity and more, Europeanized  never to return living to a backward, impoverished, uncivilized realm.

The Pueblos were subject to the Spanish Crown, which protected their rights and brought Christianity, though there were corrupt Spanish who violated them. The Canes of Power, still in practice today, were presented to the Pueblos in 1620 by the Spanish. The Spanish legally issued land grants to the Pueblos  the U.S. government continued what the Spanish had established. Other Indians no longer have traditions, religion, land or language as do the Pueblos.

The Pueblos were not a united people, except for the sake of the Pueblo Revolt, yet not all Pueblo Indians were anti-Spanish, giving refuge during the Revolt. Some went into exile with the Spanish as there had developed deep relationships  friends, marriage and cousins between these two cultures, which continue today. Shouldnt the Pueblos acknowledge that, during the 12-year Spanish exile, some Pueblos offered aid for Spanish re-entry to promote peace?

Popays greed was resented by the Pueblos. When the Spanish re-entered New Mexico, the Pueblos were at odds with one another again, as correctly predicted by an insightful Franciscan friar. There was no unity, no protection from violent Indians, (with Pueblo people) fearing for survival and no longer able to survive without the Spanish.

General DeVargas initial re-entry into northern New Mexico was peaceful, but not a bloodless reconquest; some Pueblos accepted the Spanish, some did not. After the reconquest and resettlement, the Spanish again buffered the Pueblos, aiding in their livelihood.

If La Conquistadora, a religious image, is publicly prohibited by the 14th Amendment, so are public religious prayers represented by Indian dancers. The mayor states: This is an important community tradition. And many agree. Why should the tradition be banned because of biased views? The Fiesta is not a racist celebration nor subjugation of Pueblo people; this was never the intent of Fiesta. This is an exaggeration, an Indian Power attitude, making a fuss over historical events to make the Spanish look bad, ungrateful  biting the Spanish hand that fed the Pueblos.

Patricia Ortiz is a native Northern New Mexican and resident of Santa Fe.
When I bought land west of Santa Fe in the late 1980s, it felt like home to me even before I physically moved there in 1992. What made it home were the pinon pines, that forest of short, squat trees.

But when my wife first came to New Mexico after growing up in the East, she was somewhat taken aback by the sight  maybe even a little shocked to see what she described as polka-dot hills.

Yes, from a distance pinn pines can look like spots on a hillside, separate from each other; years of drought have done that in places. But, decades ago, there were actual forests of pinon, well, at least suggestions of forests: I could hike to open land west of my property and at times walk through dense groves of pinon. That was my idea of heaven, having a home in the middle of a pinon forest, living with the pinon jays.

Then, within eight years, catastrophe stuck. It wasnt a forest fire, which would have been localized, but a far-ranging disaster across the entire Western United States. It seemed as if, overnight, trees that had been a vibrant green suddenly took on a gray pallor. Needles dried up and the trees were soon standing dead, brought down by an infestation of bark beetles.

Usually, the trees could fight off the burrowing bugs by forming sap that drowns them but, because of the ongoing drought, the trees lacked the moisture to do what they had been doing for so long.

Many of the trees were tall and, considering how slowly pinon trees grow, some were old before I was born. I recalled the times that I had seen sap running down their trunks, never realizing that the trees were battling for their lives. Those past skirmishes had been successful because there had been an occasional easing of the drought.

But when too many dry years piled up, the trees could no longer summon the sap they needed. The bark beetles got the upper hand. And this wasnt just happening west of Santa Fe, where I live; the destruction was occurring throughout the West.

Hundreds of years ago, the Anasazi Indians must have experienced a similar period of continuing drought. Chaco Canyon, Mesa Verde and so many other ruins we visit today are witnesses to what happened. The Ancient Ones packed up and moved when their landscape began to vanish.

When I was growing up in northern New Mexico in a Spanish-American community  a time before we were called Mexicans, Chicanos or Hispanics  pinon trees were often a subject of conversation. Every summer, people would ask how the pile of wood in the backyard was coming. Were you going to have enough wood for the winter and was your firewood pinon, with its cleaner fire and aromatic smoke?

Pinon nuts were another topic of interest, especially as the fall approached. Local lore said that good pinon crops happened just once every seven years or so, but the people I knew were always optimistic.

So much depended on the rainfall. Good rain at the right times allowed the pinon cones to fully develop and produce a crop. Yet, more often than not, the monsoonal rains came too late, or the moisture petered out, or the rain shied away entirely.

Of course, we realized the weather wasnt the same everywhere. In some other place, the weather conditions might be just right, so people frequently quizzed anybody they met who came from somewhere else: Heard of any pinon? If you bought pinon nuts at the store, they were very expensive and, if they came all the way from China, they never had the same sweet flavor.

After years of not tasting pinon, your mouth watered for it. Maybe it was a craving we inherited from the Indians, just as we inherited many things from the first Spanish colonists who came to New Mexico, to the tierra adentro, the far land.

Many of my ancestors would have had seafood as part of their daily fare before they left Spain. In the Western United States, we learned to love corn, squash, chile and, yes, pinon nuts. They were a real treat and incredibly nutritious for their small size.

For a while, I am proud to say, I lived in a pinon forest. I looked at the trees fondly; they brought good memories. Now, I realize how quickly things can change if the climate changes. The trees you love can dry up and die before your eyes.

Leo Romero is a contributor to Writers on the Range, the opinion service of High Country News (hcn.org). He writes in New Mexico.
In celebration of the National Park Services 100th anniversary this week, there will be an outdoor party this evening through Saturday afternoon at the Valles Caldera National Preserve west of Los Alamos.

Camping, fishing, archery and hiking are all part of the family-friendly celebration, which is being presented by the New Mexico Wildlife Federation, the New Mexico Youth Conservation Foundation and the Park Service. The event, including Saturday breakfast and lunch, is free but donations are welcome.

The event starts with camping tonight at the preserves Banco Bonito campground. Advance registration for camping is required as space is limited.

Campers may arrive starting at 6:30 p.m. tonight and set up between 6:45 and 7:30 p.m. From 8:30 to 10:30 p.m., there will be an outdoor showing of Ken Burns movie The National Parks: Americas Best Idea.

It is not necessary to camp out to take advantage of Saturdays events, which start with breakfast burritos at 7:30 a.m. and continue with archery and fly-tying from 8:30 to 9:45 a.m., hiking and fishing from 10 a.m. to noon, lunch from 12:15 to 1 p.m., fishing on the Rio San Antonio from 2 to 4:15 p.m., breaking camp from 4:15 to 5 p.m. and departure at 5 p.m.

People 12 and over must have a valid state fishing license to take part in fishing activities.

For campground registration information and other details, call 505-299-5404.
Turmoil within Mora Independent Schools has struck again  just in time for the beginning of the school year.

Weeks after former Mora Independent Schools Superintendent Charles Trujillo was charged with multiple counts of forgery and fraud for allegedly falsifying education licenses that allowed him to qualify for the job paying $100,000 per year, new superintendent LeAnne Salazar-Montoya finds herself at the center of controversy.

Last week, the teachers union passed a near-unanimous vote of no confidence in her leadership, even though she has been on the job less than three months.

On Monday, the first day of school, about 80 people, many of them teachers and staff members, aired their complaints to the school board and demanded her resignation, noting that learning was blocked because class schedules were still not ready.

That same day, American Federation of Teachers state president Stephanie Ly issued a statement supporting the local unions no-confidence vote and backing calls for the superintendents resignation.

The statement contends that, in just 2 months, Salazar-Montoya has destroyed the culture of respect and collaboration between educators, staff and the school district: Specifically, Ms. Salazar has taken actions violating New Mexico State Statute, the locally negotiated Collective Bargaining Agreement, and has created an environment of hostility within the district through wrongful terminations and degradation of school employees.

George Trujillo, the school board president and uncle to Charles Trujillo, is standing by the new superintendent. In my opinion, she is trying her best. Shes very smart, and shes trying her best to fix our school, he said.

When theres a change, some people cant take it, he said of the no-confidence vote. We live in the most beautiful county in the whole world, but theres a lot of jealousy.

I wish we could all work together for the benefit of the kids. Unfortunately, theres always someone sticking a knife in someones back. Its sad.

Harassment claims

Salazar-Montoya says local politics and personal agendas have undermined her efforts to stabilize a school district that has gone through countless superintendents and interim superintendents in the past few years.

The way she tells it, the teachers union, certain board members and others have conspired against her with a smear campaign in order to advance their own agendas.

She didnt fire anyone, she says, and is being blamed for long-standing problems that have plagued the district for years.

I think the union has found a situation where they can twist facts and create a media storm in order to increase membership, she said in a phone interview this week. Institutional problems have been there long before I arrived. As a superintendent that has been in my position for less than three months, its unfair Im being blamed for pre-existing conditions.

And it doesnt help that shes not local.

My arrival came with much resistance, she said. Ive been told Im not from Mora, I dont live in Mora, and I can leave Mora.

She said the majority of the five-person school board supports her, but at least one member (whom she declined to name) has tried to micromanage her.

Not everyone is against her. When I go to local eateries or individuals come to my office, people say theres a silent majority who think its about time someone is doing their job and doing what needs to be done, she said.

Salazar-Montoya said the union is leading the charge to have her ousted, claiming she has been harassed and intimidated by an AFT official brought in from California who demanded that a trio of employees be offered jobs at a certain salary.

He and I met, and he told me to offer those three positions, or else hell call every media around and run me through the mud, she said.

At Mondays school board hearing, a boisterous crowd chanted Bring them back! Bring them back! in reference to three employees whom they say received termination letters Aug. 12 after they declined to sign contracts.

The Las Vegas Optic newspaper identified the employees as Paulyette Perea, Edwina Romero and Lisa Yescas, who referred questions from the reporter to Ly.

While Ly wouldnt confirm those names, she said that two of the terminated employees were guidance counselors and thats why the scheduling wasnt completed on time. She said the school district didnt have their contracts ready on time, then tried to bully the workers into signing them.

Its not just the bullying tactics, but its a show of lack of respect for the community, because these are employees who are invested in the community, Ly said, adding that the superintendent refused to discuss the matter with the employees.

Ly disputed Salazar-Montoyas claim that she was bullied by the union representative from California, who was called in as an intermediary.

We met and gave her a legal briefing that said here are all the violations. She didnt care about the facts of the case or how it impacted anyone. What she cared about was us kneeling down to her, Ly said.

Crucified by rumor

Salazar-Montoya says some people have engaged in whisper campaigns against her and planted made-up stories with an online newspaper that has published un-bylined stories citing unnamed sources.

One claims that a board members wife received a $10,000 raise at the expense of three other employees whose salaries were reduced. It claims that, when the three tried to confront her about it, they were fired.

George Trujillo readily admitted that his wife, who had served as elementary school secretary for more than 20 years, is the employee who received the raise, but added that five other employees also received a pay bump at the same time. He said that Salazar-Montoya had nothing to do with the raises and that they were awarded prior to her being hired.

It was all budget approved by the budget committee and Im not a part of that, he added.

Salazar-Montoya, whose permanent residence is in Espanola, says she didnt fire anyone and that any raises would have been initiated by the previous administration.

Im being crucified by rumor, she said. I think its unfair for the community to judge me knowing nothing about me.

Salazar-Montoya, 37, grew up in the Espanola Valley. She was homeschooled as a child and went on to earn an undergraduate degree from the University of New Mexico, and masters degrees from UNM, New Mexico Highlands University and New Mexico State, where shes currently pursuing a Ph.D.  all in education-related fields.

The AFT president pointed out that Salazar-Montoya is working two jobs, also serving as Title III STEM director at Northern New Mexico College. Ly also noted her efforts to start a charter school in Espanola for at-risk youth.

Obviously, her focus this summer has been elsewhere and not really focused on the (Mora) community, Ly said.

Salazar-Montoya said her job at NNMC was reduced to part-time when she started her job in Mora on June 1 and has just one more month to run.

Special meeting

George Trujillo said Thursday he is calling for a special school board meeting next Tuesday, most of which will take place in executive session, to address concerns outlined in a letter to the board by Salazar-Montoya. He did not reveal the contents of that letter.

We need to settle with all these issues so we can continue with the education of our kids, he said.

Ly said the union will continue to push for Salazar-Montoya to resign. We are very concerned for community, she said.

Salazar-Montoya said she has no intention of resigning, but would consider it if she felt the children were being hurt.

If I feel Im the only one moving in a certain direction, I will certainly do whats best for the children of Mora, she said. I think I deserve a fair chance. The fact that Im trying to bring the district under compliance shouldnt be a reason to be run out of town.
If people have hinted also I have not given that hint back: Karishma Tanna opens up about casting couch in an interview.

By India Today Web Desk: Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9 participant Karishma Tanna has been in the TV industry for almost a decade. She started off with the legendary Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi as Indira Virani and was immediately noticed due to her attractive personality. She went on to do many hit shows like Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand, Shararat, Kkusum etc.

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She vanished for a couple of years to give Bollywood a shot, but the film industry didn't exactly warm up to her.

Also read: Karishma Tanna finally opens up about her break-up with Upen Patel

Her second innings in TV that mostly comprised of reality TV worked out well for her career. Be it Bigg Boss, Nach Baliye or Love School, the actress has been making her presence felt in the Television circuit.

But Bollywood remains an elusive dream for the pretty actress. When asked if she also faced casting couch in the movie industry, this is what she had to say:

Also read: Wanderlust Alert: These Mandira Bedi and Karishma Tanna pictures are making us crave a vacation

"I have not faced the proper casting couch like 'come sleep with me kind of thing'. If people have hinted also I have not given that hint back. May be things would have been different, if I would have. But I never believed in that, if I have the talent and face then the director will take me in the film. Forget about the director even if you are speaking to someone, people flirt and give hints and it's up to you how you want to take it forward. I never encouraged that kind of things probably that's why I am still here," Karishma said in an interview with TOI.

Karishma debuted in Bollywood with Dosti: Friends Forever. She has also featured in Grand Masti. Two of her upcoming films Golu Aur Pappu and Tina and Lolo haven't seen the light of the day.

--- ENDS ---
T-shirts with some of Nico Salazars designs line the walls in a room across the street from the Meow Wolf Arts Complex. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) This is a piece of concept art for a potential video game being developed by Meow Wolf related to The House of Eternal Return. (Courtesy of Meow Wolf) This is an image from a trailer for a movie proposed by Meow Wolf based on the story behind its exhibit The House of Eternal Return. (Courtesy of Meow Wolf) Nico Salazar poses in the room he designed in Meow Wolf's "House of Eternal Return" in Santa Fe on August 18. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) One of Nico Salazars designs has been converted into a sticker. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Nico Salazar poses with his creations, slated to go into production as the first Meow Wolf-supported business launch for local artists. (Eddie Moore/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 6 Next

Nico Salazar always thought of himself as an artist, although hes had to work in retail or in freelance website creation to make a living  until Meow Wolf offered him a full-time job more than a year ago on its big project that turned out to be the popular exhibit The House of Eternal Return.

Now, after decorating one of the exhibits rooms with his bold, black-and-white graphics in what he terms almost a mind-blowing degree of artistic freedom, the Santa Fe artist has been chosen to launch the arts groups first business incubator project.

They assembled a team for me, he said with an air of disbelief in his good fortune, standing amid various prototypes of his designs applied to T-shirts, leggings, tote bags and more items of apparel or fabric. That was amazing  . Its very cool that they just believe in my work so much.

Meow Wolf CEO Vince Kadlubek said this project is one of many ventures the company is eyeing for the future.

We want to help launch other creative businesses, he said. We want to help an artist who has an idea. We have the supports to make it happen. Such supports include business advice, legal help, fundraising, and even the ideas and resources from a network of other artists to help flesh out someones concept, he said.

This is an opportunity to launch more creative businesses in Santa Fe and New Mexico, he said. With a planned $100,000 total investment, Meow Wolf has become a co-owner of Salazars business, Future Fantasy Delight.

But, while Meow Wolf has provided a team to help him with issues such as business development, tax and legal matters, and other business needs, Salazar said he continues to have artistic freedom in the creation of the products. They make sure everything is on the right track, moving in the right direction, he said of his collaborators.

Its pretty heady stuff for this 28-year-old, who graduated just two years ago from the Institute of American Indian Arts with his bachelor of fine arts degree.

I have complete control of all designs, he said. Thats pretty big for an artist to just do what he wants.

New locations

This project is just one of many Meow Wolf is looking at as it goes through a major transition over the next six months, according to Kadlubek.

From the entire Meow Wolf team operating The House of Eternal Return, a core creative team of about 100 members will be separated out to work on new projects full time, instead of putting wristbands on people part of the time, Kadlubek said. That would leave about 45 employees operating the Meow Wolf Arts Complex, he said.

The creative team, then, would concentrate on other projects, including the possibility of duplicating the success of The House of Eternal Return in other markets. Kadlubek said nothing is set in stone, but hes had interest from people in Los Angeles; Las Vegas, Nev.; San Antonio, Texas; Seattle; and Philadelphia.

The idea would be to create an immersive art experience, similar to the one in Santa Fe, but with a different storyline, involving artists in those cities. Any such project would be looking at an opening date three years from now, he estimated.

Meow Wolf has had a lot to brag about in terms of success. From the opening of The House of Eternal Return in mid-March though mid-August, it has attracted some 250,000 people and generated gross revenues of more than $3 million, Kadlubek said. That has helped it pay off some of its debt faster than anticipated, including $100,000 that has been repaid from a $300,000 loan from Century Bank, he said, as well as other credit card debt.

Its also working to build a $1.6 million cushion for what is expected to be the slow season as the tourist trade dwindles and kids return to school, he said. Weve been seeing 15,000 people a week in the high season, Kadlubek said. The gift shop generates $100,000 a month in sales and 80 percent of that goes to the artists (who produce the merchandise).

The arts complex currently employs about 75 people, with the lowest pay set at $13.50 per hour, which he said he hopes to increase to $15 hourly  a true living wage for people.

Two other projects are in the works, both currently at the stage of searching for investors:

A feature film, with a screenplay by James Longmire and direction by Tristan Love, both local filmmakers, and starring Santa Fe actress Megan Burns, who portrays a lead character in the story told through the Eternal Return exhibit. The film would be a science fiction drama with a PG-13 rating, telling essentially the story upon which the exhibit is based. The people on the project already have created a trailer to take to potential producers and investors.

A video game based on The House of Eternal Return being created by Mindshare Labs, a local programming company, and Subliminal Gaming of Albuquerque. Each space within the exhibition will have its own level within the video game, as Piper searches for her son, Lex, who is lost in the multiverse. She is racing against agents of the Charter to get to him, Kadlubek said. The Charter, he added, tries to keep thoughts and people separated, while Pipers family bloodline wants to free humanity from that segregation. He estimated this might be 18 months from completion.

More imminent is a planned shutdown of The House of Eternal Return for two weeks in January, allowing for an upgrade or replacement of portions of the exhibit, according to Kadlubek. Then, well relaunch it with new elements, he said.

Japanese influence

Salazar, meanwhile, is preparing for his business launch party on Sept. 24, featuring one of his favorite performing artists, Princess Nokia. A soft launch will come a little bit earlier with products set up in his booth at the AHA Festival of the Progressive Arts in the Santa Fe Railyard on Sept. 18, he said.

His designs are inspired by Japanese anime, which was incredibly popular in Hawaii, where he spent some years of his childhood while his father was stationed there with the Navy. With family roots in Pecos, he was born in Santa Fe and moved back here in 1997, when he entered fourth grade in Kearney Elementary School and then wound his way through De Vargas Middle School and Santa Fe High.

His designs for the new products might be based on a theme, such as all items from nature or all action figures, but others simply might be a collection of random objects. One design is all trilobites, a tribute to a grandfather who collected fossils and passed them down to him, Salazar said.

His art activities in the past have included what he calls live art, in which he would go to a bar or other gathering spot and create images as people watched, then sell the resulting artwork to the highest bidder. Hopefully, I could go on tour one day and do live art like concerts, he said.

While most of the products in development now focus on apparel with his designs, Salazar said hed also think about branching out to coloring books and action figures, and he has prototypes for stickers and more. Currently, his work is all in black and white, but he intends to explore use of other colors down the line, he said.

I want to make toys and stuffed animals, but clothes are the easiest to get done the quickest, he said. Efforts are being made to keep all manufacturing in New Mexico, he added.

Noting that he has 12,000 Instagram followers, Salazar said, I already have an existing audience  a fan base all over the world. Im really excited for that.
LAS CRUCES  A grand jury on Thursday indicted Jesse Hanes for murder in the killing of Hatch police officer Jose Chavez and indicted two other men on drug charges connected to the incident, according to court documents.

The grand jury in the 3rd Judicial District returned an indictment on felony murder, drug and assault charges against 38-year-old Hanes: first-degree murder, willful and deliberate; trafficking methamphetamines; distribution of marijuana; possession of drug paraphernalia; aggravated fleeing a law enforcement officer; and two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon.

This is the most important case we have, said District Attorney Mark DAntonio. Its important for the process to move quickly. All suspects are innocent until proven guilty. But we are going to spend resources ensuring justice is done.

On the afternoon of Aug. 12, Chavez pulled over a 1991 silver Lexus sedan on a main drag in Hatch.

Hanes was driving, with James Nelson, 36, in the passenger seat, according to court documents. The two men were fugitives from an Ohio murder and were allegedly carrying enough meth and marijuana to be dealers, according to the complaints against them. In the back was a hitchhiker, Tony Jones.

Hanes allegedly shot Chavez through the passenger side window, then fled from law enforcement. He stopped at a rest area off Interstate 25, split off from the other two men and allegedly stole a vehicle from a bystander, whom he shot, according to court documents.

Chavez died from his injuries at an El Paso hospital.

The grand jury on Thursday also returned indictments on Nelson and Jones. Nelson faces drug trafficking, distribution and possession charges, and Jones faces a drug possession charge.

Hanes pleaded not guilty to federal firearms and carjacking charges Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Las Cruces. He has not entered a plea on the charges connected with the states indictment.

Regarding whether the state or federal government will proceed first in their cases against Hanes, DAntonio said he is in communication with the Office of the U.S. Attorney in New Mexico and said, There will be no squabbling.

Were going to do whatever is best for the case, he said.

The tragedy of Chavezs death  he was the father of two girls, 6-year-old Aryam and 14-year-old Jannely  led to a tremendous outpouring of support for his family and the law enforcement community in southern New Mexico, including multiple fundraisers. A public funeral for Chavez on Sunday drew thousands of mourners.
August rains broke the cycle of fiercely hot and dry summer days in much of New Mexico, but the recent monsoon moisture was not enough to overcome the effects of a mercilessly arid July.

Drought conditions are now a little worse than they were a month ago, thanks to a July that turned out to be the 10th-driest in the states history.

Information released Thursday by the Drought Monitoring Workgroup shows that moderate drought in the state has increased from 21 percent to 26.6 percent and  for the first time since April  theres an area in severe drought: 1.1 percent of the state north of Hobbs. Overall, 87 percent of the state is abnormally dry.

Even so, the state is in much better shape than it was a couple of years ago. In July 2014, no part of the state was free of some degree of drought and 77 percent of the state was in severe to exceptional drought conditions.

The Drought Monitoring Workgroup, made up of members of the National Weather Service and representatives of state and federal agencies, assessed the states situation now and in the near future during its monthly meeting this week.

Royce Fontenot, senior hydrologist in the Albuquerque office of the National Weather Service, said things dont look promising as we move toward fall.

The outlook for precipitation through October is slightly above normal in western New Mexico and pretty much even (normal) chances in the rest of the state, he said. Temperatures are going to be normal to above normal. We are going to stay warm through the fall. Im not liking the way that looks for our snowpack.

He said Augusts rain was a flip-flop from Julys lack of it.

Weve had some pretty good rain, especially in the southeast, Fontenot said. Roswell had about 2 inches in 24 hours (Sunday). But 2 inches in Roswell is a drop in the bucket. We had that really dry July, and that is pretty well reflected in the southeast and west of Albuquerque toward the Continental Divide.

A crescent of moderate drought stains portions of the southeastern and east-central counties of Otero, Chaves, Eddy, Lea, Roosevelt, Curry, De Baca, Quay and Guadalupe. Moderate drought also stretches up the western side of New Mexico from Hidalgo through Grant, Catron, Cibola, McKinney and San Juan counties.

The rains have helped, but not a whole lot, said Raymond Abeyta, a hydraulic engineer with the Albuquerque office of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, which manages water in the West and the power generated by it. We just keep crossing our fingers and hoping for more rain to help us out some.

Based on an average of rain gauges across the state, New Mexico got 1.25 inches of rain in July, 53 percent of the normal July rainfall of 2.34 inches.

Precipitation during the last 30 days did soften the effects of Julys brutal heat and lack of rain in some places but not so much in others. Work group members reported that some areas in Otero Countys Sacramento Mountains are greening up nicely but that cattle watering holes that had water in them last year are dry this year.

In some places, rains came so fast and hard the water ran off rather than seeping into the soil. In other places, the soil sucked up the rain like a sponge and stayed dry anyway.

Molly Magnuson, who works for the Office of the State Engineer, said her yard in Santa Fe is a good indicator of whats going on.

I am surprised that, when Im out just pulling up a weed, that the ground is dry even though we just got some rain, she said.
The adult daughter of a man shot and killed by Bernalillo County Sheriffs Office deputies has filed a lawsuit that says deputies used cruel and unusual punishment when they shot the 44-year-old man, then didnt allow paramedics to treat him for an hour and 45 minutes.

Sheriffs Office officials have said Billy Grimm never held up both his hands to show he was unarmed after he was shot, so deputies had to proceed with caution for nearly two hours before they could tell he was unarmed and allow paramedics to try to help him. Felicia Romero, a sheriffs spokeswoman, said deputies have to make sure scenes are safe and secure before allowing paramedics to enter.

According to recordings, police and other reports on the May 2015 shooting the following events transpired: Deputies were called to the area of Tapia and Arenal in the South Valley on a reported fight between a man and a woman and Grimm and his girlfriend, Destiny Cardenas, who were having car trouble.

Cardenas reported that she and Grimm were yelling at each other. Grimm was intoxicated and had drugs in his system, according to District Attorneys Office records.

Deputy Daryl Tidwell was trying to interview Grimm, who was seated in a truck, about the reported argument.

Tidwell, in a recording, keeps asking Grimm to get out of the car, but he refuses. The deputy starts trying to pull Grimm from the truck.

Deputy Greg Grundhoffer then yells that Grimm is armed with a gun, and the deputy opens fire. Grimm was shot in the jaw and face, according to his daughters lawsuit.

Days after the shooting, the sheriff released audio recordings of the shooting and the events that led up to it. The recordings included a statement Grundhoffer made when he explained why he opened fire.

Tidwell was going for the extract, Grundhoffer explained to another deputy who arrived on scene. I looked through the windshield on my side and he started pulling it up. Thats when I yelled gun and engaged him.

After the shooting, a standoff ensued between Grimm and deputies for the next hour and 45 minutes. Eventually, Grimm fell from the truck and landed on the ground.

But deputies couldnt see one of his hands. It wasnt until after they shot him with a bean bag and unleashed a police canine on him that it became apparent that Grimm had no weapon in his hand.

A handgun was found on the floor of the truck where Grimm was sitting. No DNA or fingerprints was recovered from the weapon, according to police reports.

Jim Ellis, an attorney for the Grimm family, said blood would likely have gotten on the gun if it were in Grimms possession.

There was blood everywhere, he said.

Cardenas told investigators that she didnt know that Grimm had a weapon and never saw him with one that night. She disputed that he pointed it at deputies.

District Attorney Kari Brandenburgs office has said that no charges will be brought against Grundhoffer over the shooting.

Thats apples and oranges to what were trying to do, Ellis said. The fact that the DA felt she couldnt indict the officer in a criminal case and put them in prison means nothing in this case.

Grimms adult daughter, Jocelin Grimm, filed the lawsuit last month. The case, filed in 2nd Judicial District Court, seeks damages from the county.

Because of the actions of the deputies, Billy Grimm suffered hours of unspeakable pain and suffering, which ultimately culminated in his unlawful death, Ellis wrote in the lawsuit. Sheriff deputies were able to see both of Billy Grimms hands at numerous times throughout the ordeal but nevertheless refused to render medical assistance, despite Billys numerous and repeated pleas for help.
Dwight Raymond Cable, a Bataan Death March survivor who joined the New Mexico National Guards 200th Coast Artillery Regiment while stationed here as a research scientist with the Soil Conservation Service in April 1941, died in his sleep Aug. 12 in Eugene, Ore., his nephew, Gary Cable of Peralta, said Wednesday. Dwight Cable was 99.

The Chicago native grew up in Tucson and attended the University of Arizona before graduating from the University of Idaho and going to work for the Soil Conservation Service, now known as the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. Eight months before Japans sneak attack on Pearl Harbor, which triggered Americas direct involvement in World War II, Cable joined the New Mexico National Guard and soon shipped out to the Philippines.

In April 1942, Japanese captors marched about 78,000 prisoners of war  12,000 Americans and 66,000 Filipinos  for six days on the Bataan Peninsula on the Philippine island of Luzon to a prisoner-of-war camp known as Camp ODonnell. Many were denied food, water or medical care, and some were stabbed or bayoneted along the 65-mile route.

Among the American defenders of Bataan was Cable and some 1,800 soldiers from New Mexico, many with the 200th and 515th Coast Artillery Regiments. About half of them did not survive the war.

Cable, who was a company clerk with C Battery of the 515th Coast Artillery Regiment when captured, was sent on a hell ship to a POW prison camp near Shinjuku, Japan, where more than 2,300 other American POWs were held. His capture was first reported to the International Committee of the Red Cross on May 7, 1942, and the last report was made on Oct. 15, 1945. Based on those reports, he was imprisoned for at least 3 years before being liberated by U.S. forces.

Gary Cable said his uncles only comment on his POW experience was: You had to keep your sense of humor. Those that didnt, didnt make it.

What I remember most about Dwight was his dry sense of humor, Gary Cable said. He was once hiking with my parents in the mountains near Ouray, Colo. My mother was interested in learning about the plants they saw, and asked Dwight to identify them for her  including by scientific name. It took her a while to realize he was giving her the same scientific name for every plant she pointed to.

Dwight Cables younger brother, Lowell Dean Cable, went into Normandy via Omaha Beach on the day after D-Day. His older brother, Donovan Chambers Cable, tried to join the military as well but was medically disqualified from contributing to the war effort.

After the war, Cable went back to work for the Soil Conservation Service and later for the U.S. Forest Service. He wrote more than 100 peer-reviewed research papers and articles on native desert grasses and other plants. He was an avid hiker, outdoorsman and nature photographer.

Even after he retired and moved to Eugene, Ore., his family sent him a care package every year for his birthday, filled with items like biscochitos and a bag of red chile pods.

A memorial service will be held in Eugene on Dec. 16, which would have been Cables 100th birthday, his nephew said.

With Cables passing, only 13 former members of the New Mexico National Guards 200th and 515th Coast Artillery Regiments who survived the Bataan Death March are still living, according to the Bataan-Corregidor Memorial Foundation of New Mexico. Seven of them reside in New Mexico.
Shortly before 7 p.m. Thursday, a couple hundred friends, neighbors and community members poured into the parking lot of the Arroyo Villas apartment complex to pay their respects and grieve for 10-year-old Victoria Martens.

I know she is in a better place now, but I cant believe that happened to her, said Jessica Quintana, 15, who used to babysit Victoria. She was so young. I miss her.

Through tears, Quintana remembered how Victoria loved the movie Frozen and singing karaoke. She said they used to talk about how much the girl enjoyed school, and she never sensed anything was wrong in the home.

Police arrested Victorias mother, Michelle Martens, 35, along with her new boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, 31, and the boyfriends cousin, Jessica Kelley, 31, in connection with the rape, killing and dismemberment of the girl on Wednesday.

As parking spaces filled up for the evening vigil, mourners left their cars double parked and made their way toward a growing memorial for the slain girl. Balloons, flowers, cards and stuffed animals were left in her honor around a tree on the corner near the apartment where she had lived in Northwest Albuquerque.

Brent Lenentine, a minister with the Gospel Light Baptist Church in Rio Rancho, addressed a crowd of parents with small children standing shoulder to shoulder with their heads bowed over lit candles.

They sang Amazing Grace and Happy Birthday to Victoria  who was killed the day after she turned 10  and Lenentine led them in a prayer. Across town at Civic Plaza, another group gathered to mourn the death of the girl.

Lenentine said he was asked to lead the vigil because many of the families living in the apartment complex attend his church. The church would send a bus each week to pick up children who wanted to go to church, and occasionally Victoria and her younger brother went along.

Steven Ponce, a bus captain for the church, said the siblings attended at least one night of the annual Vacation Bible School in July, and he had talked to Martens about joining the church.

Id seen her (at the apartment complex), and I went upstairs and asked her about coming to church, Ponce said. She kindly declined, and that was it.

Gov. Susana Martinez, Attorney General Hector Balderas and other state and local officials condemned the killing and called for justice in the case.

Mayor Richard Berry held a mid-day news conference, speaking to the horror of the case and assuring the public that the police will bring the offenders to justice.

Lenentine said its important to pray not only for the family and those who knew and loved Victoria, but also for the community as a whole.

We come together because we dont know what else to do, Lenentine said. Its a way we can show our support and our unity together.
PHOENIX  A possible drug connection is being investigated in a triple shooting in which three people were shot inside a home, two fatally, police said.

There was a history there with that house. There has been criminal activity, said Sgt. Vince Lewis, a Police Department spokesman.

Lewis said the homes owner Thursday evening allowed two people inside the house and that one of those people some time later opened fire, wounding three men. Two of them died at a hospital but the third victim is expected to survive, Lewis said.

The shooter and another suspect fled after the shooting, Lewis said.

No suspect descriptions were immediately available, and the victims identities havent been released.

Lewis said the homeowner wasnt among those shot.

The incident occurred in south Phoenix near South 28th Street and East Broadway Road.

Fire Capt. Rob McDade said the neighborhood was known for violence.

Like a war zone, area resident Kenneth Walton told the Arizona Republic (goo.gl/c7PSy0). Just thank God its none of my loved ones. I pray for the parents of whoever these kids are. What else can you say?

Walton, who lives around the corner from the shooting site, said he didnt know the homes residents.

Darrell Ross told television stations KPHO and KTVK (goo.gl/P6Cy3k) that he got a call from his son who told his father he was shot in the stomach.

Crazy kids out here, Ross said. Ive been in this area for years. Ive seen it all. Til it happens to your own, then it kicks in.

Lewis said theres no indication the shooting is related to the Phoenix Serial Street Shooter case in which a gunman is suspected of killing seven and wounding two in nine drive-by attacks since March.
WHITE SANDS MISSILE RANGE  The number of Mesilla residents at Thursdays Change of Command Ceremony at White Sands Missile Range was noteworthy.

They were there to welcome home one of their own. As Army Brig. Gen. Eric L. Sanchez took over command of WSMR, from Brig. Gen. Timothy Coffin, Sanchezs wife, Teresa, was there by his side.

Its good to be home, Teresa Sanchez, a Mesilla native, later said.

The Sanchezes have two grown daughters.

Mesilla Mayor Nora Barraza attended Thursdays ceremony, which was conducted with the dramatic Organ Mountains serving as the backdrop. Also there were Mesilla resident Neri Frietze and other members and friends of the Frietze family. Teresa Sanchez is also a Frietze.

Im here to represent the family, Neri Frietze said. This is a proud day for all of us.

It is also a homecoming for Sanchez, a 1987 distinguished military graduate at New Mexico State University. He acknowledged that in his first comments as the 33rd Army officer to assume command of WSMR. Altogether, there have been 36 leaders at WSMR, since it opened in 1945, including three civilians: Paul Mann, Robert Carter and Thomas Berard who each served interim positions as WSMR directors.

Bienvenidos, Sanchez said. Its great to be back in New Mexico.

Sanchez returns to his home state after serving as commanding general of the 94th Army Air and Missile Defense Command, at Fort Shafter, in Honolulu, Hawaii.

He comes from the white sands of Waikiki to the white sands of, well, White Sands, said Maj. Gen. Daniel Karbler, commanding general of the U.S. Army Test and Evaluation Command. Were glad to have you on board. Youre the right guy. You come in with the right skills, the right background.

Sanchezs military education includes the Air Defense Artillery basic and advance courses, the Combined Arms and Services Staff School and the Command and General Staff College. He earned Masters of Science degrees from Central Michigan University, and the Naval War College in Newport, Rhode Island.

Karbler also praised Cofffin, who has retired from the Army after a 35-year career. Coffin will be moving to Colorado Springs, Colorado.

Your persistence, your leadership has made a difference here at White Sands, Karbler said to Coffin. You have done a magnificent job with all the available resources here. Not only did he get the job done right, (Coffin) got it done with excellence.

In turn, Coffin praised the work ethic of WSMR personnel and the strong commitment and support of the nearby communities of Las Cruces, Alamogordo and El Paso.

It is really exciting to see people grow into new positions, said Coffin, of the ability of WSMRs military personnel and civilian employees to adjust, adapt and excel. He also applauded them for often working long hours, and for their professional commitment to the thousands of military tests and missions conducted at WSMR during Coffins time as commander.

Coffin, who had been at WSMR a little more than two years, added the support from communities also had a significant impact in WSMRs successes.

To do things like that takes a team, Coffin said. Its a joint team, all the services, all the agencies, (and) all the civilians.

Steve Ramirez can be reached at 575-541-5452, sramirez@lcsun-news.com, or @SteveRamirez6 on Twitter.



2016 the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.)

Visit the Las Cruces Sun-News (Las Cruces, N.M.) at www.lcsun-news.com

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LAS CRUCES  A Las Cruces neurologist accused of sexually assaulting several male patients at his practice has been indicted by Dona Ana County grand jury for the second time this year, court records show.

Dr. Robert Woody, 63, of the 600 block of Tumbleweed Road in Chaparral, is charged with two counts of first-degree kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual offense and two misdemeanor counts of criminal sexual contact, according to an indictment filed Aug. 18 in 3rd Judicial District Court in Las Cruces.

The charges in the indictment stemmed from allegations in criminal complaints that were filed in July in Dona Ana County Magistrate Court.

In March, Woody was indicted for the first time on two counts of first-degree kidnapping with intent to commit a sexual offense and one misdemeanor count of criminal sexual contact. His license to practice medicine in New Mexico was suspended on March 18, according to records from the New Mexico Medical Board.

In both cases, Woody is accused of making sexual advances toward four adult male patients between 2013 and 2015.

Court filings suggest that Woody had asked the patients a series of questions about their sexual activity and preferences during appointments. Some of the patients also reported that Woody had kissed them on their necks, caressed their chests and fondled their groin areas.

Woody is scheduled to be arraigned in the most recent case on Sept. 6 in 3rd Judicial District Court. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges in the first indictment. In that case, his trial is scheduled to begin on Oct. 5 before District Judge Douglas Driggers, court records show.

Woody, who was never arrested on the charges, remains free on a $20,000 secured bond.

Meanwhile, a civil lawsuit filed against Woody by one the four accusers is pending in 3rd Judicial District Court. This week, the patient and his attorney filed paperwork demanding a 12-person jury trial, records show. No trial has been scheduled.



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.

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BROOKFIELD, Wis.  For a small group of undecided voters here, the presidential choices this year are bleak: Hillary Clinton is a liar with a lifetime of political skullduggery and a ruthless agenda for power, while Donald Trump is your drunk uncle who cant be trusted to listen even to the good advice hes paying for.

Describing the election as a cesspool, 12 swing voters participating in a focus group Thursday in this battleground state were deeply negative about both candidates, starkly describing their choice this year as one between a candidate they loathe (Clinton) and one they fear (Trump).

Clinton was described as untrustworthy even by people who are leaning toward voting for her. Although 11 of the 12 predicted she will win, the ambivalence or outright distaste for the Democratic candidate was a dominant and recurring theme in a two-hour discussion in this Milwaukee suburb.

Trump was described as a bully, an egomaniac, a lion in the zoo, proud of his luxuriant mane. Even among those leaning toward voting for him, more than one participant criticized his lack of a filter  and more than one questioned the value of his board room experience.

Im choosing what I feel is the lesser of two evils, said Dara Schneider, a 47-year-old recruiter and Clinton supporter who, like most others answering questions posed by pollster Peter D. Hart, rues her choices this year.

Each participant had voted for both a Democrat and a Republican for president some time over the past 16 years. They were invited to participate in the focus group as part of an ongoing examination of swing voters this year conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Both candidates have serious flaws, said Sheri LaValley, a 51-year-old compliance analyst who voted for President Obama.

Hillary with her emails, I just dont trust her. Trump, the way he acts. Every day you turn on the TV, and I just shake my head, LaValley said. I think he would be an awesome candidate if he could get his personality under control.

Few of the participants described themselves as proud to back either candidate.

Both have baggage, but I think Hillary has less, said Daniel Waffenschmidt, 61, a retired restaurant owner.

Asked to rate Clinton on competence, the participants mostly gave her six and above on a scale of 10. On trustworthiness the group scored her no higher than six, with several ratings of one or two.

David Locher gave Clinton a two.

I feel like shes a career politician. That takes with it a certain amount of doing what you have to do to survive, said the 34-year-old bus transportation supervisor, who voted for Democrat John Kerry in 2004 but backed Republicans in 2008 and 2012.

Clintons potential to make history as the first woman to become president was unimportant to all but her strongest backer among the group, a 44-year-old preschool teacher.

We tell our daughters they can be anything they choose to be in the United States, said Timothy Jones. This shows we mean it.

Jones, the lone African American in the group, voted for President Obama twice and also for George W. Bush twice.

The group returned several times to the issue of Clintons use of a private email server for her government work as secretary of state, and to the general issue of whether she can be trusted.

Liar was the most common word selected by participants asked to give a one-word assessment.

Shes a smart woman with a lot of experience, but there are too many questions about Clintons priorities, said Beth Gramling, 50, a payroll analyst whose recent voting history matched Joness. You cant trust her. The trust to know between right and wrong, and integrity. I dont think that she has that, and its a shame.

Older women, a bedrock of Clintons support nationally, were among her harshest critics in this group.

Barbara Kass, 62, questioned Clintons motives in staying with her husband, former president Bill Clinton, after he humiliated her by having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

What are you thinking? Kass said, incredulous. From that point on I say, I see your agenda and its to have some political power' of her own, said Kass, a retired airline employee turned tour guide.

Trumps soft support in solidly Republican towns and suburbs outside Milwaukee was evident among the voters ranging from 27 to 63 and including a mix of self-identified Republicans, Democrats and independents.

Steve Watson, a 35-year-old retail operations manager who was among the firmest Trump supporters, still described himself as apprehensive.

We know Donald Trump has good intentions, that he can fix the country, said Watson. But he has to understand that this isnt a boardroom. Everything he says as a candidate for the American presidency is taken and it can be construed a thousand different ways.

Participants called the Republican businessman reckless, inexperienced and mouthy, a potential threat to U.S. stature and influence abroad. Nearly all condemned statements Trump has made about a Mexican-American judge and a Muslim mother whose U.S. soldier son died in Iraq.

Trumps ratings for competence ranged from one to eight, as did his ratings on trust. He was described as an iconoclast who wants to work outside a broken political system and try something different. His tough line on immigration was popular with several participants, as was his anti-terrorism stance.

Trump hires smart or experienced advisers, but then ignores them, said Mike Naunheim, a 27-year-old software engineer who voted for Republican Sen. John McCain in 2008 and Obama in 2012. I dont trust someone who doesnt listen to his advisers.

Locher gave Trump an eight rating for trust, or maybe for truth in advertising.

Hes a bully and a loudmouth, but at least you know thats what he is, Locher said. Im not saying I like it or agree with it, but what you see is what you get.

Kass said Trump miscalculated by calling Clinton a bigot this week.

The discussion took place as Trump has sought to soften some of his rough edges as a candidate, including telegraphing a potential compromise on his signature promise to deport all 11 million illegal immigrants living in the U.S. Trump is also making a direct appeal to black and Hispanic voters, arguing that historical support for Democrats has not helped those demographic groups.

Domestic concerns far outweighed international issues as priorities for the group this year, although several mentioned the threat of the Islamic State and homegrown terrorism.

Asked to rate how things are going for the country on a scale of minus 10 to plus 10, the lowest rating was a minus six and the highest was plus five. Eight of the 12 people predicted that conditions for the country will worsen.

Four of the group said they are seriously considering voting for a third-party candidate.

The group was drawn from across the racially divided Milwaukee area, but the discussion touched only briefly on the citys recent racial unrest.

Asked to name one piece of recent good news, Naunheim cited a woman handing out cookies as a sign of goodwill around the neighborhood where a 23-year-old black suspect was shot during a police chase.

The focus group took place in Waukesha County amid a suburban landscape of malls and office parks. Median household income is around $75,000 in overwhelmingly white and heavily Republican Brookfield.

Trump campaigned Aug. 16 in similarly white West Bend, about 30 miles to the north, where he referred to the Milwaukee shooting and pledged to restore law and order.

Wisconsin is in a loose grouping of swing states this year  less competitive than battleground Ohio, Florida or Michigan but important for Trump if he is to piece together a winning map through the South and industrial Midwest.

In the latest statewide polling, Marquette University Law School found Clinton ahead by 15 percentage points, 52 percent to 37 percent, in a survey of likely voters done the first week of August.

Statewide, 19 percent said they are undecided or wont vote for either major party candidate, said Marquette pollster Charles Franklin.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar got agitated after he learned that the Bakhtiyarpur relief camp had been set up in haste after officials got to know about his visit.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today warned officials that if there's any slack in disaster management and relief, he will put the concerned official behind bars.

"I am warning officials that if I get any complaint from flood victims in relief camps, I will not spare that official. I will send him to (jail). If there is lacuna in disaster management, I will send the concerned official inside jail," a visibly angry Nitish Kumar said.

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ANGRY NITISH THREATENS OFFICIALS

Nitish, who was conducting a survey of the flood-ravaged areas, discovered several deficiencies at a relief camp in Bakhtiyarpur. Subsequently, he warned the officials of strict action if they fail to adhere to the standard norms.

He also stressed on ensuring quality relief material and sanitation for women.

Nitish got agitated after he learned that the Bakhtiyarpur relief camp had been set up in haste after officials got to know about his visit.

He also conducted an aerial survey of the flood-hit Bhagalpur district.

FLOOD-RAVAGED BIHAR

Meanwhile, after meeting flood victims at relief camps in Patna, Nitish promised financial assistance for children born in relief camps -- Rs 10,000 for boys and Rs 15000 for girls. The announcement is aimed at calming down agitated flood victims angry with the state government for not providing enough relief.

The state is presently reeling under one of the worst floods since the 2008 Kosi floods. The death toll in the state has reached 127, with almost 25 lakh people displaced.

ALSO READ:

Bihar grapples with flooded Ganga, Lalu says victims lucky to get Gangajal at home

Bihar flood crisis: Army and air force on alert, Nitish holds emergency meeting



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DALLAS  The husband of a business consultant detained for more than a year by Chinese authorities says her treatment amounts to torture.

Jeff Gillis said Friday that Phan Sandy Phan-Gillis is in failing health and her suffering meets the United Nations definition of torture.

The State Department last month said Chinese authorities informed the U.S. they will bring a legal case against the 56-year-old consultant. U.S. officials have urged China to resolve the case in a manner that respects international human rights.

Phan-Gillis was detained in March 2015 while traveling with a trade delegation promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston.

A U.N. panel reported in July that the Chinese government told it that Phan-Gillis is charged with assisting external parties to steal national intelligence.
ATLANTA  Atlanta police investigating a womans report that she was sexually assaulted by an Uber driver say they now believe the suspect posed as a driver to lure her into his car, the most recent of several attacks by phony Uber drivers around the nation.

Within the past 12 months, police in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Florida, have issued alerts to warn residents about people pretending to be Uber drivers and preying on unsuspecting customers.

The 20-year-old woman told officers she was leaving the Park Bench Pub on Atlantas north side about 2:30 a.m. Aug. 13 when she contacted Uber to get a ride home, police said.

The woman told officers that instead of taking her home, the driver took her to Chastain Park, about 2 miles away, and assaulted her. Police say the driver eventually pushed her out of the car after she fought back.

Atlanta police Sgt. Warren Pickard told reporters at a news conference Thursday that some Uber drivers wait outside bars anticipating that people will need rides, much like taxis do.

He just generally picked up on that methodology and it just so happened that she got into the car, Pickard said.

Similar cases have been reported in several cities, including Los Angeles, where a man in April was arrested and accused of luring a woman into his SUV, and then raping her and choking her until she became unconscious.

The woman fought back and was choked unconscious at least three times before she managed to scream loud enough to alert neighbors, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said.

In Washington, D.C., police warned residents to be on guard after a woman on Oct. 10 entered a silver sedan, which she mistook as an Uber car, the Metropolitan Police Departments alert states. The driver had a knife, and sexually assaulted her, police said in the statement.

Within the past week, University of Florida police warned students that a man in a Chevy Malibu with Uber stickers on the car has been soliciting rides around campus. The driver, who is not affiliated with Uber, is specifically targeting female students, police said in a statement on Sunday, warning students to be vigilant about their safety. University police said they knew of no criminal activity, but asked that anyone with information about the driver contact them.

Uber advises that customers take several steps to ensure that their driver is an actual Uber driver, a company spokeswoman said in a Friday statement to The Associated Press.

Riders are advised to only ride with drivers they request through the Uber app, not by flagging down cars. Before the trip begins, customers also should double check the vehicles license plate, the drivers name and photo to make sure they match the information they receive through the app when requesting a ride, the statement said.

Customers may also share details during the trip with family and friends, such as their estimated time of arrival and specific route, Uber said in the statement.
Inside Stage 1 at Albuquerque Studios, there have been numerous projects filmed.

From housing the interior of Saul Goodmans office on Better Call Saul to the setting for Independence Day: Resurgence, the empty space is often transformed to create Hollywood magic.

This is also the space where the Film Business Alliance of New Mexico earlier this month held its first function to draw more New Mexicans interested in the organization.

And it was a success.

To date, 500  300 businesses and 200 individuals  have signed up.

The organization helps spread awareness of the economic and cultural impacts the film industry has on New Mexico.

Film and television production and post-production have had a multi-billion dollar impact in the state, leading to the creation of over 350 vendor and service businesses and more than 17,000 jobs for New Mexico residents.

The alliance wants to help promote that. It is working on a source book that will include New Mexicans and businesses. It is expected to be out in October.

Each one of these source books will be given to producers looking to film in New Mexico, said Matt Rauchberg, senior vice president for business development at Albuquerque Studios.

Each of the major studios in New Mexico  Albuquerque Studios, I-25 Studios, Garson Studios and Santa Fe Studios  have joined forces on the project.

House Majority Leader, Rep. Nate Gentry said the film industry needs to be preserved.

Its a very important part of the economy, he said. We cant bank on oil and gas. The film industry continues to see growth.

The states film incentive program offers a 25 percent tax incentive for qualifying expenditures, mainly New Mexico goods and services. It offers an extra 5 percent for TV series with an order of six episodes filmed in the state.

Currently, all the soundstages in Santa Fe are full, which is why the alliance will have an event in Santa Fe on Sept. 8.

Those who want to attend the event must register at www.fbanm.com.
SALT LAKE CITY  Numerous hours of secretly recorded video and audio taken by undercover FBI agents has bogged down the case of a Utah militia group leader accused of trying to blow up a federally owned cabin.

A trial date for William Keebler was pushed back indefinitely Friday after his attorney said he had only reviewed a fraction of the recorded evidence.

Lawyer Lynn Donaldson agreed to scrap a September trial date even though his client is jailed while awaiting the proceeding.

He said reviewing the evidence is painstaking work, with some footage showing hours of people driving. But he says he cant skip over anything as he builds the defense case.

You never know if theyll be a phone call or sometimes people have a conversation that is important, Donaldson said.

Authorities say Keebler, 57, was arrested in June in the northern Arizona area of Mount Trumbull when he triggered a remote device that he believed would set off an explosive device at the door of the Bureau of Land Management cabin.

The device was actually inert and harmless, built by undercover FBI agents who had infiltrated a small group of people headed by Keebler.

Keebler has pleaded not guilty to attempting to damage federal property and carrying a firearm during a crime of violence. Donaldson has said his client is a tough talker but not dangerous.

Keeblers friends contend he was unfairly set up by the FBI after he was accused of participating in a 2014 armed standoff with federal officials at Cliven Bundys Nevada ranch over unpaid grazing fees.

Lor Potts, a friend who was at the ranch, accused the FBI of coercing Keebler into committing a crime and federal prosecutors of overwhelming the system with evidence to keep Keebler behind bars.

They make it out like everyone at the Bundy ranch was just so violent, Potts said. All of us are just people who want (the federal government) to stop their shenanigans.

Prosecutors say Keebler was angry about public land policies when he scouted a mosque, BLM office and U.S. military facilities as possible targets before choosing the rural Arizona cabin.

At a previous hearing, prosecutors played videos of Keebler talking about his plans to damage government buildings and vehicles.
The pace of single-family home sales in July in New Mexico took a step back, but the median price is still on an upward march, especially in the states larger counties.

Thats according to new figures out this week from the Realtors Association of New Mexico, which depict a real estate market where houses in some of the states more populous counties are increasingly hard to come by during one the most active selling seasons of the year.

The number of homes sold last month dropped 7.1 percent statewide compared to last year, to 1,837. Home sales in July for Bernalillo County were up 3.1 percent to 733; Sandoval, up 8.9 percent to 245; Santa Fe, down 14.9 percent to 137; and Dona Ana, down 11.1 percent to 152.

The median sales price last month rose 4.2 percent statewide compared to last year, to $188,000. Median means half of the homes sold for a higher price and half for a lower price.

In the four most active counties for home sales, the median price increased 4.6 percent to $195,000 in Bernalillo; 0.3 percent to $187,000 in Sandoval; 8.9 percent to $337,000 in Santa Fe; and 4.9 percent to $169,950 in Dona Ana.

Yet sales numbers are ahead of the period of January through July 2015. The number of homes sold increased 4.1 percent to 11,288 in 2016.

Buyer interest remains strong, even with home prices rising, said Steve Anaya, association CEO. However, the housing market is undershooting its full potential because of inadequate existing inventory combined with new home construction failing to catch up with underlying demand.

In 18 largely rural counties in New Mexico, there has been a drop in sales year over year, according to Pat Fell, association president who works out of Silver City. Its not fantastic (sales wise), but its a big improvement from the past, she said, referencing the years when the residential market tanked.

Markets are very local, she said.

A similar report earlier this month from the Greater Albuquerque Association of Realtors pointed to a similar direction: a decline in available inventory in the metro area, but higher prices for the homes that are available and fewer days on the market.

The lack of supply in many in-demand neighborhooods is stifling the efforts of many prospective buyers attempting to purchase while mortgage rates hover at historical lows, said Jon Schnoor, GAAR president. In a few transactions, buyers are bidding up the homes over listing price. If you have a beautiful home thats well-maintained, priced right and in a desirable location, we are seeing competing offers.

Anaya and Schnoor noted that historically low mortgage rates are fueling activity. Rates for a 30-year fixed mortgage are at around 3.5 percent.
PRESCOTT, Ariz.  Former hostages say an Arizona woman slain by Islamic State militants remained steadfast in her Christian faith and stood up to her captors despite being tortured, raped and verbally abused.

Four ex-hostages who had shared cells with Kayla Mueller spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with ABC News set to air Friday.

Frida Saide of Sweden and Patricia Chavez of Peru and Belgium were among the women held with the 26-year-old Mueller for six weeks at an abandoned oil refinery in Syria in 2014. They said guards targeted Mueller more than other prisoners.

They would scream at her, and they would, you know, blame her for everything that America has done in the world, Saide said.

Mueller and her boyfriend were captured after both left a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Omar Alkhani was released 20 days later after being beaten and interrogated.

Other hostages said Mueller of Prescott, Arizona, kept a positive outlook while sharing a 12-by-12 room with brick walls and a single light bulb where she could only tell if it was daytime if a bit of light appeared through a small vent.

Mueller sometimes entertained Saide and Chavez by doing impressions of the guards. Mueller also told them how she briefly cared for a 14-year-old Shiite girl and a woman while isolated for six months.

She was amazing. She was a really strong girl, Chavez said.

Prisoners say Mohammed Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John, led three other guards who paraded Mueller around the refinery in March 2014. One hostage, Daniel Rye Ottosen, a Danish freelance photographer, recalled Mueller daring to contradict a guard who said she had converted to Islam.

Mueller was held captive for 18 months. Her family confirmed her death in February 2015.

Saide and Chavez said they managed to smuggle out three letters written by Mueller. One of the contacts she listed on the back of a letter was Kathleen Day, a campus minister at Northern Arizona University, where Mueller studied.

Day said the willingness to transport Muellers letters was extraordinary because the women could have been killed.

These young women and hostages were all alone, Day told The Associated Press. They had no power. They had no voice. They had no money yet they stayed steady in their compassion and outreach to others.

Parents Carl and Marsha Mueller criticized President Barack Obama for not honoring a pledge to donate to Kaylas Hands, a foundation created to honor her commitment to serving the needy.

Carl Mueller told ABC News that Obama had promised during a private meeting in 2015 to make a contribution. Mueller also accused the Obama administration of failing to help secure his daughters release.

The president could have been a hero, but he chose not to, Mueller said.

Emily Lenzner, a spokeswoman for the Muellers, told the AP the couple would not comment further.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he would not discuss private presidential conversations but he expects Obama will contribute to the foundation in the future.

It certainly is consistent with the kind of charity organization that the president and the first lady have supported in the past, Earnest said.

He said its entirely understandable for the Muellers to feel pain and grief about their daughter not being saved from the terror group.

___

AP writers Terry Tang in Phoenix and Josh Lederman in Washington, D.C., contributed to this report.
HAVERTOWN, Pa.  A Jewish woman in suburban Philadelphia woke up last week to a spray-painted swastika on her trash bin, and now her neighbors and strangers from other countries are rallying to support her by painting their own garbage cans with flowers, hearts, birds and butterflies.

Esther Cohen-Eskin was stunned when she went outside the morning of Aug. 19 and saw the Nazi symbol on her bin. She said she felt targeted because the sign didnt appear anywhere else in her Havertown neighborhood, where shes lived for almost 20 years.

Its not like someone wrote some obscenity on my trash can or gave me the finger, she said in a telephone interview Thursday. The swastika is such a deep-rooted sign of hatred for everyone, especially Judaism, that I felt so targeted.

She spoke to her husband and called police, who have begun an investigation.

She called a friend for advice and he told her: The only way to triumph hate is with love. Hearing that, Cohen-Eskin, an artist, decided to paint over the swastika with flowers, and to stick letters in mailboxes asking her neighbors to paint their trash bins as well, turning symbols of hate into symbols of love.

We decided that painting something over this  it kind of made the swastika completely meaningless, Cohen-Eskin said.

In this tight-knit community of different religions and creeds, the searing symbol of hate made Cohen-Eskins letter electrifying.

I still get goosebumps, said Megan Connell, one of Cohen-Eskins neighbors. I had to explain to my three-year-old that someone could do something so ugly, and we took it as a family thing.

A local bar, Connells mailman, and others spread word across town, and people online started passing around Cohen-Eskins story. After she sent the letters, she went out for an art show  and came back to hundreds of messages and phone calls from people as far afield as Canada, Germany, and Ireland. Many sent pictures of trash cans they painted in a show of support.

A tough part of Cohen-Eskins request was that neighbors first paint a swastika, and then cover it with images of love and peace. Connell said that part of the task was very, very difficult.

Its something you would never want to put ever, and not anything I ever thought I would be painting on anything, she said.

Connell decorated her bin with an owl to send the message that the neighborhood is watching, even at night. Other neighbors painted the word unity on their bins up and down the block.

I was so sad and I just wanted to do anything I could do to help, said Jenny Farley, recalling how Cohen-Eskin and her husband brought banana bread to greet her when Farley moved next door eight years ago. I think everyone came together and said, How can we support them?'

Now, Cohen-Eskin wakes up every morning to new pictures of beautifully painted bins from all over the world.

It gave me a whole new reassurance in humanity, she said. I feel invigorated by all the love. Its exciting  it makes you feel theres so much good out there.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and Attorney General Brian Frosh (D) have joined black state lawmakers in expressing dismay about the lack of diversity in Marylands burgeoning medical-marijuana industry.

At the same time, the head of the legislative black caucus is calling for legislation to ban elected officials from taking jobs in the industry. Del. Cheryl Glenn, D-Baltimore, who was instrumental in passing the bill that legalized medical marijuana, said shes angry that another leader in that effort later joined a company seeking a license to grow, process and sell the drug, without publicly making clear his dual roles.

The controversies are the latest snags for Marylands potentially lucrative medical-marijuana industry, which has been plagued by multiple delays and missteps since legislation to legalize cannabis for medical use passed in 2013.

This month, state regulators cleared 15 companies to grow marijuana and 15 companies to process the plant into medical products. None of the businesses approved for cultivation are led by African Americans, even though the legislation seeks to create a racially diverse industry in a state where nearly a third of the population is black.

Glenn raised the issue in a Thursday meeting with Hogan. She pushed the governor to call for a special legislative session this fall to address minority ownership, perhaps by authorizing regulators to award additional licenses to minority-owned companies.

The legislatures next regular session begins in January.

We are not going to accept licenses being awarded and people getting an unfair advantage in this billion-dollar industry with no minority participation, Glenn said.

Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer says the governor agrees that racial diversity in the new industry is important but will not call a special session. Instead, the governor has deployed his chief lobbyist, Chris Shank, and adviser Keiffer Mitchell to explore options to address the issue.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission operates independently of the governors office, which has no say in who gets marijuana licenses but appoints the commissions members and executive director.

The law legalizing medical marijuana says regulators should actively seek to achieve racial, ethnic and geographic diversity in the industry.

The commission awarded preliminary licenses based on rankings from outside reviewers, who read and scored application materials with the names of people involved redacted. The commission did consider geographic diversity, moving up lower-ranked applications to approve licenses for growers in Prince Georges and Worcester counties in an effort to ensure that cultivators were spread out across the state.

But the commission did not provide extra weight to minority-owned companies, citing a 2015 advice letter it received from the attorney generals office that said race-conscious licensing in a new industry without a history of racial discrimination would probably be unconstitutional.

After Glenn and other black lawmakers raised concerns, the attorney generals office said the commission should not have concluded from the letter that it would be wrong to take the race of prospective marijuana business owners into account.

Instead, Frosh spokeswoman Raquel Coombs said, the commission could have researched whether there is evidence of racial disparity in industries similar to medical marijuana.

If there is, she said, the commission would be justified in taking race into account.

Coombs said similar efforts have led to the state trying to expand minority participation in other new industries, including off-shore wind farming and gaming.

The attorney general strongly believes that this industry should reflect the diversity of the state, Coombs said of medical cannabis.

But Col. Harry Robshaw III, vice chairman of the commission, said this proposed approach to achieve racial diversity was news to the commission. He said the message from the office was crystal clear: It was too early to grant racial preferences.

Its frustrating that somehow we should have interpreted the letter differently, Robshaw said.

Coombs said Froshs office has cleared marijuana regulators to develop outreach programs to attract applications from minority-owned companies.

On a separate issue, Glenn said she is considering legislation to bar lawmakers from working with medical-marijuana companies after learning that Del. Dan Morhaim, D-Baltimore County, had agreed to act as clinical director for one such company.

Glenn says the dual roles, revealed by The Washington Post last month, made her livid and tainted the process.

I wasnt pushing for medical marijuana to fatten my pockets, and I am disappointed that it is evidently something he was doing all along, Glenn said. Its wrong. Its just wrong.

Morhaim, a physician, says hes not a formal employee or owner of Doctors Orders, which was granted preliminary licenses to grow and process the drug in Dorchester County and has dispensary license applications pending.

Maryland law does not forbid lawmakers from sponsoring or voting on legislation affecting industries in which they work, and Morhaim said he cleared his position with the General Assemblys ethics adviser.

Morhaim, who has advocated for medical marijuana for more than a decade, did not return a call or email Friday seeking a response to Glenns criticism.

maryland-marijuana
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
Bihar Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav who returned to India after almost three week long Europe tour, headed to Raghopur which is one of the most badly affected areas in the floods

Tejaswi was confronted with angry voices of the flood affected people who raised the issue of not getting adequate relief material from the government.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav faced public anger when he visited his constituency Raghopur in Vaishali district to meet the flood victims and take stock of the situation. Tejaswi who returned to India on Thursday after almost three week long Europe tour, headed to Raghopur which is one of the most badly affected areas in the floods. In Tejaswi's absence, his father and RJD President Lalu Prasad was filling in for him and had visited flood affected areas and met flood victims in Raghopur.

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Tejaswi was confronted with angry voices of the flood affected people who raised the issue of not getting adequate relief material from the government after they lost their homes and crop in the floods. The affected people alleged, the administration was making a mockery of their plight by providing peanuts in the name of relief. Tejaswi's father, Lalu Prasad, couple of days back had made mockery of the flood victims misery in Raghopur when he made an absolute bizarre comment telling people that they were fortunate that Bihar was hit by flood as Ganga herself had come to the doorsteps of the common man.

READ: Bihar grapples with flooded Ganga, Lalu says victims lucky to get Gangajal at home



RAGHOPUR WORST HIT



Tejaswi visited the relief camps set up in his constituency and took stock of the situation. After meeting flood affected people from his constituency, as Tejaswi was leaving, he was again gheraoed by the angry flood victims who were shouting anti-government slogans. It took some muscle power from Tejaswi's security guards to ensure that the deputy CM left Raghopur safely.

READ| Bihar floods: Situation worsens, Lalu Prasad seeks Modi's attention after Nitish Kumar meets PM

However, before leaving Tejaswi admitted that that there was a lot of deficiency in his constituency as far as relief work was going on and warned the district officials to carry out relief work in a proper manner or else they would be dealt with in a strict manner.

"There are some loopholes in the relief work in Raghopur. The officials should pace up the relief work or else action would be taken against them," warned the deputy CM.

READ| Oops! When Ram Kripal Yadav's boat got stuck in Ganga during Bihar flood inspection

Tejaswi was in Europe for last three weeks. He had gone on a government tour to discuss with his counterparts ways of building stronger infrastructure and road in Bihar. However, the Bihar deputy CM chose not to cut short his tour despite Bihar being hit by floods and his constituency submerged under water.

Also Read:

Bihar floods: DM, minister provides healing touch, share meal with flood victims at relief camps

Bihar floods: Villagers camp on Patna-Bakhtiyarpur Expressway over lack of aid from government Bihar flood crisis: Army and air force on alert, Nitish holds emergency meeting

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Ares Management is reportedly seeking to raise more than $45bn for its latest batch of funds.
California-based Danhua Capital has closed its second fund at an oversubscribed $255m, making it more than double the si
By PTI: Bhopal, Aug 25 (PTI) A two-day coordination meeting between BJP and RSS leaders began at Sharda Vihar here today with senior members from the two organisations including Amit Shah, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, and Bhaiyyaji Joshi taking part in it.

BJP president Shah arrived here this evening to take part in the meeting and was received at the airport by the Chief Minister and state party chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan.

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From the airport Shah went straight to the venue of meeting, sources said.

Senior RSS leader Bhaiyyaji Joshi is among those attending the meeting.

State BJP chief Nandkumar Singh Chauhan, partys state organisation general secretary Suhas Bhagat, among others, are taking part in the meeting where media is barred. PTI MAS LAL KRK TIR JMF

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Home Ministry constituted an expert panel to find an alternative to pellet guns in Kashmir. Experts have suggested the use of chilli-filled PAVA shells.

By PTI: An expert panel constituted by the Home Ministry to find an alternative to pellet guns for crowd control, following uproar against its use in Kashmir, has zeroed in on PAVA shells, a chilli-based ammunition, which is less lethal and immobilises the target temporarily.

The committee held a demonstration of the newly developed shells at a test field in Delhi earlier this week and gave a thumbs up for use by security forces for crowd control and during protests like those being witnessed in the Kashmir Valley in place of the pellet guns which have caused grievous injuries and large-scale blinding.

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WHAT ARE PAVA SHELLS

The PAVA shells were under trial for over a year at the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research, a Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) laboratory in Lucknow, and its full development has come at a time when Kashmir is on the boil.

Sources close to the committee said it has favoured PAVA shells as an alternative to pellet guns and has recommended that the Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of the BSF in Gwalior should be tasked with bulk production of the shells immediately, with the first lot not of less than 50,000 rounds.

The name PAVA stands for Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide, also called Nonivamide, and is a organic compound found characteristically in natural chilli pepper.

IMPACT OF PAVA SHELLS

On the Scoville scale (the degree to measure the power of chilli), PAVA is categorised as "above peak", meaning it will severely irritate and paralyse humans, but temporarily. It is also used as a food additive to add pungency, flavouring and spicy effect to food.

The committee, the blueprint said, found that PAVA can be categorised in the less-lethal munition category. Once fired, the shells burst and temporarily stun, immobilise and paralyse the target (protestors) in a more effective way than a tear gas shell or pepper sprays.

The panel noted that PAVA is "biosafe, better than chilli grenade or tear smoke shell and can also be used in combination with stun and tear shells" by security forces while tackling unruly protesters.

The committee also analysed and is understood to have recommended the supply of few other non-lethal/less-lethal munition to security forces personnel deployed for crowd control in the Kashmir Valley and other similar situations elsewhere. The recommendations were, however, not yet known.

Also Read

674 wounded in a single day as pellets, bullets, tear gas rain on Kashmir protesters



Kashmir unrest: Respect jawans, we are deliberating use of pellet guns, Rajnath tells Kashmiri youths

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Three hotels with rooms costing about 150 yuan (Rs.1500) a night said that they had received police notices from as early as March telling them to turn away people from Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan.

By Reuters: Police have ordered some low-end hotels in the Chinese metropolis of Guangzhou not to allow guests from five Muslim-majority countries to stay, though China's foreign ministry said it had never heard of the policy.

Three hotels with rooms costing about 150 yuan (Rs.1500) a night told Reuters that they had received police notices from as early as March telling them to turn away people from Pakistan, Syria, Iraq, Turkey and Afghanistan.

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SECURITY MEASURES

"I'm not clear of the reason. We just can't take them," one hotel worker said by telephone.

The notice appears only to apply to cheaper hotels at the bottom of the price scale.

All of the five countries have been beset by terrorist attacks in the past few years, or in the case of Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan have been in states of war.

Hong Kong's South China Morning Post said on Friday the rule appeared to be a security measure coinciding with a development forum being held in Guangzhou this week, and also ahead of next week's G20 summit in Hangzhou, though the two cities are more than 1,000 km (620 miles) apart.

NOT AWARE OF ORDER

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said he was not aware that such an order had been issued in Guangzhou.

"I've never heard that there is this policy being followed in China," Lu told a daily news briefing.

"Moreover, as far as China is concerned, our policy in principle is that we encourage people from China and other countries to have friendly exchanges and are willing to provide various convenient policies in this regard."

The Guangzhou city government information office and police in the southern city could not be reached for immediate comment.

Two high-end hotels told Reuters they had not been told they had to turn away guest from the five countries.

TROUBLES AT HOME

Guangzhou is the capital of the export powerhouse province of Guangdong and is home to a sizable foreign population, many of whom are traders from Africa.

China has a Muslim population of its own, many of whom live in the violence-prone far western region of Xinjiang where the government says it faces a concerted campaign from Islamist extremists.

China has also been courting the Muslim world, and the oil-rich Middle East in particular, and has for many years also had close ties with Pakistan.

ALSO READ:

Corridor of Uncertainty

China warns India against deploying BrahMos cruise missile in Arunachal





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NAFCUs Dan Berger reiterated the heavy toll regulatory burden takes on credit unions and their 104 million members in letters Thursday to presidential nominees Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, and he noted the associations willingness to work with both parties in this regard.

Berger, NAFCUs president and CEO, thanked Clinton for her support in wanting to cut regulatory red tape for credit unions, as noted in her recently released platform for small business and fact sheet for supporting credit unions.

Credit unions have faced a tidal wave of new regulatory burdens in recent years, Berger wrote in his letter to Clinton, which was also sent to Democratic vice presidential nominee and Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine. We are pleased to see your commitment to tailoring regulations and cutting down on regulatory creep.

In his letters to both nominees, Berger pointed out that since the second quarter of 2010, more than 1,500 federally-insured credit unions have been lost. Many smaller institutions simply cannot keep up with the increased regulatory expectations and have been forced to merge out of business, he wrote. There is an urgent need for meaningful regulatory relief and better tailoring of regulations to help credit unions.
A New Orleans U.S. District Court Judge sentenced a 30-year president/CEO of a failed Louisiana credit union to six months in prison Wednesday for stealing more than $1.4 million.

Judge Susie Morgan also ordered Jacqueline Ray, 61, of Biloxi, Miss., to serve six months in home confinement and to pay $1 million in restitution to CUMIS and $452,752 to the NCUA. Ray also must serve two and half years of supervised release.

The guilt that I have been carrying with me has been a heavy weight on my shoulders not just for damaging the credit union that I loved but also for the irreparable damage and hurt that I have caused my loved ones and for sinning against my Savior, Ray wrote in a letter to Judge Morgan.
As the child of Mexican immigrants, I grew up in a household that was unique in many ways from those of my friends and peers. One of the differences was that my parents paid bills, saved money and accessed credit outside the traditional financial system. Hindsight being what it is, I can now see how much of an influence those financial choices had on my eventual career path.

Although it came with challenges, my non-traditional American childhood absolutely empowered me. Today, I feel so fortunate to be living out my passion  introducing more Hispanic consumers to the life-changing benefits of becoming a credit union member.

Whats equally exciting to me is introducing more organizations to benefits of serving Hispanic consumers. As I travel the country, talking with credit unions, colleges and other consumer-centric organizations, Im learning so much about how perceptions continue to shape reality.

One of the perceptions that Coopera colleagues and I are working hard to reshape is this idea the Hispanic market is homogenous. In fact, there are many nuances to the culture. Lets take a look at a few
In 2009, documentary filmmaker Ken Burns celebrated the National Park Service. In a PBS television series, he called our National Parks, Americas Best Idea.

I think the vast majority of the more than 307 million people who visited our national parks last year would agree.

On Aug. 25 the National Park Service (NPS) celebrates its 100th anniversary. On that date in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Organic Act, which states that the Service, shall promote and regulate the use of the Federal areas known as national parks, monuments and reservations  to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations.

First park

The first national park actually predates the establishment of the NPS. On March 1, 1872, U.S. President Grant signed the Yellowstone National Park Protection Act into law, to create the worlds first national park.

And even before that, the Yosemite Act of 1864 protected the Yosemite Valley from settlement and entrusted its care to the state of California. When early explorers brought photographs, paintings and sketches of western wilderness, even politicians back East realized such places should be protected forever.

These places continue to inspire awe and reverence for the natural world.

Today, the NPS is comprised of 410 sites, including 59 national parks, 81 national monuments (e.g., White Sands, New Mexico), 128 historical parks (e.g., Valley Forge, Pennsylvania), 19 preserves (e.g., Tall Grass Prairie, Kansas), and 10 seashores (e.g., Cape Hatteras, North Carolina).

Discussions of favorite or best parks are purely subjective and could go on for days. As I reflect on the national parks Ive visited, several immediately rise to the top of the list.

Top parks

Acadia (Maine), Grand Canyon (Arizona), Arches (Utah), Bryce (Utah), and Glacier (Montana) bring back vivid memories. At Acadia, I watched the first rays of a new days sunshine strike the top of Cadillac Mountain.

At the Grand Canyon, my jaw dropped for the first time in my life. At Arches, I watched as fire rained from the sky during the Perseid meteor shower of 1974. At Bryce, I marveled at magnificent red rock sand castles that stretched as far as I could see.

And at Glacier, I saw my first wolf. As I tick through a list of national parks at www.nps.gov, I realize Ive not been to most of them. But thats OK.

There is great value in just knowing that they are there. Make an effort to visit a national park site this year to celebrate the NPSs 100th birthday.

The Park Service truly is Americas Best Idea. Its the best park system in the world, and its a bargain.

Buy a pass

Most federal lands charge an entrance fee, so if you plan to visit more than one site, buy a pass.

The National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Pass Series covers entrance fees to national parks and national wildlife refuges and standard amenity fees such as use of picnic areas and trails at national forests and grasslands and at lands managed by the Bureau of Land Management and the Bureau of Reclamation.

A pass covers fees for a driver and all passengers in a personal vehicle. Children age 15 and under are admitted free.

An annual pass, available to anyone, costs $80. An annual pass for active military members and their dependents is free.

An annual pass for U.S. citizens with permanent disabilities is free. And if you are a U.S. citizen and age 62 or older, a lifetime pass is $10. Passes may be purchased in person at federal recreation sites or online at http://store.usgs.gov/pass.

Worth protecting

The future of our parks and other public lands requires vigilance. There are those in Congress who seek to privatize our public lands. Be prepared to fight for affordable access to federal lands when the privateers make their case.
In what could turn out to be a major security headache for the Indian security establishment as well as for the Maldives Government, Pakistan is sending a team of 200 doctors to that country ostensibly to fuel anti-India sentiment and help forces which are trying to destabilise the India-friendly Government there.

Cyber profiling of these doctors and inputs with the agencies here suggest they have been in regular touch with Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and its affiliate terror groups like the Lashkar-e-Tayyeba and Jaish-e-Mohammad. For the last few months, these doctors have been scouring the Internet to understand the Maldivian culture in-depth so as to gel well with the local people there and vitiate their minds. The Pakistani agencies have also imparted training to these doctors on the cultural milieu of the island nation, sources said.

Inputs also suggest 80 per cent of these doctors have studied medicine at the medical institutions of the armed forces of Pakistan and many of them have also served for the uniformed services.

Agencies here suspect these doctors are being sent with an insidious agenda to foment anti-India sentiment in the island nation and stage a coup against the pro-India Government there.

Incidentally, Indias radar facility for monitoring the Indian Ocean there is the second-biggest after the US and it is providing surveillance capacity right up to Gwadar Port in Pakistan.

In the past, many Maldivian students who had gone to Pakistan to study medicine were radicalised by the Pakistani agencies. Many of these students had joined terror groups following which the Maldives Government banned its students from studying in Pakistan. Interestingly, Pakistan had earlier offered similar help to Nepal during the earthquake but the Himalayan nation had rejected the offer outright saying the people might not accept medical services from Pakistani doctors due to cultural differences.

As many as 150 Indian doctors are already stationed in the country that has a population of ten lakh spread across 200 islands. The ratio of doctors is well above the WHO recommendations for a population of ten lakh and the Pakistani move seems to be fishy as they will stay there for two years and each one of them will draw a monthly salary of $2,500 and the entire bill will be footed by Islamabad. The Maldives Government has already granted them visas and they are likely to reach there after the Eid vacations in both the countries are over by the weekend.

The background of the doctors and the track record of Pakistani agencies suggest an armed coup is a possibility in Maldives if they are allowed to stay for long. Their activities could add to the woes of the Government there as radicalisation by the ISIS is on the rise there, an official said.

In the past, the ISI and its affiliate terror groups had created a network of sympathising groups within the Muslim sections in Sri Lanka after undertaking humanitarian works there following the tsunami in 2004.

Recently, the role of ISI had also cropped up in the terror attack on a restaurant in an upscale area in Dhaka.

Counter-terrorsim expert Rituraj Mate told The Pioneer, While China is undertaking String of Pearls to encircle India in strategic terms, Pakistan is carrying out an operation on similar lines to hit New Delhis interests by furthering jehadi agenda in the immediate neighbourhood of India.

Source : Daily Pioneer
Dakota Access Pipeline Protest in San Francisco Boosts Movement Forward Pt. II by R. Robertson



See pt. I of this story at The Standing Rock Sioux tribe is suing federal regulators for approving permits for the Dakota Access Pipeline that will transport oil from North Dakota to Illinois. In San Francisco yesterday hundreds of demonstrators stood in solidarity with protesters in North Dakota where work equipment stands ready to begin construction on the oil pipeline. There was a large demonstration in Washington, DC the same day as well. Photos here of the demonstration in San Francisco.See pt. I of this story at https://www.indybay.org/newsitems/2016/08/25/18790489.php

Many groups and individuals stood in solidarity with the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe and their fight against the construction of a massive oil pipeline yesterday in San Francisco. Activists across the nation are on the frontlines of stopping the Dakota Access pipeline.



Demonstrators are outraged about the unjust conditions under which indigenous people are suffering when they are merely seeking to protect water and land. With its history of attention to human rights and many years of protesting, Bay Area residents joined in the action.



Some California Native American tribal members travelled many hours to join up in San Francisco. Local activist group the Raging Grannies, whose members live from San Jose to San Mateo, were amongst the many groups joining in the action.




On his increasingly frequent visits to China-the most recent in early August-Pakistan army chief General Raheel Sharif has sought to impress upon his hosts India's supposedly nefarious designs in Balochistan. The message, say sources in Beijing, was that the delays in China's ambitious $46 billion economic corridor were only because of the attempts of Indian intelligence agencies to foment trouble in Balochistan.

Whether Beijing buys this explanation isn't clear. For one, it hasn't raised the issue with India. Secondly, Beijing is all too aware that the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is mired in delays, not only in Balochistan but elsewhere too. It is caught up in domestic politics over investments and delayed project execution that has frustrated Beijing's mandarins.

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What General Sharif's trips have underlined is that Beijing is increasingly relying on the Pakistani army, rather than the government, to push its ambitious plans in Pakistan. In recent months, there have been more military than civilian delegations from Pakistan to China to discuss the progress of the CPEC and security measures.

One reason for that is the security situation in Balochistan, which Chinese strategists believe holds the key to long-term development plans in Pakistan. It is here that Beijing took over the port of Gwadar from a Singaporean company, now being developed as the lynchpin of the CPEC in the Arabian Sea. The long-term plan is a 2,400 km long expressway, rail line and pipelines from this Arabian Sea port, across Balochistan and into Punjab, and all the way through Gilgit-Baltistan into China's western Xinjiang province. The total investment figure is pegged at $46 billion. The CPEC's western route will connect several cities in Balochistan and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. India, of course, strongly protests the plan as it passes through Gilgit-Baltistan, which it sees as an integral part of J&K. For China, this presents the alluring prospect of an alternative route for its energy imports, avoiding the Malacca Straits and South China Sea, although its urgency for Gwadar has lessened after the operationalising last year of its first pipeline to the Bay of Bengal, from Myanmar to Yunnan province.

The Gwadar port project is key to the success of the entire corridor. Yet it is this leg of the CPEC that has been the most slow-moving, with protests against the plan and intermittent attacks. As a result, Beijing has been supportive of a greater role for the military in taking the plan forward. "The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) is maybe 500-strong, they can't make too much trouble. The Pakistan Army has taken stringent measures," Liu Zongyi, senior fellow at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told india today. Liu, like the Chinese government, believes most of Balochistan supports the CPEC and that separatist groups "don't have a lot of support...local people want development".

Not everyone in Balochistan would agree. The CPEC has triggered strong reactions, from concerns over the plight of local fishermen-the Gwadar port project threatens the livelihood of over three-fourths of the local population-to a long-simmering resentment that the mineral-rich region has been exploited by the rest of the country.

Baloch leaders also fear the CPEC could lead to massive resettlement and an influx of Punjabi and Pashtun workers that will alter the region's demography and jeopardise local interests. Mir Kabeer Ahmad Shahi of the National Party in Balochistan, a member of the Senate Special Committee on CPEC, has demanded legislation on this issue, fearing the project could "marginalise the native people like the Red Indians (in the US)". Beijing, however, rejects such fears. The CPEC is "widely supported by the people of China and Pakistan," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang told india today. "China is confident about the future of the corridor."

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Beijing has proposed a range of projects to assuage the fears, including a university and international airport in Gwadar. However, they have all been slow in moving. Chinese firms, for their part, are not enthused about sending personnel to either Balochistan or Gilgit-Baltistan. "The Pakistan Army gives one soldier for every Chinese worker so we feel safe now, but these are not good conditions to work," said one company representative who declined to be named.

In March 2015, five oil tankers carrying fuel from Karachi to the Saindak copper project in Balochistan (reportedly for a Chinese company) were attacked and set on fire. The government blamed the attack on the BLA. A month later, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Islamabad to officially launch the CPEC and a range of projects. A suggestion for Xi to visit Gwadar as a symbolic gesture was quickly shelved due to security concerns.

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Against this backdrop of security fears, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's invocation of Balochistan has raised eyebrows in Beijing. "If India interferes with the building of the CPEC," warns Liu, "it will not be good for bilateral ties." Past attacks on Chinese workers have been blamed by Pakistan on Indian intelligence agencies. China hasn't publicly commented on those claims, but Zhang Chunxiang, a former ambassador in Pakistan, claims a 2004 bomb attack that killed three Chinese Gwadar port engineers was carried out not by local terrorists but by a "foreign country that everybody knows". A long history of suspicion clouds China's corridor of uncertainty. And it faces an even cloudier future.

Follow the writer on Twitter @ananthkrishnan

Also read:

Offensive defence: With Balochistan, India to take fight with Pakistan beyond LoC

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Giusti Wins Starkey Award

President Eric Jensen presented the Starkey Award to Marie Giusti.

Aug. 26, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. Marie Giusti has been named the 2016 recipient of the Max L. Starkey Award at Illinois Wesleyan University. President Eric Jensen announced the award winner Aug. 26 at the annual Faculty-Staff Breakfast.

As Human Resources Representative, Giusti is responsible for assisting with the administration of all benefits and the retirement program. In the past few years Illinois Wesleyan transitioned to a new health care insurance plan, and nominators praised Giustis patient, expert guidance in easing that transition. Several nominators noted Giusti worked considerably long hours in the evenings and on weekends.

Marie is always patient, kind, knowledge and hardworking, but this year she truly showed her mettle, wrote one nominator. She worked tirelessly to help all faculty members transition from the old health care policy to the new one. She answered all questions, was organized and methodical, and never rushed anyoneshe showed genuine concern for everyone who was making an often confusing transition. I think this extra work  for us  should be acknowledged.

Another person wrote that Giusti is one of those people whose quiet excellence makes life easier for other members of the IWU community. She doesnt call attention to herself, but she is supremely competent at what she does. She understands whats needed even before the other person she is trying to help understands it, and she is comfortable with making sense of partial information and other peoples confusion.

A third nominator noted that during a recent visit with insurers, Maries name was mentioned several times in gratitude. I know and respect Marie very much and I get the sense that feeling is widespread amongst our colleagues  faculty and staff alike.

Giusti has worked at Illinois Wesleyan for 19 years. The Starkey Award is given to a staff member whose loyalty, enthusiasm and outstanding contributions have provided an invaluable service to the Illinois Wesleyan community. Established in 2001, the award is named in honor of the late Max Starkey, a 1957 graduate of Illinois Wesleyan, who was the Universitys controller for more than 39 years until his retirement in 1996. The award is made possible through a gift of the Starkey family.

A committee comprised of members of the Starkey family and former Illinois Wesleyan staff and faculty selects the Starkey Award winner from nominations from the faculty and staff. This years committee included: Agnes Huonker, former office coordinator in Admissions; Chris Prendergast, professor emeritus of sociology; Emmalyn Dickinson, former office coordinator, Alumni Relations; Norma Criley, professor emerita of biology; Ken Browning, former vice president for business and finance; and Donna Hartweg, Caroline F. Rupert Chair of Nursing, professor emerita. Dana Starkey 94 and Tina Starkey Swingler 97, two of Max Starkeys children, were also involved in the committees determination of the winner.
Maintaining independence and editorial freedom is essential to our mission of empowering investor success. We provide a platform for our authors to report on investments fairly, accurately, and from the investors point of view. We also respect individual opinionsthey represent the unvarnished thinking of our people and exacting analysis of our research processes. Our authors can publish views that we may or may not agree with, but they show their work, distinguish facts from opinions, and make sure their analysis is clear and in no way misleading or deceptive.

To further protect the integrity of our editorial content, we keep a strict separation between our sales teams and authors to remove any pressure or influence on our analyses and research.

Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
- The Enugu state police command says it has caught one suspect who partook in the herdsmen attack in Enugu state

- Some suspected Fulani herdsmen reportedly attacked Atakwu community in Enugu state

- The herdsmen reportedly opened fire in the community killing a seminarian and some others

- Investigation into the attack is still ongoing

The arrest of one suspected herdsman who partook in the bloody attack on Attakwu community has been announced by the police in Enugu state on Friday, August 26.

Suspected herdsman apprehended by Enugu state police command.

Many people were feared dead, as suspected Fulani herdsmen attacked Enugu Atakwu community, in Nkanu West Local Government Area (LGA)

The attack reportedly took place on Thursday morning, August 25, the attackers are said to have killed a seminarian of the Catholic Church and several others.

READ ALSO: Fulani herdsman stabs mother to death; gives unbelievable confession

Daily Post reports that the herdsmen who were armed to teeth invaded and started shooting and maiming anybody in sight.

One of the victims, a seminarian is said to have just returned from his apostolic work.

A community source told newsmen that they just came early this morning and started killing people.

There is confusion everywhere now; people are running helter-skelter.

However, in a statement issued by the Enugu state police commands spokesman, SP Ebere Amaraizu, said one of the suspects had been apprehended.

According to him, the Nigeria police force in its resolve towards unmasking those behind the dastardly act perpetrated at Ndiagu Attakwu community of Akegbeugwu in Nkanu West Local Government Area of Enugu state in the early hours of 25/8/16, which left one person dead and four others critically injured, have nabbed a suspect identified as one Umaru Isah from Gusau Zamfara State over his alleged involvement in the incident.

His arrest came through intelligence information gathered. The said suspect, who claimed that he is 20 years old, revealed that he came in from Gusau Zamfara State to Enugu recently for the purposes of rearing cattle, but has none to rear till now.

Investigations have commenced in full scale into his nefarious activities with a view to unmasking his gang members so that they can be brought to book.

The state commissioner of police Emmanuel Ojukwu has vowed to unmask all those involved in the dastardly act and bring them to book.

Source: Legit.ng
- Governor Fayose says victims of Ekiti dam tragedy were not staff of the World Bank

- Earlier report stated that four World Bank officials died when the boat they were travelling in capsized

- Accident happened in a dam in Ekiti state, Southwest Nigeria

- Passengers were said to be surveyors by profession

The News Agency of Nigeria had reported on Thursday, August 25 that four World Bank officials were reported to have drowned at Egbe Dam in Egbe Ekiti, Gbonyin local government area of Ekiti state.

The government of Ekiti has stated that the four people who lost their lives on Wednesday, August 24 at Egbe Dam in Gbonyin local government area of the state, were not World Bank officials as reported on Thursday, August 25.

On Friday, August 26, Idowu Adelusi, the chief press secretary to Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti state, said though the Third Urban Water Sector Reform Project was sponsored by the World Bank, the contract for the bathymetry surveying of the dam was awarded to Enviplan Nigeria Limited, whose staff died in the sad event.

The statement said the company was to work on Ureje, Egbe, Itapaji and Ero dams. The statement issued on Friday, August 26 reads in part:

The sad incident happened because some safety measures were not adhered to by the deceased who refused to wear life jackets and those who survived wore life jackets provided by the company. The victims are staff of Enviplan Nigeria Limited which is a consulting firm to

the World Bank.

The victims are Alaran Tirimisiyu, Abdulwaheed Alayande, David Malu and Albert, while the survivors are Charles Ehinlaye, Bukky Ajet and Yahaya. It should be noted that no World Bank official or Ekiti State Water Corporation staff was involved.

The Third Urban Water Project commiserates with the families of the departed and pray that God grants them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

Egbe Dam one of the six dams in Ekiti and it is the biggest of them all.

READ ALSO: Five ways government can quickly stop fuel tanker explosions

The report of Thursday, August 25 had it that Folasade Akinrinmola, the chairman of Gbonyin LGA and Ekiti police command confirmed the mishap to newsmen on Thursday, August 25.

The council chairman stated that the accident happened in the late hours of Wednesday, August 24, involving a group of seven contractors working with the World Bank on an evaluation work on the dam.

Akinrinmola explained that the men began work in the night of Tuesday, August 23 from one part of the dam and that the mishap occurred when they moved to the other part on Wednesday, August 24.

The boss stated that the traditional ruler of Egbe community informed her of the boat accident.

Akinrinmola narrated saying: We immediately mobilised a rescue team and an ambulance, and in the process, those wearing life jackets were rescued.

READ ALSO: Woman spends 4 months trying to revive dead husband

The rescued people were the ones who told us that others were in the water. The bodies of those that had drowned were later retrieved by the local fishermen.

One of the dead victims was said to be the son of the leader of the team who providentially escaped unhurt.

We believe that they came to Ekiti based on some of the proposals we had written on the dam on how it can be put to use. We believe that the World Bank has started work on the dam based on their findings.

The Gbonyin LGA chairman described the boat mishap as tragic and unfortunate, adding that the remains of the deceased had since been taken to the mortuary in Ode-Ekiti, the secretariat of Gbonyin LGA.

Alberto Adeyemi, the police public relations officer (PPRO) of the Ekiti state police command, likewise informed journalists of the incident, saying: It is true that the boat transporting the team capsized, four of them died while three survived.

About a two hours ago, a lifeless body of a man identified as Seun was reportedly fished out from Majidun river in Ikorodu area of Lagos state.

See photos below:

Four out of seven surveyors who came from the Development Dams and Irrigation Scheme, Kaduna state to Ekiti state for a job inspection, lost their lives after the boat they were sailing in capsized in the Egbe river, Ekiti state on Wednesday, August 25. The incident according to eyewitnesses happened at about 5:30pm. Their bodies were recovered by local fishermen and fire brigade with help of police force.

Source: Legit.ng
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) A death row convict in the Jigisha Ghosh murder case was today held guilty in another case of killing a cab driver by a Delhi court.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav convicted Ravi Kapoor, who was earlier this week awarded death sentence for killing 28-year-old IT executive Jigisha, and another accused, Ajay Kumar, of kidnapping and killing cab driver Mohd Nadeem in January 2009.

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The court also held two other accused - Aarif and Ajay Sethi - guilty of the offence under section 413 (habitually dealing in stolen property) of the IPC.

It asked the Delhi government to apprise it about the conduct and scope of rehabilitation of the four convicts and sought a pre-sentence report within four weeks to decide on their quantum of punishment.

The court will hear arguments on sentence on October 1.

According to the prosecution, on January 8, 2009, the police received an information that a dead body with bullet injuries was found in a forest area near Vasant Kunj area of South Delhi.

An FIR was lodged at Vasant Kunj police station against unknown persons under sections 302(murder) and 201(destruction of evidence) of the IPC.

On March 23, 2009 when Kapoor was arrested in another murder case, he disclosed his involvement in Nadeems killing.

At Kapoors instance, three other accused were arrested for killing Nadeem, who was kidnapped in his Tavera car and shot dead by the accused. A charge sheet was filed on July 1, 2009.

In 2010, the court framed charges under sections 302, 364 (kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) and 397 (robbery, or dacoity, with attempt to cause death or grievous hurt) of the IPC.

Kapoor, along with another convict, was awarded death penalty on August 22 for killing Jigisha, by a court which had observed that the murder was committed in a "cold-blooded, inhuman and cruel manner" and victim was "brutally mauled to death".

Kapoor and three others are also facing trial for allegedly killing journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008. PTI AG SKV ARC

--- ENDS ---
- Joachim Chinakwe Iroko, who was arraigned and remanded for naming his dog 'Buhari', has spoken out over the incident

- Iroko also revealed his experience in prison and the lessons he had learnt from his arrest and detention

- He further gave a reason he named his dog after the president and said he has other dogs with notable names

Just after his release from prison, Joachim Chinakwe Iroko, the man who named his dog Buhari, has revealed that he does not hate President Muhammadu Buhari.

He, in fact, said the president was his mentor and that he had other dogs named after other prominent leaders of the world.

Iroko, the man who named his dog Buhari

Iroko, a 40-year-old native of Delta state, was arraigned at the Ota Magistrates Court, for conduct likely to cause breach of peace and remanded in Ibara Prisons in Abeokuta, Ogun state.

The incident led to serious criticism against the Nigerian law enforcement agencies as well as the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

However, the presidency released a statement on Thursday, August 26, 2016 saying Buhari did not order Iroko's arrest over what it termed a laughing matter.

Vanguard reports that after his release from prison, Iroko said he had learnt a lot of lessons.

READ ALSO: Dog named Buhari: See 8 other animals named after famous people

"I am so happy. It is a joy to me. I have missed my family; that was most painful.

"Prison is a place to experienced in ones life. It is like a rehabilitation home: you learn many things there and there are many people you may not have the opportunity to talk to.

"But in prison, you will sit down with them and discuss. There are many things you take for granted, but when you go to prison you know there is law.

"The only thing I am regretting about my coming to prison is the intimidation from the Hausa community. Going to prison is a golden moment for me," he said.

Continuing, he said: "As a matter of fact, they misunderstood me. I have three dogs: one bears Obama, one bears Joe, an abbreviation of my name. The third is named Buhari.

READ ALSO: Foreign media tag arrest of man in Buhari dog saga 'weird'

"I named these dogs after my role models. My late dog was named after Nelson Mandela. I dont just give any name to my dogs.

"I give reputable names to my dogs. It is love I have for Buhari; he is my role model.

"Buhari is not the President of the North. He is the President of Nigeria. I see no reason why Northerners should intimidate me: Nigeria is one.

"I see no reason why they will be intimidating me. It is my right to name my dog any name.

"Thank God, I have regained my freedom. The most painful thing is the way they treated my dog. I am not happy that they killed my dog, while I was in detention.

"It is my dog, it is my pet. I love my dogs. They have no right to kill my dog.

READ ALSO: Fast all in one -- UC Browser

"Nigerians should know that there are other dogs in other areas that bear Jack as name. Why is Buhari so special. It is a name that has been existing for several years."

Source: Legit.ng
By Hardeep Dugal: 1. DEEPIKA PADUKONE:

According to the India Today/CVoter Mood of the Nation survey, Deepika Padukone has topped the charts as Bollywood's most popular actress. After a critically acclaimed performance in Imtiaz Ali's Tamasha last year, the leggy lass has now become the highest paid actress in the country and is on the 10th spot in the Forbes List of highest paid actresses. This, after striking a deal for Rs 12 crore with Sanjay Leela Bhansali's upcoming period drama Padmavati. Deepika's first Hollywood project xXx Return of Xander Cage, where she is sharing screen space with Vin Diesel, too is set to release in January next year. Her popularity also soared due to a Nike commercial that went viral as DaDaDing where she was seen encouraging female athletes in the country. Last but not the least, it's Deepika's love affair with Ranveer Singh that makes most heads turn. Known as Bollywood's hottest lovebirds, the paparazzi just refuses to let them be.

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ALSO READ: Salman Khan beats Shah Rukh Khan, Amitabh Bachchan to be Bollywood's most popular actor



2. PRIYANKA CHOPRA:

At number two is our very own Desi Girl Priyanka Chopra who is riding high on the success of her American TV series. The actress has been in USA for more than a month now, shooting for Season 2 of Quantico. Priyanka is awaiting the release of her first Hollywood project Baywatch, scheduled for May 2017, where she will be seen alongside Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. The actress showed her sense of humour by sportingly taking a joke on her American accent made by AIB member Tanmay Bhatt on Twitter last month.

3. ANUSHKA SHARMA:

Band Baaja Baaraat actor Anushka Sharma is next on the list. Having won rave reviews for her performance in this year's biggest blockbuster Sultan, the actress has many plum projects ready for release including Karan Johar's Ae Dil Hai Mushkil that will hit the screens on Diwali this year. The actress grabbed headlines for having allegedly patched up with lover Virat Kohli and was seen cheering Team India in the Caribbean. More recently, Anushka is in the news for bagging Imtiaz Ali's next The Ring where she will be seen opposite Shah Rukh Khan in the movie. The duo is currently shooting in Prague.

3. KATRINA KAIF:

Tied with Anushka for the No. 3 spot is Katrina Kaif. After her much-talked-about break-up with Ranbir Kapoor, the actress is back with a bang and is sure looking like a million bucks for her upcoming release Baar Baar Dekho scheduled for release on September 9. Her abs post the release of the song 'Kala Chashma' have been the talk of almost every town in India. The actress also recently debuted on Facebook and even posted a video of her new house on her birthday last month. Latest Instagram posts of the Dream Team touring USA too have garnered much attention.

4. KAREENA KAPOOR KHAN:

At number four is mommy-to-be Kareena Kapoor Khan. Though out of action on the movies front after this year's Ki & Ka, the Chameli actor is taking the fashion world by storm, creating trends for pregnant women to follow. A recent picture with husband Saif Ali Khan and sister Karisma Kapoor celebrating Saif's birthday went viral where people just couldn't stop talking about Kareena's drop-dead-gorgeous looks. The Pataudi Bahu will soon begin shooting for Rhea Kapoor's next Veere Di Wedding.

5. SONAM KAPOOR:

Last but not the least, at number 5 is Bollywood's very own fashionista Sonam Kapoor. She won rave reviews for the portrayal of a courageous flight attendant in Neerja, which is among the highest grossing Bollywood films featuring a female protagonist. Apart from that, her style is something that every girl in India swears by. Whether it is a red carpet event or a casual evening, Sonam slays it every single time with her fashion sense! Sonam has also recently been roped in to be Goodwill Ambassador for Fight Hunger Foundation, an NGO to fight malnutrition. She will next be seen in sister Rhea Kapoor's chic flick Veere Di Wedding.



--- ENDS ---

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- Government officials managing IDP camps and group leaders called 'Lords' are allegedly involved in a massive child trafficking scam in IDPs, so says Orodata Science

- Orodata says both male and female children are sold before between 10,000 and 100,000 by the traffickers

- It says parents are forced to keep quiet through threats that they would be kicked out of camp into the wastelands left behind by the war on Boko Haram

Cross-section of displaced persons at Bama Hospital camp in Borno. Photo: BBC

Government officials managing IDP camps have been accused of participating in an ongoing child trafficking scam in the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps.

READ ALSO: Deaths of poor citizens on the rise in Abuja, Nasarawa

According to information posted to its official Twitter handle on Thursday, August 25, an organisation called Orodata Science claimed that there was evidence that government officials and leaders of groups operate an elaborate system through which they smuggle children out of IDP camps to make money.

Orodata, which describes itself as a Civic Tech Org. using visual data to track resources, disaster, conflicts, facilitate processes, predict outcomes, foster accountability & citizen engagement, says its information comes from International Centre for Investigative Reporting (ICIR), an independent, nonprofit news agency that seeks to promote transparency and accountability.

According to Orodata, officials and group leaders allegedly abduct children (male and female) between the ages of 5 and 15 years old and sell them for between 10,000 and 100,000.

READ ALSO: Fast all in one -- UC Browser

It reports that the trade thrives because the IDPs are scared into silence by officials with threats of being kicked out of the camps.

Orodata's infographics showing breakdown of child trafficking system in IDP camps

Although the organisation did not disclose in which IDP camps this dastardly act is taking place, it says it is a hushed affair that even the National Agency for the Prohibition of Traffic in Persons (NAPTIP) is not aware of it.

Replying to a Twitter follower who asked if the organisation could back up its report, Orodata said: Yes, Anna, we have more infographics on this topic. We have the 'where' and also looking into the numbers.

The organisation however notes with sadness that the matter is a very contentious one that it is worried might not be properly addressed.

More to be published on the issue of IDPs Child Trafficking. Its an issue that many are not willing to touch with a long pole, it tweeted.

Meanwhile, hundreds of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) barricaded highways in Maiduguri, the Borno state capital, on Thursday, August 25, to protest against hunger and thirst in their various camps have suspended their protest.

The decision of the IDP to call off their protest came after the government disbanded its committee responsible for feeding the protesters.

Source: Legit.ng
By Tanseem Haider: Delhi Police, has unearthed a police recruitment scam and arrested four persons including three constables. The accused has been identified as Ashok Kumar, Vijay Kumar, Vinod Chhikara and Mohit.

The incident came to light after Amit Kumar filed a complaint with the crime branch regarding a gang that was active in recruitment in Delhi Police, Railway Police, Railway Group-D and in SSC. Kumar told the police that the gang took Rs 12 lakh from 10 candidates for recruitment in Delhi Police in 2012.

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The gang reportedly charged Rs four lakh for recruitment to group-d service in railways and Rs seven lakh per candidate in for recruitment in railway police.



FAKE DOCUMENTS PRODUCED

According to the police, the gang also arranged fake mark sheets, fake driving licenses and other fake documents required for the recruitment. The complainant alleged that some of the candidate of his native village were selected in Delhi Police in 2012 and 2013 by using fake mark sheets and with the help of the persons who solved the papers for them.

On August 10, Delhi police constables Ashok, Vijay and Vinod Chhikara were arrested. Mohit was arrested after the trio revealed details about his involvement. Mohit is working in a biometric company named IBIOS Private Limited.

During investigation, it was found that accused Vijay, Ashok and Vinod were recruited in Delhi police on the basis of forged and fake documents. Accused Vinod disclosed that Mohit was working in the biometric company that was involved in the recruitment process. He had provided them stamp and hand bands for appearing in the examination without getting their finger print scanned.



WIDE NETWORK OF SCAMSTERS



Accused Vinod admitted that he had solved question paper of another person. Vinod said that Rakesh from Haryana had provided him the fake certificates and two persons identified as Soni and Swami from Narnaul had solved the question paper for him for the exam.

Accused persons Ashok and Vijay were selected in Delhi police in the year 2012 with the help of fake and forged documents. Vinod the mastermind of the recruitment scam was also selected in Delhi police in 2010 with the help of fake and forged documents.

Vinod too provided question paper solver to accused Ashok and Vijay in their written examination. Investigation to find out more members of the racket and those recruited under the scam is underway.

Also read:

High-tech scam in HP police recruitment exam; 6 arrested



--- ENDS ---
- Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, the new leader of Boko Haram as announced by ISIS, is said to be the son of Boko Haram founder, Mohammed Yusuf

- Al-Barnawi was born Habib Yusuf and he is 22-year-old

- His father died in police custody following a 2009 military crackdown on the sect in the northeast, Maiduguri

New details have emerged about Abu Musab Al-Barnawi, newly appointed leader of terrorist group Boko Haram.

Recall that Islamic state (ISIS) militant group had early in August, appointed Al-Barnawi as the head of Boko Haram, a decision which was vehemently rejected by long-time chief Abubakar Shekau.

Shekau released a video insisting he was in charge and vowing to fight on.

But according to a report on MSN, Al-Barnawi appointment as the new leader of Boko Haram didnt occur following his long allegiance to the group as former spokesman, but due to family ties.

READ ALSO: Fast all in one - UC Browser

It was gathered that Barnawi, born Habib Yusuf, is the 22-year-old son of Boko Haram's founder Mohammed Yusuf.

In a Boko Haram video from January 2015, Abu Musab al-Barnawi was described as the group's spokesman

His father died in police custody following a 2009 military crackdown on the sect in the northeast, Maiduguri, that spurred the group to take up arms against the Nigerian government.

"Abu Musab al-Barnawi is the son of late Mohammed Yusuf," tweeted Ahmad Salkida, a Nigerian journalist who is said to have close ties with the insurgents.

"He is the first surviving son," confirmed Fulan Nasrullah, a conflict researcher based in Nigeria, also in a Twitter post.

It was gathered that even Shekau had taken Barnawi as his son when he was still a teenager, and gave him a new Arabic name meaning "the man from Borno".

Abubakar Shekau embattled leader of Boko Haram

Barnawi was "like a younger brother or son to Shekau", Nasrullah said, describing him as one of the chief's two trusted right-hand men.

Barnawi made his first public appearance in a January 2015 video claiming responsibility for a Boko Haram attack in the northeastern town of Baga, where many civilians were massacred.

But with the military claiming that Shekau had been wounded in an air strike on Boko Haram's forest stronghold, Barnawi may be looking to step into the shoes of his mentor.

Boko Haram has killed an estimated 20,000 people, prompted 2.6 million to flee their homes, and kidnapped thousands of people, including hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in the northern state of Borno.

Source: Legit.ng
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) In a shocking incident, two minor sisters, who were forced to live in a dark, locked room devoid of ventilation in outer Delhis Samaypur Badli area after being deserted by their drunkard father, were rescued with deep wounds due to maggot infection, police said today.

The two girls, aged eight and three years, were left alone in their rented house at Radha Vihar of Nepali Colony, allegedly by their drunkard father on August 17, they said.

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After a foul smell started emanating from the house, neighbours made a PCR call on August 19 and the two girls were rescued from the house. They were infected with maggots and had skin infection, police said.

The room had no ventilation and it was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The girls had also not eaten for days and were on the verge of death when they were rescued, a police official said.

They were admitted to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital and are currently out of danger, police said.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal met the girls and said the womens panel will take care of them.

"Met 2 little girls abandoned by parents. Hv deep wounds infested with maggot, were stinking. Such a shame. Parents shud b punished for this. DCW to ensure there upkeep. DCW counselors attending to girl. Spoke to @SandeepKumar ji n he has assured admission in residential school," she said in a series of tweets.

"Police have registered a case under sections 317 IPC (abandonment of child under 12 years by parents or guardian) and 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. Once the girls are in better condition, we will produce them before CWC," said DCP (Outer) Vikramjeet Singh.

Police teams have been formed to trace the parents.

The girls father, Bunty, from Uttar Pradesh, used to work as a labourer and spend all his earnings on alcohol. His is currently unemployed.

Locals told police that Bunty had married Jyoti who left him for another man a couple of months ago and took their five-year-old son with her. There were fights between the couple frequently and Bunty would often beat his wife. He used to scold the two girls after Jyoti left.

Bunty had deserted his mother who currently works as a maid in houses around Tis Hazari Subzi Mandi and stays at a night shelter. When the police contacted her and asked to take responsibility of the two girls, she cited her inability to do so.

Monetary help has been pouring in for the two girls. However, police is currently looking after the girls on its own, police said. PTI SLB VIT NSD ZMN NSD

--- ENDS ---

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- A government official working with Governor Seriake Dickson is reported to have fled with governors $4.6million (equivalent of 1.84billion at N400/$1 exchange rate)

- Suspect is said to be an accountant in Bayelsa Government House

- Police clamps down on run-away resident

Men of the Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) in Bayelsa state on Tuesday, August 23 ransacked the private home of a Bayelsa government official who happens to be the State Government House Accountant.

READ ALSO: Amidst security concerns, Commissioner says Bayelsa is very safe

The man in the picture is Richard Etonye.

The secret raid by the security operatives was carried out for at least two hours.

Richard Etonye, Bayelsa Government House accountant who was alleged to have absconded with Governor Seriake Dickson's N1.84billiom

The residence is situated along Brass Road was reportedly ransacked based on directives from Governor Seriake Dickson, the Bayelsa state governor, after Etonye allegedly fled with the Bayelsa state governors money said to be $4.6m.

Governor Dickson was reported to have given the said amount to the accountant to keep in his safe keep only some days before the mans home was descended upon on Tuesday, August 23.

READ ALSO: Inside Bayelsa, heartbeat of the Niger Delta

The alleged thief was popularly called Ritchie, and he is said to be Governor Dicksons first cousin.

A security source close to Government House, Yenagoa, briefly narrated that the Bayelsa state governor gave the money to his first cousin shortly before travelling to Akure, the Ondo state capital to supervise the PDP governorship primary which held on Monday, August 22.

The security source stated: The money was given to him by Oga before we left for Ondo State but by the time we returned, the accountant was nowhere to be found and his lines switched off.

Even his wife was not at home and after waiting for over twelve hours, the governor ordered that his private residence be searched by the police to see whether or not he kept the money there. Right now, we are looking from him because he has evacuated his family from the official quarters in Government House.

Currently, Bayelsa is an indebted state because it is one of the several states in Nigeria that failed to apply the elementary economic theories of scale of preference and opportunity cost, to solve its economic challenges.

Source: Legit.ng
DGCA may soon ask airlines to strictly enforce a ban on taking pictures inside cockpit and at other critical places.

By PTI: If you are someone who cannot live without taking a selfie where ever you go, be careful next time you are on a flight. Because the aviation regulator is all set to ban clicking any selfies while inside the aircraft.

DGCA regulator may soon ask airlines to strictly enforce a ban on taking pictures inside cockpit and at other critical places, including by crew members.



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While existing rules also put some restrictions on in-flight photography, the regulator will come out with a detailed set of guidelines in a few days in the wake of certain cases coming to the light about possible security risks from clicking cockpit selfies.

READ: WATCH: How IndiGo passenger, who was off loaded in Mumbai, misbehaved in flight



With increased use of smart devices, there have been many instances of travellers as well as crew members, including pilots, clicking photographs inside flights.

Against this backdrop, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is working on guidelines for airlines that would cover various aspects of photography inside an aircraft including selfies.

READ: Selfie service: This Russian girl is risking her life to take dangerous selfies

CIRCULAR TO BE ROLLED OUT SOON



A senior DGCA official today said the regulator would be soon coming with a circular in this regard, mostly likely next week.

"It will be a safety circular for providing guidance to airlines," the official said, even as he made it clear that there are already rules in place for "photograph at aerodromes or from aircraft in flight".

According to the official, the circular would cover issues such as whether photography is permitted in cockpit including selfies.

The aspects like at what stage of a flight can ground photography be permitted might also included in the circular, he added.

Recently, six pilots of IndiGo came under the scanner of DGCA for allegedly taking pictures in the cockpit with family members.

Under the Aircraft Rules, 1937, photography from an aircraft in flight is prohibited unless there is prior permission from authorities concerned.

Also Read:

Action against pilots in 28 cases this year, says government



Two Indigo planes in near-miss over Guwahati, six injured

Tamil Nadu: Yet another selfie death as class 12 boy falls into 120-foot well

Die another day: Tourism ministry tells states to mark selfie danger zones



--- ENDS ---
Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, the acting director on the army public relations, has disclosed the purposes of the exercise code-named Crocodile Smile in Niger Delta region.

Logistics build up-vehicles

Logistics build up-uniforms

More logistics

In a statement he relased on Friday, August 26, he wrote: "Exercise Crocodile is not about guns and boats only. There is humanitarian aspect too.

READ ALSO: Cameroon set to execute 109 people over links with Boko Haram

More vehicles

Fitting more logistics

More logistics

The military training exercise embarked upon by the Nigerian army to train its special forces, formations and units located in the south-south geo-political zone of the country, has commenced in earnest.

More logistics

Uploading equipment

Free medical outreach in Sapele

Recall that we have shown you the massing up of the troops yesterday, today, we are showing you photographs of the logistics build up and most importantly, the human side of the exercise; ongoing free medical outreach for Sapele communities in Delta state.

READ ALSO: Chibok girls: Presidency discloses rescue mission

A doctor attending to patients free of charge

Free medical outreach in Sapele

Medical outreach in support of exercise crocodile smile

Here, the Nigerian Army Medical Corps have fully deployed attending to medical needs of the communities free of charge."

A doctor examinin a woman in Sapele

Recall that the exercise was launched about a month ago, soldiers are practice in amphibious and internal security operations in riverine environment.

Free medical outreach in Sapele

A dentist examining a man's oral cavity

Free medical outreach in Sapele

They also also check criminal activities like kidnapping, militancy and piracy and other forms of criminal activities. The general public was asked not to panic on the sight of unusual movement of large number of troops, heavy military weapons and equipment in these areas.

Earlier today Legit.ng has published more photos from the training.

Source: Legit.ng
I had just been to London, Antwerp, and the north of England to visit my best friends. Now, because of Icelandairs cheap tickets and tourism push, I had a twenty-four hour layover in Iceland on the way back to New York. There had been something about the idea of Iceland that seemed wild and exciting to me when I was booking the tickets, and currently, as I walked down the stairs of the plane onto the wind and snow swept tarmac, surrounded by a wild moss-colored rocky desert, I found Iceland to be, visually, the other-planet country of my fantasies.

After two and a half weeks of being with people constantly I was looking forward to some time alone to just wander and decompress.

There was one catch: I was out of money.

I had booked an Airbnb in advance anticipating this possibility. The limited budget plan was to spend all my time in Reykjavik instead of renting a car to explore the countryside. I also had this great goal of only spending the 28 euros I had left on my currency passport card.

That goal met its death immediately when the bus ticket from the airport to the city was $32 round trip. I quickly realized that Icelandic currency and prices were trippy to my dollar-oriented sensibilities.

Anything substantial was priced in the 1,000s of Krona. Unlike the Mexican Peso, which can also land price tags in the 1,000s but still only translate to four dollars, 3,000 Krona is around 25 dollars. Despite having to break out the U.S. credit card just to get a bus ticket, I was determined to spend as little as possible while actually experiencing and enjoying Reykjavik. Here is my food journal of 24 hours.

1. Reykjavik Airport: Banana, bottle of water and free spoon (as I had some coconut milk yogurt from London in my suitcase) = ISK 1350/ USD 11.03

I hadnt eaten since breakfast that morning so I devoured this little snack the minute I could get the yogurt out of my suitcase.

2. Slippbarinn at the Reykjavik Marina Icelandair Hotel: Fish in a Pan, a glass of rose, Almond Sour = ISK 6710/ USD 54.82

This great bar/restaurant was one of my Airbnb hosts suggestions of affordable but tasty food. She said this was a place younger people went, and it was right on the harbor. I didnt start out to find dinner until around 8 p.m., which turned out to be perfect as the sun didnt start setting until 10 p.m. I set off by myself to find adventure or at least some hot fish and a rose.

Hot fish, cauliflower, potatoes and kale in a bed of cauliflower based sauce topped with mustard and parsley was exactly what I found, along with a fantastic glass of Spanish rose. The bar turned out to be in a hotel, the next day happened to be a national religious/bank holiday, cocktails were 30 percent off and everyone was out. Two women in their forties on a girls night sat next to me at the bar. One was having an odd conversation with the bartender regarding the ingredients of Kahlua and revealed she had a wheat allergy.

The allergy/Kahlua dilemma pulled me into conversation with the women. Suddenly I was the third girl. As my new friends were telling me about growing up in Iceland, moving away, and then moving back and raising kids here, a young businessman walked in, made eye contact with me and eventually made his way to the seat next to me. We ignored each other for a polite amount of time, and then he eventually asked me how the fish was, I asked him where he was from (Copenhagen), and I found myself in the ideal situation of having a girls night out and a date all in one.

The women were working their way down the list of cocktails which required items like dry ice, a blow torch and an actual saw to prepare. I tried the bars version of a whiskey sour; I appreciated the almond note. My date had a solidly perfect old fashioned. The sun set and the people watching got better by the hour. After great conversation peppered with sufficient will we/wont we flirtation, my businessman friend excused himself around midnight as he had a 6 a.m. flight, kissed my cheek, added me on social media, and went upstairs to bed. My new girlfriends and I suddenly realized we had never exchanged names. I will never be able to repeat or recall theirs correctly as Icelandic has approximately twenty character per word, over half being consonants.

I finally closed my tab, did the round of hugs, was assured I was perfectly safe to walk home.

And I was. I took my time, got lost, found a monument to civil disobedience which I photographed in the dark, and decided I liked Icelandic people. Music from the clubs pounded through the clear air. It was cold, but enjoyable cold, still, clean cold: first nine hours in Iceland down and perfect.

3. Eldur and Is: gluten free/vegan crepe, almond milk cappuccino, chai tea ) = ISK 3062/ USD 25.85



I had passed a crepe place on the way to dinner the night before that advertised having gluten free and vegan options. So I rolled out of bed the next morning, walked down the street, and found myself with an almond milk cappuccino and a gluten free/vegan crepe topped with vegan dark chocolate sauce and mixed berries. I was thrilled, just not with the price. But I still got a chai tea to go. Traveling with food allergies is pricey. Correction, living with food allergies is pricey. Service was super lovely though.

4. Reykjavik Indoor Thermal Pool: entrance fee =ISK 900/ USD 7.35

This isnt food, but its the only other thing I spent my money on, and I would have skipped a meal for this experience. My landlady talked up the steam baths the minute I arrived at the apartment. There were two baths in the city she recommended, one on the east side close to where I was staying, more local and basic, with the pool indoors and the hot tubs on the roof, and one on the west which was considered a bit nicer with everything outdoors. I wanted to experience the local one, and it was by a church and huge statue of Leif Erikson that I thought I might as well see.

A holiday mass was ending at the church; there were only a few people at the pool, mostly families with little children and a couple tourists from Spain. Submerged neck-deep in steaming hot mineral water, your face dusted with occasional snowflakes, on a roof above a tiny city, in relative quiet apart from the sound of muted chatting and a baby laughing  this is the best decompression for muscle or mind someone could dream up: fire and ice I guess.

5. Reykjavik Airport: sushi box, green smoothie, little bottle of birch liquor, bar of chocolate = ISK 3505/ USD 28.63

I waited to get lunch at the airport simply because of time, and then didnt end up with as much time as I expected to have. I grabbed sushi (the only gluten free boxed meal option) and a bottled green smoothie just before boarding the plane. For good measure, I threw in a little bottle of birch liquor and a bar of Icelandic dark chocolate.

The Reykjavik airport looks like an Ikea and has a non-threatening layout. The bathroom stalls are full rooms, bigger than the bathroom in my apartment in New York. The in-stall space age sinks (read Danish design age) have water faucets that are also hand dryers  Icelandic people care about comfort and individuality. Its an otherworldly, beautiful, expensive country with a tiny population, but its very human.

The sushi was good: fresh. I was happy to have the chocolate later in the flight. The birch liquor was terrible.

And then I flew over the North Pole.

Total spent in Iceland over 24 hours = USD 159.68
A study conducted by a team of specialists at Alfred Lettner suggests that Gold and Platinum may have bullish news for the stock market.

Contact

Alfred Lettner

info@alfredlettner.com Alfred Lettner

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-- The stock market's intermediate-term prospects are brighter today than at almost any other point in the last five years.That is the surprising conclusion of a new stock-market indicator that advisors at Alfred Lettner, the independent, family-owned financial advisory company in Austria, have found to have a better track record than nearly all of the many others they have studied.Even more surprising: This new indicator is based on the prices of gold and platinum. That seems an unusual source for guidance about equities, since most people consider the precious metals to be largely uncorrelated with the stock marketif not negatively correlated. After all, that's why gold and platinum are considered by so many to be a good investment for those looking to diversify their equity portfolios.Yet, according to a study led by John Alexander, a Senior Investment Manager at Alfred Lettner, the ratio of gold's price to platinum's has beenat least over the 40-plus years since gold began freely trading in the U.S.impressively correlated with the stock market's subsequent performance, as measured by broad indexes like the Wilshire 5000. Furthermore, when he tested this ratio's track record against numerous other indicators that prior research had found to have value, the ratio came out ahead of nearly all of them.John Alexander said, "First and foremost, please note that I have been focusing on the ratio of gold to platinum, not the price of either metal individually. The ratio responds to changes in their relative performance, and the ratio will go up even when gold is decliningprovided platinum falls even further.""This latter possibility often turns out to be the case during equity bear markets," Alexander explained. "And that's one big reason why the ratio has such a good track record: It calls for relatively high equity exposure levels at equity bear-market bottoms."Why does the ratio rise during stock bear markets and fall during bull markets? John Alexander explained that during economic good times, both gold and platinum react to more or less the same factorsjewelry and industrial demandand, as a result, the ratio of the two metals' prices will be relatively low.Alexander continued, "During economic downturns, in contrast, gold's decline is cushioned in ways that platinum's is notby investors who view gold (but not platinum) as a disaster hedge. Therefore, the ratio will tend to rise during economic bad times."In any case, notice from the gold-platinum ratio today, though lower than a couple of months ago, is higher than at most other points of the last five years. That's why the ratio's current message is as upbeat as it is.David Perry, who assisted Mr. Alexander during the study, said "To be sure, a number of qualifications are in order. First, as John emphasized to me, no one should base their entire equity strategy on just one indicator, even one with as good a record as the gold-platinum ratio.""Secondly," Perry added, "because the ratio's greatest explanatory power comes at the one-year to two-year horizon, the ratio could end up being correct in its current relative bullishness even if the stock market undergoes a serious decline in coming months."Nevertheless, given the bearish message of other longer-term indicators, it's comforting to know that at least one is singing a different tune.Alfred Lettner, established in 2005 and with offices in Austria, Hong Kong and China caters to private and corporate clients all over the world. More information can be found at http://www.alfredlettner.com/
Motel One would like to settle down on the hotel market of the Tyrolean state capital Innsbruck. Alone  the hotel industry of Innsbruck is not at all pleased. When the plans of the German hotel chain, to erect a hotel with 297 rooms and 600 beds at the central

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Kungsleden AB has signed leases with three tenants in Vasteras, totaling approximately 5,400 sqm. The largest lease is 3.031 sqm to the Migration Agency in the properties Ottar 5 and Ottar 6 in Kungsledens cluster Vasteras City. Vasteras is Sweden's fifth largest city and an important growth and logistics area

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NREP Nordic Strategies Fund II, the real estate fund advised by NREP, is investing in new efficient apartments in Helsinki, Espoo and Jyvaskyla, addressing the continued growing demand for apartments suitable for one or two person households. The combined portfolio totals more than 600 apartments. The apartment design has been

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The poster of Emraan Hashmi's first home production Captain Nawab bears a striking resemblance to the Call of Duty: Black Ops poster.

(L to R) Emraan Hashmi in the poster of Captain Nawab, the poster of Call of Duty: Black Ops

By India Today Web Desk: Emraan Hashmi shared the poster of his first home production Captain Nawab on Friday (August 26). The film which in all likelihood will be a military-terrorism drama given that Emraan is seen with both the Indian and Pakistani flags in the background. The film is being directed by Tony D'Souza, best known as the director of Akshay Kumar-starrers Blue and Boss.



And here it is, my first home production movie !!... pic.twitter.com/LGm8YZgaii emraan hashmi (@emraanhashmi) August 26, 2016

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Interestingly, Hashmi is seen wearing a military uniform, half of which is the Pakistani uniform with the other half being the Indian military garb.

But, if you are a gamer, serious or casual, you might get a sense of deja vu, looking at the poster. That's because the Captain Nawab poster looks very, very similar to the poster of the popular first-person shooter video game Call of Duty: Black Ops.

Call o f Duty: Black Ops, released in 2010, is a highly popular video game and of the best-selling games of all time.

Look at the two posters and decide for yourself.

(L to R) Emraan Hashmi in the poster of Captain Nawab, the poster of Call of Duty: Black Ops

So, is this resemblance coincidental or is this deliberate copying which can be masked as 'inspiration'? The makers of Captain Nawab will know.

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The Cheshire East Planning Authority has unanimously approved the application for the new 19.3 m (16.5m) SKA Global Headquarters at Jodrell Bank. A major extension of the current facilities, the building will provide research and office space for the SKA organisation as it leads the international effort to build and

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Based on the R15 V3, the MT15 is a street motorcycle, which was launched last year in India.

Around nine months after its debut in India, Yamaha MT15 has been launched in its BS6 avatar. Already one of the popular and bestselling bikes in Yamahas portfolio, MT15 BS6 variant is expected to boost sales further. It may be recalled that Yamaha MT15 had achieved the 15K sales milestone in August last year.

The updated bike also gets a new colour option, Ice-fluo vermillion, in addition to existing metallic black and dark matt blue colours. While the earlier colour options are available at Rs 138,900 (ex-showroom, Delhi), customers choosing the new Ice-fluo vermillion colour will have to shell out Rs 500 more. The new colour is probably the most flamboyant of the three, as it comes in a visually appealing contrast of light grey metallic, black and orange.

BS6 upgrade has made Yamaha MT15 around 4k costlier in comparison to its BS4 variant. As of now, both variants are on sale. Customers can decide if they want to go for the cheaper BS4 variant or choose the future-ready BS6 version. BS4 MT15 will be on sale till stocks last up to March 31, after which BS6 emissions norms will come into play. Yamaha has also updated its other two-wheelers to BS6 in recent months.

Yamaha MT15 BS6 is powered by a fuel injected, liquid cooled 155cc engine that generates max power of 18.5 PS at 10,000 rpm and max torque of 13.9 Nm at 8,500 rpm. Engine is mated to a 6-speed, constant mesh transmission. It is worth noting that both power and torque output of BS6 MT15 is slightly lower than the BS4 variant. However, this is not very surprising, as most other bikes that have been upgraded to BS6 have had to sacrifice some of their power and torque output.

Apart from the BS6 upgrade and new colour option, Yamaha has not introduced any other major change in 2020 MT15. The bike comes with features such as Bi-functional LED headlight and LED position light, USB charger (optional), side stand with automatic engine cut off feature, 140 mm wide rear tyres, raised LED tail light, negative LCD instrument cluster with gear shift indicator, and single channel ABS.

Just like its predecessor, BS6 MT15 utilizes a Deltabox frame that sits on telescopic front forks and linked-type mono suspension at the rear. Braking duties are performed by 282 mm discs at the front and 220 mm discs at the rear. Other features that have been continued from the BS4 model include Variable Valve Actuation (VVA) and Assist & Slipper Clutch (ASC).
The NSA Is Hoarding Vulnerabilities

The National Security Agency is lying to us. We know that because data stolen from an NSA server was dumped on the Internet. The agency is hoarding information about security vulnerabilities in the products you use, because it wants to use it to hack others computers. Those vulnerabilities arent being reported, and arent getting fixed, making your computers and networks unsafe.

On August 13, a group calling itself the Shadow Brokers released 300 megabytes of NSA cyberweapon code on the Internet. Near as we experts can tell, the NSA network itself wasnt hacked; what probably happened was that a staging server for NSA cyberweaponsthat is, a server the NSA was making use of to mask its surveillance activitieswas hacked in 2013.

The NSA inadvertently resecured itself in what was coincidentally the early weeks of the Snowden document release. The people behind the link used casual hacker lingo, and made a weird, implausible proposal involving holding a bitcoin auction for the rest of the data: !!! Attention government sponsors of cyber warfare and those who profit from it !!!! How much you pay for enemies cyber weapons?

Still, most people believe the hack was the work of the Russian government and the data release some sort of political message. Perhaps it was a warning that if the US government exposes the Russians as being behind the hack of the Democratic National Committeeor other high-profile data breachesthe Russians will expose NSA exploits in turn.

But what I want to talk about is the data. The sophisticated cyberweapons in the data dump include vulnerabilities and exploit code that can be deployed against common Internet security systems. Products targeted include those made by Cisco, Fortinet, TOPSEC, Watchguard, and Junipersystems that are used by both private and government organizations around the world. Some of these vulnerabilities have been independently discovered and fixed since 2013, and some had remained unknown until now.

All of them are examples of the NSAdespite what it and other representatives of the US government sayprioritizing its ability to conduct surveillance over our security. Heres one example. Security researcher Mustafa al-Bassam found an attack tool codenamed BENIGHCERTAIN that tricks certain Cisco firewalls into exposing some of their memory, including their authentication passwords. Those passwords can then be used to decrypt virtual private network, or VPN, traffic, completely bypassing the firewalls security. Cisco hasnt sold these firewalls since 2009, but theyre still in use today.

Vulnerabilities like that one could have, and should have, been fixed years ago. And they would have been, if the NSA had made good on its word to alert American companies and organizations when it had identified security holes.

Over the past few years, different parts of the US government have repeatedly assured us that the NSA does not hoard zero days  the term used by security experts for vulnerabilities unknown to software vendors. After we learned from the Snowden documents that the NSA purchases zero-day vulnerabilities from cyberweapons arms manufacturers, the Obama administration announced, in early 2014, that the NSA must disclose flaws in common software so they can be patched (unless there is a clear national security or law enforcement use).

Later that year, National Security Council cybersecurity coordinator and special adviser to the president on cybersecurity issues Michael Daniel insisted that US doesnt stockpile zero-days (except for the same narrow exemption). An official statement from the White House in 2014 said the same thing.

The Shadow Brokers data shows this is not true. The NSA hoards vulnerabilities.

Hoarding zero-day vulnerabilities is a bad idea. It means that were all less secure. When Edward Snowden exposed many of the NSAs surveillance programs, there was considerable discussion about what the agency does with vulnerabilities in common software products that it finds. Inside the US government, the system of figuring out what to do with individual vulnerabilities is called the Vulnerabilities Equities Process (VEP). Its an inter-agency process, and its complicated.

There is a fundamental tension between attack and defense. The NSA can keep the vulnerability secret and use it to attack other networks. In such a case, we are all at risk of someone else finding and using the same vulnerability. Alternatively, the NSA can disclose the vulnerability to the product vendor and see it gets fixed. In this case, we are all secure against whoever might be using the vulnerability, but the NSA cant use it to attack other systems.

There are probably some overly pedantic word games going on. Last year, the NSA said that it discloses 91 percent of the vulnerabilities it finds. Leaving aside the question of whether that remaining 9 percent represents 1, 10, or 1,000 vulnerabilities, theres the bigger question of what qualifies in the NSAs eyes as a vulnerability.

Not all vulnerabilities can be turned into exploit code. The NSA loses no attack capabilities by disclosing the vulnerabilities it cant use, and doing so gets its numbers up; its good PR. The vulnerabilities we care about are the ones in the Shadow Brokers data dump. We care about them because those are the ones whose existence leaves us all vulnerable.

Because everyone uses the same software, hardware, and networking protocols, there is no way to simultaneously secure our systems while attacking their systems  whoever they are. Either everyone is more secure, or everyone is more vulnerable.

Pretty much uniformly, security experts believe we ought to disclose and fix vulnerabilities. And the NSA continues to say things that appear to reflect that view, too. Recently, the NSA told everyone that it doesnt rely on zero daysvery much, anyway.

Earlier this year at a security conference, Rob Joyce, the head of the NSAs Tailored Access Operations (TAO) organizationbasically the countrys chief hackergave a rare public talk, in which he said that credential stealing is a more fruitful method of attack than are zero days: A lot of people think that nation states are running their operations on zero days, but its not that common. For big corporate networks, persistence and focus will get you in without a zero day; there are so many more vectors that are easier, less risky, and more productive.

The distinction hes referring to is the one between exploiting a technical hole in software and waiting for a human being to, say, get sloppy with a password.

A phrase you often hear in any discussion of the Vulnerabilities Equities Process is NOBUS, which stands for nobody but us. Basically, when the NSA finds a vulnerability, it tries to figure out if it is unique in its ability to find it, or whether someone else could find it, too. If it believes no one else will find the problem, it may decline to make it public. Its an evaluation prone to both hubris and optimism, and many security experts have cast doubt on the very notion that there is some unique American ability to conduct vulnerability research.

The vulnerabilities in the Shadow Brokers data dump are definitely not NOBUS-level. They are run-of-the-mill vulnerabilities that anyoneanother government, cybercriminals, amateur hackerscould discover, as evidenced by the fact that many of them were discovered between 2013, when the data was stolen, and this summer, when it was published. They are vulnerabilities in common systems used by people and companies all over the world.

So what are all these vulnerabilities doing in a secret stash of NSA code that was stolen in 2013? Assuming the Russians were the ones who did the stealing, how many US companies did they hack with these vulnerabilities? This is what the Vulnerabilities Equities Process is designed to prevent, and it has clearly failed.

If there are any vulnerabilities thataccording to the standards established by the White House and the NSAshould have been disclosed and fixed, its these. That they have not been during the three-plus years that the NSA knew about and exploited themdespite Joyces insistence that theyre not very importantdemonstrates that the Vulnerable Equities Process is badly broken.

We need to fix this. This is exactly the sort of thing a congressional investigation is for. This whole process needs a lot more transparency, oversight, and accountability. It needs guiding principles that prioritize security over surveillance. A good place to start are the recommendations by Ari Schwartz and Rob Knake in their report: these include a clearly defined and more public process, more oversight by Congress and other independent bodies, and a strong bias toward fixing vulnerabilities instead of exploiting them.

And as long as Im dreaming, we really need to separate our nations intelligence-gathering mission from our computer security mission: we should break up the NSA. The agencys mission should be limited to nation state espionage. Individual investigation should be part of the FBI, cyberwar capabilities should be within US Cyber Command, and critical infrastructure defense should be part of DHSs mission.

I doubt were going to see any congressional investigations this year, but were going to have to figure this out eventually. In my 2014 book Data and Goliath, I write that no matter what cybercriminals do, no matter what other countries do, we in the US need to err on the side of security by fixing almost all the vulnerabilities we find Our nations cybersecurity is just too important to let the NSA sacrifice it in order to gain a fleeting advantage over a foreign adversary.

This essay previously appeared on Vox.com.

EDITED TO ADD (8/27): The vulnerabilities were seen in the wild within 24 hours, demonstrating how important they were to disclose and patch.

James Bamford thinks this is the work of an insider. I disagree, but hes right that the TAO catalog was not a Snowden document.

People are looking at the quality of the code. Its not that good.

Posted on August 26, 2016 at 5:56 AM  125 Comments
Chemicals used in certain pesticides and as insulating material banned in the 1970s may still be haunting us, according to new research that suggests links between higher levels of exposure during pregnancy and significantly increased odds of autism spectrum disorder in children.

According to the research, children born after being exposed to the highest levels of certain compounds of the chemicals, called organochlorine chemicals, during their mother's pregnancy were roughly 80 percent more likely to be diagnosed with autism when compared to individuals with the very lowest levels of these chemicals. That also includes those who were completely unexposed.

Although production of organochlorine chemicals was banned in the United States in 1977, these compounds can remain in the environment and become absorbed in the fat of animals that humans eat, leading to exposure.

With that in mind, Kristen Lyall, ScD, assistant professor in Drexel University's A.J. Drexel Autism Institute, and her collaborators, decided to look at organochlorine chemicals during pregnancy since they can cross through the placenta and affect the fetus' neurodevelopment.

"There's a fair amount of research examining exposure to these chemicals during pregnancy in association with other outcomes, like birth weight -- but little research on autism, specifically," Lyall said. "To examine the role of environmental exposures in risk of autism, it is important that samples are collected during time frames with evidence for susceptibility for autism -- termed 'critical windows' in neurodevelopment. Fetal development is one of those critical windows."

Their paper describing this study was titled, "Prenatal Organochlorine Chemicals and Autism," and published in Environmental Health Perspectives. Now a researcher in the A.J. Drexel Autism Institute's Modifiable Risk Factors Program, Lyall was with the California Department of Public Health when she began the work. She teamed with researchers from the department, including Gayle Windham, PhD, and Martin Kharrazi, PhD, members of the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research (which includes the study's principal investigator, Lisa Croen, PhD), as well as an expert on measuring organochlorine chemicals, Andreas Sjodin, PhD, of the Division of Laboratory Sciences of the National Center for Environmental Health.

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The team looked at a population sample of 1,144 children born in Southern California between 2000 and 2003. Data was accrued from mothers who had enrolled in California's Expanded Alphafetoprotein Prenatal Screening Program, which is dedicated to detecting birth defects during pregnancy.

Participants' children were separated into three groups: 545 who were diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder, 181 with intellectual disabilities but no autism diagnosis, and 418 with a diagnosis of neither.

Blood tests taken from the second trimester of the children's mothers were used to determine the level of exposure to two different classes of organochlorine chemicals: Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs, which were used as lubricants, coolants and insulators in consumer and electrical products) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs, which include chemicals like DDT).

"Exposure to PCBs and OCPs is ubiquitous," Lyall said. "Work from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, which includes pregnant women, shows that people in the U.S. generally still have measurable levels of these chemicals in their bodies."

However, Lyall emphasized that exposure levels were key in determining risk.

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"Adverse effects are related to levels of exposure, not just presence or absence of detectable levels," she said. "In our Southern California study population, we found evidence for modestly increased risk for individuals in the highest 25th percentile of exposure to some of these chemicals."

It was determined that two compounds in particular -- PCB 138/158 and PCB 153 -- stood out as being significantly linked with autism risk. Children with the highest in utero levels (exposure during their mother's pregnancy) of these two forms of PCBs were between 79 and 82 percent more likely to have an autism diagnosis than those found to be exposed to the lowest levels. High levels of two other compounds, PCB 170 and PCB 180, were also associated with children being approximately 50 percent more likely to be diagnosed -- again, this is relative to children with the lowest prenatal exposure to these PCBs.

None of the OCPs appeared to show an association with higher autism diagnosis risk.

In children with intellectual disabilities but not autism, the highest exposure to PCBs appeared to double the risk of a diagnosis when compared to those with the lowest exposure. Mid-range (rather than high) OCP exposure was also associated with an increased level of intellectual disability diagnosis when measured against children with the lowest exposure levels.

"The results suggest that prenatal exposure to these chemicals above a certain level may influence neurodevelopment in adverse ways," Lyall said.

These results are a first step to suggest these compounds may increase risk of development of autism, and Lyall and her colleagues are eyeing up more work in the field.

"We are definitely doing more research to build on this -- including work examining genetics, as well as mixtures of chemicals," Lyall said. "This investigation draws from a rich dataset and we need more studies like this in autism research."
Proteins fulfill vital functions in our body. They transport substances, combat pathogens, and function as catalysts. In order for these processes to function reliably, proteins must adopt a defined three-dimensional structure. Molecular "folding assistants," called chaperones, aid and scrutinize these structuring processes. With participation from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), a team of researchers has now revealed how chaperones identify particularly harmful errors in this structuring process. The findings were published in the scientific journal Molecular Cell.

Chaperones are a kind of Technical Inspection Authority for cells. They are proteins that inspect other proteins for quality defects before they are allowed to leave the cell.

If a car does not pass its technical inspection, it implies that it has severe defects that could lead to serious accidents. If a protein folds into a faulty structure, this may lead to serious diseases. Examples of these are neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, but also metabolic diseases such as cystic fibrosis and diabetes.

Matthias Feige, professor for cellular protein biochemistry at the TUM, worked within a team headed by Linda Hendershot at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis/TN, USA, to investigate how chaperones identify structurally flawed proteins. In the study, the scientists focused on proteins which are produced in a part of the cell called the endoplasmic reticulum. "We are mainly interested in cellular protein folding," explains Feige. "How the self-organization of proteins occurs at the molecular level -- and how cells identify errors in this process -- is a truly fascinating question."

Defective proteins need to be eliminated by the cell

The endoplasmic reticulum consists of a network of hollow spaces and tubules. It is specialized in protein folding and the quality control for this process, and a third of all human proteins are produced here. Just like in any production process, errors may occur: Proteins form a folding core mostly made up of hydrophobic (water-repellent) amino acids, around which the rest of the protein is able to structure itself. However, if errors occur in the folding process, these hydrophobic areas may not be buried in the core, but instead be exposed on the surface of a protein where they may result in proteins clumping together. This can become hazardous to the cell or the entire organism.

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Into the cell via a shuttle

Thus far, scientists knew that chaperones were able to identify general hydrophobic amino acid sequences if they remained exposed on protein surfaces. However, not all proteins which present such sequences should necessarily be degraded. That is because not all proteins with hydrophobic amino acid sequences on the surface are defective. How exactly the cell decides if a protein is so dangerous that it needs to be eliminated remained a mystery.

The researchers developed a new method which made it possible to observe the behavior of chaperones in the living biological system of the cell. To do this, they inserted precisely defined sequences of amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, into a shuttle system that transported them into the endoplasmic reticulum within the cell. Via this ingenious trick, they were able to observe, under biologically relevant conditions, which sequences the various chaperones recognized.

Two classes of chaperones

What they discovered was that there existed not only one, but two classes of chaperones in the endoplasmic reticulum, each of which identifies different types of hydrophobic amino acid sequences. Furthermore, the sequences identified by the chaperones of the second class, which are described in this journal article for the first time, form particularly dangerous clumps in the cell. Once they are identified, the proteins possessing them can be eliminated rapidly.

"This is an important piece in the puzzle of how molecular quality control functions," says Feige. "Follow-up studies will now be required to see how the chaperones recognize their target sequences on a structural level."

This research is also important for the biotechnological production of proteins, such as antibodies. In order to prevent these pharmaceutical products from being broken down by the body too quickly, biotechnologists can now ensure that the corresponding sequences do not appear on the surface of the proteins.
Peer pressure is a proven social motivator, and seeing a friend or colleague succeed at a task can boost individual effort. Researchers at the New York University Tandon School of Engineering probed this decidedly human attribute -- sensitivity to competition from peers -- and found that not only is virtual pressure from a computer-simulated peer just as motivating as the real thing, but that "fake" competition can be used for the good of science.

The research team formulated a mathematical model of human behavior that successfully predicted group responses across conditions -- one they hope other researchers will use to overcome the notoriously difficult task of encouraging wide participation in scientific projects.

Maurizio Porfiri, professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and director of the Dynamical Systems Lab at NYU Tandon, and Oded Nov, associate professor of technology management and innovation, designed an experiment to test whether virtual peer pressure could boost individual participation in a citizen science project they founded in 2012, Brooklyn Atlantis. The research team included Jeffrey Laut, a recent NYU Ph.D. graduate, and Francesco Cappa, a visiting student.

Citizen science projects rely on volunteers from the general public to aid professional scientists by collecting and reporting data using their home computers or smartphones. Familiar examples include projects tracking the movement of monarch butterflies, efforts to identify new planets, and even an online game challenging users to find new ways to fold protein structures.

Brooklyn Atlantis is a citizen science project supported by the National Science Foundation that revolves around a mobile robot designed by Laut as part of his dissertation. The instrumented mobile robot serves as prototypes for water drones that Laut and Porfiri hope to commercialize through a recent New York State Energy Research and Development Authority (NYSERDA) grant. The robot patrols the Gowanus Canal, the notoriously polluted Brooklyn waterway and Superfund site, transmitting a constant stream of data on water quality and temperature, as well as images both above and below the waterline. Citizen scientists volunteer to view the images and create "tags" to identify objects in the photos, which may include humans, wildlife, or specific pieces of litter or debris.

All crowd-sourced science projects face a similar challenge: Despite having many registered participants, the majority of contributions come from a small, highly engaged group of volunteers. Increasing participation levels has long been a goal.

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The research team created an experiment to determine if the presence of a virtual peer could enhance volunteer contributions. They redesigned the interface of the Brooklyn Atlantis page where users view and tag images, adding an indicator bar at the top of the screen to display the number of times another participant had tagged the same image. This was the performance of the virtual peer, and the researchers created five distinct scenarios for the virtual peer's performance.

Splitting the 120 participants, they formed a control group with no virtual peer and two groups for which the virtual peer's performance varied according to an independent algorithm. For the three remaining groups, the virtual peer's performance varied in relation to the user: One consistently underperformed the real user, one consistently outperformed, and the other performed on par with the real user.

The results show that pressure from a virtual peer can influence the behavior of a citizen scientist. The highest-performing group of real users -- the ones who tagged the most objects in Brooklyn Atlantis photos -- were those who saw a virtual peer that consistently outperformed them. Conversely, the group who saw a virtual peer that underperformed them contributed fewer tags than any other group, including the peer-free control group.

The group whose virtual peer matched their own level of activity also tagged more objects than a control group, indicating that perhaps the mere presence of a peer leads to increased performance.

"Social comparison is a strong driver of behavior, and it's exciting to see that even simulated performance was enough to influence our participants to tag more or fewer objects. Even more exciting was the fact that we can anticipate such a response using a mathematical model," Porfiri said. He noted that the real-life participants mostly mirrored the activity of the simulated participant, indicating that this sort of norm-setting may help boost participation in citizen science projects.

"The study taught us how the design of a social participation system can benefit from incorporating social psychology research," Nov explained.

The researchers believe that these findings add to the growing body of research into how to increase engagement in citizen science projects. Alongside issuing rewards, points, or other forms of "gamification," using peer performance as a motivator shows clear promise. Further research is needed to determine a level of competition that is healthy rather than counterproductive.
Can the woolly mammoth be brought back from the dead? Scientists say it's only a matter of time.

In fact this year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature issued its first official set of guidelines on resurrecting extinct species. What's more, university research labs and non-governmental agencies have projects in motion to bring back extinct species. But is all of this a good idea?

A new paper by UC Santa Barbara researchers explores de-extinction -- the process of resurrecting an extinct species -- as a potential win for conservation and suggests how to make it so.

In an analysis in the journal Functional Ecology, UCSB ecologist Douglas McCauley and colleagues recommend several ways in which the science of de-extinction would have to evolve in order to make it maximally benefit ecological communities and ecosystems.

"The idea of de-extinction raises a fundamental and philosophical question: Are we doing it to create a zoo or recreate nature?" said co-author Benjamin Halpern, director of UCSB's National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. "Both are reasonable answers, but restoring species to a natural state will be a much, much harder endeavor. We offer guidelines for how to make ecological de-extinction more successful and how to avoid creating 'eco-zombies.' "

Bringing back species useful for conservation requires big-picture thinking. For example, the grassland ecosystem in which the mammoth once lived looks totally different today. For a variety of reasons -- human population expansion among them -- some areas where these creatures once roamed cannot be restored to their former ecology.

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"What some are proposing to do with de-extinction will be like manufacturing a part from the engine of a Model T and trying to shove it into a Tesla," said lead author McCauley, an assistant professor in UCSB's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology. "You just can't take a part and put it into a brand new system and expect it to work without considering how its ecological context has changed.

"Good conservation is a holistic science that acknowledges the fact that many species interact in complex ways," McCauley added. "The rules in that complex web of life don't stay static but evolve dynamically."

The UCSB team developed three recommendations for restoring ecological function through de-extinction. The first suggests resurrecting recently extinct species rather than those that disappeared thousands of years ago. These creatures may fit more seamlessly into their ecosystems because there has been less time for change to occur. The researchers offer several examples of these "young" extinctions, including the Christmas Island pipistrelle bat, the Reunion giant tortoise and Australia's lesser stick-nest rat.

Secondly, the group advises choosing animals whose ecological jobs are truly irreplaceable. For example, the Christmas Island pipistrelle bat was once the only insect-eating bat in its habitat. Its de-extinction would plug a hole in an ecosystem that nature would otherwise have a hard time filling.

Ditto for the Reunion giant tortoise, which dispersed seeds throughout its Indian Ocean island habitat before being driven extinct by hungry mariners. Those plants still exist, although they are moving closer to extinction without the tortoises to perform their ecological function as seed distributors.

The third guideline, according to co-author Molly Hardesty-Moore, a graduate student in McCauley's lab, is to bring back species that can be restored to functionally meaningful abundance levels. "You need to have enough individuals to perform their function well enough to affect the ecosystem," she said. "One wolf hunting and killing has minimal impact, but hundreds of wolves performing that function will change the ecosystem."

Rather than oppose de-extinction outright, the UCSB scientists hope to start a conversation in the scientific community about how to make the process more ecologically smart. "Can we thoughtfully use this tool to do real conservation?" McCauley asked. "Answering that question is going to require a lot of perspectives, not only from the geneticists who are leading the process, but also from other types of scientists -- ecologists, conservation biologists, ecosystem managers."
When Washington legalized recreational marijuana in 2012, a primary concern was how to ensure it was kept out of the reach of children.

While skunky-smelling buds of dried marijuana are not likely to appeal to children, cannabis-infused edibles such as brownies, cookies and candies could. And with edibles making up a sizable and growing segment of the pot market, states are grappling with how to regulate those products to most effectively protect children.

A new report from the University of Washington School of Law's Cannabis Law and Policy Project furthers those efforts by identifying the factors that make food attractive to children. Commissioned by the state Liquor and Cannabis Board, the report involved looking at research on what physical elements of food appeal to children and the role that marketing and branding play.

Among the report's findings:

Color is a key factor in children's food choices, with red, orange, yellow and green foods preferred

Food in novel shapes such as stars or animals is more appealing to children than food cut into slices or sticks

Children like foods that smell sweet, fruity or like candy

Taste, rather than smell, is a more useful deterrent for children

Odor alone is unlikely to deter children

Cartoon and other promotional characters powerfully influence children's food preferences

Advertising influences food and beverage choices among children aged 2 to 11, but there is less evidence that teens are swayed by food advertising

Sam Mendez, executive director of the Cannabis Law and Policy Project, said while the research focused on children's food preferences generally, the findings are applicable to how children might approach cannabis-infused edibles.

"There is scant research of testing children with cannabis-infused edibles, and for good ethical reasons," he said. "So we looked at research on regular food products -- but the same factors that make particular foods appealing to children, such as taste, color and packaging, would likely also apply to edibles."

The report also looked at marijuana cannabis packaging and labeling regulations in various states. Most states require edibles to be sold in child-resistant, opaque packaging. Washington introduced rules in 2014 prohibiting recreational marijuana cannabis stores from selling gummy bears, lollipops and cotton candy infused with cannabis, and also prohibits cannabis products that require cooking or baking.

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Mendez said cannabis-infused edibles are sometimes packaged in less-regulated states to look like popular candy or food brands -- for example, "Pot Tarts" that have the same cartoonish font and blue background as Kellogg's well-known toaster pastries.

"In some states where there's medical marijuana cannabis but not a strong hand in regulation, you get products that would be very attractive to children, and that's seen as a hazard," he said.

"We review all edible products and packaging to ensure they are not especially appealing to children," said Liquor and Cannabis Board Director Rick Garza. "This new study will help further that important responsibility."

The report, Mendez said, underscores the complex set of determinants that drives children's food preferences.

"Of these factors we looked at, no one factor was clearly indicative of a danger to children," he said. "So if you have a food that's shaped as a bear, that doesn't automatically make it attractive to kids, especially if it smells or tastes bad.

"It's more of a multifactor test, and you need to factor in all of these things that can help give you an idea about whether a food could be more attractive to children."
In this Policy Forum, Randall Hansen and Shalini Randeria discuss the different ideological viewpoints of liberals and conservatives in Europe with respect to accepting refugees, highlighting why -- even though the continent is not bearing the "brunt" of the refugee crisis -- it remains "in the center of a political and social storm" related to refugees asylum.

Globally, there are at least 65 million displaced people, 21 million of whom seek refuge across international borders. Given Europe's size, the number of refugees seeking haven in the continent is ultimately a small fraction, yet the battle over border access in Europe has become fierce, and the handling of the situation is criticized by 90% of national residents.

Distinctly divided approaches exist, even within countries, between "liberal, cosmopolitan elites and supporters of nativist right-wing populist ideologies." While the liberal, humanitarian approach to the crisis -- which would have Europe accept 25% to 50% of the world's refugees -- still has support, right-wing parties opposed to immigration have been gaining popularity.

Though the authors ultimately believe Europe needs more migration, they feel that current constraints will make that difficult; for example, immigrants with inadequate language skills face enormous challenges in securing apprenticeships, and as a result, integrate too often into welfare, with limited incentives for returning and taking low paying jobs.

One way to tackle the welfare challenge is to reduce income support for refugees, they say, but social democrats are strongly opposed. Mainstream conservative politicians are much more amenable to labor market and welfare reforms that would accommodate unskilled immigration, but they have traditionally been opposed to easy or early naturalization, and reject dual citizenship.

Regardless of ideological belief, the authors say that aging and shrinking populations should prompt Europeans to welcome young foreigners who could relieve shortages in the labor market and shore up depleted state pension funds through their tax contributions. As part of this effort, the EU and its member states must be seen to be in control of its external borders, so that the public can feel confident the state has control.

On 13 July of this year, following what has been perceived as a failure by the European Union to handle the recent refugee influx and related matters, the European Union Commission proposed a "Common European Asylum System," focused on improving review of refugee applications. The proposal is currently under evaluation by member states.
A decision-making tool helps producers of pharmaceutical and other valuable chemicals make the leap to an entirely new way of manufacturing.

Historically, pharmaceutical industries have relied on novel medications to meet profit targets; however in today's competitive markets, the huge expenditures associated with drug development now challenge this approach. An international team led by researchers at Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Singapore, show how manufacturers can make rapid decisions about switching to alternative drug manufacturing procedures with promising economic prospects.

High-value chemicals are traditionally made through 'batch processing'; where inputs such as raw materials and energy are combined in a single reactor until the desired output is obtained. While this approach is simple, it can only be performed in a sequential manner. So if demand for a drug suddenly increases -- combating an emerging strain of influenza, for instance -- such step-by-step operations cannot cope with the production scale-up required.

Soo Khean Teoh from the Institute of Chemical and Engineering Sciences at A*STAR and her co-workers have developed a methodology to assess the feasibility of switching from batch to 'continuous' processing, where all stages of chemical reactions occur simultaneously: flowable reagents are constantly fed into reactor, and likewise, products are extracted nonstop.

With continuous processing, operations are quicker, more energy-efficient, and use smaller installation facilities than batch techniques. Yet most chemical producers are hesitant to implement continuous systems, unless they see clear technical and economic benefits.

"The biggest challenge is that there is no 'one-size-fits-all' solution for changing from batch to continuous methods, because of the complex and varied chemistries involved," explains Teoh. "We had to devise a method which guides users to understand the process in question, brainstorm about potential benefits, and help them come to swift decisions."

The researchers' method initially screens chemical processes to uncover key business requirements and potential pitfalls, such as sticky reagents, with simple yes/no/maybe evaluations. Successful candidates are then broken down into a flow chart analysis that identifies factors such as possible equipment, control schemes, and plant configurations. If the analysis makes economic sense, a final stage of process execution is put into place.

Liquid-phase reactions that proceed quickly and emit or absorb large quantities of energy proved to be particularly favorable for continuous processing. For example, the team demonstrated that the Reformatsky reaction -- an organozinc-catalyzed reaction that frequently overheats with batch processing -- could profit enormously from a continuous approach.

"Our methodology makes understanding the process much clearer, especially to the chemists and engineers dealing with the synthesis," says Teoh. "It makes it easier to decide to proceed or to kill the idea, minimizing wasted effort."
Turkish family celebrating recovery from food poisoning was poisoned a second time. This time around, they poisoned 21 guests as well.

By India Today Web Desk:

A Turkish family managed to poison itself for a second time, along with 21 other guests, at a dinner it hosted to show gratitude to God for enabling their recovery the first time.

Yep, you read that right.

Wife and mother Asiye Erdal's preparation of the animal sacrificed as a sign of gratitude for the family's earlier recovery hospitalised all 25 dinner party attendees, with four still in intensive care.

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"We don't get it. First we were poisoned and then sacrificed an animal for God as a sign of gratitude for gaining our health back. Then we were poisoned once again, as well as the neighbors. May God save us from the worst," said husband and father Alattin Erdal.

"Food poisoning became our nightmare," he told Anadolu news agency, adding they couldn't make sense of what they had experienced.

Initially, the family of four was hospitalised for severe stomach aches after eating a meal Ms Erdal had prepared. When they were discharged, they hosted a dinner for their neighbours to help celebrate better health but ended up with another bout of severe stomach aches, as did their guests.

Ms Erdal now says she would be more careful about preserving food. She added the family had become more selective with food after the incidents.

--- ENDS ---
In 1963, Irish surgeon Denis Parson Burkitt airmailed samples of an unusual jaw tumor found in Ugandan children to his colleague, Anthony Epstein, at Middlesex Hospital in London. Epstein, an expert in chicken viruses and an early adopter of the electron microscope, cultured the tissue and took a look. What he found has become known as Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of mononucleosis, the "kissing cold," and also, it turns out, an ingredient of the jaw tumor in which it was originally found, now known as Burkitt's lymphoma.

"Just imagine the process of shipping tissue samples from Uganda to England in the early 1960s!" says Rosemary Rochford, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, professor in the CU School of Medicine Department of Immunology and Microbiology, and author of a new study in the journal Current Opinions in Virology exploring the modern contribution of viruses to cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study asks a simple question: in a melting pot of viruses and cancer, do viruses happen to ride along with cancers or do viruses actually cause the disease? In the case of Epstein-Barr virus and Burkitt's lymphoma, the question is complicated by the fact that, "everyone has the virus," says Rochford. "So why do some people get cancer while others do not?"

Rochford centers her research in Kisumu, Kenya, a port city of just over 400,000 on the northeast corner of Lake Victoria. In addition to a near universal rate of infection with Epstein-Barr virus and an unusually high rate of Burkitt's lymphoma, Kisumu is the land of malaria. A recent study found that 28 percent of Kisumu adults were infected by the malaria parasite and in rural areas -- the same areas that produce the most cases of Burkitt's lymphoma -- the chance of getting malaria is much higher.

"We want to know why these kids get this cancer. Because Burkitt's lymphoma is prevalent in areas with a lot of malaria, we thought maybe it could be associated with malaria infection. But everybody gets malaria, too, so there's still no answer," Rochford says.

Here is a clue: In Kisumu and many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, malaria infection occurs year round. Studies by Rochford and others suggest that the children born to women who have malaria during pregnancy are even more predisposed to develop Burkitt's lymphoma.

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"What we think happens is that the risk for these children begins during pregnancy. Usually for most people, the virus is quiet. You never even know you have it. But when you get malaria, the virus reactivates and infects more cells. When mothers get malaria during pregnancy, these malaria-infected cells shed more virus and infants get infected earlier in life. Because they're infected so early, their immune systems don't manage the virus the way they should. It's not just the fact of exposure to Epstein-Barr virus, but the timing of it that matters. These kids with prenatal exposure due to the secondary pressure of malaria are the ones with increased risk," Rochford says.

One answer to the challenge of virus-associated cancers in Africa would be better and more prevalent use of vaccines. "But because the conditions that allow these viruses to cause cancer aren't necessarily present to the same extent in the United States, we tend to forget about the problem in Africa," Rochford says.

She points out that the story of Burkitt's lymphoma is similar to the story of other virus-associated cancers, including cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and Kaposi's sarcoma caused by the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). In fact, in Kisumu, Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common cancer in men and cervical cancer is the most common cancer in adult women.

"In some parts of Africa, the majority of cancers are caused by infectious agents," the article writes.

Not so in the United States, where the cancer risk of viruses is far smaller than the risks associated with tobacco and alcohol. In Rochford's opinion, the fact that few of the cancers that challenge the U.S. population are caused by viruses allows us to overlook and under-research the cancers that are caused by viruses, despite the fact that research has the real potential to offer inroads against some of these virus-associated cancers.

Rochford's ongoing efforts include an initiative in partnership with the Kenyan government to establish a tumor registry like that in the United States to collect data on the prevalence and distribution of virus-associated cancers in Kenya.

"Really, we don't know the burden of cancers that are caused by infectious agents in sub-Saharan Africa because of limited cancer registry data," Rochford says. "What we do know is that treatment is difficult in a resource-poor country, but prevention with vaccines and awareness is a very realistic strategy."
The gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) is a medically important tool in cancer therapies. GALV is a retrovirus pathogenic to its host species, the southeast Asian lar gibbon (Hylobates lar) and thought to have originated from a cross-species transmission and may not originally be a primate virus at all. An international research team headed by the German Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW) screened a wide range of rodents from southeast Asia for GALV-like sequences. The discovery of a new GALV in the grassland melomys (Melomys burtoni) from Indonesian New Guinea supports the hypothesis that this host species, and potentially related rodent lineages in Australia and Papua New Guinea, may have played a key role in the spread of GALV-like viruses. The findings were published in the scientific journal Journal of Virology.

The scientists found that rodents from Indonesian New Guinea possibly contributed as vectors to a cross-species transmission leading to the infection of gibbons with the gibbon ape leukemia virus (GALV) and koalas with the koala retrovirus (KoRV). GALV is a retrovirus which causes a cancer (hematopoietic neoplasms) in captive colonies of gibbons. However, GALV has never been isolated from wild primates that did not have a captive origin. This suggests that some other species in contact with captive gibbons are the source of GALV. KoRV is a retrovirus closely related to GALV and therefore the two viruses share a common ancestor. Since koalas and gibbons do not overlap in distribution, a direct natural transmission between koalas and gibbons is unlikely. It is therefore probable that one or more mobile and widely distributed host species such as rodents carry GALV- and KoRV-like viruses and infected koalas and gibbons independently. The findings of this study are consistent with this hypothesis.

The scientists screened twenty-six southeastern Asian rodent species for the presence of KoRV- and GALV-like sequences using next generation high-throughput genetic sequencing techniques. Their aim was to identify potential intermediate hosts of GALV or KoRV like viruses. Only one rodent species was positive: a newly discovered subspecies of the grassland melomys (Melomys burtoni), also called the grassland mosaic-tailed rat, from Indonesian New Guinea. The samples of this species yielded an endogenous provirus very closely related to GALV, indicating that the grassland melomys may serve as intermediate host for GALV- and KoRV-like viruses.

Retroviruses use proteins (called receptors) on the host cell surface to gain entrance to host cells. Changes in the virus or in the receptor can prevent specific viruses from infecting some types of cells or infecting some species. The sequence of the critical receptor for GALV infection in the grassland melomys is consistent with the susceptibility of the species to GALV infection. Since the grassland melomys is not present in mainland southeastern Asia, where gibbons are distributed, the newly discovered virus cannot be a direct GALV progenitor. However, the discovery of such a close GALV relative in Indonesian New Guinea, and specifically in a transitional zone between Asia and Australia (Wallacea), may be relevant to the cross-species transmission to gibbons in southeastern Asia. Indeed, it is possible that the grassland melomys is one of several intermediate hosts which contributed to the cross-species transmission with koalas and gibbons as final end hosts. It is also possible that the viruses that gave rise to GALV and KoRV may be circulating in Wallacea in more mobile species which overlap with the grassland melomys. Further research in this part of the world will likely continue to yield new viruses belonging to this unique retroviral group.
Women in Egypt are seeking out doctors' opinions on whether they should circumcise their daughters and, though it is illegal there, physicians are not discouraging the practice, giving legitimacy to a procedure that has serious medical risks, according to a new study led by a former Stanford University School of Medicine researcher.

Rates of female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation or female genital cutting, have rapidly declined in Egypt in recent years as a result of women's empowerment and mass media campaigns that highlight the potential health risks of the procedure, which include infection, hemorrhage and death, said the study's lead author, Sepideh Modrek, PhD, who was an instructor in medicine at Stanford when the work was conducted.

Among the 410 women interviewed in the study, about one-third said they were uncertain about the need for the procedure and/or were worried about the risks for their daughters, so they sought out doctors for advice, the study showed. Most women who said that they would follow through with the procedure for their daughters were having it done by physicians, rather than traditional midwives, as a safety precaution, the researchers found.

"We found that it's true some women were planning to do it [cut] anyway and are just going to the doctor for harm reduction," said Modrek, who is now an assistant professor of economics at San Francisco State University and a visiting scholar at Stanford. "But others are confused. They have heard mixed messages and don't know what to do and are looking to the doctor for the final decision. And that's the problem with medicalization -- it is essentially legitimizing the practice."

Modrek and her colleague, Maia Sieverding, PhD, social scientist in the global health sciences at the University of California-San Francisco, surveyed a group of mothers in the greater Cairo area in early 2014 and conducted in-depth interviews with 29 of them to discern their attitudes on female genital cutting. The results were published online Aug. 25 in International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Effort to eradicate practice

Modrek said the practice, which is common in northern sub-Saharan Africa, is believed to have originated in Egypt's Nile Valley and goes back thousands of years to the time of the pharaohs. The procedure, typically done on girls between the ages of 7 and 14, involves cutting away a portion of the female genitals; in some countries, including Egypt, this involves removal of the clitoris, but in more extreme cases the entire external genitalia is removed. The procedure can lead to a wide range of medical problems, including severe pain and bleeding, infections, problems urinating, cysts, sexual problems, complications in childbirth and death, according to the World Health Organization.

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More than 200 million women in 30 countries worldwide have undergone the procedure, according to the WHO, which has widely promoted abandonment of the practice, which it considers a violation of women's and girls' rights.

A 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Egypt provoked national debate on the practice and sparked the growth of a women's movement to eradicate the procedure.

Since then, national media campaigns have drawn attention to the risks of female genital cutting, which was outlawed in 1997 unless "medically necessary." In 2007, the government closed this loophole in the law following outrage over the cutting-related death of an 11-year-old girl. More recently, in June of this year, a 17-year-old girl died of complications from the procedure, which was performed in a doctor's office, according to news reports.

These changes have led to a decline in the practice in Egypt. According to estimates from the 2014 Survey of Young People Egypt, there has been a 10 percent drop since 2002 in rates of female genital cutting among girls ages 13 to 17.

The roles of mothers

Modrek, a health economist, said she became interested in the issue while researching the effects of education on fertility among women in the Middle East. She began to notice the trends in Egypt on female genital cutting, in particular the move toward medicalization of the procedure. She and Sieverding, who lived in Cairo, became interested in how physicians were influencing women's decisions about female genital cutting -- an issue that had been discussed but not systematically studied before, she said.

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They identified 269 women living in an urban neighborhood near Cairo and another 141 in a semi-rural neighborhood outside the capital city. Some 68 percent were Muslim while the remaining participants were Christian, a religious minority in Egypt. Some 69 percent had completed at least secondary education, while 32 percent had only completed primary school or less.

The study focused on mothers, as they are the primary decision-makers when it comes to female genital cutting, though most also respect the opinions of their husbands and their own mothers, the researchers said. The average age of the participants was 31. Ninety-two percent of them had been circumcised themselves.

The women were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire about themselves and their attitudes toward the procedure, including questions about education, religion and health, and the role of female genital cutting in marriage, family and community life. Some then agreed to sit down for a more in-depth conversation, lasting up to an hour, to further probe their views on the highly sensitive topic. A local research associate conducted all the interviews, Modrek said.

Results showed that many women were seeking out doctors' opinions -- typically a family doctor or gynecologist -- because they were unsure whether the procedure was medically necessary and were looking for validation from an authoritative source. Muslim women were more likely to seek out doctors for advice, with 37 percent saying they would seek this counsel, while only 5 percent of Christian women said they would look to doctors for guidance.

Ambiguity from physicians

In the interviews, the mothers said they were conflicted -- caught essentially between a longstanding cultural tradition and media messages indicating it could be harmful, Modrek said. Some expressed fear that their daughter would "hemorrhage and die" -- language commonly used in media campaigns -- and believed physicians would be better able to deal with these possible consequences, the researchers reported.

"The women said, 'I'm going to the doctor because I am hearing I shouldn't do this, but my mother says I should do it and my mother-in-law says I should do it. You, the doctor, are the expert. Do we need to do this to our daughter?'" Modrek said.

But the women said they received ambiguous messages from physicians, some of whom examined the girls and told them to come back another time. In nearly all cases, doctors did not explicitly reject the idea, but gave the women vague answers about the possible "need" for the procedure, the researchers reported.

"That's the slippery slope," Modrek said. "The doctor is seen as the more legitimizing voice and the voice of reason. Based on the women we interviewed, the doctors are not coming out and saying, 'You really don't need to do this.'"

As a next step, she said she hopes to do a study querying physicians directly on their attitudes and practices toward the procedure.

The study was funded by a seed grant from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford.
A new predictive tool, which for the first time combines human perception of the environment with land-use planning and socioeconomic data, could help governments mitigate the impact of climate change in developing countries.

Scientists at the University of York are working in Tanzania, East Africa, to help produce new data and strategies that can contribute to decisions around the use of land for farming and urban development, as well as more sustainable future ecosystem management systems.

Tanzania has one of the fastest developing economies in Africa and a rapidly growing population, which is changing the environment considerably through large-scale agricultural expansion.

The team, working with the World Wide Fund (WWF) Tanzania, UNEP World Conservation Monitoring Centre, and Sokoine University of Agriculture, recruited local people to participant in workshops to record their perspectives on how the land is changing and the impact it has had on the environment and the working practices of whole communities.

These perspectives were combined with national-level data on land use, social, and climate data to develop maps for each region that were combined to provide a national perspective across a 'business as usual' and 'green economy' scenarios in the years running up to 2025.

Dr Claudia Capitani, lead researcher at the University's Department of Environment, said: "Some predictive models only offer worst case, extreme, or quite unrealistic scenarios, but we know from experience that the future can sometimes be a place between best and worst case.

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"In this new method we are able to plot out, in a very visual way, a number of future projections that allows those working at local level to decide which is the most realistic picture given how well they know the environmental behaviour of the past.

"At the same time, local people and authorities develop a sense of ownership of the process and build up the capacity of changing their future."

By combining qualitative and quantitative data in this way, the team were able to produce maps of different areas that showed how the land could change under different future scenarios, such as how the land would look if the status quo was maintained, if deforestation increased, and the difference early positive inventions could make.

Dr Robert Marchant, from the University's Department of Environment and co-author of the research, explains: "There are many predictive land-use change models out there, but we often find they are disconnected with grassroots perspectives and lack ownership.

"It is vital that strategies for managing future impacts of climate and land use change can be readily available, incorporate local knowledge, and are understood by local people who work and live on the lands that are under potential threat.

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"Locally tailored solutions to future impacts are sometimes not captured in national policies and statistics, so a different approach is needed in order to combine these together and produce a more realistic picture of how the environment is changing in order to inform land use decisions, economic choices, and policy development."

The team now aim to make these models even more localised by applying them to very specific landscapes. They are currently working on an application to Mount Kilimanjaro to inform more broadly the relationships between carbon, biodiversity, crop production, and water management issues in Tanzania.

Maps from the scenario framework will be available through the newly established National Carbon Monitoring Centre and are hosted on the York Institute for Tropical Ecosystems website.

The project is supported by the Norwegian Government and published in the journal Ecology and Society.

Dr Marchant will be taking part in the EcoSummit 2016 in France between the 29 August and the 1st September.
The cross-party inquiry examining the deepening housing crisis in New Zealand is headed to Tauranga next weeks despite efforts by the Government to derail the initiative.

The Oppositions Housing spokesperson Phil Twyford says the country is clamouring for solutions.
After receiving calls from neighbors who were concerned about the five large freezers on a man's property in Indonesia , police investigated. What they discovered on August 15 was shocking.

Inside the freezers were 657 critically endangered pangolins, a shy nocturnal creature who curls up into a ball when frightened.

But the wild animal's sweet, shy demeanor means nothing to the people who want pangolins for their meat and scales. As a food, pangolin is considered a delicacy in some areas, and their scales are rumored to be medicinal in the Far East. Pangolin leather is even used to make boots.

Due to this ongoing demand, pangolins are now the world's most illegally trafficked animal, fetching a thousand dollars or more per animal on the black market.
"Poor thing ... so sick and miserable. It's not easy to be a wild animal." This was the reaction coming from a wildlife rehabilitation center in Duluth, Minnesota, earlier this month about an extremely thin animal found wandering around in the suburbs.

Only a few months old, the animal, initially thought to be a fox, had been chased by a dog into an isolated window well. The family who found him worried about his well-being - and called for help.

Dodo Shows Dodo Heroes Woman Devotes Her Life To The Stray Dogs Of Bali

Wildwoods

By the time rescuers from the rehab center, Wildwoods, arrived on the scene, the young animal had managed to escape -and had disappeared. The team at Wildwoods eventually identified the "fox" as a coyote pup, so they enlisted a wildlife specialist to help retrieve him. "He was so lethargic," Fazard Farr, executive director at Wildwoods, who was present during the capture, told The Dodo. "He was unable to fight. When I went to grab him, he didn't even bite."

Wildwoods

The young coyote could barely walk and had lost 70 percent of his fur to mange, an illness caused by a parasitic mite that burrows into the skin, causing uncomfortable symptoms such as intense itching and hair loss.

Wildwoods

"Affected animals are too miserable to hunt and often die of starvation or, in the winter, exposure due to fur loss." Wildwoods wrote on Facebook.

Wildwoods

In Wildwoods' care, the coyote is expected to bounce back from his mange and put on weight before he's eventually released back into the wild. "Though the mangy coyote pup has a long road of recovery in front of him, he is perking up with treatment," Wildwoods wrote in a recent update.

Wildwoods
In August, 2011, as I was driving home from the grocery store, I saw a mid-sized black dog lamely trying to limp up a hill on what appeared to be two badly mangled back legs. I was just a few minutes away from home, which is more or less in the middle of a Rio de Janeiro rainforest, and the thought of leaving this almost-crippled dog there was horrifying. Dogs can manage with one bad leg but not two.

At the time, my partner David and I already had seven dogs. One, the oldest, was a dog I got from a shelter back in 2002 when I lived in New York, and she then moved with me to Brazil. The other six were all rescue mutts from the streets of Rio: homeless dogs we found in various forms of injury or sickness and could not get ourselves to walk away from.

Seven dogs were far more than we ever expected to have. Each time one of us would pick up a new dog, David and I would go through the same ritual. The one who brought the dog home would insist that there was no choice ("she's so injured yet sweet; I couldn't leave her"), while the other one would angrily object that we already have too many dogs and that she couldn't stay. Ultimately, the objector would relent only in exchange for a promise we both knew wouldn't be kept: "we can keep her only if you swear you won't pick up any more dogs."

Six months later or so, the one extracting that promise would, in an act of grand hypocrisy, himself bring a new dog home, and the process would repeat itself, though with the roles reversed. That's how you end up with so many dogs. But each new dog brought us so much, added so much unique joy to our growing pack, that it provided its own motivation to do that which we kept vowing we would stop doing. Still, we knew we had to impose some limits on ourselves.

So that was the context as I stopped my car to see what was happening with this badly limping dog. I assured myself that I was only going to help her, not pick her up and take her home.

I walked over to her slowly to ensure she didn't get frightened, but immediately saw that, even if she had wanted to, she could not run away from me. Both of her back legs were being consumed by very deep and ugly sores that made both hind legs virtually unusable. I grabbed some food from the grocery bags I had and gave it to her, and she ate it all as though she had never seen food before. I sat with her for 10 minutes, just petting her, and could see she was an incredibly calm and well-balanced dog. She had likely endured all sorts of difficulties in her life as a street dog in the middle of a forest, and had an internal wisdom that comes from constant struggle.

Forcing myself to leave her there was incredibly hard, but I knew we couldn't accommodate another dog. So I got in my car and very reluctantly drove home, leaving her behind.

When I got home, I did everything possible to forget about her. I distracted myself with work, did some yoga, and reasoned that we couldn't save every dog in need. But it was all to no avail: the image of this defenseless, gentle animal dying a hideous starvation death because she couldn't walk to find food haunted me. So after 20 minutes of futile struggle, I got back in my car and tried to tell myself I was only going to pick her up to get her some medical attention, but not keep her.

I returned to the spot I first saw her and she had only managed to move a few steps. I slipped a collar on her neck and attached a leash to it. She strongly resisted when I attempted to walk her to the car  this was obviously a first-time experience for her  so I picked her up, put her in the car and took her to our veterinarian. The vet said she would examine her and conduct tests  the leg wounds were either from an infection or a car hitting her -- and told me to return that night to pick her up.

I called David, expecting him to yell at me according to our by-now familiar script. But he didn't: he was largely supportive, though emphasized several times that we wouldn't keep her. "Of course not," I said, but we both knew that was false. Picking up an injured dog, with all of its attendant emotional attachments and bonding, is the point of no return.

That night, before driving to the vet's office to pick her up, I called to find out what the exams had revealed. The vet said that her leg wounds were badly infected but could be treated with strong antibiotics. She was completely blind in one eye, likely from a prior infection. She was full of all sorts of other diseases common to street dogs. She was anemic, had worms, and her system was suffuse with all sorts of blood abnormalities. It could all be treated, but only with a long, attentive treatment regimen. I know that sealed her fate: she would now be our (eighth) dog.

Then the vet added some rather startling news. "Guess what?" she said playfully. "You're going to be a grandpa."

I generally dislike anthropomorphizing dogs that way. I don't think of them as my children. What I love most about dogs is their essential dogness. Beyond that, relating to dogs like your children can be psychologically unhealthy: I once read an article by a smart psychologist explaining that, given their short life spans, it means you'll go through the severe emotional trauma of burying a child once every 15 years.

So I didn't instantly understand what the vet meant. So she tried the more direct approach.

"She's pregnant! With six puppies."

After a long pause, she added: "And they're already fully formed, 10 to 14 days away from being born."

To say that this shocked me is an understatement. I had noticed that the dog appeared fat but assumed she was just bloated with a distended stomach, due to hunger. By now, I had already accepted that we were going to keep her. But "her" now meant "her and her six puppies."

I then realized that I'd have to call David and tell him that I hadn't picked up one dog that day after all. I had effectively picked up 7 dogs, thus instantly doubling our dog count from 7 to 14. Let's just say he wasn't quite as understanding as the first time I called him that day.

But she grew very quickly on both of us. As she got stronger and healthier, her personality emerged. Everything about her was awkward, clumsy and just a bit off. She didn't know how to be a house dog. She was unsure how to show affection. She didn't know how to play with or socialize with the other dogs. She was clearly older, not exactly pretty by traditional metrics (to put that generously), and just generally looked like a pudgy street mutt. So we named her "Mabel," which seemed to fit her perfectly.

But she was so calm and balanced that she was accepted by the pack more quickly than any other new dog we got. And her affection for us was so intense, even if awkwardly expressed, that we quickly formed a deep bond with her.

David and I immediately began planning for what we would do with these new puppies. Even we knew that we couldn't keep them all. We decided we would keep Mabel and one of her puppies, so that they weren't all taken from her, so we then set out to find five families willing to adopt the others.

We knew from experience that finding adoptive homes for mutts in Brazil was extremely difficult, so we resolved to use my platform as a writer to accomplish this. I wrote a post for my personal blog that told Mabel's story, showed pictures of her, and asked whether anyone would want to adopt her soon-to-arrive puppies. I then sent that post out on Twitter. Within a day, we were inundated with emails of people moved by her plight and eager to adopt. Aside from having far more offers from great people than we had puppies, the one problem was that almost everyone we heard from was in the U.S., which left the problem of how to get these new puppies there from Brazil.

Ten days after I brought her home, Mabel began exhibiting all the classic signs of impending puppy-delivery. I put her in my office and stayed with her, consumed with a mix of excitement and anxiety over something I had never before witnessed. She began with the first puppy at 1:30 a.m., and proceeded to spit another one out at roughly one-hour intervals, until the sixth one finally emerged at almost 7 a.m.

It was exhausting and nerve-wracking  at least for me. Mabel was incredibly calm throughout the entire ordeal. It was a stunning thing to watch: each puppy is born wrapped tightly in a membrane, which the mother must quickly and delicately remove lest the puppy suffocate at birth. I had read that if the mother fails to remove it with sufficient speed and agility, it would be necessary to help the process by unwrapping it.

I panicked on the second puppy, and went to help unwrap the membrane, but when I tried to pick up the newly born dog, Mabel leaned protectively over her puppy and shot me an aggressive and hostile glance whose meaning was clear: your help is neither needed nor appreciated. She had the process well under control. She systematically took each puppy, rapidly unwrapped the membrane with her mouth, licked their noses to clear the passage and enable breathing, and then set them down next to one another. Born both blind and deaf, the puppies would occasionally get lost and wander away, but before they could, Mable would pick them up with her mouth and move them back over to her.

For the next three days, Mabel refused to move from her puppies, even to go to the bathroom. I finally had to pick her up and put her outside, where she instantly relieved herself and then literally sprinted faster than I've ever seen her run, back to her puppies. Her devotion to them was remarkable, as was the vicious protectiveness she displayed if anyone got too close to them.
Forget about Yankee go home. Now its Chinese go home.

From Australia blocking a bid for a power network to Britains review of a proposed Chinese-funded nuclear plant, opposition to Chinas outward push is opening a thornier and potentially more treacherous front in the countrys economic tug-of-war with the rest of the world. And its coming as China prepares to host a Sept. 4-5 summit of Group of 20 leaders.

Unlike festering frictions over trade, the new front is in an area  investment  where the global rules of engagement are more amorphous and where national security interests are more prominent. That raises the risk of a rapid escalation of tensions that cant be so easily contained.

The implicit accusation when rejecting overseas direct investment is much stronger than trade, said James Laurenceson, deputy director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology in Sydney. Using a national-security rationale to blocking outbound investment by China is far more confronting. It suggests that China is untrustworthy and has potentially nefarious intentions. Thats what Beijing objects to.

But its not just security concerns that are driving the increased backlash against stepped-up Chinese investment abroad, especially by state-owned companies. Its also the suspicion that the Communist-led government is trying to game the system by snapping up foreign firms in key areas of the economy while blocking others from doing the same in China.

China remains the most closed to foreign investment of the G20 countries, David Dollar, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in Washington and former U.S. Treasury attache to Beijing, said in an email. This creates an unfairness in which Chinese firms prosper behind protectionist walls and expand into more open markets such as the U.S.

Such frictions will probably get an airing at the upcoming G20 summit in Hangzhou, China. In what may be an effort to head off criticism at that gathering, China said on Tuesday that it will further open its economic borders to investors from abroad.

China has also expressed its displeasure. The Ministry of Commerce said last week the Australian decision to block foreign bidders from buying a stake in power-network company Ausgrid would severely reduce the appetite to invest in Australia and hurt bilateral trade ties. In an opinion piece in the Financial Times this month, Chinas ambassador in London said the cancellation of the Hinkley Point nuclear plant could affect commerce.

Tensions over Chinese takeovers on national security grounds are not new, of course. What is different this time is how widespread the opposition is, including in some countries like Australia and the U.K. that traditionally have been more sympathetic to China.

Were seeing an unprecedented level of political backlash globally against Chinese investment and in particular Chinese acquisitions, said Thilo Hanemann, an economist with the New York-based Rhodium Group, who tracks capital flows worldwide.

The flash points are proliferating. Billion-dollar Chinese investments in a Royal Philips NV unit and computer disk maker Western Digital Corp. collapsed this year amid concerns that the U.S. would block them on national security grounds. German lawmakers have expressed concern over Chinese investments in Kuka AG, with the government there unsuccessfully trying to find a European buyer for the robot maker.

Not every country is throwing up barriers. Brazil, for instance, has seen a rush of Chinese investment this year, as its companies look for suitors to help them ride out the nations longest recession in decades.

The strains over Chinas global buying spree are taking place against the background of a broader rethink of the Wests relationship with the emerging global power, highlighted by, but not exclusive to, Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

In Europe, theres a growing sense of realism that China is not developing the way many hoped for only a decade ago, moving into the direction of a liberal market economy and embracing political opening, said Jan Gaspers of the Mercator Institute for China Studies in Berlin.

Foreign direct investment by China surged 62 per cent in the first seven months of this year to $102.75 billion (U.S.), according to Chinas Ministry of Commerce. Part of that was driven by a reassessment of the countrys prospects by local investors and companies in the wake of a slowdown in its economy and a surprise devaluation of its currency a year ago.

Much of the investment in 2016 has been funneled to the U.S., which traditionally wasnt a big recipient of Chinese cash. Inflows so far this year have totalled more than $35 billion, nearly double that seen in all of 2015, according to figures compiled by Derek Scissors, a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute in Washington who studies the Chinese economy.

Some deals have triggered political opposition. In February, 46 lawmakers urged the interagency Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S., known as CFIUS, to rigorously vet a planned sale of the Chicago Stock Exchange to a Chinese buyer.

The committee gave the go-ahead this week to China National Chemical Corp.s proposed $43 billion takeover of Switzerlands Syngenta AG, which got more than a quarter of its revenue in 2015 from seeds and crop protection in North America, according to the companies.

While CFIUS has been effective in defending Americas security interests, its mandate doesnt cover protecting the country from a tilted playing field vis-a-vis investment, Dollar said. I would expect a new Congress to look at this issue, he added.

Germany is also experiencing a big surge in Chinese investment this year, to $5.6 billion from just $620 million in 2015, according to Scissorss data. Thats complicating the traditionally cosy ties between the economic powerhouses.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel called on Chinese leaders to ensure reliable and transparent rules and a level playing field for foreign investors during a June visit to the Asian nation that saw the two sides ink $3 billion in business deals.

The main concern in countries like Germany is that by buying companies like Kuka, China is taking away the competitive edge of its globally leading national industries, Gaspers said.

Philippe Le Corre, co-author of a recently published book titled Chinas Offensive in Europe, said the region is starting to catch up with U.S. concerns about China, especially the richer countries not so much in need of foreign finance.

Friction over investment can be trickier to handle than that over trade, said Zhu Ning, professor at Shanghai Jiao Tong Universitys Advanced Institute of Finance.

While disputes over dumping or protection can be addressed through frameworks such as the World Trade Organization, theres no equivalent process for investment.

Financial investment involving ownership shifts can be very sensitive, sentimental, and psychologically difficult to deal with, Zhu said. Large projects often stir up a lot of attention, which makes lobbying and negotiation a lot more difficult.

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Nothing frustrates airline passengers more than arriving at the baggage carousel only to find their suitcase hasnt. Sometimes, the luggage is still at the departure airport. Other times, it could be anywhere.

Delta Air Lines, which says the amount of luggage it mishandles is low, has spent $50 million (U.S.) in new technology to keep better track of the 120 million bags it checks each year. The system launched this month.

Its replacing an old barcode system with RFID technology, also known as radio frequency identification. It allows for data to be read at a distance, easily pinpointing a single bag if it needs to come off a plane.

The airline has deployed 4,600 scanners and 3,800 bag tag printers at airports around the world. Conveyer belt loaders have sensors that give the green light if the suitcase is headed to the right plane, and a red light if its not, so a baggage handler can redirect it.

Australias Qantas Airways has used similar technology for its automatic bag drop system on domestic flights, which the airline says has shortened lines. Elite frequent flyers receive a reuseable RFID bag tag, and other passengers can buy one. An estimated 1.5 million permanent tags have been issued in the past two years.

In Canada, no airline has plans to adopt the tags yet, though Air Canada is running a test in its Montreal and Frankfurt warehouses for cargo shipments.

While we have no immediate plans to introduce it for customer baggage, we will certainly be following the introduction of this technology closely to see if it is something that could be of value to our customers, said spokesman Peter Fitzpatrick.

WestJet Airlines spokeswoman Lauren Stewart said the airline has reviewed the technology but has no plans to run any trials. As a low-cost carrier we are highly aware of the expense of such tools, she said. In addition, the hardware and infrastructure would require installation at each airport.

Porter Airlines spokesman Brad Cicero said the carriers baggage mishandling rate for the last two years is 0.4 per 1,000 passengers, so were very comfortable with this standard and our current processes.

Delta first began using RFID technology for verifying inventory such as oxygen masks and flotation devices on planes, where every item was tagged, and a sensor could quickly count the required items on board and their expiration dates.

Justin Patton, director of Auburn Universitys RFID Lab in Alabama, says he expects that Deltas move could spur industry change.

Delta doesnt exist in a vacuum. Baggage is often transferred between airlines, so we expect that this will be a catalyst for remaining airlines to switch over for RFID tracking, he said.

RFID exists mostly in two versions  an active one that includes a battery with a lifespan of about two to three years, and passive devices that could live forever. A sensor or detector can then detect the items, and depending on power, the reading range can vary.

It was first developed during the Second World War to identify friendly aircraft versus enemy aircraft.

RFID technology, which includes a small chip and antenna sometimes as small as a grain of rice, is already used extensively in our daily lives  from the security pass to get into the office to the keyless entry in cars to microchip tracking in a dog or cat, Patton said.

Hotels and resorts embed washable tags in towels and fancy robes to keep track of linens. They could one day attach them to a room service tray, so staff can detect if it has been placed outside a guest room, ready for clearing.

These devices are used by libraries to keep track of books, or even the tap mechanism to pay by credit card.

Its just one of those things that snuck up on people, and we never really put a name on it, said Patton.

In Pattons case, when his son was born last year, the hospital put an RFID tag on the babys ankle. The hospital had a sensor system in place that would immediately lock down elevators if the baby was taken on an unauthorized trip.

That showed Patton just how widespread RFIDs are used in our daily lives. I wasnt expecting to be right back in RFID-land before we even left the delivery room, he said.

Some nursing homes are also testing RFID bracelets for patients with Alzheimers who may be at risk of wandering, he said.

From the cradle to the grave, you could have an RFID tag, Patton said, conceding there are certainly privacy concerns.

However, he argued an oil rig worker or coal miner might be willing to forgo some privacy for safety reasons to ensure they can be found more easily in the event of an accident.

RFID devices are also being used in the cargo business, said Aaron Lamkin, director of sales and manufacturing at TrackX Inc., a Denver-based company. It specializes in software systems that can link with RFID devices with GPS to track assets.

For example, a larger tractor-trailer company could keep better track of its vehicles if each one is outfitted with RFID stickers, especially when they arrive in a giant yard.

Instead of a gate with a guard keeping track of vehicles on a clipboard with paper and pen, the trailers could be quickly found.

Lamkin said another client is a U.S. government agency that operates on a sprawling campus with 10 office towers, where 600 different readers have been installed and valued items from laptops to phones are tagged, and can be easily tracked.

Other examples include keeping track of equipment that is rented or lent out such as beer kegs to bars or even racks that hold flowers for sale in a nursery.

Lamkin cited the example of sending 2,000 racks to a farmer to hold flowers that wind up at a retailer outlet, with no way to track them, or to prove that they werent returned.

Install solar powered readers in the farmers field, sensors at the company warehouse and retailer, and then people can be accountable for how long theyve had the items, he said.

Even though they may be inexpensive items, when you look at scale, they are highly valuable to the company that owns them, he said.

The cost of RFID is going way down, and the readers and the antennas keep getting better, with better read ranges, he said.

Auburn Universitys Patton said the tags used by retailers have dropped in cost in recent years, and now range from 4 to 10 cents apiece.

For retailers, the use of the RFID technology can simplify inventory tracking, but also prevent counterfeiting or theft.

Patton expects that soon, shipping will move from a single quantity level to individual tracking, though he said some items wouldnt be worth tracking at a micro-level such as a tonne of apples.

However, it might be handy to track jars of peanut butter in case of recalls or other food for expiration dates.

Patton expects to see more integration between RFIDs and smartphones, where a consumer might pick up a package of meat or other food, and tap on it, and find out which farm it came from and when.

We will be able to see more history at a personal level. I think that will be the next wave, he said, though the main challenge will be matching software and hardware systems, moving from measuring one data field to thousands.

It will take years before we fully get there.

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By PTI: Mumbai, Aug 25 (PTI) An Air India flight carrying over 300 people from here to Newark was today diverted to Kazakhstan after detection of fumes in the cargo hold that triggered a fire alarm.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said all passengers are safe and that there was no reason for worry while a relief aircraft is already on the way from New Delhi to ferry the stranded passengers to Newark.

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The Boeing 777-300 ER plane had landed at the Aktobe international airport in Kazakhstan at around 0800 hours after "some alarm went off" while it was on its way to Newark.

An Air India spokesperson said the flight was diverted due to technical reasons. There was some alarm that went off and the engineers are inspecting the flight, he added.

An airline source said that fire alarm was set off after fumes were detected from the cargo hold of the plane. "The fumes were possibly from some perishable items that might have been treated with chemicals," the source added.

Since the fire extinguisher is being used in the "slow mode", it would take quite sometime before the aircraft is declared as again fit to be airborne. Hence, a relief aircraft is being dispatched, the source said.

In a tweet, the airline said the flight has been diverted on account of operational reasons and that all passengers are being taken care of.

A relief aircraft has left from New Delhi to Aktobe to ferry the stranded passengers to Newark.

"Our Ambassador Shri Harsh K Jain has informed me that all passengers are safe. There is no reason for worry," Swaraj said in a tweet.

Generally, Boeing 777-300 ER has a seating capacity of around 350 people.

"#AI CMD Mr Lohani spoke to Captain Aroob. The pax (passengers) are satisfied and happy that the flt (flight) safely landed in #Kazakhstan," Air India said in a tweet. Aroob is the captain of the flight that was diverted to Kazakhstan. PTI IAS RAM ABK

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Observing that the Toronto International Film Festival will be showing a potentially controversial film is like predicting that a politician will stretch the truth.

It should go without saying, although it often has to be said, that TIFF exists to provide moviegoers with Infinite Views, to quote its pithy slogan for next months festival, which runs Sept. 8 to 18. Its absolutely not the fests mandate to seek out the most bland and inoffensive cinema possible.

Piers Handling, TIFFs director and CEO, offered a timely reminder of this reality when I sought his reaction this week to the uproar over Nate Parkers The Birth of a Nation, a Sundance-lauded slave drama now burdened with rape allegations from Parkers past.

TIFF is standing by plans to screen the film three times, two of them on Sept. 9 as part of its international premiere, although there are no plans for a festival press conference for the film.

You never want the festival to turn into a safe festival thats unafraid of controversy, Handling said.

Handling and his staff have stared down many protests during TIFFs 41-year history. The most vociferous Ive seen was the 2004 furor over a documentary called Casuistry: The Art of Killing a Cat, which merely described the fatal torturing of a cat on video by three Toronto men who were trying to pass themselves off as artists. To say that cat lovers were outraged is putting it mildly.

The actual killing wasnt shown, but the TIFF programmer who selected the doc received a death threat at his home and the festival screening had picketers outside the theatre, demanding the film not be shown. It was shown, and civilization survived.

Its almost a tradition at TIFF that some film will upset somebody. Just last year, Aretha Franklin managed to block the world premiere of the music doc Amazing Grace, due to a longstanding legal embroilment between the Queen of Soul and film producer Alan Elliott.

Whats unusual about The Birth of a Nation fracas is that theres no apparent public alarm over the films content, despite its visceral take on Americas tragic history of slavery.

Its the fact that Nate Parker, the films director, co-writer, co-producer and lead star, was charged with raping a fellow Penn State University student in 1999, along with his then-roommate Jean Celestin. Parker was acquitted in a subsequent trial but Celestin  who later helped co-write The Birth of a Nation  was found guilty and sentenced to six months in prison, a verdict that was overturned on appeal. The woman who accused both men was never satisfied with the judicial outcome and committed suicide in 2012.

TIFF wants us to judge The Birth of a Nation strictlyfor whats on the screen, an eminently reasonable but difficult proposition, given Parkers huge involvement with the film. His face is also over the posters, including one showing him being hanged with a noose fashioned from the U.S. flag.

The heat proved too much for the American Film Institute in L.A., which announced it is cancelling this Fridays scheduled screening for students of The Birth of a Nation, which was to have included a Q&A with Parker.

But Handling insists TIFF is sticking to its screening plans, and he points out that its by no means the most difficult film chosen for the fest this year.

We are showing many more controversial films, to be honest. There are so many films that deal with the radicalization of youth. When you see Nocturama, the Bertrand Bonello film that deals with youth in Paris, just the context within which he has made his film is designed to be controversial, Handling says. And I think Mathieu Denis film, Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves, is also quite controversial.

I mention to Handling two other films coming to TIFF likely to provoke strong debate, these ones over issues of gender and sex: Paul Verhoevens Elle, in which Isabelle Huppert plays a rape victim who seeks unorthodox revenge on her attacker, which alternately delighted or dismayed viewers at its Cannes premiere; and Walter Hills (Re)Assignment, in which Michelle Rodriguez plays a male murderer who is turned into a woman by a vengeful cosmetic surgeon (Sigourney Weaver), a plot device the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has objected to, sight unseen.

Filmmakers should be provocative, Handling argued.

They should be pushing their noses into difficult issues. Weve always welcomed that, and in some cases, filmmakers have actually changed history.

As examples of this, he pointed to Joe Berlingers Paradise Lost trilogy and Errol Morris The Thin Blue Line, documentaries about wrongful arrests and convictions that were subsequently overturned after films about the cases prompted new investigations.

It remains to be seen what the public reaction will be to The Birth of a Nation and other uncompromising films at TIFF 2016. But its unlikely to be indifference, a reaction no serious filmgoer or festival programmer ever wants to see.

Peter Howell is the Stars movie critic. His column runs Fridays.

Five other hot-button films at TIFF 2016:

Below Her Mouth (dir. April Mullen): Erika Linder and Natalie Krill play illicit lesbian lovers in a made-in-Toronto film that promises to push the boundaries for cinematic sex, as Blue Is the Warmest Color did before it. Shot by an all-female crew, the TIFF program calls it one of the boldest and sexiest dramas of the year.

Elle (Paul Verhoeven): Isabelle Huppert plays the wealthy and powerful head of a French videogame firm who has no intention of playing the victim, after shes raped and beaten by a home intruder. Her revenge plan departs from genre and social conventions, sparking much Cannes debate about what constitutes a correct response to sexual assault.

Nocturama (Bertrand Bonello): It seems ripped from the headlines with its story of young terrorists planning attacks across Paris, but Bonello started work on it five years before the November 2015 assaults. The film is controversial not for what it includes, but because of what it excludes, the TIFF program teases.

(Re)Assignment (Walter Hill): The plot summary reads like a B-movie sci-fi horror or Pedro Almodovar movie: a male murderer, played by Michelle Rodriguez, is given an involuntary sex change by a brilliantly insane and vengeful cosmetic surgeon (Sigourney Weaver), who wants the killer to feel the fears of a woman.

Those Who Make Revolution Halfway Only Dig Their Own Graves (Mathieu Denis, Simon Lavoie): The title may just say it all for this Quebec drama of homegrown terrorism, co-directed by Mathieu Denis, whose earlier Corbo studied the nascent FLQ. The TIFF summary calls it incendiary and provocative.

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CLEARWATER, FLA.-The aquarium, beach and pier fishing monopolized my two-night stay, but here are six more Clearwater Beach experiences I can vouch for.

Go sailing: They amuse your kids and give you booze (Champagne on my early evening trip). We saw dolphins and a stunning sunset. Whats not to love about Captain Memos Pirate Cruise? The cruises, started by the late Captain Memo (Bill Wozencraft) and his wife Panama Pam, are aboard the custom-designed Pirates Ransom. Theyre staffed by a spirited crew of good, friendly pirates who wont scare your kids but will engage them in fun and games. Cruises are about two hours and cost $36 to $39 (U.S.) for adults and $11 to $31 for kids.

Get physical: Steps from Pier 60, we found All Around Amusements fun zone. It was too windy for the inflatable slide and water slide, but the all-ages bungee trampoline ($10 for about three to five minutes) was a thrill. The free covered playground (a rarity) nearby offered a shady reprieve. Come for the daily Sunsets at Pier 60 festival (sunsetsatpier60.com) from roughly 4 to 8 p.m. for artisans, crafters, buskers and the crowd that gathers to watch the sunset. You might catch free movies at dusk.

Eat breakfast: Sure, theres an IHOP, but I went upscale and got my waffle fix at SHOR American Seafood Grill (shorgrill.com, 301 South Gulfview Blvd.) at the beachfront Hyatt Regency Clearwater Beach Resort and Spa. My key lime waffles with coconut mascarpone and papaya salsa ($11) were fab. There are also multi-grain pancakes with caramelized bananas, breakfast Cubans, crab benedicts and a breakfast buffet where kids 12 and under eat their age  so a 7-year-old pays $7.

Eat lunch: You wont find desserts in Mason jars or meals served on slates or boards. But at Tommys Tiki Sand Bar at the beachfront Hilton Clearwater Beach Resort (400 Mandalay Ave., hiltonclearwaterbeach.com), the $7.50 kids meal is served in a plastic pail. Theres a choice of two sandwiches, grilled cheese, chicken tenders or a hotdog with chips or fries and cookies  and you get to keep the pail. The catch: you must be 10 and under.

Eat dinner: Sea-Guini at the new Opal Sands Resort (430 South Gulfview Blvd., opalsands.com) was just days old when we ate here with hotel and city reps. The sea-inspired and Italian-influenced menu stars pan-seared hogfish, local grouper and a fish called wahoo, but we opted for Barolo-braised short ribs and margherita pizza. Tiramisu is an architectural wonder and zeppole are kid pleasers. The haute, 15-storey building is curved so hallways face the city and rooms face the Gulf of Mexico. Stop to admire the sand sculpture in the lobby by Team Santastic.

Pose with dolphins: If youre following the Dolphin Trail and posing for pictures alongside the public art pod of more than 120 painted dolphins, stop by Clear Sky Beachside Cafe at 490 Mandalay Ave. Its dolphin is dwarfed by a family-sized Muskoka chair and a live webcam catches the scene for clearskycafe.com. Inside, we kept it simple with a pancake feast but the maple-glazed chicken and waffles were awfully tempting. Clearwater begins and ends with dolphins.

Jennifer Bain was a guest of the City of Clearwater, which didnt review or approve this story.

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CLEARWATER BEACH, FLA.-This is not a whopper of a fish story.

Its about the sheepshead, grunt and 20-plus butterfish my kid Hazel and I caught off Pier 60.

They couldnt have weighed more than a couple of pounds total and we threw them all back into the Gulf of Mexico. OK, we fed a few to the egrets.

Fingers crossed that learning to fish on a cool and windy Florida night with me and Tom (Captn Tom) Leonard is one of my 7-year-olds formative memories.

Youd never guess by looking at him, but Captn Tom is actually a city worker  a marine facility operator with the marine and aviation department.

The City of Clearwater owns and operates the iconic concrete Pier 60 and this family-friendly fishing destination has a bait house/souvenir shop with rod rentals and tackle.

Absolute beginners and seasoned pros, tourists from around the world and locals, people are drawn here to fish for what amounts to pocket change  $8 a day if youre an adult, less for kids. Rod rentals are eight bucks and come with your first bucket of bait. Advice is free.

Compare that to the price of a deep-sea fishing charter. Even better, Pier 60 is open 24/7 nine months of the year, and a little less the rest of the time.

You might catch Spanish mackerel, flounder, cobia, snook, redfish, spotted sea trout, ladyfish, black sea bass, whiting, red drum, silver perch and many more fish here. Go to the piers website to read Captn Toms Pier 60 fishing reports and see pictures of joyful anglers holding their catch.

Shark fishing is banned, so if you land one, release it. Same goes for anything thats out of season, undersize or oversize. Pier staff and the regulars will keep an eye on you.

Catch-and-release is the cleanest way to go, but you can gut your fish on the fillet table and take it to your room (if it has a kitchen) or one of the local restaurants that will cook it for you.

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Fishing is one of lifes greatest pleasures, but its better to experience it than read about it so I wont spin tales about our actual trip.

Captn Tom sets us up with a spinning rod and bucket of shrimp. He shows Hazel how to bait the hook and cast.

Flop it right out there. Put your rod tip down. If youre feeling a nibbling, then well do something about it.

Seconds later, before shes ready, she gets a bite and freaks out. I land the sheepshead for her. Or maybe Captn Tom does. Lets just call it our fish.

That was cool, allows Hazel.

We catch feather-light butterfish like crazy, sometimes two at a time because our knocker rig has two hooks. We try five more spots on the pier and cant escape them.

A few fish  the big ones, of course  steal our bait. Hazel doesnt understand why.

Sometimes you get the fish, explains Captn Tom. Sometimes the fish gets you.

The sun sets in typically spectacular Clearwater fashion.

Hazel tells us we cant call it a day until we catch five more fish. She doesnt understand its not always like this. We oblige, with more butterfish and the unfortunately named grunt.

Youre a good fisherperson, Captn Tom tells Hazel when we part, and I look forward to fishing with you again some day.

Jennifer Bains trip was sponsored by the City of Clearwater, which didnt review or approve this story.

When You Go

Pier 60 fishing: Pier 60 is a city-owned/operated fishing pier with a bait house/shop. Daily fishing fees are $5.25 for kids age 5 to 15, $6.75 for seniors and $8 for adults. The pier has group coverage for fishing licences. Rod rentals are $8 and come with a bait bucket, bait knife and bobber. From March 1 until Nov. 30, the fishing pier is open 24/7. From Dec. 1 to Feb. 28 (including Christmas Day) there are slightly reduced hours. You can pay $1 to walk onto the gated fishing end of the pier. Details: pier60fishing.com

Get there: WestJet and Air Canada fly direct from Toronto to Tampa International Airport and its about a three-hour flight. You clear U.S. immigration here in Canada, so things move quickly once you land.

Get to/from the airport: Its about a 35-minute drive from the airport to Clearwater Beach. Take a taxi or Super Shuttle (supershuttle.com), which offers private sedans/SUVs, shared-ride vans and non-stop vans.

Get around: You can walk around Clearwater Beach, hail taxis or call Florida Free Rides (floridafreerides.com), a hybrid transportation/marketing company where you just tip the driver if youre going within the free, local area. Its about a half-hour walk from Pier 60 to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium. The Jolley Trolley (clearwaterjolleytrolley.com) is another option, with adult fares at $2.25 or $5 for the day. Its Clearwater Beach route goes downtown, and its coastal route goes through Dunedin and up to Tarpon Springs.

When to go: It used to be that Canadian snowbirds came here from Valentines Day to Mothers Day, but the Sunshine State is a year-round destination. Temperatures can range from cool to scorching, so check the weather forecasts.

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OWEN SOUND, ONT.Police in Ontario say their investigation into the death of a 19-year-old soldier from Nova Scotia has concluded.

The Owen Sound Police Service says no foul play is suspected in the death of Pte. Andrew Fitzgerald.

Fitzgeralds body was found Aug. 18 along the shoreline of Georgian Bay near a water treatment facility on the Owen Sound harbour following a six-day search.

Police say the soldier had been out celebrating his graduation from basic military training when he was reported missing.

Fitzgerald, who was from Cape North, N.S., graduated from an infantry course at 4th Canadian Division Training Centre in nearby Meaford, Ont.

Police say the will have no further comment regarding their investigation.

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OTTAWACanadas top special forces soldier has become the latest senior officer to be charged and face a court martial after accidentally firing his weapon.

The charge against Maj.-Gen. Michael Rouleau, commander of Canadian Special Forces Operations, stems from an incident in northern Iraq last December.

In a statement released by the military, Rouleau said he was loading his rifle while preparing to visit a front line position when the weapon fired a single round.

The bullet did not hit anyone, but Rouleau said as a soldier and as a special operations assaulter, the only acceptable standard of care with a weapon is error-free.

Rouleau said he immediately reported the incident to Chief of Defence Staff Gen. Jonathan Vance. After a lengthy investigation, he was charged with one count under the National Defence Act. As a general, such charges automatically result in a court martial.

A date has not been set for the court martial.

Rouleau isnt the first senior officer to be court-martialled after accidentally firing his weapon. Brig.-Gen. Daniel Menard was ordered to pay a $3,500 fine after his rifle fired two bullets at Kandahar Airfield while he was commander of Canadian troops in Afghanistan in 2010.

Another officer, Lt.-Col. Gilles Fortin, was also fined after accidentally firing a round from his pistol in the Kabul International Airport in 2012. Fortin was forced to pay $1,500.

In a letter to Canadas approximately 2,000 special forces troops, Rouleau said he takes ownership for his mistake. He said he regretted that the mistake would bring unwanted public attention because it distracts from the great work you do.

Up to 200 Canadian special forces troops have been deployed to Iraq where they are helping Kurdish peshmerga forces fight Daesh, also known as ISIS and ISIL. The commandos have been active in other parts of the world in recent years, including Belize and Niger.

Rouleau is a longtime special forces soldier. He joined the elite Joint Task Force 2 in 1994, eventually taking command of the counter-terrorism unit. Rouleau took command of all Canadian special forces in February 2014.

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Its the saddest photo Ashley Bartyik has ever taken. The image captures her grandparents slumped over in their seats, tissues to their eyes and crying together.

Wolfram Gottschalk, 83, and his wife, Anita, 81, have been married for 62 years, but for the past eight months they have been forced apart in different care facilities as their health deteriorates. They now see each other only a few times each week.

The Surrey, B.C.-based seniors broke hearts around the world yesterday as their story went viral after the image was posted on Bartyiks Facebook page.

It was love at first sight for Anita and Wolf when they met as teenagers and Bartyik told the Star they hadnt spent more than a week apart before they were separated last January, after Wolfs health started to fail.

Now Ashley or her mother, Diana, drive Anita every other day from The Residence at Morgan Heights to see her husband at the Yale Road Centre in North Surrey, roughly 40 minutes away.

Living at Yale Road between stints in the hospital, Wolf is on a waiting list to get into The Residence, which can provide the care both he and Anita need.

Tasleem Juma, a spokesperson for Fraser Health, the regional authority that oversees service and delivery of care, told the Star theyve been actively trying to help, but no beds have become available since Anita moved into The Residence in July.

We understand how difficult it is for them as a couple and as a family, said Juma, adding Fraser Health is looking into immediate availability at another facility.

Wolf, who is suffering from dementia, requires more complex care and was diagnosed with lymphoma on Tuesday, said Bartyik. Due to the couples differing health needs, they are stuck waiting separately.

This past spring, the B.C. legislature made changes to the Community Care Assisted Living Act, which will increase flexibility for residents to remain in assisted living facilities and delay moving into complex care. The act is still making its way through the legislature.

Mr. and Mrs. Gottschalk are caught right now in a world where changes are coming but are not here yet, Isobel Mackenzie, Seniors Advocate for B.C., told the Star. This is a shifting conversation from keeping seniors safe with higher levels of care, to (explaining) risks and allowing (seniors), to make choices about how (they) want to live . . . . At the end of the day, were talking about the quality of life in their final years.

Despite the dementia, Wolf recognizes Anita and still calls her my little mouse in German, a nickname hes used for more than six decades, Bartyik said.

He tries to kiss her; he holds her hand and feeds her. Hes very attentive of her and always has been, touching the small of her back or the top of her neck, (giving her) little massages and tickles, said Bartyik. With dementia things can change in a heartbeat . . . were trying to bring some clarity to his day, every day.

She said her grandparents cry each time they say hello, and have to say goodbye.

He pretends theres something in his eye.

Bartyik said the separation has taken its toll on her grandmother, too. Shes always been the light when she walks in the room, but if I showed you a photo from eight months ago, you wouldnt even recognize her.

Bartyik, 29, quit her job in July to help her family cope with what she says has become a devastating situation (where Wolf has been) shuffled around and lost in the cracks.

Bartyiks mother, Diana, was the primary caregiver to her ailing parents until her own heart problems rendered her physically and emotionally unable to.

Im seeing my family deteriorate right before my eyes, said Bartyik. I wish I posted the photo sooner.

Moved to pull out her phone when she saw the heartbreaking moment, Bartyik put the photo online begging for help and advice from others who have navigated B.C.s senior care system.

Facebook users across the country  and from Europe, South America and the U.S.  reached out to respond. The reaction has motivated Bartyik to continue to help seniors. The underfunding and lack of communication . . . is just crazy, she said. If this helps even just one more family, it was worth it.

She said her family wont stop until Anita and Wolf are reunited.

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OTTAWAThe Liberals are pledging up to 600 Canadian Forces troops and additional millions in support for United Nations peacekeeping missions, but have yet to reach a decision about where Canadian efforts will be focused.

Global Affairs Minister Stephane Dion announced Friday the Liberals are committing $450 million over three years to UN peacekeeping missions, casting the new Peace and Stability Operations Program (PSOP) as a blending of foreign, defence and development policy.

(The program) renews Canadas long peacekeeping tradition and at the same time is adapted to the realities of today, Dion told reporters at a retreat for Liberal MPs in Quebec Friday.

(It) builds on the government of Canadas commitment to ensure closer coordination between foreign policy, defence policy, development policy, and national security.

In recent years, Canada has contributed about $240 million annually to UN peacekeeping operations, according to documents obtained under access to information law.

Under the new program, the Liberals have committed $118 million annually for grants and contributions for key peace and security priorities, including support for the coalition fighting Daesh, also known as Islamic State, ISIS or ISIL, in Syria; assistance to Ukraines security sector, and facilitating the peace process in Columbia.

An extra $17 million will be devoted to new deployments for police officers and civilian experts, part of UN responses to natural disasters and political or military crises.

Public Safety Canada has budgeted an extra $106.5 million for international police peacekeeping missions over the next three years.

Despite committing to the funding, the Liberal government has yet to decide where Canadian troops and police officers will be deployed.

Ottawa is reportedly considering operations in Mali, South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic.

Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan said Ottawa is looking to place Canadian troops where they can enhance existing peace operations and said that the Liberals are considering a full spectrum of operations from counter-terrorism to development projects.

Anything that we do select, well make sure that our troops have the right resources, the right training, and the right tools to carry out the mission, Sajjan told reporters.

And Ive made it very clear that the missions in Africa are risky. But its important that we take part in this work, because if we think that conflict in that region doesnt impact us, I can assure you that is not the case.

Conservative defence critic James Bezan, whose party was skeptical of UN peace operations while in power, said the Liberals appear nostalgic for another era.

Bezan noted the Conservatives preferred NATO-led missions, which he said had clearer parameters and chains of command.

Todays announcement raises more questions than they gave answers, Bezan said in an interview Friday.

Where are these 600 troops going to go? When are they going? Why are they going? Exactly what role and who are we partnering with in these missions?

If the Liberals end up sending 600 troops on UN missions, it would be a marked increase from Canadas current contribution to boots on the ground. As of the end of July, only 103 Canadian peacekeepers, most of them police officers, not military troops, were deployed worldwide, according to the UN. Thats in keeping with the approach for the past number of years, where Canada has done more funding, than participating, in UN peacekeeping missions.

The UN peacekeeping program has been under increasing scrutiny in recent years due to alleged abuses by officers and troops deployed on missions. Five Canadian police officers have been accused of improper relationships with people they were sent to protect, including two who allegedly fathered children while in Haiti.

The Star reported last month that Ottawa is considering providing support to women with outstanding paternity claims against Canada peacekeepers.

Currently, there is no law or policy to provide those women with assistance.

Two Quebec provincial police recently retired before facing disciplinary hearings over alleged sexual exploitation in Haiti.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said Friday that with the renewed focus on peacekeeping, the government must ensure such abuses do not occur.

We must always work very hard to ensure our officers perform and behave to the highest personal and ethical standards, to serve effectively in the missions theyre engaged, and to protect Canadas international reputation, Goodale said.

 with a file from the Canadian Press.

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BUFFALO, N.Y.Americans have unexpectedly come ashore in Canada for the second time in less than a week, but they werent wayward partiers  they came here to save lives.

It was just after 1 a.m. Thursday when U.S. Border Patrol marine units based in Buffalo, N.Y., noticed a house on fire on the Canadian shoreline near Niagara Falls, Ont.

The border agents didnt spot any firefighters or rescue vehicles, so they manoeuvred their boats close to shore, set off their sirens and shone spotlights to alert the residents.

The agents eventually came ashore and one led a family of four, including two children, out of the burning house to a safe spot across the road.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says a second agent led another family of four to safety from a house adjacent to the blaze while the commander of a second American patrol boat contacted the RCMP to let them know what was going on.

This friendly cross-border invasion follows an incident last Sunday when some 1,500 wayward Americans washed ashore in Sarnia, Ont.

The unexpected visitors were on inflatable rafts and boats  attending the annual Port Huron Float Down  when they drifted off course due to high winds and strong currents.

The decisive actions made by the agents involved demonstrates their willingness to go above and beyond to ensure the safety of citizens on both sides of the border, said Matt Harvey, the acting deputy patrol agent at the Buffalo station.

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Ontario must immediately commit to an affordable and publicly funded child-care system if it hopes to eliminate the significant pay gap between men and women, a government-commissioned report says.

The recommendations on reducing wage inequity call for urgent investment in both child care and elder care, arguing that insufficient options often force women to shoulder unpaid caregiving roles  sometimes at the expense of paid work.

While the statistics and the research demonstrate clearly the many barriers to pay equity, what resonated the most was hearing individual stories of the difficulties of coping with multiple jobs, juggling family responsibilities and not realizing a return on their investment in education, said Emanuela Heyninck, who sat on the Gender Wage Gap Strategy Steering Committee and is head of the provinces Pay Equity Office.

On average, womens annual earnings in Ontario are 29 per cent lower than mens. In 2014, Premier Kathleen Wynne directed the Ministry of Labour to tackle that disparity  and the committees report serves as the blueprint for change.

Its top recommendation is immediate investment in child care, suggesting that committing 1 per cent of the provinces gross domestic product to child-care spending as a useful benchmark. Currently, Ontario spends 0.6 per cent of GDP on early childhood education, while Quebec dedicates double that amount to its subsidized child-care program that caps daily fees at $20 a day.

The impact, the report argues, is felt disproportionately by women. The Star has reported extensively on spiraling childcare costs especially on low-income families, as well as the pervasive reach of unequal pay which follows women across industry, income bracket, and age. Women are more likely to miss work, retire early, turn down job opportunities, or quit their jobs because of unpaid family responsibilities, research shows.

Toronto single mom Charlotte Genoa, 29, says accessible child care would come as welcome relief. She and her daughter Daisy, who is almost 2, have been on the waitlist for subsidized daycare for six months. In the interim, Genoa is paying $80 a day for her little girls care while she is at work.

I put off going back to work for so long, longer than most people, because of the cost, she told the Star. And I think thats a huge issue. Ive talked to so many moms who step away for so long and find it really, really hard to go back because the competition is so high.

In addition to reducing inequality, the report  which was compiled by four experts in business, gender, and equity issues  estimates that every public dollar invested in child care would add $2.47 to the Ontario economy through womens increased working hours and wages.

When we create the opportunity for women to have economic security, we create prosperity for all workers and their families, said Labour Minister Kevin Flynn. We need to close the gender wage gap. Its the right thing to do, and I look forward to moving forward with this important work.

Its an opportunity to really shift to a new gear and talk about building a new system, said Carolyn Ferns of the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, adding that Canada lags behind other industrialized countries in providing good quality, affordable early childhood education.

Other unpaid caring roles are also taking a toll on women, the gender wage gap committee found  in particular, supporting elderly family members. With the number of seniors poised to double to more than 4 million by 2041, the report called on government to ensure its long-term care system can cope with the increase.

We heard many stories about the pressures facing the sandwich generation who provide care for children and aging relatives, reads the report, which held months of public consultation on pay issues across the province.

Overall, the report notes womens work is often undervalued, and female-dominated sectors tend to be underpaid and precarious. Groups like the Equal Pay Coalition have called on the government to erase the gender gap by 2025 and some action has already been taken, including a salary bump for child care and personal support workers. But the pay gap committee recommended revisiting the impact and scale of these efforts.

You cant build a quality (child care) system without dealing with the issues facing the workforce, said Ferns, adding efforts to improve pay for early childhood education workers should go hand-in-hand with building an affordable childcare program.

Other recommendations include requiring boards of publicly traded companies to be at least 30 per cent female, establishing a shared parental leave allowance, and developing pay transparency policies.

More and more jurisdictions are looking at encouraging businesses to voluntarily address this lack of women in decision-making positions, Heyninck said. There is a growing body of opinion that transparency allows for a more equal playing field for employees.

Its the kind of leadership that Genoa says she is anxiously waiting for.

I dont think weve figured it out in Canada, she said. I feel like a lot of other countries have gotten a handle on it and we just dont make it priority. And therefore youre not making women a priority at all.

With files from Laurie Monsebraaten

Ontarios wage gap by the numbers:

$2.6 billion: Potential increase in government revenue from closing the gender wage gap.

42 per cent: Proportion of dual income families in 1976.

68 per cent: Proportion of dual income families in 2014.

20 per cent: Proportion of Ontario children in licenced child care programs.

1.8 million: Number of women who are unpaid caregivers in Ontario.

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The mayor of an Ontario town says hes been sentenced to die after the province declined to fund what he says would be a life-saving medical procedure in the U.S. to treat his pancreatic cancer.

I feel absolutely betrayed, Trent Hills Mayor Hector Macmillan told the Star on Thursday, adding that he will be appealing the decision by the Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.

Macmillan was diagnosed with stage IV pancreatic cancer in January. However, he claims a combination of chemotherapy and drinking an herbal elixir from Mexico has reduced the cancer to stage III.

Through online research, Macmillan discovered a treatment called irreversible electroporation, also known as IRE or the brand name NanoKnife, intended for use on otherwise-inoperable tumours. Needles are inserted into and around the tumour and short pulses of electricity are fired between the needles, destroying the tumour but leaving the surrounding tissue unharmed.

The first NanoKnife surgery in Canada was performed at Toronto General Hospital in 2013; however, the NanoKnife has only been used on patients with stage III liver cancers, University Health Network spokesperson Gillian Howard said in an email. As well, she wrote, the treatment is still considered experimental for some stages and locations of tumours.

We have not used the NanoKnife for pancreatic tumours and, to date, research has demonstrated that it is not effective for Stage Four cases, Howard said, adding that there is interest in doing a clinical trial using NanoKnife to treat stage III and lower pancreatic cancers, but that funding needs to be secured first.

Macmillan said he approached Toronto General and Dr. Robert Martin at the University of Louisville Hospital in Kentucky, a leader in NanoKnife surgeries. Toronto General turned him away, Macmillan said, but the University of Louisville Hospital assessed and deemed him suitable for surgery. However, the total cost of medical treatment in Kentucky would top $320,000, Macmillan said  a price he can't afford on his own.

His doctor put in a request to the ministry to cover the out-of-country care in May.

It was denied in a letter Macmillan got this month, which he provided to the Star. The ministry rejected the request because, among other reasons, the services for which funding is sought are experimental and not medically necessary.

At this time, no local clinical practice guideline is recommending the use of the requested service . . . in patients with stage IV pancreatic cancer, the letter said. A (2012 study) showed that the use of IRE in three patients with metastatic stage IV pancreatic cancer did not improve overall survival. In fact, all three patients with metastatic disease at IRE died from progression of their disease. 

It also suggests that palliative radiation therapy may provide an equivalent local control.

Macmillan said the ministry wont acknowledge his claim that his cancer is now stage III, which would make him a viable candidate for the NanoKnife, and that by denying to fund out-of-country care, has essentially handed him a death sentence.

(My doctor said) Ill be dead by Christmas. What will ultimately kill me will likely be the cancer will jump to my liver, and that could be happening as we speak, he said.

Macmillan appealed to Health Minister Dr. Eric Hoskins during the Association of Municipalities Ontario annual conference earlier this month; a spokesperson for the ministers office said Hoskins asked the ministry to review the decision, which found that all appropriate processes were followed.

Macmillan said he feels absolutely betrayed.

Ive supported our health care system on so many levels, and to find out about the Ontario standard of care and how it works  Its just shocking. What it comes down to is theres a limit on how much theyll spend on you.

We all live inside (a) box and if you step outside that box, either by choice or by fate, youve got a problem on your hands and our government will do little to help you.

Macmillan is appealing the decision and said he also plans to ask the Ontario Provincial Police to investigate the ministry to see if its been deliberately rigging the application process for (out-of-country care) so that they dont have to pay.

In the meantime, local residents have set up a GoFundMe campaign and trust account to raise money to help cover the cost for Macmillans treatment, a gesture he described as humbling and overwhelming.

As of Thursday afternoon, the GoFundMe campaign had raised just over $19,000 out of a goal of $100,000; Macmillan said hes praying for its success.

I just hope that all Ontarians will be able to help me out. Ill do everything I can to return the favour in the future if I survive  I really appreciate what theyre doing for me.

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By PTI: Berlin, Aug 26 (PTI) A 48-year-old Palestinian refugee, hired as an intern at a German mayors office, was fired on the first day of work because she refused to remove her headscarf.

Mayor Elisabeth Herzog-von der Heide of the town Luckenwalde, near here, fired the intern after one day because she would not take off her headscarf, The Local reported.

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"The Islamic headscarf is a means of expressing a religious worldview," Herzog-von der Heide was quoted as saying.

The mayor said that therefore, wearing a headscarf would violate the neutrality of the town hall, where crucifixes are also not allowed.

The Palestinian woman had been hired for a project called Perspectives for Refugees and was set to work for six weeks.

The woman said that she did not want to remove the headscarf in the presence of men, and therefore Herzog-von der Heide said they would not be able to offer her a suitable working environment.

She said it would have been better to clarify this policy before hiring her.

A representative from the state parliament and Angela Merkels conservative CDU party, Sven Petke, criticised the Social Democrat (SPD) mayor.

"There is no legal basis for this decision," Petke said, noting that the German Constitutional Court had ruled that personal beliefs and their connection to certain items of clothing should not be objectionable.

"It is something different than a crucifix on the wall," he said.

However, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party praised the decision to dismiss the intern.

"If the cross is not permitted in the rooms of the town hall, then there should not be special treatment for Muslims," said AfD state parliament representative Thomas Jung.

"The mayor deserves respect and not scolding for her uncomfortable decision," he said.

Wearing a headscarf to work, especially in legal or public sector work, has been hotly debated in recent years across Germany.

Germanys Constitutional Court ruled last year that blanket bans on teachers wearing headscarves were "constitutionally limiting".

A young lawyer in Bavaria won a victory at the end of June when the court sided with her that she would be able to wear a headscarf while performing legal duties. The judge stated that there was no legal grounds for denying her religious and educational freedom.

However, more recently two major judges associations have said that they are in favour of banning headscarves in court. PTI ASK GSN ASK

--- ENDS ---

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Canadas largest school board is fighting a proposed condo development in the downtown core that threatens to leave a local elementary school in the shadows.

The 38-storey mixed-use building slated to be built at Church and Wood Sts., at the southern end of the Church-Wellesley Village, would cast a shadow on the nearby Church Street Junior Public School, prompting the Toronto District School Board to join those battling to save the sunshine for the elementary school students.

We need to protect these young kids, said Chris Moise, the rookie trustee who, just six weeks into the job, rallied the TDSB to participate in an Ontario Municipal Board hearing  a rare move for the school board.

We know (sun) is important for the kids, said Moise. It helps your mood, it helps you learn. . . . Its good for cognitive growth.

To remove any other opportunities for sunlight. . . . I think its almost a criminal act, particularly in Canadas northern climate, added local Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam.

Since the students are bound to the school grounds, Wong-Tam said, the quality of living space for children cannot be compromised.

The OMB, the provinces quasi-judicial body that handles land and planning disputes, will decide the fate of 411 Church St. in the coming months following a two-day hearing this week. The space is currently used as a parking lot.

At the hearing, the city, which is leading the fight to save the sun, put forward an altered, 25-storey design. Their model is intended to limit the shadow mostly within that of existing buildings and, notably, within the shadow to be cast by a 37-storey tower going up at 70 and 72 Carlton St.  next door to the proposed building.

In an emailed statement, Danny Roth, spokesperson for the property owners, Church/Wood Residences Limited Partnership, said the company had engaged in a lengthy consultation phase with all concerned stakeholders, including residents, the local councillor and members of the TDSB.

These discussions have resulted in significant changes to our proposed application, the statement said, including, most significantly . . . a reduction in the buildings height, from 45 to 38 storeys.

But local residents and parents at Church Street school, which houses more than 300 kids between junior kindergarten and Grade 6, say theyre concerned they will be left in the dark.

Access to sunlight is paramount, said Lisa Fleischmann, whose daughter is starting Grade 2 at the school in September. Its not just that its a shadow, she said, but its a big one.

These kids dont get enough sun as it is, added Fleischmann, who is a board member of the schools child-care centre. She explained the daycare operates year-round  often in the schools playground  offering a day camp from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. throughout the summer.

At the hearing, counsel and experts for Church/Wood Residences argued that the concern about the shadow was overblown. Any shadow cast by the development will be transitional and limited in time, land use planner Michael Goldberg, of Goldberg Group, told the OMB.

The shadow would land on any one place at the school for a maximum of 90 minutes, said Goldberg, later testifying the shadow may offer relief from the uncomfortable condition of direct sunlight.

But area residents were largely unconvinced by such arguments.

The hour that (the shadow) is outside on the schoolyard is the hour my daughter is outside at lunch, said Russell Gordon, whose daughter is set to start Grade 2.

My daughter doesnt have a lot of time to be outside, Gordon said, the shadowing thats going to occur . . . it will have an impact on the kids who play there.

Whether the shadow is 10 feet or 12 feet is for the lawyers to decide, said Nicki Ward, local resident and board member of The 519. Its a 400-foot building  its going to have a 400-foot shadow.

Every developer argues the same thing: its not a lot of shadow, its just a little bit of shadow, said Wong-Tam, but every building that goes up adds to the growing shadow creep.

These buildings are permanent, said Wong-Tam. In perpetuity, are we confining children to study and to play and develop their best years in darkness?

Unwelcome shade is not all that is riling up area residents. They say the OMB battle is merely a sign of broader community issues, namely the proliferation of condos in Toronto that now encroach upon the Church-Wellesley Village.

The proposed condo is just one in a series of highrise developments that have recently laid claim to the village. All have been met with local protest.

There hasnt been an application in this quadrant of Church St. that weve approved, said Wong-Tam. Everything has been appealed to the OMB, which she described as the mostegregious process when it comes to city planning.

The shadow is a symptom, said Ward. Growth is inevitable, but the village needs time to heal itself in between growth spurts.

The towers, out of place in the largely lowrise village, will cast a shadow literally and figuratively on the community, she said.

There are issues of neighbourhood character, said Lyndon Morley, whose son attends Church Street school. At some point we have to say its enough.

Not everyone is convinced the steady spread of condos will hurt the village.

I see it fundamentally as a positive thing, said Larry Richards, professor and dean emeritus at the University of Torontos Faculty of Architecture, Landscape and Design, and a Church-Wellesley resident.

While Richards stressed the importance of maintaining the character of the village, he explained that the addition of highrises, particularly in place of derelict buildings and parking lots, will not erode the unique quality of the area.

Neighbourhoods need to maintain their distinctiveness, he said, but I dont believe these towers will really seriously undermine that.

One of the things that Im very hopeful about . . . is that its going to be a real boost for businesses, Richards said. The greater good is the increased opportunity and vitality (these buildings) will bring to Church St. and the neighbourhood.

Richards optimism is not universal. And other highrises were not approved without a fight.

The 37-storey tower set to go up at 70 and 72 Carlton St. was also the subject of an OMB hearing before it won approval last year. Residents had raised objections over the shade the highrise would cast over Church Street school, but in that case, the TDSB was not a key opponent. As previously reported by the Star, the TDSB agreed to a $1.5-million settlement from the developer.

And, in 2014, the board accepted $1 million to back out of a fight against a 22-storey condo next to Lord Lansdowne Public School, despite concerns from parents of shadows and safety  specifically, with the lack of direct sunlight preventing ice from melting off the playground in winter and causing slippery conditions.

Its our practice to work with developers whenever a development could affect a school, in order to understand what the developer has in mind, contribute our thoughts on the potential impact of the development on our school, and protect the interests of the students, staff and board, said Ryan Bird, spokesperson for the TDSB in an emailed response.

Ultimately, the fight for sun may become routine as new highrises sprout up along the citys landscape.

(Toronto has) already become a city of towers, Richards said. They are fundamentally transforming the character of the city. . . . There will be some compromises.

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The family of a Toronto university student detained in Bangladesh after surviving a terrorist attack says the young man has been transferred to prison.

Tahmid Hasib Khans family has maintained the 22-year-olds innocence ever since the July 1 attack at a restaurant in Dhaka, the countrys capital.

We want the court to affirm what we know  which is that he is innocent, said Khans older brother, Talha, who is a Canadian citizen. We want to take him to a mental health professional as soon as possible because of the trauma that hes been through. But I dont think its going to be any time soon.

Tahmid Hasib Khan is a permanent resident of Canada and an undergraduate student studying global health at the University of Toronto.

He had arrived in Dhaka on July 1 to celebrate Eid with his family, and planned to travel to Nepal to begin an internship with UNICEF the following week.

He was with friends at the Holey Artisan Bakery when five armed gunmen attacked, killing 20 people and holding others inside hostage. Security forces stormed the restaurant on July 2, killing the gunmen and rescuing the remaining hostages.

Since then, Khans case has been fraught with confusion.

He was first taken into custody for questioning after the attack. His family was allowed brief initial contact with him but then lost touch with him for days until police formally announced his arrest at the beginning of August and sought court permission to question him.

That permission was granted and Khans detention in police custody was then extended until he appeared in court last Saturday, his family said.

At that appearance, he was ordered into judicial custody and sent from a police station, where he had been held, to an area of a prison where people whose cases are still in progress are detained, his family said.

In Bangladesh the judges have the right to hold somebody in custody as long as they think they will be valuable as a witness to the case, Khans brother said. We dont know actually how much longer it might take. It could take weeks, months, anything.

Part of the narrative in Khans case is media reports that quote hostages from the restaurant attack saying Khan was ordered to hold a gun during the attack, and was photographed doing so.

Khans brother says the photographs, published by at least one local outlet, confirm hostage reports that the young man was forced to hold a gun.

People who know him a little, people who know him a lot, everyone, his friends at U of T, his friends in Bangladesh, friends all over the world, they know, (hes) 100 per cent innocent, Khans brother said. Were just waiting for the court to officially say that.

The case has taken a toll on Khans family, his brother said, but one positive development in recent weeks is that Khans parents have been allowed to visit him occasionally after his formal arrest.

At a recent visit in the prison where hes being held, Khan urged his family to try to stay calm, his brother said.

Tahmid looked a little anxious. The family became very emotional after seeing him . . . he told everybody not to worry and to be patient, Khans brother said. So far hes been very strong.

Global Affairs Canada has said Canadian officials were monitoring Khans situation.

Khans brother, who sent a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus office last month seeking help, said his family is grateful for the support Ottawa has provided so far.

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If the OMA insists on binding arbitration, the government is open to recognizing it as a public sector union  but that would mean doctors earnings would be made public and their tax breaks slashed, Ontarios health minister warns.

In an open letter sent Thursday to Dr. Virginia Walley, president of the Ontario Medical Association, Eric Hoskins also drew attention to growing divisions in the profession.

Doctors voted down a tentative deal with the province almost two weeks ago. It would have seen the physician services budget grow by 2.5 per cent annually to $12.9 billion by 2020.

A majority of doctors didnt like the deal, in part, because it didnt give them the right to binding arbitration to resolve contract disputes.

If the OMAs insistence that it be awarded the right of binding arbitration that we have provided to other public sector unions is so great that it is willing to be reconstituted formally as a union and accept all the obligations that other public sector unions have adopted  including withdrawing objections to salary disclosure that all other government unions are subject to and relinquishing the rights of members to incorporate individually  the government would be open to that discussion, Hoskins wrote.

Doctors want the right to binding arbitration to resolve the impasse, but the government refuses to turn over total control of what amounts to 10 per cent of its overall budget to a third-party arbitrator. It is willing to consider a form of binding arbitration with parameters  for example, a cap on the annual budget for doctors.

The OMA is appealing a recent decision by the provinces privacy commission that would require the health ministry to make doctors OHIP billings public. The decision stems from a request for disclosure made by the Star more than two years ago.

Doctors are worried their billings would be misinterpreted as salaries when the monies are also used to pay for large overhead expenses, for example rent and equipment.

Hoskins seems to be saying that doctors need to decide whether they want to continue to be treated, for the most part, as independent contractors, or whether they wants the benefits of being in a union. By incorporating individually, physicians get significant tax breaks.

The OMA is the professional organization that represents Ontarios 42,000 physicians, including retirees and students. It is also recognized by the province as the bargaining agent for doctors.

Hoskins wrote that the splinter group, Concerned Ontario Doctors, which appears to speak largely for high-earning specialists and who believe there should be no constraints on their income, is increasingly vocal in suggesting it now represents Ontarios doctors.

If thats the case, does the OMA agree with their recent proposal to delist services, expand the use of walk-in clinics and reform payments to disadvantage family doctors and other underpaid physicians in favour of high-billing specialists, the minister asked.

Walley issued this brief response: The Ontario Medical Association has received a reply from the minister of health to our request for a meeting between the minister, the OMA and the premier to discuss the next steps for binding arbitration and a path forward. We are currently reviewing his letter and will issue a response.

Concerned Ontario Doctors sent out this Tweet in response to Hoskins letter: Docs wont fall prey (to his) childish political games.

Labour lawyer Steven Barrett said Hoskins took an unnecessarily inflammatory and provocative stab at Walley and the profession by sending the letter.

The government should give the OMA time to get its house in order following the defeat of the deal, he said in an email response to questions from the Star.

Barrett said it wasnt constructive of Hoskins to reveal in the letter that Walley had agreed with the government during negotiations that it was unreasonable for doctors to demand binding arbitration as a precondition to discussions.

He warned that the move could backfire on Hoskins.

Hopefully and perhaps ironically, at the end of the day  and I doubt this was the ministers intention  this will result in the profession becoming more united, which is a first step to ultimately taking the actions necessary to put some collective pressure on the government with the goal of returning to the table and securing a fair process for resolving future disputes. And it may well be that the coalition and Concerned Ontario Doctor physicians will recognize this as well, Barrett said.

Then again, maybe minister Hoskins is pulling a Dark Knight and willing to be the villain Gotham needs for unity?

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AJMAN, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES  The suspicious text message that appeared on Ahmed Mansoor's iPhone promised to reveal details about torture in the United Arab Emirates' prisons. All Mansoor had to do was click the link.

Mansoor, a human-rights activist, didn't take the bait. Instead, he reported it to Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog, setting off a chain reaction that in two weeks exposed a secretive Israeli cyberespionage firm, defanged a powerful new piece of eavesdropping software and gave millions of iPhone users across the world an extra boost to their digital security.

"It feels really good," Mansoor said in an interview from his sand-coloured apartment block in downtown Ajman, a small city-state in the United Arab Emirates. Cradling his iPhone to show The Associated Press screenshots of the rogue text, Mansoor said he hoped the developments "could save hundreds of people from being targets."

Hidden behind the link in the text message was a highly targeted form of spyware crafted to take advantage of three previously undisclosed weaknesses in Apple's mobile operating system.

Two reports issued Thursday, one by Lookout, a San Francisco mobile security company, and another by Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, outlined how the program could completely compromise a device at the tap of a finger. If Mansoor had touched the link, he would have given his hackers free reign to eavesdrop on calls, harvest messages, activate his camera and drain the phone's trove of personal data.

Apple Inc. issued a fix for the vulnerabilities Thursday, just ahead of the reports' release, working at a blistering pace for which the Cupertino, California-based company was widely praised.

Arie van Deursen, a professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said the reports were disturbing. Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski described the malicious program targeting Mansoor as a "serious piece of spyware."

A soft-spoken man who dresses in traditional white robes, Mansoor has repeatedly drawn the ire of authorities in the United Arab Emirates, calling for a free press and democratic freedoms. He is one of the country's few human rights defenders with an international profile, close links to foreign media and a network of sources. Mansoor's work has, at various times, cost him his job, his passport and even his liberty.

Online, Mansoor repeatedly found himself in the crosshairs of electronic eavesdropping operations. Even before the first rogue text message pinged across his phone on Aug. 10, Mansoor already had weathered attacks from two separate brands of commercial spyware.

When he shared the suspicious text with Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak, they realized he'd been targeted by a third.

Citizen Lab and Lookout both fingered a secretive Israeli firm, NSO Group, as the author of the spyware. Citizen Lab said that past targeting of Mansoor by the United Arab Emirates' government suggested that it was likely behind the latest hacking attempt as well.

Executives at the company declined to comment, and a visit to NSO's address in Herzliya showed that the firm had recently vacated its old headquarters  a move recent enough that the building still bore its logo.

In a statement released Thursday which stopped short of acknowledging that the spyware was its own, the NSO Group said its mission was to provide "authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime."

The company said it couldn't comment on specific cases.

Marczak said he and fellow-researcher John Scott-Railton turned to Lookout for help to pick apart the malicious program, a process which Murray compared to "defusing a bomb."

"It is amazing the level they've gone through to avoid detection," Murray said of the software's makers. "They have a hair-trigger self-destruct."

Working over a two-week period, the researchers found that Mansoor had been targeted by an unusually sophisticated piece of software which some have valued at $1 million. He told AP he was amused by the idea that so much money was being poured into watching him.

"If you would give me probably 10 per cent of that I would write the report about myself for you!"

The apparent discovery of Israeli-made spyware being used to target a dissident in the United Arab Emirates raises awkward questions for both countries. The use of Israeli technology to police its own citizens is an uncomfortable strategy for an Arab country with no formal diplomatic ties to the Jewish state. And Israeli complicity in a cyberattack on an Arab dissident would seem to run counter to the country's self-description as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East.

There are awkward questions, too, for Francisco Partners, the private equity firm which owns the NSO Group. Francisco is only an hour's drive from the headquarters of Apple, whose products the cybersecurity firm is accused of hacking.

Messages left with Francisco partners' offices in London and San Francisco went unreturned. Israeli and Emirati authorities did not return calls seeking comment.

Attorney Eitay Mack, who advocates for more transparency in Israeli arms exports, said his country's sales of surveillance software are not closely policed.

He also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated warmer ties with Arab Gulf states.

"Israel is looking for allies," Mack said. "And when Israel finds allies, it does not ask too many questions."

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WASHINGTONQuote by quote, tweet by tweet, Hillary Clinton made an argument Thursday with no precedent in Americas modern campaign history: that her opponent is not just dangerous and foolish but an unrepentant lifelong racist.

In a calm but blistering Nevada speech aimed in large part at moderate Republicans, Clinton systematically outlined Donald Trumps alleged housing discrimination as a 1970s landlord, his offensive remarks about minority groups, and his embrace of conspiracy theorists, nationalist foreign leaders and the bigots of the online alt-right.

Of course, theres always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment. But its never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it and giving it a national megaphone. Until now, Clinton said.

Clinton offered specific examples. At one point, she described Trumps retweet of a Twitter user who goes by the name WhiteGenocide. At another, to gasps from the crowd at a Reno college, she read out four incendiary headlines from Breitbart News, the far-right website run by his new campaign chief.

From the start, she said, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. Hes taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of Americas two major political parties.

The speech represented a deepening of Clintons strategy of separating Trump from the rest of his party. She favourably cited the way three previous Republican nominees, George W. Bush, Bob Dole and John McCain, handled racial matters.

This is not conservatism as we have known it. This is not Republicanism as we have known it. These are racist ideas, she said. This is a moment of reckoning for every Republican dismayed that the party of Lincoln has become the party of Trump.

The speech was preceded by Clintons release of an web ad that highlighted Trumps popularity with the Ku Klux Klan and other white supremacists. It was intended to pre-empt Trumps halting attempt to soften his image among both racial minorities and the moderate suburban voters who dislike how he has treated them.

Trailing in almost every swing state, he signalled this week that he is thinking about abandoning his key promise to deport all 11 million illegal immigrants. And he has tried this month to appeal to black voters, with whom he is historically unpopular, by depicting their lives and neighbourhoods as miserable  a tactic Clinton argued was itself a dog-whistle to his most hateful supporters.

Theres an old Mexican proverb that says, Tell me with whom you walk, and I will tell you who you are. We know who Trump is. A few words on a teleprompter wont change that, Clinton said. He says he wants to make America great again, but his real message remains make America hate again.

The speech was described as effective by anti-Trump Republicans.

Man, this speech was brutal, and completely justified, Tom Nichols, a U.S. Naval War College professor, said on Twitter. I hate Trumpers for making me feel good about a Clinton speech.

Trump, who frequently tries to turn Clintons criticism back around on her, said this week that she is the real bigot. In his own Thursday speech, just before Clintons, he said she was trying to smear him and his supporters because she lacks policy solutions.

Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists, he said in New Hampshire. Its the oldest play in the Democratic playbook: say Youre racist, youre racist, youre racist. Its a tired, disgusting argument. Its the last refuge of the discredited Democratic politician.

Directly addressing Clinton, he said: I want you to hear these words, and remember these words: Shame on you.

And Trump made a lengthy case in support of his claim that he and his supporters are not, in fact, racists. People who prefer tough immigration policies, he said, merely want their jobs protected and their country kept safe; people who warn of radical Islam and the threat of refugees merely want to uphold our values as a tolerant society.

Clintons speech, though, may hurt Trump by thrusting his most bigoted supporters into the national limelight  where they are excited to suddenly find themselves.

Weve made it, Richard Spencer, the white nationalist credited with popularizing the term alt-right, wrote on Twitter this week.

For much of Thursday, one of the trending topics on Twitter was #AltRightMeans, on which members of a movement focused on protecting white identity and white culture offered definitions steeped in prejudice.

#AltRightMeans recognizing equality is just a social construct, one person wrote.

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SEATTLE  A federal jury convicted the son of a Russian lawmaker Thursday of hacking into U.S. businesses to steal credit card information and orchestrating an international online theft scheme that netted him millions of dollars.

Jurors deliberated over two days before finding Roman Seleznev guilty of 38 charges, including nine counts of hacking and 10 counts of wire fraud. He could face up to 40 years in prison when he's sentenced Dec. 2, and he still faces similar charges in federal courts in Nevada and Georgia, his attorney said.

Seleznev hacked into businesses, mostly pizza restaurants in Washington state, and stole millions of credit card numbers that he sold on underground internet forums, authorities said. The thefts led to almost $170 million in credit card losses around the world and made him "one of the most prolific credit card traffickers in history," prosecutors said.

His lawyer, John Henry Browne, vowed to appeal, saying a key issue will be Seleznev's 2014 arrest by U.S. Secret Service agents in the Maldives that he called a kidnapping. The defence had tried to challenge the arrest, but the judge said the issue could not come up during trial.

Seleznev had faced a 40-count indictment that charged him with running the hacking scheme from 2009 until his arrest in July 2014. The jury cleared him on two charges related to one of the Washington restaurants.

U.S. Secret Service agents captured Seleznev as he and his girlfriend arrived at the Maldives airport on their way back to Russia. The agents flew him by private jet to Guam and then to Seattle, where he has been in custody.

Seleznev was indicted on 29 felony charges in 2011, but a month later, he suffered a brain injury in a terrorist bombing in a cafe in Morocco. He was in a coma for two weeks and underwent a series of operations, according to a previous lawyer.

Prosecutors added 11 new counts in October 2014, including wire and bank fraud, hacking and identity theft.

Sitting at his keyboard in Vladivostok, Russia, and using the online nicknames "Track2," ''Bulba" and "2Pac," Seleznev masterminded a scheme dating to 2008, Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said during closing arguments Wednesday.

The defence focused on challenging the evidence from Seleznev's laptop, seized by Secret Service agents during his arrest. His lawyers claim the agents mishandled the computer and failed to adequately secure it while it was kept in a vault in Seattle.

The defence's only witness testified that the machine may have been tampered with, and the attorneys said any evidence taken from it was suspect. They also said prosecutors failed to make a solid link between the hacks and Seleznev.

The investigation started in 2010 when a deli in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, was hacked. Over time, agents were able to link the computer viruses used to steal the credit card data to computer servers where the numbers were stored. They then connected those servers to Seleznev through his online nicknames and other sites he frequented.

When he was arrested, agents found 1.7 million stolen credit cards on his laptop, along with the passwords to access those servers, prosecutors said.

Seleznev "left his digital fingerprints all over the crime scene," Barbosa said.

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ANKARA, TURKEYA Kurdish suicide bomber rammed an explosives-laden truck into a checkpoint near a police station Friday in southeast Turkey, killing at least 11 police officers and wounding 78 other people, the prime minister said.

The attack struck the checkpoint 50 metres from a main police station near the town of Cizre, in the mainly-Kurdish Sirnak province that borders Syria. Television footage showed black smoke rising from the mangled truck and the three-story police station gutted from the powerful explosion.

Rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK claimed the attack  the latest in a string of bombings by the group targeting police or military vehicles and facilities.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed to destroy the terrorists.

No terrorist organization can take the Turkish Republic hostage, he told reporters in Istanbul. We will give these scoundrels every response they deserve.

This attack, which comes at a time when Turkey is engaged in an intense struggle against terrorist organizations both within and outside its borders, only serves to increase our determination as a country and a nation, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Turkey has sent tanks across the Syrian border following weeks of deadly attacks by the PKK and Daesh, also known as ISIS or ISIL. The operation aims to help Syrian rebels retake Jarablus, a key Daesh-held border town, and to contain the expansion of Syrian Kurdish militia who are linked to the PKK.

Heightened PKK attacks inside Turkey could prompt Turkey to take bolder moves against the Syrian Kurds. On Thursday, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported that Turkish artillery fired at Syrian Kurdish fighters who were advancing north toward Jarablus despite Turkish warnings for them to retreat.

In a statement on the website of the PKKs military wing, the militant group said the Cizre attack was in retaliation to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalans isolation on his prison island off Istanbul. The rebel leader has been denied visits since April 2015, as a peace process between the PKK and the government began to falter.

Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of the two-year peace process in July. Hundreds of security force members, militants and even civilians have been killed since.

At the same time, Turkey has been afflicted by deadly attacks blamed on Daesh militants, including a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding in southeast Turkey last week that killed 54 people and an attack on Istanbuls main airport in June that killed 44 people.

According to the Sirnak governors office, three of those wounded in Fridays attack were civilians.

Cizre was placed under 24-hour curfew for several weeks earlier this year as the security forces launched operations to root out Kurdish militants.

Since hostilities with the PKK resumed last summer, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to the Anadolu Agency. Human rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed.

The PKK is considered a terror organization by Turkey and its allies. Some 40,000 people have been killed since the conflict started in 1984.

The attacks on police come as the country is still reeling from a violent coup attempt on July 15 that killed at least 270 people. The government has blamed the failed coup on the supporters of U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and has embarked on a sweeping crackdown on his followers.

On Thursday, Kurdish rebels opened fire at security forces protecting a convoy carrying Turkeys main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the northeast, killing a soldier and wounding two others, officials said. The rebel statement Friday said the target of the attack was Turkeys security forces, not Kilicdaroglu.

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ROMEFood lovers and chefs in Italy and beyond are urging restaurants to serve up more pasta allamatriciana in a move to support the quake-hit hometown of the hearty dish.

The rustic food, made of tomato sauce with pork jowl and topped with pecorino cheese, comes from Amatrice, which was destroyed by this weeks earthquake and the idea is for some of the proceeds to go to help the devastated areas rebuild.

Residents in the medieval hilltop town had been preparing to host a yearly food festival this weekend dedicated to the dish. Instead, they will be burying the many dead men, women and children killed before dawn Wednesday in the violent quake. Altogether, three towns were devastated, with at least 278 people killed, at least 218 of them in Amatrice.

Now some food lovers hope that they can at least harness the symbol of the devastated town that lost the most for a good cause.

Italian food blogger and graphic designer, Paolo Campana, launched an appeal on Wednesday, saying on Facebook that We have to move fast.

Pasta allamatriciana is a symbol, he said on Friday. So I decided to use this symbol to help.

He has asked restaurants to put the dish on their menus and donate 2 euros ($2.90 Canadian) per dish sold directly to the Italian Red Cross, which is participating in relief efforts in the affected areas in the Apennine mountain region of central Italy. One euro would be donated by the customer and one by the restaurant.

He says he knows its not a lot, but that if many people take part it could make a real difference.

Since his appeal, other voluntary initiatives have been cropping up in Italy, even in regions where the dish is not typically eaten. The effort has also gone international.

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said on Facebook Thursday that he and 700 chefs at his Jamies Italian U.K. restaurants, an international chain, will be serving up pasta allamatriciana and donating 2 pounds ($3.40 Canadian) per dish sold to help the rescue effort in Italy.

Oliver told his Instagram followers that this could really make a difference, and that money will go to firefighters, camps, food, clothing and medical assistance.

I think we can easily make thousands and thousands of pounds to help, Oliver said.

Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food International, which promotes traditional cooking with sustainable ingredients, has also called on restaurateurs worldwide to put the symbolic dish of this devastated town on their menus.

The effort is also generating interest on social media under the hashtags #virtualsagra and

The heart of the yearly pasta festival, called a sagra, was the local Hotel Roma, which had a restaurant which served up the dish.

Now the hotel is in ruins, with several people killed under its rubble.

Lets hope that it (Amatrice) will be reborn again, Luca Palombini, the assistant chef at Hotel Roma, said on Friday, speaking from the San Salvatore Hospital in LAquila, where he was recovering from a broken foot. Amatriciana will be even better, the Spaghetti allamatriciana. I hope it will be reborn and that we will move forward, even better than before.

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WARSAW, POLANDHungarys prime minister urged the European Union on Friday to make security a priority and build an army of its own.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban spoke in Warsaw before heading into talks on EUs future with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leaders of three other central European nations. The talks, in preparation for an EU summit next month, focused on security concerns and migrants.

We must give priority to security and so lets start setting up a joint European army, Orban said.

He was seconded by Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, who said building a joint army will not be an easy project but added that the 28-nation EU needed better co-operation on defence issues and border protections.

Polands Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, meanwhile, called for setting up a European border guard to protect the external border.

Merkel said many security projects have been neglected, like registering travellers into and out of the visa-free Schengen zone.

Earlier in the day, Orban told Hungarian state radio that Hungary will build a new, more massive fence on its southern border to defend against a possible surge in the number of migrants. He has previously called migrants poison.

Merkels meeting in Warsaw with the leaders of Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Hungary came ahead of an EU summit in Bratislava, Slovakia, next month without Britain. One of the main topics was to discuss Britains vote to leave the group.

The four central European nations have been critical of many EU policies, including ones pressing for nations to accept more migrants. They are also pushing for changes that would give individual EU members more leeway, saying that the EUs rigid policies have led to the British departure.

Merkel said holding a summit at a place different than Brussels will give EU leaders a better feeling for what makes Europe.

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Here's how the ban barring women from entering Haji Ali inner sanctum came into being.

By India Today Web Desk:

Trustees of Mumbai's Haji Ali Dargah said it would be "a grievous sin" to allow women come close to the tomb of the male saint. That's the point they raised in Bombay High Court while defending the ban on women from entering the inner sanctum.

At the end of the day, however, the court pitched in favour of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), ruling Haji Ali shine's trust to allow women to enter shrine's mazaar.

High Court allows women to enter #HajiAli dargah.

It's 2016.

And, some people are still opposed to this.

This should be unopposed! Sorabh Pant (@hankypanty) August 26, 2016

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Also read: Bombay HC allows women's entry into inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah





Haji Ali Dargah, which has stood in the waters of the Arabian sea near Mumbai since the 15th century, houses the grave of Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, the shrine's patron saint. And women were not exactly always banned here.

So how (and why) did the ban come into being in the first place? Here's how:



When did women get banned from entering Haji Ali Dargah's mazaar?

The ban was imposed sometime between March and June 2012.



Why were they banned?

The trust had invoked the Sharia law to put the ban in place.

Lawyer Rizwan Merchant, who was also a trustee of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust in 2012, said, "If Islamic scholars have issued a fatwa, in accordance with the Islamic law of Sharia, and have demanded that women not be allowed in dargahs, we have only made a correction."

As a wave of protest hit, the trust reasoned that the ban did not entirely restrict women devotees from visiting the shrine; only the inner sanctum where the Sufi saint's grave lay was out of bounds.

"They can read their prayers, do namaz and offer shawls and flowers, Merchant had said. "All that we are requesting to our sisters is not to enter inside the dargah."



Also read: Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai enters Mumbai's Haji Ali Dargah





Another trustee of the Haji Ali dargah had said it is in the Sharia law that "no woman can visit a cemetery or a grave".

In 2012, trustee Suhail Khandwani told PTI, "Most of the women, almost 80 per cent of them, agree with the decision."

On the other hand, BMMA co-founder Dr Noorjehan Safia Niaz had said, "The shrine trustees told us the restrictions were imposed after a woman came inappropriately dressed last year."

Welcome the landmark judgment of #Mumbai high court on allowing women into the inner sanctum of #HajiAli. pic.twitter.com/E0xdgR52WF Nidhi Kaila (@NidhiKaila) August 26, 2016





How did the Haji Ali Dargah trust justify the ban?

The trust presented three main arguments in the Bombay High Court to defend the ban, reports Firstpost:

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1. Women clad blouses with wide necklines will "show their breasts" when they bow at the mazaar.

2. The ban prevents women from mixing with men at the sanctum, thus preventing sexual harassment and eve-teasing.

3. Unaware of the provisions of the Shariat earlier, the trust members now believe the ban is more of an amendment.



Even in social media, not all were happy with the court's verdict.

courts are crossing redline, the court must not pronounce the verdict on popular religious beliefs#HajiAli ??? (@dushyantjbp) August 26, 2016





What does the court's order mean for women?



Despite the judgement, women cannot visit Haji Ali mazaar just yet.

The mosque's trust has decided to appeal in the Supreme Court to revoke this ruling, hence suspending the verdict for six weeks.

Whether the ban barring women from entering Haji Ali inner sanctum will be permanently lifted or not isn't certain yet, but the Bombay High Court's verdict today is being celebrated as being a landmark in the country's history.

--- ENDS ---
JAKARTA, INDONESIASix Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanketed a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze.

Singapores air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra, where millions of people are already affected by haze, across the city-state and into southern Malaysia.

The number of hot spots detected in Sumatra and Borneo by weather satellites has increased in the past month though they are below levels last year when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis.

Singapores three-hour air pollution index was at 157 by late afternoon, after peaking at 215. Its environment agency doesnt give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside, said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work. Im having a cough and its getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home, she said.

Indonesias Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces which have a combined population of more than 23 million people have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect including aerial water drops.

The haze is an annual problem for Southeast Asia, but last years fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbours. About 261,000 hectares (644,931 acres) burned, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said Friday that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.

About 2,800 hectares (6,918 acres) have burned so far this year, according to Indonesias Forestry Ministry.

Separately, Indonesias Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a palm oil company PT Kallista Alam that was ordered to pay compensation of 366 billion rupiah ($28 million U.S.) for burning peatlands, according to a decision published this month on the courts website.

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The lifelike dolls are meant to teach teenage girls what its like to raise an infant, warts and all. As part of high school sex-ed programs around the world, teachers give infant simulators to their female students, who care for the robots over the course of a few days.

The babies, which can run about a thousand dollars apiece, are programmed to cry, scream and sleep. Computers tucked within the dolls register when the babies are changed, burped, fed  or when, in the instances everything goes drastically wrong  they die.

Weve had midnight telephone calls from parents saying: Please tell me how to turn it off, my daughters going crazy, as Janette Collins, a London-based youth counsellor said to the Financial Times last October. Its the very few girls who score really well that you have to look out for. In my experience theyre the ones who go off and get pregnant for real  youve accidentally taught them they can cope.

Collins might have been on to something. In fact, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Lancet, putting a robot baby in the hands of a 13- to 15-year-old Australian teen seemed to backfire.

Girls who participated in the virtual infant parenting, or VIP, program were more likely to become pregnant or have an abortion by their early 20s than those who did not, the authors found.

The Australian VIP program is similar to the Realcare babies  formerly, Baby Think It Over dolls  supplied by the U.S.-based company Realityworks. Researchers in the U.S. had previously criticized the Baby Think It Over dolls, but this marked the first randomized control trial examining the dolls efficacy. During the study, 1,267 girls took part in the VIP program, while a comparison group of 1,567 did not.

The trial period represented three years worth of robot interventions, from 2003 and 2006, involving 57 schools in Australia. The authors report that 8 per cent of the girls who cared for infant dolls had at least one baby by age 20, whereas only 4 per cent of the control group did; similarly, 9 per cent of the VIP group had at least one abortion, compared with 6 per cent of the non-doll group during that time.

It is unclear what about the program failed to stick, though researchers have a few ideas. Robot dolls leave teenage boys  i.e., would-be fathers  out of the equation, as University of Notre Dame, Australia, teen pregnancy expert Julie Quinlivan noted in a companion article at the Lancet. Nor, the clinician noted, is a robot doll an adequate simulator for an actual child.

Anecdotally, a lot of the students really enjoyed the program, study author Sally Brinkman, of Australias Telethon Kids Institute, told the Sydney Morning Herald. There was a lot of positivity around the program, so it didnt really work in putting the kids off.

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The Baitul Islam Mosque in Vaughan serves as Canadian headquarters of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama, an international Muslim community known worldwide for its motto, Love for All, Hatred for None and for its devotion to universal brotherhood.

This Muslim community is highly regarded throughout the world for sharing its message of peace, tolerance and universal human rights, and for its longtime strong and vocal rejection of terrorism, and specifically, in recent years, the terrorism of Daesh (ISIS).

Given these values, members of the Toronto-area mosque were quite rightly deeply troubled this week to see a photo of their mosque published on the Stars website alongside a report by The Canadian Press about a study contending that many mosques and Islamic schools in Canada are filled with extremist literature.

While the photo was removed within a few hours of being posted online, this was a bad mistake on the Stars part and we have spent considerable time here this week determining what went wrong.

The Baitul Islam Mosque has no connection whatsoever to the content of the study  which has itself come under question  so the image of this specific mosque should never have been linked to this article. As I later learned, no Toronto-area mosque whatsoever was part of this study. The studys authors reached their conclusions following visits to four mosques and three Islamic schools in the Ottawa area.

Compounding the error in photo selection, the Stars photo caption named this Vaughan mosque in referring to the study, thereby further wrongly linking Baitul Islam Mosque to a questionable study claiming extremist literature in Canadian mosques. The findings of the study have since been strongly rejected by the Canadian Council of Imams.

It is very upsetting for the members of the community to see the image of their highly regarded and internationally respected mosque negligently used as a stock image, Safwan Choudhry, director of communication for Ahmadiyya Muslim Jamaat Canada said in an email to the Star Monday night shortly after the article and photo were published.

As soon as this was brought to our attention, the Star acted quickly to take the photo down from its website. It was not published in the newspaper or on the Stars tablet app, Star Touch.

So what went wrong here beyond the reality of working at web speed where judgments about what to publish must be made with much haste?

On the Internet, there is a strong imperative to include photographs with stories; research tells us it increases the number of people who will click to read. But photos that specifically illustrate a specific article are not always available so archived file photos are often used in a generic manner.

In this case, the file photo of the Vaughan mosque, and the photo caption naming it, was added to the story file by an editor at Pagemasters North America, the outside provider that edits content for the Stars newspaper and website.

Having talked to senior editors at Pagemasters, I feel quite certain there was no ill intention here toward the Baitul Islam Mosque. As one editor told me, this mistake was, sadly, an ill-considered choice made by an otherwise competent editor.

As a result of this error, Pagemasters plans immediate mandatory training sessions on the need for caution when selecting images to accompany stories online. I expect editors in the Stars newsroom will be involved with that training.

In talking later to Choudhry, he told me the mosque was alarmed and worried that the Toronto Star had associated it with a study about extremism in Canadian mosques, particularly given this communitys strong public commitment to peace and goodwill: Given the bigotry and Islamophobia we witness, there are very real fears about our mosque being linked to a hurtful and harmful story.

He is right of course. As a news organization that espouses equal dignity for people of all religions and races, the Star has responsibility not to fan the flames of Islamophobia or, indeed, intolerance toward any religion.

Linking this specific mosque to any report of Islamic extremism was an unacceptable error and the Star apologizes to the Baitul Islam Mosque and the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama community.

As for The Canadian Press report itself, we also heard from readers suggesting the methodology of the study the story was based on was questionable.

Stephen Meurice, editor of The Canadian Press, told me the wire service stands by this story, which was reported by Jim Bronskill, a CP veteran with extensive experience on the national security beat. As Meurice told me, the study did not claim to be definitive, which is why we included the authors caveat that additional research would need to be done to determine the depth and breadth of the identified concerns.

But, given the sensitivity of the subject matter, Meurice now believes CP should have waited to release the story until it had added more detail from the study and obtained needed reaction from Canadian imams. Instead, it published the imams response rejecting the studys findings as a next-day story. Ive included Meurices fuller statements about the wire services reporting of this study below here.

Clearly, lessons were learned by all involved here.

Statement from Stephen Meurice: Editor-In-Chief, The Canadian Press:

We feel it was important to write about the study, which drew conclusions from first-hand fieldwork in several mosque and school libraries and was co-authored by Thomas Quiggin, a former intelligence analyst who has worked for the Privy Council Office and the RCMP, and who has testified in a number of court proceedings. In one well-known case, that of national security certificate detainee Hassan Almrei, Quiggin testified on Almreis behalf.

The fieldwork for the study involved visits to four mosques and three Islamic schools in the Ottawa area. The study (which is 68 pages and includes 193 footnotes) did not claim to be definitive, which is why we included the authors caveat that additional research would need to be done to determine the depth and breadth of the identified concerns. As such, we saw the study as one piece of a large, complex puzzle.

We sent the report to two prominent Muslim organizations, one representing imams, the other Muslim Canadians in general, in soliciting relevant comment. Unfortunately neither group was able to provide same-day reaction in time for our afternoon deadlines, so the decision was made to send a shorter version of the story in order to put the research on the record. The following day, when we were able to obtain comment from the organizations in question, we followed up with the story disputing the studys conclusions. We also spoke with Quiggin, who defended his work.

In hindsight, rather than send a shorter and less complete version of the story to wire, we should have waited until we were able to craft a single story with more context, background and the entire range of available opinion, rather than do two separate stories on successive days  particularly given the potentially sensitive nature of the subject matter, one that often elicits strong opinions and emotions on all sides.

The CP reporter who wrote the story has been with Canadas national news service for nearly 20 years. He is a veteran of the national security beat with a depth of experience in writing about all manner of academic research and has an unmatched reputation for accuracy, fairness, diligence and news judgment.

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All of a sudden, the oil industry is hot. And Wall Street's money is fueling the fire.

Investors are snapping up stock offerings from once-beleaguered energy producers, while U.S. banks ply them with billions of dollars of new loans. The combination is giving drillers a fresh source of cash to buy properties -- even at prices that have almost doubled in the past year.

The dynamic was crucial to PDC Energy's (PDCE) agreement this week to buy about 57,000 acres in the oil-rich Permian Basin of West Texas for $1.5 billion. The Denver-based company plans to pay for the assets with stock sales and debt financing; JPMorgan Chase (JPM) , PDC's financial adviser on the acquisition, also provided loan commitments to ensure the company has sufficient liquidity to close the deal.

Such a transaction would have been unthinkable earlier this year, as plummeting crude prices and doubts about the health of the global economy led investors to eschew the industry, stymieing oil companies' efforts to obtain financing for deals. Oil's rebound since then to about $47 a barrel has renewed investor confidence in the sector, and central banks around the world have moved to stabilize shaky markets.

The recovery has been so pronounced that even asset buyers, whose share prices often drop following deal announcements, are getting heralded for their ambitions. PDC's shares rallied 5.8% this week alone, en route to a 27% gain so far in 2016. Another recent acquirer, Denver-based SM Energy (SM) , has almost doubled its stock price this year.

"Public markets are in a position of being risk-on," Stephen Trauber, global head of energy investment banking at Citigroup (C) , said in an interview. "They believe the market is turning around, so they're rewarding companies that are taking some additional risk and bold actions."

Properties in the Permian Basin are changing hands at $30,000 to $45,000 an acre, up from $18,000 to $20,000 a year ago, Trauber estimated. Much of the recent activity has been focused on the Permian and the so-called Scoop and Stack oil fields of Oklahoma, because drilling costs there are low enough to make production feasible even at current prices, he said.

Dallas-based Silver Hill Energy, owned by private-equity firms Kayne Anderson and Ridgemont Equity, recently hired the investment bank Jefferies to explore a sale at a potential valuation of more than $2 billion, Reuters reported this week.

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In July, Midland, Texas-based Diamondback Energy (FANG) agreed to buy Permian assets for $560 million; the deal was financed partly through a $552 million stock offering underwritten by Credit Suisse (CS) , Goldman Sachs (GS) and JPMorgan.

Blackstone, the New York-based buyout firm, said yesterday it agreed to create a $1 billion partnership with Jetta Operating Co., based in Fort Worth, Texas, to invest in oil properties in West Texas and southern New Mexico. The firm also has committed $500 million to a separate partnership with Dallas-based Guidon Energy to drill in the Permian Basin; in April the partners bought 22,000 acres in the area.

The market's resurgence has allowed some cash-squeezed producers to liquidate assets, allaying investor concerns that they might suffer deep credit-rating cuts or even join the 65 oil and gas companies that have defaulted this year, including three this month alone.

Devon Energy (DVN) , for example, had its credit rating cut to junk grade in February, with Moody's Investors Service citing the prospect for "challenged cash flow" during a "sustained low commodity price environment." Moody's assigned the Oklahoma City-based company a negative outlook, indicating that further downgrades were possible.

Then in June, Devon reached agreements to sell about $1.9 billion of assets. Moody's changed Devon's credit-rating outlook to stable last month, citing "material progress on its asset divestiture program."

There's also the case of SM Energy, which has benefited from the resurgent oil-asset market as both buyer and seller. Early this month, the company agreed to sell assets in New Mexico, North Dakota and Montana for a combined $172.5 million. A week later, it agreed to buy Rock Oil Holdings, a Permian producer controlled by private-equity firm Riverstone Holdings, for $980 million.

The purchase price was funded partly through a $531 million stock offering led by Wells Fargo (WFC) , Bank of America (BAC) and JPMorgan, among other underwriters. SM Energy raised another $172.5 million in a convertible-note sale led by the three banks.

According to Citigroup's Trauber, the deal flow isn't just limited to just mergers and acquisitions. The bank has a list of 20 to 25 private companies that could go public through initial stock offerings in the next 12 to 18 months, he says.

Assuming the market stays hot.
The European Commission is working on a plan to give news publishers greater rights over content appearing on search engines such as Alphabet's (GOOGL) Google, which is an Action Alerts PLUS holding.

Speaking to journalists in Brussels Friday, EC spokesman Christian Wigand said the proposal is due out in the second half of September, part of a broader effort to forge a so-called Digital Single Market in the 28-country European Union.

But Wigand downplayed media reports of plans to give European news publishers the right to charge Internet platforms for showing snippets of their articles.

In particular he said the aim is to recognize the role of publishers as investors in content "and give them a stronger position when negotiating with other market players. This is absolutely not about an EU levy on search engines."

He added that the overall objective "is to make sure that Europeans can access a wide and diverse legal offer of content, and therefore [to] strengthen cultural diversity, while ensuring that authors and other rights holders are better and more fairly protected."

At least one expert thinks the plan may not necessarily hurt big players like Google and its YouTube video-sharing site, but rather smaller players seeking to establish viable alternatives.

"These little guys are the ones that content owners will have no qualms about charging for access to their content," said Matthew Jones, a London-based partner with EIP Europe law firm, via e-mail.

"They are the ones that will not be able to afford to implement technology that will allow them to filter out content that is protected by copyright," he said. "As such, these smaller players may find themselves priced out of the market."

The proposal is being finalized just a few months after the EC unveiled new European and television film content quotas for video-streaming services such as Netflix (NFLX) , Appleundefined and Amazon (AMZN) .

It also comes amid several ongoing EC antitrust probes into Google's market power in Europe. The latest charge, announced in July, accuses Google of abusing its dominant position by artificially restricting the ability of third-party websites to display search ads from Google's rivals.

In the other cases, officials have accused Google of systematically favoring its comparison shopping service in its shopping results and of imposing unfair restrictions on Android device makers and mobile network operators.

And in September the EC is due to reach a decision on Apple's tax break arrangement in Ireland, one of several competition probes into sweetheart tax deals benefiting companies doing business in Europe.

The EC has repeatedly denied that it is unfairly targeting U.S. companies in the taxation cases, and this week hit back against accusations of doing so made by the U.S. Treasury Department.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Apple (AAPL) is developing a new tap-to-pay feature for its iPhones in Japan for mass-transit use, according to sources cited by Bloomberg.

The new iPhone model will use Sony's (SNE) FeliCa technology to allow Japanese users to pay for public transportation with their mobile devices rather than payment cards.

Near Field Communication technology operates mobile Apple Pay services in North America, Europe and Australia, but FeliCa is the standard across Japan.

Apple is looking to launch the service in its newest iPhone edition set for release in September, sources told Bloomberg.

Shares of Apple were down in pre-market trading on Friday.

(Apple is a core holding of Jim Cramer's charitable trust Action Alerts PLUS. See all of his holding with a free trialhere.)

Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "buy" with a ratings score of B+.

The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its largely solid financial position with reasonable debt levels by most measures, expanding profit margins and notable return on equity. We feel its strengths outweigh the fact that the company has had lackluster performance in the stock itself.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: AAPL
The Blackstone Group (BX) said after the markets closed Thursday that it agreed to invest $1 billion in Jetta Permian with management to buy oil and gas properties in West Texas' and New Mexico's Permian Basin and committed another $500 million to Guidon Energy, which already purchased 16,000 net acres in the Midland Basin.

A Blackstone spokeswoman said the private equity firm isn't disclosing the name of the seller of the properties to Guidon.

Kirkland & Ellis LLP provided outside legal counsel to Blackstone on both deals with Andrew Calder and Adam Larson advising on Jetta and Calder, Rhett Van Syoc and William Benitez assisting on Guidon. Edward Rhyne at Norton Rose Fulbright US LLP counseled Jetta and Eric Tajcher at Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP advised Guidon on the commitment. Kirkland's Calder, Van Syoc, Anthony Speier and Cody Carper assisted Guidon on the acquisition.

Jetta Permian is a partnership with Fort Worth-based

Jetta Operating Co.

targeting assets and leaseholds in the Delaware Basin. Jetta Operating is led and owned by president Greg Bird, who founded it in 1991 after working as a petroleum engineer at Hunt Energy Corp. and Cawley Gillespie & Associates.

Angelo Acconcia, a senior managing director with Blackstone who oversees its oil and gas investments, said in a statement that the firm has known Jetta's management for years and that they are top-tier operators with a "unique" local presence in the Delaware Basin.

Jetta said it has drilled 150 horizontal and vertical wells and built out gathering systems since acquiring its first leasehold in the Delaware Basin in 2003. It's thought to be the seller of properties in the Thompson field in Fort Bend County, Texas, to Denbury Resources (DNR) in 2012 for $360 million.

Dallas-based Guidon is led by Jay Still, a former executive vice president at Pioneer Natural Resources (PXD) and president and COO of Laredo Petroleum (LPI) . Blackstone said it committed $500 million to the company in April to buy the properties in Martin County, Texas, but could pony up "significantly more" for future acquisitions.

Acconcia said Still and his team have successfully led multiple unconventional oil and gas development programs in the U.S., specifically in the Midland Basin, over their careers.

The investments follow a flurry of deals in the region. Last month DiamondBack Energy (FANG) agreed to buy oil and gas properties and related assets in the southern part of the Delaware Basin from Natural Gas Partners-backed Luxe Energy for $560 million, signifying a new operating area for the company.

That transaction set a new high-water mark for the basin of $26,000 to $27,000 per acre (versus recent deals that fetched $10,000 to $20,000 per acre) but still came in lower than the expected valuation of $40,000 per acre over time, according to a report from Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co. "We continue to see this area potentially approaching or exceeding legacy Midland transactions in 2017," they said, noting properties in that area sell for around $30,000 per acre.

On Tuesday PDC Energy (PDCE) said it was also expanding into the Delaware Basin by buying Kimmeridge Energy Management Co.-backed Arris Petroleum Corp. and 299 Resources LLC for $1.5 billion, which valued their properties at around $22,000 per acre.

Blackstone said it's invested more than $9 billion in equity globally across the energy industry. Blackstone Energy Partners II closed in February of last year with $4.5 billion in commitments.

The firm's CFO Michael Chae said on an earnings call in January that the firm had raised more than $8 billion of dedicated capital in private equity and credit arm GSO Capital Partners LP to take advantage of the dislocation in the industry, almost all of which remained undrawn. "if you add all of the capital we have available for energy, it's closer to $15 billion," COO and president Tony James said on the call.

Blackstone has been doing some buying through the downturn. its portfolio company GeoSouthern Energy purchased assets in East Texas and northern Louisiana's Haynesville Shale from Encana . last year for $850 million. And earlier this year Blackstone Tactical Opportunities bought preferred shares in a private placement that raised $1 billion for natural gas gatherer and processor Targa Resources (TRGP) and GSO participated in a financing for Jones Energy (JONE) so it could pay down its credit facilities.

The private equity firm has also also inked deals with Linn Energy, which filed for bankruptcy in May, and Eclipse Resources Corp. (ECR), which has been struggling.

Its other oil and gas focused investments include Vine Oil & Gas, which bought properties in the Haynesville Shale from Royal Dutch Shell back in 2014 for $1.2 billion.

Other Kirkland attorneys who worked on the Guidon deal include Kyle Watson, Charles Nixon, Lauren Swadley, Lindsey Jaquillard, Dean Shulman, Russell Light, Zackary Pullin, Paul Tanaka and Michael Saretsky.
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Twitter (TWTR) has seen a string of celebrity and other users leave the social networking platform recently due to allegations of harassment. The company has been criticized for not protecting its users from abusive posts but is now working on a way to combat the bullying and keep its users, BloombergTV's Vonnie Quinn reported on "Bloomberg Markets" Friday.

The company is working on a keyword-based tool that would allow users to filter certain posts and keep from seeing derogatory posts.

Sarah Frier, who first reported on the story for Bloomberg, joined the program from San Francisco to talk about Twitter's plan to battle bullies.

The tool "would allow you to block certain keywords like racial slurs perhaps, or derogatory sexist words. You could block them in your feed and tune out anyone who might be harassing you proactively," Frier said.

This is a big priority for Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, who has been looking for a technical solution to the epidemic of harassment and abuse that has led many people to leave the site.

When celebrities leave Twitter for reasons of abuse it creates negative publicity for the company and raises questions as to what the company is doing to combat this. Up until now it really hasn't done much, Frier said.

Twitter is taking initiative on this for two reason, according to BloombergTV anchor David Gura. The first is to protect its bottom line and the second is to crack down on posts that are at minimum controversial.

"Ghostbusters" remake star Leslie Jones announced she was leaving Twitter at the start of the summer after near constant and vicious attacks by fellow Twitter users.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author. TheStreet Ratings has this to say about the recommendation:

We rate TWITTER INC as a Sell with a ratings score of D. This is driven by several weaknesses, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. Among the areas we feel are negative, one of the most important has been a generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: TWTR
NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Cliffs Natural Resources (CLF) were lower in late afternoon trade on Friday after the company reached a tentative agreement on a labor contract with the United Steelworkers Union (USW).

The three-year retroactive contract will be in effect as of October 1, 2015, the company said in a statement.

Roughly 2,000 workers at Cliffs' Tilden and Empire mines in Michigan and its United Taconite and Hibbing Taconite mines in Minnesota will be affected.

"We are pleased to reach a new labor contract that is fair and equitable to both parties, and provides Cliffs a competitive cost structure for future success," CEO Lourenco Goncalves said in a statement.

The agreement is pending ratification by USW's local union members.

Separately, TheStreet Ratings objectively rated this stock according to its "risk-adjusted" total return prospect over a 12-month investment horizon. Not based on the news in any given day, the rating may differ from Jim Cramer's view or that of this articles's author.

TheStreet Ratings rated this stock as a "hold" with a ratings score of C-.

The company's strengths can be seen in multiple areas, such as its revenue growth, good cash flow from operations and solid stock price performance. However, as a counter to these strengths, we find that the company's profit margins have been poor overall.

You can view the full analysis from the report here: CLF
The drama surrounding Abbott Laboratories' (ABT) pending $7.9 billion deal for Alere Inc. (ALR) heated up on Friday, as the latter announced it was suing the acquirer in an effort to push the deal through.

Alere disclosed in an Aug. 26 statement that it has filed a complaint against Abbott in Delaware Chancery Court, calling for the latter to fulfill its obligations under the terms their merger agreementthat is, actively work to obtain all required antitrust approvals to complete the transaction.

"Alere will take all actions necessary to protect the interests of Alere shareholders," the Friday statement said.

A redacted version of the complain is expected to be made public next week, Alere said.

Chicago-based Abbott on Feb. 1 announced a $7.9 billion cash and debt deal to purchase Alere, a provider of point-of-care testing that had spent the past several months streamlining operations following a management shake-up. Less than three months later, the Waltham, Mass.-based target disclosed on April 28 that it had rejected Abbott's attempt to withdraw its merger offer for a breakup fee of between $30 million and $50 million.

Abbott, at the same time, is working to close its even more sizable takeout of cardiac device company St. Jude Medical Inc. (STJ) , a deal announced less than three months after agreeing to buy Alere.

While White reiterated in July that the $30.7 billion acquisition was "tracking well," the deal faces its own obstacles. On Thursday, short-seller Muddy Waters Capital placed an attack on St. Jude as it asserted that its implanted heart devices were susceptible to cyber attacks. The firm's director of research, Carson Block, alleged that "there is a strong possibility that close to half of STJ's revenue is about to disappear for approximately two years".

Abbott had hoped to end its Alere acquisition amid concerns about the target's delayed filing of its 2015 Form 10-K as well as a U.S. Department of Justice probe of Alere announced on March 11 that was centered around whether it broke foreign bribery laws.

Miles D. White, CEO and chairman of Abbott, complained to investors on a quarterly call in late July that the company had yet to receive all of the requested financial information from the target.

The fact that Alere is incorporated in Delaware suggests that Abbott won't be able to get out of the deal, as the state's merger agreement laws are notoriously tough and often don't allow companies to break merger agreements once they are made.

Delaware's Court of Chancery, which presides over these types of cases, shows little inclination to interpret the laws in a way that allows parties getting cold feet to walk. In two cases the court has heard on this general question, involving Iowa Beef Processors Inc. and Tyson Foods Inc. in 2001 and Huntsman Corp. and Hexion Inc. in 2008, it has ruled out such a possibility. The court's ruling in June that allowed Energy Transfer Equity LP to walk away from its deal with Williams Cos. is considered a highly unusual exception.

Shares of Alere retreated about 3% Friday, to a close of $39.55. Abbott shares remained relatively flat, closing up just 15 cents to $42.98. St. Jude shares stumbled 2.6% to $75.81 a piece in afternoon trading Friday but regained their loses by market close.

EDITORS' NOTE: This article was originally published by The Deal, a sister publication of TheStreet that offers sophisticated insight and analysis on all types of deals, from inception to integration. Click here for a free trial.
By Mustafa Shaikh, Vidya : In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court today lifted the ban on women's entry in the inner sanctum of Mumbai's Haji Ali dargah.



The High Court said that the women should be permitted in the dargah along with men and Maharashtra government should ensure their safety.

It added that the ban imposed on women is contrary to the fundamental rights of a person as provided in Constitution.

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WOMEN ACTIVISTS WELCOME HC VERDICT



Soon after the verdict, Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai, who has been spearheading the fight for gender equality in all places of worship, said it is a historic decision. "This is a historic decision, we welcome the High Court order, it is a big win for women," she said.



"This is a landmark decision. The right that women are entitled to get, the right that has been given to women in the Constitution, that were somewhere taken away from us. The ban was on entry of women in the 'mazar' (area) of the Haji Ali dargah.

"We have been fighting against the secondary status given to women...patriarch mentality, this 'dadagiri' (high-handedness) attitude of the (shrine) Trust that 'we will not allow women'...This (the verdict) is a victory of movement of Bhumata Ranragini brigade," she added.



The court's ruling came on a PIL filed by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan and women activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Soman.



Watch the video here:







ALSO READ | Bhumata Brigade chief Trupti Desai enters Mumbai's Haji Ali dargah



--- ENDS ---
The cost of the EpiPens has increased by 450% since 2004, when it cost $100 per dose. Members of Congress and consumers are furious. Here's what you need to know. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

The cost of the EpiPens has increased by 450% since 2004, when it cost $100 per dose. Members of Congress and consumers are furious. Here's what you need to know. (Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

The maker of EpiPen announced Thursday that it will help more patients pay for the lifesaving allergy injection, bowing to intense criticism from politicians, doctors and patients over the drugs soaring list price.

Mylans decision to offer patients a coupon and expanded financial assistance was criticized by politicians and insurers who called the move a superficial gesture that still leaves some patients and their health plans saddled with the full cost.

This step seems like a PR fix more than a real remedy, masking an exorbitant and callous price hike, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), who this week called on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Mylan. The only fair and effective relief is a substantial price reduction for everyone who needs access to this lifesaving drug.

A two-pack of the injectors, which release epinephrine to stop an allergic reaction, has risen from less than $100 in 2007 to $608 today. Mylan said the company never intended for patients to pay the full price, expecting insurers would carry the load.

We recognize the significant burden on patients from continued, rising insurance premiums and being forced increasingly to pay the full list price for medicines at the pharmacy counter, chief executive Heather Bresch said in a statement.

Mylan declined to comment about criticism of its coupon offer and additional financial assistance.

The debate is the latest to embroil Congress in the battle over increasing drug costs and their role in escalating health insurance premiums. EpiPens rising price is particularly notable because state and federal legislation have been key to the drugs rapid growth. Annual prescriptions for EpiPen products have more than doubled in the past decade to 3.6 million, according to IMS Health data.

Mylan benefited from factors including failed competitors, patent protections and laws requiring allergy medications in schools. Having a virtual monopoly has facilitated the rapid price hike. Mylan reached $1 billion in sales for the second time last year.

Epinephrine is an old drug, but EpiPen has long been the dominant way of injecting it  competitors products have never gained the same traction and suffered setbacks.

Its like Kleenex  its even more dominant, said Wayne Shreffler, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital. I think academics like me are very careful when speaking to say epinephrine autoinjector, but for most of the community, they just say EpiPen. 

Mylan lobbied lawmakers  both directly and indirectly  to increase the availability of epinephrine autoinjectors in U.S. schools. Although these legislative efforts were not supposed to benefit a particular company, the brand has such a lock on the market that when President Obama signed the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act in 2013, a news announcement simply called it the EpiPen Law.

The law gave financial incentives to states to enact their own mandates for schools to stock epinephrine autoinjectors, and allow trained school personnel to administer the treatment to students. Undesignated autoinjectors can be used on students even if the prescription is not in their name.

That was a Trojan horse, said David Maris, a Wells Fargo analyst. That was, Lets get it in schools to help people, but it helps market EpiPen and promote it as the trusted product in schools.

Eleven states require schools to stock epinephrine, according to Food Allergy Research & Education, an allergy advocacy group that counts Mylan as one of its corporate sponsors.

A provision in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that passed the Senate in April requires the agency to update its regulations to ensure that airlines carry epinephrine autoinjectors on board.

In 2012, Mylan announced the EpiPen4Schools program, providing the drug free, which doctors said created a kind of social marketing pressure. Since then, it has given away more than 700,000 free EpiPens to schools nationwide.

In 2014, the company struck a deal with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to increase anaphylaxis awareness  creating a website and developing storybooks for families living with severe allergies that were distributed in 2015, according to Mylans Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

Their most brilliant maneuver, clearly, was giving them [EpiPens] away to schools and making it the thing that they could say, Well, the nurse knows how to use it,  said R. Adams Dudley, a pulmonologist at the University of California at San Francisco. What are the parents afraid of? Their child will be away from them, and they wont be there to use it. If they can say the school nurse knows how to use an EpiPen; shes never seen an Adrenaclick ... Its just a fear thing.

When Mylan acquired EpiPen in 2007, the total market for epinephrine was around $207 million a year according to IMS Health. Even then, EpiPen was dominant, with its products accounting for nearly 90 percent of the sales. Another similar product, the Twinject, had $10 million in sales, and physicians said the device was a little clumsier and not as appealing to patients.

Competitors have fizzled over the years. The Twinject was discontinued in 2012. The Auvi-Q was recalled in 2015 because of the danger it would administer the wrong dose. The Adrenaclick has a tiny market share, according to IMS Health data.

Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is developing a generic autoinjector, but it was rejected by regulators earlier this year for unspecified major deficiencies, according to a spokeswoman, which will delay the launch until at least 2017.

The pattern of large, biannual price increases for EpiPen began in 2009. In an earnings call that year, Bresch, Mylans chief executive, told investors that the company would be introducing a new version of EpiPens autoinjector device, one with patent protection that would make it more difficult for a generic competitor to enter.

The month that the company launched the improved product, Mylan boosted the list price of the drug by 20 percent.

Having a new version of the drug ... youre essentially wiping the slate clean  if any generic company wants to create a generic version, theyre going to have to start a lawsuit, said Jacob Sherkow, an associate professor at New York Law School. You get to start the pricing strategy process all over again.

Lesley Solomon, a parent from Brookline, Mass., with a 7-year-old son with severe food allergies, said the EpiPen has saved her sons life multiple times.

She has never tried another type of injection device.

I knew that EpiPen worked for us, so there was no reason to try something else  so theres the trust factor you get in knowing something works for you. Why try something new? Solomon said.

Even so, she would like a better solution. EpiPens expire. They have to be kept at a certain temperature, meaning they cant be left in a car. She said shes excited by a Massachusetts start-up, Windgap Medical, which is trying to build an alternative.

Today, some of the congressional champions of laws to encourage stocking EpiPens in schools are among Mylans harshest critics.

Sens. Mark R. Warner (D-Va.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who were among the co-sponsors of the 2013 legislation, are demanding Mylan lower the price of the EpiPen and explain its pricing practices.

I am deeply concerned about this significant price increase for a product that has been on the market for more than three decades, and by Mylans failure to publicly explain the recent cost increase, Warner wrote in a letter to Bresch.

Bresch is the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin III (D-W.Va.). Manchin had largely stayed quiet this week as his Senate colleagues expressed outrage over EpiPen costs, but on Thursday, he issued a statement acknowledging their concern about high drug prices  but without directly criticizing Mylan.

I am aware of the questions my colleagues and many parents are asking and frankly I share their concerns about the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs, Manchin said.


Morgan Persky, a bartender at Sierra Nevada Brewing Company in Mills River, N.C., pours a beer for a customer at the brewery's taproom. (Jacob Biba/For The Washington Post)

In the beginning, Walt Dickinson was just a rock-climbing-guide turned rainwater-collection-system salesman who couldnt find a decent beer in his home state and decided to start making his own at home.

It was a wasteland, he says of North Carolina and surrounding states. There was no good IPA in the Southeast.

The reason the region wasnt producing hoppy, piney, West Coast-style India pale ales, the type that dominate craft sales around the country? Stifling government regulation. Century-old laws made it nearly impossible to start a craft brewery across the South and Mid-Atlantic. And when lawmakers began to repeal those laws, starting with North Carolina in 2005, Dickinson and other enterprising brewers took advantage.

Dickinson and his brother, Luke, partnered with three family friends: Ryan, Rick and Denise Guthy. Together, they invested $3 million within six months, and in late 2012 they started Wicked Weed, a purveyor of IPAs, sour ales and other malted varieties that is now the fastest-growing homegrown brewery in Asheville. The Asheville area has at least 23 craft breweries and 90,000 residents, the densest concentration in the United States. North Carolinas microbrew production has increased 600 percent, to 675,000 barrels in 2015, just in four years.

Similar stories are playing out in Virginia and South Carolina  opening a market for local entrepreneurs and, at a much larger scale, big craft players from the Western states where government hurdles were never a problem.



Ross Yates pours a beer. New Belgium Brewing Company, based in Colorado, is ramping up production in its new 500,000-barrel facility in downtown Asheville. (Jacob Biba/For The Washington Post)

The arrival of California brewery Sierra Nevada, which opened outside Asheville in 2014, and Colorados New Belgium, which will start offering tours on Monday, opens a final geographic frontier for one of the rare American industries where small business is booming. Their mammoth production facilities cement Ashevilles status as a power-player in the craft world  but also give their homegrown brewers some big new neighbors to worry about.

The proliferation of craft brewing on the East Coast is a case study in how government regulation can block entrepreneurship for decades  and leave entire regions playing catch-up when it is finally relaxed.

New business creation is slowing across the country and in most industries, but not in the world of beer. The industry is dominated by a few big players, led by the soon-to-be-merged SAB Miller and Anheuser-Busch InBev. But smaller competitors, peddling wide varieties of stronger and more flavorful beer, are popping up everywhere to steal market share.

There were 2,347 craft breweries in the United States in 2012, according to the Brewers Association, a trade group, and they combined for 12 percent of the countrys beer sales in dollar terms. The sales share grew to 21 percent in 2015. By years end, if trends hold, there will be 5,000 craft breweries nationwide.

Four Western states house more than a quarter of those breweries: California, Washington, Oregon and Colorado, which have long been havens for the hoppy India pale ales that form the liquid foundation of the craft industry. The Midwest and Northeast also boast strong craft scenes.

The Mid-Atlantic is finally on its way. From 2005 to 2012, North Carolina lawmakers steadily repealed laws  Bible Belt leftovers from the end of Prohibition nearly a century earlier  that had stifled brewers from making and selling craft beer.

They lifted restrictions on how much alcohol a beer could include by volume, which had effectively banned many of the most popular craft styles. They began allowing larger craft breweries to sell their products on site, opening the way for small-volume brew houses. And they made it easier for some smaller breweries to distribute beer to stores and bars.



Oscar Wong, founder and owner of Highland Brewing Company, inside his brewery's taproom in Asheville. (Jacob Biba/For The Washington Post)

Until the restrictions were lifted, it took enormous quantities of money and patience to start a brewery in the state. Oscar Wong had both, which was why he had no competition when he began selling beer from an Asheville basement two decades ago. He had plenty of critics, though. They wrote the local newspaper regularly, complaining that he was doing the devils work with his pale ale.

Wong had sold an engineering business in his 40s and was bored in retirement. He hired a brewmaster and was content to build Highland Brewing slowly, from a few converted dairy tanks in 1994 to a leafy campus with its own bottling plant today. He brewed Scottish ale that was low enough in alcohol content to avoid violating state law, and he waited eight years to finally turn a profit.

Sierra Nevada and New Belgium had no such problems in California and Colorado. They grew into two of the largest craft brewers in the nation, expanded their reach to the East Coast and looked for ways to ease their path to customers there.

This summer, New Belgium is ramping up production in its new 500,000-barrel facility that looms like a massive motorcycle (which the building is meant to evoke) parked along the French Broad River at the south end of downtown Asheville.

Its brew tanks are cooking up batches of Fat Tire, New Belgiums signature amber ale, and Ranger, its IPA. Last month, its tasting room was packing in visitors to watch the Tour de France on a projector screen and sip varietals at reclaimed-wood tables fashioned from the remnants of the livestock yard that once occupied part of the 18-acre site. On a recent weekday, landscapers were tilling the grounds and blue masking tape held temporary paper signs on conference rooms.



Sierra Nevadas facility is turning out hundreds of thousands of barrels of ale in a resort-style setting outside of Mills River, N.C. It is a working theme park of beer. (Jacob Biba/For The Washington Post)

Sierra Nevadas facility is turning out hundreds of thousands of barrels of ale in a resort-style setting outside of town. It is a working theme park of beer, complete with a full restaurant, outdoor concert amphitheater and a gift shop, in what appears from the outside to be part overstuffed hunting lodge, part steel mill.

Brewing on the East Coast saves money for the Californians and the Coloradans, and it adds freshness to brews they would otherwise be shipping across the country.

Beer is heavy, said Brendan Beers, New Belgiums business support manager in Asheville. The closer you can get your production facility to the end customer, the better.

Before construction began, New Belgium officials met with wary local brewers. They assured them that they werent trying to invade the Asheville craft scene  they were selling to the whole East Coast. Sierra Nevada officials say they told the locals that they would choose a different North Carolina location if there were objections to them moving to the outskirts of Asheville. Then they invited every brewer in town to an all-expenses-paid week of beer camp at their Northern California headquarters.

Many local brewers say the arrival of the Western craft giants has attracted more customers to their taprooms. They also say they cant imagine trying to grow large enough, fast enough, to challenge them for East Coast craft supremacy.

Why would I fight a battle with companies that are so well established with such a good product? said Walt Dickinson, the Wicked Weed founder. Thats not what were trying to be.



Walt Dickinson, owner of Wicked Weed Brewing, says the arrival of the Western craft giants has attracted more customers to his taproom. (Jacob Biba/For The Washington Post)

A week after the Dickinsons announced plans for Wicked Weed, Sierra Nevada said it was coming to town. I knew it was going to be great for us, Walt Dickinson said, bringing in more beer tourists.

He was right. Wicked Weed has doubled its production every year and now is up to 22,000 barrels annually. Its main brewery and restaurant is packed in the afternoons and evenings.

None of that would have been possible under North Carolinas old blue laws, Dickinson said. As similar laws fall around the South, in states such as Georgia and Tennessee, breweries like Wicked Weed could see growth opportunities  although the West Coast brewers will probably see more.

Policy changes in Virginia have unleashed a wave of homegrown breweries, but they have also attracted big new facilities from San Diegos Stone Brewing (in Richmond) and Oregons Deschutes Brewery (in Roanoke).

Its a first-mover advantage for the Western brewers, said Bart Watson, the chief economist for the Brewers Association. (Yes, thats a real job.) The window on being a truly national craft brewery has essentially closed already.

For North Carolina pioneer Wong, who distributes to several states but has no national ambitions, the arrival of the Western giants in his back yard means more traffic to his brewery but also more competition for tap handles and more pressure to drop his six-pack prices.

I would have preferred that they werent here, Wong said on a recent morning, lounging in an upstairs bar at his brewery. But what it has forced us to do is up our game.

His is perhaps the only local brewery now large enough, at 40,000 barrels a year, to worry about going toe-to-toe with the larger Western players.

We dont have the efficiencies they do, said Leah Wong Ashburn, the founders daughter, who is now Highlands president. Weve seen 12-pack prices that Ive never seen for craft beer.

(Highland Brewing charges $16 for a 12-pack of its Earlys Hoppy Wheat beer. A 12-pack of Sierra Nevada sells for as little as $14.99 in grocery stores. And the mass market giant Budweiser might go for $11.50 for a 12-pack.)

Highland, though, is adapting. It recently put in a rooftop bar and is selling, with wide distribution, its first West Coast-style IPA. You can buy it at a gas station/brew emporium near the Asheville Airport.

It is displayed prominently, right next to stacked cases of Sierra Nevada.
A Washingtonians summer vacation looks like this, and it basically has not changed in 40 years:

You pile in the Subaru, drive 2 hours (or four, depending on how well you timed your departure), and youre in a place like Rehoboth Beach, Del., a town of 1,300 that swells to 60,000 some weekends. There, you hit the beach, eat pizza at one of the local joints, go back to the beach. Then you head to your rental for a shower and some balm for the sunburn. Then out for some crab cakes and a boardwalk stroll. Then its time for bed. It goes on like that for a week, punctuated by stops for ice cream, caramel popcorn and salty fries. Then you pile the folding chairs and boogie boards back in the car and head home.

The laid-back, traditional and even kitsch getaway couldnt be more different from the world many of these vacationers leave, the urban landscape with hipster-foodie hot spots, coffee shops to fuel long workdays and commuter-clogged streets.

Like a lot of beach towns, Slower Lower Delaware seems to relish its ability to resist change.

On a recent Saturday afternoon, Chip Hearn, who owns the popular Ice Cream Store off the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk, chatted with a regular sporting a University of Richmond shirt. Afterward, he declared, Now, theres a perfect sign of Rehoboth Beach.

The Rehoboth Beach, Del., boardwalk is seen in May 2009. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)

That guy, hes a multi-skidillionaire, said Hearn, who was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. Did he look like it? Did he act like it? Was there any pretension? No.

Rehoboth Beachs year-round population has hovered around 1,500 since the 1940s, according to census data. The businesses here have not changed much over the decades, either. Locals will point out a shop called Browseabout Books, established in 1975, and three pizzerias that have divided pizza-eaters here for years (Louies, Grotto and Nicola, which Hearn calls the big three). Theres the 31-year-old Beach Arcade and 55-year-old Funland, an amusement park. Hearn founded the Ice Cream Store in the mid-70s after selling Italian ice on the boardwalk in high school. Dolles taffy store dates to 1910.

Peoples identities are tied to these places. I grew up eating Louies pizza, and I judge every slice of pizza on that, said Beach Arcade manager Matt Weiner, whose father founded the arcade.

Weiner said the folks who vacation here view trips to his arcade, and most everywhere else in Rehoboth Beach, as a tradition. They look forward to the familiar.

Every year, they like coming back and doing that same traditional thing they like and reliving the memories from previous years, Weiner said. A family  we have this elephant kids ride  and they send me a picture of their kids every year on the ride from the time they were, like, 3 years old. Now theyre, like, 26.

When people come to Rehoboth Beach, they want nostalgia. Thats a key reason foodie trends like cold-brew coffee, fusion food and fancy drinks in Mason jars arent really seen there.

Businesses like that try to open every summer but usually fail quickly. Theres a lot of turnover in Rehoboth Beach, Hearn said.

Every year, more and more ice cream places open, and every year, three of them close, Hearn said. Last year, it was crepes. This year, its juice bars. Four to five of them have opened, and they wont be here next year.

Charlie Browne, a lawyer and Rehoboth Beach resident, offered another explanation between bites of his salad during a recent Sunday brunch at Back Porch Cafe, a 42-year-old restaurant.

I think its hard for businesses to make it here that are rental, Browne said. A fairly small number of people own the majority of the businesses here, and theyve probably bought the real estate a long time ago.

Browne presides over the Rehoboth Beach Homeowners Association. He said many business open only to get hit with a rent hike the next year; theres a lot of demand for spaces near the beach, and little open land.

Theres a little bakery up by the library, and I hear theyre closing, Browne said. The health food store next to it closed because the landlord, he decided he wanted to do something else.

As a result, the commercial district here is always changing and never changing. Certain buildings seem to perpetually house businesses hoping to serve the trend du jour. This year, it is the Twist Juice Bar and Dreamer Coffee and Juice Bar.

Lisa Young, manager at the Ice Cream Store, eyed the store next to her before her shift one Saturday night. This place next door to us has probably been five different places in the 20 years Ive worked here, she said.

Allen Fasnacht, part of the founding family of Funland, noted that his park is in its fifth generation. His 7-year-old great-granddaughter is restocking prizes. The rest, he said with a smile, are ride testers.

Said Fasnacht of Rehoboth Beachs appeal, Its popularity can be traced to nostalgia.

Fasnacht helped found the place in 1962, but on a recent Sunday, he was doing trash duty. The 87-year-old works almost every day. When hes not at Funland, he said, I sit upstairs and twiddle my thumbs and wish I was workin.

Sharon Lynn, city manager of Rehoboth Beach, said the local government enacts a slew of ordinances and codes every year to maintain the communitys seaside charm.

A lot of diligent work on the part of the mayor, the commissioners and the city staff make Rehoboth Beach this very special, charming place, Lynn said. Its a lot of effort to do these things, and sometimes, its not a popular thing.

One example is the pool ordinance. In June 2015, the city discussed banning the use of pools at rental home properties. They fretted becoming like nearby Dewey Beach or Ocean City, where partying 20-somethings hoot and holler during week-long drinking binges.

More than 100 people showed up for a City Hall meeting sporting matching T-shirts that read Save Our Nations Summer Capital. After months of debate, voters agreed to put a halt on building summer pools.

A slew of other ordinances have shaped what Rehoboth Beach is today. Most pertinent, the city voted in the mid-1990s to limit the number of high-rises. A few such condos house vacationers, but the skyline has otherwise remained low. Residents voted to ban smoking on the boardwalk two years ago, and you cant drink on the beach.

Upon hiring Lynn in 2014, Rehoboth Beach Mayor Samuel R. Cooper saidthat we werent looking for somebody to change things.

The plan seems to have worked. Locals were hard-pressed to think of how the city has changed.

Gosh, I really dont know, said Young, who moved to Rehoboth Beach at 13 from central Pennsylvania. To me, it kind of seems the same. There are new business every year, but otherwise, its just about coming down to the beach and eating and having fun.


Joel Hatch stands on a chair as he and others rehearse the musical, "Come From Away" at Arena Stage in Washington, D.C. The production will be staged at Fords Theatre beginning Friday. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

For Nick and Diane Marson, the story never gets old. Twenty times theyve seen the musical, and 20 times theyve discovered something new to savor: another performance, another song.

Another memory.

We never tire of it, Diane says on the phone from the Marsons home in Texas. Every time, adds Nick, we see something different.

And how could it be any other way? The Marsons not only revel in the story of Come From Away. They also happen to have lived it. Stranded in Gander, Newfoundland, on Sept. 11, 2001  strangers to each other and the 6,600 other passengers on 38 jets that were compelled by aviation officials to land and sequester on the rugged Canadian island as American airspace shut down  they met and fell in love.

Their romance became one of the many tender threads of Come From Away, a fact-based musical by a Canadian American couple, Irene Sankoff and David Hein, about an isolated community that opened its arms for a shellshocked week to unexpected guests from around the world. It made its debut last year at Californias La Jolla Playhouse and went on to an equally well-received engagement in Seattle. As a result, the show is being readied for a wider audience, on Broadway, in an open-ended run starting in February.

But first, it settles in for a spell at Fords Theatre in Washington, where this chronicle of the acts of uncommon kindness committed against a backdrop of unfathomable evil will certainly find an exceptional emotional resonance. Washington, of course, was one of the two cities attacked on Sept. 11, when terrorists crashed a hijacked jet into the Pentagon, killing 189 people. Thousands more died in the pair of attacks on the World Trade Center in Lower Manhattan and the crashing of a fourth jet in the Pennsylvania countryside.

The musical, which begins at Fords on Friday, will be playing here on Sunday, Sept. 11  the 15th anniversary of the worst terrorist act in the nations history. During the run, the show will honor the memory of those who died, with special performances for military veterans and families of the victims. The Marsons will be in town, too, along with several others portrayed in the show, for more viewings of a musical they simply cant seem to get enough of.

Fords is hoping that newcomers to the musical, staged by La Jollas artistic director, the Broadway-tested Christopher Ashley, will be just as galvanized  though the mass-appeal potential of a 9/11-themed musical remains an open question. Paul Tetreault, Fords Theatres director, who lobbied hard to get Come From Away into his historic space, as the first Broadway-bound production there in decades, views the show less as a risk than as a natural fit for the companys mission.

This story is seminal to our history, to American history, he says. That is where all the synergies come together for Fords.

From Fun Home to Hamilton to Dear Evan Hansen, serious-minded musicals  those built around sensitive personal issues or complex chapters of history  are all the rage right now. And even so, a story set to melody thats linked to events imprinted so wrenchingly on the American psyche, might present a different level of psychological obstacle to some ticketbuyers, especially those who still think of musicals as escapism.

The shows creators submit, however, that Come From Away is not so much about the inhuman horrors of Sept. 11 as about the thoroughly human impulses, to provide help and comfort, that immediately followed. Because the people of Gander  a town of 11,000 souls living next to a major international airport that was pivotal to the Allied effort in World War II  went to remarkable lengths to take care of the passengers, and even a few of the four-legged variety, who were grounded and unmoored from their lives.

Its more sort of a 9/12 musical, a response to the moment of crisis, declares Ashley, who has been with the project since its development at La Jolla. The show is about extraordinary generosity, and he adds, given the barrage of news of late about refugees and the worldwide spectrum of sympathetic and hostile reactions to their plights, the show is more pertinent than ever.



Canadian-American couple David Hein and Irene Sankoff created Come From Away, which is about an isolated community that opened its arms. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

The musical was born, in a sense, five years ago, on the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks, when Sankoff and Hein attended a reunion event in Gander, with a grant in hand to interview local citizens and some of the returning passengers. They included, among many others, people like the Marsons and Beverley Bass, an American Airlines pilot, for whom the experience in Gander had been life-changing. The effect on the townspeople was just as meaningful: Fifteen years later, its still as strong or even stronger, says Claude Elliott, the mayor of Gander then and now.

Sankoff and Hein were so taken with the anecdotes they recorded and the songs they heard at a memorial concert, redolent of the folkways of Newfoundland and the musics Celtic roots, that their inclination was to turn the story of the stranding into a musical. Forty-five minutes of material were presented at the Canadian Musical Theatre Project at Ontarios Sheridan College in 2012, the first of a series of workshops in Canada and the United States that allowed the couple to expand Come From Away to its current 95-minute length.

A 12-member ensemble, which includes both Broadway stalwarts such as Jenn Colella (If/Then) and Rodney Hicks (Rent) as well as other veteran actors from the West Coast and Canadas Stratford Festival, portrays both the Gander townfolk and the passengers. They take an audience chronologically through the weeks events, all the while recounting in first person the characters personal travails. A woman whose son is a missing New York firefighter waits in anguish for news; a Muslim man who is an accomplished chef finds himself isolated and under suspicion by other passengers; a gay couple worried about their reception in a remote outpost learn a thing or two about an unlikely global hotbed of tolerance.

Indeed, the reflexive open-mindedness of the local residents forms a motif for the show. It seems a prescription for a well-lived life. As Hein puts it about the citizenry: Theyre simultaneously generous and unsentimental. The people of Gander and the surrounding towns not only fed and housed these strangers but also went out of their way to sustain them emotionally, a reassuring sense that goodness remained in the world. The no-nonsense brand of hospitality is summed up by Mayor Elliott, whos also a character in the musical, and who recounts, in a telephone interview from Gander, how people even turned the keys of their cars over to people they had never laid eyes on before. (Of course, as he also explains, the cars would have turned up eventually, given that Newfoundland is indeed an island).



Geno Carr, left to right, Lee MacDougall, and Sharon Wheatley rehearse Come From Away. MacDougall and Wheatley play a couple in the musical. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Many of the actors from the La Jolla and Seattle engagements are remaining with the show through Broadway: A Toronto run and a special two-performance concert stop in Gander follow Washington. And they report a deepening bond with both the musical and the people they embody. Its an experience like none Ive ever had, Colella says, during a break recently at Arena Stage, whose studios Fords was using for rehearsals. Ive never trusted anything so implicitly.

She met Bass, the pilot she plays, in California, and found the encounter a lifeline to a more profound grasp of her role, and the stressful situation in which these people found themselves. Of going through the musicals rituals night after night, and knowing that on many of those nights the people who lived through the events were in the audience, the actress adds: The biggest challenge is not breaking down.

Almost as much of a technical challenge: perfecting the odd-sounding Newfoundland accent, in which, for example, a hard H is added to a word like our and so is pronounced hower. The actors, though, realized that the musical was even more of an out-of-body experience for the people they were portraying.

The first time, sitting in the audience and seeing your life played before you! Nick Marson says, still marveling at the memory, After that performance, he went backstage and met Lee MacDougall, who portrays him (Sharon Wheatley plays Diane, whom he married a year later). Lee said to me, It was quite unnerving to play in front of you. It was strange for them, but also for us.

The Marsons become, like others dramatized in the musical, luminaries on these nights. Theyre often introduced from their seats, and after a performance are swarmed and congratulated by other theatergoers. They clearly enjoy the supporting parts they have been assigned by Come From Away, as enduringly uplifting counterpoints to a time of almost bottomless grief.

Or as Mayor Elliott observes: On the day of the worst act of mankind, the people who landed here saw the best of mankind.

Come From Away, book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein. Directed by Christopher Ashley. Tickets, $18-$71. Sept. 2-Oct. 9 at Fords Theatre, 511 10th St. NW. Visit fords.org or call 800-982-2787.


Honeybees are under attack by a variety of factors. Colony deaths totaled 44 percent in the past year. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

Bees have it rough. Its not enough that they have to deal with bloodsucking varroa mites, a host of diseases and pathogens, disappearing habitat and a variety of agricultural chemicals designed to kill insects. They have also become pawns in the ag wars, the subject of dueling bee-death narratives.

In one of those story lines, pesticides are the culprit. Thats the story from Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth and the Center for Food Safety, all of which urge supporters to call for bans on a particular class of pesticides  neonicotinoids, also called neonics  that have been identified as culprits in the health problems honeybees face. Whenever new research shows a link between bees and pesticides, the headlines are predictable.

The other story is that the bees are fine, thank you very much. No need to panic. A fixture of that story is the fact that the number of U.S. honeybee colonies hasnt decreased since 2006, when the mysterious deaths from what came to be known as Colony Collapse Disorder (CCD) began.

[Call off the bee-pocalypse: U.S. honeybee colonies hit a 20-year high]

The pesticide side cites research showing that neonicotinoids kill bees. And thats true. They do. But it ignores the fact that the risk to bees depends on the crop, the timing, the method of planting and the dose (which is why the Environmental Protection Agency evaluates that risk for every crop and application method). The bees-are-fine side shows that CCD is on the wane and that the number of colonies has held steady. And thats true. It has. But it ignores the fact that colony deaths, at 44 percent in the past year (including increasing deaths during the summer), are at very high levels, and that the total colony number is stable only because beekeepers are replacing colonies at that increased rate.

All of this matters. Together, honeybees (which are not native to North America but were brought here by early beekeeper settlers) and wild bees pollinate nearly a third of the worlds crops and nearly all of our wild plants. Some crops, such as almonds, probably couldnt exist without insect pollinators.



Bees pollinate almond trees in an orchard near Bakersfield, Calif. In 2014, the most recent year for which statistics are available, almonds were the states second-most-valuable agricultural commodity, behind milk; bees are crucial to the crops success. (Gosia Wozniacka/Associated Press)

The problem poses a genuine threat to both biodiversity and dinner menus, and the two dueling bee-death narratives  each a simple distillation of a complex problem  get mainstream media traction. Unfortunately, a story headlined Bee Deaths Complicated, Enigmatic, Imperfectly Understood doesnt exactly scream, Read me!

So Ill write that one! Besides, my husband and I have been keeping bees for six years, and bee deaths are something I have much more personal experience with than Id like.

Talk to bee people, and they say that the factors affecting bees are indeed complicated, enigmatic and imperfectly understood. We are, however, making progress, according to Jay Evans, who leads the U.S. Department of Agricultures bee research. We dont see definitive CCD anymore, he says. By the metric of colony losses, things arent getting any better, but we have a better idea of whats causing those deaths. Pesticide stress, nutritional stress, mites and diseases; theres evidence that there have been losses from all three of those causes, says Evans. Of that last one  mites and diseases  he says, those, collectively, explain the larger share of the challenges of beekeeping.

Randy Oliver, a commercial beekeeper, biologist and author of the website Scientific Beekeeping, is less circumspect. I asked him what the top three priorities for bee health were, and he said, varroa, varroa and varroa.

But pesticides matter, too. May Berenbaum, head of the entomology department at the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, points out that insecticides are designed to kill insects, so its not surprising that they have an impact on bees. The problem, though, isnt limited to one class of insecticides. The media has focused on neonicotinoids, which have been the subject of more than 100 papers in scientific literature in 2015 and 2016, she says. The light is shining most brightly, and people are looking where the light is bright. By contrast, varroa is a horrible nightmare. It has not been captured by the media just how disastrous it has been.

Varroa mites are nobodys fault; they came here from Asia in the 1980s and have spread to just about every honeybee hive in the country. Pesticides are created and sold by large companies. People like a bad guy-good guy scenario, Berenbaum says.



Demonstrators congregate near Britains Parliament in April 2013 urging the government to support proposed European Union restrictions on the use of pesticides containing neonicotinoids. Britain voted against the restrictions, but they were enacted through a majority vote of E.U. members. (Andrew Winning/Reuters)

Berenbaum says she is concerned about pesticides (which, she points out, may indeed be the top threat to wild bees, which is not as susceptible to the varroa mite). She says that although many pesticides, including those used in organic farming, are toxic to bees, the way neonics are applied is a big part the problem. Theyre used to coat seeds, so the plant has a systemic pesticide incorporated in all its parts, including pollen and nectar. Theres disagreement about the extent of the risk of the systemic pesticide levels, but the cloud of pesticides sometimes released into the air as those seeds are planted is unequivocally a problem  although one that farmers are solving with planting equipment that minimizes drift.

Planting pesticide-coated seeds is a cheap insurance policy, according to Terry Daynard, a farmer in Ontario, Canada, who grows corn and soy. At the seed coatings cost of $6 per acre, it makes economic sense for him to guard against pests that he may or may not have. Ontario recently enacted restrictions on the use of neonicotinoids, requiring that pests be found in the field before neonic seed coatings are permitted, a practice that Daynard says is great in principle. The question, he says, is whether you can test reliably. The pest you miss could cost you a lot of money. (Daynard is concerned about drift from planting, and he uses equipment that prevents it.)

Farmers are very angry about the pesticide restrictions, he says. And he points out that a ban on one particular pesticide wont make pesticides go away; itll only make farmers use a different one.

Prophylactic use of pesticides is high on the list of practices Beranbaum would like to see changed, and its one of the many ag-related issues that pit the interests of farmers against the interests of environmental health.

What do we do about situations in which farmers are expected  or required  to take a risk, or forgo profit, in order to protect the environment?



A commercial beekeeper uses a lift to stack hives onto a truck near Columbia Falls, Maine. Having finished pollinating blueberry plants there, the insects will be transported to pollinate another crop. (Adrees Latif/Reuters)

For Mark Floegal, research director for Greenpeace (and a beekeeper), the priority is clear. I have a lot of sympathy for farmers, he says, but Greenpeace starts in a place where we ask what the environment needs to be healthy. His group urges a neonics ban not because he believes thats the only threat to bees but because thats where he can instigate regulatory change. In terms of public policy, we can protect habitat and we can control what chemicals are used in our agriculture. If there were some way that our supporters could take some action that could lead to the demise of the varroa mite, we would.

Floegal wants more testing of chemicals before approval. About risk to pollinators, he says, I would need data that shows no effect before a pesticide got the green light. He also wants regulators not captured by the industries they regulate: Corporate influence, he says, plays too large a role in the pesticide approval process.

I asked him whether the kind of adversarial approach his group takes might further polarize the conversation and make compromise more difficult. If we could find someone to collaborate with, we would, he says. We havent found anyone willing to partner with us on the approach to chemicals we feel is warranted.

Another environmental organization, the World Wildlife Fund, takes a different approach. Instead of going to the press and trying to make headlines, says Jason Clay, a senior vice president of the group, the WWF approaches the stakeholders and tries to bring everyone together to identify common ground. Then, he says, they ask the hard questions: What has to be done to reduce impact? Whos going to pay for it? What kind of business model would allow this to happen?



Biology professor Hartmut Doebel holds a cage of bees that will populate hives recently established at George Washington University. Doebel and his students are researching why bee colonies are failing and what role insecticides play in their collapse. (Linda Davidson/The Washington Post)

The WWF did that with salmon farming, another issue that pits environmentalists against farmers. It took 10 years and, undoubtedly, a whole lot of aggravation, but that effort resulted in a set of standards, released in 2013, that all the major salmon producers signed off on. As of today, according to Clay, about 25 percent of global salmon farming meets them, with more on the way.

[Why farmed salmon is becoming a viable alternative to wild-caught]

Although the WWF doesnt work on bees, its methodology could apply to almost any issue with multiple groups that have conflicting interests.

Ive been accused of having an unrealistically kumbaya vision of how to fix problems in the food supply, but Ive gotta think that beekeepers, farmers, environmentalists and regulators can find enough common ground to hammer out pesticide guidelines that minimize risk to pollinators. Is there a way to restrict pesticides more carefully on crops (such as fruits and vegetables) that bees pollinate but allow more latitude on crops (such as corn and soy) that they dont? The EPA report shows a wide range of risks; could we tailor guidelines to match?

Clay says that when issues like this play out in the media, nothing much good happens. It will be a shouting match from here to eternity. Meanwhile, the bee populations arent doing any better.


People wave their dinner napkins at the 2014 Diner en Blanc, or Dinner in White, along the banks of the Anacostia River at the Yards Park in Southeast Washington. The pop-up event drew more than 1,000 white-clad couples. (Win McNamee/Getty Images)

It is very, very easy to hate Diner en Blanc. The annual event, which returns to Washington on Saturday night, brings thousands of people to a surprise location, where they arrive dressed in head-to-toe white, eat gourmet picnics and drink champagne in full view of the uninvited masses. Those who are out and about this weekend may see a parade of them on the Metro, toting tables and chairs and china. And depending on your outlook, youll either wish you were one of those lucky 3,500 or loathe them with every fiber of your being.

No event has ever made me want to plan a paintball rampage like this one, said Tom Bridge, editor emeritus of We Love DC. Hes kidding, kidding, he promises! But he is not alone.

People have scoffed at cronuts and rolled their eyes at the long lines at Roses Luxury. But no foodie trend seems to raise hackles quite like a very public, invitation-only party with a dress code and a $45 admission fee.

The whole process is so unbelievably pretentious it seems to me to be a complete waste of effort, Bridge said. Pretentious is a word that comes up a lot around Diner en Blanc. Is it the French name? Peut-etre! (Its pronounced dee-nay on blon). Or is it all the hoops the event makes guests jump through?

To attend, you must:

1. Receive an invitation from someone who has been to a previous dinner, or sweat it out on a waiting list of thousands until a spot opens up.

2. Register and pay for a $37 ticket and an $8 membership fee.

3. Buy or borrow a white square folding table (between 28 and 32 inches!) and white chairs, white plates and a white tablecloth.

4. . . . and an all-white outfit, if you dont already own one. No ivory, no off-white, and no beige, the website instructs. And please, dress elegantly.

5. . . . and a gourmet meal for two  no Chipotle!  which you can order from Diner en Blanc for $65 to $95, or prepare for yourself (it does not need to be white, but the bag you use to carry it does). Any wine must be purchased from Diner en Blanc for $16 to $50 a bottle. Beer and hard alcohol are prohibited.



Couples, lugging their own gourmet meals, chairs, tables, tablecloths and place settings, arrive for Diner en Blanc last year at the Yards Park. The location of the event is kept secret from the uninvited. (Win Mcnamee/Getty Images)

6. Haul all this stuff to the secret dinner location.

7. Did we mention its rain or shine, and attendance is mandatory? In case of rain, guests must remember to bring a white or transparent raincoat, poncho and/or umbrella, the website notes.

It didnt start out like this. As the origin story goes, Francois Pasquier wanted to gather a group of friends for a party, but he didnt have enough space in his Paris apartment. He asked his friends to bring a friend and a meal and meet at Bois de Boulogne dressed in white so those who werent already acquainted could identify the group.

That was in 1988. These days, Diner en Blanc International manages the event on a global scale, licensing it in more than 70 cities. Volunteers organize the event, but it also has corporate sponsorship: Previous affiliated brands have included Moet & Chandon and Celebrity Cruises. In Washington, where the event has been held since 2014, the organizers partner with florists, wine companies, boutiques and specialty grocers. It might have started as a simple dinner party, but Diner en Blanc has followed the trajectory of Burning Man: a see-and-be-seen prestige event with an arms race in escalating costs from participants trying to outdo one another.

For all the effort, for that much money, you might as well go out on 14th Street, said Cedric Craig, a communication specialist at a tech company who has tried, and failed, to reserve a spot two years in a row  a process that has left him disenchanted with the brand and unsure if hell try again next year. Maybe Im just bitter.

Who else is bitter? Maybe the folks in Vancouver, B.C., who decided to start Ce Soir Noir , all-black, all-free counterprogramming to Diner en Blanc.



Couples gather for a Diner en Blanc meal at the Trocadero gardens adjacent to the Eiffel Tower in Paris in 2013. (Thibault Camus/AP)

And then there are Philadelphians. Witness the angsty back-and-forth that took place in the City of Brotherly Love, which had its dinner on the Rocky steps on Aug. 18: One PhillyVoice column from two-time attendee Bernie Carlin scolded the event for not supporting a charity. Another column on the same website chimed in to note the trash that participants left behind and their usurping a public space in the name of pretentious exclusivity. A third column defended the event, noting that there are worse things out there than a group of happy people wearing white to a picnic. The Philadelphia Metro, not to be outdone, called the naysayers party poopers and provided the Merriam-Webster dictionarys definition of snobbery  directing it not toward the people who were eating prosciutto-wrapped melon in fancy white clothes, but at those questioning them.

Its indulgent for indulgences sake, Carlin said. He and his girlfriend spent nearly $450 on the dinner before he had his come-to-Jesus moment. Its one thing to get together with your friends and celebrate and have fun, but when 5,000 people celebrate and have fun, you think there would be some desire to do something better for people. But he had a good time, he admits.



Storm clouds gather as diners set up their tables for Diner en Blanc at the Marina Barrage in Singapore in October 2013. Participants are advised to bring rain gear  a white or transparent raincoat, poncho and/or umbrella  because the meals go on rain or shine. (Edgar Su/Reuters)

Participants and nonparticipants across the country have voiced similar concerns.

Basically youre taking a collectively owned or publicly owned space and walling it off, said David Bernabo, a documentarian who makes films about food in Pittsburgh, which will also have its dinner on Saturday. Even if you think of Diner en Blanc as a piece of performance art, it fails: I think art that is purely spectacle is not lasting art, Bernabo said.

Also: I dont know, he said. You just look at this and youre kind of annoyed.

Yes, some of the naysayers have never attended. But the fact that Diner en Blanc is so public  and is, in a sense, a performance for social media  means that those who dont attend are qualified to comment on it.

Diner en Blanc bills itself as an inclusive event while maintaining a waiting list that has 20,000 names on it in Washington alone. But thats merely an issue of capacity, says Sandy Safi, director of development for Diner en Blanc International.

I would love to accommodate 10,000, Safi said. People interpret us not having any more availability as exclusivity, but were bound to geographical limitations.

Hundreds of people decked out in white had dinner at Yards Park last night, bringing his or her own white table, tablecloth, chairs and (not necessarily white) meals. PostTV tagged along to capture some of the napkin-waving and wig-wearing action. (Alice Li/The Washington Post)

Besides, the event does seem to draw a racially diverse crowd. I have people saying, Thank you for bringing all of these communities together,  Safi said.

Safi says all income from tickets and food goes toward the costs of hosting the event, including permits, security and DJs. And Diner en Blanc may incorporate a charitable cause in coming years, once her small team has the capability to vet charities in different cities.

Maybe it all just comes down to the eternal words of our poet laureate, Taylor Swift: Haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate.

Were not making anyone go, said Bryer Davis, host of the D.C. dinner. People want to go because they want to experience that community feel . . . in the most unique, off-the-charts unfathomable way.

It is easy to hate Diner en Blanc. But its easy to love it, too.

I spend a lot of time crafting my menu, said Laetitia-Laure Brock, a Parisian expat who has volunteered as a Diner en Blanc group leader every year in the District. Everyone has a different way of expressing themselves at the event, even though everyone has the same instructions. Youre given a white canvas.

That is precisely what irritates Pat Walsh, a man who was once deemed D.C.s General Enthusiast but who can muster no enthusiasm for Diner en Blanc. Its dorky to pay so much and try so hard to be spontaneous and cool, he said.
Mudlarks Andy Johansen and Ian Smith dig holes as they look for objects on the banks of the River Thames in London. They sometimes find 2,000-year-old artifacts. (Neil Hall/Reuters)

A flashlight on his head, Jason Sandy searches the nighttime shores of Londons Thames River, looking for objects that could offer a glimpse of life in the British capital hundreds of years ago.

As the occasional party boat passes by, its music blasting and lights flashing, the 42-year-old architect only has a few hours while the tide is low to make his finds.

For the last five years, Sandy has made a hobby of mudlarking, thoroughly scanning and searching the river banks for historical artifacts. Some of his finds are so rare they are displayed in museums.

Over 2,000 years of time, everything has been thrown into the Thames, accidentally lost, he said. (The rivers name is pronounced TEMZ.)

Its really the thrill of almost like time traveling and knowing that the last person to touch this was from that time period, he added, describing the feeling of making a find.

Some of the objects recently uncovered  and not yet cleaned  by mudlarks Andy Johansen and Ian Smith. (Neil Hall/Reuters)

Sandy, originally from Chicago, has found numerous artifacts, including a comb from Englands 16th-century Tudor era; a 19th-century toothbrush; and a Roman womens hair pin that the Museum of London dated to the year A.D. 43.

[Whats it like to be an archaeologist?]

Mudlarking is believed to trace its origins to the 18th and 19th centuries, when scavengers searched the Thamess shores for items to sell. These days, history and archaeology fans are the ones hoping to find old relics such as coins, ceramics, artifacts or everyday items from across the centuries.

They wait for the low tide and then scour specific areas of the foreshore, the part of the shore that is covered with water during high tide.

If youre in a field you could be out all day long. With the river youre restricted to about two or three hours, mudlark Nick Stevens said. Unlike fishing, where theres one of 10 fish that youre likely to catch, with mudlarking there is an infinite amount of variety in terms of what you could find.

While many just use the naked eye for their searches, others rely on metal detectors for which a permit from the Port of London Authority is needed. Digging also requires consent.

The Society of Thames Mudlarks counts just a few dozen members, who have the necessary licenses and can access restricted areas along the river.

A collection of Tudor-era coins excavated from the River Thames by mudlark Jason Sandy. (Neil Hall/Reuters)

Collaborating with the Museum of London, the mudlarks record their finds with the government-funded Portable Antiquities Scheme. Any item over 300 years old must be recorded.

Its quite exciting to go down to a part of London that is only accessible for a very short amount of time, Sandy said.

Thousands of years of Londons history is still waiting to be discovered there on the Thames foreshore.
Our readers share tales of their ramblings around the world.

Who: Louise and Bob Geier of Kensington, Md. (the author); Patti, Ken, Logan and Adam Duffy of Oakton, Va.; Dicky, Angie, Taylor and Lauren Geier of North Potomac, Md.

Where, when, why: Our family of 10 visited three of the Galapagos Islands in mid-July. We [Louise and Bob] took a cruise to the Galapagos in November 2011 and loved the adventure, education and animal sightings, so we decided to bring our children and grandchildren back to this paradise. During our first trip, we befriended our guide, Daniela Cox, a Galapagos native. We were later able to host both Daniela and her brother, Martin, at our home in Kensington. Their father, Whitman Cox, a naturalist, contacted us afterward and invited our entire family to the Galapagos for an experience that we would never forget.

Kicker Rock in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Cristobal in the Galapagos Islands (Bob Geier)

[Interested in sharing your own What a Trip story? Apply here.]

Highlights and high points: When we arrived at Whitmans house, the sea lions lounging around on the naval base next door immediately captured our attention. Within an hour of our arrival, we had seen more than 70 sea lions, as well as blue-footed boobies, iguanas and Sally Lightfoot crabs on the beach and rocks in front of his house.

Whitman is the ultimate educator, and he held our fervid attention throughout the trip. He started by taking us to a welcome center that vividly explained the history of the Galapagos as well as the history of his family and its members accomplishments. One evening, with help from laser pointers and a bright sky, we all received an incredible astronomy lesson that pointed out planets and constellations that we could never see at home.

Cultural connection or disconnect: The most rewarding element of our seven-day adventure was the time we spent with the Galapagos people. We ate all our meals at local restaurants, and stayed in Whitmans house with his family and at bed-and-breakfasts on each island. Being a native, Whitman knew everyone on the islands and introduced us to many people. Plus, a major thrill for our grandchildren was the reunion with Martin Cox, whom they remembered from his visit to Maryland.

Biggest laugh or cry: One of our favorite excursions was to Los Tuneles on Isabella, where massive lava formations are home to innumerable forms of sea life  from six-foot whitetip sharks to six-inch sea horses. The agility of our boats captain was awe-inspiring, as he maneuvered between outcroppings allowing us to see blue-footed boobies nurturing their young and others sitting on eggs. One exciting sight was a sea turtle  just like the ones in the Baltimore aquarium  in the wild.

How unexpected: While leaving our scuba and snorkeling site at Kicker Rock, our captain encountered a school of at least 25 dolphins that decided to join us and race along beside our boat for several minutes, then allowed our crew to dive in and swim with them. On our final night on Isabella, we visited a local market and met a group of young people from around the world who were on a work-study tour of the Galapagos. As we made introductions, we learned that one young man there was from Garrett Park, Md., less than a mile from our house. Talk about a small world!

Fondest memento or memory: Meeting the people of the Galapagos made this excursion one of our finest. They are fiercely passionate about their environment and do all they can to preserve it while proudly making it available for others to enjoy and become passionate about it as well. This trip will forever be etched in our memories and particularly those of our four grandchildren, ages 13 to 17.

To tell us about your own trip, go to washingtonpost.com/travel and fill out the What a Trip form with your fondest memories, finest moments and favorite photos.
This weeks best travel bargains around the globe.

Land

With Bermuda Tourisms Splash Sale, save 30 percent on nearly a dozen hotels. For example, a night at the newly renovated Hamilton Princess & Beach Club starts at $279, including taxes, a savings of $120. Rosewood Tuckers Point, on the islands largest private beach, starts at $883, with taxes; original price is from $1,261. Travel restrictions vary by property. Book through the property by Sept. 12; travel through April 30. General info: gotobermuda.com/SplashSale.

International Nature & Cultural Adventures is offering $500 off its 10-day Center of the Inca Universe adventure in Peru. The deal costs $6,695 per person double (was $7,195) and includes luxury accommodations in Lima, Cuzco, Sacred Valley and Machu Picchu; all meals and non-alcoholic beverages; guides and sightseeing; entry fees; airport transfers; and taxes. Travel Sept. 6 to Dec. 20. Info: 510-420-1550, Inca1.com.

Pay for two nights and receive the third night free at four boutique properties that are part of Maines Kennebunkport Resort Collection. For example, an October weekend at the Grand Hotel, in downtown Kennebunkport, starts at $488, including taxes, a savings of $129. The promo also applies to the Lodge on the Cove, the Tides Beach Club and Cape Arundel Inn & Resort. Rates and travel dates vary by property. Info: 800-573-7186, kennebunkportresort

collection.com/special-offers.

Sea

With Aranui Cruises, save about $300 on two departures to the Marquesas Islands in French Polynesia, including 10 percent off for seniors. The 14-day cruise starts at $2,628 per person double (down from $2,920), plus about $248 in taxes, and includes three daily meals with wine and guided onshore excursions. Depart Papeete, Tahiti, on June 8. The deal for cruisers who are 60 or older applies to the Sept. 30 trip. Info: 800-972-7268, Aranui.com.

American Queen Steamboat Company is offering an End of Season Sale with savings of $900 per person on five sailings between Memphis and New Orleans in November and December. For example, the eight-night New Years Celebration cruise departing Memphis on Dec. 26 now starts at $1,649 per person double. Rate includes a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay, daily shore excursions and taxes. You must pay in full at the time of booking. Info: 888-749-5280, Americanqueensteamboat

company.com.

Air

Air New Zealand has sale fares from Los Angeles to the South Pacifics Cook Islands. Round-trip fare to Rarotonga starts at about $832, including taxes. Travel through Dec. 10, Dec. 31 to Feb. 4 and April 1 to June 24. Fare typically starts at about $1,570. Flights depart Los Angeles on Sundays and return on Saturdays. Priced separately, nonstop round-trip airfare from Washington to Los Angeles starts at about $370. Book by Aug. 31 at airnewzealand.com/best-price-to-the-cook-islands.

Package

Great Value Vacations is offering additional savings of 10 percent on its Simply London package. The deal applies to stays of four, five or six nights and includes round-trip airfare from Washington Dulles to London, lodging at the Kensington Close Hotel, breakfasts and a London by Night tour. A four-night trip in early December starts at $1,058 per person double; priced separately, the trip costs about $1,511. Book by Sept. 5 and use promo code GOLONDON for the extra savings. Info: 800-896-4600, greatvaluevacations.com/vacations/simply-london-vacation-package.

 Carol Sottili, Andrea Sachs
City workers removed a broken firetruck from Walter Pierce Park in Adams Morgan without telling officials. (Courtesy of Mindy Moretti)

Anna Martinez thought she was fulfilling her civic duty when she reported to the D.C. government that her 1-year-old daughter  playing in a city playground  had fallen through the rotting hole of a wooden firetruck.

Instead Martinez found herself plunged into another kind of hole  a black hole of bureaucratic inertia.

Concerned that another child would be injured, Martinez wrote the city a series of polite  then not-so-polite  emails when, two months later, the broken blue-and-red truck remained at Walter Pierce Park in Adams Morgan, which draws legions of youngsters.

In the meantime, she said, at least one more child was hurt.

I was just so frustrated, said Martinez, 40, a policy analyst for the federal government.

Once a symbol of government dysfunction, D.C. leaders like to tout city agencies as beacons of responsive efficiency. Yet, the tortured saga of the Adams Morgan firetruck, which began in May and was still burbling this week, evokes a time when the District was infamous for struggles to remove snow, pick up trash and fill potholes.

Even as they promised Martinez action, D.C. officials allowed eight weeks to pass without attending to the firetruck  that is, until Martinez contacted Mayor Muriel E. Bowsers office.

Can we dispatch this, as it is HOT. We received a call from a Mayors Office, an assistant maintenance services manager at the Department of General Services, wrote a colleague Aug. 3, according to emails obtained by The Washington Post.

This week, after months of inaction, city workers removed the firetruck, without telling the public or parks officials and causing confusion within their own agency about its whereabouts  to the point that the city reported it stolen to police.

Its super frustrating that the left hand doesnt know what the right hand is doing, said Mindy Moretti, former president of Friends of Walter Pierce Park. Its kind of a throwback to when these kinds of things were always happening.

Asked why it took more than two months to attend to the truck, Kenneth Diggs, a DGS spokesman, answered via email that the agency was planning to repair the firetruck as part of our routine summer work efforts.

Martinezs voyage to the inner recesses of the D.C. government began over Memorial Day weekend, when her daughter, Lola, was playing in the park.

All of a sudden, she started screaming, Martinez recalled by phone. Her daughters leg had fallen into a hole that had opened up in the wood plank in the firetrucks rear. She was freaking out. We had to pull her leg out and she was all scraped up.

Martinez said she does not typically contact the government to report a problem. In this case, though, she was worried that another child could be injured.

On May 31, she reported by email to DGS what had happened to her daughter and that wed like to avoid that happening to other kids.

What Martinez did not know, and what no one told her, was that another mother had contacted the city about the same problem two weeks earlier.

Michael Flood, a DGS official, replied on May 31 that her request had been forwarded to our grounds unit.

I hope your daughter is well, Flood wrote. We will work to get this issue resolved immediately.

At 6:37 a.m. the following day, Martinez was among the recipients of an email from Ricardo Eley, DGSs safety and health manager. Eley promised to send our Certified Playground Inspector to inspect the playground.

Nearly three weeks later, Martinez asked city officials what was taking so long, noting in an email that the firetruck was in the same damaged condition.

And then, nothing.

On June 28, Martinez wrote another email, pointing out that I did not receive a response to my follow-up email from a week ago.

It has been nearly one month since my daughter fell on the playground structure and I lodged my concern, she wrote. The damage and the safety risk is still there.

Three hours later, Eley notified her that he would check with the DGS Maintenance Unit that is responsible for this type of work and promised a response by the following day.

Eley kept his word, writing the next morning that the agencys Maintenance Grounds Unit would be contacting you with information regarding the repairs of the playground.

You can always contact me for assistance, added Eley, who referred questions from The Washington Post about the exchanges to his agencys spokesman.

Martinez heard nothing for three days, then wrote Eley that her mother had witnessed another child get injured on the firetruck.

I find this simply unacceptable, Martinez wrote before informing Eley that she had calls into the Mayor and Councilmember for Ward 1 to see if something can be done.

When I reached out on May 31, she reminded him, I was told by email that this would be taken care of immediately.

An hour later, Shinada Phillips, Bowsers Ward 1 liaison, told Eley by email that her biggest concern is that more children would be hurt.

At that moment, agency officials shifted into higher gear.

Angela Bradley, a DGS service center representative, turned the repair work over to a contractor for immediate assistance, pointing out that the Community has now reached out to Ward 1 office.

Someone covered the firetruck in yellow Caution tape.

And then, on Aug. 10, it vanished.

On Monday, after hearing from neighborhood residents, Jackie Stanley, a DGS official, tweeted that neither her agency nor the parks department had removed the truck. We are looking into it & will file a @DCPoliceDept report, Stanley tweeted.

A police investigator traveled to the scene, and filed a report (under victim the officer wrote DC Department of Recreation and Parks).

Then it turned out that DGS had removed it.

A new truck is on the way, city officials said.

Six to eight weeks, a DGS spokesman promised. If not sooner. Thats the longest it will take.

Start the clock.
St. Elizabeths Hospital lost its previous chief executive in April after only one month on the job. (Bill OLeary/The Washington Post)

D.C. Mayor Muriel E. Bowser (D) has tapped a longtime health-care executive to lead the citys only public psychiatric hospital, after the previous head of St. Elizabeths Hospital resigned in the face of scrutiny over his qualifications.

Mark J. Chastang, who led the D.C. General Hospital in the early 1990s before it shuttered, starts at the helm of St. Elizabeths on Monday.

Chastang has been a high-ranking administrator at hospitals in Atlanta, Chicago and New Jersey and led the University of Toledo Medical Center in Ohio. He holds masters degrees in public and business administration from the University of Kansas and Georgia State University, according to the Bowser administration. Most recently, he worked as a consultant.

In a statement, Bowser said Chastang was selected after a national search because of an established record of improving patient care, efficiently managing hospital operations and building high-performing teams. He knows the value of strong partnerships with the community.

The District will pay Chastang a salary of $175,000. Tax records show he made $545,000 in 2013 overseeing operations at the much larger Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta.

Chastang is no stranger to the D.C. government.

He served as executive director of the D.C. General Hospital from 1990 to 1994, when he resigned in frustration, telling The Washington Post at the time that the city was not doing enough to rescue a troubled institution that was losing $100,000 a day and flagged by inspectors for across-the-board sloppiness.

D.C. General closed in 2001.

St. Elizabeths recently has emerged from years of federal oversight. But the 292-bed facility has been rocked by recent leadership turnover, most notably the departure of chief executive James Kyle in April just one month into the job.

[Bowsers pick for St. Elizabeths CEO resigns amid questions about qualifications]

Kyle was facing questions from the D.C. Council and mental-health advocates regarding his professional background.

He had only one other stint leading a hospital, spending four months as chief executive of an Indian Health Service facility for the Rosebud Sioux tribe in Rosebud, S.D., that was later deemed unsafe by federal authorities.

In 2013, Kyle had to leave his post as the R.N. director of nursing for non-credit programs at the University of the District of Columbia after just two weeks because regulators found he was unqualified. In a news release announcing his hiring, Bowser praised Kyle as a proven leader with 30 years of health-care experience, and her staff later admitted a typographical error after his resume showed barely a decade of such experience.

Kyles doctorate was in leadership from Charisma University, a school in the British West Indies that lacks accreditation in the U.S.

Bowsers office has declined to answer questions about the vetting process that Kyle passed.
Correction: Because of inaccurate information provided by the office of Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford, earlier versions of this article incorrectly said that residents could turn in used needles in Charles County. The county program only accepts prescription drugs. The article has been corrected.

Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd K. Rutherford (R) on Friday announced a new drug take-back program in Charles County that the state will use to help combat its heroin and opioid epidemic in one of the hardest-hit jurisdictions.

The goal is to prevent unneeded prescription drugs from reaching addicts by allowing residents to dispose of the drugs in safe receptacles at six independent pharmacies in the county.

Rutherford served as head of an 11-member task force that Gov. Larry Hogan (R) created in 2015 to find solutions to the opioid and heroin epidemic.

The state, which is partnering in the take-back initiative with Charles County, local pharmacies and the University of Maryland Charles Regional Medical Center, plans to support the program with a $20,215 grant.

Previously, Charles County residents could dispose of unneeded prescription drugs at yearly events hosted by the Maryland State Police. Administration officials say the state needed to do more to discourage the practice of stockpiling medications at home, which provides opportunities for risky and illegal use.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has found that 8 out of 10 new heroin users began by abusing prescription painkillers, switching to heroin when they could no longer obtain or afford the medications.

Peter T. Murphy, president of the Charles County Board of Commissioners, in a statement said the countys residents will benefit from having free, convenient and secure collection points located throughout the county to dispose of over-the-counter or prescription medications.
Arlington police will begin testing body cameras Monday as 25 officers take to the streets to evaluate different models.

The four-month test comes months after the department began researching body cameras, as many jurisdictions have in the wake of protests surrounding police-involved shootings.

[A new report shows the limits of police body cameras]

D.C. police, for example, began using body cameras last year, and Fairfax is researching them.

Arlington will test three kinds of body-worn cameras (BWC) to thoroughly assess the effectiveness of each vendors equipment, determine the cost of a permanent BWC program and provide guidance on the development of a final BWC policy, the department said.

The Arlington County Police Department is committed to providing high-quality law enforcement services and recognizes the significance of accountability and transparency as functions of securing and maintaining the publics trust and confidence, the department said in a statement.

Citing privacy concerns, the department also said the cameras would not be recording at all times, and that footage shall be considered official records . . . regarded with the same lawful rules of confidentiality, according to a FAQ posted to the departments website.
A sergeant in the Army Corps of Engineers was sentenced Friday to 18 months of incarceration for his role in a prescription drug scheme.

Andre Granberry helped his brother, William Granberry, fill fake prescriptions around the D.C. area for oxycodone pills to resell them on the black market. At times, Andre Granberry would wear his Army uniform while filling the fraudulent prescriptions. He also helped recruit others.

Over eight years, prosecutors estimate that the group sold about 130,000 pills for around $25 apiece.

Granberry pleaded guilty and cooperated fully with investigators, prosecutors said. He helped convict his sister-in-law, Roxanne Granberry, by testifying at trial that she had been deeply involved in the drug business. His wife, Jennifer Granberry, was granted immunity from prosecution for her testimony in that trial.

Along with family members, several soldiers in uniform appeared at the sentencing in U.S. District Court in Alexandria to support Granberry.

Granberry has served honorably, been shot while overseas, withdrew from the conspiracy before its conclusion, and has accepted responsibility and remorse for his role in these events, defense attorney J. Burkhardt Beale wrote in a presentence court filing.

Granberry will be discharged from the Army by next month because of his conviction. He has been in the service for 10 years, according to court documents, and was stationed at Fort Belvoir in Virginia.

His brother and sister-in-law have yet to be sentenced. Both face up to 20 years in prison.
Jake Brown spends an afternoon with friends playing dominoes in West Baltimore, where police have long targeted those who congregate on the corners. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Theyd come to the same church on the same night to confront the same quandary facing this citys beleaguered police department. But what they wanted from the police couldnt have been more different.

Eight days had passed since the Justice Department issued a scathing review of the Baltimore Police Department, detailing years of racial discrimination in its law enforcement practices.

Yet the 40 or so longtime residents who gathered in a West Baltimore church basement on this August night  many of whom were older black women afraid to walk to the store or leave their homes at night  had come to urge police to clear their corners of miscreants and restore order to their crime-plagued community.

Please, help me, pleaded gas station owner Chaudhry Masood, whose parking lot has been overrun by loiterers and where a 17-year-old was recently shot and killed.

[U.S. Justice Department calls Baltimore police practices discriminatory]

Baltimore Police Maj. Sheree Briscoe, who runs the Western District. At a community meeting at St. Peter Claver Catholic Church, residents begged her to clear the corners and tackle crime. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

At the same time, in an adjacent church hall, Justice Department civil rights attorneys were discussing how to overhaul the police department with another group of residents intent on curbing the abusive behavior of corner-clearing cops. Those attending included black youths long targeted by police.

The organizers of each gathering didnt know the other was taking place. As people showed up Aug. 18, a priest from St. Peter Claver Catholic Church hurriedly attached paper signs to metal railings to direct the flow. The meeting with the police community relations council to the right, the meeting with Justice Department lawyers to the left.

The disconnect between those focused on crime and those focused on police reform looms large as Baltimore reaches an agreement with the federal government to restructure the department and end unconstitutional detentions, arrests and beatings.

The Aug. 10 report came more than a year after the death of Freddie Gray in police custody. His funeral touched off riots, an unsuccessful prosecution of six police officers and the Justice Department investigation. Many of the abuses that investigators found centered on the way police officers interact with black Baltimoreans, including people congregating on street corners. The report concluded that Baltimore officers had nearly unfettered discretion to criminalize the act of standing on public sidewalks.

[Read the U.S. Justice Department report]

But for the residents gathered in the St. Peters basement, the shootings, robberies and assaults they live with are just as pressing as police abuses.

One man wanted to know where the promised foot patrol officers were. Arlene Fisher, a social worker who has lived all of her 67 years in West Baltimore, said the corner stores that dot the sullen landscape are petitioning to stay open 24 hours.

Residents in Baltimore respond to news that all charges have been dropped against the three remaining police officers in connection with the 2015 death of Freddie Gray. Three others were already acquitted. (Ashleigh Joplin/The Washington Post)

Theyll become a gathering place causing problems, Fisher predicted. Well need more police to watch it.

Residents dont like to call 911 when the corners fill, but Fisher said that without better places for young people to congregate, they have no choice. She looked down and whispered, We have to.

At the front of the room stood Maj. Sheree Briscoe, who runs the police departments Western District in the post-Freddie Gray era. She and other commanders are caught between competing forces  curtail crime as the residents want, and change the way policing is practiced as the Justice Department demands.

Its not easy, she acknowledged in an interview.

On this night, Briscoe walked a delicate path, assuring frustrated residents that finding a way to deal with noncriminal but unwelcome behavior has to be addressed.

The city is suffering

Clearing the corners has been a mainstay of Baltimore policing for decades, a way for a beat cop to show whos boss and to break up open-air drug markets that once numbered 200 across the city.

Anthony Barksdale, who retired from the force in 2014 as a deputy police commissioner, said he would tell young men, Fellas, I know youre going to give my corner, and they would scatter.

After the Justice Department report, Barksdale said, Everybody on the corner is challenging the police. Then when the police drive by and dont push them off, the citizens are saying, What the hell are the cops good for? 

[Residents assess police ahead of trials of police in Freddie Grays death]

Barksdale took exception to the reports criticism that stops of pedestrians were concentrated in a few black neighborhoods. Barksdale, who is black and grew up in West Baltimore, said thats true only because police are responding to crime.

The Justice Department, he said, has effectively turned over control of the corners to the criminal elements. The city is suffering already, and its going to suffer more. . . . They need to understand the streets of Baltimore are no joke, and theyve given the bad elements more authority to destroy the neighborhoods.

The mighty Western, as police in this district call themselves, is the smallest of the citys seven patrol areas but historically has had the citys highest crime rates. In 2015, there were 66 killings in the districts 2.8 square miles, the highest among the patrol areas.

The city recorded 344 homicides last year, the highest per capita in history. This year, Western leads the other districts with 35 homicides.

Peter Moskos, who served as a Baltimore officer from 1999 to 2001 for his Harvard University thesis and a book called Cop in the Hood, said the Justice Department forgot that people live in the Western District, and they deserve peace and quiet as much as anyone in the city.

[Homicides surge in Baltimore after riots]

Moskos, a professor at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said that most people want anti-loitering laws and other quality-of-life violations enforced. But the widely embraced broken windows approach to law enforcement, which emphasized enforcing littering and graffiti ordinances to prevent further lawlessness, has fallen out of favor with many experts. In Baltimore, that strategy morphed into zero-tolerance policing, fueling hundreds of thousands of arrests and a combative mind-set among officers that continued even after the concept was officially abandoned.

The Justice report noted a poster found in Baltimore police stations that depicted a handcuffed man in a hoodie being escorted by officers to a prison van. It read: Striking fear into loiters Citywide. A sergeant ordered an officer to fabricate a reason for clearing a corner while a Justice Department lawyer was in the cruiser, the report said.

The report found that in two police districts, including the Western, officers made nearly 1.5 stops per resident over four years. One man was detained 34 times without being charged with a crime. Several hundred were stopped more than 10 times.

The Justice report said Baltimore police are using antiquated strategies from the 1990s to fight a modern drug war  banging corners, rousting groups of young men  in an era when open-air markets are not as prevalent as during the crack cocaine days of the early 1990s. Every element of crime and criminal activity is different now and demands different laws, policies, and tactics, the report concluded.

Moskos said the nationwide debate over law enforcement borne out of shootings by officers and in-custody deaths should center on how we want police to police.

I have moral issues about clearing corners, he said. But on the other hand, you could argue, Were doing this because people are literally dying. 

We live here

James Jones remembers the first time he was stopped by the police. It was 45 years ago in an alley off Edmondson Avenue, across the street from the strip of boarded-up rowhouses and storefronts where he spends six hours a day chatting with friends.

He is 63 and limps from his arthritis. He leans on a broken cane held together with duct tape. Back in the day, he boasted, he could outrun any officer who tried to stop him.

The corner confrontation was and remains part of the landscape. The cops come and they tell you that you cant stand here, Jones said. And we say: Why not? We live here. Same conversation been going on forever.

Jones is a retired maintenance worker for the city and toured Baltimores police stations making repairs. His hangout is Edmondson Avenue and Brice Street, near a motorcycle club and along a stretch of empty houses adorned with blue and white signs advertising a program called Vacants to Value  Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blakes latest effort to rid the city of blight.

He said that the police have largely left his group alone over the past year. He described two eras on the street: pre-Freddie Gray, in which he estimates that there were more than 150 police visits to his corner over a year, and post-Freddie Gray, in which he says that there have been none.

On Presstman and Stricker streets, about a mile away, an extended family occupies a quiet block of three-story rowhouses just a few blocks from St. Peter Claver. That doesnt stop police from pouncing, according to interviews with half a dozen residents in their early 20s to mid-40s, several whiling away the time on the front steps. Four are playing a lively game of dominoes on a card table on the sidewalk.

Asked how many times hes been stopped by police on this street, Jake Brown, 21, smiled and said, How many times do you wake up every year?

Brown made no apologies for being on the corner, and he denied selling drugs. This is our home, he said. This is where we live. I grew up here. We all grew up here. Where else do we go?

Melvin Baker, also 21, attended middle school across the street and graduated with honors from high school. He wants to be a truck driver but said that three marijuana arrests have gotten him turned down for several jobs. Once youre in this cycle, youre in it, he said.

He read the Justice Department report and said that although it backed the repeated complaints of Baker and his friends, he doesnt believe anything will change. It doesnt matter who is mayor, who is head police, Baker said. We say something, its our word against theirs.

Browns older brother, Kevin Brown, 34, said simply, We want police to do their job. He complained that after last years riots, police stopped working, and the homicide numbers spiked to all-time highs. They let it be open season over here, he said. And its people like us they continue to harass.

The younger men talked about what kind of police force they want. Violent offenders, those doing the killings, should be arrested, they said. People hanging out on the street should be left alone.

The sunlight faded as the day came to an end. An ice cream truck pulled up to the block, and the men rose from the shade of the steps to grab snow cones. Some returned to dominoes, arguing over the score, debating the plays, boasting about past triumphs. A police car sped down the block three times in an hour but did not stop.

All said they had friends and relatives who had been fatally shot. Asked how many, the younger Brown said, Five. He paused before adding, A year.

Baker said what they want is simple: Respect.

He stood just five blocks from where the two policing meetings were about to commence at St. Peter Claver. The Justice Department gathering was sponsored by a community group called No Boundaries, whose co-director, Ray Kelly, didnt realize that the police community relations council was meeting at the same time.

The disconnect was profound. Those who felt abused by the police didnt hear their neighbors expressing fear about crime. Those fearful of crime didnt hear the voices of people who have been harassed by the police.

It wouldnt have mattered anyway, Kelly said. The debate over whether the police discriminated is over. The idea now, he said, is to change it so it can actually work, to find ways to address the culture, and not just criminalize everyone.

Simply clearing the corners, he said, wont work anymore.
Realising the importance of minority support to win the US Presidential election, Donald Trump is now trying to woo minority voters even as Hillary Clinton accuses him of being racist.

By Reuters: Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton accused Donald Trump on Thursday of fueling America's "radical fringe" with racist rhetoric, even as her Republican rival sought to soften his image with an appeal to minorities.

Clinton needs to retain support from black and Latino voters to win the November 8 election, the same coalition that helped propel Democrat Barack Obama to the White House in 2008. Trump, whose support comes mainly from whites, is unlikely to be victorious unless he can cut into that support.

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CLINTON SLAMS TRUMP'S RACIST CAMPAIGN



"Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia," Clinton said in a scathing speech in Nevada. "He's taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America's two major political parties."

"This is a moment of reckoning for every Republican dismayed that the Party of Lincoln has become the Party of Trump," Clinton said, referring to Abraham Lincoln, the first Republican president, who issued the Emancipation Proclamation and championed the 13th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution during the Civil War that led to the abolition of slavery in 1865.

TRUMP FARING POORLY WITH MINORITIES



Trump, who trails Clinton in national opinion polls, has polled poorly with minorities and has been criticized for his proposals on immigration, which include deporting millions of undocumented foreigners, building a wall along the Mexican border, and suspending Muslim immigration to shore up national security.

He described some Mexican immigrants as "criminals and rapists" in a 2015 speech launching his candidacy and more recently questioned the impartiality of an American-born judge of Mexican heritage.

TRUMP SAYS CLINTON HERSELF IS RACIST



On Thursday, the New York real estate mogul-turned-politician criticized Clinton before her speech, saying she and her party had let black Americans down with failed economic policies and were falsely labeling Republicans as bigoted.

"When Democratic policies fail, they are left with only this one tired argument: You're racist, you're racist, you're racist," Trump told a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire. "It's a tired, disgusted argument and is so totally predictable."

At a Mississippi rally on Wednesday, Trump called Clinton a "bigot who sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings."

SHAME ON YOU, TRUMP TELLS CLINTON

He argued on Thursday that Clinton's opposition to charter schools and vouchers locked minority students in failing jobs, that her tax policies would hurt black-owned businesses and that she would allow immigrants to take jobs from minorities.

Trump said the Clinton attacks were not only an assault on him, but on all his supporters - people, he said, who want strong borders and security.

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"To Hillary Clinton, and to her donors and advisers, pushing her to spread smears and her lies about decent people, I have three words ... shame on you."

A Reuters/Ipsos States of the Nation poll for the week beginning Aug. 15 found Clinton beating Trump among Hispanic voters by 15 percentage points, and by 57 percentage points among black voters.

TRUMP TRIES TO WOO MINORITY VOTERS



Trump has tried recently to broaden his appeal to them, hinting at a softening of his hardline position on immigration.

In comments broadcast on Fox News on Wednesday night, Trump said he would be willing to work with immigrants who have abided by U.S. laws while living in the country, backing away from his insistence during the primaries that he would try to deport all 11 million illegal immigrants.

Trump also met with black and Latino Republican leaders at his headquarters in New York City on Thursday morning.

TRUMP'S EFFORTS MAY NOT CONVERT MINORITIES



Trump's efforts were unlikely to draw out minorities in his favor but could reassure some moderate Republicans worried about his views on race, said Bernard Fraga, a political science professor at Indiana University.

"I don't think these efforts will do a lot to help him in minority communities," Fraga said.

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An association of 40 Latino organizations sent a letter on Thursday calling on him to "cease" his rhetoric and meet with their leadership to discuss ways he could improve his outreach to Hispanics.

"As we have expressed numerous times, your rhetoric of relentless attacks against our community is an issue of serious concern and has had a significant impact, fueling an alarming trend in our nation," the letter reads.

CLINTON RELEASES VIDEO ASSOCIATING TRUMP WITH KU KLUX KLAN

Clinton released a video on Thursday ahead of her Nevada speech tying Trump to white supremacist groups. The video shows a Ku Klux Klan member praising Trump and plays a recording of former leader Klan leader David Duke calling on white people to vote for Trump.

The video also shows newly appointed Trump campaign chairman Steve Bannon, who ran the website Breitbart.com, which has been accused of stoking online racists.

Bannon told the magazine Mother Jones during the Republican National Convention last month that the website was "the platform for the alt-right," a brand of U.S. political conservatism associated with white nationalism.

TRUMP'S CAMPAIGN ASKS CLINTON TO WITHDRAW VIDEO



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Trump's campaign called for the Clinton campaign to withdraw the video.

"This type of rhetoric and repulsive advertising is revolting and completely beyond the pale," Mark Burns, an African-American pastor who supports Trump, said in a statement. "I call on Hillary Clinton to disavow this video and her campaign for this sickening act that has no place in our world."

ALSO READ: Hillary Clinton takes on rival Donald Trump, says his promises are false



--- ENDS ---
Residents in the community where a 7-Eleven clerk was slain during an attempted robbery of the store are planning to raise money Saturday morning to bolster the reward authorities are offering for an arrest in the case.

Clinton resident Keith Turner said people will be out at three locations in the community with the goal of raising an additional $10,000 for information that could lead police to the suspect in the slaying of Taiwo Oduwole. If that goal is met, the reward for an arrest and indictment in the case would total $60,000.

[7-Eleven clerk tried to escape robbery attempt. He was shot in the back  twice]

Im upset with this someone killed him and had no conscious at all, Turner said.

Oduwole, 31, was working a midnight shift at a 7-Eleven in the 9700 block of Brandywine Road on Saturday when a masked man armed with a gun demanded cash from him, police said. Oduwole jumped over the counter to escape and the gunman shot the clerk in the back twice, police said.

Oduwole later died at a hospital. The gunman went on to rob a nearby hotel 30 minutes after the 7-Eleven shooting, police said.

Prince Georges County police released video and images of the suspect theyre looking for, showing him in a distinct North Face jacket with a backpack.

Turner said hes donated $1,000 of his own money toward the reward, hoping it will get someones attention.

Residents will be raising funds at three locations:

 Safeway: 8785 Branch Ave, Clinton.

 BK Miller Meats and Liquors: 9024 Old Branch Ave.

 A corner near the 7-Eleven where Oduwole was shot: 9700 Brandywine Road.
Public-relations consultant Jeanne Clarke Harris leaves U.S. district court in Washington after pleading guilty in July 2012 to subverting campaign-finance laws and obstructing justice. (Jabin Botsford/FOR THE WASHINGTON POST)

The public-relations consultant who helped manage the illegal financing of Vincent C. Grays 2010 mayoral campaign should receive no jail time because of her extensive cooperation, prosecutors said Friday.

Jeanne Clarke Harris, a close friend and business associate of the man who funded the off-the-books campaign effort, will be the last major figure sentenced in the long-running investigation at a hearing set for Sept. 16.

Harris, 79, pleaded guilty in 2012 to conspiring with former D.C. businessman Jeffrey E. Thompson to evade federal and local campaign-finance limits and to obstruct the federal investigation. The probe uncovered millions of dollars in illegal political contributions and led to the convictions of a half-dozen people connected to Grays successful bid to defeat then-Mayor Adrian M. Fenty.

For years, Harris joined Thompson in executing the largest campaign-finance scheme in the Districts history, prosecutors said in recommending six months of home confinement and three years probation for Harris.

It is difficult to overstate the severity and significance of Harriss offense or the culture of corruption she perpetuated, they said.

Harriss cooperation was a turning point for prosecutors. Until she was charged, investigators publicly appeared focused on a scheme involving Sulaimon Brown, a mayoral candidate who secretly was paid by Gray associates to stay in the race to try to undercut Fenty, Grays main rival.

In their filing Friday, prosecutors credited Harris with being the first major player in the shadow campaign to cooperate. They said that she helped significantly advance the investigation and that the information she provided led to the other convictions.

The sentencing recommendation notes that Harris came forward more than 18 months before Thompson, whose plea deal limited his jail time to no more than six months.

Prosecutors also noted that Harris had provided substantial assistance in the investigation of Gray, identified in the filing as mayoral candidate A.

Gray has long denied any knowledge of the illegal spending. The investigation was concluded in December by the office of U.S. Attorney Channing D. Phillips, and Gray was not charged. He won the Democratic primary in June and is expected to rejoin the D.C. Council in January.

The deal Harris initially struck with prosecutors in July 2012 called for prison time of 30 to 37 months and a fine of up to $60,000.

For Thompson, the mastermind behind the shadow campaign, prosecutors also had recommended six months of home confinement. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly, who is scheduled to sentence Harris next month, gave Thompson three months in prison.

Harris's attorney Frederick D. Cooke, Jr., said Friday that his client should receive a sentence of probation and had acted in part out of misguided loyalty to Thompson, viewing him almost as a son.

"She wrongly deluded herself into believing that what Jeffrey Thompson was asking her to do in his scheme over the years was okay. She allowed herself to remain ignorant of the various legal requirements," Cooke said in a court filing.

Cooke asked the judge to consider Harris's age -- nearly 80 -- and her medical ailments, including arthritic knees that require her to use a walker.

"She has been publicly humiliated, and is no longer the go-to political or community public relations person that she once was," he wrote.

Harris began cooperating soon after her offices and home were raided in 2012. She shared with investigators her firsthand knowledge of the inner workings of the secret campaign and admitted in court that she helped disburse more than $653,000 to pay for Gray campaign materials, hire staff and rent vans to drive voters to the polls.

Harris also revealed the attempted coverup. She admitted filing false tax returns on Thompsons instruction in order to make secret campaign payments look like legitimate business arrangements.

Once the investigation became public, Harris directed others to destroy electronic and paper business records. Thompson also tried unsuccessfully to get Harris to leave the country for five years to avoid questioning by authorities.

Prosecutors had expected to rely on Harris and Thompson as witnesses to help them prove that Gray knew about the secret spending. Court records unsealed in April at the request of The Washington Post showed that, in addition to Thompson, Harris told prosecutors that Gray personally asked Thompson for the money at a meeting at Harriss apartment, according to an FBI agents request for cellphone records.

Prosecutors said in court filings that they determined they could not rely on Thompson as a witness because of other evidence they uncovered that could have been used to undermine his credibility.

The Post revealed that the broader campaign-finance probe was stalled for months last year as investigators questioned witnesses about the ages of Thompsons sexual partners to determine whether he had committed a crime.

The U.S. attorneys office said in court filings that investigators were unable to corroborate the most serious allegations about Thompson and would not file additional criminal charges against him.

Jennifer Jenkins contributed to this report.
THE DISTRICT

Bank robber pursuit closes tunnel lanes

A man wearing construction clothes and a white mask robbed a bank near Gallery Place on Friday morning, and a suspect was taken into custody while trying to make a getaway through the Third Street Tunnel, D.C. police said.

Traffic in the southbound lanes of the busy tunnel were closed as police apprehended the suspect about 11:30 a.m. It was not clear whether the man was on foot or in a vehicle. D.C. police said the robbery occurred about 11:10 a.m. at the PNC Bank branch in the 800 block of Seventh Street NW.

Police said the man was unarmed. A teller gave him a bag of money that police said contained a hidden GPS tracker that allowed them to trace the suspects movements.

The suspects name was not immediately released pending the filing of charges.

 Peter Hermann

MARYLAND

Charles County debuts drug take-back event

Maryland is launching its first drug take-back program in Charles County, Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford (R) announced Friday.

The goal is to prevent unneeded prescription drugs and needles from reaching addicts by allowing residents to dispose of the items in safe receptacles at six independent pharmacies in the county.

The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has found that 8 in 10 new heroin users began by abusing prescription painkillers, switching to heroin when they could no longer obtain or afford the medications.

 Josh Hicks

15-yr-old cyclist hit by van dies

A 15-year-old girl hit by a van while riding a bike in Waldorf earlier this week has died, police said.

On Tuesday, the van driver was northbound on Middletown Road near Ethridge Drive, the Charles County Sheriff Department said. Other vehicles were stopped in the left turn lane of Middletown Road, obstructing the drivers view, according to the police statement.

As the driver approached the intersection, Nadine Rafellia Sequinao Leyson of Waldorf entered a marked crosswalk on her bike, the statement said. According to police, the van driver did not have enough time to react and struck Leyson, then remained on the scene.

Police said the incident is still under investigation.

 Justin Wm. Moyer

VIRGINIA

Arlington police to test body cameras

Arlington police will begin testing body cameras Monday as 25 officers take to the streets to evaluate different models.

The four-month test comes months after the department began researching body cameras. Arlington will test three kinds of body-worn cameras, the department said.

 Justin Wm. Moyer
JJ holds the HIV medication she is is finally able to swallow. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

JJ stepped off the yellow school bus and, still giggling, waited for two friends. She had just finished her first day of seventh grade, and as the three girls walked up the street, they took stock of their new teachers, rules and classmates.

I got homework from the first day from science, JJ lamented, a stuffed pink backpack hanging from her shoulder. Three boys trailed behind, desperate for the girls attention. One ran ahead and yanked on an overhanging tree limb, showering leaves across the sidewalk. JJ, 11, rolled her eyes. Wearing azure-blue jeans, a checkered white shirt and a fresh pair of Air Jordans, she didnt look or act any different from her friends.

But JJ has a secret.

Last summer, the doctors at Childrens National Health System hospital in Northwest Washington revealed to her that she was born with HIV, a moment detailed in a Washington Post story. Her caregivers told her the truth, in part, because they hoped it would help motivate JJ to take the powerful pills she had so long struggled to swallow. For months after the disclosure, she made no progress. But now, as her 12th birthday approaches, JJ has had a breakthrough. She is finally swallowing tablets instead of relying on less effective liquid medicine, an enormous milestone that could lead to a healthy life for decades to come.

[Telling JJ: Shes 10. She has HIV. And shes about to learn the truth.]

Last summer, JJ spent an afternoon at her neighborhood playground after learning she was born with HIV. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

Not long ago, though, no one knew whether she would ever get there.

JJ was first taken to Childrens as a gravely ill infant who, along with her siblings, had been removed from their biological family after allegations of molestation against an older brother. Her father was a convicted murderer, and her mother had abused drugs.

At 4 months old, JJ began to live with a Washington-area woman named Lee, who worked as a bus driver and foster parent. (To protect her privacy, The Post is identifying JJ only by her initials, and her mother by her middle name.)

When JJ was 3 and her sister was 9, Lee adopted them both. A few years ago, her sibling, in a moment of spite, told JJ that Lee wasnt their real mother. The girl never got over it, and learning she had HIV only made her fixate more on the circumstances of her childhood.

Why was I adopted? JJ had written in a notebook that she took to the first appointment at Childrens after she learned the truth about her condition. She never asked the question.

JJ rebelled in the months that followed the disclosure, throwing random tantrums and often refusing to take even her liquid medication. She started to fail math and reading.

Lee, now retired and in her 60s, didnt know what to do. She considered sending her daughter to an all-girls boarding school. She prayed for help.

JJ colored this picture of a Care Bear with crayons the day she was told by her doctors that she has HIV. (Marvin Joseph/The Washington Post)

She was so hurt, Lee said, and she didnt know how to express it.

One of JJs doctors, Kathy Ferrer, had seen that reaction many times before. Certain children, she said, process the news immediately, while others take months.

Some, she added, never end up really being able to cope with it.

Ferrer hoped JJ wouldnt be in that last category.

[A nurse who cared for generations of children says goodbye after 50 years]

At one appointment, she at last asked her doctors why she had been given up as a baby. Her biological mother couldnt take care of her, they said, but Lee could  and wanted to.

Still, she remained defiant.

In April, Ferrer decided that they could remain patient no longer. JJs CD4 count, a measure of the immune systems health, had gradually declined. From a high of more than 2,000, it had dipped to a low of 365. AIDS is diagnosed at 200.

Ferrer and other staffers who had cared for JJ since she was a baby confronted the girl about her attitude and insisted that she take responsibility for her own health.

The pressure worked. JJ agreed to try the pills.

I have your word? Ferrer asked, and JJ gave it to her.

The doctors started her on a 150-milligram tablet (about the size of a Tic Tac) meant to be taken twice a day.

It was around then that JJ also attended a military-style boot camp for kids. She excelled, able to do more sit-ups  about 40  than most of the boys. She practiced pull-ups and one-mile runs. She scored a 24 out of 25 on her final exam.

The sky is the limit, one instructor wrote of JJs potential.

Her improved self-confidence made her more willing to take the medication.

In June, doctors switched her to a 300-milligram pill (nearly the size of a Mike and Ike), and she reluctantly embraced the new challenge. Her CD4 count climbed to 659.

The disclosure, Lee and the doctors realized, had finally begun to pay off.

JJ knows that she misbehaved in the months after learning about her HIV, and she knows why, too.

Because it was new to me and stuff, she explained while sprawled on the floor of her living-room carpet, about an hour after getting off the bus.

She had never fully understood why no one could touch her blood or what all those medications did to her. Now she does.

For years, Ferrer has explained JJs illness to her with an illustration. She draws a long-haired stick figure surrounded by circles, or cells, called soldiers. She slashes Xs through several circles, demonstrating what germs do. And what do the medicines do? They destroy the germs.

In July, Ferrer had just begun the sketch when JJ interrupted.

Let me do it, she said.

JJ drew a tongue topped with two pills  one for HIV, the other for allergies. She added a bottle, inscribed with CVS, that shot arrows into the germs.

Im in a happy place, she wrote on the page.

The drug shes on now is meant only to keep the virus under control, but when JJ is ready  maybe soon  shell transition to a more aggressive regimen of either four small pills or two large ones.

Controlling the virus will become even more important as she gets older. Lee has already begun to tell her daughter how fraught dating could be, and JJ knows that disclosing her illness to anyone, which she still hasnt, is potentially dangerous.

But every day, she looks and acts and sounds more like a teenager. In the past year, she has grown from 5 feet to 5 feet 2 inches. A reality dancing show called Bring It! has replaced SpongeBob SquarePants as her favorite TV program, and she no longer fears the mechanical mouse at Chuck E. Cheeses. Soon, JJ hopes to become a cheerleader.

In so many ways, though, shes still just a kid.

It showed that evening when she went upstairs to her bedroom to spin around until she got dizzy, and when she returned to the living room wearing Mickey Mouse ears, and when, in a moment of panic, JJ realized that shed forgotten to get a picture in her first-day-of-school clothes, so she put them back on.

And then came 7:52 p.m., when Lee told her daughter to take the medication.

JJ plucked her bottle from a table next to the sofa and walked to the kitchen.

Wheres my princess cup? she asked, before she found the glass decorated with Disney characters and filled it with fruit punch.

JJ then gave the bottle to Lee, who removed a pill and handed it to the girl. JJ opened her mouth, threw it in and took a long swig, but didnt gulp.

You swallow? her mom asked.

JJ shook her head, no.

She picked up the cup and drank more until, at last, the pill went down. She stuck out her tongue to prove it.

Then, as if she had done nothing remarkable, JJ took her princess cup back to the kitchen, turned on her Wii and danced.
In dealing with the $1.5 billion budget hole, Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe wants to protect K-12 school funding. (Jonathan Ernst/Reuters)

Gov. Terry McAuliffe suggested tapping the states rainy day fund and accepting more federal Medicaid money on Friday as a way to patch the states $1.5 billion budget hole.

McAuliffe (D) formally informed legislators of the budget shortfall, the result of lower-than-expected revenue from payroll and sales taxes, at a meeting of House and Senate money committees on Capitol Square.

Raises for teachers and state employees  contingent on higher tax revenue  are already off the table. But the governor urged legislators to otherwise protect K-12 school funding. He also asked them to consider expanding Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act to capitalize on federal health-care dollars.

We could soften this budget shortfall significantly if Virginia agrees to expand Medicaid and accept federal dollars that remain on the table waiting for our decision, McAuliffe said. Those funds would go a long way in relieving some of the difficult budget actions that lie ahead.

[Virginia could be facing much bigger budget shortfall than expected]

Republican leaders said they shared the governors hope that education could be spared cuts. But they flatly dismissed the notion that Medicaid expansion  which the GOP-controlled General Assembly has defeated three years in a row  can alleviate the states budget problems.

I have to admire the governors persistency on Medicaid expansion, Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr. (R-James City) said wryly. He said the program has been a financial drag on states that have expanded.

If, in fact, Virginia had expanded Medicaid . . . the shortfall that we would have in revenue would have been exacerbated, Norment said.

Norment also said he was reluctant to raid the rainy day fund, particularly since Virginias economy continues to face the threat of across-the-board federal spending cuts, known as sequestration.

McAuliffe has made expanding and diversifying the states defense-heavy economy his top priority as governor. He has conducted 20 trade missions to promote exports, foreign investment and tourism, often tapping connections he developed over a long career as a fundraiser for Bill and Hillary Clinton.

[Gov. Terry McAuliffes connections can pay off for business in Virginia]

Reflexively upbeat, McAuliffe often touts the states low unemployment rate and the number of economic-development deals  784, he noted Friday  since he took office in January 2014. One of those, he noted in his speech, was an announcement that Deschutes Brewery will invest $85 million to establish a brewery in Roanoke.

Many economists say the jobs being created are not necessarily full time or as high-paying as those lost in the recent recession. McAuliffe pushed back against that notion a bit.

The truth is that there are 36,000 high-paying jobs in Virginia today that are open because we dont have workers with the right computer and math skills to fill them, McAuliffe said, going on to make a pitch for investing in education and workforce-development programs.

The good news is that the professional and business-services sector, the part of the economy most tied to government work, has resumed healthy growth after a period of uncharacteristic decline, said Ann Macheras, an economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond.

Republicans said the shortfall raised questions about the effectiveness of McAuliffes economic-development approach.

He talked about all the businesses hes brought, said House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox (R-Colonial Heights). Breweries are great, but you cant balance the budget with beer.

The shortfall is among the biggest in state history. The worst was in 2010, when the General Assembly had to confront a $4.5 billion hole.

Virginia braced for an expected $2.4 billion shortfall under McAuliffe in 2014, but revenue projections turned out to be too pessimistic. The actual shortfall that year was about $1.9 billion.

In his speech to the money committees, McAuliffe described the budget hole as $1.2 billion  a figure that did not include a $279 million shortfall left over from the fiscal year that ended June 30. The $279 million is carried over into the current, two-year budget, leaving the state $1.48 billion in the red.
Joe Wolf, left, of Manassas, Va., jokes around with Corey Stewart, state chairman of the Trump campaign, before a Veterans for Trump dinner at a pizzeria in Woodbridge. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

Donald Trumps main man in Virginia was winding down his pitch for the Republican nominee when a teacher in the audience asked whether Trump would ever forsake his fondness for rhetorical grenades and delve into policy.

Not to worry, replied Corey A. Stewart, Trumps campaign chairman in the commonwealth, insisting that enough time remains for the candidate to immerse himself in the details of economics and national security.

He is, as you might imagine, extraordinarily intelligent, Stewart promised the gathering of Loudoun County Republicans on a recent night.

His audiences silence did nothing to deflate Stewarts enthusiasm.

Hes a very quick study, he said.

Corey Stewart, Virginia chairman of Trump for President, talks with patrons prior to a Veterans for Trump dinner at L&B Pizzeria in Woodbridge. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post)

He manages his time very well.

Hes Mr. Energizer.

Over the past six months, as Trump emerged as the GOPs nominee, many Republican leaders and political operatives have rebuked and otherwise disassociated themselves from the bombastic New York mogul.

Yet Stewart, 48, exhibits no such reticence, reveling in his role as Trumps combative Mini-Me in Virginia and betting that his alliance with the Republican nominee will propel his own quest to win the commonwealths 2017 gubernatorial race.

With polls showing Trump trailing Hillary Clinton in the crucial swing state, Stewart acknowledges that his gambit is high risk, particularly in a place where seismic demographic shifts have helped Democrats capture every statewide race since 2009.

[Trump unpopularity fuels wide lead for Clinton in new Virginia poll]

Yet as Virginias self-anointed face of Trumpism, Stewart contends that he stands to inherit a potent electoral base  the legions of white working-class voters propelling Trumps candidacy.

Donald Trump made a habit of touting his high poll numbers  when he was up. But after hiring two new top campaign executives, his television surrogates seem to be denying that the Republican presidential nominee was making a big change. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

My fate is very closely tied with his  if he loses, my job is harder, Stewart conceded. Yet even if Trump is defeated, he said, I dont think that diminishes the fact that theres a movement here and that the Republican Party  and probably all of American politics  is forever changed. I want to be the leading edge of that spear.

As Trumps voice in Virginia, Stewart embraces the businessmans caustic tone, at one point this summer writing on his own Facebook page, Hey Hillary, you suck! Indeed, Stewart is that rare surrogate who has managed to say something provocative enough that even Trumps campaign felt the need to reproach him.

As the elected chairman of the Prince William County Board of Supervisors, Stewart a decade ago drew national attention promoting a crackdown on undocumented immigrants, a policy that presaged the tempest more recently caused by Trumps own anti-immigrant barbs.

I was Trump before Trump was Trump, Stewart likes to boast, his grin suggesting no small amount of pride.

While he says he does not agree with all of Trumps ideas, including his proposed ban on Muslims entering the United States, Stewart exhibits little patience for those who express outrage over any number of the Republicans provocations, including his recent assertion that President Obama founded ISIS.

People are being too sensitive, Stewart said. Im not concerned about the rhetoric. The problem in American politics is weve stopped being honest, and weve gotten all caught up and ultra-sensitive about the words people use instead of debating the ideas behind them. Trump is trying to blast through it.

In his fourth term as chairman, Stewart is an affable pol who, as a Republican, has managed to maintain power in a county that was ground zero for the states population shifts and supported President Obama in 2008 and 2012.

Yet Stewart has failed to ascend politically, losing a 2013 bid for lieutenant governor. Even his friends suspect that his alliance with Trump is a desperate attempt to raise his statewide profile.

Its a risky Hail Mary which, in my mind, will end up being a failure, said David Ramadan, a Stewart friend and a former Republican state legislator in Virginia. It's one thing to speak ones mind plainly and to be candid, and its another to be a racist, fascist demagogue, which is what Trump is.

Corey made the wrong decision, he said.

Stewart dismissed his friends verdict.

I know hes not a racist, and I know hes not a fascist, Stewart said of Trump. What Trump is trying to do is break through the political [expletive]. Historically, were going to look back on that as a tremendous service to the country.

The virtue of candor

On a Wednesday afternoon, more than 150 Republican women at a Tea for Trump in Fredericksburg laughed and applauded when an activist introduced Stewart to the crowd as a little Trumpish and recounted that he had recently gotten into a little trouble for something he said.

The speaker, Alice Butler-Short, was referring to Stewarts July 8 Facebook post in which he wrote, after five Dallas cops were fatally shot, that Clinton and Virginia Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam are to blame for essentially encouraging the murder of these police officers.

Stewarts post led to a Trump spokeswoman saying, Corey does not speak for the campaign, and this is not something we agree with.

Did he say, Oh dear, Im sorry,  Butler-Short asked the audience. No! He double-downed! Good for you, Corey!

Taking the stage, Stewart wasted no time bashing Clinton, saying, Theres never been anyone more qualified to be in prison, and praising Trump for having woken us up.

Over the past 40 years, America has lost something  we have lost the virtue of candor, he said. Why? Because the left wing has belittled, embarrassed and ridiculed conservative speech. And when you stand up, what do they label us? Bigots and racists.

The only way were going to take our country back is to speak honestly about the issues, he said.

Describing for the audience the origin of his involvement in the presidential race, Stewart recalled Trumps answer when asked why he chose him as Virginia state chair: Youre the only one who had the guts to crack down on illegal immigrants.

[Why Donald Trump chose Corey Stewart to chair his Virginia campaign]

Stewart uses his Trump appearances to remind the public that, amid a surge in the Latino population in Prince William County, he led a push in 2007 to enable police to ask people they stopped about their immigration status, a policy that was later relaxed to focus only on those arrested.

The clampdown caused a furor that vaulted Stewart to the center of a national debate over immigration and prompted accusations that he was encouraging racial profiling and bigotry to curry favor with voters.

Stewart, whose wife, Maria, is a Swedish immigrant, insisted then and now that he was motivated by his belief in enforcing the countrys immigration laws. Yet his role in the uproar cost him allies, including Elena Schlossberg, a Prince William activist who had thrown a fundraiser for him when he ran for chairman.

He understood how you could have land preservation and still be a Republican, and he was that same engaging, very funny and affable guy, she recalled. But after he backed the crackdown on undocumented immigrants, she recalled telling him,  Corey, youre making a colossal mistake. You dont want to attach yourself to this kind of ugliness. Save your soul. 

At the time, Virginia was in the midst of a demographic upheaval, with the states Latino population having nearly doubled and the number of Asians increasing sharply. After the controversy quieted, Stewart turned to economic issues and cultivated the image of a leader seeking consensus. He forged relationships with leaders of the countys immigrant groups, the growth of which had turned Prince William into a minority majority county.

[Minorities become majority as population booms in Prince William]

After not speaking with him for years, Schlossberg said Stewart called her last year, asking for help defusing any tensions that might arise from a Muslim groups plan to build a mosque.

He said, You know, Elena, I dont want to go back to 2007 to that very ugly time,  Schlossberg recalled. He said he wanted to help the community come together.

Soon after, she said, Trump announced that Stewart was his man in Virginia.

He wanted to do something good, and then it was replaced with this need to be part of a big political show, Schlossberg said. How can you get on the Trump train and think all those people in the Muslim and Latino communities would have any trust in you?

As a Trump acolyte, Stewart embraced the candidates call for a wall on the border between the United States and Mexico. After Trump supporters fought with protesters in California in June, Stewart posted on Facebook that he would not tolerate such antics in Virginia as governor.

If they are illegal, Stewart wrote, we will kick their asses out of the country, just like we did in Prince William County.

I can be myself

On a late Friday afternoon, Stewart sits at the kitchen table at his Woodbridge home, a one-time tobacco plantation built in 1740, where George and Martha Washington stayed during their honeymoon.

A portrait of Mother Teresa hangs on the wall. Stewart would prefer to remove the photo, he said, but it remains because his wife is spooked by the plantations haunted history and she says, No one is going to mess with Mother Teresa.

When Trumps staffers asked him to join the campaign, Stewart said he took a week to consider the offer because I knew there were going to be people disappointed when I made the decision.

He made nearly two dozen phone calls, including to Muslim associates already infuriated by Trumps call for a ban on Muslims visiting the United States. Stewart himself disagreed with the proposed ban because I dont think its right to label a whole religion of people because you have a few bad apples.

Nevertheless, Stewart said he decided to support Trump because he was upending a stale political order, and he predicted that his focus on pocketbook issues would mean more to Americans than whether he offended anyone with his rhetoric.

History is not formed by wallflowers, Stewart said. I want to be part of history. I dont want to be some guy thats a footnote.

If nothing else, he said, Trump has reaffirmed his belief that I can be myself.

And if you dont like it, piss off, Stewart said. I dont have to change my personality, and I can win at the highest levels.
MISSISSIPPI

2 Catholic nuns found slain in rural town

The discovery of two Catholic nuns found slain in Mississippi on Thursday sent shock waves through their rural community, where Sister Paula Merrill and Sister Margaret Held were known and beloved for their service to the poor and the needy, those close to the women said.

Authorities have not released causes of death or a suspected motive for the killings. On Thursday, police said there was evidence of a break-in at the home the nuns shared and that a blue Toyota Corolla that belonged to them was missing, the Associated Press reported. Later that evening, the missing Corolla was discovered abandoned on a street less than a mile from where the nuns were found dead, the AP reported.

Their bodies were discovered by a Durant police officer performing a wellness check after the nuns did not show up for work in the morning, Assistant Police Chief James Lee told The Washington Post. Durant is a small town in rural Mississippi, about 60 miles north of Jackson. On Friday morning, a dispatcher at the Durant police station said all of the departments officers were working the scene of the crime.

Merrill and Held were part of a group of 20 parishioners who met regularly for worship at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church in Lexington, Miss., about 10 miles west of Durant.

 Amy B Wang

FBI drops hate-crime probe in attack on gay couple: The FBI has decided not to pursue hate-crime charges against a Georgia man found guilty of throwing scalding water on a sleeping gay couple. Martin Blackwell was sentenced to 40 years in prison this week for aggravated assault and aggravated battery. The FBI opened a hate-crime investigation after the February attack. But spokesman Kevin Rowson said Friday that with Blackwell sentenced in state court, the agency decided not to pursue the case. Blackwell, 48, poured scalding water on his girlfriends son, Anthony Gooden, and his boyfriend, Marquez Tolbert, as they slept.

 Associated Press
A senior BJP leader accused Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of shielding the corrupt by allotting the power projects to dubious firms, and provided evidence to support his claim.

This is a list of firms that were blaklisted in Uttarakhand.

By Manjeet Sehgal: Irregularities in the allotment of hydropower projects in Himachal Pradesh are in the news again.

A senior BJP leader, in a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has accused Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of shielding the corrupt by allotting the power projects to dubious firms.

Speaking to India Today, former BJP State Executive Committee Member, Kushal Jethi, said the allotment was not transparent as some of the firms share the same address.

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DIFFERENT COMPANIES, SAME ADDRESS

"Many companies- Kapil Mohan Associated Hydro Power Pvt Ltd, Chandigarh Distilleries and Bottlers Ltd, Kut Energy(P) Ltd and Himani Chamunda Thingri- project operate from the same address ie SCO-140-141, Sector-34-A, Chandigarh which means something is fishy. These firms have been allotted six power projects of different capacity in Himachal Pradesh," Kushal Jethi said.

The BJP leader gane another example and said that five other firms which were allotted projects in Himachal Pradesh also operated from one in Uttar Pradesh.

Citing an RTI information, he said that Sumte Kothang Hydro-Power(P) Ltd, Purthi Hydropower(P) Ltd, Lara Sumta hydropower(P) Ltd, Telling Hydropower (P) Ltd, and Shangling Hydropower(P) Ltd also operated from one address ie D-390, Sector 10, Noida.

List of projects allotted in Himachal Pradesh. See different firms with same addresses.

FIRMS BLACKLISTED IN UTTARAKHAND, GET PROJECTS IN HIMACHAL

Jethi claimed 15 hydropower firms, out of a total 30 which were blacklisted by the then Uttrakhand government for corruption and violations between 2007 and 2012, managed to get power projects in Himachal Pradesh.

One of the prominent blacklisted firms which was allotted projects in Himachal is Kapil Mohan Associated Hydro Power Pvt Ltd.

List of blacklisted firms in Uttarakhand.

This is not the first time that irregularities in the allotment of power projects has come to light in Himachal Pradesh.

Earlier, in December 2013, Virbhadra Singh Cabinet had courted a controversy by giving a 10 month extension to Venture Energy and Technology Pvt Ltd which had defaulted on a hydropower project allotted to it in 2002.

CONGRESS, BJP BOTH INVOLVED?

Sources said that the state's Congress government had showered small and medium hydel power projects on Congress leaders between 2003 to 2007. The leaders allegedly sold the projects to industrial houses and pocketed huge commissions.

Interestingly, some of the hydel power projects in question were also allotted during the BJP regime. The BJP leader has demanded a CBI probe into the allotment of power projects to dubious firms.

Also Read:

Pearls Group agents cheat people under new firm names



--- ENDS ---

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Nazila Fathi was a correspondent for the New York Times based in Tehran from 1999 to 2009 and is the author of the The Lonely War: One Womans Account of the Struggle for Modern Iran.

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, known as the shah, has always been portrayed as both ruthless and craven  the last emperor of Iran who fled on the eve of the 1979 Islamic revolution. Nearly four decades after his death, a new book offers a more sympathetic, nuanced portrait of him and the dynasty he was born into.

"The Fall of Heaven: The Pahlavis and the Final Days of Imperial Iran" by Andrew Scott Cooper (Henry Holt)

In The Fall of Heaven, Andrew Scott Cooper uses newly declassified U.S. documents from the Carter administration, interviews with the shahs aides and revolutionary leaders as well as his own research in Iran to make the case that the shah has been misinterpreted, reduced to a bloodless enigma. Cooper, a Middle East specialist and the author of Oil Kings: How the U.S., Iran and Saudi Arabia Changed the Balance of Power in the Middle East, offers a convincing narrative about who the man was and the dynamics that led to his downfall.

[Book review: The Lonely War, a womans account of modern Iran]

The shah came to power in 1941 after the British and the Soviets forced his father, Reza Pahlavi, to abdicate in his favor. He survived two major political upheavals, and by the early 1960s, oil wealth enabled him to modernize Iran. Religious leaders, however, accused him of Westernizing the country. Communist and nationalist activists criticized him, saying he distributed wealth and power among the ruling elite. His secret police grew more repressive, seeking to end opposition but instead alienating students and intellectuals.

The seeds of the shahs downfall began in 1977, Cooper argues, after Saudi Arabia flooded markets with cheap oil. The shortfall in Irans oil revenue, combined with a drought, forced dissatisfied laborers to flock to larger cities, looking for work. The shah introduced political and social liberalization to ease the mood, unaware, Cooper notes, that his policies provided religious extremists with a context to mobilize the masses against him. According to Cooper, by the time he left the country in January 1979 the shah had, by his reforms, reduced his role to that of a constitutional figurehead. A series of missteps, economic disruptions and miscalculations by Western powers, as well as a well-funded opposition, crippled the shahs efforts to save himself.

Coopers narrative describes in depth the building blocks of the movement against the shah. Most shocking perhaps were the deceptive tactics the opposition used to demonize him. Cooper claims, for example, that Abol Hassan Bani-Sadr, a nationalist-left activist who deposed the shah with Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini and later served as the first president, told him how they manipulated the Western medias coverage of Iran. The revolutionaries studied western journalists reporting methods, fed them story ideas, steered them toward sympathetic interviewees, and supplied them with the revolutionary movements facts and figures, Cooper argues, citing Bani-Sadr. This led to the publication of grossly inflated numbers of activists jailed and executed by the shahs secret police. The figures, Cooper says, helped provoke anti-shah sentiments and were not corrected, even after Red Cross inspectors investigated and rejected the claims. Revolutionaries themselves, the book notes, have since refuted the numbers.

To bolster the impression that the shah was bent on murdering his people, the opposition initiated violence and blamed it on the shah. In the year before the victory of the revolution, the Islamists burned hundreds of private businesses, including cinemas, Cooper writes. The most brutal attack came in August 1978, when 430 men, women and children were burned to death at Rex Cinema in the southern city of Abadan  the worst arson since World War II. The inferno was intended to destabilize and panic Iranian society, Cooper argues. It also successfully fanned the flames of hostility toward the shah across the country. The culprit, Cooper writes, based on evidence in the 2013 book Days of God by James Buchan, was Hossein Takbalizadeh, an Islamist linked to a local Khomeini underground cell who was eventually tried and convicted of murder by an Iranian court after the revolution.

The arrival of William Sullivan, U.S. ambassador to Tehran, in the summer of 1977 was not good news for the shah, Cooper contends. He showed little or any sensitivity to the unique pressures that the shah faced at home by supporting U.S. foreign policy in the Middle East, selling oil to Israel, and guarding the approaches to the Persian Gulf from any array of adversaries, Cooper writes . Sullivan even joked about the shahs fall and a possible revolution in front of the royal familys friends and advisers. In his communications with Washington, Sullivan continued to dismiss worries by moderate religious leaders  including opponents of the shah  over the consequences of the shahs departure, arguing that their fears were not very coherent or well reasoned. It was only in the shahs final days in Iran, Cooper concludes, that Ambassador Sullivan received crucial intelligence suggesting that he might have backed the wrong horse after all.

Coopers account also sheds light on the mysterious disappearance of a Shiite cleric, Imam Musa Sadr, and what might have led to his fate. A prominent Iranian-born cleric, Sadr had lived in Lebanon for nearly two decades and went missing in Tripoli, Libya, where Moammar Gaddafi had invited him to meet with a Khomeini aide in late August 1978. The revolutionaries have long portrayed him as a Khomeini sympathizer.

Cooper writes that Sadr feared Khomeinis rise to power and had secretly contacted the shah. This is the juice of a sick mind, he told a close aide of the shah about Khomeini. In July 1978, Sadr sent a message to the shah, offering to help him and speak to Khomeini on his behalf, the mediator between the two men told Cooper.

The shah welcomed the gesture and saw him as a means of blocking Khomeinis power grab. Sadr, in the meantime, harbored a dream of returning to Iran to play a role in public life. Other moderate clerics viewed Sadr as the only charismatic leader who was capable of standing up to Khomeini. By the summer of 1978, he and the shah were two men in search of a lifeline, Cooper writes. The shah agreed to send a representative to West Germany to meet Sadr. A week before the meeting, Sadr traveled to Tripoli to meet Ayatollah Mohammed Beheshti, Khomeinis aide. Beheshti never came. Instead, he told Gaddafi over the phone that his guest was a threat to Khomeini. Drawing on a variety of sources, Cooper deduces that Sadr was eventually killed on the orders of Gaddafi.

Until the end, nationalism was like a religion for the shah, Cooper argues. Over nearly four decades, the shah transformed a backward, poverty-stricken country into a powerful one with the most educated workforce in the Middle East. In the days leading to the revolution, as protests against him culminated, lymphoma ravaged his body. Yet he refused to kill to keep his throne. According to Cooper, an aide at the shahs deathbed asked the former ruler, Why didnt you finish all out against Khomeini? The shahs answer: I wasnt the man. If you wanted someone to kill people you had to find somebody else.

This sober narrative will resonate with many Iranians  including myself  who lived under the grim conditions Khomeini introduced after the revolution. As other countries in the Middle East are going through similar transformations and vying for political reform, Cooper reminds us of the ability of power-hungry leaders, capable of manipulating peoples desire for change, to build even more brutal and unaccountable systems.
Alicia Patterson, with her plane in 1930, was the 10th woman in the United States to earn a transport pilots license. She would later become publisher of Newsday, increasing the Long Island newspapers circulation and respect. (Associated Press)

Maura Casey is a former New York Times editorial writer.

Alicia Patterson is arguably among the least-known of the handful of female newspaper publishers and editors during the height of newspapers influence in the 20th century. For that reason alone, she is worthy of a biography, and The Huntress, by her late niece Alice Arlen and husband Michael J. Arlen, fills in the details.

The authors devote more than 300 pages to her personal and professional life but, regrettably, overlook or ignore the tremendous barriers that existed in Pattersons day for women in the workforce and in journalism. By not putting Pattersons life and work in the context of that male-dominated era or the virtually all-male world of newspapers, the book plays down her accomplishments.

Patterson was born in 1906 to newspaper royalty: Her great-grandfather, Joseph Medill, founded the Chicago Tribune before the Civil War; her father, Joseph Medill Patterson, founded the New York Daily News; her fathers sister, Eleanor Medill Cissy Patterson, was owner and publisher of the Washington Times-Herald.

Alicia Patterson acquired Newsday in 1940 with her third husband, Harry F. Guggenheim, heir to a mining fortune. To say the paper was not then a going concern is an understatement. The shopper they purchased had been published for all of eight days from the offices of a defunct Hempstead car dealership in an area of Long Island marked by car repair shops, billboards, sunbaked acres of potato fields. Patterson became editor and transformed the newspaper into one of the largest in the country, fueled by a postwar population boom that she foresaw in a 1943 Newsday editorial.

"The Huntress: The Adventures, Escapades, and Triumphs of Alicia Patterson: Aviatrix, Sportswoman, Journalist, Publisher" by Alice Arlen and Michael J. Arlen (Pantheon)

Moxie may have been in Pattersons DNA, but it wasnt immediately obvious. The middle child, she was her fathers favorite, but he was desperate for a son. His marriage to wife Alice, never close, unraveled with her delivery of a third girl, Alicias younger sister Josephine. Ever after, Joe was largely absent from their Libertyville, Ill., home, joining World War I first as a correspondent, then an officer. After the war he left to start both the New York Daily News and another family, living with a mistress who gave him the son he wanted.

His daughter lived for the periodic, all-too-brief, inevitably disruptive reappearances of her father. Her boarding-school experiences were marked by rebellions, uneven grades and getting in constant trouble. After she failed her entrance exam to Bryn Mawr and enjoyed a continual round of parties, both parents announced Pattersons engagement without consulting her. Alicia sobbed at her wedding and refused to stay married for much longer than a year, a vow that she kept, more or less (she was married two years). By the time her marriage ended, she had had an ectopic pregnancy and a subsequent miscarriage that prevented her from ever bearing children.

After her father earned his pilots license, Patterson earned hers, too, becoming just the 10th woman in the country to obtain a transport pilots license. Newly divorced, she embarked upon a Southeast Asian hunting trip, ostensibly to bag a tiger but hunting most of all for her fathers approval. Fat chance. The day she returned, her father announced to newspapers across the country her engagement to hunting guide Joseph W. Brooks, a close wartime friend who was 20 years older than the prospective bride. Her three-word telegram to dear old dad read, Furious not consulted. But she went through with the wedding, the second marriage her parents had bullied her into without her consent.

It is a disappointment that the authors leave readers guessing why Patterson, a woman of strong will, consented to two arranged marriages. We need to understand why she would allow others to make such life-changing decisions for her.

Finally, soon after she met Guggenheim in 1938, they both divorced their spouses to marry. Her rejection of her fathers buddy and her marriage to a Jewish man even older than Brooks made it clear that she was ready, finally, to live by her own rules. For good measure, she had become far more internationalist and liberal than her husband, or her isolationist father and her Aunt Cissy, who regularly railed against the Roosevelt administrations support of Britain in fighting the Nazis.

Her independence grew when her husband joined the Navy after Pearl Harbor and stayed in for four years. Alicia increased the circulation of Newsday from 15,000 to nearly 100,000 in 1947, and by 1949 to 125,000. But upon Guggenheims return from war, he didnt praise the progress in Newsdays circulation and editorial heft, but rather criticized the papers continued lack of profits. Newsdays a business, its supposed to make money, he said. Patterson, by dint of hard work and vision, always considered Newsday to be hers. Yet her husband refused to sell her more than a 49 percent ownership stake in the paper, thus ensuring that he, not she, would maintain control. Their clashes increased, exacerbated by her growing fame, particularly after Newsday won the 1953 Pulitzer Prize for meritorious public service for exposing mob infiltration at a Long Island racetrack. It didnt help that she became the subject of a 1954 Time magazine cover story that barely acknowledged Guggenheim as co-publisher.

For years she maintained an affair with two-time Democratic presidential nominee and Illinois Gov. Adlai Stevenson and even temporarily left her husband, hoping Stevenson would marry her. But Stevenson was just as ambivalent in love as he was in politics, sending her a letter feigning surprise. I was under the impression that things were going better with you and Harry, he wrote. . . . What I suggest is deliberation, moderation. Patterson returned to Guggenheim, who never let on that he sensed anything was amiss.

Patterson often had good instincts, protesting the injustices of the communist witch hunts of the 1950s, among other issues. She was a pioneer. When she died in 1963 of internal bleeding after surgery to address a severe ulcer, Patterson was one of the few female publishers and editors in a time when women were usually neither.

But by almost totally ignoring the struggles of female journalists, the book leaves a gaping hole in the story and understates Pattersons success in that male-dominated world. Maddeningly, only in the last 20 pages do the authors offer slight context. Pattersons gender barred her from attending the all-male Gridiron Dinner in Washington. (The authors could have added at minimum that the White House correspondents dinner was closed to women until 1962; female journalists were relegated to the National Press Clubs balcony and barred from asking questions until 1971.) Pattersons speech to Radcliffe alumnae in 1958 offered some perspective. Out of 1,700 newspapers in this country we find only sixty-seven women listed as editors . . . and only seven of these women edit newspapers with circulations over 20,000. A modicum of discussion of the struggles of women in journalism would have strengthened this biography of a fascinating woman.
This woman recorded a video inside a train washroom, saying that if she dies, her family should be held for her murder. Days later, she was found dead.

The family allegedly killed the victim and buried her, telling neighbours that she died of natural causes.

By Rajat Rai: A video purportedly shot by a woman days before her mysterious death has taken social media by storm amid allegations that she is a victim of so-called honour killing.

Authorities exhumed the 26-year-old's body at her village in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras district on Thursday after the clip filmed inside a train washroom showed her saying she was afraid her family was going to murder her.

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SHE KNEW HER FAMILY WILL KILL HER



"I am an adult and want to marry Munna (name changed). But my father, brother and relatives are forcibly taking me back to my native village to kill me," the woman, found dead last week, is seen saying in the video. "If anything happens to me or I am killed, my father, brothers and relatives will be responsible for it."

INDIAN HISTORY OF HONOUR KILLING



Romantic liaisons across castes and religions often lead to violence towards couples in India. The attacks are frequently carried out by close relatives or village elders to protect what is seen as the family's reputation and pride in a hereditary-based societal system.

In 2011, the Supreme Court said those involved in such killings should face the death penalty.

SHE DIED NATURALLY, FAMILY TELLS NEIGHBOURS



"An FIR has been registered against her father, brothers and all the relatives whose names were taken by her in the video," senior superintendent of police in Hathras Ajay Pal Sharma told Mail Today.

The family allegedly killed the victim and buried her, telling neighbours that she died of natural causes. Sources say locals had contacted the police claiming that the death was suspicious, but an FIR was lodged only after the video went viral.

"We have conducted a postmortem and the viscera have been preserved for investigation," Dr RP Singh of the district hospital told the media.

The family works in Mumbai and allegedly returned to the village to kill the woman. Hathras police have sent teams to search for the accused who are absconding. The cops are also trying to locate the man in Mumbai who the victim said she wanted to marry.



ALSO READ: Tribal man in Odisha had to walk 10 km carrying wife's body after being denied govt help

--- ENDS ---
Donald Trump holds a round-table meeting on Thursday with the Republican Leadership Initiative in his offices at Trump Tower in New York. (Gerald Herbert/AP)

To appreciate whats at stake for the world in this years U.S. presidential election, its useful to visit a place such as Australia that has been one of our most faithful allies  and that appears to be mortified at whats happening in American politics.

Australians are polite, in their own rowdy way. And they know they have to live with whoever is elected president. So people here rarely criticize Donald Trump head-on.

But polls tell the story: A June survey by the Lowy Institute, a think tank here, found that 11 percent supported Trump, compared with 77 percent for Hillary Clinton. The percentage supporting Trumps foreign policy was even smaller. And most amazing, in a country that has backed every U.S. military action for a century, 59 percent of Australians say their country shouldnt join in U.S. military action if Trump is elected.

Australians, like most American allies, depend on a strong, confident United States to lead a global system thats stable and also supple enough to accommodate new players such as China. They fear a United States that leaves allies to fend for themselves against Russian and Chinese bullying.

At a rally in Detroit Aug. 8, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump outlined what he would do as president to take the U.S. economy to "amazing new heights." (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

So what do Australians think when they hear Trump say, as he did in an Aug. 8 speech, Americanism, not globalism, will be our new credo? They worry that he means just what he says. Trumps America would be a more selfish nation; it would look out more for itself and less for others. This inward focus may make sense to Americans who are unhappy with globalization, but its a scary prospect for an Australia that has to bet its future, quite literally, on the United States staying power in Asia.

We need confident, competent, outward-looking U.S. leadership. Our region depends on that, Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop told me in an interview. While she was careful not to express a political preference, her meaning seemed obvious.

Trumps fulmination about trade deals is a particularly worrying example of his intention to abandon long-standing U.S. policies. He blasts the Trans-Pacific Partnership, for example, ignoring the fact that the greatest beneficiary of the TPPs demise would be China. Beijing is waiting with its own alternative structure for global trade and economics to replace the U.S.-led system that has prevailed since 1945.

Trumps supporters may imagine that the United States will start winning again, post-TPP, but I have yet to meet a global business leader who doesnt think that the demise of the trade deal would be a huge victory for China that would undermine U.S. power in Asia for years. And yes, folks, the TPPs demise would also hurt American workers by reducing U.S. access to the worlds fastest-growing markets.

Clintons capitulation to misguided critics of the TPP has been sad to watch. Maybe she really believes that its possible to reopen negotiations and get a better deal, but if so, shes nearly alone. More likely, shes willing for U.S. economic power and prestige to take a hit, if it will help her get elected. The only adult American in the room on this issue has been President Obama, who is campaigning hard to get the TPP passed before he leaves office.

The TPP is not just an economic necessity; its a strategic necessity, argues Bishop. If the TPP fails, it will be seen as a failure of U.S. political will. A failure will also leave a vacuum, which will be filled by other countries, including China. Its absolutely vital to have a win on this.

What will allies do if the United States votes to embrace Trumps version of Americanism, not globalism? They will make adjustments; they will hedge their bets; they will hope that the fever breaks in four years; they will try to protect their own interests in a world where U.S. power has become less reliable.

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Australia is a good example of a country that stands by its friends, even when they make mistakes. The leadership here stuck with the United States through Vietnam, Iraq and Afghanistan. Some business leaders want cozier relations with China, but the public view is steadfast. Why would we seek to hasten the drawing-down of an old ally? asked Michael Fullilove, executive director of the Lowy Institute, in a recent book.

Great powers sometimes crack under strain. Australia watched as the seemingly unshakable power of the British Empire became brittle and weary and turned inward. Global leadership isnt a perpetual motion machine. It requires effort and occasional sacrifice. This year is a character test for the United States, and you need only travel abroad to understand how intently the world is watching.

Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Tom Steyer is founder of the advocacy group NextGen Climate.

July was the hottest month in recorded history, by a lot, and August isnt looking any better. So how do we interpret that? What does it mean?

Im no scientist. In my 30 years as a businessperson, though, Ive learned that the best decisions require looking at all of the available data and trends. You seldom have the complete analysis that a scientist would require  events unfold quickly.

Instead, businesspeople often must make decisions on the basis of imperfect information. A responsible chief executive knows two things: that a decision not to act is a decision, and that no competent leader risks the health of the entire enterprise by failing to take necessary steps, even ones that are painful.

So it is with global climate change, which may be happening faster than scientists previously predicted. Monthly global average temperatures have set records in each of the past 15 months . The concomitant climate events have been extreme: from wildfires burning in California to floods in Baton Rouge after rainfall of historic proportions to neurotoxic algae blooms choking Florida beaches. Even the beloved moose of New Hampshire have been decimated by ticks that thrive in a warmer world.

Its possible that these changes from typical outcomes may just constitute noise rather than reliable signals of accelerated change. But if the climate data continues to diverge from expectations, scientists eventually must revise their models to reflect real world figures.

In fact, such a reassessment is already happening. Scientists are examining the complex interactions of several dozen variables to better understand the dynamic relationship between the oceans and the atmosphere. As scientists, they dont put much stock in early drafts. They rightly insist on rigorous analysis.

If the new analyses imply an unpredictable and riskier world, that will necessitate a more urgent, and more difficult, response. Based on initial data, it now appears possible that the climate will warm by 2 degrees Celsius over pre-industrial levels  an amount of warming that scientists consider the danger zone  not by 2050, as once predicted, but years earlier. If further analysis supports this conclusion, this would be an enormous, and scary, change.

If we have as much time to act as we are currently assuming, then we can simply replace amortized equipment with new, clean-energy systems. Even in that scenario, any new fossil-fuel investment must be avoided, because it exacerbates emissions and delays solutions. Yet the disruption to our economy could be minimized, and the whole process should increase growth and reduce costs.

But if scientists start to project a dramatically shorter timeline for the impacts of climate change, any comfortable replacement scenario becomes something much more daunting. If we dont have the decades needed for the vast bulk of our productive capacity to be replaced in the normal course, we would need to replace assets that had not reached the end of their usable lives  and that would affect industries beyond purely oil and gas.

Regardless of the scientific projections, we cannot afford to repeat the painfully slow and politically motivated dance of the past 10 years. As new data and analysis become available over the next year or so, we must be prepared to act decisively even though the cautious critics will want to wait for more definitive information. We will never have 100 percent certainty, except in hindsight.

Over the past decade, the United States has struggled with how best to respond to our climate issues. But in terms of public sentiment, business priorities and technological innovation, weve made enormous progress. President Obama deserves great credit for his leadership, and the 2016 Democratic Party platform reflects real climate awareness.

Going forward, we will need all our expertise  scientific, business and political  to ensure that we respond sufficiently and in a way that promotes prosperity for everyone. We cannot allow our political divisions to be our undoing.

Even cautious scientists are debating whether the previously accepted climate timelines are overly conservative. Meanwhile, Mother Nature has a timeline of her own. And she calls the tune.

The writer is founder of the advocacy group NextGen Climate.
The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

Donald Trumps supporters can pretend otherwise, but deep down they must know the truth: Trump has been playing them for fools all along.

All that bluster about creating a deportation force to round up 11 million undocumented immigrants and kick them out of the country? Forget about it. Trump is now softening that ridiculous pledge, which he never could have carried out, into a new policy in which we work with them.

Hmmm. Work with them how?

All we know of the details, so far, is what Trump said Wednesday at a town hall hosted by Sean Hannity of Fox News: Now, everybody agrees we get the bad ones out. But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject, and Ive had very strong people come up to me, really great, great people come up to me, and theyve said, Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person whos been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, its so tough, Mr. Trump. I mean, I have it all the time. Its a very, very hard thing.

Trump talked about how such families will pay back-taxes, they have to pay taxes, and claimed that theres no amnesty, as such. If this is indeed Trumps revised policy, he now advocates the same basic approach as the one laid out in the bipartisan Gang of Eight reform bill passed three years ago by the Senate  which immigration hard-liners derided as amnesty.

At a rally in Jackson, Miss., Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump called Democratic foe Hillary Clinton a "bigot" and said that she would do "nothing" for African Americans and Hispanics. (The Washington Post)

Attempts by allies to explain the complete reversal have been comic. My favorite came from Trump campaign spokeswoman Katrina Pierson, who said this on CNN: He hasnt changed his position on immigration, hes changed the words that he is saying.

That absurdist formulation sounds like something from the experimental writings of author Gertrude Stein  who, come to think of it, gave us the perfect blanket description of the entire Trump campaign: There is no there there.

There never was any there in Trumps wild promises, many of which were not just impractical but impossible. No, he was never going to be able to roust millions of people from their homes. No, he was never going to be able to ban all foreign Muslims from entering the country.

Trump continues to claim that, if elected president, he will build a wall along the entire southern border and get Mexico to pay for it. This, too, would be logistically and politically impossible, but I believe hell keep saying it until the bitter end. He seems to think he can get away with betraying supporters on the deportation issue by hiding behind his artistically beautiful imaginary wall.

I realize that most of Trumps ardent fans do not take kindly to being lectured by the likes of me. But it is with a certain degree of genuine sympathy that I say what has to be said: Your candidate is a flake. A fraud. A bag of air. A con man. A joke.

I understand the frustration that made the Republican base such fertile ground for the Trump phenomenon to flourish. The GOP leadership spent the entire Obama administration making promises it knew it could not keep  on immigration, the economy, fighting terrorism, repealing Obamacare and so on. This was good short-term politics, especially in the 2010 and 2014 midterm elections, but many voters became disillusioned with politics and politicians. Enter Trump, a non-politician with zero scruples, who quickly identified which buttons to push  and pushed them like crazy.

I also understand that for some voters, Hillary Clinton is basically, as Trump called her, the devil. There are those who will vote for Trump just to keep his opponent from becoming president.

1 of 60 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail View Photos The GOP presidential nominee 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.

But no one at this point should cling to the illusion that a vote for Trump is a vote for any specific policy on any given issue. Having said all kinds of outrageous things to win the nomination, he is now trying  clumsily  to say more moderate things in an attempt not to get crushed in November. I wouldnt take his new, humane immigration stance any more seriously than his earlier draconian pronouncements.

In a sense, spokeswoman Pierson was right: Trump doesnt actually have positions. He only has words.

There is anger, bigotry and ignorance behind many of those words. But mostly, where substance ought to be found, there is just arrogance and ego. Trump thinks his supporters are suckers who will line up to buy deportation one day and amnesty the next. Some champion.

Read more from Eugene Robinsons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook. You can also join him Tuesdays at 1 p.m. for a live Q&A.
Joe Studwell is the author, most recently, of How Asia Works.

After 18 years at The Washington Post, Frank Ahrens crossed the Rubicon and became a public relations executive for Hyundai Motor Company in Seoul. I became tired of writing about other people doing things and I wanted to do something of my own, he tells us, explaining his decision. Journalists are watchers. Not participants.

Hired by the U.S.-educated grandson of Hyundai founder Chung Ju Yung to beef up the car businesss international public relations, Ahrens appeared at the outset to have an inside track into one of the largest and most opaque corporations in the world. Not only that, he joined the firm, in 2010, just as Hyundai was rolling the corporate dice by adding millions of units of capacity and attempting to move upmarket to challenge German and Japanese luxury marques such as Lexus, Mercedes and BMW. After 40 years, this was the final developmental push to take the company from fast follower (a polite business-school term for quick copier) to the corporate promised land of branded innovator.

In his memoir, Seoul Man, Ahrens eschews deep corporate analysis in favor of his personal tale: his self-described midlife crisis, his late marriage and fatherhood, the tradeoffs between making money and nurturing a family, his lack of experience outside the United States, the challenges of cross-cultural management, his yearning for carbonated drinks, along with thin slices of Asian history.

While memoir, of course, suggests the personal, I wish Ahrens had also probed the company where he was one of fewer than a dozen foreigners. The author lived in an international PR silo and learned (and conveys) remarkably little about the firm he worked for or the family that runs it. He met the current boss once in three years. Most of Ahrenss work involved traveling thousands of miles to international auto shows and improving standards of written English.

"Seoul Man: A Memoir of Cars, Culture, Crisis, and Unexpected Hilarity Inside a Korean Corporate Titan" by Frank Ahrens (HarperBusiness)

Ahrenss great strength is that he is sensitive to the people around him. He worked hard to win the trust of the team he managed, enduring the endless team-bonding drinking sessions for which Korea is rightly famed  hoesik  and he banged out Dancing Queen at the karaoke sessions that followed once everyone was suitably drunk.

Ahrens does a good job of describing the young people with whom he worked in a Korea struggling to move on from a forced collective march of industrialization to a more individualistic and creative economy. This is a society where rebellion is measured by not swapping winter garments for spring clothes on the appointed day, or by small gestures of informality such as corresponding with someone of a different corporate rank by email. One of his charges leaves Hyundai to start a boutique hotel  until recently an unthinkable act of risk-taking.

If his observations of those around him are telling, for this reader the unexpected hilarity promised by the subtitle of Seoul Man comes from Ahrenss role as a cypher for the neuroses of middle America, set down, mono-lingual, in a foreign land. He confesses, in contrast to the urbane reputation of Post reporters, to being a West Virginia provincial.

Despite the extraordinarily fresh and healthy nature of most Korean food, Ahrens suffered a constant cultural compulsion to visit outlets of Subway, Outback Steakhouse, Tony Romas and Burger King. After three years in Seoul, he was pleased by the increasing availability of craft beer and top-drawer bar food as one tangible sign of progress.

Ahrens lived, by virtue of his wifes job with the State Department, on the 620-acre Yongsan military base. When his wife was posted to Jakarta and Ahrens  remaining in Seoul  realized he would lose access to the compound and to tax-free U.S. shopping, he pretty much cleaned out the bases store, including a shops worth of over-the-counter medicines, so concerned was he about the vagaries of life in the real Korean world.

The fear of a medical emergency for himself, his wife or their newborn was a constant refrain. This fear went stratospheric when wife and baby moved to Jakarta, and Ahrens suffered a debilitating panic attack. As Ahrens tells the story, the reader is supposed to feel for Asians who live without U.S. levels of medical care; but this reader hurt more reflecting on American lives blighted by bourgeois anxiety about what might go wrong when living in the Third World.

For a probing look into Hyundai, readers should consider Donald Kirks Korean Dynasty. It was written by another American journalist who, after years of dogged pursuit, managed to talk not only to Chung Ju Yung at home and at length, but also to most of his siblings and children. It is Kirks book that one must read to learn the scandal-filled history of the Hyundai Group and its remarkable founder.

For the ex-pat about to be posted to Korea, Seoul Man will be useful and occasionally funny. Ahrens hints at the high social price paid by a society in thrall to the logic of the developmental state. However, this is not a book that asks penetrating questions; Ahrens has left journalism behind.
Donald Trump supporter Kristen Peterson of Huntersville, N.C., chants "show us the emails" as she walks among protesters chanting "show us your taxes" outside the Charlotte Convention Center. (Gerald Herbert/Associated Press)

Danielle Allen is a political theorist at Harvard University and a contributing columnist for The Post.

Abraham Lincoln is said to have offered one of the sharpest, smartest defenses of the intelligence of a democratic people Ive ever seen: You may fool all the people some of the time; you can even fool some of the people all the time; but you cant fool all of the people all the time. In short, were smarter together.

But thats not what the Trumps think.

Donald Trump's stance on presidential candidates has changed significantly over the years. Here's how. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

Eric Trump thinks his dad shouldnt release his taxes because then there would be a bunch of people who know nothing about taxes trying to look through and trying to come up with assumptions on things they know nothing about.

Well, Im sure its true that out here among us little people in the great beyond of non-billionaire-land, there are some who know very little about taxes and who couldnt do much with Donald Trumps returns, but there are also an awful lot of us for whom taxes are a part of a lifelong adult learning curriculum that even brings an excruciating, annual deep-dive refresher course. And then theres a not insignificant number of true experts who would surely be willing to leaven our collective intelligence to bring to a high level  even the highest  the accumulated sum of our efforts to analyze those truly amazing, surely stupendous, the likes of which aint never been seen before Trump tax returns.

The intelligence of the American people. I love it. Really. What all of us can do, together? Its really something. The United States is great. No one can analyze a tax return like the American people. Its true, Eric. Were down with tax returns. So bring it on.

You say an audit blocks it? The IRS says thats no hindrance. And anyway, the returns up to 2008 are out of audit. Lets start with those.

The cats out of the bag, then. The Trumps have no respect for the intelligence of the American people. Not that the cat was ever terribly well hidden. Trump has ignored not only Lincolns maxim but also another one that goes something like this: You can amuse all of America some of the time, and some of America all of the time (by invoking, whenever folks get bored, the Great Wall of Trumplandia). But it turns out you cant amuse all of America all of the time.

For instance, Trumps audience for The Apprentice included many African Americans, but his poll numbers dont. A common explanation for this is that Trump alienated those erstwhile fans when he became the leading advocate for the birther movement, helping to drive the president of the United States to release his long-form birth certificate.

Trumps advocacy for the release of Obamas birth certificate is worth probing. The idiotic conspiracy theory was not hard to see through, yet a stunning number of Americans went along with it. And now, despite having pushed to excess for transparency in that case, Trump expects us not to notice, or to disregard, his own refusal to meet a basic norm of transparency. He is dragging our intelligence through the mud.

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So maybe this is one reason most African Americans dont plan to vote for Trump. Because you know what? African Americans are exceptionally good at registering when someone has no respect for our intelligence. Weve had a fair amount of practice. Take Trumps new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, for example. In a recent interview on the ABCs This Week, she said this about New York City charter schools serving African American and Hispanic American students: Its just remarkable to see the quality education that these students who are fully capable and very intelligent receive through school choice and charters. Why is Conway explicit about the students abilities? Her language reveals that she imagines an audience that doesnt necessarily believe in the intelligence of African Americans and Hispanic students. An audience with such a starting point will hear her comment one way, but an audience of African Americans or Hispanics who do indeed take their own intelligence for granted will hear her in quite a different way.

Certainly, for many moons now, and some would say for years, Trump has made clear his disrespect for the intelligence of African Americans. His current strategy of talking at not to African Americans, to quote Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.), is but the latest example of a consistent pattern. But this is also a case in which African Americans are, once again, and perhaps most importantly, the miners canary.

African Americans may have noticed it first, but the truth is that Trump doesnt respect anyones intelligence. The ever more elaborately embellished castle in the air that is Trumps great wall  as of this week it will have protections against tunnels  is a particularly vivid example of how throughout this campaign he has displayed his disrespect for the intelligence of the American people.

Eric Trump is simply giving voice to what all along has been the script. It would be foolish, as he put it, for the Trumps to frame their decisions by presuming they can have confidence in Americans brains.

By now, most of us are not fooled. By now, most of us are not amused. Well see whether it stays that way. Seventy-odd days to go. May this great people once again prove Lincoln right.
Regarding Eugene Robinsons Aug. 23 op-ed, Trumps 360-degree pivot :

Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump asked what African Americans have to lose by supporting him. Our self-respect! Reading messages off a teleprompter before white audiences will not erase the hint of racism he has directed toward minorities during his election bid for president of the United States.

Dianna Mayo Neal, Forestville

Donald Trump is making appeals to African American, Hispanic and Latino voters. He said, Youre living in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose? The people in these communities should inquire of Mr. Trump what programs and steps he intends to develop to resolve the issues he recognized in these groups. Such an inquisition would require that Mr. Trump say not only what he would do but also how he would do it.

Next, members of these communities should examine past actions and statements that Mr. Trump has directed toward them. Those could suggest what kind of future behavior could be expected from him.

After asking the above questions and performing the above examinations, maybe before voting, members of the African American, Hispanic and Latino communities should be made conscious of Daniel Websters words: Beware! Be cautious! You have everything to lose; nothing to gain.

Ulysses Weldon, College Park
Every four years, presidential candidates pledge to destroy the evil federal bureaucracy wreaking havoc on our small businesses and aspiring entrepreneurs.

Abolish the Environmental Protection Agency! Level the Labor Department! Eliminate Education, kill Commerce and eradicate Energy!

Its true that the Obama administration has greatly expanded federal rulemaking. But if you talk with entrepreneurs, youll learn that  with the major exception of our criminally convoluted tax system  the most burdensome barriers to their efforts often dont originate with the feds.

They are, instead, constructed at the state and local levels.

Think about it. States and municipalities handle most occupational licensing, now required for a quarter of U.S. workers.

Depending on the state, a person may need to attend months of expensive training and fork over hundreds of dollars in fees to work as a hair-braider, auctioneer, florist or interior decorator, allegedly in order to safeguard public health. One study found that the average occupational license requires $209 in fees, one exam, and about nine months of education and training.

States and municipalities also regulate business licensing, registration, permitting and hiring. Those trying to start new businesses may have to register with five agencies to legally hire an employee. Even before that, they may need to visit a dozen different state, county and town websites  of varying levels of functionality  to open their doors.

Start-up founders will encounter state, county and city red tape when they deal with zoning laws, or various insurance requirements (although for health insurance, of course, the feds have set many of the ground rules). They may have to navigate complex state and local systems to figure out how big their sign can be and where it can be placed.

Some costly start-up requirements are even more peculiar.

In New York, for example, new LLCs have to publish notices about their existence in both a daily and a weekly newspaper for six consecutive weeks, in publications officially designated by the county clerk. That may be a nice boon for struggling local papers, but it can add thousands of dollars to the cost of launching an enterprise.

No wonder the World Bank ranks the United States 49th in ease of starting a business.

All these requirements, mind you, apply to companies that launch and operate in a single jurisdiction. Heaven forbid they want to do business in multiple counties or states, which will have different and sometimes contradictory licensing and permitting requirements, or sales tax systems using different taxonomies for goods and services.

In other words: The feds may be a convenient punching bag  especially for politicians running for federal office  but its more often the state and local bureaucrats who will get all up in your business if youre starting a business.

All of which is to say that Im delighted Hillary Clinton is interested in encouraging states and cities to reduce the regulatory burdens on small businesses and start-ups.

Among a set of policies released this week, Clinton proposed offering federal funds to states and localities that are willing to make starting a business cheaper and easier and meaningfully streamline unnecessary licensing programs. The funding could be used in part to offset states lost licensing revenue, which currently totals billions of dollars.

She also promises to work with states to standardize licensing requirements, so that credentials can be transferred from one place to another, and to provide technical assistance to help states determine which regulations actually serve the public good.

Admittedly, its hard to tell whether these ideas would change much. The Obama administrations splashy Startup in a Day initiative, in which nearly 100 cities signed a pledge to, within a year, create a way for entrepreneurs to launch a business in a single day, seems to have fizzled. More than a year later, a Small Business Administration spokesman said that not a single city had made good on this pledge.

Powerful industry groups and other organizations also have a vested interest in preserving barriers to entry, which is one reason so few occupations ever get de-licensed.

Finally, establishing consistent principles about which regulations protect public safety, and which merely protect turf, is challenging. Probably its a good thing for doctors to be licensed, for restaurants to have sanitation requirements and for commercial drivers to have liability insurance. Your mileage may vary.

But still, Im glad to see more non-national job-killing regulations getting some national airtime. This red tape keeps too many entrepreneurs in the red and on the sidelines.
Former senator Sam Nunn (D-Ga.), shown in 1999, was elected to the Senate in 1972 even as Democratic presidential nominee George McGovern lost the national election. (Craig Herndon/The Washington Post)

Whit Ayres is president of North Star Opinion Research, a GOP polling firm in Alexandria, and the author of  2016 and Beyond: How Republicans Can Elect a President in the New America .He was the pollster for Marco Rubios presidential campaign.

Republicans running for election this year have watched the wheels coming off the Trump Train with increasing alarm. How can Republican candidates in down-ballot races survive such a calamitous nominee at the top of their ticket?

To win, Republican candidates need the votes of Trump Republicans and Never Trump Republicans, as well as independents who find Donald Trump either refreshing or abhorrent. Fortunately, they have a model in Southern Democratic candidates who for years ran successful campaigns in presidential years while distancing themselves from the top of the ticket.

The opening was provided for Republicans by the Trump Convention, which bore little resemblance to a Republican convention. When both living former Republican presidents, the two most recent Republican presidential nominees, the popular host-state Republican governor and most of the other 2016 Republican presidential candidates all refused to show up or be seen with Trump, it could hardly be classified as a Republican event. Even President Obama, who has an incentive to link Republican candidates to Trump, said the convention wasnt particularly Republican  and it sure wasnt conservative.

Since then, the Trump brand has become increasingly distinct from the Republican brand. Moreover, voters are making that distinction. Post-convention polling often shows Republican Senate and congressional candidates running double digits ahead of Trump.

One recent survey shows Republican Sen. Marco Rubio running 6 points ahead of Democrat Patrick Murphy in Florida, while Trump trails Hillary Clinton by 5 points there, a net 11-point advantage for Rubio. Comparable net advantages for other Republican candidates in post-convention polls include Sen. Rob Portmans 10 points in Ohio and Sen. Charles E. Grassleys 14 points in Iowa.

Preserving that level of split-ticket voting, with a substantial number of voters supporting Clinton for president and Republicans down-ballot, is the key to maintaining Republican control of the Senate.

How can Republicans preserve those margins? Localize, localize, localize. Successful Southern Democrats gave no more than lip service to their partys liberal presidential nominees, while using the advantages of incumbency to highlight specific ways their service in Washington benefited their constituents.

In 1972, Democratic nominee George McGoverns support in the 11 states of the former Confederacy ranged from a low of 20 percent in Mississippi to a high of 33 percent in Texas. Yet in the same year five Democratic candidates won election to the Senate with remarkable majorities: 54 percent for Sam Nunn in Georgia, 55 percent for J. Bennett Johnston in Louisiana, 58 percent for James Eastland in Mississippi, 61 percent for John McClellan in Arkansas and 62 percent for John Sparkman in Alabama.

In 1984, Democratic nominee Walter Mondales Southern support ranged from a low of 35 percent in Florida to a high of 42 percent in Tennessee. Yet Mondales weakness in the South did not prevent David Pryor from winning in Arkansas with 57 percent or Howell Heflin winning 63 percent in Alabama or Nunn winning 80 percent in Georgia or Johnston winning Louisiana with 86 percent.

Democratic candidates employed a mix of strategies to avoid being dragged down by the top of the ticket. In 1972, Eastland and Johnston refused to endorse McGovern, and in return President Nixon showered attention on the Democrats and did little to help their Republican opponents.

Nunn took a different tack in 1972 when his Republican opponent covered Georgia with posters linking him to McGovern. Nunn flew to Montgomery, Ala., to receive the endorsement of then-presidential candidate George Wallace, saying George Wallace represents the real views of Georgians. Nunn later said, I frankly admired Wallace, not because of his racial views, but because of his willingness to stand up and shake a fist at Washington occasionally. Theres something therapeutic about that in the South.

Other Democrats stood by their partys nominee, albeit without mentioning his name. In 1984, Heflin said he was a yellow dog Democrat who was going to support the entire Democratic ticket. But he prefaced that comment by saying that he had spent his first term doing everything I can to bring jobs back to Alabama, specifically mentioning his support for a new Oliver Lock and Dam and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

This fall will likely bring Democratic ads using morphing and Photoshop techniques that have become ubiquitous with modern software, such as those that linked Republican candidates to George W. Bush in 2006 as his popularity ebbed. Numerous debates will feature Democrats pressing their Republican opponents on whether they support Trump, and whether they agree or disagree with some inflammatory Trump utterance. Republicans can respond with a version of one of the approaches Southern Democrats have used in the past, depending on the character of their particular state or district: refusing to endorse the nominee, especially in states or districts where Trump has minimal support; allying themselves with a third-party candidate; or standing by the entire ticket and then talking about their own accomplishments.

Historical analogies are never perfect, and incumbents of the past had tools then that are largely unavailable today, primarily seniority and the ability to bring home the bacon, which Southern Democrats raised to high art. But their success in the wake of a drubbing for their party at the top of the ticket demonstrates the possibility of down-ballot candidates not only surviving but also thriving in turbulent political waters.
Regarding the Aug. 24 news article Chinese students flood private schools:

The presence of Chinese students at schools such as Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, where I am director of global programs, is more than a mercantile arrangement. Having a broad international perspective is desirable. Students benefit when there is a mix of nationalities among students with whom they speak and listen, learn and work, compete and play.

International relations are more important than ever. Some contemplate building walls, blocking trade and stemming immigration flow. At our independent Catholic high school, we contend that our young people are educated when they learn not just how to reconcile differences but also how to celebrate the unique identity and dignity of each person, not just locally, but globally. The more that students see the world through their peers eyes rather than mediated by stereotypes promoted in mass media, the more open-minded they will be as leaders of tomorrow.

This school year, we have students from Iran, Mexico, France, Brazil, Austria, Germany and China. Their peers at Good Counsel enjoy learning from them as much as the other way around. Mutual understanding and friendship building that last well into adulthood can have an immeasurable impact on the security and welfare of generations to come.

Yihung Mohs, Olney
Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein stopped by The Washington Post on Aug. 25, taking reader questions from Facebook explain her efforts to build out the Green Party on the local level, her presidential bid and clearing up her position on the usage of vaccines. (Adriana Usero/The Washington Post)

Green Party presidential candidate Jill Stein stopped by The Washington Post on Aug. 25, taking reader questions from Facebook explain her efforts to build out the Green Party on the local level, her presidential bid and clearing up her position on the usage of vaccines. (Adriana Usero/The Washington Post)

GREEN PARTY presidential nominee Jill Stein argues that Americans should not vote for the lesser of two evils. Instead of voting out of fear, they should vote for the most deserving candidate. Unfortunately for Ms. Stein, even if you accepted the logic, it would not lead this year to a vote for her.

Ms. Stein sat down with our editorial board Thursday, as Republican Donald Trump and Libertarian Gary Johnson have done previously. She stressed some important issues, especially climate change. As an activist in her home state of Massachusetts, she worked to shut down polluting, coal-fired power plants, and she says she would bring that activists sensibility to the Oval Office.

[Read the transcript of Jill Steins interview with The Post editorial board]

But Ms. Steins policy ideas are poorly formed and wildly impractical. Her activist approach, she said, involves building broad coalitions, but she criticized Hillary Clinton for reaching out to Republicans. She proposes to end all use of coal, oil, gasoline and nuclear power by 2030, guaranteeing a federal job to anyone who wants one along the way, and says she can accomplish this revolution for $500 billion  less than the cost of President Obamas 2009 stimulus. Even this trifle would be recouped in health savings, she said, as her Green New Deal reduced the incidence of asthma, diabetes and other illnesses.

There would no doubt be health benefits. But Ms. Stein is nevertheless spinning up a fairy tale  an appealing fairy tale to some, but still a fairy tale. To support the feasibility of her plan, Ms. Stein cited experts whose models in fact envision an energy transition taking decades longer than she posits. To support her health prognostication, she improbably cited Cubas experience losing access to Russian oil after the fall of the Soviet Union, after which, she pointed out, Cubans became healthier. In fact, they became healthier because they could no longer afford to smoke or drink alcohol and because so many involuntarily lost weight. Cubans survived drinking sugared water, and eating anything they could get their hands on, including domestic pets and the animals in the Havana Zoo, Richard Schiffman recounted in the Atlantic. They became virtual vegans overnight.

On foreign policy, Ms. Stein expressed general accord with her running mate, Ajamu Baraka, who has decried the unimaginable atrocities fomented by a demented and dying U.S. empire . . . and the gangster states of NATO, though she said she might choose different language. Ms. Stein would take a good hard look at NATO and radically reduce U.S. military activity, preferring diplomacy to respond, for example, to Russian President Vladimir Putin. But when we asked what would make her diplomacy more successful than the Minsk process that has failed to end the fighting in Ukraine, there was not much of a response.

Ms. Stein did not exactly convey a sense of awe about how tough the presidency is. I dont believe that it is rocket science, she said of administering the federal government. But that blitheness may not be surprising from a politician who cites climate change as a global emergency  and then argues the country would be no better off electing Ms. Clinton, who promises to continue Mr. Obamas progress on warming, than Mr. Trump, who has said the whole thing is a hoax invented by the Chinese.
Ravina Raj Kohli, the former president of Star News has given a fresh angle to Sheena Bora murder case by saying Indrani Mukerjea's statement claiming she had been framed needs to be further probed.

By Atir Khan: Ravina Raj Kohli, the former president of Star News has given a fresh angle to Sheena Bora murder case by saying Indrani Mukerjea's statement claiming she had been framed needs to be further probed. India Today Group has first reported Indrani's statement in which she claimed she was framed.

Ravina says a former Mumbai police officer's role also needs to be looked into as he was close to Peter Mukerjea and was in touch with Sheena before she was killed. The officer's brother had spoken to Sheena even on the day of her murder.

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The officer in question it is believes has not been questioned by the CBI so far. Though CBI has been maintaining all relevant persons connected with the case have been questioned but is silent on whether it has also quizzed Mumbai Police officers.

Ravina, who has worked as former President of Star News and was a contemporary to Peter Mukerjea, while he was the CEO of Star India says the motive in the murder is still not clear. And so the case needs further probing by the CBI. It may be possible some people involved in the murder have not been caught so far. And there is much more than meets the eye.

She also twitted media reports which claim a former Mumbai Police officer close to Peter Mukerjea could have played a role in Sheena's killing and later disposing of her body. According to her the telephonic conversation clips now in public domain have revealed that Peter was privy to a lot of information relating to Sheena's disappearance.

As per the reports in one of the telephonic conversation clips recorded one year before Sheena's murder, Peter Mukerjea is said to be inquiring from his son Rahul what he would do if Sheena suddenly disappeared. It makes the story all the more suspicious since it has now been established that Peter all the while knew about the murder.

Quoting media reports suggesting involvement of a former Mumbai Police officer, Kohli says Sheena Bora had contacted the police officer's brother in connection with a laptop and blackberry phone.

The officer himself had visited Mukerjeas' Worli residence to collect a cheque a day before Sheena was murdered. Even Rahul Mukerjea was suspicious of the former cop's role in Sheena's disappearance.

The said officer was close to top police officers of Mumbai Police and could have tipped them off about the case. Indrani's driver Shyamwar Rai, now an approver in the case reportedly worked for the ex-cop before being employed by Indrani.

Also Read: Fresh tapes in Sheena Bora murder case hint at cover-up



Sheena Bora audio tapes: Will leaked conversations nail Peter Mukerjea now?



Sheena Bora murder case: CBI to tell Mumbai court how much more time it needs to complete investigation



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Sheena Bora murder: All you need to know



Indrani Mukerjea arrested: 5 things you must know about #SheenaMurderMystery



Both Peter and Indrani conspired to kill Sheena Bora: CBI to High Court





--- ENDS ---
Charles R. Pruitt is a board member and vice chairman of the Association of Governing Boards of Colleges and Universities and was a member of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents from 2003 until this year.

For generations, public universities have been seen as great equalizers in the United States, especially for the middle class. In many states, a high-achieving student could go to a Public Ivy, a land-grant, flagship university in Michigan, Wisconsin or California, among others, and receive a Harvard- or Yale-caliber education at an affordable price.

But this model depends on another that stands in sudden danger of collapse: bipartisan  indeed, nonpartisan  political support. There always have been politicians willing to assail the so-called ivory tower, but elected officials have almost always unified across partisan lines in not merely support of but also pride in their public universities. Increasingly, however, they are retreating behind those lines to attack the schools.

This trend, which threatens the fundamental promise of the Public Ivies, is evident in deep and ongoing cuts in state support, renewed political attacks on faculty and the tenure system that protects their freedom, and a growing focus on the economic rather than the humanizing role of education. That those lobbing the attacks are increasingly identifiable by partisan labels is perhaps the most discrete cause for alarm.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities reports that states have slashed per-student spending at public colleges and universities by 17 percent since the Great Recession, while tuition has shot up by a third.

Weve certainly seen it in Wisconsin, where I recently completed 13 years of service on the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin system. The Wisconsin Idea  that the university system serves not just students but also the state as a whole  once bound even intensely divided political leaders in the belief that the public university was both a point of pride and an anchor of opportunity.

Between 2003, when I joined the regents, and 2010, aid declined precipitously while tuition rose by 71 percent. In 2000, almost 10 cents of every tax dollar in Wisconsin went to the university system. Today, it is close to 6 cents. Meanwhile, the same elected officials slashing aid are now forbidding any tuition increases that might compensate for continued cuts.

Such policies compromise the historic promise of the Public Ivies: excellence and affordability, made possible by robust state support. Now, having made incompatible promises to slash funding and freeze tuition, politicians have set aside leadership and chosen the course of attack instead. In my state, they say the university is out of touch, its business model broken. The idea is to set up a partisan debate between largely Democratic defenders and largely Republican critics of the university.

This process of partisan polarization surrounding universities has occurred in other states as well, from Virginia and North Carolina to Colorado and Arizona. In North Carolina, Republican Gov. Pat McCrory said the state should only subsidize university classes that would get someone a job. Elsewhere, more in-state students are losing their places to full pay students from other states or countries as universities desperately search for new revenue to offset budget cuts. A recent discovery of billions of dollars held in reserve at the University of Virginia stirred legislative criticism even though, as university officials tried to explain, most of these dollars came originally from sources other than state aid or tuition and, in an era of declining state support, a reserve fund is an essential component of sound fiscal management.

At a meeting not long ago between state legislative leaders and regents of the University of Wisconsin, for example, the Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly, Robin Vos, told the regents we had a choice: be cheerleaders for the university or advocates for the taxpayers. The once-unifying Wisconsin Idea had held that to be one was to be the other. Meanwhile, in his 2015 budget, Republican Gov. Scott Walker simultaneously proposed slashing a record $350 million from the university while removing tenure protections for faculty.

Walker also proposed rewriting the institutions mission statement  which focuses on the search for truth and improvement of the human condition, the traditional and noble role of the university  so that it focused on training workers instead.

In the face of criticism, Walker called these changes a drafting error. An error can reveal a great deal about ones underlying values, and this one did. The governor and his allies spoke of modernizing the mission statement. But the search for truth and the sifting and winnowing of knowledge in its pursuit are not out of date. They are timeless and, indeed, they have never been more urgently relevant.

There are lessons in this for policymakers across the country. The implicit dichotomy between a humanizing education and a lucrative one is false. Employers consistently say they seek graduates who can think independently and analytically. Students learn to do so by means of technical skills, of course  which public universities teach  but also by learning the great and timeless ideas an education at a Public Ivy conveys.

That used to be a unifying idea. But to say the Public Ivies used to unite the parties is to say too little. They used to transcend such divisions. That they are now being used to inflame them bodes ill  not just for the Public Ivies, but for public discourse, too.
The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

IN A major speech Thursday, Hillary Clinton linked Donald Trump to bigoted elements on the fringe of American politics. But she got it wrong when she said, Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters.

Its not a dog whistle if everyone can hear the bigotry.

Republicans supporting Mr. Trump, explicitly or tacitly, cannot reasonably claim that they do not know who he is and what he has been doing.

Before running for president, Mr. Trump was the king of the birthers who questioned President Obamas place of birth. He started his campaign by calling Mexican migrants rapists, then spoke approvingly of the inhumane 1950s deportation program known as Operation Wetback and delivered a convention speech that described a country overrun by violent foreigners. As Ms. Clinton recounted, House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) called Mr. Trumps attack on a federal judge because of his Mexican heritage the textbook definition of a racist comment. Add in the Republican nominees proposed Muslim travel ban, his false aspersions on the U.S. Muslim community, his long history of belittling women, his dissemination of an anti-Semitic graphic, and a clear picture was visible long before Ms. Clinton approached the lectern.

In more recent days, Mr. Trump has attempted to salvage his image with appeals nominally aimed at African Americans. Instead, he only dug himself deeper, depicting African Americans as desperate people living in abject squalor with nothing to lose. He hired a new campaign chief executive, Stephen Bannon, a man who has called the Civil War the war of Southern Independence and who ran a website that warned the Obama administration is importing more hating Muslims.

Unsurprisingly, polling shows that a majority of Americans believe Mr. Trump is biased against women and minorities. Whether Mr. Trump is a genuine bigot or just cynically appealing to bigoted sentiment is not a question we can answer. Certainly not everyone who supports Mr. Trump is a bigot. But Mr. Trump has attracted the support of assorted American bigots, once thought ejected from mainstream U.S. politics. The candidate has courted this support with plainly visible winks and nods, retweeting their messages and hesitating to disavow them when asked. At any point  such as last August, when the New Yorkers Evan Osnos pointed out that white nationalists were rallying to Mr. Trumps cause  Mr. Trump could have offered the loud, full and unequivocal condemnation of the bigoted fringe that the situation required.

Ms. Clinton ended her Thursday speech by praising Bob Dole, George W. Bush and John McCain, all of whom, in critical moments, stood up to bigoted elements on the right. Unfortunately, Republican leaders are not showing as much mettle this year. Even two of the men Ms. Clinton praised, Mr. Dole and Mr. McCain, have endorsed Mr. Trump. They should reconsider the cost to their reputations and the nations well-being. Any rational accounting would show that it is far too high.
THE U.S. Constitution, according to the Supreme Court, guarantees same-sex couples the right to marry. The Virginia constitution begs to differ  as do constitutions in 29 other states. In Virginia, two lawmakers are trying to change things.

The Supreme Court decision in Obergefell v. Hodges last summer made gay marriage legal across the United States. That was already true for Virginia: In 2014, the high court chose not to take up a challenge to a lower courts ruling that the states ban was unconstitutional. But an amendment to Virginias constitution still defines marriage as a union between a man and a woman. So does a state law. State Sen. Adam P. Ebbin (D-Alexandria) and Del. Mark D. Sickles (D-Fairfax) have introduced bills to change both, The Posts Patricia Sullivan has reported.

Scrapping dead-letter laws is mostly a symbolic move. But the symbolism is meaningful to the thousands of gay Virginians entitled to equality in every aspect of their lives and in their states laws. Whats more, by giving democratic backing to an edict handed down by the Supreme Court, a legislative rollback of restrictions on same-sex couples would lend additional legitimacy to what is already the law of the land.

That wont happen anytime soon, if Virginias House of Delegates has its way. The repeal of the constitutional amendment, even in the speediest of scenarios, couldnt take effect until 2018. The legislature could overturn the law more quickly with a majority vote from both chambers. Yet after last years ruling, Speaker William J. Howell (R-Stafford) asked the states code commission to review all legislation governing same-sex relationships. He wants to wait until that process is complete  likely sometime next year  to take any action.

The code commission should spend some time finding the best way to tweak terminology across Virginias statutes so that gender-specific references such as husband and wife can be changed to neutral words such as spouse. But other changes do not need to wait: Laws that prohibit same-sex marriage are unconstitutional. It should not take years of careful and cautious review from an administrative body to determine something the Supreme Court has already made clear.

In several other states, efforts to remove constitutional and statutory bans on same-sex marriage have stalled. Virginia legislators should not let a superfluous study of semantics hold them back from complying with the Constitution.
The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

Donald Trump is undergoing his own extreme vetting. And we are learning a great deal about the quality of his public pledges.

In no particular order, Trump has shifted his position on raising the federal minimum wage (against it, for it, get rid of it, leave it to the states, put it at $10 an hour); on fighting the Islamic State (bomb the hell out of them and take the oil fields, let our regional allies take the lead, declare war and send in troops, let Russia take care of it); on taxes for the wealthy (increase them, cut them dramatically, make the wealthy pay more, make everyone pay less); on his Muslim ban (exclude all Muslims, keep Muslims out except for members of the military and current residents, it was just a suggestion, ban Muslims from countries with a history of terrorism, impose extreme vetting); on the national debt (eliminate it in eight years, prioritize massive infrastructure spending, renegotiate debt with creditors, just print the money).

Now, concerning his defining promise to round up and deport 11 million undocumented men, women and children, Trump is undergoing a rapid, convulsive transition from Mr. Hyde into Dr. Jekyll. In the movies, this role would require hours in the chair of a highly skilled makeup artist. Trump has Sean Hannity.

For much of Trumps fan base, these details couldnt matter less. The Trump revolution is mainly a matter of personnel, not policy. Put the right man in charge who will hire the best people and fire all the corrupt, stupid failures. Trumps primary appeal  and his main source of self-regard  is his skill as a negotiator, manager and talent scout.

Here we are also getting a good feel for the candidate. Trumps campaign has been a roiling, noxious, dysfunctional mess from the start, characterized by public feuds, subject to sudden leadership changes and unable to fulfill key functions (like actually having a campaign apparatus in key states). And Trumps personnel selections have been both instructive and disastrous.

Here's what you need to know about the Breitbart News chairman who just became Donald Trump's new campaign CEO. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

Consider this list of Trumps chosen: Former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski had a brutal and demeaning style that resulted in a staff revolt, and his manhandling of a female reporter overshadowed the Trump campaign for weeks. Former campaign chairman Paul Manafort was paid lucrative consulting fees by foreign interests and resigned after reports that Ukraine anti-corruption investigators were scrutinizing millions in alleged payments there.

Longtime adviser Roger Stone is a crackpot conspiracy theorist who asserts that Bill and Hillary Clinton are plausibly responsible for the deaths of roughly 40 people and that Hillary Clinton should be executed for murder. Confidant Roger Ailes recently stepped down from his job at Fox News under a cloud of sexual harassment claims. And Steve Bannon, Trumps new campaign chief executive, is known for his bullying tactics and for running a website (Breitbart News) that flirts with white nationalism.

There are a few exceptions to this pattern  Kellyanne Conway and Mike Pence come to mind  but Trump has hired and elevated some of the very worst people in American politics, known for their cruelty, radicalism, prejudice and corruption.

What does all this say about Trump as a prospective president?

First, it means that the ideal of leadership Trump displayed as a reality television star is his actual view of leadership. It is not an act. In Trumps view, leaders elevate themselves by belittling others. They yell and abuse and bully. And their most important quality is absolute loyalty to the great leader, the star of the show. This is a view of leadership that would make H.R. Haldeman cringe.

Second, Trump has managed to pick a team that directly undermines many of his campaign objectives. Need to appeal to women? Include a man in your inner circle accused by many of misogyny. Need to appeal to minorities? Elevate a figure associated with the racially divisive alt-right. Need to challenge the corrupt status quo in Washington? Hire a consultant for oppressive governments. Trumps rhetoric is belied by his choice of friends and associates.

Finally, ideology doesnt seem to be the main criteria in Trumps selections. The hiring of Bannon does make Trumps appeal to the alt-right explicit. But Breitbart News is mainly known in this election for slavish devotion to the cult of Trump. This attribute may well guide most of Trumps top-level personnel choices, including for the Supreme Court.

As a lobbyist and political consultant in the 1980s, Donald Trumps campaign chairman Paul Manafort worked with international clients that included two dictators who were then allied with the United States. (Bastien Inzaurralde/The Washington Post)

Trump, more than most, needs to surround himself with people who compensate for his alarming weaknesses. Instead, his choices demonstrate and amplify those weaknesses, becoming one more reason to utterly reject his leadership.

Read more from Michael Gersons archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook .
Amy Ellis Nutt is a science writer on the National staff at The Washington Post. Her beat is the brain.

Before iPhones and thumb drives, before Google docs and gigabytes of RAM, memory was more art than artifact. It wasnt a tool or a byproduct of being human. It was essential to our character and therefore a powerful theme in both myth and literature.

At the end of Book 2 of the Divine Comedy, with Paradise nearly in reach, Dante is dipped into the River Lethe, where the sins of the self are washed away in the waters of forgetfulness. To be truly cleansed of his memories, however, Dante must also drink from the river of oblivion. Only then will he be truly purified and the memories of his good deeds restored to him. Before we can truly remember, according to Dante, we must forget.

In Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets, author Luke Dittrich seems to be saying that before we can forgive, we must remember. The terrible irony is that H.M., the real-life character around whom Dittrichs book revolves, had no memory at all.

In prose both elegant and intimate, and often thrilling, Patient H.M. is an important book about the wages not of sin but of science. It is deeply reported and surprisingly emotional, at times poignant, at others shocking.

"Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets" by Luke Dittrich (Random House)

H.M., arguably the single most important research subject in the history of neuroscience, was once Henry Molaison, an ordinary New England boy. When Henry was 9 years old, he was hit by a bicyclist as he walked across the street in his home town, Hartford, Conn. It was the mid-1930s, and the accident probably triggered years of epileptic seizures, which grew more frequent and more severe as Henry grew up. In 1953, at the age of 27 and facing a lifetime of disability, Henry underwent a risky brain operation. Though it was unclear exactly where Henrys seizures originated in the brain, his surgeon, William Beecher Scoville, targeted a suspected spot deep in the medial temporal lobes and removed all but a vestigial amount of a sea-horse-shaped structure called the hippocampus. The good news: Henrys seizures were greatly reduced. The bad news: It quickly became clear that the young man had paid a life-altering price for the diminution of those seizures. For all intents and purposes, he was now memory-less.

In the middle of the 20th century, the human brain was still largely a mystery. Memory, it was believed, was distributed throughout a persons gray matter. But when Henry awoke from his operation and was found to be incapable of forming new memories, science learned a valuable lesson about the crucial role the hippocampus played in a persons life. Though he would live 55 more years, Henry would be forever amnesic for those years, unable to recall the names of people he met and the places he visited, any thought he had, any action he took. And yet his losses were neurosciences gain.

If this was the sole subject of Patient H.M. the book would still be a fascinating read, since Dittrich, a magazine writer by trade, spent six years writing it, poring over medical records and transcripts and interviewing key figures to flesh out a story thats never been told this fully.

But Patient H.M. has delicious surprises in store for the reader. It turns out that Scoville, the surgeon who forever altered Henrys life and the history of neuroscience, was the authors grandfather. Brain operations have always been a last resort in cases of severe epilepsy. When they are performed, a patient receives only a local anesthetic because as the surgeon probes for the site of the seizures, he or she must make sure not to damage critically important brain functions. The easiest way to do that is to keep patients awake and periodically ask them questions. As my grandfather made that final cut, Henry lay there, looking up at him. He could catch glimpses of his mask, of his surgical cap, of his headlamp. He could see his glasses, those thick-rimmed surgical loupes with their magnifying lenses. He could hear my grandfathers breathing, feel his warm exhalations.

And maybe, just maybe, some sweat or blood or condensation cumulated on a lens of those glasses, and maybe my grandfather asked a nurse to reach over and wipe it clean. . . . Maybe thats why, for the rest of his life, Henry would tell people that hed once dreamed of being a brain surgeon but had decided against it, because he wore glasses, and what if his glasses got dirty and a nurse attempting to clean them knocked them askew, causing him to make the wrong move, to cut too far, to go too deep. . . .

My grandfather didnt make any mistakes that day.

He took exactly what he wanted to from Henry.

What was taken from Henry after his surgery, and how he was treated as a research subject for more than half a century, are just two of the provocative questions Dittrich takes up in his book. Because it is about so much more, Dittrich takes risks with the structure, never more so than when he leaves Henry on Page 47 and doesnt return to him until Page 201. The discursion is what lends the book its power and keeps the reader turning its pages. In fact, Scoville, Dittrichs grandfather, often steals the show. A daredevil, relentlessly curious and unafraid of breaking boundaries, he built a prominent neurosurgical practice in which he often performed lobotomies, the surgical technique of quieting the severely mentally ill.

Threaded throughout the stories of H.M. and Scoville are important side trips into the history of neuroscience, mental illness and the treatment of humans as research subjects. One horrifying tidbit: Walter Freeman, the Pennsylvania physician who perfected the prefrontal lobotomy, performed more than 2,400 during his career, traveling across the country to do them in a camper he called the Lobotomobile. As Dittrich notes, Freeman sometimes performed as many as 25 lobotomies a day, teaching other physicians the ice pick technique, which involved entering the brain through the easiest route: the eye socket. Lobotomies, the reader learns, were performed into the 1970s, thanks in part to Scoville.

But its his portrait of Suzanne Corkin, the M.I.T. scientist who oversaw decades of research on H.M., acting sometimes as a guardian and others as a scientific gatekeeper, that has drawn Dittrich into controversy. Until she died in May at the age of 79, Corkin was best friends with Dittrichs mother. This gave Dittrich unusual access to Corkin, though she rebuffed him numerous times before finally agreeing to be interviewed. Those interviews, and the details of what amounted to a custody battle over the ownership and disposition of Henrys brain after his death, paint a complex picture of Corkin.

With her privileged access, shed built a career on studying H.M. The proprietary nature of that research, and her protectiveness toward H.M. and his brain, made it incumbent on Dittrich to gently question her personal and professional motivations.

In combing through Dittrichs interviews with Corkin, some of which he includes, verbatim, in the book, those motivations remain largely ineffable. Its Corkins scientific mentor, Brenda Milner, the first researcher to test H.M., who comes closest to explaining the peculiarities of a long-term scientific relationship with an amnesiac:  We found ourselves beginning to regard him the way you would regard a pet, Milner once told an interviewer. He lost his humanness. You cant build a friendship or any sort of human affection for the person. 

On Aug. 7, the New York Times Magazine published an excerpt from Patient H.M. that dealt largely with Corkins claim to have destroyed all ancillary data about H.M., as well as her contentious relationship with Jacopo Annese, founder of the Institute for Brain and Society in San Diego and the scientist who was awarded the postmortem task of processing, preserving and analyzing H.M.s brain. At the heart of the conflict is a dispute over one of Anneses early findings, which could undermine the integrity of research based on H.M. The next day, Corkins colleagues at M.I.T. as well as some 200 other scientists sent separate letters to the Times criticizing the publication of what they deemed errors in Dittrichs description of Corkins actions and attitudes.

Its too bad the scientists didnt wait to read the book when it was released the next day. If they had, they would have discovered that those errors were largely differences of interpretation and emphasis, and that Corkin takes up only a fraction of the book. The real shame of it is that they would have also realized that Patient H.M. is a scintillating book, infused with humanity.
My recent columns on Donald Trump have generated a consistent response from his supporters:

Why dont you just admit that your lips are super-glued to Hillarys ass?

Keep preaching to the Hillary choir.

Please notify me when you are going to write your column on the lies of Hillary Clinton. Oh, excuse me, thats not happening is it?

If . . . that lying psycho b---- wins, there will be nothing left of this country. You better stock up on bullets to protect your house!

This is a sos-your-old-man argument: Theyre not defending the indefensible Trump but accusing me of being in the tank for Clinton. And I do support Clinton  but only in the sense that I would support a ham sandwich for president if it were the only thing standing between Trump and the Oval Office.

Moderates and reasonable Republicans who are considering voting for Trump portray it as a choice between two unpalatable options. But it isnt. Its a choice between one unpalatable option and one demagogue who operates outside of our democratic traditions, promoting racism, condoning violence and moving paranoia into the mainstream. This presidential election, unlike the six others I have covered, is not about party or ideology. Its about Trumps threat to our tradition of self-government.

Youd be hard-pressed, reading my coverage of Clinton over the years, to think me a fan. I mocked her 2008 campaign with comparisons to Monty Pythons dead parrot and black knight sketches. I generated justifiable outrage with a video reference to Clinton in 2009 that was a failed attempt to play on a Tina Fey sketch. Ive called Clinton obsessively secretive. Her handling of matters from Whitewater to her email server has encouraged doubts about her honesty. Although Im excited about the United States electing a woman as president, Clinton is a poor retail politician and a too-cautious leader.

If Marco Rubio or John Kasich were the Republican nominee, I suspect we would now be writing Clintons political obituary  and Id be content finding absurdities on both sides. Although I dont hide my center-left views, I prefer a pox-on-both-houses approach.

The singular danger of Trump makes this year different. Trump isnt really a conservative or a Republican. Voters know this, which is why Democratic efforts to tie down-ballot candidates to him arent working well. When Trump (hopefully) is gone, these surviving Republicans need a reckoning to reclaim their party from the fringe.

Next week, Ill be talking about Trump, and how we speak to children about Trump, to teachers at my daughters school. The school is understandably wary about appearing to take sides in a political contest. But Ill say such reluctance should be set aside, because Trump stands opposed to the civic values we teach children.

He shows an autocrats disregard for our constitutional system. He bans news organizations  such as The Post  that he doesnt like. He wants to open up libel laws to weaken the First Amendment. He claims an American-born federal judge cant be impartial toward him because of his Mexican heritage (he says the same of Muslim judges) and threatens to use the presidency to go after him. He once said he would order the military (illegally) to torture detainees and target innocent civilians. He has talked of banning members of an entire religion from entry into the United States and forcing those here to register. He has threatened that Republican critics need to be very careful or pay a big price.

Trump invites violence as a political tool. He suggests Second Amendment people  gun owners  could stop judges whom Clinton nominates. He has spoken of paying the legal fees of supporters who assault hecklers at events, saying things such as knock the crap out of them and Id like to punch him in the face. Trump has alleged the vote will be rigged against him, and those around him suggest violence could ensue. There have been dozens of incidents of violence at Trump events, including by his then-campaign manager.

Trump brought racism and paranoia into the mainstream with his America First campaign and his leadership of the movement challenging President Obamas American birth. He hesitated to disavow David Duke and the Ku Klux Klan. Trumps tweets have included messages from white supremacists, an image of a Jewish star atop a pile of cash, phony crime statistics that originated with neo-Nazis, a quote from Mussolini, even an image of Nazi soldiers superimposed on the American flag next to Trumps likeness. Trump has mocked Asian accents and the disabled. He has said half of the 11 million illegal immigrants are criminals.

So how do we talk to children about Trump? We tell them what Holocaust survivors have told me: that what Trump is doing reminds them of 1930s Germany and that grownups are not going to let that happen here.

Twitter: @Milbank

Read more from Dana Milbanks archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Regarding the Aug. 19 editorial The U.N. finally faces facts in Haiti:

The United Nations conceded that it played a role in a devastating cholera epidemic in Haiti six years ago and admitted that it should do much more. Contrition was long overdue.

International experts reviewing the evidence (including a panel appointed by the United Nations) long ago concluded that the cholera outbreak was triggered by a lack of adequate sanitation at a U.N. peacekeepers base. In a country that is extremely vulnerable to disease outbreaks and that has limited capacity to respond to them, the introduction of cholera resulted in a major and ongoing disaster, with more than 10,000 deaths and 800,000 people sickened.

The U.N. can save lives, restore goodwill and stabilize the country by financing a plan to control cholera in Haiti. The Haitian government, international agencies and nongovernmental organizations, including Partners In Health, know how to eliminate cholera transmission in Haiti. Partners In Health supports an ambitious plan to interrupt and stop the spread of the disease using a combination of mass vaccination and household water treatment. If the U.N. follows words with financing, it will be taking very strong steps toward making amends to a country whose people it has harmed. We call on it to do just that.

Louise Ivers, Boston

The writer is a senior health and policy adviser

with Partners In Health.
Much has been made lately of Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clintons substantial polling lead in Virginia, combined with her campaign pulling ad buys from the state and reports that Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps campaign is focusing its ads on four rather than five swing states, with Virginia so far off the list. Some observers suggest Virginia is blue this year.

This once-reliably Republican state at the presidential level has undergone a remarkable political transformation in a relatively short time. From 1952 to 2004, Virginia went to the GOP in every presidential election cycle except the Lyndon Johnson landslide of 1964. It was the only former Confederate state not to support Southerner Jimmy Carter in 1976.

Barack Obamas 2008 win here broke the GOPs perceived presidential hold on the Old Dominion. Demographic changes, particularly the rising population of the more liberal urban corridor, substantial growth statewide in minority communities that vote heavily Democratic and an impressive voter-turnout operation by Obamas campaign contributed to this major shift.

After two consecutive presidential victories for the Democrats against well-regarded GOP opponents Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) and former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney, and an acceleration of the demographic shifts that seemingly turned Virginia blue, why would anyone take seriously the idea that Trump has the formula to turn Virginia red? It doesnt seem credible.

Unless you consider that in many states in the primaries, Trump substantially outperformed the results of public opinion polls. Sometimes the difference was dramatic  in or near double digits. In Maryland, Trumps vote percentage beat the average of major pre-primary polls by 6 percentage points. A recent statewide poll in Virginia has Clinton up by 8 percentage points. Apparently that has made a lot of her supporters feel very comfortable.

I am not betting on Trump in Virginia. But some electoral background gives room for pause. Simply put, what we might call the reverse Wilder effect may be at play in this election, giving Trump a credible chance of winning Virginia despite what polls are telling us.

Democrat L. Douglas Wilders 1989 gubernatorial win in Virginia made him the nations first elected African American governor. His victory was touted as a historic shift in U.S. politics, especially because it happened in the one-time capital of the Confederacy. Wilder won what was at the time the closest statewide race ever, by less than 7,000 votes (out of 1.8 million), leading to a recount. Pre-election polls had him way up over his GOP opponent. Even more telling, exit polls that asked people how they voted showed that Wilder should have won the race in a landslide. How could the polls, and especially exit polls, have been so incredibly wrong?

Analysts suggested that many voters lied. When asked by a pollster, they concealed their preferences to give what they considered the socially acceptable answer. Thus, to admit to supporting the Republican was to openly profess not being on the side of making history by electing a black governor for the first time. This outcome reminded many of what previously had been called the Bradley effect. In 1982, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley lost his bid to become the nations first elected African American governor, despite pre-election polls showing him clearly leading.

Could there be a similar effect going on in this election, with many voters secretly supporting Trump while telling friends, relatives and pollsters that they will not vote for him? This would represent perfectly rational behavior on the part of those Trump supporters who have good reason to believe that many will look down on them for admitting their true preferences. It is natural for people to want to be seen as smart, open-minded and tolerant.

There is no reliable way to test the existence or the extent of hidden Trump support. But given that his voting percentage in primaries showed that he often substantially outperformed pre-vote polls, the current margin in favor of Clinton doesnt seem strong enough to count Trump out. Well-informed observers are taking Virginia off the electoral map. Dont be fooled. Trump has a chance here.

The writer is dean of the Schar School of Policy and Government at George Mason University and a longtime analyst of Virginia politics.
The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

The GOP presidential nominee is out on the trail ahead of the general election in November.

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

What Donald Trump is doing on the campaign trail

For a small group of undecided voters here, the presidential choices this year are bleak: Democrat Hillary Clinton is a liar with a lifetime of political skulduggery and a ruthless agenda for power, while Republican Donald Trump is your drunk uncle who cant be trusted to listen even to the good advice hes paying for.

Describing the election as a cesspool, 12 swing voters participating in a focus group last week in this battleground state were deeply negative about both candidates, starkly describing their choice this year as one between a candidate they loathe (Clinton) and one they fear (Trump).

Clinton was described as untrustworthy even by people who are leaning toward voting for her. Although 11 of the 12 predicted she will win, the ambivalence or outright distaste for the Democratic candidate was a dominant and recurring theme in a two-hour discussion in this Milwaukee suburb.

Trump was described as a bully, an egomaniac, a lion in the zoo, proud of his luxuriant mane. Even among those leaning toward voting for him, more than one participant criticized his lack of a filter  and more than one questioned the value of his boardroom experience.

Im choosing what I feel is the lesser of two evils, said Dara Schneider, a 47-year-old recruiter and Clinton supporter who, like most others answering questions posed by pollster Peter D. Hart, rues her choices this year.

These 10 states are in play in the 2016 election. Here is where theyre polling as of August and how much weight theyll have in November. (Sarah Parnass/The Washington Post)

[Clinton, Trump exchange racially charged accusations]

All of the participants had voted for both a Democrat and Republican for president some time over the past 16 years. They were invited to participate in Thursdays focus group as part of an ongoing examination of swing voters this year conducted by the Annenberg Public Policy Center of the University of Pennsylvania.

Both candidates have serious flaws, said Sheri LaValley, a 51-year-old compliance analyst who voted for President Obama.

Hillary with her emails, I just dont trust her. Trump, the way he acts. Every day you turn on the TV, and I just shake my head, LaValley said. I think he would be an awesome candidate if he could get his personality under control.

Few of the participants described themselves as proud to back either candidate.

Both have baggage, but I think Hillary has less, said Daniel Waffenschmidt, 61, a retired restaurant owner.

Asked to rate Clinton on competence, the participants mostly gave her six and above on a scale of 10. On trustworthiness, the group scored her no higher than six, with several ratings of one or two.

1 of 57 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail View Photos The Democratic presidential nominee hits the road after her partys national convention. Caption Hillary Clinton loses to Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election. Nov. 9, 2016 Hillary Clinton speaks in New York while her husband, former president Bill Clinton, applauds. Melina Mara/The Washington Post Wait 1 second to continue.

David Locher gave Clinton a two.

I feel like shes a career politician. That takes with it a certain amount of doing what you have to do to survive, said the 34-year-old bus transportation supervisor, who voted for Democrat John F. Kerry in 2004 but backed Republicans in 2008 and 2012.

Clintons potential to make history as the first woman to become president of the United States was unimportant to all but her strongest backer in the group, a 44-year-old preschool teacher.

We tell our daughters they can be anything they choose to be in the United States, Timothy Jones said. This shows we mean it.

Jones, the lone African American in the group, voted for Obama twice and also for George W. Bush twice.

The group returned several times to the issue of Clintons use of a private email server for her government work as secretary of state, and to the general issue of whether she can be trusted.

Liar was the most common word selected by participants asked to give a one-word assessment.

Shes a smart woman with a lot of experience, but there are too many questions about Clintons priorities, said Beth Gramling, 50, a payroll analyst whose recent voting history matched Joness. You cant trust her. The trust to know between right and wrong, and integrity. I dont think that she has that, and its a shame.

Older women, a bedrock of Clintons support nationally, were among her harshest critics in this group.

Barbara Kass, 62, questioned Clintons motives in staying with her husband, former president Bill Clinton, after he humiliated her by having an affair with White House intern Monica Lewinsky.

What are you thinking? Kass said, incredulous. From that point on, I say, I see your agenda, and its to have some political power,  said Kass, a retired airline employee turned tour guide.

Trumps soft support in solidly Republican towns and suburbs outside Milwaukee was evident among the voters ranging from 27 to 63 and including a mix of self-identified Republicans, Democrats and independents.

Steve Watson, a 35-year-old retail operations manager who was among the firmest Trump supporters, still described himself as apprehensive.

We know Donald Trump has good intentions, that he can fix the country, Watson said. But he has to understand that this isnt a boardroom. Everything he says as a candidate for the American presidency is taken and it can be construed a thousand different ways.

Participants called the business executive reckless, inexperienced and mouthy, a potential threat to U.S. stature and influence abroad. Nearly all condemned statements Trump has made about a Mexican American judge and a Muslim mother whose son, a U.S. soldier, died in Iraq.

Trumps ratings on competence ranged from one to eight, as did his ratings on trust. He was described as an iconoclast who wants to work outside a broken political system and try something different. His tough line on immigration was popular with several participants, as was his anti-terrorism stance.

Trump hires smart or experienced advisers but then ignores them, said Mike Naunheim, a 27-year-old software engineer who voted for Republican Sen. John McCain (Ariz.) in 2008 and Obama in 2012. I dont trust someone who doesnt listen to his advisers.

Locher gave Trump an eight rating for trust, or maybe for truth in advertising.

Hes a bully and a loud-mouth, but at least you know thats what he is, Locher said. Im not saying I like it or agree with it, but what you see is what you get.

Kass said Trump miscalculated by calling Clinton a bigot last week.

The discussion took place as Trump has sought to soften some of his rough edges as a candidate, including telegraphing a potential compromise on his signature promise to deport all 11 million illegal immigrants living in the United States. Trump also is making a direct appeal to black and Hispanic voters, arguing that historical support for Democrats has not helped those demographic groups.

[Donald Trump suddenly sounds a lot like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio on immigration]

Domestic concerns far outweighed international issues as priorities for the group this year, although several mentioned the threat of the Islamic State and homegrown terrorism.

When the group was asked to rate how things are going for the country on a scale of minus-10 to plus-10, the lowest rating was a minus-six, and the highest was a plus-five. Eight of the 12 people predicted that conditions for the country will worsen.

Four of the participants said they are seriously considering voting for a third-party candidate.

The group was drawn from across the racially divided Milwaukee area, but the discussion touched only briefly on the citys recent racial unrest.

Asked to name one piece of recent good news, Naunheim cited a woman handing out cookies as a sign of goodwill around the neighborhood where a 23-year-old black suspect was shot during a police chase.

The focus group took place in Waukesha County amid a suburban landscape of malls and office parks. The median household income is about $75,000 in overwhelmingly white and heavily Republican Brookfield.

Trump campaigned Aug. 16 in similarly white West Bend, about 30 miles to the north, where he referred to the Milwaukee shooting and pledged to restore law and order.

Wisconsin is in a loose grouping of swing states this year  less competitive than battleground Ohio, Florida and Michigan but important for Trump if he is to piece together a winning map through the South and industrial Midwest.

In the latest statewide polling, Marquette University Law School found Clinton ahead by 15 percentage points, 52 percent to 37 percent, in a survey of likely voters conducted the first week of August.

Statewide, 19 percent said they are undecided or wont vote for either major party candidate, Marquette pollster Charles Franklin said.
President Obama is creating the largest protected area on the planet. Heres what you need to know about where it is, what its for and how to pronounce it. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

President Obama is creating the largest protected area on the planet. Heres what you need to know about where it is, what its for and how to pronounce it. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)

President Obama on Friday created the largest ecologically protected area on the planet when he expanded a national marine monument in his native Hawaii to encompass more than half a million square miles.

The president more than quadrupled the size of the Papahanaumokuakea (pronounced Papa-ha-now-moh-koo-ah-kay-ah) Marine National Monument to 582,578 square miles of land and sea in the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands.

President George W. Bush established the monument a decade ago, but Obamas action Friday underscores the high priority he has placed on issues of conservation and climate change in his second term. The president has now used his executive authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act to protect more than 548 million acres of federal land and water, more than double the set-asides of any of his predecessors.

Many scientists, environmentalists and Native Hawaiians have argued for more stringent protections for the biologically rich region, given important deep-water discoveries in the area and the dual threats of climate change and sea-bed mining.

The oceans are the untold story when it comes to climate change, and we have to feel a sense of urgency when it comes to protecting the ocean that sustains us, said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii), who helped broker a compromise with groups including Native Hawaiians and day-boat fishermen.

1 of 27 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad  See photos of the worlds largest marine sanctuary View Photos President Obama is expanding a protected marine area to more than 582,000 square miles of land and sea around the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. The move more than quadruples the size of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. (Thats Papa-ha-now-moh-koo-ah-kay-ah.) Caption President Obama is expanding a national protected marine area of more than 582,000 square miles of land and sea around the Hawaiian islands. The move more than quadruples the size of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which President George W. Bush established a decade ago. (Thats Papa-ha-now-mow-koo-ah-kay-ah.) A sea turtle in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. Sea turtles globally are in peril, in part because they can become enmeshed in fishing gear or accidentally caught. The area features 7,000 marine species found nowhere else. Lee Gillenwater/Pew Charitable Trusts Wait 1 second to continue.

In his official proclamation, Obama declared, It is in the public interest to preserve the marine environment.

All commercial extraction activities, including fishing and future deep-sea mining, will be prohibited in the expanded monument area. However, recreational fishing, removal of resources for traditional Hawaiian cultural purposes and scientific research will be allowed with a federal permit.

Obama will highlight his action in an address Wednesday to the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, and will travel the following day to Midway Atoll, which is located within the current monument.

The president has unilaterally established more than two dozen national monuments, most of them in his second term. White House press secretary Josh Earnest said Obama would be happy to sign into law a piece of legislation that would have protected these waters, but we havent seen that kind of legislative activity in this Congress, and it means the president has had to make more effective use of his executive authority.

Longline fishermen lobbied against any new protections, arguing that their industry rejects damaging practices such as trawling and needs flexibility to sustain an annual catch valued at more than $100 million.

We move all over the ocean, in the way the fish move, said Jim Cook, co-owner of POP Fishing and Marine, a Honolulu store, adding that the new restrictions mean 60 percent of federal waters off Hawaii are now closed to fishing.

With Fridays action, seven presidents  starting with Theodore Roosevelt in 1909  have taken steps to safeguard parts of the archipelago, which is one of the most biologically diverse areas in the world. It is the planets largest seabird gathering site, with more than 14 million birds from 22 species, and is home to nearly all Laysan albatrosses and the remaining endangered Hawaiian monk seals.





[Hawaiian marine reserve to be worlds largest]

Recent research expeditions have unearthed extraordinary features beyond the existing monument boundaries, such as the worlds oldest living animal  a black coral estimated to be 4,500 years old  and six massive seamounts, one of which is nearly 14,000 feet high and teeming with life. This area also includes the wreckage of the USS Yorktown, which sank during the Battle of Midway in 1942 and has not been visited since it was discovered there in 1998.

Daniel Wagner, a researcher at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who served as the scientific lead for the agencys deep-water expeditions in the region a year ago and again in February, said every one of the 50 biological samples that remotely operated vehicles recovered were either new species or not known to live in the area.

Were seeing a lot of life, a lot of new life and a lot of very old life, he said. Things have not been disturbed for a very long time.

Wagner said he is particularly concerned about future underwater mineral extraction, given the rich deposits of manganese, nickel, zinc, cobalt and titanium in the region. If theyre not protected, theyre going to be exposed to mining, he said.

Matt Rand, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts Global Ocean Legacy program, said that intact ecosystems such as these offer a glimpse of what our planet was like before the impacts of human activity, and it is critical that we preserve places in this way, both as a window to the past and for future generations.

Schatz suggested a change to the proposal that carved out areas where day-boat fishermen in Kauai and Niihau can continue operating. His suggestion won the support of influential state officials such as Democratic state Sen. Ron Kouchi. Kouchi said in an interview that he could back Obamas expansion as long as it is the last one.

One of the questions the fishermen are asking is, When will it stop?  he said.

Federal officials estimate that 5 percent of current commercial fishing efforts will be displaced. Longline operators already catch about half their fish in international waters, and they reached their annual catch limit for big-eye tuna in early August.

However, Sean Martin, president of the Hawaii Longline Association, said the industrys fleet of 145 boats could not match the lobbying power of well-financed environmental groups such as Pew.

Were obviously going up against environmental organizations that have billions of dollars, Martin said. For somebody to feel good, were going to force U.S. fishermen out of waters.

Republicans have accused Obama of abusing his authority under the Antiquities Act, which says any protections must be confined to the smallest area compatible with proper care and management of the objects to be protected.

But Richard Pyle, a researcher at Hawaiis Bishop Museum, said he and other scientists have concluded that the ecological interconnectedess of the region  including the fish larvae that are dispersed on currents, and the sharks and other pelagic fish that travel vast distances  extends beyond federal waters.

The minimum space necessary for protection, its more about 350 to 380 miles, but of course we dont have the jurisdiction for doing so, Pyle said.

Some Native Hawaiian activists, moreover, lobbied for greater protection so they could continue to observe traditional voyaging practices in which they navigate without instruments. The state Department of Land and Natural Resources and the Office of Hawaiian Affairs will serve as trustees in managing the monument.

William Aila, a former state official and Hawaiian activist, said Thursday that the presidents move will preserve a cultural seascape, with the history of the Polynesians who migrated up to Hawaii.

He recalled that when he journeyed to Mokumanamana, or Necker Island, in 2009, you could feel the presence of your ancestors, not just in the earth but in the symphony of birds, all night and all day long.

Asked what he thought of the monument expansion, Aila switched to Hawaiian. Olu olu, he said. In English, thats very pleasant. 
By PTI: Patna, Aug 26 (PTI) Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu today called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his official residence here and invited him to visit his country.

It was a courtesy meeting between the two, said an official release, adding that the ambassador was accompanied by wife Patrisia Klara Hiramatsu and First Secretary at the Japanese embassy in New Delhi Riyosaki Kamono.

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Nitish apprised the Japanese ambassador of the developmental projects being carried out in Bihar, the states cultural heritage and its significance.

Inviting him to explore the state, the Chief Minister suggested that Hiramatsu should visit Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and other places of historical and cultural importance.

The ambassador, on his part, extended an invitation to Nitish to visit Japan, the release said.

The Chief Minister also showed the bodhi tree planted at his official residence to the ambassador who paid floral tributes to it, the release added.

Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, CMs Principal Secretary Chanchal Kumar, CMs Secretary Manish Verma and CMs Officer On Special Duty (OSD) Gopal Singh were present during the meeting. PTI AR KK RC LNS

--- ENDS ---
It does not seem fair, but community living is democracy at its best and at its worst. (iStock)

My sister and her husband own a condo in a development where a deck recently collapsed. The resident on the deck suffered a broken back. Now there is conflicting information about what repairs need to be made to all the decks.

The condo association has a board. Apparently, the residents were told that the city had condemned all the decks and that they all had to be replaced. But later, the city said it had not taken that position. The property management association hired its own engineers to evaluate the decks, and they said all the decks need to be replaced. The board relies on the attorney who represents the management association.

Three questions: One, should the board hire its own attorney to represent the condo owners, since relying on the property managers attorney might be a conflict of interest? Two, should the board (or the individual owners) hire its own engineering firm to evaluate the decks? Many of the residents think that not all the decks need to be replaced or that they could be repaired without replacing them. Three, can you recommend a book on associations and their dealing with property managers?  Neil

Your last question is the easiest. Go to the Community Associations Institute (caionline.org), and you will find a wealth of information, including books on every single topic you can think of.

As to the first question: Absolutely, the board should hire its own attorney. You cannot rely on attorneys for the property manager; they do not represent the association, and an owner probably cannot claim that communications with them are covered by attorney-client privilege. Although they may be providing correct information, the board still must have its own counsel.

[More Kass: Be careful in buying a time-share. Trying to sell it later can be hard.]

As to the second question: Yes, the board should hire its own engineering people to assess every deck. And if work must be done, management must get at least three bids. The board  and not management  must make the decision as to which company to use.

It is puzzling that the residents were told that all decks must be replaced when the city later denied that statement. Does management somehow get a kickback from the contractors?

There is yet another problem, probably more significant than replacement of the decks: What is the board doing about the injury to the unit owner?

Again, that is something the associations attorney  not management  must handle, because the association may be sued as a result of the injury.

I was just informed that our condo board is upgrading our cable TV and Internet access. The Internet upgrade will increase my costs by about $35 a month. Also, my current Internet provider may charge me a cancellation fee.

Can the board add the Internet charges as part of my assessment? I believe this is a nonessential service.  Phyllis

Many associations contract with a communications company such as Verizon or Comcast for what is known as a bulk buy, and the cable/Internet company provides service to all owners at a bulk rate. The board has the authority to charge all owners as a common expense. The board cannot, however, preclude your having your own service provider. In some contracts, owners have the right to opt out; however, the bulk contract will then be more expensive because the service provider does not serve all units.

[More Kass: Why home sllers should think twice about some provisions in their contract with their listing agent]

It does not seem fair, but community living is democracy at its best and at its worst. I often am reminded of a unit owner who said, I live on the first floor and never use the elevator and thus do not want to pay for its maintenance and upkeep.

Too bad. If you dont like it, mount a campaign and throw the rascals out of office. There are provisions in your legal documents for recalling a board member.

Benny L. Kass is a Washington and Maryland lawyer. This column is not legal advice and should not be acted upon without obtaining legal counsel. Send questions to blkass@kmklawyers.com.
Rescue workers search for victims in the town of Amatrice in central Italy. Authorities said that two more bodies were pulled out of the hill towns rubble, raising the overall death toll to 292.

Aug. 29, 2016 Rescue workers search for victims in the town of Amatrice in central Italy. Authorities said that two more bodies were pulled out of the hill towns rubble, raising the overall death toll to 292. Massimo Percossi/European Pressphoto Agency

Nearly 300 people have died after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks struck the region.

At least 247 people died after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks struck the region.

At least 247 people died after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake and strong aftershocks struck the region.

Strong aftershocks continued to strike central Italy on Friday, as rescue crews began to lose hope of finding additional survivors two days after a deadly earthquake that killed more than 280 people.

In the devastated town of Amatrice, reduced to rubble and ruins by the magnitude-6.2 earthquake, an aftershock of magnitude 4.7 struck Friday morning, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

This came after more than 50 smaller aftershocks rocked Italys Apennine Mountains region throughout Thursday night. More than 1,000 aftershocks have shaken the area since the earthquake struck early Wednesday.

The overall death toll rose Friday to 281, the Italian Civil Protection Department said.

The tremors damaged two key bridges bearing roads into Amatrice, threatening to cut off the centuries-old hilltop town from much-needed assistance, Mayor Sergio Pirozzi told reporters.

With the aftershocks yesterday but especially this morning, the situation has worsened considerably, Pirozzi said. So in terms of the emergency, we have to make sure Amatrice does not become isolated.

He vowed that the town would be rebuilt here, with the same looks, the same face  just the way it was designed in the 16th century.

Meanwhile, ambulances were carrying the recovered bodies of quake victims to an airport hangar in the provincial capital Rieti, the Associated Press reported. There, four large refrigerated trucks were being used as a makeshift morgue, where relatives arrived in a steady stream Friday to identify loved ones.

[For hard-hit towns, earthquake rattles deeper fears]

In this phase, [rescue workers] are looking for corpses, said Egidio Pelagatti, 60, the national operations manager for the public assistance organization known as ANPAS Lazio. Speaking at a small tent encampment for people displaced by the quake, he described the vacant stares of survivors and their fears of having to move away from their ancestral town.

They all have the same gaze, Pelagatti said. In a town that lost at least 221 of its roughly 2,600 inhabitants, many of them related, the earthquake exacted a disproportionate toll here. The whole community has been struck, he said.

Now, people are very scared of being transferred and of no longer being able to come back here, Pelagatti said. People are afraid of ending up living in a ghetto.

A powerful 6.2-magnitude earthquake ripped through towns in central Italy in the middle of the night on Aug. 24, leaving fatalities and rubble in its wake. Rescuers are frantically working to reach survivors trapped in collapsed buildings and beyond blocked roads. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)

As thousands of surviving residents from the affected towns  notably Amatrice, Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto  stayed in tents and makeshift camps near their ruined homes, the first of many forthcoming funerals took place Friday.

Among those planned was a memorial service in Rome for Marco Santarelli, 28, the son of an Italian state official who was vacationing with friends in his familys Amatrice home.

I cannot find the words to describe the grief of a father who outlives his own children, his father, Filippo Santarelli, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. Perhaps there are no words.

The Italian government declared Saturday a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by President Sergio Mattarella.

[Why Italys earthquake was so destructive]

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi proclaimed a state of emergency and authorized $56 million for immediate quake relief.

The Civil Protection Department insisted Friday morning that it would not give up its search. I confirm once again, as we have from the start, that the units that are doing the searches and rescues, including with dogs looking for other people trapped in the rubble, are absolutely fully active, the departments Immacolata Postiglione told reporters.

Approximately 400 victims are being treated in hospitals, 40 of them in critical condition, the department said.

At least 238 people have been pulled alive from the rubble.

But given that two days have passed since the rescue of the last buried person, rescue workers conceded that they are unlikely to find more people alive under the debris.

McAuley reported from Paris. William Branigin in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more

For hard-hit Italian towns, earthquake rattles deeper fears

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world


Tsering Tsos grandmother, Lhadhey, 83, and mother Adhey, 49, pose for a photograph in Jiqie No. 2 Village on the grasslands outside Chalong township in Chinas western Sichuan province. (Xu Yangjingjing/The Washington Post)

She was 27, a kind, hard-working woman who supported her family by herding yaks and harvesting caterpillar fungus, a prized health cure, on the high grasslands of Tibet. Last October, Tsering Tso was found hanged from a bridge in a small town near her home.

Her family and local villagers gathered outside the police station in Chalong township to demand answers: She had last been seen in the company of a local Buddhist priest and two policemen.

The authorities insisted it was suicide. Family and friends suspected foul play and demanded an investigation. That night and the following morning, an angry crowd stormed the gates of the police station, smashing windows, according to local police.

[An Indian teen was raped by her father. Village elders had her whipped.]

The authorities response was brutal, revealing much about the crackdown taking place in Tibetan parts of China and showing how unrest and unhappiness is increasingly viewed as dangerously subversive.

On Oct. 10, five days after Tsering Tsos body was found, hundreds of armed soldiers arrived in the town and descended on her funeral ceremony in the remote hamlet known as Jiqie No. 2 Village in Chinese and Raghya in Tibetan, in Chinas western Sichuan province.

Witnesses said that more than 40 people were tied up, beaten with metal clubs, piled into a truck like corpses and placed in detention.

So much blood was shed that stray dogs could not finish lapping it up, according to a remarkable and rare open letter sent by the community to President Xi Jinping asking for justice.

Most of those detained were gradually released in the weeks and months that followed, and although no one died, many went straight to the hospital.

[Domestic abuse is thriving in Chinas culture of silence]

But on May 20, five relatives and family friends were sentenced to 2 1/2 years in prison. Acquaintances say they were jailed for refusing to sign a statement absolving the police of blame for Tsering Tsos death.

In a statement issued on its social-media account, the Garze county Public Security Bureau contested that version of events. It said some of the protesters had carried knives, iron pipes or stones and had caused nearly $10,000 worth of damage. The bureau ran photographs of several men climbing over a gate, but only two broken windows were shown.

The jailed men, the statement said, had either carried weapons or organized the protest and had been found guilty of assembling a crowd to attack state organs.

But relatives who spoke to The Washington Post outside the familys tent on the remote grasslands said they were not convinced that any investigation had been carried out.



Locals on motorbikes stop at a small shop in front of the monastery at Chalong township in western Sichuan province. (Simon Denyer/The Washington Post)

No one denied that a few stones had been thrown during the protest, hitting a police car and office building. But they said that as a result, their entire community had been accused of splittism  a serious crime implying support for the Dalai Lama, the exiled religious leader, or for Tibets independence from China.

Internet connections have been cut off in Chalong township since the incident, and relatives of Tsering Tso have been threatened with further punishment if they talk to outsiders. The village  a scattering of tents and yaks in a scenic, sweeping grassland valley  has been told it will not get government subsidies for roads or houses for three years because of its bad character.

[Chinas scary lesson to the world: Censoring the Internet works]

The family insisted that its demands were not political or ethnic in nature: The priest and policemen last seen with Tsering Tso were local Tibetans, and the family said it had no beef with the central government.

All the family wants, it said, is a proper investigation, justice for Tsering Tso and freedom for the five men in jail.

My daughter was healthy and happy. She wouldnt commit suicide, her 49-year-old mother Adhey said, fighting back tears as she sat on the grass with her 83-year-old mother and two young sons.

My beloved daughter was murdered without any justice being given by the government. Instead, they simply arrested more innocent people and sent them to jail.

Tsering Tso. (Courtesy of Golog Jigme)

What happened on the grasslands near Chalong in Garze prefecture fits a disturbing pattern. More than six decades after Chinese troops first moved into Tibet, dissent continues to roil the plateau and, if anything, is being suppressed ever more savagely.

Control and surveillance have been dramatically tightened since riots and demonstrations broke out in Tibet in 2008, and then expanded further under Xi, with tens of thousands of party cadres sent to monitor villages and monasteries, according to a January report by the International Campaign for Tibet.

In a May report, Human Rights Watch catalogued nearly 500 arrests across Tibetan parts of China between 2013 and 2015. It concluded that dissent had spread from urban to rural areas. Whereas the vast majority of arrests in the 1980s and 1990s had been of monks and nuns, most of those detained more recently were ordinary people.

Many had merely exercised their rights to expression and assembly without advocating separatism  criticizing local officials, for example, or opposing a mining development, the report said.

Yet even relatively mild protests about poor governance are increasingly seen through a political lens and labeled as criminal acts, rights groups say. Punishment can be severe.

The incident in Chalong reflects the unrest and instability in Tibetan society, said Golog Jigme, a filmmaker and former political prisoner who now lives in exile in Switzerland. Its not outsiders or the Dalai Lama stirring things up, its social issues.

[A Chinese official said the Dalai Lama supports the Islamic State. Ridiculous  and telling.]

On the evening of Oct. 4, 2015, Tsering Tso had received a phone call from her boyfriend, a lama at the Gertse Dralak monastery in Chalong. He said he was ill and wanted to see her.

Her father gave her a lift, only to find the lama drinking with two policemen. He left her there. The following morning, Tsering Tsos body was found hanging from a small bridge in the town.

Although police say an autopsy listed the cause of death as suicide, residents are deeply skeptical. Some reported seeing bruises on her body and said that a doctors report had noted a wound on her head as well as a broken neck. They also said her clothes looked as though they had been put on after her death. The lama, who had a reputation as a womanizer, has since disappeared.

In its statement, the Public Security Bureau said the two policemen were on duty at the time of her death and could not have been involved. But villagers insist that the two men were seen drinking with the lama that night and suspect a coverup. Instead of investigating, they say, the police just called in the army.

As they rounded up suspects, security forces raided and ransacked relatives homes, smashing everything and stabbing knives into sacks of rice and butter, one relative said. Weve only seen that kind of brutality before in TV dramas about Japanese invaders.

The raiders confiscated photos of Tsering Tso  even checking mobile phones. A family member showed scars on his head from a beating that he said left his body drenched in blood. Released weeks later, he was warned by officials not to talk to anyone, but he refuses to be silenced.

He said another relative walks with a limp after being beaten on his legs; a third, a Buddhist monk, was beaten so badly on the head that he bled from one ear and today cannot walk at all. Family members who work for the government lost their jobs.

The police statement merely said that 44 people had been subpoenaed.

Many Tibetans are too scared to speak out publicly against injustice, but the communities around Chalong appear to have gathered to write a remarkable open letter about the incident. The letter, first obtained by Golog Jigme, claims to have been written in the name of 700 residents across 13 communities in the area.

These days the Chinese Communists are claiming and announcing how they are building a perfect Tibet and how free and happy Tibetans are in China, but now we have no option but to show the world an actual example of the real suffering endured by the people of the three regions of Tibet under Chinese oppression, the letter begins.

Local officials, the letter continued, had conspired to use force to bully the common people, ending with an appeal to President Xi to investigate and rectify.

The International Campaign for Tibet said the incident reveals the extent of the impunity of officials and police in Tibet, and the fact that it took so long to reach the outside world shows how tightly information flows are restricted. The organization Free Tibet said it clearly exemplifies not just the brutality of life under the Chinese occupation but also how arbitrary and illogical it can be.

Xu Yangjingjing contributed to this report.

Read more:

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China tried to drive a furry mammal to extinction. Maybe that wasnt such a good idea.

She was raped at 13. Her case has been in Indias courts for 11 years  and counting.

Chinese woman loses $7 million to a 300-year-old emperor

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The United States and Russia failed Friday to reach a final agreement on a U.S.-proposed deal to coordinate their air attacks on terrorist groups in Syria and to stop Russian and Syrian bombing of civilian and rebel-held areas, but said they were close and would continue discussions.

Were not going to rush to an agreement until it satisfies fully the needs of the Syrian people and the ability of the international community to address them, Secretary of State John F. Kerry said after more than nine hours of talks here with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

We made a number of steps forward, Lavrov said in a late-night news conference with Kerry. The fact that were not making them public does not mean that we are not getting closer.

Both noted a reluctance to repeat past experiences during the five-year civil war, when agreements fell apart, at times even before they had begun to be implemented.

I dont want to make an announcement, nor does President Obama want to make an announcement, that is not enforceable, that does not have details in place, that winds up in the same place as the last two announcements, Kerry said.

Aid ambulances line up in Darayya, a blockaded Damascus suburb. Rebels agreed to evacuate after four years of grueling bombardment and a crippling siege. (AP)

Neither he nor Lavrov provided details on progress toward resolving what appeared to be the broad remaining chasm between them: how to stop Syrian government and Russian bombing of civilians, and how to persuade U.S.-backed opposition forces to separate from the terrorist groups many of them are fighting beside.

To have details that still need to be worked out after 10 hours of negotiations and basically the same meeting a month ago  this indicates political, not technical, decisions are required by Obama and [Russian President Vladimir] Putin, said Andrew Tabler of the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

Kerry and Lavrov said their technical teams will continue to talk, and Kerry indicated that an agreement, if it is possible, could be reached within the next week. The overall goal is to reinstate a cease-fire that was partially successful for several weeks late last winter and to relaunch political talks that fell apart along with the truce.

Since then, however, the situation on the ground has gotten worse rather than better, with steadily increasing air bombarment by Syria and Russia, and growing overlap between U.S.-backed opposition forces and at least one of the two terrorist groups both the United States and Russia consider legitimate targets: the Front for the Conquest of Syria  or Jabhat Fatah al-Sham, the al-Qaeda affiliate formerly known as Jabhat al-Nusra  and the Islamic State.

Much of that fighting has taken place in the northern city of Aleppo, where the Front and opposition rebels, as well as the government, have blocked access routes to humanitarian aid for more than 1 million civilians stranded under brutal air and ground fire. No resolution to the Aleppo situation was announced after the meeting.

Kerry first made the truce and coordination proposal during a visit to Moscow last month. Since then, the carnage in Syria has only increased, with Aleppo becoming a humanitarian disaster zone and aid still blocked to nearly two dozen similarly besieged towns and cities.

[U.S. push for coordination with Russia in Syria opens rift]

A child waves at Turkish troops heading to the Syrian border. (Halit Onur Sandal/AP)

A U.S.-Russian military and intelligence working group agreed over the past several weeks on maps demarcating the primary locations of the Islamic State and the Front, places where those groups are mixed with U.S.-backed rebel fighters, and areas primarily populated by civilians. The Front for the Conquest of Syria formally split from al-Qaeda last month and changed its name from Jabhat al-Nusra.

Under the proposal, the Syrian government would cease combat air operations, the rebels would stop firing at government positions, and only the two terrorist groups  the Islamic State and the Front  would be targeted by coordinated U.S. and Russian airstrikes.

Russia has said it cannot agree until the United States and its coalition partners are able to sufficiently separate the rebel groups they back from the terrorist fighters in areas where they overlap. With the escalation of fighting in Aleppo, those groups have become more intertwined.

For its part, the United States has said Russia and the Syrian air force have used the overlap as a smokescreen to continue their attacks on rebel groups fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad.

[U.S.-Russia cooperation frayed as Syria truce fell apart]

U.S. refusal to become a direct participant in the civil war, even as it escalates its air attacks against the Islamic State and says it will target the Front, has become increasingly difficult to maintain on the ground as the once-separate battlefields have edged closer together and multiple forces are fighting with different agendas.

This week, Turkey entered the fray, sending tanks, troops and aircraft across the Syrian border to help U.S.-backed rebels drive Islamic State militants out of the key border town of Jarabulus. But equally high on the Turkish agenda was preventing U.S.-supported Syrian Kurdish forces fighting the Islamic State from occupying Jarabulus and the surrounding border area.

Russian media reported Friday that Moscow has asked Turkey for information on its air operations inside Syria. The Russian Defense Ministry wants to prevent air incidents because it will be the first time when Turkish warplanes will intensively bomb targets in Syria and may meet Russian warplanes in midair, a ministry official said, according to the newspaper Izvestia.

The United States and Russia already have a deconfliction agreement to avoid collisions in the increasingly crowded Syrian skies.

[Stunned, bloodied face of 5-year-old sums up horror of Aleppo]

Separate from the coordination deal, Russia has proposed a weekly, 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo that would allow aid deliveries to the rebel-held eastern part of the city along the Castello Road, the main rebel and aid supply line north to Turkey that was cut weeks ago by Russian and Syrian bombardment.

In response, a Front-led offensive pushed through government lines to the citys rebel south and is now attacking government-held western Aleppo.

Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. special envoy for Syria, said U.N. aid convoys are loaded and ready to move into the city. We want a pause for 48 hours, he said. The Russian Federation replied yes. We will wait for others to do the same. But we are ready, trucks are ready, and they can leave anytime we get that message.

But rebel groups have yet to agree to the proposal.

Heba Habib in Stockholm contributed to this report.

Read more

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
Syrian government buses and Syrian Arab Red Crescent ambulances wait at the entrance of Darayya, a long-besieged suburb of the capital, Damascus, on Aug. 26 as evacuations got underway following a deal struck the day before. (AP)

Thousands of Syrian civilians were preparing to leave the long-besieged Damascus suburb of Darayya on Friday after rebel forces there were forced to surrender under the pressure of starvation.

Once the symbolic heart of Syrias 2011 uprising against President Bashar al-Assads rule, the suburb had become synonymous with the governments unsparing war on the armed opposition and civilians living under its control.

In photographs shared by local activists, dozens of families could be seen dragging suitcases through the shattered streets. In one image, a child rested on a stretcher in the rubble, waiting for evacuation by government forces.

The agreement, announced Thursday, may come to be seen as a turning point in the battle for southern Syria, marking the beginning of the end for an armed rebellion that has clung on in the Damascus suburbs for five years.

[Kerry meets Lavrov in Geneva in bid to forge Syria truce, coordination deal]





The state-run Syrian Arab News Agency, or SANA, reported that 700 militants would go to the northern rebel stronghold of Idlib, taking only light weapons with them, and that civilians would be taken to reception centres.

Some residents voiced alarm about the latter arrangement, wondering whether they would suffer the same fate as hundreds of activists and rebel fighters who disappeared into government prisons after a similar negotiated surrender in the western city of Homs in 2014.

The people here are so scared to leave, said Malik Tifai, an activist still living in the suburb who was reached by telephone. The regimes guarantees are not guaranteed.

A woman who spoke on the condition of anonymity described her fears through thick sobs. What will happen to men of military age like my husband? she said. We cannot live without him, but will the regime really let us all go? I cannot believe it. They made us suffer so much. Why would they stop now?

Perched just a few miles from Assads presidential palace, rebel-held Darayya had long defied expectations of surrender that began when government forces blockaded the area in 2012. Only one food delivery by the United Nations has reached the district since then.

In a statement Friday, a spokesman for the rebel Free Syrian Army denied that the evacuation constituted a surrender. The only surrender today is the ongoing surrender of the international community to [the] regimes incessant campaign of war crimes, Maj. Issam al-Reis said. The FSA in Darayya remains undefeated, they will move to Idlib where they will continue to serve the Revolution.

The first evacuation buses to arrive Friday morning were swarmed by government soldiers bellowing pro-Assad slogans. At least nine packed vehicles were believed to have left by midafternoon, while dozens more, including several Red Crescent and U.N. vehicles, waited at the suburbs entrance for permission to enter.

Civilians ride a bus to be evacuated from the besieged Damascus suburb of Darayya on Friday. (Omar Sanadiki/Reuters)

In a sharply worded statement, the United Nations Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, said he became aware of the Darayya agreement overnight and that the United Nations was not consulted or involved in the negotiation.

It is imperative that the people of Darayya are protected in any evacuation that takes place and that this takes place voluntarily, he said. The whole world is watching.

Darayyas local council said on its official Facebook page that civilians would be taken to the government-held town of Hrajela in western Ghouta, outside the capital. From there they will continue to the areas they wish to go to, it said.

Consolidation of power around Damascus has long been a priority for the Syrian government. Regime forces cloaked the area in sarin gas during the summer of 2013, probably killing hundreds. Since early June, Darayya has come under attack almost daily, with the Syrian government accused of using barrel bombs, shelling and incendiary weapons.

These werent just punitive tactics, said Faysal Itani, a resident senior fellow with the Atlantic Councils Rafik Hariri Center for the Middle East. The regime needs to clear the area to free up manpower for the coming fights elsewhere.

Analysts warned Friday that the fall of Darayya could have a domino effect, piling pressure on the last remaining pockets of rebel resistance around the capital.

After five years of conflict, some 90 percent of the suburbs pre-war population had fled. Those who remained lived mainly underground, at times forced to eat grass for lack of other food.

After a visit to the area in April, U.N. inspectors reported that children rarely played outside, for fear of barrel bombs dropped by the government helicopters. Many youngsters had damaged vision or impaired hearing because of the lack of light in their basement refuges and their proximity to explosions, the inspectors found.

[In a Syrian town under a brutal siege, a young girl is left deaf and hopeless]

The area had long been associated with the anti-government uprising that began peacefully in 2011 before morphing into war. When one of Darayyas most famous activists, Ghiyath Matar, died after allegedly being torture in government custody in 2011, then-U.S. Ambassador Robert Ford was one of several Western diplomats to attend the funeral in a show of support for the uprising.

In August 2012, some 400 people were killed over several days by government troops and allied militiamen. In the years that followed, activists say, the area became a symbol of the international communitys retreat from support for their cause in the face of international complications.

No one wanted to leave this place, but we just couldnt take it anymore, Shadi Matar, a representative of Darayyas local council, said Friday. We leave for the countryside with no guarantees.

Zakaria Zakaria in Gaziantep, Turkey, contributed to this report.

Read more

Aid delivered in Syria may be too little, too late

Syrian activist Ghiyath Matars death spurs grief, debate

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world
The situation in Kashmir has been tense for past 49 days. A curfew has been imposed in most parts of the state and around 69 people have died in the violence.

Authorities said that a curfew will also be imposed in Anantnag, Pulwama, Badgam, Shopian and Srinagar while restrictions would remain in force in other areas of the Valley.

By Shuja-ul-Haq : The situation in Kashmir continues to remain tense for 49th consecutive day as curfew and separatists-called-shutdown continued to impact normal life.

Authorities said that a curfew will also be imposed in Anantnag, Pulwama, Badgam, Shopian and Srinagar while restrictions would remain in force in other areas of the Valley.



Most separatist leaders, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, Mirwaiz Umer Farooq and Yasin Malik, are either detained or arrested. Mirwaiz was shifted to nearby Nigeen police station from his residence, where he had been placed under house arrest by the authorities.

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Meanwhile, the government is bringing more paramilitary force to improve the law and order situation in the valley.

Clashes and protests were reported from many parts of Kashmir on Thursday with the death toll rising to 69 and number of injured to 10,000.

Also Read

Kashmir unrest: Rajnath Singh promises alternative to pellet guns, asks media not to question Centre's role

Kashmir unrest: NIA probe into suspicious funding delayed as curfew continues







--- ENDS ---
A federal jury convicted the son of a Russian lawmaker Thursday of hacking into U.S. businesses to steal credit card information and orchestrating an international online theft scheme that netted him millions of dollars.

Jurors deliberated over two days before finding Roman Seleznev guilty of 38 charges, including nine counts of hacking and 10 counts of wire fraud. He could face up to 40 years in prison when he is sentenced Dec. 2, and he still faces similar charges in federal courts in Nevada and Georgia, his attorney said.

Seleznev hacked into businesses, mostly pizza restaurants in Washington state, and stole millions of credit card numbers that he sold on underground Internet forums, authorities said. The thefts led to almost $170 million in credit card losses around the world and made him one of the most prolific credit card traffickers in history, prosecutors said.

U.S. Secret Service agents captured Seleznev as he and his girlfriend arrived at the airport in Maldives in 2014 on their way to Russia.

Seleznev was indicted on 29 felony charges in 2011, but a month later, he suffered a brain injury in a terrorist bombing in a cafe in Morocco. Prosecutors added 11 counts in October 2014.

Sitting at his keyboard in Vladivostok, Russia, and using the online nicknames Track2, Bulba and 2Pac, Seleznev masterminded a scheme dating to 2008, Assistant U.S. Attorney Norman Barbosa said during closing arguments Wednesday.
A woman walks with a boy on the rubble of damaged shops and buildings in Manbij, Syria, on Aug. 16. (Rodi Said/Reuters)

The American bombers came in several waves in the middle of the night.

Hours earlier, Islamic State militants had used the Syrian village of Tokhar to launch mortar attacks at U.S.-backed forces nearby. As the July 19 air raid began, dozens of people had gathered near a cluster of buildings on the northern edge of the village.

U.S. warplanes had pounded Tokhar twice already in July.

Just before 3 a.m., A-10 and B-52 aircraft bore down on the village again. Their 500-pound bombs struck their targets and, when the dust settled, at least 95 people lay dead, thrusting Tokhar into the center of an international debate over how the Syrian war has been waged and who has paid the price.

According to conflicting Syrian and U.S. accounts, the attack was either a major victory for the United States and its allied ground forces or the worst case of civilian casualties by the United States since the war against the Islamic State began. U.S. officials said the strike killed a large group of Islamic State fighters; Syrian activists said the people killed in Tokhar were mostly men, women and children seeking shelter from the war around them.





The contradictory narratives about what happened that night reveal the difficulty of determining outcomes in an air campaign that has taken place beyond the reach of journalists, aid groups and other independent observers.

In a conflict of this nature, where were in close quarters fighting and Islamic State is deliberately using human shields, its inevitable that civilians will die, said Chris Woods, director of Airwars, a Britain-based group that tracks allegations of civilian casualties.

Where we have tensions is around how [U.S. military officials] tend to depict reporting of civilian casualties purely as propaganda, he said. What we too often see is the coalition downplaying credibly reported reports.

While the vast majority of the Syrian wars nearly half-million dead have been killed in ground clashes or regime air attacks, the U.S. government has confirmed that 55 civilians have died in more than 11,000 U.S. strikes conducted in Iraq and Syria since 2014.

Activists say those findings grossly understate the extent of civilian deaths. They blame an insular military process for evaluating civilian death allegations, one they say fails to sufficiently consider on-the-ground reporting by residents and activists that is often the sole counter-narrative to military officials version of events.

The figures from the U.S. Central Command show a rate of one civilian death for every 200 strikes that U.S. planes have launched in Iraq and Syria.

Thats a vastly lower figure than the war in Afghanistan at its height  a rate of one dead civilian for about every 15 strikes  or during six years of counterterrorism strikes in countries including Pakistan and Yemen, where the White House in a recent study found that a civilian died for every four to seven strikes.

Women react as they walk along a street after they were evacuated Aug. 12 with others by Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters in Manbij. (Rodi Said/Reuters)

The relatively low death toll for Iraq and Syria is even more striking in light of the U.S. military estimate that 45,000 militants have been killed in two years of attacks by air and via long-distance rockets.

The numbers that Centcom is putting out would suggest an order of magnitude increase in effectiveness, said Christopher Kolenda, a former Pentagon official who is a senior fellow at Kings College London. It just doesnt come across as very credible.

Corpses, competing stories

Military officials describe elaborate measures taken to protect civilians, including pinpointing of civilian locations, legal and intelligence reviews, extended surveillance periods and use of precision munitions.

Since strikes began in 2014, the Obama administration has adapted those procedures, seeking to ensure, for example, that a greater number of strikes have a shift cold option. That means that planners identify a location, such as an empty field, to which they can divert a munition after it is fired in the event a civilian suddenly appears near the target.

We recognize that its an operational imperative to demonstrate to the people of Iraq and Syria that, unlike ISIL, we take very seriously the prevention of death and injury of civilians, said Pentagon spokesman Gordon Trowbridge. ISIL and ISIS are acronyms for the Islamic State.

Military officials express pride in what they see as a precise, judicious campaign. Its really, quite frankly, an amazing thing that we havent killed more civilians than we have, said one military official who, as others, spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss operations.

At the same time, the Pentagon has relaxed some rules governing strikes in Iraq and Syria  for example, by empowering officers of lower ranks than required earlier in the war to authorize strikes.

Those more flexible rules reflect pressure from inside and outside the military to increase the pace of strikes and make greater progress against a group seen as posing a serious threat to the United States and its European allies.

When allegations of civilian deaths emerge, officials conduct an initial assessment to determine whether they believe the claims warrant an investigation. Since 2014, U.S. military officials have deemed about a quarter of casualty allegations to be credible.

Centcom has already launched an investigation into the Tokhar strike.

Such investigations, typically headed by a colonel or a higher-ranking officer, can last months. During the course of the probe, investigators interview U.S. military personnel and review flight footage and intelligence findings. They do not typically interview witnesses or Syrians, but they sometimes receive on-the-ground accounts passed on from the State Department or the U.S. Agency for International Development, which work with civil society groups in Syria.

Some, but not all, investigations incorporate the online documentation  including cellphone images and social-media posts  that has become an important feature of the Syrian war.

In the hours that followed the July 19 bombing, activist groups from Tokhar and the nearby city of Manbij posted reports on Facebook and Twitter about large numbers of slain civilians. Several hours later, the Islamic States media arm tweeted that at least 160 civilians, mostly women and children, were killed.

Eventually, the names and photos of at least 70 alleged victims, including people described as village residents and families displaced by the nearby fighting, emerged online.

Neil Simmonds, who tracks events in Syria for Amnesty International, said his group had struggled for clarity about the criteria Centcom uses to consider reporting from local activists or civic groups.

We have a name and a picture, and that still seems to fall short of credible evidence, Simmonds said.

Navy Cmdr. Kyle Raines, a Centcom spokesman, said investigators assessment of allegations from local sources depends on whether sufficient verifiable information is available.

In the initial hours after the strike, several Twitter accounts tweeted pictures showing photos of rubble and dusty corpses. Those photos were not from Tokhar and had appeared on the Internet previously. To military officials, the posts were proof that Islamic State supporters were using the attack as propaganda.

But a Facebook group that was the source of much of the social-media information about the Tokhar strike  Manbij Mother of all the World  quickly flagged those photos as fake and warned people to disregard them.

Officials acknowledge that assessing the validity of claims in Syria presents a particular challenge. For much of the war in Afghanistan, U.S. troops called in airstrikes, examined bombing debris firsthand and interviewed witnesses. Little of that can occur in Syria, where the United States has only a tiny Special Operations presence with a much more limited mission.

Activists say that the Centcom investigation process, in setting a high bar for validating claims of errant deaths, may reinforce an inaccurate picture of the war.

Its really dangerous, obviously, if you think that youve conducted [thousands of strikes] and youve only killed 55 civilians. Then you probably do think youre doing a brilliant job, Simmonds said. But we all know thats a terrible underestimate.

The murkiness surrounding the events of July 19 also highlights the challenges inherent to the growing U.S. collaboration with allied ground forces in Syria.

In recent months, tensions have increased between Arabs in northern Syria and Kurdish fighters from the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). The Kurdish forces come from other areas of Syria and have played a key role in recapturing territory from the Islamic State.

Some Arab residents have accused the Kurdish forces, which often relay targeting information to U.S. forces advising from behind the front lines, of placing insufficient importance on civilian life.

After the strikes, the Manbij Military Council, an SDF affiliate that speaks for U.S.-backed groups in the area, denounced the reports of civilian casualties as propaganda and said it had confirmed that civilians were no longer in the village before the air raid took place.

Under drone surveillance

In the days leading up to July 19, SDF Kurdish forces and Islamic State militants had clashed repeatedly in the area around Tokhar.

According to a former Tokhar resident who goes by the name Abu Abdullah and now lives outside Syria, many fellow villagers fled after the militants arrival in 2014 because they resented the groups strict rules about grooming and dress.

By mid-July, a small number of militants were coming and going from the village, sometimes using surrounding areas to fire on SDF forces, Syrians who spoke with residents said. Adnan al-Hussein, a journalist from Manbij who has spoken with people in Tokhar, said the Islamic State activity continued on the day of the strike.

At about 1 a.m. on July 19, a small number of militants launched mortar fire from inside the village and then withdrew, according to Husseins account. Remaining civilians took shelter in the northern area of the village, he said.

The planes, carrying laser-guided GBU-54 and GBU-31 bombs, struck several hours later.

While one group reported that as many as 203 people had died, between 70 and 80 civilians were named, including at least 11 children, according to reports compiled by Airwars. Among the alleged victims, according to those reports, was a man named Suleiman al Dhaher, who was killed along with at least five of his children and grandchildren, including two infants. Some sources reported that the area struck was a school occupied by displaced Syrians. The victims of the massacre were all civilians, not a single member of ISIS, according to Abu Abdullah.

But U.S. officials, speaking in detail about the strike for the first time, described elements that they say show that the people gathered in Tokhar that night were not civilians. Instead, the officials said, they were militants preparing for a major counterattack on allied forces in Manbij, where an intense battle was unfolding.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss an incident that is under investigation, the officials said the village had been under drone surveillance for three weeks. Few civilians had been observed in the preceding 10 days.

U.S. officials cross-checked information from allied ground forces with their own intelligence. The thought is that ISIL came in and told villagers to leave, the official said. The surveillance backed that up.

The officials said the militants had been instructed to pose as civilians in a bid to elude enemy attack. They even arranged tractors in nearby fields to make it look like farming was still taking place.

U.S. officials say they think that a much smaller number of civilians died, perhaps about 10, and put the militant death toll at 85. Officials said they based those estimates not just on aerial surveillance but also on information provided by personnel from U.S.-backed Syrian forces who visited the village shortly after the strike to verify its results.

Asked whether Tokhar had been a legitimate attack, the official said: Absolutely. . . . This was a valid military target.

The Washington Post was not able to independently verify either the U.S. or Syrian accounts.

Kolenda, who recently co-wrote a report on the strategic impact of civilian casualties, urged the Pentagon to adopt new technologies, such as means that would allow civilians to transmit location information when using mobile phones to document attacks. Such tools may take on greater importance as the United States increases its reliance on air power to address threats in places such as Somalia or Syria, where U.S. officials are often unable to verify events directly.

The military recognizes the moral and legal imperatives, but it has been very slow to appreciate that civilian harm, even if its inflicted within the laws of armed conflict, can be very damaging to our interests, he said. The Pentagon has got to get its arms wrapped around that.

Zakaria reported from Istanbul.

Read more:

Suspected U.S. airstrikes in Syria kill scores of civilians, activists say

Why the Pentagon sees recapture of Syrian city as template for battling the Islamic State

An airstrike in Syria killed entire families instead of ISIS fighters
Brazil

Ex-president charged amid proteges trial

Brazilian police charged former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva with corruption and money laundering as his successor faces an impeachment trial expected to oust her permanently next week.

A spokesman for the federal police in Brasilia confirmed the charges Friday, and local media reported that they relate to a beach-side apartment in Sao Paulo state that Lula and his wife frequented.

Lulas lawyers were not immediately available for comment. The 70-year-old former labor leader has repeatedly denied wrongdoing and said he is the victim of political persecution.

The charge against Lula comes before his planned appearance Monday at the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff in a show of support for the handpicked candidate he helped elect for the first time in 2010. A final vote on charges that Rousseff illegally financed government spending is expected on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Once the most popular president in Brazilian history, Lula is already being investigated for allegedly obstructing justice in the countrys Petrobras scandal. Last month Lula petitioned the United Nations over what he alleges to be violations of his human rights by Judge Sergio Moro, who heads Brazils largest corruption probe.

Moro earlier this year ordered Lula detained for questioning.

 Bloomberg News

ZIMBABWE

Anti-Mugabe protest violently quashed

Zimbabwean police used batons, tear gas and water cannons to crush an anti-government protest in the capital Friday, despite a court order that the demonstration should be permitted.

At least 50 people were injured by the police, said former vice president Joice Mujuru, now the head of the People First party and a participant in the demonstration.

The peoples anger is very deep. Zimbabweans are beginning to say enough is enough, another opposition leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, said at a news conference after the demonstration was dispersed.

Another anti-government demonstration will be held next Friday, according to the coalition of at least 18 opposition parties and civic organizations that organized Fridays protest.

Fridays protest, dubbed the mega demonstration, was the first time Zimbabwes fractured opposition joined in a single action to confront President Robert Mugabes government since 2007.

Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo on Thursday accused Western countries of plotting the protests. Supporters of 92-year-old Mugabe, who

has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from white minority rule in 1980, say he should govern until he dies.

 Associated Press

Pistorius avoids longer prison term: A South African judge dismissed an appeal by prosecutors for a harsher sentence against Oscar Pistorius, who was found guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend in 2013. Judge Thokozile Masipa said the states appeal to extend the six-year sentence against the 29-year-old double amputee Olympic sprinter had a limited prospect of success. Pistorius claimed that he shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, thinking she was an intruder, while the state argued that he shot her in anger after an argument.

Slovak premier urges E.U. to drop Russia sanctions: Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico renewed his call for the European Union to end sanctions against Russia after meeting with President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying they had failed to influence the settlement of any key issues. Slovakia, which holds the rotating E.U. presidency, will host a meeting of the blocs foreign ministers next week, with some Central European countries expressing unease over the continuing sanctions on Russia.

Nicaragua confirms its first Zika-linked microcephaly case: Nicaragua has confirmed its

first case of a baby born with microcephaly linked to the

Zika virus, authorities said. The mosquito-borne virus was first detected in Brazil last year. where it has been linked to

more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly, a severe brain abnormality, and has since spread across the Americas and the Caribbean.

Toronto man charged in crossbow killings: Brett Ryan, 35, of Toronto, was charged with first-degree murder in the deaths of three people who had suffered what appeared to be crossbow wounds. The slayings shocked a quiet residential neighborhood in the citys east end when they were discovered Thursday.

 From news services
North Carolina state trooper Jermaine Saunders shot and killed Daniel Kevin Harris on August 18 during a traffic stop. Harris, who had a three-year-old son, was deaf.

Harris had not heard the sirens as he was pursued; Saunders claims he had pursued Harris for 10 miles. When he stopped, Harris exited his vehicle, ostensibly to communicate with Saunders. According to eyewitnesses, Saunders shot him dead almost immediately as he exited the vehicle.

Witnesses have said that they believed Harris was attempting to communicate in sign language. He was killed in his own neighborhood, mere feet away from his home. Saunders has been placed on paid administrative leave.

Harriss brother, Charles, has questioned why his brother, who was unarmed when he was killed, should have been shot over a traffic violation. In a Facebook post, Charles Harris stated that Kevin was really scared of police; multiple reports of police violence and murder of unarmed individuals had led him to feel that he was vulnerable to attack.

Worst thing is...my brother Daniel is deaf. How he can communicate with polices and able to feel safe and protect himself from police? My brother is UNARMED and still get shot by police, Harris wrote.

Sam Harris, another of Kevins brothers, related to WCNC, a Charlotte news station, how he, himself had found himself accosted aggressively by police: I pulled over and within a few seconds, the officer is at my window with his weapon drawn and in my face. I motioned to him. Im deaf, Im deaf!

Daniel Harris was one of six people nationwide killed by police on August 18. Since then, police have killed at least 14 more people.

One of those killed was an as yet unidentified 71-year-old man in Indio, California. His death, which was filmed by 17-year-old Mikayla Mendoza, came after Indio police reported being called to the scene to apprehend a man armed with a knife.

Mendoza stated to the Desert Sun News that he was shot multiple times, although he had made no movement towards the police. She stated that he called out in Spanish, trying to communicate with police, although she could not understand what he was saying.

He wasnt doing nothing to be shot, Mendoza stated to the News. He was just standing, standing, standing. He never went towards the cops or anything. Mendoza expressed shock and horror at the way the elderly man was killed. I started crying. Nobody deserves to die like that. I didnt expect that from any cop in this city.

Police attempted CPR on the fallen man and called for an ambulance. He was pronounced dead at nearby JFK Hospital.

The Indio Police Department were unaware that Mendoza had filmed the incident until they were questioned by press. They have stated that her footage will be reviewed as evidence. One officer, who has not been named, has been put on paid leave pending investigation.

The Indio Police Department is being sued for $15 million for the wrongful death of Juan Perez, whom they shot last year. They were forced to pay $2.6 million in a settlement for the 2014 death of Alejandro Rendon, an unarmed farm worker whom they shot as he rode his bicycle to work. That same year, two police officers kicked and beat a suspect as he was lying prone, then falsified arrest records.

The deaths of both Kevin Harris and the unnamed elderly man in Indio reflect the intensity and pervasiveness of both police violence and the terror with which American citizens regard cops. They bear certain parallels with other shootings this summer.

Joseph Nathaniel Weber of Hays, Kansas, a nonverbal autistic man, was gunned down by police for failing to stop for a minor traffic violation on August 19. In June, North Miami police shot Charles Kinsey by mistake, after attempting to shoot the autistic man Kinsey was assisting. Kinseys client was holding only a toy truck at the time of the shooting. Kinsey survived the shooting, as did his client, although his client is reportedly traumatized.

Like Kevin Harris, 23-year-old Korryn Gaines of Baltimore was terrified of the police. Baltimore Police justified the disturbed young womans terror by invading her home to serve a bench warrant on August 22. Knowing that Gaines was agitated, the police escalated the confrontation. They shot Gaines to death as she held her five-year-old son in her arms, and shot her son nonfatally.

More than 756 Americans have been killed by police since January. In 2015, police killed more than 1,200 citizens. Shootings continue despite the increased use of bodycams and dashcams.

In Gainess case, the Baltimore Police Department alleged that the SWAT team dispatched to her home was not equipped with cameras. In the case of Harris, the North Carolina state troopers have stated that they are reviewing the footage from Saunderss dashcam and have urged the public to avoid drawing conclusions about the killing.

Harriss family, however, have said that the police have offered them no answers in the wake of his death. At Daniels memorial vigil on Monday, Sam Harris addressed the gathered mourners. Daniels death is just a shockwhat is it for? he asked. Its definitely worthy, it has value, and Im angry about it.
An Atlanta man will spend 40 years in prison after he was found guilty this week in a "soulless" anti-gay attack on a couple this spring, when he threw boiling hot water on them as they slept, according to multiple reports.



Martin Blackwell was convicted of 10 counts  two counts of aggravated assault and eight counts of aggravated battery  in the February attack on Anthony Gooden and Marquez Tolbert, according to the Associated Press, Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Washington Post.



He was found guilty on Wednesday, according to court records. The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes after the brief trial, according to the AP. (The Fulton County District Attorney did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.)



Prosecutors have said that on the night of the attack, Blackwell filled the largest pot in his home with water and set it to boil before tossing it on Gooden and Tolbert, who were sleeping and who had been dating about a month, according to the AJC and AP.



The pair had been staying with Gooden's mother, who was dating Blackwell, according to the AP.



"You were soulless, malicious and a violent person [during the attack]," Fulton County Superior Court Judge Henry Newkirk said to Blackwell Wednesday before sentencing him, according to the AJC.





Atlanta Man Gets 40 Years for Throwing Boiling Water on Sleeping Gay Couple: 'You Were Soulless'| Crime & Courts, True Crime



Prosecutors argued that Blackwell was motivated by a specific kind of hate: homophobia. Tolbert testified at trial that Blackwell grabbed him after the attack and said, "Get out of my house with all that gay," according to the AP.



Gooden and Tolbert's injuries were severe, according to reports: The former was hospitalized for about a month, including two weeks in a coma, and the latter was hospitalized for 10 days. Both men had several surgeries, according to the AP  and both testified at Blackwell's trial.



Georgia does not have a hate crime law, but the FBI has said it opened a hate crime investigation. (The status of that probe was not immediately clear and an FBI spokesman in Atlanta did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.)



 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.



Blackwell's defense attorneys did not present any evidence at trial or call any witnesses, according to the AP. But they argued that the attack was reckless rather than premeditated, according to the AP.



"It's not about hate. It's about old-school culture, old-school thinking," attorney Monique Walker told jurors, according to the AP.





Atlanta Man Gets 40 Years for Throwing Boiling Water on Sleeping Gay Couple: 'You Were Soulless'| Crime & Courts, True Crime



Blackwell's defense argued he was motivated by a sense of disrespect for the victims' behavior in the home  a claim the prosecution dismissed, according to the AP.



It was not immediately clear if Blackwell intends to appeal any of his convictions and Walker did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.



After the verdict, Tolbert told reporters he felt "justice was served," according to the AP. Tolbert had earlier spoken out about the attack on local TV, breaking down as he described it.



"I'm ecstatic," Tolbert said Wednesday, according to the AP.



Tolbert's mother, Kim Foster, had strong words for Blackwell when she spoke to WSB-TV in March, saying, "He's not human. He got hatred in his heart and God's gonna deal with him."
A 59-year-old Delaware woman is dead after plummeting about 35 feet from a zip line platform on Wednesday, according to reports.



Tina Werner, of Felton, was standing on a platform, waiting to go on the zip line at the Go Ape Tree Top Adventure in Bear when she fell at around 2:35 p.m., according to the Associated Press.



Employees and Lums Pond State Park rangers performed first aid on Werner until paramedics arrived, but the woman was pronounced dead later at a hospital.



The zip line is part of a course including swings, "suspended obstacles" and multiple zip lines, according to the Go Ape website.









Werner's daughter told the AP that her mother was "finishing her bucket list" when she took to the zip line and noted that her mother completed at least one ride before falling.



"So, she did it," Melissa Slater said.



She remembered her mother in an emotional Facebook post, writing, "This is truly the hardest situation that I have ever faced."



"Today, about 3 hours ago, I was told that my mother has died," she wrote in the post Wednesday evening. "I am thankful to be her daughter."





WATCH: Police Confirm 10-Year-Old, Caleb Schwab, Decapitated in Water Slide Accident



Investigators do not suspect foul play, ABC News reports. And Go Ape officials said in a statement that they are "deeply saddened by this tragic occurrence."



"Our thoughts and prayers go out to [Werner's] family and friends and in particular to those who were on the course with her at the time," officials said in the statement, according to ABC.



Authorities are working to determine just what led to the women's fall, and Bear residents told WPVI-TV that the ride is "very safe."



"The equipment is very safe, "John Lunsford told the station, noting that he could imagine how it is possible for someone to fall from the ride.



"I mean, if they didn't go through the precautions of hooking themselves up with the carabiners, lost their balance and fell whatever point on the platform, it could be possible," he said.
Got an iPhone? Then you should update it to the latest version of iOS right away: iOS 9.3.5, which was released by Apple Thursday, closes three critical security vulnerabilities that were used by a foreign government in an attempt to spy on a dissident.

Pro-democracy activist Ahmed Mansoor, who has in the past been targeted for his work against human rights violations in the United Arab Emirates, received two suspicious text messages this week. Instead of opening them, he got in contact with security researchers, who were able to confirm his suspicions. The text messages in question would have installed malware on his phone that would have made it possible for outsiders to monitor his communication, download data from his phone and remotely control the device.

The malware, dubbed Pegasus, is being sold by a secretive Israeli surveillance technology company called NSO Group, which sells its software to foreign governments  ostensibly to fight crimes, but Mansoors case shows that malware like Pegasus can quickly target the innocent as well.

Thats why mobile security company Lookout has now added Pegasus to the known threats its iOS security software is scanning for. Individuals or companies can use Lookouts software to check their own devices for the presence of Pegasus, and the company has published detailed instructions on how to do so online.

However, even users who had previously installed Lookout on their phone are advised to still update their iOS operating system. After all, others may have discovered the vulnerabilities exploited by Pegasus as well, and may be using them for their own exploits.

That being said, Lookout does point out that it is unlikely for most people to have fallen victim to the malware. Lookout believes the vast majority of users will not be impacted by Pegasus given the sophisticated, targeted nature of the attack, the company wrote on its site.

Related stories

New iPhone to Ditch Headphone Jack, Come With Better Camera (Report)

Story continues

Apple Has Sold Over 1 Billion iPhones

Apple Ordered to Stop Selling iPhones in China
Godzilla Resurgence (Photo: Intercontinental Film Distributors)



By Elizabeth Kerr, The Hollywood Reporter

In the wake of Roland Emmerichs universally derided 1998 Jurassic Park knock-off and Gareth Edwards better received, but still divisive 2014 effort, the king of kaiju returns to his Japanese roots for Godzilla Resurgence (Shin Godzilla in most of Asia), the latest iteration of the worlds favorite rampaging atomic monster. Since his 1954 debut, Godzilla has been remade, re-imagined and reborn both in Hollywood and at home in 29 films and dozens of comic, game and television series to wildly diverse effect. And more are planned on both sides of the Pacific. For now though, the mother of all allegorical monsters takes on new meaning in a talky, vaguely nationalistic reboot that slips on like a comfortable sweater, even if its a sweater with some holes in it.

Godzilla Resurgence is already doing bang-up business at home in Japan, but its success elsewhere will depend on how its rah-rah message is received, particularly in Asia. In Europe and North America (its slated for a late-2016 release in the U.S.) creature-feature nerds and Godzillas substantial fan base should ensure respectable returns.

The new incarnation starts with an immediate shout-out to its history by using Tohos mid-century logo and the classic Godzilla roar (and yes, it totally sounds different in Japanese). As always, its present-day Japan, and when an unexplained seismic event occurs off the coast of Shinagawa it has ripple effects all the way to Tokyo, starting with a commuter tunnel collapse. Bureaucrats and cabinet ministers scramble together a meeting to try and figure out what it is, but only mid-level cabinet secretary Rando Yaguchi (Hiroki Hasegawa, Sailor Suit and Machine Gun: Graduation) has the foresight to suggest the source is an unknown creature.



Related: Godzilla Resurgence: Five Things to Know About Tohos Monster Reboot



Story continues

As the film moves at a lightning pace, its only a matter of minutes before social media is confirming Yaguchis hunch. New plans are thrown together to combat the evolving beast (Darwin would be horrified) heading toward Tokyo Station, with political prime ministerial aide Hideki Akasaka (Yutaka Takenouchi), a biologist (Tetsuo: The Iron Man himself, Shinya Tsukamoto), an environmental scientist (Mikako Ichikawa), and defense department heads (Kimiko Yo, Parasyte) among the crisis handlers making up some of the films proverbial Fukushima 50. In every frame it possibly can, Resurgence takes pains to glorify the honest, hard-working legislators trying to save the people of Tokyo, and the sacrifice of the Japan Self-Defense Forces (which gave the film its full support).

Godzilla Resurgence has a lot on its plate. Its an origin story of course. But its also a delicate spoof of disaster films like it, and has some genuinely funny moments with a dithering Prime Minister (Ren Osugi, Twilight Samurai) trying to respond within the confines of the law and the JSDF mandate. Its also a bit of Japanese reassertion of itself, where the chief antagonist is not, in fact, Godzilla but ambitious U.S. presidential envoy Kayoko Ann Patterson (Satomi Ishihara, Attack on Titan). Theres an energy conspiracy behind her helpful presence, though the Japanese-American eventually comes to see how sleazy her government is being and sides with her put-upon counterparts.



The shadow of the 3.11 Fukushima catastrophe in 2011 looms large, and this time around the metaphor encapsulates the combination of natural and man-made disasters waiting to happen. Cue the inspirational speeches about picking the country up from ruin and rebuilding.

Related: Japan Box Office: Tohos Godzilla Resurgence Opens With $6.1 Million



Ultimately, however, no one goes to Godzilla Resurgence to think deep thoughts about mans relationship to nature; its all about stomping Tokyo. For the most part, veteran artist, animator, and genre director Hideaki Anno (still probably best known for the apocalyptic mecha series Neon Genesis Evangelion) and long time collaborator and visual effects wizard Shinji Higuchi (who has a wealth of Godzilla experience) do the big guy justice. Now realized through a combination of CGI, practical effects (a guy, or three, manipulating various parts of a rubber suit), and motion capture courtesy of stage actor Mansai Nomura. Anno and Higuchi have created a Godzilla for this era, complete with glowing radioactive core and dual lasers (!).

Though the slap at the conventions they are skewering at times is lost by too many blue suits talking in boardrooms and not enough rampaging, there are some provocative moments, chiefly Yaguchi and Akasakas third-act chat about the reality of Japanese-U.S. relations. Sadly, all the telling (or reading) rather than showing reduces the storys overall impact, which is a shame; the final wipe-out of Chiyoda-ku is impressive. That said, theres an intangible quality to this Godzilla that Edwards (Emmerich doesnt count) never quite captured, and which is always welcome. Shiro Sagisus retro score complements the tech specs: imperfect but perfectly so.

Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus: Watch a clip:


Plan a short jaunt without breaking the bank.

With summer coming to a close, kids heading back to school and the stresses of everyday life beginning to set in, it's a great time to hit the open seas for one last hurrah before autumn arrives. And now, with two-for-one fare offers, a last-minute cruise vacation is easily within reach. Whether you're dreaming of sailing to vibrant New England locales as the leaves start to turn, alongside the ancient temples of Asia or through Europe's picturesque towns, these deals take you to pristine coastlines and are too good not to snatch up. So, if you're ready to set sail, book these bargains fast -- before it's too late.

A six-night cruise across China, Japan and South Korea

Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International

If you've only got a week and want to go big, Royal Caribbean's six-night cruise aboard the Mariner of the Seas is a great bet. Starting in Shanghai, the itinerary includes stops in Kochi, Japan, where you can explore pristine beaches, temples and castles before continuing on to Nagasaki, Japan, to take in inspiring temples and Peace Park. Afterward, the cruise makes stops in Busan and Jeju Island in South Korea, which is known for its striking landscapes. Fares for this Sept. 26, 2016, sailing start at $838, so act quickly.

A seven-night cruise from Seattle to Alaska

Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line

Soak up Alaska's jaw-dropping scenery with a seven-night, round-trip sailing departing from Seattle. Admire the area's natural beauty and breathtaking landscapes as you pass through the Inside Passage, and marvel at wildlife sightings (think bears and eagles) and Alaska's staggering mountain ridges, complete with snow-capped peaks and cascading waterfalls. You'll visit iconic Alaskan ports such as Juneau, where you can mush on a dogsled adventure, and Ketchikan, where you'll sail through glacial waters in search of humpback whales. Prices start at $974 for the sailing aboard the Norwegian Jewel departing on Sept. 10, 2016.

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A seven-night cruise across Canada and New England

Cruise Line: Holland American Line

September is one of Canada and New England's often-overlooked shoulder seasons. This seven-night voyage with Holland America will take you from Boston to Montreal, stopping at some iconic ports along the way. A highlight is Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island. Here, you'll witness fishermen catching fresh lobster and even get the chance to sample these prized crustaceans at any of the island's seafood restaurants. This cruise will also take you to Quebec City, whose historic district has earned UNESCO World Heritage status thanks to its sites and churches that date back to the 17th century. This sailing aboard the ms Veendam departs on Sept. 10, 2016, with fares starting at $499.

A seven-night cruise through Europe

Cruise Line: MSC Cruises

Few places offer the enchantment of northern Europe -- from Amsterdam's charming canals to London's famous mix of modern and historic architecture. See the best of Europe on the MSC Splendida's seven-night cruise, which departs and returns in Hamburg, Germany. You'll sail to famous cities such as Zeebrugge, Belgium -- home to Flemish art, Georgian-style mansions and world-renowned chocolate. You'll also visit Amsterdam, where you'll find acclaimed art collections, eclectic galleries and lively pubs and cafes. The cruise departs on Sept. 18, 2016, and fares start at $699.

A four-day cruise to the Bahamas

Cruise Line: Carnival Cruise Lines

If you've got only a few days to spend, book this short four-day sailing to the Bahamas with Carnival Cruise Lines. Departing from Orlando, Florida, the fun-loving Carnival Valor takes you to two bustling ports: Freeport and Nassau. In Freeport, you'll have a diverse range of excursions to choose from, whether it's kayaking through the area's preserved nature trails or swimming with dolphins. Meanwhile, in Nassau, most visitors prefer to wander around the brightly colored buildings of downtown to shop for souvenirs or sample rum. This cruise departs on Sept. 29, 2016; prices start at $229.

A five-night cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda

Cruise Line: Royal Caribbean International

Escape chilly autumn temperatures in Maryland with a quick five-night cruise to Bermuda on Royal Caribbean's Grandeur of the Seas. After soaking up the ship's onboard amenities during a day at sea, you'll arrive in King's Wharf, Bermuda, where you can enjoy two full days exploring this beautiful port. There are a variety of things to do in Bermuda, from glass-bottom boat tours around Bermuda's rainbow-colored fish and coral to shopping at the Royal Naval Dockyard and sport fishing for marlin. This cruise departs on Oct. 8, 2016; prices start at $499.

A seven-night cruise from China to Japan

Cruise Line: Celebrity Cruises

Explore northern Asia on this seven-night sailing aboard the Celebrity Millennium. The cruise departs from bustling Shanghai and takes you to the stunning port of Busan, South Korea -- a seaside town home to the staggering Busan Tower and the tranquil Beomeosa Temple. Afterward, you'll visit the famed Otaru, Japan, nicknamed "the town of hills," and Hakodate, the gateway to Hokkaido, Japan's northernmost island that's also flanked by the dramatic Mount Hakodate. The cruise ends in Tokyo, where you can spend a day (or more) wandering through the city's many districts in search of excellent restaurants and shops. The cruise departs on Oct. 9, 2016, with fares starting at $349.

A seven-night Mediterranean cruise from Venice to Athens

Cruise Line: Costa Cruises

Departing from Venice, this Mediterranean sailing aboard the Costa neoRiviera takes visitors from Athens to Split, Croatia, a stunning town on the Dalmatian coast that offers the views and charms of Dubrovnik without the crowds. Afterward, you'll sail to the enchanting Greek islands of Corfu and Santorini. In Corfu, you can take a panoramic tour of the town and admire 360-degree sea views or tour Achilleion Palace. And in Santorini, your time is best spent wandering along the cobalt-blue domed homes in search of the perfect place to enjoy a postcard-worthy sunset. The cruise ends in Athens and departs on Oct. 17, 2016. Fares start at $445.

A 14-night Panama Canal cruise

Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line

The Panama Canal, one of the most incredible feats of engineering in the world, is also one of the most coveted cruise itineraries. This 14-night voyage aboard the Norwegian Sun takes you from Miami through lively ports -- including Cartagena, Colombia; Corinto, Nicaragua; and Acapulco, Mexico -- before sailing through the awe-inspiring canal. Afterward, you'll stop in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, where you'll find mouthwatering cuisine and pristine beaches, before disembarking in sunny San Diego. The sailing departs on Oct. 14, 2016 and offers fares starting at $949.

An eight-day eastern Caribbean cruise from New York City

Cruise Line: Norwegian Cruise Line

Escape New York City's hustle and bustle for a short, eight-day voyage to the sunny and historical island of Puerto Rico. Your sailing will take you along some of the eastern Caribbean's most picturesque islands, such as Antigua and St. Kitts. You'll also stop in St. Thomas, home to the best duty-free shopping, and Philipsburg, St. Maarten, a dual-governed French and Dutch island home to incredible architecture and amazing beaches. The cruise ends in San Juan, a city steeped in history, so give yourself at least a day to explore the areas storied sites. The cruise aboard the Norwegian Gem departs on Oct. 15, 2016, with fares starting at $949.





More From US News & World Report


While Rajnath Singh assured security and safety to Kashmiri youths who he said were instigated to throw stones, Mehbooba Mufti held that only a minor fraction of Kashmiris are involved in violence.

As journalists started asking more questions, J&K Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti stood up and said the press conference is over even though Home Minister Rajnath Singh was in mood to take more questions.

By Naseer Ganai: Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti on Thursday took different stands over the Kashmir crisis. Singh promised a visit to Kashmir by an all-party delegation, an alternative to pellet guns and reaching out to youths of Kashmir assuring them security and safety anywhere in India. While alluding to separatists, Singh said he has no hesitation in talking to anyone under the ambit of humanity, democracy and Kashmiriyat.

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MUFTI'S DIFFERENCE OF OPINION WITH SINGH



In contrast, Mehbooba Mufti said five per cent people in Kashmir were involved in the violence and they will be dealt with under the law. She said these five per cent have made lives of 95 per cent, who want Kashmir's solution through peaceful means, a hell.

As journalists started asking more questions, Mehbooba stood up and said the press conference is over even though Singh was seated and was in mood to take more questions.

SINGH MEETS 300 KASHMIRIS, SAYS THEY ALL WANT PEACE



Singh said he met 300 people since Wednesday including the ones with different ideologies. He said he had met lot of new people during this visit, which his second to the Valley in the past two months. He said all those who met him during his two-day visit were keen for return of peace and normalcy.

"We are sad about situation in the Valley and that is why before coming here I had tweeted that I am ready to talk to anyone under humanity, democracy and Kashmiriyat. Whenever any Kashmiri youth or security forces personnel is killed, we feel pain. Pain is not being felt in Kashmir only but everywhere in India," he said. He alleged Kashmiri youths are being instigated to throw stones. "Who are the people who allow them to take stones in their hands," he said.

SINGH SAYS INDIA'S FUTURE IMPOSSIBLE WITHOUT KASHMIR'S FUTURE



"We see future of Kashmiri children with that of Indian children...Children are children. We can never think of Kashmir's future in separation from the future of India. India's future is not possible without Kashmir's future," he added. He insisted that his visits to Kashmir show his seriousness about the issue.



ALSO READ: Modi government to prep 50,000 Kashmiri youths for employment



--- ENDS ---
domino's

Good morning. Here's everything you need to know in the world of advertising today.

1. The producer of "Carpool Karaoke" spoke to us about how Apple's version will differ to "The Late Late Show With James Corden." The show will shift the spotlight away from musicians and hand the mic to movie stars and other high-profile figures, according to Fulwell 73 Productions cofounder Ben Winston.

2. WhatsApp is going to share your phone number with Facebook. It means WhatsApp users will soon see more targeted ads and friend suggestions on Facebook, based on their WhatsApp details.

3. WhatsApp also tweaked its privacy policy so businesses can send messages to people. Possible updates include hearing from your bank about a fraudulent transaction, or getting notified by an airline about a delayed flight  changes that have traditionally been sent to customers via SMS.

4. Netflix has released a trailer for its documentary about the sexual assault cases and subsequent harassment of Daisy Coleman and Audrie Pott. The documentary was played at the Sundance Film Festival earlier this year and will premier in theaters and on Netflix on September 23.

5. Snapchat is on course to hit 217 million users by the end of 2017. That's according to a new report from eMarketer.

6. Walmart, Kroger, and Dollar General are slashing prices. The grocery price wars are heating up.

7. Banking app Mondo is rebranding to Monzo. It had to change its name following a trademark dispute.

8. Ryan Lochte has signed a new endorsement deal with Pine Bros. Throat Drops, Adweek reports. His major sponsors recently dropped him after he made up a story about being robbed at the Rio Olympics.

9. The EU is proposing Google and Facebook pay publishers to use their content, The Guardian reports. The European Commission wants to extend "neighboring rights" protection  which exists for performers, record labels, and broadcasters  to news producers.

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10. Domino's says it will be delivering pizza using drones by the end of the year. The service will first roll out in New Zealand.

NOW WATCH: New guidelines have led to a big change for uniforms at the Rio Olympics





More From Business Insider


Should a pre-teen be left alone in a car for an hour? A mom in New Mexico was jailed for it!

The Doctors discuss a recent headline-making incident where a mom left her son alone in the car, while she was in the gym working out. The mom was charged with a felony and now is forced to have supervised visits with her child.

Watch: Keeping Teens Safe at Parties

ER physician Dr. Travis Stork asks if the punishment fits the crime in this instance or if it was if it was too harsh?

The kid was probably in the car playing video games. The kid was oblivious to where he was, Plastic surgeon Dr. Andrew Ordon surmises, to which the studio audience audibly agrees with.

Urologist Dr. Jennifer Berman raises some concerns about the moms decision to leave her child while at the gym, saying, Its different than being left alone in a house.

Watch: Moms Controversial Condom Drawer

Dr. Stork points out that the laws regarding the age limit for leaving a child alone are nebulous. For example, in California a child under 6 years old must be accompanied by an adult, and after 12 years old, the child can be left on its own, yet the rules for the years in-between are unclear.

Is it appropriate for a 12-year-old to be left on their own for over an hour? Tell us what you think!
With around $737.3 billion assets under management, Franklin Templeton Investments is considered one of the well-known global investment management firms. Founded in 1947, the company offers investment management strategies and integrated risk management solutions to individuals, institutions, pension plans, trusts and partnerships. With over 600 investment professionals, Franklin Templeton manages a wide range of mutual funds across different categories including both equity and fixed income.

Below we share with you three best-ranked Franklin Templeton mutual funds. Each has earned a Zacks Mutual Fund Rank #1 (Strong Buy) and is expected to outperform its peers in the future. Investors can click here to see the complete list of all Franklin Templeton mutual funds, their Zacks Rank and past performance.

Franklin CA Tax-Free Income A FKTFX invests a major portion of its assets in municipal securities that are rated investment-grade and exempted from federal alternative minimum tax as well as California personal income taxes. FKTFX may invest not more than 20% of its assets that are subject to the federal alternative minimum tax. A maximum of 35% of FKTFXs assets may be invested in securities of the U.S. territories. Franklin CA Tax-Free Income A has a three-year annualized return of 8.8%.

FKTFX has an expense ratio of 0.57% as compared to the category average of 0.89%.

Franklin International Small Cap Growth Advisor FKSCX seeks long-term capital appreciation. FKSCX invests the majority of its assets in a wide range of tradable equity and related securities of small foreign companies. It focuses on purchasing common stock. Franklin International Small Cap Growth Advisor has a three-year annualized return of 2%.

Edwin Lugo is the fund manager since 2006.

Franklin California High Yield Municipal Advisor FVCAX invests a large share of its assets in municipal securities that pay interest, which is exempted from taxes collected by the government and the State of California. FVCAX may also invest all of its assets in instruments that provide return subject to minimum tax. The fund may invest a maximum of 35% of its assets in municipal bonds approved by the US territories including Puerto Rico. Franklin California High Yield Municipal Advisor has a three-year annualized return of 10.3%.

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FVCAX has an expense ratio of 0.55% as compared to a category average of 0.89%.

To view the Zacks Rank and past performance of all Franklin Templeton mutual funds, investors can click here to see the complete list of funds.

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If you're planning on launching your own company, you don't need to go to business school, right? Many would-be entrepreneurs think that a brilliant idea alone will take them to the top, just as it did for the MBA-less Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates and Steve Jobs .

The reality, though, is that for every super successful entrepreneur who eschewed the MBA, there are scores more entrepreneurs with MBA degrees who have changed the world, such as Nike co-founder Phil Knight, former eBay CEO Meg Whitman or Warren Buffet t, who grew Berkshire Hathaway from a textile manufacturing business into the world's fourth - largest public company.

An MBA program can't teach you to feel more comfortable with taking risks or to be more passionate about your idea, and it won't give you a constant thirst for new projects -- those are some of the innate qualities a successful entrepreneur has.

However, an MBA program can teach you how to turn a good idea into a good business. If you have startup fever, here are three reasons you should go to business school first and one time you may not need that MBA.

[Check out the top business schools for entrepreneurship.]

-- B-school is the best incubator for budding entrepreneurs. MBA programs have always prepared students to launch and manage their own businesses. But over the last decade, the number of courses, centers and contests dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurship has mushroomed.

Business school has become the safe place to test out your most creative, outrageous and ambitious ideas without the pressure and fear of failure if that company or those ideas don't work. In fact, failure is just as valuable a learning tool as success, because it offers students the chance to find out what went wrong and refine their business models to nail it next time out in the real world, when the stakes are much higher.

You'll have teachers and mentors guiding you along the way as you search for that big idea that will change lives. You'll also see all sides of the entrepreneurial experience, find out what it's like to collaborate to execute your vision and ultimately have a better understanding of whether entrepreneurship really is your calling.

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[Ask these five questions when choosing an MBA entrepreneurship program.]

-- B-school offers the best environment to build your team. Entrepreneurial success requires teamwork, strong business relationships and a network of classmates who can provide introductions or advise on various areas, as well as seasoned professors who can weigh in on business dilemmas as you build a plan. In fact, good relationships with your professors can translate into a lifelong pipeline of talent connecting graduates with current MBA students.

Even if -- like the majority of applicants -- you don't plan on pursuing a joint MBA degree, you can still take advantage of interdisciplinary studies in other areas that interest you. As a part of the greater university community, top-tier business schools often offer MBA students the chance to take courses alongside students from other graduate programs.

For example, the Johnson Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Indiana University's Kelley School of Business provides students with real-world entrepreneurial experiences through cross-campus initiatives and involvement with the business community. You might find someone outside of the MBA program who could become a valuable asset to your team down the line.

[Discover how to start a business in business school.]

-- B-school will teach you how to run and grow a company -- not just launch it. So many entrepreneurs have failed at getting their business idea off the ground precisely because they didn't have some of the necessary tools in their arsenal that they would have learned at business school.

You have to be able to transition your idea into an actual business. It might be a startup, but you want it to grow -- and last. More than many other business roles, an entrepreneur needs to know a little bit of everything. Even if you start a tech company, someone has to do the accounting, know how to market your product or service and act as a leader for the team.

If you choose a business school that relies heavily on the case method, you'll likely learn from others' successes and mistakes about growing too quickly. Also, those classes in human resource management, business law or venture capital financing could help you head off some thorny workplace issues later on.

-- Skip b-school altogether if you are in a rush to launch a company right now. Competition moves fast, especially in the tech industry. So if you already have your product or service fully developed, a crystal clear business plan, sufficient funding to sustain you and an awesome team in place and ready to execute and if you think spending two years in a classroom might be an undesirable distraction, then it's time to hit the ground running.
Many investors like to look for momentum in stocks, but this can be very tough to define. There is great debate regarding which metrics are the best to focus on in this regard, and which are not really quality indicators of future performance. Fortunately, with our new style score system we have identified the key statistics to pay close attention to and thus which stocks might be the best for momentum investors in the near term.

This method discovered several great candidates for momentum-oriented investors, but today lets focus in on Bank of Montreal BMO as this stock is looking especially impressive right now. And while there are numerous ways in which this company could be a great choice, we have highlighted three of the most vital reasons for BMOs status as a solid momentum stock below:

Longer Term Price Change for Bank of Montreal

While any stock can see a spike in price, it takes a real winner to consistently outperform the market. That is why looking at longer term price metricssuch as performance over the past three months or year-- and comparing these to an industry at large can be very useful.

And in the case of BMO, the results are quite impressive. The company has beaten out the industry at large over the past 12 weeks by a margin of 6.41% to 6.36% while it has also outperformed when looking at the past year, putting up a gain of 32%. Clearly, BMO is riding a bit of a hot streak and is worth a closer look by investors.

BANK MONTREAL Price

BANK MONTREAL Price | BANK MONTREAL Quote

Fiscal Year EPS Estimate Change for BMO

In addition to price performance, it is also important to take a look at earnings estimate changes for the full year. This can show if BMO is poised to make a run based on fundamentals, or if the company is simply moving on speculation.

Over the past week, the full year earnings estimate for BMO has risen by 2.9%. On its own this is impressive, but consider that it also beats the industry average of 0 too. The trend is undeniably in Bank of Montreals favor right now, and it suggests that the momentum might be long lasting for this stock.

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BMO Earnings Estimate Revisions Moving in the Right Direction

While the great momentum factors outlined in the preceding paragraphs might be enough for some investors, we should also take into account broad earnings estimate revision trends. A nice path here can really help to show us a promising stock, and we have actually been seeing that with BMO as of late too.

Over the past two months, 2 earnings estimates have gone higher compared to none lower for the full year, while we are also seeing that 2 estimates have moved upwards with no downward revision for the next year time frame too. These revisions have helped to boost the consensus estimate as two months ago BMO was expected to post earnings of $5.36/share for the full year, though today it looks to have EPS of $5.61 for the full year now, representing a solid increase which is something that should definitely be welcomed news to would-be investors.

Bottom Line

Given these factors, investors shouldnt be surprised to note that we have BMO as a security with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy) and a Momentum Score of A. So if you are looking for a fresh pick that has potential to move in the right direction, definitely keep BMO on your short list as this looks be a stock that is very well-positioned to soar in the near term.

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1. The Grand High Witch Photo: The Witches, Roald Dahl (1983)

The BFG opened in cinemas last week, and tells the tale of an unlikely friendship of giant proportions. Ten-year-old Sophie embarks on a whirlwind of an adventure with the Big Friendly Giant (a.k.a. the BFG) in Giant Country, where they work together to bring down man-eating giants.

The movie is based on one of British author Roald Dahls classics of the same name, which was first published in 1982. The BFG is a character that has been beloved by generations, a gentle, loveable creature despite his giant stature.

The man-eating monsters on the other hand, are not quite as gentle, but they arent the only frights and fiends weve come across in Roald Dahls books. Take a walk down memory lane, and see if you can remember these terrifying characters created by literary legend, Roald Dahl.

1. The Grand High Witch

My orders are that every single child in this country shall be rrubbed out, sqvashed, sqvirted, sqvittered and frrrittered before I come here again in vun years time! Do I make myself clear? - The Grand High Witch

The Grand High Witch from Roald Dahls 1983 classic The Witches is the most powerful witch in the world, and all witches are petrified of her. Her lifelong mission is to rid the world of all human children through cruel means, such as turning them into mice or trapping them in paintings.

Also terrifying is the legion of witches she commands who (apart from having gaudy fashion choices) also bear hauntingly vacant expressions - the stuff of nightmares for us when we were kids.

The Grand High Witch was brought to life by Anjelica Huston (famous for also playing Morticia Addams in 1991s The Addams Family) in the movie adaptation. It was in the film that we saw first hand exactly how gruesome and horrifying the witches were, once they removed their human disguises.

2. The Enormous Crocodile

The Enormous Crocodile grinned, showing hundreds of sharp white teeth. "For my lunch today, he said, I would like a nice juicy little child. - The Enormous Crocodile

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The Enormous Crocodile (yes, thats his name) is a beastly creature that dreams of feeding on juicy, plump children for lunch. He devises schemes and tricks to trap children, but his plans are repeatedly foiled by other creatures of the forest.

For a young child, this story could quickly spiral into a gory, terrifying tale of monstrous beasts hunting little children. Were not sure if mega-crocs like these still exist, but it would be frightening if there was a crocodile somewhere in the wild with a mouth large enough to chomp down several children at once.

3. The Child Catcher

The Baroness will have your teeth for a necklace, and your eyeball for earrings. - The Child Catcher

Fun fact: did you know that the screenplay for 1968s Chitty Chitty Bang Bang was co-written by Roald Dahl? The movie was adapted for the big screen from Ian Flemings book, but the movies villain, the Child Catcher, was created by Dahl specifically for the film.

As one of Dahls most iconic characters, the Child Catcher is a maniacal, sinister man who ruthlessly snatches children off the streets and imprisons them. In 2005, the Child Catcher was voted the scariest villain in a BBC poll, despite not being a part of the original book at all!

4. Miss Trunchbull

Looking at her, you got the feeling that this was someone who could bend iron bars and tear telephone directories in half. - Matilda

The headmistress at Crunchem Hall Primary School is the villain in the tale of Matilda. Armed with olympian strength and a cruel demeanour, the tyrannical Miss Agatha Trunchbull strikes terror in the hearts of students and teachers alike.

She is a formidable woman, described by Roald Dahl as a gigantic holy terror. With a heartless penchant for swinging little girls by their pigtails and locking her students in a nail-studded cupboard, she embodies everything we ever feared about school.
Net profit is one of the most significant metrics used in corporate finance to determine the affluence of a company. A proper analysis of this metric lends an insight into how well a company is run and if there are any underlying headwinds.



Net Profit Margin = Net profit /Sales * 100.



In simple terms, net profit is the amount a company retains after meeting all the expenses. In fact, net profit margin can turn out to be a potent point of reference to gauge the strength in a company operations and cost-control measures.



Higher net profit is indispensable for rewarding stakeholders. Also, strength in the metric not only attracts new investors but also draws well-skilled employees that eventually add to the value of the business.



Moreover, a higher net profit margin as compared to peers lends a competitive edge.



Pros and Cons



Net profit margin helps investors gain clarity on a companys business model in terms of pricing policy, cost structure and manufacturing efficiency. Hence, a strong net profit margin is preferred by all classes of investors.



However, net profit margin as an investment criterion has its own share of pitfalls. The metric varies widely from industry to industry. The difference in accounting treatment of various items  especially non-cash expenses like depreciation and stock-based compensation  makes comparison a complex task.



Further, for companies preferring to grow with debt, instead of equity funding, higher interest expenses usually weigh on the net profit. In such cases, the measure is rendered ineffective to analyze a companys performance.



The Winning Strategy



A healthy net profit margin and solid EPS growth are two most sought after elements in a business model.



Apart from these, we have added a few other criteria to ensure maximum returns from this strategy.



Screening Parameters



Net Margin 12 months  Most Recent (%) greater than equal to 0: High net profit margin indicates solid profitability.



Percentage Change in EPS F(0)/(F-1) greater than equal to 0: It indicates earnings growth.



Average Broker Rating (1-5) equal to 1: A rating of #1 indicates brokers extreme bullishness on the prospects of the stock.



Zacks Rank equal to 1: Only Strong Buy stocks are allowed. In good markets or bad, stocks with a Zacks Rank of #1 (Strong Buy) continue to outperform.



VGM Score of A or B: Our research shows that stocks with a VGM Score of 'A' or 'B' when combined with a Zacks Rank #1 or 2 (Buy) offer the best upside potential.



Here are five of the eight stocks that qualified the screen:



Irvine, CA-based Autobytel Inc ABTL provides automotive marketing services that connect automotive retail dealers, manufacturers and consumers. The stock has a VGM score of B. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 has surged 11.2% (11 cents) to 1.09 over the last 30 days.



County Bancorp Inc. ICBK, based in Manitowoc, WI, is a bank holding company, which provides a range of consumer and commercial banking services to individuals, businesses, and industries. The stock has a VGM score of B. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 surged 9.4% (15 cents) to $1.85 per share over the last 7 days.



Gibraltar Industries Inc. ROCK manufactures and distributes products to the industrial and buildings market. The company has its headquarters at Buffalo, NY. The stock has a VGM score of B. Meanwhile, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 has increased by 6 cents to $1.44 per share over the last 30 days.



Denver, CO-based Hallador Energy Company HNRG is engaged in the production and sale of steam coal used for power generation. The company has a VGM Score of A. Its earnings estimate for the current year has improved by 195% (39 cents) to 59 cents over the last 30 days.



CO-based Innospec Inc. IOSP develops, manufactures, blends, markets and supplies fuel additives, oilfield chemicals, personal care and other specialty chemicals. The stock has a VGM score of B. Moreover, the Zacks Consensus Estimate for 2016 has increased by 15 cents (4.1%) at $3.80 over the last 30 days.

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Get the rest of the stocks on the list and start putting this and other ideas to the test. It can all be done with the Research Wizard stock picking and back testing software.

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: Inaddition 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 



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Community funny man Joel McHale is selling his home in Los Angeles for the serious sum of $2,395,000, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Although we still miss his weekly look at trashy television on The Soup, McHale will be starring in the upcoming sitcom The Great Indoors on CBS.

We counted up five things you should know about his luxe home in the Los Feliz neighborhood.

1. Its been renovated top to bottom

The 1940s traditional-style residence got a major refresh thanks to McHales wife, Sarah Williams, and designer Elizabeth Gordon. The remodel includes a chefs kitchen with top-of-the-line appliances.

There wasnt a surface that we did not touch. We redid everything, McHale told the Reporter.

2. Its near nature

The address comes with its own private, gated entry into Griffith Park, which boasts hiking trails and celeb sightings. Oh, and rattlesnake sightings. McHale claims he once had a run-in with a rattler in his backyard.

3. Theres tamer outdoor entertaining

If hiking and rattlesnakes arent your thing, not to worry. The spiffy spot also features stunning outdoor entertaining space with bluestone patios, a fireplace, and a staircase. McHale jokes that his kids have taken a tumble or two on the steep property but stopped just before hitting the retaining wall.

4. Above it all

The home is ideally located at the top of a flat cul-de-sac above the street that affords its A-list residents plenty of privacy.

5. A posh property

The 3,500-square-foot home features a two-story entry, a formal living room with canyon views, a formal dining room, a family room, an office, a den, four bedrooms, three bathrooms, and two half-baths.

Living room realtor.com

Dining room realtor.com

Family room realtor.com

Eat-in kitchen realtor.com

Outdoor fireplace and patio realtor.com

The post 5 Things You Need to Know About Joel McHales $2.4M L.A. Home appeared first on Real Estate News and Advice - realtor.com.





Related Articles
Six nail salons on Long Island, N.Y., will be paying more than $200,000 in back wages and damages to 95 employees after an investigation done by the Long Island district office of the Department of Labors Wage and Hour Division.

In a statement given Wednesday, Irv Miljoner, the director of the Long Island district office, said, Nail salon workers cannot afford to be underpaid. The industry employs vulnerable workers less likely to complain about unfair labor practices because of language barriers and fear of losing their jobs.

The news from Long Island is hardly an outlier; since the New York Times ran a startling expose into the exploitation of nail salon employees throughout Manhattan and its surrounding boroughs in May 2015, New York state launched a task force on nail salon safety and labor practices. The group has already found close to 150 nail salons in violation of labor laws and in need of issuing $2 million in unpaid wages to 652 workers. And last month the task force imposed a new rule requiring all nail salons in the state to have ventilation systems in place for workers health. Additionally, all nail salons opening Oct. 3 or later will have to have such a ventilation system in order to conduct business; existing salons have five years to install a system in existing spaces.

New Yorks efforts to ensure that nail salon workers are treated fairly include ensuring that all workers are paid overtime if they work more than 40 hours a week and implementing clear pay scales for tipped and nontipped workers alike: Tipped nail salon workers making at least $2.20 per hour in tips must earn at least $6.80 per hour during the first week of work  a time many nail salons do not pay employees or deduct wages because of training  and $11.30 per hour after theyve completed their first 40 hours of work per week. Workers who make at least $1.35 an hour in tips must make at least $7.65 an hour in wages during this training period, and then $12.15 per hour afterward. Nontipped workers must make $9 per hour during training and $13.50 afterward.

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The state makes clear that employers may never take tips or wages from workers or pay them less than minimum wage and that, contrary to the findings in the Times investigation, workers should never pay to apply for a job, acquire a job, or train for a job. It is likewise illegal to force workers to ever pay any fees as punishment or for any breakage or damage of supplies. Nail salon owners in New York are now also required by the task force to display a workers bill of rights poster in a variety of languages in their salons in a place clearly visible to all employees.

The concerns regarding the health and labor practices of nail salons extend beyond New York.

A grassroots labor advocacy group in California, the California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, is sponsoring a number of bills in the states legislature to bolster recognition for nail salons that implement safer practices and use healthier products to better protect the health of workers and customers. Other initiatives include providing better labor law education services for nail salon employees, including ensuring that such educational programs are made accessible for Spanish- and Vietnamese-speaking workers.

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By Revathi Rajeevan: The mother of a nine-year-old boy who was found beaten up and locked in his house on Wednesday was arrested today in Kerala's Idukki district. Seleena (30), mother of Naufal was produced in Devikulam court where she was remanded until September 8.

She has been charged with IPC section 324, voluntarily causing hurt by dangerous weapons or means, 326b, voluntarily causing grievous hurt by use of acid etc., 34, acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intentions and section 75 of the JJ Act.

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FATHER ALSO ACCUSED IN THE CASE

"His father is in jail in another case. He is also an accused in this case. Seleena has been sent to jail with their three year old daughter and their six year old son is in a government shelter home in Idukki," said TA Younus, CI with the Adimaly police.

Younus said that it was an auto driver who informed them about Naufal locked up in his house in Adimaly. Following this, Childline volunteers and police sent the mother and child to Kottayam Medical College but Seleena "eacaped" to Ernakulam.

The Ernakulam police then detained her and admitted Naufal to the hospital.

BOY SUFFERED INJURIES ALL OVER HIS BODY

In Naufal's uncle's words "he had burns and cuts all over his body, his face smashed with a coconut and left to starve."

Naufal's condition had been critical when he was taken to the hospital and is currently under treatment at the Kalamassery medical college hospital.

Also read:

Woman arrested for sons murder



--- ENDS ---
Five years after France banned the wearing of full-face veils in public, Germany isnt far from doing the same.

A startling poll released on Friday by public broadcaster ARD showed 81 percent of Germans support banning the most conservative types of Islamic veils from schools and government institutions. The garments they want banned are the burqa, which covers women from head to toe, including the face, and the niqab, which does the same except for a narrow slit instead of mesh square to see out of.

Questions about the place of conservative Islam in secular European society have roiled France and Germany in recent months. On Friday, Frances highest court ordered a small coastal town to suspend its ban on burkinis, a full-body swimsuit worn by conservative Muslim women, in a test case thatll probably apply to other towns.

Germany is a few years behind its neighbor when it comes to regulating how conservative Muslims appear in public, but the results of Fridays poll may encourage German Chancellor Angela Merkel to finally push for such legislation.

Last week, German Interior Minister (and close Merkel ally) Thomas de Maiziere stated his support for a ban on full-face veils in public.

They do not belong in our cosmopolitan country, he said last Friday, adding that it was not a security issue but an integration issue. He called for banning it from courtrooms, the civil service, and schools and universities.

His comments came one day after Merkel promised him her full support. They also echoed her position that a ban would help Muslim women better assimilate, rather than somehow strengthen security.

As Merkel said in an separate interview last week, In France they long ago outlawed the burqa, but it apparently couldnt stop a single terror attack.

Germany welcomed more than 1 million immigrants in 2015, most of them coming from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq  all Muslim-majority countries wracked by conflict.

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Fears that Germanys generous policy toward asylum-seekers have inadvertently opened the door to terrorists have run high after a recent spate of attacks. In July, an Islamic State sympathizer from Afghanistan swung at passengers on a commuter train in central Germany with an ax and knife, injuring five people. In the same month, a Syrian asylum-seeker who had also pledged allegiance to the terrorist group blew himself up outside a concert, injuring 12.

Merkels warming position toward a partial burqa ban may also reflect a desire to stay on the side of popular opinion, as evidenced by Fridays poll.

An important faction within Merkels party, the Bavarian counterpart of the Christian Democratic Union, has roundly criticized the chancellors refugee policies from the start. If Merkel were to defy them on as widely a supported idea as banning burqas, she could run the serious risk of an intraparty revolt.

Photo credit: ADAM BERRY/Getty Images
In a move that has been widely criticized as being too harsh, and possibly discriminatory, the Union Cabinet has announced that it has cleared the draft Surrogacy Regulation Bill (2016) that will regulate surrogacy in India. The proposed law completely bans commercial surrogacy and allows only for altruistic surrogacy i.e. where the surrogate mother has to be married and a close relative of the couple involved. This move appears to be in response to concerns that the commercial surrogacy that industry has flourished in India, and is regulated by the Indian Council of Medical Research guidelines, has resulted in exploitative conditions for women, many of who are poor. Many civil society groups has raised questions related to the margin of profit that surrogacy centres were making in comparison to the benefits the surrogate mothers received and whether the surrogate mothers were signing contracts to rent out their wombs with informed consent. However, instead of looking of ways to regulate this industry and ensure a better deal for surrogate mothers, the governments proposed law will completely shut down commercial surrogacy.

The government has, through an earlier version of this bill last year, proposed that foreign nationals not be allowed to avail of surrogacy services in India. This had led to a group of commercial surrogate mothers challenging this move in the Supreme Court. The final version of the bill, which the government has just unveiled, is a much more drastic one, extending the ban not just to foreign nationals, but to all single people, same sex couples, and live in partners, and married couples who have biological or adopted children from availing of surrogacy. The move seems to be blatantly discriminatory, and assumes that only a very small subset of married couples should be allowed to have children through surrogacy. Union Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj, who briefed the press after the Cabinet meeting stated that unmarried couples, single parents and same sex couples are being barred from having children through surrogacy because this is against Indian ethos. Swaraj even took a swipe at celebrities who have had surrogate children although they already have children of their own claiming that this was now becoming fashionable. Swaraj went on to say that foreigners, NRIs and those who hold PIO and OCI cards would be barred from availing of surrogacy in India because divorces are common in foreign countries.

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Swarajs remarks, and the manner in which the Cabinet has decided that only certain groups of people will be eligible to have children through surrogacy raised serious constitutional and legal issues. In a time when it increasingly common for single parents and unmarried couples to have children, and raise children, the assumption that it is only married couples who should be allowed to avail of surrogacy makes no sense. To paint the scenario as surrogacy being fashionable among celebrities is not just unfair, but completely tasteless. After all who is the government to decide that only some sections of society can have children through an assisted reproductive technique while another cannot. The actor Tusshar Kapoor who became a surrogate father recently, far from being an example of a fashionable trend is a role model for unmarried persons homosexuals, and live in couples who would like to have children.



The actor Tusshar Kapoor who became a father through surrogacy recently. Image Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org



The government instead of perpetuating myths and stereotypes about children of single or unmarried parents should be taking active measures to combat such stigma and discriminatory attitudes. To make a statement that divorce is common in foreign countries shows us how blind the government is to the seismic shifts in Indian society. Divorce rates may be much lower than countries like the U.S. and U.K. but we know that divorce applications in family courts in places like Bengaluru, Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi and Lucknow have risen exponentially in recent years.

Lost in this controversy is the crucial issue of the rights and protections of surrogate mothers, and addressing the reasons why the industry was seen as exploitative in the first place. An outright ban, even with the harsh punishment of 10-year jail term that has been proposed may not be enough to push the industry underground, where it could continue illegal but completely unregulated.

Even worse, crucial debates over the rights and autonomy of women over their bodies, their conditions of living and choices they make or are pushed to make, the changing face of the Indian family, and the rights of millions of Indians who are single or unmarried for various reasons have been totally ignored by a blanket law that does not even attempt to address the complexity of these issues. Instead the government is harking back to an imagined Indian ethos, a constructed idea of how we Indians live, failing which we will be penalized.
Janet Yellen

Talk about a range of outcomes.

In perhaps the biggest monetary policy speech of the year, Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen on Friday discussed the outlook for the economy, Fed policy, and the long-term health of monetary policy more broadly.

The biggest attention-grabber from the speech was Yellen's view that, "the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened in recent months."

On Friday, data from Bloomberg showed the market pricing in about a 62% chance of a rate hike at the Fed's December 2016 meeting.

But I think the most interesting thing to come out of Yellen's speech is a fan chart showing the absolutely massive range of outcomes shared by members of the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC), the Fed group that votes on and sets monetary policy in the US.

"The shaded region, which is based on the historical accuracy of private and government forecasters, shows a 70 percent probability that the federal funds rate will be between 0 and 3-1/4 percent at the end of next year and between 0 and 4-1/2 percent at the end of 2018," Yellen said.

"The reason for the wide range is that the economy is frequently buffeted by shocks and thus rarely evolves as predicted. When shocks occur and the economic outlook changes, monetary policy needs to adjust. What we do know, however, is that we want a policy toolkit that will allow us to respond to a wide range of possible conditions."

And so in essence, the Fed is ready for everything and nothing. But admits these only cover 70% of the possibilities.

yellen figure1 20160826

Now on the one hand, this chart is a reason why fan charts are terrible and should never be used.

Yes, there are differing views on the FOMC. Yes, it is important that we see these views. But as some commentators argued following Yellen's speech and the release of this chart, showing such a huge range of outcomes as part of a Fed forecast  in which they only have 70% confidence anyway  makes it seem like the inmates are running the asylum. (Or, I should say, confirms the priors of those who already think this is the case.)

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On the other hand, the entire topic of discussion at this year's Jackson Hole Symposium is assessing the viability of the Fed's existing economic frameworks.

The Symposium's guiding topic is, "Designing Resilient Monetary Policy Frameworks for the Future." The title of Yellen's speech is, "The Federal Reserve's Monetary Policy Toolkit."

The whole point of economic luminaries heading to Wyoming this weekend  aside from the great views  is to discuss the very future of their craft.

On this background, being so massively uncertain about what the future holds is more or less the symptom that officials are seeking to address. This chart, in other words, is the entire point of this year's Jackson Hole symposium.

"And, as ever, the economic outlook is uncertain, and so monetary policy is not on a preset course," Yellen said Friday.

"Our ability to predict how the federal funds rate will evolve over time is quite limited because monetary policy will need to respond to whatever disturbances may buffet the economy."

And right now, it seems that almost anything is possible.

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By Marius Zaharia and Fergus Jensen SINGAPORE/JAKARTA (Reuters) - Air pollution in Singapore rose to the "unhealthy" level on Friday as acrid smoke drifted over the island from fires on Indonesia's Sumatra island, the National Environment Agency (NEA) said. Every dry season, smoke from fires set to clear land for palm oil and pulp and paper plantations in Indonesia clouds the skies over much of the region, raising concern about public health and worrying tourist operators and airlines. The 24-hour Pollution Standards Index (PSI), which Singapore's NEA uses as a benchmark, rose as high as 105 in the afternoon. A level above 100 is considered "unhealthy". The NEA said it planned a "daily haze advisory" as "a burning smell and slight haze were experienced over many areas" in Singapore. Indonesia has been criticised by its northern neighbours and green groups for failing to end the annual fires, which were estimated to cost Southeast Asia's largest economy $16 billion in 2015, and left more than half a million Indonesians suffering from respiratory ailments. Indonesian President Joko Widodo has increased government efforts to tackle the haze, with police doubling numbers of fire-related arrests this year. "Forest and land fires in the Riau area are increasing," Indonesia's National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) spokesman Sutopo Nugroho said in a statement on Friday, referring to aerial surveillance of 67 hotspots and smoke from the area drifting eastward over Singapore. "The smoke billowing from the hotspot locations is quite dense," Nugroho said, adding that 7,200 personnel and several aircraft had been deployed to stop the Riau fires. Pollution levels in neighbouring Malaysia were normal on Friday. Singapore has pushed Indonesia for information on companies suspected of causing pollution, some of which are listed on Singapore's stock exchange. A forest campaigner for the environmental group Greenpeace Indonesia, Yuyun Indradi, said the government was struggling to enforce laws to prevent the drainage of peatland for plantations and the setting of fires to clear land. "It has become a challenge for the government to enforce accountability among concession holders, to enforce its directives on blocking canals, and push companies to take part in efforts to restore peatland and prevent fires," Indradi said. "Now is the time for the government to answer this challenge. It is in the law." Greenpeace said, according to its satellite information, there were 138 fires across Indonesia on Friday. (Reporting by Marius Zaharia and Fathin Ungku in SINGAPORE and Fergus Jensen in JAKARTA; Editing by Robert Birsel and Nick Macfie)
Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African judge on Friday rejected an appeal by state prosecutors against Oscar Pistorius's "shockingly lenient" six-year jail sentence for murdering his girlfriend.

Thokozile Masipa -- the same judge who imposed the punishment on the Paralympic athlete last month -- said she was not persuaded there was a "reasonable prospect of success on appeal".

"The application for leave to appeal against the sentence is dismissed with costs," she said in the High Court in Johannesburg.

Prosecutors had been pushing for a tougher sentence against the fallen 29-year-old double-amputee sprint star over the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

They now have the option of directly petitioning the Supreme Court of Appeal to ask it to extend the term -- which is less than half the minimum 15-year sentence for murder in South Africa.

Masipa presided over Pistorius's lengthy trial in the glare of the world's media, and South African law empowers the trial judge to grant or reject applications to appeal their own judgements.

"The sentence of six years is shockingly lenient and disturbingly inappropriate," prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued in court.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

At his sentencing in July, Masipa listed mitigating factors, including the athlete's claim he believed he was shooting an intruder.

The prosecution on Friday again questioned Pistorius's failure to testify during the sentencing hearings, saying it raised the question of whether he had shown remorse.

Nel also said the punishment had "resulted in an injustice and had the potential to bring the administration of justice into disrepute".

He described it as flawed and that "another court may find that this court misdirected itself".

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Pistorius is serving his sentence at Kgosi Mampuru II prison in the capital Pretoria.

- 'Enough is enough' -

Masipa had also originally convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter, in 2014.

But an appeals court upgraded his conviction to murder in December last year.

Pistorius's defence said it was an "insult" to suggest that the court's sentencing had been flawed and that it was time the case came to a close.

"Enough is enough. What does the state want?" defence lawyer Barry Roux said.

"This case has been exhausted beyond a point of any conceivable exhaustion," he added, accusing the prosecution of sending Pistorius "like a ping pong ball between courts."

However, the prosecution still has recourse to a higher court.

"Any party who has to apply to the trial judge for permission to appeal and is unsuccessful, the option is open for them to petition the Supreme Court of Appeal," said Stephan Terblanche, a law professor at the University of South Africa.

Terblanche said the Supreme Court would study the grounds of appeal and those opposing the appeal, and make a decision without conducting a hearing.

Pistorius, who pleaded not guilty at his high-profile trial, has always denied killing 29-year-old Steenkamp in a rage, saying he was trying to protect her.

South African media reports earlier this month said the athlete had been put on suicide watch following mysterious wrist injuries.

He said he sustained the injuries after falling from his bed and his family denied that he had tried to kill himself.

The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius -- known as the Blade Runner -- became the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 Games.

The Steenkamp and Pistorius families could not be reached for immediate comment.
By Abdi Sheikh and Feisal Omar MOGADISHU (Reuters) - Al Shabaab militants attacked a beach restaurant in the capital Mogadishu on Thursday, with gunmen raiding the building after setting off a car bomb, police and the insurgent group said. Sporadic shooting could be heard as night fell, Reuters witnesses said. It was not clear how many casualties there might be. "A car bomb exploded at Banadir beach restaurant at Lido beach and there is exchange of gunfire. We have no other details so far," police officer Major Ahmed Ibrahim told Reuters. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab's military operation spokesman Abdiasis Abu Musab said the group was responsible for the attack. "We attacked the Banadir beach restaurant and now our fighters are fighting inside it," he told Reuters. Al Shabaab, has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the Western-backed government. In January, its militants stormed another restaurant on Lido beach, killing 17 people. On Sunday, more than 20 people were killed when its suicide bombers detonated two car bombs at a local government headquarters in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region. On Thursday, Reuters witnesses near the scene of the beach attack said the restaurant had been sealed off by security officers and that the attackers had lobbed grenades at the officers and fired at them. They said they had also seen two bodies lying on the ground. Internal Security Minister Abdirizak Omar Mohamed said on his Twitter account: "Warning: People near the blast scene should stay in the hotels and in their houses in which they are inside. Cars should not enter Lido beach area." Al Shabaab was pushed out of Mogadishu by the African Union peacekeeping force AMISOM in 2011 but has remained a potent threat in Somalia, launching frequent attacks aimed at overthrowing the Western-backed government. In a separate incident in southern Somalia, a roadside bomb believed to have been planted by al Shabaab militants wounded at three people in Baardheere town in Gedo region, Colonel Hussein Nur, a police officer in the town, told Reuters by phone. (Additional reporting by Abdirahman Hussein; Writing by George Obulutsa; Editing by Louise Ireland)
Aug 26 (Reuters) - Alere Inc, which has agreed to be bought by Abbott Laboratories, said on Friday it filed a complaint, seeking to compel Abbott to obtain all antitrust approvals required to complete the deal.

Alere said in April its board had rejected a request by Abbott to call off its $5.8 billion offer. Abbott had raised concerns about the accuracy of various representations, warranties and covenants made by Alere in the merger agreement.

Alere said on Friday it expects the redacted version of the complaint, filed in a Delaware chancery court on Thursday, to be publicly available next week.

Abbott was not immediately available for comment.

(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
Altria Group, Inc.s MO board of directors recently announced an 8% hike in its quarterly dividend to 61 cents per share. The new dividend will be paid on Oct 11 to shareholders on record as of Sep 15, 2016. The annualized dividend now amounts to $2.44 per share with a dividend yield of 3.7%, based on Altrias closing price of $66.33 as of Aug 19, 2016. Last year, the company increased its dividend by 8.7%.

The cigarette maker regularly returns value to shareholders and since the spin-off of Philip Morris International Inc. PM, in 2008, has increased dividend every year. Notably, the company has raised its dividend 50 times in 47 years. Also, the company has a dividend payout ratio target of around 80% of adjusted earnings per share.

Altria is not the only tobacco company that engages in shareholder friendly moves as many of its peers to have been rewarding investors with attractive yields. While Altria and peer Reynolds American, Inc. RAI pay dividends that yield more than 3.6%, Philip Morris has a dividend yield of 4.07%. Vector Group Limited VGR, a smaller American cigarette company that owns the Pyramid and Eagle 20's brands, has a striking dividend yield of 7.25%.

ALTRIA GROUP Price and EPS Surprise

ALTRIA GROUP Price and EPS Surprise | ALTRIA GROUP Quote

Apart from dividend payouts, Altria regularly repurchases shares. During the second quarter 2016, Altria repurchased 2.7 million shares for a total of $173 million.

The recent dividend hike and enhanced buyback program reflect the companys strong cash position and a solid balance sheet.

Moreover, the company has been posting decent results for quite some time now on the back of steady sales growth and positive pricing, which in turn, are supported by outperformance of the core tobacco business and leading premium brands.

In addition, Altria Group, like its peer Reynolds American, is diversifying the product portfolio due to volume declines across the cigarette industry. These companies are now focusing primarily on smokeless products and e-cigarettes.

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Altria has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

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Amazons next bookstore will be in Chicago, showing the e-commerce giants growing ambition in the physical retail space.

According to the Chicago Tribune, Amazon has confirmed its planning to open its next bookstore in the Lake View region of Chicago by next year. Amazons first bookstore opened in Seattles upscale University Village mall last fall.

This is the latest in the web companys expansion into brick-and-mortar retail. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos said in May that he definitely plans to open additional stores, without specifying exactly where or what type of stores itll be.

Chicago would be Amazons third bookstore location. According to the LA Times, signs posted in front of a building near UC San Diego show Amazons building a new bookstore at the Southern California university, although the company never officially confirmed it. There are also rumors of a New York location being in the works.

Recodes Jason Del Rey previously reported that Amazon is putting a lot more focus on its bookstore business, putting long-time exec Steve Kessel in charge of the whole operation. The team is planning to open stores that sell things other than books, although its unclear what they will be, according to the report.

Amazons bookstores are slightly different from the traditional stores. No prices are shown next to the items, because prices fluctuates based on the price online. Each book comes with a user review and ratings from the Amazon website. Amazon is even working on an app that lets you pay without having to go through a checkout counter, according to Re/code.

Disclosure: Jeff Bezos is an investor in Business Insider through hispersonal investment company Bezos Expeditions.

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The post Amazon is opening another bookstore and this one is in Chicago appeared first on Business Insider.
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) Union minister Maneka Gandhi has criticised the Kerala governments decision to kill "dangerous" stray dogs, calling it "unlawful and unscientific", even as she claimed that the move can make other canines even more hostile.

The Union Women and Child Development Minister also asked the Kerala government where the money given to the state for sterilisation of dogs has been spent.

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"You say kill, kill, kill. You keep killing and they keep biting. The dog becomes hostile," Gandhi said.

She said the Kerala Cabinets decision to kill dangerous canines to deal with the dog menace can be misused.

"This is an excuse to kill any dog," she claimed.

"Where is the money given by Animal Welfare Board of India to Kerala for sterilisation of dogs? Where has that gone?" she asked.

Gandhi, who is also an animal rights activist, said that killing dogs is not only unlawful but counter-productive as it will lead to more breeding.

"If you kill the dog, females will breed more. Also, dogs will come from outside. I am totally with the people of Kerala but if you keep killing, you break the law and you continue to do things that do not work," she said.

She said the best solution is to sterilise the dogs.

"If you sterilise the dogs they will be happy, they will be gentle. No sterilised dog ever bites. They will also be vaccinated and the problem will go," Gandhi said.

"Delhi had 5 lakh dogs and that number would never come down. Once we started sterilising the number came down to 70,000 even though the population and waste of Delhi has gone up over the years," she said.

The minister also blamed heavy urbanisation in Kerala leading to more waste generation and rise in number of stray dogs.

"Dogs are scavengers, they come to eat the rats. Unless you clean up the waste, rats increase. Kerala is very heavily urbanised. There is very little control on the waste. Unless you deal with the waste, your rats will come, with that dogs will come too," she said. PTI JC SMN

--- ENDS ---
The drama between Amber Heard and Johnny Depp continues.



When Heard was awarded $7 million in the couple's divorce settlement earlier this month, she announced she would donate all of the money to her two favorite charities  the American Civil Liberties Union, with a focus on battling violence against women, and Children's Hospital of Los Angeles, where she has volunteered for 10 years.



However, Depp's rep announced in a statement that the actor had decided to cut out the middle man and donate the settlement money directly to the charities in a series of installments.



In response, a member of Heard's team made a statement Thursday rejecting Depp's payment plan. While the statement said that she "appreciates Johnny Depp's novel interest in supporting two of her favorite charities" and called it "great and unexpected news," they insisted Depp was attempting to change the terms of their settlement.













"If Johnny wishes to change the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honor the full amount by donating $14M to charity, which, after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7M payment obligation to Amber," the statement continued, adding that Depp should make the payment in a lump sum rather than in installments.



"Anything less would be a transparent attempt by Johnny's counsel, Laura Wasser and Patti Glaser, to reduce their client's true payment by half under the guise of newfound concern for charities that he has never previously supported," the statement concluded.



The ACLU confirms to PEOPLE that the organization has already received the funds, while the Children's Hospital Los Angeles "has received the first installment and we are grateful to Mr. Depp," says DeAnn S. Marshall, senior vice president, chief development and marketing officer of the hospital.
Change in America is a funny thing. It took two centuries for the country to agree that a black woman could marry a white man. On the other hand, same-sex marriage bans collapsed just a decade after the first state awarded recognition to gay couples. And theres new evidence that national views are swinging even more quickly when it comes transgender Americans.

A poll released today by the Public Religion Research Institute found 72 percent of Americans now favor passing laws to protect lesbian, gay and transgender people from discrimination, including three-quarters of Democrats and two-thirds of Republicans. A majority of Americans also oppose so-called bathroom bills, which require transgender people to use the restrooms that correspond to their sex at birth.

The poll found Americans are so supportive of federal non-discrimination legislation that most think it already exists. Just over 80 percent of Americans believe the federal government already bars employers from firing gay or transgender employees because of their orientation or gender identity. (It doesnt.) People in their head just logically think, if marriage is legal, then workplace protections must also be in place, said Robert P. Jones, PRRIs CEO.

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Support for those protections hasnt actually grown all that much in the past yearjust one percentage point, up to 72 percent. (Non-discrimination laws have always been more popular than marriage equality, Jones said; its a historical accident that the tougher fight was won first.) But it appears that personal friendships are driving a new awareness of trans issues. In 2015, a Human Rights Campaign survey found 17 percent of Americans knew a transgender person. This year, that figure jumped to 35 percent. Trans rights seem to be following the path of marriage equalityas people came to know the gay people in their own lives, support for same-sex marriages went up.

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Butand not to be a party-pooperhasnt it also been a bit of a bad year? March saw the passage of North Carolinas infamous HB 2, which banned local non-discrimination laws and required trans people to use the bathroom matching their birth gender. (The legislation, in a bit of conservative kitchen-sink-throwing, also barred local communities from passing a higher minimum wage or adopting stricter child labor rules.) Last year, Houston voters struck down the citys non-discrimination ordinance, ending protections for gay residents amid a flurry of No Men in Womens Bathrooms signs. And just this week, Scottsdale, Arizona, killed its own non-discrimination proposal after a city councilor demanded a small-business provision that would exempt three-quarters of the citys establishments.

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Perhaps Americans are eager to support gay rights in theory, but more reticent when an actual proposal lands in their community. But Jones doesnt think so. Respondents are usually more willing to cop to an unpopular opinion in an online poll versus a live-caller survey, but PRRI didnt see any disparity between the two methods on questions about gay issues. Support is probably genuine, he concluded; its the Republican elites who havent caught up with the electorate, starting battles that many voters dont want to fight.

Indeed, a rising number of folks on both sides of the aisle believe its unacceptable to oppose same-sex marriage: Forty-four percent of Americans now say they wouldnt vote for a presidential candidate who is against gay unions. Though Republicans are less likely than Democrats to think gay and transgender people face discrimination, 62 percent of GOP voters support workplace and housing protections. (Theyre a bit more split on bathroom accommodations44 percent support restrictions, 44 percent dont.)

For elected officials, there is everything to gain and nothing to lose by supporting employee discrimination protections, said Brandon Lorenz, a spokesman for the Human Rights Campaign. In a political climate where so much is polarized, the issue of LGBT equality is one issue where both sides are coming together.

To be clear, GOP leaders do have something to gain by opposing gay causesthe support of the religious right. But even that may be changing. For a long time, an individuals opinion on gay rights was closely linked to their party and their religion. Party identification is still a strong dividing line to this day. Religion is less so. Among every demographic, fewer people see a conflict with their faith and acceptance of gay couples now than they did in 2003. That might not translate into votes yet. But its more evidence that change is coming, and ever more rapidly.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
By Heather Somerville SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese powerhouse Didi Chuxing's acquisition of Uber Technologies Inc's China operations marked the biggest move yet toward consolidation in an industry that many investors and Silicon Valley pundits view as a winner-take-all game. On the day the Didi deal was announced earlier this month, Uber board member Bill Gurley said Uber's rivals in other markets had a slim chance of splitting the market with the dominant player, just as Uber struggled to erode Didi's share in China. After China, the industry will consolidate in other markets, said Hans Tung, an Asia-focused investor and managing partner at GGV Capital, which backed Didi and Grab, a Singapore-based ride service. "There will be a dominant No. 1," he said that same day. The consensus of 11 economists interviewed by Reuters, however, suggests an entirely different scenario, one of perpetual competition in a business with relatively few barriers to entry. "That one firm wins is a narrow and not accurate way to think about these firms," said David Evans, chairman of the Global Economics Group and co-author of a recent book that included Uber, "Matchmakers: The New Economics of Multisided Platforms." Ten other economists who have studied ride-hailing agreed that the growing industry, which UBS estimates to be a $40 billion market, has room for at least two successful players, and perhaps a few smaller ones. The industry, they said, has none of the elements that traditionally have enabled single companies to control a sector. If it is the first of its kind, a company can dominate markets that have huge infrastructure costs, such as putting up cell towers or laying pipes; a large workforce of employees with specialized skills; and customers who get locked into a service and have difficulty leaving for competitors. Ride-services, by contrast, are relatively cheap to start, depend on contract labor with no inherent loyalty or specialized skills, and have free apps that can be downloaded in seconds. "You may not want to try a new social networking site if your friends aren't on it," Evans said. "But you don't care what app your friends use for ride-hailing." The question of whether on-demand ride services will remain open to new players has vexed startups and investors since Uber started the industry seven years ago. Companies taking on Uber include Lyft in the United States, Grab in Southeast Asia, Ola in India and newer startups like New York City's Juno. In the United States, in particular, part of Uber's attraction to investors is the chance at grabbing the entire industry. In a statement, Uber said: "The ridesharing industry around the world is highly competitive and innovative. That's good for riders." Uber investor and board member Gurley argued that any competitor would need to pursue a different strategy - perhaps offering more luxury and high-end services - to successfully battle Uber in its strongest markets. Didi, Ola and Grab did not respond to requests for comment. When business magnate Carl Icahn invested $100 million into Lyft in early 2015, he told media outlets he saw "room for two." Chris Sacca, a prominent venture capitalist who invested in Uber, responded "This is a winner-take-all game," on Bloomberg television. Lyft has hired an M&A firm and recently explored the possibility of acquisitions by several companies, a source familiar with the discussions said, and reports of a possible sale stimulated talk of whether it could compete with Uber. Lyft says it can. In the United States, it says it more than tripled its drivers to about 315,000 in the last year. Between October and May it nearly doubled its annual gross revenue to $1.9 billion - although that figure does not reflect the many rider discounts and promotions Lyft offers. Uber has 1.5 million drivers and projected $26 billion in gross revenue globally this year, based on a 2015 presentation for investors. Last year, Lyft hit another benchmark: the wait time for a ride is three minutes, on par with Uber, said President and Co-Founder John Zimmer. At three minutes or less, a passenger will almost always complete the ride. "You need a certain level of scale to get to three minutes," Zimmer said, referring to the number of drivers and passengers. "Once you reach that, if someone else has more scale, it doesn't matter." New York-based Juno has brought on 12,000 drivers since launching earlier this year and already has hit the three-minute wait time in Manhattan, said Co-founder and CEO Talmon Marco. "This is a fairly local industry," Marco said. "You can be a hero in New York and you can be zero in California, and it's OK." In India, Uber and Ola are neck and neck around 45 percent of the market each after Uber's market share fell and Ola's rose in 2015, according to market research firm 7Park Data. The challenge for new startups, however, is that leading companies subsidize their drivers and passengers as they prioritize gaining market share over profit. Both Uber and Lyft have spent heavily on driver bonuses and rider discounts and promotional credits. "Everything that has happened in this space is completely artificial and funded by a glut of VC money," said Daniel Ramot, CEO and co-founder of startup Via, which completes about 200,000 rides each week in New York. Economists argue that Lyft can be a profitable company with roughly 20 percent of a market, which would allow it to reduce expenses through economies of scale. Lyft and Uber only release market share statistics selectively, but Lyft maintains it has more than a 20 percent share in the majority of its top 20 regions. An electric company, by comparison, would need massive scale to achieve enough efficiency to allow for profits, said Stephen Margolis, an economist and anti-trust expert at North Carolina State University. Max Wolff, an economist at Manhattan Venture Partners, believes competition will thrive mainly because ride-hailing technologies are not overly complicated and drivers aren't earning enough money to be loyal to a single company. There is room for other players even if Uber is dominant, he said. "They're not as big, but they're there, too. They're not some wheezing, dying remnant." (Reporting by Heather Somerville; Editing by Peter Henderson and Brian Thevenot)
Now that Android Nougat, the latest version of the Google mobile OS, has been released as an update for late-model Nexus phones, we took it out for a trial run on a Nexus 6P, one of the recommended models in our smartphone ratings. What did we find? Nougats tweaks, while not revolutionary, should improve the smartphone experience for Android users.



If this sounds like an underwhelming assessment, its because many Nougat features, such as split-screen app access and the ability to respond to text messages from any app, have been available on Samsung and LG smartphones for several years. iPhones, too, acquired the text-responding feature with iOS 9.

If you have a Nexus smartphone, check to see whether theres a download ready for you by going into phone Settings, then About phone, and finally System updates.

The Compelling New Features

Apps remain divided in split screen. With Nougat, Google adds refinements already familiar to many Samsung and LG fans, including a stacked split-window view that allows you to work with two apps simultaneously. The default view gives equal space to both apps, but you can move the dividing border with your finger to grant one more real estate. When you tilt the phone sideways, the apps appear side-by-side.

To get the split-screen view, you must already have an app in use. Press and hold the Recent Apps button and the screen will split in two (vertically) and a carousel of other apps (up to seven) will appear on the bottom of the screen.

Not all apps are supported, though, including the camera. Whats more, when we Google Photos, the default gallery on our Nexus 6P, was open, it didnt seem to let us drag a photo into messages. The same held true for a Maps location we wanted to share in a text message. That left us attaching photos and sharing maps the old-fashioned way.

If youre going through the trouble of using two apps at once on a screen, wouldn't you appreciate some interoperability between them? Maybe that will come later, along with split-screen support for more apps.

Story continues

Notifications. These have always been a key selling point for Android phones, which keep their owners in the loopeven when their screens are lockedusing a notification bar, color-coded LEDs, and customizable audible alerts. With Android Nougat, you can now reply to texts from inside any application. Again, thats old news for many Apple, LG, and Samsung phone users.

One new Android Nougat option that you might not have on your phone is the ability to block notifications from specific numbers. Android Nougat also bundles notifications according to the apps from which they came.

App use. In its Android Nougat preview, Google said it would limit the number of apps you can open on your screen to just seven to make it easier to toggle between them. But on the Nexus 6P, we were able to access 10. One promise Google kept: Its designers have conveniently moved the Close All apps button to the top of the screen. Truth be told, though, thats not a very easy reach for a thumb traversing a display that's 5.7 inches wide (diagonally).





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.
TOKYO (Reuters) - A local Japanese governor on Friday asked Kyushu Electric Power to temporarily suspend the Sendai nuclear plant, one of two operating in the nation, further clouding efforts by the government and utilities to restart more idled reactors. Anti-nuclear advocate Satoshi Mitazono, who was elected governor of Kagoshima prefecture last month, called on Kyushu Electric to re-examine safety and safety measures at its facility in southwestern Japan, raising concerns about a series of strong quakes that struck neighboring Kumamoto in April. The request was expected as Mitazono, a former journalist, had said he wanted the temporary shutdown amid heightened concerns from local residents about safety and evacuation plans. Mitazono's pledges to suspend operations at the Sendai plant are credited with helping him beat in a July election incumbent Yuichiro Ito, who had agreed to the resumption of Sendai's reactors. "As an operator of nuclear power plants, the company has a duty to sincerely listen and response to the concerns of local residents. The company should temporarily suspend the nuclear plant and re-examine safety," Mitazono said in a statement that was handed to Kyushu Electric President Michiaki Uriu at the prefectural government offices. Mitazono has no legal power to shut down operating reactors. "We will give the matter serious consideration," Kyushu Electric said in a subsequent statement. Only three reactors are online in Japan: two at Kyushu Electric's Sendai plant and one at Shikoku Electric Power's Ikata station. Utilities have struggled to get nuclear units running again in the face of a skeptical public after shutting them all down following the Fukushima disaster of 2011. Sendai's reactors are already schedule to be stopped for maintenance this year, one in October and one in December. Reactors in Japan are required to be shut for servicing after 13 months of commercial operation. (Reporting by Yuka Obayashi; Editing by Tom Hogue)
AppLovin CEO Adam Foroughi

Last year, AppLovin, a mobile ad network founded in 2012, hit over $200 million in revenue, doubling what it did in 2014, it told us.

And now, its success has reportedly attracted the attention of an unknown Chinese buyer who may be willing to pay $1.5 billion to buy the startup, sources have told TechCrunch.

AppLovin's claim to fame is that it delivers more personalized ads, it says. It's been particularly successful with mobile ads.

The San Francisco based startup stayed in stealth mode for its first two years, meaning it didn't do a lot of sales, marketing and public relations and instead focused on developing its products.

But during that time, it still signed up 300 customers, all through word of mouth, CEO Adam Foroughi told Business Insider. Two months after its official launch, in July 2014, it had a $100 million revenue "run rate" and high-profile users like Uber, Spotify, and Opentable, Foroughi said. Run rate refers to how much money a company would bring in if it maintained the same revenue for a year.

While the IPO market has been soft in 2016, the M&A market has been on fire. If this $1.5 billion deal comes to pass, it will be a healthy exit for AppLovin and its over 100 employees.

In addition to AppLovin, Foroughi is an avid angel investor having backed startups like Bright.com (sold to LinkedIn), and Open Install (sold in December 2011). He's also backed Path, HomeJoy, ZenPayroll and others.

While AppLovin wouldn't confirm or deny this deal, Foroughi sent us this statement:

"AppLovin is a global business, and as we continue to grow, our business development includes regular dialogue with partners around the world to explore various forms of potential collaboration. Our goal remains to focus on our business and keep our customers our No. 1 priority. At this stage, we do not have any formal announcement to make.

NOW WATCH: Scientists just collected a mysterious 'purple orb' at the bottom of the ocean, but no one could anticipate what happened next





More From Business Insider


ButtermilkChicken

Arby's is revamping its fried chicken.

The chain is now selling sandwiches made with a new chicken breast fillet, Arby's told Business Insider. The upgraded fillet is bigger than the brand's previous version, marinated in buttermilk and coated in a buttermilk breading.

The result, according to Arby's senior vice president of product development Jim Taylor, is juicier and more flavorful, with a mix of sweet and savory that aims to "excite more areas of your palate."

The upgraded chicken will be used on Arby's menu mainstays Chicken Bacon Swiss, Chicken Cordon Bleu, and Crispy Chicken, as well as the new limited-time Buttermilk Buffalo Chicken Sandwich, which is launching nationwide on Monday.

Fried Chicken Sandwiches Arby's 12

"We definitely needed something that was spicy and also unique to Arby's," Taylor told Business Insider of the Buffalo Chicken Sandwich. A hand-dipped buffalo sandwich fit the bill, as something sold at bar and grills or casual dining restaurants, but rarely appearing on the menu at fast-food chains.

Taylor said that Arby's chicken relaunch was in response to the chain looking for areas where it was falling short.

"We ask ourselves, 'Are there areas or gaps that we don't fulfill?'" he says.

Chicken was one area Arby's felt it could improve, with sales failing to measure up with what the company believed they could be. A new fillet and the accompanying push to market the chain's chicken sandwiches at a time when Americans are craving higher-quality and more flavorful versions of fried chicken could be a major game changer for the chain.

"I think America has always had a love affair with fried chicken," says Taylor. "Let's face it, a lot of things taste great fried."

taco bell naked chicken

Arby's isn't the only chain angling to get in on the fried chicken game.

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In 2015, Burger King launched its Chicken Fries and McDonald's reintroduced Chicken Selects. Taco Bell is now planning a national launch of a taco that uses fried chicken as the tortilla, as well as testing other fried-chicken menu items.

Chicken chain Chick-fil-A has exploded from a regional chain to the No. 1 chicken chain in the US by sales in recent years. Meanwhile, rival KFC is in the midst of a brand revamp, putting its extra crispy and regional takes on fried chicken front and center.

Part of the explosion of fried chicken in the fast-food and fast-casual industry is due to lower chicken prices.

However, another factor is simply that Americans are craving fried chicken. According to the public-perception tracker YouGov Brand Index data, the chicken sector has been the No. 1 category in the fast-food business by purchase consideration since April, when it eclipsed the burger sector.

The American fast-food industry is entering a golden age of fried chicken. With its new fried-chicken fillet and the Buffalo Chicken sandwich, Arby's wants in on the action.

NOW WATCH: We tried Boston Market's new chicken Marsala, but it did not compare to the classic rotisserie





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The former Miss Universe is experimenting with her style, big time.

By Hemul Goel: Lara Dutta Bhupathi's latest looks are too hot to handle!

If the actress' Instagram is to be believed, then this might be the most stylish August of her life.

Of late, the former Miss Universe has been busy experimenting with her style, especially since she has taken on the responsibility of being the mentor and face of Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva - Miss Universe India 2016. Here, sample some of her sartorial experiments.

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Also read: Lara Dutta and Waluscha De Sousa to come together to hunt for the new Miss India Universe

Boxer braids are SO hot right now!



Picture courtesy: Instagram/@larabhupathi

So is this edgy take on half up, half down hair.



Picture courtesy: Instagram/@larabhupathi Picture courtesy: Instagram/@larabhupathi

She looks flawless in this Monisha Jaising number, right?

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@larabhupathi

While both the Gaurav Gupta saree gown and the Monisha Jaising number look great on the actress, we are veering more towards the latter. The finishing touches and the overall look of the gold gown is just perfect for the actress.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@laraduttafc

How cute does she look in that LBD?

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@afashionistasdiaries

This Gauri and Nainika number is right up her alley!



Picture courtesy: Instagram/@eshaamiin1

Professional commitments aside, we are pretty sure, she's the best dressed guest at every party she attends, like the time she channeled a vintage look for a birthday bash.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/@larabhupathi

Also read: The one super boring thing we can't help but notice about Shilpa Shetty's Super Dancer looks

--- ENDS ---
The crew and passengers of the Barefoot Charters catamaran boat experienced on August 7 what Captain Dean Cropp described as a once in a lifetime up-close encounter with three humpback whales near Byron Bay, off New South Wales, Australia. Sitting in calm waters and waiting for winds to pick up for their home journey, Cropp said he and two other people got into the water to clean the propellers when the huge whales appeared.

There were yells from up on deck that a whale was close by, and not a minute or two later, one of the whales swam right under the boat, Cropp said. The smallest was the most inquisitive and came very close, rolling around and showing us their white belly and long pectoral fins. The three whales danced and swam around us, very in control of the encounter and very interested in checking us out.

After about 15 minutes, the whales left, continuing their northbound migration, while the boat, after two months at sea, headed south towards Sydney, Cropp said.

A high-resolution version of the videos can be found here. Credit: Facebook/Barefoot Charters
Sydney (AFP) - A massive leak of secret data on French submarines is embarrassing, Australia's Defence Industry minister said on Friday, stressing that security between Australia and the DCNS shipbuilders would be "the most stringent in the world".

The Australian newspaper reported this week that it had seen 22,400 leaked pages detailing the combat capability of the Scorpene-class DCNS submarine designed for the Indian navy.

Variants of the submarine are used by Malaysia and Chile, with Brazil due to deploy the vessels from 2018.

Australia awarded French contractor DCNS a Aus$50 billion (US$38 billion) contract last April to design and build its next generation of submarines.

"Obviously it is a very serious matter for the Indian navy and for the DCNS project," Australia's Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne told Channel Nine.

Pyne stressed that the leak had "no bearing at all on the Australian project" as Canberra has commissioned a different model to the Scorpene.

The Australian's scoop prompted DCNS to file a complaint to France's public prosecutor over the leak, who must now decide whether to launch a preliminary inquiry, hand it over to instructing magistrates or set the case aside, a French legal source told AFP.

"The French government is obviously investigating a very serious leak," Pyne said.

"It's embarrassing for DCNS and it's embarrassing for the Indian navy."

The Australian newspaper said the leaked documents were marked "Restricted Scorpene India" and revealed the combat capabilities of India's new submarine fleet.

They also included thousands of pages on the submarine sensors and thousands more on its communication and navigation systems as well as nearly 500 pages on the torpedo launch system alone.

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has ordered a probe into the newspaper report but Pyne stressed that Australia did not anticipate a security problem with its submarines.

Story continues

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Australia's defence department has told DCNS it wants the same level of protection as the United States gives for information on Australia's submarines.

"Our security measures with both the United States, with the Collins Class submarine, with the air warfare destroyers, as they will be with DCNS, are the most stringent in the world," Pyne said.

"There has never been a breach in the many decades in which they have been operating."

Australia awarded its submarine contract to DCNS but the secret combat system for the 12 Shortfin Barracudas is being supplied by the United States.

The submarines are a scaled-down conventionally powered version of France's 4,700-tonne Barracuda.
IMG_2487 IMG_2487

It is not easy fusing a cocktail of genres including music, comedy and time travel into a movie, but the leading stars of new Bollywood film Baar Baar Dekho hope to convey a multi-faceted love story.

Baar Baar Dekho, which translates Look Again and Again, centers on Jai (Sidharth Malhotra) and Diya (Katrina Kaif), two childhood sweethearts now grown up and getting ready for their wedding. Jai gets cold feet as he wonders how to balance his personal and professional life.

Through time travel, Jai is able to see what his future may look like in a few days, years and decades, and comes to a realization about his present.

Imagine that you get a chance to see the future of your love story and whether you want to fix things, change things and learn some things from that or what youre doing at present, Malhotra told Reuters.

It might look confusing in the trailer. But once you go through the journey, by climax it has a very nice message.

Baar Baar Dekho, out in theatres Sept. 9, marks the feature film debut from director Nitya Mehra and the first time that Kaif and Malhotra have worked together.

Kaif, 33, known for Bollywood films such as 2009s New York and 2011s Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, said she and Malhotra, 31, forged a connection during casting exercises where they were made to sit opposite each other and look into each others eyes.

These things are funny but they work. These ideas exist for a reason because they help you break the barriers which are there, Kaif said.

After filming, Malhotra, known for films such as 2014s Ek Villain, was romantically linked to Kaif. However, the actors said dating rumours are always to be expected when they are single.

If youre not in a relationship, which most people are aware of, or know about, then these kind of stories come. But they come and they also go the next day, they dont really live a long life, Kaif said.

They just cant believe were really, extremely good actors. There has to be something, Malhotra added.

Story continues

Sidharth and Katrina were spotted promoting Baar Baar Dekho on the sets of Jhalak Dikhla Ja. The two looked quite cozy together. Take a look at the highlights.

(Reporting by Reuters TV; Writing by Piya Sinha-Roy in Los Angeles; Editing by David Gregorio)

All photos by YOGEN SHAH
Vegan superheroes and punk duo "Slaves" have recently announced a new tour earlier today, entitled the Back in the van tour, where they go round supposedly in the back of Van and visit 15 intimate venues, such as Hobos in Bridgend and The Horn in St Albans. The aim of the tour is to re-engage with fans that are unable to attend larger concerts, due to travel or money issues. The duo are relatively new to the music scene, but have been touring in the back of a van since 2012 when Laurie Vincent decided to team up with Isaac Hoffman to form Slavea, a Batman finds his Robin situation. Because, now they are revitalising the current music scene, with heavy hitting drums and brash guitar riffs.

The Back in the Van tour kicks off on the 5th of September in Bullingdon Club, Oxford before coming to a close on the 24th of September at the Junction Bar in Plymouth. Joining the duo on tour is Welsh Indie band Estrons, who also recently supported the band at the 100 club.

But, in order to gain access to tickets, there is one catch, its a nice catch mind. You will need to visit the Slaves website, and pre-order any album, whether its on vinyl or CD. Following the order, all customers will gain access to tickets released 10am on Wednesday the 31st of August. At a bargain bucket price of just 1.99.





The new album Take Control is released on the 30th of September, and features 16 new Punkish hits including;

Spit It Out Hypnotised Consume Or Be Consumed ft. Mike D Take Control Mr Industry (Skit) Rich Man Play Dead Lies Fuck The Hi-Hat Gary (Skit) People That You Meet Steer Clear ft. Baxter Dury Cold Hard Floor STDs/PHDs Angelica Same Again

Alongside this second tour, Slaves announced earlier this year that they have a massive UK tour, which is due to start in November. Touring around larger venues such as The O2 Academy in Bristol to promote Take Control.

Despite having a fairly simple instrumental set up of just a drum kit, electric guitar and sometimes bass. Slaves manage to utilise these to create intricate and abrasive sounds. Be sure to join them on tour at one of the dates below, to pull a few wobbly ones on the dance floor and pogo the night away.

Dates for the Back in the Van tour.
You know it's a new school year when health warnings about carrying bulging backpacks begin to appear. But what if even the slight weight of an empty backpack sends ripples of agony through your child's body? Or if your son or daughter can't bear to wear new school clothes because it's too painful?

For kids living with chronic pain, ordinary parts of the school day that most kids take for granted -- going to class, sitting at a desk, concentrating on assignments, walking to the cafeteria -- become much harder. When kids deal with conditions such as juvenile arthritis, migraine, fibromyalgia or certain pain syndromes, managing well at school is a major accomplishment. Here's how parents can help kids succeed.

[See: 10 Concerns Parents Have About Their Kids' Health.]

Long Absence

Like his California classmates, Jasper Neale returned to eighth grade after the 2014-15 winter break. Other students had to readjust slightly after a couple weeks away from the school grind. For Jasper, however, going back was a very big deal. He had missed nearly the complete first semester because of an excruciating pain condition that engulfed his body, following what had seemed like a minor stress fracture to his heel.

Kids, curious about Jasper's extended absence, made wild speculations. "A bunch of friends-slash-classmates kind of fabricated stories about what happened to me," he recalls. "Some people thought I had an amputated leg and all these different crazy things."

The truth was more complicated. Four months after his initial injury, Jasper was diagnosed with complex regional pain syndrome, a condition that left him screaming in pain at the slightest touch. His mother, Lori Neale, detailed his harrowing health journey here. Eventually, Jasper traveled with his father to Children's Specialized Hospital in New Jersey to enter the inpatient program for kids with chronic pain.

School Readiness

"A lot of our youngsters unfortunately wind up being out of school because their pain and dysfunction are so severe," says Dr. Katherine Bentley, director of the pain program at Children's Specialized Hospital. The inpatient program is "very intensive," she says. "The kids are in therapies all day long." Occupational therapy, physical therapy and psychological counseling help kids regain their abilities even if pain persists.

Story continues

"At the end, we simulate the school environment," Bentley says. "So kids wear their backpack. They have to walk the whole hospital and stairs -- we don't use elevators in the program." Occupational therapy includes cognitive tasks such as reading, writing and math games, she says. "Whatever it may be to help them function in school."

Lori Neale says meeting with Jasper's teachers helps pave the way for a better school experience. "One thing with complex regional pain syndrome is it's very poorly understood," she says. Just sending an email to a teacher wouldn't convey what he's going through, especially because he has an invisible illness. "You can't physically see it on him," she says. "There are no casts; there's no hair loss like a lot of other serious illnesses." His school and teachers have been "incredibly supportive," she says.

The first week back at school is the worst, Bentley says. "Every day gets a little better," she says. "Some of our kids have been out of school for years. So it's a huge transition to get back."

[See: 8 Lesser-Known Ways to Ruin Your Joints.]

Parental Tips

About 1 in 4 kids deals with a pain-related condition, says Dr. Tonya Palermo, a professor of anesthesiology and pain medicine at University of Washington School of Medicine and a researcher in pediatric chronic pain at Seattle Children's Hospital. Headache, abdominal pain and musculoskeletal pain are the most common, she says.

"School is a huge challenge," says Palermo, co-author of "Managing Your Child's Chronic Pain." For kids, pain can be disruptive on every level from lack of sleep to friendship issues. "School's so complicated because it's a big mix of academic demands, emotional demands, social demands and cognitive demands," she says.

For parents supporting kids through their school year, experts offer the following tips:

-- Think about your child's capabilities as well as the demands of school, Palermo says. Some kids might need a more gradual return to school, starting with shorter periods of a few hours a day, then increasing as kids can better tolerate sitting, standing and walking.

-- Don't overschedule a child with chronic pain. "It can be tempting at the beginning of the year to really want your child, who maybe has not been involved in a lot of activities, to be immersed right away," Palermo says. Instead, she suggests, start with few activities, adding on throughout the year as children do well.

-- "If children have pain exacerbations at school, it would be helpful for them to have a place to go," Palermo says. "This might be a health room, or a library or even another classroom, where they can take a five-to-10-minute break."

-- For kids who function in pain, attitude is important, Bentley says: "Parents are encouraged to talk more about, 'How was your day in school?' not 'What was your pain number at lunch?' So you're always focusing on the positive -- what they were able to do."

-- "You want to set everything up so [kids] feel safe and supported right away, so they can succeed," Bentley says. That could mean seeking out therapists, pediatric physicians, child life specialists or counselors. Some kids benefit from accommodations through an individualized education plan.

-- Physical activity helps kids function better. Swimming is one option for kids who need lower-impact exercise, Bentley says.

[See: 13 Tips for Getting Kids Health-Ready for Back to School.]

Moving Forward

Jasper, about to start 10 th grade next week, has made enormous strides and is a successful student juggling AP and honors courses. Thanks to the hospital program, Lori Neale says, her son has the tools to cope when he's not feeling well. "He knows how to manage it emotionally, and he knows how to manage it physically," she says.

When it comes to physical barriers, "There's not really a problem at all," Jasper says. "Sometimes you're kind of in pain and the stairs make it a little worse. But that's something you're going to be doing the rest of your life. Just walk up the stairs and kind of deal with it."

So much has improved for Jasper since his pain journey began. "He's able to wear clothes now," Lori says. "He's able to carry his backpack on his back. He's able to complete his full load of schoolwork. He's able to compete in sports. He hangs out with friends; rides his bike. He really leads a very, very normal life."

Lisa Esposito is a Patient Advice reporter at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at lesposito@usnews.com.
The great Bank Holiday getaway is underway, with millions of people heading off for a break either in the UK or abroad.



Travel organisation Abta estimates that two million Brits will head abroad between today and Monday, while an estimated 13 million drivers will hit Britains roads, according to the AA.

The rush to flee the country will leave Britains airports busy, including Heathrow which is expecting more than 440,000 passengers to depart over the last long weekend before Christmas.

Busy - Heathrow is expecting 440,000 passengers to depart over the weekend (Pictures: PA)

Abta chief executive Mark Tanzer said: This weekend is the traditional curtain closer for the peak summer months and it is always a very busy weekend for travel, with millions taking advantage of the long weekend to head off overseas.

"With the roads predicted to be extremely busy, holidaymakers should make sure that they leave plenty of time to get to their port of departure.

MORE: Go West For A Longer Life: Devon District Is Home To UKs Longest Life Expectancy

MORE: Brit Gets Drunk In Ibiza, Buys 30,000 Party Bus On eBay

As well as breaks out of the UK, national tourism agency VisitEngland said an estimated 5.1 million people will take a break within the UK, generating around 1.3bn for the UK economy.

According to the AA, an estimated 13 million drivers will take to the road for a holiday or an outing between Friday and Monday, with the busiest single day for motorists embarking on leisure journeys expected to be Saturday, when 10 million drivers will get behind the wheel.

Staycation - many Brits will choose to spend the weekend in the UK

Transport information supplier Inrix said some stretches of road could have twice as many vehicles between Friday and Monday compared with a normal weekend. Hotspots to avoid include sections of the M25, M6, M4 and M27.

Highways England announced that almost 98% of Englands motorway and major A roads will be clear of roadworks over the weekend, with some 373 miles of roadworks either completed or suspended ahead of the holiday.

But on Britains rail network, nearly 1,000 engineering projects are being carried out, meaning some lines will be closed.

Network Rails route managing director, Martin Frobisher, said: Work takes place 365 days a year as part of our Railway Upgrade Plan but we carry out larger upgrades over bank holidays when there are fewer passengers travelling.


Over the last five trading days, performance of major bank stocks has been relatively stable. Whispers of another rate hike happening soon dominated the headlines as the key economic data points toward steady domestic growth. All eyes will now be on Fed Chairwoman, Janet Yellens speech in Jackson Hole, WY.



Coming to the bank specific headlines, resolution of litigations and probes related to legacy matters and business misconducts dominated the banking space. While the settlement amounts were not significant, the stringent actions by the regulators are commendable.



(Read: Bank Stock Roundup for the week ending Aug 12, 2016)

BANKS-MAJOR REGIONAL Industry Price Index

BANKS-MAJOR REGIONAL Industry Price Index

Major Developments of the Week



1. Closing the doors on yet another matter pertaining to its acquisition of Washington Mutual Inc.s (WaMu) banking business during the 2008 financial crisis, JPMorgan Chase & Co. JPM announced ending the dispute with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation ("FDIC") and Deutsche Bank AG DB. Per a regulatory filing, following the court approval, the company will receive $645 million as part of the deal (read more: JPMorgan Ends WaMu Disputes with FDIC and Deutsche Bank).



2. Wells Fargo & Co. WFC was ordered to pay $4 million to settle accusations regarding its involvement in illegal student loan practices like charging illegal fees, misrepresenting payments, and not updating inaccurate credit report data. The Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) said that Wells Fargo would illegally charge consumers late fees if they made payments on the last day of their grace periods (read more:Wells Fargo Ordered to Pay $4 Million for Illegal Student Loan Practices).



3. In yet other news related to Wells Fargo, its mortgage unit  Wells Fargo Bank NA  has been ordered to pay $3.45 million to some clients as a result of a processing failure that delayed the mailing of letters to approximately 8,000 homeowners in bankruptcy. This shortened their notice period about changes to monthly mortgage payment amounts.



As per the letter from Wells Fargo filed in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Greenbelt, Maryland, the mortgage unit agreed to pay the amount in a settlement deal with the Department of Justice's U.S. Trustee Program. Additionally, the company consented to resolve the mailing error and provide credits and refunds to affected homeowners.



This problem was discovered last year, driven by enquires by an independent compliance monitor, who was hired by the bank as part of an $81.6 million settlement with the Justice Department.



4. Citigroup Inc. C and AT&T, Inc. T have put an end to the legal tussle over a trademark infringement. Per a filing with a Manhattan federal court, the companies have dropped allegations against each other with prejudice, which means that the charges cannot be brought again (read more: Citigroup Ends Legal Battle Over 'ThankYou' Trademark)



Price Performance



Overall, the performance of banking stocks indicated optimistic stance. Here is how the seven major stocks performed:





Story continues

Company Last Week 6 months JPM 0.3% 15.9% BAC 2.0% 26.1% WFC -0.6% 1.3% C 0.4% 21.0% COF 0.3% 3.5% USB 0.1% 10.9% PNC 0.5% 3.5%



In the last five trading sessions, Wells Fargo edged down 0.6%. On the other hand, Bank of America Corp. BAC shares increased 2%



Over the last six months, BofA and Citigroup were the best performers, with their shares surging 26.1% and 21%, respectively. Also, JPMorgans shares climbed 15.9%.



What's Next in the Banking Space?



Banking stocks are expected to continue performing in a similar way unless any unforeseen incident occurs.



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BBC Worldwide North America has sold Australian drama, The Kettering Incident, starring Elizabeth Debicki, to Amazon Prime, which will premiere the series on its streaming service on September 30.

The eight part supernatural mystery was co-created by Tasmanian writer Victoria Madden and producer Vincent Sheehan for pay TV giant, Foxtel. Its been one of Foxtel's highest rating original dramas this year.

Shot entirely in Tasmania, the series tells the story of Anna Macy (Debicki), a doctor who left the town of Kettering when she was 14, shortly after her best friend disappeared. Anna returns 15 years later to a town struggling to survive - torn apart by clashes between environmentalists and loggers. Anna's reappearance causes a stir. Theories and rumors persist about what really happened to the girls that night - from Anna killing her best friend to alien abduction. Drawn to discover what really happened, Anna uncovers secrets buried deep in her mind and the heart of Kettering and its people.

The Kettering Incident is produced by Porchlight Films in association with Sweet Potato Films, with Vincent Sheehan, Victoria Madden, and Andy Walker as producers. Madden is also showrunner, and her fellow writers are Andrew Knight, Cate Shortland, and Louise Fox. Rowan Woods and Tony Krawitz direct. The executive producers are Foxtel Head of Drama Penny Win, Liz Watts, and Anita Sheehan.
LGBTQ activist Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil speaks on how The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 is far from ideal.

By Mini Dixit: As the nation's transgender community continues to push through the stigmas its existence is clouded with, The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 was to be a respite. Tabled during the first week of August 2016 the bill however, hasn't quite turned out to be the long-overdue relief it had promised to be.

Laden with ignorance towards key provisions and overall ambiguity, the bill has come under the radar of LGBTQ activists who believe its existence to be a mere facade.



One such eminent activist is Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil who made news by a public declaration of his homosexuality back in 2006.

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Referred to as India's first openly gay prince, Gohil has been actively involved in the much-needed emancipation and awareness that is required by the global LGBTQ community--with his organisation Lakshya Trust being a pioneer in the direction.

In a recent conversation with India Today Digital, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil shed light on the what and how of The Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Bill, 2016 and pointed out these flaws it's replete with.

1. The bill addresses transgender individuals as "neither wholly female nor wholly male"--indicating they are flawed in some way

The bill's nomenclature for the transgender community seems to be far from ideal.

Defined as (A) neither wholly female nor wholly male; or (B) a combination of female or male; or (C) neither female nor male--the bill seems to indicate that the transgender community is flawed and incomplete in some way, a view that is not seconded by LGBTQ activists like Prince Manvendra Singh himself.





The bill indicates that transgender individuals are neither wholly male, nor female. Photo: Reuters The bill indicates that transgender individuals are neither wholly male, nor female. Photo: Reuters

Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil believes that without their correct implementation, the handful of acceptable reforms from the bill are of little or no use.The bill reportedly, does not spell out a specific committee to ensure that the proposed social welfare amendments are implemented among transgender individuals and families.



"It is important for the governments of all states and LGBTQ organisations to cooperate for this bill to be a success," believes Gohil.



3. Discrepancy in the original and current draft of the bill

According to Gohil, the Transgender Bill ignores several key provisions that were present in DMK MP Tiruchi Siva's initial draft of the bill. The Transgender Bill tabled by Siva in 2014 created history by becoming the first private bill to be passed by the Rajya Sabha in 2015 but its current draft tabled in the Lok Sabha hasn't left Siva and LGBTQ activists of the country very happy.



Also Read: How India's first openly gay prince came out, met Oprah, and now fights for the LGBT community

"I've been in constant touch with Siva over the bill. As much as he's happy about his bill garnering attention, he is far from satisfied with its current form," says Gohil.





The bill disregards the progressive NALSA judgement in ways more than one. Photo: Reuters The bill disregards the progressive NALSA judgement in ways more than one. Photo: Reuters

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According to both Gohil and Siva, the 2016 version of the Transgender Bill dilutes a key provision of the transgender being allowed to be included under the other backward class category, hence disabling them to avail employment reservations for the same. The bill also fails to lay down specific measures to tackle police violence and has a clouded definition of what qualifies as discriminatory.

5. Does not take the concept of self-identity into consideration

The bill overlooks the concept of gender-identity. According to the 2016 bill, an individual has to be "verified" by a screening committee to qualify as a transgender. This specific provision strangulates the very idea of the NALSA judgement which labelled any form of screening as illegal and immoral.





Before anything else, Gohil wants the transgender community to be aware of its rights. Photo: Reuters

Apart from the amendments these loopholes need, Prince Manvendra Singh Gohil believes the emancipation of the transgender community will come only when its members are aware of their rights and the issues faced by them are consciously mainstreamed.





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You know how your favorite band suddenly seems less cool once your mom knows about them? Or an internet catchphrase loses its cachet once your history teacher uses it to explain the Reconstruction era?

Presidential campaigns are like that.

The latest example comes from Donald Trumps campaign store, where an issues statement T-shirt promotes Competent Leadership& 2nd Amendment Rights& SmallGovernment& ImmigrationReform& HealthcareReform& TaxReform& Jobs.

The shirt is a direct reference to one from President Obamas campaign which called for ClimateChange& EconomicOpportunity& GunViolencePrevention& HealthCare& ImmigrationReform& MarriageEquality& WomensRights&.

But the real origin of the design comes from Amsterdam-based graphic designers Experimental Jetset, who created a band T-shirt about the Beatles for a Japanese T-shirt company called 2K/Gingham in 2001.

The original design was stark: John& Paul& Ringo& George. As the designers explain on their website, the first names were chosen to help strip the band down to its essentials, while the ampersands were added to keep George Harrisons longer first name from standing out too much.

They followed it with similar shirts for the Rolling Stones (Keith& Mick& Bill& Charlie& Brian.) and the Ramones (Joey& DeeDee& Johnny& Tommy.), but the minimalist design was so popular that it soon was ripped off by other T-shirt makers for everything from the Wu-Tang Clan to Nintendo to Star Wars.

The designers seem unfazed by the attention, posting images on their own site of the copies. And their only complaint about the Trump shirt was fairly technical.

The typeface, the colors, and the kerning was better on the Barack Obama T-Shirt, wrote designers Marieke Stolk, Erwin Brinkers and Danny van den Dungen in a joint email to TIME.

But if anything can make this ubiquitous T-shirt design seem uncool, its a presidential campaign adopting it.
The online firestorm in response to a letter to incoming freshmen at the University of Chicago, warning them not to expect to be shielded from ideas and words that might make them uncomfortable, does not surprise the man who touched it off. In fact, says John W. Boyer, dean of the college, that response was somewhat the point.

Boyer is also a professor of history at University of Chicago and specializes in the push and pull of intellectual speech. He is the author of a short book on the subject, Academic Freedom and the Modern University: The Experience of the University of Chicago. That book (technically a monograph) was sent to every incoming freshman a few days ago in the hope that it would provide context for what has recently become a heated argument on campuses nationwide. And in an accompanying letter, Dean of Students John Ellison made the declaration about trigger warnings and safe spaces that has gotten so much attention.

We do not support so-called trigger warnings, Ellison wrote. We do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual safe spaces where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at odds with their own.

As Boyer describes it, Ellisons was intended as a cover letter asking students to read the book. Instead, the letter is taking on a life of its own.

Twitter erupted soon after the release of the letter. There was support and a bit of gloating from those who see campuses as becoming too politically correct in recent years. There was outrage from sexual assault survivors who felt Ellison was dismissing their trauma, and from critics of racial imbalance on campus, who said it did not protect students of color from hostility.

On the left, New Republic editor Jeet Heer called the letter a perverse document.

On the right, the website zerohedge described it as a refreshing and stark contrast to other universities that have seemingly tripped over themselves to accommodate every silly request from Americas pampered Millennials.

Story continues

It is ironic, Boyer says, that those who see trigger warnings as crippling free speech and those who see them as protective of students psyches both believe this is a new debate. It is easy to view it as a modern conundrum, he says, touching as it does on such 21st century nerves as the increased awareness of sexual assault on campus, the perceived trend of overly protective parents, the historical shadows of racism in higher education, and the political rallying cry against political correctness. But the point of his book, he says, and the reason the school wanted students to read it, is that the questions about academic freedom are as old as university education itself. This goes back to the German universities of the 19th century. It originated in Europe, was adopted by Americans and amplified through the lens of our First Amendment. Its a perennial issue.

His research highlights the clash over the decades  during the rise of fascism abroad, McCarthyism at home, protests over the Vietnam War. Every generation has to confront these issues afresh, he said.

Students at Princeton staged a sit-in in the university presidents office in 2015, demanding that the school remove the name of former school president and U.S. President Woodrow Wilson from programs and buildings over what they said was his racist legacy. (Photo: Julio Cortez/AP)

The latest generations version involves such things as: professors at Harvard Law School being asked by students to change the way they teach rape law so as not to trigger survivors of assault; the administration at Princeton University being petitioned to change the name of several buildings because the racist histories of their namesake create microaggressions for members of oppressed cultures on campus; the president of Oberlin College struggling with whether and how to discipline a lecturer for statements that were widely condemned as anti-Semitic; the creation of a safe space at Brown University (complete with cookies, coloring books and a video of frolicking puppies) as a refuge for students distressed during a debate about rape on campus; and the disinvitation of nine prominent speakers from college graduations in 2014 after students objected to what they might say.

But Boyer said the central question of all these seemingly modern dilemmas is the same as it has been for generations  the right to speak freely vs. the right to feel safe.

He is thinking of adding a chapter to his book, about the newest incarnation of the dilemma, including the response to his universitys latest letter. For now, he says, he hopes students will do as their dean has suggested and read what hes written. But he stresses this is just a suggestion, not a requirement, because that would be violating peoples academic freedom I suppose. Its a free country. Its not mandatory. Im not going to test them on it.
Two beloved Mississippi nuns were stabbed to death earlier this week in a possible robbery, police said, according to multiple reports.



Police said Margaret Held and Paula Merrill, both nurse practitioners, were found dead Thursday in their home in Durant, Mississippi, after failing to show up for work at the Lexington Medical Clinic, CNN and the Clarion-Ledger report.



Held and Merrill were stabbed to death, the county coroner told CNN.



Police suspect robbery as a possible motive, according to the Clarion-Ledger, and there was evidence of a break-in at the home, according to CNN.



The pair had worked for years at the clinic, treating the poor and others in a tight-knit rural community left stunned by their deaths. Town residents were seen weeping outside the home as news of the deaths spread.



Both Durant police and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are looking into the deaths, according to the Clarion-Ledger. (Representatives for both agencies did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.)



Maureen Smith, a spokeswoman for the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, confirmed the deaths to PEOPLE. She says that as of Friday morning, no arrests have been made, though police did recover the nuns' car not far from their home.



The vehicle was apparently undamaged and will be sent for analysis at the state crime lab, officials told the Clarion-Ledger.



"At this point we're just trying to wrap our heads around them being gone," Smith says.



 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.









'A Love for the Needy'

Held and Merrill were longtime nuns and nurses, who lived together and worked at the clinic, just a short drive from their home.



They raised money to help treat the poor and uninsured for free, the clinic's owner, Dr. Elias Abboud, told the Clarion-Ledger. The poverty rate for Holmes County, where Durant and Lexington are, is 44 percent, according to CNN.



"For them, it was a passion and a love for people, a love for the needy," Abboud said, adding, "They were loved by everybody."



"These sisters have spent years of dedicated service here in Mississippi. They absolutely loved the people in their community," Bishop Joseph Kopacz, of the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, said in a statement. "We mourn with the people of Lexington and Durant and we pray for the Sisters of Charity, the School Sisters of St. Francis and the families left behind."





Beloved Nuns Stabbed to Death in Rural Mississippi in Possible Robbery: Reports| Crime & Courts, Murder, True Crime



Held was a member of the School Sisters of St. Francis, a Milwaukee-based international congregation. Merrill was a member of the Kentucky-based international congregation Sisters of Charity of Nazareth.



"We are deeply shocked and grieved by this terrible news," the School Sisters posted on Facebook. "Sister Margaret has been a member of our community for 49 years and lived her ministry caring for and healing the poor."



In a post on their site, the SCN mourned Merrill's death. The organization had earlier profiled Merrill's work, marking her 30 years of service in the state.



In 2014, the Lexington Medical Clinic serviced nearly 8,000 people, according to the story.



Smith, with the Catholic Diocese of Jackson, tells PEOPLE she worked with Merrill on a few projects. She calls both women "quiet, humble, amazing."



"They were just people who got stuff done," Smith says.
When in Kyoto, Japan, do as the locals do and eat fish heads? As Henry Winkler says in this exclusive preview of next weeks Better Late Than Never, There is not enough sake in the world.

As Winkler and his traveling companions William Shatner, George Foreman, Terry Bradshaw and Jeff Dye continue their adventure across Asia, their next stop is Kyoto, where the guys visit a geisha house and eagerly await to meet the lovely ladies. Except their geisha is a (very nice) young man who serves them soup. And the soup well, it has a fish head (complete with eyeballs) floating in it.

Related: See Henry Winklers Behind-the-Scenes Pics From His Better Late Than Never Journey



I found myself locked into a staring contest with my appetizer, Bradshaw jokes. In Kyoto, the men also visit a samurai warrior school, and get schooled into shape by a no-nonsense monk. They later jet to Hong Kong, where Shatner books them into one of the fanciest hotels in the world and orders bespoke suits made by the best tailors. And their culinary horizons continue to broaden when they visit a Chinese medicine shop.

Better Late Than Never airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. on NBC.
Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman told CNBC on Friday he was approached indirectly by Carl Icahn to purchase the billionaire's stake in Herbalife (HLF)  Ackman's longtime short target.

Asked why Icahn would want to sell his stake in Herbalife, Ackman responded: "I think he knows this is toast" and "he's made bunch of money."



Herbalife (HLF) shares slumped about 4.5 percent Friday after Ackman made his comments.



Icahn said: "I am not commenting on rumors and stories about what I am doing."

The Pershing Square Capital Management founder confirmed the gist of a Wall Street Journalreport that Icahn was considering selling his stake in Herbalife to a group including the nutritional supplement firm's arch-nemesis Ackman.

Icahn "came to me" through investment bank Jefferies Group with a proposal in early August to "cover my short" position, Ackman said on "Squawk Box."

Saying no to Icahn at first, Ackman said he later reconsidered for only for a few million shares. Icahn owns 17 million-plus shares valued at around $1 billion.



Ackman said if he were to buy a small stake and sell it right away, he would probably lose about $30 million. "I would spend $30 million to get Carl out. I would probably spend more."

The Pershing Square chief is still betting against Herbalife  short more than $1 billion on the stock. He's been critical of Herbalife for years, calling it a pyramid scheme  allegations the company denies.





"This is a confidence game. Carl is what creates the confidence in the company. If Carl sells, it can accelerate the demise of the company," Ackman said. "With Carl exiting, I think the thing is over, and over quickly. The sooner he sells the better."



Last month, the Federal Trade Commission reached a settlement with the nutritional supplements company that, while determining Herbalife was not a pyramid or Ponzi scheme, called for the company to change its operations.

"This was a great FTC settlement in terms of the findings, in terms of all the requirements. The requirements don't really take effect until May. It is sort of a slower bleed as the top distributors leave," Ackman told CNBC.

Story continues

In 2014, Ackman and Icahn buried the hatchet in their long-running feud at the CNBC/ Institutional InvestorDelivering Alpha conference, with a hug on stage .

Icahn will be back this year at Delivering Alpha 2016, produced by CNBC and Institutional Investor, which will be held on Sept. 13 in New York.



Ackman first shorted Herbalife on May 1, 2012, and went public with his position in December of that year.

"Carl is great investor," Ackman told CNBC on Friday. "You were right to buy with Carl at $32 a share when he bought the stock. And you were right to sell with Carl when he sells the stock."







More From CNBC


Blade Runner (Photo: Photofest)



A 28-year-old Hungarian construction worker was killed on the set of the untitled Blade Runner sequel in Budapest on Aug. 25, local studio Origo said.

The worker was underneath a platform, upon which the set was constructed, when it suddenly collapsed, read a statement sent to The Hollywood Reporter by Origo Studios. The cause of the accident is not yet known.

Related: Harrison Ford Star Wars Accident: Disney-Owned U.K. Company Admits to Health, Safety Breaches

Hungarian news website Index quoted a spokesperson for the studio as saying that the incident occurred when the construction worker, whose name has not been revealed, was dismantling one of the sets, production on which had already wrapped.

The Origo spokesperson declined to comment to THR on possible causes of the incident, saying only that an investigation was in progress.

Related: Death on a Movie Set: 5 Ways the Midnight Rider Tragedy Changed Hollywood Safety

At the time of the incident, production of the untitled Blade Runner sequel was in progress on another location in the village of Etyek, where Korda Studios facilities are located, Index reported.

The sequel is directed by Denis Villeneuve for Warner Bros., starring Ryan Gosling, Harrison Ford, Jared Leto, Mackenzie Davis, and Robin Wright.

The release is scheduled for October 2017.

Blade Runner: Watch a trailer:


ANKARA (Reuters) - A car bomb explosion rocked a police headquarters in the town of Cizre in Turkey on Friday, killing nine people and wounding dozens, sources said, in the latest in a spate of attacks in the countrys turbulent south east.

News channel NTV showed large plumes of smoke billowing from the site which it said was a police checkpoint. Cizre is located in Sirnak, a province that borders both Syria and Iraq and has a largely Kurdish population.

Ambulances rushed to the scene and hospital sources said at least nine people were killed and 64 wounded.

State-run Anadolu Agency blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) which has been involved in almost daily clashes in the region since last July, when a ceasefire between it and the government collapsed.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died since the rebels took up arms in 1984.

Smoke still rises from the scene after Kurdish militants attacked a police checkpoint in Cizre, southeast Turkey, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, with an explosives-laden truck, killing several police officers and wounding dozens more, according to reports from the state-run Anadolu news agency. (DHA via AP)

On Thursday Interior Minister Efkan Ala accused the group of attacking a convoy carrying the main opposition party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The government has blamed the PKK for a series of attacks this month in the southeast. The group has claimed responsibility for at least one attack, on a police station.

(Additional reporting by Akin Aytekin and Ayla Jean Yackley, writing by Dasha Afanasieva; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and John Stonestreet)
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee yet again blasted PM Narendra Modi for not releasing fund under centrally sponsored schemes.

By Indrajit Kundu: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday tore into Prime Minister Narendra Modi over lack of funds for several central projects in her state.

Speaking at a rally to commemorate the foundation day of her party's student wing Trinamool Chatra Parishad, Mamata alleged the centre was drastically reducing funds for various central schemes for the states. "Centre has stopped giving us funds. They owe us Rs 1,700 crore under 100 days scheme," she alleged.

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Alleging that the Modi government had modified the funding model of various central projects, Mamata said the state was being forced to bear the burden of funding such projects.

"Centre wants states to provide 40-50 per cent funds for most schemes but they will name every scheme after the Prime Minister or other BJP leaders," she said.

"If you don't give money under various central schemes then what will you do with that money? What is the use of saving that money? Will Narendra Modi buy new suits with that money and get into the Guinness records," Mamata asked, taking a jibe at the Prime Minister.

"40 per cent of people in Bengal do not have Aadhaar cards," Mamata alleged, adding that people were thus being denied benefits under various central schemes in the state.

Reminding the Modi government of its priorities, Mamata said, "BJP is busy doing cow census in the state, but not the census of people."

The Trinamool supremo also threatened to take the agitation to Delhi if the Centre continued its policy of "discrimination against Bengal".



ALSO READ | Centre trying to bulldoze the autonomy of states: Mamata Banerjee



--- ENDS ---
La Paz (AFP) - Bolivian miners kidnapped, tortured and beat to death a deputy minister who tried to negotiate with protesting workers on Thursday, in what the government condemned as a brutal murder.

"All signs indicate that our deputy minister, Rodolfo Illanes, has been cowardly and brutally murdered," Interior Minister Carlos Romero told a press conference.

Illanes, who has served as deputy interior minister since March, had gone to a highway blockade in the western highland town of Panduro in an attempt to mediate with miners after days of violent protests.

"He was harassed, tortured... he was beaten to death according to the information we have," Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira said.

Illanes had earlier told local media by telephone that "I am in very good health... safeguarded by peers, so people do not hurt me."

But reports later came in that the 56-year-old former criminal lawyer was dead.

"We saw the lifeless body of Deputy Minister Illanes," Moises Flores, director of a mining radio station, told a local radio outlet.

- 'Deeply shaken' -

President Evo Morales was "deeply shaken" upon receiving the news, Ferreira said on private television station Red Uno, before breaking down in tears.

He said that authorities were attempting to recover the body, and in a separate statement reported that about 100 to 120 detentions had been made.

The ringleaders who killed Illanes had been identified, he said, adding that the act "cannot go unpunished, and must be taken to court."

Labeling the killing an "unprecedented criminal act," Romero as well called on Bolivia's justice system to "clear up the murder and establish responsibility."

Miner demonstrations turned violent this week with protestors demanding mining concessions and the right to work for private or foreign companies.

Romero said Illanes had been convinced that they "could be persuaded and urged into a dialogue with the government... but he was intercepted."

Story continues

Bolivia's attorney general announced that five prosecutors had been sent to Panduro.

Illanes's bodyguard escaped the scene after being stripped of his gun, and had been admitted to a clinic in La Paz.

- Days of violence -

Two workers were shot dead Wednesday in mining protests on Cochabamba roads, according to prosecutors.

In clashes over the last three days, approximately 20 police have been injured and two remain captured by miners in the central city of Cochabamba, according to official data.

Bolivia's mining cooperatives are allied with the country's president, and hold positions in the executive and in Congress as senators and deputies.

Before the murder, miners had agreed with the government to start negotiating Friday morning at Bolivia's vice presidential headquarters, on condition they open up blocked roads.
LONDON (Reuters) - An army bomb disposal team was deployed to an area in Birmingham, central England, on Friday after police arrested five men on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism. The West Midlands police force said as a result of one of the arrests, an army bomb disposal team had been called in as a precautionary measure to the Lee Bank area of Birmingham. The Fire Brigade said it had been assisting the police with the operation. Police said two men, aged 32 and 37, were arrested in the Stoke area of Staffordshire while three others, aged 18, 24 and 28 were arrested in Birmingham, Britain's second-biggest city. "Police are searching a number of properties in the Stoke and Birmingham areas as part of the investigation; these searches are ongoing," they said in a statement. "The arrests were intelligence-led and part of an ongoing investigation." Britain is on its second-highest alert level of "severe", meaning an attack is considered highly likely. (Reporting by Kate Holton; Editing by Alison Williams)
Low-cost Icelandic carrier WOW Air has launched yet another airfare salethis time, for flights from five major U.S. hubs to Paris.

One-way tickets to France are available from Boston, New York City, Washington, D.C., Los Angeles, and San Francisco, for as little as $149. Travel dates depend on the departure city, but are roughly mid-September through early December.

There will be a layover in Reykjavik, and extending your stopover is not permitted for this deal.

Tourist crowds have thinned out, WOW Air CEO Skli Mogensen said of visiting Paris in the fall or winter, adding hotel prices are also cheapear on average.

Even if its too cold for a picnic by the Eiffel Tower, youll find plenty of fun things to do in the City of Light when the leaves are turning or Notre Dame is dusted in snow. In October, visitors can check out the incredible Icons of Modern Art showcase at the kaleidoscopic Fondation Louis Vuitton.

To find the best prices, book tickets directly through WOWair.com, using the flexible date calendar.

Melanie Lieberman is the Assistant Digital Editor at Travel + Leisure. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram at @melanietaryn.

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(Adds details, Calheiros quote, context)

By Anthony Boadle

BRASILIA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The Senate impeachment trial of suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff descended into a shouting match between her political supporters and opponents during its second day on Friday, forcing a two-hour halt in the proceedings.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski, who is presiding over the final phase of a lengthy impeachment process that has paralysed Brazilian politics since December, suspended the session after Senate President Renan Calheiros was unable to stop the arguments. The trial resumed after lunch.

Supporters and opponents of Rousseff shouted insults at each other in a tumultuous session that showed the buildup to a final vote expected on Wednesday morning will be fraught with tension.

"This impeachment trial has become a loony bin," Calheiros said, appealing for calm.

But Calheiros himself set off another argument by taking on Gleisi Hoffmann, a senator from Rousseff's Workers Party, for stating the Senate lacked moral authority to try the leftist president. He said Hoffmann did not have a leg to stand because he had helped the senator avoid corruption charges a month ago.

The trial is expected to culminate in the removal of Rousseff from office, ending 13 years of left-wing Workers Party rule, and the confirmation of her vice president, Michel Temer, as president for the remainder of her term through 2018.

Temer has been interim president since mid-May, when Rousseff was suspended after Congress decided it would continue the impeachment process that began in the lower house.

Her opponents need 54 votes, or two-thirds of the 81-seat Senate, to convict her of breaking budget laws.

A survey by the O Estado de S.Paulo newspaper published on Friday found 54 senators backed her ouster and 18 opposed it, with 14 undecided or not saying.

A deep recession and wide-ranging corruption scandal has caused Brazil's first female president's popularity to plummet since she won reelection in 2014. Polls show a majority of Brazilians want her gone.

Story continues

But polls also show that Temer has as little popular support as Rousseff and that the majority of Brazilians would like to see new elections called, an unlikely development.

Few if any Rousseff supporters have shown up outside Brazil's Congress building to back her, underscoring the impeached president's isolation.

Rousseff, a former leftist guerrilla who was imprisoned and tortured during Brazil's military dictatorship, is charged with spending without congressional approval and manipulating government accounts to mask the extent of the nation's growing deficit in the run-up to her reelection.

Rousseff has denied any wrongdoing and described efforts to oust her as a "coup" plotted by Temer and his political allies, many of whom are caught up in the huge kickback scandal at state-run oil company Petrobras that has engulfed much of Brazil's political and business class.

If confirmed as president, Temer would face a daunting task: steering Latin America's largest economy out of recession and plugging a budget deficit that has topped 10 percent of gross domestic product.

Temer will need to quickly demonstrate his commitment to cutting the budget deficit if he is to sustain investor optimism after a major rally in financial markets this year.

(Reporting by Anthony Boadle; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Lisa Von Ahn)
(Corrects headline to say speaker, not minister)

SAO PAULO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The Brazilian lower house of Congress is unlikely to pass any plan to raise taxes to cover a swelling budget deficit, Speaker Rodrigo Maia told Valor Economico newspaper on Friday, a sign lawmakers want the government first to consider streamlining spending.

Maia told Valor that the House could vote on a proposal to put a cap on annual budget spending growth by mid-November, provided it garners enough support. The government also needs to educate lawmakers and citizens on the need to revamp the country's pension system, Maia told Valor.

His remarks came days after Finance Minister Henrique Meirelles told lawmakers that potential tax increases could not be ruled out. Congress on Wednesday approved a bill setting a hefty primary deficit goal for this year as the government seeks to gradually narrow a record shortfall.

Recent differences between parties supporting the administration of interim President Michel Temer in Congress could be minimized as discussion of the economic agenda progresses, Valor quoted Maia as saying.

Temer is temporarily replacing President Dilma Rousseff, who is in the midst of an impeachment trial in the Senate, charged with doctoring budget accounts.

Maia's press office did not immediately respond to a request for comment about Valor report.

(Reporting by Guillermo Parra-Bernal; Editing by Jeffrey Benkoe)
By Eduardo Simoes and Daniel Flynn SAO PAULO (Reuters) - Federal police in Brazil urged prosecutors on Friday to bring corruption charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife, Marisa, according to police documents seen by Reuters. The investigation into the popular predecessor and mentor of suspended President Dilma Rousseff forms part of a sweeping anti-corruption probe into political kickbacks from contracts at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA. The allegations against Lula and his wife relate to the acquisition and renovation of an apartment in the beach resort of Guaruja, about 37 miles (60 km) southeast of Sao Paulo. Federal police in the southern city of Curitiba have accused Lula and his wife of receiving some 2.4 million reais ($747,896) in benefits from construction company OAS in relation to the apartment. Police have alleged that the apartment in Guaruja, which was bought and refurbished by OAS, was for all intents and purposes a gift to Lula and his family. Attorneys Cristiano Zanin Martins and Roberto Teixeira, representing Lula and his wife, said allegations by police were without basis and politically motivated. They said the apartment in Guaruja was registered in the name of OAS and that Lula only visited it once, when he and his wife were thinking of buying it. Under Brazilian law, police can only recommend that a suspect be charged, but it is up to prosecutors to actually lodge charges. Federal prosecutors would not comment on Friday on what, if any, action they may take against Lula and his wife or others involved in the case. Police also recommended that corruption charges be brought against former OAS Chief Executive Jose Aldemario "Leo" Pinheiro; the president of the Lula Institute, Paulo Okamoto; and an architect who worked on the apartment, Paulo Gordilho. OAS is among 31 builders that colluded to rig contracts at Petrobras. Pinheiro has already been convicted in the corruption probe and local newspapers have reported he is preparing to name Lula in a plea bargain deal with prosecutors. A lawyer for Pinheiro declined to comment. Friday's request by the police is the latest in a series of legal headaches for the former president and it comes as Rousseff faces an impeachment trial in the Senate on charges of breaking budgetary laws. Rousseff, who has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to be dismissed from office next week. Last week, a Federal Supreme Court justice authorized the opening of an investigation into Rousseff and Lula for allegedly working to obstruct the course of the corruption probe, Globo TV reported. The court's press office did not respond to requests for comment. In late July, a federal court ruled that Lula will also stand trial for obstruction of justice for his alleged attempt to stop a jailed former Petrobras executive from collaborating with investigators. (Reporting by Eduardo Simoes, Daniel Flynn, Tatiana Ramil and Maria Pia Sica Palermo; editing by Reese Ewing and Tom Brown)
Rio de Janeiro (AFP) - The Brazilian police recommended corruption charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday as part of a probe into a huge embezzlement scheme at the state oil company Petrobras.

The decision struck the latest in a series of blows against Lula and his suspended successor Dilma Rousseff as they battle to stop their once-mighty Workers' Party from crumbling.

Lula's lawyer branded it a politically motivated move.

The development came just as Lula was preparing to lend Rousseff a last-minute hand in her fight against impeachment at a Senate trial.

The case is based on Lula's alleged ownership of a luxury seaside apartment and a country house.

Police say the apartment underwent extensive renovations paid for by a construction company, OAS.

The firm was involved in the mammoth embezzlement scheme at Petrobras in which companies paid bribes to win contracts.

In the apartment case, police recommended corruption and money laundering charges against Lula, his wife, Marisa Leticia Lula da Silva, and three other suspects.

The couple "benefited from illicit gains from OAS to the value of 2,430,193.61 reals" or about $743,000, linked to the renovation work, the police court filing said.

The recommendation must now be considered by prosecutors before prompting formal charges. A judge would still have to decide whether to accept the charges.

"This is a politically motivated indictment," Lula's lawyer Cristiano Zanin Martins said in a statement.

"We are going to fight these charges as Lula is innocent," he added. "This has become a persecution, not a prosecution."

- Lula's legacy -

Lula, 70, who founded the leftist Workers' Party, served as president for two terms between 2003-2010 before helping Rousseff win election.

He presided over an economic boom and was hailed internationally for social welfare policies that helped lift millions of people out of poverty.

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He also was key in Rio de Janeiro's winning bid to host South America's first Olympics, which finished on August 21.

But after a deep recession hit early in Rousseff's second term, she struggled to forge consensus in congress over tackling the downturn.

The party that dominated Brazilian politics for 13 years is now in peril. Rousseff is widely expected to be impeached.

Lula was planning to go to the capital Brasilia on Monday to support Rousseff when she appears before the Senate ahead of a vote on whether to remove her from office.

Her political rivals accuse her of fiddling the government accounts. She rejects the impeachment drive as a "coup."

- Presidential hopes -

A conviction would dash Lula's hopes of running for a third term in office in the 2018 elections.

He has already been charged with attempting to obstruct investigations in the Petrobras case, in a probe dubbed "Operation Carwash."

Reacting to that decision in late July, Lula said: "I doubt there is anyone more law-abiding than I am."

Prosecutors also want to charge him with playing a wider role in the Petrobras affair.

The probe centers on a network of politicians who took bribes to facilitate inflated Petrobras contracts for crooked construction companies and others.

The suspects include several key figures from the conservative PMDB party of interim president Michel Temer, a leader of the impeachment drive against Rousseff.

If she is impeached, he will become full president until 2014.
(Adds statement by Lula's lawyers)

By Eduardo Simoes and Daniel Flynn

SAO PAULO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Federal police in Brazil urged prosecutors on Friday to bring corruption charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his wife, Marisa, according to police documents seen by Reuters.

The investigation into the popular predecessor and mentor of suspended President Dilma Rousseff forms part of a sweeping anti-corruption probe into political kickbacks from contracts at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA.

The allegations against Lula and his wife relate to the acquisition and renovation of an apartment in the beach resort of Guaruja, about 37 miles (60 km) southeast of Sao Paulo.

Federal police in the southern city of Curitiba have accused Lula and his wife of receiving some 2.4 million reais ($747,896) in benefits from construction company OAS in relation to the apartment.

Police have alleged that the apartment in Guaruja, which was bought and refurbished by OAS, was for all intents and purposes a gift to Lula and his family.

Attorneys Cristiano Zanin Martins and Roberto Teixeira, representing Lula and his wife, said allegations by police were without basis and politically motivated. They said the apartment in Guaruja was registered in the name of OAS and that Lula only visited it once, when he and his wife were thinking of buying it.

Under Brazilian law, police can only recommend that a suspect be charged, but it is up to prosecutors to actually lodge charges.

Federal prosecutors would not comment on Friday on what, if any, action they may take against Lula and his wife or others involved in the case.

Police also recommended that corruption charges be brought against former OAS Chief Executive Jose Aldemario "Leo" Pinheiro; the president of the Lula Institute, Paulo Okamoto; and an architect who worked on the apartment, Paulo Gordilho.

OAS is among 31 builders that colluded to rig contracts at Petrobras. Pinheiro has already been convicted in the corruption probe and local newspapers have reported he is preparing to name Lula in a plea bargain deal with prosecutors.

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A lawyer for Pinheiro declined to comment.

Friday's request by the police is the latest in a series of legal headaches for the former president and it comes as Rousseff faces an impeachment trial in the Senate on charges of breaking budgetary laws.

Rousseff, who has denied any wrongdoing, is expected to be dismissed from office next week.

Last week, a Federal Supreme Court justice authorized the opening of an investigation into Rousseff and Lula for allegedly working to obstruct the course of the corruption probe, Globo TV reported. The court's press office did not respond to requests for comment.

In late July, a federal court ruled that Lula will also stand trial for obstruction of justice for his alleged attempt to stop a jailed former Petrobras executive from collaborating with investigators.

(Reporting by Eduardo Simoes, Daniel Flynn, Tatiana Ramil and Maria Pia Sica Palermo; editing by Reese Ewing and Tom Brown)
(RIO DE JANEIRO)  Brazils Senate on Thursday began deliberating whether to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office, the final step in a leadership fight that has paralyzed Congress and cast a pall over a nation in the midst of a severe recession.

Brazils first female president is accused of illegally shifting money between government budgets to mask yawning deficits. Detractors say she did that to shore up support and argue those maneuvers exacerbated the recession in Latin Americas largest economy.

Rousseff denies wrongdoing and says her enemies, including the countrys elites, who have fumed about the lock her Workers Party has had on power for 13 years, are conducting a coup.

Senators are now embarking on their most somber duties, said Ricardo Lewandowski, the chief justice of the countrys highest court who is overseeing the trial. To judge the president, (senators) must act with the utmost impartiality and objectivity, considering only the facts they are presented and the laws.

The impeachment push started late last year when Eduardo Cunha, then the speaker of the lower House of Deputies and a long-time Rousseff nemesis, introduced the measure. In April, his chamber overwhelmingly passed it. Then in May, the Senate voted 55-22 to impeach and suspend Rousseff for up to 180 days.

Vice President Michel Temer, Rousseffs one-time ally who turned nemesis, took over. If the Senate votes to permanently remove Rousseff, Temer will serve the rest of her term, which goes through 2018.

Several days of testimony, including an address by Rousseff on Monday, will wrap up in a final vote next week.

Lewandowski on Thursday rejected several attempts by Rousseffs lawyers to suspend or annul the process.

Opposition senators accused Rousseff supporters of employing chicanery to delay the process.

I want to protest the use of the word chicanery,' said Rousseff lawyer Jose Eduardo Cardozo. At no point has the defense used any techniques to procrastinate.

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Lewandowski did accept one of the defenses requests: to prohibit testimony from a prosecutor who wrote a key report about Rousseffs alleged transgressions.

The defense argued, and Lewandowski agreed, that Julio Marcelo de Oliveira had shown bias against Rousseff by encouraging people on social media to rally against her and even attending anti-Rousseff protests.

Senators wasted no time in getting in their licks, even on a day largely dedicated to procedural matters.

Up until now, all we have seen are excuses by the defense of President Dilma, said Sen. Casio Cunha Lima from the opposition Brazilian Social Democratic Party, who added that the slow process was bleeding the country.

Sen. Gleisi Hoffmann, a member of Rousseffs Workers Party, had a different take.

I never thought I was going to be elected senator to judge, in a questionable trial, the first woman elected president of the country, said Hoffman. Its very sad for me.

Like many in the Senate and the lower chamber, Hoffman is being investigated for corruption. In her case, investigators are looking at whether she used embezzled funds from Petrobras as campaign contributions.

No one here has the right to judge anybody, she said. What moral standing does the Senate have to judge the president of the republic?
Brasilia (AFP) - Brazil's Senate is big on decorum, not even letting men in without a coat and tie. But when it comes to corruption allegations, the politicians judging suspended president Dilma Rousseff seem less worried.

Analysis by corruption watchdog Transparencia Brasil reveals that 59 percent of the 81 Senate members who will vote on Rousseff's impeachment have been convicted or been investigated for crimes at some point.

It is the same proportion in the lower house, whose 513 deputies first ignited the impeachment process now in its final stage in the Senate.

Rousseff is accused of illegally manipulating government accounts to mask the depth of the economic crisis. However, her alleged crime, which she argues is an accounting maneuver used by several previous governments, does not suggest personal corruption or common crime.

The same cannot be said of many of those sitting in Congress in recent years with rap sheets ranging from embezzlement and vote buying to murder.

- Big fish -

Those implicated in crimes include some of Brazil's most illustrious figures.

Senate president Renan Calheiros is accused of taking millions of dollars in bribes, along with dozens of other politicians and leading business figures, in a corruption network that fleeced billions from state oil giant Petrobras.

Another big name is Senator Aecio Neves, the opposition candidate whom Rousseff only narrowly beat for her reelection in 2014.

Neves, a major impeachment supporter, would like to run again in 2018. He is being investigated for bribe taking and has come under fire for his family's secret bank account in Liechtenstein.

In the lower house, the standout among a host of tarnished politicians is Eduardo Cunha who as speaker was key to getting the impeachment trial moving.

Cunha is being prosecuted for alleged bribe taking and he is also accused of lying to Congress about possession of Swiss bank accounts. After long resistance, he resigned his post in July, but has yet to be ejected from Congress.

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- More to come? -

The Petrobras probe, known as Operation Car Wash, continues to throw up surprises as suspects enter tell-all plea bargains with prosecutors.

One of the highest-profile targets in the crosshairs is Rousseff's mentor and predecessor as president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Now a fresh wave of revelations is expected from a plea bargain negotiated by Marcelo Odebrecht, the former head of Brazilian construction behemoth Odebrecht, and one of the linchpins in the Petrobras corruption scheme.

Leaked reports in the Brazilian media the last few weeks have pointed to collusion between Odebrecht and Michel Temer, the acting president who will take over from Rousseff if her impeachment is confirmed next week.

Although no charges have been leveled against Temer, reports that he and close allies took substantial political donations from a tycoon who was bribing politicians on an industrial scale are at the very least embarrassing.
Mamata even asked noted Indologist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, who was also present at the event, to share his opinion on the proposal. Photo: Subir Halder | India Today

By Indrajit Kundu: At a time when the West Bengal government is mulling a name change for the state, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee held an impromptu referendum to decide on a new name at a public rally in Kolkata.

Addressing a rally organised to commemorate the foundation day of Trinamool Chhatra Parishad, the party's student wing, Mamata gave two options to a crowd of party supporters - 'Bangla' or Bongo' as the possible name for the state.

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Mamata asked, "What should be the new name of our state, Bongo or Bangla?" Her supporters in turn responded shouting 'Bangla' with a loud applause. Mamata even asked noted Indologist Nrisingha Prasad Bhaduri, who was also present at the event, to share his opinion on the proposal. Bhaduri too sided with the popular mandate of 'Bangla'.

The referendum with her supporters comes on a day when a special session of the West Bengal Assembly began to discuss the name change proposal passed by the state cabinet. The Chief Minister further set aside concerns that have been raised by many that the name "Bangla" would create confusion given that Bangladesh already existed as a sovereign nation.

"Some might say that Bangladesh is already a separate country and there might be a confusion if we call our state Bangla. But there is also a place called Punjab in Pakistan and we have a state with the same name too. So there should not be any reason for opposition on this proposal," Banerjee said.

Mamata also assured that she would ensure that new name is passed in the state assembly. Earlier this month the cabinet had announced that the state's name will be changed to Bengal in English and either Bangla or Bongo in Bengali.

This is not the first time a name change proposal has been mooted for West Bengal. During her first term in office, Mamata had proposed a similar move but with no success. Even former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee in the last Left front government had floated a similar proposal to change the state's name to 'Paschimbanga' from West Bengal.

Mamata Banerjee's plan B: West Bengal's name to change to Banga, Bangla or Bengal



--- ENDS ---
Anthony Michael Hall has shifted roles from that of a high schooler to that of a high school security guard in his new film, Natural Selection. And while this film deals with young people tackling prominent social issues, much like his 1985 classic The Breakfast Club, Hall said this film reminds him of a different teen-angst film, Rebel Without a Cause.

Theres something kind of classic about the setup of the story, Hall said. And then it kind of devolves into something else. I was really kind of moved by the script. It was about this kid that comes into town, and he falls for this girl at the school, and then theres a kind of bad kid that he befriends. Its this kind of triangle that develops, and it leads to a shooting, unfortunately.

Gun violence, of course, is a subject that can elicit emotional and raw reactions, but Hall said that Natural Selection isnt excessive with its message. The gun debate goes on and on in our country, and unfortunately its such a divisive issue, Hall told Yahoo Movies. But what I can say is, with this film, it wasnt intended to beat people up with the theme or to preach to them in any way. But its a real challenging issue for all of us as Americans. Its built into our Constitution, the right to bear arms. But the bottom line is weve got to stop this violence. Its out of control.

Of course, Hall is known for many of his classic high school-aged roles, and now he is playing an adult in the same setting. You know whats interesting about this role is suddenly Im playing the high school security guard, and hes a compassionate witness to this kids plight, what hes dealing with, he said.

Ultimately, Hall said he feels this movie strikes a chord much like one of his classic films. Hes trying to fit in and the whole thing, which any kid can relate to. The world of high school, be it in The Breakfast Club, real life, or in this film, it gets cliquey and people sort of look for ways to kind of separate themselves when, in fact, we should be doing the opposite. [We should be] looking for ways to embrace each other, to see the commonalities.

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Natural Selection hit theaters on Aug. 26.

Watch actor Benjamin Bratt discuss the lack of Latino representation in movies:

Tell us what you think! Hit us up on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram, or leave your comments below. And check out our host, Khail Anonymous, on Twitter.
It eyes adding 4-5 units per year in its aircraft leasing arm.

After posting a slight decrease in its profit before tax (PBT) the recent quarter compared to last year, Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd. (STE) is ready to do all that it takes to keep their business at the top of its game.

According to a report by UOB Kay Hian, STE is already geared up to brace higher capex of $300 million as it invests in its passenger-to-freighter (PTF) business, as well as its aircraft leasing businesses and further inroads for Terrex carriers.

STE holds the exclusive intellectual property (IP) for the A330 and A320 PTF conversions and expects the four A330 PTF conversions for DHL to eventually lead to more work, the report said.

More so, the group deemed that its plan to add 4-5 units per year to their aircraft leasing business would eventually boost profitability of the segment.

It added, STE also showcased the amphibious personnel carrier Terrex at Farnborough. STE is currently in the process of showcasing a variant of the Terrex to the British Royal Navy, the report said,"

Meanwhile, it is also looking forward to the thrive in its electronic sector.

STE's electronics division has seen the highest growth for the group in the past years. Although it contributes only 30% of the group's PBT, it is expected to overtake its aerospace division in the next five years.

"STE highlighted its enhanced capabilities, particularly in machine-to-machine

(M2M) connectivity and solutions, cyber security, as well as its equatorial satellite. STE guided it has begun commercial sales of its satellite products, which were well received. STE intends to build more satellites in the coming years," the report said.

For the half year, the electronics segment revenue boosted 17% to $902 million, with its PBT spiking up 11% to $90.8 million.





More From Singapore Business Review


A Frenchman charged with murdering a British woman in Australia had his case adjourned until October on Friday, as the father of a man wounded in the incident arrived from Britain to be with his son.

Smail Ayad, 29, is facing one count of murder over the stabbing death of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, late Tuesday at a backpacker hostel in Home Hill, a rural town in north Queensland.

He is also charged with two counts of attempted murder over the stabbing of a 30-year-old British man -- named in local media as Tom Jackson -- who is fighting for life in hospital, and a 46-year-old Australian man who suffered non-life threatening wounds.

The French national did not appear in Townsville Magistrates Court Friday, with his lawyer Helen Armitage asking for the case to be adjourned.

"He is in custody but I don't require him to be brought up," Armitage told the court, the Townsville Bulletin reported.

"At this stage we request the matter be listed for a committal mention with a brief of evidence to be prepared."

The case was adjourned until October 28 and there was no bail application made, with Ayad remanded in custody, a court officer told AFP.

Jackson's father Les arrived in Townsville, a city some 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Home Hill, late Thursday to be by his son's bedside.

Tom Jackson was hailed a hero by Queensland Police after the alleged attack for trying to help Ayliffe-Chung.

"There is no doubt Mr. Jackson attempted to render aid to Mia," police Superintendent Ray Rohweder told Queensland's Courier Mail.

"His subsequent actions were absolutely fantastic and I have no doubt that his actions on that day, as selfless, completely selfless as they were, led to the injuries that he now has."

Police have alleged that Ayad said "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) during the attack and again when arrested, but have also said there were no signs of radicalisation.

"There has been no indication whatsoever that any radicalisation or any political motives existed that caused him to attack the people that he did," Rohweder told reporters Thursday.

The Australian government has been increasingly concerned about extremism and in particular about home-grown radicalisation, keeping the terror threat alert level at high since September 2014.
London (AFP) - Britain's economic growth picked up speed in the second quarter, official data confirmed Friday, but economists expressed concern about the longer-term impact of Brexit.

Gross domestic product (GDP) grew 0.6 percent, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) said in a second estimate for April-June, which included the shock EU exit referendum towards the end.

That was unchanged from the initial estimate, and followed 0.4-percent expansion in the first quarter.

"The reporting period for this release covers quarter 2 and therefore includes data for a short period after the EU referendum," the ONS said.

"There is very little anecdotal evidence at present to suggest that the referendum has had an impact on GDP in Quarter 2 2016," the ONS added in a statement.

The latest second quarter growth number was in line with market expectations.

Britons had voted on June 23 to leave the European Union in a surprise vote that sent markets tumbling and the pound slumping in its initial aftermath.

"The vote for Brexit occurred too late in the (second) quarter to have a significant impact on growth," said IHS Global Insight economist Howard Archer.

However, he also warned it would be a "considerable time" before the economy would expand by "anything like 0.6 percent" quarter-on-quarter.

"We suspect that the UK's vote to leave the European Union in the 23 June referendum will significantly weigh down on UK economic activity for a prolonged period, primarily due to prolonged uncertainty over the outlook affecting business investment and employment," Archer said.
Britney Spears fangirls over Kate Hudson (like we all would, of course)

Britney Spears fangirls over Kate Hudson (like we all would, of course)

britney spears 1

It was nearly a year ago that the collective conscience of all 2000s kids pretty much exploded when two of our all-time favorite blonde beauties (Britney Spears and Kate Hudson, obvs) hung out and took pictures, damn near shattering the Internet with their flawlessness.

OK, so maybe thats a little extreme, but its true that we were totally shipping their friendship  after all, they do have plenty in common. Both Spears and Hudson rose to fame around the same time, and both have experienced the unrelenting scrutiny of being in the public eye as young women, growing up and sifting through heartache and triumph. Both have two sons in the same age range, and both share the same sunny, optimistic persona that makes us love em so darn much.

If youll recall, the two ladies revealed their friendship in a series of Instagram posts, when Spears apparently crashed Hudsons game night (side note: thanks for the invite, ladies! We wouldve brought snacks!) and took the absolute cutest pictures possibly ever.

That moment when @britneyspears shows up to your game night and your all like #itsbritneybitch A photo posted by Kate Hudson (@katehudson) on Oct 4, 2015 at 1:20am PDT

Two blondes... Too much fun. Loved hanging with you last night @katehudson!  A photo posted by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on Oct 4, 2015 at 11:39am PDT

A photo posted by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on Oct 4, 2015 at 11:45am PDT

That was back in October 2015, and all has been relatively silent surrounding the most adorable friendship in Hollywood since then until now! Spears, a social media icon in her own right, found time in the middle of her busy week to post a shoutout to her #wcw, and its none other than

Kate Hudson, of course!

#wcw this lady is simply divine A photo posted by Britney Spears (@britneyspears) on Aug 24, 2016 at 3:03pm PDT

Spears ninth studio album, Glory, is blessing us with its presence tomorrow, and shes got her hotly anticipated appearance on James Cordens Carpool Karaoke tonight. On top of all of that, shes performing at this weekends MTV Video Music Awards, and just announced shell be performing at this years Apple Music Festival in London in September. All the while her Vegas residency is still going strong so wed say shes pretty busy at the moment.

But not too busy to post a divine #wcw photo of her good friend Hudson. All in a days work for the queen of pop, right? Love these two. So. Much.

The post Britney Spears fangirls over Kate Hudson (like we all would, of course) appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A previously unknown tectonic plate  one that has been swallowed up by the Earth  has been discovered in the Philippine Sea, according to a recent study.

Using images constructed from earthquake data, geoscientists have developed a method for resurrecting a "slab graveyard" of tectonic plate segments buried deep within the Earth, unfolding the deformed rock into what it may have looked like up to 52 million years ago. This helped the researchers identify the previously unknown East Asian Sea Plate, where an ancient sea once existed in the region shortly after dinosaurs went extinct.

The Philippine Sea lies at the juncture of several major tectonic plates. The Pacific, Indo-Australian and Eurasian plates frame several smaller plates, including the Philippine Sea Plate, which researchers say has been migrating northwest since its formation roughly 55 million years ago. [Photo Timeline: How the Earth Formed]

In the process, the Philippine Sea Plate collided with the northern edge of the East Asian Sea Plate, driving it into the Earth's mantle. The southern area of the East Asian Sea Plate was eventually subducted by, or forced beneath, other neighboring plates, the researchers said.

Geologists attempting to reconstruct the past were once limited to visible evidence of slow-moving changes, such as mountains, volcanoes or the echoes of ancient waterways. But with new imaging technologies, scientists can now glean information from hundreds of miles within the Earth's interior to map distant history.

The slabs were previously identified with an imaging technique called seismic tomography, which uses earthquake waves and multiple monitoring stations to determine the speed at which different waves travel through the Earth. Those waves generally travel more quickly through old chunks of tectonic plates that "sink through the mantle, like a leaf through water," said study lead author Jonny Wu, a geologist formerly at National Taiwan University and now at the University of Houston.

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Wu and his colleagues at National Taiwan University focused on an area around the Philippine Sea, in part because of good data from the many seismic monitoring stations in this earthquake-heavy region.

"East Asia has been a place where plates have been coming together, converging and disappearing from the Earth's surface in a process called subduction," Wu told Live Science. "Because the information you're looking for to piece together the history of the area is actually disappearing from the Earth's surface, it's made it very difficult." [In Photos: Ocean Hidden Beneath Earth's Surface]

The East Asian Sea Plate was pieced together by a process of elimination when all but three of the 28 subducted slabs in the model had been traced back to connections with other modern plates.

The region is also home to many relatively small tectonic plates, known as microplates, where movement is hard to reconstruct. "Those plates have long been tectonic mysteries, because it's really difficult to work out where they've been in the past," Wu said. "Just like if it's a puzzle, small fragments can fit in all these ways."

The findings could provide researchers with a clearer picture of the history of the Philippine Sea and its surrounding regions.

"The work [is] a groundbreaking advance in our understanding of the deep Earth structure in the most complex parts of the Eastern Hemisphere," Sabin Zahirovic, a geologist at the University of Sydney who was not involved in the study, told Live Science in an email.

The new study is also a step toward a much-needed technical method of interpreting models built from earthquake data, said Hans-Peter Bunge, Chair of Geophysics at Ludwig Maximilians University in Munich, who was not involved with the new research.

"Normally we would not have full access to the complexity of the interior structure," Bunge told Live Science. But this "important" new technique fills in the information missing from the seismic tomography images with carefully constrained guesses at what the material might be, and how the plates have moved, he added.

And the researchers aren't stopping there. "As we keep working in other areas with a lot of unknowns  for example, South America or the Himalayas  we'll continue to test these methods and refine them, and hopefully contribute new ideas to Earth science," Wu said.

The research was published online June 25 in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Solid Earth.

Original article on Live Science.

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By Paula Lehman-Ewing

RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Reuters) - A California judge on Friday refused to suspend a new state law allowing physician-assisted suicide for terminally ill patients, citing the need to protect them from pain, but he allowed a legal challenge to proceed.

The mixed ruling portends a continued debate over the highly contested law in the first months of its implementation.

"The court won't be deterred when there's a matter of public interest this large," Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel Ottolia said on Friday.

A group of doctors in Riverside, east of Los Angeles, filed a lawsuit to overturn the so-called California End of Life Option, which was passed by the state legislature last year and went into effect in June.

Attorneys for the doctors requested a preliminary injunction to suspend the law while the lawsuit proceeds. But Ottolia denied the request, saying it would harm terminally ill patients.

"The injunction would subject them to additional pain," Ottolia said in court.

Ottolia also ruled on a request by the state and other supporters of the End of Life Option to dismiss the lawsuit instead. They argued the doctors lack proper legal standing to bring their case.

"Plaintiffs have patients that fall under the act so the case is not hypothetical," Ottolia said, in denying the request to put aside the lawsuit.

California was the fifth U.S. state to legalize medical aid in dying for terminally ill patients, terminology that advocates prefer over the phrase "physician-assisted suicide."

At least 30 individuals are known to have obtained a prescription under California's law since it took effect on June 9, according to Compassion & Choices, a group backing the law.

The doctors named as plaintiffs were joined by the American Academy of Medical Ethics, also known as the Christian Medical and Dental Society.

The law in question allows terminally ill patients to obtain a prescription for medication to hasten their death so long as two physicians agree that the person has no more than six months to live and is mentally competent.

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The statute also requires a patient seeking life-ending medical aid to present two separate requests to an attending physician and for two witnesses to attest to the patient's wish to die.

The bill was strongly opposed by some religious groups, including the Roman Catholic Church, as well as advocates for the elderly and disabled. They argued unscrupulous caregivers or relatives could pressure vulnerable patients to take their own lives.

To win an injunction, the plaintiffs had to convince Ottolia they have a strong likelihood of prevailing on the merits of their challenge.

The lawsuit's essential argument is the law violates some patients' constitutional rights to due process and equal protection by arbitrarily labeling them terminally ill.

"It is nearly impossible for doctors to accurately predict how long a seriously ill person may live," attorneys for the physicians said in court papers.

But Ottolia said on Friday that no one was being forced to participate in assisted suicide.

(Additional reporting by Steve Gorman; Writing by Alex Dobuzinskis; Editing by Alistair Bell and Jeffrey Benkoe)
A man was beaten to death in Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy area over golgappas. Two accused were arrested after the incident was caught on camera.

By Tanseem Haider: A fortnight after a 24year-old man was brutally beaten to death in northwest Delhi's Bhalswa Dairy, two men were arrested by Delhi police after they were identified using CCTV footage from the area.

The accused Sunil Kumar and Lucky, both residents of Delhi, has brutally murdered Rajiv Nagar-resident Irfan on August 4. The incident stirred strong resentment among locals and kin of the deceased.

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The police said that the duo attacked Irfan near a wine shop where he had gone with a friend. According to the police, Irfan was waiting near the Golgappa stall and the two accused came and asked to be served first. The duo got into an argument with Irfan and later thrashed him. The duo later dumped Irfan's body at an isolated spot.

VICTIM DECLARED BROUGHT DEAD

Irfan was found in an unconscious state at Kachchi Gali, near Singhaniya Glass Godown. He was rushed to the BJRM hospital by the locals. The hospital declared him brought dead, however, they were unable to identify the body. Following the incident, the police filed a complaint of murder against unidentified persons.

The police mobilised several agencies to track down the accused. After finding about the quarrel, the police rushed to the wine shop and began probing the incident. Investigations revealed that two motorcyclists had visited the gol gappa stall near the shop. The police also recovered a motorbike from an area near the shop.

IDENTIFIED AFTER HIS MOTORBIKE WAS RECOVERED

Irfan was identified after the police obtained registration details of the motorbike. The CCTV footage around the wine shop were also scanned. The footage from wine shop revealed that a quarrel had taken place between the accused and Irfan near the footcart adjacent to the wine shop.

The footage was closely examined and posters of the persons involved in the assault were shared with the staff of the team and also widely circulated in the area of Jahangir Puri and Bhalswa Dairy. Police received a tip off that one of the accused Sunil is resident of Bhalswa Dairy. He was arrested from his residence on August 6.

Based on technical inputs, Lucky was arrested by the Delhi police on August 24. Both the accused admitted the crime, after they were interrogated by the police.

Watch the video here:

#WATCH Delhi: Man beaten to death over a fight on being served "golgappas" first (4th Aug), two arrested.https://t.co/84WCOnW0Ih ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

--- ENDS ---
(Reuters) - The Canadian economy is facing real challenges, in part because it is so dependent on trade, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told a televised news conference on Friday. "We know we have real challenges in the economy," he said. Trudeau did not answer directly when asked whether his government would be able to stick to its plan to limit the 2016/17 budget deficit to C$29.4 billion ($22.6 billion). (Reporting by David Ljunggren; Editing by Phil Berlowitz)
Ottawa (AFP) - Canada's former prime minister Stephen Harper announced Friday he was quitting politics, 10 months after voters tossed his Tories out of office in a general election.

The awkward career-politician, who was more at home plowing through economic theory than glad-handing voters on the campaign trail, said in a statement that he was stepping down as a member of parliament after nearly 18 years of public service.

Summarizing the previous Tory government's accomplishments over nearly 10 years with him at the helm, Harper pointed to tax cuts, stiffer criminal sentences, and steering the economy "through the worst global recession since the Great Depression" in 2008.

Of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, he noted, Canada "came out in the strongest position of them all."

Harper's spokeswoman Anna Tomala said the former prime minister has formed a consulting group to provide advice to international clients.

"The firm will work in tech, finance, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing along (with) other files, in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia," she said in an email.

Regulatory documents show Harper created a company last December called Harper & Associates Consulting Inc. with former aides Ray Novak and Jeremy Hunt.

- Tories after Harper -

Since his party's defeat at the hands of Justin Trudeau's Liberals on October 19, 2015, Harper has kept a low profile, appearing only once in public in May at a Tory rally in Vancouver.

It was the first time he addressed his party and Canadians since his election defeat, and the last time as an elected politician.

In a campaign-style stump speech, he told the party: "The past is no place to linger" and "the best is yet to come."

The partisan crowd responded with a standing ovation.

The Tories are scheduled to pick his successor in May 2017.

During his years in politics, Harper united the political right and led three successive governments since 2006 before he was defeated in a come-from-behind Liberal landslide last October.

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He rejected the Kyoto Protocol climate agreement, more than doubled the number of free trade deals with other nations, including with the European Union, and posted the largest budget deficit in Canadian history in an effort to counter the 2008 global economic slump, before balancing the budget in his last term.

As well, he took a strong pro-Israel stand and was one of Ukraine's most vocal backers following Russia's annexation of Crimea.

Much of Harper's key crime legislation, including mandatory minimum jail sentences, however, has been rolled back by the courts, or currently faces legal challenges.

After the last October election results came in, Harper immediately stepped down as Conservative leader, but continued to represent his Calgary electoral district.

Harper leaves behind a party in need of a fresh face and bold new ideas if it hopes to defeat Prime Minister Trudeau and his Liberals at the next ballot in 2019.

Pundits suggested shunning Harper policies, notably his dismissive approach to climate change, while others have urged the party to track to the political middle to appeal to a broader electorate.

So far, a handful of contenders have launched bids to succeed Harper as leader, including former foreign affairs minister and libertarian Maxime Bernier; physician Kellie Leitch, who was close to the late finance minister Jim Flaherty; former Treasury Board president Tony Clement and backbench MP Michael Chong.
By Rod Nickel

WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Canadian canola exporters are making small sales of the oilseed to China under Beijing's stricter terms, an industry group and three sources said, despite warnings that a tougher shipping standard would cripple C$2 billion ($1.55 billion) in trade.

The dispute over the new standard, which takes effect on Sept. 1, threatens to mar Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's visit to China next week. Each nation wants to increase trading with the other.

Canada's trade minister told Reuters this week that the relationship could not progress until the issue is resolved, prompting Beijing to criticize Ottawa for linking the two matters.

The sales of the oilseed, which is crushed to produce vegetable oil and animal feed, now risk undermining Canada's aggressive negotiating stance with China.

Industry groups in Canada, the world's biggest canola exporter, have said the standard would be expensive to meet. China, Canada's top canola export market, says a tougher standard on foreign material is needed to protect against crop disease.

Cargill Ltd, Louis Dreyfus Corp and Parrish & Heimbecker have made sales ranging from about 30,000 to 60,000 tonnes to China for delivery after Sept. 1, according to trade sources who were not authorized to speak publicly. The Canola Council of Canada confirmed sales under the new standard, but not details.

Canada's biggest canola exporters, Richardson International and Glencore Plc-owned Viterra Inc, however, are balking at China's new standard.

($1 = 1.2869 Canadian dollars) (Additional reporting by Dominique Patton in Beijing; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
(In final paragraph, Public Prosecution Service of Canada corrects length of Ashton Larmond's parole ineligibility to half the time sentenced from 10 years.) OTTAWA (Reuters) - A Canadian court on Friday sentenced twin brothers to a combined 24 years in prison after they plead guilty to terror-related offences, including trying to leave the country to join a radical Islamic group. Ashton Larmond, 25, was sentenced by an Ontario Superior Court to 17 years in prison minus time already served for giving instructions to carry out an activity for an extremist group, public prosecutors said. His brother, Carlos, was given seven years minus time served for attempting to leave Canada to participate in a militant group. Carlos was arrested at the Montreal airport in January 2015 as he was trying to leave Canada. His brother and a third man, Suliman Mohamed, 23, were arrested shortly later. The prosecutor in the case said Ashton directed plans to join Islamic State in Syria or kill people in Canada, and described him as more of an organizer than his brother, the Canadian Broadcast Corporation reported. Mohamed was also sentenced on Friday to seven years minus time served for conspiring to participate in the activities of a militant group. So-called "extremist travelers" are a growing concern for Canada, which suffered two deadly attacks by homegrown radicals in 2014. A report issued on Thursday showed the number of people who have traveled overseas from Canada and are suspected of involvement in radical activities has grown. Earlier this month, an Islamic State supporter who was in the final stages of preparing an attack on a Canadian city with a homemade bomb was killed during a police raid at his home in Ontario. Both brothers, as well as Mohamed, will be ineligible for parole until they have served half of their sentences. (Reporting by Leah Schnurr; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Ottawa (AFP) - Canadian twin brothers who had hoped to join the Islamic State (IS) group pleaded guilty to "terrorism" offenses and were sentenced on Friday to prison terms, prosecutors announced.

The brothers, Ashton and Carlos Larmond, both 25, received sentences of 17 and seven years, respectively.

A third man, Suliman Mohamed, 23, faces a seven-year term for conspiring with the twins.

In court, prosecutor Douglas Curliss described Ashton as the "organizer and director" of an unspecified extremist plot.

Police alleged that he had urged others to wage jihad after his mother alerted the authorities of his plan to travel to Syria to join the IS group in 2013 and the government revoked his passport.

Later, on the day in October 2014 when a gunman shot dead a ceremonial guard and attempted to storm the parliament building in Ottawa, Ashton allegedly bragged to an undercover agent that he had "bigger plans."

Within hours of his arrest in January 2015 after a lengthy investigation, his brother Carlos was apprehended as he boarded a flight at Montreal's international airport.

Carlos acknowledged in court that he was planning to join the IS group in Syria.

At the time of their arrest, the trio were presented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as an extremist "cluster."
You don't have to go to school to do math. You could make up some interesting equations using the amounts of money Americans spend on back-to-school supplies. According to an annual survey from the National Retail Federation, total spending on school supplies is expected to reach $75.8 billion this year. Last year, it was $68 million. That's a percentage increase of ... uh ... well ... maybe you do have to go to school to do math.

Anyway, what consumers spend on school supplies is high. Parents will drop an average of $674 on school supplies this year, up from $630 last year.

But what should you do if you don't have $674 on hand or can't afford everything on your child's school-supply list? Try these strategies.

[See: Avoid These Common Pitfalls During the Back-to-School Shopping Trip.]

1. If you have no money for school supplies whatsoever ...

It isn't easy to admit that you can't afford notebooks and pencils, and if that's all it was, of course, you might not have a problem. The problem is that your children may also need a backpack, a lunchbox, 2-inch binders, folders, glue, scissors, a certain type of calculator and on and on.

But as long as you're willing to make some phone calls, you can probably get everything your children need, says Dave Smith, executive director of the Kids in Need Foundation, a national nonprofit headquartered in Minneapolis.

"I don't think it's necessary these days for kids to go to school without supplies," Smith says.

He adds that he recognizes just how hard it can be to make those phone calls.

[See: 10 Things to Know Before Shopping for Back-to-School Supplies.]

The KINF works with teachers and school districts throughout the country to provide free school supplies directly to in-need students through backpack programs, free teacher resource centers and a teacher grant program. If you're lacking the money to buy school supplies, Smith suggests several steps, in no particular order:

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-- Call a local social service agency. That might be a local United Way agency or a Boys & Girls club, he says. You could also contact your church or a synagogue. "If you do a little research, you can find somebody who will help you," he says.

-- Call your school. Yes, schools are well-known for being short-funded, and your principal can't likely direct you to a back room full of notebook paper and three-prong pocket folders, but Smith says officials will know whom to turn to. And he says you can ask your school to work with the KINF on your behalf.

-- Call the Kids in Need Foundation. The headquarters' phone number is 612-465-0135, and the website is kinf.org. The KINF won't be able to directly send you supplies, but it will be able to work with your school or send you in the right direction so you can get what your child needs.

However you handle it, you may feel alone, but there are plenty of parents who can't afford school supplies. Smith says his offices are besieged by multiple phone calls daily throughout August. He recalls one he received about a week ago from a mother whose husband had been severely injured in a car wreck and wasn't expected to be working for another six or seven months. The mother said that there was no way they could afford school supplies.

"She happened to be in a city where we had a resource center, so I'm fairly sure they worked with her kids' classroom teachers to get the supplies," Smith says.

[See: How to Live on $13,000 a Year.]

And he says that he sees the benefits of kids having school supplies whenever he is on hand to pass them out.

"A few months ago, we were in a school in Chicago passing out backpacks in a classroom. The supplies were inside them," Smith says. "And a second- or third-grade girl looked up at me and smiled and said, 'Now I can enjoy school.' Talk about a lump in the throat."

If you have money for school supplies but are struggling. If you feel you don't need to reach out and ask for free school supplies, but you definitely need to find them on the cheap, there are a number of outlets to consider.

Courtney Jespersen, U.S. News My Money blogger and retail and shopping content writer at the financial website NerdWallet.com, suggests the following:

-- Consignment stores. She cites Swap.com as being a particularly good online consignment store. "The site's back-to-school department is filled with kids' apparel that costs less than $5 per item in some cases," she says.

-- Dollar stores. She adds that there's always Wal-Mart.

-- Buy used. Don't worry. Jespersen doesn't suggest you buy used pencils and crayons. She is thinking this could be a good plan for backpacks or laptops. "Reputable online marketplaces like Amazon and eBay, where sellers list used or refurbished items for resale," she says.

If you have money for school supplies but simply want a good deal. Coupons are easy to forget about if you're doing last-minute school shopping, so try to remember them. If you shop online, plenty of coupon websites feature pages dedicated to back-to-school shopping (i.e., RetailMeNot.com), and you may want to utilize cash-back rebate sites like Ebates.com and ShopatHome.com.

Getting into the habit of searching for deals on school supplies isn't a bad idea in any case. After all, you may be stocking up on notebooks, pencils, erasers and binders now, but as Smith says, "It isn't as if kids only need school supplies just in August and September. It's an ongoing expense. Even if kids get a lot of school supplies at the start of the year, they're going to run out of them."
NEWS BRIEF A car bomb killed 11 police officers and injured almost 80 at a checkpoint in southeastern Turkey on Friday.

The Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, a banned Kurdish political party, claimed responsibility for the attack in the city of Cizre, on the border with Syria and some 20 miles from the Iraqi border. The bomb nearly leveled a nearby police station as well. Attackers were reportedly stopped at the gate ahead of the explosion, and a firefight followed, according to Al-Jazeera.

No terrorist organization can take the Turkish Republic hostage, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told reporters in Istanbul. We will give these scoundrels every response they deserve.

Cizre, a majority Kurdish town, has seen a curfew and sporadic violence since a ceasefire between the government and the PKK failed in July 2015. The BBC reports:

The UN and human rights organisations have demanded an investigation into allegations that more than 100 people were burned to death while sheltering in basements in Cizre during one of those curfews.

The attack comes just as the Turkish military makes its most forceful entry into Syria amid that countrys ongoing civil war. Elements of the Turkish army were reportedly resistant to involvement, but since a failed coup, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has purged the military and asserted greater control. The Syria offensive is reportedly driven not only by a desire to fight the Islamic State, but also to undercut Kurdish fighters who have made progress against the radical group. The New York Times reports:

Still, thwarting the Islamic State was not the only objective of the Turks, nor even its primary one. Turkish officials have made little secret that the main purpose of the operation was to ensure that Kurdish militias did not consolidate control over an area west of the Euphrates that they had seized during a United States-backed campaign against the Islamic State in the city of Manbij, south of Jarabulus.

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Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
A4/S4: We hope you liked the styling of the old A4, because the new-for-2017 A4 is a Kentucky cousin if ever there were one. A revitalized version of the corporate turbocharged 2.0-liter inline-four rates at 252 horsepower and 273 pound-feet of torque, up by 32 ponies and 15 pound-feet, respectively. A high-fuel-economy Ultra model uses the same engine but with a lower-power Miller combustion cycle and just 190 horsepower and 236 lb-ft of torque. The upside? Best-in-class EPA city/highway ratings of 27/37 mpg, compared to the regular A4s 25/33 mpg best. A new seven-speed dual-clutch automatic replaces the previous cars conventional eight-speed auto. Comfort comes by way of standard leather seating surfaces and a sunroof, not to mention a remarkably low C/Drecorded interior noise level of just 63 dBA. Drivers looking for a little more pep in their A4s step will want to cool their heels until the 2018 S4 goes on sale in early 2017. Featuring an all-new turbocharged 3.0-liter V-6, it will be available with only a ZF eight-speed torque-converter automatic, as Audi has killed the six-speed manual (insert sniffles and tears here) that was available in the previous S4. See A4 instrumented test  / See S4 first drive 

A5: Its not as if we didnt know what to expect of the 2018 Audi A5. Underneath, its the same as the 2017 Audi A4 we recently tested, which we summed up in this way: It doesnt make much noise about it, but the A4 possesses a quiet competence that is as wonderful as it is easily misunderstood. See first drive 

S5: At the media drive event for its new A5 and S5 coupes, Audi repeatedly proclaimed the cars to be design icons, as if looking to imbue them with an ineffable status. When Ingolstadt trotted out the first A5 at the 2007 Geneva auto show, jaws quietly dropped. It was a subtle car; its sinew was suggested, rather than paraded. It was an undoubtedly lovely automobile. Fine to drive, too, especially in manual-transmission S5 form, where it took on the character of a quietly brutish hooligan, more back-of-the-pub rude boy than flamboyant Ted or greased-up rocker. See first drive 

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A8/S8: Audis big sedan goes long for 2017, as the regular-wheelbase A8 has been discontinued. The S8 continues to ride on the five-inch-shorter standard wheelbase.

Q7: Redesigned for the 2017 model year, the three-row Q7 employs high-strength steel and plenty of aluminum components to shed more than 270 pounds compared with the previous model, according to our scales. Despite the weight savings, Audi managed to carve out an additional 1.6 inches of headroom in both the front and second rows, as well as an additional 1.7 inches of second-row legroom. The 3.0-liter TDI is a victim of VWs Stupidgate, or whatever were calling it now, and has been banished from our shores, leaving the excellent supercharged 3.0-liter gas V-6 as the sole engine choice. Producing 333 horsepower and 325 pound-feet, it delivers the goods via an eight-speed automatic and standard all-wheel drive. Inside, Audis 12.3-inch TFT instrument-cluster display is available as the industrys first onboard IMAX screen (okay, maybe Teslas was first). To distract us from the abrupt departure of the 3.0-liter diesel, Audi is prepping its high-performance SQ7 with a 4.0-liter diesel V-8 using two conventional turbochargers as well as an electric-powered supercharger, the first in a production car. It delivers 435 horsepower and 664 pound-feet of torque in case you need to pull down any skyscrapers on your way to the school pickup circle. Its bolted to an eight-speed automatic. While the official release date is still up in the air, we expect the SQ7 sometime in the second half of next year. See test 

R8: MIA in the States for the 2016 model year, this mid-engine supercoupe is back in all its naturally aspirated glory for 2017. Gone are the V-8 engine and manual transmission; a 5.2-liter V-10 paired with a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission is the only powertrain for the second-gen R8. The V-10 comes in two states of tune, letting buyers choose between the 540-hp, 398-lb-ft V-10 in the standard R8 and the 610-hp, 413-lb-ft unit in the extra-cost R8 Plus. Both powertrains feed a special application of Audis Quattro all-wheel-drive system that emulates a rear-drive vehicle. Lighter by a claimed 77 pounds, the R8 V-10 Plus also gets standard carbon-ceramic brakes; carbon-fiber rear diffuser, front lip spoiler, mirror housings, and rear wing; andfor the first time ever in the U.S.one-piece racing seats. See test 

TT RS (shown above): The latest TT RS arrives stateside in the middle of 2017 as a 2018 model. A turbocharged, aluminum-block five-cylinder engine producing 400 horsepower and 354 pound-feet of torque should provide ample acceleration: Audi estimates a zero-to-60 time of 3.7 seconds. A seven-speed dual-clutch automatic is the only available transmission. A pair of large oval tailpipes, larger front air intakes, and a fixed rear wing differentiate the TT RS from lesser TTs. Although offered in both coupe and roadster versions in Europe, only the coupe body style will make the trip to the U.S. See official photos and info 

Minor trim changes: A3/S3, A6/S6, A7/RS7/S7, Q3, TTS

Unchanged: Allroad, Q5/SQ5, TT coupe/roadster





New Cars for 2017: Return to Full Coverage




Three incidents in two days from the states of Odisha and Madhya Pradesh show how despite India emerging as a superpower, a basic dignity of death is being denied to the common man

By India Today Web Desk: India is a nuclear power, an IT superpower and an economic giant in global trade. However, 69 years after Independence, a basic dignity of death seems to still be eluding many people.



Three incidents in two days show how the system has failed the common man even in death.



The first report came from Kalahandi in Odisha, where a tribal man, Dana Manjhi had to carry the body of his wife, Amangadei for 12 kilometres after not being able to get any government help.



District hospital authorities allegedly refused to arrange a vehicle for him and he did not have money to hire a hearse. Manjhi wrapped his wife's body in old bed sheets and started walking towards his home, some 60 kilometres away. His teenage daughter was seen sobbing along the way.



He had walked with his wife's body for 12 kilometres, before some youths alerted local officials, who arranged an ambulance.



Watch video here

WATCH:No Vehicle, Man in Odisha's Bhawanipatna walks 10 km carrying wife's body,with daughter beside himhttps://t.co/DJSYRLF7O2 ANI (@ANI_news) August 25, 2016

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HIP BONE BROKEN TO CARRY THE BODY

The second incident was again reported from Odisha. A horrifying video emerged from the Balasore district in which a hospital worker was seen standing over a dead body, pressing it down with his foot and breaking the bones at the hip to make it a compact, transportable bundle.

The two hospital workers then stuffed the broken body into a large plastic bag, tied its ends and slung it on a bamboo stick. Then, they carried it through the road. No vehicles were made available to them either.



These spine-chilling, macabre visuals go against all sensibilities attached to dignity of human life.



Salamani Barik, 76, was run over by a train on Wednesday. Her body was lying at a community centre in Soro town of Balasore district of Odisha.



As per law, a post-mortem was necessary but there were no such facilities at Soro. The body needed to be transported to the district headquarters, some 30 km away.



No ambulance was available there, hiring an auto-rickshaw seemed expensive, so the authorities asked the sweeper staff to transport the body till the railway station from where the Railway Police would take the body to Balasore. Finding the body stiff and difficult to carry, the workers broke it at the hip to fit it into the plastic bag.





FUNERAL PROCESSION THROUGH DIRTY POND



The third incident was reported from Madhya Pradesh. A video has emerged from Jabalpur, in which a group of people are seen wading through a dirty pond carrying a dead body.



The people were part of a funeral procession, which was forced to wade through the pond as the sand mafia had blocked the main route leading to the cremation ground. The authorities haven't paid any heed to complaints lodged by the local people. Clearly, dignity in death is an alien concept to this nexus of corruption.



Watch video here

WATCH: Locals forced to take out last rites procession through a pond after goons block route in MP's Jabalpurhttps://t.co/aGHRswjXwu ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

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OTHER SUCH INCIDENTS



In May this year, two youths rode their bike with the body of a relative from Jharigan Community Health Centre to Bharuamunda village in Nabarangpur district of Odisha. They were forced to carry the body for 30 kilometres as they did not have enough money to arrange a vehicle.



Another incident took place in Rayagada district of Andhra Pradesh, where in April this year, a family was forced to tow their daughter's body in a trolley-rickshaw for the last rites as no one came forward to help them.



As India aspires to be a developed nation, we hope the government first ensures its people the very basic facilities first.

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Bolt: Peel back the Chevy Bolts androgynous design, and youll find a car with more than its share of electrons. In case you havent heard, this is a pure battery-powered electric with no combustion to drive you home when the juice runs low. But dont fret; thanks to its ample electron supply, the Bolt offers a claimed 200-mile range. Theres also plenty of space for passengers and their stuff, and the Bolts attitude is highly congenial. We discovered that last item on a 50-mile drive with the Bolts chief engineer, Josh Tavel, riding shotgun, absorbing our barrage of questions. See prototype drive 

Camaro: The family grows with the addition of the supercharged ZL1 coupe and convertible, as well as the track-oriented 1LE that, for the first time, can be had with a V-6 or a V-8. For the ZL1, Chevrolet taps the Corvette Z06 for its supercharged 6.2-liter V-8, installing it nearly unchanged save for a ceremonial 10-hp reduction (to just 640 ponies) to keep the Camaro in its proper place. A six-speed manual is standard while a new 10-speed automatic co-developed with Ford is optional. Some ZL1 magic trickles down to the V-8powered SS 1LE: The two share some suspension components. The V-6 1LE, on the other hand, uses the regular Camaro SSs FE3 suspension. Both 1LEs come with extra cooling, wide tires, beefed-up Brembo brakes, and matte-black body accents. Recaro seats are available on the V-6 and standard on the V-8. The V-6 and V-8 make the same 335 and 455 horsepower, respectively, as in non-1LE Camaros, but a manual is the only transmission offered.

Colorado: The status quo is constantly changing in the pickup-truck world, and the Colorado is staying fresh for 2017 with a completely new V-6 powertrain option. Replacing GMs old 3.6-liter V-6 is, um, GMs new 3.6-liter V-6, now paired to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The improvement in power and torque is not huge, with horsepower going up 3 hp to 308 hp, and torque rising 6 lb-ft to 275 lb-ft, and official fuel-economy numbers arent available yet, although a Chevrolet representative says the improvements will be incremental. The standard 2.5-liter four-cylinder and optional 2.8-liter turbodiesel four-cylinder are unchanged.

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Corvette: The storied Grand Sport nameplate returns to the Corvette lineup for 2017, and as before, it is more or less a Z06 minus that models 650-hp supercharged V-8. Otherwise, Z06 wide-track bodywork wraps around the stock Corvette Stingrays naturally aspirated 6.2-liter V-8 with a standard sport exhaust that bumps output by five ponies to 460 horsepower. The Grand Sport rides on essentially the same suspension as the Z06, and it borrows that beastly Vettes Michelin Pilot Super Sport rubber (even stickier Sport Cup 2 tires are available with the Z07 package). This is a track-day special that feels special and goes like hell on a track. See test 

Cruze: Fully revised last year, the Cruze sedan is joined by a hatchback for the first time in the U.S., while the Cruze Diesel model returns to the lineupbut only in the sedan. The hatchback shares its 153-hp turbo four and six-speed manual and automatic transmission options with the sedan, but Chevrolet promises that the wagonoid Cruze will be tuned for more driving fun than the comfort-minded sedan. An independent rear suspension, which replaces the four-doors twist-beam rear axle, should help deliver on the fun goal. Cargo space is the hatchs strong suit, with 19 cubic feet of volume behind the rear seats or 47 cubic feet with the second row folded. The diesel features an all-new 1.6-liter oil-burning four in place of its predecessors 2.0-liter, mated exclusively to a six-speed automatic.

Silverado 2500/3500 HD: Chevys heavy-duty pickups will come in for a few changes when the new model goes on sale early next year. A power and torque boost for the optional diesel engine is likely. And to feed that now-more-powerful compression-ignition lump, the hood will sprout a scoop.

Sonic: It trades its four-eyed, exposed-headlight look for a less weirdbut also less distinctiveone and loses nearly half of its available trim levels. Only the LT and Premier trims remain on the hatchback, while the Sonic sedan offers the same choices plus a base-model LS. Chevy now fits as standard the former RS packages stiffened suspension, sport exhaust, and subtle body addenda to every hatchback for 2017. Nothing changes under the hoodthe choices remain a 138-hp 1.8-liter four or a 1.4-liter turbo four with identical output but more torque. See official photos and info 

Trax: Chevrolets mini-ute gets a minor styling overhaul that includes new headlights set into a more expressive fascia. The interior is similarly updated, with a new dashboard design and a seven-inch touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay integration, as well as a 4G LTE data connection and Wi-Fi hotspot. See official photos and info 

Minor trim changes: Corvette Z06, Equinox, Silverado 1500, Traverse

Unchanged: City Express, Express, Impala, Malibu, Spark, SS, Suburban, Tahoe, Volt

Dead: Spark EV





New Cars for 2017: Return to Full Coverage




Corolla: Toyota is celebrating its compact models 50th anniversary in the most appropriately beige way possible, with an anodyne mid-cycle refresh. The old-feeling 1.8-liter four-cylinder engine staysas do the standard manual and available four-speed (!) automatic and CVTbut the bumpers, grille, headlights, and taillights are new. The 50th-anniversary special edition should find homes with folks who are easily upsold at the dealership or entirely too excited by the Corollas golden anniversary.

Highlander/hybrid: Its mid-cycle-refresh time for Toyotas mid-size SUV, too, bringing with it revised bumpers, headlights, and taillights, plus an SE trim level with a sport suspension and special wheels and trim. Like many 2017 Toyotas, the Highlander and its hybrid variant gain the Toyota Safety Sense [see sidebar, page 124] bundle of active-safety technologies as standard equipment. Both models swap their port-injected V-6s for the same port- and direct-injected 3.5-liter V-6 that made its debut last year in the latest Tacoma pickup. The nonhybrid also trades its six-speed automatic for an eight-speed unit.

Prius Prime(shown above): The plug-in version of the latest Prius gets a name change to Prius Prime and a significant increase in battery capacity for more electric-only driving range. And unlike the last Prius plug-in, the Prime gets its own front- and rear-end designs. As with the current Prius, it is still weird-looking, but at least its a more coherent kind of weird. With an 8.8-kWh lithium-ion battery pack in place of the last Prius plug-ins 4.4-kWh unit, the Prime is rated for 22 miles of electric range at up to 84 mph before reverting to hybrid gas-electric power. See prototype drive 

Sienna: Here, too, Toyota swaps its old 3.5-liter V-6 engine and six-speed automatic transmission for its latest 3.5-liter six and eight-speed automatic.

Minor trim changes: Prius C, Tacoma, Yaris, 4Runner

Unchanged: Avalon/hybrid, Camry/hybrid, Land Cruiser, Mirai, Prius, Prius V, RAV4/hybrid, Sequoia, Tundra

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New Cars for 2017: Return to Full Coverage




There is no debate when we say that Pokemon Go is taking over Singapore. Originating from Japan, the Pokemon franchise has been a big market even before the mobile phone game dropped. Catering to the fans, Japan is home to more than 20 official Pokemon shops, carrying unique merchandises. For Airfrov travellers heading to the land of rising sun, check out the tips on catching them all in Japan!

Pokemon center Japan - Airfrov Blog

Official Pokemon Shops

There are 11 Pokemon Centers, as well as 11 Pokemon Stores across Japan. While both carry official Pokemon merchandises, Pokemon Centers are a lot bigger than Pokemon Stores.

The Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo located in Ikebukuro is the largest of its kind amongst the 11 centers. Regularly featuring Mega Tokyo-only merchandises, it is not surprising to see long queues in front of the center. One of the biggest attractions in Pokemon Center Mega Tokyo is the large Pokemon statues in the shop. A Pikachu on top of a Charizard Y, a standalone Charizard X, Lucario or Mewtwo? All check.

Pokemon centre japan - Airfrov Blog

Pokemon Stores however, are smaller in scale but are usually located conveniently in Japanese airports. You can grab last minute Pokemon merchandises before flying home from Narita, Kansai, Chubu and New Chitose airport! Airport Pokemon stores carry region-specific Pokemon merchandises, especially the cute Pikachu plushies clad in air stewardess wear!

Visiting any official Pokemon shops during your birthday month? Remember to head to the counter with your passport! You are entitled to birthday gifts such as unique Pokemon birthday hat, birthday card, discount coupon as well as a special Pokemon for your Pokemon game on NDS. We do hope that they will extend this special Pokemon for Pokemon Go soon!

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Are you looking to add to your Pokemon collection?

A must-get at the official Pokemon shops is the Pokemon medals.

Pokemon center Japan - Medals

Featuring different Pokemons on the medals, the ones with the centers name are the collectible items for fans. Region-specific medals are resold on auction sites for as much as 10 times the price. This is especially so for the centers and stores out of the major cities such as Oita, Toyama and Shizuoka.

Also, starting August 20th, the 6th installment of Monthly Paired Pikachu (2600yen) will be on sale. In matching yukatas, the Pikachus are going for moon-viewing under the autumn breeze!

Pokemon center Japan - Monthly Pikachu

Moreover, the Halloween Pokemons will be on sale in all the official Pokemon shops starting September 3rd. Prices range from 400 yen to 3000 yen for goodies such as Pirate Eevee plushie, Joker Pikachu keychain, and Halloween Pikachu shirts (S/M/L sizes only).

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Screen Shot 2016-08-23 at 11.22.16 pm

Our all-time favourite have got to be the Pikachu poncho series:



giphy (8)

Do not miss out on the chance to grab limited edition Pokemon merchandises! You can get all these exclusive items from the convenience of your room. You just need to put up a request like what our Airfrov users did, and a traveller in Japan will help you bring it back!

Request to buy Pokemon Plushie from Pokemon Centre Japan

Heres how it works:

1) Post a request with what you want to buy or click on + button to copy requests

2) A traveller will offer to help you buy

3) If youre agreeable to the offer price and return date, place a deposit

(your payment will be held securely with Airfrov until traveller returns)

4) Wait for traveller to return with your goodies!

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The post Catch em all: The REAL Pokemon Center in Japan appeared first on Airfrov Blog.
Celebrities who are also part-time DJs Bobby Deol Bollywood actor and son of yesteryears superstar Dharmendra, has enjoyed average success in the movies. Seeing as his acting career was headed nowhere lately, he decided to try an alternate career as a DJ for which he has undergone professional training. He was recently invited to a high-end club in Delhi and the tickets were sold out for the event. But Bobby blew his golden chance when he kept playing tracks from his film Gupt on loop. The crowd was so miffed with the DJ for the evening that they demanded a refund.



Bobby Deol may well have irked his fans at a high-end club in Delhi by spinning his luck at the turntables, owing to the fact that he still hasnt gotten over his Gupt frenzy. Fans asking for a refund is probably the loudest wake up call for the actor whos Djing career isnt exactly soaring high either.

However, celebrities trying a hand at DJing doesnt always go awry. In fact here are other International celebs who have done quite well and made a name for themselves by spinning the right tunes. Well kickstat the slideshow, however, with the very reason for this piece, Bobby Deol, who can probably take a few tips from some of these international acts.







Image Credits: Getty Images








josh bruno hometeam

The debate about whether "on-demand" economy workers should be classified as independent contractors (who use IRS Form 1099) or employees (who use Form W-2) rages on, but one startup CEO found that for Silicon Valley venture capitalists, there was a clear preference for 1099s.

On-demand startups like ride-hailing Uber or delivery service Instacart generally rely on 1099 workers who aren't technically employees of the company.

And there's a simple reason: Having employees on your payroll can get expensive.

Last year, the food delivery service Munchery told Business Insider that hiring its drivers as employees instead of contractors adds an estimated 20-30% to cost per hour. That's a ton.

But having your workers on 1099s restricts the type of training and support a startup can give, and this can decrease efficiency. The cost-benefit analysis of 1099 versus W-2 even caused valet startup Luxe to switch from W-2 to 1099, and then back to W-2. It can sometimes be tough for a startup to decide which is best for it and its workers.

But Josh Bruno, the CEO of senior-care startup Hometeam, said that for him it was always clear that Hometeam's 1,000-plus caregivers needed to be on W-2s. They needed a lot of training, and Bruno wanted to give them the sense that Hometeam was investing in them for the long haul.

But unfortunately, when Bruno was trying to raise money, that wasn't what Silicon Valley VCs wanted to hear.

"I was kicked out of every office on Sand Hill Road," Bruno said, referring to the iconic street that houses many famous Silicon Valley VCs. Bruno said he even had a verbal agreement with a "flashy name" VC, who then wouldn't go through with the investment unless Bruno put his workers on 1099s.

Why? One reason, Bruno said, is because big names like Uber and Lyft were doing it. Bruno's main competitor, Honor, which was named one of Business Insider's hottest San Francisco startups to watch in 2016, originally used 1099s. It has since switched to W-2s.

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But it wasn't simply because everyone was doing it, Bruno said. The deeper reason rested in what a 1099 represented.

Bruno said that to VCs he spoke with, a 1099 meant a job that was both easy and repeatable. The worker is a part that can be swapped in, which is good because it means the business will be easier to scale, Bruno explained. And it would be easier to get the kind of growth the VCs were looking for.

Not all VCs think this way, even among those whom Bruno was pitching. Hometeam has so far raised $43.5 million from Kaiser Permanente Ventures, Oak HC/FT, Lux Capital, IA Ventures, and Recruit Strategic Partners.

Honor has raised $62 million total, and recently raised $42 million long after switching its workers to W-2s.

But Bruno's experience raises useful points about how "gig economy" workers are conceptualized by both startups and VCs. The more that workers swing toward the W-2 side, the less they seem like cogs in a machine, but the less they feel like part of a startup that can use technology to scale itself rapidly, up and up.

NOW WATCH: Apple just fixed a major security problem  and you should update your iPhone right now





More From Business Insider


SANTIAGO (Reuters) - World no. 1 copper miner Codelco produced more copper in the first half of 2016 than a year ago, but made a financial loss, and the chief executive said on Friday that the company position was "extremely fragile."

The Chilean state-owned firm produced 843,000 tonnes of copper in the first half, up 1.4 percent, and made a pretax loss of $97 million (73.62 million pounds), it reported Friday.

Even though direct cash costs fell 9 percent to $1.275 per pound of copper compared to a year ago, the copper price is down over 20 percent, continuing a slide sparked by cooling demand in top buyer China.

That has complicated the scenario enormously for Codelco, which gives all its profits back to the state and relies on capitalisation and some debt issuance to fund its operations.

"We are playing on the edge," Chief Executive Nelson Pizarro said at a press conference following the release of results. Earlier this week he raised eyebrows in Chile after he said at a mining forum that "there is no money, not one damn peso."

In order to maintain output at its tapped-out mines, Codelco has been betting on multi-billion dollar expansion projects, but the economic scenario has forced it to scale back some of those plans.

Two of those projects - to take century-old Chuquicamata underground and build a new crushing plant at Andina - were progressing according to plan, said Pizarro on Friday.

But another plan, to expand Radomiro Tomic, was being redesigned, as it was not as profitable as the other projects, he added.

Although the overall result in the first half was a loss, the company did make a $54 million profit in the second quarter, and Pizarro expressed hope that the price of copper had at least stabilized.

"If (the copper price) can do what we think, we will end this year positively," he said.

"We are in a situation of unstable equilibrium. Our challenge is to produce more with less."

(Reporting by Felipe Iturrieta, writing by Rosalba O'Brien, editing by Phil Berlowitz)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's agriculture ministry said it would back new laws on genetically modified (GMO) food labeling "at a suitable time" as it seeks to assuage public concerns over safety, but added that current laws protect consumers. Beijing has spent billions of dollars researching GMO crops and has said it is aiming for commercialization of the first GMO corn and soybean crops within the next five years. But despite repeated attempts to reassure consumers over the safety of the technology, the government still faces strong opposition from members of the public, academics and industry, raising questions about how it will introduce new biotech crops to the market. "Following a safety assessment before reaching the market, GMO food products are as safe as conventional foods," the ministry said in a statement. The statement came in response to a proposal submitted to China's legislature earlier this year by Zhang Qinghai, chairman of Henan-based noodle to dairy maker Kedi Group, and 14 other parliamentary delegates calling for a separate law regulating the safety of GMO foods. Doubts over the adequacy of China's GMO regulation have arisen following media reports that some food products are not labeled as containing GMO ingredients. Greenpeace has said that GMO crops including rice, China's staple food, and corn were being illegally planted in the country and found in foods sold in local supermarkets. The ministry said GMO foods are already regulated under China's revised food safety law, published last year. However, it added that it would recommend a law on GMO food safety and a labeling system based on a certain threshold of GMO content "at a suitable time", when it was needed by the market. The current law does not set a threshold at which food products must be labeled as containing biotech ingredients. Some critics argue that a law based on such a system would encourage better adherence to the rules. (Reporting by Dominique Patton; Editing by Richard Pullin)
Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi, who earlier rubbished the idea of paternity leave, today retracted her statement saying, she never said any such thing.

By Anindya Banerjee: Union Minister for Women and Child Development Maneka Gandhi sparked a controversy by saying paternity leave will just be another holiday for men. But realising the storm she kicked while introducing a maternity bill that's hailed as contemporary, the minister today did an absolute U Turn on the matter.

Maneka Gandhi said that she never made such a statement.

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'No I did not say that," she said.

Realising the damage her comments have caused she went a step further to clarify, "Ideally raising a child is the responsibility of both the parents. We want that. But this maternity bill is just the beginning. Hopefully in future we will have a much more sophisticated bill (taking care of other concerns like paternity leave)."

Maneka Gandhi was instrumental in forcing the Union Labour Ministry to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and increase maternity leave in the private sector from 12 to 26 weeks. However, she rubbished the idea of paternity leaves in India by reportedly saying, "I will be happy to give it but for a man; it will be just a holiday, he won't do anything."

Also Read

Good news: Women to get 26 weeks maternity leave soon after RS green light



--- ENDS ---
BEIJING (Reuters) - Japan should play a "constructive" role at the upcoming G20 summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou because cooperation is in the interests of all parties, China's top diplomat told a visiting Japanese envoy. Ties between Asia's two largest economies have long been overshadowed by arguments over their painful wartime history and a territorial spat in the East China Sea, among other issues. Beijing has also accused Tokyo of interfering in the South China Sea, where China and several Southeast Asian nations are embroiled in an argument over ownership. Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe will attend the summit, which starts next weekend, along with other world leaders including U.S. President Barack Obama. Chinese state councillor Yang Jiechi, who outranks the foreign minister, told the head of Japan's National Security Council, Shotaro Yachi, that Japan should "play a constructive role" at the G20 summit, state news agency Xinhua reported late on Thursday. "The improvement of China-Japan ties has been continuously disturbed by various problems, especially the issues related to East China Sea and South China Sea, which is in the interests of neither side," Xinhua paraphrased Yang as saying. Yachi also met Chinese Premier Li Keqiang. "The China-Japan relationship is still very fragile although there is a momentum of improvement," Li said, according to Xinhua. Li said he hoped Japan would adopt a "correct understanding of China and fulfill the commitment to taking China's development as its opportunity". Xinhua said Yachi read a letter from Abe to Li, in which Abe said Japan expected a successful G20 summit and was willing to enhance cooperation with China in this regard. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Paul Tait)
VIENNA (Reuters) - A Chinese citizen has been arrested in Hong Kong in connection with a cyber attack that cost Austrian aerospace parts maker FACC 42 million euros ($47.39 million), Austrian police said on Friday.

FACC fired its chief executive and chief financial officer after the attack, which involved hoax emails asking an employee to transfer money for a fake acquisition project - a kind of scam known as a "fake president incident".

FACC's customers include Airbus and Boeing.

A 32-year-old man, who was an authorised signatory of a Hong Kong-based firm that received around 4 million euros from FACC, was arrested on July 1 on suspicion of money laundering, a spokesman for Austria's Federal Office for Crime said.

Such attacks, also known as "business email compromise", involve thieves gaining access to legitimate email accounts inside a company  often those of top executives  to carry out unauthorized transfers of funds.

The technique, which relies on simple trickery or more sophisticated computer intrusions, typically targets businesses working with international suppliers that regularly perform wire transfers.

A spokesman for FACC said the company was working on getting back 10 million euros which had been found and frozen on accounts in different countries around the world. These 10 million euros are not included in the 42 million euro hit the group has already booked.

The spokesman declined to give details on the arrest or the location of the accounts.

In June, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said identified losses from this scam totalled $3.1 billion and had risen by 1,300 percent in the past 18 months.

Such scams have been reported by 22,143 victims in all 50 U.S. states and in 100 countries around the world.

The FBI said reports indicate that fraudulent transfers have been made to 79 countries with the majority going to Asian banks located in China and Hong Kong.

Another tool for fraud, "ransomware", which has received much media attention over the past year, refers to malicious software that thieves use to blocks access to a computer until a ransom is paid.

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Security experts say the two trends are the fastest growing cyber security threats to businesses worldwide.

FBI report: https://www.ic3.gov/media/2016/160614.aspx

($1 = 0.8862 euros)

(Reporting By Shadia Nasralla and Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; editing by Ralph Boulton)
VIENNA (Reuters) - A Chinese citizen has been arrested in Hong Kong in connection with a cyber attack that cost Austrian aerospace parts maker FACC 42 million euros ($47.39 million), Austrian police said on Friday. FACC fired its chief executive and chief financial officer after the attack, which involved hoax emails asking an employee to transfer money for a fake acquisition project - a kind of scam known as a "fake president incident". FACC's customers include Airbus and Boeing. A 32-year-old man, who was an authorised signatory of a Hong Kong-based firm that received around 4 million euros from FACC, was arrested on July 1 on suspicion of money laundering, a spokesman for Austria's Federal Office for Crime said. Such attacks, also known as "business email compromise", involve thieves gaining access to legitimate email accounts inside a company  often those of top executives  to carry out unauthorized transfers of funds. The technique, which relies on simple trickery or more sophisticated computer intrusions, typically targets businesses working with international suppliers that regularly perform wire transfers. A spokesman for FACC said the company was working on getting back 10 million euros which had been found and frozen on accounts in different countries around the world. These 10 million euros are not included in the 42 million euro hit the group has already booked. The spokesman declined to give details on the arrest or the location of the accounts. In June, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said identified losses from this scam totalled $3.1 billion and had risen by 1,300 percent in the past 18 months. Such scams have been reported by 22,143 victims in all 50 U.S. states and in 100 countries around the world. The FBI said reports indicate that fraudulent transfers have been made to 79 countries with the majority going to Asian banks located in China and Hong Kong. Another tool for fraud, "ransomware", which has received much media attention over the past year, refers to malicious software that thieves use to blocks access to a computer until a ransom is paid. Security experts say the two trends are the fastest growing cyber security threats to businesses worldwide. FBI report: https://www.ic3.gov/media/2016/160614.aspx ($1 = 0.8862 euros) (Reporting By Shadia Nasralla and Eric Auchard in Frankfurt; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Washington (AFP) - Hillary Clinton said Friday she was certain no revelations from emails or foreign entities' ties to her husband's charitable foundation will derail her bid for the US presidency.

"I am sure, and I am sure because I have a very strong foundation of understanding about the foundation" and the good work it has done, the Democratic candidate said in an interview with MSNBC.

Clinton, who is leading in the polls, has come under withering scrutiny over whether Clinton Foundation donors received favored access at the State Department while she was secretary of state during President Barack Obama's first term.

Republican rival Donald Trump earlier this week called for an independent investigation after a fresh batch of Clinton emails released as part of a Freedom of Information Act lawsuit showed foundation donors lobbying her top aides for access.

The Associated Press, meanwhile, reported that more than half the people outside government who met Clinton while she was secretary of state donated money to the Clinton Foundation.

"My work is not influenced by outside sources. I made policy decisions to keep Americans safe. I believe my aides also acted appropriately," she said on MSNBC.

"We have gone above and beyond most of the legal requirements, beyond the standards to voluntarily disclose donors and to reduce sources of funding that raised questions -- not that we thought they were necessarily legitimate, but to avoid those questions," she said.

Clinton said her critics should look at the good work the foundation has done, for instance making low-cost HIV medicines available to millions around the world.

Bill Clinton announced this week that if his wife is elected, the foundation will accept only US contributions, that he will step down from the board and will no longer raise funds for the charity.

Asked why the foundation didn't simply turn over its programs to the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation or some other charity, she said it was now looking for partners.

"We are going to be testing that. That's why the foundation is looking for partners and, you know, there are potential partners for some of the work but not necessarily the same partner for all of the work. I think winding down the program takes time."
After Hillary Clintons denunciations of Donald Trump as a race-baiting demagogue, he dug up the oldest comeback in the book: I know you are but what am I?

The Republican presidential candidate says that Clinton talks a good game about helping African-Americans and Hispanics but that shes actually a bigot whose policies are selling them down the tubes.

She is a bigot, because you look at whats happening to the inner cities. You look at whats happening to African-Americans and Hispanics in this country, Trump said during a Thursday night interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper. Shes not doing anything for those communities.

Cooper pressed Trump, who had called Clinton a bigot at a rally Wednesday night, on the definition of bigotry and whether the GOP nominee thinks Clinton has antipathy or hatred toward a particular group, or if he just thinks her policies are bigoted.

She is. Of course she is! Her policies  theyre her policies. She comes out with policies, and others that believe like she does also, Trump continued. But she came out with policies over the years  this is over the years, long time  shes totally bigoted. Theres no question about that.

Donald Trump, with Ben Carson to his right, meets with the Republican Leadership Initiative at Trump Tower in New York on Thursday. (Photo: Gerald Herbert/AP)

In general, Trump said Clinton has been extremely bad for African-Americans and extremely bad for Hispanics.

You look at whats happened with her policies and the policies of President Obama and others. Look at the poverty. Look at the rise in poverty. Look at the rise in violence, he said.

Asked again if hatred is at the core of Clintons alleged shortcomings, Trump suggested that she might also just be lazy.

Earlier Thursday in Reno, Nev., Clinton gave a speech in which she denounced Trump as a bigot who has capitalized on discredited conspiracy theories and racial resentment to fuel his campaign.

Casting her candidacy as a nonracist alternative, Clinton praised black poet Maya Angelou as a great American who I admire very much and quoted an old Mexican proverb in order to argue that Trump had revealed his true colors with his provocative comments and his associations with fringe figures.

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Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nev., on Thursday. (Photo: Carolyn Kaster/AP)

On Friday morning, like clockwork, both candidates continued to accuse each other of racism  this time through video.

Trumps team posted a video to his Instagram page with the caption, The Clintons are the real predators It showed Clinton in 1994 defending the Violent Crime Control and Law Enforcement Act, which her husband, former President Bill Clinton, signed into law.

They are often the kinds of kids that are called superpredators, she said at the time. No conscience. No empathy. We can talk about how they ended up that way, but first we have to bring them to heel. Black Lives Matter activists and others have challenged her past use of the term superpredators this election cycle.

The Clintons are the real predators A video posted by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Aug 26, 2016 at 5:04am PDT

Trumps attack video also incorporated a moment from the Democratic primary debates. Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said superpredators was a racist term and everybody knew it was a racist term.

Not to be outdone, the Clinton campaign also released a new attack ad that accused Trump of being out of touch with the African-American community. The 30-second video strings together several controversial quotes from Trump  such as look at my African-American and I have a great relationship with the blacks  while dramatic music plays in the background. The video also quotes Trump asking, What the hell do you have to lose by voting for him. The Clinton camps answer: everything.

On Thursday night, Clintons running mate, Tim Kaine, scoffed at the accusation that she is bigoted against black people. He told Late Show host Stephen Colbert that she fought for racial justice in the juvenile justice system in the South and against segregation in Alabama after finishing law school.

At his early career, Kaine added of Trump, Donald Trump was a real estate guy who got sued by the Justice Department for discriminating against people in housing, writing the letter C on applications if they were minority.
Hillary Clinton aimed a fierce barrage at Donald Trump on Thursday, accusing him of fomenting racism, bigotry, and paranoia with his presidential campaign.

It was a kitchen-sink attack, a bracing inventory of Trumps connectionssome direct, others more tenuousto conspiracy theorists like Alex Jones, white supremacists like David Duke, and the alt-right conservatism of Breitbart. The speech served as a domestic-policy counterpart to the similarly critical broadside she aimed at Trumps foreign policy in June. As Julia Ioffe pointed out, it was also an update to the idea of a vast right-wing conspiracy that Clinton coined 18 years ago.

Related Story

The Radical Anti-Conservatism of Stephen Bannon

Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. He is taking hate groups mainstream, and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party, Clinton said at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nevada. (A video ad released Thursday covers much of the same ground.) She said Trumps rhetoric was like nothing weve heard before from a nominee for president of the United States from one of our two major parties.

Over more than a half-hour of sustained attack, Clinton added little new material to the record. Instead, she methodically plotted Trumps known ties, in what appeared to be an effort to energize her own voters and, in particular, to give pause to Republicans who have grudgingly opted to make their peace with a candidate they dont love. As she had in June, Clinton again labeled Trump temperamentally unfit to be president of the United States.

Recommended: Steve Bannon's Bad Day: Allegations of Voter Fraud and Domestic Violence

Though the speech had been billed as an exploration of Trumps ties to the alt-righta political niche catering to white nationalists, xenophobes, and othersshe only touched on the topic toward the end of the speech. By the time she reached that point, Clinton had already assailed Trump for retweeting a white-supremacist Twitter account and for posting a meme taken from a white-supremacist website. She had mentioned his fabricated account of Muslims celebrating 9/11 in New Jersey and his baseless accusation that the father of Senator Ted Cruz was implicated in the Kennedy assassination. She had criticized him for appearing on Alex Jones show and praising the host, and for failing to promptly disavow David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan grand wizard and current congressional candidate. (Although Trump later did so, Duke remains enamored of Trump, she noted.) And she had criticized his latest immigration plan as both unworkable and un-American.

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The last thing we need in the situation room is a loose cannon who cant tell the difference, or doesnt care to, between fact and fiction, Clinton said.

Finally turning to the alt-right, she read off a series of headlines from Breitbart, whose CEO Steve Bannon recently became CEO of Trumps campaign: Hoist It High And Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage, Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?, Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movements Human Shield. She also criticized Trump for campaigning Wednesday night with Nigel Farage, the former head of the U.K. Independence Party and a leader of the campaign supporting Britains departure from the European Union.

Recommended: Trump Just Massively Betrayed Ann Coulter on Immigration

Clinton implored her audience not to take seriously Trumps recent moves toward softening his tone on immigration and speaking to black voters.

I know that some people still want to give Trump the benefit of the doubt. They hope that he will eventually reinvent himself, that theres a kinder, gentler more responsible Donald Trump waiting in the wings, she said. But no such Trump exists, Clinton insisted. The policies that he as proposed would put prejudice into practice. Dont be distracted by his recent attempts to muddy the waters.

Her argument that Trump hasnt really changed was aided by the recent addition of Bannon to the campaign, since Breitbart has emerged, under Bannons stewardship, as one of the marquee outlets for the alt-right, and a major point for alt-right ideas to enter the mainstreamsometimes via the Trump campaign.

It really does take a lot of nerve to ask people hes mistreated and ignored for decades, What do you have to lose? Because the answer is everything.

In reaching out to black voters, Trump has argued that African American communities are uniformly poor, dangerous, and hopeless, and suggested they should give him a chance. But Clinton noted that Trump had been accused of racial discrimination as far back as the 1970s.

It really does take a lot of nerve to ask people hes mistreated and ignored for decades, What do you have to lose? she said. Because the answer is everything.

Recommended: Donald Trump Is Steve Bannon's Latest Weapon in His Crusade to Destroy the Left

The speech was a remarkably harsh attack for a candidate who is leading Trump by sizable margins both nationwide and in key swing states, having already expanded the possible range of victories into traditionally Republican states. But if Trumps odds in November already look long, she sought to knock him entirely out of contention on Thursday. The careful indictment was designed to make Trump supporters uncomfortable, forcing them to reckon with some of the less savory remarks their candidate has made, and to encourage Republicans who are on the fence to forsake Trump and back her.

Clinton harkened back to moments when prominent Republicans have publicly rejected bigotry. Discussing Trumps attack against federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel, she quoted Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Trump endorser who labeled the jab the textbook definition of a racist comment. She praised President George W. Bush for his inclusive rhetoric about Muslims immediately after 9/11, and lauded Senator Bob Dole for banishing racists during his 1996 run against her husband. (In an ironic turn, Dole is a Trump backer this year.) This is not conservatism as we have known it, this is not Republicanism, she said. Reprising a campaign ad, she warned of the effect of hearing Trump on children.

Yet Clintons speech was also well-calibrated to bait Trump and his supporters, right down to her quotation of a Mexican proverb. She got some immediate gratification when David Duke defended the alt-rightand by extension Trumpin a rebuttal to BuzzFeed.

The best-case scenario for the Clinton campaign is to prod Trump himself into responding. She has characterized him as easily baited to anger, and when he has lashed out in the past, his outbursts have often been damaging to his campaign. Although hes attempting a milder tone this week, he also said, If people hit me, I will certainly hit back. That will never change. Clinton has served the ball right into his court to prove it.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
Barack Obama science fair

Most college professors are Democrats because Republicans don't accept scientific reality.

That's according to William Snider, founding director and professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

He wrote an op-ed for The News & Observer after Phil Berger, the Republican leader of the North Carolina Senate, accused UNC of discriminating against Republican academics who fail to "toe the line from the left."

Twelve out of 13 professors at the University of North Carolina are Democrats, according to Berger, who suggests that's evidence for his claim of discrimination.

It's a bit unclear if college professors are as overwhelmingly liberal as Berger says. Mother Jones cites the sociologist Neil Gross, who estimates about half of professors describe themselves as "left or liberal," and another 19% identify as moderates. That makes the professoriat more left than not  but not by the overwhelming margin the 12:1 ratio at UNC would suggest.

Gross, however, also finds that academics are much less likely to be strong conservatives than most Americans. Only 4% fall into that category  as well as another 23% on social and military issues.

To explain the discrepancy, Snider wrote that college professors, particularly scientists, tend to self-select affiliation with the Democratic Party because their profession necessitates beliefs that align with it.

A 2013 Pew Research survey found that 43% of Republicans believe in evolution, which Snider notes is the "central organizing principle of modern biology." Of the 17 Republican politicians who sought the party's presidential nomination this year, only Jeb Bush suggested that he accepts the science. And, as Snider notes, "several of the candidates were on record stating that they did not accept evolutionary theory."

"How should scientists react to this?" Snider wrote. "If Republican leaders don't believe [evolution] is true, how can scientists support them? Further, public funds in NC are directed at 'voucher' schools that teach that the theory of evolution is false. How can we join the party that apportions funds in this way?"

Story continues

He identifies the general Republican position that climate science is a "hoax" as even "more relevant."

(The 2016 Republican Party Platform states that "climate change is far from this nation's most pressing national security issue" and calls for rejecting the Paris Agreement and Kyoto Protocol, which call for international cooperation to combat climate change.)

Given the overwhelming scientific consensus on the human causes and global threat of a warming planet, Snider writes that it's hard for researchers to take a party that accuses major research bodies of conspiracy seriously.

"It is also apparent to anyone who follows the issue that many of the statements claiming that climate science is a hoax are compromised by economic self-interest related to companies and individuals who profit from fossil fuels," he wrote.

Snider writes that he worries North Carolina's Republican Legislature might punish UNC for not going out of its way to hire Republicans:

"We hope not, but the University of North Carolina system has already seen a competent and respected president who was a Democrat forced out so a Republican could be installed ... The sad part is that this will happen only at public schools. The private colleges and universities will continue to prosper via endowments and high tuitions, their faculty will remain heavily Democratic and the wealthy will continue to send their children there."

It's hard to imagine there's a massive conspiracy to exclude Republicans from academia, as Snider notes. It could be illegal to ask about a job candidate's political affiliation during a hiring process, and there are only a few fields  sociology is perhaps one  where a candidate's party politics are likely to become apparent in their work.

Other professors, like the far-left linguist Noam Chomsky, make their politics known outside their academic work. But that's more the exception than the rule.

NOW WATCH: A dentist reveals the most effective way to whiten your teeth





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Comcast got welcome news from the FCC on Friday when the media agency dismissed a complaint filed by Liberman Broadcasting Inc., the owner of Estrella TV.

Estrella was removed last year from Comcast's service in Houston, Denver and Salt Lake City after negotiations for carriage broke down. Afterwards, Liberman went to the FCC with the claim that Comcast, in a bid to boost affiliated networks Telemundo and NBC Universo, was committing program discrimination and violating Section 616 of the 1992 Cable Act.

Today, the FCC agreed with Comcast's contention that Liberman failed to establish a prima facie case of a program carriage violation because it has failed to prove that it is a "video programming vendor" within the meaning of the statute. The regulatory agency deems Liberman instead to be a "broadcast licensee."

"While it could be argued that LBI is engaged in the 'production, creation, or wholesale distribution of video programming for sale' to the extent it seeks compensation from Comcast for carriage of its television broadcast stations, it is in fact negotiating compensation for the retransmission of its television broadcast 'signal' rather than carriage of the 'video programming' contained within that signal," explains the FCC in its order.

Accordingly, Liberman must look to the compulsory copyright rules, otherwise known as must-carry, if it wishes distribution and can't come to a retrans fee.

Because Liberman lacks standing, the FCC dodges the arguably more provocative question Liberman brought up in its argument that Comcast's request for Estrella's digital programming rights in negotiations constituted an impermissible demand for a "financial interest" in the station under Section 616. Comcast argued this interpretation would make it unlawful anytime a cable or satellite distributor had the gall to ask for digital rights.

In reaction to Friday's ruling, Liberman says it's disappointed, disagrees with the interpretation and is examining options to appeal the decision.
A Chennai-based NGO is supporting the mother of an 18-month-old baby girl, who is suspected to have been sexually abused, as she insists that her child was only injured in an accident.

By India Today Web Desk: After activists from Childline reported an 18-month-old baby girl in Perumbakkam, Chennai, to have been sexually abused, child's mother came forward to rubbish the claims. She insists that the injuries on the baby's body are from when she fell down from her cot.

"My daughter fell down from the cot on Saturday morning," she told TOI. "On Monday, she was not able to walk properly. I took her to the Sathyabama college hospital where a nurse gave a Crocin tablet," she said.

Childline's claim

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After a Slum Clearance Board official registered a complaint with Childline, activists reached the child's house on Tuesday and took her to a local Primary Health Centre for examination, allegedly without the mother.

Here, the activists claim, doctors suggested that the toddler had been sexually abused.



Mother's claim

Nakshatra, an NGO based in Chennai, shared the details of the incident on Facebook, supporting the mother's story. As per their post, the activists from Childline "illegally detained" the mother, locking her up in the house, and took the child to the clinic by themselves.

The author of the post says when they reached the PHC with the mother and police, the doctors told them that "the team at the Pallikaranai PHC is not qualified to examine the case".

From there, the child is said to have been taken to the Egmore Children's Hospital, where the one-and-a-half-year-old child and her mother were admitted for further examination, after which the Egmore Children's Hospital "ruled out any injury in the private parts".

"PLEASE NOTE," the post reads, "till then no documents [confirming or suggesting rape] from any doctor or PHC was presented to the police or the hospital or to me [representing the NGO],".

NGO Nakshatra claims that on Wednesday Childline revealed a medical report from the PHC which indicated sexual abuse.

"If they had such a report they should have given it to the police at least a copy," writes the author of the post on Nakshatra's Facebook page, calling its "a framed case".



Framed case?

The Facebook post goes on to reveal that the toddler's mother, a Muslim woman, had remarried a Hindu man after her former husband died.

"I was shocked when an activist accompanying the Childline asked me why else would the second husband marry the 20-year-old [mother] if he wasn't a paedophile," reads the post, questioning the ethics of the activists.

"Shouldn't we encourage widowed women with children to get married? What is wrong with our society? Are all stepfathers sexually abusing children? Are all stepmothers abusing children?"

While promising to help the mother with the case and assuring the child's custody remain with her, the post ends on this note:

"My [the author's] another concern here is there are plenty of cases in the street where children are forced to beg, hardly a few are rescued by the Childline. And in almost all busy roads of Chennai we see children and infants used for begging. Many infants drugged. Why is it that Childline fail to rescue them?

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Why were they so keen to establish a sexual assault on this one and half year old child? Why didn't they present the PHC document copy to the police or the hospital on Tuesday?"

--- ENDS ---




WWE Network



On Thursday night, less than one week after TakeOver: Brooklyn II, the Yellow Brand held their latest batch of television tapings at Full Sail in Winter Park, Florida. Please be aware that everything you read in the subsequent paragraphs is an actual, massive, legitimate spoiler for what will happen over the next several weeks of NXT television. You may read on only at your own risk. But if youre the sort of person who just simply cannot wait until next week to find out what happens next, congratulations! This post is for you!

Results from the 8/25/16 NXT tapings:

Related Links:





1. Daria Berenato defeated Billie Kay. This appeared to have been a dark match. Daria won with a triangle choke.

2. Tye Dillinger defeated Buddy Murphy. Dillinger won with the Tye Breaker.

 Tommaso Ciampa cut a promo backstage saying Johnny Gargano would be back soon. He was jumped by the Revival, who pummeled him all the way to the ring, then hit him with the Shatter Machine.

4. Steve Cutler defeated Kenneth Crawford.

5. No Way Jose defeated Angelo Dawkins.

6. Liv Morgan defeated Aliyah.

 New NXT Champion Shinsuke Nakamura cut a promo in the ring. He says he wanted to come to NXT to compete against the best in the world and see how good he really is. He proclaims the Joe Era is over and the Strong Style Era has begun.



7. Asuka defeated Danielle Kamela. This match ended in approximately 10 seconds with the Asuka Lock.

8. TM61 defeated Tony Nese and Ariya Daivari.

9. Ember Moon defeated Leah Vaughan. Ember won with the Moonshot.

10. Shinsuke Nakamura defeated Steve Cutler. Samoa Joe sat in on commentary for this match.

11. Austin Aries defeated Andrade Cien Almas. Almas is no longer wearing his suspenders and entrance pants to the ring.

12. Oney Lorcan defeated Tino Sabbatelli. Lorcan won via submission with a half crab.

 Samoa Joe cuts a promo in the ring. He calls himself a disgrace when he was champion, saying he ruined friendships in the pursuit of being the best. He calls out Nakamura, who comes to the ring. Joe says Nakamura was a worthy contender and is a deserving champion. He says as soon as hes ready to go, he wants a rematch. Nakamura accepts. They shake hands and Joe leaves.

Story continues

A moment later, Joe returns and beats Nakamura down, then gives him a huge STO onto the ring steps. Nakamura is stretchered out.

13. Liv Morgan defeated Rachael Ellering.

 After the match, Morgan cut a promo saying a lot of women may have left NXT, but shes still here and shes ready to fight. She challenges Asuka.

14. Hideo Itami defeated Drew Gulak. Itami hit the Go To Sleep for the pinfall victory.

15. The Authors of Pain defeated local talent.

16. Bobby Roode defeated No Way Jose.
KINSHASA (Reuters) - Democratic Republic of Congo will free five pro-democracy activists in the next few days, the justice minister said on Friday, to try to appease the opposition and ease negotiations over an election timetable after a delayed presidential vote. Opponents accuse President Joseph Kabila of deliberately delaying the vote in order to cling to power beyond the end of his mandate in December, a charge his supporters deny. Opposition leaders could not be reached for comment but Friday's news looked unlikely to appease the main opposition alliance, which dismissed a similar promise to release prisoners last week as insufficient and boycotted the talks. Only four of the 24 prisoners named last week turned out to still be in jail, and several prominent political figures were not on the list of names. Thambwe said on Friday that he expected those four to be released at the weekend. Talks between the government, its political opponents and civil society representatives started this week after authorities said last weekend that a vote set for November could not be held before July as they enroll millions of new voters. Authorities have arrested dozens of people in the last year, who the opposition deem political prisoners, and about 40 people were killed in January 2015 in protests over a possible election delay, drawing criticism from the United Nations. Justice Minister Alexis Thambwe Mwamba told reporters in the capital Kinshasa that five activists - four from the youth group Lucha based in the eastern city of Goma and one from Kinshasa-based pro-democracy group Filimbi - would soon be released. "The formalities will be taken care of starting today, and they should be able to leave Makala prison in the next two or three days," he said. Kabila took power when his father was assassinated in 2001, then won disputed elections in 2006 and 2011. Congo has not experienced a peaceful transition of power since independence from Belgium in 1960. (This version of the story refiles to fix misspelled word in headline) (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Tim Cocks and Louise Ireland)
ProFootball Talk on NBC Sports

Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady reportedly has gotten an ultimatum. According to US Weekly, Bradys wife, Gisele Bundchen, has informed him that either he leaves football to spend time with the family or she is gone for good. Its not specified whether he must leave now or next month or after the current year ends. Brady [more]
The ITV and Netflix crime series "Marcella" is looking to a second season, reports Deadline.

The news was revealed at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Friday.

Writer, producer and director Hans Rosenfeldt's eight-part British crime drama will show in the UK on ITV next year before casting a worldwide net via Netflix.

In season one of the series, detective Marcella -- played by Anna Friel -- investigates a serial murder case upon returning to work after 10 years away. It became one of ITV's top-rated dramas of the year, counting 6.8 million viewers.
ITV and Netflix crime series Marcella has been picked up for a second season. The eight-part drama from Hans Rosenfeldt, creator of the original Swedish/Danish co-production The Bridge (Bron), will air in the UK on ITV next year and go out worldwide via Netflix following the UK broadcast. The streaming service acquired the Anna Friel-starring series earlier this year.

Buccaneer Media will again produce whats been billed as Scandinavian noir on the streets of Britain. News of the renewal was unveiled at the Edinburgh TV Festival on Friday.

Season One delved into the psychology of the troubled detective Marcella (Friel) as she investigates a serial murder case upon returning to duty after a 10-year hiatus. It averaged 6.8M viewers and a 25 share on ITV, making it one of the networks top-rated dramas this year.

Also appearing in the first season were Downton Abbeys Laura Carmichael, Nicholas Pinnock (Fortitude), Sinead Cusack (Eastern Promises), Nina Sosanya (Last Tango In Halifax), Ray Panthaki (Convenience), Jamie Bamber (Law & Order: UK), Patrick Baladi (The Office), and Harry Lloyd (Game Of Thrones).

This is Rosenfeldts first drama for the UK. He executive produces with co-creator Nicola Larder, and Buccaneer Medias founder Tony Wood.

Related stories

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'Stranger Things' Ranks High On List Of Netflix's Most-Watched Shows

'Disjointed': Elizabeth Alderfer Cast In Netflix Pot Comedy Series From Chuck Lorre
By Marc Frank

HAVANA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Cuba said on Friday it was ready to receive U.S. commercial flights beginning next week and that it viewed their renewal after being suspended in 1961 as another positive step in a growing detente.

JetBlue is scheduled to inaugurate direct flights between the long-time nemeses on Aug. 31, when it flies from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Villa Clara in central Cuba.

American Airlines in September will start flying from Miami to the provinces, followed by other airlines.

There will be 20 daily flights to Havana by the end of the year.

"It is a positive step and contribution to the improving relations between Cuba and the United States," Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez told local media.

Josefina Vidal, who heads Cuba's U.S. diplomacy department, said Cuba had confirmed the JetBlue flight, removing the last technical hurdle of official approval.

Rodriguez said U.S. airlines would be handled in a similar fashion as the 110 airlines currently flying to Cuba and with equal attention to security issues that were already a normal part of the country's system.

"Cuba is strong in matters of operational and aviation security, which are recognized internationally," the Communist Party daily, Granma, quoted him as stating.

Seventeen U.S. charter flights land every day in Cuba, but they are expected to gradually succumb to competition from the airlines.

Cuba has been experiencing a tourism boom since the announcement in December 2014 that the United States would normalize diplomatic ties and work to solve various outstanding issues.

Last year a record 3.5 million tourists visited, straining dilapidated infrastructure and pushing up prices, especially in the capital. Thousands of homes now rent out rooms, helping to ease the strain, and some 2,000 private restaurants have opened.

The Obama administration has focused on allowing normal travel, loosening restrictions despite a ban on tourism that only Congress can lift, and authorizing travel related businesses to set up shop in Cuba and communications companies and banks to provide support such as roaming and credit cards.

Story continues

The direct flights follow the opening of the first U.S. administered hotel and arrival of the first U.S. cruise ship earlier this year.

Some 300,000 Cubans living in the United States now travel home annually. In 2015 the Cuban government reported 161,233 Americans visited, compared to 91,254 in 2014, and arrivals through June nearly doubled compared with the same period last year.

(Reporting by Marc Frank; Editing by Frank Jack Daniel and Phil Berlowitz)
On her 106th birth anniversary, it's Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we look up to, in order to gauge a better understanding of love.

By Hemul Goel: Mother Teresa had famously said, "By blood, I am Albanian. By citizenship, an Indian. By faith, I am a Catholic nun. As to my calling, I belong to the world. As to my heart, I belong entirely to the Heart of Jesus." Be it establishing the Missionaries of Charity or her work towards helping the poorest among the poor in India--she happens to be one of those blessed souls whose actions echo their words.

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Also read: 12 quotes from the Dalai Lama to make your day happier and calmer

At a time when those suffering from leprosy were left to die in India, Mother Teresa showed them immense compassion and unconditional love, so on her 106th birth anniversary, it's Blessed Teresa of Calcutta we look up to, for a deeper understanding of love.



"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."

"There are no great things, only small things with great love. Happy are those."

"Spread love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier."

"I have found the paradox that if I love until it hurts, then there is no hurt, but only more love."

"Let us always meet each other with smile, for the smile is the beginning of love."

"Intense love does not measure, it just gives."

"Love is a fruit in season at all times, and within reach of every hand."

"Love begins by taking care of the closest ones--the ones at home."

Also read: Mother Teresa to receive sainthood in September: Inspiring facts about the Blessed Teresa of Calcutta



--- ENDS ---
Prague (AFP) - A Czech non-profit organisation on Friday said it had filed a criminal complaint against dozens of individuals, including two former Czechoslovak communist leaders, for the deaths decades ago of five Germans killed while trying to cross the Iron Curtain.

The Prague-based Platform of European Memory and Conscience filed the complaint with the German prosecutor's office last week because no high-ranking official from communist-era Czechoslovakia has to date been brought to justice for the deaths of the German immigrants.

Only four border guards have been condemned for the deaths, according to Czech news agency CTK.

The complaint concerns 67 individuals "of Czech and Slovak nationality covering the entire chain of command who are responsible for five cases of killings of German victims at the Iron Curtain which separated former Czechoslovakia from Western Europe," the non-profit group said in a statement.

The victims include Hartmut Tautz, an 18-year-old mauled to death in 1986 by watch dogs at the Austrian-Czechoslovakian border, and Richard Schlenz, who was shot to death by border guards in 1967 after swimming across the Danube river into Austria.

Among those responsible, according to the complaint, are 94-year-old former communist party secretary general Milos Jakes and 91-year-old Lubomir Strougal, who was Czechoslovakia's premier and interior minister.

Also listed in the complaint is 91-year-old Slovak citizen Peter Colotka, a former deputy prime minister of Czechoslovakia, which split into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1993.
A Czech hiker who survived a month trapped in a remote snow-bound hut in New Zealand after her partner died in a fall said on Friday she knew it would be perilous to try to reach civilisation.

Pavlina Pizova broke down in tears as she relived details of her harrowing ordeal, watching avalanches crash down the surrounding mountainsides while she waited in the hut hoping to be rescued.

A search party found Pizova on Wednesday more than a month after she and her partner, Ondrej Petr, set out to walk the 32-kilometre (20-mile) Routeburn track, which traverses the Southern Alps in the southwest of New Zealand.

Petr's body was recovered on Friday.

Pizova said that after leaving Petr's body she had to fight her way through deep snow for two days before finding a ranger's hut and breaking in, to find food and heating.

"I made a few attempts to walk out from the hut, but my feet, the weather conditions and the deep snow discouraged me from doing so," she said.

Given her poor physical condition, the amount of snow and knowing the risk of avalanches, she decided it was best to stay in a safe place.

"At the hut I saw numerous avalanches coming down."

Pizova said the couple realised they made mistakes at the start of their hike by not recording their plans, not carrying a locator beacon and underestimating the weather.

"The conditions were extreme, we encountered heavy snowfall and low cloud which contributed to our enforced overnighting in the open," she said.

It was while trying to reach the hut that Petr fell and died.

"After his death it took me another two nights out in the open before I reached the safety of the hut."

Recent heavy snow meant she was walking through waist-deep snow. With track markers covered, she had to find her own way.

"During this time I got extremely cold, exhausted, and my feet were frozen."

Pizova urged other hikers not to repeat her mistakes.

"I would like to use this opportunity to pass a strong message on to anyone intending to travel in the New Zealand mountains to seek very good information and mainly respect the winter conditions and quickly changing weather."
DCT Industrial Trust Inc. DCT has recently announced the acquisition of 14.6 acres in the Northeast submarket of Denver. The Denver, CO-based industrial real estate investment trust (REIT) will develop a 168,000 square foot distribution center  DCT Summit Distribution Center  in the acquired place.



DCT Industrial owns, operates and develops high quality bulk distribution and light industrial properties in high volume distribution markets in the U.S. and Mexico. Given its talented management team, strategically positioned portfolio and robust balance sheet, the company is well-placed to meet the distribution requirements of the clients and enhance shareholders value. In fact, this time, the Denver team of the company worked hard to bring together land parcels, located close to the I-70 and Denver International Airport for developing Class A front-loading building.



Notably, rapid population growth and Denvers booming economy led to an increased demand for state-of-the-art distribution buildings. DCT Summit Distribution Center is ideally positioned to meet this need of the sophisticated tenants.

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The stock presently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).



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Twisted wedding dress inspiration, anyone?

Israeli artist Sigalit Landaus series Salt Bride documents the transition of a black dress that spent three months submerged in the Dead Sea.

SEE ALSO: ASOS has sent someone another pair of ridiculously long jeans

Landau and her partner, Yotam From, put together eight large color prints of the garment, which are on display at Londons Marlborough Contemporary.

The traditional Hasidic dress Landau used for the project was created to replicate an outfit worn by young bride Leah in The Dybbuk, a 100-year-old Yiddish play.

In the play, Leah is possessed by an evil spirit and then exorcised. By submerging Leahs dress in the Dead Sea, it is is transformed underwater as salt crystals gradually adhere to the fabric, a press release from Marlborough Contemporary reads. Over time, the seas alchemy transforms the plain garment from a symbol associated with death and madness into the wedding dress it was always intended to be.

Landau and From visited the dress periodically over the course of three months to take stunning underwater photos of its salt-accumulating progress.

Over the years, I learnt more and more about this low and strange place. Still the magic is there waiting for us: new experiments, ideas and understandings, Landau said of the Dead Sea.

It is like meeting with a different time system, a different logic, another planet. It looks like snow, like sugar, like deaths embrace; solid tears, like a white surrender to fire and water combined.

Salt Bride is not Landaus first foray into the world of salt art. The Salt section of her website shows her other sodium chloride creations, including a bicycle, a chandelier, a noose and a violin.

Salt Bride runs through Sept. 3 at Marlborough Contemporary in London.

Mashable has reached out to Sigalit Landau for comment.

[H/T: My Modern Met]

RELATED VIDEO:
(Adds Alere, Fiat Chrysler; updates Rackspace)

Aug 26 (Reuters) - The following bids, mergers, acquisitions and disposals were reported by 2000 GMT on Friday:

** Cloud services provider Rackspace Hosting Inc said it agreed to be taken private by Apollo Global Management LLC in a deal valued at $4.3 billion, as the private-equity firm boosts its investments in the technology sector.

** Diagnostic-testing company Alere Inc said on Friday it sued Abbott Laboratories in an attempt to force the company to move ahead with its $5.8 billion takeover of Alere.

** Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has been approached by several suitors for its components business Magneti Marelli, the carmaker's chief executive said on Friday, without giving names or mentioning how many had shown interest.

** Asset manager Blackstone Group LP will invest about $1.5 billion in the oil-rich Permian basin, in Texas and New Mexico.

** Herbalife Ltd's biggest critic, hedge fund manager Bill Ackman, said he had been approached to buy shares in the nutritional supplements maker from billionaire investor Carl Icahn.

** China Vanke Co Ltd is seeking to buy Central Plaza in Shanghai from private equity firm Carlyle Group LP for around 2.46 billion yuan ($368.94 million), Basis Point reported on Friday, quoting sources.

** Asia's biggest budget airline AirAsia Bhd is considering options for its leasing arm, including a potential sale, the company said.

** CTBC Financial Holding Co Ltd, parent of Taiwan's top credit card issuer, and Chinese state-backed lender China CITIC Bank Corp have canceled investments in each other amid fresh cross-strait political tensions.

** The struggling rustbelt province of Liaoning in northeast China will sell stakes in nine large government-run enterprises to strategic investors to help promote mixed ownership and stimulate its stagnant, state-dominated economy. (Compiled by Anet Josline Pinto and Gayathree Ganesan in Bengaluru)
MOGADISHU (Reuters) - The death toll from an attack late on Thursday by Islamic militants on a seaside restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 10, police said. The attackers set off a car bomb at the Banadir restaurant at the city's Lido beach before engaging security forces in a fight for several hours. The casualties comprised six civilians, two members of the security forces and two of the attackers, Ali Abdullahi, a police officer, said on Friday. Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed the attack, which ended at around 3:00 a.m. local time, police said. The group has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the Western-backed government. In a separate incident in southern Somalia, a roadside bomb planted by al Shabaab militants injured 10 people, police said on Friday, raising the number of wounded from three initially. One of those wounded in the explosion in Baardhere town in Gedo region was the local district commissioner, police said. (Reporting by Feisal Omar and Abdi Sheikh; Writing by Duncan Miriri)
By Promit Mukherjee

MUMBAI (Reuters) - Questions over the exact provenance of bedsheets sold by Welspun India to America's middle classes have not only wiped $740 million off the firm's market value, but also revived one of Indian manufacturing's enduring headaches: quality.

India's government, desperate to accelerate growth and create more jobs, has backed a "Make in India" manufacturing push. India already makes everything from car parts to t-shirts, but is trying to move up the chain to make higher-end products, like Apple's iPhone.

One major hurdle, however, has been product quality, often blighted by low salaries, poor training and sketchy suppliers. As India manufactures more, cheap is not always cheerful.

So far, in Welspun's case, U.S. retailer Target Corp has severed ties, accusing it of passing off cheaper sheets as premium Egyptian cotton for two years. Other Welspun clients are probing the company's products.

It's not clear what led to the problem. Welspun, whose share price nearly halved this week, has said it would do an external audit of its supply chain.

Other Indian manufacturers distanced themselves from Welspun, but many fretted over the broader impact as the country tries to bet on quality, not just cheap workers, where it faces constant competition from regional rivals.

"It's high time exporters improve the quality of their products," said S.C. Ralhan, president of the Federation of Indian Export Organisations, set up by the government and industry to promote exports. He said the group would take up the issue of quality with its members.

Arvind Sinha, national president of the Textile Association of India, said India's image as a manufacturing destination for textiles could be tarnished.

"This is another blot on the Indian exports resume," said an analyst at a local brokerage, who asked not to be named as it would violate his firm's policies. "The Welspun fiasco could have ripple effects and force companies to scout for options in other regions in Asia that have unscathed records."

Story continues

Government officials say the Welspun case is an exception, and don't expect much damage to India's reputation as a manufacturing hub.

"We hope it will be one of the stray incidents that will not have much impact on our near $42 billion textile exports," said a senior textile ministry official, who declined to be named.

A senior official at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry said more such incidents could dent efforts to promote India as a manufacturing export hub.

"If Indian industry is to survive and thrive, it has to adopt global standards," he said, adding the ministry has raised the issue of standards with exporters through export promotion councils, and has stressed third-party auditing and self-regulation.

DRUGS AND NOODLES

India has been here before.

Its $15 billion pharmaceutical industry, a global supplier of cheaper generic medicines, has been dogged by quality concerns, with health regulators in the United States, Britain and Europe barring some plants from producing drugs for their markets because of inadequate standards.

Highlighting weak official checks and under-resourced testing facilities, Nestle India had to pull its popular Maggi instant noodles off the shelves last year after local regulators found some samples contained unsafe levels of lead. Subsequent tests at government-accredited laboratories showed the noodles were safe for consumption.

Quality assurance experts in India and beyond, however, said damage from the Welspun case could be contained - if the authorities and businesses move quickly to put in place stringent quality assurance standards.

"The government and the companies should themselves put in place better quality control standards to ensure India's image is protected," said a certifier at the Indian arm of a Europe-based textile certification company.

The $108 billion textile industry accounts for a tenth of India's manufacturing production, 5 percent of GDP and 13 percent of export earnings, according to government data. It is the country's second-largest employer after agriculture.

The government has announced several schemes in the past two years to encourage better use of technology and infrastructure in the textiles sector, and to foster innovation.

But the Welspun case suggests more needs to be done.

"Sourcing strategy is really driven by who can deliver the lowest cost at an acceptable quality, and India is still a place that delivers on that promise," said Neil Stern, senior partner at retail consultancy McMillan Doolittle in Chicago.

"This certainly brings negative publicity, but companies will stack it up as one bad apple and not view it as a systemic problem."

($1 = 67.0175 Indian rupees)

(Reporting by Promit Mukherjee, with additional reporting by Manoj Kumar in DELHI and Nandita Bose in CHICAGO; Editing by Euan Rocha and Ian Geoghegan)
Social media users have been calling for a boycott of Myntra products showing a graphic that has Lord Krishna ordering saree from Myntra. People did not note it was made by Scroll Droll, without any consent or knowledge of Myntra.

#BoycottMyntra trended on Twitter because Twitterati thought Myntra was behind tihs graphic. Photo: Twitter\GitaSKapoor

By India Today Web Desk:

Every other day on social media platforms, mainly Facebook and Twitter, there is a call to ban or boycott or take down or protest against something or someone, and it could range from an upcoming movie to an actor to even a shopping website.

Today was e-commerce giant Myntra's turn.

It all started when Gita S Kapoor, a member of BJP Women's Wing of Andheri West, Mumbai (passionate about 'Woman Empowerment' as per her Twitter bio) tweeted a graphic that shows Lord Krishna ordering a saree from Myntra while Dussasana is seen dirobing Draupadi in the background.



.@myntra kindly explain or go the amazon/snapdeal way . pic.twitter.com/YgDNoFjqYk Gita S. Kapoor (@GitaSKapoor) August 25, 2016

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The said graphic was made by Scroll Droll, a social media publication famous for their interesting graphic cards, six months ago as part of a series where they imagined mythological characters using facilities we enjoy now. Krishna used the Myntra app to get an extra-long saree, Shiva waited for a cab and tried his luck with Uber, Sage Vishwamitra used Tinder to find Menaka, Sage Narada using travel portal Yatra, Lord Ganesh using Zomato to order food, Hanuman using Instagram, among many.



But social media users HAD TO converge their misplaced anger on Myntra and called for a boycott of their products.

Myntra tried explaining that the graphic was made by a third party without any consent or knowledge from them, but that fell on deaf ears.

People were busy outraging, and as usual, those could take the joke were asked to imagine their 'mother and sister' in Draupadi's position.

Yes, really! See.



Scroll Droll owned up but that didn't save Myntra either.

People outraged more. And someone even drafted a legal notice.

Source: TwitterShaileshTewarie

And famous trolls played along.

Meanwhile, Gita who started the whole thing, forgave Scroll Droll, asked them to apologize to Myntra and even gave them an idea that they could sue the former.



As of now, while some are trying to put some sense into people's minds...



Many are still outraging! Long live tolerance!



--- ENDS ---
Jeb Bush

Donald Trump is ramping up his use of a phrase that he once brutally mocked Jeb Bush for using during the Republican primaries.

On both Thursday and Friday, the Republican nominee tweeted that he "will fix it" when it comes to improving the lives of African-Americans and Hispanics.

"What do African-Americans and Hispanics have to lose by going with me," he tweeted Friday. "Look at the poverty, crime and educational statistics. I will fix it!"

"So many in the African-American community are doing so badly, poverty and crime way up, employment and jobs way down: I will fix it, promise," he wrote Thursday.

Since November, Trump has tweeted more than 10 times about how he will "fix" problems in the country, even going as far as saying that he "alone" can fix it, a line he uttered during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland last month.

But when Bush unveiled his "Jeb can fix it" branding late last year, Trump didn't think quite as highly of the phrase.

"Jeb's new slogan - "Jeb can fix it,'" he tweeted. "I never thought of Jeb as a crook!"

Trump added at the time: "Stupid message, the word 'fix' is not a good one to use in politics!"

Trump relentlessly mocked Bush during the primary, labeling him as "low energy." The former Florida governor has not endorsed Trump, although his son, George P. Bush, recently came out in support of the Manhattan billionaire.

NOW WATCH: INSTANT POLL: Americans viewed Clinton's convention speech more favorably than Trump's





More From Business Insider


If you only read one thing: Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton traded barbs on racism and bigotry Thursday. The day opened with the fallout of Trump calling Clinton a bigot, because she was allegedly taking the African-American community for granted. Trump spoke in Manchester, N.H., to repeat the charge, then defended himself from charges of racism, Islamophobia, and prejudice. Clinton was next up, from Reno, Nev., to deliver a much-previewed speech on the Alt-Right movement and Trumps courting of those with radical viewpoints. Her campaign released a video attacking Trump for garnering the support of the KKK and other extremist groups. Clinton avoided calling Trump a racist directly, but accused him of hiring and spending time with them. The speech by Clinton to counter Trumps efforts to soften his appealparticularly among white voters worried about voting for Trump for those reasons.

Trumps immigration flip-flop saga continues, as he maintained Thursday that those in the U.S. illegally would have to leave in order to earn legal status and that he was opposed to a path to citizenship. This comes after he appeared to embrace Jeb Bushs position on comprehensive immigration reform late Wednesday. The head-spinning inconsistency is a reflection of Trumps lack of interest in the details of issues, and his desire to try to be all-things to all people. But on such a polarizing issue, hes leaving many frustrated.

Trumps campaign CEO was once charged in a domestic violence case. Maines governor goes after the Khans. And Tim Kaine embraces the stepdad label.

Here are your must reads:

Must Reads

Trump Campaign CEO Once Charged in Domestic Violence Case

The 1996 charges were later dropped due to witness unavailability [Politico]

Mylans Fix to EpiPens High Cost Still Hurts Consumers

TIMEs Haley Sweetland-Edwards on the latest pharma-drama

Millions From Maxed-Out Clinton Donors Flowed Through Loophole

Frontiers of campaign finance [Bloomberg]

Story continues

Hillary Clinton: Donald Trump Taking Hate Groups Mainstream

Clinton goes there [TIME]

Sound Off

He says he wants to make America great again, more and more it seems his real message is Make America hate again.  Hillary Clinton in Reno Thursday attacking Trump and the Alt-Right

There is no path to legalization unless they leave the country and come back.  Donald Trump to CNN on his immigration policy

Bits and Bites

Here Are the Last Possible Dates You Can Register to Vote in Your State [TIME]

LePage calls father of deceased Muslim U.S. soldier a con artist [Portland Press Herald]

Clinton and Trump Campaigns Are Buzzing About the Race  for the Cabinet [New York Times]

Taxpayers built this New York golf course. Trump reaps the rewards [Washington Post]

Donald Trump Points to Clintons 2008 Issues with Black Voters [TIME]

Tim Kaine Tells Stephen Colbert Hes Totally Fine with Being Americas Stepdad [TIME]
Donald Trump released a video on Instagram rehashing controversies between Hillary Clinton and black voters in 2008, one day after Clinton gave a speech accusing Trump of stoking white nationalism.

The video runs a clip of Clinton appearing on Meet the Press as a presidential candidate in 2008. Tim Russert shows Clinton a headline from South Carolina saying Clinton Camp Hits Obama: Attacks Painful For Black Voters. It then continues through a montage of clips from the time of gaffes from Clintons campaign that may have hurt her with black voters (she ended up losing the black vote to Barack Obama by a large margin).

#CrookedHillary has bad judgement. She is not fit to be #President! #USA #HillaryClinton #FlashbackFriday A video posted by Donald J. Trump (@realdonaldtrump) on Aug 25, 2016 at 8:38pm PDT

Trump has been making a new play for minority voters in recent days, saying Thursday that theyve become a focal point of his campaign. He called Clinton a bigot at a rally and said she sees people of color only as votes, not as human beings.

In a speech Thursday, Clinton fired back at Trump with a scathing critique of his personality and record with black Americans, saying he is a man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far dark reaches of the Internet.

Read more: What Donald Trump Knew About Undocumented Workers at His Signature Tower
There was a period of time during the aughts when seemingly every thriller, every found footage flick, every horror movie was "Based on a True Story." No matter whether there were ghosts or demons or killer clowns, there were also real events that inspired the story. You couldn't escape it.

For the most part, moviemakers have moved past slapping "Based on a True Story" on trailers -- unless the movie is about a white Southern family doing something nice for a black person. It was essentially a gimmick, anyway; the film should be all the scarier because it supposedly happened. Don't Breathe, the new home invasion picture from director Fede Alvarez (2013's Evil Dead remake), doesn't carry the label. But it could.

The movie follows a trio of teens who rob homes in Detroit -- a sort of Bling Ring of the Motor City -- to bankroll their dreams of a better life in California. There's Rocky (Jane Levy), whose mom dates a man with a literal swastika tattooed on his hand and abuses Rocky and Rocky's little sister. Meanwhile, Alex (Dylan Minnette) has...something going on with his dad. And Money (Daniel Zovatto) has a "$" sign tattooed on his neck, and that's about all we know about him.

The three orchestrate the heist of a blind man, who is only credited as "The Blind Man" (Stephen Lang). If there is any moral dilemma over their mark, Money demurs, "Just cause he's blind don't mean he's a f**king saint, bro." The stupid teenagers proceed to ignore every red flag and wind up trapped inside his home, unable to make a noise lest their sightless pursuer catch them. Literally every shot could be close-captioned "[screaming internally]".

WATCH: 10 Deadliest Horror Movie Villains With the Highest Body Counts

The movie is scary. It starts off scary -- even Ghost House Pictures' title card is scary -- and only becomes more torturous from there. It's scary in how unsubtle it is, tracking through the house and zooming in on all of these things that will obviously be important later -- a bell! A mallet! A piece of glass! But knowing they will come back into play -- though, not when -- turns the movie into a nightmarish puzzle. It's scary in that stupid way, when you know what's coming, but still find yourself clutching the person next to you anyway. It's scary in original ways, too, completely built on the dramatic tension of who sees who -- and in one pseudo-night vision sequence, the audience is the only one who sees anything.

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It's scariest because, while perhaps not directly inspired by true events, the premise reminds me of the Byron David Smith killings of 2012.

Those killings took place in Little Falls, Minnesota -- a Midwest city in vaguely the same sense as Detroit. Smith wasn't blind, but both he and The Blind Man had military backgrounds, the former flew Air Force during the Vietnam War before moving to the U.S. State Department, the latter is said to have fought in Iraq. Both were cased by teenagers looking to loot large amounts of cash. Both shot and killed the teens after they broke in.

In Don't Breathe, Money brings a gun into The Blind Man's house and, as Alex notes, that gives T.B.M. the legal right to shoot them. And he does -- he actually straight-up murders Money, in slow-motion. Smith's case revolved around the "Castle doctrine," which allows a homeowner to defend their home using lethal force -- under certain circumstances. Smith was ultimately found guilty on two counts of first-degree murder with premeditation and on two counts of second-degree murder, with one juror calling him a "deranged individual." He was sentenced to life in prison.

EXCLUSIVE: Jon Heder and David Krumholtz Join Forces in New Horror Comedy 'Ghost Team'

Screen Gems

And that's where the truth ends for Don't Breathe...

(SPOILER WARNING: If you've gotten this far without seeing the movie, stop reading now. I'm about to discuss the ending, which is so bonkers insane that it needs to be seen to be believed.)

I almost wish the movie had stayed in that lane -- the cat-and-mouse elements proved the most terrifying, anyway -- but it takes a rapey twist in the third act, albeit one you kind of saw coming.

You learn early on in the film that T.B.M. is loaded because he won a settlement after his daughter was killed in a car wreck by another driver. The other driver was a "rich girl" who was found innocent and served no time. When Rocky and Alex descend into T.B.M.'s labyrinth of a basement, they discover their captor is also holding that girl captive. (Which is essentially the twist in that 2009 Julia Roberts movie, Secret in Their Eyes! But I digress!)

Here's where it gets really f**king loony: during an escape attempt, the "rich girl" is killed. Through a series of truly unfortunate events, T.B.M. captures Rocky and tells her that he thought it was only fair that since the "rich girl" took his child from him, she give him another. He says he is not a rapist -- they had a deal that once she gave birth, she would be set free. Which is still rape -- but tells Rocky he cannot wait any longer. He goes to a mini fridge and procures a jar of semen and a turkey baster and attempts to inseminate Rocky. Honestly, I'm experiencing PTSD just writing this, so, uhh...go watch it for yourself!

I will say this much: Don't Breathe has a lot more semen in it than you would probably expect.

Related Articles
When you need to repair your car, refrigerator, computer, or a major system in your home, its comforting to think you won't have to break the bank to pay for the fix. Thats why so many people are open to the idea of buying extended warranties that cover repair costs from the many companies that sell them.

These protection plans are also sometimes called service contracts or protection policies. But by whatever name, our advice is the same: Skip them.

Extended warranties can have many gotchas, relying on contract fine print to deny coverage for almost any reason. They've become a major source of complaints to the Better Business Bureau and elsewhere.

Accidental damage may not be covered. And there may be clauses that allow the company to deny coverage if, for example, you dont follow their instructions for routine maintenance, says the Federal Trade Commission.

Extended warranties also can exclude a variety of parts. For example, among the refrigerator parts that arent covered under one home service contract we recently reviewed are icemakers, beverage dispensers, door seals and gaskets, hinges, lighting and handles. An auto service contract we examined excludes brake drums and rotors, air bags, door handles, lock cylinders, the exhaust system, body panels, among other parts.

Can you demonstrate that the troublesome part wasnt already broken when you signed upa so-called preexisting condition? Was the problem caused by a manufacturing defect or by an accumulation of sentiments, rust, mildew or mold? Is it a cosmetic issue that doesnt affect an items performance? All of these can be reasons why a provider will reject your claim.

Some extended warranties simply duplicate the express warranty coverage you have the manufacturer, which youre required to use first.

And along with the initial cost and deductibles, some plans charge a fee every time you make a claim.

If the plan allows you to use your own repair shop, as with many auto extended warranties, the shop typically has to obtain approval from the provider before beginning work, a big hassle that some shops might consider too much trouble.

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Yet another concern is that providers can go out of business, leaving customers without the coverage they paid for, warns the FTC. Thats a particular issue with third-party extended warranties, as opposed to those provided by product manufacturers.

Extended Warranties Might Sound Good

Some companies make lots of promises while hawking extended warranties, leaving the gotchas to the fine print, if they disclose them at all.

In August, the Washington State attorney general filed a lawsuit against Comcast Corporation, one of the nations largest telecommunications providers, accusing it, among other things, of charging customers at least $73 million in subscription fees for a near-worthless protection plan. The plan was promoted as covering a homes inside wiring and customer-owned equipment connected to Comcast services. But the lawsuit charges that Comcast didnt properly disclose that the plan didnt apply to wiring located inside the walls, which it said is the vast majority of wiring in the home. The plan also didnt cover repairs to customer-owned equipment, only the cost of the technician's visit, the lawsuit said.

Despite being told about the problems more than a year ago, the attorney general said, company made changes only recently.

In a prepared statement, Comcast said the plan has given customers great value by completely covering over 99% of their repair calls.

We stand behind our products and services and will vigorously defend ourselves, it said.

They're Not Worth the Cost

This doesnt mean that all extended warranties are bad or that you can't possibly come out ahead by purchasing one. But even the best plans likely arent worth the money you spend on them in the long run.

Many products these days are highly reliable and unlikely to need a major repair, or even a minor one, before youll want to replace them. And with technology changing so quickly for cars, computers and many other items these days, that replacement time can come more quickly than you think.

And you can go broke buying extended warranties to cover everything in your life. Coverage for a car alone can cost thousands of dollars a year.

Also consider that many credit cards automatically extend for a year or so the manufacturers warranties on products you charge, making a service contract even less attractive.

And just because a manufacturers warranty has expired doesnt necessarily mean youre out of luck. Many manufacturers have so-called goodwill programs to pay part or all of the cost if a product breaks down in an unreasonably short period, especially if its because of a known issue in the design or manufacture. And you also might have so-called implied warranty rights that apply to the manufacturer, retailer or both, that can extend the scope and duration of your protection.

Finally, depending on your skills and the extent of the problem, you might be able to fix it yourself. There are so many the do-it-yourself videos and web pages available these days, many of them provided by companies that sell parts for much less than you'd pay a repair shop.

A Better Way

Start by buying reliable products, and maintain them as the manufacturer recommends. Instead of purchasing extended warranties, self-insure by putting the money you'd spend on one into a savings account or dedicated product repair and replacement fund.

If something needs repair or maintenance, pay for it out the fund, without having to negotiate any fine-print limitations or other nonsense. If you dont end up needing repairs, use that money to replace the item when the time comes.





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.
Oslo (AFP) - Firemen in Norway came to the rescue Friday of a man who climbed into an outdoor public toilet to retrieve a friend's cell phone, after he got stuck in the tank.

Cato Berntsen Larsen, 20, was able to climb through the toilet seat opening to recover the phone lying at the bottom of the outhouse, but was unable to climb back out again.

"First we tried to get the phone with a stick but that didn't work. So I jumped in," he told daily VG.

"I was down there an hour, I was panicking," he said, adding there were "animals" crawling on his body.

Overcome by nausea and vomiting, he tried in vain to pull himself of the tank, and which is only emptied once a year, according to VG.

He ultimately decided to contact the fire brigade to help end his ordeal in the small town of Drammen outside Oslo.

"It was a fairly easy task for us. We sent a four-man crew with a chainsaw and they cut open the front of the (plastic) toilet," fire brigade spokeswoman Tina Brock told AFP.

The rescue was a "first" for the local fire brigade, she acknowledged. "It was pretty full down there."

The phone was not recovered.
When a Texas police officer passed away earlier this month, his widow dreaded taking their children to the first day of school without him.

But when the start of the semester rolled around this week, her husband's former comrades made sure Jessica Scherlen and her children weren't alone.

"It was heartwarming," the mom of four told InsideEdition.com. "It was so loving."

Read: Boy, 11, Saves Up All Year to Surprise His Teachers With a 'Thank You' Dinner

Her husband Justin, who had worked at the department since 2004, was seriously injured in a traffic accident while on duty in September 2015. He underwent multiple surgeries and his friends at the Amarillo Police Department anticipated he would recover, according to Officer Daniel Smith.

So they were shocked to hear he'd succumbed to his injuries earlier this month.

"I'll never forget the day," Smith told InsideEdition.com. "I thought it was a joke."

As the start of the school year got closer, a few officers suggested escorting his children on their first day of classes and word spread like wildfire.

"Gotta be there," Smith said. "He was family."

His wife, now left to raise four kids ranging from 21 months to 4th grade, said she anticipated the first day of school would be tough, so when she received a phone call from officers saying that they wanted to meet their children in the parking lot of the school before their first day, "I was really surprised."

"It felt really good for them to reach out like that," she said.

She kept it a secret from the kids, including her son Jackson, who was heading to his first-ever day in class.

"I can't imagine how Jackson must have felt," Officer Smith said. "It was hard to see him have to do that without his daddy."

But nearly two dozen cops from the Amarillo Police Department turned up to help him through it.

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"My second grader asked me, 'mom, are they here for us?'" Jessica said. "I said, 'yes they're going to walk you into school.'"

Read: Cops Support Slain Officer's 10-Year-Old Son as He Graduates Elementary School

The children were shocked. "They'll walk me into school?" second-grader Taylor asked. "They'll walk me into class?'"

When it was Jackson's turn, Smith said he started giving each officer hugs, "and then he worked his way down the line. It brought a lot of tears."

The officers were impressed by the little man's bravery. "He reached for his mama's hand but he was all smiles," Smith recalled.

And even though the children weren't there with their dad, the officers ensured the first day at school was still special, Jessica said.

"It's not quite the same when your parent can't take you and do things like that," she said, "but to know the blue family is there behind them, that really helps."

Watch: See What Happened When These Animals Asked Police Officers for Help

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Search efforts continued in central Italy on Friday, August 26, two days after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook the area. Multiple aftershocks have complicated the search and rescue operation, according to the BBC. USGS reported at least one aftershock northwest of Amatrice in the early hours of Friday. This drone footage shows post-quake damage in Amatrice.

The quake killed at least 267 people and injured hundreds of others, according to the Reuters, quoting Italys Civil Protection Department. The Italian Council of Ministers declared a state of emergency for the region hardest hit, including the towns of Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto. Credit: YouTube/Magazine Protezione Civile
The Hague (AFP) - The political party of Dutch far-right politician Geert Wilders, which is leading polls ahead of parliamentary elections next year, has vowed to close mosques and "ban the Koran" in its manifesto.

"All mosques and Islamic schools closed, a ban on the Koran," said the document outlining the electoral program of the Freedom Party (PVV) ahead of March 2017 legislative elections, which was posted on Wilders' Twitter feed Thursday.

The PVV says it will reverse the "Islamisation" of the country with a range of measures including closing the borders, shutting asylum seeker centres, banning migrants from Islamic countries and stopping Muslim women from wearing the headscarf in public.

On the back of Europe's migrant crisis, opinion polls have for months given Wilders' PVV the edge over the current coalition parties of the Labour Party and the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy led by Prime Minister Mark Rutte.

Late last year polls predicted soaring support for the PVV saying it could gain as many as 38 seats in the 150-seat parliament. But that has slipped back. In August, a poll from Ipsos gave it 28 seats -- still way up on the 12 it currently has.

The immigrant crisis has polarised the Netherlands, a nation of 17 million people, leading to heated debate and some attacks on refugee centres.

Wilders, who will go on trial for inciting racial hatred in October, also said he would do all he could to hold a referendum on the Netherlands leaving the EU, despite an unsuccessful first attempt in June following Britain's shock Brexit vote.

His party has also pledged to cut all foreign aid while boosting funding for police and security.
Swati Maliwal, the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, commenting on Nirbhaya gangrape convict's suicide attempt, said that he is trying to do what the system should have done much earlier.

Swati Maliwal, the chairperson of the Delhi Commission for Women, said that Nirbhaya rapists should be hanged immediately.

By Asian News International: Reacting to December 16 gangrape convict Vinay Sharma's suicide attempt, Delhi Commission for Women chief Swati Maliwal has said the former had done what the system should have done long ago, implying that he should have been hanged for his crime.

"What the system was supposed to do, the Nirbhaya rapist himself is trying to do now. Nirbhaya's rapists need to be given the death penalty and this needs to be done immediately," she told media.

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Also Read: Nirbhaya gangrape convict attempts suicide in Tihar Jail

SYSTEM SHOULD GIVE STRONG MESSAGE TO RAPISTS: MALIWAL

On reports of Sharma's lawyer alleging that his client was being tortured by the jail authorities and that it was not a case of suicide but a murder attempt, Maliwal said these allegations should be investigated.

She also said that there is an immediate need to send a strong message in society that rapists will not be forgiven and that they will be awarded capital punishment for the heinous crime.

"It is extremely important that not just Nirbhaya's rapists, but every person who is committing a rape, needs to be given a death penalty. There needs to be a very strong message in the system that we will no longer tolerate rapes," she said.

'VICTIMS HUMILIATED, SYSTEM SHOULD CHANGE'

She blamed the system for further victimizing women who face rape and said, "I had met Nirbhaya's mother very recently and she told me that despite the fact that Nirbhaya is dead, even now such humiliating questions are being asked in court that it's almost like I feel good that my daughter is dead and she doesn't have to face these humiliating questions as to how was she touched, did she actually go into?she wanted to get raped?"

"It is very sad that this is happening. The courts need to take cognizance and immediately we need to do something about it," Maliwal added.

SHARMA ATTEMPTED SUICIDE

Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Nirbhaya in a moving bus in Delhi in December 2012, attempted suicide by hanging himself on Wednesday in Tihar Jail. He is admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where he is currently recovering.

His father Hari Ram Sharma, also, alleged that there is some "conspiracy" and that his son could have never attempted suicide. He alleged that it was a failure of the jail administration and staff to provide adequate security to his son. Police said Sharma appeared to have consumed some pills before using a towel to hang himself.

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In March 2013, Ram Singh, another accused in the case, committed suicide by hanging in his cell, exposing the abysmal state of law and order inside the Tihar Jail.

Vinay, in 2013, had claimed that he was thrashed by other inmates and had demanded extra security.

Also Read:

Nirbhaya gangrape planned by her male companion, politician, says defence lawyer of accused

Nirbhaya gangrape: Rs 10 lakh award if iron rod theory is proved, says defence lawyer

3 years of Nirbhaya gangrape: Delhi government to help juvenile convict set up tailoring shop



--- ENDS ---
The Hague (AFP) - Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced Friday his candidacy to head the Dutch government for a third succesive term in office, as the countdown moves towards next year's parliamentary polls.

"I'm going on. I feel an incredible drive to continue," the Liberal Rutte told popular tabloid De Telegraaf in an exclusive interview.

"Rutte also informed his top party leadership about his ambitions and it has been gladly accepted," the newspaper added in the interview, published on its website.

Rutte's free market-minded People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) with 40 seats has put together a majority with its junior coalition Labour Party (PvdA) partner, commanding 76 seats in the 150-seat lower house of parliament.

Support however for both parties in the coalition has fallen in recent years, notably in favour of far-right politician Geert Wilders, whose Freedom Party (PVV) is leading the polls on an anti-Islam and anti-EU ticket.

The PVV is further backed by its vehement opposition to the influx of refugees from war-torn countries like Syria, which has created Europe's biggest migrant crisis since World War II.

The latest IPSOS political opinion poll suggested that Rutte's party would only gain around 25 seats if elections were held this month, with Labour getting as little as 13 seats.

Wilders's PVV, which vowed Thursday to close mosques and "ban the Koran" in a document outlining its electoral programme ahead of the March 2017 polls, would win 27 seats. It currently has 12 seats in parliament.

Because of its hardline policies however, the PVV "is unlikely to enough parties willing to work with it," IPSOS said.

More likely would be a jumbo coalition between the VVD as senior partner, together with Labour, the progressive D66, the middle-of-the-road Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the Socialist Party (SP), which would muster 77 seats.

IPSOS poll was based on a sampling of 1,093 eligible voters, out of a voting population of around 12.7 million citizens.

The firebrand populist Wilders had been a parliamentary ally of Rutte's during his first term in government.

Wilders's coalition however collapsed in April 2012 after he walked out of talks on austerity measures, prompting new elections which were held in September that year.
Warsaw (AFP) - Eastern EU countries on Friday pushed for the bloc to create a joint army as they met with Germany for talks on sketching Europe's post-Brexit future.

"We must prioritise security, and let's start by building a common European army," Hungary's rightwing prime minister, Viktor Orban, said at talks with Czech, German, Polish and Slovak leaders.

The five-nation gathering in Warsaw is part of a string of meetings among various groups of countries ahead of a summit on the EU's future following the June 23 British referendum.

Leftist Czech Premier Bohuslav Sobotka, for his part, said that "we should also begin a discussion about creating a common European army."

German Chancellor Angela Merkel also supported the idea of stronger security but urged caution on how plans were translated into acts.

"Security is a fundamental issue... we can do more together in the areas of security and defence," she said.

"Brexit is not just any event, it's a breaking point in the history of EU so we need to work out a very careful response," Merkel added, according to the official English translation of her words.

In an early response to Britain's shock vote to exit the EU, Poland's powerful rightwing leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski called for EU institutional reforms that would forge a confederation of nation states under a president in charge of a powerful common military.

- Challenge to EU -

However, the concept of a common army is a thorny issue within the European Union (EU).

All five EU countries at Friday's Warsaw talks are also members of the 28-member NATO Western defence alliance.

But six of the EU's 27 post-Brexit membership do not belong to NATO: Austria, Cyprus, Finland, Ireland, Malta and Sweden.

EU and NATO ties with Russia plunged to their lowest point since the Cold War after Moscow's 2014 annexation of the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine.

The Kremlin's sabre-rattling in the Baltic region has also spooked NATO and EU members there.

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EU leaders from 27 states meet on September 16 in the Slovak capital of Bratislava for an informal summit that will go ahead without Britain.

Talks are likely to be challenging as Berlin's preferred vision of a centralised, federal Europe clashes with proposals for a confederation of nation states popular among leaders of eastern EU members.

Migration policy is another highly controversial issue on the agenda, with eastern members the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia refusing to take in refugees under an EU-wide quota system championed by Berlin.

Merkel insisted on Friday that remaining members must focus on strengthening the bloc through boosting the economy and "finding common ground" despite divisions over issues like migration policy.

"People will only accept Europe if it will ensure their (economic) wellbeing. We must be leaders in the area of technology. We want to offer well-paid jobs. We have a lot to do," Merkel added.

Poland on Friday urged leaders to focus on economic growth and address a perceived lack of democracy in European institutions.

Rightwing Prime Minister Beata Szydlo urged "reforms that Europeans expect allowing the European Union to become a stronger, development-oriented EU -- but above all for Europeans to feel they are in charge of the European Union."
By Heather Somerville

SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - Chinese powerhouse Didi Chuxing's acquisition of Uber Technologies Inc's China operations marked the biggest move yet toward consolidation in an industry that many investors and Silicon Valley pundits view as a winner-take-all game.

On the day the Didi deal was announced earlier this month, Uber board member Bill Gurley said Uber's rivals in other markets had a slim chance of splitting the market with the dominant player, just as Uber struggled to erode Didi's share in China.

After China, the industry will consolidate in other markets, said Hans Tung, an Asia-focused investor and managing partner at GGV Capital, which backed Didi and Grab, a Singapore-based ride service.

"There will be a dominant No. 1," he said that same day.

The consensus of 11 economists interviewed by Reuters, however, suggests an entirely different scenario, one of perpetual competition in a business with relatively few barriers to entry.

"That one firm wins is a narrow and not accurate way to think about these firms," said David Evans, chairman of the Global Economics Group and co-author of a recent book that included Uber, "Matchmakers: The New Economics of Multisided Platforms."

Ten other economists who have studied ride-hailing agreed that the growing industry, which UBS estimates to be a $40 billion market, has room for at least two successful players, and perhaps a few smaller ones.

The industry, they said, has none of the elements that traditionally have enabled single companies to control a sector. If it is the first of its kind, a company can dominate markets that have huge infrastructure costs, such as putting up cell towers or laying pipes; a large workforce of employees with specialized skills; and customers who get locked into a service and have difficulty leaving for competitors.

Ride-services, by contrast, are relatively cheap to start, depend on contract labor with no inherent loyalty or specialized skills, and have free apps that can be downloaded in seconds.

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"You may not want to try a new social networking site if your friends aren't on it," Evans said. "But you don't care what app your friends use for ride-hailing."

The question of whether on-demand ride services will remain open to new players has vexed startups and investors since Uber started the industry seven years ago.

Companies taking on Uber include Lyft in the United States, Grab in Southeast Asia, Ola in India and newer startups like New York City's Juno. In the United States, in particular, part of Uber's attraction to investors is the chance at grabbing the entire industry.

In a statement, Uber said: "The ridesharing industry around the world is highly competitive and innovative. That's good for riders."

Uber investor and board member Gurley argued that any competitor would need to pursue a different strategy - perhaps offering more luxury and high-end services - to successfully battle Uber in its strongest markets.

Didi, Ola and Grab did not respond to requests for comment.

When business magnate Carl Icahn invested $100 million into Lyft in early 2015, he told media outlets he saw "room for two." Chris Sacca, a prominent venture capitalist who invested in Uber, responded "This is a winner-take-all game," on Bloomberg television.

Lyft has hired an M&A firm and recently explored the possibility of acquisitions by several companies, a source familiar with the discussions said, and reports of a possible sale stimulated talk of whether it could compete with Uber.

Lyft says it can. In the United States, it says it more than tripled its drivers to about 315,000 in the last year. Between October and May it nearly doubled its annual gross revenue to $1.9 billion - although that figure does not reflect the many rider discounts and promotions Lyft offers.

Uber has 1.5 million drivers and projected $26 billion in gross revenue globally this year, based on a 2015 presentation for investors.

Last year, Lyft hit another benchmark: the wait time for a ride is three minutes, on par with Uber, said President and Co-Founder John Zimmer. At three minutes or less, a passenger will almost always complete the ride.

"You need a certain level of scale to get to three minutes," Zimmer said, referring to the number of drivers and passengers. "Once you reach that, if someone else has more scale, it doesn't matter."

New York-based Juno has brought on 12,000 drivers since launching earlier this year and already has hit the three-minute wait time in Manhattan, said Co-founder and CEO Talmon Marco.

"This is a fairly local industry," Marco said. "You can be a hero in New York and you can be zero in California, and it's OK."

In India, Uber and Ola are neck and neck around 45 percent of the market each after Uber's market share fell and Ola's rose in 2015, according to market research firm 7Park Data.

The challenge for new startups, however, is that leading companies subsidize their drivers and passengers as they prioritize gaining market share over profit. Both Uber and Lyft have spent heavily on driver bonuses and rider discounts and promotional credits.

"Everything that has happened in this space is completely artificial and funded by a glut of VC money," said Daniel Ramot, CEO and co-founder of startup Via, which completes about 200,000 rides each week in New York.

Economists argue that Lyft can be a profitable company with roughly 20 percent of a market, which would allow it to reduce expenses through economies of scale. Lyft and Uber only release market share statistics selectively, but Lyft maintains it has more than a 20 percent share in the majority of its top 20 regions.

An electric company, by comparison, would need massive scale to achieve enough efficiency to allow for profits, said Stephen Margolis, an economist and anti-trust expert at North Carolina State University.

Max Wolff, an economist at Manhattan Venture Partners, believes competition will thrive mainly because ride-hailing technologies are not overly complicated and drivers aren't earning enough money to be loyal to a single company.

There is room for other players even if Uber is dominant, he said. "They're not as big, but they're there, too. They're not some wheezing, dying remnant."

(Reporting by Heather Somerville; Editing by Peter Henderson and Brian Thevenot)
Ed Henry will return to Fox News on Monday after taking the summer off amid allegations of a long-term affair, which surfaced earlier this year.

Henry will return in a new role, covering general assignments as opposed to the Hillary Clinton campaign, but Fox News does not consider the move a downgrade. Jennifer Griffin was assigned to the Clinton campaign in Henrys absence. Henry is now a chief national correspondent and will also report on breaking news.

The cable news network previously announced Henry was taking some time off to work things out after In Touch Weekly reported that he was involved in an on-going affair with a Las Vegas hostess, Natalia Lima, who described Eds secret double life for the celebrity tabloid.

Also Read: Megyn Kelly Returns to Crush Rachel Maddow in Ratings

Whenever he was in town, we would pretty much just have sex. He has a really high sex drive, Lima told In Touch. She said she met Henry five years ago through social media and their friendship became sexual in the spring of 2015.

A National Enquirer report further detailed Henrys alleged affair, offering raunchy details that include Henry allegedly spending $2,000 at a strip club on private lap dances and champagne.

Back in May, before Roger Ailes had to deal with his own controversy, the former Fox News chairman and CEO said the rumors about Henry raise serious questions about the reporters lack of judgment.

Ailes famously resigned from Fox News this summer after former host Gretchen Carlson filed a sexual harassment lawsuit that resulted in numerous women coming forward with similar claims.

Prior to joining FNC, Henry was at CNN from 2004 to 2011, serving as the networks senior White House correspondent and a congressional correspondent. He and NPRs Shirley Hung married in 2010.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Fox News Assigns Jennifer Griffin to Hillary Clinton Beat While Ed Henry Is Sidelined

Fox News Boss Roger Ailes Questions Ed Henry's 'Lack of Judgement' After Cheating Report

Fox News Correspondent Ed Henry Sidelined After Cheating Report
Anna Friel (Pushing Daisies, Limitless) will return as the lead in ITV crime drama Marcella, from The Bridge writer Hans Rosenfeldt, for a second season.

The eight-part noir thriller series drew strong ratings and will get another eight episodes, Rosenfeldt announced at the Edinburgh Television Festival on Friday.

The first season also starred Downton Abbey's Laura Carmichael and &lrmNicholas Pinnock (Fortitude, Captain America), among others.

Produced by Buccaneer Media and co-created by Rosenfeldt and Nicola Larder, Sky's development executive on The Tunnel and Dracula, Marcella became Rosenfeldt's first drama created exclusively for the U.K.

Set in contemporary London, it revolves around a British Metropolitan Police detective who gets involved in a serial murder case - resembling an unsolved spate of killings that took place a decade earlier - after her husband leaves her unexpectedly.

Netflix acquired the exclusive worldwide streaming rights to Marcella.

Rosenfeldt told the Edinburgh festival audience that he writes his first three drafts of scripts in Swedish before submitting an English-language script with help from others.

"I was delighted at the reaction to the first season and am thrilled to be revisiting Marcella for ITV," he said. "In the second season, the audience will get the opportunity to spend more time in her world, further exploring some of the characters and getting to know them better."

Read more: MIPTV: Netflix Takes ITV Drama 'Marcella' From 'The Bridge' Creator
By Eric Knecht and Maha El Dahan CAIRO/ABU DHABI (Reuters) - Egypt's Minister of Supply Khaled Hanafi has resigned amid the highest-profile corruption case since President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi came to power in 2014. Hanafi's resignation is the most senior-level fallout from a probe into whether millions of dollars intended to subsidise farmers were used to purchase wheat that did not exist. "Experience has proven that being in a position of authority is no longer a picnic," Hanafi said as he announced his resignation on state television. Egypt, the world's largest importer of wheat, has been mired in controversy over whether much of the roughly 5 million tonnes of grain the government said it procured in this year's harvest exists only on paper, the result of local suppliers falsifying receipts to boost government payments. If Egypt's local wheat procurement figures were misrepresented, it may have to spend more on foreign wheat purchases to meet local demand - even as it faces a dollar shortage that has sapped its ability to import. "It's important that whoever comes next knows that the minister is not above accountability and will always be monitored and under the spotlight," Nader Noureldin, a former supply ministry advisor, said. A government source told Reuters that the Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil will conduct the affairs of the Supplies Ministry until a new minister is appointed. Egypt's supply ministry is in charge of a massive food subsidy programme and the main state grain buyer, the General Authority for Supply Commodities (GASC). Parliamentarians who formed a fact-finding commission to investigate the fraud have said upwards of 2 million tonnes, or 40 percent of the locally procured crop, may be missing. The general prosecutor has ordered arrests, travel bans, and asset freezes for several private silo owners and others allegedly involved in the scandal. While Hanafi has not been accused of directly profiting from misallocated subsidies, parliamentarians, industry officials, and media commentators have in recent weeks pinned blame for the crisis squarely on his shoulders. "Hanafi started very strong but unfortunately he trusted the wrong people who ran the ministry for their own benefit which led to huge loss of the subsidy," said Waleed Diab, Managing Director of Egyptian Millers Company, one of the country's largest private mills. The prospect of hundreds of millions of dollars in squandered government subsidies comes as Egypt gears up for a raft of austerity measures, including various subsidy cuts agreed to as part of a $12 billion IMF programme that could bring pain for its poorest people. TEFLON MINISTER Pressure has been mounting on the minister, who was appointed in 2014, ever since earlier this year when parliament began investigating whether a bumper wheat crop -- nearly 5 million tonnes delivered by farmers versus 3-3.5 million normally procured -- may be the result of foul play. In recent weeks parliament's wheat commission has captured the attention of the Egyptian public, with MPs making highly publicised site visits to private silos suspected of fraud, arriving unannounced to tally missing wheat before reporting their findings to the local press. Critics have also accused Hanafi of bungling an array of the ministry's most critical duties. From smart cards for bread distribution that were hacked, wasting millions of dollars in subsidised flour, to the ministry's failure to purchase rice last harvest -- an oversight that led to nationwide shortages of subsidised rice and price spikes that hit the country's poorest -- Hanafi has drawn a broad coalition of critics. Criticism took an unexpected turn last week, when fiery media personality and MP Mostafa Bakry accused Hanafi on television of using 7 million Egyptian pounds ($788,300) in state funds to maintain a residency at a posh downtown Cairo hotel. The minister later said in a statement he had paid for the long-term hotel residence with his own personal funds. (Reporting by Eric Knecht and Maha El Dahan; additional reporting by Asma Alsharif; editing by William Hardy and David Evans)
More than a decade ago, George W. Bush made waves with his plan to allow younger workers to save a portion of their Social Security money in personal retirement accounts. The proposal was decried by some as an attack on the system, and then-President Bush's approval rating sank as he toured the country promoting the idea.

The plan was eventually abandoned, and that marked the last time a major overhaul of the Social Security system was attempted. However, politicians have continued to look for ways to shore up the program which could, under the current funding model, run out of cash in less than 20 years.

[See: 12 Ways to Ensure You Don't Run Out of Money in Retirement.]

"From 2009 to 2013, almost all the talk was about how much are we going to cut," says Eric Kingson, a professor of social work at Syracuse University and co-founder of the organization Social Security Works. "No one was saying to expand."

However, political observers say the tide is shifting with both major presidential candidates in 2016 pledging not to cut Social Security and one proposing a small expansion. Details are slim at the moment, but that could change heading into the fall.

"Both campaigns are still in the process of figuring out what they want to say," notes Stephen Farnsworth, a professor of political science at the University of Mary Washington. "Perhaps as we get into the debates there will be more discussion."

For now, here's what we know about the major party candidates' plans for Social Security.

Clinton Embraces Expansion

The 2016 Democratic Party Platform calls for the expansion of Social Security, a position shared by the party candidate, Hillary Clinton. According to some, this embrace of a Social Security expansion has been a relatively recent development. "Democrats, frankly, ran very tepid on Social Security [in the past]," Kingson says. "They haven't, until very recently, championed Social Security."

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Kingson, a Democrat, credits Bernie Sanders for that shift. He says that while Clinton had previously discussed a "balanced solution" to Social Security funding -- something Kingson argues is code for cuts to the system -- she now promotes modest increases in benefits for widows and women who have served as caregivers. What's more, her official position includes taxing income above the current Social Security cap to bring more money into the program.

While these positions don't go as far the reforms proposed by Sanders, who wanted to increase benefits for nearly everyone as well as change how cost-of-living increases are calculated, Clinton's proposal may be enough to solidify her support with the party base. "She's very much in line with the Democratic platform," says Lauren Wright, a political scientist and author of "On Behalf of the President." "Democrats are more cohesive than Republicans at this point."

Her support of a program expansion could also have an impact on undecided voters. "If Hillary Clinton does emphasize Social Security, that might be an opportunity to win over some older voters," Farnsworth says.

[See: Answers to 7 Burning Tax Questions.]

Trump Breaks from the GOP Platform

While Democrats propose expanding the program and taxing wealthy individuals to do so, the 2016 Republican Party Platform takes a different approach. It says all options to preserve Social Security should be explored. The only thing the platform takes off the table is a tax increase. Instead, the "power of markets to create wealth" should be relied upon to secure the future of the system.

Although the party has traditionally focused on a need to overhaul the system, the issue doesn't seem to be getting much play this year from Republican nominee Donald Trump. "Generally, it's the Republicans who say there is a [Social Security] crisis," says Joseph M. Schwartz, professor of political science at Temple University. "It's part of Trump's campaign, but it's not a big part."

Trump's official website, as of this writing, doesn't include a specific section on Social Security policy. The candidate told AARP he would make the program financially sound by ensuring the economy was robust, something he says can be accomplished through a combination of tax cuts, immigration reform and reducing government waste.

[See: 11 Stocks That Donald Trump Loves.]

For some, that seems to be a thin answer to the Social Security funding shortfall. "Donald Trump has avoided the issue," Wright says. "He diverges considerably from the GOP platform." But others argue this may be the most logical approach for a candidate who is working to bring together a divided party base. "He's not in a position to put up a big government solution like what's been put up by Hillary Clinton," Farnsworth says.

Congress, Other Issues to Play a Role

Of course, presidential candidates can promise anything they like, but proclamations on the campaign trail don't always translate into real policy changes, as former President Bush discovered.

A bigger factor in the fate of Social Security may lie with those running down the ticket in Senate and House races. Currently, both chambers are controlled by Republican majorities, although some election observers predict the Senate may flip to the Democrats after the election.

However, even if that were the case, Clinton would likely face staunch opposition in the House to any proposal that includes an expanded Social Security tax. Trump may also find himself at odds with Republican House leadership if he hopes to maintain the status quo, especially since some in Congress, such as Speaker Paul Ryan, have indicated their support for reforming the system. Regardless of who wins, "it seems like Social Security gridlock is what we'll see," Farnsworth says.

The future of Social Security may be also be affected by other policies and initiatives pursued by the presidential candidates. For example, Schwartz notes one of the major structural challenges to the system is the ratio of workers to beneficiaries. Bringing more workers into the system -- whether that be through adding currently exempt government workers or legalizing undocumented workers -- could result in a much-needed influx of cash.

"If you had a path to citizenship, that would do a lot to shore up the system," Schwartz says.
One of the convicts in the Nirbhaya gangrape case, Vinay Sharma attempted suicide in Tihar jail on Thursday. He was allegedly suffering from depression,

Vinay Sharma is one of the four convicts in the Nirbhaya gang-rape case.

By Mail Today Bureau: Nirbhaya gang-rape convict Vinay Sharma on Thursday attempted suicide in Delhi's high-security Tihar Jail and was admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital.

ATTEMPTED SUICIDE DUE TO DEPRESSION



Vinay first took painkillers and thereafter tried to hang himself with a towel in the jail. He was caught in the act by a Tamil Nadu special police personnel on duty who stopped him.

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He is said to be out of danger now.

According to sources, the convict was suffering from depression and was on medication. Vinay, along with three others, had approached the Supreme Court against the Delhi High Court's 2014 verdict that observed their offence to be rarest of rare.

The apex court on April 8 in a surprising move had appointed senior lawyer Sanjay Hegde to argue for Vinay and Akshay (another convict).

Reports said, inmates at the jail had thrashed Vinay severely in 2013.

Also Read: 3 years of Nirbhaya gangrape: Delhi government to help juvenile convict set up tailoring shop



BACKGROUND OF NIRBHAYA CASE

Twenty-three-year-old paramedical student Nirbhaya was gang-raped inside a moving bus and her friend was beaten up in Delhi on December 16, 2012.

A lawyer representing the death row convicts had announced a 10 lakh reward for anyone who can prove that the victim was violated with an iron rod.

As the case - that prompted nationwide revulsion and turned global spotlight on crimes against women in India - entered the final lap in the Supreme Court, defence counsel are exploring all possibilities to ensure the men escape capital punishment.

In a similar manner, another convict Ram Singh (34) had hanged himself in Jail No. 3 at 5 am in 2013. He was one of the key accused in gang-raping and atrociously assaulting the physiotherapist.

Also Read: Nirbhaya gangrape case: Juvenile rapist shifted to secret spot a day before release



CHARGES AGAINST ACCUSED



Ram Singh, his brother Mukesh and four other accused in the case had been charged with murder, gang-rape, destruction of evidence, criminal conspiracy, dacoity, unnatural sex and common intent in the case. However, legal experts had said that Singh's death did not undermine the prosecution's case against the other accused, which was largely based on DNA evidence and the testimony of the rape victim before she died and her friend.

Like millions of Indians in search of work and better prospects, Ram Singh's family had migrated to Delhi from Rajasthan in the 1990s.

Vinay's suicide attempt highlights the number of suicides at the jail. According to a report of the Department of Psychiatry, Central Jail Hospital, Tihar, around 20 prisoners committed suicide in Tihar Jail in the last 16 years. All were pre-trial verdict inmates, like Ram Singh, who had become the 21st inmate to die an unnatural death.

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ALSO READ: Nirbhaya gangrape: Rs 10 lakh award if iron rod theory is proved, says defence lawyer



--- ENDS ---
A pair of TCA Award-winning programs are shaking up this years Emmy race for Outstanding Drama Series.

The Americans and Mr. Robot are first time contenders in the category, filling vacant slots left by the no-longer-eligible Mad Men and the eligible-but-not-nominated Orange Is the New Black.

RELATEDIn Wake of Outlander Emmy Snub, Starz Boss Slams Reductive Voting System

Of course, for either newcomer to clinch the prestigious trophy, theyll have to beat 2015 champ Game of Thrones. Should HBOs fantasy drama not garner a repeat win, voters will have to wait until 2018 to recognize the program for its seventh season, which will not air within the 2017 eligibility window.

Rather than award something new, voters might also opt to acknowledge the sixth and final season of Downton Abbey, a five-time nominee which has yet to nab a best drama statue. Other contenders include fellow repeat nominees Better Call Saul (now on its second nomination), House of Cards (in the race for a fourth consecutive year) and Homeland (which has not been victorious since Season 1).

RELATEDEmmys: Girls Dad Peter Scolari Enters Race After Veep Nod Is Nixed

What would you do if you had the opportunity to recognize one of the aforesaid dramas when the Emmys are handed out on Sept. 18? Take our poll below to vote for your favorite, then hit the comments to defend your pick.

Every day for the next couple of weeks, well launch another Who Should Win? Emmy poll, so visit TVLine.com daily to weigh in on whos most worthy of TVs most distinguished honor.

Launch Gallery: Emmy Nominations 2016: The Biggest Snubs

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(Adds judge's comments and background)

By Tracy Rucinski and Jim Christie

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Energy Future Holdings Corp , Texas' biggest power company, won U.S. court approval on Friday for a plan that will allow the bulk of its operations to exit Chapter 11 after two years of battling creditors.

"I am going to overrule all of the remaining objections, U.S. Bankruptcy Judge Christopher Sontchi said in court in Wilmington, Delaware. "I am prepared to confirm."

Dallas-based Energy Future filed for bankruptcy in April 2014 when weak electricity prices left it unable to service $42 billion in debt, mostly related to the company's creation through a 2007 leveraged buyout.

It was the largest U.S. bankruptcy since that of General Motors Co in 2009.

The reorganized company will own TXU Energy, the state's largest retail electric utility, and Luminant, Texas' largest power plant operator and largest coal miner. The spinoff of the two divisions into the new company avoids a tax liability that had worried creditors.

The potential for a "massive" tax liability was the "elephant in the room," Sontchi said on Friday, adding he believed the plan "was the best possible deal" to push the company out of bankruptcy.

"A tax-free separation was a critical component to maximizing the value of the estate," Energy Future spokesman Allan Koenig said in an email.

Energy Future's 80 percent stake in power distribution business Oncor, which owns the largest network of power lines in Texas, remains in Chapter 11 and will face its own confirmation hearing in December.

A previous plan by Energy Future to exit bankruptcy won approval from Sontchi last year but fell apart when regulators opposed the sale of Oncor to a group of creditors and investors led by privately held Hunt Consolidated Inc of Texas.

Energy Future agreed in July to sell Oncor to Florida's NextEra Energy Inc in a deal valued at $18.4 billion but is still accepting other bids for the business.

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Before it becomes effective the latest reorganization needs regulatory approval from the Railroad Commission of Texas, which the company said it expects in September.

The plan won broad support from creditors but was opposed by some noteholders who said it would not fairly compensate creditors for tax benefits and back-office operations that would be transferred to the new company.

The new owners, the company's first lien lenders, have yet to select a name for the reorganized company.

(Reporting by Tracy Rucinski in Chicago and Jim Christie in San Francisco; Editing by Matthew Lewis)
IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit has been filed against Tokai Pharmaceuticals, Inc. ("Tokai" or the "Company") (TKAI). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between June 24, 2015 and July 25, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm prior to the September 30, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased shares of Tokai during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esquire, of Khang & Khang, 18101 Von Karman Avenue, 3rd Floor, Irvine, CA 92612, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member.

According to the complaint, during the Class Period, Tokai made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: there were significant structural problems with the trial design for its Phase 3 galeterone study, ARMOR3-SV; that ARMOR3-SV was unlikely to succeed in meeting its primary endpoint; the commercialization of galeterone was less likely than investors were led to believe; and as a result of the above, Tokai's statements about its business, operations, and prospects were false and misleading at all relevant times.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, a prominent litigator for almost two decades, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or via e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions.

Contacts

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday inaugurates Istanbul's third bridge to span the Bosphorus between Europe and Asia, a key project in his drive to create a lasting historical legacy.

The work -- one of the longest suspensions bridges in the world -- will allow Erdogan to show that his dream of creating a glitzy "new Turkey" with ultra-modern infrastructure is on track despite the July 15 failed coup and a string of militant attacks.

The bridge is named after the 16th century Ottoman Sultan Selim the Grim (Yavuz Sultan Selim in Turkish) who conquered swathes of the Middle East in an extraordinary eight year rule and remains a figure of adulation for modern day Turks.

The openings of bridges across the Bosphorus -- the first in 1973 and the second in 1988 -- have been landmark dates in the modern history of Istanbul.

Erdogan will be hoping the opening of the newest bridge becomes another such date as he seeks to transform the city where he grew up with undersea tunnels, rail lines and a new airport.

- 'Most spectacular' -

The bridge -- technically a hybrid between a suspension and cable-stayed bridge -- is an architectural marvel spanning the steep banks of the Bosphorus at the entrance to the Black Sea.

It is the widest suspension bridge in the world with a width of 58.5 metres (192 feet). Its span of 1,408 metres (4,619 feet) is the longest in the world between the supporting pylons.

It will also carry railway lines as well as vehicle traffic, making it the world's longest suspension bridge with a railway.

Its support pylons are just one metre lower than the Eiffel Tower at 323 metres (1,060 feet).

The bridge had been conceived by French structural engineer Michel Virlogeux, who achieved fame by realising bridge projects of extraordinary ambition such as the 12 kilometre (7.4 mile) Vasco da Gama Bridge in Lisbon and the Millau Viaduct in southern France.

"This bridge puts Turkey among the world leaders, it's the most spectacular to have been built in the last years," Virlogeux told AFP.

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He said the project had been extremely challenging with the "Turkish government demanding great architectural quality" with the road on the same level as the railway, which is not usually the case.

He added that there had also been considerable time pressure and did not know of "another example of a work conceived and constructed within three and a half years."

"There was both a political will on the part of the Turkish government and an extraordinary mobilisation of the firms."

- 'Relieve congestion' -

The bridge has been built by a South Korean joint venture of the Hyundai and SK Group companies with the total cost of the project put at $800-900 million.

It will help relieve congestion in the traffic-clogged city and also provide an essential artery to the new Istanbul airport that is being built close to the Black Sea.

"The bridge will relieve traffic in Istanbul by 30 percent and relieve pressure on the two other bridges," Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told AFP.

Activists have complained that the new motorways built for the trip go through precious tracts of forest leading down to the Black Sea.

"There are historic forests and that is very sad for us but there is no other choice for this construction. There really are too many cars," said Cezahir Dogan, head of the widely listened-to Radio Trafik.

The name of the bridge has also raised eyebrows, with Sultan Selim known for his ruthless methods as he expanded the empire into today's Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Syria and Saudi Arabia.

He is still hated by Turkey's Alevi minority for his persecution and massacres of members of the Shiite offshoot sect.

One of Selim's most legendary victories was at the battle of Marj Dabiq in modern day Syria on August 24, 1516, where he smashed the Ottomans' Mamluk opponents to conquer much of the Middle East.

Several bloggers have noted that Turkey launched Wednesday's operation against jihadists in Syria -- two days before the bridge opening -- precisely 500 years to the day after the battle.

pt-sjw/boc

HYUNDAI MOTOR
By Julia Fioretti BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Websites such as Google's YouTube, DailyMotion and Pinterest could be required by the European Union to seek licenses or revenue-sharing deals with artists for content that is uploaded by their users. The music industry has long complained that services such as YouTube do not pay artists enough for their music and has urged regulators to close what it calls the "value gap". They say that Alphabet Inc's Google makes vast sums from ad-supported services such as YouTube, but only a small share of the money goes to the music industry. The European Commission, the EU executive, is looking at imposing an obligation on platforms hosting user-uploaded content -- such as YouTube, Vimeo and DailyMotion -- to seek agreements with rights holders "reflecting the economic value of the use made of the protected content", according to a draft paper, seen by Reuters, listing the preferred options for the EU's copyright reform. The agreement could take the form of a copyright license or a monetization agreement such as sharing of revenue, an option that is already widely used. The Commission also wants online sharing platforms to put in place "appropriate and proportionate measures, such as content identification technologies, to ensure the functioning" of the agreements with rights holders. The proposal is still being discussed and the final version is expected in late September. Google says that YouTube alone has generated more than $2 billion for rights holders by striking licensing agreements with music labels and publishing societies around the world. YouTube uses Content ID, which automatically identifies an artist's content, to give rights holders the choice of whether to leave it up, block it or monetize it through a revenue-sharing deal. Google says that more than 98 percent of all YouTube copyright removal claims use Content ID and the music industry chooses to monetize 95 percent of its Content ID claims. But rights holders say they do not have enough bargaining power and are presented with a "take it or leave it" deal since the online platforms have no obligation to negotiate with them. The draft paper said its proposals are likely to increase revenues for rights holders but did not estimate by how much. Google declined to comment. The music industry says that Content ID does not work well enough and subscription-based services such as Spotify generate more revenue for the industry despite a smaller user base. NEWS PUBLISHERS STRENGTHENED The Commission also wants to give news publishers a new exclusive right covering the online use of their content to give them more bargaining power vis-a-vis search engines such as Google when demanding payment for showing snippets of their articles. The media industry has often accused Google of making money at its expense by making its content freely available via Google News. The Commission expects the new right to increase publishers' revenues, though they can still decide to make their content freely available. "The market power of Google/YouTube is such that many content owners will choose not to charge the fees; the quid pro quo being that in return for allowing free access to their content they will obtain exposure to users via Google/YouTubes huge platforms," said Matthew Jones, a partner at EIP, a law firm specializing in intellectual property. A Commission spokesman said that the granting of a new right to publishers would not affect the way users share hyperlinks on the Internet. (Reporting by Julia Fioretti; Editing by Mark Potter and David Goodman)
BRUSSELS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The following are mergers under review by the European Commission and a brief guide to the EU merger process:

APPROVALS AND WITHDRAWALS

-- Buyout group CVC to acquire Swedish cigarette pack maker AR Packaging (approved Aug. 26)

-- German energy companies Alpiq AG and Getec Energie AG to set up a joint venture (approved Aug. 26)

-- Buyout firm Carlyle to acquire a 50-percent stake in Portuguese plastics packaging company Logoplaste (approved Aug. 26)

NEW LISTINGS

-- U.S. private investment firm Lindsay Goldberg to acquire Austria-based Schur Flexibles Group, a manufacturer of flexible packaging products (notified Aug. 25/deadline Sept. 29/simplified)

EXTENSIONS AND OTHER CHANGES

None

FIRST-STAGE REVIEWS BY DEADLINE

AUG 30

-- Polish chemicals company Synthos to acquire Swiss-based chemicals group Ineos' expandable polystyrene business INEOS Styrenics (notified July 25/deadline Aug. 30)

SEPT 8

-- CK Hutchison Holdings Ltd and Vimpelcom to merge their Italian mobile operations (notified Feb. 5/deadline extended to Sept. 8 from Aug 18)

SEPT 9

-- Commodities trader Archer Daniels Midland Co and Singaporean palm oil processor Wilmar International Ltd to acquire joint control of Olenex joint venture (notified Aug. 4/deadline Sept. 9)

-- Investment fund Partners Group to acquire real estate services provider Foncia Holding and its subsidiaries (notified July 4/deadline Aug. 9/simplified)

SEPT 12

-- South African furniture and household goods retailer Steinhoff International to acquire British retailer Poundland (notified Aug. 5/deadline Sept. 12/simplified)

-- French carmaker Groupe PSA subsidiary Automobiles Citroen SA and Spanish management services provider Estacionamientos y servicios, S.A.U. to set up a car sharing joint venture (notified Aug. 5/deadline Sept. 12/simplified)

-- Investment fund OpenGate Capital to acquire Belgian materials group Umicore's zinc chemicals business (notified Aug. 5/deadline Sept. 12/simplified)

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SEPT 14

-- Private equity firm First Reserve to acquire UK service provider Morrison Utility Services (notified Aug. 9/deadline Sept. 14/simplified)

-- Investment company Cerberus to acquire control of French financial companies GE Money Bank SCA, Sorefi SCA, Somafi-Soguafi SCA and General Electric Financement Pacifique (notified Aug. 9/Sept. 14/simplified)

SEPT 15

-- Private investment company Ardian to acquire joint control of fibre product producer Kemide and its subsidiary Kermel (notified Aug. 10/deadline Sept. 15/simplified)

SEPT 16

-- Dutch infrastructure fund DIF and French utility EDF to acquire German gas grid Thyssengas (notified Aug. 11/deadline Sept. 16)

SEPT 19

--French oil and gas major Total to take over Lampiris, Belgium's third-largest natural gas and renewable power vendor (notified Aug. 12/deadline Sept. 19)

--Canon Inc to acquire Toshiba Corp's medical equipment unit (notified Aug. 12/deadline Sept. 19)

--A division of Chinese aviation and shipping conglomerate HNA Group to buy U.S-based Carlson Hotels Inc, owner of the Radisson hotel chain (notified Aug. 12/deadline Sept. 19)

SEPT 20

-- Impulsora Del Desarrollo Y El Empleo En America Latina, S.A.B. De C.V., CPPIB and Ontario teachers' pension plan create strategic partnership to invest in infrastructure assets in Mexico (notified Aug. 16/deadline Sept. 20/simplified)

-- China's HNA Group to acquire Swiss airline catering firm Gategroup (notified Aug. 16/deadline Sept. 20)

-- Agricultural commodities trader Bunge to acquire majority stake in German company Walter Rau (notified Aug. 16/deadline Sept. 20/simplified)

SEPT 21

-- Computer Sciences Corporation to merge with Hewlett Packard Enterprise's information technology services segment.

(notified Aug.18/eadline Sept.21/simplified)

SEPT 22

-- Verlinvest and China Resources Co. to acquire joint control over Resources Verlinvest Health Investment.

(notified Aug.18/deadline Sept.22/simplified)

-- Czech investor EPH and private equity group PPF Investments to buy from Sweden's stale-owned utility Vattenfall lignite mines and power plants in Germany - Vattenfall Mining and Vattenfall Generation. (notified Aug.18/deadline Sept.22)

SEPT 23

-- Swiss bank PostFinance and infrastructure group SIX to acquire joint control of a new mobile payment system Twint. (notified Aug.19/deadline Sept.23/simplified)

-- Allergan to sell its Anda distribution business to Israel's Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. (notified Aug. 19/deadline Sept. 23/simplified)

-- Buyout firm Hellman & Friedman, Permira Advisers and Technology Crossover Ventures buy stake in Genesys, a U.S. provider of call centre software. (notified Aug.19/deadline Sept.23/simplified)

-- Triton Group to acquire sole control over Stromboli, holding entity of Flakt Woods. (notified Aug.19/deadline Sept.23)

-- FIH Mobile to buy from Microsoft Mobile Vietnam and other assets from Microsoft Mobile. (notified Aug.19/deadline Sept.23)

-- Valeo and Siemens to set up 50/50 joint venture. (notified Aug.19/deadline Sept.23/simplified)

SEPT 28

-- Deutsche Boerse and the London Stock Exchange plan to merge to create the world's largest exchange (notified Aug. 24/deadline Sept. 28)

-- Britain's Centrica to acquire Danish energy management company Neas Engergy (notified Aug. 24/deadline Sept. 28)

SEPT 29

-- U.S. private investment firm Lindsay Goldberg to acquire Austria-based Schur Flexibles Group, a manufacturer of flexible packaging products (notified Aug. 25/deadline Sept. 29/simplified)

OCT 24

-- U.S. rail equipment maker Wabtec Corp to acquire French peer Faiveley Transport SA (notified April 4/deadline Oct. 24/commitments offered July 25)

DEC 20

-- U.S. chemicals company Dow Chemical to merge with DuPont (notified June 22/deadline extended to Dec. 20 from Aug. 11 after the European Commission opened an in-depth investigation)

SUSPENDED

-- SOCAR, Azerbaijan's state energy company, to buy stakes in Greek natural gas grid operator DESFA from Greek natural gas utility DEPA (notified Oct. 1/deadline suspended on Jan. 21)

GUIDE TO EU MERGER PROCESS

DEADLINES:

The European Commission has 25 working days after a deal is filed for a first-stage review. It may extend that by 10 working days to 35 working days, to consider either a company's proposed remedies or an EU member state's request to handle the case.

Most mergers win approval but occasionally the Commission opens a detailed second-stage investigation for up to 90 additional working days, which it may extend to 105 working days.

SIMPLIFIED:

Under the simplified procedure, the Commission announces the clearance of uncontroversial first-stage mergers without giving any reason for its decision. Cases may be reclassified as non-simplified - that is, ordinary first-stage reviews - until they are approved.

(Compiled by Brussels Newsroom)
A rescued piglet turned over to the SPCA in Virginia for safe haven wound up dead after a former worker and her beau decided the animal would be better served as dinner, cops said.

Read: Ex-Cop Charged in Killing of 2 K9 Partners Now Linked to Death of Third Dog

Virginia natives Aymarie Sutter and her fiance Lee Oakes Jr. are now facing felony charges of theft, animal cruelty and killing livestock after they were accused of stabbing the small pig 31 times and sending it to a butcher to serve at a Fourth of July dinner party.

According to WCAV, officers found Profit the pig after he had accidently run loose off his owner's property on July 3 and turned him over to the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA. Less than 24 hours later, Profit was dead.

According to a veterinarian who testified after performing a necropsy on the pig, Profit was stabbed 31 times in the neck and head before he died.

"It should have been given the same chance as every other animal to be given a home," North Carolina pig shelter owner Debbi Torres told InsideEdition.com.

Torres is one of the many activists who arrived to the Charlottesville courthouse Friday to witness the case against Sutter and Oakes proceed to the Albemarle County Circuit Court.

"We love pigs like these like they're our children," Torres said. "We'd really like to change the protocol for the pigs to go to a sanctuary to find a home instead of the SPCA handling it."

Sutter, who was a former employee at the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA, insisted she and her fiance Oakes did nothing wrong in an interview with WCAV last month.

Sutter recalled that when officers arrived with the pig, "They asked me if I knew anyone who wanted the pig, so I called my fiance."

She said Oakes was preparing an elaborate Fourth of July dinner, and looked forward to smoking the whole hog, then turn the rest into bacon.

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"I didn't want to kill it, but the way you have to is by cutting their throat," Oakes told WCAV.

They said the police were aware they planned on killing the pig and gave them permission to continue, but the Albemarle County Police Department declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation.

The Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA reportedly claimed the pig was stolen soon after he was turned in.

Read: Frat Brother Found Eating Face of Victim After Random Fatal Double Stabbing

"When I was done, I got down on my knees and I prayed for it because I knew that pig suffered, and I didn't want the pig to suffer," Oates said.

Sutter said last month she was looking forward to returning to the SPCA once the case blows over:

She said: "I loved my job at the SPCA. I have always wanted to work with animals, and I hope these charges can be dropped so I can get back to work."

Attorney Bonnie Lepold and the SPCA did not immediately return calls by InsideEdition.com for comment

Watch: Pig Jumps from Truck on Its Way to a Slaughterhouse, Gives Birth to 9 Piglets

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The Company, which is One of the Largest Disaster Restoration Companies in the United States, has Sent Crews from Across the Nation to Baton Rouge

TAMPA, FL / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2016 / The founders of ServiceMaster Restore, one of the biggest water damage mitigation companies in the country, are pleased to announce that they have just sent additional crews from across the nation to Louisiana to help with post-flooding cleanup efforts.

To read more about the company's emergency water damage restoration services, please visit http://www.servicemastertampabay.com/emergency-services-tampa-bay/water-damage-tampa-florida/.

As a company spokesperson noted, the crews from ServiceMaster Restore have mobilized to Baton Rouge, where the recent flooding took place.

The experts from the company are also offering advice to residents of the flood-ravaged area who might be unsure what to do in the face of significant water damage to their home or business.

"Safety is a huge concern when entering a flooded property," said Peter Duncanson, director of system development, ServiceMaster Restore, a ServiceMaster Global Holdings Inc. (NYSE: SERV) company.

"Given the amount of water the area has received, I suggest reaching out to the local disaster restoration experts for help in the cleanup. It is critical for home and business owners to know exactly what to do -- and what not to do -- when dealing with water damage."

Once a property has been flooded, Duncanson said it is crucial to get the water extracted and items dried out as quickly as possible, as this will help to prevent mold growth. Fortunately, the experienced and caring teams who are on site in Louisiana have the knowledge needed to help people through the entire post-flood process.

"Our disaster restoration experts can guide you through the process with your insurance company, ensure your home is properly taken care of and restore your home back to its normal state," he said.

For home or business owners who are suddenly dealing with flooding in the home, Duncanson suggests using fans to circulate the air and help with the drying process. In addition, people should try to remove as much water as possible by mopping or blotting, and if the outside temperature is 80 degrees or higher, using dehumidifiers can be helpful.

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About ServiceMaster Restore:

ServiceMaster 24 Hour believes in and closely adheres to the company's four business objectives and philosophy. These have remained consistent through the years. Their vision is to keep and create customers profitably by serving people and improving lives. For more information, please visit http://www.servicemastertampabay.com/.

Contact:

Mable Valdez

cbrown@sm24hr.com

813-623-6111

SOURCE: ServiceMaster Restore
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 early in 2016 that it would take at least 18 months to start large-scale clinical trials of potential preventative shots.

A vaccine is not expected to be ready for widespread use for at least two or three years. U.S. government researchers said they started their first clinical trial of a Zika vaccine.

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.

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Brazil reports the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly at 1,835 as doctors and Brazilian health officials find that some suspected cases of microcephaly are not the disorder. Suspected ones under investigation had 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 57 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 (48): Anguilla, Antigua, Argentina, Aruba, The Bahamas, Barbados, Barbuda, Belize, Bolivia, Bonaire, Brazil, Cayman Islands, 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, Turks and Cacos, United States, 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 several cases of possible sexual transmission. Those cases involved possible transmission of the virus from men to their sex partners.

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 cautioned 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.

New Zika research released on Aug. 25 found that the virus may spread sexually from a man to a woman even if the man had no symptoms of Zika infection, which could trigger new guidelines from the CDC.

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.

(Compiled by the Americas Desk)
Vinay Sharma who allegedly tried to commit suicide on Wednesday night in Delhi's Tihar jail, has now been deemed medically fit by doctors after a thorough check-up.

By India Today Web Desk: A fresh video has surfaced that shows Nirbhaya gangrape convict Vinay Sharma looking well and fit, roaming around the hospital without help from staff or police personnel.

A Deen Dayal Upadhyay (DDU) hospital staffer made a video tape of Sharma after undergoing tests, invalidating all seemingly visible signs of an ill or suicidal person.

HE IS JUST FINE



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Vinay Sharma who allegedly tried to commit suicide on Wednesday night in Delhi's Tihar jail, has now been deemed medically fit by doctors after a thorough check-up.



Talking to the media, doctors at DDU said all his test results are normal.

On Wednesday night, jail doctors too had ruled out a medical emergency after examining him but jail authorities decided to move him to a hospital nevertheless.



HABITUAL OF MAKING FALSE CLAIMS

The convict in the 2012 gangrape, who has been sentenced to death by the Delhi High Court, is habitual of making false assertions regarding his health and safety in Tihar.

He had earlier alleged assault by jail guards and other inmates, saying he suffered grave injuries.

Vinay Sharma lodged in jail, is awaiting Supreme Court's decision on his appeal against his death sentence.



ALSO READ

Nirbhaya gangrape convict Vinay Sharma tries to hang himself with a towel in Tihar Jail

Nirbhaya rapist did what the system should've done: DCW chief on convict's suicide attempt

Nirbhaya gangrape planned by her male companion, politician, says defence lawyer of accused



--- ENDS ---
(Corrects second paragraph to say Pinellas County is "some 265 miles from" Miami, not "near" Miami)

Aug 26 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended on Friday that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika virus, as it moves to prevent transmission of the virus through the blood supply.

The agency's move to expand its previous guideline for blood screening comes after Florida officials on Tuesday announced the first case of Zika transmitted by mosquitoes in Pinellas County, some 265 miles from Miami, where the first locally transmitted U.S. cases were reported.

The FDA last month ordered blood banks in Florida's two most densely populated counties - Miami-Dade County and Broward County - to stop collecting blood.

The FDA also recommended that nearby counties implement the same measures.

Zika was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause severe birth defects. It has been linked to more than 1,800 cases of microcephaly in Brazil.

Health officials warned pregnant women last week not to travel to Miami Beach after Florida confirmed the mosquito-borne Zika virus was active there.

The agency had recommended in February that blood should no longer be collected from regions where the Zika virus is circulating, and that blood needed for transfusions be obtained from areas of the country without active transmission.

The FDA has authorized the emergency use of several investigational Zika screening tests, including products made by Hologic Inc and Roche Holding AG.

(Reporting by Ankur Banerjee in Bengaluru; Editing by Shounak Dasgupta and Saumyadeb Chakrabarty)
Health authorities are recommending that all donated blood for the United States and its territories be tested for the Zika virus.

Previously, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had recommended that blood be tested for Zika in areas where there is active spread of the virus among mosquitoes. Now, all states are asked to test their donated blood for the virus, according to an announcement by the FDA Friday morning.

There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission, said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research in a statement about the announcement. At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion.

The FDA said it is making this recommendation after considering the latest science and consulting with public health experts. The agency also took into consideration the severe health problems that blood infected with Zika could cause pregnant women and their children if they are exposed while pregnant.

Testing of donated blood is already underway in Florida and Puerto Rico, as well as in other areas, and it has shown to be beneficial in identifying donations infected with Zika virus, the FDA said in a statement. Expanded testing will continue to reduce the risk for transmission of Zika virus through the U.S. blood supply and will be in effect until the risk of transfusion transmission of Zika virus is reduced.

Read more about the FDAs announcement here.
Theres a reason why petits fours are a patisserie staple, and grands fours are not: whats puffily perfect at bite size can turn cloying in a larger slice. So it proves, in a sense, with Hermia & Helena, in which Argentinian writer-director Matias Pineiro repeats the recipe behind his previous, scarcely feature-length Shakespearean cupcakes (all loosely drawn from the Bards comedies), only for the winsomeness to spread itself a little thin across 90 minutes. Riffing very liberally on A Midsummer Nights Dream  directly invoked here as a text to be translated into Spanish  this tale of a Buenos Aires theater director finding her feet and potentially losing her heart in New York City lopes along with the same idle, chatty charm as Pineiros hour-long Viola and The Princess of France. But with its tricksy timeline and waifish subplots, the film feels unduly stretched even to reach its modest length, while our dramaturgy-fixated protagonist is slow to stumble into a compelling arc of her own.

Despite their petite form, the Argentina-set, Spanish-lingo Viola and The Princess of France were both distributed theatrically in the U.S. by The Cinema Guild, so Hermia & Helena  bolstered by its predominantly American setting and English dialogue  should follow suit without a hitch. Theres a personal motivation behind the switch in milieu: Setting aside the Shakespearean reference points, Pineiro was inspired by his own expat experience in the Big Apple, where, like his protagonist, he traveled on an arts fellowship. As the film switches from rapid-fire Spanish in its Buenos Aires interludes to its more tacit, contemplative New York scenes, it succumbs to the faintly airless tone that can come to non-native filmmakers working in English for the first time. That said, a certain degree of lost-in-translation frustration is key to its wandering narrative.

Much of the teasing, poker-faced game-playing in Hermia and Helena  the title refers to the young women of A Midsummer Nights Dream, though they have no namesakes on screen  hinges on the doubling and substitution of personalities. Sensitive, ingenuous Camila (played by Pineiro regular Agustina Munoz) arrives in New York to take the place of her friend Carmen (Maria Villar) in a creative residency program, as well in a bijou rental apartment. Its not long before she also seems to inherit a number of Carmens relationships, including a romance with amiable American hipster Lukas (recent indie fixture Keith Poulson), a conflicting dalliance with twee filmmaker Gregg (Dustin Guy Defa) and, most ambiguously, an elusive, alluring postcard correspondence with traveling Frenchwoman and former program fellow Danielle (Mati Diop, lending proceedings some Euro-arthouse credentials).

And so this merry-go-round of overlapping identities spins on, complicated by a staggered, one-step-forward-two-steps-back flashback structure  sometimes to the point of needless opacity. Occasionally, we hop back to Camilas former, more sun-kissed life in Argentina; other off-piste distractions are more tenuous, as when we dip into Greggs Daphne du Maurier-inspired experimental short, built from an existing vintage work. Its a light-footed feat of geometric storytelling, evoking the Shakespeare play that so fascinates Camila more in its general spirit of wistful-whimsical chaos than in specific narrative terms. But beneath the ornate, fidgety arrangement of it all, neither film nor protagonist seem to have much sense of what theyre about, until a more sustained late-film passage sees Camila delving melancholically into her complex family history. To us and her alike, then, the personal fancies and flirtations that have hitherto consumed the bulk of the film are made to seem rather immaterial.

Like Camila, Pineiro is unafraid to wear his influences (beyond just the Bard) blithely on his sleeve. An opening credit dedicates the film to Japanese actress Setsuko Hara, renowned for her collaborations with Yasujiro Ozu: Theres a certain zen contentment to the Argentines filmmaking that nods to the Japanese humanist masters work, albeit with considerable more fussiness in the telling. (Theres a sweet, guileless placidity to Munozs performance, too, though her surrounding ensemble is less consistent.) Cuttings from Jacques Rivette and Hong Sang-soo also appear to be on the directorial mood board here, while theres a jaunty, neurotic streak of Woody Allen in the heavy presence of Scott Joplin on the soundtrack. If Hermia & Helena finally seems short on complete ideas, its assorted allusions provide compensatory frosting.

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Youre different! So says an old colleague (Michelle Yeoh) who hasnt seen Arthur Bishop, the mission-improbable hitman in Mechanic: Resurrection, for a long time. Older, he replies, coming out and stating the obvious. In fact, Jason Statham doesnt merely look older than he did when he last played Arthur Bishop, in the 2011 thriller The Mechanic. He looks leaner and meaner, more squinty with resolve, more brutally and methodically sociopathic. With his hair cropped closer than usual, Statham has become a total bullet-head, a human ice pick  a machine of death.

For a while now, Jason Statham has been the thinking mans smart/dumb B-movie action star. His films, or at least a lot of them, swim around in the grindhouse muck of bloodsport and revenge, a genre that has spawned such brooding blocks of wood as Steven Seagal and Chuck Norris. But Statham, unlike most action-pulp icons, is a genuine actor, with a darting intelligence and finesse. He has often been much better than the movies hes in, and he has flirted with the A-list as well. Its seriously doubtful that an action star pushing 50 would be considered for the role of James Bond, but it would be fascinating to see what Statham could do with it.

The closest he has probably come is the character of Arthur Bishop, assassin for hire, whose signature is that he kills and makes it all look like an accident; its his way of leaving no traces. Five years ago, in The Mechanic, Bishop trained a new protege (played by Ben Foster), but the movie, loosely based on a 1972 Charles Bronson film, was ludicrous  a series of overwrought daredevil stunts and situations. It was too much over-the-top action, with not enough (borderline) plausibility.

Mechanic: Resurrection is the movie The Mechanic should have been  a bite-sized Bond film, or maybe a grittier homicidal knockoff of the Mission: Impossible series, with a lone-wolf renegade as the entire team. Bishop, living undercover in Brazil, is hunted down by his boyhood frenemy, Craine (Sam Hazeldine), who orders him to perform three kills. He has no desire to do any of them, but Craine holds a trump card: Gina (Jessica Alba), whom Bishop has rescued and fallen for. He thought he was finished with murder-for-hire, but now he has to kill for love.

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Its part of the films compact efficiency that in scene after scene, Bishop carries off in about 20 minutes what Tom Cruise and company would spend an entire hour to plan. Theres a downside to that: In a great M:I adventure, like Brad Birds hypnotically intense Mission: Impossible  Ghost Protocol, the stakes were high, and when Cruise slithered around on the tallest skyscraper in Dubai, the effect was pure heart-in-the-throat, hands-clawing-the-seat poetic vertigo.

In Mechanic, theres a scene thats a knockoff of that Dubai spider-walk, with Bishop using electronic suction cups to slither up to the penthouse swimming pool of a mining billionaire in Sydney. Bishop, unlike Cruises Ethan Hunt, has no short circuits or slip-ups; hes too manly for that. He swings around on his harness, then drills a hole in the pools glass bottom and inserts a tiny cone, which gets injected with fluid until it cracks the glass. (The villain falls right through.) Its as impeccable as a physics equation: The result is one kill (of a really, really bad guy), but the spirit is that of a heist thriller. It is all, in every sense, perfectly executed.

Everything else Bishop does is just as pinpoint. His first target is an African warlord who has barricaded himself inside an Alcatraz-like prison fortress. Bishop gets himself arrested and placed in the prison, then arranges to save the warlords life as a way of getting invited to dinner. Its all staged, by director Dennis Gansel, with enough connect-the-dots ingenuity to spin you right past your disbelief  or, at least, to make an enjoyable wink at it. Then Tommy Lee Jones shows up, wearing the wardrobe of a Eurotrash playboy, as a weapons dealer with a circular lair that evokes the one in On Her Majestys Secret Service. Jones phones in his performance but classes up the proceedings; at last, Statham can share scenes with an actor as quick as he is.

The relentless invincibility of the hero is part of what reduces an action film to pulp rather than art. But Jason Statham  or, at least, the Jason Statham brand  has no more room for vulnerability than the hero of a combat videogame. Hes all kick-ass all the time, and Mechanic: Resurrection, having served up a soupcon of cleverness, wastes no time delivering the bullet-spraying, jaw-smashing goods. Even here, Statham draws on the inner heat of his intelligence. Hes like a Bruce Lee of automatic-weapon fire, so awesomely quick in his decision-making  hell use this gun, which then runs out of bullets, necessitating this head-butt, which leads, inevitably, to this lightning-fast roll behind something that can shield him  that his split-second intensity lends everything that happens a kick of spontaneity. In Mechanic, hes a mechanic of murder, of escape, of ingenuity, of combat. Hes too good (and too badass) to be true, but thats why we like him. It would be nice to see Statham make a movie one day thats accomplished enough to raise his game. Until that happens, Mechanic: Resurrection will do.

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AmberBox

Guns are three times more likely to kill someone than fire, but at schools and offices throughout the US, it's a fire alarm that's mandatory, not a gunshot detector.

That's a risk for people that James Popper wants to change.

Popper created the AmberBox, a combination fire alarm and gunshot detector.

The alarm is trained to be able to identify audio signatures of gunshots, whether it's a hand gun or semi-automatic rifle. So far, Popper told Business Insider that it's never had a false alarm.

However, it doesn't just sound an alarm if it hears gunshots  after all, that could be devastating to have people rush the halls.

Instead, when several are installed throughout a building or college campus, the alarms form a mesh network. If an alarm starts to pick up the gunshot noise, it can send an instant notification to the building manager and the police about the location of the shooting based on which alarms are picking up gun shots.

From there, Popper says it can also trigger lock downs on the emergency system to keep a shooter from entering other parts of buildings or start evacuations  whatever the emergency plan is for the specific building.

Popper started AmberBox after spending the last year in the US and feeling like the number of shootings in places like night clubs and office parks was only accelerating.

"This is an increasing risk for businesses, and theres no solution available, Popper said in a pitch to investors at Y Combinators Demo Day.

The lack of solutions available is why he started AmberBox. Right now, each detector costs $50 a month and has seen interest from universities to financial institutions, Popper said.

The fire alarm of the future is already live in one government building in California, and it's currently being installed throughout Santa Clara University.

NOW WATCH: Heres what happens when you fire a gun underwater





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By PTI: From Aditi Khanna

London, Aug 26 (PTI) London mayor Sadiq Khan has joined other protesters in the British capital to condemn the burkini ban in France, saying no one should dictate women what they can and cant wear.

"Full stop. Its as simple as that.

"I dont think its right. Im not saying were perfect yet, but one of the joys of London is that we dont simply tolerate difference, we respect it, we embrace it, and we celebrate it," said the citys first Muslim mayor yesterday during a visit to Paris to meet his counterpart Anne Hidalgo.

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He was reacting to Frances decision to ban the so-called burkini ? a term combining burqa and bikini to refer to fully covered beachwear worn by Muslim women.

"Im quite firm on this. I dont think anyone should tell women what they can and cant wear. Full stop. Its as simple as that," he said.

Khans comments came on the same day when around 40 Londoners organised an impromptu "beach party" outside the French embassy in central London to protest against parts of France imposing a ban on burkinis as clothing that could provoke violence.

"A lot of women wear it by choice. If the burkini enables women to go and sit on the beach and enjoy the sunshine, surely that should be encouraged. It helps ensure these women are no longer on the margins," said a campaigner for Citizens UK, organisers of the protest.

The London protests follow photographs earlier this week showing four male police officers armed with handguns, batons and pepper spray forcing a woman on a beach in Nice to remove what they suspected to be a burkini.

Cannes, Nice and about 15 other areas of the France Riviera have outlawed the clothing.

The ban order issued by local mayors refers to clothing that "overtly manifests adherence to a religion at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks".

Lawyers for the French Human Rights League have argued the ban is illegal and have challenged it in court.

However, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy today launched his presidential campaign by calling for a complete ban on the burkini all across France.

"I refuse to let the burkini impose itself at French beaches and swimming pools... there must be a law to ban it throughout the Republics territory," he said to thunderous applause in Provence in the first big speech of his campaign to win back the office he lost in 2012.

"Where is the authority when it is the minorities who govern? Never before has so much been ceded to them," said the 61-year-old, who had declared his candidacy earlier this week. PTI AK SAI

--- ENDS ---

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A fire tore through a newly built backlot set for the History's forthcoming Middle Ages series Knightfall Friday afternoon at Prague's Barrandov Film Studios in the Czech Republic.

Dozens of firefighters, including a Czech Fire Service helicopter that dropped water on the blaze from above, were struggling to contain the inferno, Tomas Krejci, founder of Prague's Milk & Honey Pictures told The Hollywood Reporter. "[It] started a couple of hours ago and is still raging," he noted in a telephone interview, adding: "The blaze is in an outside set at Barrandov Studios, a very big set built for Knightfall, and seems to have taken a firm hold of the construction."

Though the fire is believed to have had "significant" impact on exterior sets, says a source close to the show, no injuries were reported. Parent company A&E does not yet know the extent of the damage, but is said to be looking into the cause. In the interim, police have cordoned off the area, the Czech newspaper Hospodarske Noviny reported, adding that traffic on adjusting roads was blocked at firefighters' request.

The 10-episode drama, which counts Jeremy Renner as an executive producer and guest star, was ordered to series in January. It's part of the network's continued scripted push, following the success of Vikings. Production is expected to resume on Monday.

Barrandov Studios, built in the 1930s, is the Czech Republic's leading filmmaking complex, which has hosted a raft of top Hollywood productions in recent years including The Zookeepers Wife, starring Jessica Chastain, and Underworld: Nest Generation starring Kate Beckinsale.

Read more: History Orders Jeremy Renner-Produced Drama 'Knightfall' to Series
A fire has broken out on the Prague set of History Channels Knightfall, produced by A&E Studios.

Czech television network CT24 tweeted photos of the blaze, which reportedly erupted on one of the exterior sets for the series, centered around the mysterious Knights Templar. The show is filming at Pragues Barrandov Studios, with photos from CT24 showing a constructed Medieval castle ablaze, in addition to other exteriors.

DOPLNENI: Kvuli pozaru kulis zasahuji hasici v arealu filmovych studii na Barrandove https://t.co/s7EVXPNapc pic.twitter.com/XCl52g6ner  CT24 (@CT24zive) August 26, 2016

A source tells Variety that the fire only impacted exterior sets, and while the full extent of the damage is unknown, its believed to be significant, with firefighters, ambulances and a helicopter onsite to help control the inferno, according to local reports.

No injuries have been reported so far, although Czech newspaper Hospodarske Noviny reports that three firefighters were treated for fatigue and possible carbon monoxide poisoning after tackling the blaze. The cause of the fire is currently being investigated, with production expected to resume on Monday.

Barrandov is the biggest film studio in the Czech Republic, and one of the largest production facilities in Europe, having played host to the likes of Casino Royale, Mission Impossible and its later sequel Ghost Protocol, The Bourne Identity, Snowpiercer and many more since construction was completed in 1933.

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Knightfall was created and is executive produced by Don Handfield and Richard Rayner, with Avengers star Jeremy Renner also serving as executive producer for production company The Combine. Executive producers from Midnight Radio are Jeff Pinkne, Andre Nemec, Josh Appelbaum and Scott Rosenberg. Dominic Minghella from Island Pictures is an executive producer and showrunner. Jana Bennett, Arturo Interian and Russ McCarroll are the Executives in Charge of Production for History.

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Paris (AFP) - In barely a fortnight, a French Riviera mayor's decision to ban burkinis -- full-body swimsuits -- blew up into a major controversy dividing public opinion at home and abroad.

Following are key dates in the political and legal battle over the ban.

- Banned in Cannes -

August 11: The mayor of Cannes bans access to its famed beaches "to anyone who does not have (bathing apparel) which respects good customs and secularism".

"Beachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation, when France and places of worship are currently the target of terrorist attacks, is liable to create risks of disrupting public order," his order said.

The ban -- setting a 38-euro ($43) fine for Islamic beachwear -- followed the death of 86 people in nearby Nice on July 14 when a truck ploughed into a crowd in an attack by the so-called Islamic State. On July 26, a priest was killed in his northwestern French church by two men who had pledged allegiance to IS.

- 'Hygiene','safety' -

August 13: A second Riviera resort, Villeneuve-Loubet, bans burkinis, citing hygiene and safety as well as public order and religious considerations.

Commenting on a couple "where the wife was swimming fully dressed," mayor Lionnel Luca says: "I considered that unacceptable for hygienic reasons."

The same day Cannes wins court backing for its ban after a challenge by a group fighting Islamophobia. The court says it is legal under French law to forbid people from "invoking their religious beliefs to skirt common rules regulating relations between public authorities and private individuals".

- Beach brawl -

August 13: A massive beach brawl erupts on the French island of Corsica between locals and French Muslims after tourists took pictures of women swimming in burkinis.

Bottles and stones were hurled, with five people injured and three cars torched in the clashes, and scores of police rushed in to restore order. The mayor of the small town of Sisco where the brawl broke out later announces France's third ban on the swimsuit.

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Within a fortnight, local authorities in some 30 towns had announced burkini bans.

- PM's blessing but anger grows -

August 16: Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls says "I understand mayors who, at this time of tension, respond by looking for solutions, by avoiding disturbances to public order."

"I therefore support those who have passed (burkini) decrees... Beaches, like all public areas, must be protected from religious claims. The burkini is not a new range of swimwear, a fashion. It is the expression of a political project, a counter-society, based notably on the enslavement of women."

Three more resorts, two of them on the north coast, announce plans to ban the full-body Islamic swimming garment.

Growing anger over the issue is further inflamed when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a beach in Nice as she removed a long-sleeved top. The mayor's office denied she was forced to remove clothing.

There were protests in London and the first signs of division within the government. Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the "proliferation" of burkini bans "was not a welcome development" and said there seemed to be no link between terror attacks "and what a woman wears on a beach".

- Top court suspends ban -

August 26: Ruling on a challenge by the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group, France's highest administrative court, the State Council, suspends the Villeneuve-Loubet ban in a judgement expected to set a precedent.

It says local authorities can only restrict individual liberties if wearing the Islamic swimsuit is a "proven risk" to public order. A court in Nice had upheld the Villeneuve-Loubet ban just days earlier.
BERLIN (Reuters) - Paul Wolfowitz, a Republican adviser to former U.S. President George W. Bush, plans to vote for Democrat Hillary Clinton in the November presidential election despite his "serious reservations", Der Spiegel magazine reported on Friday. Wolfowitz, who served as deputy defense secretary under Bush and also as president of the World Bank, said he viewed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump as a security risk because of his admiration of Russian President Putin and his views on China, the magazine reported. "It's important to make it clear how unacceptable he is," the magazine quoted Wolfowitz as saying in an interview. Wolfowitz joins a long list of Republicans who have said they will not vote for Trump. "I wish there was a candidate whom I could support enthusiastically. I will have to vote for Hillary Clinton, although I have serious reservations about her," he said. A Reuters/Ipsos poll this week showed that Clinton would win the key swing states of Florida, Ohio and Virginia, and have a 95 percent chance of beating Trump if the election were held now. Wolfowitz rejected a common description of him as a key architect of the 2003 U.S. war against Iraq, saying that if he had truly been the architect many things would have gone differently, the magazine reported. Wolfowitz said the goal had been to free the country, not occupy it, creating tensions with many Iraqis. He also defended the decision to invade Iraq, saying it was based on intelligence that later turned out to be faulty. "Of course we would have proceeded differently if we had known that Saddam Hussein was not stockpiling weapons of mass destruction, but was only planning to do so," he said. "We would not have invaded." In an interview with Vanity Fair magazine in May 2003, several months after the invasion, he suggested there were multiple reasons for it, but the Bush administration highlighted Iraqs supposed WMD as the justification for the war as the most politically convenient. For bureaucratic reasons, we settled on one issue, weapons of mass destruction, because it was the one reason everyone could agree on, he said at the time. (This version of the story has been refiled to correct typo in second paragraph) (Reporting by Andrea Shalal; editing by Ralph Boulton)
Chefs, farmers, writers, and food scientists will be gathering for the fourth annual Roots Conference in just a few weeks. The two-day symposium (September 19-20), hosted by James Beard award winner Farmer Lee Jones at The Vegetable Institute in Milan, Ohio was created to help raise awareness about the worlds fractured food system. This years keynote speakers, chefs Elizabeth Falkner and John Folse, join participating chefs and speakers that Barbara Lynch, Edward Lee, Seamus Mullen, Maneet Chauhan, and Gavin Kaysen, among many others. The conference will revolve around topics and people who have endeavored to advance and improve Americas food systems.

The most effective way to facilitate change is by lifting up others who work with us in our restaurant kitchens, fields, laboratories, and communities, the Institute reports. It is only through the willingness to offer support and the courage to extend a hand that effective work is accomplished.

A group of writers, editors, and chefs including author Anne McBride; Food Features Editor Gabriella Gershenson for Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine; Vice President of Digital for Food Network and Cooking Channel Angela Moore; and Managing Editor for Mouth.com Arthur Bovino will moderate panels discussing topics like authenticity, the chef advocate, food waste, work-life balance in the culinary industry, and how trends shape the future of food.

Personal chef Benjamin BJ Dennis of Charleston, South Carolina is one of this years participating chefs  presenting on the Roots Conferences African-American panel with Alexander Smalls, restauranteur and co-owner of the James Beard-nominated Harlem restaurant The Cecil. In the interview below, BJ discusses Gullah Geechee culture, aspects of West African heritage that have survived the migration to North America.

The Daily Meal: Please tell us a little more about your work in Charleston?

BJ Dennis: I am a personal chef and caterer  a Gullah Geechee cultural bearer through food. I represent the Gullah Geechee culture  a nation within a nation. One of the few original cultures of the 'new America' left. I'm about examining culture through food. I also do community work with youths and advocate on behalf of food justice in underserved communities.

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What are you most looking forward to at the Roots Conference this year?

Meeting other chefs and gaining knowledge from them.

How have you seen African American cuisine evolve over the years? And why is it important to focus on its significance in the food world?

Well, its a two-way street. Because we live in a fast food world, we have seen some of the foodways suffer. A lot of the vegetables and ways of cooking have been lost through modernization. Also, land loss and the movement away from farming and living off the land. But we also are experiencing a renaissance with us reconnecting to Africa and seeing the nuances that connect us.

What are some of the misconceptions about African-American cuisine?

That it's fried and greasy. Vegetables are overcooked. This is not the truth at all. True African American cooking was farm-to-table. It was a way of life for survival. It's important to the food world because it influenced so much here in America, particularly in the South, from vegetables and barbecue to one-pot slow-cooking.

Empowerment is a central theme of this year's Roots conference. When was the first time you remember feeling empowered in the kitchen?

I first felt empowered when I started doing my Gullah Geechee pop-up dinners. To see the response to what I was doing was amazing. It made me feel like we are respected in the food world.

The first day's lunch will focus on African-American cuisine. What can guests expect to taste and experience during this meal?

Slow-cooking, sun-drying, salt-curing, and smoked meats. This is still big in Lowcountry cuisine. Guests can expect lots a flavor and also refined food. Some of America's first great chefs were enslaved Africans who were sent to France to learn and train.

What are some of your favorite ingredients and methods to work with in the kitchen?

I love vegetables and seafood. Also the art of smoking meat.

What's something you hope both first-time attendees and returning guests of the Roots conference will leave having learned or considered more thoughtfully?

I hope they have a newfound respect for African American foodways because it's an important part of our country.
Frances highest administrative court has stopped a town in France from banning the wearing of the burkini, a ruling expected to set a precedent across the country.

Arguments centred on the seaside town of Villeneuve-Loubet near Nice, although around 30 other municipalities also introduced a ban on the full-body swimsuit worn by some Muslim women. The State Council upheld a challenge by human rights groups, which argued that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet infringed personal freedoms.

The court said on Friday that the ban seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.

The lawyer representing one of the two human rights groups that challenged the bans legality at Conseil dEtat says mayors who banned the swimwear must conform to Fridays decision, Associated Press reports. However, the mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco told BFMTV that he wont lift the ban despite the ruling regarding the town of Villeneuve-Loubet.

The suspension in Villeneuve-Loubet comes before the court takes more time to prepare a definitive ruling on the underlying legality of the case, reports the Guardian.

The bans follow a series of deadly attacks by extremist Muslims in France. It drew anger internationally following images showing French policemen appearing to make a Muslim women remove her tunic on a beach. Human rights activists have argued that prohibitions on burkinis are illegal and Islamophobic.

French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of womenAmnesty Internationals Europe Director John Dalhuisen said in a statement following the suspension. Invasive and discriminatory measures such as these restrict womens choices and are an assault on their freedoms of expression, religion and right to non-discrimination.

France has been ridiculed around the world, with commentators pointing out that similar clothes such a nuns habit or a neoprene swimsuit are not banned.
The teen accused of viciously murdering a couple before eating one of his alleged victims faces has regained consciousness in a Florida hospital following the attacks earlier this month.

Read: Dad of Teen Allegedly Found Eating Victim's Face Apologizes: 'This Is The Biggest Nightmare'

Austin Harrouff, 19, has emerged from a coma, but has not been able to provide a statement to authorities.

Harrouff has been in a coma for 11 days, and police are hoping they can piece together the events before he allegedly killed John Stevens and his wife, Michelle Mishcon, as they watched TV in their Jupiter, Florida, garage on August 15.

Harrouff was out to dinner with his parents when the young man stormed out of the restaurant, apparently angry over slow service.

Concerned over his behavior, the teens family called police and his fraternity brothers of Florida State Universitys Alpha Delta Phi to help find him.

Police responding to a 911 call of a gruesome attack found Harrouff after he had allegedly stabbed Mishcon, 53, and Stevens, 59, to death as they sat in their Tequesta driveway. Investigators believe the attack was random.

Cops say he also attacked a good Samaritan who called 911 when he stumbled upon Harrouff biting Stevens face and stomach. That victim was airlifted to a nearby hospital to be treated for his extensive injuries.

Dr. Wade Harrouff has taped an interview with Dr. Phil that will air on September 7. In a clip of the appearance, the distraught father fought back tears as he said: Its the worst thing I could ever think of. This is the biggest nightmare I could ever even dream of, whats happened.

Police said it took several deputies and a K-9 to pry Harrouff off one of his alleged victims, as the teen was abnormally strong during the incident and was unaffected by a Taser.

Read: 911 Call From Alleged Frat Boy Face-Eater's Mother Revealed: 'He Says He Feels Immortal'

Harrouff has tested negative for common drugs, but tests for less typical substances such as flakka  a hallucinogen sometimes referred to as the zombie drug  will take longer to get back from a lab.

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Trust me, you wont find any drugs, Harrouff allegedly told police.

The FBI will be running those tests once it obtains a report from the hospital at which Harrouff is being treated, Martin County Sheriff William Snyder said during a press conference Tuesday.

It is unclear how long those results may take.

If charged and convicted, Harrouff could face the death penalty.

Watch: Man Live Streams New Yorkers Acting Like Zombies When 33 People Overdose on K2

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By PTI: Swaraj

New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) There was no concrete outcome from the 13 Pravasi Bhartia Divas (PBD) India hosted between 2003 and 2015 to connect with the diaspora and government aims to reverse it by making the platform outcome-driven from its next edition, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said.

The PBD was launched by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2003 to step up Indias engagement with its 25 million diaspora and annual congregation of NRIs and Persons of India origins had continued as an annual event till 2015. Last year government had decided to make it a biennial event.

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The 14th edition of PBD will be held in Bengaluru from January 7 to 9.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reaching out to the Indian diaspora across the globe and that the upcoming PBD will be very different from those held earlier.

"People coming from abroad will not go back only clicking selfies or photographs and having food... For the first time you will see a totally transformed PBD," she said.

Asked what was achieved in the previous PBDs, she said, "I think it will become relevant only after this PBD as I said I did not see any outcome out of the other PBDs."

The PBD used to be hosted by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) along with one host state every year.

The upcoming PBD is being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs along with Karnataka government. Government, earlier this year, had merged MOIA with MEA to avoid duplication of work and to improve efficiency.

Swaraj said no sincere efforts were made earlier to make PBD an outcome-driven event.

"No effort was made. There was no effort to make it outcome-driven. In 2015, we realised that it was just like a festival," she said.

Asked whether MEA will try to reach out to people from Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir for the conclave as Prime Minister had called for getting in touch with them, Swaraj, said there was "no decision" on that.

The Prime Minister will deliver a key note address at the event on January 8 which will be followed by Chief Ministers session.

"This occasion will also give an opportunity to the state governments to interact with their respective diaspora and showcase the opportunities and progress made by their respective States," said Swaraj.

On January 9, President Pranab Mukherjee will confer the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA) on overseas Indians who have contributed in their respective fields.

January 9 is the main day of PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the "greatest Pravasi", returned to India from South Africa and led Indias freedom struggle.

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Swaraj said chief ministers of various states have been invited for the three-day event which is likely to be attended by around 3,000 delegates from across the globe.

The government will showcase its new initiatives and economic reforms including GST in the PBD with an aim to attract FDI.

Speaking on the occasion, Siddaramaiah said his government will leave no stone unturned in making the 14th edition of the PBD a grand success. PTI MPB ZMN

--- ENDS ---
A French court has ruled against the burkini ban implemented by seaside town Villeneuve-Loubet after mounting backlash, reported CNN.



The ban, which is in place in over a dozen French towns, prevented women from wearing 'burkinis'  swimsuits for women that cover everything but the face, hands and feet.



France's highest administrative court ruled on Friday that mayors do not have the right to ban burkinis, CNN said. Other cities in the European country could subsequently be ordered to lift their bans as well.



The ban was first implemented in Cannes on Aug. 12, with the mayor calling them a "symbol of Islamic extremism," after the July ISIS terror attack in Nice. The other towns quickly followed suit, charging women who disobeyed the ban a fine.







The French Prime Minister Manual Valls also backed the bans, but said he wasn't interested in creating a nationwide law against them.





French Burkini Ban Lifted After Overwhelming Backlash and Rise in Sales| Religion, Cannes, Bodywatch

In the time since the initial prohibition in France, online sales of the full-coverage swimsuits have risen 200 percent worldwide, according to BBC News.



Aheda Zanetti, who lives in Australia and owns the trademark on 'burkini,' said online sales skyrocketed as women took a stand against the clothing directives.
Paris (AFP) - France's highest administrative court on Friday suspended a ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit brought by a French Riviera town after it was challenged by rights groups.

In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if there was a "proven risk" to public order.

The case before the court concerned the French Riviera resort of Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns which have passed burkini bans.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as "a victory for common sense".

Police have fined Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in towns including in the renowned Riviera resorts of Nice and Cannes.




Gsp-feat-uproxx (1)

Getty Image/Ascot Elite Entertainment Group

Since taking a break from his mixed martial arts career in 2013, Georges St-Pierre has finally taken some time for himself. Following in the footsteps of his childhood hero Jean-Claude Van Damme, GSP tried his hand at being an action star. He played Batroc the Leaper in 2014s Captain America: Winter Soldier and now he plays a pivotal role in JCVDs Kickboxer: Vengeance. In an example of life coming full circle, the French-Canadian GSP fought Van Damme, the man who inspired him to become a martial artist, in the film. We talked to him about trading fake blows with JCVD, and his seemingly inevitable return to real fighting in the UFCs cage.

Was it difficult to choreograph fake fights after really fighting for so long?

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Georges St-Pierre: Its a totally different thing. Fighting for real is just such a different thing, especially when youre fighting for the camera, but Im here to learn and everyone on the set was very nice, and Im fortunate that people were there to help me a lot. Yeah, I look forward to doing this more and learning as much as I can.

Was there ever any close calls or accidents with you getting hit or you hitting someone during filming?

Oh no, no, not at all. The camera angle makes it look like its real, so you never punch near the guy.

There are some long takes in these fight scenes, and everyone was clearly in incredible shape for the movie, so was there any similarities in a fight camp and getting prepared to shoot the movie?

Nah. Im always in good shape, so I dont need to prepare myself. I was very well-prepared.



Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 12.32.40 PM

Kickboxer: Vengeance

Was it your idea to say, Im not impressed with your performance in Kickboxer?

Hmmm. That was in the script. It was always written like that.

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Will you be taking on the role of Batroc in the Marvel universe again?

Yeah, Id love to do some more. I hope it wont be the last time, and Im in an acting class now to get ready for more.

Im sure you grew up watching Jean-Claude Van Damme movies, what was it like to fight him in a movie?

Jean-Claude Van Damme for me, growing up in a French environment in Quebec, he was the biggest star, so fighting him for me was like fighting the hero of my day. It was a dream come true. It was like fighting my mentor, so to speak. This was the guy who inspired me to be in the UFC and all of these things, so I was very nervous, but I knew Jean-Claude from before, so I wanted to do well. I wanted the fight to be memorable.

So Rory MacDonald is leaving the UFC and going to Bellator. What are your thoughts on that?

Oh, I am very happy for Rory. I think its a great move for him. He chose the best option for himself and his family. I wish him the best. Were going to train together still. Im very happy for him. He found a new home to make more money and, if the conditions of work are better, Im happy. Im all for that.

Youve enrolled in USADA testing and youve said the comeback is happening. Now Tyron Woodley has called you out and even posted your text messages publicly. How do you feel about him posting those texts and how do you feel about that matchup?



What happened is that, he texted me and I dont know him very well, but he texted me and he explained that he challenged me and he wanted to do it because he wanted to fight the best. He didnt want me to take anything as disrespect, and I didnt take it as disrespect. Hes a competitor and I said, If you want to do it, lets do it. Im ready to fight you. But its not my decision, the UFC is a business and the way it works, because UFC is a business, they have to choose whats best for them.

We want it to happen, well see what happens and well see whats the best that can happen for the UFC, or me fighting Tyron or another guy. But Im not even sure if I can come back yet, so its a lot of things. Im not sure if it was the best idea to post that, I dont know.

GSP

Getty Image

Youve been either defending the belt of fighting for the belt for so long, so are you determined to take the title back, or are you fine with just taking big fights?

I take one fight at a time. Yeah, I had the belt for a long time, but it doesnt matter if its for the belt or not. I want a fight thats going to elevate myself. There are fights that will help elevate me and there are fights that does not. For example, some people challenge me to a fight and I would not accept it.

Fighting Tyron Woodley would elevate myself because hes the champion now and if I win, it would elevate me and make my situation better. I have to consider the risks in fighting him, but yeah, a win would elevate me. Same thing with Nick Diaz  a win would elevate me. Even though I beat him already, I feel like I didnt beat him the way I shouldve and then he came back with a bunch of excuses about why he lost the fight. So, if you wanna do it again, no problem!

Some other guys have challenged me, and Im not really positive about taking a fight with them because it doesnt elevate me. Some of them are very dangerous, they challenge me, but I dont really have much to gain by fighting them. Like, BJ Penn is an incredibly dangerous fighter. He has an incredible set of skills. He goes on Twitter and challenges me, but its not a fight that will elevate me. Hes incredible, but its an unnecessary risk for my legacy and Ive already beat him twice. Hes incredibly dangerous if he puts his mind to it, hes very dangerous. Not that I chicken out on anything, or you could call it chickening out, but some guys I will not fight.

Youve certainly earned the right to choose your opponent

Its not an issue with fighting, Im 35 years old. I want to choose the best fight, the most exciting fight and the fight that elevates me that will make people remember me forever. The guys I need to fight for that, I need to take into consideration.
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Prosectors in Stuttgart, Germany are examining a trove of stolen Bosch data to see whether it contains clues about how Volkswagen cheated diesel emissions tests.

"We are reviewing it to see if it is relevant," a spokesman for the Stuttgart prosecutor's office said on Thursday. "Currently, I would question whether we will learn anything new."

The data stems from an old case when a former Bosch employee stole engine software data for the purpose of re-selling it to other auto makers and tuning companies.

The employee was convicted of stealing confidential corporate data, and prosecutors are now evaluating whether the data from that case is relevant for a more recent probe of both Volkswagen and Bosch, examining their potential involvement in an emissions cheating scandal.

A spokesman for Bosch said the company could not comment on an ongoing investigation.

The Stuttgart prosecutor's office confirmed that the data include software from the 2009 to 2011 period, when Volkswagen used engine manipulation software to cheat emissions tests.

(Reporting by Edward Taylor; Editing by Georgina Prodhan)
Shahid Kapoor got hitched! Remember, how last year this news broke so many hearts? Shahids wedding to Delhi-based girl Mira Rajput was the most talked-about event of the year 2015. The Twitterati raked up a storm and B-Town poured out their congratulatory wishes. The couples big fat wedding has definitely been a fairy-tale dream. Anything around Mira and Shahid became headlines. Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput have been inseparable ever since they tied the knot in July 2015. The Haider actor has always played the perfect chivalrous husband when he is with his wife Mira. Their journey has been no less than a dreamy affair. Shahid and Mira have welcomed the third member to their family - its a baby girl and we cant just stop gushing over this happy news. On this note, we thought to take you down the memory lane and sharing their oh-so-sweet-and-cute moments. Wedding Day Kapoor married fiancee Mira in an intimate ceremony in Delhi on July 7, 2015. The wedding, with rituals in traditional Punjabi style, was attended only by close friends and family.

Shahid Kapoor got hitched! Remember, how last year this news broke so many hearts? Shahids wedding to Delhi-based girl Mira Rajput was the most talked-about event of the year 2015. The Twitterati raked up a storm and B-Town poured out their congratulatory wishes. The couples big fat wedding has definitely been a fairy-tale dream. Anything around Mira and Shahid became headlines. Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput have been inseparable ever since they tied the knot in July 2015. The Haider actor has always played the perfect chivalrous husband when he is with his wife Mira.

Their journey has been no less than a dreamy affair. Shahid and Mira have welcomed the third member to their family - its a baby girl and we cant just stop gushing over this happy news. On this note, we thought to take you down the memory lane and sharing their oh-so-sweet-and-cute moments.

Wedding Day

Kapoor married fiancee Mira in an intimate ceremony in Delhi on July 7, 2015. The wedding, with rituals in traditional Punjabi style, was attended only by close friends and family.
From Seventeen

This is Deanna and her 16-year-old daughter, Josephina. They live in Huntsville, Alabama, where, until recently, Josephina was attending high school.

Photo credit: Deanna Wolf

Last fall, Josephina came home upset and infuriated. She had been pulled out of class, put in a room by herself, and told that she could not leave that room until somebody brought her "something appropriate to wear." A friend's mother showed up with some jeans, after which she was allowed to go back to class. This was her offending outfit:

Photo credit: Deanna Wolf

"[She said] 'Mom, they're telling me that boys are more important than me. They're telling me that wearing a pair of leggings, showing that I have actual legs and a butt oh my God, distracts boys, which makes them more important than me. This is insane,'" Deanna told Seventeen.com.

Deanna was furious, not least of all because it wasn't the first time she had had an issue with the school's gender-biased dress code policy.

"When my oldest daughter was only 12 years old, I was called to the school to have a little conference with all of the teachers, which was really just an excuse for me to be put in the middle of a circle, with all her teachers telling me that my 12-year-old daughter was showing too much cleavage,"she said. "They said that her shirts were cut too low, and that she needed to get a camisole or a modesty panel. I was absolutely dumbfounded."

Deanna told the teachers that if her 12-year-old's "sexuality" distracted the boys then maybe they should hold a conference with the parents of those boys to discuss why their kids couldn't pay attention in school.

This time, she was similarly up in arms, writing a lengthy open letter to the city schools. The apple didn't fall far from the tree, either.

"The days that followed, Josephina and her friends decided to start a mini feminist revolution," she said. "She plastered the inside of the school with posters they had made damning the gender bias and stupidity of the dress code. They had T-shirts made, too. One day, they all decided to wear midriff shirts. There were so many of them that the school couldn't keep up."

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While the school did not issue an apology and said they have no plans to change their policy, Deanna said that she's noticed more girls breaking the dress code and not getting in trouble for it.

Still, Deanna ultimately decided that homeschooling Josephina would be the best option for her education, and pulled her out of school last summer.

"She approached me, and said that she was miserable. She said that the teachers were just glorified babysitters, and that she didn't feel like she was learning," she said. "I had felt for a long time that they were teaching for the tests, and not educating. I asked Josephina to write an essay for me, listing the benefits of homeschool, and why public school was not a good fit for her. She made valid points, and a concise argument. I withdrew her and started her on a curriculum geared toward her future intentions. She's doing amazing. Great grades, and her whole demeanor has improved."
By Jessica Dye

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Texas jury said on Thursday a General Motors Co (GM.N) ignition switch, linked to nearly 400 injuries and deaths, was not to blame for a fatal 2011 crash, according to a company statement.

The verdict in Harris County, Texas, was the second in favour of GM this year in lawsuits over the now recalled ignition switch.

Plaintiff Zachary Stevens alleged that a defective switch caused him to lose control of his 2007 Saturn Sky and crash into another vehicle, killing the other driver. GM said his reckless driving was at fault.

During the trial, which opened on Aug. 9, Stevens lawyers pushed back against GM and noted their client suffered a severe head wound in the crash.

Manslaughter charges initially filed against him were dropped after GM recalled 2.6 million vehicles with the switch in 2014, according to his lawsuit.

Jurors deliberated for less than an hour before returning a unanimous verdict for GM, said company spokesman Jim Cain.

We asked the jury to evaluate Zach Stevens case on the facts and they did, Cain said in a statement. The accident had nothing to do with the ignition switch.

A lawyer for Stevens, Josh Davis, called it "a very tough loss."

The case was the third involving the switch to go to trial since the beginning of the year. The first was voluntarily dismissed by plaintiffs during the trial, and the second resulted in a verdict clearing GM of liability for a 2014 crash in New Orleans.

GM resolved some claims for injuries and deaths blamed on the switch through an out-of-court program administered by Washington lawyer Kenneth Feinberg. Federal lawsuits have been consolidated in New York City, while about 20 are pending in the Texas state court where Stevens' case was filed.

A fourth trial over the switch is set to begin on Sept. 12 in Manhattan.

GM has paid roughly $2 billion in criminal and civil penalties and settlements in connection with the switch, which can rotate out of position and cut power to steering, brakes and air bags. The company previously acknowledged that some of its employees knew about the switch defect for years before a recall was initiated.

(Reporting by Jessica Dye; Editing by Dan Grebler and Peter Cooney)
In Odisha's Balasore, two men had to break the body of an old woman at her hip to make it a bundle and then carry it for three kilometres.

By India Today Web Desk: Two days after the image of a man carrying the body of his dead wife for nearly 12 km in Odisha shocked the nation, another horrifying incident of a woman's body broken into pieces to carry has been reported from the state.

In Balasore, two men had to break the body of an old woman - who was run over by a goods train - at her hip to make it a bundle and then carry it for three km.

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The old lady was run over near Soro railway station in Balasore district. The railway police allegedly took 12 hours to take the woman's body to a hospital for post-mortem.

Once the post-mortem was over, police said they waited for several hours for an ambulance to take the body to Balasore.

When the vehicle did not arrive, two men were then tasked to take the body to Balasore. The men reportedly stamped over the body to break it into a bundle that they could carry on a bamboo pole.

They then wrapped the body in a big white cloth, slung it on the pole and carried it for three kilometres

The horrific incident came barely 24 hours after a penniless man was forced to carry the body of his wife for 12 km in Kalahandi, their daughter walking behind her father, only because a hospital had refused them the hearse.

Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has called the Kalahandi incident "extremely distressing" and ensured an inquiry will be conducted.

"We are enquiring into the matter. We are taking steps to have ambulances to bring the dead bodies," Patnaik told news agency ANI.



ALSO READ | Tribal man in Odisha had to walk 10 km carrying wife's body after being denied govt help





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By Jessica Dye

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A Texas jury said on Thursday a General Motors Co <GM.N> ignition switch, linked to nearly 400 injuries and deaths, was not to blame for a fatal 2011 crash, according to a company statement.

The verdict in Harris County, Texas, was the second in favor of GM this year in lawsuits over the now recalled ignition switch.

Plaintiff Zachary Stevens alleged that a defective switch caused him to lose control of his 2007 Saturn Sky and crash into another vehicle, killing the other driver. GM said his reckless driving was at fault.

During the trial, which opened on Aug. 9, Stevens lawyers pushed back against GM and noted their client suffered a severe head wound in the crash.

Manslaughter charges initially filed against him were dropped after GM recalled 2.6 million vehicles with the switch in 2014, according to his lawsuit.

Jurors deliberated for less than an hour before returning a unanimous verdict for GM, said company spokesman Jim Cain.

We asked the jury to evaluate Zach Stevens case on the facts and they did, Cain said in a statement. The accident had nothing to do with the ignition switch.

A lawyer for Stevens, Josh Davis, called it "a very tough loss."

The case was the third involving the switch to go to trial since the beginning of the year. The first was voluntarily dismissed by plaintiffs during the trial, and the second resulted in a verdict clearing GM of liability for a 2014 crash in New Orleans.

GM resolved some claims for injuries and deaths blamed on the switch through an out-of-court program administered by Washington lawyer Kenneth Feinberg. Federal lawsuits have been consolidated in New York City, while about 20 are pending in the Texas state court where Stevens' case was filed.

A fourth trial over the switch is set to begin on Sept. 12 in Manhattan.

GM has paid roughly $2 billion in criminal and civil penalties and settlements in connection with the switch, which can rotate out of position and cut power to steering, brakes and air bags. The company previously acknowledged that some of its employees knew about the switch defect for years before a recall was initiated.

(Reporting by Jessica Dye; Editing by Dan Grebler and Peter Cooney)
From Cosmopolitan

Jay Alvarrez and Alexis Ren are two models who, until earlier this summer, appeared to be completely, utterly in love with each other.

Being so besotted and attractive paid, big time. Their youthful, unabashedly sexy vibe led to a rapidly growing Instagram following that's now at more than 10 million combined. Every single one of these followers seemed to have the same relationship goals, personified in the form of Jay and Alexis. Just think of the leveraging you can do with such a loyal following; it wasn't long before Hyundai and Express were clamoring to work with them.

But in the past couple of months, the relationship - to fans, at least - seems to have soured. In July, they attended the same Revolve event in New York and were photographed together, though not touching.

Photo credit: Getty

Devoted fans have taken note of the fact that Jay and Alexis have unfollowed each other both on Twitter and on Instagram, where some photos have been cut from the feed entirely. They also haven't been traveling together (something they bonded over and have made their brands on) in months. It's not unreasonable for fans to wonder: When you aren't tied down to any one place, wouldn't you want to spend every moment together while you explore the world?

The breakup rumors have gotten so loud and insistent an Alexis fan page on Tumblr addressed the questions: "We've been getting A LOT of messages about Alexis and Jay, and whether they're broken up or not. Unless one or both of them publicly confirms anything, there's no way we can know anything."

Aside from the advertising for Express that got posted to both Jay's and Alexis's accounts this week, the last picture of the couple together that's on Alexis's Instagram is from 44 weeks ago. That's from 2015, mind you. The photo is of them standing in front of a car, Jay burying his head in Alexis's hair while they both hold acai bowls.

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Jay, meanwhile, has a post featuring Alexis going back to 15 weeks ago. They're kissing for the cameras at a bridal event in Barcelona.

Signals of the severing - deleted Instagrams, stone-cold unfollowings - can appear mostly traceless on Instagram if you're not looking that closely. Twitter is a space that's less curated, where emotions can't help but come through.

"I am too full of life to be half loved," Alexis wrote on Twitter on August 18.

I am too full of life to be half loved - Alexis Ren (@AlexisRenG) August 18, 2016

On Tuesday, Alexis posted a GIF on Twitter. Jasmine from Disney's Aladdin twirls, and the text on the meme reads, "Done with your shit."

She seemed weary and over it Wednesday. "I do not have time for things with no soul," she wrote.

I do not have time for things with no soul - Alexis Ren (@AlexisRenG) August 25, 2016

Jay had this to say on Twitter on Thursday: "Everyone freaking out over my relationship and my life, and I'm just sitting back drinking a cappuccino."

Everyone freaking out over my relationship and my life and I'm just sitting back drinking a cappuccino  - Jay Alvarrez (@jayalvarrez) August 25, 2016

But what is he saying? That they're still together? That they've broken up? He's not saying much of anything. Neither Alexis nor Jay has confirmed their status. Jay and Alexis's publicist told Cosmopolitan.com she would not be commenting on her clients' personal lives. And understandably so.

Let's say they have broken up, hypothetically - when your value comes from being together, what happens to the brand when the relationship falls apart? Jay and Alexis might not have too much to worry about. "From an agency point of view, being a couple is a pretty limited option for brand collaborations," says Lainey Molnar, the head of influencer marketing at Cirqle, an influencer tech platform. "Brands want somebody who represents the brand as an individual and not as a couple. Separately, they're probably worth more."

The important thing for Jay and Alexis - if they're no longer a couple, that is - is to communicate as openly with their fans about the end of the relationship as they did about the rest of the love affair. "When it comes to breakups, a great recovery option is to be incredibly honest about what's going on," Molnar says. "They can not only keep their following, but double it - if they're smart. They have to talk about [the breakup]. When you live your life on social media, this is not optional. People expect you to be genuine. It's hard to tell everybody that you need privacy. They already think they know everything about you."

Granted, the couple could still be together. If that's the case, then the fan speculation just leads to more focus on the Jay and Alexis spaces, and could that be such a bad thing?

Whatever the truth, fans are devastated.

Jay and Alexis broke up which means love doesn't even exist anymore we might as well all give up - Taylor Selfridge (@TayloriasSecret) August 21, 2016

NO U ARE NOT GONNA TELL ME JAY AND ALEXIS BROKE UP THIS ISNT REAL I CANT HEAR U - eileen (@SuperDuperDoIan) August 15, 2016

Two years of romance can be an eternity, especially when you're young. Most people eventually break up with the people they dated when they were 18.

Jay and Alexis openly confessed to conflict in their relationship when I talked to them in June.

"Heck yeah, we fight all the time," Jay said. "We fight hardcore, but there's also love hardcore. If you don't fight, you're not being true to yourself. "

"Our work is together, our private life is together, everything's together, so, yes, we argue," Alexis said.

At the time, it seemed like an honest way of talking about a real relationship. In hindsight, it might look like a sign of tension in the romance. What happens now is anyone's guess.

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If you don't already own a bomber jacket then it might be time to invest, since, according to Google, it is emerging as one of the key fashion pieces of the year.

The search engine has just released its Fashion Trends 2016 report highlighting the current style fads in the US and the UK, and the bomber has come out on top, with searches surging across cities in both countries since late 2015. Originally part of the wider 'military chic' trend, the bomber is becoming more versatile as a fashion item, thanks in part to celebrities such as Kanye West and Kim Kardashian regularly incorporating them into their streetwear looks. Bombers are set to stick around for a while, but they're getting girlier -- in April, when searches grew 297% year on year (YoY) in the UK and 612% YoY in the US, shoppers were looking for satin, silk, pink, florals, and embroidery.

Off-the-shoulder tops are also majorly trending, according to the report. Seen on everyone from Kendall Jenner to Michelle Obama, the kooky style grew 261% in the UK and 347% in the US from December 2015 - May 2016. The off-the-shoulder cut is part of the festival-esque, free-spirited trend that also includes boho dresses and kimonos, also set to be big news for the rest of the year.

Other key pieces for the year include the practical romper, otherwise known as the playsuit. Largely popularized by celebrities such as Taylor Swift, searches for all-in-one styles have been increasing steadily in the US since 2014, in part due to their versatility and practical nature. A romper is an outfit in itself, and one that can be dressed up or down for various different occasions. Most importantly, it is about to become an even bigger trend. Bodysuits and bralettes are also set to see growth.

Although the above trends were categorized as 'seasonal risers' or 'rising stars', Google also pinpointed two 'sustained risers' -- or safe bet trends -- for the rest of the year, in the form of biker pants and ripped jeans.

But all good things must come to an end, and it is bad news for drop crotch pants, acid wash jeans and transparent garments, all of which are in decline, according to the data. Babydoll dresses, asymmetrical skirts and (perhaps fortunately) waist trainers are also on the way out. To stay on trend this year you'll need to relegate these items to the back of your closet, but don't panic -- they're bound to come back around eventually.
By Ellen Wulfhorst MISSOULA, Montana (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Decades after hosting Hmong families who had fled Laos, the small city of Missoula, Montana, nestled in the Rocky Mountains, is drawing on the success of that experience to welcome a new set of refugees. The opportunity given to the Hmong, who moved to northwest Montana after the Vietnam War, is one Missoula residents say they want to offer to a new generation of people seeking refuge from violence, poverty and oppression. "I feel like having people come here, it's awesome. It's cool," said 18-year-old Manewan Vang, sounding in no uncertain terms like an American teenager. Vang's parents moved to the Missoula area before she was born. The latest campaign to take in refugees was launched last year by residents who founded refugee support group Soft Landing Missoula and the International Rescue Committee, which had been in Missoula from 1979 to 1991 resettling Hmong. "This isn't a new concept for Missoula," said Molly Short Carr, Missoula IRC office director. "It's something that's already been part of the fabric of the community and has had benefits that the community sees today still." The first wave of Hmong, an ethnic minority from the mountains of Laos, arrived in the mid- and late 1970s. Many had worked with U.S. military and the Central Intelligence Agency in Laos and were in danger when the communist Pathet Lao claimed victory in 1975. Thousands of Hmong resettled in the United States, and hundreds gravitated to Missoula, due largely to efforts by a CIA officer named Jerry Daniels, who had grown up in the area. Vang Pao, a Lao army general and Hmong leader, settled on a farm near Missoula in the Bitterroot Valley. The Hmong learned English, found jobs and raised families, and their children became engineers, doctors and teachers, said Missoula Mayor John Engen. "Old-school American dream stuff can happen here," said Engen, a vocal supporter of the city's effort to welcome more refugees. "Fundamentally, I think we have an opportunity to lend a hand," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a recent interview. "People are suffering." REWARDING EXPERIENCE The first refugees to arrive last week was a family of six from the Democratic Republic of Congo, according to the IRC which has reopened its office in Missoula. The family had lived in refugee camps for 12 years. Three of the four children have never known life outside a camp. Since the refugees arrived in their new home, local residents have stopped to welcome them and shake their hands, Short Carr said. The city expects to host about 25 more refugees by the end of September and 150 refugees over roughly the next 12 months, she said. The renewed refugee effort was sparked when Mary Poole, the co-founder of Soft Landing Missoula, and her friends saw the iconic photograph last year of Alan Kurdi, a tiny Syrian boy lying dead on a Turkish beach. The toddler had drowned as his family tried to reach Europe. "There was something about that picture and something about being a mother to a young son that just absolutely crushed me," Poole said. The lessons learned from the Hmong experience, which was not without its bumps, will help those on their way to Missoula, residents said. Ellen Leahy, director of the Missoula City-County Health Department, was a young nursing instructor teaching public health when the first Hmong arrived, an experience she calls "formative." Residents and newcomers alike struggled to overcome language barriers and cultural differences, she said. "When it was good and rewarding, it was very rewarding. When it was frustrating, it was overwhelming," she said. "For the most part in this community, it brought out the best of people and that was very positive." Leahy recounted a home visit to see a young pregnant Hmong woman, accompanied by the woman's mother, a translator, nurses and students trying to determine if the mother-to-be planned to bottle- or breast-feed. The Americans wrongly understood the answer was bottle-feed and asked to see the pregnant woman's supplies and equipment, Leahy said. The Hmong began giggling, and soon all were laughing, she said. "It was just this breakthrough that to me didn't need a language," Leahy said. "We knew we were trying to work together, and that moment sticks with me." DETRACTORS Opening Missoula to refugees has drawn criticism from residents such as Tom Wing, who said he wants new arrivals to be more thoroughly vetted and put through lie-detectors tests. He said Missoula's resources are already stretched to take care of its own needy residents and that a comparison of today's refugees with the Hmong was wrong. The Hmong were both self-sufficient and had no animosity toward the United States, he said. "Their experience is totally different than the refugees that are pouring into Europe and the United States now," he said. "The mayor of Missoula would like to tell you that all the refugees are going to be like the Hmong," he added. "They're using that as a scapegoat for their liberalist views on world migration." The IRC said supporters far outnumber detractors. "For every one person that's negative, I get eight people who are coming forward and want to do something and help," Short Carr said. More than 200 people have signed up with Soft Landing Missoula to pitch in, Poole said. "We have really something so special going on here in Missoula, this amazing, amazing community support," she said. (Reporting by Ellen Wulfhorst, editing by Katie Nguyen.; 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 Nate Raymond

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A correction officer at New York City's Rikers Island jail complex has been indicted on rape and other charges for engaging in sexual acts with an inmate, prosecutors announced on Friday.

The case against Jose Cosme, 36, marked the latest string of prosecutions targeting Rikers employees in recent years, as authorities seek to stem violence and corruption that has long plagued the city's main jail complex.

"Correction officers or any other staff in Rikers Island cannot use their position to abuse inmates," Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said in a statement.

Prosecutors said Cosme in November 2015 engaged in sexual intercourse with the female inmate by forcible compulsion. He also engaged in other sexual acts with the inmate, who due to her incarceration is unable to consent, prosecutors said.

Cosme, of Brooklyn, pleaded not guilty in Bronx Supreme Court to charges including first-degree rape, prosecutors said. If convicted of the top count, Cosme could face 50 years in prison, prosecutors said.

Cosme's lawyer declined comment. The New York City Department of Correction did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Mayor Bill de Blasio and other city officials are pursuing a raft of reforms following allegations of widespread violence at Rikers Island, which is one of the largest jail complexes in the country and houses approximately 10,000 inmates.

The city is meanwhile defending itself against a proposed class action lawsuit filed last year accusing the city of ignoring a "pervasive culture" of sexual abuse at the women's jail at the Rikers complex.

(Reporting by Nate Raymond in New York; Editing by Alistair Bell)
QUETTA, Pakistan (Reuters) - Gunmen in Pakistan killed six soldiers and a provincial government official in an ambush on their convoy in the insurgency plagued southwest province of Baluchistan, a senior official in the region said on Friday. The attack took place about 80 kilometers (50 miles) from Gwadar, a port that will play a vital role in a planned $46 billion China-Pakistan economic corridor stretching from the Arabian sea to China's far-western Xinjiang district. The convoy had been returning from dealing with a land dispute late on Thursday when gunmen fired rockets and hurled grenades at the group, Tufail Baloch, a deputy district commissioner for Gwadar, told Reuters. "It was a sudden attack. They also used AK-47 rifles," he said. The dead included a senior local government official. Separatist groups in Baluchistan, a sparsely populated but vast province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, have launched sporadic attacks on security forces during their decades long struggle for an independent homeland. Pakistan is particularly sensitive to attacks on Chinese workers and interests in Baluchistan, and promised them protection. Militants have mostly targeted government personnel and security forces during the past decade, but attacks on civilians do occur. Last year gunmen stormed Jewani airport in Baluchistan, killing engineers and destroying radar systems. Baluch activists say security forces have carried out hundreds of extrajudicial killings, and thousands of people have disappeared. (Reporting by Gul Yousafzai; Writing by Tommy Wilkes; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore)
HAMBURG (Reuters) - German container shipping line Hapag-Lloyd expects to reap a third of targeted annual synergies of $400 million from its planned merger with Arab rival UASC next year, and realise them fully from 2019, its CEO said on Friday.

The company, which swung into the red in the first half of this year as tumbling freight rates hurt its business, signed a binding agreement with United Arab Shipping Company (UASC) in July to form the world's fifth largest shipping company by the end of 2016.

The merger will give it greater scale as it seeks to weather a downturn in global shipping.

"We plan to realise the full synergies from 2019 and in that way to lower our costs permanently," Chief Executive Rolf Habben Jansen told a shareholders meeting on Friday, held to decide whether to approve a related capital increase.

Hapag-Lloyd will still face merger costs next year. It estimates total merger costs at around 150 million euros ($169 mln) and has said they will be booked in its 2016 and 2017 balance sheets.

Some of the controlling shareholders have committed to backstop a cash capital increase of $400 million planned through a rights issue within six months of the deal closing.

The company hopes this will be achieved by the end of this year, depending on approval from around a dozen or so cartel authorities.

Habben Jansen also affirmed significantly lower earnings before interest and taxes for 2016. Freight rates fell 20 percent in the first six months of this year and the CEO has said they will take between 18 and 24 months to stabilise.

UASC shareholders backed the merger, which will create a group with an estimated value of 7 to 8 billion euros, in June with a relative valuation of the two businesses at 72 percent for Hapag-Lloyd's shareholders and 28 percent for UASC's shareholders.

Through the deal, Hapag-Lloyd gains access to bigger ships on the important Asia to Europe trade route. UASC for its part gets wider access to trans-Atlantic and trans-Pacific loops, where Hapag-Lloyd is strong.

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Hapag-Lloyd merged with Chile's Compania Sud Americana de Vapores (CSAV) in 2014, helping it to return to profit last year.

Hapag-Lloyd shares were marginally higher at 16.50 euros at 1000 GMT.

(Reporting by Vera Eckert; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Susan Fenton)
Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan Nasar, a senator from the ruling PML-Nawaz party, during a discussion said that if everyone were to become wealthy, there would be no one to grow wheat or to work as labourers.

By Indo-Asian News Service: A Pakistani politician has come under attack from colleagues after saying that the poor are meant to serve the rich.

Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan Nasar, a senator from the ruling PML-Nawaz party, made the controversial comments at a meeting of a Senate committee on Thursday, the Dawn today reported.

The remark came when Taj Haider of the Pakistan People's Party began a discussion on how Pakistan had become the property of the ruling elite and that all decisions were made in the interests of the rich.

WHO SAID WHAT "The poor of this country will never get to decide their own fate," Haidar said. To this, Nasar remarked that if everyone were to become wealthy, there would be no one to grow wheat or to work as labourers. "This is a system created by God and He has made some people rich and others poor and we should not interfere in this system," he said. Haider countered that socio-economic classes were man-made and God had nothing to do with it. Another Senator, Mohammad Usman Khan Kakar, too said that God created all people as equal and that the poor were not meant to serve the rich. But Nasar could not be convinced and said: "Once in China all people were considered equal, which did not work out well. "Those who cannot get an education and cannot earn more have no right to live the life of a bureaucrat," he said.

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Also Read:

Forget terrorism or poverty, this Pakistani MLA wants Doraemon cartoons banned to protect youth

Modi stumps Pak again: Govt announces enhanced compensation for terror victims, PoK residents can apply too

It's official! UN confirms Dawood Ibrahim is in Pakistan





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Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for Leslie Jones, because theyre both queens and also #GirlPower

Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for Leslie Jones, because theyre both queens and also #GirlPower

Between her website getting hacked and her being attacked nonstop by racist misogynists on Twitter, Leslie Jones has been having a rough summer. Luckily, many are doing all they can to make sure she knows she has our support (we LOVE you, Leslie!), and none other than the Democratic Nominee for president just showed her some love. Yep, were talking Hillary Clinton.

@Lesdoggg, no one deserves thisleast of all someone who brings us so much joy, Clinton tweeted.

@Lesdoggg, no one deserves thisleast of all someone who brings us so much joy. I'm with you. -H  Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) August 25, 2016

Im with you. -H she ended the tweet.

Her support comes alongside love from other beloved celebs.

I truly don't know why people are so hateful towards @Lesdoggg. Why? She's talented and wonderful. Why are people so pressed to be awful?  Gabby SidiBae (@GabbySidibe) August 24, 2016

I was terrified when I did SNL. Leslie Jones went out of her way to be open, warm, friendly, funny all week. She is a GEM.  Anna Kendrick (@AnnaKendrick47) August 25, 2016

This @Lesdoggg attack is troubling. The rampant racism percolating in society right now is shameful and sad. She made a movie, that's it!  octavia spencer (@octaviaspencer) August 24, 2016

Do not give your eyeballs to this racist, hate-filled, misogynoir crime. I #StandWithLeslie   KATY PERRY (@katyperry) August 24, 2016

We feel *so* terribly about whats happening to Leslie, and whats shes going through for ~daring~ to be a successful black woman. We just hope shes getting the support she needs IRL, and that shes taking care of herself.

The post Hillary Clinton tweeted her support for Leslie Jones, because theyre both queens and also #GirlPower appeared first on HelloGiggles.
A centuries-old Islamic mausoleum was Friday ordered to allow women to enter its inner sanctum, with an Indian court saying a ban violated their constitutional rights.

The Haji Ali Dargah trust has barred women from the landmark mausoleum off the coast of Mumbai since 2012, insisting women near the tomb of a revered saint is "a grievous sin" in Islam.

"Women can enter the inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah and the state government has to ensure their security and safety," said Justice V.M Kanade of the Bombay High Court, giving the verdict.

It comes amid an intensifying campaign by women in India to be allowed to enter Hindu temples, some of which also ban females from their inner sanctum.

Hundreds of women staged a march to the Shani temple in Maharashtra state in January in protest, leading the high court in Mumbai to later strike down the shrine's ban.

"The verdict is a landmark win for women everywhere fighting for their rights. The high court verdict has ensured gender equality and equal rights for women at places of worship," women's activist Trupti Desai told AFP of Friday's ruling.

Female activists will enter the mausoleum on August 28 to offer prayers, she said.

A six-week interim period has been granted by the Bombay High Court during which the trust can appeal against the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Around 80 percent of India's 1.2 billion population is Hindu, but the country is also home to large numbers of Muslims, Christians and Buddhists.
How do you want to market your home when it comes time to sell? It's probably not a question you're ready to answer, even if you're planning to sell soon.

A good real estate agent will have a marketing plan for your property. But as the seller, you're going to be the one most affected by how it's marketed, and not every tactic works for every home.

While most sellers choose the traditional route of marketing their home on the local multiple listing service, pocket listings -- or private listings -- are becoming a bigger part of the conversation. Here's what you need to know about the option of a pocket listing, and how to determine if it will better serve the sale of your home.

[See: 10 Tips to Sell Your Home Fast.]

What Is a Pocket Listing?

A pocket listing is a property for sale that is not marketed on the MLS, which is a system local real estate agents use to market their listings, contact other agents and begin negotiations toward a transaction.

The property may be advertised elsewhere -- including on the listing agent's website or other real estate listing sites -- but because it is not on the MLS, the listing is considered private.

Since they are not marketed to other agents through the MLS, pocket listings are often advertised to a network of potential buyers or agents that the listing agent or firm knows may be interested.

Pocket listings can serve as a great private option for selling your home, as it limits the pool of buyers to those potentially willing to pay a premium for the ability to bid on the home before it reaches a broader market.

If a buyer without an agent places a bid, the listing agent can potentially close the deal as dual agency, where the agent technically represents both parties in the deal. While this means a little more money for the agent and a little less money paid by the seller, it also leaves room for an unethical agent to take advantage of either party by not ensuring the best deal possible for them.

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But when not being used for nefarious purposes, pocket listings can be a great way for agents and sellers to achieve a fair deal with less interruption in the seller's life, which is a point worth making, says Alex Ianos, CEO of Pocket Deed, a real estate listing site for properties not listed in the MLS.

"As a broker, personally, I feel that should be our responsibility to at least present that option [of listing privately]," Ianos says.

[See: 10 Unorthodox Ways Your Real Estate Agent May Market Your Home.]

Why Would You Want to Sell Your Home With a Pocket Listing?

Certain circumstances make listing a property privately an attractive option, to both avoid the gaze of the public eye and to protect the property from the stigma a home can develop if it remains on the MLS even slightly longer than market average. Here are four reasons a pocket listing may be a good idea for you.

You want to maintain privacy. Marketing your home for sale and allowing strangers to tour your residence can be a difficult hurdle for some homeowners.

"It might be security purposes, it might be business purposes," says Walt Danley, president of Walt Danley Realty, Christie's International Real Estate in Paradise Valley, Arizona.

You may be a public figure who doesn't want your (literal) dirty laundry in the open, or you may have a tenant on your property you haven't told about the sale. With a private listing, you reduce the chance of inquiring strangers driving by and causing problems.

You live elsewhere for part of the year. It can be difficult to keep your home show-ready when it's shuttered for part of the year.

Danley says many properties he lists privately are owned by people who aren't in town during the hot summer months, which makes it a good time to list the home privately while the owners -- and often the most likely buyers -- are away.

You want to test out the market. If you're not sure what buyers would be willing to pay for your home, a brief stint as a pocket listing could help to test out a higher price.

"Maybe reserve a week to say, 'Let's try it as a pocket listing, see if we can find a buyer directly.' ... If that doesn't work out , then we can take it public," Ianos says. Then if your agent does put the listing on the MLS, your home can begin at a lower price without having to endure a public price drop, which can wreak havoc on future offers.

You're still preparing your home for the market. If your home needs some updates and maintenance before it hits the market, it can take several months before you can hold an open house.

Your agent could list the property privately while you complete the updates "in the hopes that someone would come along and pay the seller's price. And the seller wouldn't have to go through the time and energy and money of making it perfect for the market launch," says Thomas Henthorne, a real estate agent at Decker Bullock Sotheby's International Realty in the San Francisco Bay Area.

[See: 8 Types of Roads That Can Have a Big Impact on Home Sales.]

When Is Standard Marketing a Better Option?

Most homes will benefit from reaching the widest range of buyers possible -- about 90 percent of the time, according to Danley. "We want to do what's in the best interest of the clients. And most times -- the overwhelming majority of times -- that is to expose the property to the broadest audience and the largest pool of buyers possible, and that is through the MLS," he says.

There are also good reasons not to market your home as a pocket listing. If any of the following are true, stick to a standard marketing strategy.

It's a hot seller's market. If homes are selling fast and for more than their asking price, you might as well take advantage of what could easily become a bidding war for your home.

You'll always ask "what if?" Be honest with yourself -- if you're the type of person who will wonder what you could have gotten had your home been marketed publicly, there's no point in listing your property privately. "You have to have a price in mind that you're happy with getting with a limited-exposure strategy," Henthorne says.

Your agent is pushing a pocket listing when you're unsure. You should only have your home marketed as a pocket listing if it's best for you. If your agent tries to push the option on you, he or she likely don't have your best interests in mind.
From Good Housekeeping

After 20 years spent homeless in Washington, D.C., Wanda Witter is finally back in an apartment of her own - with a government check for nearly $100,000 sitting in her bank account.

Witter, now 80, first moved to the D.C. area in 1996. She had recently trained to become a paralegal, according to the Washington Post, and she thought she would surely find work in Washington.

Unfortunately, though, Witter didn't find work, and she ended up working odd jobs all around town. In 2006, she finally decided to draw her Social Security benefits - but when the checks she received ranged in amounts from $300 to $900, she knew something was off. She called the agency but got no response, so rather than cashing the checks, she wrote "VOID" across them and simply mailed them back. "If I just cashed them, who would believe me that they were wrong?" she reasoned in her interview with the Post.

Too proud to tell her family about the severity of her situation, Witter moved into a shelter. There, she attempted to get her Social Security checks mailed to her again ... but this time, it didn't work at all.

During her years at the shelter, Witter held on to her paperwork and tried tirelessly to find someone who would help her get her hands on the money she knew the government owed her. But mostly, people just thought she was crazy. "They kept sending me to mental counselors," she told the Washington Post. "I wasn't crazy. I wasn't mentally ill."

Finally, though, Witter found Julie Turner, a social worker whobelieved her. Just earlier this year, in May, Turner took her to Legal Counsel for the Elderly, an entity associated with AARP. There, attorney Daniela de la Piedra went through her paperwork, and lo and behold... Witter was right. The government did owe her money.

De la Piedra worked with Witter to confront the federal government, and the 80-year-old received her first check - written for $999, the maximum amount that could be written for her on the spot - in June. On Tuesday, the big Social Security check - this one written for $99,999 - arrived in her account.

Today, Witter has her own apartment in Capitol Hill, complete with an air mattress and a few necessities provided for her by Turner. Because even with her newfound funds, Witter wants to remain frugal - she knows what it's like to live on next-to-nothing, after all. "You never know that the next check will come," she said. "I don't believe it."

[h/t Washington Post]
From Road & Track

After spending the summer break working on improvements, Honda has announced a significant upgrade for its engine ahead of the Belgian Grand Prix. The upgrade requires Honda to spend seven of its 10 remaining tokens, but it's expected to increase the overall efficiency of the power unit, as well as increasing power.

Autosport reports that Honda's main focus was on improving combustion efficiency, while additional improvements have been made to the turbocharger. This update follows a similar improvement Honda made ahead of the British Grand Prix last month.

Despite the improved engines, neither Fernando Alonso nor Jenson Button are expected to see a large impact on lap times. Instead, Honda hopes the upgrade will set it up better for a more-successful 2017.

Unfortunately for Honda, it's struggled to compete ever since it returned to F1. That's made it difficult to convince anyone other than McLaren to use its engines. And while we don't doubt that Honda's working hard to improve as much as it can, it's going to take a major leap forward to match Mercedes next season.
Amatrice (Italy) (AFP) - Hopes were fading Saturday of finding more survivors under the rubble of the devastating earthquake in central Italy, which has already claimed at least 281 lives.

The first funerals for victims of the devastating quake that hit the mountainous region this week were held Friday as the country prepared for an emotionally charged day of mourning.

Flags will fly at half-mast across the country on Saturday in respect for the victims of a disaster that killed at least 281 lives and left another 388 injured, according to an updated official toll.

The Civil Protection agency's emergency unit said no new survivors had been found Friday in the remote mountain villages blitzed by Wednesday's powerful pre-dawn quake.

At least 388 people have been hospitalised with injuries. No one has been pulled alive from the piles of collapsed masonry since Wednesday evening.

"We will go on searching and digging until we are certain there is no one left," said Luigi D'Angelo, a Civil Protection officer working in the town of Amatrice, where the death toll stands at 221.

Forestry police officer Valerio Checchi said he expected rescuers to shortly start using mechanical diggers to move debris in a sign virtually all hope of finding survivors has gone.

"We will still use thermal devices that can detect the presence of human bodies." said Checchi.

- 'An apocalypse' -

At least eight foreigners were among the dead, according to updates from foreign ministries.

Britain's foreign office on Friday confirmed that a British couple in their 50s had been killed in the quake as well as a 14-year-old boy, and Romania said two of its nationals, who were living in Italy, had also died.

Spain, Canada and El Salvador each said that one of their citizens had perished.

As powerful aftershocks closed winding mountain roads and made life dangerous for more than 4,000 professionals and volunteers engaged in the rescue effort, survivors voiced dazed bewilderment over the scale of the disaster that struck their sleepy communities.

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"I have been through earthquakes before, but this was not a quake, it was an apocalypse," said Anacleto Perotti, 66.

This resident of the tiny hamlet of St Lorenzo Flaviano has gone back to his house, which survived the quake. But he is sleeping in an armchair.

"It is too scary in bed. After a quake comes fear, depression takes you over from the inside."

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected by Wednesday's quake, which occurred in an area that straddles Umbria, Lazio and Marche.

Renzi also released an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) in emergency aid.

The first funerals took place in Pomezia, south of Rome, home of six of the victims, including an eight-year-old boy.

Renzi and President Sergio Mattarella will on Saturday attend a funeral service in the city of Ascoli-Piceno for some of the 46 people who died in the mountain villages of Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto.

The youngest local victim was three or four years old, the oldest in her 90s.

- 900 aftershocks -

Over 2,000 people who spent the night in hastily-erected tented villages were shaken by a 4.8 magnitude aftershock just after 6:00 am (0400 GMT) on Friday morning.

More than 900 aftershocks have rattled the region since Wednesday's quake, which had a magnitude of 6.0-6.2 and triggered the collapse of hundreds of old buildings across dozens of tiny communities playing host to far more people than usual because of the summer holidays.

Many of the survivors, who are now living in tents, were carrying plastic bags containing the few possessions they grabbed before fleeing their homes in terror: clothes, ID documents, phones and wallets.

Quake experts estimate that the cost of the short-term rescue effort and mid- to longer-term reconstruction could exceed one billion euros ($1.13 billion).

There are also fears of a negative impact on an already-stagnating Italian economy, with tourism -- which accounts for four percent of GDP -- certain to take a hit.

Analysts noted however that the disaster could help Renzi get clearance for reconstruction spending to be excluded from EU calculations of the country's compliance with budget rules.

- Inadequate preparations -

Renzi's government and local authorities are now facing questions as to why there were so many deaths in a sparsely-populated area so soon after a 2009 earthquake in the nearby city of L'Aquila left 300 people dead.

That disaster, just 50 kilometres (30 miles) to the south, underscored the region's vulnerability to seismic events -- but preparations for a fresh quake have been exposed as inadequate.

"Italy should have a plan that is not just limited to the management of emergency situations," Renzi said.

He said that proofing centuries-old buildings against the risk of collapse in the event of a quake would be difficult but that more could be done.
Miami (AFP) - Two hospitals that treated victims of this summer's attack on the Orlando gay night club Pulse will not bill survivors for out-of-pocket medical expenses -- more than $5 million -- officials announced Thursday.

"The Pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families, and our entire community," Orlando Health president and CEO David Strong said in a statement.

"During this very trying time, many organizations, individuals, and charities have reached out to Orlando Health to show their support. This is simply our way of paying that kindness forward."

The health network's main hospital treated most of the 53 injured people who required immediate medical attention in the aftermath of the June 12 massacre, which left 49 dead.

Nine victims died after arriving at the hospital.

Orlando Health will not charge patients or their families directly, and will for other ways to shoulder costs instead, including federal funds, private insurance, disability insurance and the state's crime victim compensation program.

Florida Hospital, which treated a dozen club-goers, said it would not even bill victims' insurance for care costs or any potential follow-up surgery.

"It was incredible to see how our community came together in the wake of the senseless Pulse shooting," Florida Hospital's president and CEO Daryl Tol said in the local Orlando Sentinel newspaper. "We hope this gesture can add to the heart and goodwill that defines Orlando."

Florida Hospital said treatment costs at its facility totaled more than $525,000.

The authorities are still investigating the attack that ended when police killed the gunman, Omar Mateen, a 29-year-old US citizen of Afghan origin, after a three-hour standoff.
Delhi Police have rescued two little sisters from a dingy house in North-west Delhi after they were abandoned by their parents for being girls.

By Chirag Gothi: In what turned out to be a conscience-shaking story, two sisters, aged 8 and 3, were rescued from a house in North-west Delhi's Samaypur Badli area. They were abandoned by their parents because they were girls. They had been locked inside their home for days before neighbours alerted Delhi Police.

Police broke into the house and found the two sisters, 8-year-old Himanshi and 3-year-old Deepali, lying on a broken cot holding each other's hand. They were starved for around a week. Himanshi had deep wounds on her head, which had turned into a house of worms. Police personnel who went to rescue them noticed worms coming out of the wounds onto the cot.

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The house, they had been locked was stinking and was full of flies and mosquitoes. There was no ventilation in the room. The children could barely survive. Police rushed them to Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini, where they are under doctor's observation.

ABANDONED FOR BEING GIRL

Soon after their rescue, police began their investigation, which revealed that 35-year-old Bunty and his wife, Rajni lived on the ground floor of house number 304 of the Nepali Colony with their three children. Besides Himanshi and Deepali, the couple has a 5-year-old son.

For past some time, Bunty was jobless and had taken to drinking. The family barely met its both ends. Frustrated over financial difficulties, Rajni left the home with her only son leaving behind her two daughters at the mercy of drunkard and jobless husband. Bunty didn't work, instead, cursed the two girls for having born to him. He could not give the girls food.

Finally, on 15th August, when the entire country was celebrating attainment of freedom from British rule, he locked the two little girls to die of starvation and went away. Already starved for two-three days, Himanshi and Deepali were in extremely bad condition when the landlord and the neighbours sought help from police on 19th August.

HELP FROM POLICE PERSONNEL

The Delhi Police personnel not only rescued Himanshi and Deepali and took them to hospital for treatment, they launched a campaign at Samaypur Badli police station seeking donation for the girls. They opened their own pockets and managed some money to buy food, clothes and toys of girls' choice.

Two police constables have been deputed 24x7 for the rescued sisters, who are recovering well at the hospital. They wounds have been dressed. Police personnel from the Samaypur Badli police station regularly go to meet the girls and try to comfort them.

GRAND-MOTHER AT AN OLD AGE HOME

During their investigation, the police got information about the grand-mother of the rescued girls. The grand-mother has a story of her own. She was driven out of home by Bunty a few years ago. She wandered for some time on streets before she found shelter at an old age home.

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The 80-year-old grand-mother of the girls listened to about the condition of the sisters, but refused to take care of them. Police are yet to get any clue about the whereabouts of Bunty and Rajni.

Meanwhile, police contacted the Delhi Child Welfare Committee, which agreed to send the girls to a rehabilitation centre, after they were discharged from the hospital. Finally, Himanshi and Deepali will have a shelter, at least for some time. But, their story is a huge reality check for the Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao (Save daughter, educate daughter) campaign.





ALSO READ:

Trafficked Delhi girl, tortured brutally, returns home after 10 years





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By Krisztina Than BUDAPEST (Reuters) - Hungary plans to build a second fence on its southern border with Serbia that would enable it to keep out any major new wave of migrants, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday. Orban said the new barrier, to be built alongside the existing one, would strengthen defenses to respond if Turkey's policy on migration changed. If that happened, hundreds of thousands could appear at Hungary's border, he told public radio. "Technical planning is under way to erect a more massive defense system next to the existing line of defense which was built quickly (last year)," Orban said. Orban said Hungary had to prepare for the eventuality of a deal between Turkey and the European Union to clamp down on migration into Europe via the Balkans unraveling. "Then if it does not work with nice words, we will have to stop them with force, and we will do so," Orban said. A razor-wire fence built along Hungary's southern border with Serbia and Croatia has sharply reduced flows. Last year hundreds of thousands of migrants moved up from the Balkans towards northern Europe. That flow has since been reduced to no more than a steady trickle. Orban said Hungary would also boost its police presence to 47,000 from 44,000, of which 3,000 will be constantly deployed on the southern border. He also said it was Europe's interest to work with Turkey and to agree on the issues that serve Europe's security. Under the existing deal, Turkey has agreed to help stem the tide of illegal migrants into the bloc in exchange for aid and visa-free travel for Turks. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that European leaders are not living up to their side of the pact. Later on Friday, Orban and other prime ministers of Central European EU member states -- the Visegrad countries -- will meet in Warsaw with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Orban said the task for politicians was to change a decision by the EU to let in migrants and distribute them based on quotas among member states. "The question is whether Angela Merkel will be willing to change this flawed Brussels decision together with us. Whether she is willing to fight with us for this, or not, Orban said." Hungary will hold a referendum on Oct. 2 on whether to accept any future EU quota system for resettling migrants. (Reporting by Krisztina Than; editing by John Stonestreet)
SEOUL (Reuters) - Hyundai Motor's unionised workers in South Korea overwhelmingly voted down a tentative wage deal agreed with the automaker, signalling more strikes and production losses at its biggest manufacturing base.

A total of 78 percent of 45,777 union voters turned down the agreement, while 22 percent approved the deal, a union spokesman said on Saturday.

On Wednesday, Hyundai Motor and its labour union in South Korea reached the preliminary deal, which is less generous than last year's package.

Workers at Hyundai Motor's plants in South Korea staged sporadic walkouts between July and August over annual wage demands, leading to a production loss of 65,500 vehicles worth 1.47 trillion won ($1.3 billion).

Hyundai Motor, the world's fifth-biggest automaker together with affiliate Kia Motors, has been hit by strikes in all but four of the union's 29-year history although it usually makes up for lost output by the end of each year.

(Reporting by Hyunjoo Jin, editing by David Evans)
Maine Gov. Paul LePage left a hostile voicemail for a state lawmaker Thursday morning, calling him a socialist c***sucker.

The Portland Press Herald reports that the governor left the expletive-filled message after a TV reporter said that Rep. Drew Gattine, D-Westbrook, was among several people who accused him of racism.

Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage. I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c***sucker, he said. I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that Im a racist. Ive spent my life helping black people and you little son of a bitch, socialist c***sucker. You  I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.

The accusations of racism stemmed from comments LePage made during a town hall in North Berwick on Wednesday. LePage had said he has a three-ring binder of photos from drug busts and that most are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut; the Bronx; and Brooklyn. According to LePage, Gattine called him a racist in response. Gattine denied this to local outlets.

Unapologetic about his statements, not only did LePage encourage Gattine to record the voicemail, he also invited a journalist from the Press Herald and a TV crew from local ABC affiliate WMTW to the Blaine House, the official residence of the governor, to conduct a half-hour interview on his motivations. He lamented that he could not settle their dispute with a duel.

Rep. Drew Gattine, left, and Gov. Paul LePage. (Photos: Joel Page/ AP, Michael Dwye/AP)

When a snot-nosed little guy from Westbrook calls me a racist, now Id like him to come up here because, tell you right now, I wish it were 1825, LePage told the local paper. And we would have a duel, thats how angry I am, and I would not put my gun in the air, I guarantee you, I would not be [Alexander] Hamilton. I would point it right between his eyes, because he is a snot-nosed little runt, and he has not done a damn thing since hes been in this legislature to help move the state forward.

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On Friday morning, LePage released an official statement on the controversy, saying that he takes accusations of racism very seriously.

I didnt know Drew Gattine from a hole in the wall until yesterday. It made me enormously angry when a TV reporter asked me for my reaction about Gattine calling me a racist. It is the absolute worst, most vile thing you can call a person. So I called Gattine and used the worst word I could think of, the statement reads.

LePage apologized to the people of Maine but said he makes no apologies for trying to quell the drug epidemic thats ravaging his state. He said legislators like Gattine are more interested in being politically correct and protecting drug dealers than dealing with the crisis.

He clarified that when he said he would go after Gattine, he did not mean that he planned to physically harm the lawmaker.

I am a history buff, and I referenced how political opponents used to call each other out in the 1820s  including Andrew Jackson, the father of the Democratic Party, LePage continued. Obviously, it is illegal today; it was simply a metaphor and I meant no physical harm to Gattine. But I am calling him out to stop giving inflammatory sound bites and get to work to end this crisis that is killing Mainers, destroying families and creating drug-addicted babies, all so the drug dealers Gattine is protecting can make a profit.

Gattine did not immediately return a request for comment from Yahoo News.
Yahoo Finance is tracking the stocks youre following, based on your Yahoo Finance ticker searches.

Herbalife (HLF)  The Wall Street Journal is reporting that Carl Icahn considered selling his stake in Herbalife to a group that included activist investor Bill Ackman, whos famously called the company a pyramid scheme. Icahns possible sale would come just a few weeks after he said he was more confident in the company following its settlement with the FTC.

Apple (AAPL)  The big tech giant has issued a global iPhone security update after a human rights lawyer said he had received unsolicited text messages. The glitch was that spyware could be installed on a targets device by getting the user to click on a link.

Tesla (TSLA), SolarCity (SCTY)  Federal antitrust regulators have approved Teslas bid to buy SolarCity. Tesla announced the merger in June and proposed terms for the takeover on August 1.

Big Lots (BIG)  The company reported a decline in revenue but raised its profit forecast for the year. Big Lots now expects adjusted earnings per share of $3.45 to $3.55, up from its prior forecast of $3.35 to $3.50.

Anheuser-Busch InBev (BUD)  The company is warning that its big merger with SABMiller could lead to thousands of job cuts. Anheuser-Busch said about 3% of the total combined workforce could be laid off. The two companies currently have about 220,000 employees.

GameStop (GME)  The worlds largest retailer of video games disappointed investors after reporting weaker-than-expected quarterly revenue, dragged down by lower sales of its new gaming software and hardware. GameStops net sales in the second quarter dropped to $1.63 billion. Analysts were expecting $1.72 billion.
On Aug 26, we issued an updated research report on IDACORP Inc. IDA. The company is set to benefit from improving economics in the state of Idaho, a rising customer count and addition of new housing units. However, a stringent regulatory environment, timely completion of projects within budget and regulatory compliance costs could dampen the performance of the company.



IDACORPs earnings per share in second-quarter beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 14.3%. The companys bottom line benefited from improving economic conditions in its service territories and warmer temperatures, which boosted the demand for utility services.



IDACORPs regulated electric operations in Idaho generate a relatively stable and growing earnings stream. Ongoing economic growth in its service territories contributed to the expansion in the companys customer base. In second-quarter 2016, Idaho Powers customer base grew 1.8%, which resulted in an increase of a $2.7 million in its operating income. In the first half of 2016, customer growth contributed $4.8 million to the companys operating income.

In addition, rising manufacturing activities in its service territories and the possibility of warmer-than-usual temperatures would have a positive impact drive the demand of utility services. With nearly 48% of the total electricity being generated by hydroelectric units, the company is well poised to meet the states emission standards.

IDACORP INC Price

IDACORP INC Price | IDACORP INC Quote

On the flip side, IDACORP operates in a strict regulatory environment and its nature of business is subject to complex and comprehensive federal, state and other regulations. The company runs several hydroelectric generation plants, which necessitate relicensing and certain other costs.



The utility also faces the risk of not being able to finish projects within the stipulated time and budget due to a rise in cost of inputs and regulatory compliance costs. Its financial performance thus depends primarily on its ability to manage the operations of its transmission and distribution businesses.



Zacks Rank & Key Picks



IDACORP currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Some better-ranked stocks in the electric utility space include CMS Energy CMS, DTE Energy DTE and NiSource Inc. NI. All these stocks currently carry a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).



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On Aug 25, 2016, we issued an updated research report on San Diego, CA-based Illumina Inc. ILMN, a company that provides tools and integrated systems for the analysis of genetic variation and function. The stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

After a promising second quarter performance, Illumina is currently keeping in-line with its earlier stated goals to strengthen its foothold in the multi-billion gene sequencing market with some highly competitive products in its existing portfolio and pipeline.

For its market expansion, the companys primary focus is on reproductive and genetic health space, for which Illumina seeks to increase its portfolio by providing the verified laboratory-developed non-invasive prenatal test (NIPT). In the U.S., currently 26% of covered lives can undergo NIPT, indicating further potential for this market spaces expansion. Additionally the Dutch Health Council has recently approved NIPT for all pregnancies, which in turn is expected to boost the demand for NIPT, particularly in the international market.

We are also looking forward to GRAIL, Illuminas recently developed company focused on the cancer screening market. Currently, Illumina is working on transferring its ctDNA programs, MSK partnership to GRAIL. Besides, it has begun work on the detailed planning necessary to embark on a large-scale clinical trial in 2017 with the goal of exhibiting a stage shift in diagnosis. We believe, GRAIL is anticipated to significantly expand Illuminas share in the multi-billion dollar oncology market.

In terms of geographic expansion, in the second quarter, Illumina observed better-than-expected double-digit growth in the Americas, while its business in Asia-Pacific also witnessed a double-digit growth contrary to the poor performance that was delivered in the prior quarter in the region.

Nevertheless, the companys prediction of a slow paced recovery in its EMEA business, in 2016, indicates its sluggish performance in Europe to prevail at least for some time. Besides, intense competition continues to be a major challenge for Illumina in the sequencing, SNP genotyping, gene expression and molecular diagnostics markets with several large players already enjoying considerable market share, intellectual property portfolios and regulatory expertise.

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Moreover, Illumina faces high expenses related to the development of new products, their launch in various markets and investments in partnerships. Consequently, in recent times, Illumina has been witnessing a substantial rise in operating expenses on account of a higher head count, investments in GRAIL and Helix, as well as development projects like Project Firefly.

Stocks to Consider

Some better-ranked medical stocks are Anika Therapeutics Inc. ANIK, Actelion Ltd. ALIOF and Heska Corp. HSKA. All these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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IRVINE, CA / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2016 / Khang & Khang LLP (the "Firm") announces a class action lawsuit has been filed against Embraer S.A. ("Embraer" or the "Company") (ERJ). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired shares between April 16, 2012 and July 28, 2016 inclusive (the "Class Period"), are encouraged to contact the Firm prior to the October 7, 2016 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

If you purchased shares of Embraer during the Class Period, please contact Joon M. Khang, Esquire, of Khang & Khang, 18101 Von Karman Avenue, 3rd Floor, Irvine, CA 92612, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

There has been no class certification in this case yet. Until certification occurs, you are not represented by an attorney. You may choose to take no action and remain a passive class member.

According to the complaint, the Company made false and misleading statements and/or failed to disclose material facts, specifically that it paid bribes to Dominican Republic officials to secure contracts for aircraft sales; that Embraer's President and CEO Frederico Curado had knowledge of the bribe; that the fallout from this misconduct would cost Embraer hundreds of millions of dollars; and as a result of the above, the Company's statements about its business, operations, and prospects were false and misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis at all relevant times.

In June 2016, the Company announced that its CEO Frederico Curado would resign. On July 29, 2016, Embraer announced a loss of $99.4 million for the quarter after setting aside $200 million in connection with a U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act probe that it was negotiating with the U.S. Department of Justice since May 2015. The Company also reduced 2016 guidance for its executive jet business. When this news was disclosed to the public, Embraer shares fell in value, causing investors harm.

If you wish to learn more about this lawsuit, or if you have any questions concerning this notice or your rights, please contact Joon M. Khang, a prominent litigator for almost two decades, by telephone: (949) 419-3834, or by e-mail at joon@khanglaw.com.

Story continues

This press release may constitute Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions.

Contacts

Joon M. Khang, Esq.

Telephone: 949-419-3834

Facsimile: 949-225-4474

joon@khanglaw.com

SOURCE: Khang & Khang LLP
During the hearing on a PIL, an agitated bench of the Supreme Court on Friday said that it could not pass an order to bring Ram Rajya in the country.

By India Today Web Desk: The Supreme Court of India on Friday said that it could not pass an order for establishment of the proverbial Ram Rajya in the country. Hearing a Public Interest Litigation seeking order against encroachments of public space including footpaths, a three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India TS Thakur said that the power of the court to do things was limited.

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The apex court's observation came during the hearing of a PIL filed by NGO Voice of India. The petitioner complained about encroachment of footpaths and public space by hawkers and roadside vendors. It sought appropriate orders to the relevant authorities.

THE RAM RAJYA MOMENT

Responding to the petitioner, the bench said, "Do you think with our directions, everything will be done? Do you (petitioner) think we will pass an order that there will be no corruption in the country and all corruption will go? Should we pass an order that there will be 'Ram Rajya' in the country? It cannot be like this."

The bench also comprising of Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud, tried to reason. "We want to do various things but we cannot do. Our capacity to do things is limited. This is a problem," said the SC bench.

DRAMA IN THE COURT

NGO's chairman Dhanesh Kumar, appearing in person, retorted back saying, "If this court does not take any action or pass any direction, then who will?"

"Citizens' fundamental rights are at stake. You are here to protect our fundamental rights. If you cannot do that, what is the point of having fundamental rights under the Constitution? Go ahead and strike them off," the anguished petitioner told the bench.

At point of time, the bench called in the security to remove the petitioner from the courtroom, but he continued with his argument raising his voice.

'I AM ALSO IN TEARS'

As the petitioner continued with his arguments, the court atmosphere at one point of time became very emotional, when the CJI Thakur told the complainant, "Main bhi aansoo ro raha hun" (I am too shedding tears).

Subsequently, the bench tried to pacify the petitioner. "We cannot go by an assumption that everything in the country is wrong. You can educate the people about this", the bench said.

The matter was posted for further hearing in February, 2017. Incidentally, CJI Thakur is retiring in January, 2017.



ALSO READ:

CJI Thakur takes a dig at PM Modi for his silence on judicial appointments





--- ENDS ---

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By Nita Bhalla NEW DELHI (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - Women and children in India's flood-hit eastern region are at risk of being preyed upon by human traffickers and sold into slavery in middle class homes, restaurants and shops, and even brothels, aid workers warned on Friday. Heavy monsoon rains have caused rivers including the Ganges and its tributaries to burst their banks, forcing more than 200,000 people into relief camps in the states of Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand. The deluge has killed at least 300 people, submerged thousands of mud-and-brick villages and destroyed large swathes of farmland - affecting millions of people across the five states. Charities working in the worst affected regions of Bihar and Uttar Pradesh said trafficking was widespread in the aftermath of previous disasters in the region, such as last year's earthquake in neighboring Nepal and floods in Bihar in 2008. "Children are always the most vulnerable during emergencies - especially during floods, when families are forced to move to higher ground, leaving their homes for an extended period of time," said Thomas Chandy, CEO of Save the Children India. "While a child's parents may not always remain in their close proximity, and with the presence of strangers, the threat of sexual abuse and child trafficking is high. There are organized groups of offenders who are quick to seize opportunities to exploit the plight of children." South Asia is the fastest-growing and second-largest region for human trafficking in the world, after East Asia, according to the United Nations Office for Drugs and Crime. India alone is home 40 percent of the world's estimated 45.8 million slaves, according to a 2016 global slavery index published by the Australia-based Walk Free Foundation. Thousands of children, mostly from poor rural areas, are taken to cities every year by gangs who sell them into bonded labor or hire them out to unscrupulous employers. Many end up as domestic workers or laborers in brick kilns, roadside restaurants or small textile and embroidery workshops. Many women and girls are sold into brothels. Experts say post-disaster human trafficking has become common in South Asia as an increase in extreme events caused by global warming leave the already poor even more vulnerable. The breakdown of social institutions in devastated areas creates difficulties in securing food and humanitarian supplies, leaving women and children at risk of kidnapping, sexual exploitation and trafficking. "CHILD FRIENDLY SPACES" Government officials in Bihar said they were aware of the risk of exploitation and were working with charities such as Save The Children, ActionAid and the U.N. children's agency UNICEF to curb instances of trafficking. "Before the current floods, we had held meetings early this month on the issue of human trafficking," said Imamudin Ahmad, Director of Bihar's social welfare department. "We are sensitizing people and are involving everyone including the police department, labor department and social welfare departments." Officials added that authorities were also checking trains, often used to transport victims, originating from impoverished districts where children labor is commonly sourced. With schools destroyed or shut down, aid agencies said they were creating "child friendly spaces" to give children a safe environment to play, learn and be with their families. "The company of others, along with trained facilitators, ensures that children are able to discuss their challenges and reduce their anxiety," said Rafay Hussain, General Manager for Save the Children in Bihar. "From our experience, we have seen that children need the company of their parents, family and friends during such crises  and every effort should be made to ensure that they do remain in such company, for their safety and overall well-being." India usually experiences monsoons from June to September which are crucial for its agriculture sector, making up 18 percent of its gross domestic product and employing almost half the country's 1.3 billion people. But in many states the rains frequently cause landslides and flooding that wash away crops, demolish homes and devastate livelihoods - pushing already impoverished families to brink. The floods in Bihar this year have killed at least 130 people. Almost one million people across 24 of Bihar's 38 districts have been evacuated from their homes and are either in relief camps or have sought shelter on embankments and roads. Television pictures showed people wading shoulder-high in floodwaters or sitting on the rooftops of partially submerged buildings, while others were seen climbing into boats as they were rescued by India's disaster response teams. Authorities said that they had managed to reach most affected communities, but aid agencies working in the state said rescue and relief efforts fell short of what was needed. "We have also been working with the administration providing status updates, offering support and coordinating efforts. However all flood relief efforts are inadequate in terms of the scope and extent of the crisis," said Sandeep Chachra, Executive Director of ActionAid India. "In particular many areas reported a shortage of boats. We need greater effort in building disaster preparedness and ensuring rapid response to emergency rescue and relief." (Reporting by Nita Bhalla. Additional reporting by Jatindra Dash in Bhubaneswar. Editing by Ros Russell. 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)
Surabaya (Indonesia) (AFP) - Indonesian authorities have seized more than 650 critically endangered pangolins found hidden in freezers and arrested a man for allegedly breaking wildlife protection laws, police said Friday.

Police discovered the pangolins, known as "scaly anteaters", when they raided a house in Jombang district on the main island of Java after local residents became suspicious about the large number of freezers in the property.

A total of 657 pangolins, which are consumed as a luxury dish in China and used in traditional medicine, were found wrapped in plastic and stored in five large freezers, East Java province police spokesman Raden Prabowo Argo Yuwono told AFP.

The house owner, a 55-year-old man whose identity was not disclosed, was arrested and has been named a suspect, a step in the Indonesian legal system meaning that authorities believe they have enough evidence to consider filing charges.

He could face five years in prison and a fine of 100 million rupiah ($7,500) for breaking wildlife protection laws.

"The suspect insisted the Pangolins were not his, a friend asked him to store the animals because he has freezers," Yuwono said, adding the friend named by the suspect was also being sought.

The suspect, who was arrested during the police raid on August 15, insisted he had not sold any of the pangolins and refused to tell police where they were to be sent, the spokesman said.

Pangolins are sought after in China and other parts of Asia for their meat, skin and scales. The meat is considered a delicacy, while the skin and scales are used in traditional medicine and to make fashion items such as boots and shoes.

Protection group the International Union for Conservation of Nature classifies the pangolin species found in Indonesia as critically endangered.
JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanketed a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze.

Singapores air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra across the city-state and into southern Malaysia.

The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Borneo by weather satellites has increased in the past month though they are below levels last year when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis.

Singapores three-hour air pollution index had risen to 198 by early afternoon. Its environment agency doesnt give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside, said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work. Im having a cough and its getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home, she said.

Indonesias Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect including aerial water drops.

The haze is an annual problem for Southeast Asia, but last years fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbors. About 261,000 hectares (644,931 acres) burned, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said Friday that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.

About 2,800 hectares (6,918 acres) have burned so far this year, according to Indonesias Forestry Ministry.

___

Associated Press writer Annabelle Liang in Singapore contributed to this report.
UN soldiers

The United Nations has long been a purported force for change in developing countries and other international crises.

Public opinion on their undertakings have been mixed at best, with the role of UN Peacekeeping missions particularly under the microscope.

Wearing their recognizable light blue berets and helmets, UN peacekeepers have been both successful in resolving conflicts and criticized for their lack of action during life-threatening emergencies.

The following infographic from Norwich University Online explains UN Peacekeeping missions and seeks to explain if the missions are even effective in the long run.

Norwich University Online Masters in Diplomacy

NOW WATCH: The Pentagon made a move that will revolutionize thousands of soldiers' lives





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phone iphone insomnia sleep bed night

The hacking software that completely takes over an Apple iPhone and turns it into a mobile surveillance device is pretty terrifying.

Built by a shadowy company called NSO Group, the software called "Pegasus"  discovered after being used against a human rights activist in the United Arab Emirates  forced Apple to issue a critical software update on Thursday to protect its users worldwide.

Updating iOS to the current 9.3.5 version is crucial for all users, since Pegasus is designed to infect a person's phone and it is virtually impossible to detect.

"The software leaves absolutely no indicators of compromise to the user," Mike Murray, vice president of security research and response at Lookout, a mobile security firm that researched the threat with CitizenLab, told Business Insider.

One of Murray's fellow researchers told him of how advanced Pegasus is: "Once you get this software on your phone, its not your phone anymore."

'This is a real exploit happening in the wild against real people'

The revelation of Pegasus started with a text message on Aug. 10.

A text sent to the iPhone 6 of Ahmed Mansoor, a prominent human rights activist in the United Arab Emirates, promised "new secrets about torture of Emiratis in state prisons" with a link. Though the phone number it came from was faked, and the text's claims were interesting, he didn't click.

"I could tell that these were unusual SMS's," Mansoor told Motherboard. "And I wouldnt go and [click on] that.

Instead, he sent it to CitizenLab researchers Bill Marczak and John Scott-Railton, who used their own phone to click the link themselves  and then track what would happen next.

What we were looking at were three chained together iOS zero days," Murray told BI.

After clicking the link, the Safari browser quickly opened and then closed. That's the only indication the user will ever have," Murray said.

But in the background, Pegasus was calling back to servers controlled by its creators, then downloading its malicious software, jailbreaking the device, and quickly infecting every aspect of the phone from messaging software to its repository of WiFi passwords with three "zero day" vulnerabilities, or unfixed bugs that can be exploited by hackers.

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After CitizenLab brought in Lookout to help in discovering what Pegasus could do, the researchers immediately called Apple to report it.

"This is a real exploit happening in the wild against real people," said Murray, noting that neither research group submitted it through Apple's official bug bounty program, which could have earned them upwards of $200,000.

This wasnt about money. This is about real people in the world being attacked.

Tim Cook iPhone 6

'I think it is an arms race'

In their research, Citizen Lab and Lookout realized that Pegasus was designed to do two things: completely take over all aspects of the iPhone, and operate like a "ghost" that a user would never be able to see.

"The joke with spyware is 'suddenly my battery goes from 6 hours to 30 minutes,'" Murray said. "Pegasus doesnt do that."

What it does do is gather an incredible amount of data on an affected user. Every single text message, calendar entry, email sent through Gmail, or WhatsApp message is vacuumed up and sent back to whoever is behind the spying. It constantly updates and sends the user's location from the phone's GPS. And it even fully downloads the user's various passwords and steals the stored list of WiFi networks and passwords the phone connects to.

pegasus

Not surprisingly, it can intercept audio from calls, to include those made through WhatsApp and Skype, or the microphone can be remotely turned on to listen in. "Your smartphone today is the new walkie-talkie," NSO Group cofounder Omri Lavie told the Financial Times in 2013.

"Were a complete ghost," he told Defense News of his sophisticated spy software. "Were totally transparent to the target, and we leave no traces."

Since its discovery, Murray said, the NSO command-and-control servers the researchers found Pegasus communicating with have all been taken down. But it has built-in protections for updating these servers, so it's likely this discovery may be nothing more than a bump in the road for the company behind it.

"The level of stealth it has, [and] the level of protections it has against its own infrastructure being destroyed or itself being discovered is quite incredible," Murray said. I think it speaks to the sophistication of the threat ... this was designed to maintain persistence and maintain the compromise a lot longer than what you typically see in a lot of malware."

When asked whether a hardware solution, such as Edward Snowden's proposed case for the iPhone, may be what users need to protect themselves, Murray said it would make it "harder" for attackers, but dismissed claims it could be a silver bullet.

I think it's an arms race," he said. "As soon as we try and do it with hardware, the sophisticated attacker is simply going to work harder to blend into the background.

"People are patching up certain holes and theyre just finding new holes," Blake Kotiza, vice president of sales for Privoro, a manufacturer of anti-spying hardware for the iPhone, told Business Insider. "Its a continuous game of cat and mouse."

Apple released an update to its mobile operating system iOS on Thursday, which fixes the three zero-day exploits that were uncovered. Users who update to iOS 9.3.5 are, for now, protected against Pegasus. An Apple spokesperson also confirmed to Business Insider that the latest update to the iOS 10 beta software is protected as well.

Murray's company, Lookout, also has an app that scans phones for security threats, which can now tell users whether their device has been compromised.

Now that we know what to look for, its much more effective," Murray said.

But the company behind Pegasus is still in business, and it's likely working hard to find another way to break into the iPhone, which is believed to have been vulnerable going all the way back to iOS 7. It had previously demonstrated hacks on Blackberry and Android devices.

Its the best out there weve seen," Murray said. "Who knows what other shady groups are still out there lurking, waiting to be discovered.

NOW WATCH: This animated map shows the most probable path to a Trump victory





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Police suspect that the brutal act was committed by the notorious kachcha-banian gang as at least two of the attackers were reportedly in underclothes.

By Ajay Kumar: About half a dozen men battered a couple to death and gang-raped two female relatives including a minor in the national capital region's Mewat district on Wednesday night with the incident prompting widespread revulsion.

HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED



One of the sexual assault victims told the police that she and her three cousins were asleep inside their house in Dhingeri village and her uncle and other family members were sleeping outside when she heard loud screams around midnight.

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The men who had barged into the dwelling tied up the family members and hit them with iron rods and sticks. Three of them then took turns to rape the complainant, who is married, and her 16-year-old cousin.

Haryana Police suspect the crime may have been committed by one of the notorious kachcha-banian gangs whose members attack wearing only underclothes and often mask their faces. They rub lubricants on their body, which makes it hard for anyone to catch them.

The robbers ransacked the house, searching for valuables and cash. According to the complainant, one of the attackers was carrying a country-made pistol. She confirmed that at least two of the men were in underclothes and drenched with oil. One of the family members managed to flee and informed the villagers.

BULANDSHAHR THROWBACK



The crime has evoked comparisons in media with the gang rape of a woman and her minor daughter in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr district last month when the victims were dragged out of their vehicle at gunpoint on a major highway and sexually assaulted over several hours.

Read: Ruthless, organised and disgusting: All about the Bawariya gang behind Bulandshahr gangrape



Sources say Dhingeri village is just four kilometres away from the nearest police station, which was informed at around 3am. But the cops arrived three hours later.

"After raping us the accused locked us in a room and demanded jewellery and other valuables from us," the complainant told authorities. "They scoured the entire house and took away two motorcycles as well."

Police have lodged a case under sections 459 (grievous hurt), 460 (trespass), 376 D (gang rape) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) as well as sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and Arms Act.

NEW LAWS FOR WOMEN'S SAFETY INEFFECTIVE



Violence against women in India has come under global spotlight since the fatal gang rape of a 23-year-old physiotherapy student on a moving bus in the Capital in 2012. That attack sparked mass street protests and forced Parliament to toughen jail sentences for rapists and overhaul policing procedures. But many women say daily indignities and abuse continue unabated and that the new laws have not made the streets any safer.

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"We reached the spot in the morning with sniffer dogs and a forensic squad. Two of the victims were lying on a bedstead with severe head injuries," said the area's police station house officer, Kamlesh. "Five others including the two gang-rape victims were admitted in Mewat's Nalhar Medical College and their condition is said to be stable."

Sources say the house is situated near the Manesar-Palwal expressway with no toll tax point and little police patrolling in the area and highway robbers as well as cow smugglers are active here at night.

Haryana's additional director general of police (law and order), Muhammad Akil, will reportedly oversee the investigations. Cops suspect that highway robbers may have committed the crime and used the signal-free expressway to escape.



ALSO READ : Gurugram: Ugly face-off with colleague leads to bar girl's death



--- ENDS ---
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) announced penalties worth $2.2 million on 13 investment advisory firms. They were alleged of violating the securities law by spreading false claims made by F-Squared Investments Inc., which was one of the largest marketers of investment products using exchange-traded funds (ETFs).

Major Firms Charged in the Case

The penalties imposed by the SEC ranged from $0.1$0.5 million, depending upon the fees earned by the firms from its AlphaSector-related strategies. The highest fine was agreed to be borne by the California-based, AssetMark Inc.

The firms found guilty include a unit of BB&T Corporation BBT, Banyan Partners, Shamrock Asset Management and Hilliard Lyons. All of these firms agreed to bear $0.2 million each as penalty.

Notably, the investment advisers neither consented nor denied the allegations. Instead, they consented to receive the orders finding that they have violated Sections 204 and 206(4) of the Investment Advisers Act, 1940.

However, per a spokesman of the AssetMark, the company immediately removed the misleading F-Squared Investments information on becoming aware of the fraud and later removed it from its platform. Further, the spokesman of Hilliard Lyons stated that the company stopped offering F-Squared Investments products in 2013 and the SEC has not alleged the company of losing its clients money by investing in those products.

Allegations

The SEC investigation on investment advisers found that the 13 firms acknowledged and negligently relied upon the claims made by F-Squared Investments that its AlphaSector strategy for investing in ETFs had outperformed the S&P Index for several years. Moreover, the firms advertised these claims while recommending the investments to their own clients, without having adequate documentation to substantiate the same.

Andrew J. Ceresney, Director of the SEC Enforcement Division, stated When an investment adviser echoes another firms performance claims in its own advertisements, it must verify the information first rather than merely accept it as fact. These advisers negligently passed many of F-Squareds claims onto their own clients, who were consequently relying upon false and misleading information when making investment decisions.

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The violation is suspected to have taken place between 2001 and 2008. Later in 2014, F-Squared Investments admitted that the outperformance that was being advertised was only its back-tested performance which was substantially inflated to attract more clients. The company agreed to pay $35 million to settle the SEC charges.

Regulatory Burden

The SEC Asset Management Unit continues to investigate and pursue similar enforcement actions against other advisers that potentially misled investors and others with advertisements containing F-Squared Investments false historical performance data. In the current regulatory scenario, firms should start being cautious about the information being supplied by them to their clients and maintain appropriate documentation.

Over the past few months, the SECs stringent regulations have subjected banks to heavy regulatory costs. In Aug 2016, Apollo Global Management, LLCs APO private equity fund advisers were charged for disclosure and supervisory failure while a Goldman Sachs GS trader was barred from the securities industry when found guilty of fraud. Earlier in Jun 2016, Merrill Lynch, a Bank of America Corporation BAC unit, was penalized for misleading its investors.

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Tehran (AFP) - Iran on Friday denied US accusations it has delivered missiles to Yemeni rebels, retorting it was US support for a Saudi-led coalition backing the government that had prolonged the conflict.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the comments by Secretary of State John Kerry on a visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday were "completely baseless".

"Iran has repeatedly said that Iranian military power will never be a threat to any country and is merely for defence purposes," Zarif said in a statement on the ministry's website.

"The US administration with such remarks is itself becoming a partner in the child killings and war crimes committed by the Saudi regime against the innocent people of Yemen.

"Undoubtedly, Mr Kerry knows better than others that the Saudi government in the past year and half has consistently and seriously blocked all efforts made to establish a ceasefire in Yemen."

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March last year after the rebels and their allies overran most of the country, prompting President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee into exile.

The UN brokered three months of peace talks in Kuwait but they were suspended earlier this month when the government reacted angrily to the rebels' appointment of a new ruling council in Sanaa.

Kerry announced a fresh peace initiative on Thursday aimed at forming a unity government but hit out at Iran for what he said was its support for the Shiite rebels.

"The threat potentially posed by the shipment of missiles and other sophisticated weapons into Yemen from Iran extends well beyond Yemen and is not a threat just to Saudi Arabia and... the region," he told reporters.
ANKARA (Reuters) - Islamic State, Kurdish insurgents and Syrian-Kurdish fighters are attacking Turkey to try and take advantage of last month's failed coup, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Friday. Kurtulmus also said on his official Twitter account that Turkey was determined to protect its borders and security. His comments came after a car bomb on Friday in the largely Kurdish southeast that killed at least 11 people. The state-run news agency blamed the attack on the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). (Reporting by Orhan Coskun and Asli Kandemir; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Edmund Blair)
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers on Friday shot and killed an apparently unarmed Palestinian who ran toward their position in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, and the incident was under review, a military spokeswoman said. A Palestinian official said the 38-year-old man suffered from mental illness, and several unsourced Israeli news websites reported that no weapons were found on his body. "(Israeli) forces identified a suspect running toward an IDF (Israel Defence Forces) post in Silwad," the military spokeswoman said. "Upon the suspect's advance, the forces shot the suspect, resulting in his death. The incident is currently being reviewed." Asked whether the Palestinian had been armed, she said that "the details are still being checked." Since October, Palestinians, many of them acting alone and with rudimentary weapons, have killed at least 33 Israelis and two visiting Americans. At least 209 Palestinians have been killed, 141 of whom Israel said were assailants. Others died during clashes and protests. Palestinian leaders say assailants have acted out of desperation over the collapse of peace talks in 2014 and Israeli settlement expansion in Israeli-occupied territory that Palestinians seek for an independent state. Most countries view the settlements as illegal. Israel disputes this. Israel says incitement in the Palestinian media and personal problems at home have been important factors that have spurred assailants, often teenagers, to carry out attacks. On Wednesday, an Israeli soldier fatally shot a Palestinian motorist who the army said had stabbed him and thrown rocks from his car at a military vehicle in the West Bank. (Reporting by Jeffrey Heller and Ali Sawafta; Writing by Jeffrey Heller; Editing by Larry King)
Jerusalem (AFP) - Israeli troops shot dead a suspected Palestinian assailant at the entrance to the West Bank village of Silwad on Friday, the army said.

"Forces identified a suspect running towards an (army) post in Silwad, northeast of Ramallah," a spokeswoman said.

"The force shot the suspect, resulting in his death."

Silwad, close to the Jewish settlement of Ofra, is under constant stakeout by the Israeli army seeking to prevent attacks on passing settler traffic.

It is the scene of regular clashes between Palestinian stone-throwers and troops.

The Palestinian health ministry identified the dead man as Silwad resident Iyad Hamed, 38, a father of two.

Palestinian security officials told AFP he had a history of mental health problems and had been taking medication.

A neighbour told AFP he heard five shots, then saw soldiers take away Hamed's body and turn back Palestinian ambulances.

A wave of violence since October has killed 222 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, Israeli authorities say, with the majority of them from the West Bank.

Others have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces.

On Wednesday, a Palestinian man was shot dead after stabbing an Israeli soldier near Ariel in the northern West Bank.
Japanese authorities have warned of a possible measles outbreak after a fan who went to a Justin Bieber concert near Tokyo was diagnosed with the contagious disease, officials said Friday.

A 19-year-old man had a fever of more than 39 degrees Celsius (102 degrees Fahrenheit) and a rash over his body after returning from Indonesia earlier this month, the Disease Control and Prevention Center (DCC) and local media have said.

Despite the condition, the man, whose name was withheld, went to Bieber's concert on August 14 at Makuhari Messe in Chiba, east of Tokyo, where some 25,000 fans gathered for the event, they said.

The man, from the western Japanese city of Nishinomiya, then stopped in Tokyo and neighbouring Kanagawa prefecture before returning home on August 19, when he was finally diagnosed with measles.

"Measles is highly infectious," an official at Japan's health and welfare ministry told AFP.

"It could lead to a fatal case," he added, issuing warnings to hospitals across the nation to be aware of an outbreak.

Concert organisers on their website also asked those who attended to see doctors if they developed symptoms.

So far, however, there have been no reports of anyone who attended the concert contracting measles.
By Reuters: Brazilian police recommended on Thursday that prosecutors present charges against Ryan Lochte for a false crime report, after the US swimmer told police and media last week that he and three team-mates were robbed at gunpoint during the Rio Olympics. (Ryan Lochte loses all his major sponsors after Rio incident )



Brazilian police said no such crime took place and that Lochte was responsible for an act of vandalism in a gas station while returning home drunk after a party.

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A police statement on Thursday said the officer in charge of the investigation had recommended to judges that Lochte be deposed in the United States and that a transcript be sent to the ethical commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

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Gucci golden boy Jared Leto's first campaign as the face of Gucci Guilty has landed (sadly, the infamous kelly green coat is absent).

The Suicide Squad star is seen sans clothes in previews for the official #GuiltyNotGuilty short film, which was shot under the creative direction of Alessandro Michele. (Because let's be honest, don't all these designers just really want to be filmmakers?) Joining the actor are two nymphlike models who, like any causal trio, enjoy sharing bubble baths and sniffing each others' wrists while living it up in Venice.

A photo posted by FUCK-YEAH-JARED-LETO (@fuck_yeah_jared_leto) on Aug 26, 2016 at 4:35am PDT

Unfortunately, we'll have to wait until the video debuts in full on Sept. 2 to discover the meaning behind the hair extension (or faux mustache?) floating in a cup of water, as seen in the brand's sneak-peek trailer.

The actor and certified men's style star, who first was named as the face of the fragrance back in December, is a perfect fit for the brand, given his affinity for color and his BFF status with Michele. Considering the Italian fashion house's wide Hollywood fan base, perhaps another Gucci-obsessed star (we're looking at you, Beyonce) will join Leto in the tub next time?

A video posted by Gucci (@gucci) on Aug 26, 2016 at 8:28am PDT

A video posted by Gucci (@gucci) on Aug 26, 2016 at 3:57am PDT
Jason Bourne, Universals fifth film in the series, debuted Wednesday in China to the highest gross of all previous installments. But after only two days, audiences in the Middle Kingdom are speaking out about how they feel exploited (and some of them physically ill) over the fact the film was released primarily in the 3D format. Fans of the franchise are blasting the films distributors for trying to capitalize with higher ticket prices on a film that doesnt lend itself to 3D because of director Paul Greengrass hand-held camera work.

That has sent the films distributors  Universal Pictures China branch, China Film Co. Ltd. and Huaxia Film Distribution Co. Ltd.  scrambling to bring in 2D versions. Two film critics even wrote about how the film made them dizzy.

A film sold in 3D can end up grossing a 33% higher profit than 2D because ticket prices are higher  a fact not lost on local Chinese moviegoers, who are accusing the distributors of being greedy at their expense. The film has grossed about $18.7M in two days there.

Another reason, of course, is that 3D helps keeps films from being pirated.

According to local reports, of the 149 movie theaters in Chinas capital of Beijing (which has a population of about 11 million), only eight are ready to present the 2D format. In Shanghai, only nine of 174 theaters have the 2D version, but those are said to be located in areas far outside the city.

The 3D version is a rip-off. Its been happening many times in China and must be stopped, one of the protesters told the Global Times. Chinese moviegoers also have taken to social media to air their grievances.

The Universal Pictures China branch on Wednesday posted a notice on its official Sina Weibo account, saying the company is working on adding more screenings for the 2D version.

Related stories

'Jason Bourne' Storms China With $12.3M Opening Day; Sets Franchise Best

Story continues

Seth Rogen-Bill Hader-Zach Galifianakis Astronaut Comedy Moves Off Release Schedule

China Box Office Still On Track To Overtake U.S. In 2017 Despite Recent Slump: Report
Havana (AFP) - The US airline JetBlue will make the first regular commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than half a century next Wednesday, the Cuban authorities said.

The August 31 inaugural flight -- the first of its kind since 1961 -- is scheduled to take off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and arrive in the central Cuban city Santa Clara.

"The revival of regular direct flights is a positive step and a contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries," Cuban Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez told local media on Thursday.

Wednesday's scheduled journey will kick off a new flight schedule that includes 110 daily trips, with 90 already authorized by both governments to nine Cuban airports, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Twenty daily routes to Havana are pending, with airlines requesting the US authorities to triple that number, Rodriguez said.

With regular commercial flights set to resume, communist Cuba's aging airports are under scrutiny after decades of isolation from the United States during which only charter flights were permitted.

Rodriguez called US skepticism of Cuba's airport safety "unfounded in fact," in line with a statement from the island nation's head of civil aviation security, Armando Garbalosa.

"I can responsibly assure you that the level of security at our airport installations complies with world standards, including the standards of the United States. There is nothing to fear," Garbalosa said last month.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports -- not including Havana -- are American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines.

Their flights will depart from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, slated to land in the Cuban cities Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.

Washington and Havana agreed in February to restore direct commercial flights, one of the watershed changes initiated in December 2014, when US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro announced a thaw after more than 50 years of Cold War hostility.
TOKYO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Japanese government bond prices slipped on Friday, with the market tracking an overnight fall in U.S. Treasuries.

Sentiment was cautious with some bracing for Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen to strike a hawkish tone later in the day, along with other policymakers who have expressed such views over the past week.

Yellen will speak at an annual gathering of world central bankers at Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

The benchmark 10-year JGB yield rose 1.5 basis points to minus 0.075 percent and the 20-year yield was up 1 basis point at 0.265 percent.

Treasuries retreated on Thursday on weak auction results for new seven-year notes and on jitters ahead of Yellen's speech.

(Reporting by the Tokyo markets team; Editing by Subhranshu Sahu)
Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein, who according to the most recent Quinnipiac University Poll data is at 4%, is continuing her crusade to end fossil fuels by 2030.

The candidate joined the FOX Business Network on Friday to explain her stance on the issue, saying it isnt an easy problem to solve, especially following the disastrous flooding in Louisiana, ongoing wildfires along the West Coast and science predicting a sea level rise of nine feet by 2050.

What the science actually says and the studies and the experts say that if we have the political will, we can convert, Stein said. And its not just a matter of shutting down fossil fuelits a matter of creating the good jobs for the economy of the future thats healthy for us as people and healthy for the planet.

Stein and the Green Partys program, the Green New Deal, features four pillars, the first being The Economic Bill of Rights. According to the Party, this guarantees all U.S. citizens the right to employment through a Full Employment Program.

What were talking about here is a guarantee to a job, with federal government as the employer of last resort, explained Stein. This is actually something that American people support. In poll after poll, the notion that if you want to work and youre ready to work, that you deserve to have a job and that the government should provide that job if the private sector cant provide it.

Stein, a medical doctor, added that switching to more environmentally-friendly energy can help fund jobs.

Fortunately, we save so much money by the health improvements from phasing out fossil fuelsits actually enough to pay for those jobs to ensure the green energy transition, Stein said.

The Green Party presidential nominee also discussed her stance on U.S. foreign policy, which currently is a major topic among other candidates and the American people.

The man who is really the author of this concept of U.S. domination of the Middle East and of Asia has now done a 180 to say that this policy has been catastrophiccost us $6 trillion in Afghanistan and Iraq alone. One million people killed in Iraq alone, not winning us the hearts and minds of the Middle East. We can actually take a much more collegial approach because what weve gotten for this is failed states, mass refugee migrations and in fact worse terrorist threats.

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Stein added:

So even at the heart of the establishment that first generated this policy says that we need to start developing principled, collaborative relationships, including with China and Russia. Right now were on the brink of conflict with Russia with 2,000 nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert. This is an extremely dangerous policy that we and NATO have been plunging headlong into. Its time to call halt and reexamine this.

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donald trump

Jim Rogers is worried about Donald Trump.

The legendary investor told Real Vision TV in an interview aired Friday that if the Republican nominee for president wins and implements his currently-stated policies, there will be chaos in financial markets.

"If Mr. Trump does what he says-- I'm just saying what he says-- if he does, it means bankruptcy and war," said Rogers in the interview. "I mean, trade wars. He is determined, he says, to have lots of trade wars. If he does that, that's always, always led to bankruptcy."

Trump has long been an advocate of tighter restrictions on international trade, advocating for tariffs against China and a renegotiation of all the US' major trade deals.

Rogers said that Trump has not learned from the mistakes of history and such policies would be seriously detrimental to the health of the US economy, and could even lead to an actual military conflict.

"One of the, I guess, the main lesson of history is that nobody knows the lessons of history," said Rogers.

"Nobody learns the lessons of history. Even if you know history, which most don't, we don't learn the lessons of history. But they've always lead to trade wars. And trade wars have often led to the real thing."

Rogers, however, did not have much love for Trump's opponent, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, either.

Rogers has been consistently bearish for some time now, and said that a market and economic downturn will still happen under Clinton.

Here's Rogers (emphasis added):

"Now, if Mrs. Clinton wins, same thing, it just takes longer. She doesn't have a clue what she's doing, absolutely, no clue what she's doing. And she'll bank  she'll tax us all and bankruptcy us all, sooner or later, sooner probably. Maybe a little later than if Mr. Trump wins. But either way, there's a bear market in your future. And the two people on the horizon, which apparently one of will win  it's as I said before, these things start slowly, a marginal country, marginal companies, and the next thing you know we're in the midst of a bear market."

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So, according to Rogers, a crash is coming, no matter who wins.

NOW WATCH: Watch the Air Force drop 8 armored Humvees out of a plane from 5,000 feet





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For the last 30 years, President Jimmy Carter and former First Lady Rosalynn Carter have partnered with Habitat for Humanity for the Jimmy & Rosalynn Carter Work Project.

This week,the Carters travelled to Memphis, Tenn, along with country music stars Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood, to build 19 new homes for low-income residents for their 33rd work project.

Carter is still involved in the construction process, working side by side with volunteers on beautification projects and fixing up homes in need. Jonathan Reckford, the CEO of Habitat for Humanity International, said no doubt the Carters have put Habitat on the map.

The former Democratic president tells FOXBusiness.com that one year after his cancer diagnosis, while he doesnt have as much strength as he used to, he can still do all of the jobs he did last year, the year before and 30 years ago when the project first started. He considers himself very lucky.

The projects goal is to raise awareness for affordable and decent housing.

According Reckford, the non-profit is now the largest private homebuilder in the U.S. and says over 95% of the families we touch are outside of the U.S.

In a 2016 report, the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University found that households earning under $25,000 annually made up 45% of the net growth in U.S. households from 2005 to 2015, showing that the need for affordable housing is growing.

Theres nowhere in the U.S. where an individual on a minimum wage can afford a one bedroom apartment Reckford said.

Habitat focuses on building quality homes that are energy efficient allowing for a lower cost of ownership for the family. In addition to the Carter Work Project, Habitat has partnered with other large corporations like Home Depot (NYSE:HD) for home refurbishing projects. Globally, Habitat has teamed up with the likes of Nissan and Dow Chemical (NYSE:DOW.WD).

Both Habitat and Carter agree there has been no progress in improving affordable housing in the U.S.

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Its gone backwards. The federal government realizes now that we have a greater need for affordable housing than ever partially because theres such a growing disparity in income Carter said.

Carter also said this same disparity has shown up in the justice system.

The Justice Department, affordable housing and job capabilities have all gone downhill in the last 35 years he said, pointing out the spike in the number of incarcerated individuals.

When asked about the election, Carter said if anyone has discussed affordable housing on the campaign trail, he hasnt heard it.

The issue is not as high on Americas conscious as it ought to be he said.

When pressed on which candidate would be better for affordable housing, Carter said, in his view, the Democratic Party has, on average, paid more attention to lower income people, but did not mention a specific candidate. To that point, former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has a briefing on her campaign site that states she will increase support for affordable rental housing in the areas that need it most and encourage communities to implement land use strategies that make it easier to build affordable rental housing near good jobs. Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has not mentioned affordable housing while campaigning or written about it on his website.

Reckford added that the topic of affordable housing for low-income Americans doesnt make waves during elections because many influential folks did not grow up in affordable housing.

In light of the devastation from flooding in Louisiana, President Carter said he has no current plans to visit the region but will go if Habitat organizes an event. He notes that hes visited Louisiana five times to build houses and on his last trip built 328 homes across Louisiana, Alabama and Mississippi.

The ripple that the Carters have created goes on and on. Carter noted a man who started with the project 30 years ago and still comes back every year to build houses.

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JinkoSolar Holding Co., Ltd. JKS reported second-quarter 2016 non-GAAP earnings per American Depositary Share (ADS) of $1.86, missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $2.00 by 7%. However, the reported figure increased from earnings of $1.04 per ADS reported in the year-ago quarter.



Total Revenue



In the quarter under review, JinkoSolars total revenue of $896.1 million missed the Zacks Consensus Estimate of $930 million by 3.6%. However, on a year-over-year basis, the top line surged 86.1% primarily on the back of higher shipments and an increase in electricity revenues from solar projects.



Quarterly Highlights



In the second quarter of 2016, total solar product shipments were 1,716 megawatts (MW), up 87.9% year over year primarily due to higher shipments of solar modules, silicon wafers and solar cells. Out of the total shipment, nearly 204 MW were used in downstream projects.



Gross margin contracted to 20.4% from 20.7% in second-quarter 2015. Margin contraction was primarily due to an increase in tariffs paid for solar modules manufactured in the company's Chinese production facilities, which are thereafter shipped to the U.S. markets.



JinkoSolars total operating expenses shot up 79.8% year over year to $115.4 million primarily due to higher shipping and warranty costs, provisions of accounts receivable, and impairment of property, plant and equipment.



The company incurred $18.3 million as interest expenses, up 53% mainly due to an increase in loans used for solar power projects.



JINKOSOLAR HLDG Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise

JINKOSOLAR HLDG Price, Consensus and EPS Surprise | JINKOSOLAR HLDG Quote

Financial Condition



As of Jun 30, 2016, JinkoSolar had cash and cash equivalents of $556.8 million, down from $654.4 million as of Dec 31, 2015.



Total interest bearing debts as of Jun 30, 2016, were $1.81 billion, compared with $1.59 billion as of Dec 31, 2015.



Guidance



JinkoSolar expects third-quarter 2016 total solar module shipment in the range of 1.51.7 gigawatts (GW). For 2016, the company reiterated its total solar module shipments expectation in the band of 66.5 GW.



JinkoSolar expects 600 MW to 800 MW of total project development in 2016, which will be supported by its downstream business.



Peer Releases



JA Solar Holdings Co. Ltd. JASO posted second-quarter 2016 adjusted earnings of 30 cents per diluted American Depositary Share (ADS), missing the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 59 cents by a wide 49.2%. Earnings, however, improved from the year-ago figure of 27 cents by 11.1%.



Yingli Green Energy Holding Company Ltd. YGE, also known as Yingli Solar, reported operating income of 90 cents per ADS in second-quarter 2016. The Zacks Consensus Estimate was a loss of 30 cents. Moreover, in the year-ago quarter, the company had reported a loss of $5.30 per ADS.



Trina Solar Ltd. TSL reported earnings of 42 cents per ADS in the second quarter of 2016, beating the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 34 cents by 23.5%. Earnings were, however, flat with the year-ago level.



Zacks Rank



JinkoSolar currently carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell).



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
Real Housewives of Orange County alumna Lauri Petersons son, Josh Waring, pleaded not guilty to 12 charges in his attempted murder case during a pretrial hearing Friday, August 19.

PHOTOS: Stars at Court

According to court records obtained by Us Weekly, Waring was charged with three counts of attempted murder, two for assault with a firearm and one count each for discharging a firearm at an inhabited dwelling, assault with a deadly weapon other than a firearm, unlawful taking of a vehicle, evading a peace officer/reckless driving, hit-and-run with property damage, resisting a public or peace officer, and battery.



PHOTOS: Celebrity Mugshots

The troubled former reality personality was arrested for suspicion of attempted murder this past June. As previously reported by Us, Waring allegedly shot a 35-year-old man named Daniel Lopez in the torso in Costa Mesa, California, and then engaged in a car chase with local police.



He was arrested after he crashed the stolen vehicle and was charged with three counts of personal use of a firearm and one count of inflicting great bodily injury.

His current bail is set at $1 million according to Radar Online. Waring previously denied shooting the man during an interview from jail with the site.



I had a prior altercation that night, Waring told Radar Online. I was using. I was under the influence, and was chased off the property. It was a mistake of bad timing. Someone came back and shot up the house. Just because of the fact I had priors, I was arrested.

Waring pleaded guilty to a hit-and-run and three felony counts of possession of a controlled substance in 2008. During season 3 of the hit Bravo show, Peterson sought treatment at a rehab facility.

PHOTOS: Before They Were Real Housewives!

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On Friday, Massachusetts probate judge George Phelan heard arguments concerning a settlement that would resolve outgoing Viacom chief Philippe Dauman's claim of wrongfully being removed as a trustee on the Sumner Redstone entity that indirectly holds voting control over the fate of Viacom and CBS. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge told the parties he wasn't quite ready to sign off on a stipulation that would allow Dauman to back out of the case. However, the parties may be reconvening later this afternoon in the courtroom after further efforts are made to satisfy concerns by Sumner Redstone's granddaughter.

Dauman and George Abrams filed their lawsuit in May and alleged that 93-year-old Sumner Redstone lacked mental capacity to effectuate a removal. After the judge refused to dismiss the case, and set up a trial in September, a complicated settlement was crafted involving Viacom, Sumner Redstone's National Amusements and others. The deal contemplates Dauman's departure from Viacom. He'll get an exit package estimated to be between $72 million and $95 million and withdraw his claims in the Massachusetts case.

But Sumner Redstone's granddaughter Keryn Redstone, who is a beneficiary of the Trust and has her own cross-claims in the case, has stepped forward to raise objection to the stipulation arrived by Dauman and the Redstone camp.

"You need to know in approving the settlement why they changed their mind because it's important," stated Pierce O'Donnell at today's hearing. "I suspect if we ask Redstone, he doesn't know abou it... I submit that an incompetent Sumner Redstone can't bless a settlement."

Judge Phelan asked the attorney representing Dauman and Abrams whether his client was willing to sign an affidavit attesting to the fact they think that Sumner Redstone is mentally competent. "In light of very strong claims, I'm wondering why the plaintiffs wouldn't make a statement," the judge said.

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The plaintiffs' lawyer danced around the suggestion, saying he'd need to check, but wasn't sure he could deliver one way or the other.

At the hearing, an attorney for Shari Redstone also spoke up, arguing that Dauman and Abrams have already resigned from the Trust, that they can't be compelled to continue serving, and thus they have no standing to assert claims.

"The notion that the [Keryn Redstone's] cross-claims are prejudiced by [Dauman's] claims being withdrawn doesn't make sense because they are no longer serving as trustees," he said. "To the extent that she wants to challenge the actions of the Trust, she's still free to do that."

O'Donnell responded to this by acknowledging that Dauman and Abrams can resign "but it's a breach of fiduciary duty to abandon" claims contesting Sumner Redstone's capacity if they, as trustees, truly believe his will is being usurped.

Sumner Redstone's own attorney Rob Klieger has cast aspersions on O'Donnell's motives in the case, arguing in court papers that the attorney is contesting a settlement on one hand, yet pursuing a settlement for his own clients on the other. He also told the judge today that he suspected O'Donnell hoped that Dauman would "carry the water" in terms of the costs in the litigation.

Judge Phelan asked Klieger if the attorney advised Sumner Redstone to talk with Keryn. The elder Redstone has thus far refused, Klieger responded. The judge said he preferred if the two met face-to-face.

Klieger tried to express some optimism about a resolution, for example by having the Trust make clarifications about distributions under the trust and giving Keryn Redstone some assurances that she will be treated fairly. The attorney said that he'd work on Redstone to arrange a face-to-face and even suggested a mediation. Klieger said, "I don't want my client to be fighting lawsuits as long as the time he has left."

The judge said this would be "reasonable" and might lead to a cooling off. Phelan was especially keen on restoring peace in the family. O'Donnell also liked the idea, but still wanted the judge to push off on approving the stipulation. Dauman's lawyer stood up to urge the judge to dismiss his client from the case. The judge wouldn't give in, hoping for "positive direction," and asked the parties to report to him by the end of the day.
By PTI: From Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Aug 26 (PTI) The 19th SAARC Summit will be held in Islamabad on November 9 and 10, Pakistan announced today.

"The Prime Minister of Pakistan (Nawaz Sharif) has invited the leaders of SAARC Member States to grace the Summit with their presence" and is looking forward to welcoming them in Islamabad, the Foreign Office here said in a statement.

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However, it remains unclear whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Pakistan for the summit given the strain in bilateral ties over the issue of cross border terrorism.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had visited Pakistan earlier this month for the SAARC Home Ministers meeting during which the chill in ties was evident while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley skipped the ongoing SAARC Finance Ministers meeting and instead sent Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das to represent India at the meet.

Pakistan Foreign Office said that nine observers of SAARC have also been invited to attend the summit.

The preparations for successfully hosting the summit in Islamabad are being made by Pakistan, the statement said.

In order to give impetus to the process of preparations, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry today inaugurated a SAARC Summit Cell at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The SAARC Summit Cell is headed by Ambassador Amjad Sial, who is a senior diplomat and Pakistans nominee for the next SAARC Secretary General.

The SAARC Summit Cell will closely work with all stakeholders and concerned authorities in Pakistan. It will also liaise with the member states, SAARC observers and the SAARC secretariat for organisation of the summit, the statement said.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is comprised of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. PTI SH ASK ASK

--- ENDS ---
(Recasts to reflect agreement)

By Ross Kerber and Jessica Toonkel

CANTON, Mass., Aug 26 (Reuters) - The granddaughter of Viacom Inc's controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone has agreed to let a Massachusetts court dismiss claims brought by former company leaders, a step that will help end a battle over the fate of the media empire.

Lawyers for Keryn Redstone said at a Massachusetts court hearing on Friday they have also agreed to mediate remaining parts of her family dispute and that she will have an in-person meeting with her 93-year-old grandfather.

"There will be peace in the Redstone valley" said Keryn Redstone's attorney Pierce O'Donnell, speaking to reporters after the hearing at Norfolk County Probate and Family Court in Canton, Massachusetts.

Keryn Redstone's interest in a family trust is worth $1 billion, he said.

While some terms must still be hammered out, Friday's agreements will help end an ongoing legal saga over whether Redstone was mentally competent when he removed former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams from a trust that will determine the fate of his media empire.

On Saturday, Viacom announced that it had come to an agreement with Redstone, and his privately-held National Amusements Inc, which owns 80 percent of the voting shares of Viacom and CBS Corp [nL1N1B10MX}.

Dauman has stepped down as CEO and will receive as much as $90 million in cash and stock-based compensation, according to the agreement.

But Keryn Redstone, who is Shari Redstone's niece and was replaced as a trustee in 2012, had challenged the validity of the settlement agreement because she believes her grandfather is being manipulated by his daughter Shari.

Under the settlement, the board of Viacom added the five directors that National Amusements put forward in June, bringing the board to 15 directors after Dauman departs. Three of those directors are expected to step down after Viacom's annual meeting next year, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters last week.

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Despite that settlement, Keryn Redstone filed a cross-complaint in connection to Dauman's lawsuit. In a filing on Thursday she also questioned if Dauman's side did enough to assure themselves that Redstone had the mental capacity to understand the terms.

Friday's court hearing drew about two dozen lawyers representing the various Redstone family members plus Dauman, Abrams and others. A morning session included heated moments as it became clear that most of the family was looking to end the litigation, while O'Donnell sought to raise questions about Redstone's mental capacity.

Sumner Redstone has not spoken on an investor call since 2014 and has not spoken directly about the settlement since it was announced this month.

Attorney Robert Klieger portrayed Sumner Redstone's health as stable, saying the aging media mogul has had "no recent hospitalizations." There is, Klieger said, "No reason to believe that Mr. Redstone will not still be here with us for the duration of this case on any reasonable schedule." (Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
* Judge had sentenced Pistorius to six-year jail term * Unclear if prosecution will appeal Masipa latest ruling * Manslaughter conviction was upgraded to murder on appeal * Pistorius was not present at Friday's hearing (Adds quotes, legal analyst, details) By Tanisha Heiberg JOHANNESBURG, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A South African judge dismissed on Friday a request by state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, the latest twist in a trial that has captured global headlines. The multiple gold medal-winning Paralympian, serving six years for murdering his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 2013, was not in court on Friday when the judge ruled that the state's petition had no reasonable prospects of success on appeal. Women's rights groups in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women say Pistorius has received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status. His backers say he did not intend to kill Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced the Paralympic gold medallist to six years behind bars in July for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013, but the prosecution had said the decision was "shockingly lenient". Pistorius' defence had earlier argued the state was prejudiced and had dragged the case on too long, adding in their court documents that "enough is enough". "I'm not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal or that another court may find differently," Masipa said in her ruling, dismissing the state's application. Masipa originally sentenced Pistorius in 2014 after he was found guilty of manslaughter, but that conviction was increased to murder by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in December. The subsequent six-year sentence she passed in July was also criticised by women's groups for being too lenient. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who had sought 15 years for Pistorius for the murder conviction, told Reuters he could not comment. Nel has said Pistorius had not shown any remorse and had yet to explain why he fired the fatal shots. "His remorse and or prospects of rehabilitating could not be tested," Nel argued before Masipa's ruling, referring to Pistorius' decision not to testify at the sentencing hearings. It was unclear whether the state would appeal Friday's ruling. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman was not available to comment. 'LIKELY TO APPEAL' Both the Pistorius and Steenkamp families declined to comment following Masipa's ruling. Pistorius, who had the lower part of his legs amputated when he was a baby, says he fired four shots into the toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home in the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it. His defence has argued that his disability and mental stress that occurred in the aftermath of the killing should be considered as mitigating circumstances. "This trial and this process has been exhausted beyond any conceivable exhaustive process," his main defence lawyer Barry Roux said in a brief rebuttal. The track star was treated in hospital for wrist injuries earlier this month, but prison officials said Pistorius denied trying to kill himself. The incident coincided with the first day of competition in the Rio Olympic Games. Friday's ruling raised further division, with South Africans taking opposite sides on the issue in social media. Legal analysts were equally divided on whether prosecutors would appeal Masipa's ruling to the supreme court. "In my experience over the years, the Supreme Court of Appeal has placed a lot of confidence in our High Courts, and I must say, I would be surprised if they had to accept the petition," said Johannesburg-based lawyer Ulrich Roux. Criminal law attorney Zola Majavu said the state had a chance of success if they appealed to the supreme court. "Remember it was the same SCA that overturned her conviction on culpable homicide. So if I were in Gerrie Nel's shoes I would persist so that the SCA can pronounce on the matter," he said. (Additional reporting by Zimasa Mpemnyama; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Dominic Evans)
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African judge said on Friday she would not grant permission to state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, saying their petition had no reasonable prospects of success. Judge Thokozile Masipa Masipa had sentenced the Paralympic gold medallist in July for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013, but the prosecution had said the decision was too lenient. Pistorius' defence had earlier argued the state was prejudiced and had dragged the case on for too long "I'm not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal or that another court may find differently," she said in her ruling. "For that reason, I grant the following order: The application for leave to appeal is dismissed with costs." Pistorius did not attend Friday's hearing. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who had sought 15 years for Pistorius for the murder conviction, told Reuters he could not comment. It was not immediately clear whether the state would now directly petition the Supreme Court of Appeal. Nel has said Pistorius had not shown any remorse and had yet to explain why he fired the fatal shots. Women's rights groups say Pistorius has received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status. His backers say he did not intend to kill Steenkamp. Pistorius, who had the lower part of his legs amputated when he was a baby, says he fired four shots into the toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home in the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it. His defence has argued that his disability and mental stress that occurred in the aftermath of the killing should be considered as mitigating circumstances. (Reporting by Tanisha Heiberg; Writing by James Macharia; editing by Dominic Evans)
By Tanisha Heiberg JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - A South African judge dismissed on Friday a request by state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, the latest twist in a trial that has captured global headlines. The multiple gold medal-winning Paralympian, serving six years for murdering his girlfriend on Valentine's Day 2013, was not in court on Friday when the judge ruled that the state's petition had no reasonable prospects of success on appeal. Women's rights groups in a country beset by high levels of violent crime against women say Pistorius has received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status. His backers say he did not intend to kill Steenkamp. Judge Thokozile Masipa sentenced the Paralympic gold medallist to six years behind bars in July for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013, but the prosecution had said the decision was "shockingly lenient". Pistorius' defence had earlier argued the state was prejudiced and had dragged the case on too long, adding in their court documents that "enough is enough". "I'm not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal or that another court may find differently," Masipa said in her ruling, dismissing the state's application. Masipa originally sentenced Pistorius in 2014 after he was found guilty of manslaughter, but that conviction was increased to murder by the Supreme Court of Appeal (SCA) in December. The subsequent six-year sentence she passed in July was also criticised by women's groups for being too lenient. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who had sought 15 years for Pistorius for the murder conviction, told Reuters he could not comment. Nel has said Pistorius had not shown any remorse and had yet to explain why he fired the fatal shots. "His remorse and or prospects of rehabilitating could not be tested," Nel argued before Masipa's ruling, referring to Pistorius' decision not to testify at the sentencing hearings. It was unclear whether the state would appeal Friday's ruling. The National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) spokesman was not available to comment. 'LIKELY TO APPEAL' Both the Pistorius and Steenkamp families declined to comment following Masipa's ruling. Pistorius, who had the lower part of his legs amputated when he was a baby, says he fired four shots into the toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home in the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it. His defence has argued that his disability and mental stress that occurred in the aftermath of the killing should be considered as mitigating circumstances. "This trial and this process has been exhausted beyond any conceivable exhaustive process," his main defence lawyer Barry Roux said in a brief rebuttal. The track star was treated in hospital for wrist injuries earlier this month, but prison officials said Pistorius denied trying to kill himself. The incident coincided with the first day of competition in the Rio Olympic Games. Friday's ruling raised further division, with South Africans taking opposite sides on the issue in social media. Legal analysts were equally divided on whether prosecutors would appeal Masipa's ruling to the supreme court. "In my experience over the years, the Supreme Court of Appeal has placed a lot of confidence in our High Courts, and I must say, I would be surprised if they had to accept the petition," said Johannesburg-based lawyer Ulrich Roux. Criminal law attorney Zola Majavu said the state had a chance of success if they appealed to the supreme court. "Remember it was the same SCA that overturned her conviction on culpable homicide. So if I were in Gerrie Nel's shoes I would persist so that the SCA can pronounce on the matter," he said. (Additional reporting by Zimasa Mpemnyama; Writing by James Macharia; Editing by Dominic Evans)
By Ross Kerber and Jessica Toonkel

CANTON, Mass. (Reuters) - A Massachusetts judge on Friday told attorneys to see if they could agree to resolve at least parts of a lingering family dispute over the fate of the empire built by Sumner Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Viacom Inc (VIAB.O).

Judge George Phelan gave the instruction before declaring a break in a hearing on Friday that is part of the ongoing legal saga over whether Redstone was mentally competent when he removed former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams from a trust that will determine the fate of his media empire.

The proceedings likely will not affect the removal of Dauman and Abrams from Viacom and Redstone's trust, according to people familiar with the situation.

On Saturday, Viacom announced that it had come to an agreement with Redstone, and his privately-held National Amusements Inc, which owns 80 percent of the voting shares of Viacom and CBS Corp (CBS.N).

Dauman has stepped down as CEO and will receive as much as $90 million in cash and stock-based compensation, according to the agreement.

But Keryn Redstone, who is Shari Redstone's niece and was replaced as a trustee in 2012, is challenging the validity of the settlement agreement because she believes her grandfather is being manipulated by his daughter Shari.

Under the settlement, the board of Viacom added the five directors that National Amusements put forward in June, bringing the board to 15 directors after Dauman departs. Three of those directors are expected to step down after Viacom's annual meeting next year, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters last week.

Despite that settlement, Redstone's granddaughter Keryn Redstone has filed a cross-complaint in connection to Dauman's lawsuit. In a filing on Thursday she also questioned if Dauman's side did enough to assure themselves that Redstone had the mental capacity to understand the terms.

At the hearing on Friday in Norfolk County Probate and Family Court in Canton, Massachusetts, Judge Phelan said that he has "some concerns about what information was being given to Sumner."

Phelan urged attorneys for the various sides to see if they could resolve some of Keryn Redstone's concerns, such as by amending trust documents or arranging for her to speak with her grandfather via a video link.
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LONDON  A judge has sentenced a man to jail after he refused to carry out a community service order and then bragged about it on his Facebook page.

David Newlands, 24, was sentenced to 150 hours community service back in January after he and a group of seven others chased a man with learning difficulties through the streets.

SEE ALSO: Convicted racist calls judge the c-word, judge responds with c-word

Newlands, who the BBC reports was given two chances to complete the community service, shared the following update on Facebook back in June.

Image: facebook

After Newlands refused to complete his community service, he was ordered to return to court, where the Judge had an unexpected response to his Facebook post.

"It's always interesting to see a different view on sentencing as in 'Am out bro easy'," Judge Ritchie told Newlands.

"As they say, lol.

"I have given you two chances," he continued. "You didn't take the chances. I hope you don't think I'm doing this out of anger. In truth it enlivened what was otherwise a dull day."

Newland has now been sent to jail for nine months.
(Reuters) - The judge who gave a six-month jail term to a former Stanford University swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious young woman will stop hearing criminal cases, a court official said on Thursday, after a firestorm of criticism.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky has requested to be assigned to the court's civil division, more than two months after imposing the controversial sentence on Brock Allen Turner, 20, for the January 2015 attack, Presiding Judge Rise Jones Pichon said in a statement.

"Judge Persky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment," Pichon said.

He will begin his civil court assignment on Sept. 6, Pichon said.

Persky has received death threats, faced a recall effort and several online petitions seeking his removal in a furor of criticism for what was perceived as a lenient sentence. Prosecutors had asked for Turner to be jailed for six years.

The uproar over the sentence, fueled in part by the victim's harrowing letter in which she detailed the assault, is part of growing outrage over sexual assault on U.S. college campuses.

In response to the sentence, lawmakers in California are moving a bill through the legislature that prohibits anyone convicted of sexual assault in the state from being sentenced just to probation.

"Sentencing a felon convicted of such a crime to probation re-victimizes the victim, discourages other victims from coming forward and sends the message that sexual assault of incapacitated victims is no big deal, said California Assemblymember Bill Dodd, who introduced the measure in June.

The announcement of Persky's move to civil cases comes two days after women's groups and social media users criticized as too lenient the two years' probation given to a Massachusetts student athlete who sexually assaulted two women as they slept.

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David Becker, 18, a former three-sport athlete from East Longmeadow High School in western Massachusetts, escaped jail time even though prosecutors recommended a two-year sentence.

The judge in that case, Thomas Estes, in District Court in Palmer, Massachusetts, declined to comment.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Paul Tait)
By PTI: New Delhi, Aug 26 (PTI) "Rampant" adulteration of diesel was taking place in petrol pumps and millions of litres of kerosene were being siphoned off as owners and dealers were "very powerful people like politicians", the Supreme Court said today.

"It is not a happy situation. It is something which is rampant and unfortunate and very powerful people like politicians have petrol pumps. They can tamper with the machine. They are the people who will resist the change," a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur observed.

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"Go to small and rural areas, all types of people are at play. Criminals and politicians," the bench said while expressing serious concern over the matter.

"How do you prevent adulteration? How to stop it? Is there any strategy," it asked, adding that "millions of litres of kerosene is siphoned off."

The bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, made the remarks while ordering a probe by a joint secretary rank officer of Ministry of Petroleum against Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party MLA, Devendra alias Mukesh Agarwal, who has been accused by his rival BSP leader Seema Upadhyay of indulging in adulteration of diesel at petrol pumps owned or operated by him through benami names.

It also asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to file an affidavit on behalf of the Ministry spelling out measures to stop adulteration and siphoning off of subsidised kerosene.

The bench, which did not pay heed to Kumars submission that private interest was being raised under the garb of PIL by a rival politician, directed that the inquiry report be submitted to the apex court within six weeks.

It said the inquiry officer should send notice to Agarwal, an MLA from Sadabad in Hathras district, to get his response on the allegation of Upadhyay, also a former MP.

It asked the Ministry to examine various options to check adulteration in petrol and diesel including the possibility of installing machines which can detect adulteration.

Upadhyays counsel Rajeev Sharma said it was not a question of political rivalry between the two leaders but an attempt was being made to show how rampant adulteration in petroleum products was and how the "oil mafia" works. (more) PTI MNL ABA RKS ARC

--- ENDS ---
Yeezy Yeezy Yeezy just jumped over the whole crowd!

Kanye West kicked off his "Saint Pablo" tour in Indianapolis, Indiana, on Thursday night in decidedly epic Kanye fashion via a floating platform that towered over the audience.

Scooter Braun, a friend and consultant to the 39-year-old rapper, raved about the set design from the audience on Instagram, writing, "The world has never seen anything like this!"

MORE: Kanye West Writes 'McDonald's' Poem for Frank Ocean's 'Boys Don't Cry' Magazine, Fast Food Chain Responds

"Tonight @kanyewest killed it. And @trvisxx ...he had fun. #saintpablotour #openingnight #indy #feltlikeakid #damnthatwasfun #yeezy," Braun captioned a video of the audience jumping up and down while basically being consumed by bass. (WARNING: Minor NSFW language).

The crowd was very taken with the elaborate stage, as seen in various fan videos and photos shared from the concert.

MORE: Kanye West Opens 21 'Life of Pablo' Pop-Up Shops Worldwide

And the "Famous" rapper tried to share the love back -- even though it proved difficult from his perch!

West has tour dates planned in North America through the end of October, and has made quite the effort to promote his new album on a grand scale.

WATCH: Kanye West Rages Against Kylie Jenner Signing With Puma on 'KUWTK'

Last weekend, the rapper rolled out 21 temporary Life of Pablo pop-up stores worldwide, selling album merchandise clothing that was unique to each of the cities it was sold in.

And one can only guess what we'll be seeing from West at this weekend's MTV Video Music Awards in NYC. He doesn't have a show planned that night (he'll be performing in the relatively close city of Toronto the following night), and if history is anything to go by, we may be looking forward to a very lively night from our favorite musician/designer/awards show speech maker!

MORE: The 17 Yeeziest Moments That Ever Happened!

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Watch the video below for what to expect (and not expect) from this year's VMAs.

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Geneva (AFP) - US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held marathon talks in Geneva on Friday for an expected push towards resuming peace talks for war-ravaged Syria.

The two diplomats met on and off for nearly 12 hours at a luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva, taking sporadic breaks to consult with their teams before resuming the meet.

They were briefly joined by the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, who had said Thursday the talks would be "important", and could help his drive to revive the stalled negotiations.

Asked during a break how the meeting was proceeding, Lavrov responded: "Excellent".

After a long day spent mostly behind closed doors, it was unclear whether anything had been agreed or if the two powers were readying to make an announcement about a possible path forward to ease the devastating crisis in Syria.

De Mistura had voiced hope of bringing the warring parties back to the negotiating table by the end of August, but that deadline looks sure to slip in the face of intense fighting on the ground.

Successive rounds of international negotiations have failed to end a conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions from their homes in more than five years.

Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the war, which erupted in March 2011 after President Bashar al-Assad unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt.

Russia is one of Assad's most important international backers while the US supports Syria's main opposition alliance and some rebels.

- Aid to Aleppo -

Friday's meeting came as the conflict became further complicated by Ankara's decision this week to send tanks into Syria to back rebel fighters.

The Turkish-backed fighters have seized the Syrian border town of Jarabulus from the Islamic State (IS) group, while Turkish forces have also shelled a Syrian Kurdish militia that it considers to be a terror group.

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Ankara's hostility to the YPG however also puts it at loggerheads with its NATO ally the United States, which works with the group on the ground in the fight against IS.

The Russian air force has meanwhile been carrying out air strikes in Syria since September last year, claiming it only targets extremists.

The West and the Syrian opposition have accused it of hitting civilian targets in rebel-held areas -- claims that Moscow denies.

But the US and Russia have a common foe in IS, and they have been in contact on efforts to establish military cooperation against the jihadists.

The two countries co-chair a UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, which has been struggling to ensure access for desperately-needed aid across the country.

The UN on Friday described the lack of humanitarian access to Syria's besieged areas as "wholly unacceptable", saying just one aid convoy had completed deliveries this month.

According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, most surrounded by government forces, although rebels and Islamists also use the tactic.

Syria's battered second city Aleppo, which is divided between government and opposition control but surrounded by loyalist forces, has emerged as a top concern.

Russia last week gave its blessing to a long-demanded 48-hour pause in fighting in the northern city to allow in aid, but de Mistura on Thursday accused other unspecified parties of still dragging their feet.

There was hope that Friday's talks between Kerry and Lavrov might help boost those efforts.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed that they would together push for aid to reach Aleppo.

In telephone talks "the two leaders... agreed to accelerate efforts to ensure help reaches people in Aleppo," the state-run Anadolu news agency said, adding that Erdogan briefed Putin on the current Turkish operation inside Syria.
By Lesley Wroughton and Stephanie Nebehay GENEVA (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russia's Sergei Lavrov sought on Friday to finalize an agreement on fighting Islamist militants in Syria as the first evacuees left a besieged Damascus surbub under a plan which has aroused the U.N.'s concern. A deal on fighting jihadists in Syria could help lead to an end to fighting between the army and its militia allies on one side and non-jihadist rebels opposed to President Bashar al-Assad. This could pave the way for talks on a political transition to end the five-year Syrian conflict. As Kerry and the Russian foreign minister met at a hotel on Lake Geneva, residents and insurgents began to leave the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya where civilians have been trapped since 2012, Reuters witnesses said. Rebels and Syria's army agreed the plan on Thursday to evacuate all the 4,000 residents and some 700 insurgents from Daraya in the coming days, ending one of the longest stand-offs in the civil war. But the United Nations was not consulted on the plan and U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and U.N. humanitarian coordinator Stephen O'Brien, voiced deep concern about it on Friday. Civilians should be evacuated only if their safety could be guaranteed and it was on a voluntary basis, they said. "It is imperative that people of Daraya are protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily," de Mistura, who leads U.N. political and humanitarian efforts in Syria, said in a statement after holding talks with Kerry and Lavrov. ISSUES TO RESOLVE Senior White House officials from the National Security Council (NSC) joined the talks between Kerry and Lavrov, which broke after four hours, but were set to resume later. While Kerry said this week that technical teams from both sides were close to the end of their discussions, U.S. officials indicated it was too early to say whether an agreement was likely. "There are still issues that need to be ironed out," a senior State Department official said. "We're hopeful that today could see resolution on at least some of them, and that we can move this plan forward," the official said, "But we're mindful of the challenges." When Kerry launched the Syrian cooperation talks in July during a visit to Moscow, the proposal involved Washington and Moscow sharing military intelligence to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State and grounding the Syrian air force to stop it from attacking moderate rebel groups. Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more. The talks take place just days after Syrian rebels backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes entered Jarablus, one of Islamic State's last strongholds on the Turkish-Syrian border. Turkish military shelled the Kurdish militia, the People's Protection Units, or YPG, south of Jarablus and demanded the YPG retreat beyond the Euphrates River within a week. The YPG had moved west of the river earlier this month as part of a U.S.-backed operation, now completed, to capture the city of Manbij from Islamic State. Turkey's stance puts it at odds with Washington, which sees the YPG as a rare reliable ally on the ground in Syria. (Additional reporting by Lisa Barrington in Beirut and Firas Makdesi and Kinda Makieh in Damascus; Editing by Richard Balmforth)
George Hamilton+Sunscreen

KFC is giving away 3,000 more bottles of fried-chicken scented sunscreen.

On Monday, the chicken chain first gave away 3,000 free bottles of Col. Sanders' Extra Crispy Sunscreen and according to the company, the bottles were all claimed within three hours.

As a result, KFC decided to give away another batch of the sunscreen at ExtraCrispySunscreen.com. On Friday, the company will again be giving away the sunscreen on a first-come, first-serve basis while supplies last. There's a limit of one bottle per household.

"Suntan lotion always smells like lotion," KFC CMO Kevin Hochman told Business Insider last week. "So we thought  why not make it smell like fried chicken?"

KFC is following up the sunscreen stunt with a new sponsored Snapchat filter, which will be available this Saturday. The filter is Colonel Sanders themed, allowing users to morph their faces into a version of the Colonel, complete with glasses, bowtie, goatee, and age spots.

Snapchat KFC

The Snapchat filter and the sunscreen come on the heels of the June launch of an ad campaign starring George Hamilton as the "Extra Crispy Colonel," promoting the chain's Extra Crispy Chicken.

According to Hochman, response to the Extra Crispy Colonel's ads "blew away [KFC's] expectations," prompting the company to look into new ways to extend the summer campaign. Then, someone suggested KFC sunscreen.

In addition to trying to evoke childhood memories of KFC's distinctive scent, the chicken chain is taking notes from international marketing campaigns.

In May, KFC debuted edible nail polish in Hong Kong, as a play on the chain's "finger lickin' good" slogan. The promotion quickly went viral, providing an example of the marketing power that the limited run of a weird product mashup can have in the connected world of social media.

The fried-chicken sunscreen went similarly viral. KFC's original tweet about the product has been retweeted more than 2,000 times, and the sunscreen has been featured in articles at publications including Business Insider, Fortune, USA Today, and even The Weather Channel.

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But the real question is, how does the sunscreen actually smell?

KFC_Sunscreen_Product

Sniff-testers described the sunscreen as smelling like everything from maple syrup, to savory spices, to Milk Bar's cereal milk. One person said it smelled just as intended  like fried chicken's crispy outer coating. Others had less positive things to say.

"I hate you, KFC. I hate you, Col. Sanders. And, I hate you, Uppercut Marketing of Addison, Texas, for creating this promotional campaign," James Grebey wrote in his Insider review of what he calls the 'putrid' sunscreen. "I now associate the smell of Kentucky Fried Chicken with an inedible gloopy paste that I once put on my face in the name of #content, rather than food."

In May 2015, KFC kicked off a new era in marketing with the reintroduction of Colonel Sanders. Since then, the brand has debuted a number of variations on the Colonel, a "Re-Colonelization" program, and new menu items including a take on the regional classic, Nashville Hot Chicken. Now, the brand has a sunscreen.

This may not be the end of KFC's venture into creating mashups between fried chicken and everyday products. While Hochman says the chicken chain is "probably not" going to release an entire line of male grooming products, he hints the chicken chain may be releasing similar products in the future.

"Why wouldn't you want to smell like fried chicken?" he asks.

NOW WATCH: I tried the Whopperrito  Burger Kings Whopper now in burrito form





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Theres really only one way North Korean dictator Kim Jong-Un could celebrate a successful missile launch: with fireworks and a coordinated dance party, of course.

Pyongyang honored its annual Military First holiday on Thursday, shortly after North Korea successfully launched a ballistic missile from a submarine. The missile flew more than 300 miles in a high trajectory before landing in the Sea of Japan; once operational, it could fly as far as 620 miles.

According to North Korean state media, Kim called it the success of all successes.

Photos published by North Korean media outlets show Kim hugging military officials to celebrate the test, and huge crowds who took to the streets of the capital to dance and watch fireworks in Kim Il-sung Square.

Officials in Washington and South Korea criticized the test, and called for Pyongyang to de-escalate its ongoing missile campaign, which is intended to showcase the isolated countrys supposed military force. It has heightened tensions between North Korea and Japan and South Korea, who worry that North Koreas increasingly sophisticated missile systems could potentially overwhelm even advanced missile defenses already in place.

This week, North Korean officials threatened to turn both Washington and Seoul into a heap of ashes if they made moves to invade North Korean territory.

Below, Foreign Policy has embedded photos released by North Korean state media during Kims celebrations:

People watch a television screen reporting news of North Korea's latest submarine-launched ballistic missile test at a railway station in Seoul on August 25, 2016. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared a recent submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test the "greatest success", Pyongyang's state media said on August 25. / AFP / JUNG YEON-JE (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

A man walks past a television screen showing North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un celebrating its latest submarine-launched ballistic missile test at a railway station in Seoul on August 25, 2016. North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un declared a recent submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) test the "greatest success", Pyongyang's state media said on August 25. / AFP / JUNG YEON-JE (Photo credit should read JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images)

This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 25, 2016 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) laughing as he inspects a test-fire of strategic submarine-launched ballistic missile at an undisclosed location. / AFP / KCNA / KNS / South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT / SOUTH KOREA OUT ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. / (Photo credit should read KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

This undated picture released from North Korea's official Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) on August 25, 2016 shows North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un (C) waving as he inspects a test-fire of strategic submarine-launched ballistic missile at an undisclosed location. / AFP / KCNA / KNS / South Korea OUT / REPUBLIC OF KOREA OUT / SOUTH KOREA OUT ---EDITORS NOTE--- RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE - MANDATORY CREDIT "AFP PHOTO/KCNA VIA KNS" - NO MARKETING NO ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS - DISTRIBUTED AS A SERVICE TO CLIENTS THIS PICTURE WAS MADE AVAILABLE BY A THIRD PARTY. AFP CAN NOT INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, LOCATION, DATE AND CONTENT OF THIS IMAGE. THIS PHOTO IS DISTRIBUTED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED BY AFP. / (Photo credit should read KNS/AFP/Getty Images)

Photo credit: JUNG YEON-JE/AFP/Getty Images
Anne McMaster, a retired nurse in Seattle with a serious allergy to bees, used to buy a new EpiPen every year when her current one expired. That stopped about three years ago when her out-of-pocket costs for the potentially life-saving medication spiked and she couldn't afford the higher price. Instead, she just kept her old injector, figuring an expired EpiPen is better than no EpiPen at all.

"I would never tell anyone else to do it because of the risks of it not working," McMaster says. "But for me, it was a risk I had to take."

Although there are some lower-cost alternative injectors on the market, and Mylan, the maker of EpiPen, says it is introducing programs to make the device more affordable for consumers, many Americans are wondering whether it is indeed okay to use expired EpiPens.

It's important to replace your epinephrine injector before the expiration date stamped on the pen. Thats because epinephrine deteriorates over time and relying on an outdated one (past the standard 12- to 18-month expiration date) can leave you with an auto-injector that's less effective, or not effective at all, when you most need it.

But what should you do if you are having an allergic emergency and the only injector you have is an expired one? It's probably better to use it than not, some experts say.

"If a patient were to experience an allergic emergency that required use of epinephrine and the only injector available was an outdated one, I would use it," says Andrew Murphy, M.D., a board-certified allergist at the Asthma, Allergy and Sinus Center in West Chester, Pa. "The risk would be that the epinephrine would have degraded and you may not get an optimal dose."

An April 2015 study in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma & Immunology looked at 35 expired EpiPens and found that injectors that were up to two years past their expiration date could retain 90 percent or more of the initial dose listed on labeling.

Murphy stresses that you shouldn't use any injector, even if it's technically not expired, if the medicine is pink or brown (instead of colorless), cloudy, or contains solid particles. In that case, "the medicine clearly has decayed and the injector should not be used at all," Murphy says.

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Murphy also says that anytime you use an auto-injectorexpired or notyou should call 911 or go to the emergency room, even if the shot seems to be working. That's because severe allergic reactions can require more than just a shot of epinephrine.



Storing and Disposing EpiPens

Be sure to store epinephrine auto-injector properly. And that doesn't mean in the refrigerator: Extremes of heat or cold can degrade the medicine, as can exposure to light and humidity. So while you might need to carry one around with you, when you are at home or work store it at room temperature in a dry, dark place. And while it might be tempting to keep a spare in the glove compartment of your car, that's probably not a good idea because it can get too hot or cold, in there. If your child needs one while at school, ask the nurse to keep it. Many schools have special lockers for such medicines.



It's also important to properly dispose of expired EpiPens or used injectors, says Barbara Young, Pharm.D., of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

Auto-injectors thrown into in your household trash could prick or injure people or pets in your home. Instead, if you've used the injector, give the device to the healthcare professional you saw afterward. Take expired EpiPens to a doctors office, hospital, or pharmacy for disposal, Young says.

You can find a drop-off location near you at SafeNeedleDisposal.org.

A final tip: When filling an EpiPen prescription, ask the pharmacist to give you auto-injectors with the latest expiration date.

Editor's Note: This article and related materials are made possible by a grant from the state Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, which is funded by the multistate settlement of consumer-fraud claims regarding the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin (gabapentin).





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Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (ticker: KKD), the haven of all food concoctions, is actively trying to make you cry with joy due to its latest (and arguably greatest) food mashup: The Reese's Peanut Butter Doughnut.

That's right: Krispy Kreme and The Hershey Co. (HSY) -- the owner of Reese's -- have apparently tapped into one of the most important indulgences of our time. The doughnut features chocolate icing, Reese's peanut butter chips, vanilla biscuit crumbs and even a chocolate drizzle on top. Oh, and there's also a milkshake.

Alas, this doughnut is too good to be true for American consumers -- for now. This iteration hails from Australia. The United Kingdom is also no stranger to the mashup, as the Tech Times reported its availability in Great Britain in 2015. Krispy Kreme's United Kingdom website currently features a Reese's Peanut Butter & Jelly doughnut.

But fear not, America. Thrillist pointed out there's already a Change.org petition asking Krispy Kreme to start serving these doughnuts in the U.S., currently at 152 signatures. That number might look measly now, but don't count out the intensity of supporters like Lisa Cruz from Pearland, Texas. "Reese's peanut butter cup donuts are on my bucket list to eat before I die," she writes. "Please also bring them to the U.S. Please, pretty please."

Krispy Kreme previously teamed with soft-drink bottling company Cheerwine to create a doughnut-flavored soda, and before that a Cheerwine-filled doughnut. It's safe to say the global food industry knows its audience despite changing consumer tastes: Weird works.

KKD announced in May that European investment fund JAB Holding Co., the new owner of Keurig Green Mountain, would acquire it and make it private. The fund will purchase the company for $1.35 billion, or $21 per share. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter.

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David Oliver is Associate Editor, Social Media at U.S. News & World Report. Follow him on Twitter, connect with him on LinkedIn, or send him an email at doliver@usnews.com.
Three days after sensitive documents of India's French-designed submarines were leaked, the government is yet to get an explanation from the French government.

By Jugal R Purohit: More than 72 hours after sensitive documents pertaining to India's next-generation, French-designed submarines were reported leaked, the government is yet to hear a word of explanation from its French counterpart. This was revealed by sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) who were privy to the affair.

Nevertheless, in a move to signal all was under control, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar revealed that the fallout of the leaks would have no bearing and thus no delay in India commissioning her first Scorpene submarine which is currently under a cloud. The final set of sea trials are set to re-commence next month in Mumbai and the Indian Navy (IN) believes the boat, named Kalvari, would be ready by year end.

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Signalling resolve, top sources said that India has already deployed 'all means necessary' to get to the bottom of the leak and study its implications at the earliest. India, it was made clear was yet to lay its hand on the leaked documents.



LEAKED DATA COMMERCIAL AND DATED

"We are constantly monitoring reports published in Australia. However, what we see uploaded is dated and commercial in nature and does not reflect anything which is customised to India. A submarine is a highly customised platform which means even if Malaysia and Chile have the Scorpene submarine like we do, their features will vary as navies seek peculiar features based on their requirement," explained a source.

"A lot of data we are seeing is of the type you can access even when you seek general information in the world market. The actual, operational data of the Scorpene has even now not been finalised. That process will take about six months as the trials will generate a lot of data," it was explained.

IN will also, as a standard measure, be installing multiple home-made communication, encryption, decryption devices and carry out 'integration' which the 'French do not have a clue about and is definitely not leaked'.



FRENCH GOVT ASKED TO PROBE

However, it is not all hunky dory. While probing within, India has for now said that it has 'requested the French Government to investigate this incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side'. Sources said that at this point, there was simply no way to know, "the timing of the leak, the extent of the leak and thus the ramifications of the leak". A source put it this way, "With the picture hardly complete, what changes can we even make in the submarines we are building?"

For now, the IN is seeking solace in the fact that it had signed a separate contract with separate entities for weapons systems for the Scorpene. "That set of papers was never with DCNS so there is no question of it getting leaked," said a source. How credibly can IN rest in that assessment is anyone's guess as, admittedly, the extent of the leak is unknown.

Earlier in the day, Parrikar said, "The most important is the signature (sound profile) of a submarine and since our boat has yet not completed her trials, the signature is yet to be generated". He admitted, however, "There are a few pockets of concern. We are going by assumption that the worst has happened. Navy has assured me that most of the concerns probably most have little impact".

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When asked if this breach in data security would impact defence ties between France and India, he replied, "Will we stop using all products from France? Punishment will be based on contractual conditions".



VETERAN SUBMARINERS UNMOVED



"The reports in the Australian press seem to indicate to us that the situation is not hunky dory as the navy is trying to project. The information, though blacked out, is very damaging. I will say that IN needs to ?seriously probe and find out how many people or organisations have got access to these papers because the damage has already been done. Now we need to assess its extent so that the next course of action can be determined," said Commander Ashok Bijalwan (retd).

"The leaked underwater subsystems manual gives all crucial sonar parameters including that of the intercept sonar. Band and frequency have both been mentioned and the Australian media has blacked it out," said another veteran.

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Also read:

Scorpene submarine data leak: Australian paper uploads new set of leaked documents



--- ENDS ---
Washington (AFP) - As Turkish troops ostensibly hunting Islamic State (IS) group fighters shelled a US-backed Kurdish militia inside Syria, analysts warned that Ankara's alliance with the West is at stake.

US Vice President Joe Biden tried to patch up ties with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government this week, but the conflict in Syria has forced Washington into a delicate balancing act.

On the ground, the US strategy relies on using the Kurdish YPG militia backed by American special forces advisors and coalition air power to take the fight to the IS group.

NATO member Turkey is a nominal part of the anti-IS coalition, but regards the YPG as part of the same "terrorist" movement as the PKK Kurdish separatist group waging a guerrilla war within its borders.

This week, Ankara sent troops and allied Syrian rebel fighters to seize the Syrian border town of Jarabulus from IS group fighters.

But Erdogan also aimed to deny it to the Kurds, who have advanced across the Euphrates River into the region as the dominant faction in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Now Turkey is demanding the Kurds retreat across the river, announcing on Thursday that its military had begun shelling YPG positions north of the town of Manbij, which the Kurds seized this month.

The US dilemma was underlined in a pair of tweets from US diplomat Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama's special envoy coordinating the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

"We support our NATO ally Turkey in protecting its border from ISIL terrorists, and struck ISIL targets near Jarabulus earlier today," he wrote, using the US government's acronym for the IS group.

"We also support the Syrian Democratic Forces which have proven a reliable and extremely capable force in the fight against ISIL," he added, reflecting Washington's reliance on Kurdish manpower.

- Tacit approval -

US diplomats have successfully maintained that dual loyalty -- despite protests from Ankara -- for months as the coalition has begun to recapture ground from IS group forces in Iraq and Syria.

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But Ankara will only tolerate open US support for the Kurds for so long, and analysts see this week's Jarabulus offensive as a clear warning to both Washington and the YPG that it is prepared to act.

Erdogan, they warn, would not have launched the operation without the tacit approval of Russia, Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and his ally Iran -- showing Turkey has contacts outside the coalition.

"I don't think Turkey is ready to let go of the United States and its NATO partnership just yet," said Merve Tahiroglu, a researcher on Turkey at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD).

"But what yesterday's operation was really about was to show the Kurds and the United States that Turkey has options," she added.

"They are carrying out this operation... so that the Kurds don't have to, so that the United States doesn't have to do it, and that the Americans don't do it with the Kurds."

The increased Turkish assertiveness comes amid a wave of anti-Americanism, stoked by Erdogan's loyal supporters in the media, in the wake of a failed coup d'etat attempt last month.

America has denied Turkish reports it was somehow behind the putsch, but Erdogan has angrily demanded it extradite US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, the plot's alleged mastermind.

While officials greeted Biden with smiles and handshakes, pro-government media have stirred up Erdogan's supporters with tales of Western skullduggery and his popularity has grown.

For former Turkish member of parliament Aykan Erdemir, now an FDD fellow, the orchestrated anger reflects a move away from Turkey's formerly pro-Western orientation.

"Turkey is moving into what I would call a more Middle Eastern modus operandi," he said.

"That is, a lot of incitement in government-funded media, strong anti-Americanism, strong anti-Westernism... coupled with quite a warm reception in one-on-one settings.

- Public anger -

Erdogan does not really fear the United States tried to overthrow him, but is riding a wave of public anger and exploiting "Turkey's deep-rooted xenophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-Western sentiment," Erdemir said.

Three-quarters of Turks have a negative view of the United States, and Erdogan appears to believe he can control and exploit the angry mood, according to a Pew poll conducted in October 2014.

That's a mistake, Erdemir argues.

"Once you fuel these fires, you never know how and where it will end," he said. "And that's why I'm concerned about Turkey's trans-Atlantic orientation, I'm concerned about Turkey-EU relations."
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militant group claimed responsibility for an attack on a police headquarters in southeast Turkey on Friday, according to a statement on a website affiliated to the group. The PKK also said it did not deliberately target the leader of Turkey's main opposition party in an attack in the northeast on Thursday. The government had said the PKK had targeted the convoy of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), who escaped unharmed. Friday's suicide truck bombing at the police headquarters killed at least 11 people and wounded dozens, two days after Turkey launched an incursion against Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria. (Reporting by Asli Kandemir; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Kuwait City (AFP) - Kuwaiti police have arrested a government employee accused of spreading the Islamic State jihadist group's ideology online, the interior ministry said.

Othman Zain Nayef, a 26-year-old Kuwaiti national, had "used his office and computer to spread the extremist ideology of the so-called Daesh terrorist organisation", it said in a statement late Thursday, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The ministry, quoted by state news agency KUNA, said he had allegedly confessed to being a member of the group's "electronic army" and to having hacked official websites "in friendly and sister states".

Kuwaiti authorities announced last month having dismantled three IS cells plotting attacks, including a suicide bombing against a Shiite mosque and hitting an interior ministry target.

An IS-linked suicide bomber killed 26 worshippers last year when he blew himself up in a mosque of Kuwait's Shiite minority, in the worst such attack in the Gulf state's history.
Good news flowed in at the Atlanta, GA-based Delta Air Lines DAL regarding its efforts to modernize its terminals at the Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). The airline behemoths lease and license agreement to relocate to terminals 2 and 3 from terminals 5 and 6 at the airport received approval from Los Angeles City Council. The carrier plans to invest $1.9 billion for the upgradation purpose. The agreement aims at expanding Deltas gates at this key hub.

The sanction marks a huge step toward fulfilling Deltas aim to upgrade its facilities at the busy airport where it has grown considerably over the years. An extent of its growth at LAX can be measured from the fact that departures (on a daily basis) are currently in excess of 175 compared to 70 in 2009. By relocating to terminals 2 and 3, Delta aspires to carve out a premier space for its operations at the busy airport along with its partners in the airline space like Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Australia.

DELTA AIR LINES Price

DELTA AIR LINES Price | DELTA AIR LINES Quote

The $1.9 billion plan has already gained authorization from Los Angeles World Airports Board of Airport Commissioners. The City Councils approval has removed a big hurdle as far as the materialization of Deltas plan is concerned.

An environmental impact review process will now take place. In the event of Delta succeeding in its efforts to modernize its LAX operations, passengers will be the greatest benefactors and it will pave the way for Delta in becoming a dominant carrier at LAX.. In fact, Delta is not the only carrier looking to expand at LAX. Earlier this year, American Airlines Group AAL had announced its expansion plans at LAX.

Apart from Delta and American Airlines, almost all major US carriers including United Continental Holdings UAL operate at LAX. Consequently, we expect investor focus to remain on updates regarding Deltas efforts to beat the competition and become a dominant player at LAX.

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We note that carriers are making huge investments for infrastructural developments driven by cheap oil. Soft oil prices have resulted in huge savings for carriers thereby improving their financial status tremendously.

Zacks Rank & A Key Pick

Delta Air Lines carries a Zacks Rank #5 (Strong Sell). A better-ranked stock in the airline space is Copa Holdings CPA with a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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KELOWNA, BC / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2016 / Laguna Blends, Inc. (CSE:LAG) (OTC:LAGBF) (Frankfurt:LB6A.F) (the "Company" or "Laguna") is pleased to announce a first tranche closing of its it non-brokered private placement (the "Private Placement"). The first tranche closing consisted of the issuance of 1,627,200 units at a price of $0.25 per unit for gross proceeds of $406,800. Each unit consists of one common share and one share purchase warrant, each warrant entitling the holder to acquire one additional common share of the Company at a price of $0.40 per warrant share until August 25, 2017.

All securities issued under the first tranche are subject to a hold period expiring four months and one day from the date of issuance.

In addition, the Canadian Securities Exchange has granted the Company an extension for the filing of final material with respect to the Private Placement to October 7, 2016. It is anticipated the Company will close the final tranche of the Private Placement on or before this date.

About Laguna Blends, Inc.

Laguna is a network marketing company that generates retail sales through independent affiliates. Affiliates utilize tools and technology that enable them to build an international business from their own home or anywhere else in the world. This technology replaces the need for expensive travel and hotel meetings.

The Company is currently focused on the nutritional health benefits derived from hemp and CBD's.



Laguna's first product category as an entry to market are functional beverage products that contain hemp and other efficacious ingredients.

" Caffe " is an instant, "just add water" hot coffee beverage that is infused with both whey and hemp protein. With 2 grams of protein in every serving, Laguna's proprietary product packs a powerful protein punch. Caffe, contains Instant coffee, whey protein hydrolysate, hemp protein, natural flavors.



"Pro369" is a single serving, "on-the-go," plant based, instant, hemp protein that is served cold and comes in 4 delicious flavors. Pro369 is water soluble and can be directly mixed in water, added to milk, almond milk or coconut milk. Pro369 can also be blended in a shake or smoothie. Pro369 is also a source of Omegas, 3, 6 and 9 and contains ginseng.

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Laguna Blends has been granted approval from Health Canada for four powdered Pro369 flavours: Chocolate Banana, Mixed Berry and Vanilla Caramel and Tropical Powder. Pro369 contains Hemp protein, natural flavors, stevia, and American ginseng.

The Minister of Health from Health Canada has granted Laguna a product license along with a Natural Product Number ("NPN") for all four of the Pro369 Flavours. They are all listed under the same NPN.

A source of protein that helps build and repair body tissues.

Source of amino acids involved in muscle protein synthesis.

Assists in the building of lean muscle.

An adaptogen to help maintain a healthy immune system.

Supportive therapy for the promotion of healthy glucose levels.

The Company's second product category are Swiss made CBD Skin Care products, "CannaCeuticals."

Laguna has signed a distribution agreement with ISO International, LLC, a transaction under which Laguna has acquired the exclusive right to market, promote and distribute seven CBD skin care products of CannaCeuticals of California, USA ("Canna").

CannaCeuticals Swiss heritage is at the core of Canna's revolutionary skincare products. It's pure, cosmeceutical-grade CBD extract hails from the crisp, clean air of Switzerland, but Canna's heritage goes much further than that. Swiss culture is known for its precision and perfectionism, and CannaCeuticals radiates that same standard in every formula it produces. Canna's team of formulators are made up of chemists and product developers that analyze every detail, sourcing ingredients from all ends of the earth to create the most balanced, highly efficacious, anti-aging CBD skincare products in the world.

CannaCeuticals CBD7 anti-aging skincare products incorporate cannabidiol (CBD), a superior antioxidant and a potential anti-inflammatory agent, both of which are significant in anti-aging. Canna's Swiss heritage influences a sense of unity in its products, and it combines CBD with other essential anti-aging ingredients to create formulas that pack a powerful punch.

Hemp has long been recognized by the health and nutrition industry as a super food, cited in many publications as a balanced source of all ingredients required to achieve health and wellness.

HempOmega

HempOmega is an environmentally sustainable, vegetarian source of Omegas 3 and 6 that boasts a superior nutrient profile. A water soluble, homogenous, powdered ingredient, it can be easily integrated and/or manipulated, with no unpleasant taste or chemical contamination  opening up entirely new product formulation opportunities. Hemp Omega's greater ability to endure the digestive process delivers unmatched bioavailability, thereby maximizing its potential health benefits.

The Company currently sells its products through its independent affiliates in the USA and Canada.

HempOmega is a Trademark owned by Naturally Splendid Enterprises, Ltd. and is used under license by Laguna Blends Inc.

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

"Stuart Gray"

Chief Executive Officer



CORPORATE COMMUNICATIONS:

QualityStocks

Scottsdale, Arizona

www.QualityStocks.com

480.374.1336

Editor@QualityStocks.net

COMPANY:

Laguna Blends

ir@lagunablends.com

www.lagunablends.com

www.lagunaworld.com



Join Us On Face Book: https://www.facebook.com/LagunaBlends/

Twitter: @LagunaBlends



Forward-Looking Information:

This news release contains "forward-looking information" within the meaning of applicable securities laws relating to statements regarding the Company's business, products and future the Company's business, its product offerings and plans for sales and marketing. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in the forward looking information are reasonable, there can be no assurance that such expectations will prove to be correct. Readers are cautioned to not place undue reliance on forward-looking information. Such forward looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results, performance and developments to differ materially from those contemplated by these statements depending on, among other things, the risks that the Company's products and plan will vary from those stated in this news release and the Company may not be able to carry out its business plans as expected. Except as required by law, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation, and does not intend, to update any forward looking statements or forward-looking information in this news release. The statements in this news release are made as of the date of this release.



SOURCE: Laguna Blends, Inc.
This bright spot is expected to be robust amidst Singapore's Smart Nation dreams.

Amid the plummeting occupancy rates and weak demand, the industrial sector still has remaining tricks up on its sleeves as it sees new opportunities with the city-states Smart Nation initiative.

According to DBS Research, there is an apparent change in the needs for industrial space in the city-state, with the increasing demand for build-to-suit (BTS) facilities.

"We remain positive on the growth in demand for business parks and hi-tech industrial space, as specifications will remain attractive for users in the future," DBS noted.

The industrial sector could also see a new area of growth with the development of data-centres. As demand for data increases with Singapore's Smart Nation project, the report noted that it is best for landlords to venture into investing in this segment.

Positioned as a regional HQ for manufacturers, we expect demand for Hi-tech and Business Parks space to remain stable leading to rental increases while demand for the light industrial and flatted factory space to remain under pressure, weighed down by ongoing consolidation trends amongst the manufacturers amidst rising business costs, the report said.

Because of this, the industrial market is likely to be two-tiered, with rents in the Hi-Tech Industrial, Science Park, and Business Park converging towards office rent levels.

"On the other hand, rents in the convention factories, light industrial and warehouse is expected to remain under pressure due to ongoing consolidations," DBS explained.

For the warehouse space, new and emerging demand drivers from the fast-moving consumer goods, e-commerce players, and food & beverage industry would likely be the main target of these landlords.

In the warehouse space, landlords can consider attracting demand by upgrading their warehouses in order to meet the changing demands of end-users, DBS stated.





More From Singapore Business Review


By Anil Kumar: Baloch Republican Party (BRP) held shutter down strikes and events all across the world including Balochistan, European countries and the United Kingdom on tenth martyrdom anniversary of Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti. Activists paid tributes to their elder leader and vowed to continue their struggle following the ideology of the leader.



BRP chapters in the European countries including Germany, South Korea and Sweden held events, remembered Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti and paid tributes to him for his lifetime struggle and ultimate sacrifices for the Balochistan freedom. Party chapter in the United Kingdom also held a seminar, paid tributes to Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti for his struggle and sacrifices.



Party chief Nawab Brahumdagh Bugti, other activists and large number of German citizens had participated in the events, addressed the participants about Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti and paid tributes to him for his struggle and sacrifices for an independent Balochistan.



NAWAB AKBAR BUGTI WILL REMAIN IN THE HEARTS

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"We are commemorating the death anniversary of Nawab Akbar Bugti. I am not sad, I am happy that on this day my grandfather laid his life as ultimate sacrifice. Although he martyred but he took birth in every baloch house and he will remain in the hearts of Balochi people," said his grandson Brahamdagh Bugti in a telephonic conversation with India Today.



Nawaz Bugti, representative of Baloch Republican Party at The Human Rights Council In Geneva Told in video massage to India Today "Meanwhile, shutter down strike was observed across Balochistan including Dera Bugti mourning the assassination of their leader, Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti. Pakistani forces in Sui, forced and tortured shopkeepers to reopen their shop."

"Killings increased after PM Modi's statement in Balochistan , we are deeply concerned about the situation of the people in the place that you just mentioned," said Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup in a press conference.



HOLY QURAN RECITATION

References, Holy Quran Recitation and events were also held in Khaleej and different parts of Balochistan including Karachi, Sui and Dera Bugti. Women and children also participated in Holy Quran recitation and references to pay their respect to their elder leader Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti on his tenth Martyrdom anniversary.



Party activists from all of these events delivered speech on the life, struggle and sacrifices of Shaheed Nawab Akbar Bugti, paid homage and pledged to continue their struggle following the ideology and footprints of the father of Nation.

Also read:

Human rights violated, natural resources exploited: All you need to know about the Balochistan issue



Baloch activist makes Rakhi appeal, asks PM Modi to be voice of their struggle



--- ENDS ---
EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, a legal drama procedural based on the novel Blood Defense by author and former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clark has landed at NBC with a put pilot commitment. Clark, whose name is back in the zeitgeist, fueled by the success of FXs American Crime Story: The People vs. O.J. Simpson, will co-write the adaptation with writer-producers Elizabeth Craft & Sara Fain for ABC Studios and studio-based Mandeville TV.

This is one of two sales for Mandeville TV so far this season, along with The Exchange, a drama from British writer Nicholas Osborne, which has been set up at ABC.

Based on Blood Defense and drawing from the personal experience of Clark, who started her career as a defense attorney, the show centers on Samantha Brinkman, a relentless criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles whose world is turned upside down when she is hired to defend a police detective in a high-profile homicide, thrusting her into the public spotlight and exposing dark secrets from her past.

Clark, Craft and Fain executive produce with Mandevilles David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Laurie Zaks.

Blood Defense is the first in a series of crime novels featuring Samantha Brinkman. It was published in May 2016 from Thomas & Mercer, with a second book, Moral Defense, slated for release in November.

Mandeville executives got a copy of Blood Defense a couple of months ago from UTA, which reps both the company and Clark. They liked the prospects of the book as a basis for a TV series and met with Clark just as People vs. O.J. Simpson was finishing its run. She partnered with them, and ABC Studios acquired the book series in April in a competitive situation.

Mandeville TV worked with Craft and Fain last season on the companys ABC/ABC Series series The Family starring Joan Allen, on which they served as consulting producers under their overall deal at ABC Studios. Following the cancellation of The Family last May, Craft and Fain met with Clark and hit it off. The three worked on a pitch, which was taken out to all networks, garnering multiple interest. The project is in the character-driven procedural genre that is much in demand this selling season.

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Clark served as a lead prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson trial, which was revisited this year by both FXs People vs. O.J. Simpson, where Clark was played by Sarah Paulson in an Emmy-nominated role, and ESPNs documentary OJ: Made in America.

She transitioned from a law to a writing career with a series of bestselling legal thriller novels featuring prosecutor Rachel Knight: The Competition, Killer Ambition, Guilt by Degrees, and Guilt by Association. They were developed as a drama series by TNT a couple of years ago. The project went to pilot starring Julia Stiles as Rachel Knight.

In The Exchange, written and executive produced by Osborne, a charming male British cop crosses the pond to work with a no nonsense female New Orleans detective as part of a police exchange program. Yet as they solve crimes together, we come to realize their personalities are masks used to conceal the pain of a traumatic event in each of their childhoods, and that the solution to truly being themselves lies in bringing down a secret criminal society based in New Orleans.

Fain and Craft are repped by WME. Osborne is repped by CAA.

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By Duncan Miriri NAIROBI (Reuters) - Kenyan bank shares plunged for a second day on Friday after President Uhuru Kenyatta sought to boost the economy by capping lending rates and analysts said his attempt to encourage lending may prove counterproductive. Kenya, East Africa's biggest economy, stopped controlling commercial rates in the early 1990s. The industry has since grown to offer the highest return-on-equity for lenders on the continent, drawing in foreign investors. Many people in Africa complain commercial lending rates are too high, holding back personal and corporate investment. But some predicted that Kenyatta's decision to cap commercial rates will make banks less willing to lend, on the grounds that their interest income won't offset their risks. IMF resident representative Armando Morales said the cap would make it harder for credit growth to recover from a drop caused by the collapse of three banks over the last year. "This measure is not going to make it any easier to recover credit growth," he told Reuters. Commercial lending rates averaged 18.2 percent in June, the central bank said, mirroring levels in countries such as Uganda and Ghana, where policymakers have also urged banks to provide cheaper credit. Analysts at London-based frontier markets specialist Exotix accused Kenyatta of playing politics 12 months before an election scheduled for next August. Shares in Kenyan banks, some of which lost as much as 10 percent on Thursday, fell by a similar margin on Friday. "If you fix the exchange rate in Nigeria, you will get a shortage of FX; and if you fix loan rates in Kenya, you will get less lending," said Razia Khan, head of research for Africa at Standard Chartered in London. "Kenya, even with its uptake of tech, is not going to suddenly be the economy that somehow bucks the trend." The new law sets a ceiling on commercial lending at 4 percentage points above the central bank's policy rate - now 10.5 percent - and a minimum deposit rate of 70 percent of the benchmark rate. Banks including Barclays Kenya said they would await more information from the central bank. Co-op Bank Kenya said it was offering new loans at 14.5 percent, in line with the law. Jimnah Mbaru, the chairman of Nairobi-based Dyer and Blair Investment Bank, said commercial banks had failed to respond to prolonged unofficial pressure from the central bank. "If it has not worked then of course you have no options but to intervene," he said. Businesses often complain that the high cost of credit hurts investment while few individuals are able to afford home loans. "You keep on repaying but it is not reducing for the first few years," said Nairobi advocate Ibrahim Onyatta, waiting to be served at a Barclays Kenya branch. Shares in KCB Group,, operator of Kenya's biggest bank by assets, fell 10 percent at the start of trade, extending its losses from the previous day. Equity Bank, which serves millions of micro-borrowers, fell by a similar margin. ($1 = 101.3000 Kenyan shillings) (Additional reporting by Neha Wadekar; Editing by Ed Cropley and Ruth Pitchford)
From Cosmopolitan

Rising high school senior Tyra Hunt told BuzzFeed her kindergarten photo (pictured above left) is a bit of a legend in her family. As a child, she had to be convinced to smile(-ish) by her mom off camera. The result was so great, the picture remained displayed in her living room for the next 12 years. So when her Kentwood, Michigan, high school gave her the opportunity to get creative with her senior pic, she decided to recreate the OG one.

After posting the two almost identical pictures to Twitter, Tanya's feed blew up. The above tweet has been retweeted more than 31,000 times and liked close to 100,000 times. It's prompted hundreds of "LMAO SAME" comments and post their own versions of her throwback.

First day of Kindergarten to First day of Senior year.  #classof17 pic.twitter.com/Bezt2ejbgm - rylee (@rylee_smiley99) August 23, 2016

First day of kindergarten to first day of senior year....nuff said pic.twitter.com/Hz8RLxrWk8 - Moregames (@morganelliott1) August 24, 2016

First day of kindergarten to first day of senior year and nothing's changed. pic.twitter.com/MVhQg66EgW - Kelsey Siemons (@KelseySiemons) August 11, 2016

So many #cool teens. So much internet. Enjoy your youth senior year, guys!

Follow Tess on Twitter.
John Stossel will host a Libertarian town hall with third party presidential candidate Gary Johnson and his vice presidential running mate William Weld on Fox Business Network Friday, and the TV veteran wants Americans to understand what the party represents.

Stossel, a Libertarian himself, describes his party as people who believe Americans should be allowed to do anything that is peaceful.

The founders had similar beliefs and thats what helped America go from poverty to the most prosperous nation on earth, Stossel told TheWrap. Limited government, they talked about. Weve gone way beyond limited government.

Also Read: Here's How Donald Trump Could Create a Media Empire If His Campaign Fails

The town hall will focus on the major differences between the Libertarian, Republican and Democratic platforms, as well as on economic, social and defense issues. Stossel said Libertarians feel people should be able to do whatever they want as long as it doesnt hurt other people.

Libertarians are cool with laws against rape, murder, robbery and environmental rules but Libertarians believe governments should be doing a fraction of what its doing now, Stossel said before explaining it would get worse under Hillary Clinton, adding who knows what would happen under Donald Trump.

Democrats want to micromanage your work life, your speech. Republicans want to micromanage other countries and your bedroom, Stossel said. Libertarians want them to butt out of both.

Also Read: What's Wrong (or Right) About the LA Times Poll That Says Donald Trump Could Win

Stossel realizes that the Libertarian candidate Johnson is a long shot to win Novembers election, which is especially disappointing considering so many voters dislike Clinton and Trump. However, he doesnt feel a Johnson loss spells the end of the party.

Its certainly a good argument [that the party is doomed if it cant beat Clinton and Trump] but I dont think one election proves anything, Stossel said before explaining that undecided voters could realize they prefer Johnson if they watch the town hall.

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Also Read: How Gary Johnson and Jill Stein Can Make It to the Presidential Debate Stage

Most Americans dont know who he is and thats a big part of the problem for Libertarians trying to win election, Stossel said. Some [viewers] will say, Hey, this guy is better than Hillary or Trump.'

The town hall event will take place in front of a studio audience comprised of a cross-section of voters, who will join Stossel in posing questions to the candidates. In addition, Stossel will incorporate topics proposed through social media and from FBN reporters based in Times Square and Union Square in Manhattan interviewing people on the street.

Also Read: Gary Johnson Delivers Best Donald Trump Diss of the Week

Stossel: Libertarian Town Hall airs Friday night at 9 p.m. ET.

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It's never too late in the summer for a new feel-good jam. Which is why it's the perfect time for Jamaican DJ KickRaux and Ras Kwame to release their upbeat track "Feelin U" with help from Ayo Jay, Demarco, Doctor and Tyga exclusively on Billboard Dance.

Watch A-Trak Rock A Live Remix Of Porter Robinson & Madeon's 'Shelter'

"I got my introduction to electronic and world music through a mix show Ras Kwame used to do that I would listen to in my summers abroad in London," KickRaux says. "Fast forward to a about a year ago, Ras & I randomly linked and spoke about doing a project together. He's from Ghana and I'm from Jamaica so we came up with the concept of bringing together all of the sounds of the Caribbean, afrobeats, soca and electronic music in one project."

Listen to The Weeknd & Cashmere Cat's Stunning 'Wild Love' Collab

DJ KickRaux is most well-known for his collaboration with Major Lazer for the official remix of Kranium's "Nobody Has To Know."

"Feelin U" definitely comes complete with island vibes and positivity, so plug in the aux cord, roll down your windows and bump this track.
Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput have become parents to a daughter on Friday evening.

By India Today Web Desk: Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput welcomed their daughter on Friday (August 26) evening. Mira was rushed to the Hinduja Healthcare Surgical Hospital in Khar, Mumbai day before yesterday, where she delivered the baby.

ALSO READ: Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput to turn parents sooner than expected?

PHOTO: Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput together are too adorable to miss



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The baby girl arrived at 7.56pm and weighs 2.8kg, says a report in DNA. Dr Kiran Coelho headed the team that helped Mira deliver her daughter. It was a normal delivery.

Shahid Kapoor took to Twitter to voice his ecstasy. The actor wrote, "She has arrived and words fall short to express our happiness. Thank you for all your wishes."

She has arrived and words fall short to express our happiness. Thank you for all your wishes. Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) August 26, 2016

Mira was due in mid-September. However, she was taken to the hospital on Wednesday evening, after Shahid's parents Pankaj Kapur and Supriya Pathak paid the couple a visit at their Juhu residence.

Over the last couple of months, ever since news of Mira's pregnancy broke, Shahid's Instagram account has been flooded with super-adorable photos of the couple. From a babymoon to glimpses of their moments together, Shahid has been giving his followers on social media a peek into his and Mira's pre-parenthood lives.

Shahid has been by his wife's side all through, putting everything else on the back burner.

On the work front, the just-turned-father will soon be seen on the big screen in Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming film Rangoon, alongside Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut.

--- ENDS ---
If one cup of coffee keeps you perked up all day, you may be able to thank your genes for that long-lasting caffeine kick, a new study finds.

Scientists in Scotland have identified a gene that may play a role in how the body breaks down caffeine, according to the study  and variations in this gene may influence how much coffee a person drinks.

In people with a certain variation of a gene called PDSS2, caffeine is broken down in the body more slowly, according to the study, which was published today (Aug. 25) in the journal Scientific Reports. Slower breakdown means that the caffeine stays in the body longer, so a person doesn't need to drink as much coffee to get the same effects, the researchers said. [10 Interesting Facts About Caffeine]

In the study, the researchers examined the DNA of more than 1,000 people in northern and southern Italy and more than 1,700 people in the Netherlands. Everyone in the study also filled out a questionnaire that included questions about how much coffee they drank each day.

Among the Italians in the study, those who had a certain variation in their PDSS2 gene tended to drink less coffee, by about one cup a day, on average, than those who did not have the variation, the researchers found.

The reason might be that people with this gene variation break down caffeine more slowly, so the chemical stays longer in their bodies, and they tend to drink less, the researchers said.

Similarly, among the Dutch people in the study, those with that same gene variation also drank less coffee each day, on average, though the difference was not as large as the difference observed in the Italians, according to the study.

This discrepancy may be due to the fact that coffee-drinking styles vary in the two countries, the researchers added. In Italy, people typically drink small cups of espresso or mocha, whereas in the Netherlands, it is more common for people to drink filtered coffee. These differences in preparation result in different amounts of caffeine per cup. Indeed, the intake of caffeine per cup among the Dutch is almost three times higher than that of Italians, according to the study.

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The PDSS2 gene isn't the only gene that's been linked to caffeine consumption, however. Previous research has shown that other genes that code for enzymes that break down caffeine are also linked to how much coffee people drink, according to the study.

It's possible that PDSS2 blocks the expression of these enzymes, the researchers wrote. By blocking the enzymes, the body doesn't break down caffeine as efficiently, they wrote.

"The results of our study add to existing research suggesting that our drive to drink coffee may be embedded in our genes," said Nicola Pirastu, a research fellow in statistical and quantitative traits genetics at the University of Edinburgh and the lead author of the study.

More research is still needed to understand the link between the genetic variation and coffee consumption, Pirastu said.

One of the researchers involved in the study works for the coffee company Illy; however, the company did not provide funding for the study.

Originally published on Live Science.

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By David Schwartz

PHOENIX (Reuters) - Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio has long battled controversy over his tough stance on illegal immigration but may now face his toughest test as he seeks a seventh term as sheriff of the states most populous county.

Twenty four years after he was first elected sheriff of Maricopa County, which surrounds Phoenix, Arpaio goes to voters facing the possibility of criminal sanctions. Last week, a federal judge recommended that he and three others be prosecuted for contempt of court for failing to comply with an order in a racial profiling case.

Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to charge him with contempt, and Arpaio, 84, is widely expected to win at the primary level on August 30. But the man who styles himself as Americas toughest sheriff" could be in for a close race in the November general election.

If I didnt care, I would say Good, and would let someone else take over, Arpaio, a Republican, said in an interview with Reuters. Thats not how I am.

A tireless campaigner against illegal immigration, Arpaio drew national attention in 1993 for setting up a tent city outside the Maricopa County Jail, where inmates were housed even in the desert heat. He is also known for making prisoners wear pink underwear.

Arpaio's main competition in Tuesday's primary on the Republican side is from Dan Saban, a former police chief of Buckeye, Arizona who has lost to him twice before.

Right now, we have an organization built around one person and his image and its quite disturbing, said Saban, 60. Im compelled as a citizen to offer the voters another choice.

By the next fiscal year, county taxpayers are projected to have spent $54 million on the on-going federal racial profiling case.

If Arpaio beats Saban on Tuesday, he will go up against Democrat Paul Penzone, a former Phoenix police officer who narrowly lost to Arpaio in 2012.

Penzone says the public is fed up with what he called Arpaio's antics.

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They are just tired of the nonsense, said Penzone, 49. They are embracing the opportunity to move forward with a new, innovative and professional law enforcement approach.

But Arpaio predicts he will win - as he always has.

Thanks to the voters and the public, I have always survived and I expect I will now.

(Editing by Sharon Bernstein and Andrew Hay)
Every weekend, Longform highlights its favorite international articles of the week. For daily picks of new and classic nonfiction, check out Longform or follow @longform on Twitter. Have an iPad? Download Longforms new app and read all of the latest in-depth stories from dozens of magazines, including Foreign Policy.

Members of the GIPN and RAID, French police special forces, walk in Corcy, northern France, on January 8, 2015 as they carry out searches as part of an investigation into a deadly attack the day before by armed gunmen on the Paris offices of French satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo. A huge manhunt for two brothers suspected of massacring 12 people in an Islamist attack at a satirical French weekly zeroed in on a northern town on January 8 after the discovery of one of the getaway cars. As thousands of police tightened their net, the country marked a rare national day of mourning for January 7's bloodbath at Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris, the worst terrorist attack in France for half a century. AFP PHOTO / FRANCOIS LO PRESTI (Photo credit should read FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images)

Why Europe Cant Find The Jihadis In Its Midst Mitch Prothero, Buzzfeed News

A small, well-organized ISIS cell has been at work in the heart of Europe for years, recruiting criminals, exploiting freedom of movement, and evading counterterrorism efforts. This spring and summer, as multiple attacks rocked Europe, Mitch Prothero spoke to the people shuttling between investigating the crimes that had already happened, while struggling to prevent new ones.

he assignment given to the Belgian police in the summer of 2014 was straightforward but high stakes: Follow two men suspected of involvement with ISIS through the streets of Brussels. Find out who they meet, record what they say. A court had approved wiretaps for the mens phones and for the use of tracking devices, and a specialized team of covert operators from the secret service had broken into the mens homes and vehicles and planted bugs and GPS devices without leaving a trace.

Rather unusually, there had been little problem getting senior police officials and the courts that oversee Belgiums personal privacy laws to approve the mission. Partly, it was the two mens history: They had long criminal records  drug dealing, petty theft, and the occasional violent robbery  and now, unbeknownst to them, had been placed on a terrorism watch list.

BIRMINGHAM, UNITED KINGDOM - OCTOBER 04: A maths teacher uses his white board to explain a sum to pupils King Edward VI High School for Girls on 4 October, 2006, Birmingham, England. The independent school for girls continues it's tradition to be one of the top schools in Britain having achieved a 94% pass rate at A and B grades in it's A level results. Last year, 27.1% of pupils in independent schools gained three or more grade A's at A-level, compared with 8% of pupils in all state schools. (Photo by Christopher Furlong/Getty Images)

Teaching Abroad in Tumultuous Times by Alizah Salario, Pacific Standard

Theres been an uptick in terrorist attacks throughout the West. So why is the U.S. considered safe, and Europe a risk?

Arent you glad you arent there now? my mother asked me during the recent attempted coup in Turkey. Shed said something similar after the horrific terrorist attack on Istanbuls Ataturk airport, and after the March bombing along Istiklal Street in the citys cosmopolitan center, where Id shopped and dined and danced until 2:00 a.m. many times.

Granted, a lot has changed in Turkey  and the world over  since I moved back to the United States in 2009. In the past year alone, there have been high-profile attacks in Istanbul, Brussels, Paris, Nice  and Orlando and San Bernardino. Lifestyle magazines like Town & Country and Conde Nast Traveler turn veiled questions about terror like Is Europe Safe to Travel This Summer? into buzzy headlines. The xenophobic rhetoric of a presidential candidate at home and a refugee crisis abroad have stoked fears of otherness and unleashed a poisonous strain of hate. In part, a similar brand of black and white thinking (Either youre with us, or youre with the terrorists) during the years post-9/11 is what compelled me to move abroad, and view the world from a different perspective.

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RECIFE, BRAZIL - JANUARY 26: Dr. Angela Rocha (C), pediatric infectologist at Oswaldo Cruz Hospital, examines Ludmilla Hadassa Dias de Vasconcelos (2 months), who has microcephaly, on January 26, 2016 in Recife, Brazil. In the last four months, authorities have recorded close to 4,000 cases in Brazil in which the mosquito-borne Zika virus may have led to microcephaly in infants. The ailment results in an abnormally small head in newborns and is associated with various disorders including decreased brain development. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the Zika virus outbreak is likely to spread throughout nearly all the Americas. At least twelve cases in the United States have now been confirmed by the CDC. Brazil reported the first cases in the Americas of local transmissions of the virus last year. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)

The Race for a Zika Vaccine by Siddhartha Mukherjee, New Yorker

In the throes of an epidemic, researchers investigate how to inoculate against the disease.

Barouchs and Michaels teams were now racing forward with their Zika project. It became a major focus for all of us, Barouch said. A frenetic energy took over the lab: postdoctoral researchers and graduate students stayed late into the evening, wolfing down takeout dinners and shuttling samples between the centrifuges and incubators.

The vaccination experiments were launched in early April. Larocca immunized the mice with a sham shot, the naked-DNA vaccine, or the inactivated-virus vaccine. They waited for four weeks for the inoculum to generate an immune response. Then Abbinkgloved and gowned, draped in a sterile blue smock in the isolation roomprepared the so-called challenge virus, which had been kept in tissue-culture flasks brimming with red broth, and they injected the mice with the virus.

A picture taken on January 17, 2016 in the Saudi capital Riyadh shows a giant poster on a building bearing a portrait of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz (R) and Crown Prince and Interior Minister Mohammed Bin Nayef. When Saudi Arabia's king Abdullah died a year ago on January 23, his subjects expected their country to keep a steady course under new King Salman. / AFP / Fayez Nureldine / TO GO WITH AFP STORY BY IAN TIMBERLAKE (Photo credit should read FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images)

Saudis and Extremism: Both the Arsonists and the Firefighters by Scott Shane, New York Times

Critics see Saudi Arabias export of a rigid strain of Islam as contributing to terrorism, but the kingdoms influence depends greatly on local conditions.

Saudi leaders seek good relations with the West and see jihadist violence as a menace that could endanger their rule, especially now that the Islamic State is staging attacks in the kingdom  25 in the last eight months, by the governments count. But they are also driven by their rivalry with Iran, and they depend for legitimacy on a clerical establishment dedicated to a reactionary set of beliefs. Those conflicting goals can play out in a bafflingly inconsistent manner.

Thomas Hegghammer, a Norwegian terrorism expert who has advised the United States government, said the most important effect of Saudi proselytizing might have been to slow the evolution of Islam, blocking its natural accommodation to a diverse and globalized world. If there was going to be an Islamic reformation in the 20th century, the Saudis probably prevented it by pumping out literalism, he said.

A Colombian police officer stands next to a Metro bus burned by criminal gang members in Belen neighborhood, Medellin, Antioquia department, Colombia on April 1, 2016, during a 24-hour strike enforced by the criminal gang 'Los Urabenos' to the commercial activity and the transport system in different Colombian regions. 'Los Urabenos' handed out pamphlets threatening to kill anyone daring to defy their call to strike. AFP PHOTO/Raul ARBOLEDA / AFP / RAUL ARBOLEDA (Photo credit should read RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images)

Colombias War Just Ended. A New Wave of Violence Is Beginning. by Elizabeth Dickinson, Foreign Policy

As the country declares peace after five decades of war against the FARC, a scramble for territory and control over the drug trade is emboldening new, anarchic gangs.

They killed him on this very road, Liney Maria recalls, pointing to the dusty, unpaved trail that passes her home and continues a quarter mile farther up the mountain. He was shot in broad daylight, right on the main avenue of the barrio de invasion, as informal settlements like this one are called. His death was the third or fourth targeted killing in July; she lost count. Nor does Maria remember meeting the victim very often in life. But the 37-year-old mother is well-acquainted with the fear these murders are meant to instill.

The things that are happening here, these deaths, she said, are causing a lot of concern in the neighborhood. Families close to the victims have fled, fearing they could be next. The warnings, like the gunshots, are heard loud and clear.

Photo credits: Elizabeth Dickinson/Foreign Policy; FRANCOIS LO PRESTI/AFP/Getty Images; Christopher Furlong/Getty Images; Mario Tama/Getty Images; FAYEZ NURELDINE/AFP/Getty Images; RAUL ARBOLEDA/AFP/Getty Images
The vice chairman of South Korea's troubled Lotte Group was found dead Friday, police said, in an apparent suicide amid a widening corruption probe into the country's fifth largest business conglomerate.

The body of Lee In-Won was found hanging from a tree near a hiking trail in the eastern town of Yangpyeong.

A four-page letter -- apparently a suicide note -- was found in his car, expressing loyalty to the group's chairman Shin Dong-Bin and denying allegations that the firm had avoided huge sums of tax and created slush funds.

Lee was a key suspect in an alleged tax evasion scam worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

An official probe into the retail and hotel giant widened in June when prosecutors raided the offices of 15 subsidiaries, before issuing summons to a number of executives.

In South Korea, it is not unusual for a high-profile suspect to commit suicide when he is the subject of an investigation.

In 2003, Chung Mong-Hun, then chairman of the country's No. 2 conglomerate Hyundai Group, jumped to his death from his office building after being interrogated over the group's secret transfer of $500 million to North Korea to secure business deals.

A year later, an executive of Daewoo business group Nam Sang-Guk jumped off a bridge into the Han River in Seoul after being questioned over corruption allegations.

Last year, businessman Sung Wan-Jong hanged himself, leaving a note suggesting he had offered bribes to powerful elite players including former Prime Minister Lee Wan-Koo.
Raycom Media will present Louisiana Rising: A Benefit Concert for Flood Relief, which will raise money to help victims of the 1,000-year rain that swamped the southern part of the state this month. American Idol alums and Louisiana natives Harry Connick Jr and Randy Jackson as set to co-host the event, which will air live September 5 on all Raycom stations and Bounce TV.

More than a dozen local artists will play at the concert, including Better Than Ezra. Sonny Landreth, Chris Thomas King, MacKenzie Bourg, Luther Kent and Rockin Dopsie. More acts are set to join, and the full lineup will be announced in the coming days. Raycom Medias Tupelo-Honey Raycom will produce the show, and Johnny Palazzotto, a fixture of the Baton Rouge music scene, will serve as music director. The show will be broadcast from Baton Rouges River Center Theater and will benefit the American Red Crosss Louisiana Flood Relief fund.

As broadcasters, we have a responsibility to help people of the areas we serve, said Sandy Breland, VP of Raycom Media Group. So many people are hurting, right now. And they have lost so much, our hope is that this concert can help raise money for them to rebuild their lives.

RelatedActor Wendell Pierce Loses Home In Baton Rouge Flood

The flooding is blamed for 13 deaths and damage to more than 60,000 homes, leaving at least 100,000 people in need of assistance. Thousands are living in shelters, and early damage estimates reach $20 billion. The American Red Cross says the disaster in Louisiana is the worst to hit the United States since Superstorm Sandy, which devastated the Northeast in 2012.

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By Jonathan Schwarzberg and Leela Parker Deo

NEW YORK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Higher company valuations and lenders wary of risky investments are pushing private equity firms to increase the size of equity contributions, or checks, for leveraged buyouts near historic highs in the face of fierce competition from cash-rich corporate buyers.

Leveraged buyouts allow investment firms to make large-sized acquisitions by using a more significant percentage of debt compared to the capital they put in. With a larger equity check, private equity sponsors commit more money, which reduces the risk for debt holders but is less profitable for the sponsor.

The average equity contribution during the second quarter was 45.7%, the highest level since the first quarter of 2012 when the average reached 46.1%, according to Thomson Reuters LPC data. The all-time high was in 2009 when sponsors had to pay an average of 50.3% of the purchase price.

Comparatively, in 2007 equity checks averaged in the low 30% area, making the return on investments more lucrative.

Sponsors have been paying 40%-60% this year out of pocket on a regular basis, according to a banker. Vista Equity Partners this month arranged a US$375m term loan to back a US$1.8bn buyout of marketing software firm Marketo.

"In 08/09 when the debt markets were essentially shut, we saw equity percentages really climb," said Jeremy Swan, principal at accounting, tax and advisory firm CohnReznick. "The difference now is that the debt markets are still open but not necessarily for every deal."

Despite the fact that valuations remain at historic highs, the number of quality deals to choose from is limited which is intensifying an already highly competitive dynamic between strategic buyers and private equity sponsors.

"There's a strange paradox in the market right now - the market is on fire but with a high degree of caution," said Michael Terwilliger, global portfolio manager at Resource America. "Everyone is crowding the 'safe' credits but reluctant to take on much risk."

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With corporate buyers bidding up purchase prices to buy growth and banks hamstrung by leveraged lending guidance, implemented in 2013 and designed to limit the amount of debt banks can extend to so-called junk-rated borrowers, private equity sponsors are caught in the middle.

"There's a cap on the amount of leverage that sponsors can arrange," said a leveraged finance banker of the current market.

The average leverage on a buyout in 2Q16 was 5.8 times total debt to Ebitda. In contrast, during the 2007 buyout boom private equity firms piled on an average of 6.8 times total debt.

The higher price tags without the ability to obtain as much leverage means private equity shops are being forced to pony up the difference in order to win a highly coveted business leading, in part, to bigger equity checks.

In some cases, sponsors simply opt to use more equity to finance a deal depending on the investment profile of the target company.

"There are some sponsors that by nature like to put more equity in a deal. Depending on the growth profile and the future financing needs, it makes more sense not to saddle a company with a lot of debt upfront," Swan said.

MARKETO TO MARKET

For the right company, private equity sponsors seem willing to go the extra mile and pay the full price in equity if need be. In May, Vista agreed to buy Marketo without a financing condition, according to regulatory filings. This is rare, but shows a sponsor willing to pay the full price in equity if necessary.

In February, Apollo Global Management agreed to buy Apollo Education Group for US$1.1bn without a financing condition, too.

Marketo said in an August 16 filing that Golub Capital provided a US$25m revolving credit facility and a US$375m term loan. Marketo did not arrange any junior debt, a source familiar with the deal said.

The five-year senior loans both priced at 950bp over Libor, a hefty price compared to the 2Q16 average spread of 479bp over Libor for first-lien debt.

Vista has previously bought companies without a financing condition, including the September 2014 US$4.3bn acquisition of Tibco Software. However, one big difference with Tibco is that at the time the deal was announced JP Morgan and Jefferies agreed to provide debt commitments, with the company sealing a US$1.67bn term loan to finance the deal. In the case of Marketo, Vista did not get banks to agree to provide financing commitments.

Given that Marketo's Ebitda over the last 12 months was negative US$49.6m, the deal was likely a hard sell, contributing to the sponsor going to an arranger like Golub instead of trying to broadly syndicated a deal, an investor said. Marketo's revenue though grew at a rate of 35.4% over the last 12 months, Thomson Reuters data shows.

The firm could probably have arranged junior debt, but it would have come at an even greater cost than the 950bp spread the senior debt carried and mezzanine debt would likely have included warrants.

"Maybe Vista rationalized it was better to write a big equity check than potentially give up some ownership to a mezzanine underwriter," Terwilliger said.

Golub declined comment. Vista did not return request for comment.

(Reporting by Jonathan Schwarzberg and Leela Parker Deo; Editing by Michelle Sierra and Chris Mangham)
By India Today Web Desk: Exclusive tapes that may prove that there was a cover-up in the much talked-about Sheena Bora murder case have been accessed by India Today TV. The tapes allegedly have conversations between Indrani Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea, who recorded them.

The India Today reporter has accessed 20 tapes. She claims that the CBI used only seven of them and considered evidence in the remaining 13 as not relevant to the case. She also added that these tapes would show that Indrani and Peter tried to cover-up the cold-blooded murder.

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Also Read: Fresh tapes in Sheena Bora murder case hint at cover-up



HERE IS A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF WHAT THE SEVEN TAPES CONTAIN

CLIP 1:

The conversation is between Rahul and Peter with Indrani in the background.

Rahul asks Peter about the whereabouts of Sheena, to which Peter replies that he does not know where she is. He adds that she might have gone off somewhere with someone and will come back whenever she wants to. He says he doesn't know what Sheena's character is.

Peter challenges Rahul to trace Sheena. Rahul says that Indrani was the last person she contacted. He adds that Sheena had sent her a message in the morning. He said Sheena also sent him a message in the morning and 45 minutes after that, he got another message which made him worry.

Peter asks Rahul to come over to Goa and to sit and discuss the issue. Peter then asks Rahul to think over it and do whatever he wants to do. Rahul replies that he wants to see Sheena. After this, Peter hangs up the phone.

CLIP 2:

The phone reconnects.

Rahul says that he is worried about Sheena because she has not been in touch with anyone and has been inactive on her social media accounts. He adds that all her friends and colleagues are worried about her. He tells Peter that she has never missed a day of work. Rahul says that it is out of character for Sheena to leave without telling anyone.

The phone disconnects again. The channel decided to play clip 5 ahead of clip 3 and 4 to bring in the conversations between Indrani and Rahul .

CLIP 3:

Peter tells Rahul that Indrani informed him about a certain Mr. Mukherjee to whom Sheena was supposed to submit her resignation.

Rahul tells Indrani and Peter that two people from Sheena's office came to ask Rahul about Sheena's whereabouts. Peter asks Rahul if he can put him on speaker because then Peter would not have had to repeat the conversation to her. Rahul tells Indrani that Sheena had informed him about getting into a college in England.

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He says Sheena had told him that Indrani had asked her to look for other colleges. He tells Indrani that he does not understand why she would leave her job all of a sudden. He tells Indrani that Sheena took one day off from work and had not gone back to work after that. She did not get back to office or inform anyone at work about about resigning. Rahul reminds Peter of a question that he asked a year ago, asking what would happen if Sheena went missing one day. Peter nudges the question off.

Peter and Indrani keep on asking Rahul about the identity of the people who came to ask for Sheena. Rahul replies that they were Reliance employees and had said that in case she does not return to office, they will be informing the police.

Rahul mentions that he does not want to know where Sheena is, only thing he wants to know is if she was fine. Peter says that since the people from Reliance came looking for her, it means that she has not resigned. He says that they will be looking for her and in case they do not find her, they will come back to them.

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Upon hearing this, Rahul asks if this does not worry them. Both Peter and Indrani reply affirmatively to this. The phone disconnects.

CLIP 5:

Indrani and Rahul are in conversation.

Indrani tells Rahul that she was contacted by the HR manager of the company Sheena worked at. She said Sheena had told the HR about taking a leave and that she had not formally resigned.

Indrani tells Rahul that even she is worried that Sheena has not been responding to calls. Rahul mentions that Sheena had been working for a couple of years now and had been in a relationship for two years. She tells Rahul that Peter wants them to wait for a while until she gets in touch in with someone. She mentions that she is getting worried because Sheena was not in touch with anyone but Rahul and her on the day she disappeared. She says that Sheena should at least tell them what she wants.

She said they should give the authorities some time to trace her as they have now reported the case to the police. Rahul says that they should try somehow to get her back. She says the police have assured that they would find her once she uses her cell phone. She adds that she was worried when Sheena last spoke to her.

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She says Peter Mukerjea was not directly involved in the conversation but was aware of the conversation. She says that Peter thought that Sheena had maybe found another source for getting money. Rahul tells Indrani that he thinks Sheena might have been held against her will by someone. She tells Rahul that Sheena did not contact him after she took some amount of money from Indrani.

Right before hanging up the phone, she says that she is getting a phone call from Sheena's boss.

CLIP 8:

Indrani says that she was in touch with a certain Mr Nishant Khurana, who is supposedly Sheena's boyfriend, and says he gave her messages from Sheena and told her about Sheena being in Nagpur.

Peter and Indrani ask Rahul not to worry about Sheena and ask him to carry on with his life. Peter says that things like these happen and he should not be stressed about this. Indrani says that she did not know who her boyfriend was and says they could not do anything in case she had left the country.

Indrani says that maybe Sheena wants to move on from Rahul. Rahul replies that even if Sheena wanted to leave him and move on, she could have just told him that before leaving.

CLIP 13:

Rahul says that on the day before her disappearance, Sheena had sent him a message saying that she was on her way to Royal China restaurant for dinner with Indrani and had just left Taj Lands End at around 8:44 pm.

Rahul says that he called the restaurant and the restaurant staff said they were open that night but did not have any reservations in their names. Rahul says that he thinks something is wrong and adds that he knows Peter and Indrani know it too.

Indrani starts to explain the sequence of events. She says that she met Sheena at around 6:15-6:30 pm after which they went to a saree shop. Sheena tried on a few sarees and bought one. She said they next went to a jewellery shop and on their way to the shop, they saw that Royal China was shut. She claimed to have called the restaurant and that no one picked up.

Indrani says that Sheena was constantly on the phone when she was with her. Rahul asks Indrani what time did they cross Royal China. He then goes on to ask how much time does it take to try the sarees. He says that he was just trying to find out the truth. Indrani asked Rahul to believe what she was telling.

She goes on to say that both the shops have cameras and Rahul will know what time they went there. Rahul says that he will be doing his checking and will get back to her. She tells him that he should do his research and be sure of the story. Indrani says that she isn't hiding anything.

Peter takes over the conversation from Indrani, and asks Rahul to do all the investigation he wants to do. He adds that Indrani knows the sequence of events and she knows where she dropped her.

CLIP 17:

Rahul asked Peter if she knows where Sheena is. Peter replies that he did not know where she was.

Then Peter mentions he got a call from Sheena saying that she was fine. He said that Sheena asked him not to give her number to Rahul. Rahul asks for her number, to which he replies that he did not see the number she had called from. He said that Sheena called on Indrani's number and sent a text message saying that she was fine and did not want to talk to Rahul.

Rahul asked if she just called to say she was ok. Peter says that Indrani was already on call with Sheena when he entered the room. Peter reminds Rahul of the messages that he showed Rahul the morning when he came to India. Rahul did not have any memory of the messages but Peter insisted that he read out the messages to Rahul.

Rahul says that he is not okay with having to take Indrani's word for it. He goes on to say that he doesn't buy the explanation Peter gave him. He said that Peter shouldn't just believe what Indrani tells him. He said that Peter was pushing his limits.

Peter asks Rahul to calm down and to put this chapter to rest.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

Also Read:

Sheena Bora murder case: CBI to tell Mumbai court how much more time it needs to complete investigation



Sheena Bora murder: All you need to know



Indrani Mukerjea arrested: 5 things you must know about #SheenaMurderMystery



Both Peter and Indrani conspired to kill Sheena Bora: CBI to High Court



--- ENDS ---
Peter Mukerjea today claimed he did not know about his son recording their conversations, but helped him later with their transcripts.

By India Today Web Desk: A day after the audio tapes of his conversation with son Rahul and wife Indrani came out, Peter Mukerjea today claimed he did not know about his son recording their conversations, but helped him later with their transcripts.

"I did not know about the recordings when Rahul was recording it. But he is my son, he stays with me. So, during the three months that we had after Indrani got arrested and before I got arrested, he told me about these recordings. If I had a guilty mind, I wouldn't have helped him make the transcripts, we did that together," Peter told India Today TV today.

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Also Read: Fresh tapes in Sheena Bora murder case hint at cover-up



Rahul, who was engaged to Indrani's daughter Sheena Bora before she was killed in 2012, has shared 20 tapes of the conversation with the CBI, which is investigating the case. Seven of those tapes have been found to be relevant.



Rahul has told the CBI he had recorded the multiple conversations because he had suspected the couple of a cover-up behind the mysterious disappearance of Bora, who was later found dead in the jungles outside Mumbai.

Sheena Bora audio tapes: Will leaked conversations nail Peter Mukerjea now?



In one of the tapes, Peter asks Rahul what he would do if Bora disappeared. This conversation is believed to have taken a year before the 24-year-old was killed.

The CBI today said it is ready to frame "fresh charges" after more grounds have come forward to establish the motive behind Bora's killing.

"The CBI is ready for framing of charges. We have sufficient material in the case and are ready for trial," the investigating agency's lawyer Sudhir Badami told India Today TV.

WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

Also Read:

Sheena Bora murder case: CBI to tell Mumbai court how much more time it needs to complete investigation



Sheena Bora murder: All you need to know



Indrani Mukerjea arrested: 5 things you must know about #SheenaMurderMystery



Both Peter and Indrani conspired to kill Sheena Bora: CBI to High Court



--- ENDS ---
26 Aug - They may have been spending a lot of time together, but according to Maja Salvador and John Lloyd Cruz' people, the two of them are not dating.



As reported on Coconuts Manila, sources claimed that the two stars are not in a romantic relationship, as Salvador looks up to Cruz as an older brother and vice versa.



The notion was also shared by Kapamilya's Neneth Rustia, who stated that the two stars wouldn't have posted photos of them together so publicly if they really are dating.



However, despite ongoing rumours and continuous denial, Salvador and Cruz continue to show their closeness on Instagram photos, with the latest, posted by Salvador, showing the two of them on a boat during a beach trip in Davao.



The two stars were rumoured to be dating earlier this month after they went on a movie date to watch "How To Be Yours", ironically co-starring Salvador's ex-boyfriend Gerald Anderson and Cruz's previous rumoured girlfriend and onscreen partner, Bea Alonzo.



(Photo source: instagram.com/iammajasalvador)
For three days, people have been camped outside of the Manitowoc County Courthouse, waiting for Steven Averys lawyer to file a motion in the case chronicled in Netflixs docuseries Making a Murderer. On Friday morning, Kathleen Zellner was finally on her way.

The lawyer, specializing in wrongful convictions, tweeted an image that showed the freeway sign heading into Manitowoc, Wisconsin. She is supposed to get to the clerks office within the next hour.

Last week, Zellner said shed unearthed another suspect in the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, for which Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted in 2007. She also told the New York Times that she plans to file a motion for access to DNA evidence from the crime scene for new testing.

Also Read: 'Making a Murderer': Will Steven Avery's Lawyer Pitch New Theory on Halbach Murder Today? (Updated)

The deadline is apparently on Monday, but commotion at the courthouse over the last three days had fans and family members thinking she might file early.

Decembers release of Making a Murderer had the nation split over whether the two were actually guilty of the crime or whether the Manitowoc Sheriffs Department framed him.

Earlier this month, U.S. Magistrate Judge William E. Duffin granted Dasseys petition for a writ of habeas corpus, finding that his confession at age 16 while suffering from certain intellectual deficits at the time of his questioning, was involuntary.

Also Read: 'Making a Murderer': Prosecutor Who Backed Steven Avery in 1st Case Says Filmmakers 'Distort the Truth'

At the time of the decision, the judge said Dassey would be released from custody in 90 days unless the state decides to retry him.

See the photo below.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Making a Murderer': Steven Avery's Lawyer Cites New Suspect, Plans New DNA Testing

'Making a Murderer' Prosecutor Gives 9 Reasons Steven Avery Is Guilty
The lawyer representing Making a Murderer subject Steven Avery has filed a motion demanding physical evidence from the murder of Teresa Halbach for further scientific testing that she claims didnt exist during the trial.

On Friday, Kathleen Zellner hand-delivered the motion at the Manitowoc Circuit Court, a spokesperson for the Midwest Innocence Project told TheWrap. In the filing, Zellner revealed that Mr. Avery has already completed a series of tests that will conclusively establish his innocence and that she intends to reveal the identity of an alternate suspect once she has the test results.

Averys lawyers called the proposed analyses the most comprehensive, thorough and advanced forensic testing ever requested by a criminal defendant in the State of Wisconsin.

Also Read: 'Making a Murderer': Steven Avery's Lawyer Finally Heads to Manitowoc (Photo)

In the 45-page motion, Avery asks for post-conviction testing of physical evidence, adding that considerable progress has been made in forensic DNA methods, procedures and tests, including the development of tests for the specific detection of blood, saliva, semen and urine.

The motion claims that new testing technology can distinguish whether DNA has come from blood, saliva, semen or urine, and Avery claims that if he was truly bleeding from his finger like prosecutors claimed, there should be blood DNA on the hood of Halbachs car. Avery has offered to pay for the new tests.

Avery also requested radiocarbon testing, which could definitely establish the age of Mr. Averys blood found in the victims vehicle and determine, based on the age, if the blood was planted.

The lawyers are also requesting the battery cable, the interior hood release and the blinker light of the RAV4 found at the Avery Salvage Yard a few days after Halbach went missing on Halloween 2005. Averys team is also asking for advanced DNA analysis on previously-tested items, such as the license plates.

Story continues

Also Read: 'Making a Murderer': Will Steven Avery's Lawyer Pitch New Theory on Halbach Murder Today? (Updated)

The car key, which has been a debated piece of evidence since officers Andrew Colborn and James Lenk found it in Averys bedroom a week after Halbachs disappearance, has also been requested for testing. The motion argues that If there is only saliva and no blood, this will refute one of the States theories that blood from Mr. Averys cut finger mask[ed] the victims DNA.

Avery is requesting previously obtained fingerprints from Colborn and Lenk to compare them to the fingerprints found on the RAV4: If the unidentified fingerprints on the victims vehicle match either Officer Colborn or Officer Lenk, it would be significant evidence of their involvement in moving the victims vehicle onto the Avery property.

Steven Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted in 2007 for the murder of Teresa Halbach two years earlier. When the Netflix docuseries on the subject, Making a Murderer, was released in December, the nation was split over whether Avery was guilty or local law enforcement framed a man who had just been exonerated in a rape case for which he spent 18 years in prison.

Zellner also filed a motion with the Court of Appeals of Wisconsin to hold Averys appeal until a ruling is made on the new testing.

Judicial efficiency and the interests of the parties and the public weigh in favor of placing this appeal on hold pending the resolution of the testing should testing be granted  There is no harm to the Plaintiffs as the status quo includes Mr. Averys continued incarceration, read the motion, obtained by TheWrap.

Pamela Chelin contributed to this report.

Related stories from TheWrap:

'Making a Murderer': Brendan Dassey Retrial May Hinge on Teresa Halbach Family Decision

'Making a Murderer': Prosecutor Who Backed Steven Avery in 1st Case Says Filmmakers 'Distort the Truth'
Making a Murderer subject Steven Averys new lawyer Kathleen Zellner has filed a motion seeking further scientific testing of evidence from the 2005 murder of Teresa Halbach. Zellner argued that this level of testing wasnt available during the 2007 trial.

The most reassuring thing is that we are going to get to the bottom of who killed Teresa Halbach, Zellner told reporters outside Manitowoc County courthouse on Friday. And we firmly believe that we will establish it was not Steven Avery.

Zellner wants to date blood and DNA found at the scene to verify whether it was planted or not. Although she told reporters the results will indicate that Avery is in fact not guilty, she declined to point out who might be responsible. In the motion, Zellner says Mr. Avery has already completed a series of tests that will conclusively establish his innocence and that she will be revealing her theory on the presumed killer once she has access to the test results.

Zellners motion also theorizes how Avery was framed by Manitowoc County. She points out that documents state Halbachs car was seized on Nov. 3, 2005, which is actually two days before it was found on Nov. 5.

If the unidentified fingerprints on the victims vehicle match either Officer [Andrew] Colborn or Officer [James] Lenk, it would be significant evidence of their involvement in moving the victims vehicle onto the Avery property, states Zellners motion, obtained by Newsweek.

Ms. Halbachs vehicle was moved from the Fred Radandt Sons, Inc. quarry to the Avery property using the conveyor road that led onto the Avery property from the quarry, the motion states. Mr. Avery contends that the blood evidence was planted in Ms. Halbachs car, by law enforcement, prior to the discovery of the vehicle on the Avery property on November 5, 2005.

Zellners motion further details the inconsistencies within the case and trial, including peoples access the property after it was closed to the public. She also points out distinctions between the main timeline and testimonies.

Story continues

In 2007, Avery and his nephew Brendan Dassey were convicted of murdering Halbach, a photographer. Netflix premiered Making a Murderer, which chronicled Avery and Dasseys cases, in December. A federal magistrate judge overturned Dasseys conviction earlier this month, but Avery is still behind bars for life without parole.

Netflixs Making a Murderer will be returning with more episodes chronicling the aftermath of the convictions and the current state of both defendants, but has yet to set a release date for Season 2.

Related stories

'Making a Murderer's' Brendan Dassey Has Conviction Overturned

'Making a Murderer' Gets New Episodes on Netflix

'Making a Murderer' Filmmakers to Adapt 'America's Most Admired Lawbreaker'
(Repeats for Asian morning distribution)

By Anshuman Daga

SINGAPORE, Aug 25 (Reuters) - AirAsia Bhd, Asia's biggest low-cost airline, values its wholly owned leasing arm at 4.1 billion ringgit ($1 billion), and aims to attract an equity investor to the unit by end-2016, it said in a presentation to analysts.

The Malaysian airline aims for its Asia Aviation Capital (AAC) to expand its portfolio to about 200 aircraft in five years from the current 55, AirAsia told analysts in the Aug. 15 presentation, a copy of which was obtained by Reuters.

Group Chief Executive Tony Fernandes, AirAsia CEO Aireen Omar and other senior officials highlighted the company's plans at a briefing for analysts last week.

AirAsia had no immediate response to Reuters' request for comment on the presentation.

Earlier this month, Reuters reported that AirAsia was looking to sell a majority stake in AAC and could value the business at about $1 billion, significant for a company that currently has a total market value of $1.9 billion.

A successful deal will help Fernandes, one of Asia's best-known entrepreneurs, who has grown AirAsia from a two-plane operation a decade ago, to bolster the airline's finances and cut debt.

Reuters reported that AirAsia plans to tap potential suitors including the leasing units of China's HNA Group, China Merchants Bank, and the aviation leasing company backed by Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.

AirAsia group, which includes affiliates in Thailand, Philippines, India and Indonesia, is recovering from a rough patch after the crash of an Airbus jet in Indonesia in late 2014 hit demand, and an attack on its accounting practices by GMT Research pushed its shares to seven-year lows in August 2015.

Ngoi Se Chai, partner at Oaklands Path Capital Management, which owns shares in AirAsia, said the airline's cost advantage could help it grow for the next few years if it does not increase its fleet size too quickly.

In the presentation, AirAsia said the fair value of the company's stock should be at least 6 ringgit a share after including the market value of AirAsia, AAC and stakes in other businesses such as its long-haul affiliate AirAxia X Bhd and loyalty programme joint venture.

AirAsia's share price closed at 2.86 ringgit on Thursday, versus Monday's closing price of 2.99 ringgit. The shares, which rose to a 3-year high of 3.33 ringgit last week, have more than doubled so far this year.

Estimates for AirAsia's 2016 net income have risen by an average of 59 percent based on five analysts who have made revisions over the past 30 days, Thomson Reuters data shows. ($1 = 4.0180 ringgit) (Reporting by Anshuman Daga; Additional reporting by Liz Lee in KUALA LUMPUR; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Susan Thomas)
Miami (AFP) - US health officials Friday reported the first known case of a man who acquired Zika virus while traveling, showed no symptoms, and infected his female partner during unprotected sex.

The case suggests the risk of Zika's spread may be far greater than previously understood, and may lead to more stringent recommendations about who should practice protected sex and for how long after traveling to Zika-affected areas, said the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The man, who lived in Maryland, traveled to the Dominican Republic earlier this year and returned without reporting any symptoms of Zika, which can include rash, joint pain, fever and red eyes.

He had condomless sex with a female partner on two occasions, 10 and 14 days after his return.

On the 16th day after his return, the woman developed a fever and rash.

In June, Maryland health authorities were notified of the case, and the woman tested positive for Zika.

She reported no other sex partners in the two weeks before her infection arose, and no blood transfusions or organ transplants either.

The man got tested 29 days after his return, and the results confirmed "a recent, unspecified flavivirus infection," said the CDC, referring to a family of viruses which includes Zika, dengue and West Nile.

"Semen collected on Day 31 had no detectable Zika virus."

However, the man said his only symptom was feeling a bit tired, which he chalked up to having recently traveled.

Zika is primarily a mosquito-borne virus that causes no symptoms in four out of five of those affected.

But if pregnant women are infected, they face a higher risk of having a baby with head and brain defects, a condition known as microcephaly.

In this case, the female partner was not pregnant, the CDC said.

Currently, the CDC urges couples who want to become pregnant to wait at least eight weeks if one of the partners has traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission but did not develop symptoms.

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But now, the "findings in this report indicate that it might be appropriate to consider" anyone who has unprotected sex with a person returning from an area with ongoing Zika virus transmission "as exposed to Zika virus, regardless of whether the returning traveler reports symptoms of Zika virus infection," it said.

Men who are diagnosed with Zika should wait far longer  at least six months  before attempting conception, officials said.

And women who are confirmed positive for Zika are urged to wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant.

Researchers are aware of just one other case in which a man without symptoms might have sexually transmitted Zika virus to his female partner.

But in that case, since they both had traveled to a country with ongoing Zika transmission, it could not be ruled out that the woman was infected by a mosquito bite.
A technologically savvy Texas man opened fire outside a shopping mall, striking one person, before making his getaway in an Uber car, officials said.

Darryl Eugene Patterson, 19, and the alleged victim got into a fight in The Parks Mall at about 6:40 p.m. Wednesday, pushing and shoving each other near the shopping center's food court, Arlington police Lt. Christopher Cook told InsideEdition.com.

When the victim and his wife tried to leave the mall using a pedestrian bridge leading to a parking lot, Patterson allegedly shot the unidentified man in the leg, Cook said.

Off-duty officers working with mall security were responding to a report of a person with a gun near the food court when they received another report of shots fired, officials said.

The alleged victim was found shot at least twice in the leg and was rushed to a local hospital to be treated for his non-life-threatening wounds, authorities said.

Read: Cops: Suspected Drug Dealer Flees Police, Manages to Get a Haircut Before Arrest

Witnesses told cops that the suspect allegedly tried ditching the .38 revolver used in the shooting by tossing it on top of a nearby business, but after multiple failed attempts, he ran off when the business' manager confronted him, Cook said.

Witnesses also reported that the suspect and two other people jumped into a silver Toyota Corolla  an Uber car  which police tracked down and stopped.

Cook commended the community for their help in catching the suspect.

"We had a lot of people being nosey, which is good," he said with a laugh, calling their assistance a "very key" part of the arrest.

The surprised Uber driver had no idea what he had become a part of, Cook said.

Read: 5-Year-Old Boy Is Fatally Struck By Car As Driver Flees Police

Cook said this escape attempt was a first for him.

"We know as responding officers, we're not thinking of Ubers or taxis or public transportation, but we know people will go through great lengths to conceal their identity or avoid capture," he said.

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The two other people with Patterson were initially detained, but released pending further investigation, he said.

Patterson was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. The second count was brought because Patterson allegedly pointed the gun at the victim's wife's face before he fired at the man, Cook said.

He remains jailed on a $50,000 bail.

Watch: College Student Missing For Days After Telling Her Mom She Was Taking An Uber

Related Articles:
The CBI will inform the Mumbai special court how much times it needs to complete its investigation in the Sheena Bora murder case.

Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea are in police custody in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case.

By Vidya : The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will today inform the special court in Mumbai how much more time they need to complete the investigation in the Sheena Bora murder case.

The central investigating agency has already filed two chargesheets in the case.

However, they are yet to close their investigations against former media head honcho Peter Mukerjea, his wife Indrani Mukerjea and two others.

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Also Read: Fresh tapes in Sheena Bora murder case hint cover-up

INDRANI WANTS TO WISH BIRTHDAY TO VIDHIE

Also, Indrani Mukerjea will be requesting the special court to be allowed to make a call to Vidhie, her daughter from second marriage with Sanjeev Khanna, another accused in the case.

Vidhie was a young toddler when Indrani had met Peter in Mumbai and was looked after by the Mukerjea family as Peter's own daughter after their marriage.

Vidhie is currently studying in England and the CBI had said that Indrani wanted to give all her property to her.

It has been a year since Indrani was picked up by the Khar police for her role in killing her daughter from first marriage (Sheena Bora).

What followed was an almost unbelievable story of an ambitious woman who had cared little for relationships.

THE CASE AND WHAT CBI CHARGESHEET SAYS

However, the case was soon transferred from the Mumbai Police to the CBI.

The CBI filed a chargesheet which said that Sheena was not Indrani's sister as she had claimed to the world but her daughter.

Sheena had come to Mumbai from Assam and had started staying with Indrani and her husband Peter. During her stay, Sheena fell in love with Peter's son from first marriage, Rahul Mukerjea. Despite Indrani and Peter's efforts to move them apart, they went ahead and got engaged.

According to the CBI, the motive of the murder was this relationship and Sheena's constant demand for being recognised as a daughter and be given a huge flat as inheritance.

Rahul, on the other hand, searched for her after Sheena disappeared in 2012 he recorded his conversations with other family members concerning Sheena- Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea.

These recordings had formed the very basis of CBI's investigation.

PETER KILLED SHEENA?

On the day CBI filed the first chargesheet, the agency arrested Peter claiming he was involved in the conspiracy to kill and his motive was purely financial.

According to the CBI, there were fake accounts in the name of Sheena Bora that the couple had created to stash away their booty from a few deals and this was the motive behind the killing.

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The agency claimed that the accounts were in foreign land and to a process was issued to get the details of the account but it would take time, even couple of months. It said that without the replies from foreign banks, the investigation cannot move ahead.



Also Read:

Sheena Bora murder: Driver says Indrani strangulated daughter, silent on Peter

Sheena Bora case: Peter was fond of late night parties and young women, says ex-wife

Both Peter and Indrani conspired to kill Sheena Bora: CBI to High Court



--- ENDS ---
On the heels of the success of FX's The People vs. O.J. Simpson, former prosecutor Marcia Clark is getting a chance at her own show.

NBC has handed out a put pilot commitment to a legal drama based on Clarks novel Blood Defense. She will co-write the series alongside writer-producers Elizabeth Craft and Sara Fain for ABC Studios and Mandeville TV.

The project centers on Samantha Brinkman, a relentless criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles whose world is turned upside down when she is hired to defend a police detective in a high-profile homicide. It thrusts her into the public spotlight, exposing dark secrets from her past.

The drama will be executive produced by Clark, Craft and Fain, along with Mandevilles David Hoberman, Todd Lieberman and Laurie Zaks.

Clark, who first rose to fame the lead prosecutor in the Simpson murder trial, was recently thrust back into the spotlight with Ryan Murphys acclaimed anthology series People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, in which Sarah Paulsons portrayal as Clark earned the actress an Emmy nomination. The high-profile case remained in the conversation recently with ESPN documentary O.J.: Made In America, which premiered to rave reviews.

Clark eventually left law to focus on writing, and she penned a series of legal thrillers centering on prosecutor Rachel Knight. Among them: The Competition, Killer Ambition, Guilt by Degrees and Guilt by Association, which TNT developed as a drama. Despite going to pilot with Julia Stiles in the leading role, the series never moved forward. Blood Defense, which came out in May, is Clarks latest book.

Clark is repped by UTA.

Read more: A Conversation With Marcia Clark: Rape, Scientology Flirtation and When She Last Saw O.J.
Dog owners were given massages alongside their pups on Friday as the Israeli commercial capital of Tel Aviv celebrated its first festival for four-legged residents.

Hundreds of dogs and humans joined the festival, which was timed to coincide with Dog Day celebrations worldwide.

In addition to canine massages, children sat with their pets for joint portraits, and there was even a dog sushi stall.

Lectures on "dog emotions" took place, as did a workshop on canine homeopathy.

The city claims to be one of the most dog-friendly in the world, where it is common to take your pup to the restaurant, a party or even the office.

Research conducted by the city vet found that Tel Aviv has among the highest number of dogs per population, with one for every 17 residents, municipality spokeswoman Mira Marcus told AFP.

"In Tel Aviv's dog parks you will not see a lot of owners busy on their phones. Here it is a real community -- people come to create a link between themselves and their dogs," resident and event organiser Tal Hollander, 32, said.

The municipality boasts more than 60 dog parks, including hydration stations, as well as 24/7 services for strays.

It also hosted a recent dog and owner showing of the Universal Pictures hit film "The Secret Life of Pets".
The actress behind the massive revolt against the EpiPen price increase has been revealed.

Read: Sarah Jessica Parker Quits as EpiPen Spokeswoman After Manufacturer Raises Price by 400 Percent

Mellini Kantayya is a concerned mother who lives in Brooklyn, New York. She has appeared in the hit HBO series The Night Of and the CBS series Limitless. Her husband uses EpiPen to combat his allergies.

Last month, she started an online petition: "Stop The EpiPen Price Gouging." It was that simple act that triggered a firestorm.

Her husband uses EpiPen to combat allergies and she was outraged by the huge jump in price from $57 in 2007 to $600 today.

"It just felt nefarious. Kantayya told The New York Times. Why don't I do a petition, and maybe something will be done about this?"

For people with severe allergies, EpiPen is a lifesaving emergency treatment if they suffer from anaphylactic shock, which can prove fatal.

Many are now turning to Canada, where it still sells for much less.

Darby Lee, of Jacksonville, Florida, told Inside Edition: In the States they want to charge you $600 for one. I went online through a Canadian pharmacy and they charged $225 for two EpiPens."

Others are actually going on eBay, where we found them selling for as low as $75.

Dr. Alexandra Sowa told Inside Edition that purchasing an EpiPen on eBay is a terrible idea.

You cant trust it, she said. You have no idea where it comes from and you have no idea where it has been. It could have a seal on it but that doesnt mean anything. I really implore people to not use the internet for this kind of medication.

Read: Teen Becomes 4th Person Ever to Survive Brain-Eating Amoeba: 'This Was a Miracle'

The EpiPen is manufactured by Mylan. The company's CEO, Heather Bresch, is the daughter of West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin, who has spoken out for the first time over the controversy.

Story continues

He said in a statement: "I am aware of the questions my colleagues and many parents are asking and frankly I share their concerns about the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs."

Watch: Girl, 10, Rescued From Rubble 17 Hours After Devastating Italy Earthquake

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Left to Right: Joyce Chu and Joshua Tan (minus Aloysius Pang) will be at Sunway Pyramid today.



26 Aug - It's going to be a fabulous Friday indeed, as the cast of "Young & Fabulous" are in town to meet their fans!



This evening at 7:30pm, head on over to the main concourse of Sunway Pyramid to meet Joyce Chu, Joshua Tan and Jordan Ng.



The cast will also be giving out autographed posters, AirAsia Big Points, movie merchandises and "Young & Fabulous" movie passes.



Directed by Michael Woo, apart from the trio above the comedy drama also stars Gurmit Singh, Aloysius Pang and Henry Thia.



The film is touted as Singapore's first ever cosplay film, and the story revolves around a group of teenage friends who share their love of cosplaying.



The poster for the "Young & Fabulous" event this evening!



Released on 26 May 2016 in Singapore, the movie managed to gross SGD313,900 in just four days opening in third place after "The Angry Birds Movie" and "X-Men: Apocalypse".



In 19 days it then raked in SGD1.2million.



"Young & Fabulous" is expected to also be a hit in Malaysia as well, as its star, Joyce Chu is a popular Malaysian YouTuber and Gurmit Singh who is well-known for his role in the popular "Phua Chu Kang" series is also well loved in the country.



Distributed by TGV Pictures, "Young & Fabulous" comes to cinemas this 1 September 2016.
From ELLE DECOR

When the curtain rises on September 26, opening night of the 50th-anniversary season of the Metropolitan Opera, its "sputnik" chandeliers will be aglow.

This hasn't always been the case. The chandeliers have been used irregularly for several years: Technical difficulties left them stuck in position near the ceiling for all of last season, and in 2008, they had to be dismantled and sent to Europe for cleaning, reports Bloomberg Pursuits.

This summer, however, the Met has replaced the equipment that raises and lowers the chandeliers, custom-dying the new power cables "Met red." In other words, the chandeliers are back in business.

More good news: If you love the aesthetic of the chandeliers, the Met Opera's shop is now selling replicas of the lights, ranging from $19,000 to $83,000. That's a gift shop souvenir we can get behind.

Chandeliers have had a special place in the opera throughout history. In the 18th century, the Opera Royal at Versailles used mirrors to magnify its chandeliers, and when a chandelier fell at the Palais Garnier in Paris, it inspired a now-infamous scene in Gaston Leroux's novel, "The Phantom of the Opera," according to The New York Times.

In the Met Opera's case, 23 chandeliers designed by Hans Harald Rath were donated to the United States by the Austrian government in 1966 as a "thanks!" for implementing the Marshall Plan (the United States' more than $12 billion pledge to help stabilize the economy in Western Europe after World War II).

Now that's a beautiful history.

h/t: Bloomberg Pursuits

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MEXICO CITY, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Mexican construction firm ICA reported on Thursday a much wider loss in the second quarter compared with the year-earlier period, as revenue was nearly halved and financial costs rose.

The company, which has not posted a profit since 2013 and has defaulted on multimillion-dollar debt payments, lost 3.36 billion pesos ($184 million) in the April-June period, compared with a loss of 567 million pesos in the same period a year earlier.

Revenue for the quarter was 5.28 billion pesos, 42 percent below the 9.05 billion pesos in the second quarter of 2015, as projects abroad wound down.

ICA, which has struggled under a high dollar-denominated debt load and a dwindling stream of projects, said its consolidated debt burden at the end of the quarter was 64.6 billion pesos, down 4.53 percent from Dec. 31, 2015.

The company said its cash liquidity was 6.95 billion pesos as of June 30, down 16 percent from the second quarter last year.

Reuters reported in April that the company planned to file a pre-packaged bankruptcy for some of its units, exit its international business and sell its homebuilding operations as it seeks to restructure.

Mexican financier David Martinez gave the company breathing room in June with a $215 million credit from his investment firm Fintech, allowing ICA to finance new contracts while negotiating with creditors to restructure debt.

ICA could get more good news early next month as Mexico's government awards contracts to build two of the runways for Mexico City's new $13 billion airport project. It is bidding with Portugal's Mota Engil.

ICA shares were up 8.92 percent on Thursday before the company reported.

($1 = 18.2575 at end of Q2) (Reporting by Gabriel Stargardter and Anahi Rama; Editing by Peter Cooney)
On Aug 25, we issued an updated research report on MGM Resorts International MGM.



The casino operator posted mixed second-quarter 2016 results on Aug 4, wherein earnings beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate while revenues missed the same.



In fact, MGM Resorts revenues have been sluggish over the past few quarters due to weakness in Macau operations. Gambling revenues in Macau were dismal throughout 2015 and continued to be so in the first half of 2016 as high-stake gamblers are curtailing spending amid a cooling Chinese economy. The region has also been struggling due to the anti-graft corruption drive, which lowered footfall at the casinos.



However, the company expects Macau traffic trends to improve over the long term aided by government efforts to boost tourism in the region.



Notably, MGM China, of which the company owns 51%, is undertaking initiatives to increase revenues and junket productivity in Macau as it anticipates a positive trend buoyed by upgrades to main gaming floor products and marketing initiatives. Moreover, MGM Cotais construction is in the final stages and is expected to boost revenues when it opens in the second quarter of 2017.



Meanwhile, MGM Resorts Las Vegas business is doing well on the back of the ongoing economic recovery and growing tourism in the region and is expected to continue to grow over the long term. This should drive incremental revenues at the companys properties in the region.



Moreover, the companys profit growth plan that began in Aug 2015 has begun reaping benefits as is evident from EBITDA growth in the first half of 2016. Further, MGM Resorts utilization of various types of technology to maximize revenues and efficiency in operations also bodes well.



However, MGM Resorts faces stiff competitive in the markets of Las Vegas and Macau due to increased hotel openings and promotional activities.



In fact, the companys upcoming project in the Cotai Strip is expected to face extreme peer pressure from several Chinese casino operators and the Sands Cotai Central project of Las Vegas Sands Corp. LVS. Wynn Resorts Ltd. WYNN also recently opened a full-scale integrated resort, Wynn Palace, on the Cotai Strip.



MGM Resorts currently has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). A better-ranked stock in this sector is Monarch Casino & Resort Inc. MCRI, sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).



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To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
By Jeffrey Dastin

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Travelers have booked fewer hotel rooms in downtown Miami, and leisure airfares to the greater Miami area have inched down in the weeks since the Zika virus was detected there, data reviewed by Reuters shows.

Hotels sold 2.9 percent fewer rooms in Miami's central business district and northern neighborhoods during the first three weeks of August than they did a year earlier in the same period, according to hotel data and analytics firm STR.

That area includes the Wynwood arts district where on July 29 Florida officials said they confirmed cases of people who contracted the virus, marking the first transmissions by mosquitoes in the continental United States.

The decline in hotel bookings may be an early indication of the virus's effect on Miami's robust tourism industry, which had an economic impact of $24.4 billion in 2015, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau.

The drop in the number of hotel room sales for the downtown and north Miami areas is a departure from largely uninterrupted growth in bookings there at least since 2010. From January 2016 through July, hotel stays by paying travelers were up 1.2 percent from a year ago, according to STR data.

But for the latest week ended Aug. 20, the number of hotel rooms sold was down 4.2 percent, compared to a year earlier.

Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights at STR, said the decline was not due to abnormally strong numbers the year before, and could reflect the impact of Zika virus concerns.

"We don't know enough yet," Freitag told Reuters, saying he would like to see up to two months of data, and monitor traffic to Miami from Europe and Brazil, both major sources of visitors to South Florida.

"Zika is not only a serious threat to public health. It has the potential to be an equally serious threat to a community's economy," said travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, adding that worries about the virus likely contributed to the decline in Miami.

Story continues

AIRFARES DOWN

The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause a severe birth defect known as microcephaly. In Brazil, more than 1,800 cases of the condition have been linked to Zika.

Earlier this week, officials reported new Zika infections in Wynwood, and also one case hundreds of miles away in Pinellas County, on the Gulf Coast.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that pregnant women who are worried about exposure to Zika might consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended universal testing of donated blood for the virus in the United States and its territories.

Miami tourism officials said hotel managers have not alerted them to bookings weakness related to the Zika virus.

It was too early to tell from the data that Zika had an impact on travel or bookings, tourism officials said.

"These numbers don't turn this quickly," said William Talbert, chief executive of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In a sign that airlines are trying to stimulate demand to and from Miami, airfares have gotten cheaper from a year ago, according to an analysis of the top U.S. domestic routes by Harrell Associates that was reviewed by Reuters.

Leisure fares on Miami routes were down 9 percent in late July from the prior year, while those to Fort Lauderdale were down 14 percent, the Harrell Associates data shows. Fares were sampled July 18 and July 25.

Since the first Zika cases were announced, the decline in leisure fares to and from Miami had widened to 16 percent, while fares for nearby Fort Lauderdale had dropped an average of 18 percent from a year earlier, the analysis found. That data is based on samples of airfares taken Aug. 15 and 22.

Nationwide, the high-restriction leisure fares are down 3 percent in mid-August from the prior year, the analysis by Harrell Associates found.

American Airlines Group Inc, the largest carrier in Miami, declined to comment on individual markets or whether the virus would impact its business. Its rival in the area, JetBlue Airways Corp, did not immediately comment.

Airlines have been struggling for months to curb the decline of ticket prices amid growing competition in popular markets.

While Miami Beach has continued to see hotel demand rise through August, that rate has appeared to slow: from 6.4 percent higher in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2015, to only 2.6 percent higher this month, the STR data showed. The same trend holds true for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, according to the data.

Miami Beach has about 2.5 times the number of hotels as downtown and north Miami, STR said.

(Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr)
A set of conversations - taped by Rahul Mukerjea - throw new light on the Sheena Bora murder case and hint at a cover-up by Peter and Indrani Mukerjea.

By India Today Web Desk: A set of taped conversations have thrown new light on the sensational new developments in the Sheena Bora murder case.

The taped conversations, allegedly between prime accused Indrani Mukerjea, her husband Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea seem to indicated an attempt to cover up the Sheena Bora murder case.

These tapes were allegedly recorded over a period of two weeks, apparently right after Sheena was murdered. We look at some of the suspicious conversations.

ABOUT THE NIGHT OF THE MURDER



TAPE 13

Rahul builds a timeline of Sheena's disappearance, tries to convince Peter that something wasn't right

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"Sheena sent me a message when she left Taj Lands End, around 8:30 in the evening on the 24th. And that message is saying that she is on the way to Royal China for dinner... Basically saying just left Taj Lands End, heading to Royal China for dinner. I phoned up Royal China and they were open on that night, they weren't closed. So something has changed the plan between Taj Lands end from heading towards Royal China, which is what Sheena obviously thought she was doing. Now apparently she was dropped off at Amar Sons an hour later at 9:30 pm. Papa there is something going on that is not right... you know it as well."

Peter appears to be silent for a few seconds before saying "Indrani said "we drove past Royal China and it was shut."" Rahul informs Peter that Royal China went through their bookings and there was no booking of Sheena or Indrani or Mukerjee or any Bora but they were definitely open and had other guests. He asks Peter and Indrani to speak to people from Royal China.

Indrani - initially heard speaking in the background - takes over to give the "sequence of events". According to her:

At 6:30 pm, Sheena comes to Amar Sons, buys a saree, post which she and Indrani go to a jeweller (Notandas) opposite Moti Mahal. Post that, while heading towards Taj Lands Ends, they cross Royal China and find it shut. She also claims to call the restaurant but gets no response. She says Sheena needed to be back at Amar Sons by 9:15 so they left Taj Lands End between quarter to 9 or 9 or 9:15. She adds that she was back home by quarter to 10.

She also mentions Mikhail in the conversation - saying he was a guest who had flown in from outside - and was a "dear friend". It has now been revealed that Mikhail is her son.

The Royal China mystery

Rahul continues to prod Indrani asking, if Royal China was open or shut - Indrani insists it was shut and later asks him to confirm what time they open. Initially, Indrani says they would have crossed Royal China at least by 7:30 pm, but minutes later she says "it must have been around 7:15 when we went to Taj". Rahul seems to catch this and asks Indrani to reconfirm their timing. "I don't know," replies Indrani before attempting to build a timeline.

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Her timing on crossing Royal China changes again towards the end, saying it was shut when they left Amar Sons around quarter to 7.

More discrepancies

Another discrepancy - which Rahul catches too - is Indrani's version from the saree shop. Initially she says Sheena tried 6-7 sarees and later she says 3-4 sarees.

Note that Indrani had earlier claimed that Sheena reached Amar Sons at 6:30 pm, but later in the conversation, she says she has a message from Sheena at 6:15 pm that she had reached. Throughout her explanation on the sequence of events, Indrani remains pretty liberal with her timelines - while she initially says it took them 15 minutes at the saree shop, she changes that to half an hour towards the end of the clip.

Towards the end of the conversation, Rahul tells Indrani there was no point in giving "silly examples," to which Indrani says "I don't know about Sheena's disappearance."

Indrani keeps insisting she has nothing to hide, "I don't want you to sit there and think that I am hiding something," she says. Later Peter takes over the call saying he or Indrani had nothing more to say and Rahul was free to do his own investigations.

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The map below negates Indrani Mukerjea's entire timeline, factoring in the amount of time it'll take for her to reach from Amarsons to Taj Lands End.







TAPE 17, PART 1

Peter Mukherjea tells Rahul, Sheena is okay, gives vague details

Peter begins the call with insisting Sheena is okay. "Indrani said, will you please speak to jiju and say that you're fine. She said, jiju, hi, I'm fine... and you know..." (Doesn't complete sentence)

Rahul goes on to question Peter if he asked her to get in touch with one of her friends, or if he remembered if Sheena was calling from a landline or a mobile. Replying in the negative, Peter says Sheena asked not to give her number to Rahul and that he called Rahul just to calm his mind.

He adds that they've "sent a message to Mukerjee, saying she will send her resignation or whatever in due course."

WHAT PETER SAID

TAPE 17, PART 2

Rahul refuses to believe a single claim from Peter about being in touch with Sheena

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Rahul continues to prod Peter - "did she call on your mobile or Indrani's phone or what?" She called on Indrani's mobile, responded Peter. "I was sending the message to you to close this chapter... and when I came upstairs, Indrani was on the phone and she said Sheena just called."

Rahul doesn't seem convinced. "So she just called to say she's okay? She just called right now, out of the blue to say she's okay?"

Peter then reiterates he spoke to Sheena.

Peter claims to have shown Rahul messages he had received from Sheena on the morning of April 26, but his son refuses to have any recollection of such an exchange. Peter then changes his claim to "Well, I did read it out to you that's for sure."

But Rahul remains unconvinced and stresses on how easy it will be for Indrani to fake the whole communication and how all these developments were "too convenient".

"Use your dimaag man. Hello papa I love you but you're pushing my limits here man."

Peter continues to ask Rahul to put the chapter to rest.

TAPE 2

Peter Mukerjea appears completely uninterested in Sheena Bora's disappearance

Rahul Mukerjea urges his dad to take note of Sheena's uncharacteristic behaviour of being missing from work without informing anyone. "She has never missed a day in work in last three years for once without informing. Now she's been gone for more than 2-3 days and she hasn't informed anyone. This is why it's out of character. Can you hear what I'm saying and take it in?"

Peter seems to completely dismiss his concern suggesting "let them inform whoever that she's not come to work." He also dismisses her inactivity on social media as "intentional".

Rahul also points that Sheena was supposed to collect a dongle and a blackberry from Peter's ex-head of security and that she met Indrani about it.

WHAT INDRANI SAID

TAPE 8, PART 1

Indrani insists Sheena's run away with someone and the crime branch chief has helped her reach this conclusion

Indrani claims to Rahul that Sheena gave her a "story about some Nagpur" guy, but she was actually in constant touch with a guy named Nishant Khurana from Delhi. She suggests Sheena has vanished or "wants to run away" with Khurana, saying her and Peter were concerned since Sheena had Rs 40,000 cash on her.

She claims that according to the crime branch chief, Sheena was definitely at the domestic airport at about 11 in the morning, before which she was talking to Khurana for an hour. "They chased down everything... from Bandra, after that she was at the airport," she says.

Rahul says this means Sheena has a plan and seems to be doing okay, but Indrani insists it means gone somewhere and she's with somebody. "At least we are not feeling like fools, all of us are not sitting and fighting here, no?"

TAPE 8, PART 2

Peter tells Rahul to take the whole episode as a lesson and carry on

Peter takes over and tells Rahul he will get more information as soon anything comes in. Rahul says "at least he can now deal with his own thing in his head."

Peter can be heard chuckling, saying, "here's your thing to learn about what you're getting into." He asks Rahul to carry on and plan his life.

He also asks Rahul to assume the worst, since Sheena was talking to someone for about an hour and he didn't know who the guy was. Rahul is quick to dismiss Peter - "no, no, not necessarily... you talk to friends for lengthy periods if something is going on."

He refuses to get into conjecture saying, "Sheena won't stay incommunicado forever, right?"

"I'll still wait for her," he says.

TAPE 8, Part 3

I think we should all have a good night sleep, says Indrani

Indrani takes over and ask Rahul to get some rest. She insists that Sheena gave her some "Nagpur bullshit" and now that it's turned out to be a completely different guy, they should all give it a rest and get "a good night sleep."

Indrani says she will inform Sheena's office as well.

TAPE 5

Indrani claims it was about the money, asks Rahul to wait to hear from the police

Indrani says according to Sheena's HR, she informed him she was going out of town, but they did not receive a formal resignation.

While Rahul seems non-confrontational, he raises questions like, "if you think about it, she's been working somewhere for the last few years, right? And she's been in a relationship for the last few years. Now, suddenly she's gone off with some guy and left her job, and also her relationship.... not told anybody, is unreachable, her friends don't know, the person she's been living with doesn't know..."

"We have to find her, bring her back and do things properly, no?" he says.

Indrani insists Sheena might be ignoring messages on Facebook intentionally and that there's nothing more for them to do at the point. "We have approached the highest possible person available here... we have to give a little bit of time (for more details)," she said. She also claimed that Sheena can be located no matter where she re-locates.

Rahul reiterates they need to speak to her or hear from her and know that she's okay. "I can't believe Sheena's done this in this manner... it is so unlike her," he says.

Indrani responds in agreement. She claims Peter found it odd that Sheena had contacted her. She adds that Peter had been hearing the conversations going on and was of the opinion that Sheena was hiding the truth. She suggests that whole thing was about money, since Sheena had disappeared soon after she took money from Indrani.

Rahul defends Sheena again, towards the end, saying "it's possible she is being held by somebody against her will in Nagpur, we don't know, you know?" Indrani agrees and hangs up saying she was getting a call from Indrani's boss.



--- ENDS ---
By Jeffrey Dastin (Reuters) - Travelers have booked fewer hotel rooms in downtown Miami, and leisure airfares to the greater Miami area have inched down in the weeks since the Zika virus was detected there, data reviewed by Reuters shows. Hotels sold 2.9 percent fewer rooms in Miami's central business district and northern neighborhoods during the first three weeks of August than they did a year earlier in the same period, according to hotel data and analytics firm STR. That area includes the Wynwood arts district where on July 29 Florida officials said they confirmed cases of people who contracted the virus, marking the first transmissions by mosquitoes in the continental United States. The decline in hotel bookings may be an early indication of the virus's effect on Miami's robust tourism industry, which had an economic impact of $24.4 billion in 2015, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau. The drop in the number of hotel room sales for the downtown and north Miami areas is a departure from largely uninterrupted growth in bookings there at least since 2010. From January 2016 through July, hotel stays by paying travelers were up 1.2 percent from a year ago, according to STR data. But for the latest week ended Aug. 20, the number of hotel rooms sold was down 4.2 percent, compared to a year earlier. Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights at STR, said the decline was not due to abnormally strong numbers the year before, and could reflect the impact of Zika virus concerns. "We don't know enough yet," Freitag told Reuters, saying he would like to see up to two months of data, and monitor traffic to Miami from Europe and Brazil, both major sources of visitors to South Florida. "Zika is not only a serious threat to public health. It has the potential to be an equally serious threat to a communitys economy," said travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, adding that worries about the virus likely contributed to the decline in Miami. AIRFARES DOWN The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause a severe birth defect known as microcephaly. In Brazil, more than 1,800 cases of the condition have been linked to Zika. Earlier this week, officials reported new Zika infections in Wynwood, and also one case hundreds of miles away in Pinellas County, on the Gulf Coast. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that pregnant women who are worried about exposure to Zika might consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended universal testing of donated blood for the virus in the United States and its territories. Miami tourism officials said hotel managers have not alerted them to bookings weakness related to the Zika virus. It was too early to tell from the data that Zika had an impact on travel or bookings, tourism officials said. "These numbers don't turn this quickly," said William Talbert, chief executive of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau. In a sign that airlines are trying to stimulate demand to and from Miami, airfares have gotten cheaper from a year ago, according to an analysis of the top U.S. domestic routes by Harrell Associates that was reviewed by Reuters. Leisure fares on Miami routes were down 9 percent in late July from the prior year, while those to Fort Lauderdale were down 14 percent, the Harrell Associates data shows. Fares were sampled July 18 and July 25. Since the first Zika cases were announced, the decline in leisure fares to and from Miami had widened to 16 percent, while fares for nearby Fort Lauderdale had dropped an average of 18 percent from a year earlier, the analysis found. That data is based on samples of airfares taken Aug. 15 and 22. Nationwide, the high-restriction leisure fares are down 3 percent in mid-August from the prior year, the analysis by Harrell Associates found. American Airlines Group Inc , the largest carrier in Miami, declined to comment on individual markets or whether the virus would impact its business. Its rival in the area, JetBlue Airways Corp , did not immediately comment. Airlines have been struggling for months to curb the decline of ticket prices amid growing competition in popular markets. While Miami Beach has continued to see hotel demand rise through August, that rate has appeared to slow: from 6.4 percent higher in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2015, to only 2.6 percent higher this month, the STR data showed. The same trend holds true for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, according to the data. Miami Beach has about 2.5 times the number of hotels as downtown and north Miami, STR said. (Reporting By Jeffrey Dastin in New York; Editing by Bernard Orr)
A 16-year-old Michigan teen is being charged as an adult with murdering his 18-year-old half-sister on Aug. 18, PEOPLE confirms.



Savon Schmus appeared in a Kent County courtroom for arraignment Thursday and didn't enter a plea, court officials tell PEOPLE.



When questioned by police, Savon Schmus allegedly confessed to strangling to death half-sister McKenna Hilton, 18, Lt. Ron Gates of the Kent County Sheriff's Department tells PEOPLE.



Authorities indicate to PEOPLE that a motive is known but they are not revealing it, citing an ongoing investigation.



If convicted as an adult, Schmus, who has no criminal history, faces life in prison without parole.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



The day of the alleged murder, a man walking his dog spotted Hilton's remains, police say. Her body was found on the side of a road just a few miles from her Grand Rapids home.



"[Hilton's body] was just lying right on top of the ground within a few yards of the road," Sergeant Ben Cammenga of the Kent County sheriff's office tells PEOPLE.



Hilton was allegedly last seen by her family leaving her house with Schmus earlier in the morning, Cammenga says.





Michigan 16-Year-Old Being Tried as Adult for Alleged Murder of 18-Year-Old Half-Sister| Crime & Courts, Death, Murder, True Crime



Hilton was a recent graduate of East Kentwood High School and was planning to attend Grand Rapids Community College, friends said on social media.



Calls made to Savon Schmus' attorney, Charles Clapp, were not returned.



He is due back in court for his preliminary hearing on Sept. 2.





Suspect's Father Pleaded Guilty to Photographing Victim in Shower When She was 12

In 2010, David Schmus, Savon's father, pleaded guilty to taking a picture of Hilton, then 12, while she was taking a shower, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE.



He received two years of probation along with requirements for counseling, the documents show.
(LEXINGTON, Miss.)  In the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where two nuns were slain, forgiveness for their killer is hard to find, even if forgiveness is what the victims would have wanted.

Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill were nurse practitioners who dedicated their lives to providing health care to people in the poorest county in the state. And as authorities search for the killer, many residents wonder how they will fill the hole the womens deaths have left.

Right now, I dont see no forgiveness on my heart, said Joe Morgan Jr., a 58-year-old former factory worker who has diabetes and was a patient of Merrills at the clinic where the two nuns worked.

He said Merrill would want him to forgive whoever killed the women, but he hopes the perpetrator is arrested, convicted and executed.

She doesnt deserve to die like this, doing Gods work, Morgan said, shaking his head. Theres something wrong with the world.

The women, both 68, were found dead at their home Thursday morning after they failed to show up for work at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldnt afford it.

Their stolen car was found abandoned a mile from their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police havent disclosed a motive or any leads, and no arrests have been made.

Authorities have not said how the women were killed, but the Rev. Greg Plata of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, where the nuns had led Bible study for years, said police told him they were stabbed.

The priest said both nuns religious communities have asked that people pray for the killer or killers. Asked about peoples struggles to forgive, Plata said: Forgiveness is at the heart of being a Christian. Look at Jesus on the cross: Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.'

Story continues

On Friday, a handwritten sign on the front door of Lexington Medical Clinic said it was closed until Monday.

The clinic and the nuns home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.

The slayings did more than shock people and plunge the county into mourning. They leave a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.

Dr. Elias Abboud, who worked with the sisters for years and helped build the clinic, said it provided about 25 percent of all medical care in the county.

The two nuns cultivated relationships with drug company representatives, who often left extra free samples, according to clinic manager Lisa Dew.

This is a poor area, and they dignified those who are poor with outreach and respect for them, Plata said. They treated each person as a child of God.

Merrills sister Rosemarie said her sister had been in Mississippi since 1981, helping the poor, and had worked in Holly Springs, where she used to ride around on a moped and was instrumental in locating the source of a tuberculosis outbreak.

Rosemarie said she doesnt know what will happen to the clinic and worries about the effect on health care in Holmes County. She said her sister and Held would often go into the clinic on Sundays after Mass or on their days off.

Its just going to be a disaster, she said.

Genette Pierce, who works at a home health and hospice business a few doors down from the clinic, said: Their patients  all of them  theyre going to be lost without them right now.

Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in New Orleans contributed to this report.


La Paz (AFP) - Bolivian President Evo Morales said Friday that his government is the victim of a "political conspiracy" after protesting miners allegedly kidnapped and beat to death a minister who tried to negotiate with them.

Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira broke down in tears on television describing how miners allegedly bludgeoned Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes to death Thursday after he tried to hold talks with them at a roadblock they had set up in the western highland town of Panduro.

"He was harassed, tortured... he was beaten to death according to the information we have," Ferreira said.

The brutal killing, which shocked the country, is also politically troubling for Morales. The leftist and labor leader sees himself as a champion of workers, and counted the country's mining cooperatives as key allies.

Morales accused his enemies of using a series of recent protests by disabled Bolivians, private transportation companies and now the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives (FENCOMIN) to destabilize his government.

"There is a political conspiracy in this FENCOMIN movement, and not a genuine social agenda for the mining sector," he told a news conference.

"I feel this permanent conspiracy is using disabled people, using private transport and mining cooperatives," he said. He blamed "certain foreign interests," without giving details.

Investigators later swooped on FENCOMIN's headquarters, seizing documents and detaining 10 people.

FENCOMIN leaders have so far not commented.

- 'Brutally murdered' -

Investigators said Illanes, 56, appeared to have died of a stroke after suffering brain trauma and fractured ribs.

"It was a very rough scene. A real flogging," said prosecutor Edwin Blanco.

Illanes's boss, Interior Minister Carlos Romero, said all signs indicated he had been "cowardly and brutally murdered."

Illanes, who had been in his job since March, had attempted to mediate with the miners after days of violent protests.

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His body was found wrapped in a blanket abandoned along the highway.

Illanes's bodyguard escaped the scene after being stripped of his gun, and was admitted to a clinic in La Paz.

- Days of violence -

In a wave of protests this week, miners had blocked roads and set off dynamite, demanding the right to lease their mining concessions to private or foreign companies. That is currently illegal in Bolivia, where all mines belong to the state.

The government says they are also seeking greater power within the Morales administration.

Two workers were shot dead Wednesday in mining protests around the central city of Cochabamba, and about 20 police have been injured in clashes.

Before Illanes's killing, miners had agreed with the government to start negotiating on Friday morning, on condition they reopened blocked roads.

The road blocks were lifted after Thursday's unrest but negotiations are now in limbo.

- Challenge to Morales -

Bolivia's mining cooperatives are nominally allied with Morales, and hold positions in the executive and in Congress.

But the minister's killing now suggests a deep rift with the organization, which has some 60,000 members.

A visibly shaken Morales spoke of his "deep pain" at the killing.

His government declared Illanes, an adviser to the union, a "hero for the defense of natural resources," and decreed three days of national mourning.

Morales, 56, became Bolivia's first indigenous president in 2006, after rising to prominence as the leader of the country's coca farmers' union.

He is part of a generation of leftist Latin American leaders whose hold on power is threatened by economic troubles brought on by a plunge in global commodity prices.

With Bolivia's mining- and gas-dependent economy in slowdown, he has faced protests from groups who say his government is not doing enough to help them.

Disabled Bolivians camped out for weeks near his offices, clashing with police in May at a protest condemning their paltry state benefits of $14 a month.

Drivers for private transport companies also blocked roads nationwide in May in a dispute over taxes.

Morales lost a referendum in February on changing the constitution to allow him to stand for a fourth term -- his first electoral defeat in a decade in office.
By Larry Fine NEW YORK (Reuters) - Top-seeded Serena Williams said on Friday that she was not sure about the state of her balky right shoulder but felt more relaxed entering next week's U.S. Open than last year. In 2015, Williams came to Flushing Meadows needing a record-setting seventh U.S. Open singles crown to complete a rare calendar year grand slam sweep of the four major titles. She fell short, losing in a shocking semi-final upset to unseeded Italian Roberta Vinci. Williams returns to Flushing Meadows untested in recent weeks and recovering from injury. "I have not played a lot, I haven't practiced a lot, but I'm just now starting to feel a little better," the world number one told reporters after the draw for the year's last grand slam tournament, which starts on Monday. "Hopefully just every day I will keep going higher." Despite the uncertainty, Williams said the pressure level seemed lower. "I think each is different," she said. "At this point, I'm taking it a day at a time. "I think I just am more relaxed, for sure." Williams, 34, said her shoulder issues surfaced the day after the Wimbledon final, where she beat Angelique Kerber of Germany to win her 22nd grand slam singles title to match Steffi Graf for most in the Open era. The hard-serving American has only played seven tournaments this year, with a third-round exit from the Rio Olympic singles and a first-round elimination from the Rio doubles with sister Venus her only tournament action since Wimbledon. "I think usually I prefer to play more coming into the final grand slam of the year, but there is nothing we can do about it. You just have to make the best of every single opportunity. That's all I can do now," she said. With Kerber, who beat Williams in the final of the Australian Open, threatening to leapfrog her into the world number one spot at last week's Western & Southern Open, the American asked for a Cincinnati wild card but after practicing there, decided she could not compete. The German fell in the final to Karolina Pliskova, allowing Williams to hold the top spot through the Open and extend her streak to 186 weeks at number one, equalling Graf for the longest continuous reign.First up for Williams in New York will be Russian lefthander Ekaterina Makarova, who has lost four of five matches to the American but beat her at the 2012 Australian Open. "I'm OK with it," Williams said about the draw. "I try to look at it, we all always have tough matches. "She's a big fighter. She never really stops." (Editing by Andrew Both)
New York City is the greatest city in the world, and it draws people looking to find their fortune from just about everywhere.

Next Step Realty, a New York City real-estate brokerage that matches recent graduates and young professionals with luxury apartments, shared data with Business Insider on over 1,000 2016 graduates and the neighborhoods they moved to from May through July of this year.

Next Step CEO and cofounder Blair Brandt told Business Insider that "the Upper East Side is officially no longer the highest-volume weapon of choice in the NYC neighborhoods for the freshman class of NYC. That baton was passed back to Murray Hill and Kips Bay in 2016 vs. 2015, although the two have gone back and forth over the years due to competitive prices on Upper East Side and Murray Hill's concentration of young professionals, as well as proximity to increasingly Midtown-located employers."

The 10 most popular areas for Next Step's customers include several locales that have long been home to New York's elite:

popular nyc neighborhoods

Seeing as we are looking at apartments in Manhattan and Brooklyn, rent is not cheap. Among those 10 most popular neighborhoods, the average rent for a one-bedroom apartment for Next Step's clients ranges from $2,400 a month in Alphabet City and the Upper West Side to $4,128 in the West Village:

cost of nyc neighborhoods

NOW WATCH: Saudi Arabia is building the worlds tallest building  nearly twice the height of One World Trade Center





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A Georgia mother has been arrested for leaving a 2-year-old and twin 4-year-olds inside a locked hot car, police said.

Passersby called 911 after seeing the obviously frightened boys, who had no car seats, struggling inside the locked vehicle, according to Hiram police.

Read: Police Rescue 22 Dogs found Living Inside Sweltering Hot Car

Officers estimated the temperature inside the Toyota was about 101 degrees.

The car was left in a shopping mall parking lot, witnesses said.

Upon arrival, Officer Stephen Johnston found three small male juveniles inside a silver Toyota car with the windows rolled up and the car not running. The children were in obvious distress and were sweating profusely, the Hiram Police Department said in a statement.

Officers tried to break into the vehicle with police tools, but Johnson was able to tell one of the boys how to unlock the door, the statement said. The three children were rescued and given cold water to drink.

About 10 minutes later, Loleatha Stallworth, 40, emerged from a store, saying she had just gone inside for a few minutes to buy a gift, authorities said.

Read: Police Bathe Baby Found Filthy After Mom Was Pulled Over for DUI

Paramedics were called to check the boys health and all three were placed in the custody of their father, police said.

Stallworth was arrested Saturday on three charges of felony child cruelty and failure to provide child restraint devices, authorities said. She was released Sunday on $11,750 bond, according to MDJ.com.

It was not clear whether she has entered a plea.

Watch: Police Officer Breaks Window To 'Save' Realistic-Looking Doll From Hot Car

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Associated Press

The U.N. Mideast envoy said 2022 is on course to be the deadliest year for Palestinians in the West Bank since the U.N. started tracking fatalities in 2005, and he called for immediate action to calm an explosive situation and move toward renewing Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Tor Wennesland told the U.N. Security Council that mounting hopelessness, anger and tension have once again erupted into a deadly cycle of violence that is increasingly difficult to contain, and too many people, overwhelmingly Palestinian have been killed and injured. In a grim assessment, the special coordinator for the Middle East peace process said the downward spiral in the West Bank and current volatile situation stem from decades of violence that has taken a toll on Israelis and Palestinians, the prolonged absence of negotiations, and the failure to resolve key issues fueling the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
BOSTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Billionaire investor William Ackman said on Friday that Jordan Rubin, who had worked closely on the controversial investment in battered drug maker Valeant Pharmaceuticals, is leaving the hedge fund.

"Rubin, a member of the investment team, will be departing shortly to pursue a startup venture outside the investment mangement industry," Ackman wrote in a letter sent to investors.

News of Rubin's departure comes roughly three months after William Doyle, another key figure in the bet, left the firm.

Ackman has been invested in Valeant since 2015 and watched the stock price plunge but on Friday he said he expects it to "increase substantially." (Reporting by Svea Herbst-Bayliss; Editing by Sandra Maler)
From Delish

This article was written by our friends at Spoon University.

For about $1,700 on average, you can purchase a coffee machine that just about does it all: a regular cup of joe, a cappuccino, a mocha, a latte macchiato, and espresso (and espresso-based drinks like lattes and granitas).

More than a grand seems like a lot to invest in your morning caffeine, but if these magical one-stop automatic coffee and espresso machines can make just about every Starbucks offering besides Frappuccinos, could they be worth the splurge?

Let's say you bought your morning coffee every day of the year at Starbucks, and for simplicity's sake, let's say that coffee was always a tall (12 fl oz). If you just bought plain old coffee, that'd be about $675 a year; if you bought iced coffee, that'd be about $821 a year.

If you're feeling fancy and decide you want to buy a cappuccino every day (Starbucks no longer lists it on their menu but makes the drink for anyone who orders it), you'd spend about $1,100 per year, based on the prices given when they still had it listed.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

If you ordered a caffe mocha each day, you'd spend about $1,300 a year, and if you love to indulge in the fairly new addition, the latte macchiato, you'd be dropping about $1,400 a year on that alone. Finally, for an everyday latte, you'd pay about $1,100 total.

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

Obviously, most people don't purchase Starbucks every day, and even if they did, they most likely wouldn't have the same order every time (no one's judging you if you actually do). So, let's take the average annual cost of all these drinks  that's about $1,100 a year.

Now, let's estimate the costs of making these drinks at home with the fancy $1,700-on-average machine.

Coffee with Half & Half

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

A one-pound bag of coffee beans from Starbucks costs about $13, and they claim that that yields 64 5-oz cups of coffee. So let's say that's about 30 "tall" cups, or a month's worth of coffee.

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Now onto the splash of half and half in your coffee. A quart costs about $3 and you use one fluid ounce per day. A quart is 32 fl oz, so the half and half would also last you about a month. For a simple homemade cup of coffee, you'd spend about $200 a year. To make things easier, I rounded.

Iced Coffee

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

Starbucks sells an 8.8 oz bag of their iced coffee blend for $7.95. Because the ice takes up space in a tall sized glass, let's say that this bag would also make 30 servings of iced coffee. Add in the cost of half and half, and that would be about $130 a year for daily iced coffee.

Cappuccino

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

Starbucks' one pound bag of espresso beans costs $12.95. Cappuccinos are part milk and part espresso, so let's say a 1-kb bag would yield two months' worth of drinks. You would typically use about a cup of milk for a cappuccino, and a gallon of milk, on average, costs about $3. There are 16 cups in a gallon, so you would use about two gallons per month. That's about $150 for a year of cappuccinos.

Cafe Mocha

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

A mocha is made up of espresso, milk, and chocolate. So let's roughly estimate that it would also cost about $150, plus the cost of cocoa powder. You would use about a tablespoon each time, and cocoa powder usually comes in 8 oz boxes, so that's 16 servings to a box. On average, Hershey's cocoa powder is about $4, so the added cost would be about $96 a year. That's $246 a year.

Latte Macchiato

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

A latte Macchiato only uses about a half of a shot of espresso so let's say you can get 4 months' worth out of a bag of espresso beans. We'll overestimate a little and say that you'd also use 2 gallons of milk per month for your daily drink. That comes out to about $110 a year, if you're not being too generous with the espresso.

Latte

Photo credit: Courtesy of Spoon University

Lattes, like cappuccinos, also have about one shot of espresso, so we'll say again that 1 bag of beans will last you two months. If we use the one cup of milk estimate, your total annual latte cost comes out to $150.

If we take the average of these various drinks, it comes out to about $165 a year. Obviously, my estimates are very rough, so rounding that up to $200 wouldn't hurt. The higher estimate could also account for the fact that I haven't factored in additions such as sugar, whipped cream, or chocolate/caramel syrup (which are sometimes very necessary).

$200 a year versus $1,100? Even if the math is a bit off, clearly you'll save money by making your favorite drinks at home. With the estimated savings of $900 a year, a fancy coffee machine would pay for itself in about two years, on average.

So, yes, from a purely mathematical standpoint, it is worth it to invest in an expensive machine. Now you just have to decide if saving $900 is worth losing 10 precious minutes of sleep.

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New York (AFP) - Andy Murray played down fears that his US Open clash against Lukas Rosol will be a repeat of their last stormy meeting when he described the Czech as being the sport's most hated player.

World number two Murray faces the controversial 31-year-old for the first time since Munich in 2015 when Rosol bumped into him at a changeover during their quarter-final.

"No one likes you on the tour," Murray told him. "Everyone hates you."

But Murray, the reigning Wimbledon and Olympic champion, insists that the bad blood is a thing of the past and will not impact their opening round meeting at Flushing Meadows next week.

"I spoke to him after the match and it was fine. A few things happened when we were on the court," said Murray on Friday.

"I have actually gotten along fine with him apart from that day. He's a tough, tough opponent, a big, strong guy. He goes for his shots and takes a lot of risks."

Rosol, ranked at 93 in the world, rose to prominence in 2012 when he dumped Rafael Nadal out of Wimbledon.
Mike Caren, creative officer for Warner Music Group and CEO of his own music hub -- Artist Partners and Artist Publishing Group -- has spent nearly a decade looking for the perfect Los Angeles space in which to build his A Studio complex. After several years on Cahuenga Blvd. in Hollywood, where, he says, "crazy homeless people and violence" were a nearly nightly occurrence, the 39-year-old music veteran happened upon a space in the Fairfax district that fit the bill and bought it.

"Studios are theoretically bad investments in that they're very specific," says the industry veteran, whose credits include Ed Sheeran, David Guetta, Charlie Puth and Flo Rida. "For me, I wanted to work in music for 25 more years, and I'm always going to need a place to make music. It wasn't really about the investment aspect of it, it's about the use."

See Inside Mike Caren's A Studio: Exclusive Photos

And the 6,000-square foot space will get plenty of it. With four recording studios, multiple writing and editing rooms and offices to house Caren's staff, it also serves creative and A&R needs across WMG, including labels Atlantic, Warner Bros. and their subsidiaries. Its other purpose, Caren proudly notes, will be to provide an atmosphere of talent incubation, be it for aspiring songwriters, engineers and producers and artists. "It's a neutral environment that invites collaboration," he says. Among the artists to have worked at A Studio since it unofficially opened in late Spring: Jess Glynne, Guetta, PartyNextDoor, Flo Rida, Jason Derulo, Trey Songz, Kevin Gates, Kehlani, Fleur East, Sean Paul, Backstreet Boys and Ciara.

Caren achieves a sense of community with a combination of open spaces, natural light and lounges not confined to a single studio. "In our last studio space, we didn't have the luxury of individual lounges and we saw magic happening in the common spaces," he explains. "We saw writers and artists get to know each other. We saw sessions and relationships birthed out of being forced into sharing public space. The results were so powerful."

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Another important feature for today's music-making process: all of the rooms "are completely convertible." Says Caren: "They have connections to the vocal booths in all four corners of the room. None of the furniture is fixed. The acoustics are designed where you can reposition the engineer. The future will use the rooms differently than we're using them now."

PARTYNEXTDOOR Is Latest Canadian Success Story on Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Chart With No. 1 Debut

It's an important distinction for a newly designed music space in L.A., the U.S. city with the largest concentration of recording studios, most of which were designed in the '50s, '60s and '70s. "Rock bands tracking songs is how people created music then," says Caren. "I relished the opportunity to build a space for how people use studios now, and one that could be modified based on how music will be made in the future."

That means not a single console will be found on the grounds, unless it's being used as a decorative piece. Where nods to the past will be seen (and heard) are among the classic pianos (one per room and each from a different decade), vintage synthesizers and microphones.

"Whenever an artist asks, instead of renting a microphone, we buy it and they can keep using it," says Caren. "David Guetta wanted a certain set of speakers, we bought those instead of renting them. It saves them tons of money off their budget and it saves us. It's a win-win."

Atlantic Records Chairman & CEO Craig Kallman, who was instrumental in helping the complex come to life, agrees. "It's always been our mission to provide the most complete and supportive environment for our artists in every aspect of their careers," he says. "In the great tradition of the legendary Atlantic Studios ... we are able to offer [a] relaxed, inspiring state-of-the-art space to make amazing music -- where it all starts."

Indeed, visitors are reminded of the indelible mark that Atlantic has made on music history via black-and-white photographs of such legends as Ahmet Ertegun and Jerry Wexler adorning the walls. Theirs was a collaboration of label head and producer -- both record men -- not unlike Caren's mash-up of a position. "If this isn't a commitment, then I don't know what is," he says. "I invite every label, every partner to come visit, to [work here and] use any of the ideas that they like. Give writers and artists more creative time. It's just good for the industry."

See exclusive photos inside A Studio here.
By Shwe Yee Saw Myint YANGON (Reuters) - Myanmar's army chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, reshuffled top posts on Friday, promoting his intelligence chief and other officers leading efforts to present the military as a responsible partner in a democratic transition. Military intelligence chief Lieutenant General Mya Tun Oo was promoted to the joint chief of staff of the army, navy, and air force, the de-facto third most senior position and one seen as a stepping stone to becoming army chief. The promotion comes shortly after Min Aung Hlaing decided to stay on as army chief for the next five years, and appears aimed at consolidating his power base as he forges a delicate relationship with new government leader Aung San Suu Kyi. The military ruled Myanmar with an iron first for nearly 50 years until it began stepping back from politics in 2011 and paved the way for a historic election last November. Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) defeated the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party in the vote and went on to form the first democratically elected government in more than half a century. After a tense beginning for the new administration, punctuated by military objections to the NLD's move to establish a special post for Suu Kyi, relations between the military and government have improved, observers say. Min Aung Hlaing has attended events that are symbolically important for Suu Kyi and the two sides are collaborating in efforts to forge peace with ethnic minority rebels. Western defense attaches see Mya Tun Oo as an astute military operator with sound awareness of international relations and regional politics, capable of navigating a difficult political transition. He stunned the public last month when he admitted the military had killed five villagers in the north of the country. In an unprecedented move, he announced a court marshal and promised to look after the families of the dead. He has also recently participated in the talks between the military and Suu Kyi on the peace process. Min Aung Hlaing appointed eight other officers to new posts, including several regional commanders. The military retains a key role in politics with 25 percent of seats in parliament, giving it an effective veto over changes to a 2008 junta-drafted constitution that bans Suu Kyi from becoming president because her late husband was British and her sons are not Myanmar citizens. The military also controls three ministries responsible for security - defense, border affairs and interior. (Editing by Robert Birsel)
Margot Wallstrom took office as Swedens foreign minister in 2014, declaring she would pursue a feminist foreign policy. Shes now held the post for two years, and its still not entirely clear what she meant. While its true that an entire school of feminist international-relations theory has developed since the 1980s, the field remains contested, and largely untested in the realm of policy. You could surmise from Wallstroms term, as she herself stated, that a feminist foreign policy would promote womens rights around the world, but what would it say, for example, about the logic of preventive war? Would it prioritize free trade and open borders, or emphasize protecting workers from competition? Would it generate a new way of dealing with unsecured nuclear material in the former Soviet Union?

Granted, Wallstrom has not had much time to implement the idea; relative to longstanding foreign-policy traditions like realism, feminist foreign policy hasnt yet had a chance to leave much of a track record. So far, one of its key features has been controversy: The Swedish foreign ministers first major move was to recognize Palestine, infuriating Israel; Saudi Arabia temporarily broke ties with her government over her vocal stance on human rights (she had declared the kingdoms flogging of a blogger to be medieval.) She has spoken up for migrants and against rape as a weapon of war. And her ongoing experiment raises bigger questions about what it means for more women to conduct foreign policy, not just as ministers and diplomats, but as heads of state. In short, whether the foreign policy is explicitly feminist or not: Do countries behave differently when women are in charge?

Scholars as well as public figures have suggested that a world run by women would, fundamentally, be a more peaceful and equal one. We ladies, as the stereotype goes (and, actually, as a decent amount of empirical research suggests), tend to be more collaborative in work and leadership, more empathetic, and much, much less violent on an individual level than men. If, as Vice President Joe Biden recently suggested to my colleague Steve Clemons, foreign policy is a logical extension of personal relationships, and if women are widely acknowledged to be canny at conducting them, perhaps it follows that female leadership in international affairs would produce more empathy and collaboration between countries. To the extent that global problems like violence and inequality are actually failures of empathy, perhaps global gynecocracy produces a genuinely different, better world.

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In the Dalai Lamas somewhat simplistic summary of this kind of reasoning: Females have more sensitivity about others wellbeing. Or take the Stanford scholar Francis Fukuyama: [S]tatistically speaking it is primarily men who enjoy the experience of aggression and the camaraderie it brings and who revel in the ritualization of war that is, as the anthropologist Robin Fox puts it, another way of understanding diplomacy. ... A truly matriarchal world, then, would be less prone to conflict and more conciliatory and cooperative than the one we inhabit now. Or Harvards Steven Pinker, after observing how men have dominated armies throughout history: Men can also boast about occupying the top slots in historys long list of conquering maniacs, bloodthirsty tyrants, and genocidal thugs. ... Over the long sweep of history, women have been, and will be, a pacifying force.

All goodand kind of flattering!in theory. But do biological or psychological differences between men and women translate to differences in how women might run countries? One recent working paper, by Oeindrila Dube of University of Chicago and S.P. Harish of New York University, found that in Europe between the 15th and 20th centuries, queens were more likely to participate in interstate conflicts than kings were. In 20th-century electoral democracies, as Pinker and Fukuyama both noted, female leaders have indeed waged war. Indira Gandhi, Golda Meir, Margaret Thatcher, and Chandrika Kumaratunga may well have been personally compassionate, yet thousands of soldiers killed and were killed on their orders. In Hillary Clinton, the United States may get its first female president this year. But she was a champion of violent intervention in Libya as secretary of state; if she becomes president, theres every reason to think she would continue, and perhaps escalate, Americas war on the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria.

Given the sparse and contradictory evidence, then, its difficult to say how countries led by women might behave differently than those led by men.

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The truth is, I dont have an answer to that question, said Farida Jalalzai, a political science professor at Oklahoma State who has studied women in political leadership. There simply havent been enough women leading states in the modern era to yield clear data on the question. Last year, the Pew Research Center noted that the number of female national leaders globally had doubled in the decade since 2005to a whopping 18, meaning that less than 10 percent of UN member states are headed by women.

Youre going to be able to cherry-pick either way, Jalalzai said. Even if we were to take a Margaret Thatcher, for example, we could say, ok, so she did go to war over the Falkland Islands. At the same time you could say, well, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has kept Liberia peaceful, when the country was formerly wracked by two civil wars spanning more than a decade. For that matter, where a female head of states term coincides with a period of peace, how much can be attributed to distinctly feminine leadership qualities, versus that particular womans partisan preferences, or even the conditions under which she rose to power? If the assumption that women are more peaceful makes voters consider them unqualified to lead in wartime, women would be more likely to get into leadership positions under peaceful conditions in the first place.

Most of the real foreign-policy effects of having women run countries, if indeed there are any, wont really be known until more women do it. In the meantime, we can speculate about indirect benefits based on what we do know. For example, Valerie Hudson of Texas A&M University, along with her coauthors, has shown that the best predictor of a states peacefulness is how its women are treated, which could suggest that, to the extent women are more likely to prioritize the treatment of other women around the world (as both Wallstrom and Clinton have), they may also be contributing to peace. Theres also evidence that peace settlements women are involved in tend to be more durable. On the other hand, female leaders could just as easily have different foreign-policy prioritieslike, say, European integration, or the migrant crisis, or green energy.

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A telling moment came in the aftermath of the U.K.s vote to leave the European Union, when David Cameron lost his job as prime minister and was replaced by Theresa May. There were the ritual Margaret Thatcher comparisons, as well as another ritual that may grow more common in the coming years: the celebration of a woman swooping in to clean up her male predecessors mess. But Jalazai wonders whether expectations like these may hurt women in the end. In the United States, for example, the Pew Research Center last year found that adult respondents, by a margin of 34 percent to 9 percent, thought female politicians were better than male ones at compromise; 34 percent thought women were more honest and ethical, versus 3 percent who thought men were.

Yet female leaders, like any leaders, will sometimes make rash decisions, sometimes lie, sometimes behave unethically. Theyll default on international loan payments like Argentinas Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, get ensnared in corruption investigations like Brazils Dilma Rousseff, or, like Australias Julia Gillard, get ousted by their own parties. And their failures may be attributed less to the conditions they confronted than to the fact that it was a woman confronting them. How are we expecting [women] to clean up problems that have existed for decades if not hundreds of years? Jalalzai asked. Is there this higher price that women may end up paying for not being able to transform societies overnight?

Maybe, in the end, its best to see a woman's foreign policy as a sometimes-unpredictable product of whims, domestic pressures, geopolitics, economics, and numerous other forcesin other words, as a human beings foreign policy.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
The 12th annual National Dog Day is getting a lot of attention on social media, and in the spirit of the pseudo-holiday, Constitution Daily looks back as a few canines who had an impact on the American political scene.

kingtut

King Tut (left) with Herbert Hoover

Its well-known that almost every President, with the exception of Andrew Johnson, had some type of pet. And dogs have been among the best-known companions to the residents of the White House.

President Franklin Roosevelts dog Fala wound up playing a role in FDRs 1944 re-election campaign. Herbert Hoover used his dog, King Tut, as an election campaign companion. And most of us know about Checkers the dog and Richard Nixon. Heres a quick look at some of the most famous First Dogs!

Even before he became President, George Washington made it clear he was a dog lover. Some speculate that Washingtons act of kindness toward a dog might have changed the early course of the Revolution.

In October 1777, at the Battle of Germantown (a few miles north of the National Constitution Center), General George Washington found a dog wandering the front lines after the battle ended.

A huge dog lover, Washington checked the dogs collar and found its owner was the enemy commander, British General William Howe. Washingtons troops wanted to keep the dog as a war trophy. The commander wouldnt hear of it and he summoned his top aide, Alexander Hamilton, to call a truce so the dog could be returned to Howe.

A grateful Howe thanked Washington and there are theories the incident changed his impression about Washington and Americans in general. Howe returned to London the next year after receiving criticism for staying in Philadelphia too long and not aggressively fighting the Colonial forces. While this might seem like a tall tale, Washingtons note to Howe still exists (in Alexander Hamiltons handwriting) and can be seen online at the National Archives.

In his public career, Washington had as many as 30 dogs. He even created a breed, the American Foxhound.

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It was Herbert Hoover, Coolidges successor, who put presidential pets in the political spotlight. Hoover actively campaigned with King Tut, his Belgian shepherd. King Tut actually went out on tour with Hoover and his picture was sent to thousands of voters, in an effort to soften Hoovers image. Hoover won in a landslide. But it was two other dogs that changed the course of elections in 1944 and 1952 that many people remember as political pawns.

During his third presidential term, Franklin D. Roosevelt struggled with GOP opponent Thomas Dewey, until Republicans criticized FDRs Scottish terrier, Fala. The GOP alleged Roosevelt left the dog behind by accident in Alaska and sent a warship, at great taxpayer expense, to retrieve Fala.

In September 1944, Roosevelts Fala speech showcased his skills as an orator and convinced voters that he was vital and healthy enough for a fourth term. These Republican leaders have not been content with the attacks on me, or my wife, or on my sons. No, not content with that, they now include my little dog. Fala, Roosevelt said. I am accustomed to hearing malicious falsehoods about myselfsuch as that old, worm-eaten chestnut that I have represented myself as indispensable. But I think I have a right to resent, to object, to libelous statements about my dog!

Richard Nixon used his own dog speech to rescue his spot on the 1952 presidential ticket. Nixon had been accused of taking money from supporters to finance an election fund for his future 1956 Senate campaign. The Democrats demanded Nixon quit the race in September 1952, and his running mate, Dwight Eisenhower, was considering dropping Nixon from the ticket.

In the equally famous Checkers speech, Nixon told a nationwide television audience of 60 million viewers that he didnt use the money for personal expenses. But he wouldnt return one campaign gift. It was a little cocker spaniel dog in a crate that hed sent all the way from Texas.  And our little girlTricia, the 6-year-oldnamed it Checkers. And you know, the kids, like all kids, love the dog and I just want to say this right now, that regardless of what they say about it, were gonna keep it, Nixon said.

Phone calls flooded Republican headquarters to support Nixon, and Eisenhower kept him on the ticket.

Since Fala and Checkers, presidential pets have been elevated to almost a cabinet-level position.

George H. W. Bushs dog, Millie, received the semi-official title of First Dog, and even authored a book (along with a ghost writer). Socks the cat represented the Clintons in office, while George W. Bushs dog, Barney, starred in annual videos for the media.

Bill Clintons other pet, Buddy the dog, died in 2002 when he was run over by car in Chappaqua, New York. Buddy was being watched by Secret Service agents (the former president was away at the time), who lost track of the dog. Clinton later acquired a chocolate lab named Seamus as Buddys successor.

Currently, President Barack Obama has two Portuguese water dogs, Bo and Sunny.
From Town & Country

Over the weekend, a powerful 7.5-magnitude earthquake rocked New Zealand, triggering a tsunami near Christchurch. As of Sunday evening, two people had been killed in the seismic event. "We don't have any indications at the moment to believe it (the death toll) will rise," said Prime Minister John Key. "But we can't rule that out."

The event comes on the heels of a 6.6-magnitude earthquake in central Italy, the strongest tremor to hit the country in decades.

In the wake of these tragedies, we spoke with Patricia Aguilera, State Department director of American Citizen Services in the Bureau of Consular Affairs, and Jim Judge, chair of the Disaster/Preparedness Subcouncil for the Red Cross, about what travelers should do if they find themselves caught up in a natural disaster when they're far from home.

Below, their tips.

Before your trip

Plan your trip with safety in mind.

Both Aguilera and Judge agree that preparation is key. Start by researching you destination. If it's prone to certain natural disasters (hurricanes, typhoons, tornadoes) during specific seasons, consider scheduling your trip for a different time.

"Know what's going on," says Judge. "It's always a good idea, no matter whether you're traveling locally or afar, to do some research. With the internet today, you're only a few seconds away from weather, travel advisories, and other news in the region that you should be aware of."

Enroll in STEP, the State Department's Smart Traveler Enrollment Program.

Through the program, you'll receive travel and security updates about the destination in which you're registered. In a natural disaster, it will keep you informed of road closures, curfews, and other information you, as a U.S. citizen, need to know about the situation on the ground. You can sign up at step.state.gov.

Purchase insurance.

We recommend purchasing travel insurance regardless of your destination, but should you find yourself in the midst of a natural disaster, it can be life-changing. "It is so important," says Aguilera.

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Equally important: Reading the fine print. "Some of them will cover medical evacuations-in a natural disaster that can be extremely important. If you need to be medevac-ed because there is not a facility to treat something more serious, that's big thing to consider, especially because medical evacuations can be so costly: upward of $20,000 or more. Other kinds of travel insurance will cover things like changes in airline fees or staying additional nights at the hotel. Do some research, and seriously consider getting it any time you travel, no matter where you're going."

Aguilera also recommends looking into your airline's policy in regards to natural disasters so there are no surprises, should anything happen.

Pack with a worst-case scenario in mind.

Increasing luggage fees have travelers squeezing as much as they can into carry-on bags, but, in case of emergency it's better to be safe than sorry, so save a little room for these key items.

"People should consider taking a little bit of extra cash, making sure that they have copies of their credit cards. Making sure that they have extra cell phone batteries with them, if possible," Aguilera says.

"And if it's allowed-read our country-specific information beforehand-if you take prescriptions, make sure you have one or two days extra just in case you get delayed in departing, so it's not a problem. It will be very difficult for you to find those medications, if something should happen."

Print two hard copies of your travel documents, keeping one with you and giving the other to a close friend or family member back home. Make sure you have contact information for your airline, your hotel, tour operators, readily available so you don't have to scramble to look it up in an emergency.

And if you're traveling by car, Judge suggests keeping a small stockpile of essentials in your trunk:

"Put some bug spray, sunscreen, an extra pair of shoes, a first aid kit, cliff bars, maybe even have a couple of extra jugs of water in the trunk, he says, continuing, "a flashlight, a blanket, an extra battery for your phone, even toilet paper. Those things are invaluable when you're in an emergency situation."

And while a store-bought First Aid kit is a great first step-the Red Cross sells pre-made kits, here-Judge recommends customizing to fit your needs, by adding in an extra pair of glasses, any prescription medications, hearing-aid batteries, etc.

"We always encourage people: don't just take that kit and put it away: Customize it for your own needs and for your family, and then you've really got something there to help you through an emergency crisis," he says.

During the disaster.

The specifics of what exactly you should do during a natural disaster vary depending on the type of event, but Aguilera says keeping calm is critical.

"I think the most important tip is just to as much as possible remain calm and patient, understanding that obviously things aren't going to be functioning the way they normally do, and not to get caught up in the chaos. That key preparation beforehand will allow you to at least think more clearly in a time of emergency."

Judge also suggests that seeking shelter, and getting off of public streets is advisable in nearly every situation. For more natural disaster-specific tips, check out the Red Cross mobile apps for information on earthquakes, floods, wildfires, tornados, and hurricanes.

After the disaster.

Let your friends and family know you're okay. If you are traveling abroad, contact your local embassy, but only if you're injured or in need of emergency assistance.

The first thing you should do after a natural disaster is let your family know that you are safe.

"If you are okay, if you are uninjured, if you don't need assistance, you need to call your family and friends," says Aguilera. And if the landlines aren't operating, try to use social media-What's App, Facebook, or Twitter.

"That is the primary thing that a person needs to do if they are not in harm's way."

You should also have the local embassy's phone number on you in case of an emergency, or you can call 888-407-4747, which is manned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week by the U.S. State Department, but do so only if you are in need of help.

"The only time that an American needs to contact us is if they are in a critical situation where they do need assistance, where they are injured or they know of another U.S. citizen that has been harmed," says Aguilera."Then we need to know about that. That is a time that they would call us."

Follow the instructions of local authorities.

Tune in to local radio, television, social media, whatever you can to get the most up-to-date information on road closures, curfews, and emergency assistance.

"The best possible thing is for people to find local to listen to local radio, television, and to hear what local authorities are saying about the situation on the ground," says Aguilera. That could be the fastest way for them to get the information that will be critical, and them deciding if they can move around, or leave the country, or what are the best next steps."

Leave if you're able.

If you leave as soon as possible following the event, "then you're not part of the traffic problem, you're not using the resources that locals might need," explained Judge. "You're doing yourself a favor, but you're also doing the community a favor by going home."

Aguilera agreed. "I would highly recommend that if they don't need to stay there, they leave," she said. "There is going to be a series of events that follow after a crisis, and and it will continue, so the infrastructure that was there, won't be there anymore. And security might be strained in assisting those that need assistance. It's better that you just depart, if possible, and get to the safest place that you can."

For more information on travel safety, visit travel.state.gov and redcross.org.

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Navigant Consulting, Inc. NCI  a specialized, global consulting firm  recently released the latest installment in its Energy Cloud analysis titled Navigating the Energy Transformation (NET). This paper will analyze the energy industrys trends, and provide stakeholders a blueprint  the Energy Cloud Playbook  for long term success.

In todays competitive world, it is challenging for companies to cope with the changing customer needs, evolving policies and regulations, and accelerating innovation around distributed energy resources. Such demands for latest advancements have led to historic transformation across the energy industry.

The new Energy Transformation analyses developments and technologies that are integrated in the Energy Cloud. At the same time it evaluates the changing revenue trends across the value chain, as well as implications for current players and new market entrants. The company has presently developed analytic tools to meet the growing demand for technology-enabled solutions that can help clients address many of the market challenges.

NAVIGANT CONSLT Price

NAVIGANT CONSLT Price | NAVIGANT CONSLT Quote

Per the findings by Navigant, revenues for electric value chain are likely to move south, while digital innovation are expected to represent a $1.3 trillion market opportunity in 2030.

Strategies and business models used earlier require upgradation to pinpoint the trends and opportunities. With the changing requirements, introduction of new technologies and business models are required to address market and customer needs.

Founded in 1983 and headquartered in Chicago, Navigant is a provider of specialized consulting services. The companys staff of seasoned consultants and industry leaders provides litigation support and investigative services, claims management and analysis, corporate finance services, discovery services, government contracting services as well as operations advisory and management process outsourcing services. Navigant primarily focuses on customers in industries undergoing substantial regulatory and structural changes, including construction, energy, financial services and healthcare.

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Navigant currently carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). Some other stocks in the same space worth considering include CRA International Inc. CRAI, CBIZ, Inc. CBZ and The Hackett Group, Inc. HCKT. All three stocks carry the same Zacks Rank as Navigant.

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Berlin (AFP) - Leading neo-conservative Paul Wolfowitz said he would not back Donald Trump for US president and might vote for Democratic hopeful Hillary Clinton instead, in an interview published Friday.

Wolfowitz, a top advisor to George W. Bush during his presidency and vociferous champion of the "preemptive war" in Iraq, told Germany's Der Spiegel magazine that he saw Trump as a security risk.

"I wish there were somebody I could be comfortable voting for," said Wolfowitz, also a former World Bank chief.

"I might have to vote for Hillary Clinton, even though I have big reservations about her."

Wolfowitz, 72, criticised Trump for saying he admired Russian President Vladimir Putin and was impressed by the Chinese in economic affairs.

"That is pretty disturbing," Wolfowitz said. "It's important to speak up and say how unacceptable he is."

Wolfowitz joined a chorus of "neocons" in distancing themselves from the Republicans' current nominee. During the primaries he had advised Bush's brother Jeb, a former Florida governor.

"Dump Trump" calls have continued since the 2012 Republican nominee Mitt Romney trashed the brash real estate mogul's candidacy early this year, leading to a trickle of defections to Clinton's camp.

This month more than 70 influential Republicans signed a letter urging the party to stop spending money on Trump's presidential campaign and direct it instead to November's congressional races.

In the letter to Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus, they said Trump's "divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity" risked turning the election into a "Democratic landslide".
Peter Mukherjea's lawyer Mihir Gheewala argued that the tapes are vital evidence and could cause prejudice to the witnesses.

Peter Mukerjea and Indrani Mukerjea are in police custody in connection with the Sheena Bora murder case.

By Vidya : Day after the recorded conversations in the Sheena Bora murder case came to light, Peter Mukherjea's lawyer Mihir Gheewala asked for a bar on media from using them.

Peter's lawyer suggested that media should not be allowed to run anything regarding the case without prior permission from court.

BAR THE TAPES

He argued that the tapes are vital evidence and could cause prejudice to the witnesses.

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Later, Gheewala also filed an application seeking direction to the CBI to take necessary steps to prevent the potential evidence, documents and witnesses' from being used in the media.

While Badami asked for some time to respond to Gheewala's application, Judge Mahajan asked everyone to be careful and maintain decorum.

"Whatever material you have, keep it with yourself," said Judge Mahajan before he disposed of the application.

Meanwhile, advocate Sudhir Badami, appearing for CBI, told the special court in Mumbai that the investigation of Sheena Bora murder case will be completed as soon as a logical conclusion is reached.

"Our further instruction is not restricted to only the finance angle as some people are saying. But we are investigating from all possible angles. But we will complete it as soon as we come to a logical conclusion," said Badami.

PROSECUTION READY FOR TRIAL

Badami also added that the prosecution is ready to open the case for framing of charges. "We are ready for trial even today" he added.

However, Judge H S Mahajan said that if another supplementary chargesheet is filed, the charges will change.

In his response, Badami argued that there are "more grounds to investigate since last night. As circumstances have changed more time for investigation is required."

While lawyers of the prime accused-- Indrani Mukherjea -- said that they had no problem with the trial, Peter Mukherjea's lawyer Mihir Gheewala told the court that CBI has to make a statement that their investigation is over and then let them start arguing on framing of charges.

"Let them make a statement that their investigation is over only then can we file for discharge," said Gheewala.

ALSO READ:

Fresh tapes in Sheena Bora murder case hint at cover-up

Sheena Bora murder accused Indrani Mukerjea suffering from chicken pox



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Netflix has renewed with ITV, The Bridge creator Hans Rosenfeldt and star Anna Friel for a second season of crime drama series Marcella. The deal gives the U.S. streaming giant another strand to its business in Britain, one of its key international markets.

The new season of eight hourlong episodes will premiere globally on Netflix in 2017 after they are first broadcast on ITV, Britains leading commercial broadcaster. British-based Buccaneer Media will once again produce.

Announcement of the Marcella deal came out of a Rosenfeldt Crime Noir Masterclass, which the Swedish showrunner-writer delivered Friday morning, accompanied by Friel and Buccaneer Media CEO Tony Wood, at the Edinburgh Intl. TV Festival.

A renewal was always on the cards. At Aprils Mip TV gathering, Netflix announced it had acquired exclusive worldwide streaming rights to the first season of Marcella in an early global acquisition deal rather than original production order.

Bowing April 4 on ITV, and available from July 1 on Netflix, the first season of Marcella starred Friel as a troubled detective with deep psychological problems, two children and a broken marriage. It played to what British newspaper The Guardian termed resilient ratings.

The series dark, blunt Nordic Noir screenplay  in a style honed by Rosenfeldt on the second season of The Bridge and more akin in some ways to cable TV than free-to-air fare  created a large media and social network buzz for being unsettling to some critics and viewers. The show garnered generally favorable reviews, according to Metacritic. The first season left a lot of loose ends, beginning with the question of what kind of person Marcella really is.

The near-global Season 2 acquisition comes as Netflix is rapidly building its slate of originals and pick-ups in Britain, one of its biggest foreign markets, without as yet bowing one Netflix original British series order. The Crown, Netflixs first original series in the U.K., which is based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, will air on Netflix from Nov. 4. The series is produced by Sony-owned Left Bank Pictures in association with Sony Pictures TV.

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Netflix ranked third among online VOD users in Britain over the first quarter of 2016, being watched by 20% of users, compared to 43% for YouTube and 36% for the BBC iPlayer, according to a report by London-based Ampere Analysis.

British-based IHS Markit estimates that Netflix will have over 6 million subscribers by the end of 2016, helping to make Western Europe Netflixs biggest region outside the U.S.

In what is described as Netflixs first co-production with ITV, Netflix will air in-the-works Euro murder mystery Paranoid, written by Bill Gallagher (The Paradise) and produced by Studiocanals British-based RED Production Company.

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LINTHICUM, MD / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2016 / NFM Lending will contribute $15,000 to United Way of Southeast Louisiana to support cleanup and rebuilding efforts following the tragic flooding that took place this month.

"When you hear that 60,000 homes were damaged, 13 people to this point have lost their lives, and that this is the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Sandy, it makes you pause and understand what really is important in life," said Jan Ozga, President. "It makes you quickly realize how overwhelmingly powerful Mother Nature can be, and how something like this could happen to anyone at any time. We couldn't sit back and do nothing. Hopefully, our small donation helps somebody impacted by the flooding. We hope and pray that Louisiana recovers quickly!"

Jennifer Cook, NFM Lending Branch Manager in New Orleans, is contributing $2,500 to United Way of Southeast Louisiana. NFM will further support that donation with a contribution of $12,500.

"As a branch manager in Louisiana, even though my immediate area of New Orleans was not affected by flooding, I felt like we needed to do something to help," said Cook. "I have friends and past clients who were affected, and while working with locals to get specific needs filled for families, I wanted to also help out financially on a larger scale than I can do alone. I reached out to the NFM corporate office on the business day following the floods and immediately received a positive response. I am proud to work for a company that sees a need and acts accordingly, and am really looking forward to helping United Way of Southeast Louisiana with their efforts."

"Mother Nature has once again shown us she is in charge," said Michael Williamson, President, and CEO of United Way of Southeast Louisiana. "Just several months ago our region was flooded, and now they are hurting again. Families who are still trying to rebuild are now at risk. Our residents are resilient, but they need help. We thank NFM Lending for the generous donation. While working on immediate flood relief efforts, United Way will be continuously investing resources in long-term recovery. It takes time and money, but pulling together we can rebuild lives and communities."

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In addition to this contribution, NFM Lending is collecting individual monetary donations and donations of cleaning supplies from its employees throughout the country. NFM Lending is proud to support this resilient community as they work to recover from this tragic event. For more information about NFM Lending's nonprofit work, click here.

For more information please contact:

NFM Lending

Toll-Free: 1-888-233-0092

pr@nfmlending.com

www.nfmlending.com

Twitter: @nfm_lending

About NFM Lending

NFM Lending is a mortgage lending company currently licensed in 28 states in the U.S. The company was founded in Baltimore, Maryland in 1998. They attribute their success in the mortgage industry to their steadfast commitment to customers and the community. NFM Lending has firmly planted itself in the home loan marketplace as "America's Common Sense Residential Mortgage Lender."

About UWSELA

United Way of Southeast Louisiana has a Blueprint for Prosperity to eradicate poverty in our region. We are strategically investing in programs, initiatives, collaborations and advocacy efforts to meet our community's greatest needs. We have a bold vision of equitable communities where all individuals are healthy, educated, and economically stable in Jefferson, Orleans, Plaquemines, St. Bernard, St. Tammany, Tangipahoa, and Washington Parishes. For more information, please visit unitedwaysela.org or call (504) 822-5540. You can find us on facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UnitedWaySELA or follow us on twitter: @UnitedWaySELA. Join United Way. GIVE. ADVOCATE. VOLUNTEER.

SOURCE: NFM Lending via Submit Press Release 123
SEATTLE  The rumors are true: Canadians are nicer than Americans are, at least if returning lost letters is any indicator of niceness, new research finds.

In a study aimed at measuring altruism, researchers "lost" a total of 7,466 letters in 2001 and 2011 in 63 urban areas in the United States and Canada. In 2001, both countries had similar rates of letter return, the study found.

That changed in 2011, however, when the United States had a 10 percent drop in helping behavior, which did not occur in Canada, suggesting that people in the United States were less altruistic than before, said study researcher Keith Hampton, a professor of media and information at Michigan State University. [7 Things That Will Make You Happy]

The project began after Hampton heard an anecdote that altruism was declining in Canada.

So, he concocted a large-scale "lost" letter campaign, with returned letters serving as a proxy for altruism. Each letter was stamped and addressed, and purposefully lost in a phone booth, store or well-traveled public walkway.

The "lost letter" is a popular technique. The social psychologist Stanley Milgram (1933-1984) developed the method with colleagues to see whether people would help an absent stranger. Studies show that areas where people exhibit more helping behaviors, such as mailing a lost letter to a stranger, are more likely to have lower homicide rates, lower crime rates, fewer teen pregnancies and lower infant mortality, Hampton said.

For the new project, the letters were lost during the daytime in nontouristy areas. The letters were also "lost" stamp-side-up, with an address either for Des Moines, Iowa for the American letters, or Brandon, Manitoba for the Canadian letters.

Snail mail

The 2001 experiment yielded a 59 percent return rate in the United States and a 54 percent rate in Canada, numbers with no statistical difference, Hampton said.

Ten years later, Canada had a 63 percent rate of return, whereas the U.S. had a rate of just 53 percent, Hampton's analysis showed.

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It's difficult to say what accounted for the change, but a look a census data provides some potential answers, Hampton said. U.S. poverty and income inequality increased between 2001 and 2011, largely because of the Great Recession, which started in 2008.

In contrast, the recession did not hit Canada as hard, and that country rebounded more quickly than the United States did, Hampton said. Canada also has less income inequality than the United States does, he added.

This suggests that in areas where income inequality is low, there is more altruism, Hampton said. [Top 10 Things that Make Humans Special]

Diversity and altruism

In addition, in Canada, places with higher levels of diversity (that is, areas with more noncitizens and individuals who were foreign born, had immigrated within the past 10 years or visible minorities) had a better likelihood of letter return. The opposite was true in the United States, where people in areas of high diversity were less likely to send lost letters.

This pattern did not exist in 2001, Hampton said. "So, over that time period, something changed in the United States relative to Canada [that was] related to immigration that must have had an impact," he told Live Science.

Perhaps American views toward immigrants changed because of world events and the economy, Hampton said. (The original letter campaign took place before the 9/11 attacks, and, of course, the 2011 campaign took place after the attacks.)

A hypothesis from a 2007 study in the journal Scandinavian Political Studies stated that areas with minorities have less altruistic behaviors, possibly because these minorities hunker down and mind their own business if they feel un-integrated and unwelcome. But immigrants make up a very small minority of these areas with low-letter return rates in the United States, so the immigrants don't account for the areas' overall lower rates of helping, Hampton said.

"More likely, it's the rest of the population that perceives that area as being high in immigrants and is less likely to help them," he said.

Both the United States and Canada have experienced recent surges in immigration, Hampton said. But Canada is known for welcoming immigrants, which may explain why people there mailed more letters, he said.

"There are implications for society as a whole that result from how we treat immigrant groups and [have] income inequality in society," he said. He added that when people are less altruistic, it affects society as a whole, not just the minority groups.

However, there may be more forces at work, said Jason Manning, an assistant professor of sociology at West Virginia University, who was not involved in the study.

"I don't quite understand the speculated causes of it in the presentation," he said. "So, attitudes toward immigrants have become more negative. How does that affect somebody in Omaha, [Nebraska], mailing a letter to Des Moines?"

The research was presented Saturday (Aug. 20) here at the American Sociological Association's annual meeting in Seattle. It is expected to be published in the journal City & Community.

Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
LAGOS (Reuters) - Nigeria's naira was quoted at an all-time low of 412 per dollar on the parallel market on Friday as a dollar shortage persists, traders said. Traders said some bureaux de change operators have been finding it difficult to access their forex account and get dollar supply after the central bank suspended nine commercial lenders from the market, putting further pressure on the local currency. On Thursday the naira closed at 409 per dollar on the parallel market. On the interbank market it traded at 315 compared with 305 the previous day. (Reporting by Oludare Mayowa)
By Stine Jacobsen

OSLO (Reuters) - Exports of Norwegian gas to Britain will not be affected by Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Norway's oil and energy minister told Reuters.

The Nordic country is Britain's top foreign gas supplier, accounting for some 40 percent of all supplies in 2015.

Norway's EU affairs minister said this week the country wants to maintain a good relationship with Britain after it leaves the EU. While Norway is not a member, it pays for access to the European single market and may have to negotiate a new trade agreement with London after Brexit.

"There is no reason to believe that market access for Norwegian gas exporters to Britain will be affected by Brexit. We have been a stable gas exporter and we will continue to be so," Tord Lien said in an interview on Friday.

The minister also said he expects the oil market to rebalance soon, although the exact timing remains uncertain.

"I want to be very clear on that we shouldn't plan for $100 (oil price) when working with projects. We should aim to establish a cost cutting level which is sustainable at oil prices far below $100," he said.

He sees signs of improvement in the Norwegian oil industry, which has struggled with spiralling costs and a 60 percent fall in crude prices since June 2014. The sector accounts for 20 percent of Norway's GDP.

Tens of thousands of oil workers have lost jobs on the Norwegian continental shelf, as oil firms postponed or cancelled projects.

"The vast majority of players in the industry see now that costs are being managed and controlled...and that things are starting to turn for the better," said Lien, adding that he still thinks there will be more cost reductions and lay-offs.

"We experience that many of the projects now have breakeven prices at a level which makes them profitable to produce."

Statoil said on Thursday it had managed to reduce breakeven prices for its portfolio of non-sanctioned projects to well below $41 per barrel of oil from $70 in 2013.

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The minister's comments echoed the optimism expressed by the chief of the country's oil directorate, Bente Nyland, on Thursday. Nyland said the worst of the belt-tightening was over and the industry could be turning a corner.

But while investment in new projects is improving, the money is yet to trickle down to the oil supply industry.

"There is no doubt that the supply industry still will experience challenging times," Lien said.

Norwegian rig firm Songa Offshore said on Friday it expected this year and next to be challenging.

(Reporting by Stine Jacobsen, editing by Gwladys Fouche and Susan Thomas)
OSLO (Reuters) - Norway's appeal case against a legal ruling that found the state had violated the human rights of mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik will most likely be held in January, a court said on Friday. Far-right militant Breivik killed 77 people in July 2011 - eight in a bomb attack in Oslo and 69 in a shooting spree at a youth meeting of the Labour Party on a nearby island. The case was originally scheduled for November, but Breivik's lawyer Oeystein Storrvik said earlier this month he would ask for a later court date, as he had another case scheduled on those days. Oslo's district court ruled on April 20 that the state had denied Breivik his human rights by keeping him in solitary confinement, a judgement that shocked many in Norway and abroad. (Reporting by Joachim Dagenborg, writing by Stine Jacobsen)
By Roberta Rampton WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Barack Obama will dramatically expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii on Friday, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 sq miles (1.5 million sq km) of the Pacific Ocean. Obama will visit the protected area on Sept. 1 to draw attention to the threat that climate change poses to oceans, traveling to Midway Atoll - a remote coral reef that was the site of a pivotal World War Two battle and is now known for its sea turtles, monk seals, and millions of seabirds. Obama, who was born in Hawaii and spent most of his childhood there, made curbing climate change a central part of his time in the White House, which draws to a close on Jan. 20. Some of his efforts have been blocked by Congress or held up in court challenges. But preserving public space from development has been something Obama can do using his own power, and he had moved to permanently protect more than 265 million acres of land and water even before the expansion in Hawaii. Obama has also sought to use the star power of his office to raise public concern about climate issues. Trailed by camera crews, he has hiked on an Alaska glacier and walked through the Florida Everglades. His journey to Midway Atoll, a former naval base that is now a rarely visited refuge, is aimed at sending a hopeful message. "The best science shows that the ocean can recover, if you allow it to," said Senator Brian Schatz, who worked with scientists, environmental groups and native Hawaiians to urge Obama to expand the monument. "As daunting as the problem of climate change is, and as troubling as the situation is with respect to our oceans, they show remarkable resilience, if you give them a chance," Schatz told Reuters. The monument was first established 10 years ago by former Republican President George W. Bush, who created the world's largest marine reserve at the time, protecting close to 140,000 sq miles of ocean around the Hawaiian archipelago and inspiring a series of similar projects around the world. The four-fold boost in territory will cover an area with more than 7,000 marine species, including a coral that is the world's oldest-known living organism at 4,265 years old. "We think of Papahanaumokuakea's original designation as a catalyst, and we're hoping it will be again," said Seth Horstmeyer, a director with Pew's Global Ocean Legacy project. Only about 3 percent of the world's oceans have similar protections, according to Pew. Obama is set on Wednesday to address leaders of Pacific islands and a global conference of conservation officials and environmental groups in Honolulu. "We would like the other nations to follow suit," said Sol Kaho'ohalahala, a seventh-generation native Hawaiian. In an interview, Kaho'ohalahala explained that Papahanaumokuakea, considered a sacred place, figures large in the creation myths of his people. "We are part of this place, we're not the beginning of this place," he said. "Our responsibility is really as a people now how to care for this place." Some Hawaiians had argued against the expansion. Longline commercial fishermen, who have been praised for sustainable fishing, have counted on the area for an estimated 3 to 13 percent of their annual catch of tuna, which is limited under quotas and governed by extensive conservation measures. "Excluding American citizens from American waters and forcing in this case fishermen onto the high seas to do their business - something just doesnt quite sit right," said Sean Martin, president of the Hawaii Longline Association, explaining the expansion could raise his costs. But Hawaiian Senator Schatz, who worked on a compromise plan to accommodate certain types of fishing and more Native Hawaiian involvement in managing the preserve, said there would be plenty of fish left for longline fishermen in other areas. "They will have very little difficulty fishing up to the limit under the tuna treaty, even with the new boundaries," Schatz said. (Reporting by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Sandra Maler and Richard Pullin)
By Lawrence Hurley WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When President Barack Obama entered the White House in 2009, the federal appeals court based in Virginia was known as one of the most conservative benches in the country. Two Obama terms later, Democratic appointees hold a 10-5 majority on the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, a panel of which issued a groundbreaking ruling this April backing transgender rights. The shift to the left on the court, which hears cases from Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia, South Carolina and North Carolina, highlights a widely overlooked aspect of Obama's legacy. His appointments of dozens of judges to the country's influential federal appeals courts have tilted the judiciary in a liberal direction that will influence rulings for years to come and be further entrenched if Democrat Hillary Clinton wins this November's presidential election. A Reuters review of rulings by the courts over the last two years shows Obamas appointees to the appeals courts have influenced major legal battles likely to ultimately reach the Supreme Court. Obama-appointed judges have voted in favor of broad civil rights protections, major Obama administration regulations and gun regulations and against Republican-backed voting rules. (Graphic showing the changes under Obama http://tmsnrt.rs/2blUhmV) When seeking to appoint judges, the White House has said it is looking for highly credentialed lawyers reflecting the diversity of U.S. society. Conservative critics say he has picked judges who are willing to circumvent the law in order to reach preferred outcomes. "Theres no question President Obamas nominees have absolutely been part of his effort to transform the country and move it dramatically to the left," said Carrie Severino, a conservative legal activist. White House spokesman Eric Schultz said in a statement that Obama's appointees "all share impeccable qualifications, unquestioned integrity, and a steadfast commitment to equal justice under the law." The appeals courts are the first stop for any case appealed from the lower U.S. district courts and often have the last word. The next and final destination is the Supreme Court, but it hears fewer than 100 cases a year. The appeals courts handle 35,000 a year according to the Administrative Office of the U.S. Courts. Of the 13 appeals courts, nine now have a majority of Democratic appointees, compared with one when Obama took office, according to research carried out by Russell Wheeler, a scholar at the Brookings Institution, a Washington think tank. In addition to appointing two Supreme Court justices and dozens of district court judges, Obama appointments now make up 55 of the current 168 appeals court judges, according to the judiciary. Obamas current total of 323 district and appeals court appointments, most of them district court judges, is similar to the tallies achieved by other recent two-term presidents. The regional appeals courts are currently more powerful than ever because of the vacancy on the Supreme Court caused by the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, which has left the court divided equally between liberals and conservatives. If the ideologically divided court splits 4-4, the appeals court ruling is left intact. Such an outcome occurred four times in the Supreme Court term that recently ended. Scalia's seat is unlikely to be filled until next year due to political opposition from Republicans in the Senate, which has the job of confirming nominees. COURTS TRANSFORMED One of the most dramatic transformations has been on the 4th Circuit. In July 2007, 18 months before Obama became president, Republican appointees held a 7-5 majority. Through a mix of seven Obama appointments and retirements, Democratic appointees now hold sway. In April, a three-judge panel featuring two Obama appointees ruled in favor of a transgender student seeking to use a boys' restroom. The two Obama appointees were in the majority, with a Republican appointee dissenting. Three months later, a three-judge panel featuring two Obama appointees and one judge appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton struck down North Carolina's strict voter identification law on a 3-0 vote, saying the state legislature had enacted it with discriminatory intent. It is one of several recent court rulings pushing back on Republican-led efforts to impose new voting regulations, which Democrats say is intended to deter minorities from voting. Caroline Fredrickson, president of liberal legal group the American Constitution Society, said Republican-appointed judges are generally less likely to rule in favor of broad interpretations of civil rights. The transgender case would "very likely" have come out differently with a more conservative panel of judges, she said. The federal appeals court in Washington, D.C. is another where the balance of power has been flipped. Often known in legal circles as the second highest court in the land because it hears important cases concerning the federal government, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit was dominated by conservatives 6-3 when Obama took office. Obama was able to force through four appointments after a major showdown in the Senate. The court now has a 7-4 split in favor of Democratic appointees. In June, an Obama appointee, Judge Sri Srinivasan, cast the deciding vote as a three-judge panel upheld the Federal Communication Commission's so-called "net neutrality" regulation. Srinivasan joined a Clinton appointee in the majority. A judge appointed by Republican President Ronald Reagan dissented. The regulation is widely opposed by the telecommunications industry and backed by digital rights advocates. Obamas appointees do sometimes vote in favor of conservative outcomes. Paul Watford, a judge on the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, has on several occasions reached a different conclusion to his more liberal colleagues. In one recent decision from Aug. 15, he dissented along with conservative judges when the court ruled that a death row inmate should be able to file a new appeal. When announcing three of his nominees to the appeals court in Washington at a White House press conference in June 2013, Obama rejected any notion that they were political pawns, emphasizing their strong credentials. "These are no slouches. These are no hacks," he said. (Reporting by Lawrence Hurley; editing by Stuart Grudgings.)
Peter Mukherjea's daughter, Vidhie has come out in defence of her father in the Sheena Bora murder case by claiming his innocence and putting entire blame on mother Indrani for the killing.

By India Today Web Desk: Fresh twists and turns surface in Sheena Bora murder case. After India Today exclusively accessed all the audio tapes having incriminating evidence against accused Peter Mukherjea, his daughter, Vidhie has come out in his defence. Vidhie, a half-sister of Sheena has claimed that Peter is innocent and that he has been framed in the murder case.

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Vidhie has issued a three-page statement, which India Today has exclusively accessed, in her father's defence. This is the first statement of Vidhie in the high profile sensational murder case. The crux of the statement is defence of Peter by putting the entire murder spotlight on Indrani Mukherjea, who is in jail for killing her daughter, Sheena in 2012.

VIDHIE'S STATEMENT

Putting out a strong defence of Peter Mukherjea, Vidhie said, "My father did not know about the murder of Sheena Bora. If so, he would not have stayed by mother. She would have been convicted for the murder in 2012 itself. He would not have lived with this life. My father has been roped and dragged into this mess."

"My mother maintained that Sheena and Mikhail were her siblings, and she never approved of Sheena and Rahul's relationship. My father has always been for their relationship. He would never try to instigate their breakup," Vidhie added further.

Vidhie argued that the fact that Peter cooperated with the investigation and did not leave the country to escape punishment when he had chance proved his innocence. "My father has done everything in his ability to cooperate with the CBI. He stayed in India and helped the CBI as much as needed. I know that my father is innocent," said Vidhie.

'WILL FIGHT FOR PETER'S ACQUITTAL'

These three paragraphs of the three-page letter actually show the defence of an accused father by an affectionate daughter. Through her statement, Vidhie wants the CBI and the court to believe that Peter "has been fooled into believing things about Sheena Bora".

Vidhie said, "I will fight for his acquittal. I know My father is innocent. Peter is not a criminal. I will always hold his hand."



READ VIDHIE'S FIRST OFFICIAL STATEMENT ABOUT SHEENA MURDER CASE



Watch the video here:

ALSO READ:

Both Peter and Indrani conspired to kill Sheena Bora: CBI to High Court

Sheena Bora case: Peter was fond of late night parties and young women, says ex-wife

Sheena Bora murder: Driver says Indrani strangulated daughter, silent on Peter

Sheena Bora murder: All you need to know





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This Olympic-themed #Ham4Ham featuring Maya DiRado is absolutely golden

This Olympic-themed #Ham4Ham featuring Maya DiRado is absolutely golden

As the Team USA Olympians arrive home, a bunch of them are getting to make a victory lap around the country. The Final Five got to go on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. Katie Ledecky traveled to D.C. to throw out the first pitch at a Washington Nationals game. And Maya DiRado traveled to NYC, where she got to be in the room where it happened!

Maya got to do what we have only dreamed of  star in the #Ham4Ham show with the cast of Broadways Hamilton.

For those of you who havent been following, #Ham4Ham was started by Hamilton writer Lin Manuel-Miranda. Hamilton became such an instant sensation that hundreds of people were lining up daily for the chance to win one of the few available lottery tickets to the show. Manuel-Miranda and other cast members would pop out to entertain the people waiting. They started filming the impromptu performances, and it became a digital sensation as well as a live one.

Sometimes they bring out special guests, and obviously, a four-time Olympic Medalist is a pretty special guest!

Maya looks just as excited as any of us would with that talented cast serenading her!

Repost from @hamiltonmusical - Serenaded by the cast of Hamilton and it's definitely in my top two coolest national anthems ever A photo posted by Maya Dirado (@mayadorito) on Aug 24, 2016 at 10:34am PDT

She writes, its definitely in my top two coolest national anthems ever. We bet we know what number one is!

And of course, she got great seats for the show!

Just like my country I'm young, scrappy, and hungry thanks @HamiltonMusical for exceeding the hype!! pic.twitter.com/sbloNczF5h  Maya DiRado (@MayaDiRado) August 23, 2016

Maya also got to ring the bell at the New York Stock Exchange with fellow Swimming Gold Medalist Connor Dwyer.

Olympic Athletes Maya Dirado And Conor Dwyer Ring NYSE Opening Bell

We guess it takes a couple of Gold Medals to get to have a trip to NYC that cool.

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BRB, off to get super good at swimming.

The post This Olympic-themed #Ham4Ham featuring Maya DiRado is absolutely golden appeared first on HelloGiggles.
By Colin Packham

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Mustering cattle across rugged terrain and wide open spaces, Australia's newest drover is a far cry from a man with a big hat, a horse and fancy boots.

Meet SwagBot - the world's first robot designed to round up livestock - currently being developed by Australian scientists to roll across the landscape in aid of the country's farmers.

Australia is the world's third largest cattle exporter but with the age of producers creeping higher, and cattle stations averaging about 400,000 hectares (988,420 acres) of land - nearly four time the size of Hong Kong - rearing livestock can be difficult, even with a sufficient number of cowhands.

A labour shortage makes the task harder though, and threatens Australia's hope of boosting its livestock output to profit from rising Asian demand for red meat.

SwagBot is the answer, according to Professor Salah Sukkarieh, who heads the research team developing the robot.

The contraption - a box of electronics supported by four independently moving legs attached to wheels - is omnidirectional, navigates over obstacles, even across water, and can be remotely controlled by farmers as it herds cattle.

"[Farmers] can see that they need to have this kind of technology. We aren't seeing a lot of people coming into the sector as it is a lot of work," said Sukkarieh, a professor of robotics at the University of Sydney's School of Aerospace Mechanical & Mechatronic Engineering.

Additions to SwagBot's capabilities are also planned. It will soon have sensors that can detect pasture health and determine if an animal is sick or in distress.

The robot - one of a growing number of automated vehicles designed for the country's rural sector - remains in development, but Sukkarieh believes it can be in production within three years.

"Maybe about five to eight years ago, the cost of technology dropped quite significantly," he said. "Because of that drop in cost, agriculture has opened up as another area where robotics could be used because there are very low margins in agriculture, so you need low-cost robotics."

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Technology offers the best hope to arrest Australia's slowdown in agricultural productivity, analysts said.

"Getting good, reliable labour is a problem, and the further you get away from a capital city, the harder it gets," said Phin Ziebell, agribusiness economist, National Australia Bank.

"If the robot can be cheaper than humans, too, farmers will be very keen."

(Reporting by Colin Packham; Editing by Tom Hogue)
Bill Ackman

One of Bill Ackman's key researchers on Valeant is leaving Pershing Square and plans to launch a startup focused on reducing healthcare costs.

Jordan Rubin, a member of Ackman's 10-person investment team, is leaving Pershing Square Capital Management in the coming weeks after seven years at the firm.

As an investment analyst, Rubin, 32, contributed to positions including Valeant Pharmaceuticals International, Zoetis, Allergan and Family Dollar.

"I think extremely highly of Jordan," Ackman told Business Insider. "He's a very talented, hard working, smart person, and I think he's going to be enormously successful with his new venture."

Rubin and Bill Doyle, who also recently left Pershing Square, led the research that resulted in Pershing Square's "partnership with Valeant in its efforts to merge with Allergan," according to a 2014 letter filed with the SEC.

Rubin also features heavily in 818 pages of Valeant-related information released by the US Senate in connection with its investigation into the pharmaceutical company's business practices.

Several emails from Rubin to former Valeant CEO Mike Pearson were published in the document dump, along with other emails from Ackman where Rubin was CC'd in.

Wait what is a hedge fund



BI EXPLAINS

Rubin's departure comes as Pershing Square hits a rough patch in performance, largely from positions like Valeant, which has dropped in value this year, partly over concerns about the company's drug price hikes.

The Pershing Square L.P. fund fell -16.2% last year after posting 36.9% gains the year before, according to a Pershing Square document. Pershing Square Holdings, a publicly traded vehicle that is a proxy for Ackman's hedge fund, is down -17.8% through August 16.

pershing square

Rubin joined Pershing Square in 2009 after a stint at Goldman Sachs, where he worked as an analyst in the special situations group.

In a statement to Business Insider, Rubin said he was "grateful for the opportunity to have contributed to many profitable and innovative investments at Pershing Square" and that he is "excited to begin the next stage" of his career.

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"I hope to follow in the footsteps of other successful Pershing Square alumni who have chosen an entrepreneurial path," he said, adding that he plans to continue to invest in Pershing Square's fund.

Rubin is partnering with an unnamed healthcare entrepreneur for the startup, which will target reducing healthcare costs and is set to launch later this year.

Other prominent staffers have also departed the firm in recent months. In May, the firm announced that Bill Doyle, who was also behind the Valeant bet, was leaving.

Paul Hilal, Ackman's former second in command, left last year and is in the early stages of starting his own hedge fund.

Earlier this year, Pershing Square also cut more than 10% of staff, mostly in operations.

But there have also been additions. Jenna Dabbs, a former federal prosecutor in New York who was hired last year as senior counsel, joined Ackman's investment staff earlier this summer, making her the first woman ever on the team.

NOW WATCH: Warren Buffett's sister needs your help giving away millions





More From Business Insider


A Vietnamese trainee pilot was killed when his fighter jet crashed into a rice field, an official said Friday, the third deadly military plane accident since June.

The pilot was the only one on board when the plane went down in south-central Vietnam, the Ministry of Defence said on state-run television.

The L39 fighter jet belonged to the air force pilot training college near the crash site in coastal Phu Yen province, chief administrator of the provincial people's committee told AFP.

"During its training session, the fighter jet crashed into the rice field, killing the trainee pilot on board," Ho Thi Nguyen Thao said.

Though Vietnam's civilian aviation sector has a strong safety record, there have been several recent accidents involving military aircraft.

In June, a jet fighter carrying two pilots crashed during a training mission off the coast of northern Nghe An province, with only one of the pilots rescued.

Days later, a military search plane deployed to find the missing pilot lost contact and was later found crashed with all nine people on board dead.

One of the worst accidents in recent years was in July 2014, when 19 people were killed after a Russian-made Mi-171 chopper crashed in the capital Hanoi during a training exercise.

Communist Vietnam has been keen to update its almost exclusively Russian-made military hardware amid tensions with Beijing over disputed territory in the South China Sea.

It is increasingly looking to Western nations to buy military equipment, including the United States after President Barack Obama lifted a Cold War-era ban on arms sales to the country during his visit to Vietnam in May.
NEW YORK -- In three weeks, Gary Sanchez has helped the New York Yankees stay within striking distance in the race for the American League wild card.

Sanchez and the Yankees get an opportunity to inch closer to a team holding one of the wild-card spots when they open a three-game series with the Baltimore Orioles on Friday night at Yankee Stadium.

The Yankees will face the Orioles in each of the next two weekends and begin 4 1/2 games out of the second wild-card spot.

When Sanchez was promoted from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes Barre, the Yankees were 53-53 and 5 1/2 games behind the Boston Red Sox for the second wild-card spot. Their smallest deficit since Sanchez was called up was 3 1/2 games from Aug. 11-13.

Since his promotion, Sanchez has hit nine home runs and New York has won 12 of its last 20 games to get to 65-61. Sanchez's latest home run occurred during Wednesday's 5-0 win in Seattle, which capped a 4-2 West Coast trip.

Sanchez has become the Yankees regular catcher while moving veteran Brian McCann to being the regular designated hitter. After his latest home run, Sanchez is batting .389 with an OPS of 1,297.

"You feel like he's going to hit the ball hard is what you feel," New York manager Joe Girardi said. "And you're not sure where it's going to end up but you feel like he's going to hit the ball real hard. He's been locked in and it's been fun to watch."

Sanchez is one of five major leaguers since 1913 with nine or more home runs in his first 21 games. He also is one of nine with 15 or more extra bases in his first 21 games.

As much as fans enjoy hearing those things, none of those accolades matter to Sanchez.

"I understand it, but the focus is not about me, it's about winning games here," Sanchez said through a translator. "That's where my focus is, go out there, play hard and win some games."

The Yankees did some winning in their last encounter with the Orioles by taking the first three games by a 14-2 margin before Chris Tillman pitched seven outstanding innings in Baltimore's 4-1 win on July 21.

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To demonstrate how much has changed since those games, 10 players who were on New York's active roster will not be with the team Friday due to injuries, demotions or trades.

Baltimore moved into first place with its second series win against the Yankees June 3-5 but when it left the Bronx it was a half-game out of first place. The Orioles (70-57) have spent 111 days in first place, have not held a share of the division lead since Aug. 15 and trail the Blue Jays and Red Sox by one game.

The Orioles dropped 2 1/2 games out when it gave up 32 runs in a three-game sweep by the Houston Astros last weekend. Baltimore recovered decently by scoring 22 times in taking three of four against the Washington Nationals.

Chris Davis, Manny Machado, Jonathan Schoop and Mark Trumbo homered in the series. The quartet has combined for 118 of Baltimore's major league-leading 197 home runs. Neither player connected Thursday as the Orioles struck out 10 times and mustered three hits in a 4-0 loss.

"Good series for us," Baltimore center fielder Adam Jones said. "We took it to a good team and tonight they took it to us. I think overall it was a good series. We played well. Pitchers threw the ball extremely well. Now let's go to New York and do the same thing. Important series."

Jones had one of those hits before leaving with a leg cramp but he said he expects to play Friday.

Jones and the Orioles will be healthier than their last visit to New York when a flu bug hit the team and forced Machado, Davis and Showalter to miss games.

While Sanchez is part of the Yankees' attempt to get younger bats in their lineup, Luis Cessa is making his second career start out of necessity. Cessa and Chad Green are in the Yankees' rotation because Nathan Eovaldi is having elbow surgery and Luis Severino is in the minors.

Cessa made an impressive debut in New York's rotation last Saturday when he allowed two hits in six shutout innings during a 5-1 win at the Los Angeles Angels.

For all its prowess at the plate, Baltimore has struggled on the mound at times by posting a 4.38 ERA. Those struggles include Yovani Gallardo, who starts Friday and has a 5.08 ERA.

Gallardo is 1-4 with a 4.66 ERA in his last 10 starts though he has pitched decently in four starts this month. Gallardo has allowed three earned runs or less in four straight starts, including Sunday against Houston when he allowed three earned runs and seven hits in seven innings.

Gallardo faced the Yankees July 20 in New York and allowed four runs and five hits in seven innings of a 5-0 loss.
Many of the victims of the Pulse nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida won't be faced with having to pay medical bills for their treatment.

Orlando Regional Medical Center, where a majority of victims injured in the June rampage were taken for emergency care, won't be sending those patients bills for their treatment, which could come out to more than $5 million in total for the hospital.

"Orlando Health has not sent any hospital or medical bills directly to Pulse patients and we don't intend to pursue reimbursement of medical costs from them," said Orlando Regional's parent network in a statement to ET.

WATCH: LGBT Groups, Celebs and Public Figures Pay Tribute to Pulse Nightclub Victims

Furthermore, Orlando Health has pledged to help the victims with their future medical needs to the best of their ability.

'We can't predict the future needs of these patients, their financial situations, or what the state or federal governments may require us to do for charity policies," their statement continued.

"So, while we can't assume the answer is free care forever, we will use our very generous charity and financial assistance policies to assess the best way to ensure our patients get quality care here at Orlando Health in the most fiscally responsible manner."

49 people were killed and 53 others were injured during the mass shooting terror attack inside Pulse, a gay nightclub in Orlando, on June 12. The shooter, Omar Mateen, was killed by police after a three-hour standoff.

WATCH: President Obama Speaks Out on Shooting at Orlando Gay Nightclub: 'This Was an Act of Terror and an Act of Hate'

Orlando Health President and CEO David Strong said in a statement to ET, "The Pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families, and our entire community."

"During this very trying time, many organizations, individuals, and charities have reached out to Orlando Health to show their support," Strong added. "This is simply our way of paying that kindness forward."

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After the shooting, some of the biggest stars in entertainment lent their time and talents to a variety of charities aimed at helping the victims of the tragedy. Check out the video below for a look at what some celebs are doing to help.

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By PTI: From Gurdip Singh

Singapore, Aug 26 (PTI) Indian-origin former Singaporean president S R Nathan, who passed away earlier this week, was laid to rest after a state funeral today with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong describing him as one of Singapores greatest sons.

Nathan, 92, had spent 40 years in Singapore civil service and two-terms as President from 1999 to 2011. He suffered a stroke on July 31 and was in intensive care of a hospital till he passed away on August 22.

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The family held a private cremation after the state funeral service.

Seven eulogies were delivered at the state funeral service led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National University of Singapores University Cultural Centre this afternoon.

Prime Minister Lee described Nathan as "one of Singapores greatest sons".

"He played a leadership role in the Indian community. But he was also a President for all Singaporeans, and cared deeply about racial and religious harmony," said Lee.

A lone bugler from the military band sounded the Last Post after the state funeral for the Singapore-born Nathan.

A minute of silence was also observed, after which the Rouse was sounded -- a symbolic call back to duty after respect has been paid to the memory of the deceased.

Singaporeans, led by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, and diplomats paid their last respects to the late president at the Parliament, where he was laid to rest with full honours.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife also paid respects to Nathan, making a brief stop-over in Singapore en-route to Kenya.

Abe told Nathans wife that Japan will never forget Nathan as he was the first head of state to visit Hiroshima and meet the atomic bomb victims during a state visit to Japan in 2009.

"For me, President Nathan was a great son of Singapore, a great educator, leader and statesman. He was also a great friend of Indonesia," wrote former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the condolence book he signed at Singapore Embassy in Jakarta.

Ambassador-at-large Gopinath Pillai, in his tribute at the state funeral service, said giving back to the Hindu and Indian communities was of great importance to Singapores late President.

Nathan was one of the founders of self-help group Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), and as chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB), he ensured better accounting procedures were put in place.

Pillai said Nathan had told him that he took on the role of chairman of HEB because he felt that just as there were credible Indian ministers who had won the respect of all races in Singapores political arena, the various Indian institutions here should also be credible.

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"He did not think doing your best was good enough. Doing what was required was more important," said Pillai, delivering the last of seven eulogies at the funeral service for Nathan. PTI GS ASK ASK

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From Cosmopolitan

Survivors of the horrific mass shooting at Orlando's Pulse nightclub last June will not be billed for any of the medical care they received following the attack.

Both Orlando Regional Medical Center and Florida Hospital, which treated the majority of the victims of the attack, announced Thursday they would seek payment for the estimated $5.5 million in services through other means, including insurance plans and the victims' fund established earlier this summer.

"Orlando Health has not sent any hospital or medical bills directly to Pulse patients, and we don't intend to pursue reimbursement of medical costs from them," a statement from Orlando Regional's parent network said, according to People. "We are exploring numerous options to help the victims of the Pulse nightclub tragedy address immediate and ongoing medical costs."

A Florida Hospital representative issued a similar statement Thursday, confirming they, too, would be following suit and not charging Pulse patients for out-of-pocket expenses.

"It was incredible to see how our community came together in the wake of the senseless Pulse shooting," Florida Health president Daryl Tol told the Washington Post. "We hope this gesture can add to the heart and goodwill that defines Orlando."

The massacre at Pulse was the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, killing 49 people and injuring over 50 more. One of the survivors, Angel Colon, just took his first steps on his own since the attack, where he was shot six times and trampled on the ground.

Additional reporting from the Associated Press.

Follow Gina on Twitter.
Oslo (AFP) - Norway's appeal against being found guilty of subjecting mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik to "inhuman" treatment by keeping him in solitary confinement, will go to court in January, judicial officials said Friday.

In an April 20 verdict that stunned observers, the Oslo district court found Norway guilty of violating the European Convention on Human Rights by keeping the rightwing extremist in isolation.

Breivik, who is serving a 21-year sentence for killing 77 people in a gun and bomb rampage in July 2011, has now been held apart from other inmates for more than five years.

He enjoys comfortable conditions at the Skien Prison, with three cells at his disposal equipped with two showers, as well as two televisions, an Xbox, a Playstation, books and newspapers.

But he testified that his isolation regime was having negative effects on his health, citing headaches and concentration difficulties.

The state has appealed against the ruling.

The appeal case was initially scheduled to begin on November 29 but Breivik's lawyer, Oystein Storrvik, was unavailable at that date because of a prior case commitment.

The decision to delay the appeal case until January was therefore taken "for practical reasons", Appeals Court director Mari Fjaertoft Trondsen told AFP.

- Cold coffee, restricted visits -

The exact dates and the location of the hearing have yet to be decided.

"We are considering the Skien Prison," she said, referring to the penitentiary where Breivik is being held and where the lower court hearing was held for security reasons.

Breivik, now a self-proclaimed Nazi, killed eight people in a bombing outside a government building in Oslo and then gunned down another 69, most of them teenagers, during a rampage at a Labour Youth camp on Utoya island on July 22, 2011.

During the lower court hearing, Breivik aired a long list of complaints about his prison conditions, ranging from cold coffee and food to his restricted contact with the outside world.

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Breivik had challenged restrictions on his mail and prison visits.

Norway was found guilty of violating Article 3 of the European Convention on "inhuman" and "degrading" treatment.

But the court ruled that prison authorities had not violated his right to correspondence, guaranteed by Article 8 of the convention.
- Russia has appealed to the Federal Supreme Court of Switzerland over the Court of Arbitration for Sport's ruling to reject an appeal that would have allowed Russians to compete in the Paralympics. "We have appealed to Swiss justice (over the CAS ruling)," Russian Paralympic Committee head Vladimir Lukin told Interfax news agency, without giving any further details. Lukin added at least 266 Paralympians were to launch individual cases at the European Court for Human Rights. Russia last week appealed a decision by the International Paralympic Committee to suspend the country over evidence of state-sponsored doping, something that saw all of its track and field athletes bar Florida-based long jumper Darya Klishina barred from the Olympics. After the Lausanne-based CAS announced it had rejected Russia's Paralympic appeal, President Vladimir Putin said the decision was "outside the law, morality, humanity".

AFP
This article was co-published with Time Magazine.

The Pentagon has spent billions of dollars since 2001 funneling roughly more than a million assault rifles, pistols, shotguns, and machine guns into Iraq and Afghanistan, helping to fuel lasting conflict there, according to a new report by a London-based nonprofit research and advocacy group Action on Armed Violence.

At least 949,582 of these small arms were given to security forces in Iraq, and at least 503,328 small arms were given to local forces in Afghanistan, the group said. They called this an under-estimate based on the information they were able to acquire.

If the figures are correct, the US exports amounted to more than one small arm for each member of Afghanistans security forces, which totaled roughly 355,000 soldiers, police, and airmen in February 2015, according to a NATO operational update on the force. The number of armaments sent to Iraq also vastly exceeded the current size of that countrys active military and paramilitaries - 209,000, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies 2016 Military Balance report.

Until now, the Pentagon hasnt published such a tally of its own, so the groups researchers spent a year scouring multiple databases to arrive at its estimate: a general Pentagon contract list, a government-wide contracting list, and multiple government reports on military spending. They finally calculated that the overall value of the contractually-agreed small arms shipments, just to those two countries, was roughly $2.16 billion.

U.S. intelligence reports and eyewitnesses have previously said that a significant fraction of the U.S.-financed arms were either lost or stolen, and that many wound up in the hands of forces opposed to US interests, including terrorist groups such as the Islamic State, or ISIS.

In 2007, for example, the General Accountability Office said the coalition forces in Iraq could not account for 190,000 U.S.-supplied weapons. A July 2014 audit by the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction sharply criticized the Pentagon for not paying adequate attention to the fate of weaponry sent to Afghanistan, citing rampant discrepancies in records of gun serial numbers and other problems. In many instances over the past two years, U.S.-advised forces in those two countries have engaged in protracted clashes with terrorists equipped with captured caches of U.S. small arms, as well as U.S. tanks, artillery, and armored personnel carriers.

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There are direct and real consequences, said Iain Overton, a veteran investigative journalist who is the groups director, including a destabilized Middle East. He said Americans believe that good guys with guns will get rid of bad buys with guns but that system doesnt work when you throw guns into lawless, anarchic societies. His group says its funding comes from governments, institutions, and foundations, and that it has a partnership with Norways Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The report was released as international discussions are under way in Geneva about how to improve the implementation of a 2013 accord meant to provide transparency about small arms transfers, known as the Arms Trade Treaty. While the treaty does not restrict the number or type of weaponry that can be exported, it asks signatories not to sell arms that will create an overwhelming risk of negative consequences, including war crimes and attacks on civilians. The United States has signed the treaty but has not ratified it and is not a state party. As a result, it has not submitted annual reports of its arms transfers to others, as the treaty requires.

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Indeed, finding information on arms exports to Iraq and Afghanistan is like trying to [put] together a jigsaw puzzle with only half the pieces, Nic Marsh, a researcher at the Peace Research Institute in Oslo, Norway who has worked on this issue since 2008 said in an email. Overtons first attempts to gather information from the Pentagon about U.S.-financed exports of AK-47s to Afghanistan, using the Freedom of Information Act, produced documents that he said were completely redacted.

It's clear that the Pentagon has not been eager to make the size of its small-arms exports as clear as it could. The Pentagons public announcements of contracts related to small arms exports to Iraq and Afghanistan, overseen by its press office, only list 19,602 of the 1.45 million small arms, or roughly 1 percent of the guns the department actually sent to Iraq and Afghanistan, the groups report said. Of those publicly-disclosed contracts, a third were either mis-numbered or contained different information than versions of the same contracts that were listed in the Federal Procurement Database System, the report said.

When asked about the discrepancies, Mark Wright, a Pentagon spokesperson, responded in an email to the Center for Public Integrity that the two public accounts are based on different definitions, which if not clearly understood, can lead to incorrect conclusions.

Wright gave a slightly smaller overall tally: We have a total of about 1.1 million weapons that DOD either provided or assisted in providing to Iraq and Afghanistan, he said, noting that in some cases, individual contracts might have spelled out the maximum number of arms authorized to be shipped, rather than the number actually sent.

Overton said he stood by his larger tally, and that the team scoured their information for inaccuracies after carefully examining the differences between various databases.

Asked whether or not the Pentagon attempts to track where the guns it sells wind up, Wright responded that speed was essential in the early years of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a result, lapses in accountability of some of the weapons transferred occurred, Wright wrote in an emailed statement also provided to other reporters asking about the groups report. He said that the department now tracks the origin, shipping, and in-country distribution of all weapons it exports to Iraq and Afghanistan.

But even if such measures are carried out with great care  an unlikely event in Afghanistan, given the documented low literacy rates among local security personnel there, they cannot prevent U.S. armaments from being seized by others on the battlefield. The United States is not the only country that provided weapons to Iraq and Afghani forces that went missing over the past fifteen years, and not the only one to have exported weapons that specifically ended up in the hands of terrorists. In 2014, the Center for Public Integrity reported that fighters associated with the Islamic State had acquired or seized weapons from at least 21 countries, including the United States, China, Russia, and several Balkan states.

A significant percentage of these weapons will go into the environment and eventually end up in the hands of the Taliban, ISIS and other non-state actors, says Ed Laurance, an expert on armed violence and professor of international policy and development at the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey. Ammunition comes in, it goes out. Terrorists can get it, civilians can get itits impossible to keep track of [small arms] because the environments are so insecure.

This story is part of Up in Arms. National security-related events, reports and findings that deserve more attention. Click here to read more stories in this series.

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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.
Researchers and health officials in Maryland are reporting a case of a man spreading Zika to a female partner, despite the fact he didnt have any symptoms of the virus. Most cases of sexually transmitted Zika reported at this point have been spread by people who had signs of the virus. While experts have said its possible for someone without symptoms to spread the virus, such cases were not well documented until this point.

In a new case study published Friday in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, the authors discuss a case where a woman who had not traveled anywhere with ongoing Zika transmission came down with symptoms of the virus, including a fever and a rash, and her samples tested positive for the virus in a laboratory in Maryland.

While she had not traveled, the woman did have sexual contact with a man who had recently traveled to the Dominican Republic where he had exposure to mosquitoes. However, the man did not have any symptoms of the virus.

Health authorities have reported only one other case where a man without symptoms of the virus may have spread it to his female partner. However, in that case, both the man and the woman had traveled to places with Zika and could have been bitten by mosquitoes.

The report authors conclude that not having symptoms of Zika does not mean a person cant spread the virus to their sex partners. Ongoing surveillance is needed to determine the risk for sexual transmission of Zika virus infection from asymptomatic persons, the researchers write. They also add that it might be worthwhile to consider people who have condomless sex with people who have traveled to areas with ongoing Zika virus as possibly exposed to the virus.

So far there have been slightly more than 20 cases of Zika virus from sexual transmission in the United States. There are 2,487 travel associated cases, and Florida has reported 43 cases of locally transmitted Zika. As of Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is advising that all donated blood be tested for Zika in the U.S. and territories.
If youre looking for a weekend getaway in L.A. that doesnt involve long afternoons stranded on the 405, look southwest of Downtown to a slice of paradise known as the South Bay. In Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, and Redondo Beach, the vibes are mellow, the lifestyle is active, and, most importantly, everything is accessible by a beachside walk or short cab ride.

Not sure how to spend three days on L.A. Countys low-key beaches? Heres an ideal itinerary:

Day One

If youre arriving in the afternoon via LAX airport, youll be happy to know that Manhattan Beachs moody boutique Shade Hotel is just $12 to $15 away by Uber. Drop off your bags and head outside, through the Metlox town square, and take a right onto Manhattan Beach Boulevard. This is the main vein of the citys downtown, where bars, restaurants, and coffee shops line the walkway to the beach.

Head all the way down to the pieryou cant miss it, its practically an extension of MB Boulevardand walk to the end of it for a cant-miss sunset over the Pacific. Afterward, head back up to Rockn Fish for coconut-crusted Mahi sliders, Cajun corn on the cob, and a slice of Kona pie.

If you want to go out, you have several options nearby: the Strand House (sexy design, incredible views), Shellback Tavern (cheap drinks, a bit divier), or your hotels Skydeck (an open-air poolside retreat that turns into a cocktail party at night).

Day Two

What the South Bay lacks in museums and club life it more than makes up for in miles of white sand and near-perfect weather pretty much every day of the year. As much as you may want to hit the beach first thing in the morning, youll gain a lot by pacing yourself.

First, hit up Uncle Bills Pancake House, a circa-1961 A-frame structure thats arguably the heart of Manhattan Beachs old-school side. Get the Expo 73 omelette, corned beef hash and eggs, or banana buckwheat pancakes.

If youre not a lazy-Saturday-morning type (whats that like?), try a power vinyasa class at the Green Yogi and one of six green juices on offer at Pressed Juicery.

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Spend the rest of your day at the beach. The sand is notably amazing; in fact, from the 1920s to the 1970s, Hawaiis Waikiki imported a lot of its sand from Manhattan Beach.

If you want a lively nighttime scene, head to one of the bars abutting the Hermosa Beach Pier, about two miles from downtown Manhattan Beach. Hermosas Comedy and Magic Club draws in names like Jay Leno and Gabriel Iglesias. Baja Sharkeez, meanwhile, is beachy and a bit wild, with a great happy hour and even better fish tacos.

Day Three

Bright and early, take a cab to Redondo Beach and go on a whale/dolphin watching tour from King Harbor Marina. On a 10 a.m. tour, you can see dolphins, seals, and sea lions, as well as sperm and humpback whales.

Afterward, grab lunch at Kincaids Bay House (they also have an excellent happy hour), which is walking distance from King Harbor. From there, you can walk back to your hotel (four miles along the Strand, or boardwalk) or hop in a cab and head further south to Palos Verdes, a well-heeled town on the bluffs. The scenery is incredible and there are several gorgeous (and sometimes strenuous) hiking trails to explore.

At the end of the day, head to Hermosas Fritto Misto for delicious, unfussy Italian food. If you want to be closer to the hotel, you should try Manhattan Beachs the Kettle, a beloved mainstay thats open 24 hours a day, every day except Christmas.

For more long-weekend itineraries in America's best vacation destinations, click here.

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The cast is set for the new production of For The Record: Scorsese - American Crime Requiem at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts. The show will run from Sept. 21-Oct. 16 with opening night set for Sept. 29.

This new show - the brainchild of For The Record creators Anderson Davis and Shane Scheel - is co-produced by The Wallis and Ad Astra Live, and made possible by the support of David C. Bohnett. For The Record: Scorsese - American Crime Requiem brings the soundtracks from Martin Scorsese's legendary films to life in what is described as a new generation cabaret.

Tony Award-winner John Lloyd Young (Broadway's Jersey Boys), Tony nominee Carmen Cusack (Broadway's Bright Star), Pia Toscano (American Idol), Lindsey Gort (The Carrie Diaries), Grammy nominee B. Slade and For The Record alums James Byous, Dionne Gipson, Olivia Harris, Douglas Kreeger (Broadway's Les Miserables), Justin Mortelliti, Jason Paige (Pokemon) and Zak Resnick (Broadway's Mamma Mia) will take the stage at The Wallis as part of the cast of For The Record: Scorsese - American Crime Requiem.

Read more: Jennifer Holliday Returning to Broadway in 'The Color Purple'

The story will center on Marty's Place - a four-tier venue rising from the orchestra pit to the light grid - and take audiences from a Lower East Side dive bar to an Italian restaurant, a Las Vegas casino and a classic rock concert stage. According to an official release from the venue, "as characters rise through the physical space, so do their positions in life: from drunken degenerates at the bar to couples on dinner dates, the rich VIPs seated in the casino to the Gods of Rock looking down on us all. The evening will highlight 40 years of Scorsese's storytelling through films such as Goodfellas, Casino, The Departed, The Wolf of Wall Street and more."

Directed by co-creator Davis, the immersive concert mashup includes such hits such as "Be My Baby," "Chariot," "My Way," "Rags To Riches," as well as classic rock anthems like "Comfortably Numb," "House Of The Rising Sun," "Gimme Shelter" and others.

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"I am very pleased that For The Record: Scorsese is our first production in my first season," said Wallis' artistic director Paul Crewes. "We are producing a piece of theater with FTR that transforms the traditional stage space and explores a truly immersive theatrical experience. From my first creative conversations with Shane and the FTR team, I knew we had found a unique and exciting collaborator."

Co-creator and executive producer Shane Scheel said his company is "thrilled" to be back home in L.A. after several outings in other cities. "Over the past year, we have been expanding the For The Record brand outside of Los Angeles by presenting our 1980's-inspired Brat Pack show on the Norwegian Cruise Line's Escape, opening Baz (Luhrmann) - Star Crossed Love at the Palazzo Theater in Las Vegas, and most recently announcing a partnership with Dick Clark Productions and ABC to develop the series as live musical events for the network," he said.

Created by Scheel and Davis, For The Record has previously celebrated the work of directors Quentin Tarantino, Baz Luhrmann, John Hughes, the Coen brothers, Paul Thomas Anderson, Garry and Penny Marshall and Robert Zemeckis. For The Record Live began in 2010 in a small bar in East Hollywood. Since then, FTR has traveled to New York, Chicago, SXSW in Austin, Tex., the Montreal International Jazz Festival, Palm Springs, a permanent venue on the Norwegian Escape, a co-production with Cirque du Soleil in Las Vegas, and a new co-production with Sands Corps at The Palazzo Theater in Las Vegas. For The Record also recently announced a partnership with Dick Clark Productions and ABC to develop a live musical event for the network.

Up first at the Wallis is WelcomeFest, scheduled for Sept. 10-11. Billed as a two-date celebration of the performing arts, the event will showcase many of the upcoming 2016/17 season artists and other L.A.-based performers bringing their work to the Beverly Hills campus.

More information about the show, including tickets, can be found here.

Read more: George Clooney to Host MPTF's "Hollywood's Night Under the Stars"
By PTI: From K J M Varma

Beijing, Aug 26 (PTI) As many as 180 baby cobra snakes have escaped from a breeding farm in Chinas southwest Sichuan province, creating scare among people, officials said today.

People in Emeishan citys Luomu township reported seeing the snakes, according to Zhou Minghua, a spokesman with the city forestry bureau.

Out of the 180 baby cobra snakes belonging to the Jiulong breeding farm, 23 are still at large. By this morning, 120 of the snakes were caught, 30 killed and seven found dead. Search for the final 23 was on, he said.

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Officials distributed alcohol and realgar to people so they could repel the snakes. Antitoxic serum was also prepared in case of injuries caused by the cobras.

The baby cobras were 16 to 27 centimetres long and not highly toxic, Zhou said.

He asked people not to panic and to contact local forestry rangers and firefighters upon spotting the snakes, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

Zhou said it was not easy for farm-bred cobras to survive in the wild. He said other snakes in the farm had been sent to a safer place, facilities had been made secure, and the farms surrounding area had been disinfected. PTI KJV CPS

--- ENDS ---
On Friday, Massachusetts probate Judge George Phelan heard arguments concerning a settlement that will resolve outgoing Viacom chief Philippe Dauman's claim of wrongfully being removed as a trustee on the Sumner Redstone entity that indirectly holds voting control over the fate of Viacom and CBS. At the conclusion of the morning session, the judge told the parties he wasn't quite ready to sign off on a stipulation that would allow Dauman to back out of the case. However, after the parties reconvened after efforts were made to satisfy concerns of Sumner Redstone's granddaughter, the judge signaled he would.

Dauman and George Abrams filed their lawsuit in May and alleged that 93-year-old Redstone lacked the mental capacity necessary to effectuate a removal. After the judge refused to dismiss the case and set up a trial in September, a complicated settlement was crafted involving Viacom, Redstone's National Amusements and others. The deal contemplates Dauman's departure from Viacom. He'll get an exit package estimated to be between $72 million and $95 million and withdraw his claims in the Massachusetts case.

But Redstone's granddaughter Keryn Redstone, who is a beneficiary of the trust and has her own cross-claims in the case, stepped forward to raise objection to the stipulation arrived at by Dauman and the Redstone camp.

"You need to know in approving the settlement why they changed their mind because it's important," stated Pierce O'Donnell at today's hearing. "I suspect if we ask Redstone, he doesn't know about it. ... I submit that an incompetent Sumner Redstone can't bless a settlement."

Judge Phelan asked the attorney representing Dauman and Abrams whether his clients were willing to sign an affidavit attesting to the fact they think that Sumner Redstone is mentally competent. "In light of very strong claims, I'm wondering why the plaintiffs wouldn't make a statement," said the judge.

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The plaintiffs' lawyer danced around the suggestion, saying he'd need to check, but wasn't sure he could deliver one way or the other.

At the hearing, an attorney for Shari Redstone also spoke up, arguing that Dauman and Abrams already have resigned from the trust, that they can't be compelled to continue serving, and thus they have no standing to assert claims.

"The notion that [Keryn Redstone's] cross-claims are prejudiced by [Dauman's] claims being withdrawn doesn't make sense because they are no longer serving as trustees," he said. "To the extent that she wants to challenge the actions of the trust, she's still free to do that."

O'Donnell responded to this by acknowledging that Dauman and Abrams can resign, "but it's a breach of fiduciary duty to abandon" claims contesting Sumner Redstone's capacity if they, as trustees, truly believe his will is being usurped.

Sumner Redstone's own attorney, Rob Klieger, has cast aspersions on O'Donnell's motives in the case, arguing in court papers that the attorney is contesting a settlement on one hand, yet pursuing a settlement for his own clients on the other. He also told the judge today that he suspected O'Donnell hoped that Dauman would "carry the water" in terms of the costs in the litigation.

Judge Phelan asked Klieger if the attorney advised Sumner Redstone to talk with Keryn. The elder Redstone has thus far refused, Klieger responded. The judge said he would prefer if the two met face-to-face.

Klieger tried to express some optimism about a resolution, for example by having the trust make clarifications about distributions under the trust and giving Keryn Redstone some assurances that she will be treated fairly. The attorney said that he'd work on Sumner Redstone to arrange a face-to-face and even suggested a mediation. Klieger said, "I don't want my client to be fighting lawsuits as long as the time he has left."

The judge said this would be "reasonable" and might lead to a cooling off. Phelan was especially keen on restoring peace in the family. O'Donnell also liked the idea, but still wanted the judge to push off on approving the stipulation. Dauman's lawyer stood up to urge the judge to dismiss his client from the case. The judge wouldn't give in, hoping for "positive direction," and asked the parties to report to him by the end of the day.

So everyone took a break, and during that time, Klieger presumably got on the phone with his client. This time, Sumner Redstone assented to an in-person meeting with his granddaughter, the judge was told during the afternoon session.

With a breakthrough in hand, the judge appears ready to bless Dauman's deal. He's set a status conference for Sept. 23 to measure progress. If all goes well, not only will Dauman's claims concerning the trust pass, but the lingering claims made by Keryn will be dropped, too.

In a statement to The Hollywood Reporter, Shari Redstone's attorney said, "I am very pleased for the Redstone family. The plaintiffs' claims filed against Sumner and Shari have been dismissed, the settlement agreement is firmly in place, and Sumner's decisions have been honored in all respects. This result benefits Viacom, National Amusements and all of the beneficiaries of Sumner's trust."

Aug. 26, 3:06 p.m. - Updated with statement from Shari Redstone's attorney.
The Philippine government and Communist guerrillas on Friday signed an indefinite ceasefire deal to facilitate peace talks aimed at ending one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

"This is a historic and unprecedented event ... (but) there is still a lot of work to be done ahead," President Rodrigo Duterte's peace adviser Jesus Dureza said at a signing ceremony in Norway, which is mediating the talks.

Both sides agreed to implement unilateral, indefinite ceasefires -- something that has never been achieved before in the peace process.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende described the agreement as a "major breakthrough".

"We are on the highway to peace and we are talking of a timeline of maximum 12 months," Silvestre Bello, the Philippine government delegation's head of negotiations, told AFP.

The two parties have been meeting in Oslo since Monday, wrapping up their talks with the signing ceremony on Friday.

As a prelude to the negotiations, both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, but the truce commitment by the Communist side was due to end on Saturday.

The two parties also agreed to "speed up the peace process, and aim to reach the first substantial agreement on economic and social reforms within six months," a statement from the Norwegian foreign ministry said.

"They plan to follow this up with an agreement on political and constitutional reforms, before a final agreement on ending the armed conflict can be signed."

The two delegations agreed to meet again in Oslo on October 8-12.

Philippine President Duterte himself hailed the progress made in Norway.

"We are in a better position (to talk peace) now. There is a window," he said, adding: "We are not fighting the Communists. They have declared a truce. In return, I also ordered a ceasefire."

- 'Good atmosphere' -

The head of the rebel delegation, Luis Jalandoni, was optimistic about the potential for achieving a lasting peace deal.

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"We think that the peace talks now can move forward with a good atmosphere and try to move on with the (negotiations on) social and economic reforms, which are vital for addressing the roots of the armed conflict," he told AFP.

The government and the rebels also renewed an agreement that ensures immunity and security for key representatives of the rebels' political wing, the National Democratic Front, so that they can take part in the negotiations.

The Communist Party of the Philippines launched a rebellion in 1968 that has so far claimed the lives of 30,000 people, according to official estimates.

Its armed faction, the New People's Army (NPA), is now believed to have fewer than 4,000 gunmen, down from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s, when a bloodless revolt ended the 20-year dictatorship of late president Ferdinand Marcos.

They remain particularly active in rural areas, where they are notorious for extorting money from local businesses. They also regularly attack police and military forces, sometimes targeting them in urban areas.

In 2002, the US State Department designated the Communist Party and the NPA as terrorist organisations.

Forging peace with the rebels has been the elusive goal of Philippine presidents since a 1986 revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The force behind the current talks is President Duterte, who took office on June 30 after a landslide election victory.

- Hopes for peace deal -

On Monday, his government said it hoped to reach a peace accord within a year.

Duterte, who calls himself a Socialist, hails from Mindanao, the impoverished southern third of the Philippines where two rebellions -- Communist and Muslim -- have been most active.

He says ending both insurgencies is vital to his plan to curb poverty. He has even sketched the possibility of forming a coalition government with the rebels.

Duterte reputedly has close links to the Communists and is a former university student of Jose Maria Sison, now aged 77, who established the party.

The two sides hope to breathe new life into the process by discussing the outstanding issues of social and economic reforms, political and constitutional changes, and an end to hostilities.

Previous peace talks have addressed one issue at a time.
Manila (AFP) - Philippine security officials killed six members of militant group Abu Sayyaf on Friday including one involved in the kidnapping of two Canadians who were beheaded in the troubled south, the military said.

A military spokesman said soldiers clashed with 100 members of notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang Abu Sayyaf as troops carried out President Rodrigo Duterte's orders to "destroy" the militants.

In April and June, the group beheaded two Canadian tourists after ransom demands were not met. They were among four people kidnapped from the southern resort island of Samal last September.

"We were able to recover (the six militants') bodies. One of them is a sub-group leader of the Abu Sayyaf who was involved in the Samal kidnapping," regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan told AFP.

Tan said 17 soldiers were wounded in the encounter as the military aims to track hostages including a Norwegian who was kidnapped with the Canadians along with a Filipina who was released in June.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding a Dutch birdwatcher abducted in 2012 and Indonesian sailors kidnapped from the high seas in recent months, said Tan.

Duterte, who took office on June 30, initially pleaded for peace with the Abu Sayyaf but has since hardened his stance after the group continued kidnapping and beheading hostages.

The military said Wednesday the Abu Sayyaf beheaded a 19-year-old Filipino captive after a ransom demand was not met. Police recovered his head in Sulu.

Responding to the incident, Duterte vowed on Thursday to annihilate the group.

"My order to the police and to the armed forces: seek them out in their lairs and destroy them."

Similar demands from previous Philippine leaders went unfulfilled.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a few hundred Islamic militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

Its leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group but analysts say they are mainly focused on lucrative kidnappings.
The body of S R Nathan being moved from Parliament House where it was lying in state (Photo: Yahoo Newsroom) The body of S R Nathan being moved from Parliament House where it was lying in state (Photo: Yahoo Newsroom)

Singapore bid its final farewell to ex-President S R Nathan on Friday (26 August).



Nathan had been lying in state since Thursday (25 August) at the Parliament House. Tens of thousands of Singaporeans and foreign VIPs had turned up to pay their last respects to Nathan.



His casket, draped in the state flag, was carried on a gun carriage for the state funeral procession to the University Cultural Centre (UCC) at the National University of Singapore (NUS), where the state funeral service was held.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong led the eulogies during the funeral service, with other figures such as Ambassador-at-Large Tommy Koh, non-resident Ambassador to Kuwait Zainul Abidin Rasheed and Minister in the Prime Ministers Office Chan Chun Sing also making speeches.


Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African judge on Friday rejected an appeal by the state against a six-year jail sentence for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius who murdered his girlfriend in 2013.

Prosecutors had protested against the length of term -- which is less than half the minimum for murder in South Africa -- as "shockingly lenient".

Here is a timeline of events that followed the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

- 2013 -

February 14: Police arrest the double-amputee Olympic and Paralympic sprinter for killing Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home.

February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder "in the strongest terms".

February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He fired through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term "premeditated" murder.

February 21: Global sportswear manufacturer Nike suspends its sponsorship contract with the athlete.

February 22: Pistorius is granted bail.

- 2014 -

March 3: The trial opens in Pretoria before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman. Ten days later, Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens.

April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp.

June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness.

September 12: Judge Thokozile Masipa finds Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.

October 21: The judge sentences him to a maximum of five years in jail. He is immediately taken to Pretoria prison.

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- 2015 -

October 20: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts him of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful".

December 8: Pistorius is released on bail pending sentencing, and remains under house arrest.

- 2016 -

March 2: Pistorius, now 29, loses his final bid to appeal his murder conviction.

July 6: He is sentenced to six years in jail for murder, but prosecutors later appeal.

August 14: South African media reports say Pistorius is put on 24-hour suicide watch.

August 26: Masipa, the same judge who issued the six-year term, rejects the state appeal for a longer sentence.
Pitney Bowes Inc. PBI announced a new strategic alliance with Alpine Consulting, a trusted technology integration partner, in a concerted bid to broaden its footprint as it prepares to launch a new suite of vertical solutions.

Alpine Consulting will go to market with Pitney Bowes Single Customer View solution straight away. The solution  launched in March  is aimed to aid companies in deepening their perception and understanding of customers in the Digital Era.

Alpine Consulting is a high-value solution partner that specializes in providing and deploying Risk, Threat, Fraud & Compliance technology solutions.The firm assists clients in implementing technologies quickly and efficiently, minimizing internal costs and expediting time-to-market.

The Single Customer View solution helps firms devise, deliver and develop contextually-relevant views about a customer in real time. This process works across all channels of engagement, whether the customer is a consumer, citizen, organization, patient, or potential fraudster.

The solution leverages Pitney Bowes established customer engagement, location intelligence and data quality technologies, and uses analytics to identify hidden business and revenue potential for clients.

Gradually, Alpine Consulting will spread out to sell solutions built on Pitney Bowes proven technologies which tackle other common data management challenges. Thereafter, Alpine Consulting will employ its intellectual capital to engagements to devise strategies with clients for AML/Fraud detection and Watchlist Management.

Alpine Consultings expertise will unlock significant value and drive growth for Pitney Bowes new vertical offerings.

PITNEY BOWES IN Price and Consensus

PITNEY BOWES IN Price and Consensus | PITNEY BOWES IN Quote

Despite robust market traction and significant products in the pipeline, incremental marketing expenses related to new advertising campaign are posing a major challenge for the company. Also, deteriorating market conditions in the technology industry is affecting its software business materially. Currency headwinds also remain a major threat for this Zacks Rank #4 (Sell) companys financial performance in the coming quarters.

Story continues

Some better-ranked stocks in the broader computer & technology sector include Identiv, Inc. INVE, Internet Initiative Japan Inc. IIJI and Blucora, Inc. BCOR, each carrying a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy).

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By PTI: Colombo, Aug 26 (PTI) Sri Lanka is seeking an investor from India to build and operate a container terminal in Colombo port, amid a strong Chinese presence in the port.

Ports Minister Arjuna Ranatunga said they would like to see an Indian investor take at least a 20 per cent stake in a consortium that will run the East Terminal of the expanded deep draught South Harbour of Colombo Port.

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"We would like to see an Indian investor take at least a 20 per cent stake," Ranatunga told members of Sri Lankas Foreign Correspondents Association yesterday.

"More than 60 per cent of Colombos transshipment cargo comes from India," Ranatunga said.

Sri Lanka Ports Authority had spent USD 80 million to build 430 metres of a 1200-metre terminal, he said.

Ranatunga said another USD 400 million would be needed to complete the terminal. PTI CORR AJR ZH AJR

--- ENDS ---
OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2016 / Plaintree Systems Inc. (Plaintree, traded on CSE under the symbol NPT).

Q1 2017 Results

Plaintree announced today that it has released its un-audited condensed consolidated interim financial statements and related management discussion and analysis for the three months ended June 30, 2016.

During the first three months of fiscal 2017, Plaintree realized revenues of $4,143,601 up from $3,760,325 for the same period of fiscal 2016 with net losses of $(149,253) and $(157,495) in the respective periods. The notes to the financial statements and Management Discussion and Analysis for the period ended June 30, 2016 contain comments from management regarding the ability of Plaintree to continue as a going concern as discussed in Section 2(d) of the notes to the financial statements and the section entitled "Outlook - Going Concern" in the Management Discussion and Analysis.

For more information on these results, please refer to Plaintree's annual 2016 financial statements together with the related Management's Discussion and Analysis report, copies of which can be obtained from the Company's website at www.plaintree.com and/or under Plaintree's name at www.sedar.com.

About Plaintree Systems

Plaintree has two diversified product lines consisting of Specialty Structures and Electronics.

The Specialty Structures Division includes the former Triodetic Group with over 40 years of experience, is a design/build manufacturer of steel, aluminum and stainless steel specialty structures such as commercial domes, free form structures, barrel vaults, space frames and industrial dome coverings, Arnprior Fire Trucks Corp., a manufacturer of high end fire and emergency vehicles, Spotton Corporation, a design and manufacturer of high end custom hydraulic and pneumatic valves and cylinders and the recently acquired Madawaska Doors, a design and manufacturer of premium solid wood doors.

The Electronics Division includes the legacy Hypernetics, Summit Aerospace USA Inc. and Plaintree free space optics (FSO) businesses. Plaintree's FSO systems transmit data at high speeds using beams of light instead of traditional radio frequency which can suffer from congestion. Hypernetics was established in 1972 and is a manufacturer of avionic components for various applications including aircraft antiskid braking, aircraft instrument indicators, solenoids, high purity valves and permanent magnet alternators. Summit Aerospace USA Inc. provides high precision machining to the aerospace and defense markets. Our facility includes 5 axis CNC precision machining of complex castings and large ring parts such as turbine and assembly shrouds as well as assembly & pressure seals. Summit will support requirements from concept, prototype and throughout production.

Story continues

Plaintree's shares are traded under the symbol "NPT". Shareholders and Investors can access Company information on CSE's website and receive full Company disclosure monthly. For more information on Plaintree or to receive stock quotes, complete with trading summaries, bid size and ask price, brokerage house participation, insider reports, news releases, disclosure information, and CSE and SEDAR filings, visit the CSE website at www.cnsx.ca or the Company's website at www.plaintree.com.

Plaintree is publicly traded in Canada on the CSE (NPT) with 12,925,253 common shares and 18,325 class A preferred shares outstanding.

This press release may include statements that are forward-looking and based on current expectations. The actual results of the company may differ materially from current expectations. The business of the company is subject to many risks and uncertainties, including changes in markets for the company's products, delays in product development and introduction to manufacturing and intense competition. For a more detailed discussion of the risks and uncertainties related to the company's business, please refer to documents filed by the company with the Canadian regulatory authorities, including the annual report of the Company for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2016 and related management discussion and analysis.

Canadian Securities Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this news release.

For further information:

(613) 623-3434 x2261

SOURCE: Plaintree Systems Inc.
State police who found a baby coated in vomit in the back seat of a car took the tot back to the police station to wash and clean it after arresting the driver.

Police discovered the one-year-old boy in a car seat as they arrested a driver on suspicion of drink driving in Princeton, West Virginia.

Makeshift bath - officers cleaned the baby in their sink (Pictures: West Virginia State Police)

The unnamed driver was apparently unable to tell police the name of the baby, who officers took with them back to clean him up - snapping pictures of the tot in the sink at their police station.



Officer BR Wood told BDTOnline: The one-year-old baby boy was in the backseat covered in vomit. The vehicle was disabled, so we brought the baby boy back to the detachment.

MORE: Driver Sends Council Cheeky Message After They Covered His Car In Dust

MORE: Homeland Security Investigating Leslie Jones Hack

After his bath in the kitchen sink, the baby was wrapped in a towel and cuddled by a senior officer until Child Protection officials arrived.

Officer Wood said: He was the best little baby. He had just started to nod off when CPS arrived.

Cuddles - the baby enjoyed some cuddles from one officer before being handed to child protection officers

The baby has reportedly been placed with a legal guardian and the driver faces a charge of driving under the influence with a minor.
Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close "pup!"

Hazel the Chihuahua is showing off her baby bump in a series of chic maternity photos, yet the poor pooch's past life depicts a less glamorous scene.

Read: 2 Teens, 34 Chihuahuas, 6 Birds Removed From Home Riddled With Feces, Trash and Cockroaches

Earlier this week, Hazel was among 34 Chihuahuas who were rescued from a Florida home where animal feces and urine lined the floor. Used plastic plates, half-eaten food and cigarette butts were also scattered all over the home.

Tamara Daniels, 54, who was living in the home with two teenagers, has been charged with two counts of child neglect without great bodily harm. The teens were placed in the care of the Department of Children and Families.

The Chihuahuas, who ranged from newborn puppies to a couple years old, were turned over to the SPCA of Brevard County, where they are receiving care until they can be put up for adoption.

Three of the Chihuahuas, however, were pregnant.

Hazel, who is now being fostered by Melissa Benzel of Melbourne, was one of them.

"I thought she looked scared, and very broken. Her eyes were sad," Benzel told InsideEdition.com.

The Chihuahua is just now becoming potty trained, Benzel said, and the family has to handfeed the pup because she's afraid of food bowls.

"I don't know if she's ever felt grass before," Benzel said, "but she's adjusted extremely fast and she's bonded with my daughter. She's very sweet."

Benzel said as a birth story photographer for 9 years, she has a tradition of photographing dogs she fosters.

But she said this particular pup deserves the full treatment.

"I take birth stories for humans, so we decided to give her a treat," she said. "Treat her as much a part of our family as we can."

Despite her traumatized past, Benzel said the soon-to-be-mama was calm and composed as she was posed and photographed. "Most dogs, I have to bribe them with a treat," she joked.

Story continues

Read: 276 Dogs Rescued From New Jersey Home: 'The Worst Hoarding Case We've Ever Experienced'

One of the pregnant dogs in the trio has already given birth, and Benzel expects Hazel to be next: "She's huge. You can feel the puppies moving, so hopefully soon. I'm hoping any moment."

After Hazel delivers her puppies, she will stay with the foster mom for at least another eight weeks, in which time Benzel said she will be excited to capture the rest of her birth series to be uploaded to her Facebook, Benzel Photography.

Watch: $600 Puppy Abandoned After Family Decided Bottle Feeding Him Was Too Much Work

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The Quimby Family Foundation has donated 87,500 acres of private land in the Maine North Woods to the federal government to create the newest large public park in the United States.

The White House announced a proclamation from President Barack Obama on Wednesday, declaring the land a National Monument named the Katahdin Woods and Waters. The land will now be protected and managed by the National Park Service, which celebrates its 100th anniversary Thursday.

Katahdin Woods and Waters's daytime scenery is awe-inspiring, from the breadth of its mountain-studded landscape, to the channels of its free-flowing streams with their rapids, falls, and quiet water, to its vantages for viewing the Mount Katahdin massif, the greatest mountain, Obama said in his proclamation. The area's night skies rival this experience, glittering with stars and planets and occasional displays of the aurora borealis, in this area of the country known for its dark sky.

Maines North Woods, a large tract of land in the north central part of the state, is the largest undeveloped area in the eastern U.S. It is an area that was once home to loggers and paper mills, but has been in economic decline in recent years.

The land donation has been controversial with locals, who have protested the creation of the park.

In addition to the land, the Quimby Foundation also gave a $20-million donation to supplement federal funds for the parks operating and infrastructure needs, as well as another $20 million for future support.

The Quimby Foundation was started by Roxanne Quimby, the co-founder of the Burt's Bees lineof personal care products, which was sold to Clorox in 2007 for $925 million.

Katahdin Woods and Waters is almost twice the size of Acadia National Park, which was originally designated a national monument in 1916 with a land donation from John D. Rockefeller Jr.

Christopher Tkaczyk is the senior news editor at Travel + Leisure. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram at @ctkaczyk.

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Just months before President Barack Obama leaves office, he makes his virtual reality debut with Through The Ages, an immersive video look at Yosemite National Park shown via Facebook-owned virtual reality headset maker Oculus. The video was produced by Felix & Paul Studios in cooperation with the White House, Oculus and National Geographic.

Shot in about a week, the 11-minute video opens with an amalgam of natures melodies and features throughout some grand sights from Yosemite including El Capitan. As a narrator, Obama uses the opportunity to relay his environmental concerns including climate change and the preservation of natural landmarks for future generations. He also explores the sights with Michelle Obama and their daughters as the film was shot during a Fathers Day trip to Yosemite to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service.

Through The Ages is available on Samsungs Gear VR as well as through Facebooks 360-degree video viewing experience. It is scheduled to arrive on the Oculus Rift headset later.

Check out the video above.

Related stories

'Southside With You' Review: Date Night With The Obamas Sweet & Enlightening

Rio Olympics: NBC Opening Ceremony Miraculously Makes Brazil Boring

Obama Blasts Trump's "Rigged" Election Remarks As "Ridiculous"
Aug 26 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories from selected Canadian newspapers. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

THE GLOBE AND MAIL

** A takeover proposal to rescue debt-hobbled Twin Butte Energy Ltd is in jeopardy as debt holders angry over the prospect of a major markdown in the value of their securities pledge to reject the deal. (http://bit.ly/2bSk3Mf)

** As the Liberals prepare to launch their signature anti-terrorism initiative, they have closed the door on a previous one by the Conservative government called Kanishka Project. (http://bit.ly/2bSlGd8)

NATIONAL POST

** General Electric Co is set to break ground Friday on a new factory in Welland, Ontario, that will employ 220 people with the possibility of significant expansion. (http://bit.ly/2bSlQ3X)

** Rick Peterson, a Vancouver-based financial services executive, is mulling a bid to lead the Conservative Party of Canada and plans to enter the race in late September. (http://bit.ly/2bSmPRS) (Compiled by Gaurika Juneja in Bengaluru)
Aug 26 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Financial Times. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

Headlines

Apple signs music streaming deal with EE http://on.ft.com/2bK7F3u

Europe plans news levy on search engines http://on.ft.com/2bK8WHB

Volkswagen may have to buy back more U.S. cars http://on.ft.com/2bK8dGH

Vivendi sets out to slash 300 mln euro of costs at Canal Plus http://on.ft.com/2bKa522

Overview

Apple Inc has agreed a deal with BT Group's EE to offer customers of the mobile phone network a six-month free subscription to Apple Music.

The European Commission is finalising a radical copyright reform that with give European news publishers the right to levy fees on internet platforms, such as Google, if search engines show snippets of the publishers' stories.

The U.S. court handling the Volkswagen AG diesel emissions scandal ordered the German carmaker on Thursday to move quickly to decide whether to fix or buy back 85,000 3.0 liter luxury vehicles with polluting engines which VW has said it can fix without any affect on their performance.

Vivendi SA said it would implement a 300 million euro ($338.58 million) cost-cutting plan to stem losses from the French channels of its pay-TV unit Canal Plus. The goal is to reach breakeven in 2018 for Canal Plus channels in France, it added.

($1 = 0.8861 euros) (Compiled by Ismail Shakil in Bengaluru; Editing by Andrew Hay)
Aug 26 (Reuters) - The following are the top stories in the Wall Street Journal. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

- Donald Trump's mixed signals about easing his plan to deport all illegal immigrants are dividing his closest allies and prompting warnings he could lose core supporters if he abandons the signature issue of his campaign. http://on.wsj.com/2bEaJea

- Blackstone Group said Thursday that it has agreed to invest $1.5 billion in a pair of drilling deals in West Texas. One came about after the New York investment firm early this year lost out to a big oil company bidding on about 12,000 acres south of New Mexico. http://on.wsj.com/2bLpCxc

- Growth in overall health-care spending is slowing, but middle-class families' share of the tab is getting larger, squeezing households already feeling stretched financially. Overall, health-care spending across the economy reached 18.2 percent of gross domestic product as of June, up from 13.3 percent in 2000, according to Altarum Institute, a health research group. http://on.wsj.com/2bjY70H

- Most of Volkswagen AG's diesel-powered vehicles on U.S. roads can't be retrofitted to fully comply with air-pollution regulations, though its larger vehicles likely can, an attorney for the company said on Thursday. The company is close to offering regulators a fix for the larger vehicles. http://on.wsj.com/2bDbgwP

- Presidential contenders Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump delivered searing indictments of one another, trading charges of racism and corruption, and setting the tone for a bitter fight until the November election. http://on.wsj.com/2bR4FzN

- The messaging service WhatsApp will start sharing phone numbers and other user data with Facebook Inc, a moneymaking strategy that strays from its promise that little would change when the app was acquired by the social network in 2014. http://on.wsj.com/2blz47q (Compiled by Shivam Srivastava in Bengaluru)
By PTI: Chennai, Aug 26 (PTI) Founder chairman of SRM Group of educational institutions T R Pachamuthu was arrested here today in connection with an alleged scandal in medical admissions involving crores of rupees, police said.

"Pachamuthu has been arrested by CCB (Central Crime Branch) sleuths," a top police official told PTI.

Pachamuthu, whose Indiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) is an ally of NDA at the Centre, has been booked under IPC sections including 420 (cheating), the official said.

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The Chancellor of the SRM University headquartered near here, was arrested in connection with more than 100 complaints from parents related to "transactions" involving payment of money running into several crores for getting admissions to medical courses in SRM institutions.

Parents had alleged they were duped after being promised medical seats in colleges run by the SRM Group, and a case was filed by police.

Film producer Madhan, who purportedly acted as an agent and collected huge sums of money from parents, is the key accused in the case and has been missing since May last.

Pachamuthu had strongly denied any link whatsoever with Madhan and said all admissions were being done transparently.

When Madhan mysteriously disappeared on May 27, his family members wanted Pachamuthu to be inquired over the issue and the matter also went to Madras High Court.

Police had named Madhan, perceived to be close to Pachamuthu, and his associates in the FIR on the basis of the complaints. PTI VGN VS SRY

--- ENDS ---
Aug 26 (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.

- U.S. President Obama on Thursday nominated Jim Yong Kim for a second five-year term as president of the World Bank despite persistent complaints among employees about his leadership at a time when the mission of the global development institution is in question. http://nyti.ms/2bRIt8H

- Responding to a growing furor from consumers and politicians, the pharmaceutical company Mylan said it would lower the out-of-pocket costs to some patients who need EpiPens, which are used to treat life-threatening allergy attacks. http://nyti.ms/2bRHSE5

- Uber recorded losses of roughly $1.2 billion in the first half of 2016, according to a person briefed on the company's financial data, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. http://nyti.ms/2bRIgT8

- Apple Inc released a patched version of its mobile software to fix a dangerous security hole in iPhones and iPads after researchers discovered that a prominent United Arab Emirates dissident's phone had been targeted with a previously unknown method of hacking. Users can get the patch through a normal software update. http://nyti.ms/2bRIbPi (Compiled by Vishal Sridhar in Bengaluru)
From Esquire

Six months after Prince's untimely death, his famous home and recording studio will open to the public as a museum. According to a press release from Bremer Trust, which is managing Prince's estate, Paisley Park will open for public tours starting on October 6.

Paisley Park is located in Chanhassen, Minnesota, about 30 minutes away from Minneapolis. According to plans submitted to the city, there will be guided tours through the main floor of the building, which includes recording and mixing studios, video editing suites, rehearsal rooms, a soundstage, and a concert hall where Prince held private shows. There will also be thousands of artifacts, like costumes, awards, instruments, cars, motorcycles, and rare audio and video recordings.

Photo credit: Getty

According to CNN Money, tickets will cost $38.50, and VIP small-group passes will cost $100 each. General tours will take place in groups of 25 to 30 people and last for about an hour. Graceland Holdings, which manages tours of Elvis Presley's home, will also help manage Paisley Park tours.

"Opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do and was actively working on," Tyka Nelson, Prince's sister, said in the statement. "Only a few hundred people have had the rare opportunity to tour the estate during his lifetime. Now, fans from around the world will be able to experience Prince's world for the first time as we open the doors to this incredible place."

The mayor of Chanhassen released his own statement, adding that he believes that opening Paisley Park is what Prince wanted. "Much of his vision and design activity for Paisley Park as a museum is already in place," Denny Laufenburger said. "He knew exactly how to showcase his production studio for his fans in preparation for this eventual outcome."

Press Releases from Prince Estate and City of Chanhassen are at https://t.co/UIcCalJoPa Mayors statement #Prince pic.twitter.com/Pgi9PZavTI - Denny Laufenburger (@laufendh) August 24, 2016

Tickets will go on sale starting August 26, and you can sign up for more information on Paisley Park's website. Shortly after Paisley Park opens, there will also be an official family tribute concert at U.S. Bank stadium in Minneapolis on October 13. Prince never had a will, so Bremer Trust is also figuring out who, other than his siblings, should inherit his estate, USA Today reports. Those decisions will also include Prince's music catalog and any unreleased recordings.

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On Aug. 4, the U.S. Department of Justice announced that it had decided against changing the consent decrees that regulate ASCAP and BMI, and that within a year, both collecting societies will need to break with decades of industry practice and license all rights of the songs to which they now control some of the rights.

"The DOJ really didn't think clearly here," says Sony/ATV Music Publishing chairman/CEO Martin Bandier.

What does this mean for songwriters?

It will have an economic impact. You could see delayed payments. Will there be a double commission [if a song is licensed by ASCAP, which would then pay BMI before it can pay its member]? Songwriters might not want to collaborate with a member of another society unless they have an agreement [overriding this decision].

ASCAP is pushing back in Congress and BMI in court.

I don't know what the courts will say. It would seem to me that the voice that should be the most powerful, besides songwriters, is that of the Copyright Office, which has said the Department of Justice got this wrong.

Sony/ATV Head Martin Bandier's Memo to Staff Following Jackson Buyout: 'Very Positive News'

What will happen in the long term?

Somewhere down the line, if this doesn't change, I think there will be publishers who will totally withdraw from ASCAP and BMI.

This article was originally published in the Sept. 3 issue of Billboard.
The Hollars, which debuts on Friday, takes a comedic look at a very emotional situation in a family that is, for better or for worse, a little disjointed. John Krasinski is in both the actors and the directors chair for his latest project, accompanied by a cast of Anna Kendrick, Richard Jenkins, Sharlto Copley and Margo Martindale. Krasinski and Martindale spoke with Variety about bonding like a real family on the set of The Hollars, the awkward moments that bring out the truth of the film and their first job together.

How did you get attached to the project?

John Krasinski: I was attached as an actor six or seven years ago. I got sent the script and I dont think Ive said yes to anything faster. It was just a script that I felt  I mean, theres a lot of family movies out there and I certainly didnt want to do anything derivative  but when I read [writer] Jim [Strouse]s script I said I had to do it because it was so real and specific and honest. I could see so much of my family in this family and mine couldnt be more different. Its the magic trick that Jim has, you can see yourself in there and see those people. At some point the people on the screen stop being [their own] family and they become projections of your family. I think thats why I jumped on so quickly.

Margo Martindale: I had done a movie by Jim Strauss before, The Winning Season. I love his writing and Will Arnett had given John my number to call me because he said he wanted to talk to me about a movie and I was so happy to hear from him after 16 years.

Krasinski: My first job ever was a Marshalls commercial with her!

Martindale: He sent me the script and I absolutely loved it. Its so specific and its so real and its a slice of life but it is surprising. I said yes immediately.

Margo, did it also resonate with you because you could see your family in there too?

Martindale: I think you can see your family in it. You try to bring your honesty, your reality to anything you do. I see some of my family in there. My core family, the one I live in now, is hilarious. But my family I grew up in was very, very funny. So I love that about this family.

Story continues

Why did it take so long to get this movie made?

Krasinski: I think that these movies arent made very often and thats sad. I certainly grew up with these movies. I think I had Terms of Endearment on my mind for this, and I dont think movies that are this personal are made anymore because it doesnt have giant aliens or robots and it doesnt have millions of dollars behind it or it isnt a book or whatever. I think its a big chance to take to make a movie thats about as something as pure and honest and something people can relate to everyday. Our storytelling medium is to represent who we are out there and Im not so represented by the robots and aliens, but I love watching, but I also think there should be more like this.

When did you make the decision to also direct the movie?

Krasinski: About four years after I was attached to the movie, the financier called me and told me he was having trouble getting the movie made which is a sad story for a lot of these smaller films. And he asked me if I would buy the film outright from him and if I would take the responsibility of making it myself and I said yes. Thats a big financial commitment and a huge responsibility and yet I had no hesitation because I knew this script was this good. It wasnt a hard decision at all.

Was it challenging to be on both sides of the camera?

Krasinski: For me, this one was very easy, if not essential that I was an actor in it. I think the selling point of this movie is that it has to feel organic. It has to feel like a real family. The only way to do that was to stay in the moment and to kind of create a bubble around us.

Martindale: And to be inside the family, not outside of it.

Krasinski: We really bonded as a family and not a fake family. For a real 22 days we were a real family. I found that I had so much love for these people and I felt so much love back. We were so connected in a magical way that I have not experience in my career before. You know, then being an actor in there it was nice to be able to protect them from things like yelling cut and going behind screens and breaking that momentum and intimate feeling especially with something so emotional. It felt more like a play or a home movie.

Specifically for you Margo, how did you approach your character, Sally?

Martindale: I think just to be in the moment, listen to what they were saying. We were that family, it happened, it was magical and I dont think I prepared it. I listen to something about seizures and what would happen during a seizure but as far as the rest of it, youre there with your imagination and this new set of family members and circumstances. Youre there and you start living in that reality and thats really what we did.

Krasinski: When you have a connection like that to the other actors you stop become an actor who has decisions and premeditated decisions about how youre going to make it through a scene and you just start reacting to each other. As Margo nicely said she looked around the room as saw her two sons and he husband. And she got very emotional in that scene, we didnt know how to respond to it and I think thats real life. Nobody has an answer to an emotional reaction to that.

Martindale: If you think about how youre going to respond, its not real.

How did you choose where you were going to shoot this?

Krasinski: The real challenge is to execute in the shooting of the movie, how well Jim had executed in the script. This has had to feel like your hometown. The minor moments, like the diner, have to feel like the diner you remember going to with your parents. For me, this had to be Anywhere, USA. We ended up shooting in Jackson, Mississipi. Its not what I thought of first but when I visited it it had that indescribable vibe of this could be anybodys house. The beauty is that were all from different places so we went around to look for that diner, when we walked into the one we used we my production designer and I clicked on it instantly. Were from different cities but you know you have something special when everyone is relating.

The film has many comedic and emotional moments. Was it hard to transition between the two?

Martindale: The specific things about Jims script say it all. John was very specific on what tone he wanted. He created an atmosphere that allowed us to live and breathe in this kind of buoyant bubble that we could live and listen and respond in and all of that comedy that people say, How do you go from one to the other? It just comes out of reality.

Krasinski: I remember going to church every Sunday and those are the places I found it hardest not to laugh. Its inexplicable but its the reason why at a funeral you laugh. Its life, its not set up to be a joke or sad.

Martindale: Its also because its quiet in the hospital. Its a very somber place. It makes you kind of want to act up!

Krasinski: Not only was it not hard, its probably the best experience on a film set. It felt like summer camp. The only thing I can think of where I was that sad to leave because I was very aware I was leaving behind one of the best experiences I had in my life.

How did Anna Kendrick come into play as your girlfriend in the film?

Krasinski: Ive known her for a bit. She worked with my wife on Into the Woods and was great. I really hired her because she said, Yes. I think she has a specificity where this would have been an average girlfriend role but I knew it was more than that. I didnt want just the girlfriend of the lead guy, instead shes his true north. Anna understood his mentally and the responsibility that comes with that. I mean shes dealing with a guy who doesnt know if hes in love with her enough to ask her to marry him. And yet she understands him enough to persevere. Very complicated waters to wade through. Otherwise it becomes the bland girlfriend role.

Martindale:Also, shes edgy!

What do you mean by edgy?

Martindale: Well shes not the pushover gal, the soft girlfriend. Shes got an attitude.

Given the landscape of movies right now, what do you hope people get or see from The Hollars?

Krasinski: I hope they respond the way I responded the way I did when I read the script, which is beyond a movie there is something very real and honest that you can react to in this movie and its a conversation starter. Its something that universally connects us all, whether you talk to your family or dont, whether you love them or you dont  its where youre from. Theres this beautiful existential channel of communication and love thats always there and in a world thats pretty chaotic and dramatic in itself, theres comfort there that your family will be there for you. I had a guy come up to me last week and say, I love this movie so much, I wish I had a better relationship with my mom because I wanted to call her. And I told him, You can! Thats the beauty of it. Were constantly looking for place to feel safe and family is some way, shape or form can be a place feel that safety.

Martindale: If you think youre going to see one movie, I think youll be pleasantly surprise that it is not that movie. And yes, go home and call your mother. Its never too late.

What was your favorite moment while working on this film?

Martindale: I loved John shaving my head, him looking at me and saying, Ill do it. We cant even look at each other when we talk about that.

Krasinski: For me, the moment when Margo broke down. Its a gauntlet thats thrown down that I think I was just lucky to have been there for as an actor, director or creative person in general. Thats how you do your job and bring true humanity and love to something that is fake. She brought a reality to it that I think is so unbelievable powerful to it that Im just honored she was in my movie.

Martindale: Well, I was honored to be in his movie.

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By Jeff Mason WASHINGTON (Reuters) - When Barack Obama became the first African-American to win the White House in 2008, his victory was a turning point in U.S. race relations that set high expectations for progress to come. Nearly eight years later, with Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton attacking each other over racial politics, the legacy of Obama's presidency looks decidedly mixed, black leaders said. To some, the tone of the Republican presidential nominee's campaign, as well as a recent series of racially charged shootings involving police, show that the United States has come no closer to overcoming its history of racial strife. Having a black president, two attorneys general and a chief of homeland security did not result in basic fairness for victims of racially charged violence, said Cornel West, an academic and former Obama supporter who has become a high-profile critic of the Democratic president. "How many policemen who have murdered unarmed innocent black civilians have gone to jail with that kind of black power at the top? Zero," West said. Obama could have acted more directly while in office to help blacks, West added, citing persistently high childhood poverty among African-Americans. The (economic) recovery has not filtered over into black and working poor communities, he said. Others said Obama showed leadership on race while making real achievements on healthcare and the economy that helped Americans of all ethnicities. Al Sharpton, a civil rights leader with close ties to the White House, described Obama as a "transformative" president held back by the need to serve varying constituencies and compromise with lawmakers who had different priorities. "He tried to be as balanced and respectful as he could, to the chagrin of many in the black community, who felt that he was leaning over backwards, Sharpton said. Unemployment among African-Americans fell by half under Obama, Sharpton noted, while Obama's remarks on race elevated the issue. In 2012 at the White House, Obama referred to Trayvon Martin, a black youth gunned down by a white Hispanic man, as a boy who would have resembled the son he did not have. Weve never had a president do that, Sharpton said. FALSE SENSE OF PROGRESS Andrew Young, a former Atlanta mayor, congressman, U.S. ambassador to the United Nations and adviser to slain civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr., said Obama, as a black leader, had to seek compromise more than previous white presidents. "It was easier for (Jimmy) Carter or Lyndon Johnson, even Bill Clinton as southern whites to do things specifically for black people," Young said. Backlash from white working class voters had contributed to Trump's rise, Young said. "We really havent had a complete psychological adjustment to a multi-racial society," he said. "Thats whats rallying people behind Trump. They're frustrated by the complexities of this day and age. And (Trump), like others, gives a simple answer and blames it on somebody else." Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, blasted Trump on Thursday as a divisive candidate who was stoking racist groups. Trump criticized Clinton, saying she had let black Americans down and was falsely labeling Republicans as bigoted. Clinton supporters were more likely to want to address race relations than Trump supporters, a Reuters/Ipsos opinion poll of more than 2,800 people found in late March. Obama has said race relations are not as bad as some suggest. Friends say he never expected his presidency to wipe away centuries of racism and slavery's legacy. "To expect to erase all of that legacy of injustice or racism and discrimination in eight years is unrealistic," said Valerie Jarrett, a White House adviser and close Obama friend. "Were there people who probably had a false sense of progress based just on an election? Sure," she said. The administration wants to advance criminal justice reform legislation before Obama leaves office, aiming for a win on an issue watched closely in the black community. But prospects of passage in Congress during an election year are uncertain. Obama, who has made clear his disdain for Trump and his frustration with Congress, has said he hoped his own voice on race would help improve things for future generations. "We plant seeds, and somebody else maybe sits under the shade of the tree that we planted," Obama said at a news conference in July. (Editing by Kevin Drawbaugh)
Stephen Bannon, who recently took over as Donald Trumps campaign manager, once gave an interview, while promoting his 2010 film, Fire From the Heartland: the Awakening of the Conservative Woman, where he argued that Sarah Palin, Michele Bachmann, and Ann Coulter pose an existential threat to the left.

These women cut to the heart of the progressive narrative, he explained. That's one of the unintended consequences of the women's liberation movementthat, in fact, the women that would lead this country would be feminine, they would be pro-family, they would have husbands, they would love their children. They wouldn't be a bunch of dykes that came from the 7 Sisters schools."

The quote captures a key attribute of the former U.S. Navy officer, whose stints at Georgetown University, Harvard Business School, and Goldman Sachs afforded a foothold at the core of Americas elite, enabling him to launch a film career that began with a Sean Penn collaboration before segueing into polemic right-wing documentaries.

Recommended: Steve Bannon's Bad Day: Allegations of Voter Fraud and Domestic Violence

His films, like the web content that Bannon would later oversee at Breitbart.com, which he took over after the untimely death of its eponymous founder, often appear to stand for somethingfor Ronald Reagan, the subject of one of Bannons early efforts, In the Face of Evil; or for Sarah Palin, who got her own standalone biopic; or for the Tea Party, which Bannon would frequently laud in the years after it began, praising Senators Ted Cruz, Rand Paul, and Mike Lee, even as he excoriated the GOP establishment, declaring, What we need to do is bitch-slap the Republican Party.

But the animating spirit of Bannons projects, including Breitbart.com, is anti-leftism. That is where his venom and animus most surfaces, whether expressed by lashing out at a bunch of dykes from northeastern colleges, or union organizers, or Barack Obama, or those who dont fight leftists as Bannon believes they should. Like an eager Iraq War hawk circa 2002, Bannon is so dominated by a desire to wage war and vanquish his enemy that he cannot think clearly about damage wrought by his destructive, polarizing approach or the long term consequences.

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In that sense, Bannon is radically anti-conservative, with no apparent regard for custom or continuity or prudence or the need to fear and restrain populist passions.

He has allied with Donald Trump against Tea Party politicians he formerly lauded and conservative intellectuals like George Will and Charles Krauthammer, who he once praised, because for him, most on the right were never allies to engage in a cautious, constructive project. They were inconvenient obstacles that lay in the way of fighting the real enemya Belgium to blitzkrieg through en route to the real battle.

Recommended: Trump Just Massively Betrayed Ann Coulter on Immigration

This anti-left focus was illustrated by Bannons telling responses to the 2008 financial crisis and the ensuing bailouts. Despite his Goldman Sachs past, he repeatedly harkened back to those events as if they radicalized him, aptly noting that they constituted unconscionable crony capitalism in a country where the middle class is struggling. He even expressed worry about young people, noting 70 percent of our college graduates are either unemployed or underemployedwere in a crisis.

Yet the big banks were never the focus of his animus.

"Goldman Sachs isnt the firm it once was when I worked for it, he explained in a gentle 2010 critique, but is still one of the building blocks of our capitalist society."

In contrast, the following autumn, when protesters outraged by the bailouts descended on Zuccotti Park in lower Manhattan, inspiring a movement that took hold around the country, Bannon did make the Occupy movement the subject of a hostile film.

Released just prior to Election 2012, it savaged the protests. After making the Occupy movie, when you finish watching the film, you want to take a hot shower, he said that October. You want to go home and shower because youve just spent an hour and fifteen minutes with the greasiest, dirtiest people you will ever see.

An entire ecosystem of irresponsible finance industry professionals had created toxic mortgage-backed securities, given them egregiously misleading ratings, brought about a global catastrophe, and left millions of Americans worse off. Occupy Wall Street was mostly underemployed young people who never wielded enough power to do anyone harm. Still, Bannons visceral disgust turned to hippy-bashing soon after they set up camp in Zuccotti Park. He chose to target a movement that, like it or not, had grievances he shared and that caused no significant harms.

Recommended: The Many Scandals of Donald Trump: A Cheat Sheet

This is a representative story in that Bannons visceral hatred of the left and self-righteous desire to destroy it frequently appears to overwhelm whatever other moral or ideological beliefs he holds. To the question, What should Donald Trumps position on immigration be? it is not surprising that the answer, now that Bannon runs the campaign, seems to be whatever might boost the candidates poll numbers, regardless of how inconsistent that is with what came before.

The desire to destroy the left informs the series of alliances he has made, too.

When Sarah Palin seemed like the most viable vehicle, Bannon urged conservative audiences across the country to consider her a potential presidential candidate in 2012.

When the optics of Occupy Wall Street seemed like a promising way to rally wealthy conservatives and Tea Partiers in advance of the election, Bannon tried to exploit that moment with scare tactics so overwrought as to seem laughable in hindsight*.

Circa 2013, Bannon continued to believe that the only way to destroy the left was a populist uprising of a sort that requires the destruction of the GOP establishment.

We dont believe there is a functional conservative party in this country and we certainly dont think the Republican Party is that, he told a gathering of conservatives in Washington, D.C. Its going to be an insurgent, center-right populist movement that is virulently anti-establishment, and its going to continue to hammer this city, both the progressive left and the institutional Republican Party.

He attributed Breitbart.coms exponential traffic growth to showing people that they can have a voice and you can channel that anger, where before you were defenseless. You can take that anger. And by the way, I think anger is a good thing. This country is in a crisis. And if youre fighting to save this country, if youre fighting to take this country back, its not going to be sunshine and patriots. Its going to be people who want to fight. I mean, Andrew Breitbart was all about the fight.

Internally, he said, Breitbart calls itself The Fight Club, a reference to a novel-turned-Hollywood-blockbuster about a mentally disturbed white-collar worker. He comes to lead a group of unfulfilled men with aggression issues. They start out fighting each other in basements, morph into a cult, and carry off an act of domestic terrorism. The lead character, who ultimately realizes in horror that his split-personality delusions have led him to become a monster, decides to kill himself.

If that dark streak isnt enough to portend Breitbart.coms subsequent embrace of Trump, Bannon added in 2013 that winning requires harnessing outrage, which is needed to give the system a shock thereby bring about a better negotiating position. What better vessel for stoking outrage than a billionaire with a desperate need to be at the center of attention and decades of practice saying outrageous things to get it?

To see how much tension there is between the vessel Bannon is exploiting and the substantive ends Bannon states he hopes to achieve, consider Bannons foreign policy views, recalling that he was shaped by the Navy and a masters at Georgetown, an institution with deep ties to the Washington national security establishment.

Here he is speaking in 2014 about Russias aggression toward the UkraineBannon felt that President Obama wasnt doing enough to counter the rival power:

The Russians are very serious about this. Theyre not going to let Ukraine fall into the sphere of the United States and the European Union without a fight. And were going to see in a couple weeks what theyre prepared to do about it and what were prepared to do. And I think its very scary, whether youre a liberal Democrat or a right-win Republican, the president has not comported himself with the gravitas you need when youre up against really tough hombres like Vladamir Putin and his guys. I think its going to get a lot more serious before it gets better. What he said over the last couple days is really quite infantile Its very ironic this happens in the same weak Obamas Secretary of Defense is going to cut the army to less than World War II levels... Theyre out to cut Americas core strength. And part of that core strength is our military apparatus. And theyre doing everything possible to make the military weaker. Were going to start to see the payoff for that in places like Ukraine when the Soviets can have force projection and were sitting there basically hapless: we dont have the political will; we dont have the leadership; and we dont have the military force projection to really do anything, we have to stand by helplessly.

This seems to be an earnest expression of alarm at an American president who, in Bannons eyes, possesses neither the knowledge nor the inclination to aggressively counter Russia. Bannon felt an assertion of American strength was geopolitically important. And yet, Bannon would soon turn Breitbart.com into a propaganda arm of the Trump campaign, and then join that campaign itself never mind that Trump had spoken admiringly of Putin, suggested he might do nothing if Putin seized neighboring territory, cast doubts on Americas commitment to NATO, demonstrated utter ignorance of events in the Ukraine, and, as if that werent enough, employed a campaign manager, Paul Manafort, who was tangled up in a corruption inquiry and designated to receive millions in secret cash payments from the party of a pro-Russian leader in Ukraine he had helped to elect.

Bannon is eager to elevate Trump to the presidency, despite a record on a matter Bannon himself finds very important that could hardly be more alarming by Bannons standards.

No matter. Like Palin before, Bannon sees Trump as a means to taking over the right so that it can be remade in a manner most suited, in his view, to vanquishing the left.

G.K. Chesterton once offered sage advice to all who see flaws or corruption and seek reform:

In the matter of reforming things, as distinct from deforming them, there is one plain and simple principle; a principle which will probably be called a paradox. There exists in such a case a certain institution or law; let us say, for the sake of simplicity, a fence or gate erected across a road. The more modern type of reformer goes gaily up to it and says, I dont see the use of this; let us clear it away. To which the more intelligent type of reformer will do well to answer: If you dont see the use of it, I certainly wont let you clear it away. Go away and think. Then, when you can come back and tell me that you do see the use of it, I may allow you to destroy it.

Bannon is the antithesis of this intelligent reformer.

This is going to be a very nasty, long, protracted fight, he told that same 2013 meeting of conservatives. There is a permanent political class in this city that dominates it, and by that dominates the country. And there is a dedicated group of libertarians and grassroots conservatives and Tea Party conservatives and limited government conservatives that are here to destroy that. And that is going to be ugly tough work. Thats just reality. People are not going to give up an aristocracy easily.

But the Trumpist movement that Bannon fueled and later joined has been so thoughtless, in its zeal to wage war on its enemy, that it alienated libertarians; divided the Tea Party; stripped the principles that motivate limited government conservatives from the core of the Republican Party; and put America in the unenviable position of possibly handing off its foreign policy and nuclear arsenal to a geopolitically ignorant, erratic, thin-skinned man who picks needless fights and is manifestly unqualified to command a campaign staff, never mind a military.

Bannon may be attacking an aristocracy. But his methods are as responsible as a Jacobin. Trump is not his idea of a good president of the United States. Trump is his guillotine.

*He told one audience of presumably wealthy, middle-aged conservatives, We did cross a line this past week on the Occupy Wall Street. Only I believe in the Revolution were there any marches on Tories houses. When they left and they marched on Rupert Murdochs house, and Jamie Diamonds house, and Mr. Kochs house, and there was one otherfour houses that they actually marched onthat shows you the types of things that are going to happen. I am not a fan of marches on the homes of individuals. Put another way Id have applauded the critique. But in a nation where General Sherman burned his way through the South; where World War I era patriots marched on the farms of German Americans, shaking them down for donations to fight the Kaiser; where the Klu Klux Klan not only marched on the homes of African Americans, but burned crosses on their lawns and dragged them from their beds to lynchings; and where SWAT raids gone wrong are a ubiquitous part of urban life in many communities, Bannon dared to cast fleeting marches on the houses of a few people, none of whom were harmed or even at risk of harm, as a historic rubicon crossed.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
In the Sept. 5 issue of TIME, we looked at what makes for successful siblings. It is a story about nine American families, including the Emanuel family, who all saw their children achieve distinction in disparate fields.

On most nights, the three Emanuel boys would adjourn their ritual fistfight and flop on their mothers bed to hear a story. But sometimes she didnt come home; Marsha Emanuel was occasionally arrested as she demonstrated against segregation in 1960s Chicago. On those nights, the boys bickered over the top bunk while Marsha waited behind bars.

The Emanuels would go on to become the stuff of legend and are often called the Jewish Kennedys: bioethicist Zeke is a vice provost at the University of Pennsylvania, a former Obama Administration official and one of the main architects of the Affordable Care Act; Rahm is the mayor of Chicago and a former chief of staff to President Obama; and Ari created William Morris Endeavor, one of the biggest talent agencies in Hollywood.

Between their mothers civil rights work, their pediatrician fathers campaign against lead paint and their grandfathers union loyalties, the three rowdy youngsters couldnt escape political awareness even if they tried. If we did not go with her to a particular protest, that protest was brought home, Rahm recalls, sitting in the briefing room of the Chicago mayors office. Just eating dinner was a test of current events. (The brothers also have a much younger, adopted sister, Shoshana.)

Their home was a constant state of trial-by-combats. The boys fought but then they moved on.

We were called a lot of bad names, and we had to withstand that and continue to go on, says Zeke Emanuel. That breeds a certain kind of toughness.

If there wasnt blood, Zeke adds, it was a good night.
Officials of the Indian Navy said that the leak contains technical details which will not have an impact on the operational deployment.

A leak running into 22,400 pages has detailed the combat capablities of six Scorpene subs India is building under licence of a French firm.

By Mail Today Bureau: The leaked specifications of Scorpene submarine do not pose any security compromise, the navy claimed on Thursday, as it tried to downplay concerns of an information leak that could blunt the operational edge of six stealth submarines that India is building under licence from French shipyard, DCNS.

A day after The Australian published 22,000 pages detailing combat capabilities of the new Indian submarine made with French collaboration; the Navy asserted that the vital parameters of the boat have been blacked out in papers available on the website of an Australian news agency.

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NAVY PROBING SECURITY RISKS



The Indian government, meanwhile, said that an elaborate assessment of potential impact is being undertaken by a high level committee constituted by the defence ministry. The navy is also undertaking an internal audit of procedures to rule out any security compromise.

The navy has also discussed the leak with director general of armament of the French government conveying its concerns. A request was made to the French government to investigate at its end how the documents came out in public.

AUTHENTICITY OF DOCUMENTS BEING VERIFIED



In a parallel effort, the authenticity of reports in public are being verified through diplomatic channels. "The government of India, as a matter of abundant precaution, is also examining the impact if the information contained in the documents claimed to be available with the Australian sources is compromised," said a statement released on Thursday.

The navy swung into action at the highest level as the first of the six Scorpene submarines, INS Kalvari, is expected to be launched in the coming months. The induction is already running four years behind schedule.

OFFICIALS SAY LEAK CONTAINS TECHNICAL DETAILS, NOT OPERATIONAL



The officials explained that much of the technical details about the submarine are in public domain and the leak will not have any impact on the operational deployment. But many experts argued that the stealth factor is at the core of submarine operations and the leak is a matter of serious concern.

Indian officials have maintained that the leaks originated overseas.

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JUBA, South Sudan  They trusted that the United Nations would protect them. Instead, U.N. police officers with megaphones ordered them back toward the danger, opening fire with tear gas canisters when they refused to budge.

It was a little after 9 a.m. July 12, and thousands of displaced people were holed up on a U.N. base in Juba, the South Sudanese capital, after days of fighting that left more than 300 people dead. Two days previously, bullets and artillery shells had rained down on the so-called Protection of Civilians (PoC) sites on the U.N. base, forcing some civilians to take refuge in a better protected area of the compound that is normally reserved for U.N. staff. Now they were being forced back into the dangerously exposed PoC. A tentative cease-fire had been declared, but sporadic violence continued. Most of the civilians were terrified, hungry, and exhausted.

It will take a long time for our trust in the U.N. to return, said an elder from the Nuer tribe who was among those who claim to have been tear-gassed by the U.N. police.

In interviews conducted this month by Amnesty International, dozens of civilians living in the PoCs at the U.N. base in Jubas Jebel neighborhood recounted stories of panic, vulnerability, and suffering as the countrys civil war rekindled in early July. According to these accounts, U.N. peacekeepers and police not only failed to defend thousands of displaced people under their protection, they also put them at greater danger by forcibly expelling them from a more protected area of the U.N. base.

Since the peace agreement signed last August by South Sudans warring leaders fell apart last month, the U.N. Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), which has 13,000 peacekeepers under its command, has come under intense scrutiny for repeatedly failing to protect civilians who have taken refuge in and around its bases. South Sudanese soldiers raped dozens of civilians immediately outside the U.N. compound in Jebel in mid-July, with peacekeepers reportedly witnessing at least one of these rapes and doing nothing to stop it. The U.N. also failed to respond to a July 11 attack against South Sudanese and foreign humanitarian staff at the Terrain camp, a residential compound where one person was killed and several were brutally gang-raped. The Terrain camp was less than a mile from the U.N. base in Jebel.

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The U.N.s failures in Juba came on the heels of a similar incident in the northern city of Malakal, where at least 40 people died in February after peacekeepers abandoned their posts during an attack on a U.N. base there. A U.N. board of inquiry later excoriated the peacekeepers for their combination of inaction, abandonment of post, and refusal to engage. Their report concluded that the peacekeepers actions ensured that civilians would be placed in serious risk in the very location to which they had come for protection.

After the Malakal attack, U.N. peacekeeping chief Herve Ladsous acknowledged the missions failures and said some peacekeepers will be sent home. He also pledged to do a better job in training so that this wont happen again. But the events of mid-July suggest that the lessons of Malakal have yet to be learned. Although the facts of UNMISSs response to the July violence are still contested, there is compelling evidence to suggest that U.N. peacekeepers failed in their duties toward civilians yet again.

When fighting erupted in Juba on July 8, over 27,000 civilians were holed up in the two PoCs  called PoC1 and PoC3  at the U.N. base in Jebel. As forces loyal to President Salva Kiir engaged in active combat with those loyal to his first vice president, former rebel leader Riek Machar, both compounds came under heavy fire. On July 10 and 11, the two most intense days of fighting, more than a dozen civilians in the camps were killed and many more were injured. Two Chinese peacekeepers were killed after an explosive device struck their vehicle.

Despite what their name suggests, the PoCs did not protect civilians from the fighting outside. Ringed by barbed-wire fences and, in some places, dirt barricades, they offered little defense from the bullets and artillery shells raining down on them. When I visited the PoCs in early August, people showed me numerous bullet holes in their shelters  mostly made from plastic sheeting or hardened mud. One woman recounted how her daughter was shot in the arm while hiding under a bed with her three siblings. Medical workers said three people were wounded so severely that they now use colostomy bags.

One mother of five whose name is being withheld for safety reasons was sitting with her children near the barbed-wire barrier that separates PoC1 from the main section of the U.N. base on July 10, when a shell or rocket exploded next to them.

I came running when I heard the blast, her husband recalled. What he found devastated him. All of my children were unconscious. I didnt know who was dead and who was alive.

The mother and four of her children were wounded but survived. The couples youngest daughter was not so lucky. A piece of shrapnel struck the 2-year-old behind her left ear and exited from her forehead, killing her instantly.

Amid the violence on July 10, displaced people in the U.N. camps watched in horror as peacekeepers in PoC1 abandoned their sentry positions. While Ethiopian peacekeepers in PoC3 remained at their assigned posts throughout the fighting, camp inhabitants said Chinese and Nepalese troops in PoC1 retreated to the main U.N. base. The people that we trust to protect us were the first to run away, an elderly man told me in disgust.

Elizabeth Chester, a spokeswoman for UNMISS, said peacekeepers were never ordered to leave their posts, but she acknowledged that it is possible that some troops took cover under heavy fire. Camp inhabitants say that after U.N. peacekeepers abandoned their posts  leaving them unprotected in the crossfire  large numbers of displaced people sought protection in the main section of the U.N. base, where civilian U.N. staff were sheltering in much more solid buildings.

In their panic, women and children scrambled over the barbed-wire barrier to reach the main section of the base. (Dozens of them later showed me scratches and cuts they sustained during their desperate dash to escape the shooting.) According to residents of PoC1, thousands of people managed to enter after holes were broken in one of the barriers. But once in the main base, residents said, they were met with baton-wielding U.N. police officers who prevented them from taking shelter indoors.

Big guys in blue uniforms, carrying batons, stopped us, a young woman recalled. We spent the whole night outside.

Fighting continued around the base the following day, July 11, and the displaced people were allowed to stay within the main section of the U.N. base  though outside and exposed while U.N. staff hunkered down behind solid walls. But when the shooting subsided on the morning of July 12, the group was told to return to PoC1.

When the displaced civilians refused to comply with these instructions, witnesses say U.N. police fired tear-gas canisters into the crowd. One landed quite near me, said one elderly man. I saw it rolling, and I saw the fumes coming out of it. People immediately began coughing, sneezing, and crying. My eyes hurt for three days.

Several women described how their babies developed breathing problems or fell unconscious due to the fumes. A medical supervisor in the camp said that he and his staff treated several people for tear-gas inhalation that day.

Asked about the use of tear gas at the Jebel base, Chester denied that it was ever activated against displaced people. She said an accidental tear-gas explosion was reported in the U.N. compound at 9:11 a.m. July 12  exactly the moment that the camps inhabitants claim they were being forced back into the PoC.

This month, UNMISS announced an independent special investigation into its lackluster response to the July violence. In addition to establishing a clear account of what went wrong at the Terrain complex and in the areas surrounding the PoCs, investigators should examine the factual discrepancies of the tear-gas incident. Although law enforcement agencies in many countries use the substance as a riot-control agent, the circumstances of its alleged use in Juba suggest a gross betrayal of the U.N.s mandate to protect civilians. Not only does it appear that U.N. police officers unnecessarily exposed children, pregnant women, and the elderly to harsh toxins; it seems they did so in order to force civilians back into an exposed and potentially dangerous area of the camp.

The special investigation should establish a clear account of what happened at the U.N. base in Jebel on July 8-12, and recommend appropriate disciplinary and remedial actions. Regardless of what investigators find, the failures of UNMISS point to a systemic problem that is larger than any single incident.

The accumulation of missteps in South Sudan over the past several years  and in other peacekeeping operations  raises questions about whether the United Nations is capable of living up to its ambitious but necessary goal of protecting civilians. A broader effort of reflection and change may very well be needed.

Photo credit: HANNAH MCNEISH/AFP/GettyImages
Texas Rangers relief pitcher Jeremy Jeffress was arrested for DWI after an early Friday morning traffic stop that, according to authorities, was equal parts dangerous and embarrassing.

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Take it away, Dallas Morning News:

He was stopped about 2:30 a.m. Friday in Uptown, in the 2400 block of Mahon Street near Maple Avenue and Cedar Springs Road, after he changed lanes without signaling and almost hit a car, police said.

An officer reported Jeffress breath smelled like alcohol and his eyes were bloodshot, watery and glassy, the warrant says. He told the officer that between 12:15 and 1:15 a.m., he had three or four cups of Hennessy cognac mixed with Coca-Cola.

During sobriety tests, he could not keep his balance or stand on one leg, an affidavit said. He also urinated on himself.

Wait, what? Oh. Thats quite a final detail.

The rest of this ordeal is bad enough  the alleged drinking and reckless driving certainly isnt something to gloss over  but actually peeing on himself during the traffic stop is going to earn Jeffress a special spot in the annals of Athletes Behaving Badly.

Texas Rangers pitcher Jeremy Jeffress on the mound and in his mugshot. (Getty Images/WFAA)

According to The Morning News, Jeffress, 28, was released on $500 bail at 11 a.m. local time Friday after spending about six hours in jail. Rangers GM Jon Daniel said Friday afternoon that Jeffress was placed on the restricted list for Friday nights game, but the move will only be for one day. Earlier in the day, the team released a statement acknowledging what happened:

The Texas Rangers are aware of the situation involving Jeremy Jeffress that took place early this morning. At this time, we are in the process of gathering information and have no further comment.

Jeffress is a recent addition to the Rangers. He came over from the Milwaukee Brewers at the trade deadline. He has a 4.00 ERA in nine games since joining the club. In the minor leagues, he was suspended twice for using marijuana, which cost him a total of 150 games between 2007 and 2009. Jeffress, however, said he used marijuana to control his epilepsy.

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Mike Oz is the editor of Big League Stew on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at mikeozstew@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
(Reuters) - Leicester City manager Claudio Ranieri wants more from his title-winning squad this season and is eager to see how his team will compete against Europe's top clubs in their Champions League debut. Ranieri led the 5,0000-1 outsiders to a historic league title last season and they have been drawn in Group G along with Porto, Club Bruges and FC Copenhagen. "Last season was wonderful but I want more. Now we are in the Champions League and we have another wonderful opportunity to show our quality," Ranieri told the club's website. (www.lcfc.com) "Now that the teams have been drawn that excitement is building even more and although it won't be easy against great champions like Porto, like everyone, I'm curious to see how my players perform. "It will be tough, but we come into this competition to win games and we want so much to progress into the knockout stages." The Italian conceded that his side would be underdogs. "For this reason we must fight for everything," he said. "I want to see my players fight against the best in Europe. "Every team in the competition will fight like champions and we must give 100 percent to make our supporters proud. (Reporting by Nivedita Shankar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)


The drama over Padmavati continues. The film has been in the news for all the wrong reasons, even before its shooting starts. While some catty rivals are referring to Sanjay Leela Bhansalis troubled opus as panauti, a sprawling set for the film is currently being constructed in Mumbais Mehboob Studio, thus confirming that the project is very much on track.

Recommended Read: Buzz in B-town! Is this Shahid Kapoors Padmavati look?

As per a popular magazine, it appears that the directors ploy may have worked in the end. The news has been doing the rounds that Ranveer Singh was said to be dilly-dallying over committing to the project when Bhansali reportedly refused to give him a bound script. After the rumours surfaced that SLB was in talks with both SRK-Hrithik Roshan to replace Ranveer as the male lead opposite Deepika Padukone, RS met him and discussed the prospect of doing the film after all!

When asked by the media if he was, in fact, going to star in Padmavati at a promotional event recently, Ranveer evaded the question without committing either way.

In a new twist, reportedly, last week eyewitnesses saw Ranveer and Shahid Kapoor bonding at a Bandra gymnasium where both happen to work out. Shahid, who has already started growing out his hair and beard for his (supporting) role in Padmavati, was spotted joking and laughing with Ranveer, possibly about all the drama unfolding over Bhansalis ambitious historical.

Too much drama or confusion, we leave it up to you to decide!
Daraya (Syria) (AFP) - Rebels and civilians, many in tears, began evacuating the Syrian town of Daraya on Friday after a four-year army siege, in a blow for the beleaguered opposition.

The evacuation came after a deal struck by President Bashar al-Assad's government and opposition forces in the town, which is near Damascus and was one of the first to rise up against the regime.

The fighters and their families left the devastated town aboard buses escorted by ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles, an AFP reporter said.

The first bus to emerge from Daraya carried mostly children, elderly people and women.

Government troops waved their weapons in celebration when buses carrying rebels left the town, and taunted the fighters by chanting pro-regime slogans.

Inside Daraya, which has been surrounded by loyalist forces since 2012 and suffered constant bombardment, tearful residents said final goodbyes, a local rebel told AFP.

"This is the hardest moment, everyone is crying, young and old," he said on condition of anonymity.

State news agency SANA, which announced the deal on Thursday, said 700 rebels and their families would go to rebel-controlled Idlib and thousands of civilians would be taken to government reception centres.

The evacuation is expected to last until Sunday, and a military source said the army would then enter Daraya.

A rebel official told AFP the civilians would go to regions under regime control around the capital and rebels will go to Idlib "or sort out their situation with the regime".

A military source said 300 rebels and their families would be evacuated during Friday.

- 'Weeping residents' -

Daraya council said on Facebook that civilians would be taken to the government-held town of Hrajela in Western Ghouta, outside Damascus.

"From there they will continue to the areas they wish to go to," it said.

The council said fighters and their families would be taken to northern Syria, escorted by the Red Crescent.

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The United Nations said it was not involved in negotiating the deal, although a UN team would enter Daraya to identify civilian needs.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said it was "tragic that repeated appeals to lift the siege of Daraya... and cease the fighting, have never been heeded".

It was "imperative" that its residents be protected and evacuated only voluntarily, he said.

"The world is watching."

Daraya is just 15 minutes drive from Damascus and even closer to the government's key Mazzeh air base.

Daraya was seen as a symbolic bastion of the March 2011 uprising that began with peaceful protests against Assad's government, before degenerating into a war that has killed more than 290,000 people.

Rebels accused the government of killing some 500 people in a military operation in Daraya in August 2012.

Friday's evacuation provoked anger and bitterness among opposition supporters, and the rebel said residents wept as they prepared to leave.

"People are saying goodbye to one another, children are bidding their schools farewell, mothers are saying goodbye to the martyrs in the graves," he said.

"People are gathering their memories and the few possessions they have left to preserve the memory of the four years of siege, hunger and shelling."

- Daraya 'destroyed' -

The rebel said the decision to evacuate had been taken because of deteriorating humanitarian conditions.

"The town is no longer inhabitable, it has been completely destroyed," he said.

In four years, just one food aid convoy entered Daraya, in June, shortly after a convoy carrying medicine.

The arrival of the food was followed by heavy regime bombardment that residents said stalled distribution.

According to the UN, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, most surrounded by government forces, although rebels and jihadists also use the tactic.

Long sieges have prompted rebels in several locations to agree evacuation deals with the regime, prompting activists to accuse Damascus of using "starve or surrender" tactics.

On Friday, the UN said only a single full aid convoy had reached besieged areas of Syria in August, denouncing the "wholly unacceptable" level of access.

In Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed efforts to resume Syrian peace talks, with De Mistura briefly joining them.

As the meeting got under way, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to step up efforts to ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians in the battlefront northern city of Aleppo.

Moscow and Washington back opposing sides in the Syria war which has become a complex conflict involving several regional powers as well as jihadists.
By Ross Kerber and Jessica Toonkel

CANTON, Mass. (Reuters) - The granddaughter of Viacom Inc's controlling shareholder Sumner Redstone has agreed to let a Massachusetts court dismiss claims brought by former company leaders, a step that will help end a battle over the fate of the media empire.

Lawyers for Keryn Redstone said at a Massachusetts court hearing on Friday they have also agreed to mediate remaining parts of her family dispute and that she will have an in-person meeting with her 93-year-old grandfather.

"There will be peace in the Redstone valley" said Keryn Redstone's attorney Pierce O'Donnell, speaking to reporters after the hearing at Norfolk County Probate and Family Court in Canton, Massachusetts.

Keryn Redstone's interest in a family trust is worth $1 billion, he said.

While some terms must still be hammered out, Friday's agreements will help end an ongoing legal saga over whether Redstone was mentally competent when he removed former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams from a trust that will determine the fate of his media empire.

On Saturday, Viacom announced that it had come to an agreement with Redstone, and his privately-held National Amusements Inc, which owns 80 percent of the voting shares of Viacom and CBS Corp [nL1N1B10MX}.

Dauman has stepped down as CEO and will receive as much as $90 million in cash and stock-based compensation, according to the agreement.

But Keryn Redstone, who is Shari Redstone's niece and was replaced as a trustee in 2012, had challenged the validity of the settlement agreement because she believes her grandfather is being manipulated by his daughter Shari.

Under the settlement, the board of Viacom added the five directors that National Amusements put forward in June, bringing the board to 15 directors after Dauman departs. Three of those directors are expected to step down after Viacom's annual meeting next year, a source familiar with the situation told Reuters last week.

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Despite that settlement, Keryn Redstone filed a cross-complaint in connection to Dauman's lawsuit. In a filing on Thursday she also questioned if Dauman's side did enough to assure themselves that Redstone had the mental capacity to understand the terms.

Friday's court hearing drew about two dozen lawyers representing the various Redstone family members plus Dauman, Abrams and others. A morning session included heated moments as it became clear that most of the family was looking to end the litigation, while O'Donnell sought to raise questions about Redstone's mental capacity.

Sumner Redstone has not spoken on an investor call since 2014 and has not spoken directly about the settlement since it was announced this month.

Attorney Robert Klieger portrayed Sumner Redstone's health as stable, saying the aging media mogul has had "no recent hospitalizations." There is, Klieger said, "No reason to believe that Mr. Redstone will not still be here with us for the duration of this case on any reasonable schedule."

(Reporting by Ross Kerber; Editing by Nick Zieminski)
By Alex Bregman

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, a staunch proponent of strict immigration laws, spoke to Yahoo News Guest Anchor Stephanie Sy about Donald Trumps position on immigration, which has come into question in recent days.

On the question of whether Trump has softened his stance on deporting all 11 million undocumented immigrants, which is something Trump hinted at earlier in the week before pushing back in a new interview Thursday, King told Sy, Its an open question at this point, and the question has been getting opened up a little bit more in the last two or three days. I dont see how this language turns it into a hardening, but it doesnt necessarily mean hes softening his position, either.

King said if Trump is wavering on his mass deportation policy, that would be against the rule of law. He said, I would say the question to ask Donald Trump is: Will you or will you not support a legalization of people who are in this country unlawfully today, and if you support legalization for people that are unlawfully in America, then youve rewarded law-breaking, and you cannot support the respect for the rule of law if you reward law-breaking.

King also indicated that if Trump is changing his position, it could lead to a lot of his potential supporters to stay home in November. He told Sy, Our choices really are Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump, but theres another choice out there that people exercised in 2012: 5 to 8 million evangelicals stayed home, or wed be talking about the reelection of Mitt Romney today. He continued, I think Donald Trump has to watch that very carefully. Not enough evangelicals have come forward. His core base are the rule-of-law, seal-the-border and enforce-immigration-law people, and if they lose faith in him, they could stay home the same way evangelicals stayed home in 2012.

King insisted, though, that he will vote no matter what: I wont stay home. Ill go in every election that I can.

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On Hillary Clinton accusing Trump of a steady stream of bigotry, Rep. King said it reminded him of former president Bill Clintons 1992 campaign. He said, It causes me to roll my eyes a little bit and exhale. How many generations of this do we have to hear? Bill Clinton started this in 1992 when he said he would name his cabinet to, quote, look like America, and it turned out to be a color-coded quota cabinet, not a meritocracy. He found that he could build coalitions of minorities and got to enough votes that he could be elected president.

On Trump calling Hillary Clinton a bigot, King was critical of the term but blamed its use on Clintons campaign tactics. He said to Sy, I prefer not to use the name-calling myself, and I wouldnt say Im completely absolved of that. All of us have things that we carry along with us, but I do think that it cheapens the use of the word. But the word that is being hurled back at her is, I believe, being hurled back at her and not initiated by Donald Trump.

Finally, King refused to make any predictions about who will win in November but said, I think either one of them could implode. I think Donald Trump, though, has shown a significant resilience, so I dont know how that actually happens. In Hillarys case, there have been so many holes poked in her boat, its a wonder its still afloat.
This report is part of a project on voting rights in America produced by the Carnegie-Knight News21 program.

When Americans vote for president in November, many of the 1.4 million active-duty U.S. military personnel stationed or deployed overseas will not know whether their absentee ballots have reached their home states to be counted. And the federal Election Assistance Commission, charged with monitoring their votes, may not know either.

Under the Help America Vote Act, the ballots of military and overseas voters are supposed to be tallied by their home states and sent to the EAC, which reports them to Congress. But a News21 analysis of the EACs data found at least 1 in 8 jurisdictions reported receiving more ballots than they sent, counting more ballots than they received or rejecting more ballots than they received.

Some jurisdictions blame the EAC for confusing forms on which they are supposed to record military and overseas participation numbers. Paul Lux is supervisor of elections for Okaloosa County, Florida, home to Eglin Air Force Base and a large number of military voters.

It will ask me how many ballots were mailed to overseas voters and how many ballots were returned from overseas voters in various locations in the survey. That is fine, but how am I supposed to account for ballots that are sent to domestic addresses but are returned from overseas? said Lux. There are just too many potential anomalies in the way we have to provide service to these voters.

Military and overseas voting can be a complicated process. Service members can file a Federal Post Card Application, which allows them to both register to vote and request an absentee ballot from their home state or county. If the service member doesnt receive their ballot in time, they can use a Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot as a backup.

EAC Commissioner Thomas Hicks told News21 that some of the inconsistencies between ballots sent and ballots returned are likely the result of military voters printing out the Federal Write-in Absentee Ballot and sending it back home. Since the ballots are not sent by local jurisdictions, they might be counted as ballots returned but not mailed out.

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The commissioner stressed that ensuring the accuracy of that data is up to states and not the EAC. Im confident in that it is the data coming from the states and I think that we put that data out and its accurate, said Hicks.

This story is part of Accountability. The latest investigations about waste, fraud, corruption, abuse and mismanagement. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

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Advocates for military voters say that anomalies in reporting do a disservice to them and their families, many of whom have been deployed to war zones.

The military represents the people that are fighting for our freedom, fighting for our democracy, representing us around the world, and its tragic if they do not take part in the franchise, said Susan Dzieduszycka-Suinat, president and CEO of the U.S. Vote Foundation. She also oversees the foundations Overseas Vote Initiative, which provides voter registration and voting tools to military and overseas voters.

Its a reason that a lot of reforms have happened around military voting in the past, let's say actively, in the last six to eight years. I guess theres a symbolism around it that goes beyond the actual value of one vote. For us, if it's one vote from the military it means just so much more. Its not just the vote, its all that it represents, she said.

The Election Administration and Voting Survey is distributed nationwide by the EAC to local jurisdictions, where it is filled out after federal elections. However, each state or local election office tracks its voting information differently, many of them in ways that conflict with how the EAC requests it.

At first they were asking for information that we could or could not really supply because our system just didnt divvy out the information the way they thought they might be able to ask for it, said Joseph Paul Gloria, registrar of voters for Clark County, Nevada. Each state is unique in the way that they vote, the system they use. So its hard to make that report usable for all jurisdictions.

Hicks said the EAC is working to address these problems. Weve finished with the 2014 survey and weve seen what sort of improvements can be made, said Hicks. And so from now on were - in terms of what Im doing as chair - is to look to see how we can improve the survey going forward.

Orange County, California, Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley said his staff places numbers into the Election Administration and Voting Survey manually. This means, according to Kelley, there always is the chance for human error.

Im an advocate of automating that process because then you are not making these decisions among human beings, said Kelley, who serves on the EACs Board of Advisors and its Voting Systems Standards Board.

The structure of the survey causes additional complications, according to Margarita Mikhaylova, acting spokeswoman for the District of Columbia Board of Elections.

That entire survey is very lengthy and in some instances very confusing to understand, said Mikhaylova. The EAC does issue directions and they do issue explanations, but there are just so many different ways to poll the same thing that it can be a bit tricky.

Related: Military voting, then and now

For example, one question on the survey says, Enter the total number of all UOCAVA (Uniformed and Overseas Absentee Voting Act) ballots (including regular UOCAVA absentee ballots and Federal Write-In Absentee Ballots (FWAB)) returned by UOCAVA voters and submitted for counting for the November 2014 general election. Please include both those ballots that were later counted and those that were rejected. Do not include ballots that were returned undeliverable.

Lux, of Okaloosa County, said that federal write-in absentee ballots, which are rejected if they are not returned to the voters correct jurisdiction, create further confusion when counties send their reports to the EAC.

Uniformed and Overseas absentee ballots can be rejected for any number of reasons, but the most common reason, according to a July 2013 EAC survey, is that ballots were sent back late and missed deadlines to be counted.

Yet, the EAC data make it difficult to know exactly how often and to what extent military absentee ballots have been rejected. In August last year, at a meeting held by the EAC in Washington, D.C., some election officials raised doubts about trusting their data.

So, youve got a number in a box that looks like data, said Keith Ingram, Texas director of elections. But if you put any confidence in that number at all, youre missing the boat.

I can guarantee you we are unable to educate local election officials as to what these categories are, and so, theyre plopping voters into various categories, and I would not have a lot of confidence that theyre hitting the right ones, Michigan Director of Elections Christopher Thomas said at the meeting.

The Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment Act requires that all ballots be mailed to service members no less than 45 days before an election to give military voters the chance to return them. They can take 11 to 18 days to arrive once mailed, according to the Military Postal Service Agency. At least 36 days are needed to transmit the ballot. If there are no shipping delays, service members have only nine days to complete and return the ballot.

There are a number of reasons ballots may be mailed out after the 45-day deadline: lack of information among military voters about how to cast a ballot, administrative errors at the state and local level, and the logistics of mailing ballots out.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program is part of the Department of Defense. It works alongside the Election Assistance Commission, using EAC data to track voting trends. Its director, Matt Boehmer, is working to dispel what he considers misgivings among military voters that their votes are not counted.

There is a data point out there that says 67 percent of active-duty members aren't confident that their ballot was counted, right? Now, when you take a look at that, you take a look at election data, it is impossible. There is no way that 67 percent of ballots are being rejected, Boehmer said.

Boehmer said confusion about ballot rejection is exacerbated by the fact that overseas voters never receive confirmation that their ballots were counted, or that returning those ballots to home jurisdictions involves sending them on a convoluted journey across multiple continents and through multiple mailing systems.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program, under Boehmers direction, has recommended state election officials notify military voters when their ballots arrive and are counted. The advice is a pointed attempt to remedy perception among armed forces voters that their vote actually doesnt count.

Capt. Yikalo Gebrehiwet, a company commander at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, emphasized the unique importance of the military vote. Its really part of the Army values, right? So we encourage soldiers to go out and vote, be a part of the community, he said. Its really part of the Constitution and its what you raise your right hand to do, support and defend the Constitution. The best way to do that is by voting.

The 2000 presidential election between Texas Gov. George W. Bush and Vice President Al Gore brought critical scrutiny to overseas and absentee ballots in Florida. Attempts were made to throw out ballots that arrived past the election deadline or without a postmark. The Bush campaign joined legal efforts to force the counting of these ballots, which ultimately, were counted.

The chaos of the Florida recount led to the passing of the Help America Vote Act, which aimed to improve voting systems and increase voter access. It also established the EAC as a national clearinghouse of information on elections.

The thing that spoke to me about military voting is we have lower numbers, as far as voter participation nationally, said Tacinta Connor, who is married to an active-duty soldier at Fort Bragg.

Sometimes it could be a bit confusing and therefore having the information and providing it to a wider base would increase our voting participation in this election and going forward, said Connor, who volunteers with Fort Braggs voting assistance program.

The Federal Voting Assistance Program provides reports to Congress that help create and guide policy. In both its 2014 and 2015 reports to Congress, the program touted EAC initiatives as successful. But in the footnotes of its own 2014 report, that success is contradicted.

The footnote says questions on the survey could easily have been misinterpreted by those filling it out and that state employees might have entered incorrect numbers. It also claims the complex nature of the survey makes it difficult to keep ties between different parts of the survey clear, and that missing data from the survey could make it hard to interpret.

As unreliable as some consider the EAC data to be, it is still in use by the president and Congress. EAC survey results land on their desks through the Federal Voting Assistance Programs report, the Government Accountability Offices report and the EACs report.

We use it to inform our communications efforts and then we use it to ultimately make decisions about what we need to do in the program, said Boehmer, of the Federal Voting Assistance Program. He added that the survey data play an important part in making recommendations for the correction of voting issues.

Related: The service member vote

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Kamanzi Kalisa is the director of the Overseas Voting Initiative with the Council of State Governments, a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization created to help state officials shape public policy. His program is working alongside the Federal Voting Assistance Program to make recommendations for improving the survey.

I think the accuracy of the collection process is very important, but I also want to make a really important clarifying point: At the end of this, there will be recommendations in which all of the sentiments of our group members are shared. It will be presented to the EAC, said Kalisa. Now, it is up to the EAC.  CSG (Council of State Governments) has no power over what the EAC will do with those recommendations.

Five years ago, U.S. Rep. Gregg Harper, a Mississippi Republican, tried to eliminate the EAC, claiming it had outlived its usefulness. His bill would have moved the EACs responsibilities and power to the Federal Election Commission. The bill failed, as did a second attempt in 2013. A third attempt made in 2015 has yet to come to a vote.

According to the commissions own documents, the EAC was without an executive director from December 2010 until November 2015. In 2013, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer, a Maryland Democrat, tried and failed to restore leadership to the commission, which didnt have the officers necessary to conduct votes and govern itself. This led Harper to refer to the commission as a zombie agency lumbering forward lifelessly devouring taxpayer dollars.

While election officials and advocates examine data issues from an administrative level, military installations such as Fort Bragg are engaging in grassroots awareness campaigns. The U.S. Army released a statement in November 2015 advising that units and installations will host voter registration promotion events.

Most of our soldiers, they are so busy with mission. So we kind of stop them and be like, Hey, you know this is your right to vote? said Fort Bragg Unit Voting Assistance Officer Laurie Joseph. And that is the biggest thing. That's the biggest mission. To get everybody registered and aware that they can vote.

Judith Higgs is the installation voting assistance officer at Fort Bragg. She also served in the U.S. Army for 24 years.

We have the armed forces voters week, we also have the absentee voters week  in order to get the last push for everyone to get their absentee ballot, Higgs said. We also have voting assistance officer workshops that we conduct for election years. We have those workshops to engage all the unit voting assistance officers so they all could be on one playing field on what to expect as we disseminate the information to our service members.

Tech. Sgt. Tonia Jones, a member of the 43rd Air Mobility Operations Group at Pope Army Airfield in North Carolina, said shes confident her vote is counted. As a military (member) I am confident. Because when we are giving our information, we let the individuals know that this is your deadline, this is when youre voting, this is when you have to ensure that your ballot is sent out so that it can get counted.

This story is part of Accountability. The latest investigations about waste, fraud, corruption, abuse and mismanagement. Click here to read more stories in this topic.

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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.
Syrian ambassador to India Dr Riad Kamel Abbas today said that Kashmir issue is an internal matter of the country, and a problem India and Pakistan share mutually.

Syrian ambassador to India Dr Riad Kamel Abbas said the problem between India and Pakistan has to be solved by the two countries without any external assistance.

By Gautam Datt: Syria has firmly backed India's position on Kashmir saying the issue is an internal matter of the country and New Delhi has the right to solve it in any manner.

Syrian ambassador to India Dr Riad Kamel Abbas told Mail Today that the problem between India and Pakistan has to be solved by the two countries under the Shimla convention without any external assistance.

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Abbas said Syria's position on the issue has been different from other countries in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) which has taken the contrary view.

Also Read: Pakistan meddling in Kashmir with local help: Arun Jaitley to India Today



SYRIA AND INDIA FACING CROSS-BORDER TERRORISM



Upbeat about minister of state for external affairs MJ Akbar's visit to Damascus where he met Syrian president Bashar Al Assad, Abbas said the two countries can learn from each other in tackling terrorism. Both Syria and India are facing cross-border terrorism, he said.

"What is going on in Kashmir is first step of terrorism. The government of India has right to solve it in any manner," he said.

INDIA'S ASSISTANCE REQUIRED IN RE-BUILDING SYRIA



The ambassador claimed that there is enormous scope of improving economic ties between Damascus and New Delhi. Syria is looking up to India for assistance in re-building the war-ravaged country. Abbas said he will be leading a delegation of Indian business persons to Syria to explore investment opportunities.

The delegation will include representatives from petroleum, electrical, information technology and hospitals industry.

TERRORISTS DON'T BELONG TO ISLAM



Talking about the situation in Syria, the ambassasdor said his government can send jihadis seeking Jihad Al Nikah, the sexual jihad, to hell within a month if cross-border terrorism is stopped and their funding is blocked. He said that there are 3.6 lakh terrorists in Syria and the government forces were capable of eliminating them. The ambassador said the terrorists don't belong to Islam even if they chant Allah hu Akbar.

Recognising that the world's position on Syria has changed after the terrorist attacks in Europe and from removing the Assad government, most countries barring a few are now backing him.

Also Read: First talk terror, India tells Pakistan again

SYRIAN AMBASSADOR RESONATES MODI'S WORDS ON TERRORISM



Quoting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Abbas said there is no distinction between good and bad terrorism. The world has come to realise that terrorism has no boundaries.

"Cross-border terrorism is a challenge to both (India and Syria) the countries," he said, adding that security agencies of New Delhi and Damascus were already cooperating on the issue through information-sharing.

He said Syria is keen to engage extensively with the BRICS countries and will fight for its sovereignty till its enemies are defeated.



Also read - India has a role to play in combating terror: Assad

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(Reuters) - A Czech woman who spent nearly a month alone in a warden's hut on a remote New Zealand hiking track after her male partner was killed in a fall spoke of her harrowing ordeal on Friday. Pavlina Pizova said she heard Ondrej Petr's last breath and spent two freezing nights beside the body before leaving to find shelter at a hut at Lake Mackenzie on the country's South Island. "As you can imagine the last month was very harrowing for me," a pale and emotional Pizova told a news conference at Queenstown's police station. The pair had become disorientated when heavy snow covered markers on the hiking track before her partner fell to his death. "The conditions were extreme," she said. "During this time I got extremely cold, exhausted and my feet were frozen". Pizova said she made a few attempts to leave the hut in the past month but exhaustion and avalanches on the trail convinced her it was safer to wait and hope for rescue. "Pavlina made the right decision to stay put and wait to be rescued," said Inspector Olaf Jensen of the district police. She was only found because a consul for the Czech Republic, Vladka Kennett, spotted "a random Facebook post" from fraught relatives in the Czech Republic and informed the authorities. Pizova expressed her gratitude to the New Zealand Land Search and Rescue, local police and the Department of Conservation for their efforts. Pizova urged travelers intending to trek through the New Zealand mountains to be informed of the extreme winter weather conditions prior to starting their journey. "I'm aware we made a few mistakes - not leaving our intentions with somebody, not carrying a personal locator beacon and underestimating the winter conditions," said Pizova. A coroner's inquiry is underway into Petr's death. Television New Zealand reported he was 27 years old. (This story corrects location of police station in third paragraph) (Reporting by Zoe Cooney)
By Madeline Kennedy (Reuters Health) - Lawyers interview victims of human rights violations to document their stories and seek justice, but victims who have to relive the violence during a single interview may be traumatized anew, researchers argue. In the journal BMJ Global Health, psychiatrists and human rights advocates jointly propose a research agenda to find the best ways to protect both the legal rights and mental health of these victims. Led by psychiatrist Susan Meffert of the University of California, San Francisco, the proposal authors point out that debriefing a victim in a single interview session used to be a mode of therapy. But the practice was abandoned 20 years ago when research suggested that debriefing can worsen mental health and may double rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). With traumatic events, we know that gradually increasing exposure to the memories over multiple psychotherapy sessions can lead to de-sensitization and fewer trauma-related symptoms when recalling the events, Meffert told Reuters Health by email. Having to go through all the events in one sitting can make symptoms worse, she added. In their proposal, Meffert and her colleagues offer the International Criminal Court (ICC) at the Hague in the Netherlands as an example of a legal organization that uses the testimony of survivors of genocide, war crimes and other human rights violations. Whereas the ICC offers mental health support to victims who travel to the Netherlands office to provide testimony, it is unclear if any resources are offered to people who participate in interviews in their own countries. There are options to offer help to victims, however, and trauma treatments that have been shown to work and can be used in places with little money or infrastructure, the researchers argue. The team proposes a study that would assess survivors for PTSD before and after their interviews with the ICC. This would give an idea of the mental health impact of providing testimony. The researchers also provide several recommendations for an improved human rights legal model. To start, they propose screening potential witnesses for their risk of PTSD or other mental health issues before interviews. This could give the organization a chance to refer more vulnerable participants to mental health trauma care prior to being interviewed. Survivors could also identify a support person from their community to help them through the process. In addition, victims could be given more choice about how long their stories can be used and how they are stored. Lastly, the ICC could monitor past interviewees with a follow-up mental health screen and refer them for further care if needed. If this new model works, it could then be evaluated to see if it can be applied to other organizations. While we are making good progress internationally in terms of documenting and processing reports of human rights violations, we need to be sensitive to the long-term mental health of the survivors who form much of the backbone of these cases, said Steven Thorp, a fellow of the American Academy of Clinical Psychology and assistant professor at the University of California, San Diego. Thorp, who was not involved in the study, noted that it is important to give interviewees information about the process. Legal organizations can first describe the legal process to all survivors so that they are not surprised by any components of the interviews or paperwork, he said. Thorp added that organizations can also let participants know about the risks of interviewing, including the symptoms of PTSD, depression, and anxiety. Now is the time that we must begin working together to develop collaborative models of caring for survivors of human rights violations, such that they do not have to chose between justice and mental health, but can have both, Meffert said. SOURCE: bit.ly/2bPjZ3U BMJ Global Health, online July 21, 2016.
Former Fox News CEO and chairman Roger Ailes had two guns hidden in the door of his New York office at the networks headquarters, according to Vanity Fair.

The wooden door that famously cordoned his office suite from prying eyes was removed. Within, two handguns were discoveredone a Glock, the other a Smith & Wessonwith ammunition for both, the magazine wrote in a feature on Megyn Kelly.

Ailess attorney, Susan Estrich, told the magazine that the disgraced former TV exec has a license to carry a handgun in New York. She also told Vanity Fair the guns were for his personal protection and licensed and appropriate.

Also Read: Inside Fox News After Roger Ailes: Rupert Murdoch Is Surprisingly Hands-On

Ailes resigned last month after a lawsuit filed by former host Gretchen Carlson resulted in numerous women coming forward with similar claims. Ailes has been accused of a variety of sexual misconduct, ranging from causing years of psychological torture to a recent claim by former Fox News host Andrea Tantaros that he called current Fox News host Kimberly Guilfoyle a Puerto Rican whore.

The complaints against Ailes go back decades and have been widely reported. While Ailes has denied all allegations, he apparently felt he needed multiple guns for protection.

Jack Abernethy and Bill Shine have been named co-presidents of Fox News, splitting up Ailes responsibilities while Rupert Murdoch remains executive chairman of both Fox News Channel and Fox Business Network.

Related stories from TheWrap:

Inside Fox News After Roger Ailes: Rupert Murdoch Is Surprisingly Hands-On

Andrea Tantaros Files Sexual Harassment Lawsuit Against Fox News, Roger Ailes, Bill Shine

12 Roger Ailes Accusers and Their Allegations Against Former Fox News Boss (Photos)
Los Angeles (AFP) - With eight Oscars, 11 Grammys and a Tony vying for space on his mantelpiece, Alan Menken's bill for dry-cleaning tuxedos might well match the box-office take of most Off-Broadway openings.

The legendary US composer has picked up more than 100 nominations at major awards ceremonies in an illustrious career spanning five decades that has produced some of Disney's best-loved animated movies.

With this year's awards season about to hit full stride, the 67-year-old New Yorker is vying to join exalted company as a member of the select "EGOT" club -- winners of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

"Awards are a wonderful barometer of how much your career is appreciated by your peers," he told AFP. "But if I don't win, I'll live."

"Ever since I got the Oscars, the Grammys and the Tony, that whisper in my ear from people kept coming: 'EGOT, EGOT, EGOT!' It's like a monkey on my back."

Only 12 entertainers in history have joined the EGOT club, including such luminaries as John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn and -- among those still alive -- Whoopi Goldberg and Mel Brooks.

Menken gets to be the 13th if "A New Season", his song from musical comedy "Galavant", wins for outstanding original music and lyrics in September's Emmy Awards for television.

Menken hopes the ditty -- with its rhyming couplet "We're gonna have to kill ya if you sing the freakin' song/It didn't win an Emmy, now it's time to move along" -- might tickle the Television Academy.

- Orgy -

Born in Manhattan to aspiring actress Judy Menken and her boogie-woogie piano-playing dentist husband Norman, the aspiring maestro grew up watching Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals like "Oklahoma" and "Carousel".

After graduating from NYU in musicology, he formed a writing partnership with Howard Ashman on "Little Shop of Horrors" (1982), which went on to become the highest grossing Off-Broadway show ever.

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The pair were hired by Disney to write "The Little Mermaid" in 1989 and Menken has since scored many of the studio's biggest hits, including "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin" and "Pocahontas".

Two years ago, he was approached by the team behind "Sausage Party", the first R-rated computer-animated feature in history, to lend his songwriting chops to a project that would be Disney for adults.

The movie has been a huge critical and commercial hit, but is something of a departure for Menken, who was not used to penning lyrics liberally sprinkled with four-letter words.

"Sausage Party" may look like children's fare, but no Pixar movie ever sent up the world's major religions or featured a drawn-out orgy scene involving animated groceries.

"The music is the straight man in this," Menken said. "Even before I was involved, the directors were attempting a score with very epic, traditional Hollywood music."

The composer believes writing-producing team Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, who also stars, imagined it would be "a hoot" to have a Disney grandee providing the music for a parody of the studio's output.

- 'Politics is hideous' -

"They didn't have a lot of experience with working the way I work on songs, and I think for them it was more a matter of 'we'll know what we like when we hear it.'"

The raucous comedy deals intelligently with adult preoccupations such as religion, sex and death, telling the story of a frankfurter leading a group of groceries on a quest to discover what really happens when they are chosen to leave the supermarket.

Menken claims he was naive about the movie's themes, at least until his two grown-up daughters explained that the title may be a euphemism for group sex.

"I didn't have a clue, I said 'What are you talking about?'" he remembers.

Next up in December is a Broadway adaption of Chazz Palminteri's autobiographical play "A Bronx Tale", co-directed by Robert De Niro, who made and starred in the 1993 film version.

After that, Menken is signed up to work with musical theater's man-of-the-hour Lin Manuel Miranda on a live-action version of "The Little Mermaid".

With a movie under his belt that tackles religion, Menken is adamant that he has no intention of extending his scope to include political musicals, however.

"Right now, politics is about as distasteful to me as you could possibly imagine and I think most people feel the same," he says.

"It's hideous the tone of this campaign in America... I'm not saying that the world hasn't always been an ugly, chaotic place but no -- I think I'll stick to songwriting."
We still don't know yet when former UFC women's bantamweight champion Ronda Rousey is going to return to the Octagon, but UFC president Dana White is sure that she will be back. And we she does return, White is adamant that it will be a blockbuster event.

I think Ronda Rouseys return will be the biggest pay-per-view weve ever done, White said on Thursday's edition of The Herd on FS1, when asked if Rousey's return could be bigger than Conor McGregor's recent rematch with Nate Diaz. MMAFighting.com's Dave Meltzer, considered the foremost expert on UFC pay-per-view numbers, reports early estimates for UFC 202 at 1.2 to 1.5 million buys, etching it among the top three pay-per-views in UFC history.

RELATED > Dana White Video: Weighing in on Conor McGregor, Ronda Rousey, and Georges St-Pierre

That certainly says something about Rousey's current star power, as well as the progression of female athletes in mixed martial arts in general. There once was a time when White never would have imagined women in the Octagon, let alone a woman being the biggest draw in the promotion's history.

If youd told me 15 years ago that women would be fighting in the UFC, and if you told me that women would be as technically sound as the men and the fights would be loved by millions of people all over the world and it would be the hottest thing going on in the UFC, I would have never believed it, said White.

Although we don't know when Rousey will return to the Octagon, we do know when she won't be back. Early targets were locked on UFC 205 in New York in November, the promotion's first event in the state since it approved sanctioning, but White has nixed that date.

Without Rousey's return scheduled, many have questioned whether she'll ever be back, but White said it has simply been a matter of the former champ's ongoing medical issues.

Ronda had a bunch of minor surgeries and theyre healing up, and when they are, Im assuming shes gonna fight.

White has guaranteed that Rousey gets an immediate title shot when she comes back, but for now, we'll have to sit back and wait for Rousey to determine when that might happen.

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Not everyone enters entrepreneurship through the same door.

Case in point: Russell Simmons, the hip-hop mogul and serial entrepreneur behind brands like Def Jam Records and Phat Farm clothing learned how to be an entrepreneur selling drugs on the streets of New York.

"I sold drugs," Simmons tells CNBC. "I was a number runner and a drug dealer."

Simmons, 58, said when he was young, there was no established track for learning how to start a business available to him besides the drug business.



"Other than that there was no training, no real cultural platform to teach people from where I came from to be entrepreneurs," said Simmons, who is originally from the Queens borough. "The idea of building out entrepreneurship, it was not a cultural thing in the black community."



It taught Simmons the basics of running a balance sheet. "I bought something for a dollar and sold it for three," he told Bryan Elliott in an episode of "Behind the Brand" on Entrepreneur. "I bought a lot of it for a dollar and sold a lot of it for three. So now it became a business. I understood the margins, the business."

He also learned "the mindset of being independent and being responsible for your profit," he told Elliott. The lucky ones among the drug-dealing set of his youth eventually found something else to sell.



Simmons isn't the only one to parlay his experience running a drug business into other more traditional channels. "If you look at all of the entrepreneurs, especially from years ago, a lot of them that were African-American had their experience in the street," he told CNBC.

For example, Ice-T  the rapper, actor and founder of the Rhyme Syndicate record label  started hustling on the streets of Los Angeles after the untimely death of his mother and father. And the Grammy award-winning rapper, entrepreneur and investor Jay Z was a crack dealer in his younger years.

Simmons went to college for three years, and while he was there he started promoting hip-hop parties .



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"That's when I became an entrepreneur! I mean a real entrepreneur, a legitimate entrepreneur," Simmons said.

From there, he started producing hip-hop records, and in 1984, the young entrepreneur founded Def Jam Records, which launched the careers of LL Cool J and Public Enemy.

Correction: This story was revised to correct the spelling of Bryan Elliott's last name.





More From CNBC


By Dmitriy Rogovitskiy MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia will appeal in the Swiss Federal Court on Monday against the Court of Arbitration for Sport's (CAS) decision to uphold a blanket ban on their athletes from competing in next month's Rio Paralympics. "The appeal has been launched in the Swiss court," the Interfax news agency quoted Russian Paralympic Committee (RPC) president Vladimir Lukin as saying on Friday. Earlier this week the Lausanne-based CAS, sport's highest tribunal, rejected an RPC appeal against the suspension that was handed out by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) because of a state-sponsored sports doping program. The Federal Court can only overturn the CAS ruling on the basis of a procedural mistake and not on the merits of the case. The decision to exclude Russia's team means at least 260 competitors from the country are now set to miss the Sept. 7-18 Paralympics. The IPC went further than the International Olympic Committee (IOC), which stopped short of a blanket ban on Russia at the Rio Olympics that ended on Sunday and left the decision instead in the hands of international sports federations. PUTIN CRITICISM On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called the Paralympic ban cynical and immoral but also said Moscow acknowledged mistakes it had made in tackling sports doping. The country's track and field team were also excluded from the Olympics due to the sports doping program. Putin said the decision to bar Russian athletes, including those who had not tested positive for any banned substances, was a vivid manifestation "of how the humanistic foundations of sport and Olympism are shamelessly flouted by politics". "The decision to disqualify our Paralympic team is outside the law, outside morality and outside humanity," he added. "It is simply cynical to vent one's anger on those for whom sport has become the meaning of their life ... I even feel pity for those taking such decisions because they must well understand that it is so demeaning for them." The whole dispute centers on a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) report that found the Russian government and the FSB security service had, over years, covered up hundreds of doping cases across the majority of Olympic sports and Paralympic events. Although not widely followed or celebrated in Russia, where rights campaigners say many disabled people are marginalized by regressive social attitudes and inadequate state support, the country's para-athletes are some of the best in the world. Their team topped the medal table at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in the Russian city of Sochi after taking second place behind China at London 2012. (Editing by Tony Jimenez)
By Samonway Duttagupta: Most avid travellers avoid spending too much on accommodations. The simple reason is, money saved here, is money earned for another trip. No doubt, safety and comfort are two things that must never be compromised upon. But then, you can easily let go of a few extra luxuries. Also read: 5 tips on how to save money while travelling



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Finding budget hotels, especially in popular destinations, is not an easy task. And my experience says, you can't rely upon Google search for this. But there are ways--ways in which you can not only find decent accommodation at attractive prices but also strike deals that can enable you to stay in four- and five-star hotels at the price of budget hotels.

Here are a few simple tricks you need to follow:

Check out the hotel listings on TripAdvisor and HolidayIQ: Being one of the most reliable travel portals available, TripAdvisor makes the task of hotel selection easy. Be it the mobile app, or the website, TripAdvisor lists out the best accommodation options available in a destination, which are ranked based on real travellers' experiences, reviews, ratings, and opinions. The authenticity provided by this portal will help you narrow down your choice of hotel. For a second opinion, you can tally the rankings and reviews on HolidayIQ, which is another really good travel portal you can swear by.

Check the tariffs offered by multiple portals: When you search for these hotels on both TripAdvisor and HolidayIQ, you will get an option to book on either sites. Fill in your check-in and check-out dates and see the rates offered by their partner booking websites. In order to make sure you are getting the maximum discount, check out Trivago. This portal provides a detailed listing of the rates offered by multiple booking websites, for each hotel. Trust me, there's no better way to filter your choice of hotel.

Also read: 5 ways to crack the best last-minute travel deal



Make your bookings through Goibibo mobile app: I can say this from my personal experience--Goibibo is one of the best mobile apps for booking hotels. Once you are done shortlisting the hotel you want to book, search it up on Goibibo mobile app. Once you find the hotel, apply the Gokarde code (or any one of the codes that's always on offer), use the Gocash you get on your app download, and you will get your final price--which is way lesser than most other portals can offer. That's not all. The moment you check out from the hotel, you will get a cashback (in Gocash) of the same amount you used for booking the hotel. This app really is a champion for hotel bookings. I had once stayed in a leading four-star hotel of Jaipur at just Rs 800, thanks to this app.

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Check out Airbnb and Heybnb for homestays: As a traveller, there can't be a more authentic way of exploring a destination than being hosted by a local in a homestay. Airbnb offers some really interesting homestay options for travellers, complete with the charges and details on the service offered. You can read reviews of the place, get in touch with the host directly and book the homestay of your choice. And needless to mention, homestays do help travellers save a lot of money. Besides, it gives you a chance to make friends in beautiful travel destinations--that's a huge bonus. Heybnb is the most recent player in this segment, and is likely to give Airbnb a tough competition in the future. You can check it out for exciting homestay options too.

Also read: Getting stuck planning your weekend getaway? These 5 simple tricks will help



Check OYO Rooms and Stayzilla: Both these portals list out decent accommodations options that won't really burn a hole in your pocket. What makes these portals interesting is that they provide options in both hotel and homestay categories. This way, you get most of the available options at one place, and that too at affordable prices.

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The writer tweets at @SamonwayDg



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Simferopol (AFP) - International rights groups and Ukrainian officials protested Friday against the incarceration in a psychiatric hospital of a prominent Crimean Tatar activist charged with calling for extremism in the Russian-annexed peninsula.

Ilmi Umerov, 59, has been held in a psychiatric hospital in the main Crimean city of Simferopol since August 18 undergoing forced sanity testing that could last at least 28 days.

Human Rights Watch on Friday urged the Russian authorities in Crimea to release Umerov, drop the charges and ensure he receives necessary medical care.

Umerov himself told AFP by phone from inside the hospital: "Just the fact of my being here in a psychiatric hospital is one long act of torture."

"I feel... like a free man in a cage."

In May, Russia charged Umerov with calling for breaches of Russia's territorial integrity on Crimean Tatar television channel ATR. He faces up to five years in jail.

Since Moscow's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the Russian authorities have cracked down on the Muslim Crimean Tatars who largely opposed the takeover of the peninsula and were persecuted under Stalin.

Earlier this month, Umerov was forcibly moved from an ordinary hospital where he was receiving treatment for a suspected heart attack. He also suffers from high blood pressure, diabetes and Parkinson's.

"His life remains in danger," his lawyer Nikolai Polozov told AFP, saying his client was suffering from spikes in blood pressure.

"The fact that they are holding him (in hospital) is undoubtedly an element of pressure on him."

Umerov said he felt "constant weakness" but vowed he would "hold out (for) the 28 days that they have locked me up here."

The hospital where Umerov is being held has no heart specialists and "if something happens to him, the emergency care won't come in time," Polozov said.

"Our family's very worried about his state of health," Umerov's son Suleiman told AFP.

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"He's very weak."

Polozov said that from a mental perspective, Umerov was mentally "totally healthy" and that he should have had the right to refuse psychiatric testing.

- 'Punitive psychiatry' -

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin compared Umerov's detention to the Soviet-era practice of holding dissidents in psychiatric hospitals.

"Punitive psychiatry is a return to the terrible times of the NKVD," Klimkin wrote on Twitter, referring to the secret police under Stalin.

He and other supporters of Umerov posted the hashtag #StopKillingIlmiUmerov.

A group of Crimean Tatar activists and government officials held a protest at Kiev's Independence Square carrying a banner reading: "Free Ilmi Umerov," the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Twitter.

Umerov was a longtime head of the peninsula's Bakhchysaray district, resigning when it moved under Moscow's control.

He was also the deputy chairman of the Crimean Tatars' elected governing body, the Mejlis, which the Russian authorities banned as extremist in April.

First deputy head of the Mejlis Nariman Dzhelyal told AFP: "I suspect that he -- a completely clear-thinking and mentally healthy person -- will finally be pronounced insane in order to discredit him as a personality and the body that he represents."
Getty Image

It seems were not quite rid of the Ryan Lochte story quite yet, even though hes already become a sponsor-less pariah whos been the butt of every late night hosts jokes. Hes suffered as grim a fate as a famous Olympic athlete can face (that is, a white one). Though the court of public opinion may have found him guilty and even produced a confession, the actual legal system isnt done with him yet.

Lochte has been summoned back to Brazil to testify in the case against him for filing a false police report, according to ABC News. As we noted previously, he wont face prison time, as the punishment tends to range from fines to community service. With that in mind, and with the caveat that were not intimately familiar with the Brazilian legal system, demanding something akin to extradition for such a minor offense seems a little bit like the Rio police attempting to make an example of the American swimmer.

Its understandable that Rio authorities want to bring the hammer down on Lochte, considering the stunning entitlement and exceptionalism he displayed throughout the incident, but they might be overplaying their hand. Whos ready for a will he/wont he story that drags on for weeks, huh? [begins looking up bartending jobs]

(Via ABC)
(Photo: TV screengrab)



Few have answered the nations calls so faithfully and so often, and served Singapore so well as the late former president S R Nathan, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.



Whatever the mission, he answered dutys call. Singapore could absolutely rely on his loyalty and dedication, said Lee, who delivered a eulogy during a state funeral service for Nathan on Friday (26 August).



Nathan, Singapores sixth and longest-serving president, died on Monday (22 August) aged 92.



The Laju Incident



Speaking at the University Cultural Centre at the National University of Singapore, Lee said that he had known and worked with Nathan over 40 years.



He praised Nathans great personal integrity and commitment, and said that it was the 1974 Laju Incident that epitomised his qualities.



The event involved terrorists from the Japanese Red Army and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine hijacking a ferry boat called the Laju and took a handful of hostages. Nathan, who was director of the Security and Intelligence Division at the time, risked his life to lead a team of 13 officials who accompanied the terrorists to Kuwait.



Not many of todays generation know of the Laju Incident. Those who do probably do not fully appreciate the magnitude of the decision that Mr Nathan and the other 12 made. It took great moral and physical courage, said Lee.



The case of Michael Fay



In 1994, Nathan was Singapores Ambassador to the United States when Singapore sentenced Michael Fay to caning for vandalism in 1994.



The US media mounted an intense campaign against the caning, said Lee.



Appearing on the talk show Larry King Live, Nathan defended our position with conviction, and persuaded quite a few Americans that what Singapore was doing was not wrong.



One of Singapores greatest sons



Lee concluded by noting that Nathan had hoped that young Singaporeans would draw a key lesson from his memoirs, which is to not give up.



Nathan overcame extremely trying circumstances in his childhood and rose in the public service through grit, determination and ability.

Time and again, he placed nation before self. Quietly and without fuss, he gave his best years and more, to Singapore, said Lee.


When President Barack Obama scuttled away from his red line on Syrian chemical weapons attacks in August 2013, he sacrificed his strategic goal  removing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad  for a tactical gain: eliminating Damascus chemical weapons stocks. In the meantime, more than 150,000 Syrians have perished, millions more have been displaced, and the Islamic State has metastasized.

The deal effectively cemented Assads position in power by removing the looming threat of direct U.S. military intervention, so long as the dictator could deal with his local enemies. Assad solved that problem by turning to the Russians. Thus, the red line debacle also reversed forty years of American diplomatic successes in pushing Russia out of the Middle East and opened the door to a massive increase in Moscows political and military influence there.

But at least Assad could no longer menace his neighbors and terrorize his populous with nerve gas and blister agents. The Atlantics Jeffrey Goldberg recounts Obamas thinking: Not only was this not a screw-up, as is commonly understood, but its actually for him a very proud moment, because he did something without war, that could not have been achieved with war.

The only problem with Obamas analysis is that even the tactical success is turning to ashes. The director-general of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) recently charged the Assad government with cheating on a massive scale, as reported by Foreign Policys Colum Lynch and David Kenner. The majority of 122 samples taken at multiple locations indicate potentially undeclared chemical weapons-related activities, the OPCW found. Moreover, Syrias attempts to explain the situation were not scientifically or technically plausible, according to the organization. The samples revealed, among other things, precursors for the nerve agents VX and soman.

This should not be a surprise. Horrific chemical weapons attacks on Syrian civilians are ongoing. Syrias compliance with the agreement has long been understood to be grudging, tardy, and incomplete.

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In sacrificing his strategic objective for a tactical gain, the president chose to trade his queen for a knight and, in the end, he lost even that. The blows to American credibility and norms against chemical weapons were devastating.

This defeat can, however, be reversed. It will take focused, determined, and vigorous diplomacy to hold the Assad government accountable, including through international tribunals. It will also require the administration to recognize, at least internally, that the Syria chemical weapons deal was not a proud moment. The upcoming United Nations General Assembly meeting affords Obama an opportunity to pursue the matter personally with other heads of state. To succeed, he will need to craft a consensus, albeit not necessarily a unanimous one, that the Assad government must go because it has repeatedly and grossly violated norms of civilized behavior, and that those who ordered and conducted the attacks must be held personally responsible. Such an ambitious agenda is rarely pursued by an administration in the twilight of its term, but it would be the right thing to do.

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images
SAG-AFTRA is amping up its six-month-old campaign against NBCUniversal in its battle for unionization of Spanish-language performers on Telemundo productions.

The latest volley came Thursday as it aired a 30-second commercial highlighting the double standard that exists between English-language and Spanish-language talent at the networks parent company, NBCUniversal. Telemundo and Comcast refused to air the Spanish-language spot during the networks live broadcast of the Premios Tu Mundo awards, but other Spanish-language stations in Miami, New York, and Los Angeles ran the ad.

Telemundos decision to censor 30 seconds of truthful commentary about its working conditions shows just how averse it is to having a transparent discussion about its refusal to fairly compensate Spanish-speaking performers. SAG-AFTRAs goal is to ensure all talent, regardless of their race, ethnicity, or language, have fair wages and certain protections, the performers union said.

As a leading voice for the Hispanic-American community, this should be Telemundos priority as well, SAG-AFTRA said. As the premier peoples choice award program for Telemundo talent, the media buy during Premios Tu Mundo looked to raise awareness of the double standard with Telemundos growing audience. In addition to successfully airing the spot on Mega TV and Estrella TV, among others, SAG-AFTRA also launched the ad in English and Spanish on its website and social media channels.

The ad said, Its time to end this double standard and demand fair treatment for all performers  not just those who speak English.

A Telemundo spokesperson issued a statement in response: After legal review, we have concluded the ad did not pass legal standards for issued based advertisement. We remain committed to making Telemundo a great place to work for our employees and will continue to invest in them to ensure their salaries and working conditions are competitive.

At Telemundo we support our employees right to join and not to join a union. Our talent and employees are capable of deciding what is in their own best interest. For that reason we believe our talent should exercise their freedom of choice to join a union or not, in a secret ballot election, a democratic process established by the National Labor Relations Board. We are dedicated to Telemundos long term success, which has created hundreds of high-value jobs and provided a valuable service to the Hispanic community in the United States.

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The performers union accused NBCUniversal in February of operating with a double standard between Spanish-language and English-language talent hired for productions under the same parent corporation. SAG-AFTRA made that allegation on the heels of NBCUniversal unveiling plans for a new headquarters in Miami for its Telemundo operations, while Telemundo responded by saying it was committed to making itself a great place to work for its employees.

SAG-AFTRA then announced on Aug. 3 that it had ramped up its campaign with union president Gabrielle Carteris saying, Despite Telemundos bravado as a champion of diversity, inclusion, and empowerment for the Hispanic-American community, the companys actions behind the scenes tell a much different story. In addition to treating its Spanish-language talent as second-class citizens, Telemundo has actively employed tactics to dissuade talent from obtaining union protections.

A spokesperson for Telemundo responded the same day by saying, We remain committed to making Telemundo a great place to work for our employees and will continue to invest in them to ensure their salaries and working conditions are competitive. We are dedicated to Telemundos long-term success, which has created hundreds of high-value jobs and provided a valuable service to the Hispanic community in the United States.

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Sam Mendes circling directors chair for new version of 1996s James and the Giant Peach (Photo: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images; Photofest)

Sam Mendes is in early talks to direct a live-action James and the Giant Peach, which he is developing with Disney.

Brooklyn scribe Nick Hornby is in early talks to adapt the 1961 Roald Dahl childrens book, which follows an orphan boy as he travels to New York City with a rag-tag group of anthropomorphic bugs by way of a large piece of magical produce.



Related: Beauty and the Beast to Prince Charming: Disney Animation Set for Live-Action Movies

Walt Disney Animation released a 1996 animated version of the story directed by stop-motion master Henry Selick, which reunited him with his Nightmare Before Christmas collaborator Tim Burton, who produced the film.



The summer, Disney released a different live-action Dahl adaptation, The BFG, which was directed by Steven Spielberg and marked the first collaboration between the Oscar-winning director and the studio.

Read more: Sarah Paulson Joining All-Female Oceans Eleven Spinoff



Mendes directed the last two installments in Daniel Craigs James Bond tenure, Skyfall and Spectre, and is currently attached to direct an adaptation of Gay Talese's upcoming book, The Voyeurs Motel.

Mendes is repped by CAA, the U.K.s The Agency and Ziffren Brittenham.

Sam Mendes flashback: Watch his Spectre vlog:
By PTI: From Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Aug 26 (PTI) Expressing serious concern over the attack on the American University of Afghanistan that killed 16 people, including eight students, the UN Security Council has said nations must bring financiers and sponsors of the "reprehensible" acts of terrorism to justice.

The 15-nation council "condemned in the strongest terms" the "heinous and cowardly" terrorist attack on August 24 in Kabul, targeting students of the American University of Afghanistan.

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The attack resulted in the death of 16 people, including eight students from the university, and 50 people injured, including 36 students.

In a press statement issued here yesterday, the council reaffirmed their "serious concern" at the threats posed by the taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State and illegal and armed groups to the local population, National Defence and Security Forces and the international presence in Afghanistan.

"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, and urged all states to cooperate actively with the Afghan authorities in this regard," the statement said.

The council also stressed the need to take measures to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, terrorist organisations and individual terrorists.

Expressing condolences to the victims and the Afghan government, the council said terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is "criminal" and "unjustifiable" and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.

The council reiterated that no violent or terrorist acts can reverse the Afghan-led process along the path towards peace, democracy and stability in Afghanistan.

The UN mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack, calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.

"An attack deliberately targeting an educational facility, during evening classes for university students, is an atrocity and those responsible must be held accountable," Pernille Kardel, the Secretary-Generals Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Acting Head of the UN Assistance Mission there, known as UNAMA, said in a statement.

The attack began with the detonation of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at a gate of the American University of Afghanistan, after which two gunmen entered the compound during the busy evening class period.

"The countrys youth are a source of pride and bring real hope for a better future," Kardel said, adding that she is hopeful that "violence will not discourage their desire for continued learning and attaining the knowledge and skills critical to Afghanistans prosperity." PTI YAS AJR ABH AJR

--- ENDS ---

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Riyadh (AFP) - An Ethiopian worker was killed and 18 Egyptians were injured when the roof of a building under construction collapsed in Saudi Arabia, a newspaper reported on Friday.

They were trapped when the metal roof in Mecca collapsed on Thursday, Okaz said on its website, citing the Civil Defence department.

It did not say what caused the collapse, which is under investigation. The men had been doing metalwork at the time, Okaz reported.

Fifteen of the Egyptians needed hospital treatment.

A day earlier, two Pakistanis died in a separate construction accident in Mecca, the newspaper said.

Millions of expatriates work as labourers and in other jobs in Saudi Arabia.

In April last year, at least 10 construction workers from Pakistan and one from India died in the collapse of a convention centre being built at a university in Qassim northwest of Riyadh.
By Marco Aquino

LIMA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A consortium formed by Sempra Energy and Techint Group offered the best bid to Odebrecht for acquiring its majority stake in a $5 billion natural gas pipeline project in Peru, a source with knowledge of the negotiations said Friday.

Brazilian engineering group Odebrecht SA is ensnared in a corruption scandal in Brazil and is pulling out of Peru, including natural gas pipeline operator Gasoducto Sur Peruano GSP SA, to raise cash and repay debts.

The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said that a proposal by the Sempra-Techint consortium to buy Odebrecht's 55 percent stake in GSP was the only one still being considered in the final stage of talks.

Last month, the group of about 20 banks working on a syndicated $4.1 billion loan to GSP rejected three bids for Odebrecht's stake, extending the deadline for the sale through this month, according to sources.

Gasoducto Sur Peruano, a 34-year concession to build and operate more than 1,134 kilometers (700 miles) of natural gas pipelines across Peru's southern region, needs $5 billion in investments in coming years.

Sempra and Techint did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Odebrecht declined to comment.

(Reporting by Marco Aquino; Editing by Bernard Orr)
HONG KONG (Reuters) - A Chinese general has been arrested in China for violating party discipline, a Hong Kong newspaper cited two unnamed sources as saying, describing him as one of the most senior incumbent military officials to be targeted in Beijing's crackdown on corruption. Wang Jianping, 62, deputy chief of the joint staff department under the powerful Central Military Commission, was taken into custody in Chengdu in southwestern Sichuan province, the South China Morning Post reported, citing one of the sources. Wang's wife and secretary were also detained, the newspaper said. China's Defence Ministry did not immediately reply to a fax seeking comment on the newspaper report. The precise charges against Wang weren't immediately clear, but "violating party discipline" is a common euphemism in China for corruption. As head of the 2.3 million-strong armed forces, President Xi Jinping has made his fight against military corruption a top priority, with officers warning that the problem is so pervasive it could undermine China's ability to wage war at a time when Beijing has increasingly projected its influence in the region and surrounding seas. The People's Liberation Army is already reeling from Xi's anti-corruption campaign, which has seen dozens of officers investigated, including Xu Caihou, a former vice chairman of the Central Military Commission. Wang is known to have worked closely in the past with Xu and former Chinese domestic security tzar Zhou Yongkang, who was jailed for life in 2015 in one of the country's biggest corruption scandals in decades. (Reporting by Hong Kong newsroom; Editing by Nick Macfie)
late night seth meyers donald trump immigration nbc

Seth Meyers pointed out the hypocrisy of Donald Trump's new "softened" stance on immigration.

The Republican presidential candidate has been walking back his previous hard-line stance on illegal immigrants.

"That's right. Trump is softening, also known as flip-flopping, Meyers said during "A Closer Look" on Thursday's "Late Night." Hes softening and flopping. Hes really sagging in the swing states. You see, his poll percentage is down and he cant seem to get it up. He cant get any penetration in the... Ugh, I do not feel good doing this.

A cornerstone of Trump's campaign has been his extreme plan to rid the US of all illegal immigrants. It has included deporting undocumented immigrant families, building a wall on the Mexican border, and blocking Muslims from entering the country. His new stance uses "existing laws" established by President Barack Obama.

Meyers joked that "Trumps copying Obama is a family tradition," referring to Melania Trump's plagiarizing of Michelle Obama's previous DNC speech during the RNC.

But more seriously, Meyers called Trump's flip-flop on Obama's immigration policy a sign of Trump's "sham."

Trump "spent the entire campaign complaining that Hillary [Clinton] would continue Obama's policies," Meyers said.

The host doesn't think Trump supporters will be able to stand this change on immigration, citing that supporters still chant "build that wall" during campaign speeches (though Trump has not said he would rethink the wall).

And Meyers even pointed out that Trump's representatives aren't doing a great job of covering for his changed stand. In a CNN interview, his national spokeswoman Katrina Pierson said he hasn't changed his position, just "the words he's saying."

"Trumps trying to have it both ways," Meyers said. "He wants to change his position on immigration to broaden his appeal, while also assuring his hardcore supporters hes not changing at all."

Story continues

Watch Meyers pick apart Trump's new immigration stance below:

NOW WATCH: Watch Donald Trump attempt to explain why he thinks Hillary Clinton is a bigot





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Mogadishu (AFP) - Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a popular beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, city authorities said on Friday.

"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.

Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The assailants also threw grenades at the security services who cordoned off the area. One man with a head wound was detained by the authorities which accused him of being the bomber.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.

The Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed via the Telegram messaging service, claiming to have killed "scores" of people.

It said the restaurant was targeted because it was frequented by "apostates" indulging in "obscenity and vice".

The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, seeking to impose an austere Islamic rule on the country.

By Friday morning officials said the attackers had been killed.

All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.

- Threat to elections -

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

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In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try to violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago, Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned that the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.
Marseille (AFP) - Several mayors in southeast France on Friday said they would maintain their bans on the Islamic burkini swimsuit despite a ruling by France's highest administrative court to suspend the measures.

Town hall authorities in Nice said the mayor would continue to fine women wearing burkinis while the mayor of nearby Frejus, David Rachline, told AFP that "the Frejus order is still valid."
By Keith Wallis, Aradhana Aravindan and Rajendra Jadhav HONG KONG/SINGAPORE/MUMBAI (Reuters) - Unpaid, underfed, and thousands of miles from home on a rusting tanker, captain Munir Hasan says he is a victim of a shipowner who has slashed costs in the face of an eight-year shipping downturn. Marooned on the medium-sized tanker Amba Bhakti that is moored close to Shanghai and is in urgent need of repair, Hasan claims he and his crew of four from India and Bangladesh have not received their wages from the owner, Varun Shipping, since February and are now owed tens of thousands of dollars. Hasan said the crew has had to rely on handouts of basic food, such as rice and noodles, from V.Ships, a company that had operated the ship under contract for the owner before resigning in July. "In the last 29 years of my sea career, I have never faced such a situation," said Hasan, a 50-year-old sea captain from Bangladesh. Reuters couldnt independently confirm certain aspects of Hasans account. Varun has not responded to repeated queries from Reuters via email, and it declined to comment when reached by phone. When a Reuters reporter went to its offices in Mumbai, India on Aug. 18, company officials declined to comment on the matter, saying that management was busy. Scott Moffitt, a V.Ships representative based in Singapore, told Reuters via email on Aug. 4 that it terminated three ship management contracts with Varun, including the one for the Amba Bhakti, due to unpaid fees, including crew wages." Moffitt said that V.Ships "became increasingly worried about their (the crew's) plight" and that "legal arrangements are under way to secure the back wages." ENFORCEMENT DIFFICULT The crew's predicament underscores the desperate time faced by an increasing number of seafarers working on so-called sweatships around the world, as the shipping industry faces its worst downturn in 30 years. Slack demand at a time when the size of the fleet of ships was increasing, drove dry cargo charter rates for products like coal and iron ore to historic lows earlier this year. It has led to the collapse of several shipping firms and has left many others fighting for survival. The result is that crews and their support groups, such as the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), are finding it difficult to force ship owners, many of whom cannot be easily located, to meet basic obligations. While "minimum working and living standards for all seafarers" were set in 2013 by the International Labour Organization, enforcing them isnt easy. Overall, shipping costs in the industry have come down by 20-30 percent from their peaks almost two years ago, shipping sources say. This has been achieved through savings in many areas, including fuel costs, reducing length of port stays, and cuts in provisions, crew travel costs and spending on equipment. But the overcapacity in the industry is so great that it isnt enough. Charter rates for tankers or container ships often dont cover operating expenses, and both shippers and the analysts who follow them largely agree there won't be any real improvement until 2018-2020. For example, the average payment for a capesize bulk carrier capable of carrying 170,000 tonnes of iron ore or coal has been $5,393 per day so far this year, according to data from shipping services firm Clarkson. And yet, accountancy firm Moore Stephens pegs daily operating costs for a similar capesize ship at around $7,300 per day. Not all shippers have cut crew provisions drastically, though a number say they have been reducing costs. Duncan Telfer, commercial director at Swire Pacific Ltd's Swire Pacific Offshore, which owns around 85 offshore support vessels, said his company was trying to trim costs where reasonable, without compromising crew safety. "There are many ways of cutting costs. Bottled water is an example. Is it really necessary to have bottled water if you have potable water available on-board?" he asked. DETAINING SHIPS The number of ships being seized and held by the authorities because they are unsafe is rising. For example, there were 202 ships detained last year by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) for environmental or safety deficiencies, up from 143 in 2014, the USCG said in its 2015 annual report. Rear Admiral Paul Thomas, assistant commandant for Prevention Policy at USCG, told Reuters that because of the low shipping rates and overcapacity, vessel maintenance can take a back seat in order to minimize operating costs. Shipping executives contacted in Singapore and Hong Kong also said some shippers were cutting back on food and drink costs. They said crews had faced a shift from steak to cans of spam meat, and from fresh to canned fruit, among other cost reductions. Jason Lam, inspector for the ITF in Hong Kong, says in the first seven months of the year he dealt with 115 ship safety cases, a faster pace than the 161 cases recorded in all of 2015 and 126 in the whole of 2014, usually involving unpaid crew wages or poor working conditions. He said it was clear that some shipping companies are refusing to supply their ships because of the weak shipping markets. In one case, the New Imperial Star - a large passenger ship that was used for gambling cruises in the South China Sea - failed Hong Kong safety inspections and has been detained in port since November, according to Hong Kong Marine Department records. The ship was sold to a buyer in an auction by the Hong Kong authorities on Tuesday and the proceeds will be partly used to pay outstanding wages. The identity of the new owner couldnt immediately be ascertained. The telephone number of the ship's previous owner, Hong Kong registered Skywill Management Limited, was not operable this week, and the company has differing addresses listed in Hong Kong company directories. "LOW ON PROVISIONS" In another case, the Five Stars Fujian, a coal carrier, has been sitting near the Great Barrier Reef, off Australia's east coast, for a month with supplies diminishing and salaries going unpaid. The ITF in Australia said that there were 21 Chinese men onboard as of August 14, and that the crew hadn't received wages since June and were now "very low on provisions." The Hong Kong Shipowners Association (HKSOA) said last week that it was "extremely concerned about the seafarers on the vessel, and that its crew had "effectively been abandoned by the owner." There were no signs of the firm at Five Stars Fujian Shipping's registered address in Hong Kong. Back at the Amba Bhakti, the crew have turned to outside groups for help. Reuters has viewed an email that Hasan sent on Aug. 2 to the Mission To Seafarers, an international crew support group, and the ITF, in which he said that they had been "held up on board ... without wages for six months," adding: We are requesting your immediate help to save our families. In response, the ITF has been pressing the owners and organizing support for the crew. The sailors have been employed on various contracts lasting from two to nine months to meet international rules governing minimum crew levels even though the ship has been languishing near Shanghai for three years. The main and auxiliary engines that would power generators and deck equipment need to be repaired. Two crew members had already given up and gone home, including the ship's chief engineer, Mohammed Abdul Mazid, according to Hasan. Reuters was unable to reach Mazid for comment. Hasan said Mazid left the ship in tears to return to Bangladesh in July despite being owed $73,000 in back pay. (Reporting by Keith Wallis in HONG KONG, Aradhana Aravindan in SINGAPORE, and Rajendra Jadhav in MUMBAI; Writing by Henning Gloystein; Editing by Martin Howell)
Singapore (AFP) - Acrid smog blanketed Singapore Friday as the city-state was hit by the years first major outbreak of haze, an annual crisis sparked by forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia.

Singapore's air quality index reached unhealthy levels with conditions deteriorating through the day, marking the worst haze episode in the city since vast parts of Southeast Asia were blanketed in smoke in 2015.

Last year's haze outbreak was among the worst in memory, shrouding Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of Thailand in acrid smoke.

The blazes are started illegally to clear land, typically for palm oil and pulpwood plantations, and Indonesia has faced intense criticism from its neighbours over its failure to halt the annual smog outbreaks.

Indonesian police said a total of 463 people have been arrested over forest fires so far in 2016. This is more than double the number arrested over the blazes in the whole of 2015 but the data suggest that most of this year's arrests involved smallholders.

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) breached "very unhealthy" levels of 215 during the day. PSI levels above 100 are deemed unhealthy and people are advised to reduce vigorous outdoor activity.

The NEA added that the smoke was being blown from fires in central Sumatra, the Indonesian island just across the Malacca Strait from Singapore.

Visibility from high-rise offices and other vantage points was virtually zero. An AFP photographer said he could hardly see the skyline from one of the city's highest points at Mount Faber, while haze kits sold out at a drugstore chain by lunchtime.

Food server Marcus Tan, 28, who works at a riverside restaurant with outdoor seating, said he was worried the haze would agitate his asthma.

"I know I'm supposed to wear a mask so I don't have another asthma attack. But do you think anyone will want to eat food served by someone wearing a mask?" he said.

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Smog was also visible in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of neighbouring Malaysia, over a few days last week but did not breach unhealthy levels.

Singapore last September closed schools and distributed protective face masks as the air pollution index soared to hazardous levels following three weeks of being cloaked in smoke.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said on its website that the number of "hotspots" on Sumatra had increased in the past 48 hours.

A hotspot is an area of intense heat detected by satellites, indicating a blaze has already broken out or that an area is very hot and likely to go up in flames soon.

As of Friday, there were 69 hotspots on Sumatra, up from 43 two days earlier, the agency said.

In the Indonesian part of Borneo island - another area where large numbers of smog-belching fires occur every year -- there were 31 hotspots as of midnight Thursday local time, it added.

However there were far fewer fires than at the peak of last years crisis, when hundreds burned out of control.
By PTI: Lucknow, Aug 26 (PTI) In a major reshuffle, Uttar Pradesh government today transferred 21 IAS officers including the district magistrate of the state capital and 83 PCS officers, officials said.

While DM Lucknow, Rajshekhar has been sent to Bareilly in the same capacity, Lucknow Development Authority (LDA), Vice chairman Satyendra Kumar Yadav has been made the DM Lucknow, an official release issued here said.

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Satyendra Kumar Yadav has been replaced by Anup Yadav as the Vice Chairman of the LDA.

District Magistrate Bareilly, Gaurav Dayal, has been transferred as the District Magistrate, Agra, in place of Pankaj Kumar who have been posted as Special Secretary Home.

Mission Director, Skill Development, Surendra Singh has been made the DM Unnao replacing Saumya Agarwal, who has been made the Special Secretary at Agriculture production Commissioners office and DM Mirzapur Rajesh Kumar Singh has also been transferred as Special Secretary APC.

Special Secretary, APC, Kanchan Verma has been made DM Mirzapur, DM Balrampur Priti Shukla has been replaced by Ram Vishan Mishra, while DM Bhadoi Prakash Bindu has been made DM Farukhabad and special secretary APC Suresh Kumar Singh has been sent to Bhadohi as the District Magistrate.

Besides, these officers, the government has also transferred 83 Provincial Civil Services (PCS) officers. PTI ABN DIP SMJ DIP

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Outside the wire. American and NATO special operations forces head out on missions with their Afghan counterparts nearly every night, a U.S. military official said Thursday. On average, we probably have somebody out every night or every other night, some place in the country, Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland told reporters at the Pentagon, adding that the partnered missions make up about 10 percent of all Afghan missions.

Cleveland said the NATO forces stop at the last safe location before the Afghans reach their objective, but he admitted that earlier this week, U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Matthew Thompson, 28, was killed by a roadside bomb just such a mission in Helmand province. Thompson became the second American special operator to die in combat in Afghanistan this year.

The unfriendly Gulf. In a series of dangerous incidents over the past week, four U.S. Navy ships operating in the Persian Gulf have been harassed by Iranian fast boats defense officials said Thursday. In one incident Wednesday, the patrol ship USS Squall fired warning shots from a .50 caliber gun near an Iranian vessel as it approached at a high speed, coming within 200 meters of the American ship. The USS Tempest also saw a pair of fast boats crisscross in front of its bow. Two U.S. destroyers, the USS Nitze and USS Stout, were also approached by Tehrans boats.

The Nitzes close call on Wednesday already drew headlines after four Iranian boats  with guns uncovered  approached at high speed while ignoring warnings to back off. The boats only held up once they were within about 300 yards, U.S. officials say. The ships all belonged to Irans Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which maintains its own navy in parallel to that of the regular armed forces in order to defend Iranian coastal waters. Theyre the guys who detained a group of U.S. sailors for several hours in January.

FPs Henry Johnson writes that the IRGC boats rely on swarming attacks where Iranian fast boats, typically armed with anti-ship cruise missiles and torpedoes, would set off in a dispersed fashion from hidden coves or small islands scattered across the Persian Gulf and then converge to surprise attack an enemy ship.

Story continues

China and Syria. After five years of slaughtering hundreds of thousands of its own citizens, the Syrian government doesnt have too many friends left on the international stage. But two of the biggest arent afraid to show who theyre rooting for. Russia, of course, is actively propping up the regime in Damascus with troops on the ground and aircraft bombing regime opponents and civilians in contested areas.

In a new twist, the Chinese government announced Thursday that it would kick off a new training program with the Syrian army. The Chinese military will provide the Syrian side with medical and nursing professional training, defense ministry spokesman Wu Qian told reporters Thursday. The training will take place in China, he added, and was intended to ease the humanitarian crisis in Syria.

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

Iran

Iran has angrily rejected Saudi charges that it supplied missiles to rebels in Yemen. Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif pushed back at what he said were baseless accusations leveled by Saudi King Salman, who reportedly showed visiting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry photos of Iranian-supplied missiles being positioned along the Saudi-Yemen border. The photos have not been made public. Kerry said he was deeply troubled by the images, leading Zarif to charge that Kerrys remarks show the U.S. government is an accomplice in Saudi war crimes against the innocent people of Yemen. American refueling planes have flown hundreds of sorties over the past year and a half to refuel bombers from Saudi and the UAE, allowing them to hit targets in Yemen. Those bombing runs have killed hundreds of civilians.

Saudi and Yemen

The Saudi-led bombing runs in Yemen have again drawn the attention of the United Nations, and the organizations top human rights official on Thursday called for an international inquiry into possible war crimes. The international community has a legal and moral duty to act, Zeid Raad al-Hussein, the U.N.s high commissioner for human rights said in a statement that came out along with a new report which documents attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure. al-Hussein added that such a manifestly, protractedly unjust situation must no longer be tolerated by the international community. The report will be presented to the Human Rights Council next month.

Iraq

In the latest indication of trouble at the top in Iraq, the countrys Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi lost a vote of confidence in the Iraqi parliament Thursday, standing accused of corruption involving weapons contracts. According to Iraqs constitution, after a no-confidence vote from parliament the minister is considered resigned from the date of the decision. The issue, however, may be tabled only at that Ministers request or at the signed request of 50 (parliament) members after an inquiry discussion directed at him.

Syria

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva Friday in another attempt to hammer out a controversial agreement on collaborating in the fight Islamist militants in Syria. The proposal hasnt been received with open arms by the Pentagon, and the new commander of U.S. and coalition forces in Iraq, Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, who took command on Sunday, said earlier this week that as a soldier, Im fairly skeptical of the Russians, adding that hes hesitant to believe the coalition can cooperate with them.
Ask the residents of any major American city to vote on a program of total aerial surveillancewhere the cops would record footage of everything that happened within municipal borders, then store the high-resolution video on hard drives, so that they could effectively go back in time, tracing the outdoor movements of any individualand the proposal would, at the very least, trigger furious debate.

But what if the police didnt ask permission? What if they began recording their citys residents from above without even bothering to inform their elected overseers?

That is what the police in Baltimore have just done.

It is illegal, in Maryland, to record a phone call without informing the person on the other end. Yet Baltimore police have been using an eye in the sky to surveil the whole city for months on end, recording hi-resolution footage and storing it on hard drives so that the movements of residents can be accessed at any time in the future.

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They began doing this in secret, with the help of a private company, launching the dystopian collaboration without even consulting Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake.

The revelation that a private company has been conducting secret aerial surveillance on behalf of the police department caused confusion, concern and outrage Wednesday among elected officials, The Baltimore Sun reported. Some demanded an immediate stop to the program pending a full, public accounting of its capabilities and its use in the city, including in the prosecution of criminal defendants... Others did not fault the program but said it should have been disclosed.

The program was revealed by an article in Bloomberg that described its proprietary technology. The system was built around an assembly of four to six commercially available industrial imaging cameras, synchronized and positioned at different angles, then attached to the bottom of a plane, the story notes. As the plane flew, computers stabilized the images from the cameras, stitched them together and transmitted them to the ground at a rate of one per second. This produced a searchable, constantly updating photographic map that was stored on hard drives.

Story continues

The product pitch: Imagine Google Earth with TiVo capability.

Back in 2014, I wrote about Ross McNutt, the man who owns the technology, and his company, Persistent Surveillance Systems, after they performed a test over Compton, California, another municipality where residents werent told that a private corporation would record their every move at the behest of local law enforcement. Back then, Sgt. Douglas Iketani of the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department acknowledged that his agency hid the initiative to avoid community opposition. This system was kind of kept confidential from everybody in the public, he said. A lot of people do have a problem with the eye in the sky, the Big Brother, so to mitigate those kinds of complaints we basically kept it pretty hush hush.

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Reflecting on that willful disregard for democratic legitimacy, and the similarly presumptuous behavior of police officials in Baltimorewho were already on notice that there would be objections to shenanigans of this sortit seems to me that the outrage so far offered by critics doesnt go far enough. The right response, I think, is the termination of police leadership in any city that undertakes an initiative of this sort without at least alerting all of the relevant elected city officials.

Baltimore cops were able to circumvent the citys elected leadership in part by relying on private funding. The surveillance flights over the city were bankrolled by Texas billionaires Laura and John Arnold. John is a former Enron trader whose hedge fund, Centaurus Advisors, made billions before he retired, Bloomberg reported. Since then, the Arnolds have funded a variety of hot-button causes, including advocating for public pension rollbacks and charter schools. The Arnolds told McNutt that if he could find a city that would allow the company to fly for several months, they would donate the money to keep the plane in the air.

That is worth dwelling on.

Technology has reached a point where billionaires can simply bankroll aerial surveillance that significantly and secretly compromises the privacy of hundreds of thousands.

And Baltimore police officials are dissembling about what theyve done even now that the program has been made public. This technology is about public safety, a police department spokesman declared. This isnt surveilling or tracking anyone. Its about catching those who choose to do harm to citizens in our city. In fact, those criminals are caught precisely because the city is engaged in surveillance. By violating everyones privacy they can track a few people whove committed crimes.

Recommended: Trump Just Massively Betrayed Ann Coulter on Immigration

The only people who should be concerned in the city of Baltimore are criminals," the police spokesperson continued, betraying ignorance of the dangers technology like this poses. One wonders if there are safeguards in place to prevent Baltimore police officers with access to the footage from tracking peaceful protesters after they leave an assembly; or surveilling a city council candidate running on a police reform platform; or stalking an ex-wife or a romantic interest.

Who has access to the footage? Can the particular parts of the data they access be audited after the fact? How long will the data be retained? Did this project violate anyones Fourth Amendment rights? These are just the most obvious questions that are raised. It is not reassuring that the cops are saying, nothing to worry about here, rather than, here are the specific abuses that we foresaw as inevitable but for safeguardsand here are the safeguards that we put in place to avert those abuses.

This portentous story isnt getting enough attention.

There is nothing like philosophical consensus in this country. But I submit that huge majorities, Republican and Democrat alike, would at least agree on this proposition: if a police department decides that it wants to surveil an entire city of Americans, recording aerial footage of everything that happens within municipal borders, then store the high-resolution video so that they can effectively go back in time, tracing the outdoor movements of any individual that they settle uponif a police department wants to do that, they should have to secure the consent of the governed. And if a billionaire wants to do that on his own accord he or she should not be allowed.

If proceeding in secret has no consequences for police agencies or the burgeoning private surveillance industry, were all likely to suffer increasingly intrusive privacy violations as technology advances. Who is to say that this isnt already happening, in your city, given the law enforcement communitys track record? In reality, unlike in 1984, Big Brother may watch for awhile without revealing that there is a Big Brother.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
ISIS wall

The terrorist group ISIS, while dealing with a consistent loss of territory in Iraq and Syria and unfulfilled plans for Libya, has shed benefits and raised taxes as it starts running out of money.

An ISIS memo found earlier this year saying the group had cut salaries for fighters by 50% was widely circulated as evidence of the group's financial problems.

But Adam J. Szubin, the acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence at the US Treasury Department, explained that's not the extent of the measures ISIS has taken to rein in its spending.

"Overall, ISIL is significantly constrained in terms of its funding," he told the CTC Sentinel, a publication of the Combatting Terrorism Center at West Point.

Szubin noted that ISIS is cutting benefits as it tries to deal with a cash crunch.

"We received information earlier this year indicating that ISIL stopped paying death benefits to families of ISIL personnel," Szubin said. "That's a core benefit that a group like ISIL needs to promise to the families of those going on suicide or likely suicide missions in order to maintain their operational tempo."

ISIS is also relying more on taxation for revenue.

"We've seen them significantly increase taxation rates and increase the categories of activity they're now taxing," Szubin said. "While they had once held off from taxing the poorest civilians on humanitarian grounds, they are now taxing across the board."

And the group is increasing rates and dipping into pensions, according to Szubin.

"Where the rates might have once been 3% or 5%, we see those doubling, and we see them going after everything from income to remittances to picking up pension payments," Szubin said. "Every aspect of life is being taxed, including real estate."

Szubin also disputed the notion of across-the-board salary cuts for ISIS fighters, speculating that its highly skilled workers are probably still being paid the same while its foreign fighters are likely suffering the most from the cutbacks.

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"I have no doubt that ISIL continues to pay its chemical engineers and the people who are advanced on the weapons side, people who are helping it on the gas-refinery side, the same salaries they used to pay them," Szubin said. "The 50% pay cut is probably for the foreign fighters or those who are in the second or third ring, and it's a pretty significant pay cut."

Defections from ISIS are thought to be increasing as salaries decrease.

In its propaganda, ISIS paints a picture of a thriving "caliphate," the name is uses for the territory it controls, but many foreigners who have traveled there have returned to the West disillusioned and with stories of extreme poverty and hardship in ISIS areas. And local fighters  especially in Syria, where a civil war is raging  will sometimes choose to join whichever militia or group has the most resources.

"They have been able to attract unprecedented numbers of foreign fighters to come join their cause based on two things," Szubin explained. "One was battlefield success and this narrative that they were moving towards establishing a caliphate. They no longer have that. The last six months have been nothing but loss of territory followed by loss of territory."

The second reason ISIS was able to grow so quickly was the competitive salaries the group offered.

"Secondly, they were paying better than the going rate, more, for example, than a civil servant could be expected to receive in a place like Iraq and more than other militia groups were paying," Szubin said.

ISIS is also seeing its oil revenues plummet as the US targets tanker trucks. The military has also seen some success in targeting cash storehouses.

Despite ISIS' financial woes, it doesn't look like a total collapse is imminent. But the group is struggling both financially and militarily, and it no longer looks to be growing.

"I do think they're feeling financial strain across the board," Szubin said. "If you look at a number of the military fronts, they're feeling strain there. I think they're feeling it in terms of the public narrative. And they're feeling strain in terms of the internal support by Sunni populations who have soured even further on ISIL. They are back on their heels."

NOW WATCH: The US Army is sending Apache attack helicopters to fight ISIS in Iraq





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He was a summer associate at the Chicago law firm where she worked, so their all-day first date was partially devoted convincing her it should even be a date at all. The outing also included a trip to the Art Institute of Chicago, a movie (Spike Lees Do the Right Thing) and ice cream (Baskin-Robbins).

That story might sound a bit familiarnot just because it has some typical hallmarks of a first date, but also because its the story of Michelle Robinsons first date with Barack Obama, which is the inspiration for the new film Southside With You. It could be just a classic story of meeting a special someone, except that the couple in question would end up in the White House.

The stories of presidential meet-cutes range from Andrew Jackson meeting his wife Rachel while staying at her mothers boarding house, to Harry Truman knowing Bess since they were in Sunday school together as children, to Richard Nixon meeting Pat Ryan when both were acting in a play at a community theater in Whittier, Calif. Many met at a dance or party: George Washington and Martha; John Adams and Abigail, whom he once addressed in a letter as Miss Adorable; George H.W. Bush and Barbara. Oddly, several met when the future First LadiesAnna Symmes (William Henry Harrison), Margaret Smith (Zachary Taylor) and Mary Todd (Abraham Lincoln)were visiting their sisters. Still others met through a variety of cousins, siblings, parents and other relatives.

A few of the stories, however, are particularly rom-com-worthy:

John Adams and Dolley Payne Todd

In 1794, James Madison was a Congressman from Virginia and a confirmed bachelor of 43. Dolley Todd was a widow of 25 when Madison asked his friend Aaron Burr to introduce them when Burr was staying at Dolleys mothers boarding house in Philadelphia. Madisons desire to meet the young woman was prescient, and provided fodder for some epic words of love: Later that summer her cousin wrote to Dolley that Madison thinks so much of you in the day that he has Lost his Tongue, at Night he Dreames of you & Starts in his Sleep a Calling on you to relieve his Flame for he Burns to such an excess that he will be shortly consumed & he hopes that your Heart will be calous to every other swain but himself he has Consented to every thing that I have wrote about him with Sparkling Eyes. They married on Sept. 15, 1794.

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Calvin Coolidge and Grace Anna Goodhue

This story about Grace and Calvin Coolidge is less about their first date than about their first sighting. The two lived across the street from each other in Northampton, Mass. One day, she was watering flowers and glimpsed a rather peculiarly attired man in a house across the wayhe was shaving wearing just his underwear and a derby hat. She burst out laughing. Theres some fuzziness to what happened next, but soon enough they began courting and writing letters by June of 1904. He later explained the hat was to keep his hair out of his face.

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Lyndon Johnson and Claudia Lady Bird Taylor

Lyndon Johnsons first date with Lady Bird started with breakfast and, like the Obamas, it turned out to be an all-day affair. As summer 1934 came to an end, Johnson was working as a secretary to a Congressman in Washington D.C. and was on a trip to Texas when he saw his future wife at a mutual friends office and asked her to meet him for breakfast at the Driskill Hotel the next day. She, however, decided to skip the breakfast date for another appointment, which it turned out was next door to the Driskill Hotel coffee shopso she saw him waiting for her, even after the other meeting concluded. He waved her in and began nonstop chattering, even as the date continued with a drive around Austin. She described it as just like finding yourself in the middle of a whirlwind. She met his parents the next day and he met her father shortly after. He returned to D.C. and they commenced writing letters to each other, which you can read online.

Ronald Reagan and Nancy Davis

In 1949, Nancy Davis was a young actor when her name was associated with communist sympathizers in Hollywood, something that could derail her barely-started career. She got a friend to put her in touch with the President of the Screen Actors Guild, Ronald Reagan, to see if anything could be done. They arranged to have dinner, a business meeting of sorts. Apparently, the suspected communist was another actor named Nancy Davis. Reagan recalled her intense worry about clearing her name at their first meeting, and yet the conversation veered to other subjects, and he later wrote that he didnt get home until 3:00 a.m. that night. The recently divorced Reagan didnt immediately start dating Nancy, but by March 1952 they were married. I dont know if it was exactly love at first sight, she later said. But it was pretty close.

Bill Clinton and Hillary Rodham

Anyone who watched President Clinton speak at the Democratic National Convention this July will know that the Clintons met at Yale Law School, following in the footsteps of similarly academic meet-cutes of Millard Fillmore and James Garfield. As she wrote in her memoir Living History, he first came to her attention as a guy who wouldnt stop talking about Arkansas and how great it was. They were in the same class, and kept looking at each other in the library. But it was the following spring when she finally had enough of his glances and went to talk to him herself: If youre going to keep looking at me, and Im going to keep looking back, we might as well be introduced, she said. Im Hillary Rodham. Even that wasnt enough to get the romance started, however. At the end of the term they left class at the same time and he walked over to the registrars office with her, even though he had already registereda walk that turned into their first date.
"I was nervous as heck," remembers actress Tika Sumpter of sitting in a theater back in January at the Sundance Film Festival, watching her movie Southside With You with an audience for the first time. "I didn't even bother taking off my leather jacket, so I was just sitting there sweating."

Sumpter, 36, soon found out that there was little to be nervous about. The movie received rave reviews at the fest, secured North American distribution through a deal with Roadside Attractions and Miramax and is getting an 811-theater nationwide release this weekend.

Southside, a walk-and-talk romance that chronicles the first date of President Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) and Michelle Robinson (Sumpter), also is the directorial debut of writer-director Richard Tanne.

"People walk in with a hesitation," says Sumpter, aware that Southside could be misconstrued as political propaganda or a foray into made-for-TV movie territory. "But the film is not campy and it's not winking at the audience going, 'Look! It's the future president and first lady!' It is rooted in authenticity."

Sumpter's turn as the future first lady marks the actress's first major leading role in a film. Her varied credits include the Ride Along movies, Gossip Girl, the HBO movie Bessie and The Haves and the Have Nots.

Read more: 'Southside With You' Director on Where His Obama Date Movie Fits in the Current Presidential Race

"I wanted to make sure that it was an embodiment rather than a caricature or an imitation," the actress explains of her portrayal of the then 25-year-old lawyer. "But I wanted you to see glimpse of the [future] Michelle Obama, like you can see that 2008 DNC speech in her."

In his Sundance review, The Hollywood Reporter's chief film critic Todd McCarthy wrote, "From the first second she's onscreen, the striking Tika Sumpter is 100 percent the Michelle Obama the public has come to know: formidable, intellectually probing and a bit fierce."

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Sumpter was given the Southside story by an mutual acquaintance of hers and Tanne's while it was still in treatment form. She met with Tanne and spent several months pestering him to write the screenplay. The story evolved into a tale of the future first couple's first date, which took place in Chicago in the summer of 1989, complete with a movie theater outing to see Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing, lively discussion of public policy and arguments about the confectionery value of pie versus ice cream.

During the preproduction process, Tika made it clear that if Tanne did not end up casting her in the part of Michelle, she would like to stay on the project as a producer, something she had never done before.

"I knew she would be a great producing partner," says Tanne. "And after that meeting, I saw that she had so many qualities that I had identified in a young Michelle."

"I have never produced anything in my life, so, for me, it wasn't just a vanity credit," says Sumpter, who worked with Tanne to develop and pitch the project and secure financing, some of which came from Grammy winner John Legend, who executive produced the feature through his Get Lifted production banner.

"It empowered me so much. You get a say and your words have relevance. It feels like you are creating legislature," Sumpter says of producing, likening the feeling to a song from Lin Manuel Miranda's Tony-winning Broadway musical Hamilton: "I liked being in 'The room where it happened.'"

Read more: Box Office: Obama Love Story 'Southside With You' Plots Aggressive Nationwide Rollout

When watching Southside With You, it's almost impossible not to draw parallels between Sumpter and the would-be first lady. The way a young Michelle describes her precarious place as a black woman who is an associate at a high-powered law firm in the pic is similar to how Sumpter describes navigating Hollywood as a woman of color.

"It's hard enough being a woman at a giant corporate law firm," says Robinson in the film. "I gotta work just a little bit harder to earn everyone's respect. I gotta work a little harder just to be taken seriously."

"She is doing a balancing act and walking between two worlds," explains Sumpter. "And I am set up in the world of Hollywood that is mostly run by white men."

On Aug. 22, it was announced that Sumpter would be reteaming Southside with You executive producer Legend to develop Black Wall Street, a historical drama series for cable network WGN. The story is based on the black community of Greenwood, Okla., which stood economically independent in the 1900s until the town was burned to the ground and hundreds of residents were killed by white rioters beginning in 1921.

"There are not enough variations of stories about black people," says Sumpter. "I am so tired of talking about diversity, but inclusion is very important. Imagery is validation. It says: 'You matter.'"

Sumpter spoke with The Hollywood Reporter by phone the day after Southside had its Chicago premiere. A little over a year prior, in the middle of summer, the actress was on location, walking the streets of Chicago for the quick 17-day shoot.

"I think it was important to bring [the movie] back and say, 'Thank you' and 'We see you.' The South Side of Chicago is not held in the best light, so it was nice to say, 'Here you are.'"

Read more: Dressing the Obamas on Film: How The 'Southside With You' Costume Designer Defined the Power Couple
Miami (AFP) - SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship splashed down Friday in the Pacific Ocean, returning a load of NASA research from the International Space Station, the US space agency said.

The capsule returned to Earth at 11:47 am (1547 GMT) southwest of the Mexican state of Baja California with more than 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of cargo.

Some of the experiments conducted on board should enable scientists to better understand the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body, as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration works toward its goal of sending people to Mars by the 2030s.

One examined how microgravity affects human heart cells, while another used lab mice to study how spaceflight affects DNA.

The return of the spacecraft caps the ninth resupply mission for the California-based SpaceX under a contract to ferry goods to the astronauts living at the ISS.

The Dragon launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last month and arrived at the space station July 20, carrying the first of two docking adaptors to allow commercial spacecraft to park at the space station in the coming years.

SpaceX's Dragon is the only cargo carrier in use that can return gear to Earth. Others, such as Orbital ATK's Cygnus, burn up on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere.
President Barack Obama defined the India-US relationship as a transformative and defining partnership of the 21st century. As his two-term presidency draws to a close, Group Editorial Director Raj Chengappa, in an exclusive interview with US Ambassador to India Richard Rahul Verma, 47, assesses just how far relations with India progressed under Obama's tenure and what more needs to be done. Excerpts:

Do you think, as Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, that India and the US have finally overcome the hesitations of history?

Yes. We both had what he calls the hesitations of history. I refer to it as a gravitational pull, and we are trying to break out of its orbit. Because there were forces holding us back. And many of those were in the past. And I think it's hard to cure those overnight. It takes time, and a building of trust.

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Under President George W. Bush, the big-bang Indo-US nuclear deal went through. What are the key contributions of President Obama towards improving relations with India?

Where the change has come, it has been evolutionary. To put it simply, to supporting India's rise as a leading power in the world. And it comes in many different facets. So in international institutions it was making sure they are reflective of India's role in the world, not the post-World War II period where those institutions were built. The President saw a world where India will soon be the world's most populous country. It will have the third biggest economy. It is the world's largest democracy. Six years ago, he supported India's accession to the non-proliferation regimes, so he's been a big proponent of the re-architecture of our global political institutions, including the UN and the G20.

Secondly, he is making sure India is strong militarily and has the tools and capabilities it needs to be a net security provider in the region. The US leadership is unabashed about their strong support for India to have the best navy, the best air force, the best army, the best special forces capability. We've seen that in how hard they've pushed on cyber security cooperation, on counter-terrorism cooperation. So again, moving away from the transactional sale here and there to more of a full partner. We saw that in the summit over the summer with India's evolution to a major defence partner. We've seen that with the Defense Technology and Trade Initiative (DTTI), something we don't have with any other country.

And on the economic front?

I think the President has tried to line up very strongly behind Prime Minister Modi's vision for development, and support ultimately the aspirations of not only the Indian people but of the American people to have closer, stronger economic ties. So I know it's easy for us to rattle off a laundry list of things we've done. You know, we have some 70 different initiatives going on. We've broken every record in what we keep. But I think it's important for people to take a step back and say why has this relationship actually excelled over the last couple of years in particular. A lot of hard work. Bipartisan administrations, bipartisan support in the Congress, over successive regimes here in India and in Washington. But I think we finally have moved from two parallel tracks to two tracks that are converging in important ways.

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On trade and investment, there is promise of building it from $107 billion to $500 billion. Is there a momentum to that?

I think there is optimism. If you go back and look at our trade numbers, our two-way trade numbers, just 10 years ago, they were about $35 billion. So, in a 10-year period, we have more than tripled the number. If you look at our defence trade number, seven years ago, it was close to zero. Now we are north of $15 billion. Look at our agriculture trade number: 10 years ago, about $1.5 billion; last year, closer to $6 billion. I look at the number of Indian companies in the United States-the highest ever. Upwards of 200, employing several hundred thousand Americans. The same is true on the Indian side: 500-plus US companies here employing well over a million Indians. I only give you these data points to suggest we were able to achieve this at a time when we were still kind of fighting a lot of these trade and bureaucratic fights. Now, we will not get to $500 billion overnight and we will not get there without some work. There also has to be a shared understanding of why that would be good for both countries. And I think we are making progress. As the reforms continue to happen here, I think we will see increased trade and investment.

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What areas need working on?

The GST reform from a central perspective was important. Some of the FTI liberalisations we've seen are important. It's not just sectors opening, though, it's all those ease-of-doing business factors. Then the areas we have had a big discussion about over the years have been IT, strengthening the intellectual property environment, issues of tax fairness and certainty-legal certainty and contract sanctity. That's part of the reason we were and are interested in a Bilateral Investment Treaty, so that investors know and companies know how their disputes can be resolved. There are always issues of regulatory burden. And obviously land and labour...perennial issues. The US and India are competing against regional trade blocs, against our trade with other countries, and we're competing to attract India's investments because it can go to other destinations as well. So I believe this is a huge and exciting area for both of us.

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How will the proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty make a difference?

Taking a step back, just ask why both sides should want it. It's ultimately about a structural reform or agreement that will boost investor confidence. So when you ask me how do you reach $500 billion, you do it through knocking on the doors of companies in both countries and saying you should go there, you should go there. But you can also try to make the climate more attractive so that you can mitigate risk, provide certainty and a path forward so that when a company or an investor looks at their investment choices, let's say just across Asia, and they're choosing between places where the US has a Bilateral Investment Treaty and where they don't, not to go to a place they will have some risk because they don't know, for example in dispute resolution, how those disputes get resolved.

The US now describes India as a major defence partner. This earlier was an area where there was no trust. Have we got over the problems of the past?

I think the future of our defence cooperation is unlimited. It's really extraordinary how far we've come. I think you know already on the military exercises, India has more exercises with the United States than with any other country. On the industry part, we have our DTTI, but we also have our joint ventures. I think people forget that parts of the President's helicopter are built here in India. Parts of the Apache, the most advanced military combat helicopter in the world, will be made in India. The core principle of being a major defence partner is that we will treat India as if it were one of our closest allies for the purpose of defence cooperation and technology transfer. Now it's up to both sides to build out exactly what that means in practice. What does that mean in terms of licensing? In terms of co-development and co-production? But let me just give you one major example as to why this is so exciting.

Richard Rahul Verma. Photo: Vikram Sharma

We are talking about building frontline fighter aircraft here in India. Not some parts of it, but building the [whole] aircraft here in India. And not only for use by the Indian Air Force, but potentially for export as well. Now that is somewhat groundbreaking. I think that qualifies as major defence partner type of initiative that we haven't extended our offer to any other nation. It is ensuring that India has the military capabilities to be that net security provider and be able to carry out the kinds of missions required as a defender and protector of the global commons today.

There are concerns that if we buy arms from the US, America could use it as leverage against us if they do not agree with us on a conflict situation? Or use it to snoop on us?

When we talk about overcoming the hesitations of history, some of these things have been floating around for a long time, and I think there was some suspicion about what these agreements actually do. If one were to actually read the logistics or communications or the geospatial agreement, I think they'd find them to be quite mundane agreements that will ultimately lead to a better and higher level of cooperation and transfer of technology. Now some people said, well, we can't sign the logistics agreement because that will result in American bases or Americans using our facilities in a time of conflict. There's not a single word in that agreement that would authorise that. And that was made clear in the course of the negotiation. And that's why I think it's important to overcome some of these rumours and get down to the actual text.

The other area defining the partnership is India's relations with US vis--vis Pakistan. Earlier, it was always hyphenated. Has that changed?

I think the US-India relationship stands on its own. And the trajectory that the US-India relationship is on is so strong and so promising in so many areas that we didn't even talk about yet, from education and travel and consular and science and technology and innovation. Our relationship with Pakistan is an important one also, but one where the objective is to seek a stable and peaceful and democratic Pakistan. And at times in our history, that's put us in tension with New Delhi. We understand that.

But I think the objective is commonly shared. We want the people of Pakistan to be able to live peacefully, free from attacks of terrorism. To be able to pursue their life's dreams and ambitions. And we also have concerns we share with the Indian government about cross-border terrorism, safe havens, extremism, and we've made that very clear to the Pakistanis.

What pressure has the US brought on Pakistan to delegitimise these terror groups, disrupt their activity and curb cross-border terrorism?

Look, I think at the highest levels we've had this conversation with the Pakistanis. The President has made it very clear that safe havens have to be eliminated. That it's important for Pakistanis to go after all terrorist groups that not only threaten within Pakistan but its neighbours as well. There's been designations of terrorism groups. There's been a cut-off of funding when steps have not been taken-$300 million was recently withheld because of failure to take action against the Haqqanis.

There has been a significant toughening of India's approach towards Pakistan and Prime Minister Modi spoke of human rights violations in Balochistan. How does the US view these recent developments?

Our policy on this front has not changed. It is one that encourages dialogue and cessation of violence, but ultimately an issue for the two parties to resolve, through dialogue. And that's ultimately a question for the leadership of both countries. For the time, the scope, the manner, the content of those conversations, when they would occur, what's on the table, where they would occur.

How does the US view India's role in terms of global issues? In the South China Sea, for instance?

One of the landmark documents we signed with India in January 2015 was the Joint Strategic Vision for the Asia Pacific. It's a short document, but it reasserted and upheld some very basic principles. One is upholding the rule of law. Secondly, the peaceful resolution of disputes and living up to international norms. And nowhere is that more important than the South China Sea where it's important the rule of law be upheld in that region. So I think India's adherence to the kind of post-World War II order, to international norms and rules, whether in cyber security supporting the multi-stakeholder model of internet governance and international norms on cyber behaviour, or on upholding the basic rules under the Law of the Sea. And we've seen India be just such a leader in this area. In its boundary dispute with Bangladesh. So it can be and has been a critical country in this century that stands up for and advances the rules of behaviour that have been in place in the post-World War II order.

During the NSG negotiations, China overtly expressed its opposition to India's membership. In the past, we had President Bush reportedly call his counterpart and ask him to agree to a waiver for India. There is a feeling the US fell short somehow in persuading China this time.

Look, I think you have to go back and remember that President Obama called for India's accession to the export control regimes including the NSG six years ago, and has been supportive of India's position since then. And there has been no shortage of effort from the highest levels in Washington and beyond in continuing to support India's case.

Did President Obama make a call to Xi Jinping on this?

I don't want to get into who he did or did not call. I'd just say it was strongly supported at the highest levels. And again, I think we're on a good track going forward and we're working closely with our counterparts here at the MEA and across the Indian government to hopefully see a good result.

There is growing concern that US is tightening visa norms and is targeting Indian business and job-seekers?

I don't think it's a targeting of India at all. I think what we saw was an increase in the H1B visa fee, but there's been no decrease in the number of H1B visas issued. I think what we're talking about is probably a larger question which is not just a US question, which is what to do when domestic industries are under stress, when labour is available in foreign locations at cheaper rates, and that's the struggle, the economic struggle, I think. We're not the only ones having it. Certainly Europe has had it, other parts of Asia are trying to deal with it. This is the challenge of globalisation. How do you make it work for everyone? And that's an ongoing conversation, but it certainly is not about decreasing the role India or Indian workers play with US companies or with the US economy.

India cooperated with the US to see the Paris Climate Change Treaty through. How is the US assisting India in meeting the ambitious energy targets it has set?

The renewable energy target of 175 gigawatts is the single biggest renewable commitment of any country that's ever been made in history. We have strongly lined up behind that target. Even before that target was reached, we mobilised about $2.5 billion in capital through our Partnership to Advance Clean Energy. At the recent summit in June, we laid out three new programmes we think will mobilise another $1.4 billion. So that's just on the funding side. EXIM and OPIC are here in big ways, will continue to be here, especially through the Westinghouse project. I've heard this argument before that somehow we're withholding providing our best technology. It really has more to do with the intellectual property environment. In fact, our companies know what a huge commitment this is, to reach that target. We know it will take a revolution in technology, in financing, and ultimately in economic development when that many people have renewable sources of energy and have it in a clean way.

Finally, a personal question. How has it been as the first American of Indian origin to be ambassador to India?

Look, it's a great honour, and I think every time I go back and see my mom's house or my dad's village, go back to Punjab, I'm reminded of how life throws you the dice and you don't know how it will end up. The best thing is to be able to try to make a difference and to try to give some things back to this critically important relationship. If I can help move the dial in some small way, then maybe that will have a real impact for people.

--- ENDS ---
Shah Rukh is currently busy with the shooting of Imtiaz Alis The Ring and seems like the actor-director are having a good time exploring the movies character in Prague.

The 50-year-old actor recently took to Instagram to share a picture of himself along with Imtiaz and captioned it as, I am a cage, in search of a bird. Kafka in Prague. In our case we r only trying to discover characters in our film.

Quite a literati!

Donning a cool look in black jacket, blue t-shirt and denims, the Dilwale star looked as handsome as ever.

Happy to pose Imtiaz was in a casual avatar.

Recommended Read: SRK and Akshay stay put in the Forbes list of Worlds 10 highest paid actors

Meanwhile, Vaibhavi Merchant has also joined the squad in Prague and will choreograph SKR in a number. The duo had last teamed up for Jabra and is geared to re-create the same magic.

While nothing much has been revealed about the plot, reports suggest that Anushka will pay a Gujarati girl in the movie and Shah Rukh is set to play a tourist guide in the movie.
At the request of IIROC, the Stans Energy Corp. wishes to clarify disclosure from its earlier August 25, 2016 news release titled: Stans Announces MOU for Lithium Stockpile and Mill

TORONTO, ON / ACCESSWIRE / August 26, 2016 / Stans Energy Corp. ("Stans" or the "Company") is pleased to announce that it has entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (the "MOU") for an option to acquire 100% of Pervomayskiy GOK LLC ("PGOK"), a Russian limited liability corporation, the owner of a Lithium Mineralization Stockpile (the "stockpile"), the Zabaikalsky Mill (the "mill") and supporting infrastructure.

Under the terms of the MOU, Stans and PGOK (together the "Parties") have agreed on consideration for the possible development of the stockpile, re-commissioning of the mill and the addition of a lithium carbonate production facility. After preliminary evaluation of the in-house Technical Economic Assessment (the "TEA") prepared by PGOK according to Russian standards in 2015, Stans confirms its intention of conducting due diligence on the stockpile of lithium bearing mineralization, the renovation of the mill and the development of a process circuit for producing lithium carbonate, all according to NI 43-101 standards.

Stockpile and Mill

The stockpile and mill are associated with the historic mining operations from the Zavitinsky Lithium and Beryllium Mine (the "mine"), which is about 250 km from Chita City, located in the Trans-Baikal Region of Russia. A full array of infrastructure is available near the stockpile and mill including: electricity generating power station and substation, heat and water supply, tailings storage and railways terminals. The mill is directly connected with the Trans-Siberian Railway.

The mine was in production from 1942 through the mid 1990's, and was the Soviet Union's only active lithium mine. The mine and mill produced over 100,000 tonnes of lithium in concentrate form over its life span. A cut-off grade of Li0 of 0.3% was set by the state for mining operations, as the primary use of lithium at that time in the Soviet Union was for military purposes and market economics were not a consideration. The mill produced concentrates of both beryllium and lithium while the mine was in production, and after the mine was closed the mill continued to process fluorite, gold, and antimony ore through to 2010 when it was put under care and maintenance due to a lack of feed material. The stockpile contains according to historic estimates approximately 19,000,000 tonnes of mineralized material grading at or below 0.3% Li0, This historical estimate does not constitute a current mineral resource or mineral reserve. A qualified person has not done sufficient work to classify the historical estimate as current mineral resources, Stans is not treating the historical estimate as current mineral resources. Stans will be confirming both the volume and grade as part of its' due diligence process. Upon completion of legal and technical due diligence, Stans will carry out a Definitive Feasibility Study ("DFS") to evaluate the new lithium carbonate production technology developed by VNIIHT (The Russian Leading Institute of Chemical Technology) and to determine the re-commissioning and upgrading costs and timelines of the mill.

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Memorandum of Understanding

The MOU establishes the Parties decision on phased implementation of this project under the following conditions:

Phase 1. Resource estimation and TEA confirmation

PGOK shall provide Stans with all legal and technical documentation on the stockpile, the mill, the over-all project, including new lithium carbonate production technology and PGOK corporate structure, on a timely basis. Stans shall then conduct a full geological audit of the stockpile to estimate the lithium mineral resources by the Canadian standards specified in NI 43-101 (Standards of Disclosure for Mineral Projects). Stans will earn the right to acquire a 5% participatory interest of PGOK in exchange for the satisfactory completion of due dilligence at Stans' expense (up to US$1million)

Phase 2. Definitive Feasibility Study design

Provided that the legal and geological due diligence is acceptable to Stans, Stans shall then be responsible to produce a DFS of the overall project and shall have an option to acquire an additional 25% of participatory interest in PGOK based on Stans completing the DFS at its expense (budget to be determined).

Phase 3. Construction and the start-up of the mine

Stans shall arrange for financing and construction of the stockpile processing operations and shall have an option to acquire up to 100% of PGOK ownership. The final decision of the structure of the participants' interests in PGOK and the number of Stans' shares to be owned by the PGOK shall be determined in good faith by the Parties.

"This MOU represents an exciting new opportunity for Stans and our stakeholders as we embark down a path of due diligence for the potential of developing a lithium prospect. The intensive use of lithium and its down-stream products represent a fundamental pivot in global energy consumption and storage. We are proud to be part of this change and look forward to the challenges ahead. Stans' experience in the redevelopment of the Kutessay-II Mine and Kashka Rare Earth Processing Plant will be utilized in this challenging project, and we are confident that our technical team and Stans' management are up to the task," states Rodney Irwin, Interim President and CEO.

The scientific and technical information in this document was reviewed, verified and compiled by Stans Energy Corp.'s geological and mining staff under the supervision of the company's qualified person, Dr. Gennady Savchenko FGS, Director of International Mining Operations, Stans Energy Corp.

Notes:

The property description is translated from Russian and taken from historical information.

The source and data of these historical estimates are from a Technical Economic Assessment of the stockpile and mill completed by PGOK in 2015.

About Stans Energy

Stans Energy Corp. is a resource development company focused on advancing rare and specialty metals properties focusing on areas of Central Asia and Russia. Stans acquired, among other things, the right to mine the past producing rare earth mine, Kutessay II, in the Kyrgyz Republic in 2009 and the right to mine Beryllium at Kalesay. Steps subsequently taken by the Government of the Kyrgyz Republic to wrongfully to deprive the Company of those mining rights have required Stans to take actions at various international arbitration tribunals to protect the Company's rights and recover damages caused by the Republic's wrongful actions.

We seek safe harbour.

Contact Details

Rodney Irwin

Interim President & CEO

rodney@stansenergy.com

647-426-1865

David Vinokurov

VP Corporate Development

david@stansenergy.com

647-426-1865

FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This document includes forward-looking statements as well as historical information. Forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, use of proceeds from the Offering, the completion of the Offering, and the continued advancement of the company's general business development, research development and the company's development of mineral exploration projects. When used in this press release, the words "will", "shall", "anticipate", "believe", "estimate", "expect", "intent", "may", "project", "plan", "should" and similar expressions may identify forward-looking statements. Although Stans Energy Corp. believes that their 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 statement. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ from these forward-looking statements include the potential that fluctuations in the marketplace for the sale of minerals, the inability to implement corporate strategies, the ability to obtain financing and other risks disclosed in our filings made with Canadian Securities Regulators.

SOURCE: Stans Energy Corp.
Barely a week into the job, Donald Trumps new campaign CEO is already facing harsh scrutiny over a 20-year-old domestic-violence charge and an allegation of voter-registration fraud.

On Thursday night, the New York Post and other outlets reported that Stephen Bannon was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery, and dissuading a witness in 1996, after an altercation with his then-wife in Santa Monica, California. According to a police report, Bannons spouse said he pulled at her neck and wrist. A spokesman told Politico that Bannon was never questioned by police and pleaded not guilty. The charges were dropped around the time that the couple divorced later that year. In divorce proceedings, she outlined several vulgarities Bannon allegedly used.

Early Friday morning, Guardian US added its own bombshell: Bannon and another ex-wife are registered to vote at a vacant house in Florida, a key swing state. That registration could be a violation of election laws, representing voter fraud:

Stephen Bannon, the chief executive of Trumps election campaign, has an active voter registration at the house in Miami-Dade County, Florida, which is vacant and due to be demolished to make way for a new development. I have emptied the property, Luis Guevara, the owner of the house, which is in the Coconut Grove section of the city, said in an interview. Nobody lives there  we are going to make a construction there. Neighbors said the property had been abandoned for several months. Bannon, 62, formerly rented the house for use by his ex-wife, Diane Clohesy, but did not live there himself. Clohesy, a Tea Party activist, moved out of the house earlier this year and has her own irregular voting registration arrangement. According to public records, Bannon and Clohesy divorced seven years ago.

The Trump campaign said simply that Bannon had moved to another location in Florida.

Recommended: Trump Just Massively Betrayed Ann Coulter on Immigration

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The fact that Bannons registration is not on the up-and-up is particularly damaging because Trump has in recent weeks been warning that rigged elections and voter fraud were the only way we can lose the election. Concerns about voter fraud, often with racial overtones, are a longstanding feature of American politics. More recently, a long string of states have worked to impose stricter voter requirements, eliminating or cutting same-day registration and early voting or requiring voters to show photo ID.

But voting experts point out that there are virtually no documented cases of in-person voter fraud, where someone shows up and votes in someone elses name. More common are cases where someone is registered at an address where they dont livejust like Bannon. Its not altogether uncommon for people to have failed to update old registrations, but its particularly embarrassing for Bannon, since he is running a presidential campaign, no less one that is warning about widespread fraud. Moreover, the Guardian reports that Bannon may have previously registered at an address in Florida where he did not live. Wilfullly providing false voter-registration information in Florida is a third-degree felony, punishable by up to five years in prison.

Bannon also lives in Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. According to tax records, the D.C. residence is actually owned by Mostafa El-Gindy, an Egyptian businessman and former member of parliament. Gindy has received favorable coverage from Breitbart News, which styles him as a senior statesman.

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Not only is the whiff of voter fraud an embarrassing disclosure for a campaign that has railed against it, but the domestic-violence charges make Bannon the latest figure on the Trump campaign embroiled in misogyny and violence. Trump himself has been accused of misogyny over the years, and his ex-wife Ivana even alleged marital rape, though she has since withdrawn the claim. Roger Ailes, the former Fox News CEO who was recently ousted after a long string of allegations of sexual harassment emerged, has also reportedly become an adviser to Trump. The Republican nominee trails badly among women, with sky-high unfavorable ratings. A recent Quinnipiac poll showed Clinton leading among women 60-36, while an NBC/Survey Monkey poll showed a 56-35 Clinton lead.

Bannon, who until August 17 was CEO of the Breitbart news organization, was brought into the reeling Trump campaign to replace Paul Manafort. Manafort had become politically toxic, as an accelerating number of stories explored his work for Kremlin-aligned former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych. Manafort may have violated U.S. law by failing to register as a foreign agent, some experts believe. While Manafort was initially said to be remaining as campaign chairman, Trump had reportedly lost faith in his strategic counsel and he resigned two days after Bannons appointment.

Manafort, in turn, was hired as a counterweight to and later a replacement for Corey Lewandowski, the political operative who joined the Trump campaign in its early days. But Lewandowski was pushed aside and later fired, beset by the campaigns struggles at winning delegates but also by Lewandowskis repeated physical altercations on the trail. In the most high-profile case, Lewandowski grabbed then-Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields at a rally in Florida, then denied he had done so. Although a prosecutor declined to bring charges, video evidence showed Lewandowski had lied about the encounter.

Bannon already seems to carry as much baggage as his predecessors. In addition to the domestic-violence charges and the voter-fraud allegation, Democrat Hillary Clinton made Bannon and Breitbart a central piece of her blistering indictment of Trumps ties to white supremacists and nationalists and the alt-right in a speech Thursday. The good news for Trump is that by now hes accustomed to dealing with campaign-manager controversies.

Read more from The Atlantic:

This article was originally published on The Atlantic.
From Popular Mechanics

The wind was howling, the sun blinding, and the temperature cold enough to chill your bones when the six made their final march towards the North Pole. It was the morning of April 6, 1909. American Commander Robert Peary, his assistant Matthew Henson, and four Inuit men arrived at what was, according to Peary's reading of his sextant, exactly 90 degrees north latitude. "My life work is accomplished," Peary wrote later in his diary, "I have got the North Pole out of my system."

It had taken more than two decades for Peary to complete this task. Nearly all of it happened in the company of his trusty, jack-of-all-trades partner Henson. In the world of the early 1900, when all of the seas were being sailed, all the land was being "colonized," and all the jungles were being mapped, the Arctic was the final uncharted territory. Wrote Peary in his diary, "I have won the last, great, geographical prize, the North Pole."

Photo credit: Courtesy of The Explorers Club Research Collections

Five months later, Peary and Henson arrived back to North America eager to share their feat with the world. Unfortunately, they were met with a not-so-happy surprise: According to the New York Herald, a former colleague and friend had beaten them by a full year. "The North Pole is Discovered by Dr. Frederick A. Cook," exclaimed a headline. Peary and Henson were incredulous. After years of exploring and suffering in the freezing elements, a one-time ally was now claiming the distinction of being first, setting off what famed journalist Lincoln Steffens called, "the story of the century."

Today, more than a century after Peary and Henson returned from their Arctic adventure and on what would be Henson's 150th birthday, there is still mystery about who was first to the North Pole. Was it Peary or Cook? As later evidence would suggest, the answer may have been neither. "Whatever the truth is," wrote Steffens in 1909, "the situation is as wonderful as the Pole."

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"My life work is accomplished. I have got the North Pole out of my system."

The Team Comes Together

The North Pole may be "just a point in the Arctic Ocean," as Thorsten Markus, Chief of the Cryospheric Sciences Laboratory at Goddard Space Center, calls it. But it's one that occupies a mythical position in our collective consciousness (after all, it's Santa's home).

It was in steamy Nicaragua where Robert Peary probably got the idea to explore the Arctic. Graduating from Maine's Bowdoin College in 1877 with a degree in civil engineering, he went to work for the U.S. Navy Civil Engineers Corps gauging the viability of a Nicaraguan canal connecting the Pacific and Atlantic. The canal never happened-America built the Panama Canal instead-but the job fanned the flames of adventure in Peary. In 1886, he borrowed $500 from his mother and set sail for Greenland to discover an overland route to the North Pole. His intention was to transverse the Arctic alone, but he soon learned that this was a suicide mission. During the six-week expedition, Peary and his new native companions became the first to record a journey to the interior ice cap of lower Arctic Greenland. Afterwards, he returned stateside determined to make it further, but knew he needed help. That's when he met Matthew Henson.

Photo credit: Lacey Flint

Born August 8, 1866 in Maryland, Matthew Henson was the son of African-American freeborn sharecroppers. The world's foremost Henson expert (and a Harvard professor of neurology), S. Allen Counter, says Henson and Peary were linked by the defining characteristic of a "determined heart." At 13, Henson left school and moved to Baltimore, where he became a cabin boy on a globe-trotting ship. Henson's adventures took him throughout Asia and Europe where he picked up skills like navigation, engineering, carpentry, and a knack for foreign languages. Returning to America, he found work as a clerk at a fur shop in Washington DC. That's where his and Peary's paths crossed, when the fellow explorer was attempting to sell his fur stock for extra cash. Impressed by the clerk's knowledge and thirst for exploration, Peary soon offered Henson a job as his "personal assistant" for his return to Nicaragua's jungles.

Peary and Henson's relationship was one of respect and admiration, but must be looked at from the perspective of the time. As Counter notes in his bookNorth Pole Legacy: Black, White, and Eskimo, Peary did harbor many of the prevailing racial views of the era, particularly that the European white race was superior not only to African-Americans but to the Inuit people he would encounter in the far north. It's clear, however, that Peary saw past these misconceptions when it came to Henson. "In the context we know today, perhaps (Peary) was racist," Counter says, "but there were many signs that he saw Henson as an equal. In fact, in some cases, he thought (Henson) had slightly superior skills....some hated (Peary) for treating him that way... but Peary trusted Henson implicitly." Peary would write in the foreward to Henson's 1912 memoir that Henson was a prime illustration of "the fact that race, color, or bringing-up, or enviroment, count nothing against a determined heart, if it is backed and aided by intelligence."

Photo credit: Courtesy of The Explorers Club Research Collections

After an initial rendezvous in Nicaragua, the duo began planning their first Arctic trip in 1891. Among Peary's hires was an inexperienced young New York physician by the name of Frederick Cook. Cook had only just graduated from medical school a year earlier and was drawn to the expedition in large part because of tragedy. Right before learning his medical exam results, Cook's wife and child died during childbirth. Looking for purpose, he read that Peary was seeking volunteers for the Arctic trip. He applied, later writing in his autobiography that he felt the "commanding call of the Northland...to invade the Unknown, to assail the fastness of the white frozen North."

Peary hired him (presumably because Cook was cheap) and at least initially did not regret the decision. During the 1891 expedition, Peary violently broke his leg, but Cook was there to save and nurse him back to health. Peary would write later about the incident, "I owe much to (Cook's) professional skill, unruffled patience, and coolness in an emergency." A decade later, Peary's family called on Cook in desperation to find their loved one who they feared he was lost in the unforgiving Arctic. Cook tracked down Peary and helped to heal him from a multitude of near-fatal ailments.

Friends and Rivals

The 1891 expedition may have ended in pain and misery, but it was encouraging enough that Peary and Henson continued their pursuit of the North Pole. Over the next two decades they proceed further, eventually traveling the farthest point north ever reached in 1900, to the latitude of 8350' north. They would broke their own record in 1906, getting to 8760' north. Cook too took to the explorer's' life, joining the expedition that's credited for being the first to winter in Antarctica. It's said that during that trip he saved lives by forcing the men to spend at least an hour a day in front of the vessel's lone working stove to ward off depression. After establishing his New York medical practice, Cook embarked on another adventure where he supposedly became the first to summit North America's highest point, Mount McKinley (now Denali). Although Cook was honored by National Geographic and President Teddy Roosevelt for this accomplishment, historians later would claim that he faked it.

Photo credit: Courtesy of The Explorers Club Research Collections

Fast-forward to July 1907. According to Bruce Henderson's book True North, Cook departed from Gloucester, MA for northern Greenland. After waiting out the winter at a native settlement about 700 miles from the Pole, he-along with nine Inuit men, 11 light sledges, and 103 dogs-began the trek northward. Following the musk ox feeding grounds, it took him little more than two months to travel across the frozen tundra. At noon on April 21, 1908, Cook brought out his custom-made French sextant and made the discovery that caused a "wild wave of joy" to fill his heart: He had made it "as near as possible" to 90 degrees north. Or so he said.

Three years later, in his book My Attainment of the Pole, Cook takes great care to explain that being exact was impossible. "That I stood at the time on the very pinpoint of the earth I do not and never did claim; I may have, I may have not," he wrote. He goes on to assert that his "close enough" claim is "as honest, as careful, as scientific a basis of observations and calculations as any human being could." The team's trip home would be less triumphant. The ice drifts forced them west rather than east, leaving them miles from their intended destination of Cape Svartevoeg (now called Cape Stallworthy) and hopelessly cut off from their supply caches. It nearly killed them. There were reports that Cook and his party perished. But in April 1909, they arrived back at the native settlement, emaciated in their fur rags.

Peary, meanwhile, was more experienced and better funded than Cook. On August 18 1908, more than a year after Cook's departure, Peary's National Geographic-sponsored expedition began when the Roosevelt (named after Peary's friend Teddy, who was on hand to send them off) departed from New York. On board was Peary, Henson, professors of mathematics and engineering, the ship's captain, 29 Inuits, 246 dogs, 70 tons of whale meat, hunting equipment, and lots of coal. They anchored at Canada's Ellesmere Island to winter and prepare for the 520-mile hike to the North Pole. While the native Inuits respected Peary, they admired and loved Henson. Over the years, he had learned their language, adapted their culture, and fathered an Inuit child (so had Peary). They called him "Mahri Pahluk," or "Matthew, the kind one."

Photo credit: Lacey Flint

Peary set-up a system of "relay teams" who would go ahead to set up base camp and leave a trail of supplies for the others. This was the "Peary Plan." And while his party was large, Peary knew the team that eventually made the final journey to the North Pole had to be small. Days before their final hike to the Pole, Peary choose Henson to accompany him rather than the other white men on the expedition. While the choice seems obvious due to Peary and Henson's long-time relationship, Counter says there was more behind Peary's decision. "He knew (Henson) would not challenge (Peary's) status as the first white man to stand on top of the North Pole," he tells Popular Mechanics. "I'm convinced that's why he turned (the others) back."

According to Henderson's True North, Peary stopped in Greenland on his way back to America after reaching the Pole 1909. That's where he ran into a friend of Cook's, Harry Whitney. Saying that Cook also passed through after his own recent exploration, Whitney claimed to possess Cook's journals and the very sextant that Cook had used to mark the location of 90 degrees north. Peary offered Whitney passage back stateside on one condition: that he left all of Cook's possessions behind in Greenland. Whitney obliged, burying them by "some large rocks by the shoreline." The journals and sextant, Cook's supposed concrete proof that had gotten to the North Pole, have never been found.

They were "unanimously of the opinion that Commander Peary reached the North Pole."

The day after arriving back in Nova Scotia, Peary sold his story rights to The New York Times and claimed Cook's version was fiction. The long-time friendship died a quick death. Cook, for his part, continued to do interviews telling anyone that would listen that he had made it to the North Pole before Peary but that his proof was lost in Greenland. In November 1909, the National Geographic Society (which had sponsored Peary's trip) announced that an inquisition into the validity of Peary's claims revealed that they were "unanimously of the opinion that Commander Peary reached the North Pole." Without his journals or sextant, Cook couldn't prove his case.

In 1911, Peary appeared in front of the Naval Affairs Subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives in hopes of receiving official recognition that he was the first to the North Pole. In a vote of 4 to 3, Peary got it, but the minority noted that they had "deep-seated doubts" about Peary's claims. In 1912, Henson published his autobiography where he defended his and Peary's claims and disregarded Cook's. "We know Dr. Cook very well and also his reputation.... He probably spun this yarn... to make himself look big," wrote Henson, "I have reason to be grateful to Dr. Cook for favors received...but I feel that all of the debts have been liquidated by my silence in this controversy and I will have nothing more to say in regard to him or his claims."

True North?

Over the years, numerous books, articles, and reports have argued for one side or the other. Interestingly, though, many people have taken the stance that neither of them actually reached the North Pole. A 1988 report from fellow explorer Wall Herbert (published in National Geographic) claimed that the Peary/Henson expedition fell 30 to 60 miles short of the pole. A 1989 study made a similar claim. Later that year, a 230-page report from the National Geographic Society reasserted the claim that Peary/Henson in fact did make it. 2005's True North takes the rather unabashed opinion that Cook got there first and has been forgotten by history. For his part, Counter says he's certain that Peary and Henson deserve the honor.

Photo credit: Courtesy of The Explorers Club Research Collections

Perhaps it doesn't really matter. Peary, Henson, and Cook all transversed the brutal, unforgiving and unknown Arctic without any of the modern technologies we've come to rely on. "Nowadays we have weather predictions, satellite data, we know when, how and where to go. They had no idea," says Markus, "That their navigation accuracy is even close is pretty amazing... My phone has a better GPS than what they had."

What's more, their feats may never be equaled. In 2015 National Geographic published the article "Has the Last Human Trekked to the North Pole?" According to a study conducted by NASA senior research scientists in 2008, the thickness of the Arctic ice had decreased by about 5.75 feet in less than 30 years. Thinner ice, rising waters, and more quickly changing conditions have conspired to all but end the age of North Pole exploration. Traversing the ice by foot to touch the pole may never happen again.

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Its boom time for 50s mistress of intrigue Patricia Highsmith: Her roman a clef The Price Of Salt was most recently filmed as the acclaimed Cate Blanchett vehicle Carol, as The Talented Mr Ripley was, earlier, for Matt Damon. Now her Dostoevskian novel Strangers On A Train, concerned with the moral and practical possibilities of a perfect crime, has been retooled (following, of course, Alfred Hitchcocks 1951 film version) and updated by Leslye Headland. Shes a writer and director (Bachelorette; Sleeping With Other People) whose take on the human comedy has tended more to slapstick comedy than film noir. But in The Layover, Headland and a cast led by Annie Parisse (HBOs Vinyl) and Adam Rothenberg (the BBC series Ripper Street; House) dive into the dark, deep end of a fable about sex, lies and smartphones.

The train has been replaced by a plane in this tightly scripted one-act, which is having its world premiere at off-Broadways Second Stage. The gay subtext of the original has been re-envisioned as the arguably illicit encounter between a woman who presents herself as an unattached college teacher of American crime novels and an unhappily affianced structural engineer. Shellie (Parisse) and Dex (Rothenberg) meet cute in adjacent seats on a New York-bound flight from Chicago thats delayed long enough for them to flirt, then canceled long enough for them to go the distance in an airport hotel. Shes reading a Highsmith novel and has an abject fear of flying. When he tries a few pick-up lines on her, she responds with verbal machine-gun fire aimed at his patronizing, patriarchal need, in her words, to terrorize him. How could these two not end up in bed?

Trip Cullmans high-octane production then bifurcates the New York section of the story (the excellent set design is by Mark Wendland). At stage right is the upscale apartment Dex shares with his privileged fiancee Andrea (Amelia Workman) and her annoying daughter Lily (Arica Himmel). At stage left is the dreary rat trap Shellie shares with her epileptic father Fred (John Procaccino) and Kevin (Quincy Dunn-Baker), who steals Freds Dilantin and other drugs to sell on the street. A key player in several scenes is a smart phone, used to communicate, to obfuscate and to add some insipid music into the proceedings.

In their brief encounter, Shellie and Dex have gotten under each others skin, and how that truth resolves itself in the tangle of lies they built around the relationship is the subject of Headlands concern, and I cant go into more detail without betraying too much of the plot. As with most noir tales, things never are quite what they appear to be, but in the case of The Layover you may find yourself, as I did, feeling whiplashed. Not because of the startling plot reveals but by the inconsistencies of character. Headland writes snappy, caustic dialogue  the repartee here is pretty great  yet I found much of what was being said defied credibility. Tracy-and-Hepurning one minute, Ricky-and-Lucying the next, Shellie and Dex seem, ultimately, more like an authors conceit than actual characters. The abrupt shocker that concludes the play only confirmed my sense that Headland wasnt in control of the story and, by the end, simply threw in the towel.

Or maybe I just didnt get it. Still, the show was never boring, as Shellie and Dex danced their dance of sex and  whatever. They may not be lost souls finding redemption in each other, but merely seekers of relief from the tedium of following the rules, and in that, they resonate.

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Misha Nonoo to Present Collection on Snapchat [Business of Fashion]

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Accessories Designer Anya Hindmarch to Curate Collection for Sotheby's [Pret-a-Reporter Inbox]

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Ahead of Band of Outsiders' return to the runway next month, the brand's new team opened up about designing for the label without its founder, Scott Sternberg, who walked away from the project last year. The European designers tasked with reviving the brand - Niklaus Hodel, Florian Feder and Matthias Weber - maintained that Los Angeles will remain as the main source of inspiration. The trio will show Band of Outsiders' spring 2017 collection at NYFW on Sept. 10.

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In three short days, Kanye West reportedly raked in more than $1 million from his Life of Pablo merch pop-up shops. However, a little digging revealed that insane mark-ups might be responsible for his quick fortune. Labels show that the $55 tees are Gildan tees, which sell at wholesale for between $1.50 and $4 per shirt. Even with the added costs of shipping, printing, taxes and staff, West made almost a $43 profit per tee. Understandably, some fans were upset by the low-quality merch, expressing their anger on social media.

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Khartoum (AFP) - South Sudan's former rebel leader Riek Machar has been discharged from hospital in Khartoum after being treated for a swollen leg, his aides told AFP on Friday.

Machar was replaced by Taban Deng Gai as South Sudan's first vice president after hundreds of people died in Juba last month in clashes between Machar's forces and government troops.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese government announced that Machar had arrived in Khartoum for "medical treatment", but did not elaborate.

"He has been discharged," Manasseh Zindo, a senior aide from Machar's party SPLM/A (IO), told AFP.

Another party aide, Sabiet Majok, said Machar had been discharged on Friday morning.

"His condition has improved. His leg has improved. Basically, what we know is that his leg had swollen due to long-distance walking," Zindo said.

Following last month's deadly fighting in Juba, Machar escaped to the Democratic Republic of Congo before travelling to Khartoum.

On Tuesday, Sudan said that when Machar arrived in the capital that he needed "immediate medical treatment".

"He's in good health now, but he will stay in Khartoum for some more days," Majok said.

He said Machar plans to meet President Omar al-Bashir, and also to hold a press conference.

Majok said Machar soon plans to travel to Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda and Kenya -- the other member countries apart from Sudan of East African trading and security bloc IGAD.

After a 1983-2005 civil war, the mainly Christian south of Sudan split from the Muslim north on July 9, 2011, following a referendum six months earlier.

But in December 2013, a brutal civil war erupted in the world's youngest country between supporters of President Salva Kiir and Machar, after Kiir accused his deputy of plotting a coup.

Ties between Khartoum and Juba have been strained since then amid allegations that Sudan backs Machar in the civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than two million from their homes.

The civil war in South Sudan has split the country along ethnic lines and driven it to the brink of collapse.

A peace deal signed between the government and rebels almost a year ago has so far failed to end the conflict.
Sumner Redstone will meet face-to-face with his granddaughter Keryn as part of a wide-ranging resolution of several disputes raised at the Massachusetts Probate and Family Court.

The agreement also cleared all objections to former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and director George Abrams effort to back away from the bitter legal battle they launched after May 20 when Sumner ousted them from his seven-member family trust and the board of National Amusements.

Last week they withdrew their case, which had alleged that 93-year-old Redstone is no longer competent to make such a decision. It was part of a broad agreement to end the legal battle in Massachusetts as well as one at Delawares Chancery Court, with Dauman surrendering his positions in the familys power structure and at Viacom.

This was a reasonable and human outcome to a human issue, Judge George Phelan said. Thank you all for your flexibility and your common sense. He plans to hold a status conference on September 23 to see how the resolution efforts are progressing.

Sumners lawyer Robert Klieger said that his client agreed to meet with Keryn to see if theres any healing process that can be accomplished. Keryn had supported Dauman and Abrams suit, and said that Sumner was being manipulated by her aunt, Shari Redstone.

Members of the trust that will run the Redstone fortune when hes unable to do so, as well as other grandchildren who  like Keryn  are beneficiaries, agreed to propose that the terms clarify that theyll all be treated equally.

Everybody will have some degree of comfort that nobody will be treated unequally and hopefully have some sort of a healing process, Klieger said.

Theyve agreed to scrap a planned mid-September court date for Keryns suit seeking to determine whether her grandfather is competent to manage his empire. They will stay all deadlines, depositions and other discovery efforts.

Story continues

I am very pleased for the Redstone family, says Sharis lawyer, Elizabeth Burnett. The plaintiffs claims filed against Sumner and Shari have been dismissed, the settlement agreement is firmly in place, and Sumners decisions have been honored in all respects. This result benefits Viacom, National Amusements and all of the beneficiaries of Sumners trust.

Related stories

Viacom Board Voices Confidence In Paramount's Brad Grey After Thursday Grilling By Board

Massachusetts Judge Calls On Redstones To Settle Family Dispute Privately

Sumner Redstone: Granddaughter Lacks Standing To Challenge Viacom Settlement
After a contentious hearing that hinged on the question of Sumner Redstones mental capacity, lawyers for the mogul and one of his granddaughters came to terms in a Massachusetts courtroom Friday on a deal that paves the way for the end of litigation against Redstone by former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman.

Keryn Redstones challenge to the settlement agreement reached by Dauman and Sumner Redstones camp last week was seen as a last-ditch effort to press the case that the 93-year-old mogul is mentally incapacitated and that his daughter Shari has subverted his will in decision-making about his empire and the Redstone family trust.

But Keryn, Sumner Redstones 30-something granddaughter, emerged with victories as Judge George Phelan praised the lawyers for reaching a reasonable and human outcome to a human issue and commended them for their flexibility and common sense. (The hearing in the Canton, Mass., courthouse was live streamed by Courtroom View Network.)

The deal hashed out by lawyers during an afternoon recess calls for the family trust to be amended to ensure that all five of Redstones grandchildren are treated equally in future distributions from the trust  an issue that had been raised by Keryn, who has publicly battled Shari, her aunt, in recent years.

The deal also calls for Keryn Redstone to have a face-to-face meeting with Sumner Redstone in the coming weeks, something Keryn maintained she had been denied since Shari Redstone became the dominant influence in her fathers life last October. The judge set a status conference for lawyers to provide him updates on the process of amending the trust for Sept. 23.

The judge questioned Sumner Redstone lawyer Robert Klieger about whether the meeting between Keryn and Sumner would include the presence of a caregiver who was alleged, in the blizzard of court filings related to Sumner Redstones capacity, to have been a paid informant for Shari Redstone. Klieger assured the judge that the person in question would not be present  and an attorney for Shari Redstone was quick to add that claims of Shari having moles on the payroll were false allegations.

Story continues

Separate from the issues sorted through on Friday, Keryn Redstone will still pursue through mediation in California a claim that she was improperly removed in 2013 as a candidate to be a future member of the board of trustees of the Redstone trust.

The hearing demonstrated the level of rancor in the House of Redstone, with Keryns sister and cousins siding against her in the fight that has accused Shari Redstone of being the puppet master who was bent on gaining control of his empire and subverting her fathers will.

With the agreement reached Friday, the sides agreed to put a hold on plans for depositions of Sumner Redstone and other family members and people associated with the trust. The deal also included an agreement for Sumner Redstones camp to split the cost of the most recent flurry of litigation 50-50 with the plaintiffs.

During the hearing, Klieger indicated that the mogul was in reasonably good health, and he mentioned that he spoke with the 93-year-old corporate titan by FaceTime during the recess about his willingness to meet with Keryn.

Sumner Redstone and his representatives must have figured they were done with answering questions about the billionaires mental competency and his ouster of Dauman as chief executive of Viacom, given last weeks settlement of complicated litigation on those issues. But that sense of finality didnt take into account Keryn, whose lawyers spent Friday morning furiously arguing before a Massachusetts judge that the magnates decision making, and mental health, should remain very much in question.

After hours of argument, Phelan continued the case into Friday afternoon, remaining unpersuaded by lawyers for Dauman and his fellow Viacom board member, George Abrams, that he could dismiss the two from the litigation over the governance of Redstones $40 billion corporate empire.

Keryn Redstones ability to hold up proceedings that had appeared settled was just the latest twist in a legal saga that began last November, when Sumner Redstones fragile condition became known to the world. At the time, the dispute centered on his long-time companion and former lover, Manuela Herzer, who sued to be re-installed as his health care guardian. Herzer, now 53, lost that case. But she continues to press for an inheritance valued at $70 million in a Los Angeles courtroom and to support her friend, Keryn Redstone, who she met when the two were both caring for the media magnate.

Phelan rejected a request from the Abrams and Dauman lawyers to enter an order removing the two men from the case. He said just before breaking for lunch that he needed to hear more from both sides, quipping that a resolution to the dispute had seemed near two minutes ago. But the judge also indicated he did not have broad authority over corporate matters and was unclear how much authority he could exercise on the portion of the settlement related Viacoms governance.

Both Dauman and Abrams must continue to wait until at least later Friday to see whether the three-month-old litigation that they started will go away. The duo both served earlier in their careers as Redstones lawyers, before becoming close confidantes and members of the boards of both the magnates theater chain, National Amusements Inc., and of Viacom, the multi-national corporation that controls Comedy Central, MTV, VHI, BET and the Paramount Pictures studio.

Dauman and Abrams filed their lawsuit in the Massachusetts family and probate court, located in a Boston suburb, in May. They charged that Redstone, now 93, did not have the mental capacity to remove the pair as directors from both National Amusements, which serves as a holding company for his controlling positions in Viacom and CBS Corp.  and from the family trust that will oversee Redstones holdings if he becomes incapacitated, or at the time of his death.

They also said that his mental frailty made him susceptible to his daughter, Shari, who they charged got her father to toss aside his career-long aversion to having her or another family member take over his role directing his corporate holdings. The two men alleged that the younger Redstone isolated her father and then, with the help of his staff, coerced him into changing many things in his life  including Abrams and Daumans membership in the crucial panels that oversee National Amusements.

Keryn Redstones lead lawyer, Pierce ODonnell, argued Friday to Phelan that the case could not be properly resolved without a medical examination and deposition of Redstone, to determine whether he really understood the gravity of booting his two long-time allies. They said that Sharis true goal in removing them from National Amusements was to put her allies on the Viacom board, thereby obtaining the leverage to oust her long-time rival, Dauman, from atop the family conglomerate. (Five new members were added to the board in May, at the direction of National Amusements and the pending settlement would have them seated immediately.)

Last weeks wide-ranging appeared to bring an end to the Massachusetts lawsuit and two others, in California and Delaware, over the complex corporate governance feud. Lawyers for Dauman and Abrams asked Friday to end the discovery process and withdraw the Massachusetts lawsuit, which had been scheduled to go to trial Sept. 19. But Keryn Redstones attorneys pressed for the case to remain open; arguing that the the central question had not been resolved  whether the frail nonagenarian, often confined to bed unable to express himself clearly, wittingly move to revamp his business empire? Or the corollary question: Did Shari, 62, scheme to become the power behind the throne?

Shari Redstones representatives have vehemently argued that she has only moved to enact her fathers wishes and to try to do what is best for the familys companies and their thousands of shareholders. They say the conspiracy theories have been trumped up to turn her father against her, as she claimed his long-time live-in companion, Herzer, had previously succeeded in doing.

Keryn Redstone joined the legal fight as a beneficiary of the trust. ODonnell hammered away in his appeals to Phelan with the one question: What does Sumner want? He said the subject could not be dropped just because Dauman and Abrams have reached a settlement with Viacom and its board. Judge Phelan pressed ODonnell as to whether a resolution could be reached by having Dauman and Abrams sign an affidavit asserting that they now believe the mogul had the capacity to make his own decisions. Attorneys on both sides seemed caught off guard by the request and could not give the judge an immediate answer. Dauman and Abrams were not in attendance.

Sumner Redstones attorneys argued that Keryn Redstones claims extend far beyond the scope of the Dauman/Abrams suit. The back and forth in the courtroom demonstrated the extent of the infighting among Redstones children and grandchildren.

Keryn Redstone  the daughter of the Redstone patriarchs estranged son, Brent  was depicted as the grandchild who was closest to her grandfather and who at times helped with his care.

Klieg didnt hide his frustration with ODonnells effort to fast-track dozens of depositions and requests for thousands of pages of discovery documents. He suggested that Keryn Redstone had hoped the Dauman/Abrams litigation would carry the water for the costs of pursuing her own claims. (Her connection and support of Herzer did not take center stage at Fridays hearing.)

ODonnell suggested that the examinations and deposition of Redstone needed to occur as soon as possible, because of the moguls sketchy and deteriorating health. Klieger said this was simply not true  that Redstone had gotten better (earlier this year he was mainly confined to bed and fed through a tube.) Klieger said: Theres no imminent risk of any health problems, theres been no recent hosptalizations. Theres no reason to believe that Mr. Redstone will not still be here with us for the duration of this case on any reasonable schedule.

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Sumner Redstone's Granddaughter and Ex Continue Fight Over His Estate

Comedy Central Greenlights Series Starring Comedian James Davis
The United States surgeon general, Dr. Vivek Murthy, has sent a letter to every doctor in the United States asking them to help solve the problem of opioid addiction in the United States.

Murthy points out in the letter that overdose deaths from opioids have quadrupled since 1999, and prescriptions for powerful painkillers have risen to the point that theres enough for every American adult to have a bottle of pills.

I am asking for your help to solve an urgent health crisis facing America: the opioid epidemic, Murthy writes in his letter. Everywhere I travel, I see communities devastated by opioid overdoses.

Murthy is asking doctors to educate themselves on the addictiveness of painkillers, citing the fact that 20 years ago, doctors were urged to be more aggressive about pain treatment. Many of us were even taught  incorrectly  that opioids are not addictive when prescribed for legitimate pain, he writes. He is also asking physicians to screen the people they say for opioid abuse disorder and provide them with evidence-based treatment. Hes also asking doctors to take a pledge, here.

According to federal numbers, 78 Americans die each day from an opioid overdose, and that from 2000 to 2014 alone, close to half a million people died from drug overdoses. Pain killer addiction is also giving rise to an epidemic of heroin addiction, which is also an opioid that can be bought illegally without a prescription.
(Adds statement from Aero, background)

By Jessica DiNapoli

NEW YORK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Bankrupt U.S. teen retailer Aeropostale Inc received bids this week for its business from private equity firm Sycamore Partners, as well as liquidators, firms that wind down businesses, according to people familiar with the matter.

Investment firm Versa Capital Management LLC did not submit a bid for the business, the people said. Versa had been preparing a stalking horse offer for Aeropostale as a going concern business, and the retailer had received court approval to pay some of the expenses incurred by Versa in putting together the proposal.

A U.S. bankruptcy court judge on Friday issued a decision siding with Sycamore in its fight with Aeropostale, who accused the firm of conducting a "loan to own" scheme and pushing the retailer into bankruptcy. Aeropostale had asked the judge to bar Sycamore from using the $150 million it is owed as credit to bid in the auction, but the judge denied that request.

Sycamore and Versa declined to comment. The sources were not identified because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

In a statement, Aeropostale said it is disappointed with the court's decision.

"Aeropostale stands by the accuracy and truthfulness of everything said and documented by it during the proceedings," the company said.

Bids for the company were due on Thursday, and an auction is scheduled to be held on Monday, Aug. 29. It is unclear what Sycamore's plans are for the business, should it win the auction.

Aeropostale also received bids for some of its leases and its GoJane.com business, a shoe and apparel shopping site, said one of the people.

Aeropostale filed for bankruptcy in May amid slumping sales and intense competition from fast fashion retailers.

At least five U.S. teen retailers, including Wet Seal LLC and Pacific Sunwear of California Inc, have filed for bankruptcy in the past two years, as the spending habits of young people shift and they visit malls less often.

(Reporting by Jessica DiNapoli; Editing by Dan Grebler, Bernard Orr)
By Faith Hung and Shu Zhang

TAIPEI/BEIJING (Reuters) - CTBC Financial Holdings (2891.TW), parent of Taiwan's top credit card issuer, and Chinese state-backed lender China CITIC Bank Corp have canceled investments in each other amid fresh cross-strait political tensions.

It is the first deal collapse since pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) leader Tsai Ing-wen became president of Taiwan in May, but China CITIC Bank's president said there was no political aspect to the decision.

"There is not a single political element to it. We are a commercial bank. We cant play a leading role in politics," Sun Deshun told a press conference in Beijing.

"This was mainly due to financial regulatory policies in the two locations. And we couldn't reach agreement on some commercial terms."

CTBC and China CITIC Bank said in a statement that both parties had agreed to terminate the deal as it had been more than a year since they signed the contract.

Taiwan's Financial Supervisory Commission Vice Chairman Kuei Hsien-nung said CTBC did not submit applications for the deal as China CITIC Bank had failed to meet a key regulatory requirement.

The requirement is that Chinese banks which invest in Taiwanese banks must have branches in OECD countries for more than five years, he said.

CTBC did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

China regards Taiwan as a wayward province and stopped a communication mechanism with the island in June, suspecting Tsai will push for formal independence.

The communication mechanism was introduced following an improvement of ties under Taiwan's then-president Ma Ying-jeou, who took office in 2008 and signed a series of trade and tourism deals with China.

"The overall environment is not good. These two firms are politically aware ... They knew the deals would not gain regulatory approval given the current political climate," said a PricewaterhouseCoopers executive, who declined to be identified due to the sensitivity of the matter.

Story continues

DPP lawmaker Lo Chih-cheng disagreed.

"I don't think it's connected to politics. It would be far-fetched to link this to cross-strait relations," he said.

In May 2015, CTBC agreed to pay T$11.67 billion ($368.63 million) for the 100 percent stake in China CITIC Bank Corp subsidiary CITIC Bank International (China) Ltd.

In exchange, China CITIC Bank Corp would buy a 3.8 percent stake in CTBC. No price was disclosed..

China's Industrial and Commercial Bank of China and Taiwan's Sinopac Financial Holdings in September last year said they would let a $600 million investment deal lapse because curbs against mainland Chinese investment in the sector had not been relaxed as hoped.

Earlier this month, CTBC said its subsidiary, CTBC Bank, had canceled a deal to buy a 51 percent stake in the Malaysian branch of Royal Bank of Scotland.

(Additional reporting J.R. Wu, Jeanny Kao and Emily Chan in TAIPEI; Editing by Stephen Coates)
TOKYO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Takata Corp has shortlisted six or seven companies, including a competitor and private-equity funds, as potential financial investors to bail out the Japanese car-parts maker, people involved in the process said.

Japanese chemical maker Daicel Corp, China's Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp - the parent of Michigan-based air-bag maker Key Safety Systems - and global funds KKR & Co and Bain Capital LP are among the groups presenting detailed turnaround plans to Takata, eight people familiar with the process, including two directly involved, told Reuters.

The shortlisting is a sign of progress in protracted efforts to restructure Takata whose faulty air bags are linked to the deaths of at least 14 people and have sparked the biggest auto recalls ever. As many as 30 had showed initial interest as of June in rescuing the company.

Takata needs a financial backer to help overhaul its business and carry ballooning costs as its stock price has crumbled almost 90 percent since early 2014 and it faces potentially billions of dollars of liabilities over the sometimes deadly defects in its air-bag inflators.

Takata and its steering committee, advised by investment bank Lazard Ltd, hope to narrow the list to about two final bidders by mid-September and choose a financial "sponsor" in October after consulting with Takata's car maker customers, several sources said.

Representatives of Takata's steering committee, Daicel, KKR and Bain Capital declined to comment on the search for a rescuer. Ningbo Joyson has had no direct contact with Takata, but there may be information exchanges going on through an intermediary, said spokesman Chen Yang.

The sources declined to be named because the process is private.

(Reporting by Taro Fuse and Junko Fujita; Additional reporting by Emi Emoto, Naomi Tajitsu and Maki Shiraki in Tokyo and Jake Spring in Beijing; Editing by William Mallard and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
By Taro Fuse and Junko Fujita

TOKYO (Reuters) - Takata Corp has shortlisted six or seven companies, including a competitor and private-equity funds, as potential financial investors to bail out the Japanese car-parts maker, people involved in the process said.

Japanese chemical maker Daicel Corp, China's Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp - the parent of Michigan-based air-bag maker Key Safety Systems - and global funds KKR & Co and Bain Capital LP are among the groups presenting detailed turnaround plans to Takata, eight people familiar with the process, including two directly involved, told Reuters.

The shortlisting is a sign of progress in protracted efforts to restructure Takata, whose faulty air bags are linked to the deaths of at least 14 people and have sparked the biggest auto recalls ever. As many as 30 had showed initial interest as of June in rescuing the company.

Takata needs a financial backer to help overhaul its business and carry ballooning costs as its stock price has crumbled almost 90 percent since early 2014 and it faces potentially billions of dollars of liabilities over the sometimes deadly defects in its air-bag inflators.

Takata and its steering committee, advised by investment bank Lazard Ltd, hope to narrow the list to about two final bidders by mid-September and choose a financial "sponsor" in October after consulting with Takata's car maker customers, several sources said.

Representatives of Takata's steering committee, Daicel, KKR and Bain Capital declined to comment on the search for a rescuer. Ningbo Joyson has had no direct contact with Takata, but there may be information exchanges going on through an intermediary, said spokesman Chen Yang.

It was not clear who the other potential bidders are, or what precise plans any of the suitors have for Takata's operations or assets.

The sources declined to be named because the process is private.

Takata has not faced a reckoning as its air-bag liabilities remain unresolved. And many Japanese car makers depend on the supplier, one of the three dominant global makers of safety air bags, to keep supplying the recalls and provide competition.

Story continues

"Keeping Takata alive is important for automakers to maintain their bargaining power," said SBI Securities auto analyst Koji Endo, adding that some investors might find its non-inflator businesses attractive, given its depressed share price.

UNREALISTIC DEADLINE?

Recalls of Takata air bags began in 2008, when inflators in the bags began exploding with excessive force, spewing sometimes lethal shrapnel into passenger compartments.

More than 100 million vehicles worldwide have been slated for recall to replace Takata inflators, which in addition to the deaths, are linked to more than 150 injuries - mostly in the United States and involving Honda Motor Co vehicles.

Car makers have borne most of the recall costs so far, but if Takata were found to be solely responsible for the fault, it could face a bill of more than $10 billion, based on a rough calculation that each replacement kit costs around $100. It also faces U.S. lawsuits.

The October deadline for finding a backer was unrealistic due to uncertainties over its growing liabilities given expanding recalls and lawsuits, some of the sources said.

A big challenge in the Takata rescue will be reaching consensus among the supplier's more than 10 automaker customers over a restructuring plan, as they are likely to have different ideas of how important it is to keep Takata afloat, said SBI analyst Endo.

Some potential sponsors want Takata's automaker customers to forgive a hefty portion of the recall costs or take a stake in the company, several sources said.

And some would-be investors want to put Takata through bankruptcy to wipe out some of its liabilities, they said. Takata's banks, too, may face pressure to forgive debts, one source said.

(Reporting by Taro Fuse and Junko Fujita; Additional reporting by Emi Emoto, Naomi Tajitsu and Maki Shiraki in Tokyo and Jake Spring in Beijing; Editing by William Mallard and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
* Takata hopes to narrow list to two final bidders by mid-Sept

* Some sources say Oct deadline for finding sponsor unrealistic

* Tough to get consensus among Takata's auto clients on revamp (Adds comments from sources, background on Takata)

By Taro Fuse and Junko Fujita

TOKYO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Takata Corp has shortlisted six or seven companies, including a competitor and private-equity funds, as potential financial investors to bail out the Japanese car-parts maker, people involved in the process said.

Japanese chemical maker Daicel Corp, China's Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp - the parent of Michigan-based air-bag maker Key Safety Systems - and global funds KKR & Co and Bain Capital LP are among the groups presenting detailed turnaround plans to Takata, eight people familiar with the process, including two directly involved, told Reuters.

The shortlisting is a sign of progress in protracted efforts to restructure Takata, whose faulty air bags are linked to the deaths of at least 14 people and have sparked the biggest auto recalls ever. As many as 30 had showed initial interest as of June in rescuing the company.

Takata needs a financial backer to help overhaul its business and carry ballooning costs as its stock price has crumbled almost 90 percent since early 2014 and it faces potentially billions of dollars of liabilities over the sometimes deadly defects in its air-bag inflators.

Takata and its steering committee, advised by investment bank Lazard Ltd, hope to narrow the list to about two final bidders by mid-September and choose a financial "sponsor" in October after consulting with Takata's car maker customers, several sources said.

Representatives of Takata's steering committee, Daicel, KKR and Bain Capital declined to comment on the search for a rescuer. Ningbo Joyson has had no direct contact with Takata, but there may be information exchanges going on through an intermediary, said spokesman Chen Yang.

It was not clear who the other potential bidders are, or what precise plans any of the suitors have for Takata's operations or assets.

Story continues

The sources declined to be named because the process is private.

Takata has not faced a reckoning as its air-bag liabilities remain unresolved. And many Japanese car makers depend on the supplier, one of the three dominant global makers of safety air bags, to keep supplying the recalls and provide competition.

"Keeping Takata alive is important for automakers to maintain their bargaining power," said SBI Securities auto analyst Koji Endo, adding that some investors might find its non-inflator businesses attractive, given its depressed share price.

UNREALISTIC DEADLINE?

Recalls of Takata air bags began in 2008, when inflators in the bags began exploding with excessive force, spewing sometimes lethal shrapnel into passenger compartments.

More than 100 million vehicles worldwide have been slated for recall to replace Takata inflators, which in addition to the deaths, are linked to more than 150 injuries - mostly in the United States and involving Honda Motor Co vehicles.

Car makers have borne most of the recall costs so far, but if Takata were found to be solely responsible for the fault, it could face a bill of more than $10 billion, based on a rough calculation that each replacement kit costs around $100. It also faces U.S. lawsuits.

The October deadline for finding a backer was unrealistic due to uncertainties over its growing liabilities given expanding recalls and lawsuits, some of the sources said.

A big challenge in the Takata rescue will be reaching consensus among the supplier's more than 10 automaker customers over a restructuring plan, as they are likely to have different ideas of how important it is to keep Takata afloat, said SBI analyst Endo.

Some potential sponsors want Takata's automaker customers to forgive a hefty portion of the recall costs or take a stake in the company, several sources said.

And some would-be investors want to put Takata through bankruptcy to wipe out some of its liabilities, they said. Takata's banks, too, may face pressure to forgive debts, one source said.

(Reporting by Taro Fuse and Junko Fujita; Additional reporting by Emi Emoto, Naomi Tajitsu and Maki Shiraki in Tokyo and Jake Spring in Beijing; Editing by William Mallard and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
By Taro Fuse and Junko Fujita

TOKYO (Reuters) - Takata Corp <7312.T> has shortlisted six or seven companies, including a competitor and private-equity funds, as potential financial investors to bail out the Japanese car-parts maker, people involved in the process said.

Japanese chemical maker Daicel Corp <4202.T>, China's Ningbo Joyson Electronic Corp <600699.SS> - the parent of Michigan-based air-bag maker Key Safety Systems - and global funds KKR & Co <KKR.N> and Bain Capital LP are among the groups presenting detailed turnaround plans to Takata, eight people familiar with the process, including two directly involved, told Reuters.

The shortlisting is a sign of progress in protracted efforts to restructure Takata, whose faulty air bags are linked to the deaths of at least 14 people and have sparked the biggest auto recalls ever. As many as 30 had showed initial interest as of June in rescuing the company.

Takata needs a financial backer to help overhaul its business and carry ballooning costs as its stock price has crumbled almost 90 percent since early 2014 and it faces potentially billions of dollars of liabilities over the sometimes deadly defects in its air-bag inflators.

Takata and its steering committee, advised by investment bank Lazard Ltd <LAZ.N>, hope to narrow the list to about two final bidders by mid-September and choose a financial "sponsor" in October after consulting with Takata's car maker customers, several sources said.

Representatives of Takata's steering committee, Daicel, KKR and Bain Capital declined to comment on the search for a rescuer. Ningbo Joyson has had no direct contact with Takata, but there may be information exchanges going on through an intermediary, said spokesman Chen Yang.

It was not clear who the other potential bidders are, or what precise plans any of the suitors have for Takata's operations or assets.

The sources declined to be named because the process is private.

Story continues

Takata has not faced a reckoning as its air-bag liabilities remain unresolved. And many Japanese car makers depend on the supplier, one of the three dominant global makers of safety air bags, to keep supplying the recalls and provide competition.

"Keeping Takata alive is important for automakers to maintain their bargaining power," said SBI Securities auto analyst Koji Endo, adding that some investors might find its non-inflator businesses attractive, given its depressed share price.

UNREALISTIC DEADLINE?

Recalls of Takata air bags began in 2008, when inflators in the bags began exploding with excessive force, spewing sometimes lethal shrapnel into passenger compartments.

More than 100 million vehicles worldwide have been slated for recall to replace Takata inflators, which in addition to the deaths, are linked to more than 150 injuries - mostly in the United States and involving Honda Motor Co <7267.T> vehicles.

Car makers have borne most of the recall costs so far, but if Takata were found to be solely responsible for the fault, it could face a bill of more than $10 billion, based on a rough calculation that each replacement kit costs around $100. It also faces U.S. lawsuits.

The October deadline for finding a backer was unrealistic due to uncertainties over its growing liabilities given expanding recalls and lawsuits, some of the sources said.

A big challenge in the Takata rescue will be reaching consensus among the supplier's more than 10 automaker customers over a restructuring plan, as they are likely to have different ideas of how important it is to keep Takata afloat, said SBI analyst Endo.

Some potential sponsors want Takata's automaker customers to forgive a hefty portion of the recall costs or take a stake in the company, several sources said.

And some would-be investors want to put Takata through bankruptcy to wipe out some of its liabilities, they said. Takata's banks, too, may face pressure to forgive debts, one source said.

(Reporting by Taro Fuse and Junko Fujita; Additional reporting by Emi Emoto, Naomi Tajitsu and Maki Shiraki in Tokyo and Jake Spring in Beijing; Editing by William Mallard and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
By Kizito Makoye DAR ES SALAAM (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - One of the biggest tests of Justine Michael's job as a community health worker is not the distances he must travel along remote dirt roads to visit patients in Tanzania's Mkuranga district, but rather the suspicion he often encounters. Many villagers are wary when they are approached by a stranger dressed in trousers and a shirt, rather than the crisp white coats favored by doctors all over the world, he said. "Some people don't trust the services we provide. When I visit a family, the people are sometimes very hostile or say, 'what do these hospital sweepers (cleaners) want?'," Michael said. "We want them to change this mindset and know we are trained to do this work," he added. Michael is one of more than 5,000 community health workers the Tanzanian government has deployed to provide essential life-saving services in rural areas where 70 percent of the country's population of 49 million live. The initiative was introduced a year ago to address gaps in healthcare in the East African country where there are only 0.1 doctors and 2.4 nurses and midwives for every 10,000 people, according to 2014 data from the World Health Organization. In Tanzania, healthcare is considered a luxury especially in remote, rural parts where, according to the World Bank, only 9 percent of the nation's doctors are based. "Our plan is to have at least two community health workers in each village," said Otilia Gowelle, director of human resources and development at the ministry of health, referring to the government's five-year plan. COURAGE In Bagamoyo district housing one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast during the slave trade, community health workers make regular visits to Fatma Abdul as she progresses through her third pregnancy. Using simple messages with pictures, they stress the importance of breastfeeding for the first six months and offer advice on how to keep babies warm or identify signs of illness. But the health workers have done more than provide antenatal care, they have also brought hope to the HIV-positive mother of two. "I got a lot of courage when they told me being HIV-positive is not a death sentence," Abdul said, sitting outside her mother's thatch-roofed house not far Bagamoyo town where houses with doors of intricately carved wood line the dusty streets. Shame over her status stopped Abdul from attending appointments at the local hospital, but she soon started receiving home visits from community health workers instead. "They taught me how to stay healthy and protect my baby from being infected with HIV," said the heavily pregnant 35-year-old. "When I give birth I might feed my baby with infant formula to avoid passing the infection," she added. MATERNAL MORTALITY Eireen Darlington says the community health workers she trains at a nursing and midwifery school in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam, are taught to promote nutrition, basic hygiene, family planning and immunization. They are also trained to tackle domestic violence and alcohol abuse, provide counseling and care for HIV/AIDS patients and give special attention to expectant mothers. "They detect and handle risky pregnancies as well as assisting women during labor and child birth," Darlington said. According to the World Health Organization, only 47 percent of births in Tanzania are attended by a skilled health worker of any kind - a reality that contributes to high maternal mortality rates. "While Tanzania has reduced child mortality, mothers and new born are still at high risk of untimely death," said Keith Hansen, World Bank Vice President for Human Development, at the launch of a report on service delivery data in Tanzania in May. Tanzania's maternal mortality rate was 432 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014, an improvement on 790 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008. But the rate still falls short of northern neighbors Kenya, which had a maternal mortality rate of 495 deaths per 100,000 live births and Uganda, which had 438 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014, World Bank data showed. Although the use of community health workers is widely seen as an effective way of addressing Tanzania's shortage of health professionals, critics of the scheme say health workers do not always provide quality services. "For community health workers to be able make an effective contribution, they must be carefully selected, adequately trained and continuously supported," said Anastacia Kileo, a public health expert at KCMC medical training center. She also worries that the government does not have the budget to pay a larger health workforce. "If we cannot even pay our doctors decently, where will the money to pay this army of community health workers come from?" she said. (Editing by Katie Nguyen)
Taylor Swifts birthday message to Blake Lively is outrageously cute

Taylor Swifts birthday message to Blake Lively is outrageously cute

Blake Lively celebrated her 29th birthday yesterday, and the real-life Disney princess was showered with love on social media by friends, family, and fans, including her hubby Ryan Reynolds, who obviously wins the award for funniest happy birthday tweet of all time. Reynolds may win the humor game, but its Livelys good friend Taylor Swift who wins for cutest birthday message, all thanks to a baby koala.

Swift, who is no stranger to posting adorable birthday shots to her famous friends (she recently celebrated besties Karlie Kloss and Selena Gomez on Instagram, too!), took to social media to send Lively the sweetest wishes on her big day, sharing a shot of the two of them making friends with an over-the-top cute koala.

The photo, which was taken in Australia back in December 2015, also has the sweetest caption. Swift wrote, HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE! Youre a wonderful friend, to humans and koalas alike. I absolutely love you









Check out the photo in all its adorable glory.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAKE! You're a wonderful friend, to humans and koalas alike. I absolutely love you A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Aug 25, 2016 at 2:04pm PDT

Are you melting yet?

And just for some good #FBF memories, check out the other Instagram shots that Swift and Lively posted from their jaw-dropping trip. At the time, Lively was shooting her movie, The Shallows, so she met up with her pal during the Australian leg of her 1989 World Tour, according to PEOPLE. They hung out at the Warner Bros. Movie World theme park in Queensland and also took selfies with a kangaroo.

These two are simply the cutest.

Yesterday was such an amazing day off-- roller coasters, kangaroos and LOLs with @blakelively See you tonight, Adelaide! A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Dec 6, 2015 at 5:21pm PST

I didn't know 'kangaroo selfies' were a thing. But they are and this is one. A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Dec 5, 2015 at 9:14pm PST

Me: Please love me. Kangaroo: No. A photo posted by Taylor Swift (@taylorswift) on Dec 5, 2015 at 9:16pm PST

Selfie game was strong ...until I got photobombed by some crazy fan. Where's security when you need it.  (the cat's for you @taylorswift ) A photo posted by Blake Lively (@blakelively) on Dec 7, 2015 at 12:40am PST

The post Taylor Swifts birthday message to Blake Lively is outrageously cute appeared first on HelloGiggles.
From Town & Country

Normally, a bright red duffle would stand out from the crowd of black suitcases on the airport conveyer belt. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for Team Great Britain when they returned home from Rio de Janeiro, all sporting the exact same crimson luggage.

Team GB may have won a record-breaking 67 medals, but their team-issued gear made baggage claim all but impossible.

Fortunately, the athletes were quick to point out the humor of the situation on social media:

Finding my bag could prove more challenging than the racing #greattobeBAck @TeamGB pic.twitter.com/SyzXO153KU - Matt Langridge (@matt_langridge8) August 23, 2016

Even the official Team GB Twitter account cracked a joke:

It's enough to make you buy a personalized neon luggage tag.
SAG-AFTRA has upped the pressure in its campaign to unionize Telemundo by airing a 30 second advocacy spot on Spanish-language stations in Miami, New York and Los Angeles, after Telemundo itself refused to air the ad.

"Telemundo's decision to censor 30 seconds of truthful commentary about its working conditions shows just how averse it is to having a transparent discussion about its refusal to fairly compensate Spanish-speaking performers," said the union in a statement. "SAG-AFTRA's goal is to ensure all talent, regardless of their race, ethnicity or language, have fair wages and certain protections. As a leading voice for the Hispanic American community, this should be Telemundo's priority as well."

A Telemundo spokesperson responded, "After legal review, we have concluded the ad did not pass legal standards for issue based advertisement."

The union's organizing campaign underscores that while Telemundo has declined to sign a union agreement, its sister companies, such as NBC and Universal, have long been union signatories. All are subsidiaries of NBCUniversal and ultimately Comcast, which has fought unions in its cable TV operations.

Said the Telemundo spokesperson, "At Telemundo we support our employees' right to join and not to join a union. Our talent and employees are capable of deciding what is in their own best interest. For that reason we believe our talent should exercise their freedom of choice to join a union or not, in a secret ballot election, a democratic process established by the National Labor Relations Board.

According to SAG-AFTRA, Telemundo pays Spanish-speaking performers less than half of their English-speaking counterparts at NBC, does not pay residuals and doesn't provide health benefits or other protections provided to English-speaking performers at NBC.

"We remain committed to making Telemundo a great place to work for our employees and will continue to invest in them to ensure their salaries and working conditions are competitive," said the network's spokesperson. "We are dedicated to Telemundo's long term success, which has created hundreds of high-value jobs and provided a valuable service to the Hispanic community in the United States."

Story continues

Read more: SAG-AFTRA Mobilizes Against Telemundo Over Non-Union Stance

In addition to airing the spot on Mega TV and Estrella TV, among others, the union also launched the ad in English and Spanish on its website and social media channels.

SAG-AFTRA noted that Telemundo recently claiming the top ratings spot over Univision for the last five consecutive weeks, for the first time in the network's history. According to the union, in an internal letter dated August 17, 2016, Telemundo President Cesar Conde credited talent with helping the network reach this new milestone, saying: "This is a historic achievement of which we are all very proud. Clearly, Telemundo talent has played a very important role in this achievement."

Updated 8/28/2016 7:40 p.m. PT with Telemundo response

Read more: 'Sabado Gigante' Host Don Francisco Joins Telemundo in Multi-Year Pact
A 32-year-old Tennessee police officer with three small children was fatally shot Thursday while responding to a domestic violence call, PEOPLE confirms.



A single bullet struck Maryville officer Kenny Moats in the neck, just missing his bulletproof vest, and he died soon after arriving at a hospital for treatment, police said.



He had been with the department since 2007, according to a statement issued the police department on Friday morning and obtained by PEOPLE.



The statement identifies Moats' accused killer as Brian Keith Stalons. Stalons, 44, is being held without bail and the official charges against him will be detailed Friday afternoon, police said. He has not entered a plea.



Moats and another officer had been dispatched Thursday to Stalons' father's home after receiving reports of a domestic incident possibly involving a gun, police said.



The officers parked their cars about 70 yards behind the home and quickly got Stalons' father to safety, police said.



As the officers positioned themselves behind a vehicle, Stalons allegedly opened fire from his father's garage, killing Moats, police said.



 Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Click here to get breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases in the True Crime Newsletter.



The second, unidentified officer returned fire, but Stalons was not shot, according to the statement. Police moved in quickly to take him into custody.



"We are humbled by the outpouring of love and support from the community and beyond," Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp said in Friday's statement. "We will forever be grateful for the care our community has shown the family of Officer Moats and the law enforcement community.



"We know this tragedy will bring our community closer together and that will be a lasting legacy of Officer Moats. We just ask that our community continue to pray for the family of Officer Moats and for the men and women in uniform as we go through this trying time."



A memorial fund has been set up at Citizens Bank of Blount County in honor of Moats, police said.



It has been more than 30 years since a Maryville police officer was killed on duty, police said. On Feb. 21, 1981, officer John Michael Callahan II was fatally struck by a drunk driver while riding his patrol motorcycle.



It was unclear Friday if Stalons has an attorney who could comment on his behalf.
NEW YORK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A Texas wealth management firm U.S. regulators said grew too fast to supervise agreed to pay more than $2 million in fines and restitution to settle charges its senior management failed to rein in partner offices where brokers were churning accounts.

The Financial Industry Regulatory Authority said Friday that Caldwell International Securities Corp's (CISC) principal Greg Caldwell would also be fined $50,000 and barred from acting as a principal in another securities business.

Greg Caldwell could not be reached for comment.

CISC started in firm president Lennie Freiman's home in Fisher, Texas, and grew to include nine branches and 20 registered advisers in New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Florida and Nevada.

FINRA alleged in its complaint that the firm's management failed to develop and enforce a supervisory system as it expanded, which allowed many advisors to recommend unsuitable trades that they did not understand to clients.

Caldwell and other senior managers knew about the inappropriate investment strategies but did nothing to stop them, even as clients called to complain, according to the settlement agreement.

Fifteen clients paid over $1 million in fees and commissions to CISC advisers as a result of the inappropriate investment strategies, FINRA said in the complaint.

Caldwell and its senior executives accepted the offer without admitting or denying the allegations made by FINRA.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Dilts; Editing by James Dalgleish)
A 23-year-old Texas man allegedly confessed to decapitating his 21-year-old wife before putting her head into their freezer, PEOPLE confirms.



A Bellmead police spokesman tells PEOPLE David Dauzat was arrested on Thursday morning following an alleged brief standoff with officers.



On Thursday, officers from several surrounding towns descended on Bellmead Thursday morning. Soon after setting up a perimeter around Dauzat's mobile home, authorities made contact with the young father, who barricaded himself inside his mobile home with his two young children, ages 1 and 2.



Ultimately, authorities convinced Dauzat to surrender, after which he allegedly emerged covered in blood, the spokesman says.



The children are now in the state's custody, according to police spokesman.



 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.



As he was being handcuffed, Dauzat allegedly confessed to killing his wife, Natasha Dauzat, the spokesman says.



He is being held at the McLennan County Jail on $500,000 bond, charged with one count of murder. He has yet to enter a plea and it was unclear Friday if he had a lawyer.



The police spokesman says authorities are still trying to establish a motive.
(Reuters) - Blood-testing company Theranos Inc said it plans to appeal the sanctions imposed by a U.S. regulator last month on one of its labs alleging its practices jeopardized patient health and safety. Theranos has filed a notice of intent to appeal sanctions imposed by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on the company's lab in Newark, California, the privately held company said late Thursday. Theranos was not conducting any patient testing at the Newark lab and has taken measures including enhancing clinical policies and procedures and revamping training programs, to rectify the issues CMS identified, it said in a statement. CMS revoked a key certificate for the lab in July and terminated the facility's approval to receive Medicare and Medicaid payments for all services. Medicare is the government's medical insurance program for the elderly, while Medicaid is for the poor. The sanctions, which also include an unspecified monetary penalty, came six months after the regulator sent a scathing letter to the company criticizing its practices. The Palo Alto, California-based company ran into trouble after the Wall Street Journal published a series of articles beginning October that suggested its devices were flawed. Theranos was founded by CEO Elizabeth Holmes in 2003 to develop a blood-testing device that would deliver quicker results using only a drop of blood. (Reporting by Vishal Sridhar in Bengaluru; Editing by Amrutha Gayathri)
solar eclipse

If you happened to be in London on May 3, 1715, a few minutes of your day would have been shrouded in darkness as the moon passed between Earth and the sun.

And as if a dark sky lit only by the faint white ring of the suns corona wasnt eerie enough, the eclipse was accompanied by a strange wind  or, as astronomer Edmund Halley put it  a chill and damp that caused some sense of horror among the spectators."

For the past three centuries, scientists have been unable to find an explanation for what caused the wind to dramatically change that day.

4,500 regular people help crack the case

solar eclipse

Three hundred years later, it happened again.

During a partial solar eclipse across the UK, observers felt this same chill and damp as the moon obscured a chunk of the sun.

But this time around, as part of the National Eclipse Weather Experiment, 4,500 citizen scientists and a group of meteorologists at the University of Reading were at the ready to take observations that might help solve the mystery of this eclipse wind.

Based on these observations, the scientists realized that it wasn't just one or two people who'd felt the change  many observants had experienced the air cooling and the wind getting weaker. To further investigate this, the scientists combined their observations with data from surface weather stations and a network of roadside weather sensors.

And they solved the mystery.

Turns out it had been caused by variations occurring in the layer of air separating ground level winds from higher winds, known as the boundary level.

As the sun disappears behind the moon the ground suddenly cools, just like at sunset, atmospheric physicist Giles Harrison said in a press release. This means warm air stops rising from the ground, causing a drop in wind speed and a shift in its direction, as the slowing of the air by the Earths surface changes.

Story continues

Two separate reports on the phenomenon are published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society A. The results are supported by another study by researchers at the University of Sheffield, which found that during the 2015, the temperature dropped for about 40 minutes, and the wind slowed by about 9%. Still, further studies need to be done to verify the results.

And with a total eclipse coming to the US in 2017, it seems like scientists will have the perfect chance to test the findings.

"There have been lots of theories about the eclipse wind over the years, but we think this is the most compelling explanation yet," Harrison said.

NOW WATCH: People are already freaking out about the biggest cosmic event in America happening a year from now





More From Business Insider


TORONTO (Reuters) - Three people were killed in an attack involving a crossbow in Toronto's East End on Thursday and a man was taken into custody, a police spokesman said. In a related incident, police evacuated a building in the Downtown Core area of the city later in the day due to a suspicious package, Detective Mike Carbone told a news conference. He gave no details on how it was related or what the package contained. All of the victims were adults, while one other person was taken to hospital, Carbone said. The National Post newspaper reported that the three victims were shot with a crossbow in the garage of a Toronto home and left to bleed out onto the driveway. Drone footage appeared to show at least one body covered by a tarp in the driveway. In the initial incident, police responding to a call about a stabbing found three people who appeared to have been wounded by crossbow bolts, said another police spokesman David Hopkinson. The two men and a woman were pronounced dead. An unidentified man, 35, was taken into custody, police said. "We don't have any idea with regards to why this may have happened," said Hopkinson. According to the Post, one of the victims made a 911 call, and the suspect was also seriously wounded. Television footage showed police tape surrounding part of a residential street in Scarborough, a suburban area east of the city's downtown area. In 2010, a man shot his father in the back with a crossbow in a Toronto public library before smashing his skull with a hammer. Zhou Fang, who had suffered domestic abuse, was convicted of a lesser charge of second-degree murder. (Reporting by Allison Martell in Toronto, Nia Williams in Calgary and Leah Schnurr in Ottawa; Editing by James Dalgleish, Bernard Orr)
Then-Gov. Tim Kaine plays the harmonica for a packed house at the Floyd Country Store in Floyd, Va. (Photo: Douglas Graham/CQ Roll Call)

Tim Kaine struck all the right notes with Late Show viewers Thursday night, showing off his mean harmonica skills in a bluesy jam session with Late Show house band Jon Batiste and Stay Human.

It wasnt the first time Kaine has broken out the old mouth harp since he hit the campaign trail as Hillary Clintons running mate this summer. During a visit to North Carolina earlier this month, Kaine jumped onto the stage at an Asheville brewery and played along with a local bluegrass band to classics by Bob Dylan and Joan Baez.

The Virginia senator, whose debut at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia earned him a reputation as Americas dorky dad, has a propensity for flexing his cultural dexterity, often finding opportunities to show off his Spanish-speaking abilities or reference the time he spent volunteering in Honduras in 1980.

But Thursday nights harmonica performance had a particularly Clintonian quality to it, calling to mind Bill Clintons now-famous 1992 appearance on The Arsenio Hall Show, during which the then-presidential candidate donned a pair of sunglasses and surprised the audience with a soulful saxophone rendition of Heartbreak Hotel.

Though former President Clinton is now known for his popularity among African-American voters, at the time, this seemingly lighthearted act was considered a pivotal campaign moment for the man acclaimed author Toni Morrison would later deem Americas first black president.

Hours before Kaine channeled Hillary Clintons husband on the Late Show, the current Democratic presidential nominee had accused Republican rival Donald Trump of promoting a steady stream of bigotry and racially tinged conspiracy theories during a speech in Reno, Nev.

The video above of Kaine rocking out onstage with Dave Matthews Band violinist Boyd Tinsley back in 2009 is just one example of the vice presidential hopefuls long history of impromptu harmonica performances that will likely continue through the 2016 campaign.
The following timeline charts the origin and spread of the Zika virus from its discovery nearly 70 years ago:

1947: Scientists researching yellow fever in Uganda's Zika Forest identify the virus in a rhesus monkey

1948: Virus recovered from Aedes africanus mosquito in Zika Forest

1952: First human cases detected in Uganda and Tanzania

1954: Virus found in Nigeria

1960s-80s: Zika detected in mosquitoes and monkeys across equatorial Africa

196983: Zika found in equatorial Asia, including India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Pakistan

2007: Zika spreads from Africa and Asia, first large outbreak on Pacific island of Yap

2012: Researchers identify two distinct lineages of the virus, African and Asian

201314: Zika outbreaks in French Polynesia, Easter Island, the Cook Islands and New Caledonia. Retrospective analysis shows possible link to birth defects and severe neurological complications in babies in French Polynesia

March 2, 2015: Brazil reports illness characterized by skin rash in northeastern states

July 17: Brazil reports detection of neurological disorders in newborns associated with history of infection

Oct. 5: Cape Verde has cases of illness with skin rash

Oct. 22: Colombia confirms cases of Zika

Oct. 30: Brazil reports increase in microcephaly, abnormally small heads, among newborns

Nov. 11: Brazil declares public health emergency

November 2015-January 2016: Cases reported in Suriname, Panama, El Salvador, Mexico, Guatemala, Paraguay, Venezuela, French Guiana, Martinique, Puerto Rico, Guyana, Ecuador, Barbados, Bolivia, Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Curacao, Jamaica

Feb. 1: World Health Organization (WHO) declares public health emergency of international concern

Feb. 2: First case of Zika transmission in United States; local health officials say likely contracted through sex, not mosquito bite

Feb. 5: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says virus being actively transmitted in 30 countries, mostly in the Americas

Feb. 8: U.S. President Barack Obama requests $1.8 billion to fight Zika

Story continues

Feb. 12: Brazil investigating potential link between Zika infections and 4,314 suspected cases of microcephaly. Of those, 462 confirmed as microcephaly and 41 determined to be linked to virus

Feb. 17: Brazil investigating potential link between Zika and 4,443 suspected cases of microcephaly. Of those, 508 confirmed as microcephaly and most of those cases are linked to the virus. WHO seeks $56 million to fight Zika.

Feb. 18: CDC adds Aruba and Bonaire to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 32.

Feb. 23: CDC investigating 14 cases of possible sexual transmission of Zika. CDC also adds Trinidad and Tobago and Marshall Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 34.

Feb. 25: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases number more than 580 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,100 suspected cases of microcephaly.

Feb. 27: France detects first sexually transmitted case of Zika.

Feb. 29: CDC adds St. Maarten, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 36.

March 1: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 641 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,222 suspected cases of microcephaly.

March 8: WHO advises pregnant women to avoid areas with Zika outbreak and said sexual transmission of the virus is "relatively common."

March 9: CDC adds New Caledonia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 37.

March 15: Cuba reports first case of Zika contracted in the country.

March 16: Cape Verde identifies first case of microcephaly.

March 18: CDC says during Jan. 1, 2015 to Feb. 26, 2016, 116 residents of the United States had evidence of recent Zika virus infection based on laboratory testing.

Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 863 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,268 suspected cases of microcephaly.

March 19: CDC adds Cuba to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 38.

March 21: South Korea confirms first case of Zika.

March 22: CDC adds Dominica to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 39. Bangladesh confirms first case of Zika virus.

Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 907 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil is investigating an additional 4,293 suspected cases of microcephaly.

March 29: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 944 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. Brazil said the number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped slightly to 4,291.

March 31: According to the World Health Organization, there is a strong scientific consensus that Zika can cause the birth defect microcephaly as well as Guillain-Barre syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can result in paralysis, though conclusive proof may take months or years.

April 1: CDC adds Kosrae, Federated States of Micronesia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 40.

April 4: CDC adds Fiji to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 41.

April 5: Vietnam reports first Zika infections.

April 6: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 1,046 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. The number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped to 4,046.

April 7: St. Lucia confirms first two cases of Zika, contracted locally.

April 12: Brazil says confirmed microcephaly cases rose to 1,113 and considers most of them to be related to Zika infections in the mothers. The number of suspected cases of microcephaly dropped to 3,836. It was the second week in a row that the overall total figure fell.

April 13: The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded that infection with the Zika virus in pregnant women is a cause of the birth defect microcephaly and other severe brain abnormalities in babies. The CDC said now that the causal relationship has been established, several important questions must still be answered with studies that could take years.

CDC adds St. Lucia to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 42.

April 14: Colombia confirms two microcephaly cases linked to Zika.

April 18: Peru reports first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus.

CDC adds Belize to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 43.

April 19: Chilean authorities find Zika mosquito for first time in decades.

April 25: Canada confirms first sexually transmitted Zika case.

April 26: Brazil says the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly climbed to 1,198 from 1,168 in the week through April 23, but suspected ones under investigation continued to decline to 3,710 from 3,741 a week ago.

Brazil registered 91,387 likely cases of the Zika virus from February until April 2, the health ministry said, in its first national report on the epidemic.

April 29: Puerto Rico reports first death related to Zika, according to the CDC. The country also confirmed 683 Zika cases, including 65 pregnant women, and five suspected cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome from Zika, the CDC reported.

May 4: Panama confirms four microcephaly cases tied to Zika.

May 6: Spain gets first case of Zika-related brain defect in a fetus.

May 9: CDC adds Papua New Guinea, Saint Barthelemy and Peru to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 46.

Honduras suspects first case of microcephaly in Zika patient.

May 11: Brazil says the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly dropped to 1,326 in the week through May 7 as doctors and Brazilian health officials find that some suspected cases of microcephaly are not the disorder. Suspected ones under investigation continued to decline to 3,433.

May 12: CDC adds Grenada to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 47.

May 13: Puerto Rico reports first case of Zika-related microcephaly.

May 20: WHO says an outbreak of Zika virus on the African island chain of Cape Verde is of the same strain as the one blamed for birth abnormalities in Brazil.

May 24: Brazil reports the number of confirmed cases of microcephaly at 1,434 for the latest week to May 21. Suspected ones under investigation declined to 3,257.

May 26: CDC adds Argentina to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 48.

June 9: WHO issues updated guidelines on prevention of sexual transmission of the Zika virus, including advising women living in areas where the virus is being transmitted to delay getting pregnant.

June 14: El Salvador confirms first case of microcephaly linked to Zika.

June 23: CDC reports seven babies in the United States with microcephaly or other Zika-related birth defects such as serious brain abnormalities, and five lost pregnancies from either miscarriage, stillbirth or termination.

June 28: First baby with Zika-related birth defect microcephaly born in Florida.

June 30: CDC adds Anguilla to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 49.

Guinea-Bissau confirms three cases of Zika, government says.

Spain records first case of sexually transmitted Zika virus, health authorities said.

July 8: CDC confirmed that a Utah resident's death last 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 that caregiver of Utah man who died of Zika tested positive for virus.

July 19: Florida health officials are investigating a case of Zika virus infection that does not appear to have stemmed from travel to another region with an outbreak.

July 21: CDC reports 400 pregnant women in U.S. with evidence of Zika infection, up from 346 a week ago. The health agency also reports three more babies born in U.S. with birth defects linked to the Zika virus, bringing total to 12.

Florida Department of Health said it was investigating a non travel-related case of Zika in Broward County, marking the second such case in the U.S.

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, bringing total to 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. 1: Florida identifies 10 more cases of Zika virus caused by mosquitoes, bringing total to 14. CDC issues guidelines for pregnant women who live in and traveled to affected area in a Miami neighborhood.

Aug. 2: Health authorities in Florida add one more case of locally transmitted Zika, bringing total to 15.

CDC adds Antigua, Barbuda, and Turks and Cacos to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 54.

Aug. 3: U.S. researchers said they launched Zika vaccine clinical trial.

Aug. 4: Cuba reports two cases of locally transmitted Zika.

Aug. 5: Florida health authorities report another locally transmitted case, bringing total to 16.

Aug. 8: Florida said it was investigating new case of locally transmitted Zika in Palm Beach County.

Aug. 9: Texas health officials said death of infant born with microcephaly is linked to Zika, the first casualty in the state associated with the virus.

Cayman Islands reports two locally transmitted Zika cases.

Florida announces four more cases of locally transmitted Zika, bringing total to 21.

Aug. 11: Florida reports three additional cases of locally transmitted Zika, bringing total to 25.

CDC adds Cayman Islands to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 55.

Aug. 12: Florida health officials said three more people test positive for locally-transmitted Zika, bringing total to 28.

The department of Health and Human Services declares 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. 15: Florida health officials said two more people test positive for locally-transmitted Zika, bringing total to 30.

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. 18: Florida health officials find evidence of Zika transmissions in Miami Beach

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. The Florida health department said there are 36 cases of likely local transmission in the state.

Aug. 23: Florida reports five new non-travel cases, including one in Pinellas County. The total number of local transmissions in Florida is 42.

Aug. 24: Florida reports non-travel related Zika case in Palm Beach County, bringing total of local transmissions to 43.

Aug. 25: Hong Kong confirms its first case of Zika.

CDC adds The Bahamas and the United States to countries and territories with active outbreaks, bringing total to 57.

Health officials in Puerto Rico report as many as 10 people developed Guillain-Barre syndrome as a result of Zika infections.

Aug. 26: FDA recommended that all blood donated in the United States and its territories be tested for Zika virus, starting with 11 states in the first phase.

Florda health officials lower total number of locally-transmitted Zika cases to 42.

Nicaragua confirms first microcephaly birth linked to Zika.

SOURCES: World Health Organization, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Reuters

(Reporting by Ben Hirschler; Editing by the Americas Desk)
Pieces like these are about to get a chic update thanks to Heron Preston. (Photo: Instagram/heronpreston)

New York Citys sanitation worker uniforms are getting a fierce update this New York Fashion Week. According to the New York Post, designer and Kanye West collaborator Heron Preston is joining forces with the Department of Sanitation to create a collection made out of its workers uniforms, reimagined into a chic offering of unisex duds. Tickets to the show are going for $2,030, but the proceeds are going toward a good cause, a new foundation for New Yorks garbage workers and an educational museum that will feature artifacts and sanitation equipment dating back to the late 1800s.

Fashion often gets inspired by the regular, everyday workers (like garbage collectors), and it has brought that inspiration to the runway. Below, seven other labels that made uniforms high fashion.

Photo: Getty Images

Moschino spring 2015

Moschinos spring 2015 collection was just about everywhere, but not everyone was feeling the McDonalds-inspired threads designer Jeremy Scott put forth. Some took issue with the designer reimagining the fast food chains uniforms into pricey it pieces for the elite, while people who work in fast food cant even afford such expensive gear. For people working in the highly paid fashion world to think its trendy to wear clothes inspired by the uniforms we put on every day to feed our kids, or to buy a designer bag that is a parody of the meals we serve to earn enough money just to pay our bills, well, it just makes me sad, former McDonalds employee Mia Brusendorff told the Daily Mail . I couldnt buy one of these Moschino purses even if I wanted to.

Photo: First View

Chanel spring 2016

For its spring 2016 show, Chanel created an airline-themed runway. Male models wore navy blue suits and wheeled along luggage, looking like handsome pilots or flight attendants.

Photo: Getty Images

Balmain fall 2016 menswear

Fashion often gets inspired by military uniforms, and Balmains fall 2016 menswear collection had plenty of pieces looking like they came straight off the set of a Baz Luhrmann period drama.

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Photo: Courtesy of Parsons

Parsons senior fashion show 2013, Yunxiang (Sharon) Zhou

According to the Daily Beast, Zhou looked to workers garments and tools to inform her senior effort. I incorporated the long-established details of workers uniforms, from office workers, construction crews, hospital personnel, farmers, and those in the military.

Photo: Getty Images

Vetements spring 2016

The ultra-hip French label sent its models down the runway in DHL T-shirts that read less like a high-fashion delivery guy and more like, well, a regular one.

Photo: Courtesy of Bravo

Project Runways postal uniform challenge, Season 1

The reality TV competition challenged its contestants to reimagine the U.S. Postal Service uniforms into something both fashionable and functional.

Photo: Getty Images

Louis Vuitton spring 2008

Hello, nurse! We might consider switching professions if the uniforms looked like what Marc Jacobs put forth for Vuittons spring 2008 effort. Changing a bedpan never looked so glamorous.

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest for nonstop inspiration delivered fresh to your feed, every day.
TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp <6502.T> said on Friday a Japanese trust bank was suing it for 12 billion yen ($119 million) for losses stemming from the company's $1.3 billion accounting scandal last year. Japan Trustee Services Bank had filed the suit with the Tokyo District Court on Aug. 9, the technology and industrial conglomerate said in a statement. Toshiba said it would set aside a "reasonable" amount of cash to cover any damages and would revise its earnings guidance as needed. (Reporting by Chang-Ran Kim; Editing by Richard Pullin)
* Pre-tax FY profit leaps 40 pct to NZ$663 mln

* But falls short of NZ$837 mln analysts' estimate

* Surging tourism lures international rivals

* Middle Eastern, Chinese carriers pile in

* Air NZ sees this FY pre-tax profit at NZ$400-600 mln (Adds executive and analyst comment, shares, details)

By Charlotte Greenfield

WELLINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Air New Zealand said booming tourism helped lift core annual profit 40 percent, but missed analysts' estimates as international rivals muscled in on the action, a trend the carrier said would likely squeeze earnings lower this year.

The airline's shares were volatile as Air NZ said pre-tax profit climbed to NZ$663 million ($485 million) in the 12 months ended June. While that was an earnings record, it was well below the NZ$837 million pencilled in by analysts - and the company said profit could come in significantly lower this year.

"The current year will be choppy as the market adjusts to the increase in overall capacity that has come on board during a relatively short period of time," said Air New Zealand Chief Executive Christopher Luxon, referring to the growing number of airlines flying to the country in a call with analysts.

Shares skidded nearly 3 percent in early trading before recovering to close 0.5 percent lower, helped by the appeal of a one-off dividend from the sale of an 19.98 percent stake in Virgin Australia.

"Broadly, they (Air NZ) missed expectations because competition is driving yields lower," said Andy Bowley, head of research at brokerage Forsyth Barr.

New Zealand has experienced a boost in tourism and migration in the past year, with Chinese tourist numbers up by nearly a third. Visitor arrivals overall rose 11.2 percent to 3.34 million for the 12 months through the end of July - an economic boon for a nation of 4.7 million people.

That has lured heavyweight international carriers.

Qatar Airways and China's Tianjin Airways have recently announced they would start flights to New Zealand, while Emirates and China Southern are increasing flights to the Pacific nation. There is also increasing competition from a partnership between American Airlines and Australia's Qantas Airways.

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Highlighting the uncertain impact of the competition, Air NZ said pre-tax earnings for the 12 months through June 2017 could be between NZ$400 million and NZ$600 million.

An operator of Boeing Co 787 Dreamliner jets, Air NZ faced questions after Japanese carrier ANA Holdings on Thursday said it needs to replace damaged compressor blades in the Rolls-Royce engines powering its 787s, forcing it to cancel some flights over the coming weeks.

A spokeswoman for Air NZ said it hadn't experienced any problems with the engines. "Air NZ operates its 787 fleet very differently to other airlines in that our aircraft operate on long-haul sectors rather than the multiple short-haul sectors that others such as ANA tend to," she said.

($1 = 1.3671 New Zealand dollars) (Reporting by Charlotte Greenfield; Editing by Kenneth Maxwell)
CNN host Anderson Cooper pressed Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Thursday about Trumps assertion that his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton is a bigot.

Trump hurled the accusation while reading prepared remarks on a teleprompter at a Mississippi campaign rally on Wednesday.

In an interview airing Thursday night, Cooper challenged the real-estate mogul to explain what made Clinton a bigot.

Bigotry is having hatred towards a particular group, Cooper said, So youre saying she has hatred or dislike of black people?

Because she is selling them down the tubes, Trump replied. Because shes not doing anything for those communities. She talks a good game. But she doesnt do anything.

During the interview, Trump appeared to struggle to link Clinton to any specific instances of bigotry, instead alleging that her policies neglected African-Americans and Hispanics.

Read a portion of the exchange below:

Cooper: So youre saying she has hatred or dislike of black people?

Trump: Her policies are bigoted because she knows theyre not going to work.

Cooper: But youre saying shes personally bigoted 

Trump: Oh she is. Of course she is. Her policies. Theyre her policies she comes out with the policies and others that believe like she does also but she came out with policies over the years. This is over the years. Long time. Shes totally bigoted  theres no question about that.

Cooper: But it does imply that she has antipathy that she has hatred toward, I guess in this case youre talking about African-Americans, but I dont want to put words in your mouth.

Trump: I think she has been extremely extremely bad for African-Americans. I think she has been extremely bad for Hispanics. You look at whats happened with her policies and the policies of President Obama and others. Look at the poverty. Look at the rise in poverty. Look at the rise in violence.

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Cooper: But hatred is at the core of that or dislike of African-Americans?

Trump: Or maybe shes lazy.

Trump and Clinton have been ratcheting up their attacks on each other as their first general-election debate approaches.

Attempting to blunt Trumps latest appeals to minority voters, Clinton on Thursday likened the New York billionaires campaign rhetoric to a mainstream hate movement.

Trump called Clintons assertions a tired, disgusting argument.

Watch Coopers interview with Trump below:

NOW WATCH: Shes a bigot  Watch Trump slam Clinton over minority rights





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New York (AFP) - US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's newly-appointed campaign manager was charged with domestic violence in 1996, New York newspapers reported Friday.

According to both the New York Post and the New York Times, the case against conservative media mogul turned political operative Steve Bannon ended when his wife failed to appear to testify against him.

Bannon -- head of the incendiary conservative news site Breitbart -- was a controversial choice when Trump hired him to replace a previous campaign chief tainted by his past as a lobbyist for pro-Kremlin interests.

It is understood that Bannon no longer faces any proceedings relating to the 1996 case, but its revelation may complicate Trump's task as he seeks to woo wary women voters.

According to a police report seen by the papers, police were called to the couple's Santa Monica, California home on New Year's Day in 1996 and found Piccard upset and with marks on her neck and wrist.

She told police that she and Bannon had had a fight and that he had seized a telephone when she had attempted to call for help, throwing it across the room and smashing it.

The city attorney brought charges against Bannon and served him with a domestic violence protective order, but when the case came to trial in August Piccard did not appear and prosecutors dismissed the case.

According to court records, Piccard told investigators that Bannon had ordered her to leave town during the case and threatened to leave her and their twin daughters destitute.

Bannon and Piccard declined to be interviewed for the reports, but the Trump manager's spokeswoman Alexandra Preate told the Times that he now has "a great relationship" with his now ex-wife and daughters.
From Esquire

I know that this particular phrase has been overused in this rabid shaggy dog of a campaign, but both candidates gave speeches today and shit really got real. Hillary Rodham Clinton went to Las Vegas and, if The New York Times is correct here, she pretty much fitted Donald Trump for a lovely armband.

"The de facto merger between Breitbart and the Trump campaign represents a landmark achievement for the alt-right," Mrs. Clinton planned to say, according to the prepared remarks. "A fringe element has effectively taken over the Republican Party." Mrs. Clinton also planned to note that David Duke, the former Ku Klux Klan leader, was "jubilant" on his radio show recently while describing Mr. Trump. "A man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far reaches of the internet, should never run our government or command our military," Mrs. Clinton planned to say. "If he doesn't respect all Americans, how can he serve all Americans?"

Meanwhile, El Caudillo del Mar-A-Lago went to New Hampshire-which at least makes more sense than going to Mississippi with Nigel Farage-and responded with his usual cool dispatch.

"Hillary Clinton's actions constitute all of the elements of a major criminal enterprise."

On Wednesday night, she was a bigot. I suspect that by Saturday, she's going to be a werewolf.

"What is being uncovered now is one of the most shocking scandals in American political history. A Secretary of State sold her office to corporations and foreign governments, betraying the public trust-putting innocent lives in danger-and then she went to great lengths to hide, delete, destroy and lie about the evidence. Just like her lie that she never sent any material marked classified. Lie after lie after lie. This is the corruption we expect to see in a Third World country-but not in America."

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There is not an ounce of evidence in the record for any of this. Not even the last part. American history is chockfull of examples of Cabinet officials who actually did sell their office. Somewhere in the Beyond, Albert Fall is rightly pissed about this.

"Now, I have not seen Hillary Clinton's remarks. And, in a sense, I don't want to dignify them by dwelling on them too much, but a response is required for the sake of all decent voters she is trying to smear. The news reports are that Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists."

Well, not all of them, as she said in Las Vegas. Just the crazy racist ones.

"All of this adds up to something we've never seen before. Of course there's always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment. But it's never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it, and giving it a national megaphone. Until now."

OK, so now I have to take a second. This is breathtakingly harsh campaign rhetoric. "You're a crook! Yeah, well, you're a Klansman." I am perfectly willing to blame the tone of things on the forces stirred up throughout the Republican primary process by the eventual nominee, currently pivoting so hard he's screwing himself into the ground. I suspected something like this would break out, but not before Labor Day. Christamighty, what's left now? And please don't answer that. I'd rather wait here under the sofa until it actually happens.

[contentlinks align="center" textonly="false" numbered="false" headline="Related Story" customtitles="Dispatches from the Puke Funnel" customimages="" content="article.47946"]

But one of the very real responsibilities for this nightmare of a campaign lies not with a candidate that normalized hate groups but with an elite political media that, by adhering to rules that did not apply, normalized that candidate. Donald Trump has hurled wild, vicious (and largely unsubstantiated) charges every since he first stood up behind a podium as a candidate. This is nothing new. So now, his wild, vicious (and largely unsubstantiated) charges are being hurled in a campaign context in which they have become the way people run for president, at least in 2016. And they're being hurled at a person for whom much of the elite political media has had a barely concealed grudge for 25 years.

There now will follow some earnest chin-stroking about the tenor of the campaign. And nothing will change. This is the campaign we are going to have, and there's no turning back. It's going to be rough, and more than half-vile, but it's going to be more reflective of the actual state of the nation than a hundred soft-focus TV spots with gentle music.

We have to face it. The four horsemen have been out of the barn for months now.

Click here to respond to this post on the official Esquire Politics Facebook page.

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Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump once famously said that he was so popular with his conservative followers that "I could stand in the middle of Fifth Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldnt lose voters.

While many of his supporters without question have been willing to cut the billionaire businessman considerable slack on any number of things, he may have finally run into a wall this week with his surprising softening of his harsh immigration stands.

Related: Clinton Holds Her Big Lead in the Polls, Even After a Rough Week

Trump marched to victory in the 2016 GOP primaries largely by belittling the immigration policies of former Florida governor Jeb Bush, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio and Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, calling them spineless in coming to grips with a porous border and rooting out rapists and criminals living illegally in the U.S.

He rallied conservative forces by vowing to round up and deport the 11 million illegal immigrants living in this country, build a huge wall along the southern border to keep them and other undesirables out of the country, and absolutely refused to grant any of them legal status or citizenship to remain in the U.S.

Trump insists he is still committed to building the wall and somehow forcing the Mexican government to pay for it. But in the past few days he has signaled that not only could many of the law abiding illegals remain in the country under a Trump administration but that he might find a way to grant many of them legal status.

During a campaign event broadcast on Fox News Wednesday night, Trump startled many of his staunchest backers by suggesting that he would now open to some sort of pathway to legal status for millions of undocumented immigrants. No citizenship, Trump insisted. Theyll pay back taxes. They have to pay taxes, he said.

Related: Will 15,000 New Emails Be Clintons October Surprise?

Theres no amnesty, but we will work with them, he added later in the town hall-style event. Trump repeated his view that while he wanted to weed out the bad ones from the millions of illegal immigrants living in the shadows, he has heard enough times from voters and his own Hispanic advisory group that his previous vow to deport law-abiding families who have lived in this country for decades was heartless and impractical.

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Theyve said, Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person that has been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and the family out, its so tough, Mr. Trump, the billionaire recalled.

What is most surprising is that Trump is making perfect sense for a change on the immigration issues, whatever his motivation.

Trump seems to be wrestling with the same issues of fairness, constitutional law and practicality that drove the Senate debate that led to passage in June 2013 of an historic bipartisan immigration reform bill.

Related: Is Trump Dumping His Plan to Deport 11 Million Illegal Immigrants?

That bill was heavily shaped by Marco Rubio  much to his subsequent regret  and contained a long-term path to legal status and citizenship for many undocumented immigrants. It subsequently died in the Republican controlled House, where conservatives were adamantly opposed to any reforms.

Trump and far right conservatives like Sen. Jeff Sessions of Alabama and Rep. Steve King of Iowa denounced that legislation as amnesty that would reward criminals and scofflaws living illegally in this country and taking advantage of schools and social services. They argued that many illegals refused to play by the rules and wanted to cut into line ahead of others from overseas who have spent years seeking green cards or U.S. citizenship.

During the primaries, Trump lambasted Cruz for supporting a path to legal status for immigrants and he even ran an ad portraying Cruz as favoring the hated amnesty. During the 2013 Senate debate, Cruz had proposed a rider to the reform bill that would have eliminated its path to citizenship but left intact a path to legal status, so that illegal immigrants could remain in the country and work.

Related: Paul Ryan Rejects Trumps Plan to Deport 12 Million Illegal Immigrants

Now Trump is essentially echoing Cruzs views by calling for some sort of path to legal status. The billionaire businessman may be winning some kudos from disaffected Hispanics or more mainstream Republicans who favor a more humane approach to immigration reform, but he is rocking his conservative base and may suffer a serious backlash.

King, the Iowa Republican and arch opponent of immigration reform, tried during an interview on CNN earlier this week to put a positive spin on Trumps comments, especially relating to mass deportation. But King stressed that if Trump moved off his position on amnesty, it would be a mistake.

Ann Coulter, the conservative author and TV personality, also appeared to be struggling to reconcile Trumps fast-evolving position with where he stood during the primary campaign. She wrote in her newly released book, In Trump We Trust, that the only unforgivable sin Trump could commit would be to shift his stand on immigration.

The New York Times reported that many conservatives  and some of his former primary rivals  are up in arms about Trumps shifting positions. Bush said during an interview on ABC Radio that Trumps latest comments were abhorrent and that I dont know what to believe about a guy who doesnt believe in things.

Betraying his base and making clear that, a year after he launched his campaign, he still doesnt know really what he wants to do on immigration, is really the last straw, it seems to me, Mark Krikorian, of the conservative Center for Immigration Studies, told The New York Times.

Related: Could the New Zika Outbreak Sink Trumps Chances in Florida?

Precisely what Trumps motivation is in tempering his views on immigration is not clear. With an eye to the polls showing that his harsh views and anti-immigrant rhetoric has alienated many Hispanic voters and more mainstream Republicans, especially women, Trump may be trying to woo some of that support back.

Since last weeks shakeup of Trumps campaign organization that left veteran pollster Kellyanne Conway the new campaign manager, Trump has issued a generalized apology for offending people and began talking about a more humane approach to immigration reform. (Conway is more likely to be behind this policy shift than Steve Bannon, the far right Breitbart News executive who is now chairing the Trump campaign.)

Trump, of course, is inclined to change his mind every time he opens his mouth, so this latest move towards a more moderate immigration approach may prove to be short-lived, especially if Trump begins to feel real heat from the far right.

I think it was a serious mistake on his part, said Ross Baker, a Rutgers University political scientist. Its important for him to have that core group with him, and I think that any backsliding on that is going to seriously hurt him.

I think there are people who support him strictly because of his hardline position on immigration, he added. He wanted to modify his position to make it seem less harsh, but I think that from the point of view of his supporters he went much too far in the other direction.

Top Reads from The Fiscal Times:
By Tarek Amara TUNIS (Reuters) - If Tunisia does not overcome its economic difficulties, an austerity programme will be inevitable next year with thousands of public sector job cuts and new taxes, prime minister-designate Youssef Chahed told parliament on Friday. The North African state is struggling with lower tourism revenues after two Islamist militant attacks on foreign tourists last year hit what is one of its key industries. Strikes and protests for jobs have also hurt state phosphate production. Chahed has promised his new government will take tough decisions to help growth in the economy and create jobs as the country comes under pressure from international lenders to push through reforms and trim public spending. Lawmakers were meeting on Friday to vote whether to approve Chahed's new government - a broad coalition of secular, Islamist and leftist parties, independents and trade union allies which he believes can deliver on economic reforms. "If the situation continues like this then in 2017 we will need a policy of austerity, and dismiss thousands of public sector employees and impose new taxes," Chahed told lawmakers before the vote. Chahed, an ally of President Beji Caid Essebsi, promised a tough line on the economy. But critics question whether he has the political clout to overcome the labour union opposition, strikes and party infighting that have dogged past governments. He said growth this year would not surpass 1.5 percent, below the official target of 2.5 percent for the year. He said state production of phosphate -- a major revenue earner -- had declined in the past five years by 60 percent, while public wage pay-outs had more than doubled from 6.7 billion dinars($3.06 billion) in 2010 to 13.4 billion dinars in 2016. He expected the budget deficit to widen by 2.9 billion dinars to reach 6.5 billion dinars by the end of 2016. Chahed, at 41 the youngest prime minister Tunisia has had, said his government would be tough with illegal strikes. "We will not allow interruption of production at any factory and we will be firm and severe in dealing with illegal strikes and sit-ins." He vowed to press ahead with economic reforms sought by international lenders such as the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. At 13.5 percent of GDP, Tunisia's public sector wage bill is proportionately one of the highest in the world. But labour unions and other groups have resisted attempts to reform pensions and introduce more taxes. Around $3 billion is due in debt service payments next year and and the state is likely to struggle just to come up with the roughly $450 million it needs every month to pay employees. ($1 = 2.1900 Tunisian dinars) (Reporting by Tarek Amara; writing by Patrick Markey; editing by Richard Balmforth)
Tunis (AFP) - Tunisia's premier-designate called for "sacrifices" as parliament convened on Friday to vote on a cabinet line-up he has proposed to tackle pressing economic and security challenges.

It is likely that a majority of parliament's 217 members will vote for the line-up, making Youssef Chahed, at 40, the country's youngest prime minister since it won independence from France in 1956.

But as Tunisia continues to find its bearings after the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, Chahed would also be the North African nation's seventh premier in less than six years.

The prime minister-designate addressed the assembly on Friday morning ahead of the vote of confidence, which is not expected before 2000 GMT.

Parliament also took a midday break before resuming deliberations at 1400 GMT.

Chahed noted that members of his government will each also issue a declaration of interests within 15 days.

He stressed the "necessity" of his proposed unity government to address mounting economic challenges not resolved since the 2011 revolution.

"We have until now been unable to realise the objectives of the revolution. Our youth have lost hope, the trust of citizens in the state has decreased," he said.

"We are all responsible" and "will all have to make sacrifices".

Chahed, whose speech was met with resounding applause, said his government would give priority to fighting corruption and "terrorism".

While Tunisia is considered a rare success story of the Arab Spring, the authorities have failed to resolve the issues of poverty, unemployment, regional disparities and corruption that preceded Ben Ali's fall.

If his government is approved, Chahed will also have to address security after a wave of jihadist attacks, including two that killed dozens of foreign tourists last year.

Chahed was appointed by President Beji Caid Essebsi early this month after lawmakers passed a vote of no confidence in Habib Essid's government following just 18 months in office.

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On Saturday, Chahed -- a member of Essebsi's Nidaa Tounes party -- said he would head a 27-member cabinet which will also include 14 ministers of state, eight women "in important" positions and "14 young" ministers.

The premier-designate said that the line-up would remain unchanged despite reservations among several allied parties.

Chahed, a liberal who was local affairs minister before his nomination, should get around 60 votes from Nidaa Tounes.

He should also be able to count on the votes of 69 lawmakers from the Islamist Ennahda party, the largest in parliament.

Rached Ghannouchi's party said on Sunday it had reservations about the line-up, in which it has three ministers, but said these would not prevent it from giving the proposed cabinet its vote of confidence.

Chahed may also win votes from the 24 lawmakers of the Al-Horra bloc, created after a split from Nidaa Tounes, and the 10 representatives of the liberal Afek Tounes party.

The vote on the new cabinet comes after Tunisia in January witnessed its worst social unrest since the 2011 uprising.
* Erdogan using megaprojects to secure legacy

* Bridge part of $200 billion construction spree

* Years of stellar growth have transformed Istanbul

* Turkey facing hurdles after failed coup, attacks (Adds comment from Erdogan at opening ceremony)

By Ayla Jean Yackley

GARIPCE, Turkey, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Turkey opened one of the world's biggest suspension bridges on Friday, the latest megaproject in a $200 billion building spree that President Tayyip Erdogan hopes will secure his place in history.

The bridge creates a new link across the Bosphorus Strait, which divides Asia and Europe. It is built in the style of New York's Brooklyn Bridge and boasts pylons higher than the Eiffel Tower. It is 1.4 km (0.9 mile) long and 59 metres wide, with eight vehicle lanes and two high-speed rail lines.

"When man dies, he leaves behind a monument," Erdogan told a crowd of thousands waving Turkish flags at the opening ceremony on the shores of the Bosphorus next to the bridge.

He is seeking to use such projects to drive economic growth and secure a place as Turkey's most significant leader since the modern republic's founder Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.

"Be proud of your power, Turkey," said a TV advert before the opening of the $3 billion Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge on the edge of Istanbul. It is named after a 16th-century Ottoman ruler.

Erdogan's infrastructure drive is transforming Europe's biggest city, which straddles the Bosphorus Strait. In a little more than a decade, Istanbul's skyline has soared, new highways have been built, and the length of the metro tripled.

But Turkey's stellar economic growth has slowed since 2011 and it could face difficulties attracting investment following an attempted coup last month, which led to a purge by the government that has seen tens of thousands of people in the military, judiciary, civil service and education being detained, suspended or placed under investigation.

The country has also been hit by attacks this summer by Islamic State on a wedding party and Istanbul airport, while the Turkish army's incursion this week in Syria to curb jihadist and Kurdish forces has unsettled nerves.

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But Erdogan - whose government announced a $200 billion, decade-long infrastructure investment plan three years ago - has vowed the months of turmoil would not stop planned megaprojects.

The Yavuz Sultan Selim, which runs from the Garipce area on Istanbul's European side to the region of Poyrazkoy on the Asian side, is the third bridge to span the Bosphorus Strait and can withstand winds of 300 km an hour. It ranks among the world's biggest suspension bridges, in terms of width of deck, height of pylons as well as length of span.

It has been built by Italy's Astaldi and Istanbul-based IC Ictas which will jointly operate it for about a decade.

Officials say the bridge will ease congestion in a city of 14 million people, reduce fuel costs and save workers time.

Environmentalists say the project threatens Istanbul's last forestland and will contaminate water supplies. Some economists warn the costs of such large-scale building is unsustainable.

BRIDGE 'IS SYMBOL'

Turkey closed deals to secure $45 billion in private infrastructure investment last year, absorbing 40 percent of the global total, according to the World Bank.

Other planned megaprojects include the world's biggest airport in Istanbul and a huge canal that would render a large chunk of the city an island.

Such undertakings trumpet Turkey's regional clout and drive the economy, Transport Minister Ahmet Arslan told Reuters near the bridge site at Garipce. Construction accounts for 6 percent of output and employs 2 million people.

"Turkey, by virtue of its geography, bridges Asia and Europe, the Balkans and the Caucasus, but to benefit from this position, we need arteries and corridors," he told Reuters. "There is money to be made by easing transportation between Europe and Asia, and this is why we are doing these projects."

As Arslan spoke, workers scaled the bridge's gleaming white steel cables. Some 300 metres below, crude tankers rumbled north through the Bosphorus, one of the world's busiest oil transit points, connecting the Black Sea and the Mediterranean.

Each day, 650 new cars hit Istanbul's roads, Arslan said, making it the word's third-most congested city and increasing travel times by 50 percent, according to TomTom Traffic Index.

The bridge "is a symbol and much like Turkey a gateway", said Paolo Astaldi, chairman of Astaldi which owns a third of the joint venture. "It not only alleviates traffic in Istanbul, it speeds movement of goods across Turkey and, as Syria stabilises, the importance of the link will increase."

Under a build-operate-transfer model, the consortium receives the toll crossing fees for vehicles using the hybrid cable-stayed/suspension bridge - $3 for cars and $15 for trucks. The government guarantees the firms will receive, as a minimum, the toll income from 135,000 cars a day, though the actual number expected to use the bridge is expected to be higher.

Planned Turkish megaprojects, if realised, may add 10 to 15 percentage points in the next five years to the debt-to-GDP ratio, now 33 percent due to a wide current-account deficit, said Atilla Yesilada, an analyst at Global Source Partners.

"You're trying to stimulate sagging growth with a surge in infrastructure, but you have a savings problem. There comes a point when the international community won't lend to you."

ISTANBUL'S 'LUNGS'

The bridge is part of a network of 215 km of transit roads for freight to bypass Istanbul, Arslan said, reiterating a government pledge to protect the area from housing development.

Yet realtors in nearby fishing and farming villages report a fourfold rise in land prices, and activists in the Northern Forests Defence campaign group believe the real aim is to erect new suburbs.

"Transit makes up 3 percent of total traffic, so it won't mitigate traffic jams," said Cihan Baysal of the Northern Forests Defence. "This opens up hitherto pristine lands to more construction projects, because Turkey's economy depends on construction ... which paradoxically exacerbates traffic jams."

The new roads seared gashes through forestland. Arslan said that while 380,000 trees were felled, 2.5 million were planted.

"These forests are Istanbul's lungs," said Baysal, pointing to a court ruling the bridge lacked an environmental report.

Among other concerns are the fate of what media reports said were a trove of unexcavated antiquities in the construction area, including Paleolithic remains and a Byzantine jail.

The two older Bosphorus Strait bridges, crossed by 150 million vehicles a year, sparked protests in 1973 and 1988; now their silhouettes define the skyline.

Even the third bridge's name stirred controversy when it was announced at a 2013 ground-breaking ceremony. Selim I, known as Selim the Grim, expanded the Ottoman Empire to dominate the Middle East.

Many members of Turkey's Alevi community, whose faith draws from Shi'ite, Sufi and Anatolian traditions, say Selim slaughtered tens of thousands of their forebears. They unsuccessfully lobbied to change the bridge's name.

(Editing by Edmund Blair and Pravin Char)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yidirim on Friday denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that Ankara's military operation in Syria was singling out Kurdish people rather than jihadists.

"They either know nothing about the world, or else their job is to report a bare-faced lie," Yildirim snarled when asked to comment on claims the operation was not targeting Islamic State (IS) jihadists but Kurds.

He had been asked to respond to an article in German weekly Der Spiegel -- which frequently riles the Turkish authorities -- with the headline "Turkey's Syria operation -- IS is the pretext, the Kurds the target".

Yildirim said: "Our soldiers' mission is to ensure our border security and the life and property of our citizens. The news apart from that is just a lie."

"You tell lies that Turkey is weak in the fight against ISIS (IS) but when we save innocent lives from ISIS you go and write this," he fumed.

Ankara has said it will act in the operation against the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia who it accuses of seeking to carve out an autonomous region in northern Syria.

Turkey regards the organisations as terror groups who represent neither the Kurdish nor the Syrian people. The YPG are allies of the United States in the fight against IS but Ankara argues this is a dangerous error.
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkey on Friday vowed to retaliate after a suicide truck bombing by suspected Kurdish militants in the southeastern town of Cizre, which killed at least 11 police officers.

"We will give those vile (attackers) the answer they deserve," Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a news conference in Istanbul. "No terrorist organisation can hold Turkey captive."

Eleven Turkish police officers were killed and more than 70 other people wounded when a suicide bomber exploded a bomb-laden truck near a four-storey police headquarters, the prime minister said.

"It is one of the treacherous attacks carried out by the vile PKK terrorist organisation," he added.

"Our people should understand and know that we have waged a collective war on terrorist groups," he said.

Over 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK first took up arms in 1984 with the aim of carving out an independent state for Turkey's Kurdish minority.

It is designated as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
By Nick Tattersall and Humeyra Pamuk ISTANBUL/KARKAMIS, Turkey (Reuters) - Turkish forces will remain in Syria for as long as it takes to cleanse the border of Islamic State and other militants, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on Friday, after a truck bombing by Kurdish insurgents killed at least 11 police officers. The suicide attack at a police headquarters in a province bordering Syria and Iraq came two days after Turkey launched its first major military incursion into Syria, an operation meant to drive Islamic State out of the border area and stop Kurdish militias from seizing ground in their wake. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meanwhile tried on Friday at a meeting in Geneva to finalize an agreement on fighting Islamist militants in Syria. Such a deal could in theory pave the way for a political transition to end the five-year conflict. Turkey, a NATO member and part of the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, has seen a series of deadly bombings this year blamed on the radical Islamists. But it also fears Kurdish militias in Syria will seize a swathe of border territory and embolden Kurdish insurgents on its own soil. President Tayyip Erdogan said the bombing in Sirnak province would increase Turkey's determination as it fights terrorist groups at home and abroad. Yildirim said there was no doubt the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy, was responsible. "From the beginning we have been defending Turkey's territorial integrity. We are also defending Syria's territorial integrity. The aim of these terrorist organizations is ... to form a state in these countries... They will never succeed," Yildirim told a news conference in Istanbul. "We will continue our operations (in Syria) until we fully guarantee security of life and property for our citizens and the security of our border. We will continue until Daesh (Islamic State) and other terrorist elements are taken out." After he spoke, the PKK claimed responsibility for the attack on the police headquarters, according to a website affiliated to the group. Syria has condemned the Turkish operation, codenamed "Euphrates Shield", as a breach of its sovereignty. Turkish special forces, tanks and jets launched the incursion in support of Syrian rebels, mostly Turkmen and Arab, who quickly took the border town of Jarablus from Islamic State on Wednesday. An alliance of 23 Kurdish parties in Syria also condemned the Turkish operation on Friday. In a joint statement, they called for a complete withdrawal of all Turkish forces from the country and accused Ankara of trying to occupy Syria under the pretence of fighting terrorism. Turkish military vehicles shuttled in and out of Syria on Friday, Reuters witnesses said, including a construction machine that helped flatten the route for a tank. Controlled explosions rang out around the Karkamis border crossing as Turkish security forces removed mines and booby traps left by Islamic State. Ismail Metin, the commander of Turkey's second army responsible for the borders with Syria and Iraq, visited Jarablus on Friday, local sources said. WEEKS OR MONTHS Turkey has shown little sign so far of a quick withdrawal. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, who met Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday, said Turkey was ready to stay in Syria for as long as it takes to destroy Islamic State. A Syrian rebel commander in charge of one of the main groups involved in the Turkish-backed operation told Reuters the forces now aimed to move westward after taking Jarablus, an advance that could take weeks or months to complete. Colonel Ahmad Osman, speaking to Reuters from Jarablus, said the priority was now to advance about 70 km (40 miles) west to Marea, a town where rebels have long had a frontline with Islamic State. Turkey has long lobbied for a "buffer zone" in northern Syria controlled by what it regards as moderate rebels, potentially in border territory currently held by Islamic State and stretching about 80 km (50 miles) west of Jarablus. Sweeping out Islamic State would deprive the group of a smuggling route taken by foreign fighters joining its ranks, and could also create a safe area for displaced civilians and help to stem the flow of refugees, Turkish officials have said. They argue the proposal has become all the more urgent since Ankara began implementing a deal with the European Union to stop illegal migration earlier this year. "The situation in Syria and Iraq is getting worse," Yildirim told a joint news conference with the visiting prime minister of Bulgaria, which has also been struggling to slow migrant flows. "We're cleansing Islamic State and other terrorist elements (in northern Syria) so people living there are not forced to leave their homes. But the problem has to be comprehensively handled at the EU level. Solutions are needed quickly." Syria's war has killed at least a quarter of a million people and forced almost five million to flee the country, many of them to Turkey. The United Nations estimates that 6.5 million are internally displaced. An agreement was reached on Thursday to evacuate around 4,000 civilians and 700 fighters from the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, ending one of the conflict's longest stand-offs. Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) vehicles entered the area to prepare for the evacuation on Friday. Syria's army has surrounded rebels and civilians and blocked food deliveries in Daraya since 2012, regularly bombing the area, one of the first places to see peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad. Erdogan, who wants to see Assad removed from power, spoke by phone on Friday with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who backs the Syrian leader, and they stressed the importance of a joint fight against terrorism, the Kremlin said. OVERLAPPING INTERESTS The suicide bombing in Turkey's southeastern town of Cizre is another reminder of the risks Ankara faces as its gets drawn ever more deeply into Syria's conflict, with the threat of reprisals from both Islamic State and Kurdish insurgents. The provincial governor's office said 11 police officers were killed and 78 people, three of them civilians, wounded. Large plumes of smoke billowed from the blast site. Photographs showed a large three-storey building reduced to its concrete shell, with no walls or windows, surrounded by rubble. Turkey views the PKK, listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, as closely linked to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Washington, however, has backed the YPG in a separate campaign against Islamic State in northern Syria. Turkish troops fired on YPG fighters south of Jarablus on Thursday, highlighting the cross-cutting of interests of two pivotal NATO allies. The Cizre attack came as Turkey has been weakened by a failed July 15 military coup. More than 1,700 military personnel have been removed for their alleged role in the putsch, including some 40 percent of admirals and generals, raising concern about the NATO member's ability to protect itself. Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Twitter that Islamic State, the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia were all attacking to take advantage of the failed coup. (Additional reporting by Asli Kandemir, David Dolan, Can Sezer, Cagan Uslu, Edmund Blair in Istanbul; Dasha Afanasieva and Orhan Coskun in Ankara; Lisa Barrington and Tom Perry in Beirut; Lesley Wroughton and Stephanie Nebehay in Geneva; Writing by Nick Tattersall; editing by David Stamp)
Istanbul (AFP) - Here are key developments in Turkey's involvement in the Syria conflict, after Ankara launched a major offensive aimed both at jihadists and Syrian Kurdish forces.

- Ankara drops Assad -

In September 2011 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had previously described Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a friend, says: "The Syrian people do not believe Assad, and I do not either."

Siding with the West six months after peaceful protests against Assad were brutally put down, Ankara joins mounting diplomatic pressure on its neighbour, before imposing sanctions on Damascus in November 2011.

- Hosts Syrian opposition -

In July 2011 defected Syrian army colonel Riyadh al-Assad sets up a Free Syrian Army operating out of Turkey to fight the Assad regime.

In October, after several meetings on Turkish soil, Syrian opposition leaders meeting in Istanbul announce the creation of a broad-based Syrian National Council.

In November 2012 Turkey recognises the Council as "the legitimate representative of the Syrian people".

- Accused of complacency -

In September 2014 Islamic State jihadists attack the Syrian border town of Kobane, entering the town which becomes the scene of urban guerrilla fighting.

Ankara, accused of letting IS fighters reach Syria via Turkish territory, rebuffs pressure by western allies to intervene militarily and help Kurdish forces against the jihadists.

Turkey has regularly voiced concern over the possibility of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria led by militias it considers close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In late January, Syrian Kurds backed by international air strikes retake Kobane.

- Joins anti-jihadist coalition -

On July 20, 2015 the Syrian conflict spills into Turkey with an attack blamed on IS fighters in the border town of Suruc that kills 34 people.

Erdogan launches a "war against terrorism" aimed at both the PKK and the IS.

In August, Ankara joins the US-led coalition and tightens airport and border checks. Jihadist cells are dismantled after several attacks blamed on the IS, including one which kills 103 people at Ankara's central railway station in October.

Story continues

- Makes up with Moscow -

On August 9, 2016 Erdogan meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg to seal a reconciliation with Moscow, which has backed Assad. Ties had deteriorated after a Russian fighter plane was shot down by the Turkish air force the previous November .

Putin is one of the first world leaders to call Erdogan following a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.

On August 19, Turkey's foreign minister visits Iran -- which also backs the Syrian regime -- a week after a visit by his Iranian counterpart to Ankara.

On August 20, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Assad can remain temporarily during a transition period because "he is one of the actors today no matter whether we like it or not".

- Turkish tanks into Syria -

On August 24, Turkish troops launch Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria to drive out the IS, as well as Kurdish militias.

Turkish tanks and opposition fighters drive the IS out of the key Syrian border town of Jarabulus.

The operation comes several days after an attack blamed on the IS which killed 54 civilians at Gaziantep in the south east.

But it is aimed more than anything else, according to experts, at preventing the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria.
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's resolve to battle militants would only increase after Friday's attack on a police headquarters in the southeast of the country that he blamed on the outlawed militant group Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK). Turkey was battling militants "at home and abroad", the president said in a statement, two days after Turkey launched an incursion against Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria. (Reporting by Asli Kandemir and Nick Tattersall; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by David Dolan)
ISTANBUL (Reuters) - Turkey's economy is strong and will not be shaken by last month's failed coup attempt or by the operation now in Syria, Economy Minister Nihat Zeybekci said on Friday. In an interview with broadcaster NTV, Zeybekci also said the military operation in Syria, launched this week, was a positive step to ensure Turkey's stability. Syrian rebels backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes on Wednesday entered Jarablus, one of Islamic State's last strongholds on the Turkish-Syrian border. President Tayyip Erdogan and other officials have made clear the operation was also aimed at stopping the Kurdish YPG militia from seizing territory and filling the void left by Islamic State. (Reporting by Asli Kandemir and Nick Tattersall; Writing by David Dolan; Editing by Edmund Blair)
Once Upon a Time is going 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea to reveal Captain Nemos connection to Hook.

The ABC drama has tapped Faran Tahir (American Crime, Warehouse 13) to play the hardened leader of the Nautilus submarine in Season 6, EW.com reports.

PHOTOSOnce Upon a Times Snow Is Haunted By a Past Evil  Fall TV First Look

Nemo is described as a zealous believer in a cause, which takes him from ~69,047 miles under the sea to a destiny that he wont let anyone prevent him from achieving. His mythology will merge with that of Storybrookes own captain, Hook.

Once Upon a Time Season 6 premieres Sunday, Sept. 25 at 8/7c on ABC; Tahir appears in Episode 6.

Ready for more of todays newsy nuggets? Well

* Netflix and ITV have renewed the crime drama Marcella for Season 2, our sister site Deadline reports.

RELATEDCable/Streaming Renewal Scorecard 2016: Whats Coming Back? Whats Cancelled? Whats On the Bubble?

* Guy Burnet (Chicago Fire, Hand of God) will recur on Season 3 of The Affair as a graduate student and campus Lothario who crosses paths with Dominic Wests Noah, per Deadline.

* Anna Cathcart (Odd Squad) has joined Disney Channels Descendants 2 as Dizzy, the daughter of Cinderellas evil stepsister Drizella.

* NBC has given a a put pilot commitment to a legal drama procedural based on former O.J. Simpson prosecutor Marcia Clarks novel Blood Defense, Deadline reports. The potential series centers around a relentless criminal defense attorney in Los Angeles whose world is turned upside down when she is hired to defend a police detective in a high-profile homicide.

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Charlize Theron holding her son Jackson. (Photo: Getty Images)

Charlize Theron most likely doesnt care what you think of her, her children, or her parenting. Nevertheless, a few opinionated individuals decided to shame her child-rearing via Twitter, and their input is pretty disgusting.

What brought on such hate? This week, a photo surfaced of the actress and her son Jackson wearing a dress and a hat with a long blonde braid attached to it, one that looks a lot like Targets Frozen Elsa hat.



Theron was shamed by some Twitter users for allowing her son to wear an Elsa hat that comes with a braid attached and a dress. (Photo: Fameflynet)

Some Twitter users were unhappy seeing a little boy dressed in what some consider little girl attire, and expressed their discomfort and concern with aggressive tweets shaming the award-winning actress.



Is @CharlizeAfrica crazy?? What kind of parent does this to a child?? Why would you adopt this young black boy and then degrade him??  Lesboja78 (@lesboja1978) August 24, 2016

@CharlizeAfrica this is a lil black boy, not a lil white girl with blonde hair. U need ur ass kicked 4 this  Bridget McDonald (@marqbrit) August 24, 2016

@CharlizeAfrica: ARE YOU REALLY PARADING YOUR AA ADOPTED SON AROUND IN A DRESS??????????  LizM. (@SmartChicksRule) August 23, 2016

I feel so bad for Charlize Therons son  adoption from foreign countrys should be illegal!  Audexia (@Audexia) August 25, 2016

We think its pretty ridiculous that people just assumed that Theron forced Jackson to dress that way, when, in fact, he more than likely chose the outfit himself. The only thing Theron is guilty of is being an amazing and accepting parent by letting him express himself through his style, or simply going outside in a silly outfit. Hes four  let him have his fun!



Story continues

We admire Theron  who adopted Jackson from South Africa in 2012, and a baby girl named August from the U.S. last summer  for being open and giving her children freedom.

Diane Ehrensaft, Ph.D., author of The Gender Creative Child and director of mental health at the Child and Adolescent Gender Center, agrees. As a psychologist who spends much of her day with children who are teaching us about gender in all its shades and hues, I applaud Charlize Theron for being a parent who listens to her child and follows his lead, letting him be the boy he wants to be the way he wants to do it, and that would be dressing up as Elsa in a princess costume, Ehrensaft tells Yahoo Style.

She adds: We now know the disturbing results when parents take over and try to police their childs gender and shame them for the creative ways they want to express it. That child is at risk for anxiety, depression, or even worse, she warned. When we listen to a little boy and celebrate his desire to wear a princess costume, we avoid that risk, and instead have a happy, thriving child. Who wouldnt want that for their child?



Whatever the reason behind Jacksons clothing choices, its truthfully nobodys business, but if haters insist on getting to the bottom of this, well, we couldnt have said it better than Ehrensaft: For those who dont understand how this works, perhaps Charlize Theron would be willing to invite you over so you could see.



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UPDATED, Sunday, 10:31 AM: The management of The Leisure Seeker film let crew members know today that they will provide rental cars for those whose cars are unusable for the duration of the shoot as a courtesy and also would like to cover auto insurance deductibles for cars that need repair.

This is a similar response that management for the production of Paramount Pictures Rings did for their crew when cars were flooded out in the same spot in the same parking lot during a shoot: the company paid deductibles, but some crew members whose cars were totaled by the rush of water still ended up car-less.

Although the losses are not our legal responsibility, we are trying to assist those affected, they said and directed crew to submit the loss to their insurance companies first because primary responsibility for any damages falls on your insurance in the same was as if you were in a car accident that was not your fault.

EXCLUSIVE, Previously Friday, 11:21 AM: Crew members on the Atlanta set of the Donald Sutherland-Helen Mirren movie The Leisure Seeker are furious after they found their cars filled with water in a parking lot where they were told they had to park or be towed. About 20-25 cars were flooded in a downpour, and two crew members told us a handful of those cars were totaled. Those working on the film also were told (in writing) that they would have to get relief from their own insurance companies as the production said the losses were not covered by the shoots insurance.

Deadline spoke to several of those affected by the incident that occurred last Thursday. The Leisure Seeker is a union shoot, and the U.S.-Italy production hired local Georgia crew members. The crew, which later learned this was not the first time that parking lot had flooded, were upset and angry that they are on the hook for thousands of dollars in repairs.

This is the worst experience Ive had in my entire career, and Ive worked in production for over a decade, said one crew member who declined to go on record. Ive never have been treated like this. Its very degrading. I have thought about getting out of the business over this. Its humiliating. Its the union guys trying to make the producers happy and the producers trying to make the production happy while all of us below-the-line are getting screwed. Ive cried for like three days over this.

Story continues

The Leisure Seeker is an independent production which is being directed by Paolo Virzi, and there are about 10 producers on the film. Its a road-trip picture written by Stephen Amidon.

Deadline has been shown photos and multiple videos of crew members repeatedly dishing plastic Solo cups full of water out of their flooded floorboards and pulling out soaked and ruined personal items. E-mails from the production were also shared with us that told workers to file with their personal insurance companies.

They had us all park on an embankment and water rose over the engine compartment, said one crew member whose car was badly damaged. We have production crew members  some are young kids, without cars now. He said one of the female producers was handing out Solo cups to try to help the crew members get water out of their cars. Another producer was asking crew members about the condition of their cars and who among them needed rentals.

One of the photos shows a sign saying that the area is a flood zone and to park 6 feet from the wall. One of the videos obtained by Deadline shows a measurement being done between the cars and the wall  it measured 7 feet. The crew was directed to park there by a yellow CREW PARKING sign. More than one crew member said they were told that they had to park there or their cars would be towed.

We were directed to park there by the crew map and the call sheet; we could not park elsewhere and they told us if we did that the cars would be towed, one crew member said. We werent told until lunch time about this. We were shooting and there was a massive downpour. At the time we were shooting we werent notified that there was a flood. All the cars were underwater. My car had standing water. Some crew members found water halfway up the seats. One of my other crew members, his car was pretty much underwater. They said to go and try to start our cars. The last thing you want to do is turn a car on in standing water. Some people did and their cars are totally screwed now.

In an email obtained by Deadline, workers were told: Production insurance does not cover employee vehicles. It also said that the producers want to try and help. The production told those affected that Teamsters would try to vacuum out the cars, and they also offered them up to $100 for detailing, and told them to collect receipts and they would see what they could do for reimbursement. According to two crew members, there was a security guard hired who was stationed in the parking lot. The security guard didnt let us know, said one crew member. Why werent we notified? They were notified by other crew members who had gone out to their cars.

At the moment, we are providing rental cars for those who dont have cars, said executive producer Alessandro Mascheroni, who referred Deadline to line producer James Spies for more information. Spies did not return a call seeking comment. The co-producer, Betta Boni, had no comment and suggested calling Mascheroni. Mamann had no comment and referred calls to the production manager. The production supervisor also had no comment. Deadline then called the production coordinator and the location manager. Neither returned calls seeking comment.

Producer Fabrizio Donvito issued a statement on Friday afternoon: We have a wonderful crew and are working closely with those affected by the floods to lend our support, financial and otherwise. We immediately provided rental cars and arranged transportation for those in need, and as they go through the insurance process, we continue to offer transportation and car cleaning services to all of our crew. The entire production team is working together to help one another.

A production source noted they are waiting for receipts to come in to see what can be taken care of. That source said they are hoping to take care of some of the costs after the crew first files through their personal insurance company.

Meanwhile, the crew is frustrated and stressed and scared to speak up. Im still working there so I dont want to go on the record, said a crew member who was fearful of repercussions. We parked in the part that was designated for crew. Our call time was at 4 PM. We heard about two or three hours into our jobs, that crew parking was flooding. It was a downpour. At lunchtime, when we could take a break, we went and looked. At least 20 to 30 cars had water damage. It was literally a whole line of cars. They told us to move the cars to the production office, but it was too late. This has cost us all a lot of money.

Estimates show that some of the damage would cost $2,000 in repairs, with transmission replacements coming to about $9,000. Three people I know of right now, their cars are totaled. They have no transportation, said a different crew member.

They said to give them our receipts and they might try to reimburse us, but then said now were on our own. They said they were not financially responsible for this. The night before they said they would help us out and the next day the story changed. Its been one thing after another, said one of the crew members.

Some do not have vehicles  or will not  as of Saturday because rental cars were only offered until the weekend as the crew will then be bused to a new location (Jekyll Island) and be provided transportation to and from there.

After Saturday, the cars are no longer paid for or we pay for it out of pocket, said one member of the crew. Its incredibly stressful for us. You cant get around Atlanta without transportation. It should be put in all of our contracts that crew cars are covered while working on set. I was told that the car is not covered under their insurance plan. Some people have high deductibles, like me. We were told they dont have the money in the budget, that its not covered and that we are going to have to take care of this ourselves because cars in crew parking are not covered.

They would later learn that the parking lot was a known hazard and that it happened on other productions, including Paramounts Rings. Deadline contacted an electrician who worked on the set of Rings and asked about it. It happened to me, he said. My car was totaled. I was on set and when I got off work, I got a note on the drivers window of my car that said that water was over the hood of my car and I should not drive it. There were notes on about 25 other cars, too. I believe mine and two others were officially totaled. How Rings did it, from what I understand, IATSE got involved and made sure it was taken care of.

He said that the production company on Rings told the crew to put in the claim on their insurance and it wouldnt count against them. They then paid the deductible for the crew members who were affected. The electrician was reimbursed by insurance, but, he said: I know a few people who werent as lucky and were screwed. It was in the same parking lot, the same spot.

Safety bulletins issued by the Industry Wide Labor-Management Safety Committee warn about the dangers of flash flooding to cast and crew  but not to their cars. Flash flooding is usually caused by slow-moving thunderstorms and can occur within a few minutes or hours of excessive rainfall, Safety Bulletin #38 reads. Realize it does not have to be raining at your specific location for a flood to occur.

Deadline reached out to the owner of the property, but has not received a response.

Deadlines David Robb contributed to this report.

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By David Ingram

(Reuters) - Two men charged along with rancher Cliven Bundy in an armed standoff with federal agents in Nevada in 2014 have pleaded guilty, the first time any of the 19 defendants has agreed to forgo trial and admit wrongdoing.

Jerry DeLemus, 61, and Blaine Cooper, 36, pleaded guilty during separate hearings on Thursday in federal court in Las Vegas, according to court records and a statement from prosecutors.

The standoff, which began when federal agents seized cattle at Bundy's ranch over unpaid grazing fees, came to symbolize opposition to federal management of public lands in the American West.

DeLemus, a prominent conservative activist from Rochester, N.H., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and one count of interstate travel in aid of extortion.

In April 2014, he traveled to Nevada with firearms and other gunmen, providing security for Bundy and organizing patrols, prosecutors said.

Cooper, of Humboldt, Ariz., pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit an offense against the United States and one count of assault on a federal officer.

He helped Bundy to thwart federal agents, including when at least one unidentified member of Bundy's group brandished a firearm, prosecutors said.

DeLemus and Cooper are scheduled for sentencing on Dec. 1. Under plea agreements filed in court, prosecutors plan to ask that they be given prison terms of six years.

A trial for the remaining 17 defendants, including Bundy, is scheduled to begin in February. They have pleaded not guilty.

Cooper will not testify against the others at trial, his lawyer Matthew Lay said. Lay declined further comment.

A lawyer for DeLemus could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

In March, DeLemus was named an alternate delegate for businessman Donald Trump at the Republican national convention. He was co-chair of a New Hampshire Veterans for Trump coalition.

(Reporting by David Ingram; Editing by James Dalgleish)
waste isolation pilot plant wipp AP_924492318823

A typo and a bag of organic kitty litter may end up costing United States taxpayers more than $2 billion in nuclear waste cleanup, according to a new report by Ralph Vartabedian at the Los Angeles Times.

Back in February 2014, a drum of nuclear waste burst open inside the cavernous Waste Isolation Pilot Project (WIPP), which is drilled out of a salt deposit nearly half a mile below the deserts of Carlsbad, New Mexico.

The US Department of Energy (DOE), which funds the company that runs the nuclear waste dump, quickly suspended operations and launched an investigation to figure out the cause.

drum 68660 wipp doe labeled

In their 277-page report, investigators determined the blast vaporized nearly 7.5 lbs of the material inside a single barrel, labeled "Drum 68660." That material included some radioactive isotopes of americium, plutonium, and uranium  byproducts of Cold War-era nuclear weapons production.

Although no one was inside WIPP when the drum burst, the facility's air ventilation system spread some of the gases outside, exposing 21 workers to low doses of radiation.

Investigators also discovered the trigger of the "thermal runaway event," also known as an "explosion": a dangerous combination of nitric acid and salts, triethanolamine, and "sWheat Scoop" organic kitty litter. (The DOE mentions the brand almost 400 times in its report.)

The cleanup itself will cost hundreds of millions, but that's not where the mishap's ledger ends.

A radioactive kitty litter 'bomb'

waste isolation pilot plant wipp radioactive waste barrels drums doe

The "organic" part of the kitty litter in question is crucial.

That's because wheat, which makes up the pee-absorbing bulk of organic kitty litter, contains plant cellulose that can burn. Standard kitty litter, meanwhile, is inorganic, since it's primarily made of clay.

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So when drum-packing workers at Los Alamos National Laboratory (LANL) followed instructions to add an organic variety to soak up radioactive fluids, they were unknowingly packing up what Sarah Zhang at Gizmodo called "the ingredients of a bomb."

Why did they use fancy organic kitty litter instead of plain old clay kitty litter?

According to a Nov. 2014 story by Patrick Malone at the Sante Fe New Mexican, which we first learned about in Gizmodo's detailing of events, it was likely the most common and mundane of human errors  a typo:

"Even before the waste was treated at Los Alamos, mistakes had been made that could have been instrumental in causing the accident at WIPP. Emails between WIPP contractors involved in the leak investigation indicate that something as simple as a typographical error in a revision of LANL's procedural manual for processing waste containing nitrate salts may have precipitated a switch from inorganic clay kitty litter to the organic variety."

A Sept. 2014 report released by the DOE appears to back this up, stating "handwritten notes that called for an organic absorbent to process nitrate salt drums were improperly relied upon to revise the Procedure".

Expanding cleanup costs

wipp cleanup workers doe

Whether handwritten or typed, that error is going to be costly.

According to Vartabedian at the LA Times, the cleanup costs directly related to Drum 68660 will be about $640 million, per a July 2016 contract modification with the Nuclear Waste Partnership (the company that runs WIPP for the DOE).

Further, he wrote, this "does not include the complete replacement of the contaminated ventilation system or any future costs of operating the mine longer than originally planned."

The DOE disputed that cost figure with Business Insider, saying direct cleanup costs will be about $244 million  not $640 million.

wipp explosion location air shafts

That extra money in the larger figure, it says, comes from a new two-project air ventilation system for WIPP. Together those (very expensive) projects may cost between $270 million and $398 million. But the DOE told us approval wasn't entirely tied to the mishap.

"[T]he two ventilation system capital asset projects are needed as a result of a general evaluation of WIPP infrastructure upgrades and partially the event," a DOE spokesperson told Business Insider in an email (our emphasis added).

Whatever the case, WIPP isn't entombing any nuclear waste while cleanup work continues  which means the US government's grand scheme to seal it all up has a major wrench in its gears.

The Times reports the facility may need 7 years of additional operation to handle the backup of waste. At $200 million per year, according to the Times' analysis, that could add up to $1.4 billion in extra costs triggered by the mishap.

The DOE did not immediately dispute that length of time, but said it anticipates WIPP could resume taking in  or "emplacing"  new drums of waste sometime in 2017.

"DOE can resume waste emplacement without the new permanent ventilation system," the spokesperson said.

In the meantime, the DOE might also have to pay temporary storage and inspection costs for all of the waste that WIPP can't entomb until the cleanup work is finished. The DOE couldn't confirm or deny this, nor the cost.

"The Waste Isolation Pilot Plant (WIPP) is critical to the Department of Energy's mission to cleanup nuclear waste generated by atomic energy activities," the spokesperson said. "WIPP is the nation's only repository for the disposal of nuclear waste known as transuranic (TRU) waste. The Department is committed to the recovery, and resumption of TRU disposal operations at WIPP when it is safe to do so."

Business Insider contacted sWheat Scoop for comment, but the company did not immediately respond.

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By Idrees Ali WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistan's continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming U.S. military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabads strategic importance as an ally to Washington, U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said. The United States has cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply in recent years, reflecting mounting frustration among a growing number of officials with the nuclear-armed country's support for the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan. That frustration has dogged U.S.-Pakistan ties for more than a decade, but has spiked anew as the militant Islamic group has advanced in parts of Afghanistan that U.S. and allied forces once helped to secure, U.S. officials and analysts say. "We're seeing a very definitive and very sharp reorienting of U.S. policy in South Asia away from Afghanistan-Pakistan and more towards India," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank. (For graphic showing U.S. annual military and civilian aid to Pakistan since 2011 click http://tmsnrt.rs/2boG04J) The U.S. relationship with Pakistan has long been a transactional one marked by mutual mistrust, marriages of convenience, and mood swings. The long-standing U.S. frustration with Pakistan's refusal to stop supporting the Taliban, especially within the U.S. military and intelligence community, is now overriding President Barack Obama's administration's desire to avoid renewed military involvement in Afghanistan, as well as concerns that China could capitalize on fraying ties between Washington and Islamabad, the U.S. officials said. Obama announced last month he would keep U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan at 8,400 through the end of his administration, shelving plans to cut the force in half by year end. American civilian and military aid to Pakistan, once the third-largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, is expected to total less than $1 billion in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to U.S. government data. The United States has not appropriated less than $1 billion to Pakistan since at least 2007. The decrease also comes amid budget constraints and shifting global priorities for the United States, including fighting Islamic State militants, a resurgent Russia and an increasingly assertive China. In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would seek to bar $430 million in U.S. funding for Islamabad's purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets. Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter refused to authorize $300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan, citing the limited gains the country has made fighting the militant Haqqani network, which is based in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The approval of such funding has been mostly routine in the past. LIMITS OF COOPERATION The U.S. Congress has yet to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year. The Pentagon is due to authorize $350 million in military aid for the next fiscal year, and is unlikely to approve it under the Obama administration, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Congress is no longer willing to fund a state that supports the Afghan Taliban, which is killing American soldiers," said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert and former CIA officer who headed Obama's first Afghanistan policy review. In a stark illustration of the limits of U.S.Pakistan cooperation, the United States killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistans remote Baluchistan region in May, without informing Pakistan. Some U.S. officials still warn of the dangers of allowing relations with Pakistan to deteriorate. In a July 26 opinion piece in the Financial Times, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that "the strategic imperative for improved relations between the U.S. and Pakistan is clear - for the safety of American troops and the success of their mission in Afghanistan, for the stability of the region and for the national security of both Pakistan and the U.S." A senior Pakistani defense official said the United States will continue to need Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. Authorities in Islamabad have long rejected accusations that Pakistan has provided support and sanctuary to militants operating in Afghanistan. We have lost over a hundred billion dollars in fighting terrorism, which is more than anything they have given us," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. In any event, the official said, Pakistan can turn to other sources of aid, including China. Last year the two countries launched a plan for energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan worth $46 billion. Nevertheless, the U.S. tilt toward India, Pakistan's arch-foe, is likely to continue. U.S. defense companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co. are entering the Indian market, and the country has become the world's second-largest arms buyer after Saudi Arabia, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. Earlier this year, India and the United States agreed in principle to share military logistics, as both sides seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China. (Reporting by Idrees Ali in Washington. Additional reporting by Tommy Wilkes and Mehreen Zahra-Malik in Islamabad.; Editing by John Walcott and Stuart Grudgings)
By Patrick Markey ISTANBUL (Reuters) - The last time U.S. Vice President Joe Biden flew to Turkey, in January, he had a stern message for President Tayyip Erdogan: his model of Islamic democracy was setting a bad example by intimidating media and threatening academics. But his tone was markedly different when he arrived in Ankara on Wednesday, weeks after a failed coup in Turkey that has strained relations between the two countries, and he appeared to be in diplomatic damage-limitation mode. Turkish officials have been incensed by the concerns expressed by Washington and European capitals about Ankara's subsequent crackdown on suspected plotters, but what they perceive as indifference to the coup attempt itself. A weakening of the U.S.-Turkish alliance is a concern for the United States, which is counting on support from Turkey - which has NATO's second-biggest military - in the battle against Islamic State. American worries may have been compounded by Erdogan restoring ties with Russia and even discussing military cooperation with President Vladimir Putin. Meeting with Erdogan and Turkey's prime minister in Ankara on Wednesday, Biden delivered a message of alliance and conciliation. "Let me say it for one last time: The American people stand with you ... Barack Obama was one of the first people you called. But I do apologize. I wish I could have been here earlier," Biden said. He said U.S. officials would cooperate in investigating evidence against Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based cleric Erdogan has blamed for masterminding the coup bid with his followers. Erdogan has demanded that Washington hand over Gulen, who has denied any involvement in the coup, but U.S. authorities have said Turkey must first provide evidence of his wrongdoing. SYRIAN OFFENSIVE Hours before Biden arrived, in a timely illustration of the role Turkey plays in the fight against Islamic State, Turkish forces backed by U.S.-led coalition jets launched a major push across the border into northern Syria to drive the jihadist group out of the frontier town of Jarablus. Former Supreme Allied Commander at NATO, Admiral James Stavridis, said the key to U.S. ties with Turkey was balancing realist and idealist tensions, between the need for a strong, regional NATO ally and drawing attention to human rights. "The vice president's visit is an effort to find the right setting on the dial, and will somewhat disappoint those who want a more black-and-white stance on human rights," said Stavridis, now dean at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts. "But given the huge geopolitical issues at play, my sense is he hit the right notes." Since the attempted coup - in which more than 240 people were killed - Turkish authorities have dismissed or suspended tens of thousands of military personnel, civil servants and judges suspected of ties to Gulen's network. Around 40,000 people have been formally arrested for links to the coup. Turkey's ties with the European Union have also been strained by the reaction to the government crackdown. EU officials, like Washington, have expressed concerns about the scale of the purge and urged Ankara to uphold the rule of law. The rift has increased tensions over an EU deal with Turkey to help tackle Europe's migrant crisis - the other powerful piece of leverage Erdogan holds with the West. Ankara has warned that Turkey could walk away from its promise to stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe if the European Union fails to grant Turks visa-free travel in October. European officials have in the past often chided Erdogan for what his opponents say is creeping authoritarianism and an intolerance of dissent, including the jailing of critical journalists - charges denied by the Turkish leader. But those who have visited Turkey over the past two weeks have, like Biden, taken a more conciliatory tone. COMPLEX RELATIONS Even before the diplomatic tensions in the aftermath of the coup, U.S.-Turkish relations were complex and sensitive. The two NATO members work together against Islamic State in Syria. However Turkey backs Syrian rebels in a drive to oust the jihadist group, but also to halt the advance of a U.S.-backed force of mainly Kurdish fighters who Ankara views as allies of Kurdish insurgents on its own soil. The dual nature of Turkey's security concerns in neighboring Syria was underlined by its U.S.-backed incursion this week, which it said was as much about stopping Kurdish militia seizing territory as it was about eliminating Islamic State. One U.S. official said Biden's trip was in part to correct the impression among some Turks that Washington somehow endorsed the attempted coup, and also make clear the U.S. government understands the trauma of the putsch for Turkey. "The vice president's empathy was genuine and important for the people of Turkey to hear. At a time of great uncertainty, it is important to remind friends you have their back," said the official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. Biden visited the parliament building in Ankara bombed during the coup by rogue pilots in commandeered jets, expressing dismay at the loss of life. Erdogan acknowledged the importance of the alliance between Turkey and the United States and welcomed Biden's message of solidarity. But he dismissed the vice-president's comments that a U.S. federal court must decide whether Gulen should be sent to Turkey, instead demanding the cleric be handed over immediately. "What an opportunity he and the U.S. administration wasted," Daily Sabah, pro-government newspaper wrote in an editorial this week. "Did he take this long trip to Turkey merely to say 'It's in the hand of the courts'? Couldn't a simple intern in his office have conveyed the same message without creating all this fuss?" (Additional reporting by Jeff Mason and Cagan Uslu; Editing by Nick Tattersall and Pravin Char)
(Adds detail from letter, background on Puerto Rico's economy)

By Nick Brown

NEW YORK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Rehabilitating Puerto Rico should include removing caps on the island's federal Medicaid funding and giving the U.S. territory's citizens access to earned income tax credits, two Obama administration cabinet members said on Friday.

Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell, in a letter to members of a congressional task force studying Puerto Rico's economy, urged them to focus on proposals to address the island's healthcare crisis and restore economic growth.

The island is hamstrung by $70 billion of debt and a 45 percent poverty rate. It receives proportionately less federal Medicaid funding than U.S. states and is expected in 2017 to exhaust other one-time federal health care funds.

A law signed by President Barack Obama in June will bring Puerto Rico's finances under federal oversight, to the chagrin of many island leaders and locals, who have protested against the move as a sign of colonial rule.

The law, known as PROMESA, will also give Puerto Rico access to a bankruptcy-like process that could enable it to reduce its sizeable debt burden.

The eight-member task force, which includes Republican Senators Orrin Hatch and Marco Rubio and Democrats Bill Nelson and Nydia Velasquez, is expected to make recommendations on what can be done through federal legislation to help the island restore economic stability.

Treasury officials have been engaged on Puerto Rico for months, visiting the island multiple times and testifying before Congress about the commonwealth's problems. Some of Treasury's early recommendations, like giving the island access to a debt-cutting process, wound up being legislated under PROMESA.

Healthcare is a crucial and growing issue on the island, especially as the mosquito-borne Zika virus continues to spread there.

Puerto Rico's health department last week reported more than 10,000 cases, and local environmental groups have protested aerial mosquito spraying, which they see as more harmful than the disease itself.

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"Reforms should include removing the cap on Puerto Rico's Medicaid program and gradually increasing the federal support Puerto Rico receives through the federal Medicaid match," the letter said.

Lew and Burwell also urged the task force to consider recommending that Puerto Ricans be made eligible for an earned income tax credit, or EITC.

"Adopting a locally administered EITC ... would pull 54,000 Puerto Ricans out of poverty," they said.

(Reporting by Nick Brown in New York; Editing by Daniel Bases, Dan Grebler and Meredith Mazzilli)
(Adds details from decision, comments, background, other Uber litigation, case citation, byline)

By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday granted a request by Uber Technologies Inc and its chief executive officer to put a passenger's price-fixing lawsuit against them on hold, while they appeal his refusal to let them arbitrate the dispute.

Calling his decision a "close call," U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the defendants had not made a "strong showing" that their appeal would likely succeed, though they would face irreparable harm if arbitration were wrongfully denied.

But he said the appeals court could clarify whether Spencer Meyer, the Connecticut plaintiff, and others like him consent to arbitration when they buy services subject to conditions in "clickwrap" and "browsewrap" agreements found online.

In his proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit, Meyer said Uber and CEO Travis Kalanick violated antitrust laws by conspiring with drivers to charge high "surge-pricing" fares during periods of heavy demand. Uber takes a share of drivers' earnings.

On July 29, Rakoff denied Uber's request for arbitration, saying Meyer never agreed to it and the San Francisco-based company did not properly notify him about its policies.

Meyer opposed delaying his case while Uber appealed that ruling.

"We look forward to defending Judge Rakoff's decision and having this matter returned to the district court," Brian Feldman, a lawyer for Meyer, said in an email.

Uber and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The company faces several lawsuits over its pricing and its treatment of drivers, and often tries to keep such disputes away from courthouses.

On Aug. 18, a federal judge in San Francisco voided Uber's $100 million settlement with drivers who claimed they were employees rather than independent contractors, and entitled to recoup costs such as gas and vehicle maintenance. The judge said that accord was not fair, reasonable or adequate.

The case is Meyer et al v. Kalanick et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-09796.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
By Jonathan Stempel

NEW YORK (Reuters) - A federal judge on Friday granted a request by Uber Technologies Inc and its chief executive officer to put a passenger's price-fixing lawsuit against them on hold, while they appeal his refusal to let them arbitrate the dispute.

Calling his decision a "close call," U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff in Manhattan said the defendants had not made a "strong showing" that their appeal would likely succeed, though they would face irreparable harm if arbitration were wrongfully denied.

But he said the appeals court could clarify whether Spencer Meyer, the Connecticut plaintiff, and others like him consent to arbitration when they buy services subject to conditions in "clickwrap" and "browsewrap" agreements found online.

In his proposed nationwide class-action lawsuit, Meyer said Uber and CEO Travis Kalanick violated antitrust laws by conspiring with drivers to charge high "surge-pricing" fares during periods of heavy demand. Uber takes a share of drivers' earnings.

On July 29, Rakoff denied Uber's request for arbitration, saying Meyer never agreed to it and the San Francisco-based company did not properly notify him about its policies.

Meyer opposed delaying his case while Uber appealed that ruling.

"We look forward to defending Judge Rakoff's decision and having this matter returned to the district court," Brian Feldman, a lawyer for Meyer, said in an email.

Uber and its lawyers did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The company faces several lawsuits over its pricing and its treatment of drivers, and often tries to keep such disputes away from courthouses.

On Aug. 18, a federal judge in San Francisco voided Uber's $100 million settlement with drivers who claimed they were employees rather than independent contractors, and entitled to recoup costs such as gas and vehicle maintenance. The judge said that accord was not fair, reasonable or adequate.

The case is Meyer et al v. Kalanick et al, U.S. District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 15-09796.

(Reporting by Jonathan Stempel in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn)
Uber Technologies Inc., the popular love-to-hate ride-hailing company, made two major announcements this week.

New Retirement Plans

On Wednesday, Uber said it would be partnering with Betterment, an online investment and wealth management company, in order to provide one year of automated investment management advice for drivers living in Boston, Chicago, Seattle, and the state of New Jersey.

Drivers can open either an IRA (individual retirement account) or a Roth IRA for free during the first year. After this time period, users who have a balance of less than $100,000 will pay an annual fee of 0.25% of the average annual account.

Uber hopes this program will encourage its roughly 600,000 U.S.-based drivers to begin saving for their retirement. Nearly onethird of Americans have no retirement savings or pension. And research consistently shows that when people have access to a retirement account, theyre more likely to save than not, said the companys regional general manager Rachel Holt wrote in a blog post.

This announcement comes in the midst of a legal battle regarding its drivers status as employees or independent contractors. It also comes soon after a San Francisco judge rejected a $100 million settlement Uber had reached with its drivers in San Francisco and Massachusetts over employment categorization. U.S. District Judge Edward Chen agreed with some drivers claims that the settlement was unfair.

Uber told TechCrunch that it designed the retirement savings feature based on driver feedback.

While Uber still views its drivers as independent contractors, its partnership with Betterment gives the impression that the ride-hailing giant is taking subtle steps in working with, instead of against, its drivers.

How Much Money Has Uber Lost?

According to Bloomberg, who cites people familiar with the matter, Uber has lost over $1.2 billion during the first half of 2016. When the companys finance head Gautam Gupta held a conference call with investors, it was learned that Uber lost $520 million (before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) in the first quarter of 2016. And in the second quarter, the company lost $750 million.

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Gupta said that subsidies for Ubers drivers are the main reason for the companys losses on a global scale, Bloomberg noted. But other things certainly must have played a role, including its long battle with Chinas ride-sharing giant Didi ChuxingUber China merged with Didi earlier in August for $35 billionand its contentious relationship with chief U.S. rival Lyft.

These losses arent new for Uber, as the company lost at least $2 billion in 2015; however, its revenue grew 18% from the first quarter to the second quarter, or from roughly $960 million to $1.1 billion. Compared to the same period in 2015, Ubers revenue only increased from $287.3 million to $375.9 million, Bloomberg reports. This shows that while the company loses staggering amounts of money, Uber has the ability to both bring in and impressively grow its revenue.

For more information in Uber, check out these Zacks articles: Will Uber Be the Hottest IPO of 2016? and Forget Lawsuits, Uber Drivers Days Are Numbered.

Interested in the other top stories of the week? Listen to Zacks Friday Finish Line to catch up on the weeks financial and investment news.

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"Modern relationships are multi-faceted and that's why we chose ruby as our new name," says newly appointed President James Millership. "We like that ruby has a sensual, feminine quality, connotes value and fits with the fresh start our company is undergoing," he says.

[Life is Short. Have an Affair]  was a limiting label that's out-dated and doesn't speak to the wide variety of connections people find on Ashley Madison," says Segal. "Close to 45% of our members are single, over 50% are attached and they are interested in a wide range of experiences. While remaining true to our roots, Ashley Madison needs to evolve, grow and attune to modern sexuality in 2016," he says.

(i) Providing for triple-seal tamper resistant packaging (being the first company to do so).



(ii) Offering an easily obtained $2.50 off coupon on the purchase of the product.



(iii) Introduce a new program to provide discounted pricing.



(iv) Send thousands of sales personnel to meet with the medical community.



(v) Be credible in conveying the message that the companys first duty was to maintain the safety of the public in connection with the companys products.

How far can rebranding take a company after it has experienced a serious challenge to its brand, especially when your branded serviceis infidelity. If you are Avid Life Media, Inc., the answer may not be encouraging. Kat readers may not recognize Avid Life Media, but they are more likely to be familiar with the website under which the company used to provide its services Ashley Madison . Under this brand, the company offered so-called infidelity dating services. Whatever one thinks about the service itself, all would likely agree that the success of the site rests both on discretion of information and the security of the data provided by its customers, and that the company adheres to acceptable standards of business practice. Call this customer credibility. Alas, this credibility has been shattered.Accompanied by much media attention, Ashley Madison in 2015 suffered the embarrassment of hackers leaking information about 37,000,000 users to the public. After this occurred, there were reports that the site had maintained substandard data security, this despite the fact that the site contained trust marks, including an icon called trusted security award (since removed), attesting to the sites high level of security. Public investigations have followed regarding the operation of the website. If this is not enough, it is reported that class action suits have been filed in the U.S. and Canada alleging that the site made use of computer programs, called fembots, to impersonate profiles of real women, presumably to encourage paid membership.Against this backdrop Avid Life Media announced last month that it would engage in a wide-spread rebranding of the site and service. Start with the name itself. Ashley Madison is gone; in its place, the site will be known as ruby. As the company stated---Moreover, the company has replaced its tagline Life is short. Have an Affair, with the slogan--Find Your Moment. As the CEO of the company, Rob Segal explainsOne can question just how far rebranding the name and tagline of the service and a pivot in the mission statement of the service can take Avid Life Media in light of the continuing legal and regulatory challenges, and the adverse publicity that it generates. While the circumstances are radically different, it is still worthwhile considering the well-known response by Johnson & Johnson to the commercial survival of the market-leader Tylenol brand in October 1982, in the face of the death of seven people in Chicago reportedly after having taken extra-strength Tylenol pain-killer. The cause of these deaths was the tampering by an unknown person, who put lethal quantities of cyanide into the capsules. The immediate impact as reported was that the market share of Tylenol dropped from 37% to only 7%. The company was faced with how to react to this tragedy without doing permanent harm to both the product and the company brand itself. The steps it took included the following:1. Immediate recall of the Tylenol product from the shelves.2. Formulate a strategy to re-introduce the product to the market, under the same product name, to seek and recover consumer confidence by--The lessons of the J&J Tylenol story have been studied and applied many times, sometimes successfully and sometimes less so. The ultimatetest is whether the company has regained its credibility in the eyes of the consumer. Changing, or maintaining, ones brand name; changing, or maintaining, ones mission statement, may help in blunting the negative connotations associated with the company, after a crisis has occurred, but they are not direct instruments for regaining consumer confidence. How ruby/Avid Life Media deals with the more existential elements of reestablishing customer confidence has just begun.
PARIS (Reuters) - Swiss bank UBS is cutting about 15 investment banking jobs as it scales back its share-trading business in Paris, a source familiar with the bank's plans said.

The cuts under negotiation are on its share-trading platform and at its corporate centre as the bank shifts its trading focus in France to cash, leaving derivatives and structured products to be handled from London.

Seven or eight trading jobs are on the line, although the posts could be moved to London, the source told Reuters.

UBS declined to comment on Friday.

The move runs against a drive by Paris to lure more investment banking business away from London after Britain's vote to leave the European Union, leaving many banks looking to beef up operations within the euro zone.

The bank has restructured in recent years in France, including about 40 reductions in asset management last year.

Nonetheless, UBS is keen to build up its corporate advisory activity in France after hiring Gregoire Haemmerle from JPMorgan last year to head the business in France, Belgium and Luxembourg, the source said.

UBS also aims to expand its wealth management business in France, possibly through an acquisition, and is for now leaving UBS France out of its project for a euro zone platform based in Frankfurt.

The wealth manager has faced legal trouble in France and was forced to stump up a more than 1 billion euro ($1.13 billion)guarantee as part of an investigation into whether it had helped clients avoid taxes.

It is likely to learn soon whether it will face trial in the case.

In July Switzerland's tax agency ordered UBS to provide French authorities with information about its French clients after a request from Paris.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas; Additional reporting by Chine Labbe in Paris, Joshua Franklin in Zurich and Anjuli Davies and Huw Jones in London; Editing by Jason Neely and David Goodman)
Aug 26 (Reuters) - Britain's data privacy regulator said on Friday it would monitor how popular messaging service WhatsApp shares data with parent Facebook Inc under a new privacy policy.

The Information Commission's Office (ICO) said while some users may be concerned by the lack of control provided by the updated privacy policy, others may consider it a positive. (http://bit.ly/2bmbYDX)

WhatsApp, which has more than a billion users, said on Thursday it would start sharing users' phone numbers with Facebook, allowing for more relevant advertisements and friend recommendations on the social media network.

However, the ICO does not have the power to block such a move.

"Organizations do not need to get prior approval from the ICO to change their approaches, but they do need to stay within data protection laws," said Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham.

WhatsApp has said users could choose not to share account information with Facebook.

The company said the change was part of its plan to explore ways for businesses to send messages using its platform.

WhatsApp said earlier this year that it was experimenting making businesses pay to reach their customers through the service.

(Reporting by Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
United Nations (United States) (AFP) - The UN Security Council on Friday warmly welcomed the historic peace deal reached between Colombia's government and FARC rebels, and pledged to help ensure the agreement takes hold.

The council met behind closed doors two days after the Bogota government and rebel representatives announced they had reached a final peace deal to end decades of conflict.

The United Nations intends to set up a special mission in the South American country to monitor the ceasefire, help disarm the rebels and verify compliance with the peace deal.

The council "reiterated its commitment to supporting implementation of the ceasefire agreement, cessation of hostilities and the laying down of arms through the UN political mission in Colombia," said Malaysia's Deputy Ambassador Siti Hajjar Adnin, whose country holds the council presidency this month.

Council members "warmly welcome" the peace deal that will be submitted to a nationwide referendum on October 2 and congratulate Colombians, she added.

British Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson said the council is considering the "next steps" to support the peace process.

The new UN mission for Colombia will be led by French national Jean Arnault and made up of 450 observers deployed in some 40 sites across the country.

A first group of observers, mostly from Latin America, has already arrived in Colombia to verify the disarmament and monitor the ceasefire.

Under the peace deal, the FARC will begin moving its estimated 7,000 fighters from their jungle and mountain hideouts into disarmament camps set up by the United Nations.

The FARC will then become a political party and its weapons will be melted down to build three peace monuments.

Special courts will be created to judge serious crimes committed during the conflict.
University of Chicago

The University of Chicago says it won't condone trigger warnings or safe spaces on campus.

Amid a nationwide debate over academic freedom and student health and safety, the university's dean of students is telling incoming freshmen not to expect opportunities to excuse themselves from intellectual challenges and uncomfortable conversations, according to the school's student newspaper, The Chicago Maroon.

"Our commitment to academic freedom means that we do not support so-called 'trigger warnings,' we do not cancel invited speakers because their topics might prove controversial, and we do not condone the creation of intellectual 'safe spaces' where individuals can retreat from ideas and perspectives at adds with their own," the letter from Dean John Ellison said, sent Wednesday to the class of 2020.

"Members of our community are encouraged to speak, write, listen, challenge and learn, without fear of censorship," the letter also said. "You will find that we expect members of our community to be engaged in rigorous debate, discussion, and even disagreement. At times this may challenge you and even cause discomfort."

In a welcome letter to freshmen, the College made clear that it does not condone safe spaces or trigger warnings: pic.twitter.com/9ep3n0ZbgV  The Chicago Maroon (@ChicagoMaroon) August 24, 2016

The letter included a link to a report by the Committee on Freedom of Expression that articulates the university's stance on the free exchange of ideas.

"It is not the proper role of the University to attempt to shield individuals from ideas and opinions they find unwelcome, disagreeable, or even deeply offensive," the report says, adding that "concerns about civility and mutual respect can never be used as a justification for closing off discussion of ideas, however offensive or disagreeable those ideas may be to some members of our community."

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Reaction to the letter has been mixed.

"It's about time that a university administration stood up to the bullies who are trying to repress free speech on campus," Alan Dershowitz, a Harvard law professor and constitutional law expert, told NBC News on Thursday.

"If it said, 'We are going to shut down all conservative speech or all speech that offends students,' it wouldn't be violating the First Amendment. It would be violating basic academic principles and would be undermining what it is that makes a modern university great," Eugene Volokh, a UCLA professor of First Amendment law, told NBC News.

Some people criticized the university's letter harshly.

@ChicagoMaroon forcing assault/abuse survivors to sit thru abstract discussion of their pain for the sake of educating others: "discomfort"  Cyndi B (@spintheiryarns) August 24, 2016

Positing "safe space" & intellectual freedom as though they are at odds actually diminishes the intellectual freedom of marginalized people.  wikipedia brown (@eveewing) August 25, 2016

The letter came amid a growing strife over race and gender relations on college campuses around the country. The promotion of so-called safe spaces, according to supporters, is meant to give minorities room to express dissent against perceived bias in institutional settings like college campuses.

The effects of the movement have been far-reaching.

At the University of Chicago, several high-profile speakers were forced to leave or interrupted by protesters calling for safe spaces earlier this year, according to the Chicago Maroon.

NOW WATCH: EX-UNDERCOVER DEA AGENT: What I did when drug dealers asked me to try the product





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Singapore (AFP) - Islamic State jihadists are eyeing expansion into Southeast Asia by joining forces with local extremists, a senior US counter-terrorism official warned Friday.

IS has a history of partnering with militant groups around the world, including in Egypt, Libya and Nigeria, and wants to broaden its reach in the region, according to Justin Siberell, acting coordinator for counter-terrorism at the US State Department.

"My understanding is that they have looked at existing groups across the region," Siberell said in a conference call from Washington with Asia-based journalists.

"There have been people that have pledged affiliation and allegiance to IS at the group level. We're certainly concerned about that, we're concerned about the rise of new IS affiliates and we're working with governments to do what they can to prevent that."

Siberell also noted that militants from Southeast Asia fighting with IS in Iraq and Syria have been deployed in a unit called the Katibah Nusantara, and could pose a threat when they eventually return to their home countries.

"We're certainly concerned about IS' ability to expand or to establish branches," he said.

There have been only relatively minor attacks and plots blamed on IS affiliates in the region, but analysts fear the group could become more effective.

Indonesian police earlier this month arrested six suspected militants over a plot to launch a rocket attack on an up-market Singapore waterfront district from the nearby Indonesian island of Batam.

The suspects' alleged leader, Gigih Rahmat Dewa, is accused of planning the attack with Bahrun Naim, a leading Indonesian militant who is believed to be fighting with IS in Syria.

In January IS-linked militants launched a deadly gun and bomb attack in Jakarta which left four attackers and four civilians dead.

Singapore on August 19 announced it had detained two men under its tough internal security law after discovering they intended to travel to Syria to fight for IS.

Siberell spoke Friday after he travelled to Bali earlier this month for a meeting on preventing the cross-border movements of known or suspected terrorists. He also visited Jakarta, Malaysia and Singapore before returning to Washington.
Los Angeles (AFP) - US federal officials are seeking a ban on swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins, saying the encounters popular with tourists are harming the nocturnal creatures' sleeping habits.

The proposal by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would ban swimming with Hawaiian spinner dolphins or approaching the animals within 50 yards (45 meters).

The measure would affect highly popular excursions that allow tourists to swim with the marine mammals or get near them by boat.

"We are taking this action because spinner dolphins in the main Hawaiian islands are experiencing intense pressure from swimmers and other ocean users looking for a dolphin encounter," Ann Garrett, of the NOAA's Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, told reporters earlier this week.

The playful and naturally curious creatures hunt for fish, shrimp and squid in deep waters offshore by night, and rest during the day in shallow waters.

They swim back and forth while resting with half of their brain alert while the other half rests.

Officials say the creatures have faced intense pressure in recent years from dolphin-viewing activities that disrupt their resting time.

Garrett said that her agency fears the chronic disturbance can negatively affect the mammals' health and reproductive success.

"By reducing disturbance to Hawaiian spinner dolphins, we hope to prevent long-term negative effects to (them) and to protect the sustainability of the local population," she said.

Garrett said her agency would consider public comment on the issue for 60 days and hold a number of community meetings in September before making a final decision within a year.

The proposed ban would be implemented within two nautical miles from shore of all main Hawaiian islands and in designated waters between the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Kahoolawe, where the dolphins are found throughout the day.

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Although there is no firm count on the number of dolphins in the Hawaiian islands, the most recent estimate puts their number at 3,350, according to NOAA.

Victor Lozano, owner of Dolphin Excursions in Oahu, said the proposed regulations were welcome because many tour operators and individuals run amok in the waters as they seek out the dolphins with no regard for their well-being.

"I am all for the no-swim ban," he said. "Some tour groups have no clue about the behavior of dolphins and some people swim out toward them."

However, he questioned how federal officials could enforce the ban on boats coming within 50 yards of the animals.

"What if I am sitting there and the dolphins come around me," he said. "How do you manage that?"
Firouzi refused to attend his appeals court hearing because authorities did not give him access to his defence documents. The hearing was postponed for another four months, but only because the appointed judge was not present.

Firouzis mother asked officials to handle her sons case fairly and to release him; due to a vision impairment, she has been unable to even visit her son.

Mohabat News reported: Mr. Firouzis elderly mother said that she is visually impaired and there is nothing she can do and has no one to help her. She said she doesnt have the ability to go from court to court and follow up on her sons case.

According to The National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), Firouzi was arrested in 2013. Then in 2015, he was sentenced to five years in prison for acting against national security, the charge often levied against prisoners of faith in Iran.

Christians face persecution and discrimination in Iran; from jail sentences to assault to the destruction of their places of worship.

In May, Christian Solidarity Worldwide reported the arrest of Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani; a house church leader in Iran who had previously been sentenced to death for the crime of apostasy before being acquitted in 2012

CSWs Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas said: Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for Christians who have been arrested on account of their religious beliefs to be released and re-arrested time and again, in a tactic designed to foster a sense of insecurity within the community.

According to the Iran Human Rights Documentation Centre database of prisoners, at least 821 people were imprisoned for exercising fundamental rights including Sunni Muslims, Christians, and other religious minorities.
Washington (AFP) - Two US fighter pilots have told of a high-stakes encounter over northern Syria, when they stealthily shadowed a pair of Syrian regime jets and were prepared to shoot them down.

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq last week scrambled fighters to intercept Syrian jets targeting Kurdish forces working with US advisers near the northeastern city of Hasakeh.

On August 19, a pair of US F-22s raced toward two Syrian Su-24 fighters that had flown into the region.

The Americans' mission was to determine if the Syrian planes were going to target coalition ground forces and -- if necessary -- shoot them down.

"I followed him around for all three of his loops," one of the US pilots, an Air Force major, told USA Today in a story Friday.

"He didn't appear to have any idea I was there."

The pilots said they got to within 2,000 feet (600 meters) of the Syrian jets. F-22s are stealth fighters and pilots are trained to avoid being seen.

The pilot of the second US jet, a captain, said he tried to hail the Syrians on a common radio frequency but got no response.

In the coalition flight control center in Qatar, Major General Jay Silveria told USA Today he was ready to tell the pilots to fire on the Syrian planes if they threatened coalition forces.

"I wouldn't have hesitated," Silveria said.

"All I needed at that point to shoot them down was a report from the ground that they were being attacked ... We were in a perfect position to execute that with some pretty advanced weaponry."

In the end, the Syrian jets left and appeared not to have been armed.

Officials told USA Today it was not clear the Syrian jets even knew they had been trailed.

A shoot-down would have marked a serious escalation in Syria's bloody conflict.

Though the US-led coalition is fighting IS in the ruined country, it has not waded into conflict with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.

Russia, which supports Assad, has for the past year been bombing rebel groups and sometimes IS.
Miami (AFP) - The United States repatriated 161 Cubans this week after intercepting them at sea as they attempted to reach American soil, the US Coast Guard said Friday.

Coast Guard patrol boats shuttled the migrants to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba on three separate trips made Monday, Thursday and Friday, the agency said in a statement.

"We discourage anyone from taking to the sea and attempting to reach U.S. soil illegally  they are risking their lives with very little chance of success," Coast Guard Captain Mark Gordon said.

"Navigating the Florida Straits can be extremely dangerous for the unprepared on illegal voyages and often leads to injury or death."

The Coast Guard has seen a spike in the number of Cubans arriving in the United States by land and sea since Washington and Havana announced they would begin normalizing relations in December 2014.

Cuban migrants who reach the United States are put on a fast track to residency and citizenship under a Cold War-era policy that many fear will be shelved as the two countries normalize relations.

The US Coast Guard has registered at least 6,318 Cubans who have sought to reach US shores by sea since October 1, compared to 4,473 intercepted in the Florida Straits, Caribbean and Atlantic in the fiscal year 2015.
Miami (AFP) - Donated blood should be tested for the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects, US regulators warned Friday amid a mounting outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus in the United States.

"There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission," said Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion."

The move revises a previous FDA guideline issued in February that recommended active screening of donated blood only in "areas with active Zika virus transmission."

But now, as evidence of sexual transmission mounts and those infected often show no symptoms, even stricter safeguards are needed across the nation, said the FDA.

"The FDA is updating its guidance after careful consideration of all available scientific evidence, consultation with other public health agencies, and taking into consideration the potential serious health consequences of Zika virus infection to pregnant women and children born to women exposed to Zika virus during pregnancy," said an agency statement.

More than 2,500 people in the United States have been diagnosed with Zika, along with more than 9,000 in the US territories such as Puerto Rico, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most of those cases were brought in by people who were infected while traveling abroad.

There are 584 pregnant women in the mainland United States with lab evidence of Zika infection, and 812 in the US territories.

Last month, Florida announced its first cases of locally transmitted Zika, with 42 infections.

"Testing of donated blood is already underway in Florida and Puerto Rico, as well as in other areas, and it has shown to be beneficial in identifying donations infected with Zika virus," said the FDA statement.

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Indeed, one unit of donated blood in Florida was recently found to contain Zika virus and was intercepted, Marks told reporters on a conference call.

The expanded testing of the US blood supply "will be in effect until the risk of transfusion transmission of Zika virus is reduced," said the FDA.

- Sexual spread -

Zika is primarily spread by the bite of an Aedes aegypti mosquito, but it can also be transmitted sexually.

On Friday, US authorities announced the first known case of a man who had Zika but did not know because he showed no symptoms -- and then subsequently infected his female partner during unprotected sex.

Four out of five people who get Zika do not show any of the common symptoms, which may include fever, rash, joint pain and red eyes.

"As new scientific and epidemiological information regarding Zika virus has become available, it's clear that additional precautionary measures are necessary," said Luciana Borio, the FDA's acting chief scientist.

The World Health Organization says 53 countries around the world have reported Zika outbreaks since 2015.

Two US lawmakers, Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut and Congressman Lloyd Doggett of Texas, had recently urged the FDA to expand testing for Zika to blood banks nationwide, saying it would cost less than $10 per donor.

On Friday, DeLauro applauded to decision, calling it "a strong step forward in protecting our nation's blood supply and the American people."
UPDATE: Usher has announced his new album Hard II Love, set for release on Sept. 16 and now available for pre-order on iTunes. Fans who pre-order will immediately get the album tracks "Missin U" and "Champions (from the Motion Picture Hands of Stone)." The latter is featured in the film of the same name, out today, in which Usher stars as boxer Sugar Ray Leonard.

Hard II Love.

Pre-order now ---- https://t.co/B3BCvaHd9H pic.twitter.com/ze0YEwDXtb- Usher Raymond IV (@Usher) August 26, 2016

ORIGINAL STORY: After hitting the promo trail for his latest film Hands of Stone, Usher could be rolling out his eighth studio effort Hard II Love (via RCA Records) next month. "That is the current plan, but it could change," a source tells Billboard of the project that popped up on an iTunes link in New Zealand with a cover and release date.

Originally titled Flawed per a Twitter video of Usher with New York artist Daniel Arsham posted in January, the album could include Usher's latest releases like the Young Thug collaboration "No Limit," "Crash" and "Champions" from the Hands of Stone soundtrack.

Watch Usher Bust a Move (Or Three) in 'No Limit' Video Feat. Young Thug

In June, Usher made an appearance during the Cannes Lions Festival and offered a bit about the album title, then called Flawed. "I find the inspiration every time I find a word: What is 'flawed?' It's something that is not perfect. It's a future relic of some sorts, to grow and blossom and gain texture," he explained. "But it is those things, those tumultuous occurrences and things that happen in your life that define what it is, and in our country and us as people. All of these things are standards, and I became the inspiration. Now I can't tell you yet at the end what it's gonna be, but right now it's Flawed."

The follow-up LP to 2012's Looking for Myself could drop Sept. 16.
* Third decline in five sessions; first weekly drop in four

* Market dropped on weaker rival oils - trader

* Palm to test resistance at 2,578 rgt/T - technicals

(Updates latest prices)

By Emily Chow

KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Malaysian palm oil futures

posted a second straight session of losses on Friday, pulled

down by weaker-performing rival oils, and charted a weekly loss

following three weeks of gains.

Soybean futures on the Chicago Board of Trade are down

on forecasts for above-average crop yields in the United States.

Palm prices are impacted by soy as they compete for a share in

the global oilseeds market.

Benchmark palm oil futures for November on the

Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Exchange fell 0.4 percent to 2,552

ringgit ($636) per tonne at the close of trade.

Traded volumes stood at 35,543 lots of 25 tonnes each at the

end of the trading day, lower than the 2015 average of 44,600.

Palm recorded three sessions of falls this week, reaching a

more than one-week low on Tuesday before finding support on

strong exports. Palm is 0.7 percent lower this week.

The market is down on weaker soy, a Malaysian trader said.

Another trader from Kuala Lumpur added that the market was

also weighed down by lower-performing refined, bleached and

deodorised (RBD) palm olien on China's Dalian Commodity Exchange

despite stronger Malaysian exports.

Palm oil shipments from Malaysia, the world's second-largest

producer after Indonesia, surged 29-31 percent between Aug. 1

and Aug. 25 from a month earlier. The rise stemmed from a surge

in shipments to India and stronger Chinese exports, cargo

surveyor data showed.

Palm oil seems to have stabilised around support at 2,522

ringgit per tonne and is expected to test resistance at 2,578

ringgit, according to Wang Tao, Reuters market analyst for

commodities and energy technicals.

In competing vegetable oils, the Chicago Board of Trade

soybean oil December contract rose 0.2 percent, while the

January soybean oil contract on the Dalian Commodity Exchange

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dropped 1 percent.

Palm, soy and crude oil prices at 1043 GMT

Contract Month Last Change Low High Volume

MY PALM OIL SEP6 2798 -4.00 2792 2823 324

MY PALM OIL OCT6 2647 -3.00 2616 2665 1516

MY PALM OIL NOV6 2549 -9.00 2523 2567 17136

CHINA PALM OLEIN JAN7 5474 -68.00 5404 5522 1119344

CHINA SOYOIL JAN7 6280 -60.00 6242 6324 456384

CBOT SOY OIL DEC6 33.39 +1.80 33.15 33.51 7691

INDIA PALM OIL AUG6 564.30 +1.80 559.20 564.9 412

INDIA SOYOIL SEP6 648.7 -1.60 646.5 651 32670

NYMEX CRUDE OCT6 47.22 -0.11 47.01 47.45 54530

Palm oil prices in Malaysian ringgit per tonne

CBOT soy oil in U.S. cents per pound

Dalian soy oil and RBD palm olein in Chinese yuan per tonne

India soy oil in Indian rupee per 10 kg

Crude in U.S. dollars per barrel

($1 = 4.0130 ringgit)

($1 = 67.0400 Indian rupees)

($1 = 6.6688 Chinese yuan)

(Reporting by Emily Chow; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips and

Dale Hudson)
(Adds comment from Barrick Gold)

CARACAS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Venezuela has signed over $5.5 billion in mining deals with companies including Canada's Barrick Gold Corp and China's Shandong Gold, President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday.

Barrick, the world's largest gold producer, said in a statement that "at the invitation of the government, we intend to review information pertaining to mining opportunities in the country."

A spokesman for the Toronto-based company did not respond to questions about spending or development plans in the country.

"Today we are signing investments and letters of commitment for projects for over $5.5 billion," said Maduro in a televised meeting with foreign mining executives.

The deals are part of a plan to ease the OPEC nation's grave economic crisis that has caused food shortages and supermarket riots.

Earlier this month, Maduro said Venezuela had struck $4.5 billion in mining deals with foreign and domestic companies. He also said that he expected $20 billion in mining investment contracts to be signed in coming days.

It was unclear if the $5.5 billion were part of the broader $20 billion investments.

(Reporting by Diego Ore and Susan Taylor in Toronto, writing by Alexandra Ulmer; editing by Meredith Mazzilli, Bernard Orr)
By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean police on Friday fired tear gas at opposition leaders and hundreds of demonstrators as a protest against President Robert Mugabe descended into one of the worst outbreaks of violence in two decades. Opposition head Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice president Joice Mujuru fled the rally in their cars while protesters ran for cover as police firing tear gas and water cannons broke-up the core of the demonstration. Clashes then spread through the streets of Harare as riot police fought running battles with protesters who hurled rocks at officers, set tyres ablaze and burned a popular market to the ground, in some of the worst unrest since food riots in 1998. "Mugabe's rule must end now, that old man has failed us," said one protester before throwing a rock at a taxi. Mugabe's opponents have become emboldened by rising public anger and protests over an economic meltdown, cash shortages and high unemployment. Mugabe, 92, has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. More than a hundred police officers in riot gear, backed up by water cannons and armoured trucks, occupied the venue that opposition parties planned to use for their demonstration. As opposition supporters arrived for the march, they were told by the police to leave. The officers then fired teargas and a water cannon when parts of the crowd refused to comply. Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said she was still to get details on Friday's protest. "Demonstrating is the only solution left to force the dictator out of office," said Tapfuma Make, an unemployed 24-year-old from Chitungwiza town, south of the capital Harare. POLICE DEFY COURT Zimbabwe's High Court earlier ruled that police should allow the protest to proceed between 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. (1000-1400 GMT) in what Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called a "victory for democracy". MDC secretary general and lawyer Douglas Mwonzora said the police had disregarded the court order and accused ZANU-PF youths of infiltrating the crowd to disrupt the protest. Opposition parties leading the protests say the electoral commission is biased in favour of the ruling ZANU-PF and is run by security agencies loyal to Mugabe, charges the commission denies. The protesters want the next vote in 2018 to be supervised by international observers, including the United Nations. They are also calling for Mugabe to fire corrupt ministers, scrap plans to introduce local bank notes and end cash shortages. The latest demonstrations come nearly two months after the biggest large scale 'stay at home' strike in Zimbabwe since 2007, inspired by social media movements such as #ThisFlag led by pastor Evan Mawarire. Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo on Thursday called opposition leaders "foreign agents" using protests to cause chaos in order to justify international intervention in Zimbabwe's affairs. Zimbabwe's police used teargas and a water cannon on Wednesday to break-up a march by MDC youth supporters who were protesting over economic mismanagement and what they say is brutality by security agencies. (Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by James Macharia and Toby Chopra)
By MacDonald Dzirutwe HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwean police on Friday fired tear gas at opposition leaders and hundreds of demonstrators as a protest against President Robert Mugabe descended into one of the worst outbreaks of violence in two decades. Opposition head Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice president Joice Mujuru fled the rally in their cars while protesters ran for cover as police firing tear gas and water cannons broke-up the core of the demonstration. However, anti-Mugabe leaders warned that this would be the first of a series of protests. Mugabe's opponents have become emboldened by rising public anger and protests over an economic meltdown, cash shortages and high unemployment. Mugabe, 92, has led Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in 1980. Clashes spread through the streets of the capital Harare as riot police fought running battles with protesters who hurled rocks at officers, set tyres ablaze and burned a popular market to the ground, in some of the worst unrest since food riots in 1998. Didymus Mutasa, a senior official from Mujuru's party and convener of Friday's protest, vowed to repeat the demonstration a week from now and blamed police for the violence and disobeying a court order allowing the march to proceed. "If that was intended to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say the opposite has been the case. We are going next Friday to do exactly the same as we have done today," Mutasa told reporters. Most businesses shut down early on Friday fearing looting by protesters. Mujuru said 50 people were injured and hospitalised. "Mugabe's rule must end now, that old man has failed us," said one protester before throwing a rock at a taxi. More than a hundred police officers in riot gear, backed up by water cannons and armoured trucks, occupied the venue that opposition parties planned to use for their demonstration. As opposition supporters arrived for the march, they were told by the police to leave. The officers then fired teargas and a water cannon when parts of the crowd refused to comply. Police spokeswoman Charity Charamba said the force was still assessing the day's events. "We will let you know once we are done," she said. Officials from Mugabe's ruling ZANU-PF party were unavailable for comment. POLICE DEFY COURT "Demonstrating is the only solution left to force the dictator out of office," said Tapfuma Make, an unemployed 24-year-old from Chitungwiza town, south of Harare. Zimbabwe's High Court earlier ruled that police should allow the protest to proceed between 12 p.m. - 4 p.m. (1000-1400 GMT) in what Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) called a "victory for democracy". "Today has been for me the worst day that I have lived in this country, where I have observed with my own eyes, the state breaking its own laws and the state starting violence by attacking people who were just gathered together," Mutasa said. Opposition parties leading the protests say the electoral agency is biased in favour of the ruling ZANU-PF and is run by security agents loyal to Mugabe, charges the commission denies. The protesters want the next vote in 2018 to be supervised by international observers, including the United Nations. They are also calling for Mugabe to fire corrupt ministers, scrap plans to introduce local bank notes and end cash shortages. The latest demonstrations come nearly two months after the biggest large scale 'stay at home' strike in Zimbabwe since 2007, inspired by social media movements such as #ThisFlag led by pastor Evan Mawarire. Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo on Thursday called opposition leaders "foreign agents" using protests to cause chaos in order to justify international intervention. (Writing by Joe Brock; Editing by James Macharia and Toby Chopra)
Sneakerheads of the world, beware  Jimmy Kimmel is not above faking a Yeezy drop for a good joke. The late night comedian took to the streets of Los Angeles to prank Kanye West fans with a sneak peek of what appeared to be Yeezys latest Adidas release, the fictional Yeezy Boost 1150.

The premise for the joke came after Kimmel announced that West and Adidas would be releasing childrens versions of his wildly popular Yeezy Boost 350 for a hot $130 a pair, about which Kimmel cracked, is a lot to pay for a person who doesnt know how to walk yet.

Kimmel also noted that Kanyes ardent fans would definitely queue up for the shoes, as his adult versions have sold out in minutes, which is why Kimmel decided to prank Kanye fans with a fake Yeezy drop, using a a pair of kicks purchased from eBay for $13.20.

As expected, the hype outplayed the truth, with participants enthusiastically singing the merits of Kanyes latest release. One man told Kimmel, Im a shoes guy and I love these, while another person said that the new shoes, still got that Kanye pizzazz on it.

Watch the prank play out above.
Mrs. Rajavi spoke out while touring of an exhibition of photos depicting the massacred political prisoners, in the Paris Municipality 2nd District.

Mayor of Pariss 2nd District, Mr. Jacques Boutault, the Mayor of Pariss 1st District, Jean Francois Legaret, and several French personalities, such as Rama Yade, former Minister of Human Rights, also addressed the exhibition. Ingrid Betancourt, former Columbian presidential candidate, spoke at the event, as well.

A statement issued by the Paris Municipality 2nd District regarding the exhibition and the visit, read in part: This exhibition especially commemorates the sad anniversary of the massacre of some 30,000 political prisoners during the summer of 1988 in Iran. This terrible episode in modern history is now back on the front burner with the revelation a few days ago of an audiotape recounting conversations that occurred at the highest level with those directly responsible for the killings.

Jacques Boutault, mayor of the 2nd district, stated the urgency to put pressure on the Iranian regime to stop executions in Iran. He recommended that relations with that country be conditioned upon significant improvement in human rights, including at the end of the death penalty. Jacques Boutault said that the acceleration of recent executions in Iran are an extension of the 1988 massacre.

Mrs. Rajavi also paid tribute to those who fought in the French Resistance, as well as the to the victims of the Nazi occupation.

She said the exhibition displays the terrors experienced by prisoners,and denounced the conspiracy of silence hanging over these crimes. She called it a painful silence for the Iranian people, especially for the families who lost loved ones in the massacre. She urged the international community, including the UN, to bring Irans ruling mullahs to justice.

During the exhibition, witnesses of the crimes, and former political prisoners, shared their stories, and stories about the courage of the Iranian Resistance, with visitors.

Jacques Boutault said, Our borough today commemorates the liberation of Paris, which ended four years of occupation by Nazi Germany. If European countries were able to sustain the end to the dictatorship, it is because they have the ability to remember the past so it would not be repeated. This unspeakable episode in Iranian history would only result in continuation of what is unspeakable. That is why the town hall of the 2nd District is honored to host this exhibition and listen to the witnesses of this inhuman episode in Iranian history. 
US-led coalition airstrikes in Iraq and Syria that took place throughout July as part of Operation Inherent Resolve continued in August, with the air campaign hitting ISIS in northern Iraq as the move toward the city of Mosul advances.

Multiple strikes during the first three days of August targeted ISIS command positions and weapons emplacements, and, as shown in the GIF below, on August 9 the US-led coalition hit an ISIS fighting position in Sultan 'Abd Allah, a village about 30 miles south of Mosul and located just north of Qayyarah, where Iraqi forces retook an airfield last month.

As US-led airstrikes have hit numerous targets near Mosul, a valuable city for ISIS, Iraqi forces have advanced in other parts of northern Iraq. Iraqi Security Forces cut "ground line of communication between the ISIS-held towns of Shirqat and Qayyarah in an operation from July 2  13," according to the Institute for the Study of War.

These moves have not eroded all of the terrorist group's capabilities, however, as it "nonetheless retains limited freedom of movement in both areas and will likely conduct local counterattacks to pressure its opponents," ISW noted, adding, "ISIS may also mount a resurgence in previously-cleared areas, in particular Southern Baghdad and the Southern Provinces."

ISIS IS Islamic State Iraq Mosul airstrike US bombing

Elsewhere in Iraq, the political campaign against ISIS continued as well. The Iraqi government executed 36 men convicted of taking part in an ISIS-led massacre of about 1,700 Shia military personnel in 2014.

It was the happiest call I have ever received, Hatam Kareem told The New York Times after learning one of the men who had killed his brother had been executed.

See the full video of the August 9 airstrike below:

NOW WATCH: The US Army is sending Apache attack helicopters to fight ISIS in Iraq





More From Business Insider


Small, intense storms known as "weather bombs" may trigger rare tremors deep within the Earth, offering scientists a new way to study the mysterious structure and inner workings of the planet, according to a new study.

A "weather bomb" is an extratropical (outside of the tropical zone) storm in which the central pressure intensifies rapidly. These storms produce very strong winds that cause the ocean to swell, generating powerful waves. Some of the wave energy from these storms interacts with the seafloor, causing wave-generated seismic activity.

Known as microseisms, these seismic waves are detectable anywhere in the world, because they penetrate the Earth deeply and can be observed at faraway land seismic stations, the researchers said. [Hurricanes from Above: Images of Nature's Biggest Storms]

However, observations and analysis of microseismic activity have focused mostly on P waves  the first set of waves in an earthquake that deliver a sharp jolt  because of their larger amplitudes. This gives scientists only a narrow view of the Earth's structure, because P waves typically travel in straight lines.

In their new study, the scientists detected so-called S wave microseisms, which travel much more slowly and curve through the ground but are generally more difficult to observe. The previously unobserved S waves were generated under a weather bomb between Greenland and Iceland in December 2014.

The researchers detected both P-wave and S-wave microseisms triggered by the severe North Atlantic storm at their station in Japan. In their paper, the authors described the direction and distance to the waves' origins.

Mapping the microseisms provides insight into the planet's deep structure. As seismic energy from the weather-bomb storm travels through the deep Earth, the planet's interior structure is revealed, the researchers said. This is especially beneficial in areas where such monitoring is limited  such as the oceans.

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"We would like to explore the Earth's interior beneath the storm in oceanic areas, where no earthquakes and no stations exist," study co-author Kiwamu Nishida, a professor at the Earthquake Research Institute at the University of Tokyo, told Live Science.

With more acute observations of these storms and the microseisms they cause, scientists can better understand the Earth's internal structure. And understanding the precise locations of P waves and S waves and how they move can also help scientists learn how the seismicity occurs, the researchers explained in their paper.

"Delineation of the source locations and energy partition of the seismic wave components are key to understanding the excitation mechanisms," the authors wrote. As such, the findings could contribute to more accurate detection of earthquakes and oceanic storms.

The new study was published online today (Aug. 25) in the journal Science.

Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
From Popular Mechanics

Weather bombs. They are earthly echoes of intense storms, and by listening to them, scientists just detected a rare type of seismic rumbling inside the Earth for the first time.

These rare, deep-Earth tremors are called S-wave microseisms. Now the discoverers, a duo of Japanese seismologists led by Kiwamu Nishida at the University of Tokyo, are hoping to use these S-waves to probe into the dark unknown of our Earth's core. The earthquake researchers have outlined their discovery today in the journal Science.

These S-waves could help us X-ray our own planet.

This S-wave discovery "gives seismologists a new tool with which to study Earth's deeper structure," write Peter Gerstoft and Peter Bromirski, two independent earthquake researchers at University of California, San Diego, in an essay accompanying the paper.

Trembling Earth

Although we may go a lifetime without ever noticing it, the earth below our feet is rumbling in myriad different ways. Even the most obvious movements, earthquakes, are in fact complex combinations of different types and frequencies of jiggling earth. So, to understand where S-waves fit in, let's quickly dissect a quake.

When our planet's tectonic plates slip and smash to cause an earthquake, most of the destruction is caused by a class of seismic waves called surface waves. These are the various undulations of the Earth's crust itself, the way dirt, concrete, and rock roll like an ocean wave across the surface. But even before these dangerous surface waves hit, quakes also send out a smaller, faster vanguards.

Photo credit: Kiwamu Nishida and Ryota Takagi

These are called body waves, and instead of slowly crashing across the surface, they move directly through the Earth's core in more or less straight lines. These body waves are much fainter than surface waves, and usually go undetected by humans. Fun fact, though: it's these smaller-frequency pulses that alert animals like dogs and horses to earthquakes seconds before they hit.

Story continues

Body waves come in two flavors. The first are a bit like sound-waves, which stretch and squinch the Earth as they move forward. These are called P-waves, for preliminary wave, because they're usually the first to arrive. But the second type are our S-waves. The name stands for secondary waves, and they undulate up and down and side to side a lot like ocean waves as they move through the earth. S-waves are so hard to detect because they're often so faint (for earthquakes at least) that they're drowned out by larger rumbles, specifically P waves.

But they could be incredibly important.

Planetary Fingerprint

S-waves contain unique fingerprints of the material they travel through. Because they travel through the Earth into the unexplored depths of our planet, these S-waves could help us X-ray our own planet, in a sense, creating more detailed maps of the Earth's core.

The key is finding more of them. Nishida and his colleague didn't detect these waves by listening in on the tectonic crashes that cause earthquakes. Rather, they listened into the faint rumbles caused by storms known as weather-bombs. These are intense storms that are born rapidly in the open ocean. The seismologists found these storms to cause thudding waves that thump against the ocean's floor. S-waves caused by that drum-like beating could be detected with the right calibrations and equipment.

Now that they've found these S-waves, the Japanese researchers are hoping they can start to create a large catalog of them. By comparing all these S-waves together, "such a catalog may open a different perspective from which to explore Earth's deep interior beneath a storm," and tease out new information about the makeup of our planet, writes Nishida.

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London Colney (United Kingdom) (AFP) - Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger confirmed the club were close to completing transfers on Friday, amid reports they are poised to sign Germany centre-back Shkodran Mustafi and Spanish striker Lucas Perez.

British press reports claim Mustafi, 24, will sign from Valencia for around 35 million pounds ($46.2 million, 40.9 million euros), with Perez, 27, set to cost around 17 million pounds from Deportivo La Coruna.

Both players will reportedly undergo medical examinations on Friday.

"We are working on the deals," Wenger said. "We are not close enough to announce today that they will sign for us. Will we sign anybody before the end of the transfer window? I am 99 percent confident."

Should both players complete their transfers, Arsenal's spending for the close season will be close to 100 million pounds.

They have already signed Swiss international Granit Xhaka from Borussia Moenchengladbach and young pair Rob Holding and Takuma Asano.

Wenger has come under pressure from the club's fans to bring in new players, with supporters chanting "Spend some money!" during last weekend's 0-0 draw at Leicester City.

But Wenger said he would not be influenced by the fans' demands.

"I'm happy when our supporters are happy, but my job is to make the right decisions," the Frenchman told reporters at Arsenal's London Colney training centre.

"If that is exactly similar to the contract of the players and that maintains the supporters being happy, that is even better. I focus first on making the right decisions for the club."

Commenting on the difficulty of signing players, Wenger added: "It was a strange transfer market. I expected it to be easier than ever, but it was more difficult than ever. Not a lot has happened.

"It looks like when you meet other clubs and you have (a player with) an English passport, you hit these prices which are very difficult to understand compared to the quality of the players.

Story continues

"It looks like it will be frenetic for me in the last three days. Everybody has sat on their pounds until now. We know they will all splash out now. I expect the next three days to be very, very busy, so be on alert!"

With Mustafi set to arrive, Wenger hinted that 21-year-old centre-back Calum Chambers could be allowed to leave the club on loan.

Asked if Chambers's Arsenal future could be affected by Mustafi's arrival, Wenger replied: "Future? No. The fact that he could go out somewhere and play? Yes."

Arsenal, who lost 4-3 at home to Liverpool on the season's opening day, visit Watford on Saturday.
By Carl O'Donnell and Lauren Hirsch

Aug 26 (Reuters) - One day after a short seller claimed that St. Jude Medical Inc's heart implants are vulnerable to deadly cyber attacks, investors appear most concerned about whether the accusation will derail St. Jude's $24 billion planned deal for Abbott Labs to buy it.

St. Jude's stock at one point fell around 3 percent on Friday, though it ended the day slightly up, following a drop of around 5 percent on Thursday after Muddy Waters Capital leveled the accusation against St. Jude. The stock continues to trade well below its price on Wednesday of around $82 per share.

St. Jude called the allegations "false and misleading."

St. Jude in April agreed to sell itself to Abbott, and the deal was widely considered a slam dunk before the cyber security concerns were raised.

"It's hard to imagine that this could scuttle the deal," said one investor, who asked to remain anonymous because he wasn't authorized to speak with the press. "But there are a few paths that could lead to problems."

Abbott could decide to back out of the St. Jude deal or push for a lower valuation "if they were to conclude remediation steps must be taken with St. Jude's technology," Jason Mills, an analyst at Canaccord Genuity, said in a note.

One concern being voiced is that the U.S. Food and Drug Administration could demand a full-scale product recall, which in turn could trigger a "material adverse change" clause in St. Jude's merger agreement.

That would give Abbott the ability to walk away from the deal, according to investors and analysts interviewed by Reuters.

If the deal were called off due to an adverse event, St. Jude would probably fall below the approximately $60 per share that it was trading at before the Abbott deal was announced, investors said.

A forced recall, though, is unlikely, according to Mills. The FDA issued its first guidance on managing cybersecurity in medical devices only eight months ago, and is still seen primarily as playing an advisory role in the area.

The more likely solution to any concerns about cyber security would be a software update, which is relatively inexpensive, said another investor, who asked not to be named because he wasn't authorized to speak with the press.

(Reporting by Carl O'Donnell in New York; Additional reporting by Mike Erman in New York; Editing by Eric Effron and James Dalgleish)
startup

There's finally some good news in an election season that Silicon Valley leaders have already deemed a "disaster for innovation."

On Friday, the Department of Homeland Security proposed a new rule to make it easier for foreigners to stay in the US for up to five years to build their startup.

The change will grant the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) the ability to "allow certain international entrepreneurs to be considered for parole (temporary permission to be in the United States) so that they may start or scale their businesses here in the United States," the USCIS says.

For foreign startup founders to qualify, they must own at least 15% of the startup and have started the company in the US within the last three years. There's also a requirement that the startup has raised at least $345,000 from prominent investors or received at least $100,000 in grants.



Rather than trying to pass a new act through Congress, the proposed rule is an extension of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services so it doesn't have to go to a vote. Instead, anyone has 45 days to publicly comment on the rule.

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By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Obama administration proposed a rule on Friday aimed at attracting thousands of immigrant entrepreneurs to start companies in the United States. The rule, proposed by the Department of Homeland Security, would ease the ability of startup founders to build companies if they have significant funding from U.S. investors. The administration hopes the rule will be completed before President Barack Obama's term ends on Jan. 20. The proposed rule is part of Obama's commitment to "attracting the world's best and brightest entrepreneurs to start the next great companies here," Tom Kalil, a technology policy adviser at the White House, told reporters in a call. Kalil said immigrants have co-founded as many as one in four high-tech startups across the United States and more than half of all startups in Silicon Valley. Immigration has been a crucial issue in the 2016 presidential campaign ahead of the Nov. 8 election. Republican candidate Donald Trump has vowed to toughen immigration policies, while Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton has proposed creating an office of immigrant affairs to expand Obama's efforts to help immigrants integrate better into the country. Under the rule, DHS would issue temporary permission for entrepreneurs to live in the United States if they have at least 15 percent ownership in startup companies formed in the country within the past three years. The companies must have investment of at least $345,000 from qualified U.S. investors. The administration expects about 3,000 immigrants would apply for the temporary permission, known as parole. Max Levchin, a co-founder of PayPal and other companies who was born in Ukraine, said the proposed rule is a "great, concrete step toward creating more jobs in America and more success stories." Many entrepreneurs are educated at prestigious U.S. universities, but find themselves unable to stay in the country because they lose visa lotteries or can't afford to sponsor themselves through an existing investor visa program. "We lose and will continue to lose talented, skilled, well educated scientists, engineers and entrepreneurs because they are simply not allowed to stay and work after we educated them to very high standards," Levchin said. "It makes very little sense." (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by James Dalgleish)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The White House on Thursday said it supported the United Nations' efforts to bring humanitarian relief to the divided Syrian city of Aleppo and would welcome Russia's constructive engagement. "What the United States supports is the U.N. effort to try to broker all sides to come together around some kind of agreement that would allow humanitarian assistance to reach people in the city who so badly need it," White House spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters when asked about Russia's agreeing to a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire. "And we certainly would welcome the Russians and others engaging constructively in that process," he added. (Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Writing by Tim Ahmann)
In places where men outnumber women, it might seem like science would suggest that more testosterone and fewer available females might lead to less stability in relationships. But a new study shows that's not the case.

The research showed that counties in the U.S. with more men than women generally had higher rates of marriage, fewer births outside marriage and fewer single female heads of household  all of which are generally signs of greater family stability, according to the researchers.

"There's this numerical expectation that, as men increase in numbers, that means that there are fewer women available, so men are less likely to get married," said Ryan Schacht, the study's lead author and a postdoctoral researcher in anthropology at the University of Utah. But in reality, human behavior is "flexible, and responsive to context," he said. [I Don't: 5 Myths About Marriage]

In the study, the researchers looked at U.S. Census data from 2,800 counties in all 50 states, focusing on the relationship between each county's gender ratio (the number of men relative to women) and certain markers of family stability that researchers commonly use in research like this, such as marriage rates and the percentage of households with children who were headed by single women.

For example, the data showed that a county composed of 55 percent men had about a 10 percent increase in the percentage of adults married, a 13 percent decrease in the percentage of children born out of wedlock and a 10 percent decrease in households headed by single women when compared with a county that was 55 percent women, Schacht said.

In other words, the new research does not support the assumption that if there are more men in an area, there will be more unmarried men.

Schacht said these results can be explained through the so-called mating market theory, which applies the principles of supply and demand to partnering.

"Ifyou're the rarer sex, you have more bargaining power; you have greater leverage in terms of what you demand out of a partner," Schacht said. So in places with more men, the men are more responsive to women's desires, in order to find a partner, he said. The researchers think that in places where there are fewer women than men, men become more focused on marriage and, therefore, more likely to marry than men in places where there are plenty of women.

Story continues

The new findings agree with other research on this topic, said Therese Hesketh, a professor of global health at University College London who was not involved in the new study. "A lot of the arguments around excess males are that they create a more stable society within the married groups of people," she told Live Science.

In other words, a higher ratio of men to women benefits the families of these men. However, Hesketh noted that, in places with very unbalanced ratios, having a large number of men who are unable to marry may still lead to societal problems.

One of the main theoretical concerns is that greater numbers of unmarried men will cause an increase in societal problems through their aggression. Men, in general, are more likely than women to be both the perpetrators and victims of violence. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigation, 80.1 percent of people arrested for violent crimes in 2012 were male. Some experts have theorized that, due to greater sexual frustration and psychological vulnerabilities (such as low self-esteem and depression), unmarried men might be more aggressive than their married peers.

However, there is little evidence to support this theory. Hesketh has studied this specific theory, and hasn't found that unmarried men present a particular threat to their societies. "Many of these men, who aren't ever going to marry  they're really no different than any other guy," she said. "They're not interested in committing crimes. They're just not very happy." [Macho Man: 10 Wild Facts About The Male Body]

The authors of the new paper caution that culture, education and socioeconomic factors could alter the interplay between sex ratio and relationship outcomes. This new study was inspired by Schacht's previous research in the South American country Guyana, and there, he also found that in villages with more men than women, men were more likely to prefer committed, long-term relationships than men in villages with more women than men. However, sex ratio may not have the same impact in India, where the caste system forbids certain men from marrying, the researchers noted in their paper

And the measures of family instability, such as out-of-wedlock births, could carry different weight in other countries. For example, more than 50 percent of babies born in London are born to unmarried women, but these women are often in committed partnerships, Hesketh said.

Most places in the United States have relatively imbalanced sex ratios, Schacht said. Men tend to outnumber women in the rural West, but women outnumber men in urban areas and in the South. These gender-ratio imbalances may be subtle, but "this idea about sex ratio imbalance influencing individuals, influencing your relationship options, is very real," he said.

Original article on Live Science.

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Copyright 2016 LiveScience, a Purch company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote nationally on August 18, 1920, so why is Womens Equality Day on August 26th each year?

bainbridgecolby400

Bainbridge Colby

The simple answer is that just because a constitutional amendment is ratified, its not totally official until it is certified by the correct government official. In 1920, that official was Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. On August 26, 1920, Colby signed a proclamation behind closed doors at 8 a.m. at his own house in Washington, D.C, ending a struggle for the vote that started a century earlier.

The New York Times ran the story about the documents signing on its front page and noted the lack of fanfare for the historic event.

Colby had been asked by womens suffrage leaders Alice Paul and Carrie Chapman Catt to allow groups in Colbys office for the documents signing and to film the event. Instead, Colby told reporters that effectuating suffrage through proclamation of its ratification by the necessary thirty-six States was more important than feeding the movie cameras.

The Times said Colby was concerned about the rivalry between Paul and Catt, and wanted to avoid a public scene at the signing.

Inasmuch as I am not interested in the aftermath of any of the friction or collisions which may have been developed in the long struggle for the ratification of the amendment, I have contented myself with the performance in the simplest manner of the duty devolving upon me under the law, Colby said.

A package of documents from the state of Tennessee had arrived by train in Washington around 4 a.m. It included the official ratification document from the state legislature.

How Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the amendment on August 18, 1920 was a story in itself. Congress had passed the proposed amendment a year earlier, and it was supported by President Woodrow Wilson.

By the middle of 1920, 35 states had voted to ratify the amendment, but four other statesConnecticut, Vermont, North Carolina and Floridawould not consider the resolution for various reasons. The remaining states had rejected the amendment.

Story continues

So Tennessee was the battleground to obtain the three-fourths of the states needed to ratify the amendment. Harry T. Burn, a 24-year-old legislator, switched his vote on the Tennessee state house floor at the urging of his mother, assuring the 19th amendments ratification.

But as Colby signed the proclamation on August 26, members of the Tennessee legislature were still trying to nullify the previous vote.

In 1971, Representative Bella Abzug championed a bill in the U.S. Congress to designate August 26 as Womens Equality Day. The bill says that the President is authorized and requested to issue a proclamation annually in commemoration of that day in 1920, on which the women of America were first given the right to vote.

As a footnote, the amendment certification process has changed since 1920. Now, the Archivist of the United States, who heads the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), is responsible for finalizing the ratification process.

Back in 1920, Secretary Colbys attorney reviewed the documents that arrived from Tennessee. Today, NARAs Office of the Federal Register reviews the documents and writes the proclamation for the Archivist of the United States to sign.

Section 106b of the United States Code spells out the finality of the proclamation.

The Archivist of the United States shall forthwith cause the amendment to be published, with his certificate, specifying the States by which the same may have been adopted, and that the same has become valid, to all intents and purposes, as a part of the Constitution of the United States.

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Being an ace fighter pilot in World War I was by most accounts pretty good, as soldiers experiences went in that conflict. Men were lauded in the press, had the sex appeal that went with a pilots wings, and ate, slept and lived better than most of their comrades in the trenches. For many, it was the life that drew them to taking on a new, uncertain kind of warfare in the clouds. But with Rene Fonck, Frances highest-scoring flying ace during the war, you get the sense he really just liked killing.

I put my bullets into the target as if I placed them there by hand, he boasted in his memoirs. Fonck was credited with 75 kills over the course of the war, but if you believed his squadronmates, it was more like over a hundred  more than the famed Red Baron. He was very good at what he did, and what he did didnt keep him up at night.

Foncks language and glorifying tone sound a lot like Chris Kyle, the notorious soldier subject of American Sniper. The two were both elite soldiers who killed at long range  but contrary to their fame, their stories are relatively rare. Most soldiers  and police  arent automatically wired to kill people. In fact,

fewer than 25 percent of American soldiers in World War II shot to kill.

This incredible, counterintuitive reality came to light just after the war. U.S. Army researcher S. L. A. Marshall spent months collecting interviews with soldiers. One of the basic questions he asked pushed men to reveal how far theyd carried out one of soldiers most basic duties: Did you ever aim and fire your weapon with the intent to kill?

Overwhelmingly, the soldiers he interviewed  representative of the estimated one million American soldiers who saw serious combat in World War II  said no.

Marshalls methods have come under scrutiny since he published that controversial figure in 1947. But his research had an enormous impact on military training after World War II  and, by extension, how American soldiers and police learn to kill. By the time of the Vietnam War, the U.S. military had sharply changed its training tack to condition soldiers to shoot first, think second. According to Col. Dave Grossman, author of On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society, this broke down peoples natural inhibitions to killing. By Vietnams end, he says, more than 90 percent of soldiers said theyd shot to kill.

Story continues

Most people have powerful natural psychological inhibitions to killing. The kind of training needed to break these down requires a few key ingredients  namely, lots of repetition, dehumanization of the enemy and encouragement to shoot first and ask questions later. Its this kind of training that not only gives soldiers broader scope to kill in a war zone, but also increases the likelihood of police brutality.

Dr. Laurence Miller, a Florida-based police psychologist and law-enforcement educator, says that poor training and education mixed with aggressiveness are prime factors into a police officer firing a gun. Officers who feel that their training and experience have given them a broad toolbox of nonviolent de-escalation strategies are least likely to use force as a first response, he explains. Regardless of training, the impulse not to kill is still strong  85 percent of American police killed on duty in 2015 never discharged their weapons, according to an FBI statement released this year.

Learning to kill is a vicious cycle. Training designed to eliminate natural psychological defenses to killing also takes its toll on the person firing the gun. Lack of institutional mental health support, Miller adds, makes distressed police officers more likely to use deadly force. The same is true for soldiers. Hollywoods focus on elite warriors, from flying aces to Chris Kyle, often skips over the obvious: For the vast majority of people, even those who never see heavy combat, killing-oriented training is deeply traumatic.

It raises a real, if peacenik-sounding, question: If three-quarters of us cant kill on command, whats the point of fighting at all?

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It banks on foreign patients searching for critical care.

Despite looming threats from medical tourism on Singapores private healthcare, Raffles Medical Group (RMG) has not yet felt any impact, thanks to a diversified international patients mix.

OCBC revealed that RMG has been receiving lower volume of patients from countries like Indonesia, but this has been offset by an influx of patients from China and Indochina.

These patients continue to seek critical care, which ensures revenue intensity to an extent, OCBC said.

On top of this, Singapore remains as an attractive medical hub, quickly catching up to the United States, the largest hub for medical tourism, according to a report by Visa and Oxford Economics.





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Oklahoma-based pipeline company Williams Companies, Inc. WMB, which recently lost a court battle to preserve a takeover from another pipeline operator Energy Transfer Equity L.P. ETE, is facing a new trouble as the former director of the company has announced plans to overhaul the entire board of the company.

Keith Meister, the managing partner of Corvex Management that holds a 4.1% stake in Williams, intends to nominate 10 employees of his own hedge fund as placeholders. In this proxy battle launched against Williams, these employees will serve as placeholders for the Thursday, Aug 25th deadline of nominating new directors and the permanent independent directors will be presented by Corvex to the shareholders in November.

The reason behind Meister launching the proxy battle was the rejection of the proposal to nominate a majority of seven independent directors to the board by Williams. Also, Meister and the other directors lost confidence in the company when it was unable to close a deal to be acquired by Energy Transfer Equity. In addition, Williams missed financial expectations, saw growth projects fail and had a poor safety history over the last five years.

WILLIAMS COS Price

WILLIAMS COS Price | WILLIAMS COS Quote

Following the deal cancellation with Energy Transfer Equity, Williams has been making investments of more than $1.5 billion in its master limited partnership. Also, the company has been taking steps to reduce its debt load by divesting its assets.

Tulsa, OK-based Williams Companies is a premier energy infrastructure provider in North America. The companys core operations include finding, producing, gathering, processing and transportation of natural gas. The company boasts a widespread pipeline system and is one of the largest domestic transporters of natural gas by volume.

Recently, Williams Companies reported decent second-quarter 2016 earnings on the back of significant cost reductions and continued improvement in financial performance. The company reported adjusted earnings from continuing operations of 19 cents per share, in line with the Zacks Consensus Estimate. Moreover, the bottom line improved from the prior-year figure of 15 cents per share.



Presently, Williams Companies carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), implying that the stock will perform in line with the broader U.S. equity market over the next one to three months.



Some better-ranked players in the energy sector include Enbridge Energy Partners, L.P. EEP and China Petroleum & Chemical Corp. SNP. Both these stocks sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy).

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Five years ago, this Canadian couple buried a time capsule full of their favorite mementos.

But when 24-year-old Jennifer Storrar, of Ontario, dug up their time capsule earlier this summer with her boyfriend, she was shocked to find that it also contained a proposal.

Read: Couple Marries in NICU So Their Baby, Once Given 0 Percent Survival Rate, Can Witness Wedding

"I could not believe him," Storrar told InsideEdition.com. "He went on such a trek to do this."

She explained that when they were teenagers, she and then-boyfriend Troy Reddington, 25, put together a time capsule. They filled it with notes about their future goals and old photos, and buried it on an annual camping trip to an island Storrar had been frequenting since she was a kid.

Years later, Reddington told InsideEdition.com he remembered sitting around the campfire on another one of their annual camping trips, when suddenly it occurred to him.

When he was ready to propose, he decided that he would dig up their original time capsule, and replace it with a new one that contained a ring for her to find.

"I wanted to do something sentimental to us," Reddington said. "Something we've already done together, and something that is very personal to us."

It was in November when he decided he was ready to pop the question, but after he bought the ring, he knew he would have to wait until summer: "I couldn't get across the lake. I couldn't do anything with it in the wintertime."

Read: Couple Miraculously Survives After Humpback Whale Breaches, Lands On Their Kayak

In May, as the ice thawed, Reddington put his plan into action.

He said he woke up in the middle of the night and drove for three hours to reach the campsite. Then, Reddington got into a kayak and paddled his way to the island where they camp out every summer.

"It seems like an extravagant plan, but really, I only drove three hours," he said.

Story continues

By the time the sun had risen, he found a spot that was approximately where they buried their old time capsule, and replaced it with his proposal contained in an emptied out peanut butter jar. Included inside was a ring and a note with the words, "Will you marry me?"

Then, he set off for work and waited a few more days to invite her camping.

Reddington said when they made the trip to Eagle Lake, he asked Storrar, who studied film, to record the journey as they traveled by car, kayaked to the island, and found the new time capsule.

As she opened the jar to reveal the ring and proposal, Reddington could be seen in a video posted to her YouTube dropping to one knee and asking: "Will you marry me?"

Read: Boy Who Found Decades-Old Message in a Bottle Meets the Woman Who Wrote It

"I managed to get the words out," Reddington laughed. "[Her reaction was] definitely a staple in my mind for life."

The newly-engaged couple told InsideEdition.com they plan to marry within the next two or three years, but have already started looking into purchasing a home together.

Unfortunately, they never found the original time capsule.

Watch: Man Records 1 Second of Every Day for a Year to Create a Proposal Video to Remember

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This Michigan woman won a year's worth of free pizza, but instead of dreaming about the next 365 days of cheesy goodness, she decided to donate every last slice to the less fortunate.

Read: Restaurant Offers Free Pizza for a Year To Anyone Who Helps Catch Thief

19-year-old Hannah Spooner said from the moment Little Caesar's called to say she won the drawing for $500 worth of free pizza for a year, she knew she wanted to give it all to a worthy cause.

"I just lost a lot of weight, I wasn't trying to eat a lot of pizza," she joked.

But Spooner was also more interested in making a difference in her community.

"Detroit is going through a lot of negativity," Spooner told InsideEdition.com. "I wanted somewhere close to home that would be affected by my donation."

She then reached out to several non-profits in the area. Eventually, she settled on Covenant House Michigan, a facility for homeless youth.

"I could tell it would actually make a difference," Spooner said. "I would actually see people who benefitted from it. They were really sweet, warm and welcoming."

Carolyn Millard, the development manager at Covenant House Michigan, said she was surprised to receive Spooner's call, and was thrilled when she eventually settled on their organization after a tour of the facility.

Read: Homeless Man Who Received More Than $50,000 From Strangers Gives Out Free Food

Though they serve three meals a day, Millard told InsideEdition.com the youth especially welcome this treat: "They love pizza. They get very excited."

Millard said while they are still trying to work out the logistics, she hopes they may be able to get pizza to their residents as soon as next week.

Watch: Mom Donates School Supplies in Honor of Late Son for What Would Be His First Day of Kindergarten

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Google the definition of the words "whinge," "promiscuous," or "ugly," and you might notice a subtle trend.

All these definitions have examples where women are portrayed in a negative light, or are subject to sexist, outdated tropes. From sentences such as "she let off steam by having a good whinge" to "she's a wild, promiscuous, good-time girl"  these examples are undoubtedly unpleasant.

SEE ALSO: Watch Helen Mirren keep her chill in this sexist interview from the '70s

It's something that advertising employees Georgia Patch and Kiah Nicholas from Sydney, Australia, have noticed, leading a project called "Redefine Women" which is pushing to have these sentences changed.

Nicholas, a copywriter, often spends her day finding definitions and synonyms via Google. But it was a particular definition one day that piqued her interest.

"A couple of weeks back I stumbled across one  grating  and I noticed the sentence example, 'her grating voice' and I screen-grabbed it straight away," Nicholas told Mashable Australia.

Nicholas sent the definition's example via email to Patch, who she often discusses sexism with. They eventually found other sentence examples with negative portrayals of women.

"Kiah sent through this definition, and I thought it was objectively bad. We did a little more delving and searching, then we ended up stumbling on so many words ... we realised there was something fundamentally wrong that is being overlooked for far too long," Patch said.

"We just thought to ourselves that we can raise awareness around this, and try and get these definitions contemporised to be more accurate examples, that define women in a more positive light," she added.

The examples come from Oxford Dictionaries, which told Mashable Australia that the sentences are taken from a variety of sources of English, and don't represent their views.

Story continues

While the two women are trying to get the attention of Google to amend the examples, they say they firmly believe the company will be welcoming of the idea, due to its ethos.

"We see Google as a really progressive and forward-thinking company. We think they'd be so on-board with something like this, and want to maintain that positive perception and trust people have in Google," Patch said.

"They're the world's largest aggregator of definitions, and the go-to for the general population for the meaning of words," Nicholas said.

The duo are focusing on the definition examples for the moment, in the belief it's the start of a much bigger conversation about gender inequality.

"There's definitely bigger goals to achieve, but right now this is the start of a conversation, starting with definitions. Because it's a fundamental thing that we need to get right, if these bigger conversations are going to be impactful," Patch added.

A Google spokesperson told Mashable Australia via email that it will be investigating the issue.

"The definitions and sample sentences we provide come from the Oxford Dictionary of English and do not reflect Google's opinions or beliefs," according to the spokesperson.

"As a company, we strongly value gender equality and a diversity of perspectives, ideas and cultures. We are looking into the issue, but you can always give feedback on definitions you find unacceptable, so we can improve these results over time."

You can read more about how dictionary examples are chosen here.

Time will tell, indeed.

[h/t Pedestrian.TV]
From Road & Track

Pssst. . . Hey you! How'd you like to run head-to-head with a Ferrari 458 in the quarter-mile, using a prancing horse of a very different kind, such as a 2013 V6 Mustang? Impossible, you say? Not at all? With a properly-tuned nitrous-oxide system, you can rip an 11.5-second quarter-mile in a six-speed, six-cylinder Mustang. Might cost you two grand, a bit more if you spend a lot of time tuning it. This might be a surprise to you, but street racers have known for a long time that "the bottle" is the cheapest way to make straight-line speed. Forget what you saw in the Fast & Furious movies; "NOS" doesn't really work like that. But it does work.

Road racers and track rats can't benefit from nitrous oxide; the use of it is banned almost universally on road courses. There is a cheap-ish way to dramatically lower your laptimes, however. Just switch to a DOT-R tire like the Hoosier R7 or Hankook C51. It's not a free lunch, however. DOT-R tires have a very short lifespan compared to street rubber, most of them aren't very good in the rain, and none of them are worth a damn in near-freezing temperatures like the ones you'll occasionally encounter in an early-spring or late-fall trackday.

The easiest way to handle these issues is to just drag your tires behind you on a trailer. I've been doing that with my Boxster since 2005. When I get to the track, I jack the car up, remove the wheels with my street tires, and put the R-compounds on. While I'm at it, I'll bleed the brakes and do a general check on the suspension. At last count, the Boxster and I have attended about sixty-five trackdays in that fashion. Often, we'll paddock next to several other cars that are doing the same thing.

In the past three or so years, however, the trackday-tire paradigm has changed dramatically. A new generation of maximum-performance, 200-treadwear entries from BFGoodrich, Yokohama, Falken, Dunlop, and others promise that you can drive them to track, rip off a couple days' worth of hot laps, then head home in perfect safety and comfort. As the great Patrick Bedard used to say, however, I'm from Missouri when it comes to claims like that. In other words, you're gonna have to show me.

Story continues

Last month, a few of my friends here at R&T and I decided to race my 1995 Plymouth Neon in the AER event at New Jersey Motorsports Park. AER mandates 180-treadwear tires, so we asked BFGoodrich for a set of their "Rival S" in 225/45ZR15. But because we can't resist a little bit of experimentation, we brought along a set of DOT-R racing tires for comparison purposes.

I'm currently racing my Neon in NASA using the Hankook C51. Well, I'm not racing it right now. My regional series director banned me for a while because we had a disagreement. I'm sure it will all work out and I'll return to NASA next year. But that's besides the point. The Neon absolutely adores the C51, allowing me to grab a 2nd-place finish at my last NASA race. But they are absolutely slick tires, with just the two shadow grooves required for DOT legality. Comparing them to the Rivals would be ridiculous, because the moment it rains you can't use the Hankooks.

So we mounted up a set of Toyo R888s and took them to New Jersey to face the music. The R888 is a full-tread-depth tire that has a reputation for being pretty decent in club racing. Not great, but pretty decent. My R888s were in pretty good shape, although they were date-coded back to the Bronze Age. Not to worry. They've been stored in the dark and they're still plenty grippy.

Photo credit: DW Burnett/Puppyknuckles

Our fastest time on the Toyos was 1:22.104. This qualified us very well for the next day's race. Too well, actually. We had to go to the AER people and beg them to drop us to a lower class. Thankfully, one of our more ethical team members had warned them in advance that we were using 'cheater' tires in practice and qualifying, so there was no issue. All of our drivers loved the Neon on the Toyos, saying good things about the car's balance, predictability, and ultimate grip in the midcorner.

So we switched to brand-new Rivals and headed back out. This time, our best time was 1:23.301. Compared to the race tires, the Rivals were short on maximum grip. We expected that. But our drivers reported that the Neon was easier to drive up to the limit of the tires. All of them felt that the limit of the Rivals was "wider," which is to say that you have more room for error or adjustment when you're cornering or braking as hard as you can. The Rivals were considered to be a bit more heat-sensitive; you had to be more careful about pushing them too hard over the course of several laps.

It's worth noting that at least two members of our team posted about the same times on both tires; only our most experienced club racers could get that extra second out of the Toyos. Also worth noting: temperatures were in the eighties both days, without a drop of rain. In colder weather, we'd expect that already small gap to shrink farther. If it had rained. . . well, let's just say that the Rivals would have been much better at shedding water. It's a brave person who races in the rain on most R-compound tires. Add standing water into the equation, and the line between brave and foolhardy is crossed pretty quickly.

Best of all, the BFGs showed negligible wear after seventy laps. If the thermostat hadn't blown up on us, ending our race weekend early, I think we could have run them both days for the full distance with no troubles. We'll certainly expect more race weekends out of them.

Should you, the recreational trackday driver, choose the Rivals, or another tire of this type, over "R-comps?" I think the answer depends on what you value more: your own time, or your lap time. If you need that last second or two, then by all means load up the trailer and deal with everything that the tire-tow strategy entails. But if you're interested in reducing your stress and your time spend kneeling on the ground with a wrench before dawn, then you should definitely consider trying out a modern 200-treadwear summer tire. It won't get you through an ice storm, and it won't last through a decade's worth of commuting, but neither will you find yourself shaving your R-comps before each session with a putty knife strapped to a heat gun. Yes, people do that. Racers are strange, weird, and remarkably cheap people. Who else would think of drag-racing against a Ferrari with an entry-level Mustang?

Born in Brooklyn but banished to Ohio, Jack Baruth has won races on four different kinds of bicycles and in seven different kinds of cars. Everything he writes should probably come with a trigger warning. His column, Avoidable Contact, runs twice a week.
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Last night, Zac Efron posted a touching goodbye to his dog, Puppy, on Instagram.

Efron uploaded an adorable photo to mark the loss of his best friend. He quoted fitting lyrics from Chance the Rapper's "Finish Line / Drown" in his tribute.

Efron and Puppy became best friends on Christmas morning of 2011. He first announced his friendship with the sweet dog in April 2012.

He shared a photo of the Australian Shepherd and him hanging out next to the tree.

RIP Puppy Efron. During this time, Efron can turn to his Australian Shepherd, Dreamer, and Chapelle, a dog he rescued with his ex-girlfriend, Sami Miro, for support.
For Immediate Release

Chicago, IL  August 26, 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 Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA), Toyota Motor Corporation (TM), Harley-Davidson, Inc. (HOG), General Motors Company ( GM) and Lear Corporation (LEA).

Today, Zacks is promoting its ''Buy'' stock recommendations. Get #1Stock of the Day pick for free.

Here are highlights from Thursdays Analyst Blog:

Auto Stock Roundup: Tesla Makes Model S Faster, Harley Settles with EPA

Tesla Motors, Inc. (TSLA) was the biggest newsmaker in the auto sector yet again, after it launched batteries with higher capacity for its vehicles. Meanwhile, Toyota Motor Corporation (TM) resumed production in Venezuela, while Harley-Davidson, Inc. ( HOG) agreed to a settlement with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Further, General Motors Company (GM) announced the launch of a new midsize Chevrolet sedan in China and Lear Corporation (LEA) signed an investment agreement to build a premium leather processing plant in the nation.

Recap of the Weeks Most Important Stories

1. Tesla has launched new versions of Model S and Model X with 100 kWh batteries. Prior to this, the largest battery it offered was 90 kWh. The Model S P100D can accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 2.5 seconds (when using the Ludicrous mode), which makes it the fastest car currently in production. It also has the longest range among all electric vehicles in production as of now. The Model X P100D with Ludicrous mode can go from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds. The range of the SUV has also increased to 289 miles (read more: Tesla's New 100 kWh Battery Makes Model S Fastest Car ).

2. Toyota has restarted production in Venezuela after a gap of six months. This South American nation has been troubled by low oil prices and currency controls, which have led to a dollar deficiency in the region. As a result, Toyota, along with many other automakers, has been facing headwinds in vehicle production in the country. Toyota has now started vehicle assembly in Venezuela for catering to local markets as well as for exports. It is currently assembling three models  Corolla, Hylux and Fortuner  at the Cumana plant (read more: Toyota Restarts Production in Venezuela, Plans to Export ).

Story continues

3. Harley-Davidson agreed to a $15 million settlement with the EPA, which had filed a complaint over the companys super tuners which bolstered power but released harmful emissions. According to the EPA, the company sold about 340,000 of the tuners, and more than 12,000 motorcycles of various models with the tuners pre-installed. Of the $15 million settlement, $12 million will be paid as civil penalty while the other $3 million will be spent on a project to mitigate air pollution by replacing conventional woodstoves with cleaner-burning models. Per the deal, the company will buy back all the devices and discontinue future sales of the product (read more: Harley-Davidson Agrees to $15 Million Settlement with EPA ).

4. General Motors announced that its Chevrolet brand will be introducing an all-new compact midsize family sedan in China. The sedan will be launched at the Chengdu Auto Show, to be held on Sep 2, under the Cavalier nameplate. The vehicle features a 1.5L DVVT inline four-cylinder engine and is expected to provide class-leading fuel efficiency of 5.4 liters/100 km (read more: General Motors' Chevrolet to Launch New Sedan in China ).

5. Lear Corp has signed an investment agreement with the Administrative Commission of Yangzhou Economic & Technological Development Zone to build a premium leather processing plant in China. The plant will be established in Yangzhou and will have adjacent land reserved for future expansion. This is expected to help the companys sales and business in China to grow.

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Within the last year, we've become very familiar with St. Louis rapper Smino and his Zero Fatigue collective. Since the start, he's been adamant about bringing the rest of the Zero Fatigue crewlike Monte Booker and Jay2AintShitwith him wherever he goes, and more importantly, giving them their own time to shine. Today we're introduced to another St. Louis native, Bari.

Most people would expect to receive gifts on their birthday, but today on his own birthday Bari is the one doing the gift giving by sharing his new single "Jetpakk." As he continues to prepare for the release of his upcoming EP later on this year, Bari shares a preview of what to expect. This new single receives production from Monte Booker that sounds equally bouncy and intergalacticwhich seems fitting for a song titled "Jetpakk."

However, "Jetpakk" isn't just about the jet-powered technology it's named after. Bari explains the power that really keeps him going is his son. "The birth of my son inspired me to strive and reach my highest potential," says Bari. "That's the Jetpakk, my son Carmelo."

Listen to "Jetpakk" below.

Continue Reading On Complex
* Guidelines on sexual transmission may need to change * Puerto Rico reports 10 cases of Guillain-Barre related to Zika By Julie Steenhuysen CHICAGO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - New Zika research released on Friday has found that the virus may spread sexually from a man to a woman even if the man had no symptoms of Zika infection. The finding came from a report in Maryland where a man who was infected with Zika in the Dominican Republic but had no symptoms infected his female partner who had not traveled to a place where Zika is being transmitted. The study, published in the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's weekly report on death and disease, suggests that sexual transmission of Zika is no less likely in asymptomatic individuals than in others with symptoms. Current recommendations for preventing sexual transmission of Zika in returning travelers now differ depending on whether the returning traveler is symptomatic and on whether the couple is planning to become pregnant, but that may need to be changed. Separately, health officials in Puerto Rico have reported as many as 10 people who developed the paralyzing neurological disorder known as Guillain-Barre syndrome as a result of Zika infections. The latest studies add to the evolving picture of the impacts of Zika, a virus previously considered to be mild but which has recently been shown to cause the serious birth defect known as microcephaly, as well as neurological illness in adults. In Puerto Rico, where Zika arrived in December 2015, health officials have been systematically tracking cases of Guillain-Barre syndrome following reports in other countries showing an increase in cases related to Zika. Guillain-Barre causes gradual weakness in the legs, arms and upper body, and in some cases, temporary paralysis. Overall, the Guillain-Barre surveillance system identified 56 cases of the syndrome in people infected from Jan. 1 to July 31, 2016, officials from the Puerto Rican health department and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported on Friday in the CDC's weekly report on death and disease. Guillain-Barre is an autoimmune disorder in which the body attacks itself in the aftermath of an infection, typically occurring in the days following an illness. Of the cases in Puerto Rico, 34 patients had evidence of a flavivirus infection, such as Zika, dengue or Chikungunya, and 10 had confirmed Zika virus infections. Diagnostic tests cannot easily discern Zika from related infections, but health officials suspect nearly all of the flavivirus infections seen were related to Zika because that is the predominant flavivirus currently circulating in Puerto Rico. All 34 patients required intensive care, and 12 required a breathing tube and mechanical ventilation. One patient died of septic shock after treatment for Guillain-Barre. In addition to the Guillain-Barre cases, there were seven patients with evidence of infection from Zika or a related virus that developed neurological disorders other than Guillain-Barre. The findings follow reports in other areas that Zika can directly infect adult nerve cells. In the sexual transmission case, current guidelines for preventing sexual transmission of Zika suggest that couples in which one person returns from an area with active transmission but did not develop symptoms of Zika should wait eight weeks before attempting to conceive a child. But men diagnosed with Zika should wait at least six months before attempting to have a child, and women with a Zika diagnosis should wait at least eight weeks. Health officials said more study is needed to determine the risk of sexual transmission of Zika from asymptomatic individuals. As more is learned about how long Zika lasts in semen in infected men, "recommendations to prevent sexual transmission of Zika virus will be updated if needed," officials wrote. (Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Bernard Orr)
Harare (AFP) - Riots erupted in Zimbabwe's capital Harare Friday after police fired tear gas and beat protesters who responded by throwing stones in the latest of a string of highly charged demonstrations.

The violence came as a High Court judge ordered police "not to interfere (with), obstruct or stop the march".

Dozens of police blocked off the site of an opposition rally for electoral reforms by 2018, when 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe who has ruled the southern African country for decades will seek re-election.

AFP correspondents saw armed police firing tear gas and water cannon at protesters gathered on the fringes of the central business district who were waiting for the march to start.

Demonstrators began throwing stones at police while some set tyres ablaze and others pulled down the sign for a street named after Mugabe.

Some people caught up in the melee, including children going to a nearby agricultural show, ran for shelter in the magistrate's court while riot police pursued the protesters and threatened journalists covering the rally.

The usually-bustling pavements were clear of street hawkers and some shops were shut, as rocks, sticks and burning tyres were strewn across the streets.

Opposition protesters also clashed with supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party who had refused to clear their street stalls.

ZANU-PF youths hurled stones at the opposition activists but were overpowered and their stalls set on fire.

Mugabe slammed the protests and accused foreign powers of having a hand in the unrest.

"They are burning types in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here," said Mugabe in remarks broadcast by state television.

- 'Very deep anger' -

The march was organised by 18 opposition parties including the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru.

Story continues

Opposition leaders condemned the brutal repression of the protest and vowed to increase pressure on Mugabe's regime.

"If that was meant to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday," former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa told reporters.

Protests "will continue until the day we vote," said Mutasa, a former top member of ZANU-PF who is now a senior member of Mujuru's party.

"We have had enough of ZANU-PF misrule."

Tsvangirai said the public would not be easily calmed.

"The people's anger is very deep. The people's desperation is very deep," he said.

"Today's brutal suppression of the people will not stop them from exercising their rights."

- Government losing control -

Tsvangirai said the regime was in its "sunset hour", warning that efforts to suppress the protests would backfire.

"Citizens are like a spring: the more they are suppressed, the greater the rebound," he said.

Charles Laurie, an analyst with Verisk Maplecroft in London, agreed that the government was on the verge of losing control.

"The government is nearing a tipping point in its ability to control a population long used to violence and hardship, and who now have little to lose in putting themselves at risk in forcing political concessions," he told AFP.

Friday's court order was issued after police had on Wednesday violently put down another march by opposition youths demonstrating against police brutality in recent protests.

Police on Friday arrested 67 people, and lawyers said one of them was a journalist.

Several foreign diplomatic missions based in Harare called on the authorities to ensure that basic human rights and freedoms are respected during policing.

- 'Violence unacceptable' -

The US embassy expressed "deep concern over reports of violence during some of the protests" and called on government to "exhibit restraint" and respect human rights.

And the Canadian embassy also said it was "increasingly concerned with reports of violence and human rights violations in response to public protest" while the Australian mission said the use of violence was "not acceptable under any circumstance."

Friday's march was to demand free and fair elections. The last elections in 2013 were won by Mugabe in a vote the opposition said was rigged.

Zimbabwe has seen a mounting tide of violent protests in recent weeks, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980.

Under his rule, there has been an economic collapse that has caused food and cash shortages, with the country battling to pay public servants.
[August 25, 2016] CES Celebrates 50 Years of Tech

CES (News - Alert) 2017 marks the 50th anniversary of the world's leading innovation event, cementing CES' place in history as the global gathering place for innovation and technology. Since its start in 1967, CES has showcased an estimated 700,000 products. These include world-changing innovations such as the VCR (1970), the DVD (1996), digital radio (2000) and Blu-ray recording standards released (2002), as well as more recent technologies-consumer 3D printers, tablets and 4K Ultra HD Television. CES has also driven the market growth in pioneering technologies such as autonomous cars and drones. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA), the 50th anniversary CES will celebrate the evolution of the industry January 5-8, 2017 in Las Vegas, NV. "Only a few events and tradeshows have 50 years of success, and we are humbled to be in this elite group," said Gary Shapiro (News - Alert), president and CEO, Consumer Technology Association. "Over the past 50 years CES has evolved as the industry has changed, reflecting and helping drive the ever expanding consumer tech landscape. We have succeeded throughout the years due, in large part, to our loyal customers, partners and the deep relationships we have made along the way. This anniversary is the perfect milestone to thank and celebrate our incredible industry partners and the individuals and companies who have been with us for five decades." The first CES was held in June 1967 in New York City attracted approximately 17,500 attendees and featured 117 exhibitors demonstrating products such as transistor radios, stereos and small-screen black-and-white TVs, including the first solid-state TV. Top companies exhibiting at the first CES included: 3M, Memorex (now MEM-CE), Motorola with Lenovo, Panasonic (News - Alert) - Matsushita, Philips, RCA (now a Technicolor brand), SANYO Fisher (now part of Panasonic), Sharp, Sony, Toshiba, Westinghouse and Zenith (now part of LG). Several prominent tech leaders have presented keynotes at CES, including Microsoft, Intel, Google, Apple, and Samsung (News - Alert). CES 2017 will have more than 3,800 exhibitors covering 2.4 million net square feet of space and more than 165,000 attendees. A truly global show, CES expects more than 50,000 international professionals representing 150 countries. Today, CES continues as the proving ground for innovators and has expanded to feature industries not traditionally connected to consumer tech. The show now touches every major industry as leaders from the entire innovation ecosystem come together to discover and experience the latest trends and network with peers. CES is where titans of tech mix with next generation disruptors and where esteemed and highly sought after global leaders take the keynote stage to tout disruptive technology and envision new trends and markets. CES will celebrate its 50th anniversary before, duing and after CES 2017 by:



Sharing flashback photos and news from the past 50 years.

Providing attendees badge ribbons to denote the number of CES shows attended (in five year increments).

Providing exhibitors and attendees with 40+ years at the show will wear 50 th anniversary lapel pins.

anniversary lapel pins. Selling 50 th anniversary commemorative t-shirts will be available in the CTA Center.

anniversary commemorative t-shirts will be available in the CTA Center. Holding special ceremonies will be on opening day.

Providing signage illustrating the timeline of Innovation Award products (in the Innovation Showcase).

Giving a special tribute to CES Founder Jack Wayman.

Featuring a digital timeline on CES.tech detailing the history of CES.

Buzzing social channels with celebration and commemoration The celebration will not end on January 8-a retrospective documentary of CES will be released in June 2017. Registration opens on September 6. For more information on CES 2017, visit CES.tech. Note to Editors: The official name of the global technology event is "CES." Please do not use "Consumer Electronics Show" or "International CES" to refer to the event.

About CES: CES is the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. It has served as the proving ground for innovators and breakthrough technologies for almost 50 years-the global stage where next-generation innovations are introduced to the marketplace. As the largest hands-on event of its kind, CES features all aspects of the industry. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM, it attracts the world's business leaders and pioneering thinkers to a forum where the industry's most relevant issues are addressed. Check out CES video highlights. Follow CES online at www.CES.tech and on social. About Consumer Technology Association: Consumer Technology Association (CTA)TM is the trade association representing the $287 billion U.S. consumer technology industry. More than 2,200 companies - 80 percent are small businesses and startups; others are among the world's best known brands - enjoy the benefits of CTA membership including policy advocacy, market research, technical education, industry promotion, standards development and the fostering of business and strategic relationships. The Consumer Technology Association also owns and produces CES - the world's gathering place for all who thrive on the business of consumer technologies. Profits from CES are reinvested into CTA's industry services. UPCOMING EVENTS Innovate! and Celebrate - Register

September 20-22, San Jose, CA (News - Alert)

September 20-22, San Jose, CA (News - Alert) CES Unveiled Prague - Register

October 20, Prague, Czech Republic

October 20, Prague, Czech Republic CES Unveiled Paris - Register

October 25, Paris, France

October 25, Paris, France CT Hall of Fame Dinner

November 9, New York, NY

November 9, New York, NY CES Unveiled New York

November 10, New York, NY

November 10, New York, NY CES Unveiled Las Vegas

January 3, Las Vegas, NV

January 3, Las Vegas, NV CES 2017

January 5-8, Las Vegas, NV

January 5-8, Las Vegas, NV CES Asia 2017

June 7-9, Shanghai, China View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825006155/en/

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Marseille (France) (AFP) - French resorts were defiant after a ban on the burkini in a Riviera town was overturned, vowing to keep the restrictions in place and continue imposing fines on women who wear the full-body swimsuit.

In a judgement expected to lead to bans being overturned in around 30 coastal towns, the State Council, France's highest administrative court, ruled Friday the measure was a "serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms".

The suspension of the ban on the Islamic swimsuit, which has triggered a fierce debate in France and sparked critical headlines around the world, was welcomed by the UN, and a French Muslim group said it was a "victory for common sense".

But the ruling, which only applied to the ban imposed by Villeneuve-Loubet, was quickly dismissed by several other towns, including Nice, which vowed to keep the restrictions in place and continue imposing fines on women who wear the full-body swimsuit.

In its decision, the court said local authorities could only introduce measures restricting individual freedoms if wearing the swimsuit on beaches represented a "proven risk" to public order.

The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, a resort between Nice and Cannes.

Police action to fine Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the tourist resorts of Nice and Cannes, has triggered a fierce debate about women's rights and the French state's strictly-guarded secularism.

"From now on, it is up to everyone to take responsibility for cooling off, which is the only way to avoid public order disturbances and to try and live together," Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said.

- Restrictions 'still valid' -

But the ruling provoked defiance from several Riviera resorts, which pledged to continue imposing fines.

In recent weeks, around 30 French municipalities decided to ban access to public beaches "by anyone not wearing proper attire, which is respectful of good morality and the principle of secularism and not respectful of the rules of hygiene and bathing security".

Story continues

Nice town hall said it would "continue to fine" women wearing the burkini and the far-right mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, insisted his ban was "still valid", telling AFP there was "no legal procedure" against his ruling.

Ange-Pierre Vivoni, Socialist mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco, said his burkini ban, introduced this month following a confrontation between Moroccan bathers and locals, would also remain "for the safety of property and people in the town because I risked having deaths on my hands".

Amnesty International said Friday's court decision had "drawn an important line in the sand".

"These bans do nothing to increase public safety but do a lot to promote public humiliation," said Amnesty's Europe director John Dalhuisen, who added it was time that the French authorities "drop the pretence" that the ban was about protecting women's rights.

The debate has split both the left and the right, with former president Nicolas Sarkozy calling for a nationwide ban on the burkini, while former premier Alain Juppe has expressed opposition to "an exceptional law".

-- 'Fundamental debate' --

The ruling Socialists are also divided, with Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem and Health Minister Marisol Touraine concerned over the "drift" in the local orders, while Prime Minister Manuel Valls backed the mayors.

He stuck to his guns Friday evening, saying the State Council's ruling "does not end the debate which has been opened".

"It is a fundamental debate, which follows on from others," he said, recalling that France was the first country in Europe to ban the full veil in public spaces in 2010. The headscarf was banned from schools in 2004.

Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a beach in Nice.

The mayor's office denied the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken.

In its ruling, the State Council said: "The emotion and the concerns arising from terrorist attacks, especially the attack in Nice on July 14, are not sufficient to legally justify a ban."
[August 25, 2016] DENSO to Advance Artificial Intelligence Knowledge, Signs Technical Advisory Contract with Carnegie Mellon University Professor Takeo Kanade

KARIYA, Japan, Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- In an effort to deepen and advance its knowledge in artificial intelligence, DENSO has entered into a technical advisory contract with one of the world's foremost researchers in computer vision, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Dr. Takeo Kanade. Through this contract, DENSO is looking to advance its artificial intelligence technology and expand its engineering expertise in the areas of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous drive, and the Internet of Things (IoT). Dr. Kanade, a U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor of Robotics and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon will provide technical guidance to DENSO engineers on image recognition and machine learning, and will also speak at lectures and seminars organized by DENSO for a variety of purposes, such as recruiting, relationship building, etc. These activities will be held mostly in Japan. Dr. Kanade and DENSO have worked together from 2002-2009 on a joint research of image recognition technology. In addition, he has been a lecturer of DENSO's high talent program organized by DENSO E&TS Training Center. DENSO expects to use artificial intelligence technology in more areas of its business. Currently, it uses machine learning in its sensing technologies and applies them to its sensing products. DENSO has developed technologies and products to help create a society free from road traffic accidents. Based on its accumulated technologies, DENSO will continue to contribute to building a safe and secure automotive society for all people around the world, not just for drivers and pedestrians. About Dr. Kanade:

Dr. Kanade works in multiple areas of robotics: computer vision, multi-media, manipulators, autonomous mobile robots, medical robotics and sensors. He has written more than 400 technical papers and reports in these areas, and holds more than 20 patents. He has been the principal investigator of more than a dozen major vision and robotics projects at Carnegie Mellon. Profile of Professor Takeo Kanade Professor Takeo Kanad received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Kyoto University in 1974. After serving as Assistant Professor at Kyoto University , he became a senior research engineer at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University . At the Robotics Institute, he was appointed to Associate Professor and to Professor, and then he served as the Director from 1992 to 2001. In 2006, Professor Kanade established the Quality of Life Technology Center (QoLT) and became its Director.

received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from in 1974. After serving as Assistant Professor at , he became a senior research engineer at the Robotics Institute of . At the Robotics Institute, he was appointed to Associate Professor and to Professor, and then he served as the Director from 1992 to 2001. In 2006, Professor Kanade established the Quality of Life Technology Center (QoLT) and became its Director. From 2001 to 2009, he also served as the Director of the Digital Human Research Center (DHRC) at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan . Currently, he is a Special Fellow of DHRC.

. Currently, he is a Special Fellow of DHRC. Foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering

Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Science

Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), American Association of Artificial Intelligence, Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE), and Robotics Society of Japan

Special Adviser to the Advanced Integrated Intelligence Platform Project (AIP) administered by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)



Awards

NEC C&C Award, Joseph Engelberger Award, Japan Robot Association (JARA) Award, Japan Society of Artificial Intelligence (JSAI) Career Achievement Award, Otto Franc Award, Marr Prize Award, Benjamin Franklin Institute Medal and Bower Award, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) Azriel Rosenfeld Lifetime Achievement Award Okawa Prize from the Okawa Foundation for Information and Telecommunications, IEEE Robots and Automation Society Pioneer Award, Kyoto Prize About DENSO Corporation

DENSO Corp., headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions (including Japan) and employs more than 150,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016, totaled US$40.2 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 8.8 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.globaldenso.com/en/newsreleases/media-center/

About DENSO in North America:

In North America, DENSO employs more than 23,000 people at 30 consolidated companies and affiliates. Of these, 25 are manufacturing facilities located in the United States, Canada and Mexico. In the United States alone, DENSO employs more than 15,000 people in California, Michigan, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, Georgia, Iowa, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Alabama and Arkansas. DENSO's North American consolidated sales totaled US$9.9 billion for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2016. For more information, go to www.densocorp-na.com. Connect with us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/DENSOinNorthAmerica Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140521/90198 To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/denso-to-advance-artificial-intelligence-knowledge-signs-technical-advisory-contract-with-carnegie-mellon-university-professor-takeo-kanade-300318479.html SOURCE DENSO Corporation

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When a government seeks to rein in a political opponent by listening in on his calls, reading his text messages, and spying on his meetings, how do they go about doing so? In the case of the United Arab Emirates and pro-democracy activist Ahmed Mansoor, they sent him a short text message.

New secrets about torture of Emiratis in state prisons, the Aug. 10 and 11 SMS messages to Mansoor read. The texts included a link, and had Mansoor clicked it, his phone would have turned into a powerful surveillance tool for an entity that researchers believe is the Emirati government. Pegasus, the software used against Mansoor, allows its operator to record phone calls and intercept text messages, including those made or sent on nominally encrypted apps such as Viber and WhatsApp. It can mine contact books and read emails. The software can also track its subjects movements and even remotely turn on the phones camera and microphone.

The cyber-offensive against Mansoor was detailed in a new report by Citizen Lab, a research outfit based at the University of Toronto that has extensively chronicled foreign governments use of hacking for surveillance. The report shows the spies targeted Mansoors iPhone using so-called zero-day vulnerabilities, flaws that Apple had been unaware of. Citizen Lab alerted the company to the flaw earlier this month; the Cupertino, California-based tech giant issued a patch on Thursday, about 10 days after being alerted, an unusually quick response.

Mansoor may have been one of the most high-profile people targeted with Pegasus, but he wont be the last. As technology like Pegasus comes into wider use and governments become more aware of just how powerful a surveillance tool a smartphone can be, other dissidents, human rights activists, and journalists could come under similar attack. These dissidents or high-value targets [give] us all a taste of the future, said Bill Marczak, one of the reports authors and a senior research fellow at Citizen Lab.

Thursdays report cannot definitively prove that the UAE government targeted Mansoor for surveillance, but the researchers assembled a strong, if circumstantial, case pointing squarely at the Emiratis. Among other things, they found links between the use of Pegasus and an earlier hacking campaign, dubbed Stealth Falcon, linked to the Emiratis. The UAEs embassy in Washington did not return calls and emails seeking comment on the report.

The NSO Group, an Israeli surveillance vendor, said in a statement that its mission is to make the world a safer place by providing authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime. It said the company has no knowledge of specific cases in which its technology has been used, and that its products may only be used for the prevention and investigation of crimes.

Mansoor is a prominent and internationally recognized human rights activist. He has been awarded the Martin Ennals Award, given out by the foreign ministries of an array of European countries and sometimes called the Nobel Prize of human rights. He was one of the so-called UAE Five arrested and imprisoned in 2011 amid the Arab Spring for insulting the UAEs royal family. Mansoors crime was signing a pro-democracy petition.

This is the third time Mansoor has been targeted by sophisticated malware written by a private intelligence firm. In 2011, he was attacked with a program developed by FinFisher, a company based in Germany and the United Kingdom. In 2012, he was targeted with surveillance software written by Hacking Team, an Italian firm that was hacked last year by cyber-vandals who leaked its internal emails onto the internet. Researchers have tied previous attempts to use sophisticated malware to monitor Mansoor to the Emirati government.

It is unclear how much money the UAE purportedly paid to the shadowy Israeli firm that created Pegasus, the NSO Group, but Marczak said it was likely that the firms contract with the Gulf nation was in the range of $10 million to $15 million. The size of that contract, he added, would depend on how many targets the UAE would have hired NSO to surveil.

NSO reportedly sells its surveillance tools to governments around the world, and the UAE appears to be one of its biggest clients, judging by the companys use of Emirati domains. Citizen Lab also documented the use of Pegasus in countries like Mexico, where it was used to target a Mexican journalist.

The Pegasus software utilized a chain of three zero days in Apples mobile operating system to turn iPhones into highly capable, multifunction surveillance tools. It effectively enables the kind of intrusive, round-the-clock snooping that in the past would have required a huge team of operatives and massive resources. Foreign intelligence services once needed to install microphones in the walls to snoop on their subjects private conversations at home. Now, operatives from countries like the UAE  and, potentially, more authoritarian regimes like Russia and China  can just hack a phone.

The cost of monitoring people is no longer the cost of following people around and wiring bugs into your apartment, like the Stasi did in the 1980s, said John Scott-Railton of Citizen Lab, another senior researcher at Citizen Lab and co-author of the report on Mansoors targeting.

Zero-day vulnerabilities are highly rare and can fetch six figures from companies that traffic in such information. Last year, a company called Zerodium issued a $1 million bounty for an iPhone flaw such as the one utilized in the Pegasus software. The bounty was claimed within weeks, an indication of how large payouts for tools to hack into encrypted products such as Apples devices is attracting high-end programmer talent.

Though the software used to target Mansoor was written in Israel, NSO is owned by an American private equity firm, Francisco Partners Management LLC. After purchasing NSO for a reported $110 million in 2014, Francisco Partners was reportedly exploring a sale last year that would have valued the company at around $1 billion. To stay under the radar, NSO has repeatedly changed its name.

The spread of Pegasus reflects the cat-and-mouse game taking place between governments determined to steal personal data and companies determined to safeguard it. That was the fundamental divide earlier this year when Apple and the FBI waged a highly publicized war over the encrypted iPhone belonging to one of the terrorists in Decembers shooting rampage in San Bernardino, California. The FBI got a court order demanding that Apple undermine the phones security features, but Apple pushed back. In the end, the FBI reportedly paid private hackers more than $1 million to break into that device.

That may get steadily harder for the FBI and other intelligence services around the world.

As consumers become more aware of the privacy risks posed by the digital revolution, companies have responded in many cases by rolling out sophisticated encryption tools to safeguard the contents of their customers conversations. WhatsApp, one of the worlds most popular messaging apps, uses end-to-end encryption, in which only the participants of a conversation can unscramble its contents. It has incorporated this technology throughout its app  phone calls, voice messages, and texts are all protected by advanced encryption.

This has hugely frustrated government security officials and law enforcement, who are often unable to obtain evidence from phones with encryption enabled. But tools such as Pegasus circumvent such encryption by breaking into the device used to communicate. The surveillance software records communications as they are input into an app, before encryption occurs, and then reports that information back to its maker.

Photo credit: AFP/Getty Images
(Reuters) - Britain's data privacy regulator said on Friday it would monitor how popular messaging service WhatsApp shares data with parent Facebook Inc under a new privacy policy. The Information Commission's Office (ICO) said while some users may be concerned by the lack of control provided by the updated privacy policy, others may consider it a positive. (http://bit.ly/2bmbYDX) WhatsApp, which has more than a billion users, said on Thursday it would start sharing users' phone numbers with Facebook, allowing for more relevant advertisements and friend recommendations on the social media network. However, the ICO does not have the power to block such a move. "Organizations do not need to get prior approval from the ICO to change their approaches, but they do need to stay within data protection laws," said Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham. WhatsApp has said users could choose not to share account information with Facebook. The company said the change was part of its plan to explore ways for businesses to send messages using its platform. WhatsApp said earlier this year that it was experimenting making businesses pay to reach their customers through the service. (Reporting by Narottam Medhora in Bengaluru; Editing by Sriraj Kalluvila)
The U.S. telecom behemoth Verizon Communications Inc. VZ recently revealed the second round of specifications for the upcoming 5G wireless network. Last month, Verizon achieved a milestone as it became the first company in the world to issue an initial radio specification for the 5G wireless network. The second round of update was primarily on the mechanics of connecting to the network.

According to LightReading, Verizon is looking at mobile hotspot and fixed wireless for initial deployment of the next-generation 5G wireless networks in the U.S. by late 2017. Notably, the industry-wide standardization specification by the 3GPP is likely to be ready in Jun 2018. Thus, Verizon seems to be way ahead of its peers in its 5G wireless network rollout plans.

This wireless giant, which was the first to deploy 4G LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network nationwide, is initially testing equipment at 15GHz, 28GHz, 39GHz and 64GHz frequency bands for 5G network deployments. The companys partners in its 5G projects are Cisco Systems Inc. CSCO, Ericsson LM ERIC, Nokia Corp. NOK, Qualcomm Inc. QCOM, Intel Corp. INTC, LG Electronics Inc. and Samsung.

Although several industry researchers have predicted that a full-fledged 5G network deployment will not commence until 2020, Verizon anticipates some level of commercial deployment in 2017. Industry researchers expect the Asia-Pacific region to spearhead the global deployment of 5G wireless networks. However, neither South Korea nor Japan -- the two leading countries opting for 5G network -- are likely to start commercial deployment before late 2018.

Advantages of 5G

Verizon claims that its 5G network will provide a download speed of 1 Gbps (gigabit per second), which is 200 times the throughput of the currently available standard 4G LTE network. The latency period of data delivery will be in single milliseconds. Additionally, 5G technology is designed to be more power efficient than any other standard wireless networks available at the moment. Therefore, 5G-enabled mobile devices are likely to last much longer than their 3G or 4G counterparts.

Story continues

Additionally, superfast 5G mobile networks will be of utmost necessity in managing the exponential growth of Internet-connected devices, popularly known as Internet of Things (IoT). According to a recent report by research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), worldwide spending on IoT is slated to grow at a 17% compound annual growth rate to nearly $1.3 trillion in 2019 from $698.6 billion in 2015.

Bottom Line

The U.S. telecom industry has lately emerged as an intensely contested space where success thrives largely on technical superiority, quality of services and scalability. Thus, in order to stay ahead of competitors, existing players need to be constantly on their toes to introduce innovative products. Though the stock currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold), we believe Verizons drive for 5G wireless network augurs well for future growth.

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Yikes, heres why you should update your iPhone ASAP

Yikes, heres why you should update your iPhone ASAP

If youre an Apple user, stop what youre doing and download the newest update, like, yesterday.

Hopefully, youve got that update downloading right now, so well give you the rundown on why its so vital: according to Fortune, a dangerous security flaw was recently discovered, and it could mean bad news for your phone if you fall victim to it.

Apple issued a brand new patch Thursday, after researchers discovered a previously unknown method of hacking: the first ever software that can remotely take over a fully up-to-date iPhone 6. UM, YIKES.

Human rights activist and UAE dissident Ahmed Mansoor was the target of this attempted hack, which used a text message that invited him to click on a web link. Thankfully, instead of clicking, Mansoor forwarded the text to researchers at Citizen Lab at the University of Toronto.

Experts at Citizen Lab, along with security company Lookout, examined the message and determined that clicking on the link inside would have installed a program on the phone by taking advantage of flaws in Apples programming.

Luckily these researchers disclosed the information right away, and Apple issued a brand new patch. If Mansoor had clicked on the link, though, what would have happened would be terrifying: his phone would essentially be used against him.

Citizen Lab described what the program would do: Once infected, Mansoors phone would have become a digital spy in his pocket, capable of employing his iPhones camera and microphone to snoop on activity in the vicinity of the device, recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and tracking his movements.

While this is obviously a horrible breach on an individuals privacy, that description also sounds like something out of a terrifying, dystopian sci-fi movie.

This isnt the first time Mansoor has been targeted by hacking software, though- the recipient of the 2015 Laureate Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders has been previously targeted; his work championing freedom of expression as well as civil and political rights has made him unpopular with the governing forces of the UAE since 2006. Thankfully, though, Mansoors quick thinking kept him from falling victim to this hack  and protected iPhone users everywhere.

The post Yikes, heres why you should update your iPhone ASAP appeared first on HelloGiggles.
[August 25, 2016] Mouser Electronics, Chris Hadfield and Grant Imahara Release Video on First-of-Its-Kind I.S.S. Design Challenge

DALLAS and FORT WORTH, Texas, Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Mouser Electronics Inc., a leading global distributor of electronic components, today released a new video for the International Space Station (I.S.S.) Design Challenge, part of Mouser's award-winning Empowering Innovation Together program. In this new video, former commander of the I.S.S., Colonel Chris Hadfield, and celebrity engineer Grant Imahara describe the first-of-its-kind global contest, in which participants create an object that can be 3D-printed aboard the I.S.S. Mouser is accepting entries for this incredible competition now through Oct. 7, 2016. Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160824/401155 The I.S.S. Design Challenge is a call to college anduniversity students, engineers, and makers, to create a 3D-printable project designed to help I.S.S. astronauts in space. All entries will be judged by Imahara and Hadfield.



"In the video, we discuss some of the challenges astronauts face and the kind of tools they need. Anyone designing for this competition is going to be able to share in the powerful feeling of being part of a global community of innovation," said Hadfield. "I look forward to reviewing the entries!" For the I.S.S. Design Challenge, Mouser has partnered with the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and Made In Space, along with Hackster and MacroFab. The winner of the I.S.S. Challenge will receive a 3D printer, a consultation with Made In Space  pioneers in additive manufacturing technology for use in the space environment  and the prestige of seeing their design 3D-printed aboard the I.S.S. Mouser's valued supplier partner Amphenol is a co-sponsor of the program.

"This contest definitely kicks up the excitement level by challenging our customers to create something to be used in space," said Glenn Smith, President and CEO of Mouser Electronics. "Mouser's unparalleled selection of electronic components allows both amateurs and professionals to create anything they can dream up." To learn more about the I.S.S. Design Challenge, view the video at https://youtu.be/j4FMRuZ_VRM. 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 http://www.mouser.com. About Grant Imahara Well known in the engineering community, Grant Imahara has paired his engineering expertise with a Hollywood TV and film career. In addition to his roles on MythBusters and BattleBots, Imahara is the inventor behind many famous robotic characters, including the Star Wars prequel-era R2-D2, talking robot sidekick Geoff Peterson from The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, and the rhythmic arms on the modern-day Energizer Bunny. About Chris Hadfield "Good morning, Earth!" That is how Colonel Chris Hadfieldwriting on Twitterwoke up the world every day while living for five months aboard the International Space Station. Since then, Colonel Hadfieldwho served for 21 years as an astronaut, completing three spaceflights and 2,650 orbits of Earthhas become a worldwide sensation for infusing a sense of wonder into our collective consciousness. Over 32 million people have watched his famous cover of David Bowie's Space Oddity, the first music video made in space, and he is the author of two internationally bestselling books, An Astronaut's Guide to Life on Earth and You Are Here. With his feet now firmly planted on Earth, Col. Hadfield works tirelessly to inspire young people to do what they love (especially, if it's space-related) and to be fascinated by the world around them. 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. MEDIA CONTACT

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[email protected] Related Video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4FMRuZ_VRM This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mouser-electronics-chris-hadfield-and-grant-imahara-release-video-on-first-of-its-kind-iss-design-challenge-300318466.html SOURCE Mouser

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Jesus in Love supports lesbian, gay, bi, trans and queer (LGBTQ) spirituality, with an emphasis on art and literature. It promotes artistic and religious freedom and teaches love for all people, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity. It is based on these beliefs: God loves all people, including sexual minorities. The creative process is sacred. The queer visions, especially the gay Jesus and LGBT saints, will free people to experience the divine in new ways and lead to a more just world. Jesus in Love was founded by lesbian Christian author Kittredge Cherry as her personal project. It is her gift to the world. Many thanks to everyone who supports her vision.
EFFINGHAM -- The Board of the Effingham Public Library voted unanimously to accept a donation of $400,000 from the COHIHO Foundation to the librarys building fund, bringing the foundations donations to the library to $500,000 and closing out the librarys initial $2 million fundraising campaign toward the costs of renovating the facility, which it moved to in September 2015.

The donation is being made in honor of Suzette Brumleve. The library will remain the Effingham Public Library while the building that houses the library at 200 N. Third St. will be named the Suzette Brumleve Memorial Effingham Public Library for a period of 75 years in her honor.

The foundation was set up by Joe and Suzette Brumleve, Effingham natives who died in a plane crash near their Colorado home in 2008. The COHIHO Family Foundation was named based on the names of the Brumleves three daughters: Corrin, Heidi and Holly. The focus of the COHIHO Foundation is based on three principles: philanthropy, service and stewardship.

The Brumleves established the foundation in May 2000 from the proceeds gained through the sales of the successful businesses they established over the years. Businesses such as Brumleve & Dabbs, Professional Software Inc., Focussoft and Eaglesoft were started in Effingham, providing fulfilling careers and impacting hundreds of families in the community.

The work of their foundation is carried on by their three daughters, who saw the donation to the library as a worthy tribute to their mother Suzette, who trained as an elementary teacher at Eastern Illinois University in Charleston and recognized the work of libraries in supporting literacy in their communities.

The childrens department is named the Suzette Brumleve Childrens Area in respect of a $100,000 donation made in in 2015 by the COHIHO Family Foundation.

The date for the building dedication celebration will be announced once finalized.

For more information about opportunities to support the librarys fundraising efforts, contact Amanda McKay, library director, at 217-342-2464.
URBANA -- Five youth from across Illinois were each awarded $1,000 scholarships at the 2016 Illinois Superior Young Beef Producers contest.

The contest, sponsored by Archer Daniels Midland of Decatur and the Illinois State Fair, was held on Aug. 10 in conjunction with the Illinois State Fair. Twenty 4-H and FFA members from Illinois competed in this three-phase competition challenging their knowledge of beef production.

The scholarships, presented to the highest-scoring individuals overall, went to Lindsey Decker of Philo, Devan White of Iuka, Eric Schafer of Owaneco, Lucas Wisnefski of Wyoming, and Easton Beard of Dahinda. The Land of Lincoln Purebred Livestock Breeders Association supplied the individual plaques presented to the scholarship and phase winners.

In the beef management test, Decker, White and Schafer sorted themselves to the top and received plaques for their achievements. In the skill-a-thon phase, Wisnefski and Schafer received honors. White took home the top spot. In the judging competition, Blake Hennefent of Gilson, Wisnefski, and Easton Beard made up the top three.

Travis Meteer, University of Illinois Beef Extension Educator, said, This contest allows young producers to showcase their knowledge of the beef industry and provides them with assistance through scholarships to pursue further educational opportunities.

This year marked the 18th consecutive year for the Superior Young Beef Producers contest which has provided participating youth the opportunity to compete for $95,000 in college scholarships since its inception. The purpose of the contest is to create an educational activity that promotes youth development, career development, and personal growth through increased knowledge of the beef industry.
SHELBYVILLE -- A desire to provide students with a good education and keep them living and working in Central Illinois when they grow up has an area school district partnering with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers for a variety of projects at Lake Shelbyville.

Okaw Valley Superintendent of Schools Kent Stauder, along with high school and middle school principals Matt Shoaff and Ross Forlines, unveiled their Community Occupational Research Partnership at the Lake Shelbyville Visitors Center on Tuesday.

The agreement, signed by Okaw Valley and Col. Anthony Mitchell, the Corps' St. Louis District commander, gives the school access to 40 acres of land surrounding Lake Shelbyville for four years and provides opportunities for students to study agriculture, science, technology, engineering and math using real-life situations.

Over half of Americans never move more than 18 miles from where they grew up, Forlines said. Our students can stay here if we can prepare them to work in good jobs.

Stauder said administrators first discussed the plan early in the year. After contacting the Corps and getting encouragement, the three administrators, all of whom grew up in the area, used community connections to make the project a reality.

It was 17 days from inception to actual work, Forlines said. Students worked at Forrest 'Bo' Woods campground getting it ready for the spring season. We had so many partners offering to help us with the equipment we needed.

The students received two 20-acre plots to work with. One, OV Point near Findlay, is a mini ecosystem with students studying pollination and natural development to create a wildlife area. The other is a crop field with local businesses providing equipment, seed, fertilizers and other farming implements.

Donors also provided students with trail cameras, chain saws, and trimming tools. Administrators said they want every student at Okaw Valley to have access to the projects.

This beautiful area is in our backyard, said freshman Paige Coleman, 14. We can use it to our advantage to learn but also to help protect it and be good stewards.

It made sense for us to be involved, said donor Jeff Sloan of Sloan Implement in Assumption. We want to hire from a local pool of applicants.

Mitchell congratulated the students and educators for creating the project.

This is truly amazing to see and hear. The level of commitment, the energy and drive far exceeds anything I could have imagined, he said. We have plenty of land and to make it a living classroom is one of the best uses I can think of.
For decades people have fretted about the growing number of obese children and the increasingly adult health dangers they face.

But when it comes to solutions the chatter quickly shifts from public epidemic to problem parenting, with all the blame associated with it.

For Lincoln pediatrician Dr. Karla Lester, who left her medical practice in 2008 to start her nonprofit public health organization Teach a Kid to Fish, the lack of coordination and cross-organization cooperation is a long time frustration.

But now, thanks to Childrens Hospital & Medical Centers new statewide initiative, Center for the Child & Community, Lester is eager to move the issue from talk and statistics to action.

Lester is director of the newly established center, which aims to integrate health care and public health efforts to improve the overall well-being of children across the state.

The center is headquartered at Lincolns Innovation Campus. Down the hall is Teach a Kid to Fish. Lester also serves as medical provider for Childrens HEROES pediatric weight management clinic in Lincoln.

The Center for the Child & Community integrates three basic building blocks needed for a healthy and happy childhood:

* Safe environment

* Sound nutrition

* Healthy relationships

The centers goal: To make sure that every child in Nebraska has these three critical needs met, and that every child has the opportunity to reach his or her full potential, Lester wrote in the center's vision and mission statement.

Turning lofty goals into visible realities will be a collaborative effort, Lester said. The center will provide the resources and education so communities across the state can create local solutions to address large-scale childrens health issues such as child obesity, poverty, injury prevention and food insecurity. It also will serve as matchmaker -- building partnerships with individuals and organizations across Nebraska to improve the health of children and strengthen Childrens Hospitals role in advocacy and health care policy.

For Lester, Childrens Center for the Child & Community is the dream she has doggedly pursued for the past eight years, since starting Teach a Kid to Fish.

Nebraska's statistics are dismaying and urgent, she said. They include:

* Half of Nebraska children live in or near poverty.

* Nearly half qualify for free and reduced meals at school.

* One in three Nebraska children are considered overweight or obese -- a disproportionate number of them living in poverty.

* More than 40 percent experience at least one adverse childhood experience (ACE) or trauma; more than one in 10 have three or more ACEs.

Increasingly, research confirms a strong link between poverty and childhood stress to lifelong health challenges and higher risks for chronic disease. The more ACEs, the higher the risk of poor health, national studies show.

But for all the research and hand-wringing there has yet to be a solution -- the what are we going to do about it? answer, Lester said.

The Center for the Child & Community will find those answers and efforts, and then coordinate and implement successful programs in other communities, Lester said.

There are a lot of positive efforts happening, but there hasnt been a hub of coordination to ensure the biggest impact, she said. Childrens is a high-level partner that has the expertise and infrastructure to offer communities the support they need. Childrens brings the vision and the resources to move the needle.

She gives Childrens President and CEO Dr. Richard Azizkhan much of the credit. It is our vision for Nebraska to have the healthiest population of children in the Midwest and the in the United States, Azizkhan said in announcing the new center. The children and families we serve deserve nothing less; we owe it to them to think bigger, take action and work more collaboratively.

Lester knows this from professional -- and personal -- experience. It is not enough to tell kids to exercise more, to tell parents to turn off the screens and serve more fruits and vegetables.

Childhood obesity and the health problems it creates -- from heart disease, to metabolic issues to type 2 diabetes -- are far more systemic than simply pointing accusing fingers at parents, Lester said.

What causes childhood obesity?

Everything, Lester said.

Whats the remedy?

Social solutions, she said.

She points to the American lifestyle: the allure and reliance on processed foods; dashboard dining; the spoonfuls of sugar we consume mindfully and mindlessly; to an entire food system that allows for unhealthy food, Lester said.

Unhealthy food is cheaper. Acquiring quality, nutritious food is difficult.  The marketing of unhealthy foods to younger and younger ages  Increasing copious opportunities for sedentary living. It is exceedingly difficult to find balance with screen-time.  It a tough thing for parents, she said.

Then look at society: Urban sprawl, lack of safe routes to walk or ride a bike to school, less time for physical education classes, reduction -- and even the elimination-- of recess.

All kinds of things happening in one fell-swoop, Lester said.

And while some issues are higher among families living in poverty, the reality is the issues affect all socio-economic levels, Lester said.

Its the reality of the society we live in. It is tough to raise healthy children, but it is possible, Lester said.

Which is where Childrens Center for Child & Community can make the kind of difference Lester has long sought.

Teach a Kid to Fish has done great things, but to have a big impact, it needed to become part of something bigger, Lester said.

Childrens is that something. With its statewide clout and vast expertise it can team up with communities sharing resources that allow them to build upon and expand successful programs.

The center allows us to improve the quality of health care while were also preventing and reducing diseases and reducing healthcare costs, Lester said.

Childrens understands the issue is broader than health, Lester said. It is keeping children safe. Healthy and active lifestyles. Social and emotional well-being for children. Its not just a single factor, we look at the whole of childs health.

The Center, which opened earlier this summer, is in the process of identifying critical needs and potential partners, Lester said.

Asset mapping is the next step -- the center will analyze existing efforts and data before developing a formal plan. The focus will start in Lincoln and Omaha and radiate to more rural communities with time, Lester said.

Health care providers, educators and other community health champions across the state need more support than theyve been getting, she said. We hope to be additive -- to arm these champions with resources and, ultimately, make all children healthier.

Because as Lester knows all too well: Were not going to get anywhere with the blame game, she said.
The prison where inmates attacked and injured nine staff members Wednesday evening needs a bigger staffing boost than any other Nebraska prison.

A six-person review team reached that conclusion following a yearlong study of staffing at Nebraska prisons, which ended this summer, the Journal Star has learned.

Across the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, the review team requested 138 new full-time custody positions  an $11 million to $14 million expense  for an agency that is already struggling to fill existing vacancies.

Nearly a third of that figure, 44 positions, would be for additional custody staff at the Lincoln Correctional Center, according to a summary of the review team's findings.

"While adding employees does not necessarily increase safety, a strong visible command and control of the facility has the ability to improve officer and inmate safety," the summary reads.

Late Thursday, Gov. Pete Ricketts told lawmakers he would consider raising salaries for corrections workers and making other changes to address retention if union leaders agreed to renegotiate their contract.

"We will be seeking additional flexibility to reward and retain job performers, increase base salaries, and provide alternative shifts," the governor said in a letter to legislative leaders.

Ricketts said he reached out to Mike Marvin, executive director of the state employee union, to immediately begin labor negotiations for corrections staff, independent of other state workers.

Lincoln Correctional Center was fully staffed at the time of Wednesday's incident, but a spokeswoman said some corrections officers were working overtime due to vacancies.

Rescue workers swarmed the medium/maximum security prison near Pioneers Park, at 3216 W. Van Dorn St., on Wednesday after a group of inmates refused to leave an isolated yard on the prison grounds and return to their cells shortly after 6 p.m., said prison spokeswoman Tammy Kluver. One inmate hit a staffer and others followed, assaulting several corrections officers and caseworkers before being restrained.

Nine staff members were taken to the hospital, treated and released overnight.

On Thursday, Corrections Director Scott Frakes said the incident "cannot be attributed to crowding or staffing levels."

"Inmates made the choice to harm staff," he said in a statement.

But key state lawmakers said violence at Nebraska's prisons appears to be getting worse.

"My overall concern is that it's escalating," said Sen. Les Seiler of Hastings, who heads the Legislature's Judiciary Committee along with a special committee investigating problems within the state Corrections Department.

Members of the special committee will quiz Frakes about staffing issues during a public hearing Aug. 31. Wednesday's violence will undoubtedly come up.

About a dozen inmates involved in the incident had been identified by early Thursday, Kluver said. They were placed in a segregated area, and the prison was locked down.

Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol were reviewing video footage of the incident and working to determine if other inmates were involved, Kluver said. She confirmed they were looking into whether an inmate triggered the incident because he was upset about being transferred to another prison.

No injuries to inmates were reported.

One female staffer suffered "a pretty good cut to her head that they ended up stapling," Kluver said. She described the other injuries as cuts, swollen faces and sore backs.

State Sen. Colby Coash, whose Lincoln district includes the Lincoln Correctional Center, said he was told late Wednesday that "all hell (was) breaking loose" there.

"It's time to start listening to the line staff about what they need. They are the ones getting hurt," Coash said. "The ones I talk to don't feel listened to."

The governor canceled a town hall meeting scheduled in Lexington on Thursday to meet with Frakes and corrections staff, including some who were injured.

Coash said he was pleased with Thursday's announcement that Ricketts would consider a new labor deal with prison workers.

"I encourage the union to come to the table immediately and start to work these things out," Coash said. "It's a great start. And it needs to happen tomorrow."

Marvin, the union leader, couldn't immediately be reached late Thursday.

"It's getting frustrating because this just happens more and more and more," Marvin said earlier in response to Wednesday's assault.

Over the weekend, an inmate wrapped his arms around a staffer's neck at Lincoln Correctional Center, causing injury. The previous weekend, staff there used pepper spray to subdue an inmate after he began punching a caseworker in the head.

And earlier this month, an inmate at the Nebraska State Penitentiary punched a corrections officer in the face and then hit two other officers who intervened. That incident, on Aug. 9, came a week after a tower guard at the penitentiary fired a warning shot to disperse inmates who had converged on staff and refused to leave the yard.

"The department seems to have no plan for how to deal with the escalating violence of the inmates," Marvin said.

Such incidents have a physical impact on those involved, but the mental toll can affect every corrections staffer, he said.

"You see your friend go down and then you start wondering, is it going to happen to me?" Marvin said. "I just don't think that these people are getting the mental support that they need."

The Corrections Department did provide counselors at Tecumseh State Correctional Institution following a Mother's Day riot there in 2015. That incident left two inmates dead and resulted in extensive reviews of safety and staffing within the state prison system.

By then, Nebraska's correctional system was already under scrutiny because of prison overcrowding and hundreds of inmates who were released early because of mistakes in calculating their sentences.

Lincoln Correctional Center is designed to hold 308 adult male inmates, but on Wednesday night it had 506 in custody.

The Corrections Department's latest update in June listed 252 unfilled positions across the prison system.

Fred Britten, who replaced former Warden Mario Peart at Lincoln Correctional Center after two convicted sex offenders escaped from the prison in June, complimented staff on their handling of Wednesday's incident and called violence against them "unacceptable."

Frakes said the Corrections Department is doing everything it can to prevent assaults on staff.

"We are thankful the staff members were released from the hospital and able to go home last night," he said.
A 49-year-old at a state psychiatric hospital alleges staff there neglected her health concerns and denied her access to tests for so long she developed breast cancer requiring a partial mastectomy.

In a federal lawsuit filed Thursday, Ruth Cecetka accuses Lincoln Regional Center staff of violating her constitutional rights by depriving her of appropriate medical care.

The Lincoln resident has been diagnosed with borderline personality disorder, bipolar disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder, which limit her ability to care for herself, her attorneys say in the lawsuit.

In January 2013, a Lancaster County district judge found Cecetka not guilty by reason of insanity of attempted second-degree assault on an officer, operating a motor vehicle to avoid arrest and violating a protection order.

She was committed to the regional center later that month.

Because there is a family history of breast cancer, Cecetka's doctors recommended she receive annual mammograms to screen for it, the lawsuit said.

The last one Cecetka received before being committed to the center was in June 2012, the lawsuit said.

Cecetka began asking regional center staff in October 2013 for a women's health exam, her lawyers said.

Those requests were denied until August 2014, when she was taken to see her gynecologist, who later requested Cecetka receive a mammogram, the lawsuit said.

A week later, the gynecologist contacted regional center staff, inquiring why Cecetka hadn't received the mammogram.

Staff "made excuses," Cecetka's lawyers said. A month later, a second physician requested Cecetka receive a mammogram.

In January 2015, Cecetka began experiencing weakness, fatigue and pain, the lawsuit said.

She didn't receive a breast exam until April 2015, when a regional center nurse practitioner confirmed one of her breasts was larger than the other, her lawyers allege.

Cecetka finally received a mammogram that was "highly suggestive for malignancy" in May 2015, her lawyers said in the lawsuit.

A biopsy on June 1 of last year confirmed Cecetka had breast cancer, and as part of her treatment, she received a partial mastectomy later that month, the lawsuit said.

Doctors scheduled her to have 36 radiation treatments, and regional center staff denied her many of them, Cecetka's attorneys allege.

That year she requested a housing unit change several times because of unclean conditions, her attorneys said.

Every request was denied, and in December, Cecetka developed an infection in her breast and later MRSA.

"Despite having an open wound from surgery, infections, PTSD and other conditions, Cecetka was placed in full-bed restraints on numerous occasions that further exacerbated her wounds and conditions, was escorted down a hallway naked despite being compliant, and was regularly humiliated by staff," her attorneys allege.

Cecetka's lawsuit names several regional center administrators and Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services CEO Courtney Phillips.

The department oversees the Lincoln Regional Center.

A department spokeswoman didn't address the allegations Thursday, saying DHHS hadn't been served.

Cecetka is seeking an unspecified amount of damages and wants a judge to order the center to provide appropriate and necessary health care and promote policies that ensure health care to patients in the center's care who are disabled, the lawsuit said.

Her attorney on Thursday declined to talk about her current health.

Cecetka will remain at the center indefinitely. An annual review of her mental health is set for April.
Two Chicago women have been sentenced to terms of probation after police found them with more than 600 fraudulent gift cards in Lincoln in March 2015.

Cornesha Kelly and Aisha Morgan were stopped in Lincoln by a Lancaster County Sheriff's deputy for speeding March 28, 2015.

After Morgan allowed a search of her Dodge Dart, the deputy found 608 gift cards from Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Dollar General that turned out to be fraudulent and had been purchased in Chicago and Grand Island, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

More than half of the cards were re-encoded with stolen credit card information from 91 financial institutions in several states and foreign countries, said Deborah Gilg, U.S. Attorney for Nebraska.

Investigators later found that Morgan and Kelly used the cards at businesses in the Omaha and Fremont areas on March 26 and in Lincoln and areas along the interstate on March 27, Gilg said.

The day they were stopped they had used the cards in Grand Island, Hastings, Aurora and York, she said.

During the three days they attempted to use the cards 123 times at Wal-Mart, Walgreens and Dollar General stores in Nebraska, Gilg said. They were successful 75 times at 40 different locations and bought $15,886.74 of merchandise, mostly other gift cards.

A federal grand jury in September 2015 indicted Morgan and Kelly each on one count of possession of counterfeit and unauthorized access devices, according to court documents.

Kelly and Morgan pleaded guilty in May.

On Friday, Senior U.S. District Judge Richard Kopf sentenced Kelly to three years probation.

Last week, Kopf also gave Morgan a three-year probation term. She must also complete 20 hours of community service.

Together, the two are responsible for $13,928.28 in restitution.
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WASHINGTON -- In choosing Stephen Bannon to be the CEO of his campaign, Donald Trump has accomplished the extraordinary: He has found somebody as outrageous as he is.

Bannon, who had been publisher of the far-right website Breitbart, has called the pope a "commie" and said Catholics are trying to boost Hispanic immigration because their "church is dying." He called Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman who was shot in the head, a "human shield," and the mayor of London a "radical Muslim." Hillary Clinton, in Bannon's telling, is a "grifter" who would take the country to the "last days of Sodom."

The new Trump adviser calls himself a "populist nationalist" -- his hiring has been cheered by white supremacists -- and calls his fellow believers a "small, crazy wing" of the conservative movement. He has referred to the Civil War as the "war of Southern Independence" fought over "economic development." He found "zero evidence" of racial motives in the Trayvon Martin shooting and warned that "cities could be washed away in an orgy of de-gentrification."

The Trump campaign's chief executive believes the Obama administration is "importing more hating Muslims" and asks whether Clinton is "complicit in a fifth column." He doesn't think Huma Abedin, a Muslim aide to Clinton, should have a security clearance, and he has alleged that Clinton's vice presidential nominee, Sen. Tim Kaine, has an "affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood." He argued that Gretchen Carlson's sexual harassment case, which forced the ouster of Roger Ailes at Fox News Channel, was a "total dud," and he alleged the existence of a "militant-feminist legal wrecking crew."

Fox News, in Bannon's view, is a "centrist" outlet -- and compared to Breitbart, it most certainly is. The site, which was closer to the mainstream under its late founder, Andrew Breitbart, has run these headlines under Bannon's leadership:

"Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy."

"Political Correctness Protects Muslim Rape Culture."

"Suck It Up Buttercups: Dangerous Faggot Tour Returns to Colleges in September."

"The Solution to Online 'Harassment' Is Simple: Women Should Log Off."

"Two Months Left Until Obama Gives Dictators Control of Internet."

Bannon's Breitbart said the gay-pride flag is viewed as a "symbol of anti-Christian hate" and said birth control makes a woman into a "slut" and a "hideous monster," arguing: "Your birth control injection will add on pounds that will prevent the injection you really want -- of man meat."

Trump echoes conspiracy theories proposed by Breitbart, and Breitbart has relentlessly promoted Trump. In short, Trump found in Bannon a character like himself: a bully who targets racial and religious minorities, immigrants and women. In his writings and broadcast commentary, Bannon, a veteran and former banker, has argued that immigrants -- legal as well as illegal -- are to blame for crime, terrorism and disease. He disparages "anchor babies" and says FBI Director James Comey's recommendation not to prosecute Clinton is "inextricably linked" to anti-police violence. He speaks of Megyn Kelly's "blonde ambition" and alleges that the military is trying to "eradicate Christianity."

Breitbart has a tag for "black crime" and stokes fear of race wars with headlines such as "Race Murder in Virginia," "Black Suspects Stalk Robbery Victim in Philadelphia," " "Black Rape Gangs Violate Two Detroit Women" and "Black Mob Swarms Georgia Walmart to See 'How Much Damage' They Could Do."

The Southern Poverty Law Center protests that Breitbart "has been openly promoting the core issues of the Alt-Right, introducing these racist ideas to its readership." Breitbart had a "lengthy defense" of white nationalists that ignored their openly racist views, the SPLC said.

Breitbart likened Pamela Geller's "Muhammad Cartoon Contest" to the Selma-to-Montgomery march. The outlet has gone after the "big gay hate machine" and suggested that "the next step for marriage equality" is "likely polygamy."

Breitbart ran a doctored photo showing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in a bikini on all fours with her tongue out. It reported that Planned Parenthood was "comfortably surpassing Hitler" in its "body count." It said Trump's bogus claim that thousands of New Jersey Muslims celebrated the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had been "100 percent vindicated," and it alleged a "smoking gun" connecting the 9/11 hijackers to a "Bush family friend."

There is more, but you don't need to read it here. Just wait for Trump to say it.
More evidence that Americas major political parties have nominated two deeply flawed candidates was on display this week.

Publication of emails between Hillary Clintons aides at the State Department while she was Secretary of State and those working for the Clinton Foundation indicate that donors got special treatment.

In one example, Clinton Foundation executive Doug Band emailed Huma Abedin, Clintons aide at the State Department, using Abedins government email address, concerning Crown Prince Salman of Bahrain.

"Cp of Bahrain in tomorrow to Friday Asking to see her Good friend of ours," Band wrote on June 23, 2009. Salman's scholarship program by 2010 committed more than $32 million to the Clinton Global Initiative.

Two days later, Abedin emailed Band: "Offering bahrain cp 10 tomorrow for mtg hr If u see him, let him know."

The State Department approved more than $600 million worth of direct commercial arms sales to Salmans military forces in Bahrain between 2010 and 2012, according to the International Business Times.

Clinton spokesmen denied that there was anything wrong with the contacts, and pointed out that the foundation does good work all over the world and in the United States. And its true that the foundation puts its funds to good use. To cite a few examples, the foundation helps more than 11 million people with HIV/AIDS get their medication at 90 percent of original cost; it helped reconstruction after the earthquake in Nepal; in the United States the foundation funds school programs in physical education, nutrition and wellness.

But its also true that the foundation does not operate transparently. When Clinton was appointed Secretary of State, she said the foundation would publish all its donors every year. She didnt follow through on the promise.

For example, in a case reported last year by the New York Times, a Canadian firm that donated $2.35 million to the foundation received approval from then-Secretary of State Clinton to sell control of one-fifth of U.S. uranium production from 2009 to 2013. The donation was not disclosed.

When public officials use their offices to further their private agendas thats wrong  no matter how altruistic their intent may be. It should never seem necessary for someone to donate a million or two in order to get a meeting with the nations secretary of state.

Bill Clinton said the foundation would stop accepting donations from foreign interests if Hillary Clinton was elected president. The Clintons' record does not inspire confidence that the pair will make good on the pledge.
A company that lost its bid to continue managing health care plans for Nebraska Medicaid recipients under a new program and tried to stop the state from moving ahead has ended its legal fight.

Attorneys for Aetna Better Health of Nebraska on Friday asked a judge to dismiss their lawsuit against several state agencies, including Nebraska's Department of Administrative Services and Department of Health and Human Services.

They had taken issue with the procurement process for awarding contracts to manage plans available to Medicaid and Childrens Health Insurance Program participants under Nebraska's new managed care program, called Heritage Health.

The long-term contracts will serve some 230,000 Medicaid recipients and are expected to total more than $1 billion, possibly the state's largest-ever contract procurement.

Aetna had claimed state officials unfairly withdrew its initial contract award in exchange for a different managed care organization that shouldn't have qualified in the first place.

State officials called the selection process impartial and designed to benefit taxpayers, not individual bidders. Six managed care organizations, including Aetna, applied last year to make their options available in Nebraska. Aetna didn't make a short list of three winners.

Aetna officials asked a judge to halt the implementation of the Heritage Health program, alleging the award process was not open and fair to all bidders as required by Nebraska law.

But U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter Jr. denied that request Aug. 19, saying Aetna's legal claims failed to show the need for the injunction they sought, which he called "extraordinary remedy."

Heritage Health launches in 2017 and is designed to cover each patient under a single plan, rather than separate plans for physical and behavioral health.

An Aetna spokesman didn't respond to a request for comment Friday afternoon.

Arbor Health Plan, which had also filed a lawsuit over the bidding process, asked Rossiter to dismiss its case Friday as well.

In a statement Friday, Nebraska Attorney General Doug Peterson applauded the moves.

I am pleased that Judge Rossiters sound and well-reasoned order will stand and that the Plaintiffs have declined to further litigate their challenges to this critically important project.
A union leader accused Gov. Pete Ricketts of "playing a game" by offering to negotiate a better labor deal for prison workers following Wednesday's violent incident at the Lincoln Correctional Center.

The union has been offering to work with the governor's office for months to no avail, said Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees.

"Our offers have fallen on deaf ears," Marvin said in a news release Friday. Now, he said, the governor wants to come in "at the 11th hour and change things."

Ricketts announced Thursday in a memo to lawmakers that he would consider increasing base pay and providing more flexibility for shifts and salaries if the union agreed to immediately begin negotiations for staff at the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, separately from other state workers.

The governor's office said it was acting in good faith.

"This is not a political game as asserted by Mr. Marvin," said Ricketts spokesman Taylor Gage. "This is a serious negotiation that impacts the safety and well-being of corrections workers."

Ricketts' call came one day after inmates attacked and injured nine corrections officers and caseworkers at the Lincoln Correctional Center, a medium/maximum-security prison for adult men near Pioneers Park.

The announcement also followed reports that a staffing review conducted by the Corrections Department had identified the need for 138 added security positions within the prison system, at a cost of $11 million to $14 million, in addition to filling widespread vacancies.

A separate report by a legislative monitor concluded the Corrections Department is facing a staffing "crisis," which will only worsen the longer state leaders take to react.

For example, one prison employee worked the equivalent of 90 hours per week on average for the entire 2015-16 fiscal year, wrote Doug Koebernick, the Legislature's inspector general for corrections. Koebernick also found a 31 percent increase in the average number of monthly overtime hours worked by Corrections Department staff from 2014 to early 2016.

And earlier this month, Lincoln Sen. Kate Bolz penned an opinion piece calling for swift action to address understaffing and overcrowding in the prison system, with recommendations including merit bonuses, limiting overtime and using more county jail cells to accommodate state inmates. Her article was cosigned by fellow Lincoln Sens. Colby Coash, Adam Morfeld and Patty Pansing Brooks.

"There are immediate things that can be done," Bolz said Friday.

Thursday's announcement by the governor came as union leaders were already preparing to begin negotiations for all state employees they represent in early September, as required by law.

In response to Ricketts' memo to lawmakers, Marvin said, "We're willing to talk about all of that, and we think a lot of it's good."

However, he said, negotiating separately for corrections staff at this point not only makes for complicated timing, it also poses legal questions.

State law requires negotiations to cover entire collective bargaining units, instead of individual agencies. Bargaining units are designed to ensure employees doing similar jobs for different departments receive comparable pay and benefits, Marvin said.

The governor's office clarified Friday that it specifically wants to negotiate with protective services workers, a bargaining unit that also includes staff at regional centers and the Youth Rehabilitation and Treatment Center in Kearney.

They, too, have experienced violence on the job.

On Wednesday, the same day as the Lincoln Correctional Center assaults, a staffer was stabbed by an 18-year-old at the Kearney youth center, a Nebraska State Patrol investigator said in court documents.

Marco Pena, who has been charged with second-degree assault, requested a broom to clean his room around 5:45 p.m., the investigator wrote. Pena then refused to return the broom and threatened to hit the staffer, who backed out and shut the door.

Pena broke the broom before the staffer and another worker re-entered the room, struggled with Pena and restrained him. The staffer then noticed pieces of the broom lodged in the skin over his rib cage, the investigator said.

The staffer was treated and released at a local hospital. Pena went to the Buffalo County jail.

Ricketts' office didn't elaborate on whether all workers within the protective services bargaining unit would benefit from negotiations but noted appendices within union contracts allow for some agency-specific stipulations.

As for timing, Bill Wood, who oversees labor negotiations on behalf of the state, said while formal talks start in September to meet statutory requirements, real work on the deals doesn't typically begin until October or November.

Any new union contract wouldn't go into effect until July 2017, the governor's office said.

Wood said the goal is to show prison workers "there is some relief coming."

"We want to show the employees that we're cognizant of their concerns."

Meanwhile, groups were planning a pair of rallies to raise awareness and urge the Ricketts administration to act. A gathering on the Capitol's north steps was set for 3 p.m. Saturday, and a former inmate said he was planning a protest outside the Governor's Mansion beginning at 12:30 p.m. Monday.

Lacey Westman, the organizer of Saturday's rally, says she worked at the Nebraska State Penitentiary for three years beginning in 2006 and is now enrolled in college.

"Our hope is that it will get the attention of the Legislature, the governor and the administration and for them to see, hey, we're serious about this, Westman said.
Youd be hard-pressed to find a womens organization in Lincoln with the longevity to match the Bethany Womens Club.

Steeped in tradition and dedicated to members improvement and community service, the Bethany Womens Club begins its 105th year Sept. 13 with The Magic of Morocco, a program delivered by Gwyneth Talley, daughter of club vice president Betty Talley.

Jeannette Nichelson, who became the 60th president in club history last year, has been re-elected to a second one-year term. The club meets in the fellowship hall of Bethany Christian Church, 1645 N. Cotner Blvd., at 1:30 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month.

In memoriam

When a current or Life member passes away, the BWC donates an American flag to the Bethany Business Association to be displayed in the Bethany area. An engraved nameplate is added to the Bethany Memorial Plaque, and a certificate is presented to the family. Since the programs inception in 2013, flags have been given in memory of seven women: Rosemary Davis, Margaret Hall, Carol Hawke, Lucille Lundy, Elizabeth Ogden, Esther Price and Judy Janssen.

The flags fly in the Bethany Business District from springtime through the autumn season.

In addition to paying tribute to members who have passed, the BWC makes end-of-year donations to community causes, depending on the treasurys balance. Last year, the club gave $100 each to Friendship Home, Fresh Start, Matt Talbot Kitchen & Outreach, and Lighthouse.

Membership

The club had 46 members on its membership rolls in 2015-16. Annual membership dues are $5 per woman. Membership is not restricted to women who live in the Bethany area.

All women are invited to join regardless of where they live, said club president Nichelson, and membership is not required in order to attend a meeting. Non-members are more than welcome to attend.

The mission of the club is to mutually improve its members in home and intellectual pursuits, and to promote good advancement, according to the clubs mission statement.

For more details about the club, call Nichelson at (402) 476-2466.
RACINE  A bat in Racine County has tested positive for rabies, the City of Racine Health Department reported Thursday.

No other animal or human was exposed to the disease.

The notification was issued via a City of Racine Health Department and Central Racine County Health Department press release on Thursday.

According to the Wisconsin Division of Health Services, between 2010 and 2014, four bats tested positive for rabies in Racine County.

In Wisconsin, bats are the most likely animals to carry the rabies virus.

It is important to contact the local public health department and a physician if a bat is found in a room with a person who is sleeping, very young or is mentally incapacitated, because bites and scratches by bats may go unnoticed by these individuals, according to authorities.

Rabies can only be confirmed through laboratory testing of the suspected animal. However any bat that is active during the day, is found in a peculiar place  in a home or on the lawn  or is unable to fly, is far more likely than others to be rabid.

If left untreated, rabies is almost always fatal. The rabies virus is spread from animal to human through saliva as a result of a bite, scratch or if the animals saliva comes in contact with the humans broken skin.

The most effective ways to reduce the exposure to rabies are to keep pets and livestock vaccinated against the disease, stay away from wild animals, and make sure screens, doors and windows are secure to prevent bats from getting into ones home.

For more information, contact the City of Racine Health Department at 262-636-9201 or the Central Racine County Health Department at 262-898-4460.
CALEDONIA  Sarah Stone already knows where she wants to be in February 2018.

The McKinley Middle School seventh grader would love to attend the 60th annual Grammy music awards.

And thanks to Caledonia-based Meetings and Incentives Worldwide, Stone just might get her wish.

The company  located on 7 Mile Road near the intersection of Highway 38 for the past month has been raising money to get Stone, who has sickle cell anemia, to the west coast award show.

Sickle cell anemia means Stones red blood cells are misshapen. They arent round and smooth to allow them to travel easily through her body. Instead, they are curved like sickles. Because of that, they can deprive parts of the body of oxygen, block blood vessels and cause pain as well. Complications include vision problems, swollen hands and feet, delayed growth and increased vulnerability to infections.

Wisconsins Make-A-Wish Foundation connected Meetings and Incentives and Stone.

The Caledonia company, which has about 240 employees, split into 19 teams to think of ways to raise $6,000 to send Stone and her mother, Genise Perry, to Los Angeles.

On Thursday, one of the companys teams held a fundraiser at The Depot, 11901 Highway G in Caledonia. The event offered food, drink, raffles and 50/50 drawings.

Every day people see so many bad things happening, said Jean Johnson, president and CEO of Meetings and Incentives Worldwide. This is something we can do. If we can do things to make people feel good, I think that emanates to others.

Along with raising money for Sarahs dream, the company also plans to furnish 20 other Make-A-Wish youths with gift baskets in the theme of their wishes. Johnson said.

We want to touch the lives of as many people as we can, she said.

For Ashley Vance, a company with a conscience is just good business. Vance, an SMM associate analyst with M&IW for the past four years, leads one of the 19 fundraising teams.

Giving back to the community makes you a more productive and well-balanced employee, said Vance, a 2007 Case High School graduate. I think its really special that we can help this family out.

Vances team will host a fundraiser from 5 to 9 p.m. Saturday at OBriens Irish American Pub, 4928 W. Vliet Street in Milwaukee. The event will feature free food, drink specials, live music, a silent auction, and a 50/50 raffle, she said.

Sarah and her mother are expected to be at the Saturday event, Vance said.

Vance said she and Sarahs mother connected via Facebook, and word of the fundraising effort spread quickly. I didnt expect it to generate so much attention, but it did, and its incredibly exciting, Vance said.

The other fundraising teams held bake sales at the office headquarters, offered cooking lessons, organized car washes, and sold homemade lunches.

So far, the firm has raised about $5,600 for Sarah and her mother, Johnson said.

Were practically there, but theres no reason to stop now, Vance said. Were going to dramatically surpass our $6,000 goal and possibly have the ability to sponsor a second Wish kid.
RACINE  The trial in the cold-case homicide of Illinois runaway Amber Creek is slated to begin Oct. 24.

But before that can happen, the local court hearing the case must pick a jury that both prosecutors and attorneys for accused killer James P. Eaton believe can fairly judge the facts of the case.

On Friday, about two months after Racine County Circuit Judge Eugene Gasiorkiewicz denied a defense request to move the trial out of Racine County, attorneys on both sides went over the 12-page questionnaire expected to be sent to 200 potential jurors.

In his June 24 ruling concerning the motion for an out-of-town jury, Gasiorkiewicz sided with District Attorney Rich Chiapete, who argued that media coverage is in the nature of homicide cases and that the coverage was mostly informational and not inflammatory. At that time, Gasiorkiewicz also deferred any request for an out-of-county jury pool, in which jurors from elsewhere in the state would be brought to Racine County to hear the case.

A better solution, Gasiorkiewicz stated, would be to utilize a questionnaire to select an impartial jury.

As part of that questionnaire, potential jurors will be asked if they have learned anything about the case from specific media sources, such as newspapers or local TV news reports.

Remaining issues

Before the jury trial itself commences, attorneys are expected to reconvene at 8:30 a.m. on Sept. 22 to discuss any outstanding issues. Among those issues is the potential for what attorney Katie Lynn Gutowski, one of Eatons two attorneys, described as a Denny hearing.

(Attorney Margaret) Johnson and I have been meeting and we think that it may be necessary to have a Denny hearing with respect to one witness, Gutowski said. I have informed Mr. Chiapete of this. We think that it would be a fairly short hearing.

The Denny Test is used by Wisconsin courts to determine whether a defendant can offer evidence that could implicate someone other than the defendant for the crime.

According to an article published by the State Bar of Wisconsin, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in May 2015 that a defendant must show a third-party had a motive and the opportunity to commit the crime, as well as a direct connection to it.

Gutowski and Johnson had planned to file a motion regarding the use of a bite-mark expert, but on Friday they said that would no longer be needed as the state did not plan on calling such a witness.

Eaton

Eaton is accused of killing Amber Creek, 14, in February 1997 and leaving her beaten and sexually assaulted body in the Karcher Wildlife Area in the Town of Burlington. Eaton and Creek are both of Palatine, Ill., a northwest suburb of Chicago.

Eaton is charged with first-degree intentional homicide and hiding a corpse. Creek died from asphyxiation after allegedly being choked and suffocated with a plastic bag, according to Eatons criminal complaint. She suffered blunt-force facial trauma and pattern cutting injuries on her face, the complaint states. Her body was discovered by hunters at Karcher on Feb. 9, 1997.

Eaton was arrested by Racine County Sheriffs deputies in April 2014, reportedly after DNA from cigarette butts he discarded were tested and found to match DNA found on Creeks body.
RACINE COUNTY  As a coalition of Great Lakes cities requests a formal review of Waukeshas approved lake diversion, officials say they are still looking at ways to stop it.

The hearing, essentially an appeal, would be held in front of the Great Lakes Compact council, the same group that approved Waukeshas diversion request.

But the objecting group  the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative  has pledged it will continue looking at legal options if it is unsuccessful at a hearing.

Were here to protect the Great Lakes, said Racine Mayor John Dickert, who serves on the cities initiatives board of directors. That is our job on this commission. The reality is people are going to fight to do that.

Possible legal avenues havent been specified. David Ullrich, executive director of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, said the compact takes into account a dispute winding up in federal district court.

They are under consideration, Ullrich said of legal options. No decisions have been made.

No new arguments

Under a plan approved June 21, Waukesha will divert an average of 8.2 million gallons of Lake Michigan water per day and return treated wastewater to the lake via the Root River.

The cities initiative wont present any new arguments about why the plan should be killed, Ullrich said. Instead, it will emphasize evidence it feels was overlooked.

One of those overlooked factors, Ullrich said, is the impact on the Root River, which he argued is definitely negative. Waukesha officials believe the opposite, saying the Root River will improve with the addition of 5 to 6 more inches of clean water.

In addition to the Root River, the cities group also questions the diversion plan including areas outside of Waukesha as well as anlayzing reasonable alternatives the city has besides lake water.

Waukesha Mayor Shawn Reilly responded that the groups claims were thoroughly reviewed during that rigorous approval process, noting the citys application underwent six years of review by teams of experts in Wisconsin, seven other Great Lakes states and two Canadian provinces.

There is nothing new in the request by the cities that hasnt already been considered by the Great Lakes states and provinces, Reilly said in a statement.

A representative of the Great Lakes Compact council, which includes each of the Great Lakes states and is shorthand for the Great Lakes-St. Lawrence River Basin Water Resources Council, did not return a message on Wednesday seeking comment.

The cities group has not been told whether or when a hearing will be held, Ullrich said.

Dickerts hope is that everyone can take a breath, stop and look back at this, he said. Officials have fought to stop oil, invasive species, fertilizer and other harmful elements from entering the Great Lakes and feel the same effort is needed here.

We dont stop on this, Dickert said, because we realize this is a very precious resource.
RACINE  When Santa Fe Liquors & Groceries switched owners in May, another door opened for a Racine couple hoping to build on their passion for service.

Rodrigo and Jamie Maldonado, both of Racine, are opening the Santa Fe La Original restaurant, 3505 Spring St., where brick-and-mortar locations for two separate custard stores once stood. It was formerly Zs Grill and Custard and before that it was Old Dutch Custard.

This is the first restaurant for the couple. Rodrigo used to work for his father at Santa Fe Liquor & Groceries store, 516 High St.

This is going to be different and a lot more Mexican food, Rodrigo said.

The store on High Street had sold tacos out of the back of the store for years. When the store switched owners in May because of Rodrigos fathers health issues, the Maldonados decided to reopen the Santa Fe as a restaurant with hopes of building a community through their store.

A lot of our customers we know personally, Rodrigo said. Its more about relationship building. Its more of a family. Thats why I jumped on.

A new idea

The switching of owners at the liquor store gave birth to the Maldonados idea to open a restaurant.

Not wanting to deal with hassles of liquor sales, the Maldonados decided to create a different concept. A restaurant that was focused on service, delivery and community.

The restaurant will not sell alcohol initially, but may look into adding beer in the future.

The grocery and liquor, though it did well, wasnt something that was us, Jamie said. The food is sexy. Food brings people together.

The couple had developed a following while selling tacos out of the back of the High Street store. They even had delivery service and said that companies ordered large quantities at a time.

Loyalty to those customers is important to them. Yet they want to help out others in the community as well.

Jamie said they plan to do coat drives, give food to those who need it and even have the doors open on Thanksgiving.

What were focusing on is the family, Jamie said. Were really excited to come back. Were excited to see all of the old customers and bring in new customers.

So they followed their passion and their stomachs and plan to open the store in the coming weeks. An exact open date is not yet set. Delivery services will be offered and Rodrigo said he is already in the works of opening additional locations in Burlington, Union Grove, Waterford and possibly adding food trucks.

The area we open up is the area we are going to help out, Rodrigo said. This is my way of giving back to the community.

From scratch

The food will be authentic Mexican.

Rodrigo said all of the food will be made from scratch including the tortilla chips and the two house salsas.

Every Mexican restaurant has a particular hot sauce and its never the same, he said. We have two and well be adding different ones.

They are looking into also making hand-tossed tortillas to add extra flavor to the tacos.

Though tacos are the primary specialty and favorite of the owners, Rodrigo added that the guacamole, tortilla chips and pico de gallo are also popular items that will be sold at the restaurant.

With the restaurant set to open in the near future, the Maldonados are excited to get the restaurant operating and build on their passion.

I could talk about food all day, Rodrigo said. Im hungry right now.

*Correction: This story was updated from it's original version. The story originally stated that Santa Fe Liquor & Groceries closed based on information provided to The Journal Times. Santa Fe Liquor & Groceries has not closed. It changed owners and remains open.
Hillary Clinton was in the news again this week with GOP standard-bearer Donald Trump calling for a special prosecutor to investigate allegations that his Democratic opponent sold access to the State Department while she was Secretary of State in exchange for donations to the Clinton Foundation.

Speaking at a campaign rally in Austin, Texas, Trump said, It is impossible to figure out where the Clinton Foundation ends and the State Department begins. Its clear the Clintons set up a business to profit off of public office, they sold specific actions by and for (a) large amount of money.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince Priebus joined that call and said The evidence is clear  its time for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate the growing proof of pay-to-play at Hillary Clintons State Department. This is among the strongest and most unmistakable pieces of evidence of what weve long suspected at Hillary Clintons State Department, access to the most sensitive policy makers in U.S., diplomacy was for sale to the highest bidder.

The charges came in the wake of an Associated Press report that at least half of the people outside the government who met with Hillary Clinton while she was serving as secretary of state gave money to the Clinton Foundation either personally or through companies or groups.

The AP report said 85 of the 154 people from private interests that she met with or had phone conversations donated more than $156 million to her family charity or pledge commitments to its international programs.

The AP report looked only examined the first half of Clintons term as secretary of state and it didnt include more than 1,700 meetings with world leaders  or countless meetings with other U.S. government officials, which Clinton campaign staff pointed out meant the AP report was looking at only a fraction of her time  less than 3 percent.

And what were the programs that benefited from the donations? The elect Hillary campaign?

Sadly, no. Not even the Clintons would have been able to surmount that scandal.

The Bill, Hillary and Chelsea Clinton Foundation was formed in 1997, originally to establish the Bill Clinton presidential library, but it quickly grew into an international charitable organization that now has a budget of more than $223 million and has raised more than $2 billion to support 11 major programs focusing on such things as agriculture in Africa, combating childhood obesity, economic development in South America, earthquake relief in Haiti, reducing the cost of Aids drugs and mitigating climate change, according to a BBC report.

In the U.S., it has a school program affecting more than 30,000 schools and 18 million children that focuses on improving child nutrition, health education and physical education and reducing drug addiction.

Charity Watch gives the Clinton Foundation an A for its operations and says that 88 percent of its money goes to programs. Early this year, three FBI field offices recommended launching a criminal conflict of interest probe between the State Department and the foundation. The Justice Department concluded there were no grounds for a formal investigation, according to news reports.

So where does that leave us?

Some will be inclined to believe that Hillary Clinton peddled access to the State Department  and possibly favorable treatment from the government  in return for donations to a private charity  even if it did not directly benefit herself. That, they will see as a reason to prosecute her and deny her election, even if there is as yet no proof of any criminal action.

Others will see it as a case of a dedicated government official taking some time from busy days to do work that benefits thousands of people in poor and developing countries and to move ahead with programs that the government is not necessarily equipped to do in a speedy manner. They will see this as just another reason to vote for Hillary for president.

The lines may be drawn, but they are very muddied.

Innocent charitable work or nefarious influence-peddling?

At the very least, Hillary Clinton and Bill Clinton should have disassociated themselves with the foundation  and done it long before now  to have sidestepped even the suggestion of cash donations in return for favoritism and political influence. That is the basis for corruption and it matters not what the former secretary of states intentions were.

Going forward, the Clintons should sever those ties  even though the foundation bears their names  and make it an independent organization until or unless they are both out of office.

Perhaps the most damning thing about this politically charged dust-up is that it once again illustrates Hillary Clintons lack of good judgment in setting boundaries for her actions  just as she did with her off-line email setups. That may weigh heavily on voters in November.
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1974 AD embark on 7-legged US tour

Rock ensemble 1974 AD departed for the US on Wednesday, where they are set to perform at seven venues.
6-year-old abducted girl raped, murdered

An six-year-old girl, who was abducted from Maryadapur VDC-1 in Rautahat on Tuesday night, was found dead at Inarbari on Thursday.
Hospital is no place to be sick (in pictures)

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After failed merger bid, storm brewing in RPP

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Amendment meaningless without implementing constitution, says Oli

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Arghakhanchi launches Rs4b expansion project

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Around 20,000 Nepalis to benefit from Qatars amnesty programme

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Arun III, locals haggle over land compensation

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Car bomb attack in Turkey kills 8 police; 45 wounded

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First ever road tunnel at risk of falling into ruins

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I will address Dr KC's demands: Health Minister Thapa

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India court overturns ban on women entering inner sanctum of Mumbai's Haji Ali mosque

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Indian Amb Rae in Manang

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Italy quake: Emergency declared as hopes for more survivors fade

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Maoist Centre not to dictate ministers

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Minister Poudel pledges to make education accessible to everyone

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Minority stake

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NA personnel and poachers exchange fire

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NC Prez Deuba off to Singapore for health check-up

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Nepali handed life sentence in Bahrain for killing compatriot

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NRNA UK Women Forum donates Rs 1m to children shelter

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PM pledges to take initiative to address Dr KC's demands

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SC seeks papers related to Karkis appointment

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Sebon to keep tabs on stock investors

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Simrik Airlines reumes ops

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Top French court rules Burkini bans violate basic freedoms

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Yes, its hard to to tell when one enters the city limits

Yes, they will make the city more inviting

Maybe ... does it really matter?

No, the signs in place are fine

No, it would be a waste of taxpayer dollars

Vote

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The U.S. Mission to Uganda has announced a donation of $3 million to the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) in support of refugees in Uganda.

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), through the Office of Food for Peace (FFP), provided the funding to WFP on behalf of the American people.

The large and sudden influx of South Sudanese refugeestotaling more than 82,000 since July 1, 2016has strained WFPs existing resources. This contribution comes at a critical time and will ensure that new arrivals receive much needed food and lifesaving assistance.

U.S. Ambassador Deborah Malac said, The needs of the refugees in Uganda are extraordinary right now. I am proud that the U.S. government can provide support to help alleviate their suffering.

Uganda currently hosts more than 620,000 refugees, mostly from South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and Burundi. Roughly two-thirds of the refugees in Uganda depend on contributions from the United States through WFP to meet their basic food needs. The large number of new arrivals that continue to flow into Uganda has stretched the humanitarian response capacity and put great pressure on the reception centers and existing refugee settlements. Nevertheless, the relief response on the ground has been tremendous given the very challenging circumstances.

I commend the excellent work of the humanitarian organizations responding to this intense emergency and applaud this dedication to meeting the needs of all refugees in Uganda, said Mission Director Mark Meassick. This response has been possible due to the progressive refugee policies of the Government of Uganda and the great work of the Office of the Prime Minister that has processed these refugees and allocated them land.

This contribution to WFP will procure commodities that directly benefit local Ugandan farmers. Due to recent food aid reforms, Food for Peace is able to purchase commodities on the local market, helping both people in need as well as local businesses. The contribution is in line with the U. S. governments food security initiative, Feed the Future, which aims to reduce hunger, poverty, and under nutrition in sustainable ways, and to ensure that all people at all times have access to sufficient food for healthy, productive lives.

This contribution brings USAIDs total support to WFP to an estimated $27.8 million in 2016. This funding helps to assist refugees in Uganda as well as extremely vulnerable populations in Karamoja.
The U.N. Security Council has asked its member countries to review a draft version of a press statement condemning North Korea's latest missile provocation, diplomatic sources said Friday.

The UNSC held an emergency behind-closed-doors meeting on Wednesday (local time) at the request of South Korea, the United States and Japan to discuss counteractions against the North's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) earlier on the same day.

The missile flew some 500 kilometers before landing in waters near Japan, demonstrating an improvement in performance from previous SLBM launches.

According to diplomatic sources, the Security Council drew up and circulated a draft statement to its member countries, which subsequently entered into the "silence procedure" during which they will review its content. If there is no objection, the statement will be adopted as it is.

The sources said that the member countries of the council had already reached a consensus to adopt a statement condemning the North's latest missile provocation.

The move comes after the UNSC recently failed to adopt a similar statement in the wake of the North's launch of two mid-range ballistic missiles earlier this month in defiance of its relevant resolutions.

China's unilateral push to reflect its opposition to Seoul and Washington's plan to place an advanced missile defense system on the Korean Peninsula was cited as the main reason for the botched attempt.

A foreign ministry official here said that negotiations are under way among council members and that South Korea is making necessary diplomatic efforts through close cooperation with its key allies.

He, however, didn't elaborate on details on the ongoing negotiations and other information. (Yonhap)
Kendallville, IN (46755)

Today

Mostly cloudy early, then sunshine for the afternoon. High 63F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low near 40F. Winds light and variable.
ANGOLA  The community is cheering on Olivia Stoy as she and her family continue a long-term cancer battle.

Olivia, an Angola Middle School student, attended a day of school on Monday before an infection hospitalized her this week. School started last Wednesday with some, including Principal Ann Rice, wearing #OliviaStrong bracelets, being sold by the family and at Panache SalonSpa for $10 apiece to raise money for Riley Childrens Hospital in Indianapolis.

Olivias mother, Megan Stoy, said hopefully she will be back home in a couple of weeks from Riley. Monday was the first full day of school Olivia had attempted to attend, and after she got home and rested awhile, her temperature rose to over 100 degrees. In a post at Olivia is #StoyStrong on Facebook, her father, Tom, explained she succumbed to a bacterial infection due to a low white blood cell count because of the chemotherapy.

Olivia will continue learning by Google Classroom with her school-issued Chromebook.

Our teachers have been using Google Hangout to include her in their classroom. It is nice we do so much on Chromebooks too so she can complete her work online, said Rice. Teachers have created videos to share with her so she can do it when feels well enough.

Olivia was diagnosed with T lymphoblastic lymphoma early this year. Her family was told the treatments could last several years. She is expected to be in the hospital 10-14 days with the current infection.

Olivia wants to go to school as much as possible, said Megan. Her teachers at AMS have been amazing with sending homework to Olivia by email and Olivia using her Chromebook. Riley has teachers that are able to assist in her studies while shes at the hospital. Technology is amazing for a situation like this.

Many have shown support for Olivia by donning I wear gold for Olivia T-shirts this summer and she will be one of the honorees at the Sept. 17 5K run and walk at Ridenour Acres. Six families touched by childhood cancer, including the Stoys, will help distribute the proceeds from Ridenours fundraiser to the foundations of their choice.

The fourth annual Little Johns Lemonade Stand operated by Prairie Heights students Grace Johnson and Emily McCrea honored Stoy this year. Money raised by the lemonade stand purchased two little red wagons for Riley Hospital. The girls got to design their own license plates. Johnson and McCreas features bright yellow lemons and Olivias has Olivia is #StoyStrong and five emoticons with a big yellow smiley face in the middle.

The wagons were added to a fleet of more than 250 wagons used to give children rides to appointments, haul bags and belongings and add a playful air to the medical facility. Olivia was at the hospital for the dedication of the wagons on Aug. 11 along with Johnson and McCrea.

Olivia is there again, recovering well with her family by her side and support and prayers from Steuben and DeKalb counties and beyond.
A 15-year-old male and 16-year-old female were responsible for last weeks vandalism to numerous private and public properties in Bangor, according to police.

The incident first caught the attention of residents the morning of Thursday, Aug. 18, when parishioners discovered references to the Black Lives Matter movement and a swastika spray-painted at the entrance of St. Marys Catholic Church.

The church was far from the only building hit. Also vandalized were the stone park shelter in Veterans Memorial Park and two residents homes.

In the park, vandals scrawled the words We are inhuman, and on the homes of the residents the words We are insane and ---- 12. According to Bangor Police Chief Scott Alo, the latter is a term directed toward police.

He said both suspects have given full confessions and the symbols used were chosen to get the attention of the public and the media.

I think they were just trying to get attention, he said.

The Rev. Douglas Robertson of St. Marys agreed with Alo.

I think its just local vandals just being mischievous, he said, adding that it was unfortunate the vandals chose such powerful symbols.

A swastika and Black Lives Matter are really antithetical, he said. They dont go together. 

Robertson added that the combination showed the ignorance of the individuals responsible.

The church has already begun work to repair the damages.

Robertson said the swastika was relatively easy to clean off the glass, but the damage to the churchs landing will take a little more time to repair. He said, thankfully, the damage was done before the steps were resurfaced as part of a larger repair project.

The case has been closed. The juveniles face citations that include graffiti, destruction of property and trespassing. In addition, the male will face additional charges of theft of the spray paint used. The case will be handled in municipal court.

Village president Gary Althoff applauded the Bangor Police Department for solving the case so quickly.
The village of West Salem made a change on an ordinance regarding razing abandoned buildings at its Aug. 16 meeting. The village board decided to amend the ordinance to allow the village to raze these buildings if the owner does not after they are given proper notice. The ordinance reads as follows:

The village administrator is authorized to place the cost of razing or securing any building, in full or in part, against the real estate upon which the building is located, which costs are incurred by the village  and if that cost is so charged, it shall become a lien upon the real estate and may be assessed and collected as a special charge.

Before the buildings can be demolished, moved or secured, the owner of the real estate or the village must notify all utilities present in the property to be sure theyre are all safely removed, sealed or modified.

The board unanimously approved the changes.

Community mass transit re-upped for 2016-17





The village board also unanimously approved the re-upping of its commitment in the shared ride public transit (MTU) program. The program is seeing slightly lower ridership numbers than last year, but board member Jim Leicht said the 10.03 percent revenue drop isnt too concerning.

Theres still a lot of ridership, said Leicht, who presided over the meeting in board president Dennis Matheis excused absence. Its been used over 30,000 times this year, so its clearly being utilized.

Parks and rec report

Parks and recreation director Michelle Czerwan shared information about the new dog park in West Salem. Concerns over a minimal amount of purchased memberships prompted the parks and recreation department to place a drop box at the park for daily payments.

Its extremely busy, Czerwan said. Daily payments are being made in the drop box, so the public must appreciate the access.

Czerwan also shared that Tunnels to Towers, an organization that helps firefighters and first responders who have been injured or have died, will be donating a tree to the parks and rec department in honor of late assistant fire chief David Gator McClintock.
Some say the electric feeling of buying and moving into your own home never wears off. When you own the floors youre standing on, the walls surrounding you and the roof over your head, you also own great satisfaction from the hard work that resulted in your homeownership.

Yet, just as it was hard work to achieve homeownership, being responsible for maintaining, and inevitably repairing, your own home can be just as much work. USDA Rural Developments 504 Home Repair Program is an affordable way to keep your home safe, accessible and energy efficient.

The program provides very-low income rural homeowners with a 1 percent interest fixed-rate loan of up to $20,000 for essential things like leaky roof repairs, improving accessibility, or even upgrades to heating and cooling systems to make a home more energy efficient. Seniors age 62 and older, who cannot qualify for a loan, may be eligible for a grant of up to $7,500, or a loan and grant combination to make essential home repairs and improvements.

Since 2009, nearly 1,100 rural homeowners throughout Minnesota were able to make necessary improvements to their homes that they otherwise may not have been able to afford  more than a $6 million investment. Some installed new smoke and carbon monoxide detectors or replaced old insulation. Some widened doors and added ramps. More importantly, these Minnesotans renewed the pride they felt the day they bought and moved into their own home.

Through the 504 Home Repair Program, Beverly Lawyer from Breezy Point discovered she was able to afford a new roof, furnace and work to submerge her well pipe 10 feet into the ground to prevent freezing in Minnesotas harsh winters. She worked with an area specialist out of Minnesotas Baxter field office to make it happen and you can, too.

As mentioned earlier, being a homeowner is hard work and a big responsibility, but you have a partner who wants you to succeed. USDA Rural Development wants to help keep homes safe, accessible and energy efficient throughout rural Minnesota. We also want to help homeowners preserve the pride in their homes and surrounding communities. To learn more, go to www.rd.usda.gov/mn to find an area specialist near you.
Back in January, the Houston County Board of Commissioners approved an agreement making a new Minnesota financing tool called Property-Assessed Clean Energy, or PACE, available throughout Houston County. This program will advance adoption of energy efficiency for buildings and renewable energy for businesses, farms, multi-family housing, nonprofits and places of worship, while helping these property owners invest in their assets.

PACE provides project financing that is repaid as a separate item on property tax assessments for a set period. In this way, PACE eliminates the burden of upfront costs by providing low-cost, long-term financing.

Examples of potential building improvements that can be financed with PACE are solar arrays, HVAC upgrades, LED lighting, condensing boilers, digital controls, insulation, variable-frequency drive motors, building automation systems, and other water and energy conservation measures.

PACE financing is different than a traditional loan and will help building-owners in Houston County overcome several barriers to making energy-related building improvements, said Chris Meyer of the Southeast Regional Coordinator of the Clean Energy Resource Teams, one of the state organizations helping to advance the program. For starters, there are no upfront costs and there is less of a reliance on credit. Also, unlike a loan, when a transfer of ownership of the property takes place, the PACE assessment obligation stays with the property, not the property owner. In addition, PACE assessments can generally be repaid over longer terms than a bank might allow.

To learn more about PACE and take action, the Minnesota Clean Energy Resource Teams have an extensive resource page with program details and applications, factsheets, success stories, and frequently asked questions at http://www.cleanenergyresourceteams.org/pace.
A convicted con man with a record at least 30 years long is back on the streets, and prosecutors say hes still running game in his golden years.

Thomas J. McManus, 80, was charged Friday in La Crosse County Circuit Court with fraud against a financial institution for allegedly passing bad checks.

McManus was charged in 1986 with swindle and real estate fraud in Hennepin County, Minn., and was eventually sentenced to 20 months in prison. According to Minnesota court records, he was convicted of theft again in 1992 and 1993 before heading to Wisconsin.

In 1996, when police arrested McManus in Ontario, Wis., he was printing sheets of phony checks and distributing them in small amounts in multiple counties. According to prosecutors, he had 67 known aliases and half a dozen Social Security numbers. Then Assistant District Attorney Todd Bjerke told a judge his history of fraud dated back to the 1960s.

He did not stick around for court, collecting convictions for car theft, possession of stolen property and passing bad checks in Minnesota and Iowa during the four years it took for authorities to bring him back.

In May 2000, Judge Ramona Gonzalez sentenced McManus to 10 years in prison. He was paroled in 2005 but returned for violations in 2008 and 2011, according to the Wisconsin Department of Corrections. Since then, McManus has Minnesota convictions for theft, receiving stolen property and fleeing police and remains on probation in that state.

According to the new complaint, McManus, of 1513 Market St., last month opened a business account with Coulee Bank in La Crosse, where he presented paperwork stating he was vice president of Maco Property Co. of Minneapolis. In the days following, McManus withdrew more than $664 without depositing any funds to the account.

Police found McManus on Aug. 17 as he left US Bank in downtown La Crosse. According to the complaint, he told police he was on his way to pay Coulee Bank the money he owed. McManus was carrying US Bank checks. He said he had no money in that account but would have funds deposited later that day. The officer noted McManus was not carrying any money and did not explain how he planned to repay the bank.

McManus was arrested on suspicion of fraud and operating a motor vehicle while his license was revoked. Officers also found arrest warrants from St. Croix and Polk counties.

He is currently free on a signature bond.
In this election, there are two distinctly different information universes. In universe one, I can see video of Hillary Clinton ridiculing Donald Trump's family members for being hunters. I can hear clips of her attacking former Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia for writing the Heller decision and see her state that there is no right for individuals to own firearms in the U.S. Constitution. In this information universe, Clinton supports every proposal to restrict law-abiding citizens from possessing firearms and ammunition.

In information universe two, there is no word of anything I just cited, which is readily available in information universe one. In information universe two, there are even those who actually deny the existence of Clinton's challenges to the gun-control lobby.
At 6:05 a.m., the Minnesota State Patrol responded to a report of shots fired near I-90 milepost 272 near the Dakota exit, according to dispatch recordings. As reported, the shots were fired from an eastbound black Toyota Camry.
On Aug. 23, Rep. Tim Walz attended a potluck lunch with Minnesota conservation leaders. Prior to the potluck, Walz toured the Visger Farm on Tschumper Road in La Crescent Township.

The potluck is a fun, informal way for agriculture, conservation, hunting and outdoor enthusiasts to discuss coalition building and preserving our natural state treasures, which are enjoyed year round in Minnesota and add billions of dollars to our economy every year.

This is about having a vision for our future; to conserve our natural state treasures and the billions of dollars the outdoor industry provides to our economy, while at the same time positioning ourselves to lead the world in energy and food production and create good paying jobs, Walz said. I believe we shouldnt be presented with the false choice of good conservation policy or a good economy. Minnesota is proving that we can do both. Moving forward, I will continue to fight to protect our natural state treasures weve all come to enjoy. Doing so will ensure that were able to feed the world and enjoy the outdoors for both recreation and to make a living off of for generations to come.

We all owe Rep. Walz a big thank you for his leadership and support of conservation issues, including private land protection. Thanks to policies and partnerships that will help clean our water and protect wildlife habitat, our state is much better off thanks to the Congressmans efforts, said Minnesota Land Trust Executive Director Kris Larson.

Walz  a leading voice in Congress on conservation, agriculture, and energy policy  served on the bipartisan, bicameral Farm Bill Conference Committee that worked out a final compromise on the new, long-term Farm Bill that conservation groups praised as a win for hunters, anglers and outdoor enthusiasts. He also recently introduced bipartisan legislation to protect our natural state treasures and invigorate the outdoor economy.

The Sportsmens Conservation and Outdoor Recreation Enhancement Act reauthorizes several proven, effective conservation measures to conserve critical hunting and fishing habitat. Walz also highlighted the need for a long term strategy on sustainable farming practices to ensure Minnesota producers are able to feed, fuel and clothe the world for generations to come.
The international controversy surrounding the burkini  the long, loose swimwear used by Muslim women, and banned by certain cities in France  has been unsettling for some women and girls in Minnesota.

My burkini is purple and hot pink, said Nausheena Hussain, 39, at her local YMCA in Coon Rapids. Its a nice color combination, especially when Ive got my purple Speedo goggles on. She laughed.

Citing security concerns after terrorist attacks, French authorities in at least 15 cities have been issuing citations and forcing some women to remove their swimsuits. Halfway across the world, in a pool in Minnesotas Coon Rapids, Hussain, executive director of a new group called Reviving the Islamic Sisterhood for Empowerment, sees such actions as counterproductive in the fight against extremism.

I feel like theyre just kind of playing right into what ISIS wants them to do, which is controlling women, she said. To me its such a misogynistic act. And to link the burkini to extremism is, to me ... I dont understand that connection.

The 39-year-old mother of two teenagers said she didnt learn to swim until four years ago. A Muslim instructor gave her private lessons in a pool, until she gradually became a strong swimmer who enjoys the ocean.

Just the way the waves hit you, she said, it feels, really, like youre one with nature. And, coming from a faith perspective, its a creation of God, and to be able to enjoy his creation just feels like being part of the master plan of his creation.

Zahra Hassan, a community outreach coordinator for the Minneapolis nonprofit Fairview Health Services, works to make swim opportunities available to Muslim girls and women as a matter of health. One day a week, her group offers free swimming lessons at the University of Minnesota to Muslim girls and women, with no men allowed.

It makes it easier for the community to learn when they know that they can be in a pool where they dont have to worry about wearing a scarf, she said. They can wear whatever they want in the pool, as long as the windows are covered, we have a female instructor, a female lifeguard. Its great.

Even with the windows covered, some of the student swimmers opt for greater modesty of a burkini. One 12-year-old Muslim girl asked not to be identified because she fears people might make fun of her swimwear.

When I swim in privacy, it helps me to not be stressed about whos looking at me because I dont have a really high self-esteem and Im shy, she said.

Hafso Warsame, 11, doesnt have a burkini. Instead she swims in a shirt and long pants.

When I swim it makes me feel good, makes me feel like a dolphin, she said. When Im in the water, it makes me feel happy.

Nearby, another swimmer, 56-year-old Nadifa Ahmed, floated in her leopard-print burkini.

Im really happy the days that I come to swim, she said in Somali. I have high blood pressure, and the days that I come swimming, afterwards Im very relaxed ... I wish the program was three days instead of the one day.

At another pool, this one at the Midtown Minneapolis YWCA, a diverse group of swimmers included Muslim women in burkinis who have chosen to swim in a co-ed facility.

Ellen Cleary, the community impact director at Midtown, lamented the real disparities when it comes to access to swimming, and safety around swimming, for communities of color in Minnesota.

So to be more inclusive of diverse groups and faiths, the YWCA changed its rules in recent years to allow greater variety in dress codes. Before that, burkinis would not have been permitted.

Water and swimming is part of our culture, she said. We dont want there to be barriers to that. We want all kids to grow up knowing skills to be safe around water.

My burkini is purple and hot pink. Its a nice color combination, especially when Ive got my purple Speedo goggles on. Nausheena Hussain, 39, Coon Rapids
Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier

Those who habitually put items in their recycling bins that don't belong there are the target of the ordinance amendment, not those who make an occasional, accidental mistake, said Public Works Director Jeff Demers.
Frances top administrative court has ruled that French towns cannot ban women from wearing a kind of clothing for swimming on their beaches.

The town of Villeneuve-Loubet, had banned burkinis, a swimsuit some Muslim women wear to cover their whole bodies.

The courts ruling comes as a worldwide debate has grown over the French bans on burkinis. Some people expressed shock and anger at images of French policemen fining a Muslim woman, and appearing to make her take off a piece of her clothing.

The decision by the Council of State Friday deals with the ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet. But, it is expected to affect all of about 30 French towns and cities that have similar bans.

The city of Nice is one of them. That is where 86 people were killed when a truck ran into a crowd gathered to see fireworks on Frances Bastille Day. The Islamic State terror group claimed responsibility for that attack.

In Fridays case, lawyers for two human rights groups argued the ban was not legal. They said the bans are not in keeping with peoples freedoms and that mayors did not have the power to tell women what to wear on beaches.

Mayors had expressed concern about public order after the deadly attacks by Islamic extremists this summer.

At least one mayor said he will not lift the ban, even after the courts decision. Here the tension is very, very, very strong and I wont withdraw it, the mayor of Sisco told BFM-TV Friday.

Some top political leaders say the swimsuits oppress women and violate Frances secular values. But the bans have divided Frances government, as other leaders spoke out against the laws.

What in the world is a burkini?

The name burkini combines two words: bikini and burka.

A bikini is a small, two-piece swimsuit shaped like womens undergarments.

Burkas are what some Muslim women wear to cover their whole bodies except for a small opening for their eyes.

In comparison, a burkini covers a womans body. It leaves only her face, hands and feet showing.

Burkinis were first created by Australian designer Aheda Zanetti in 2004. She said she made them so Muslim women who choose to wear a head covering can take part in water activities and other sports.

A history of banning Muslim clothes

French officials banned burkinis for reasons including water safety and security concerns. France has outlawed Muslim clothes before. It banned the face-covering veil, as well as the head-covering veil, in public schools.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls described the burkini, along with the veil, as a form of enslavement.

The burkini is not a new swimsuit model, it is not a trend, Valls told La Provence newspaper in support of the ban. He said it goes against modern society.

A new image for Muslim women

Many see the ban as discrimination against Muslims. Others say officials do not understand Muslim womens new image.

Neslihan Cevik designs clothes for Muslim women. Cevik says Muslim women who wear veils are involved in many activities of modern life. But the market hasnt taken them seriously so far.

In addition to being a designer, Cevik is also a sociologist who wrote a book on Muslims.

The clothing for that woman has been like, shes oppressed, she stays at home or goes to her in-laws," Cevik adds. Its only now that markets are catching up with that new image.

Ceviks brand targets young, college-aged women who go to cafes and listen to Latin music. They want what is called "Muslim hipster fashion  backpacks with matching headscarves, jeans or pleated skirts.

They do not want to wear the usual long overcoats, she says. Theyll do anything any young female would do. Whats different is theyre passionately religious.

A business opportunity

Neslihan Cevik, who is Turkish, launched M-Line Fashion last December. Her online company has been growing by 20 percent each month.

Most of her customers are Turkish. But the business has customers from France and other European countries, as well as South Africa.

Cevik sells stylish long tops called tunics, and veils. She hopes to add a line of Muslim swimwear by next summer. She does not like the ones she sees for sale.

Its so ugly right now, says Cevik of burkinis. Thats one of the biggest problems for Muslim women. Whatever you do, all the designs weve had so far have been so ugly.

Designers such as Cevik say that the swimsuit and other modern Muslim womens wear can be liberating. They say the clothing industry is far behind the needs of conservative modern Muslim women.

They say the industry could be making much more money designing clothes Muslim women want.

Some well-known stores and brands are already starting to sell clothes targeting the Muslim market. They include Britains Marks & Spencer and House of Fraser. Mango and DKNY have also launched Ramadan clothes collections connected to the holy Muslim holiday.

Sales of clothes for the Muslim women market are expected to be worth several billions of dollars in the next few years.

Im Anne Ball.

Lisa Bryant wrote this story for VOA News. Anne Ball wrote it for Learning English. Mario Ritter was the editor. We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section and visit us on our Facebook page.

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Words in This Story

swimsuit  n. clothing people wear to swim in

undergarment  n. a piece of underwear worn under clothes

veil  n. a piece of cloth worn to cover ones head and/or face

enslavement  n. the action of making someone a slave

trend  n. something currently popular or fashionable

ugly  adj. opposite of beautiful

liberating  adj. making you feel free

passionately  adv. showing or having strong emotions
United States President Barack Obama will add to a national monument near the coast of Hawaii.

The Obama administration announced the move Friday. It will create the world's largest marine protected area.

The presidential action will add to the size of a monument created by President George W. Bush in 2006. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument now will be increased to about 1.5 million square kilometers. That is more than twice the size of the American state of Texas.

The expanded area is considered a sacred place for Native Hawaiians.

Obama will travel to the monument next week to bring attention to the need to protect public lands and waters from climate change.

The move bans commercial fishing and new mining in the area of the monument. Fishing for recreation may be done with a permit. Scientific research and the removal of fish and other resources for Native Hawaiian cultural practices also will be permitted.

Some fishing groups are concerned that an expansion of the marine national monument will hurt their industry.

Sean Martin is the president of the Hawaii Longline Association. Hawaii's longline fishing fleet supplies much of the fresh tuna and other fish to Hawaii.

Martin has previously estimated the fleet catches about 900,000 kilograms of fish each year from the area proposed for the expanded monument.

He said he was "disappointed'' by Hawaiian Governor David Ige's decision to support the expansion. He said the monument's expansion would be based on political and not scientific reasons.

The Obama administration has described the expansion as protecting more than 7,000 species of marine life. It also says the move will protect and improve the environment.

Shipwrecks and crashed aircraft from the Battle of Midway in World War II are in the expansion area. The battle was fought in June of 1942 and marked a major shift in that war.

Obama has now created or expanded 26 national monuments. The administration said Obama has increased national monuments more than any other president.

The Obama administration said the expansion is an answer to a proposal by Democratic Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii and Native Hawaiian leaders.

The federal government will give Hawaii's Department of Natural Resources and its Office of Hawaiian Affairs a greater role in supervising the monument.

Im Christopher Jones-Cruise.

VOA News staff wrote this story with adds from the Associated Press. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter 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

monument  n. a building or place that is important because of when it was built or because of something in history that happened there

marine  adj. of or relating to the sea or the plants and animals that live in the sea

longline  n. a type of deep-sea fishing equipment using a long main line anchored to the bottom to which shorter lines with baited hooks is attached

fleet  n. a group of ships or vehicles that move or work together

tuna  n. a large fish that lives in the ocean and is eaten as food

species  n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

shipwreck  n. a ruined or destroyed ship


Our story today is called "Pigs is Pigs." It was written by Ellis Parker Butler.

Mike Flannery, the agent of the Interurban Express Company, leaned over the desk in the company's office in Westcote and shook his fist. Mr. Morehouse, angry and red, stood on the other side of the desk shaking with fury. The argument had been long and hot. At last Mr. Morehouse had become speechless.

The cause of the trouble lay on the desk between the two men. It was a box with two guinea pigs inside.

"Do as you like, then!" shouted Flannery. "Pay for them and take them. Or don't pay for them and leave them here. Rules are rules, Mr. Morehouse. And Mike Flannery is not going to break them."

"But you stupid idiot!" shouted Mr. Morehouse, madly shaking a thin book beneath the agent's nose. "Can't you read it here  in your own book of transportation rates? Pets, domestic, Franklin to Westcote, if correctly boxed, twenty-five cents each.'"

He threw the book on the desk. "What more do you want? Aren't they pets? Aren't they domestic? Aren't they correctly boxed? What?"

He turned and walked back and forth rapidly, with a furious look on his face. "Pets," he said. "P-E-T-S! Twenty-five cents each. Two times twenty-five is fifty! Can you understand that? I offer you fifty cents."

Flannery reached for the book. He ran his hand through the pages and stopped at page sixty-four.

"I don't take fifty cents," he whispered in an unpleasant voice. "Here's the rule for it: When the agent be in any doubt about which two rates should be charged on a shipment, he shall charge the larger. The person receiving the shipment may put in a claim for the overcharge.' In this case, Mr. Morehouse, I be in doubt. Pets them animals may be. And domestic they may be, but pigs I'm sure they do be. And my rule says plain as the nose on your face, Pigs, Franklin to Westcote, thirty cents each.'"

Mr. Morehouse shook his head savagely. "Nonsense!" he shouted. "Confounded nonsense, I tell you! That rule means common pigs, not guinea pigs!"

"Pigs is pigs," Flannery said firmly.

Mr. Morehouse bit his lip and then flung his arms out wildly. "Very well!" he shouted. "You shall hear of this! Your president shall hear of this! It is an outrage! I have offered you fifty cents. You refuse it. Keep the pigs until you are ready to take the fifty cents. But, by George, sir, if one hair of those pigs' heads is harmed, I will have the law on you!" He turned and walked out, slamming the door. Flannery carefully lifted the box from the desk and put it in a corner.

Mr. Morehouse quickly wrote a letter to the president of the transportation express company. The president answered, informing Mr. Morehouse that all claims for overcharge should be sent to the Claims Department.

Mr. Morehouse wrote to the Claims Department. One week later he received an answer. The Claims Department said it had discussed the matter with the agent at Westcote. The agent said Mr. Morehouse had refused to accept the two guinea pigs shipped to him. Therefore, the department said, Mr. Morehouse had no claim against the company and should write to its Tariff Department.

Mr. Morehouse wrote to the Tariff Department. He stated his case clearly. The head of the Tariff Department read Mr. Morehouse's letter. "Huh! Guinea pigs," he said. "Probably starved to death by this time." He wrote to the agent asking why the shipment was held up. He also wanted to know if the guinea pigs were still in good health.

Before answering, agent Flannery wanted to make sure his report was up to date. So he went to the back of the office and looked into the cage. Good Lord! There were now eight of them! All well and eating like hippopotamuses.

He went back to the office and explained to the head of the Tariff Department what the rules said about pigs. And as for the condition of the guinea pigs, said Flannery, they were all well. But there were eight of them now, all good eaters.

The head of the Tariff Department laughed when he read Flannery's letter. He read it again and became serious.

"By George!" he said. "Flannery is right. Pigs is pigs. I'll have to get something official on this." He spoke to the president of the company. The president treated the matter lightly. "What is the rate on pigs and on pets?" he asked.

"Pigs thirty cents, pets twenty-five," the head of the Tariff Department answered. "Then of course guinea pigs are pigs," the president said.

"Yes," the head of the Tariff Department agreed. "I look at it that way too. A thing that can come under two rates is naturally to be charged at the higher one. But are guinea pigs, pigs? Aren't they rabbits?"

"Come to think of it," the president said, "I believe they are more like rabbits. Sort of half-way between pig and rabbit. I think the question is this  are guinea pigs of the domestic pig family? I'll ask Professor Gordon. He is an expert about such things."

The president wrote to Professor Gordon. Unfortunately, the professor was in South America collecting zoological samples. His wife forwarded the letter to him.

The professor was in the High Andes Mountains. The letter took many months to reach him. In time, the president forgot the guinea pigs. The head of the Tariff Department forgot them. Mr. Morehouse forgot them. But agent Flannery did not. The guinea pigs had increased to thirty-two. He asked the head of the Tariff Department what he should do with them.

"Don't sell the pigs," agent Flannery was told. "They are not your property. Take care of them until the case is settled."

The guinea pigs needed more room. Flannery made a large and airy room for them in the back of his office.

Some months later he discovered he now had one hundred sixty of them. He was going out of his mind.

Not long after this, the president of the express company heard from Professor Gordon. It was a long and scholarly letter. It pointed out that the guinea pig was the cavia aparoea, while the common pig was the genus sus of the family suidae.

The president then told the head of the Tariff Department that guinea pigs are not pigs and must be charged only twenty-five cents as domestic pets. The Tariff Department informed agent Flannery that he should take the one hundred sixty guinea pigs to Mr. Morehouse and collect twenty-five cents for each of them.

Agent Flannery wired back. "I've got eight hundred now. Shall I collect for eight hundred or what? How about the sixty-four dollars I paid for cabbages to feed them?"

Many letters went back and forth. Flannery was crowded into a few feet at the extreme front of the office. The guinea pigs had all the rest of the room. Time kept moving on as the letters continued to go back and forth.

Flannery now had four thousand sixty-four guinea pigs. He was beginning to lose control of himself. Then, he got a telegram from the company that said: "Error in guinea pig bill. Collect for two guinea pigs -- fifty cents."

Flannery ran all the way to Mr. Morehouse's home. But Mr. Morehouse had moved. Flannery searched for him in town but without success. He returned to the express office and found that two hundred six guinea pigs had entered the world since he left the office.

At last, he got an urgent telegram from the main office: "Send the pigs to the main office of the company at Franklin." Flannery did so. Soon, came another telegram. "Stop sending pigs. Warehouse full." But he kept sending them.

Agent Flannery finally got free of the guinea pigs. "Rules may be rules," he said, "but so long as Flannery runs this express office, pigs is pets and cows is pets and horses is pets and lions and tigers and Rocky Mountain goats is pets. And the rate on them is twenty-five cents."

Then he looked around and said cheerfully, "Well, anyhow, it is not as bad as it might have been. What if them guinea pigs had been elephants?"

Download activities to help you understand this story here.

Now it's your turn. Did you ever have an experience with an official who did not understand you? Write to us in the Comments Section or on our Facebook page.

______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

interurban - n. between cities or towns

guinea pig - n. a small furry animal, or rodent, that is often kept as a pet

hippopotamus - n. a large African animal that has an extremely large head and mouth and short legs and that spends most of its time in water

genus - n. a group of related animals or plants that includes several or many different species

telegram - n. a message that is sent by telegraph (an old-fashioned system of sending messages over long distances by using wires and electrical signals)

Just for fun, here's a cartoon of the story.
Fires in the western United States have burned thousands of hectares of land. The fires have forced people to leave their homes in California and in the state of Washington.

The National Interagency Fire Center reported 32 fires in the western states. Seven new fires were reported by the middle of the week. Hot, dry winds this week have helped spread the fires.

The area around the city of Spokane, Washington is the center of firefighting efforts. Firefighter reinforcements have arrived in the area. Governor Jay Inslee declared a state of emergency in 20 counties in Washington.

The governor linked the latest fires to climate change and dead trees in the areas forests.

Firefighters in California's San Luis Obispo County have controlled a part of the 15,000-hectare fire. That fire is burning in Central California. It was threatening the historic Hearst Castle. The castle was home to William Randolph Hearst, a famous American newspaper publisher in the first half of the Twentieth Century.

By Tuesday, officials said the castle was no longer in danger from the fire. A shift in the wind pushed the blaze away from the castle.

Investigators in Southern California searched for the cause of a huge fire in San Bernardino County. That fire burned for about one week. The blaze destroyed more than 100 homes and 200 buildings.

Officials said the so-called Blue Cut fire was under control Tuesday.

Small fires burned in two popular national parks in Wyoming. One fire closed a main road at the west entrance to Yellowstone National Park. Another fire stopped traffic on a 20-kilometer area of a road in Grand Teton National Park. At Grand Teton, people were asked to leave at least one campground because of the threat of fire.

Im Dan Friedell.

The staff at VOA News wrote this story. Jim Dresbach adapted it for Learning English. Mario Ritter 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

firefighting  n. stopping and putting out fires

counties  n. areas of a state or country that include several towns and cities

blaze  n. an intense and dangerous fire

campground  n. a place cleared in the forest for people to put up a tent or park a camper
Nebraska has seen its budget growth cut from 6.5 percent per year to 3.6 percent since Gov. Pete Ricketts and State Sen. Mike Groene took office.

On Thursday, Ricketts and Groene hosted a town hall meeting at Great Plains Health to discuss issues that they say are at the forefront of Nebraskans minds. About 100 people attended the meeting.

Certainly, as I travel around the state, the No. 1 thing people talk about is taxes and, in particular, property taxes, Ricketts said. One of the things I think you all hired me to do was to bring my private sector experience to make government run more like a business. To make it more effective, more efficient.

Groene said what is happening in the state is related to Ricketts experience.

What you just heard is why you vote for somebody with a business background, Groene said. Neither Pete nor I held office before. We were not

conditioned. What you heard from him right here was a business outlook.

Ricketts elaborated on the factors that he believes are needed to help resolve the states property tax issues.

The only way to get sustainable tax relief is by controlling expenses, Ricketts said. There is no silver bullet here. You have to keep your expenses down and let your revenues grow, and thats how you get tax relief.

In the last legislative session, Ricketts said, I worked with Sen. [Mike] Gloor, who is chairman of the revenue committee, and Sen. [Kate] Sullivan, who is chairwoman of the education committee, on two bills, LB 958 and LB 959, which also address property taxes.

Its a real challenge to find that consensus to get those bills out of committee and get them through three rounds of voting, because youve got a lot of different constituencies in trying to find that common ground that can move those bills forward, which is a challenge. Those bills did get signed into law and are taking effect.

Education comprises about 44 percent of the states general fund appropriations with 28 percent going to state aid to schools, 14 percent to the University of Nebraska and 2 percent to community colleges.

Education is going to take a hit, Groene said. Its going to have to. So what does that mean  the property owner is going to take a hit.

Several audience members were given the opportunity to ask questions. One question was about licensing boards and whether they are a drain on the budget.

Weve already started to look at all those boards and commissions and licensing just in general, Ricketts said. As an example, one of the things weve been able to do in regards to Health and Human Services is to streamline licensing for nurses.

Ricketts said it was taking about 75 days for a nurse to get a license, and about 32 percent of first-time applicants were getting through because the process was complicated. He said after streamlining the process, 95 percent are getting through the first time.

Additionally, he said the state is evaluating whether to continue funding various organizations that are run by volunteer boards and no longer have accountability to the state.

Rose Stehno of North Platte asked about the status of an evaluation of the R-Project, a high-voltage transmission line that Nebraska Public Power District wants to build from the Gerald Gentleman Power Station at Sutherland to a proposed new substation in southern Holt County.

The Sandhills Task Force met with Ricketts last fall and followed up with a white paper submitted for Ricketts examination.

Since receiving the white paper, what is the status of you appointing a work group to look at the Sandhills situation? Stehno asked.

Ricketts said Stehno raised two subjects: One is the R-line that NPPD is building to be able to create alternative ways to transmit power through the state, which is a requirement as part of the Southwest Power Pool. Then theres the Sandhills Task Force, which talked about having a framework for long-term development and what we want to have in the Sandhills.

Ricketts said he has received the paper and would follow up with the people he has asked to talk about the situation, but that he did not have an answer for Stehno at this time.
Taylors College Sri Hartamas students raise funds for three childrens homes in 8th edition of annual charity run

>SUBANG JAYA, 25 August 2016  There is no better way to encourage members of the public to give back to society than to get everyone to contribute in a fun way.





Jog For Hope 2016 was testament to that. The annual run organised by Taylors College Sri Hartamas, which took place on 14 August 2016, saw 1,786 participants - from fun-loving strollers to elite runners, engaging in a morning of fitness and fun.





Along a route cutting through the hilly roads of Hartamas, runners ran for the right reasons  to contribute towards a charitable cause.





First organised in 2009, Jog For Hope is fully organised by students of Taylors College Sri Hartamas. This year, the organising committee comprised 42 students, supported by staff members of the college. Jog For Hope 2016  the 8 th edition of the event, featured three distances  the 3km Fun Run, 6km Turbo Run and 10km Resilience Run. Participation fees were RM35 for schoolchildren, RM45 for tertiary students, RM55 for all other participants, and RM 450 for a corporate group of 10 participants.

Jog For Hope 2016 successfully raised a total of RM69,000, which was then channelled to benefit three homes for underprivileged children.

The Kirtash Handicapped and Disabled Childrens Home in Rawang, the Sweet Care Home in Selayang and the Special Children Society in Ampang each received a donation of RM23,000.





Project manager Dheevanth Devendran was delighted at the success of the event. Education is more than just textbooks. Through this event, we were able to grow our leadership and life skills. I am proud of my committee for their hard work and sacrifice since April. We have gained tremendously in experience by organising this event. Thank you to everyone who helped us along the way - at every point of planning and execution. My appreciation also goes out to everyone who participated in the run  I hope you enjoyed yourselves! Each and every one of you is very much appreciated, Dheevanth said.





Dheevanth shared that the amount raised was well beyond the committees expectations. Overall, there were not as many participants as we had last year, but we managed to raise the funds needed. Thanks to the generosity of the participants, each home received a significant amount. We also had more sponsors this year compared to the previous year. On behalf of the committee, I would like to convey our deepest appreciation to the sponsors for contributing to this event, he added.





One participant, Tasha Thomas, who is a student at Taylors College, said that she thoroughly enjoyed the race. Its really nice to see everyone coming together for a good cause. For me, it was like a reunion as I got to meet some of my high school friends. And since this is my first time in a race, it was fun to run together, she said.





It was indeed an atmosphere of togetherness, as participation saw not only Taylors students, but also a mix of parents, children, locals, international visitors and just about everyone who had heard about the run.





Another participant, Ahmad, said he got to know about the race through one of his friends. I found out today that this run was organised entirely by students! What a great achievement. Looking at the amount raised and the charities that will benefit from the donations, I feel that my morning has been very well spent, helping these students succeed in their noble cause, he commented.





For further information on Jog For Hope 2016, please visit the website and for further details on Taylors College, please log on to http://college.taylors.edu.my





About Taylors College





Founded in 1969, Taylors College, a member of the Taylors Education Group, is a leading pre-university College in Malaysia providing university preparatory programmes including Cambridge A Levels (CAL), South Australian Matriculation (SAM)/SACE International and Canadian Pre-University (CPU) programmes. In 2009, Taylors College also introduced the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme (IBDP), the only private college in Malaysia that offers the programme in a unique college setting.





Every year, Taylors College places over 1,000 students into the top 200 universities in the world. Taylors College is the largest and most successful centre in Malaysia for CAL whilst its CPU programme has more than 80% qualified Canadian professionals, certified by the Ontario College of Teachers (OCT).100% of its SAM / SACE International teachers are on the SACE Board of South Australia panel of examiners and trained annually by SACE Board of South Australia. With qualified teachers from an average of 16 years of experience, IBDP programme is conducted in small class sizes and supportive environment to ensure that every student experiences personalised learning.





Taylors College is the only Malaysian college to have all campuses rated 6 Stars (outstanding) by the Ministry of Education Malaysia for two consecutive times, in the 2012/2013 and 2014/2015 MyQUEST evaluation for overall quality of learning.





Taylors College also clinched the No.1 ranking in Malaysia for students overall learning experience, students living experience and students support experience in the 2014 i-graduate survey which surveyed 211 colleges and universities worldwide.





With campuses in Subang Jaya and Sri Hartamas, Taylors College aims to produce well-rounded future leaders equipped with critical learning skills, life skills and leadership skills that are essential to academic and career success.
A serial burglar was arrested in Pinellas on Tuesday, St. Petersburg Police said.

Carlos Ramirez, 25, was arrested for six counts of burglary Tuesday

Officers say the crime spree started in July



According to reports, Carlos Ramirez has been on a burglary spree since July. Multiple agencies, including police in St. Petersburg as well as Pinellas Park, pegged the 25-year-old man for a string of break-ins.

Ramirez was charged with three commercial burglaries in St. Petersburg, two burglaries in Pinellas Park, and an additional burglary that took place in the Pinellas County Sheriff's Office jurisdiction.
Here's what you need to know about Tampa Bay area weather for the overnight hours heading into Saturday:

Hot again, afternoon temperatures in 90s



40 percent rain chances



Tropical low near Cuba



Showers and storms moved westward across the area late this afternoon into this evening. Any lingering showers will also move west into the gulf, with clearing conditions overnight into early Saturday.

Morning lows will be in the mid to upper 70s.

The same pattern we saw the past couple days will be the one we see this weekend.

Winds will blow from the east, with any showers and storms coming from the other side of the state and moving through our area in the afternoon to early evening.The best coverage of storms in this type of pattern is near our coastal areas as the storms move out into the gulf.



Otherwise, you can expect partly sunny skies this weekend with continued summer highs in the low to mid 90s. The breeze will make for rougher than normal boating conditions at times in the Gulf.

We continue to watch a broad area of low pressure associated with a tropical wave between the southeastern Bahamas and the northeastern coast of Cuba.

We will continue to monitor this area through the weekend. Regardless of development, rain coverage will increase during the weekend and early next week across Florida. We will keep you posted with our regular Tropical Update.



Its moving west-northwest. If the system can survive and move through the Florida Straits and into the Gulf of Mexico, conditions could become more favorable for development over the weekend or early next week.



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There's a Welsh word (with no direct translation in English) that probably means a deep, nostalgic sense of longing for a home that maybe is long gone, or maybe never existed. The word is Hiraeth, and it has a deep connection with Dev Patel's next film Lion, which deals with a boy trying to find his way back home.

Garth Davis' Lion (he's previously directed Shantaram) reminds you of the word, and Dev Patel embodies it beautiful with every expression he channels in the 2 minute trailer of the film.

Lion begins with placing the story front of you simply: a boy from India, Saroo, has been adopted by an Australian couple (Nichole Kidman and David Wenham) feels a sense of void in his current life, and decides to search for his estranged family back in Kolkata.

Immediately the film reminds of you bits and pieces from two other films: Irrfan Khan's misplaced sense of identity beautiful portrayed by stares of longing in The Namesake, and fleeting glimpses of a aspiration to be back where you belong (in this case India) from Dev Patel's own Slumdog Millionaire.

Patel captures the sense of neither here nor there beautifully; he's a talented actor, no doubt. But you can't help but get the sense from the Lion trailer that you've seen these visuals, this performance, these dynamics, and/or these emotions before.

Is that a bad thing? Or that merely nostalgia manifesting itself in a different form? Lion doesn't allow you to ponder too much on those questions.

Saroo's story begins in Kolkata, India, where he lives on the street with his brother. He meanders into an abandoned train compartment one night, and falls asleep. When he wakes up the train is moving and he find himself completely lost. The story ends with him, seemingly having found his happy ending in Australia, with loving foster parents.

But the middle of the story, and what forms the crux of the narrative, is Saroo's longing to go back to where he belongs. The cackles of his childhood haunt him. This is a familiar story, and perhaps an even more familiar set up, but it still resonates. We see Rooney Mara in an appearance as well.

Lion is all set to premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, and will also be screened at the London Film Festival in October. It will release worldwide in November.

Also read: TIFF 2016 guide: La La Land, The Magnificient Seven, Loving among must-see films

Watch the trailer for Lion here:
Celebrated fashion designer, stylist and possibly the best in the business, Manish Malhotra joined us on The Firstpost Show with Renil Abraham straight after the preview of his special virtual reality show that he is doing at Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2016 in association with Etihad Airways.

From moving from infront of the camera to behind the scenes as one of the biggest designers the world has ever seen, to how nervous he gets in the backstage and to a fun round of 'This or That', Manish Malhotra did spill a few beans on the show.

He told us about how he started off as a model and then realized that his calling was designing. From working as a sales boy in a boutique to now, he has come a long way ahead.

Manish was not planning to do a show at the Winter Festive season of Lakme Fashion Week 2016 because of too many wedding orders, but Etihad Airways came on board for something completely unique and new. For the first ever time, a fashion show would be shot for virtual reality and this would ensure that whoever uses the virtual reality video later would get the same view and feel as the front row audience. From a bit of back stage action to the ramp, the this would include everything.

Towards the end of the show, he played a few fun rounds of 'This or That' where he was given options and had choose one among the two. He chose Karishma Kapoor over Kareena Kapoor, but chose Kareena over Deepika. His latest 'Persian Story' collection makes it looks like the 'Fawad Khan bee' has bit him too as he chose Fawad over Arjun Kapoor. Between two of his closest friends, Karan Johar and Niranjan Iyengar, he chose Karan and explained that the choices he make are based on the amount of time he spent working with that person.

There is much more to this conversation, watch the full show right here.
Mumbai: Many filmmakers might have stood up against the guidelines of the CBFC, but director Shoojit Sircar says he never had any face-off with the Censor Board as it has always "treated" his films nicely.

Lately, the CBFC (Central Board of Film Certification) has had many run-ins with leading Bollywood directors due to

its demand for multiple cuts in the films, which according to the makers, kill the crux of the content.

Shoojit who has directed films like Yahaan, Vicky Donor, Madras Cafe and Piku, however, says he never faced

objections from the board.

"I have done four films and all have been sensitive. But the censor board has not objected anything in my films.

People say censor board is this or that I would say I have never faced any (trouble)," the filmmaker told PTI.

"They (board) have always understood the intention behind the films that we make. We have positive feeling about

the Censor Board. They have certified my four films and have treated them nicely. I have faith in them."

Shoojit, who is gearing up for his upcoming home production film Pink feels CBFC has always been good and supportive to him.

When asked if the board has suggested any cuts for his upcoming production Pink, Shoojit said, "We have shown them the film. And there have been no objections yet (raised by them). We are in healthy discussions with them."

The director-producer is hoping that the CBFC will give a U/A certificate.

Featuring Amitabh Bachchan and Taapsee Pannu in lead roles, Pink is an upcoming courtroom dramathriler, which revolves around three girls who are trapped in a criminal case. They are tried in the court for an attempt to murder case and defaming some men.

The film that unravels in the courtroom, also show that the three girls were possibly sexually assaulted by the

men who are now being held as the victims.

"Pink is a thrilling subject and it touches on some women related issues. It is real life story, inspired by what

happens in society," Shoojit said.

It has been directed by Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury.

While Aniruddha was keen on making Pink in Bengali, Shoojit was adamant that the story of this film deserved a

wider release.

"The subject of Pink was with us since 2013, but we were figuring out things. For the film we have taken inspiration from real life cases of working women across the country, we looked at several incidents," Shoojit said.

According to the Piku director, the court room scenes in his upcoming film are close to reality.

"We went to a sessions court and we tried to be as honest and real as we could. There is no unnecessary shouting."

Besides getting the story in place, Shoojit and his team spent lot of time on deciding the title - Pink.

"We worked very hard to get the perfect title. It took us a long time to get the title. Our writer for the film came up with the title and we jumped at it. It is a contemporary title," he added.

The film will open in cinema houses on 16 September.
New Delhi: Flipkart has rejigged its top deck yet again, carving a bigger role for head of 'category design management' Kalyan Krishnamurthy among other changes, to create a "top-team with clear accountabilities".

The rejig at Flipkart, the third major one this year, comes at a time when the Bengaluru-based firm is locked in a battle with global rival Amazon for market leadership.

In an internal note, Flipkart said the goal of the reorganisation is to "increase focus on Flipkart Group, consolidate to simplify organisation and creation of top-team with clear accountabilities".

The new structure will help the company better manage its functions and operations of the marketplace as well those of Myntra (and Jabong), Ekart (logistics) and PhonePe (wallet).

"In the last few months, Flipkart has made considerable progress in creating the foundation of an e-commerce conglomerate... Flipkart is now in a position to combine its strengths," the note said.

Co-founder Binny Bansal will focus more on his role as Flipkart Group CEO and consequently, Commerce will be managed by former Tiger Global (Flipkart's largest shareholder) executive Kalyan Krishnamurthy and Saikiran Krishnamurthy. They will report to Bansal.

Kalyan will lead the ad, Market Place (sellers), marketing and customer shopping experience businesses in addition to category design management.

Saikiran will look after supply chain as well as part of his existing role as Head of Ekart.

Another change in the structure is expansion of Nitin Seth's role from Chief People officer to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), consolidating strategy, strategy deployment, quality, HR, corporate development, analytics, planning and communications.

Flipkart has also consolidated all engineering functions under Ravi Garikipati. He currently heads the advertising unit.

Peeyush Ranjan, who has moved back to the US, will have a focussed role as head of the newly formed US Office and F7 Labs.

Myntra and PhonePe would continue to be headed by Ananth Narayanan and Sameer Nigam, respectively, the note said.
Mumbai - National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) on Thursday said the Unified Payments Interface (UPI) is live and currently available for customers of 21 banks.

Here are the key facts you need to know about the new payments system:

What is UPI?

UPI is an app - a payment solution which empowers a recipient to initiate the payment request from a smartphone. It facilitates virtual payment address as a payment identifier for sending and collecting money and works on single click 2-factor authentication. A government press release explains the system as follows: The product will enable money transfers  both Push and Pull through smart phones. According to it, the two important features of UPI are, (i) it facilitates customer convenience by eliminating the need for providing detailed account/beneficiary details, through the use of virtual address and (ii) it facilitates interoperability of person-to-merchant payments (both push and pull).

The soft launch of UPI was announced by the outgoing Reserve Bank Governor Raghuram Rajan in April this year and was under pilot run, mainly with employee-customers, for some time.

After assessing the success of pilot run, RBI had accorded its final approval for public launch of the product.

How exactly does this work? How is it different from the online payment system presently in use?

Currently to to make an online payment, first you need to add the beneficiary details, including the individual's name, bank account number, IFS code, etc. While using UPI app, these processes are not required as the identifier is the virtual payment address or the unique ID of the beneficiary. This unique ID can be your phone number tagged along with the name of your bank.

Once you have the unique ID of the beneficiary, enter the app, put the amount to be paid, unique ID and click 'send' button. The banks will have to make their apps UPI-enabled.

Also, unlike RTGS and NEFT, UPI app can be used to transfer funds 24 hours.

According to NPCI, which developed the system, the UPI app will be made available on Google Play Store by banks.

Which banks have gone live with the app now?

Customers of as many as 21 banks can avail of the app's services. Some of the banks which have gone live are Andhra Bank, Axis Bank, Bank of Maharashtra, Bhartiya Mahila Bank, Canara Bank, Oriental Bank of Commerce, Union Bank of India and Vijaya Bank, among others.

NPCI's decision was to allow only those banks with 1,000 customers, 5,000 transactions and success rate of around 80 percent during the pilot runs to go live. The threshold criteria helped banks refine their systems and procedure, NPCI said.

How is it beneficial for the customers?

It makes payments easier and quicker. As e-commerce marketplace Flipkart, which recently bought out a UPI startup PhonePe, says, "In contrast to the present payments process, which involves entering numerous account/card details and multi-level interventions, UPI will provide a highly secure hassle-free digital payments experience."

The app also provides an option for scheduling push and pull transactions for various purposes like sharing bills among peers. One can use the UPI app instead of paying cash on delivery on receipt of product from online shopping websites and can pay for miscellaneous expenses like paying utility bills, over the counter payments, bar code (scan and pay) based payments, donations, school fees and other such unique and innovative use cases.

Why is it important?

This is a step towards transforming India into a cashless economy.

According to this article, only six percent of the merchants and retailers in the country have the infrastructure for accepting card payments. So the transactions are mostly made in cash, which makes it difficult to arrest tax evasion. UPI's significance has to be seen in this context. Cashless transactions will arrest generation of black money and increase tax compliance, boosting revenues for the government.

For e-commerce companies in particular, this is likely to give a big leg-up. Announcing the buyout of PhonePe, Flipkart CEO Binny Bansal said, "Payment has been one of the biggest hurdles for mass adoption of online shopping in India. UPI has the potential of transforming the entire payments ecosystem in the country."

Moreover, as NPCI Managing Director and CEO AP Hota says, "Real-time sending and receiving money through a mobile application at such a scale on inter-operable basis had not been attempted anywhere else in the world."

(With input from agencies)
New Delhi: The USFDA has found significant violations of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) norms at a plant in Philadelphia that was earlier owned by Sun Pharmaceutical and has issued a warning letter to its current owner, Frontida BioPharm.

The Philadelphia plant is among the two facilities that Sun Pharma had sold to Frontida BioPharm in June this year, along with 15 products, for an undisclosed amount.

In a letter to Frontida BioPharm CEO Song Li, the USFDA said: "Because your methods, facilities, or controls for manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding do not conform to CGMP, your drug products are adulterated..."

The USFDA had inspected the drug manufacturing facility from 15 June to 17 July, 2015.

The health regulator said the quality unit knowingly released 27 lots of various strengths of clonidine HCl tablets on or about March 5, 2015, despite evidence that active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used in their manufacture was potentially contaminated.

The quality unit of the plant failed to ensure CGMP-related records are accurate, contain appropriate documentation and are consistent with your standard operating procedure, the letter added.

The FDA has warned the Frontida BioPharm to correct the violations cited in this letter "promptly".

"Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in legal action without further notice including, without limitation, seizure and injunction," the letter said.

It, however, does not mention Sun Pharma or its executives.

At the time of selling the units, Sun Pharma did not mention anything about the FDA inspections and had simply stated that it was selling the plants as part of its manufacturing consolidation in the US.
(This article has been republished with latest updates.)

The Kingfisher-Vijay Mallya saga has taken a fresh turn with the apex court asking the 17 banks to respond to a plea made by Mallya seeking the recall of the notice of contempt for the alleged non-disclosure of assets.

Banks had on 25 July told the court that Mallya has not disclosed his full assets including $45 million received by him from Diageo as part of his sweetheart deal. The banks today again told the court that the liquor baron's non-disclosure was deliberate. However, it is not yet clear whether banks will manage to finally convince the apex court that Mallya had indeed furnished inaccurate details. If they do, the beer boss can get into deeper troubles.

But the point is no matter how the case evolves in the apex court, till the time Mallya refuses to return from UK, chances for any action against him appear less. Mallya is likely to have the last laugh in this battle.

It has been six months after Mallya, whose grounded Kingfisher Airline owes Rs 9,000 crore to 17 banks, left the country to the UK, the case hasnt made any serious progress yet. This is despite several attempts by the bank consortium, the government and investigative agencies to nail Mallya to get him to repay the money and courts issuing warnings against Mallya. The case is pretty much at the point where it all started in 2012 when banks classified Kingfisher loan as a non-performing asset (NPA) and cried foul on Mallyas financial conduct. Mallya has so far denied any wrongdoing.

On Thursday, banks yet again failed to find any takers for an auction that put Kingfisher brand logo (valued Rs 4,000 crore by consultancy Grant Thornton once), and its once-famous tag-line 'Fly the Good Times' on the block besides some immovable assets of the grounded bird. The auction itself seemed like a desperate attempt with banks putting even some of the movable assets worth a mere Rs 13.70 lakh lying at the Kingfisher House up for auction including eight cars  Toyota Innova and Corolla, and Honda City and Civic among others, the reserve price of each car ranging from Rs 90,000 to Rs 2.50 lakh.

Remember, this is the second failed attempt to auction Kingfisher assets by banks. Early this month, banks had failed to get any bidders for the 17,000 square feet Kingfisher House in Mumbai. The reason for the failure isnt hard to imagineno one wants to try their luck in a case that is in a major mess and also considering the erosion in their value, leaving banks helpless in recovery.

What is the progress made on the investigation-front? The attempts of the Narendra Modi government to deport Mallya from the UK and later to extradite him failed miserably since there wasnt a strong case against the billionaire.

The cancellation of Mallyas passport was done a bit too early giving him an excuse not to come back. As a last ditch effort the Narendra Modi government is now readying to invoke a 21-year-old bilateral treaty with the United Kingdom to get him back. Thats kind of unheard in cases involving well known businessmen in India at least in recent history. Under the 1995 treaty-- Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty (MLAT)-- countries can seek "transfer of persons, including persons in custody, for the purpose of assisting in investigations or giving evidence in proceedings".

Will the government make any major headway in getting Mallya back after invoking MLAT? One can hope, but it is unlikely. Sources in the banking sector said it is difficult to convince the UK government about the criminal offence against Mallya sufficient enough to invoke MLAT. The simple reason is that a section of banks haven't so far found any evidence of financial misappropriation or diversion by Mallya. Is there any likelihood for banks to get their dues now?

Chances for that appear very less too. A possibility for that arises only if the investigative agencies make a waterproof case to nab and bring him back to home soil. Early this month the CBI filed a fresh FIR in the case and two days ago the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a fresh case against Mallya. According to the banks, Mallyas total dues to banks are over Rs 9,000 crore while Mallya has been claiming that the figure isnt correct and he owes much lesser (around Rs 6,000 crore) to lenders post some repayments. A few months back, banks had rejected Mallyas offer to make part payment of the loan saying they arent convinced about the offer.

The less discussed problem here is that there is an interest amount getting accrued on the defaulted amount, which makes the amount even bigger. On the other hand, the value of the underlying assets Kingfisher has pledged to banks has deteriorated, making recovery even more difficult for banks. The fact that even after tagging Mallya as wilful defaulter (a promote who wouldnt pay back to banks even if he has the capacity), banks have miserably failed to make any progress on recovery, which raises questions on the efficacy of the much-hyped wilful defaulter tag in corporate loan recovery. Remember, Mallya isn't the only one with that tag in India.

There are several large corporate default cases banks are battling with. The Kingfisher case has set a bad example for those borrowers. As it appears now, with almost half a year since Mallya left the country and banks in utter helplessness in making any meaningful recovery, the question arises: Has the government admitted a quiet defeat in the Mallya case?
Vodafone Group Plc's Indian unit is likely to delay filing the draft prospectus for its up to $3 billion initial public offering (IPO) until towards the end of the year, IFR reported on Thursday.

The filing, previously expected in September or October, is being delayed because Vodafone wants to wait for new rival Reliance Industries to launch its telecoms services, IFR, a Thomson Reuters publication, cited a source as saying.

A Vodafone Group spokesman declined to comment when contacted by Reuters.

The IPO, expected to raise between Rs 13,300 crore and Rs 20,000 crore ($2-$3 billion), could potentially surpass a Rs 15,500 crore IPO by state-run Coal India in 2010 to become India's biggest IPO.

Vodafone India, the No.2 mobile phone carrier by market share and revenue, and other players in India's crowded telecoms market are bracing for the entry of Reliance Jio, a new telecom venture controlled by India's richest man Mukesh Ambani.

Reliance Jio, which has already invested $20 billion in buying airwaves and building its network, is expected to launch commercial operations later this year, and will add to the competitive intensity of the market.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Kotak and UBS are joint global coordinators and the bookrunners with Axis, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, ICICI Securities and JM Financial for the planned Vodafone IPO, according to IFR.
Many more leading lights in India Inc are turning to philanthropy. The latest to join the bandwagon is A M Naik, Group Executive Chairman, L&T, engineering and construction conglomerate.

With just a year to go before stepping down from one of India's top-notch private sector company, Naik said he would pledge 75 percent of his total earnings to charity.

Invoking his father and grandfather, Naik said since they hardly had any money, they were committed to the poor, and following their footsteps he has decided to use 75 percent of his income towards setting up two charitable trusts, The Economic Times reported.

Since 1995, Naik has donated Rs 125 crore to charitable initiatives, the ET report said.

Naik, who has been with Larsen & Toubro for more than 50 years - he joined the firm in 1965, will undertake philanthropical activities through two charitable trusts - the Naik Charitable Trust for education and skill training and the Nirali Memorial Medical Trust. The latter has been named after his grand daughter who died of cancer in 2007, the report said.

Not just Naik, a 2015 report released by China-based Hurun showed India's philanthropy list was led by Wipro Chairman Azim Hashim Premji. According to the report, Premji donated Rs 27,514 crore last year, accounting for 80 percent of the total donations of Rs 35,000 crore made by 36 Indian philanthropists, a Mint report said in January this year.

In fact, Premji's philonthropy act helped improved the average size of donation to Rs 900 crore from the pathetic Rs 300 crore in 2014, although the number of philanthropists fell to 36 from 50 in 2014, the Mint report said.

The Hurun report also highlighted that the education sector was the most favored philanthropic cause, which accounted for 84 percent of total donations.

Besides Premji, former Infosys co-founder Nandan and his wife Rohini Nilekani donated Rs 2,404 crore, followed by Infosys chief N.R. Narayana Murthy (Rs 1,322 crore) and co-founder K. Dinesh and family (Rs 1,238 crore), the Mint report said.

According to a Bain & Company report on India's Philanthropy report released in 2015, philanthropy in India is significantly ahead of that in other countries with similar levels of prosperity.

"However, the potential scope for philanthropy in India remains vast, with the country facing many unaddressed social development problems," the Bain report said.
Lucknow: The Allahabad High Court on Friday stayed the arrest of six members of the family of Mohammad Akhlaq, who was lynched in his native village Bisahda in Gautam Budh Nagar district in September last year over beef consumption rumours.

A bench of Justices Prabhat Chandra Tripathi and Ramesh Sinha, however, did not stay the arrest of Jaan Mohammad, a brother of Akhlaq. Those whose arrests were stayed included Akhlaq's wife Ikraman and mother Asgari.

On 14 July, a court in Greater Noida directed the police to lodge an FIR against members of Akhlaq's family. Chief Judicial Magistrate Vijay Kumar also asked police to investigate the entire matter again, following a petition by a Bisahda resident.

The petition, which named seven family members, including Akhlaq's wife Ikraman and mother Asgari, came in the wake of a forensic report in May that claimed the meat found in Akhlaq's house was that of a cow or its progeny.

The petitioner, backed by those accused of Akhlaq's murder, alleged that the family had killed a calf and that Akhlaq's brother Jaan Mohammad was seen slitting the throat of the animal.

A mob had lynched 52-year-old Mohammad Akhlaq and injured his son Danish after dragging them out of their home in Bisahda on 28 September, 2015, following rumours they had slaughtered a cow and consumed beef. A total of 19 persons were accused in the case.
Tiny pieces of metal shrapnel employed by police in Kashmir are causing havoc in the state. Known widely as pellet guns, these have been employed by police as a crowd control measure since 2010.

These guns, as explained the BBC, can hold up to 500 pellets, which are reportedly less lethal than bullets even if they do cause equally serious injuries  especially to the eye. Soon enough, doctors in Srinagar on 10 August, staged a silent protest by covering one eye with a bandage to represent those victims who have been blinded due to pellets.

In July, the Jammu and Kashmir government rejected the use of these guns by government forces and sought a report from the Centre on the handling of "lethal weapons by untrained personnel". However, the CRPF informed the Jammu and Kashmir High Court that a ban on pellet guns may cause more fatalities because they may be forced to fire bullets in extreme situations. Meanwhile, the Amnesty International, which termed the weapon as "less-lethal" with "deadly consequences", has asked the Jammu and Kashmir government to stop the use of pellet guns.

At a press conference in Srinagar, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said that there should be an alternative to pellet guns. "It was believed in 2010 that the pellet gun is a non-lethal weapon that does not do much damage. But today, we feel that there should be some alternative to pellet guns," he said, adding that "the expert committee report will be out soon and we will find an alternative to pellet guns".

The expert committee has now proposed the alternative of chilli-filled PAVA shells, a less-lethal munition that temporarily incapacitates the target and renders them immobile for several minutes.

What does PAVA stand for?

The name PAVA expands to Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide, also called Nonivamide, and is a organic compound found characteristically in natural chilli pepper.

On the Scoville scale  which is a measurement of the pungency of chillies  PAVA is categorised as "above peak", which means it will severely irritate and paralyse humans, but temporarily fashion. This is also used as a food additive to add flavour and spice to food.

PAVA is also "biosafe, better than chilli grenade or tear smoke shell and can also be used in combination with stun and tear shells" by security forces facing unruly protesters in place of pellet guns, the committee noted.

How do PAVA shells work?

PAVA, according to the committee, can be categorised in the less-lethal munition category and once fired, the shells burst out to temporarily stun, immobilise and paralyse the target (protesters) in a more effective way than a tear gas shell or pepper sprays.

According to a report in the Hindustan Times, the chilli-based ammunition was employed by US law enforcement agencies in the Ferguson unrest, where 18-year-old African-American Michael Brown was shot by police officer Darren Wilson. The report added that the CRPF has been using PAVA in the Valley for the last couple of days.

Other non-lethal weapons across the world

Tear gas is a popular measure for crowd control, having been used at Tahrir Square to control demonstrations, at Port-au-Prince to curb looting and increase security, and at Ferguson to keep protesters at bay, even though it's a chemical agent that has been banned in warfare as per the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, which the US and other countries signed.

Pepper spray is also widely used from Ferguson to the Occupy Wall Street protests and recently in Kansas City, by the police on horseback to control crowds outside a Donald Trump rally.

Skunk, which is aptly named, has been employed by the Israeli forces since 2008 to scatter Palestinian protesters. It's a liquid made from ingredients such as yeast and protein and is non-toxic; it's developers maintain that it's drinkable. Side effects include the incredible stench that takes days to was off bodies and clothes.

Water cannons, that evolved from fire hoses and which first appeared in Germany in the 1930s, are still in use in Northern Ireland and Turkey. They are not, however, widely used in the US since the Civil Rights Movement.

During the Ferguson unrest, the Missouri police was reported to have shot protesters with wooden pellets, which are also known as "less lethal wooden baton rounds". Wooden pellets are just one of the four categories in baton rounds, with the other three being rubber bullets, plastic bullets and bean-bag rounds. The rubber bullets, which are used as a non-lethal alternative to standard bullets, are known to cause significant pain and result in haematomas (where clotted blood swells within the tissues) and bruises. Plastic bullets were introduced by the British Army in the 1970s to control Northern Irish protesters  these may be less deadly, but at close range they can be fatal.

Bean-bag rounds are also deemed "less-lethal" but are capable of knocking someone to the ground.

With inputs from PTI
In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court on Friday lifted the the ban on entry of women into the inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, reported CNN News18.

The court also said that the state and the Haji Ali Trust together will have to ensure protection of female worshipers.

#FLASH Haji Ali Dargah women entry case: Women allowed in inner sanctum  ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016 HC said ban on women is unconstitutional.Dargah trust said they will approach SC: Raju More,Petitioner's lawyer pic.twitter.com/oQIAS0Kaog  ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

A two-judge division bench of the HC, comprising Justice V M Kanade AMD and Justice Revati Mohite Dhere, declared that the ban on female worshipers was violative of Article 14, 15 and 21 of the Constitution. Under the said Articles, a person is guaranteed equality before law and has the fundamental right to practice any religion he or she wants. They prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion, gender and so on, and provide freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

HC should not have interfered but now that they have given a decision against us we will approach SC: Haji Rafat,MIM pic.twitter.com/2In3CTJvIl  ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

This is very wrong because seems like Court has taken step without knowing about Sharia law: Maulana Sajid Rashidi pic.twitter.com/WtMngNykTD  ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

According to Indian Express , a Public Interest Litigation was filed on 28 July, by women activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Soman from the NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, challenging the ban on the entry of women into the inner sanctum of the citys Haji Ali Dargah.

Zakia Soman, one of the petitioners, has said that the high court's judgement will go a long way in helping the Muslim woman's flight, as reported by CNN News 18.

Soman said they were overwhelmed by the decision. "We are overjoyed and overwhelmed. We are waiting for the feeling to sink in. So, it is a historic judgement and we welcome it whole heartedly and we are so grateful that the muslim women, the ordinary muslim women have got justice. We are extremely happy at the way the judgement has come," she said.

On the court ordering the stay, she said, "We have already won and we are democratic people and we recognise the democratic right of the other party to challenge the verdict and go to the higher court.

"Unlike them, we will not like to come in the way of their democratic rights. But the Bombay High Court verdict is in our favour. It has restored the gender justice principles as found in the Quran as well as in the Constitution of India. It is a victory for the women all over the country and nothing can take away from that."

Very happy, this is a great step towards justice for Muslim women: Zakia Soman,Petitioner in Haji Ali Dargah case pic.twitter.com/b5HtFN909y  ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

Trupti Desai, gender-rights activist, who has led a campaign for allowing entry to women at places of worship, said the decision of the high court is "historic". "The right which was given to women since 1950s was not implemented properly. Women were not allowed to enter the shrine. We welcome the High Court order and it is a big win for women.

"It is a victory of all women and Bhumata brigade against patriarchial thinking. We wil be going to the shrine on Sunday after the court order is available online tomorrow," she said.

The Supreme Court should follow the high court order and entry of women to the Sabrimala temple also should be allowed, Desai demanded, adding, "we will not let anyone snatch our rights".

This is an historic decision, we welcome the HC order, big win for women: Trupti Desai on Haji Ali Dargah case pic.twitter.com/nVqsa3ybVJ  ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

The PIL stated that gender justice is inherent in Quran and the decision contravenes the Hadith, which proves that there is no prohibition on women visiting graves.

The Haji Ali Trust, the defendants in this case, had upheld the ban, arguing that women in close proximity to the tomb of a male saint, was against Islam and would be considered a sin, as reported by DNA.

"Women are not allowed inside mosques in Saudi Arabia. They are given a separate place to pray. We (trust) have not barred women. It is simply regulated for their safety. The trust not only administers the dargah but also manages the affairs of the religion," advocate Shoaib Memon told DNA.

The report added that the state government had told the court that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of the dargah only if it was so enshrined in the Quran. "The ban on women's entry cannot be justified on the basis of an expert's interpretation of the Quran," advocate general Shrihari Aney had argued.

ordjud by Firstpost on Scribd

With inputs from agencies.
Editor's Note: This article was originally published on 28 April when Trupti Desai first made an effort to enter the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. In light of Friday's Bombay High Court ruling that allows the entry of women into the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah, this piece is being republished.

Recent developments about women from different faith backgrounds demanding equality over the right to religious worship are extremely important and should be seen as historical. Given that patriarchy draws sustenance from customs, traditions and practices purportedly based on religion, these latest moves by women assume tremendous significance. Indian women are coming out in the open demanding justice and challenging the male hegemony over religion. They have seen through the age-old game of male orthodoxies appropriating religion and planting themselves as sole custodians of places of worship thereby excluding anybody who doesnt blindly accept their authority. Women can participate in Pujas in temples and Urs in dargahs so long as women agree to abide by rules and regulations devised by male patriarchs. But women questioning the discriminatory rules and traditions is out of the question!

The Haji Ali Sabke Liye is a heartening step as it signifies a larger churning in Indian society for a just and fair world order where women are treated as equal human beings. It signifies that Trupti Desai is not alone in this fight. It signifies that Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan is not alone in this fight. More significantly, it means that women are not alone in this fight. There are men in large numbers who support this struggle for justice and equality. It signifies that hindu women and men are speaking out in support of muslim women and vice versa. It signifies that sizable number of muslim men are willing to stand up to defend the rights of their sisters from all faiths. This is a historic movement with long-term significance for Indian democracy and for the future of religion in the modern world.

Exclusion of women in the name of religion has been the case world over and particularly in South Asia. Sati, dowry, widow ostracisation, triple talaq, servile bahudom [daughter-in-lawhood] are all unjust practices based on some or the other myth invented within the religious framework. The source can be invented at will from the Puranas or manusmriti or concocted ahadis  they are all meant to misguide society and force the women into unquestioning submission. What better way to further the male superiority fable other than customs based on religion! While some of these issues are very much real even in modern India, the exclusion of women from places of religious worship  temples and dargahs  in particular stands out.

For centuries male hegemonies have owned or presided over places of religious worship be they churches, temples, dargahs, mosques etc. This control over places of religious worship is key to the larger hegemony over women and thereby whole communities. So, when the temple trust decides that women are impure and cannot enter the chabutra [inner sanctum] an exclusionary practice becomes the norm. Suddenly in 2011 the Haji Ali Trust decided that women cannot be allowed into the mazaar [sanctum where the Pir lies buried] and this was meant to become the norm. This diktat overnight declares us women as impure and inferior and therefore we are barred from entering the mazaar and offering the chadar with our own hands.

It is another matter that till 2011, we had been going right into the mazaar and offering our prayers. Can these arbitrary rules and regulations be accepted? Would not every believer, every human being, every Indian, every muslim, every hindu question it?

What we are witnessing presently is this questioning of male hegemonies, be it the Shani Mandir, Sabarimala or Haji Ali. Fortunately, there are enough number of citizens of India, both hindus and muslims who are not willing to accept such misogynist practices in the name of religion. For one, it is a violation of religious tenets of justice and equality. Secondly, it is also a violation of the Constitutional principles of justice irrespective of gender and sex. Places of religious worship are public places and they cannot be permitted to violate the rights of citizens on account of their gender or sex.

The courts are upholding the highest principles of justice and equality and they are a great source of inspiration for all who believe in equality of the sexes. It is heartening that Haji Ali Sabke Liye has citizens from all faith backgrounds  hindus, muslims, Christians, Sikhs, parsi  men and women who have decided to join the fight for justice. It includes citizens from all sections of society - activists, writers, thinkers, film makers, scholars, academics, business persons, students, lawyers, IT professionals, shop owners  a slice of our multi-cultural multi-religious society! Along with Trupti Desai and her group these citizens have decided to stand up and be counted for womens equality in religion.

All power to Indian citizens in this quest for a just and fair world!

Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz are co-Founders of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan
The Prakash Singh Committees 450-page first report on the Jat reservation agitation riots brought startling facts in the public eye, related to the damage and destruction caused due to violence, including the loss of lives.

The report made scathing remarks on the failure of the civil administration and police in controlling the rampaging mobs. Embarrassed by the findings of the report, the Haryana government asked the head of the probe panel, Prakash Singh, a former Director General of Border Security Force and former DGP (Uttar Pradesh), not to go ahead with the second part of the report  which was to be on police reforms.

A thank you letter and a big No  that was all that the Haryana government had to say to the prospects of bringing any kind of reforms in the states police administration, due to the "immense pressure on the government from certain political and bureaucratic sections. A former member of National Security Advisory Board and a Padma Shri awardee, Singh spoke to Firstpost, revealing the behind-the-scene story of sounding the death knell to Prakash Singh Committees second part of the report.

Excerpts from the interview:

As per news reports, the Haryana government has asked you not to work on the second part of your two-part report  on riots caused during the Jat agitation. When did you come to know about it?

Nearly three weeks ago, I got a formal letter from the additional chief secretary (Home) of the Haryana government, asking me not go ahead with the second part of the report. In the letter, the government thanked me for my work and for completing the first part of the report in record time.

However, they said that they do not consider it necessary to have the second part of the probe panels report on police reforms and structures. The government said that they would implement the recommendations I made in the first report and that it would be enough. In other words, the state government, this time, didnt want any recommendations from me on reforms, as they had wanted earlier.

What could have been the possible reason for that?

In my report, a section of politicians, bureaucrats and police officials have been indicted for dereliction of duty and it caused a lot of commotion as it became unpalatable for the government. Obviously, the particular section wasnt happy and they didnt want anything more embarrassing to come up in the second report.

Besides, there are godfathers of these officials who didnt want anything uncanny to come up against them as well. They created a lot of pressure on the government, especially on Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who himself is a simple and honest man.

Besides the findings of the first report  that became public  what could have been the pressing reason for the Haryana government to prevent you from working on the second part?

See, the first report acted as a bitter pill for the government and it had to take action against some (if not all) of the officials in the administration and police. Amicus Curie Anupam Gupta actively pursued my report in the Punjab and Haryana High Court, following which the High Court asked for the action-taken report from Haryana government.

Notices were issued to IAS and IPS officers. The government has to tell the court on 1 September as to what they have done (action taken) on the first report. Here, the destiny of the second report became clear as they decided to dump the plan that could bring about reforms in police administration.

Could you elaborate on your probe panels two-part report?

After the Jat agitation over the reservation issue, and the mayhem that followed, the Haryana government wanted me to work on two broad areas. One, on the role of administration and police in the reservation riot, the cause and the aftermath; and second on police reforms, on how to improve functioning, structure and other aspects of police administration. The objective was to make the police system more professional and people-friendly.

The first report had two volumes  the first one is already in the public domain and the second volume was on the intelligence system. I just started working on the second report, which is about police reforms, but now that is over.

What was so secretive about the second volume of your first report, that it was not made public?

It was confidential and had nothing of public interest. It dealt with the CID and intelligence system prevailing in the state. In fact, theres nothing to hide in terms of intelligence inputs, as political leaders gave statements every other day about the findings of agencies involved in the investigation.

People came to know about it through news reports. Its not the failure of intelligence, but that of the state administration. At the first instance it was not ready to tackle the agitation, and when it did happen, the administration totally failed to control it. So, why should the intelligence be made the scapegoat?

What was so disturbing in the first part of your fact finding the report, that it virtually compelled the Haryana government not to proceed with the second part?

The 450-page report indicted 80 officials, including those from the IAS and IPS cadre, which would be unpalatable for any government. During our visits to riot-affected districts in Haryana, we had found signs of the widespread rampage, destruction of property, burnt houses and suffering of people due to loss of lives, injuries and financial loss. There were instances of deliberate negligence and cases of deliberately not enforcing the law in certain places.

It has been found that many officials left the scene to save their lives when the situation got out of control. It was a deliberate, calculated destruction caused by rioters in connivance with a section from state administration and police. The rioters from a particular community went on a rampage under the supervision of a section of officials from that particular community.

Besides the death of 30 people and more than 200 severely injured in the riot, as per a conservative estimate, about Rs 20,000 crore losses were incurred due to widespread destruction, damage to property and business establishments.

Wont this act of the Haryana government  of preventing you from working on the report that speaks of police reforms  send out a wrong message in public?

There is a need for consciousness to initiate reforms, which seems to be missing in this case. At least, a wrong message will go to the people of Haryana, who brought this government to power.

Almost every alternative day, cases of rape and sexual molestation are reported in Haryana.

During your probe, did you find any evidence of sexual molestation during the Jat agitation in any part of Haryana?

Barring a few cases of eve-teasing, no serious complaints came up. The fact remains that very few women came up before the committee with complaints. In the beginning itself, the administration and police tried to cover up the investigation and did a shoddy job. No rape victim came up with any complaint. Since the HC-monitored SIT had been working on it, we didnt cover that segment to avoid any overlapping.

In your second report  related to police reforms  what exactly were you looking for?

I have always talked about bringing about police reforms and will continue to work in that direction till my last breath. Reform has to be vertical, from the top to bottom. There is a need to address appointments of senior police officials, strengthening of manpower, separate investigation from routine work, tenure of officials, etc. In Haryana, everyone knows how the top cops get appointed. During the previous regime, appointments were made in the police as per CMs order and not on merit. The condition of Haryana Arms Police Battalion is pathetic.

In terms of police reforms, I mean that the government should have full control and have a laid-down policy for the police to function. In operational matters, the police should have autonomy, whereas, in personal matters, there should be a fair degree of independence. But, the IAS cadres want to have complete autonomy on operational matters.

If reforms take place, the hold of politicians and bureaucrats on police will become weaker, which they dont want. So, no reforms. The problem is that nowadays officials want to enjoy power, facilities and more money, but no one is ready to take responsibility and be accountable for the job they do.

My policy is that of minimum interference, in the day-to-day working of police, and to let them work on the specific guidelines provided to them; or else the department will become weak.
New Delhi/Srinagar: Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi here tomorrow to discuss the situation in the Valley, which has been under curfew for past 48 days following death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

The meeting comes close on the heels of a clear message from the Centre to the chief minister to control the growing unrest in the state.

According to official sources, Mehbooba has been conveyed in no uncertain terms that there was a need for putting an end to the cycle of violence which has claimed 67 lives so far in the protest.

This is the first meeting between the Prime Minister and Mehbooba after the unrest broke in the Valley on 8 July.

Mehbooba has been under fire for failing to control the violence as the Centre has made it clear that law and order was a state subject.

Earlier this week, Modi had a meeting with a delegation of Opposition parties from the state led by former Chief Minister Omar Abdullah.

After that meeting, for the first time, Modi had expressed his "deep concern and pain" over the situation in the Valley and asked all political parties to work together to find a "permanent and lasting" solution to problems in the state.

He had also made an appeal for restoration of normalcy in the Valley and emphasised that there has to be a dialogue.

In his statement, the Prime Minister had appreciated the "constructive suggestions" made by the Opposition delegation during the talks and reiterated his government's commitment to

the welfare of people.

Mehbooba had strongly defended security forces action on Thursday during a press conference and had said "People came on streets, we imposed curfew. Did the children go to army camps to buy toffees (candy)? Was the 15-year-old boy, who attacked the police station at Damhal Hanjipora (in south Kashmir), going there to get milk..."

She had said "Today 95 percent who have been killed are youngsters belonging to poor families. They were killed in retaliation for attacking security camps... The situations of 2010 and present cannot be compared."

She claimed that 95 per cent of people want to resolve the Kashmir issue through political means and dialogue but five percent people were resorting to agitation.
New Delhi: The mobile phones of both the 28-year-old JNU PhD scholar, who has alleged that she was raped by an AISA activist from the university, and the accused have been seized by police for forensic tests.

The victim and the accused had first started interacting on Facebook and were also in touch over phone which have been seized for forensic tests, a senior police officer said on Thursday.

Accused Anmol Ratan, who on Wednesday night surrendered at the Vasant Kunj(North) police station, was questioned for several hours during which he maintained that the victim is his friend but denied the allegations against him, the officer said.

The accused was on Thursday remanded in 14 days judicial custody by a Delhi court.

The victim's statement was recorded by a magistrate Wednesday, wherein she stood by her charge of rape against the accused.

She had accused Anmol of raping her in a JNU hostel after offering her a spiked drink on 20 August.
Justice Markandey Katju has an immunity that ordinary citizens cannot even dream of. By the virtue of being a "My Lord" himself for a long period of time, he can get away with criticising the judiciary and judges in a language that would call for immediate contempt proceedings, if uttered by the commoners.

On Thursday, through series of posts on his Facebook page, Justice Katju took on the higher judiciary. He raised issues of 'corruption' in higher judiciary and also dwelt on issue of 'judicial overreach'.

Stating that "there is a lot of corruption in the judiciary too", Justice Katju asked the Chief Justice of India (CJI) TS Thakur to "clean up the judiciary first before cleaning up other bodies".

Further, dwelling into the issue of judicial overreach, he wrote, "I thought that there is separation of powers in the Constitution. But since the Supreme Court evidently thinks otherwise, and believes it can also perform legislative and executive functions, I recommend to the Parliament, the state legislatures, and the executive, to hand over all their functions to the judiciary, and let them run the country."

Red flags raised by Justice Katju is not new. They have been flying high for decades.

But it needs immunity of the kind that Justice Katju possess to make it a debating point. Fear of contempt has been a serious deterrent for the media to highlight the cases of corruption in the higher judiciary. It is a sad truth that has been acknowledged even by the constitutional luminary Fali S Nariman.

In his book The State of The Nation, Nariman writes, "In India, the higher judiciary has inherent (and almost unbridled) powers of contempt  even beyond the laws enacted by Parliament. And for that reason, the media and the whole lot of information-seeking agencies  not sure of how contempt law will be interpreted  are tight-lipped. No one dares to come out with what they believe to be the facts (in any matter pertaining to judges or administration of justice) even though the law (amending the Contempt of Courts Act 1971) now permits 'justification by truth' as a valid defence."

He goes on to write, "But let a complaint be made even by a responsible individual against a reputedly corrupt judge in higher judiciary, and no newspaper will publish it. Give the newspaper as much proof or evidence as you will  it will still not publish anything! Regrettably  with a few notable exceptions  the fraternity of justices in the higher judiciary in India tend to stick together when anyone speaks of any wrongdoing about one of them  alas, even when some of its members themselves entertain a shrewd suspicion of some wrongdoing. There pervades, in higher echelons of judiciary, what I would characterise as spirit of trade unionism."

"Trade unionism amongst lawyers is different. It is also a closed shop but there are many leaks! One instance of wrongdoing about a colleague at the Bar and dozen other 'lawyer friends' will spread the word about more such wrongdoings! No, the trade unionism of lawyers is just no match to the trade unionism of judges. The latter close their ranks when one of their own is involved, writes Nariman.

In the book, Nariman narrates an incident where 'unsubstantiated reports' emerged in 2003 about three sitting judges of one of the high courts in South India "being found in some shady joint outside Bangalore city". Nariman writes that the incident widely publicised was strongly denied but before the chief justice of the concerned high court could have instituted an inquiry committee to investigate a matter, a contempt proceedings against the publication was initiated.

According to Nariman it was "only later  only much later"  that the Chief Justice of India set up a high-powered committee consisting of judges of three high courts. But sadly "when this Inquiry Commitee of the Chief Justices took up its task, contempt notices had been already issued by the Karnataka High Court to representatives of media".

In this situation, as rightly pointed out by Nariman, it was too late. The contempt notices were enough intimidation for the media to be unsure as how to go ahead.

Following Katjus post there was enough debate on the issue. People commented and most of them agreed to Justice Katjus criticism. However, his standard reply to a host of comments that questioned his position and remark was, "You have no idea of the extent of corruption in the judiciary".

In October 2011, the Supreme Court, while asking the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to take action against a judge of the same court for passing order on 'extraneous considerations', made some observations, which were perhaps the most serious indictment of the higher judiciary.

While passing the order, the Bench, compromising of Justices Markandey Katju and Gyan Sudha Misra, famously remarked "'Something is rotten in the State of Denmark', said Shakespeare in Hamlet, and it can similarly be said something is rotten in the Allahabad High Court, as this case illustrates".

The Bench further observed, "We are sorry to say but a lot of complaints are coming against certain judges of the Allahabad High Court relating to their integrity. Some judges have their kith and kin practising in the same court, and within a few years of starting practice, the sons or relations of the judge become multi-millionaires, have huge bank balances, luxurious cars, huge houses and are enjoying a luxurious life. This is a far cry from the days when the sons and other relatives of judges could derive no benefit from their relationship and had to struggle at the Bar like any other lawyer."

Will such criticism be tolerated by My Lords, if it is made by the most well-intentioned outsider?

Justice Katju in his post also referred to an interview, where CJI in response to question about a statement by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, regarding alleged judicial interference in executive functions, said that judiciary intervenes when the executive fails in its duties.

Reacting to the reply, Katju wrote, "Judiciary also fails in its duty to decide cases expeditiously. Often, cases take decades to decide finally. People who get caught in litigation are often weeping because of 'tareekh', after 'tareekh', and no hearing. Also, a large section of the judiciary has become corrupt. So should the executive authorities tell the judges that since you have failed in your duty we will decide cases? Justice Thakur's argument cuts both ways. Those living in houses with glass windows should not throw stones at others".

Justice Katju, mincing no words, criticised judiciary for various reasons. Constructive criticism is essential for the growth of any institution. But it remains a fact that even the most well-intentioned 'constructive' criticism of judiciary remains a privilege enjoyed by few and always battles the risk of being hounded by a case of contempt.
Srinagar: Kashmir continued to witness casualties with one more youth getting killed and several others getting injured in a clash between protesters and security forces even as curfew was in force in many parts of the valley to thwart a planned march by separatists.

18-year-old Shakeel Ahmad Ganai and several others were injured in action by security forces against protesters at Nikas Arbal in Rajpora area of Pulwama district this afternoon, a police official said.

Ganai, with pellet injuries in his chest, was rushed to district hospital Pulwama where he was declared 'brought dead' by the doctors, the official said. With this death, the toll in the ongoing 49-day unrest has reached 67.

Meanwhile, curfew was on Friday extended to several areas of Kashmir to foil a planned march by separatists to Eidgah in old city area. Curfew was extended to entire Srinagar district, Pulwama district and south Kashmir towns of Shopian and Anantnag North Kashmir towns of Baramulla, Pattan and Handwara were also placed under curfew while restrictions on assembly of people were in force in rest of the Valley, police said.

Normal life remained paralysed for the 49th consecutive day due to curfew, restrictions and separatist-sponsored strike. Shops, private offices, educational institutions and petrol pumps remained closed while public transport continued to be off roads. The attendance in government offices and banks was also affected, the official said.

Mobile internet also continued to remain suspended in the entire Valley, where the outgoing facility on prepaid mobiles remained barred. Separatist leaders Syed Ali Shah Geelani and Mirwaiz Umar Farooq attempted to take out processions to Eidgah but both were detained just when they left their residences where they are under house arrest.

Mirwaiz, chairman of moderate Hurriyat Conference, tried to take out the march along with his supporters from his Nigeen residence but was taken into custody. He was later shifted to Chashma Shahi Guest House.

Geelani, chairman of hardline faction of Hurriyat Conference, was also taken into custody as he tried to defy the house arrest orders, a police official said.
Maneka Gandhi has got her priorities hopelessly wrong. As the woman and child welfare minister, she should be acting towards making India a more gender-equitable society. Unfortunately, her stance on paternity leave and a sweeping generalisation  that all men will treat it as a holiday  is not only unfair on fathers but ends up reinforcing gender stereotypes even more.

While trying to be fair to mothers, the minister just tilted even more the already skewed gender scale by preventing men from becoming equal partners in anchoring family duties and owning their part in caregiving.

The road to hell, they say, is paved with good intentions. Nobody can accuse Maneka Gandhi of not trying to uplift the lot of working mothers. As Livemint points out, between 2008-2012, Indias labour courts received more than 900 complaints of denial of maternity benefits by employers. Bear in mind that this number only includes those in the organised sector and doesn't take into account the huge number of women who simply stop working rather than dragging their employers to court.

Therefore, Maneka Gandhi's move to prod the Union labour ministry to amend the Maternity Benefit Act, 1961, and increase maternity leave in the private sector from 12 to 26 weeks is commendable.

The Maternity Benefit (Amendment) Bill, 2016, passed in Rajya Sabha on 11 August, now takes into account the six months needed for breastfeeding, and also provides 12 weeks of leave to "commissioning (through surrogacy) and adopting" mothers. Nursing mothers also get an option of working from home. At one stroke, India joined an exclusive league of 42 countries where maternity leave exceeds 18 weeks.

Which is all very good. But this is just one part of the equation.

India still remains outside the cluster of 78 nations which offer paid paternity leave. Current regulations (vide a notification issued in 1997 under the Central Civil Services Leave Rules) hold that male government employees can avail of a maximum 15 days' leave. Private sector has no such mandate. Most offer nil benefits, though a few notable exceptions like Facebook exist.

The question is, why do so many nations give their male workforce paternity benefits? And should we follow suit?

As more and more women get educated, join the workforce, and become economically-empowered, the patriarchal shackles get perceptibly loosened and hairline cracks appear in glass ceilings. Still, societal changes take time, more so in India's socio-economic context. Which is precisely why legislative changes in this field should be well-rounded and complementary.

It is disheartening to note that not only did Maneka Gandhi fail to grasp the question of equanimity in parental leave policy, her reason behind not pushing for enhanced paternity leave is alarming.

In an interview to Shalini Nair in The Indian Express, the minister said: "Paternity leave can be considered only if once the woman goes back to work after her 26 weeks of leave, we find that men are availing their sick leave for a month to take care of the child. Let me see how many men do that. I will be happy to give it but for a man; it will be just a holiday, he wont do anything."

She then went on to add: "If men gave me one iota of hope by taking sick leave for childcare, then yes, we can think of mooting a proposal for paternity leave."

Maneka Gandhi fails to take into account the ethos of new-age parents in nuclear family setups where men share equally the joys and burden of parenthood with their partners. They change nappies, stay awake at night, prepare the feed, are aware of the vaccination chart and so on. In short, they perform all duties of shared parenting.

I could go into countless anecdotal evidences but that is unnecessary. It could still be an exclusively urban phenomenon and the numbers might be relatively small in the larger Indian context, but attitudes are changing. The minister's assumption is unfair to this section of the society.

But her greater crime lies in the fact that by assuming 'men don't care about family duties', she is effectively relieving them of their parental duties, and consequently, putting the entire burden of childcare and domestic work on women.

In denying men their paternity leave and increasing the maternity leave, Maneka Gandhi might also be damaging women workforce's career prospects, especially in the private sector.

As a Moneycontrol report points out, in the absence of any financial support from the government, private players may be discouraged from hiring women of child-bearing age.

"It should become such that a prospective employer sees a liability walking through the door when he sees a young woman." Jessie Paul, Former CMO at Wipro and Founder and CEO at Paul Writer, told the website. "If the maternal and paternal leaves are similar for both parents, that discrimination will not be there."

The only thing that can be said in the minister's defence is that perhaps she wants to see an attitudinal change before bringing in a legislative change. And that is totally the wrong way to go about it. As a lawmaker, her duty is to usher in positive changes in society. And that can only happen when legislative amendments pave the way for attitudes to change.

In questioning the ethos of Indian men  perhaps not without justification  the minister has revealed her own Victorian-era mindset.
Bhawanipatna (Odisha): Amid an outcry over a tribal man forced to walk 10 km with his wife's body in Odisha's Kalahandi, on Thursday district health authorities claimed there was no negligence and an ambulance was arranged to take the corpse to their village when the incident came to light.

Even as a probe was ordered into the incident that took place on Wednesday, Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) of Kalahandi Dr B K Brahma claimed Dana Majhi, husband of the deceased, did not contact anybody for a vehicle to take the body from the hospital to his village.

Amana Dei, wife of Dana Majhi of Melghara village under Thuamul Rampur block, was suffering from TB and was admitted in the TB ward of Bhawanipatna Government Hospital on 23 August.

She was given free injection and medicines by the doctor in-charge of the ward. In the night at about 10 pm, the doctor concerned attended her, the CDMO said in a press release.

However, the patient and her husband were not found around 1 am. On inquiry it was known that without intimating anybody he took away his wife, the CDMO claimed.

"The patient was neither discharged nor declared dead by the ward in-charge doctor," the CDMO said, adding Majhi did not ask or contact anybody for a vehicle to carry his wife's body.

Stressing that there was no negligence on the part of the hospital, Dr Brahma said when officials learnt about Majhi carrying his dead wife home, an ambulance was immediately arranged and the body was sent to his village.

By then, Majhi, accompanied by his 12-year-old daughter, had already walked around 10 km carrying his wife's body on his shoulder.

District Collector of Kalahandi, Brundha D has directed the Sub-Collector of Bhawanipatna to conduct an inquiry into the incident, officials said.
Bhawanipatna: Congress supporters on Friday gheraoed the Chief District Medical Officer's (CDMO) office demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family of Dana Majhi, who had to walk 10 km with his

wife's body on the shoulders after he was allegedly denied a hearse.

A large number of party supporters took part in the protest organised by Kalahandi district Congress and hit out at the administration for the alleged denial of a hearse for carrying the patient's body from the hospital here to her village.

District Congress secretary Samanta Khamari said besides compensation, they also demanded an impartial probe into the incident and stern action against those responsible and adequate steps for education of Majhi's 12-year-old daughter.

They also sought Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's apology for the incident and alleged that all welfare schemes launched by the BJD government in the state have failed and the poor people were unable to get any benefit.

On Wednesday, Dana Majhi, along with his daughter, had to walk around 10 km carrying his wife's body on his shoulder as he failed to get a vehicle to transport it from a government hospital in the backward district of Kalahandi where she died.

Amang Dei (42) had died of tuberculosis at the district headquarters hospital in Bhawanipatna.

Majhi alleged that he failed to get any help from the hospital authorities and had no other alternative than to wrap the body in a cloth and start walking to his village Melghara, about 60 km from here.

After some local reporters spotted the duo, they called up the district collector and an ambulance was sent for transportation of the body, but by then the man had walked around 10 km.

Kalahandi District Collector Brundha D has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, CDMO of Kalahandi BK Brahma on Thursday claimed that the husband of the deceased did not contact anybody for a vehicle to take the body from the hospital to his village.

"The patient was neither discharged nor declared dead by the ward in-charge doctor," the CDMO had claimed in a release, adding Majhi did not ask or contact anybody for a vehicle to carry his wife's body.
Mother Teresa will be canonised by the Catholic Church in a week-long grand ceremony in Rome on 4 September, 2016.

A contingent of nuns, priests, volunteers, followers, academics and government officials will be travelling to Rome to witness the ceremony. When the mass for canonisation of the blessed Teresa of Kolkata begins at St. Peters Square on the morning of the first Sunday in September, many of the nuns of the order and other followers will watch the ceremony through live streaming at Mother Teresas home, the headquarters of the Missionaries of Charity that she founded for her humanitarian work.

The excitement for the D-Day has already built up. Visitors flock all day at Mothers home. Nuns guard the big gate distributing photos, quotes and little artefacts with Mothers images imprinted on them. People come to pray, volunteer, seek solace and get counselled by the nuns. Many also come in for their usual aid and medical support from the Missionaries.

This has always been there. During the time of Mother and even now; we want to keep alive the philosophy that she founded, explains Sister Ita M.C, who chose the order and joined the Missionaries, far away from Indiana in the United States 20 back.

Margaret Rose, a 70-year-old woman from nearby Park Street, walks everyday to the home to pray in front of the statue of Mother Teresa. She bends with folded hands and tears flow from her eyes as she prays to the Mother for half an hour in deep concentration. I am living today because of the Mother. She picked me up from the gutters to make me a human, remembers Margaret who lives with her children and relatives in Kolkata. Margaret gleefully shares the fact that she was dying and sickly at one point of time but her constant prayer to Mother made her hale and hearty today.

The metal statue stands at the entrance and every visitor to Mothers home, on their way to the grotto of Mother Mary, stops to pray to Mother Teresa. The novices in their white sarees carry their books to the Mothers tomb on the ground floor of the home to get them blessed for their studies. Mothers relics are kept separately in one corner that believers touch to sanctify themselves.

Children are coaxed by their parents to write their secret prayers in small chits and drop them in a locked box asking the Mother, the saint already, to pray and help them achieve their goals. For us, we have always found her saintly. She had special powers that motivated, directed and blessed restless souls, says Sister Felomina MC from Simdega in Jharkhand, an old nun of the missionaries, who converted to join the order at the call of Mother Teresa.

Special thanksgiving prayers have been organised on 26 August to mark Mothers birthday and to also commemorate her journey to sainthood. While there are a lot many activities planned at Mothers home for the canonisation ceremony, a group of young independent photographers are busy clicking awesome pictures of the Kolkata city to represent Mother Teresas fascination for the city that she chose as her home. This is a part of crowdsourced 'Sainthood Project', that the photographers intend to showcase in several locations in Rome during the period of the canonisation ceremony in early September. They are volunteers from different sectors intending to highlight aspects of the young 'Gonxha Agnes' from Albania who chose 'the City of Joy', as Kolkata is fondly referred to, at the call of Christ and joined the order to serve the poorest of the poor in India.

The youngsters are funding their own travel to Rome to participate in the grand ceremony and exhibit the photographs in open air galleries set across different parts of the city. This is our tribute to Mother. We are presently capturing remarkable pictures of the city as 'No Bodies' that we will take to Rome to tell stories from Mothers hometown. These images will depict the inspiration that must have attracted Mother to this city, says 25-year-old business professional Srijita Deb Burman.

Many others, including academics, priests, students, artists are continuously holding seminars, exhibitions, prayer meetings everyday across the city to propagate Mother Teresas philosophy towards humanity.

I have made several new paintings depicting her ideology that will be exhibited at the arts exhibition at St. Xaviers School in Kolkata till her canonisation, says a devotee and noted artist Sunita Kumar. A practicing Sikh, Kumar volunteers for the Missionaries of Charity and herself recounts several personal miracles of Mother.

Kumar, who is known for her paintings on Mother Teresa, reminisces the times she prayed to Mother Teresa. It was just before she passed away. My son was diagnosed for Hepatitis B. I met her and asked her to pray for him. She passed away few hours later and out of curiosity I got my sons blood tested. His infection was gone. Since then, I have had deep faith on her saintly powers.

The doors of her tomb are open for all and followers and admirers come every day visiting and praying in her tomb. Many say they had been doing so for long and vouch that their prayers have been heard. Be a practicing Christian or followers of other faith, Mother Teresa has always been the icon for the confluence of faiths and thats why I have such devotion for her saintly powers, explains Aarti Kumari, a Hindu and a regular visitor who come for counseling from the nuns on family issues.

Kolkatas vibrant street and a prominent hangout for youngsters, Park Street has already been renamed as 'Mother Teresa Sarani' as a mark to commemorate her great work. Special festivities will continue in that locality till Christmas this year. At Baruipur, in the outskirts of Kolkata, a cathedral is named after Mother Teresa and will host special masses and prayer meetings during her canonisation ceremony.

About 30 of the nuns, high in the order, are travelling to Rome on invitation from the Catholic Church in the Vatican City where the ceremonies will take place from 1 September onwards for the entire week. German born Sister Mary Prema MC, the superior general, is already in Rome to facilitate the process and accommodate the guests. On her invitation, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and her entourage are also expected to visit Rome and witness the historic ceremony. Upon their return, a series of festivities have been planned across the city where Mothers philosophy will be propagated by those whose lives she had touched.

For us Mother always remained as Saint Teresa and it was her call that brought me here. While I was regularly praying to her during my studies, I always found her very inspiring, says a novice sister from Jharkhand.

As Kolkata gets ready to celebrate Saint Teresa, many believe that Mothers work towards addressing poverty and the poor, the most haunting challenges of the city had already made her a saint. And the occasion of canonisation remains symbolic.

Yet to her detractors, who questioned her faith and mission in India, relating it to religious conversion, the Missionaries brought forth testimonies from her associates describing her affection for all human beings irrespective of race and religion. Kumar sums up, I am married to a practicing Hindu and we have prayed the way we want to. Mother never enforced her Christian faith on us.

After the canonisation, the Missionaries of Charity will propagate Mother Teresas philosophy for humanity with their planned programmes through the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Center. The center is a non-profit organisation established by the Missionaries of Charity that aim to serve as a centralised and authoritative source of information on Mother Teresa spiritualism and philosophy.

Be it Mother Teresas decision to give up her Western upbringing for the blue three stripped saree to look like a rural Bengali woman or the decision of the Missionaries to stop adoption of children due to new laws of the Indian government attributing it to their Christian values, the Mother Teresa of Calcutta Centre will explain all the ideas behind.
Government appears all set to ban the use of pellet guns in the coming days. Home Minister Rajnath Singh has already announced the government's intent on the issue.

"In 2010, it was said pellet gun is a non-lethal weapon which can cause least damage but now we feel there should be some alternate to this," he said.

As per media reports, a seven-member expert panel, comprising officers from Ministry of Home Affairs, Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Jammu and Kashmir Police, IIT-Delhi and the Ordnance Factory Board are exploring whether PAVA shells, a chili-based non-lethal munition which temporarily incapacitates the targets and renders them immobile can replace the pellet guns. These shells have reportedly been developed by the Indian Institute of Toxicology Research (IITR), Lucknow under the CISR, and a demonstration of PAVA shells at a CISF range was reportedly held earlier this week.

PAVA can be expanded to Pelargonic Acid Vanillyl Amide (also called Nonivamide), an organic compound found in natural chili pepper. When fired, PAVA shells burst and temporarily stun, immobilise and paralyse the target in a more effective way than a tear gas shell or pepper sprays, and also can be used in combination with stun and tear shells. Other alternatives discussed by the panel included: stun grenades already in use which cause temporary blindness because of the flash when exploded; dye marker grenade with irritant causing sensory trouble to the target and leaves dye mark on individual for easy identification, and; tear smoke shell with soft nose which does not give serious injury when hit directly. The expert panel, as per reports, appears in favour of PAVA shells, and has recommended that the Tear Smoke Unit (TSU) of the BSF in Gwalior be tasked with bulk production of these shells. The final decision is, however, yet to be taken.

Non-lethal weapons (NLW) like pellet guns are used by police and Central armed police forces (CAPF), not by the Army who use real bullets only. Water canon has also been in use in the country but requires big vehicles which cannot be deployed everywhere in Jammu and Kashmir. So it is for the police and the CAPF to decide what should replace the pellet gun. If it is to be the PAVA shells, the determinants should be: what the is the maximum range it can be fired; what is the efficacy of the chili powder in an open area in windy and calm conditions; how many shells would need to be fired to control a big or medium sized crowd; what would be the effect on security personnel if they are in close proximity to the attackers especially if the wind is blowing in the direction of the security personnel; what measures can the attacking individual or crowd can take by way of covering/shading his/her eyes to negate/reduce the effect of PAVA; will the security forces need to adopt similar measures, and what is the stopping power of PAVA vis-a-vis pellet gun against a frenzied crowd?

It is reiterated that all these must be examined in relation to the stopping power of the pellet gun which is directly compared to the PAVA, which may not stop the attackers, especially a bigger crowd. This is essential for the safety of the security personnel and not to facilitate crowds getting into hand-to-hand scuffle to snatch the weapons of security personnel and cause them body harm. As for stun grenades, these are more effective in closed areas (like other NLW grenades) and when dark.

Other countries have been using tear gas effectively for crowd control despite this falling under purview of the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993. It is doubtful if our government will use it, which is indicated by the fact that the expert panel doesnt appear to have considered it in the first place. But it is surprising that we are not considering Skunk in use by Israel for effective crowd control past eight years.

Skunk sprays a liquid that produces terrible stench which takes days to wash off from the parts of body and clothing the liquid falls on. With our security cooperation and ties with Israel, it should be possible to acquire a couple of these off the shelf straightaway. It may be recalled that the CRPF had told the Jammu and Kashmir High Court recently that banning pellet guns can cause more fatalities if personnel are forced to fire live rounds in extreme situations when attacked in large numbers.

Pellet guns have been in use world over since the air guns arrived on the scene. Then you also have wooden bullets and rubber bullets as well. What has not been taken into consideration at all by the policy makers is that pellet guns were with Jammu and Kashmir Police and CAPF past few years and were effectively used a number of times much before the killing of Burhan Wani. This time pellet injuries are more because the attacking crowds have been bigger, more in numbers and more violent.

If People's Democratic Party leader Muzaffar Hussain Baig says that the situation in Kashmir Valley is on the verge of joining the global religious war, it is certainly a well planned strategy from across the border. The challenge today in Kashmir Valley includes to deal with not only the misguided but also who are pushing things covertly. More importantly, the Centre would do well to examine that while Pakistan is using aerial and artillery bombardment on its population periodically, it has forced India to go for banning pellet guns through well orchestrated information warfare.

Whatever decision the government takes, putting our police and CAPF at disadvantage would only aggravate the situation. Once PAVA is introduced, government should also be prepared for the next phase of information war flooding media with how chili powder is damaging eyes and eyesight of the innocent individuals.

The author is a veteran Lt Gen of the Indian Army.
New Delhi: Death row convict in the 16 December gangrape case, Vinay Sharma who had allegedly tried to commit suicide in Tihar jail, has been booked by the police for the offence even as he was shifted back to the prison from DDU hospital on Friday.

Police said that a case of attempt to suicide has been registered at Hari Nagar police station against Sharma on a complaint by a Tihar jail official.

"A case has been registered under Section 309 (attempt to suicide) of IPC against the accused Vinay Sharma on a complaint by a Tihar official," said a senior police officer. Sharma was shifted to the prison from DDU Hospital where he was kept under observation after he tried to hang himself in jail number 8 of Tihar on the night of 23 August.

His security arrangements have been further beefed up and he has been provided counselling at the jail. He will be kept under a 24-hour observation by the jail authorities. "Sharma was shifted from DDU Hospital to jail around 5.30 pm and he has now been shifted from his previous high-security ward to a special security ward. Tamil Nadu Special Police personnel will watch him round-the-clock so that no untoward incident occurs in future," said a senior Tihar official.

A jail counseller interacted with him after his return from the hospital and he admitted that he was "depressed due to his conviction and death sentence", the official added. Meanwhile, Sharma's lawyer AP Singh representing him in the gangrape case in the Supreme Court, circulated a letter to the media alleging that his client was "poisoned" inside the jail and sought his shifting to another prison.

Sharma, one of the four death row convicts in the December 16 gangrape case, allegedly tried to commit suicide in Tihar jail but his attempt was foiled by vigilant guards. As per jail sources, he had also claimed to have consumed a heavy dose of anti-depressants in his suicide bid, a charge rubbished by jail officials.

The 23-year-old victim was brutally assaulted and raped by six persons in a moving bus in south Delhi on 16 December, 2012, triggering nation-wide shock and outrage. She was later shifted to a Singapore Hospital where she died. Four convicts - Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta  were sentenced to death in the case.

Prime accused Ram Singh was found dead in his Tihar jail cell in March 2013 and proceedings against him were subsequently abated. A juvenile accused in the case was convicted and sentenced to a maximum of three years in a reformation home. He was released from there in December last year.
SRM university Chancellor TR Pachamuthu has reportedly been arrested by the Chennai Police after parents of over 100 students complained against him on Friday.

The parents claimed that they had paid huge amounts for medical seats in SRM Medical College, The Hindu reported.

The complaint was filed after Kollywood film producer Madhan, who also claimed to have worked as an admission agent for the college, mysteriously went missing on 27 May.

A note written by Madhan, which went viral on social media, suggested that he was facing opposition from others within the SRM family, who disliked his growing closeness to the SRM chairman, The New Indian Express reported.

Madhan had also claimed that he was going to attain Samadhi in Varanasi before he went missing. He blamed SRM group of Institutions and said that he used to work as an admission agent for them.

Madhan had lamented that though crores of rupees had been collected from parents, they would not be able to keep their promise of admission to students with NEET coming into force and changing the entire admission process, The News Minute reported.

Madhan's family alleged that he went missing after paying all the money collected from students to Chancellor Pachamuthu. Several parents had paid lakhs of rupees to Madhan hoping for their ward's admission in SRM colleges.

According to reports, about 109 cheating cases were registered by the Chennai Police and Madhan had collected about Rs 73 crore from the parents. The parents had named Pachamuthu along with Madhan in their complaint.

Pachamuthu was consequently questioned overnight. He, however, denied any links with Madhan and claimed that Madhan had created fake documents in the companys name and forged his signatures.

Police sources, reported The Indian Express, said Pachamuthu has been arrested under IPC sections 420 (cheating), 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 34 (common intention).

Earlier in 2013, CBI had conducted raids in SRM and Madhan's production house, which had yielded unaccounted cash. So far, four persons have been arrested in the case. They are Vijayapandiyan, an associate of Madhan, Dr Bargavan Pachamuthu, a medical doctor and also the state sectary of the medical wing of Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK) party (a party founded by Pachamuthu), Shanmugam, Madurai district sectary of the IJK party and Babu, Dindugal district secretary of IJK party.

However, The Indian Express reported that Madhan still remains missing.
"Why is it a grievous sin for women to be allowed near the tomb of a male Sufi saint? Aren't Sufi masters born to women?" asks Bibi Khatoon, a leader of the organisation that has been braving the storm against women seeking blessings at the 15th century dargah of the Sufi saint, Haji Ali Shah.

The Haji Ali Dargah is not only a dargah (shrine or hospice) but also a historic mosque built on an islet off the coast of Worli in the southern part of Mumbai. It evokes great esteem for thousands of male and female devotees every day.

The male-chauvinist custodians of the dargah have been vehemently opposed to the womens entry into the mausoleum. They banned women from entering into the sanctum around five years ago. And by doing this, the Haji Ali trustees were the first so-called Sufi followers in India who barred women from the spiritual tradition of shrine visitation. It candidly exposes the Haji Ali Dargah is in the wrong hands of the retrogressive religious jurists and trustees who debar women from shrine visitation.

But this ban was dismissed and challenged by the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), a Muslim women's rights group based in Mumbai. Challenging the restriction imposed by the Dargah authorities in 2012, the Muslim women's rights group took it to the court continued to fight a legal battle with the Haji Ali trustees with an undying spirit. Not only Muslim female activists but also those of the male activists and advocates of women rights in the country, belonging to all faith traditions, also upheld this cause against the gender segregation. Several processions were taken out against it across the country.

After a strongly-spirited fight by the women's rights groups demanding entry for females into the sanctum of the historic dargah of Haji Ali, the Bombay High Court has ruled in a landmark decision that, women can enter the core or inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah. The high court has also said that, all necessary protection will be given to women who visit the shrine and added that denying entry to women inside the shrine is against fundamental rights, reports NDTV.

The high court pronounced the judgment after hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by several women activists urging the court to lift restrictions imposed on entry of women in the dargah by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust. The state government had in February said before the Bombay High Court that unless the Dargah Board is able to prove that ban is part of their religious practice with reference to Quran, women should be allowed to enter the inner sanctum.

The Indian Constitution has given equal rights to all faith practitioners, both men and women, to profess and practice whatever they wish as per their religious dictates. The Bombay High Court has ruled that Articles 14 (Equality before law), 15 (which prohibits discrimination based on religious lines), 19 (ensures certain freedoms) and 21 (protection of personal life and liberty) allow any woman to enter the dargah if she wants to. However, the court has put the order on hold for six weeks for the Haji Ali Dargah Trustees to appeal against it in the Supreme Court if they wish to.

As expected, the Shrine's trustees say they will challenge verdict in Supreme Court. Several times in the past, the Haji Ali Dargah trustees have repeatedly stated that it is "a grievous sin" for women to be allowed near the tomb of the Sufi saint housed within the mosque.

But as historical traditional practice in all the Sufi shrines across the country, women have been freely accessing any dargah or its sanctum. It has also been an age-old tradition in Mumbais Haji Ali Dargah for decades. But for the first time in the country, it was only Haji Ali Dargah Trust that banned women in 2011 from entering the sanctum of the holy shrine.

Thereafter, women rights groups began to fight for womens entry into the Haji Ali Dargahs sanctum. The fight started when a petition was lodged with the Supreme Court demanding access for women to the Sabarimala temple in Kerala. Trupti Desai, president of the Bhumata Brigade, who massively campaigned against the long-standing ban on entry of women in some Hindu temples like Shani Shingnapur and Trimbakeshwar in Maharashtra, also stood for gender-justice in the Haji Ali Dargahs sanctum. Deasi had attempted to enter the dargah with a group of women in April 2016, but was stopped by the police.

Trupti Desai had made it clear that her movement did not offend the religious sentiments, but was only opposed to the gender discrimination practiced by the trustees of the Haji Ali Dargah. However, women were barred from entering the sanctum of Dargah, despite several massive campaigns and peaceful protests. Given this long and untiring struggle for their democratic right to visit the holy places, the Mumbai High Courts verdict is a sigh of relief for the women. It strengthens a nationwide campaign to allow women entry to all places of worship. "This is a historic decision, we welcome the high court order. Its a big win for women," said Desai.

Earlier too, the Maharashtra government had supported womens demand, stating that unless the Dargah Trust proves that ban is endorsed by their religious scriptures, women should be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali.

But these questions still remain unanswered: Is it really not allowed for women to visit the shrines of the male Sufi saints? Is it in the religious scriptures of Islam to deny womens entry into sanctum or is it the self-appointed custodians of the shrines who are actually defying the gender justice enshrined in the Quran? The self-proclaimed Islamic jurists (muftis) of the Haji Ali Dargah have failed to convince the Muslim women contemplating on this issue.

In this context, a professor of Islamic studies and a renowned woman Islamic scholar, Zeenat Shaukat Ali has buttressed a valid point:

The concept and wisdom of visiting graveyards was said to be twofold  one, the reminder of the inevitability of the death and accountability for actions in the Hereafter; two to offer prayers for mercy and forgiveness for departed ones..Men are, by no means, more in need of this reminder than women. There is no authentic prohibitory order forbidding women to enter graveyards. Many scholars like me hold it permissible for women to visit graves.

Going by the established Islamic traditions, Prophet Muhammad encouraged his companions, both men and women, to visit the graves and holy shrines with intent to purify the souls (tazkiyah), attain righteousness (taqwa) and remain mindful of the hereafter (aakhirah). He did not make any distinction between men and women while exhorting Muslims to visit graves and shrines in pursuit of these spiritual benefits. Addressing both men and women  who were among his companions  Prophet issued a general permission for both men and women to visit the shrines.

He said:

I had prohibited you from visiting graves. But from now on, you can go for ziyarat (shrine visitation) because it makes you feel unattached towards this material world (which is taqwa) and remind you of the spiritual world (aakhira).

Taqwa and aakhira are the sole purposes of shrine-visitation in Islam. Therefore, not only the Prophet (pbuh), but also his wife Hazrat Aisha would visit the shrines of holy Islamic saints like Ameer Hamza. Throughout the Islamic history, scores of woman Muslim mystics would visit the shrines of holy saints. But one wonders why women dont deserve, today, to acquire taqwa (righteousness) and be mindful of the akhirat (spiritual world). Why are only men entitled to get blessed with the spiritual benefits of attaining the righteousness and remembering the hereafter?

The Haji Ali Dargah trustees argue that just as it is not allowed for women to get close to a living male saint, similarly it is a grave sin to visit the grave or the inner sanctum of a male saint.

Clearly, this is nothing short of an exclusive, male-chauvinistic, misogynistic and patriarchal contention. Remarkably, it has not gone unchallenged by the well-established Islamic scholars in India. The woman Islamic scholar, Zeenat Shaukat Ali has rightly refuted this line of thinking in one of her interviews with Firstpost:

The Shani Shingnapur temple and Haji Ali dargah issue reflects the misogynistic attitude and patriarchal assertions of male domination. It is surprising to see this in a secular democracy like India, where the Constitution gives equal rights to all.

The author is a scholar of Comparative Religion, Classical Arabic and Islamic sciences, cultural analyst and researcher in Media and Communication Studies. He tweets at @GRDehlvi. Email: grdehlavi@gmail.com
A large section of an under-restoration wall in Jaisalmer's Golden Fort (or Sonar Quila) collapsed on Thursday.

The 12th Century fort (a Unesco world heritage site) has been undergoing restoration as part of a Rs 1.2 crore project for the past couple of weeks, reports The Hindu.

According to The Times of India, there were no reported injuries since it was lunchtime and no one was working at the time of the incident. In the wake of the wall collapse, the report adds that the road was barricaded and the police force was deployed, by order of the district administration.

There are concerns that carrying out repair work during the monsoon is a dangerous idea and if this collapse is anything to go by, worse incidents could be yet to come. The Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) restoration plan faced some opposition from the district administration that expressed its concerns about work of this nature being conducted during the rains, but in the end, the ASI received the requisite approval.

Here is the video of the wall collapse as captured by an eyewitness:
Chandigarh: The political affairs committee of the Aam Aadmi Party took the action against the Punjab AAP convener Chhotepur.

Chhotepur will now face a disciplinary committee of the party, comprising Delhi lawmaker Jarnail Singh and former Punjab bureaucrat and AAP leader Jasbir Singh Bir, regarding allegations of corruption.

Differences between top leaders of the AAP's national leadership and the Punjab unit came out in the open on Friday with Chhotepur saying he won't leave the party on his own.

"I will not leave the party. I have built it brick by brick in the last two-and-a-half years. Let the party take action against me. I have done nothing wrong," Chhotepur told the media here.

The AAP leader, who was the party's most visible face in Punjab till now, alleged that he had been framed by a "conspiracy of my own friends in the AAP.

Chhotepur's comments came hours ahead of an AAP meeting in New Delhi to discuss the controversy around a video clip in which Chhotepur is allegedly seen accepting money from a party supporter.

Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann told reporters that Chhotepur will be given a chance to explain his stand to the party leadership and that his case has been referred to a two-member committee comprising Jasbir Singh and the AAP Punjab joint in-charge Jarnail Singh.

21 AAP leaders from Punjab had on Wednesday shot off a letter to party's national convenor Kejriwal asking him to immediately sack Chotepur from the party after a controversy erupted over a video clip allegedly showing him taking money.
New Delhi: Advising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Benarjee to stop behaving like her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who usually blames the central government for non-cooperation, the BJP said on Friday that she should rather focus on governance.

"Our advice to Mamata Banerjee is to stop behaving like Arvind Kejriwal and get down to good governance so that the ruling Trinamool Congress honours the mandate given to them in 2016," said BJP National Secretary and West Bengal in charge Siddharth Nath Singh.

"Moreover rather blaming BJP for a cow census in Bengal, she should conduct census of cow smuggling to Bangladesh from Bengal being supported by her party workers," he added.

Banerjee had on Friday given three months time to the central government to waive the huge debts her government inherited from the previous Left Front regime and threatened to launch a movement on the streets of New Delhi if "interference" in the federal structure is not stopped.

"Mamata Banerjee's outburst at (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji on Friday at TMC party function reflects her frustration as she cannot in her second term, blame previous state government of legacy problems she had inherited," Singh said in a statement.

Hitting back at Banerjee, Singh said that governance has never been her asset.

"Therefore, knowing her weakness, she is from day one of her second term, started to play a victimhood card and blaming centre for funds and non-cooperation," he said.

Singh claimed that Modi government is known for strengthening the federal structure and it is also important to note that under 14th Finance Commission, it has allocated Rs 2.5 lakh crores more than what West Bengal got under 13th Finance Commission.
New Delhi: Hitting out at the SP government in Uttar Pradesh for not acting against BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui after he was accused of insulting woman kin of an expelled BJP leader, the saffron party on Friday alleged a nexus between the SP and BSP because of its growing "popularity".

BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma told a press conference that the state police used "barbaric" force against its workers taking part in a democratic protest in Lucknow and lodged "false" cases but was not taking action against BSP leaders accused of insulting women.

BJP has been trying to corner BSP chief Mayawati after her supporters allegedly used sexist and insulting remarks against wife and daughter of Dayashankar Singh, who was expelled from BJP for using derogatory comments against her.

BJP had taken high moral ground on the episode citing its action against Singh, who was later arrested by the state police while Mayawati's defended her party leaders. The BJP has also targeted the SP government for not taking police action against BSP leaders while as it did against Singh.

"There cannot be a bigger example than this of the nexus between SP and BSP," he said.

Targeting the Akhilesh Yadav government over "lawlessness" in the state, he claimed the state had seen over 13,144 cases of murders, 2,103 of rape, 6,333 of robbery and dacoity during its rule till March 2016.

Against 3467 cases of rape in 2014, the numbers rose to 9075 in 2015.

"Women are not safe in the state. SP wants to come back to power on the strength of criminals. The 15 year rule of SP and BSP have destroyed the state. People want change now and BJP will come to power," he said.

Referring to the use of "excessive" force by police against protesting BJP workers, he said, "If Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has any morality and humanity, he should quash false cases registered against BJP leaders, many of whom were not even there. He should instead take action against Siddiqui."

He also rejected reports of RSS and BJP undertaking surveys to zero in on the party's chief ministerial candidate.
Did Rahul Gandhi make a U-turn or chicken out as some would say after calling the RSS the killers of Gandhi? While the Congress has been vociferous in denying that its party vice-president did a volte-face in the court, the sympathisers of the RSS assert otherwise. Its been a rather long debate. But, does it really matter? Not for the latter at least.

The more the Congress cries itself hoarse about the "hateful and divisive agenda" of the outfit, the more it exposes its own weakness to build a credible ideological counter narrative. With all its supposed and obvious flaws, the RSS comes out looking better in comparison.

Now, did RSS kill Gandhi? History has always been a tricky territory. It confuses more than it clarifies. For every proof it produces a counter proof; for every fact it digs up an opposite fact. Truth and fiction get mixed up in different ways in every contemporary narrators version of events and persons. Thus whether RSS killed Gandhi would forever remain a matter of which version you choose to buy.

For over 60 years after Gandhijis death, the dominant political narrative kept raising an accusing finger at the organisation. In today's narrative however, the RSS is the driving force and Gandhi himself is subjected to questions. If Rahul Gandhi and the Congress are serious about challenging it, they have to produce a strong and convincing counter-argument.

That the Congress has failed abysmally in this respect is an understatement. What we have so far from them are random accusations and shoot-and-scoot attacks amounting to nothing. It has been long since the Congress acknowledged that the RSS, and not the BJP, is the real threat to its existence and the partys revival depends critically on how it counters the ideology of the former and presents it to the people. But it has done precious little about it. Now, it raises serious questions on whether the party is even capable of it or not.

It is understood that the RSSs narrative of India is self-limiting and in parts incongruous with the spirit and the temper of the age. Yes, it has the potential to be divisive. Unless it modernises, it might open up several unmanageable conflicts in the country. But what has the Congress to offer?

It is ironical indeed that a party which claims to be pro-poor has little support left among the poor; a party which swears by secularism has few backers in a country that is temperamentally secular; and a party which talks of liberalness has little support in a country that has a strong liberal trait. Perhaps the predicament of the party stems from its own past hypocrisies and its politics of survival over the years. That is one reason it has alienated all its traditional support bases  Dalits, minorities and tribals  and failed to attract new ones such as the urban youth, intellectuals among others.

Contrary to popular belief, it did not land in an existential crisis in 2014 when the Modi wave reduced it to the level of a regional party; it hit the sick bed in the early 90s when it failed to find a response to the Mandal-Masjid conundrum. The traditional supporters were quick to shift loyalty to more dependable parties. The Congress is still in a quandary on how to wean them back. If theres a lack of intellectual honesty to admit mistakes and make amends now, it was the same two decades ago. By contrast, RSS, for all its weaknesses, has been honest about itself.

In normal circumstances the comparison between the Congress and the RSS would be like comparing apples and oranges. One is a political party and the other is a socio-cultural organisation that incidentally has come to have a say in politics, a situation that might change. A comparison becomes imperative since the Congress draws one into it through its tactless attacks on the latter, exposing its own weaknesses. The offensive would be fine if the party presented an ideological alternative and forced people to look up and take notice. The bankruptcy on this front is too glaring.

Will Rahul Gandhi be able to build a new narrative? Looks difficult.
Has Mehbooba Mufti finally got her mojo back as the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister? Since the death of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani in the second week of July there has been utter lawlessness in the Kashmir Valley resulting in extremely violent protests and many fatalities throwing normal life totally out of gear.

The situation reached such a level that the relationship between the two alliance partners in the state  the Bharatiya Janata Party and People's Democratic Party  was under considerable stress. A general impression was out that Mehbooba was not up to the task as a chief minister.

But with one smart move the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister turned the adage right on its head. Unlike what the saying sermons Mehbooba rebuild her strained ties with the BJP in a matter of few seconds instead of embarking on a long path to solidify it.

The energetic and assertive manner in which the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister conducted herself in a joint press meet along with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Srinagar on Thursday instantaneously won her the respect and confidence of her alliance partner not only in the state but also in Delhi.

After speaking to some BJP leaders, Firstpost got the impression that in one single stroke she transformed her persona from a perceived 'soft separatist' to a no-nonsense assertive leader who meant business in matters of governance.

The BJP-RSS leaders suddenly started seeing her as the natural leader of the ruling PDP-BJP alliance. Although her leadership was never in question but the compulsions of circumstances prevailing in the state did indeed cast a shadow over it. What has changed now is she is being seen as a fresh hope.

Despite the fact that there is a written agenda for governance, it is ultimately the meeting of minds and the well thought out terms of partnership that could sustain both the alliance and its natural leader. The way Mehbooba reinvented herself has certainly caused an euphoria in the power corridors of the National Capital. The BJP can only hope that she stays on the same course which she displayed a day ago.

A senior BJP leader likened the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister with Rio Olympics medal winner Sakshi Malik. Sakshi with her force and grit turned the table in the last 10 seconds of her wrestling bout while Mufti won hearts and minds in the last 20 seconds of the joint press conference on Thursday. The signs of grit that Mehbooba suddenly displayed on Thursday needs to be appreciated, more specifically, for offering the much needed counter narrative relating to Jammu and Kashmir.

"Coming from her makes much greater sense than anyone else saying same thing," the BJP leader said.

As mentioned in a previous copy, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister on Thursday spoke in a language that is otherwise seen from the political leadership at the Centre and from the bosses of the security forces operating in in the state. Her stand didn't seem any different from the line taken by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley in a speech delivered in Jammu and Kashmir's Samba district a few days ago. As the Chief Minister she fully understands the responsibilities she has as the head of the government. She cannot allow a misleading discourse to go on, without challenging it on facts. The alternate narrative had to be put across with the required force and authority. She did exactly what was expected of her as popularly elected head of the government.

Another BJP leader said so far there appeared to be a leadership vacuum in the state.

Mehbooba had taken too much of time after her father Mufti Mohammad Sayeed passed away only to decide whether to form the government or not. After she took over the reins of the state, Mehbooba again took a long time to take a position over the ongoing turmoil in different parts of the valley. However, when she finally took one, the Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister publicly let it know that she could be firm and decisive. She has worked on the ground with people for long and so she knows her facts. As Chief Minister, now also knows about certain other facts, which keeps on pouring to her through the security and intelligence agencies.

"The Centre would do its part to restore normalcy and take the state on development path. But the Centre can't do much, beyond a point, with assistance of security forces. It was need of the hour to have a leader who could speak to Kashmiri people, reach out to them as their very own. She has now indicated that she could be that face. It is possible that she may suffer some initial loss of perception in the valley but that wouldn't last any long. With all round Central assistance and her own outreach, she and the alliance would regain that popular support," the leader said.

Her statement on Burhan Wani, albeit without taking name was very significant. While pointing out the difference between 2010 and 2016, she had said, "What happened in 2010 had a reason. There was a fake encounter where three civilians were killed and then there were allegations of rape and murder in Shopian. There was a reason for the peoples anger. This time, an encounter happened, as has been happening, in which three militants were killed. What is the governments fault in that? By talking about the 8 July encounter where Burhan Wani was killed, she was categorical that he was a militant, lived by the gun and died by the gun.

By asserting that 95 percent people wanted resolution of the problem through peaceful means and only 5 percent were creating disturbances and the disruptive forces were using poor children as a shield to attack on security forces, Mehbooba indicated that her position was on the same page as that of the Centre and the security forces operating in the state.

That will help in synchronisation of measures taken to restore normalcy between Central security agencies and the state administration. Should that happen, things on the ground may change for good.
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday said the Maharashtra government's proposed legislation for internal security would be a "jolt to democracy" and, if implemented, the situation in the state would be worse than that during the Emergency.

"If the government, in the name of 'internal security', is trying to impose Emergency in the state, its attempt has to be opposed. This law is worse than the Emergency of 1975 which (former PM) Indira Gandhi imposed," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Those in power today (the BJP) had levelled various allegations against the then government although there were no complaints to prove that the common man faced any hardship," the ruling coalition partner said.

It alleged that the present Fadnavis government is betraying the trust of people with the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act.

"This is an attempt to kill the freedom of people and a jolt to democracy. What has suddenly happened in the state that has threatened internal security. If Emergency has to be imposed, do it in Kashmir, or in Gujarat, where journalists are being killed and atrocities taking place on Dalits."

The Sena claimed that the proposed law gives unprecedented powers to the police to clamp down on persons taking part in marriages or naming ceremony of children.

"Tomorrow if Amitabh Bachchan is being followed by 100 or more fans, or if you see more than a 100 enthusiastic people outside Sena office, will you put them all behind bars?" the Sena asked.

The proposed legislation would be the first such state-level law for internal security which will give unprecedented power to the police department, if implemented.

It proposes special security zones where movement of arms, explosives and inflow of unaccounted funds will be prohibited.
The sharp decline in the wholesale onion prices due to the increase in supply and unsold stock at Lasalgaon Agriculture Produce Market Committee (APMC) is seen as the lowest in the recent years. However, it can be said that the political tussle within the state and central BJP leadership (between Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari) has ultimately led to the procedural lapses that snowballed into this crisis.

On 10 August, in a meeting held at Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari's office, the Centre had directed the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED) to step in and begin procurement of excess onions directly from farmers after receiving proposal on the local market rates to the Centre in a couple of days from the state governments.

The decision  that NAFED to begin procurement of excess onions from Nashik at market rate and that the cost to be borne equally by the Centre and the state  was taken in the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Union ministers Nitin Gadkari, Subhash Bhamre and Radha Mohan Singh; minister of state for agriculture and horticulture Sadabhau Khot; minister of cooperation, marketing and textile Subhash Deshmukh; veteran NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Swambhimani Shetkari Sanghatana leader Raju Shetty in Delhi.

However, sources in the ministry told Firstpost that Maharashtra state government's failure to submit the said proposal on time sparked the decline in the prices of the onions. As the proposal was not submitted on time, the farmers were unable to sell onions directly to NAFED which resulted in their loss.

Interestingly, in a bid to tackle the crisis, senior NCP leader and former Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar enquired into the failure of submission of the proposal to some of the state and Union ministers late on Wednesday night. Following which, the ministers from state's co-operation, marketing and textile department, on Thursday (public holiday), completed the proposal, got it signed by the chief minister and sent it to the Centre.

Once the proposal is okayed, the farmer will get the grant of Re1 per kg and the burden of Rs 30 crore will be borne by the state and will benefit over 3 lakh farmers.

Hinting about a tussle within the BJP top leadership, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, the sources said, has been reluctant and asked his ministers to go slow on these meetings called by Gadkari. Fadnavis doesnt want Gadkari to take the credit for sorting out the issues like onion prices and roads pertaining to the state, the sources added.

It is learnt that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed Nitin Gadkari and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh to sort out the onion price issue. However, according to the sources, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has been playing down PM's wish.

Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari  known for speedy and result-oriented work  has been actively taking the lead in sorting out the issues like roads, onion prices and Mahad Bridge tragedy by holding regular meetings with the state ministers.

Senior NCP leader Sharad Pawar said that the state government is wholly responsible for the dropping onion prices. It is sheer negligence from state and the chief minister is answerable to the poor farmers, Pawar lashed out.

On Tuesday, a farmer from Karanjgaon village in Nashik district claimed that he got the rate of 5 paise per kg for onions, prompting him to dump his produce of 13 quintals in his field in protest, even as a trader blamed "poor quality" of bulb for the low price.

Sudhakar Darade, who hails from Niphad taluka, said his onions got valued at Rs 5 per quintal (100 kg) at Saikheda sub-agriculture produce market committee (APMC) on Tuesday. He said his entire produce of 13 quintals was offered a rate of Rs 65 in total. He, however, claimed to have sold only 200 quintals.

The distressed farmer said he incurred more than Rs 700 per acre for cultivating onions and paid Rs 780 towards transportation charges for bringing the produce to the APMC. Upset over the valuation, Darade returned home and threw 13 quintal of onion in his field.

Swabhiman Shetkari Sangh leader and MP Raju Shetty also held state government responsible for this. "The officers who are sitting on the proposal that needs to be sent to the Centre should be immediate sacked," Shetty told Firstpost. Like the previous government, this BJP-led government has also too wronged the farmers, he added.

Nitin Gadkari's active involvement in the state's affair:

On 28 July, surprisingly, Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and senior official attended a meeting to sort out national highway condition with Mumbai-Goa highway and BPT issue at NCP chief Sharad Pawar official residence at 6 Janpath.

On 6 August, Nitin Gadkari said that the government has to bear the responsibility for the tragedy where two state-run buses and some private vehicles were swept away after a British-era bridge over the Savitri river in Konkans Mahad collapsed. We are in the government. As the government, we have to bear responsibility for the tragedy, he had said.

On 10 August, with onion prices falling sharply in Maharashtra, the Centre reviewed the price situation and discussed the possibility of buying more onions from farmers to protect their interest. The issue was discussed at a meeting convened by Nitin Gadkari.

TV9 video of the meeting attended by veteran NCP leader Sharad Pawar and Transport Minister Nitin Desai.
Australian defence officials warned French naval contractor DCNS to beef up security in Australia, where it is preparing to build a A$50 billion ($38.13 billion) fleet of submarines, in the wake of a massive data leak, a government spokesman said on Friday.

The DCNS was left reeling after more than 22,000 pages outlining details relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper earlier this week, sparking concerns about its ability to protect sensitive data.

A senior Australian defence official, acting on orders from Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, warned DCNS that the government was deeply concerned by the implications of the leak, a spokesman for the minister told Reuters.

The DCNS is locked in exclusive negotiations with Australia to build a fleet of 12 next-generation submarines after seeing off its rivals, Germany's Thyssenkrup AG and a Japanese government-backed consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

The DCNS said earlier this week that the leak, which covered details of the Scorpene-class model and not the vessel currently being designed for the Australian fleet, bore the hallmarks of "economic warfare" carried out by frustrated competitors.

TKMS Australia, the German shipbuilder's local subsidiary, declined to respond to the accusation. Mitsubishi Heavy Industry also said that it had no comment.

A senior industry source who was involved in the Australian submarine bidding called the allegation an "extraordinary" attempt to deflect attention from DCNS' security shortcomings.

"Clearly there's been a massive leak. And for the French to seek to blame either the Japanese or the Germans under some banner of 'economic warfare' is hysterical," he told Reuters.

The French victory in one of the world's most valuable defence contracts was a major blow to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda.

Meanwhile, France, India played down the security risk of leaked submarine data.

Moreover, DCNS and TKMS are currently locked in another competition for a lucrative contract to replace Norway's fleet of aging Ula-class submarines. The European shipbuilders, the world's biggest suppliers of conventional submarines, regularly lock horns.
When US president Barack Obama exits the White House in January, he will leave behind a foreign policy landscape that has more craters in it than a road in Mumbai after a particularly powerful monsoon season. There will be global challenges that will keep his successor up all night, instead of just dreading the 3 am phone call. But as Obama cedes the Oval Office, there will also be the legacy of a relationship with India that is on a high, building upon the foundation created by his predecessor George W Bush.

When US secretary of state John Kerry participates in the India-US Strategic Dialogue in New Delhi, quite certainly that elevated partnership will be stressed upon. But New Delhi will surely have concerns about the next occupant of the White House.

The Republican nominee Donald Trump has unsettled many in India, as he has done worldwide. We know he really has no policy except one of America First. The Republican National Convention platform in Cleveland was glowing: India is our geopolitical ally and a strategic trading partner. But there was some hectoring, as well: For all of Indias religious communities, we urge protection against violence and discrimination. On Pakistan, the outlook, notwithstanding some statements that have warmed hawks to the Trump bandwagon, is hardly revolutionary: Our working relationship is a necessary, though sometimes difficult, benefit to both, and we look toward the strengthening of historic ties that have frayed under the weight of international conflict.

Basically, the same old, same old.

The Democrats manifested a similar tendency: We will help Pakistan stabilise its polity and build an effective relationship with the predominantly young population of this strategically located, nuclear-armed country. And their platform on India also gushed about continuing to to invest in a long-term strategic partnership with India  the worlds largest democracy, a nation of great diversity, and an important Pacific power.

Both parties rattled their sabres at China, spoke of defeating the Islamic State and took potshots at the Russians.

While Trump offers the X-factor, Hillary Clinton is a known quantity, and while considered pro-India, has a track record at Foggy Bottom, the State Departments headquarters, thats not very encouraging. She played a part in denying India a role as the Obama administration drafted its original Af-Pak policy, and also supervised the $7.5 billion handout to Pakistan that resulted from an Act fostered by her successor, Kerry.

When Obama assumed office, the first state dinner he hosted was for then prime minister Manmohan Singh. It was a love-fest. Barely a year into Obamas second term, however, there was anger on the table, served up by the detention of New York-based Indian diplomat Devyani Khobragade. Apart from that fracture, the relationship was also going nowhere in a time of policy paralysis. It wasnt quite a cold war, but certainly a freeze. Since then, Narendra Modi has seemed to meet Obama more often than he has visited Parliament.

When I worked in New York, I met a senior Indian diplomat who used language that would never appear in a foreign service manual. Referring to the United States, he said, Weve got them by the balls. What he meant was that Indias economic growth was its most formidable diplomatic tool. Lets face it: The burgeoning middle-class in India and its consumer consciousness may well be buying credits with the global power.

In fact, if you were to graph the India-US relationship, the peaks and troughs would roughly approximate the performance of the Indian economy. Thats one reason the strategic dialogue also includes the US commerce secretary Penny Pritzker.

Beyond those obligatory words of bilateral bonhomie lies a transactional attitude. If the Indian market doesnt bolster a sagging American economy, Washingtons attention will waver. This paradigm echoes what another Clinton running for president once used as a very effective campaign slogan, Its the economy, stupid.
The war on terror should never begin inside a woman's wardrobe. We live in such a ridiculous world that Europeans, Canadians, Americans, Muslims, Christians and even atheists are splitting hairs over what women should be allowed to wear at the beach. In what smacks of utter daftness, Muslim women enjoying the sun and the sand in the French Rivera now have to show skin to prove their secular credentials.

The bans largely affect beaches on the French Rivera, but the controversy intensified after pictures emerged of three male policemen confronting a startled Muslim woman in Nice, making her remove her top. Many were shocked as more images did the rounds of social media: Women in Nice and Cannes now being harassed by overzealous policemen even though sometimes they weren't even wearing full-body swimsuits known as burkinis.

France's highest administrative court is going to decide on the beach fines on Friday. The court has been asked by a human rights group and an anti-Islamophobia association to overturn the beach bans imposed by 26 towns on women in burkinis.

Women dumped tonnes of sand outside the French Embassy in London on Thursday for an impromptu beach party to protest the burkini bans. Women in America were also quick to show solidarity with anyone forced to wear anything, anywhere by anyone.

"Women should be allowed to wear what they want. The decision should not be up to men, police, or even society at large. And that should be the case for all women, no matter where they live  whether it is Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Iran or the French Riviera," wrote CNN columnist Frida Ghitis.

"The places where women face the harshest, most oppressive restrictions on that basic expression of human dignity  the right to wear the clothes you choose  is not France or other parts of Western Europe. It is in countries ruled by theocratic regimes; countries such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, and territories controlled by the so-called Islamic State or IS...It is a travesty that we are even discussing a violation of that right in France, one of the freest, most liberal countries on earth. Indeed, the ban on the burkini has handed a victory to Islamists and to other Muslims who want to restrict women's freedoms. And it has set back the cause of women's empowerment," wrote Ghitis.

France should do some soul-searching as the pictures of policemen confronting women requiring them to take off their burkinis is going to be damaging. The "covert racism" has already sparked sit-ins with protestors waving signs reading "Hey Mister, Hands off my Sister."

Women should be allowed to wear what they want. The decision should not be up to men, police, or even society at large.

Different reasons have been given for the bans in more than a dozen French communes and cities but several officials have made a link to a recent wave of IS-inspired terror attacks. The Nice tribunal ruled on Monday that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet was necessary, appropriate and proportionate to prevent public disorder after a succession of jihadi attacks in France.

It said the burkini was liable to offend the "religious convictions or (religious) non-convictions of other users of the beach, and be felt as a defiance or a provocation exacerbating tensions felt by the community.

Separately, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has been hailed as a feminist for batting for burkinis. On Monday, he defended individual rights and freedoms while touting cultural diversity and tolerance when asked about the controversy swirling in France. Trudeau called for "the respect of individual rights and choices. This, he said, should be "at the top of public discourse and debate."
France's highest administrative court on Friday suspended a ban on the Islamic burkini swimsuit brought by a French Riviera town after it was challenged by rights groups.

In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if there was a "proven risk" to public order.

The case before the court concerned the French Riviera resort of Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns which have passed burkini bans.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as "a victory for common sense".

Amnesty International too welcomed the ruling.

"By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, today's decision has drawn an important line in the sand," Amnesty's Europe director John Dalhuisen said.

"French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women," he said.

The CFCM's secretary general Abdallah Zekri said: "This victory for common sense will help to take the tension out of a situation which has become very tense for our Muslim compatriots, especially women."

The State Council heard arguments from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group.

The burkini bans had triggered a fierce debate about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women's rights and the French state's strictly-guarded secularism.

President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that life in France "supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation".

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, condemned the bans as he visited Paris Thursday.

"I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop," he told the London Evening Standard newspaper.

Police have fined Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in towns including in the renowned Riviera resorts of Nice and Cannes.

The office of Nice's mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP that she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken. The police fined her and she left the beach, the officials added.

The first ban on the burkini has been attributed to Mandelieu-la-Napoule, close to Cannes, where it was discreetly barred in July 2013. The text of the municipal decree has been used, typically word for word, in bans elsewhere.

Cannes mayor David Lisnard said he had signed off on the burkini ban out of "respect for good customs and secularism", a founding principle of the French republic.
The violence in Kashmir has instigated a protracted and bitter dispute between India and Pakistan. While Pakistan calls Hizbul Mujahideen chief Burhan Wani a martyr and condemn the human rights violations in Kashmir, India has asked its neighbour to stay clear of its territory. Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup had on a previous occasion said that Pakistan has no locus standi on the issue.

Pakistan had invited India for talks on Kashmir at various points since the unrest in the state began. India has however, been very clear on its stand.

Pakistan sent two letters in a week inviting India for talks on the Kashmir dispute. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar welcomed talks on cross-border terrorism and the status of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir before indulging in a discussion on the Kashmir violence, LiveMint reported.

Swarup said on Thursday that Jaishankar reiterated Indias stand that Pakistan should vacate PoK in the second response letter handed by Indian high commissioner Gautam Bambawale to Pakistans foreign secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Wednesday.

According to reports, Chaudharys second invite was dated 19 August and asked Jaishankar to discuss the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, with a view to finding a fair and just solution, as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions and aspirations of the people of the state.

While accepting the invite by Chaudhary, India had conveyed that it "rejects the self-serving allegations (of Pakistan) over Jammu and Kashmir in totality" and asserted that the northern state is an integral part of India "where Pakistan has no locus standi".

It is interesting to note that while the Indian media focussed on Jaishankars proposal to talk about cross border terrorism and PoK, Pakistani newspapers termed Indias stand only as a refusal to talk over the Kashmir issue. They completely overlooked Jaishankar's willingness to discuss issues other than the ensuing violence in the volatile state.

Reports in popular Indian media newspapers and websites quoted Swarup and some senior government officials who are exploring ways to compel Pakistan to cut back its support to terror groups.

Lets look at some headlines and content produced by major Indian dailies.

The Indian Express

In late night letter to Pakistan, India says it will only talk terror

Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has written to his Pakistani counterpart, calling for talks on cross-border terrorism, describing it as a threat to regional security. The letter, delivered to Pakistans Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Wednesday night, also proposes a dialogue on the status of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. Pakistan had written to India on August 15, calling for a dialogue on the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, and humanitarian issues related to the violence there.

The Economic Times

Let us talk PoK, terror: S Jaishankar to Pakistan foreign secretary

India has hardened its stand on Pakistan's proposal for a Kashmir-centric dialogue as foreign secretary S Jaishankar, in his letter to his Pakistani counterpart, not only made terror as the basis of the proposed dialogue but also called for a discussion on the earliest possible vacation of Pakistan's illegal occupation of the Indian state of Jammu & Kashmir.

The Times of India

India talks tough with Pakistan, says willing to discuss terror"

Replying to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of 19 August to visit Islamabad by the end of this month to discuss Kashmir dispute, foreign secretary S Jaishankar said in a letter he was willing to discuss terrorism emanating from Pakistan's territory which was India's core concern.

And, finally Firstpost

Foreign Secretary-level talks: Ball is in Pakistan's court, says India"

India on Thursday said the ball was in Pakistan's court on holding Foreign Secretary-level talks as it was for Islamabad to decide on readiness to discuss issues of cross-border terrorism, vacation of illegal occupation of parts of Jammu and Kashmir and closing down terror camps.

In a response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's offer for talks on Kashmir, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said discussions should focus on cessation of terrorist activities in J&K and ending incitement to violence and terror in the Valley.

It is interesting to note that every news article published by an Indian media channel focussed on Jaishankars stand to hold talks on terrorism coming from Pakistan and the stand on PoK.

On the other hand, Pakistani media disregarded the PoK part of Jaishankars letter altogether. They only focussed on the first part of Indias response i.e. the refusal to talk on the Kashmir violence.

Dawn

India refuses talks over Kashmir issue with Pakistan

India on Thursday formally rejected Pakistan's proposal to hold exclusive talks on the issue of Kashmir and said it will only discuss the issue of terrorism alleged infiltration of militants with Pakistan, it has been learnt.

The Nation

India refuses to discuss Kashmir with Pakistan"

Rejecting Pakistans offer to hold talks on Kashmir issue, India on Thursday said it will only discuss the issue of alleged infiltration of militants with Pakistan.

The Express Tribune

"India rules out talks on Pakistans terms"

India has turned down Pakistans offer of exclusive talks to discuss the longstanding Kashmir disputeIn a letter to Pakistani Foreign Secretary Aizaz Chaudhry calling for talks on Kashmir, Indian Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar has instead sought talks on alleged cross-border terrorism in the disputed Himalayan valley.

While headlines of Indian media focussed on Indias willingness to discuss terror and PoK with Pakistan, Pakistani medias headlines focussed on Indias refusal to talk on the Kashmir issue. It seems like our neighbour presented only partial facts in their news reports and were undoubtedly irked by India's response.

This vast difference between how Indian and Pakistani public interpret and present the same set of statements is probably the reason why the two countries have not yet been reconciled.

With inputs from agencies.
Bnei Brak: Hillary Clinton may become the president of Israel's most important ally, but her image is banished from a significant swath of the country's media: the ultra-Orthodox press, whose deeply conservative readership chafes at images of women.

Clinton's nomination as Democratic candidate for the US presidency is casting light on a longstanding policy that has already applied to other female figures from Germany's Angela Merkel to Israel's own prime minister Golda Meir. But whereas the election is causing some discussion among US' ultra-Orthodox media, their Israeli equivalents are digging in their heels.

"For us there is no question. We will not publish pictures of women, period," said Meni Shwartz, editor of the ultra-Orthodox news site Behadrei Haredim.

About 11 percent of Israel's 8.5 million citizens are Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox. Recognisable by their black hats and long black clothes, they often lead insular lives, separated from the more secular Jewish majority and closely adhering to Jewish laws. Ultra-Orthodox women traditionally dress in long skirts and long-sleeved shirts, covering their hair if they are married. Men and women sit separately at synagogues and weddings and unrelated women and men refrain from physical contact.

Ultra-Orthodox media, which include four daily newspapers, two main weeklies and two main web sites, cater to conservative ideals that include preserving women's modesty and skipping topics involving drugs, murder and sex. Many consider showing pictures of women a violation of those values, however newsworthy the figure.

So Haredi media use pictures of the White House, Democratic running mate Tim Kaine or even Bill Clinton instead of showing Hillary's face.

The issue sparked discussion in Israel this year when Yated Neeman, the largest ultra-Orthodox daily, published a story about Clinton's choice of Kaine as her running mate, accompanied by a photograph of Clinton's husband.

"Hey Yated Neeman, what will happen if Hillary really wins? Four years of photos of Bill?" tweeted journalist Yair Ettinger, who covers religion for the secular daily Haaretz.

Beni Rabinovich, a journalist with Yated Neeman, tweeted back that the Haredi press has "a clear and rigid line on this issue. Without Bill or with Bill, we'll manage."

Yaakov Lustigman, foreign affairs reporter for the popular Haredi newspaper Hamevaser, said his readers are fascinated by the U.S. elections and "we have no problem with there being a female president"  but they don't want to see Clinton's picture or even read her first name.

Hamevaser achieved notoriety when it edited German Chancellor Angela Merkel out of a picture of world leaders marching through Paris after extremists attacked the offices of the satirical Charlie Hebdo magazine in 2015.

Hamodia, a veteran ultra-Orthodox paper, is the only current Haredi daily that existed during the administration of Meir, Israel's only female prime minister. A reporter there said that at the time, in the early 1970s, the newspaper did not publish her picture.

News site Kikar Hashabbat publishes demure photographs of Clinton and other female leaders, according to foreign affairs reporter Israel Cohen.

"Hillary Clinton is in her 60s. She's solid, she dresses modestly and she's likely to be the next president," Cohen said. "You cannot ignore it."

But it is the lone exception, and journalists at rival publications said they don't consider the site to be truly Haredi because of its policy.

Rivka Neria-Ben Shahar, an expert on Haredi media at Sapir College in Sderot, said ultra-Orthodox newspapers have become more conservative in the past decades  but her studies show Haredi women today overwhelmingly support the policy.

Ultra-Orthodox rabbis, some with tens of thousands of followers, set the guidelines for what is acceptable in their communities. Several ultra-Orthodox papers have rabbinical committees overseeing their content, and journalists say the issue of whether to publish Hillary Clinton's picture hasn't been discussed.

Behadrei Haredim, headquartered in the ultra-Orthodox enclave of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv, walks a tight line between conservative ideals and the modern essence of being online.

Shwartz, the editor, said he gets about 1 million unique visits to the site a month, with users coming from Israel and around the world. The only photographs of women are in a section called "women's lobby," which focuses on cooking, motherhood and lifestyle. Users entering this area are warned that only women should proceed.

Atara Sternbuch, an observant woman who runs the site's English section, said the lack of women's pictures on the main site is "just not an issue." She said people who want to see pictures of Hillary Clinton can search elsewhere. "We want to make it comfortable to our readers who don't want to be exposed to that," she said.

American ultra-Orthodox media have traditionally shied away from publishing women's pictures as well. But the prospect of a Clinton presidency is stirring some debate. One newspaper recently broke a taboo by publishing a picture of Hillary Clinton's hand.

Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter, editor of the weekly Ami Magazine in New York, said he would consider printing Clinton's photograph if rabbinical authorities allow it.

"We don't want to isolate the executive branch of the US government," Frankfurter said. "It's too important for us as Jews who are citizens of the US and as Jews who are friends of Israel."

Sheldon Schorer, former chairman of Democrats Abroad Israel, derided the policy of excluding women's pictures and said it put Clinton at a disadvantage.

"I don't think the Jewish religion really requires that."
New Delhi: India on Friday asked Pakistan not to remain in a "denial" mode regarding its support to cross-border terrorism as the war of words between the two countries intensified.

In his latest response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of 19 August for talks, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar once again emphasised on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabad's illegal occupation of PoK and conveyed that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is actually a "prime perpetrator" of terrorism.

The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that India seeks result-oriented talks with Pakistan with an agenda to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence by it, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Jaishankar while conveying his readiness to be available to engage any time at mutual convenience on these issues, however, mentioned that justifying terrorism and interference in the internal affairs of India are hardly serious basis for a result-oriented dialogue.

Asked about absence of the Finance Minister from the ongoing Saarc meet, indicating the growing strain in relationship, Swarup said, "Providing support, safe havens and sanctuary to terrorists and making the distinction between good terrorist and bad terrorist has posed enormous risk to peace and stability to our region.

"It is important for Pakistan to realise the reality and not remain in denial on the impact of cross-border terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Sooner Pakistan recognises this central and important fact, the sooner, India-Pakistan relationship can progress."

In the letter, the Foreign Secretary hoped that the government of Pakistan will reconsider its approach and show sincerity towards promoting good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.

"This will also send a larger message to a region which is deeply troubled by the policies that emanate from Pakistan," Jaishankar's letter said.

The Foreign Secretary has also reiterated that basis of further discussions between the two countries are -Simla Agreement of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999 and Joint statement of 2004, Swarup added.

On its part, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while briefing the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union countries in Islamabad about the situation in the Valley, "regretted" India's virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir.

At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz "deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed" in Kashmir which has taken a "toll of more than 80 innocent Kashmiris since 8 July, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people," the Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.
Iraq: Iraqi forces on Thursday pushed the Islamic State group from Qayyarah, a northern town considered strategic for any future offensive against the jihadists' last stronghold of Mosul.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi hailed the victory as a key step in the fight against IS but hours later suffered yet another political setback when lawmakers impeached his defence minister.

Special forces, backed by US-led coalition air strikes, wrapped up a three-day operation to retake Qayyarah, a town located on the banks of the Tigris river.

"We control all parts of the town and managed, in very limited time, to root out Daesh," Lieutenant General Riyadh Jalal Tawfik, who commands Iraq's ground forces, told an AFP reporter in Qayyarah, using an acronym for IS.

The commander said engineering units were now clearing the town, which lies about 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul, of unexploded ordnance and booby traps.

Residents greeted the security forces under skies blackened by huge fires IS fighters set to nearby oil wells in recent days.

The bodies of suspected IS fighters were strewn across some of the town's streets, especially around its southern entrance, which saw the worst fighting and significant destruction.

Abadi issued a statement hailing what he said was a key step towards reclaiming Mosul, IS's de facto Iraq capital and the country's second city.

"Our heroic forces achieved a big victory, an important step towards the liberation of Mosul," Abadi said.

The prime minister's mood was unlikely to have remained upbeat very long however, with one of his key allies losing a no confidence vote by parliament moments later.

The house impeached Defence Minister Khaled al-Obeidi by 142 votes to 102 - and 18 abstentions - over corruption allegations.

Obeidi's downfall is the latest development in a bitter feud that erupted this month with rival Sunni politician Salim al-Juburi, who is the parliament speaker.

At a hearing in parliament, Obeidi answered graft accusations against him by saying they were trumped up because he had refused to be part of corrupt deals.

He fought back with his own allegations against Juburi and other lawmakers but the speaker escaped unscathed after an integrity committee dropped the case.

"I tried to fight corruption in every way but it appears that its lords are stronger and their voices louder," Obeidi said in a statement after the vote.

Unity in Iraq's Sunni camp is seen as key to preparing an offensive against Mosul.

The operation against Qayyarah was launched on Tuesday and led by Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service (CTS).

Iraqi forces had already recaptured a nearby air field and Qayyarah is expected to become one of the main launchpads for an assault on Mosul in the coming weeks or months.

Officers have said the push into Qayyarah was coordinated with small groups of armed residents opposed to IS inside the town.

"The people were very cooperative, that is why none of them fled, they did not attack our forces and our forces did not hurt them," General Tawfik said.

A CTS spokesman confirmed pro-government sleeper cells were involved in the operation but would not provide further details.

IS has suffered a string of military setbacks over the past year and lost more than half of the territory it controlled two years ago, in a trend that looks irreversible.

Jassem Hanoun, an Iraqi political and security analyst, argued the timing of Obeidi's removal could not be worse.

"It will have a direct impact on the battle since the ministry will be run by the deputy, who has limited authority," he said.

The jihadists are vastly outnumbered and outgunned in the Mosul area but, besides the obstacles raised by a divided political class, Iraq also faces an unprecedented humanitarian crisis.

Around 3.4 million people have already been forced to flee their homes by conflict since the start of 2014.

The United Nations' refugee agency warned this week that an offensive on Mosul could displace another 1.2 million people and cause a major disaster.
Amatrice, Italy: The death toll from a powerful earthquake in central Italy rose to 250 on Thursday as rescuers continued a grim search for corpses and powerful aftershocks rocked the devastated area.

The bulk of the confirmed deaths  193 at the latest count  were in the small town of Amatrice, where Rita Rosine, 63, wept as she mourned her 75-year-old sister, who was buried under the ruins of her house.

"The situation is worse than in war. It's awful, awful... they say it will take two days to dig her out because they have to shore up the surrounding buildings," she told AFP.

"She didn't deserve to die like that, she was so good."

As hopes of finding any more survivors in the rubble faded, questions mounted as to why there had been so many deaths in a sparsely-populated area so soon after a 2009 earthquake in the nearby city of L'Aquila left 300 people dead.

That disaster, just 50 kilometres (30 miles) south, underscored the region's vulnerability to seismic events  but preparations for a fresh quake have been exposed as limited at best.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi announced on Thursday the launch of a plan to help better prepare Italy for earthquakes.

"Italy should have plan that is not just limited to the management of emergency situations," he said after a cabinet meeting.

Renzi admitted that Italy has a difficult task ahead to secure buildings  and its vast collection of historical heritage -- against quake damage, but said that modern technology could play a role.

He also stressed that priority would be given to securing "a place to sleep" for those who had lost their homes in the quake.

Giuseppe Saieva, the chief public prosecutor for most of the area affected, said he would be opening an investigation into whether anyone could be held responsible for the disaster.

Culture Minister Dario Franceschini said Thursday that some 293 historical buildings were damaged or destroyed by the quake.

No new survivors

In Amatrice, a 4.3 magnitude aftershock shook the already badly damaged village on Thursday, fuelling fears of fresh collapses which could hamper the rescue operation.

Amatrice normally has a population of around 2,500 but it was packed with visitors when the quake struck as people slept in the early hours of Wednesday.

At least eight foreigners were killed, including three British citizens who were visiting Amatrice, a local official told the BBC. Two Romanians, a Canadian, a Spanish national and one woman from El Salvador were also killed, according to the countries' respective foreign ministries.

A total of 215 people have been rescued from the rubble since Wednesday morning. But there have been no reports of survivors being found since Wednesday evening, when eight-year-old Giorgia was rescued 16 hours after being trapped, having been located by a labrador called Leo.

Her parents also survived but her 10-year-old sister did not make it.

What happens tomorrow?

Hundreds of people spent Wednesday night sleeping in their cars or in hastily-assembled tents, the aftershocks adding to their discomfort.

Mario, a father of two small boys, said he was still in shock. "We slept in the car last night, though with the quakes it was hard to sleep at all," he told AFP.

"We've booked a tent for tonight. But then tomorrow, the next day?"

The extensive damage to lightly-used properties has raised the spectre of some of the smaller hamlets in the region becoming ghost towns.

"If we don't get help, l'Arquata is finished," said Aleandro Petrucci, the mayor of Arquata del Tronto, which accounted for 57 of the confirmed deaths to date.

Petrucci said it was impossible to say exactly how many people were in the 13 tiny communities that make up l'Arquata when the disaster struck.

In Pescara del Tronto, which was virtually razed by the quake, there are only four permanently resident families but there could have been up to 300 people there on Wednesday.

Measuring 6.0-6.2 magnitude, the quake's epicentre was near Amatrice and its shallow depth of four kilometres (2.5 miles) exacerbated its impact.

It occurred without warning but in an area with a long history of killer quakes.

The Civil Protection agency which is coordinating the rescue effort said that in addition to the dead, 365 people had suffered injuries serious enough to be hospitalised. Several of them are in a critical state.

Nothing ever done

After L'Aquila, the Civil Protection agency made almost one billion euros available for upgrading buildings in seismically-vulnerable areas.

But the take-up of grants has been low  because of form-filling attached, critics say.

"Here in the middle of a seismic zone, nothing has ever been done," said Dario Nanni of the Italian Council of Architects.

"It does not cost that much more when renovating a building to make it comply with earthquake standards. But less than 20 percent of buildings do."
Kathmandu: At least 20 people were killed and another 17 hurt when a bus drove off a highway in Nepal and plunged into a river on Friday, police said.

Police office said the bus rolled about 100 meters (330 feet) down the slope early on Friday and crashed into the fast-flowing Trishuli river near Chandibhanjyang, about 120 kilometers (75 miles) west of the capital, Kathmandu.

Police and villagers were helping the injured and pulling the dead from wreckage, which was mostly submerged in the river.

Police are investigating the cause of the pre-dawn accident.

Road accidents in mountainous Nepal are generally blamed on poorly maintained vehicles and roads.

Earlier this month, an overcrowded bus veered off a mountain trail in eastern Nepal, killing at least 33 people and injuring 28 others.
La Paz (Bolivia): Striking miners in Bolivia kidnapped and beat to death the country's deputy interior minister after he traveled to the area to mediate in the bitter conflict over mining laws, officials said.

Government Minister Carlos Romero called it a "cowardly and brutal killing" and asked that the body of deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes be turned over to authorities.

Illanes, whose formal title is vice minister of the interior regime, was "savagely beaten" to death by the striking miners, Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira told Red Uno television, his voice breaking.

Earlier, Romero had said that Illanes had been kidnapped and possibly tortured, but wasn't able to confirm reports that he had been killed by the striking informal miners, who are demanding the right to associate with private companies, among other issues.

The fatal beating follows the killings of two protesters in clashes with police, deaths that likely escalated tensions in the strike.

Illanes had gone to Panduro, 130 kilometers south of the La Paz, to open a dialogue with the striking miners, who have blockaded a highway there since Monday. Thousands of passengers and vehicles are stranded on roads blocked by the strikers.

Officials say he was taken hostage by the miners yesterday morning. At midday, Illanes said on his Twitter account: "My health is fine, my family can be calm." There are reports that he had heart problems.

Bolivia's informal or artisan miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives. They want to be able to associate with private companies, which is prohibited. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they would cease to be cooperatives.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of President Evo Morales, went on an indefinite protest after negotiations over the mining legislation failed.
Geneva: US Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva for a meeting with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov to discuss the situation in war-ravaged Syria.

Kerry, who was flying in from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia where he announced a new peace push for conflict-torn Yemen, arrived in the Swiss city shortly on Thursday before 10:00 pm (Local Time).

He was scheduled to meet with Lavrov Friday morning for talks expected to focus heavily on the situation in Syria.

Earlier on Friday, the UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura described the meeting as "important" and said it could help his push to resume peace negotiations for the country.

De Mistura did not say whether he would be meeting with the two top diplomats while they were in town.

Successive rounds of international negotiations have failed to end the Syria conflict, which has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions to flee their homes.

Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the conflict, which erupted in 2011 after President Bashar al-Assad's regime unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt.

Russian planes have also been carrying out raids on Syrian rebel groups, some of which are supported by the United States.

But the two countries have a common foe in the Islamic State group, and have been in contact on efforts to establish military cooperation against the jihadists.

Perhaps as a sign of tightening cooperation, Moscow vowed on Thursday to work with the United States on a response after a UN investigation found that the Syrian regime had carried out chemical attacks.

"We have a joint interest in preventing such things from happening, even in the fog of war," Moscow's UN Ambassador Vitaly Churkin told reporters.

The two countries also co-chair a UN-backed humanitarian task force for Syria, which has been struggling to ensure access for desperately-needed aid across the country.

Aleppo, Syria's second city and former economic hub, has emerged as a top concern since regime troops seized control of the last supply route into rebel-held areas in mid-July.

Russia last week gave its blessing to a long-demanded 48-hour pause in fighting in the city to allow in aid, but de Mistura said on Thursday other unspecified parties were still dragging their feet.
The burkini has been one of the most talked about things this week.

Judges claim that the ban against burkinis is "necessary, appropriate and proportionate", while they went on to describe the seemingly offending garment as a "provocation exacerbating tensions" at a time where France has suffered seriously from attacks by "Islamic" terrorists.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls even referred to the burkini as a sign of "the enslavement of women", and that it supports the notion that women are "impure and that they should therefore be totally covered".

The forceful removal of the burkini, followed by statements from various French officials, has sparked a fierce debate between Islamic and Western societies, and has many people questioning France's stance of secularism, which is designed to converge all ethnicities, races and genders under the umbrella of French citizenship rather than single people out on the basis of their religion.

Following the recent line of attacks on Britain, Belgium and France, their hostility towards Muslims in general isnt surprising. I, a Muslim living in a Muslim country, at times feel concerned for my safety at the hands of someone, who equates my religion with the destruction of everything and anything that doesnt adhere to a certain set of laws. The only difference between France and me lies in the source of our fear. I fear the people who have twisted Islam into an interpretation of their own desires or are ignorant about it all together, using it as a cover to do whatever they want all while defaming a religion, while France, in the light of recent events, fears Islam itself.

When Muslim communities live in European societies and reap the benefits offered to them by a democratic government, it becomes their responsibility to live in a way that upholds the dynamics of the very society they benefit from. Muslims living and thriving in European societies should know that with the liberty of freedom, comes the obligation for tolerance. France was not built on misogyny, ignorance or tolerance, rather it was built on the foundation of liberty and equal rights for all. Likewise, France, like every other state, should find a way to combat terrorism without putting the freedom of innocent Muslims at stake.

The burkini is not a political statement or a means to make the wearer feel enslaved or the viewer offended. The burkini, like every other piece of garment, is a choice. A choice to be able to have fun at the beach without jeopardising your religious beliefs. Just like wearing a short skirt doesnt mean that a woman is 'asking for it', being fully clothed doesnt mean a woman is oppressed.

Women feeling enslaved or liberated by clothes or their lack thereof is a personal preference. When we speak against 'slut-shaming' every time Kim Kardashian wears 'too little', it becomes our unspoken duty to speak up whenever someone is being persecuted for covering 'too much'. Because we know. We know that liberation and empowerment translate differently for Kim and an average hijabi, but does that make the rights of either of them any less valid?

The fourth wave of feminism is entirely based around and encourages women to pursue their lives in ways which appeal to them as an individual. It has brought the burgeoning of ideals that a woman can be anything she wishes to be; a crop-top loving plus-size woman, a woman who tattoos freckles onto her face, or a woman whose worth is never underestimated.

We live in a beautiful world right now. A world that promotes the rhetoric of tolerance and encourages women to embrace every essence of their being, but somehow our ideals are exclusive. The brush that paints us all as feminists dries up when it comes to Muslim women.

I, as a Muslim woman understand that modesty in religion is the highest form of empowerment. It is a choice. Asking a Muslim woman to remove her garb is the very definition of religious intolerance and oppression. Do you still really believe that you have done a service by subjecting this woman to such emotional trauma?

The author is based in Islamabad, Pakistan.
New Delhi: The changing demographics of the US does not support the views of the Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, a former senior US official said on Thursday even as he termed "restraint" as the leitmotif of President's Obama policy.

Ashley Tellis, a senior advisor to the Ambassador at the US embassy, said the policies of President Obama has "definitely" helped India.

"The trajectory of India-US relationship is set and has seen a steady progress irrespective of whichever President has come to power in Washington. It is also unlikley to change," he said delivering a lecture on 'America and the World: Obama's Strategic Legacy' organised by Carnegie India.

Tellis, who is believed to have played a crucial role during the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement, said New Delhi recognises that the US is important to aid India's rise in power.

He, however, admitted that the US "failed" to gauge the genesis of the Islamic State, but once it did, a fair amount of success was achieved in destroying the terror group.

Noting that restraint has been the leitmotif of Obama's grand strategy, Tellis said, the success of American engagement will not come from greater restraint but from assertiveness and any successes arising from Obama's policies are only transitory and not permanent.

He said Obama successfully avoided entry into major wars, not succumb to temptation of military intervention especially in the Middle east and successfully put a "break" on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Tellis, however, added that Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton will be more assertive, if voted to power as she deeply believes that if the US leadership is not forthcoming then even the collective actions or solutions will fail.

"She is more comfortable to use the American power than President Obama," said Tellis, who served on the National Security Council staff as special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia.

Asked about the impact on the Republican party if Trump loses, he said, if that happens marginally then the party will gravitate to the view held by Trump and if he is defeated resoundingly, then it will have to rethink on its ideology.

"Whatever views are presented by Trump the changing demography of America simply does not support that ideology. It's after all the arithmetic that will kill the party," Tellis said.

The former senior US official said Obama believes that an exercise of American power does not include "nation building".

He said despite the rise of other powers including India and China, the US will remain the sole superpower and it will remain for sometime and added "assertiveness", which is missing in the Obama's foreign policy will make a return with the change of regime.
United Nations: United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will visit a resettlement site in Jaffna in Northern Province of Sri Lanka and meet President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his trip to the island nation later this month.

Ban will leave for Singapore later this week, on the first leg of the trip that includes visits to to Myanmar and Sri Lanka for official visits, to China for the G20 Summit and the Lao People's Democratic Republic for the annual ASEAN-UN Summit.

On 31st August, he will travel to Colombo to meet Sirisena and Wickremesinghe as well as other members of the Lankan government and Parliament.

Ban will also deliver a keynote speech at a public event on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 16, dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

"While in Sri Lanka, the Secretary General will also visit a resettlement site in Jaffna in north of the country and participate in an event on the role of youth in reconciliation and coexistence in Galle, in the south of the island," Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters on Wednesday.

In Singapore, the UN chief is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as other government officials.

He will be conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the National University of Singapore.

In Myanmar, Ban will meet President U Htin Kyaw and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as well as other political and civil society leaders. He will also meet State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

On 3 September, he will be in Hangzhou in China for the G20 Summit, which will also be attended by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama.

For the concluding visit if his trip, Ban will travel Vientiane in Laos, for the eighth ASEAN-UN Summit meeting on 7 September and the 11th East Asia Summit on 7 September.

This will be Moon's second visit to Sri Lanka.

He toured the island in May 2009 immediately after the Sri Lankan troops defeated the LTTE ending the three decades old civil war.

Since that visit, Lanka came under close UN scrutiny for its war crimes accountability during the war with the LTTE.

The UN Human Rights Council have passed three resolutions since 2012 to urge accountability for warcrimes blamed on both the government troops and the LTTE.
Washington: Pakistan's continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming US military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabads strategic importance as an ally to Washington, US military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said.

The United States has cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply in recent years, reflecting mounting frustration among a growing number of officials with the nuclear-armed country's support for the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.

That frustration has dogged US-Pakistan ties for more than a decade, but has spiked anew as the militant Islamic group has advanced in parts of Afghanistan that US and allied forces once helped to secure, US officials and analysts say.

"We're seeing a very definitive and very sharp reorienting of US policy in South Asia away from Afghanistan-Pakistan and more towards India," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank.

(For graphic showing U.S. annual military and civilian aid to Pakistan since 2011 click tmsnrt.rs/2boG04J)

The US relationship with Pakistan has long been a transactional one marked by mutual mistrust, marriages of convenience, and mood swings.

The long-standing US frustration with Pakistan's refusal to stop supporting the Taliban, especially within the US military and intelligence community, is now overriding President Barack Obama's administration's desire to avoid renewed military involvement in Afghanistan, as well as concerns that China could capitalize on fraying ties between Washington and Islamabad, the US officials said.

Obama announced last month he would keep US troop levels in Afghanistan at 8,400 through the end of his administration, shelving plans to cut the force in half by year end.

American civilian and military aid to Pakistan, once the third-largest recipient of US foreign assistance, is expected to total less than $1 billion (757.12 million) in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to US government data. The United States has not appropriated less than $1 billion to Pakistan since at least 2007.

The decrease also comes amid budget constraints and shifting global priorities for the United States, including fighting Islamic State militants, a resurgent Russia and an increasingly assertive China.

In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would seek to bar $430 million in US funding for Islamabad's purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp. (LMT.N: Quote) F-16 fighter jets.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter refused to authorize $300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan, citing the limited gains the country has made fighting the militant Haqqani network, which is based in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The approval of such funding has been mostly routine in the past.

Limits of cooperation

The US Congress has yet to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year. The Pentagon is due to authorize $350 million in military aid for the next fiscal year, and is unlikely to approve it under the Obama administration, a US defence official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Congress is no longer willing to fund a state that supports the Afghan Taliban, which is killing American soldiers," said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert and former CIA officer who headed Obama's first Afghanistan policy review.

In a stark illustration of the limits of USPakistan cooperation, the United States killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistans remote Baluchistan region in May, without informing Pakistan.

Some US officials still warn of the dangers of allowing relations with Pakistan to deteriorate. In a 26 July opinion piece in the Financial Times, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that "the strategic imperative for improved relations between the US and Pakistan is clear - for the safety of American troops and the success of their mission in Afghanistan, for the stability of the region and for the national security of both Pakistan and the US"

A senior Pakistani defence official said the United States will continue to need Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. Authorities in Islamabad have long rejected accusations that Pakistan has provided support and sanctuary to militants operating in Afghanistan.

We have lost over a hundred billion dollars in fighting terrorism, which is more than anything they have given us," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In any event, the official said, Pakistan can turn to other sources of aid, including China. Last year the two countries launched a plan for energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan worth $46 billion.

Nevertheless, the US tilt toward India, Pakistan's arch-foe, is likely to continue.

US defence companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co. are entering the Indian market, and the country has become the world's second-largest arms buyer after Saudi Arabia, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Earlier this year, India and the United States agreed in principle to share military logistics, as both sides seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China.
BILLINGS, Mont. and MCLEAN, Va. -- DoubleTree by Hilton, one of Hilton's (NYSE: HLT) 13 market-leading brands, today opens its first property in Montana's largest city and its second in the beautiful Treasure State.

DoubleTree by Hilton Billings rises 23 stories above Billings in one of the tallest buildings in the northern Rocky Mountains, offering stunning views of its charming downtown and the spectacular Beartooth Mountains. Following a complete, multi-million dollar renovation, the 289-room hotel is ideally situated just a quick walk from corporate offices, restaurants, breweries and cultural attractions like Alberta Bair Theater and Moss Mansion. The hotel is just three miles from Billings Logan International Airport, and provides complimentary roundtrip shuttle service.

DoubleTree by Hilton Billings offers business and leisure guests a relaxing respite, thanks to its wide-ranging amenities and contemporary Western design influenced by the history and geography of Montana. A towering landmark in Billings for decades, and once the world's largest brick-and-mortar building, the property is owned and operated by The Hotel Group.

"This iconic property is an extraordinary addition to our growing roster of upscale hotels," said Dianna Vaughan, senior vice president and global head, DoubleTree by Hilton and Curio  A Collection by Hilton. "We are delighted to bring the little things to Billings that mean so much, beginning with our warm chocolate chip cookie greeting and our industry-recognized service culture  CARE  that Creates a Rewarding Experience for guests, Team Members and the community."

Upon entering the lobby, elements of the hotel's Western contemporary design are immediately apparent. Its Connectivity Zone  which offers business and leisure guests versatile digital connectivity and Internet access to conduct meetings or simply print boarding passes  has a distinctive Big Sky Country feel, thanks to the contemporary geode element wall mural backdrop.

Other renovations are apparent and extend throughout the property. Herringbone and chevron patterns in custom carpets and fabrics are complemented by natural rustic furniture and unique artwork. Among the latter are creations inspired by the native bison that once roamed the region.

"With our renovation and conversion to DoubleTree by Hilton now complete, this iconic property is again the finest in the Billings hospitality market," said LaRell Baldwin, general manager, DoubleTree by Hilton Billings. "Our team is proud to offer guests of this beautiful property the first-rate service and amenities that have helped build the brand's global reputation."

Guests may choose from several lodging options:

Standard rooms feature plush DoubleTree Sweet Dreams Sleep Experience beds and an ergonomic workspace.

Executive rooms offer access to the complementary Executive Lounge.

Suites are available if a living area and private bedroom are preferred.

For all options, in-room amenities include an assortment of gourmet in-room tea and coffee offerings by The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf and a refreshing array of the Aroma Actives Essentials natural skin and body care line.

Dining is provided to meet a variety of culinary interests, and include:

Montana Sky Restaurant, on the 20 th floor, features fine American dining with a variety of menu items  such as the walleye, a pan-seared freshwater fish and the bone-in rib-eye steak  bearing a distinctive local flavor.

floor, features fine American dining with a variety of menu items  such as the walleye, a pan-seared freshwater fish and the bone-in rib-eye steak  bearing a distinctive local flavor. Montana's Lounge is the perfect place to relax over conversation and cocktails, or to shoot a game of billiards.

Starbucks  Coffee, on the lobby level, for favorite drinks, pastries and sandwiches

Coffee, on the lobby level, for favorite drinks, pastries and sandwiches Daily room service for in-room dining

Among the complimentary offerings at the DoubleTree by Hilton Billings are the Wake Up DoubleTree Breakfast, a 24-hour fitness center with Precor cardio equipment and the 24-hour business center.

The hotel can also accommodate business conferences, banquets and other events for up to 400 guests. Its 16,000 square feet of flexible meeting space includes three ballrooms and 15 meeting rooms of varying sizes. Optional features include a state-of-the-art sound system, LCD projectors and other A/V equipment, and high-speed Internet access. Catering services and a dedicated events staff are available to enhance any event.

"We are excited to add our 4th DoubleTree and 12th Hilton branded hotel into our portfolio," said Douglas Dreher, president and CEO of The Hotel Group. "The DoubleTree by Hilton embraces an innovative design and space that is specifically tailored to the needs of our business and leisure travelers visiting the Billings market. We take pride in our ability to offer Hospitality Greatness in conjunction with Hilton Worldwide, a strong brand partner with the successful HHonors loyalty program."

DoubleTree by Hilton Billings participates in the Hilton HHonors loyalty program, which is open to all guests and free to join; visit here for enrollment information. HHonors members always get our lowest price with our Best Price Guarantee, along with HHonors Points, free standard Wi-Fi, access to digital check-in and Digital Key, and no hidden fees, only when they book directly through Hilton. To mark the hotel's opening, Hilton HHonors members will earn 5,000 points for a three-night minimum stay from September 1, 2016 through February 28, 2017 when booking the best available rate. Based on availability, Gold and Diamond members will also enjoy free premium Wi-Fi and upgrades to the hotel's exclusiveHilton HHonors floor and complimentary Wake Up DoubleTree Breakfast.

DoubleTree by Hilton Billings is located at 27 N. 27th Street, Billings, Montana 59101. For more information, or to make a reservation, travelers may visit dtbillings.doubletreebyhilton.com or call 406-252-7400.

Media may access additional information on DoubleTree by Hilton Billings at news.doubletree.com/billings. For more news on DoubleTree by Hilton hotel openings, visit news.doubletree.com.

About The Hotel Group

The Hotel Group is a nationally recognized Top 40 hotel company and currently manages and/or owns 36 properties in 11 states, representing 12 brands and employs more than 2,000 people. Since its inception in 1984, THG has managed and/or owned 120 properties in 25 states, directed the design and construction of more than 40 new hotels, completed the acquisition of more than $175 million in private investment through the Hotel Group Opportunity Funds. For more information on THG and the services it offers, visit www.thehotelgroup.com.

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company with a portfolio of 18 world-class brands comprising more than 6,800 properties and more than 1 million rooms, in 122 countries and territories. Dedicated to fulfilling its founding vision to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, Hilton has welcomed more than 3 billion guests in its more than 100-year history, earned a top spot on the 2021 World's Best Workplaces list and been recognized as a global leader on the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices for five consecutive years. In 2021, in addition to opening more than one hotel a day, Hilton introduced several industry-leading technology enhancements to improve the guest experience, including Digital Key Share, automated complimentary room upgrades and the ability to book confirmed connecting rooms. Through the award-winning guest loyalty program Hilton Honors, the nearly 128 million members who book directly with Hilton can earn Points for hotel stays and experiences money can't buy. With the free Hilton Honors app, guests can book their stay, select their room, check in, unlock their door with a Digital Key and check out, all from their smartphone. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information, and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

Jacqueline Toppings

Hilton Worldwide

+1 703 883 5381

Hilton
Smell is dreadfully under-rated. We are reminded of its value when it is lost or when assailed by reeking odours, touched by floral caresses or enticed by kitchen bouquets.

Without this sense, the combination of taste and smell that we call flavour would be less savoured, memories less evoked and choice of mate less reliable. Imagine an aromatic cigar with no aroma or the down-the-nose perspective on the unwashed working class without the imagery of stench: imagery  even in prose, theres no avoiding the hierarchy of the senses.

Primped and preened ladies and gentlemen of lesser awareness donning expensive perfumes at special dinners diminish the joy of the feast for all. Similarly, I recall a colleague announcing her return from leave to which I responded Yes, Natasha, I knew you were back. I smelt you as I came up the stairs  not one of my most diplomatic moments. Then, there are quirky instances of being transported elsewhere in time and space: somewhere along the coast of Portugal I could have sworn I was home, for the summer sun on the eucalypts sent me there.

I remember vividly the first time I was assailed by smell, and the second. The first was when I touched down in Singapore in 1985. As the doors of the aircraft opened to the tarmac I was caught short of breath, hit by a wall of humidity and acrid Indian and Malay spice. The second was upon taking to the streets of Macau, twisting my nostrils in disgust at the dog urine and excrement mixed with other sulphurous fumes from rubbish bins and goodness-knows what else. The nose eventually becomes accustomed to its environment, but the initial assault can tell us much. Author John Sutherland says that George Orwell trusted the smell test. Upon returning to England from 5 years in Burma one sniff of English air confirmed that he had done the right thing.

Out of keeping with its importance, rarely do we read descriptions of smell. Sutherland, who recently penned Orwells Nose, a pathological biography exploring the classic authors unrivalled accomplishment in smell narratives, tells us that Orwell was unusual. Hemingway wrote of smell but thrice. Jane Austin describes smells only in Mansfield Park. Even today there are few references to olfaction in the media beyond columns on food, wine and cosmetics.

Although most of us are unaware of its impact, hotels and casino businesses are using smell to advantage. Upon entering Jupiters Casino on a recent trip to Queensland, I noticed it; a not unfamiliar perfume. Crown Melbourne and City of Dreams seem to have a smelly connection. A couple of years ago in Las Vegas, I had a similar, yet more familiar experience entering Wynn. The Wynn signature fragrance by corporate smell maker, AromaSys, called Asian Rain, appears to have quite a following. Perfumes and room fresheners are in demand. Enthusiasts say they are reminded of casino and hotel brands and happy memories when walking past someone that smelled just like Wynn. A chap in the UK with a misplaced memory left an online comment: I was pretty surprised so had to take a second lap by the guy, and sure enough, smelled like Pallazo.

These signature scents make business sense. Of course, there are the emotional and memory triggers (personally, I find City of Dreams Rainforest by ScentAir stimulatingly intense and Asian Rain satisfyingly calming), but they also create a pleasant and seemingly cleaner environment, they affect moods and can influence behaviour. One early study in Las Vegas, about the time all this started in the mid-nineties, indicated an increase in slot play between 45% and 53% in a scented environment depending upon intensity.

If it works for casinos and hotels  the money in this suggests these businesses are convinced of an ROI  perhaps its time for Macau to consider improving its own ambient scent. I wonder if the corporate scent folks have visited MGTO or IACM lately?
An easyJet flight from Londons Gatwick Airport to Belfast has faced an hourlong delay after two crew members got into an epic shouting match.

Shocked passengers tweeted about the argument that grew so heated that the two crew members had to be removed from Wednesdays flight.

Dan Lobb, a television presenter on the flight, described the scene as unreal.

He tweeted: This is quite incredible. Weve all worked with people we dont get on with right? But this tiff means a 1 hr flight is delayed!

The low-cost carrier confirmed what it called a verbal disagreement and apologized to passengers for the inconvenience.

The company said Thursday that the safety and welfare of EasyJet passengers and employees required crew members to be able to work as a team.
Continuing its annual tradition of supporting higher education in Macau, Sands China Ltd. has donated MOP970,000 in scholarships and fellowships to six tertiary institutions.

At a cheque presentation ceremony on Wednesday at the Sands China Ltd offices, the company reiterated its support for local students and acknowledged the importance of higher education in nurturing the regions talent.

Sands China said in a press release that it has contributed a total of MOP 7.46 million to local scholarships and fellowships since 2006, benefiting nearly 1,000 students to date.

Beneficiaries of the scholarship and fellowship cheques include institutes such as the University of Macau; Macau University of Science and Technology; Macao Polytechnic Institute; Institute for Tourism Studies; the University of Saint Joseph and Macau Institute of Management.

The cheques will be distributed to 97 students to support their studies for the current academic year. The students were chosen based on their academic performance and financial status in the preceding academic year.

mgm hosts guided art tour

In a move to make art accessible to all members of society and promote social inclusion within the community, MGM hosted a guided art tour at its resort on August 20, 22 and 25.

The resort welcomed over 100 members from Macau Special Olympics and senior citizens from the Macau Tung Sin Tong Charitable Society.

MGMs art guides, who are local university students, introduced the visiting groups to the fish-feeding show and the large, vibrant glass butterflies hovering in the Grande Praca.

MGM said the visitors also toured the MGM Art Space and saw a collection of 74 sculptures of horses, dancers and bathing women at the exhibition Edgar Degas: Figures in Motion.
An American mother-of-four is on her way home amid a storm of controversy after being given a legal abortion in Sweden.

Sherri Finkbine, a TV presenter from Phoenix in Arizona, was denied an abortion in her home state following intense negative publicity surrounding her case.

The 30-year-old mother decided to terminate her fifth pregnancy after discovering that tranquilizers she had taken in the first few weeks of her pregnancy contained the drug Thalidomide.

In recent months there has been increasing evidence suggesting Thalidomide causes severe foetal deformities including missing limbs, deafness and blindness.

Mrs Finkbine, host of childrens television programme Romper Room, told her story to the local newspaper, believing it would alert other mothers in the same situation to the dangers of the drug.

But she became the focus of an intense anti-abortion campaign and worldwide public condemnation.

The negative publicity led her local hospital in Phoenix to withdraw a tentative offer of a legal abortion for fear they may be held criminally liable  the current law in Arizona states that abortion can only be carried out to save the mothers life.

Mrs Finkbine and her husband, Robert, a school teacher, took the case to the Arizona State Supreme Court but were unsuccessful.

Despite vilification from anti-abortionists across the United States and the world she flew to Sweden where the operation was carried out.

After the operation it was confirmed that the foetus had no legs and only one arm .

Courtesy BBC News

In context

When she returned to Phoenix Mrs Finkbines local doctor asked her to register with another physician.

She was dismissed from her job, and her husband was suspended from his high school teaching post.

Their children were hounded, anonymous death threats poured in by post and telephone and the press swarmed around their home.

She and her husband went on to have two more children but divorced in 1973.

In 1991 she married a gynaecologist, becoming Sherrie Chessen.

Worldwide, some 8,000 women who took thalidomide as a sedative and to alleviate morning sickness, gave birth to babies with deformities.

Thalidomide was available in the UK from 1958 and taken off the market in late 1961 after tests revealed it disrupted foetal development.

In 1973 after a barrage of press and public pressure, The Distillers Company (Biochemicals) Ltd, who produced and marketed the drug in Britain, eventually agreed to provide a trust fund and lump sum payouts to all children affected.
The tough-talking Philippine president said he will walk the extra mile for peace but warned China it will be bloody if the militarily superior Asian neighbor infringes on his countrys territory.

President Rodrigo Duterte issued the warning in comments on his countrys territorial disputes with China in a speech before troops at an army camp east of Manila. He has been seeking talks with China on the long-unresolved conflict.

Duterte said China has been conciliatory and he did not want any fight.

We do not want a quarrel, he said. I would walk the extra mile to ask for peace for everybody.

He expressed fears, however, about what will happen if the peaceful efforts fail, saying Filipino troops are ready to defend their countrys sovereignty despite its weak military.

I guarantee to [China], if you enter here, it will be bloody, he said. And we will not give it to them easily. It will be the bones of our soldiers, you can include mine.

An international arbitration tribunal ruled last month that Chinas extensive territorial claims in the South China Sea were invalid under a 1982 U.N. treaty, in a major setback for Beijing, which has ignored the decision.

Dutertes predecessor, Benigno Aquino III, initiated the arbitration case against China. Duterte has not pressed for Chinese compliance and does not plan to raise the decision at an annual summit of Southeast Asian leaders with their Chinese counterpart in Laos next month.

Duterte said, however, that whether we like it or not, that arbitral judgment will be insisted not only by the Philippines but by other countries in Southeast Asia, suggesting China should take steps to resolve the territorial issues now while conditions are conducive.

We will not raise hell now because of the judgment, but there will come a time that we have to do some reckoning about this, Duterte said. Bullit Marquez, Tanay, AP
A survivor of the 2007 Minneapolis bridge collapse that killed 13 people now faces terror charges after authorities say he traveled to Syria to join the Islamic State group, departing the U.S. just a few weeks after collecting more than USD91,000 in settlement money for his injuries.

Mohamed Amiin Ali Roble, 20, was charged on Wednesday with providing and conspiring to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization.

He was weeks shy of his 11th birthday when the school bus he was riding in plummeted about 30 feet as the bridge collapsed. Roble, one of 145 people who were hurt, received the settlement funds on his 18th birthday.

Robles name first surfaced in May during the federal trial of three Minnesota men who were convicted of conspiring to join the Islamic State group. The bridge collapse wasnt mentioned at trial, but The Associated Press made the connection using public records.

Working phone numbers and current addresses for Robles family members were not available and they could not be reached for comment.

Court documents filed Wednesday show Roble received three court settlements when he turned 18 that totaled $91,654. That money included a $65,431 payment from the states settlement fund.

According to evidence presented in federal court in May, Roble flew to Istanbul in October 2014 as part of an itinerary that included a trip to China. He was due to return to the U.S. in June 2015, but never did, FBI Joint Terrorism Task Force Officer Joel Pajak testified.

We received information that Mr. Roble ended up in Syria with his uncle, Abdi Nur, Pajak testified.

The FBI affidavit says Roble withdrew more than $47,000 from his accounts over three months in 2014 while he was in Turkey.

This large sum is consistent with previously mentioned CHS reports that Roble was financially supporting himself and other members of ISIL, including by purchasing vehicles to be used by members of ISIL, the affidavit said. The CHS was a confidential informant working for the government.

Nur is among 10 men charged in the case and is believed to have joined the Islamic State group. Nine others have been convicted on terror charges in Minnesota.

Prosecutors say the men were part of a group of friends in Minnesotas Somali community who recruited and inspired each other to join the Islamic State group. The FBI has said that roughly a dozen young men have left Minnesota to join militant groups in Syria in recent years.

The affidavit filed Wednesday says that Nur was last known to be living in Syria with the Islamic State group. Authorities say Roble and Nur accessed internet accounts from the same computer IP address within minutes of each other in May 2015, supporting that they were in the same location. Amy Forliti, Minneapolis, AP
Using brooms and their hands, soldiers and residents of an ancient Myanmar city famous for its historic Buddhist temples began cleaning up debris yesterday from a powerful earthquake that shook the region and damaged nearly 200 pagodas.

At least four people were killed and at least 171 pagodas were damaged in Bagan after a 6.8 magnitude quake struck the area on Wednesday. The tremor was centered about 25 kilometers west of Chauk, just south of Bagan.

The city is one of Myanmars top tourist attractions, drawing visitors from all over the world who can view a panorama of temples stretching to the horizon flanked by the Irrawaddy River.

Maria Gomez, a Portuguese tourist, said she was walking to the river to watch the sunset when we felt the Earth moving. Everybody was very scared and everybody was shouting.

Only after maybe 30 seconds we realized what was happening, she told The Associated Press.

Myanmar President Htin Kyaw arrived in Bagan yesterday to assess the damage and speak with local officials about how to repair it.

The city has more than 2,200 structures, including pagodas and temples, constructed in the 10th to 14th centuries. Many are in disrepair while others have been restored in recent years, aided by the U.N. cultural agency UNESCO.

According to the Ministry of Religion and Culture, 171 pagodas were affected there and 19 were damaged elsewhere in the country.

Zaw Naing, a caretaker at one of the citys pagodas who paints and sells his work to tourists, said he was saddened by the damage  but also concerned that the quake could endanger the livelihood of villagers.

Im very worried [] there will be less tourists to Bagan, Zaw Naing said. I have three children to take care of.

As he spoke, soldiers and residents were picking up broken red bricks with their hands and placing them in sacks. Others swept walkways leading to temples that had been engulfed in huge clouds of dust when the tremor struck; the iconic tops of some of the pagodas had collapsed.

Much of what fell off the temples was modern bricks which had been added by Myanmars former military regime during past, haphazard efforts at restoration.

Duong Bich Hanh, an official with UNESCO in Bangkok, said Myanmar authorities should approach rebuilding the damaged temples in Bagan very cautiously [] to make sure the site is restored properly for the long-term enjoyment of future generations.

On Wednesday, Dr. Myo Thant, general secretary of the Myanmar Earthquake Committee, said other areas apparently were not badly affected.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon was saddened by the loss of life and damage and expressed his condolences.

He said the U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs is in contact with authorities in Myanmar and is ready to support the government and local organizations.

Vincent Panzani, a staff member in Pakokku for the aid agency Save the Children, said several of his colleagues from the area described the earthquake as the strongest they have experienced.

We felt quite heavy shaking for about 10 seconds and started to evacuate the building when there was another strong tremor, he said in comments sent by email. Most of the reports of damage have been to the pagodas in the area with dozens impacted.

Worried residents of Yangon, the countrys main city, rushed out of tall buildings, and objects toppled from tables and from Buddhist shrines in homes. However, there were no reports of serious damage in the city.

The last major quake in the area  which is often affected by smaller tremors  occurred in April about 300 kilometers further north, and measured magnitude 6.9. It caused no reported casualties and only minor damage. Min Kyi Thein, Esther Htusan, Bagan, AP
Andrew Gross, known for his contemporary thrillers, takes the reader back to World War II and the brutality that Jews faced in the concentration camps in his novel, The One Man.

The dilemma Nathan Blum faces is determining how much one life is worth. Blum has escaped a Jewish ghetto in occupied Poland and made his way to the United States. He lost his entire family to the Nazis, and he has decided to help the U.S. government by becoming an intelligence officer.

Alfred Mendl is a physics professor who has been torn apart from his family and thrown into Auschwitz. His entire lifes work was burned in front of his eyes, and he spends each painful day struggling to stay alive so he can see his family reunited. He meets a teenager named Leo who has the ability to do complex mathematics and remember vast amounts of data without using paper or a calculator. Mendl begins tutoring Leo in physics.

Blum receives an assignment that he knows is a suicide mission. His superiors tell him they need Mendls expertise to assist them with a top-secret plan to design a special bomb to end the war and beat the Germans in the design of this weapon. Though they arent sure if Mendl is alive, he was last seen at Auschwitz. They want Blum to sneak into the camp and rescue Mendl. He will have 72 hours to achieve his mission.

Gross has written his most heartfelt and compelling book to date, and fans of World War II fiction should add this to their reading lists. Jeff Ayers, AP
Abu Sayyaf extremists have beheaded a kidnapped Filipino villager after a ransom deadline lapsed in their first such brutal act under President Rodrigo Duterte, who ordered troops to destroy the militants.

Regional military spokesman Maj. Filemon Tan said yesterday the militants killed Patrick James Aldovar on Wednesday afternoon near southern Sulu provinces Indanan town then later abandoned his head in a neighborhood.

Tan said the 18-year-old Aldovar, who was seized by the militants July 16 in Sulus main Jolo town, was decapitated after his family failed to pay ransom.

After learning about the beheading, Duterte lumped the militants among the enemies of the state he wanted dead, ordering government troops: Drug dealers, destroy them. Abu Sayyaf, destroy them. Period.

Thousands of reinforcement troops were being flown by C130 cargo planes to Sulu and nearby Basilan island to help in an ongoing offensive against the militants, Tan said.

The Abu Sayyaf has been blacklisted as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the Philippines for deadly bombings, kidnappings and beheadings.

The militants are still holding several foreign and local hostages in their jungle bases, including Norwegian Kjartan Sekkingstad, who was kidnapped along with two Canadian men and a Filipino woman from a southern marina in September last year. The Canadians were beheaded after huge ransom demands were not met and the woman was freed before Duterte assumed the presidency on June 30. AP

Indonesia finds ship that was taken by disgruntled crew

Indonesias navy said yesterday it has located a fuel tanker that was missing for a week after being taken from port by its disgruntled crew.

The navy said in a statement that the MT Vier Harmoni with 10 Indonesian crewmen was found off West Kalimantan province on the island of Borneo.

The 53-meter (175 foot) long coastal tanker is being escorted to Tanjung Pinang, the provincial capital of Indonesias Riau islands, for further investigation.

Vier Abdul Jamal, chief executive of the ships owner Vierlines Asia Group, said there was a dispute between the charterer of the vessel and the crew when a promise of bonus payments was unfulfilled.

The tanker disappeared from a port in southern Malaysia on August 16 and authorities there initially suspected it had been hijacked by pirates. Its tracking device had been turned off.

The navy said it deployed warships, a maritime patrol plane and a helicopter to find the tanker, which was carrying about 900,000 liters of diesel. AP
If ride-hailing app Ubers negotiations with the government over the legalization of the taxi provision falls short in the next few weeks, the popular service is expected to exit Macau.

Uber said in a statement that it will close down its Macau operations on September 9, citing hefty fines for its drivers; unless it reaches an agreement regarding the companys legalization and the fines payable, which amounts to more than MOP10 million.

Macaus taxi services will welcome Ubers surrender. As in scores of other cities worldwide, local taxi firms have from day one opposed the disruptive model introduced by ride-hailing apps such as Uber.

Traditional taxi firms will likely see this as a victory celebrating a return to business as usual, despite suggestions from Macaus Transport Bureau (DSAT) that new legislation will be introduced to monitor and punish those who violate the rules.

However, the timing of the crackdown is unusual.

At the start of the month, Uber said it was selling its China-based business to competitor Didi Chuxing, ending an expensive price war in exchange for a stake in the consolidated business.

Several government authorities  namely, police entities and the Transport Bureau  changed tack, from insisting that the use of ride-hailing apps was unequivocally illegal to conceding that the applications themselves are not illegal.

What is illegal [is] the collaboration between such applications and unauthorized parties to run a fare-charging passenger transport service, the Transport Bureau acknowledged in a message to the Times.

A longtime topic of disdain among Macau residents, traditional taxi services have been accused of industry-wide rogue driver behavior, including scamming and overcharging customers, and refusing to transport them to their requested destinations.

There have been several recent incidents of reckless driving, including two accidents on the Governador Nobre de Carvalho Bridge.

More than two years ago, Andrew Scott and his fellow concerned residents set up a Facebook group to name and shame taxi drivers. Today, the group has over 5,600 members.

Uber is leaving Macau because it has become too expensive [to pay out all of these fines], Andrew Scott, who is the CEO of World Gaming Group, told the Times yesterday. People loved having Uber in Macau [] so its a great shame [for them to leave].

However, Scott is optimistic that some sort of ride-hailing service will enter into force in the near future.

There will be an Uber-like ride-sharing app in Macau at some point in the future, he said. Its inevitable [] if Macau is to become a world-class tourism destination.

Someone else will try to fill the void, he said, which might be an existing entity, a new organization, or even a publicly funded service.

On the other hand, a company like Didi, that has been given the green light in China, would be a strong [contender] for this.

Uber says it has more than 2,000 full-time and part-time drivers, around 300 of which have been fined by local police services in the past. They say a crackdown against their drivers means that the total amount of fines is constantly rising at a rate of MOP1 million each week.

The company implied that the situation has become untenable, as its policy is to cover the fines levied against its drivers.

Uber has been operating in Macau for slightly less than a year. If the estimate of an additional MOP1 million in fines per week  totaling MOP10 million  is accurate, the scale of the recent crackdown represents a significant intensification of local efforts to police the matter.

Andrew Scott also said that it would be no surprise if the closeness in timing between the Uber-Didi China deal and the Macau crackdown was the result of some sort of connection.

Uber seperately claimed in their statement that the police had detained passengers without any legal basis, in addition to their drivers.

Whats more serious is that the police can detain passengers in police stations without any legal basis, including tourists coming to Macau who can use the service freely in their own countries, the statement read.

At the same time, the police visited drivers residences several times and disturbed them [] such level of enforcement brought unbearable and unsustainable burden to passengers and drivers.

Uber has notified Chief Executive Chui Sai On of its decision but has yet to receive a reply.

pro-uber demonstration planned for next month

The Macao Community Development Initiative (MCDI) is planning a demonstration on September 4 in support of Uber. Lawmaker and MCDI vice chairman Au Kam San said the demonstration is in support of Ubers continued operations in the territory.

Au also said that Macau can definitely come up with policies to regulate such services.
Syrian Kurdish forces have started withdrawing east of the Euphrates River, Turkish officials said yesterday, a move that could fulfill a major demand by Ankara and the United States a day after Turkey sent in tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels take a key Islamic State stronghold.

The Turkish officials were quoting U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, who relayed the news in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart.

Turkeys surprise incursion on Wednesday to capture the town of Jarablus was a dramatic escalation of Turkeys role in Syrias war. But Ankaras objective went beyond fighting extremists. Turkey is also aiming to contain the expansion by Syrias Kurds, who are also backed by the United States and have used the fight against IS and the chaos of Syrias civil war to seize nearly the entire stretch of the border with Turkey in northern Syria.

U.S. Vice President Joe Biden flew into Ankara hours after the offensive was launched, and he backed Turkey with a stern warning to the Kurds to stay east of the Euphrates, which crosses from Turkey into Syria at Jarablus.

Kurdish forces must move back across the Euphrates River. They cannot, will not, under any circumstance get American support if they do not keep that commitment, Biden said.

According to Turkish ministry officials, Kerry and Mevlut Cavusoglu discussed the Turkish military operation.

Kerry stressed that the Syrian Kurdish forces were in the process of retreating east of the Euphrates, the officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.

It was unclear yesterday whether Turkey-backed rebels who seized Jarablus Wednesday would move against IS-held towns of nearby Kurdish-controlled areas, including the town of Manbij, which Kurdish forces retook from IS earlier this month. Manbij lies west of the Eurphrates and Ankara has demanded the Kurds hand it over to Syrian rebels and withdraw.

Yesterday, Turkish forces were securing the area around Jarablus, Turkeys Defense Minister Fikri Isik said. He said the Turkish-

backed operation has two main goals  to secure the Turkish border area and to make sure the Kurdish Syrian forces are not there.

Its our right to remain there until the Syrian opposition forces take control of the area, Isik said.

Turkey is concerned about the advances of the Kurdish Syrian forces, fearing they aim to set up a Kurdish entity along Turkeys border with Syria. Ankara maintains that the Syrian Kurdish militia is linked to Kurdish rebels waging an insurgency in southeastern Turkey.

Isik says Ankara and the United States have agreed the Kurdish Syrian forces would pull out of the northern area around Jarablus within two weeks. Speaking to the private NTV television, he said that for now, the withdrawal hasnt fully taken place. We are waiting for it and following it.

Kurdish officials contacted by The Associated Press would not confirm or deny that their forces are withdrawing east of the Euphrates River.

Instead, the main Syrian Kurdish faction, known as the YPG, said its troops have returned to their bases after helping liberate Manbij from the Islamic State group.

That statement refers to an apparently separate pullout from the withdrawal that Turkey is seeking from the Kurdish forces. The Kurdish forces statement said they handed control of the northern Syrian city to a newly-established Manbij Military Council, made up of rebel fighters from the town.

The councils spokesman, Sherfan Darwish, earlier said the Syrian Kurdish YPG contingent that helped liberate Manbij earlier this month numbered about 500 fighters.

Turkey has been deeply concerned by the advances of the Kurdish forces, fearing they aim to set up a Kurdish entity there. Ankara maintains that the Syrian Kurdish militia is linked to Kurdish rebels waging an insurgency in southeastern Turkey.

Meanwhile, also yesterday, at least 10 more Turkish tanks were seen crossing into Syria at the Turkish border town of Karkamis, the private Dogan news agency reported. MDT/AP
Situated in the western half of the Indochinese Peninsula, the Kingdom of Thailand covers some 510,000 sqkm, slightly larger than Spain, and has a population of about 68 million, slightly more populous than France. Bordering clockwise Laos to the east, Cambodia to the southeast, Malaysia to the south and Myanmar to the west, Thailand sits between the 5th and 20th parallels north, indeed on a par with the Caribbean rum-producing countries in the western hemisphere.

Formerly known as Siam, Thailand is the only country in the entire Southeast Asia not to be colonised by European powers. Under French colonial rule, Vietnam began to produce wine as early as in the 19th century. Thailand, meanwhile, did not begin to grow table grapes at any significant scale until after WWII, and vitis vinifera was introduced just a few decades ago.

Due to its full-on tropical climate with substantial humidity and rainfall, rot and fungal diseases are a constant threat to the vineyards in Thailand, and the lack of temperature variation  both diurnal and seasonal  makes life difficult for vitis vinifera. With modern technology, rigorous sorting and careful selection of sites with microclimates, especially in hilly areas, challenges posed by the Thai climate can be mitigated, although not completely negated.

Probably due to climate, Thailand and India have a rather similar portfolio of grape varieties, in that Chenin Blanc and Shiraz are the stand-out stars, supported by a host of varieties mainly from Southern Europe such as Colombard, Malaga Blanc and Viognier for white, and Grenache, Petite Sirah, Sangiovese and Tempranillo for red.

In most wine-producing countries, oenotourism occurs when tourism tags along viticulture; in Thailand, on the contrary, it would appear that viticulture is hitching a hike on the countrys well-established tourism infrastructure. Wine excursions and tours in Thailand are on the rise, combing with the various features of Thai tourism.

Situated along the 14th parallel north, indeed 150km northeast of capital Bangkok, PBs Khao Yai vineyards are near the Khao Yai National Park. The heavily vegetated and wooded national park, the 3rd largest in Thailand, is naturally cooler. This, coupled with PB Khao Yais careful selection of elevated sites, makes it possible for good grapes to be produced.

PB Khao Yai Chenin Blanc Reserve 2013

A single-varietal Chenin Blanc fermented on lees in French oak casks. Pale lemon-yellow with light sunshine reflex, the exotic nose offers lime peel, pomelo and crushed rock. With ample acidity, the tropical palate delivers lemon peel, grapefruit and dried herbs. Medioum-full bodied at 13.5%, the fleshy entry continues through a tangy mid-palate, leading to a herbaceous finish.

PB Khao Yai Shiraz Reserve 2011

A single-varietal Shiraz matured for 18 months in French casks. Rich ruby with cardinal-carmine rim, the fragrant nose presents cranberry, red cherry and rose. With sufficient acidity and rich tannins, the potent palate supplies bilberry, black olive and smoke. Medium-full bodied at 14%, the tart entry persists through a herbal mid-palate, leading to a clean finish.

Jacky I.F. Cheong is a legal professional by day and columnist by night. Having spent his formative years in Britain,

France, and Germany, he regularly writes about wine, fine arts, classical music, and politics in several languages
Sea Shepherd Australia said yesterday that a legal settlement involving the conservation groups U.S. founder will not affect its anti-whaling campaign in the Southern Ocean.

Spokesman Adam Burling said the Australian arm of the group has been deliberately independent from the U.S. organization since the court case began several years ago.

This week, Japans Institute of Cetacean Research and a whale ship operator announced theyd reached an agreement with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society in the U.S. and its founder Paul Watson.

The group was made famous by the television show Whale Wars. Typically each Southern Hemisphere summer, Sea Shepherd sends out boats to try and stop Japans whaling fleet from catching whales in the Southern Ocean.

Burling said the Japanese fleet has a quota of 333 minke whales this summer, and Sea Shepherd Australia plans to make an announcement next week about what kind of campaign it intends to run this year.

Weve got a brand-new vessel, the first ship in 40 years that has been custom-built for us, called the Ocean Warrior, he said. Weve got a long-term commitment to end whaling.

Burling said most of its budget comes from fundraising within Australia and that Sea Shepherd New Zealand also provides support for the ships at New Zealand docks.

Speaking this week from his home office in Woodstock, Vermont, Watson said the settlement only prevents the groups U.S. organization from interfering with Japanese whalers in the Southern Ocean.

What it means is Sea Shepherd USA cannot contribute money toward the Southern Ocean campaign, cannot be involved in the Southern Ocean campaign, and thats fine. Weve got plenty of other campaigns to do, said Watson, who recently returned to the U.S.

Whether Sea Shepherd Australia or Sea Shepherd Global [] if they intend to return to the Southern Ocean thats their business, its not ours and I cant control them, he said of the settlement filed on Tuesday.

The Institute of Cetacean Research, which studies whales, also is paying an undisclosed amount to the anti-whaling group on the condition the money will not be transferred to its affiliates elsewhere, including in Australia.

Japan Agriculture Minister Yuji Yamamoto yesterday welcomed the agreement, saying, I take it as a positive development that would contribute to the safety of the research whaling fleet.

Yamamoto, however, said that Japanese whalers should continue to use caution and be aware that there are staunch opponents of whaling.

Sea Shepherd Global media director Heather Stimmler said all of its entities around the world  except those in the United States  will continue to oppose what it believes is illegal Japanese whaling near Antarctica.

The International Whaling Commission imposed a commercial ban on whaling in 1986, but Japan has continued to kill whales under an exemption for what the country says is research.

Interpol lists Watson as being wanted in Japan on charges of conspiracy to trespass on a whaling ship and interference with business, and in Costa Rica on a charge of interfering with a shark finning operation.

Watson, a dual U.S.-Canadian citizen, was arrested in Germany but then fled to sea for 15 months when he said he heard that he would be extradited to Japan. He then lived in France for two years before he said he was allowed to come back to the U.S., which he did within the last two weeks.

In his office, surrounded by artifacts from his journeys, the 65-year-old Watson said he will continue to coordinate with other Sea Shepherd entities. As president of Sea Shepherd USA, he said is in touch every day with the ship captains who are working on campaigns, such as with the Mexican Navy to protect an endangered fish and dolphin, and doing research on viruses and parasites among farm-

raised salmon.

Japan made a big mistake because they thought by removing me theyd shut down Sea Shepherd. Thats precisely why I wanted Sea Shepherd to become a movement and not something controlled by me. A lot of people think I am Sea Shepherd. No Im not, Im just part of it, he said. Nick Perry, Lisa Rathke, Wellington, AP


CHINA is facing a one-year ban from weightlifting over repeated doping cases in a move that threatens to stop some of the worlds top athletes from competing internationally.



MYANMAR Using brooms and their hands, soldiers and residents of an ancient Myanmar city famous for its historic Buddhist temples begin cleaning up debris from a powerful earthquake that shook the region and damaged nearly 200 pagodas. At least four people were killed and at least 171 pagodas were damaged in Bagan after a 6.8 magnitude quake struck the area.

PHILIPPINES Abu Sayyaf extremists behead a kidnapped Filipino villager after a ransom deadline lapsed in their first such brutal act under President Rodrigo Duterte, who pressed an order for troops to crush the militants. More on p11

SOUTH KOREA Surviving South Korean women who were forced into sexual slavery by Japans military in World War II will be eligible to receive around 100 million won (about USD90,000) each from a foundation that will be funded by the Japanese government.



AFGHANISTAN A brazen, hours-long militant attack on the American University of Afghanistan ends after at least 13 people were killed and dozens were wounded in the assault on the sprawling campus on Kabuls outskirts.

SYRIA Kurdish forces have started withdrawing east of the Euphrates River, Turkish officials said yesterday, a move that could fulfill a major demand by Ankara and the United States a day after Turkey sent in tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels take a key Islamic State stronghold.



BRITAIN Some 30 demonstrators have gathered in London to protest local French bans of the body-covering burkini swimsuit. The protesters threw a wear what you want beach party outside the French Embassy to make the point that it was unjust to tell women what to wear.

SPAIN A small Spanish town has come under fire for alleged cruelty to animals after a video showing a young calf being taunted, stabbed and eventually killed in the towns festival was much criticized on social media.

BRAZILs Senate has begun deliberating on whether to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office. The impeachment trial is the final step in a leadership fight that has all but paralyzed Congress since the measure was launched in the lower chamber late last year.
Zhuhai port is seeking to develop trade with Portuguese-speaking nations, with a particular focus on Brazil. The port plans to build on the close ties between Macau and Brazil, said Yin Zhu, a scholar from Zhuhai College of Jilin University, quoted yesterday by The Journal of Commerce.

The Brazilian media outlet said that a direct route from Zhuhai to the port of Vitoria in Brazil will open later in the year.

The port is in the meantime developing an online logistics platform, a pulp distribution center, a grain transshipment center and inland ports. There is also activity in the Henqing free trade zone on an island off Zhuhai, where bonded warehouses are under construction.

Chinese port volumes were flat in the first half of the year, growing just over 1 percent year-over-year. Traffic in July rose 4 percent, but the official purchasing managers index, which measures activity at state-owned and large enterprises, fell to 49.9 from a reading of 50.0 in June, which is below the 50-point mark that separates growth from contraction.

The Zhuhai port is banking on increased trade with Pakistan and South America to help it more than double its annual container traffic by 2020.

The ports goal of handling 3.1 million 20-foot-equivalent units then is more than double the 1.4 million TEUs Zhuhai expects to handle in 2016, which would be an 18.6 percent growth in traffic from 2015, The Journal of Commerce reported.

Fair and Trade Association signs regional agreement to promote sustainability expo

The Macau Fair and Trade Association (MFTA) and the Mice Alliance of Pan-Pearl River Delta Cities signed an agreement on a sustainability exhibition yesterday.

The agreement was signed at the 11 Pan-Pearl Delta Regional Cooperation and Development Forum and Economic and Trade Fair (PPRD Forum) in Guangzhou.

The new agreement is expected to foster joint regional developments and other collaborations on such events for the MICE (Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Exhibitions) sector. The agreement also focuses on the assistance and support that Macau is offering to other members of the forum.

To cement the agreement, MFTA president Lam Chong In said Macaus MICE sector will invite 30 cities from the Pan-Pearl Delta regions to visit the territory for the launch of an upcoming sustainability event.

Lam hopes for at least seven cities in the area to display a green exhibition next year, according to a report by TDM.

MFTA had previously received a sustainable development award from the Global Association of the Exhibition Industry for its best innovative environmental initiative by implementing the Green Booth Award and Green Electricity Fee Rebate.

The PPRD Forum was proposed in 2003 as a platform for regional cooperation between nine provinces (mostly in south China, including Fujian and Hainan) and the two special administrative regions. Staff reporter
Somewhere between Fargo and Moses Lake, Manuel Argomaniz Carmargo became convinced that Ana Montelongo Garcia, his girlfriend of more than three years and the mother of their son, was a witch.

It was likely a result of driving nearly straight through from Chicago and the fact that to stay awake, he later told law enforcement officials, he had snorted cocaine and some of the pound of meth he was planning to sell in Washington.

Hed only slept when their Ford SUV ran out of gas in Montana and they waited on the side of Interstate 90 for Anas mother, Nicolasa Garcia Rubio, to bring them some fuel. When the journey resumed, they were following Nicolasa to central Washington as the last night of February became the first morning of March.

The car was acting up, and Manuel believed his girlfriend was casting spells to make that happen, detectives said in documents later filed in court. He became paranoid that the cars passing them were police cars. He sped around Nicolasa and left her behind on a dark stretch of I-90. He came to an exit, doubled back east on the interstate for a while, then made a similar move to continue west. They were arguing about 3-year-old Hector, who was in the back seat.

Past Ritzville, just west of the Lind-Odessa exit, Manuel pulled over onto the shoulder, opened the door and pushed Ana out, telling her to call her mom.

About an hour later, a state trooper and an Adams County sheriffs deputy found him walking along the I-90 shoulder, carrying Hector. He was shoeless and covered in blood.

When Manuel was arrested and eventually charged with the first-degree murder of Ana on March 1, it was not the first time he had encountered law enforcement since entering the United States illegally more than four years earlier.

He had lived and worked in a Chicago suburb, in Soap Lake, Washington, and on a ranch in Central Washington near Warden. At least twice, he came into the type of contact with law enforcement agencies that could have led to being sent back to Mexico, government records show.

Instead, he was allowed to remain in the United States. His English was limited, but neither that nor a lack of a visa kept him from working in construction, just as the lack of a drivers license didnt keep him from driving.

State Trooper Chris Kottong was driving behind the white 1986 Nissan pickup down Dodson Road near Ephrata about 4 a.m. on March 17, 2012, waiting for the shoulder to get wide enough to pull the truck over. It had strayed over the solid white fog line along the right side of the highway at least seven times in five miles before Kottong found a spot he believed was safe, he wrote later in an arrest report. He hit the lights, and the truck pulled over.

Inside, Kottong found two men in their 20s and an open case of Bud Light, with half the bottles gone. He asked the driver for his license, registration and proof of insurance, and if hed been drinking.

The driver didnt speak much English but said he hadnt been drinking. He had no license, no insurance, and his only identification was a card issued in Mexico, with the name Manuel Argomaniz Camargo.

The trooper asked Manuel to submit to a breath analysis, and he refused. To be sure he understood the consequences of that refusalthat it could be used as evidence in courtKottong called Moses Lake police for an officer who spoke Spanish, not an unusual request in a county where the latest census shows more than a third of the population is Hispanic.

Under questioning, Manuel gave an address in the Chicago suburb of Franklin Park, Illinois, and said he worked in construction but didnt know the name of his employer.

At the Moses Lake police station, Manuel again refused a blood alcohol content test and was completely uncooperative, Kottong later wrote in his report. He continued to deny hed been drinking, even though Kottong said his patrol car reeked of alcohol after the short time Manuel was in it.

Cited for DUI, no valid license and having an open container of alcohol in the vehicle, Manuel was ordered to appear in Grant County District Court two days later. He was released on his own recognizance. Kottong drove him to a nearby McDonalds, where the trooper wrote he said hed made arrangements to be picked up.

In court, Argomaniz was assigned an interpreter and defense attorney and prosecuted as a first-time DUI offender. He was found guilty of the three charges, fined a total of $1,097.50 and sentenced to 364 days in jail with 363 of them suspended, provided he had no further criminal violations and no further DUI arrests for the five years he would be on probation. He was ordered to attend eight one-hour sessions of a drug and alcohol information course.

By June 2 he had completed the course and presented the court with a certificate. In July 2012, he was given 60 days to serve his one-day jail sentence and to get an ignition interlock device installed on his car.

Theres no record in his District Court file that he did either, and the Grant County Jail has no record of him being booked in, said Chief Deputy Joe Kriete, the jail administrator.

Theres no record that at any point in his contact with law enforcement or the court during the DUI proceedings he was asked whether he was in the country legally.

Born in Durango, he had entered the country illegally at Juarez, Manuel would later tell immigration officials.

Washington state troopers are not required to check the immigration status of people they arrest. Instead, they can investigate that status if theres reasonable suspicion to believe a suspect is in the country illegally and alert federal immigration agents, patrol spokesman Kyle Moore said.

It cant just be a hunch, Moore said, and they would have to document the factors that led them to believe a suspect of a criminal violation is an undocumented immigrant.

The fact that a DUI suspect doesnt have valid identification and doesnt speak English could be two such factors, but they wouldnt require a trooper to report the suspect to federal authorities, he said.

Had he been booked without valid identification and such limited English, theres a chance the jail mightve checked his immigration status or contacted Border Patrol, Kriete said.

Under federal policies at the time, Manuel could have been deported if his arrest and DUI conviction had been reported to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, but he would not have been a top priority. Based on immigration enforcement rules, a criminal conviction could result in deportation, but violent criminals, repeat offenders, organized gang members and those who pose a serious risk to public safety were the top priorities. Those with crimes punishable by less than one year in jail or multiple misdemeanors would be given a lower priority, and extra discretion was allowed for minor traffic offenses such as driving without a license.

The rules didnt prohibit deporting anyone in the country illegally, a 2011 memo from ICE Director John Morton said, but attention to those aliens should not displace or disrupt the resources needed to remove aliens who are a higher priority.

Ana Veronica Montelongo Garcia was 20 when she came to the United States to escape an abusive father in Jalisco, Mexico. Traveling on a U3 visa, which is granted to victims of domestic violence, she and a sister arrived in early 2012 to stay with her mother in Moses Lake.

Nicolasa fled her abusive husband in 2008 with another daughter, and by 2012 Ana told her mother she too couldnt stay any longer and would join her in Washington state.

It wasnt long before she met Manuel at a local dance, Nicolasa recalled recently through an interpreter. He was living with a relative in Soap Lake and working construction.

Nicolasa didnt like Manuel when she met himnothing specific, a mothers instinct, she saidand she didnt know he was in the country illegally. Ana seemed happy with him, though, and it wasnt long before she moved in with Manuel in Soap Lake, and later to a house on a ranch near Warden, Washington, where he got a job helping the owner.

After she was pregnant, they talked about getting married but never did. Once they moved in together, Manuel became more controlling, Nicolasa said, keeping track of who Ana called or spent time with. He wouldnt let her buy things she needed, particularly clothes.

After Hector was born in February 2013 at Samaritan Hospital in Moses Lake, Manuel decided they should move to Chicago, where he had lived with his brother and worked before coming to central Washington. Hector was just over 2 months old when they boarded a Greyhound bus for Chicago.

The two Border Patrol agents boarded the eastbound Greyhound after it stopped in Spokane at 5:10 p.m. on April 10, 2013, and began working back to front, asking passengers about their citizenship. It wasnt long before they came to Manuel, sitting in an aisle seat, with Ana and Hector across from him.

Ana showed her Mexican passport with the U3 visa. It had expired, the agent said, but Ana told him she had an application pending for permanent residence, and she had a birth certificate showing Hector was born in the United States so he was an American citizen.

Manuel had no such paperwork. He would have to go back to Border Patrol headquarters, the agents said. Ana and Hector could come along, agents said, or they could check on the status of her application for permanent residence by phone.

Rather than split up, Ana agreed she and Hector would accompany Manuel to Border Patrol headquarters, where he was fingerprinted and questioned. Agents eventually filled out form I-213, the record of a deportable or inadmissible alien, based on their time with Manuel and Ana at the bus station and headquarters. A copy of the form, obtained by The Spokesman-Review under the Freedom of Information Act, shows they verified Ana was in the country legally, and her visa had been extended while she sought permanent residence.

Although the report was heavily redacted for privacy concerns for much of what Manuel told agents, it shows agents knew he was in the country illegally and had been for more than a year. After about two hours at the Spokane sector headquarters, he was ordered released for humanitarian reasons by the stations assistant chief patrol agent, and he was given a notice to appear before an immigration judge.

Ana later told Nicolasa that Manuel went to immigration court in Chicago and was allowed to stay in the United States to keep the family together. Federal immigration policy allows prosecutorial discretion on deportation of people in the country illegally, recommending particular care should be given when dealing with ... the immediate family members of U.S. citizens.

When Nicolasa was asked recently what she thinks would have happened if Manuel had been sent back to Mexico after his drunk driving arrest or when he was stopped by the Border Patrol in Spokane, she didnt let the interpreter finish the question.

He wouldnt have killed my daughter, she said.

In Chicago, Manuel worked in construction and Ana found a job at an electronics assembly plant in the suburb of Franklin Park. Nicolasa said he limited the amount of time she could see her daughter and grandson to once a year. Ana and Hector visited her once, and she came to Chicago for Hectors second birthday.

On her cellphone, Nicolasa keeps pictures from those visits and others Ana sent her, mostly of her daughter and grandson, but some of the boy with Manuel or all three of them together. She keeps many the old photos on the phone, even ones where Hector is blurry or out of focus.

Nicolasa said Ana told her Manuel was home less and less; he worked late, and they argued. In February, Ana called to say she and Hector were coming to Moses Lake to live with her. Manuel, her daughter said, didnt want anything more to do with them.

She told her daughter to come.

Nicolasa, who works in a potato processing facility, lives with one of her other daughters in a small frame rancher where photos of her daughters and a print of the Madonna and Baby Jesus adorn the living room wall. The development was once housing for the old Larson Air Force Base, which is now Grant County International Airport. The streets retain the names of World War II military leaders like Doolittle and Patton.

After she got the call, Nicolasa said she thought just Ana and Hector would come and Manuel would stay in Chicago. But in late February she got a call from Ana saying Manuel was bringing them and they had stopped for a while in Fargo, North Dakota. They were going to get a hotel room, but Manuel changed his mind and decided to drive on to Moses Lake.

The next day she got another call from Ana saying they had run out of gas in Montana on a remote stretch of I-90. Nicolasa said she would bring them gas.

It was dark by the time Nicolasa reached the Ford SUV, and Manuel, Ana and Hector were all asleep inside. She knocked on the window to wake them up and emptied the gas can into the tank. She noticed Manuels eyes were very red and watery, which she thought was because he just woke up. It didnt occur to her that he might be taking drugs.

She pulled onto I-90 with Manuel, Ana and Hector behind her. They stopped to fill up with gas and continued west through the night. They stopped at a McDonalds near Spokane, and about an hour later for gas. Nicolasa asked if Manuel wanted to stop and rest. He said they should drive on.

But when they got back on the freeway, Manuel began driving strangely, Nicolasa said. He pulled up close behind her, and put his headlights on high beam. He tailgated for a while, then near the exit for Odessa, he sped on ahead. She accelerated to 85 mph, but couldnt catch the SUV and eventually lost sight of it in the night.

After they got separated, Ana called on her cellphone to say Manuel wanted to stop and rest. Theres no place to do that, Nicolasa recalls telling her. She didnt pass them before reaching Moses Lake, got off at the exit and went back to look for them, heading east on I-90. But she couldnt find them and turned back west.

She arrived home at 2 a.m., about the same time police would later determine her daughter died.

To drive straight through from Chicago, Manuel later told police, he began snorting cocaine and crystal meth. He told detectives later hed gotten a pound of meth from a friend and planned to sell it in Washington to get money for a home.

He wanted Ana to sleep, and when she wouldnt, he told police, that made him nervous and the drugs were making him weird.

Argomaniz described different things happening with the vehicle and Garcia being a witch and controlling various mechanical functions on the vehicle with her hands, feet and a chip in her mouth, Adams County Detective Blake Hampton wrote in the affidavit of probable cause filed with the Superior Court.

In the report of that interview, Hampton wrote that Manuel said he thought two cars behind him were police cars; he wanted to get away but Nicolasa wouldnt let him pass. He told Ana he was going to ram Nicolasas car, but then he was able to pass and lose her and the other two cars. Ana was upset, and he pulled over and stopped, told her to get out of the vehicle and call her mother. She did, but when she got back in the car, he told police he grabbed Ana by the hair, pulled her toward him and said she was trying to kill them with witchcraft.

Ana grabbed a pocket knife out of the center console, Manuel told police, and sliced his finger with it. They continued arguing until Ana said she was sorry she had Hector, the affidavit said. At that point, Manuel told Hampton, he took the knife and began stabbing her. They wound up outside the car with the motor still running and the doors locked, but Manuel was able to get a framing hammer out of the back of the car and used it to break a window. When Ana tried to pull Hector out of the car, he hit her in the face with the hammer, then wrapped his belt around her neck to drag her to the back of the car so Hector wouldnt see her.

But the boy did, Manuel told police, and said, Mommy, daddys not good. He hit Ana several more times. In the drug-fueled rage that would follow, he would stab her with a screwdriver and try to tape her hands to the steering wheel, so he could put a rock on the gas pedal and have the car drive off, Hamptons statement says. But her hands were too bloody and the electrical tape wouldnt stick. He also told police he tried to burn her and the vehicle by shoving part of his shirt into the gas receptacle with the screwdriver and lighting it, but the shirt wouldnt burn.

Eventually, he wrapped Hector in a blanket and began walking east, away from the SUV.

Shortly after 2 a.m., emergency operators in Adams County began getting calls about a naked woman lying near a vehicle on the side of westbound I-90, and of a man walking along the shoulder carrying a small child. By the time Adams County sheriffs deputies and state troopers arrived, they found Manuel about a mile from the SUV. When ordered to put his hands up, he set Hector down, and the boy ran to a state trooper.

The temperature was in the 30s that morning, Hampton later wrote in his report, but Manuel was walking without shoes and his bare chest showed beneath a jacket. His hands were covered in blood.

Between Manuel and the SUV, they found a black duffel bag and some boots. In the bag was a plastic container, sealed with painters tape, with a crystal substance inside.

At the SUV, they found a horrific sight: Ana nearly naked next to the left rear tire, with multiple bruises and stab wounds. Tools had spilled out of the back of the car; a hammer was underneath her, a nail puller next to her and a large drill bit in her hair. On the pavement was broken glass, the gas cap and a crystal substance that appeared to be the same as what was in the container. Blood was everywhere.

Manuel was handcuffed and placed in a state patrol car. After viewing the scene, Hampton wrote that he went to the patrol car to get some information. Manuels English was limited, but he could answer most questions about his identity and that of Ana and Hector, and for those he couldnt understand, Adams County Deputy J. Garcia translated.

Read his Miranda rights, he asked for an attorney and Hampton stopped asking questions. Manuel remained in the car about four hours, was taken to an Othello hospital to collect forensic evidence, then to the Othello substation and eventually to the Adams County Jail in Ritzville. Throughout the day, word began to spread of a grisly murder along I-90.

Nicolasa woke early on March 1 expecting to hear from Ana. She called her daughters cellphone at 7 a.m., 9 a.m. and 11 a.m., but no one answered. She sent text messages that brought no response. She was going to go to the police about her missing daughter and grandson when a friend texted her about an odd story in the news.

A man was found on the side of the road along I-90 with a child. Thats got to be Manuel, she recently recalled thinking. Then she saw a story on television news and became convinced it was the father of her grandson.

At the hospital, Manuel asked the deputy what would happen to Hector and whether he would go to jail in Washington or Illinois. At one point he broke down and began crying hysterically.

News crews from Washington television stations streamed into Ritzville. In the afternoon, they asked to talk to Manuel, and he agreed. But when police brought him into the room, none of the journalists could speak Spanish and he quickly left.

About 3:30 p.m., Hampton, with Undersheriff Adolfo Coronado as a translator, sat down with the suspect in an interview room in the sheriffs office. He still hadnt spoken with an attorney, and the two officers were going to explain his right to counsel in Spanish before asking him any questions, court records said.

After Hampton began talking about spending time with his own son, Manuel said the fight with Ana had started over Hector. She was jealous, he reportedly told Hampton, because Hector played more with him than her. At that point, Hampton wrote in his affidavit, Manuel waived his Miranda rights and began talking about the fight, the trip, and his girlfriends death.

The next day, Hamptons sworn statement became the basis for a first-degree murder charge, with aggravating circumstances that include gratuitous violence and a death resulting from domestic violence within the sight of the victims childcharges that could result in a life sentence if hes convicted. Bail was set at $2 million, and he was assigned a Spokane attorney to handle his defense.

Six weeks after Manuel was charged, defense attorney Michael Morgan asked Adams County Superior Court Judge Steve Dixon to throw out his confession, saying it violated his constitutional right to counsel.

He had asked for an attorney 12 hours before describing events surrounding the death, Morgan said in the motion to suppress the statement. In that intervening time, Adams County officials had taken him to a hospital, a substation and the county jail. They had even provided for a media appearance. But they hadnt allowed him to speak to an attorney. Somewhere in that odyssey they could have put him in a room with a phone and a number for an attorney, Morgan argued.

Adams County prosecutors countered that there was no place at the hospital or the substation for Manuel to have a secure conversation with an attorney. Hampton and Coronado were clarifying his rights and could have provided an attorney and an independent interpreter if he hadnt waived them and made the statement, they said.

Dixon weighed the arguments, and on April 29, he ruled that Adams County didnt violate the suspects rights by not providing him with an attorney at the hospital or the substation, because no one questioned him about the murder in either place. But the conversation he had with Hampton and Coronado at the Ritzville jail was a different matter, the judge said, and gives the court pause.

Hamptons brief conversation about his son was tactical and not limited to clarifying Manuels rights to counsel before answering questions and was coercive, the judge said. His blaming the fight on Anas jealousy was an admission the fight took place and effectively let the cat out of the bag before the clarification process was complete, Dixon ruled. All of his statements from that afternoon session were inadmissible.

State assistant attorneys general were assigned in May to take over the prosecution because of a lack of resources in Adams County. The trial was set for Sept. 27.

Although she admits that she didnt like Manuel, Nicolasa said she never thought he was a drug dealer. She had no idea he was bringing drugs with them on the trip and doesnt believe her daughter knew either. She absolutely rejects his claim to police of planning to sell the drugs to buy a house for them.

No. Hes lying, she said forcefully through an interpreter. He was going to drop Ana and Hector off in Moses Lake. He would go away, and they would stay with her.

Now, she hopes Hector will stay with her. The day after the killing, Child Protective Services workers brought the curly-haired youngster to Nicolasa. She has filed papers in court to receive permanent custody.

She doesnt know if shell attend the trial, Nicolasa said recently as Hector ran around the house, sometimes coloring or playing with toys, other times trying to comfort his grandmother as she cried while talking about his mother. When she talked with The Spokesman-Review earlier this month, no one had contacted her to tell her it had been rescheduled.

Staff writer Rachel Alexander contributed to this report.
KIMBERLY  A Hollister woman accused of killing a Twin Falls firefighter in a hit-and-run crash earlier this year waived her preliminary hearing Friday.

Hollie Marie Winnett, 33, is charged with felony counts of vehicular manslaughter and leaving the scene of an accident resulting in injury or death and faces up to 15 years in prison and a fine up to $15,000 if convicted.

Her charges stem from the May 18 crash south of Kimberly that killed 34-year-old Ryan Franklin, an avid cyclist and father of four who was riding his bicycle while off duty when he was struck from behind on 2900 North. He died at the scene.

Winnett said she fell asleep after dropping her children off at school and woke up when she hit something, but left the scene after checking around her Jeep Liberty and not seeing anything. But police say Winnett panicked after the crash and fled the scene in the badly damaged Liberty, driving at least eight miles on just a rim after losing a tire.

The preliminary hearing, already delayed several times, was supposed to be prosecutors chance to show they have enough evidence to move the case forward. Instead, Winnett waived the hearing and will be bound over to district court.

Magistrate Judge Roger Harris explained:

What this means to me is, youre not admitting youre guilty of anything at this point, but youre simply alleviating the states burden to go forward, Harris told Winnett. You would then be bound over to the district court where you would plead not-guilty or guilty to the charge brought against you as you deemed appropriate.

A date for the district court arraignment has not been set.
BOISE  Four independent candidates for president have filed to be on the ballot in Idaho this November.

Jill Stein, the Green Partys standard bearer; Darrell Castle, who is the nominee of the national Constitution Party but doesnt have its ballot line in Idaho; Evan McMullin, a conservative who announced his independent candidacy for president a little more than two weeks ago; and Rocky De La Fuente, a businessman who campaigned unsuccessfully for the Democratic presidential nomination, have all submitted the required paperwork to appear on the ballot as independents, according to the Idaho secretary of states office.

The deadline to file as an independent presidential candidate in Idaho was Thursday. The Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians and the Constitution Party are recognized as parties in Idaho and have their own ballot lines, while independent and other minor-party candidates need to gather 1,000 signatures to qualify for the presidential ballot and appear on it as independents.

Hillary Clinton is the Democratic Party nominee, Donald Trump the Republican, Gary Johnson the Libertarian. Scott Copeland, who won the Idaho Constitution Partys March presidential primary, has the partys ballot line in Idaho in November.

Both of the major parties have also named the four electors who will, if they carry the state, cast their votes in the Electoral College. The Republicans electors will be Melinda Smyser, a former state senator from Canyon County; Jennifer Locke, a precinct committeewoman from Kootenai County; Caleb Lakey; and Layne Bangerter, a longtime staffer for U.S. Sen. Mike Crapo who is Trumps state campaign director. All four of them were Trump delegates (or alternates in Lakeys case) at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland.

The Democrats have named former U.S. Rep. Larry LaRocco, of McCall; Jeanne Buell, a Kootenai County resident and former state party vice chairwoman; Wendy Jaquet, a Ketchum resident and longtime state House member; and Diane Bilyeu, a former state senator from Pocatello.

Idaho hasnt gone for a Democratic presidential candidate since 1964. The last statewide poll in mid-July showed Trump to be beating Clinton by almost 2-to-1, although only three-quarters of self-identified Democrats and Republicans said at that time that they planned to vote for their partys nominees. Johnson pulled 5 percent support statewide in that poll, Stein, 3 percent.
TWIN FALLS  The Magic Valley YMCA has found no evidence of embezzlement after its former chief executive officer misappropriated nearly $700,000 in donations, driving the center to the brink of closure.

Two certified public accountant firms examined the nonprofit organizations finances, the YMCA said in a statement Friday. The Y has also settled and paid its back taxes and cut its operational deficit by 53 percent, a significant accomplishment as the YMCA tries to turn around its finances.

The Times-News reported in May that the YMCA was on probation with its national parent organization after years of financial mismanagement, even as the center tried to paint a rosier picture for the public. The group  which serves about 7,000 Magic Valley residents  is now trying to move forward after admitting serious financial troubles that had pushed the YMCA close to insolvency.

The Magic Valley YMCA board of directors has made tremendous progress in the last six months in getting the organization back on track and focused on the YMCA mission, the organization wrote in a statement.

Officials write the board is committed to be more transparent in all of its decisions and dealings.

YMCA board chairman Andy Barry said Friday he didnt have any comments beyond whats in the statement.

The local board asked for help when it realized then-chief executive officer Gary Ettenger was providing false financial information to them, according to a February assessment conducted by the national YMCA and later obtained by the newspaper. Ettenger was asked to resign in March.

But the board told the Times-News in March that Ettenger was retiring because of health reasons  not mismanagement.

The Twin Falls YMCA owns gyms on Elizabeth Street and Pole Line Road, and it manages the YMCA/Twin Falls City Pool on Locust Street under a contract with the city.

A whistle-blower supplied the Times-News with internal YMCA documents, which showed major financial problems.

This is a serious situation, Laura Mahan, a Meridian-based resource director for the YMCA of the USA, wrote in a February letter to board members. These, along with several other issues, are a growing concern for your organizations ability to thrive.

Documents showed the nonprofit misappropriated $693,000 in donations in 2014 tied to specific projects.

That year, the YMCA received a $600,000 donation from the Kyle family, which owns local McDonalds franchises, to transform the Ys pool at its Elizabeth Street location into an indoor water park. No construction was done.

And it received $500,000 in May 2014 from Dr. Adrian Dean, which included a 3,000-square-foot building on Falls Avenue.

The nonprofit failed to pay $126,000 in payroll taxes and was in a repayment plan with the federal government, according to the February assessment.

It had stopped paying membership dues to the national YMCA and failed to submit financial audits for several years since 2008.

Now, according to the Friday statement, the YMCA is aiming to operate on a balanced budget within the next six months, reserving donations for programs and facility growth instead of operation.

And the board and management have cut unnecessary spending without compromising programs, the statement says.

The board underwent a reorganization and governance training from its national parent organization. And it got help from two CPA firms: one to complete 2014 and 2015 financial audits, and the other to help organize and implement proper accounting procedures.

The Friday statement outlines plans for the future, including a current survey of members and the community to determine the needs and priorities of our services and programs.

The YMCA recently became the benefactor of an estate, according to the statement, and from that bequest, the organization will replenish the previously restricted donations that had been used to fund daily operations in prior years.

The organization plans to start remodeling the Elizabeth Street YMCAs indoor pool to honor the Kyle familys donation. The goal is to open it Jan. 1.

It also plans to have an after-school care program in spring 2017.

And plans are underway to create a childrens adventure center to honor donations made by the Florence Gardner Foundation and Glanbia Foods.
Defense Minister Khaled al-Obeidi was impeached by the Iraqi parliament in a no confidence vote of 142 against 102 after weapons contracts were questioned earlier this month.

Reacting to the vote results, Obeidi described it as a triumph for those who brought Iraq to where it is now. I tried with everything to fight corruption but it appears that its masters are stronger, their voices louder and their actions more enduring, he said.

The Defense Ministers departure is not expected to affect the offensive assault on Mosul as officials say that military plans have already been drawn.

Sunni MP Khalid al-Mifraji said, however, that losing Obeidi is a crack in our war against Daesh.

Senior Shia MP and former national security adviser Mowaffak al-Rubaie downplayed the impeachment of the Defense Minister claiming that it will not negatively influence counterterrorism efforts.

The US and its coalition partners have assured Baghdad that the situation will not hinder their campaign against the Islamic State.

Although the Minister was ousted based on corruption allegations, analysts have linked it with the Shia-Sunni divide in the country signaling the deep political instability between leaders. With reference to Transparency Internationals corruption index, Iraq ranks only ahead of seven of the 168 listed countries. Government officials and politicians have been engaged in corruption counteraccusation allegations and have been going to the parliament with huge files to prove their claims. Obeidi had accused the Speaker of the parliament and other MPs of corruption during his questioning.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Thursday announced that government forces have taken over the town of Qayyrah, 37 miles south of Mosul.
US Secretary of State John Kerry said an agreement for the way forward in Yemen has been reached with Gulf Arab States and the UN in Saudi Arabia. He said it is a renewed approach to negotiations with both security and political track simultaneously working in order to provide a comprehensive settlement.

Kerry made the statement during a joint press conference with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir in Jeddah.

Kerry said the final agreement that would be sealed between the Hadi-led government and the Houthi Movement would include in the first phase a swift formation of a new national unity government, the withdrawal of forces from Sanaa and other areas and the transfer of all heavy weapons, including ballistic missiles, from the Houthis and forces aligned to them to a third party.

The Yemeni government has been demanding that the rebels surrender their weapons and withdraw from occupied territories before a political agreement could be discussed while the Houthi Movement demands the formation of a unity government before the disarmament or withdrawal plan can be considered.

The US diplomat said the new plan leaves nothing for future speculation as he agreed with Jubeir that its clarity on building confidence and the roadmap to peace could lead to the end of the war in Yemen.

However, Kerrys remarks on Iran supplying the Houthis with arms were refuted by Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif as baseless and unfounded.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Nayef showed Kerry some photos said to be Iranian-supplied missiles along the Saudi-Yemeni border. Kerry said he was deeply troubled by this contingency as it poses a threat to the region and to the US.

Zarif said Saudi Arabia is not interested in ending the Yemeni war and the US administration has shared the Saudi regimes inhumane war crimes against the innocent and oppressed people of Yemen.

The Houhti Movement and the UN special envoy are yet to react to the conditions of the renewed approach.
Evacuation of civilians from Daraya to government held areas and rebels to the rebel controlled territories is underway as aid convoys arranged by the Red Crescent entered the city on Friday ending the four year siege.

Daraya is strategically located and is one of the first towns to have protested against the Assad regime in the start of the Arab Spring. Its recovery by the government will serve as a symbolic victory but it could be a morale booster to the rebels who were able to hold on despite the siege.

Ajnad al-Sham and Martyrs of Islam are the two groups that had control over Daraya with a total of 800 fighters but they will be given a pathway to join the Army of Conquest, their ally, in northern Idlib. A council member of the city said civilians are forced mainly to go to the regime-held areas but said this can only be confirmed when the first group of civilians leave.

Osama Abu Zaid, legal consultant to the Free Syrian Army, hailed the fighters as courageous heroes before scolding the international community for doing nothing to end the siege and the UN for failing to provide any humanitarian aid until June.

Hussam Ayash, an activist in the town, said the deal with the government is understandable because our condition has deteriorated to the point of being unbearable after four years of siege.

The control of Daraya would serve as an advantage to pro-Assad forces because it is not far from the Mazzeh military airport. The town was used by rebel groups as a connection hub between western and eastern Ghouta.
A commission set up by President Pierre Nkurunziza last year to canvas public opinion on the countrys political system, on Wednesday said, most Burundians wanted term limits abolished.

The central African nation has been gripped by violence for more than a year, triggered by President Nkurunzizas decision to seek a third term.

Opponents said the decision, taken in April 2015, violated the countrys constitution, which currently limits presidential tenure to two five-year terms.

However, President Nkurunzizas lawyers successfully argued in the constitutional court that his first term did not count as he was appointed by MPs.

The majority of the people the commission met want the president to exercise more than two terms. It means that the president can go for as many terms as he wants if elected by the people Justin Nzoyisaba, chairman of the commission said at a press conference.

The public supported an all-inclusive government, he said.

I cant specifically say what the Burundians said but I can note that they raised their concerns on the quotas of 60 per cent Hutu and 40 per cent Tutsi, which disregards the twa ethnic (group), he said.

As a reminder, the Burundian president swore loyalty to the constitution last year, to assure national unity and to bring stability to the deteriorating security situation.

One year later, the sounds of gunfire might have gone silent, but political tensions and human rights abuses persist.

According to human rights organizations, more than 450 people have been killed since April 2015 and a quarter-of-a-million have fled home seeking refuge in neighboring countries.
The United Nations on Wednesday condemned the arrest of 32 people during the nationwide shutdown strike organized by the opposition in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

We recorded 32 cases of arrests by the police and the National Intelligence Agency (ANR), Jose Maria Aranaz, the Director of the Joint United Nations Human Rights Office in DRC (UNJHRO) told reporters.

In his words, the arrests took place in the capital Kinshasa and Mbuji-Mayi, in the center of the country.

11 people are still under detention in Mbuji-Mayi while the others were released, he said.

Some of the detainees were accused of exhibiting behavior contrary to a peaceful demonstration, but there were also cases of arbitrary arrests, Aranaz said.

Opposition parties in the country have called for a nationwide shutdown on Tuesday as part of protests against reports of the Electoral Commission that elections would be delayed till July 2017.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (CENI) cited a lack of funding and delays in voter registration as the major factors behind the postponement.

The African Union mediator in the country, Edem Kodjo has started preparations for a national dialogue following the involvement of political actors and civil-society groups in ongoing talks ahead of the elections.

Most political parties in the DRC suspect the dialogue is a ploy to allow Kabila stay in power either by delaying the elections or installing a power sharing government.

Yet, UN officials in Congo say the dialogue remains the only way out of the current political disagreement.
South African archbishop emeritus Desmond Tutu has been admitted to a Cape Town hospital as he is suffering from a persistent infection, his family said on Wednesday.

The statement issued late Wednesday said the 84-year-old is expected to remain in hospital for a week or two.

Tutu was first hospitalized for the infection on July 14. The Nobel Peace laureate also continues to battle prostate cancer, first diagnosed 20 years ago, but his family said the current infection was unrelated.

Tutu was hospitalized three times in 2015 over a persistent infection that his foundation  the Desmond & Leah Tutu Legacy Foundation  said was a result of the prostate cancer treatment he has been receiving.

Tutu survived an illness believed to be polio as a baby, and battled tuberculosis as a teenager. He has been in and out of hospital for minor complaints since 2011.

Under apartheid, Tutu campaigned against white minority rule and was awarded the 1984 Nobel peace prize for his work.

He played a key role in that nations transition from the apartheid era, including serving as chairman of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
A 2013 photo of a billboard next to a major highway in Egypt that calls for "the beginning of the end" of female circumcision as part of a national campaign against the practice. A new study found that when Egyptian women asked physicians whether they should have their daughters circumcised, the physicians gave mixed messages. Credit: Maia Sieverding

More Egyptian women are seeking the opinions of physicians on whether their daughters should undergo female genital cutting, which is illegal in the country, but they say doctors don't advise against the procedure.

Women in Egypt are seeking out doctors' opinions on whether they should circumcise their daughters and, though it is illegal there, physicians are not discouraging the practice, giving legitimacy to a procedure that has serious medical risks, according to a new study led by a former Stanford University School of Medicine researcher.

Rates of female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation or female genital cutting, have rapidly declined in Egypt in recent years as a result of women's empowerment and mass media campaigns that highlight the potential health risks of the procedure, which include infection, hemorrhage and death, said the study's lead author, Sepideh Modrek, PhD, who was an instructor in medicine at Stanford when the work was conducted.

Among the 410 women interviewed in the study, about one-third said they were uncertain about the need for the procedure and/or were worried about the risks for their daughters, so they sought out doctors for advice, the study showed. Most women who said that they would follow through with the procedure for their daughters were having it done by physicians, rather than traditional midwives, as a safety precaution, the researchers found.

"We found that it's true some women were planning to do it [cut] anyway and are just going to the doctor for harm reduction," said Modrek, who is now an assistant professor of economics at San Francisco State University and a visiting scholar at Stanford. "But others are confused. They have heard mixed messages and don't know what to do and are looking to the doctor for the final decision. And that's the problem with medicalizationit is essentially legitimizing the practice."

Modrek and her colleague, Maia Sieverding, PhD, social scientist in global health sciences at the University of California-San Francisco, surveyed a group of mothers in the greater Cairo area in early 2014 and conducted in-depth interviews with 29 of them to discern their attitudes on female genital cutting. The results were published online Aug. 25 in International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Effort to eradicate practice

Modrek said the practice, which is common in northern sub-Saharan Africa, is believed to have originated in Egypt's Nile Valley and goes back thousands of years to the time of the pharaohs. The procedure, typically done on girls between the ages of 7 and 14, involves cutting away a portion of the female genitals; in some countries, including Egypt, this involves removal of the clitoris, but in more extreme cases the entire external genitalia is removed. The procedure can lead to a wide range of medical problems, including severe pain and bleeding, infections, problems urinating, cysts, sexual problems, complications in childbirth and death, according to the World Health Organization.

More than 200 million women in 30 countries worldwide have undergone the procedure, according to the WHO, which has widely promoted abandonment of the practice, which it considers a violation of women's and girls' rights.

A 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Egypt provoked national debate on the practice and sparked the growth of a women's movement to eradicate the procedure.

Since then, national media campaigns have drawn attention to the risks of female genital cutting, which was outlawed in 1997 unless "medically necessary." In 2007, the government closed this loophole in the law following outrage over the cutting-related death of an 11-year-old girl. More recently, in June of this year, a 17-year-old girl died of complications from the procedure, which was performed in a doctor's office, according to news reports.

These changes have led to a decline in the practice in Egypt. According to estimates from the 2014 Survey of Young People Egypt, there has been a 10 percent drop since 2002 in rates of female genital cutting among girls ages 13 to 17.

The roles of mothers

Modrek, a health economist, said she became interested in the issue while researching the effects of education on fertility among women in the Middle East. She began to notice the trends in Egypt on female genital cutting, in particular the move toward medicalization of the procedure. She and Sieverding, who lived in Cairo, became interested in how physicians were influencing women's decisions about female genital cuttingan issue that had been discussed but not systematically studied before, she said.

They identified 269 women living in an urban neighborhood near Cairo and another 141 in a semi-rural neighborhood outside the capital city. Some 68 percent were Muslim while the remaining participants were Christian, a religious minority in Egypt. Some 69 percent had completed at least secondary education, while 32 percent had only completed primary school or less.

The study focused on mothers, as they are the primary decision-makers when it comes to female genital cutting, though most also respect the opinions of their husbands and their own mothers, the researchers said. The average age of the participants was 31. Ninety-two percent of them had been circumcised themselves.

The women were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire about themselves and their attitudes toward the procedure, including questions about education, religion and health, and the role of female genital cutting in marriage, family and community life. Some then agreed to sit down for a more in-depth conversation, lasting up to an hour, to further probe their views on the highly sensitive topic. A local research associate conducted all the interviews, Modrek said.

Results showed that many women were seeking out doctors' opinionstypically a family doctor or gynecologistbecause they were unsure whether the procedure was medically necessary and were looking for validation from an authoritative source. Muslim women were more likely to seek out doctors for advice, with 37 percent saying they would seek this counsel, while only 5 percent of Christian women said they would look to doctors for guidance.

Ambiguity from physicians

In the interviews, the mothers said they were conflictedcaught essentially between a longstanding cultural tradition and media messages indicating it could be harmful, Modrek said. Some expressed fear that their daughter would "hemorrhage and die"language commonly used in media campaignsand believed physicians would be better able to deal with these possible consequences, the researchers reported.

"The women said, 'I'm going to the doctor because I am hearing I shouldn't do this, but my mother says I should do it and my mother-in-law says I should do it. You, the doctor, are the expert. Do we need to do this to our daughter?'" Modrek said.

But the women said they received ambiguous messages from physicians, some of whom examined the girls and told them to come back another time. In nearly all cases, doctors did not explicitly reject the idea, but gave the women vague answers about the possible "need" for the procedure, the researchers reported.

"That's the slippery slope," Modrek said. "The doctor is seen as the more legitimizing voice and the voice of reason. Based on the women we interviewed, the doctors are not coming out and saying, 'You really don't need to do this.'"

As a next step, she said she hopes to do a study querying physicians directly on their attitudes and practices toward the procedure.

Explore further How health professionals help and hinder eradication of female genital mutilation
Credit: Virginia Commonwealth University

Members of Congress are calling for an investigation into the EpiPen maker Mylan. The pharmaceutical company has increased the price of EpiPens, from about $100 in 2008 to more than $500 today.

EpiPens are prescription-only devices that deliver a rapid shot of epinephrine, a medication used to counteract severe allergic reactions. They have a stated expiration date of one year, so patients must refill them annually. With the start of back-to-school season, parents around the country who are restocking their supply of the devices noticed the significant price increase, spurring the recent headlines.

As home to the only Level I pediatric trauma center in Virginia, VCU Health is committed to serving as a reliable source of information for those who want to learn more about this controversy. Santhosh Kumar, M.D., assistant professor of pediatrics in the Division of Allergy and Immunology at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, recently answered questions about EpiPens for VCU News.

What are EpiPens and why are they used?

An EpiPen is a device that is used to administer a life-saving drug called epinephrine during severe allergic reactions. They have been around for many years and are commonly prescribed to patients who have life-threatening or severe allergic reactions.

The EpiPen is used either by the patient themselves or by someone familiar with its use. Upon injecting the EpiPen for a reaction, the progression of the allergic reaction is halted with some improvement in symptoms. All patients are advised to seek medical attention after using an EpiPen, as their reaction might be only temporarily halted due to the EpiPen use. You can think of an EpiPen as an emergency drug that buys you time until you can seek medical attention.

Can you explain the reason behind the recent controversy over the drug's price?

The controversy over the EpiPen price is due to a significant increase in price for the relatively cheap medication. The cost of the epinephrine itself is miniscule, so what is being charged for is the device in which the medication is housed. There is virtually no competition for the EpiPen and the demand for the drug has significantly increased since its competitor, Auvi-Q, was pulled from the market in 2015. The only other device competing with EpiPens is the generic epinephrine injector called Adrenaclick, which does not have the same high-quality design compared to the EpiPen.

The drastic increase in price puts families and patients in a dilemma about paying out-of-pocket to have the EpiPen on hand. I am disappointed with Mylan, which is clearly taking advantage of the demand for the life-saving drug. It is also frustrating that the increase in price has not come with much reasoning from the company's end. Additionally, having a high deductible insurance plan does not help as patients have to pay most of the drugs' costs out of pocket until they meet their deductible. I hope the people who run Mylan understand how their choices are affecting the lives of millions of people suffering from severe allergies.

Explore further Price rise for anti-allergy EpiPen sparks furor
If you ask two different doctors about e-cigarettes, you might get two different answers.

Whether you want to know about the safety of the deviceswhich create an inhalable aerosol from heated liquid nicotine and flavoringor how to use them to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes, physicians range greatly in their responses to patients.

That's one finding from a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine who analyzed more than 500 online interactions between patients and doctors discussing e-cigarettes. The study will be published online Aug. 26 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"Researchers have previously surveyed doctors about their knowledge and attitudes concerning e-cigarettes. In this study, we were curious about actual provider behaviorthe advice doctors gave in real patient interactions," said the study's senior author, Judith Prochaska, PhD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. "Within a novel online medical forum, we were able to observe the exact advice doctors were giving patients and see how that advice varied by topic and clinician."

The new observations have already helped inform the development of an educational portal, by Prochaska and colleagues, which aims to teach doctors what's known about the health effects of e-cigarettes and how to communicate the benefits and risks of the devices to patients. Available online through the Stanford Center for Continuing Medical Education, the interactive program provides clinicians with continuing medical education credits.

A growing trend

While traditional cigarettes deliver nicotine to a person's body when they inhale burning tobacco, e-cigarettes work by heating up liquid until it vaporizes. E-cigarette use among both adults and teenagers has risen quickly in the decade since coming on the market. According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.7 percent of U.S. adults regularly use e-cigarettes. The devices are often promoted as safer than combustible cigarettes, and are also suggested as a smoking cessation aid, yet there's little long-term evidence to support either assertion.

"There's been rapid growth in the promotion and use of the products without an evidence base in terms of their safety and efficacy for tobacco cessation," Prochaska said.

Because e-cigarettes are so new, and so few studies have been conducted on them, physicians have little to rely upon when patients ask about the devices. For this reason, Prochaska and her colleagues wondered what doctors typically said, and whether they conveyed that uncertainty.

"The big question for me, working in tobacco control, is what's the best way for physicians to counsel their patients about electronic cigarettes," said postdoctoral scholar Cati Brown-Johnson, PhD, a co-lead author of the new paper.

A new source of data

Prochaska and Brown-Johnson teamed up with researchers at HealthTap, an online health company that allows users to submit medical questions, which are answered by any of the 72,000 licensed physicians that work with the site.

"Outside of sitting and watching years of live interactions between patients and providers, this was really the best way for us to get data," said Brown-Johnson.

When the scientists searched through all the anonymous questions posted on the site from July 2011 through June 2015, they identified almost 10,000 that related to tobacco or smoking. Of those, about 500 mentioned e-cigarettesand the rate of e-cigarette-related questions increased over the four-year time period.

The questions ranged from the straightforward, like "Are e-cigs unsafe and can they become addictive?" to more specific concerns, including "Does nicotine/e-cigs cause hair loss?" and "Can vapor cigarettes affect asthma?" Overall, about 34 percent of the questions related to specific side effects and harms of e-cigarettes, 27 percent to general safety and 19 percent to use of e-cigarettes as quitting aids.

For each question and answer, the researchers analyzed what themes were mentioned by patients and physicians, whether the answers were negative or positive about e-cigarettes in tone and message, and whether patients clicked a button to thank the provider for their answer.

Mixed messages

The most frequent themes brought up by physicians matched the most frequent concerns of patients: specific side effects and general safety. But doctors also often brought up topics not mentioned by patients, including the need for more research on e-cigarettes and the relative safety of e-cigarettes compared with combusted tobacco. In addition, clinicians tended to mention nicotine more often than patients, often expressing specific concern about nicotine addiction.

And when it came to the overall tone of the physicians' answers, there was a range: 47 percent of answers were deemed by the researchers as being negative regarding e-cigarettesfor example, focusing on risks of the devices and discouraging patients from using them. Another 20 percent were positivefor example, encouraging the use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids.

When asked specifically about quitting smoking, 54 percent of doctors mentioned e-cigarettes as a potential tool.

"The existing research, however, does not indicate that e-cigarettes help people quit combustible cigarettes," Prochaska said. "This is an area in need of greater study."

Educating doctors

When the researchers looked at how often patients thanked providers for their answers, they also spotted a trend: Most thanks were directed at doctors who had given a positive message about e-cigarettes.

"That finding is really interesting in thinking about how physicians might best connect with their patients," said Brown-Johnson. "Doctors might consider conveying their information about e-cigarettes in a non-judgmental way, even when conveying the risks," she said.

The study also suggested other ways that scientists who research vaping and smoking might help doctors better communicate with their patients. "It showed us the need for provider education on e-cigarettes so they are aware of the limitations of what's known," said Prochaska. Future studies, they said, could inform how doctors may tailor messages on e-cigarettes to different types of patients.

Andrea Burbank, MD, the other co-lead author and a former Stanford Health4All fellow, said the research "is an example of evidence-based medicine in the information age. With this data we were able to rapidly prioritize real-world concerns about e-cigarettes for policymakers and researchers."

Explore further Majority of US doctors discussing electronic cigarettes with their patients
University of Colorado Cancer Center researcher shows that risk of Burkitt's lymphoma may be associated with contracting malaria while pregnant. Credit: University of Colorado Cancer Center

In 1963, Irish surgeon Denis Parson Burkitt airmailed samples of an unusual jaw tumor found in Ugandan children to his colleague, Anthony Epstein, at Middlesex Hospital in London. Epstein, an expert in chicken viruses and an early adopter of the electron microscope, cultured the tissue and took a look. What he found has become known as Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of mononucleosis, the "kissing cold", and also, it turns out, an ingredient of the jaw tumor in which it was originally found, now known as Burkitt's lymphoma.

"Just imagine the process of shipping tissue samples from Uganda to England in the early 1960s!" says Rosemary Rochford, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, professor in the CU School of Medicine Department of Immunology and Microbiology, and author of a new study in the journal Current Opinions in Virology exploring the modern contribution of viruses to cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study asks a simple question: in a melting pot of viruses and cancer, do viruses happen to ride along with cancers or do viruses actually cause the disease? In the case of Epstein-Barr virus and Burkitt's lymphoma, the question is complicated by the fact that, "everyone has the virus," says Rochford. "So why do some people get cancer while others do not?"

Rochford centers her research in Kisumu, Kenya, a port city of just over 400,000 on the northeast corner of Lake Victoria. In addition to a near universal rate of infection with Epstein-Barr virus and an unusually high rate of Burkitt's lymphoma, Kisumu is the land of malaria. A recent study found that 28 percent of Kisumu adults were infected by the malaria parasite and in rural areas - the same areas that produce the most cases of Burkitt's lymphoma - the chance of getting malaria is much higher.

"We want to know why these kids get this cancer. Because Burkitt's lymphoma is prevalent in areas with a lot of malaria, we thought maybe it could be associated with malaria infection. But everybody gets malaria, too, so there's still no answer," Rochford says.

Here is a clue: In Kisumu and many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, malaria infection occurs year round. Studies by Rochford and others suggest that the children born to women who have malaria during pregnancy are even more predisposed to develop Burkitt's lymphoma.

"What we think happens is that the risk for these children begins during pregnancy. Usually for most people, the virus is quiet. You never even know you have it. But when you get malaria, the virus reactivates and infects more cells. When mothers get malaria during pregnancy, these malaria-infected cells shed more virus and infants get infected earlier in life. Because they're infected so early, their immune systems don't manage the virus the way they should. It's not just the fact of exposure to Epstein-Barr virus, but the timing of it that matters. These kids with prenatal exposure due to the secondary pressure of malaria are the ones with increased risk," Rochford says.

One answer to the challenge of virus-associated cancers in Africa would be better and more prevalent use of vaccines. "But because the conditions that allow these viruses to cause cancer aren't necessarily present to the same extent in the United States, we tend to forget about the problem in Africa," Rochford says.

She points out that the story of Burkitt's lymphoma is similar to the story of other virus-associated cancers, including cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and Kaposi's sarcoma caused by the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). In fact, in Kisumu, Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common cancer in men and cervical cancer is the most common cancer in adult women.

"In some parts of Africa, the majority of cancers are caused by infectious agents," the article writes.

Not so in the United States, where the cancer risk of viruses is far smaller than the risks associated with tobacco and alcohol. In Rochford's opinion, the fact that few of the cancers that challenge the U.S. population are caused by viruses allows us to overlook and under-research the cancers that are caused by viruses, despite the fact that research has the real potential to offer inroads against some of these virus-associated cancers.

Rochford's ongoing efforts include an initiative in partnership with the Kenyan government to establish a tumor registry like that in the United States to collect data on the prevalence and distribution of virus-associated cancers in Kenya.

"Really, we don't know the burden of cancers that are caused by infectious agents in sub-Saharan Africa because of limited cancer registry data," Rochford says. "What we do know is that treatment is difficult in a resource-poor country, but prevention with vaccines and awareness is a very realistic strategy."

Explore further One of the most common viruses in humans may promote breast cancer development

More information: Rosemary Rochford et al, Viral-associated malignancies in Africa: are viruses 'infectious traces' or 'dominant drivers'?, Current Opinion in Virology (2016). Rosemary Rochford et al, Viral-associated malignancies in Africa: are viruses 'infectious traces' or 'dominant drivers'?,(2016). DOI: 10.1016/j.coviro.2016.08.002
Banning tobacco sales within 1,000 feet of schools could reduce socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in tobacco density across neighborhoods, according to a study being published today in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Researchers tested the potential impact of a policy banning tobacco sales near schools in the states of New York and Missouri, and results indicate that such a ban would either reduce or eliminate existing disparities in tobacco retailer density by income level and by proportion of African American residents.

Currently, there are notable disparities in the number and density of tobacco retailers in the country by race and income, with more tobacco retailers in areas with lower incomes and greater proportions of African American and Hispanic residents. A high proportion of retailers located in these areas were in urban areas, which also have stores located in closer proximity to schools.

If policymakers implement a ban on tobacco product sales within 1,000 feet of schools, the existing disparities would effectively be eliminated.

While the study was a test of how this policy would impact retail density and it did not test the impact of such a policy on actual tobacco use, the results suggest possible health benefits to low-income communities. Policies banning tobacco product sales near schools appear to hold great promise for reducing tobacco-related disparities at the point of sale. Local communities across the United States are starting to pass and implement bans on tobacco sales near schools.

"Having more tobacco retailers in your community is linked with having higher smoking rates, so many communities want fewer tobacco retailers. Our study found that a policy banning tobacco sales near schools significantly reduces the number of tobacco retailers while also ensuring that they are not highly clustered in poorer and racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods like they are in most communities," said lead study author Dr. Kurt M. Ribisl, professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Explore further Shops openly flouting tobacco sales ban near schools in China

More information: The paper "Reducing disparities in tobacco retailer density by banning tobacco product sales near schools" is available at: Journal information: Nicotine & Tobacco Research The paper "Reducing disparities in tobacco retailer density by banning tobacco product sales near schools" is available at: ntr.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/  i/10.1093/ntr/ntw185
As sunbathers enjoy this week's hot weather, scientists at the University of Brighton are researching ways the elderly can avoid heat-related illnesses which claim 2,000 lives in the UK each year.

The university is recruiting healthy volunteers aged 65 and over for a series of tests designed to help older people to stay cool.

Kirsty Waldock, Ph.D. student and lead investigator at the university's College of Social Sciences, warned that climate change is likely to increase the number of heat-related illnesses.

Recent mini-heat waves have resulted in an increase in visits to hospital emergency departments for the treatment of heatstroke. The Earth's climate is warming and as the mean global temperature rises, so does the frequency, severity and duration of heat waves, presenting a significant health risk to the population, with the elderly being the most vulnerable.

If effective action to adapt to climate change is not implemented, a predicted five-fold increase in the number of heat-related deaths will occur in the U.K. by 2050. Public Health England have provided heat wave guidelines, however, further specificity to this advice is warranted.

Miss Waldock and colleagues, based at the university's Eastbourne campus, are conducting exercise trials in a specially-designed cool chamber. Volunteers will receive information regarding their resting blood pressure and heart rate, body composition and individualised exercise responses.

She said: The aim is to develop a user-friendly guide to assess the risk of developing a heat illness across a range of environments likely to be experienced during summer months. We will be testing volunteers using exercises that equate to various activities of daily living including household chores, light exercise to moderate exercise.

We want to find ways for the elderly to stay coolthe aim is to provide specific guidelines for maintaining good levels of activity whilst remaining healthy during periods of hot weather for an elderly population. This research is being conducted in response to the lack of evidence-based hot weather advice for vulnerable people. The purpose is to study unresolved questions about heat-related health effects in the elderly that will pave the way for individualised prevention strategies and policy change.

Dr Neil Maxwell, reader, head of the university's Centre for Sport and Exercise Science and Medicine, said, "The university has an international reputation for research in this field and we collaborate with industry in the development of heat-alleviating products for market. We believe our research could extend to impact those most vulnerable.

"Within our laboratories, we have found both acute and chronic interventions to be effective in alleviating heat strain in healthy, active populations as well as clinical population. In a health-based setting we have found cooling to have therapeutic effects for individuals with multiple sclerosis. We found that practical pre-cooling using cooling garments reduced physiological and perceptual markers of thermal strain in heat sensitive individuals with MS. We observed meaningful improvements in their walking performance and alleviation of MS-related symptoms."

Cooling is one of a number of acute interventions that could improve heat sensitivity in vulnerable populations. These chronic intervention protocols, in the form of repeated artificial heat exposures (heat acclimation), have also resulted in heat-alleviating benefits to healthy active populations. The adaptations result in an increase in heat loss capacity, the person having less strain on their heart and feeling more comfortable in a hot environment. The key aspect of improving heat sensitivity in a vulnerable population is knowing when they require an intervention. Therefore, specific interventions and advice can be provided to alleviate heat strain within the population.

Explore further Heat waves hit seniors hardest

More information: To volunteer for Miss Waldocks research, email k.waldock@brighton.ac.uk

Provided by University of Brighton
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In a dark theater full of beanbag couches and big balloons, Missoulas entrepreneur crowd plotted their next moves.

Most of them moved from one big audience to lots of little groups as the Last Best Conference spun into dozens of idea-swapping workshops around downtown. As lead-off speaker Shannon Stober from Bozemans Verve Exchange Consulting put it: Were here to inspire purists of passion. Your vibe attracts your tribe.

That vibe got an extra buzz when Gov. Steve Bullocks small business ombudsman Andy Shirtliff announced the results of the latest Kauffman Foundation survey of startup activity: Montana ranked No. 1 among the nations 25 small-population states for the fourth year in a row. It also topped that group for the rate of new entrepreneurs entering the business world, with 500 per 100,000 adults. In comparison, Iowa was at the bottom of that list with 180 new entrepreneurs per 100,000 adults.

Were not actually 49th in the U.S. for salaries, Shirtliff said. When you remove things like retirees and agriculture workers from the list, were actually in the middle of the pack. And were focused on how we can help business and the Montana economy grow.

Growth ideas came from a slate of speakers including Shine Scout founder Lynn Casey, who spoke of moving from apparently successful careers in advertising and movie production to much more fulfilling work as a trend spotter.

Think about the dream you dont want to let go of, Casey told the morning audience. This is your chance to say I want to do the biggest, baddest me I can possibly do.

In addition to immediate business topics, participants looked at some bigger community issues. Rob Duff of ATG Consulting asked how Montana can build lucrative business communities without damaging the things that make the state special.

In places like Boulder, Colorado, they experienced growth in a way that priced out the locals who were originally there, Duff said. This state has been largely anti-big business for a long time. Weve made a shift toward encouraging more industry.

Duff didnt know any place that had figured out the way to bring high-paying jobs without aggravating income disparities. On the other hand, the job world will change rapidly in the next several years. Fields like medical tourism, 3-D printing, big-data analysis and other sectors that werent around a decade ago all have potential to boost the states economy without drawing away from its recreational or natural resource attractions.

The two-day Missoula conference was modeled on South by Southwest in Austin, Texas, and the World Domination Summit, in Portland, Oregon. In between scheduled speakers discussing how to foster leadership, spot trends and find investment, the roughly 75 participants gathered around lunch tables and barstools to compare startup plans and challenges. The program sprawled around downtown, including get-togethers at the Top Hat Lounge, Dram Shop, Market on Front, Berkshire Hathaway office and Mount Sentinel hiking trails. It also featured group jogging trips, art projects and networking over beers.

I never wanted to be an entrepreneur, Stober told her fellow business-starters. I wanted to come alive.
The former chief executive officer of Vanns Inc. is asking a federal judge in Missoula to delay for another year his trial on more than 200 counts of conspiracy and fraud.

George Leslie Manlove was charged in December with conspiring with Paul Lyn Nisbet to defraud the appliance and electronics company, which closed in 2013.

Nisbet, former chief financial officer of Vanns who was charged as Manloves co-defendant, pleaded guilty in June in an agreement with prosecutors. He is scheduled to be sentenced in October.

Allegations against the men said they defrauded Vanns for their personal gain. They were accused of creating shell companies and of having Vanns lease property from them without board permission. Prosecutors also accuse Manlove of using company money for personal expenses such as college tuition and shopping trips for his family.

Manloves trial is set for mid-October. But at the start of August his attorneys asked for it to be continued a full year, saying they need more time to sort through the digital evidence provided to them by prosecutors.

In a response brief, Assistant U.S. Attorney Adam Duerk said the trial has already been continued once, and that further delays would hinder the governments ability to prosecute Manlove. Duerk said Manlove has claimed the case against him is as complicated as the trial of W.R. Grace & Co., the largest environmental criminal trial in U.S. history. In that case, prosecutors alleged that the worldwide chemical company and its former senior executives conspired to conceal the dangers of asbestos exposure from the companys vermiculite mine in Libby.

This case does not involve multiple expert witnesses for both the prosecution and the defense; over 1,200 victims; a three-month long trial; allegations of a 40-year conspiracy; the medical records of hundreds of miners and mill workers; an appeal to the Ninth Circuit; a half-dozen criminal defendants; bifurcated trials; a motion to change venue; more than a dozen law firms based in Los Angeles, Chicago, Boston and elsewhere; near-constant media coverage by the Missoulian and other newspapers, two books and a film, Duerk wrote.

U.S. District Court Chief Judge Dana Christensen has yet to issue an order regarding the request to postpone the trial.
BUTTE  The Department of Justices decision not to renew contracts with private federal prisons will not affect the 95 federal prisoners held in Montanas private prison, according to Assistant U.S. Attorney for the District of Montana Melissa Hornbein.

Montana is home to no federal prisons  privately or government-run  but federal prisoners are held at Crossroads Correctional Center, a privately run mixed-security state prison in Shelby. Ninety-five of the prisons 550 beds are reserved for federal prisoners.

Those federal prisoners come courtesy of the U.S. Marshals Service, not the Bureau of Prisons, and therefore dont qualify under the DOJs decision.

The federal inmates in the prison are contracted out to the U.S. Marshals Service for holding prisoners either prior to sentencing or once theyve been sentenced but before theyve been assigned to a federal facility, Hornbein said.

Crossroads is operated by Corrections Corporation of America, the countrys largest private prison company, which has 85 facilities across the U.S., including 13 private federal prisons. Crossroads is the only private prison in Montana, and CCAs only facility in the Northwest.

Crossroads was built in 1999 under the condition it would house only Montana prisoners, with the state Legislature passing a bill banning prisoner import, according to past news stories. CCA officials at the time said they would not need out-of-state prisoners to keep the prison at capacity and above water.

That changed when the state removed prisoners from Crossroads in 2002 to save money, dropping the prison population below profitable levels. With the prison 35 percent empty, Crossroads laid off dozens of employees, and risked closure.

CCA lobbied the Legislature to override the 1999 prisoner import ban and allow federal and out-of-state inmates at Crossroads in 2003. The Legislature passed the proposal after stripping the bill of a three-year sunset clause for importation.

Crossroads population now exceeds capacity, with 50 temporary beds for prisoners, according to the Department of Corrections Wednesday population report.

Montana Department of Corrections communications director Judy Beck said her office has zero involvement with the federal prisoners held at Crossroads, and that those inmates are under the purview of the U.S. Marshals Service and U.S. Attorneys Office.

The DOJ announced its decision to end involvement with federal prisons in a memorandum from Sally Yates, deputy attorney general for the United States, on Aug. 18. The memo stated private prisons do not meet the same level of safety and security as government-run prisons, and do not save substantially on costs.

These concerns echo the findings of an investigation into private prisons by the DOJs Office of the Inspector General, released a week before the memo.

Beck said the Department of Corrections had not yet reviewed the Inspector Generals report, and cannot comment at this time.

Crossroads did not respond to requests to comment on federal prisoners held at the facility, and in a press release CCA condemned the Inspector Generals report as flawed.

The state's 20-year contract with CCA expires in 2019, requiring the state to extend the contract or purchase the prison.

The DOJ decision affects only a fraction of the nations inmates in private prisons, as most are held in state, not federal private prisons.

According to the Congressional Research Service, Montana imprisons the second largest percentage of prisoners in private prisons, 36 percent.
HAMILTON  The 27-year-old Florence woman who pleaded guilty earlier to negligent homicide in the death of a well-known Bitterroot Valley animal advocate was sentenced to 1,000 hours of community service Thursday.

Ravalli County District Court Judge James Haynes imposed a deferred six-year sentence  meaning her record will be clean if she stays out of trouble during that time  on Meggie Jean Morgan, with the requirement that the woman tell others about the moment that her life changed forever on Sept. 27, 2015.

On that day, 64-year-old Judy Paul was driving two Labrador puppies to her canine rescue home near Corvallis, where she had already successfully found new homes for hundreds of dogs after founding the Montana Companion Animal Network.

Morgan had been at a birthday party that day. After buckling in her three children in the back seat of her car, Morgan drove through the stop sign at the intersection of South Kootenai Road and U.S. Highway 93.

Paul and one of the puppies died in the resulting crash.

Morgan was severely injured and taken to a Seattle hospital. Her children escaped the collision without a serious injury.

A test would later determine that she had the active ingredient of marijuana in her bloodstream. Morgan used medical marijuana to treat pain from an earlier vehicle accident.

In June, Morgan pleaded guilty to negligent homicide, three counts of felony criminal endangerment and misdemeanor cruelty to animals.

On Thursday, a tearful Morgan was back in court for the sentencing hearing.

Family and friends told the judge that Morgan was a good person whose life had been shattered as a result of the wreck that took the life of Paul.

I hold her. She cries that it should have been her, said her mother, Janice Raymond of Florence as she wept on the stand. She hurts very bad. I dont know how to ease her pain. Im her mom. She just feels horrible  She is very, very sorry.

William McNulty of Stevensville said Morgan was a person who always had a smile on her face and would light up with her positive energy.

Thats changed since the wreck.

McNulty said Morgan was devastated about Pauls death. He said she may struggle with that guilt for the rest of her life.

That heart of gold has been shattered, McNulty said.

Her lawyer, Paul Ryan, told the judge that he had never seen anyone so devastated by an incident in his 24-year career.

This is not an act, Ryan said. This is not some presentation for court. This is every day. Shes a shattered individual psychologically. She needs the support of her family and friends to work through this.

When it came time for Morgan to speak, she stood and faced the four women who had been close friends with Paul. With tears in her eyes and a voice filled with emotion, she told them she was sorry.

I realize what a wonderful person she was, Morgan said. The world needs more people like her. I would never do anything intentionally to hurt someone, especially endanger their life or take their life. My entire world was in the back seat of the car that day. It was not my intention to hurt anyone.

Judith and her legacy, I want to carry them on. Do good things. I want to live a life that she would be proud of. I am so sorry. It seems so menial, but it is from the depths of my heart. I hope that you can see that. I hope that you can see that I truly am remorseful. I will live my life keeping her legacy alive and do whatever I have to do to do that.

Ravalli County Deputy Attorney Meghann Paddock recommended a sentence of 10 years with eight years suspended to the Montana Department of Corrections on the negligent homicide charge.

Paddock told Haynes that no one was seeking any kind of restitution.

This isnt something that money can make whole, she said.

While there is a lot of empathy for Morgan from family, friends and even people close to Paul, Paddock urged the judge to not forget that a life was lost.

We need to take into account that she chose to ingest that marijuana, Paddock said. She chose to put herself and her three children in that car. She alone flew through that stop sign that caused the crash that took Ms. Pauls life.

Morgan has not served any jail time.

I simply dont think it is appropriate, judge, to allow her (to) walk out of court without serving any time after taking Ms. Pauls life, she said. As noted in court, Ms. Paul was an amazing human. She contributed greatly to the lives she touched and to our community. Her life had value and that value needs to be recognized.

Haynes said theres no resolution thats going to be satisfactory.

In this case, we have two good people and one tragic result, Haynes said.

In 2006, Haynes said he sentenced a young man guilty of negligent homicide after an alcohol-fueled accident to 1,000 hours of community service that required him to speak about the dangers of drinking and driving. His decision back then was driven in part because neither side wanted to see the man go to jail.

In this case, Haynes said he received only one letter asking for jail time.

Haynes told Morgan that he hopes that her story will have an impact on other young drivers. But for that to happen, the judge said she needs to quit saying that she doesnt remember driving through the stop sign.

Quit making excuses for your behavior, Haynes said. You need to own it. You need to own it in order to send the right message. You need to own it for yourself. You need to own it for your children. Certainly you need to own it for the victims loved ones.

Carrie Storrow is one of those loved ones. She worked with Paul to found the MTCAN.

Storrow came away from the sentencing hearing with mixed feelings.

I couldnt see any purpose in putting her in jail, Storrow said. I would like to see something from her moving forward that proves she deserves this chance.

Its difficult because there are no winners, she said. She will have to live with this for the rest of her life. I hope she actually does pay it forward. I hope she does learn from this.
HIDDEN LAKE OVERLOOK  One hundred years ago, Congress created the National Park Service and gave the federal agency its increasingly difficult marching orders.

On Thursday, the Secretary of the Interior spent much of that centennial day here in Glacier National Park, hiking a popular trail, traveling the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Road in a historic 1930s-era Red Bus, and asking how we can fulfill the obligation given to us 100 years ago today, to preserve these resources for future generations?

Sally Jewell probably already knew part of the answer. It wont be easy, especially given the Earths changing climate, coupled with the increasing popularity of parks such as Glacier.

But, during a three-mile hike at the top of Logan Pass with Glaciers superintendent, park rangers, scientists and stakeholders, the secretary seemed especially interested in the parks interactions with people beyond Glaciers borders.

National parks cannot survive as islands, Jewell said. No place is further along in recognizing that than the Crown of the Continent.

That expansive area, which crosses an international border, encompasses Glacier and Waterton Lakes parks, and runs from Banff, Alberta, almost to Missoula, can better address the challenges as a whole than as separate pieces trying to solve a puzzle.

Glacier, at a million acres, isnt big enough to respond to climate change on its own, Superintendent Jeff Mow said. To be effective, he added, work must be done on a broader landscape.

***

The Glacier stop is part of a seven-day swing through National Park Service sites in eight states for Jewell, who began the week in New York City, worked her way West to California, and is now headed back East, where shell wind up at Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine.

That just became a part of the National Park Service this week.

The Glacier visit focused on a warming planet. Jewell called Glacier the leading edge, maybe even the bleeding edge, for responding to climate change.

She later flew to Gardiner for Thursday nights NPS centennial celebration and concert at the Roosevelt Arch  Yellowstone National Parks north entrance  after winding up her day in Glacier.

The Yellowstone event promised more flair. Jewell was joined there by two governors, the director of the National Park Service, and descendants of President Theodore Roosevelt and Stephen Mather, the NPSs first director, for a concert by Emmylou Harris and John Prine.

But it wasnt likely to compare to Glaciers scenery on a beautiful late-summer day, and the Interior secretary also seemed to enjoy interacting with hikers she met on the Hidden Lake Trail.

Most were surprised to find themselves sharing the pathway and boardwalk with a member of President Barack Obamas Cabinet.

Daryl Sieker of West Linn, Oregon, was celebrating his 75th birthday and upcoming 50th wedding anniversary with his wife, daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren  all making their first trip to Glacier Park  when they encountered Jewell and the entourage on the trail.

We heard people in the parking lot say they thought the Secretary of the Interior was up here, he said.

So we said hello and asked if shed take a picture with my children, added daughter Hilary Wirkkala. Soon the whole family was crowding around Jewell, one of dozens of times the former CEO of outdoor retailer REI obliged visitors with similar requests.

It was an incredible idea our leaders had 100 years ago that brought us the National Park Service, Jewell said. In other places in the world, such places would likely be playgrounds for the wealthy or royalty, but these lands belong to all Americans.

***

Jewell even got to see a bear  a black bear, not a grizzly  on her trip back down the west side of Going-to-the-Sun Highway after the hike. The bear was just yards off the pavement, wrestling berries from a bush.

While on the Hidden Lake Trail, Dan Fagre of the U.S. Geological Survey, and Glacier interpretive ranger Tiegen Tomlin, passed on a boatload of facts relating to climate change and Glacier.

Because of its disappearing glaciers, the national park is one of the worlds most visible pieces of evidence that climate change is happening rapidly.

Humans dont cause the climate to change, Tomlin said. We accelerate it.

There were 100 square kilometers of ice here when the park was formed, Fagre said, and 15 square kilometers today.

So 85 percent of the ice is gone, he said. The snowpack is in a 50-year decline. And it starts melting 30 days earlier than it used to.

Any patch of ground in Glacier has, on average, 26 fewer days of snow cover. Thats lengthened the growing season, added fuel for future wildfires, and tripled the height of trees in the alpine zone, encroaching on the habitat of mountain goats that need open spaces.

Climate change cascades through the whole system, Fagre said.

Another example: avalanches.

At a stop at Big Bend on the way down Going-to-the-Sun, Fagre told the group they were in one of the gnarliest parts of the road for avalanches. Avalanches are barreling at full force when they go through here.

But the snow was once dry. Now its wet, he said.

An avalanche is completely different with water-soaked snow, Fagre said. It has the force of moving concrete.

Glacier is at the forefront of this aspect of climate change too, he said, because the parks mountain peaks are at a lower elevation than many others in America.

***

Fagre also warned of the potential coming of major insect outbreaks.

Wintertime temperatures of 25-below-zero are needed for three weeks to control bugs that devastate trees, Fagre said, and Glacier doesnt get those anymore.

In British Columbia, 50 million acres of trees have been killed or knocked back, Fagre said. Thats 50 Glacier National Parks. If the larvae isnt killed, the next year youve got an Army of insects. The trees are also stressed by the heat in summer. The bugs get on a roll, and keep on rolling.

That reduces the forest canopy, and affects plant and animal life on the ground.

Some believe that going forward, the pine beetle species could move across Canada and then come down into the southern United States, decimating a major source of timber in this country.

Thats speculation, Fagre said, but its one of the things we need to start thinking of.

Jewell noted that Glacier isnt the only place where a parks namesake is in danger.

Joshua Tree National Park may not have Joshua trees one day, she said. Its hard to imagine places like these without those things.

The climate change deniers  I just dont get it, Jewell added later. The science is abundantly clear. If you dont get on board, well, the rest of us are.
BILLINGS - A Sidney man faces deliberate homicide charges following the shooting death of a construction worker on Wednesday.

Raymond Hansen, 35, is suspected of the deliberate homicide of 63-year-old Terry Klein, also from Sidney, said a news release from the Richland County Sheriffs Office.

At about 9 a.m. Wednesday, a Franz Construction employee reported a co-worker needed medical attention at a breached irrigation canal south of Sidney where construction crews were working. Responding sheriffs deputies discovered Klein with at least one gunshot wound and it appeared he was the victim of a criminal act, the release said.

An early investigation established Hansen as a person of interest, and he was later detained. It appears he acted alone and officials are still working to establish a motive, according to the news release.

Investigators had not recovered a weapon as of Thursday afternoon but were serving multiple search warrants, said Richland County Undersheriff Bob Burnison.

Burnison said Hansen was not employed by Franz Construction and that investigators are working to determine why he was at the job site. Klein was employed by the construction company, but his position was not immediately available.

Richland County Justice Court Judge Gregory Mohr said Hansen made an initial appearance in his courtroom Thursday morning and bond is set at $2 million. A preliminary hearing has been set for Sept. 7 and Hansen will be arraigned in Richland County District Court on Sept. 14.

An autopsy of Klein's body was scheduled for Thursday. The exact cause of death will be released after it is completed, according to the Richland County Coroner's Office.
BILLINGS - A trial is set for March in the case of Robert James LeCou, who was accused of a triple homicide earlier this year in Belfry.

An hearing was held Wednesday for LeCou, 39, in Carbon County. He faces three counts of deliberate homicide in the shooting deaths of his wife, her sister and a brother-in-law in Belfry.

A trial is set for March 13, 2017. Two weeks were set aside for the court proceeding.

Carbon County Attorney Alex Nixon said that after receiving input from the public and the Montana Attorney General's Office, he will not pursue the death penalty for LeCou.

"In addition to the statutory requirements necessary to pursue the death penalty, we discussed the status of the death penalty in Montana and the seemingly never-ending appeal process," Nixon said in an email exchange Thursday.

Carbon County Sheriff Josh McQuillan was involved in the decision process, Nixon said.

On April 27, LeCou pleaded not guilty to the homicide charges.

Carbon County sheriff's deputies found three bodies in a Belfry home where LeCou was staying on April 7. The two women had gunshot wounds to their heads. The man was found with other head injuries.

They were identified as Lloyd Lamb, 76; Sharon Hill-Lamb, the 72-year-old wife of Lamb; and Karen Hill-LeCou, 54, who was LeCou's wife.

Authorities eventually arrested LeCou in Washington, near Spokane. He has since been in custody.

Nixon said that the decision not to pursue the death penalty was "not taken lightly."
At least 359 children live in poverty in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County, statistics show.

For that reason and others, area leaders want to create a one-stop clearinghouse where those struggling with myriad poverty, food, or job issues can pinpoint exactly the agency they need.

For starters, they want to communicate more closely.

The 21.5 percent child poverty rate in Anaconda-Deer Lodge County is higher than both the 21.7 percent national and 19.2 state rate, census figures show, prompting leaders meeting in the Hearst Free Library in Anaconda to agree that together, theyre stronger.

Twenty-three social services workers, housing advisers, caseworkers, counselors, clergy, and college recruiters joined forces while coming to a consensus on Wednesday:

We have got to collaborate, said Teri Gochanour, family development specialist at the Anaconda Family Resources Center. Our impact will be so much greater.

Individuals shared their unique perspective of social services in Anaconda  part of a focus group that meets after Butte-based Margie Seccomb and Action Inc. conduct a needs assessment every three years. Seccomb is director of the Action Inc./Human Resources Council, District 12, which includes six southwest Montana counties, including Anaconda-Deer Lodge.

Some of the most pressing needs of those living in poverty in Anaconda are affordable housing, learning basic life skills not necessarily handed down to younger generations, and merging a quick list of services for easy access.

Online and personable lists of resources would benefit the agencies and the populations in poverty, many leaders agreed.

Katie Caswell of Hearthstone Inc., a senior independent living manager for retired or disabled seniors, wants to post various scenarios online so those seeking food, housing or jobs can pinpoint exact agencies they need.

A citizen struggling with any of those issues often does not know where to turn.

Its overwhelming to have to prove how poor you are, said Caswell. Its degrading.

Talking face-to-face with a counselor, case manager, or benefits specialist means much more than signing up online for an impersonal service, she added.

We will help them get pointed in the right direction and go with them to help them be successful, said Gochanour.

Some situations can get complicated, especially if a parent is underemployed or makes barely above the minimum required to receive food assistance.

Caswell said Anaconda lacks emergency housing, a rescue mission, a safe place for domestic abuse victims, and public transportation.

Action Inc. reports about 42 percent of the Anaconda-Deer Lodge County population lives below 200 percent of the federal poverty line  down from 53.2 percent in 2011. The national rate is 35 percent.

Part of the problem, Seccomb told the group, is that 40 percent of renters in the county pay more than 30 percent of their income for housing  which Housing and Urban Development considers a financial burden. In 2011, 37 percent of renters filled that category.

At least 60 percent of school children in the county are eligible by family income for free or reduced lunch.

An aging senior population contributes to hunger and weatherization cost issues, too.

Its more than just the poverty issue, said Faith Sanders, Hearthstone case manager who refers clients to services.

While Anaconda has plenty of social workers and volunteers who work with children, the town needs more case workers to help seniors, Sanders added.

For Seccomb, improving services for youth while beefing up services for seniors and others is a wider goal.

She especially wants to boost youth services in the six-county area, which includes Beaverhead, Granite, Madison, Powell, Butte-Silver Bow, and of course Anaconda-Deer Lodge.

There is a way we can regionally look at the issues facing our youth, said Seccomb. We have homeless youth, we have youth at-risk, and those at a crossroads in life where they make crucial decisions. We want to help kids make good decisions.

Seccomb has two federal grants  one worth $90,000 per year and another worth $150,000 per year  that her office can channel to youth outreach programs. She hopes to hold a community youth summit to highlight the issues.

Meanwhile, Seccomb is upbeat that the Anaconda leaders now exhibit a shared understanding of cooperating to help eradicate poverty:

We had a very rich conversation. Im really struck that its become clear to everyone that collaboration is becoming so essential; theres a big openness to working together to find solutions.
WASHINGTON -- In choosing Stephen Bannon to be the CEO of his campaign, Donald Trump has accomplished the extraordinary: He has found somebody as outrageous as he is.

Bannon, who had been publisher of the far-right website Breitbart, has called the pope a "commie" and said Catholics are trying to boost Hispanic immigration because their "church is dying." He called Gabby Giffords, a former congresswoman who was shot in the head, a "human shield," and the mayor of London a "radical Muslim." Hillary Clinton, in Bannon's telling, is a "grifter" who would take the country to the "last days of Sodom."

The new Trump adviser calls himself a "populist nationalist" -- his hiring has been cheered by white supremacists -- and calls his fellow believers a "small, crazy wing" of the conservative movement. He has referred to the Civil War as the "war of Southern Independence" fought over "economic development." He found "zero evidence" of racial motives in the Trayvon Martin shooting and warned that "cities could be washed away in an orgy of de-gentrification."

The Trump campaign's chief executive believes the Obama administration is "importing more hating Muslims" and asks whether Clinton is "complicit in a fifth column." He doesn't think Huma Abedin, a Muslim aide to Clinton, should have a security clearance, and he has alleged that Clinton's vice presidential nominee, Sen. Tim Kaine, has an "affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood." He argued that Gretchen Carlson's sexual harassment case, which forced the ouster of Roger Ailes at Fox News Channel, was a "total dud," and he alleged the existence of a "militant-feminist legal wrecking crew."

Fox News, in Bannon's view, is a "centrist" outlet -- and compared to Breitbart, it most certainly is. The site, which was closer to the mainstream under its late founder, Andrew Breitbart, has run these headlines under Bannon's leadership:

"Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy."

"Political Correctness Protects Muslim Rape Culture."

"Suck It Up Buttercups: Dangerous Faggot Tour Returns to Colleges in September."

"The Solution to Online 'Harassment' Is Simple: Women Should Log Off."

"Two Months Left Until Obama Gives Dictators Control of Internet."

"There's No Hiring Bias Against Women in Tech, They Just Suck at Interviews."

"Trannies Whine About Hilarious Bruce Jenner Billboard."

"Khizr Khan Believes the Constitution 'Must Always Be Subordinated to the Sharia.'"

Bannon's Breitbart said the gay-pride flag is viewed as a "symbol of anti-Christian hate" and said birth control makes a woman into a "slut" and a "hideous monster," arguing: "Your birth control injection will add on pounds that will prevent the injection you really want -- of man meat."

Trump echoes conspiracy theories proposed by Breitbart, and Breitbart has relentlessly promoted Trump. In short, Trump found in Bannon a character like himself: a bully who targets racial and religious minorities, immigrants and women. In his writings and broadcast commentary, Bannon, a veteran and former banker, has argued that immigrants -- legal as well as illegal -- are to blame for crime, terrorism and disease. He disparages "anchor babies" and says FBI Director James Comey's recommendation not to prosecute Clinton is "inextricably linked" to anti-police violence. He speaks of Megyn Kelly's "blonde ambition" and alleges that the military is trying to "eradicate Christianity."

Breitbart has a tag for "black crime" and stokes fear of race wars with headlines such as "Race Murder in Virginia," "Black Suspects Stalk Robbery Victim in Philadelphia," "Career Criminal Accused of Assaulting Victim, Calling Her 'White Bitch,'" "Black Rape Gangs Violate Two Detroit Women" and "Black Mob Swarms Georgia Walmart to See 'How Much Damage' They Could Do."

The Southern Poverty Law Center protests that Breitbart "has been openly promoting the core issues of the Alt-Right, introducing these racist ideas to its readership." Breitbart had a "lengthy defense" of white nationalists that ignored their openly racist views, the SPLC said.

Breitbart likened Pamela Geller's "Muhammad Cartoon Contest" to the Selma-to-Montgomery march. The outlet has gone after the "big gay hate machine" and suggested that "the next step for marriage equality" is "likely polygamy."

Breitbart ran a doctored photo showing House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in a bikini on all fours with her tongue out. It reported that Planned Parenthood was "comfortably surpassing Hitler" in its "body count." It said Trump's bogus claim that thousands of New Jersey Muslims celebrated the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, had been "100 percent vindicated," and it alleged a "smoking gun" connecting the 9/11 hijackers to a "Bush family friend."

There is more, but you don't need to read it here. Just wait for Trump to say it.

Follow Dana Milbank on Twitter, @Milbank.

(c) 2016, Washington Post Writers Group
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COLUMBUS JUNCTION, Iowa - Development of two city streets in Columbus Junction should move forward later this year following approval by the city council on Wednesday to hold a Sept. 28 public hearing and bid opening on the work.

According to French-Reneker engineer Matt Walker, Mt. Pleasant, New Heritage Trail will be extended about 300 feet to the west, while a 150-foot extension of Village Square, which will end in a cul-de-sac, will also be constructed as part of the street development.

Both streets are part of the planned New Heritage Village - Phase II Subdivision.

Walker said the proposed development work would include extending sewer and water to approximately 12 lots along the new streets. He said seven lots on New Heritage Trail would be set up for duplexes.

He estimated the project cost would be around $322,000, based on current bidding trends with other projects involving French-Reneker. However, he said some of the contractors bidding on those projects were from communities closer to Columbus Junction, so bidding could be more competitive.

Walker said the project would have an Aug. 31, 2017, completion deadline, but he suggested that could be moved forward.

The thought is they might be able to come in and get earthwork done (this year), he said, adding if the weather cooperated there could be even more progress.

In a separate engineering report, Walker also said a feasibility plan for the citys sewer lagoon should be ready to submit this week. Mayor Pro-tem Mark Huston reminded the council the city apparently needs to increase the capacity of its lagoon because of high ammonia levels during the winter.

Walker said the city was meeting the standards under old regulations, but revised rules were forcing the upgrade. He said once the feasibility plan is reviewed and approved by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, French-Reneker would develop plans for the lagoon modifications.

In other action, the council approved an employment contract with new city police officer Scott Hardy. Under the contract, Hardy will be responsible for repaying the city a pro-rated amount of the cost for his training at the Iowa Law Enforcement Academy if he leaves within five years of his employment.

Weve had this will all of our officers, Huston explained.

The council also agreed to install a street light on Walnut Street, just west of its intersection with E. Access.

In final action, the council met with local resident Chris Van Auken, 725 Second, who complained a neighbor was not mowing his vacant lot behind Van Aukens residence.

It was always mowed before. This is not timber, Van Auken told the council, but Huston said there was nothing the city could do.

Huston said he had talked with city attorney Tim Wink and said Wink had told him the citys ordinance did not cover this issue.

I dont understand. Whats the difference between this and my front yard? Van Auken quizzed Huston.

Huston did not directly respond, explaining only that Wink had determined the citys ordinance did not apply in this case.

(Wink) said the only remedy is a civil (suit), Huston told Van Auken.

When Van Auken pressed Huston to provide more details, Huston suggested Van Auken talk directly to Wink.
DES MOINES, Iowa - Some Iowa farmers are making a practice of the past part of their future.

At one time, small-grain production was an integral part of most agricultural operations in the state and Iowa was a national leader in oat production in the 1950s. However, said Earl Canfield, owner and operator of Canfield Family Farm in Dunkerton, there now are very few acres of oats, rye or wheat.

"Along with the fact that it's not very common, the knowledge base that allows farmers to successfully raise crops like that in Iowa has largely disappeared over the last several generations," he said. "Also disappearing is much of the equipment and infrastructure."

Canfield is among farmers in the state who realize the value of adding small grains. He just completed his oat harvest as a third crop in his corn-soybean rotation. According to Practical Farmers of Iowa, adding small grains as a third crop improves soil structure and water quality while reducing the use of pesticides and nitrogen fertilizers.

Because small grains are harvested at a different time of year than corn and soybeans, Canfield said diverse rotations help spread out labor and provide more steady cash flow throughout the year.

"As any astute business person knows," he said, "any time you can diversify your income streams, it gives you a certain measure of insulation to ups and downs in the market."

Finding a marketing mechanism is among the challenges in small-grain production. Canfield noted that oats are consumed in Iowa, but generally shipped in from the Dakotas or Canada. He encouraged Iowans to see the benefit of purchasing small grains locally.

"Any time they can buy seeds that are produced here in Iowa, it provides direct benefits to Iowa first rather than sending all the benefits out of state," he said. "I think that's a win for everybody in this state."

Another avenue is to sell harvested small-grain seed to other farmers, who can plant it as a cover crop. For the oats he grows, Canfield is exploring the possibility of selling to horse owners and other livestock owners who need feed.

Growers can learn more about small-grain production online at practicalfarmers.org.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  More than 70 people attended a job fair at the Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA) Friday.

Muscatine Mayor Diana Broderson partnered with Goodwill's Helms Career Center to hold a summer job fair, which United Way of Muscatine helped fund, the first of its kind to be held at MCSA.

Lora Morgan Dunham, an assistant program director at Goodwill of the Heartland said job fairs are important in creating connections.

"Sometimes there's this disconnect between the people who are looking for jobs and the people who have jobs available, and somehow they're not finding each others information," she said.

Morgan Dunham and others worked with people to build their resumes, practice interview skills, and help connect them with jobs.

Students from Muscatine High School also attended the job fair.

"It's a good exposure for students as they're preparing to leave high school for the world of work," Morgan Dunham said.

Jeff Schmelzer, work experience coordinator at MHS, brought four classes to the job fair, with students in various grade levels.

"For our students, who may or may not have had a job yet, it gives them the opportunity to see what employers are looking for, whether they fit those criteria, or whether they need to work on anything to be better prepared to meet the employers' needs," he said.

The job fair was held in the large gymnasium, which Maggie Curry, the housing director at MCSA, said was a great location for employers as well as those living at MCSA.

"The people who live here are always looking for jobs, so it's the perfect place for them to not even leave the building and get some connections for jobs," Curry said.

She said people living at MCSA are also comforted to know that they are not the only people looking for jobs.

"This way they can see other people are out there too," she said.

The job fair, Curry said, a good opportunity for people to learn what jobs are available in Muscatine, as well as raising awareness of what MCSA brings to the community.

"We just enjoy having people in the building. The more we have in here the more that they see what we do," she said.

Laurie Shoppa, of Travelodge Inn and Suites in Muscatine, said she wanted to raise awareness about the jobs her business has available.

"Just trying to get back out there in the community and let people know that we're still there," she said.

Will Ortega, a staffing coordinator for ACT, said he was at the job fair to raise awareness about ACT, which he said does more than provide an assessment for high school students.

"So what we're doing here is more public awareness about the work we're doing and also about the job opportunities we have," he said.

Broderson said the 20 employers and more than 70 people made the work required to organize a job fair worth the effort.

The whole key is just to make sure that you get the awareness out there, so once people found out about it they came in. It's been great," she said.
WAPELLA, Iowa - A one-year-old septic system permit will allow a Lake Odessa cabin owner to install a holding tank septic system on her property if she wishes, the Louisa County Board of Health (BOH) agreed Wednesday.

Pam Jackson, Burlington, bought the cabin near Shafers Access in 2015 and originally had planned to live in it year around. The purchase triggered a time of transfer inspection of the cabins septic system and other property features by Louisa County Sanitarian Andy Beaver.

Beaver approved using a holding tank for the cabins septic system and the BOH later granted its approval and issued a one-year permit. Jackson however delayed the tanks installation and began to have second thoughts about living year round in the area.

In the meantime, Beaver announced his resignation as the county sanitarian. The Louisa County Board of Supervisors then shifted administration of the countys environmental health (EH) program to the Louisa County Public Health Service (LCPHS) and also agreed to contract with Rural Utility Services System (RUSS) of Southeast Iowa, Mt. Pleasant, to handle EH inspections.

That contract became effective January 1 and RUSS Director Bruce Hudson was then named the Louisa County Sanitarian. When Jacksons permit expired and she requested an extension, Hudson re-inspected the cabin site and indicated he could not approve a holding tank. Jackson then decided to appeal directly to the BOH.

During Wednesdays meeting between Jackson and the BOH, Hudson, who attended the meeting by telephone, explained the problem.

(Holding tanks) are a last resort, he said, explaining other septic systems were better suited based on a sites water table, size and other factors. He also pointed out holding tanks were required under county and state regulations to be emptied frequently and owners needed to keep pumping records for permit renewals.

Jackson said she did not feel the holding tank needed to be emptied as often as Hudson implied, especially since she was no longer planning to live fulltime at the cabin. She also indicated the large price difference between holding tanks and other septic systems would factor into her final decision on which system to use.

Both Jackson and Hudson acknowledged the countys existing policies on holding tanks were vague and Hudson said he had developed a proposal to clarify the policy.

BOH Chair Jeri Bailey said that policy would be discussed at a future BOH meeting.

For the current situation however, Hudson said the BOH had to make a decision.

I need something from you guys that says it is or it isnt allowed and then I have to sign off on it, he said.

BOH member Dr. Thomas Boyd, West Burlington, said the BOH needed to ensure the communitys health was protected.

In this case if the holding tank is for a limited time (for one person), its not going to affect the public health of the county, he pointed out, adding he agreed the current policy was vague and needed to be updated.

The BOH eventually agreed to allow Jackson to install a holding tank if she wished, but Bailey stressed it was a special circumstance that would not bind the board as a precedent.

She was an exception because she did acquire a permit last year that gave her an option, Bailey said.

In other action during the BOH meeting, the board:

 Tentatively agreed to meet with the board of supervisors on Oct. 19;

 Received staff reports on environmental and public health activities.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Muscatine Center for Social Action (MCSA) was named as one of 25 sites worldwide for transformation as part of the Annie Sloan decorative Chalk Paint 25 anniversary project. Annie Sloan began selling decorative Chalk Paint in the U.K. in 1990. The Telegraph (UK) reports that she is one of "Britain's most influential female designers." Her company is celebrating their 25th anniversary this year and took nominations globally to transform 25 deserving spaces.

We are thrilled to have been selected by Annie Sloan as one of 25 spaces, Charla Schafer, MCSA Director, said. It is also MCSAs 25 year anniversary, which make this transformation even more special. We are incredibly excited to work with the talented local Fresh Vintage team, Cindy Tubandt and Jennifer Conard and crew on the makeover of the Family Suites. In the coming weeks, we will identify community volunteers to help with the project, as well. We are thankful to Annie Sloan and her organization for making a difference locally for us and globally for so many other deserving spaces. 

Annie Sloans blog post today stated From the day I announced the #25Project I have been overwhelmed with the response from Stockists and customers from across the globe, and now the time has finally come for me to reveal the winning 25 community spaces, nominated by you! It was one of the most difficult tasks to whittle down over 300 deserving nominations to just 25; however I am thrilled with the final selection. Each one is completely diverse in its use and size, however the one thread they all have in common, and from the kids creche in South Africa to the specialized dementia center in The Netherlands, is that they are an absolutely vital part of their communities. I feel honored to be able to assist them in their transformations over the next year, and I cannot wait to share with you all the stories and photos of each deserving and special space.

I think youll agree that each space is very deserving of a transformation, and along with the help of their local Annie Sloan Stockist, volunteers and my paint and products, these community buildings will remain a vastly important part of their neighborhood. 

For more information on MCSA visit www.mcsaiowa.org, or call Charla Schafer at 563-264-3278, to speak with Fresh Vintage, contact Jennifer Conard at 563-299-4940.

Read more at Annie Sloan's blog http://anniesloanpaintandcolour.blogspot.com
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Musser Public Library, currently housed at 304 Iowa Ave., will be moving to a new home in the near future.

More than 30 community members and library staff filled the council chambers at Thursday nights special Muscatine City Council meeting, and the city council voted unanimously to accept the donation of HNI Corporations corporate headquarters building, at 408 E. Second St.

Were just delighted with the donation and we thank HNI for their generosity. We look forward to getting into the new building and seeing what we can do, said Bobby Fiedler, the assistant director at the library.

Gary Carlson, the vice president of community relations for HNI, gave a presentation before the council voted, showing pictures of the open rooms, glass walls, and wood floors that can be found throughout the building.

Today the current library lacks capacity and capability, and construction of new library is simply not economically feasible. HNI is willing to donate 408 E. Second St. to the City of Muscatine to become the new HNI Community Center and the Musser Public Library. Weve been working for months to make this a reality, Carlson said.

The hardwood floors, wood furniture, and even designs of tree branches in the carpet of the lowest level would be the perfect fit for a library named after the Musser family Carlson said

Pam Collins, the director of the Musser Public Library, agreed.

Its really amazing how the wood theme goes through, because the Mussers were lumber barons, she said.

Much of the furniture in the HNI building will be donated, including desks and chairs, large tables for meeting rooms, and desks with built-in electric plug-ins.

We feel so committed to the library and community center we have told the staff they can have their pick, Carlson said.

Although a timeline has not been set, Collins said she hopes the library will open in its new location in 2017, after some minimal construction and decorating.

Collins said the building also has a better HVAC (heating, ventilating, and air conditioning) system than the library currently has.

Itll be a lot easier to keep humidity and temperature controlled in the areas that need them, she said.

The library will also have more space. Carlson said the new building is 34,000 square feet which is almost 10,000 square feet larger than the current building. He also said parking has been an issue for the library, and the new building will have 109 parking spaces.

Jane Daufeldt, the president of the library board of trustees, said the large elevator and handicap accessible bathrooms will be a large asset to the library.

The handicap accessibility is phenomenal, and we dont have that now, she said.

Collins also said the building will make a difference to the community because of the large number of meeting rooms it offers. She said people call the library on a daily basis asking to use the current meeting rooms, which is not always feasible.

It will make a tremendous difference for everyone, whether theyre there for a library program or a business meeting, she said.

The new HNI Development Center, at 600 Oak St., will serve as the new corporate headquarters. In a press release, Stan Askren, HNI Corporation Chairman, President, and CEO said the move will benefit both the business and the community.

When we identified the opportunity to consolidate our corporate headquarters into our main operations campus, we immediately thought of addressing the need for a community gathering space, Askren said.

When Carlson finished his presentation, applause broke out around the room.

Betty Collins, the childrens librarian at the Musser Public Library, said she is looking forward to the move.

Its very, very exciting, and I think its going to be to the benefit of everybody. Were thrilled, were grateful, and excited, she said.

Pam Collins said the historic building on Second Street, which was renovated in 2005, will serve as a beautiful, functional home for the library.

It is the culmination of everything that you can ever hope for," Collins said. "Its just the type of building that can really feed your soul and to have that available to our community I think is amazingly satisfying for us.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  A new outdoor warning signal has been installed across from McKinley Elementary School in Muscatine, to replace one that had not been functional for about a year.

Matt Shook, the emergency management director for Muscatine County, said when he first began as the director, each town had their own way of maintaining the signals.

Around two and a half years ago, they were all brought under the umbrella of the Emergency Management department, and an assessment was done to see what needed to be repaired in the city and county.

"All of the city sirens were of the same age, which was somewhere in the 40-50 year range, and even though they had done an upgrade to make them radio controlled instead of by phone lines, which was becoming cost-prohibitive, the sirens themselves were nearly half a century old," Shook said.

The giant, yellow signal across from McKinley was replaced with a smaller, cylindrical, black outdoor warning signal, the first of two new signals that will be installed in Muscatine this year.

After replacing the siren across from McKinley, Lighting Maintenance, Inc., the company working on the sirens, plans to replace another old siren on Grant Street.

Five in the City of Muscatine are known to not be working. Two will be replaced, and Shook said they hope to fix two more before winter.

New signals cost around $20-25,000, Shook said, and a $100,000 budget was approved for the project by the Muscatine County Board of Supervisors in January.

"We'll try to get as many replaced as possible," he said.

One difficulty caused by the old signals, Shook said, is they have no feedback loop, or no way to know if they are not functioning, unless someone hears.

The only way to know is if people call and tell you, he said.

When the new signals are installed, Shook said he will have the ability to know if one fails.

There are more than 35 outdoor warning signals in the county, and 25 within the city of Muscatine, so Shook said the signals are also being evaluated for location.

Were also assessing whether or not they're placed in proper areas, he said.

Signals, Shook said, are placed based on a variety of factors, including foliage, buildings, and terrain.

If you're in a city the sound can be blunted by all those factors, he said.

Shook said the project will continue next year, but he hopes to have the majority of the signals not currently functioning fixed or replaced before summer ends.
MUSCATINE, Iowa  The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa (RAGBRAI) brought almost 20,000 bicyclists to Muscatine at the end of July with organizers and businesses seeing a variety of revenue from the event.

Janet Morrow, the RAGBRAI Muscatine project lead, said many downtown businesses experienced increased revenue on both July 22, when many cyclists came to Muscatine to stay and drop off vehicles before continuing to the starting point, and on July 30, the day the race ended in Muscatine.

The Muskie Booster Club raised more than $30,000 by parking 950 cars and selling 660 showers, as well as providing concessions.

Contrary Brewing, according to the Greater Muscatine Chamber of Commerce and Industry, had their best day of sales since they opened on Saturday, July 30, and the second best day on Friday, July 22.

Morrow said a large number of cyclists remained in Muscatine after arriving, which she said is unusual for an end town.

"We had such great weather and our riverfront is so gorgeous that for the end day for people to sit around at the dip site and just enjoy the scenery is somewhat unusual for RAGBRAI," she said.

The event was important to Muscatine for more than benefiting downtown businesses, Morrow said.

"There are many reasons that the event was important, more than just benefiting the businesses but bringing in all these people from across the nation, and international cyclists as well. It brought a whole different group of people to our community to see it...that otherwise would not have come here," she said.

Morrow said the majority of business owners she has spoken to said they were pleased with the event, although one business owner, John Morford of A Guy and A Grill, said location may have been the reason he lost revenue, rather than gained, when RAGBRAI came to town July 30.

Morford opened his restaurant on a day when it would normally be closed, in the hope of attracting extra business to his restaurant, located at 1033 Hershey Ave.

"I figured that potentially we could have 10,000 people riding past my business. I thought if I could grab two percent of that, I would have 200 people," he said.

Although he was along the route, put up yard signs, advertised, rented tents, and brought in extra help for the day, Morford said 100 people stopped, causing him to lose money on the venture.

"What hurt me was my close proximity to the ending spot, by the time people got to me all they wanted to do was get to the riverfront. I didn't draw any local business or local people, because the road was pretty much closed," he said.

While Morford said he would not open at his location if the RAGBRAI riders came down Hershey Avenue again, he said RAGBRAI may have been beneficial to other businesses or the town as a whole.

"But not for my scenario. We met some neat people, the few that stopped, but based on dollars it was not profitable," he said.

Big Imprint, a West Liberty website design and marketing business, benefited from RAGBRAI in what may be a less-tangible way than Muscatine stores and restaurants.

Ethan Anderson, the owner of Big Imprint, sponsored a team to participate in RAGBRAI.

"We set three objectives: boost overall awareness, boost the business on social media, and we wanted to have fun. We certainly accomplished all three of those," he said.

Anderson said the company saw an increase in Facebook "likes," and in the number of people the posts about RAGBRAI reached.

"The more people that are connected with us on social media the more they have a chance to see other things that we're doing, so when they need a website or meet someone else they'll remember us. That's the ultimate goal," he said.

The awareness garnered from posting about RAGBRAI, Anderson said, will hopefully cause more people to approach Big Imprint in the future. Sponsoring a RAGBRAI team, he said, can be a good move for small businesses.

"I think that if you sponsor a RAGBRAI team and you leverage that sponsoring into your marketing, then it positions your company, for one thing, as a company that is doing some fun things, is supporting something that's as quintessentially Iowan as RAGBRAI," Anderson said.

But, Anderson said, a large amount of time and effort goes into promoting the team, from writing blog posts to taking photos and videos before, during, and after the event.

"I think if you talk about it right and try to make sure that people are getting the message that you're doing it and how fun it is then I think it definitely creates a bit of buzz around your company and your brand," he said.

If given the opportunity, Anderson said he would sponsor a team again.

"I think it's worth it," he said.

Morrow said RAGBRAI is likely to return to Muscatine as the end town in the future.

"They will be back again because Muscatine did a great job," she said.

"Overall the way that the different entities came together and collaborated to make this the best possible event, not just for the RAGBRAI people but for our residents as well, was fantastic."
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 []
Bremer Family Winery is importing soil by the truckload  some from the Napa River restoration project in the heart of Napa Valleyto Deer Park Road near Angwin to turn rocky ground into a vineyard.

Maybe, just maybe, Howell Mountain is, with some human help, reclaiming what is its own from along the Napa River. Bremer Family Winery General Manager Tom Trzesniewski made this point with a chuckle.

Over hundreds of thousands of years, all the soil of the mountain has been washed to the valley floor, he said.

The Bremer Family Winery project is ongoing. John and Laura Bremer have applied to the county to increase the amount of soil they can haul to the site, which is located just outside the Howell Mountain Appellation.

County officials want clarification on the total. One part of the application calls for importing another 15,000 cubic yards, in addition to 30,000 cubic yards already authorized, for a 45,000 cubic yard total. But wording in another part seemingly calls for an additional 45,000 cubic yards.

To put this in perspective, 45,000 cubic yards of soil is enough to fill more than 3,000 average-sized dump trucks. Its enough to cover 28 acres a foot deep.

No Napa County Board of Supervisors or Planning Commission hearing is needed. As with the original 2012 erosion control plan for the project, the modified version will be considered by county staff.

Still, this behind-the-scenes project is gaining attention. Several residents at the Aug. 2 Board of Supervisors meeting questioned during public comments whether the project can control erosion, whether the project is following county rules and whether the county is properly monitoring the construction work.

Beyond that, some people question whether the project should happen at all.

We are talking about farming on the fringes now, Angwin resident Kellie Anderson said. We are talking about wealth without wisdom.

Supervisor Mark Luce said that, without judging the project, he wants staff to give the Board of Supervisors an update at a future meeting.

Ive heard a lot about the Bremer Family Winery and a number of concerns  it does seem like an extraordinary project, Luce said.

John and Laura Bremer bought the winery at 975 Deer Park Road in 2002. John Bremer is listed by the Wall Street Journal as being a senior executive with U.S. Mine Corp., a director at Purebase Corp. and CEO of GroWest, Inc.

The Bremers had Trzesniewski speak to the Napa Valley Register on their behalf.

Trzesniewski talked about the virtues of the Howell Mountain grape growing appellation, from which Bremer sources grapes for some of its wines. The volcanic, rocky soil is well-drained, allowing vintners to stress the vines by limiting how much water the vines receive.

As a result, the vines put energy into growing and ripening fruit that is small, with more skin and less juice, he said. Aficionados say this creates more intense wine flavors.

But an area John Bremer targeted for a vineyard had one ingredient missing from its terroirthe French word that encompasses natural factors such as climate and soil that shape how wine tastes. The modified application with the county calls for a 30-acre vineyard.

John removed the grass and started digging into what he hoped would be some soil, and it turned out it was all rock, Trzesniewski said.

John Bremer used the rocks to create what Trzesniewski called a reservoir. But this reservoir wasnt for water, but for dirt that would come from elsewhere. Bremer Family Winery needed a kind of terroir transplant, at least as far as soil goes.

Meanwhile, the voluntary Napa River restoration effort involves creating flood terraces for a river that over time has been channelized by humans. Making room for a wider river in the Rutherford area and now the Oak Knoll area has meant large amounts of soil have had to be excavated.

Trzesniewski said Bremer Family Winery project took some of this soil. The transformation of the rocky landscape for the Howell Mountain vineyard is underway.

Johns whole vision is to create something beautiful, he said.

County records show that that county officials and Bremer Family Winery have disagreed at various times over whether the project has followed county requirements in a timely fashion.

For example, the county contended in 2015 letters that the Bremers needed to immediately move part of an existing vineyard from a stream setback. It also said the Bremers had incorrectly implemented drainage plans.

A Dec. 14, 2015 letter from attorney Richard Opper on behalf of the Bremers said the Bremers had tried to meet county demands that had become less and less justified. The rapid devolution to enforcement shouldnt have happened, he wrote.

I think it is possible that some private animus is motivating this unusual regulatory response, he wrote.

Napa County sent the Bremers a January 2016 letter from Deputy County Counsel Janice Killion. She said county staff had worked with the Bremers for one-and-a-half years to try to bring the project into compliance.

Development on the ground differs from the approved plan and could affect water quality, so immediate action is needed, Killion wrote.

County Supervising Planner Brian Bordona said on Wednesday that the Bremers new application should address the differences between the approved project and whats happened on the ground. Staff is requesting more information from the Bremers before it will deem the application complete.

Meanwhile, he said, the Bremers are to take steps to make certain no erosion problems result from the winter rains.

Trzesniewski said a project such as this can have an occasional misstep, adding a drain pond malfunctioned. The Bremers corrected the problem.

The Bremers want clear information from the county, he said.

The only thing the Bremers want to do is follow what the county wants  if they can understand what it wants  and have the best possible project ever, Trzesniewski said.

This story has been modified since first posting to clarify the location of the proposed vineyard, located just beyond the Howell Mountain Appellation.
At a time when police performance is at the center of a national debate about use of violence and fair treatment, the Criminal Justice Training Center at Napa Valley College is going about the business of trying to produce the ideal law enforcement officer.

An officer needs to be compassionate but also aggressive, a problem solver and a nurturer, says Damien Sandoval, the academys director. Most importantly, he said, that same person has to be able to quickly shift gears between those traits.

You have to be able to  do what is needed at the extreme violent end of the work, he said, (and) you have to be able to console, comfort and nurture the people that youre working for  the community.

The person that has the ability to migrate across those two extremes and manage that in their personal lives as well as their professional lives, I think, is the ideal officer, Sandoval said.

One of the key things Sandoval tries to instill in his students is understanding of other people and their differences.

Once youve been hired and once youre working in any community, it just behooves you to understand the people youll be working with, he said,  and be able to accept that they may be very, very different from you and hold very different values.

Every three months, Sandoval meets with representatives from law enforcement agencies to discuss what their expectations are from the academy. He says that the relationship with the agencies is open and that they discuss issues in the news and around the nation.

When you see whats going on with the Black Lives Matter movement, when you see whats going on with the accusations of use of force, you cannot ignore that, Sandoval said.

These same issues are explored by students in an assignment that requires them to immerse themselves in a culture with which they dont feel comfortable and that they dont know much about, Sandoval said.

It all starts with a discussion. The students are asked which group they think their biggest challenge might be with, then they break into groups of three and make contact with people from that group.

For example, recently a group of three white female students visited a predominately black Baptist church, he said. Students are required to attend community events and do three face-to-face interviews with three people from that group whom they didnt know before. At the end, they have to teach their classmates about what they have learned about that group and how they might work to have a better relationship with them.

Students in the past have visited Sikh temples, mosques, and worked with people in the LGBTQ community and with individuals who are deaf, visually impaired or with other health issues.

Sandoval said that, although students are sometimes apprehensive or worried about the assignment first, they are always glad to have had the experience. Some of them have even stayed in contact with the communities in which they immersed themselves, he added.

If they cant do this, he said, they cant pass this program.

Sandoval hopes that this project and the emphasis on understanding creates a drive in students that will last their entire careers. The clientele and the issues are going to keep changing and officers must continually learn about the communities and the people theyre serving, he said.

Napas program focuses on six core competencies:

 interpersonal development

 a desire for self-improvement

 learning ability

 problem solving

 physical skills

- communication skills

The 22-week, 880-hour programs requires more than the minimum state requirements, he said. The expectation is that the program and the students to be evolving and improving, Sandoval said.

People with disabilities and cultural diversity and discrimination are required, along with 41 other topics, by the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST). The minimum total hours of training required for basic training is 664.

Napa Police Chief Steve Potter said that his department is always looking for officers who can interact with people in positive ways.

This is a very caring, compassionate community, and we just want to be sure that that is the mindset of people coming into the job, he said. Although the department is always looking to raise the bar, he said, the type of officer they are looking for hasnt changed.

Were not looking for a different officer now than before all these things have happened, he said, referring to recent issues in the news. Instead, Potter said that they search for officers who are reflections of the community and who is a good fit in the community and police department. The department even operates short-staffed sometimes because they dont want to hire someone who doesnt have the traits their looking for, he said.

Were very selective in who we hire here, Potter said.

We dont need people that can just show up and physically wrestle someone  we want them to have integrity and enforce the law, said Lt. Chris Carlisle, hiring manager at the Napa County Sheriffs Office. In Napa Valley, officers are used to settle civil disputes and arguments more often than they are involved in violent struggles, he said, but they still need to be ready for that type of confrontation.

Its a constant roller coaster of emotions and mental readiness, Carlisle said.

Agencies dont want to hire someone who is there for the wrong reasons, he said. Ultimately, law enforcement officials have the ability to take someones life, Carlisle said. Not just anybody can handle that responsibility.

Going through the academy is difficult, he said, and many students drop out or fail. If they do make it through, they still have to do field training, Carlisle said.

When you get into the field training program, your scenarios are real, you have to perform, he said. Its a very high standard  you have to just be able to get out there and do it.

Law enforcement in general has changed significantly in the recent past, Carlisle said. A lot of that is driven by national events.

Recently there has been more focus on crisis intervention training, he said. A lot of fatal incidents occur because were dealing with distraught people, he said. In order to prepare officers for those scenarios, they must participate in crisis intervention training at the academy as well as with the office that hires them, Carlisle said.

Carlisle said that requirements for officers have changed over the years because of new laws, including the required cultural diversity training. These officers are continually loaded with new training, he said.
Eduardo Tobias, or Eddie to everyone at The Doctors Company, does not wear his personal story on his sleeve.

He shares details sparingly, in a friendly, even tone, almost as if hes leading an employee through a checklist of solutions to a computer problem.

But in a recent conversation, he revealed his feelingsafter talking about his 25-year journey at The Doctors Company, from his first day on the job as a janitor to less than a month ago when the native of Mexico City became a United States citizen.

Taking the oath was very emotional, he said, describing the moment at the Paramount Theater in Oakland with more than 1,000 of his fellow new citizens.

You see the tears in the eyes of people standing next to you. We were all living our dreams.

Tobias achieved his own dream through hard work and determination, and also through a longtime commitment to serving his community.

From janitor to engineer

Tobias came to the company in 1992, when it was headquartered on First Street in Napa before moving to the Greenwood Road campus in south Napa.

He was a day janitor employed by Service Master, a company that provided janitorial services on a contract basis. Two years later, Tobias was hired as a full-time maintenance technician at The Doctors Company.

Tobias recalled how a few years later, he became very interested in computers.

Using an education benefit provided by The Doctors Company, he took computer and English classes at the College of Marin. In 2001, he interviewed with IT and was hired.

I did the night cycle and took phone calls for five years, then moved to the help desk for a couple more years, he said.

I took more classes and earned certification in security, networking and software. From there, I moved to engineering. I also worked on the hardware side, setting up desktops.

Tobias is now a senior infrastructure engineer reporting to Mike Ochoa, director of IT infrastructure.

Ochoa recently explained that one of Tobiass best qualities is that he can work effectively in both customer service and engineering roles.

The IT engineering group relies on his ability to assess a business problem and break it down technically, Ochoa said.

Similarly, the business relies on Eddie to get the problem resolved as quickly as possible. This role can be stressful, and over the years one of Eddies best qualities is patience and a calm personality. That is a tremendous quality.

Service to the community

According to Tobias, he has long volunteered in his community, including working with teens in a program for the Canal Ministry in San Rafael before he was with The Doctors Company.

But his more recent involvement has made a difference to a local agency that provides mental health services for families in the Napa Valley.

In 2012, he began volunteering for Family Service of Napa Valley (now Mentis), setting up and breaking down for the agencys annual gala.

Then he proposed using his own time to refurbish laptops no longer in use by The Doctors Company and got the company to agree to donate the reconditioned equipment to Family Service and to Puertas Abiertas in Napa.

The equipment was at the stage where we couldnt use it anymore, he said. I asked if we could donate it.

Hes just amazing that way, said Elizabeth Healy, a vice president of the Mentis board of directors. He does all of this on his own time and initiates it himself.

Michele Farhat was deputy director of Family Service of Napa Valley when she met Tobias.

He had a fantastic attitude, she remembered. He gave a lot of his time with no restrictions, which is rare in the nonprofit world. He was like a godsend to us.

Farhat, who is now development director with Aldea Children and Family Services, called Tobias proposal to recondition and donate laptop computers perfect timing.

We were growing at a rate of 30 percent per year, but we did not have the budget to grow our computer equipment at the same rate. We had demand but few resources. The agency quickly distributed the refurbished laptops to therapists who put them to use with clients at schools and family resource centers.

Tobias also reconditioned and got the company to donate some conference room audio-visual equipment when the equipment was replaced earlier this year.

The recipient was Lucky Penny Theater in Napa, and the equipment is available to other nonprofits who hold events thereNapa Emergency Womens Services recently used it for their Men Making News Community Awards, an event sponsored by The Doctors Company.

Eddie is a humble guy, said Farhat. He does not want accolades or attention. People like Eddie are a giftthey show up and give willingly without any requirements.

The path to citizenship

The Doctors Company participates in the One Napa Valley Initiative (ONVI) Fund, which supports legal permanent residents who wish to become citizens in Napa County.

The organizations website cites that citizenship correlates with higher family income, higher educational attainment for children of immigrants that naturalize, higher proficiency in English and more active engagement in community affairs.

Tobias had long been a resident but was motivated to vote in the 2016 presidential election, so he started the process last November and completed it when he took the oath on July 13 in Oakland.

Tobias was in the U.S. for six years before he started working at The Doctors Company. Four siblings and a niece live in the Bay Area, while his parents still live in Mexico City.

When I started working here, I had recently come from another country, he said. It took a lot of effort, but I knew this was my home. This is where I have my roots now. My life is here in the U.S.

Ochoa added: American citizenship is easy for us to take for granted as we go about our daily lives. We value what it stands for, but we dont know the full story of Eddie and others as they commit to achieve this goal. I am very happy that Eddie will have the rights to pursue his goals and dreams as a citizen of the country with the greatest liberty and opportunity on the planet. I am very proud that Eddies story represents how the American dream continues on.

On Wednesday, Tobias was honored at a ceremony at The Doctors Company attended by U.S. Rep. Mike Thompson, along with representatives of volunteer groups where he donates his time.

The Register is sharing an article written by Joe Leisek, senior manager, creative service, of The Doctors Company.
California just did something big. It didnt get a lot of headlines, clicks, or television news coverage, but it will fundamentally transform the way we teach our 6.2 million students. The California Board of Education voted to include five key Environmental Principles and Concepts as part of the states new framework for how to teach History-Social Science standards.

Californias Environmental Principles and Concepts, which state that we depend on, benefit from, and influence the earths natural systems, are the basic foundation for environmental literacy:

Principle I: People depend on natural systems.

Principle II: People influence natural systems.

Principle III: Natural systems change in ways that people benefit from and can influence.

Principle IV: There are no permanent or impermeable boundaries that prevent matter from flowing between systems.

Principle V: Decisions affecting resources and natural systems are complex and involve many factors.

In the coming weeks, CalRecycles Office of Education and the Environment will continue working with the California Department of Education, the State Board of Education, the Instructional Quality Commission and nonprofit partners like Ten Strands to make sure these key concepts are included in the updated Next Generation Science Standards framework, which is set for final approval this fall.

As a father, former teacher, and head of CalRecycles Office of Environmental Education, Id like to explain how these principles and concepts will benefit our children and why formal environmental education is an asset to California and its students.

For me, few things in life are more special than witnessing the moment a complex concept finally clicks in the mind of a child. By incorporating these fundamental truths into our educational framework, the environment becomes an integrating context for all sorts of learning. Students are immediately more engaged because the subject matter is more relevant to their lives. Instead of viewing the California Gold Rush as an isolated history lesson with dates, facts, and figures to memorize, teachers can help students think more holistically about a series of interconnected questions: What was the environmental impact of the 1849 population boom? Which natural resources did pioneers consume? How did hydraulic mining and water diversion help shape modern-day California?

When we begin teaching and learning through this environmental lens, lessons in science and history-social science become grounded in real-world issues were confronting now about water, wildfires, and the impacts of climate change to Californias way of life. This important shift in thinking better prepares our students to become 21st century problem solvers who can make informed decisions as consumers, voters, entrepreneurs, teachers, and policy makers.

CalRecycle is proud to see these Environmental Principles and Concepts integrated in the newly approved History-Social Science framework, and we look forward to their inclusion in the Science framework as well. By next year, we should begin seeing these changes reflected in early textbook drafts.

The Office of Education and the Environment will continue to work with teachers across the state to support the implementation of these key concepts as part of their instruction. Together, we will help ensure all California students have access to the information, tools, and experiences to strengthen environmental literacy throughout the state.

Bryan Ehlers is CalRecycles assistant director for education and environmental affairs.
While Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's supporters chant "build the wall," more Americans are drinking beer and tequila imported from what would be on the other side.

The largest alcohol producers are stressing the need to appeal to consumers, Hispanic and otherwise, who increasingly want products with Mexican heritage. U.S. beer shipments from Mexico grew 18 percent this year through June, outpacing the 1.3 percent gain for all beer shipments, according to data from the Beer Institute. From 2010 to 2015, tequila rose 30 percent by volume in the U.S., more than any other alcohol category expect cognac, according to data from Euromonitor International.

Constellation Brands's 24 percent compound annual growth from 2010 to 2015 was driven by the popularity of its Mexican imports, including Corona and Modelo beer, according to Kenneth Shea, a Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. Heineken's Tecate franchise has grown 7.2 percent so far this year, led by Tecate Light, which is up 31 percent. Heineken also imports Dos Equis.

"Millennials and Hispanics for us are very critical," said Ronald den Elzen, chief executive officer of Heineken USA, in an interview. "The trends coming out of Latin America over here and the attractiveness for all the American population in general in what's happening in food, in clothing, in style -- in everything -- is just helping to drive that fuel."

Constellation and Heineken aren't alone. Other companies have taken notice of the power of Hispanic consumers: On Sept. 1, MillerCoors will introduce Zumbida, an alcoholic take on a traditional Mexican beverage called agua fresca. Diageo, the world's largest distiller, has bolstered its tequila portfolio and invested in Mexico's newest popular spirit: mezcal. The tequila and mezcal industry in the U.S. is expected to grow 17 percent between 2015 and 2020, according to data from Euromonitor.

Alcohol companies are caught in the crosshairs of two cultural movements: the rise of Trump and his nativist bombast, and the so-called Mexicanization of U.S. culture as seen in the food and beverage industries.

"Trump has tapped into the frustration with illegal immigrants; it's kind of mind-boggling," said Stephen Rannekleiv, a New York-based global beverage strategist at Rabobank International. "But at the same time, you see the growing interest in brands with Mexican heritage, in all categories. It's not just tequila now."

Trump's pledge to build a wall along the southern border, deport 11 million immigrants and renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement carry risks for companies like Constellation, the largest importer of Mexican beer to the U.S. Based in upstate New York, Constellation relies on Mexican imports for 55 percent of its $6.5 billion in annual revenue, and Hispanic consumers account for a third of Corona's sales.

While Trump trails Democrat Hillary Clinton in national polls and those in key battleground states, his anti-Mexico rhetoric continues to stir up his base, some of whom shout anti-immigrant slurs at his rallies. That's raised concern that the movement Trump unleashed could threaten brands and products connected to Mexico, even if he loses on Nov. 8.

"If you have these very divisive policies being generated, what does that mean for Brand Mexico?" said Pablo Zuanic, an analyst at Susquehanna International Group. "There is a significant impact on Constellation Brands that people have not factored."

Constellation declined to comment. Trump spokeswoman Hope Hicks didn't respond to a request for comment.

Hispanics made up 17.6 percent of the U.S. population in 2015, up from 3.5 percent in 1960, according to U.S. Census data. That percentage is expected to reach about 29 percent by 2060. The group's increasing influence proves that there's room for tequila and other Mexican spirits to grow, said Alex Tomlin, a Diageo North America senior vice president who oversees tequila.

"It's not just happening in Manhattan," said Tomlin. "You go to any town in America now and you can see the Mexican influence."

Trump, a billionaire real estate developer and TV personality, kicked off his campaign in June 2015 with a vow to build a wall along the southern border to keep out Mexican "rapists" and other criminals. His comments about Hispanics since then have ranged from adoring -- or patronizing, depending on your view -- to disdain.

He tweeted about his appreciation of Hispanic culture on May 5: "Happy #CincoDeMayo! The best taco bowls are made in Trump Tower Grill. I love Hispanics!" On June 3, he said U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel, who was born in the U.S., shouldn't preside over a legal case against Trump University because of his Mexican parents.

According to a New York Times/CBS poll released last month, about three-quarters of Trump's supporters favor building a wall along the Mexican border. Only 13 percent of Clinton's backers approve of such a plan.

Whether Trump's movement will translate into an electoral victory in November remains to be seen. In the meantime, consumer-products analysts will be watching.

"If he gets in, you can certainly change the mood and turn the tide against Mexican imports," said Philip Gorham, an analyst at Morningstar Inc. who follows distillers and beer companies. "It's easier said than done."
Azerbaijan officials considering opening embassy in Israel

Armenia PM, EU Special Representative for South Caucasus discuss regional security and peace

Nikol Pashinyan, Garo Paylan exchange views on Armenia-Turkey normalization process

Armenia ruling party adopting new vision regarding Karabakh conflict settlement

Premier: CSTO should plan force operation, restore Armenias territorial integrity

Armenia PM: All countries consider Karabakh to be part of Azerbaijan

Armenias Pashinyan: CSTO does not exist

Kremlin responds to question on extending mandate of Russian peacekeepers in Karabakh

Armenia premier: We need to know, ultimately, what Russian peacekeepers are doing in Nagorno-Karabakh

Armenia PM: Im ready to sign document, accept that Russian peacekeepers term in Karabakh be extended 10-20 years

Armenias Pashinyan: We are ready to delegate border guard service operation to Russian border guards

Finland, Sweden promise to join NATO together

European Parliament calls on Armenia to consider diversifying its security partnerships

Visiting Armenia MPs brief Canada lawmaker on recent Azerbaijan military aggression

Armenia PM at ruling party congress: We declared repairing states foundation our primary task

Karabakh President: Russia leaders statement inspires certain hopes

Armenia ruling party congress kicks off

Man breaks into US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's home, demands to speak with her, beats husband with hammer

EU-Armenia Joint Committee on Research and Innovation first meeting to be held in November

Provincial governor of Armenias Gegharkunik: EU monitoring mission already started

US accuses Russia of disinformation regarding Washington intentions towards Armenia, Azerbaijan

Mexico fully legalizes gay marriage

Newspaper: Azerbaijan not inclined to sign anything with Armenia in Russias Sochi

Armenia ruling party convening closed convention

Italian prime minister demands that she be addressed as prime minister in masculine form

Pentagon to send Ukraine new aid package worth $275 million

Europe will ban sale of one type of car

European Commission head announces new aid and investments for Serbia

Biden calls Putin's rhetoric on nuclear weapons 'dangerous'

Lukashenko on Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict: What are you fighting for in these mountains, where not even goats walk?

Swedish authorities offer to create united northern army

Lukashenko: Conflict issue between Armenia and Azerbaijan must be resolved now - with Ilham Aliyev

Lukashenko about situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border: Where are we racing horses, where are we rushing to?

Pashinyan: Armenia-Diaspora relations undergo profound substantive changes

Lukashenko to Pashinyan: Sit down with Aliyev and make a decision, if you don't make it today, it will be worse

Bulgarian interim government urges to speed up transition to euro zone

President of Karabakh: It is necessary to unite all national potential and efforts

IMF: China's sharp and uncharacteristic economic slowdown will stall growth in Asia by the end of 2023

Iran: Riots in country were planned by the intelligence services of the USA, England, Israel and the KSA

Steinmeier: Ukraine war caused 'epochal break' in Germany's relations with Russia

Gas prices in Europe remain high in coming years

Ararat Mirzoyan and Toivo Klaar stress importance of hosting EU civilian mission in Armenia

Armenia's ambassador-at-large: Daily false propaganda can't cover up Azerbaijani war crimes

Taiwan MFA outraged by Putin's speech on his status and Pelosi's visit

Armenia gives no response to peace treaty proposals, Bayramov says

Netanyahu expects return to power after 5th Israeli election in 4 years

Armenian gravestone found in Trabzon, Turkey neighborhood

Pashinyan: CSTO Secretary General's report mainly reflects existing realities

Azerbaijan talks possible deliveries of its gas to international Turkish hub

CSTO leaders to meet in late November: Situation on Armenian-Azerbaijani border will be discussed

Dollar, euro continue falling in Armenia

Pelosi's house attacked, her husband injured

Russias Putin to have private talks with Armenias Pashinyan, Azerbaijans Aliyev

Mher Grigoryan: CIS needs a new scientific and technical agreement

Pentagon strategy doesn't rule out use of nuclear weapons against non-nuclear threats

French National Assembly plans to pass resolution proposing certain sanctions against Azerbaijan

Mher Grigoryan: There are no other corridors in the trilateral statement other than Lachin's

Konstantin Zatulin: Russia should have made maximum efforts so that there would be no war in Karabakh

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

Legislature head proposes to organize, under CIS auspices, return of Armenians detained in Azerbaijan

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
The United States is ready to contribute to peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but the first step must come from the conflicting parties themselves, said Daniel Fried, Coordinator for Sanctions Policy at the US Department of State, speaking to the Voice of America Armenian service.

As per Fried, the parties have to decide what they want. And if they want peace, the United States will be ready to help.

In the US State Department officials view, however, the governments of the countries involved in the Karabakh conflict do not seem interested enough in a final resolution of the problem.

According to Daniel Fried, the problem is that the authorities are beginning to feel too comfortable under the condition of the existence of the Karabakh conflict, and they are thinking short-term, not long-term.

The US State Department official added that in case of relevant willingness by the parties, the US is readyalong with France and Russiato provide the necessary assistance to them, to achieve a lasting settlement of this conflict.
Students aren't the only new faces arriving on campus for the start of the 2016-17 academic year. The new semester also brings dozens of new professors, from outstanding young scholars in their first faculty appointments to established experts with extensive experience in research and teaching.

They cite diverse interests and academic backgrounds, but give similar reasons for joining the Emory faculty.

"Returning to Emory and Atlanta is the right move for my family, and offers important multidisciplinary opportunities to engage in the kinds of educational, scholarly and advocacy-oriented projects I find most meaningful," explains Margo Bagley, acting professor in Emory School of Law.

"Emorys university-wide focus on global health is very appealing, as are the opportunities for multidisciplinary collaborations with wonderful scholars in other parts of the University and abroad," she says.

Michelle Lynn Wright, who comes to Emory as an assistant professor in the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, also notes the University's reputation for interdisciplinarity and collaboration.

"I was drawn to Emory University because of the strong research mission with a commitment to social justice," she says. "Much of the work being done at Emory is groundbreaking and involves interdisciplinary teams that aim to tackle problems and answer questions in new ways."

A twist of fate brought Jason M. Brown to Emory for medical school; after also completing his residency and fellowship here, he is thrilled to join the faculty of Emory School of Medicine as an assistant professor in the Division of Digestive Diseases.

Brown, a native of New Orleans, hoped to return to the city in 2005 for medical school after completing his undergraduate degree at the University of Georgia.

"Unfortunately, that was the year Katrina hit, and at that point, I didnt have a home to go back to, as the house had been destroyed and family and friends were scattered across the country," he reflects. "I took a chance and applied to Emory, and I was so fortunate and thankful to have been offered a seat in the class of 2010. Ive been here ever since.

"There are a lot of wonderful people here that make Emory feel like family."

Meet a sampling of new professors drawn from across the University, then view the full lists of tenure-track and non-tenure track faculty joining Emory this year.

Margo Bagley

Acting professor, School of Law

Selected background: Hardy Cross Dillard Professor of Law and professor, University of Virginia School of Law; visiting professor, University of Virginia School of Law, Washington & Lee School of Law, Emory University School of Law; taught law courses abroad in China, Cuba, Germany, Israel, and Singapore; currently an Expert Adviser to the Government of Mozambique, World Intellectual Property Organization Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore, and Standing Committee on Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications; JD from Emory University School of Law

Focus of scholarship: There are three primary strands to my scholarship. One, a doctrinal strand focusing on key patentability requirements such as patent subject matter eligibility (imposing limits on the kinds of inventions you can patent) in U.S. and foreign patent systems and international treaties; two, a strand focusing on the challenges posed by both new technologies (e.g. synthetic biology and gene-editing) and pharmaceutical pricing policies for the patent system and society more broadly; and three, a strand focusing on how Biblical analogies can be used to inform patent policy discussions and restructure debates to ultimately improve how the patent system works.

Why it matters: Running through all three strands, and through my work with both governmental and non-governmental organizations, is a concern for, and desire to illuminate the often surprising and under-appreciated interplay between patent policy, morality and justice. Also, much of my work tends to be comparative in nature and also multidisciplinary. I find the different policy and culture-driven approaches that countries often take to the same issue to be fascinating and I seek to bring those differences to light in a way that can help policymakers learn from each other. For similar reasons, I also am a strong believer in the value of multidisciplinary education and approaches to problems. I have found that getting outside of ones own silo, and seeing the view from another perspective can be incredibly enlightening and energizing, and I believe it significantly enriches my work.

Catherine Bagwell

Professor of psychology, Oxford College

Selected background: professor, Colgate University; professor, associate professor and assistant professor at University of Richmond; PhD from Duke University

Focus of scholarship: My work is at the intersection of developmental psychology and clinical psychology. I study children's social development, especially the significance of children's relationships with peers and friends. Questions I address include: How do friends contribute to children's and adolescents' development and psychosocial adjustment concurrently and over longer periods of time? Are there ways in which friendships can be maladaptive? Can friendships serve a protective function, for example, against negative outcomes associated with depressive symptoms?

Why it matters: I was drawn to the challenge of studying empirically something that is such an important part of our everyday experiences. Throughout childhood and adolescence, we spend much of our time in the company of peers, and children's social worlds are complicated and fascinating. There is good evidence that friends and friendships can have profound effects not only on social and emotional development but also in domains such as mental health and academic adjustment. Ultimately, a better understanding of the role of peers and friends in children's lives may aid in the development of interventions to help children who are struggling.

Alex Bolton

Assistant professor of political science, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Selected background: Postdoctoral associate, Social Science Research Institute, Duke University; PhD from Princeton University

Focus of scholarship: My research interests are centered on executive branch politics and policymaking the United States. Much of my work is focused on how political actors, such as the president, Congress and interest groups, attempt to influence bureaucratic decision-making. I am also interested in the effects of these efforts on policy outcomes and the ability of agencies to carry out their missions. Other parts of my research agenda examine the historical development of the relationship between Congress and the executive branch.

Why it matters: I am fascinated by the role that bureaucratic power plays in a democracy. Laws passed by Congress and signed by the president are rarely detailed and require bureaucratic actions to take the final form we encounter. In this way, government agencies largely determine the details of policies that affect us in our everyday lives. Bureaucracies impact everything ranging from the air we breathe to the food we eat to the highways we drive on. Understanding how these organizations make decisions and to whom they are responsive is a fundamental question for American democracy.

Jason M. Brown

Assistant professor, Division of Digestive Diseases, School of Medicine

Selected background: Digestive Diseases Fellowship, internal medicine residency, MD all from Emory University

Focus of scholarship: Im professionally interested in quality care and health systems performance. Essentially, I want to look at the provider-patient relationship individually and in aggregate and determine what makes it a good one  from an emotional, medical, efficient, and financial perspective. Im personally interested in trainee development and provider happiness.

Why it matters: Its at the core of why I pursued medicine. The health care system is constantly reinventing itself, but perhaps no more rapidly and persistently than now. With a lot of cooks in the kitchen, its essential that we keep the core of medicine at the actual core of medicine. Many of us  providers and patients  are getting the feeling that perhaps weve lost our way in this. Additionally, as the overall system changes, medical training changes, and its imperative that we track how this impacts trainee performance, development and happiness.

Christina Crawford

Assistant professor of art history, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Selected background: Teaching fellow, Harvard University Graduate School of Design; lecturer, Northeastern University; registered architect, Commonwealth of Massachusetts; vice consul, American Consulate in St. Petersburg, Russia; PhD from Harvard University

Focus of scholarship: My work explores the agency of design in periods of intensive transition  those rich moments when architects and urbanists turn to experimentation to address political, economic and/or social turbulence. My current book project investigates the foundations of Soviet architecture and urbanism through a history of three so-called socialist settlements built from 1917-32. These projects, in geographically peripheral but economically vital sites, became living laboratories for socio-spatial innovation. At Emory, I will launch an archival research initiative about the Techwood Homes, designed and built in the early 1930s. This New Deal housing project was the first urban renewal plan in the U.S., and one that sought to utilize design as a means to homogenize the demographics of inner city Atlanta. Its a cautionary tale.

Why it matters: I am an historian of architecture and urbanism who comes to the humanities via design. As a former practitioner, I seek out seminal moments in architectural history that have something to offer current design and policy discourse. In my recent work on early Soviet city-building, I argue that certain precepts of socialist urbanism can inform the contemporary crisis of urban inequality. Provisions like affordable and equitable housing near the workplace, robust municipal transportation, and evenly distributed social services emerged from early Soviet experiments and have much to teach us about the social-leveling capacity of design.

George S. Georgiev

Assistant professor of law, School of Law

Selected background: Visiting assistant professor, UCLA School of Law; senior associate, Sullivan & Cromwell LLP and Clifford Chance LLP; JD from Yale Law School

Focus of scholarship: My current projects examine the design and performance of the regulatory framework overseeing the relationship among public companies, their investors, and other societal stakeholders, with a particular focus on the regulation of large firms.

Why it matters: Corporate governance is in a state of tremendous flux as a result of the global financial crisis of 2008-09, persistent corporate accounting scandals, heightened public scrutiny of corporate conduct, and the rise of investor activism. The regulatory debates that are currently taking place will likely determine the future face of American capitalism.

Jill Hamilton

Acting associate professor of nursing, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Selected background: Associate professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Nursing; associate professor at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; postdoctoral fellowship, Oregon Health & Sciences University; PhD from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Focus of scholarship: My research focus is to understand the ways in which supportive family relationships and a belief in God is used in response to psychological distress experienced among African Americans in their experience with cancer. My recent scholarship has focused on the ways in which religious song is used in the management of anxiety and depression (as a mental health promoting strategy) and the outcomes from using this strategy.

Why it matters: Historically, religious music has been used as a mental-health-promoting strategy in response to oppression and adversity, specifically used to communicate struggles and fears to God and to each other; to encourage or be encouraged during adversity; to maintain a positive sense of self as a child of God; and to express a belief in a life after death free of pain and suffering.

Robert S. Kelley

Assistant professor of gynecology and obstetrics, School of Medicine

Selected background: OB/GYN chief resident, resident and intern, Danbury Hospital / University of Vermont School of Medicine; female pelvic medicine and reconstructive surgery fellow, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai; DO from Touro University College of Osteopathic Medicine

Focus of scholarship: My interests lie in developing a novel way to diagnose and treat overactive bladder (OAB) by adapting the approach of the cardiologist. OAB is a common urinary problem defined by frequent trips to the bathroom and, often times, incontinence.

Why it matters: Today some 33 million Americans suffer from OAB with an annual cost of over $12 billion. Where the heart comes into the picture is in its similarities to the bladder. They are essentially both hollow muscular organs that expand and contract to move fluid. The heart functions by a coordinated electrical signal. This signal originates in the pacemaker cells and drives the heartbeats. When the heart is overactive and beats too fast, cardiologists can map the electrical pathways and slow them down with a procedure called ablation. There is compelling evidence of pacemaker-type cells and electrical activity in the bladder. My goal is to explore the possibility of adapting these cardiac technologies in order to help those with a bladder that beats too fast.

Kelli Komro

Professor and director of graduate studies, behavioral sciences and health education; jointly appointed in epidemiology; Rollins School of Public Health

Selected background: Professor and associate professor, University of Florida College of Medicine; associate director, Institute for Child Health Policy, University of Florida; associate professor, University of Minnesota School of Public Health; postdoctoral fellow, Prevention Research Center, University of Illinois at Chicago; PhD from University of Minnesota School of Public Health

Focus of scholarship: The focus of my scholarship has been the development, implementation and evaluation of multi-level (i.e., family, school and community) public health interventions to promote and protect childrens health and wellbeing. Given my experiences with populations experiencing health inequities, I am interested in exploring new community and policy initiatives to address economic and social determinants of health.

Why it matters: Throughout my academic career, I have been enriched both personally and intellectually with the experience of partnering with various communities and people. I have also been deeply disturbed by the conditions of many schools and communities  the context in which many children in the U.S. live, learn and grow. Each year I become more motivated and inspired to keep moving upstream to address more fundamental determinants of health. I have, therefore, recently embarked on a new line of research to examine the effects of family economic security policies on child health, recently funded by National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities. This new area of research has extended my collaborations outside of public health to include legal scholars and economists  stretching my area of expertise to new areas, but always with the common theme of child health promotion. My interest has never been to simply explain health disparities, but to be engaged in the science of community-level change.

Demetrius Lewis

Assistant professor of organization and management, Goizueta Business School

Selected background: Graduate researcher, Stanford Graduate School of Business; PhD, Stanford Graduate School of Business

Focus of scholarship: My research focus is at the intersection of organization theory and social networks analysis, with a focus on entrepreneurship. I am interested in answering questions exploring how social networks shape the strategies and performance of burgeoning commercial and sociopolitical organizations. More specifically, my current research investigates the interplay between venture capital firms co-investment networks and these networks effect on venture capital firms investment strategies, performance and the performance of the startup companies they invest in. In this work, I build a rich longitudinal dataset of venture capital firms networks and complete qualitative interviews to develop a theory of the network determinant of firm strategy and performance.

Why it matters: I see this research tying into a larger body of research that seeks to answer the question, "Where do innovative ideas come from?" Often, our network theories are structured, "more of some network variable x equals some better outcome y." In this sense, these network theories are usually structured around advantage. Instead, however, creativity often comes from unexpected places. I want to understand how people who are resource constrained are able to come up with critical and unforeseen innovations.

Rohan Palmer

Assistant professor of psychology and director of Behavior Genetics of Addiction Laboratory, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Selected background: Assistant professor, Alpert Medical School of Brown University; adjunct professor, William Paterson University; PhD, University of Colorado at Boulder

Focus of scholarship: I am primarily interested in identifying portions of our DNA that influence our relationship with alcohol, tobacco, marijuana and other substances of abuse. I am also interested in understanding how our environment and clinical psychopathologies influence drug-related behaviors.

Why it matters: I was drawn to study substance addiction because it is a developmentally and etiologically complex disease. I believe it is important for us to study addiction to alcohol, tobacco and other illicit substances using a number of different approaches (e.g., preclinical and cell culture models) in order to identify biological and environmental mechanisms of the disease.

David Resha

Assistant professor of film and media studies, Oxford College

Selected background: Assistant professor, Birmingham-Southern College; PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Focus of scholarship: My scholarship focuses on ways documentary film connects with current events, history and the television industry.

Why it matters: Documentary film is particularly appealing to me because it allows for a surprising amount of stylistic and narrative innovation and variation. Understanding how nonfiction films work and how they have changed over time is, in part, understanding how people for over a century now have learned about the world around them.

Beretta E. Smith-Shomade

Director of graduate studies and acting associate professor of film and media studies, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Selected background: Associate professor, Tulane University; associate professor, University of Arizona; Fulbright Fellow, Obafemi Awolowo University in Ile-Ife, Nigeria; visiting assistant professor, Spelman College; PhD from University of California, Los Angeles

Focus of scholarship: My primary research interrogates representations of race, gender, class and sexuality in U.S. television and film with a concentration on television and new media. These interests are expressed through published criticism primarily and video production. They are connected to three goals: 1) To encourage critical thinking about the world, the worlds operating systems, and the construction of world history as exemplified within television, film and new media; 2) To expose often willful disparities that exist between people based on race and gender as demonstrated in both visual and popular culture, and; 3) To link aesthetic appreciation, critical insights and industrial knowledge of television, film and new media with concrete and tangible action. These goals are the foundation of my completed work and continue to cultivate my thinking about current and future projects.

Why it matters: Media stands as one of the most central elements of 21st century existence. Understanding, working within and exploring it are paramount. Its importance to our world cannot be understated. Media has always been a part of my life in various manifestations  as audience member and fan, as a worker in the industry and as an academic. Studying and teaching media allows me to touch lives and consciousness in a very salient and timely way.

Morgan Kraft Ward

Assistant professor of marketing, Goizueta Business School

Selected background: Assistant professor, Southern Methodist University; PhD, University of Texas at Austin

Focus of scholarship: I look at how people make purchases of and display products in ways that allow them to express who they are or would like to be.

Why it matters: I am interested in how the items we own and desire enable us to signal important messages to others. I'm also interested in how feelings of personal threat influence our subsequent purchases.

Michelle Lynn Wright

Assistant professor, Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing

Selected background: Postdoctoral associate at Yale University; postdoctoral scholar at Virginia Commonwealth University; nursing instructor at Keiser University and Oakland Community College; groundwater remediation scientist at URS Corporation; neonatal intensive care unit registered nurse at Henry Ford Hospital; PhD from University of North Dakota

Focus of scholarship: The goal of my research is to discover new ways to promote health and prevent illness across the lifespan by using multi-omic approaches to evaluate genomic and environmental interactions that contribute to disease susceptibility and health disparities. Specifically, I am interested conducting interdisciplinary, clinically relevant research that will ultimately improve health outcomes in pregnant women and their offspring by: 1) improving health outcomes by informing personalized and mechanistically-targeted nursing interventions; and 2) identifying early life environmental exposures that predispose individuals to poor health outcomes to inform the development of protective health policy initiatives.

Why it matters: In order to better prevent disease and promote health, we need to identify and understand how microbes and the environment interact with our genes to influence health outcomes. Im specifically interested in looking at these interactions among pregnant women and children. An estimated 70-90 percent of chronic diseases are associated with environmental exposures and the extent to which maternal environmental exposures contribute to poor pregnancy outcomes (e.g., low birth weight) and offsprings subsequent predisposition to disease later in life (e.g., obesity) is unclear. Not only do environmental exposures comprise a significant fraction of disease risk, new evidence suggests that the timing, duration and pattern of environmental exposures are equally important. Historically, pregnant women and children were excluded from medical research. Because of the previous lack of inclusion and advances in -omic methods that improve our understanding of how our genes are influenced by environmental exposures, we still have much to learn to in order promote and protect health for these populations.

Bin Xu

Assistant professor of sociology, Emory College of Arts and Sciences

Background: Assistant professor at Florida International University; post-doctoral fellow at Yale University; PhD from Northwestern University

Focus of scholarship: I'm finishing a book titled "The Politics of Moral Sentiments: Civil Society and the 2008 Sichuan Earthquake in China," examining how ordinary Chinese citizens participated in the rescue and relief efforts after the Sichuan earthquake, how they interpreted the meanings of their act of compassion, and how the political context shaped their actions and meanings. I'm also researching collective memory, which means how people perceive their past and what social factors affect their memories of the past. I am currently writing a book and a few related articles on the collective memory of Chinas educated youth (zhiqing) generation  the 17 million Chinese youth sent down to the countryside in the 1960s and 1970s  exploring how members of this important generation interpret meanings of their past difficulties and suffering in the countryside.

Why it matters: The earthquake project is important because the earthquake sheds light on some less discernible aspects of Chinese citizens' grassroots civic engagement. The earthquake dramatized some political and ethical dilemmas that many engaged volunteers encounter in an authoritarian political context. The "educated youth" project brings "class" back into the field of collective memory by showing that our narratives of the past express and justify our present class status. In this sense, like many other things in our society, our memories are also unequal. It also depicts a collective portrait of an important generation, China's equivalent to "baby boomers." Some of China's current leaders were from this generation, therefore examining their memory of their difficult past helps us understand their mentality, dispositions and their influence on China's present and future.
They arrive at Emory ready to become change agents  scholars, scientists and researchers driven by curiosity and seeking to make a difference in the world.

This fall, Emorys Laney Graduate School welcomes 376 new degree-seeking students. Eighty percent of them will be pursuing the PhD.

Bringing with them a rich assortment of both academic and life experiences, Emorys new doctoral students were drawn here by faculty expertise, academic resources and an environment that supports collaboration and innovation.

Our students histories, experiences and interests have led them to the Laney Graduate School, says Lisa Tedesco, dean of the Laney Graduate School. From here, the best is yet to come through their accomplishments and the work they will do in the world.

From exploring research questions in the fields of public health and medicine to unraveling social, historical and literary complexities within the liberal arts, these new PhD students all share a desire to contribute new knowledge.

Gaea Daniel first connected with Emory as the family member of a patient receiving care at Emory University Hospital (EUH) and then through her experiences with Emory Healthcare, both as a nursing student completing clinical rotations where I had amazing learning opportunities and later as a nurse in the surgical/transplant intensive care unit at EUH.

Now, she seeks to study how the microbiome of the human gut differs among populations with health inequities and how those differences affect patient outcomes.

Once I made the final decision to pursue a PhD in nursing, I knew that I would not find a better fit anywhere else, Daniel says. I am thrilled about building a solid foundation in research methods in one of the nations top 10 graduate nursing programs.

For Kevin Maloney, Emory offers a chance to study HIV transmission patterns with graduate faculty based in the Rollins School of Public Health, one of the top institutions in the world to study epidemiology.

I was particularly drawn to the programs practical approach to epidemiology and the pursuit of research questions that can have a large direct impact for communities, he explains.

Across the board, Tedesco sees a group of scholars prepared to become tomorrows intellectual leaders.

With the guidance and mentorship of diverse and expert graduate faculty, our students will leave Emory equipped to confront and solve some of the most complex challenges, she says.

From discovering innovative drug treatments to understanding the human condition through the lens of history, culture and literature  our graduates will contribute to change and innovation. We are immensely proud to see them through this part of the journey.

Take a moment to meet just a few of the new PhD students who have chosen Emory for the next chapter in their academic careers:

Giovanni Calixte

Hometown: North Miami Beach, Florida

Emory degree program: PhD in biomedical engineering through the Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, a joint effort between Georgia Tech, the Laney Graduate School, and the Emory School of Medicine

Completed degrees: BS in biomedical engineering, University of Miami

Focus of scholarship: I am very interested in developing electronics that have neuro-related applications.

Why it matters: Making electronics that can work with the body and the brain, to me, is a vastly unexplored area.

Proudest academic achievement to date: Surviving my senior year at the University of Miami: applying to graduate schools, taking classes to meet their requirements, studying for the GRE, taking the GRE, completing a research project, and serving as a prime player on a senior design project.

Gaea Daniel

Hometown: Tifton, Georgia

Emory degree program: PhD in nursing

Completed degrees: BLS from Mercer University and MS in nursing, clinical nurse leader from Georgia Regents University (formerly Medical College of Georgia)

Focus of scholarship: I am interested in how the composition of the gut microbiome (the trillions of microorganisms that live in the intestines) differs among populations with health inequities and its effects on health and patient reported outcomes.

Why it matters: Populations with health inequities have higher incidences of morbidity and mortality. Discovering differences in the gut microbiome of these populations compared to populations without health inequities could have huge implications for how diseases and conditions are managed in populations with health inequities.

Proudest academic achievement to date: I am most proud of being selected as a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Future of Nursing Scholar. In 2013, I was selected as an RWJF New Careers in Nursing Scholar by Georgia Regents University. The support has helped lift the financial burden of being a student and exponentially increased my professional opportunities and connections, all while encouraging me to explore and participate in ways to improve the culture of health.

Hannah Hjerpe

Hometown: Key West, Florida



Emory degree program: PhD in English

Completed degrees: Double BA in English literature and Italian studies, with a minor in womens studies, from Ithaca College; MPhil in Irish writing from Trinity College, Dublin

Focus of scholarship: I plan to examine themes of isolation and exile in contemporary queer postcolonial literatures. The bulk of my research will focus on the literatures of island nations and, more specifically, on how the relationship between self and space plays out in queer Caribbean writing.

Why it matters: Marginalized, inherently non-canonical narratives have historically received poor critical attention, as such traditional criticism that often attributes little value to them. I approached my research with the understanding that there is more inherent critical value in work that challenges canonical practice than in criticism that reinforces a canon that continues to silence, marginalize and exoticize nontraditional narratives.

Proudest academic achievement to date: My MPhil was completed at Trinity with the submission of a dissertation written over the summer. I had decided to write on three early works of a contemporary Irish lesbian author, all of which featured lesbian protagonists. Though multiple faculty members suggested I should choose a "more traditional" topic, with guidance from my dissertation adviser (an Emory alum), I submitted my work on concepts of queer space in contemporary Irish author Emma Donoghues early novels and was awarded First Class marks.

Kevin Maloney

Hometown: Stow, Massachusetts

Emory degree program: PhD in epidemiology

Completed degrees: BS in biological sciences, Drexel University; MPH in epidemiology, Boston University.

Focus of scholarship: I am pursuing a PhD in epidemiology, with a specific interest in infectious diseases  especially HIV and other sexually transmitted infections  in populations of gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men. My work seeks to describe transmission patterns so that we can better understand the epidemic and improve approaches to prevention.

Why it matters: We have the tools and knowledge to prevent HIV, but the epidemic has remained persistent in some marginalized communities, even while rates of transmission in the United States have declined overall. As a gay man, I want all members of my community to have equal access to resources for treatment and prevention.

Proudest academic achievement to date: I completed my MPH at Boston University while working full time as a research assistant. These complementary experiences allowed me to grow and learn concurrently. My academic success was honored with the Dr. Theodore Colton Prize for Excellence in Epidemiology, while I was promoted to the position of project coordinator.

Virgo Morrison

Hometown: Woodstock, Georgia

Emory degree program: PhD in history

Completed degrees: BA in history, MA in history, Virginia State University

Focus of scholarship: Traditionally, drug abuse has been perceived as primarily a Northern metropolitan phenomenon and much of narcotics history has been similarly one-dimensional. Through my research I intend to broaden the field by exploring the impact drug abuse and drug policy had across the rural-urban spectrum in the 20th century American South. I am specifically interested in how regional manifestations of segregation, conservativism, and drug rehabilitation influenced the formation of drug policy and popular sentiments about drug abuse.

Why it matters: If the current opioid epidemic has shown us anything, it is that we still do not understand how to craft effective drug policies. It is perhaps too ambitious to hope there is an answer to this problem within our history but I do believe that an accurate account of our past successes and failures could provide us with, at the very least, a solid foundation.

Proudest academic achievement to date: While completing my masters degree I picked up a day job as a masonry restoration specialist for a historic preservation company. My days were spent tuckpointing marble balustrades or laying brick six stories high whereas my nights were spent formatting footnotes and reading for classes. Looking back now I view this experience as an accomplishment rather than an obstacle. I never missed a class, I graduated, and I even became a decent bricklayer to boot.

Belen Pueyo-Ibanez

Hometown: Pamplona, Spain

Emory degree program: PhD in philosophy



Completed degrees: BMUS with specialization in violin performance (Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya, Barcelona); BJ (Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona); graduate diploma in contemporary art history (Goldsmiths, University of London); MA in philosophy (The New School for Social Research, New York City).

Focus of scholarship: I am interested in exploring the principle of altruism, including the possibility that goodness might be considered, not as a natural human attribute, but as a social strategy. I would like to be able to prove that being a good person is something that can be taught and learned.

Why it matters: Studying philosophy has made me more sensitive to the social problems that exist around us, especially those of a moral character. This is the reason why ethics has become the center of my academic interests. I think that my research around the notion of altruism conceived as a social strategy that can be trained and improved could have undeniable implications for our practical lives.

Proudest academic achievement to date: Apart from my admission to Emory, I am most proud of having obtained a Fulbright grant to complete my masters degree in philosophy at The New School for Social Research. During that time in New York, I had the opportunity to write a masters thesis that I have presented at different international conferences and part of which has been published in a peer-reviewed philosophy journal.
23:51

Celebrity AAP supporter, music director and singer, Vishal Dadlani on Saturday stirred controversy after he tweeted mocking Digambar Jain monk Tarun Sagar for giving a speech in Haryana Assembly, naked.





Dadlani had tweeted the following: "If you voted for these people, YOU are responsible for this absurd nonsense! No #AchcheDin, just #NoKachcheDin." (See image on left)





However, soon after the singer made this tweet, he was ridiculed by several Jain sect followers. Dadlani was quick to reply to everyone with an apology: "I apologise to you too, wholeheartedly, Sir. I hope that religion and governance can be separated, for Indias sake. I am sorry to have offended you and your beliefs too, Sir. My intent was not to hurt anyone. Spoke without thinking."





Delhi CM and AAP Chief Arvind Kejriwal too took to Twitter to praise the Jain monk and said that his family deeply respects Tarun Sagar.





The Jains are an influential community in the poll-bound Gujarat where AAP is seeking to make a powerful debut. Kejriwal and Jain's tweets promptly condemning Vishal's off-the-cuff tweet may have been influenced by that consideration.





Following this, Dadlani on Twitter announced that he was quitting from all active political work and affiliations.





"It feel bad that I hurt my Jain friends & my friends @ArvindKejriwal & @SatyendarJain .I hereby quit all active political work/affiliation," he wrote on Twitter.
Ranavirus study finds super spreaders of disease

by Tim Crosby

CARBONDALE, Ill.  There are those who spread disease, and then there are the super spreaders.

So says a new study by researchers at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, who examined how a devastating infectious disease is passed among an amphibian population. The research, published this week in Biology Letters, may also lend new insights into how humans spread such ailments as well, said Robin Warne, assistant professor of zoology at SIUs Center for Ecology.

The researchers were working with ranavirus, which scientists suspect is playing a role in the global decline of amphibian species.

Most viruses are very specific to the animals they impact. Its very difficult and unusual for a single virus to wreak havoc in several species. Not so the ranavirus. This killer hits several species of vertebrates, including fish, amphibians and reptiles. Unleashed in a local pond, the ranavirus routinely wipes out every tadpole living in it.

Two of Warnes students, Alessandra Araujo, a zoology masters student, and Lucas Kirschman, a doctoral student, found that certain personality types in tadpoles are better at spreading the disease through a combination of their behavior and their physical susceptibility to the ranavirus.

Some individuals, often termed super-spreaders, are much more effective at transmitting infections and thus can disproportionally contribute to the risk of disease outbreaks, Warne said. Super-spreaders are expected to have traits that include greater susceptibility to infection, and greater infectiousness, which is to say they are more likely to infect their peers during interactions.

The research provides insight into individual traits that contribute to rapid and often devastating infectious disease spread among animals and humans alike, Warne said. And its largely related to how aggressively the tadpoles behave at feeding time.

In laboratory experiments, the researchers found that some tadpoles sit on the bottom near where food often is available, while others tend to swim almost nervously about. The ones that sit on the bottom, it turns out, are more aggressive when it comes to foraging for food. The same tadpoles have a higher metabolic rate and a lower amount of stress hormones than the ones that swim about.

Using a small population of 160 wood frog larvae, Warne and his students assigned each a boldness rating and then infected one of them with a lethal dose of the ranavirus virus. They then studied how likely they were to spread the disease when they were sick, but still healthy enough to interact with their environment. Because the water filter in each tank contained an ultraviolet light that killed any free-floating virus, disease could only be transmitted directly from one larva to another

We found that bolder larvae -- those who moved faster toward food sources and spent less time swimming alone in the water -- caused more infections than their more passive peers, Warne said. Bolder animals were also more likely to become infected, probably due to their increased interactions with infected peers.

Because larval amphibians, like other animals and humans, have stereotypical behavioral personalities, these results suggest that such traits could be valuable in the identification of super-spreaders and contribute to our capacity to understand and potentially managing disease outbreaks, he said.

Warne said the research project was inspired by a senior research thesis conducted by Tom Egdorf, who earned his degree in zoology at SIU in 2013. A faculty seed grant from the Office of the Vice Chancellor for Research to Warne supported Egdorfs work.
UN Secretary General Ban ki-Moon will arrive in Sri Lanka on August 31 on a three-day official visit, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday. Ban will hold discussions with President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe, among others. He will deliver a speech here on the UN's global development goals. Ban will arrive in Sri Lanka from Myanmar and will highlight the importance of development and human rights in both the countries. Ban will also visit a resettlement site for displaced people in Jaffna in the north and take part in a conference on youth and reconciliation in Galle in the south. --IANS py/vm ( 114 Words) 2016-08-26-11:29:56 (IANS)
"The Taliban military chief named Kako for Nad Ali district and 23 militants were killed following an airstrike conducted on Thursday against a Taliban main headquarters in Helmand province," Xinhua news agency reported citing the statement.

The statement rejected claims that the targeted compound was a Taliban prison and that several people held hostage were also killed.

--IANS sm/ksk/bg

( 90 Words)

2016-08-26-15:45:59 (IANS)
Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. today announced that it has signed a subscription agreement with One MobiKwik Systems Private Limited ("MobiKwik") in India. MobiKwik is India's largest independent mobile payments network, trusted by over 32 million users and 100,000 retailers. MobiKwik's current shareholders include Sequoia Capital, Tree Line Asia, American Express, Cisco Investments, GMO Payment Gateway and MediaTek, as well as Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku, the founders and executive officers. As part of the strategic partnership, Net1 will invest $40 million in MobiKwik. In addition, through our technology agreement, Net1's Virtual Card technology will be integrated across all MobiKwik wallets in order to provide ubiquity across all merchants in India. "Our strategic investment in MobiKwik provides us with meaningful participation in one of the largest and fastest growing digital payment markets globally," said Serge Belamant, Chairman and CEO of Net1. "We are excited to partner with one of India's most utilized and recognized digital platforms, through which we can introduce our products and services. We believe that this investment will accelerate our ability to build scale in India. Over the next three years, MobiKwik has targeted having 150 million users and 500,000 merchants, and the introduction of our various technologies is expected to enhance their value proposition and differentiation to users, online and offline merchants, increase acceptance, and accelerate growth. With Net1's expertise and track record in facilitating financial inclusion across Africa, our strategic relationship with MobiKwik marks an important milestone from which we can leverage India's substantial efforts to drive financial inclusion, down to the grassroots in rural and deep rural areas. Many of our solutions, most notably UEPS/EMV, are tailor-made to provide multiple financial and other services, increase accessibility, eliminate fraud and reduce cash," he concluded. There are many similarities between South Africa and India including highly regulated markets, limited infrastructure and large unbanked populations. There have always been close ties and there is growing cooperation between the two countries, culminating with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to South Africa last month. This transaction lends further support to their efforts to drive improving bilateral relations in trade and investment. Upasana Taku, the co-founder of MobiKwik said, "We greatly value our partnership with Net1 and look forward to learning from their best practices in serving the un-banked and under-banked users, while taking progressive steps towards making India a cashless economy. Our pioneering innovations in the fintech industry have helped us maintain this lead position, and with support from strategic partners such as Net1, we look forward to further strengthening our product offering and realize our vision to let users save, borrow, pay and invest using MobiKwik." According to a July 2016 Google-BCG study, the size of India's digital payments industry will reach $500 billion by 2020, representing a ten-fold increase from current levels. The report predicts that more than 50% of India's internet users are expected to use digital payments by 2020, and the top 100 million users are expected to drive 70% of digital payments by value. The report also predicts that the value of remittances and money transfers that will pass through alternative digital payment instruments will double to 30% by 2020. (ANI)
First time job seekers from rural and semi-urban areas will be able to search for jobs through an app now, with National Career Service Portal (Ministry of Labour) on Friday entering into a partnership with FirstJob, a hiring solutions firm. The government is committed to provide more employment opportunities and signing of MOU is a step in this direction," Banadaru Dattatreya, Minister of Labour said at the conference here. He also declared that his ministry will organise 'rozgar mela' in every district of the country to help youths from any corner of India to find jobs. Firstjob also said that it can help the government's efforts by holding pan India national virtual rozgar melas. In our country, there are employers who complain they cannot find people; at the same time, many jobseekers are desperately looking for suitable roles in tier 3/4 cities and rural areas. FirstJob leverages technology to overcome the logistics challenges and connect the employers with jobseekers. FirstJob application also provides guidance and counselling to the job seekers; further, the job seekers can practice interview session in a safe and secure environment from the convenience of their smart phone and gain confidence to get the best job they deserve, said Arvind Singh, the founder of FirstJob. With Firstjob, a candidate can upload his profile and can also appear for a screening interview making the employers hire people easier and faster. --IANS vn/rn ( 243 Words) 2016-08-26-22:23:57 (IANS)
Sharing the poster of the movie on his Twitter handle, the 37-year-old actor wrote, "And here it is, my first home production movie !!..."

The poster and the tagline of the movie "TWO COUNTRIES, ONE SOLDIER," gives an idea the movie is on Indo-Pak issues and the actor plays a soldier in it.

The poster also shows an intense Emraan with Indian army uniform on one side and Pakistan army uniform on the other.

In no time the news started trending on the microblogging site under hashtag #CaptainNawab.

Thanking his fans for the trend, Emraan further tweeted, "Thanks for making #CaptainNawab trend guys. Love ull."

Presently the actor gearing up for the fourth installment of the 'Raaz' franchise, slated to release on September 16. (ANI)
Clearing prolonged speculations about Fawad Khan's role in his directorial venture 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil,' filmmaker Karan Johar said he has a 'special' role for the 'Khoobsurat' actor in the movie. In a recent interview with a webloid, Karan also shared his excitement about working with the 34-year-old actor, reports the Express Tribune. "I have to say that I was most excited working with Fawad who has a very special role. It's a special appearance in ADHM. But it's a very strong role . a very pivotal role. His energy is indispensable to the film. I am so glad that he agreed very graciously to be a part of the film. In fact, it was wonderful of him to say yes because it was a special appearance. It's very important for his character to connect and be a part of the journey for you to kind of understand the emotional existence of the film," said the ace director. Speaking about the female actors of the film, he said, "Working with Anushka and Aishwarya has been one of the most incredible experiences." The flick, that also stars Ranbir Kapoor, is scheduled to release in October 28. (ANI)
To celebrate the 50-year-old actor's 28 years of stardom, fans have flooded the micro-blogging site with wishes and messages under the trending hashtag #28YrsOfBiggestStarEverSALMAN.

"Can the twitter word limit of 140 words describe such an auspicious,splendid long career of MEGASATAR SALMAN? #28YrsOfBiggestStarEverSALMAN," wrote one.

"#28YrsOfBiggestStarEverSALMAN Incredible Body ! No one in bollywood can beat this guy in fitness," tweeted another.

Some other fan wrote, "#Salman hs successfully sustained hs stardom at a very high level in d last 6 years& he would go even higher. #28YrsOfBiggestStarEverSALMAN"

Salman began his career in 1988 with Rekha and Farooq Sheikh-starrer 'Biwi Ho To Aisi. The very next year, he got his first big break as the lead in the evergreen Sooraj Barjatya movie 'Maine Pyar Kiya.'

The 'Dabangg' actor went on delivering hits with his chocolate boy look in films like 'Sajaan,' 'Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!' 'Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam,' 'Hum Saath-Saath Hain' and others.

Changing his avatar from a chocolate boy to an action hero, Salman re-invented himself with 'Wanted' in 2009 and turned the Bhai of Bollywood.

After his latest outing 'Sultan,' the actor is presently working on Kabir Khan's upcoming project 'Tubelight,' slated to release next year. (ANI)
Infectious agents can cause a lot of cancer in Africa and researchers believe they now have a clue to how malaria during pregnancy creates the right conditions for a virus to cause cancer in children. The researchers wanted to explore why the Epstein-Barr virus causes a type of cancer called Burkitt's lymphoma only in some people and not in all infected by the virus. Rosemary Rochford from the University of Colorado Cancer Center in the US and her colleagues centered their research in Kisumu, Kenya, a port city of just over 400,000. In addition to a near universal rate of infection with the Epstein-Barr virus, Kisumu has an unusually high rate of Burkitt's lymphoma and malaria. "Because Burkitt's lymphoma is prevalent in areas with a lot of malaria, we thought maybe it could be associated with malaria infection," Rochford said. Children born to women who have malaria during pregnancy are more predisposed to develop Burkitt's lymphoma, the researchers noted. "What we think happens is that the risk for these children begins during pregnancy. Usually for most people, the virus is quiet. You never even know you have it. But when you get malaria, the virus reactivates and infects more cells, Rochford said. "When mothers get malaria during pregnancy, these malaria-infected cells shed more virus and infants get infected earlier in life. Because they're infected so early, their immune systems don't manage the virus the way they should, Rochford explained. "It's not just the fact of exposure to Epstein-Barr virus, but the timing of it that matters. These kids with prenatal exposure due to the secondary pressure of malaria are the ones with increased risk," Rochford said. One answer to the challenge of virus-associated cancers in Africa would be better and more prevalent use of vaccines. Rochford pointed out that the story of Burkitt's lymphoma is similar to the story of other virus-associated cancers, including cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and Kaposi's sarcoma caused by the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). In fact, in Kisumu, Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common cancer in men and cervical cancer is the most common cancer in adult women. Unlike in the US, where the cancer risk of viruses is far smaller than the risks associated with tobacco and alcohol, "in some parts of Africa, the majority of cancers are caused by infectious agents," said the study published in the journal Current Opinions in Virology. --IANS gb/bg ( 418 Words) 2016-08-26-15:49:56 (IANS)
Around a fortnight ago, Reddy was detected with heart ailments in New Delhi and he decided to fly down to Mumbai for a second opinion from AHI's cardiac surgeon Ramakanta Panda.

Panda advised Reddy to go for a heart by-pass surgery immediately, to which the latter agreed.

The by-pass surgery was successfully performed on him at the AHI by a team led by Panda on August 11.

Currently, the 65-year old Reddy -- who is the immediate past president of World Heart Federation, Geneva, and continues on its Board -- is recuperating under the care of Panda and his team at the hospital.

Panda has operated upon many celebrities, including former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Union ministers Lalu Prasad Yadav and Rajiv Shukla, former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, CPI leader D. Raja and Odisha Congress leader Narasingha Mishra.

Besides, the Odisha-born Panda has performed some of the most complex, challenging and record-setting heart surgeries on people ranging from minors, youth, middle-aged and very elderly citizens from all over the world.

Sources in AHI said Reddy's surgery at the hospital in the Bandra-Kurla Complex was a matter of pride and tribute to the kind of world class facilities and treatment available here.

--IANS qn/bim/bg

( 242 Words)

2016-08-26-15:54:00 (IANS)
Himachal Pradesh Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur on Friday introduced a bill in the assembly to dissuade youngsters from tobacco use and smoking, making provisions for registration of tobacco sellers. The Himachal Pradesh Prohibition of Sale of Loose Cigarettes and Bidis and Regulation of Retail Business of Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products Bill of 2016 is likely to listed for discussion on the last day of the assembly session on Saturday. It makes the registration of retailers of cigarettes and other tobacco products mandatory. The offences are cognizable, bailable and compoundable. According to the bill, any person who contravenes the provision of registration for selling the tobacco products shall be punished with an imprisonment for up to three months or with a fine up to Rs 50,000 or both. For the second or subsequent contravention, the person may be punished with imprisonment, which may extend to one year, and with fine which may extend up to Rs 100,000. For violating the ban on sale of loose cigarettes or bidis, a person shall be punishable with a fine of Rs 10,000 for the first offence and Rs 15,000 for the second and subsequent offence. The bill empowers the police or any other authorised officer of the state to enter and search the business premises or any other place where the retail business of cigarettes and other tobacco products is being carried on or where such products are stored, and may seize such material if the official has a reason to believe that the provisions are being contravened. The Health Minister said the Cigarette and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution) Act or COTPA of 2003, which is a central act, has no provision for regulation of retail business of the cigarette and other tobacco products. "We have brought this law with a view to discourage the smoking of cigarettes and consumption of other tobacco products by the general public, especially the younger generation," he said. The state government on November 4, 2015, had banned the sale of loose cigarettes and bidis through a notification under Section 7 of the CPTPA, an official told IANS. --IANS vg/bim/vt ( 377 Words) 2016-08-26-18:17:57 (IANS)
Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi has very clearly articulated his position about his remarks against the RSS in his tweet and posted a video of his statement in Bhiwandi, claimed party leader and spokesman Manish Tiwari. "The tweet is self speaking. There is nothing to add or subtract to it. Gandhi has made the position and articulated it, and very very clearly," Tiwari told ANI. "There is a tendency in certain quarters of this country, especially the RSS and the BJP, to fight political battles in the court of law. So far as the legal battle is concerned, the legal battle will be fought legally, and insofar as the political part of it is concerned, Mr. Gandhi has made his position clear," he said. A day after Rahul Gandhi's counsel, Kapl sibal, had told the Supreme Court that he had never blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for killing Mahatma Gandhi in January 1948, the Congress vice president on Thursday put an end to the doubts arinsing over his 'u-turn' regarding the matter and said that he will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS. "I will never stop fighting the hateful & divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said," tweeted Gandhi. He also posted a video of his remarks made by him at Bhiwandi, Maharashtra. Earlier, RSS ideologue M G Vaidya had said that Rahul must come clean on in what sense were those who killed Mahatma Gandhi associated with the Hindu nationalist organisation, and what was their position and credentials. Vaidya said that Gandhi is just twisting his remarks and he must show his generosity by offering apology for his statement and should accept before the court that what he had said was wrong. Following Rahul's submission, a Supreme Court Bench comprising of Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman said if the complainant agrees to the submission, it will take the statement on record and dispose of the petition. Senior advocate and Congress leader Kapil Sibal, appearing for Rahul Gandhi, cited the affidavit filed before the High Court saying he had only accused certain people of the RSS and not the organisation as the killer of Mahatma Gandhi. In his complaint, RSS Bhiwandi secretary Rajesh Mahadev Kunte alleged that Rahul told in an election rally in Sonale on March 6 last year that "the RSS people killed Gandhiji". He alleged that the Congress leader had sought to tarnish the reputation of RSS through his speech. (ANI)
A two-judge division bench of the high court, comprising of Justice V M Kanade AMD and Justice Revati Mohite Dhere will pronounced the verdict.

The ban was imposed in 2012 by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust citing some religious traditions as the reason.

The PIL was filed by women activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Soman and the NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan.

The Haji Ali Trust, as the respondent in the case, defended the ban saying that the entry of women in close proximity to the tomb of a male saint would be seen as a grievous sin in Islam.

The Maharashtra government had in February told the Bombay High Court that unless the Dargah Board is able to prove that the ban is a part of their religious practice with reference to the Quran, women should be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali.

The trust had claimed that separate arrangements have been made for women to walk up to a certain point from where they can offer prayers, but are not permitted to touch the tomb of a male saint as it is a sin in Islam. (ANI)
Welcoming the newly drafted Surrogacy Bill, social activist and eminent lawyer Abha Singh said Friday, "I think this is a bill which is well meaning and should be passed by the Parliament as early as possible" as it will check the misuse of provisions in the country. She told ANI that the bill will prevent exploitation of poor women being used as surrogates for money and will also check the middlemen who are trying to bring women from poor areas for the purpose of surrogacy. "The way poverty of women folk is being used in surrogacy, there are women who are anaemic , who are sick, who just for a little money are producing children for others, and in fact, they are not even paid," she said. She said the new bill will put an end to commercial surrogacy and regulate this growing commercial venture. Detailing out the new rules in the surrogacy bill, Singh said, "Any woman who wants to do surrogacy should be married and should have her own child. Also, she can do surrogacy only once, which will check the commercial venture that has been going on in India." She added the new rules will also help check gender equality, as couples with a daughter go for surrogacy just to have a boy. This will also check the population rise in the country. "All those parents who are married for five years at least and have a biological child or an adopted child will not be allowed to go in for surrogacy. This will put an end to all the parents who have daughters but want a son through surrogacy. Also all parents who have two children should not go for a third child because now the way population is increasing in this country, any increase in children will be a bane to this country. So, this would be a great check on population," she said adding that people from around the world are coming to India for surrogacy because people are poor over. On the ban on the LGBT community to have children via surrogacy, Singh said, "All gays, lesbians, LGBT community will not be allowed to have children through surrogacy. Rightly so, because the fate and welfare of the child is most important and till the time these issues are sorted out, I don't think any surrogacy should be allowed in this sector. She added that once the bill is passed, violation of its rules will lead to a minimum of ten years of imprisonment and a fine of Rs. ten lakhs. Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha member K.T.S Tulsi, however, was critical of the Centre's move to ban commercial surrogacy, describing surrogacy as one of the biggest support systems for poor women. He urged the government to introduce greater regulation to protect them. He also proposed that the provision which prevents single parents, homosexual couples and live-in relationship couples to access altruistic surrogacy must be scrapped. The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its approval for the introduction of Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016. The Bill aims at prohibiting commercial surrogacy and allowing ethical surrogacy to needy infertile couples. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had said that the bill was introduced as India emerged as a surrogacy hub for couples, and added that the government is aware of unethical practices. Criticisng the practice of commercial surrogacy, Swaraj said, "What started as a need, has now turned into a hobby." The Bill will be introduced during the winter session of Parliament. (ANI)
Expressing his approval over the selection of Urjit Patel as the new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy has said that he has high hopes from Raghuram Rajan's successor. Speaking to ANI here, Swamy said Patel was Rajan's deputy for many years, which is why his next post should not feel new to him. "He (Patel) has a PhD in economics and a degree from Yale, Raghuram Rajan had no degree in economics. After engineering, he did management. He did not have the general equilibrium regarding economics. Urjit Patel has been the deputy governor for so many years now, so this will not be new for him. I have high hopes from him," Swamy said. Rajan announced that he would return to academia at the end of his term on September 4, 2016, adding he will always be available to serve his country when needed and asserted that his 'successor' would take the nation to new heights. Rajan is currently on leave from the Chicago Booth School of Business where he holds the post of Distinguished Service Professor of Finance. Swamy, who has been one of the chief critics of Rajan, welcomed the latter's decision and said that he was not even getting a second term in the first place. Swamy also told ANI that Rajan made this decision to save his self respect. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Centre respected Rajan's decision and appreciated the 'good work' done by him. Patel's appointment had been made on the recommendation of the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search Committee (FSRASC) headed by Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha. The committee undertook an extensive exercise to suggest a panel of names to the appointment committee of cabinet (ACC). He will be the eighth Deputy Governor to be made RBI Governor. (ANI)
Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India. Shanmugaratnam has been invited to New Delhi to address top policy-makers on "Fulfilling India's Potential in the Global Economy" during the inauguration of NITI Aayog's maiden annual lecture on Transforming India. Prime Minister Modi will today inaugurate the event which will be attended by nearly 1,400 delegates, including Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and senior officers. A panel discussion and brainstorming session are also part of the event where ministers and officers will exchange ideas on economy, governance and development with Shanmugratnam. The annual lecture series on Transforming India was proposed by Prime Minister Modi to bring in international personalities to share their experiences and ideas on India. Earlier, in November 2015, Prime Minister Modi visited Singapore and signed nine bilateral documents in areas of defence, maritime security, cyber security, narcotics trafficking, urban planning, civil aviation, and culture to further strengthen the ties between the two nations. An active calendar of visits from both sides has further strengthened the bilateral relations. Prime Minister Modi had visited Singapore earlier in 2015 to attend the State Funeral of Lee Kuan Yew on 29 March. His participation in the funeral along with the declaration of the funeral day as a day of mourning in India was deeply appreciated by the Singapore Government. Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam also undertook a state visit to India in February 2015 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Recent visits from India to Singapore also include Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit in June 2016 for the inaugural Defence Ministers' Dialogue and the Shangri-La Dialogue; Minister of State(IC) for Power, Coal & NRE Piyush Goyal's visit in May 2016; Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan's visit in January 2016; Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu in October 2015 to participate as a key speaker at the Infrastructure Finance Summit 2015 and many other such prominent visits. On the other hand many dignitaries from Singapore have visited India including Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam to attend the Growth Net Summit in Delhi in April 2016, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, K Shanmugam in November 2015 leading a business delegation to the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit in Jaipur , Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport Josephine Teo in October 2015 to attend the Third India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) and many other such visits. (ANI)


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In a breather to Sahara chief Subrata Roy, the apex court had on August 3 extended his parole till September 16 to enable him to deposit Rs 300 crores with market regulator Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).

Earlier on July 11, the apex court had extended his parole on humanitarian grounds following the death of his mother, with a strict condition that he would have to deposit the balance of Rs. 300 crores out of the Rs. 500 crores promised by him.

Roy was granted parole on May 6 this year which was extended by two months on May 11.

The Sahara chief was sent to jail on May 4, 2014, for his failure to comply with 2012 order directing him to return investor's Rs. 17,600 crores with 15 percent interest that his two companies Sahara India Real Estate Corp Ltd and Sahara Housing Finance Corp Ltd had raised through optionally fully convertible debentures (OFCD) in 2007 and 2008. (ANI)
Communist Party of India (Marxist) today demanded that the Centre activate the National Disaster Management Authority to undertake relief and rehabilitation operations on a war-footing in flood-ravaged Bihar besides taking long-term measures including desilting of the Ganga river. The party Politburo in a statement here urged the Bihar government to organise provision of immediate relief and adequate compensation to the flood victims, noting there were widespread complaints about the woefully inadequate relief operations. It also called upon the Central government to provide all required assistance and to activate the NDMA to undertake relief and rehabilitation operations on a war-footing. Urging the need for long-term measures, including desilting of the Ganga river which every year was causing floods and consequent damage, the Politburo said in the instant case, ''the damage could have been controlled had the release of water from the Bansagar dam been managed better.'' The party expressed concern at the devastation caused by the severe flooding of the Ganga river in the state resulting in the immense loss of lives and property. So far, 135 people have been killed and 35 lakh affected in 12 districts in the state.UNI SD RSA AE 1448 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0005-904687.Xml
Hong Kong stocks rose on Friday but were flat for the week, reflecting investor caution ahead of a speech by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen.Yellen will speak at the annual gathering of central bankers in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, later in the global day. Investors await clues on U.S. monetary policies.The Hang Seng index rose 0.4 percent, to 22,909.54, while the China Enterprises Index gained 0.5 percent, to 9,550.04 points.For the week, the market was roughly flat.Most sectors in Hong Kong rose, led by energy and tech stocks REUTERS AKC NS1442 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-904710.Xml
The Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI) has issued Aadhaar cards to 16 crore residents in Uttar Pradesh, an official said on Friday. India`s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh has a population of about 199,581,477 as per the 2011 Census. "Around 1.5 Lakh residents are being enrolled for Aadhaar every day at 3,930 Permanent Enrolment Centres (PEC), 6,039 sweep mode machines and 3,785 tablets for children," the official told IANS. Allahabad is leading with 45.86 lakh Aadhaar card generations, followed by Lucknow with 40.54 lakh, and Kanpur with 37.85 lakh Aadhaar cards. Most of the other people to be enrolled for Aadhaar belong to less than 18 years of age group and the UIADAI was making efforts for this group by covering children under the age of five years at Aanganwadi centres and those between five and 18 years at schools/colleges. The state government has also instructed the concerned departments to speed up Aadhaar enrolment of the population not yet enrolled. In order to speed up Aadhaar enrolment of students, continuous meetings with state education department and Basic Shikhsha Adhikaris (BSAs) are being held with the active enrolment agencies of their districts. "It has been decided that BSAs of all districts will provide list of non-enrolled students to the UIDAI so that such students may get enrolled for Aadhaar at the earliest," the official informed. --IANS md/py/ ( 242 Words) 2016-08-26-15:45:58 (IANS)
"All the bodies have been recovered. The lone survivor who is deaf and dump has been admitted to hospital," Deputy Commissioner Rohan Thakur told IANS.

The cloudburst occurred on Sunday night at the hilltop Bandrali village near Rampur town, about 130 km from here.

Lachhi Ram, his wife and three children died. They were staying in a temporary hutment and engaged in maintaining an apple orchard.

"Many orchards have been damaged due to flashfloods triggered by the cloudburst," Thakur said.

--IANS vg/kb/mr

( 118 Words)

2016-08-26-15:51:59 (IANS)
The BJP today welcomed judgment of the Bombay High Court, which ordered to allow women to enter the inner sanctum of the famous Haji Ali Dargah in the South central Mumbai."Some Muslims women activists were fighting for it for a long time. This fight is about women rights It's a court judgment.... indeed, it is worth welcoming,'' ruling party's general secretary Shrikant Sharma told mediapersons here. Earlier in the day, while passing an order, a division bench of the court comprising Justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite held that the ban on women's entry was a violation of Articles 14 (equality), 15(prohibits discrimination based on religious lines), 19 (ensures certain freedoms) and 21 (protection of personal life and liberty).The court further said the safety of women have to be taken care by the state government and Dargah trust.However, the bench granted six weeks time to move appeal against the court's order.UNI RG RSA AE 1810 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0377-905173.Xml
Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flew to Delhi on Saturday evening for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Kashmir Valley remained on the boil with one more civilian killed in firing by security forces. Government sources in Delhi and Srinagar told IANS that the meeting between Modi and Mehbooba was scheduled to take place on Saturday morning at his official 7 Race Course residence. The sources said the Chief Minister was summoned to Delhi after Home Minister Rajnath Singh's two-day visit to the valley. They said the Home Minister had asked the Chief Minister to act tough against and round up those perpetrating a deadly civilian unrest triggered by the July 8 killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani. Rajnath Singh carried the same message and that is what Modi is expected to tell Mehbooba, one of the sources said. The source said state and central intelligence agencies have prepared a list of around 170 ringleaders, found inciting the unrest and provoking people to take to the streets and throw stones at security forces. Most of these ringleaders are from south Kashmir, the bastion of Mehbooba's Peoples Democratic Party. Jammu and Kashmir Police have not acted and the alleged troublemakers are roaming about free, the source said, adding that the Chief Minister was being pressurized to crack down on them. As Mehbooba jetted off to Delhi, one more civilian died after security forces opened fire in south Kashmirs Pulwama district. This took the death toll in the ongoing unrest to 70. Over 7,000 civilians and more than 4,000 security personnel have been injured during the unrest - the deadliest the valley has suffered in six years. Police said Shakeel Ahmad Ganai, 22, was killed after he sustained bullet injuries in a clash with the security forces in Haal village. A doctor at the sub-district hospital at Pulwama said Ganai had been hit by a bullet that pierced through his heart. Some three dozen people were injured in other clashes across the valley after the Friday prayers. The security restrictions were tightened on Friday amid apprehensions that separatist leaders may stoke further trouble. They had asked people to gather in Eidgah prayer grounds for a pro-freedom protest rally in the heart of the volatile old Srinagar city. But the government thwarted the protest march to the sprawling prayer ground. Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads the hardline Hurriyat Conference, was held outside his upscale Hyderpora residence as he defied restrictions and attempted to march to Eidgah. The moderate Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was also arrested near his Nigeen house. Both the separatist leaders were briefly detained at police stations near their houses. --IANS sq-sar/mr ( 459 Words) 2016-08-26-19:49:57 (IANS)
Kerala will soon issue a Government Order directing the Corporation, Municipalities and Panchayats to cull violent street dogs by injecting medicines. Talking to newspersons here, Local Administration Minister KT Jaleel said department secretary has been directed to issue an order in this regard making clear that violent dogs will be culled and there is compromise on that decision. Admitting mistake from the Government side on taking timely action against stray dog menace, the Minister said the State Government is not interested to lock horns with the Centre in this regard as Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi today stated that killing dogs is unlawful. Blaming the State Government for not using the funds for sterilizing dogs, she said "dogs should be sterilized and killing them is unlawful." Expressing condolence over the death of a woman who was mauled to death by stray dogs at Pulluvilla near Kovalam, she said the Kerala government's decision to kill stray dogs is unlawful and unscientific. The Kerala Cabinet decision to kill violent dogs can be misused, she added.UNI DS CS 1931 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0324-905202.Xml
Kadian, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader, was appointed as chairman of IFFCO in 1989, and served till 1992.

A native of Sewah village in Panipat district of Haryana, Kadian served as the Speaker of the legislative assembly from 1999 to 2004 and was a three-time MLA from Panipat's Naultha assembly constituency. He was in Haryana government service before joining INLD in 1987.

In 1993, Central Bureau of Investigation had registered a case against Kadian along with 25 other persons.

A charge sheet was filed in 1996 against Kadian and others.

After hearing submissions on behalf of the prosecution and defense, Kadian and others were held guilty of misappropriating Rs 4 crore during his stint as chairman of IFFCO on August 20, and the matter was fixed today for pronouncing of the quantum of sentence.

Counsel for Kadian pleaded to the court to take a lenient view against Kadian because of his health condition.

Prosecution requested the court to punish Kadian with the maximum sentence, saying any concession will send a wrong message to society. It contended that Kadian should be punished either with life term or 10 years imprisonment.

The Judge ordered seven years imprisonment to Kadian and imposed a fine of Rs 50 lakh on him.

Other co-accused Vinayak Narayan Deosthali (UCO Bank) and Anil Kumar Malhotra (UCO Bank), who were convicted in the case, got seven years imprisonment. One of the convicted, Karuna Pati Pandey(UCO Bank), 84, was granted concession and punished with 2 years imprisonment.

UNI XC RP1929

-- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-905383.Xml
Samajwadi Party is contemplating action against Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh for his unbridled criticism of the party, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav. Mr Singh in an interview to a TV channel on August 22 had threatened to resign from the membership of the Rajya Sabha. He had also expressed his displeasure with the Chief Minister and the SP leader.The SP leader, who was expelled from the SP in 2010, had also said he would submit his resignation to Chairman of the Rajya Sabha Hamid Ansari. Amar Singh was elected to Rajya Sabha as SP candidate in June.SP leadership is particularly miffed with Mr Singh for airing his resentment in the media rather than raising the issues at the party forum. SP sources said the decision about Mr Singh is likely to be taken within a week in the meeting of the first family of the ruling party likely to take place in Delhi on Monday next."It was not an off the cuff statement. It was well calibrated interview given to a TV channel to convey a message to the party leadership. Mr Singh is yet to reconcile with his position in the party as he was no longer indispensable for the party and the party leadership has interpreted his statement as an attempt to meddle in the feud within the first family of the party," said a senior leader of the party. Apparently miffed with the Mr Yadav over the lack of access to the Chief Minister he had said, "I want to meet the CM but not getting an appointment and the chief minister's office tells me that my name has been to the chief minister. Now this is my level in the Samajwadi party."Responding to the criticism Mr Yadav said here yesterday that "I have learnt that the uncle is unhappy with me as I have not met him, if I keep on meeting the people then when would I work and discharge my official duties."Expressing his sympathy with the PWD minister Shivpal Yadav who is uncle of the Chief Minister, Amar Singh had said, "Shivpal Yadav has been marginalised in the party and the government as he cannot even get the Senior superintendent of police of choice posted in Etawah." Mr Singh had also attacked the SP leader in Rajya Sabha saying 11 he has been made deaf and dumb as he was not allowed to speak during the debate on Goods and service tax. Leaders like Naresh Agarwal and Surendra nagar were given the opportunity to speak but senior leaders like Beni Prasad Verma, Revati Raman Singh and me are the back benchers in the upper house of Parliament.UNI MB SHS AE 1930 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-905417.Xml
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Vikas Swarup said at the weekly media briefing here that Mr Thomson will call on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and also meet External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

India's efforts for early reforms of the UNSC under which it is bidding for permanent seat, had suffered a setback when the 193 member UNGA had decided to postpone the discussions over the issue to its 71rst session.

Mr Swarup said the issue of UNSC reforms and CICT would dominate the discussions with Mr Thomson.

The External Affairs Minister will be going to New York this year to represent India in the high-level debate of the 71st session. Mr Modi, who had attended the UNGA in 2014 and 2015, will be giving miss to the event this time.UNI NAZ SW 2117

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India will raise the issue of OIC stand on Kashmir when Egypt President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, whose country is one of the major members of the Islamic nations' body, comes here on state visit next week. Economic Relations Secretary Amar Sinha said here today that India would tell the President that OIC countries had no locus standi on Kashmir. He said there was a gap between what some of these country convey to India in private and the stance of their body. Pakistan has been using OIC to mobilise international opinion against India on the issue of Kashmir. Al Sisi is coming here on his first bilateral visit on September 1. He will be holding wide-ranging talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which cooperation in combating terrorism and trade and investment would be high on the agenda. ''Cooperation in anti-terrorism is an important part of relationship and we are hoping for more exchange of views on it during the visit,'' Mr Sinha said here while replying to questions at a media briefing about the visit of Mr Al Sisi whose country is also battling the IS threat. Mr Sinha said as far as trade was concerned, both the countries were trying for expansion and diversification and Egypt was looking for more Indian investments. A large number of Indian companies like Dabur, Kirloskar, Asian paints, Oberoi groups and garment manufacturing units have already substantial presence in Egypt. These companies were gearing up to use Egypt as launching pad for their operations in Africa, he said. The fact that trade and business would be holding a central place in Mr Sisi's engagement is indicated by the fact that he would be holding an interaction with leaders of business and industry at an event organised by the FICCI. The bilateral trade is 3.6 billion dollars out of which 2.3 billion dollars are Indian exports to Egypt and 1.2 billion dollars are imports from the West Asian country. This will be Mr Modi's third meeting with the Egyptian President and second visit to India in less than a year. He had come here in October last year to take part in the third India-Africa Summit. The visit is in continuation of Mr Modi's agenda for deepening engagement with the West Asian and African region. He had visited the UAE and went to Qatara, Saudi Arabia and Iran this year. There have been regular exchange of high-level visits between the two countries over the last few years. External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj had visited Egypt last year. This was followed by Union Minister for Transport, Highways and Shipping Nitin Gadkari 's visit to participate in the opening of new Suez Canal. Besides the grand mufti of Egypt had come here this year to attend the World Sufi Conference. Mr Sisi, whose visit is taking place at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee, will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising Ministers, officials and business leaders. India is Egypt's sixth largest trading partner. Mr Mukherjee will receive the Egyptian President and host a banquet in his honour. Besides, Vice-President M Hamid Ansari and the External Affairs Minister would call on him. ''India and Egypt enjoy excellent relations marked by strong, traditional and civilisational ties and contribute towards peace and development in the world,'' the Ministry of External Affairs said here.UNI NAZ SW 2200 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0091-905702.Xml
Motorcycle-borne criminals gunned down three members of a family at Sirha village under Pakri Dayal police station area in East Champaran district this evening. District police chief Jitendra Rana told UNI that criminals fired indiscriminately killing Bhilhari Sahni and two other members of his village when he was sitting on the verandah of his residence. The deceased was said to be a former Maoist activist and presently head of block level fishery society. Mr Rana said two of the marauders, who were trying to escape after committing the crime, had been arrested. One of the weapons used in the crime had also been recovered from them, he said, adding that they were being interrogated. However, unconfirmed report said five people had been killed in indiscriminate firing by the criminals.UNI IS SHS SW 2307 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-905759.Xml
A special CBI court today sentenced two people, including a bank manger, to five years of rigorous imprisonment for committing irregularities in grant of loan. After completing the hearing, Special CBI Judge Mr Manoj Kumar Singh sentenced former Manager of State Bank of India (SBI)'s Benipur branch in Darbhanga district Mangalanand Jha and owner of a seed storehouse R P Thakur after convicting them under various sections of IPC and Prevention of Corruption Act. Besides jail term, the court also slapped a fine of Rs 8,000 on the bank manager and Rs 5,000 on the storehouse owner. According to the prosecution, the bank manager in complicity with the seed storehouse owner granted loan to fake people, causing loss to the tune of Rs 23 lakh to the bank between 1989-90.UNI XC DH SHS SW 2305 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0329-905761.Xml
The Australian on Thursday uploaded new set of documents on the Indian Navy Scorpene Submarine on its website, with detailed description of its underwater warfare system. This is the second set of documents on the vessels that are being built in India by French firm DCNS, however, the publication has blacked out crucial details given that it could prove detrimental to India's defence. India's national security stands gravely compromised following leaks of the entire design plans and specifications of the Scorpene submarine, containing 22,400 pages of the 'project 75' carrying the emblem of the Indian navy. The first leak revealed the following: . 4,301 pages of combat management system and 493 pages of torpedo systems . The secret stealth capabilities of the six Scorpene submarines. . 4, 457 pages of submarines underwater sensors and 4, 209 pages of submarines above water sensors. . 6, 841 pages of the Scorpene submarines communications systems. . The diving depth range details. . Magnetic, electromagnetic and infrared data of the six submarines. . Frequencies at which the submarines gather intelligence. . Details of speed and conditions needed to use the periscope for the submarine. . The noise specifications of the submarine's propellers. . Radiated noise levels that occur when submarines surface, level of noise at various speed, places where submarine crew can speak to avoid detection by enemy have also been leaked. On Wednesday, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar asked Navy Chief Admiral Sunil Lanba to analyse the extent of the leak and find out whether it is related to India or not. Parrikar said the government would come out with more information over the next couple of days. On Tuesday, a report in Australian media revealed that sensitive information related to India's Scorpene submarines had been leaked, with French shipbuilder DCNS, which designed the submarine, facing a leak of documents spreading over 22,000 pages. According to The Australian, the leak details the entire secret combat capability of the six Scorpene-class submarines that French shipbuilder DCNS has designed for the Indian Navy. The Indian Navy informed today that documents posted on the website by The Australian, don't pose any security compromise as vital parameters have been blacked out. "Matter has been taken up with the DG of Armaments of the French Government. We have requested their government to investigate with urgency and share findings with India. An internal audit of procedures to rule out any security compromise is also being undertaken," the Navy said. (ANI)
The Brazilian Senate has begun the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff who is accused of trying to hide public budget deficits through fiscal irregularities without congressional approval. Staring off the proceedings on Thursday, Ricardo Lewandowski, president of the Supreme Court, read out the order of proceedings to a sparsely filled Senate chamber, with only 28 of 81 senators present, Xinhua news agency reported. According to the daily O Globo, Julio Marcelo de Oliveira, a public official from the federal accountability office (TCU) who made the allegations against Rousseff, saw him accuse Rousseff of violating the Constitution through fiscal manipulation during the prosecution. "Excess revenues, despite coming from a specific course, can only supplement a provision for future expenditure, if authorized in the budget. (In this case), there was no legislative approval, which means it was a violation of the Constitution," he was quoted as saying. De Oliveira added that the TCU also never allowed such actions to be taken in 2014 or 2015. The prosecution will continue hearing witnesses until Friday and may extend into the weekend, if needed. The defence has presented six witnesses -- Rousseff's former planning minister Nelson Barbosa, her former budget secretary Esther Dweck, a leading economist Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, the former political investment secretary, Gilson Bettencourt, the former executive secretary of the ministry of education, Luiz Claudio Costa, and a law professor from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Geraldo Prado. The declarations of each witness will be heard individually, followed by three minutes allotted for questions from each senator and three minutes for answers. On August 29, Rousseff will appear and provide her testimony while the prosecutors and defence lawyers will present their cases. The next day, the senators will express their opinions about the case. The final vote into whether to impeach Rousseff or not could be held on August 30, if time allows, or the next day. Rousseff was temporarily suspended for up to 180 days on May 12 and her Vice President Michel Temer took over the presidency on an interim basis. A two-thirds majority, 54 out of 81 senators,is needed to fully remove her from office. If this level of support is not obtained, Rousseff will immediately return to power and the case against her will be dropped. Should Rousseff be impeached, Temer would complete her mandate until the end of 2018 and she would be ineligible to stand for public office for eight years. --IANS ksk ( 418 Words) 2016-08-26-08:25:56 (IANS)
The United States has asserted that it has consistently raised concerns at the highest level of the Pakistan Government "on the need to deny safe haven to extremists." These comments were made by U.S. State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau during a daily press briefing on Thursday. Replying to a poser, Trudeau said, "We have pressed the Government of Pakistan to follow up on their expressed commitment, their stated commitment to not discriminate among terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation." When asked for a follow up on the attack on the American University in Kabul, she said, "Afghan President Ghani today issued a statement after his national security council meeting in Kabul. According to the statement, he says the attack on the American University in Kabul was organized and orchestrated from Pakistan." She added, "The statement also says he called General Sharif, the Pakistan Army Chief, and demanded that action be taken against those who were behind this." The State Department spokesperson, however, denied to comment as to who was responsible for the attack. "As we have in the past, we encourage the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together not only in the wake of this attack and to ensure that such attacks don't happen again, but to increase their cooperation countering violent extremism writ large," she said. The American University in Afghanistan's Kabul city came under attack on Wednesday evening. The attack was launched after the militants detonated a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) near the university compound with the remaining militants starting gun attack, reported Khaama Press. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident. It is reported that at least 12 people lost their lives in the deadly attack. (ANI)
Russia has agreed to a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, but security guarantees are awaited from other parties on the ground, UN officials said today.The United Nations has pushed for a weekly 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo to alleviate suffering for about 2 million people, but major powers back opposing sides in Syria's five-year-old civil war, complicating its implementation."We have ... agreement now from the Russian Federation for the 48-hour pause, we're waiting (for) it from the other actors on the ground. That has taken more time frankly than I thought was needed," Jan Egeland, who chairs the UN humanitarian task force, told reporters.Egeland's boss, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, echoed his comments, saying Russia was on board but they were waiting for others parties to agree: "... we are ready, trucks are ready and they can leave any time we get that message."Russia is the main external supporter of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rebel groups opposing Assad are supported by Western and Gulf powers.The White House today said it supported UN efforts to bring all sides together to deliver humanitarian relief to Aleppo and would welcome Russia's constructive engagement.The US State Department said while Washington backed the 48-hour Aleppo cease-fire it was focused on achieving a broader country-wide cessation of hostilities, which would be the focus of talks in Geneva tomorrow."If the UN says they need 48 hours, of course we support the UN But ... our focus is on a nationwide sustainable cessation of hostilities," said State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau. She said that would let all Syrians have access to aid and provide a basis for a political transition.On August 19, the main umbrella group for the Syrian opposition cautiously welcomed a proposal for a weekly truce in Aleppo, provided this would be monitored by the United Nations.De Mistura has been trying to bring government and opposition representatives back to the negotiating table this month to revive a shattered broader ceasefire.He said he awaited tomorrow's meeting between US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva before commenting further on his "political initiatives" to relaunch the political process.The UN relief plan for Aleppo entails simultaneous deliveries of food to the rebel-held east and government-controlled west, Egeland said."First, a lifeline to eastern Aleppo, going cross-border from Turkey. Initially we would be ready in the first 48-hour weekly pause to have two convoys, of 20 trucks each, that would carry enough food for 80,000 people in eastern Aleppo," he said.Western Aleppo, where needs have "increased dramatically", would be supplied via Damascus, he said.There would also be repairs of the electrical system in the "disputed south" that powers water pumping stations serving 1.8 million people.Civilians in other encircled towns were also malnourished, Egeland said, singling out rebel-besieged Foua and Kefraya in Idlib and government-besieged Madaya near Damascus, which have not had UN food deliveries in 116 days."Starvation is just around the corner," he warned.REUTERS SDR 0116 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-904234.Xml
Rebels and Syria's army agreed a deal today to evacuate all residents and insurgents from the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, a rebel leader and state media said, ending one of the longest stand-offs in the five-year conflict.Syria's army has surrounded rebels and civilians and blocked food deliveries in Daraya since 2012, regularly bombing the area just 7 km from President Bashar al Assad's seat of power.It was one of the first places to see peaceful protests against Assad's rule, and fought off repeated attempts to retake it by government forces as the conflict escalated into civil war. It was also the scene of one of the worst atrocities of the war."We reached agreement on the evacuation of all of the people of Daraya civilians and fighters," said Captain Abu Jamal, the head of the Liwa Shuda al Islam, the biggest of two main rebel groups inside Daraya whose fighters are drawn from its residents.The evacuation, which is similar to deals concluded in several besieged areas in the course of the conflict, could start tomorrow and last for two or three days, he added.In the past weeks, the army has escalated its bombardment of the rebel-held bastion, intensifying the use of barrel and incendiary bombs. Last week its only hospital was hit, rebels and aid workers said."It's difficult to describe my feelings, we kept holding on for four years to the last breath. The city was destroyed over our heads and we are now not leaving a city but a pile of rubble," said Hamam al Sukri, a resident who had been living in a basement with his six-member family.In 2012, several hundred people were killed in Daraya, including civilians, many execution style, after security forces stormed the suburb after locals took up arms. Both the army and rebels blamed the other.Rebels and local council sources said around 5,000 people would be evacuated from the suburb that, before the war, was home to a quarter of a million people.This would include around 1,000 fighters who would be evacuated with their light weapons to rebel-held areas in northern Syria. The army would reassert its control over the city and seize heavy weapons, state media said.Abu Jamal said the deal was reached after a ceasefire yesterday was followed by talks that led to the authorities agreeing to rebel terms for an evacuation."We got the freedom of getting civilians to leave freely to liberated areas or wherever they want. Otherwise it would have been a final surrender with the regime taking us as prisoners of war and sending civilians to an unknown fate," Abu Jamal said.The plight of civilians in Daraya and other besieged areas, has long been of concern to the United Nations, which has condemned the use of starvation by both sides in the Syrian conflict as a weapon of war.Authorities agreed in June to allow UN supplied food deliveries into the suburb under a cessation of hostilities deal, but just one shipment has made it since then. REUTERS SDR 0219 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0431-904243.Xml
One police officer was killed and 25 people wounded in a car bomb attack at a police headquarters in the town of Cizre in southeast Turkey today, hospital sources said.Cizre is in Sirnak, a province that borders both Syria and Iraq and has a largely Kurdish population. REUTERS JW RK1136 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-904421.Xml
Gunmen in Pakistan killed six soldiers and a provincial government official in an ambush on their convoy in the insurgency plagued southwest province of Baluchistan, a senior official in the region said today.The attack took place about 80 kilometres from Gwadar, a port that will play a vital role in a planned 46 billion dollars China-Pakistan economic corridor stretching from the Arabian sea to China's far-western Xinjiang district.The convoy had been returning from dealing with a land dispute late yesterday when gunmen fired rockets and hurled grenades at the group, Tufail Baloch, a deputy district commissioner for Gwadar, told Reuters."It was a sudden attack. They also used AK-47 rifles," he said. The dead included a senior local government official.Separatist groups in Baluchistan, a sparsely populated but vast province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, have launched sporadic attacks on security forces during their decades long struggle for an independent homeland.Pakistan is particularly sensitive to attacks on Chinese workers and interests in Baluchistan, and promised them protection.Militants have mostly targeted government personnel and security forces during the past decade, but attacks on civilians do occur.Last year gunmen stormed Jewani airport in Baluchistan, killing engineers and destroying radar systems.Baluch activists say security forces have carried out hundreds of extrajudicial killings, and thousands of people have disappeared. REUTERS JW RK1234 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0364-904478.Xml
Rousseff is accused of illegally doctoring accounts ahead of her re-election in 2014 to hide a budget shortfall and to keep funding popular social programs, reports the CNN.

She however, denies the allegations and calls the entire process a technical coup d'etat driven by politicians implicated in a massive corruption investigation.

Supreme Court Justice Ricardo Lewandowski is presiding over the trial that started yesterday, with testimony from witnesses planned for the first two days while Rousseff will present her defense on Monday.

Voting is slated to be held on Tuesday.

She was suspended in May, and vice president, Michel Temer, stepped in as the interim president and would finish the term if Rousseff is impeached.

Her impeachment would bring an end to 13 years of Workers' Party rule.

At the same time, several politicians and business leaders were arrested, accused of a bribery scheme centered on the state-run oil company Petrobras, which was chaired by Rousseff for seven years, but she hasn't been implicated in the investigation.

Massive protests erupted across the country as Brazilians lashed out against political corruption and demanded Rousseff's ouster.

She insists that many of the lawmakers pushing for her impeachment want revenge because they were implicated in the investigation. (ANI)
At least eight Turkish police personnel were killed and 50 others injured in a car bombing in Turkey's Sirnak province on Friday. The bomb hit a police station at 6.40 a.m., Xinhua news agency reported. The attack was reportedly carried out by the outlawed Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK). --IANS sm/ksk/mr ( 60 Words) 2016-08-26-13:49:56 (IANS)
A federal judge has ordered the US State Department to start releasing by September 13 an additional 15,000 emails uncovered during the FBI's investigation into Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton's private server. On Monday, State Department officials confirmed the existence of those emails to a separate federal judge, The Hill daily reported. They also claimed they would need until October 14 to review the documents to determine which were work-related and to prepare those for release. That judge had decided to give the State Department until September 23 to figure a schedule to release the emails in batches. But another judge in Florida ruled on Thursday that the State must start releasing those emails by September 13, The Hill reported. Judicial Watch, a conservative watchdog group lauded the judge's decision and accused Clinton of trying to delete relevant work emails. It is "no wonder federal courts in Florida and Washington DC are ordering the State Department to stop stalling and begin releasing the 14,900 new Clinton emails, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in the statement. The ruling, however, only covers emails covered under Judicial Watch's Freedom of Information Act request on the Benghazi attacks and other matters. Clinton gave the State Department about 30,000 emails from her private server last year, which have been released by the agency on a rolling basis. She said she also deleted another 30,000 that she considered personal, The Hill noted. But Federal Bureau of Investigation Director James Comey said in a press conference last month that Clinton had deleted "several thousand" work-related emails, too, which the agency was able to recover. It is unclear how many of the new emails are work related, or if the agency will be able to release all relevant emails before the presidential elections on November 8. The Justice Department cleared Clinton of allegations that she mishandled classified information while she was Secretary of State but still criticised her use of the private email server. --IANS ksk/dg ( 339 Words) 2016-08-26-14:29:56 (IANS)
The troops were on a combat operation when they caught up with around 100 Abu Sayyaf militants in Sulu province, Xinhua news agency quoted a military spokesman as saying.

The battalion was directed to conduct "pursuit and clearing operations" after militants withdrew toward the west, the spokesman said.

The slain militants were involved in the abduction of four persons from Samal last September. Two of the victims, Canadians John Ridsdel and Robert Hall were beheaded by Abu Sayyaf terrorists.

--IANS sm/ksk/bg

( 113 Words)

2016-08-26-15:39:57 (IANS)
At least 11 Turkish police personnel were killed and 78 injured in a car bombing in Turkey's Sirnak province on Friday. The bomb hit a police station at 6.40 a.m., Xinhua news agency reported. The attack was reportedly carried out by the outlawed Kurdish Worker's Party (PKK). Turkish Health minister Recep Akdag said more than 70 persons were injured in the attack with four of them in a critical condition. --IANS sm/ksk/bg ( 83 Words) 2016-08-26-15:58:02 (IANS)
President Tayyip Erdogan said Turkey's resolve to battle militants would only increase after today's attack on a police headquarters in the southeast of the country that he blamed on the outlawed militant group Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK).Turkey was battling militants "at home and abroad", the president said in a statement, two days after Turkey launched an incursion against Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria. REUTERS AKC PM1616 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-904846.Xml
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said today the European Union should start setting up a joint European army.Orban, a staunch critic of the EU's migration policies, said security should be a priority for Europe."We should list the issue of security as a priority, and we should start setting up a common European army," Orban told a news conference after a meeting between Central European member states and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Warsaw.REUTERS AKC NS1633 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-904927.Xml
At least 21 people were killed and 17 others injured when a bus plunged into a river in central Nepal today, police said. The accident occurred around 0500 hours local time when the bus en route to the tourist town of Pokhara from Gaur. skidded off the road and fell about 100 m into the Trishuli river. Out of 41 passengers, 17 were rescued and three unaccounted for. Search operations for the missing persons were underway.The deceased were yet to be identified. Investigations were also underway to find out the cause of the accident.The injured have been admitted to a hospital in Bharatpur. UNI XC SHK RP1704 -- (UNI) -- C-1-1-DL0430-905000.Xml
Zimbabwean police today fired tear gas at opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice president Joice Mujuru as a protest rally against President Robert Mugabe descended into violence, a Reuters witness said.Tsvangirai and Mujuru fled the rally in their cars, the witness said.Security forces have cracked down on rising protests against Mugabe and the ruling ZANU-PF in recent months as the public vents its anger at economic mismanagement, high unemployment and chronic cash shortages. REUTERS AKC GC1718 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-905017.Xml
Philippine commandos killed 11 Islamist militants on a remote southern island today, an army spokesman said, stepping up the offensive after President Rodrigo Duterte reiterated his aim to "destroy" one of Asia's most notorious kidnap gangs.Major Filemon Tan said dozens of Abu Sayyaf rebels, a small but brutal group affiliated with Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, were also wounded in the 45-minute gun battle in the jungle of Jolo island.Seventeen commandos were wounded, Tan said, adding the soldiers clashed with about 100 Abu Sayyaf militants holding about 20 hostages, including eight Indonesians, five Malaysians, a Norwegian and a Dutch national."The mission is clear. Seek and destroy the Abu Sayyaf," Tan told reporters. "By all means, that's what we are doing and we will not stop until it's done."The Abu Sayyaf has dogged successive Philippine governments, entrenching its network with vast sums of ransom money in what has become one of Asia's most lucrative kidnap rackets.Security experts say the rebels are motivated less by Islamist ideology and more by the tens of millions of dollars from kidnappings.Two Canadians were executed this year by the Abu Sayyaf. Last week, two Indonesians escaped captivity but there was speculation the Abu Sayyaf freed them after their families paid their ransoms. REUTERS AKC BD1742 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-905114.Xml
Arizona lawman Joe Arpaio has long battled controversy over his tough stance on illegal immigration but may now face his toughest test as he seeks a seventh term as sheriff of the state's most populous county.Twenty four years after he was first elected sheriff of Maricopa County, which surrounds Phoenix, Arpaio goes to voters facing the possibility of criminal sanctions. Last week, a federal judge recommended that he and three others be prosecuted for contempt of court for failing to comply with an order in a racial profiling case.Prosecutors have not yet decided whether to charge him with contempt, and Arpaio, 84, is widely expected to win at the primary level on August 30. But the man who styles himself as "America's toughest sheriff" could be in for a close race in the November general election."If I didn't care, I would say 'Good," and would let someone else take over," Arpaio, a Republican, said in an interview with Reuters. "That's not how I am."A tireless campaigner against illegal immigration, Arpaio drew national attention in 1993 for setting up a tent city outside the Maricopa County Jail, where inmates were housed even in the desert heat. He is also known for making prisoners wear pink underwear.Arpaio's main competition in Tuesday's primary on the Republican side is from Dan Saban, a former police chief of Buckeye, Arizona who has lost to him twice before."Right now, we have an organization built around one person and his image and it's quite disturbing," said Saban, 60. "I'm compelled as a citizen to offer the voters another choice."By the next fiscal year, county taxpayers are projected to have spent $54 million on the on-going federal racial profiling case.If Arpaio beats Saban on Tuesday, he will go up against Democrat Paul Penzone, a former Phoenix police officer who narrowly lost to Arpaio in 2012.Penzone says the public is fed up with what he called Arpaio's antics."They are just tired of the nonsense," said Penzone, 49. "They are embracing the opportunity to move forward with a new, innovative and professional law enforcement approach."But Arpaio predicts he will win - as he always has."Thanks to the voters and the public, I have always survived and I expect I will now." REUTERS AKC NS1844 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0432-905280.Xml
Turkish forces will remain in Syria for as long as it takes to cleanse the border of Islamic State and other militants, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said today, after a truck bombing by Kurdish insurgents killed at least 11 police officers.The suicide attack at a police headquarters in a province bordering Syria and Iraq came two days after Turkey launched its first major military incursion into Syria, an operation meant to drive Islamic State out of the border area and stop Kurdish militias from seizing ground in their wake.US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov meanwhile tried on Friday at a meeting in Geneva to finalise an agreement on fighting Islamist militants in Syria. Such a deal could in theory pave the way for a political transition to end the five-year conflict.Turkey, a NATO member and part of the US-led coalition against Islamic State, has seen a series of deadly bombings this year blamed on the radical Islamists. But it also fears Kurdish militias in Syria will seize a swathe of border territory and embolden Kurdish insurgents on its own soil.President Tayyip Erdogan said the bombing in Sirnak province would increase Turkey's determination as it fights terrorist groups at home and abroad. Yildirim said there was no doubt the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy, was responsible."From the beginning we have been defending Turkey's territorial integrity. We are also defending Syria's territorial integrity. The aim of these terrorist organisations is ... to form a state in these countries... They will never succeed," Yildirim told a news conference in Istanbul."We will continue our operations (in Syria) until we fully guarantee security of life and property for our citizens and the security of our border. We will continue until Daesh (Islamic State) and other terrorist elements are taken out."After he spoke, the PKK claimed responsibility for the attack on the police headquarters, according to a website affiliated to the group.Syria has condemned the Turkish operation, codenamed "Euphrates Shield", as a breach of its sovereignty. Turkish special forces, tanks and jets launched the incursion in support of Syrian rebels, mostly Turkmen and Arab, who quickly took the border town of Jarablus from Islamic State on Wednesday.An alliance of 23 Kurdish parties in Syria also condemned the Turkish operation on Friday. In a joint statement, they called for a complete withdrawal of all Turkish forces from the country and accused Ankara of trying to occupy Syria under the pretence of fighting terrorism.Turkish military vehicles shuttled in and out of Syria on Friday, Reuters witnesses said, including a construction machine that helped flatten the route for a tank. Controlled explosions rang out around the Karkamis border crossing as Turkish security forces removed mines and booby traps left by Islamic State.Ismail Metin, the commander of Turkey's second army responsible for the borders with Syria and Iraq, visited Jarablus on Friday, local sources said.WEEKS OR MONTHSTurkey has shown little sign so far of a quick withdrawal. US Vice President Joe Biden, who met Erdogan in Ankara on Wednesday, said Turkey was ready to stay in Syria for as long as it takes to destroy Islamic State.A Syrian rebel commander in charge of one of the main groups involved in the Turkish-backed operation told Reuters the forces now aimed to move westward after taking Jarablus, an advance that could take weeks or months to complete.Colonel Ahmad Osman, speaking to Reuters from Jarablus, said the priority was now to advance about 70 km west to Marea, a town where rebels have long had a frontline with Islamic State.Turkey has long lobbied for a "buffer zone" in northern Syria controlled by what it regards as moderate rebels, potentially in border territory currently held by Islamic State and stretching about 80 km west of Jarablus.Sweeping out Islamic State would deprive the group of a smuggling route taken by foreign fighters joining its ranks, and could also create a safe area for displaced civilians and help to stem the flow of refugees, Turkish officials have said.They argue the proposal has become all the more urgent since Ankara began implementing a deal with the European Union to stop illegal migration earlier this year."The situation in Syria and Iraq is getting worse," Yildirim told a joint news conference with the visiting prime minister of Bulgaria, which has also been struggling to slow migrant flows."We're cleansing Islamic State and other terrorist elements (in northern Syria) so people living there are not forced to leave their homes. But the problem has to be comprehensively handled at the EU level. Solutions are needed quickly."Syria's war has killed at least a quarter of a million people and forced almost five million to flee the country, many of them to Turkey. The United Nations estimates that 6.5 million are internally displaced.An agreement was reached yesterday to evacuate around 4,000 civilians and 700 fighters from the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, ending one of the conflict's longest stand-offs. Syrian Arab Red Crescent (SARC) vehicles entered the area to prepare for the evacuation today.Syria's army has surrounded rebels and civilians and blocked food deliveries in Daraya since 2012, regularly bombing the area, one of the first places to see peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad.Erdogan, who wants to see Assad removed from power, spoke by phone today with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who backs the Syrian leader, and they stressed the importance of a joint fight against terrorism, the Kremlin said.OVERLAPPING INTERESTSThe suicide bombing in Turkey's southeastern town of Cizre is another reminder of the risks Ankara faces as its gets drawn ever more deeply into Syria's conflict, with the threat of reprisals from both Islamic State and Kurdish insurgents.The provincial governor's office said 11 police officers were killed and 78 people, three of them civilians, wounded.Large plumes of smoke billowed from the blast site. Photographs showed a large three-storey building reduced to its concrete shell, with no walls or windows, surrounded by rubble.Turkey views the PKK, listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union, as closely linked to the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia. Washington, however, has backed the YPG in a separate campaign against Islamic State in northern Syria.Turkish troops fired on YPG fighters south of Jarablus on Thursday, highlighting the cross-cutting of interests of two pivotal NATO allies.The Cizre attack came as Turkey has been weakened by a failed July 15 military coup. More than 1,700 military personnel have been removed for their alleged role in the putsch, including some 40 per cent of admirals and generals, raising concern about the NATO member's ability to protect itself.Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Twitter that Islamic State, the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia were all attacking to take advantage of the failed coup.REUTERS SHS RAI2212 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-905721.Xml
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will raise the issue of a dispute over C2 billion dollars (1.55 billion dollars) worth of Canadian canola exports to China when he meets with officials there next week, a senior Canadian official said today.Canada, the world's biggest canola exporter, wants China, its top export market for the oilseed, to drop plans to toughen inspection standards on September 1. The intensifying dispute threatens to mar Trudeau's visit to China, meant to strengthen Canada's ties with the country. REUTERS SHS PR2330 -- (Reuters) -- C-1-1-DL0329-905774.Xml
With years of experience and one of Peshawar's oldest chappal maestros, Jahangir Khan boasted about the sandals in the media only to invite Wildlife Department to take action against him. The department later confiscated the Peshawari sandals and deer skin, ARY News reported.

As the killing of deer was prohibited, the police was interrogating as to how did Jahangir get deer skin and who else were involved in the illegal activity.

From Peshawar, King Khans paternal cousin sister, Noor Jehan, is due to fly to India next month to meet him and she was to deliver the sandals to the Bollywood actor.

Since I will be visiting Shah Rukh Khan very soon, I telephoned him to guess what he wants from Pakistan and he has actually asked me to bring Peshawari chappals for him, Noor Jehan was quoted as saying.

It took a month to design and then create the masterpiece, said Jahangir who has a long history of making Peshawari sandals for well-known Pakistani celebrities and politicians.

Sandals from Jahangirs shop in Peshawar are also frequently exported on expatriates special demands to other parts of the world, including England, Dubai and Australia.

--IANS sku/

( 231 Words)

2016-08-27-01:01:56 (IANS)




Photo taken on Aug. 25, 2016 shows delegates posing for a group photo during the 3rd meeting of China-ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA+China) in Bandar Seri Begawan, capital of Brunei. The 3rd meeting of China-ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA+China) and the 7th meeting of cultural ministers of ASEAN and its dialogue partners China, Japan, and South Korea (AMCA+3) were held here at Brunei's Prime Minister's Office on Thursday. (Xinhua/Jeffrey Wong)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cultural ministers from members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) expressed their appreciation towards China's efforts in cultural cooperation with its member states here on Thursday.

At the 3rd meeting of China-ASEAN Ministers Responsible for Culture and Arts (AMCA+China) held here at Brunei's Prime Minister's Office, the ASEAN ministers expressed their appreciation to China's cooperation in the implementation of the Plan of Action on ASEAN-China Cooperation in Culture (2014-1018).

They also expressed interest in further cooperation with China in the areas of culture and arts, cultural industries, cultural heritage safeguarding, public cultural service system, culture and technology development, and creativity.

Ding Wei, China's vice cultural minister, said at the meeting that China stands ready to join hands with ASEAN members to strengthen cultural relations, to turn more of their visions into reality, and to enrich and power the comprehensive, steady and sustainable growth of China-ASEAN relations with culture.

The ASEAN ministers also welcomed China's proposal of hosting the 11th ASEAN-China Cultural Forum, and they explored the possible approaches the forum may take in the future.

The next ministerial meeting will be held in Indonesia in 2018.
FREETOWN, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Sino-Sierra Leonean Alumni Association (SISLAA) on Wednesday night held here an orientation ceremony for 49 Sierra Leonean students who will be leaving for China to pursue their further studies.

The 49 students will undertake undergraduate and post-graduate studies in various fields ranging from economics, sciences to mining.

Guo Xin, secretary to the political section of the Chinese Embassy, congratulated the students and looked forward to their fruitful stay in China so as to come back and "play their part in the development of the country".

Three former students who had benefited from Chinese government scholarships praised the Chinese government gesture which they said has significantly helped develop Sierra Leone.

The Public Relations Officer of SISLAA Austin Thomas commended the Chinese government for their support and assistance to Sierra Leone, especially in the country's Ebola crisis.

A highlight of the evening's ceremony were the sharing of fond memories of the pleasant times they experienced from their Chinese hosts during their study in China. Enditem
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi (R) holds talks with Albania's Foreign Minister Ditmir Bushati in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Ling)

BEIJING, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- China and Albania will simplify visa application procedures for each other's citizens and issue five-year multiple entry visas for business, tourism, and family visits.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the announcement at a press briefing after a meeting with his Albanian counterpart Ditmir Bushati on Friday. They signed a memorandum of understanding to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Wang said China encourages more Chinese tourists to pay visits to the friendly and beautiful European country.

The two ministers agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation so as to benefit the two peoples.
HAIKOU, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The former deputy mayor of south China's Haikou City, Li Jie, was sentenced to 11 years for accepting bribes of nine million yuan (about 1.3 million U.S.dollars), the local procuratorate said on Thursday.

The Second Intermediate People's Court of Hainan ruled on Thursday that Li was convicted of the crime for accepting nine million yuan and two gold bricks worth about 20,000 yuan from eight institutions and 23 people over 11 years.

The court also fined him 1.6 million yuan.




Professor Colletta Suda, principal secretary of Kenya's state department of higher education, addresses a ceremony at the Chinese Embassy in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, on Aug. 25, 2016. The ceremony was held on Thursday to bid farewell to 120 Kenyan students who have received scholarships to study in China. (Xinhua/Li Baishun)

NAIROBI, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- A ceremony was held at the Chinese Embassy in Kenya on Thursday to bid farewell to 120 Kenyan students who have received scholarships to study in China.

The Principal Secretary in the state department of higher education, Professor Colletta Suda said scholarships will boost Kenya's aspirations of expanding access to higher education for the youth.

"An opportunity for our youth to access higher education in China is highly valued. The skills these youth will acquire in China will be required back home," Suda said.

The beneficiaries of Chinese government funded scholarships were drawn from leading public universities in Kenya where they were pursuing undergraduate and post postgraduate degrees.

They will be admitted in several universities in China from early September to study cream courses like diplomacy, engineering and public administration.

Suda noted that the Chinese government scholarships have fostered cultural diplomacy while boosting Kenya's efforts to bridge skills gap.

"The number of our students going to China for further studies has gradually increased. As a result, our mutual friendship has been strengthened," said the principal secretary.

China is committed to fostering mutual friendship with Kenya through educational and cultural exchange programs.

Chinese Ambassador to Kenya Liu Xianfa revealed that this year alone, Beijing has offered 450 government scholarships and more than 500 training opportunities for Kenyan youth, state officials and professionals.

"China has become one of the most favored destinations for Kenyans pursuing higher education and professional skills abroad," said remarked.

The Chinese government has since 1982 offered scholarships to Kenyan students annually.
Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (2nd L) speaks at a ceremony during which he delivers the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) to the congress in Bogota, Columbia, Aug. 25, 2016. The Colombian government and the FARC announced late Wednesday that they have reached a final peace agreement to end a half-century of civil war. (Xinhua/Jhon Paz)

BOGOTA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- As Colombians celebrate the most important moments in the country's history after a peace agreement was reached between the government and the FARC guerrillas on Wednesday, the future of Colombia now rests in the millions across the country.

On Oct. 2, the country will vote in a plebiscite on whether to accept or reject the agreement after four years of talks. To many, it might seem obvious that acceptance would win by a large margin after 52 years of war in the Andean country.

However, the actions taken by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), the killings and kidnappings carried out by their fighters, still stick in the throats of many.

Making the importance of this vote clear, President Juan Manuel Santos announced that the full text of the agreement would be made available broadly by the media, on government websites and on social networks on Thursday.

A Gallup poll released on Aug. 16 showed that 67.5 percent of Colombians would vote in favor of the peace deal, with 32.5 percent opposing it.

However, nothing is being taken for granted. While millions of Colombians celebrated the deal and have stated they will vote "Yes" in most polls, the "No" camp has been gaining ground in recent weeks, led by former president and current senator Alvaro Uribe.

Uribe, who still enjoys great support in the country, has been vocal in claiming that the deal is of huge benefit to the FARC but not so favorable to members of the armed forces.

Senator Cecilia Lopez from the Liberal Party is optimistic about the vote. "Many people are awaiting to become familiar with the totality of the agreement. We will get to know it and then people will understand that these agreements mean the end of the FARC, which is a blessing for Colombia," she told Xinhua.

She cautioned that "any country at war is a divided country, the war leaves a lot of pain. The FARC is an organization that causes a lot of resentment in our society. For 52 years, they committed human rights violations, kidnapping, extortion, forced recruitment. The feeling (toward them) is understandable."

"But I feel there will be an important majority in favor of ending this war once and for all and implementing this peace agreement," concluded Lopez.

One of the major points of the agreement is that the FARC will be able to become a political party, once it has fully disarmed.

For Uribe, this is giving away too much. Contrary to Santos, he says a "No" vote would mean the end of the peace process. It would pressure the FARC leaders to reach a better deal, which does not provide impunity to its members and would force those guilty of crimes to face lengthy jail terms. Uribe also objects to those guilty of crimes against humanity being allowed to enter democratic politics.

The agreement, as explained by Santos, allows guerrilla fighters who come forward and confess to avoid jail sentences and be remanded under house arrest. Those who do not confess yet are found guilty in court face jail terms of up to 20 years.

Experts believe that a "Yes" vote would see Colombia enter a post-conflict phase, lasting about a decade, during which it would have to slowly and peacefully resolve differences.

One of the major factors of this phase would be the search for those who disappeared during the conflict and reparations to victims and their families. Thousands of Colombians have never known the fate of their loved ones, despite many searches.

A special unit will be formed to search for bodies and return remains to their families, while a dedicated tribunal will work out the logistics of amnesty and reparations.

Janeth Bautista has searched for 19 years for news of her family, through peaceful protests.

"This is a long awaited moment for the families of the missing as it charts a path to find them and to return to our homes. My sister, Nidia Erika, was (made) disappeared by the army in 1987 as well as my husband, two days later. Until now, this case has seen total impunity. I hope the Truth Commission...will help to reconcile us and bring justice," she told Xinhua, during celebrations in Bogota.

"We, the families of the missing, say 'Yes' to peace because we still believe in justice. We want to leave our children and grandchildren a different country from the one we have lived in," she said.

According to the Center of Resources for Conflict Analysis (CERAC), since the FARC declared a unilateral ceasefire on July 20, 2015, the deaths of civilians killed in clashes between the rebels and the army have dropped by 75 percent.

The conflict in Colombia has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964.
BRASILIA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Senate began Thursday the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff for alleged fiscal wrongdoing.

The trial against Brazil's first woman president is part of a political crisis that has wrecked Brazil since the Workers' Party (PT) candidate was reelected to a second term in 2014 with a less than robust mandate.

The following is a chronology of events leading up to the trial.

-- October 2014: The PT candidate won reelection in a tightly contested runoff, defeating her conservative opponent Aecio Neves of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). However, her relatively slight lead led the opposition to contest the outcome. The electoral court confirmed Rousseff's win.

-- January 2015: Rousseff began her second four-year term by making concessions to the vocal opposition, designating conservative economist Joaquim Levy finance minister. Levy cut public spending in a bid to address fiscal and economic challenges, much to the dismay of Rousseff's power base.

-- February 2015: Eduardo Cunha, of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB) and an ally of Brazil's Vice President Michel Temer, was elected President of the Chamber of Deputies (lower house).

Maria das Gracas Silva Foster, president of the state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileno Sociedad Anonima (Petrobras), resigned following revelations of corruption uncovered by Operation Car Wash, an investigation into widespread graft involving company executives and lawmakers.

-- March 2015: Mass protests took place in the South American country's main cities against corruption in government, and a campaign to impeach Rousseff starts to take shape.

-- May 2015: Political group Free Movement Brazil filed for impeachment, submitting its case to Cunha, the president of the Chamber of Deputies.

-- June 2015: Brazil's Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), which has the power to audit fiscal statements, presented the government with a deadline to explain delays in payments to state banks, or what was called "tax pedaling" or "fiscal pedaling."

-- July 2015: An informant for Operation Car Wash accused Cunha of receiving millions of reais (Brazil's currency) in bribes from Petrobras. Cunha announced his split from the government.

-- August 2015: Opinion polls showed 71 percent of those surveyed disapprove of Rousseff's government at a time when Brazil's economy was entering into a recession and anti-government demonstrations have resurfaced.

-- September 2015: The government made its case before the TCU, concluding there was no violation of Brazil's Fiscal Responsibility Law.

Standard and Poor's lowered its credit rating and Brazil loses its "investment grade" status.

-- October 2015: Rousseff restructured the coalition government with a new majority in Congress.

The TCU recommended Congress reject the government's explanations regarding tax pedaling and a group of lawyers presents a petition to impeach the president for fiscal irregularities.

-- Dec. 2, 2015: The ruling party faction in the Chamber of Deputies voted in favor of investigating Cunha for suspected corruption. Later the same day, Cunha authorized the lawyers' impeachment petition, officially starting the impeachment process against Rousseff.

The Federal Supreme Court (STF) outlined the steps Congress must follow and Vice President Temer delivered a letter to Rousseff confirming he would maintain "institutional" ties to the government.

-- Dec. 16, 2015: Finance Minister Levy stepped down; Brazil lost its "investment grade" status from credit rating agency Fitch.

-- March 4, 2016: Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2010), Rousseff's mentor, is taken into police custody for questioning regarding the Petrobras case.

-- March 13, 2016: Mass anti-government protests fueled by the opposition called for impeachment.

-- March 17, 2016: The Chamber of Deputies formed a Special Commission to analyze the process. Lula da Silva was named a minister but the justice system suspended the appointment.

-- March 18, 2016: Mass pro-government protests took place.

-- March 22, 2016: Rousseff claimed the impeachment process was in effect a "coup d'etat" to seize power.

-- March 29, 2016: Vice President Mickel Temer's political party, the PMDB, abandoned the government coalition, followed by other smaller parties.

-- April 12, 2016: The Chamber of Deputies' Special Commission recommended impeachment, citing "criminal responsibility" on the part of Rousseff.

-- April 17, 2016: The full Chamber of Deputies approved the impeachment process, and the proposal passes to the Senate.

-- April 25, 2016: The Senate installed a Special Commission to analyze the impeachment case.

-- May 5, 2016: The STF removed Cunha from his position for obstructing the investigation into his alleged corruption.

-- May 6, 2016: The Senate's Special Commission recommended the impeachment process go ahead.

-- May 9, 2016: The Chamber of Deputies' Interim President Waldir Maranhao canceled the chamber's support for an impeachment process and later revoked his own decision. However, the Senate decided to continue with the issue.

-- May 11, 2016: The Senate voted to hold an impeachment trial, and suspended the president for up to 180 days, during which the trial must take place.

-- June: Three ministers in Temer's interim government were forced to resign following allegations of corruption.

-- June 6: The special Senate commission drew up an impeachment timetable.

-- June 8: Published poll showed 61 percent of Brazilians believe impeachment process was "legitimate," and 50 percent support early elections.

-- June 27: Senate investigators concluded Rousseff played no role in tampering with the fiscal accounts.

-- Aug. 2: Despite their findings, the special Senate commission's point man Antonio Anastasia claimed Rousseff "violated the Constitution."

-- Aug. 9: His report was approved by a vote of 59 to 21, paving the way for the impeachment trial.

-- Aug. 25-26: The trial will hear from both the defense and prosecution.

-- Aug. 29: Rousseff is to be cross-examined by the Senate.

-- Aug. 30: Senators will vote on whether to impeach the president or not, in a process that may extend into the early hours of Wednesday, Aug. 31.

At least 54 of the 81 senators must vote in favor of impeaching Rousseff to strip her of office, and bar her from holding elected office for a period of eight years. Otherwise, she can immediately resume the presidency.
Peter Thomson, president-elect of the 71st United Nations General Assembly, receives an exclusive interview with Xinhua in New York, the United States, Aug. 24, 2016. "China is playing a leading role in green finance," said Peter Thomson, pointing out that green finance is critical for transforming the world into sustainable development. (Xinhua/Li Muzi)

by Xinhua writer Shi Xiaomeng

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Green finance is critical for transforming the world into sustainable development, said Peter Thomson, president-elect of the UN General Assembly (GA), in an interview.

As the president of the upcoming GA 71st session, Thomson told Xinhua that his priority, after he takes on the presidency in September, is the implementation of the 2030 sustainable development agenda. "This is my burning issue."

The agenda was adopted by UN member states last year in September. By outlining 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), it has asked the world works together to end poverty by 2030 and meanwhile achieve social progress and combat climate change.

Thomson said green finance is central to the implementation of the 2030 agenda; therefore he is going to work on ideas of aligning the global financial system with the agenda during his tenure.

Besides, Thomson said he will also work with heads of government on how to get the message of SDGs to ordinary people, since the average citizen does not know yet about the goals.

"I want people everywhere to see them as rights and responsibilities that every human being should be working towards in order to get that sustainability and survival for generations to come," he said.

To that end, Thomson noted "education system has a huge role to play," and he believes that SDGs should be taught in every school so that young people can understand these are responsibilities for everyone to be enrolled with.

CHINA PLAYS LEADING ROLE ON GREEN FINANCE

"China is playing a leading role in green finance," said Thomson, and "China's efforts are going to be very important to transforming our world which is the overall aim of the 2030 agenda."

Thomson is paying a visit to China from Aug. 25-27 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Thomson noted he is scheduled to meet with senior Chinese officials and discuss issues including development for green economy.

On the upcoming G20 summit to be held in east China's Hangzhou city, Thomson said he is very encouraged by its theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Inter-connected and Inclusive World Economy," since an inclusive economy can benefit people in an equitable way.

He also congratulated the G20 organizers on bringing in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development into the mainstream of the work of G20, while saying he looks forward to the summit's outcome.

"We will certainly do our part here at the United Nations in terms of the G20 outcome to make sure it's built into the international implementation plans," he added.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The behavior of four Iranian vessels that approached a U.S. warship in international waters in the Strait of Hormuz is "not acceptable" and such action could "unnecessarily escalate tensions," the White House said Thursday.

"At this point it's not clear what the intentions of the Iranian ships were, but the behavior is not acceptable, given that this U.S. ship was in international waters," White House spokesperson Josh Earnest told a regular press briefing.

"These types of actions and incidents are concerning, and they have the potential to unnecessarily escalate tensions," he said.

Four Iranian vessels carried out a "high-speed intercept" of a U.S. destroyer on Tuesday around the Strait of Hormuz, U.S. media reported on Wednesday.

Citing a U.S. Navy official who spoke on condition of anonymity, Fox News reported that the United States deemed the incident "unsafe and unprofessional," adding that two of the Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps vessels came within 300 yards of the USS Nitze.

The USS Nitze, navigating in what the U.S. official described as "international waters" at the time of the incident, was forced to change its course, Fox News reported.

"The United States is not seeking to escalate the already volatile situation in that region of the world," Earnest said. "We don't want anybody else to either."
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- For U.S. media covering the 2016 presidential election, one of the vexing issues is Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton's phobia about press conference.

When asked about when it would hold the first press conference for the former secretary of state since last December, the Clinton campaign couldn't be even blunter.

"We'll have a press conference when we want to have a press conference," said Clinton pollster Joel Benenson in an interview with ABC News in July.

Two hundred and thirty-eight days into 2016, Clinton has so far held not a single press conference.

Her unwillingness to have a freewheeling exchange with the press comes at a time when the standard-bearer of the Democratic Party, dogged by trust deficit since the beginning of her campaign, is scrambling to fend off new political firestorm after an investigative report by AP found that more than half of the people from outside the U.S. government who spoke with Clinton during her stint in the State Department also gave money to the Clinton foundation.

"Isn't the antidote to this (Clinton's trust issue) to sit her down today in front of your traveling press corps..... and let her take questions until there are no more questions to be answered?" asked Nicolle Wallace, a NBC News commentator in an interview with Clinton's campaign manager Robby Mook on Wednesday.

In Clinton's defense, Mook simply responded by arguing that Clinton "has done over 300 interviews this year alone."

In the ensuing exchange, Wallace questioned whether the Clinton campaign's practice to insulate the former secretary of state from any unscripted and unmoderated Q&A sessions with the press would work against Clinton in her efforts to deal with the "perception problem on the question of honesty and trustworthiness."

The response Wallace got, however, was mere mechanical repetition of what she had already gleaned from Mook.

"She's done over 300 interviews this year. And she takes questions in a variety of formats and we're going to keep looking at that," said Mook.

The frustration from the U.S. media builds on as media scrutiny of Clinton's total avoidance of a press conference continues.

Calling it "a dangerous precedent", Chris Cillizza from The Washington Post commented that Clinton's obliged to hold press conference, "a responsibility that comes with the job" she is running for.

"Clinton's resistance to any real engagement with the media in the campaign sets a dangerous precedent for how accountable and transparent she might be as president," wrote Cillizza.

In June, the U.S. daily USA TODAY editor and columnist Rem Rieder also challenged Clinton to "Stop avoiding reporters. Start answering their questions on a regular basis. Hold a press conference."

As Clinton continues to shun press conference amid roiling controversy over alleged connection between the Clinton Foundation and the U.S. State Department, her political foes in the Republican Party seized on the opening.

"It's time for Hillary Clinton to hold a press conference to explain the brazen conflicts of interest and obvious pay-to-play politics that went on in her State Department," said Reince Priebus, chairman of the Republican National Committee, in a statement.

"Clinton owes explanations for why she broke ethics agreements regarding foreign donations to her family foundation, gave preferential treatment to foundation donors as secretary of state, and why we should believe that her secret server wasn't designed to cover up the shady pay-to-play politics at her State Department," said Priebus.

So far, there is little sign that Clinton will soon defend herself at a press conference.

In a move to show her willingness to take questions, Clinton had a phone interview with CNN on Wednesday night. However, she remained evasive when asked about any future plan to hold a press conference.

"Stay tuned," said Clinton. "There'll be a lot of different opportunities for me to talk to the press."

Related:

Colin Powell dismisses claim that he advises Hillary Clinton to use private email

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- U.S. former Secretary of State Colin Powell over the weekend pushed back on reports indicating that he advised Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton to use a private email account while serving as the top diplomat of the country.

"Her people have been trying to pin it on me," said Powell in an interview with People magazine on Saturday. "The truth is, she was using (the private email server) for a year before I sent her a memo telling her what I did." Full story

FBI uncovers more undisclosed documents in Hillary Clinton email probe

WASHINGTON, Aug. 22 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) has uncovered nearly 15,000 previously undisclosed documents to or from Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton when she served as secretary of state, a federal judge was told at a hearing on Monday.
Photo provided by Colombian Presidency shows Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos (C) taking part in a ceremony to deliver to the Congress the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), in Bogota Aug. 25, 2016. Juan Manuel Santos will sign the final peace deal with the FARC ahead of the Oct. 2 plebiscite to decide whether to approve the agreement or not, government negotiators said on Thursday. (Xinhua/Juan David Tena/Colombian Presidency)

HAVANA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos will sign the final peace deal with the FARC guerrilla prior to the Oct. 2 plebiscite where the Colombian people will decide whether to approve the agreement or not, government negotiators said Thursday.

Humberto de la Calle, Colombia's top negotiator, told a press conference that both sides had not decided the date and place where the deal will be signed.

"The signing ceremony must be convened between both parties and we are currently discussing this matter. Nonetheless, it will be before the plebiscite," he explained.

Representatives of the Colombian government also said the peace agreement with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is the best opportunity for the South American nation to leave behind more than 50 years of armed conflict.

De la Calle stressed this peace agreement is the product of nearly four years of tough negotiations with the FARC and that Colombians have the possibility to fully endorse it.

"The war is over and the challenge of building a firm and lasting peace has opened up. The work we did in Havana is now accessible to Colombians who will decide whether we were right or not," he added.

De la Calle added that the peace agreement is a great opportunity to replace weapons with political debate, as it will allow the FARC rebels to become a political movement and run in the 2018 elections.

"The guerrilla will be able to run for any office in the 2018 elections within our democratic framework," explained the former vice president.

Meanwhile, Sergio Jaramillo, High Commissioner for Peace in Colombia, said the deal is the only way the South American nation can have a new opportunity to live in peace.

"If this deal becomes a reality, we stop the war, hundreds of soldiers and police in Colombia stop dying every year as well as men and women of the FARC," he said.

On Wednesday, the government and guerrilla delegations reached a final agreement to end the conflict and build a stable and lasting peace.

Earlier this month, both sides announced a protocol and timetable, supervised by the UN, to implement the ceasefire and disarmament agreements signed in June by the rebels' top leader Timoleon Jimenez and President Santos in Cuba.

During the negotiating process, the parties also reached agreements on mechanisms for access to land for poor peasants, transforming the guerrillas into a political party, justice, counter narcotics, mine clearance and search for missing persons.

The accord would commit Colombia's government to carrying out aggressive land reform, a renovation of its anti-narcotics strategy and protect demobilized rebels and leftist activists which traditionally would be killed or marginalized by right wing groups.

Colombia's conflict has killed more than 220,000 people and displaced millions since 1964.

Related:

Colombian gov't, FARC guerrillas reach peace agreement after years of talks

HAVANA, Aug. 24 (Xinhua) -- The Colombian government and the insurgent Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) announced Wednesday that they have reached a final agreement to conclude the peace negotiations that has been held for nearly four years.
Lawyer of the suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff Jose Eduardo Cardozo (L) and President of the Supreme Court Ricardo Lewandowski (2nd L) take part in the Senate's session, during which the final stage of the impeachment process against Rousseff is started, in Brasilia, Brazil, on Aug. 25, 2016. The Brazilian Senate began Thursday the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff. (Xinhua/Andre Dusek/AGENCIA ESTADO)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that the country's Senate inaugurated a "national day of shame" with the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff.

"Today is a national day of shame, a day on which senators started to rip apart the country's constitution and a day on which they begin to debate punishing an innocent woman, whose only crime was being honest," he said.

According to Lula, the senators are not trying to depose Rousseff, but instead cancelling the votes of the 54 million citizens who re-elected her in 2014.

Lula also criticized the administration of interim President Michel Temer, which he sees as trampling the Constitution to grab power.

"They found a way to get to power without having to run in an election, via a coup in the Congress. I have nothing personal against Temer. I just wish he knew that it would be dignified if he, as an expert in constitutional law, did not accept to come to power through a coup. He should say he is going to run in 2018, to find out whether he would be elected by the vote of the Brazilian people," he said.

The former president also criticized measures taken by Temer, including privatizations of state-owned assets and the divestment campaign of Petrobras.

Rousseff's impeachment trial started on Thursday with the testimonies of witnesses. This phase is expected to last until next Monday, when defense and accusation will present their statements. The impeachment vote is expected to take place Tuesday.

In order to impeach Rousseff, her opponents need a two-thirds majority in the Senate -- the votes of 54 out of 81 senators.

Related:

Brazilian Senate begins impeachment trial against Dilma Rousseff

BRASILIA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian Senate began Thursday the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff.
Donald Trump (L) speaks on the last day of the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, Ohio, the United States, July 21, 2016. U.S. Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton (R) gestures to spectators 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. (Xinhua/File Photo)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 28 (Xinhua) -- More than half of the likely voters, or 53 percent, said they had "strongly unfavorable" views of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, while 46 percent said the same about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, according to a national poll released Thursday.

Clinton now holds 10-point lead over Trump, 51 percent to 41 percent, among likely voters in a two-way race, the Quinnipiac University poll finds.

The New York billionaire leads Clinton among white men, 59 percent to 32 percent, and voters who are 50 years of age and older, while Clinton has the support of women, 60 percent to 36 percent, and those younger than 50, the poll shows, noting Trump has only 29 percent support of millennials aged from 18 to 34, and 15 percent of nonwhites.

Unpopularity rate remains high for both the two main parties' candidates though the latest results are a little bit better than what was issued earlier this month.

The former Secretary of State is viewed negatively by 59 percent of voters and Trump by 64 percent, according to the NBC News and the Survey Monkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll issued on Aug. 16.

Trump has recently soften his harshest positions on illegal immigrants and even apologized for causing pain to those he had attacked. However, it is deeply suspected if the change can continue and improve his performance in the polls.

Meanwhile, criticism has mounted for days over the allegations that donors to the Clinton Foundation enjoyed an easy access to Clinton during her time in the State Department.

The position change of Trump seems to be too convenient while the allegations over the Clinton Foundation have dealt a new blow to the Democratic nominee, leaving small room for them to swiftly enhance their popularities among voters, local analysts say.
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Lookout, Inc. said Thursday an active threat has been identified using three critical vulnerabilities in iPhone's operating system that, when exploited, form an attack chain that subverts Apple Inc.'s security environment.

The mobile security company based in San Francisco said in a blog on its website that it has joined Citizen Lab of University of Toronto to name the iOS zero-day vulnerabilities "Trident" and to work with Apple's security team, which in turn fixed all three iOS vulnerabilities in its 9.3.5 patch.

Trident is used in a spyware product called Pegasus, which according to an investigation by Citizen Lab, is developed by an organization called NSO Group, an Israeli-based organization that was acquired by U.S. company Francisco Partners Management in 2010, the Lookout blog noted, adding that news reports have identified NSO Group as specializing in "cyber war."

Pegasus is highly advanced in its use of zero-days, obfuscation, encryption and kernel-level exploitation. And NSO Group has allegedly used fake domains, impersonating sites such as the International Committee for the Red Cross, the British government's visa application processing website, and a wide range of news organizations and major technology companies in its operations.

Both Lookout and Citizen Lab have created reports to provide a detailed analysis of the malicious code of the spyware. And in its report, Lookout provides an in-depth technical look at the targeted espionage attack that is actively being used against iOS users throughout the world.

Promising that it will send out an alert any time a new update is available, Lookout recommended all iPhone users update their devices to the latest version of iOS immediately.
MELBOURNE, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- An Australian study found that a popular education program aimed at reducing teen pregnancy rates could have the opposite effect.

The Virtual Infant Parenting (VIP) program whereby teenagers are given a "robot baby" to care for prompted a 6 percent rise in teen pregnancy rates, according to a study by the Western Australian Telethon Kids Institute.

Half of the 3,000 13 to 15 year-old girls who participated in the study were required to take part in the VIP program while the other half were subjected to standard health education curriculum.

Of the 1,500 girls who took care of a robot baby, 17 percent had fallen pregnant by the time they turned 20, compared to 11 percent of those who were given standard education.

"The results were unfortunately not what we were hoping for," project leader Sally Brinkman, from the Telethon Kids Institute, told the ABC on Friday.

"The aim of the program was to prevent teenage pregnancy, we can definitely say that it didn't do that."

Brinkman said the fact that most of the girls who participated in VIP enjoyed caring for the baby could be one reason for the results.

"Most of (the students) really enjoyed the program and they liked it, they got a lot of attention when they had the infant simulators... they definitely weren't put off," she said.

Brinkman said she recommended that VIP stopped being used in schools.

"In terms of trying to prevent teenage pregnancy, I think on the basis of our results, I don't think it's a good public spend," Brinkman said.

"The education system delivers a whole lot of programs to students and many of them do not have a solid evidence base."

Programs similar to VIP are currently being used in 89 countries.
WELLINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government Friday welcomed the conclusion of a peace agreement between the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) guerrilla movement.

"This is an important development for Colombia and for the region, that will afford the people of Colombia greater stability and prosperity in the years to come," New Zealand Foreign Minister Murray McCully said in a statement.

"The accord concludes the domestic conflict with the FARC that has impacted on Colombia for the past 52 years," he said.

"New Zealand has worked to support Colombia's peace efforts, including through our position on the United Nations Security Council, and we will continue to support them as they begin to implement this agreement."
Congress people take part in the Brazilian Senate's session, during which the final stage of the impeachment process against suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is started, in Brasilia, Brazil, on Aug. 25, 2016. The Brazilian Senate began Thursday the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff. (Xinhua/Andre Dusek/AGENCIA ESTADO)

RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The impeachment trial against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff began Thursday with the prosecution's main witness disqualified.

Julio Marcelo de Oliveira, a prosecutor at the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), was supposed to testify earlier in the day.

However, the Supreme Court chief justice Ricardo Lewandowski disqualified Oliveira as a witness after Rousseff's defense team argued the federal prosecutor attended anti-Rousseff protests.

Oliveira, who accused Rousseff of breaking budget laws in his testimony, will instead testify as an informant.

All witnesses in the impeachment trial are being kept isolated in a hotel in Brasilia without access to any sort of news. The testimony process is expected to last until Monday, when both the prosecution and the defense will present their final statements.

Rousseff is expected to present her own defense on Monday. On Tuesday, the Senate will have the final vote.

If found guilty, Rousseff will be removed from office definitively.

Rousseff is charged with spending without congressional approval and manipulating government accounts in the run-up to her 2014 re-election.
BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's main agricultural export platform, the Chamber of Commerce of Rosario, highlighted on Thursday the importance of China as an agricultural partner.

In a report, Julio Calzada, head of economic studies and information of the chamber of commerce, said "we have detected a series of positive indicators for the Argentinean economy...stemming from our commercial relationship with China, especially their imports of agricultural products and soybeans."

"China takes up 65 percent of the global trade of soybeans and its main suppliers are Brazil, the United States and Argentina," he added.

According to the report, China bought 81.7 million tons of soybeans and 820,000 tons of soybean oil in 2015. Argentina provided around 11.5 percent of Chinese soybean imports with 9.4 million tons, and 63 percent of its purchase of soybean oil.

Chinese imports from the United States, Brazil and Argentina grew by 14 percent in 2015, capping "a remarkable growth of 55 percent over the last four years," the report said.

"China is a central actor and key to the future of the international soybean market and its derivatives," the chamber of commerce in its report.

"The interesting thing is that bilateral trade between Argentina and China is highly complementary. Chinese exports to our country are almost entirely non-agricultural while its imports from Argentina are highly concentrated on agricultural products," the report concluded.
SYDNEY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Australia Post has returned to profit despite a record decline in the number of letter volumes, the national postal service said on Friday.

In an announcement to the ASX, Australia Post attributed its growth to the parcels business and changes to its mail delivery service, which helped the postal service deliver a 36 million Australian dollars (27.47 million U.S. dollars) net profit for 2015/16, a turnaround from the previous year's of 222 million Australian dollars (169.37 million U.S. dollars) loss.

Australia Post managing director and chief executive Ahmed Fahour said the return to profit follows a strong financial discipline applied across the business resulting in one of the biggest transformations in the organization's history.

"Returning to profit is a pleasing result for our employees, post office operators, and our other important stakeholders, and shows that Australia Post is on a more sustainable path for future growth," Fahour said.

"Changes to the letters business introduced earlier this year were an important factor in the group returning to profitability."

"While the letters business is in structural decline, we have reduced our forecast cumulative losses in letters from around 5 billion Australian dollars (3.81 billion U.S. dollars) to 1.5 billion Australian dollars (1.14 billion U.S. dollars) over the next five years," he said.

He also confirmed Australia Post was continuing to experiment with drone technology to deliver parcels, putting it in direct competition with the likes of Amazon and Google
YANGON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw has pledged government assistance to renovate and preserve the ancient stupas and pagodas damaged by a powerful earthquake that struck the central part of Myanmar on Wednesday, official report said Friday.

Assessing the damage in the archaeological site in Bagan on Thursday, U Htin Kyaw called for protecting the heritage of ancient objects, stressing that the renovation work should maintain the original features with the help of foreign experts.

According to updated report, the quake destroyed 241 pagodas in the Bagan region.

Visitors have been denied access to the damaged Bagan archaeological site with security measures being imposed on the area.

Meanwhile, State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi urged the Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs not to make haphazard repair of the toppled spires of the pagodas but to to draw up a project plan with technical assistance from the World Heritage Center of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The Yangon office of UNESCO has reportedly deployed experts to assess the damage.

At least three people have been killed and six others injured in Wednesday's 6.8-magnitude powerful earthquake.

With an epicenter 197.9 kilometers southwest of Mandalay and 19.3 kilometers west of Chauk, the quake jolted most parts of the country including Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon.
Tibetan Buddhist monks and assistants work on the sand mandala on May 12, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Tibet boasts very unique and original arts and crafts that are closely related to Buddhism. Mostly untouched by the outside world, the pure forms of Tibetan arts have been preserved over a long period of time. Everything has the original Tibetan essence and its own charm. If you are on a trip to Tibet or planning to go there, don't forget to take home some of the handiwork. Here are some tips on what to admire and pick.



Thangka

Thangka paintings and a student learning from a thangka master in Lhasa. (Xinhua)

Thangka is perhaps the most widely known Tibetan art. As an over 1,300-year-old traditional Tibetan form of religious art, thangka can be seen almost everywhere in Tibet: in monasteries, shops and restaurants and at every Buddhist's home.

A silk thangka (Xinhua/Zhang Hongxiang)

Thangka painters are working together on a huge painting at a workshop in Lhasa, July 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)

Thangkas are Tibetan Buddhist scroll paintings on paper, cloth or silk. Subjects are mainly deities, religious stories and mandala. Some also illustrate the history and customs of Tibet and lifestyles of Tibetan people.

Painters draw thangka at a workshop on Barkhor Street in Lhasa, capital of the Tibet Autonomous region in southwest China. (Xinhua)

A thangka master is drawing foundational lines of the deities and other figures and objects. (Xinhua/Jigme Dorje)



While the size of a Thanka painting can be extremely large, tens of meters in each dimension, most thankas are similar to a Western half-length portrait and easy to carry.

A huge thangka is displayed during the "unveiling of the Buddha" event at the Zhaxi Lhunbo Lamasery in Xigaze, southwest China's Tibet Autonomous Region, July 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)



Sand mandala

Photo taken on May 20, 2016 shows the completed sand mandala. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

An assistant lays sand grains at the center of the sand mandala on May 11, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

Unique to Tibetan Buddhism, the sand mandala is created from colored powders, as suggested by its Tibetan name "dul-tson-kyil-khor".

Photo taken on May 10, 2016 shows mineral powders used to create the sand mandala. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

A Tibetan Buddhist monk meditates before start working on the sand mandala on May 10, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)



But you cannot take the sand mandala home, because it is just like a sandcastle - it's created from colored powders. It takes weeks to make one, and when completed, the mandala is blessed --and then demolished.

A Tibetan Buddhist monk is destroying the sand mandala on May 20, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)



It would be worthwhile to witness the process, as the mandala symbolizes impermanence: some beauty is only meant for this world for a short time.

Photo taken on May 20, 2016 shows some of the patterns of the sand mandala. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)



Tibetan incense

A worker checks the incense sticks in the drying process. (Xinhua/ Purbu Tashi)

The incense is known for its unique production techniques and natural ingredients free from man-made pollution. As well as being used in Buddhist rituals, it is believed to help kill germs, purge contaminated air, and aid sleep.

A worker makes incense in his village home in Nyemo County of Lhasa on May 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)



In 2008, Tibetan incense-making was included in China's state-level list of intangible cultural heritage.





Photo taken on May 26, 2016 shows a worker (L) with bundles of Tibetan incense ready for sale. (Xinhua/Purbu Tashi)

It is expected the incense will bring prosperity to the users as well as tranquility to the soul.

A craftsman softens sheepskin by rubbing it with a traditional tool. (Xinhua/Shi Haoyi)
Fijian diplomat Peter Thomson addresses the General Assembly after being elected as president of the 71st session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), at the UN headquarters in New York, June 13, 2016. Thomson will replace the current president, Mogens Lykketoft of Denmark, when the next assembly session convenes in September this year. (Xinhua/Un Photo/Manuel Elias)

by Xinhua writer Shi Xiaomeng

UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Green finance is critical for transforming the world into sustainable development, said Peter Thomson, president-elect of the UN General Assembly (GA), in an interview.

As the president of the upcoming GA 71st session, Thomson told Xinhua that his priority, after he takes on the presidency in September, is the implementation of the 2030 sustainable development agenda. "This is my burning issue."

The agenda was adopted by UN member states last year in September. By outlining 17 sustainable development goals (SDGs), it has asked the world to work together to end poverty by 2030 and meanwhile achieve social progress and combat climate change.

Thomson said green finance is central to the implementation of the 2030 agenda; therefore he is going to work on ideas of aligning the global financial system with the agenda during his tenure.

Besides, Thomson said he will also work with heads of government on how to get the message of SDGs to ordinary people, since the average citizen does not know yet about the goals.

"I want people everywhere to see them as rights and responsibilities that every human being should be working towards in order to get that sustainability and survival for generations to come," he said.

To that end, Thomson noted "education system has a huge role to play," and he believes that SDGs should be taught in every school so that young people can understand these are responsibilities for everyone to be enrolled with.

CHINA PLAYS LEADING ROLE ON GREEN FINANCE

"China is playing a leading role in green finance," said Thomson, and "China's efforts are going to be very important to transforming our world which is the overall aim of the 2030 agenda."

Thomson is paying a visit to China from Aug. 25-27 at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Thomson noted he is scheduled to meet with senior Chinese officials and discuss issues including development for green economy.

On the upcoming G20 summit to be held in east China's Hangzhou city, Thomson said he is very encouraged by its theme of "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Inter-connected and Inclusive World Economy," since an inclusive economy can benefit people in an equitable way.

He also congratulated the G20 organizers on bringing in the 2030 agenda for sustainable development into the mainstream of the work of G20, while saying he looks forward to the summit's outcome.

"We will certainly do our part here at the United Nations in terms of the G20 outcome to make sure it's built into the international implementation plans," he added.
HAVANA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cuba confirmed on Thursday that direct commercial flights with the United States would resume on Aug. 31 after more than 50 years of interruption, following thawing ties between the two former Cold War enemies.

"The start of regular commercial flights from the United States is a positive step and a major contribution to better relations between the two countries," Eduardo Rodriguez, Cuba's deputy minister of transportation, said at a press conference.

According to official media outlets, Rodriguez said JetBlue Airways, a low-cost U.S. airline, will fly the first of the commercial flights from Miami to the central city of Santa Clara on Aug. 31.

JetBlue will fly three times a week to this destination until Oct. 29 before switching to a daily flight.

Other carriers like American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines will begin their flights in September and beyond to other major cities.

Cuban and the United States agreed in February to reestablish commercial flights, including 20 daily round-trip flights to Havana, which are awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"The delay on the approval of direct commercial flights to Havana is that airlines applied for three times as many daily flights as the agreement allows," Rodriguez said.

The Cuban official added that U.S. citizens still cannot freely travel to the island and that those who come on these direct commercial flights must qualify for one of 12 categories for people-to-people travel.

The deputy transportation minister said Cuban airports are ready for U.S. travelers and airlines and that measures are taken for expected levels of operations and security.

Meanwhile, Alfredo Cordero, president of Cuba's Civil Aviation Institute, said the reestablishment of direct commercial flights is a new step in building trust between the two countries.

"Cuba will facilitate all logistic, legal and material conditions that U.S. airlines may require in our country just as we do with other international airlines that have flown here for years," he said.

Cordero said the agreement between the two countries is reciprocal and the island's only airline, Cubana de Aviacion, is taking legal steps to start direct flights to the United States in the future.

Chartered flights, which have carried passengers to and from Cuba for decades, mainly catering to Cuban-Americans who visit their families in the island, will continue to operate.

Regular direct commercial flights were suspended in 1961 following the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion which was repelled by Cuban forces.
SANTIAGO, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Chile has announced the creation of the largest marine reserve in the Americas, the 300,000-square-kilometer Nazca Desventuradas Marine Park.

"There is a biodiversity that merits protection," Foreign Minister Heraldo Munoz said Wednesday in announcing the presidential decree to protect the area.

The reserve features two pristine islands, San Ambrosio and San Felix, home to a wide variety of endemic marine plant and animal species.

The decree calls for the creation of the Council of Ministers for Oceanic Policy composed by the heads of the ministries of defense, environment and economy.

"We are an oceanic country and sometimes it seems as if we live with our backs to the sea. We have the responsibility to conserve and use the ocean in a sustainable manner for present and future generations," said Munoz.

The new council is to work with government agencies, private sectors, universities, research centers and fishermen to devise a long-term conservation policy.

Previously, Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has announced the marine reserve plan at an international conference on oceans.

The reserve will "triple the maritime territory" that Chile has under protection, Environment Minister Pablo Badenier said.

Oceana, a non-governmental organization that promotes marine conservation, welcomed the announcement.

"At a time when the oceans are suffering from over exploitation of species, pollution and climate change, the protection of these islands represent a major step for Chile," said Director of Oceana Lisbeth van der Meer.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Twenty people were killed and 17 others injured in a bus accident in central Nepal, police said on Friday.

The accident happened in Narayangarh-Mugling road stretch in Chitwan District, some 100 km west of the capital Kathmandu.

The bus, en route to Pokhara of western Nepal, veered off the road at Chandibhanjyang of Chitwan District and plunged some 200 meters down the local Trishuli River at 3:00 a.m. local time, senior police official Bashanta Raj Kunwar said.

The accident was the second deadly one in the Himalayan nation in 15 days. Last week 26 people were killed in another car crash in Sindhupalchowk, some 100 km away from the capital.
HANOI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A military training aircraft L-39 of Vietnam crashed Friday morning at a rice paddy in central Phu Yen Province, some 950 km south of capital Hanoi, a local official told Xinhua.

The sole pilot was killed in the crash, said Vo Ngoc Hoa, chairman of people's committee of Phu Yen's Dong Hoa district where the accident happened.

Meanwhile, local Tuoi Tre (Youth) online newspaper reported that the aircraft, coded 8705, experienced a loss of engine power while flying and crashed minutes after taking off at around 8:20 a.m. local time (01:20 GMT) on Friday.

The student pilot onboard tried to make emergency landing at the nearest airport but failed, said Tuoi Tre.

Witnesses said it is a small-sized military aircraft. Rescue forces have arrived at the crash site which was completely sealed off, reported Tuoi Tre.
MELBOURNE, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The decision by a West Australian council to cancel its Australia Day celebrations for cultural reasons has been condemned.

The city council of Fremantle, a port town in Western Australia (WA) 20 km south of Perth, voted 10-to-1 in favor of cancelling Australia Day fireworks in an act of solidarity with the indigenous community who identify the day as "invasion day."

Ben Wyatt, a prominent indigenous West Australian and the Australian Labor Party's spokesman for indigenous affairs, said the Fremantle council's decision was actually just a cost-cutting measure.

"Cancelling popular events in the name of reconciliation does not advance the cause. If it's because of cost, then call it cost," Wyatt told News Limited on Friday.

"The relationship between Aboriginal people and Australia Day is profound. Cancelling fireworks is a facile response and likely to cause more division."

Local businesses said they would be hurt the most by the decision to ban the event which attracted 50,000 people to Fremantle's foreshore in 2016.

Tania Smith, a local mother of three, said the event is more about celebrating Australian culture as it is now than glorifying the events of Jan. 26 1788, when British settlers first arrived in Australia.

"For me it's about the extended family coming together and having a great day out," Smith told News Limited.

"We're from Portugal but we still consider ourselves Australian. I'd be sad to see the fireworks go.

"Nobody wants to discredit what the Aboriginal people have been through in celebrating the day. For me, the day is not about colonization, it's about being Australian."

Colonization resulted in Australia's Aboriginal population being reduced by up to 90 percent from 1788 to 1900 from disease, loss of land and direct violence.
MOSCOW, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Russia might use Iran's Hamadan air base again in the future but will not deploy a full-fledged military base in the country, according to a Russian military analyst on Thursday.

Russia and Iran are sharing information and supporting each other in fighting terrorism, Vladislav Shurygin, the analyst, was quoted by Russian news agency Sputnik as saying.

"It is a partnership. As for Hamadan, Iran provided an airfield for temporary purposes," said Shurygin, adding that Russian bombers could use the airfield to conduct airstrikes against terrorist targets in Syria.

He noted Russia and Iran are working together to fight terrorism in Syria and Iraq, but Russia will not deploy a military base in Iran.

Beginning on Aug. 16, Russian bombers took off from the Hamadan base in western Iran for three consecutive days to strike terrorist targets in Syria.

Russia then halted the operation and withdrew its aircraft from Iran.

It was the first time Russia has used the territory of another nation, apart from Syria itself, to launch such strikes since Moscow started a bombing campaign against IS targets inside Syria last September.
COLOMBO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua)-- UN Secretary General Ban Ki Moon will arrive in Sri Lanka on Aug. 31 on a three- day official tour, officials from the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Moon is expected to begin his tour late on Wednesday and hold discussions with President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and deliver a keynote speech in Colombo on UN's global development goals.

The UN said that Ban is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka from Myanmar and will highlight the importance of development and human rights in both Myanmar and Sri Lanka.

Ban will also visit a resettlement site for displaced people in Jaffna in the north, and take part in a conference on youth and reconciliation in Galle in the south.




Parts of the Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket, are conveyed to a container at the assembly plant in north China's Tianjin, Aug. 18, 2016. Two rocket-carrying ships, Yuanwang-21 and Yuanwang-22, picked up containers holding the Long March-5 at Tianjin Port and departed on Aug. 26 to transport them to the launch base in Wenchang in south China's Hainan Province. Long March-5 is scheduled to be launched later this year. (Xinhua/He Chao)

TIANJIN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket is scheduled to make its maiden flight later this year and departed northern China's Tianjin Port for the launch base in southern Hainan Friday.

Carried by two special rocket-carrying ships, Yuanwang-21 and Yuanwang-22, the Long March-5 will arrive at Qinglan Port in Wenchang, Hainan Province, after a seven-day journey.

As the country's strongest carrier rocket, the Long March-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes in low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes in geostationary orbit.

The rocket is planned to carry the Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017 and will be used to launch China's space station modules and Mars probes.

"The Long March-5 represents a landmark in the country's carrier rocket upgrading and has expanded the diameter of liquid-fuel rockets to 5 meters from 3.35 meters, and will improve space entering capabilities by 2.5 times," said Wu Yanhua, vice head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.

Instead of highly toxic propellants, the rocket uses liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and lox kerosene as fuel, making it more environmentally friendly. Its engines can produce a thrust of more than 1,000 tonnes when taking off.

It has taken researchers 16 years to develop the rocket after nearly 7,000 tests. It was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.

Completed in 2014, the Wenchang launch site is the fourth of its kind in China. Being the closest site to the equator, Wenchang boasts considerable latitudinal advantages. Satellites launched nearer the equator have a longer service life as they have a shorter journey to make it into geostationary orbit and save fuel accordingly.
KINGSTON, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Jamaica witnessed more murder cases between January and June 2016 while other serious and violent crimes dropped significantly, the official Jamaica Information Service reported on Thursday.

The government news outlet, citing statistics from the Planning Institute of Jamaica, said the murder rate in the country rose to 22.2 per 100,000 persons during the first half of this year, up from 21.7 per 100,000 in the corresponding period 2015.

However, other serious and violent crimes, including aggravated assault, break-ins, larceny, rape, robbery and shootings, witnessed a 22.8 percent reduction during the reviewed period, the news service reported.

Despite the increase in murder cases, Richard Lumsden, deputy director general of the planning institute, said the figures reflect the "continued downward trend in overall crime rates that began in June 2010, into a sixth consecutive year."

He further indicated that the number of offences committed in the country decreased from 151 per 100,000 persons to 117 per 100,000.

Jamaica, with a population of less than 3 million, has reported a high crime rate since the 1970s, whose homicide rate was listed as the world's sixth highest by the United Nations' Office on Drugs and Crime in 2014.

The Caribbean island nation recorded 1,207 murders last year, up nearly 20 percent over the 2014 figure.
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's major steel companies saw a profit turnaround in the first half of 2016, but the pressure of cutting overcapacity in the sector remains.

In a report filed to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, Shandong Iron and Steel Company said its net profits stood at 23.15 million yuan (3.5 million U.S. dollars) in H1, surging over 210 percent year on year.

Net profits for Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union reached 27.52 million yuan in the first half, an increase of over 117 percent year on year.

Sansteel Minguang Company in Fujian Province saw H1 net profits jump more than 233 percent year on year to 360 million yuan.

Of the 19 steel companies that have already released their profits in the first half of the year, 13 companies reported profit rises, with eight seeing profits more than double.

The total net profits of the 19 steel companies reached 2.3 billion yuan in H1, compared with a loss of 1.57 billion yuan during the same period last year.

Both Shandong Iron and Steel Company and Inner Mongolia Baotou Steel Union said that rising steel prices in the second quarter contributed to profits.

Steel makers have faced difficulties over the past few years, due to shrinking demand and excessive capacity building up during decades of rapid expansion.

However, steel price have risen in the past few months amid temporarily strained supply as some producers scaled back output to avoid losses.

The Complex Steel Price Index released by the China Iron and Steel Association hit 67.83 at the end of June, up 11.46 points on the beginning of the year.

But the pressure of cutting overcapacity still remains for the steel sector, with progress slow in some regions.

In the first seven months of the year, China only achieved 38 and 47 percent of its annual reduction targets for the coal and steel sectors, respectively.

China plans to cut steel and coal capacity by about 10 percent -- as much as 150 million tonnes of steel and 500 million tonnes of coal -- in the next few years, with 100 billion yuan set aside to help displaced workers.

The government aims to reduce steel production by 45 million tonnes and cut coal capacity by 250 million tonnes this year.

In July, China's cabinet called for all-out efforts to meet overcapacity reduction targets in the steel and coal industries.

The market mechanism should be used to advance capacity reduction, which is a major task in the country's supply-side structural reform drive, according to a statement released by the State Council.
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Zheng Yuzhuo, a senior legislator in northeast China's Liaoning Province, has been expelled from the Communist Party of China (CPC) and removed from public office for taking bribes and malpractices in elections.

The decision has been approved by the CPC Central Committee.

The CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) announced on Friday that Zheng, vice head of the Liaoning Provincial People's Congress Standing Committee, was found to have taken bribes and been involved in electoral foul play.

The CCDI investigation found that Zheng had violated the CPC's political and organizational code of conduct.

Zheng was found to have extorted bribes, engaged in vote buying and instructed others to rig elections.

The CCDI statement said that Zheng had seriously violated the party's code of conduct.

Zheng's case will be transferred to the judiciary, the statement said.
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A South Korean man and his young son drowned on Friday morning while playing in the seawaters at O'Tres beach in southwestern Cambodia's Preah Sihanouk province, a local police official said.

Kol Phally, deputy police chief of Preah Sihanouk province, said the three-member family - parents and their son - were tourists from South Korea.

"The father and son drowned while playing in the water in the sea," he told Xinhua, identifying the victims as Lee Min-seock, 40, and Lee Seungjae, 4.

High winds, which had resulted in choppy seas, was blamed for the incident, he said.

According to police reports, since Aug. 10, six tourists - a Turkish, a Russian, an Indian, a Cambodian and the two South Koreans - have drowned at beaches in the province.

Besides, a 24-year-old Australian woman also drowned while playing in the seawaters at night in southwestern Cambodia's Kampot province last week.

According to Kol Phally, dozens of police officers have been deployed to beaches in Preah Sihanouk province to rescue people in case of any incidents.
SYDNEY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A host of Australian companies are increasingly using Alibaba and reaching out to a growing, well-healed number of middle-class Chinese, who have a penchant for Aussie supplements, food and cosmetics products.

Chemist Warehouse chief operating officer Mario Tascone, which operates an online store on Alibaba's shopping site called Tmall.com, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation on Friday that any type of product in the health and nutrition sphere is very desirable in China, especially among the nation's thriving middle class.

Chemist Warehouse sells a variety of vitamins, cosmetics and health products on Tmall, and has reached a record of 2 million Australian dollars (1.53 million U.S. dollars) in sales within the first 46 minutes of trade on China's singles' day on Nov. 11.

"We don't look at promoting brands that are going to be popular in China and second guess what the Chinese market does," said Tascone.

Alibaba, which Forbes say is worth 157.7 billion U.S. dollars, is set to open its first Australian office in Melbourne this year.

To date the conglomerate has already formed partnerships with Woolworths and in May 2015 it signed a deal with Australia Post to connect Australian consumers with Chinese manufacturers while at the same time boosting Chinese consumption of Australian products.

Demand for Australian products has also been spurred by the rise of 'daigou' or buying agents, effectively a Chinese person overseas who purchases goods for a customer back home in China.

Tascone said the company had seen a rise in tourists buying stock off shelves because of the lower price.

"The future for us is making sure we can co-exist in China and get products to that market but, all the while, making sure we don't miss our supply chain to what made us where we are today and that's the local customers," he said.

Tmall currently features 1,300 Australian brands of which 80 percent had entered China for the first time through Alibaba.

Alibaba's Australia and New Zealand managing director Maggie Zhou however cautioned that not everything from Australia sold well in China.

"You need to find the right products, and then you'll sell very well. But if the product is not right, you cannot be successful," she said.

"Price, what kind of right price is also very important. If you have several channels you need to manage the price very well, otherwise it would be a chaos."
HANGZHOU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A civil rescue team from China arrived at the quake-affected areas in Italy Thursday evening and has started rescue work there, official sources here said.

The Rescue Team of Ram Union, from east China's Zhejiang Province sent three people to join quick relief in Italy, the provincial civil affairs department said.

A magnitude 6 earthquake devastated several mountainous towns in central Italy early Wednesday, killing at least 250 people.

Xu Lijun, director of the Rescue Team of Ram Union, said the three rescuers have received professional training and have participated in international rescue work several times. They have taken life detectors and medical equipment with them.

The Italy branch of the rescue team sent 16 team members to join the rescue, including two doctors. They also bought relief goods for quake victims.

This is the fifth time that the Zhejiang branch of the Rescue Team of Ram Union have joined in rescue work overseas, including in Nepal, Pakistan and Ecuador.

Established in May 2009, it has also provided assistance during the Wenchuan earthquake in China's Sichuan Province, the Yushu earthquake in Qinghai Province and the Ludian earthquake in Yunnan Province.

Related:

Italy's quake death toll rises to 267
NEW DELHI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- India is likely to appoint its High Commissioner to the United Kingdom Navtej Sarna as the next Ambassador to the United Staes, highly placed sources said on Friday.

The 59-year-old career diplomat may take up the high-profile posting as the incumbent Ambassador Arun Singh's term is coming to an end, the sources said.

Sarna, who joined the Indian Foreign Service in 1980, had earlier served as Secretary (West) and the Indian External Affairs spokesperson -- one of the longest stints from 2002 to 2008 -- in Delhi.

He has also penned a number of fiction and non-fiction books and served as Indian ambassador to Israel from 2008 to 2012, apart from in various embassies in Europe.

Sarna's main task would be to maintain the spirit of the increasingly closer Indo-U.S. relations when the new dispensation comes to office in Washington early next year.
ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Eight Turkish police officers were killed and 50 people were wounded in a bomb-laden truck attack in front of a police station in the Cizre district of Turkey's province of Sirnak on Friday, local media reported.

A car bomb by Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants hit a police station in Turkey's southeastern Sirnak province at 6:40 am local time ( 3:40 GMT).

Dogan News Agency reported that 8 police officers were killed and 50 people injured by the attack. The police station building was seriously damaged.

Many ambulances, police and 2 helicopters were dispatched after the attack. The wounded were sent to local hospital.

Over 600 members of Turkish security forces and thousands of PKK members have been killed in confrontations inside Turkey and in northern Iraq since July of 2015, and Turkish forces have killed over 7000 PKK militants, local media figured.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives in clashes with the PKK since 1984, when the group first started anti-government attacks.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
NEW DELHI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday advocated the need for transformation in governance to meet the aspirations of the country's youth, saying no government can afford to harp on the past.

"Development now depends on the quality of institutions and ideas. Thirty years ago, a country might have been able to look inward and find its solutions. Today, countries are interdependent and interconnected," Modi said at a function of Niti Aayog (formerly Planning Commission) in Delhi.

He added: "A metamorphosis is needed. The transformation of India cannot happen without a transformation of governance. We cannot march through the 21st century with the administrative systems of the 19th century."

Stressing that no country can afford any longer to develop in isolation, the prime minister said: "The younger generation in India is thinking and aspiring so differently, that the government can no longer afford to remain rooted in the past."
SEOUL, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Vice chairman of Lotte Group, South Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate, was found dead Friday morning as prosecutors widen a probe into corruptions of the family-run business group.

Lotte said in a text message that it confirmed the death of Lee In-won, 69, the second-in-command of the South Korean-Japanese conglomerate, through police and other sources.

Lee's death was made known hours before his scheduled appearance at a Seoul prosecutors' office at 9:30 a.m. local time as part of the ongoing criminal investigation into allegations of slush fund, tax evasion and breach of trust surrounding the group founder and the current chairman.

Lee, the group's highest-ranking executive outside the founding family and a top lieutenant to its chairman, was suspected of committing suicide as he allegedly hung himself from a tree with a necktie and a scarf, according to South Korea's Yonhap news agency report.

His body was found at about 7:10 a.m. on a walking path in Yangpyeong in Gyeonggi province, some 50 km east of capital Seoul. Police reportedly plans to carry out an autopsy to determine an exact cause of his death.

Lee, suspected of embezzlement and breach of trust and his involvement in creating slush fund and evading tax, had been a long-time executive in charge of leading the group's strategic planning division. He had been with Lotte for more than 40 years since he joined the group's hotel unit in 1973.

"There is no slush fund in Lotte Group," Lee said in a suicide note spotted from his car, according to Yonhap report. "Shin Dong-bin is a great man," the note said suggesting his close relationship with the group chairman.

His death followed a widening probe by prosecutors into corruptions surrounding Chairman Shin Dong-bin and his father and group founder Shin Kyuk-ho.

On Thursday, prosecutors questioned President Hwang Gak-kyu, one of three major aides to Chairman Shin along with the deceased. Hwang has played a key role in the strategic planning division.

Local media outlets had estimated that the chairman could be summoned for questioning as early as next week following Lee's appearance before prosecutors on Friday. Prosecutors are reportedly re-considering a summoning schedule.

Lotte's tragedy began since Chairman Shin and his elder brother Shin Dong-ju fought over a management control of the group in 2015.

The younger Shin demoted his father to honorary chairman from chairman-in-chief overseeing businesses in both South Korea and Japan. He also removed his elder brother from major group positions.

The elder Shin fought back by attempting to his younger brother from the chairmanship, ending up as failures. The family feud damaged the group's image, causing the boycotting from some of civic group activists.

Prosecutors raided the group's headquarters and offices in June, sending the highest-ever number of investigators to search and seize documents and computer hard discs.

Hotel Lotte, the group's de-facto holding company, was forced to delay its initial public offering (IPO), which had been planned as part of efforts to make its governance structure transparent. Market watchers estimated the IPO's equity financing at as much as 5.7 trillion won (5.1 billion U.S. dollars).

The group's chemical unit Lotte Chemical also withdrew from its bidding for U.S.-based Axiall amid the ongoing probe by prosecutors.

In July, Shin Young-ja, the chairman's elder sister, was arrested on charges of taking bribes in return for offering shelf space in duty free shops, operated by the group's duty free unit, to local cosmetics company.
MANILA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Six members of the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG) were killed and 14 government soldiers were wounded in a firefight in southern Philippines, according to the military on Friday.

Citing initial reports, Maj. Filemon Tan, spokesman of the military's Western Mindanao Command, said troops from the Army's 4th Scout Ranger Battalion were on a combat operation when they caught up with around 100 Abu Sayyaf militants at the vicinity of Bunkaong village, Patikul town in Sulu province at about 6:12 a.m..

He said the militants withdrew toward the west direction, 45 minutes after the encounter. Tan said soldiers from the same Army battalion have been directed to conduct "pursuit and clearing operations."

According to Tan, 14 soldiers were wounded in the combat while 6 militants were killed.

The Slain militants were involved in the abduction of 4 kidnap victims from Samal last September. Two of the Canadians victims John Ridsdel and Robert Hall were beheaded months ago by ASG. The other Samal captive Maritess Flor was released while Norwegian Kjartan Sikkengstad is still with the ASG.

The 400-strong Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), founded in the early 1990s by Islamic extremists, is a violent Muslim terrorist group operating in the southern Philippines. The ASG is notorious for a series of kidnappings, bombings and even beheadings in southern Philippines over the past decades.
LASHKAR GAH, Afghanistan, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- About 24 militants, including an insurgents' local military chief, were killed after Afghan army warplanes struck a Taliban hideout in restive southern province of Helmand, authorities said Friday.

"The Taliban military chief named Kako for Nad Ali district and 23 militants were killed following an airstrike conducted Thursday evening against a Taliban main headquarters in Gharbi 31, an area in Nad Ali, Helmand province," the provincial government said in a statement.

The statement rejected claims by residents and some local officials earlier in the day that the targeted compound was a Taliban prison and that several people held by Taliban were also killed or injured by the attack.

"Reports that a Taliban prison had been targeted are not true. It is parts of the enemies' propaganda," the statement noted.

It said four militants were also wounded by the strike.

Helmand, notorious for poppy growing, is also a known Taliban stronghold.

The statement also said that a compound which has been used by Taliban militants for making Improvised Explosive Device (IED) and roadside bombs was also destroyed in Nad Ali by a separate air raid in the early hours of Friday.

The Taliban has yet to make comments.
TOKYO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The governor of Kagoshima Prefecture on Friday asked the operator of a nuclear facility on Japan's southern Kyushu island to suspend its operations and re-perform safety checks.

Satoshi Mitazono, newly elected to the post and an advocate of abandoning nuclear energy, requested Kyushu Electric Power Co. to halt operations of its No. 1 and 2 reactors at the Sendai nuclear power plant, to recheck safety measures.

The request was made by Mitazono to Kyushu Electric Power Co.'s president, Michiaki Uriu, to take the reactors offline at the facility in Satsumasendai, due to mounting concerns from local people about the safety of the nuclear plant, following a series of sizable earthquakes that shook nearby prefectures in April.

The plant's two reactors are among just three currently in operation in Japan in the wake of the Fukushima disaster in 2011, when all of the nation's reactors that weren't already offline for regular safety checks were halted pending tougher security standards implemented by Japan's nuclear watchdog.

Kyushu Electric, who said it will respond to the governor's request next month, is already planning to take both reactors offline in October and December for regular safety checks.

The government's top spokesperson, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, told a press conference before Mitazono made his request, that the central government's energy policy remained unchanged and that it plans to bring all idled reactors back online if they pass the new safety standards and will continue to seek the public's understanding.

Mitazono, who won the election to become governor last month, campaigned on an anti-nuclear platform and has maintained that the Sendai facility be halted for checks to allay concerns among local residents in the prefecture, particularly after the devastating quakes that rocked neighboring Kumamoto Prefecture in April.

Governors, however, have no legal authority to order nuclear reactors to be taken offline.
Photo taken on Aug. 25, 2016 shows the Hangzhou Olympic Sports Center in the Binjiang District of Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou is the host city for the upcoming G20 Summit. (Xinhua/Huang Zongzhi)

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Many of the observers and business people are looking to the upcoming Group of 20 (G20) summit in the Chinese city of Hangzhou for potential opportunities, particularly those created by the global pursuit of sustainable and green growth.

China, the host country, has highlighted efforts to tackle the climate issue as one of the key deliverables at the summit.

John Kirton, co-director of G20 Research Group at the University of Toronto, highlighted green growth as one of the three areas that the world leaders at the summit should coordinate fiscal stimulus to support.

The other two areas that should be given fiscal support, according to Kirton, are infrastructure and structural reform.

"If you can do this, you are going to have really big win at the summit," Kirton told Xinhua.

The G20 summit comes at a time when the world economy has continued to struggle on the path of fragile recovery despite aggressive monetary policies and rather loose fiscal policies put in place by almost all the world's developed economies to stimulate growth.

The G20 forum, which first came into being as a club of the world's major economies to tackle the global financial crisis, has now grown into the world's primary platform for economic policy coordination, increasingly with a focus on long-term governance.

Li Baodong, a Chinese vice foreign minister, said the Hangzhou summit will focus on innovation, the new industrial revolution, the digital economy and structural reform.

"This aims to break the current model of sole reliance on fiscal stimulus and easy monetary policy through innovation-driven growth strategies and structural reform, and boost the potential for mid- to long-term growth," he said.

China, an emerging economy facing the uphill task of reforming and upgrading its economy, is working with other G20 members to draw a G20 blueprint for innovation-driven growth, highlighting the concept of inclusive innovation and a concrete action plan for building a new industrial revolution and the digital economy.

Experts said the pursuit of more sustainable green growth reflects the evolving global economic landscape and is in the interests of both the developing and the developed economies in combating the economic downturn.

"While China is looking to the developed countries like those in Europe for green technologies and expertise, the developed economies may expect from the expanded market for their competitive edge in green growth," said Sun Yanhong, associate research fellow with the Institute of European Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, citing China's cooperation with European economies like Germany, France and Italy.

These countries have had an advantage in energy efficiency, Sun said.

A survey conducted in April this year showed that two-thirds of the EU respondents expressed support for more EU action on the environment. The EU institutions are currently working to reduce the green house gas emissions by at least 40 percent by 2030.

The G20 summit is aiming to push for more actions to implement set targets on the climate issue. The many developing economies need greener growth too, and they need help from the advanced economies to achieve this.

African leaders including Senegalese President Macky Sall have recently said they are looking to the G20 summit for chances of new industrial takeoff on their continent.

"The resolution is expected to propel Africa's industrialization process through capacity enhancement in science, technology, innovation and entrepreneurship," he said.
COLOMBO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Sri Lanka highly appreciates China's assistance in developing key areas of the country including the Colombo Port and has allocated 15,000 acres in the southern coast of Hambantota for further Chinese investment, a Sri Lankan minister said on Friday.

Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga told the Foreign Correspondent's Association that the China-built Colombo International Container Terminals (CICT), the first deep-water terminal in South Asia with the capacity to handle the largest container vessels afloat, had already reached a fiscal target and the government was aiming to complete the third terminal at the Colombo Port and ensure a minimum of 1 million Twenty-Foot Equivalent Units (TEUs), a measurement of a ship's cargo carrying capacity, per year.

The CICT is a joint venture between China' Merchant Holding International and the Sri Lanka Port Authority and achieved over 1.5 million TEUs in 2015.

The minister said around 20 companies from across the world had taken the tender documents for the Third Terminal and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe was keen that the consortium should be led by a company from the Indian subcontinent, either from India, Pakistan or Bangladesh.

Elaborating on the government's stance, Ranatunga said that the Indian subcontinent was playing a pre-eminent role in the business of the Colombo Port accounting for 70 to 75 percent of its transshipment business.

The Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) has already built 430 meters of the Third Terminal at a cost of 80 million U.S. dollars and is looking for a joint venture to extend it to 1,200 meters. This would require an additional 400 million U.S. dollars at least.

The Third Teminal will be a major asset to shipping in the region as it will have a depth of 19 to 21 meters, said Ranatunga.

He added Sri Lanka had asked China to help set up industries and factories in Hambantota, the main town in the Hambantota District, in Sri Lanka's southern province, and that land for this would be allocated in 15 or 20 different places.

He went on to explain that a Chinese airline company had also expressed interest in landing at the Mattala International Airport in Hambantota, as a transit point between China and the Maldives.

Hundreds of thousands of Chinese tourists visit the Maldives each year and China has also become the No. 1 country with the most number of tourists visiting Sri Lanka.

"This will help boost our tourism in the south as well," Ranatunga said.
Firefighters and police work in the police station which were attacked by militants, in the Cizre district of Turkey's province of Sirnak on Aug. 26, 2016. Eight Turkish police officers were killed and 50 people were wounded in a bomb-laden truck attack in front of a police station in the Cizre district of Turkey's province of Sirnak on Friday, local media reported. (Xinhua/Mert Macit)

ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 police officers were killed and 78 people were wounded in a bomb attack at a police station in southeastern Turkey on Friday, Dogan News Agency reported.

A car bomb by Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants hit a police station in Turkey's southeastern Sirnak province at 6:40 am local time ( 3:40 GMT). The police station building was seriously damaged.

Turkish Health minister Recep Akdag said more than 70 people were wounded in the attack with four of them in a critical condition.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu described the bombing as a very worrying terror attack.

The wounded were sent to local hospital. Twelve ambulances, many police forces and two helicopters were dispatched after the attack.

Over 600 members of Turkish security forces and thousands of PKK members have been killed in confrontations inside Turkey and in northern Iraq since July of 2015, and Turkish forces have killed over 7000 PKK militants, local media figured.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives in clashes with the PKK since 1984, when the group first started anti-government attacks.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
Vehicle of Turkey's main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu is guarded by security officers after an attack against his convoy in the northeastern city of Artvin, Turkey on Friday. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 police officers were killed and 78 people were wounded in a bomb attack at a police station in southeastern Turkey on Friday, Dogan News Agency reported.

A car bomb by Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK) militants hit a police station in Turkey's southeastern Sirnak province at 6:40 am local time ( 3:40 GMT). The police station building was seriously damaged.

Turkish Health minister Recep Akdag said more than 70 people were wounded in the attack with four of them in a critical condition.

Main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu described the bombing as a very worrying terror attack.

The wounded were sent to local hospital. Twelve ambulances, many police forces and two helicopters were dispatched after the attack.

Over 600 members of Turkish security forces and thousands of PKK members have been killed in confrontations inside Turkey and in northern Iraq since July of 2015, and Turkish forces have killed over 7000 PKK militants, local media figured.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives in clashes with the PKK since 1984, when the group first started anti-government attacks.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
XI'AN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) is looking to work with pension funds and insurance firms, among other long-term investors, to co-fund infrastructure projects, the lender's president said on Thursday.

AIIB president Jin Liqun said during a business forum held in the northwestern Chinese city of Xi'an that other regional infrastructure lenders and financial institutions have also expressed interest in co-financing opportunities with AIIB.

According to Jin, the Beijing-based lender is working on a mechanism to enable long-term investors such as pension funds and insurance companies to join its funding of infrastructure projects.

AIIB has already approved four loans totaling 509 million dollars to fund infrastructure projects in Bangladesh, Pakistan, Tajikistan and Indonesia. Three of them are expected to be co-financed with partners including the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development.

AIIB will begin reviewing membership applications from some 30 countries in September as it calls on more countries to join its infrastructure funding efforts.

Jin added that the world's first multilateral infrastructure lender led by a developing country will chart a new course in funding projects while learning best practices from established lenders.

He said the lender has been designed to ensure efficiency and accountability and it will also review the environmental and social impact of infrastructure investment.

The AIIB was founded in December 2015 and counts many major developed countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Australia and Singapore, as prospective founding members.
MOGADISHU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Al-Shabaab militants detonated a car bomb and stormed a beach restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday evening, killing at least seven people and injuring several others.

Benadir region police commissioner Bishar Abshir Gedi told reporters on Friday that two police officers and five civilians lost their lives in the attack, adding "the number of injured was more."

Security forces killed two attackers and captured another one in a gun battle with the militants, he said.

Mogadishu police chief, Bishar Ali Gedi, said the security forces ended the siege of the restaurant early Friday and had "rescued most of the civilians who were stranded inside the restaurant building."

The targeted Banadir Beach Club and Restaurant is located on the Lido beach near the Turkish embassy compound.

Witnesses earlier told Xinhua that a suicide bomber detonated a car bomb near the restaurant, followed by gunfire.

The Al-Shabaab Islamist group, which is fighting against the Somali government, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

The police said the death toll could rise as some of those hospitalized sustained serious injuries.

Abdi Farey, Head of Security of Benadir region, said the captured militant was injured and hospitalized. "He will be questioned over the incident," he added.

Al-Shabaab militants have carried out frequent attacks in Mogadishu. The latest one on the popular beach comes ahead of Somalia's elections due in September and October.
HANOI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The military aircraft crash during a training session in Vietnam's central Phu Yen province on Friday morning was caused by engine failure, said the country's Ministry of Defense.

The aircraft L39 coded 8705, operated by staff of Regiment 910 of the Air Force Academy under the Air Defense and Air Force Service, went down several minutes after taking off at 8:45 a.m. local time (01:45 GMT) on Friday.

The trainee pilot on board, Pham Duc Trung, 22, died in the accident when the aircraft crashed into a rice paddy in Hoa Thanh commune, Dong Hoa district in Phu Yen.

In June, a SU-30 jet fighter of Vietnam's air force crashed in waters off central Vietnam during a training mission, killing one pilot. A CASA aircraft which was in searching mission for the SU-30 jet later crashed in waters off northern Vietnam, leaving nine people dead.
SYDNEY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Australian producers have been alarmed by moves in New Zealand to trademark the word Manuka, a Bloomberg report said on Friday.

Despite the fact the plant grows natively in Australia, New Zealanders say the word, the plant and the honey the bees make it from is theirs.

Manuka honey is a popular and expensive product, thanks to endorsements from celebrities like Novak Djokovic and Kourtney Kardashian.

The honey is expensive because it is produced from a single plant which is the Leptospermum Scoparium.

More importantly for the honey industry, the product is in high demand in China, where middle--class shoppers are willing to pay a lot for honey from countries like Australia and New Zealand.

New Zealand's Unique Manuka Factor (UMF) Honey Association spokesman John Rawcliffe said only honey produced by Kiwi bees deserves the Manuka moniker.

UMF's group of beekeepers, producers, and exporters accounts for about 80 percent of New Zealand's Manuka honey sales.

"The consumer expects that if it's Manuka honey, then it comes from New Zealand," Rawcliffe said.

"Manuka is a Maori word. We are aiming to protect it."

At present, New Zealand doesn't have a monopoly on Manuka, Executive Director of the Australian Honey Bee Industry Council Trevor Weatherhead said.

"We have exactly the same plant that they have," Weatherhead said, adding that made-in-Australia Manuka is similar in quality to the New Zealand's Manuka honey.

As for claims that the manuka name comes from New Zealand's Maori language, Weatherhead says the word has an Australian heritage too.

"We have evidence of the name Manuka being used in Tasmania for years," he said. "The New Zealanders are just looking for a marketing edge."

However, the UMF Honey Association last year submitted an application with the government to trademark the Manuka name, saying the move was "fundamental to protecting an internationally recognised premium product that is unique to New Zealand."

On Aug. 9, the association sponsored a symposium, called "This is Manuka," which featured scientists from New Zealand, Australia, Japan and China discussing the chemical identity of a true Manuka honey.

However, the Kiwis do have one big advantage though as the Manuka plant is not as common in Australia as it is in New Zealand, limiting the ability of the Australian industry to produce the high-end honey, Weatherhead said.

"They have large areas of (Manuka)," Weatherhead said. "Here (Australia), it's selective where we can get it."
Alaa Haider, editor-in-chief of Egypt's official MENA news agency, is interviewed by Xinhua in Cairo, Egypt, Aug. 25, 2016. The G20 summit in China with Egypt's participation as a guest of honor represents an opportunity to further boost Egyptian-Chinese economic partnership, Alaa Haider told Xinhua in the interview. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

by Mahmoud Fouly, Emad al-Azrak

CAIRO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The G20 summit in China with Egypt's participation as a guest of honor represents an opportunity to further boost Egyptian-Chinese economic partnership, Alaa Haider, editor-in-chief of Egypt's official MENA news agency, told Xinhua in an interview.

Chinese President Xi Jinping invited his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to attend the summit that will be held in eastern China's Hangzhou city on Sept. 4-5, gathering the leaders of the world's largest economies.

"The G20 summit is significant for China and the whole world, as it is held this year under the theme of stimulating and urging world trade, which has declined over the past two years since the last G20 summit in 2014," said Haider, adding that China sees Egypt as a key player in the turmoil-stricken Middle East region.

Egypt is currently working on the necessary infrastructure for the development of its Suez Canal corridor after the recent expansion of the vital waterway, while China is working on the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013.

The main idea of the initiative is to revive ancient trade routes to link China with over 60 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe through the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

"The Suez Canal corridor development project is planned to turn the area into a logistic, industrial, agricultural, service, touristic and also technological region. There should be a complimentary project to optimize the Suez Canal corridor development project, and this can be China's Silk Road," MENA chief told Xinhua.

"Egypt was the main portal of the Middle East part of the Silk Road in the region's trade with China," he added, stressing that China also seeks future cooperation between the Silk Road and the Suez Canal.

President Sisi visited China twice since he came to office and President Xi also paid a very important visit to Egypt in January, and both leaders agreed to elevate the level of their ties to "comprehensive strategic partnership."

The Egyptian editor-in-chief said that Sisi's upcoming visit to China is also meant to continue what he agreed upon with Xi, which is the integration between the Silk Road and the Suez Canal corridor as a common interest between Egypt and China.

During his first state visit to Egypt, President Xi made an important speech at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo where he emphasized "development" as the key to resolve most Middle East problems, especially growing terrorism and other conflicts.

"China cares about maintaining development all over the world, which is in favor of all. China does not restrict its trade exchange to the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia, but it pays great interest in Africa and the Arab world, and Egypt is both an African and Arab country. So, China's care about Africa and the Arab states is also in favor of Egypt," Haider explained.

He added that the world stability is in favor of China's interest as the world's most populous country seeks to implement its Silk Road revival initiative and to utilize its large infrastructures that are suitable for all kinds of local and foreign industries and investments.

"As a large economic power - or the world's factory - China sees that world economy needs stimulation, which is in favor of Egypt in the first place, as recession in world trade causes recession in the traffic at Egypt's vital waterway," Haider said.

He stressed that Egypt and China have distinguished historical ties without any history of colonial ambitions and so Egypt and Arab states in general look at China as "one of the most important powers that rose over the past 20 years to make a balance with the United States after the fall of the Soviet Union."

According to Haider, Egypt as a non-permanent two-year Security Council member can make use of its G20 participation to defend the Arab and African causes and shed light on the Palestinian cause, "which has been idle since terrorism overwhelmed the world."

He argued that Israel get abnormal support from the United States and that the Middle East's instability and chaos is supported by Western powers only to serve the interests of Israel.

In modern history, most Arab and African states supported the independence of China and Egypt was the first among them to recognize China and establish diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1956.

"This year, we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations with China, whose comprehensive strategic partnership with Egypt gives the Arab country a great advantage and priority in economic cooperation with China," Haider told Xinhua, noting there are large Chinese investments in Egypt but they are required to increase in the coming stage.
GENEVA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov held talks on Friday to discuss a number of issues, including Syria and Ukraine.

According to the U.S. mission in Geneva, Kerry arrived in Geneva on Thursday evening for the talks.

Prior to the Geneva talks, the two men discussed the situation in Syria and Ukraine over phone, the Russian Foreign Ministry said Wednesday.

They discussed prospects for bilateral coordination of actions in Syria and the need for disengagement of Washington-oriented opposition groups from terrorists, which are not covered by the cease-fire.

The latest face-to-face talks in Geneva between them are expected to give new impetus to brokering a political end to the five-year conflict in Syria.
MUNICH, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- German police reported Friday noon that they have evacuated a shopping mall in Schweinfurt, a city in the southern German state of Bavaria, because of a suspicious person reported by witnesses.

According to local police, each one, who leaves the shopping mall, will be checked.

Local police said they received at around 10:15 local time a call, reporting that a suspicious, darkly dressed person entered the shopping mall.

As of now, the mall with more than 100 shops and restaurants have been completely cleared. But the parking garage is still closed by the police.
TOKYO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Japan's Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) said on Friday it had booked investment losses of 5.23 trillion yen (52 billion U.S. dollars) in the April-June quarter, owing to a drop in global equities and a persistently strong yen.

The quarterly loss, the GPIF said, was also largely attributable to Britain's decision to leave the European Union, as well as a switch from bonds into assets, and compounded by worse-than-expected employment data from the United States posted in May.

"The results of the Britain's (Brexit) vote turned out to be different from what the market expected. And U.S unemployment data in May was much worse than the market expectation," a statement from GPIF President Norihiro Takahashi said, adding that these factors had contributed to the yen's appreciation and a global equities rout.

The government pension fund, the largest of its kind in the world, said that In the April-June quarter it had booked a 3.88-percent negative return on investment, which is the equivalent of 5.2 trillion yen in paper terms. The fund had managed around 130 trillion yen during the quarter it said.

Japanese bonds, which comprise the majority of the fund's assets of around 40 percent, posted a return of 1.91 percent amounting to 938.3 billion yen, with foreign and local stocks and oversees bonds making up the remainder and posting negative returns.

Losses of 2.41 trillion yen came from investment in foreign stocks, and Japanese stocks and foreign bonds carried losses of 2.26 trillion yen and 1.52 trillion yen respectively, the GPIF said.
Alaa Haider, editor-in-chief and board chairman of Egypt's official MENA news agency, has a special interview with Xinhua in Cairo, Egypt, on Aug. 25, 2016. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

CAIRO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The G20 summit in China with Egypt's participation as a guest of honor represents an opportunity to further boost Egyptian-Chinese economic partnership, Alaa Haider, editor-in-chief of Egypt's official MENA news agency, told Xinhua in an interview.

Chinese President Xi Jinping invited his Egyptian counterpart Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to attend the summit that will be held in eastern China's Hangzhou city on Sept. 4-5, gathering the leaders of the world's largest economies.

"The G20 summit is significant for China and the whole world, as it is held this year under the theme of stimulating and urging world trade, which has declined over the past two years since the last G20 summit in 2014," said Haider, adding that China sees Egypt as a key player in the turmoil-stricken Middle East region.

Egypt is currently working on the necessary infrastructure for the development of its Suez Canal corridor after the recent expansion of the vital waterway, while China is working on the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by President Xi Jinping in 2013.

The main idea of the initiative is to revive ancient trade routes to link China with over 60 countries in Asia, Africa and Europe through the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road.

"The Suez Canal corridor development project is planned to turn the area into a logistic, industrial, agricultural, service, touristic and also technological region. There should be a complimentary project to optimize the Suez Canal corridor development project, and this can be China's Silk Road," MENA chief told Xinhua.

"Egypt was the main portal of the Middle East part of the Silk Road in the region's trade with China," he added, stressing that China also seeks future cooperation between the Silk Road and the Suez Canal.

President Sisi visited China twice since he came to office and President Xi also paid a very important visit to Egypt in January, and both leaders agreed to elevate the level of their ties to "comprehensive strategic partnership."

The Egyptian editor-in-chief said that Sisi's upcoming visit to China is also meant to continue what he agreed upon with Xi, which is the integration between the Silk Road and the Suez Canal corridor as a common interest between Egypt and China.

During his first state visit to Egypt, President Xi made an important speech at the Arab League headquarters in Cairo where he emphasized "development" as the key to resolve most Middle East problems, especially growing terrorism and other conflicts.

"China cares about maintaining development all over the world, which is in favor of all. China does not restrict its trade exchange to the United States, Europe and Southeast Asia, but it pays great interest in Africa and the Arab world, and Egypt is both an African and Arab country. So, China's care about Africa and the Arab states is also in favor of Egypt," Haider explained.

He added that the world stability is in favor of China's interest as the world's most populous country seeks to implement its Silk Road revival initiative and to utilize its large infrastructures that are suitable for all kinds of local and foreign industries and investments.

"As a large economic power - or the world's factory - China sees that world economy needs stimulation, which is in favor of Egypt in the first place, as recession in world trade causes recession in the traffic at Egypt's vital waterway," Haider said.

He stressed that Egypt and China have distinguished historical ties without any history of colonial ambitions and so Egypt and Arab states in general look at China as "one of the most important powers that rose over the past 20 years to make a balance with the United States after the fall of the Soviet Union."

According to Haider, Egypt as a non-permanent two-year Security Council member can make use of its G20 participation to defend the Arab and African causes and shed light on the Palestinian cause, "which has been idle since terrorism overwhelmed the world."

He argued that Israel get abnormal support from the United States and that the Middle East's instability and chaos is supported by Western powers only to serve the interests of Israel.

In modern history, most Arab and African states supported the independence of China and Egypt was the first among them to recognize China and establish diplomatic relations with Beijing in 1956.

"This year, we celebrate 60 years of diplomatic relations with China, whose comprehensive strategic partnership with Egypt gives the Arab country a great advantage and priority in economic cooperation with China," Haider told Xinhua, noting there are large Chinese investments in Egypt but they are required to increase in the coming stage.
Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2016 shows buildings destroyed in earthquake in the town of Amatrice, Italy. At least 250 people died, and thousands were displaced in Italy, after a major earthquake that struck the central Lazio and Marche regions on early Wednesday, the authorities confirmed on Thursday. (Xinhua/Ge Chen)

ROME, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 267 lives were claimed in the devastating earthquake that hit the central regions of Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, Italian officials said on Friday.

Some 207 people died in Amatrice and 11 in Accumoli, two towns in Rieti province close to the epicenter, Italian civil protection emergency chief Titti Postiglione told a press conference.

Other 49 victims were registered between Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto in Ascoli Piceno province.

Some 387 injured people were hospitalized across Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions.

Rescue teams and dog units have been at work amid the rubbles all night long, the second past from the major quake that has also left thousands displaced, Ansa news agency reported.

About 2,100 people slept in the tent cities set up in the quake-hit areas, the civil protection said. Overall, some 3,500 places had been made immediately available for those who lost their houses.

SEARCH FOR SURVIVORS: RACE AGAINST TIME

Amatrice was almost flattened by the 6.0-magnitude quake, which struck at 3:36 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

A makeshift hospital was being set up near the devastated town, civil protection Postiglione told reporters in Rome. It would work in addition to Rieti, Ascoli, and L'Aquila hospitals, which have been serving as major reference medical points in the emergency.

In a race against time for last survivors, rescuers in the town have focused their efforts on two sites: a private building along the main street, and famed Hotel Roma nearby.

A high toll of victims was feared in the hotel, which had 32 registered guests during the night of the quake. However, at least 20 of them were believed to have escaped during the tremor, Ansa cited fire fighters official Carlo Cardinali as reporting. Fire fighters were told 15 people were still missing in Amatrice, and were believed to be under the rubbles, the official added.

Chances to find someone still alive were growing weaker, yet authorities vowed search activities would continue until all missing people were found.

Furthermore, some survivors of the 2009 L'Aquila quake had been found alive under the ruins as long as three days after the event, emergency experts and rescuers recalled.

The civil protection emergency chief said some 238 people were saved from under the rubbles so far: some 215 by firefighters, and 23 by rescue teams of Italy's mountain military corp.

AFTERSHOCKS

Some 4,000 units from all Italian civil and military forces were deployed in the huge emergency operation, according to authorities. Their efforts have been put at major risk by strong aftershocks since Thursday afternoon, which made the already damaged buildings tremble and more ruins collapse.

Overall, 928 aftershocks have been registered since the first quake, the National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (INGV) stated.

"We had 57 tremors just since midnight on Thursday, and a major one among them -- a 4.8 magnitude quake at 6:28 a.m. local time according to INGV," Postiglione said.

A major bridge near Amatrice, which was crucial to rescuers and aid transportation, had to be shut on Friday morning because of the new tremors, the official added.

The Italian cabinet declared a state of emergency in the affected areas on Thursday, allocating a first trance of 50 million euros (56 million U.S. dollars) to assist quake-stricken communities.

Related:

China rescue team rushes to Italy for earthquake relief

HANGZHOU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A civil rescue team from China arrived at the quake-affected areas in Italy Thursday evening and has started rescue work there, official sources here said.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Newly appointed Nepali Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat said Friday that top priority will be given to enhancing relations and trust with China and India in the new government's foreign policy.

The foreign minister made the remarks to reporters shortly after assuming office at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said the government wants to have cordial ties with neighboring and other friendly countries to promote mutual beneficial cooperation.

"Neighboring China and India are two very important countries in our foreign relations," the minister said, adding that Nepal wants to strengthen and expand its ties with both neighbors "based on mutual trust and cooperation."

Addressing a separate program at the ministry on the same day, the foreign minister expressed the hope that high-level exchange of visits between China and Nepal as well as India and Nepal will take place in the near future.

The new foreign minister, 57, belongs to the Nepali Congress, the country's largest party in the Parliament. He served as the state minister for foreign minister from 2004 to 2005.

Mahat, also a three-time lawmaker, went on to be the minister for energy from 2009 to 2011.
BUDAPEST, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Hungary is reinforcing its border with Serbia to prevent the inflow of migrants, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Friday.

The reinforcements are to consist of a second backup fence that is to be much stronger and resilient than the existing one, Orban told Radio Kossuth, one that will be able to hold back several hundred thousand people simultaneously.

The prime minister warned that a major influx is in the cards should Turkish politics shift and allow the huge numbers of people currently in refugee camps there to travel onward.

He then reiterated the government decision to increase the police force by an additional 3,000.

Orban complained about people whose applications for asylum had been rejected but who had appealed the decision, "financed by human rights organizations." They thus had the right to remain in Hungary until the courts ruled on the appeal, but could not be held in locked facilities in the interim, he said.

Commenting on Austria's interior minister's proposal to declare a state of emergency, Orban said that if Austria really wanted to build fences it should put them up on the Hungarian-Serbian and Hungarian-Croatian borders, not on the Austria-Hungary border.

He said all of Central Europe should get together and build fences along the Serbian-Macedonian and Macedonian-Greek borders. He also suggested that the European Union should combine its resources to protect the borders of the Greek isles.

Orban reiterated his belief that migration and terrorism were linked, saying that anyone who denied this "did not know what they were talking about." Rising terrorism in Europe is the outcome of allowing hundreds of thousands of people to enter the European Union (EU) freely from places that consider the western world their enemy.

He called on the heads of the EU governments to reject the "faulty" decisions of the "Brussels bureaucrats" that would "force" the EU countries to accept migrants.

The countries of the Visegrad Group (Hungary, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland) are meeting on Friday to discuss rejecting the idea of admitting migrants and German Chancellor Angela Merkel will attend the gathering, Orban said.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal has expanded his cabinet inducting 13 new ministers including the minister of foreign affairs, taking its total strength to 31.

Nepali President Bidhya Devi Bhandari administered the oath of office and secrecy to the newly-inducted ministers at a function held at the Presidential Palace Sheetal Niwas in the capital on Friday where top government dignitaries and leaders from various political parties were present.

The new ministers sworn in on Friday include Bal Krishna Khand, Minister for Defence; Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Sita Devi Yadav, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction; and Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Minister for Tourism, among others.

All the newly appointed ministers belong to the Nepali Congress, a key coalition partner under Dahal-led new government and the country's largest party in the Parliament.

Earlier, the Nepali Congress party had inducted Bimalendra Nidhi and Ramesh Lekhak to the cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister for Physical Infrastructure respectively.

Dahal, chairman of the CPN (Maoist Center), was elected 39th prime minister on August 3. Dahal succeeded CPN (UML) chairman K P Sharma Oli who had been in power since October 11, 2015.
ISTANBUL, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim on Friday declared a "total war" against terrorism, as the country has come under repeated deadly attacks in recent days.

"Let our nation know that we have opened a total war against these terrorist groups," Yildirim said at a joint press conference in Istanbul with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov.

"We will give all kinds of necessary response to these villains who targeted the fellowship and unity of 79 million people," added Yildirim.

Eleven police officers were killed and 75 people injured earlier in the day when a police checkpoint in the southeastern city of Cizre was hit by a bomb-laden truck, the latest in a series of bombing attacks that have befallen Turkey these days.

The Islamic State (IS) and the Kurdistan Workers' Party, whose militants are fighting the government forces in southeastern Turkey, are blamed for the attacks.

Referring to the Turkish army's cross-border operation in northern Syria on Wednesday, in which IS militants were driven out of the Syrian border town of Jarablus, Yildirim said the operation will continue until Turkey's security is achieved one hundred percent and all the IS elements are removed from the area.

Last Saturday, a suicide bomber, believed to be as young as 12, killed 54 people and wounded scores of others when he blew himself up at a wedding ceremony in Turkey's southeastern city of Gaziantep. The IS was blamed for the atrocity.

Related:

Two workers killed in PKK attack in SE Turkey

ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Two workers were killed and two others injured when Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK ) militants attacked a construction area in southeastern Turkish province of Hakkari on Friday, military sources told local media.

PKK militants attacked a construction area in the Daglica region of Hakkari's Yuksekova district, the sources told Anadolu Agency, adding that the two injured were taken to local hospital. Full story

8 police killed in PKK bombing attack in SE Turkey

ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Eight Turkish police officers were killed and 50 people were wounded in a bomb-laden truck attack in front of a police station in the Cizre district of Turkey's province of Sirnak on Friday, local media reported.
MANILA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government and a leftist rebel group have agreed to work for a bilateral ceasefire as they ended their five-day formal peace talks in Norway Friday.

While there is no joint truce yet, National Democratic Front (NDF) peace panel chair Luis Jalandoni said the Communist Party of the Philippines will declare and issue "an indefinite ceasefire order" to its armed wing New People's Army (NPA) and people's militia, upon the end of their current truce order on August 27 in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's unilateral ceasefire effective immediately from August 21.

Both the government and the NDF will work for the declaration of bilateral truce within 60 days and to establish a ceasefire monitoring committee, he said.

The panels agreed to meet again on October 8-12 in Oslo for the next round of formal talks, said government peace panel head Silvestre Bello III.

In a statement, the NDF said both parties also agreed that the government panel would immediately recommend to Duterte the issuance of an Amnesty Proclamation, subject to concurrence of the Philippine Congress.

Both sides also agreed to accelerate the peace negotiations and set timelines for the completion of the remaining agenda, the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) said.

Still to be discussed in detail are: socio-economic reforms; political and constitutional reforms; and end of hostilities and disposition of forces.

The formal peace talks between the government and the leftist rebels have been stalled since 2011. And the CPP-NPA-NDF has been waging war against the government for over four decades.
YANGON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar's State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi's recent visit to China has further promoted the "paukphaw" (fraternal) friendship between the two countries, an expert on international studies said.

U Nyunt Maung Shein, chairman of the Myanmar Institute of Strategic and International Studies, made the comments in an exclusive interview with Xinhua on Thursday.

Aung San Suu Kyi paid an official visit to China from Aug. 17 to 21. Suu Kyi's decision to choose China as the first non-ASEAN country destination after taking office is a prudent and wise move, said the expert.

Suu Kyi attaches great importance to international relations, especially with neighboring countries and such a "paukphaw" friendship exists only with China, U Nyunt Maung Shein said.

Also of great importance is mutual assistance, he stressed, referring to China's readiness to attend as an invited observer the upcoming 21st Century Panglong Ethnic Conference at the end of this month, to help in Myanmar's peace process which he also assessed is in the best interests of the country.

He went on to say that he sees good prospects for China's investment in Myanmar and trade ties with the country, anticipating that they will be smooth with regard to some major projects which are heading in a positive direction as indicated by a joint statement from the two countries made at the end of Suu Kyi's visit.

He pointed out that Myanmar-China relations have been traditionally good since Myanmar's independence and the founding of the People's Republic of China, with frequent reciprocal visits made by leaders of the two countries.

Regarding Bangladesh -China-India-Myanmar economic corridor and China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative, U Nyunt Maung Shein recalled that the previous Myanmar government had supported the initiatives and taken part in the establishment of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) in view of its good prospects.

Myanmar, as a developing country, was encouraged to source loans from the AIIB for its development, he said.

Linking the Belt and Road Initiative with the economic corridor plan, there are a number of projects that can be carried out that will benefit countries along the routes, he said.

U Nyunt Maung Shein maintained that if Myanmar realizes peace in the country, continuous assistance China provides to Myanmar in its economic development will help to eliminate poverty and give rise to a middle-class population in the country.
Former Chinese ambassador to Nigeria Deng Boqing poses for a group photo with beneficiaries of a scholarship, Lagos, Nigeria, Mar. 5, 2012. Huawei, a leading global information and communication technology (ICT) solutions provider, launched an annual ICT Scholarship Scheme at the University of Lagos. Fifteen undergraduates from the university shared the 3 million Naira (about 20,000 U.S. dollars) scholarship. (Xinhua/Cao Kai)

ABUJA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese technology firm Huawei has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Nigerian government to assist the country in nurturing its local talents in information and communications technology (ICT).

The leading global ICT solutions provider, while signing the agreement with the Nigerian government on Tuesday, said it aims to promote knowledge transfer, improve people's interest in and understanding of the telecom industry through its "Seeds For The Future" initiative.

The agreement will give Nigerian government officials the benefit of partaking in the "Seeds For The Future" program, Huawei's flagship corporate social responsibility project since 2008, the ICT firm said in a statement released in Abuja.

The company is launching the program for Africa's most populous country at a time the Nigerian government is pushing hard to deepen ICT uptake, penetration and use, especially through discovering and training of young talents and government officials in ICT-related areas who are viewed as the hope of the country's future.

Nigeria, with a population of over 170 million people, shows demographics of young population of around 50 percent.

Huawei said it is desirous of promoting the ICT industry for the development of Nigeria through innovation and self-reliance for development.

Commenting on the MoU signing, secretary to the Nigerian government, Babachir David Lawal, said the authorities recognize the acquisition and development of ICT skills as a major contributor to the success so far achieved in the ongoing fight against corruption, insecurity and insurgency.

"It is also a major employment enabler and wealth generator for the teaming masses of unemployed Nigeria youths. I will therefore wish to assure Huawei of government's unflinching support for the success of this program and that the government is indeed very grateful," he added.

Last April, 20 young Nigerians were sent to China to participate in "Seeds For The Future" (students) program during the first state visit to China of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ten Nigerian officials have been selected to participate in another batch of the program in China, designed particularly for officials.
NAIROBI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, has lauded development progress being made across the African continent, which he said is spurring economic growth.

Adesina said the African economies are growing at an average 3.7 percent annually, showing signs of better prospects in the coming years.

He said that the African continent would enjoy an economic growth rate of 4.7 percent by 2017.

"The countries from East African block are leading and have shown good progress that ranges from 6 to 7 percent in recent past," Adesina told reporters in the Kenyan capital Nairobi on Thursday evening.

He said that Kenya, Tanzania, Rwanda, Mozambique, Democratic Republic of the Congo and Cote d'Ivoire were fast realizing good development progress.

He however said that the continent faced challenges from the decline in oil prices and rising domestic fiscal imbalances.

"The countries need to pay more attention to micro-economic stabilization and rapidly have economic diversification by industrializing and not do one type of business trend year in year out," the AfDB chief said.

He said that African countries needed to invest in industrialization and embark on adding value to exports to be able to fetch good prices globally.

Adesina said that the problem of joblessness amongst the youth in Africa was causing economic risks to the continent.

He lamented that a third of the African youth were in vulnerable employment despite graduating from public universities.

He announced that AfDB will support a project aimed at generating 25 million jobs for young Africans aged 18-35 in the next ten years.

He also called on African governments to mobilize domestic resources for their development, adding that the future of Africa lies on domestic financing as opposed to external finances.
Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Lu Kang answers reporters' questions at a regular press conference on August 26, 2016. (Photo: fmprc.gov.cn)

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming G20 Summit will focus more on development issues to inject new impetus into the world economy and promote international consensus on development, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said Friday.

The 11th G20 summit will be held from Sept. 4 to 5 in China's eastern city of Hangzhou, with China choosing "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy" as the theme of the Hangzhou summit, identifying four key priorities, namely, "breaking a new path for growth," "more effective and efficient global economic and financial governance," "robust international trade and investment" and "inclusive and interconnected development."

As one of the key priorities to be discussed, "inclusive and interconnected development" is expected to be a highlight of the summit, Lu said, adding that this entails sustainable development, promoting coordinated growth of various economies, interconnected industries with win-win results and shared prosperity of all sectors.

It is the first time for such development issues to take a prominent position within the global macropolicy framework and the first time an action plan has been created to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, Lu said.

Lu said that it was hoped that collective and individual actions on the part of the G20 will give a strong impetus to the UN sustainable development agenda.

He said that we will make a proposal on cooperation to support the industrialization of Africa and lesser developed countries (LDCs), supporting these countries to speed up industrialization and reduce poverty and pursue sustainable development.

"We will have discussions covering a wide range of subjects, including agriculture, employment, business, as well as women and youth to encourage entrepreneurship," he said

"Robust international trade and investment" will also be a focus of discussion, which aims to enhance understanding and expand consensus via effective use of the WTO multilateral mechanism and bilateral economic communication, according to Lu.

How to oppose trade and investment protectionism and boost the growth of trade and investment is a common concern, Lu said.

Lu briefed the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting in Shanghai in July this year.

G20 economies will remain committed to an open global economy, and will further work towards trade liberalization and facilitation, according to the G20 Trade Ministers Meeting Statement, the first of its kind in G20 history.

To arrest the slowdown of global trade growth, China is working with all parties to maintain an open and safe global trade system to realize inclusive growth.

The Hangzhou summit will take tangible action to promote strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth of the global economy, Lu said.

Related:

Interview: G20 summit to play vital role in promoting global trade: top WTO official

GENEVA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming G20 summit would play vital role in promoting global trade, as long as G20 leaders have positive and constructive discussions on trade and investment, and endorse the consensus reached at the G20 trade ministers' meeting in July, a senior official of the World Trade Organization (WTO) says.

Since the financial crisis in 2008, the global economic and trade outlook has yet to see clear signs of recovery, while fiscal and monetary policymaking has been increasingly hampered by harsh economic realities, WTO Deputy Director-General Yi Xiaozhun told Xinhua in a recent interview. Full story

Across China: Presenting China in a poetic way: G20 logo designer

HANGZHOU, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Featuring the image of a bridge, supplemented with the imprint of a traditional Chinese seal, the logo of the upcoming G20 summit was born in an abandoned cement plant in the suburb of the host city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.
LUSAKA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Zambia's main opposition party on Friday expressed surprise that its top leadership has been reported to the International Criminal Court (ICC) for alleged crimes against humanity but has welcomed the move.

A law firm has written to the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC, saying several crimes against humanity have been committed by Hakainde Hichilema, leader of the United Party for National Development (UPND), and the party's vice president Geoffrey Mwamba in the aftermath of the August 11 general elections.

Lewis Nathan Advocates, in its letter dated August 25, has reported the opposition leaders in view of the recent spate of violence in some parts of the country after incumbent President Edgar Lungu was declared winner of the elections.

Supporters of the opposition leaders reportedly went on a rampage attacking ruling party supporters and burning their houses and shops in opposition strongholds.

Stephen Katuka, the opposition party's secretary-general said it was surprising that the party's top leadership have been reported to the ICC given the levels of abuse and discrimination the party and its supporters were currently receiving.

"Nevertheless, as UPND we would welcome the independent scrutiny of the ICC and those bodies concerned with the protection of human rights in light of the current situation in Zambia. We want an open door on such matters," the party official said in a statement.

Zambia is a state party to the Rome Statute of the ICC.

The opposition party has disputed the outcome of the polls and has filed a petition to the Constitutional Court challenging the election results.

Incumbent President Edgar Lungu was declared winner with 1,860,877 of the votes while Hichilema got 1,760,347.
A staff member presents a robot designed for children at the 2016 Chinese Congress on Artificial Intelligence (CCAI 2016) in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 26, 2016. The two-day CCAI 2016 kicked off here Friday. (Xinhua/Cai Yang)

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Tan Tieniu, a top expert in China's artificial intelligence (AI) sector, on Friday suggested creating a plan to guide the country's AI research and development in the next decade or longer.

China should independently develop an AI innovation system, with a focus on core technology, high-end equipment and applications, basic theories and facilities in the AI sector, said Tan, vice president of the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence.

By doing so, China could have a world-leading AI industry by 2025, said Tan, also vice president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, at the two-day 2016 China Conference on Artificial Intelligence (CCAI 2016), which will conclude on Saturday.

In 2015, the global AI market stood at 127 billion U.S. dollars, Tan said, adding the figure is predicted to reach 165 billion dollars this year and to exceed 200 billion dollars in 2018.

The CCAI 2016, sponsored by the Chinese Association for Artificial Intelligence, aims to better direct and promote the research and application of artificial intelligence in China.

Top experts, scholars and industry professionals in China's AI sector have gathered to discuss man-machine interaction, machine learning, pattern recognition, industry practice, and other topics.
ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Two workers were killed and two others injured when Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK ) militants attacked a construction area in southeastern Turkish province of Hakkari on Friday, military sources told local media.

PKK militants attacked a construction area in the Daglica region of Hakkari's Yuksekova district, the sources told Anadolu Agency, adding that the two injured were taken to local hospital.

An operation to apprehend the attackers is underway.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has declared total war against terrorism, in the wake of a car bomb attack carried out by the outlawed PKK on Friday morning in the southeastern city of Cizre, which killed at least 11 police.
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- US swimmer Ryan Lochte has been charged by Brazilian police with making a false crime statement after he claimed he was robbed during the Rio Olympics.

The 32-year-old has also been issued with a court summons, according to a statement from Brazil's civil police.

Even if Lochte is not present at the court hearing he could be tried and faces a penalty of up to 18 months in jail.

Lochte said he was with fellow US swimmers James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger when their taxi was stopped by thieves posing as police.

The athletes were returning to the Olympic Village after celebrating the end of the swimming competition at the Rio Games, according to Lochte.

But police accuse the swimmers of fabricating the story, claiming the swimmers were in fact confronted by security guards after they vandalized a gas station.

Lochte left Brazil before police were able to question him about the incident.

Bentz and Conger were stopped by federal police from boarding a plane at Rio's international airport on August 17.

Feigen agreed to donate nearly 11,000 US dollars to a Brazilian charity to avoid charges.

Lochte has lost several sponsors in the past week, including sportswear manufacturer Speedo. But Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops said it had signed an endorsement deal with the swimmer on Friday.

Lochte has won six Olympic gold medals, including one in Rio for his victory with the USA's 4x200m freestyle relay team.
COLOMBO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Secretary-General of the United Nations Ban Ki-moon will meet war displaced people during a visit to Sri Lanka next week, the Foreign Ministry said Friday.

Ban Ki-moon will visit Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 2 at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government.

The UN chief is expected to arrive in Sri Lanka in the evening of August 31 from Myanmar, and leave Sri Lanka late at night on Sept. 2 for China to attend the G20 Summit.

In Colombo, the secretary-general will meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and call on President Maithripala Sirisena.

The UN chief will travel to the southern town of Galle where he will participate in an event involving youth under the theme "Reconciliation and Coexistence: Role of Youth".

The secretary-general will travel to the Northern town of Jaffna where he will meet Governor of the Northern Province Reginald Cooray, leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan and members of the main minority Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance and visit a resettlement site.

During the visit, the secretary-general will also meet with several Cabinet Ministers including Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, Speaker of the Parliament Karu Jayasuriya and Political Party Leaders as well as civil society representatives.
OSLO, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Philippine government and communist rebels on Friday agreed to implement a "unilateral" ceasefire for an indefinite period after week-long peace talks in Oslo to end Asia's longest-running insurgency.

The agreement was part of a joint declaration by the Philippine government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP), an umbrella organization of Marxist groups including the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed group, the New People's Army.

"In the course of a few days, the parties in the Philippine peace process have reached agreement on issues that have blocked progress for many years," said Norwegian foreign minister Borge Brende, whose country has facilitated the peace process over the years.

"Among the most important points that have been agreed is that both parties will implement a unilateral ceasefire for an indefinite period," Brende said. "This has never before been achieved in this peace process and is regarded as a major breakthrough."

According to a statement from the Norwegian foreign ministry, the two parties have agreed to speed up the peace process and aim to reach the first substantial agreement on economic and social reforms within six months.

They plan to follow this up with an agreement on political and constitutional reforms, before a final agreement on ending the armed conflict can be signed, it added.

The formal peace talks between the government and the leftist rebels resumed on Monday after they had been stalled since 2011.

The two negotiating panels agreed to meet again in Oslo on Oct. 8-12.

While there is no joint truce yet, NDFP peace panel chair Luis Jalandoni said the Communist Party of the Philippines will declare and issue "an indefinite ceasefire order" to the New People's Army and its militia, upon the end of their current seven-day truce order on Aug. 27.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte already declared last week an indefinite ceasefire to pave the way for the resumption of peace talks with communist rebels.

Both the government and the NDFP will work for the declaration of bilateral truce within 60 days and to establish a ceasefire monitoring committee, Jalandoni said.

As Duterte became new Philippine president this June, his administration is keen to forge peace with the rebels.

The peace talks first began in 1986. Yet over the years, no tangible results were made. Norway has facilitated the peace process since 2001. The last formal round of the negotiations took place in 2011.

The rebels began its insurgency in 1969 and reached its peak in 1987 when it boasted 26,000 armed guerillas.

However, the movement has since dwindled due to differences in strategy and tactics, as well as the arrest of many of its top leaders in the late 1980s. According to the Philippine military, the group now has around 4,000 members.
by Olatunji Saliu

ABUJA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chris Eloho, a Nigerian student, is about to realize his dream of pursuing a Master's Degree in a Chinese university.

This is a dream the 23-year-old has held for six years, even before he gained admission to learn at a private university in his home state of Delta, where he studied Petrochemical Engineering for his Bachelor of Science program.

"I've always wanted to study in China, not anywhere else," he told Xinhua.

That explains his excitement when he received the news early this year that he had been chosen to study in China with a scholarship provided by the Chinese government.

"At first, I thought it was a joke ... Later, when it dawned on me that it was real, I didn't know how to contain my excitement," he said.

Eloho is one of 24 Nigerian students offered full scholarships earlier this month to pursue various degree programs in China.

The scholarship is part of the China-Nigeria Bilateral Education Agreement (BEA) seeking to enhance educational exchanges and cooperation between the two countries.

At a pre-departure ceremony held for the beneficiaries in Abuja a week ago, Qin Jian, the charge d'affaires of the Embassy of China in Nigeria, said education is one of the important areas of cooperation between the two countries.

"It is not only a demonstration of the close people-to-people exchanges between China and Nigeria, but also a great inspiration for deepening our bilateral exchange and cooperation in educational field in the future," Qin said.

He urged the awardees to seize the opportunity to study hard while getting to know China well and enhance friendship.

"In an environment of different language, culture and life in China, I hope you will overcome any difficulties and challenges with courage, make full use of time, acquire professional knowledge, and strive for excellent results so as to live up to the expectations of your parents and your mother country," he added.

At the same event, Nigeria's Permanent Secretary for Information Ayotunde Adesugba expressed gratitude to the Chinese government for extending another scholarship opportunity to excellent Nigerian students this year.

She said the consideration was well-appreciated by the government and people of the West African country, while urging the students to make good the opportunity given to them by doing great exploits in China.

The scholarship beneficiaries will begin to leave the shores of Nigeria next week or early September, to pursue their dreams. Some of them will be away for five years.

Eloho will join a two-year program to further his study in petrochemical engineering at the prestigious Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) in China.

He said since his letter of admission arrived, he has been reading so much about Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei province, where the university is located.

"My plan is to make great exploits in China, making every opportunity count. I have read a lot about China and I am glad that the opportunity has come for me to see for myself all the good things I have read and heard about that great country," he said.

Eloho said studying in China presented an opportunity to learn new things outside the four-corners of the classroom.

Now that his dream about studying in China is about to come true, Eloho promised to his parents to rank among the best students in his year of graduation.

"Coming back home with an excellent performance in my academics is my ultimate goal. This will make up for the years of sojourn in foreign land," he added.

Currently, about 237 Nigerian students are studying in China under government scholarship.
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Maritime cooperation between China and Vietnam has set an example for handling South China Sea disputes.

The coast guards of China and Vietnam on Friday held their first working meeting during which they signed a conference summary.

Friday's meeting is a key step in enhancing bilateral maritime cooperation between China and Vietnam, which, since 1992, have been negotiating the demarcation of territorial waters in the Beibu Gulf -- a half-closed bay surrounded by Chinese and Vietnamese territory and a traditional fishing area for the two countries.

Maritime cooperation has particularly been deepened since the two countries signed the Beibu Gulf Demarcation Agreement and the Beibu Gulf Fishery Cooperation Agreement in 2000.

China and Vietnam have also conducted joint patrols and joint oil exploration in Beibu Gulf in the past few years.

In December 2015, the two countries launched a joint inspection in which Chinese and Vietnamese experts have inspected the terrain and geological conditions outside the mouth of the Beibu Gulf.

Since the Beibu Gulf Fishery Cooperation Agreement took effect in 2000, by the end of 2013, China has handled more than 300 fishing disputes, rescued more than 440 fishing boats in distress, investigated several hundred cases such as maritime theft and smuggling, as well as repelled some illegal foreign fishing boats, according to China's Maritime Safety Administration.

Through joint inspection, China and Vietnam have established a platform for smooth communication, which has created a harmonious and stable environment for their fishing sectors and enhanced the mutual trust and exchanges between their maritime law enforcement departments.

The success story of maritime cooperation between China and Vietnam shows that both countries are committed to solving their maritime differences via cooperation instead of confrontation, which will produce win-win results for the two parties.

In fact, Beijing has been calling on related parties to peacefully solve territorial disputes in the South China Sea through direct negotiations.

Any act that is intended to illegally occupy Chinese territories using the influence of some outsiders or coercing international courts are doomed to failure.

In order to make the South China Sea a sea of peace, friendship and cooperation, China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations have been endeavoring to implement the Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, and striving for the signing of a full code of conduct in the waters as soon as possible. This is the correct path that related parties should take.
JINAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Two men have been arrested in connection with a telecom fraud case in east China's Shandong Province, believed to have led to the death of a teenager, local police said Friday.

The case came to public attention Friday following widespread media reports of the death of Xu Yuyu, an 18-year-old high school graduate in Linyi City.

Xu was reported to have lost 9,900 yuan (1,490 U.S. dollars) of her university tuition fees to telecom fraudsters and, according to reports, died of a cardiac arrest on Aug. 19.

Just a few miles away, another student, Song Zhenning, was also reported to have died in the same way, having lost money in another fraud case.

A third similar incident has also been reported in the city.
GENEVA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Office of the United Nations Special Envoy for Syria warned Friday that a planned evacuation of fighters and civilians starting Friday in the besieged Syrian town of Darayya must be carried out in full compliance with international humanitarian law.

"The UN was not consulted or involved in the negotiation of this agreement," the envoy's office statement said in a written statement.

"It is imperative that people of Darayya are protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily," it added.

The situation in Darayya, which has been besieged since 2012, is "extremely grave," the office warned.

The statement comes as U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov will hold talks Friday in Geneva to discuss a number of issues, including Syria and Ukraine.

The latest face-to-face meetings between both officials are expected to give new impetus to intra-Syrian talks seeking to broker a political end to the five-year conflict.

The envoy's office urged members of the International Syria Support Group, in particular its two co-chairs the United States and Russia, to ensure that the agreement respects international humanitarian law and protection standards.
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cooperation among media organizations of the BRICS countries enables the voices of emerging economies to be better heard, He Ping, editor-in-chief of the Xinhua News Agency, said Friday.

The BRICS countries include the world's major emerging economies -- Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

Their media cooperation can also help build a more just international media order, according to He.

He told visiting head of the Ruptly news agency Xenia Fedorova that Xinhua is willing to strengthen cooperation with Russian media organizations to promote mutual understanding and friendship.

Ruptly, a subsidiary of Russia Today (RT), is an international news agency based in Berlin, Germany that provides real-time and archive visual news content to all media.
Image taken on May 11, 2016, of an employee storing a backup sample of soy seeds, in the Soy Gathering, Conditioning and Marketing Plant of the agricultural cooperative "Argentine Federated Farmers" (AFA, for its acronym in Spanish), which processes and collects around 120,000 tons of soy per year, in Maciel city, north of Rosario, Santa Fe province, 400km away from Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Argentina's main agricultural export platform, the Chamber of Commerce of Rosario, highlighted on Thursday the importance of China as an agricultural partner.

In a report, Julio Calzada, head of economic studies and information of the chamber of commerce, said "we have detected a series of positive indicators for the Argentinean economy...stemming from our commercial relationship with China, especially their imports of agricultural products and soybeans."

"China takes up 65 percent of the global trade of soybeans and its main suppliers are Brazil, the United States and Argentina," he added.

According to the report, China bought 81.7 million tons of soybeans and 820,000 tons of soybean oil in 2015. Argentina provided around 11.5 percent of Chinese soybean imports with 9.4 million tons, and 63 percent of its purchase of soybean oil.

Image taken on May 10, 2016, of stockbrokers working in Rosario's Stock Exchange, Rosario city, Santa Fe province, 300km away from Buenos Aires, capital of Argentina. (Xinhua/Martin Zabala)

Chinese imports from the United States, Brazil and Argentina grew by 14 percent in 2015, capping "a remarkable growth of 55 percent over the last four years," the report said.

"China is a central actor and key to the future of the international soybean market and its derivatives," the chamber of commerce in its report.

"The interesting thing is that bilateral trade between Argentina and China is highly complementary. Chinese exports to our country are almost entirely non-agricultural while its imports from Argentina are highly concentrated on agricultural products," the report concluded.
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China's coast guard chief, Meng Hongwei, met with his Vietnamese counterpart, Nguyen Quang Dam, on Friday in Beijing to discuss cooperation in law enforcement.

According to a consensus reached during the meeting, both sides will patrol shared fishing areas in the Beibu Gulf twice a year, and both sides will exchange friendly visits of coast guard vessels at earliest possible date.

Moreover, Vietnam will send personnel to participate in the capacity-building training on maritime law enforcement to be held by China in 2017, and both sides will organize on-site mutual visits to each others' inspection vessels during law enforcement operations.
ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack that killed 11 Turkish police officers and wounded 78 people in Turkey's southern province of Sirnak earlier on Friday.

In a statement published on an affiliated website, the PKK also said that it did not target Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, in an attack in the northeastern province of Artvin on Thursday.

Kilicdaroglu had escaped unharmed a shooting attack carried out by PKK militants on his convoy on Thursday.

Over 600 members of Turkish security forces and thousands of PKK members have been killed in confrontations inside Turkey and in northern Iraq since July of 2015, and Turkish forces have killed over 7000 PKK militants, local media figured.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives in clashes with the PKK since 1984, when the group first started anti-government attacks.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
Eleven Turkish police officers were killed and 78 people injured Friday in a suicide truck bombing by suspected Kurdish rebels, three days into a two-pronged Turkish offensive against jihadists and Kurdish militia in neighbouring Syria. (Xinhua/AFP Photo)

ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants claimed responsibility for a car bomb attack that killed 11 Turkish police officers and wounded 78 people in Turkey's southern province of Sirnak earlier on Friday.

In a statement published on an affiliated website, the PKK also said that it did not target Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party, in an attack in the northeastern province of Artvin on Thursday.

Kilicdaroglu had escaped unharmed a shooting attack carried out by PKK militants on his convoy on Thursday.

Over 600 members of Turkish security forces and thousands of PKK members have been killed in confrontations inside Turkey and in northern Iraq since July of 2015, and Turkish forces have killed over 7000 PKK militants, local media figured.

More than 40,000 people have lost their lives in clashes with the PKK since 1984, when the group first started anti-government attacks.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey.
Image taken on April 14, 2016 shows tourists visiting Old Havana, in Havana city, capital of Cuba. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

HAVANA, Aug. 25 (Xinhua) -- Cuba confirmed on Thursday that direct commercial flights with the United States would resume on Aug. 31 after more than 50 years of interruption, following thawing ties between the two former Cold War enemies.

"The start of regular commercial flights from the United States is a positive step and a major contribution to better relations between the two countries," Eduardo Rodriguez, Cuba's deputy minister of transportation, said at a press conference.

According to official media outlets, Rodriguez said JetBlue Airways, a low-cost U.S. airline, will fly the first of the commercial flights from Miami to the central city of Santa Clara on Aug. 31.

JetBlue will fly three times a week to this destination until Oct. 29 before switching to a daily flight.

Other carriers like American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines will begin their flights in September and beyond to other major cities.

Cuban and the United States agreed in February to reestablish commercial flights, including 20 daily round-trip flights to Havana, which are awaiting final approval from the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"The delay on the approval of direct commercial flights to Havana is that airlines applied for three times as many daily flights as the agreement allows," Rodriguez said.

The Cuban official added that U.S. citizens still cannot freely travel to the island and that those who come on these direct commercial flights must qualify for one of 12 categories for people-to-people travel.

People pose for a group photo in front of the building of the US embassy in Havana, in the city of Havana, capital of Cuba, on July 20, 2015. (Xinhua/Joaquin Hernandez)

The deputy transportation minister said Cuban airports are ready for U.S. travelers and airlines and that measures are taken for expected levels of operations and security.

Meanwhile, Alfredo Cordero, president of Cuba's Civil Aviation Institute, said the reestablishment of direct commercial flights is a new step in building trust between the two countries.

"Cuba will facilitate all logistic, legal and material conditions that U.S. airlines may require in our country just as we do with other international airlines that have flown here for years," he said.

Cordero said the agreement between the two countries is reciprocal and the island's only airline, Cubana de Aviacion, is taking legal steps to start direct flights to the United States in the future.

Chartered flights, which have carried passengers to and from Cuba for decades, mainly catering to Cuban-Americans who visit their families in the island, will continue to operate.

Regular direct commercial flights were suspended in 1961 following the U.S.-backed Bay of Pigs invasion which was repelled by Cuban forces.
BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- A new plan to promote standards and quality in consumer goods, initiated by China's quality watchdog and other departments, will be made public soon, an official said Friday.

The guideline was approved during the State Council's executive meeting chaired by Premier Li Keqiang Wednesday, said Tian Shihong, head of the Standardization Administration of China, at a press conference.

The new guideline is in line with the country's ongoing economic transition from an investment-driven economy to a more consumption-driven one.

According to the new guideline, by 2020, more than 95 percent of consumer goods in major sectors should meet international standards, up from the current level of 80 percent, Tian said.

The country will also make sure more than 90 percent of its consumer goods on the market meet domestic standards by 2020.

The overall quality level for consumer goods should grow steadily, with the national quality competitiveness index (QCI) reaching 84 points by 2020, according to the plan.

China's manufacturing industry QCI hit 81.18 in 2008, according to an earlier report made by the General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine, according to the quality watchdog.

Consumption contributed 73.4 percent to China's gross domestic product (GDP) growth in the first half of 2016, up 13.2 percentage points from the same period last year.

China will make more efforts to raise the quality of consumer goods and promote "made in China" goods to meet growing demand, Premier Li said.

The government will introduce compulsory standards for quality, intensify supervision and encourage businesses to improve products. Li highlighted the food, home appliance, electronics, clothing, cosmetics, daily chemical products and sporting goods sectors at the meeting.

China is seeking an upgrade of its manufacturing sector to meet increasing demand from domestic consumers. A number of measures, such as supply-side structural reform, have been carried out.

The country shall transform its growth focus from "made in China" to "innovated in China," as well as shift from speed to quality and from products to brands, according to the leadership.
ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of cooperation against all "terrorist organizations" in a phone conversation Friday, Erdogan's office said in a statement.

Erdogan informed Putin of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria's Jarablus launched by the Turkish military and the U.S.-led coalition to sweep the Islamic State(IS) terrorists from the border.

Two leaders also agreed to enhance efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria's Aleppo, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The conversation generally focused on bilateral relations, recent developments in Syria and the fight against terrorism.

They also agreed to hold a bilateral talk during the G20 Summit in China in the first week of September.

Russia and Turkey have been mending relations, which were strained after Turkey downed a Russian jet last year.
BRUSSELS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- While the eurozone economy has proved resilient to multiple uncertainties such as Brexit, key business surveys in Europe's two biggest economies -- Germany and France -- has poured a bucket of cold water on the rising optimism.

The Ifo Business Climate Index, which is a highly-regarded early indicator of economic developments in Germany published on a monthly basis, fell from 108.3 points in July to 106.2 points in August, the Ifo Institute said on Thursday.

Business confidence in Germany has clearly worsened, said Clemens Fuest, president of the Ifo Institute.

"Both the current business situation, and the expectations for the next six months, were assessed more poorly by the companies than in the previous month. The German economy has fallen into a summer slump," Fuest said in a statement.

"The IFO survey in Germany was a nasty downside surprise for markets," Claus Vistesen, chief eurozone economist of Pantheon Macroeconomics said, noting that the business climate index was well below the consensus forecast of a modest rise.

In addition, the expectations index slid to 100.1 in Germany, from a revised 102.1 in July.

"We start to worry when this gauge flirts with a dip below 100; it has historically been a reliable indicator of a business cycle downturn in Germany," Vistesen said.

Pantheon Macroeconomics predicted German GDP growth to slow down in coming quarters, after a very strong first half.

Brexit uncertainty is partly to blame for the poor IFO showing, but domestic retail sentiment also plunged, the economist said.

The media predictably cited the dip in headlines, saying it was a sign that uncertainty over the British referendum result had hit continental Europe.

"This is plausible given the importance of UK demand for German goods in pushing the trade surplus higher in this cycle," Vistesen said.

Growth in nominal German exports to Britain was already slowing sharply ahead of the Brexit referendum. Even worse, Pantheon's short-term assessment of the British economy indicated that German exports across the English Channel would slow further in the third quarter.

Brexit uncertainty, however, was only part of the story in the weak IFO survey, said Vistesen, adding that plunging sentiment in the retail industry was also a major driving force.

According to surveys, retail confidence in Germany slipped to a 32-month low, and growth in consumer goods spending was slowing.

However, the surveys noted that sentiment in the construction industry was stable in August, the economist estimated the capital expenditure (capex) in the building sector, which is almost 50 percent of total investment, will support German capital formation in the following quarter.

French business sentiment also stumbled in August. The headline manufacturing confidence index fell to 101 in August, from 103 in July, and the overall business confidence gauge fell marginally to 101 from 102 last month, according to the monthly business survey released on Thursday by the National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE).

"The turning-point indicator is now in the zone indicating an unfavourable economic outlook," INSEE has said.

Market analysis said French sentiment was hit by a sharp fall in the food and beverage manufacturing sector, and modest declines in the transport and equipment sector.

"The headline manufacturing index remains above its long-run average, but the survey's forward-looking components are beginning to reflect the (Purchasing Managers Index) PMI's sombre message," said Vistesen.

According to the survey, the new orders-to-inventory ratio remains depressed, and firms' own production expectations slid below zero for the first time since 2014.

However, Pantheon economists expected that French production would be lifted by oil refining in the third quarter of 2016.

Private investment in France has performed admirably this cycle, Vistesen noted. Growth in manufacturing and private services capex has been close to previous cyclical highs since the middle of last year. As well, the separate semi-annual quarterly investment survey suggests that firms' investment plans for 2016 are resilient.

Construction could become a critical swing factor for French investment in the second half of the year, Pantheon economists said. "But we are cautiously optimistic that (investment) growth will improve further; this would add a big boost to aggregate investment," they added in a statement.
PARIS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Council of State, France's highest administrative court, on Friday suspended a ban on full-body Muslim swimsuits in Villeneuve-Loubet, south France that has fuelled political debate and allegations of racism and stigmatization.

The French Human Rights League and the French Council of the Muslim Faith had earlier appealed the decision by the southern town to ban the burkini.

"In Villeneuve-Loubet, there is no element showing that risks to public order have resulted from some people's swimming suits," the court said, adding that "in the absence of such risks, the mayor could not take a measure prohibiting access to the beach and swimming."

The court also stressed that the anti-burkini decree "seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom."

In mid-August, mayors of dozens of coastal towns imposed the ban on wearing the burkini which leaves only the face, hands and feet uncovered. The ban came into effect after a brawl between Muslim families and a group of young Corsicans in Sisco.

Adbdallah Zekri, secretary general of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, hailed "a sensible decision" and a "victory of wisdom which favors living together in our country."

Florian Philippot, vice president of far-right National Front, wrote on Twitter: "Faced with a weak Council of State, now lawmakers have to be responsible and prohibit this clothing of apartheid."

The court will prepare a definitive ruling expected to set a legal precedent for other towns banning the burkini on their beaches.
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a news conference following their meeting in St. Petersburg, Russia, August 9, 2016. (Xinhua/Reuters Photo)

ANKARA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of cooperation against all "terrorist organizations" in a phone conversation Friday, Erdogan's office said in a statement.

Erdogan informed Putin of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria's Jarablus launched by the Turkish military and the U.S.-led coalition to sweep the Islamic State(IS) terrorists from the border.

Two leaders also agreed to enhance efforts to deliver humanitarian aid to Syria's Aleppo, state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The conversation generally focused on bilateral relations, recent developments in Syria and the fight against terrorism.

They also agreed to hold a bilateral talk during the G20 Summit in China in the first week of September.

Russia and Turkey have been mending relations, which were strained after Turkey downed a Russian jet last year.
DARAYA, Syria, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The first batch of Syrians started on Friday to leave the besieged town of Daraya under the new deal, which allows evacuation of rebel fighters and civilians.

Military vehicles were waiting to escort the buses filled with residents out of the city, whose landscape is similar to those in the movies depicting the Armageddon, or the doom's day.

Ambulances as well as convoys from the Syrian Red Crescent were waiting at a government-held area of the town to evacuate 4,000 civilians and some 700 rebels.

A military source told Xinhua that the first stage of evacuation has been completed on Friday, with 10 buses leaving the town, five of which transporting 270 armed rebels and their families and heading toward the northwestern province of Idlib.

Another five buses transported civilians only to displacement shelters in the town of Hirjalleh in the southern countryside of Damascus, the source added, on condition of anonymity.

Preparations started Friday morning for the evacuation, which will be in batches and expected to last four days, sources said.

The evacuation is part of a deal reached on Thursday between the armed rebels and the government army, which allows over 4,000 civilians to be evacuated to displacement shelters in government-controlled areas.

Meanwhile, 700 rebels will hand over their heavy and medium weapons, and move to Idlib, a stronghold for the rebels' Jaish al-Fateh, or the Army of Conquest, state news agency SANA reported.

The rebels who don't want to evacuate can stay inside the town, after settling their criminal records with the government, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor group said.

Civilians who want to stay will be provided with medical aid, the Observatory said.

Calm prevails in the town after the deal was concluded, source familiar with the situation said.

Daraya has been out of the government control since 2012, but was later put under a tight siege by the Syrian government forces.
Premier Li Keqiang (R) meets with Peter Thomson, president of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Xie Huanchi)

BEIJING, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Friday met with Peter Thomson, president of the 71st session of the UN General Assembly, pledging to support the work of the United Nations.

Li said globalization was frustrated and uncertainties and destabilizing factors in the international situation are on the rise with the sluggish recovery of the world economy, growing geopolitical risks and threats posed by terrorism and the refugee issue.

China firmly supports a "strong and robust" role for the United Nations as the most representative and authoritative intergovernmental organization, Li told Thomson.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the restoration of China's seat in the United Nations, said Li.

China has always been committed to the international system with the United Nations at its core and defending the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, said the premier.

China will safeguard the authority of the United Nations and support its work under the new circumstances, he said.

"We will make joint efforts with all countries to address the challenges, enhance and improve the global governance system, promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development so as to create a win-win situation," Li said.

The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, endorsed and launched at the UN Summit for Sustainable Development last year, including 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and 169 targets, is a blueprint for eradicating poverty across the world for the next 15 years.

Thomson said as a country with much influence in the world, China has played a major role on promoting the international peace and sustainable development.

The United Nations appreciates China's long-term support, and looks forward to lifting relations with China to a new height, he said.

Thomson, who will take office in September, is visiting China from Thursday to Saturday at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.

Earlier on Friday, Wang held talks with Thomson on all-round cooperation.

Wang reassured Thomson on China's efforts in climate change and promoting green, low-carbon and sustainable development, including pushing for the early effectiveness of the Paris Agreement and helping developing countries to strengthen capacity building in climate change.

China has already started implementing the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and will push G20 members to formulate an action plan for its implementation in the upcoming G20 Hangzhou summit, Wang said.

Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi also met with Thomson Friday.
JINAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Foreign diplomats to China expressed optimism about energy cooperation with China as they gathered in eastern China for an international forum on Thursday and Friday.

The two-day International Energy Investment and Financing Cooperation Forum in the coastal city of Yantai, Shandong Province, has attracted ambassadors and councilors from some 20 countries. They used the occasion not only to catch up on the latest developments from leading Chinese energy companies, but also to pitch their countries to Chinese investors.

Ugandan Ambassador to China Charles Madibo Wagidoso told Xinhua on the sidelines of the forum that Chinese companies have great potential for investing in Uganda's oil and gas sector.

Wagidoso said the oil sector in Uganda is still in what he calls the "infancy" period. "We are doing exploration but yet to start actual production," he said.

"You (Chinese investors) can participate either in the exploration or in the supply of machinery and equipment, or you can participate in the implementation of some of the projects," Wagidoso said, adding that his country will build a refinery project as well as a 4-billion-U.S.-dollar pipeline connecting oil-rich regions of landlocked Uganda and the Tanzanian port of Tanga on the Indian Ocean.

Wagidoso considers hydropower generation a hot area for Chinese investment as well, citing two major hydroelectric stations now under construction with China's assistance in the East African country. They are the Karuma Hydroelectric Power Station in the north of the country with a designed capacity of 600 megawatts, and the 200-megawatt Isimba Hydroelectric Power Station in central Uganda.

"Both of them cost 2 billion U.S. dollars," added Wagidoso.

In addition, as part of the Belt and Road Initiative proposed by China in 2013, Wagidoso said current Sino-Ugandan cooperation is also expanding toward the transportation sector.

"The Chinese government is going to support us to develop a railroad project estimated at 3 billion U.S. dollars, so there is a high level of economic engagement between Uganda and China," the Ugandan diplomat said.

Asked about whether the Chinese companies are doing a good job in Uganda, the ambassador said they had been "very good" so far, especially for companies that are implementing projects there.

Mamdouh Sallman, Egypt's Minister Plenipotentiary of Commerce to China, said Egypt welcomes all types of cooperation with China in the energy sector, which he said is a priority.

"But in general we welcome Chinese investment in all fields," Sallman added, highlighting in particular the energy, transportation and infrastructure sectors, which he said the Egyptian government had given more attention in its plan to encourage foreign investment.

"As for examples of cooperation in the field of energy, we chose Chinese companies such as Sinohydro, State Grid and Shanghai Electric to execute many of the energy projects in Egypt," Sallman said.

"Our government has a plan to develop the economy, and I think what you have, such as huge technological capabilities, meets our requirements," Sallman said.

Envoys from Kazakhstan, Algeria, Peru and Ethiopia were invited to deliver keynote speeches about the investment environment in their respective countries at the forum.

The event was organized in part by the Yantai-based Jereh Group, a leading Chinese oil and gas service provider and equipment manufacturer.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a revised Zika guidance on Friday, recommending all blood donations in the U.S. and its territories undergo testing for the mosquito-borne virus.

"There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission," Peter Marks, director of the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

"At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion."

The FDA first issued guidance on Feb. 16 recommending that only areas with active Zika virus transmission screen donated whole blood and blood components for the virus, or halt blood collection.

The first local or non-travel related transmission of Zika virus in the U.S. by mosquitoes was reported from Puerto Rico in December 2015; and soon thereafter, local transmission was reported in American Samoa and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

In July 2016, the first cases of local or non-travel related transmission of Zika virus in the continental U.S. were reported in Miami-Dade County, Florida.

Zika is transmitted primarily by the Aedes mosquito, but it can also be spread by sexual contact.

Four out of five people infected with the Zika virus never develop symptoms, and when symptoms do occur, they may include fever, joint pain, maculopapular rash, and conjunctivitis.

In addition, Zika virus infection during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects and is associated with other adverse pregnancy outcomes.

"As new scientific and epidemiological information regarding Zika virus has become available, it's clear that additional precautionary measures are necessary," said Luciana Borio, the FDA's acting chief scientist. "We are issuing revised guidance for immediate implementation in order to help maintain the safety of the U.S. blood supply."
RIGA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of the Baltic and Nordic countries (NB8) gathered this week to review Baltic-Nordic cooperation over the last quarter century, the Latvian foreign ministry said Friday.

Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia mark the 25th anniversary of their renewed independence this week.

The Baltic foreign ministers -- Latvia's Edgars Rinkevics, Lithuania's Linas Linkevicius and Estonia's Marina Kaljurand -- thanked the Nordic countries for their support in the Baltic states' reform processes and integration with various international bodies like the European Union (EU), NATO and other organizations.

Iceland received special recognition as the first country in the world to recognize the Baltic states' restored independence back in 1991.

The ministers concluded that political and practical ties between the Baltic and Nordic countries were as close as ever before in areas like business contacts, security, culture, and education, among others.

The ministers also spoke appreciatively about the commitments made at NATO's recent summit in Warsaw, concluding it was necessary now to focus on their implementation.

Speaking at a news conference following the two-day talks, Rinkevics voiced the NB8 ministers' unanimous position that Europe had to grow stronger in order to address the needs and concerns of its citizens.

"Our common position is that there is a need for a strong Europe that would ensure security for all citizens," Rinkevics said.

The ministers also discussed the need for a much more extensive coordination and closer cooperation on economic issues, including growth and job creation.

The talks also focused on the responsibility of European institutions and the necessity to increase their accountability. The Latvian foreign minister noted a certain discrepancy between EU institutions' activities and member states' perceptions of those activities.

"On the other hand, many politicians are quick to blame Brussels for their own mistakes and omissions," Rinkevics said.

The Baltic and Nordic politicians agreed that close cooperation had to continue to ensure Europe's future.

While discussing the British referendum results, in which the majority of votes were cast for leaving the European Union, the ministers were unanimous in their view that Britain should remain as close to Europe as possible. Rinkevics indicated, however, that discussions on Britain's exit from the bloc were still in the very early stages.

Riga hosted the annual meeting of Baltic and Nordic foreign ministers this Thursday and Friday as this year's coordinator of NB8 cooperation. Norway is due to take over as the NB8 coordinator next year.

NB8 is a cooperation format that includes Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Iceland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, and Sweden.
PHNOM PENH, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen reiterated late Friday that the South China Sea issue should be settled through peaceful negotiations by the parties directly concerned.

"The South China Sea conflict should be resolved peacefully by the Chinese and Vietnamese governments," the prime minister wrote on his official Facebook page in response to a Vietnamese Facebook user who criticized the Cambodia's position on the issue.

"It's the sole decision of Vietnamese government to solve the issue of South China Sea. It's your right to chose war or peace solution on this particular issue," Hun Sen wrote.

"Definitely, you should respect the country of Laos, especially Cambodia, because we're not related in the South China Sea issue."

Meanwhile, the prime minister urged the Vietnamese government to educate its people not to bother him anymore, saying that in recent months, he had received many inappropriate and insulting comments made by Vietnamese people targeting him and the Cambodian people.

"I want to tell you to respect our country's independence and sovereignty because Cambodia has equal right with other countries including Vietnam," he said, referring to the Vietnamese Facebook user.
JINAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Four men have been arrested in connection with a telecom fraud case in east China's Shandong Province, believed to have led to the death of a teenager, local police said Friday.

Xu Yuyu, an 18-year-old high school graduate in Linyi City, Shandong Province, died on Aug. 19 of cardiac arrest after she lost her tuition money to a telecom fraudster.

Xu's mother received a phone call on Aug. 19 demanding her bank account information so Xu could receive a grant for the upcoming college semester.

"The person said we should transfer money to another bank account, and he promised that in half an hour the money would be returned along with the grant of 2,600 yuan," said Xu's mother.

Xu deposited 9,900 yuan (about 1,500 U.S. dollars), which her family had saved to pay tuition for her upcoming freshman year, to the bank account. When she called the number back, it was out of service.

Xu and her father went to the police to report the theft.

"My daughter was so shocked and sad when we came out of the police station. She was sitting in my tricycle and when I turned back to check on her, she had collapsed on the tricycle," said Xu Lianbin, her father.

Xu died of cardiac arrest 11 days before she was supposed to begin studies at Nanjing University of Post and Telecommunications, where she was admitted as an English Literature major.

Xu's mother is disabled, and her father works at a construction site. It took the family a lot of work to raise enough money for her first year tuition, and losing it all was unbearable, Xu's relatives told Xinhua.

Xu was not the only victim. Just a few miles away, another student, Song Zhenning, died of cardiac arrest on Aug. 23 after he was conned out of money in a similar scam. A third scam was also reported in the city.

The cases have aroused public anger. Linyi police have established a special investigative team to find the scammers.

RISING FRAUD

Police said education-related fraud is common between July and October. The calls are directed at high school graduates and college students, who are typically promised grants, reimbursement or aid. The scam that targeted Xu fits this pattern, said Lu Liang, an economic crime investigator in Jinan City, provincial capital of Shandong.

The mobile phone number the scammer used to call Xu's phone belonged to a virtual operator, which rents networks from China's major telecom operators.

Critics say virtual operators have become a hotbed for telecom fraud.

"These virtual operators need to improve management and prevent use by con artists. Police and operators should cooperate better," said Liu Junhai, a law professor at Renmin University of China.

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Friday said it would look more closely at the activities of virtual operators.

An anti-telecom fraud center was established in central China's Hunan province this month. Police, bank staff, employees of bank card service provider Union Pay and telecommunications operators work from a single office. The center allows authorities to quickly respond to fraud by halting transactions, freezing bank accounts, investigating and blacklisting phone numbers used by scammers.

SAFETY NET

Linyi police are also investigating whether other personal information was compromised.

Liang Shan, a lawyer in Jinan, said there are too many ways in which personal information may be leaked and used for illegal purposes. Students spend a lot of time online but their safety awareness is often poor.

Gaming websites, online shopping sites, train tickets, and bank account documents carry important personal information such as identification numbers, phone numbers and names, and can be a great source of information leaks and theft, she said.

China's criminal law stipulates that infringing upon personal information is punishable by up to seven years in prison. However, these crimes are hard to trace and difficult to prevent.

"We should create a safety net around ourselves and raise our awareness," said Liang.

Related:

Key suspects arrested after China telecom fraud fatality

JINAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Four key suspects have been arrested in connection with a telecom fraud case in east China's Shandong Province, believed to have led to the death of a teenager, local police said Friday.

Law enforcers were sent to at least five provinces in southern and eastern China to search for the suspects, four of whom have been detained as of late Friday night, according to the official microblog of the provincial police office. Full story

Three detained after China telecom fraud fatality

JINAN, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Three people have been detained in connection with a telecom fraud case in east China's Shandong Province, believed to have led to the death of a teenager, police said Friday.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- China Southern Airlines on Friday formally announced to operate daily flights from Nepal to the northern neighbor China from Sept. 1.

Organizing a special program in the Nepalese capital, the company announced that it will have a daily flight between Guangzhou and Kathmandu from Sept. 1 whereas will have two flights per day from October.

The Chinese company announced that it is increasing the flight frequency considering the growing Chinese tourists in Nepal and upcoming festivals in the Himalayan nation.

Dhiraj Shrestha, deputy sales manager at China Southern Airlines office in Nepal told Xinhua "Currently, we are operating three flights between Guangzhou and Kathmandu a week through A319 aircraft. Now, we are extending the number of flights because of increment in passenger frequency and major festivals."

September-October is the peak tourism season in Nepal which is generally claimed as having 30 percent of total tourists' arrival of a year whereas at next, it is the time for major festivals like Dashain and Tihar when thousands of migrant workers and other Nepalese living abroad return home.

Earlier, almost all the foreign carriers including China Southern Airlines were forced to suspend their flight frequency after last year's devastating earthquake and subsequent aviation fuel shortage in Nepal.

Since the Chinese carrier is planning to double the flight frequency, an increased flight is expected to contribute to raise the number of Chinese tourists which has remarkably decreased by 26 percent in the first six month of 2016, according to tourism statistics.

China is the second largest source market of tourism for the Himalayan nation and the decision of increasing flight is received with due significance by the travel agents.

"The Chinese carriers have boosted the Nepalese tourism market. I am hopeful that the daily flights will help in reviving our quake-hit business", Prem Sapkota, a Travel Agent shared with Xinhua after receiving "Appreciation Award" form the company.

On the occasion, the company awarded best travel agents based in Kathmandu with the letter of appreciation. According to the company that has served over 110 million passengers worldwide till 2015, it has 90 travel agents within Nepal.

Currently, there are four Chinese airlines operating direct flights from Nepal to mainland China. Tourist arrivals to Nepal jumped 12.77 percent in the first six months of 2016, showing signs that the tourism industry is gradually returning back to normal after facing severe disasters last year.
HARARE, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Friday warned opposition parties against causing anarchy in the country.

Mugabe spoke as police Friday thwarted a protest march by the opposition to push for electoral reforms before the 2018 elections, the latest in a series of anti-government protests by the opposition and pressure groups in recent weeks.

In most cases, police have fired tear gas and water cannons to break the protests.

"Even if our economy is not doing well, do you have to go into the streets and burn tyres, cars and those little shops that people are depending on? Do you have to do that, to gain what, to gain power?" Mugabe said.

He said the oppositions would not gain power through staging violent protests, and blamed current economic hardships on Western sanctions and a drought.

Accusing the West of sponsoring the protests, Mugabe said his government would never tolerate violence in the country.

"We don't want to be disrespected. We are a peaceful people and we want peace in the country," he said.

Mugabe, 92, has been endorsed by his party to run for the 2018 elections when he will be 94. Enditem
German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrives for the 11th Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) Summit in Ulan Bator, capital of Mongolia, on July 15, 2016. (Xinhua file photo/Sadat)

WARSAW, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The European Union (EU) should focus on common issues and work out a careful response to Brexit, while also considering security and economic growth, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Visegrad Group (V4) leaders said Friday.

The meeting is designed to prepare an informal summit of 27 EU members in Bratislava on Sept. 16, set to discuss Brexit, in Warsaw, Polish Press Agency reported.

"The summit in Bratislava is planned as a beginning of a long-term process. We hope that in Bratislava we will be able to define the current condition of the EU and to show areas which should be in the focus of future meetings," Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico said.

Merkel agreed with Fico that Bratislava would not be a summit of decisions but will mark the beginning of work, noting that security would surely be in the focus.

Merkel said all 27 EU members had to draw conclusions from Britain's decision to depart from the EU and find out in which areas the EU needed to be stronger.

According to her, the EU should focus on common issues and work out a careful response to Brexit.

Merkel admitted that economic issues were of great significance since "people would accept Europe only when the EU secured their prosperity."

Addressing the conference, Polish Prime Minister Beata Szydlo stressed that Brexit would result in changes the EU had to cope with.

"We want other EU member countries which want to build our common future to be more strongly united and to cooperate more closely," Szydlo said, stressing that the EU "should seek projects which unite us instead of dividing us."

Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka expressed his hope that the Visegrad Group would adopt its joint priorities before the Bratislava summit, stressing that Europe needed better cooperation in defense and security policy, with a special emphasis on the protection of the EU's external borders.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that Britain's departure from the EU resulted from the current state of Europe.

According to Orban, the EU was facing two main problems, namely the lack of adaptation abilities in difficult situations such as the financial crisis, terrorist threats, migration or the crisis in Ukraine, and the non-observance of regulations regarding the Schengen zone and budgetary issues.

Merkel started her Warsaw visit on Friday with a meeting with Szydlo.

The German chancellor also held talks with prime ministers of the regional Visegrad Group, namely the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.
HARARE, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe on Friday held a farewell ceremony for 50 students who are going to undertake undergraduate studies at a Chinese university.

Studying under the auspices of the Presidential Scholarship Program whose patron is President Mugabe, the students are being sponsored by a Chinese company at a cost of 12 million Chinese yuan (1.8 million U.S. dollars).

The students will be studying at Ocean University of China in east China's Qingdao city for the next four years.

Speaking at the ceremony, President Mugabe thanked the Chinese firm for the assistance which he said would ensure continuity of the program which was now facing funding shortages due to economic challenges in the country.

He said the support in the education sector signified strong bilateral relations between the two countries and marked a turning point in the expansion of the presidential scholarship program to other countries besides South Africa.

Since its launch in 1995 to assist academically gifted but underprivileged children in Zimbabwe, the Presidential Scholarship Program has sent students to study in South Africa only, with about 20,000 Zimbabwean students having benefited so far.

"I am sure this thrust to China is going to be very important and perhaps one of the largest thrusts of our scholarship program in the future," Mugabe said.

He said Zimbabwe had high respect and was confident in the Chinese education system which had catapulted the country to become the second largest economy in the world.

Chinese ambassador to Zimbabwe Huang Ping said education and cultural exchange had become an integral part of China-Zimbabwe bilateral cooperation, and pledged more Chinese support to Zimbabwe's education sector.

Qingdao Hengshun Zhongsheng Group Vice President Chen Jian said the company would in the future increase the number of students that it supports under the program to 100 per year.

He said the firm was keen to fund education in Zimbabwe because its corporate culture resonated with President Mugabe's commitment to education.

"Each year, we will provide for 50-100 outstanding Zimbabwean students to study in China until graduation for the next years," he said. Enditem
MADRID, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Time is running out for acting Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy as he prepares to face an investiture debate in Congress on Aug. 29 and 30.

Rajoy's People's Party (PP) and center-right force Ciudadanos have spent the past week locked in talks to try and hash out a deal that would see Ciudadanos give their support to Rajoy in the investiture debate. However, with time running out until a Saturday deadline set by Ciudadanos, no agreement is in sight.

"I think it is impossible for us to sign this agreement because the postures are still a long way apart in some questions," Ciudadanos Assistant Secretary General Jose Manuel Villegas told the press on Friday.

Villagas, who is leading the Ciudadanos negotiating team, added that although "sometimes these things can be cleared up quickly," at the moment it was "impossible" to sign the accord.

The proposed pact includes plans for electoral reform and anti-corruption measures, as well as economic and social questions put forward by Ciudadanos.

"We are talking about negotiations to permit the investiture, but for us to lend our support, there have to be some concrete promises on the economy and not merely declarations of intent. We know we are not going to be able to implement our economic program, but there is a long way between that and us supporting the PP," explained Villagas.

If talks fail, Spain faces its third general election in 12 months. The electoral calendar schedule would mean the vote would fall on Christmas Day -- Dec. 25 -- which would be hugely unpopular.

However, even if the PP and Ciudadanos are able to come to an agreement, the total of Ciudadanos 32 seats and the PP's 137 still leaves them short of the 176 needed to win a majority without the support or abstention of one of Spain's other parties, something that looks very unlikely at the moment.
KATHMANDU, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Nepal recorded a decreasing growth rate in remittance inflow in the last fiscal year 2015-16 as the number of Nepalese workers leaving for foreign employment dropped massively, Nepal's central bank said.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB), the central bank of the country, said in its latest Macro-Economic Financial Situation Report on Friday that the growth rate of remittance came down to 7.7 percent in mid-July 2016 when fiscal year ended compared to 27.3 percent growth rate observed in mid-August 2015, the first month of the last fiscal.

The Himalayan nation received a total of 6.18 billion U.S. dollar (Nepalese rupee Rs665.06 billion) in remittance in last fiscal year. In the previous fiscal year 2014-15, Nepal registered growth of 13.6 percent in remittance inflow.

The deceleration in remittance growth rate, according to experts, is a warning sign for Nepal, whose economy is heavily dependent on remittance sent by migrant workers. The remittance's size is 29.6 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) of the Himalayan nation.

"The decreasing growth in remittance inflow over a year is a cause of concern because a continued deceleration would undermine Nepal's capacity of import financing," said Nara Bahadur Thapa, chief of research department at NRB.

Nepal's export earning stood at just 652 million U.S. dollar in the last fiscal while the country imported goods worth 7.19 billion U.S. dollar, according to NRB. So, remittance fulfills majority of foreign exchange required for import financing.

"Remittance is one of the key factors for recent decline in rural poverty in Nepal and the continued deceleration in remittance growth could have serious impact on poverty reduction efforts," said Thapa.

Decrease in remittance growth coincides with slump in the flow of Nepalese migrant workers in the last fiscal year. Nepalese workers departing for foreign employment slumped by 8.4 percent to 418,713. The departure to Malaysia, traditionally the largest work destination for Nepalese workers, slumped to 60,979 in fiscal 2015-16 against 202,828 in the previous fiscal.

Malaysia stopped taking foreign workers in February but the decision was partly revised in May by allowing foreign workers in the areas of manufacturing, construction, plantation and furniture-making industries which were facing a major shortage of workers.

On the other hand, economic slowdown in Saudi Arabia as a result of decreased oil price has also been a cause of concern for Nepal because companies there have started to lay off foreign workers.

With Malaysia not taking in foreign workers like before, oil rich Gulf kingdom emerged as the largest work destination for Nepalese workers in the last fiscal year as it received 138,529 Nepalese workers commanding 30.8 percent of total Nepalese migrant workers.

Secretary at the Ministry of Labour and Employment Bishnu Prasad Lamsal said that the situation in Saudi Arabia was not as alarming as it has been reported in the media. "I hope that Malaysia lifting ban on foreign workers in certain areas would also result in higher outflow of Nepalese workers and increase remittance inflow in the country," he said. Enditem
UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- On the eve of the presidential election in Gabon, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Friday called on Gabonese to exercise their civic duty and hold the poll in a peaceful and credible manner.

Ban also called on all political stakeholders and the candidates to avoid acts of incitement and maintain a peaceful atmosphere before, during and after the election, said a statement by his spokesperson.

The UN chief also called on all candidates to "contribute to the integrity of the electoral process by addressing any complaints that may arise through established legal and constitutional channels," it added.

Gabon is going to hold its presidential election on Saturday. The country's incumbent President Ali Bongo Ondimba will compete against 11 other candidates.

The Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS) has said it will send 20 election observers to Gabon. The African Union and the European Union will also monitor the forthcoming elections.
KIEV, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Kiev side during a meeting of the Trilateral Contact Group on Ukraine crisis has offered pro-independence insurgents to start a complete ceasefire in eastern regions prior to Sept. 1, a senior Ukrainian official announced on Friday.

"We insist on the unconditional truce," Iryna Geraschenko, a Kiev representative in the humanitarian subgroup of the Contact Group, was quoted as saying by local media.

The halt to the hostilities is particularly important to ensure the security of children in the restive areas with the start the new school year, which begins in Ukraine on Sept.1, Geraschenko said.

According to her, solely in Lugansk region, some 126 educational establishments are located in the immediate vicinity from the frontline of fighting.

The representatives of insurgents have not commented on the ceasefire proposal yet.

Meanwhile, Darka Olifer, spokesperson for Ukraine's representative in the Contact Group Leonid Kuchma, wrote on her Facebook page that the group and the representatives of certain areas in the Donetsk and Luhansk regions have backed the idea of the ceasefire.

On Sept. 1, 2015, a truce was established in eastern Ukraine, which has led to a notable decrease in hostilities along the entire frontline.

In May this year, the tensions have escalated again and last week the Ukrainian army reported a record number of attacks on their forces since August 2015.

Overall, some 9,500 people, including at least 68 children have been killed in the conflict in eastern Ukraine that began in mid-April 2014.
People rest at Paris Plage along the River Seine in Paris, France, July 24, 2013.(Xinhua/Gao Jing)

PARIS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The Council of State, France's highest administrative court, on Friday suspended a ban on full-body Muslim swimsuits in Villeneuve-Loubet, south France that has fuelled political debate and allegations of racism and stigmatization.

The French Human Rights League and the French Council of the Muslim Faith had earlier appealed the decision by the southern town to ban the burkini.

"In Villeneuve-Loubet, there is no element showing that risks to public order have resulted from some people's swimming suits," the court said, adding that "in the absence of such risks, the mayor could not take a measure prohibiting access to the beach and swimming."

The court also stressed that the anti-burkini decree "seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom."

In mid-August, mayors of dozens of coastal towns imposed the ban on wearing the burkini which leaves only the face, hands and feet uncovered. The ban came into effect after a brawl between Muslim families and a group of young Corsicans in Sisco.

Adbdallah Zekri, secretary general of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, hailed "a sensible decision" and a "victory of wisdom which favors living together in our country."

Florian Philippot, vice president of far-right National Front, wrote on Twitter: "Faced with a weak Council of State, now lawmakers have to be responsible and prohibit this clothing of apartheid."

The court will prepare a definitive ruling expected to set a legal precedent for other towns banning the burkini on their beaches.
MOSUL, Iraq, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed and five others wounded on Friday when two suicide bombers from the Islamic State (IS) militant group attacked a refugee camp near a town in northern Iraq, a Kurdish security source said.

The attack occurred at dawn when one of the attackers detonated his explosive vest at the entrance of the camp near the town of Makhmour, some 40 km southeast of the IS-held city of Mosul, the source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity.

Another suicide bomber tried to enter the camp after the first explosion and opened fire on the guards from his assault rifle but was shot dead, the source said.

The guards of the camp, who are affiliated to the Kurdish Peshmerga security forces, surrounded the camp for fear of further attacks by the IS militants on the camp, the source added.

The camp is housing some 3,000 people from the families of Kurdish fighters from Turkey, known as Kurdish Workers' Party (PKK), who fled their homes in the south of the neighboring Turkey and were allowed to live in the camp by Saddam Hussein's regime since 1999.

The PKK is currently a major force on the front lines fighting the IS. They have also been deemed as a terrorist organization by Turkey as the group has been waging its separatist war against Turkey since 1984.
This photo taken on August 25, 2016 in Istanbul shows the Yavuz Sultan Selim bridge. (AFP/Xinhua)

ISTANBUL, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday opened the third bridge over the Bosphorus Strait, making it easier to travel between Istanbul's Asian and European parts.

"We are connecting the continents," Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said at the inauguration of the bridge named after 16th-century Ottoman Sultan Yavuz Sultan Selim known for his conquests in the Middle East.

The bridge, at a cost of nearly 3 billion U.S. dollars, is 59 meters wide with eight road lanes and two rail tracks, making it the widest suspension bridge in the world.

It is also the longest as it extends 1.4 kilometers.

"It will not only serve Istanbul but also serve every journey in the historic Silk Road, starting from the Far East, ending in Europe and bringing civilizations together by connecting people," Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said on the occasion.

All trucks and heavy-duty vehicles are to be directed to the new bridge to ease traffic on the old ones and cut congestion and pollution in Istanbul, the Anadolu Agency said.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa al-Khalifa, Macedonian President Gjorge Ivanov and Bulgaria's Prime Minister Boyko Borisov were among the dignitaries attending the opening ceremony, the agency said.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX's Dragon cargo craft came back down to Earth on Friday, wrapping up the company's ninth contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for the U.S. space agency NASA.

The unmanned spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:47 a.m. EDT (1547 GMT), approximately 326 miles (525 kilometers) west of Baja California, where it will be recovered and put on a ship for transportation to a port near Los Angeles, NASA said.

Dragon is returning more than 3,000 pounds (1360 kilograms) of cargo and science samples, some of which will be removed at the port and returned to NASA within 48 hours, the space agency said.

Among the experiment samples returning are those from the Heart Cells study, which is looking at how microgravity affects human heart cells, a knowledge that may help advance understanding of deep space missions including the journey to Mars.

Another experiment NASA mentioned is the Mouse Epigenetics study, which explored how microgravity altered gene expression and DNA in 12 male mice and their future offspring.

Dragon is currently the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return a significant amount of cargo to Earth. The spacecraft lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 18 and was released from the space station's robotic arm on Friday morning.
A SpaceX rocket blasted off July 18 toward the International Space Station, carrying a load of supplies for the astronauts living in space, including equipment to enable future spaceships to park at the orbiting outpost. "Falcon 9 is on its way," said a commentator at SpaceX mission control as the white rocket launched under a dark night sky from Cape Canaveral, Florida at 12:45 am (0445 GMT).(AFP/File Photo)

WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX's Dragon cargo craft came back down to Earth on Friday, wrapping up the company's ninth contracted cargo resupply mission to the International Space Station for the U.S. space agency NASA.

The unmanned spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:47 a.m. EDT (1547 GMT), approximately 326 miles (525 kilometers) west of Baja California, where it will be recovered and put on a ship for transportation to a port near Los Angeles, NASA said.

Dragon is returning more than 3,000 pounds (1360 kilograms) of cargo and science samples, some of which will be removed at the port and returned to NASA within 48 hours, the space agency said.

Among the experiment samples returning are those from the Heart Cells study, which is looking at how microgravity affects human heart cells, a knowledge that may help advance understanding of deep space missions including the journey to Mars.

Another experiment NASA mentioned is the Mouse Epigenetics study, which explored how microgravity altered gene expression and DNA in 12 male mice and their future offspring.

Dragon is currently the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return a significant amount of cargo to Earth. The spacecraft lifted off from Florida's Cape Canaveral Air Force Station on July 18 and was released from the space station's robotic arm on Friday morning.
KIGALI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Nearly 200 Rwandan students offered scholarship to study in different Chinese universities are set to leave Kigali before the end of this month.

The students were selected to pursue various courses at undergraduate and post graduate levels in Civil Engineering, Finance, ICT, Agriculture, Medicine, Communication, International Relations, International Business and Marketing, among others, fully sponsored by the Chinese Government.

The sponsorship program has previously benefited about 150 Rwandan students annually. But this year the number was increased.

Speaking at a farewell dinner organized for the students at the Chinese Embassy in Kigali on Thursday, Counsellor Cao Zhimin congratulated the students for winning the scholarships.

Cao commended the students for having keen interest in China's language, technology, culture, and its people.

"I'm sure you need to spend a lot of time on campus learning your majors. But on the other hand, I encourage you to get into closer contact with the people off campus and learn about Chinese society first hand," he said.

The scholarships underscore China's commitment to supporting Rwanda's education.

Cao reaffirmed China's commitment to enhancing educational cooperation with Rwanda, owing to the significance of education in national and personal development.

"The educational exchange is important in promoting cooperation and understanding between our peoples. That's why the Chinese Government keeps providing more scholarships to Rwandan students to study in China annually," he said.

"All these open up a floodgate of opportunities and forge closer partnership in various fields," Cao said.

On his part, Celestin Ntivuguruzwa, the Permanent Secretary of Rwanda's Ministry of Education advised the students to learn from Chinese culture, study hard and come back to impact the Rwandan communities positively.
Photo taken on Aug. 25, 2016 shows the Hangzhou Olympic and International Expo Center in the Binjiang District of Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province. Hangzhou is the host city for the upcoming G20 Summit.(Xinhua/Yin Gang) by Juan Manuel Nievas, He Shan

BUENOS AIRES, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The upcoming Group of 20 (G20) Summit of the world's leading economies should champion innovation and greater integration as a means of achieving sustainable economic development, according to Argentina's President Mauricio Macri.

In the lead up to the Sept. 4-5 summit in Hangzhou, China, Argentina's head of state spoke with Xinhua about what's on the agenda of the meeting, which takes place under the banner "Building an innovative, strengthened, interconnected and inclusive global economy."

Host China is set to lay out its proposal to spur growth through innovation, and other measures to jump start the flagging world economy, such as structural reforms, better global economic and financial governance, more effective cooperation in finance, taxation, energy and the fight against corruption, as well as renewing trade and investment.

Speaking from the presidential residence of Olivos, some 20 km north of the capital Buenos Aires, Macri said he hoped leaders at the summit can "contribute to the central commitments the world is taking on, which range from combating climate change, organized crime, and especially terrorism and drug trafficking to the struggle to build a more inclusive world with better employment and development opportunities. In Argentina, I am committed to fighting poverty during my presidency."

The annual gathering can address those concerns and build consensus as to strategy, he said.

"The G20's role is to try to serve as a forum where views and alternative solutions can be exchanged, but the dynamic of the world economy transcends what is happening at the G20. What we are seeking is to try to understand how we can affect the technological revolution taking place, how we can affect the creation of new jobs, given that innovation is slowly replacing traditional jobs. We are seeking the same thing, that is generating quality jobs for Argentinians," said Macri.

The multilateral forum can also strengthen the relationship between the participating countries, he said.

"It's a think tank that serves, in bilateral meetings, to promote ties and mutual knowledge between members, and trust, which is such an important factor," said Macri.

As part of the G20's push for innovation, said Macri, member countries need to foster education "and the training of our youth."

"The commitment to provide global sustainability, which generates significant opportunities for investment and development of green technologies," can help drive that effort, he added.

Discussions at the G20 will center on four key themes: innovating the existing model of economic growth, improving financial governance, spurring international trade and investment, and promoting inclusive development.

Argentina's "main concerns" going in to the summit, said Macri, "are reducing poverty, defeating drug trafficking and protecting the environment. We are going to the summit with this line of thinking, to propose that for all these (challenges) the best thing is to promote and strengthen integration at the regional level and at the global level.

"Clearly, that is the right path, to find complementarity between our countries, to work together as a network against drug trafficking and terrorism. In all areas, expanding joint action is to our benefit," said Macri.

"Based on our long-term goals, we have to try to find ways to get results in the short term," he added.

Argentina will host the G20 Summit in 2018, following next year's gathering in Hamburg, leading Macri to say he was "very honored to belong to the troika" formed also by China and Germany.

Hosting the summit "is a huge challenge for us. We humbly hope to be able to make a contribution to the agenda of problems with concrete solutions," said Macri.

"Our world needs to reduce poverty, improve levels of education, improve immigration and find a solution to the migratory flows ... generated by so many conflicts, and continue to fight terrorism in pursuit of a world at peace. These are all things we want to make our humble contribution to," said Macri.

The G20 gathers the world's 20 largest economies, including Germany, Saudi Arabia, Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, South Korea, the United States, Russia, France, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Britain, South Africa, Turkey and the European Union.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The United States condemned "in the strongest terms" the terrorist attack against a police headquarters in southeastern Turkey and expressed "steadfast" support for the NATO ally, the White House said Friday.

At least 11 police officers were killed and 78 people were wounded in a bomb attack at a police station in southeastern Turkey on Friday, Dogan News Agency reported.

The Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which is listed as a terrorist organization by the United States, the European Union and Turkey, has claimed responsibility for the attack.

If the PKK's responsibility is confirmed, "this is just the latest in a deeply concerning trend of increasing violence by the PKK in Turkey," said Ned Price, spokesperson for the White House's National Security Council.

The spokesperson said the U.S. also condemns the attack on Thursday against the convoy of Republic People's Party chairman Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of Turkey's main opposition party.

In a statement published on an affiliated website, the PKK said that it did not target Kilicdaroglu in the attack in the northeastern Turkish province of Artvin.

Price said the U.S. remains "steadfast" in its support for Turkey, a NATO Ally and partner that continues to be afflicted by terrorist attacks indiscriminately targeting both security personnel and civilians.

"We are in close touch with Turkish authorities and reaffirm our commitment to work together with Turkey to confront the evil of terrorism," Price said.
A driverless mini bus runs on an open road in Hernesaari, Helsinki, Finland, Aug. 26, 2016. Since mid-August, the French made Easymile EZ-10 driverless mini bus has been tested in an open road section in Helsinki. Automated buses have been tested elsewhere in the world, but operation as part of regular street traffic has been rare. In the past week, the project has attracted some 500 viewers and passengers. In the testing, the type of bus was found to be "scary" of real street environment such as irregularly parked cars, overtaking vehicles and nearby passengers. (Xinhua/Li Jizhi)

by Juhani Niinisto, Li Jizhi

HELSINKI, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- It was quiet on Friday morning. A self-driving test was carried out for less than four hours along a several-hundred-meter section at a seaside public road in Hernesaari district in Helsinki.

Impatient at the slow speed of the unmanned mini-bus, a following car overtook it side by side. The passengers inside the driverless bus could feel it braked automatically.

The attendant explained that the bus will slow down if it detects through its laser eyes any unexplainable object. It is not able to tell whether it is a harmless car or a human.

Even though there was no chauffer, the passengers were accompanied with an attendant who could switch on manual steering, should it be required.

Without driver's cabin, the French made EZ-10 bus can carry 12 passengers at a time. Although it can reach the speed of 40 km per hour, it has been running at 11 km per hour.

Indeed this test project seemed to have much clout in pro-technology Finland. In the past week, the free-of-charge drive has attracted hundreds of viewers and passengers, including journalists, entrepreneurs, engineers, researchers and normal citizens.

On Monday morning, five or six passengers were expecting the bus to start moving from its designated stop at Hernesaari, but the attendant told them a tow truck had been ordered and must be awaited.

The automated bus needs no tow, but someone had parked cars on the side of the street in a way that could disturb the automated travel.

A tow-away truck arrived soon and removed the wrongly parked vehicles. Finally the bus could move.

The organizers of the project Nordic Way have highlighted the open street environment of the tests. But the streets have to be predictable for the bus to venture to the road. If the bus' sensors find anything unusual, they behave like an inexperienced driver and first slow down and then stop.

The make-shift bus stop also had a sign prohibiting "standing at the stop when the bus leaves". The bus cannot move if it detects something near the bus.

While automated buses have been used in closed paths in several cities in the world, operation as part of regular street traffic has been rare. The project manager Harri Santamala told Xinhua the unique aspect in the Finnish test is that automated buses are moving on a regular street.

He said the Finnish transport safety authority Trafi allows real environment tests, as Finnish laws do not specifically require automobiles to have a driver.

The project offers an open invitation platform that companies can utilize to develop new products and services related to driverless vehicles.

One of the companies involved is Nokia.

Matti Mustajarvi from Nokia's Innovation Steering unit told local media last week that the company aims at securing a functioning communication network to serve such an automated car. He said that it was too early to predict what the development leads to, but probably "totally new products" will be developed.

Santamala took distance from the idea that automated buses could replace public transit soon. "But they could serve in the feeder systems to transit", he said.

The test buses will leave Helsinki in September and appear in Espoo and Tampere, another two major cities of Finland. Over the winter, the electric vehicles will face inclement winter street conditions.
Syrian soldiers celebrate victory in the town of Daraya near Damascus, capital of Syria, on Aug. 26, 2016. In the case of the town of Daraya near Damascus, the Syrian army withdrew from the town in 2012, as the rebels there have taken control of that sprawling key area on the western rim of Damascus. Later on, the Syrian forces placed the town under a tight siege, with battles and skirmishes taking place each once in a while. State news agency SANA said both sides concluded a deal on Thursday, under which the Syrian army and government will re-assume control of Daraya, in exchange of the rebels' extraction. (Xinhua/Yang Zhen)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- Holding their rifles high and shouting in excitement, Syrian soldiers felt the exhilaration of victory as the rebels were bused out of a key battleground near the capital Damascus on Friday.

"By the hands of the Syrian Arab Army, and thanks to the wisdom of the Syrian leadership and the battles fought by the Syrian soldiers over the past five years, Daraya has been liberated today," a senior military officer announced the "victory" in the sprawling town of Daraya west of Damascus with a poetic tone, as if the news was long awaited, and the victory news needs to be historic.

Throughout the first years of the five-year-old Syrian war, the Syrian army had lost large swathes of territories to an array of rebel groups, whose power ranged from the most powerful groups of al-Qaida and the Islamic State (IS) to less powerful ones, which are plenty.

The army forces have become stretched thin in the first three years, but when the Russians and Hezbollah stepped in to help in 2014 and 2015, the army started gaining ground and making progress against the foreign-backed rebels.

In the case of the town of Daraya near Damascus, the Syrian army withdrew from the town in 2012, as the rebels there have taken control of that sprawling key area on the western rim of Damascus.

Later on, the Syrian forces placed the town under a tight siege, with battles and skirmishes taking place each once in a while.

Recently, Daraya returned under the spotlight when the people in Damascus started hearing the sounds of the renewed clashes and shelling echoing from that direction.

Afterwards, news of a deal between the worn-out rebels and the Syrian army was said to have been concluded between both parts.

State news agency SANA said both sides concluded a deal on Thursday, under which the Syrian army and government will re-assume control of Daraya, in exchange of the rebels' extraction.

SANA said nearly 5,000 people were going to leave Daraya on batches, in a duration of four days.

It added that the rebels who want to leave without accepting to reconcile with the government will be granted access along with their families to the northwestern city of Idlib, a major stronghold for the rebels' Jaish al-Fateh, or the Army of Conquest.

Other rebels who want to reconcile will hand over their weapons and settle their criminal records with the government.

Civilians who want to stay under the government control, will be taken to the town of Hirjalleh, in the southern countryside of Damascus.

On Friday, the first stage of evacuation has been completed, with 585 civilians and armed rebels leaving Daraya.

Ten buses left Daraya on Friday, five of which transported 270 people, which are rebels and their families.

Another five buses carried 315 civilians, who were taken to a displacement shelter in Hirjalleh.

As the government-provided buses were leaving the destroyed streets of Daraya toward the al-Bassel Roundabout at the entrance of the town, Syrian soldiers rushed around the buses and shouted "God, Syria, and only Bashar."

Shouting slogans in support of President Bashar al-Assad in front of the buses was the soldiers' message to the armed rebels that we have won the battle in Daraya.

In a government-organized trip for journalists to Daraya, an army officer gathered the journalists around him, asking them to be wise and act with prudence, giving orders to his soldiers not to give any statement or interview before the beginning of the evacuation.

"We have been waiting for Daraya for five years, we don't want to mess up this opportunity," he addressed the reporters and the soldiers.

Military vehicles were waiting to escort the buses filled with residents and rebels out of the city, whose landscape is similar to those in the movies depicting the Armageddon, or the doom's day.

Ambulances as well as convoys from the Syrian Red Crescent were waiting at a government-held area of the town to evacuate.

A Syrian solider in the town told Xinhua that the rebels have finally "succumbed" and accepted to negotiate their withdrawal from the town toward Idlib.

He added that the evacuation pulls the curtain down on "years of the suffering of civilians who have lived under the rebels' rule in Daraya."

Daraya, located in the western Ghouta area of Damascus, is close to the major military airbase of Mazzeh, which had been subject to repetitive failed attacks by the rebels from Daraya.

The town is also home to a Muslim Shiite shrine, which has also been attacked and bombed out several times by the Sunni-led rebels.

Daraya is the largest town in the Western Ghouta countryside, and the second most important stronghold for the rebels in the countryside of Damascus, after Douma, the major rebel bastion east of the capital Damascus.

A military officer told Xinhua that "with the liberation of Daraya, an important part of the rebels' spine has been broken."

Three main rebel groups had been in control of the town ahead of the evacuation deal, namely the Levant Martyr Brigade, the Brigade of the Mother of Believers and the Levant's Soldiers.

The source, who asked not to be named in line with regulations, said the safety zone around Damascus has been expanded with the return of Daraya under the government control.
Syrian Army soldiers wave the Syrian national flag as civilians ride buses to be evacuated from the besieged Damascus suburb ofDaraya, after an agreement reached on Thursday between rebels and Syria's army, Syria August 26, 2016. (Reuters photo)

DAMASCUS, Aug. 27 (Xinhua) -- Holding their rifles high and shouting in excitement, Syrian soldiers felt the exhilaration of victory as the rebels were bused out of a key battleground near the capital Damascus on Friday.

"By the hands of the Syrian Arab Army, and thanks to the wisdom of the Syrian leadership and the battles fought by the Syrian soldiers over the past five years, Daraya has been liberated today," a senior military officer announced the "victory" in the sprawling town of Daraya west of Damascus with a poetic tone, as if the news was long awaited, and the victory news needs to be historic.

Throughout the first years of the five-year-old Syrian war, the Syrian army had lost large swathes of territories to an array of rebel groups, whose power ranged from the most powerful groups of al-Qaida and the Islamic State (IS) to less powerful ones, which are plenty.

The army forces have become stretched thin in the first three years, but when the Russians and Hezbollah stepped in to help in 2014 and 2015, the army started gaining ground and making progress against the foreign-backed rebels.

In the case of the town of Daraya near Damascus, the Syrian army withdrew from the town in 2012, as the rebels there have taken control of that sprawling key area on the western rim of Damascus.

Later on, the Syrian forces placed the town under a tight siege, with battles and skirmishes taking place each once in a while.

Recently, Daraya returned under the spotlight when the people in Damascus started hearing the sounds of the renewed clashes and shelling echoing from that direction.

Afterwards, news of a deal between the worn-out rebels and the Syrian army was said to have been concluded between both parts.

State news agency SANA said both sides concluded a deal on Thursday, under which the Syrian army and government will re-assume control of Daraya, in exchange of the rebels' extraction.

SANA said nearly 5,000 people were going to leave Daraya on batches, in a duration of four days.

It added that the rebels who want to leave without accepting to reconcile with the government will be granted access along with their families to the northwestern city of Idlib, a major stronghold for the rebels' Jaish al-Fateh, or the Army of Conquest.

Other rebels who want to reconcile will hand over their weapons and settle their criminal records with the government.

Civilians who want to stay under the government control, will be taken to the town of Hirjalleh, in the southern countryside of Damascus.

On Friday, the first stage of evacuation has been completed, with 585 civilians and armed rebels leaving Daraya.

Ten buses left Daraya on Friday, five of which transported 270 people, which are rebels and their families.

Another five buses carried 315 civilians, who were taken to a displacement shelter in Hirjalleh.

As the government-provided buses were leaving the destroyed streets of Daraya toward the al-Bassel Roundabout at the entrance of the town, Syrian soldiers rushed around the buses and shouted "God, Syria, and only Bashar."

Shouting slogans in support of President Bashar al-Assad in front of the buses was the soldiers' message to the armed rebels that we have won the battle in Daraya.

In a government-organized trip for journalists to Daraya, an army officer gathered the journalists around him, asking them to be wise and act with prudence, giving orders to his soldiers not to give any statement or interview before the beginning of the evacuation.

"We have been waiting for Daraya for five years, we don't want to mess up this opportunity," he addressed the reporters and the soldiers.

Military vehicles were waiting to escort the buses filled with residents and rebels out of the city, whose landscape is similar to those in the movies depicting the Armageddon, or the doom's day.

Ambulances as well as convoys from the Syrian Red Crescent were waiting at a government-held area of the town to evacuate.

A Syrian solider in the town told Xinhua that the rebels have finally "succumbed" and accepted to negotiate their withdrawal from the town toward Idlib.

He added that the evacuation pulls the curtain down on "years of the suffering of civilians who have lived under the rebels' rule in Daraya."

Daraya, located in the western Ghouta area of Damascus, is close to the major military airbase of Mazzeh, which had been subject to repetitive failed attacks by the rebels from Daraya.

The town is also home to a Muslim Shiite shrine, which has also been attacked and bombed out several times by the Sunni-led rebels.

Daraya is the largest town in the Western Ghouta countryside, and the second most important stronghold for the rebels in the countryside of Damascus, after Douma, the major rebel bastion east of the capital Damascus.

A military officer told Xinhua that "with the liberation of Daraya, an important part of the rebels' spine has been broken."

Three main rebel groups had been in control of the town ahead of the evacuation deal, namely the Levant Martyr Brigade, the Brigade of the Mother of Believers and the Levant's Soldiers.

The source, who asked not to be named in line with regulations, said the safety zone around Damascus has been expanded with the return of Daraya under the government control.
Photo taken on Aug. 26, 2016 shows a gymnasium which is turned into a temporary shelter for earthquake victims in the town of Amatrice, Italy. (Xinhua/Jin Yu)

ROME, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- At least 281 people were killed in the devastating earthquake that hit the central regions of Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, according to ANSA on late Friday.

Some 221 people died in Amatrice and 11 in Accumoli, two towns in Rieti province that were the closest to the epicenter. The other 49 victims were registered between Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto in Ascoli Piceno province.

Some 387 injured people were hospitalized across Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions.

Italy's Civil Protection said 238 people have been pulled alive from the rubble, and more than 2,100 people have been displaced by the quake.

There are no missing person in the Marche region, however, at least 15 people are still missing in the almost flattened town Amatrice, Mayor Sergio Pirozzi said Friday in an interview.

The town was hit by a 4.8-magnitude temblor on early Friday morning that caused further building collapse. One of the main bridge that was serving as an essential passage for aid and rescue workers was ordered to be closed.

Pirozzi was "deeply worried" that another bridge is at risk of collapse, which might cut off the access to the town.

Italian experts said Wednesday's quake left a "spoon-shaped" deformation along the fault line a few kilometres below the ground between Amatrice in Lazio and Norcia in Umbria. In nearby Accumoli, the ground level has even been lowered by 20 centimeters.

Meanwhile, in the Marche town of Ascoli Piceno, caskets of the victims from Arquata del Tronto have been arranged in a gymnasium, and a funeral ceremony will be held at the gymnasium on Saturday morning.

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a national day of mourning to coincide with the Aug. 27 funeral, with flags to fly at half-mast on all public buildings.

Renzi and Italian President Sergio Mattarella will attend the funeral ceremony and then visit some of the places hit by the quake in Lazio.
Bolivian Minister of the Presidency Juan Ramon Quintana (C) receives the remains of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes, at the Government Palace, in La Paz, Bolivia, on Aug. 26, 2016. (Xinhua/Jose Lirauze/ABI)

LA PAZ, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- The murder of a deputy minister in Bolivia by striking miners led to the break up of their protest on Friday, while dozens of miners and union leaders were arrested.

On Thursday, Rodolfo Illanes, the deputy interior minister, was killed after being taken hostage by miners in the city of Panduro, around 160km from La Paz.

His body was found early on Friday morning by the side of a highway between La Paz and Oruro, covered by a blanket. Government reports said he died from being struck several times in the head.

President Evo Morales spoke at a press conference on Friday morning, calling Illanes' murder "unforgivable" and ordering three days of mourning.

"Our natural resources belong to the people...Illanes was a hero in the defense of our natural resources," said Morales, adding that the prosecutor-general had been ordered to ensure all those responsible were brought to justice.

Undated file photo shows Bolivia's Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes. (Xinhua/ABI)

According to Morales, this protest, during which two miners also died, was part of a conspiracy against his administration.

However, the miners, who were striking to demand more mining concessions and less regulation, decided to lift their protest in order to avoid further clashes.

The miners, from a cooperative, began blocking off highways on August 10. After a week's pause, the protest resumed on August 23 but soon broke down into clashes with the police, leaving two miners dead and injuries on both sides.

While the mining cooperatives are old allies of the Morales government, which have benefited from equipment, economic resources and advisory roles, new environmental conditions for the mining industry have angered them.

However, the killing of Illanes has removed any chance of negotiation. Bolivia's Labor Minister, Gonzalo Trigoso, told the media on Friday that "the leaders have decided not to show their faces for a dialogue."
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry (L) and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov hold a joint press conference in Geneva, Switzerland, Aug. 26, 2016. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told press on Friday that talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had made much headway, with minor details remaining to be addressed in view of brokering a new cessation of hostilities for war-torn Syria. (Xinhua/Xu Jinquan)

GENEVA, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told press on Friday that talks with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had made much headway, with minor details remaining to be addressed in view of brokering a new cessation of hostilities for war-torn Syria.

"Today I can say that we achieved clarity on the path forward," Kerry told press late Friday evening.

"We have completed the vast majority of those technical discussions which were primarily focused on making this cessation of hostilities real, and improving the level of humanitarian assistance, thereby getting the parties to the table so we can have a serious negotiation about how to end this war," he added.

Lavrov confirmed that the long day of meetings in a luxurious hotel in Geneva had enabled both delegations to make progress.

"We still need to finalize minor issues, that is why our experts will continue in Geneva next week," he said.

These face-to-face discussions followed Kerry's meeting with Lavrov in Moscow last month, a meeting the Russian side described as "very useful" on Friday.

Lavrov also reminded that that dialogue is key to build trust and reduce areas of misunderstanding between both nations.

In light of the dire situation on the ground and protracted fighting between warring factions, Washington and Moscow were seeking to replicate efforts earlier this year that saw a historic cessation of hostilities take place in the country.

This yielded tangible progress for the Syrian people well into March, and had given unprecedented momentum to intra-Syrian talks seeking to broker a political end to the five-year conflict.

"We're here because neither of us is satisfied with what has happened with respect to the cessation of hostilities," Kerry said.

"We may have different views about some of the causes of the problems, but the fact is we both are committed to trying to find a way to get the cessation of hostilities to be more effective and to be fully implemented. That is what brought us here," he added.




Visitors pose for photos during the opening ceremony of China Pavilion at the National Library of the Republic of Kazakhstan in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Aug. 26, 2016. A series of "Feel China in Kazakhstan" cultural activities kicked off on Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana and its largest city of Almaty. (Xinhua/Roman Gainanov)

ALMATY, Aug. 26 (Xinhua) -- "I am glad that we can read books here not only in Chinese, but also in Russian and Kazakh languages," said Elizaveta, a primary school teacher in Almaty, as a China Pavilion opened here on Friday in the National Library of Kazakhstan.

The 270-square-meter China Pavilion, an important part of the four-day "Feel China" project in Kazakhstan, was divided into three zones: Chinese traditional culture experience zone; reading zone and smart life experience zone.

In the traditional culture experience zone, visitors could see and learn Chinese traditional cultures, such as musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, painting, abacus, and the magic Tangram, or seven-piece puzzle.

Besides, a three-meter-long Chinese dragon made of a kind of environmentally friendly paper exhibited the Chinese 3D painting carving technique.

In the reading zone, there were more than 8,000 volumes of books and videos and publications for visitors to learn about Chinese history, culture, language and economy. All the books and videos were donated by China.

Visitors could also see and feel the convenience and magic wonders thanks to China's own high technologies in the smart life zone.

The director of the National Library of Kazakhstan Zhanat Shaidumanov highly praised China Pavilion, which combined special and high technologies with traditional Chinese culture.

He said that "The China Pavilion provides visitors a closer look at Chinese culture and a good opportunity for the people of Kazakhstan to experience and understand China," adding that "I believe the China Pavilion will attract more readers and researchers."

The pavilion was jointly sponsored by China's State Council Information Office, Information office of Chongqing municipal government and the National Library of Kazakhstan.

The opening ceremony of the China Pavilion was one of the most important parts of the "Feel China" project in Kazakhstan", which will last from Aug. 26 to 29 in the Kazakh capital of Astana and Almaty, the largest city of Kazakhstan.

The "Feel China" project was co-sponsored by China's State Council Information Office, the Chinese Embassy in Kazakhstan, the Chinese Consulate General in Almaty, the Foreign Ministry of Kazakhstan, the municipal governments of Astana and Almaty, and the governments of China's Henan, Hubei and Sichuan provinces as well as Chongqing Municipality.

The project, which opened for the first time in the Central Asia, is aimed to further strengthen cultural exchanges and deepen friendship between China and Kazakhstan.





Cui Yuying (L, front), deputy director of China's State Council Information Office, talks with a Chinese folk artist during China Intangible Cultural Heritage Exhibition in Almaty, Kazakhstan, Aug. 26, 2016. A series of "Feel China in Kazakhstan" cultural activities kicked off on Friday in the Kazakh capital of Astana and its largest city of Almaty. (Xinhua/Pavel Mikheev)
Number portability and WIFI for Tobago

This means customers could now change their service providers without having to change their telephone numbers. Speaking at the weekly post Executive Council media briefing on Wednesday at the Calder Hall Administrative Complex, Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Chief Secretary Orville London said having met with the Telecommunications Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT), some definite information has been received.

I met with TATT earlier this week and we had a very interesting and informative discussion, London said.

Among the issues we discussed and got some definite information on, was the question of portability of numbers. We were given the assurance by the board and the executive manager that this should be in effect by the end of September. The issue of coverage, according to London, was also discussed.

There are various media providers who, I think, do not make any serious effort to provide coverage to a significant portion of Tobago.

We are aware that in some cases the terrains are challenging but the point about it is that we have a responsibility to make sure that the people of Tobago are not disadvantaged. Therefore we got a commitment from TATT and what we are going to be doing is have a minimum level of coverage if providers are going to guarantee that their license will be preserved. Also discussed was the programme of providing WIFI in various areas of Tobago.

The Secretary of Infrastructure and Public Utilities, who was at the meeting, indicated that they have been in discussion with TSTT and Digicel and those two providers have indicated that they would be providing free hotspots throughout the island in addition to the national programme, which is under TATT so that the division is supposed to provide a list of locations where you can get free WIFI either through TSTT, Digicel or through part of the national programme.

This should come on stream in weeks rather than months or years.
Digital divide between State, private sector

This was the overall message coming out of a seminar on ICT entrepreneurship held on Wednesday at the Telecommunication Authority of Trinidad and Tobago (TATT) office in Barataria.

The event saw Albertina Navas of the Arthur Lok Jack Graduate School offer timely tips on how businesses can improve their online profile, such as by the use of mobile apps and social media sites such as Twitter.

National ICT Company (igovTT) CEO Trevor Libert gave an account of the Governments ICT platforms such as the TTConnect portal whose TT Biz link hosts 46 e-services.

He said fresh legislation is needed to allow people to pay bills online to State entities.

However the comments of several audience members suggested a disconnect between TTs public platforms for ICT and private aspirations.

Irwin Williams of Teleos Systems said his firm has made 20 apps but that in TT it is very hard to move from a concept to earning a sustainable income.

ICT consultant Sachin Ganpat said the States ICT rollout is moving at a snails pace, even as the countrys business competitiveness ranking in key areas of ICT remained very low, as judged by the World Economic Forum. We are failing. He later added that TT has a good quality of human capital in the ICT sector but it is not adequately utilised, in what he saw as a systemic discouragement of ICT entrepreneurs.
Charged with wounding sister, neighbours attempted murder

Princes Town Magistrate Ava Vandenburg-Bailey yesterday denied bail to 22-year-old Vikash Ramnarine, who has been charged maliciously wounding his 24-year old sister, Tricia Ramnarine, and the attempted murder of 81-year-old neighbour, Solomon Rahiman at Pascall Road, Piparo.

The charges were laid indictably by PC Clarence of the Princes Town CID and so Ramnarine was not called upon to plead.

He is accused of planassing (beating with flat side of a cutlass) his sister. It is alleged that when the sister sought refuge at Rahimans home next door, he chopped the elderly man who remains warded at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) in a stable condition.

Neighbours managed to subdue Ramnarine and Sgt Ramlogan together with PCs Khan, Arjoonsingh and Clarence conducted investigations.

Yesterday attorneys Petronilla Basdeo and Adana Pena represented the accused. Basdeo told the magistrate that Ramnarine was an out-patient of Ward One (the psychiatric ward) at the SFGH. The attorney added that her client had been delinquent in his attendance at the clinic and had spent one month in the ward.

She noted that his last attendance was on October 15 and requested that her client be remanded at the St Anns Psychiatric Hospital.

Court prosecutor Sgt Shazeed Mohammed confirmed that the accused is an out-patient who was treated and stabilised by doctors.

Ramnarine is expected to reappear in court on September 8.
Men dressed in police uniforms rob bar

According to a police report, at about 9 pm on Wednesday, Bissoon of Williamsville was at Sunshine Bar, Tabaquite Main Road, when the policemen entered the bar and announced a hold-up.

After taking Bissoons belongings, they took the keys to a silver Nissan Sentra car and went outside ordering a 21-yearold female passenger out of the vehicle.

Police said they jumped in and sped off in the car which is valued at $189,000.

PC Clarence is continuing enquiries.

And in an unrelated incident, earlier in the day, police reported that Aneisha Fortune of New Grant was walking along St James Street, San Fernando when, upon reaching near Pointe-a-Pierre Road, a man snatched her gold chain valued at $15,000 from around her neck.

He escaped in a blue Hyundai Elantra car.

PC Moses is investigating.
Mom begs for bail for paraplegic son

Yesterday his mother made a failed attempt to secure bail for him. Joanne Fellis, 48, of Battoo Avenue, Marabella, told a High Court Judge in an application for bail, that Jason Andre Fellis feet are decaying while he lives in jail on a wheelchair.

Seven years ago, a bullet penetrated his spine rendering him unable to walk. On August 25, 2015, Fellis was charged with committing robbery with a firearm, possession of a firearm and possession of ammunition.

When he had appeared in the San Fernando Magistrates Court, a magistrate remanded him into custody for 120 days in accordance with the Bail Amendment Act 2015.

Sometime in December, 2015, the 120 days had expired and the State had not started the case. Senior Magistrate Nanette Forde-John, in accordance with the amendment, advised Fellis to apply to a judge in Chambers for bail.

Yesterday, attorney Jeevan Andrew Rampersad, petitioned High Court Judge, Justice David Harris in San Fernando, with an application for bail for Fellis.

In an affidavit filed, Fellis mother said he feet have blisters and ulcers and are discharging fluid.

She said her son was rushed from the Maximum State Prison, to Mount Hope Medical Sciences Complex on April 21, when his condition deteriorated. Additionally, Fellis had developed severe bed sores on his buttocks and there are large blisters over his body.

The mother complained that her son is not being taken to a medical doctor for follow-up medical treatment for the injury to the spine. Speaking to Newsday after the hearing, Joanne said her sons stay in jail is a daily mightmare with fellow prisoners having to bathe him and put on his clothes.

When the case came up before Harris, Rampersad argued that Fellis has been incarcerated since August last year.

He further stated that his client had one pending matter, however, Senior State attorney Trevor Jones, pointed out that Fellis in fact has two pending cases.

Harris adjourned the bail application hearing to September 5 for both the State and the defence to ascertain the nature of the pending charges, and whether they have been dispensed with in the magistrates court.
Fostering democratic culture through the youth

The project, Fostering a Democratic Culture in Schools and Local Communities, was being funded by a grant from the Commonwealth Foundation for three years.

So far, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, the Bahamas and St Lucia are involved in the project.

Speaking during the launch of the second phase at City Hall, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain, on Tuesday, country coordinator, Rubadiri Victor, said the first phase involved activating students councils in all schools in the regions they engaged.

The second phase was to create junior councils at the regional level outside of schools as apprentices of local government councils.

In each of these countries we go to the regional corporations and target schools inside that area. In the first phase, we are activating students councils in all the schools that we go into where we train them in governance, communications, a whole range of things.

They have created halls of fame in all of the schools that would be permanent fixtures in the schools, and they conducted model debates based on local government dealing with contemporary issues, he said.

Victor said with the next phase, they would be creating junior councils at the regional level outside of schools as apprentices of the local government councils.

He added that in a one year cycle, they would conduct inner school debates among other activities, including a youth day where they would exhibit the work of the young people of the various districts.

One of the main things we are trying to do is to get them to work with the NGOs (non-governmental organisations), as well as private citizens and local councillors to create something called adaptive reuse heritage sites.
Deyalsingh: Time to step up Zika fight

Expressing concern that the population globally and in Trinidad is taking this Zika outbreak too lightly, Deyalsingh declared, We need to step up the campaign. The Minister said to do this, fines for unkempt lots which could harbour breeding sites for the mosquito, have been increased from $380 to $3,500. Deyalsingh said he will be meeting with public health inspectors next Tuesday to advise them of this and underscore the need to enforce these regulations.

Noting the emergence of Zika cases in the United States shows the spread of the virus is not restricted to countries in and around the Equator, Deyalsingh disclosed a recent conversation he had with an ambassador from a Caricom country. He said that ambassador told him there could be 6,000 to 10,000 unconfirmed Zika cases in that country. The Minister declared, If the population does not partner with the Government, we will not win this fight with Zika. Deyalsingh also said the shortage of oncology drugs in TT will be rectified within the next three to five weeks as those drugs arrive in the country. In the meantime, he said, No oncology patient in TT has regressed. Deyalsingh said the ministry will establish a supply chain management capability to manage its contractors with the suppliers of drugs. He reminded reporters about a $245 million sum Cabinet approved in July to pay outstanding bills left behind by the former Peoples Partnership government and purchase drugs.

Deyalsingh said a recent enterobacter virus scare at the Portof- Spain General Hospitals neonatal ward was, imported via a mother. He said none of the medical protocols were breached, the affected babies were isolated, treated and are all doing fine.
Street count of PoS homeless in Sept

Referring to meetings held with a team from the Ministry of Social Development and Family Services, led by Minister Cherrie-Ann Crichlow-Cockburn, Valentine yesterday said that homelessness in the capital is at a crisis state.

We would have identified that the Mental Health Unit of the Ministry of Health plays a critical role in this crisis.

Arising out of that meeting, we decided that mid-September were going to be engaging in a few night exercises (which will) focus on head count.

We will try to ascertain the actual number of homeless persons on the citys streets and from there we will be seeking to treat with implementation of the possible removal of these street dwellers. We will be engaging the Ministry of National Security.

I think HDC (Housing Development Corporation) has a part of play, rehab centres and other stakeholders, Valentine stated.

The mayor added that he has set Christmas 2016 as the deadline (by which) I would like to see some level of comfort for homeless persons. Meanwhile, citywide clean-up operations are ongoing in Port-of-Spain as part of the corporations efforts to eradicate breeding sites of Zika- carrying mosquitoes.

Valentine said the clean-up drive began two weeks ago, on August 9.

Its a two-consecutive- cycles drive, which means its going to run for 20 consecutive days, during which there will be spraying, sanitising, cutting of trees and dealing with overgrown and abandoned lots throughout the city. Valentine was speaking with the media yesterday, following the PoS Corporations monthly statutory meeting at City Hall.
Newallo-Hosein accuses Govt of regressing on womens issues

She made this statement during the unveiling of an Orange The World banner, yesterday, outside City Hall, Knox Street, Port-of-Spain, which called for the end of violence against women, a campaign by the United Nations.

The small symbolic ceremony was to bring awareness as to the violence that was taking place against the women and children in Trinidad and Tobago.

Newallo-Hosein said they were concerned that after achieving so much that the present Government had pushed back a number of existing policies and legislative agendas that could have been in place. TT was on of the very first countries to sign on with CEDAW, which deals with women and gender issues and violence against women. As a result, one of the observations of the UN was that after making such great strides under the Peoples Partnership, it has literally gone backwards.

We are very saddened by this when we have achieved so much from since 2013 to now and to recognise that there a number of existing policies and legislative agendas that have been pushed back by the PNM Government, the removal of the Ministry of Gender was of concern and there seems to be very little happening, Newallo-Hosein said.

The MP said former prime minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar had ensured that there was a ministry specifically set up to deal with women and childrens issues that would deal quite separately and apart because it was so important, but was removed without any consideration.

Newal lo-Hos ein said there has been increased levels of crime against women, many of whom had lost their lives because of a lack of protection.

There is the issue of the number of cases that have been brought up recently by the Childrens Authority for a number of children who have been sexually or physically abused. You have all this happening within a short period of time. Since we came out of government, these issues have been brought to the forefront, she claimed
Germany urges citizens to stockpile food and water to prepare for the implosion of Europe

Its tough to deny it at this point  the impending collapse of societies all across the world is coming sooner than we would care to admit.

With each passing day, new evidence arrives to back up the belief that rising tensions, religious extremism, global warfare and political corruption will inevitably lead to the world being completely destroyed. It may sound like a crazy conspiracy theory to some, but if you analyze the evidence with an open mind, there are a lot of warning signs available.

Now theres even more proof to back up this belief, as Germany is urging its citizens to prepare themselves for such an event by stockpiling food and water in expectation of Europe completely imploding.

Caroline Copley of Yahoo reports, Germany is currently on high alert after two Islamist attacks and a shooting rampage by a mentally unstable teenager last month. Berlin announced measures earlier this month to spend considerably more on its police and security forces and to create a special unit to counter cyber crime and terrorism.

Its difficult to blame them, either. Europe is a complete mess at the moment thanks to the growing amount of Islamic extremists invading their countries. From France to Belgium and everywhere in between, it seems as though the entire continent of Europe is under attack by these extremists.

Overt political correctness has once again proven itself to be extremely dangerous, due to the fact that federal governments are afraid to address real, dangerous issues threatening the lives of their citizens out of fear that theyll be labeled racist, Islamophobic, or otherwise bigoted.

If the globalists have their way, were all in serious trouble. Theyve already started taking away individual freedoms, and now theyve set their sights on much bigger goals. If you want to survive, you best be prepared for anything they can throw at you  because its very clear that theyre trying to eliminate us all.

Sources:

Yahoo.com

Faz.net

Submit a correction >>
INIFD Presented six Fabulous Gen Next Designer at the Opening Show During Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016

Mumbai, Fri, 26 Aug 2016 NI Wire

Mumbai: The Gen Next shows started by Lakme Fashion Week in 2006 have been the launch pad for top designer brands in the country. The 22nd batch of six stunning talents at Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016 Gen Next Show presented by INIFD dazzled the audience with their high octane creativity and fashion statements.

ABHISHEK PAATNI - BLACK/WHITE GEOMETRIC IMPACT

Giving men's wear a stylish twist, Delhi's Abhishek Paatni presented a premium wear line of pret and bespoke clothing under the 'Nought One' label. The collection called 'WarfareXStreetfare' had a considerable action packed look on the ramp. Bringing a perfect blend of street wear with luxury, Abhishek offered the New Age male a fashion option that was experimental yet timeless. Detailing played an important role as stark black tight pants were teamed with white striped black tunics and cool jackets made style sense. Bomber jackets were balanced with rider's leather ones with military inspirations fitting in perfectly with street wear. Drop crotch Bermudas, loads of zippered detailing on front and back of garments, quilting, fitted pants with side guards and even a skirt with a long line blouson created a fashionable 'war fare'. The final white suit with padded detailing was a great formal wear look.

ANUPREET SIDHU - FASHION FORWARD EXPERIMENTS

Chandigarh's Anupreet Sidhu's label 'Sidhu Ji' started in 2014 was aimed at the modern 21st century woman who wants to make a definite style statement. Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's painting 'Starry Night over Rhone' Anupreet brought forth the celestial bodies like The Great Bear into the colour scheme. Stainless steel embellishments made strong style statements. Created in fabulous linen, pure sheep's skin leather and then topped with net; the garments were a fascinating mix of interchangeable outfits that could be easily mixed to create a variety of looks. Pleating played an important role for flared pants, dresses and appeared in clusters or single form for fluid trousers. Simple in silhouettes, the line used laser cutting as well as metal and wood to further enhance the visual appeal of the garments. Sharply cut leather jackets and fluid flouncy skirts in indigo with hints of metallic attachments gave the collection an unconventional appeal.

DIMING RUBU - BEAUTY IN ASYMMETRY

From the Capital, designer Diming Rubu gave women's wear a great feminine twist. Her collection 'The Missing Piece' for her label 'Dming' was a great semi-formal offering when classic silhouettes came alive on the ramp for the fashion conscious women in the age group 25-40 years. Using organza, cotton twill, net and polyester; Diming worked well with tones of nude and lavender. Showcasing a strong sense of construction, Diming who has worked with ace designer duo Pranav Mishra and Shyma Shetty revealed some Avant Garde geometric silhouettes. Hints of contrast piping and extended floppy bell sleeves that were a mix of sheer and solid were the highlight of the creations. A sheer tiered skirt was teamed with a kimono style cape, while a beige pleated flowing maxi had random contrast stripes. The obe style waist for the pleated skirt and the wrap bell sleeve midi with pyjamas completed the total relaxed line of semi-formal wear with a marked oriental touch.

GAURAV KHANIJO - AVANT GARDE MALE ORDER

Giving men something vibrant and fun to wear, Gaurav Khanijo's collection 'Morpheus' was a fantasy of Indian handlooms with a vintage touch. Inspired by the dragon fly, the bright hues of sun yellow, red and royal blue for double breasted jackets, fitted trousers, button less coats and tunics presented stylish male attire. Aimed at the Indian dandy, turtle neck kurtas, quilted jackets with dragonfly wings texture and hand cut dragon fly appliques created the USP of the brand. Round lapel jackets were textured with thread work, while the button less royal purple jacket was ornate with embroidery. Long coats, double breast waistcoat and a deep rust kurta with side flares, gave a great Indo-west look. Using luxurious Bhagalpur, Ghicha, Matka, Muga and Tussar silks, Gaurav embellished these with crafts like hand chain stitching, quilting, origami and topped them with 3D embroidery. The result was a show stopping line that the trend setting men will love.

PARIDHI JAIPURIA - HANDCRAFTED AESTHETICS

From Jaipur, Paridhi Jaipuria who is the Head Designer at Jaipuria Vastra Udyog presented a sleek women's wear Winter/Festive 2016 line called 'Bunai'. The collection created a melange of garments with a high level of craftsmanship that projected great urban work wear. Using specially hand woven fabrics along with crisp Egyptian cottons, Paridhi added some innovative gold beading for pinafore, waistcoat and tunic as well as a clever mix of the East and West in silhouettes. The highlight of the show was the angular sleeve armholes and the asymmetric attached bolero, the grey wool asymmetric tabard tunic all sharply cut. The patch work document portfolios were the perfect accessory that enhanced the look of the muted hued poncho capes, striped pinafore dress and wide trousers.

VAIBHAV SINGH - MASCULINE FASHION DETAILING

From Gurgaon, Vaibhav Singh's men's wear called 'Hybrid' was a line of sharply cut and tailored garments, which revealed minute detailing. Woollen and leather was evident for the military inspired slashed sleeves seen on trench coats that were teamed with asymmetric tunic shirts. Trousers were kept at ankle length, while layering was achieved with waistcoats over long sleeved shirts that ended dramatically at the knees. Cuffed capris, double layered asymmetric shirts, low slung pockets for kurtas and drop crotch pants with leather patches gave a stark but stylish appeal to the clothes. The colour story was dark and sombre with lead, black, dark rose and tin fills that matched the mood of the coming season.
Nodal officer to be designated in MHA to address grievances of Kashmiri people directly: Shri Rajnath Singh

New Delhi, Fri, 26 Aug 2016 NI Wire

Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh concludes two-day visit to Srinagar

Union Home Minister Shri Rajnath Singh met about 20 delegations of civil society, some more political parties, Pahari community leaders and several individuals on the second day of his visit to Srinagar. A six-member delegation of the resident Sikh community discussed with the Union Home Minister the concerns of minorities in the state. A 3-member delegation of Panthers Party also met Shri Rajnath Singh. Earlier a delegation of Coordination Committee of the Janata Dal (United) also met the Union Home Minister.

Later, the Chief Minister of J&K, Ms. Mehbooba Mufti met the Union Home Minister. The two leaders held detailed discussions on security situation and reviewed development projects. The Union Home Minister also held a meeting with the Governor Shri NN Vohra and State Cabinet Ministers led by Deputy Chief Minister Dr Nirmal Kumar Singh. Interacting with the media before winding up his visit, Shri Rajnath Singh announced that a nodal officer will be designated in MHA to address the grievances of the people of Kashmir directly.

Shri Rajnath Singh, accompanied by the Union Home Secretary Shri Rajiv Mehrishi and Senior Officers of MHA, returned New Delhi later this afternoon. During his two-day stay at the Nehru Guest House in Srinagar, the Union Home Minister held over ten meetings yesterday with a wide spectrum of political parties and chaired a meeting of Senior Officers of Security Agencies and State Government to review the security situation in the Kashmir Valley. Delegations of all major political parties including the states ruling PDP and BJP, main opposition National Conference, besides Congress, CPI(M), regional People's Conference, People's Democratic Front and Democratic Party Nationalists held talks with Shri Rajnath Singh.

During his two-day visit the Union Home Minister met about 400 persons in 30 delegations and received their inputs on the J&K situation. He also appealed to the people to help maintain law & order and restore peace.

Source: PIB
Device To Get The All New Android N!

New Delhi, Fri, 26 Aug 2016 NI Wire

We all know that it's Google Nexus devices that would enjoy the Android N for the first. In the Nexus series, you'll find it in Nexus 6, Nexus 9, and Nexus 5 X, Nexus 6P, Nexus Player and Google Pixel C.

But there have been reports on other smartphones also getting the new operating system. However, it's still not clear as to when will they be getting this updated. As for now, we have the list of probable devices and the time as expected for them to have Android N.

Samsung Android 7.0

We all know that Samsung is pretty slow when it comes to rolling out Android updates, and given this fact, we can't expect the same to change for Samsung Android 7.0 either.

Galaxy owners will have to waiting until late February or early March 2017 for the first Samsung Android 7.0 update. In that case too, it will be Galaxy Note 7 to get it first, followed by Galaxy S7 and S7 Edge Note 5, S6, S6 Edge and S6 Edge+ after them.

LG Android 7.0 update

LG did a great job with its update speed for Marshmallow, and in as less than as two months, LG Android 6.0 in its Sprint LG G4 on December 21, 2015. So, one can expect LG to bring Android N update in December 2016. And it will be soon to be launched LG V20 to be the first phone to feature Nougat out of the box. In fact, this device would get it before Nexus devices too.

Sony Android 7.0 update

Sony has been pretty quick with it and in an official statement, it announced that the new OS would be available in Xperia Z3+, Xperia Z4 Tablet, Xperia Z5, Xperia Z5 Compact, Xperia Z5 Premium, Xperia X, Xperia XA, Xperia XA Ultra, and Xperia X Performance.

Motorola Android 7.0 update

Moto owners will also receive Motorola Android 7.0 update a lot in advance than most, in spite of the fact that it is being owned by Lenovo rather than Google. We can expect it by December 2016.

HTC Android 7.0 update

HTC did a great job with its first update to Marshmallow. The unlocked Developer Edition HTC One M9 and all variants of the HTC One A9 had the Marshmallow update in December 2015. The HTC 10 arrived in April 2016 had got Android Marshmallow out of the box.

And if we assume HTC to follow suit, the first HTC Android 7.0 update will roll out to existing devices less than two months. HTC's next device, most probably the HTC 11, will arrive with Android 7.0 at launch.

Let's see when these devices will switch to this sensation update!
New post, The Adversarial System and the Torah Ethic of Justice on Nishma Policy
Leaves are falling, the air is crisp and deer season is right around the corner. Anyone who knows me knows how much I love this time of year. Becoming involved in hunting a few years ago gave me yet another reason why I look forward to fall.
Libyas nominal Prime Minister Faiez Serraj called, during a visit to US-Africa Command in Stuttgart, for more US military assistance to Libya beyond the cooperation in the fight against the Islamic State (IS) group in the city of Sirte, media reported on Thursday.

The US, since August 1, has been supporting Libyas UN-backed Government of National Accord (GNA) in the campaign against the IS group in Muammar Gaddafis hometown of Sirte. The US Africa Command says it has launched more than 70 airstrikes against the terrorist group.

Serraj visited the command centre in the Germany city of Stuttgart on Wednesday. He was accompanied by political adviser Al-Sinni and the chief of Security Preparations Commission, Al-Taweel. US ambassador to Libya Jonathan Winer attended Serrajs talks with the Head of the Command Center, Thomas D. Waldhauser.

Serraj expressed wish that after IS defeat in Sirte, the US would cooperate with his country in sharing military expertise and intelligence and in training Libyan forces.

Libya would like to receive the US military expertise and training for the forces in the country so as to build a strong army. We would like to cooperate with the US in the information exchange regarding any terrorist acts in the region, Al-Serraj said.

His call received a positive nod from the Head of the Command Center who reaffirmed the US determination to help Libya take control of its territory.
Egypts Minister of Supply in charge of the governmental food subsidy program has resigned amid growing public outrage over a wheat corruption scandal, triggered by false wheat procurement figures.

Khaled Hanafi could not withstand public discontent over state funds embezzlement cases reported in his department.

Experience has proven that being in a position of authority is no longer a picnic, Hanafi said as he announced his resignation on state television.

His department has been finger-pointed for alleged corruption related to disappearance of governments subsidies for wheat farmers.

Farmers have reportedly falsified receipts to receive money from the government.

Parliamentarians who formed a fact-finding commission to investigate the fraud have said up to 2 million tons, or 40 percent of the locally produced crop, may be missing, Reuters reports.

Arrest warrants, travel bans and asset freezes for several private silo owners and others allegedly involved in the scandal, have been issued, the media further reports.

Hanafi himself has not been targeted by the parliament probe, but he has been under fire for failing to monitor his collaborators who have been accused in the scandal.

Hanafi started very strong but unfortunately he trusted the wrong people who ran the ministry for their own benefit which led to huge loss of the subsidy, said Waleed Diab, Managing Director of Egyptian Millers Company, one of the countrys largest private mills.

Hanafi became member of President al-Sisis cabinet in 2014. He is the highest cabinet member to step down as a result of Parliament probe into state malpractices.
Bannon. Photo: Robin Marchant/Getty Images

Donald Trump warned us, but we didnt believe him. For weeks now, the GOP nominee has been calling on America to wake up to the reality that Novembers election will be plagued by voter fraud. But like the prisoners in Platos cave greeting their would-be liberator, those who wish to go on believing in the shadow play of our democracy tried to destroy Trump for his insights. The liberal media branded his predictions baseless and dangerous.

But on Friday morning, The Guardian US revealed that voter fraud is so pervasive in the United States, even Donald Trumps own campaign chief is preparing to engage in it:



Stephen Bannon, the chief executive of Trumps election campaign, has an active voter registration at the house in Miami-Dade County, Florida, which is vacant and due to be demolished to make way for a new development.



I have emptied the property, Luis Guevara, the owner of the house, which is in the Coconut Grove section of the city, said in an interview. Nobody lives there  we are going to make a construction there. Neighbors said the property had been abandoned for several months.

Bannon had formerly rented the house for his ex-wife, who vacated the property earlier this year, according to The Guardian US. To be a legal voter in the state of Florida, one must be a resident of the state who has a claim to a home that he or she intends to make his or her permanent residence.

The news of Bannons alleged voter-registration fraud came hours after revelations of his alleged history of domestic violence.

This sudden wave of opposition research on Bannon is interesting and worthwhile. Its in the publics interest to know the kind of people a major-party nominee surrounds himself with. And yet the most significant and damning facts about Steve Bannon dont need to be dug up by enterprising reporters  theyre printed all over his website.

Bannon has referred to his digital magazine as the platform for the alt-right  which is to say, the platform for a movement of meme-savvy white nationalists. Breitbart regularly runs articles likening feminism to cancer, celebrating the Confederacy, and defending the biological reality of race. Whatever criminal acts Bannon has allegedly committed in his personal life are almost irrelevant  the guy proudly runs a website that specializes in soft-core white-supremacist commentary. If Donald Trump doesnt see that as disqualifying, is there anything else voters really need to know?

Hillary Clinton doesnt seem to think so.
Stephen Bannon. Photo: Kirk Irwin/Getty Images

Stephen Bannon, the Breitbart News executive and new Donald Trump campaign CEO, was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery, and dissuading a witness following an incident with his then-wife in 1996.

According to a police report obtained by Politico, when Santa Monica, California, police responded to a 911 call on New Years Day, Bannons wife alleged that he pulled her neck and wrist during a dispute over their finances. She said that when she picked up the phone to call the police, Bannon jumped over her and their twin seven-month-old girls and smashed it. Per Politico:

She told him that maybe he should find another place to live, that she wanted a divorce. [REDACTED] said he laughed at her, and said he would never move out, the report states.



Bannon had gone out to their car, followed by his then-wife, the report says. She then spat at him, and Bannon reached up to her from the drivers seat of his car and grabbed her left wrist. He pulled her down, as if he was trying to pull [her] into the car, over the door.



[REDACTED] said Mr. Bannon grabbed at neck, also pulling her into the car. She said that she started to fight back striking at his face so he would let go of her. After a short period of time she was able to get away from him, the report states.

The officer noted seeing red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck, and said the injuries were photographed.

A month later, the Santa Monica District Attorneys office filed a complaint against Bannon. In March 1996, he pleaded not-guilty on all counts at his arraignment, and was released on his own recognizance. The case was called for trial in August 1996, but the judge ordered the case dismissed because the victim/witness was unable to be located.

Bannons wife filed for divorce five months later. In divorce documents obtained by the New York Post, Bannons wife claimed that Bannons attorney threatened her, saying she would have no money [and] no way to support the children if the case went to trial. She said Bannon told her that if I wasnt in town they couldnt serve me and I wouldnt have to go to court, and said that if there was a trial, he and his attorney would make sure that I would be the one who was guilty. She said she left town for two weeks, and returned once Bannons attorney told her the case had been dismissed.



The divorce documents also contain disturbing allegations regarding their daughters. The couple were married three days before the birth of their twin girls, and his ex-wife claimed, Bannon made it clear that he would not marry me just because I was pregnant. I was scheduled for an amniocentesis and was told by the respondent that if the babies were normal we would get married. When the test found the babies were normal, she was given a prenuptial agreement.



She also alleges that Bannon believed in corporal punishment and spanked one of the girls when she was a toddler in an effort to make her stop banging her head against her crib. She says that when she intervened Bannon called her fing crazy, and said that if she hadnt stopped him, she wouldnt be banging her head anymore.

Bannons ex told the Post that she and her daughters have no comment. A representative for Bannon responded, Steve has a great relationship with his ex-wife and his twins.

Several people on Twitter suggested that the domestic-violence story was leaked, as the reports appeared in Politico and the Post seven minutes apart  and just hours after a major speech in which Hillary Clinton introduced America to Breitbart and the alt-right.

The storys appearance in the Post also raises more questions about the fracturing of the conservative media once controlled by Rupert Murdoch. In recent weeks, the Post has run nude photos of Melania Trump and a column in which Andrea Peyser declared she can no longer support the GOP nominee. In other Murdoch-owned outlets, Fox Newss Sean Hannity has been unabashedly promoting Trump, sparking a feud with Never Trump Wall Street Journal columnist Bret Stephens. Meanwhile, former Fox News chief Roger Ailes, whos in the midst of a sexual-harassment scandal, is said to be helping Trump with debate prep (though the campaign denies it).



As for Trump, hes now three-for-three when it comes to top campaign officials being embroiled in scandal. Earlier this month, Bannon and campaign manager Kellyanne Conway essentially replaced campaign manager Paul Manafort as new reports emerged about Manaforts possibly illegal lobbying on behalf of pro-Russia politicians in Ukraine. And Manafort replaced Corey Lewandowski, who was accused of manhandling a female Breitbart News reporter.

Trump has yet to comment on the domestic-violence story, but he could plausibly claim he knew nothing about it. Earlier on Thursday, Trump told CNNs Anderson Cooper that nobody even knows what the alt-right is, and he was unaware that Bannon recently said of Breitbart, Were the platform for the alt-right.
Donald Trump is campaigning for the presidency as the law and order candidate. He has suggested that African-American-led movements for criminal-justice reform are waging a war on police that must be stopped.

In 1989, Trump took out a full-page advertisement in the New York Times, intended to encourage New York State to impose the death penalty on five young black teenagers accused of raping a woman in Central Park. All five were later exonerated, but not before losing years of their lives in prison. When the city settled with the men for $40 million in 2014, Trump decried the agreement as a disgrace, because, even if the men were wrongfully imprisoned for a crime they didnt commit, they still did not exactly have the pasts of angels.

Three days ago, Trump said that the Chicago police could end the citys crime problem in a week by employing tough police tactics, because, Theyre right now not tough.

Chicago has paid out half a billion dollars in police-brutality settlements since 2004.

On Friday, Trump debuted a new campaign ad on Instagram, which attacks Hillary Clinton for supporting Draconian policies on crime and incarceration, because there is no truth in this life save the certainty of death.
That guy Hannity interviewed on Tuesday was way off. Photo: Keith Bedford/The Boston Globe via Getty Images

Donald Trump  the guy whos spent the past 14 months talking about Mexican rapists and a deportation force  just found out what Donald Trump  the candidate who wants Hispanics to vote for him  has been saying about immigration reform, and boy is he mad! In an interview with CNNs Anderson Cooper that aired Thursday night, Trump said he does not support a path to legal status for undocumented immigrants, and insisted hes not toning down his position. I dont think its a softening, he said. Ive had people say its a hardening, actually.

Trump seemed rather annoyed that people are accusing him of modifying his immigration stance, though hes the one who suggested that he was shifting his position. There certainly can be a softening, because were not looking to hurt people, he said in a Fox News town hall on Tuesday. (Cooper actually quoted him in his question.)



Its true that Trumps immigration stance appears to be hardening back into its original form. Earlier this week, Trump suggested that he was in favor of a path to legalization for undocumented immigrants with no criminal record, as long as they paid back taxes  which was essentially the position of his primary opponents Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush. On Wednesday, Trump wasted one of his lifelines on an inconclusive poll of a Fox News audience, so now hes decided to go with his gut and revert to his initial answer.

First thing were going to do. No is not a path  there is no path to legalization unless people leave the country, Trump said on Thursday. When they come back in, if they come back in, then they can start paying taxes but there is no path to legalization unless they leave the country and come back.

That sounds a lot like a touch back policy, which his new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, ruled out earlier this week.



However, Trump has bigger problems than trying to keep track of what he or his campaign manager said two days ago. While hes consistently said that criminals  or as he called them on Thursday bad dudes  will be deported almost instantly, he contradicted himself on the logistics of deporting 11 million people in the same CNN interview. You cant take 11 [million] at one time and say, Boom your gone, Trump told Cooper, adding minutes later that when it comes to deporting the millions of good dudes in the country illegally, There is a very good chance the answer could be yes.
Romans father, Valery Seleznev, at a press conference in Moscow. Photo: DMITRY SEREBRYAKOV/AFP/Getty Images

A jury in Seattle yesterday handed down 38 guilty verdicts to the son of an influential Russian politician over the theft of millions of credit-card numbers. Roman Seleznev was convicted of charges including wire fraud, obtaining information from a protected computer, aggravated identity theft, and possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices.

The case ratcheted up already-high tensions between Russia and the United States, mainly because Seleznevs father, Valery Seleznev, is a member of the Russian parliament and a prominent ally of Russian president Vladimir Putin. Valery had described his sons extradition to the U.S. as kidnapping.

The elder Seleznev has long protested his sons innocence, claiming that Roman hasnt been proficient with computers since being disabled in a terrorist bombing in Morocco in 2011.

U.S. government prosecutors paint a very different picture of Seleznev, describing him as one of the most prolific credit card traffickers in history, and a wildly successful hacker who, over more than a decade of theft, cost credit-card companies as much as $170 million. Seleznev seems to have especially liked targeting restaurants whose computers he could infect with malware  malicious software  in order to steal their customers credit-card information.

Even after his son was arrested on vacation in the Maldives in 2014 with a laptop containing 1.7 million stolen credit-card numbers, Romans father continued to claim his son was being set up by the U.S. government as a form of payback over Russias welcoming of NSA whistle-blower Edward Snowden.

The U.S. government says that Valery likely took a more active role in securing his sons release than filing formal complaints, and claims that it has the two on tape discussing plans to tamper with witnesses and even toying with the idea of orchestrating an escape from the Seattle-area federal detention center.

While Seleznev faces nearly 40 years in prison, he will probably be sentenced to eight to 12 years, according to the Seattle Times, though he still faces similar charges in Nevada and Georgia.
It was a big issue in 2012 when nuns, not bakers of conscience, were its symbol. Photo: Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images

Something that is largely missing from this years presidential campaign that was a reasonably big deal in 2012 is the religious liberty issue  the demand that people of faith be insulated from compliance with non-discrimination laws that they claim violate their consciences.

As the 2012 general election heated up, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops announced a whole series of events devoted to alarms over alleged threats to religious liberty  especially the Obama administrations contraception-coverage mandate as applied to church-affiliated colleges and universities and other non-profit institutions. Conservative Evangelical leaders were already fully on board. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney climbed onto the bandwagon quickly as well, particularly in a speech at Liberty University designed to overcome the last vestiges of Evangelical fears of his own LDS faith. The Obama administration tried to tamp down the furor over the contraception-coverage mandate with special accommodations for religiously affiliated institutions, but drew the line at growing demands that religiously motivated businesses or individuals deserved protection from compliance of the law as well (a point of view that was partially validated by the U.S. Supreme Court in the Hobby Lobby case.)

In other words, the religious liberty issue became in 2012 a key point of solidarity between conservative Christians of every background and the Republican Party.

Four years later, a lot has changed. For one thing, religious liberty as a legal claim became associated less with opposition to contraception and abortion, and more with an increasingly unpopular last-ditch opposition to LGBT rights in general and same-sex marriage in particular. The martyrs of alleged violations of religious liberty were no longer nuns providing health care and social services who didnt want to be complicit in what they considered abortion services (typically forms of contraception the Catholic Church viewed as abortifacients), but the rather ridiculous figures of bakers of conscience who wouldnt provide wedding cakeds for same-sex ceremonies. Defenders of religious liberty laws at the state level were regularly routed in the court of public opinion  most notably when Indiana Gov. Mike Pence was forced by public and business pressure to modify one such law.

So while conservative religious organizations and their political arms havent changed their minds about a religious right to discriminate, they are not as loud and proud about it as in 2012. And you can see a new climate in public-opinion surveys.

According to a new poll from the Public Religion Research Institute: By a roughly two to one margin, Americans oppose rather than favor allowing a small business owner in their state to refuse to provide products or services to gay or lesbian people if doing so violates their religious beliefs (63 percent vs. 30 percent, respectively). Thats exactly the same as the margin by which Catholics now oppose such policies. And 68 percent of white mainline Protestants and black Protestants oppose religion-based discrimination rights for businesses. And even among white evangelical Protestants, support for such laws is down to a spare 4945 margin.

Lagging support for legalized discrimination is being reflected in the presidential contest as well. In Donald Trumps much-publicized outreach efforts with conservative Evangelicals, he has focused on the rather insipid cultural cause of restoring public Christmas greetings (surely the most embarrassing claim of victimization in the history of martyrdom), and the very specific religious liberty demand, mainly of interest to Evangelical clergy, of allowing electioneering and political-candidate endorsements from the pulpit without risking tax exemptions. The broad-based religious liberty crusade of 2012 seems to have receded. Maybe Trump has learned from his running mate that its a trap.
Ryan Lochte is a wanted man  but hed first like to tell you about Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops. Photo-Illustration: Getty Images

Thursday turned out to be quite the day for Ryan Lochte. Brazilian authorities formally charged him with filing a false police report, and he now has to decide whether to go back to Rio to defend whats left of his (good) name. But thats not all! News of the police charges came the same day that Lochte earned himself a new sponsor: Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops. As in, Ryan Lochte is now a wanted man  but hed first like to tell you about some cough drops.

The former national treasure turned drunken fool in Rio has been apologizing for that whole not-quite-a-robbery situation this summer. What began with Lochtes worried mother telling the press that her son had been robbed at gunpoint in Rio has escalated into an international and humiliating debacle for Lochte. While his apologies on The Today Show may have earned him some sympathizers, its also made him the butt of jokes on late-night TV. His major sponsors, though, werent laughing and didnt hesitate to ditch Lochte as soon as his story went up in flames. Speedo dropped Lochte earlier this week and said it would donate $50,000 to a charity for children in Brazil. Ralph Lauren and a few other companies quickly followed suit.

No matter, though. Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops believes in Lochte. We all make mistakes, but theyre rarely given front page scrutiny, Pine Bros CEO Rider McDowell said in a statement, according to Reuters.Im confident that Pine Bros fans will support our decision to give Ryan a second chance, he said.

Cue a meek jeah from Lochte as his lawyers explain the new charges from Brazil.
good for her. so many people use epipens and rely on them. most people purchase more than one, especially kiddos. they need one for the home, for school, etc. this is beyond fucked up and I am glad she is using her voice to take a stand.

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My younger brother has 3. One at school, one that lives in his bag (which is required for field trips since the one at school cannot leave school property until it's signed ouy at the end of the year) and one at home.





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And they expire after a year, so not only are they incredibly expensive, you can't just invest in one and be good for a while. Every single year, you need to buy like 4 of them. Bullshitttttt

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Seriously, major props to her.

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This country's healthcare system is so broken

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Read an article where it was called the 'legal drug cartel' the other day. Pretty much sums it up.

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Good on her. I read an article on this, but had no idea of her involvement.

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Jesus Christ, I knew they had gone up but not by that much. Did Shkreli take over?



I hope some outcry will actually do good here, bc that price hike is rubbish.





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Um, she knows that she is part of the system right?



Smh.

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I'm watching Bryan Sullivan interviewing her and she's a mess.

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Wicked creature.

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Asshole you ARE the system

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Though she is saying to essentially blame the system and not her





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Good on her. Mylan is putting peoples' lives at risk.

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Good job Sarah

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christ @ that price hike

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I heard they had raised the price, but I had no idea it was by this much. that is so fucked up.

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holy shit @ that price hike

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Ridiculous. Inhalers are next. Mine already jumped up to $60.

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oh god I hope not. I have exercise induced asthma so I use my inhaler three times a week :(

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Ugh. Mine is already at $50 though we got a discount bc I ordered in threes but I cannot with this country.



The price for my allergy nasal spray is insane.

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I had no idea that my moms allergy eye drops cost $200. That insane for this tiny bottle not even as big as my thumb.

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get it from costco. their flonase is 30 bucks for like 5 of them.

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I don't even use my nasal spray anymore because of the price, I just can't afford it. it's absurd.

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ffffuck i hope not, i don't use my inhaler much in the summer but cold air exacerbates my asthma and in the wintertime i have to use my inhaler 4-5 times a week :/

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I hope not :/ I don't use mine often but my mom needs them to be able to breathe normally now. Especially on days when the air quality is shit.

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i swear to god, they'll fight for fetuses but they're trying to drive the rest of us into graves

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Yeah I use Singulair and my insurance no longer covers it so idk what I'll do yet once my supply runs out

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mine was almost 80! there was a glitch with my insurance and somehow it wasnt covering it, so i put it on hold and called the insurance and they fixed it but omfg its ridiculous!!!!!

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it's already so much more expensive than it was ten years ago. i've always had severe asthma, and when i didn't have insurance at 15-18, getting an inhaler was a real struggle. it's not affordable, especially not preventative inhalers, like advair, without insurance it's hundreds of dollars.

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Yep. I work in a pharmacy and we get standard albuterol inhalers like Ventolin, Proventil, and ProAir from our suppliers for around $55. We make almost no money on them--it all goes right to the drug companies.

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It's already here, at least for me. I grew up using Advair and Maxair, and I haven't been able to get them in years. Now all my insurance will cover is genetic albuterol inhalers that don't help me as much. This country is a shithole.

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don't say that! i only have to pay $20 a month for mine i can't imagine paying more.



i was on a daily inhaler medication for a little while and that was $50 a month. it was absurd. thankfully i don't need that anymore.





sort of OT but when i was pregnant with my daughter i had really horrible morning sickness so my doctor prescribed me diclegis. it's an antihistimine and vitamin B. without insurance?? it's over $800!!!! with my insurance it was $50 a month, but i went on the manufacturer's website and got some coupon to bring it down to $30 a month. but honestly even that type of medication to cost that much is ridiculous.

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I bought an albuterol inhaler in Dubai during a layover at the pharmacy for less than $10...same shit would've cost me $50 here in the states. When I mentioned that to a coworker at the hospital I work at, she was like WELL WE PAY FOR THE FDA TO REGULATE IT SO WE'RE KEPT SAFE SO THAT'S WHY IT'S MORE HERE and I'm like ffs, it's an albuterol inhaler that I got in DUBAI, not some third world country from a street vendor. People here don't fucking get it.

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Yep! Mine went from 9 to 23 to 36, to 45, to now 63 in about a five year span. And I need multiples because I travel so much and it's hard to keep up with just one.

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mine is $40, which is still ridic

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Poor and working class ppl always get fucked over. So enraging. Can u imagine if ur kid died bc you could afford the pen. Fuck American health care

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I just recently got put on my state's medicaid system after being on the "family planning" part for a few years, and a couple months later had to have an emergency appendectomy. My bill would have been over $30,000, I definitely would have had to file for bankruptcy...And I know that some people in that situation would have not even gone to the ER out of fear of the bills and just died from something 100% treatable.

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I had an emergency appendectomy too and my bill was 30k prior to insurance. For some reason my hospital thought I didn't have insurance, so they billed me 15k for 'indigent' people. I was like...15k is still a ton of money, so it might as well have been 30k

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That is insane, glad you are ok. I got a bill yesterday from my doctor for blood work to test my thyroid- it was $700 but $13.12 with insurance. I was in shock last night, let's say I didn't have insurance and I had to have that test that could have explained a multitude of health problems...I would be in collections no doubt. Also, my boyfriend used to work in a lab and said the test I took takes no time to do and doesn't require expensive equipment, it just has to sit in a machine over night. Where are hospitals and labs getting these outrageous prices from?

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I basically wavered between having no insurance and the bare minimum that I could afford (but was still $150 a month) and basically had to put off a tonne of screening tests that I definitely needed. I basically was only able to go in for a once-a-year health exam and a pap smear, and paid $300+ for basic urine analysis since I get UTIs really easily.



I finally got decent insurance the beginning of July and turns out I needed a bunch of blood tests and a referral to a urologist because my kidneys are having issues. I don't know how much of this could have been prevented, but if I didn't have insurance at this moment, instead of my $60 copay for urgent care, I would have had to have paid the $300 plus the $400+ for all the blood tests and I can't even imagine that. And I still have more testing and potentially medication to purchase.

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I cant imagine why having a celebrity endorse something like this actually results in greater profit. This is something people actually need unlike a trendy clothing item.



Also it's messed up that they decided to hike up the prices. The pharmaceutical industry is a mess

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Part of the "awareness campaign" was marketing to encourage more people to have them on hand just in case.

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good for her!



i have exercise-induced anaphylaxis, so seriously fuck mylan for this bs

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I said this is another post but I don't know how anyone could want to or choose to watch a film with a graphic rape scene that was written and directed by two rapists. Just thinking about that makes me sick to my stomach.

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oh my god....is there really a rape scene in it? That's horrifying.

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Not just any rape scene, but an ahistorical one! That was included to give motivation to the male protagonist!



Gag.

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from what i've heard, i'm pretty sure the rape (which was made up for this story) is like... the catalyst for the entire events of the film

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It's apparently the entire catalyst for the rebellion - Nat Turner's wife is raped - even though people here have pointed out there is apparently no evidence that he even had a wife so they did what so many assholes in Hollywood do, create a rape scene as a dramatic turning point to spur a man into action.

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and it was added in to the story, it's not based on anything from Nat Turner's writing

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An added, historically inaccurate, scene at that. Totally insane

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I didn't even know there was a rape scene in this, and from reading below it was completely made up for the film?!



What kind of fuckery is this? It makes me feel sick as well.

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seriously...using rape as a plot device is bad enough but given their past, it's downright grotesque. makes you really wonder their reasons for writing it in.

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Seriously. If that alone does not give someone pause, then nothing will.





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That is so, so, SO disgusting and beyond evil. These two fuckstains truly have no shame. May fires consume them.

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Yes the rape is made up. In reality Nat Turner saw himself as a warrior of God and interpreted a solar eclipse as a sign he should carry out the rebellion.

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this is the part that make my stomach turn the most. It is sick.



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When Tati said she learned not to shop at wet seal!!

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well I did comment on the other post I was bored.

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WOW the Oscar president is dumb as fuck.

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Ehhhhhhhhhhh Gibson's shitshow happened almost a decade after Braveheart. If anything, the Oscar awards that Apocalypto (didn't) rake in should be indicative of his ability to 'cope with' his 'downfall'



I 100% predict BOAN will follow the Apocalypto formula, actually: a couple of noms for categories that nobody cares about (sound, editing, etc) so even if/when it does win for those categories, nobody's feathers are ruffled. It shows that Hollywood appreciated parts of the film but overall disapproves.

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One of my favvv fresh prince episodes! "Here here here here here!"

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cheryl is full of shit, im not surprised she'd say this

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Just like when it comes to a Roman Polanski film, I just can't knowingly support the work of an rapist.



Especially in this case where the victim is dead. it just seems wrong for her rapist to thrive when she no longer can, as a result of his actions.

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And she's from the PR wing of the Academy, too.

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new? she was the token in xmen first class, and mad max....

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those are fairly recent

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Bad Moms 2.0

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JILLIAN <3

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god i love her sfm

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i love her but i just really could not get into idiotsitter at all

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She looks so good for being 100 years old.

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Don't diss Esmeralda like that

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This plot has never been done before

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honestly, i've accepted that almost everything those days is a remake or deviation of something that was already made. so if the movie is funny, has a witty script, and solid acting then i'm hft

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The thought of Sony making a movie that's "funny, has a witty script and solid acting," LOL

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they made 3 hangover movies. i can tolerate this.

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They had me at Kate McKinnon.

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this is actually a really solid cast. i'm in the minority in this community but i like scarjo and think she's talented so i'm looking forward to it. kinda wish abbi was in this movie too but i love ilana so it's okay



i just hope it's a legit comedy and not one of those weird movies where a lot of funny people are in it and it ends up being a drama with a tinge of comedy

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Erm. But hey, men have been making mediocre movies about themselves forever, so women can start filling up that category as well.

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I like most of these people individually but yet again, the sum is whiter than the parts.



Edited at 2016-08-26 01:08 am (UTC)

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did they ever figured out who/what/where/when/why happened to the teenager found in her pool?



Edited at 2016-08-26 01:13 am (UTC)

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here for everyone except those mentioned in the post's title

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I'd love an all female cast but this sounds like the Hangover.

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Blair Witch, the new sequel to The Blair Witch Project, will open in US theaters September 16.







Co-Director Eduardo Sanchez of the original

says of the new film: Its just full-blast

... Its really creepy, and the last third is just crazy. Its just all over the place. It just does not let you go, you know? it kind of progresses the found-footage genre a little bit, which I think is really cool.

"It kinda takes our film and blows the doors off and goes nuts with it in a really, really good way.

+ In 1997, the movie was filmed in just ten days. The cast mates were told not to shower or to leave the area. However, a rain storm caused them to seek refuge at a house near by - they didn't get to shower there.



+ In the scene where the filmmakers are chased from their tents, a man covered in blood and bandages In 1997, the movie was filmed in just ten days. The cast mates were told not to shower or to leave the area. However, a rain storm caused them to seek refuge at a house near by - they didn't get to shower there.In the scene where the filmmakers are chased from their tents, a man covered in blood and bandages



standing in the woods was filmed, hence, Heather screaming "what the fuck is that?" The man could be either Rustin Parr or Kyle Brody, whose stories are told in the Sci-Fi special and another mockumentary called The Burkittsville 7 .

+ The ending was re-shot twice. Once, directly after wrapping, the ending was re-filmed due to a technical difficulty. Secondly, after being sold to Lionsgate, they rehired actor Mike Williams to reshoot the ending. One ending included Williams tied up to a 'stick man' cross. The original and iconic ending was used instead.



+ Patricia DeCou, who played Mary Brown, was cast after she applied for a production assistant. She ended up being cast as Mary Brown and her own stories and house were used. DeCou's daughter posted several videos on youtube that included photos of her family - some videos are titled "The Blair witch -Patricia DeCou is my mother! not a witch!"



+ Heather Donahue wrote "Growgirl," a book detailing her life after the film and as a pot farmer. She regrets using her real name.



+ Mike Williams also quit acting and works as a Middle school guidance counselor. He says the film and its aftermath left him feeling traumatized.



+ Joshua Leonard continues to act. His latest work includes a guest spot on Bates Motel and the now cancelled Heartbeat. The ending was re-shot twice. Once, directly after wrapping, the ending was re-filmed due to a technical difficulty. Secondly, after being sold to Lionsgate, they rehired actor Mike Williams to reshoot the ending. One ending included Williams tied up to a 'stick man' cross. The original and iconic ending was used instead.Patricia DeCou, who played Mary Brown, was cast after she applied for a production assistant. She ended up being cast as Mary Brown and her own stories and house were used. DeCou's daughter posted several videos on youtube that included photos of her family - some videos are titled "The Blair witch -Patricia DeCou is my mother! not a witch!"+ Heather Donahue wrote "Growgirl," a book detailing her life after the film and as a pot farmer. She regrets using her real name.+ Mike Williams also quit acting and works as a Middle school guidance counselor. He says the film and its aftermath left him feeling traumatized.+ Joshua Leonard continues to act. His latest work includes a guest spot onand the now cancelled





SOURCE: BLAIR WITCH | DREADCENTRAL | YOUTUBE | YOUTUBE: Texas Frightmare Weekend 2014 | YOUTUBE: Days of the Dead 2013

The film was going to be documentary-esque as opposed to found footage. The original idea revolved around the entire Blair Witch legend leading up to the disappearance of the three filmmakers included ~achrival material and interviews. The first screen version was over 2 hours long before it was cut down. This scrapped idea led to the Sci-Fi Channel special
That's really sweet, I'm glad she's donating



Meredith > Olivia

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i still can't get over how she completely misnamed her cats

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at least some deserving people can benefit from her transparent PR game

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Seriously. That's pennies compared to her networth.

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do you also say this to people who put a fiver in a charity box?

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I thought those were photos she had posted and realising they are randos creeping on her cat is soooo fucking creepy

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This was my thought too. It's creppy enough some of the photos people get of celebrities, but to stake out her apartment and take pictures of her cat in the window? So weird.

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Seriously.

Taking pictures looking into someone's windows is just wrong.

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I don't even care if this is for PR, it's for a good cause.

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ia, especially since it will get her fans donating as well

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Same. My one cat will hang out the steps/walkway but doesn't ever go on the grass and my other one has no desire to step out at all, she also would rather hang in the window lol

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I don't think my cat would want to step foot outside. Sometimes she gets curious about my apartment building's hallway though and I'll open the door and she'll sit in the middle of the hallway for 30 seconds before coming back in lol.

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my old roommate's cat would always try to escape only to literally come crawling back.

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mine too. he stares out the window, pushes the door open and wanders around the stairs some if i went downstairs for some reason (i live in a 3 apartments building thing) but the second he hears a sound or feels someone coming his way he just runs back inside and hides under the bed lmao i don't even know why he tries tbh

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When mine is able to escape out the back door, she just goes and hides under my deck. She's never made it off my front porch to explore the front yard (because we grab her before she does. I'm too paranoid to let her roam lololol).

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there really isn't an outdoor environment that's safe for cats to begin with tbh. cars, wild animals, and asshole people are everywhere. i don't think i'd ever have an outdoor cat, at least locally we have bears, cougars, wolves, raccoons, eagles and so on in the area and i couldn't deal with a cat not coming home lol

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I had a friend who had 2 cats who were mostly outside cats (she was highly allergic to both of them) and she acted like it was just normal that the cats would be gone for weeks at a time or that it was normal that her neighbors would let the cats in their house and take care of them for a few weeks. Pretty sure both of her cats are dead now, I asked if she had seen them and she was just like deadpan eh no haven't seen them in months and I was like ????????. And yet if you asked her about the cats she'd talk about them as if she loved them sooooo much



I could never have an outdoor cat, I don't even really like my dogs being outside for too long and I have a completely fenced in yard

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my cat was an outdoor cat (we lived by the wood and moved to a suburban area) and she lived to be 21.



we don't have bears or wild dogs or anything dangerous though, I was never worried about her.

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my cat was a pain in the ass until we finally let him out when he was old enough to roam. luckily, we live in a really quiet area and he knows what side his bread's buttered on, so he's rarely gone more than a couple of hours before he comes back for food or cuddles.

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My boyfriend's cat loves the outdoors, it's so cute. When we lived backing onto a little creek/swamp she would chase frogs and hide in the reeds. Now we live in a more suburban area and she likes strolling along the fences but there's an evil fat Tom cat next door so she kinda pauses at the end of the driveway and plays in my neighbour's fruit trees. She always makes the cutest happy meows when I open the door for her but we keep the gate open so she can come and go as she pleases. I guess she never really goes further than fortyfive from the front door though.

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I had to leave my cat inside today because she's not consistent in coming when called and I'm going out of town right after work. The look of pure hatred she threw me when I left...

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My cat is obsessed with being outside. We just moved and our old place had a closed in porch and he absolutely loved it. Now we live in a city and he has no outside time at all. He seems so sad :(

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I take my cat out for walks on a leash. It took a few times to get him used to having the harness put on, but now all I have to do is show it to him and he sits still because he knows he'll get to go outside. I'm pretty sure half the neighborhood knows me as that weirdo cat walking lady, but w/e my cat loves it so idc.

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aw, she's such a sweetheart. go taylor!

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Take it too capital hill, fat.

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And to*



;)

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having cats in an apartment is so stressing, i can't leave the windows open.

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Another cat post please. Next week I'm going to catsit three Norwegian Forest Cats and one tiny mutt. Cat lady level unlocked.

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I'm so excited about it omg. Two weeks for me and a bunch of floofs.

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Aw, kitty heaven!

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that sounds like a vacation all of its own! <3

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I am so jealous I'm almost angry tbh.



PICSSSSS

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good for ha



LMAO @ meredith. tho it must suck taylor can't even have her curtains open

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those cat pics are soooo creepy and invasive!

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We may have lost a lot but we're going to shake it off.





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I love seeing kitties in windows. So cute.

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It's because I'm problematic that I'm single.

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same

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Lol that's hilarious though she announced it on her website. Lol that's hilarious though she announced it on her website.

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I was watching Summer Games Done Quick and the Catherine speed run gave me palpitations.

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Sounds like sorcery to me

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He cheated on her but she took him back because she never fucking learns

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They lasted way longer than I expected tbh...

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Damn if that's true that's pathetic of her

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Didn't he cheat?

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he's so hot UGH

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I can deal with your Britney hate but this...



NO

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He is, he looks like he knows how to beat it up good (_;)

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this explains everything

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lmao

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i'd dump my boyfriend too if i found out he liked ufc

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lmao

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Why though? It's like the most entertaining sport there is...

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Same

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Never forget the pictures of her slowly sliding down in her car seat from after they broke up the first time but still hooking up. Those are my fave.

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do you have a link or when that was so I could look it up and see? hahaha

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Lol I know. It's so petty, it's beautiful.

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Oop i woke & bake~ so I thought Ceaser left J.lo for a man....who happen to be a UFC fighter 

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OMG THAT WOULD OF BEEN AMAZING

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lol wtf I go on her website and there's nothing? that is straight up savage though. I love it.

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that's not true but she probably did leak it just to show him, like when she did this:

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I don't know the backstory of this but gosh she's gorgeous <3

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What are we supposed to be seeing in this pic?

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shailene is good people, even if she does eat garbage

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this is bad but Shailene, Susan, and Rosario have been SOOOOOO extra lately.

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Yeah, like their whole road trip for Bernie thing or whatever?



Like, of course it's great that they're involved in the political process are just trying to help people, but at the same time omg my eyes rolling out of my head.

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I mean Susan has been the MOST extra. especially at the democratic convention. Like come on girl u voted for Nader stop acting like you're better than everyone.

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They've been my heroes. I love that they are strong, opinionated women who are willing to stand up and bring attention to issues that get shut out by the media (like this one right here).



Edited at 2016-08-26 06:43 pm (UTC)

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Ikr?! Giving a fuck is sewwww extra.

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this is so sad



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I hope this gets a lot of attention. Traction is finally happening in Canada to listen to FN voices. We still have a long way to go but I'd love to see the same thing happen in the US

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-While the protesters have been peaceful, "rumors" started that there aggressive behavior was starting and even mention of pipe bombs.



-These rumors led to the government removing water tanks and a medical trailer leaving the protesters without much needed resources.



Sounds more like a silencing tactic than anything else tbh.

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Pretty much. Most of it has been live streamed and the tribe's have specific rules about what is allowed at the protest site, and so it's pretty obviously a bullshit silencing tactic.

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https://www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/protests-dakota-access-pipeline-not-peaceful/

https://www.sayanythingblog.com/entry/dakota-access-protesters-2/ There are so many articles/blogs in NoDak that keep talking about the "violence" of the protesters and how poorly protesters are acting. Crap like this:

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Yes, they want to shut down these protests ASAP. The ND governor even declared a state of emergency over these protests and there is talk that the National Guard will be called in. I'm really afraid that it's gonna get ugly.

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Good for them!



I've been watched a bit of the Girlfriend Experience and I keep seeing Keri Russell in Riley's face, it's distracting

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I see a mix of her mom (duh ) and the Lea Thompsons daughter from the vampire flop movie.

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The problem is that it will cross over several water supplies (like the Missouri River) and desecrate land that the Native American tribes rely on.



I really hope this pipeline isn't constructed.



These rumors led to the government removing water tanks and a medical trailer leaving the protesters without much needed resources.



How lovely.

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i don't understand how a pipeline would "desecrate land", like it's 3 feet wide? and much safer for transporting oil than trains



the real problem with pipelines is that by investing in oil&gas infrastructure it makes it cheaper for companies to produce oil more broadly increases our dependence on oil

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Per the source, a lot of the land is considered "sacred." Building on it in any capacity is desecration.

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https://thinkprogress.org/data-oil-trains-spill-more-often-but-pipelines-spill-bigger-9533009d4aba#.2p18mgdtf

Pipelines are worse for the environment because their spills are much bigger.

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Fuck. This effects my job in a way, but I keep hoping the pipelines aren't built. Native Americans already face a shitty land. The government doesn't need to really make it worse. How about they put more into cleaning up the pipes coming out of homes before running petroleum and fracking.

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Thank you for posting this! I've been contemplating how to make a post about this since there's been very little in the mainstream media about it. (You wouldn't know that by looking at my fb feed - it's basically nothing but this for the last two weeks.)



Leo DiCaprio, Jason Momoa, Ezra Miller, and Pharrell have also shown support via social media.

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I am more than happy to add any celebs support to this post. I'm just not a twitterer and FB doesn't embed, lol.

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Willie Nelson and Danny Trejo have also shown support

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This is so upsetting.

I can't, but can, they've removed water sources.



I'm going to donate and write to my senators.





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So glad this is gaining traction.

I've been working on the side with some first nations groups to lobby for the protest here in Canada too. They already arrested a few people.



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Here's the white house petition for anyone who wants to sign it: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/stop-construction-dakota-access-pipeline-which-endangers-water-supply-native-american-reservations

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ty i signed

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whoever is doing his PR fucking sucks

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lmao and thats the gag

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im not even sure why he's coming here. we sure as hell dont want him

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I would fuck him.

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:O



but I love your username

I've just twitched all of remake last week

gonna do it again this week, hopefully faster

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Your perfect username, omg

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i'm judging both you and jill sandwich

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I would let him destroy me

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Some people would, others have standards.

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I don't love myself enough to say no.

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I would before all this shit happened even him being dumb af. But now idk.

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hmmm looks like i wasn't the only person who forgot their glasses at home.

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anyone got the dick tea?

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he would probably be disappointing.

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Lmao Wizard World. Ryan's PR team isn't doing a very good job.

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why

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my coworker is in awe of michael phelps, who carried the flag at the olympics AND has two duis, completely ignoring his actual Olympic accomplishments. I think he's just found a new hero.

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Glad it is not just me.

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i know he's good at fuqing. I just KNOW it.



Hit it and quit it tbh

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he literally looks like a barking seal



ARF! ARF! ARF!

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he chose the right venue. neckbeards are a very understanding and forgiving bunch.

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Truer words have never been spoken tbh



after going to about 15 different cons all around the US last year I've basically seen anything and everything forgiven and just know way too much about how fucked up the con planning scene is



P.S. I love your icon, where's it from?? =O

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my icon specifically is taken from ty! my icon is from the announcement video for josan gonzalez's cyberpunk artbook, the future is now vol. 2my icon specifically is taken from a gif i made (first photoset) 

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Wait this is a real thing that happened?



Oh Wizard World.

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OMG NO I'D FORGOTTEN BLAGOJEVICH EXISTED. WHY DID YOU PUT HIM BACK OUT INTO THE WORLD LIKE THAT???

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damn, he's a loser

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SMDH this guy is such a disgrace i wish i had never liked him

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It's ok, clearly you have seen the light

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Well, a fiction convention is his place, with all those lies about evil (dark skinned) brasilians and how he was robbed, too bad he did not reserached like he should, google is your friend Lochte.



I'm not surprised, los gringos (si son blancos, claro) caen de pie , como los gatos.

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I loved her in this lol

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i hope someone there glitter bombs him

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In the past two weeks, Iran has rejoined the OPEC production freeze headline and jawboning fray, by making bold statements that it would be willing to work with OPEC on the recurring plan other members, mostly Venezuela, have proposed to push prices higher, namely freeze oil production (at a level which is an all-time high output for OPEC's largest member, Saudi Arabia, beyond which it can't produce even if it wanted). So earlier today, Iran's oil minister Bijan Zanganeh made the most explicit statement on the topic, when he laid out the conditions under which Iran would be willing to "help other oil producers stabilize the world market."

It was a simple condition: Iran will cooperate as long as it is excluded from the freeze, or as Reuters put it, Iran will cooperate "so long as fellow OPEC members recognize its right to regain lost market share, the country' oil minister said on Friday."

In other words, Iran will endorse an OPEC supply freeze as long as it can keep pumping more.

Iran, OPEC's third-largest producer, boosted output after Western sanctions were lifted in January, and had refused to join OPEC and some non-members in an accord earlier this year to freeze production levels.

"Iran will cooperate with OPEC to help the oil market recover, but expects others to respect its rights to regain its lost share of the market," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the oil ministry's news agency SHANA.

More from Reuters:

Asked about an oil output freeze plan, Zanganeh said that Iran supports any effort to bring stability to the market.



Tehran insists it will be ready for joint action only once it regains pre-sanctions output of 4 million barrels per day (bpd). It pumped 3.6 million bpd in July, OPEC figures show.



Zanganeh said Iran had no role in instability of the oil market, as the crisis happened when Tehran's exports were less than 1 million bpd. Related: Could A Lithium Shortage De-Rail The Electric Car Boom?



Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria on Sept. 26-28.

It goes without saying that the argument trotted out by Iran will be the same one used by all other OPEC members, most of whom are not in the same position as Saudi Arabia, and instead have seen their oil production decline in recent months, most notably Nigeria and Venezuela. It also means that what those oil exporters who are not at capacity will say, will be identical to Iran's statement: oil freeze is a go... as long as they are not bound to it.

Translation: no oil production freeze.

Meanwhile, headline scanning algos continue to push crude higher on every incremental, and targeted, headline meant to achieve nothing more than force headline scanning algos to trip momentum ignition circuits, hit stops and force even more short covering. Rinse. Repeat.

By Zerohedge

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
As financial markets are distracted once more by Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen, crude is not immune to this influence, making moves in response to the U.S. dollar's gyrations (crude up, dollar down). We'll choose to ignore this hullabaloo, and hark, consider six things specifically relating to oil markets today:

1) Even the world's smaller oil producers and exporters play a key role in the global oil market. Even though we consume some ~96 million barrels per day of crude, the market remains at the mercy of incremental daily swings in supply and demand.

The North African nation of Chad exports the majority of its oil production, with an average of ~130,000 barrels per day of its heavy sweet Doba grade making its way into the international market. In the last year and a half, Doba exports have made it to thirteen different countries across various different continents.

The U.S. is the world's largest consumer of oil, and is also the leading destination for Chadian Doba. As our ClipperData illustrates, the U.S. accounts for over 60 percent of Doba exports, with ~2.4 million barrels arriving on the US Gulf and East Coast each month.





(Click to enlarge)

2) Earlier in the week we discussed how drilling activity is on the rise in the Permian Basin, with its rig count up nearly 50 percent from its low in late April, now accounting for nearly half of all active U.S. rigs.

This relative optimism towards the Permian is being reflected through in increased E&P deals, with Blackstone the latest of such developments. Just as Permian rigs account for nearly half of the U.S. total, the same applies for spending; roughly half of the $25 billion paid for U.S. onshore drilling properties this year has been spent in the Permian.

As drilling costs have dropped by as much as half, and as horizontal wells can be drilled for nearly two miles - about double the distance from last year - Permian is continuing to attract interest:

(Click to enlarge)

3) It is not just Permian that is seeing an increasing number of oil and gas deals. According to Wood Mackenzie, there were $11 billion of deals made last month, with the last three months of activity being triple the amount of the three months prior. (hark, below). Related: Iran Lays Out Conditions For Joining OPEC Output Freeze

Deals are being made globally; ExxonMobil agreed to acquire InterOil Corp for $3.6 billion last month to get exposure to natural gas in Papua New Guinea, while Statoil purchased an oil block from Petrobras in Brazil for $2.5 billion.

As the upside for oil prices is set to remain in check into next year as oversupply persists, there will be plenty of opportunities for further purchases as distressed companies look to sell off assets, while bigger companies look to divest assets and fine-tune their focus.

(Click to enlarge)

4) Stat of the day is that 56 percent of this year's corporate defaults have come from oil, gas and natural resource companies. There have been a total of 117 global corporate defaults so far this year - up 60 percent year-on-year and the highest level since 2009 - and 65 of these are oil, gas and natural resource companies. Additionally, 31 percent of oil and gas sector high yield bonds are trading at distressed levels.

5) We've chatted a fair bit here at the good ship Clipper this week about stalling Chinese oil production, and the financial health of its leading producers. PetroChina, China's largest oil company, is looking to boost natural gas production to account for half of its output by the end of the decade - up from 34 percent currently (hark, below). This target is based on overseas projects, as well as domestic production. Related: Yemens Houthi Forces Claim Missile Hit On Saudi Aramco Oil Facilities

PetroChina's stance is part of China's broader theme of boosting natural gas in its energy mix; through liberalizing its gas market and implementing market reforms, it is targeting a 10 percent share of the total mix by 2020. PetroChina is targeting a 30 percent increase in its natural gas production by 2030, an increase to 300 million tons per annum.

(Click to enlarge)

6) The below chart (via Bloomberg) helps to highlight the downbeat domestic demand picture for China. PetroChina and Sinopec are the two largest oil companies in China, accounting for more than half of the market. After fuel sales were as much as 16 percent higher year-over-year in 2011, they are now basically flat lining:

(Click to enlarge)

By Matt Smith

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
One would hardly expect an official from Obamas administration, which has dedicated a lot of work to curbing the harmful effects of fracking on the environment and public health, to have anything positive to say about it, but Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz has done just that. At a hearing in Seattle, he said that fracking has helped bring down CO2 emissions to their lowest in 24 years by enabling the displacement of coal with lower-emission natural gas.

The secretarys remarks come soon after the EPA published a study that claims fracking doesnt pollute underground water, raising alarm among environmentalist groups and more notably, among EPAs own science advisers, who lashed back at the authority with the argument that the researchers involved in the study did not have enough scientific evidence to support its claim.

This study, by the way, is one of 75, The Federalist points out, all with conclusions in defense of fracking as a clean method of extracting hydrocarbons from the ground. The important point, however, is that these 75 studies, reviewed by ICF International, focus on the methane emission issue, rather than on water pollution.

At the same time, there is also evidence that waste from frack wells does pollute water and represents a health hazard. Interestingly, one such study from the Oregon State University, initially concluded that fracking pollutes the air, but a year later the authors retracted it, claiming they found an error in their calculations, adding that fracking was, in fact, safe.

Another one, this time from a former EPA scientist, Dominic DiGiulio, found that fracking waste contaminated underground water in Pavillion, Wyoming. This study was also an interesting one in that the EPA launched an investigation into the issue in 2008, but five years later transferred it to state regulators without finishing it. DiGiulio completed it independent from the agency. Related: The Best Way To Unlock Canadas Crude Exports

There are possibly many such interesting studies for those fascinated by the fracking controversy, but what they all suggest is that this controversy is nowhere near its end, and Moniz remarks at the Seattle hearing further muddy the waters.

Its undoubtedly true that natural gas burns more cleanly than coal. Consequently, its true that replacing gas with coal wherever and whenever possible is, on the whole, a good move. But just how good, one may wonder, in light of the latest EIA Short-Term Energy Outlook, where the authority notes that CO2 emissions from natural gas are about to surpass the emissions from coal for the first time since 1972 this year.

Heres a quote from the EIA to illustrate: In 2015, natural gas consumption was 81 percent higher than coal consumption, and their emissions were nearly equal. Both fuels were associated with about 1.5 billion metric tons of energy-related CO2 emissions in the United States in 2015. Related: The Eagle Ford: Down But Not Out

Fracking has been a fundamental point of dispute among presidential candidates  no wonder given the controversy  and Moniz is not the only one adding fuel to it. Earlier this week Harold Hamm, Trumps potential energy secretary appointee, and perhaps the very embodiment of Big Shale, was quick to take back something Trump saidnamely that state and local governments should be free to regulate fracking.

Trumps remark, though largely in line with Republican values in that the party typically prefers limited federal oversight, went counter to the oil and gas industrys priorities, which rely on the federal and state regulation of fracking to a substantial degree. Local communities sometimes do not want fracking in their own backyards, as the technology is being linked to not just air and water pollution but also to earthquakes. But the industry, and most Republicans, do not support such local initiatives.

So, in an ironic twist, it seems like Moniz, a Democrat and member of a fracking-aware government, is supporting fracking, while Donald Trump seems willing to alienate frackers in favor of state and local rights. It remains to be seen whether Harold Hamm, who blamed the comment on Trumps misunderstanding of fracking, can assuage Big Oils ire, or convince Trump to shift gears.

Meanwhile, the other presidential hopeful, Hillary Clinton, is being criticized heavily for supporting fracking abroad, but being much more reserved about its benefits at home. It seems that fracking just became an even more central issue in the presidential race.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

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Rodolfo Illanes, Bolivias Deputy Interior Minister died on Thursday after he was taken hostage by a group of mining workers demanding mining concessions with less stringent environmental regulations.

President Evo Morales declared Friday a day of deep pain for Bolivia, after it was revealed that the 56-year-old was beaten to death.

The miners kidnapped him at a roadblock they had created on a major highway 100 miles outside of La Paz. Reuters reports that the roadblock was lifted Friday morning.

"Our natural resources belong to the people, which is why I call brother Illanes a hero in the defense of our natural resources," Morales told local reporters while calling for three days of national mourning.

The national government had sent Illanes to the highway to negotiate with the miners on the issues of contention, but, early Thursday morning, his body was found bloodied and wrapped in a blanket on the side of the highway from which he was kidnapped, Edwin Blanco, the cases chief investigator told Reuters.

"The cause of death was basically bleeding in the brain. Ribs were also broken," Blanco said.

Earlier this week, two miners died at the highway blockade after the police began firing bullets. Seventeen officers were wounded in the clashes, according to government sources, who also denied allegations of police brutality.



Related: Fuel Subsidy Regime Falls Like Dominoes Across Middle East

Morales used to work as a coca farmer before he won national presidential elections in 2006 as a socialist and populist candidate.

Soon after Morales was sworn in, he nationalized Bolivias natural resources mining and extraction sector and used the profits to fund welfare programs for the citizenry.

In recent years, Morales administration has been criticized for authoritarian behavior and corruption. Labor unions for the mining sector have turned their backs on him as the struggling commodities market brings in reduced revenues, lowering federal welfare spending.

By Zainab Calcuttawala for Oilprice.com

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What's in a restaurant? In this series, we ask chefs around the city to describe their restaurants in their own words and recommend three dishes that embody the best of what they offer. In this edition, we talk with Yollande Deacon of Irie Zulu in East Tosa.

Irie Zulu

7237 W. North Ave

(414) 326-9251

iriezulu.com

"Irie Zulu is a marriage," says Deacon. "Its the cultures of both my husband Mexton and I knit together seamlessly (Africa and Jamaica). Its an expression of our love for our respective cultures, for good well-sourced food and the magic of spending time with people you love. The first time we went on a date, he made Jamaican curry and I made Cameroonian domba; and as different as they were, there were also similarities. And we saw the ways that our cultures complemented one another."

"Irie Zulu is also the canvas by which I express myself creatively; I channel what I want to share with people. When people come here, they should expect a continuously evolving menu that reflects whats readily available and what we can make the best. Our food is created by people who are well versed in the culture, so were able to interpret these dishes in the best way possible. We concentrate our energy on re-creating the best of what is authentic and true to our experiences.

"The people who enjoy it here are those who are interested in an experience that includes learning from us as well as sharing with us what they know. Its also for people who are into adventure, who celebrate local food and love to experience the diversity of cultures.

"The spirit of Irie Zulu comes down to a love for people, a love for food, a love for culture and a good time."

1. West African fish stew

Authentic Senegalese fonio or couscous, farm raise local fresh fish, seasonal organic vegetables ($24). Served with couscous.

"This is really a representation of the coastal zone of Cameroon. And Ive found its also popular on the Ivory coast. Its made traditionally with King Fish, so you get this romance between the sea and the vegetables and tomato sauce. Its very traditional. We make it in a pot, but it can also be made steamed in banana leaves. The secret in the dish is the African nutmeg, which has a peppery flavor like Szechuan pepper along with the familiar flavor of nutmeg. Its an ingredient that is used in almost all of our stews. In West Africa we eat it with couscous, rice, boiled ripe plantain or foofoo, a starchy mixture made with corn, taro, yucca, yam, green banana or plantains. Foofoo is also called paps (South Africa), shima (southern Africa) or banku (Ghana)."

2. Vegan South African curry

Organic sauteed seasonal vegetables, chickpeas, potatoes, Cap Malay curry, plantain or rice ($17). Served with rice.

"Historically, cattle were very expensive in Africa. So, meats were usually only eaten for special occasions. So, this dish is a reflection of that, and what is eaten day to day. My friend Joelle has an uncle who lives in South Africa and he found us internships there after college; this is one of the first dishes I ate there. It was one of the first times Id been away from home, and I recognized how different the flavors were from what I had at home. What makes the dish special are the spices; you can use almost any combination of seasonal vegetables. Its an approachable, simple dish, but very hearty. And I can still remember the smile she had when she served it. I remember the love. And I thought, this is the perfect dish for my menu."

3. Cameroonian style curried goat (domba chevre)

Local sustainably raised bone-in goat, lemongrass, African basil, nutmeg Afro-Fusion Cuisine spices ($23). Served with rice or plantains.

"Domba is the dish of the queens. Its not just a traditional dish. Its a culture, a practice made into a dish. Its cooked with goat when there are weddings, occasions or important events because when there is a special occasion, people give a goat as a gift. Its a way of showing love, appreciation, to give people blessings. This is a dish that represents a way of life. Goats have great symbolism  they are gifts, and giving them is an act of love. In Cameroon, beef is not nearly as prized as goat. If you saw someone with a goat, you always knew something big was happening."

"From a cooking standpoint, this is one of the most complex dishes on the menu right now. The goat must be steamed, roasted and then set aside. The sauce needs to be prepared and set aside for 24 hours. And then you put everything together and allow the flavors to meet each other. It also contains the heavy hitters in African cooking: African nutmeg, Cameroonian pepper and alligator pepper. All three are essential in West African cooking."

Irie Zulu is open Tuesday through Thursday from 3 to 9 p.m. (menu features flavors of Africa); Friday 3 to 10 p.m. (menu focuses on dishes of Jamaica) Saturday 3 to 10 p.m. (menu includes best of Jamaica and Africa).
A Democratic voter conspiracy?

"The only way we can lose, in my opinion, I really mean this, Pennsylvania, is if cheating goes on. I really believe it." "The only way they can beat it, in my opinion, and I mean this 100 percent, is if in certain sections of the state, they cheat." Thus spoke Donald Trump, who is currently behind Hillary Clinton in the latest Pennsylvania polls by about 9%. Clinton doesn't need any shenanigans to win, Trump does.

But let's not focus on The Donald's newly-discovered distrust of polls, his tragi-comic disjointed syntax, or even his deliciously absurd delusions. No, let's look at the Big Picture, the Republicans' long-standing, deeply ingrained obsession with the specter of election fraud.

Republicans have focused time and again on the alleged importance of photo voter I.Ds. With I.D. zealots, it doesn't seem to matter that tens of thousands of legitimate voters would be denied their Constitutional right to vote, so long as one irrational person is kept from voting twice. Republicans call this "voter integrity" or "truing the vote," nice-sounding terms to be sure, but what they are actually trying to do is not so nice, steal elections by eliminating large swaths of Democratic voters.

It would be simple to satisfy the demands of both political parties: When voters come in to vote, take their digital photo and add it to the voter database for that county. Thereafter, when people come in to vote, poll workers can check their faces against photos on their computers. There are no cards to get, misplace, or forget; no inconvenience, cost, or wasted time; no faked or altered cards; and nobody is denied their right to vote. The computers can use facial recognition and similar name and address programs to locate double-dippers and, if any were discovered, prosecutors would have a good chance of obtaining convictions.

I'd be willing to bet that this simple, inexpensive solution will not be good enough for the Republican agitators, even though it conforms to their demand that every voter have an identifying photo. Why? Because it ignores their main concern, it doesn't eliminate any Democratic voters. It's worth noting that fourteen out of the fifteen states that currently require a voter photo I.D. have a Republican-run House and Senate.

A real concern for potential voting fraud is "black box" voting, where you put your complete faith in a computer and vote with no way to verify that your input is the same as the computer's output. There are five states with complete "black box" voting and ten more that have "black box" voting with only a partial paper trail. Thirteen of these "black box" states have a Republican-run House and Senate and two have Democratic legislatures.

When I vote in Fairfield, California, I fill-in the little circles beside my chosen candidates and feed my ballot into a machine that keeps score. When the polls close, these machines connect with a central computer and results are instantly available. If there is ever any question, paper ballots are available for actual human beings to check. It's both quick and verifiable.

There is one thing that those on both sides of the political spectrum agree on, the area that is most ripe for fraud is the mail-in ballot. No photo I.D. can stop someone from filling-out and mailing-in a ballot for someone else. If you can figure out how to stop people from using mail-in ballots to vote twice, please, give us your solutions below this article. Thanks.


His Holiness the Dalai Lama, the Spiritual Guru of Tibetans

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The 14th Dalai Lama, Nobel laureate, Tenzin Gyatso, has played an important role for Tibet and Tibetans for the past several year. He must ensure that he continues this task in his lifetime and in the future. This would only be possible if the Dalai Lama recognises his reincarnation now and does not wait for a later time.

Given the fact that the line of Dalai Lamas has provided political leadership for nearly four centuries, it will be difficult for Tibetans in general and those in Tibet in particular to envisage and accept a political system that is not led by the Dalai Lama. It is, therefore, imperative for the institution of the Dalai Lama to continue uninterrupted. There are lineages within the Tibetan system and it is for the Tibetan people to raise their voice and demand the continuance of the institution of the Dalai Lama.

The present Dalai Lama has on various occasions himself taken up the issue of his reincarnation. On one occasion, he even went to the extent of saying that his reincarnation could be a woman. On another occasion, he claimed there would be no institution of Dalai Lama after him. The 14th Dalai Lama's most authoritative statement on his reincarnation was made in September 2011 in which he outlined the various means by which a proper reincarnation could be recognised.

The statement is also significant because in it the Dalai Lama recognises the value of his linage and the role Tibetans the world over can and should play in recognising the legitimate reincarnation of the 14th Dalai Lama.

What prompted the Dalai Lama's decision in 2011 to make this statement was the 2006 Chinese decision to declare its own rules for recognition of high lamas (tulkus). More important, were the increasing internal differences among the Tibetan community along religious and ethnic lines. These differences, perhaps accentuated by Chinese prodding, became apparent in the 2016 elections to the Sikyong (Tibetan government-in-exile).

The Tibetan Youth Congress has long advocated Rangzen (Independence) in opposition to the Dalai Lama's Middle Way. The other social force that stands in contradiction is the Shugden (protector deity associated with the Dalai Lama's Geluk school of Tibetan Buddhism) cult.

To most it appears that the Tibetans have agreed that the Middle Way is the best method of dealing with the Chinese. What happens to the Tibetan youth movement, which seeks independence from China, once the present Dalai Lama passes on?

That is a question which even the Dalai Lama cannot answer. Given the uncertainty that could potentially surround a post-Dalai Lama scenario and the possibility that Beijing will pre-empt the situation by announcing its own candidate as the next Dalai Lama, it is imperative to identify the 14th Dalai Lama's successor now.

The pitfalls of carrying out such an exercise is fraught with danger and will require considerable skill and effort. We have the examples of the Karmapa and the Panchen Lama. In both cases there has been more controversy and this has hit at the root of the Tibetan system.

Therefore, much caution will have to be exercised; the advantage of starting early is that the ground rules can be set well in advance and with the consent of the Dalai Lama.

The experience of the 2015-16 Sikyong elections demonstrated that the transnational linkages of the Tibetan question continue to be alive and kicking. The Chinese continue to interfere in the affairs of politics within the Tibetan community using local proxies. The community itself also used its traditional linkages within Tibet to work towards their goals, little realising that interests of the Tibetan community as a whole could be damaged.

Some reports indicate that the Dalai Lama's inner circle shares information with the Dalai Lama only to please. It is unfortunate that the Dalai Lama who is the spiritual head of all Tibetans is being given palatable information.

One hopes that the Dalai Lama has other sources of information which give him a fair view of the world around him.

This is the bane of governmental systems across the world where, agencies and departments tend to only feed information to the top which is palatable.

That is precisely why the Tibetan community must look within and take the courage to tell the Dalai Lama that it wants the lineage of the Dalai Lama to continue.

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There is only one month to the first debates; it's time to act!

Here are the 4 routes to the Presidency for Sanders and Stein:

1. Trump drops out (which he has said he would do if he was losing). This would lead to either Pence or another Republican (the second runner up Cruz?) assuming the top spot. This could possible hurt Clinton (who has inherited some never-Trump Republicans) and lower her poll percent to under 40%. The new Republican would be presiding over chaos and would likely not draw an enthusiastic response.

Both major parties would be hurt if Trump quits...and this opens the door for Sanders/Stein.

2. Clinton has health issues. . Repubs are exaggerating her health issues, and Hillary supporters are denying them. But her issues are obvious: a concussion with 6 month recovery, danger of blood clot, coughing fits, needing help up stairs. Many Presidents (FDR, JFK) had serious health issues but Clinton's condition makes her vulnerable....and an accident or hospitalization could end her hopes. This would create an immediate demand, by millions of us, to put the runner up in top spot. Polls have consistently showed Bernie can beat Trump. It would take huge public demonstration to block Tim Kaine from being place in the top slot, but he did not earn it. Bernie did. And Our Revolution can bring in massive crowds!



From flickr.com/photos/83057948@N07/26185049721/: Trump

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3. Trump (or a replacement) takes a lead over Clinton. This open the door once again, as Bernie vowed he would "do everything to make sure Trump is not President." If Trump takes a lead, Bernie would be obligated to join with the Greens and Libertarians to defeat Trump, as Clinton falters. He should jump at any Trump lead as a legitimate pretext for joining the Green ticket in alliance with Johnson. Thus he would fulfill his promise AND lead the revolution into the White House.....................

s

4. This one takes only 2 phone calls.

Jill and Bernie talk and agree that Bernie will run as President and Jill will become Secy of State, and then in 2020, she will run. Gary Johnson, who come bearing the gift of 15% in the polls, will be offered the VP slot, hard to turn down since he would be first in line to be the most powerful leader in the world with the oldest President ever elected.

Sanders/Johnson 2016

Stein/ ? 2020

Johnson, whose foreign policy is non-interventionist like the the Green Party ( and arguably to the left of Sanders), would be without any real power unless the President dies. Stein , as Secy of State, will have the most critical cabinet post, and it would set her up to run in 2020. The cabinet would be filled out with powerful progressives.........

Here's the math: right now, Trump has about 38% and Clinton 42%

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In 2014, the Syrian Embassy in Washington was forced to close its doors. This left a gap in the information the Syrian government could provide to the public. A recent search by the writer for information sources directly from the Syrian government proved troublesome. It reminded the writer of how important the information war is, and the manner in which a nation targeted for destruction by the United States is often muzzled in the process. That led to a review of recent actions against the Syrian government and parallels with countries whose governments the United States was instrumental in overthrowing.

What is in the cards for Syria? We can look to the playbooks for Belgrade (Serbia), Baghdad (Iraq) and Tripoli (Libya) for clues. All three cities were bombed. The US would not alter a policy or strategy that was so successful at dismantling centers of power, no matter how legitimate these centers of power may have been.

In the last two or three days, it appears that the U.S. has sent a very public signal that it controls a portion of Syrian territory and that it will shoot down any aircraft that attacks American special ops forces working in these regions. The pretext for the presence of U.S. forces is the war against the universal enemy, ISIS. Any attempt by the Syrian government to defend its own territory and expel the American military operatives there could form the pretext for an all-out attack by the U.S. military on the Syrian government, even though this government is an entity recognized by the United Nations, a fact that would prohibit any military action against it without a specific U.N. resolution calling for the same. Such a resolution is wanting at the time of this writing.

So what are the telltale signs that a terrifying strategy of "shock and awe" is in the works for Damascus? The following stages have been either fully or partially implemented or can be anticipated from the emerging pattern, similar to the manner in which the governments of countries cited above were toppled through U.S. intervention, either overt or disguised.

Step one is to demonize the head of state slated for removal, or at least to craft a narrative in which the head of state is made out to be the "worst of the worst." Generally, thinly substantiated cries of outrage that the head of state is guilty of abusing its citizens are broadcast through official press conferences, think tank opinion-makers, and then, media outlets. "Killing his own people" is one of the famous crafted complaints against a head of state that is often widely disseminated through the agency of U.S. government officials and experts. For example, Serbian President Slobodan Milosevich was charged at the International Criminal Court of perpetrating a massacre, although he was exonerated just recently by that same court. The proceedings were undoubtedly made less urgent by Milosevic's death while a prisoner before the court. Saddam Hussein was allegedly guilty of manufacturing weapons of mass destruction--nuclear weapons, to be specific--that it was later established did not exist. Muammar Gaddafi of Libya was accused of "killing his own people" and the war waged against him by NATO sought justification through a UN resolution that fell short of calling for his removal or the bombing of Libyan government facilities. These later steps were taken by NATO outside of UN approval, and hence, illegally. The preliminaries of the technique so effective against Gaddafi have been applied to President Bashar al-Assad of Syria, who, U.S. government officials assert "must go" because of alleged and un-adjudicated crimes ascribed by the United States government to this head of state. By asserting the authority to say which national leaders must go, the United States is stating its contempt for national borders and national sovereignty, and is flaunting norms of international relations between states that have been established over thousands of years.

The second step is to silence all news outlets, particularly those connected with the government to be overthrown. The Radio Television of Serbia headquarters was bombed by NATO, and 16 of its staff were murdered in the action. The Syrian Embassy in the United States was closed in 2014. The website for that entity no longer exists. It is that much more difficult to obtain the Syrian government's viewpoint as a result, not to mention the psychological effect of shutting down an embassy--a step just short of severing diplomatic relations and declaring war. The US government will make any and all efforts to see that the Syrian government's voice is completely shut down. The US media, which acts as a PR agency for the US government, will fully cooperate with this effort by broadcasting only the U.S. State Department viewpoint. The victim must be gagged and its hands tied behind its back before it is ruthlessly and cruelly dispatched. Nations do have a right to have their viewpoints disseminated for the same reasons that individuals do.

The Third great objective is to set up a new government that is to supplant the government being toppled. The purpose of this measure is to deprive the current government of any legal standing that it could use to charge the aggressors with international crimes or to defend its territory. This effort was particularly transparent in the case of Libya, where country by country withdrew its recognition of the Gaddafi government and switched to one formed by so-called "rebels." Even Russia fell into line on the Libyan debacle in recognizing the new government, however belatedly.

In the fog of war created by these efforts, those who oppose military conflict with Syria in both the United States and throughout the world are induced to feel helpless, as if the policy has already been set and they have no voice in shaping it. Of course a portion of U.S. society will be swayed by U.S. propaganda efforts, but often not a critical portion. The purpose of the information barrage is to make the opposition feel powerless, that its efforts will be to no avail, and that the official policy has been set, whatever the support or non-support it enjoys. The impression to be given is that the measures all have popular support, and that to debate the issues would be unpatriotic and misguided, even if the majority of citizens recognize the ruse. The state works on the principle that each of us knows not what the person next to us is thinking. This uncertainty breeds isolation and helplessness, the end product that the state desires.

The narrative that justifies the next step--a total "shock and awe" conquest of the capital of the nation under siege--is finally laid down, and all future actions look for justification through the official narrative and the almost universal support it has received in the press, no matter how bogus or full of holes it may be. The truthfulness of any of the charges crafted to support the invasion/occupation of Damascus, for example, would be superfluous, as they are only a means to an end. The charges are merely invented along with the supporting narrative, and no hard evidence is required. However, to be clear, in the case of the sitting Syrian government, the U.S. State Department narrative asserts that 1. Assad has killed his own people; 2. He has set off a civil war that has allowed the universal enemy ISIS to control much of Syria and thus pose a threat to the rest of the world; 3. Therefore, any action against trans-border ISIS can only be stopped by toppling the current Syrian government, which is the cause of the proliferation of ISIS. This narrative can be reverse engineered to reveal the malicious role the US has played in trying to topple the Syrian government and fomenting instability in the Middle East.

The final step is to apprehend the demonized head of state and all government officials, or to hunt them down and murder them, or capture them for show trials, or to force them into hiding. This can even extend to the immediate spouse and family members of the head of state. The idea behind such measures is to make it so that no legal standing exists for a challenge of U.S. actions. All vestiges of the previous government must be eradicated, and only the puppet government established with the help of the U.S. should be recognized. It is through this puppet government that U.S. military conquest can be rubber-stamped and at least be given the the thinnest veneer of legality. Some of our readers might remember the manner in which Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos was demonized and deposed, while court cases over bogus charges against him of an extravagant nature were eventually thrown out. These machinations, including a hullaballoo over Mrs. Marcos's shoe collection, were artifacts of the imagination of the U.S. diplomatic corps or the Central Intelligence Agency. The propaganda barrage in the aftermath of the overthrow of a head of state is a campaign that requires careful management.

In light of the pattern of action taking form against the Syrian government and its people by the United States, it is likely that a highly illegal and malicious "shock and awe" campaign over Damascus, of the sort carried out over Baghdad, will be deployed. Hundreds of thousands of people, even millions, could die. Many millions more could be wounded, and a great and ancient city will be destroyed. Can it be stopped?
U.S. Vice President Joe Biden sought to reassure Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of American support during his visit to Ankara on Wednesday. Biden is the highest-ranking U.S. official to visit Turkey since the July 15 failed coup.

According to Washington Post, the goal of Biden's visit was to convince Turkey that the United States had no role in, and did not condone, a July 15 coup attempt that has sent the country into a whirlwind of conspiracy theories, mass arrests and estrangement from Washington at a crucial moment in the campaign against the Islamic State.

The head of Political Science Department at Bahcesehir University of Istanbul, Gulnur Aybet, says the relations of Turkey and the United States were not in a very good state before the last month's failed coup attempt. However, since then relations have taken a turn for the worst.

Al Jazeera quoted her as saying "as Vice President Joe Biden visits Turkey today, he is facing four pressing items on the agenda."

1. The first is the Turkish request for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, who is widely believed to be the hand behind the failed coup attempt.

Turkey says the failed putsch was orchestrated by Fethullah Gulen, who has lived in Pennsylvania for 17 years. Pape Escobar has called Gulen a CIA asset. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has called on the U.S. to extradite Gulen.

Washington has yet to do so, but the U.S. State Department confirmed for the first time on Tuesday that documents submitted by Ankara constituted a formal extradition request.

The perception of a slow response by Washington has angered Erdogan and sparked an outpouring of anti-Americanism from the Turkish media.

Addressing a press conference after talks with Turkish President Tyyap Erdogan, Biden said he understands the "intense feeling" against Fethullah Gulen.

We have "no interest whatsoever in protecting anyone who has done harm to an ally," Biden said. "But we need to meet legal standard requirement under our law," adding that it would be an "impeachable offense" for President Obama to deliver Gulen without going through the U.S. justice system.

There was already an ongoing investigation against Gulen before the coup attempt, and on May 26 the Turkish National Security Council officially labelled the organisation as a terrorist group - the Fethullah Terrorist Organisation (FETO), to be disbanded as a primary threat to Turkey's national security.

Gulnur Aybet says further evidence coming from the testimonies of the arrested coup plotters indicates without a doubt that FETO was behind the coup attempt.

2. The second pressing item on the agenda is the war in Syria and the US-backed advance of predominantly People's Protection Units (YPG)-dominated Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Vice President Biden told the press conference, the Obama administration will cut all U.S. support for its Syrian Kurdish allies if they do not comply with Turkish demands that they withdraw to the east of the Euphrates River.

Biden said the Kurds, who Turkey says intend to establish a separate state along a border corridor in conjunction with Turkey's own Kurdish population, "cannot, will not, and under no circumstances will get American support if they do not keep" a commitment to return to the east.

The Kurdish force has been instrumental in a series of victories against the ISIS over the past year in Syria, including the retaking this month of Manbij and other key towns west of the Euphrates River.

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For peacful co-existence we all need to say a big no to racism

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Nextdoor, a location-based social network for neighbors with more than 10 million registered users, is launching a new tool today that the company claim has reduced incidents of racial profiling on its network by 75% during tests.

Like all social networks, Nextdoor features a wide variety of post categories but it's the Crime and Safety section where people tend to focus on race and ethnicity. In recent years, so many people have used Nextdoor to report things like black men driving cars or Hispanic women knocking on doors, or a colored person talking on the phone or walking a dog as suspicious or even criminal that the site has become a home promoting racial profiling.





Racism and Islamophobia is skyrocketing in this part of the world, thanks to the corporate media's skewed reporting and politicians who want to cash fears of the people. Yet, it became a serious issue for Nextdoor in 2015 when a social group called Neighbors for Racial Justice, brought it to the limelight. A number of news outlets reported on the frequency of posts about crime or suspicious behavior that mentioned an individual's race, but little or nothing related to the specific criminal activity.





Nextdoor claims that it is determined to curb racial profiling through a new algorithm which automatically recognizes racially coded terms and prevents users from posting without specific descriptors. This new tool is an online form for reporting crime and safety issues instead of an empty text box like a police questionnaire. The form asks explicit details about the height, clothing, and age discouraging people from focusing exclusively on race and ethnicity.

Racial profiling is a terrible issue but a widespread moral crime which may lead to violence as it is evident from the murder of Khalid Jabara, a 38-year-old Christian Arab from Lebanon who was killed by his 61-year-old racist neighbor Vernon Majors.

This unusual initiative by a tech Company is appreciable. Hope the newspapers will come up with such simple solutions to stop hate speech against specific communities in their comment sections. In this world, where media and tech Industry boundaries are blurred and even cross each, tech Industry will have to play its role to celebrate diversity and curb racism. In this globalized village, will have to say an absolute no to racism for a peaceful co-existence.
Even in politics where alarming perversions too often parade as acceptable standards it is pretty astounding for a politician to assert that inadvertent error is the reason for his failure to report receipt of gifts and other free items valued at $160,050 over a five-year period.

Yet, that is the stance Philadelphia District Attorney Seth Williams took recently when he filed belated annual financial disclosure forms listing nearly ninety items he received including luxury vacations, cash, gift cards, tickets to professional sporting events and a Rolex watch that Williams valued at $6,500.

Williams' oops-I-forgot-to-file-the-required-forms claim comes from the man who once served as Philadelphia's Inspector General, the official tasked with pursuing unethical conduct and corruption. Williams was required to complete those disclosure forms listing all gifts he received on an annual basis.

The FBI and other federal enforcement authorities are now examining Williams' receipt of those gifts plus allegations about misuse of his campaign funds and irregularities at a non-profit organization created by Williams, a Democratic. Federal probes of Williams' activities began months before his belated ethics disclosure filings.

Williams, elected as Philadelphia's first African-American District Attorney in November 2009, entered office weeks later enjoying high public support. Most Philadelphians expected Williams would fulfill his campaign promises to end unjust practices of his predecessor who was an ardent death penalty advocate who virtually ignored abuses by police from perjury to brutality.



Protest outside office of Philly DA Seth Williams

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However Williams, despite initiating some applauded reforms, squandered political capital and personal image fighting to sustain wrongful convictions (including death penalty convictions), failing to vigorously fight police abuses and supporting staff members exposed in the 'Porngate' email scandal involving exchanges of sexist/racist/homophobic emails between judges and prosecutors in Pennsylvania.

A prime example of Williams' continuing the persecution practices of that predecessor he castigated as a candidate is the recent acquittal of Anthony Wright, a Philadelphia man who spent 25-years in prison for a rape-murder he did not commit.

The Innocence Project fought Williams' DA predecessor for five years to obtain DNA testing of the evidence that put Wright in prison. When DNA testing proved Wright innocent Williams opposed Wright's release. That opposition included Williams ignoring documentation that police fabricated evidence against Wright.

Williams forced a retrial of Wright where a jury acquitted Wright after just ninety minutes of deliberation. Jurors and the Innocence Project termed that retrial of Wright, who is now 44, an outrage.

Williams' oops-I-forgot-to-file-the-required-forms claim clashed with his posture during a March 2015 press conference. At that press conference Williams spewed scornful indignation when he announced bribery indictments against some state legislators from Philadelphia arising from an undercover sting. Pennsylvania's then Attorney General had castigated that sting as racially tainted entrapment, a conclusion Williams sternly rejected.

"You don't get a pass just because you are a friend or members of my political party or race," DA Williams roared when he announced the indictments of those black state legislators that included an 81-year-old reverend, a radio gospel music hostess who Williams said he had admired his entire life.

Some of those legislators in that sting claimed they did not list the informant's cash on their financial disclosure forms because they considered that cash as gifts from a friend. Williams claimed he did not list cash and other freebies he received because he considered it gifts from friends including monies from a lawyer/friend Williams supported to become a judge in Philadelphia.

Williams does not face bribery or other charges in relation to receipt of his previously unreported gifts like those legislators that Williams convicted through their guilty pleas. One of those legislators, a former Philadelphia policeman shot while stopping a robbery, plead guilty to accepting $750. Williams, in 2014, accepted $750 in gifts cards according to his belated disclosure filings.

Shockingly, the total amount of all payoffs to those five legislators ensnared in that controversial sting operation was less than half of the $45,000 in roofing and other home repairs Williams received in the fall of 2013 but failed to report until a few weeks ago.

In 2015 when Williams congratulated himself for those indictments of legislators he received a "gift" from a Philadelphia lawyer to vacation at that lawyer's Florida beach house -- where Williams had vacationed previously. Williams travelled to that posh beach house on airline tickets purchased by a Philadelphia bar owner -- who previously paid the airfare for Williams' travel to that beach house. Also in 2015, Williams received gifts of champagne, wine and free lawn mowing at his home according to the amended financial disclosure forms Williams filed recently.

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Mossadegh at his trial in late 1953

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The trouble with Eichmann was precisely that so many were like him, and that the many were neither perverted nor sadistic, that they were, and still are, terribly and terrifyingly normal. From the viewpoint of our legal institutions and of our moral standards of judgment, this normality was much more terrifying than all the atrocities put together, for it implied --- as has been said at Nuremberg over and over again by the defendants and their counsel --- that this new type of criminal, who is in actual fact hostis generis humani ["enemy of humanity"], commits his crimes under circumstances that make it well-nigh impossible for him to know or to feel that he is doing wrong ~ Hannah Arendt, Eichmann in Jerusalem: A Report on the Banality of Evil, New York, 1963: 253.

August 19th 2016 marked the sixty-third anniversary of the 1953 (28 Mordad 1332) CIA-MI6 orchestrated coup d'etat in Iran, toppling Mohammad Mossadegh's democratic-nationalist government. Revisiting that tragically momentous episode in Iran's modern political history, which has reverberated to the present, I was recently reading one of the chapters of Ervand Abrahamian's acclaimed book about the 1953 coup d'etat and came upon an aspect of the story that had not stood out for me this glaringly before [1]. In chapter three of his book, Abrahamian briefly details the role of a few noted Western ivory-tower academics of the era and how from the very outset of these events they actively collaborated with MI6 and the CIA to topple Mossadegh, and how especially for twenty-five years afterwards they facilitated the narrative spin about what had happened. Abrahamian specifically names A.K.S. Lambton, R.C. Zaehner, Peter Avery and George Lenczowski, to name just four. He concludes the chapter with this observation:

These weighty analyses [in the post-coup period] managed to avoid unseemly topics such as the CIA or MI6. They even avoided the term "coup." Instead they portrayed the overthrow [of Mossadegh] in much the same way as did the Pahlavi dynasty--as the "nation's revolt" and "people's revolution" [qiyam-e melli]. Some historians have argued that Edward Said's well-known and highly controversial book Orientalism unfairly exaggerates the links between academia and the foreign-policy establishment. Fortunately for them, Edward Said was unaware of the nitty-gritty of these links in the 1953 coup. They were far greater than even he could have possibly imagined. More cautious academics wisely kept silent and pretended to be pure scholars uninterested in such unseemly subjects as politics. The whole sorry story tended to widen the gap on how Iranians and Westerners saw not only the coup but also the history of Iran's relations with the West [2].

While the name of Kermit Roosevelt (d. 2000) has become synonymous with the events of August 1953, long before Roosevelt entered the scene as the CIA's main operator on the ground in Iran, other hands were already busily working to that end: hands setting up the preliminary stages of what only later became Operation TPAJAX. America was only to enter this misadventure after the inauguration of Dwight D. Eisenhower in early 1953, since Truman refused Attlee and then Churchill's overtures to oust Mossadegh, seeing Mossadegh in 1951-2 as a nationalist bulwark against a potential communist takeover of Iran: a situation that for the period of 1951-3, in any case, is now known to have been deliberately exaggerated by the cold warriors of the era, since the Soviet Union (given its experience in 1946) was reluctant to intervene or even to shore up or to encourage its own local client, the Iranian Tudeh Party, into any kind of "revolutionary" power grab [3].

Recent historiography about the 1953 coup d'etat (especially from source documents declassified by the CIA since 2000-14) [4] suggest that the idea of overthrowing Mossadegh through covert means in its gestation had actually first come from the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC) [5]. However, and less than two months after he had first become premier on 28 April 1951, the responsibility for broaching the idea of specifically undertaking covert action in Iran by the British government had originated with the British Foreign Office [6] and with A.K.S. Lambton specifically on 15 June 1951 [7]. As Iranian scholar Mohammad Amini has characterized it, A.K.S. Lambton was the veritable "theoretician" of Mohammad Mossadegh's overthrow, beginning at its formative stage [8]. The timing of Lambton's recommendation to the Foreign Office also coincided with a raid undertaken by Iranian police ordered by Mossadegh's government of the Tehran home of the AIOC's Iran chief, Richard Seddon, where incriminating documents were found proving how the company was directly interfering in the internal affairs of Iran: documents implicating countless Iranian politicians and public figures on the AIOC's payroll [9].

Nearly two months before Mossadegh's accession as prime minister, and just after the oil-nationalization bill had only recently been adopted by the Iranian majlis as of 15 March 1951; on 22 March 1951 (in a piece now identified to have been penned by her), A.K.S. Lambton had anonymously published a near scurrilous op-ed in The Times of London attacking Mossadegh and his Iranian National Front coalition as "extremists" where she urged the Attlee government to action with the objective of replacing the then-interim prime minister Hossein A'la (d. 1964) with someone more amenable to British interests, instancing majlis deputy Siyyid Zia'uddin Tabataba'i (d. 1969) by name as someone Britain could work with [10]. Tabataba'i was, of course, a longstanding British asset in Iran who had briefly served as prime minister in 1921 and was part of the duumvirate with Reza Shah Pahlavi in the British-engineered coup d'etat of that year, which brought the Pahlavis to power and in 1925 formally displaced Ahmad Shah (d. 1930) and the Qajar dynasty [11]. In 1953 Tabataba'i would again play a role for his imperial benefactors, albeit not as important as the one in 1921.

HMG's Orientalist Mastermind: A.K.S. Lambton

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Reprinted from Roots Action



Bernie Sanders and our revolution going forward

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While Bernie Sanders was doing a brilliant job of ripping into the Trans-Pacific Partnership during the live-streamed launch of the Our Revolution organization on Wednesday night, CNN was airing a phone interview with Hillary Clinton and MSNBC was interviewing Donald Trump's campaign manager.



That sums up the contrast between the enduring value of the Bernie campaign and the corporate media's fixation on the political establishment. Fortunately, Our Revolution won't depend on mainline media. That said, the group's debut foreshadowed not only great potential but also real pitfalls.



Even the best election campaigns aren't really "movements." Ideally, campaigns strengthen movements and vice versa. As Bernie has often pointed out, essential changes don't come from Congress simply because of who has been elected; those changes depend on strong grassroots pressure for the long haul.





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If you're a Democrat, or an American, you've been royally screwed by the Democratic party. How? They back people they can control instead of allowing the bottom up Democratic process to bring the best to the top. They did it forcing Hillary on us and now, the NY Times starts to recognize the problem too.

An NY Times headline starts to spell it out:

The article says:

"Senate Democrats, aware of the dead weight that Donald J. Trump has placed on their vulnerable Republican colleagues, can taste a reclaimed majority. But just as Senate Republicans blew their chances in 2010 and 2012 before finally taking control in 2014, Democrats find themselves hobbled by less-than-stellar candidates in races that could make the difference in winning a majority

But the article leaves out the elephant in the room-- the DNC leadership-- Debbie Wasserman Schultz. If the Democrats fail to win the Senate, blame DWS and the other Democratic leaders-- Obama, Reid, Schumer and Pelosi for the failure. If the Democrats lose the opportunity some say is now possible, to win the House, blame DWS and those leading Democrats who have again and again sabotaged democracy by hand picking candidates who they could control.

In Pennsylvania they invested millions to oppose former congressman, Admiral Joe Sestak, who'd done a fabulous job campaigning on his own, in spite of the sabotage of the DNC and the Democratic leadership. If Pat Toomey gets re-elected, it will be their fault. Worse, the candidate they chose, who's never held elected office, will be easy to control, since they gave her the election.

In fact, the DNC's policy for all Democratic candidates is despicable. They basically require them to accept DNC control of their campaigns. They require huge time commitments to dialing for dollars.

The bottom line is that the DNC and the Democratic party has become a pathologically top down, control freak organization which chooses candidates rather than allowing the grass roots bottom up wisdom select candidates.

Now, clearly that bottom up wisdom is also sabotaged by Citizens United, which has allowed oligarch, corporate and foreign money to pollute our elections. But that is a smaller factor than the policy the Democrats and the DNC have held for decades, selecting controllable weak candidates over stronger, populist, independent candidates of integrity.

When Obama gets TPP passed, that will be a success for DWS and the DNC. When you go to the pharmacy and pay five times what people in Canada pay for medicine, blame Obama and the DNC. They could have introduced legislation that regulated (fair rules) pharmaceutical companies so they were prohibited from predatory pricing like we've seen from Martin Skrelli and, more recently, Mylan Corp's Heather Bresch, who quadrupled the price of epi-pens.

"Hey Joe, whatcha' gonna' do with that blood on your hands?"

When the first child dies for lack of an Epi-pen? pic.twitter.com/JbXwqrsSpF -- EarlNash (@EarlNash) August 25, 2016



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I'll finish with a shoutout to Tim Canova, who's running against DWS and Alan Grayson, who is running against DNC pick, former Republican Patrick Murphy, perhaps the most conservative Democrat in the House. The odds are against both of them winning because the DNC has fought so hard to keep them out.

Bottom line, the Democratic party is not Democratic and hasn't been for a long time. Bottom line, DWS is like an onion, with layer after layer of rotten dirt and corruption. So is the DNC. If you are a liberal or progressive, you need to wake up.

It wasn't just the rigged primary that stole the election from Bernie Sanders. The problem lies so deep. The betrayal lies so deep that it's time to face the reality that both main parties, Republicans and Democrats are really the two sides of the corporatocracy coin. They don't deserve your support. I'm not saying to, across the board, vote against them. Pick and choose based on your interests and needs. But when you can vote against the uniparty coroporatocracy. Vote Green, vote Libertarian or Socialist, Workers Party. Perhaps we need to come up with a new concept-- anti-partisanism.
Reprinted from Rolling Stone

Will an anti-voter-fraud program designed by one of Trump's advisers deny tens of thousands their right to vote in November?

When Donald Trump claimed, "the election's going to be rigged," he wasn't entirely wrong. But the threat was not, as Trump warned, from Americans committing the crime of "voting many, many times." What's far more likely to undermine democracy in November is the culmination of a decade-long Republican effort to disenfranchise voters under the guise of battling voter fraud. The latest tool: Election officials in more than two dozen states have compiled lists of citizens whom they allege could be registered in more than one state -- thus potentially able to cast multiple ballots -- and eligible to be purged from the voter rolls.

The data is processed through a system called the Interstate Voter Registration Crosscheck Program, which is being promoted by a powerful Republican operative, and its lists of potential duplicate voters are kept confidential. But Rolling Stone obtained a portion of the list and the names of 1 million targeted voters. According to our analysis, the Crosscheck list disproportionately threatens solid Democratic constituencies: young, black, Hispanic and Asian-American voters -- with some of the biggest possible purges underway in Ohio and North Carolina, two crucial swing states with tight Senate races.

Like all weapons of vote suppression, Crosscheck is a response to the imaginary menace of mass voter fraud. In the mid-2000s, after the Florida-recount debacle, the Bush administration launched a five-year investigation into the allegedly rampant crime but found scant evidence of wrongdoing. Still, the GOP has perpetuated the myth in every national election since. Recently, North Carolina Board of Elections chief Kim Strach testified to her legislature that 35,750 voters are "registered in North Carolina and another state and voted in both in the 2012 general election." Yet despite hiring an ex-FBI agent to lead the hunt, the state has charged exactly zero double voters from the Crosscheck list. Nevertheless, tens of thousands face the loss of their ability to vote -- all for the sake of preventing a crime that rarely happens. So far, Crosscheck has tagged an astonishing 7.2 million suspects, yet we found no more than four perpetrators who have been charged with double voting or deliberate double registration.

On its surface, Crosscheck seems quite reasonable. Twenty-eight participating states share their voter lists and, in the name of dispassionate, race-blind Big Data, seek to ensure the rolls are up to date. To make sure the system finds suspect voters, Crosscheck supposedly matches first, middle and last name, plus birth date, and provides the last four digits of a Social Security number for additional verification.

In reality, however, there have been signs that the program doesn't operate as advertised. Some states have dropped out of Crosscheck, citing problems with its methodology, as Oregon's secretary of state recently explained: "We left [Crosscheck] because the data we received was unreliable."

In our effort to report on the program, we contacted every state for their Crosscheck list. But because voting twice is a felony, state after state told us their lists of suspects were part of a criminal investigation and, as such, confidential. Then we got a break. A clerk in Virginia sent us its Crosscheck list of suspects, which a letter from the state later said was done "in error."

The Virginia list was a revelation. In all, 342,556 names were listed as apparently registered to vote in both Virginia and another state as of January 2014. Thirteen percent of the people on the Crosscheck list, already flagged as inactive voters, were almost immediately removed, meaning a stunning 41,637 names were "canceled" from voter rolls, most of them just before Election Day.

We were able to obtain more lists -- Georgia and Washington state, the total number of voters adding up to more than 1 million matches -- and Crosscheck's results seemed at best deeply flawed. We found that one-fourth of the names on the list actually lacked a middle-name match. The system can also mistakenly identify fathers and sons as the same voter, ignoring designations of Jr. and Sr. A whole lot of people named "James Brown" are suspected of voting or registering twice, 357 of them in Georgia alone. But according to Crosscheck, James Willie Brown is supposed to be the same voter as James Arthur Brown. James Clifford Brown is allegedly the same voter as James Lynn Brown.

And those promised birth dates and Social Security numbers? The Crosscheck instruction manual says that "Social Security numbers are included for verification; the numbers might or might not match" -- which leaves a crucial step in the identification process up to the states. Social Security numbers weren't even included in the state lists we obtained.

We had Mark Swedlund, a database expert whose clients include eBay and American Express, look at the data from Georgia and Virginia, and he was shocked by Crosscheck's "childish methodology." He added, "God forbid your name is Garcia, of which there are 858,000 in the U.S., and your first name is Joseph or Jose. You're probably suspected of voting in 27 states."

Swedlund's statistical analysis found that African-American, Latino and Asian names predominate, a simple result of the Crosscheck matching process, which spews out little more than a bunch of common names. No surprise: The U.S. Census data shows that minorities are over-represented in 85 of 100 of the most common last names. If your name is Washington, there's an 89 percent chance you're African-American. If your last name is Hernandez, there's a 94 percent chance you're Hispanic. If your name is Kim, there's a 95 percent chance you're Asian.

This inherent bias results in an astonishing one in six Hispanics, one in seven Asian-Americans and one in nine African-Americans in Crosscheck states landing on the list. Was the program designed to target voters of color? "I'm a data guy," Swedlund says. "I can't tell you what the intent was. I can only tell you what the outcome is. And the outcome is discriminatory against minorities."

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Reprinted from Smirking Chimp

If I refused to pay any taxes until the US government lowered my taxes to a so-called "fair rate," I'd almost certainly be arrested for tax evasion. But when The Washington Post asked Apple CEO Tim Cook about the billions that his company has stashed in tax havens around the world, Cook declared: "We're not going to bring it back until there's a fair rate. There's no debate about it."

And nothing happened, either to Cook or to Apple. Because when it comes to taxes, it's truer today than ever that only the little people pay.

Apparently though, that's not enough for the CEOs of multinational corporations, like Tim Cook. He doesn't just want to avoid taxes, he wants Americans to know that Congress isn't writing the rules; Apple is.

Dave Johnson from Campaign for America's Future wrote a great article about this titled, "CEO Of Giant Corporation Tells US Government He's the Boss of Them." In it, Johnson writes:

"[T]hese days huge multinational corporations are the boss of our Congress. So, CEO Cook gets away with it, and with keeping $181 billion in tax havens to dodge paying $59 billion in taxes. Cook knows he can just come out and say they are not going to pay their taxes until there is a 'fair rate.'"

And he's right.

But Apple is by no means the only corporation doing this.

In March, Citizens for Tax Justice reported that US Fortune 500 corporations are avoiding up to $695 billion in US federal income taxes by holding $2.4 trillion of "permanently reinvested" profits offshore. That's nearly $700 billion that the largest US corporations -- corporations like Netflix, Nike and Citigroup -- are stashing in offshore tax havens.

And now Tim Cook is setting an outrageous precedent by flagrantly declaring that Apple won't pay a dime of what's owed unless the US government does what he says.

It's not that these corporations don't rely on tax dollars from the government; they use our interstates, they use our municipal water systems, our court systems protect their patents and copyrights, and their products rely on government-developed technologies like GPS. They just don't want to pay for it.

Corporate executives like Tim Cook are plainly putting profits and the well-being of their investors ahead of the well-being of the country. Average Americans can't decide to refuse to pay taxes for any reason.

But a CEO like Tim Cook can simply say that his corporation won't bring its money home until he gets what he wants -- "no debate about it."

In his piece, Johnson translates exactly what a "fair rate" means:

"[H]uge multinational corporations will tell you a 'fair rate' would be zero. Or better yet, how about We the People just bow down and pay taxes to them. The corporate tax rate used to be 50%. CEOs complained it was 'unfair' so it was lowered to 35%."

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On August 18, three siblings boarded an EasyJet flight at London's Stansted airport. Maryam, Sakina and Ali Dharas were en route to Italy for a holiday. But before the flight could take off, two of the sisters were removed from the plane and interrogated on the tarmac. After ridiculous and humiliating questioning ("Do you speak English? Do your read the Qur'an?"), they were allowed back on the plane with a warning that they were being placed under further investigation and " if we find anything, we'll be waiting for you when your plane lands".

Another passenger, apparently an amateur detective, deduced that because they are brown people and the two sisters wear hijabs -- Muslim head scarves -- they must be Islamic State terrorists. Which, of course, they weren't. The plane eventually took off, but presumably the incident cast a pall over the Dharas family's holiday, as well as throwing the other passengers' travel plans at least a little off-kilter.

This is far from the first reported incident of its kind. It's probably far from the last. But it COULD be the last if those suffering from constant, crippling fear of sudden violent death at the hands of terrorists read this and follow a few simple rule of the (so to speak) road.

RULE NUMBER ONE: Stay home. Really. Under your bed if possible (that is, if someone you trust is willing to bring you food and water, empty a bedpan a couple of times a day, and perhaps run to the library for new reading material every so often). It's unlikely that the terrorists will hunt you down there. Of course, you're more likely to be struck by lightning than attacked by a terrorist anywhere, but under the bed is probably pretty safe with respect to lightning, too.

RULE NUMBER TWO: If you absolutely, positively can't avoid leaving your home, travel by private car. NOT by taxi! You might get a driver who's brown, has an accent or wears headgear you find strange.

RULE NUMBER THREE: Before entering a business establishment, circle the parking lot a couple of times. You wouldn't want to be surprised by scimitar-waving jihadists while ordering your double cheeseburger, fries and shake.

RULE NUMBER FOUR: It should go without saying, don't travel by commercial aircraft, bus, etc. If you're making a long trip and can't drive yourself, charter a plane or limo or whatever. Tell them you want a "very American/British looking" pilot/driver. I'm sure they'll know what you mean.

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On August 17th, Donald Trump once again shook up his campaign. While there were early indications that Trump would "soften" his image, these were refuted by the August 19th release of his first general election campaign ad, "Two Americas: Immigration." This TV ad stems from the same darkness that fueled Trump's acceptance speech: bigotry and hate.

Trump's ad packs four lies into 30 seconds. It begins with a familiar Trump assertion: "In Hillary Clinton's American the system stays rigged against Americans." (It goes on to proclaim that immigrants are gaming the system.) Politifact notes that Trump has often claimed "the US election system is rigged." It rates these claims totally false ("Pants on Fire"). More specifically, The Dallas Morning News reported that immigration has "slowed sharply" and illegal immigration "is near record lows."

Trump's next assertion is that "Syrian refugees flood in." According to the New York Times the US plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees this year but as of the end of April had only take 1726. While Donald Trump asserts, "there is no system to vet Syrian refugees," Politifact states this is another Trump lie; the process takes one to two years. Most of those accepted have been women and children.

The ad follows with a three-part assertion: "Illegal immigrants convicted of committing crimes get to stay, collecting Social Security benefits, skipping the line." The Huffington Post acknowledges that "Some people convicted of crimes considered minor are able to avoid deportation, and others stay because their home countries won't take them back." However, the number of these cases pales in comparison to the deportations -- 460,000 in fiscal 2015.

The most controversial part of the Trump ad is the assertion that illegal immigrants get to collect social security benefits. The Washington Post gives this claim "four Pinocchio's" for extreme falsehood. Most undocumented immigrants pay into Social Security but receive no benefits.

The reference that Trump gives for his "illegal immigrants get to collect social security benefits" assertion is an April paper by The Center for Immigration Studies, a right-wing anti-immigration organization. MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow reported: "The Center for Immigration Studies, for example, will distribute essays from Holocaust deniers every now and again" They keep finding themselves digesting and sending around work by white nationalists" You slip back into that really fast when you're circulating arguments like, "the native ethnic stock that founded and built the U.S. is systematically being replaced through massive third world immigration.' "

That's right. In his first ad, Trump cites a racist organization.

The ad's fourth assertion is "[Under Hillary Clinton] our border [would be] open." On her campaign web site Clinton calls for a continuation of the Obama border-security, "Hillary will focus resources on detaining and deporting those individuals who pose a violent threat to public safety, and ensure refugees who seek asylum in the U.S. have a fair chance to tell their stories." (Unlike Trump, Clinton is for "comprehensive immigration reform.") Factcheck.org says the Trump ad, "misleads the viewer."

In her August 25th Reno speech, Hillary Clinton addressed Trump's hateful rhetoric. "Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. He is taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party." "This is not Republicanism as we have know it. These are race-baiting ideas, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideas, anti-woman ---- all key tenets making up an emerging racist ideology known as the 'Alt-Right.'" "We need good debates. But we need to do it in a respectful way, not finger pointing and blaming and stirring up this bigotry and prejudice."

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Trump's Wall. Mexico will pay for it -- so help me. That's Donald Trump who has made building a wall between Mexico and the United States on our southern border a major cornerstone of his political campaign. In recent times he's hunkered and doubled down on this highly improbable and impractical venture by issuing an arrogant diktat to a foreign country that is America's third largest trading partner. With little attention to detail, Trump has drawn the ire and befuddled amusement of the Mexican government that privately sees the loud-mouthed Republican presidential candidate as unhinged, detached from reality, and uninformed.

Maybe all of this is true. I'm no head shrink. But I like to believe that I'm rooted in the boundaries of sane thought and not unmoored from the sea of reality nor given to a "mouth open words jump out" malady. Well, of course Donald will build a wall. After all, his wall must be the best wall ever built -- he knows how to build "things." People will love the "Trump Wonder Wall of the World." Yeah, and he's going to sell the Brooklyn Bridge to a bloke in Tulsa, Oklahoma named Omar. The man's a dealmaker and a wizard all wrapped up in one.

And dear ole Hillary? She does not have a clue! And she's not too well. Come again? Donald you are 70 years old, very, very fat with a bad hairdo. You're not the paradigm and picture of health yourself since the term "mild obesity" comes to mind every time I look at you. Trump has repeatedly said and insisted that he's going to build a "great, great wall" along the southern border and force Mexico to pay for it. He says that the wall will cost between $5 and $10 billion or more.

How will he pay for it?

First let me clear the air on who is NOT going to pay for it -- the United States taxpayer. Fact is that ANY United States president will have to get congressional approval for that kind of spending. So let's dispel the myth that a President Trump will simply decree or wave a magic wand and congress will fork over that sum of money. So, realizing that forcing and blackmailing Mexico to pay for his wall will be fraught with many complications what does Trump do? Create a lunatic policy that targets the most vulnerable Mexicans living in the United States.

For example, he'll confiscate money that poor Mexican migrants living in the United States send home until the Mexican government agrees to make a one-time payment of up to $10 billion (still not enough to build the wall)!. So Trump would punish innocent Mexicans and their children just to finance the building of his wall. But even with this plan the impact it would have on immigration and the sheer impracticality and impossibility of this project is mindboggling and reflects the utter ignorance of the Trump Campaign and its Harry Houdini economic policies.

Here are the facts. Mexico gets roughly $25 billion in annual remittances from its nationals living in the United States. That's about 2 percent of its gross domestic product (GDP)[1]. So that does not really dent the Mexican economy in any real way. So he darts off into another fantasy direction: raise tariffs and border-crossing fees. What he does not say is how he intends to implement this without the help of congress and what that would cost. Maybe he'll again lean on long dead Harry Houdini to do his magic thing. Of course, the fact that some of this will be illegal and will be challenged in United States courts -- I could see the ACLU just rearing to go after him -- figures in no way in Trump's coo-coo calculations.

Talk about detached from reality!

But I like President Obama's reaction to Trump's wall payment plan:

"The notion that we're doing to try to track every Western Union bit of money that's being sent to Mexico -- good luck with that. Then we've got the issue of the implications for the Mexican economy, which, in turn, if it's collapsing, actually sends more immigrants north because they can't find jobs back in Mexico." Smart guy! So taking a page from "my president" I've decided to explain why Trump's Mexican Wall is a figment of his narcissistic imagination and nothing else -- period.

It's easy to send money to Mexico or anywhere else in the world -- there's Paypal, ATMs and other means that do not rely on Western Union.

Okay. Trump thinks that Mexicans will line up and just throw gobs of US currency over his wall. Or they will all be using Western Union money transfers. Earth to Donald -- not going to happen. Ever heard of PayPal, Google Wallet, and Samsung's whatever? or just give a relative to carry it back? Or get someone to go to a bank in the US and do a wire transfer? Heck man, sending money to someone in a foreign country can be done from the comfort of my living room, with my trusty MacBook, an Internet connection, and a debit or credit card. Where have you been guy, sloshing the stuff in Trump Towers? So that remittance thing is a no go.

Pissing off the Mexican government will hurt US/Mexican relations and launch a trade war that will piss off U.S. businesses community and cause more trouble for a President Trump.

Donald Trump believes that Mexico will just sit idly by and genuflect to "His Bovineness." He'll be doing all the demanding and Mexico will do all the listening, and all the paying -- or else. But here's thing: Trump's quixotic plan to make Mexico pay for the wall by raising tariffs on Mexican goods is pretty stupid for a person who touts his business successes. In his towering arrogance he thinks that Mexico needs the U.S. market so badly that raising tariffs will instantly force the Mexican government to bend to his will.

Here's why that is so daft. Tariffs between states are not a one-way, I'm-the-boss activity. It cuts both ways. Here's the kind of money that we're talking about and the fact that Mexico is the United States third largest trading partner. For example, in 2015 the United States exported approximately $238 billion worth of goods and services -- mainly products -- to Mexico and imported (meaning "bought from," Donald) about $295 billion. So what's the point I'm making here?

Well, if an angered Mexico decided to join Trump's tit-for-tat tariff game by increasing its tariffs by just 10% that would come up to about $25 billion -- a windfall to Mexico and around the same amount that Mexicans in the United States remit to their country. Thing is that Mexico will get the remittances that Trump wants to stop BECAUSE of his idiotic plan not to mention an uncalled for trade spat that hurts everyone. And by the way, Mexico does not pay for the wall.

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Death and Fire

(Image by Paul Klee) Details DMCA



99 percent of Germans over the age of 15 can read and write (this does not include the recent immigrants from the Middle East and elsewhere). Only 1 percent of native Germans over the age of 15 can't read and write.

( 14 percent of citizens born in the US can't read or write.)

Historically, Germany has had one of the highest literacy and general education levels of all nations. At the time of the rise of Nazism into a dominant position in Germany this nation was one of the most literate and generally well-educated on the planet. This fact had practically no preventative impact on what happened in Germany with the rise of Nazism/Fascism. And this ongoing fact has not kept Germany from becoming a tool for the Oligarch/Fascist agenda in our time.

My point here is not that education level in a society is meaningless, but rather that even a relatively high level of education in the conventional sense of that term will not in itself prevent the rise of tyranny. This preventative process happens on a deeper level of human reality than the conventional education process. What the conventional education process fails to do (usually by design) is to consciously connect itself with the deeper levels of human reality. What this leads to time after time is the profoundly sad spectacle of the truly ethical people of a society becoming merely fading torches in the rising darkness that swallows the nation. There were many admirable intellectuals and artists in Germany who raised their torches against Nazism only to have them brutally snuffed.

Of course we know that the rise of Fascism in Germany was greatly facilitated by the anti-German machinations of other powerful nations after WWI. The Treaty of Versailles was basically a war crime on paper and an open invitation to more nightmare. But once the process started the level of German education and culture was practically powerless to prevent.

The connection between education (dissemination of information) and the deeper levels of human reality is missing. Data alone, no matter how replete, does not create human consciousness that is immune to the contagion of fear manipulated power-lust that leads to nation-swallowing Fascism.

I trust it is clear that I am not saying that because the US historically has a generally lower level of literacy than Germany that the US is therefore less vulnerable to Fascism. On the contrary, the US has not even reached the level of Germany and is therefore even more vulnerable. The idea that the people of the US are more familiar with democratic experience and the deeper levels of reality and are therefore relatively invulnerable to brutal tyranny is a very dangerous lie. If it could happen to the Germans it can most certainly happen in the US and is in fact happening now.

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by Sen. Doug Whitsett

Oregonians have endured unending cries from proponents of big government for more than a decade, claiming the State must have more revenue to run its operations. Those constant pleas, combined with Democrat dominance of both the House and Senate for the past dozen years, have resulted in frequent tax and fee increases levied on Oregon citizens and businesses.

Proponents of ever-increasing government spending universally fail to acknowledge that state government has a spending addiction. Typically absent from their discussion is any reference regarding where the new revenue has been spent and what that spending has achieved. Also missing is any narrative regarding the wasting of taxpayer money on multi-million dollar boondoggles that should never have been allowed to happen.

Political leaders have failed to prioritize programs that provide needed services to Oregonians. Instead, state officials have spent literally hundreds of millions of dollars on attempted social engineering and market transformations, often under the guise of protecting the environment. Their explanations are usually devoid of any accountability for the use of other peoples money.

Citizens should ask if we are better off in the aftermath of all that spending. I have observed little, if any, improvement in either the level or quality of services provided to our residents during my three terms serving in the Oregon Senate. What I have observed instead is rampant crony capitalism, where favored industries and constituencies receive huge chunks of public money with little or no accountability for what that money buys.

In this recent Oregonian article, reporter Hillary Borrud highlights several of these ongoing issues.

Senate Bill 324, was signed into law during the 2015 legislative session by newly appointed Governor Kate Brown. The Act extended the sunset on the states so-called Clean Fuels program, enabling the controversial agenda to move forward. The divisive law was passed on party-line votes with unanimous opposition from Republicans in both chambers and Senator Betsy Johnson (D-Scappoose).

Borruds article takes a look at where the Program is about six months after the enactment of that law. Oregon has just one commercial ethanol production plant right now, despite sinking $51.3 million worth of various incentives into ethanol projects in the decade leading up to the new law. The state also has only one commercial biodiesel plant, after awarding $6.1 million in biodiesel production incentives during the same period.

The biofuels program under SB 324 promised those incentives would be used to create jobs in Oregon because fuel providers would switch to biofuels in the name of reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHG). That promise was broken. Borruds article points out that much of the ethanol being used in Oregon is not produced in Oregon. Rather, it is imported by rail from states such as Minnesota, Kansas and Nebraska.

An ethanol plant in Boardman received Business Energy Tax Credits (BETCs) worth $10 million and originally planned to hire up to 100 employees. It is our understanding the plant has produced no commercial cellulosic ethanol and currently employs about 15 people. The only Oregon business currently producing ethanol for fuel companies is also based in Boardman. It received $14.6 million in BETCs.

Another plant in Clatskanie obtained nearly $8 million in BETCs, as well as a $20 million loan. Approximately $18 million of that loan was written off by the state after the company filed for bankruptcy. The Clatskanie facility was converted to a crude oil transfer facility after the company filed for bankruptcy. It has since been retrofitted again to handle ethanol shipments heading out of state.

Nearly $750,000 in BETCs were given to a company in Cornelius that has not produced any biofuels for the people of Oregon. An official from the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is quoted in Borruds article stating that despite all the incentives, the company produces only small quantities of ethanol. She went on to say that DEQ is now expecting much of the states alternative fuels to come from landfill and other waste gases instead of biofuels.

The Clean Fuels program has essentially provided nearly $60 million in venture capital using taxpayer money. Apparently, private sector venture capitalists wouldnt touch these investments.

Moreover, according to DEQ figures, the Clean Fuels program will impose hidden taxes up to 19 cents per gallon of motor fuel. All of that revenue will flow to out of state and international green energy companies. None will be used to maintain and improve Oregon streets and highways.

Finally, the Clean Fuel program was promoted as a means to reduce GHG. To date, DEQ has been unable to provide objective, statistically significant data demonstrating the program will produce any significant reduction in GHG emissions.

By any objective measure, the Clean Fuel program is destined to be a complete failure.

State governments insatiable appetite for spending other peoples money is embodied in what promises to be a very expensive and divisive campaign for Measure 97. It will levy a new tax on businesses that is expected to raise around $6 billion per biennium if passed by voters this November.

Much of the rhetoric surrounding Measure 97 is the same that was used to promote Measures 66 and 67. In that 2009 campaign, the supporters maligned companies that create jobs and opportunities for Oregon for supposedly not paying their fair share in taxes. Voters approved both measures in a special election held in January 2010.

But even though Oregonians gave proponents of those measures the benefit of the doubt by voting for them, state government services did not improve. The state instead posted the nations lowest high school graduation rate, has seen alleged widespread abuse of children in its foster care system and has settled multiple whistleblower lawsuits.

Proponents of Measure 97 are falsely claiming the money it would raise must be spent for funding public education, health care and services for senior citizens. However, short of a constitutional amendment, it is not possible to bind how future legislatures spend General Fund money. This has been verified by Legislative Counsel, the attorneys who draft all of the bills and provide legislators with legal opinions.

The Democratic co-chairs of the budget-writing Ways and Means Committee have also gone on the record verifying the Legislature will be free to spend Measure 97 money however it wants. One co-chair acknowledged that some of it could, indeed, be used to offset some of the $885 million in projected increases of the states Public Employee Retirement System.

Another salient fact is never mentioned by supporters of the Measure. According to the non-partisan Legislative Revenue Office, state tax collections have been and remain at historical highs. Even without Measure 97 revenue, Oregon government has never before had so much money to spend.

The Taxpayers Association of Oregon recently determined that Oregon is the number one tax-and-spend state in the Western United States. The state and local governments here spend more per capita than our neighbors and 39 other states. When that level of government spending is divided by population, Oregon spends over $8,000 per resident. That is nearly double what is spent in Utah, and well above what is spent in Washington and California.

Backers of the measure have even tried strong-arming economists they hired to analyze the measure. They apparently wanted the economist to distort what the Measure actually will and will not do. The editorial board of the Bend Bulletin newspaper was among those objecting to those tactics.

Other tactics allegedly employed by proponents have resulted in a complaint being filed with the states elections division. If verified and upheld by the courts, the election law violation complaints could result in felony charges.

Despite all of the seeming dishonesty and underhanded tactics surrounding it, state officials are refusing to change the voter pamphlet statement submitted in support of the Measure.

Legislation was proposed in the 2015 session that would have required information in a voters pamphlet statement to be true. That bill was defeated on party-line votes in both the Senate and the House.

Oregon voters are once again being asked to support higher taxes to fund state government programs. Governor Kate Brown has endorsed Measure 97 and is already planning how to spend the $6 billion in new revenue. Majority Democrats would better serve the public by working to reduce out of control state spending before asking the people of this state to fill government coffers with additional dollars.

Senator Doug Whitsett is the Republican state senator representing Senate District 28  Klamath Falls
Do you often get hassled with splitting bills among friends and roommates? Walnut, a personal finance management mobile app has just launched an app that will help you manage shared expenses and quick money transfer in a simpler way.

The company has announced smart features like bill split over chat and real time P2P (Peer to Peer) money transfer to bank accounts using only Debit cards - eliminating the need to remember and exchange account numbers and IFSC codes.

The app works in collaboration with Visa and ICICI Bank. It uses Visa APIs and ICICI Bank payment gateway. These innovative features make it convenient for millions of debit card users in India to transfer money and move to cashless payments.

"Young professionals and college students travel to different cities and live with roommates and friends. Managing shared expenses and quick money transfer is a task critical for them, but it is time consuming. The new Bill split and pay features make the experience fast and simple, eliminating the friction around paying friends.", says Amit Bhor, CEO, Walnut.

If you wish to split a restaurant bill with a friend, all you need to do is select the expense that is automatically tracked by Walnut, and choose friends to split with. In order to settle an expense or do a P2P money transfer, a user needs to enter his own debit card. There is no exchange of bank account numbers/IFSC codes or mobile wallets in between.

Users without Visa debit cards can also use the bill split & money transfer feature on Walnut. Walnut has also launched an iOS version of its app called WalnutPay, which enables users to split bills and send/receive money from friends.
FATA Reforms Committee forwarded four options for transformation

ISLAMABAD: The FATA Reforms Committee has put forth four options for FATA transformation which include maintaining of the status quo with minor changes, granting special status to FATA like Gilgit-Baltistan, creating a separate province for FATA, or a merger into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.



In his capacity as the chairman of the reforms committee, Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Thursday unveiled recommendations aimed at brining an end to endemic poverty and years of neglect in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Talking to newsmen at a press conference on Thursday, Sartaj said that the region had been facing Pakistan's highest rate of endemic poverty and lowest development indicators, with its people facing huge deficit of human rights. Integrating FATA into KP made more sense keeping in view the close horizontal linkages of agencies and frontier regions with the adjacent KP districts. These trade and economic links were also reinforced by social and cultural consanguinity with FATA tribes, the committee recommendations said. The committee also favoured repealing the existing Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) with the new "Tribal Areas Rewaj Act" and the Jirga system.



Responding to a question, SAFRON Minister Abdul Qadir Baloch said that during the consultations all stakeholders expressed unanimity on the "Rewaj Act", terming it part of their age-old tradition. However, he dispelled the impression that it would be in conflict with the existing laws.



He said the provisions relating to collective responsibility in the FCR would be omitted in the new act, thereby making an individual responsible for his own acts. Under this act, the judge will not be the political agent but will be a judicial officer; while the jurisdiction of the Supreme Court and High Court shall stand extended to FATA, he added.



The Jirga system will remain prevalent in criminal and civil disputes, while it was also proposed to codify the "Rewaj" in each agency. The committee also proposed to carry out land settlement in FATA so that this land asset can be capitalised to release locked up funds.



A statement issued after the press conference said the FATA reforms would be meaningful only once the Temporarily Displaced Persons (TDPs) return home and assisted to reconstruct their property damaged during the operations, besides other infrastructure.



The committee proposed holding of local bodies elections in 2017. To ensure availability of adequate resources for development of FATA on a long term basis, 3 percent share from the divisible pool has been proposed which would be in addition to the existing annual development allocation of Rs 21 billion a year.



Sartaj said new posts of 20,000 Levies would be created for policing, while better border management with Afghanistan shall be enforced with the addition of additional Frontier Corp and improved surveillance. He said it was also proposed to end the collection of toll taxes - "the rahdari and permit system" - in the agencies that resulted in increasing costs and corruption. He said a "governor's advisory council" including all parliamentarians would be established to advise the governor in development and administrative matters. The Directorate of Transition and Reforms, established at the FATA Secretariat, will deliver the package of reforms and a cabinet level committee will be formed to oversee implementation of the reforms, he said, adding that a reform unit would be established in SAFRON to oversee the entire process.



The six-member FATA Reforms Committee includes Sartaj Aziz as chairman and KP Governor Zafar Iqbal Jhagra, Abdul Qadir Baloch, Law Minister Zahid Hamid, National Security Adviser Nasser Khan Janjua and SAFRON Secretary Muhammad Shehzad Arbab as its members.
From Greg Swank, 12-4-2 You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As...
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Collapsed datacubes showing HR 2562B in each of the four modes observed with GPI and reduced using KLIP. The K2 image is from February 2016 and demonstrates two possible solutions for the inner edge of the disk (38 and 75 AU with dashed and dotted-dashed lines respectively) assuming inclination of 78 degrees and position angle of 120 degrees. Credit: Konopacky et al., 2016.

(Phys.org)Astronomers have detected a brown dwarf orbiting HR 2562  a nearby star known to host a debris disk. The newly discovered substellar companion is the first brown dwarf-mass object found to reside in the inner hole of a debris disk. The findings were presented in a paper published Aug. 23 on the arXiv pre-print server.

HR 2562, located some 110 light years away, is an F5V star, about 30 percent more massive than the sun. It has a debris diska circumstellar belt of dust and planetesimals left over from planetary formation. The disk around HR 2562, spans from 38 to 75 AU away from the host star.

In January and February 2016, a team of researchers, led by Quinn Konopacky of the University of California, San Diego, observed HR 2562 using the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), mounted on the Gemini South Telescope in Chile. GPI is a high-contrast imaging instrument, allowing imaging and integral field spectroscopy of extrasolar planets. The observations of HR 2562 were conducted as part of the Gemini Planet Imager Exoplanet Survey (GPIES), that images young Jupiters and debris disks around nearby stars.

However, their search for a young, Jupiter-like planet resulted in a discovery of a much more massive substellar object. The data obtained during the observations, allowed the team to confirm the existence of a brown dwarf that could have at least 15 Jupiter masses. The newly found companion is separated by about 20 AU from the host star and was designated HR 2562B.

"We present the discovery of a brown dwarf companion to the debris disk host star HR 2562. This object, discovered with the Gemini Planet Imager, has a projected separation of 20.30.3 AU from the star," the researchers wrote in the paper.

Separation by only 20 AU means that HR 2562B lies within the inner hole of the debris disk; significantly, it is the first known brown dwarf residing inside such a gap. The scientists also noted that so far, only few substellar companions have been imaged within 100 AU from their host stars.

While the separation of HR 2562B has been precisely estimated, its mass remains uncertain. The scientists revealed that its minimum mass is at least 15 Jupiter masses. However, the brown dwarf could be even 45 times more massive than Jupiter as well. Thus, the mean value was calculated to be 30 Jupiter masses.

Moreover, the host star's age also remains to be determined, as previous observations delivered conflicting results, ranging from 20 million to even 1.6 billion years. However, for the purposes of the recent study, the team adopted a nominal age range of 300 to 900 million years.

The findings published by Konopacky and her team, could be helpful to better understand the formation process of circumstellar companions; it is widely debated whether these objects form within a circumstellar disk and reach a mass above the deuterium burning limit or via cloud fragmentation, as in binary systems with a high mass ratio.

The researchers concluded that future studies of the HR 2562 system should focus on constraining the true mass and orbit of the companion. It could be essential to determine its possible origin, which could offer evidence of planet formation above the deuterium burning limit.

Explore further Giant planet and brown dwarf discovered in a close binary system HD 87646

More information: Discovery of a Substellar Companion to the Nearby Debris Disk Host HR 2562, arXiv:1608.06660 [astro-ph.EP] Discovery of a Substellar Companion to the Nearby Debris Disk Host HR 2562, arXiv:1608.06660 [astro-ph.EP] arxiv.org/abs/1608.06660 Abstract

We present the discovery of a brown dwarf companion to the debris disk host star HR 2562. This object, discovered with the Gemini Planet Imager (GPI), has a projected separation of 20.30.3 au (0.6180.004") from the star. With the high astrometric precision afforded by GPI, we have confirmed common proper motion of HR 2562B with the star with only a month time baseline between observations to more than 5. Spectral data in J, H, and K bands show morphological similarity to L/T transition objects. We assign a spectral type of L73 to HR 2562B, and derive a luminosity of log(Lbol/L)=-4.620.12, corresponding to a mass of 3015 MJup from evolutionary models at an estimated age of the system of 300-900 Myr. Although the uncertainty in the age of the host star is significant, the spectra and photometry exhibit several indications of youth for HR 2562B. The source has a position angle consistent with an orbit in the same plane as the debris disk recently resolved with Herschel. Additionally, it appears to be interior to the debris disk. Though the extent of the inner hole is currently too uncertain to place limits on the mass of HR 2562B, future observations of the disk with higher spatial resolution may be able to provide mass constraints. This is the first brown dwarf-mass object found to reside in the inner hole of a debris disk, offering the opportunity to search for evidence of formation above the deuterium burning limit in a circumstellar disk.

 2016 Phys.org
The NCSES report focuses on business R&D performance. Other sectors also contribute to total US R&D. Credit: NSF

Businesses spent $341 billion on research and development (R&D) performed in the United States in 2014, a 5.6 percent increase over the previous year, according to a new report from the National Center for Science and Engineering Statistics (NCSES).

Development accounted for the greatest share, 78 percent, of 2014 R&D spending. Applied research accounted for 16 percent, while basic research accounted for 6 percent. The NCSES InfoBrief focuses on business-sector R&D spending. Other sectors, including higher education and federally funded research and development centers (FFRDCs), also contribute to total U.S. R&D spending.

Funding from companies' own sources rose by 6.7 percent from 2013 to 2014, totaling $283 billion. Funding from other sources totaled $58 billion. The federal government was the largest of those other sources, accounting for $27 billion, $19 billion of which came from the Department of Defense. Of the federal funding, 92 percent went toward aerospace products and parts; professional, scientific and technical services; and computer and electronic products.

Small- and medium-sized companies performed 16 percent of the nation's business R&D in 2014, while companies with 500 to 24,999 domestic employees performed 48 percent. Companies with 25,000 or more employees made up the other 36%. Businesses that performed or funded R&D employed 21.5 million people in the U.S., 1.5 million of which were R&D employees.

Business R&D is concentrated in a relatively small number of states. California alone accounted for 30 percent of the $283 billion in R&D funded by companies' own sources in 2014. Other states with high amounts in the business R&D category were: Massachusetts (6 percent), Michigan (5 percent), Washington (5 percent), Texas (5 percent), Illinois (4 percent), New Jersey (4 percent), New York (4 percent), and Pennsylvania (3 percent).

Development accounted for the greatest share of business R&D performance in 2014. Credit: NSF
Researchers from Arizona State University found that active learning classrooms, which require more group work than traditional lecture courses, may create an unaccepting atmosphere for LGBTQIA students. Credit: Sandra Leander

Starting out as a college freshman can be hard.

Students are leaving home for the first time, meeting the demands of a rigorous, undergraduate college education and trying to make new friends.

And, for undergraduate students who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex or asexual (LGBTQIA), or who may be struggling with their identity, the biology classroom may not necessarily be a welcoming place.

In a first-of-its kind study published in the latest issue of CBE-Life Sciences Education, researchers from Arizona State University's School of Life Sciences found that active learning classrooms, which require more group work than traditional lecture courses, may create an unaccepting atmosphere for LGBTQIA students.

"In an active learning classroom, students are asked to interact a lot with each other and the instructor," said Katelyn Cooper, doctoral student and lead author of the study. "The students' LGBTQIA identities are more relevant in an active learning course, particularly for transgender students who may be transitioning during the semester."

In the U.S., 3.6 percent of people identify as LGBTQIA. For this study, seven students from a 180-person classroom were interviewed, which is similar to the national average.

Assistant professor Sara Brownell (L) and doctoral student Katelyn Cooper (R), both with the ASU School of Life Sciences, conducted a first-of-its-kind study on the active learning classroom experiences of LGBTQIA students. Credit: Sandra Leander

"Our goal in classrooms at Arizona State University is to be inclusive to every student, regardless of their LGBTQIA identity or any other social identity," said Sara Brownell, assistant professor with the School of Life Sciences and senior author of the study. "The national conversation right now is to move more science classrooms into the active learning model. But as we do this, we need to be cautious how these student interactions are playing out in class. These interactions among students may impact how well these LGBTQIA students are doing in the class. This study is the first to illuminate potential challenges for these students in active learning spaces."

The researchers found that all of the students who identified as LGBTQIA struggled in some way with group work. While the students faced more opportunities to interact more closely with others, this presented more opportunities for them to have to self-identify. The researchers say this is important because often times, students come out during college years, but are hesitant to do so before they're fully ready to announce their LGBTQIA identity to the outside world.

"In a traditional lecture course, students can sit in the back of the group and be somewhat invisible," shared Brownell. "But in the interactive class, we ask them to engage with others. This is extending into conversations they don't want to have. They have to decide, 'Do I come out to this person I don't know? Do I lie? Do I change the conversation?'"

Brownell's lab studies how students learn biology in the classroom. In particular, she and her research team investigate the experiences of students with potentially underrepresented or stigmatized social identities in the classroom, including gender, race, ethnicity, religious affiliation and LGBTQIA identity.

"It has been shown that more diverse groups of people lead to better science. It's important to make sure that our next generation of scientists is diverse and this starts in the undergraduate classroom. Students with LGBTQIA identities can offer unique and important perspectives," added Cooper.

The researchers do not recommend moving away from the active learning classroom. In fact, they support the active learning model as an effective way to help retain students in STEM fields and keep them engaged in challenging topics. However, they do recommend that instructors think carefully about how they structure group work and that instructors can work toward creating safe spaces for students to feel comfortable sharing their identities.

The next step for the researchers is exploring this topic at a national level and in different geographic locations to see whether students in other parts of the country have similar experiences in the active learning setting.

Explore further Evolution and religion: New insight into instructor attitudes in Arizona

More information: K. M. Cooper et al, Coming Out in Class: Challenges and Benefits of Active Learning in a Biology Classroom for LGBTQIA Students, Cell Biology Education (2016). K. M. Cooper et al, Coming Out in Class: Challenges and Benefits of Active Learning in a Biology Classroom for LGBTQIA Students,(2016). DOI: 10.1187/cbe.16-01-0074
Credit: the hierarchy of the human cortex, Figure 4, New J. Phys. 18 (2016) 083013.

New research published in the New Journal of Physics tries to decompose the structural layers of the cortical network to different hierarchies enabling to identify the network's nucleus, from which our consciousness could emerge.

The brain is a very complex network, with approximately 100 billion neurons and 100 trillion synapses between the neurons. In order to cope with its enormous complexity and to understand how brain function eventually creates the conscious mind, science uses advanced mathematical tools. Ultimately, scientists want to understand how a global phenomenon such as consciousness can emerge from our neuronal network.

A team of physicists from Bar Ilan University in Israel led by Professor Shlomo Havlin and Professor Reuven Cohen used network theory in order to deal with this complexity and to determine how the structure of the human cortical network can support complex data integration and conscious activity. The gray area of the human cortex, the neuron cell bodies, were scanned with MRI imaging and used to form 1000 nodes in the cortical network. The white matter of the human cortex, the neuron bundles, were scanned with DTI imaging, forming 15,000 links or edges that connected the network's nodes. In the end of this process, their network was an approximation of the structure of the human cortex.

Previous studies have shown that the human cortex is a network with small world properties, which means that it has many local structures and some shortcuts from global structures that connect faraway areas (similar to the difference between local buses and cross-country trains). The cortex also has many hubs, which are nodes that have a high number of links (like central stations), that are also strongly interconnected between themselves, making it easy to travel between the brain's information highways.

Nir Lahav, the lead author of the study, says, "In order to examine how the structure of the network can support global emerging phenomena like consciousness, we applied a network analysis called K-shell decomposition. This analysis takes into account the connectivity profile of each node, making it easy to uncover different neighborhoods of connections in the cortical network, which we called shells."

The most connected neighborhood in the network is termed the network's nucleus. Nir says, "In the process, we peel off different shells of the network to get the most connected area of the network, the nucleus. Until today, scientists were only interested in the network's nucleus, but we found that these different shells can hold important information about how the brain integrates information from the local levels of each node to the entire global network. For the first time, we could build a comprehensive topological model of the cortex."

This topological model reveals that the network's nucleus includes 20 percent of all nodes and that the remaining 80 percent are strongly connected across all of the shells. Interestingly, comparing this topology to that of other networks, such as the internet, noticeable differences are apparent. For instance, in internet network topology, almost 25 percent of the nodes are isolated, meaning they don't connect to any other shells but the nucleus. In the cortical network, however, there are hardly any isolated nodes. It seems that the cortex is much more connected and efficient than the internet.

Credit: Institute of Physics

Looking at all the shells of the cortical network, the authors were able to define the network's hierarchical structure and essentially model how information flows within the network. The structure revealed how shells of low connectivity are nodes that typically perform specific functions like face recognition. From there, the data is transferred to higher, more connected shells that enable additional data integration. This reveals regions of the executive network and working memory. With these areas, researchers can focus on task performance, for example.

The integrated information then 'travels' to the most connected neighborhood of nodes, the nucleus, which spans across several regions of the cortex. According to Nir, "It's an interconnected collective which is densely linked with itself and can perform global functions due to its great number of global structures, which are widespread across the brain."

Which global function might the nucleus serve? The authors suggest the answer is no less than consciousness itself.

"The connection between brain activity and consciousness is still a great mystery," says Nir. The main hypothesis today is that in order to create conscious activity, the brain must integrate relevant information from multiple areas of the network. According to this theory, led by Professor Giulio Tononi from the University of Wisconsin, if the level of integrated information crosses a certain limit, a new and emergent state is enteredconsciousness. This model suggests that consciousness depends on both information integration and information segregation. Loosely speaking, consciousness is generated by a "central" network structure with a high capacity for information integration, with the contribution of sub-networks that contain specific and segregated information without being part of the central structure. In other words, certain parts of the brain are more involved than others in the conscious complex of the brain, yet other connected parts still contribute, working quietly outside the conscious complex.

The authors demonstrate how the nucleus and the shells satisfy all of the requirements of these recent consciousness theories. The shells calculate and contribute to data integration without actually being part of the conscious complex, while the nucleus receives relevant information from all other hierarchies and integrates it to a unified function using its global interconnected structure. The nucleus could thus be this conscious complex, serving as a platform for consciousness to emerge from the network activity.

When the authors examined the different regions that make up the nucleus, they revealed that, indeed, these regions have been previously associated with conscious activities. For example, structures within the brain's midline, which form the majority of the network's nucleus, were found to be associated with the stream of consciousness, and some researchers, like Professor Georg Northoff from the University of Ottawa, have suggested that these regions are involved with creating our sense of self.

"Now, we need to use this analysis on the whole brain, and not only on the cortex in order to reveal a more exact model of the brain's hierarchy, and later on understand what, exactly, are the neuronal dynamics that lead to such global integration and ultimately consciousness."

Explore further Neuroscientists show how nerve cells communicate with each other in neural networks

More information: Nir Lahav et al. K-shell decomposition reveals hierarchical cortical organization of the human brain, New Journal of Physics (2016). Journal information: New Journal of Physics Nir Lahav et al. K-shell decomposition reveals hierarchical cortical organization of the human brain,(2016). DOI: 10.1088/1367-2630/18/8/083013

Provided by Bar Ilan University
Mutant soybeans planted as part of a campaign to support the development of ESAs FLEX mission can be seen clearly as the bright blue strip in the centre of the image. The image was captured by the airborne HyPlant, which comprises two imaging spectrometers  essentially cameras that see the reflected and the emitted light from the surface at different wavelengths. The mutant soybean plants only have 20% of the chlorophyll of normal green plants. Such chlorophyll deficiency changes the properties of the leaves, which are a yellowy colour. As such, these mutant soybean leaves reflect much more sunlight than their green cousins, leaving the plant with less energy to photosynthesise. Although they have less energy, these mutants are surprisingly more efficient at fixing carbon dioxide from the air. Traditional satellite techniques rely on measuring aspects of reflected light to estimate plant productivity and cannot account for unusual coloured plants. ESAs FLEX mission, however, will use a novel technique to map plant health. It will detect and measure the faint glow that plants give off as they photosynthesise, so non-green plants will be measured like normal green plants. Credit: FZ-Juelich

Because a plant isn't green doesn't mean it can't photosynthesise as well as its more usual counterpart, but when measured by satellites, these non-green varieties skew results on plant health. FLEX is different. Experiments using 'mutants' show that colour won't be an obstacle in this new mission's task of mapping plant health from space.

Planned for launch around 2022, ESA's Fluorescence Explorer  FLEX  will use a novel technique to track the health of the world's vegetation.

This technique involves detecting and measuring the faint glow that plants give off as they use sunlight to convert carbon dioxide into energy-rich carbohydrates  photosynthesis.

FLEX will improve our understanding of the way carbon moves between plants and the atmosphere and how photosynthesis affects the carbon and water cycles.

Moreover, accurate information about the health and stress of the planet's vegetation is important as the growing global population places increasing demands on the production of food and animal feed.

As part of the development of this new satellite mission, scientists in Italy and Germany have been studying different crops to understand the relationship between the light reflected by different plants and their carbon uptake.

The latest field campaigns focus on the natural mutant soybean MinnGold, which only has 20% of the chlorophyll of 'normal' green plants.

As part of an airborne campaign to support the development of ESAs FLEX mission, a field was planted with normal soybeans (left ) and MinnGold natural mutant soybeans (right). Credit: ESAD. Schuettemeyer

Such chlorophyll deficiency changes the properties of the leaves, which are a yellowy colour. As such, these mutant soybean leaves reflect much more sunlight than their green cousins, leaving the plant with less energy to photosynthesise.

Although they have less energy, these mutants are surprisingly more efficient at fixing carbon dioxide from the air.

Traditional satellite techniques rely on measuring aspects of reflected light to estimate plant productivity and cannot account for unusual coloured plants.

Radoslaw Juszczak from the Poznan University of Life Sciences in Poland explained, "Chlorophyll-deficient plants having similar photosynthetic rates as their green counterparts.

"But, indeed, they pose a challenge for conventional reflectance-based remote sensing methods to estimate photosynthesis."

Since FLEX takes a different approach by measuring the florescence that plants give off as they photosynthesise, plant colour will no longer be an obstacle.

The Fluorescence Explorer (FLEX) mission is ESAs eighth Earth Explorer. FLEX will provide global maps of vegetation fluorescence, which can be converted into an indicator of photosynthetic activity. This new information will improve our understanding of how much carbon is stored in plants and their role in the carbon and water cycles. FLEX was selected in November 2015 and is expected to be launched by 2022. Credit: ESA/ATG medialab

Nevertheless, field experiments are needed to confirm that this is the case.

The latest campaign uses the HyPlant sensor  an airborne demonstrator developed for FLEX by FZ-Juelich in Germany. It comprises two 'imaging spectrometers', which are essentially cameras that see the reflected and the emitted light from the surface at different wavelengths.

Dirk Schuettemeyer, ESA's campaign coordinator, said, "For the first time, we can test these new ideas related to plant physiology that can be detected by airborne instruments, paving the way for the FLEX instrument under development.

"In the first instance, HyPlant can clearly see the long strip of soybean mutants next to the green fields. The next step is to quantify fluorescence for the different fields to prove the theory of similar photosynthetic rates for mutant and original soybean crops."

The campaign teams are now busy processing and analysing the data collected. The first results will be presented at a workshop in January.

Explore further New satellite to measure plant health
X-ray crystal structure of a key intermediate in the Reisman team's synthesis of ryanodol. Credit: Reisman Lab/Caltech

(Phys.org)A trio of research chemists at California Institute of Technology has found a way to synthesize a type of ryanodol that requires approximately half the steps of the conventional process. In their paper published in the journal Science, team lead Sarah Reisman and colleagues Kangway Chuang and Chen Xu describe the process they developed and explain why it is important. Xavier Verdaguer with the Barcelona Institute of Science and Technology offers a Perspective piece on the work done by the team in the same issue and more fully outlines one of the techniques the team used, called the Pauson-Khand reaction.

To offer better medicine to people with various maladies, researchers look ever deeper into the intricate processes that take place in the human bodyone of those involves signaling between cells, which is, of course, absolutely necessary for continued good health. Prior research has shown that molecules called ryanodol and a close cousin ryanodine are heavily involved in cell signalingwhen things go wrong with associated structures, diseases like Alzheimer's can occur. For that reason, researchers would like to study the different types of ryanodol to learn more about how they workand for that to happen, other researchers have to create it for them. Unfortunately, doing so using the conventional method has been laborious and expensive. Now, it appears that may change, as the researchers with this new effort have found a way to get the job done in far fewer steps.

To achieve this feat, the researchers tackled one of the more difficult problems associated with making ryanodol and ryanodinethe cage-like structures of their five interlocking rings. Instead of the multiple-step process others had used for altering them, the new technique involved using a Pauson-Khand reactiona method that allows for turning strings of atoms into conjoined rings. The researchers also found that they could use selenium dioxide to add three oxygen molecules at one crucial juncture, elegantly streamlining the process.

An animation showing Chuang and coworkers 15 step synthesis of (+)-ryanodol. Credit: Sarah Reisman

While the new technique is impressive, the researchers readily acknowledge that it needs to be made more efficient if it is to be used commerciallycurrently, it stands at just 0.4 percent, which they note is rather normal for a new synthesis technique. They plan to continue with the work to improve efficiency and to add features such as fluorescence to allow for tracking the molecules in a living being.

Explore further Synthesis of complex molecules displaying potential biological and catalytic activity

More information: K. V. Chuang et al. A 15-step synthesis of (+)-ryanodol, Science (2016). K. V. Chuang et al. A 15-step synthesis of (+)-ryanodol,(2016). DOI: 10.1126/science.aag1028 Abstract

(+)-Ryanodine and (+)-ryanodol are complex diterpenoids that modulate intracellular calcium-ion release at ryanodine receptors, ion channels critical for skeletal and cardiac muscle excitation-contraction coupling and synaptic transmission. Chemical derivatization of these diterpenoids has demonstrated that certain peripheral structural modifications can alter binding affinity and selectivity among ryanodine receptor isoforms. Here, we report a short chemical synthesis of (+)-ryanodol that proceeds in only 15 steps from the commercially available terpene (S)-pulegone. The efficiency of the synthesis derives from the use of a Pauson-Khand reaction to rapidly build the carbon framework and a SeO2-mediated oxidation to install three oxygen atoms in a single step. This work highlights how strategic CO bond constructions can streamline the synthesis of polyhydroxylated terpenes by minimizing protecting group and redox adjustments. Press release Journal information: Science

 2016 Phys.org
BALLSTON SPA  A Gansevoort man who was arrested earlier this year for allegedly selling heroin pleaded guilty Friday to a felony charge.

Brian S. Munger, 52, of James Court, pleaded guilty to attempted third-degree criminal sale of a controlled substance in connection with heroin sales during a police investigation in April. Police said he sold the drug in Northumberland.

Munger faces up to 5 years in state prison when sentenced Oct. 28 by Saratoga County Judge James Murphy.

Munger also faces a felony grand larceny charge for allegedly defrauding a customer of his contracting business, Phoenix Renovation, during a roofing job at a Lake George home.

Munger is being held in Warren County Jail pending further court action.
QUEENSBURY  A new legal requirement that forces public defenders around the state to attend any court arraignment where a defendant could be sent to jail has increased the Warren County Public Defenders Office caseload by more than 40 percent, and the office needs more staff to deal with it.

That was the message Warren County Public Defender Marcy Flores had for county supervisors this week.

A civil court case in which neighboring Washington County was a defendant, alleging inadequate legal representation of the indigent, has had spillover effects in other counties, as they now have to get to far more arraignments to comply with the court action.

Flores said that has added 523 cases to her offices workload so far this year, a 41 percent increase.

A new change in income standards that will make more people eligible for taxpayer-paid legal help promises to grow it even more.

My staff is overworked right now. I am very concerned, she said. When I tell you my office needs to hire staff, there is a need for it.

Flores told of one recent day where staff had three unscheduled arraignments to get to in a matter of hours in Horicon, Lake George and Queensbury.

We all have to stop whatever we are doing because of these cases, she said. It happens at all different hours.

Flores renewed a request to hire two additional assistant public defenders at a salary of $45,000 each, to supplement a staff of six attorneys.

She had also asked for additional help in June but withdrew the request at that point. The growing caseload, though, prompted her to make a pitch again.

After a lengthy discussion, the county Board of Supervisors Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee agreed to hire one additional lawyer, and asked Flores to look into whether some of the caseload could be picked up on a per diem basis by other lawyers.

Supervisors lamented the lack of state funding to deal with the mandated representation. Stony Creek Supervisor Frank Thomas questioned whether the state could add a surcharge for those who are convicted that would go to pay the costs of their representation.

It seems that if you are found guilty, there should be some money coming back, he said.
Speaking at the opening of the inaugural Turkish Fair in Accra on Wednesday he expressed his optimism that the trade relationship between Ghana and Turkey would grow exponentially in coming years.

He also urged Turkish companies to partner directly with Ghanaian businesses and not have to rely on middlemen to market the local products in the country.

The Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, Nesrin Bayazit on her part said that by the end of the year Ghana would become Turkeys second largest trade partner in Africa.
This has also caused some residents to relocate to nearby communities, abandoning their farm activities to prevent them from falling into the open gullies.

According to a former Assembly Member for Bepotenten, Janet Addei-Gyimah, six children have died as a result of falling into the abandoned pits in the last three years.

According to the Daily Graphic Newspaper, a Chinese woman known as Asia Huang is the lead operator working with some Ghanaians. Residents and opinion leaders in the two communities accused Huang of encroaching on their lands with support from some armed police and security personnel.

The residents narrated that they once seized some excavators and a Toyota pickup from Asia Huang but the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) in an official letter ordered the release of the items.

A copy of the letter which was seen by Daily Graphic, dated August 16, 2016, stated that I have instructions from the Ashanti REGSEC to order the release of four excavators and one Toyota pickup seized and being kept at Finaso barrier in the Obuasi Municipality to the owner, Madam Asia Huang. The letter was signed by the Regional Co-ordinating Director, Kofi Dwumor-Asubonteng.

READ ALSO: Minerals Commission steps up effort to regularise activities of illegal miners

Even though the residents accused the REGSEC of being bias the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Andy Osei Okrah, said they have no knowledge of the happenings in the mentioned communities, therefore making them illegal. He further said that the council will investigate the matter and strategise on the way forward.

The Odikro of Bepotenten, Opanin George Anane, who bemoaned the situation said the residents now have to walk for a long distance before they get access to portable water.
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But addressing a press conference in Accra on Thursday, August 25, 2016, President of UTAG, Harry Agbanu said the number of lecturers approved is not enough and must, therefore, be reviewed.

He said although the new academic year begins in August, the recruitment under the financial clearance, takes effect from November.

The vacancies that need to be filled by the University of Ghana, as regards all categories of staff stands at 1,200. Technical approval by Public Services Commission provided for 897 workers to be recruited. Surprisingly, financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance gives the university only 238 slots to be filled putting undue pressure on the few lecturers available, he said.

He believed government must not unnecessarily interfere in the administration of universities but rather allow them to operate in accordance with the Acts under which they were established.

This is the standard practice all over the world. Why Ghana should be the only exception is difficult to comprehend. It is not proper to continue to stretch the capacities of the few dedicated staff of the universities without concern for their wellbeing, he said.

UTAG has therefore called on the management of the various tertiary institutions to consider scaling down drastically the number of fresh students for admission this year.

However, the Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary, Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa said government does not envisage any drastic reduction in admission. He said processes are far advanced to ensure the recruitment of over one thousand lecturers who have been given financial clearance.
This is due to the latter's decision to donate the $7 million settlement she received from her litigation battle with him.

Heard had reportedly made a promise to give out her court settlement proceeds to two charity organisations, American Civil Liberties Union (AMLU) and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

The amount is to be divided into two, making it a sum of $3.5 million each for the recipients.

A representative of Depp told TMZ that the actor was happy that his ex wife went through with her announcement to make the donations she earlier promised.

"Following Amber Heard's announcement that her divorce settlement was to be divided equally and gifted to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union, two exceptionally deserving and important charities, Johnny Depp has sent the first of multiple installments of those monies to each charity in the name of Amber Heard, which when completed will honor the full amount of Ms. Heard's pledge."

"Ms. Heard's generosity in giving to these wonderful causes is deeply respected", the source concluded.

The pair broke off their marriage following reports of domestic abuse by Johnny Depp.
This is the first time the Conference is taking place in Africa, and according to President Mahama, hes looking forward to both the bilateral discussions at the political level, and discussions on boosting the private sectors role in Africas growth agenda.

Heads of State will take part in a special high level engagement with the continents private sector and their counterparts from Japan.

They will also discuss the promotion of structural economic transformation through economic diversification and industrialisation.

Ahead of the Conference opening on Saturday, President Mahama will hold talks with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, later today and also grant audience to the Executive Director of The Global Fund.
One of the lawyers for the three, Edudzi Tamakloe confirmed this on his Facebook page with a post saying happy seeing our clients after they were released from the Akuse Prison.

The contempt proceedings came after the three allegedly made threats against the lives of Supreme Court judges who sat on the Abu Ramadan and Gary Nimako versus the Electoral Commission case.

A petition book was subsequently opened by pro-government group Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP) to collect signatures of Ghanaians to implore the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy powers to free the three contemnors.
Speaking at the premises of Montie FM in Accra shortly after their release from the Akuse Prison today, Friday 26 August, the trio said they were grateful to President Mahama for graciously exercising his constitutional powers under Article 72 of the Constitution in our favour in remitting the remainder of the custodial sentence imposed on us recently.

We would also like to thank the Council of State profusely for their role in our release.

Let us restate our sincerest apologies to Her Ladyship the Chief Justice, Justices of the Supreme Court, and the Bench in general for the unfortunate and regrettable conduct which was rightly condemned by all Ghanaians. The past month has been a difficult one for us and none of us will ever wish to find himself anywhere near that situation again. Never again! That being said, we have learned our lesson and well like to reiterate President Mahamas call to our fellow media practitioners and all who appear on our platforms to take a cue from what happened to us and be circumspect in our utterances, the trio said.

The Montie three; Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase were on Friday, August 26, 2016, released from Akuse prison after President John Mahama remitted their four-month prison sentence.

The trio were sentenced to four months in prison by the Supreme Court following contempt proceedings against them.

The contempt proceedings came after the three allegedly made threats against the lives of Supreme Court judges who sat on the Abu Ramadan and Gary Nimako versus the Electoral Commission case.

A petition book was subsequently opened by pro-government group Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP) to collect signatures of Ghanaians to implore the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy powers to free the three contemnors.
The contempt proceedings came after the three allegedly made threats against the lives of Supreme Court judges who sat on the Abu Ramadan and Gary Nimako versus the Electoral Commission case.

A petition book was subsequently opened by pro-government group Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP) to collect signatures of Ghanaians to implore the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy powers to free the three contemnors.

After spending 27 days in jail, the three can now heave a sigh of relief as the president has given them remission.

The President's action based on the advice of the Council of State has attracted various comments from different people within the socio - political stratum of this country.

Most analysts have looked at the issue from its moral, legal and ethical perspectives, drawing its implications for constitutionalism and democracy.

Remission Deserving?

There is no denying the fact that the issue was not exhausted enough within the processes of law to warrant anybody pleading with the President to use his constitutional and executive powers to get the three persons convicted by the supreme court to be released. I tend to agree with other analysts who argue that the three Montie offenders had every right to appeal the judgment up to the point of review.

So the question is: Why the need for the petition to have them released in the first place? The constitution enjoins the President to be fair and unbiased in the exercise of his discretionary use of those powers conferred on him by the constitution. But the very fact that the Montie three made those utterances with the intent of favouring the ruling NDC makes the leniency of the President biased.

Of course, the Montie three spoke for a dominant party and when the consequences came; they were redeemed even though they were proven guilty.

Will the Council of State have advised the President to release the three if they had come from or were sympathetic to some other political party? I wonder.

Implications for Democracy

Morally it sounds right for the President to show mercy but at what cost to constitutionalism and eventually democracy?

It is said prison is not a pleasant place to live in, so the clemency exhibited by the president could be justifiable.

But I firmly believe that the action to remit the sentence of the Montie three is an unflattering precedence set to get society agitating for clemency for similar offenders in future.

There are approximately 2,000 prisoners in Nsawam Prison who have been on remand for years concerning offences in which they may not even have been involved. The president might as well release all those prisoners in an attempt to prove his moral right to show mercy.

Now with the presidents latest action, I fear that we might be forced to have our executive and judicial arms at war around this crucial election time when they are supposed to function as one body.

Already, many have argued that the presidents decision to free the Montie three has undermined the authority of the judiciary.

And definitely, threatening to kill an individual or rape him or her, as the Montie three did to the judges should never be taken lightly, as it has supposedly been done.

I believe that due to this remittance, many might jump the gun and churn out disrespectful language under the pretext of free speech.
Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Maase were released from the Akuse prison after President John Mahama remitted their four-month prison sentence

According to the lawyer, "So clearly, we dont want to overly send a signal that it is victory for the things that has happened. "If it is victory at all, then it is victory that they have gone through a democratic process to get them pardoned."

The contempt proceedings came after the three allegedly made threats against the lives of Supreme Court judges who sat on the Abu Ramadan and Gary Nimako versus the Electoral Commission case.

A petition book was subsequently opened by pro-government group Research and Advocacy Platform (RAP) to collect signatures of Ghanaians to implore the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy powers to free the three contemnors.
He is in Nairobi to attend the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).

Read more: Mahama leaves for Kenya

Friday's meeting ahead of Saturday's opening of the TICAD VI Summit centered on the development of trade between the two countries and a review of Japanese support for various sectors of the Ghanaian economy.

This is the first time the Conference is taking place in Africa, and according to President Mahama, hes looking forward to both the bilateral discussions at the political level, and discussions on boosting the private sectors role in Africas growth agenda.

Heads of State will take part in a special high level engagement with the continents private sector and their counterparts from Japan.
According to Dr Issah, two pick-up cars, one V8, one Pajaro and one saloon car could not be accounted forcing him to take action towards their retrieval.

In an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, Dr Issah said; I did a stock taking and realised that five vehicles were not in the transport fleet and so definitely I have to take administrative measures.

One of them was to seek advice from the Director General of the Ghana Health service, so I am still waiting for his advice, I have also informed the regional minister Albert Abongo on the matter.

And so I am waiting on their next direction and if nothing is been done, then definitely the guidelines and policies of this country are there and so we will then know what next step to take.
Spokesperson for Afoko argued that the decision to appeal the ruling was to protect the constitution and future of the party.

In an interview with the Daily Graphic newspaper, his spokesperson, Nana Yaw Osei, said the appeal is not all about Afoko.

The legal team of the NPP, however, said it was the right of the suspended national chairman of the party to appeal the decision, but it was up to him to prove to the Court of Appeal that the verdict of the High Court was faulty.

However, the lead Counsel of the NPP, Godfred Dame, has described the move by the suspended National Chairman of the party, as worrying.

Afoko last Tuesday filed an appeal at the Court, challenging the decision of the Human Rights Division of the Accra High Court to affirm his suspension by the party.

Afoko has been in court challenging a suspension handed down to him by the NPPs Disciplinary Committee for alleged misconduct.

The suspended Chair had earlier described his suspension as unconstitutional and a breach of natural justice.
"If you are possessed by the truth, and the truth is coming to you as a vision from so many angles, what is wrong with it? There is nothing wrong with it," Mr Anyidoho told Accra-based Class FM.

He added "So the president is possessed with the truth. If I wake up in the morning, and Im possessed with the truth, and Im not possessed with divisive tendencies, Im not possessed with divisive tyranny, Im not possessed with the spirit of dictatorship, but Im possessed by the spirit of truth, and I speak the truth, whats wrong with it?

Mr Anyindo's reply follows a press conference by the NPP on Thursday in which the party lashed out at President Mahama for campaigning on "lies and insults" as well as making Akufo-Addo the centre of his campaign message.

The party also responded to President Mahama's claims that NPP is divided and that Akufo-Addo is a dictator.

We wish to tell the president that the New Patriotic Party is not divided; we wish to tell him that the only fight that the NPP is involved in is the fight to rid Ghana of his bad leadership, the acting general secretary of the party, John Boadu told a news conference on Thursday.

President Mahama has recently upped his attacks on Akufo-Addo.

He again attacked Akufo-Addo's character at a rally in Bimbila in the Northern Region, describing him as a "dictator" and a "divisive" figure.
Within the last few months, people have been reading up on the lovebirds who are now comfortable about flaunting their relationship out in the open.

While we know a lot about AKA and Bonang Matheba, the celebrity couple were recently put to the test to find out how much they know about each other.

ALSO READ: AKA declares his love for Bonang Matheba

You Magazine TV fired rapid questions at the pair and their answers will surprise you.

Bonang Matheba and AKA were honoured with the title of South Africa's Favourite Couple, at 2016 You Awards.
The incident, which occurred in the town of Panduro, La Paz, happened on Thursday, August 25, 2016, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

The deceased, RodolfoIllanes, 56, was reportedly kidnapped by the miners while attempting to begin interaction with them over a road block.

He was beaten to death subsequently.

ALSO READ: Only five countries give gay people equal constitutional rights

Romero condemned the killing of his colleague, terming the action as a cowardly and brutal murder.

The incidence brings the death toll in the crisis to a total of three, as two miners were reportedly killed a day before the death of the minister.

Two miners were killed on Wednesday."
Ayade revealed this while interacting with reporters at the Executive Chambers, Calabar, on Thursday, August 25, 2016.

According to him, it is difficult to send the hawkers away from the street due to their inability to rent a shop.

You cannot tell a man not to sell his goods on the streets because he cannot rent a store, yet you tell the man not to steal."

"Just provide a regulatory framework because to prohibit hawking is to tell a man that you dont want him to eat."

I have sent the Hawking Rights Bill to the House of Assembly to provide a regulatory framework that will provide the right to hawk. We are making provisions for a hawkers corridor."

There must be a minimum age, you must be 18 and they must be seen to be properly dressed with reflective vests."

"They must have a time zone of when they come out, so as to be able to make optimal sales because we dont want them to constitute nuisance in the environment."

Prohibiting hawking is to tell a man that you dont want to give him food, and you dont also want him to steal, it is unfair."

The governor, clearly concerned about the well-being of the street hawkers, said the challenges faced by the traders isn't about how to make sales alone, but how to stay alive.
Denying that he killed Adeyeye for ritual purposes, Oweniwe, a part-time student of the department of Science and Laboratory Technology (SLT), said he did not remove any part of her body as being insinuated but that he just wanted to have a feel of murder.

Narrating how he killed the young lady, Oweniwe, whose parents are farmers in Ayede Ogbese community in the state, said:

I invited her from Owo to Akure and after introducing her to my parents, I lured her into a bush and strangled her, leaving her body in the bush.

On the second day, I asked a commercial motorcycle rider to take me to the bush where I left her. I observed that she was not dead, I used a stone to hit her head repeatedly and she died immediately.

My parents became curious when they did not see her and I was arrested by the police.

I did not remove any part of her body; I only killed her for the fun of it. I made love with her in the bush before killing her. I am not a cultist. It was when I killed her that I realized I made a big mistake and I wept bitterly.

The devil pushed me into killing her.

Confirming the arrest of Oweniwe, the State Commissioner of Police, Hilda Ibifuro-Harrison, said that acting on a tip-off, the suspect was arrested and during interrogation, he confessed to committing the crime.
"My name is Humphrey, a 38-year-old man living and working in Lagos. I have an issue that has been bugging me and I want to share with other readers to get some valuable advice from them on the steps to follow.

I am about to get married next month but as it is, I am skeptical and feel my life may be in danger. The reason for my current reservation is that I caught my fiancee, Tolu, in a pot of food she was preparing for me and this has made me fear for my life.

I don't know what she has done to me already but I will never forget the day I caught her red handed in the act. That day, an old school mate of mine who has been living abroad came back to Nigeria and called that he would be visiting me. I was so happy that after almost 10 years, James made a sudden appearance and wanted to visit me.

I called Tolu from the office and told her to go home and prepare a meal for us. I closed earlier than I usually did and went to Shoprite where I bought a bottle of wine to use in entertaining my friend.

From there, I drove home and as I was climbing the staircase to my flat, I percieved the aroma of food wafting from the kitchen. After dropping the wine on the dining table, I tiptoed to the kitchen to see what Tolu was preparing, without announcing my arrival like I usually did.

My intention was to surprise her. As I was about to step into the kitchen, I saw her through the open window bring out a wrapped paper from her pocket, glanced around furtively before opening the paper and sprinkled the substance into the pot of food.

I was shocked and stood rooted to where I was. It dawned on me that what she poured into the food was not part of the ingredient because she had returned it into her pocket.

When I recollected my senses, I silently went out of the house and drove to a nearby beer parlour where I spent an hour before going back home.

Pretending that I was just coming back, I asked Tolu what she prepared for me and she told me the table was already set. I told her I was not hungry and had to wait for my friend. She insisted I ate first before my friend came but I insisted I was not going to eat just yet.

She kept on pressurizing me to eat but unlike me, I refused and she got annoyed but what I saw made me reject all appeals from her.

Even when James came, I stylishly took him out for lunch and since that day, I have never eaten any food she prepares without her eating from the same plate.

Our wedding is gathering momentum but I am not too keen on it as I was before my discovery. I am tempted to call it off but I do not know what to tell my family.

Humphrey."

The teaser for the was:

How Nigeria voted:

I will call off the wedding - 41%

I will let her know what she did and go ahead with the wedding - 17%

I will tell our families to call her to order - 5%

That will be the end of the relationship - 37%
Having successfully launched its flagship store in year 2000, Ruff n Tumble has overtime become Nigerias biggest outlet for the best in childrens clothing and accessories.

Adenike Ogunlesi, the company's Founder and Chief Responsibility Officer, says, As we launch our latest Stand alone store in Opebi, Ill like to say a big thank you to all Ruff N Tumble customers, consumers, partners and stakeholders whose love, commitment and support has made it so much possible for us all.

At Ruff 'n' Tumble we will continue to inspire through fashion by consistently delivering on our promise of Fun and Fashion for Kids.

The stores are known for stocking unique and fun fashion pieces designed locally and internationally for children & teenagers between the ages of 0-16 years.

The new Ruff n Tumble store is located at 2A, Opebi Road, Toyin Street Roundabout, Ikeja, Lagos.

Time: 1pm

Date: 28, August 2016.

Ruff n Tumble, all about Fun and Fashion for Kids!
What better way to ease off the stress of the week than watch a good movie.

With that in mind, check out our list of movies currently showing in cinemas across Lagos, Abuja and Port Harcourt.

Starring: Zac Efron, Adam Devine, Anna Kendrick

Synopsis: Two hard-partying brothers place an online ad to find the perfect dates for their sister's Hawaiian wedding. Hoping for a wild getaway, the boys instead find themselves out-hustled by an uncontrollable duo.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 4:15pm, 6:15pm, 8:15pm

Friday - Thursday: 11:20 AM, 1:30 PM, 6:00 PM

Friday - Thursday: 12:55PM, 4:25PM

Friday - Thursday: 1:20PM, 5:20PM

Starring: Angelique Kidjo, Jimmy Jean Louis, Wale Ojo, Fatym Layache, Nico Ranagio, Kemi Lala Akindoju, veteran actress Hilda Dokunbo .

Synopsis: Set mainly on a beautiful beach resort on the outskirts of Lagos in Nigeria .The CEO is a mystery-thriller surrounding five top executives from across Africa who are dispatched on a 1-week leadership retreat by a multinational telecommunication firm, to determine which one to appoint as the firms new CEO. Things go awry when one by-one the executives are eliminated in sudden death circumstances, and the finger falls on the last two remaining executive as prime suspects. As the threat of a possible death sentence for multiple homicide looms over them.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 12:35PM, 6:30PM

Friday - Thursday: 1:00pm

Friday - Thursday: 2:20PM, 6:40PM, 8:50PM

Starring: OC Ukeje, Adesua Etomi, Ireti Doyle

Synopsis: "The Arbitration" tells the story of Gbenga (O.C Ukeje) and his employee Dara (Adesua Etomi) who had an affair. After the affair ended and Dara left the company, she sued Gbenga and accused him of rape. An arbitration panel was constituted to find out the truth.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 5:00 PM

Friday - Thursday: 12:25pm

Friday - Thursday: 10:40AM, 9:05PM

Sunday: 9:05PM

Friday - Thursday: 12:00PM, 4:20PM, 8:40PM

4.

Starring: Liam Hemsworth, Alice Braga, Woody Harrelson

Synopsis: A Texas Ranger investigates a series of unexplained deaths in a town called Helena.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 1:30pm

Daily:4:40 PM, 9:10 PM

Friday - Thursday: 11:00AM

Starring: Mark Rylance, Ruby Barnhill, Penelope Wilton

Synopsis: A girl named Sophie encounters the Big Friendly Giant who, despite his intimidating appearance, turns out to be a kindhearted soul who is considered an outcast by the other giants because, unlike them, he refuses to eat children.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 10:50am

Friday - Thursday: 12:20PM, 2:40PM, 5:00PM

Friday - Thursday: 10:50AM

Daily: 11:50 AM, 2:20 PM, 4:50 PM

6.

Starring: Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones

Synopsis: Arthur Bishop thought he had put his murderous past behind him when his most formidable foe kidnaps the love of his life. Now he is forced to travel the globe to complete three impossible assassinations, and do what he does best, make them look like accidents.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 12:00pm, 2:00pm, 3:00pm, 4:00pm, 5:00pm, 6:00pm, 7:00pm, 8:00pm, 9:00pm

Friday - Thursday: 12:45PM, 5:50PM, 7:40PM, 9:30PM

Fri & Sat: 12:30 PM, 2:40 PM, 4:50 PM, 7:00 PM, 7:20 PM, 9:10 PM, 9:25 PM, 11:20 PM

Sun - Thu: 12:30 PM, 2:40 PM, 4:50 PM, 5:50 PM, 7:00 PM, 7:20 PM, 8:00 PM, 9:10 PM, 9:25 PM

(--VIP SHOWS--)

Fri & Sat: 10:00 PM

Daily: 5:50 PM, 8:00 PM

Starring: Chris Pine, Zachary Quinto, Karl Urban

Synopsis: The USS Enterprise crew explores the furthest reaches of uncharted space, where they encounter a new ruthless enemy who puts them and everything the Federation stands for to the test.

Showing:

Friday - Sunday: 2:40PM, 4:55PM, 7:10PM

Starring: Stephanie Beatriz, Robert Cardone, Neil deGrasse Tyson

Synopsis: Manny, Diego, and Sid join up with Buck to fend off a meteor strike that would destroy the world.

Showing:

Fri-Thur: 10:00am

Friday - Thursday: 1:05PM

Friday - Thursday: 10:45 AM, 12:45 PM

Starring: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Danielle Nicolet

Synopsis: After he reunites with an old school pal through Facebook, a mild-mannered accountant is lured into the world of international espionage.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 10:00am

Starring: Miles Teller, Bradley Cooper, Ana de Armas

Synopsis: Based on the true story of two young men, David Packouz and Efraim Diveroli, who won a $300 million contract from the Pentagon to arm America's allies in Afghanistan.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 6:15PM

Friday - Thursday: 12:10PM, 4:30PM

Genesis Deluxe Cinemas

Friday - Thursday: 3:40 PM, 8:10 PM, 10:30 PM

Starring: Jesse Eisenberg, Mark Ruffalo, Woody Harrelson

Synopsis: The Four Horsemen resurface and are forcibly recruited by a tech genius to pull off their most impossible heist yet.

Showing:

Fri-Thur: 10:10am

Starring: Melissa McCarthy, Kristen Wiig, Kate McKinnon

Synopsis: 30 years after Ghostbusters took the world by storm, the beloved franchise makes its long-awaited return. Director Paul Feig brings his fresh take to the supernatural comedy, joined by some of the funniest actors working today.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 11:50am, 1:55pm

Friday - Thursday: 12:30PM, 2:10PM, 4:20PM

Starring:Alexander Skarsgard, Rory J. Saper, Christian Stevens

Synopsis: Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.

Showing:

Fri-Thur: 11:30am

Friday - Thursday: 3:10PM, 7:10PM, 9:20PM

Friday - Thursday: 3:40PM

Starring:Alexander Skarsgard, Rory J. Saper, Christian Stevens

Synopsis: Tarzan, having acclimated to life in London, is called back to his former home in the jungle to investigate the activities at a mining encampment.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 2:55PM

Starring:Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Tyler Perry

Synopsis: After facing Shredder, who has joined forces with mad scientist Baxter Stockman and henchmen Bebop and Rocksteady to take over the world, the Turtles must confront an even greater nemesis: the notorious Krang.

Showing:

Fri-Thur: 10:05am, 12:10pm

Starring:Margot Robbie, Cara Delevingne, Jared Leto

Synopsis: A secret government agency recruits imprisoned supervillains to execute dangerous black ops missions in exchange for clemency.

Showing:

Fri - Thu: 7:20 PM, 9:55 PM

Fri-Thur: 3:35pm, 6:10pm, 8:40pm

Friday - Thursday: 11:30AM, 2:00PM, 4:30PM, 7:00PM, 9:30PM

Friday - Thursday: 1:10PM, 8:35PM

Starring:Melissa Joan Hart, Jesse Metcalfe, David A.R. White

Synopsis: When a high school teacher is asked a question in class about Jesus, her response lands her in deep trouble.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 5:00PM

Starring:Mila Kunis, Kathryn Hahn, Kristen Bell

Synopsis: When three overworked and under-appreciated moms are pushed beyond their limits, they ditch their conventional responsibilities for a jolt of long overdue freedom, fun, and comedic self-indulgence

Showing:

Daily: 1:40 PM, 3:50 PM, 6:00 PM, 8:10 PM, 10:20 PM

(--VIP SHOWS--)

Daily:3:40 PM

Fri-Thur: 12:30pm, 2:30pm, 5:35pm

Friday - Thursday: 4:30PM, 9:20PM

Starring:Angela Dixon, Nigel Whitmey, Lisa Eichhorn

Synopsis: A single mother on vacation, takes the law into her own hands to take back her abducted child.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 2:40PM

Starring: Kenneth Okonkwo, Bovi Ugboma, Lilian Esoro, Ebela Okaro, Alex Ekubo, Brycee Bassey, Anthony Monjaro.

Synopsis: A young woman's innocent online romance soon turn sour when her boyfriend decides to use the unsuspecting wealthy man as a cash cow. If he was duped of money, that's 419 but when you dupe him of Love, it is 41Love.

Showing:

Friday - Thursday: 10:45AM, 7:15PM

Sunday: 7:15PM

Friday - Thursday: 12:00PM, 2:10PM, 6:30PM

Fri-Thur: 2:10pm
Read excerpts of his interview with Daily Trust below:

What is your take on the botched Port Harcourt convention?

It was a divine intervention because there would have been a lot of crises at that convention. God knows that there are genuine people who have been prayerful. PDP is very lucky, as a party, because the control by the Rivers governor and his team from Rivers State was overwhelming.

And when he spoke to us a day before (the convention), we were clapping for him, only to go to the accreditation centreand can you imagine, Lagos State had 51 delegates but they didnt give us one card.

They gave Ogun three cards out of the delegates. Oyo got three. Osun and Kwara were given the same thing, likewise some states in the North. What was that for? Where was the transparency that he promised us? And it was his chief of staff that was made the chairman of the accreditation committee and the secretary was the attorney-general of the state.

He (Wike) himself was the chairman of the convention committee and the former deputy speaker of the states Assembly was the chairman of the electoral panel. So, everything was run by Rivers. Is it a Rivers State affair? This was a national convention of a political party.

I have never seen such a thing in my life. If we had done it, he would have prevented Lagos State delegates from going in because he wanted to camp Jimi Agbaje there. How? If a zone cannot recommend him (Agbaje), who the hell are you people to decide he is the one you want?

We didnt interfere with them bringing Secondus or the South-east bringing their own candidate. We would save this party, would do everything that is possible to salvage this party.

The South-west had already endorsed somebody, you refused to take that, you were manipulating people, jumping all around. If we had done that when we were building the party, many of them would never have ended up being governors. If you are a governor, you must show a high pitch of responsibility, respectability and civility. For Gods sake, you are messing up with the Yoruba people.

They are saying, This is what we want and you are saying, this is the one you would pick for us. And they are taking a man who is yet to get his political teeth in Yoruba land in the PDP to make him the national chairman. It is an insult to the Yoruba people and we will never allow it, very disgraceful, very thoughtless.

What do you think we are in Yoruba land? And nobody goes to the Villa (Presidency) without winning the South-west with 6.5m registered voters. I am happy that it (convention) was postponed.

Like I said, it is a divine intervention. Now you can see that Sheriff is a saint. All he has been complaining about, he was right.

A lot of people were saying if the convention had gone as planned, probably Jimi Agbaje would have emerged as the chairman. Would you have accepted him?

That is what they had planned. They tried to manipulate the system to produce a man who doesnt even know the party yet to be chairman. Sheriff said it before that he (Agbaje) was in his house, when they came to bring him in and then that didnt work.

And now you want to bring another musketeer to come and be national chairman. So, Yoruba people dont know what we want? It is not a matter of life and death, but I will resist anybody trying to insult the Yoruba people.

Now the committee has one more year to continue in office. Are you satisfied with the arrangement?
The Governor also said the PDP members who were arrested have been charged to court to serve as a deterrent.

According to Daily Post, Oshiomhole said As long as I am here, there is no exemption for anyone. Nobody has the right to behave like an emperor.

We were carrying poles to extend electricity to some villages but they (PDP) arranged some boys to block the vehicle.

They forced the driver to stop, attacked one of our commissioners and said nothing will happen?
CAN also expressed displeasure that Kerry did not meet with any Christian group when he came to Nigeria on Tuesday, August 23, 2016.

It also accused the United States of trying to plant religious and ethnic division, following Kerrys visit to the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar,who is the head of Muslims in Nigeria.

CAN also alleged the US Secretary of States visit to the Sultan was aimed at encouraging the Federal Governments agenda of persecuting Nigerian Christians.

It also called on Kerry to stop interfering with the internal affairs of a sovereign nation like Nigeria.

According to the President of CAN, Rev. Supo Ayokunle, Kerrys lack of respect for the heterogeneous nature of Nigeria, amounted to favouring northern Nigeria and Muslims to the detriment of the Christian community.

He also said the action of the US Secretary of State proves allegations that Barack Obamas administration supported the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2015 elections.

According to to Ayokunle, Why did he meet with 19 states governors, without southern governors, is Nigeria the north alone, why did you go to the north alone?

Theres a siege on Christians. Kerry, his actions speak volume, his actions, body language were very divisive.

If US Secretary of States is coming for official visit, its understandable, but we demand explanation why he was selective. Has the sultan palace become another state house? Was Kerry invited by the Sultan?

We have 36 States in Nigeria; he only selected northern governors to meet with them. It was a visit to the north, not to Nigeria. It was surely a very divisive visit. With the visit to the north, Kerrys visit has heightened fear and tension among Christians in Nigeria, if they cannot bring us together, they should not interfere in our affairs.
The PKK also said it did not deliberately target the leader of Turkey's main opposition party in an attack in the northeast on Thursday. The government had said the PKK had targetted the convoy of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the secularist Republican People's Party (CHP), who escaped unharmed.
The attackers set off a car bomb at the Banadir restaurant at the city's Lido beach before engaging security forces in a fight for several hours.

The casualties comprised six civilians, two members of the security forces and two of the attackers, Ali Abdullahi, a police officer, said on Friday.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed the attack, which ended at around 3:00 a.m. local time, police said.

The group has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the Western-backed government.

In a separate incident in southern Somalia, a roadside bomb planted by al Shabaab militants injured 10 people, police said on Friday, raising the number of wounded from three initially.
There will be a change this year to two events which normally happen at different times. The Wild West Extravaganza changed location last year from Saddle West to Petrack Park. This year, another event, the Acoustic Grass Festival, has joined forces with WWE. Both events are set for May 2, 3 and 4.

There will be a change this year to two events which normally happen at different times. The Wild West Extravaganza changed location last year from Saddle West to Petrack Park. This year, another event, the Acoustic Grass Festival, has joined forces with WWE. Both events are set for May 2, 3 and 4.

Among the bluegrass bands performing will be Still House Road, Stuck In Reverse, Out Of The Desert and Wandering Woods. The bluegrass music will be presented in the park the entire weekend. There is always a bit of a jam session, a few contests and raffles which go along with the music and are fundraisers for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10054 on Homestead Road.

The Shadow Mountain Community Players will hold the annual melodrama in the Bob Ruud Community Center. This years production is titled Rowdy Joe and the Lost Prospectors Mine or Baby Its Gold Outside, by M. K. ORoark.

The melodrama format has changed somewhat as well. The show which begins at 7 p.m., will open the doors at 6 p.m. and Fridays event tickets are $10.

Saturday night will be a dinner theatre of deep-pit barbecue and fixins to accompany the show. Tickets for Saturdays event are $20 and includes dinner. Doors open for the evening performances at 6 p.m. and the melodrama starts at 7 p.m.

Sunday is a matinee with doors opening at 1 p.m. with a 2 p.m. starting time. Tickets are available at the library located at 701 East St. or by calling 775-727-6145.

In the arena will be an open youth rodeo as well as the Sin City Mounted Shooters.

The other usual events such as Boomtown, historical re-enactors, childrens games, deep pit barbecue, a Civil War weapons display, the Native American Village and more are still on tap throughout the weekend.

The Pony Express Trail Ride is scheduled for Saturday

An event which may need an explanation is the Great Outhouse Race.

On Saturday, May 3, at 10 a.m. the Great Outhouse Race will charge through the park. Entrants build their own outhouses mounted on wheels and push them across the finish line. The design makes the outhouses a bit unwieldy and difficult to steer.

Spokesman Carlton McCaslin said he has signed up quite a few participants, most of them politicians.

Entry forms are available at the library or by calling 775-727-6145.There will be prizes for the fastest entry as well as a peoples choice award.

For more information call 775-209-6731, 714-323-5348 or 775-910-9611. For vendors contact 775-209-3444.

Sponsors for this years festival are Nevada State Bank, Saitta Trudeau Chrysler Jeep Dodge, and Shadow Mountain Feed.
While sheriffs candidate Sharon Wehrlys campaign slogan promotes her 100-day action plan if shes elected, Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall outlined his plan at the Bob Ruud Community Center Tuesday.

While sheriffs candidate Sharon Wehrlys campaign slogan promotes her 100-day action plan if shes elected, Assistant Sheriff Rick Marshall outlined his plan at the Bob Ruud Community Center Tuesday.

One of my first changes is going to be appointing Rick Dugan as my assistant sheriff, Marshall said to applause. He said Dugan has over 20 years of full-time law enforcement experience, he is the officer in charge of the DARE anti-drug program and GREAT anti-gang program for the kids, is a patrol sergeant and runs a construction company.

Were going to reorganize the sheriffs office so to put more officers on the street. Were going to enlarge our reserve program. Were going to have citizen advisory boards and business advisory boards in each community. Were going to have a community liaison officer and that officer will be there for you if you need to address the criminal justice system, Marshall said. The community liaison officer will also handle the Neighborhood Watch program, community awareness seminars and help give information at the senior center, he said.

The other thing were going to do is establish accountability and transparency throughout the sheriffs office. We believe it begins at the top and trickles down to the bottom, Marshall said.

Wehrly said, I will immediately begin an internal audit of programs, position, policies, procedures and processes to determine where we are and ensure were moving toward agency standardization to ensure budget dollars are being used in a manner conducive to produce the most efficient results while continuing to meet our peacekeeping and service responsibilities. I will remain within the budget and explore alternate revenue streams.

Wehrly plans to coordinate new memorandums of understanding

I will change the culture of the Nye County Sheriffs Office by treating the employees with respect and implement a fair, concise, unbiased set of policies and procedures which will be administered equally and without prejudice, she said.

Wehrly plans to retain a citizens action team  actually renamed the sheriffs auxiliary  rebuild the reserve deputy program, continue re-implementing the sheriffs cadet program and assist the emergency management services department in building an emergency response team.

Marshall said he doesnt need 100 days to implement changes as Wehrly suggests in her campaign.

We dont use Department of Energy standards, we use our own standards. We dont need 100 days and we are constantly reassessing any program we implement. We are constantly reassessing it to make sure its on track with our goals and objectives, he said.

Wehrly formerly worked for Wackenhut Services Inc., the security contractor at the Nevada National Security Site.

On one question, Marshall countered the department hasnt had a low retention rate for officers.

Weve been tracking our retention rate since 1997 and for the past three years starting with 2011 our retention rate was 87.32 percent, in 2012 it was 91.55 percent, in 2013 it was 94.33 percent, for an average of 91.7 percent for the retention rate. I queried the International Association of Law Enforcement Planners to see what similar agencies around the country had with retention rates. Their retention rate was lower than ours, it averaged 80 to 85 percent, Marshall said.

The high retention rate however means increasing personnel costs, which are about 91 percent of the budget, Marshall said, with $6.5 million in salaries, $4.5 million in benefits and about $800,000 in add-on personnel costs, leaving about $1.1 million for services and supplies.

Wehrly said until she works for the sheriffs office she wont know the retention rate. But she added, Usually when there is a retention rate problem the source is bullying, favoritism, people feeling that theres unfair practices going on, or theyre looking for a better job and they find it so they move.

Both candidates supported the creation of a citizens advisory review board and emphasized it shouldnt just be a rubber stamp but a board that could make some recommendations with some teeth. But Wehrly added, the citizens review board has to be triggered and right now we dont have triggers in the document. The triggers have to be a citizens complaint, a deputys complaint, the sheriffs complaint.

In answering another loaded question, Marshall said there was a perception officers use their position to intimidate other officers. He pledged if someone brought that complaint forward it would be investigated.

Wehrly said the citizens review board would conduct an independent investigation of any bullying. She also suggested having deputies wearing lapel cameras to record continuously during their shift, except in sensitive areas.

Marshall said he was absolutely in favor of lapel cameras.

We are researching ways to fund that to get servers for them. The lapel cameras themselves, the servers, would be what the downloaded data would be stored on. Im absolutely in favor of it, it protects the citizens, it protects the officers, it protects the county, he said.

Moderator Geraldine Ahrens noted Wehrly received the endorsement of 74 percent of the members of the Nye County Law Enforcement Association. Marshall said he didnt seek their endorsement, he received an email from NCLEA inviting him to appear at a meet and greet at Petrack Park, but never received an answer back.

I wasnt invited to the park either, Wehrly said, one of a series of her simple, short answers to Marshalls longer-winded ones that drew an applause.

Both candidates support broadening the recruitment process to attract more ethnic minorities. They also promoted more volunteer programs.

Marshall defended a policy of letting deputies take patrol cars home.

This is a very large valley and we are understaffed as it is. In the last four years we have lost 26 positions, nine of them have been supervisors. If we have three officers on shift and theyre handling something on the south end of the valley, a home invasion or a shooting, or something occurs where you need an officer immediately we dont want that officer driving to the station, checking out a vehicle, making sure it has enough gas in it and go to your house, Marshall said.

Wehrly was asked what to do if a federal agency like the U.S. Bureau of Land Management came into Nye County to seize someones cattle, like at the Bundy Ranch in Clark County.

I dont believe they are a federal police agency. Lets just say the federal folks will be stopped in their tracks, we will protect our citizens.
Tiana OLeary used to act out in school just to be sent home. She skipped class so much that graduating seemed beyond reach.

Absences were a regular occurrence when she attended Rock Island High School. Many mornings, she wouldnt even go inside the building.

My friends would say they were skipping school, and Id ask, Can I come with? OLeary said. Wed watch our parents drive away, and then we were gone.

Educators, her parents and OLeary, herself, have realized her disciplinary problems were actually a coping strategy. She couldnt stand being in classrooms with 20 or more students.

The 18-year-old struggles with anxiety.

Going into a situation, like large crowds of people, freaks me out, OLeary said. My heart starts racing. I kind of space out and dont hear what people are telling me.

It wasnt just school she was trying to avoid. There were times she got in trouble in order to be grounded, because she was trying to get out of going to birthday parties.

When OLeary was a junior, a teacher suggested a change of environment. Liz Kantner, a former Rock Island High School teacher, invited the teenager to attend Thurgood Marshall Learning Center, 600 11th Ave., an alternative school for students in grades 7 through 12.

A year and a half later, OLeary is one of a handful of students who have been selected to be part of an experimental learning project at Thurgood Marshall. With some new furniture, a fresh coat of paint and a healthy dose of sympathy, the school has created what staff calls the safe room.

A new kind of class is in session.

Principal Phil Ambrose said the safe room is one of several initiatives his building is undertaking to become a more trauma-informed school.

Stress is as debilitating to children as it is to adult health, Ambrose said.

For students who are dealing with chronic stress and anxiety, the safe room offers an alternative to a traditional classroom.

With its couches, swivel chair and lava lamp taking the place of rows of desks, the safe room looks more like a living room.

The high back booth by the window is OLearys go-to spot. She loves to chat.

Yes, talking is allowed in this class.

The school purchased two booths and a table from the former Le Figaro French Restaurant, which was in downtown Rock Island.

We got one of their preferred booths, said school counselor Cindy Lukasik, who knew the restaurants owners.

The safe rooms teacher, Kate Reyhons, bought adhesive contact paper to stick to the top of the table. As the cup of dry-erase markers and ink splotches may suggest, the table has become a popular place to practice art and poetry.

OLeary, wearing a faded Superman T-shirt and backward camouflage cap, was scribbling math problems on the white-top table on Wednesday.

Over by the lava lamp stood a stack of books, including Harry Potter. A poster on the wall nearby stated, Creativity takes courage.

Meanwhile, students could be working on a lesson at one of the few computer stations or taking a test at the giant circle table in the center. One student headed to the circle table to continue constructing a model car he has been working on in his spare time since the beginning of the school year.

Reyhons described the safe room as a nest where students feel cozy, comfortable and safe.

Its like we have our own little family, said Reyhons, adding that some days she feels more like counselor than teacher.

There are no desks except the teachers. And instead of students bringing an apple for the teacher, the teacher brings bowls full of apples and bananas for the students to munch whether theyre engaged in studies or taking a few minutes to unwind.

Eating also is allowed in class. Theres a fridge, too, and its stocked with bottled water.

Not quite a dozen ninth- through 12th-grade students attend class in the safe room, making the student-to-teacher ratio much smaller than most other classes in the Rock Island-Milan School District. Some students spend an hour or so there before going to traditional classrooms the rest of the day. Others, such as OLeary, may spend the whole school day there, Reyhons said.

While the safe room concept as Ambrose and his team have envisioned may be unique to Thurgood Marshall, the idea of a trauma-informed school environment is part of a growing nationwide trend in which vulnerable students are greeted with simple acts of kindness.

Someone cares every morning they show up to school, said Kantner. Theres food for them and a hug for them. If youre having a bad day, take a second. Take a second, and lets talk this through. Thats the approach.

Thurgood Marshall, located in the Douglas Park neighborhood with an average enrollment of 88 students, is the only Quad-City public school fully engaged in being trauma-informed, Ambrose said.

In addition to the safe room, the school has a fridge in every classroom, and students are encouraged to snack on fruit and crackers provided by the teachers. Ambrose said staff buys 275 to 300 bananas and 120 apples a week.

The idea for a safe room came out of two years of staff planning, including a trip to Walla Walla, Washington, where Lincoln Alternative High Schools efforts to embrace trauma-informed education practices became the subject of a recent documentary, "Paper Tigers."

Students struggling with stress, anxiety and other mental health issues were chosen for the first year of Thurgood Marshalls safe room.

We thought wed scrap the traditional classroom and rebuild something more conducive to their style of learning, Lukasik said.

Reyhons, who pursued a law enforcement career before deciding on education and is in her fourth year at Thurgood Marshall, was chosen as the safe rooms teacher.

Students understand why they were chosen. Reyhons said some of them speak openly to the group about their issues while others will take the teacher aside and talk one-on-one.

While her classroom may look laid back, Reyhons isnt when it comes to keeping students on task. She said earlier this week she had to tell a student she wasnt keeping up with a certain lesson, to which the student stormed out of the room.

The student returned the next day, ready to be given another chance, Reyhons said.

After only a few weeks in existence, the success of the safe room cannot yet be determined. But Ann OLeary already has seen the difference in her daughter, who is the middle child of three.

In the spring, teachers and I would text and they say, Dont worry. Shell graduate. Id start crying, Maybe. Well see, Ann OLeary said. Now with this program, shes really enjoying it and learning a lot. I think she can concentrate on learning instead of worrying about what everyone else is doing.

The school will track part of the safe rooms success on attendance and academic performance. Ambrose used OLeary as an example of just how far one student can come when put into a more nurturing environment.

No one anticipated she could stand up in front of a group of people and speak, Ambrose said. She wouldnt leave her home. A tutor had to go into her home. We convinced her to start an hour a day with us, to bring her homeschool here. We built on it. Shes not the same girl we were working with 18 months ago.

What once seemed impossible now doesnt. OLeary plans to graduate at the end of the year and go to college one day. She also wants to join an electricians union and already has helped build a little free library.

It had gotten to the point where I skipped school every day, and in my head, Im thinking Im too far gone, OLeary said. I came to Thurgood and earned my credits back so fast. You actually learn here. Youre not just breezing through subjects. You get it.
More Iowa women are on the ballot for federal and state legislative seats this year than ever before, according to a group that's trying to convince more women to run.

The group, 50-50 in 2020, says that 65 women are on the ballot. Twenty-seven of the candidates are incumbents, and 38 are not, the group said.

Jean Lloyd-Jones, a former state senator from Iowa City and a co-founder of the group, called it "another step on the path to equity for women in Iowa government."

The last election cycle marked a milestone in Iowa politics, with Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican, elected to the U.S. Senate, the first time Iowa had sent a woman to Congress.

This year, with Hillary Clinton running for president, the group also is heralding the idea that women are running at every level of the state ballot.

Officials with the organization think Clinton may be inspiring other women to run this year. But this year's record-breaking turnout for women also is partly being driven by a handful of central Iowa women who are on the ballot challenging incumbents, said Mary Ellen Miller, the executive director for 50-50 in 2020.

The previous high for women being on the Iowa ballot was in 2012, Miller said.

Even with the higher numbers statewide, Scott County actually is experiencing a dip in women on the ballot for federal and state legislative seats this election cycle.

In 2014, there were eight women on the ballot in Scott County seeking legislative seats. In 2016, that number has dropped to three.

Part of the reason for the decline is that Rep. Linda Miller, R-Bettendorf, is retiring, to be replaced by Gary Mohr, a Bettendorf alderman. In addition, Sen. Rita Hart, D-Camanche, is not on the ballot this year because she does not face re-election until 2018.

In 2014, the women on the ballot here included Ernst and Ruth Hill, an independent running for U.S. Senate. Also, Republican Mariannette Miller-Meeks was seeking the 2nd Congressional District seat and five of the nine local Statehouse seats featured women on the ballot.

This year, U.S. Senate hopeful Patty Judge, a Democrat, and Reps. Cindy Winckler, D-Davenport, and Phyllis Thede, D-Bettendorf, are the only women in the county running for state or federal legislative seats.

The 50-50 in 2020 group, whose goal is to have as many Iowa women as men holding state and federal legislative seats in four years, noted it was making the announcement of a new state record in time for the federally designated Women's Equality Day, which was observed on Friday.

Still, the group says more progress is needed. Fewer than a quarter of the state's legislative seats are held by women, Miller says. And, until 2014, Iowa was notable for being one of only a small number of states never to have sent a woman to Congress.

Maggie Tinsman, a former state senator from Bettendorf and a founder of the group, said she thinks their efforts are helping, as is the sight of other women running, including for president.

"I'm very excited to see more and more women running," she said.

The 50-50 in 2020 group, which was founded in 2010, has a number of programs to further its goal, such as holding a training academies for women running for office. It says it's the only bipartisan, issue-neutral group in the country working to elect women.
The Scott County Board of Supervisors approved a special use permit for residential use of property zoned commercial in Park View at Thursdays meeting.

Supervisors unanimously passed the amendment to the zoning ordinance on second reading. The Zoning Board of Adjustment will review the amendment for final consideration of the special use request.

Property owners Pat and Lora Dierickx of Long Grove plan to convert an abandoned church in Park View to a home day care. The Park View Homeowners Association originally objected to the proposal because of concerns that the community would lose land available for commercial development.

In other business, supervisors awarded a $37,565 design services contract for a pedestrian safe walkway on the countys Davenport campus to Bracke, Hayes, Miller, Mahon Architects of Moline. The walkway will allow for more secure foot traffic access between the administration building and the courthouse.

 Teresa LaBella
MUSCATINE, Iowa  Kent Corporations subsidiary Kent Pet Group announced Thursday (Aug. 25) a major expansion to its Worlds Best Cat Litter manufacturing facility, which will help meet rising consumer demand and robust growth in the pet industry.

The $17.3 million expansion project at the existing Muscatine-based facility will be completed by late 2018. The Kent Pet Group investment is directed at boosting production of Worlds Best Cat Littera family of high-performance natural cat litters.

Kent Pet Group leaders say the project will benefit the local economy by creating construction jobs and up to a dozen new permanent production staff positions.

Muscatine is the right location to expand the production of Worlds Best Cat Litter due to quality workforce in place and available to us, said Gage Kent, CEO and Chairman for Kent Corporation. The litter we produce right here in Muscatine is shipped all over the world. This new expansion is the latest commitment by Kent Corporation to the growth and expansion of Muscatines economy.

Worlds Best Cat Litter uses a patented process to harness the concentrated power of naturally absorbent corn. It provides a pet, people and planet-friendly litter that helps cat owners get a cleaner litter box with less hassle and less litter. Offered in a variety of formulas and sizes, the litter is available in PetSmart and Petco, select Target and Walmart stores, and other leading pet and grocery stores in the United States. It is also sold internationally.

Demand for Worlds Best Cat Litter continues to increase in the United States and internationally. This expansion will allow us to keep pace with growing customer demand for this innovative and effective litter product, said Mike Eversmeyer, Kent Pet Group President.

About Kent Pet Group:

Founded in 1927 by the Kent family, Kent Pet Group makes products that combine high-quality natural ingredients with a scientific approach to pet care. Kent Pet Group meets consumer demand for high-performance natural cat care options with World's Best Cat Litter, the only cat litter that delivers the concentrated power of naturally absorbent corn to solve litter box problems with less litter. Kent Pet Group is headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa.

Learn more at www.kentpetgroup.com

About World's Best Cat Litter:

World's Best Cat Litter is a family of clumping cat litters that offer concentrated power for a cleaner litter box. Our patented process harnesses the power of naturally absorbent corn to create formulas that guarantee outstanding odor control, quick clumping and easy scooping. It's the pet, people and planet friendly litter that truly works. Offered in a variety of clumping formulas and sizes, the litter is available in PetSmart and Petco, select Target and Walmart stores, and other leading pet and grocery stores nationwide. World's Best Cat Litter is produced by Kent Pet Group, headquartered in Muscatine, Iowa.

About Kent Corporation

Kent Corporation is a diversified family owned corporation with subsidiary companies developing science and nutrition-based finished food products, food and beverage ingredients, pharmaceutical and personal care applications, animal nutrition and companion animal products. In addition to Kent Pet Group, the subsidiary companies consist of Grain Processing Corporation (GPC), Kent Nutrition Group, headquartered in Muscatine Iowa, and Kent Precision Foods Group headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri. www.kentww.com
Something of value could actually get done during the upcoming lame-duck session of Congress. That's if Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley launches an immediate Senate investigation of drug maker Mylan.

Grassley, R-Iowa, is one of a bipartisan slew of federal lawmakers demanding answers from Mylan and its CEO Heather Bresch. Republicans and Democrats alike are teeing off on Bresch, the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin, D-West Virginia, after the drug company hiked prices of the life-saving EpiPen by 400 percent since purchasing rights to the anti-allergy technology in 2007. Once less than $100, a two-week supply now costs north of $600, instigating charges of price gouging.

On Wednesday, Grassley rejected the company's supposed fix -- a rebate card that, most observers say, is little but a public relations stunt that does little to help most EpiPen users and, ultimately, simply shifts the cost hike onto insurers and taxpayer-funded programs, such as Medicaid.

The announcement today doesnt appear to change the product price. The price is what Medicare, Medicaid and insurance companies pay. Its what patients who dont get assistance cards pay. And when drug companies offer patient assistance cards, its usually not clear how many patients benefit," Grassley said in a press release.

The situation has gotten so bad that, just this week, Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation permitting first responders to use a syringe instead of Mylan's outrageously priced alternative.

Bresch has taken to the airwaves in an attempt to defend herself and stem her company's plummeting stock prices. Don't blame her company, she said. The "system is broken," she argued.

Yes. It's broken. And medical monopolies, such as Mylan, are what's clogging the gears. Whether she likes it, Bresch has earned comparisons with former pharmaceutical executive Martin Shkreli, who last year became the poster-boy for unfettered capitalism after his firm purchased a life-saving HIV drug and immediately jacked the price from $13.50 per tablet to $750. Shkreli doubled-down in an exceedingly smug testimony before a congressional panel. Unsurprisingly, he's now one of Bresch's biggest defenders.

Greed knows greed.

Strongly worded letters from senators aren't enough. Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minnesota, ranking Democrat on Grassley's Judiciary Committee, is absolutely correct in her calls for sweeping investigations into Mylan's EpiPen monopoly.

Grassley should demand Bresch defend her company's apparent moral bankruptcy in front of the Judiciary Committee. He should demand a Federal Trade Commission probe into Mylan's actions. He should spearhead legislative reform that, once and for all, will put teeth into anti-trust and gouging laws that drug companies seem so keen on flouting. He should lead efforts to empower the government to better renegotiate drug prices on pharmaceuticals purchased by public programs.

Grassley this week rightly demanded answers. He should spend September toughening protections for Iowans whose lives depend on access to affordable drugs.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois attorney generals office is appealing a federal court order that David Gill be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot as an independent candidate in the 13th Congressional District even though he didnt collect the required number of petition signatures.

The attorney generals office, representing the Illinois State Board of Elections, filed its notice of appeal Friday afternoon in federal court in Springfield. The action came a day after U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough ordered that Gill appear on the ballot and the same day the elections board certified the ballot with his name on it.

Assistant Attorney General Sarah Newman also filed a motion asking Myerscough to put her order on hold pending the appeal, but the judge denied that request.

Gill, a Bloomington physician who has run for Congress four times previously as a Democrat, gathered 8,593 of the 10,754 valid petition signatures he needed to earn a ballot spot as an independent, but he sued in federal court to challenge the requirement.

Gill says the law is unconstitutional because its so far out of line with whats required of major party candidates. U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, R-Taylorville, and Democratic challenger Mark Wicklund each had to gather fewer than 740 signatures to get on the ballot in the 13th District.

Myerscough didnt rule on the merits of that argument, but she issued her order because Gill was able to show that he and his supporters would suffer irreparable harm if he was left off the ballot. She said the state failed to show a compelling reason for excluding him.

Newman has argued that the state has an interest in preventing ballot overcrowding and potential voter confusion and that similar signature requirements have been upheld in previous cases.

If signature requirements are no longer certain, it becomes impossible for election authorities to rule on objections, and impossible for candidates (and political opponents) to know exactly what the requirements will be for every race, she wrote in her motion Friday.

Gill filed his lawsuit after Wicklund and former Macon County Republican Party Chairman Jerry Stocks filed objections to his nominating petitions with the elections board.

Sam Cahnman, Gills attorney, said he doesnt understand why the board is so anxious to prohibit this man from getting on the ballot.
NATION

TV station marks year since on-air shooting

A Virginia television station is marking a year since two journalists were fatally shot during a live broadcast watched by thousands of viewers.

The television station, WDBJ-TV in Roanoke, held a moment of silence during Friday's "Mornin" newscast around 6:45 a.m.

Friday marks one year since 24-year-old Alison Parker and 27-year-old Adam Ward were killed. Parker was a reporter and Ward a cameraman. They were killed by a former co-worker who later turned the weapon on himself.

Maine governor criticized after obscene call

Maine's bombastic Republican governor has built a reputation on his unfiltered comments, but his obscene tirade unleashed on a liberal lawmaker prompted Democratic lawmakers Friday to warn that the governor was coming unhinged and to call for a political intervention.

Gov. Paul LePage apologized to "the people of Maine"  but not to the legislator  after he left a voicemail message for Democratic Rep. Drew Gattine that said "I am after you" and then told reporters he wished he could challenge Gattine to a duel and point a gun "right between his eyes."

LePage said the angry outburst was justified because Gattine had called him racist  something Gattine denied.

In Portland, Assistant House Democratic Leader Sara Gideon called for a "political intervention" from members of both parties to ensure either that the governor "gets the help that he needs" or that he's removed from office.

WORLD

Kerry: Clarity achieved in truce talks

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry says he and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov "have achieved clarity" on a path to restore a truce in Syria but details remain to be worked out.

After meeting off-and-on with Lavrov for nearly 10 hours in Geneva on Friday, Kerry said the "vast majority" of technical discussions on steps to reinstate the ceasefire and improve humanitarian access have been completed. Kerry says experts will remain in Geneva with an eye toward finalizing the unresolved steps in the coming days.

Friday's meeting came a month after the two men met in Moscow and agreed on a number of unspecified actions to get the all-but-ignored truce back in force. However, as in Moscow, neither Kerry nor Lavrov would describe them in detail.

Billionaire Branson hurt in bike crash

Billionaire entrepreneur Richard Branson said Friday he thought he was going to die after flying head first off his bicycle in the British Virgin Islands.

The Virgin Group boss hit a hump in the road on Virgin Gorda, one of the islands in the Caribbean, catapulting him into the road. The 66-year-old posted pictures of his bloodied face on social media on Friday, showing the gruesome injuries that included a cracked cheek, torn ligaments and severe cuts.

"My life was literally flashing before my eyes," he wrote. "I really thought I was going to die. I went flying head-first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact, and I was wearing a helmet that saved my life."

Branson traveled to Miami to receive medical treatment. He said he was really lucky to have not suffered more serious injuries.

"My biggest hardship is having to drink tea out of a straw," he said.

Branson was training for September's Virgin Strive Challenge, an event in which participants hike, cycle, swim and run from the base of the Matterhorn in the Alps to the summit of Mount Etna in Sicily.

Branson still hopes to take part in the charity event.

"My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least you're moving forward," he said.
There's still time for volunteers to sign up to help with a state and federal combined shoreline cleanup project at the Belle Fourche Reservoir at Orman Dam.

Water's low at the reservoir, and that means much of the trash tossed into the lake this past year by litterbugs can be seen along the shoreline where it's washed up during the summer.

The Bureau of Reclamation and South Dakota Game, Fish and Parks are cooperating on a Public Lands Cleanup Day Saturday, Aug. 27, to give everyone who enjoys having the free lakeshores and nicely-developed Rocky Point State Recreation Area available to them year-round.

Volunteer registration for the Clean-Up Belle Fourche Reservoir Lands Event is from 8:30 to 9 a.m. on the day of the event.

All are to meet at the Fruitdale Junction at 8:30. Heading east from Belle Fourche on U.S. Highway 212, the junction is at the junction at a temporary parking area beside a gravel pile.

Signs will direct volunteers to the meeting area.

Following a short safety briefing at 9, volunteers will set out in teams to tackle the lands and lakeshore until noon when volunteers will be treated to a free lunch.

Rocky Point Park Manager Brad Nelson said it's a great time for everyone interested in outdoor recreation and the Orman opportunities to pitch in to help.

Colin Zilverberg is coordinating the event for the bureau, and is looking for area sportsman's groups to lend a hand to help with the morning's cleanup.

The project is billed as a Take Pride in America Event.

One motto for the day is, "It's your land, lend a hand."

For safety reasons, the bureau recommends volunteers wear work or hiking boots, long pants and long-sleeve shirts, gloves, a hat and extra water.

"It's all public recreational use," Zilverberg said. "It's all of our land."

He and Nelson said they hope anyone who appreciates the unique lake recreation area will join in the effort to clean up the shorelines and areas around the reservoir.

Since important fossils and prehistoric human artifacts have been uncovered in the cleanup area, Zilverberg said there will be a federal expert on hand to help document any finds.

The Belle Fourche Reservoir is not only the largest body of water in South Dakota west of the Missouri, it's also one of the first Bureau of Reclamation irrigation projects.

An estimated 167,000 people per year now take advantage of the resource.

For more information or to confirm individual or group participation, call Zilverberg, at 605.394.9757 extension 3008.
A prosecutor and a judge both said Thursday they wish they could give more prison time to a man who admitted to moving a murder victim's body and who also did not report the homicide.

And yet, despite the gravity of his offense, an admission of guilt on the charge of being an accessory to a murder reduced Garland Browns punishment to four years in prison instead of five.

At a Pennington County courtroom on Thursday afternoon, Brown, 29, was sentenced for helping conceal the death of Jessica Rehfeld. The womans body was unearthed in the woods south of Rockerville last May, a year after authorities say her ex-boyfriend hired two men to stab her to death then bury her.

The ex-boyfriend, Jonathon Klinetobe, allegedly hired Brown and another Rapid City man to help him move Rehfeld's body about two weeks after her murder.

States Attorney Mark Vargo had asked Judge Robert Mandel for the maximum sentence of five years, saying Brown may have accepted responsibility for the crime, but that he did not fully understand its impact.

Brown did not merely assist in the 22-year-old womans reburial, Vargo said. He also participated in the horrible and torturous treatment of her family, keeping them wondering for a year if Rehfeld was fine and if they had done something to push her away.

In this way, Vargo said, Brown repeatedly committed the crime against Rehfeld every day until her body was found.

He had also harbored Klinetobe by allowing the man to share his home.

It is a horrible accident of statute that five years is the maximum punishment for being an accessory to first-degree murder, the states attorney said.

Browns defense lawyer argued there is legal basis for a reduced sentence when a defendant pleads guilty to a crime. Attorney John Murphy said Vargo himself applies this principle in his job but was making wildly hyperbolic statements for his audiences sake.

Browns involvement in the crime was limited to one day, Murphy said. His client had also offered to help prosecutors in their case against the other defendants, but they declined.

Brown believes they have the facts wrong, Murphy told the judge. He believes the body was reburied one more time.

Murphy asked for a more lenient sentence, describing Brown as someone who suffered from developmental delays and had to attend special education programs.

His inclination is to please others, Murphy told the court, making him subject to manipulation all his adult life.

When given a chance to speak, Brown apologized for his crime. I should have reported to the police right after I found out, he said while Rehfelds family members sat in the audience.

Before handing down Browns sentence, Mandel said the case was the first of its kind to come before him.

I was surprised at how little of a sentence you face for a crime of this nature, he said, but added it was his job to impose the law.

Mandel said he found Brown to be one of the less culpable of the defendants, and suspended one year in prison for Browns admitting to the crime. It was worth something and deserves consideration, the judge said.

Brown will get credit for 100 days he has spent in jail.

After the hearing, when asked why the prosecution did not accept Browns offer of help, Vargo said the defense lawyer's statements in court were inaccurate.

What (Brown) asked for was if we would give him a misdemeanor if he cooperated with us, and we said, Absolutely not. For him to now pretend that he was just making a general offer was a misrepresentation," Vargo said.

Murphy told the Journal this was just his clients initial foray into a plea deal.

Brown's co-defendant, Michael Frye, 25, maintains his innocence.

Klinetobe, 27, faces multiple charges, including first-degree murder, along with Richard Hirth and David Schneider, the men who police say killed Rehfeld.
Rapid City police have arrested eight people in a sex trafficking investigation, the department said Friday.

The arrests were made on Aug. 24 and 25, and six of the eight people are from Rapid City. The announcement came a day after the South Dakota Attorney General's Office announced the arrests of eight men in a different undercover sex-trafficking operation during the Sturgis motorcycle rally earlier this month.

On Aug. 24, Jimmi Ashley, 59, of Rapid City, was arrested at her home on charges of prostitution, practicing massage without a license and drug charges, according to a release from the Rapid City Police Department.

On Aug. 25, 18-year-old Kristyle E. Sanchez, of Allentown, Penn., was arrested on a prostitution charge. On the same day, police say several people responded to an online internet advertisement and six men were arrested on charges of "hiring for sexual activity." Those arrested are:

 Michael L. Runge, 49, of Rapid City

 Michael C. Wescoat, 29, of Belle Fourche

 Mark V. Siebenthal, 46, of Rapid City

 Jay T. Schroeder, 58, of Rapid City

 William J. Bad Wound, 31, of Rapid City

 Derek A. Johnson, 33, of Rapid City

The Rapid City Police Department is committed to fighting sex trafficking in our community, Captain James Johns, commander of the Criminal Investigations Division, said in the release. Its unfortunate that such conditions exist in our society to necessitate operations like this one, but the RCPD is dedicated to the interdiction of such activity, and protecting the victims affected by sex trafficking.
RAPID CITY | Larry D. Burkhead, 63, made his journey into heaven Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016, at the Rapid City Regional Auxiliary Hospice House.

Larry grew up in Des Moines, IA, graduating from East High School in 1971. In July 1972, he joined the U.S. Air Force and was stationed first in Champaign, IL, and later in Rapid City, where he decided to stay after being Honorably Discharged in 1978, because it was a good community to raise his children. While in the Air Force he began college at SD School of Mines, and excelled at math studies. He stopped his schooling when he was offered a job with the Federal Aviation Administration in 1977. He later resumed his studies at Black Hills State after his children were at school age and completed a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Administration.

Larry joined the Metro Lions Club in 1980. He has held all the offices of the club and has been the secretary for the past four years. He was the Secretary for the Lions District Governor in 1998-99. During the 2010-11 terms Larry was the District 5 South West Governor. Larry was the planner, organizer and leader of the Lions Metro Wheelchair Ramp Crew, working alongside other members of the Lions Club.

Larry joined Toastmasters in 1987 and held all club offices as well as Area Governor, Division Governor, and District Secretary/Treasurer. He was active in the Toastmasters until he could no longer attend due to his health decline.

Larry worked with Love INC for many years. He served as a church coordinator for Canyon Lake United Methodist Church from the day Love INC opened  15 years. He served on the board from 2003-2011, serving as board president for several years. He helped many elderly and disabled people through the Home Repair Team including the years when he was battling cancer, often going to peoples homes and doing carpentry work and home repairs. He very much enjoyed that he was blessed with a skill of wood working and carpentry, and always enjoyed sharing that skill to help others.

Larry was very active in the Canyon Lake United Methodist Church. He enjoyed working as a handyman at the church (after retirement from the FAA in 2009), teaching Bible Study, volunteering to help with the audio and video, and for many years was the Chairperson for the Mission Committee. While chairman of the Mission committee he led the Many Hands Mission project. This involved hundreds of people. He organized the Mission Moments for the committees, food baskets, Love INC, UMCOR kits and backpacks. He was in charge of the Mission Fair where local nonprofits made presentations.

Larry was involved with mission work in Haiti, going to the country to give people solar ovens and instructing them how to cook with the ovens, and possibly make a living using the solar ovens by selling what they cooked.

Recently, Larry was at Storm Mountain for a Haiti Solar Oven board meeting. When he saw the list of needs at the camp, Larry decided he could round up enough men to go to the camp once a month and provide the services needed. When a group of men organized to help build the lodges, Larry decided they could help with that also. That is how the Mountain Men came into being. When a big project comes up, these men are known to go to Storm Mountain multiple times a week. Larry has helped put on siding, install new windows, tear out walls, build new walls, cut, sand, and stain boards, and build bunk beds. With that extra help," Storm Mountain director Scott Jensen said, we have accomplished many, many projects quicker than we would have without his help.

Aside from all of these generous acts, Larry somehow found the time to actively raise four children, including two sons, Korry (Janae) Burkhead, Dickinson, ND, and Seth (Ann) Hahn, Highland Park, NJ; and two daughters, Kristy Thorstenson (Cyle) and Ashly Burkhead, all of Rapid City.

Larry took great joy in making his three grandchildren happy. He felt a true Christian Love for his grandchildren, in that he gave happiness (including quite a bit of spoiling as a grandparent should do) and asked for nothing in return.

Larry is survived by two brothers, David (Beth) Burkhead and Greg Burkhead, both of Des Moines, and his sister Cheryl Mongar, also of Des Moines.

Larry was preceded in death by his parents, Gerald and Alice; two brothers, Jerry and Mike; and brother-in-law, Donny Mongar.

Larry was a true humble servant to us, thus being a true humble servant to our Lord. He has touched and blessed so many lives over the past 63 years, and did it all with a humble heart. He worked hard, very hard throughout his whole life, and it has been much appreciated. We are truly blessed to call him our father.

James 2:18 Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds.

A memorial gathering of family and friends will be held from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. today at Osheim and Schmidt Funeral Home.

A Celebration of Life will be at 9 a.m. Friday, Aug. 26, at Canyon Lake United Methodist Church, with Pastor Eric Grinager officiating. Inurnment, with military honors will follow at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.

Memorials have been established to Canyon Lake United Methodist Church or Storm Mountain Retreat Center.

Friends may offer online condolences at the funeral home website.
Man who allegedly took hostages in Moscow transferred to court

MOSCOW, August 26 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  Aram Petrosyan, who allegedly took hostages in a branch of Citibank in Moscow, has been transferred to the Presnensky District Court of Moscow, the courts spokesperson Anastasia Pylina told RAPSI on Friday.

Earlier various media reported that a man threatened to trigger explosion in a branch of Citibank at Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street in central Moscow. During the negotiations with police the man released all hostages and surrendered. Bomb that he threatened to explode turned out to be a hoax.

Before capture of hostages, a video has been released on the Internet, featuring a man resembling the one who took hostages. Video message was published under the name of Aram Petrosyan. In particular, he said that on August 24 he is going to commit "a violation of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation". He said that he intends to commit a crime because of bankruptcy, which, according to him, turned into epidemic in Russia.

He demanded Russian authorities to create a body that would deal with the issue of bankruptcy.

Official charges have been already brought against the businessman.
Convicted Moscow region ex-Deputy Finance Minister declared bankrupt

MOSCOW, August 26 (RAPSI)  The Moscow Commercial Court declared former Deputy Finance minister of the Moscow region Valery Nosov, who had been sentenced to 14 years and 9 months for embezzlement, bankrupt, RAPSI learnt in the court on Friday.

The court introduced a procedure of disposal of property belonging to the ex-official.

Bankruptcy claim against Nosov has been lodged by the Moscow Regional Investment Trust Company. According to the plaintiff, the debt appeared after the Basmanny District Court of Moscow delivered sentence to Nosov. The court granted a civil lawsuit by the company seeking recovery of 7.2 billion rubles ($111 million) in damages from the former official. This sum was included on the register of creditors claims.

The Basmanny Dictrict Court sentenced Nosov for embezzling 10 billion rubles ($154 million) to 14 years in prison in 2014. According to investigators, Nosov was a member of a gang headed by former Finance Minister of the Moscow Region, Alexei Kuznetsov.

In February 2016, Moscows Khamovnichesky District Court sentenced Nosov to 14 years and 9 months in prison for embezzlement of more than 1 billion rubles ($15.4 million) and money laundering. The sentence was handed down to the former official in conjunction with the Basmanny Courts verdict.
Alleged Russian hacker Seleznev found guilty by US jury  report

MOSCOW, August 26 (RAPSI)  A jury trial in Seattle, Washington found Russian national Roman Seleznev guilty of committing cybercrimes which allegedly caused $170 million damage around the world, numerous media outlets report on Friday.

Jurors convicted Seleznev of 38 of 40 charge counts brought against him including 9 counts of hacking and 10 counts of wire fraud.

The 40-count indictment alleged that Seleznev, aka Track2, was involved in the theft and sale of more than 2 million credit card numbers.

The indictment charged Seleznev with 11 counts of wire fraud, nine counts of intentional damage to a protected computer, nine counts of obtaining information from a protected computer, nine counts of possession of 15 or more unauthorized access devices and two counts of aggravated identity theft.

According to court documents, between October 2009 and October 2013, Seleznev allegedly hacked into retail point of sale systems and installed malicious software to steal credit card numbers from various businesses. He allegedly created and operated the infrastructure to facilitate the theft and sale of credit card data, used servers located all over the world to facilitate his operation, and sold stolen credit card data on the internet.

Seleznev was arrested in the Maldive Islands in 2014 and taken to Guam, an unincorporated US territory in the western Pacific. Later he was transferred to Seattle and put in jail. Russias Foreign Ministry described the arrest as kidnapping.

Sentence to Seleznev will be delivered on December 2. He could face up to 40 years in prison.
Russian court releases cancer patient from jail after he turns to ECHR

MOSCOW, August 26 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul)  A court in the city of Yekaterinburg had ruled to free Alexander Izyurov, 60, on the grounds of his serious illness, lawyer Alexey Bushmakov told RAPSI on Friday.

The penal colony, where Izyurov is serving his term, has petitioned for his release.

In the course of the proceedings the doctor in charge explained that the 60-year-old mans health condition was serious and deteriorating, Bushmakov said. The prosecutors office supported the petition, and Izyurov should be released from the colony as soon as the judgement becomes legally effective, according to the lawyer.

Bushmakov believes that the court ruling was influenced by a prompt reaction of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). This June ECHR said it will prioritize examination of Izyurovs application. Immediately after that the man was subjected to an examination, which became the grounds for a forensic medical commission to find it appropriate to release him from the penal colony, the lawyer said.

Izyurov has been serving his prison term of 15 years since 2009. In 2013 he was diagnosed with incurable kidney cancer and, according to Bushmakov, independent experts have reported inadequacies in his treatment.

Last November a court in the Sverdlovsk Region upheld Izyrovs prayer for discharge. However, the prosecutors office challenged this decision in the regional court and could persuade it to overturn the lower courts ruling. The latter judgement made human rights activists to turn to ECHR in Izyurovs interests relying on Article 3 (as concerned his medical treatment in the penal colony).
Man charged with hostage taking in Moscow detained until October 24

Context Man who allegedly took hostages in Moscow transferred to court

MOSCOW, August 26 (RAPSI, Lyudmila Klenko)  The Presnensky District Court of Moscow has detained Aram Petrosyan charged with taking hostages in a branch of Citibank in Moscow, until October 24, RAPSI reports from the courtroom on Friday.

Petrosyans defense asked the court to put him under house arrest, noting that the accused had admitted his guilt and was ready to cooperate with investigators.

According to investigators, on the evening of August 24 Petrosyan entered a branch of Citibank at Bolshaya Nikitskaya Street in central Moscow, where he took four people hostage. He threatened to trigger explosion of an object resembling a bomb. After several hours he released all hostages and surrendered. Bomb that he threatened to explode turned out to be a hoax.

The Investigative Committee stated that Petrosyan wanted to bring attention to his problem and did not want to kill anyone. Later he admitted his guilt in full and provided testimony against himself.

Before capture of hostages, a video has been released on the Internet, featuring a man resembling the one who took hostages. Video message was published under the name of Aram Petrosyan. In particular, he said that on August 24 he is going to commit "a violation of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation". He said that he intends to commit a crime because of bankruptcy, which, according to him, turned into epidemic in Russia.

He demanded Russian authorities to create a body that would deal with the issue of bankruptcy.
BILLINGS - The Beartooth Pass reopened completely Thursday morning after its partial closure on Wednesday due to snow, The Montana Department of Transportation announced.

The road runs from Red Lodge to the park's northeast entrance near Cooke City-Silver Gate.

The department warned of wet and slushy conditions atop the nearly 11,000-foot pass.

The Beartooth Pass was closed due to snow about 8:10 p.m. Wednesday from Vista Point on the Montana side of U.S. Highway 212 to Long Lake on the Wyoming side, according to the MDT website.
The Hamilton National Guard Armory officially closed its doors for the last time Tuesday.

The decision to close the facility and move the Detachment 2, 230th Engineer Company to Anaconda was made in April, said Montana National Guard spokesman Ryan Finnegan.

On Tuesday, the guard completed the final walkthrough confirming all the equipment was removed.

It is one step closer to being sold or put up for auction, Finnegan said. It has to get appraised and there are a couple more steps to go but that was the next step to be sure we have ended our operation there.

Maj. Gen. Matthew Quinn, the Adjutant General for Montana, said the change rebalances National Guard forces in Montana.

The end goal is to gain efficiency by simplifying chain of command, increase combined unit training opportunities, and ultimately use taxpayer dollars more effectively, Quinn said.

Hamilton Mayor Jerry Steele said the city council is investigating options to purchase the six acres including the armory building and Claudia Driscoll Park, with its developed childrens play area, lawn, trees, sidewalks and underground sprinkler system. The bandshell is on property already owned by the city.

Its a nice park and we want to keep it that way, Steele said. We decided to look at the financing options and are definitely interested in the purchase. We had a lease on the park with the understanding that if the National Guard needed it they could use it.

If the purchase went through, Hamilton would own the park and use the armory as a justice center housing police, courts and city attorney.

It may not happen for quite a while. It depends on what pricing and financing we can get, Steele said. We are in the early study stages to figure out how to pay for it. It is pretty big amount of money and we are looking at our options to see what we can do.

The asking price is $1.2 million.

Retired Sgt. Major Greg Marose was in charge of the Hamilton Armory for nine years, 1984 to 1993. He said he is sad to see it close but hopes the city does keep it a park.

Im sad that it is leaving, Marose said. It brings income to the city when it is a drill weekend. It has a great history and those who served here have many fond memories .

Marose said he was told the armory was closed because of the low number of guard members. He said he had 70 people from Missoula to Sula serving when he was in charge.

Marose said the Hamilton National Guard was established April 19, 1954 with 27 guardsmen. The 443rd division raised $3,500 in a single day towards the purchase the land for the armory and the park behind it.

The Lyons Club held the money and helped make the purchase, Marose said. I knew three individuals in the unit that started it up before the armory was built. The first portion where the armory sits now was deeded to the state in October 1955. The purpose of the deed at that time was to construct the armory and they had five years to do it or it would revert to the owners. They did it in two.

Marose said the vehicle in front of the armory is a self-propelled howitzer similar to the vehicle an earlier unit used for training.

It will be removed.

Marose said he does not believe Anaconda will support the engineering unit of National Guard better then Hamilton.

Thats what they have it come up with. I tried to talk them out of it, he said. Its a sad day.

Marose said the Hamilton National Guard helped during the fires of 2000.

We had units transferring in and out for traffic duty to keep road closures secure, he said. The guard definitely helped around the community. The members were instrumental in getting the park for the city. Claudia Driscolls husband was the commander of the unit at the time that they got the park.
French doctor Pierre Budin developed the first baby incubator in the 1890s. The idea for this, at the time a radical idea, was inspired by the poultry industry which used a water-heated chamber to hatch chickens. However, hospitals were not interested in his new device and doctors in general were highly skeptical with many believing it was against maternal nature.

However, Budin had an idea. Rather than trying to convince the medical experts, why not show the device to the public. When the Berlin Exposition of 1896 opened, Budin sent his assistant, Dr. Martin Couney to set up a display at the exposition. Couney, who was as skilled as a showman as he was doctor, used live babies in Budins contraptions. Budin and Couney dubbed their exhibit Kindebrut-anstalt, meaning child hatchery.

Couney obtained six premature babies from local hospitals who feared the babies would most likely die anyway. Using Budins devices, Couney was able to save all six babies. The crowds at the exposition were amazed. The exhibit was both popular with the public and a huge financial success, enabling Dr. Couney to make his way to the United States.

As had initially happened in Europe, Couney ran into opposition not only from the medical community but also from banks who would not finance the costs of the incubators because they believed no hospital would want them. To be successful, Couney needed to find a way to raise money and support for the life-saving device.

Since the exhibit at the 1896 Berlin Exposition had been a huge success, why not try something similar in America. As it happened, Coney Island would do nicely. Long known for its rides, games, and food, it also had area devoted to misfits and other freaks of nature. Couney thought it would be the perfect place to prove the effectiveness of the incubator to the public  and at the same time, save the lives of helpless infants. With approval of the management of Coney Island, the doctor set up two Baby Incubators, sandwiched between the bearded lady and the sword-swallower. Each baby received an identification necklace, which remained until the infant was later reclaimed. There was never a charge for the parents. In addition, the identities of the children and parents were always kept confidential.

The newly revised Coney Island guidebook now read: Baby Incubators: Where prema-ture infants first see the light of day. An educational journey through a miniature hospital. Boardwalk next to Steeplechase. Initially, the admission was one dollar but was later changed to an optional donation.

A large sign painted in bold letters over the exhibit stated: All the world loves a baby. A handsome boardwalk barker by the name of Archibald Leach attracted the attention of the passing crowd by crying out, Dont pass the babies by! This same Archibald Leach would later change his name to Cary Grant.

As word of the success of the incubators spread, local hospitals began sending their preemies to Couneys incubator institution at Coney Island.

Over time, hospitals began to incorporate Couneys incubators as part of their overall improvements in neonatal technology. By the 1940s, Couney decided he had succeeded in his goals and closed the exhibits. The good doctor died in March of 1950 at his home in Coney Island.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Colorful murals will emerge from blank walls just west of downtown Cleveland this fall, as part of a collaboration between global artists, their local counterparts and nonprofit groups.

For three months starting in September, international artists will live and work in the Ohio City neighborhood, near West 25

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Street and Detroit Avenue. They'll leave behind a handful of murals meant to liven up buildings and soften the forbidding walls of the Cleveland Memorial Shoreway near the Lakeview Tower and Lakeview Terrace public-housing communities.

Murals have a long history in Cleveland, where illustrators and artists painted the walls of bank lobbies and public buildings in the late 1800s. The recent trend toward street art is on display in the Waterloo Arts District, on the city's East Side, where a project called Zoetic Walls started treating commercial real estate as a canvas in 2013.

But murals are relatively scarce in Cleveland when compared with cities such as Philadelphia, which launched an anti-graffiti painting program in the 1980s, or cultivated districts like Miami's Wynwood, where public art functions as a tourist attraction.

"I feel like Cleveland has an almost unusually low amount of street art for a city of our size," said Marika Shioiri-Clark, an architectural designer who invests and lives in Ohio City, in an area that she and her husband, Graham Veysey, have helped to rebrand as Hingetown. "Being able to just be around art in daily life is such a gift, and I wanted to figure out a way that we could kind of imbue that spirit in the neighborhood."

Enter the Cleveland Foundation, which was revamping aspects of its international artist-in-residency program. That program, called Creative Fusion, has brought more than 75 foreign artists to Cleveland since 2008. Local arts and cultural institutions sign up to host and work with the artists during their stays, which typically occur for three-month stretches in spring and fall.

For the first time, the foundation is tying a class of artists to a specific neighborhood and asking them to create works that will linger. The artists will live in apartment buildings on West 29

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Street and Detroit Avenue. They'll use studio space on the west bank of the Flats, a short walk away. They'll participate in community events, including a Sept. 17 kickoff from at the Transformer Station gallery on West 29th.

And, in another first, they'll be part of a larger group that includes local artists.

"I don't know of any other program of this scale anywhere in the U.S. that brings six international artists, has them work with local artists and has this kind of impact," said Lillian Kuri, the Cleveland Foundation's program director for arts and urban design. "We're so excited about this model. We think it will be transformational."

Between them, the painters and photographers will decorate roughly a dozen walls. Most of the mural sites are bare sides of buildings along Detroit and West 25th. But project organizers also are working with the city and the Ohio Department of Transportation to get permission to paint north- and south-facing walls of the Shoreway along Washington Avenue.

The Cleveland Foundation has provided $160,000 to six organizations that will host local and international artists. The foundation is considering an additional, $85,000 grant to pay for implementation of the murals. Ohio City, Inc., a neighborhood nonprofit, is both hosting and handling the logistics. The other hosts are the

;

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, which is moving to West 29

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and Detroit later this year;

; and

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"We don't really do a lot of visual art, but we're an organization that has hosted many visual artists," said Raymond Bobgan, executive artistic director at the theater, which is partnering with Brazilian artist Ananda Nahu to tackle the expansive Shoreway wall facing Lakeview. "We said if we're going to do a mural project, our mural has to be serving the people who live in what I call North Hingetown. The people who really don't see themselves as part of the Ohio City community yet. They are divided by a wall."

Through its Brick City Theatre program, Bobgan's organization has worked with children and families at Lakeview for nearly two decades. He expects Nahu's mural to build on that relationship, incorporating ideas and feedback from Lakeview residents. After five weeks of painting outdoors, Nahu will move inside to help children in the community come up with their own mural project, which could be anything from a banner to a more permanent installation.

"Everyone working on this project has the sense that this is really the first step," Bobgan said, adding that he'd like to see more murals along the Shoreway and in the neighborhood.

The Cleveland Landmarks Commission, which reviews proposals that impact properties in the city's historic districts, approved most of the mural sites on Thursday. The Shoreway walls were not part of that approval process.

Only one commission member, sculptor Giancarlo Calicchia, dissented. After the meeting, he said he believes art should be more permanent. And he expressed distaste for the way that some street art becomes a magnet for tourists.

The Ohio City murals will be preserved and maintained for at least five years, said Ashley Shaw, economic development and property manager for Ohio City, Inc. It's unclear what will happen after that. There is flexibility in the program, Shaw added, in case a construction project pops up and obscures a painting, for example.

At least one mural will be vinyl, so it's likely to have a shorter lifespan. One artist, Rainer Prohaska of Austria, will create a sculpture at the Transformer Station instead of a mural. Two others will collaborate with the mural artists but focus most of their efforts on the Ingenuity Festival, which will take place in late September in the St. Clair-Superior neighborhood.

In addition to Nahu and Prohaska, the international artists are: Loreto Greve of Chile; Michela Picchi, an Italian artist living in Germany; David Shillinglaw, from London; and Luis Ituarte of Mexico. The local artists are: Donald Black; Gary Williams and Robin Robinson; Amber Ford; Ryan Jaenke; Glen Infante; and Leila Khoury.

Fred Bidwell, an art collector and philanthropist who opened the Transformer Station in 2013 with his wife, Laura, believes there's ample room for additional street art in the neighborhood. Like Bobgan, he's hoping that murals will beget more murals, filling in gaps between pockets of activity to the west and south.

"We have such interesting architectural fabric all up and down Detroit Avenue," said Bidwell, who also is renovating the Van Roy Building on Detroit. "I'm very interested in the idea of connecting Gordon Square to Hingetown and Hingetown to the Market District. And I think that these public art mural projects are a great way to do that."
Terra Group Broadview Heights

The Terra Group plans to build a two-story, 35,000-square-foot office building in Broadview Heights. Construction could start during summer 2017.

(OHM Advisors)

BROADVIEW HEIGHTS, Ohio - A local developer plans to construct a two-story office building in Broadview Heights, near Interstate 77 and Route 82.

The Terra Group is seeking city approvals for a 35,000-square-foot building, with hopes of breaking ground during summer 2017. The project could include a restaurant or two, with offices or medical facilities on the rest of the ground floor and the entire second level.

"We have tenants lined up but can't announce who they are," said Loretta DiChiro, a partner at Brecksville-based Terra. "But we're at a level where we're moving forward. We're on a fast track with the city."

Broadview Heights City Council will get its first look at the project Monday night. Mayor Sam Alai said the proposal dovetails well with nearby developments, including MetroHealth's new Brecksville Health Center and the University Hospitals Broadview Heights Health Center.

"There are a lot of things going on at 77 and 82, so it's very exciting for us," Alai said.

Terra has tackled other projects in the area, including a nearby Giant Eagle grocery store and Stage House Square, an office and retail development in Brecksville. For the office project, Terra hired OHM Advisors to handle the design work and retained Colliers International out of Cleveland to oversee leasing.

"We've seen more and more companies out there that really want brand-new, class A, efficient floorplates and that nice, new, crisp look," said Katie Watts, a Colliers vice president. "Everything is fresh. You really don't have that in that area."

The building should be finished by spring 2018.

DiChiro would not provide a total cost for the project but said that Terra is not asking the city for financial assistance. She said the development site is attractive because of its location between Cleveland and Akron, its freeway access and its visibility, including the opportunity for tenant signs facing Route 82.
America must return to conservative principles of less government,reduced taxes, less spending and a balanced budget! Cut,cap and balance!
Guwahati, August 26: Government of India is deputing a Central Disaster Management Team to Assam within one week to make a first-hand assessment of the damage caused by the recent waves of flood in Assam.

A communique to this effect has been conveyed to Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal from the Union Home Ministry on Friday.

It may be mentioned that following a memorandum submitted by the Assam CM to the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking central assistance in connection with the flood damage in the State, the Central Team would visit Assam to assess the devastations caused to lives and properties by the recent waves of floods and unabated erosion.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, August 26: The Rhino Horn Verification Committee on Friday had found five fake rhino horns during the verification process in Tezpur treasury in Sonitpur district in Assam.

The Rhino Horn Verification Committee on Friday had took stock of the rhino horns stored in the Tezpur treasury while verification in Mangaldoi treasury.

In the Tezpur Treasury, the Committee verified rhino horns from Western Assam(Wildlife) division, Sonitpur (West) and Sonitpur (East) divisions.

Altogether 56 rhino horn of these divisions were scrutinized. Of them were five fake horns seized by the police, recorded and kept inside the box as fake one.

However the committee noticed cut mark in 5 rhino horns and could not find any communication to ascertain the source of the cut marks as portion of the rhino horns seems to have been sliced out for unknown reasons.

Incidentally all these five horns were seized by the Police and handed over to the Forest authorities.

The Committee also did not open a box belonging to the Sonitpur(West) division which said to have contained three rhino horns because the box seal was found broken and keys of the locks were missing.

The committee will verify these horns only after authentication of the content of the boxes by the government through legal process.

Later in the evening Committee moved to Mangaldoi treasury and till late it has been verifying content of the horns stored in 17 boxes.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Guwahati, August 26: Guwahati city police on Friday had rescued a minor girl from the clutch of abductors who was abducted on August 25 from the capital city of Assam.

A 7-year old girl Adishri Dutta was abducted from an apartment at Jayanagar area in the city on August 25.

Following the incident, the Guwahati city police had launched operation and finally rescued the minor girl safely from a house at Bamunbori near Sarthebari in Lower Assamas Barpeta district at around 2-45 AM on Friday.

'We were informed about the incident from the parents of the minor girl and immediately launched operation. From the CCTV footage we were confirmed that a woman leaded the abduction, ' a top police official said.

Police also arrested six persons including a woman who involved in the incident.

Meanwhile, Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal hailed Assam Police for freeing seven year old student Adishri Dutta from the clutches of her abductors who was kidnapped from Indraprastha Apartment at Joynagar in Sixmile on Thursday afternoon.

As soon as the news of abduction came to light, Sonowal directed the police administration to start a manhunt to trace the daughter of the doctors' couple out.

Taking cues from the CCTV footage, the police succeeded to rescue Adishri from her abductors and nabbed all the persons involved in the crime.

It is worth-mentioning that the police in assistance with the people at large and especially media could trace Adishri out from the abductors' hideout.

The Assam CM who is currently in New Delhi lauded the role of Assam Police.

Expressing deep concern over the incident, Sonowal urged upon all to share all the information with the police regarding anybody employed as domestic helps.

He also said after the information provided by the maid servants are duly verified by the police, they should be employed as domestic helps.

To prevent recurrence of such incidents in future, Sonowal also sought cooperation from everybody.

(Reporting by Hemanta Kumar Nath)
Kathmandu, Nepal: The Supreme Court (SC), the Apex Court of the country, has sought official documents related to the appointment of Lok Man Singh Karki as the chief of Commission for the Investigation of Abuse of Authority (CIAA).

A full bench of three justices Deepak Karki, Bishwambhar Shrestha and Ishwar Prasad Khatiwada sought the official documents hearing on a writ filed by advocate Om Prakash Aryal on Friday.

Aryal had moved to the Court seeking revocation of Karkis appointment as the CIAA chief.

With the order of the Apex Court, the government has to provide the documents related to his appointment along with the clarification.

Likewise, the government has also to make clarification about that the Ministry of General Administration sought from the then Chief Secretary Karki in March 2007. He was appointed as the Chief Commissioner of the CIAA for six years in May 2013.
KATHMANDU, Aug 26: President Bidya Devi Bhandari has expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in an accident in which a bus fell into the Trishuli River from the Narayangadh- Muglin road section.

Twenty-one people were killed and many more injured in the bus accident that took place this morning.

The President has extended heartfelt condolences to the members of the grief-stricken families of those killed in the accident and wished speedy recovery to those injured in the incident; a communique issued on behalf the Office of the President by Assistant Spokesman at Office, Dhruba Raj Acharya, stated.

The communique also stated that the President has expressed the belief that all the stakeholders concerned will pay attention so that such sad incidents do not recur in future in the context of an increase in the trend of such road accidents since the last few days. RSS
"The Earth is a farm," suggested Charles Fort. "We are someone else's property."
August 23, 2016

Dear Prime Minister, Shri. Narendra Modi,

Itas with a heavy heart that we want to bring to your attention the plight of the communities affected by the Sardar Sarovar (Narmada) dam.

We are sure that you are conversant with a lot of facts about the dam, having relentlessly pushed the dam height as the Chief Minister of Gujarat, despite the rehabilitation far from complete, and having given clearance to complete the dam, with gates, on the 17th day of your Prime Ministership.

However, the fact that there are thousands of families and a few lakhs of people residing in the villages yet to be rehabilitated is something which either the officials are wilfully concealing from you, or you fail to take cognisance of.

Additionally, there are no less that 15,900 families who are declared to be outside the submergence zone, (even after granting them part of the rehabilitation entitlements) with a stroke of a pen, that too after 30 years since the dam was planned and approved is something which astonishes us to no limit. Can the lives of our citizens be so valueless that a few bureaucrats can paly around with their plight as effortlessly as this?

As a Prime Minister who ran an election campaign on anti-corruption plank, we expected you to take exemplary action against officials in Madhya Pradesh involved in the corruption as exposed by Justice S.S.Jha Commission, unearthing corruption to the tune of not less than Rs. 1500 crores in the fake sale deeds of land meant for the affected communities. Instead, we are witnessing an endorsement of the same, with you and Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh taking no action, and instead, letting to go the dam complete based on false records.

You are no stranger to the fact that this project has been in the center of controversy for the past three decades. Apart from the colossal human rights violation, the project has been plagued with bad planning, skewed allocation and unviable financials.

What else, when 100s of people displaced in 1960as for the colonies of the dam are sitting on a relay fast in Kevadia colony since last June 15, demanding full rehabilitation and employment for the ones not given land, and the government of Gujarat has taken no initiative until now for a composite dialogue, what can others expect?

Hundreds of women and men affected by the dam is on a Satyagraha at Badwani, Madhya Pradesh since July 30th. The people in the Narmada valley deserve the insaniyat you talked about the other day referring to the developments in Kashmir (ironically at a rally in Alirajpur, a tribal district in Madhya Pradesh affected by the Sardar Sarovar dam, where a few hundreds are yet to be rehabilitated).

We, the undersigned concerned citizens, appeal to you to:

1. Not allow the dam gates to be closed, until complete rehabilitation is done, and

2. Engage with Narmada Bachao Andolan, the peopleas movement of 31 years, in a dialogue, aiming to develop a just and complete rehabilitation plan.

We are hopeful that as the Prime Minister of the largest democracy, you will stand upto the rights of the people in Narmada Valley.

Sincerely yours,
Here's where to get a pumpkin in central Kansas for fall

Local farms are preparing for the upcoming pumpkin harvest. Here's where to go pumpkin picking in the greater Salina area.
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The community is invited to attend the first annual Be There Rally at West Seattle Elementary on Wednesday, September 7, from 7:00 am to 8:00 am. The school, in partnership with the West Seattle & Fauntleroy YMCA, is rolling out the red carpet and asking community leaders, school supporters, family and friends to line up to cheer, clap and high-five students as they enter into the new school year.



The West Seattle Elementary Be There Rally draws inspiration from an event held in Hartford, Connecticut where over 100 Black men in suits got together to greet and encourage children on the first day of school. The Be There Rally will be following these blueprints but with a slight change. Research shows that children whose fathers take an active role in their educational lives earn better grades, score higher on tests, enjoy school more and are more likely to graduate from high school and attend college. Leaders are calling for 100 men to support those who may not have a male role model by volunteering at the Be There Rally.



After careful consideration and speaking with the members of the High Point community, leaders decided to adjust to fit the needs of the neighborhood by also calling for 100 women. It is imperative that girls also have the opportunity to see successful women who they can identify with.

"How important it is for us to recognize and celebrate our heroes and she-roes!"

Apropos today, from the West Seattle Blog via a West Seattle reader:They state they want the men and women in the rally to "dress for success" which would be a professional look. I will gently say that people who are successful wear all kinds of clothes (like nurses, firefighters, etc.) But I still think this is a good way to encourage kids to start the year on a positive note. Great words from the great Maya Angelou.
ONCE WERE WARRIORS 's bracing portrayal of domestic violence made it nothing short of a phenomenon when it was released in New Zealand in 1994, blowing away previous box office records and introducing director Lee Tamahori to cinemagoers around the world. Adapted from Alan Duffs bestselling novel, the film is a harrowing depiction of a Maori familys struggle for survival. Jake Heke (Temuera Morrison) lives with his family in a tenement house for native Maori in the slums of Auckland. Despite his love and devotion, Jakes battle with alcoholism frequently results in terrifyingly erratic outbursts in front of his children and violent beatings of his wife Beth (Rena Owen). After Jake loses his job, each member of the Heke family is forced to face their own personal demons and the societal constraints that shackle native New Zealanders.

In his original review of ONCE WERE WARRIORS, Roger Ebert wrote that it was powerful and chilling and Edward Guthmann of The San Francisco Chronicle called it a gut-grabber from New Zealandthat stays with you for days. The film received several awards from around the world: the Audience Award at the Rotterdam International Film Festival, Best Foreign Film by the Australian Film Institute, the Best Actress Award at the San Diego International Film Festival, and recognition at the Venice and the Fantasporto Film Festivals. The new DVD and Blu-ray will include a behind-the-scenes featurette; the films original theatrical trailer; and an essay by Peter Calder of the New Zealand Herald.

ONCE WERE WARRIORS (1994, 102 mins) Directed by Lee Tamahori. Written by Riwia Brown and Alan Duff. Starring Rena Owen and Temuera Morrison. New Zealand. In English with Maori and Spanish subtitles. A Film Movement Classics Release. Trailer, stills, and synopsis available here.
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Have any plans this weekend? How about heading to one of our nation's great national parks? In celebration of the 100-year-anniversary of the National Park Service, CBS 5 reports that all entry fees have been waived.

The government body oversees 411 national parks, recreation areas, and various moments, and as the Chronicle reminds us was officially created by President Woodrow Wilson on August 25, 1916.

Notably, California's Yosemite Valley, one of the crown jewels of the park system, was actually designated as a space to be used and preserved for the benefit of mankind" way back in 1864 by a California senator. It was only later transferred to federal control in 1890.

The NPS manages roughly 131,000 square miles of land in the US, and a chunk of that is right here in the Bay Area. Bay City News makes note of 10 national park locations nearby, and highlights places like the Golden Gate National Recreation Area, the Rosie the Riveter/WWII Home Front National Historic Park, and the Eugene ONeill National Historic Site.

For those of you homebound, Google has created a pretty amazing virtual tour of five national parks: Kenai Fjords National Park, Hawai'i Volcanoes National Park, Carlsbad Caverns National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, and Dry Tortugas National Park (check out the below embedded video). And you can always check out this collection of photos, and follow the NPS's excellent Instagram.

So if you can't quite get away from your desk to celebrate the National Park Service this weekend, you can at least bring a bit of the parks to you.

Happy 100th birthday, National Parks Service. You sure do look good for your age.

Related: Photo Du Jour: Yosemite Sure Does Look Nice From Space

Photos: The National Parks Service Celebrates 100 Years Of Being Ridiculously Good Looking
Earlier this month, KTVU reported that the Secret Service had noticed an uptick in fake bills likely produced by offset printing  a process that requires a large press and is regarded as sophisticated. These days, agents are hotter on the trail of the bogus bills, which they believe mostly to be 100s, many or most produced in the Bay Area itself. That's in part because it's here where "the majority" of $5 million in funny money has been confiscated according to reporting from the East Bay Times.

In fiscal year 2012, $4.5 million in counterfeit cash was taken out of circulation in Northern California, with that amount growing to $6.3 million by fiscal year 2015. The sum is about $6 million for 2016, which works out to 10 percent of the total average in confiscated counterfeits across the country.

The Secret Service made six simultaneous raids in February, six in Oakland and one in Stockton. "We've made multiple arrests," special Agent David Thomas told the news outlet. "We did find some evidence, but we're still looking for the manufacturer."

The Tenderloin is one hot spot for fake currency, with Satwinder Multani, the owner of Daldas Grocery at Eddy and Taylor Streets telling KTVU that This year I see it more frequently.. People coming with the fake 100 dollar bills. So I dont know where theyre coming from, but this year is worse. Unfortunatley, the onus to detect counterfeit bill is on businesses like Multani's. Once it's accepted, there's nothing to do: Unfortunately, its like a game of hot potato," gent Thomas told KTVU, "whoever has it last, loses."


This just in via social media and one of my many friends and acquaintances who are playa-bound already: Burners en route to Black Rock City were allegedly being entrapped by cops in tiny Wadsworth, Nevada, just north of I-80 along highway 447, on the last leg of the trip toward Gerlach and the Black Rock Desert, and being given tickets just for sport.

Says this friend: "They have a pedestrian standing at a crosswalk in Wadsworth and any car that doesn't yield is getting pulled over. The pedestrian does not look like he's actively going to cross. He looks like a guy with a walkie talkie who's part of the 5-6 cop cars pulling people over."

The situation sounds pretty sketchy, and was occurring just before noon Friday as early-arriving Burners began flowing off the exit to 447, heading north. "It's confusing and a complete set up," says the witness. "Every single car is getting pulled over. Be careful on your drive in. They're taking complete advantage."

This may be Nevada Highway Patrol or Washoe County sheriff's deputies  that part is unclear  and we obviously can't independently confirm this is happening.

But you've been warned.

Previously: Nine Awesome Pieces Of Burning Man Art To Look For On The Playa
Wildfires are frightening enough as is the damage to property, wildlife, and risk to human life they pose. And yet, as CBS 5 reports, they have the potential to be even more terrifying when an "ash devil" develops  as happened this week near Yreka, California.

The Grade Fire, where the above picture was snapped, is one of several wildfires currently menacing the state. To our south, the Soberanes Fire near Big Sur started on July 22 and has burned over 90,000 acres. Meanwhile, San Luis Obispo County's Chimney Fire has burned over 45,000 acres and continues to threaten Hearst Castle.

Near Yreka, the Grade Fire has reportedly burned 710 acres and is 65 percent contained. It threatens 150 structures, and has already burned four homes. It has also given birth to at least one ash devil.

"Firewhirls and ash devils are not uncommon in wildfires on unstable days," the US National Weather Service of Medford Oregon explains on its Facebook page. "Strong updrafts from the heat of the fire (or even just the blackened ground) are able to turn the horizontal vorticity (spin) into the vertical and give rise to these spinning columns of air. These are signs of vertical wind shear and extreme instability, and they are very dangerous to firefighters."

The cause of the Grade Fire remains unknown.





Related: Wildfire Threatens Hearst Castle, Forces Closure Of Tourist Attraction
In a scene near the beginning of Don't Breathe, our three teenage antiheroes are sitting in a car, casing the next house they're going to rob. It's owned by a recluse who won a large settlement after his daughter was killed by a wealthy drunk driver, and the presumption is the money is in his house, which is the only occupied residence in a completely desolate and crumbling Detroit neighborhood. The recluse is also a war veteran, and blind. As they're watching, the blind man walks out of this house to take his giant Rottweiler for a walk.

Smart robbers would take that opportunity  the one time they know the guy isn't home  to enter and rob the house. Instead, the teenager named Money (Daniel Zovatto) says, "Let's do it tonight."

For all its twists, masterful suspense, and flipping of genre conventions, Don't Breathe still deals with horror movie characters, and a horror movie just can't get very far unless its characters do stupid things  like deciding to rob a house when they're positive the homeowner is actually in it.

Which isn't to say these kids don't have a plan. Nice guy Zack (Dylan Minnette) has a father who works for a security company, and thus has easy access to house keys and security codes; Rocky (Janey Levy) is handy because she's a tiny girl who can fit through small spaces; and Money? Well, he's the tattooed bad boy who brings a gun to a robbery, thus giving a homeowner perfectly legal recourse to shoot them all in self defense. Whoops!

The movie tests the audience's alliances well at the beginning. You can kind of side with the kids because they're stuck in Detroit, and, at least in the case of Rocky, have terrible (to the point of cliche) home lives. They just want one more score so they can get out of Michigan and start over in California! On the other hand, they're robbing a blind war veteran who lost his only child to a tragedy!

Director Fede Alvarez, probably best known for his 2013 remake of The Evil Dead (Sam Raimi also returns as producer), steps back from the ultra gore of that film, sticking primarily with pure suspense. There's a great scene when the kids first enter the house that feels like an endless take, as the camera follows them in and out of rooms, and up and down stairs; it's a great way to ground the audience in what will be the movie's primary setting.

Stephen Lang, as the nameless Blind Man, is genius casting. At first he appears pretty feeble  he's got gray hair and stubble, and those ghostly, milky eyes. But then, as he's stumbling around in the dark, you notice this old guy is ripped...as...hell! (Seriously. Stephen Lang is 64 years old and is in better shape than either of the younger guys in the movie.)

While Alvarez doesn't completely avoid the genre's love for loud jump scares (they usually happen in the form of that aforementioned Rottweiler), I did appreciate how much of the film's suspense relied on quiet and darkness. The need for both the intruders and the Blind Man to remain totally quiet to avoid detection means a lot of the film's biggest scares come from the Blind Man suddenly appearing in the background, thiiiiiiis close to one of the kids, neither of them aware of the other's proximity.

Don't Breathe isn't perfect. It has one too many endings and a scene that probably goes too far into the realm of the disgusting. (I still haven't decided if I hated that moment, or appreciated its audacity). But those are small criticisms for a movie that made me hold my breath more than once, and managed to take suspense to heights most modern horror movies don't even bother with anymore.
Follow SFist on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook. You can also get the top stories mailed to you  sign up here. A group of rape survivors filed a formal complaint
Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann does not know if U.S. Rep. Steve King still has a Confederate flag on his office desk and hasn't invited Republican-turned-independent state Sen. David Johnson back to the party's fold.

In a wide-ranging interview with the Journal, Kaufmann discussed the 2016 presidential race and said Donald Trump will continue to stump hard in battleground state Iowa. He also spoke about Johnson, who in June created a political ruckus after switching his voter registration to no party, citing stark differences with Trump.

Kaufman said he has cordially spoken with Johnson, but has not asked him to reconsider his decision. Kaufmann said Johnson "doesn't answer to me," and that the people he owes an explanation are the Northwest Iowa voters who elected him as a Republican.

Earlier in August, the Journal polled Northwest Iowa Republican legislative candidates who will appear on the November ballot with Trump. Seven of eight who responded said they are fully on board with the outspoken billionaire businessman being the party's standard bearer, while one said he had not made up his mind.

"(Johnson) is the only one that I know (statewide) who is saying that he is not supporting Trump," Kaufmann said. Kaufmann added that he would welcome Johnson back as a Republican if Johnson decides to take that step.

Additionally, Kaufmann spoke about the summer news that Congressman King, who has served 14 years in the U.S. House, has a Confederate flag on his congressional office desk. King's office has not answered extended requests from the Journal about why the flag was put on his desk and if it still remains there.

The flag has been a source of pride for some Southerners and others. However, increasingly such flags have been pulled out of Southern-state public displays as some contend the flags symbolize bigotry in the aftermath of the war that gave African-Americans freedom from slavery.

Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad, a Republican, in July said he doesn't like King's choice to show the flag among others on his desk. Kaufmann joins Branstad in that position, saying he "reveres the U.S. flag. and I intensely dislike the Confederate flag, in honor of those young boys (Civil War Northern soldiers who died)."

Kaufmann isn't sure if King removed the Confederate flag, and added that isn't asking King to remove it if the flag is still there. He said that isn't his role as the state part leader.

Kaufmann said it seems King is a lock to win re-election to the Iowa 4th Congressional seat, as he competes with Democrat Kim Weaver, of Sheldon. Kaufmann said he has concerns about the viability of some Republicans on the ballot, but he has no worries about King or the re-election bid by U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley, who is running against Democrat Patty Judge.

"I'll be honest, he and Grassley, I don't spend time thinking about, because, once again, their constituents have spoken (affirmatively) so many times. I just don't see a scenario where Steve King and Chuck Grassley do not go back to Washington D.C.," he said.
Screenings

Free blood pressure screenings, 9:30 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays at Countryside Senior Living, front lobby. No appointment necessary.

Programs/Self-Help Groups

Al-Anon Information Center, call 255-6724.

Al-Anon and Alateen, meetings locally. For times, dates and locations of area meetings, call 255-6724.

Alcoholics Anonymous, beginners information, call 252-1333.

Arc of Woodbury County, serving the mentally challenged, 5:15 p.m. meeting, second Monday of the month at Mid-Step Services, 4303 Stone Ave. For families and interested persons.

Child Care Resource and Referral, provides resources, education and advocacy for children, parents, and child care providers. Assists in child care needs. For more information, call 712-277-1180.

Co-Dependence Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays and Thursdays at First Lutheran Church, Fireside Room.

Co-Dependents Anonymous (CODA), 10 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St.

Compassionate Friends, 7 p.m. fourth Wednesday of each month (third Thursday in November and second Sunday December) in Mercy Medical Center's Leiter Room. For families who have lost children. Contact Nancy Webb 712-212-4032 or Don Mulder 712-541-5512.

Children of Divorce, to help children cope with the challenges of parental separation or divorce. Call 712-279-2373 for more information.

Clinics

Siouxland District Health immunization clinics, call for appointment, 712-279-6119 or 1-800-587-3005.

Information

Family and Addictive Illness series, for more information, call 234-2300.

Iowa Fathers, 6 to 8 p.m. fourth Tuesday of each month at Hope Lutheran Church, Education Building, 218 W. 18th St., South Sioux City, Neb. Support group to help single, divorcing and divorced parents residing in the state of Iowa.

Mercy Pathways Outpatient Program, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, on the third floor, Mercy's Central Medical Building, 801 Fifth St., Suite 360. Provides hope, help, opportunity to connect through group therapy for individuals experiencing personal, relationship, psychiatric issues. For more information, call 712-279-5991.

Narcotics Anonymous, meetings daily, various times, dates and locations. For more information, call 712-279-0733.

Overeaters Anonymous, 7 p.m. Mondays at Floyd Valley Hospital, Lower Level, 714 Lincoln St. NE, Le Mars, Iowa; 1 p.m. Tuesdays at Wesley United Methodist Church, 3700 Indian Hills Drive; 6 p.m. Tuesdays at St. John's Lutheran Church, 402 Lane Ave., Storm Lake; 7 p.m. Tuesdays at Church of the Nazarene, 226 N. Main St., Viborg, S.D.; 5:30 p.m. Thursdays and 9 a.m. Saturdays at Newman Center, 320 E. Cherry St., Vermillion, S.D.; 10:30 a.m. Saturdays at Hawkeye Club, 420 Jones St. A 12-step recovery program for people who have problems with food and weight. No fees.

St. Lukes Outpatient Behavioral Health Program, 9 a.m. to noon Monday, Tuesday and Thursday on fifth floor of St. Luke's, located at 2720 Stone Park Blvd. Offers several levels of outpatient care including partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, and group therapy. This program provides support and integrated treatment to individuals experiencing personal or relationship issues as a result of their mental illness. For more information and admission criteria, call 712-279-3906.

Sobriety By Faith, 8:30 a.m. Saturdays at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For more information, call James Mothershead at 712-577-9715.

The Link-Recovery and Freedom, at PMA Building, 6000 Gordon Drive; 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Saturday workshop, and Christian 12-step meeting 7 to 8 p.m. Tuesday. For all ages. Call Dee at 389-7432.

Women in Recovery, meets monthly at Mt. Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1421 Geneva St. For details, call 712-255-4623.

Tarahouse Meditation Center, 8 a.m. Mondays through Thursdays; 6:30 p.m. Fridays; 10 a.m. Saturdays and Sundays, all at 3112 Rebecca St. Three easy 10-minute sessions in small group; beginners welcome. For more information, call 490-6410.

Blood pressure and blood sugar screening, 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesdays in the lobby at Westwood Nursing and Rehabilitation Center. Free to public.

Support Groups

Food Addicts in Recovery Anonymous, 7-8:30 p.m. Wednesdays at Hawkeye Club basement, 420 Jones St. For more information, call 277-5935.

Celebrate Recovery, Bible-based 12-step recovery group. Thursdays at 6:30 at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive. Daycare provided. 712-490-3343.

PFLAG of Siouxland, (Parents & Friends of Lesbians and Gays), 7 p.m., fourth Monday of January, March, May, July, September and November. St. Mark ELCA Church, 5200 Glenn Ave., in the upstairs meeting area. 712-258-3116.

Singles widowed and divorced, all ages, 4 p.m., Sundays. McDonald's at Sixth Street and Lewis Boulevard. 712-252-2675.

HIV/AIDS Support Group, meets weekly. For more information, call Darla or Teri at Siouxland Community Health Center, 712-252-2477 or 888-371-1965.

La Leche League of Siouxland, breastfeeding support group meets every third Thursday at 11 a.m. at Morningside Lutheran Church. Children are welcome. For more information, call Mary at 712-546-7280 or Jacquie at 712-255-2998.

Living Each Day Cancer Support Group, 7-8 p.m. second Thursday of the month, Floyd Valley Hospital, Conference Center Room 2, Le Mars, Iowa. Open to all cancer patients, cancer survivors and family members. No charge. Pre-register by calling 712-546-3441 or 800-642-6074, ext. 441.

Mom and Baby Support Group, 10-11 a.m. last Monday of the month at the Orange City (Iowa) Hospital, lower level. For new moms and babies. 712-737-5260.

Tri-State Sober Project, 12-step meeting, 7:30-8:30 p.m., Tuesdays, Friendship Community Church, 305 Sergeant Square Drive, Sergeant Bluff. 6-7 p.m., Thursdays, Transitional Services of Iowa, 1221 Pierce St., Sioux City.

Doug's Donors Support Group, information for organ donors and recipients, 12:30-1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, 5:15-6:30 p.m. second and fourth Thursdays of the month at Mercy Cafeteria Woodbury Room. 712-277-1050.

Divorce Care, noon Sundays starting Jan. 10; GriefShare, 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays starting Jan. 12; Single & Parenting, 6:30 p.m. Thursdays starting Jan. 14; all at Sunnybrook Community Church, 5601 Sunnybrook Drive, Sioux City. 712-276-5814.

NAMI Siouxland, (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Support Group meets 6:30 p.m., second Tuesday of the month at Friendship House, 1101 Court St. For individuals and family members dealing with mental illness. 712-255-4209.

New Life Life Support Group, 3:30 p.m. every Saturday at 2929 W. Fourth St. Spiritual 12-step program. For more information, call Donald at 712-574-1744 or James at 712-255-7624.

Post Polio Support Group, 11 a.m. first Thursday of the month at Perkins Restaurant by Menards. 712-490-8213.

Relationship Support Group, 7 p.m. Fridays at Marketplace Mall. For more information, call 239-3129.

Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence, Individual and Support Groups. For more information, call CSADV in Sioux City at 712-258-7233; Plymouth County at 712-546-6764; Monona County at 712-423-3443. Advocacy and support available 24 hours a day at 1-800-982-7233. All services free of charge and confidential.

Sickle Cell Disease Support Group, 11 a.m. third Saturday of each month at St. Luke's Hospital, meeting room 1. For patients, their family and any concerned member. Call La'Keshia Rainey at 712-203-2019 for more information.

Sioux City Association of the Deaf, 7 p.m. third Saturday of the month at Morningside Church of Christ, 5015 Garretson Ave. Regular meeting, September-May; no meeting, June, July, August and December.

Siouxland Autism Support Group, second Thursday of the month at Northwest Area Education Agency, 1520 Morningside Ave. For more information, call Julie Case at 712-490-8939.

Siouxland Epilepsy Support Group, 5 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at Prestwick Apartment Clubhouse, 4230 Hickory Lane. For anyone diagnosed with seizures or epilepsy and family or friends. For more information, call Steve at 274-6927.

Siouxland IC support group, meets quarterly in Sioux City. For patients struggling with interstital cystitis. For more information, call Jacque Dundas 316-641-9766.

Siouxland Informational Group for the Blind, 2-5 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at Northern Hills Retirement Community, 4002 Teton Trace. For more information, call 712-266-8926 or 258-8151.

Grief support group, 5:30-7:30 p.m., beginning Oct. 5 for 13 weeks (may join at any time), Crescent Park United Methodist Church, 2826 Myrtle St., Sioux City. Scott, 712-899-6315.

Siouxland Ostomy Association, 2 p.m. first Sunday of each month (except September, which will be second Sunday; and no meetings June, July, August), in Room 300 at Mercy Medical Center, 801 Fifth St. For more information, call Dick Lindblom at 251-2453.

Siouxland Parkinson Disease Support Group, 1 p.m. fourth Monday of the month at Siouxland Center for Active Generations, 313 Cook St. For more information, call Sally Reinert at 402-987-3516.

Sojourners, support group for families of persons with life-threatening illness, 7:30 p.m. Tuesdays at St. Luke's Regional Medical Center, Room 416. For more information, call Marjorie Jarvill at 402-241-8637.

South Sioux City Weight Support Group, 8:30 a.m. Wednesdays at St. Paul United Methodist Church, South Sioux City. For more information, call 494-1401 or 494-2133.

Disabilities Resource Center of Siouxland, 520 Nebraska St., Suite 101: Women's Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Wednesday of the month; LGBT Support Group, 1:30 p.m. first Friday of the month; Adult ADHD, 6 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; Advocacy Group, 1:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month. For more information, call 712-255-1065.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, group meetings various times, days and locations in Siouxland. For information on the chapter in your area, call 1-800-932-TOPS.

Voice Disorder Support Group, meets as needed at Mercy Medical Center, Buena Vista Room. 712-279-2686.

Women's Peer Support Group, in Wayne and South Sioux City, Neb., for those who have experienced domestic abuse. For more information, call the Wayne office at 402-375-4633 or 1-800-440-4633; in South Sioux City, call 402-494-7592. Help and support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Services free and confidential.

Woodbury County D.M.D.A., noon-2 p.m. first Saturday of the month at Country Friendship Acres, 4501 West St.; 7-8 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at 515 Court St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. second Tuesday of the month at 441 W. Third St. in the Community Room; 7-8 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at 409 W. Third St. in the Community Room. Support group for people with disabilities and mental disorders.

Natural Mamas in Siouxland, 1 p.m., third Tuesday of each month in the Garretson room of the Morningside Public Library. All ages of children are welcome to come with moms. For sharing natural living tips, recipes, natural remedies and health, homemaking, mothering, etc. For more information, call 402-913-0038 or visit their Facebook page.

A Step Beyond support group, 3:30 p.m. second Tuesday of the month, except for August, November and December when it meets at 5:30 p.m. (no meeting in January) at the Christy-Smith Resource Center, 1819 Morningside Ave. For more information, call 712-276-7319.

Divorce care, 5 p.m., Sundays. Fireside room, Morningside Lutheran Church, 700 South Martha St.

Gamblers Anonymous meetings, 4 p.m. Thursdays at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 315 Hamilton Blvd.; 7 p.m. Wednesdays, Morningside Presbyterian Church, 4327 Morningside Ave.; 7 p.m. Tuesdays, St. John Lutheran Church. 712-277-2901.

Art therapy support group, 5:30 p.m. second Thursday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. Registration required, call 252-9387.

After Breast Cancer Support Group, 5:30 p.m. third Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call Brenda, 252-9370.

After Prostate Cancer Support Group, 5:15 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the June E. Nylen Cancer Center. For more information, call 252-9426.

Alzheimer's Association, Big Sioux Chapter Support Group, 2 p.m. second Tuesday of the month; 4 p.m. third Tuesday of the month (under age 65) at 201 Pierce St., Suite 110 (Famous Dave's building); and 6 p.m. first Tuesday of the month at the Barnes and Noble Cafe. For more information, call Emily Lord at 712-279-5802.

Christy-Smith Funeral Homes of Sioux City, extensive grief library at the Morningside location. Open to the public during weekday hours. For more information, call 276-7319.

Chronic Pain/Chronic Illness Support Group, 7:30 p.m. fourth Wednesday of the month in the lower level of the Orange City Hospital. For more information, call 712-737-5260.

Connections Area Agency on Aging, and Mercy Medical Centers Older Adult Services Welcome to Medicare, 1:30-4 p.m., the first Friday of every month at Connections Area Agency on Aging, 2301 Pierce St. To pre-register, or for more information, contact Connections Area Agency on Aging at 712-279-6900.
KANSAS CITY, Mo.  When Don Milligan talks about doctor suicides, he talks about an old colleague of his, a good doctor who played jazz and zydeco tuba.

I was a real fan of his, Milligan said. And then, one day, the tuba-playing doctor was gone.

He committed suicide, as do about 400 physicians each year in the United States, a higher rate than most other professions, according to recent studies.

Milligan, a semi-retired doctor who practiced at the University of Kansas Medical Center, spoke about his old friend at a forum on physician suicides organized by students at the Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences.

The forum, a Day of Solidarity organized online through the Care2 network, was part of a national campaign to stop physician suicides. Medical students, professors and doctors hosted similar talks in 10 other cities, including St. Louis. About two dozen people attended the event in Kansas City.

Such events are necessary, organizers say, because the alarming rate of suicides in the medical community is often surrounded by silence.

Whether because of depression, job stress or easy access to lethal knowledge and materials, the U.S. has lost more than a doctor a day to suicide for many years. Medical students are also at risk.

Officials at the Kansas City University medical school said they were not aware of any suicides or attempted suicides among their students. But a recent survey showed that at least 40 percent of the students had experienced depression or anxiety.

That was below a national rate of 54 percent, but still alarmingly high, said Elizabeth Alex, a university spokeswoman.

Thats not where we want to be, obviously, Alex said. We saw that and said, Were going to have to do something more. 

The university has long had a psychologist on staff. Now, the administration is organizing a team  including a psychologist and other students  to check on students for signs of struggling.

The team will conduct surveys of students four times a year to identify those who should be offered individual help, said Jim Dugan, the universitys psychologist.

I think physicians may be more hesitant to ask for help, Dugan said. Like other successful people, many may think, I shouldnt need help. I should be able to figure it out myself, he said.

I think thats how people get into jams, Dugan said.

The problem of physician suicide is not new  it was estimated in 1977 that the country lost the equivalent of a small medical school to suicide.

According to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, suicide deaths are as much as 400 percent higher among female physicians compared with women in other professions. Medical students have rates of depression as much as 30 percent higher than the general population.

The reasons are not fully understood, but may include job stress and burnout, especially in a changing medical profession.

Organizers of Saturdays events have also circulated a petition urging the Association of American Medical Colleges and Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education to take action to prevent student and resident suicides. The petition, started by doctors Ashley Maltz and Pamela Wible, has gathered more than 66,000 signatures.

Wible, writing two years ago for the Washington Post, said part of the problem is that doctor suicides are often hushed up.

Physician suicide is a triple taboo, Wible wrote. Americans fear death. And suicide. Your doctors committing suicide? Even worse. The people trained to help us are dying by their own hands.

Milligan, the doctor whose tuba-playing friend killed himself years ago, urged the students gathered on Saturday to talk with one another, be open about their problems and watch themselves for signs that they need to ask for help.

Real trouble may not always be obvious, Milligan said. He recalled that he had spoken with his friend by phone the morning he died. They laughed together.

Laughter doesnt mean youre not depressed, he said. I would like to still have him around.
SIOUX CITY | Iowa Republican Party Chairman Jeff Kaufmann on Thursday said the political leaders are giving "unprecedented" state cooperation as they push to the November general election that is 75 days away.

Some political observers have noted Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump is a wild card with his controversial statements. Kaufmann said his conversations with Trump have been sober, where Trump listened and showed he understands the necessity of competing hard in battleground state Iowa.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton maintains a solid lead in polls nationally and in several key swing states, but most polls show a tight race in Iowa for the state's six electoral votes.

Kaufmann said there was "not a shred of arrogance" shown by Trump in his talks.

"His persona is definitely a lot different than his rather humble and inquisitive desire to tailor his campaign to each state and to make sure that his campaign here is gonna reflect what is best for him to win Iowa. And of course, he is within the (polling) margin of error. We are one of the bright spots among the 13 or so (battleground) states," Kaufmann said in an interview with the Journal as he visited Sioux City Thursday.

Kaufmann said he expects a good outcome in Iowa because Trump's campaign is working well with national Republican groups, the state party, the U.S. Sen. Charles Grassley re-election team and statehouse candidates.

"We are all marching in lockstep. It has not been difficult," Kaufmann said.

Kaufmann was not chairman during the 2012 election, but said Gov. Terry Branstad and other well-connected Iowa Republicans have told him this is the best cooperation in helping other candidates for a long time. He said the presidential campaigns of Republican candidates John McCain in 2008 and Mitt Romney in 2012 took a more reserved stance at digging deep to help the entire Iowa slate of candidates.

"Everybody gets it. Everyone understands that there is strength in numbers. The Democrats, quite frankly in the past, have done a better job at coming together," Kaufmann said.

There are currently 649,579 Iowans with active Republican voter registrations, compared to 615,365 Democrats. Kaufmann said he strongly believes the majority of split ticket voters will support a lot of Republicans on their ballots.

Kaufmann also spoke with Republicans in Sioux City on Wednesday, including Jeremy Taylor. Kaufmann said Taylor, a former state representative who now chairs the Woodbury County Board of Supervisors, is "a rising star" in the state party.

Kaufmann spoke at the party's office in Sioux City. Additionally, the Iowa Democratic Party and the Clinton campaign are working in coordination in 25 offices statewide, including in Sioux City.
SIOUX CITY | A Moville, Iowa, man who was arrested while transporting methamphetamine to his grandmother's house has pleaded guilty to a federal drug charge. His co-defendant also has pleaded guilty.

Andrew Tucker-Moreno, 30, pleaded guilty Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Sioux City to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance.

Justin Miller, 28, of South Sioux City, pleaded guilty earlier this month to conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.

The two conspired with each other and other people from 2015 through March to sell 500 grams or more of meth.

Tucker-Moreno was arrested March 21 after a traffic stop in Moville. Authorities found more than a pound of meth inside his truck. He told authorities he was taking it to his grandmother's house.

Miller was arrested March 16 in Sioux City after police busted a drug deal. He was found in the back seat of a car with a loaded .22-caliber revolver.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was arrested Thursday on charges that he had sexual contact with a pre-teen girl.

Bryan Warren Barnhart, 37, is being held in the Woodbury County Jail on a charge of second-degree sexual abuse. His bond was set at $35,000.

According to court documents, Barnhart babysat a girl who was from age 5 to 11 over the period from 2006 to 2011. The girl reported to the Sioux City Police Department that Barnhart over that time inappropriately touched her many times.

The documents said Barnhart admitted the allegations were true and he also admitted to sexually abusing other children in a similar manner.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man has been accused of breaking into a home, assaulting his ex-wife and her mother, as well as shoving his infant son Thursday morning.

According to court documents, Lionel Lyons, 32, forced his way into a home at 1316 Jones St. at 9:30 a.m.

After the forced entry, Lyons struck his ex-wife several times, resulting to bruising and lacerations on her arm and head. He then struck his ex-wife's mother several times, resulting in a laceration on her knee.

The home was occupied by three children, and one was Lyons and his ex-wife's infant son. The documents said during the home invasion, Lyons shoved his infant son, and kicked the other children off of him.

He is being held at the Woodbury County Jail for aggravated domestic and serious assault charges, first-degree burglary and three counts of child endangerment.
SIOUX CITY | A Dakota Dunes woman is accused of writing numerous faulty checks and falsely receiving a $12,300 loan in her grandmother's name.

According to court documents, Jennifer Mozak-Wubbena, 47, wrote a check in her husband's name for $6,260 in April, altering the date and signature on the back. She then cashed the check in an overnight deposit and received the full amount to her bank account. During the course of investigation, it was found the check had already been cashed and honored in 2014.

Then in May of this year, Mozak-Wubbena wrote two checks on an account she knew was closed for a total of $470.99 to Hobby Lobby.

The documents said in June, Mozak-Wubbena then began applying for a loan in the amount of $12,300 in the name of her grandmother, Doris Mozak. During the process, Mozak-Wubbena altered her grandmother's Social Security paperwork and bank account information to make it appear that her grandmother had more money than she actually had. Mozak-Wubbena then convinced her grandmother that the money would go towards her medical bills. She then pretended to be her grandmother on numerous phone and email contacts to the online loan company, the documents said.

Days later, Mozak-Wubbena received the full amount of the loan and used the money to cover expenses from other fraudulent activity. Her grandmother did not receive any of the money, the documents said.

Mozak-Wubbena is being held at the Woodbury County Jail for first and fourth degree theft, forgery and identity theft on a bond amount of $21,000.
DES MOINES | More Iowa women are on the ballot for federal and state legislative seats this year than ever before, according to a group that's trying to convince more women to run.

The group, 50-50 in 2020, says that 65 women are on the ballot. Twenty-seven of the candidates are incumbents, and 38 are not, the group said. The list includes Kim Weaver, a Sheldon Democrat who is challenging incumbent 4th District Republican Rep. Steve King.

Jean Lloyd-Jones, a former state senator from Iowa City and a co-founder of the group, called it "another step on the path to equity for women in Iowa government."

The last election cycle marked a milestone in Iowa politics, with Sen. Joni Ernst, a Republican, elected to the U.S. Senate, the first time Iowa had sent a woman to Congress.

This year, with Hillary Clinton running for president, the group also is heralding the idea that women are running at every level of the state ballot.

Officials with the organization think Clinton may be inspiring other women to run this year. But this year's record-breaking turnout for women also is partly being driven by a handful of central Iowa women who are on the ballot challenging incumbents, said Mary Ellen Miller, the executive director for 50-50 in 2020.

The previous high for women being on the Iowa ballot was in 2012, Miller said.

Even with the higher numbers statewide, Scott County actually is experiencing a dip in women on the ballot for federal and state legislative seats this election cycle.

The 50-50 in 2020 group, whose goal is to have as many Iowa women as men holding state and federal legislative seats in four years, noted it was making the announcement of a new state record in time for the federally designated Women's Equality Day, which was observed on Friday.

Still, the group says more progress is needed. Fewer than a quarter of the state's legislative seats are held by women, Miller says. And, until 2014, Iowa was notable for being one of only a small number of states never to have sent a woman to Congress.

Maggie Tinsman, a former state senator from Bettendorf and a founder of the group, said she thinks their efforts are helping, as is the sight of other women running, including for president.

"I'm very excited to see more and more women running," she said.

The 50-50 in 2020 group, which was founded in 2010, has a number of programs to further its goal, such as holding a training academies for women running for office. It says it's the only bipartisan, issue-neutral group in the country working to elect women.
Looking for a fun group of young consumers to target for your business? You might be interested in starting a business aimed at the hipster crowd. To do that, youll need a trendy idea and some unique products or offerings. Here are some business ideas that you might consider if you want to target the hipster crowd.

Hipster Business Ideas

Start a Coffee Shop

Coffee is popular among a huge variety of consumers. If you want to start a coffee shop aimed specifically at the hipster crowd, you can offer some specialty flavors or blends that appeal to younger consumers, like cold brew or drip coffee. Or you could even focus on creating a unique environment for your coffee shop, potentially incorporating some art from local artists or hosting events like open mic nights or live bands. Why not take a look at coffee shops around the world for inspiration.

Establish a Used Book Store

Online booksellers like Amazon have put plenty of brick and mortar bookstores out of business. But some people, including many in the hipster crowd, still appreciate the experience and feel of buying books in person. And you can start a used bookstore without having to invest a huge amount of time or money.

Launch a Vintage Record Store

Old school record stores like Stormy Records have also experienced a bit of a resurgence in recent years, due in no small part to young consumers. If youre a fan of music and have the ability to grow a collection of old records to sell, starting a vintage record store can be a fairly attainable goal.

Found an Old Fashioned Paper Goods Store

Like the idea of selling handmade or well-designed products to consumers in person? Old fashioned paper goods like cards or letterpress prints are gaining popularity among hip consumers. So you can open your own store to peddle those products and highlight the work of some talented designers and artisans.

Create an Artisan Donut Shop

Everyone loves a good donut. But if you want to target a hipster crowd, youll probably need some more exciting dessert offerings. Donuts are still popular. But you can make your donut shop stand out by offering some artisan varieties and interesting flavors. Luckily, there are already plenty of great independent donut shops out there that you can draw inspiration from.

Open a Tattoo Business

Tattoos are also fairly popular among the hipster crowd. Youll need some licenses and permits in order to get started. But if you can create a cool environment and offer quality service, you could very well attract a large enough group of young consumers to run a profitable tattoo business.

Operate a Second Hand Shop

If you love hunting for unique and quality vintage or second hand items, you could open your very own second hand store. If you fill your shop with carefully curated and unique items, you could build a shop that really appeals to a young, hip crowd.

Roll Out a Food Truck

Opening a full-service restaurant is expensive, risky and old-fashioned. If you want to start a food business that appeals to young, hip consumers, you need to start a food truck. Youll still have to get some of the permits and inspections that youd need for a restaurant business, but the other expenses can be greatly reduced.

Look Into a Foodie Franchise

If youre more interested in starting an actual restaurant, there are still some trendy options out there. Going the franchise route can make starting a restaurant even easier. And there are plenty of franchise opportunities out there that appeal to foodies and hip consumers.

Go Into the Vintage Sign Business

Businesses trying to appeal to hipsters and millennials may need special signage for their establishments. Older looking signs, repurposed vintage letters or even light-up signs can really appeal to those businesses and consumers.

* * *

Are there any businesses not on the list. Leave suggestions in the comments below.

Related reading: 51 Business Ideas for 2020
Where are all the anthropologists? The question came from public health worker Douglas Hamilton on the first day of the Princeton-Fung Global Forum on Ebola, held in November 2015 in Dublin, Ireland. There, the place of anthropology in the recent outbreak was touched on by the first speaker, and swiftly become one of, if not the, recurring themes of the conference. The question was addressed not to me, but to the panelists on stage  not an anthropologist among them, not that day  but as a graduate student working on issues of health in West and Central Africa, I could not help but take the question for my own. So in response, I suggest that anthropology was simultaneously everywhere and nowhere in this context, a state of affairs that goes beyond this outbreak in calling for anthropologists to conduct both research and better public relations, and in calling into question the forms public anthropology can and should take.

From the moment Peter Piot, the co-discoverer of Ebola, gave his opening remarks, the question of anthropology-in-Ebola took hold of the Forum and its diverse attendees. We have to listen far better, Piot argued, to what people think before we start putting in place measures [involving social scientists in Ebola] helped a lot. Although I had some big discussions! Some anthropologists said, Okay, I need to spend two years in that village to understand what people think [a statement that drew laughs from the audience]. He continued: We dont have the time for that we needed more kind of social marketing people, people who can do a snapshot and understand it rapidly, whats going on. While I doubt that Piots setting of the stage in this way was truly mocking or malicious  I may have snickered too, and it is certainly not lost on me that its taken in sum several months for me to submit this piece, revise it and usher it to publication  the stage was nevertheless set, and so the questioning continued. In response to Hamiltons query, the panelists hastened to engage anthropology, almost in a defensive manner. The CDCs Rebecca Levine emphasized that anthropologists were not completely lacking or absent in Ebola, but rather were tremendously useful during her stints in the field. On a similar if slyer note, MSF Irelands Gabriel Fitzpatrick stated that anthropology is one of the key answers but I would say, one of the few times I have worked with an anthropologist, it takes a while to get a report back [cue audience laughter]. On the next panel, NPRs Brooke Gladstone asked Why do we even need one [an anthropologist]?, arguing that West Africans were perfectly capable of speaking for themselves across cultures, especially since these people arent in some hidden enclave in the Kalahari or in the North Pole. For her part, Margaret Chan, the Director-General of the WHO, indirectly tipped her hat to anthropology, noting that when technical interventions go against culture, culture will always win. Such themes carried over to the second day of the Forum as well: I apologize: Im not an anthropologist, noted the Wellcome Trusts Jeremy Farrar in his opening remarks, so Im not starting the day well [more laughter!] [but] anthropologists have got more engaged. [Pause] Thank you [said wryly; even more laughter!]. Who knew a conference on Ebola could be so humorous? By the time the three anthropologist-panelists (Princetons Joao Biehl and Carolyn Rouse, and Berkeleys Raphael Frankfurter) took the stage on the second day  along with their comrade-in-arms, Princetons Angus Deaton, who declared that Ive been sort of anointed as an economist, [so] then I can do what economists dont want me to do, which is behave like an anthropologist  anthropology-in-Ebola felt both underdone and overdone.

And this, I think, is an important point. Thus, rather than straightforwardly recounting the remarks of these anthropologist-panelists or the overall contributions of anthropologists regarding Ebola (important as such recounting is), I want to outline the existence of a particular second version of anthropology at play here. At the risk of reading too much into the numerous anthropology jokes that circulated throughout the Forum  though reading too much into phenomena is evidently anthropologists forte!  I suggest that they speak to a more profound, if subtle, discomfort on the part of non-anthropologists as to what they perceived as the mismatch between anthropological knowledge and anthropology as a form of practice. In other words, few of the non-anthropologists at this Forum denied that knowledge about the various sociocultural landscapes in and across Sierra Leone, Guinea, and Liberia was or would have been pertinent in the context of Ebola, but they did question the temporality and methodology associated with anthropological ways of collecting this knowledge. What struck them as funny and odd was thus not what they viewed as the self-evident utility of sociocultural knowledge, but rather, the notion that it could take anthropologists years to grapple with something that is, after all, so self-evidently useful. They appreciated our skills, but rolled their eyes at how we (whoever we are; the real anthropologists? The academic anthropologists? Not exactly a homogenous group) chose and choose to employ them.

What I suspect these non-anthropological actors at the Forum would have preferred to see from anthropology during the recent outbreak amounts to what Didier Fassin (2010) terms cultural keys: quick and concise ethnographic soundbites that enable the architects and executioners of medical interventions to interpre[t] resistance in the population (40). The ideology underlying such keys Fassin (2001) dubs culturalism: the supposition that the pertinent explanation [of an issue] can be found among those who are the object of the action, not those who instigate it by overdetermining the role of cultural factors, it sweeps aside any socioeconomic or sociopolitical explanations of the phenomena examined (306). This tendency to attribute health problems to cultural practices, elaborates Dominque Behague (2014), is politically convenient as it relieves governments, institutions, and politicians of their responsibilities, while it also identifies a clear target the local population. Anthropologists, particularly those working within the academy, have tended to shun the spread of cultural keys and culturalism, often rightly so: my own previous fieldwork on HIV/AIDS in Cameroon reinforced for me that shallow understandings of complex phenomena serve no one well. Nevertheless, our deliberate restraint in this regard has inadvertently led to the rise of this particular second version of anthropology: what I call the good-enough anthropologist.

This concept of the good-enough comes from psychoanalysis, in particular from the work of Erik Erikson (1950) on good-enough holding and of Donald Winnicott (1960) on good-enough mothering. Stripped to their conceptual bones, such terms refer to the ways in which the basic, ordinary, competent nurturance of an infant is generally sufficient to ensure that the child develops normally as this is defined along psychoanalytic lines. In anthropology, the good-enough manifests most prominently in the work of Nancy Scheper-Hughes (1992) on motherhood in Brazil, in which she acknowledges its psychoanalytic roots but finds them somewhat too optimistic (360). More useful for my purposes, however, is her application of this concept to anthropology itself. Weary [of] postmodernist critiques [and mindful that] the anthropologist is an instrument of cultural translation that is necessarily flawed and biased, Scheper-Hughes calls for good-enough ethnography [in which] we struggle to do the best we can with the limited resources we have at hand  our ability to listen and observe carefully, empathetically, and compassionately (1992: 28). In all of these contexts, the good-enough is itself good.

My use of the good-enough is not so positive. By the good-enough anthropologist, I here refer to the subtle assumption of many of the non-anthropological actors at the Forum that as long as they acknowledged at least some of the sociocultural aspects of Ebola in some form, they were, if not necessarily real anthropologists, then good-enough anthropologists for the purposes of confronting this outbreak. In other words, real anthropologists would not or could not give cultural keys for unlocking Ebola, so non-anthropological actors transformed themselves into good-enough anthropologists in the process of seeking those keys on their own. And so cultural keys and culturalism were present at the Forum, despite anthropologists refusal to engage them. Among the more glaring examples: Chan labeled one of the main drivers of this disease as centuries-old cultural beliefs and traditions cultural beliefs and practices of the community proved to be one of the most difficult barriers to address. Farrar lamented that the risk is not in the technology, not in the data; the risk is that the population dont see the benefits of medical interventions, an issue that was important in this epidemic and would be even more so in future ones. Moreover, I simply lost track of the number of times handwashing and the color of body bags were brought up in a generic West African context. Ultimately, IRCs Emmanuel dHarcourt unwittingly said it best: Ebola has shown a need, he argued, for people who get it. Its anthropologists, but its also people who think like anthropologists.

In this light, my answer to Hamilton would be that anthropology was, and continues to be, simultaneously everywhere and nowhere in this context  everywhere in the form of the good-enough anthropologist, and nowhere in the form of the real anthropologists rejection of cultural keys and culturalism. One might argue that this emergence of the good-enough anthropologist is, to a certain extent, progress  that it at least suggests an increasing acknowledgment of, and increasing seriousness concerning, the validity of the sociocultural in the realm of the biomedical (as if the two can be separated). There may be some truth to this. Yet while the good-enough anthropologist may be a form of public anthropology, it is not a public anthropology of anthropologys making. This makes it both disconcerting and intriguing, a public afterlife of [an] ethnography (Fassin 2015) that calls into question just who, precisely, can be an ethnographer. As such, it suggests that anthropologists ought to expand our academic practice to encompass both research and better public relations: non-anthropological actors become good-enough anthropologists when we ourselves are not good enough at self-promotion, at clearly defining and communicating what it is we do, how we do it, and why we do it this way.

The issue of what constitutes good anthropology is, of course, controversial within anthropology: this is part of the issue, albeit an inevitable one. Moreover, while good-enough anthropology easily veers into culturalism, I can also admittedly see where it has the potential to foster a more democratic anthropology (though this is not the direction it has largely taken thus far), raising and/or reopening key questions similar to the one above. Who controls public anthropology, if anyone? What can or should real anthropologists do when faced with a public anthropology they may find dismaying? Is public anthropology an anthropology with a public presence, an anthropology practiced by publics, or both? Do attempts to trace such public afterlives aid the democratization of anthropology, or do they border on a way for scholars to reassert authority over the works they write? These are questions whose value lies more in discussion than in simple answers. Nevertheless, I know at least some core tenets of good anthropology when I see them. A willingness to take seriously the voices, views, and criticisms of our interlocutors, and to acknowledge that research  all research, not just anthropology  is constructed on and by deeply entrenched relations of power. An acknowledgement that cross-cultural translation (another Forum buzzword) amounts to far more than the simple substitution of a phrase in one language for a phrase in another. An ability to be comfortable (and comfort is not laziness) with partial conclusions, epistemological uncertainty, and the terrifying-yet-liberating idea that everything is more complicated than you thought (Appiah 2008: 198). More than this  an ability to dissect the illusory sense that there is firmness and stability in the intrinsically messy social world of people, health, and disease (Adams 2013: 84), even as we strive to respect and depict the ways in which those with whom we work often seek this very firmness and stability in their lives and on their own terms.

So: if the Fung Forum suggests that anthropology is everywhere-nowhere, where to go from here? The notion of an extended fieldwork stint in the midst of a swift-moving outbreak may seem laughable  and in situations like these, anthropology ought to accordingly adjust the temporal structure of its work as much as professionally possible  but it is no cause for overthrowing anthropology in favor of culturalism and its keys. At the risk of sounding too opportunistic, Ebolas wake could and should be a period not merely for anthropological scholarship in this regard, but for better communication of the value of this work to diverse audiences, and for better making a virtue out of epistemological complexity. It is also worth pursuing further the above intersections and implications of academic democratization, good-enough anthropology, and public anthropology. I realize, of course, that such communication is only as interesting as its listeners want it to be; that this task itself is undeniably complex; and that I myself am only beginning to undertake it in my current research on mental health in Cameroon and Senegal. Nevertheless, this task is also increasingly necessary  because the good-enough anthropologist is on the rise, and for the time being, that is not good enough at all.

Elizabeth Durham is an incoming second-year PhD student in anthropology at Princeton University. She works on the localizations of global mental health in Cameroon and Senegal, and has researched HIV/AIDS in the former country as a 2012-2013 Fulbright Student Research Grantee.

Works Cited

Adams, Vincanne. 2013. Evidence-Based Global Public Health: Subjects, Profits, Erasures. In: When People Come First: Critical Studies in Global Health. Joao Biehl and Adriana Petryna, eds. Princeton: Princeton University Press, pp. 54-90.

Appiah, Kwame. 2008. Experiments in Ethics. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Behague, Dominque. 2014. Thoughts on Ebola. The Center for Medicine, Health, and Society, Vanderbilt University. Available from: http://www.vanderbilt.edu/mhs/2014/12/thoughts-on-ebola/.

Erikson, Erik. 1950. Childhood and Society. New York: Norton.

Fassin, Didier. 2001. Culturalism as Ideology. In: Cultural Perspectives on Reproductive Health. Carla Obermeyer, ed. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 300-317.

Fassin, Didier. 2010. Noli Me Tangere: the Moral Untouchability of Humanitarianism. In: Forces of Compassion: Humanitarianism between Ethics and Politics. Erica Bornstein and Peter Redfield, eds. Santa Fe: School for Advanced Research Press, 35-52.

Fassin, Didier. 2015. The Public Afterlife of Ethnography. American Ethnologist 42(4): 592-609.

Scheper-Hughes, Nancy. 1992. Death without Weeping: the Violence of Everyday Life in Brazil. Berkeley: University of California Press.

Winnicott, Donald. 1960. Ego Distortion in Terms of True and False Self. In: The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment: Studies in the Theory of Emotional Development. Donald Winnicott, 1965. New York: International Universities Press, 140-152.

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LEONARDTOWN, Md.

Disclaimer: In the U.S.A., all persons accused of a crime by the State are presumed to be innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. See: so.md/presumed-innocence. Additionally, all of the information provided above is solely from the perspective of the respective law enforcement agency and does not provide any direct input from the accused or persons otherwise mentioned. You can find additional information about the case by searching the Maryland Judiciary Case Search Database using the accused's name and date of birth. The database is online at so.md/mdcasesearch . Persons named who have been found innocent or not guilty of all charges in the respective case, and/or have had the case ordered expunged by the court can have their name, age, and city redacted by following the process defined at so.md/expungeme.

(Aug. 26, 2016)The Leonardtown Barrack of the Maryland State Police (MSP) today released the following incident and arrest reports.DRUG ARREST: On Monday, August 22, TFC C. Ditoto initiated a traffic stop on a white passenger vehicle for a minor traffic violation. When the driver, Mitchell Lane Smith, 20, of Ashland, OH, opened the glove box to retrieve the vehicle's registration, TFC Ditoto observed a pill bottle containing Oxycodone. A probable cause search was conducted, resulting in the recovery of suspected cocaine, ecstasy, and Zolpidem Tartrate. Mr. Smith was placed under arrest and taken to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. He was charged with Possession of a Schedule I Controlled Dangerous SubstanceMDMA, Possession of a Schedule II Controlled Dangerous SubstanceCocaine, Possession of a Schedule IV Controlled Dangerous SubstanceZolpidem Tartrate, Unlawfully omitting a Label on a Prescription Drug, and Possession of Controlled Paraphernalia. He was held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-034152)DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY: On Saturday, August 20, at 7:40 am, Tpr Rutkoski responded to the Comfort Inn & Suites in Lexington Park for the report of a disorderly. Investigation revealed that Noelle Nicole Clark-Belt, 46, of Lusby, was intoxicated and attempted to enter an unknown guest's room. Ms. Clark-Belt was advised to find a ride home and leave the premises. At 8:27 am, Tpr. Rutkoski responded back to the Comfort Inn and Suites. Investigation revealed that Ms. Clark-Belt had returned to the hotel and was causing a loud disturbance. She was placed under arrest for Disorderly Conduct and transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. She was held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-033772)THEFT: On Saturday, August 13, TFC C. Ditoto responded to the Walmart in California for a reported theft. Investigation revealed that Kae Von Oneal Jefferson, 19, of Lexington Park, had used a gift card to open the register and remove cash. Further investigation revealed that Mr. Jefferson also removed a prepaid phone card from the store without paying for it. Mr. Jefferson was placed under arrest and transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. He was held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-032732)FIREARMS VIOLATION, DUI, DWI: On Tuesday, August 9, TFC Evans responded to the Wawa in Mechanicsville for a traffic complaint. Upon arrival, TFC Evans located the vehicle and driver, Michael Anthony Laciny, 51, of Waldorf. Field sobriety was performed, and Mr. Laciny was placed under arrest for Driving while Impaired by Drugs. A search incident to arrest was performed, and numerous bottles of prescription medication, four handguns, and a large amount of ammunition were discovered. Mr. Laciny was transported to the Leonardtown Barrack for processing. He was then transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center and charged with Possession with the Intent to Distribute CDS Not Marijuana, Possession of CDS Not Marijuana, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs, Driving Under the Influence of Drugs or Alcohol, and handgun: Wear/Carry and Transport in Vehicle. He was held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-032075)ASSAULT, DESTRUCTION OF PROPERTY: On Saturday, August 6, Tpr. Mulhearn responded to the 19000 block of Teddy Way in Lexington Park for the report of an assault. Investigation revealed that Nicholas Blaine Hutsell, 23, of Lusby, had assaulted a female victim. During the assault, he kicked in a door, causing damage to the door's frame. Mr. Hutsell was located and placed under arrest for Second Degree Assault and Malicious Destruction of Property Less than $1000. He was transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center and held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-031735)POSSESSION OF CDS, RESISTING ARREST: On Friday, August 5, Tpr. J. Mulhearn initiated a traffic stop on a blue truck on Route 5 at Carpenter Drive in Charlotte Hall for a minor traffic infraction. While speaking with the driver, David Leroy Harvey, 23, of Brandywine, and the passenger, Thomas Terrell Brown, 21, of Brandywine, Tpr. Mulhearn detected the odor of marijuana emitting from the vehicle. A probable cause search was conducted, and Mr. Harvey struggled and attempted to run away from Tpr. Mulhearn. Mr. Harvey was placed under arrest, and a baggie of suspected marijuana and suspected crack cocaine was located on his person. During the altercation with Mr. Harvey, Mr. Brown ran towards the Arby's in Charlotte Hall, and then shortly returned. Mr. Brown admitted to going in the bathroom of the Arby's and placing his marijuana in the back of the toilet to try to hide it. Mr. Brown's suspected marijuana was located, and he was placed under arrest. Both men were transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. Mr. Harvey was charged with CDS Possession-Not Marijuana, Civil Possession of Marijuana Less Than 10 Grams, and Resist/ Interfere with Arrest. Mr. Brown was charged criminally with CDS: Possession of Marijuana. Both subjects were held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-031581)ASSAULT: On August 2, TFC Krenik responded to Route 235 at Old Rolling Road for a vehicle stopped with an unresponsive driver. Contact was made with the driver, Jennifer Jo Tharpe, 32, of Great Mills, and field sobriety was performed. TFC Krenik placed Ms. Tharpe under arrest for Driving Under the Influence of CDS. A search incident to arrest resulted in the recovery of several types of prescription medication for which Ms. Tharpe did not have a prescription. Ms. Tharpe was transported to the Maryland State Police Leonardtown Barrack for processing, and then transported to the St. Mary's County Detention Center. She was charged with the appropriate traffic violations and Possession of CDS: Not Marijuana and held pending a bond review with the District Court Commissioner. (16-MSP-031114)Amanda Elizabeth Kemp, 25, of Avenue, on 8/23/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtCharles Edward Summers, 33, of Lexington Park, on 8/22/2016 for Failure to Follow Conditions of ProbationBrian Jacob Behr, 19, of Mechanicsville, on 8/20/2016 for Malicious Destruction of PropertyJeffery Thurman Adams, 59, of Prince Frederick, on 8/22/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtJeana Elise Ferdig, 27, of Lexington Park, served on 8/24/2016 for Failure to Appear in CourtJennifer Jo Tharpe, 23, of Great Mills, on 8/2/2016David Joseph Hockaday, 54, of Lexington Park, on 8/2/2016Maria Julie Hendricks, 58, of Lexington Park, on 8/2/2016Dennis Kelly Martin, 68, of Mechanicsville, on 8/3/2016William Andrew Holt, 29, of Mechanicsville, on 8/5/2016Francisco Ramon Salome, 36, of Arlington, VA, on 8/6/2016Michael Anthony Laciny, 50, of Waldorf, on 8/9/2016Lawanda Denise S Bullock Estep, 29, of Waldorf, on 8/11/2016Josephine Bernetta Tippett, 21, of Waldorf, on 8/16/2016James Daniel Smith, 28, of Charlotte Hall, on 8/19/2016Dustine Elaine Hornsby, 41, of Mechanicsville, on 8/20/2016
WASHINGTON

(Aug. 26, 2016)Congressman Steny H. Hoyer (MD-5) announced the launch of the third annual Congressional App Challenge for high school students in Maryland's Fifth Congressional District.Established by the U.S. House of Representatives in 2013, this competition is a nationwide event that invites students from all participating Congressional districts to compete, either individually or in a group of up to four, by creating and presenting an original software application, or "app," for a mobile, tablet, or computer platform of their choice. The contest, modeled off the long-successful Congressional Art Competition, is designed to promote innovation and engagement in the STEM education fields. The winning individual or team will be recognized at an awards ceremony with Congressman Hoyer, featured on Hoyer.house.gov and CongressionalAppChallenge.us , and the winning app will be placed on display in the U.S. Capitol alongside winners from across the country.For the first time there is an award of $50,000 in Amazon Web Services (AWS) credits that can be used for AWS cloud computing services, to be split by the winners across the country. Depending on the number of districts that end up participating, the Maryland Fifth District winner could receive around $200-$300 of this prize. This award will provide students with the resources they need to keep pursuing their skills long after the challenge ends."I'm excited to launch our third annual App Challenge, which has been a terrific showcase of the innovative students that we have in the Fifth District," said Congressman Hoyer. "We continue to see significant growth in computer programming job opportunities, which are well-paying jobs that allow people to Make It In America and here in Maryland. Unfortunately, we also continue to see shortages of computer science graduates, especially among women and minorities, and we must do everything we can to address that skills gap. The Congressional App Competition seeks to do so by encouraging students to get hands-on experience building apps."The Congressional App Challenge is open to all high school students who live in or are eligible to attend public schools located in Maryland's Fifth Congressional District. Students entering the competition must submit source code along with a YouTube or VIMEO video that explains and demonstrates their app and what they learned through the competition process.Participating students are encouraged to register and begin work on their projects as soon as possible, as the final submission deadline is November 2, 2016. Students are also encouraged to chronicle their progress on social media using the hashtag #CAC16.More details on registering, submitting a contest entry, the rules of the competition, and helpful programming resources can be found here or at CongressionalAppChallenge.us.
DAHLGREN, Va.

(Aug. 26, 2016)Summer interns who worked on technological programs crucial to national defense and security are heading back to classrooms at universities across the country with a new perspective about the U.S. Navy.In fact, many are envisioning themselves as potential Department of Defense civilian scientists and engineers.First, the college studentspursuing science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programsmust complete their bachelor's degrees.Over their ten week internship, the Naval Research Enterprise Intern Program (NREIP) provided the students with a nice stipend and a chance to acquire technical expertise and career perspectives at laboratories throughout DoDincluding the Navy's Undersea and Surface Warfare Center divisions.Now, the NREIP-interns are returning to campus with experiences they can share with classmates and professors regarding their work at Navy laboratories and test ranges on programs such as the Aegis combat system, directed energy, and chemical, biological and radiological (CBR) defense."I've had the opportunity to explore cutting edge technology, like 3D printing, while simultaneously expanding my knowledge base to cover the wide variety of engineering projects," said Erik Hippchen, a rising senior at the University of Minnesota, who is working towards a bachelor's degree in Materials Science and Engineering. "It is the ultimate learning experience for an up and coming engineer in both the technical and professional sense."Hippchen was among 22 students who completed their internships at Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD)."The internship has been a great hands-on opportunity to directly interact with many professionals here at NSWC Dahlgren as well as professionals from other warfare centers," said Alex Kniffin, a rising senior at Virginia Commonwealth University who is pursuing a bachelor's degree in Biomedical Engineering with minors in physics, chemistry, and mathematics. "The rewarding nature of the program has solidified my interest in joining Dahlgren as a full time employee post-graduation."As an intern, Kniffin developed a framework for creating alternative scenarios to create a prediction on the advancements of technology and reduce technological surprise. "He used this framework to work with various experts to incorporate their knowledge into the technological forecasting process," said Dr. Elizabeth Haro, Human Systems Integration engineer.Hippchen, Kniffin, and their fellow interns briefed scores of military officials and government employees on their findings during a July 28 poster session at the University of Mary Washington Dahlgren campus."I know for a fact that the work I did will be taken into good hands and used in the future," said Charisa Powell," a rising Florida State University senior pursuing a bachelor's degree in computer science, after briefing her project.Powell created a user-friendly, error-checking interface for input to a computational fluid dynamics simulation tool. Her projectdesigned to improve Navy CBR simulation tools that require a large amount of complex inputreduces the workload on users while increasing accuracy and performance."I wasn't aware of the vast amount of scientists and engineers that worked for the Navy to protect the warfighter," said Powell, who interned at the NSWCDD CBR Modeling and Testing Branch. "Being at Dahlgren gave me insight on what it's like to be surrounded by such bright individuals, and inspired me to bring skills from my education and work for the government when I graduate to keep our country safer."That's the NREIP missionsurround interns with mentors who make the students aware of Navy research and technology initiatives that can lead to employment within the Navy laboratory structure. It also gives mentors quality time with proteges who may become their future colleagues."This program gives the participating (NSWCDD) branches an opportunity to work with potential new employees to get an idea of how good of a worker they will be," said Greg Stodola, NSWCDD Missile Manager Group Lead. "We have had the good fortune of selecting many excellent interns. NREIP also gives the interns the opportunity to see how their education applies to the real world. They can get a taste of a particular discipline of their field to determine if that is really the type of work that they want to do."Stodola mentored University of North Carolina rising senior Dan Antoshak on the submarine combat control system simulator project."It didn't take long for me to feel like part of the team while surrounded by such friendly and knowledgeable mentors," said Antoshak. "I was able to improve my teamwork skills and ability to research independently for the purpose of developing a large scale engineering project."The computer and electrical engineering major modernized the combat control system simulator that mimics the processing of a launcher that can be used now and in the future. As a result, scientists and engineers won't have to use the launcher in order to test the Tomahawk fire control software."I applied what I had learned in school and beyond," Antoshak recalled. "In order to accomplish the task I had to research new programming languages. I collaborated this newfound knowledge with the guidance and experience of my coworkers in order to design something great."The students collaborated with government technologists on important projects at participating DoD laboratories located in Arizona, California, Connecticut, Washington DC, Florida, Hawaii, Indiana, Maryland, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas, Virginia, and Washington.Applications for 2017 NREIP summer internships can be submitted from Aug. 22 to Nov. 30, 2016 via the program's website: nreip.asee.org Interns are selected based upon academic achievement, personal statements, and recommendations in addition to career and research interests. Stipend levelsdetermined by the amount of credit hours that students possessrange from $5,400 to $10,800. Details and eligibility requirements are published on the NREIP website.
Who says a canvas has to be stationary? HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention will soon be mobile in South Florida.

On Aug. 31, ArtServe and the Florida Department of Health are presenting Art to End AIDS at The Pride Center at Equality Park where a mural by local artist Georgeta Fondos will debut. The mural isnt a building or wall. Its on a semi-trailer.

Local company Cliff Berry, Inc. donated one of their trucks to create a mobile mural. ArtServe President and CEO Jaye Abbate said it was CBI President Cliff Berry II that had the idea to make it mobile.

Mr. Berry suggested that the FDOH in Broward County could reach more people by allowing the message to come to the people, said Abbate. He generously offered to have the truck moved to a neighborhood festival, a school, or another event around the area.

Related: Congressional Candidate Comes Out As HIV Positive

ArtServe and the FDOH initially announced the project Dec. 1, 2015  World AIDS Day  and had a call to artists. ArtServe Director of Development David Plath said more than 35 mural concepts were presented and were eventually narrowed down to eight finalists. Last month, Fondos was announced as the winner and immediately began scaling her artwork for the trailer.

Plath said judges looked for how artists effectively used the HIV Ends With Me campaign themes in a creative and original theme. Fondos emerged as the winner.

What stood out in Georgetas image was the positive images of the beach and a rainbow, Plath said. It also includes the familiar pillars of entry at Las Olas and A1A which helped to make the work more recognizable and Broward-centric.

The idea to paint a mural of this magnitude came from EcoMedia  a division of CBS. EcoMedia partners advertisers like FDOH with nonprofits like ArtServe for a multitude of different projects, like community housing, veterans recovery programs, healthy meals for seniors and children and mobile health clinics. Theresa Schieber, senior vice president of operations and strategic partner development at EcoMedia, had the idea for a mural that brought FDOH and ArtServe together.

ArtServe has such a natural set of relationships to help facilitate this project, she said. This is our first public mural project in South Florida.

Even though this is the first one in South Florida, Schieber said other mural projects have been done around the country that are similar. With the addition of the semi, she hopes to replicate the project at some point.

While ArtServe has had large art projects before, Plath notes the magnitude of this one.

Related: With HIV/AIDS Cases on Rise, PrEP is Now Part of The Prevention

This is a big project because the Florida Department of Health in Broward County has a big vision, he said. They are thinking outside of the box to tackle a big health issue impacting our community, and the hope is that this initial mural becomes just the first of a broader art and health initiative.

Kristofer Fegenbush, COO of The Pride Center, says theyve used art in a variety of ways for HIV prevention outreach and this isnt the first partnership theyve had with the FDOH that brought attention to HIV and AIDS.

In 2014 we collaborated with the Florida Health Department in Broward County on a creative anti-stigma/prevention campaign that ran on the Broward County bus system, he said. It was the first time for The Center to see our creation and logo traveling along on the outside of the buses county-wide and in ads and posters around town.

But this is the first time The Center will be hosting a big event to unveil a public mural project.

Art can be used as a powerful tool to carry healthy, empowering messages to the communities we serve, Fegenbush said. [ArtServe] has done a masterful job leading a community of artists through the project.

Plath believes the artistic component is a big help to bring awareness to people who may not otherwise have noticed.

This project is a visual reminder that we CAN stop the spread of HIV, but it means taking personal responsibility and working collectively to accomplish a zero incidence rate of infection, he said. Its a highly creative way of reaching new audiences, appealing to those that might never respond to a PSA or even think they may be at risk.

If You Go:

Art to End AIDS

Wed., Aug. 31

6:30-7:30 p.m.

The Pride Center

2040 N. Dixie Hwy

Wilton Manors, FL 33305

Event is free and open to the public.
Disability comes in many forms. My disability, PTSD, can cause moments of extreme anguish and blackouts, which sometimes impedes my ability to work. My closest friend, who is blind, had to relearn how to live on his own and work after losing his sight.

Passed in 1990, The Americans With Disabilities Act prohibits discrimination based on disability. The law is usually enforced, but sometimes it isn't  I've seen examples of this. And if the GOP has their way, social safety nets including disability insurance and food stamps would be drastically reduced, if not eliminated entirely. LGBT people have the added disadvantage of facing widespread legal discrimination in many conservative states.

And that's why we need to stand up for each other.

With that sentiment in mind, I ask you to open your hearts  and your wallets  to Michael McCormick. Michael is a 50-year-old gay man in Kentucky who is living with a newly acquired disability which has rendered him unable to work. A few months ago he was fine, until one day his body began to fail him without warning. Michael was blindsided.

Related: A PTSD Diary: Raising a Glass to The Disabled

"It started about two months ago," Michael told me. "There was a sudden numbness in my right foot, which affected my ability to walk. I thought I had a pinched nerve." A month later the numbness spread to his right hand and forearm, rendering them useless. A stroke and a heart attack have already been ruled out.

"I was tested for Lyme Disease and Leukemia," Michael said. "Lyme Disease can cause these kinds of symptoms."

Multiple Sclerosis is also being considered as a possible cause. "The worst thing is waiting and not knowing," he said, expressing concern for Petey, his dog, and Charlie, his bird. Michael said that he would feed them before he fed himself.

Michael may have lost the ability to work, but the bills keep coming in. Rent, phone and food all must be paid for. He's already been approved for food stamps, but Michael needs help with rent and pet food. A kind friend already covered his rent for this month and he's begun the lengthy, often stressful process of applying for disability insurance, which can take quite a long time. Many counties are notorious for turning down applicants even when disability is obvious and indisputable. Numerous disabled people are forced to hire attorneys and attend court hearings in order to get what they're legally entitled to.

Michael needs our help.

Related: If You Could Read My Mind: A PTSD Diary

"I never expected my body to fail me," he said. "I struggle with having nothing to fall back on--I always thought I'd be able to get up and go to work everyday. I'm not the only person who's going through this."

Michael's insurance company has approved him for a walker and a cane, which will give him more mobility, but he remains unable to work.

"I go back and forth between panic and anger at not being prepared," he said.

What happened to Michael can happen to any of us at any time. We are not immortal. Our bodies are more fragile than we realize. If you are able, please contribute to Michael's Go Fund Me page, which will help him keep his rent current, keep his phone on (which he would need in case of a medical emergency) and keep food in his beloved pets' bowls.

Let's stand up for Michael, and for each other.

"The government isn't doing it, so we have to," Dynasty star turned AIDS activist Linda Evans told CNN's Larry King during the 1980s peak of the AIDS epidemic.

Evan's words were true then. Not much has changed in the ensuing three decades.



Michael's Go Fund Me page: https://www.gofundme.com/2danyx2k
Grindr, a sex hook-up app primarily used by gay men, released data from users who traveled to Brazil for the summer Olympics.

In an email from its communications department, Grindr reports 38,000 users from 109 nations opened the app during the Olympics held in Rio de Janeiro.

Heres how Grindr dumps the data:

Grindr users from all over the world have travelled to Rio and are connecting with guys through our app. Score! And when all this diversity comes together in one place, you're bound to notice some things. So which countries are playing to win on Grindr during the Olympics? We created a map to show where everyone is coming from, along with "events" to show who went for the gold. Here's the action that happened away from the sidelines...

Related: Daily Beast Outs Closeted Olympians Then Apologizes

The numbers are interesting indeed. Brazil, host nation, had the most guys in attendance (28,544) followed by the United States (1,322), Great Britain (411), Argentina (258), Mexico (217) and Spain (180).

When it came to pic swapping, however, it was an entirely different leaderboard. South Africa led the way with 106 daily images sent per guy followed by Qatar (98), Curacao (69), Finland (65), Spain (64) and Guatalama (64).

Qatar, a tiny Arab country on the Persian Gulf, accounted for the most daily messages sent per guy with 436, followed by Curacao (332), Guatamala (291), Bahrain (242), South Africa (240) and Australia (233).

Of the six measurements disclosed by Grindr, Russia was listed just once. A Russian user took the bronze for contacting five different countries.
Double view of Jupiter from Juno on 23 August NASA

This Saturday at 5:51 a.m. PDT, (8:51 a.m. EDT, 12:51 UTC) NASAs Juno spacecraft will get closer to the cloud tops of Jupiter than at any other time during its prime mission.

At the moment of closest approach, Juno will be about 2,500 miles (4,200 kilometers) above Jupiters swirling clouds and traveling at 130,000 mph (208,000 kilometers per hour) with respect to the planet. There are 35 more close flybys of Jupiter scheduled during its prime mission (scheduled to end in February of 2018). The Aug. 27 flyby will be the first time Juno will have its entire suite of science instruments activated and looking at the giant planet as the spacecraft zooms past.

This is the first time we will be close to Jupiter since we entered orbit on July 4, said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Back then we turned all our instruments off to focus on the rocket burn to get Juno into orbit around Jupiter. Since then, we have checked Juno from stem to stern and back again. We still have more testing to do, but we are confident that everything is working great, so for this upcoming flyby Junos eyes and ears, our science instruments, will all be open.

This is our first opportunity to really take a close-up look at the king of our solar system and begin to figure out how he works, Bolton said.

While the science data from the pass should be downlinked to Earth within days, interpretation and first results are not expected for some time.

No other spacecraft has ever orbited Jupiter this closely, or over the poles in this fashion, said Steve Levin, Juno project scientist from NASAs Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California. This is our first opportunity and there are bound to be surprises. We need to take our time to make sure our conclusions are correct.

Not only will Junos suite of eight science instruments be on, the spacecrafts visible light imager  JunoCam will also be snapping some closeups. A handful of JunoCam images, including the highest resolution imagery of the Jovian atmosphere and the first glimpse of Jupiters north and south poles, are expected to be released during the later part of next week.

The Juno spacecraft launched on Aug. 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida. JPL manages the Juno mission for the principal investigator, Scott Bolton, of Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. Juno is part of NASAs New Frontiers Program, which is managed at NASAs Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama, for NASAs Science Mission Directorate. Lockheed Martin Space Systems, Denver, built the spacecraft. Caltech, in Pasadena, California, manages JPL for NASA.

More information on the Juno mission is available at: http://www.nasa.gov/juno
KOKTEBEL (Sputnik)  On August 26-28, Crimea's coastal city of Koktebel plays host to the Koktebel Jazz Party international music festival for the 14th time.

"I remember the first festival, which I founded in 2003 I am grateful to everyone, who helps us [hold the event]. There was no politics when we organized the festival 14 years ago in Ukraine. And there is no politics now, [when it is held] in Russia," Kiselev said at a press conference.
TOKYO (Sputnik)  Kenji Kanasugi, Japanese foreign ministry chief of Asia-Pacific affairs, and US State Departments Special Representative for North Korea Policy Sung Kim in a phone conversation discussed the recent launch of a ballistic missile from a North Korean submarine, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Friday.

"Both sides agreed that North Koreas launch of a ballistic missile from a submarine on August 24 is unacceptable, and confirmed their intention to continue to stay in close cooperation on the Issue of North Korea, including at the platform of the UN Security Council," the statement reads.
Meanwhile, Monsantos announcement had a negative impact on the companys shares in India with a 2% decline on Thursdays trading.Since 1998, cotton seed prices have increased 71000% in India mainly due to royalties. Indias new government made it clear to Monsanto that would not allow them to exploit farmers.

The government of India issued a circular last December calling for a cap on prices of different cotton seeds starting from April this year. Accordingly, maximum sale prices of cotton seeds were fixed at Rs 800 for BG II and Rs 635 for BG I for financial year 2016-17. Earlier, prices ranged from Rs 830- Rs 1000 across different states of India.

Monsanto's Indian subsidiary Mahyaco Monsanto Biotech India Ltd (MMBL) licenses cotton seed technology to 50 Indian companies in exchange for a hefty royalty fee. However, in May this year, the Indian government cut the royalty fee by 74%, dealing a heavy blow to MMBLs revenue. Following this, Monsanto threatened to review its business in India. It contested the government decision in the Karnataka High Court, but lost the case.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Thai authorities have established an additional security committee in the wake of a series of explosions across the country, a spokeswoman for the Thai embassy in Russia said Friday.

"Following the explosions our government is trying to normalize the situation, we are trying to take all the necessary measures. An additional committee to provide security for tourists in Thailand was established," Athikarn Dilogwathana told RIA Novosti.

She added that Thailand is in constant contact with the relevant foreign bodies that offered their help in the investigation.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Turkish prime minister also stressed that there is no terrorist group that "could hold Turkey captive."

"Let our nation know that we have opened a total war against these terrorist groups," Yildirim was quoted as saying by the Turkish Hurriyet newspaper.
On August 24, a group of photographers detected a set of giant human footprints in the rock located in Pingyan village, local media reported.

One of the footprints, which may date back to ancient times, is in the shape of a left foot that is 57 centimeters long, 20 centimeters wide and 3 centimeters deep.

Such discoveries have been made before, leaving the scientists puzzled. One of the huge footprints was first discovered near the South African town of Mpuluzi in 1912 by a hunter named Stoffel Coetzee.
Beijing has made a number of strides in space technology in recent years. Earlier this month, tests performed by lunar lander Change 3 confirmed that there is no liquid water on the Earths moon.

"Weve measured the amount of water on the lunar surface and above, but only found the lowest quantities so far, which is in line with the expectations of the experts on the formation of the moon," said Wen Jianyan, a researcher with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, according to China Daily.

The Long March-5 could, in theory, help scientists hunt for water on other bodies in the Solar System, including Saturns moon Titan.
KIEV (Sputnik)  The State Savings Bank of Ukraine, Oschadbank, filed an International Court of Arbitration lawsuit to recover $1 billion in Crimean assets, the bank said on its website Friday.

"Oschadbank filed a lawsuit with the entire evidence base today, August 26. The sum of the claims includes the loss of assets, loss of business costs and interest to be credited before the tribunals final ruling and before the actual receipt of payment at the commercial rate determined by the tribunal, totaling over $1 billion," it said.
ST. PETERSBURG (Sputnik)  Russian law currently bans the issue of any currency, including virtual money, not approved by the Central Bank of Russia. The country's Finance Ministry has been working on new legislation to support the ban with criminal responsibility stipulating prison sentences of up to seven years.

"The legislation is ready, but we will not rush it through and it is likely to be altered. I now want to hold meetings with experts and once again consider our options. Given the development of technology, any blanket ban is probably not worth implementing," Moiseev told reporters.
Iran expressed its stance towards a freeze on April 17. Then 16 oil countries, which produce nearly 50 percent of global crude, met in Doha. The meeting failed due to Saudi Arabia. Riyadh said Tehrans participation in the talks was needed. Iran ignored the meeting because it had no plans to reduce output after Western sanctions were lifted.

Since then, Irans stance towards an output freeze has started to change. During the upcoming talks in Algeria, Tehran could agree on the initiative, but "on its own terms," independent Iranian energy expert Omid Shokri Kalehsar told Sputnik.

"Tehran hopes that it would be able to increase production to the levels before sanctions were imposed. Due to Western sanctions, Irans production and export capabilities dropped by one million barrels a day. Now, it is very important to restore the market share Iran had before sanctions. And then Iran would be ready to consider any international initiatives, including an output freeze," the expert pointed out.

At the same time, Iraq is now also increasing crude output and exports. Riyadhs stance at the talks remains unclear.

During the years of sanctions, Saudi Arabia and Iraq took Irans share in the global oil market.
Notwithstanding the pressure being exerted by the US indirectly, Indian Essar group of companies is hopeful of sealing a deal on the sale of its assets to Russian energy giant Rosneft in October this year. Essar sources told Sputnik that the company plans to include more assets in the yet to be signed deal with Rosneft.

They may include two power assets and the Vadinar oil terminal apart from exploration and production assets of Essar oil. Recently, Dharmendra Pradhan, Indian Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas, said, Rosneft of Russia, which is a major producer of oil and gas, is also keen to associate itself with Indian market." Sources say that Rosneft is likely to enter the Indian retail market through Essars retail business.

Debt ridden Essar is trying to monetize assets across its businesses. Meanwhile, officials say that there is a strong likelihood that the US may invoke a sanction advisory issued by the US Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control in 2014 to try and block the Essar- Rosneft deal. The US had included Rosneft on its sanctions list, accusing Moscow of involvement in the military conflict in Eastern Ukraine.
Major international banks have branches in many countries and thus transactions within one corporation are made in local currencies. As a result, companies have to convert the transactions according to local exchange rates. That requires expensive software, many personnel and depositories.

Traditionally, transactions between branches in different countries are conducted in US dollars and euros. However, the banks understand that a united corporate currency would be less costly. Taking into account the scope of activities of the four corporations, their new currency will be high in demand.

The main difference between the USC and Bitcoin is that the four banks will be the centralized issuer of the currency. Bitcoin has no central issuer, which can be regarded as its main advantage and disadvantage at the same time. Until recently, many central banks had prejudices towards bitcoin due to the very same reason.

"It is normal. Bitcoin was a shock for central banks. Usually, there are rules that any financial and payment organization must comply with. If there are any problems a client can go to the bank or processing center. With Bitcoin, there is no center or bank," Viktor Dostov, head of the Russian E-Money Association, told Lenta.ru.

Bitcoin was first used in transactions in the United States in 2008-2009.

According to Dostov, now regulators are examining the ways of working with cryptocurrencies. For instance, a license on Bitcoin transactions was introduced in New York. Central banks around the world are gradually easing its policy towards cryptocurrencies.

"I think that the Russian Central Bank should also change its stance," the expert said.

Commenting on the future of cryptocurrencies, Dostov suggested that they are unlikely to replace traditional money but governments and central banks are interested in developing them.

"I think that in the future there will be a wide range of cryptocurrencies, from libertarian like Bitcoin and those issued and regulated by central banks," he said.

The system developed by UBS, Deutsche Bank, Santander and BNY Mellon is likely to be the first successful use of blockchain technology in the corporate segment. If it helps significantly reduce costs cryptocurrencies might start replacing traditional currencies in the banking sector.
Following the failed coup in Turkey on July 15, Erdogan surprised many analysts by offering a sudden rapprochement with Moscow, while also playing up accusations against Washington that it may have had some hand in the coup attempt. In a seeming stand-off with his American ally, Erdogan also began seeking a rapprochement with Iran and even issued overtures for a detente with the Syrian government after years of labelling President Assad a butcher who had to surrender power.

In recent weeks, Erdogan has called for a new anti-terror front involving Russia and Iran, as well as the US.

Russia and Iran appeared to welcome Turkeys seeming change of priorities, away from pushing regime change in Syria and instead focussing on combatting terrorist brigades. Last weeks bombing atrocity in Turkeys southern city of Gaziantep in which 54 people were killed allegedly by jihadists was invoked by Ankara as a tipping point for its military action in Syria this week. Again, that sequence tends to bolster Erdogans claim of taking on the terrorists.

Given Washingtons back foot over Erdogans insinuations that it had somehow colluded in the failed coup, and given the Turkish presidents conciliatory overtures to Moscow, Tehran and Damascus, it would appear that Ankara is capitalizing on the geopolitical flux in order to prosecute its abiding interests in Syria  to carve out territories that it or its proxies can control.

In short, Erdogan is trying to blindside all the players.

The next question is: what is Ankara seeking to gain?
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In an interview with Radio Sputnik Tim Worstall described the $19 billion mentioned in the probe as ludicrous, adding that even if Apple did in fact make a special deal [to avoid taxation], then it might be asked to repay about $200 million and that would cover decades, amounting to about $20 million a year.

Much of the value of Apple is in the design, the brand itself. People pay 200 euros more for an Apple than they do for an equivalent Android phone. But that brand and design are created in Cupertino, California, so the international tax system quite rightly says that [Apple should be taxed in California], not in Ireland, Europe, Germany or wherever else. Thats how the international tax law works or should work, Tim Worstall argued.

When reminded of the current practice of breaking a company down to a number of smaller ones to lower the overall tax burden, he said that Apples arrangement is actually very simple.

Say, you have Apple UK, which buys the boxes, phones from Apple Ireland. All of Apples profits outside North America end up in an Irish company, which then pays royalties for the design to a company in Bermuda, not in America. Now you might think that Bermuda is avoiding the tax, but it isnt because if they want to pay these profits out to Apple shareholders, they must move their company back to the US, at which point those royalties pay 35 percent income tax minus the foreign taxes already paid. This is how it is supposed to work, Warstall noted.

The value is created in the US. Therefore, the economic activity created by that value should be taxed in the US. This is how the US tax system works and it has absolutely nothing to do with the European Commission or the European Union, he added.

When asked why the US Treasury Department ha stepped into this case, Tim Worstall said that the main complaint is that the more taxes Apple pays in Europe, the less taxes will it be able to pay in the US. Eventual all that money has to go back to the US where it will be subject to the American corporate income tax.

That is the way the international tax system does work, should work and will work. It is pretty much impossible to avoid or evade corporate taxation. You can delay it, like Apple does, but eventually the money has to come out of the corporate structure and be taxed, Tim Worstall said in conclusion.
Madeleine Sumption, Director of the Migration Observatory at the University of Oxford told Sputnik:

"Traditionally the UK's relationship with Ireland and the former colonies have been key factors in shaping its migrant population. What we can see from current data is that in recent years the EU has played a similar role."

The number of residents born in Poland was 831,000 in 2015, whilst the Indian-born population stood at 795,000.

Poland was the most common country of birth for non-UK mothers in E&W in 2015, Pakistan for fathers https://t.co/r6P9s4niS9  ONS (@ONS) August 25, 2016

EU citizens continued to make up just under half of net inflows of non-UK citizens, at 180,000, or 49%. The main reason for migration during this period was work, which was cited by 73% of EU citizens, but only 30% of non-EU citizens.

Chart  non-British citizens immigrating to UK with a definite job or looking for work https://t.co/qByMmURDKB pic.twitter.com/S1nOmXEXOI  Paul Vickers (@PaulVickers_ONS) August 25, 2016

The figures are up to the year ending March 2016  before the UK's referendum to leave the EU. It's not yet clear how the "exit" vote will affect immigrants who view the UK as an appealing destination to move to.

For those immigrants already here, it has led to a great deal of confusion over their status, and whether they will be allowed to continue to work, study and live in the UK.

"This data comes at a time of considerable uncertainty for EU migrants living in the UK, as most EU migrants are not UK citizens. Although the Government has committed in principle, to allow EU migrants to remain in the UK, there are many unresolved questions about their status.

"While high levels of EU migration were a major theme in the referendum debate, predicting how they will change after Brexit is still an impossible task. We don't yet know what policies will apply to EU citizens after Brexit. The impact of the referendum outcome on the economy  and thus, whether the UK will continue to be an attractive destination for migrants looking to work in the UK-also remains uncertain," Ms. Sumption told Sputnik.

However, before the UK referendum, the Migration Observatory noted that if the UK did vote to leave the EU, it's possible the entire immigration system may be need to be redesigned. Current immigration rules were developed in a context where free movement was a defining feature of the system.

Certainly, Prime Minister Theresa May is under pressure to indicate what her policy towards EU nationals is, and indeed, when she will start negotiations to leave the EU.

The UK government has yet to trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty, which is the necessary mechanism needed before official talks can even begin.
"It is responsible for many unique developments on both mobile and PC environments. The company also specializes in creating highly sought solutions in the mobile and PC controlled environments."

NSO group states that its specialties include: Internet security, mobile security, cyber threat and penetration testing.

Another document uploaded online by Privacy International offers more detail about the company which employs between 200 and 500 people, according to Linked in, says that NSO Group "is a leader in the field of cyber warfare."
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier on Friday, police said it had evacuated the shopping center over a suspicious person wearing dark clothes. The shopping center and the parking lot were closed while police were checking people, who left the center.

"Our checking is over and gave no results. The cordon is removed," police wrote on its Twitter page.
ROME (Sputnik)  Flags will be flown at half-mast on public buildings throughout the country, according to the statement.

Local media reported earlier in the day, that Italian President Sergio Mattarella, as well as the Italian prime minister would attend a funeral mass scheduled for Saturday at 11:30 local time (09:30 GMT) in the city of Ascoli Piceno.

A 6.2-magnitude earthquake shook the mountainous regions of Umbria, Lazio and Le Marche in the early hours of Wednesday, causing extensive damage, with around 650 aftershocks continuing for 48 hours.
In his latest comment on the work of the court Muiznieks has admitted that: "Direct challenges to the authority of the Court within a handful of member states have also become more explicit and vocal. They have gone beyond prolonged non-implementation of a few of the Court's judgments."

The first state of emergency decree adopted by the Turkish government is very worrying. Here are my comments: https://t.co/BdrEtszK2T  Nils Muiznieks (@CommissionerHR) July 26, 2016

The Legal and Human Rights Committee of the Council of Europe's Parliamentary Assembly found that there was a rising number of judgments concerning complex or structural problems, so-called "leading" cases, that have not been implemented for more than ten years. It expressed its concern about the approximately 11,000 non-implemented judgments pending before the Committee of Ministers.

"While the 2015 Annual Report of the Committee of Ministers on the execution of the Court's judgments shows that a new record number of cases were closed in 2015, there is a continued increase of cases pending for more than five years. In 2011 these cases accounted for 20 percent of the total number of cases, while by the end of 2015 that figure had risen to 55 percent. The number of "leading" cases pending, those indicating structural problems, has also risen steeply from 278 cases in 2011 to 685 cases in 2015," Muiznieks wrote.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The Council of State, the French Highest Court issued a ruling on Friday suspending the ban on the full-body burkini bathing suits designed for Muslim women in the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, the spokesman for the court told Sputnik on Friday.

"The decision is against the ban," Yohann Brunet said.

On Thursday, France's Human Rights League filed an appeal on the ban that was imposed by the authorities of Villeneuve-Loubet at French Riviera resort. Currently about 30 French towns prohibit burkinis.
August 26 (Sputnik)  In April 2014, the Ukrainian authorities launched a military operation to suppress independence militia in the eastern region of Donbass.

In February 2015, the two sides reached a ceasefire deal after talks brokered by the leaders of Russia, Germany, France and Ukraine in the Belarusian capital, Minsk. Key points of the Minsk agreements include a ceasefire, heavy weapons withdrawal from the line of contact in eastern Ukraine, constitutional reforms, including a decentralization of power in the country, and granting a special status to the Donbass region.

"Today the issue of ceasefire was discussed, in the presence of an OSCE [Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe] representative upon the initiative of Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, this especially concerns September 1 We hope that this process will begin on September 1, we saw that separate areas of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions heard us," Yuri Tandit said as broadcast on the 112 Ukraina channel.
A statement issued ahead of the awards ceremony said Mansoor's absence marks, "a very disappointing position for the UAE, which is a country that prides itself as one of the hubs of international business and tourism in the Middle East, as well as a safe haven in the region."

"As a member of the UN Human Rights Council, which is running for a second term, we expect the UAE authorities to honor their obligations to uphold human rights and protect human rights defenders," the statement said.

Mansoor recorded a video message to be played at the ceremony in Geneva, noting his presence as a finalist shows "people that we have deep human rights issues that PR companies and a complex network of interests try to dismiss, or at least present as contrary to the reality."

(3/3) @Ahmed_Mansoor, one of few voices providing credible assessments of human rights developments in UAE https://t.co/rQa9g3R28a  Martin Ennals Award (@martinennals) August 26, 2016

Less than a year later, on 10 August 2016, Mansoor's iPhone had been subject to a malicious malware attack, exploiting vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS operating system in an attempt to hack into Mansoor's data using sophisticated spyware. Mansoor reported the link to internet watchdog, Citizen Lab, which on August 25 issued a report releasing information about the cyberattack.
The Human Rights Act of 1998, guarantees every UK citizen the opportunity to defend themselves in domestic courts under rights granted them by the European Convention on Human Rights.

But this will all be changing it seems. This week, the government pushed forward with the Bill of Rights.

Instead of a guaranteed set of rights, worked through by human rights champions and lawyers from across Europe, the rights of the British people will be managed by civil servants in Westminster.

The newly-appointed Justice Secretary and Lord Chancellor, Liz Truss confirmed the plans in an interview earlier this week to reassure Conservative voters of the manifesto pledge to replace the act with a British Bill of Rights. Truss insisted that there was no plan to drop the proposal.

"We are committed to that. That is a manifesto commitment," she said.

"I'm looking very closely at the details but we have a manifesto commitment to deliver that."

Prime Minister Theresa May said in a speech in April that she was strongly in favor of legislation which "protects human rights in a way that doesn't jeopardize national security or bind the hands of parliament."

"A true British Bill of Rights, decided by parliament and amended by parliament, would protect not only the rights set out in the convention, but could include traditional British rights not protected by the ECHR such as the right to trial by jury," Mrs. May said.

Amnesty International (AI) have campaigned tirelessly to keep the human rights act and in a statement, one of their spokespeople told Sputnik that even though some may not have used the act, it is an invisible safety net there to protect us all.

Please, if you can, take time to sign this! https://t.co/fFEca4J8vR  Les Donaghy (@LesDonaghy) August 26, 2016

"The Human Rights Act protects the fundamental rights we all have as human beings and allows us to challenge authorities if they violate them. It is a crucial protection for the most vulnerable, from women fleeing their homes after domestic violence to older people in care homes," an AI spokesperson told Sputnik.
On Thursday, the Mayor's of Paris and London united to condemn the burkini ban as an affront on human rights. London's first Muslim Mayor Sadiq Khan, said that even in a state of emergency, there is no reason to tell women what they can and can't wear.

"I'm quite firm on this. I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop. It's as simple as that. I don't think it's right. I'm not saying we're perfect yet, but one of the joys of London is that we don't simply tolerate difference. We respect it, we embrace it and we celebrate it," Mr. Khan said.

His female Parisian counterpart Anne Hidalgo, agreed, calling for an end to the "hysteria" of the ban.

So Sarkozy calls the burkini a 'provocation.' Whether women cover or uncover their bodies, seems we're always, always 'asking for it.'  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 25, 2016

France has been in an official state of emergency since the terror attack in Paris last November, which killed 130 people and sent shock waves across Europe. It was extended after the Bastile Day attack in Nice last month, when a driver ploughed his truck through a crowd of people killing 86.

In between both attacks and since, there have been several atrocities committed by Islamist extremists in France, contributing to an atmosphere of fear and paranoia.

Several towns along the French Riviera have pointed to this fraught atmosphere as a justification for their burkini bans.
MINSK (Sputnik)  The Trilateral Contact Group, consisting of envoys and experts from Ukraine, Russia, and the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), holds regular meetings in Minsk aimed at facilitating a diplomatic resolution to the armed conflict in Donbass. The group met once again earlier on Friday. The Ukrainian side said that the sides to the conflict agreed to a ceasefire starting September 1.

"There is very little time left before September 1 when educational process will begin at schools. We are calling on sides to the conflict to cease fire fully and permanently before the beginning of the school year," Gryzlov told reporters.
He explained by Milanovics insulting statement by the ongoing election campaign in Croatia.

Milanovic is a peculiar type of a politician; he expects to form a new Cabinet after the elections and has already given us to understand how ruinous his governments actions are going to be for our bilateral relations.

Tomislav Nikolic also said that Milanovics words reminded him of what Ante Pavelic [the leader of the Nazi puppet government of the Independent Sate of Croatia during WWII] thought about Serbs and how he treated them.

Im afraid that many in Croatia remain stuck in the past. We are not going to close our border and break off ties with Croatia. We will keep trying to mend fences. It is up to the Croatians to decide whether were have normal relations or not, he said.

He added that Serbias silence was not a sign of weakness.

It means that we want to live in peace with everyone, including Croatia. Our thoughts are with our fellow Serbs living there who could become refugees because of such statements. In this case Serbia will not sit on its hands and watch all this happen, President Nikolic warned.

The statement came amid heightened tensions between Serbia and Croatia. Earlier this month, Balkan media outlets reported that the Croatian Foreign Ministry had sent a note of protest to Serbia after critical statements from Belgrade regarding the rehabilitation of Catholic Cardinal Alojzije Stepinac, who had been supported by the Croatian pro-Nazi Ustashas regime during WWII while in the post of the Archbishop of Zagreb.

Belgrade has also protested over the unveiling of a monument dedicated to Miro Baresic, a Croatian national who had been convicted for the murder of the Yugoslav Ambassador to Sweden Vladimir Rolovic in 1971.
"It is not right to say: 'Let's implement the deal that favors the EU, but not the one favorable to Turkey.' It is not fair," he told reporters.

The deal was already faltering over some of the 72 criteria Turkey has to meet. Most notably on anti-terror powers. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is refusing to change anti-terror laws that he has used against journalists and media companies. Moreover, he has recently passed a law lifting immunity for lawmakers in a move critics say will lead to the victimization of opposition politicians. Erdogan's support for the reintroduction of the death penalty is another major blocker.

The reintroduction of the death penalty in Turkey is an absolute red line and should be treated as such by the #EU https://t.co/TYSrfFvIuZ  Guy Verhofstadt (@GuyVerhofstadt) 18 July 2016

The deal was already in trouble over Erdogan's increasing grip on power, crackdown on opposition parties and the media as well as criticism of his 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 over Turkish membership, putting the migrant deal in peril and raising the specter of thousands more migrants flooding into Europe each day.

Ankara PR Campaign

Now Brussels has another headache to deal with: Turkey is setting up a PR agency to improve the image of Erdogan abroad. According to the Hurriyet Daily News, a number of top business people have joined Turkey's economy ministries and to launch a comprehensive PR campaign to try to improve the country's image abroad.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Thursday, France's Human Rights League filed an appeal against the ban on wearing burkini, that was imposed by the authorities of French Riviera resort of Villeneuve-Loubet on August 5, and upheld by the Administrative Tribunal of Nice on August 22.

"Looking into the mayors order, the urgent applications judge of the Council of State notes that no evidence was brought before him [to prove] that risks of breaches of peace and good order existed, on the beaches of Villeneuve-Loubet, in relation to the clothes worn by some people. Considering that such risks do not exist, the concern and worries resulting from recent terrorist attacks, in particular the attack that took place in Nice on July 14th, are not sufficient to justify legally the mayors order," the Court said in the explanatory part of its decision.
"My aim is to bring back authority and defend the French Republic."

He has also promised to impose a nationwide ban on burkinis  the full body bathing suits worn by Muslim women  if re-elected to the presidency in 2017.

"Wearing a burkini is a radical, political gesture, a provocation. The women who are choosing to wear it are testing the resilience of the Republic," Mr. Sarkozy said.

That's despite a landmark judgement from France's highest administrative court on Friday, that said the ban, which has been in place in several French coastal towns this summer, "seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom."

#Sarkozy: "Our identity is under threat when we accept an immigration policy that makes no sense." #Islamophobia  Heavy Metal Politics (@heavympolitics) 26 August 2016

There is little indication that Mr. Sarkozy is planning to soften his stance in light of the new judgement.

On the contrary, political commentators see his policy proposals has a deliberate attempt to woo right-wing voters who are feeling increasingly disenchanted in socialist France.

Incumbent President Francois Hollande, has come under mounting pressure over the numerous Islamist attacks that have taken place on French soil, often perpetrated by French nationals, over the last 18 months. He's been accused of failing to implement tough security and intelligence measures, and of mismanaging immigration.

Hollande booed by the people of Nice who are angry that the French Government are not doing enough to stop terrorism.  AC (@tangerinemann) July 15, 2016

Now his opponents on the right are capitalizing on the persistent fears and paranoia of the French electorate, that another terrorist attack could be around the corner.

None more so than the National Front, a far-right party led by Marine Le Pen, who are anti-immigrant, and aggressively nationalistic. They have seen their support swell as fears grow of immigrants and of Islamist extremism.
However, Mansoor knew better than to click on the link, having been a repeated target by government hackers before, and forwarded the link to Bill Marczak, a researcher at Citizen Lab.

Infiltrated, Stolen & Exploited

Mansoor's hunch was correct, the link would not have afforded him any more information on who was being held in UAE state jails, rather than it would have exploited three unknown vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS operating system.

As he clicked on the link in the text message, "Mansoor's phone would have become a digital spy in his pocket, capable of employing his iPhone's camera and microphone to snoop on activity in the vicinity of the device," a statement from Internet watchdog Citizen Lab revealed.

"Recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and tracking his movements."

Had the hackers got through, every inch of Mansoor communications and data could be infiltrated, stolen and exploited.

'Sophisticated Cyberespionage'

According to Citizen Lab:

"It's one of the most sophisticated pieces of cyberespionage software we've ever seen."

The malware can create a backdoor to every inch of communications data stored on an iPhone.

The cyberattack on Mansoor, thwarted by his sense not to open a suspect link on his iPhone hasn't only exposed vulnerabilities on an iPhone that Apple have had to quickly fix, but the truth behind the Israeli cyber security company behind what could be a state sponsored attack.

'Cyber Arms Dealer'

Mike Murray, Lookout's vice president of research told Motherboard that NSO Group is "basically a cyber arms dealer."

"We realized that we were looking at something that no one had ever seen in the wild before. Literally a click on a link to jailbreak an iPhone in one step[it's] one of the most sophisticated pieces of cyberespionage software we've ever seen."
Desperate situation for 60,000 ppl returning to #Afghanistan. To end suffering, int community must act now! pic.twitter.com/BGhP5cqQg1  NRC (@NRC_Norway) August 22, 2016

Stricter border control and checks in wider Europe are said to also be contributing to the lower number of approved applications. Yet, plans for 11 feet high fences are still deemed necessary to further tighten security from the 200 km stretch Storskog-Borisoglebsk border with Russia.

The "build-a-fence" strategy seems to be spreading across many European zones and is said to be reflecting strong shifts in public attitudes against refugees, fueled by the wider Europe crisis. Critics say that dismissive approaches like this shun human-rights responsibilities of every country and can also deter people fleeing persecution, which is highly unethical and inhumane.

Norway deports 7 young sisters to Jordan, two of them born in Norway. https://t.co/XPTgDzgKj6  Linn Herland Landro (@linnhlandro) August 14, 2016

Hungary, being one of the first other European countries to build a border fence in late 2015 and making their refugee "no-entry" stance clear, have also this week announced plans to upgrade existing fences to become "unbreakable" by migrants. This follows earlier reports about Hungary also bringing extreme plans of pig heads to be placed at the border to specifically deter Muslim refugees.

The fence in Norway is said to be ready within weeks and will be replacing previous barriers that were in place to control reindeer herds.

As a result of this trend, a future vision where countries of the world simply "block-out" fellow human beings, and especially those in need of compassion and humanity fleeing from inhumane conditions within conflict zones, is certainly being met with much criticism and concern by large sections of the international audience.
This trend can be explained by a number of reasons, the newspaper wrote. First, the media have to adjust to their clients, investors and sponsors, rather than the readers. Another factor is the relationships between journalists and the so called "centers of power". On the one hand, these relations are necessary to obtain insider information, but on the other, they imply a certain level of intimacy.

Earlier German journalists maintained a close relationship with local authorities and companies, but over time, media employees have increasingly started to join various trans-Atlantic organizations. These links provide opportunities for career growth, but at the same time impose certain obligations, the article said.

Moreover, as the newspaper noted, the increasing dependence of small media sources on large international news agencies contribute to the situation in which media reports become more biased. Many newspapers and TV stations struggle to find money to pay for the work of correspondents, journalists, photographers and observers in various parts of the world. Therefore, journalists often base their work on the materials of large news agencies such as Reuters, dpa, AP and others, the newspaper concluded.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in August, the municipal authorities in about 30 French coastal cities on the French Riviera, including Nice, prohibited the burkini over safety concerns.

"Now everyone's responsibility is to find appeasement which is the only way to evade disruption of public order and consolidate the community," Cazeneuve said in a statement.

On Thursday, France's Human Rights League launched an appeal against the ban imposed by the authorities of Villeneuve-Loubet, one of the first municipalities to prohibit burkinis, in the Council of State.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, the Council of State, which is France's highest administrative court, issued a ruling suspending the Villeneuve-Loubet mayor's decision to ban burkinis from the town's beaches. The ruling followed an appeal by the French Human Rights League.

By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, todays decision has drawn an important line in the sand French authorities must now drop the pretense that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women. Rather, invasive and discriminatory measures such as these restrict womens choices," Amnesty International Europe Director John Dalhuisen said, as quoted in a statement by the organization.

The ban was an assault on the freedom of expression and religion, the statement added, emphasizing that the ban did not promote public safety as was claimed by local authorities.
LONDON (Sputnik)  The anti-terrorism police arrested five men on terrorism-related offences in central England on Friday, the West Midlands police said in a press release.

"Five men have been arrested by West Midlands Counter Terrorism detectives today (Friday 26 August) on suspicion of being concerned in the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism," the police said.

Two suspects were arrested in the Stoke area of Staffordshire, and three others were arrested in Birmingham, the press release read.
His divisive and controversial proposals have propelled the Freedom Party to the forefront of the nations major polls for months. Wilders is also the frontrunner to become the next Dutch Prime Minister.

The page-long manifesto calls for a complete and total "de-Islamification" of the nation. In addition to closing all mosques, the proposal also states his intention to close all Islamic schools and asylum centers, and ban Muslim women from wearing headscarves in public.

Previously, he has compared the Koran to Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf.
Orban, who earlier referred to illegal immigrants as "poison," said Friday on state radio that there may soon be a need to tighten borders further, if, for instance, Turkey refuses to help EU control the surge of migrants into Western Europe, as it does now in exchange for aid and visa-free travel for Turks. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that European leaders are not living up to their part of the deal.

"Then if it does not work with nice words, we will have to stop them with force, and we will do so," Orban said.

The Prime Minister did not specify when construction will begin but noted that a new wall, to be built alongside the existing one, will be more fortified and able to stop anyone appearing at Hungary's frontier.
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik)  The upper house of the Brazilian parliament opened an impeachment trial of Rousseff on Thursday. The extraordinaty session of the Senate was chaired by Lewandowski.

Rousseffs defense argued on Thursday that there were certain procedural violations in Rousseffs case; Lewandowski "welcomed" the requests made by the defense, including on banning one witness from participating in the trial, but did not grant them, Jornal Reporter Diario said on Thursday.

After all the hearings in the impeachment trial, the senators will move to a vote, the exact date of which remains unknown, according to Lewandowski.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Regular commercial flights between Cuba and the United States will be re-launched on August 31, Cuban Deputy Transport Minister Eduardo Rodriguez announced.

"The resumption of regular direct flights is a positive step and a contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries," Rodriguez said as quoted by El Nuevo Herald on Thursday.

The first direct flight, run by US airline JetBlue, is set to take off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 31. It will fly to the Cuban city of Santa Clara.
An interesting, and rather unique aspect which has also significantly contributed to the process in Colombia, is the inclusion of victims from both sides of the long-standing bloody conflict, who have had the opportunity to give harrowing accounts of their experiences as a form of "healing" process.

This is certainly a unique factor which, when looking at wider situations, can certainly be given prime focus for resolve, however likely or possible this can be where the numbers are significantly higher and where the impact of bloody wars are so current and raw for those innocently caught up.

Oscar Palma, a professor of political science and government at the National University of Columbia is little more pragmatic about the deal however.

"This deal certainly brings all the conditions to believe we are able to construct something balanced for the future but it doesn't mean we will magically find daily peace. This is just a starting point," Palma told Sputnik.

"There are many other criminal gangs and insurgencies operating on the ground who are set on continuing the violence on the ground," he added.

The Peace Research Institute in Oslo (PRIO) has included President Santos and FARC guerrilla leader "Timochenko" Jimenez in their annual prediction list for a possible upcoming Nobel Peace Prize.

According to PRIO's current Directors, Kristian Berg Harpviken, the two leaders have displayed great political courage to end 50 plus years of civil war, leading toward where the outcome we see today. Harpviken also acknowledges that other bloody, complex conflicts could learn many lessons from this peace process, even if there are significant differences.

In Colombia, the next hurdle is an upcoming referendum, with Santos leading his peaceful "Yes" vote and former President, leading the "No" campaign against FARC's political participation.

The positive factor that remains however, is that all sides have openly indicated that, whatever the outcome of a referendum aimed at securing public approval of a peace deal, there will be all efforts remaining to ensure there is no return to bloody wars.
"The United States has always called for more regional involvement in the fight against the Syrian government and the government President Bashar al-Assad."

Alliances are also shifting between the Syrian government and Kurdish forces, who previously had an unspoken understanding that they shared a common enemy in Daesh. In the wake of a YPG attack on the Syrian Army, however, the government was forced to respond.

"In my opinion, it was an American step to escalate the situation in the eastern part of Syria in order to reshuffle the realities on the ground there," Almassian says. "Its in the national security interests of the Syrians not to fight the YPG or any other groups at this moment, because the priority is ISIS, al-Nusra Front, and other terrorist organizations."

In the long-term, the YPGs desire for an independent state could be a problem for the Syrian government. While Damascus and Ankara both have an interest in preventing this, Turkeys unpredictable behavior could be a problem for Syria.

"We have to bear in mind, the move that the Turks carried out today was not [done] in favor of the Syrian government," Ebrahim says. "What the Turks are doing is invading Syrian territories, taking Jarablus down
The war has not only killed over 9,000 people and left the country in ruins, but has also given a kiss of life to a branch of al Qaeda now planted in Yemen, he added.

Concurrently, the international community, that is supposed to be the peak of democracy and justice, is involved in it, Shadjareh stated. Citing an Oxfam report, he observed that the UK is also actively supplying Riyadh with arms and ammunition, which are being liberally used against civilians.

Saudi Arabia couldnt possibly get engaged in this sort of war without such support, he said.

Riyadh made it clear that its airstrikes, targeting hospitals and schools, are overlooked by the West, Shadjareh pointed out, citing the Saudi Foreign Ministers claim that US and UK commanders have access to the list of Saudi airstrike targets.

The reality is that not only is Saudi Arabia commiting war crimes, but also those who make it possible, he added, referring to logistical assistance and weapons supplied by Washington and London.

Among the reasons prompting Americans and Britons to turn a blind eye to the carnage and international law violations currently being committed in Yemen by the Saudis is the aggressive sale of weapons by the West, weapons specifically provided for the use of Riyadh against the Houthi opposition.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the newspaper, citing sources, Russia's influence on the situation is so great that, although Moscow expressed "deep concern" over the Turkish intervention in the conflict, it could not have happened without at least the tacit consent of the Kremlin, especially since the Russian Aerospace Forces are controlling the skies in northwestern Syria.

"Both Russia and the United States are guiding the process there, but it is obvious that the former is still the master of the situation, acting as one of the parties to the conflict," a French senior diplomatic source told the paper.

The publication noted that France and the Arab countries are dissatisfied with the United States lacking determination, as well as with the fact that Washington is only interested in fighting extremists, but not in a more serious intervention.
Japans Ambassador to Russia Toyohisa Kozuki has been informed of the Russian Armed Forces snap combat readiness inspections , Antonov said.

Snap combat readiness inspections are running across Russia's Southern, Western and Central military districts, as well as the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Forces and Airborne Troops on August 25-31.

These exercises are carried out in strict compliance with all of Russias international obligations, Antonov said as quoted by the ministry.

The ministry added that the sides positively assessed the practice of joint exercises, General Staff-level consultations and navy-to-navy interactions, as well as outlined the prospects of multilateral Asia-Pacific military cooperation.
DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  On Thursday, reports emerged claiming that the Syrian army and the so-called moderate armed opposition reached an agreement under which some 4,000 civilians must leave Darayya, as well as 700 armed terrorists, who will be taken to Idlib.

As many as 25 buses will be taking militants to Idlib, while 30 buses will take militants facilities. There are also 15 ambulances to evacuate the wounded.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
DAMASCUS (Sputnik)  A Russian citizen has been lightly wounded in mortar shelling of a Christian neighborhood in the southern entrances to the Syrian capital of Damascus, the victims father said Friday.

"The incident occurred on Wednesday night. Suzzanna was walking with her sister in the old city of Bab Tuma. The shell fell 15 meters [50 feet] from the girls. Cars parked in front saved them, Suzanna sustained a shrapnel wound in the leg," Nazir Saidi told RIA Novosti.

Saidi said his daughter was hospitalized at a Red Cross facility, where she received medical assistance and was dismissed as of Friday.
Earlier, Bashar Jaafari, Syria's envoy to the UN, told Sputnik in an exclusive interview that the French intelligence service was involved in the attack that left more than 1,300 civilians killed. The incident, he explained, was orchestrated to prevent a UN inspector from going to Aleppo and investigating another chemical assault blamed on rebels.

"These are Syrian allegations and obviously there is no independent corroboration of them. But such things are known to have happened in the past. And if one looks at the actual facts of what happened in August 2013, many people suspected that something like that had been happening for a very long time," Mercouris said.

The analyst further noted that "it does look like the operation may have been carried out by the Syrian rebels and it is possible of course that a foreign intelligence agency was involved. There certainly have been precedents for such things."
ANKARA (Sputnik)  A truck bombing that killed at least 11 police in the southeastern Turkish town of Cizre was carried out by the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) suicide bomber, the Sirnak provincial authorities said in a statement Friday.

"A PKK suicide attack using a truck bomb took place at a checkpoint in the Cizre area of our province this morning at 6:45 a.m. [03:45 GMT]. Eleven policemen were killed as a result of this cowardly terrorist attack and 78 people, including three civilians, were wounded. Four are in serious condition," the Sirnak administration said.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced that the operation was aimed against Daesh militants and Kurdish forces. The operation came after a terrorist attack in Gaziantep last weekend which killed over 50 people. The Turkish government blamed Daesh for the attack.

The operation was backed by an international coalition led by the United States.

Demirtas underscored that normalization between Ankara and Moscow has significantly facilitated Turkeys policy towards the Syrian crisis.

"I can say that this operation was possible as a result of the reconciliation between Russia and Turkey. It couldnt happen without Russias authorization. I want to emphasize that the Russian-Turkish normalization was the main precondition for the offensive," the journalist pointed out.

Russias influence on the situation is Syria is so significant that Ankara could not have started the Jarablus operation without Moscows agreement, a recent article in the French newspaper Le Monde read.

"Like it was never before, now Russia is the master of the situation in Syria. Despite the fact that Moscow voiced concerns over the Japablus operation, this operation was not possible without Russias agreement," the article read.

"Moscow seems to have all the cards in the Syrian game," it added.

According to Le Monde, Ankara changed its stance towards Syria after reconciliation with Moscow. Now, this change of heart is giving its first results.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to IOM, the incident happened on August 22. All humanitarian supplies were destroyed and an aid worker was injured, the organization said in a statement.

"The targeting of humanitarian workers and supplies is tragic. Last week, we commemorated World Humanitarian Day and sadly, humanitarian workers continue be targeted in conflicts. Our thoughts are with the injured victim and his family, but this attack only serves to strengthen our resolve to relieve the suffering inside Syria," IOM Turkey Chief of Mission Lado Gvilava said, as quoted by the organization.

Some 7,500 internally displaced persons have been reached with aid in both east and west Aleppo since August 11.
No soldiers were injured. The Palestinian was not found to have either weapons, or explosive devices. The investigation is underway, according to the news outlet, citing the IDF Spokesperson Unit.

Palestinians seek the recognition of their independent state, proclaimed in 1988, on the territories of West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip. The Israeli government refuses to recognize Palestine as an independent political and diplomatic entity.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A group of 20 people, allegedly linked to Daesh, were detained by the anti-terror team in the Seyhan district of Adana province, and the remainder were apprehended in the central Anatolian province of Konya, the police source was quoted as saying by the Anadolu news agency.

According to the source, police seized documents from the suspects, who have been taken into custody for questioning after medical checks.

The move comes after the Turkish army launched a military operation earlier this week in northern Syria against Daesh jihadists, outlawed in Russia and many other countries.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The statement added that de Mistura called on the United States and Russia, as the Co-Chairs of the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), as well as on other ISSG members to ensure that cessation of hostilities was in compliance with international humanitarian law and protection standards.

"It is imperative that people of Darayya are protected in any evacuation that takes place, and that this takes place voluntarily," the statement said.

On Thursday, reports emerged claiming that the Syrian army and the so-called moderate armed opposition reached an agreement under which some 4,000 civilians must leave Darayya, as well as 700 armed militants, who will be taken to Idlib. Earlier on Friday, the Syrian authorities have begun evacuating civilians and militants from the suburb of Damascus.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A suicide bomber blew up himself in a refugee camp in northern Iraq near the town of Makhmur on Friday, killing two people, local governor Zerkar Mohamed was cited by media as saying.

"Two people, including a Kurdish Peshmerga soldier, were killed," Mohamed was quoted as saying by the Anadolu news agency.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed the situation in Syria in a telephone conversation on Friday, the Kremlin said.

"A phone call of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan took place by initiative of the Turkish side The leaders exchanged opinions comprehensively on the situation in Syria. The importance of joint efforts in fighting terrorism was noted," the statement read.

Syria has been mired in civil war since 2011, with government forces loyal to President Bashar Assad fighting numerous opposition factions and extremist groups.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the agency, the Turkish president informed Putin about the ongoing Turkish military operation in northern Syria and stressed the importance of joint fight against Daesh and other terrorist groups.

The presidents also discussed normalization of Russia-Turkey relations and agreed to hold a meeting on the sidelines of a September 4-5 summit of G20 leaders in China, Anadolu said.
He further said that after that video, there were reports that Saudi Arabia, near the borders of Syria and Jordan, has organized workspace for the production of special chemicals which are necessary to create chemical weapons, to be used by the terrorists.

After all of that, we witnessed the use of chemical weapons in Khan al-Assal, an Aleppo suburb, where dozens of victims were innocent civilians. It is noteworthy that the media working for public relations of terrorists and financed by the US and its Western allies said that the chemical attack was carried out by the Syrian governments army against its own citizens.

The Syrian government immediately denied this information and said that this was done by the terrorists. The government also demanded an immediate investigation into this terrible incident, Hassan noted.

The official request of the Syrian authorities to carry out an investigation was reported to the UN Security Council, but surprisingly its examination was delayed by a year and only after that the UN Security Council decided to send its inspectors to Syria.

However, when the OPCW inspectors arrived in Damascus on August 21, 2013, the terrorists in the suburbs of Damascus in Eastern Ghouta once again used the chemical weapons and immediately blamed it on the Syrian Army.

The Syrian authorities have repeatedly denied these false accusations. The government said that it was the handiwork of the terrorists, since there is no logic, sense and interest to use chemical weapons in such close proximity (5 km) to the location of OPCW inspectors and the United Nations, Hassan stressed.

According to the correspondent, the results of the investigation and many of the facts were distorted.

It turned out all wrong. It was not what the Syrian authorities and the Syrian people were hoping to achieve.
The Turkish operation in Jarablus is aimed at preventing a united Kurdish region in Syria and fighting Daesh was used only as a pretext, French author and lecturer Gerard Chaliand said in an interview with Le Figaro.

"Turkey started an operation in Syria to stop Kurds and, to a lesser degree, to fight Daesh. Turkey will never allow a united Kurdish territory to take shape in Syria," he said.

He also suggested that Moscow might have been aware of the Jarablus operation.

"Until recently, Ankara didnt want to go into Syria because of the Russian presence. But after talks between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, Moscow agreed not to bomb Turkish forces. In exchange, Erdogan admitted that Bashar Assad will remain in power, at least for now. Such a situation is good for Moscow, Ankara and Damascus," Chaliand pointed out.

Expert on Syria Gunter Meyer noted that both Daesh and Kurdish forces are considered terrorists by Turkey.

"The primary goal of the Turkish operation is Kurds. Ankara wants to prevent a Kurdish autonomous entity at the Turkish border. Daesh is a secondary target," the analyst said in an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tagesanzeiger.

Meyer noted that previously Turkey used to support terrorist groups in Syria, which included buying illegal oil and treating wounded jihadists in Turkish hospitals.
These pilots delivered food to the residents in besieged areas and the terrorists shot down the helicopter and humiliated the bodies of these pilots. Let me ask you a question: which century to do you live in, Abu Ahmed said.

Another displaced resident, Um Maysaa, who fled the city of al-Bab in Aleppo province, said that she prays for any pilot whose plane flies over her head, be it Russian or Syrian.

All those who are helping us from any army, whether its Russian or any other, are like our children! But most importantly it is Russia which has done a good deed. They brought us flour, baked goods and even sweets. All of this was brought to us by the Russians. They have really helped us greatly, Um Maysaa told Sputnik.

In turn, a young resident of Idlib named Ali sadly recalls how he lost an opportunity to play freely in his courtyard with his friends. He dreams of the day when his native lands are freed of Daesh by the Syrian Army.

We are waiting until the army liberates our city with the support of Russian aircraft. We want to go back home and to school. We want to play with friends in the backyard! Ali told Sputnik.
Earlier, the Turkish General Staff published a statement on its website announcing that the operation in Jarablus will continue. It started on August 24 and targets Daesh and Kurdish forces.

According to security expert Metin Gurcan, Turkey should take into account Russias interests in the region.

"Turkey is conducting  well-planned military operation, in terms of strategy and diplomacy. Moscow was notified about the operation. However, Russia is sending a warning signal to Turkey. If Turkish forces advance on Manbij and al-Bab and try to change the balance of power there will be a serious concern for Russia," Gurcan told Spuntik.
He said that he expects that Russias Sukhoi planes will be liked by the Iranian military. After assessment of cooperation on the Hamadan air base the sailors [Russia and Iran] will also likely think about how to carry out joint military exercises.

On August 16, Russia used Irans Hamadan base amid anti-terror operations in Syria to carry out airstrikes against Daesh and al-Nusra Front. On August 18, the Russian planes left Iran.

On Monday, Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said that further use of the Hamadan airfield for Russias anti-terrorist mission in Syria would be carried out in line with bilateral agreements with the Islamic republic and events on the ground.

Meanwhile, chairman of the Iranian parliamentary committee on foreign policy and national security Alaeddin Boroujerdi said that Russian military aircraft in Iran are only allowed to refuel at the Hamadan airbase in accordance with existing agreements.
The head of the group of the political research centers in Baghdad, Watheq Al-Khashimi, also made a comment about the situation, saying that although the Minister of Defense might not have a formal influence on the operation on Mosul, he certainly had great influence on the morale of the security structures.

Today, even the Prime Minister mentioned that we are going to deal with Daesh now with a bald patch in the government, Khashimi said.

Talking about the ministers resignation, it can be said that the Parliament's actions were constitutional. But this decision may influence public opinion in Iraq and the political situation.

Certainly this decision by the Parliament is not for the benefit of the political situation. The battle for Mosul requires military strategy and a long-term plan for what to do after the liberation of Mosul? 

After Mosul is liberated, the political crisis, together with the economic one and the issue of refugees, is not going anywhere.

Daesh is looking for any reason to rejoice over the political crisis in Iraq. Against the background of its huge losses, it will be pleased by any political differences in the country. Therefore Daesh remains to observe the political struggle in the country, and will naturally consider any political disagreement in Iraq as a factor that plays for the benefit of a terrorist organization, Khashimi concluded.
UNITED NATIONS (Sputnik)  The Turkish military built arms depots in the Syrian province of Aleppo and supplied terrorists groups with arms and munition, Syria's UN Ambassador Bashar Jaafari said on Friday.

"On 1 August 2016, Turkish troops were observed entering Syrian territory. Those troops assembled opposite the village of Bikah in the northern countryside of Aleppo governorate, and built weapons depots. They handed over those depots, filled with weapons and ammunition, to the Army of Conquest, the Nusra Front and Ahrar al-Sham terrorist groups," Jaafari said in identical letters addressed to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and to UN Security Council President Ramlan bin Ibrahim.

He added that the Turkish troops also delivered rockets and ammunition from Turkey to terrorist groups in Aleppo. Aside from that, a convoy carrying terrorists was observed entering Syria from Turkey, the diplomat said.
Critically, Lavrov stressed the need of the opposition side in Syria to distance itself from terrorist organizations.

"Without separating the sane forces in Syria from terrorists, I just do not see a solution for ending hostilities in this country," Lavrov said.

On the role of Kurdish forces in the conflict, Kerry said that the US intends to continue working with them, but does not support the creation of an independent Kurdish state.

Lavrov added that both Moscow and Washington agree that the Kurds must have an equal voice in the peace process.

Both sides will continue to negotiate terms over the next few days.

While discussions primarily focused on Syria, the conflict in Ukraine was also addressed. Lavrov said Moscow appreciates Washingtons help in implementing the Minsk agreements.
The plan also details a need for $202,500, to build global coalitions against "Israeli occupation" and for Jerusalems "non-compliance with international law." The coalition campaign would appeal to groups like the UN Committee on the Status of Women, the ICC and other international organizations dedicated to womens rights.

About $54,000 will go to preparing for "UN resolutions to condemn the Israeli occupation and prosecute it for its violations at the expense of Palestinian women," while another $81,600 is reserved for "presenting written and oral reports" to the United Nations Human Rights Council, with special attention to Agenda Item 7, which deals with the plight of Palestine.

Also, $118,000 will be spent on encouraging sympathetic states to keep commitments theyve made to Palestine on international forums.

UNSCR 1325, passed in 2000, was created as an effort for women to be included in the political process of their countries, as well as participating in peacemaking efforts and for protection in areas of conflict.

The PAs Palestinian National Action Plan for the Implementation of UNSCR 1325 incorporates many of the same elements, along with funding for transportation and health care.

Alessandra Viezzer, head of the EUs cooperation office in Jerusalem, spoke in support of the plan at the Ramallah launch according to the Jerusalem Post.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  According to the information on public procurement, the launch of the plant's third unit is planned for April 2026.

The Russian-built Bushehr nuclear power plant started operating in Iran in 2011 and reached full capacity the following year. In April 2016, the unit was finally handed over to Iran, officially completing its construction stage.

An agreement to expand civilian nuclear energy cooperation and construct a total of eight additional nuclear reactors at Bushehr was signed between Russia and Iran on November 11, 2014.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Lockheed Martin has received a contract worth more than seven million dollars to supply the United Arab Emirates (UAE) with ground components for the US-supplied Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system, the Department of Defense said in a press release.

Lockheed Martin Corporation [of] Sunnyvale, California, is being awarded a $7.7 million modification contract for the UAE THAAD ground components under Foreign Military Sales, the release stated on Thursday.

The latest deal boosted the value of Lockheed Martins overall THAAD contracts with the UAE from $407 million to $415 million, the release noted.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Iranian naval forces harassed four US Navy ships sailing in the Persian Gulf in recent days, requiring US personnel to fire flares and warning shots to deter the aggressive maneuvers, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook said earlier in the day.

"This is a very dangerous and reckless thing to do and it is brinksmanship that has great potential for miscalculation," Daly said on Thursday. "After warning shots, if the commander on scene believes there is hostile intent, the unit will take the targets under fire."

One of the US warships subjected to the harassment, the Squall, fired warning shots in the direction of the approaching Iranian vessels causing them to turn away.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  About 1,000 of Russian servicemen and up to 200 units of equipment and weaponry are involved in snap combat readiness drills at the Russian base in South Ossetia, the press service of the Russian Southern Military District said in a Friday statement.

"In total, about 1,000 of military servicemen and up to 200 units of weaponry and military equipment of the Russian military base of the Southern Military District in the Republic of South Ossetia are involved in the activities of the snap inspection," the statement says.

Snap combat readiness inspections are running across Russia's Southern, Western and Central military districts, as well as the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Forces and Airborne Troops on August 25-31.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Over 4,000 servicemen and about 300 units of military equipment of the Russian Black Sea Fleet and the Caspian Flotilla coastal troops are taking part in snap combat readiness inspections, the Russian Defense Ministry informs.

"In total, over 4,000 military servicemen and about 300 units of military equipment are being involved in the implementation of tasks of the snap inspection," the ministrys press service said in a Friday statement.
The newspaper added that IBM and Intel had not commented the information, but Microsoft and Cisco reported that they had joined the initiative.

According to the media outlet, China has been paying special attention to the issue of its technical supplies' security after US whistleblower Edward Snowden's revelations about Washington's use of US-developed products for espionage.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A Russian Coast Guard division that is going to be deployed in 2018 in the Chukotka Autonomous Area will be equipped with all-terrain vehicles to patrol the coast.

"So far soldiers of the 80th Arctic Brigade have successfully tested all-terrain vehicles of several types. The vehicles got only positive reviews," a spokesperson of the Arctic military command told the Izvestiya newspaper.

The spokesperson said that armies of developed countries are also equipped with all-terrain vehicles. Some buggy-like vehicles can carry up to four people and 600 kilograms (more than 1,300 pounds) of cargo.
This does not necessarily mean that both countries will join forces to tackle radical groups wreaking havoc in the war-torn Arab country, since Russia and Turkey pursue different goals in Syria.

"Ankara is primarily focused on tackling the Kurds, but Daesh has lately also become a serious threat for the country. Turkish authorities have long turned a blind eye to Daesh's activities in the border regions, since the radical group was also fighting against the Kurds," he said.

Ankara's attitude to the brutal organization that still controls large areas in Iraq and Syria has apparently changed since Daesh started to carry out terrorist attacks in Turkey. Turkish leadership, according to Vasilyev, now understands how dangerous the group is.
NEW DELHI (Sputnik)  On Wednesday, The Australian newspaper reported that over 22,000 pages outlining detail informations about India's Scorpene submarines had been leaked following a security breach at the French manufacturing company DCNS, which is tasked with building the warships for New Delhi. DCNS dismissed speculation that the leaked files contained classified data.

"We are going by assumption of the worst case scenario. Dont think its big worry, will be able to put things in right directions. Have told them (Indian Navy) based on inputs to find out area of concerns & take appropriate steps to address it," Parrikar was quoted as saying by The Indian Express newspaper.

Parrikar added that the submarines have not been tested in sea trials so far and that the specifications did not contain information about their combat qualities.
Defense Minister Manohar Parrikar said, "It is my understanding that there are a few pockets of concern, assuming that what is claimed to have been leaked has actually been leaked."

On the question of the potential impact over other ongoing negotiations with French company Dassault Aviation for the purchase of Rafale combat aircraft, Parrikar said, "You stop using all products from France? Obviously, the companies are different, the type of equipment is different and an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there. It was not intentionally leaked."

Meanwhile, India is awaiting a response from the French Director General of Armament from whom he has asked for a detailed report on the leak.

A high level committee constituted by India's Ministry of Defense is undertaking a detailed assessment of the potential impact over the ongoing USD 3.5 billion Scorpene submarine project. The first of the Scorpene class submarines being built in India, the INS Kalvari, took part in sea trials in May and is expected to be inducted soon in the Indian Navy.
The helicopters, capable of carrying both 7.62 mm and 12.7 mm machine guns, as well as AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, are to be shipped by air to Saudi Arabia's National Guard "as soon as possible." The second batch of twelve units will be delivered by sea.

Initially, the aircraft were to be delivered at the end of July, but the shipment was delayed for unspecified reasons. According to media reports, Boeing had 6 machines ready in June, and the company will produce an additional two machines per month. The completed shipment is anticipated to reach Riyadh in February 2017.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  The US Department of Defense is likely to ignore an official report urging it to set up effective oversight controls to prevent cost excesses on the $2.9 billion Patriot missile upgrades program, retired US Army Major and historian Todd Pierce told Sputnik.

"It is not likely or feasible that oversight controls will be set up," Pierce said on Friday. "To think they will [be established] is the triumph of hope over reality with all the evidence we have to go by."

On Thursday, the US governments General Accountability Office (GAO) urged the Defense Department Defense in a report to establish effective oversight of the $2.9 million upgrade of the Patriot surface-to-air missile system.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  A new arms control deal would contribute to "transparency, risk prevention and confidence building," Steinmeier wrote in a commentary quoted by the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on Thursday, stressing that "we want a structured dialogue with all partners, who are responsible for the security of our continent."

Earlier this month, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said that the European Union needed its own armed forces to "fulfill" its mission in the world. He added that it was not absolutely necessary to be a NATO member state to participate in the proposed European army, which could be not of an offensive nature.

The idea of such an army has been repeatedly criticized by NATO officials, as well as by the UK authorities, who claimed that London would veto the move, which was prior to the British voters deciding to leave the 28-nation bloc on June 23.
"I took part in five meetings involving representatives of Turkey and Syria. We held the talks to assess the situation in general and determine whether bilateral relations could be restored," he said. "Much in the same way that Turkey held negotiations with Russia."

Two of the meetings took place in 2015 and three were held this year, he added.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On July 15, an attempted coup took place in Turkey, and was suppressed by the following day. Thousands of people were arrested or suspended following the coup attempt.

"Ankara intends to cooperate with the Council of Europe in the ongoing investigation into [the activities of] coup participants. But Europeans should also make a contribution," Jagland said, as quoted by the German newspaper Die Welt.

Jagland added that CoE experts would soon meet Turkish officials to discuss the possibility to respect the rights of people accused of implication in the coup.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Former leader of the Conservative Party Iain Duncan Smith said Friday that he is "certain" the country's authorities would trigger Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty that triggers the legal process for the United Kingdom to exit the European Union as soon as early next year.

"I am definitely certain that these characters, [UK ministers] David Davis, Liam Fox and Boris Johnson and the prime minister [Theresa May] by the way, are very clear that they need to get on with triggering Article 50 as soon as possible early in new year," Smith, former UK work and pensions secretary, told the BBC broadcaster.
GENEVA (Sputnik)  A diplomatic source told Sputnik earlier that de Mistura may meet the Russian and US ministers while they are in Geneva to present the UN political initiatives for the relaunch on Syrian peace process.

According to the Russian Foreign Ministry's spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, the meeting, which date and location were officially confirmed by both the Russian and US officials on Wednesday, is expected to focus on the situation in Syria.
ANKARA (Sputnik)  Earlier in August, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu warned that Ankara would scrap the EU-Turkey migrant deal if Turkish nationals were not granted visa-free access to the European Union's borderless Schengen area by mid-October.

The entry into force of the agreement to abolish visas for Turkish citizens traveling to the European Union, expected in October, must take place. If it does not, the issue of refugees will become a big problem for the European Union, Yildirim said at a joint press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart Boyko Borissov.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Thursday, Der Spiegel magazine reported that Germany is preparing to pull out its forces from the airbase in southern Turkey, where some 240 soldiers have been stationed since last December to aid the multinational coalition in the fight against the Daesh jihadist group. According to the magazine, the defense ministry was examining whether it could redeploy them to Jordan or Cyprus.

"Germany does not plan to move its forces from Turkey. We have made good experiences in the cooperation with the Turkish Air Force," the spokesman asserted, although he allowed that at the same time "prudent military planning always considers alternatives."

First suggestions that the German military contingent may be withdrawn from Turkey emerged following Turkey's refusal to let Germany's parliamentary members visit the base in June, stating that only "technical and military personnel" were allowed to visit the base, not politicians.
Ankara views Kurdish organizations, let alone militias, as terrorist groups since they ostensibly pose a threat to national security and stability. The Turkish government has waged a campaign against the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) for decades largely without a pause. The crackdown resumed last year when a month-long peace process collapsed.

Stratfor, a Texas-based think tank, warned that Turkey's involvement in the Syrian conflict is "risky."

"For one thing, going into Syria will ramp up Turkey's military conflicts with [Daesh] and the People's Protection Units (YPG). For another, in sending its troops across the border, Turkey is entering a territory whose nominal government is a longtime enemy and whose powerful foreign backers actively target the rebel fighters Ankara supports," researchers observed.

Turkey has provided assistance to radical armed groups trying to overthrow President Bashar al-Assad since a foreign-sponsored insurgency rocked the country in 2011, morphing into a protracted war. The conflict has claimed more than 280,000 lives and left 11 million people displaced, forcing more than 4 million to seek refuge in neighboring countries or elsewhere.

"Turkey is also hobbled by domestic problems, including a raging Kurdish insurgency and the recent failed coup and subsequent purge, both of which have diminished its qualitative military strength," the think tank added.

Ankara, according to Stratfor researchers, appears to understand the risks involved in conducting military operations in Syria. This is why "instead of a daring charge into Syria, Turkey has made a carefully calibrated entrance," they said.

The controversial operation has also come under fire from Syrian officials and the government, who decried it as a "blatant violation" of national sovereignty.
On the other hand, the newspaper noted, that there are no signs of Sweden planning to prevent the construction of the "Nord Stream-2". The implementation of the gas pipeline is going on according the previously approved schedule.

Nevertheless, if the problems with Sweden occurred, there would be a much more serious situation in contrast to that with Poland as "Nord Stream-2" goes through the territorial waters of Sweden.

"We can't bypass the negotiations with Sweden. This threat is far more important than the story with Poland. Without the permission of the Swedish government, we won't be able to build the marine part of the pipeline in its waters. To change the route and go around would be difficult," director general of the National Energy Security Fund Konstantin Simonov told the newspaper Vzglyad.

The expert believes that Swedes could actually follow US' demands and hinder the implementation of the energy project.

"Sweden has long been under a strong US influence," Simonov said, cited by gazeta.ru. "However, the Stockholm decision against NS-2 would discredit the European legislation," he added.

Earlier, Sweden issued all necessary permits for a similar project, "Nord Stream-1", which was launched in 2011 and still works flawlessly.

"If now Sweden opposes NS-2, this would mean applying double standards. This would mean that the decision is politically motivated," Simonov said.

According to gazeta.ru, the US has enough motivation to hinder the energy project. First, it supports Ukraine which will be economically weakened and deprived of transit revenues if NS-2 goes through. Secondly, Washington seeks to prevent the strengthening of Germany, which would benefit from the new pipeline, as well as ensure the supplies of its own gas to Europe.

The Nord Stream-2 project aims to deliver 55 billion cubic meters of Russian natural gas a year to the European Union across the Baltic Sea to Germany, bypassing Ukraine, the Baltic nations and Poland. The gas pipeline project plans to use the original Nord Stream pipeline for 86 percent of the route before branching off. Denmark is expected to join the project in 2017.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  In July, soon after the thwarted coup attempt in Turkey, the Turkish consul general sent letters to local Dutch authorities giving recommendations on how to deal with possible anti-Turkish demonstrations.

"The Netherlands deals with Dutch society and that is nothing to do with the Turkish government We understand the motions which stem from the terrible attempted coup But let us solve our differences here," Koenders said, as quoted by the Dutchnews media online outlet.

He added that the Turks were free to speak about the Dutch and vice versa, but such issues were "a question of national responsibility" in Netherlands.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday once again called for the sanctions imposed on Russia to be lifted following his meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on August 25.

"Personally, I think it is time to approach the matter of sanctions rationally and say that they harm the EU as well as Russia. [They] have brought absolutely nothing to the sensitive issue that they were supposed to influence," Fico wrote on his official Facebook account.

Putin and Fico had a meeting on Thursday and agreed that the Slovak-Russian Intergovernmental Committee would convene in the beginning of 2017.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Former Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper announced his resignation as member of parliament on on Friday.

Harper became the first prime minister from the modern Conservative Party, and held this post from February, 2006 until November 2015.
The German Foreign Minister has urged Russia and the West to sign a new arms control agreement to avoid an arms race. Specific measures that Steinmeier mentioned in an opinion piece for Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung include regional caps on armaments, transparency measures, rules covering new military technology such as drones, and the ability to control arms even in disputed territories.

"Since Russia suspended the original Treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe (CFE) in 2007, [Western countries] have mumbled that Moscow is undermining the arms control process. If so, we need to sign a new treaty," Buzhinskiy said.

The document, according to the analyst, will have to take into account Russia's terms.
BERLIN (Sputnik)  She added that the UK-EU divorce is a challenge for Europe that requires a complex solution.

"Bratislava is a message rather than a summit that will make a decision, it is a kick-off point," Merkel was quoted as saying by Phoenix broadcaster, at a joint press conference with the Visegrad Group prime ministers in Warsaw.
In an interview with Sputnik, member of the Bundestag Andrej Hunko said that so far there is no clear definition for the term "hybrid threats." According to the politician, in general the term implies a certain mix of state and non-state actors and propaganda which occur along with military saber-rattling.

"I didn't get any concrete response from the federal government to my inquiry of whether Germany is really susceptible to any hybrid threats. It speaks only of a potential opportunity. Although it is undoubtedly hinting towards Russia," Hunko said.

"I have an impression that it is just a fashionable word, which is designed to inflate fears and legitimize the military buildup both directed inside and outside the country, and to strengthen intelligence abroad," he added.
For his part, Alexander Gusev, head of the Center for CIS Strategic Development of the Institute of Europe, the Russian Academy of Sciences, expressed doubts that the EU would come up with new schemes to resolve the Ukrainian turmoil.

According to the Russian scholar, German Chancellor Merkel and French President Hollande are incapable of making independent decisions regarding Ukraine's fate.

Gusev believes that European powers would neither deploy peacekeepers in Ukraine, nor propose new versions of a peace agreement, since it is Washington who plays the first fiddle in the region with US Vice President Joseph Biden as regional "moderator."

On the other hand, Washington's focus has been currently shifted from the Ukrainian affairs to the US presidential campaign. The American foreign policy course toward Ukraine will depend much on who will win the White House in November  Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump. In any event it is clear that Biden will no longer be in charge of Ukraine, the Russian scholar noted.

However, Gusev agreed with Bondarenko that both Brussels and Washington have grown tired of Kiev.

To complicate matters further, the Ukrainian state is close to bankruptcy, and neither Washington nor Brussels wants to take the burden of keeping the Ukrainian economy afloat, he added.

Remarkably, Washington's growing irritation with the Ukrainian government has surfaced in the Pentagon's advice "not to chase unicorns" given to Poroshenko. The remark came as a response to the Ukrainian president's statement that he "doesn't rule out" a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"What we don't see (is) this unicorn a lot of people are chasing, this idea that there's some massive short-term build up or movement about to happen," Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis said, as quoted by AFP.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Sarkozy announced on Monday his decision to run in 2017 presidential elections in France. Following the announcement, Sarkozy expressed support for the controversial burkini Muslim swimwear bans imposed by several French Riviera cities and pledged to stem immigration to the country.

"Politicians of the center-right may urge their electorate not to vote for Sarkozy because he has failed once or because he is too emotional or because his ideas are too near to the far-right National Front. However, it is still very early and things can change very fast," Dhuicq said.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  On Thursday, Pentagon spokeswoman Michelle Baldanza said that she was familiar with reports of Russias snap military drills on its western border, expressing hope that Russia was fulfilling its obligations in the arms control sector.

"Claims against is seem completely inappropriate against the backdrop of the US track record in arms control which is far from perfect," the ministry said in a statement.

The ministry expressed hope that the United States would focus on fixing its own flaws in the arms control sector rather than "stirring a storm" over Russias snap drills.
WASHINGTON (Sputnik)  Iranian naval forces harassed four US Navy ships sailing in the Persian Gulf in recent days, requiring US personnel to fire flares and warning shots to deter the aggressive maneuvers, US Department of Defense spokesperson Peter Cook said earlier.

"Its unclear exactly what their intentions were or what their aims might have been, but the behavior that we have seen is not acceptable," Earnest stated.

One of the US warships subjected to the harassment, the Squall, fired warning shots in the direction of the approaching Iranian vessels causing them to turn away.
MINSK (Sputnik)  The minister added that Belarus is monitoring the situation and trying to take relevant measures including putting new weapons into service.

We see that additional NATO troops are being deployed in a number of our western neighboring states. Of course, we do not perceive it as a direct threat to our military security but we regard it as a potential military, security challenge for the Republic of Belarus, Makei told reporters as quoted on the Belarusian Foreign Ministry's website.
This summer, Turkey's foreign policy is characterized by a more pro-active strategy, with President Erdogan seeking to make friends with neighboring countries, Hermann wrote.

After the meeting between Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Putin two weeks ago, Turkey has started to play a more active role in Syria, in particular by conducting "Operation Euphrates Shield," aimed at cleansing the border region of Daesh and Kurdish fighters.

"There are two reasons for the current developments: Daesh terrorism that has overwhelmed Turkey and the need to prevent the Kurds from using 'a corridor' on the other side of the border. Daesh can't be tolerated any more in the buffer zone around the city of Jarablus, where there is now fierce fighting; moreover, Turkey seeks to revive the "Free Syrian Army"," Hermann wrote.
The restart of the arms control is a "proven means for transparency, risk prevention and confidence building," Steinmeier wrote. To all, who "want to take responsibility for Europe's security", this could be a good opportunity for cooperation, he added.

"Therefore we want a structured dialogue with all partners responsible for the security of our continent," the foreign minister wrote.

Steinmeier also stressed that relations with Russia should be based on a dual strategy, which includes deterrence and dialogue. At the same time, he added that Germany should offer Russia concrete cooperation otherwise "the balance will be lost."
Encourage members to bring the necessary ingredients of this new world with them, according to their ability. That sounds pretty interesting, right? But are there rules?

Jacobian continues by writing  Burning Man is guided by 10 principles, among them the concept of self-reliance. Everyone who attends the event  which is part festival, part music show and completely dusty  must make their own advance arrangements for food and water. Commerce is strictly prohibited at Black Rock City, aside from ice and coffee, which are sold by the organizers to raise money for local schools. Thats right. Money is essentially forbidden! But how does that work?

The Irish Times explains this by saying  One of the 10 principles of Burning Man is gifting  not selling or trading, but giving things to people with no expectation for anything in return. Thats right, you can walk up to a bar and get a drink if you want one  thats the extent of the de-commodification of the festival. However, youre not just there to take, so people come prepared with their own things to offer the festival. In addition to gifting, USA Today notes  That means every attendee is responsible for all of the food and water they'll need for a week. Event organizers provide outhouses but not showers.

Art is prevalent, with massive structures being built and lasting for only weeks at a time. Business Insider writes  For this year's festival, the artist duo known as Hybycozo is creating a set of three glowing balls. From smallest to largest, they will be called "Marvin," "Starship Bistromath," and the "Heart of Gold." It continues by noting  The two California-based artists, industrial designer Sergei Beaulieu and former Google employee Yelena Filipchuk, launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project. After less than two weeks, 310 backers had pledged over $33,000 to bring their vision to life. Just think about that 310 people agreed to support the artists dream to create a unique piece of artwork that will only be around for a few weeks! Pretty amazing, right? In fact, the festival culminates in the burning of an effigy of a man as a tall as a building, and that is where the party gets its name  Burning Man.

Of course, all amazingness aside, the bittersweet note here, as Jacobian once again notes, is that   capitalists also unironically love Burning Man, and to anyone who has followed the recent history of Burning Man, the idea that it is at all anti-capitalist seems absurd: last year, a venture capitalist billionaire threw a $16,500-per-head party at the festival, his camp a hyper-exclusive affair replete with wristbands and models flown in to keep the guests company. Thats right. In a place where there literally is no money, somehow the rules are different for the rich and powerful.

In fact, Salon wrote  . The most elaborate camps and spectacles tend to be brought by the rich because they have the time, the money, or both, to do so. Wealthier attendees often pay laborers to build and plan their own massive (and often exclusive) camps. If you scan San Franciscos Craigslist in the month of August, youll start to see ads for part-time service labor gigs to plump the metaphorical pillows of wealthy Burners. The rich also hire sherpas to guide them around the festival and wait on them at the camp. Some burners derogatorily refer to these rich person camps as turnkey camps.

As the world continues its big wobble, with uncertainty around every corner, like Turkey formally invading Syria, Hillary Clintons mysterious health concerns becoming more mainstream, Trumps apparent flip-flop on earlier statements, and Germanys government telling their citizens to stockpile 10 days of food and water, it is nice to know that some things remain constant. Whatever good the common man will do, the rich will always find a way to corrupt it and twist it for their own benefit. And that, comrades, is comforting.

So, what do you think dear listeners  Are rich people just better people?
"What we look at are not only our ancestral sites, but we are looking at future generations. It may not be impacting our drinking water today or tomorrow, if it does go through, but we have to look after the kids that are not even here yet," Archambault tells me. "So there's a serious issue here with these Dallas-based corporations that are driven by greed and money to get a project done at all cost. And the cost that has to be paid is a burden placed on tribes."

"Ever since we learned about this, we said 'Stop, don't come here. It's a half-mile away from our reservation.' It seems like the company out of Dallas, the Corp of Engineers [and] the federal government does not listen. Right now what's happening is tribes are helping people remember that we are here, and we still exist, and we are a strong voice, and to take notice."

He goes on to detail the "State of Emergency" declared by ND Gov. Jack Dalrymple (R) in response to the protest, the charge in his NYTimes op-ed that "the state has militarized my reservation", as well as the federal court hearing on Wednesday in Washington D.C. where he is suing in hopes of an injunction to block the construction.

Finally, Desi Doyen joins us for the latest Green News Report on the deadly floods in India, very bad news for wolves in Washington state, and a celebration of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service

You can find Brad's previous editions here.

And tune in to Radio Sputnik one hour a day, five days a week.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian fighter jets of the Western Military District are patrolling Russias western borders as part of nationwide snap combat readiness inspections, the districts press service informs.

"At present, we are building up forces and means of combat duty," district spokesman Igor Muginov said on Friday, adding that "fighter aircraft are constantly patrolling the airspace in the border areas."

The August 25-31 inspections are running across Russia's Southern, Western and Central military districts, as well as the Northern Fleet, Aerospace Forces and Airborne Troops.
Russia has consistently been ramping up its wheat exports to global markets as part of the governments effort to revive the countrys agriculture with the state and leading companies pouring money into the sector amid the sanctions that have cut food imports.

A weak ruble and poor crops in Germany and France have also been a factor in Russias record wheat exports, including to countries it has never sold grain before.

Russian wheat export hits new highs pic.twitter.com/AJD4tixFB9  English Russia (@EnglishRussia1) 22  2016 .

Russias entry into new grain markets is bad news for the traditional exporters in North America, Europe and Australia with importers now able to buy for less.
"I also know that the mayors of some [French] cities refused [to send children to Artek]for political reasons. However, representatives of different French companies wanted their children to go very much, as they are working with Moscow," she added.

According to Alesya Miloradovich, another organizer of the trip, some families who had already bought tickets to Crimea changed their minds after receiving warnings.

"One lady is a senator who wanted to send her children to Crimea very much, but she received a recommendation from a ministry telling her not to send her children to an occupied area there were also parents who received phone calls and were told Do you know where youre sending your child? Do you know that there is war going on there and that they could be killed?," Miloradovich said.

In total, over 60 delegations from dozens of countries have visited the southwestern Russian region of Crimea this year, including ones from Italy, Jordan and many other nations, defying Western restrictions. The French delegation of lawmakers led by lawmaker Thierry Mariani visited Crimea twice, first in July 2015 and in the same month the following year.

The historical southern region of Crimea joined Russia after a 2014 referendum in which over 96 percent of the Crimean population voted in favor of the move.
BEIJING (Sputnik)  Two rocket-carrying ships were expected to deliver the rocket to Qinglan Port in Wenchang in a week, the Shanghai daily reported.

The newspaper added that Long March-5 was planned to carry the lunar probe in 2017 and could be used to launch both Mars probes and Beijing's space station modules.

Long March 5 is Chinas largest ever rocket. It is developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology (CALT) under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC).
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was successfully released form the International Space Station and is now returning to the Earth, the US National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) said on Friday.

"The SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft was released from the International Space Stations [ISS] robotic arm at 6:11 a.m. EDT [10:11 GMT]. The capsule will begin a series of departure burns and maneuvers to move beyond the 656-foot (200-meter) "keep out sphere" around the station for its return trip to Earth. The capsule is currently scheduled to splashdown in the Pacific Ocean about 11:47 a.m. EDT [15:47 GMT], approximately 326 miles west of Baja California," NASA said.
Cybercrimes in India have increased by 350% in the last three years, according to a ASSOCHAM-PricewaterhouseCoopers study. Most have been attacks on businesses and systems related to strategic and defense systems registered under the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000.

More than 50,000 cases of cyber crime were reported in 2015 alone. Unreported cases are believed to be much higher. The study suggests that the Indian government's reluctance to invest in research to curb cybercrimes has taken a heavy toll on industry.

It is huge challenge before the government as well as industries in India as we are moving towards an online tax regime. It is massive threat to industries and government because the fraud level can be extensive if the tax systems get broken. The volume of the fraud would be so extensive that it could be like a nuclear bomb. Therefore India should immediately increase investment and research to secure its online systems, Sunil Kanoria, president of Indias apex industry body ASSOCHAM, said.
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The call to announce this could have been motivated by the currently topical burkini debate in Europe  especially, France. Some say that the choice given for women to wear the religious headscarf as part of their uniform is more about encouraging Muslim women to join the RCMP.

Our @youthinpolicing students excited to be graduating today. pic.twitter.com/idN4MxQcDF  Chris Boddy (@TPSChrisBoddy) August 26, 2016

Reflecting the diverse communities that reside across Canada is cited as a key priority in the RCMP current and future recruitment strategy and many of the forces in Canada have approved the attire who collectively felt that just like the Turban for it's Sikh officers, the headscarf does not pose any restrictions in the line of duty.

Our @youthinpolicing students leaving HQ to making their way to their graduation ceremony. pic.twitter.com/myPcOi58k1  Chris Boddy (@TPSChrisBoddy) August 26, 2016

The Ahmadiyya Muslim Women's Association in Canada quoted the words of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in a press release response to the hijab approval by RCMP:
SEATTLE (Sputnik)  "We wouldnt be here if he was a Canadian," John Henry Browne, Seleznevs attorney, told journalists on Thursday, explaining "I think because of strained relations between the US and Russia, which I don't agree with personally at all, the kidnapping of other people that the United States has done has involved terroristsIt's the first time I've ever known of anyone with an identity theft case."

Browne also recalled news reports of a cyber attack on the US Democratic National Committee, an incident that also reflected the current relations between the United States and Russia, according to Seleznevs lawyer.

"I think they were trying to say those were Russians. That's kind of explains my comment about the Canadian," Browne said.
The woman, who has not been publicly named, was in jail on harassment and domestic violence charges. She stated in the affidavit that she was ashamed of her disability and did not understand that she had been victimized. She is described as being unable to function on her own.

An investigation into Hannas actions was opened after Deputy Larry Neugebauer reported seeing Hanna place the woman in his personal vehicle and soon after seeing the same vehicle parked outside his home. Transporting a prisoner in a personal vehicle is a violation of department policy.

There was information given to me that I had to act on quickly and I did that and once I deemed it necessary I brought in the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and went from there and then made the decision that the 18th needed to take over so everything has happened rather quickly, but Ive done everything with as much transparency as possible, District Attorney Brittny Lewton told the local CBS affiliate.

Hanna declined to take a polygraph test, and excused himself by claiming that he made a poor decision and had taken the woman to his home because he wanted to discuss criminal activity in the area.

Hannas bond has been set at $250,000 and he could potentially face eight years to life in prison if convicted on the most serious charges. Hanna has not made bond, but should he be released, he has been ordered to wear a GPS tracker, keep 100 yards from the Sedgwick County Courthouse, and not contact his victim, witnesses, or anyone under the age of 18, which would include his two foster children.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  In an interview with the Fox News broadcaster aired late on Thursday, Assange said that Clinton is banking on the promotion of national security.

"The allegations by the Clinton campaign that everyone is a Russia agent are really disturbing. Hillary Clinton, the Democrat  has grabbed on the neo-McCarthyism [1950s anti-communist] hysteria about Russia and has been using it to demonize the Trump campaign," Assange said adding that the US Republican candidate and his campaign members are definitely not Russian agents.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  In July, WikiLeaks published nearly 20,000 hacked emails that apparently showed DNC members discussing ways to undercut Clinton's rival Bernie Sanders in the race for the Democratic nomination.

"The publicity as result of our DNC publications, which caused the top five Democratic officials in the Democratic party to resign, including Chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz, has led to other sources being encouraged, and so they stepped forward, and hopefully that process will continue as we continue to publish and we can see a kind of cascade of information," Assange told the Fox News Fox & Friends program.
Chiense tycoon Wang Jing waves after attending a media conference in Managua, Nicaragua, December 23, 2014. [Photo / VCG]

A company owned by Chinese tycoon Wang Jing is taking over an Israeli satellite operation firm for $285 million.

Wang said the deal is expected to help Beijing Xinwei Telecom Technology to access "scarce resources" in outer space, as the number of available positions on some satellite orbits is falling.

Wang is known for his plan to build a $50 billion canal project spanning Nicaragua, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Beijing Xinwei is to acquire a 100 percent stake in Spacecom Satellite Communications through its unit Luxembourg Space Telecommunications, the technology company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"After the acquisition, we will be able to provide services to 95 percent of the world's people and gain a professional team with 20 years' experience in satellite operations," the statement said.

A researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology, who declined to be named, said this makes Xinwei the first private company to acquire scarce orbit resources in an industry that is highly controlled and run mainly by the military.

"This access is a really valuable asset, because the number of available slots on high Earth orbits is quite limited, and only a few permits are granted each year to countries around the world for the launch of satellites," the researcher said.

High Earth orbit refers to an orbit around the Earth at an altitude higher than 36,000 km.

"The United States and Russia dominate the satellite market in terms of manufacturing and operating, and this deal will unlock the potential for Chinese satellite companies," the researcher said.

The deal is not the first foray for Beijing Xinwei, which specializes in mobile network development and space industry products.

In 2013, the company launched a satellite, jointly developed with Tsinghua University, aimed at providing a cheaper alternative to foreign satellite communication providers in China's ocean and desert areas.

Founded in 1989, Spacecom operates AMOS, a series of Israeli communications satellites.

The company presells services and capacity to customers including broadcasters, telecom providers, communications companies and government agencies. The satellites it controls cover the Middle East, Central Europe, Asia and Africa.

Spacecom is also building an Amos 6 satellite for Facebook to provide broadband services directly to mobile phones.

Zhao Lei contributed to this story.
MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Russian citizen Roman Seleznev, who was found guilty of cybercrimes by the US jury panel, is under continuing psychological pressure and is not provided with medical help he requires, Seleznev's father said Friday.

"He has a severe condition following a brain damage and, frankly speaking, my son is on the brink of despair. Yesterday, I spoke with my son after the jury verdict, and he told me that after [the verdict] some kind of specialist visited him, for the first time [during the investigation], the doctor, and asked him a surprising question: if he would consider committing a suicide. They continue to intimidate him. I do not know what the purpose is," Seleznev's father, Russian lawmaker Valery Seleznev told RIA Novosti.

He added that his son was not going to hurt himself or anyone, as "he has health issues but not mental issues."
The general suggested the US should consider enacting new international law as a means of stopping non-state or state forces from carrying out lethal operations using autonomous systems. He warned, however, that regulations barring such weapons would likely be violated, particularly since international prohibitions on chemical and biological weapons have already been violated by forces in Northern Africa and the Middle East.

Selva explained, "I think we do need to examine the bodies of law and convention that might constrain anyone in the world from building that kind of system. But, Im wholly conscious of the fact that, even if we do that, there will be violatorsIn spite of the fact that we say we wont kill women and children, we know there are entities in this world, state and non-state, that dont care."

He said, "Until we understand what we want the limits to be, we wont have a baseline from which to determine if someone is moving on the path of violating the convention that could create something like a Terminator that has incredible amounts of complexity and no conscience."
It remains unclear whether any other countries have signed the document. The US will likely submit that information to the United Nations in October. But its hard to overlook the fact that this is an attempt by Washington to rein in broadminded drone policies that it helped to champion in the first place.

"This is an attempt by the Obama Administration to confront the inevitability of drone proliferation in a way that promotes the responsible use of drones by other countries," former Pentagon official Michael Horowitz told Defense News.

While guidelines for drone use would be only marginally effective in achieving Washingtons aims, establishing rules for drone sales allows more complete control over how the technology is used in the future.
Robert Morrow, who became the chairman of the Travis County Republican Party in a surprise election earlier this year, was removed from his post on Thursday, Texas GOP officials confirmed to the Texas Tribune

It appears as though he forced his own resignation, by declaring his intention to run for president, and receiving a spot on the Texas ballot as a write-in candidate in November. Texas law clearly states that party chairs may not run for federal, state or county office, or even apply to be a candidate.

Morrow, speaking to several media outlets on Thursday asserted that the party will not be able to remove him from his job.
The vulgar and homophobic message was intended for Democratic Representative Drew Gattine, in response to a reporter allegedly telling LePage that Gattine had called him a racist.

Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage, the governor can be heard saying, in a recording of the message obtained by the Portland Press-Herald. I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you c**cksucker. I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that Im a racist. Ive spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-bitch, socialist c**cksucker. You  I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.

LePage then invited reporters to hear him double-down on his over-the-top remarks.
Professor and journalist Dr. Bilal Sambur told Radio Sputnik's Brian Becker that although the mid-July events led to certain tensions, the US and Turkey will not give up on each other.

According to Sambur, the strategic interests of the two countries coincide on many fronts, and Biden's visit to Ankara is crucial in determining what direction the US-Turkey relationship will take.

"Obviously, Biden will express his strong support fordemocratic governmentand the Turkish president. And Turkish people will be happy to hear this statement," Sambur said, during Radio Sputnik's Loud & Clear broadcast. He added, however, that the expressions of sentiment may not be enough to smooth over the current level of mistrust.
According to scientists explanation, these objects contain approximately the same number of stars as the dwarf galaxies, but occupy a hundred times more space.

Accordingly, normal elliptical galaxies look hundred times brighter than the findings of van Dokkum and his colleagues.

In May 2016, astrophysics discovered that these galaxies are held together by giant clusters of dark matter that prevent the stars from scattering.

The first dark galaxy, Dragonfly 44, has been van Dokkums long-time search goal.

This discovery is a great gift for scientists, who study dark matter, said van Dokkum. There are no additional objects in it such as stars or gas. It is mostly composed out of pure dark matter.
UTS Geotechnical and Earthquake Engineering senior lecturer Dr Behzad Fatahi warned on Friday that no one in the world is safe, and that the question isnt if they will occur, but when.

There are alot of magnitude 6-plus earthquakes overdue in the Middle East, India, China, Japan and the US, Fatahi told news.com.au. There are some fault lines that have not released their energy for a while.

If a fault line, represented by two tectonic plates moving at different speeds and in different directions relative to each other, does not release energy, pressure continues to build, and the longer they go without releasing, the more powerful it will be when they finally do.
Ontario-based trainer Rob Fellows will send his first Metro Pace starter to the track on Saturday, August 27 with Bettors Western, a son of Bettors Delight from the Western Hanover mare Western Moonlight.

It feels no different than racing in a maiden at Kingston Park Raceway when I was a kid, Fellows said on his Metro debut. When youre excited, when you want to race, be competitive; you hope the horse doesnt embarrass you, you hope your horse gets a good trip, you hope you dont embarrass your owners...you lose that oversight.

I am excited about [racing in the Metro], but I try to keep things down, Fellows also said. You always want to win it, but the higher you build it up, the further you fall down.

Fellows was part of the team that bought Bettors Western as a yearling with owner Synerco Ventures Inc., who acquired the colt for $33,000 at the 2015 Harrisburg Yearling Sale.

He had a pedigree the owner liked, Fellows said. He also had the conformation, the size, and was affordable.

Training down, Fellows noted that Bettors Western wasnt a standout...just a solid horse without any signs of superstardom.

He never did anything wrong, he said, but he didnt shine. He just trained down like a good-mannered little horse and never did more than he was asked.

Bettors Western qualified under Fellows care in 1:59.4 and 1:57.3 at Mohawk Racetrack before shipping stateside into Chris Oakes barn. In the U.S. he has made five starts, winning a $20,000 Stallion Series division at The Meadows and a $63,291 Pennsylvania Sires Stakes division at Harrahs Philadelphia. Through his efforts in the States, including miles paced in 1:53.3 and 1:52, Fellows felt Bettors Western was a stakes-calibre pacer.

Our owner staked him to everything, Fellows said. He is a small horse, so hopefully he doesnt get over-raced as a two-year-old, and money tends to sometimes lead us perhaps further than we should go. He can go wherever we want him to go as long as he stays healthy and sound.

When he qualified, he was well within himself, Fellows said on the colts speed. I thought he could pace in [1]:54 up here very easily, and, historically, horses that have left here and gone to Pocono have paced a second or two faster. Hes not an overly-aggressive horse, but, in his first start David Miller drove him, and he put the whip on his tail and he paced in 1:52.

Racing from the rail, Bettors Western has been stapled the 5-2 morning-line favourite in his Metro elim.

We have a real good post, Fellows said. Im not very rah-rah bang-bang, so Im not totally sure about our chances. I respect the other peoples horses, but were there because wed like to try and make the final, and the owners a local person from Canada and this is our local feature race for two-year-olds. Hopefully hes good enough to come back and race in the final if were good enough and lucky enough to make it.

He has raced with the best with the best in Pennsylvania and New York, and has beaten some of them, Fellows also said. Off those lines, he has the ability to make the final. We wouldnt put him in if we didnt think we had a chance to make the final and make money.

The Metro Pace is an opportunity for a freshman pacer to establish himself as the best in the ranks. Whoever emerges victorious in the final next week will mark himself as the divisional leader heading towards the Breeders Crown.

These are the races over the next two, three weeks where we will see the standouts, Fellows said. Right now, most of them have been doing well in their little territories, but theres no one who dominates overall. We wont know which one is separated into the top echelon for another month.

Fellows has added incentive for a win when he races Bettors Western on Saturday, as August 27 is also his birthday.

Im hoping for a win on Saturday, Fellows said. This is a game of ups and downs, but I would have enough money to renew my licenses.

The post positions for the $661,000 Metro Pace and $427,000 Shes A Great Lady finals will be drawn following the eliminations on Saturday. First race post time for Saturdays 11-race card is 7:30 p.m.

Below are the fields for the Metro Pace eliminations.

(PP/Horse/Driver/Trainer/Odds)

Metro Pace Elimination #1 (Race 3)

1. Bettors Western  David Miller  Rob Fellows - 5-2

2. Odds On Delray  Tim Tetrick  Tony Alagna - 6-1

3. The Wall  Yannick Gingras  Jimmy Takter - 9-2

4. Rock This Way  Mario Baillargeon  Ben Baillargeon - 4-1

5. Calvin K  Jody Jamieson  Tony OSullivan - 7-2

6. Windsong Napoleon  Phil Hudon  Carl Jamieson - 10-1

7. Pointomygranson  Sylvain Filion  Chris Ryder - 15-1

8. Classic Pro  Randy Waples  Dr. Ian Moore - 10-1

Metro Pace Elimination #2 (Race 4)

1. Bobcat Bound  Jody Jamieson  Carl Jamieson - 15-1

2. Ocean Colony  Yannick Gingras  Jimmy Takter - 4-1

3. Manceiver  Randy Waples  Howard Okusko Jr. - 8-1

4. Darlings Dragon  Donald Dupont  Marie Dupont - 3-1

5. Ideal Wheel  David Miller  Casie Coleman - 5-2

6. Abbeydorney  Rick Zeron  Ciaran Morrison - 20-1

7. Macs Jackpot  Sylvain Filion  Tony OSullivan 7-2

8. All It Takes  Doug McNair  Gregg McNair - 15-1

9. Beach House  Tim Tetrick  Rich Gillock - 15-1

Metro Pace Elimination #3 (Race 8)

1. Deadly Action  Doug McNair  Colin Johnson - 20-1

2. Tuxedo Bay  Randy Waples  Mark Steacy - 12-1

3. Blood Line  Yannick Gingras  Jimmy Takter - 5-2

4. Beyond Delight  Sylvain Filion  Tony OSullivan - 10-1

5. R J P  Jonathan Drury  Erv Miller - 5-1

6. Some Attitude  David Miller  Bob McIntosh - 12-1

7. Southwind General  Jody Jamieson  Jack Darling - 9-2

8. Bettors Dream  Tim Tetrick  Scott McEneny - 8-5

To view the harness racing entries for Saturday at Mohawk, click the following link: Saturday Entries  Mohawk Racetrack.

(A Trot Insider Exclusive by Ray Cotolo)
Court Orders New Clinton Email Production by September 13

State Admits Benghazi Material in New Cache of Emails Clinton Failed to Produce



Contact: Jill Farrell, Judicial Watch, 202-646-5172



WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2016 /Standard Newswire/ -- Judicial Watch today announced that a federal court has ordered the State Department to review newly found Clinton emails and turn over responsive records by September 13. And, in two other Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuits, the State Department is scheduled to release additional emails from former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's non-state.gov email system beginning September 30. In a court filing this week, the State Department admitted it had found Benghazi-related documents among the 14,900 Clinton emails and attachments uncovered by the FBI that Mrs. Clinton deleted and withheld from the State Department.



The first batch of new emails comes in response to a court order issued today in a November 13, 2015, Judicial Watch FOIA lawsuit filed against the Department of State seeking all communications between former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and the Obama White House from the day of the terrorist attack on the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi and throughout the following week. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Dr. Larry Kawa of Boca Raton, Florida, in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida, West Palm Beach Division (Larry Kawa v. U.S. Department of State (No. 9:15-cv-81560)). Today's order requiring the production of the emails from the 14,900 new Clinton emails as well as any other communications or emails from the other materials recently delivered to the State Department by the FBI was issued by U.S. District Court Judge William P. Dimitrouleas. The court ruled:

The State Department shall search the material, determine whether any responsive records exist, and complete its first production of non-exempt records, to the extent any exist, by September 13, 2016.

In a separate case, Judicial Watch has been seeking Clinton's communications about the attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya, during which U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stevens and Foreign Service Officer Sean Smith were killed. A second assault targeted a nearby compound, killing two government contractors Tyrone Woods and Glen Doherty. (Judicial Watch, Inc. v. U.S. Department of State (No. 1:15-cv-00692)).



After admitting in an August 23 court filing that it found documents that "satisfied the [Benghazi related] search terms" of the new Clinton emails, the State Department proposed a rolling production schedule, "under which State would make its first production of any non-exempt responsive records subject to FOIA on September 30, 2016, and complete production no later than October 31, 2016." Judicial Watch then asked the court that State make known the volume of documents remaining to be reviewed before it accepts whether the production schedule is reasonable. Today, U.S. District Court Judge Amit P. Mehta informed the attorneys the Court wants to schedule a hearing on this issue for Tuesday, August 30.



Judicial Watch is also scheduled to receive documents from the State Department in a case arising out of FOIA lawsuit before Judge...



MORE: www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/press-releases/court-orders-new-clinton-email-production-september-13
It's Election season and our editor's mailbox is overflowing. Who do your neighbors support? Read about it here.
Its official. Recount results Thursday from the Aug. 2 primary election eliminated incumbent state Rep. J.D. Rossetti for the 19th District House seat, affirming Teresa Purcell as the Democratic challenger.

Im ready to go, ready to get to work, Purcell said, adding that she wants to work hard to engage voters and make government a more open process.

Purcell beat Rossetti by a 49-vote margin and received 24.2 percent of the votes. Only one vote changed in Wahkiakum Countys recount, from a vote for Purcell to one for Rossetti. Now Purcell will face Grays Harbor Republican Jim Walsh in the Nov. 8 general election.

Rossetti was appointed in October in a decades-long trend for the 19th District, which includes five southwest Washington counties, of not electing its legislators. All three current state legislators were first appointed to their seats.

Voters now face polarizing candidates  a choice between a liberal Democrat and conservative Republican  who differ in viewpoints on the Millennium Bulk coal terminal in Longview, gun control and abortion. Republicans are only two seats away from having the House majority in the state.

Its going to be interesting for voters, Walsh said. Its a very clear choice, and I think thats good.

Walsh received the most votes at 29 percent in the Aug. 2 primary, but the split Democratic vote between Purcell and Rossetti easily gives Purcell the advantage  especially in a district that hasnt elected a Republican legislator in decades.

Walsh said its his biggest challenge to overcome against Purcell.

Its a district where individuals consider themselves independent or conservative culturally, but theyre accustomed to voting Democrat, he said. I think thats changing. I think people are more open to not just voting on a party line.

Purcell said shes going to work hard to engage voters on every issue, including Initiative 1491, a gun control measure that would limit firearms to high-risk individuals. She said the initiative is not taking guns away from responsible owners but recognizing that people need to feel safe.

Theres a whole host of issues that are important to voters of this district. There are so many vast differences of opinion between me and Jim Walsh, she said.

Purcells stance on gun control also differs from the current state legislators, who have fought against such measures. Purcell said she thinks she can be an effective team member with state Sen. Dean Takko and state Rep. Brian Blake. Both are also up for re-election but won their seats by large margins in the primary.

I bring a different set of skills and relationships and areas of expertise, Purcell said. We all share the same goal, which is to do whats in the best interest of the district.

Walsh has made headway in his campaign fundraising and raised more than $6,000 since the primary, according to the state Public Disclosure Commission. But Purcell has raised more than double that total and has nearly $5,000 more saved than Walsh.

Rossetti could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday. But in a previous interview, he said he would not rule out running again in two years and would follow the election closely.

The nice thing is that Im 34 and being appointed to serve as a legislator, representative of the 19th District has been an outstanding honor. I really appreciate being able to do that in my career, Rossetti said in an earlier interview with The Daily News. I think a lot could happen in the next two years and I will definitely consider what Im going to do.
RAINIER, Ore.  Neat stacks of tan lumber fill a barge at Teevin Bros., looking as if a section of a hardware store had been transplanted outdoors.

In some ways, the barges at Teevin Bros. really are a hardware store on water  with each barge handling 13.5 million board feet of lumber, enough to build 300 houses, shipping out every three weeks, according to the company.

The lumber, bound for Home Depot stores in California, represents just part of Teevin Bros. efforts to diversify its business over the last several years. Although the Rainier terminal is often thought of as a log export hub, its the companys domestic log markets, lumber and general cargo that have helped the business stay afloat, especially in the face of declining export markets.

The strategy has proven successful. Recently the company completed a $3.4 million expansion of its docks and lay down yard. Just last week, Teevin Bros. received a $750,000 ConnectOregon grant to help build new mooring stations for additional barges. The Department of Transportation-issued grants are backed by a lottery bond initiative and support air, rail, transit and marine developments.

Between Teevin Bros. and its business partner, Sause Bros., the 100-acre terminal now supports 107 jobs, up from 37 employees at the height of the recession in 2010.

Weve been bursting at the seams for probably four years. This is just an extra pants size, if you will, quipped Eric Oien, general manager for Teevin Bros.

Logs account for about 60 percent of Teevin Bros. business. The other 40 percent is lumber and general cargo, Oien said. Recently concrete, steel and other construction materials to be used for a new light rail system in Honolulu passed through the docks, giving an extra boost to the Teevins bottom line, the company said.

The lumber business has been very good to us recently, said Paul Langner, Teevins waterfront facilities manager. Teevin receives lumber for Weyerhaeuser mills in Longview and Oregon, he added. (The terminal is a distribution point but does not own any of the products it handles.)

Even within the log market, though, the company has focused on domestic log markets as a way to insulate itself from the volatility of the export markets.

The slumping Chinese housing market and strong U.S. dollar has put a dent in West Coast log export sales for well over a year. In the first quarter of 2016, West Cost log exports fell 6.6 percent compared to the same quarter in 2015, according to the U.S. Forest Service.

At the Port of Longview, log exports were down 25 percent in the first five months of the year compared to the same period last year, hitting 39,700 million board feet.

The intent was to really smooth out the (cyclic tendency) tied to the export business because  if youre tied to only markets in China or Japan, you really boom and bust with those economies, Oien said.

And now Teevin plans to diversify its business even further with the addition of seven new mooring dolphins, which are tall pilings where vessels can moor overnight.

The ConnectOregon grant Teevin Bros. received last week will help fund construction of five additional mooring dolphins to be built in November and December 2017, pending permit approvals. The total project is estimated to cost $1.125 million. The so-called boat hotels provide a rest area for barges and tug boats to tie up while waiting for a dock to open up.

Unlike stern buoys, the dolphins are meant for smaller, shallower vessels with (24-feet to 28-feet draft) rather than 30-plus drafts. Oien said the new mooring dolphins will complement the existing stern buoy system on the Columbia River.

Langner said the company has been getting requests for the mooring since it first built export docks in 2005.

The requests started coming pretty fast and furious and we still get them, he said. However, most of its mooring dolphins are used by its partner company, Sause Bros.

The same fund provided Teevin with $2.3 million in 2015, in a project that added seven acres of laydown area and space for five additional rail cars for loading and unloading. The recently completed project came online last week.

The ConnectOregon fund awarded a total of $49.5 million this year, with grants going to 39 public and private transportation projects throughout the state.
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Apple Inc issued a patch on Thursday to fix a dangerous security flaw in iPhones and iPads after researchers discovered that a prominent United Arab Emirates dissident's phone had been targeted with a previously unknown method of hacking. The thwarted attack on the human rights activist, Ahmed Mansoor, used a text message that invited him to click on a web link. Instead of clicking, he forwarded the message to researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.

The hack is the first known case of software that can remotely take over a fully up-to-date iPhone 6. Experts at Citizen Lab worked with security company Lookout and determined that the link would have installed a program taking advantage of a three flaws that Apple and others were not aware of. The researchers disclosed their findings on Thursday.

"Once infected, Mansoors phone would have become a digital spy in his pocket, capable of employing his iPhones camera and microphone to snoop on activity in the vicinity of the device, recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and tracking his movements," Citizen Lab wrote in a report released on Thursday. The researchers said they had alerted Apple a week and a half ago, and the company developed a fix and distributed it as an automatic update to iPhone 6 owners.

Apple spokesman Fred Sainz confirmed that the company had issued the patch after being contacted by researchers. The Citizen Lab team attributed the attack software to a private seller of monitoring systems, NSO Group, an Israeli company that makes software for governments which can secretly target mobile phones and gather information. Tools such as that used in this case, a remote exploit for a current iPhone, cost as much as $1 million.

NSO Chief Executive Shalev Hulio referred questions to spokesman Zamir Dahbash, who said the company "cannot confirm the specific cases" covered in the Citizen Lab and Lookout reports. Dahbash said NSO sells within export laws to government agencies, which then operate the software. "The agreements signed with the company's customers require that the company's products only be used in a lawful manner," he added. "Specifically, the products may only be used for the prevention and investigation of crimes."

Dahbash did not answer follow-up questions, including whether the exposure of the tools use against Mansoor in UAE and a Mexican journalist would end any sales to those countries. NSO has kept a low profile in the security world, despite its 2014 sale of a majority stake for $120 million to California private equity firm Francisco Partners. That company's chief executive, Dipanjan Deb, did not return a call on Thursday. In November 2015, Reuters reported that NSO had begun calling itself "Q" and was looking for a buyer for close to $1 billion.

Sarah McKune, senior legal adviser to Citizen Lab, said Israel tries to follow the strictures of the Wassenaar Arrangement, which puts controls on the international sale of nuclear and chemical weapons technology and more recently cyber intrusion tools. NSO may have had to apply for an export license, she added, saying that raised questions about "what consideration was given to the human rights record of UAE."

The Israeli embassy in Washington did not respond to an email seeking comment. NSO marketing material says that it also has capabilities for Android and BlackBerry devices. No version of the software has been exposed, indicating it remains effective. Citizen Lab did not directly accuse UAE of carrying out the attack on Mansoor with NSO gear called Pegasus, but it said other NSO attacks on critics of the regime were connected to the government.

It also said a Mexican journalist and a minority party politician in Kenya had been targeted with NSO software and that domain names set up for other attacks referred to entities in Uzbekistan, Thailand, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and other nations, suggesting that other targets lived in those nations. A call to the UAE embassy in Washington was not immediately returned.

The market for "lawful intercept," or government hacking tools, has come under increased scrutiny with revelations about authoritarian customers and noncriminal victims. Two popular vendors, Hacking Team of Italy and Gamma Group of the United Kingdom, have had their wares exposed by researchers or hackers.

Mansoor had previously been targeted with software from both of those companies, according to Citizen Lab. "I can't think of a more compelling case of serial misuse of lawful intercept malware than the targeting of Mansoor," said one of the Citizen Lab researchers, John Scott-Railton.

Reuters
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In an unprecedented move, the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) on Thursday released the names of nine companies it had blacklisted for allegedly going back on plum job placements they offered to its students. These companies, most of them start-ups, were blacklisted for one year for various reasons, IIT-B spokesperson Falguni Benerjee-Naha said.

The erring companies are LeGarde Burnett Group, which had revoked its job offers and was later found to be fake. Companies LexInnova and IndusInsight delayed the joining dates given to the selected students, Banerjee-Naha said. The others who are said to have revoked job offers are GPSK, Johnson Electric of China, Portea Medical, Peppertap and Cashcare Technologies.

One firm, Mera Hunar, came up with a different name and hired the IIT-B students for another start-up. The list of nine companies named on Thursday is not final and more could follow depending on their responses in future, she said. It is the first time a prestigious institution like the IIT-B has published a list of blacklisted companies for reneging on job offers to its passouts.

The matter had been under review for a couple of months after these companies defaulted on their job offers and was discussed at a recent national-level conclave of all IITs in the country. Taking a cue from IIT-B, other IITs are expected to follow suit and announce their own lists of companies that have gone back on their placement commitments.

IANS
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Global internet and technology conglomerate LeEco once again proved itself as a truly industry disruptor with the impressive number of Super3 X55 TVs sold in its first flash sale. The TVs were swept off the shelves within 3 minutes of the flash sale, selling more than 1500+ units. The flash sale has led LeEco to the No.1 position in TV daily sales in 50-inch and above category. It also has the No.1 daily sales with Single TV model in online channel and has No.1 monthly sales in 4K TV category.

These impressive industry records demonstrate that India is gearing towards ecosystem-enabled smart TVs, the next big trend in the industry. What sets LeEco apart is not only the high-end specs and disruptive pricing, but also the superior experience of the rich content library and numerous internet services.

The soaring popularity of Super3 X55 can also be reflected by the astounding 50,000 registrations it received a day prior to the flash sale. What accelerated the high demand of SuperTVs were the impressive offers LeEco extended for its users. These included Rs. 5,000 cashback for purchases on LeMall.com with HDFC credit and debit cards and Rs. 5,000 cashback for Flipkart purchases with Citibank credit and debit Cards.

Additionally, the company offered free shipping and installation, No-cost EMI option on both e-commerce platforms, 2 years of LeEco Membership worth Rs 9,800, 2 years of comprehensive warranty and 4 years panel warranty. LeEco also has a large after-sales service network in India with over 333 outlets located at convenient locations to support its warranty offers.

LeEcos SuperTVs stand out as they come with A+ grade IPS panel and are equipped with as many as 14 advanced display technologies. The screens offer a 178 wide viewing angle, suitable for all family members to watch together. LeEco Super3 Series follows the Northern European style of simple integrated design that gives them an impressive and opulent look. Their top-notch industrial design is backed by materials that are free from lead and chromium, making the TVs fully eco-friendly.

LeEco Super TVs comes bundled with LeEco Membership for 2 years that worth Rs 9,800. Through this membership, users can get access to one of the largest content libraries in India that offers over 2,000 Full HD/HD films from Hollywood and Bollywood, more than 100 satellite TV channels and more than 50 live concerts.

LeEcos Super TVs come in both 55-inch and 65-inch categories and are available at disruptive prices: Super3 X55 - 139.7 cm (55) for Rs 59,790, LeEco Super3 X65 - 163.9 cm (65) for Rs 99,790 and Super3 Max65 163.9 cm (65) for Rs 149,790.

Given LeEcos history of offering appealing deals on its Super products, the countdown has just begun to see what the company has in store for users for the upcoming flash sales.

This is a promoted post.
tech2 News Staff

In a more recent update to the whole Vodafone India, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular versus Jio versus Trai row, the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) may in all likelihood decline the (Cellular Operators Association of India) COAI's request for a meeting reported the Economic Times.

The CAOI had requested for a meeting with Nripendra Misra, Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister over concerns regarding the consultation papers floated by Trai. A senior official commented stating that the government believed in the independence of all regulators and that it will choose not to interfere in Trai's functioning. "Our writ does not run over regulators," he said.

The the request for a meeting was sent across on 11 August but an official at a leading telco claimed that the COAI has not received any confirmation from the PMO just yet.

In its letter, COAI penned down down its observations against Trai stating that the recent consultation papers on the abolition of mobile termination charges, termination of internet telephony charges and even the one on quality of service were against existing telcos (hinting at Reliance's Jio).

Indeed all of this comes in the midst of a war between telcos Vodafone India, Bharti Airtel, Idea Cellular and Reliance's Jio as the latter prepares for its 4G launch

Even state-run BSNL yesterday put up its dukes and announced an unlimited 3G plan in preparation for what Reliance has on offer, the tariffs of which could be a blow to the rest of the telcos.
tech2 News Staff

Sony seems to be sticking to its six month release cycle or at least the new leak seems to point in that direction. After tipster Evan Blass released the first leaked image of the Xperia X Compact, we now have some more details about Sony's upcoming smartphones that are expected to be launched on 1 September at the IFA Berlin.

First we have the Xperia X Compact, (that will obviously not make it to India like every other Compact model in the past). According to the leaked details from techtastic.nl, the Sony's 'compact' flagship will feature a 4.6-inch display, a Snapdragon 820 CPU paired with 3GB RAM and will come powered by a 2,700mAh battery.

Next up would be the bigger Xperia XR or the XZ (previously leaked out as the F8331) that will pack in a bigger 5.2-inch display, a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 and 4GB RAM. According to various reports, the camera on the front is expected to be 23MP camera with a dual-LED flash, laser-assisted focusing mechanism. The front-facing camera is expected to be a 13MP unit.

While the design language looks minimal, Sonys Xperia XR does look different. Still, we would have appreciated something closer to the Xperia XA, with a bezel-less look. Sonys quality will not fail to impress and the company still has all the ports in place.

You get the 3.5mm headphone jack at the top, a USB Type C port (finally) at the bottom and the now standard power/unlock button on the left side (that also integrates the fingerprint reader). As for the cameras, the smartphone is capable of capturing 4K video with both the front and rear units.
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Volkswagen AG has agreed to spend more than $1.2 billion to compensate its 650 U.S. dealers for their losses from the German automaker's diesel emissions scandal, two sources briefed on the matter said on Thursday. The company and a lawyer for VW dealers announced a tentative settlement at a court hearing in San Francisco, but declined to disclose the amount. The settlement, which followed talks that began in May, came as a judge ordered VW to move quickly to decide whether to fix or buy back 85,000 3.0 liter luxury vehicles with polluting engines.

The settlement includes $1.2 billion in payments for the reduction in value of VW dealerships and additional payments for vehicles that could not be sold, the sources said. VW has also agreed to continue to make certain incentive payments to dealers, they said.

"We believe this agreement in principle with Volkswagen dealers is a very important step in our commitment to making things right for all our stakeholders in the United States, said Hinrich J. Woebcken, chief executive of VW's North American region. The dealer settlement means VW has agreed to spend at least $16.5 billion in total in the United States to address emissions issues, but by no means is out of the woods. Volkswagen still faces billions of dollars in potential civil and potential criminal U.S. fines for violating emissions laws, as well as a potential costly buy-back of vehicles equipped with 3.0 liter diesel engines.

VW has admitted it installed improper software that deactivated pollution controls on more than 11 million diesel vehicles sold worldwide. In June, it agreed to pay up to $15.3 billion to buy back up to 475,000 vehicles and address claims by federal regulators and 44 U.S. states. VW's U.S. dealers have been barred from selling new diesel vehicles for nearly a year.

The agreement in principle must still be approved by the court. Under the settlement, Volkswagen agreed to repurchase unfixable, used 2.0 liter diesel vehicles on dealers' lots under the same terms of a consumer buy-back, said Steve W. Berman, a Seattle lawyer representing dealers at the hearing.

The deal would help "heal the wounds between Volkswagen and the dealers," who "like consumers, have been financially hurt here," he said. "They have cars on their lots they can't sell, their franchise value has gone down and they've invested millions in these Volkswagen franchises." As a result of the scandal, the automaker's U.S. sales are down 13.6 percent in 2016 after falling 5 percent last year.

VW had previously agreed to buy back 475,0000 vehicles equipped with 2.0 liter engines at a cost of up to $10.03 billion. Judge Charles Breyer of the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ordered Volkswagen and federal regulators to start settlement talks to resolve the fate of 85,000 3.0 liter diesel vehicles that could include a buy-back offer for those Porsche, Audi and Volkswagen vehicles.

Buying the expensive larger cars and SUVs sold since 2009 could cost VW billions of dollars. But VW lawyer Robert Giuffra said the automaker believes it can fix those vehicles. "We've got to persuade the government that we have a fix," he said, adding that the issue is extremely complex and involves "two million lines of code."

Breyer set a Nov. 3 hearing for an update on the status of the talks and emphasized the urgency of resolving the issue. He said he wanted to ensure "a strong sense of reality" in finding a solution, calling it "intolerable" that the polluting cars remain on U.S. roads. Breyer said VW will be forced to repair the polluting vehicles, buy them back or offer both options.

VW must submit by late October its specific plans to fix the 3.0 liter vehicles, which it said include a mix of software upgrades and emissions equipment modifications. Not all details of how the settlement fund will be divided among the dealers have been resolved. The settlement is worth about $1.8 million on average per dealer, but Berman said in a statement that dealer payouts "under the proposed settlement will depend on the size of the dealership and the size of the market it serves, among other factors."

VW and the dealers told Breyer they plan to file details of the agreement by the end of September. The U.S. Justice Department and Environmental Protection Agency have not yet reached a deal with Volkswagen on fines as part of a separate settlement that could lead to an outside monitor overseeing VW's compliance with U.S. laws.

Reuters reported that VW held preliminary talks this month with the Justice Department to settle outstanding issues. It also agreed to open settlement talks with four states that have sued over environmental harms.

Reuters
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About Me Common Ills We do not open attachments. Stop e-mailing them. Threats and abusive e-mail are not covered by any privacy rule. This isn't to the reporters at a certain paper (keep 'em coming, they are funny). This is for the likes of failed comics who think they can threaten via e-mails and then whine, "E-mails are supposed to be private." E-mail threats will be turned over to the FBI and they will be noted here with the names and anything I feel like quoting. This also applies to anyone writing to complain about a friend of mine. That's not why the public account exists. View my complete profile

Blog Archive
Orshas new movie Arpita

Sheikh Arif Bulbon :

Few years ago, popular TV actress and Model Nazia Haque Orsha was decided to work in a movie. Later that movie was not made. The directors had only intention to release an album titled Ferari Manush. For this reason, that director later did not show interest to make the movie.

After releasing album of the movie its director and producer stopped to proceed. As a result, Orshas dream did not come into true.

This time Orshas dream comes into true. Popular actor and director Shahriar Nazim Joy announced to make his third movie titled Arpita. Joy also wrote its story, script and dialogue. He has already confirmed Orsha to work in his movie. Orsha has showed her keen interest in this regard.

Orsha along with her mother were outside the country for last few days. After returning to Bangladesh she has been engaged with Eid serials and plays. As a result, Joy couldnt get Orsha to start shooting of his movie recently. Joy will start shooting of the movie after Eid, he said.

While sharing her feelings to work in the movie Orsha told this correspondent, I couldnt take part in shooting of my first movie. I had dreamt to see myself on the screen. I hope I dream will become successful. I shall try my level best while working in this movie.

Meanwhile, Orsha yesterday was engaged with shooting of Sajjad Hossain Doduls ongoing serial on Boishakhi TV titled Sonar Horin. Besides working in an Eid play of Dodul, Orsha will be engaged with shooting of Boka Kheye Bograi of Chhoto Kaku series from September 1 to 5 under Afzal Hossains direction, Orsha said.


Zawahri urges Iraqi Sunnis to wage guerilla war

Reuters, Baghdad :

Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri on Thursday called on Iraq's Sunnis to prepare for a "long guerrilla" war as Islamic State militants lost more land near their de facto capital Mosul.

Islamic State (IS) has lost this year about a half of the territory it conquered in 2014 and 2015 in Iraq in battles against government and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition as well as Shi'ite militias supported by Iran.

The ultra-hardline group is also retreating in neighboring Syria against an array of U.S.-backed Syrian and Kurdish forces and the government army backed by Iran and Russia.

IS split from al-Qaeda in 2014 and its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi doesn't recognize the leadership of Zawahri who succeeded Osama bin Laden after his killing in 2011.

Zawahri reprimanded Al-Baghdadi for an extreme interpretation of Islam and the "bloodletting" which, he said, gave "Safavid Iran and its subservient government in Iraq ... a pretext to eradicate the Sunnis."

"The Sunnis of Iraq should not just surrender upon the fall of (their) cities into the hand of the Shi'ite Safavid army," Zawahiri said in a video distributed by supporters, using a derogatory term for the army of Iraq's Shi'ite-led government.

"Rather they should reorganize themselves in a long guerrilla war in order to defeat the new Crusader-Safavid occupation of their areas as they defeated them before."

He also called on "the heroes of Islam among the mujahideen of Syria to assist their brothers in Iraq in reorganizing themselves, because they are fighting the same battle."

Zawahri did not say what specific group in Syria he was addressing his message to since the Al-Nusra Front cut its links with al-Qaeda last month and took a new name, "Jabhat Fatah al-Sham."

Zawahri's video was aired as Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced capturing the oil province of Qayyara, 60 kilometers (38 miles) south of Mosul.

"The liberation of Qayyara is an important step toward achieving the larger goal of restoring Mosul," Abadi said




Russia backs 48-hour Aleppo truce, UN wants other sides to commit

US Secretary of State John Kerry (centre) arrives for a new round of talks on Syria, in Geneva, Switzerland on Friday.

Reuters, Geneva : Russia has agreed to a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, but security guarantees are awaited from other parties on the ground, U.N. officials said on Thursday. The United Nations has pushed for a weekly 48-hour pause in fighting in Aleppo to alleviate suffering for about 2 million people, but major powers back opposing sides in Syria's five-year-old civil war, complicating its implementation. "We have ... agreement now from the Russian Federation for the 48-hour pause, we're waiting (for) it from the other actors on the ground. That has taken more time frankly than I thought was needed," Jan Egeland, who chairs the U.N. humanitarian task force, told reporters. Egeland's boss, U.N. Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura, echoed his comments, saying Russia was on board but they were waiting for others parties to agree: "... we are ready, trucks are ready and they can leave any time we get that message." Russia is the main external supporter of the government of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. Rebel groups opposing Assad are supported by Western and Gulf powers. The White House on Thursday said it supported U.N. efforts to bring all sides together to deliver humanitarian relief to Aleppo and would welcome Russia's constructive engagement. The U.S. State Department said while Washington backed the 48-hour Aleppo cease-fire it was focused on achieving a broader country-wide cessation of hostilities, which would be the focus of talks in Geneva on Friday. "If the U.N. says they need 48 hours, of course we support the U.N. But ... our focus is on a nationwide sustainable cessation of hostilities," said State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau. She said that would let all Syrians have access to aid and provide a basis for a political transition. On Aug. 19, the main umbrella group for the Syrian opposition cautiously welcomed a proposal for a weekly truce in Aleppo, provided this would be monitored by the United Nations. De Mistura has been trying to bring government and opposition representatives back to the negotiating table this month to revive a shattered broader ceasefire. He said he awaited Friday's meeting between U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov in Geneva before commenting further on his "political initiatives" to relaunch the political process. The U.N. relief plan for Aleppo entails simultaneous deliveries of food to the rebel-held east and government-controlled west, Egeland said. "First, a lifeline to eastern Aleppo, going cross-border from Turkey. Initially we would be ready in the first 48-hour weekly pause to have two convoys, of 20 trucks each, that would carry enough food for 80,000 people in eastern Aleppo," he said. Western Aleppo, where needs have "increased dramatically", would be supplied via Damascus, he said. There would also be repairs of the electrical system in the "disputed south" that powers water pumping stations serving 1.8 million people. Civilians in other encircled towns were also malnourished, Egeland said, singling out rebel-besieged Foua and Kefraya in Idlib and government-besieged Madaya near Damascus, which have not had U.N. food deliveries in 116 days.
Waging legal war against religious hate crime

Barrister M. A. Muid Khan :

"Hatred directed against any community, race or religion has no place whatsoever in our diverse society and it needs to be kicked to the kerb".

(Amber Rudd, Home Secretary of the United Kingdom)

On 24th July 2016, BBC reported that in England, Wales and Northern Ireland there has been a rise in hate crime incidents after the EU referendum. A "Climate of hostility" has emerged in the last few weeks from the middle of June 2016. Figures released by the Metropolitan Police showed that more than 6000 alleged hate crimes and incidents were reported to police in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in four weeks from the middle of last month. Crown Prosecution Service has also prosecuted a record number of hate crimes. There is also a sharp rise in so-called "hate crime" incidents such as barging, spitting and assaults directed at racial and religious minorities around the time of the European Union referendum a month ago. Therefore, the Government has decided to take tougher action against hate crime.

This is a common principle of criminal law that where crimes are committed, the legal system of the country should make sure that victims have the confidence to report incidents and the law is rigorously enforced against the offenders.

Therefore, in this article an attempt would be made to establish what elements are needed to prove elements of religious hate crime, consequences of this crime and how to report this crime to Police to bring the offenders before justice. The main purpose of this article is to create awareness in waging legal war against the religious hate crime in the light of two heartbreaking stories/incidents.

Killing an Imam in New York

The first incident took place on 13th August 2016 in the New York, USA. A Bangladesh-origin imam and his assistant were killed outside of New York City mosque when they left the mosque afternoon prayer on Saturday. The duo were dressed in Muslim garb when the killer "approached from behind and shot in the head" from close range. The mosque is frequented primarily by people of Bangladeshi origin. The members of the mosque quickly denounced as a hate crime. On 16th August 2016, New York police has charged a 35 years old man with murder over the execution-style shooting of the imam and his aide.

Kicking a Muslim Woman off a London Bus

The second incident took place on 15 December 2015. BBC reported that two women of Black origin launched a violent attack against a Muslim woman before throwing her off a London 63 bus the double-decker in London Road, Elephant and Castle. It is reported that the distressed victim was in a hijab in that bus. The unfortunate victim tried to get off the bus; but was followed to the doors by one of the attackers who then punched the Muslim woman in the head and kicked her into the street. She was booted in the stomach by attackers before kicking her out from the bus. The victim came flying out of the bus and landed in the road and was lying on the floor sobbing and screaming.

Both these incidents shook the whole world. To prevent the reoccurrence of these religious hate crimes and bring the criminals before justice, the UK government has declared a war against the religious hate crime. The Home Office said it will also be targeting work to prevent hate crime on public transport and tackle attacks on Muslim women. Prosecutors will be issued with fresh guidance on racially and religiously aggravated offences. Prosecutors will be urged to push for tougher sentences for people committing hate crimes.

What are hate incidents & Hate Crimes?

Hate incidents are different from Hate crimes. A hate incident is any incident which the victim, or anyone else, thinks is based on someone's prejudice towards them because of their race, religion, sexual orientation, disability or because they are transgender.

Where as a hate crime is defined as a crime motivated by racial, sexual, or other prejudice, typically one involving violence and there are legislations to stiffen penalties for persons convicted of hate crimes.

The police and Crown Prosecution Service have agreed a common definition of hate incidents. According to them, something is a hate incident if the victim or anyone else thinks it was motivated by hostility or prejudice based on one of the following things: (1) Disability, (2) Race, (3) Religion, (4) transgender identity & (5) sexual orientation. All police forces record hate incidents based on these five personal characteristics.

Religious group meaning

A religious group means a group of people who share the same religious belief such as Muslims, Hindus and Christians. It also includes people with no religious belief at all. On the other hand, a racial group means a group of people who are defined by reference to their race, colour, nationality or ethnic or national origin. This includes: Gypsies and Travellers, refugees and asylum seekers, Jews and Sikhs.

Religious Hate Incident & Crime

Therefore an incident would be "a racist or religious hate incident" if the victim or anyone else thinks it was carried out because of hostility or prejudice based on race or religion. Anyone can be the victim of a racist or religious hate incident. For example, someone may wrongly believe you're part of a certain racial group. Or someone may target you because of your partner's religion.

Racist or religious hate incidents can take many forms including: verbal and physical abuse, bullying, threatening behaviour, online abuse, damage to property. It can be a one-off incident or part of an ongoing campaign of harassment or intimidation.

These religious hate incidents could become religious hate crime if they come under the following crimes i.e. assaults, criminal damage, harassment, murder, sexual assault, theft, fraud, burglary, hate mail (Malicious Communications Act 1988), causing harassment, alarm or distress (Public Order Act 1988).

When hate incidents, become criminal offences; they are known as hate crimes. A criminal offence is something which breaks the law of the land. Any criminal offence can be a religious hate crime if it was carried out because of hostility or prejudice based on religion.

When something is classed as a hate crime, the judge can impose a tougher sentence on the offender under the Criminal Justice Act 2003.

Types of racist and religious hate crime

There are two main types of racist and religious hate crime: (1) racially or religiously aggravated offences under the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and (2) any other offences for which the sentence can be increased under the Criminal Justice Act 2003 if they are classed as a hate crime

In both cases, when a criminal offence is classed as a racist or religious hate crime, the judge can impose a tougher sentence on the offender.

What should the victim do?

If some becomes a victim of a hate incident or crime he/she should report it to the police immediately. A person can also report a hate incident or crime even if it wasn't directed at him/her. For example, He/she could be a friend, neighbour, family member, support worker or simply a passer-by.

The victim can contact the police directly, or use an online reporting facility such as True Vision. The victim should also provide contact details and the best time to contact to help the police to investigate the incident. The victim can also contact his/her local Citizens Advice Bureau to report the incident/crime.

Reporting to the police using the True Vision website

The victim can report a hate incident or crime online on the True Vision website. When describing the offender it's useful to give general information such as age, height, build, gender, ethnicity and clothing. Also try to remember any particular features such as: hair colour, glasses, jewellery or piercing, tattoos, facial hair, a particular accent, teeth, scars nd birth marks.

If a vehicle was involved, in addition to the make, model and colour, the victim should also inform if he or she has noticed any stickers, sun shades, car seats, look of the car (old/new) and any other marks or signs of damage.

If the incident involved damage to property, victim should describe the damage or loss as well as the costs involved if possible. The victim can also take photos of the damage to show the police.

In an emergency, the victim should report the incident to the police by phone on 101 or

Textphone 18001 101. In an absolute emergency, the victim can also call on 999.

The foregoing discussion reveals that any criminal offence can be a racist or religious hate crime, if the offender targeted you because of their prejudice or hostility based on race or religion. It is completely unacceptable for people to suffer abuse or attacks because of their nationality, ethnic background or colour of their skin. This is a common principle of criminal law that where crimes are committed, the legal system of the country should make sure that victims have the confidence to report incidents and the law is rigorously enforced against the offenders.

If incidents of religious hate crime are not reported and the criminals are not punished, the obvious effects of this offence would destroy the British multi-cultural society and the country as a whole. We should not allow that to happen. Victims should report this crime to Police immediately. Police and law enforcing agencies should take effective legal steps to wage legal war against these criminals and bring them before justice. Hence, Amber Rudd, the Home Secretary, has decided to launch a new "hate crime" action plan, including a drive to punish offenders more harshly by ordering prosecutors to press for tougher sentences in court. She has also declared to set up a "2.4 million fund" to pay for "protective security measures" at places of worship. She will also launch a new "hate crime" action plan, including a drive to punish offenders more harshly by ordering prosecutors to press for tougher sentences in court.

Otherwise, the provisions of the Criminal Justice Act 2003, would fail to deter criminals of religious hate crime and to bring them before justice. We all must stand together to shoulder to shoulder, to join in the procession to combat this crime. "We will not stand for it." Our political leaders, law enforcement agencies, Community Leader and public interest groups should join in this journey to combat and wage a legal war against these criminals.

* (The writer is a Barrister of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn, Chartered Legal Executive Lawyer of CILEX. He was declared as the Best Human Rights Lawyer of England & Wales by Bar Council, Law Society & CILEX. He can be contacted at [email protected] ).
2 held with 2000 Yabas





Narcotics Control department, Chittagong Metro Zone in their routine drive in the city recovered 2000 pieces of intoxicated yaba from a restaurant in Chowkbazar in the city on Thursday evening.

These drug peddlers identified as Showkatul Islam and Shah Alam. The detainee Showkatul Islam is the student of Premier University.

Deputy Director of NCD Aslam Hossain chowdhury told the media that acting on secret information about their presence in Zaman Hotel at Chowkbazar, they conducted raid and managed to apprehend them . A case under narcotics act filed before the chowkbazar thana, sources said.


300 sued in workers police clash



Police lodged a case in Kotwali thana in Chittagong accusing 300 persons including 8 identified following a clash between the police and RMG workers occurred in New Market area in city recently .

In the clash, about 50 workers received injuries . SI of Kotwali thana Nurul Islam lodged the case as plaintiff , sources said. (Case No.70/16).

Mentionable that over 50 persons including RMG workers and law enforcers were injured and about hundred detained after the sporadic clash between the readymade garments workers and the law enforcers at Station road near New Market under Kotwali thana in the port city August 24 last.

Eye witnesses and police sources said. the factory workers of Asian Apparels Limited taken to streets on Wednesday morning to protest misbehaviour of a factory supervisor with their women colleague .Their clash with police ensued around 11am.

At least 20 police officers including CMP's Assistant Commissioner Abdul Rahim, Kotwali police OC Jasim Uddin and Inspector Nur Ahmed were injured.

Around 30 workers were also injured in police action.

The agitators alleged that a supervisor at the factory had verbally abused the women workers of the cutting section claiming they were not working on Tuesday morning.
Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Nagorik Dal formed a human chain in front of the Jatiya Press Club on Friday demanding release of BNP Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi Ahmed.
PM's Press briefing on Rampal Plant today

Political parties, rights bodies, environmentalists continue to oppose it

Staff Reporter :

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will make her government's stand clear on proposed Rampal Power Project at a press conference today (Saturday).

"She (Sheikh Hasina) will brief media on proposed Rampal Power Project on Saturday afternoon," Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ehsanul Karim told The New Nation on Friday.

He said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is scheduled to hold the press conference on the issue at 4:00pm on Saturday at her official residence Gonobhaban in the city.

Earlier on Wednesday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at a press conference in the city, termed the proposed Rampal coal-fired power plant project as 'anti-people, illogical' and 'unprofitable', urging the government to take steps for scrapping it. This is a national issue. It is neither an issue of BNP-Awami League, nor others, she added.

Apart from the political parties, different citizen organisations, rights bodies and environmentalist groups have also been opposing implementation of the proposed 1320 MW Maitree Super Thermal Power Project at Rampal Upazila under Bagerhat district, urging the government to scrap the project immediately.

On July 12, Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company (Pvt) Limited (BIFPCL) signed the agreement in the city for Main Plant EPC (Turnkey) Package with Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL).

The citizen organisations, rights bodies and environmentalist groups termed the July 12 as a black day in the history of Bangladesh saying if the project is implemented, country's mangrove Sundarbans would be destroyed once.

About four crore people would be affected if the project is implemented, they warned.

They continued to stage demonstrations in city as elsewhere demanding immediate cancellation of the project.

The climate, topography, land use pattern, wetlands, flora and fauna diversity, capture fisheries tourism and the quality of air and water - both on the surface and underground - in the Sundarbans will be badly affected permanently if the project is implemented, they cautioned.

The Sundarbans is situated about 14 kilometres away from the proposed 1,320-megawatt coal-based power plant site, which is a joint venture of Bangladesh Power Development Board and the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited of India under the name of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company.

Environment experts warn that the Rampal Power Plant project would bring more harm to the country than good, destroying the Unesco World Heritage site, since the climate, topography, land use pattern, wetlands, flora and fauna diversity and quality of air and water in the Sundarbans would be affected due to the power plant.

They said that they do not want electricity in exchange of Sundarbans.

However, the experts demanded of the government to shift the power plant project to any other suitable place of the country from Rampal adjacent to the world heritage site declared by the UNESCO.

According to India's EIA [Environmental Impact Assessment] Guideline 2010, no power plant can be built within 25 kilometres of forests but in special cases it said 10 km in permissible. But, the same rule was not followed in Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) and Indian company National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) would invest 15 percent of the total cost each. The rest 70 percent would come in the form of bank loan.

However, Sheikh Hasina repeatedly said that the Rampal coal-based power plant would not cause any harm to the ecology of the Sundarbans and its surrounding areas.

Referring to the present status of a same 500-MW power plant in Boropukuria, Dinajpur, she earlier said, her government during its last stint constructed the first coal-based power plant at Boropukuria.

She urged the crusaders against the Rampal Power Plant to pick those pictures from the websites and see whether these plants would be harmful for Bangladesh.

She is also urging the persons against the power plant to refrain from misguiding people any more.

According to the Prime Minister, the Rampal Power Plant is being constructed on a reclaimed land. The government has so far not taken any project damaging for environment, she said.

Deep forests are available within eight-kilometer of the project site, which is the sanctuary of many wild species including the Royal Bengal Tiger.

According to the government high commands, there are same plants in Denmark and USA where there was detrimental effect of the power plant on nature. In India, a total of 1,86,000-MW power is produced from coal-based power plants.
Masterminds to be nabbed anytime: Asad

Political instigation found

Staff Reporter :

Suspected masterminds involved in the July 1 deadly terror attack in the city's Gulshan Cafe, will be netted anytime, says Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal on Friday.

"As the suspected masterminds involved in terror attack in the city's Gulshan Cafe, have been identified, they will be nabbed anytime. Law enforcers continue to conduct raids across the country to arrest them," he said.

Meanwhile, questions on masterminds' whereabouts are being raised as cops and Home Minister are frequently claiming that they have been identified and would be netted anytime. Earlier, police said identified masterminds Bangladesh-origin Canadian citizen Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury, sacked army official Syed Mohammad Ziaul Haque alias Major Zia and Marzan were staying in capital Dhaka.

Apart from three, more seven to eight suspected masterminds have been identified over July 1 Gulshan Cafe attack.

Home Minister came up the statements while addressing a discussion meeting and book publication ceremony at Krishibid Institution of Bangladesh in city. To mark the National Mourning Day, the Bangladesh Chhatra League, a student wing of ruling Awami League organised the programme.

Apart from the militants, Kamal said, some political parties were directly involved in influencing such terror attacks.

"Those involved in Jamaat-Shibir politics as well as patronised the JMB's executed leader Siddiqul Islam Bangla Bhai, lead the deadly terror attacks," Home Minister said.

According to the police, raids were there before and after the Gulshan Cafe attack now it become regular.

Police intensified the raids particularly after a militant den was busted in Kalyanpur, a police official said, adding that the raids would go on.

The police official, however, did not say how long the raids would continue. Besides, law enforces continue to conduct block raids in different areas of the city to search for suspected militant hideouts.


Four held with 12kg gold

Four members of gold smuggling gang were arrested by RAB from city\'s separate places with 12 Kg gold and a microbus on Friday.

UNB, Dhaka :Members of Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) arrested four people along with 12 kg gold from Tantibazar of the capital and Savar on the city's outskirts on Friday.The arrestees are - Tapash Malakar, 32, his wife Monti Malakar, 26, Dulal Chandra Das, 32, and Deen Bandho Sarker, 39.Sources at the Rab headquarters said based on secret information, an operational team of Rab-1 led by its Maj Ishtiak Ahmed carried out a drive at Turag Bhanga Bridge of Bhakurta Mochor in Savar in the afternoon. The elite force challenged a microbus and arrestedTapash Malakar, Monti Malakar, and Dulal Chandra Das. Searching the microbus, they recovered 24 gold bars weighing around 8 kg.According to their statements, the Rab later conducted a drive at an apartment on the 4th floor of a building at 21 Panitola, Tantibazar in the capital at night and arrested Deen Bandho Sarker, the owner of Antar Silver Store.They also recovered 32 gold bars weighing around 4 kg and 15 gram gold searching his office room.During preliminary interrogation, the arrestees revealed they have long been involved in gold smugglings to India from Bangladesh. They used to illegally import gold from Singapore, Malaysia and Middle East evading tax.
Vegetables price sky high

Anisul Islam Noor :The price of vegetables jumped by Tk 10 to 20 per kg in the city kitchen markets on Friday to the dismay of the middle and the lower income group of people. Most of the products were selling above Tk 60 per kilo.Not only that, the price of edible oil, garlic and ginger also increased despite sufficient supply at the weekend. But the wholesale traders blamed short supply for price hike an impact of recent flood and rainwater. Soybean (loose) was selling at Tk 85-Tk 86 a litre, compared with Tk 80-Tk 82 a week ago. Super palm oil price increased to Tk 74-Tk 76 from Tk 70-72 litre, while normal palm prices swelled to Tk 71-Tk 72 from Tk 67-Tk 68 a litre during the period.Samad Hawlader, a grocer of Karwan Bazar told The New Nation that price of oil had been showing an upward trend at the wholesale for the last 10/ 11 days. Soybean price increased to Tk 3,040-Tk 3,050 a maund (37.32 kg) on Wednesday compared with Tk 2,948-Tk 2,950 at Moulvibazar.He said super palm oil witnessed a rise of Tk 90-Tk 100 per maund. President of Bangladesh Edible Oil Wholesalers and Merchants Association, a organisation of wholesalers in the city, M Golam Maula said, the refiners have raised price citing hike in the world market.He said they were selling soybean at Tk 79 to Tk 79.10 a litre, while super palm at Tk 71-Tk 71.4 a litre now.Prices of local variety of garlic increased to Tk 170-Tk 190 only, marking an increase of Tk 10 in a week. Imported garlic, however, remained stable at Tk 180-Tk 200 per kg.Of vegetables, bean was selling at Tk 90 to 100 per kg instead of Tk 70 a week ago, tomato at Tk 80 to 90, brinjal at Tk 50 to 60 instead of Tk 40, cucumber at Tk 70 instead of Tk 50, french at Tk 60 instead of Tk 50, bitter gourd at Tk 50 to 60 instead of Tk 45, radish at Tk 40 instead of Tk 30, potato at Tk 25, eddo at Tk 40 to 45 per kg, clocacia stem (kochu loti) at Tk 40 to 45 per kg, pumpkin (medium size) at Tk 40 to 60 per piece, bottle gourd at Tk 40 to 60, ash gourd at Tk 30 to 40 per piece, cabbage at Tk 30 cauliflower at 25 to 30 per piece, coriander leaves at Tk 400 per kg, green chilli at 60 to 80 kg, capsicum (red) at Tk 350 kg and capsicum (green) at Tk 300 to 320 perCultivated Cat fish (Shing) was selling at Tk 400- 550 per kg, barbel at Tk 450 to 600, butter fish at Tk 250 to 300, lobster at Tk 450 to 600 kg, shrimp (River) at Tk 400-550, Puti at Tk 150 per kg, puti (live) at Tk 250 kg, cultivated koi at Tk 130 to 180 per kg and koi (river) at Tk 400, Fali Chanda (Rupchada) at Tk 1050 kg, walking fish (Shoal) at Tk 300 kg, lata fish at Tk 180 to 220 and Eel at Tk 300 to 600 kg, sheat (boal) at Tk 300 to 550 kg, Ek-thota (Kaitta fish) at Tk 350 to Tk 400, Baila at Tk 450 to 600 kg, coral fish at Tk 550 kg, river Pangas at Tk 350 kg, cultivated Pangas at Tk 130 kg, Rajputi at Tk 300 kg, Tilapia at Tk 140 to Tk 200 kg, Ruhit at Tk 250 to Tk 380 kg, medium size carp (katol) at Tk 230 -360 per kg. Hilsha price decreased slightly in this week. Medium size of two pieces Hilsha with weight of 800 gm to 900 gm was selling at Tk 630 to 700 at South Goran.Sugar (white) was sold at Tk 70 to 76 per kg while sugar brown sold at Tk58 to 65. Local varieties of onion were sold at Tk 45 -Tk 48, while imported verities at Tk 38 Tk 42 per kg. Ginger was selling at Tk 70 to 100 per kg, Prices of broiler chicken decreased by Tk eight to 10 per kg. It was sold at Tk 130 to 140 per kg on Friday. Local folk was sold (weight 700gm) at Tk300 to 350 per piece, and the Pakistani farm chicken at Tk 150 to Tk 200 (700gm) per piece. The beef was sold at Tk 450-Tk 470, buffalo meat at Tk 420 and red meat (khashi) at Tk 600-Tk 700 per kg. Pigeon (per pair) was selling at Tk 180 to Tk 250 and four koil birds at Tk 200 only on Friday.Egg (farm) was selling at Tk 35 per hali (four pieces), egg (local) at Tk 60 and egg (duck) at Tk 45 to Tk 48. The molasses at Tk 70 to 120 and flattened rice at Tk 70 to 90, the red lentil at Tk 140 per kg, while the imported lentil at Tk 155 kg and mash at 130 per kg, onion at Tk 45 to 48 per kg.Swarna, a coarse variety, was sold at Tk 32-Tk 34 on Friday from Tk 30-Tk 32 a week ago, while prices of Brridhan-28 rose to Tk 37-Tk 42 from Tk35-Tk 38, Miniket Tk 46-Tk 54 per kg from Tk 42- Tk 52 and Najirshail Tk 48-Tk 57 from Tk 46-55 per kg in the city retails.
BNP expects PM to roll back Rampal project

UNB, Dhaka :

BNP on Friday hoped Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will come up with an announcement at her Saturday's press conference that no power plant to be set up within 25 kms of the Sundarbans.

"We're happy that the Prime Minister is going to

hold a press conference over the Rampal power plant issue. We now hope she'll surely declare on Saturday her decision of not allowing the power plant within 25 kms of the Sundarbans, as it has become a national demand," said BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

He expressed the anticipation at a press briefing at BNP's Nayapaltan central office.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will hold the press conference on the proposed coal-fired power plant at Rampal near the Sundarbans at 4pm on Saturday at her official residence Gonobhaban.

The 1,320-megawat power plant project is a joint venture of Bangladesh Power Development Board (BPDB) and the National Thermal Power Corporation Limited of India under the name of Bangladesh-India Friendship Power Company. Earlier on Wednesday, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at a press conference termed the proposed Rampal coal-fired power plant project 'anti-people, illogical' and 'unprofitable' one, and urged the government to take steps for scraping it. She also urged people to raise their voice against the move to implement the project near the world's largest mangrove forest Sundarbans.
JnU students call fresh 2-day strike for dorms

JnU Correspondent :About five thousand students of Jagannath University (JnU) held a solidarity programme with teachers, students and intellectuals on the premises of the Central Shaheed Minar reiterating their demand for construction of residential halls in the abandoned land of the Central Jail in Old Dhaka on Friday. They held the programme with a token dead body covered with a white piece of cloth.The students announced a fresh all out strike on the campus for Sunday and Monday to press home their demand for dormitory. Mahidul Islam Mahim, a spokesman of the agitating students, said, "We will observe all out strike on the campus boycotting classes and examination on Sunday and on Monday for construction of halls in the vacant Dhaka Central Jail. Along with strike, we will arrange cultural programme at the Nayabazar intersection in the city blocking roads."They threatened to call tougher programme like hartal in case of refusal by the government this time. In the programme, Dhaka University (DU) Professor Dr Rubayat Ferdous, the spokesmen of the Ganajagaran Mancha Imran H Sarker, former Principal of ex-Jagannath College AN Rasheda and Journalist Shusanto Sinha expressed their solidarity with the movement.They said, "The movement is logical. Hall is the fundamental right of the students of a public university. The government should solve the accommodation problem immediately."Drawing the attention of those, who are against the halls in the abandoned Central Jail premises, they also said that only a university can utilize the atmosphere of that place. "After 1971, such vast peaceful movement did not occur in the country, which is an exemple for all", they added. In the meantime, Advocate Sultana Kamal, Journalist and Columnist Abu Sayed Khan, and DU Professor Dr Ajay Roy also expressed their solidarity with the movement over telephone. More than five thousand JnU students congregated at the Central Shaheed Minar as per previous decision at 3pm. Holding different banner and pastoons, the demonstrators' chanted various slogans like "Give us hall or kill us", "Hall is our basic right" to press home their dormitory demand. The protestors urged the Prime Minister to realize their sufferings and asked her (PM) interference in this regard. Criticising the authority and the teachers of the university, the students said, "There is none to understand their problem." Sabina Khatun, a protestor, said, "No JnU teacher has come to the programme to understand our problem. In fact, they are not sincere to solve our suffering."But the student vowed to continue their movement for dormitory until the assurance of the PM.
Snake-bite claims 12 lives in Jessore

Jessore Correspondent :

At least 12 people were reported to have died from snake-bite in Abhoynagar, Monirampur and Keshabpur upazilas in Jessore district in last 10 days till Thursday, locals and local government representatives said. Besides, four babies also drowned in stagnant water in the area.

Dr Humayun Kabir, Deputy Commissioner of Jessore told The New Nation that about 122 villages under the aforesaid three upazilas were inundated. The affected villagers took shelters at 45

relief and rehabilitation camps being displaced in flood water.

Al Amin, a resident of Dhopadi village under Abhaynagar upazila told The New Nation that water was submerging new and new areas gradually.

Begum Rokeya, wife of late Professor Momtaz Uddin from, Kota village under Abhaynagar upazila said on Thursday that water ruined her everything. 'I'm now living in water.
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I want to have more exciting sex than Im having now.

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If you have any of these problems, please stay with me until the end.

What is sex toys for Indian?

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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! ! !

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Some of them are disposable, while others can be washed and used over and over again, so its fun to buy a few to use depending on your mood.

If you want to know more about masturbator, please click here

Really pleasant male masturbation and how to do it Are you in a rut with your daily masturbation routine? I'm going to show you five ways men masturbate that you might ...

[For Beginners] How to choose and use a male masturbator without fail Gentlemen.Have you ever used a masturbator? The person who sees this article is probably the one who has not experien...

Cock Ring

A cock ring is literally a ring-shaped sextoy that is worn on a mans penis.

It maintains an erection by binding the penis with a ring of rubber and blocking blood flow.

It is sometimes used as an accessory to be worn on the penis, and may be made of metal or plastic as well as rubber.

In some cases, cock rings have parts or vibrators attached to them that stimulate the vagina, so they kill two birds with one stone, giving a woman pleasure while maintaining an erection.

Cock rings are also sometimes used to treat erectile dysfunction.

It can help with erectile dysfunction, where the penis doesnt get hard when you get an erection or doesnt last long when you try to insert it.

Men who are prone to breakage or who are unsure of the hardness and size of their erections can use a cock ring to increase the size of their penis and maintain an erection for a longer period of time.

Cock rings vary in price from around RS700 to over RS2000 with a vibrator function.

Some of them do not fit your penis, so you should check the size of the cock ring before you buy.

You should know the size of your partners or your own penis when it is erect.

[Penis enlargement] What is a cock ring? Types and usage Cock rings can make your penis bigger and harder. It also makes sex with women more fulfilling and increases your sat...

Love Doll

Love dolls, also known as Dutchwives, are dolls with the appearance of a woman who can experience simulated sex.

There are dolls that look like a woman, but they have no face and only have their breasts and lower torso cut off, and some dolls are so realistic that they can actually be mistaken for real women.

Some expensive dolls can cost more than 1 million yen, and the quality of the doll is easily influenced by the price.

The higher the price, the higher the quality of the doll will be, the closer it will be to the real woman, and the cheaper the doll will be, the less elaborate it will be, making it look like a real doll! Something is wrong! That is also true.

You cant go wrong if you choose a balance between price and taste.

There are stores that allow you to make custom-made love dolls, so you can create a girl of your choice.

You can make a girl of your choice. You can start with inexpensive love dolls at first, and once you get used to it, you can try custom-made love dolls.

If you want to know more about Love doll, please click here

Thorough explanation of the charm of sex dolls! Have you ever heard of sex dolls that are used primarily for pseudo-sex purposes? It is a doll that is quite close to...

Sex lubricants

Sex lubricants are used as a substitute for lubricating fluid during sex or as a lubricant for men to use masturbator rules.

It is not uncommon for women to have difficulty getting wet, depending on their physical condition, or to have difficulty getting wet due to their constitution.

Forcing the penis into the vagina at such times can cause painful intercourse.

There are various types of Sex Lubricants, some with a warming effect, some with a cooling effect, and some with a scent.

Changing the Sex Lubricant used during play is recommended as a good sex accent.

If you want to learn more about Sex Lubricants, click here.

What is sex lubricant?Explain the difference and usage of each ingredient The word "sex toy" may seem like a hurdle to overcome, but lotion is actually one of the most familiar sex toys. Many...

Toys for the Prostate

Another sextoy for men is prostate toys.

The most famous prostate toys include Enemagra, which was originally a prostate massager developed by an American urologist to treat an enlarged prostate line.

Modern prostate toys are imitations of Enemagra that have spread as sextoy for men.

Many people think of prostate toys as being used by gay men, but in fact they are often used by straight men.

What is the prostate?

The prostate is an organ found only in men. It is a walnut-sized organ located deep in the pelvis, just below the bladder, and its primary role is to protect and nourish sperm.

You cannot touch the prostate gland from outside the body, but you can touch it by inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus.

By inserting a finger or sextoy through the anus and touching the prostate and developing it, you can feel intense orgasms.

Orgasms felt in the prostate are mainly dry orgasms, which are orgasms that do not involve ejaculation. (You can also feel orgasms with ejaculation through prostate stimulation.)

The prostate is called the male G-spot, and dry orgasms can be much more intense than ejaculation.

Therefore, men who are able to develop a prostate can become addicted to the pleasure.

sextoy for beinner women in India

The following are the recommended goods for Indian women who are new to sextoy.

The following three are recommended for use by women who are new to sextoy.

Vibrator.

Dildo

Electric Masserger

Lets check out what each one is in detail.

If you want to check out womens toys, click here.

[BEST25]Sex Toys for Women in IndiaThat Can Help You Have an Orgasm There are many women who pretend to feel orgasm during sex. But don't worry, you don't have to pretend to feel orgasm...

Vibrators

A vibrator is a sextoy that vibrates with an Egg-Vibrator to provide stimulation and is often referred to simply as a vibrator.

Some vibrate as well as rotate, and there are many variations of sextoy.

It is quite a popular sextoy, and is well recognized by people who do not know much about sextoy.

Its usage is similar to that of a massager, but it is more compact and easier to carry than a massager, and many of them look as cute as a lipstick or a macaroon, so they are popular among women.

For a while, a famous influencer on twitter said, This is good! You may have heard of the topic of this article by introducing the recommended vibrators.

Vibrators are great for women to use on their own, but they are also recommended for men who have difficulty satisfying women with sex.

Since it is powered by electricity, it is far less tiring than moving your hands by yourself.

This makes it easier to satisfy a woman with sex because you can caress her for longer than usual.

Vibrators are mainly used on the female side, but they can also be used on men.

When used on men, they are used to attack the nipples and glans, and in both cases it is recommended to wear a condom for hygiene reasons.

Introducing how to use the vibrator, its purpose, and how to choose it! Vibrator uses the vibrations caused by the rotation of the motor to provide stimulation. It is one or two of the most...

Dildo

A dildo is a model sextoy made to mimic a male penis.

It can be made of silicone, elastomer (think of it as a material similar to PVC), metal or glass.

A dildo can be used by a man for his female partner during sex, or by a woman for masturbation to get pleasure from it.

They are mainly inserted into women, but some can be used in the male anus as well.

It is sometimes used synonymously with vibrators, but the vibrator is not the same thing as a vibrating device.

A model of a penis that does not vibrate is a dildo.

Some of them have suction cups that can be attached to the floor or wall so that you can enjoy realistic masturbation without using your hands.

For fun, there is a dildo made in the shape of your partners penis.

This one is also popular as a gift, and if youve been together for a long time and are having trouble finding a gift for your partner, you might want to pick one.

To learn more about dildo, please click here.

What is Dildo: Orgasms with Dildos for Men and Women A dildo is a model of a male organ that is used by women for masturbation and by men to stimulate the prostate gland. Th...

Electric Masserger

A Electric Masserger is a hand-held electric massager, also known as a handheld massager, and can usually be purchased at electronics stores.

It was originally designed to relieve stiff shoulders and back pain, so the hurdle of buying one in a physical store is quite low.

Many people may have seen or used it in some form or another, as it is often installed in leisure hotels.

Such a massager is highly recommended for beginners because it is easy for women to get pleasure from it when they use it during masturbation.

It is larger than Egg-Vibrator and vibrations are stronger than those of Egg-Vibrators and vibrators, so even just hitting the clitoris can give you a great deal of pleasure.

For those women who have never had an orgasm during sex with their man, the massager may be a good way to get a feel for what it feels like to have an orgasm.

It looks and feels like an electric massager, so you wont have to feel awkward if your roommate finds out.

If you are in a rut of having sex with your partner, if you want to feel an orgasm through masturbation, or if you are thinking of using a sextoy, why dont you try it from a simple massager?

To learn more about Electric Masserger, click here.

What is a massager? Introducing types, selection methods, and usage Originally, the Magic-wand vibrator and the massage machine were sold as a home massage machine used for the back and th...

How to choose a sextoy for Indian

Now that weve covered the different types of sextoy, heres how to choose one.

Especially if you are trying sextoy for the first time, pay attention to the following three points:  Does the size fit you (the partner)?

Does the size fit you (your partner)?

Is the environment able to produce sound without problems?

Price range

First of all, the choice of size is quite important.

Most sextoy are used against or inserted into the genitals, but the genitals are very delicate organs for both men and women.

For this reason, using an inappropriate size may cause damage.

Secondly, the environment should be able to produce sound without problems.

Some sextoys not only wear, but also rotate and vibrate. Its easier to get pleasure from something that moves than something that doesnt, but the fact that it moves means that the internal rotors make some noise.

If you live in a house with thin walls or if you have roommates, you may not be able to concentrate because of the noise, so it is best to choose one that is silent or has a low noise level.

Especially in India, where many people live with their families, it is very important that you dont have to worry about sound when you use it.

Finally, there is the price range.

The price range of sextoy ranges widely, from around RS500 at the cheapest to RS10,000 or more at the highest.

Its good to consider how much money you can afford and how much you want to buy.

Do you want your family to not find out about sextoy?

I live with my family and want to use sextoy without them finding out! If you are a man, you should buy a camouflage sextoy that does not look like a sextoy at first glance.

For men, there are many masturbators that do not look like a sextoy, and for women, there are vibrators that only look like cosmetics.

If you choose such a type, youll be safe in case your family members find out.

How to buy sextoys in India

The best way to purchase sextoy is through online shopping.

For more information on how to purchase sextoy, please see the article below.

Sextoy is one of them.

Therefore, you can easily get sextoy in India by using online shopping.

SexToysINDIA is a long established and stable sextoy store and you can have sextoy delivered to any place in India.

They also offer cash on delivery, so those who are worried about shopping with a credit card do not have to worry.

Of course, the latest security is in place, so your information will not be taken out when you use your credit card.

To begin with, many people may be concerned about whether they are legally allowed to purchase sextoy.

ikmAs it turns out, its not illegal.

Right now, it is not open to the public because the Indian adult market is still in the development stage, but it will gradually spread from now on.

Take advantage of sextoy and open the door to new pleasures and culture.

Cautions for Indians using sextoy

When using sextoy, keep the following three things in mind

Keep sex toys clean

Watch out for electrical leakage

Beware of the heat generated by the body while using a sex toy

As I mentioned earlier, many sextoy products are used for the delicate zone.

Therefore, it is most important to keep the sextoy itself clean. It is very important to keep the sextoy itself clean, because if a slight scratch is created by friction, bacteria can enter and breed there.

It is safe to wear a condom when using the masturbator, just in case.

In addition, many sextoy devices are powered by a power source, so if they are not waterproof, there is a possibility of electric shock or malfunction due to wetness.

Some may even develop heat during continuous use. If the fever becomes too much, you may get burned, so be careful.

If you get a fever during use, stop driving the sextoy immediately and refrain from using it.

You will enjoy sex more if you keep it safe and use it correctly.

Summary

What did you think?

In this article, we have introduced the recommended sextoy for the beginners of sextoy in India.

The sextoy market is growing rapidly in India and it will continue to grow steadily in the future.

As India is a rather closed-minded country, it can be difficult to be open about ones sexual habits and values.

However, being faithful to ones desires by properly dissolving ones sexual desire is very effective for ones physical and mental health.

If this is your first time to learn about sextoy, or if you are interested in using sextoy, why not give it a try?

Indian Sextoys for ur best! will introduce you to sextoy and other trivia about sextoy, sexuality, and sexuality for men and women.

I want to read more! If you think its a great idea, please bookmark it.
CARBONDALE  Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger stumped for new legislation along with Southern Illinois Republican leaders Friday at the Carbondale Civic Center.

The No budget, no pay, legislation is to ensure that the General Assembly and governor pass an annual balanced budget each year, as required by the states constitution. If they don't, lawmakers will not get paid, Munger said.

We wont give retroactive pay either, she said. They will not get paid until there is a full year budget passed and signed by the governor.

She said this is the same way an employer may act toward an employee who didnt complete the requirements of their job.

I dont know of any employers that would pay someone that is not doing their job. Why should taxpayers settle for less, Munger said. We tell small businesses, nonprofits, hospitals, schools and others to wait in line for months for what they're owed by the state  its unconscionable that we would prioritize politician pay and move them to the front.

State Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, was in attendance in support of Mungers decision to delay pay.

I signed on early this year as a co-sponsor to HB4399 that says if the General Assembly doesnt pass a balanced budget, no politician should get a paycheck, she said. I am proud to stand with Comptroller Munger as she added the weight and influence of her office to this idea.

A State Senate hopeful in the 58th district, Paul Schimpf said politicians are seeking the approval and trust of the public in order to serve them in Springfield, and this legislation is a way to re-establish trust.

Illinoisans are tired of the failed political-class legislative majorities, which have pushed 14 consecutive unbalanced budgets, he said.

Another Republican candidate for the Illinois House, Dave Severin, said he applauds Munger in her efforts to get politicians to do their jobs.

Im a small-business owner and if one of my employees doesnt do their job, they wont get paid, he said. The voters of Southern Illinois are the legislators bosses and if they cant do their jobs and pass a budget, they deserve to get hit in the wallet like the rest of us.

In April, Munger announced she directed her staff to pay all members of the General Assembly  and herself  like every other vendor. Although the state allows lawmakers to be paid, Munger says they are waiting in line to be paid.

I probably wont win a popularity contest in Springfield, but thats OK, because I feel this is the right thing to do, Munger said Friday. It really puts all on a level playing field.
A Cairo man has been sentenced to 51 years in prison for a 2015 murder, the office of Alexander County States Attorney E. Zachary Gowin said Friday in an emailed statement.

Marquad Harris, 19, was charged with first-degree murder in March for the June 12, 2015, shooting of Christopher Nelson, 34, in Cairo.

After several hearings on the defendants post-trial motions, Harris was sentenced to 51 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections at a sentencing hearing on Friday, Gowin said.

The case was investigated by the Cairo Police Department, Illinois State Police and Alexander County Sheriffs Department.

This is a tragic case where the lives of two families are forever changed, but I believe that justice has been served, said Gowin.

 The Southern
CARBONDALE  Rebound alternative education employee Stephanie Brown was so determined to confirm Gov. Bruce Rauner for a tour of the alternative high school this week that the governors office staff began to recognize her voice when she called his Springfield office to check in, over and over again.

The persistence paid off  though thats no surprise to the students and staff at Rebound. They know all about persistence, perseverance and the other ingredients it takes to overcome the obstacles that stand in the way of their goals  even in the face of challenges. Or rather, especially in the face of challenges.

Thats the magic of Rebound.

Its very inspirational to be here and see this, Rauner said following his tour on Friday morning. The governor said he would be talking with his staff about ways the state can provide more support to alternative high school programs.

Rauner noted that K-12 schools were the only state-funded service to receive a full budget this year, and that lawmakers approved and he signed a deal to increase the amount of money going to schools.

But Rebound and other schools like it were not included in that deal.

I did not know  this is something I learned today  that this particular segment of our education system did not get a full year (funding) in the stopgap because I wanted to make sure all of K-12 got a full year.

Rauner said he would be talking to his team to make sure we get more resources in future budget deals to alternative schools such as Rebound that are primarily funded by state and federal grants. One of Rebounds largest funding sources is a $170,000 adult education grant from the Illinois Community College Board.

Sandy Snowden, Rebounds program coordinator, said school officials have been working to schedule Rauner to take a tour of their school since spring.

After a few scheduling conflicts, Snowden said Rauners office committed to making the tour when he was in town to attend Du Quoin State Fair opening weekend festivities. Earlier in the week, Brown, a parent educator and student services coordinator, made it her personal mission to firm up those plans.

In April, Rebound was on the brink of closure as the state budget stalemate in Springfield dragged on. Snowden, Brown and other students and faculty said their motivation to invite Rauner to see the school was to drive home the importance of second-chance schools such as this one that are often overlooked in budget talks because they fall outside the scope of K-12 funding, though most of their students are of traditional high school age.

Snowden said that people are generally supportive of Rebound once they truly learn what it is all about. Rebound is an alternative education program under the umbrella of Carbondale Community High School and open to any student throughout the region. Rebound serves about 225 students annually who have dropped out of traditional high schools for a variety of reasons, and about 85 at-risk students who are provided additional supportive services.

People just need to be educated about our programs: What we do, who we are and what were about, she said.

A six-month stopgap funding measure approved June 30 allowed the school to keep its doors open, but it wont be long before school officials find themselves in a similar position waiting on lawmakers and the governor to take action to release more funding.

Snowden said passage of the stopgap measure in June means the school can remain open until at least January. But like many others who rely on state funding, she will be lobbying hard for passage of additional funds this fall to support the second half of the fiscal year.

Rauner said that it is most likely that Democratic legislative leaders will wait until after the November election to take up further budget votes. He said lame-duck sessions that follow general elections and before the swearing-in of a new General Assembly have a history of producing a greater quantity of compromise and courage among the elected class.

So, it makes sense if theyre going to stay with that pattern that they might be willing to take more creative votes, tougher votes, during that window, Rauner said. The governor added that work is ongoing in the meantime to ready a budget deal for a post-election vote. He said hes meeting with legislators, but wasnt specific about which ones and how those talks are shaping up.

During his tour, Rauner also met with several young adults whose lives have been changed by Rebound. He challenged Clayton Ellet, of Carbondale, to a game of ping-pong, and spoke with two graduates.

Rauner called for a high-five when Donovan Burk, a 2013 Rebound graduate, told the governor he was majoring in elementary education. Burk said he enrolled at Rebound for a second chance after dropping out of Murphysboro High School. As a teenager, Burk said he was just your average trouble maker who didnt take school as seriously as I should have.

But that changed for him at Rebound. At this school, he found something to believe in  himself.

I dont know if I would have finished and done the things Ive done and met the people Ive met if it wouldnt have been for here, Burk said. I dont know where I would have been. After completing classes at John A. Logan College, Burk said he plans to earn his teaching degree at Southern Illinois University.

A playground aide at Carbondale Middle School, Burk said he wants to give back by providing extra support to the young students who are struggling with school as he did, to encourage them to stick with it. Coming from my background, this is what I can do he said. I can be the difference maker.

Rauner also met Jared Adams, a 2012 Rebound graduate who is an EMT/firefighter with the Carterville Fire Department. Adams also joined Rebound after dropping out of Murphysboro High School. He described his younger self as a little rebellion with minimal interest in school.

But he said that changed at Rebound because the teachers took the time to break down the material in a way he could understand and that made it more enjoyable.

If every teacher in the state was like the teachers are here then this state would be in a lot better shape, he said. They dont treat you as just another face, or just another student. They treat you as if youre their own kid.

Teacher Marla Martin said thats because she and the other employees of Rebound really do care that much. Martin said she hopes the governor remembers the faces of the students and graduates he met on Friday when he sits down with legislative leaders for budget negotiations.

Of Rebound, she said, "In my opinion, its the shining star of adult education."
Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) will begin accepting applications for winter heating assistance for seniors and people with disabilities on a first-come, first-served basis Sept. 1.

LIHEAP is both state and federally funded. Applications are processed through a network of local administering agencies around the state. Last year, administrators were concerned about the level of funding for energy assistance due to state budget woes.

In October 2015, Kim Rutherford of Crosswalk Community Action Agency told The Southern that she expected about half their usual funding, about $1.4 million. She added that she expected to run out of money before the end of the program. Other Southern Illinois LIHEAP administrators echoed her concern. Start of the program was delayed one month.

The outlook is a little brighter this year, according to Debbie Thies, energy coordinator for Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council. Thies expects funding to be at the same level it was last year.

I think it is comparable to last year, and we had enough to keep us going through the end of the program, which was May 31, Thies said.

When applying for energy assistance, bring the following for all household members: Proof of income and Social Security numbers; a copy of current heat and electric bills; and a copy of the rental agreement (if applicable) showing which utilities are included, the monthly rent and landlord contact information

Families who receive other aid or benefits, such as Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled (AABD), SNAP or medical eligibility, should bring proof of participation in those.

To qualify, households must meet the following income guidelines: Single-person households, $1,485; two, $2,003; three, $2,520; and four, $3,038. Benefits are paid directly to energy vendors on behalf of eligible households, except when heating costs are included in rent. Renters must prove their rent is more than 30 percent of their income to qualify for LIHEAP.

PIPP also will start accepting applications Sept. 1 for LIHEAP eligible households who are customers of Ameren Illinois. Under PIPP, eligible households pay a percentage of their income towards their utility bill, supplemented by a monthly benefit. Participating households are eligible for a reduction in outstanding bills for every on-time payment they make.

For more information, call the agency that administers the program for your county: Western Egyptian Economic Opportunity Council, 618-443-5231, for residents of Jackson, Perry, Randolph and Monroe counties; Crosswalk Community Action Agency, 618-937-3581, for residents of Franklin, Jefferson and Williamson counties; Shawnee Development Corporation, 618-635-2201, for residents of Alexander, Hardin, Johnson, Massac, Pope, Pulaski and Union counties; Wabash Area Development Inc., 618-963-2387, for residents of Saline, Hamilton and Gallatin counties.

For a complete listing of LIHEAPs local administering agencies and additional information about the program, visit www.liheapIllinois.com, or call the energy assistance hotline at 1-877-411-WARM (9276).
Local politicians sounded off Friday about the Illinois Supreme Court decision Thursday, in which it ruled that a voter referendum seeking to change how Illinois draws political boundaries is unconstitutional, making it ineligible to appear on the November ballot.

Sheila Simon, the Democratic candidate for the Illinois Senate 58th District, said she is disappointed in the decision, but is pleased to see that the measure went further this time than it has before.

The most recent time it didnt event go to the Supreme Court, she said. We have enough information from the Supreme Court to the plan the next effort. I am discouraged about not getting it done, but Im looking forward to the next effort.

Republican Paul Schimpf, also running for the 58th Senate seat, said it was tragic that a common-sense practice like nonpartisan legislative map-making cant make the ballot.

More than 500,000 Illinoisans signed petitions in favor of this proposal and now their will is being thwarted," Schimpf said. "Redistricting is the ugliest political process that takes place in Illinois.

Simon and Schimpf are seeking to obtain the seat held by Sen. David Luechtefeld, R- Okawville, who is retiring from office in January.

Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, who represents the 115th Illinois House District, said she is also disappointed in the decision.

The idea that the voters should be choosing their representatives rather than politicians picking the folks that they represent is a very basic American ideal and this Supreme Court decision will further erode the publics faith in our system of government, she said Friday at the Carbondale Civic Center.

Bryant's opponent, elementary teacher at Jonesboro Elementary Marsha Griffin, said she supports meaningful reforms that put people before politicians. She said she supports House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 58.

This proposal completely removes politicians from the process of drawing legislative boundaries, and creates a process for redistricting that requires public hearings and creates an independent commission responsible for reform, Griffin said.
In the nanosecond between Donald Trump's foot-in-mouth moments this week, just before he made headlines by announcing changes in the topless blender that is his senior staff, he gave what many consider to be the finest speech of the campaign. CBS' Major Garrett tweeted "Having been listening since August 2015, objectively best drafted and best delivered (Trump) speech of campaign. Will resonate." Byron York of the Washington Examiner, while acknowledging some of Trump's critics' objections, thought Trump delivered a "focused, powerful, and disciplined speech ... focused largely on problems that disproportionately afflict black Americans, arguing that his proposals on crime, immigration, trade, jobs, education, and other issues will improve African-American lives more than Hillary Clinton's."

Donald Trump is currently polling near zero among African-Americans in key swing states. In a normal year, Republicans struggle with this demographic, and I've written whole books (well, a chapter anyway) about the Democrats' low, despicable use of race to stoke fear among blacks in order to be rewarded with votes.

While it may shock regular readers of this column to see these next words from my pen, there were some good points in Trump's speech. He urged African-Americans to consider that Democratic policies (cities are virtually Republican-free zones) have not yielded solutions but rather "more crime, more broken homes and more poverty." (Actually, crime fell even in big cities starting in the 1990s, but it remains too high.) He argued that those who advance the "narrative of cops as a racist force in our society -- a narrative supported with a nod by my opponent -- share directly in the responsibility for the unrest in Milwaukee, and many other places within our country." Well-phrased, which suggests ventriloquism by the speechwriter, but still, credit to the candidate for agreeing to the text.

There are a few reasons to think that this message will not resonate with black voters. Start with the venue: The speech was delivered not in Milwaukee to a black audience but in West Bend, a suburb 25 miles away, which has few African-Americans. The audience was nearly all white.

Second, while African-American voters, unlike Hispanics, women, Muslims and others, have not received much direct incoming fire from Trump's flamethrower during this cycle, they doubtless recall that one of Trump's countless forays into conspiracy-mongering concerned Barack Obama's birth certificate. Some on the right (this columnist included) chafe at the suggestion that all criticism of Obama is merely thinly veiled racism. But birtherism is probably just that. Need more? A couple of weeks ago, Trump suggested that if he loses in November, it will be due to irregularities in "certain areas." He then accused Obama, repeatedly (and unsarcastically) of being the "founder of ISIS." By hiring Steve Bannon of Breitbart, the candidate is signaling that the alt-right, nationalist, protectionist, loutish fringe is going to pilot this ship straight into the reef.

Even supposing that Trump misspoke or was misunderstood about all of the above, it's perverse to imagine that blacks will not have their radar activated when Trump relentlessly derides other minorities. An attack on one minority group -- Hispanics have been one of Trump's preferred targets -- is threatening to all. Consider the Asian vote in 2012. If there is one minority group that ought to lean Republican, it's Asians. They have very low illegitimacy rates, little divorce, high levels of small business ownership, are highly educated, hardworking and self-sufficient. Yet they cast more than 75 percent of their votes for Obama over Mitt Romney. (Interestingly, the only Asian subgroup that supported Romney was Vietnamese-Americans.) Could it have been the vehement hostility to immigration telegraphed by nearly all of the Republican candidates in the primaries? Funny how touchy people can be.

This election, as calamitous as it will be for many fine candidates, will not have been entirely in vain if it serves to bury the idea -- beloved even of many non-Trump Republicans -- that the party can win national elections without broadening its appeal to minorities and women. Every precious American tradition, from religious liberty to free speech to free markets to national security, depends upon convincing more Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans to oppose the policies of the Democrats. Even immigration restriction is possible if not framed in an odious way.

This was the year when it would have been relatively easy to do. Hillary Clinton is Imelda Marcos in a pantsuit. The nomination of Trump was the greatest act of self-sabotage by a political party in American history. The Republican Party may not survive it, but if it does, it will be because it stopped signaling that it was the party of white people and got back to being the party of Lincoln.
Letao Bookstore owner Li Duan (right) introduces the idea of donating books to a customer in Urumqi. MAO WEIHUA/CHINA DAILY

Sixteen bookstores in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are donating books to the poor as part of an ongoing charity drive.

Inspired by a popular charity activity in Western countries where cafe customers buy an extra cup of coffee for a person unable to pay, the book-donating activitycalled "Book On The Wall"invites customers to buy extra books and then post the titles and prices on the wall instead of taking them home. The books are offered free of charge to people who don't have the means to pay.

Yalkun Osman, one of the founders of the activity, said, "We hope to help poverty-stricken people who like to read but have no money for books."

Of the 16 bookstores participating in the activity, two are in Urumqi, the regional capitalNawayi Bookstore and Letao Bookstore. They took part in July.

Li Duan, 60, owner of Letao Bookstore, said she decided to join the effort after she learned about it from Yalkun Osman and found that there were many poor people who needed books.

"Before the activity, I used to see some poor children who liked very much to read books but they had no money to buy any," Li said. "I often let them read books in my store. That experience made me want to participate," said Li, who is from Henan province but has lived in Urumqi for more than 10 years.

On the wall of Nawayi Bookstore, more than 20 titles donated by customers waited to be claimed.

Guzalnur, the owner, said she finds the charity activity inspiringso much so that she has provided other free books that were not listed on the wall but were needed to teach reading.

To support the activity, the two bookstores gave 15 to 60 percent discounts to the book donors.

"This bookstore was opened by my son when he was a college student to earn money for his tuition, and he got help from others when he ran the store. Now he had graduated, and I took part in the charity to help others in return," Li said.

Mahmutjan, who recently picked up a Uygur-Han bilingual children's book free for his 10-year-old son, said he was grateful for the activity, which gives people like him a chance to get books for their knowledge-thirsty children.

According to Yalkun Osman, some people didn't notice the activity, possibly because they didn't fully understand the idea, or because of the fast development of the internet, which has changed reading habits.

"But the most important factor is that curiosity and desire for knowledge has decreased, so some people were not willing to spend money for books. They were more willing to buy luxury goods. They pay no attention to their minds or to the training of their children," Yalkun Osman said, adding that the Book On The Wall project was not only a charity activity but also a kind of cultural outreach that could help realize a small dream for poor people who yearn to read.

Ma Lie contributed to this story.


In general, in a campaign filled with controversial statements, it's fair to say Donald Trump doesn't do apologies and he doesn't do regret. Which is why it was extraordinary that in his speech in Charlotte recently -- one of his first under a new campaign management -- Trump did that rarest of things: he expressed regret for rhetorical excesses of the past and conceded that they may have caused pain for some people.

"Sometimes in the heat of debate and speaking on a multitude of issues, you don't choose the right words or say the right thing," Trump told the crowd at the Charlotte Convention Center. "I have done that. And believe it or not, I regret it. And I do regret it. Particularly where it may have caused personal pain. Too much is at stake for us to be consumed with these issues."

That was new Trump. Very new Trump.

But there was much more new Trump in Charlotte. Trump introduced a theme of a "New American Future" -- his team capitalized in his prepared text -- which all Americans would reach by working together in a Trump administration. For the man who at the Republican convention proclaimed that "I alone can fix" the nation's problems, the Charlotte speech represented a remarkable turn toward common effort. According to the prepared text, Trump used the word "together" seven times in the speech, which must be a record for him. (He used "together" once -- once -- in his convention acceptance speech.) From Charlotte:

"We are one country, one people, and we will have together one great future."

"I'd like to talk about the New American Future we are going to create together."

"This isn't just the fight of my life, it's the fight of our lives -- together -- to save our country."

"We are going to bring this country together."

"Together, we will make America strong again."

Now, much of that is political boilerplate. But it is political boilerplate that Trump, the unconventional politician and speaker, has not used before.

And not just "together" -- Trump also added a message of inclusiveness that could have come from any mainstream politician, Democrat or Republican. But not, until now, from Donald Trump.

"We cannot make America Great Again if we leave any community behind," Trump said. "Nearly four in 10 African-American children are living in poverty. I will not rest until children of every color in this country are fully included in the American Dream. Jobs, safety, opportunity. Fair and equal representation. This is what I promise to African-Americans, Hispanic-Americans, and all Americans."

Trump expanded on the appeal to black voters that he made at a speech in West Bend, Wisconsin, charging that Hillary Clinton and Democrats have for decades taken black support for granted. Citing figures on poverty, education, and crime, Trump said, "If African-American voters give Donald Trump a chance by giving me their vote, the result for them will be amazing ... Look at how badly things are going under decades of Democratic leadership ... It is time for a change ... What do you have to lose?"

"Change" -- Trump hit the theme over and over, portraying himself as the "change candidate" to voters wary of electing Democrats to a third consecutive term.

Much of the speech was a tighter, more disciplined indictment of Clinton along the lines of Trump's older speeches. But in Charlotte, Trump admitted his own rhetorical sins before laying into Clinton for her substantive lapses.

"The American people are still waiting for Hillary Clinton to apologize for all of the many lies she's told to them," Trump said. 'Tell me, has Hillary Clinton ever apologized for lying about her illegal email server and deleting 33,000 emails? Has Hillary Clinton apologized for turning the State Department into a pay-for-play operation where favors are sold to the highest bidder? Has she apologized for lying to the families who lost loved ones at Benghazi?"

There were the standard Trump critiques of big trade deals. Of a corrupt system. Of immigration practices. But there were also rhetorical turns everywhere. For example, when Trump declared that he would "refuse to let another generation of American children be excluded from the American Dream," he turned a term favored by immigration reformers to his own uses: "Let our children be dreamers, too."

In all, it was perhaps Trump's most remarkable speech of the campaign -- and the third noteworthy effort that week. On Monday, Trump gave a solid speech on his proposals to fight radical Islamic terrorism. On Tuesday, he gave a sharp and focused speech on law and order, coupled with an appeal to black voters. And then Thursday night in Charlotte.

Among other things, the North Carolina speech defied expectations set by some of the reporting on the recent changes at the top of the Trump campaign. Some press accounts suggested that Trump's decision to bring in Breitbart executive Steve Bannon and to promote pollster Kellyanne Conway somehow amounted to an effort to return to the old Trump of the Republican primaries. The original wild man so beloved by a winning margin of GOP voters would come back.

That's not at all what has happened so far. Trump's speech in Charlotte suggested a candidate willing to take a new approach to the formidable problems he faces in this race. Perhaps the old Trump will come roaring back at any moment. But Trump in Charlotte was something entirely new.
Sunnyside Community Village Association members say Orangeburg City Council has not followed through with all of its promises to help revitalize the neighborhood, particularly renovation of a church there.

The citizens brought those concerns to the council's meeting Tuesday night.

We thank y'all for everything y'all do, but as an organization which is coming together to revitalize the community, we would like y'all's help and would like to know what can be done about our concerns, said Christlo Jordan, president of the association.

The church where the renovations are underway is located at 480 Gibson St.

Its a small church, Jordan said. The association came together and we decided to do something with it.

He said the association was promised certain things that it has not received.

Weve been promised these things over a year ago and we still havent received them," Christlo said.

District 3 Councilman Charles Barnwell, however, noted the city had added two new benches, swings, a water fountain and road signs at a total cost of $3,968.34.

Also, the city has applied for a $50,000 grant to install new sidewalks and pave the street, Barnwell said.

We have done more for your neighborhood than any other before. What else are we missing? the councilman asked.

We appreciate that but  $53,000 in a community that has been neglected for over 30 years -- I think thats a small amount, Jordan said.

He said association members were told they would receive equipment to be installed in the Sunnyside park no later than December 2015.

They have not been installed yet. All weve received was a water fountain, which we are very pleased with. Weve received benches, which we are very pleased with. But other things -- we have been neglected still, Jordan said.

He said the association had also requested a fence; that a gate be painted; a larger historic sign denoting the church was formerly Sterling High School -- the first black high school in Orangeburg; lights and repairs to infrastructure such as potholes in the road and drainage problems.

Its not that we are not appreciative of what y'all do, but I think we have long been overlooked as a community. And to be located where were at in the heart of Orangeburg  I think it should be in better condition, Jordan said.

City Administrator John Yow said the city had also placed a camera in the neighborhood, removed a burned house on Cemetery Street and provided a facility, at the association's request, where members can meet.

Yow added, We applied for and got a grant for that neighborhood.

He said about $81,000 of local money has gone toward the grant.

A report from Assistant City Administrator John Singh documents a request to the SCDOT for $249,641 in grant funding for the Sunnyside project, to include the resurfacing of the roadway, installation of a concrete sidewalk, a pedestrian ramp, lighting, preliminary engineering and construction inspection.

Council advised Jordan and the other members of the Sunnyside Community Village Association that the city would work toward meeting their requests.

Jordan thanked council, adding, Im not asking for guarantees. All I need to see is a show of interest  instead of just promises.
by Kenville Horne





Popular furniture and appliance store Courts SVG Limited celebrated the relaunch of their sales financing program mewith a major trade fair.





On Friday 19th, the company hosted a trade fair in collaboration with several local businesses, to showcase products and services that are available for purchase, using the new and exciting Courts Sales Financing product.

The event saw a number of the businesses that have partnered with the company, showcasing their products on the grounds of the Carnegie Building (Old Public Library). The general public and potential customers inquired and mingled with the representatives from the numerous business houses present in an effort to understand what was taking place , with some even starting the process of applying for financing.

The business places that have signed on to the Sales Financing agreement include various popular Auto repairs, care and supplies companies such as Cash Money, Dekies Auto Zone, SVG Tire Sales and Services, Lewis Auto World and General Importers. Hardware Company , General Hardware Supplies, along with other companies such as Fine Things, Fabric Plus, Metrocint General Insurance Co. Ltd, Haydock Insurances Ltd, Third Eye Security Systems, GCK Investments, Fanfare Events, Jo Che Moments, The Trend- Levis, Adam Brothers Engineering Ltd, Express Data System Ltd, St. Vincent Jewellers and Nightingale Book Shop.

Commercial Officer at Courts SVG Ltd, Lisa Veira told THE VINCENTIAN that the event was a relaunch of a similar initiative that the company took on last year. She said the company understands that they cannot sell every product since there are constraints in what they can carry. "But we (Courts SVG Ltd) realized there is a need for persons to buy items that we do not sell, and for some reason they are not able to pay for them at the same time, then courts would provide the financing and you will make a monthly repayment to us based on the total amount we would have paid out, said Veira.

"For example, you might need to buy some rims for your vehicle, the rims might cause $10,000, and you dont have the $10,000 up front. Once you qualify, Courts will pay for the rims up front, you collect the rims and every month you just make that repayment to Courts until you pay off the $10, 000, said Veira, on how the programme works. The minimum amount that the company will provide for the purchase of an item or service is $299, while maximum is $30,000.

The Sales Financing, along with the establishment of an optical department, demonstrated a shift in the way the company traditionally does business. Veira described the recent developments as the companys way of diversifying and finding innovative ways to please customers. She also highlighted that there are diversity in the businesses that are part of the ready financing project , with businesses offering from general insurance, security systems and services , hardware, to school and stationery supplies. "We are always thinking of doing things outside the box. Its no longer business as usual; the way that businesses are going these days you have to think outside , you have to think new and creative ways in terms of bringing customers to the store, and this way we are actually going outside of the four walls that we operate from, said Veira.

Veira said that when the company began the process of selecting which businesses to partner with; they look at items that persons might have a great need for. "We know car parts and lumber and so on, those are things that persons would need, that persons are always looking to purchase. We decide to look at event planning, because we know that persons are into weddings and parties, and the cost of those items upfront might not be affordable. So we try to cover as many different areas as possible, said the Commercial Officer.

The sales financing applies to anyone who is qualified, based on a number of criteria. There is an application form that person would have to fill out, a process similar to signing up for credit at the store. "But I can see potential in our sales financing and persons who want to apply for the sales financing, it is very easy, very flexible . Dont just close it off, come in, speak to one of our sales partners, and let us see how we can make your dreams a reality in owning those items that we dont normally carry in our store, said the long standing employee.

THE VINCENTIAN also spoke to a number of persons representing the businesses that have partnered with Courts. One such person was Latoya Deroche- John who is Co-owner of Jo Che Moment, an event planning business that is involved in birthday parties, weddings, corporate events and other related businesses. The company has been around for almost 6 years

Deroche  John describes Jo as very professional in their operation, classy and caters to customers budget. "So we can do an event with a very large budget, we can do one with a small budget. We are full service, meaning we have tents, tables, chairs, decorations and then we work along with Platinum sounds, so they take care of all our lightings and flooring. We could create any event for you, declared Deroche-John. Persons present at the trade show were treated to a free meal all in the comfort of the ambiance that characterizes the Jo Che Moment.




It is important that our printed press, especially, reflects the current state of SVG under a Unity Labour Party (ULP) scheme, coordinated by Dr. The Hon. Ralph E. Gonsalves who loves the alias Comrade Ralph.





Accordingly, one can hardly allow the advent of the Cybercrime law to go unnoticed, and especially when a woman  Mrs. Anesia Baptiste - is referred to as "a stupid bitch. There is no doubt that some think Mrs. Baptiste deserves such an attack because she dares to criticize certain parts of this Bill and its passage in the Select Committee, of which she is a member. For this reason, it is important that our readers take the time to write out and look up the internet link of this Youtube recording: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TPc83zYqnX0&sns=fb

In this recording, there is an exchange between an on-air caller and a member of Gonsalves communications team  Elson Crick. Crick is on radio every day ridiculing every critic there is of the ULP. The other member of the Gonsalves team who spends what seems to be most of his time being as vicious, is Gonsalves press secretary, Hans King. There is hardly, if ever, a discussion on government policy by any of these communications experts whose salaries are paid by taxpayers, some of whom they attack. Interestingly, a day or so after this attack, Gonsalves disclosed on radio that some knew beforehand and via an e-mail that Baptiste was about to be attacked by the same caller. Yet, no one seemed to have intervened.

Getting back to the Youtube recording. We hear the caller sharing in public what he thinks of Baptiste who has taken to the airwaves to discuss the implication of this Cybercrime Bill. In fact, many others see this Bill as dangerous for democracy, threatening free speech and freedom of expression. Moreover, some international organizations have urged that this Bill not be passed in its present form. These Reporters Without Borders, the International Press Institute (IPI), Centre for Law and Democracy and the Association of Caribbean Media Workers. Since the passing of the Bill in parliament on August 12, some 25 or more organizations have come out to express their alarm. Nonetheless, the observation of Reporters Without Borders is most telling:

"Section 16 (3) states: "A person who, intentionally or recklessly uses a computer system to disseminate any information, statement or image; and exposes the private affairs of another person, thereby subjecting that other person to public ridicule, contempt, hatred or embarrassment, commits an offence. Offenders can be sentenced to up to 5 years imprisonment and/or pay a fine of 200,000 East Caribbean dollars.

"Under what criteria can information be considered to expose "private affairs of another person regardless of factual accuracy (which this subsection refrains from mentioning)? This provision could very easily constitute an obstacle to the dissemination of information of public interest. It could, for example, provide any demonstrably corrupt public figure with a strong argument for refusing to be held accountable.

For all these reasons, we urge you not to pass this bill into law in its present form and to amend the most sensitive clauses. We also urge you to amend the criminal code in order to de-criminalize defamation.

Noteworthy, too, is that Baptiste is the leader of the Democratic Republican Party, one of four political parties in SVG. To mount this campaign against the Cybercrime Bill, she joined forces with Barrister-at-Law and parliamentarian Zita Barnwell.

Incidentally, the attack on Baptiste perpetuates a dynamism of power-play which is akin to that of sexual attacks on and degradation of women: a woman must know her place. Most certainly, politics in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines is not readily accepted as a place where women should be never mind to try dominate. So, all will be done to further deter women to venture into politics by any significant numbers.





Luzette King, Host and producer, Global Highlights
Left to Right:Mother of Kiara Shortte, Merlene said that she remains hopeful that she will get to know the truth behind what caused her daughters death. Kiara Shortte,Scene of the accident which claimed the life of 17-year-old Kiara Shortte (Internet photo).

Merlene Shortte, the mother of 17-year-old Kiara Shortte who was the only fatality in last week Fridays crash along the Hopewell road, said that she is looking for answers.





She has, however, admitted that, while she wants to know the truth, she knows obtaining it is not going to be easy.

"I am waiting for the truth, waiting for answers, Merlene Shortte said.





"Finding out the truth is going to be hard, and I know it will not bring her back. Even though they trying to lie within it, it will be a burden on their shoulder in hiding what they are trying to hide; but my Lord  He knows it all, she continued.





The teenager was one of four occupants in the SUV (Sport Untility Vehicle) P 782 that went over an embankment along the Hopewell/Maroon Hill road sometime around 3 on the morning of August 19.

Merlene said that the results of the post mortem revealed that Kiara sustained a broken spine and had trauma to her chest.





The other persons were 50-year-old David Charles, driver who sustained a broken leg; Albert Bat Williams (59) sustained two broken ribs, and Kiaras cousin, Crystal Shortte (20) received bruises about his body.

If anything else, what is still unsure is what caused the crash.

Merlene told THE VINCENTIAN in an interview on Wednesday, that she had already spoken to two of the other occupants  Charles and Williams.





According to Merlene, she had spoken to the driver, but said that he was still not in a condition to say what transpired; she said that she also met with Williams.

She said that he (Williams) gave her his side of the story.





Merlene said that Williams told her that Kiara pleaded with the driver not to take the Maroon Hill route  which has been known as being treacherous and the scene of a number of previous road fatalities.

Williams told the deceased teens mom that the girl then said: "You all not paying attention to me, you all will see what happen.

"That was the sad part when he told me that, Merlene said.

The other lead she said she had to go on was a chat message between her deceased daughter and another individual whose identity remains unknown.

"I do not know who she sent the message toright now the Police have the phone, she told THE VINCENTIAN.

A request was made for her to be present when the phone becomes unlocked, she said because she said that she wants to be present to see who the messages were sent to.





The 17-year-old had recently graduated from the Adelphi Secondary School where her mom said she had done her proud by obtaining seven of the eight subjects she wrote back in the May/June Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examination.

Kiara was a good student, with aspirations of becoming either a lawyer or nurse.

Merlene said that she was making plans to enroll in the St Vincent and the Grenadines Community College Division of Technical and Vocational Education.

A lot of negative rumours were also being circulated about her daughter Merlene said; but she defended the second of her four children, saying that Kiara was a disciplined individual.

She was involved in her churchs youth group, and was well loved by all her peers.

At the time of her death, she was spending time with her father in Rilan Hill, but had journeyed to Kingstown and then eventually Mesopotamia to visit her aunt.

Merlene recalled her last interaction with her daughter, saying that they had discussed aspects of her future, and that she (Merlene) will continue to work and sacrifice to get her through school.

She carries around a photo of Kiara and her younger sister, and is yet to delete the last message left by her daughter on her phone.

"She was energetic, she was smart, always ambitious with herself, and she always had this high energy, always laughing, always smiling  everybody loved her, Merlene said.

The funeral for Kiara is expected to take place on Sunday, September 4  four days before what would have been her 18th birthday  at the Seventh Day Adventist Church in Glenside, Mesopotamia, and then burial at the Dumbarton cemetery. (DD)
Sixty-eight first formers each received a one off payment, bursary, worth EC$350, to assist in the purchase of school supplies last Friday.





The quantity of money was donated by Vincentians living in the Diaspora through this countrys High Commissioner to the UK, Cenio Lewis.

Some of the funds were also raised by other members of the diplomatic corps, this according to Lewis.

"It is a small amount, but every little helps, he explained.

He however noted that he was working on a plan to accumulate more funding so that more of the nations children will receive assistance.

Foreign Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Sir Louis Straker explained that the selection process sought to identify needy students from each of the 15 constituencies.

He explained further that there was not much time allotted to the diplomats to raise the funds required; however he believed that the amount was sufficient.

According to Sir Louis, this country had a number of diplomats serving abroad, and he has given them the order that he did not want them to sit behind their desks.

"I dont want them to look important and have the title, he said.

"I want every one of them to do their utmost best in order to reach down to the benefit of the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines, Sir Louis added. (DD)
Members of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force (ABDF), have been removed from the residence of Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne. Inset:Antiguan Prime Minister Gaston Browne.

A 22-year-old Antiguan defence force soldier has been formally accused of a criminal offence, after he allegedly broke into Prime Minister Gaston Brownes home while he, [Browne] his wife and son were overseas on vacation recently.





The soldier has been identified as Zavier Baltimore of Golden Grove, who joined the force in May this year, after training for six months with the last batch of recruits. It is alleged that sometime between August 3 and 10, Baltimore broke into PM Brownes private Hodges Bay residence.

According to the Antigua Observer, the police said they are also contemplating charging Baltimore with misbehavior in public office, but theres no word yet on whether he would be charged with larceny for the two missing laptops and an Ipad which PM Browne yesterday said belonged to his mother-in-law. Up to Tuesday night, the items had not been recovered, and the countrys leader declined to comment further on the matter.

Baltimore was one of several defence force soldiers who guarded the property between 6 pm and 6 am daily since his graduation on May 31, 2016, where PM Browne had delivered the charge.

Browne had praised Baltimore and his 21 colleagues for their career choice on that day, saying, "Clearly, you are now part of an institution that is very important to the development of this country. You could have taken the position to become bankers or to work in the aviation industry, but you have chosen a life of service, and I guarantee you there is no more significant human endeavor than a life of service.

Commissioner of Police Wendel Robinson confirmed the accused soldier is expected in court this week. He refused to be drawn on additional information regarding the possibility of other persons being involved, saying, "That would hinder ongoing investigations. (Source: Antigua Observer)




Chairman of Special Olympics St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SOSVG) Errol Allen has praised telecommunications company FLOW for their recent donation of a computer to SOSVG.





Speaking during the handing over ceremony this week, Allen noted that SOSVG is in the process of further growing the organisation and, as a result, a Peace Corps Volunteer will be joining the team soon.

"This equipment comes at the right time, because we had to provide office equipment for that person, stressed Allen, who said that they are very grateful for the Dell OptiPlex 3040 personal computer (PC).

Also present at the handing over were Special Needs Athlete (Bocce and Track and Field) Laverne Allick and National Director, SOSVG Sezevra Joseph.

"Its always good when the community can get together, said Joseph of the donation, while adding that the SOSVG initiative is of great importance because, "athletes get more exposure and can interact better with persons because of involvement with Special Olympics activities.

She added that the activities are focused on taking a message to Vincentians, as there still is stigma around persons with intellectual disabilities so when FLOW supports an initiative like this, it is a show of great corporate responsibility. Allick thanked FLOW on behalf of the other athletes.




Sir Louis Straker, this countrys Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration Minister, is remaining loyal to the Taiwanese.





Sir Louis remarks came on the heels of last Tuesdays announcement by Opposition Leader Arnhim Eustace that the New Democratic Party had shifted allegiance to Beijing.





Sir Louis, who served in that portfolio between 2001 and 2010, relinquished his retirement to repossess the Central Leeward constituency in the 2015 general elections. He has been a staunch ally of the Republic of China on Taiwan and a Learning Resource centre built in his hometown of Layou is named in his honour. Sir Louis noted that political parties in St. Vincent and the Grenadines enjoyed cordial relations with Taiwan since 1981.

Straker expressed dismay that the Opposition Leader endorsed the close relationship with Taiwan up to three months ago. He described the action as "outrageous, and said that he was shocked by the decision.

Sir Louis used the opportunity to condemn the Peoples Republic of China on human rights and their version of the rule of law.

Sir Louis alluded to US$30M towards the Argyle International Airport, in a series of grants and loans by the Taiwanese.

"Without Taiwan, we would not have reached so far, Sir Louis quipped. The Foreign Affairs Minister referred to $2.8M which was provided by the Taiwanese to take care of this years contingent of persons under the Youth Empowerment Services (YES) programme.

Sir Louis compared Taiwans contribution as being second to Venezuela in terms of solidarity with St. Vincent and the Grenadines. For that reason, Sir Louis is promising that this country will not compromise that relationship.
On August 19, 2016, Ambassador Baushuan Ger, on behalf of the government of Republic of China (Taiwan), presented a cheque to Prime Minister Dr. The Hon. Ralph E. Gonsalves at Cabinet Room, for funding 2016 Civic Development Programme .





The Hon. Prime Minister, on behalf of the people and the government, expressed his appreciation for Taiwans continuous support for the SVG Civic Development Programme over the years. Ambassador Ger stressed that Taiwan has been very glad to be the long-term partner to collaborate with Vincentian people on the national development of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

The Civic Development Programme was an initiative of the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1998, which has funded major priority projects allocated by the Government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines on various areas  youths, health, infrastructure, and human resource, and so on. Since 1998, it has been carried out over the past 18 years. Many Vincentians have enjoyed the projects.

The grant handed over on August 19 is part of Taiwans annual sponsorship for 2016 Civic Development Programme, and will be used in the implementation of five agreed projects as below:

1. YES Programme: contributing to a reduction in poverty through the provision of training and employment for youth. In 2016, it will provide work experience and training to 700 persons over a twelve-month period. This programme was launched in 2001, and more than 6000 Vincentian young persons benefited.

2. Rapid Training and Skills Development Project: enhancing the employability of the population by providing an opportunity for the beneficiaries to gain critical on-the-job experience through an apprenticeship component.

3. Purchase of Equipment for Modern Medical Complex: The equipment is intended for the complex located in Georgetown and in its final year of construction.

4. Enhancement of the SVG Financial Regulatory Framework: enhancing and strengthening the financial regulatory system in SVG through the provision of software, hardware and training to key agencies, including the Inland Revenue Department (IRD), Financial Services Authority (FSA) and the Ministry of Finance.

5. Rehabilitation of Government House: repairing and renovating Government House, restoring a safe work environment for the staff of the Office of the Governor General.

In the years to come, the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) wish to continue working with Vincentian friends in promoting cooperation projects conducive to sustainable development and the best interest of the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines.




Todays successful youngsters are grounded by a common thread, and thats their devotion to God. Sujith Nedd is another sample of the direction in which youngsters are grateful for life.





Nedd enters the Community College later this month. He has his eyes fixed on a career as a surgeon. The bespectacled youngster is perhaps a product of heredity; his father Conrad Nedd is a Doctor. His mother Kaushalay is the Director of the Deanery of the Trinity School of Medicine.

She is Sri Lankan born, but once she landed at the St. Georges University in Grenada, she has been drawn into the shelter of the Caribbean shores. For the past 20 years, she has been living in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.

Her son, Sujith has taken the trip to his mothers homeland and has grasped the diversity of the two tales.

Sujith has emerged as an emblem of global civilisation. His father is from the urban district of New Montrose, in proximity to the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital where he works.

It is at that residence that Sujith formed his early upbringing. He attended the St. Marys Roman Catholic School, then moved on to the St. Vincent Grammar School.

He is fond of reading, cooking, and playing the piano. Those add to his instincts.

Sujith got twelve Grade Ones in the recent CSEC examination; outstanding in Biology, Electronic Document Preparation Management, English A, English B, French, Spanish, Geography, Human and Social Biology, Information Technology, Maths, Principles of Business, and Social Studies, along with Grade Two in Chemistry and Physics.

He will write Chemistry, Physics, Pure Maths and Biology at the Community College. Sujith confessed that his accomplishments are rewards from God.

"God propelled me, he asserted. His advice to others is "Trust in God. Work hard. (WKA)




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Beijing confirmed on Thursday that China will hold joint military exercises in September involving Australia and the United States, in addition to its joint naval drill with Russia in the South China Sea next month.

Observers said the drills show the steady development of the Chinese military's ties with key Asia-Pacific counterparts and signal efforts to ensure stability to help ease maritime tension in the South China Sea.

Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, announced at a briefing in Beijing that China, Australia and the United States will conduct "Exercise Kowari 2016" in Darwin, Australia, from Wednesday to September 11.

The exercise, the third among the three countries' ground forces, will involve drills for survival in the wild, Wu said.

Additionally, Chinese and Australian troops will hold "Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2016" in Sydney from September 14 to 23. The exercise will include such tasks as canoeing, Wu said.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the Kowari exercise mirrors a "shared readiness to bring the trilateral security relationship forward".

The fact that the two annual drills involving Australia will be continued this year "demonstrates Australia's wish to avoid sabotaging its security ties with China", Zhang said.

Australia has joined the United States and Japan in pressing China to accept an international arbitration ruling in July in a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines in its dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Zhang said Australia is trying to strike a balance between the US, its traditional security ally, and China, a major economic and trade partner.

"It is wise to avoid taking sides between China and the US and stop supporting US provocation against China over the South China Sea issue," Zhang added.

In July, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the navies of China and Russia will hold a joint drill in the South China Sea in September to "enhance the capabilities of the two navies to jointly deal with maritime security threats".

On Thursday, Wu said the drill will involve "joint maritime defense actions".

Yin Zhuo, director of the Expert Consultation Committee of the People's Liberation Army Navy, said it is natural for Beijing and Moscow to hold a drill in the South China Sea this year, since they have previously held exercises in other coastal regions of China.

The China-Russia exercise is "out of security consideration" and has no specific target, Yin added.
By Azertac





Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing additional funding for the construction of Sugovushan-Qaralar-Qafarli-Ahmadabad-Narimankend-Hashimkhanli highway in Sabirabad district.





Under the presidential order, 6.2 million manats were allocated from the 2016 State Budget for the completion of the construction of the road, which links ten residential areas with the total population of 20,000 people.
By Trend



Ex-Pentagon advisor Michael Rubin believes that Ankara's military operations in Syria may lead to activization of ISIS in Turkey.

"The question is whether Turkey is really focused on ISIS, or whether it's real target will be the YPG (People's Protection Units), Rubin, who is currently a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), told Trend.

He noted that Turkey's commitment to fight ISIS has always been a political question that only President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can determine.

In the past, Turkey has said it would fight ISIS but its commitment was short-lived, according to Rubin.

It's a lot easier to get into Syria than to leave it if Turkey really does strike at ISIS, then ISIS may strike back at Turks inside Turkey, he added.

Commenting on the possibility of higher migration from Syria and more ISIS terrorist attacks in Europe as a result of Turkeys operations, Rubin said that Syria has become so bad, that it may not make much of a difference.

On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircraft launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.

Earlier, it was reported that Turkish tanks entered Syria. Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) is the most active terrorist group in Syria.
By Trend





Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov received Francois Delahousse, newly appointed extraordinary and plenipotentiary ambassador of France, the Turkmen government said on August 26.

According to the message, the diplomat presented his credentials to President Berdimuhamedov.

The diplomat stressed the adherence of the French side to the traditionally friendly relations with Turkmenistan, the message said.

"Turkmenistan also attaches great importance to the development of relations with France both bilaterally and multilaterally, and as part of the dialogue with the EU," the Turkmen government cited President Berdimuhamedov as saying.

The sides discussed cooperation prospects, the message said.

According to the message, the French business circles desire of expanding their presence on the Turkmen market was also stressed.

Along with the expansion of trade, among the most essential areas of partnership are the fuel and energy complex, transport, high technologies and telecommunications, as well as tourism, the message said.
Apple has issued a patch to fix a dangerous security flaw in iPhones and iPads after researchers discovered that a phone had been targeted with a previously unknown method of hacking.

The thwarted attack used a text message that invited the user to click on a web link. Instead of clicking, he forwarded the message to researchers at the University of Toronto's Citizen Lab.

The hack is the first known case of software that can remotely take over a fully up-to-date iPhone 6.

Experts at Citizen Lab worked with security company Lookout and determined that the link would have installed a program taking advantage of a three flaws that Apple and others were not aware of. The researchers disclosed their findings on Thursday.

"Once infected, the phone would have become a digital spy in his pocket, capable of employing his iPhone's camera and microphone to snoop on activity in the vicinity of the device, recording his WhatsApp and Viber calls, logging messages sent in mobile chat apps, and tracking his movements," Citizen Lab wrote in a report released on Thursday.

The researchers said they had alerted Apple a week and a half ago, and the company developed a fix and distributed it as an automatic update to iPhone 6 owners.

Apple spokesman Fred Sainz confirmed that the company had issued the patch after being contacted by researchers.

The Citizen Lab team attributed the attack software to a private seller of monitoring systems, NSO Group, an Israeli company that makes software for governments which can secretly target mobile phones and gather information.

Tools such as that used in this case, a remote exploit for a current iPhone, cost as much as $1 million.

NSO Chief Executive Shalev Hulio referred questions to spokesman Zamir Dahbash, who said the company "cannot confirm the specific cases" covered in the Citizen Lab and Lookout reports.

Dahbash said NSO sells within export laws to government agencies, which then operate the software.

"The agreements signed with the company's customers require that the company's products only be used in a lawful manner," he added. "Specifically, the products may only be used for the prevention and investigation of crimes."

NSO has kept a low profile in the security world, despite its 2014 sale of a majority stake for $120 million to California private equity firm Francisco Partners. That company's chief executive, Dipanjan Deb, did not return a call on Thursday. In November 2015, Reuters reported that NSO had begun calling itself "Q" and was looking for a buyer for close to $1 billion. - Reuters
More than 2,200 companies from 73 countries have applied to be a part of the first cycle of the Dubai Future Accelerators (DFA), a global business acceleration programme commencing on September 12, a report said.



With less than 35 spots, the application to acceptance ratio will be nearly 1 per cent, making it the highest and fastest submission rates of any programme globally, added the report from the Emirates News Agency (Wam), the official news agency of the UAE.



Saif Al Aleeli , CEO of Dubai Future Foundation said that the programme has been receiving positive feedback and interaction since its inception, from innovators and SMEs, as well as from the most influential accelerator communities and venture capitalists in Europe, East Asia, and the US.



The initiative forms a shortcut to the knowledge-based economy by attracting the best minds and innovations from around the world, he added.



It forms a compass that directs the entrepreneurship sectors involvement in the government strategy to build the future, underlining the importance of supporting entrepreneurs and start-ups, Al Aleeli explained.



The programme is designed to help participants develop innovative projects and advanced technologies, and address the challenges of achieving sustainable development for future generations.



The US topped the list of 73 participating countries with regards to the number of individual participants, followed by the UK, Germany, India, Singapore, and Australia  apart from the large number of local start-ups.



The applications were distributed along the major sectors covered by the initiative, such as health, education, infrastructure, transport, energy, water, safety and security, and advanced technology.



The education sector, which is supervised by the Knowledge and Human Development Authority, made up 24 per cent of the applications, while the advanced technology sector, supervised by Dubai Holding constituted 19 per cent.



The energy and water sector, meanwhile, which is under Dubai Electricity and Water Authoritys (Dewa) supervision got 15 per cent of the applicants, and 17 per cent went to the health sector, supervised by Dubai Health Authority (DHA).



The transportation and infrastructure sectors, supervised by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Municipality, respectively, attracted equal shares of 13 per cent, while the safety and security sector, supervised by Dubai Police accounted for 5 per cent of total applications.



An expert committee made up of specialists from the key sectors will evaluate the projects and their potential to deliver real solutions for the challenges facing us in the 21st century. The initiative announced these "21st century challenges" that face the cities of the future. The founding members of the initiative will participate in judging panels to shortlist five start-ups from each sector to take part in the first round of the programme.



Applications received by the programme concentrated on modern technologies, such as the use of bio-materials in 3D printing, as well as the use of nanotechnology, wireless electrical networks, and the production of electrical energy from floor tiles in a bid to reduce water energy consumption.
Ethiopia sets up $10 million ceramic factory to stem imports

The Himrawi Investment and Trading Private Limited Company has invested $10million in construction of a ceramic factory as the country looks to local industries to tame biting shortage.

According to the company general manager Frealem Shibabaw the company has conducted studies and ascertained mineral wealth at Sekota area in Amharic State, Northern Ethiopia.

Ethiopia exports eight million tiles from China annually. The factory would therefore enable the nation to save hard currency that would have been spent for ceramics importation.

The factory has a capacity to produce two million tons of tiles annually that constitute only 24 per cent of local demand.

The factory will also produce fire bricks useful and input for glass and cement factories. Indicating that such material is not produced in other African countries, Frealem said that the factory will be the first ever fire brick producer in Ethiopia. Quartz paint is another output expected from the upcoming factory. It will produce from factories residue.

According to Frealem, the factories will create over 300 jobs and pay 1.6 million Birr in the form of tax.

Laying the cornerstone, Culture and Tourism Minister Eng. Aysha Mohammed said that the people and the government of Ethiopia have not been utilizing the abundant resources but now efforts are under way to change the resource into economic benefit.

The Minister also called on governmental bodies at all levels and the community to provide support to the investor to make the project a reality.

Waghimra Zone Administrator Yilma Worku said that the project would contribute in creating jobs and promoting mineral wealth for investors.

He said the administration would continue providing support for the realization of the project.

www.moin.gov.et
Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
An improperly used safety cable may have contributed to the July death of an oil rig worker in Midwest, a Natrona County sheriffs official said Thursday.

Details are still emerging about what happened when Dennis McCulloch, of Casper fell from a height between 74 and 78 feet, with official reports yet to be completed.

What is known is the 28-year-old derrick hand was on a workover rig in the Salt Creek Oil Field when he fell on the morning of July 14.

McCulloch was attached to a safety retention lanyard, according Sgt. Aaron Shatto of the Natrona County Sheriffs Office.

However, the lanyard  a cable attached to an anchor to prevent falls  wasnt properly used, Shatto said. The line attached to McCulloch was designed for vertical falls. In this case, the lanyard sustained significant side pressure, causing it to unravel and eventually break, according to the sheriffs office records.

McCullouch was seen standing on a platform on the side of the rig before the accident. Five other workers were on-site, either on the ground or on a lower level of the rig, when McCulloch fell.

He likely died upon impact, according to the Natrona County Coroners office.

Midwest Police Chief Jaimie Jones was the first law enforcement official on the scene. Jones was on his day off, but in the vicinity when McCulloch fell.

An investigation into the incident will likely be complete in a few weeks, said John Ysebaert, the Department of Workforce Services Standards and Compliance Administrator. Ysebaert oversees the state division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

If the investigation finds that a company was at fault in McCullochs death, the firm will have the opportunity to protest any OSHA citations in an informal meeting with the regulators.

A company can submit additional evidence or plead for a reduction in the penalty amount based on its compliance history, preventive safety measures and the its size, Ysebaert said. Initial negotiations between OSHA representatives and the offending company are held behind closed doors.

McCullough was working for C L Well Service Inc. at the time of the incident. The oil field is operated by FDL Energy. The Texas-based company has launched a third-party investigation of the incident, part of its internal health and safety protocol, Ysebaert said. A wireline service company was also on site at the time of McCullochs fall. The company was collecting data from inside the well.

In oil and gas incidents, it is not unusual for multiple companies to be involved on a single work site, Ysebaert said.

C L Well Service has not had any safety violations since at least 2011, according to OSHAs public records. A company representative could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Wyoming does not have the best reputation for workplace safety compared to other states.

Thirty-one people died on the job in 2014, the most recent state report available. Fourteen of those deaths were workers in the oil and gas industry.

To better understand Wyomings poor record, a number of factors should be considered, said Meredith Towle, the state occupational epidemiologist.

In the federal system they are calculating rates, so it is the number of fatalities per employment. Wyoming has one of the lowest populations in the country, so our denominator is small, and our rate is higher, Towle said. Our industry mix is filled with very high risk jobs in mining, construction, transportation. That is part of the driving force too. We have a smaller workforce, but we also have a workforce that is heavily concentrated in high risk occupations.

OSHA recently increased the maximum fine amounts for safety violations. Wyoming will adopt the 78 percent increase for maximum penalties next year. Current penalties were set in 1990s.

This story has been corrected. An earlier version incorrectly listed the date of the accident.
Help Yourself

Stuff to help you.

Back-to-school immunization clinics

Casper-Natrona County Health Department, 475 South Spruce Street, is offering back-to-school immunizations on several dates before exclusion day. During the clinics, walk-ins will be taken on a first-come-first-serve basis. No appointments are necessary. We just ask that parents bring in the child's immunization record and insurance card (if applicable) to expedite the process. We encourage folks to come in early to avoid longer clinic wait times.

Sept. 1, 3 to 6 p.m.; Sept. 6, 3 to 6 p.m.; Sept. 20, 3 to 6 p.m.; Sept. 30, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. (exclusion day).

Manners, socialization for dogs

Does you puppy need socialization? Does your over 1 year old or older dog need manners? Do you want to get an AKC Canine Good Companion title on your dog? We can help you with all of those! The Central Wyo Kennel Club will be hosting STAR Puppy classes. They are six weeks long for 30 minutes per week on Thursday evenings. We are also hosting Obedience Manners classes which include all of the criteria needed to earn a Canine Good Citizen title. The Manners classes meet for eight weeks for one hour on Thursday evenings. Classes start soon! Call Charlie Vogel, and she'll fill you in on the details at 473-1614 or go to centralwyomingkennelclub.org

Business roundtable

Casper Business Roundtable meets from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m., on Sept. 7, at First Interstate Bank second floor, 104 S. Wolcott.

Business success -- luck or skill? Come and see what the SBDC can do to help you with starting a business or expanding a business. For more information or to reserve, please call Kate McNally, 235-4338 or email kate.mcnally@fib.com

Free personal and professional development classes

Are you making the income you want? Are you achieving your goals? Want more connection in your relationships? Want more friends, career opportunities, abundance in your life? Tired of feeling tired and defeated? If youre looking for tools to help you get ahead in your life, I have some for you. Join me in class Thursdays Sept. 15 and 22, 7 to 9 p.m. County Extension Bldg., Midwest room, 2011 Fairgrounds Rd. Eighteen and older, no children, be ready to play at 100 percent. Contact Amanda Steed Helm on Facebook or ahelm232@gmail.com

Trap release workshop

Wyoming Untrapped is sponsoring a trap release workshop to show pet owners how to release some of the many traps that have been proliferating on public lands in recent years. The workshop is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 15, at the Natrona County Library.

Dave Pauli, Senior Advisor of Wildlife Response and Policy for the Humane Society of the United States, will use his props of artificial stuffed animals, to demonstrate how to release a variety of traps, using specific tools or by improvising. Dave has traveled the world, giving workshops and rescuing a variety of animals. We continue to hear about incidents of pets caught in traps across the ! state. We have confirmed at least 21 incidents in which pets have been caught by traps in Wyoming since 2011. Some sustained serious injuries that required costly veterinary care. For every dog or cat caught, there are many more that go unreported. We encourage the public to report pet trapping incidents to Wyoming Untrapped by going to http://wyominguntrapped.org/database/submit/. Join us for this workshop to learn how to keep your pet safe and release your pet from a trap should the need ever arise.

Wyoming Untrapped is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit corporation seeking ways to create a safer and more humane environment for pets, people and wildlife.

Conscious co-creation seminar

Conscious Co-Creation seminar on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 17 and 18, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. This fun, consciousness-expanding, two-day intensive will be helpful to students at every level: whether you're a seeker, are newly-awakened or are a seasoned healing practitioner, you will take away info and ideas that will open portals to your next level of expansion and awareness. Attend in person in Casper or via simulatneous live Webinar. Early Bird Registration Discount available until Sept. 3. For class information and to read attendee comments: http://www.cathyhazeladams.com/parent-page/co-creation-self-transformation-seminars/

Early bird book sale

The Friends of the Library will hold a limited attendance Early Bird Book Sale on Thursday, September 22 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Attendees will have the opportunity to purchase items from the Friends collection prior to the public sale. Those who wish to attend the Early Bird Book Sale can purchase a $10 admission ticket from the front desk at the main library. Tickets go on sale Thursday, September 1. Only 50 tickets are available for the Early Bird Book Sale, and they're expected to go fast, so hurry in! The Early Bird Book Sale includes used books at great prices, in all genres and for all age groups. Other items for sale include movies, music, puzzles, and magazines. The Friends accept cash, local checks, and PayPal as well as credit and debit cards.

Book sale in September

The Friends of the Library will hold a Book Sale on Saturday, September 24 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday, September 25 from 1 to 4:30 p.m. The Book Sale includes used books at great prices, in all genres and for all age groups. Other items for sale include movies, music, puzzles and magazines. The Friends accept cash, local checks and PayPal as well as credit and debit cards.

Learn Mac OS X

The Library will offer a Mac OS X El Capitan class on Monday, August 29 at 10 a.m. This class will introduce Mac users to the different pieces that make up the Mac interface. Learn how to use the Finder, the desktop, the menu bar, the Dock, the Trash, files and folders, and more. Feel free to bring your MacBook with you to follow along. Call 577-READ ext. 2 or email reference@natronacountylibrary.org for more information.

Grief Share starts Sept. 13

Grief Share is a support group to support and encourage you during your grief journey. After the funeral, when the cards and flowers stop coming, most of the people around you return to their normal lives. But your grief continues and you feel alone.

Often, friends and family want to help you, but dont know how. Thats the reason for Grief Share. Our group is led by caring people who have experienced grief and have successfully rebuilt their lives. We understand how you feel because weve been in the same place. We will walk with your on the long path through grief toward healing and hope for the future.

We will meet weekly at Highland Park Community Church, 5725 Highland Dr., Casper, starting Tuesday, September 13, at 7 p.m., Rm. 1324. There is a $15 fee for the book. For more information, please call Vickie Obermueller at 262-8024 or The Healing Place at 265-3977.

Recovery Rocks

The 12th Annual Recovery Rocks will take place on September 10, 2016 at Washington Park. This event celebrating recovery from not only addictions, but also from other life events is free and open to the public. Starting at 11 a.m. and ending at 3 p.m., there will be a free barbecue provided by Jim McBride of the Johnson Restaurant Group, Classic Car show, Avengers band, giant inflatables, and other activities to enjoy. Sponsors of this event are 12-24 Club, Wyoming Recovery, Mercer Family Resource Center, Casper Community Meth Watch, Wyoming Meth Project, Central Wyoming Counseling Center, Wyoming Behavioral Institute, Auto Zone Stores and Johnny Js Diner.

Casper Charla

Would you like to practice conversational Spanish or help others learn? Come and join the Casper Charla! Te gustaria platicar en espanol? Ven y charla con nosotros! Todos son bienvenidos!

Come and join us on the third Wednesday of each month this fall. We meet at a different restaurant and partake in food, drink and conversation. All levels of Spanish are welcome, from beginning to native-speakers.

Nos reunimos los miercoles en varios restaurantes en Casper. Ven por una copa, un antojito o simplemente una charlita.

Wednesday, September 14, 5-7 p.m. at Tacos Mexico; Wednesday, October 12, 5-7 p.m. at Arepa Barn; Wednesday, November 9, 5-7 p.m. at Don Juans; Wednesday, December 14, 5-7 p.m., place to be determined for the Fiesta de Navidad.

Chronic pain/illness group starting

Highland Park Community Church and The Healing Place are starting HopeKeepers. HopeKeepers is a support group designed to meet the emotional and spiritual needs of the person who lives with chronic illness or pain. Through the support group setting you will have the opportunity to grow spiritually surrounded by others who share similar circumstances, unrevealed answers, and even joys, living with chronic pain or physical pain.

The group will meet Monday evenings, 6 to 7:30 p.m., Highland Park Community Church, Rm #1332, starting September 19. Call The Healing Place at 265-3977 to enroll.

Family continues suicide support

Good Grief, Support will continue at 5:30 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month (Sept. 14 and 28) at the 12-24 Club, 500 S. Wolcott, by request of attendees. The family of J.R. Hunter, who died from suicide in June 2015 began the support before the especially tough holiday season. Anyone who is grieving a suicide, death, or considering suicide is encouraged to attend. Attendance at the meeting, as well as the content, will be strictly confidential. The Fresh Start Cafe will be open, and you can eat during the meetings. This meeting place was offered by Dan Cantine of the 12-24 Club. You need not be a member to attend.

New depression group begins

J.R.s Hunt for Life is offering See it Clearly, a free peer support group for persons suffering from depression and other mental conditions that lead to suicidal thoughts and actions. We are not professionals but rather a group of like-minded peers wishing to support each other in these struggles. We offer anonymity and confidentiality to all attending. Our meetings are at 6:45 p.m. on the second and fourth Wednesdays of the month at 500 South Wolcott in the conference room on the second floor, (12-24 Club). Meetings in September are Sept. 14 and Sept. 28, and so on through the year. If you have ever considered or attempted taking your life or are struggling, please come. You are important to us.

Summer clearance at thrift shop

Summer clearance at the Methodist thrift shop, 611 W. Collins, is on now.

Prices and selection begin at regular prices, but as the sale progresses, prices are reduced and so are your options to get the good stuff.

Shop early and often for great bargains in clothing, small kitchen and household items, books -- everything.

Store hours are Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Donations of clean usable items are accepted during those hours only. Items left outside are discarded.

The volunteer staff appreciates the generous support of the community which enables us to help support Interfaith and Holy Cross Brothers with their assistance programs.

We will be closed from September 1 to September 12 for cleaning and stocking of an all-new fall inventory.

For more information, call 234-6611.

Daytime Women in the Word

Women In The Word, a non-denominational, community Bible study for women of all ages, will begin Wednesday, September 7 at 9:15 a.m. at Highland Park Community Church, 5725 Highland Drive. We will be studying the Book of Mark and the minor Prophets. Childcare will be provided for children ages 0-3 years. Orientation for new women will be held on August 31, 9:15 a.m. at Highland Park Community Church. Register online at www.casperwomenintheword.com or call Angela (267-8061 or Joyce (234-2922) for more information.

Annual musical instrument swap

Do you have a musical instrument lying around gathering dust? Bring it to Wyoming Music's annual instrument swap and put it to good use. Instruments are being accepted on consignment at Wyoming Music in the Sunrise Shopping Center, 4230 S. Poplar, during regular business hours. This is a great opportunity to sell your instrument and help someone else get a good used instrument at an affordable price for band or orchestra. People can also donate an instrument to a needy student by dropping it off. We will have it professionally cleaned, make sure it is set up correctly, and then give it to a student who otherwise could not participate in instrumental music.

Part of the proceeds from the sale are used to help provide instruments for children who wish to participate in music in school. The sale continues until Sept. 30. For more information, please call Dean Lorimer at 237-7322.

Saturday morning watercolor

The schedule for the Saturday morning watercolor sessions at ART 321 has been set for August. The sessions meet every Saturday morning from 10 a.m. to noon, the cost is $10 per session. All levels welcome. Havent painted before? No problem. This is the place to learn and enjoy art. For information and questions, please call Ellen Black at 265-6783. August 27, practice session.

Ladies bible study Sept. 19

"David: Seeking a Heart Like His," by Beth Moore, will be held at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 2300 E. 15th St., in two parts -- Sept. 19 through Oct. 24 and continuing Jan. 9 to Feb. 6.

If you are interested or have questions, contact the Church Office at 307-234-6475 or pop@casperpoplc.org. We encourage any interested woman to come. You dont have to be a seasoned Bible student to enjoy these studies. Cost of the workbook is $17. Afternoon class is offered 3:15 to 5:15 p.m., and same-day evening classes are 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Life After Loss starts Oct. 4

Life After Loss is a support group for people who have lost a loved one to suicide. This is a nine-week program designed to help you navigate the troubled waters of this time. The class starts October 4, 2016, at the Highland Park Community Church, 5725 Highland Dr., 5:30 to 6:30 p.m., Rm. 1327. There is a $12 fee for the book and materials, scholarships are available. Please contact Ardith at 267-3532 or The Healing Place at 265-3977.

Beginning Experience in October

Beginning Experience of Wyoming is a weekend program that offers healing and renewal to divorced, widowed and separated men and women. It is a nonprofit, faith-based comprehensive program offered to all persons, regardless of religious preference. A Beginning Experience weekend offers support and direction to help resolve grief or anger that can follow the end of a marriage by divorce, separation or death. The weekend can be a time for a real awakening, a re-evaluation, and a new beginning. Beginning Experience is a positive experience of hope. You can anticipate an intense reflective, possibly painful, but spiritually honest self-encounter. You will also find support, warm fellowship and community.

The next Beginning Experience weekend will be in Casper and starts at 7 p.m. Oct. 21 and runs through around 4 p.m. Oct. 23. The donation we ask for the weekend is $150, which includes sleeping arrangements, meals, and materials. Scholarships are available. No one is turned away due to finances. Registration deadline is Oct. 18, 2016. Contact these Casper team members for more information: Curtis at 307.240.1232 or email westcurtis2014@gmail.com; Diane at 262.4142; or Paulette at 267.6375.

Parkinson's exercise

Rocky Mountain Therapy is offering a Parkinson's exercise program. Join us from noon to 1 p.m. Thursdays at Rocky Mountain Therapy, 2546 E. Second St., Building 500. These classes are open to anyone with Parkinson's or caring for someone with Parkinson's.

Thursday's class is tailored for the individual with more advanced Parkinson's and focuses on improving endurance, safety and managing symptoms. We are open to all ages and can tailor the class to meet varying exercise needs. The cost of the class is $5. To RSVP, call 577-5204 and ask for Jerri or Shannon.

Women's Expo booth space

The Casper Events Center, Casper Star-Tribune Communications, and Townsquare Media are pleased to present the 12th annual Wyoming Womens Expo at the Casper Events Center on Sept. 30 and Oct. 1.

The Expo Tradeshow hours are Sept. 30 from 4 to 8:30 p.m. and Oct. 1 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. It will feature over 100 displays by a variety of vendors and sponsors. Products and services will include everything from the latest in health and wellness products, beauty and skincare, personal protection, banking and investment education, hot retail items and much more. Booths start at $205.

The Wyoming Womens Expo offers sponsorship packages with generous print, radio, online, and tradeshow advertising exposure with added perks such as discounted Professional Development Day table rates and complimentary tickets to the expo. For sponsorship information, please call 235-8456 or log onto www.WyomingWomensExpo.com.

Women's Expo professional day

Our Professional Development Day gives the working woman the chance to have a conference experience right here in Casper. This is a chance for women to network, be inspired by other women and empowered by dynamic speakers. Join us on Sept. 30 for a day of professional development, sponsored by the University of Wyoming at Casper.

This year, pick the option that best fits your schedule. The full day runs from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes continental breakfast, lunch, coffee bar, one martini, all speakers and Girls Night Out ticket for $90. The half day is from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes lunch, coffee bar, keynote speaker, two content speakers, one martini and Girls Night Out Ticket for $55. Tables of 8 are available for both Half Day and Full Day.

Visit the new www.WyomingWomensExpo.com for a list and bios of Professional Development Day speakers.

Summer classes at learning circle

The Bart Rea Learning Circle hosts classes every day of the week during the summer through Sept. 4. The circle is in 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.

Monday, 5:30 p.m.: Fail Free Drum Circle: Learn the gift of drumming. We all start out as drummers fro the moment we begin to hear our mother's steady heartbeat. Bring a drum if possible and your mat or seat. Primary instructor: Brett Governanti.

Tuesday, 5:30 p.m.: Strength Training for Seniors: Training and mobility are the tickets to a full and active life for all over 50. Learn strength exercises to build and maintain muscle mass and quality so you can function at your highest level. Strength plus mobility equals freedom and independence. Primary instructor: Neil Short.

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.

Thursday, 5:30 p.m.: Yoga on the Circle: Unwind and connect with yourself through a variety of yoga styles. Bring your mat and water. Primary instructors: Nikki Allen, Tracy Campbell, Lizz Cowley, Brittnee Greenlee Miller.

Friday, 5:30 p.m.: Exploring Nature: Learn about our river, animals, plants, trees and insects and their amazing interactions from experts. Bring your inquisitiveness about nature and comfortable walking shoes. Children are welcome and must be accompanied by an adult. Primary Instructor: Donna Hoffman, horticulturalist.

Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: Meditation & Labyrinth Walk: Learn about labyrinths before a mindfullness class. Connect with your senses in the outdoors then stroll the path in a guided labyrinth walk. Last, we'll sit for calming meditation session. Bring a cushion or yoga mat. Primary instructor: Elliott Ramage.

Sunday, 10 a.m.: Yoga on the Circle: Unwind and connect with yourself through a variety of yoga styles. Bring your mat and water. Sunday morning class is better for beginners. Primary instructors: Nikki Allen, Tracy Campbell, Lizz Cowley, Brittnee Greenlee Miller.

Celebrate Recovery every Friday

Celebrate Recovery meets at 5:30 p.m. every Friday at Highland Park Community Church, just south of Elkhorn Valley Rehabilitation Hospital on East Second Street. We start with a family meal, followed by praise and worship. At 7 p.m., there's either a lesson from Celebrate Recovery's planned curriculum or a testimony by a person who has found recovery through Christ. Then, people go to gender-specific small groups until 8:30 p.m., when dessert and fellowship conclude the evening. Child care is available at no cost. For more information, contact Chris at 265-4073.

Here and Now: Dementia-focused monthly art class

Classes are every third Tuesday of the month from 1 to 3 p.m. There is no charge. Here and Now is a program made possible through a collaboration between Wyoming Dementia Care and the Nicolaysen Art Museum. It is designed to provide a supportive environment for people with dementia and Alzheimers and their loved ones.

To register, contact Dani with Wyoming Dementia Care 265-4678, ext. 106, or at wyodementia@casperseniorcenter.com or Zhanna Gallegos at 235-5247 or at zgallegos@thenic.org.

Evening in the Word

Evening in the Word Non-denominational Women's Bible Study will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 13, at Highland Park Church in room 1321. The group is studying Redeemed by Angela-Thomas Pharr. Books are $15. Call Gwen at 307-262-0719 for more information. Check us out on Facebook!
Before Maureen Welcker committed her family to a yearlong road trip to visit Americas national parks, she decided to do a trial run.

The Boise family used an annual trip to Iowa to hit five national parks, including Padre Island National Seashore in Texas. That left the Welckers a 33-hour drive home spread over three days.

At Padre Island, they watched the release of baby sea turtles on the beach.

That driving was terrible, the Welckers middle child, Oliver, said when he got home, but seeing the baby sea turtles was totally worth it.

I dont know if Oliver realizes this, said his dad, Chris. But he pretty much doomed the entire family to doing the trip because he was saying it was worth all the driving, all the hassle, because he got to see some awesome stuff along the way.

The Welckers returned last week from an epic adventure that certainly will have the kids friends buzzing as they return to school Wednesday. James, 10, missed fourth grade and Oliver, 9, missed third grade at Washington Elementary to spend the year exploring the country with Maureen and their younger sister, 5-year-old Lily. Chris joined his family periodically as his vacation time allowed, seeing less than a quarter of the parks.

Maureen and the kids visited 107 National Park Service properties and put about 27,000 miles on their Toyota Sienna minivan. They took a couple breaks at home but the initial journey lasted from Aug. 28, 2015, until the middle of January. The trip resumed from March through mid-May and July through mid-August.

The last stop was Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado.

We wanted to make it to at least over 100, Oliver said, to the surprise of his mom.

Maureen got the idea for the trip from President Barack Obamas Every Kid in a Park initiative that opened the national parks to all fourth-graders and their families for free and from a family friend who suggested the ultimate way to take advantage: Spend a year touring parks.

I could tell by the look on her face she was taking it seriously, Chris said. I was like, Oh, its actually going to happen.

That conversation with a friend was in spring 2015. By June, Maureen was serious enough to do the trial run. She spoke to the teachers and principal at Washington to vet the idea.

They were all extremely encouraging and thought it was a great idea, Maureen said.

The boys kept up with their reading and math in the car, and James studied Idaho (a staple of fourth grade) through books. All three kids filled out junior ranger workbooks at each park (one was 36 pages, Oliver pointed out) and sent postcards from every stop to the classrooms where they would have attended school if not for the trip.

Oliver is bitter with me because he had two classes following him so every single park he had to send two postcards, Maureen said. Theyd send it to specific students and the student would read it to the classroom. The teacher would take it from there. When we came back in January and visited the school, the third-grade classroom door was covered with all the postcards. In other cases, the kids took the postcards home.

Chris followed much of the trip through his iPhone. He would FaceTime with his family, sometimes while they were at a park so they could show him what they were seeing. He also used the Find My iPhone app to see what they were doing  occasionally spotting a dot in the middle of a body of water. Hed then Google where they were and check it out online.

We went on a kayaking trip over Lake Superior and then my dad texted and said: I see youre on the water. Have a great time, Oliver said.

Maureen tried to keep the schedule loose but one specific plan was for the family to hit the Boston area at Thanksgiving. Chris joined them, and the kids marched in a Plymouth parade. Chris family connects directly to the pilgrims and he marched in the same parade as a boy.

The family camped much of the trip  the first night was spent in the car because it was pouring rain at San Juan Islands National Monument  and spent nights with family and friends, too. They used hotels when necessary.

Among the unexpected highlights:

At Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee, the throngs were there for fall colors and black bears. Oliver caught a rangers attention and got a 30-minute briefing on what he wanted to see: salamanders. I made the kids do one hike and one drive to see a bear, Maureen said, and after that we just spent the whole time in the creek catching salamanders. ... It was exciting and fun to be able to see the parks from the kids eyes and also shocking to realize maybe what I expected to get from a park was not at all what they were excited about.

Lassen Volcanic National Park and Lava Beds National Monument in California were popular with the family. Other places that were memorable included the Ulysses S Grant National Historic Site in Missouri, Historic Jamestowne in Virginia and Theodore Roosevelt National Park in North Dakota.

James wrote a letter to Obama about the family trip. He received a letter and some family photos in return. There is so much learning to be done in our national parks, and its clear you and your family are no strangers to Americas historic treasures, the letter signed by Obama said. I encourage you to write down what you discover, and remember to take care of our public lands so future generations will have the same opportunities to connect with our nations wilderness and monuments. The memories you make this year will be sure to last you a lifetime.

For more, check the familys blog at parkpilgrims.wordpress.com.
Families gathered on a tree-shaded bench next to a cement labyrinth at Amoco Park. It was time for a story.

The reader, Donna Hoffman, faced them from her seat in front of the Bart Rea Learning Circle. On this recent Wednesday, she read from the Old Turtle and the Broken Truth -- a favorite in her family.

Storytelling in the Circle is one of several summer events led by experts offered daily through Sept. 4 at the Bart Rea Learning Circle. People also gather for yoga, drum circles and meditation, as well as the kid-friendly story time and Exploring Nature walks. The sessions and are free with a canned food donation to Wyoming Food for Thought.

The Platte River Trails Trust and volunteers built the circle last year. Organizers are using this summers activities to help introduce it the community, said Elliott Ramage, a board member of the trust who spearheaded the project. The space, which includes a small amphitheater for events and a painted labyrinth for walking meditation, looks out on the North Platte River and Casper Mountain.

The whole idea was getting people down here and connecting with themselves and nature, Ramage said. The biggest thing is building community though a lot of different activities.

Brooke Bowkley took her three children, ages 5 months to 3 years, to the story session recently to try something new. She enjoyed it, and Callah, 3, said shed like to go again. She liked the story about a little girl and a turtle, she said.

I saw the river, that was neat, she added.

The girl wandered from the bench for a closer look at illustrations or to pick up leaves as she listened. Her sister, Piper, 1, called out birdy, birdy, when she spotted one hopping on the grass nearby.

Yes, its a blackbird, Hoffman said, before returning to the story.

The space is helping to make Casper a better place, Brooke said.

Its very peaceful, she said. Its just a beautiful view.

Emily Cattelier brought her son, Rory, 1, to the storytelling circle. He enjoyed his snacks and wandering around. Shes not sure how much he absorbed from the story itself, but combining nature with education is good for both of them, she said. Cattelier also attended yoga sessions at the circle.

Weve just tried to take part in as many of these outdoor summer activities as we can, Catellier said. Theres something almost every day for people to take advantage of, and its just pretty wonderful to have this space.
As Travis Johnson tells it, he didnt know what good coffee was until 10 years ago.

He was in Florida, trying a featured menu item at his friends new coffee house: a pour-over. The Japanese method requires special coffee beans, funnel-like equipment, specific water temperatures, and most of all, patience.

Johnson took a sip of the hot black coffee. Chocolate and nutty flavors blossomed in his mouth. He was impressed, and took the cup to go, because Johnson is a sipper, taking time with his coffee. When the hot cup turns cold and undrinkable, he dumps it out. But this coffee was different. As the temperature changed, so did the coffee.

All of the flavors that were coming out, the more and more, were incredible, Johnson recalls. (And I thought), How can cold coffee be this good? It was insane.

Johnson, a Casper native, returned to his hometown forever changed. He purchased the high-quality beans and equipment needed to produce unique flavors, and introduced the pour-over method to his friends.

Over the years, the group would meet randomly to share coffee. Not at a coffee shop, but at one of their homes, because Casper never had a boutique coffee shop with pour-overs.

Until now.

On Tuesday, Johnson and his friends, Jeff Vang and Erik Alberts, opened the citys first  The Pour House Coffee and Espresso Bar.

All the coffees that were doing here are all single-origin coffees, which are somewhere in the top 5 percent of coffees produced, Johnson, 39, said. Its like a single malt scotch versus a blended whiskey. Most of the coffees you buy in the store are blends of different beans. (The beans) we have here are all special.

The Pour House specializes in the pour-over method, but thats far from its only menu item. The espresso bar is equipped with wooden levers. When pulled, high-quality espresso spouts for drinks like lattes, cappuccinos, macchiatos and cortados, which are Spanish-style drinks with two shots and warm milk.

Behind the espresso bar are taps handles. One is for nitro cold brew coffee, a concept similar to a Guinness beer that uses nitrogen to produce a smooth, creamy taste. Another is for kombucha, a fermented and carbonated tea.

Its truly an experience. Thats what we want to give people here, Johnson said. The room. The art. The customer service. The drink. Give them a whole experience. And maybe they get a badass waffle with it.

Thats right.

Johnson wanted to serve food at his coffee shop, something unique. So he bought waffle irons. Now, customers can order a savory ham and cheese waffle sandwich, or a sweet waffle with Vermont maple syrup.

Leah Shaull is the barista manager at The Pour House. The 23-year-old lived in the Midwest and worked at a coffee shop, where she learned how to make latte art and tried unique drinks like nitro cold brew.

When she moved to Casper three years ago, she surrendered the coffee culture shed grown to love.

I was surprised and disappointed (that Casper didnt have one). My whole family is obsessed with coffee, Shaull said. Weve been talking about how we wished Casper had something like (The Pour House) for a long time.

Johnson understands that concepts like the pour-over, a cortado and kombucha may be new for his hometown. Plus, many people might prefer one of the three Starbucks in Casper, or other recognizable coffee chains.

But in his eyes, the city is changing.

Casper as a whole culture, for whatever it is, food or drinks or coffee or nightlife, its kind of finally making a turn. Its finally taking hold. People have actually made those leaps and bounds to build (those venues) and go outside of what Casper knows.

Thats why Johnson stressed to his employees that it is their job to inform customers who visit The Pour House: What are they drinking, and why is it different?

The coffee shop still has a regular drip for those who want fast, high-quality coffee. But if customers want a pour-over, theyll have to be patient. Its a delicate process that takes about three-minutes. From grinding fresh beans to warming the cup to slowly pouring temperature-monitored water over the grounds.

Were not reinventing the wheel of whats being done in the coffee industry, Johnson said. Its just the wheel hasnt come here.
A Natrona County detention officer pleaded not guilty Friday to leaking information about a sexual assault case.

Brendon Littau, 30, entered a not guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully releasing a confidential name. He requested a jury trial. Littau could face up to 90 days in jail.

Littau, who was dressed in a black suit and blue tie at the hearing, told Natrona County Circuit Judge Brian Christensen he has been employed by the Natrona County Sheriffs Office for three years.

Prosecutor Daniel Itzen requested a $500 personal recognizance bond for Littau, which does not require Littau to post any money.

Casper attorney Andrew Sears is representing Littau.

According to the court documents, Littau shared with his father the names of the alleged victim and suspect in a rape investigation.

The sheriffs office received the sexual assault report June 25, the documents state. During the investigation, the victim in the case told authorities she had been contacted by the suspect, who told her confidential information that only the victim and law enforcement should have known.

The suspect, who has been identified as James Furley, told investigators he became aware of the rape investigation through Littaus father, Mike Littau, who told authorities he was informed about the case through his son, according to the documents.

A Casper police detective then took over the investigation into the information leak, since it involved a sheriffs office employee. The detective interviewed Littau on July 1, the documents state. Littau said he was working June 25 at the detention center and had reviewed the computer aided dispatch system used by the dispatch center. He said he recognized the names of both the reported sexual assault victim and suspect.

Littau said he then spoke with his father about the case and told him the identities of the victim and suspect, according to the documents. He said he also disclosed the nature of the case and what information had been relayed to the dispatcher. Littau said he was aware the information was considered confidential but believed once the call left the computer screen, the case was over, the documents state.

The information leak did not jeopardize the rape investigation, and Furley was arrested, authorities have said. He has since been charged with three counts of first-degree sexual assault.

The alleged victim, who contacted the Star-Tribune, said she left Wyoming just after reporting the sexual assault.

She said she received a phone call from Furley within two days of speaking with law enforcement. He said he had found out about the rape case.
A federal judge on Thursday sentenced a Cody man to five years in prison for his conviction on methamphetamine and firearms charges.

Kristofer Mikal Wright, 28, previously pleaded guilty to possessing meth and to being a felon in possession of a firearm.

Police officers arrested Wright in March 2014 after responding to a call of possible drug activity at a Billings, Montana residence.

After following a vehicle occupied by two suspects, including Wright, to a downtown Billings motel, an officer saw a backpack near Wright.

Inside the backpack, officers found a safe containing meth and a digital scale. In retracing Wrights path to the motel, officers found a .40-caliber pistol on a stoop leading to an apartment.

Wright was prohibited from possessing firearms because of a 2008 felony conviction in Wyoming.
The operation was conducted over seven days by local, state and federal authorities, during same time as the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally in western South Dakota. The South Dakota Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force was involved.

Six men from South Dakota, one from Indiana and one from Colorado were arrested. The suspects range in age from 24 to 61. They all face at least 10 years in prison if convicted, and could get a life term.
Democratic House candidate Ryan Greene has challenged Republican nominee Liz Cheney to five debates around Wyoming before the November election.

Greene campaign manager Max Weiss said Greene had stopped by the Cheney campaign office in Casper last week, sent an email and left a voicemail but has not heard back.

Greene made his request for the debates public in a Wednesday news release.

Cheney campaign manager Bill Novotny referred inquiries to Wyoming GOP chair Matt Micheli. After receiving approval from the Cheney campaign, Micheli read a written statement to the Star-Tribune.

We look forward to debating Mr. Greene so we can explain why Wyoming shouldnt turn its single seat in the House of Representatives over to the party of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, and their policies that would be so destructive to the state of Wyoming and Wyoming families, he said.

Micheli said that he would respond in more detail once he had a chance to review the schedule of Republican events around the state.

Weiss, meanwhile, said Democrats had been shut out of some House candidate forums in the lead up to the primaries and that he believed Cheney, the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, had not been challenged on her positions.

Shes been challenged on her residency but not the issues, Weiss said.

He said her policies were either too extreme or unrealistic for a new representative to achieve.

She is saying a lot of things that she will do as a freshman congressman that her father couldnt do as vice-president, he said. Theyre tall tales.

Greene sent a letter to the Cheney campaign outlining possible debate topics and locations, as well as a potential format.

The debates would be held in Casper, Jackson and Rock Springs, among other places.

The Star-Tribune is hosting a debate on Oct. 20 at Casper College that is open to all four congressional candidates, including two third-party candidates.

Greene beat Charlie Hardy to win the Democratic primary while Cheney beat out a crowded field of candidates to become the Republican nominee. They are running for Wyomings sole United States House seat, which currently belongs to Rep. Cynthia Lummis, who is retiring.

The general election will take place on Nov. 8.
The Wyoming Supreme Court has suspended a state lawmaker and Cody lawyer accused of stealing thousands of dollars from his local bar association.

Sam Krones suspension from practicing law went into effect Wednesday.

It will remain in place pending the resolution of charges against him.

Krone, who was defeated in the Republican primary earlier this month, is facing three felony and four misdemeanor charges in connection with the alleged theft of $9,600.

Authorities have accused him of diverting money from the Park County Bar Association for his own use.

The Wyoming Attorney Generals office charged him on July 29, after an investigation by the Wyoming Division of Criminal Investigation.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Wednesday. He has pleaded not guilty.

Park County Attorney Bryan Skoric fired Krone from his job as a deputy prosecutor earlier this year after Krone admitted to losing his temper and sending inappropriate text messages to a woman being prosecuted by his office.

Krone has served in the Wyoming Legislature since 2011, representing Park County.

He lost to challenger Scott B. Court in the House District 24 Republican primary on Aug. 16.

Court collected 72 percent of the vote. He will face Democrat Paul Fees in the Nov. 8 general election.
MOSCOW, Idaho  A school bus roaming the streets of Moscow, Idaho this week has been a cover for police officers looking to catch traffic violations.

Officers in the bus, that was equipped with a video camera and radio, were particularly interested in catching drivers who were texting and driving, which is illegal in Idaho.

When a driver was seen committing a traffic violation such as texting while driving, the bus-riding officers would radio a patrol car in the area and then a traffic stop would be made.

ISP Sgt. Rich Adamson said the bus was used because people didn't expect officers to be inside and it also gave the officers a higher vantage point to see into cars.

Cpl. Travis Hight said it is often hard to cite a driver for texting because the law is poorly worded. He said the law says a driver cannot text, which includes reading, typing or sending messages, but doesn't exclude looking at a phone to select music.
BILLINGS, Mont.  A man charged with killing three people in a tiny Montana town near the Wyoming border is set to go to trial in March.

39-year-old Robert LeCou will go to trial March 13 in Carbon County, Montana. He faces three counts of deliberate homicide to which he pleaded not guilty in April.

Authorities allege LeCou shot his wife Karen Hill-LeCou, her sister Sharon Hill-Lamb and a brother-in-law Lloyd Lamb on April 5 in Belfry, and then fled to Washington state where he was arrested three days later.

At a hearing Wednesday, Carbon County Attorney Alex Nixon said he will not pursue the death penalty in the case.
Editor:

Donald Trump's acceptance talk show, as the Republican Party's candidate for the presidential election this November, was fraught with promises to make the U.S. great again. Shall we see? Ronald Reagan's acceptance talk show, in 1980, was of similar delineage.

As I view it, Donald's vision is a clue of stub-nosed short-sightedness. He blamed the Obama administration for the growth of ISIS, however, he did not discuss its origins, which were begat of the confusion rendered by "shock and awe," pursuing the downfall of Saddam Hussein in Iraq. Many words here, including what motivates terrorism, still an illusion for politicians.

Saddam may have been a tyrant but his mission was to keep Iraq unified, which incurred warfare mulch like Abraham Lincoln did in our nation's civil war, under somewhat different circumstances. Had Saddam educated here in the U.S., while he disfavored Israel's conquest of Palestine, still the quagmire in the mid-East due to 60-plus years of prejudice from every possible directive.

Another vision is tax cuts but what are taxes? Aside from supporting infrastructure construct and maintenance, taxes serve to balance the equation of capitalism's benefits versus deficiencies, i.e. employment versus unemployment, to begin with. Also, education provisions where qualified, is best not reserved for putting your life on the line in the military. All citizens, in real-time perspective, are best honored as equal partners in civilization, should it occur. And Amore.

P.S. The scheduled anti-Islam protest in Gillette, proposing the burning of the Quran, is prejudice based in the ego. Equally prejudiced would include the burning of the Bible, however, it takes two to tango as it takes two to tangle. The tangle is fear based in the ego, expressed from many delineations of fear posturing. The tango is love based in the spirit presenting peace. Which choice do you preside in?
It sounds a lot like Monsanto, but Pima County officials are mum about with whom theyre discussing a possible tax incentive package for what they call Project Corn.

County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry said earlier this week that he planned to meet Thursday with officials of PricewaterhouseCoopers, a global professional services and accounting firm. He said it represents another company that plans to invest $82 million in a greenhouse project to grow seed corn in Avra Valley, in unincorporated Pima County northwest of Tucson.

Huckelberry said he cant discuss specifics until hes released from a confidentiality agreement with the corn growing company.

But his comments came only a few days after the global biotech giant Monsanto confirmed plans to build a greenhouse to grow corn and soybeans in the Tucson area. Huckelberry said the company will create about 60 jobs  Monsanto said 40 to 60.

This week, Monsanto provided some more details about its planned operation but declined to discuss incentive negotiations.

Were in the early stages of the project, so nothing further, said Christi Dixon, a spokeswoman for Monsanto, headquartered in the St. Louis area.

She added, As part of our due diligence process, we are meeting with all the different permitting authorities and will be prepared to initiate the permitting process at the appropriate stage of development.

County communications manager Mark Evans said the county has no records of Monsanto development plans or zoning change requests or other applications by anyone to build a greenhouse.

Correspondence does exist between county officials and others in which Monsantos name is mentioned, he said. It is in the best interest of the county to not release those records at this time as their disclosure may do serious harm to the countys economic development efforts, said Evans.

An incentive package with Monsanto could stir controversy for a county government already in court over incentives it has given to World View to make helium filled balloons for space tourism and research.

Earlier this year, the county Board of Supervisors approved spending $15 million to build World View a manufacturing center, headquarters and balloon launch pad. The county is being sued by the Goldwater Institute, which says the arrangement violates the states gift clause. County officials note the deal requires World View to have 400 people on its payroll at an average $60,000 pay after 15 years.

A controversy over Monsanto would most likely arise over the companys global track record as a breeder of genetically modified crops and its production of the herbicide Roundup, among other issues. Monsanto has said that its greenhouse here would grow predominantly non-GMO crops.

County Supervisor Richard Elias has said he wont support incentives for Monsanto. Supervisors Ramon Valadez and Ray Carroll dont have a stance yet. Supervisors Ally Miller and Sharon Bronson didnt respond to a request from the Star to comment.

Im not interested in making that kind of investment, said Elias, a Democrat. It seems to me that Monsantos not really a company that we want to have as a community partner. Im not sure that (theyre) good for anybody on earth.

Huckelberry countered, Ill work with any company that has jobs and payroll and makes capital investments. There are two sides to every story.

He didnt respond to a follow-up question about how that stance is consistent with his longtime opposition to the proposed Rosemont Mine, a $1.5 billion copper project in the Santa Rita Mountains that would bring 400 jobs.

modify corn genes

Dixon said the Tucson-area greenhouse project fits well with what she called Monsantos commitment to sustainable agriculture and providing farmers with tools that bring better harvests. She quoted a company investor presentation that said investment plans for Arizona are part of Monsantos key growth drivers in corn.

She called the greenhouse project an advanced germplasm development facility that will support the production of conventional and genetically modified corn seeds for farmers future use. Germplasm is the basic genetic material for any plant.

Monsanto Chief Technology Officer Robb Fraley said recently that the tools we are using today, including greenhouses, completely change the way you breed crops. Society has been breeding crops for 8,000 years. What we have done in the last four or five, when you can sequence every gene in a corn plant and when you can test with the level of precision, when you can use the capabilities we have for seed production  is incredible.

The immediate benefit with enclosed production of corn, soybean and cotton is that the company can dramatically increase the number of crossbred seed types, he said. Given many factors including the ability to grow seed at any time of year, the company will make a million crosses this year and select the best 100 of them for future production, dramatically increasing productivity, he said.

Critics say Monsantos techniques risk limiting crops genetic variety. Such variability is important for crops to resist pests or plant disease or to tolerate drought, said Doug Gurian-Sherman, the Center for Food Safetys director of sustainable agriculture in Washington, D.C.

We can predict a particular need in a crop such as drought resistance, but a lot of things are not predictable and its important to maintain a broad base of diversity in our crops, said Gurian-Sherman.

Many scientists are concerned or convinced that for corn in particular, the genetic variability and seed varities out there are quite narrow, making them less resilient and more vulnerable to new pests or climate change, he said.

One major concern has to do with the control these companies such as Monsanto have, he said.

Another critic said the county should look carefully at a planned merger between Monsanto and Bayer.

How might that merger  and the ensuing new company  affect any commitments the company makes to the county in terms of job creation? Monsanto has been ... actively looking to merge with another company over the last several years  including a failed bid to purchase Syngenta. So, how strong of a commitment is the company making to the county, and what happens if it fails to deliver? asked Ben Lilliston, of the Minneapolis-based Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy.

Two University of Arizona agricultural researchers see no problem with providing Monsanto incentives. They said Monsanto is on balance a good company.

Monsanto is in the seed business, its an agricultural biotech company, said Yves Carriere, a UA entomology professor who was a co-author of a recent National Academy of Sciences report that found no safety risks from eating GMO-based foods but said the products didnt always live up to their backers promises.

They should not be treated differently than any other company. If its perceived economically as a good deal for Arizona, then go for it.

Monsanto has made mistakes, no doubt, but in the universitys dealings with them, I dont see them as an evil entity, said Jeff Silvertooth, associate dean for coooperative extension and economic development.
About 1.5 million Arizonans are projected to travel over the upcoming Labor Day weekend, a 4.7 percent increase over last year, AAA Arizona says.

Despite the fact that families have already settled into their fall routines, more than 1 in 5 Arizonans will send off summer with a final hurrah, said Amy Moreno, senior travel manager for AAA Arizona.

The 1.5 million Arizonans expected to travel for Labor Day brings the total number of Arizonans who will travel or have traveled over the three summer holidays to more than 5 million.

Other highlights from AAA Arizonas forecast:

Hitting the road

More than 1.2 million Arizonans, or about 80 percent of the states total travelers plan to drive to their Labor Day destinations, up 6 percent from last year, according to AAAs annual survey conducted by ConsumerTrack.

Staying close to home

More than 273,000 Arizonans, or about 18 percent of the states total travelers, plan to fly to their Labor Day destination. AAA attributed the 5 percent decrease from last year to an increasing number of Arizonans taking more close-to-home drive trips this holiday.

The Labor Day holiday travel period is defined as travel of 50 miles or more during the five-day period from Thursday, Sept. 1, to Monday, Sept. 5.

Cheap gas
PHOENIX  So would you pay your taxes on time if you could keep the money in the bank, pay it later and not face any penalty at all?

Thats the question that taxpayers may be asking themselves now that the state has enacted yet another amnesty program.

In essence, it says that if you havent paid prior income or sales taxes that were due before the beginning of 2014 you can come forward now, pay what you should have paid and be done with it.

No penalty.

No interest.

And no civil or criminal charges.

Daniel Scarpinato, press aide to Gov. Doug Ducey, who signed the law, pointed out that the measure is retroactive only. And that, he said, should make people think twice about counting on a future amnesty.

Were not necessarily going to do this every year, Scarpinato said.

People shouldnt roll the dice with the law or with paying their taxes, he continued. They should follow the law, they should pay their taxes.

But heres the thing: The record suggests that this could be a gamble some individuals and businesses might want to make.

This is the sixth time the state has enacted an amnesty program, more formally known as a tax-recovery program. In fact, there has not been a time since the early 1980s where there has not been some form of retroactive relief available.

The program is pretty sweet.

It says that if you come forward between Sept. 1 and Oct. 31 and confess to owing some sort of tax that was due before 2014, you can pay up now without the usual penalties and interest that would otherwise apply.

In fact, this new version contains something that was not in prior amnesty programs.

You dont even need to come up with all that you owe right now. The state is offering a payment plan, allowing errant taxpayer until Oct. 31, 2018 to pay off the debt.

And that could bring in people who could not qualify for earlier offers simply because they did not have the cash on hand to come clean with the state.

But that still leaves the question: Given the 30-plus year history of amnesty programs, why should individuals and businesses pay their taxes on time?

One is the possibility of the state finding you before youre ready to pay up.

The program is not available taxpayers who already are being audited. Nor are those who already are party to any criminal proceeding related to the failure to file or pay taxes.

But even with those restrictions, prior amnesty programs have shown there are a lot of taxpayers out there who have been flying below the auditors radar.

A 1983 program brought in $6 million.

Lawmakers didnt act again until 20 years later. But that program was retroactive to 1983 and brought in $73 million.

A 2009 amnesty brought in $32 million, with another one two years later shaking free an additional $13 million. And the 2015 law generated more than $50 million.

There are no estimates of how much lawmakers hope to collect with the new program.

If we can shake some more out, great, Scarpinato said.

But why stay current with the state?

You shouldnt take chances with this stuff, Scarpinato said.

But Sean Laux, spokesman for the Department of Revenue, acknowledged that, given the history, some taxpayers may opt to sit on their taxes owed and wait.

There is always that potential incentive for betting on a future tax-recovery program that will include future periods, he said.

How likely that is, I cant really say, Laux continued. But youre not necessarily wrong.

Sen. Don Shooter, R-Yuma, said the more often lawmakers approve amnesty programs  and the more Arizonans start realizing how frequently they occur  the greater the chances that some taxpayers will sit on the sidelines, taxes unpaid, and wait for the next one.

At a certain point, when does it become counterproductive? said Shooter, who chairs the Senate Appropriations Committee.

I hope they dont read your story, he continued. But I think its a legitimate viewpoint.
ITT Technical Institute in Tucson is facing a bleak future after the federal government banned the for-profit college chain from providing federal financial aid to new students.

The U.S. Education Department announced the action Thursday, citing significant concerns about ITTs administrative capacity, organizational integrity, financial viability and ability to serve students.

About 70 percent of the national chains $850 million in total revenue came from federal aid last year, so the inability to offer aid to new students effectively cuts off the company from its biggest source of potential customers.

Parent firm ITT Educational Services Inc. operates more than 130 campuses in 38 states including four in Arizona.

Education Secretary John B. King said in a statement that it simply would not be responsible or in the best of interests of students to allow ITT to continue enrolling new students who rely on federal student aid funds.

Current ITT students can continue receiving federal aid to attend the college under the new measures.

The Tucson ITT location at 1455 W. River Road had 342 students last fall with three full-time faculty and 32 part-timers, federal data show. The average annual cost for tuition and fees is around $18,000, the data show.

Company officials couldnt be reached for comment Thursday.

Since January, three other local for-profit colleges  Brown Mackie, the Art Institute of Tucson and Tucson College  have announced plans to shut down, citing declining enrollment.

The for-profit education industry as a whole has been under federal scrutiny in recent years amid concerns that students are amassing big federal loan debts for high-priced degrees that often dont improve employment prospects.

Current ITT students can stay and finish, transfer out or take a break from school and wait to see how this matter resolves itself, said Undersecretary of Education Ted Mitchell.

If ITT closes, students who didnt finish their programs will likely be eligible to have their student loans forgiven, he said.
PHOENIX  The state Republican Party is training volunteers to look for and document illegal ballot harvesting after county election officials said they wont enforce the new law.

Party Chairman Robert Graham said the volunteers, who already are designated as poll watchers, will be the eyes and ears of the GOP to look for those who show up with multiple ballots. And he said they will be given a checklist  still being developed  of what to document.

Graham acknowledged that other state laws limit what party-designated observers can actually do inside the polling places. Talking to voters is forbidden, as is photography.

But Graham said theyre still free to follow voters out into the parking lot, ask them questions, take their pictures and photograph their vehicles and license plate. That information, he said, might give police and prosecutors the information they need to bring charges.

The tactic drew an angry reaction from Enrique Gutierrez, spokesman for the Arizona Democratic Party.

Republicans have a long history of intimidating voters, he said. This is just another attempt for them to intimidate more voters at the polls.

Gutierrez acknowledged that observers cannot confront voters inside polling places.

But, at the same time, if you have poll workers following people to their cars ... thats still voter intimidation, he said.

GOP spokesman Tim Sifert sees the issue differently.

If anybody ... is potentially committing a crime of some kind, you would expect that citizens should do something about it, he said.

The law, approved earlier this year by the Republican-controlled Legislature makes it a felony, punishable by a year in state prison, to knowingly collect blank or filled-out ballots from another person.

It is aimed at the practice of various political and civic groups of having volunteers scour neighborhoods for those who had received early ballots but had failed to mail them back in time to be counted. Secretary of State Michele Reagan, also a Republican, countered that it created an opportunity for fraud.

But election officials from several counties have said they do not intend to stop and question anyone who shows up at polling places on election day with multiple ballots.

Were not the police, said Maricopa County Recorder Helen Purcell.

Sifert said the new monitoring for ballot harvesters is an extension of what monitors already do.

Political parties have certain rights, if not responsibilities indeed, to help election officials ensure the integrity of elections, he explained. Thats why the law allows observers selected by each party to be present not only at polling places but where the ballots are actually tabulated.

Those observers are supposed to notify the polling places top official if they see anything irregular. The GOP also gives observers a toll-free number to call, connecting them with party attorneys, if they believe laws are being broken.

But Sifert said actually catching those who violate the law is something quite different.

It starts with the fact that someone who brings in multiple ballots is not necessarily breaking the law. Individuals can collect ballots from family members and others living in the same household. And caregivers at nursing homes and adult day-care centers are permitted to collect ballots.

And then theres the evidence part.

Sifert said poll observers cannot take photos or videos in the polling place  or even within 75 feet  of someone walking in with multiple ballots. In fact, he said, the observers are precluded from approaching the voter.

Still, Sifert said there are ways to gather evidence.

If a poll observer sees something they are free to go outside that 75-foot limit, he said.

Thats where they can turn on their phone to take video or pictures or something like that, Sifert continued. That also includes asking the voter his or her name and why there were multiple ballots.

And if the voter tells the observer to shove off?

They can take a picture of the person, he said, as well as a photo of the license plate on the voters car that should help identify the voter.

We certainly dont recommend harassing anybody, Sifert said.

All that stuff thats in the public view is fair game, he said.

That still leaves the question of whether the tactics might provide enough information to result in anyone being arrested, much less prosecuted.

Weve talked to a number of different county officials across the state, sheriffs, county attorneys, said Graham, asking them what do you need to bring a case. Graham said what they tell him will be put into a checklist that will be given to observers during their training Saturday morning at state GOP headquarters in Phoenix.

But Graham said that one option, suggested to him by a law enforcement official he would not identify, is to have observers call 911 and report a felony in progress.

The state and national Democratic parties, along with the Clinton campaign, have sued to have the ballot harvesting law voided. They contend the law imposes as higher burden on minorities than the population at large, something that is forbidden under the federal Voting Rights Act.

A judge has yet to rule on that claim.
Elliott Cheu, associate dean in the University of Arizona College of Science, left, checks out the Flandrau Science Centers Full-Dome digital projection system. The EOS Foundation Theater will be showing three movies at a discounted price of $3.

installed watches the presentation in the Flandrau Science Center and Planetarium on Thursday August 25, 2016. The theater, now called Eos Foundation Planetarium Theater, was renovated over the summer and will have a grand opening on Saturday.
PHOENIX  Foes of legalized marijuana asked the Arizona Supreme Court late Thursday to keep voters from ever getting to decide the issue.

Attorney Brett Johnson wants the justices to rule that Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Jo Lynn Gentry got it wrong when she ruled last week that a 2015 change in state law precludes outsiders  including initiative opponents  from challenging the legal sufficiency of the ballot measure. Gentry said that makes all of the alleged flaws Johnson said are in the petitions legally irrelevant.

Johnson also warned the justices that if they refuse to overturn Gentrys ruling and allow Proposition 205 to be placed on the November ballot that would have dire implications.

Should the (initiative) committee be allowed to push through such a profoundly flawed ballot measure, future initiative proponents are likely to use the same  or worse  tactics to deceive Arizona voters, he wrote. Under the trial courts interpretation of the law, there is no recourse for such fraud, Johnson continued.

In his own filing Thursday, attorney Roy Herrera, representing initiative proponents, denied there was any fraud in the way the measure was crafted and presented to the public.

More to the point, he told the justices that Gentry was correct in ruling that the law does not allow initiative foes to seek to have measures kept from the ballot once the secretary of state has concluded it meets all the legal requirements. And he urged the high court not to intercede.

The court should recognize this lawsuit for what it is  nothing more than an extended disquisition on the (challengers) ideological and political opposition to the idea of legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, Herrera wrote, saying their case is built on a catalog of politicized, specious  and in some instances  frivolous arguments that stand in diametric conflict with the Arizona Constitution and controlling precedents of Arizona courts.

And Herrera said if initiative foes are opposed to the measure they should take their case to the public and not try to have the process short-circuited by the Supreme Court.

Johnson, however, suggested that it would be wrong for them to sidestep the issue and let the voters have the final say. He told the justices they have an obligation to prevent fraud on the electorate.

What the court decides will determine if Arizonans get a chance to vote on the measure that would allow any adult to possess and use up to an ounce of marijuana without fear of criminal prosecution.
PHOENIX  Following through on an earlier threat, state utility regulator Bob Burns on Thursday subpoenaed the records of Arizona Public Service and its parent company, Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

Burns wants the two companies to disclose all of the political spending they have made going back to 2011. That includes not only direct contributions but also any money paid to independent expenditure groups that seek to influence elections.

That latter provision is critical to Burns efforts to determine if the states largest electric company and any related companies put money into the 2014 race that resulted in the election of Republicans Tom Forese and Doug Little to the commission that regulates the rates that APS can charge its captive customers.

Two outside groups spent more than $3.2 million on that race. But both claim they are social welfare organizations exempt from having to disclose their donors.

And APS, for its part, will not deny having provided at least some of that cash.

In the subpoena, Burns told Don Brandt, the chief executive officer of both APS and Pinnacle West, to bring the documents to the commissions office at 10 a.m. Sept. 15.

Whether Burns can legally enforce those subpoenas remains an open legal question.

In a formal legal opinion earlier this year, Attorney General Mark Brnovich said state utility regulators have a legal right to question APS  and any other investor-owned utility  about whether they secretly funneled money into political campaigns.

Brnovich said he reads Arizona law to allow individual commissioners and their employees to at any time, inspect the accounts, books, papers and documents of any regulated utility. He said that includes political contributions, charitable donations and lobbying expenses.

He also said that commissioners may examine utility company officers and employees under oath.

And the other four commissioners have never questioned Burns right to issue the subpoenas. In fact, Andy Tobin has told Burns publicly to go ahead with the idea even though he personally does not support it.

But Brnovich said the right of individual commissioners to pore through APS books does not extend to affiliates. And it is possible that any campaign donations were made not by APS but by Pinnacle West Capital Corp.

The attorney general did say the commission, as a whole, does have some right to review the records of affiliates as long as that review is necessary for the panel to do its job of setting rates.

But Brnovich said that requires a decision by the full commission. And so far Burns is the lone regulator who has shown an interest in pursuing the information, with the other Republicans on the panel in outright opposition to all of this.

Burns, however, is undeterred.

We interpret what Brnovich said a little differently, I guess, he said. I think it was a little gray in his opinion.

APS already has staked out the position that neither Burns nor the commission are entitled to any of that information, no matter from which company the political donations  if any  were made.

In a letter to Burns earlier this year, Brandt said any money spent on political races come not from what the company charges its customers but instead out of shareholder profits. What that means, he said, is that the commission, which regulates the rates, has no right to the information.

And if statutory arguments do not work, Brandt is prepared with a constitutional one.

Compelled disclosure about political contributions that APS or its affiliates may have made out of shareholder profits would go beyond what is required of corporations under Arizona campaign finance law and would impinge on APS First Amendment rights, he wrote.

But by Thursday, after Burns actually issued the subpoena, APS and its parent company were taking a more measured approach to the issue.

We have received the subpoena from Commissioner Burns and we are reviewing it, said company spokesman James McDonald.

If theres a court fight, the company already has a legal ally in the form of the Arizona Investment Council. It is composed of shareholders of investor-owned utilities like APS.

Attorney Mary OGrady, writing on behalf of the council, wrote that the state constitution does allow the commission to inspect and investigate the property, books, papers, business methods and affairs of any corporation that sells stock in Arizona, as well as any commission-regulated utility.

But OGrady said those powers are limited to what the commission needs to do its job.

There is no basis to allow the commission to use its investigative power to inquire into the political speech of a particular entity, she said in her memo.

OGrady said the only excuse for commissioners to demand the information would be to determine whether a utilitys request for higher rates was designed to help cover the cost of election expenses. But OGrady said there was no such request before the panel.

But former Supreme Court Chief Justice Thomas Zlaket, retained by the Alliance for Solar Choice, came to a contrary conclusion.

Zlaket said commissioners have a compelling interest in knowing the roles utilities played in an election because such information reveals the potential bias of commissioners who may have received support from these entities.

Alliance members are manufacturers and installers who have been at odds with APS and other utilities over their efforts to force homeowners with solar panels to pay more to utilities for the fixed costs of maintaining the electrical grid.
Help India!

By TCN News

Jamia Millia Islamia will be starting MD and PhD in Unani medicine from the current academic year in collaboration with Hyderabad-based Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM) under the Ministry of AYUSH, Government of India.

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An MoU between the two institutions was signed here today by JMIs Officiating Registrar, Dr. Abdul Malik and Director General of CCRUM, Prof. Rais-ur-Rahman after the proposal was endorsed by the Ministry of AYUSH to foster research in indigenous systems of medicines in India.





Signing of MoU on Unani medicine courses between JMI and CCRUM



As per the MOU, signed in the presence of JMI Vice Chancellor, Prof Talat Ahmad, Pro Vice Chancellor Prof. Shahid Ashraf, Dean, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Prof. Sharif Ahmad and senior officials of CCRUM, seven seats each have been allocated to General Medicine and Pharmacology while three seats will be in each Ph.D programme.

CCRUM through the Central Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM) shall provide all necessary facilities in respect of infrastructure such as hospitals, laboratories and other resources to run the programmes.

JMI will conduct entrance test for admission to these courses besides holding interviews for the Ph.D programmes. Jamia will conduct examination in consonance with the regulations of Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM) and JMI within the broader framework and guidelines of Ministry of AYUSH and shall award the degrees accordingly. The fee structure for these programmes shall be at par with the National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bengaluru.

The CCRUM will also help set up Hakim Ajmal Khan Chair in JMI to promote Unani Studies and Research.

Speaking on the occasion, Prof. Talat Ahmad said that the MOU marked a new chapter in the long history of Jamia. He emphasised on the need to modernise the old discipline by actively collaborating with advances sciences like biochemistry and biotechnology.

Prof. Rahman said that in the coming years the face of Unani medicine will change and the world will realise its potential. He also hoped that in the next five years a Unani medicine college will be set up in Jamia Millia Islamia.
Help India!

By Ram Puniyani for Twocircles.net

Today, nearly a decade later when we are remember with pain the horrific violence of Kandhmal in 2008, many issues related to the state of affairs of communal violence, state of minorities, the state of justice delivery system come to ones mind.

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The incident

Just to recall, Orissa witnessed unprecedented violence against the Christian minority in August 2008. On August 23, 2008, Swami Laxmananand along with his four followers was killed, probably by a group of Maoists. Immediately, anti-Christian violence began on a big scale. The way it began it seemed as if preparations for it were well afoot. It was systematic and widespread. It sounded as if preparation was already there just the pretext was being awaited. (1)

Christians in India

Christians are a tiny minority in India. Contrary to the perception that British brought Christianity to India, it is one of the oldest religions of India. Its spread has been slow. Not much was heard against this minority till the decade of 1990s, when suddenly it started being asserted that Christian missionaries are converting. Anti-Christian violence has been occurring more in the remote-interior places and is accompanied by another phenomenon, that of Ghar Vapasi (return home), which is the conversions of Adivasis into the fold of Hinduism, by Vishwa Hindu Parishad-Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram. (2)

It is from 1996, that this phenomenon of conversion-anti Christian violence has captured the attention of all of us. Suddenly, as if from nowhere has descended the threat of conversion to Christianity by force or fraud. Simultaneously, attacks on priests and nuns increased in distant interior places. It has been a peculiar phenomenon that while these attacks in remote places were being undertaken, the Christian institutions in cities  schools, colleges and hospitals  were hard pressed to cope with the demands on their services related to education and health. The selective targeting of Christian missionaries in distant places was a matter of serious attention, concern and introspection.

Social common sense

As the social common sense started accepting, yes, they are converting, they have been converting, a sort of silent approval of layers of society and state officials did accompany these attacks on the missionaries. One was used to hearing about attacks on Muslim minorities so far. How come a new minority came to be perceived as the source of trouble and hence started being targeted? (3)

Anti Christian violence did begin with isolated incidents like the attack on the Catholic Health Centre of India near Latur (1996), burning of Bibles and attacks on the Christian congregations. But most shocking was the burning alive of Pastor Graham Steward Stains (1999, January) along with his two sons, Philip and Timothy, aged 9 and 7 years, who were sleeping in a jeep after a village festival. Gradually the pattern of these attacks started emerging. In the remote places where Vanvasi Kalyan Ashrams (Society for Welfare of Forest Dwellers), an outfit of RSS, have been active and doing the propaganda work along with starting of Ekal schools and have been Hinduising Adivasis, the incidents were more pronounced and intense.

Anti-Christian violence: Characteristics

The violence against Christian missionaries has by now become a matter of routine. Unlike the anti Muslim pogroms-violence, it has been scattered and generally low key, occurring at sporadic intervals. Barring few dastardly acts like Pastor Stains burning and Rani Marias being hacked to death the incidents were medium in intensity and did not take the shape of carnage or pogrom against the community till the one in Orissa (December 2007 and later August 2008). The occurrence of these incidents was mostly in places that are having rampant poverty and illiteracy. The apathy in highlighting these core issues, deprivations, by a section of media was appalling. At the same time, by word of mouth the propaganda against Christian Missionaries was intensified.

The message has been spread that Christian missionaries working in remote places are soft targets and one can get away without much reprisals. Also the anti-Christian mobilization of Adivasi youth through cultural manipulation was the groundwork on which the anti-Christian violence could sustain. In the atmosphere created by the activities of RSS progeny, local communal groups have felt emboldened to pick up any small issue and to make a violent incident out of it. Its frightening effect on the victims is tremendous. It also begins to polarize the local communities into Christian and non-Christian camps amongst whom the seeds of tension are sown.

Cultural agenda

The physical violence has been accompanied by cultural manipulation in these areas. The silent work to Hinduise Adivasis through religio-cultural mechanisms has been stepped up from last three decades. People like Swami Aseemanand (Dangs), Swami Laxmanand (Kandhmal, Orissa), followers of Asaram Bapu (Jhabua, MP) began their work in popularizing Hindu gods and Goddesses in the region. The choice of Gods/Goddesses from the vast pantheon of Hindu religion was a clever one. Here Shabri (Symbol of poverty and deprivation) was the main goddess, the idol for Adivasis. Temples in her names were started and regular Kumbhs (mass religious congregation of Hindus) were organized in her name. Kumbhs have been a tradition in Hinduism on fixed interval of time on the banks of Holy rivers; Ganges in particular. Modifying that tradition, these Kumbhs were organized in Adivasis areas. Here the work of conversion to Hinduism, the spread of Hate against foreigners, particularly Christians, was spread. In addition an atmosphere of terror was created against those who do not toe the line of Vanavasi Kalyan Ashram. (4)

Similarly the God Hanuman, the foremost devotee of Lord Ram was also made popular, by spreading his lockets and through different stories around him, in the Ekal Schools and Sarswati Shishu Mandirs. It created an atmosphere of divide in the Adivasi areas; Adivasis turned Hindus, the Hindu dalits and upper caste versus the Christians. It is this atmosphere of divisiveness, which has been at the root of the violence in these areas.

Political agenda

This has been a part of the different activities undertaken by RSS combine to promote the agenda of Hindu nation. While RSS has floated many a organizations to communalize different sections of society, BJP, VHP, Bajrang Dal, etc. it has also unleashed a set of cultural activities, set of educational institutions along with infiltration in media, bureaucracy, police and military. They are gradually imposing the idea of Hindu nation and accompanying culture and ideas. The culmination of this has been the violence against minorities, polarization of communities along religious lines and ghettoization of minorities. While all this is going on the violence against minorities is the most visible part of this phenomenon.

The role of state agencies has been no different in these incidents than what it has been in the anti Muslim violence. In most cases, the administration has looked the other way when communal goons were on the rampage. The administration most often provided enough leeway for them to wreck havoc, indulge in intimidation, violence and to get away with that. The Adivasi areas, which were so far peaceful, started witnessing communal tensions. The area of violence in Adivasi regions is synonymous with the map of spread of Vanvasi Kalyan Ashrams and Vishwa Hindu Parishads in an indirect way.

RSS had been floating different organizations for different sections of society; Vanvasi Kalyan Ashram, to Hinduise Adivasis was founded in 1952 and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad founded in 1964 was to play an important role in the anti Christian tirade in times to come. Another RSS progeny which, directly supported violence against Christians, Bajrang Dal, was founded by RSS in 1984. After the intimidation and browbeating of Muslim minorities, especially after the post Babri demolition Mumbai riots, they stepped up their social dominance and needed another community to target their trishuls for further expansion of their social and electoral base, and that was done by the bogey of forced conversions and accompanying anti Christian violence, which started coming to the fore from 1996 onwards. The targeting of minorities has played an important role in polarizing the communities, in consolidation of the majoritarian politics in various ways. (5)

The burning of Pastor Stains, in that sense was a turning point for Human rights groups, who so far were trying to grapple and respond to the anti Muslim violence. With this many concerned groups took up the investigations of the violence against Christians in the right earnest. As such, the first major cover up had to be undertaken by the BJP led NDA Government itself, in the aftermath of Stains murder. Initially, as a fire fighting measure, the functionaries of the NDA government tried to give a clean chit to the RSS combine. After the murder, the then home minister Lal Krishna Advani stated that he knows Bajrang Dal very well and this act could not have been done by that organization. To put a veil on the episode, the three cabinet ministers, George Fernandez, Murli Manohar Joshi and Navin Patnaik rushed to the site and proclaimed that the murder of Pastor is an international conspiracy to destabilize the BJP Government. This way they tried to bypass the real issue, i.e. involvement of Dara Singh, an activist of Bajrang Dal. (6)

Struggle for justice: Peoples tribunals

The case of Orissa was specifically investigated by India Peoples Tribunal, led by Justice K.K.Usha (retired) of Kerala High court in 2006. (7) This tribunal forewarns about the shape of things to come. This tribunal assessed the spread of communal organizations in Orissa, which has been accompanied by a series of small and large events and some riotssuch violations are utilized to generate the threat and reality of greater violence, and build and infrastructure of fear and intimidation. It further noted that minorities are being grossly ill treated; there is gross inaction of the state Government to take action. The report also describes in considerable detail how the cadre of majoritarian communal organizations are indoctrinated in hatred and violence against other communities it holds to be inherently inferior. If such communalization is undertaken in Orissa, it is indicative of the future of the nation the signs are truly ominous for Indias democratic future.

It is in this backdrop that when the Kandhamal carnage took place, the offense of RSS affiliates, the lapses and partisan behaviour of state machinery, the lack of rehabilitation and deliverance of justice came as a big jolt to the victims and became the matter of concern for human rights groups. The lack of proper investigation and other actions on the part of state were the key for getting justice for the victims. While many a sincere, scattered efforts to help the afflicted were undertaken by different groups. These efforts were effective but inadequate in their reach. The tribunal organized for Orissa violence under Justice A. P.Shah (Retd) brought out the truth of the carnage. The hope was that the victims will be suitably rehabiliatated and get justice. (8)

This tribunal observed, (excerpts)

The appalling feature of the Kandhamal violence, where rescue and relief work by non-profit, charitable and humanitarian organizations was prohibited through a government notification, indicates the impunity with which the state government acted, and its scant respect for rule of law and human rights of the victim-survivors of the violence.

The dismal conditions in the government-run relief camps are clearly indicative of the indifference of the state government to the plight of victim-survivors.The testimonies of victim-survivors as well as the reports presented to the Tribunal indicate that victim-survivors were forcibly sent back to their villages, or abandoned near their villages, with total disregard to their safety.Peace-building Initiatives: The fact that many victim-survivors are unable to return to their villages due to threats and intimidation by perpetrators, and many of those who have returned continue to live in constant fear and security, lead us to conclude that the state governments peace initiatives have been a dismal failure and nothing more than an eyewash.

It also made lot of recommendations about relief, rehaibilation, compensation and justice.

This excerpt is very telling Implementation of States Duty Towards Peace-building, Voluntary Return and Reintegration: The State should recognize the Internally Displaced Persons right to return to their homes and create all possible enabling conditions to facilitate such safe return in accordance with the above standards. The state ought to discharge its duty of creating a conducive, safe and peaceful environment that can sustain return or re-integration of victim-survivors through access to public services, legal and personal documentation, and to livelihoods and income-generating opportunities without any form of discrimination.

As usual the recommendations of the tribunal remain in the limbo. The heartening feature of struggle for justice in Kandhamal is the dogged determination of the victims and human rights activists to get the justice. This is also the time to understand that justice is a long term goal also which requires a programmatic alliance between the struggling sections of society, be it dalits, Adivasis, women, workers or struggling sections of society. In the light of growing intolerance in society, in the light of the growing stifling of the democracy society the need to build social alliances to preserve democracy and human rights is all the more crucial at this juncture.


Ukraine calls for ceasefire in the Donbas conflict by September 1, Ukraine's representative in the Trilateral Contact Group humanitarian subgroup Iryna Gerashchenko said in Minsk on Friday.

"We insist on absolute ceasefire. It is especially relevant prior to September 1. Today the Ukrainian side in all four subgroups is advancing the initiative that all parties are simply obliged to cease fire on the eve of September 1, because not only do troops suffer, but also civilians," the Belarusian State News Agency BelTA cited her as saying.

There are 126 educational establishments on the frontline only in the Luhansk region, Gerashchenko said. Children were unable to attend school in certain regions due to hostilities last year. "Certainly, it is necessary to think of children's security. We call for the ceasefire regime to be consistently in force and any violations not to occur," she said.
This century has witnessed some serious improvement in terms of apparel. Nowadays, people give high preference to the clothes, footwear, and accessories, of top Fashion designers. Artists like Karl Lagerfeld, Marc Jacobs, Dolce & Gabbana, Jacques Cartier, and Louis Vuitton are known for their remarkable products.Some of the famous fashion designers are about to launch their winter 2016 collections. Here is a list of those top personalities.

Jimmy Choo

Jimmy Choo needs no introduction. He is one of the most successful and high-profile British fashion designers.

Jimmy Choo brand has specialized in shoes, luxury handbags, perfumes, and fashion accessories. Its foundation was laid in 1996, by Jimmy. He collaborated with Vogue accessories editor Tamara Mellon OBE.

This brand is famous among British princesses. Currently, Mr. Choos niece, Sandra Choi, is heading the firm. Its first store was opened in 1996, in London. So far, the company has extended its network to the US, Canada, and other parts of the world. If you are in the US, you can quickly approach a Jimmy Choo store in New York City,and Beverly Hills

Caroline Charles

Caroline Charles is a successful Fashion Designer. She was born in 1942, in Egypt, to British parents. From her high school years, Charles had interest in fashion designing.

She studied at Swindon Art School, and founded her Caroline Charles label in 1963. Her designs are famous among Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities.

Some of her most prominent customers are Mick Jagger, Ringo Starr, Marianne Faithfull, Cilla Black, Barbra Streisand, and Helena Kennedy. Caroline even designed the clothes for Lesley Garrett, and Emma Thompson.

The Guardian reports that this brand is mainly famous for its quality fabrics and appealing handbags.

Miranda Konstantinidou

Miranda Konstantinidou would soon launch her new range of jewelry, The Guardian says. Her brand KONPLOTT is one of the best jewelry brands. In 2012, Mirandas Resort & Cruise Collection received a lot of attention.

She is known for her creative jewelry, handbags, and incredible sunglasses. Born in Greece, Miranda studied fashion illustration in Italy. Her company has its headquarters in Luxembourg. Konstantinidou produces her collections in limited editions, and does not repeat any design.
The Alaskan Bush People are in between seasons and after all the trials and tribulations that the Brown family went through in the last season, you can only image what is in store for them when they return back to the TV screen.

As of today, it is still not known if theDiscovery Channel has yet to renew the Alaskan Bush People for a 5th season, but considering they are the top rated show for that network, there's a good chance they'll be back, suggeststhe Inquistr.

'Alaskan Bush People' Family Member Seeking Help? Locals Claim Matt Brown Entered Rehab https://t.co/drsdBMOR7J pic.twitter.com/LsxzZrVgM5  Las Vegas NV Blog (@LasVegasNvBlog) June 9, 2016

Billy and Ami have arude awakening?

So what will the 'wolfpack' look like if and when they do return?

Matt was away in rehab and when he didn't return on the date the family expected, it looked as if he may have found that civilization had something to offer him.

At the end of season 4, Billy and Ami, the parents of this wild brood, were sitting waiting for Josh to ferry Matt back home to Browntown in their small boat. As Billy and Amy watched Josh come into view on the water, it became very apparent Matt was not with him.

Wolfpack not intact

The Brown's were concerned because Matt had not left them any word as to his whereabouts. After the filming had ended he had eventually let the family know he opted to stay longer in treatment.

Season 4 found life events separating the Brown family, who pride themselves as working together through life as a unit.

Did Matt's departure give Ami and Billy some thoughts to ponder?

Is it time to encourage this family to fly the nest and go out into the world? Billy and Ami have not prepared them for this, so it could be a real problem.

Recently the wolfpack has been spotted in Anchorage, without Matt, so it could be they've left Browntown to be closer to Matt while he's in treatment.

This is something most treatment facilities would probably discourage, this type of family enmeshment.

Watching over his kingdom

What is Ami and Billy's take on family life? Through the episodes of the Alaskan Bush People it was obvious that Billy adored his family.

He was often seen standing on the front porch of his Browntownshanty literally admiring what his grown children were doing, like taking on some odd projects.

Both Ami and Billy seemed to see their kids as kids and not the grown adults that they are.

Matt, Gabe, Josh, Bear and Noah are often creating things that both parents look over and praise, they don't get much negative feedback from their parents, which is what they'd experience in the real world.

This type of positive feedback on a constant basis has seemed to offer a false sense of security to these grown adults while out in the real world.

Look at that stupid dummy they put together for the fire department! They didn't have the sense to know it belonged in the garbage and not used as a homemade gift for the firefighters training!

Play dates

Because Ami and Billy have taken such an active role in the adult lives of their five boys, they seem to have an overwhelming need to please the parents, more so Billy than Ami.

So far on the Alaskan Bush People, the five adult boys greatest life accomplishments have been creating basically worthless contraptions using articles they salvage out of the nearest town's junkyard.

Time to fly the nest?

Ami and Billy have not prepared their kids for life as adults, but as long as they stay within the confines of Browntown, they will do just fine. This is not what life should be all about.

Starting your own tribe and never encouraging your kids to find lives of their own by developing interests of their own sounds a wee-bit selfish.

The viewers of this show would probably agree that Ami and Billy Brown are guilty of loving their kids to the point where life has become somewhat stifled for their brood.

Their two girls are still young, but their upbringing isn't much different. According to Premiere Date, there is still no word on another season of theAlaskan Bush People.
Tycoon to buy Israeli satellite operator Updated: 2016-08-26 07:57 By LYU CHANG(China Daily)

Chiense tycoon Wang Jing waves after attending a media conference in Managua, Nicaragua, December 23, 2014. [Photo / VCG]

A company owned by Chinese tycoon Wang Jing is taking over an Israeli satellite operation firm for $285 million.

Wang said the deal is expected to help Beijing Xinwei Telecom Technology to access "scarce resources" in outer space, as the number of available positions on some satellite orbits is falling.

Wang is known for his plan to build a $50 billion canal project spanning Nicaragua, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Beijing Xinwei is to acquire a 100 percent stake in Spacecom Satellite Communications through its unit Luxembourg Space Telecommunications, the technology company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"After the acquisition, we will be able to provide services to 95 percent of the world's people and gain a professional team with 20 years' experience in satellite operations," the statement said.

A researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology, who declined to be named, said this makes Xinwei the first private company to acquire scarce orbit resources in an industry that is highly controlled and run mainly by the military.

"This access is a really valuable asset, because the number of available slots on high Earth orbits is quite limited, and only a few permits are granted each year to countries around the world for the launch of satellites," the researcher said.

High Earth orbit refers to an orbit around the Earth at an altitude higher than 36,000 km.

"The United States and Russia dominate the satellite market in terms of manufacturing and operating, and this deal will unlock the potential for Chinese satellite companies," the researcher said.

The deal is not the first foray for Beijing Xinwei, which specializes in mobile network development and space industry products.

In 2013, the company launched a satellite, jointly developed with Tsinghua University, aimed at providing a cheaper alternative to foreign satellite communication providers in China's ocean and desert areas.

Founded in 1989, Spacecom operates AMOS, a series of Israeli communications satellites.

The company presells services and capacity to customers including broadcasters, telecom providers, communications companies and government agencies. The satellites it controls cover the Middle East, Central Europe, Asia and Africa.

Spacecom is also building an Amos 6 satellite for Facebook to provide broadband services directly to mobile phones.

Zhao Lei contributed to this story.
Premier urges Japan to help stabilize ties Updated: 2016-08-26 01:54 By HU YONGQI(China Daily)

Tokyo was urged to "play a constructive role" and make real efforts to stabilize bilateral relations with Beijing when Premier Li Keqiang met with the visiting Japanese national security adviser on Thursday.

China and Japan should accumulate positive factors and reduce negative ones to get the still-fragile bilateral ties back on a normal track, Li told Shotaro Yachi, who is attending the third China-Japan High-level Political Dialogue in Beijing.

"As next year marks the 45th anniversary of China and Japan normalizing their diplomatic ties,  I hope the two countries can take the opportunity to appropriately tackle old and emerging disputes, manage conflicts and differences, and steadily promote exchanges and cooperation to safeguard the improving process of bilateral ties, Li said.

Beijing expects Tokyo to stand by its statement that Chinas economic development as an opportunity, and take actions to safeguard peace and stability in the seas between the two countries, he added.

In a letter Yachi read to Li during the meeting, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to work with China to establish stable bilateral ties based on mutual benefit.

Yachi said Japan will boost high-level exchanges with China, manage differences over the East China Sea, safeguard maritime peace and stability and reinforce pragmatic cooperation in fields including finance and environmental protection.

Yachi also met with State Councilor Yang Jiechi earlier on Thursday.

Both meetings provided further opportunities for the two countries to exchange views after they agreed on Wednesday to consider initiating a maritime and airspace liaison procedure.

Their bilateral ties have been challenged by territorial disputes.

Yachi heads the Japanese National Security Council, which was launched by Abe in 2013 to guide foreign and defense policies.

In July last year, Yang co-hosted the first political dialogue with Yachi in Beijing  the first interaction since bilateral ties plunged to a low point over the Diaoyu Islands dispute. Three months later, the two co-hosted another dialogue in Tokyo to improve ties.

Huo Jiangang, a researcher of Japanese studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Studies, said, "Yachi can be seen to be paving the way for Abes participation in the G20 Leaders Summit (in Hangzhou on Sept 4 and 5).

Zhang Yunbi contributed to this story.
China to join Australia, US in exercises Updated: 2016-08-26 07:28 (China Daily)

Beijing confirmed on Thursday that China will hold joint military exercises in September involving Australia and the United States, in addition to its joint naval drill with Russia in the South China Sea next month.

Observers said the drills show the steady development of the Chinese military's ties with key Asia-Pacific counterparts and signal efforts to ensure stability to help ease maritime tension in the South China Sea.

Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, announced at a briefing in Beijing that China, Australia and the United States will conduct "Exercise Kowari 2016" in Darwin, Australia, from Wednesday to September 11.

The exercise, the third among the three countries' ground forces, will involve drills for survival in the wild, Wu said.

Additionally, Chinese and Australian troops will hold "Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2016" in Sydney from September 14 to 23. The exercise will include such tasks as canoeing, Wu said.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the Kowari exercise mirrors a "shared readiness to bring the trilateral security relationship forward".

The fact that the two annual drills involving Australia will be continued this year "demonstrates Australia's wish to avoid sabotaging its security ties with China", Zhang said.

Australia has joined the United States and Japan in pressing China to accept an international arbitration ruling in July in a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines in its dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Zhang said Australia is trying to strike a balance between the US, its traditional security ally, and China, a major economic and trade partner.

"It is wise to avoid taking sides between China and the US and stop supporting US provocation against China over the South China Sea issue," Zhang added.

In July, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the navies of China and Russia will hold a joint drill in the South China Sea in September to "enhance the capabilities of the two navies to jointly deal with maritime security threats".

On Thursday, Wu said the drill will involve "joint maritime defense actions".

Yin Zhuo, director of the Expert Consultation Committee of the People's Liberation Army Navy, said it is natural for Beijing and Moscow to hold a drill in the South China Sea this year, since they have previously held exercises in other coastal regions of China.

The China-Russia exercise is "out of security consideration" and has no specific target, Yin added.
CPC top leadership adopts plan to build "Healthy China" Updated: 2016-08-26 16:16 (Xinhua)

BEIJING -- The top leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Friday adopted a plan aiming to build a healthy China in the next 15 years.

The blueprint, called "Healthy China 2030", was passed at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.
G20 ushering in group leadership Updated: 2016-08-26 11:58 By Chen Weihua in Washington(China Daily USA)

Foreign Ministry says nearly 30 outcomes predicted for leader gathering will make it one of the most productive ones yet

The upcoming G20 summit will reflect a changing global political and economic landscape, according to a prominent scholar.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang announced in Beijing on Wednesday the list of foreign leaders coming to the summit, from US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin to India Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the new British Prime Minister Theresa May.

"The G20 Hangzhou summit is expected to reach nearly 30 outcomes if all of us work together. That will make the summit one of the most fruitful ones," he told a daily press briefing.

The G20 summit, to be held in East China's scenic city of Hangzhou from Sept 4-5, will be the first hosted by China.

Cheng Li, director and senior fellow of the John L. Thornton China Center of the Brookings Institution, said that the summit is being held at a time of serious concern about a global financial crisis, including strong anti-globalization sentiment.

He noted that China has been in a good position while some major industrialized nations have been haunted by populism and an anti-globalization mood, citing the recent Brexit and the ongoing US presidential campaign being run by Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Both Trump and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton oppose the Trans-Pacific Partnership, a free trade agreement between the US and 11 other Pacific Rim countries.

To Li, major Western nations are gradually losing their edge while emerging markets, such as BRICS nations, have become increasingly active in the economic arena.

Unlike this year's G7 summit held in May in Japan, which is a club of developed nations, G20 includes major emerging markets. "This reflects the changing global political and economic landscape and the growing clout of the emerging markets," Li said.

China has been a major beneficiary of globalization and has been playing a big role in a wide range of areas, from the economic and trade sectors to finance and tourism, according to Li. "China believes that whether you want it or not, globalization is an inevitable trend," he said.

Under such circumstances, China can play an important role in such issues as poverty reduction and helping ensure financial stability and governance, according to Li.

Li described the anti-globalization sentiment now seen in some Western countries as a "brief interlude" and "tributary".

"The mainstream will continue to be further integration of the global economy. Isolationism is not the answer," he said.

Li believes that the world should better address any possible negative impact from globalization instead of resorting to isolationism.

The approach should be a better and more sensible global governance, a narrowing of the gap between rich and poor and also efforts to prevent possible crises caused by such things as terrorism, climate change and nuclear proliferation, according to Li.

"It is not about one country replacing another, but rather the collective leadership in global governance," Li said of the upcoming summit.

chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
Premier Li: China to continue support for UN Updated: 2016-08-26 22:57 By Hu Yongqi(chinadaily.com.cn)

Premier Li Keqiang meets with President-elect of the UN General Assembly Peter Thomson on Friday. [Liu Zhen/For China Daily]

China will firmly support the United Nations in dealing with global threats and challenges and safeguarding the postwar international order, Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday when meeting the president-elect of the UN General Assembly.

Li made the vow when meeting Peter Thomson, president-elect of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly. Thomson, permanent representative to UN of the island nation of Fiji, was elected in June and will take office next month for the one-year term.

As the permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has long been firm in upholding the authority and role of the United Nations in global affairs, Li said.

The world economy is seeing a sluggish recovery amid the challenges of terrorism, refugees and geopolitical risks, while the process of and confidence in globalization faces challenges from rising uncertain and unstable factors, he said.

China resolutely supports the UN to play a strong role in tackling global threats and challenges as the most widely participated in and authoritative intergovernment organization, he said.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Peoples Republic of Chinas resumption of its legitimate seat in the UN. For the past 45 years, China has committed to safeguarding international order centered on the UN and upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Li said.

The 71st session of the UN General Assembly prioritizes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and faces challenges posed by terrorism, refugees and infectious diseases, State Councilor Yang Jiechi said when meeting Thomson on Friday.

We will continue to uphold the authority of the UN as always, support the UNs work, strengthen and perfect global governance with other countries, promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and better realize win-win situations, Li said.

China, as a globally influential country, has played a crucial role in promoting international peace and sustainable development, Thomson said.

Li also expressed Chinas stance when meeting the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on July 8 in Beijing.

Frequent high-level exchanges between the UN and China show the importance China has attached to the UN and its recognition of the UNs achievements in global governance, said Zhu Feng, president of the Institute of International Studies at Nanjing University.

As president-elect of the UN General Assembly, Thomson needs Chinas support to achieve many of his tasks during his one-year term, said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies.

China has long contributed to the UN work, for example by dispatching the largest number of soldiers to UN peacekeeping operations among the five Security Council permanent members, said Ruan.

The UNs role has been strengthened in global governance in the 21st century and needs support from China, he said.
US should rethink its foreign policy and show restraint Updated: 2016-08-26 08:36 By Chen Weihua(China Daily USA)

When Barack Obama was first elected US president, many expected he would carry out a foreign policy that was less interventionist than his predecessor George W. Bush who ordered the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

That has been mostly true. But Obama's intervention in Libya in 2011 to remove Muammar Gadhafi, the bombing of Syria without the invitation of its legitimate government and the arming of Syrian rebels, and his drastic escalation of drone strikes in other sovereign nations have made his foreign policy less distinct from that of the Bush administration.

Even Obama admitted that US intervention in the Mideast had failed miserably in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic magazine early this year.

Those in the US who now oppose military intervention on foreign soil are largely influenced by the 7,000 deaths and more than 50,000 injuries of US soldiers and the trillions of dollars of tax payers' money. Few seem to care about the much higher human and economic costs on the countries concerned, not to mention the pro-longed psychological trauma among the local populations.

However, it might be unfair to blame the US public for this because major TV net-works don't cover the conflict zones much, especially ground scenes after US bombing. People get far more news about Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria by watching CCTV, BBC, RT, France 24 or NHK.

When US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton begin their first presidential debate at Hofstra University on Sept 26, foreign policy is unlikely to be a major focus. Economy, immigration policy and other domestic issues and even their personalities will get more time.

However, there is deep concern inside and outside the US about Clinton's hawkish track record. She has supported almost all the recent US wars, and as secretary of state, she was the one behind the regime change in Libya. One US foreign policy expert I met on Wednesday described her as "more hawkish than most people in DC".

While disapproving of Clinton, he won't endorse Trump either, calling him isolationist.

That is probably not isolationist in dictionary meaning, but relative to the excessive US interventionism in the past decades.

Trump might be less hawkish than Clinton if elected because he is a businessman and not an ideologue. For a businessman, there is usually a deal to be made and a solution to be found.

Concerned about both Trump and Clinton, a group of scholars at Cato Institute believe the US needs a major foreign policy change to alter the bipartisan consensus that the US is an indispensable nation.

The experts contend that while the end of Cold War ushered in a unipolar world, which suggested US foreign policy would be easier to manage, events in the last 15 years have proved otherwise.

In their report, Our Foreign Policy Choices: Rethinking America's Global Role, the experts believe that the US cannot rely on business-as-usual foreign policy but must seek alternative approaches that better suit the complexities of the 21st century.

The report criticizes the current US grand strategy, known as liberal hegemony, as it demands a massive, forward military deployment. They argue such a strategy tempts policymakers to use force even when vital US interests are not threatened.

For Christopher Preble, vice-president for defense and foreign policy studies at Cato and one of the authors of the report, the ability to act does not translate into the ability to solve problems.

Emphasizing that the US' global influence is strongest when spread by peaceful, rather than military, means, the choices the authors provide are based on a grand strategy of restraint.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 08/26/2016 page17)
Britain should make clear that the Hinkley review is for economic, not security, reasons, says leading business figure

Peter Batey, one of the most senior British figures in the China business community, says British Prime Minister Theresa May should not listen to junior advisers when determining Sino-UK relations.

The British government has been accused of Sinophobia over the decision to review whether to build the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station in which China would be a major investor.

Peter Batey believes there could eventually be a second EU referendum and people may decide to remain. Wang Zhuangfei / China Daily

May's chief of staff Nick Timothy is said to want a more distant relationship with China than the one envisaged when Chinese President Xi Jinping visited Britain in October.

"I would hope that ministers were making these decisions, not 30-year-old kids who have these advisory positions in No 10 (Downing Street)," he says.

Batey, who is founder and chairman of Vermilion Partners, and who was a political private secretary to former British prime minister Edward Heath, says the British government needs to make clear the review is taking place for economic and not security considerations if it is to avoid damaging relations between the two countries. May has now attempted to dampen down the controversy with a personal letter delivered to the Chinese President.

"I think there will be tremendous damage to the bilateral relationship if it doesn't go ahead. The government should say plainly it is an economic issue, not let this impression build up that it's a security one instead.

"There really ought to be some consistency between the position of one Conservative government and the next. I don't like to see these great oscillations in policy. After all, a British government made this (the Hinkley Point investment) a central feature of the Chinese president's state visit, so they have to recognize their actions have consequences for leaders of other countries as well."

Batey, a former chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, who last year was awarded the Companion of the Order of St. Michael and St. George for services to Sino-UK relations, says it is wrong to present former prime minister David Cameron and chancellor George Osborne in wanting to deepen UK-China relations as following an outlier strategy.

"Is it not consistent with the approach of, say, the Germans to China? They have maintained a close relationship with China over a far longer period than we have. Look at the number of visits Chancellor Angela Merkel makes to China."

Batey, 58, who was speaking in his offices in Beijing's China World complex, says the China row only compounds Britain's decision to leave the European Union in the June referendum.

"I saw there was a headline running across the bottom of the screen this morning saying that Nissan is now worried about its investment in Sunderland (the Japanese car maker has its largest European manufacturing base near the city). This is close to my heart because I come from that part of the world.

"The great irony of it all is that it is these people in the northeast who voted for Brexit. They have benefited enormously from Britain's membership of the European Union but they simply didn't see it that way."

Batey believes the decision was a "leap in the dark" for many people who voted to leave because they were "not happy with their lot" rather than on any particular view about the EU.

He believes ultimately - despite what the politicians currently say - there could eventually be a second EU referendum, and people may decide to remain.

"We've first got to ask ourselves whether Brexit will happen and what form it will take. People knew what they had when they were in the European Union, or thought they did, but they didn't really know what they were going to have in terms of coming out.

"The government is now seeking to craft the package, in which one of the most important issues will be whether we remain part of the single market. It may want to put that to the people whether through a general election or a further referendum. It may dawn on people that if we want to remain in the single market, they might be better off remaining in the European Union."

Batey, who is from Consett in County Durham and studied philosophy, politics and economics at Oxford University, is celebrating 30 years in China this year. He first arrived to work as a representative for accountants Arthur Andersen.

He set up Vermilion Partners in 2004 and has been involved in a number of high-profile investment deals involving China and the UK. His firm advised on the acquisition of English Premier League side West Bromwich Albion by Chinese entrepreneur Guochuan Lai, which was announced earlier this month.

One of the big concerns about the UK leaving the EU is how it will impact on Chinese investment in Britain.

"It certainly might affect it. One of the reasons why companies from China or Asia - although not the only reason - invest in the UK is to have access to the European market.

"On the other hand, China has been very successful in the European market anyway. What is driving most of China's outbound mergers and acquisitions at the moment is not really market access but the acquisition of technology. The problem area for the UK could be financial services, whether institutions who base themselves in London can passport their operations anywhere else in the European Union. So far, however, there hasn't been an enormous amount of Chinese investment in the financial services sector."

The UK leaving the EU has a personal dimension for Batey as it was his former prime minister boss who was the undoubted driving force behind the country joining the then Common Market in 1973.

Batey has been instrumental in preserving Heath's legacy, being now behind the charitable foundation trust to preserve the prime minister's former home Arundells in Salisbury as a visitor attraction. This year is the centenary of his birth and there will be an event in Beijing next month to celebrate this.

Does the Brexit decision affect his legacy?

"Well, look in terms of anybody's legacy, we were a member of the European Union from 1973 and to at least 2016 and beyond. I think membership has contributed greatly to the prosperity of this country for that period. I think that in itself is a substantial legacy."

He believes those who think Britain can create some new great Commonwealth trading bloc involving Canada, New Zealand and Australia are not living in the real world.

"It is a folly. The Australian economy is only a fraction of the size of the British economy and you have to look also at the distances involved."

Batey insists that being a member of the European Union never prevented Britain doing trade with whoever it liked anyway.

"In many ways we had the absolute perfect deal with the European Union, which is what makes it all such a shame. We had the bits of Europe that we wanted and not the bits we didn't want. We weren't in the single currency, nor part of the Schengen passport area and we had opted out of ever-closer union."

andrewmoody@chinadaily.com.cn
Rooted in China, tai chi branches out Updated: 2016-08-26 12:05 By Linda Deng in Seattle(China Daily USA)

A direct descendant of one of the martial arts' legendary founders, Yang Jun carries on a tradition

Seattle is not only the city where Chinese movie legend Bruce Lee launched his first martial arts studio and developed his kung fu philosophy, it's also where the North American headquarters of Yang Chengfu Tai Chi Chuan Centers are.

Tai chi chuan, popularly known as tai chi, a traditional form of martial arts developed in China over 5,000 years, combines slow, deliberate, low-impact movement, meditation and breathing exercises.

Graham Andrews, a former software engineer at Microsoft and current graduate student in public policy at the University of Washington, has been enrolled in a tai chi class for two months at the Yang Chengfu Center in Redmond, where the Microsoft campus is located.

"As a professional going back to school, I have a much more stressful life," he said. "So I wanted to find something that's relaxing and meditative."

In the West, tai chi has become a more accepted method of exercise to promote physical and psychological well-being. Classes are available at countless senior centers, as well as a growing number of hospitals, as both a preventative and rehabilitative therapy.

According to a National Health Interview Survey, an estimated 2.5 million people practice tai chi in the US.

"Martial arts, relaxation, physical and mental practice," Andrews said, summing up tai chi's appeal.

Andrews said the Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan center was well known. "If you want to learn authentic tai chi chuan, you have to either go to China or come to this school," he said.

The Yang family style of tai chi is the most popular and widely practiced style in the world today and the second in terms of seniority among the primary five family styles of tai chi.

Born in 1968 in Taiyuan, Master Yang Jun is a sixth-generation descendant of the creator of the Yang style of tai chi. Since 1995, he has served as vice-president of operations and training of the Shanxi Province Yang Style Tai Chi Chuan Association with more than 30,000 members in his home province of Shanxi. In October 1998, Yang Jun created the International Association and has served as president since.

The first Yang Chengfu Tai Chi Chuan teaching center in the US was founded in 1995 by masters Yang Zhenduo and Yang Jun and their students.

Yang had been trained by his grandfather, Master Yang Zhenduo, since age 5 to carry on the Yang family traditions. He is certified as the highest level judge in China and served as head judge for the 1998 National Tai Chi Competition in China. In 1995, he was given the title Shanxi Province Famous Wushu Master by the Chinese Wushu Academy. In July 2009, he was named head of Yang Family Tai Chi Chuan.

In August 1999, with only four suitcases and the dream of spreading tai chi chuan abroad, Yang moved to Seattle with his wife Fang Hong to establish a school.

"We came with the goal of better promoting teaching and awareness throughout the country," Yang said, recalling how their school started from scratch.

They had only three students enrolled in their first classes in Chinatown. Now they have 40 centers, hundreds of schools and thousands of members in 18 countries including the United States, Britain, Germany, Sweden, Italy, France, Switzerland, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and more.

A major factor contributing to the spread of the Yang style in the US has been the immigration of Yang style masters over the past century.

"My granduncle moved from Guangxi to Hong Kong in the 1930s," Yang said. "Dong Yinjie (1891-1960), one of my grandfather's senior disciples, also moved to Hong Kong. From there, more and more disciples of Yang brought tai chi chuan to the West."

Patrick Watson (1935-1992), one of Zheng's eight senior students, founded the School of Tai Chi Chuan (STCC) specifically to train teachers to teach Yang-style tai chi in 1976.

Three years later, he founded the Tai Chi Foundation Inc in New York, which now manages all teaching, training, research and development. Over the next 16 years, Patrick guided the growth of the STCC into an international school with branches in seven countries.

According to their 2014 annual report, the school of tai chi founded by Watson has trained about 50,000 individuals. Last summer, the foundation sponsored four international intensive training sessions including two in the US - in Chicago and in Whidbey Island, Washington.

Yang has been teaching seminars overseas with his grandfather for more than 20 years.

"My goal is to help build up the standard of training for the future," Yang said. "Tai chi chuan is complicated. In the past, there was no system, no way to give the Yang style continuity. That's a real challenge."

Because of its complex philosophy, tai chi is not easy for the beginner to understand.

"Thanks to the internet, today more and more people can learn something about tai chi chuan and know what to expect when they step into class," Yang said. "But still tai chi chuan is not an easy art."

"Because of tai chi chuan's complexity, the best way to promote and spread it is to create more good instructors," Yang said.

In the US, tai chi instructors don't have to be licensed, and its practice is not regulated.

"We have tried to standardize a tai chi chuan ranking system and offer certification to teach through the teacher-training program," Yang said.

The international association in China is in the process of implementing a ranking system for tai chi to establish a standardized training system for Yang style tai chi.

There are nine ranks assigned according to a variety of factors, including the amount of time spent practicing, the level of skill and theory attained, achievements in research, the degree to which the moral code of martial arts is followed and contributions made to developing Yang style tai chi.

"I think tai chi chuan has a big future in the US," Andrews said. "Americans are known for being under stress, and tai chi chuan is good for stress. And tai chi is good for people getting older. They will tell you in the hospital (if you are falling) to go to a tai chi class to keep joints working and good balance," Andrews said.

Tai chi is not easy. "It is comparatively difficulty, especially for beginners," Yang said. "You have to understand the philosophy and meditation part before you actually benefit from it. The practice of tai chi chuan is based on several principles, including mindfulness, breathing awareness, active relaxation to go with the slow movements."

lindadeng@chinadailyusa.com
US to China and Back Again Updated: 2016-08-26 12:05 By Hong Xiao(China Daily USA)

Children who were "satellite babies" sing, dance and play with toys at the Chinese-American Planning Council in New York City.

They are born in the US to Chinese immigrant parents and sent to China to live with

relatives until they are old enough to return to America to attend school. The trauma that both children and parents experience can be life long, Hong Xiao reports from New York.

Lindy Tse can't forget the first night when the couple brought her back to the US from Fujian province at age 4. She cried silently all night because she didn't want to cause them any trouble. She thought they were total strangers. They were her parents.

Tracy Lam still remembers feeling "unknown" when she was brought back to the US from China at the age of 5. She didn't know the two strangers standing in front of her, even though she called them "Mom" and "Dad".

Lindy and Tracy are "satellite babies" - children born in the United States to Chinese immigrant parents who worked long hours and couldn't afford child care. So they were sent back to China when they were infants, raised by relatives, typically grandparents, and returned to the US to enroll in school when they were 5 or 6. Some parents of satellite babies also choose to send their children back to China in part to preserve their culture.

It took one year for Tse to speak to her father. "I think it was because we both lost four years that could be important to our relationship," said Tse, now 16.

Lam, 17, said, "Sometimes I still feel a distant connection between me and my parents. I just don't know how to show my emotion to them."

David Chen's parents sent him to China's Fujian province to be raised by his grandparents when he was less than a year old. At the age of 5, Chen's parents brought him back the US to enroll in school in New York City.

'Suicidal thoughts'

Chen said the separation from his grandparents, the difficulties of learning English and a bully at school made him have suicidal thoughts in the third grade.

"I definitely had emotions bottled up. I kept everything inside," said Chen, now 24 and a medical student at Touro College in Middletown, New York.

When Chen lived with his parents, they worked 14 hours a day spread out at several restaurants, often seven days a week.

He said he didn't display his feelings or thoughts to them: "I didn't know who they were. They were strangers to me. I was pretty distant with them."

The term "satellite babies" was coined by Dr Yvonne Bohr, a clinical psychologist, and researchers at York University in Ontario, Canada, who have studied such separations since 2006.

"Babies are often sent away just around the time when they have just developed a strong attachment to their biological parents and as a result they may experience distress during [this] separation," Bohr told CBS News. "When they return, the parents in turn may expect the child to be very happy to be home, often not understanding that for that child this isn't home anymore."

In 2016, film director Jenny Schweitzer's nine minute long documentary Satellite Baby focused on the trauma that the children experienced after being shuttled between two worlds.
Arts festival aims to unite cultures Updated: 2016-08-26 10:06 (chinadaily.com.cn)

Luo Linquan, the Consul General of Chinese Consulate in San Francisco, kicks off the third Across the Pacific Chinese Art Festival on Thursday in San Francisco. The festival will feature 12 cultural events throughout the west coast showcasing Chinese arts. [Photo by Congjiang Wang for China Daily]

The Across the Pacific-China Arts Festival has taken on added meaning in the China-US Tourism Year.

In light of the tourism initiative, the China International Culture Association invited Chinese artists to the US to promote cultural exchange at the festival, which will take place in four cities - San Francisco, Sacramento, Seattle and now Las Vegas - from Sept 8 to Oct 23.

"The festival is the result of a healthy relationship between China and the US," Luo Linquan, Chinese consul general in San Francisco, said on Thursday at a kickoff press conference. "The consulate will continue to lead the way in promoting culture exchange providing positive energy between the two great nations."

The festival will feature performances showcasing a wide range of Chinese arts including Chinese opera and art exhibitions throughout major cities on the West Coast of the US.

"The people of China and the US desire to learn more about each other," Luo said. "I hope the festival will provide a great platform to accommodate the need."

The art festival is a legacy of the sixth China-US High-Level Consultation on People-to-People Exchange and part of the Ministry of Culture's efforts to promote Chinese art in the US.

"Culture exchange is an important bridge between the Chinese and American people promoting mutual understanding and friendship, said Xiao Xiayong, culture counselor at the consulate.

Last year's festival was held in Northern California and Seattle and featured kung fu performers from the Shaolin Temple Cultural Center in San Francisco, Anhui operas and drawing exhibitions.

This year, the festival added Las Vegas as a host city. The Shanghai Opera House will perform city an original musical depicting the story of Nie Er creating the Chinese national anthem March of the Volunteers in 1935, a troubled time as China faced foreign threats and internal struggles.

In September, former Chinese minister of culture and Nobel Literature Prize nominee Wang Meng will visit San Francisco. A prolific writer, Wang will discuss his book My 16-Year Exile in Xinjiang, an autobiography about his ordeal working manual labor in rural western China during the "cultural revolution" (1966-76).

Congjiang Wang in San Francisco contributed to this story.
China's culture edges toward US mainstream Updated: 2016-08-26 11:58 By Lia Zhu in San Francisco(China Daily USA)

Visitors experience one of the three full-size replica caves, part of the exhibition Cave Temples of Dunhuang, which runs through Sept 4 at the Getty Center in Los Angeles. The replica caves, created by artists from the Dunhuang Academy's fine arts institute, were constructed through a painstaking, multiyear process. Lia Zhu / China Daily

China's growing prominence on the world stage is leading to an avid interest in Chinese culture in the United States, particularly on the West Coast, said prominent figures from the cultural community.

This year, several special exhibitions focused on China have been displayed in San Francisco and Los Angeles, including two ancient maps crafted by Western missionaries and Chinese cartographers, on display at the Asian Art Museum from March to May, and two ongoing shows - Dunhuang cave art at the Getty Center and Chinese emperors' treasures at the Asian Art Museum.

The shows are popular with audiences, including those with no Chinese background, according to the organizers.

"We got wonderful feedback from both shows," said Jay Xu, director of the museum.

For the show on ancient maps, the visitors appreciated the interactive technologies that enabled the visitors to enlarge the map and view the translated details; the Chinese emperors' treasures show allows the audience to have an intimate visual conversation with the emperors through the art works they created or collected, he said.

Xu said the growing interest in Asian culture was a natural occurrence because Asia's economies, particularly the Chinese economy, have become part of American life.

"China becomes such a big topic in the world, and of course people will be interested in Chinese art and culture," he said.

"It's so obvious with the cultures," said Marcia Reed, chief curator of the Getty Research Institute. "I'm hoping this (the Dunhuang exhibition) is going to be a push and gives a direction."

She said the Getty Center had presented a couple of shows on China from its own collections, but she hoped the collecting of Chinese art could raise its profile on the West Coast after the Dunhuang exhibition, which will conclude next month.

"There needs to be much more of a presence, exhibitions and collections on Asian art in Los Angeles, San Francisco and other places," said Reed. "The Chinese communities are old here, since the 19th century, and we should have museums for people."

Museums could play a stronger role in improving relations, as cultural exchange is often a good way for people to communicate, said Ted Lipman, CEO of the Robert H. N. Ho Family Foundation, which sponsored both the Chinese emperors' show and the Dunhuang exhibition.

"We are often bombarded by the media with information about the economic and political relations with China, but there's not really sufficient information about cultural relations," he said. "Only through understanding culture can you better understand the country, the society."

He said it was helpful for Western audiences to be more knowledgeable about China's history and culture, because the world has become more interdependent, and China's role has become more important.

"China's culture isn't just in China - Chinese culture exists in San Francisco, Canada and Europe. The influence of Chinese culture is now very global," he added.

"I can say there's a great deal of interest in Chinese culture, which is encouraging," Lipman said. "I certainly got very good feedback from many people who have been to many of the exhibitions we supported. They are very impressed and inspired and moved by what they see."

But to Xu, the interest in Asian culture is stronger, but not strong enough yet.

"Asian art and culture has not become part of the US mainstream culture. There's more to do," he said, adding that his museum has a 10-year plan to continually present major exhibitions from China.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
Goings on (San Francisco)

Updated: 2016-08-26 12:05

(China Daily USA)

Thanks with a smile - San Francisco

Chinese Consul General in San Francisco Luo Linquan (center) hosts a banquet to thank the Alliance for Smile for what it has done for Chinese children over the years, on Aug 19 in San Francisco. The Alliance for Smile is a San Franciscobased non-profit that provides free cleft lip and palate surgery to impoverished children around the world. Chang Jun / China Daily
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Kenya Power to replace fuel with gas in its transformers to curb vandalism

Kenyas power utility company, Kenya Power is set to replace oil in its transformers with gas in a bid to tame growing vandalism for fuel that has led to incessant power outages.

It has entered into an agreement with a subsidiary of Japans Toshiba Corporation to install several gas-insulated transformers on a pilot basis before going full scale.

The transformers will use carbon dioxide as opposed to oil. Vandals eye the toxic oil that is drawn from transformers, which is reportedly used for frying food in roadside stalls.

The deal will also see the India-based subsidiary, Toshiba Transmission & Distribution Systems (TTDI), install more efficient units dubbed amorphous distribution transformers, to reduce electricity losses due to equipment inefficiencies.

These efforts aim to strengthen power supply and reduce losses as the network grows in tandem with increased [numbers of] customers, Kenya Power managing director Ben Chumo said during the signing ceremony in Nairobi.

Kenya Power is losing $172 million annually through electricity thefts and leakages from an ageing transmission network, translating to lost earnings to shareholders of the listed utility.

The company is now banking on the use of the more efficient transformers and a reduced length of transmission lines to cut the losses to below 10 per cent.

This is the latest in a string of initiatives by the utility to stop the theft of transformers, which is partly to blame for blackouts.

The power distributor recently started placing transformers above live wires to curb their theft. The World Bank says Kenyans stay without power for 25 days a year on average due to blackouts.

Kenya Power has had to contend with increasing connections, particularly in rural areas, pushing the number of households on the grid to 4.9 million from one million in 2010.

The number is set to grow even further with the rollout of the Last Mile connectivity project where homes will be connected to the national grid at Sh15,000 down from Sh35,000. The India-based TTDI has been supplying Kenya Power with transformers since 2004.

This deal reflects Kenya Powers positive evaluation of TTDIs high quality products and of our proposal to contribute towards achieving stable electricity supply, said TTDI managing director Katsutoshi Toda.

In 2012, replacing transformers cost Kenya Power $4 million. Kenya Power has had some success fighting transformer vandalism in recent years.

In 2013, 535 transformers were vandalised across the country, down from 898 in 2011.

www.kplc.co.ke
Samsung SDS, the Korean conglomerates information and communications technology (ICT) and logistics arm, will enter the Vietnamese market through a joint venture with Aviation Logistics Service (ALS).  Photo cafef.vn

HA NOI  Samsung SDS, the Korean conglomerates information and communications technology (ICT) and logistics arm, will enter the Vietnamese market through a joint venture with Aviation Logistics Service (ALS).

The news was officially released on the Samsung SDS website last week, explaining that it will establish a joint venture in Viet Nam and boost its presence in the Southeast Asian logistics market.

This is the second joint venture in Southeast Asia for Samsung SDS, following the joint venture it established last month with Thailands leading customs clearance company, ACUTECH.

Viet Nam is considered to have significant potential in logistics. According to Samsung SDS the rapid growth of its logistics market, at 15 to 20 per cent per year, influenced its decision to establish the joint venture.

Thanks to recent changes in the international trade environment relating to the TPP and the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), global companies are or are at least considering relocating their manufacturing facilities to Viet Nam, which has led to increasing FDI and trade volumes.

Kim Hyung Tae, Executive Vice President of Samsung SDSs Smart Logistics Business Unit, said that considering ALSs local network and diverse business capabilities, it decided that Viet Nam was its most optimal partner. With this agreement we will continue to expand our business in the Southeast Asian market, he added.

Samsung SDS plans to provide an integrated logistics service, including global and inland transportation, warehousing services, and customs brokerage, while utilising ALSs customer network along with attracting potential customers by strengthening its external sales force through the partnership.

The rapid growth of Viet Nams export-oriented manufacturing sector has boosted demand for logistics services but the local logistics sector has largely failed to fully meet this demand. Many enterprises are therefore looking for opportunities to enter the sector.

According to the Viet Nam Logistics Business Association, logistics costs in Viet Nam represent 25 per cent of annual GDP, significantly higher than in countries such as the US, China and Thailand. When the TPP officially comes into being, the tariffs on tens of thousands of goods will gradually come down to zero per cent, boosting Viet Nams imports and exports and requiring a logistics sector that can cope.

ALS was founded in July 2013 to invest and manage the ALS cargo terminal at Noi Bai, which has become a key link in supply chain services. It has made significant contributions to improving the quality and capacity of air cargo at the airport and become the leading cargo handling operator of international standard in Viet Nam. - VNS
HCM CITY  Many international technology corporations are offering to review businesses network security after Vietnam Airlines was hacked recently.

CMC Telecom, a distributor for many multinational technology corporations like IBM, Cisco, Dell, Microsoft, Oracle, EMC, Diebold, VmWare, will soon help companies review security gaps in their information technology administration and suggest ways to protect themselves from network attacks.

We will provide professional information about network security for businesses and comprehensive methods to protect their database, applications and information technology infrastructure, ang Tung Son, deputy director of CMC Telecom, told au tu (Viet Nam Investment Review) newspaper.

He revealed that free software on the internet not from prestigious companies often contain viruses and malware, and is the best place for hackers to enter businesses systems.

A recent survey found that businesses using such software lose 73 per cent of their database and recover less than half, he claimed.

Besides, the possibility of affected companies spreading the viruses to their partners and customers is big, he said.

Using software without copyright quickly spreads viruses and malware to the community.

Vu Minh Tri, general director of Microsoft Viet Nam, said businesses should improve their awareness of copyright-protected software.

Only by using copyright-protected software can business database and information get the best protection against viruses and malware.

Security experts said spending on IT systems should be considered a long-term investment that can increase businesses technological strength and raise their prestige and partners and customers trust in them.

Many Vietnamese businesses, like many others in the world, cannot build a comprehensive IT protection system by themselves because of limited technology and lack of skilled human resources.

It is time for the Vietnamese business community to think about how to properly invest in IT systems, Tri said.

The most important task right now is ensuring safety for IT systems, improving protection before more sophisticated network attacks occur.

According to a recent report by Russias Kaspersky Lab, Viet Nam ranks third in the world in terms of threats when accessing the internet, with 35 per cent of users having been attacked.

According to statistics from the Viet Nam Computer Emergency Response Teams, Viet Nam suffered 31,500 network attacks last year. -- VNS
HCM CITY  Exporters should carefully check the background of new customers and the terms before signing export contracts, a conference on risk management in international trade heard from bitter business executives.

Organised by the Handicraft and Wood Industry Association of HCM City (Hawa) in HCM City on Wednesday, the conference was held soon after a major trade dispute broke out between Czech furniture distributor Global Home S.R.O. and many Vietnamese woodworking companies.

ong Nai-based furniture maker Gia Han Ltd Co had been the first to accuse Global Home of not making payments.

Nguyen Huu Ngoc, the companys director, said Gia Han signed a contract with Global Home to export furniture in 2012.

As of July last year the Czech company had owed his company US$493,000.

It had also ordered another consignment of wooden products worth $280,000 but failed to take delivery. As a result, the items remain in stock, causing his company losses, he said.

His executives tried to meet Global Homes CEO Otto De Jager many times, but the latter refused, saying his company had not paid because of quality problems.

Gia Han has since complained to the provincial Police.

Executives of many other companies like Viet-My Co and Ha Noi-based Cuu Long Furniture Company said they are in a similar plight as Gia Han.

Nguyen The Truyen of Thien Thanh Law Office, who provided legal consultancy to Gia Han, said after seeing its contract with Global Home, he realised that many provisions were inimical to Gia Han, including the fact it was in English and based on British law and the international arbiter in case of a dispute was in Hong Kong.

Instituting arbitration proceedings in Hong Kong would cost Gia Han a lot of time and money, he said.

Truyen said many Vietnamese businesses only pay attention to the pricing and payment terms and not other provisions.

Pham Ngoc Hung, deputy chairman of the HCM City Union of Business Associations, said a dearth of new contracts means many businesses are happy to get whatever they can and so mainly pay attention to delivery date and payment and not other conditions.

Viet Nam has the International Arbitration Centre attached to the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and businesses can choose it to resolve disputes.

Tran Quoc Manh, Hawa deputy chairman, said importers and exporters should have staff well versed in foreign trade.

They should consult lawyers if the contracts are large, he said, adding that they should pay close attention to dispute-related provisions.

Nguyen Chien Thang, a former Hawa chairman, said firms need to carefully study information about new customers to ensure they do not deal with dubious companies.

Delegates agreed that business groups play a very important role in their industry and called for holding more meetings to share information or provide warnings to help their members avoid risks.

The Hawa office, where the meeting was going on, had a visitor at the same time: De Jager, who came to meet Huynh Van Hanh, another deputy Hawa chairman.

Hanh said he had rejected Gia Hans charges and said it had been putting undue pressure on him, and furnished documents related to dispute with Gia Han and other companies.

He had told the visitor that the association received complaints and documents from several Vietnamese companies though it does not have the power to resolve the disputes, he said.

De Jager promised to come again two weeks later to work with the association on the problem.  VNS
HAI PHONG - The European  Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) would promote the flow of high-quality investments from the EU into the country with commitments on goods and services market access, the opening of Government procurement, investment policies and policy transparency.

This was heard at a seminar entitled European Union-Viet Nam Free Trade Agreement: Whats in it for me? held in the northern Hai Phong Port City to learn about what the trade pact entails.

The event, jointly held by EuroCham, Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industrys Hai Phong branch, and Deep C Industrial Zone, attracted more than 80 representatives from companies in the city, Ha Noi and from EU countries embassies in Viet Nam. The seminar therefore gave audiences an insight into changes in trading regulations, market access, regional implications and expectations from the European business community in Viet Nam.

EVFTA will come into force from 2018, connecting Viet Nam - one of ASEANs most dynamic manufacturing hubs with the EU  one of the world biggest markets with GDP of over US$18 trillion, accounting for 22 per cent of the worlds total GDP and a population of over 500 million people.

EU is a common market with 28 member countries and 508 million people. Goods imported into the EU would have to meet strict standards. However, once the country meets the standards, goods will be able to access all EU member markets, said Miriam Garcia Ferrer, head of the trade section of the EU Delegation in Viet Nam.

Once the EVFTA agreement goes into effect, the EU will eliminate import duties on approximately 85.6 per cent of its tariffs lines on Vietnamese products. After seven years, 99 per cent of EU tariffs will be removed for Vietnamese products. Vietnamese textiles, footwear, and seafood products (except for canned tuna and fish balls) will incur no import duties within seven years after the agreement takes effect.

Viet Nam will eliminate 65 per cent of its import duties on EU items and has drawn up a roadmap to eliminate tariffs (over 99 per cent) over 10 years. The remaining export items will be offered tariff quotas with an import duty of zero per cent.

According to Claudio Dordi, EU-MUTRAP Project team leader, the EVFTA benefits are not only limited to tariffs, but it would also contribute to eliminating other trade barriers and benefit member countries.

Viet Nam in the past few years has been one of the most active players in negotiating and implementing free trade agreements, emphasising its privileged position and potential in becoming the worlds manufacturing and trading hub.

The EU is currently Viet Nams second biggest export market and Viet Nam is EUs 11th biggest source of import. About 900 European enterprises have invested in Viet Nam, making it the destination in South East Asia with the largest European business community.

This relationship has huge potential for improvement under this important agreement. It can open for European exporters markets that have FTAs with ASEAN but not with the EU, such as China, India and Australia. Rules of origin are challenges but also opportunities. They give extra incentives to attract supporting industries into Viet Nam, improving the supply chain and localisation rates.

Realising this trend, Deep C Industrial Zones also organised a tour of the industrial zone to give investors an idea how it actually works on the field and the development pace of the city with the upcoming Lach Huyen Deep Sea Port. Opportunities and challenges are there for players who are poised to take them. -- VNS
HA NOI  Writer Bao Ninh, who penned Noi Buon Chien Tranh (The Sorrow of War), will receive a noble literary award in South Korea on September 2.

The Sim Hun Literary Award is given to Asian writers who have shown great interest in peace and justice through their literary works. The candidates must have at least 10 years of literary experience and have published a major work within the last three years. The award is named after Sim Hun or Sim Dae-seop (1901-1936) a Korean patriotic novelist, poet and playwright.

It started in 2014 with the first award going to Jo Jung-rae, the author of popular history saga Taebaek Mountain Range; and Ko Un, a poet who has been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature for many times.

The award, which is worth 20 million won (US$19,500) in cash, is jointly organised by the Asia Culture Network, founded in 2005, with the aim to research Asian culture and create an exchange between cultural activists in the region.

The Asia Publishers, which comes under the network, has published many works by Asian authors including The Sorrow of War by Bao Ninh and Canh ong Bat Tan (The Floating Lives) by Nguyen Ngoc Tu.

Ninh whose real name is Hoang Au Phuong, was born in 1952. He is a novelist, essayist and writer of short stories, best known for his first novel The Sorrow of War.

During the anti-American War, he served in the 27th Youth Volunteer Brigade. Of the five hundred who went to war with the brigade in 1969, he is one of ten who survived.

World famous: The Sorrow of War written by Bao Ninh.  Photo indenpendent.co.uk

In his novel, he provides a strikingly honest look at how the war forever changed his life, his country, and the people who live there. Originally published against government wishes in Viet Nam because of its non-ideological tone, The Sorrow of War has won worldwide acclaim and become a bestseller

It has been translated and published in 18 countries worldwide.

The novel has brought fame for writer Bao Ninh. He confessed that after it, he hasnt been able to match the level of The Sorrow of War.

I compare everything I write to everything I wrote in the past, and its not natural like it was before, he said.

Ninh now writes short stories and essays rather than novels. After The Sorrow of War, he became famous, so people know about him and other writers respect him.

When Ninh wrote the book, 15 years after the war ended, the emotions of the war among Vietnamese people, and the relationship between the US and Viet Nam was different than it is now.

Last year, Frank Palmos, the Australian war correspondent during the war in Viet Nam and translated the book into English, visited Ha Noi. Now a historian and teaching The Sorrow of War at universities in Australia, Palmos met with Bao Ninh. They continued talking about the novel after nearly 20 years apart.

Ninh told Palmos that the novel reflected sad stories of the past. Its time to stop being haunted by it and think of the future.  VNS
HA NOI  A fine arts and photo exhibition on General Vo Nguyen Giap (1911-2013) has opened in downtown Ha Noi to celebrate his birth anniversary that falls on August 25.

Entitled Vo Nguyen Giap  Portrait of a Legend, the exhibition has more than 100 photos showcasing the general in the wars against the French and American forces, his efforts to protect the nations sovereignty over the sea and islands as well as his relationship with the Vietnamese people and friends abroad.

The images show glimpses of the generals life, the revolutionary career of a distinguished military commander and a sincere person.

There are also new photos of a park named after him on Son Ca Island of Truong Sa (Spratly) Archipelago, along with sculptures and paintings of the general and a large portrait of him made of smaller photos.

The exhibition is a joint effort of the Vietnam News Agency Photography Centre and Tan Ha Noi Art Ltd Company. It will run till August 29 at 45 Trang Tien Street before being presented as a gift to the residents of Truong Sa Archipelago.  VNS
ao Quang Vinh, Director of the Institute of Labour Science and Social Affairs, speaks to the newspaper Kinh te & o thi (Economic and Urban Affairs) about the importance of learning a foreign language for job seekers.

Results of the recent high school graduation exams showed students marks for English were very low. In your opinion, what can we do to improve English language skills?

I should say that one of the weakest points of Vietnamese workers, in this time of deep international integration, is their foreign language capacity and ability.

The only way to improve foreign language skills is to attend either formal or informal classes. Particularly, at general schools, the timetabling for foreign languages should be more intensive. Meanwhile, at colleges or universities, foreign language must be a compulsory subject with standard sets of input and output criteria.

As we all know, Viet Nam is a member of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), we want our working people to go to work in any other AEC member country, so English or another foreign language will become compulsory.

At the recent school graduation exam, 32 per cent of 12th graders  equal to 286,000 students, attended the exam in order to get the high school graduation certificates. In your opinion, what should vocational schools do to attract these students?

We dont expect that all students attending the school graduation exams will go to universities, colleges or vocational schools. But, to my knowledge, students who have good academic records will go to universities or colleges while the others may apply for vocational schools or join the labour force immediately.

Experiences from other countries show that students taking on vocational training have achieved comparable success to their university/college peers.

In other words, learning is a life time opportunity for everyone. For those who cant go to university immediately after graduation from general school, they can still apply for an advance degree course later in life.

In reality, quite a lot of high school graduates have joined the labour force immediately, particularly at joint foreign venture companies. Do you think there will be some labour disadvantages for them in terms of labour safety skills?

Before joining the labour force, all newcomers have to attend a certain course on labour safety skills. But, in reality, there is a high turn over of labour in Viet Nam, particularly in unskilled jobs. This is true of workers at foreign invested enterprises.

In my opinion, in the case of secondary graduates, they should follow a job skill training course  a very important pass for them to secure a sustainable job.

On the side of the employers, its their responsibility to give short job training courses for newly recruited workers.

What is your advice for students who only want to have a high school certificate?

The high school certificate is an important paper indicating that he/she has completed the general school programme. But in anyones life, acquiring a job certificate is a must. The job certificate will help them have a sustainable job and good earning potential.  VNS
President Tran ai Quang

HA NOI  The visits to Brunei and Singapore by President Tran ai Quang, which start today, aim to realise foreign policy goals set by the 12th Party Congress and deepen relations with the two ASEAN countries.

Viet Nam and Brunei established diplomatic ties on February 29, 1992. Since then, the two countries have regularly exchanged visits.

Bilateral economic, trade and investment co-operation has made big strides with two-way trade jumping from US$24.2 million in 2010 to $73.7 million in 2015. The figure hit $17 million as of June 2016.

Viet Nam mainly exports seafood and rice to Brunei while importing chemicals from the country.

As of June 2016, Brunei has 205 projects valued at more than $2.18 billion in Viet Nam, ranking 18th out of 116 countries and territories investing in the country and fourth among other ASEAN investors, behind Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

Viet Nam has one project worth $650,000 in Brunei, specialising in metals and chemicals.

The two countries also hold potential for co-operation in fisheries, real estate and education-training.

The two sides inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on educational co-operation in April 2014. Apart from scholarships granted to Vietnamese students to study in Brunei, the country has also offered oil and English scholarships to Viet Nam.

The two sides have also signed a range of agreements and MoUs on tourism, aviation and trade.

Besides Brunei, Singapore will be one of the first countries President Tran ai Quang visits after taking office. The three-day official visit will start from August 28.

"That President Quang has chosen to visit Singapore early in his Presidential term is testament to the strength and importance of our bilateral relations," said Foreign Minister of Singapore Vivian Balakrishnan in an interview with Vietnam News Agency.

Bilateral trade has grown steadily over the last decade, amounting to $21.6 billion with a 10.6 per cent increase year-on-year in 2015, he said.

"As Viet Nams economy scales up the value chain, Singapore companies continue to be interested in many opportunities in the country, including in high-tech innovation parks," the minister said.

Singapore is Viet Nams third largest investor, behind Japan and the Republic of Korea, with total investment of $36 billion, said Vietnamese Ambassador to Singapore Nguyen Tien Minh.

Singapore had capital and experience in economic development and nation-building while Viet Nam boasted an abundant labour force and rich natural resources, he said.

Working together, the two countries aim to access not only their respective markets but the ASEAN Economic Community, ASEANs six partner countries and members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreements at large, he noted.  VNS
President Tran ai Quang meets with overseas Vietnamese ambassadors and chief representatives, who returned home to attend the on-going 29th Diplomatic Conference.  Photo nhandan.com.vn

HA NOI  President Tran ai Quang has urged Vietnamese representative offices abroad to continue prioritising matters that serve Viet Nams sustainable development and raise the countrys standing in the world arena.

He made the remarks at a meeting yesterday with overseas Vietnamese ambassadors and chief representatives, who returned home to attend the on-going 29th Diplomatic Conference.

The head of State requested the offices to intensify fundamental research and strategic forecasting, and co-ordinate with competent local agencies to advise the Party and the State about the issuance of diplomatic policies and guidelines on the back of unexpected and complicated developments in regional and international situations.

These offices were asked to perform their role diligently in deepening co-operation and friendship between Viet Nam and foreign countries.

The President emphasised the co-ordination between representative offices abroad and ministries, agencies and localities at home in promoting collaboration in trade, investment and science-technology between Viet Nam and other nations, seeking promising partners to join the global value chain, and mobilising the support of foreign non-governmental organisations for national economic development and social welfare.

Cultural diplomacy and foreign news also require more attention as they help promote the history, culture, land and people of Viet Nam, he said, stressing the need to boost the affiliation in education-training to improve the quality of human resources, along with people-to-people exchanges.

He reminded the diplomats of adhering to lessons passed down by previous generations regarding the struggle for national liberation, sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as the combination between economy, culture, national defence, security and foreign affairs, and applying them in the new context.

The ambassadors and chief representatives expressed their resolve in fulfilling tasks assigned by the Party, State and people, helping to promote Viet Nams position globally.

A day earlier they also had a meeting with National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan.

The five-day biennial conference of the diplomatic sector opened on Monday with the purpose of seeking measures to increase the efficiency of external activities and international integration to successfully realise the 12th National Party Congress Resolution.  VNS
BINH THUAN  The Peoples Court of the central Binh Thuan Province yesterday sentenced Nguyen Tho to 20 years in prison for a murder and robbery that he committed 18 years ago.

Tho must also pay VN 124 million (US$5,590) and a gold ring as compensation to the victims family.

Thos case drew nationwide attention as it was related to the wrongful conviction of Huynh Van Nen, who spent more than 17 years in jail before being declared innocent and freed from prison last December.

At the trial yesterday, Tho, 40, pleaded guilty to the murder and robbery.

He admitted that on the evening of April 23, 1998, he and his accomplice Ho Thanh Viet broke into the house of Le Thi Bong, who lived in the same neighbourhood. After being discovered by Bong, Tho and Viet used a wire to strangle Bong to death and took her gold ring.

After the murder, Tho and Viet fled the locality. Viet later died of illness in 2001, while Tho changed his named and traveled from place to place in several southern provinces and Cambodia.

Tho said at the trial he did not know that Nen had been sent to jail for the crime.

On October 10, 2015, Tho gave himself up to the police and confessed his crime, which was considered as an extenuating circumstance at the trial.

Nen was arrested in May 1998 for the murder and robbery charge. In 2000, Binh Thuan Province Peoples Court sentenced him to life imprisonment for murdering Bong and also condemned him to six years in jail for killing another woman in 1993, which was also proved to be an incorrect conviction later.

After Thos confession, Nen was cleared of the crime and freed from prison. He received a public apology from the provincial Peoples Court, the provincial Procuracy Office and the Police Department.

He and the Binh Thuan Province Peoples Court have been negotiating to decide on a compensation claim of VN 18 billion ($806,900) that Nen wants for his 17 years in jail.  VNS
BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN  President Tran ai Quang arrived in Bandar Seri Begawan, the capital city of Brunei, yesterday, beginning a three-day State-level visit to the country.

The President was met at the airport by Brunei Minister of Education Pehin Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman, Brunei Ambassador to Viet Nam Pengiran Sahari Pengiran Salleh, Vietnamese Ambassador to Brunei Nguyen Truong Giang, and officials from the Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei, the Brunei Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Royal Brunei Armed Forces.

The visit aims to continue implementing the diplomatic guidelines set by the 12th National Congress of the Communist Party of Viet Nam as well as deepen international relations and reinforce the friendship and multi-faceted cooperation with Brunei.

Viet Nam and Brunei established diplomatic ties in 1992. The two countries will celebrate the 25th founding anniversary of diplomatic relations in 2017.

The bilateral relations are growing thanks to regular high-level delegation exchanges. Two-way trade has thrived in recent years, increasing three fold from US$24.2 million in 2010 to $73.7 million in 2015. As of June 2016, bilateral trade had hit $17 million.

Viet Nam mainly exported seafood and rice to Brunei while importing chemicals from the country. Brunei firms have invested in 205 projects in Viet Nam with a total registered capital of over US$2.18 billion, ranking 18th out of the 116 countries and territories investing in Viet Nam. It is the fourth biggest ASEAN investor in Viet Nam, after Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand.

There is plenty of extra room for bilateral co-operation in seafood, real estate and education-training.

Later the same day, President Quang visited the Vietnamese Embassy in Brunei where he talked with embassy staff and representatives of the overseas Vietnamese community about the situation in Viet Nam, the ties between Viet Nam and Brunei, and the aims of his current visit. - VNS
HCM CITY  Cho Ray Hospital in HCM City has successfully performed its 500th kidney transplant, including 27 kidneys taken from brain-dead and non-heart-beating donors.

It performed the first transplants using kidneys taken from a non heart-beating donor last year, giving two young patients who were on hemodialysis a new lease on life.

The first transplant from living donor was done in 1992 with assistance from experts from Taiwan and the Viet Nam Military Medical Academy and the first using a kidney from a brain-dead donor, in 2008.

The hospital leads the country in terms of kidney transplants, Nguyen Truong Son, its director, said.

But the number of organ transplants falls far short of the huge demand, he said at a ceremony held yesterday to honour donors.

Harvesting organs from brain-dead and non-heart-beating donors gives hope to patients who are waiting for transplants.

More than 2,000 people have registered to donate their organs at the hospitals Unit for Co-ordinating Human Organ Transplant, which was set up in 2014.

More than 16,000 people are awaiting organs and another 6,000 are in need of corneas.  VNS
HA NOI  The Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam has proposed the transport ministry inspect fee collection at the toll station on Phap Van-Cau Gie expressway, the southern gateway to Ha Noi, to prevent loss of fees.

The move was made following recent toll collection supervision at the station which found that total collection increased.

The supervision period was conducted over ten days, from July 10 to July 20.

Earlier this year, inspections supervised toll collection at the station following reports of alleged fraud committed by employees. They allegedly collected tolls from drivers at rates lower than those specified by the State without giving tickets to the drivers so that they could pocket the money.

The 10-day inspection discovered an increase of up to VN700 million (US$31,400) each day in comparison with the amount collected before the supervision.

However, a representative from the joint investor of the upgrade project on the Phap Van-Cau Gie Expressway explained that the increase resulted from more vehicles using the expressway.

The station is managed by the Viet Nam Infrastructure Development and Finance Investment Joint Stock Company.

The Directorate for Roads of Viet Nam also proposed the transport ministry to inspect all toll collection tasks at the station from the first day of fee collection.

The fees will be collected for 17 years and three months, starting from October last year, after the upgrade of the Phap Van-Cau Gie highway was completed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis.

The upgrade in the first phase of the two-phase project, with total capital of more than VN6.7 trillion ($315 million), includes a revamp of the current four-lane, 25m-wide road. The second phase, worth more than VN4.7 trillion ($223 million), involves the expansion of the four-lane highway to a six-lane one, with a width of 33.5m.

It also asked the ministry to soon approve a master plan to increase supervision and transparency in toll collection in road projects managed by the ministry. The plan will focus on building fee collection and supervision software and complete related legal documents and regulations.

The ministry has required all investors of expressway projects to save data on the images of the number of vehicles going through toll stations for at least five years to serve inspection tasks when necessary.  VNS
QUANG NAM  Investigation agencies have arrested five loggers suspected of illegal logging in La Dee Commune in Nam Giang District last month, Colonel Huynh Song Thu, deputy director of the provincial Public Security Department told a press conference yesterday.

Thu said the department initiated a lawsuit against nine loggers.

Thu said in an on-site examination on sub-zone 351, belonging to Nam Song Bung protected forest, on July 28, 60 Po Mu trees, a total 115.4 cubic metres, had been chopped down, of which 41 trees were sawn in round panels.

Earlier, investigation agencies seized 47 cubic metres of logs in a store in Nam Giang District on July 14.

The provincial public security force arrested loggers Nguyen Van Thang and Nguyen Van Sanh from central Quang Binh Province; Le Trong Duong in southern ong Nai Province, and Nguyen Van Quang in HCM City between July 26 and August 4.

Tien Hong Tu, who helped Quang flee to HCM City, was arrested on August 19.

Four loggers and transporters, Mai Van Cuong, Mai Van Chau, Pham Van Bong and Le Hong Dien, who handed themselves in, were granted bail.

Thu said 11 more loggers involved in the case have evaded police.

After the illegal forest destruction in the province, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc ordered an investigation.

The deforestation occurred in an area bordering Laoss Sekong Province. Customs and border guard staff were also involved in the violations.  VNS
PHU YEN  A L39 military aircraft crashed today morning in a paddy field in Phu Yen Provinces ong Hoa District, the Ministry of Defence told the media.

The pilot on board the aircraft was confirmed dead. He was Pham uc Trung, 24, from the northern Ninh Binh Province and was a trainee pilot of Nha Trang City-based Air Force Officer Academy, under the Air Defence - Air Force Service.

The Ministry of Defence said the small military aircraft was on a training session and crashed at 8.45 am due to engine problems right after take-off.

Following the crash, some parts of the aircraft, coded 8705, were seen to have broken off, but the fuselage remained intact.

A local resident told Tuoi Tre (Youth) newspaper that the aircraft plunged into the median strip on National Highway 1A before crashing into the field. A man travelling on the highway was also injured. Dr Pham Hieu Vinh, director of Phu Yen General Hospital later told the media that his injury was only slight.

Colonel Nguyen uc Quy, vice principal of the Air Force Officer Academy told the Voice of Vietnam that the aircraft belonged to the school.

A school leader has left for Phu Yen to deal with the accident, he said.

The L-39 aircraft is a high-performance jet trainer aircraft developed in Czechoslovakia by Aero Vodochody in the 1960s. In 2007, an L-39 aircraft crashed during a training session in Ninh Thuan Province, killing its two pilots.

Earlier this year, a Su30 MK2 fighter jet under Division 371 of the Air Defence  Air Force Service crashed into the sea, while flying off Nghe An-Thanh Hoa provinces on June 14. Senior Lieutenant Colonel Tran Quang Khai died while Major Nguyen Huu Cuong was later saved by fishermen.

During the search and rescue mission for the Su30 MK2 plane, rescue aircraft CASA 212, coded 8983, of Brigade 918 of the Air Defence  Air Force Service also had an accident while flying off Bach Long Vi Island. Eight crew members were confirmed dead while the body of another soldier, also believed to have died, is yet to be found.  VNS
HA NOI  The government had approved VN2 trillion (US$90 million) in emergency aid to help the Mekong Delta provinces recover from severe drought and saltwater intrusion.

However, not a penny from the fund has been disbursed because the concerned ministries failed to reach an agreement over the disbursement.

Minister-head of Government Office Mai Tien Dung criticised the ministries of planning and investment and agriculture for the slow disbursement when he met ministry leaders yesterday.

Dung, who is also head of the newly established team to inspect government bodies implementation of the prime ministers orders, said that Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc wanted to build a government of action to serve people to the fullest during his term.

Any policy and commitment should be translated into action and the implementation by the concerned parties would be closely supervised, he said.

Dung said while approving the drought relief aid, the PM had wanted immediate action including disbursement and simplified procedures.

However, the affected farmers have not received any assistance, their crops have died of water shortage, while the ministries failed to reach an agreement over disbursement after various meetings, he said.

If the funds had been disbursed in May and June, they could have had a positive effect, he said.

Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said the ministry wanted to allocate VN80 billion ($3.6 million) on average to each province that suffered from drought and saltwater intrusion this year.

If they had been disbursed, the funds could have helped in the dredging of reservoirs and channels to transport water to fields.

However, the minister said the agriculture and rural development ministry wanted to spend the funds on ongoing projects that faced a financial crunch.

The serious drought and saltwater intrusion  the worst of its kind in Viet Nam in almost a century - occurred from the middle of March till May in the southern part of the central regions, the Central Highlands and the Mekong Delta region.

It is estimated that nearly 250,000ha of paddy fields have dried up, and Viet Nams rice output is likely to fall this year for the first time since 2005.

The Mekong Deltas winter-spring output fell 10.2 per cent from last year, but the total production could fall by just 1.5 per cent to touch 44.5 million tonnes this year.

In the Central Highland region and south-eastern provinces, 16,000ha and 28,000ha, respectively, of commercial crops such as rubber, coffee and pepper suffered from water shortages.

The drought and saltwater intrusion has cost Viet Nam an estimated VN15 trillion (US$670 million) so far this year in agricultural losses, according to a government report in late May.  VNS
Vietnam Airlines is preparing to operate direct flights to the US from 2018.  Photo cafef.vn

HCM CITY  Vietnam Airlines is preparing to operate direct flights to the US from 2018.

It must meet CAT1 requirements set by the US Federal Aviation Administration specifically for non-stop flights to the US.

Vietnamese aviation authorities and Boeing last year signed an agreement under which the US aircraft manufacturer pledged technical and training assistance to help Vietnamese aviation officials reach CAT1 standards.

Vietnam Airlines CEO Duong Tri Thanh said the carrier is focusing on enhancing passengers long-haul flying experience by expanding its fleet with larger aircraft like Airbus 350  900s and Boeing B787 Dreamliners.

The number of visitors from the US to Viet Nam increased by 14.5 percent year-on-year in the first six months of 2016 to 300,000, accounting for 6 percent of the latters international arrivals. VNS
Mai Nha (Roof) Island is an attraction for travellers to the central province of Phu Yen looking for a place to enjoy serenity.

The island offers travellers the opportunity to go swimming, relax on the golden sand and trek to the peak of a hill to get a panoramic view of a grassland with lots of cactuses and wild trees and waves slapping against uniquely shaped rocks.

To reach the island, tourists can ride motorbikes on a coastal road from Tuy Hoa city to An Ninh ong Fishing Port and rent a boat there for a one-hour trip to Tien Chau Port and then Xuan ai Bay before heading south to Mai Nha Island.

The spectacular features along the way are the Ganh en Lighthouse and a ia Rock Reef, a national landscape in Phu Yen.

Alternatively, they can travel to Phuoc ong village in An Hai Commune, Tuy An District, and rent a fishing coracle for a 30-minute trip to Mai Nha.

Getting into a round bamboo basket for the short trip is a memorable experience.
HAVANA  The US airline JetBlue will make the first regular commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than half a century next Wednesday, the Cuban authorities said on Thursday.

The August 31 inaugural flight  the first of its kind since 1961  is scheduled to take off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and arrive in the central Cuban city Santa Clara.

"The revival of regular direct flights is a positive step and a contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries," Cuban Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez told local media.

Wednesdays scheduled journey will kick off a new flight schedule that includes 110 daily trips, with 90 already authorised by both governments to nine Cuban airports, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Twenty daily routes to Havana are pending, with airlines requesting the US authorities to triple that number, Rodriguez said.

With regular commercial flights set to resume, Cubas aging airports are under scrutiny after decades of isolation from the United States during which only charter flights were permitted.

Rodriguez called US scepticism of Cubas airport safety "unfounded in fact", in line with a statement from the island nations head of civil aviation security, Armando Garbalosa.

"I can responsibly assure you that the level of security at our airport installations complies with world standards, including the standards of the United States. There is nothing to fear," Garbalosa said last month.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports  not including Havana  are American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines.

Their flights will depart from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, slated to land in the Cuban cities Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.

Washington and Havana agreed in February to restore direct commercial flights, one of the watershed changes initiated in December 2014, when US President Barack Obama and his Cuban counterpart Raul Castro announced a thaw after more than 50 years of Cold War hostility.  AFP
LA PAZ  Bolivias Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes was kidnapped by miners demanding labour law changes, the government said on Thursday, with some unconfirmed reports in local media saying he had been killed.

Interior Minister Carlos Romero announced on Thursday morning that miners had kidnapped Illanes, who later told local media by telephone that "I am in very good health... safeguarded by peers, so people do not hurt me."

But unconfirmed reports later said the government official was dead, citing a radio station director who said he saw Illaness body.

"We saw the lifeless body of deputy minister Illanes," Moises Flores, director of a mining radio station, told another local radio outlet.

Attorney General Ramiro Guerrero told journalists that "at this time, we have not confirmed the situation of the official, if he is still kidnapped alive or if there has been a possible death."

Miner demonstrations turned violent this week after a highway was blockaded, with protestors demanding mining concessions and the right to work for private or foreign companies.

Two workers died on Wednesday, according to the countrys national federation of miners, but the government has only recognized one death.

After days of clashes with police over control of the road, miners agreed with the government on Thursday to start negotiating this morning on the condition they open the route.

"The dialogue will start once the roads are clear," Juan Ramon Quintana, minister of the presidency, told journalists.  AFP
The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has proudly released the official photo of its new canine ambassador, Growley II.

Service dogs, cherished symbols of selfless service, have a long tradition in the military and at senior military colleges. The 3-year-old yellow Labrador retriever will be on campus beginning this fall, said Maj. Gen. Randal Fullhart, commandant of cadets.

According to folklore, a Depression-era commandant had a dog named Growley. Food was somewhat scarce, so the cadets kept a portion of their breakfasts to help feed him.

That relationship, according to the folklore, continued to the point where the cadets referred to breakfast as Growley, and first-year cadets who announced the time until the morning formation would instead call minutes to Growley.

The corps new ambassador will be designated Growley II (call sign Tank). Keeping with military tradition, a call sign is a unique identifier in communications. Tank is from Ciao Bella Retrievers of Troutville, Virginia, where he excelled throughout extensive service dog training.

Tank will not be accepting any visitors as he completes his training and transition with the corps. His cadet handlers charge is to create and maintain a stress-free and fun environment for him.

Tanks formal introduction to the community is expected to happen in the coming weeks, at which time he will be available for media interviews, Fullhart said.

Lara Bartl of the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine will be Tanks veterinarian.

It is worth noting that a number of four-legged heroes serve alongside military men and women around the world.

I look forward to welcoming Tank to campus as yet another symbol that links us to our long and proud heritage of service, said Virginia Tech President Tim Sands. The corps active engagement in our university community embodies the meaning of Ut Prosim (That I May Serve), and Tank will be a fine ambassador. Perhaps well even see him jumping to Enter Sandman!

Supported by Vice President of Student Affairs Patty Perillo and Vice President for Administration Sherwood Wilson, the corps received permission, under Virginia Tech Policy 5000, for Tank to reside with his cadet handlers in Pearson Hall.
(BCCI) on Thursday signed an memorandum of understanding (MoU) with The Energy and Resources Institute (Teri) for promoting renewable energy.

"We signed the MoU with the chamber to popularise clean energy and climate. We will work with BCCI with our technical resource. We can offer technology and business models on renewables," TERI director general Ajay Mathur said in Kolkata on Thursday.

He said if there is demand then Teri may consider opening a resource center in the city.

State Power Minister Shobandeb Chatterjee, who was present on the occasion, promised all support to the clean energy initiative by the BCCI.

BCCI energy committee chairman Deb A Mukherjee said the agreement will forge an alliance between the chamber and TERI to work toghther in the domain of renewables and allied fields.
A New Zealand pizza chain aims to become the world's first company to offer a commercial service, a milestone in the once-unthinkable quest to save time and money with an air-borne supply chain dispensing with people.
Unequal Budget funding for the Yes vote wont give Australians equal say If you seek to ensure not all Australians get an equal say in the debate about an enshrined voice, then dont be surprised when millions of them cry foul about the integrity of the result.

Geelong to host the 2026 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony 00:27 Geelong has been announced as the host city for the 2026 Commonwealth Games closing ceremony.

Australia abstains from vote at the UN on a treaty banning nuclear weapons 00:29 Australia has abstained from a vote at the United Nations on a treaty banning nuclear weapons.
PARKERSBURG  One person was killed and another injured in a car-semitrailer accident in Grundy County south of Parkersburg shortly after 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, authorities said.

Grundy County Sheriff Rick Penning said the accident occurred a mile and a half west of Iowa Highway 14 on County Road D-17, or 10th Street, about four miles southwest of Parkersburg.

The driver of the car, Daniel Lacour, 29, of Aplington, was pronounced dead at the scene. His vehicle was totaled.

The semi driver, Steven Schipper, 57, Parkersburg, was taken to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital in Waterloo with minor injuries. His truck sustained $30,000 damage.

Penning said Lacour was eastbound on D-17, crossed the center line and was struck by Schippers westbound semi. Parkersburg is in Butler County, but the crash happened across the Grundy County line.

Man sentenced for distribution

WATERLOO  A Waterloo man is among the 10 people sentenced earlier this week in connection with a ring that received high-grade meth from Mexico and California for distribution in Iowa.

Austin Bertch, 31, of Waterloo, was sentenced to 14 years and four months in prison Monday after pleading guilty to conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in the investigation into the Murillo-Mora drug trafficking organization.

Evidence during court proceedings showed in the spring of 2013, Mario Murillo-Mora, 41, of Michoacan, Mexico, began building a drug trafficking organization responsible for distributing pounds of ice methamphetamine.

At least 250 pounds of ice methamphetamine was distributed by various members of the group, and Murillo recruited various individuals to assist with transporting, storing and distributing meth, as well as collecting money and wiring drug proceeds back to sources of supply. The meth arrived in Marshalltown from Mexico and California concealed in vehicles. Once transported to Marshalltown, the methamphetamine was broken down and repackaged for further distribution.

Court records allege Bertch bought meth from Murillo in one-pound quantities for about $18,000 per pound. Investigators using undercover operatives bought an ounce of meth from Bertch in July 2014 and another ounce in August 2014. That same month, police found a digital scale with meth residue in Bertchs vehicle during a traffic stop, and a scale, drug notes and a loaded 9mm handgun while searching his home in January 2015.

Bertch also introduced Murillo to Derrick Plunkett two build connections between the two.

Man arrested following crash

FAYETTE  A Fayette man was injured and charged with drunken driving following a crash Sunday night.

The Fayette County Sheriffs Office received a report of a motor vehicle accident about 9 p.m. on Kornhill and Grannis roads. The driver of the 1997 Ford pickup, Cody L. Schmidtke, 31, was westbound when he lost control of his vehicle and went into the ditch and rolled. Schmidtke had to be extricated from the vehicle with the Jaws of Life. He was air-lifted to UnityPoint Health-Allen Hospital.

Schmidtke was charged with first-offense operating while intoxicated.

Delivery driver reports robbery

WATERLOO  Police are investigating the robbery of a pizza delivery driver. According to Waterloo Police, the delivery driver was making a delivery at the 800-block of West Fourth Street just before midnight Thursday morning when a black male wearing a dark, hooded sweatshirt and bandana covering his face walked up to the driver, displayed a handgun and demanded money and the drivers phone.

The suspect fled on foot with cash, the drivers phone and a pizza.

The incident is under investigation and no arrests have been made.
WATERLOO  An investigator at the scene of a robbery and shootout said he took special note of the suspects clothes in video from the scene.

Nicholas Sadd, investigator with the Waterloo Police department, testified Thursday in the second day of the robbery trial of Charles Earl Jones, 21. Jones is accused of robbing Rays Supermarket on Franklin Street in November last year and getting into a shootout with a manager there. Authorities say store manager Sajjad Chaudry wounded the assailant during the exchange of gunfire.

Jones is charged with first-degree robbery, going armed, carrying weapons and false reports. Police came into contact with Jones less than an hour after the robbery at Rays when they were called to the intersection of Leavitt and West Eighth streets where Jones, suffering a gunshot wound, reported being robbed.

Jones said he was walking near Irving School when a black male approached him, asked who he was friends with then displayed a handgun and demanded Jones head phones, coat and phone. Jones told police that attacker fired three shots at him and he was struck in his right arm pit.

Officers testified they found no signs of a struggle or shots fired at Leavitt and West Eighth streets.

Sadd said he immediately reviewed video from the scene at Rays. It showed a black man wearing a black hoodie, jeans and white shoes. The point where the robber exchanges gunfire in the store is clear in the video. Sadd said he could see point where the robber is appears to be hit by the persons demeanor and stance.

It appears something traumatic did happen to the person, Sadd said.

A portion of video from the store and still shots were shown to the jury as Sadd described what he saw. The suspect was wearing jeans, a leather belt that he said he noticed in the video had white scuffs and blue boxers. Sadd said he made particular note of the blue underwear.

Boxers are difficult to change, he said. Theyre personal.

Sadd said said jeans, the leather belt and blue boxers seized from Jones at Unity Point-Allen Hospital matched what he saw in the video.

Sadd said another takeaway from the video was when the robber, while leaving the store pressed his bare hand against the glass door. A still of that frame was presented during testimony Thursday. Sadd said he instructed officers to preserve that part of the scene. Investigators lifted a palm print from the door that testing at the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation testing shows matches Jones handprint.

In an early interview with Jones, Sadd asked if Jones would know why blood from the robbery scene would match his DNA even though officers didnt find blood at the scene. Jones said it would only be because if whoever robbed tracked his blood to Rays. Jones, after being arrested in January said he is a regular shopper at Rays and isnt surprised his hand print would be on the door there.
CEDAR FALLS  The University of Northern Iowa presidential search committee will hold its first meeting Monday.

The committee will meet from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the University Room in UNIs Maucker Union. It will tackle many introductory issues.

The Iowa Board of Regents Executive Director Bob Donley will explain the boards charge to the committee, whose members were named last week.

Co-chairs of the presidential committee are Regent President Pro Tem Katie Mulholland and Daniel Power, a UNI professor of management information systems.

Jim McCormick of the consultant search firm AGB Search will discuss the search timeline and process and the role of his firm.

The committee also will consider a resolution on candidate confidentiality and hear information on open meetings and open records law.

The search committee is seeking UNIs 11th president after Bill Ruud left July 2 for a job at Marietta College in Ohio. Jim Wohlpart, the universitys provost, is serving as interim president.
HAMPTON  The Franklin County Board of Supervisors on Monday unanimously approved a construction plan for a Dows-based farm to build dual 45,000-capacity chicken confinement buildings.

Tri-B Farms LLC of Dows wanted to build two new 45,000-head broiler chicken confinement buildings.

The company said the chicken buildings will expand across the road from an existing swine facility with 5,440 market hogs.

The confinements will be located in the 700 block of 100th Street in rural Dows.

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources inspected the site on Monday afternoon, according to County Environmental Health Director Dan Tilkes.

Basically, everything turned out fine in terms of distances and all the hoops that (the company has) to jump through are done, he said.

Supervisor Michael Nolte was not present at the meeting.

There were no comments from the public, according to the meetings minutes.

Efforts to reach company representatives were unsuccessful.

It allows it to market more of our raw projects in a finished form, said Supervisor Gary McVicker. Its a win for an agricultural community like Franklin County.
OSAGE  Ronald Rand, one of his friends and a DCI agent took the stand during the third day of the Hampton mans first-degree murder trial.

Rand, 52, said he and girlfriend Michelle Key, 51, had broken up in November and reconciled a week before she was killed. He said Key had cheated on him.

At first I couldnt forgive her for being with John, Rand said. She broke my heart.

The two had been drinking, smoking marijuana on top of prescription medications the weekend they reconciled  the weekend of the shooting.

Rand said he had no plans to kill her and that he had much better plans, which he said involved cuddling and making love.

While testifying, Rand laughed several times as he recalled how Key couldnt cook or work the television remote.

When asked about the shooting, Rand said he wanted to show her how to use the gun because they were going to go shooting once they sobered up.

He said he had the gun pointing down and when she grabbed to take the gun, it went off.

Rand said he only remembered bits and pieces after the gun went off.

Upon cross-examination, Rand said he didnt remember the gun going off and didnt remember anything from the recordings shown Wednesday.

The state asked if Rand could show the jury how he held the gun using the actual shotgun.

Both the attorney and Rand put on gloves to handle the gun. Rand picked it up a short time before the defense objected.

The defense objected to evidence being used as a prop and the potential for the gun to be pointed at the jury.

Judge DeDra Schroeder sent the jury out of the room to discuss it with the attorneys. Schroeder decided the gun could be used if it was not pointed at the jury, among other requirements.

When the jury was brought back and questioning resumed, Rand became emotional and refused to touch the gun.

I refuse to hold that weapon that killed my old lady, Rand said. He proceeded to use his cane instead.

Jason Awe, Rands friend, received a call from Rand the day Key was shot in Hampton.

Awe called the police but did not mention Key had been shot.

I knew the second that he talked that something was wrong, Awe said.

Awe called dispatch and was told by an officer to call him back before going into the house, according to the testimony. He arrived at Rands Hampton residence without calling the officer back.

Upon arrival, Awe said he saw Rand with his head in Keys lap and neither were moving. Awes voice wavered when he talked about finding Keys body. He said he shouted Rands name and neither moved. He attempted to lift Rands head and received no response.

When Rand did respond, Awe said he was apologizing to Key with statements similar to Im sorry, baby.

Later, Awe moved the shotgun from the living room to the garage shortly after arrival.

Michael Roehrkasse, a special agent with Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation, was questioned by the prosecution about data on Rands cellphone and Facebook page.

The jury was later shown Facebook posts alluding to Keys infidelity and mental homicide.

Rand, who was fidgety at times throughout the morning and was shushed several times by his attorneys, made posts talking about staying with one person and being sad about a break-up. He referenced faithfulness in relationships.

Rand, 52, also posted on Facebook about mental homicide and that a doctor said it was all right as long as he didnt act on it. The post was made one month before Keys death.

He said he was working on mental homicide but at least its not genocide.

The jury also saw several photos of Rand with his shotgun in the months leading up to the murder.

The state rested its case at noon after Roehrkasses cross-examination. The defense moved for an acquittal, saying that he state had no produced enough evidence to prove that the murder was premeditated. The motion was denied.

Due to pre-trial publicity, Rands trial was moved from Franklin to Mitchell County.

The jury will reconvene Friday at 9 a.m. for closing statements.
WATERLOO  NAMI will offer an Ask the Psychiatrist program on Sept. 1.

Dr. Ann Rathe, a psychiatrist in the Behavioral Health Clinic at Waverly Health Center, will answer peoples questions about mental illness and mental health. Her program is scheduled for 6 to 7 p.m. at First Congregational Church in Waterloo, 608 W. Fourth St.

There will be signs to direct people to the location in the church.

NAMI Black Hawk County is dedicated to improving the lives of all people affected by mental illness. For more information, call 235-5263 or email namibh@qwestoffice.net.
The case is in the news again because, just a few days ago, the infamous Ninth Circuit Court upheld the law against a religious liberty challenge from the PJI on behalf of pastors who are also licensed counselors.

The Pacific Justice Institute, another of the hard-working pro bono conservative legal organizations, has been filing suit against this law ever since using both freedom of speech arguments and freedom of religion arguments.

This law forbids all "sexual orientation change efforts" by any licensed counselor, including any licensed marriage and family therapist (a credential earned and possessed by some pastors), for a counseling client under eighteen years of age. "Sexual orientation change efforts" are defined very broadly. This law doesn't apply only to some highly specific type of "reparative therapy" but to any attempt to work with the young person to "eliminate or reduce sexual or romantic attractions or feelings toward individuals of the same sex." The law is sufficiently broadly worded that it presumptively also forbids attempts to help gender-confused minors become un-gender-confused. (In other words, telling confused boys that they are boys and confused girls that they are girls.)

I should say at the outset that the title of this post is a little misleading, because the California law I'm going to write about here was actually passed years ago, in 2012, it appears. Here , as far as my best googling efforts extend, is the text of the law. It's in the news again now because of a recent (bad) Ninth Circuit Court ruling on it.

As you can see from the text of the bill itself, there is no exemption stated in the bill for pastors at all. There is no exception for those working under the aegis of a church or other explicitly religious counseling facility. There is no exception for ministerial staff. Nothing.

Quite naturally, the Pacific Justice Institute and their plaintiffs interpreted the law to mean that a pastor who is also a licensed counselor who says the "wrong" thing to a young counselee, if caught, could lose his counseling license. (That is the penalty designated in the law.)

Homosexual activists (and now presumably transgender activists) do engage in "sting" operations in which they pretend to be clients who want to change their sexual orientation in order to "catch" counselors offering such counseling. Yes, it really is that bad. Help getting rid of homosexual desires is treated like selling illegal drugs, and just as someone might pose as desiring to purchase illegal drugs in order to catch someone selling them, activists post as wanting to purchase counseling to stop having unwanted homosexual desires in order to "catch" counselors giving it.

So this could, prima facie, happen to a pastor in California who happened also to be a licensed counselor. Or disgruntled parents or grown former parishioners who received biblical counseling on this matter could later "out" the pastor for having offered illegal advice and get his counseling license revoked.

It is perfectly legitimate and indeed valuable for Christian organizations and churches to run official counseling services. This allows Christians with psychological problems, including parents concerned about their children, to obtain counseling which they have some hope will be in line with their Christian beliefs while coming from someone licensed as a counselor, just in case there actually is some value or knowledge represented by that credential. (Also, insurance will not pay for psychological counseling from anyone unlicensed.)

In fact, it used to be that secularists trying to drive Christians out of the counseling profession explicitly told them to go and get their degrees from explicitly Christian schools and to work, once they obtained their license, in an explicitly Christian practice. But now, this law applies to everybody, including explicitly Christian practices, even those run by a church.

The court's reasoning for upholding the law against the PJI's challenge is curious. Here is the court's decision. The court states that, in oral arguments, the state's representative claimed that the law would not be applied against pastors "acting in their roles as clergy or pastoral counselors and providing religious counseling to congregants." The state said to the court that the law exempts (!) pastoral counselors and clergy "as long as they don't hold themselves out as operating pursuant to their licenses."

Now, let's be clear that none of these statements, including the claim that the law actually exempts a particular class of people, are in the law. They are simply claims made by the state to the court. If a reader can find a text of the law that contains any such exemption, he should feel free to pass on a link. But the court itself doesn't even claim that any of this is in the law. The court's own reference is simply to quotations from oral argument before the court itself!

Furthermore, this supposed "exemption," which means (says the court) that "the law does not excessively entangle the State with religion," is incredibly narrow, not to mention unclear.

Let's start with unclear: Suppose that everybody in the congregation knows that the pastor has a license as a family counselor. Under precisely which circumstances is he "acting in his capacity" as clergy as opposed to acting as a licensed counselor? Would that be left for the professional body (which has the power to yank his license) to decide after he's been accused of violating the law? What, precisely, counts as holding oneself out as operating pursuant to one's license? If the pastor mentions that he has the license, does that count? Who is a congregant? Only someone whose name is officially on the church membership rolls? Do regular attenders at a church count as congregants?

It looks like, even to claim this supposed exemption (which apparently exists only in the unstated penumbra of the law), a pastor would very nearly (or even literally) have to get a signed statement from a member of his congregation stating a) that the minor client is a "congregant" and b) that the minor and parents understand that the counsel the minor is going to receive is not being offered "pursuant to" the pastor's license but is purely "religious counseling" being offered "in the capacity of clergy." Or some such wording.

But now we come to the narrowness problem. That exemption, if it exists and if it could actually be used, is incredibly narrow. It means that licensed counselors who counsel non-congregants and who in any sense do "hold themselves out" as operating qua licensed counselors, would be muzzled, even if their salaries are entirely paid by a church, even if they are pastors or other unambiguously ministerial staff, even if the counseling is explicitly advertised as religious, and even if the counseling takes place on church premises.

The idea that such restrictions are consistent with the free exercise of religion is quite absurd.

Of course, secular counselors also should not be prohibited from offering sane counsel to young people with perverted desires or gender confusion. The only counseling allowed under this California law is that which is most destructive, that which affirms young people in their disordered desires and out-of-touch-with-reality gender confusions. It is scandalous that the only people who now have any hope of avoiding this insane law are religious counselors. But at least they should be free to counsel in line with reality, if religious freedom means anything.

SB 1172 is the product of wicked ideology coupled with jack-booted control-freakishness. It imposes the worst possible restrictions upon parents seeking to help their children at precisely the time of early intervention when it might be possible to turn the children away from the abusive, insane, harmful ideology confusing them in our culture and incessantly taught in school and the media. (See this fascinating article reprinted from 1997, by Joseph Sciambra, on his own experience.) Worse, it attempts to apply these restrictions even within the "Christian ghetto," even to Christian, biblical counselors billing themselves as such and sought out by willing clients. It attempts to apply them even to pastors if the pastors should dare, heaven forfend, to "hold themselves out" as operating with a professional counseling license.



Earlier actions by SCOTUS concerning challenges to SB 1172 do not bode well for an appeal. If you are hoping to set up as a counselor, even an explicitly religious counselor employed by a church or other religious organization, your best bet is to avoid California if you want to be able to tell your clients the truth and help them.
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The Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon's glass-bottom bridge is the world's longest and highest bridge, welcoming its 8,000 visitors to view the grand bridge from all around. The 430 meters long and 6 meters wide glass-bottom bridge is accepted as the most scariest bridge in the world with its transparent and brittle look structure. Designed by Israeli architect Haim Dotan, the bridge hovers over a 300-meter- deep valley between two cliffs in central China's Hunan province.

A total budget of the bridge is $3.4 million to construct and this apparently 'invisible' bridge was "paved with 99 panes of three-layered transparent glass," according to Xinhua, China's state-run new agency. The bridge can carry up to 800 people at a time, according to same agency. But, the visitors are not allowed to use cameras, stilettos and selfie sticks on the bridge.

Zhangjiajie Grand Canyon glass bridge is located in a very dramatic region of China, comprised of rock formations and fruitful vegetation. The real design story of the bridge is, in fact, inspired from a scene of Halleluja Mountain movie, which was directed by James Cameron. And, the northwest part of the Hunan province was the inspiration of the director for this film.

When ''The developer'' asked Dotan, What do you think about a bridge from here to there? And the architect said, ''No''. Dotan explains this in this way: ''He looked at me and said Why, what are you talking about? And I said, Why do you want a bridge? Its too beautiful.''

The developer persisted him, and Dotan finally relented. I told him, We can build a bridge but under one condition: I want the bridge to disappear,'' said in his interview published in Wired. In order to get an invisible bridge, Dotan used white supporting beams beneath the 5-centimeter-thick safety glass were originally 10 feet wide while the engineers want it to be 20 feet wide, proposing that it will be large enough to host the fashion shows its developers plan to hold therewith a center platform that provides an unobstructed view and, allowing new adventurous types, a place for bungee jumping.

But, Dotan wasnt pleased. I told them, No, theres no way, he says. The bridge has to disappear,'' according to same source.

The other point about the bridge is that whether it is safe or not, because the glass bridge got cracking alarming at the Yuntai mountain in northern Henan in 2015," as AFP reported. However, Chinese authorities announce the bridge's safety tests publicly in order to keep informed the visitors about what is happening on the bridge.

''The engineers described it as thin as a wing and as light as a swallow,'' Dotan says with a laugh. ''My god, can you imagine a structural engineer describing a bridge like this?''

All images  VCG/CVG via Getty Images

> via Haim Dotan
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Kenya to reap big for being first African country to host Tokyo International Conference on African Development

Kenya is set to play host to over 10,000 delegates attending the sixth session of Tokyo International Conference on African Development (Ticad), the first time the conference is being held in Africa.

About 4,000 of these delegates will be from Japan led by the Prime Minister. The conference comes a month after Kenya hosted the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, UNCTAD. This has not only thrusted Kenya into international limelight but opened up the country to more investment while reaping from tourism.

With TICAD happening between August 27th and 28th this year, it is projected that businesses in Kenyas capital Nairobi will mint over $250 million in accommodation and deals.

Governor Evans Kidero and Japanese ambassador Toshisugu Uesawa said Kenya will also benefit from foreign direct investments and other business deals that will be signed at the event. This is the first time the Ticad meeting is being held outside Japan.

Kenyans economy is leading in the region and our corporation with this country has been solid for many years. That is why it was not hard for it to host this conference, said Uesawa.

This summit represents a big vote of confidence in Nairobi and Kenya, and you can all be proud that your beautiful country has earned this singular owner, the ambassador said.

The conference will be attended by over 30 heads of state and more than 10,000 delegates. Some of the participants have started arriving in the city.

This is direct money that our businesspeople will get leave alone foreign direct investments and other business deals that will be signed, said Kidero.

The governor said over 2,000 Japanese business titans, among them top executives from Toyota and Mitsubishi Motor Corporation will attend the conferences.

We hope Kenya Association of Manufacturers and the Kenya Private sector alliance will find new partners, he said.

Our taxis will also benefit because they will be moving delegates from one place to another. So it is a blessing to us.

Kidero said the summit has placed Nairobi and Kenya in the limelight globally again. Last month, the city hosted the United National Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). Last year, Nairobi hosted World Trade Organisation Ministerial Conference, Pope Francis and US President Barrack Obama who was in the country for the Global Entreprenuership Summit.

www.ticad6.net
Aug 25, 2016 | By Alec

In a few years from now, 3D printing could be so accessible and so widely used that people just go to their local hardware stores to 3D print any customization project. That is at least what Lowes Home Improvement is seeking to realize. They already launched their own 3D printing services through Lowes Innovations Labs last year, while their Chelsea, New York City location also houses 3D printing service Bespoke Designs. That latter service is now expanding its range of 3D printing options through a collaboration with metal 3D printing giant ExOne.

This latest announcement only further underlines Lowes commitment to 3D printing. As you might remember, Lowes was also involved in the Made In Spaces zero gravity 3D printing project, and you can actually order 3D printed parts made aboard the ISS through Lowes Innovation Labs. That same service also worked with 3D printing specialists Authentise to launch in-store and online 3D printing and scanning services in April 2015, with the goal of providing homeowners with a simple and fun design and manufacturing experience for those unique ideas and hard-to-find replacement parts.

That latter service already provided in-store plastic 3D printing (with the assistance of a store specialist) and online metal and ceramic on-demand 3D printing services that send parts directly to your home. But through this new collaboration with ExOne, a whole new design dimension is now available to customers of Lowes City Center in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City.

ExOne is a major US manufacturer of metal 3D printing machines with a market presence all over the world (gathered $40.353 million in revenues over 2015). Bespoke Designs home improvement and consumer product services will now be expanded with ExOnes Binder Jetting direct metal 3D printing technology. Parts made with this new service can be ordered online or in the Chelsea store, and ExOne will manufacture the parts made-to-order. Delivery time is expected to be around two weeks.

ExOne, who has been working hard to solidify their position in the changing metal 3D printing market, are especially keen to create more awareness about 3D printing with this service. We are very excited to collaborate with Lowes on this new venture, which brings the benefits of 3D printing into the home or office in a practical manner, further advancing the awareness of 3D printing capabilities, said ExOnes Tom Pasterik, ExOnes Manager of Business and Process Development. Binder Jetting technology integrates well with the Lowes business concept due to its ability to fulfill customizable orders in a very responsive timeframe. While remaining cost-effective, the customer receives a high quality, unique product in a timely manner.

The ordering process is also supposedly very simple, and as easy as selecting a shape and a material, and adding desired text or designs. Perfect for introducing the technology to a whole new market segment of customers. If youd like to get your hands on top-of-the-range metal 3D printing, check out Bespoke Designs website here.

Posted in 3D Printer Company

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Global automotive coatings market share is competitive and consolidated, with PPG Industries, Axalta, BASF and Kansai catering to major industry demand. Nippon, AkzoNobel, Arkema, Berger, Eastman, DSM and Solvay are among notable key industry players.

Automotive Coatings Market Size By End-Use (Commercial OEM, Automotive Refinish, Light Vehicle OEM), By Application (Plastic, Metal), By Technology (Solventborne, Waterborne, UV-Cured, Powder Coatings), By Product (Electrocoat, Primer, Clearcoat, Basecoat), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2015  2022

The worldwide automotive coatings market was evaluated at more than 3.7 million tons during year 2014 in terms of volume. It is projected to cross 5.5 million tons by end of year 2022 with CAGR growth rate of more than 4.8%.

The global automotive coatings market is anticipated to grow at a healthy rate during the anticipated span due to growing competition among market participants, rising demand for automobiles, favourable government policies, growth of transportation infrastructure and rapid financial development. Current product growth and growing investments in research & development is predicted to enhance the demand for automotive coatings in future. But fluctuations in costs of raw materials and hazardous ecological effect of traditional solvent borne coatings can hamper the growth & expansion of the worldwide automotive coatings market.

The worldwide automotive coatings market is projected to experience substantial growth owing to growing customer preference as automotive coatings boosts strength and vehicle look. Automotive coatings also protect vehicles from ultra violet radiation, heat, foreign particles and acid rain. Request for a sample of this research report @ https://www.gminsights.com/request-sample/detail/107 Growing automobile manufacture in various countries like Indonesia, China, USA, Mexico, Japan, Germany, India and South Korea along with the maturing of automobiles in these regions is a key factor driving the growth of the global automotive coatings market. Growing demand for environment friendly coatings like powder coatings, waterborne coatings and ultra violet cured coatings in developing countries like Brazil and China is predicted to fuel the growth & expansion of worldwide automotive coatings market. Further, fast economic development, growing government expenditure, innovations & breakthroughs in road infrastructure along with growing customer inclination towards personal conveyance are the factors projected to fuel the growth of global industry.

Based on application, the worldwide automotive coatings market is divided into metal coatings and plastic coatings. Metal coatings section was the biggest application section. It is predicted to experience substantial expansion during the estimated span owing to growing automobile production in countries like USA, Mexico and China.

Plastic coatings section is predicted to observe rapid growth in future owing to enhanced use of plastic parts in car production due to its lightweight property, rust resisting feature, design flexibility, cost efficacy, strength and reuse. Further, growing use of plastics in external applications like windows, doors, headlight and bumpers is projected to propel its demand during the estimated span. Germany automotive coatings market Size, by technology, 2012-2022 (Kilo Tons)

Depending on technology, it is segmented into powder coating, waterborne coating and solvent borne coating. Solvent borne coating section led the worldwide automotive coatings market in revenue terms past few years.

Waterborne coating section is predicted to experience fast growth owing to its properties of exceptional adhesion, abrasion and temperature resistance.

Powder coatings are eco friendly and are anticipated to experience rapid growth due to its unique features like high corrosion resistance, chipping, high quality finish and abrasion along with protection from moisture, heat and chemicals. Further, these power coatings emit small proportion of volatile organic compounds.

Based on the product type, the industry is segmented into clear coat, primer, basecoat and electro coat.

The basecoat section was the biggest product section and is anticipated to experience significant expansion during the estimated span. The reason for expansion of the basecoat section is that basecoat offers decorative effects, color effects and outer aesthetics to automobiles.

Electro coat section is projected to promote the growth of the worldwide automotive coatings market as it possesses the anti corrosive and anti rusting properties.

Demand & growth of clear coat section is predicted to grow as it provides protection against ultra violet rays as well as heat rays of sun.

Based on end user, the worldwide automotive coatings market is divided into light weight original equipment manufacturer and automotive refinish. Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @ https://www.gminsights.com/inquiry-before-buying/107

Light vehicle original equipment manufacturer section was the biggest end user section of the global automotive coatings market during year 2014. It is predicted to experience significant expansion during the estimated span owing to high standards of living of the people in India, US and China. Further rising demand for cars in these countries due to growing new features like GPS tracking, high beam controls, pre collision techniques, automatic lights and multi direction cameras are the factors that can contribute to the expansion of the section during forecasted span.

Automotive refinish section is predicted to experience fast growth in future due to growing customer purchasing power in developing regions of Asia Pacific zone like Thailand, China and India along with automobile aging. Further, growing demand for used automobiles is further anticipated to promote the growth of the section. Growing amount of accidents in region of Latin America and Middle East & Africa are predicted to boost growth of the worldwide automotive coatings market during the projected period/span.

Based on geographical locations, the worldwide automotive coatings market is divided into five geographical regions, North American subcontinent, European continent, APAC zone, Latin America and region of Middle East & Africa.

Asia-Pacific zone was the leading automotive coatings market during year 2014. It is also a leading market and projected to lead automotive coatings market in future due to growing demand & manufacture of automobiles along with growing amount of joint ventures between key market & regional players in the zone. In addition to this, fast economic development in countries like Japan, China, Indonesia, India, Thailand and South Korea is also predicted to contribute towards the growth of the automotive coatings sector in APAC zone.

China is predicted to stimulate the demand for automotive coatings owing to factors like increase in regional automobile producers in the region, growing automobile demand and rise in transportation infrastructure section. Further, growing insurance section and supportive government legislations is further predicted to stimulate the demand & growth of the automotive coatings market in APAC zone. Also presence of large & established industry players in India is predicted to stimulate the growth of the automotive coatings industry in Asia Pacific zone.

The European continent is today the second biggest automotive coatings market after APAC zone. The North American subcontinent is projected to surge ahead of Europe in future due to substantial increase in automobiles production.

Strict environmental rules in Europe and North America are predicted to stimulate the demand for waterborne coatings section and powder coatings section. This is further anticipated to increase the growth of the automotive coatings market in these regions during anticipated period.

Favourable monetary policies and political stability in region of Latin America has driven automotive coatings producers to make investments in the region. This is predicted to fuel the growth of the automotive coatings market during the estimated span.

The region of Middle East & Africa is predicted to boost the growth of the automotive coatings market in the region owing growing manufacturing bases and expanding powder coating segment in the region.

gggAutomotive Coatings Market Size By End-Use (Commercial OEM, Automotive Refinish, Light Vehicle OEM), By Application (Plastic, Metal), By Technology (Solventborne, Waterborne, UV-Cured, Powder Coatings), By Product (Electrocoat, Primer, Clearcoat, Basecoat), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trend, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2015  2022 in detail along with the table of contents: https://www.gminsights.com/industry-analysis/automotive-coatings-market Browse key industry insights spread across 150 pages with 143 market data tables & 18 figures & charts from the report,in detail along with the table of contents: The worldwide automotive coatings market is very competitive with key industry players competing against each other in order to gain competitive edge and acquire maximum market share and earn huge return on investments. Also these key market participants are involved in research & development activities and continuous product innovation.

dd The key market players involved in the automotive coatings business and contributing towards the growth of the worldwide automotive coatings market are as follows:

PPG Industries Incorporation

AkzoNobel N.V.

KCC Paint/Corporation

Beckers Group

Axalta Coating Systems LLC

BASF SE

Lord Corporation

Valspar Corporation

Berger Paints

DSM

Eastman Chemical Company

Kansai Paint

Bayer AG

Jotun A/S

Nippon Paint Holdings Company Limited

Sherwin-Williams Company

Arkema SA

Clariant AG

Cabot Corporation

Solvay SA

About Global Market Insights Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.

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RadiantInsights.com has announced the addition of Brazil Mobile Data Market Trends, Growth And Forecast Report : Radiant Insights, Inc Market Research Report to their Database.

In 2016, Brazil will be the largest telecom services market in Latin America. Disconnections in the pay-TV and circuit-switched markets will affect the growth of the telecom market in Brazil in 2016. Additionally, the challenging macroeconomic situation coupled with additional cuts in mobile termination rates (MTRs) and reductions in fixed circuit-switched tariffs terminating on mobile networks will further impact market growth and operator revenue. With recovery beginning in 2017 and the voice-to-data substitution trend in the mobile segment, growth in the Brazilian telecom market will be mainly driven by the increase in mobile data revenue.

Browse Full Research Report With TOC on http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/brazil-demand-for-mobile-data

Key Findings

The top three operators, Vivo, Claro (America Movil) and Oi, which provide mobile, fixed and pay-TV services, will account for 74.8% of overall service revenue in 2016. In 2015, Vivo concluded the acquisition of GVT, expanding its presence outside its concession area for fixed services and increasing its market share.

Despite Brazils challenging economic environment, equipment vendors and software providers have opportunities in select areas in the near term such as operators LTE deployments, fiber-optic network rollouts, SDN/NFV opportunities and services geared toward the B2B segment, such as data center and cloud computing, where vendors can leverage network services and management solutions.

Synopsis

Brazil: Demand for Mobile Data Services Remains Strong Amid Challenging Macroeconomic Conditions provides an executive-level overview of the telecommunications market in Brazil today, with detailed forecasts of key indicators up to 2021. It delivers deep quantitative and qualitative insight into the Brazilian telecom market, analyzing key trends, evaluating near-term opportunities and assessing risk factors, based on proprietary data from Pyramid Researchs databases.

The Country Intelligence Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:

Regional context: telecom market size and trends in Brazil compared with other countries in the Latin American region.

Economic, demographic and political context in Brazil.

The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18  24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to national broadband plans and other infrastructure developments.

A demand profile: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice and mobile data segments.

Service evolution: a look at changes in the breakdown of overall revenue between the fixed and mobile sectors and between voice, data and video from 2014 to 2021.

The competitive landscape: an examination of key trends in competition and in the performance, revenue market shares and expected moves of service providers over the next 18-24 months.

In-depth sector analysis of fixed telephony, broadband, mobile voice and mobile data services: a quantitative analysis of service adoption trends by network technology and by operator, as well as of average revenue per line/subscription and service revenue through the end of the forecast period.

Main opportunities: this section details the near-term opportunities for operators, vendors and investors in the Brazilian telecommunications market.

Browse Other Reports of Telecommunications Category By Radiant Insights:

Multimedia Storage Browser Industry 

http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-multimedia-storage-browser-industry-2016

SDN/NFV technologies Market 

http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/sdn-nfv-technologies-innovative-use-cases-and-operator-strategies

Reasons To Buy

Gain in-depth analysis of current strategies and future trends of the Brazilian telecommunications market, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format, to build proactive and profitable growth strategies.

Understand the factors behind ongoing and upcoming trends in the Brazilian communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares, to align product offerings and strategies to meet customers demand.

Leverage the graphical information (more than 20 charts and tables in the report based on the Pyramid Research forecast products), to gain an overview of Brazils telecom market.

Analysis of key telecom players in the markets and major business strategies being adopted by them, to identify the opportunities to improve market share.

Explore novel opportunities to align your product strategies and offerings to meet the requirements and succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in Brazil.

Explore Other Reports By Radiant Insights,Inc at

Electronic Equipment Market 

http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/electronic-equipment-global-market-briefing-2015

Construction Market 

http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/construction-global-market-briefing-2015

About Radiant Insight

Radiant Insights is a market research and consulting company offering syndicated research studies, customized reports, and consulting services. Our market research studies are designed to facilitate strategic dxecision making, on the basis of extensive and in-depth quantitative information, supported by extensive analysis and industry insights. Using a patented and robust research methodology, we publish exhaustive research reports covering a host of industries such as Technology, Chemicals, Materials, and Energy.Radiant Insights has a strong base of analysts, consultants and domain experts, with global experience helping us deliver excellence in all research projects we undertake.

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Radiant Insights, Inc has announced the addition of the United Kingdom: Telecom Services Market Will Continue to Grow Through 2021 Driven by Data Services and Content report to their offering.

In 2016, the UK will be the largest telecom services market in Western Europe. Pyramid Research expects minor Brexit implications on the telecom industry outlook over the next five years since the telecom market is less vulnerable to macroeconomic changes and cycles than are other industries. Going forward, growth in the UKs telecom market will be driven by further customer migration to faster-speed fixed and mobile networks  which generate uplift in ARPU- and by richer content offerings for pay-TV. The IoT/M2M market growth will also provide additional revenue for operators. Over the next five years, operators should take hold of opportunities by focusing on convergence offers through innovative service offerings including triple-play and quad-play bundles to seize opportunities arising from growth in data in the market. LTE expansion and FTTH/B deployments by operators and FMC will present opportunities for vendors and investors.

Download Full Research Report on Telecom Services Market @ http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/united-kingdom-telecom-services-market

Key Findings

 The decision to leave the EU will open a period of discussions and negotiations between the UK and the EU, which could last up to two years. The exit model and the framework of the new relationships between the UK and the EU are far from clear, and so is the impact on the UK economy.

 LTE will replace 3G as the largest adopted technology in 2016 as 4G/LTE network coverage expands and consumer appetite for faster speeds and additional content grows.

 The top two operators, BT (including EE) and Sky UK, will account for 48.0% of overall service revenue in 2016. The operators initiatives to increase the uptake of fixed-mobile convergence and bundled offerings along with LTE and fiber expansions will further intensify competition and fuel the growth in the market.

The Country Intelligence Telecom Services Market Report provides in-depth analysis of the following:

 Regional context: Telecom market size and trends in the UK compared with other countries in the Western European region.

 Economic, demographic and political context in the UK.

 The regulatory environment and trends: a review of the regulatory setting and agenda for the next 18-24 months as well as relevant developments pertaining to spectrum licensing, national broadband plans, number portability and more.

 A demand profile: analysis as well as historical figures and forecasts of service revenue from the fixed telephony, fixed Internet, mobile voice and mobile data.

 Service evolution: a look at changes in the breakdown of overall revenue between the fixed and mobile sectors and between voice, data and video from 2014 to 2021.

 The competitive landscape: an examination of key trends in competition and in the performance, revenue market shares and expected moves of service providers over the next 18-24 months.

Browse All Reports of This Category @ http://www.radiantinsights.com/catalog/telecommunications

Reasons To Buy this Report

 Gain in-depth analysis of current strategies and future trends of the telecommunications market in the UK, service providers and key opportunities in a concise format, to build proactive and profitable growth strategies.

 Understand the factors behind ongoing and upcoming trends in the UK mobile communications, fixed telephony and broadband markets, including the evolution of service provider market shares, to align product offerings and strategies to meet customers demand.

 Leverage the graphical information (more than 20 charts and tables in the report based on the Pyramid Research forecast products), to gain an overview of the telecom market in the UK.

 Analysis of key telecom players in the markets and major business strategies being adopted by them, to identify the opportunities to improve the market share.

 Explore novel opportunities to align your product strategies and offerings to meet the requirements and succeed in the challenging telecommunications market in the UK.

Read more related reports by Radiant Insights:

 Information Services Market

http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/information-services-global-market-analytics-report-2016

 VHF Air-ground Communication Stations Industry

http://www.radiantinsights.com/research/global-vhf-air-ground-communication-stations-industry-2016

About Radiant Insights

Radiant Insights is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. It assist and facilitate organizations and individuals procure market research reports, helping them in the decision making process. The Organization has a comprehensive collection of reports, covering over 40 key industries and a host of micro markets. In addition to over extensive database of reports, experienced research coordinators also offer a host of ancillary services such as, research partnerships/ tie-ups and customized research solutions.

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AcuteMarketReports.com has Published New Research Report Title World Refrigerated Display Cases Market  Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015  2022

Refrigerated display cases are cabinets with glass surfaces for items, which require cooling or preservation. The cases are ideal for products requiring a regulated temperature to maintain the freshness. These are mostly used in retail stores and food & refreshment industry, for example, general stores/hypermarkets, supermarkets, eateries and hotels and non-routine outlets. RDCs help to attract customers through an attractive visual display of food and drink products. Moreover, expanding retail network and business sector for ready to eat and prepared food items, has fueled the demand for RDCs in the global market.

Browse Full Report Visit  http://www.acutemarketreports.com/report/world-refrigerated-display-cases-market

Increasing demand for energy efficient refrigerated cases from commercial food service sector, has created the need for continuous research and development in RDC technologies. Increasing regulatory compliances and rising concerns for food safety majorly drive the growth of this market. Low awareness and limited adoption in less developed regions and growing environmental concerns are some factors impeding the market growth. With technological advancements, leading market players are developing energy efficient RDCs in different types and designs to cater to the increasing demands of commercial food industry.

Product launches and acquisitions are identified as prominent strategies adopted by the companies operating in this market. For instance, AHT Cooling Systems GmbH, introduced products with RPM-regulated compressor technology and energy saving fan that provides maximum energy efficiency. These products are positioned especially for supermarkets and hypermarkets. Moreover, in July 2015, Epta Spa announced the acquisition of Knudsen Koling Denmark, a Danish RDC manufacturing company. Together, these companies would collaborate on CO2 and natural refrigerant based RDCs.

The market is segmented on the basis of product type, product design and geography. The product type segment includes plug-in and remote RDCs. Plug-in RDCs dominate the overall market and are expected to maintain their dominance throughout the forecast period. The product design segment includes vertical, horizontal and hybrid/semi-vertical RDCs. The segment of Vertical RDCs accounted for maximum revenue share, in 2015 and is expected to maintain its position during the forecast period. Based on geography, the Refrigerated Display Case market is segmented across North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and LAMEA. Asia-Pacific is expected to exhibit the highest growth in RDC market during the forecast period, owing to the burgeoning economic growth.

The leading players profiled in this report are Metalfrio Solutions S.A, Lennox International, Dover Corporation, Illinois Tool Works Inc., Hussmann Corporation, AHT Cooling Systems GmbH, Epta S.p.a Refrigeration, Frigoglass S.A.I.C, Hoshizaki International, ISA Italy S.r.l, Verco Limited.

View Full Report Here :

World Refrigerated Display Cases Market  Opportunities and Forecasts, 2015  2022

POTENTIAL BENEFITS FOR STAKEHOLDERS:

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the Refrigerated Display Case market and offers current and future trends to identify lucrative investment pockets in the market.

The report identifies the key drivers, opportunities and restraints that shape the market and provides an impact analysis for the forecast period.

Porters five forces analysis highlights the potency of buyers and suppliers participating in this market. This would further offer a competitive advantage to stakeholders in making profitable business decisions.

Market estimation of geographic segments is derived from the current market scenario and expected trends in order to highlight the market potential across key geographies.

WORLD REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASES MARKET SEGMENTATION

The market is segmented on the basis of Product Type, Product Design and Geography.

WORLD REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASES MARKET  By Product Type

Plug in Refrigerated Display Cases

Remote Refrigerated Display Cases

WORLD REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASES MARKET  By Product Design

Vertical

Horizontal

Hybrid/Semi-Vertical

WORLD REFRIGERATED DISPLAY CASES MARKET  By Geography

North America

Europe

Asia-Pacific

LAMEA

Chapter: 1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Report description

1.2 Key benefits

1.3 Key market segments

1.4 Research methodology

1.4.1 Secondary research

1.4.2 Primary research

1.4.3 Analyst tools and models

Chapter: 2 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

2.1 CXO perspective

Chapter: 3 MARKET OVERVIEW

3.1 Market definition and scope

3.2 Key findings

3.2.1 Top impacting factor

3.2.2 Top winning strategies

3.2.3 Top investment pockets

3.3 Value chain analysis

3.4 Porters five forces analysis

3.4.1 Highly differentiable product in the market lead to high bargaining power of suppliers

3.4.2 Need for technologically advanced products and high product differentia-tion limits the bargaining power of buyers

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AcuteMarketReports.com has Published New Research Report Title World Silicones Market  Opportunities and Forecast, 2014  2022

Silicones are high-performance oligomers or polymers with an alternating silicon oxygen backbone, formed with aliphatic or aromatic side groups. They are considered as a modern class of synthetic materials in which siloxane functional group forms the backbone and can take a variety of physical forms such as solids, semi-viscous pastes, oils, and more. They are produced by reacting silicon with methyl chloride and further reaction with water. Silicones are resistant to high & low temperatures and find applications in several products used across a wide range of end-user industries. Manufacturers of silicone are carefully complying with the regulations and norms drawn by the public authorities from the U.S., Europe, and Asia to safeguard human health and the environment.

Browse Full Report Visit  http://www.acutemarketreports.com/report/world-silicones-market

Focus on the usage of environment friendly products having less emission of greenhouse gases and growing infrastructure activities in emerging countries will drive the silicone market in the coming days. Apart from the driving factors the market is also going to experience external barriers. Silicones are mainly used as adhesives, sealants, and coatings in these sectors. In addition, silicone rubbers are widely used as sculptor materials make accurate reproductions of original sculpture. Silicone-based products also contribute toward energy savings and greenhouse-gas emission reduction, which increases its popularity in the end-user market. Rising cost of key raw materials, methyl chloride & silicon metal, hinders the market growth. Emerging economies in Asia-Pacific, such as India, Indonesia, and Thailand, offer various opportunities for the silicones market owing to the rapidly growing end-user industries in these countries.

Segment Review:

The world silicones market is segmented on the basis of type, end user, and geography. Based on different types, the market is classified into elastomers, fluids, resins, and gels. Silicones find applications in various industries such as building & construction, transportation, electronics, medical, textile & leather, and others. Geographically, the market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and LAMEA.

The silicones market, with its surging demand in end applications, witnessed a high growth during the past few years, and this growth trend is estimated to continue in the future too. Key players in the market invest huge capital in R&D activities to develop enhanced products, which helps to meet current demand areas including advanced medical science. Major players in the silicones market are Shin-Etsu Chemical Co., Ltd. (China), Dow Corning Corporation (U.S.), Momentive Performance Materials Inc. (U.S.), Wacker Chemie AG (Germany), and Bluestar Silicones International Co., Ltd. (France).

KEY BENEFITS

The report provides an in-depth analysis of the world silicones market and estimations from 2014 to 2022, including information about the current market situation, changing market dynamics, expected trends, and market intelligence.

The factors that drive and impede the growth of the world market are comprehensively analyzed in this study.

Porters Five Forces model and SWOT analysis illustrate the potency of buyers and sellers.

The report contains a comprehensive study of the key strategies adopted by companies to gain competitive advantage in the market.

Micro-level analysis is conducted based on type, end user, and region.

View Fll Report Here :

World Silicones Market  Opportunities and Forecast, 2014  2022

SILICONE MARKET KEY SEGMENTS:

BY TYPE

Elastomers

Fluids

Resins

Gels

BY END USER

Building & Construction

Transportation

Electronics

Medical

Textile & Leather

Others (Paints & Coatings, Cosmetics, Paper)

BY GEOGRAPHY

North America U.S. Mexico Canada

Europe UK Germany France Italy Rest of Europe

Asia-Pacific China Japan India Rest of Asia-Pacific

LAMEA Brazil South Africa Turkey Others



Chapter: 1. Introduction

1.1. Report Description

1.2. Key Benefits

1.3. Key Market Segment

1.4. Research Methodology

1.4.1. Secondary Research

1.4.2. Primary Research

1.4.3. Analyst Tools & Models

Chapter: 2. Executive Summary

2.1. CXO Perspective

2.2. Market Beyond: What to Expect by 2027

2.2.1. Moderate Growth Scenario

2.2.2. Rapid Growth Scenario

2.2.3. Diminishing Growth Scenario

Chapter: 3. Market Overview

3.1. Market Definition and Scope

3.2. Key Findings

3.2.1. Top Investment Pockets

3.2.2. Top Winning Strategies

3.3. Porters Five Forces Analysis

3.4. Market Dynamics

3.4.1. Drivers

3.4.2. Restraints

3.4.3. Opportunities

Chapter: 4. World Silicones Market, By Type

4.1. Introduction

4.1.1. Market Size and Forecast

4.2. Elastomers

4.2.1. Key Market Trends, Growth Factors, and Opportunities

4.2.2. Market Size and Forecast

4.3. Fluids

4.3.1. Key Market Trends, Growth Factors, and Opportunities

4.3.2. Market Size and Forecast

4.4. Resins

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Byte Power Group Limited (ASX:BPG) is a diversified technology solutions group with a particular emphasis on securing Asian business opportunities.

Through Wimobilize, the Group has a new cutting edge technology solution, a proprietary Advance Hybrid Artificial Intelligence Big Data Technology Platform consisting of 31 Advance Analysis Engines, 4 levels of Hybrid Correlation and Al Profiling Algorithms customised for governmental, healthcare, banking, telco and tourism industries. This proprietary Big Data technology platform elevated the AI Predictive Analysis and deep insight intelligence to a new paradigm, applicable to any market segment.

This Wimobilize Big Data technology powered e-commerce ecosystem will provide the next generation innovative trading platform for distributing the Company's Australian wine, organic honey and honeycomb.


Cardinal Completes Second Tranche Placement

Perth, Aug 26, 2016 AEST (ABN Newswire) - Cardinal Resources Limited ( ASX:CDV ) ("the Company") is pleased to confirm that following the approval at the General Meeting of Shareholders, held on 19 August 2016, the Company has allotted 19,481,330 fully paid ordinary shares at $0.29 per share.



The Company now has the following shares and listed options on issue:



Fully Paid Ordinary shares: 297,074,697

Options exercisable at $0.15 on or before 30 September 2019: 117,587,039



Archie Koimtsidis, Managing Director of Cardinal, said:



"We are very pleased with the strong level of support from new and existing shareholders who recognise the significant potential of our projects.



"We are pleased that the tremendous potential of our Ghanaian Projects is increasingly being recognised by a range of Sophisticated Investors."



The Appendix 3B and Cleansing Notice, in respect to the securities issued pursuant to the second tranche placement can be viewed in the link below.



To view Appendix 3B, please visit:

http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/40NFH979





About Cardinal Resources Ltd





Cardinal Resources Ltd (ASX:CDV) (TSE:CDV) (OTCMKTS:CRDNF) is a West African gold exploration and development Company that holds interests in tenements within Ghana, West Africa.

The Company is focused on the development of the Namdini Project with a gold Ore Reserve of 5.1Moz (0.4 Moz Proved and 4.7 Moz Probable) and a soon to be completed Feasibility Study.

Exploration programmes are also underway at the Company's Bolgatanga (Northern Ghana) and Subranum (Southern Ghana) Projects.

Cardinal confirms that it is not aware of any new information or data that materially affects the information included in its announcement of the Ore Reserve of 3 April 2019. All material assumptions and technical parameters underpinning this estimate continue to apply and have not materially changed.
Lekki Lagos, February 1st 2019. Rilla Web Hosting, one of the top players in domain registration and web hosting has announces its full ...
ACAs library of educational tools help members improve their business practices. ACA also holds the most popular industry conferences and offers credentialing for collectors, attorneys, and more. ACAs Training Zone subscription gives agencies access to almost all of our education for one low cost.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has reached a settlement in a multibillion-dollar lawsuit involving the 2009 collapse of Taylor Bean & Whitaker Mortgage Corp.

Trustees for the bankrupt mortgage company sued PwC in 2013 for over $5 billion, claiming that PwC had failed to detect fraud at Taylor Bean during the firms audits of Colonial Bank, which bought mortgages originated by the company. Both Taylor Bean and Colonial went bankrupt in 2009 after federal regulators uncovered rampant fraud.

A trial in the case began in Miami earlier this month (see PwC Fights $5.6 Billion Fraud Trial over Taylor Beans Collapse). The size of the damages sought by the bankruptcy trustee threatened to undermine PwC, even though the firm pointed out that it never audited Taylor Bean. Taylor Beans audit firm, Deloitte, settled with the bankruptcy trustee in 2013 for an undisclosed sum. A half dozen Taylor Bean executives were convicted and sentenced to prison for the fraud.

PricewaterhouseCoopers did not audit or perform any other services for Taylor Bean, PwCs outside attorney, Beth Tanis of King & Spalding, said before the trial got underway. With regard to the services performed for Colonial Bancgroup, one of the targets of Taylor Bean's fraud, PricewaterhouseCoopers did its job. As the professional audit standards make clear, even a properly designed and executed audit may not detect fraud, especially in instances when there is collusion, fabrication of documents, and the override of controls, as there was at Colonial Bank. We are confident that a jury will understand the applicable rules and standards in this case and decide accordingly.

The plaintiffs contended otherwise. PwC missed this massive fraud and the gross errors in Colonials financial statements because it repeatedly ignored red flags in conscious and reckless disregard of its public duty as an auditor, the trustees attorneys contended in an amended complaint. Moreover, all the time that the Looters were carrying out their fraud against TBW, PwC certified the existence of more than a billion dollars of Colonial assets that did not exist, had been sold to others, or were worthless.

The two sides reached a confidential settlement deal midway through the trial Friday. The case was settled to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, said Bruce Rubin, a spokesman for the plaintiff.

"The settlement is confidential," he added.

PwC echoed his statement. The case was settled to the mutual satisfaction of the parties, said a spokeswoman for the firm.
Whats the Relationship Between ADHD and Autism?

Roughly two-thirds of children with ADHD have at least one comorbid condition, and autism is among those that commonly occur with ADHD. Some studies suggest that nearly half of autistic children also have ADHD.1

Whats the Difference Between ADHD and Autism?

The most notable symptoms of ADHD include inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. It is primarily a disorder of self-regulation and executive function  skills that act as the brain manager in everyday life, says Mark Bertin, M.D., a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and the author of The Family ADHD Solution (#CommissionsEarned).

Autism typically includes problems with social interactions, communication, and repetitive or ritualistic behaviors.

Children with autism do not intuitively understand some aspects of the social world, Bertin says. They have specific behaviors, such as limited imaginative play or lack of gesture language. They often find it challenging to manage social interactions and emotions.

[Self-Test: Is My Child on the Autism Spectrum?]

While the primary components of ADHD and ASD are different, some overlap exists be- tween the two. The trick to differentiating between them is to determine the reason behind the behavior. For example, both can cause social challenges. For children with ADHD, the root causes may include inattention and inability to organize their thoughts, or impulsivity.

For autistic children, the reasons are often different  such as not understanding nonverbal communication or delays in language skills.

Children with ADHD may struggle socially, but with ADHD alone, markers of early social development, such as turn-taking play, gesture language, responding to names, and imaginative play, are usually intact. Traits like appropriate facial affect (the childs facial expression reflects his or her current emotional experience), humor, and empathy are also unaffected, Bertin says. Those traits, when lacking, are critical indicators of autism.

Kids with ADHD may not be able to stick to turn-taking play, but they understand it. They may not respond when called because of attention problems, but they are socially engaged and recognize their name and what it means, Bertin says.

How Are ADHD and Autism Diagnosed?

To obtain an accurate, complete diagnosis, Bertin suggests working with a profession- al who is familiar with both conditions. A thorough evaluation aims to define a childs strengths and weaknesses, he says. Various test measures try to document ADHD symptoms, executive function, social and communication delays, anxiety, mood disorders, and a host of other symptoms.

[Self-Test: Autism Spectrum Disorder Symptoms in Adults]

But tests alone are not enough. Evaluating both ADHD and autism remains a clinical skill based on getting to know a child and seeking a comprehensive picture of their life in the real world, a global sense of a childs social and conversational abilities, as well as their play and daily living skills.

Diagnosis can be a fluid, ongoing process. It was for Clark, now 17, according to his mother, Pamela Fagan Hutchins, the author of the book The Clark Kent Chronicles: A Mothers Tale Of Life With Her ADHD And Aspergers Son . Although Hutchins earliest concerns about Clark were about autism-like symptoms, ADHD, not ASD, was Clarks first diagnosis.

We first noticed autism-like symptoms when Clark was two, like running to the left in circles while waggling his left hand, Hutchins says. It was when he started school that we noticed ADHD symptoms. He had a lot of trouble staying on task. Clark received an

ADHD diagnosis in fourth grade, and Aspergers syndrome (no longer a discrete diagno- sis) about a year and a half later.

Although parents might find it stressful not knowing the source of their childs challeng- es, there isnt always a definitive answer. There are times when we need to put aside the diagnostic debate, in the short run, and focus instead on a plan to address whatever is go- ing on with the child, Bertin says. It can be helpful to think, What interventions would be most useful right now? instead of waiting for complete certainty on the diagnosis. In fact, the interventions themselves may help determine the most accurate diagnosis.

In Clarks case, treatment with ADHD medication helped to clarify his diagnosis. After being diagnosed with ADHD, Clark started taking Concerta to treat his symptoms.

It was clear, after he started Concerta, that the autism-like symptoms remained, Bertin says. He still ran laps around the house, to the left, was insensitive to the feelings of oth- ers, was prone to making odd statements, and rattled off statistics.

Clark, now 17, continues to take Concerta. He doesnt love it, says Hutchins, but he recognizes he can hold everything together better when on it, and that he is less anxious and less prone to outbursts.

For ADHD, there is substantial evidence in favor of using medication. For autism alone, some medicines may help with specific facets, such as obsessive behavior, but there is not medication approved for treatment of the underlying condition.

Cassie Zupkes son is a case in point. Zupke runs a non-profit group, Open Doors Now, and is the author of We Said, They Said: 50 Things Parents and Teachers of Students with Autism Want Each Other to Know . Her son, James, 17, has autism, with a history of severe ADHD symptoms. As a toddler, James had no fear, says Zupke. He would take off and wouldnt stop if I called him. Id have to physically catch him to get him to stop.

James delayed speech led Zupke to have him assessed at age three. A neurologist diag- nosed him with autism spectrum disorder. James was in special education for preschool and kindergarten, then in a regular classroom for first grade. It was a disaster, Zupke says. He had severe meltdowns due to his sensory difficulties and poor social communication skills. His impulse control was still terrible. He ran when he got a chance, and he got into everything  the teachers desk, the janitors closet.

Zupke didnt like the idea of starting James on medication, but believed he was in danger. His doctor reminded Zupke that taking medication wasnt a long-term commitment; they could take him off it if side effects were a problem. James started taking Adderall. That decision probably saved his life, Zupke says. Not only did it improve his impulse control dramatically, but it also helped him pay attention in class.

Beyond Meds: Treating ADD and ASD

Before or after a child gets a definitive diagnosis, behavioral therapies can help. If a child has ongoing social challenges, for example, many of the interventions are similar  such as behavioral therapy to help develop skills, Bertin says.

After Clarks ADHD diagnosis, he received counseling and assistance with organizational skills. Later, when he was identified as autistic, the focus of treatment changed. Treatment now involves helping Clark intellectually grasp the gaps between him and the rest of society  why hygiene matters, what kind of things he does that other people might find odd or insensitive, his mother says.

Several other interventions, including speech therapy, occupational therapy, educational interventions, and parent training, can be explored.

When Your Child Has Both ADHD and Autism

Dr. William Dodson is a psychiatrist who spent his career specializing in both ADHD and autism. When a patient has both, Dodson takes a direct and honest approach: The concept I try to get across to patients and their parents is that ADHD and autism are two separate and distinct conditions that happen to be found together much more frequently than would be expected by chance alone. The patients have two life-long conditions that will affect every moment of their lives.

For people with co-existing ADHD and ASD, treating the ADHD is a means to an end, says Dodson. The world is a classroom for people with ASD, and they have to be ready to observe and practice what theyve learned.

Toward that end, medication to treat ADHD is a must, Dodson says. Few people with both ADHD and ASD succeed without medication to remove the additional obstacle of ADHD from their path.

Is It ADHD Or Autism? Next Steps



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View Article Sources

1 Lydia Furman, MD, Children with Both Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Disorder- New Insights (March, 2018) https://www.aappublications.org/news/2018/03/30/children-with-both-autism- spectrum-disorder-and-attention-deficit-disorder-new-insights-pediatrics-3-30-18

#CommissionsEarned As an Amazon Associate, ADDitude earns a commission from qualifying purchases made by ADDitude readers on the affiliate links we share. However, all products linked in the ADDitude Store have been independently selected by our editors and/or recommended by our readers. Prices are accurate and items in stock as of time of publication
MOVIES NOW 2  the channel known for its smart and stylized movie content, is set to bring another edge of the seat mystery thriller to Indian Television; Predestination. The movie will be a Satellite Premiere that will air on Sunday, August 28, 2016 at 9 PM.

Predestination  the movie, is based on the short story All you Zombies, Robert A. Heinlein. Its a story of a time travel agent, who embarks upon a final assignment of his career; to prevent a deadly criminal from launching an attack that can take lives of millions. The chase turns into a mind boggling journey of time travel, love and fate.

The Australian movie was released worldwide in the year 2014, and is written and directed by the Spierig Brothers. The movie stars brilliantly talented actors Ethan Hawke, Sarah Snook and Noah Taylor. The film won as many as 11 awards and 18 nominations at various film awards in Australia. It also went on to win the award for the Best Screenplay at the Toronto After Dark Film Festival (2014).

This is the This is the first Spierig brothers film in 5 years, following Daybreakers (2009) which followed a 6 year gap after their debut film Undead (2003).

Tune in to MOVIES NOW 2, for this edgy sci-fi mystery thriller

Predestination - On Sunday, August 28, 2016 @ 9 PM
Crocs India has appointed Deepak Chhabra as the new Chief Executive Officer. With over two decades of experience in Retail, Distribution, Buying, Merchandising & Brand Management, Chhabra will be responsible for the growth and expansion of Crocs brand in his new role across India, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Maldives.

Prior to joining Crocs, Chhabra had a long career stint of nine years with Reliance Retail as Vice President, where he was based out of Bengaluru and spearheaded Retail Operations and was instrumental in creating a chain of 250+ footprint retail stores across 110 cities.

A veteran of the footwear and sportswear industry, Chhabra has been associated in various roles with marquee brands like Reliance, Skechers, Asics, Nike, Tag Heuer and Sprandi, where he is best noted for his business channel development expertise, customer insights and team-building skills. He has been responsible for strategising and driving initiatives delivering superior brand and customer experiences through innovative business planning solutions. Chhabra started his career in 1996, and has worked in Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru, whilst travelling extensively for various projects and assignments.

On his new role with Crocs, Chhabra said, I am very excited at the opportunity to work with the Crocs team and looking forward to develop the brand further. I hope to contribute to its growth story in this fast-changing consumer and retail environment.

Crocs, Inc. is a world leader in innovative casual footwear for men, women and children. Since its inception in 2002, Crocs has sold more than 300 million pairs of shoes in more than 90 countries around the world.
Global handset maker Gionee ropes in Bollywood Diva Alia Bhatt as the Brand Ambassador. The young actor will be the new face of Gionee for all the upcoming campaigns, ATL and BTL activities during the festive season and will also be endorsing the next line of products that the brand will launch.

Since the brand entered India in February 2013, the brand has never had a brand ambassador to endorse the products or promote the brand. Gionee has successfully created a niche for itself and has recently upped the ante with an aggressive global strategy of announcing the brands new identity and brand statement of Make Smiles. Taking it a notch higher, Alia Bhatt has been signed by Gionee for the next 2 years to appeal to its core target group- the youth.

Speaking about the association Arvind Vohra, Country CEO & MD, Gionee India said, Gionee recently announced its new brand image and our focus has always been the youth. Alia Bhatt is an actor filled with enthusiasm and zest, characteristics that reflects Gionees beliefs. She adds freshness to the brand and associating with the actor will definitely bring the brand closer to the consumers and will make the brand more relatable.

Alia Bhatt, Gionee's Brand Ambassador expressed her excitement "I am super excited to be part of such a youthful and lively brand that's making India smile. I am looking forward to having an amazing association with Gionee in the coming years and be part of some awesome innovations Gionee is known for".

Gionees marketing spends are 600cr out of which 200 have already been spent and 200 will be spent during the festive season.
IBD India, a Percept-Hakuhodo Company, has retained the creative duties of Panasonic Consumer Electronics for two years now, post a long pitch process.



Panasonic had recently called for a pitch, and after a long pitch process, it decided to renew its contract with IBD. The business will be led by Srikant Rath, COO, IBD. The agency has an office in Gurgaon dedicated to Panasonic Consumer Electronics business, where a team of 18 people services the account. The agency handles television, beauty grooming products, sound systems and home theatre along with system solutions products like printer, projector, and cameras from Panasonic's portfolio. The brand intends to spend around Rs 25-30 crore in advertising the consumer electronics products this year. As the festive season is approaching, the brand is planning to launch another campaign soon.



IBD has a long standing relationship with Panasonic.

Speaking about the first time IBD won the account, Rahul Gupta, Founder and Managing Director of IBD, reminisced, When we first pitched for the Panasonic business in 2008, we wanted to usher a refreshing and youthful energy to the brand, thereby making Panasonic the preferred choice of Young India. The brand inferred a positive rub off when we presented a plan with Ranbir Kapoor, who was young, versatile and promising. The association with Ranbir and Panasonic too has been a long and fruitful one.

Panasonic is one of the largest product manufacturers in the world, and also owns many patent portfolios. Panasonic has designated India as the regional hub to drive growth and build deeper inroads into the fast emerging Indian subcontinent, Middle Eastern and African economies.



IBD specialises in providing holistic solutions across the brand spectrum- from advertising, films, identity management to interactive media and other touch points. The agency work spans across categories from multi- national to home grown brands.



IBDs diversified brand portfolio consists of brands from industries spanning Fashion, Consumer Electronics, Baby Care, Hospitality, Personal care and Spices. The client list comprises Only Vimal, Morisons Baby Dreams, SYSKA LED Lights, SYSKA Accessories, SYSKA Gadget Secure, Panasonic, Georgia Gullini, Deltin Group, Vasu Pharma, Witlinger Beer, Growel 101 Mall, and the TAJ Group of Hotels.
Indias leading premium Hindi movie channel - &Pictures - brings the best of the most beloved martial arts star  Jackie Chan in the on-going festival Chiniwood throughout August, every Friday at 8 PM. More than fifty years and a whopping 100 movies under his belt, Jackie Chan has carved a place in the hearts of millions of fans all over the world. Celebrating this renowned actor, &pictures presents Mr. Nice Guy in Hindi this week on Friday, 26th August at 8 PM.

This film has Jackie Chan play Chinese chef Jackie who incidentally stumbles upon a TV news reporter Diana and helps her fight gangsters. Diana, has at her disposal a secret video tape of a drug bust gone wrong between The Demons and an Italian street gang. Things get awry when the gangsters start the chase for the video tape before it reaches the police. Miki, Jackies girlfriend gets abducted and a series of events compel him and his friend Romeo, a police detective, to chase the gangsters down and ensure that justice is served.

Will Jackie be able to save his girlfriend and put an end to the chase?

~Catch Mr. Nice Guy in Chiniwood on Friday, 26th August at 8 PM only on &pictures~
Yesterday, Ganga Ganapathi joined as Sr. Vice President & Branch Head for Orchard Advertising.

Ganga joins Orchard with 18 years of experience, with 8 years in Advertising following which she spent five and a half years at HP Global Analytics. Gangas advertising stint began with DDB Mudra & Ogilvy where she worked on brands such as IBM, TTK Prestige, Titan, Lenovo and Diageo. In 2013, she moved back to Ogilvy as Vice President of the IBM global business. Her last stint was with Ogilvy Soho Square as VP & Head of Office, with brand engagements such as Himalaya Herbals, Bangalore International Airport, Air Asia and Diageo.

Speaking about her new role, Ganga Ganapathi, Sr. Vice President & Branch Head, Orchard Bangalore says, For me, joining Orchard has meant buying into an audacious dream, a dream where the foundations have been laid and now need building upon. After so many years spent in advertising, one grows to love the business for everything that it can be, and must be. I'm hoping to make a difference to this wonderful world we love (or love to hate) while also achieving some ambitions that are very close to my heart in the space of growing people, storytelling and concrete business impact.

Apart from her day job, Ganga is actively involved in the #saveRCauvery campaign, and campaigning for greater gender diversity in the corporate world.

Speaking about Gangas new role at Orchard, Kaizad Pardiwalla, Chief Operating Officer, Orchard Advertising says Ganga has extensive experience in the advertising industry, having worked on well-known brands such as Diageo, Lenovo, IBM, Air Asia, Himalaya. Orchard is an agency with tremendous upward momentum and is constantly delivering discontinuous business growth for our clients through our philosophy of Culture Hacking (leveraging strong and relevant cultural insights to fuel brand growth). Orchard today is recognized as a #GreatPlaceToGrow for both, brands and its people. And I am delighted for a talented and creative professional like Ganga to get on board and drive our vision and purpose further.

In her new role, Ganga will be replacing Neha Contractor, current Branch Head & Vice President at Orchards Bangalore office. Neha who joined Orchard in March 2014 will be moving onto another role within the group.
Get PIXified with the Indian Television Premiere of Minions movie on Sunday, 28th August at 1:00pm & 9:00pm only onSony PIX

Our favourite delightful and squishy one celled yellow microorganisms are back! This August, Sony PIX will be home to the Minions. The immensely entertaining and popular animated comedy film Minions will premiere on Indian television on Sunday, 28th August at 1pm and 9pm only on Sony PIX.

Minions evolve through the ages, perpetually serving the most despicable of masters. Continuously unsuccessful at keeping the masters the Minions find themselves without someone to serve and fall into a deep depression. To get over their misery and save the tribe, the trio of revolutionary minions: Kevin - the leader, Stuart - the rebel and Bob - the lovable embark upon a thrilling journey in search of their next potential master. Watch the animation comedy and find out whether the Minions are successful at saving all of Minionkind from annihilation.

Directed by Pierre Coffin and Kyle Balda. The film has been voiced by an exceptionally talented bunch of Hollywood stars. The intelligent and ravishing Sandra Bullock lends her voice to the central character of Scarlet overkill. Golden Globe and recent Emmy Award winner Jon Hamm plays the character of Scarlets husband, Herb Overkill. The cast also includes Academy Award-nominee Michael Keaton as Walter Nelson. The cuddly Minions have all been voiced by Director Pierre Coffin himself.

The film has grossed over $1.1 billion worldwide, making it the highest grossing animation movie of 2015 and the 2nd highest-grossing animated film of all times. With the intention of uniting all the Minion fans, Sony PIX is running some innovative social media campaigns. All you have to do is share your crazy and madcap pictures with the hashtag #MinionsOnPIX & #PIXOneInAMinion Talent Hunt and win exciting Minions merchandise.

Sony PIX is all set to leave you AMAZED in a Minion-Ways. Tune in to Sony PIX on 28th August at 1:00pm & 9:00pm. Stay Amazed.
A.M. Best has upgraded the financial strength rating (FSR) to B++ (Good) from B+ (Good) and the issuer credit rating to bbb from bbb- of Worldwide Medical Assurance, Ltd. Corp. (WWMA) (Panama City, Panama). The outlook of each rating remains stable.

The upgrade of the ratings reflects the companys strong risk-adjusted capitalization, conservative investment strategy, strong underwriting practices and improved profitability indicators. These strengths are offset by the companys dependence on its reinsurance counterparties in order to implement its growth targets and the highly competitive landscape in Latin Americas health and life insurance segments.

The company began operations in 1999 and has successfully grown in its niche market, providing insurance for clients traveling overseas to receive medical attention. This is done through a mix of brokers and agents, bancassurance and direct distribution channels. Through holding company Worldwide Group, Inc., WWMA benefits from its partial ownership by KfW DEG, the German development bank, its model to optimize the selection of medical care providers and the support from highly rated reinsurance counterparties. In 2015, WWMA expanded into Guatemala.

Historically, the company has maintained positive capital creation capacity, which along with a conservative profits reinvestment strategy has contributed to its solid risk-adjusted capitalization, as measured by Bests Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). Capital management is further strengthened by the use and development of WWMAs own economic capital model and enterprise risk management practices.

WWMAs sound underwriting, risk retention and stringent expense practices continue translating into strong premium sufficiency metrics. These measures, combined with an increased volume of investments in financial products, have resulted in improvements in profitability indicators. Performance indicators such as return on equity and return on assets were 19.1% and 6.9%, respectively, at year-end 2015, and A.M. Best expects this trend to continue in the near to midterm.

Factors that could lead to positive rating actions include sustained stable operating performance, a successful consolidation of company operations in targeted locations and maintaining diversification across highly rated reinsurers. Negative rating actions are not expected in the short term unless significant changes in the companys strategy damage its income-generating profile or if there is a material deterioration of current capital adequacy ratios, as measured by BCAR.

The methodology used in determining these ratings is Bests Credit Rating Methodology, which provides a comprehensive explanation of A.M. Bests rating process and contains the different rating criteria employed in the rating process. Bests Credit Rating Methodology can be found at www.ambest.com/ratings/methodology.

Key insurance criteria reports utilized:

Analyzing Insurance Holding Company Liquidity (Version March 25, 2013)

Evaluating Country Risk (Version May 02, 2012)

Insurance Holding Company and Debt Ratings (Version May 06, 2014)

Risk Management and the Rating Process for Insurance Companies (Version April 02, 2013)

Understanding Universal BCAR (Version April 28, 2016)

View a general description of the policies and procedures used to determine credit ratings. Also in accordance with Mexican regulations, the following is a link to required disclosures  A.M. Best America Latina Supplementary Disclosure. For information on the structure, voting and the committee process for determining the ratings and monitoring activities please refer to Understanding Bests Credit Ratings.

Previous Rating Date: Jan. 21, 2016

Date of Financial Data Used: June 30, 2016

This press release relates to rating(s) that have been published on A.M. Best's website. For additional rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see A.M. Bests Recent Rating Activity web page.

A.M. Best does not validate or certify the information provided by the client in order to issue a credit rating.

While the information obtained from the material source(s) is believed to be reliable, its accuracy is not guaranteed. A.M. Best does not audit the companys financial records or statements, or otherwise independently verify the accuracy and reliability of the information; therefore, A.M. Best cannot attest as to the accuracy of the information provided.

A.M. Bests credit ratings are independent and objective opinions, not statements of fact. A.M. Best is not an Investment Advisor, does not offer investment advice of any kind, nor does the company or its Ratings Analysts offer any form of structuring or financial advice. A.M. Bests credit opinions are not recommendations to buy, sell or hold securities, or to make any other investment decisions. View our entire notice for complete details.

A.M. Best receives compensation for interactive rating services provided to organizations that it rates. A.M. Best may also receive compensation from rated entities for non-rating related services or products offered by A.M. Best. A.M. Best does not offer consulting or advisory services. For more information regarding A.M. Bests rating process, including handling of confidential (non-public) information, independence, and avoidance of conflicts of interest, please read the A.M. Best Code of Conduct.

A.M. Best is the worlds oldest and most authoritative insurance rating and information source. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright  2016 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005683/en/

A.M. Best

Salvador Smith, +52 55 1102 2720, ext. 109

Associate Financial Analyst

salvador.smith@ambest.com

or

Alfonso Novelo, +52 55 1102 2720, ext. 107

Director, Analytics

alfonso.novelo@ambest.com

or

Christopher Sharkey, +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5159

Manager, Public Relations

christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

or

Jim Peavy, +1 908 439 2200, ext. 5644

Assistant Vice President, Public Relations

james.peavy@ambest.com
NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-iReach/ -- On Wednesday, August 25, 2016, YEL! (Young Emerging Leaders) held its Eighth Annual Celebration of Young Professionals at the Bethel Woods Center for the Arts. As a Chamber Member, China City of America attended the event.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401605

YEL!'s mission is to bridge the gap between aspiring individuals and local businesses to advance the growth of Sullivan County. It is quite simple: young professionals + experienced business professionals + networking = success.

The event was very well attended, nearly one hundred professionals from the local businesses and organizations participated. Business owners gave a brief speech about their company and the continued encouragement of young professionals to stay and build a career path and future in their own backyard. Those in attendance agreed to support and sustain the only group in Sullivan County solely dedicated to that goal. The event was surrounded with vibrant business chemistry and positive energy for the economic development of the local community. As the event concluded, gifts and prizes from businesses and organizations were distributed. The winners were very happy with they had received.

The local community is very excited about this project. All parties share the same belief that motivating and assisting young professionals will lead to a brighter future in Sullivan County. Young professionals will help to resolve the local ageing tendency issue, bringing trendy and green ideas into the community, creating more jobs and attracting more young visitors which will spark the local economy.

China City of America's Education Center project is coming to the Town of Thompson. It will develop a new high-end education community in Sullivan County. The project has entered into agreements and signed letters of interest with high schools, colleges, education institutions and systems both in the U.S. and China of which each of them will provide a great number of students to attend the center.

In addition, China City of America's education center project will also help create many jobs in the region and stimulate the local economy. Numerous jobs will be created throughout different phases of the entire project, such as contractors, real estate agents, professors, instructors, cleaning, and maintenance workers, etc. Aside from the jobs directly created from the project and the day to day operations on location, there will be a ripple effect throughout the community. The new employees along with the resources required to run the Education Center will increase demand greatly for local goods and services, benefitting the entire local community.

China City of America is proud to be a respected Chamber Member and a community member of Sullivan County, to give more and help in any way possible for the future generations to come.

Media Contact: Sherry Li, China City of America, 5166416780, CCOASherry@yahoo.com

News distributed by PR Newswire iReach: https://ireach.prnewswire.com

SOURCE China City of America
ST HELIER, Jersey, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Consmin, a leading manganese ore producer with mining operations in Australia and Ghana, announces its annual results for the period ending 30 June 2016.

Commenting on the results, David Slater (CFO of Consmin) said:

"During the second quarter of 2016 Consmin's production decreased by 27% compared to the corresponding period in 2015. This reduction was due to the decision taken to suspend operations at the Australian Woodie Woodie mine with effect from 2nd February 2016 and commence the transition into care and maintenance. As a result production from Australia was 72% lower in the quarter with production only relating to limited processing of remaining ROM stockpiles. Production from our Nsuta mine in Ghana in the quarter, however, increased 15% compared to the corresponding period in 2015 underpinned by improved demand for the Company's Ghanaian ore.

The manganese C1 cash cost for the quarter was $1.30/dmtu, an improvement of 35% from $1.99/dmtu for Q2 2015. The C1 cash cost for Q2 2016 does not include any costs or production from the Australian operations due to them being placed on care and maintenance.

The company's manganese ore shipments totalled 628k dry tonnes during Q2 2016, a decrease of 10% compared to Q2 2015. Shipments of Australian manganese ore were limited to existing stockpiles in place at the time of the suspension of operations with sales efforts focussing on maximising revenue due to the improved pricing seen in Q2 2016 in comparison to that in Q1 2016. Sales tonnes from Ghana were 4% lower than in Q2 2015 due to the planned final shipment of June 2016 slipping into the first few days of July 2016. Including this vessel, sales of Ghanaian ore surpassed 2 million tonnes on an annualised basis during the quarter, which is in line with the Ghana record sales levels achieved in 2013.

The quarterly average 44% benchmark CIF price for manganese lump in Q2 2016 was $3.03/dmtu, up 46% from $2.07/dmtu in Q1 2016. This significant price rise was attributable to a very substantial drawdown of China's port stocks in Q1 2016, following the production curtailments from major ore suppliers, including the start of care and maintenance at our Woodie Woodie mine. As the result of an improvement in steel production and prices in China, ore suppliers were able to leverage reduced availability of manganese ore to push up prices aggressively, leading to high grade ore prices achieving levels over $4.00/dmtu in April and May. It should be noted that these price rises were not driven by market fundamentals but rather acute supply tightness and such prices began to unwind towards the end of Q2 with prices for high grade ores falling to below $3.00/dmtu for July shipments.

It seems likely that the recent price volatility will continue throughout the remainder of 2016 as market participants adjust to improved yet fragile steel prospects in China. Supplier discipline should continue to be the key factor although it remains difficult to predict. The Company is cautiously optimistic that the price lows seen in the early months of the year will not reoccur during the remainder of 2016.

Although the Company ended 2015 with net cash and cash equivalents of $76 million, the weakness of pricing for manganese ore in Q1 2016, as well as the costs associated with placing the Woodie Woodie mine into care and maintenance put further pressure on liquidity, with the Company's net cash and cash equivalents having reduced to US$39 million at 31 March 2016. As a result of the level and speed of depletion of the Group's liquidity the Company announced on 8 March 2016 that it anticipated discussions with holders of the 8.000% Senior Secured Notes due May 15, 2020 regarding these Notes, with discussions commencing in April 2016 to implement a solution to improve the Company's liquidity.

Following the announcement of its engagement with the noteholder committee the Company announced that it had elected to utilise the 30 day coupon grace period to further discussions and would not pay the coupon payment due on 15 May 2016. In June the Company announced it had entered into the Standstill and Lock-up Agreement with Noteholders representing 83% of the outstanding Notes who had agreed to support certain amendments to the Notes through a consent solicitation process. On 8 July the Company further announced an invitation to noteholders to consent to certain modifications of the terms and conditions of the Notes.

On 15 August the Company announced that it had received consents from 96.43% of the Noteholders and as a result is pleased with the outcome of the consent solicitation process and thanks the majority of Holders for their support. These amendments will have the beneficial effect of providing the Company with significant additional liquidity during the current period of low and volatile manganese prices."

About Consolidated Minerals Limited

Consmin is a leading manganese ore producer with mining operations in Australia and Ghana. The principal activities of the Company and its subsidiaries (the "Group") are the exploration, mining, processing and sale of manganese products. The Group's operations are primarily conducted through four major operating/trading subsidiaries; Consolidated Minerals Pty Limited (Australia), Ghana Manganese Company Limited (Ghana), Manganese Trading Limited (Jersey) and Pilbara Trading Limited (Jersey).

Consolidated Minerals Limited is headquartered in Jersey and the address of its office is Commercial House, 3 Commercial Street, St Helier, Jersey, Channel Islands, JE2 3RU.

Company Information

For further information, please visit our website http://www.consmin.com
140 enrolled and 9 graduates in New York

Just one year since announcing a debt-free college degree benefit, Empire BlueCross BlueShield already has 140 employees enrolled and nine graduates of the program.

Operated in conjunction with College for America at Southern New Hampshire University, the benefit is available to any Empire full-time or part-time employee who works 20 or more hours per week and has been employed at least six months. Full-time employees who participate in the College for America program can earn an associate or bachelors degree at no cost as a result of Empires tuition reimbursement benefit.

By offering a free degree program through our partnership with College for America, we are reinforcing our commitment to supporting our associates in their career development and helping them achieve their professional goals. For many, their goal is to earn their college degree, said Larry Schreiber, president and CEO of Empire BlueCross BlueShield. I am proud to say that nine members of our New York team have achieved their goal of earning their degree, and they did it at their own accelerated pace, using on-the-job skills and knowledge.

College for America has also expanded its degree offerings to include a Bachelor of Arts degree in Management in three concentrations  Insurance Services, Logistics and Operations, and Public Administration. College for America partners with employers to offer a competency-based, online curriculum that is engineered to help associates fit a fully-accredited college degree in the busy lives of working adults.

Thanks to the response from Empire BlueCross BlueShield associates, College for America is evolving its curriculum and expanding its educational offerings to meet the needs of the companys workforce  helping its associates earn an accredited degree that will help them get ahead in their life and career without taking on debt, said Paul LeBlanc, president of Southern New Hampshire University. This partnership continues to be a model for aligning employer demand with the kind of competency-based, workforce-applicable higher education we have pioneered at College for America.

To date, nearly 1,600 employees of Empires parent company are enrolled in the program nationwide and 92 degrees awarded.

About Empire BlueCross BlueShield

Serving New Yorkers for 80 years, Empire BlueCross BlueShield is the largest health insurer in New York supporting more than four million members and more than 38,000 business, union and small employers in New York. Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Empire) is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice Assurance, Inc., and Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield HMO is the trade name of Empire HealthChoice HMO, Inc., independent licensees of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, serving residents and businesses in the 28 eastern and southeastern counties of New York State. Additional information about Empire is available at www.empireblue.com. Also, follow us on Twitter at @empirebcbs.

About College for America at Southern New Hampshire University

College for America is the workforce development and competency-based education college at Southern New Hampshire University  a nonprofit, fully accredited University based in Manchester, NH. College for America partners with more than 100 employers nationwide to help their associates achieve a college degree through a program built specifically for working adults: competency-based, flexibly-scheduled, workplace-applicable, and just $3,000/year, often covered in full or part by employers. For more, visit www.collegeforamerica.org.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005447/en/

Empire BlueCross BlueShield Media Contact

Sally Kweskin, SVP, Communications

212-476-1421

sally.kweskin@empireblue.com

@empirebcbs

or

College for America Media Contact

Lauren Keane

Director of Communications

Southern New Hampshire University

t. 603.645.9789

l.keane@snhu.edu
JAC (Shanghai Stock Exchange: 600418) is currently developing a new four-wheel drive pick-up following the success of their Frison model in the international market. The Chinese auto maker aims to repeat the success the Frison has achieved globally, when it unveils its new model in Africa and the Middle East next year. Sales of the Frison were particularly high in Chile, where it quickly became the No.1 Chinese pick-up model after its release in May. This followed the models strong performance in the Philippines and Paraguay. During the first half year JAC overseas pick-up sales have doubled compared to the previous half year. These outstanding sales figures not only demonstrate a growing recognition of the JACs reliability and quality in the international market, but also indicate the companys ability to manufacture and export an independently-developed pick-up.

The Frison has won acclaim across the international and Chinese markets for its power, superior loading ability and advanced fuel economy. Take the Frisons largest export markets such as Chile and the Philippines, and popular Chinese markets such as Yunnan and Guizhou as examples. Complicated landscapes in these areas add difficulties to loading and logistics, and require advanced transportation tools. The superior pass ability and power performance of Frison have perfectly met the demands of these areas. The Frison's gasoline pick-up is equipped with a 2.0 Lengine developed by JAC, with maximum power of 110kw and torque of 196Nm. Meanwhile, the models higher emissions efficiency and better fuel economy have fully met the demands of long-distance transportation.

The Frison has sold particularly well for commercial purposes. With advanced seventh-generation JAC chassis technology and a pick-up track of 1520x1520x470mm (or 18101520470mm on the upgraded model), the Frison has an enhanced loading ability, making it especially suitable for use in mining, timber and fishery enterprises, such as in Chile, the sugar industry, such as in Cuba, and the transportation of building materials, such as in Venezuela. Consumers from these industries have in particular praised the Frisons fuel-saving performance. Firstly, the Frisons body is formed from light-weight and plastic composite materials, effectively reducing the body weight of the vehicle. Secondly, the vehicle has incorporated Navistars highly efficient and eco-friendly engineering, Boschs high-pressure common rail system and variable super charger technology, as well as advanced LC5T80 five-speed manual transmission. This has greatly reduced the Frisons fuel consumption to a mere 7L per hundred kilometers.

About JAC Motors

JAC Motors is an automaker that develops full-line independent brand vehicles including light, medium and heavy trucks, sedans, MPV, SRV, buses, chassis, engineering machinery, engines, and gearboxes. Based in Hefei, China, the companys research and development center drives its innovation. JAC also founded Chinas first overseas research and development center in Turin Italy, and a second in Tokyo, Japan.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005159/en/

JAC Motors

Crystal Feng, +86-551-62296885

jacmotors@jac.com.cn

http://jacen.jac.com.cn/showroom/s5.html

http://goal.jac.com.cn/
UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

Form 6-K

REPORT OF FOREIGN PRIVATE ISSUER PURSUANT TO RULE 13a-16 OR 15d-16 UNDER THE

SECURITIES EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

For the month of August, 2016.

Commission File Number 33-65728

CHEMICAL AND MINING COMPANY OF CHILE INC.

(Translation of registrants name into English)

El Trovador 4285, Santiago, Chile (562) 2425-2000

(Address of principal executive office)

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant files or will file annual reports under cover of Form 20-F or Form 40-F.

Form 20-F:_ X_ Form 40-F

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1): ____

Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(1) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted solely to provide an attached annual report to security holders.

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is submitting the Form 6-K in paper as permitted by Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7): ____

Note: Regulation S-T Rule 101(b)(7) only permits the submission in paper of a Form 6-K if submitted to furnish a report or other document that the registrant foreign private issuer must furnish and make public under the laws of the jurisdiction in which the registrant is incorporated, domiciled or legally organized (the registrants home country), or under the rules of the home country exchange on which the registrants securities are traded, as long as the report or other document is not a press release, is not required to be and has not been distributed to the registrants security holders, and, if discussing a material event, has already been the subject of a Form 6-K submission or other Commission filing on EDGAR.

SQM Los Militares 4290 Piso 6, Las Condes, Santiago, Chile Tel: (56 2) 2425 2485 Fax: (56 2) 2425 2493 www.sqm.com

Santiago, Chile. August 26, 2016.- Sociedad Quimica y Minera de Chile S.A. (SQM) (NYSE: SQM; Santiago Stock Exchange: SQM-B, SQM-A) held a conference call to discuss the second quarter 2016 results, which were published on August 24, 2016. The following items were discussed by executive management as part of the conference call:

We reported net income of US$83.1 million, similar to the second quarter of 2015. Revenues for the second quarter of this year totaled US$489.6 million, slightly higher than the second quarter of last year. EBITDA margin for the second quarter of 2016 was approximately 38%, which is lower than the second quarter of 2015.

In general, the trends we have observed in recent quarters continued during the second quarter of 2016: higher volumes in nearly every business line, but lower average prices. Of course the exception on pricing is in lithium, where average prices increased over 60% compared to the second quarter of last year.

I will briefly describe what we are seeing in the different business lines, starting with the fertilizer segments.

Potassium

In the potassium business, revenues were around 18% lower compared to the first half of 2015. We did see a recovery in volumes, which were approximately 14% higher, but this effect was outweighed by the lower averages prices, which were down by approximately 28%. The good news is that other potash producers recently closed contracts in China, which seems to have provided some stability to the market, and we are now starting to see a slight recovery in pricing

Specialty Plant Nutrition

In specialty plant nutrition, revenues were relatively flat compared to 2015, and sales volumes were slightly higher. We have been targeting the water soluble fertilizer market, and that is where we are achieving the growth in sales volumes. However, pricing for this business line as a whole is under pressure, and this is mainly related to the lower prices in the potash market. As announced previously, we expect to increase our potassium nitrate capacity from 1.0 million tons to 1.5 million tons. We expect approximately 200,000 metric tons as a result of increased efficiencies with minimal costs, and believe that the new plant of 300,000 metric tons will have a cost of approximately US$140 million.

Iodine

In the iodine business, revenues decreased by about 15%, as the downward trend in pricing continued. The average price for the second quarter was US$23/kg, which was 5% lower than the first quarter average price. Volumes were up, and in fact, the second quarter sales volumes were the strongest we have reported in years. However, we expect pricing to continue to have a negative impact on this business line.

Lithium

In the lithium business, revenues for the first half of 2016 were more than 90% higher compared to the first half of 2015, as we reported significant increases in both sales volumes and average prices. The higher volumes and prices are both being driven by the strong demand growth in the global lithium market. As demand is mostly related to the battery market, the majority of our sales go to Asia, specifically Japan, Korea and China. We have also seen a shift in our product mix, selling a higher percentage of lithium hydroxide than in previous years. We believe demand growth could exceed 10%-15% this year, and our sales of lithium for the full year 2016 could be more than 25% higher than 2015. We believe that pressure on pricing will decrease during the second half of 2016, but expect our average prices for the second half to be higher than average prices seen during the first half of 2016.

Industrial Chemicals

In the industrial chemicals business line, revenues for the first half of this year were approximately 42% lower compared to the first half of 2015, which is in line with the 45% decrease in sales volumes. The lower sales volumes are mainly explained by the fact that we have not reported sales of solar salts in 2016. We are lowering our estimated solar salt sales for 2016, as some of the 70,000 tons we originally expected will most likely be pushed back to 2017, as a result of delays in these projects.

Finally, although gross profit for the year to date has been lower than it was last year, we continue to expect gross profit for the full year 2016 to be higher than 2015 gross profit.

With respect to the arbitration proceeding with CORFO, the process continues. We now expect the decision to be delayed, as both CORFO and we have initiated additional arbitration proceedings related to the original arbitration, but we remain confident that we have fully complied with all of our contractual obligations with CORFO.

Ill finish with an update on our joint venture with Lithium Americas in order to develop the Cauchari-Olaroz lithium project. We have been hard at work updating the feasibility study, and we now expect that this projects production capacity could reach 50,000 metric tons per year, instead of the 40,000 that we had originally announced. Construction is still expected to begin during the first half of next year, and we are planning to start with a first stage of 25,000 tons per year, and then add the remaining 25,000 tons per year. We expect the capex for the first stage to be in the neighborhood of US$425 million, pre value-added tax, and capex for the second stage to be approximately US$250 million, pre value-added tax. We continue to work on the feasibility study, and while we have not disclosed operating costs specifically, we believe that total costs will put this project on the low end of the cost curve.

2

About SQM

SQM is an integrated producer and distributor of specialty plant nutrients, iodine, lithium, potassium-related fertilizers and industrial chemicals. Its products are based on the development of high quality natural resources that allow the Company to be a leader in costs, supported by a specialized international network with sales in over 110 countries. SQMs development strategy aims to maintain and strengthen the Companys position in each of its businesses.

The leadership strategy is based on the Companys competitive advantages and on the sustainable growth of the different markets in which it participates. SQMs main competitive advantages in its different businesses include:

 Low production costs based on vast and high quality natural resources;

 Know-how and its own technological developments in its various production processes;

 Logistics infrastructure and high production levels that allow SQM to have low distribution costs;

 High market share in all its core products;

 International sales network with offices in 20 countries and sales in over 110 countries;

 Synergies from the production of multiple products that are obtained from the same two natural resources;

 Continuous new product development according to the specific needs of its different customers;

 Conservative and solid financial position.

For further information, contact:

Gerardo Illanes 56-2-24252022 / gerardo.illanes@sqm.com

Kelly OBrien 56-2-24252074 / kelly.obrien@sqm.com

Carolyn McKenzie 56-2-24252280 / carolyn.mckenzie@sqm.com

For media inquiries, contact:

Carolina Garcia Huidobro / carolina.g.huidobro@sqm.com

Alvaro Cifuentes / Alvaro.cifuentes@sqm.com

Tamara Rebolledo / Tamara.rebolledo@sqm.com (Northern Region)

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements can be identified by words such as: anticipate, plan, believe, estimate, expect, strategy, should, will and similar references to future periods. Examples of forward-looking statements include, among others, statements we make concerning the Companys business outlook, future economic performance, anticipated profitability, revenues, expenses, or other financial items, anticipated cost synergies and product or service line growth.

Forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance. Instead, they are estimates that reflect the best judgment of SQM management based on currently available information. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they involve a number of risks, uncertainties and other factors that are outside of our control and could cause actual results to differ materially from those stated in such statements. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Readers are referred to the documents filed by SQM with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission, specifically the most recent annual report on Form 20-F, which identifies important risk factors that could cause actual results to differ from those contained in the forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements are based on information available to SQM on the date hereof and SQM assumes no obligation to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise.

3

SIGNATURES

Pursuant to the requirements of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, the registrant has duly caused this report to be signed on its behalf by the undersigned, thereunto duly authorized.

CHEMICAL AND MINING COMPANY OF CHILE INC.

(Registrant)

Date: August 26, 2016

/s/ Ricardo Ramos

By: Ricardo Ramos

CFO & Vice-President of Development

Persons who are to respond to the collection of information contained SEC 1815 (04-09) in this form are not required to respond unless the form displays currently valid OMB control number.

4
27th SOW tests new capabilities in unfamiliar terrain

In late July, for the very first time, the 27th Special Operations Wing conducted a full mission profile (FMP) hundreds of miles away in the mountainous terrain of Utah and Colorado.



The training provided Air Commandos with the chance to identify their strengths and weaknesses in an unfamiliar location while also testing brand new mission capabilities.



This exercise provided the 27th SOW the opportunity to test our core competencies in a training environment over 400 miles away from Cannon, said Capt. Phil Yarborough, 27th Special Operations Group assistant chief of group weapons and tactics.



Instead of using the nearby Melrose Air Force Range (MAFR), leadership focused on their need to perfect their tactics and apply new strategies in an unfamiliar environment. Julys FMP marks the first time an exercise of this scale was held in a remote location with full wing participation.



The first mission we conducted was locating a simulated high value individual with basic intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in the training area we were working in, said Maj. Michael Bien, 27th SOG chief of weapons and tactics. This was different from what weve done in the past because when we exercise at MAFR, a lot of the logistical issues dont become a part of the mission. By going all the way out to Utah, we were able to test those capabilities.



Projecting our forces at this distance provided aircrew an opportunity to overcome tactical and logistical challenges that are not usually encountered during our local training, Yarborough said.



Planning and executing a complex mission, like the events that took place during this exercise, helps to build upon the necessary skillsets of the Air Commandos, Yarborough said. Most importantly, it also exposes young aircrew to the challenges that they could encounter in a future deployment.



The 27th Special Operation Communications Squadron stood up a fully functional joint operations center solely dedicated to the FMP at Cannon, which helped with long distance communication. This allowed aircrew and Special Tactics Airmen participating in the exercise to report back to the JOC consistently during the scenario via satellite communication.



The wing had to rely on multiple agencies and units in order to accomplish their objectives, despite beyond the line of site communication barriers. The depth needed to make this exercise a success surpasses any exercise done at MAFR: not only were there more than ten wing agencies involved, but the safety net of being close to home base was also taken away. Communication and logistical challenges had to be handled much differently.



Another capstone success marked during the exercise was the validation of a rapid ground refueling capability. This was successfully executed with a cold bulk fuel system delivering fuel to a U-28, also a first for the squadrons and the special operations group overall.



In addition to 27th SOG personnel, there were Airmen representing every group on base: tactical communication, medical personnel, and survival evasion, resistance and escape specialists.



There were a number of lessons learned during this exercise, but the biggest take away was the importance of integration, Bien said. This exercise made the participants step out of their comfort zone by forcing them to solve a complex tactical problem that required the integration of the strengths and capabilities of all the assets here in the 27th SOW.


An assassination attempt on German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly been foiled as Czech police detained an armed man who tried to join her motorcade during visit to the capital.

The perpetrator has been detained, the Mirror quoted police spokesman Josef Bocan as saying on Thursday.

He is suspected of attempting to cause a crime  specifically an attempt to use violence against an official, he said.

The incident is currently being investigated by Prague detectives.

Markel, who was in Prague to meet Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, was travelling from the airport to the city when the suspicious Black Mercedes appeared.

The driver refused to obey orders coming from the police cars accompanying the German Chancellor.

The suspect tried to enter the motorcade and cut off a police vehicle that was trying to stop him. He only stopped and got out of the vehicle after the police warned of shooting him.

Merkel held talks yesterday with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and President Milos Zeman focused on the future of the European Union after Britains June decision to leave the bloc. Several hundred protesters, including members of anti-Islam groups, rallied in central Prague against Merkel and her decision to open the EUs doors to refugees and migrants last summer.

The incident comes as Europe remains on high alert after a series of terror attacks over the past 12 months.

France, Germany and Belgium have been attacked by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, claiming hundreds of lives.
The Bombay High Courts verdict permitting women inside inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah will ensure gender equality says women activists.

Women activists welcomed the Bombay High Court verdict allowing womens entry inside the inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah. Noorjehan Safia Niaz, founder of Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) too is pleased with the High Court order. Earlier BMMA had filed a petition with the Bombay High Court seeking a ruling that ban on womens entry inside the inner sanctrum as unconstitutional. She also had fought a battle for overturning the ban imposed on menstruating womens entry inside the shrine.

She said, This verdict will go a long way in seeking equal rights for women. Henceforth no women will be harassed by trustees while seeking entry inside the shrine.

Uttar Pradeshs first woman Qazi Hina Zaheer expressed joy at the judgement, saying that it was a very good and logical judgement. When women can go near the holy Kaaba sanctum, then why restrictions are imposed at other places?

Haji Ali Dargah, petitioner Zakia Soman said, This is a historic judgement and we welcome this judgement. It is a great step towards gender justice for Muslim women. And also for all women who are Indian citizens and this has been an injustice done to the women since 2012. 

Trupti Desai, Bhumata Brigade chief said, The Bombay High Courts verdict is a victory of every woman who had fought a long battle seeking the entry of women inside inner sanctum of Haji Ali Dargah. We will also try to enter the shrine on August 28. Even our outfit had held agitation seeking entry of women in the shrine. Earlier, we had received death threats when our activists tried to enter the sanctrum. Now after the court verdict, we dont have to fear anyone.

On the other hand, Muslim Boards across the country are expressing their discontent against what they feel is undue interference with the Sharia law. They are also planning to challenge this verdict in Supreme Court.

Cleric Maulana Sajid Rashidi is not pleased with the High Court verdict. He said, The court has delivered the verdict but it is unaware about the Sharia law.

Haji Ali Dargah trustees expressed their displeasure over the court verdict and said that the act of allowing women in the sanctum is considered as a sin.

According to Sohaib Menon, representative of the trust, Islam discourages free mixing between men and women. He had relied on the verses from Quran and Hadith for support.

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief Haji Rafat Hussain said, The high court should not have interfered in a religious matter and we will approach the Supreme Court. The court should have thought on it cautiously as Islam does not allow the entry of women in a dargah or a cemetery. This can disturb the environment.
An increasingly forlorn search for victims of the earthquake that brought carnage to central Italy entered a third day on Friday as the confirmed death toll climbed to 267.

Releasing the new count, Immacolata Postiglione, head of the Civil Protection agencys emergency unit, indicated there had been no survivors found overnight in any of the remote mountain villages devastated by Wednesdays powerful pre-dawn quake.

At least 367 people have been hospitalised with injuries but no one has been pulled alive from the piles of collapsed masonry since Wednesday evening.

As hundreds of people woke from a second night sleeping in cars or hastily erected tented villages, the area was rocked by a 4.8 magnitude aftershock just after 6:00 am local time, underlining the perilous nature of a rescue effort involving more than 4,000 emergency service staff and volunteers.

More than 900 aftershocks have rattled the region since Wednesdays 6.0-6.2 magnitude first one triggered the collapse of hundreds of ill-prepared old buildings across dozens of tiny communities playing host to far more people than usual because of the summer holidays.

Many of the survivors camping out in the tents were carrying plastic bags containing the handful of possessions  clothes, ID documents, phones and wallets  they had been able to grab before fleeing their homes in terror. Over a dinner provided by an emergency cell of an Italian chefs organisation on Wednesday evening, one survivor told how close she had come to being trapped in a house in the tiny hamlet of Illica.

I managed to get out alive because I found a hole in the wall and managed to make it bigger and I made it out onto a roof and walked across until I got to a terrace and managed to get down from there, said Elisa.

We shared clothes, there were people going around with one slipper on, those who were basically naked until 11:00 am.

When dawn came it was devastating because then we really understood what the damage was, and that there were people who couldnt be found, who were missing, who were dead. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected by Wednesdays quake, which occurred in an area that straddles Umbria, Lazio and Marche.
Pakistan has informed the Afghan government that no technical traces of telephonic contacts between the Kabul university attackers and people on its side of the border could be found.



This was conveyed during a telephonic conversation between Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif, Dawn online quoted a security source as saying.

According to the source, Pakistan has sought more evidence from the Afghan side over the attack.

Ghani had called Raheel Sharif and demanded that action is taken against the attackers` accomplices.

The conversation took place as US Special Envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson, Special Assistant to the US President Peter Lavoy and Commander of Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan General John Nicholson visited Islamabad and held meetings at the General Headquarters and Foreign Office.

At least 12 people were killed and 45 injured in the attack on American University in Kabul on Wednesday evening that continued for over 10 hours.
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court allowed women to enter inside the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah. Earlier, an NGO filed a PIL in November 2014 against the diktat by the trust and urged the court to step in and overthrow the trusts ruling. After a wait of more than six months, the Bombay High Court finally gave a judgement in the Haji Ali Dargah matter. The Bench is also following the status of a PIL in the Supreme Court on the 1,500-year-old historic Sabrimala Ayyappa Temple in Kerala, which has also banned the entry of women.

The Bombay High Court recently asked the Maharashtra government to ensure that women are not denied entry to any religious place, and court apply the same principle when it comes to Dargah. Yes, this is a good verdict. In most of the Dargahs ladies are allowed. Women are equally important in a society and in every family irrespective of their faith. The discrimination on gender basis is to be removed at all places of worship. This refinement has no place in any religion, cult or creed and certainly not in secular India.

Moreover, Dargahs are becoming a money making enterprise just like temples. Practice of idol worship is against Islam, Muslims visiting Dargahs is sheer ignorance and shunning of Allah according to some sects in Islam. There is absolutely no recommendation unnecessary nor is the dead going to hear our prayers. Whatever you get it is only from Allah because he can give it to you. If according to that sects, when Dargahs are unislamic as they are places where dead saints are revered and worshiped, then you shouldnt be having any problem in allowing women. It is important that women should be treated equally but it is more important that this equal treatment be accepted by the society. Otherwise, this will result in extremism or vigilantism. And same thing we are noticing in the caste system as well. There are laws but nothing has stopped Dalit oppression and atrocities. The traditions of not allowing individuals to enter places of worship on the basis of gender and caste have no place in todays society. These traditions have to be struck down, if needed, by a Supreme Court decision.

The court was hearing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by Noor Jahan of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan in November 2014. The PIL states that women were going to the Dargah since childhood, and suddenly in June 2012, the trust restricted the entry of women to the sanctum of the Dargah. Earlier, the trustees of the dargah told the court that entry of women in close proximity to the grave of a male Muslim saint is considered a grievous sin in Islam. The existing arrangement provides for a secure place for women to offer prayers. This has been decided in the interest of women and they are close to the inner sanctorum of the tomb as far as possible.

On June 28, the day which was previously decided for pronouncement of judgement, the High Court asked the petitioner and the Trust officials to submit orders, if any, passed by the Supreme Court and in similar situations, including the Sabrimala and Shani Shingnapur temples, where entry of women was banned.

The Maharashtra government also backed the entry of women into the Haji Ali Dargah, and told the Bombay High Court that equality must rule over tradition and customs. It said that unless the Dargah Trust is able to prove that the ban is part of their religious practice with reference to Quran, women should be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum.

The Haji Ali Dargah is a complex housing the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari and a mosque. It is 550 years old and built on rocks off the sea and was given its present-day shape in the early 19th century. Its website proclaims that people from all parts of the world without restrictions of caste, creed and religion visit the Dargah to offer their prayers and for the fulfilment of their wishes by the blessings of the saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. Some pray for wealth, others for health, children, marriages, etc, have their wishes being granted at all the times. Between 10,000 and 15,000 visitors go there daily and the number swells to over 20,000 during festivals. It is a famous tourist place of Mumbai, the place is also known for rich beggars. The beggars sit in a row. They give change (chillar) after charging exchange rate (e.g. on exchange of Rs.100 currency notes, they will return you Rs. 96 in coins) to donate it to other beggars. Beggars existed here since generations. This Dargah is home for many and livelihood for hundreds. Finally, the High Court verdict has stopped the gender discrimination against women.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
The United States and Russia on Friday renewed efforts to secure a military and humanitarian cooperation agreement for war-torn Syria as conditions on the ground continued to deteriorate after months of hesitation, missed deadlines and failed attempts to forge a nationwide truce.

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov were meeting in Geneva as part of a new US bid to enlist Russia as a partner in Syria as the fighting becomes more volatile and complicated with the introduction of Turkish ground forces. Neither Washington nor Moscow has signaled that an agreement is imminent, although progress appears to have been made in one critical battleground: the besieged city of Aleppo, where the United Nations has been clamoring for a 48-hour cease-fire so humanitarian aid can be shipped into the city.

Asked to describe the main impediment to a nationwide ceasefire in Syria as he sat down with Kerry, Lavrov said: I dont want to spoil the atmosphere for the negotiations. Kerry did not speak and it was not immediately clear if either man would address reporters after their talks, which are expected to last several hours and also include discussions about the crisis in Ukraine.

On Thursday, UN officials said Russia was on board for a plan to win a 48-hour pause in fighting in and around Aleppo so that aid can be delivered to its increasingly embattled population. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry simply reiterated its general support for a ceasefire to open an aid corridor, and was waiting for the UN to announce it is ready.

The three-point plan for Aleppo, which UN officials say now needs the approval of two rebel groups and the Syrian government, would involve road convoys both from Damascus and across the Turkish border through the critical Castello Road artery. Another mission would go to southern Aleppo to help revive a damaged electric plant that powers crucial pumping stations that supply water for 1.8 million people. Kerry was to meet with the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan di Mistura, later Friday in Geneva.








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The death toll rose to 250 on Thursday as the Earthquake in Central Italy devastated the mountain towns till about 225 kms from the epicenter. The rescue teams have been trying hard to find survivors under the rubble. The earthquake with a reported magnitude of 6.2 struck Italys mountain communities about 140 kms east of Rome, destroying several hundred homes on Wednesday at a time when people were sleeping.

The shocks of the main earthquake were felt in Bologna to the North and to the South till Naples, which is about 220 kms from the epicenter.

There have been hundreds of aftershocks since the main earthquake. People have been sleeping in tents, cars or open ground since the destruction of homes and the looming fear of the aftershocks, three of which have been registered as strong as 5.1, 5.4 and 4.3.

The worst hit towns are Amatrice, Accumoli, Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto. Since the population was increased around tenfold owing to summer holidays, many victims were tourists.

The town Amatrice had been declared as one of the Italys most beautiful towns last year. The earthquake has reportedly flattened the town completely where floodlights have been put up to continue the rescue operations all through the night. The mayor of the town has said that every one in ten people in the town are dead. Christian Bianchetti, a volunteer said, "Unfortunately, 90 percent we pull out are dead, but some make it, that's why we are here."

An estimate of around 270 people who have been injured are hospitalized and around 5000 people have been involved in rescuing operations. These people include army troops, firefighters, police and several volunteers. A ten year old girl was saved alive from under the rubble where she lay for 17 hours in the town of Pescara del Tronto.

I havent slept much because I was really afraid, said a 70-year-old Arturo Onesi, survivor from the town of Arquata del Tronto, who spent the night in a tent camp amongst the rescue workers.

Premier Matteo Renzi who visited the earthquake hit zone on Wednesday addressed the rescue teams and survivors pledging that "No family, no city, no hamlet will be left behind."
WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2016  U.S. agricultural exports will total $133 billion in the fiscal year starting Oct. 1, up $6 billion from the revised forecast for the current year, USDA said today in its first projection for FY 2017. After two years of declines in exports, the department said the forecasts indicate farm exports have begun to rally again.

The increase in overseas shipments is largely due to higher exports of oilseeds and products, horticultural goods, cotton, livestock, dairy and poultry, according to the quarterly report by USDAs Foreign Agricultural Service and the Economic Research Service.

"These numbers once again demonstrate the resiliency and reliability of U.S. farmers and ranchers in the face of continued challenges, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack said in a statement. He said the projections for the next fiscal year, if realized, would be the sixth highest on record.

The report projects the countrys agricultural trade surplus for FY 2017 rising to $19.5 billion, up 40 percent from the expected $13.9 billion this year. The U.S. has continued to post an agricultural trade surplus since recordkeeping began in the 1960s, USDA said.

Vilsack made special mention of an expected growth in demand for U.S. beef, pointing out that shipments of the meat are expected to reach $5.3 billion in 2017, well above the $1.5 billion exported in FY 2004, following the discovery of a case of mad cow disease, or BSE, in December 2003.

U.S. beef exports have recovered, Vilsack said, citing a rise in global economic growth and efforts by the Obama administration to eliminate BSE-related restrictions in countries around the world, including 16 countries since 2015.

Some other highlights of the report:

China is projected to return as the United States' top export market in 2017, surpassing Canada as the number-one destination for U.S. agricultural goods. The countrys purchases are expected to be $3.5 billion higher than the current year, due mostly to increased soybean, tree nuts and pork exports.

Exports of oilseeds and related product exports are seen rising $2.7 billion, to $31 billion in 2017, driven by record soybean shipments and higher unit values. Limited export availability in South America during the first half of the marketing year also supports projections for a higher export volume.

Fiscal year 2017 grain and feed exports are forecast at $29.3 billion, unchanged from the 2016 estimate as higher wheat and corn exports offset reductions in sorghum. Wheat is forecast at $5.1 billion, up $100 million from 2016.

Rice exports are forecast to remain at $1.9 billion, with an increase in volume offset by a decline in value amid record supplies.

Cotton exports are projected to rise $900 million due to sharply higher U.S. production and tighter foreign stocks.

Exports of livestock, dairy and poultry products are seen up $800 million, primarily due to higher poultry and dairy shipments.

Grain and food exports are forecast unchanged at $29.3 billion, as higher wheat and corn shipments offset reductions in sorghum.

The fiscal 2017 export forecast for horticultural products is $34 billion, up $1.4 billion from the 2016 estimate. Fresh fruit and vegetables are forecast down $200 million to $6.8 billion, based on lower shipments to Canada and Mexico.

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The report also forecast agricultural imports at $113.5 billion, $400 million higher than FY 2016.

USDA revised the forecast for exports in the current fiscal year to $127 billion, up $2.5 billion from the previous prediction. This would bring total agricultural exports since 2009 to more than $1 trillion, smashing all previous eight-year totals, Vilsack said.

Exports are responsible for 20 percent of U.S. farm income, also driving rural economic activity and supporting more than one million American jobs on and off the farm, Vilsack said, using the report to push for approval of international trade agreements.

The United States has the opportunity to expand those benefits even further through passage of new trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Vilsack said. Such agreements are key to a stable and prosperous farm economy, helping boost global demand for U.S. farm and food products, increasing U.S. market share versus our competitors, and ensuring that our farmers and ranchers have stable and predictable markets for the quality goods they produce."





#30

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Another photo has reminded the world of wars ravages.

This week we looked at the reaction to the viral images of Omran Daqneesh, a five-year-old boy injured during a military strike on a rebel-held neighborhood of Aleppo, Syria. The still, and a video showing the stunned Daqneesh being evacuated 
August 25, 2016

RAMALLAH, West Bank  Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas approved the initiative of the High Follow-Up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel to achieve reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas during his meeting with the committee members Aug. 13 at the presidential residence in Ramallah. The committee is the highest Palestinian political committee within the Green Line, and it includes Arab municipal leaders, Arab party members of the Knesset, representatives of political parties and Arab nonparliamentary political parties. Abbas gave the committee the green light to begin its calls with the parties concerned in the reconciliation case.

Head of the committee Mohammed Baraka said in a press statement Aug. 19, This initiative was developed and its details were discussed with Palestinian groups concerned with the reconciliation issue, such as Patriots to End the Split and Restore National Unity and the Palestinian Center for Policy Research and Strategic Studies - Masarat, and with Palestinian figures such as Munib al-Masri and his group, Edgo, to agree on a joint course of action. The plan was approved by Abbas during the Aug. 13 meeting.

The aforementioned parties held conferences and discussions about ways to end the division. Masarat has always welcomed influential political parties to discuss their vision about how to end the Palestinian rift. For his part, Masri and his group launched several initiatives and paid visits to the Gaza Strip for that purpose.

Member of the committee Taleb al-Sane told Al-Monitor that the initiative includes certain provisions and mechanisms to reach reconciliation, such as establishing a national unity government that consists of all factions, agreeing on a date for the elections within a period spanning from six months to one year (presidential and legislative elections and elections for the PLO National Council), respecting the election results and tasking the winner with forming the national unity government with all factions.

Sane said, We proposed the initiative to Abbas who gave us the green light to move forward, and he agreed to the recommendations [regarding ways to end the division, the steps to reach reconciliation and under what conditions] that we will submit after finishing the calls with the different parties, mainly Hamas.

The committee is making calls with Hamas leaders in the West Bank to arrange an imminent meeting with them and discuss the possibility of its visit to Gaza to meet Hamas leaders. A meeting with Fatah leader Azzam al-Ahmad is also being arranged to communicate with the Egyptian authorities that have been sponsoring the Palestinian reconciliation for years. Egypt brokered Fatah-Hamas meetings in the past and oversaw the details of these meetings. This will allow the committee to have an idea about what has been achieved, according to Sane.

If the efforts to form a national unity government fail, Sane said, We will be open to suggestions and opinions from everyone. If we do not reach a consensus, the Palestinian people should be consulted and legislative and presidential elections should be held because the people hold the real privileges.

Since the division in mid-2007, Fatah and Hamas have undergone several rounds of negotiations, and they signed agreements with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Qatar. But they all failed to achieve real reconciliation. The latest agreement was the Beach Refugee Camp Agreement on April 23, 2014, and the failed reconciliation meetings between Fatah and Hamas in Doha on June 18, 2016.

Member of the PLOs Executive Committee Ahmad al-Majdalani told Al-Monitor, The committee proposed an initiative to end the internal division and it will make all necessary calls with Hamas to complete this step. Abbas and the political parties  including Fatah  that participated in the meeting Aug. 13 agreed to the committees initiative, while waiting for the results with Hamas.

He added, Abbas gave the committee enough time to finish its calls with all parties and achieve results. Then there will be a meeting to assess it.

All Palestinian parties seem to agree on the first provision of the initiative related to forming a national unity government. Abbas said Aug. 14, We want to form a national unity government that paves the way for legislative and presidential elections. Hamas has always called for this demand, which could help the initiative succeed.

Hamas leader Ahmed Yousef told Al-Monitor, Hamas does not object to the provisions of the initiative of the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel. On the contrary, the movement has called for forming a national unity government on several occasions, and it is willing to participate in legislative and presidential elections.

He said, Everybody will welcome this initiative, and it can succeed if the divided parties have political willingness.

Yousef said that the initiative has several strong points, noting that all Palestinians trust and respect the committee. Besides, its national aim is devoid of any political agendas and focuses on achieving unity without bias to one party. It can make progress in many pending issues.

The committee can also move easily to the West Bank and meet intensively with officials in Ramallah to build the needed trust to achieve reconciliation, unlike meetings in Arab countries that take a long time to arrange.

Yousef added, Fatah and Hamas have many things in common, and their differences are decreasing gradually as everybody has realized the importance of political partnership and reconciliation that can be reached in the presence of political will and trust.

Director general of Masarat Hani al-Masri told Al-Monitor, The division cannot end if the proposed initiatives do not include main issues such as the political program and national partnership. Holding presidential and legislative elections without reaching a consensual political program might lead to dire straits.

Masri added, A consensual political program can be reached through a comprehensive national dialogue in which all effective parties participate to pressure the adversaries and achieve reconciliation based on sane democratic foundations.

Theoretically, the initiative of the High Follow-up Committee for Arab Citizens of Israel can achieve success in the presence of political will of the divided parties and a national conference to draft a consensual political program. But practically, Fatah and Hamas have not managed to settle their differences in the past nine years of division, despite dozens of initiatives and hundreds of meetings. It seems the Palestinian parties are not mature enough to prioritize unity and instill it.
August 25, 2016

CAIRO  Following years of preparation, Egyptian film director Ahmed Maher says that progress is being made on his multimillion dollar film about the early life of Jesus Christ and the cast will be announced within a month.

In an interview with Al-Monitor, the director said the film "Christ"  which has been in the pipeline for years and caused controversy among Egyptians  could be shot outside of Egypt should he face objections from Al-Azhar. The film has already received the Coptic Church's approval, with producer Mohamed Ashoub noting that the late Coptic Pope Shenouda III read and approved the script years ago.

The film, which Maher hopes he will be able to shoot in Egypt, was written by the late scriptwriter Fayez Ghali years before his death. Maher said the cast will include Egyptian actors and it is anticipated that the project will cost at least $50 million.

The text of the interview follows:

Al-Monitor: First, can you tell us what the film deals with?

Maher: The film deals with a stage in the life of Christ that was not previously tackled by any other film. It talks about his childhood, about how he came as a child with Mary to Egypt.

Al-Monitor: Why was the film delayed? The script was written years ago.

Maher: I signed a contract to be the film director in 2010 and the screenplay was written by Fayez Ghali, but those in charge of the production suggested that a foreign screenwriter write the scenario as well. Indeed, a screenwriter wrote a new version, but I was determined to use Ghali's version because I find it the best.

Al-Monitor: What happened after that?

Maher: For some reason, Al-Azhar objected to the film despite the fact that the film will not depict Christ in his adolescence and that the [Coptic] Church, during the reign of Pope Shenouda III, did not oppose the film and even agreed to it. The film ends when Christ leaves Egypt and goes into Bethlehem.

Al-Monitor: What happened after they opposed it?

Maher: Work stopped and Ghali objected to the presence of a foreign scriptwriter for fear he would interfere in the film. Also, he feared that a Jewish funder would alter the context of the film. Finally, I learned that the heirs of Fayez Ghali filed a lawsuit against producer Mohamed Djohar, arguing that his ownership rights had expired and the film was not being shot, and that the film was now owned by Ghali's heirs.

Al-Monitor: What is the purpose of the film as per the script of Fayez Ghali?

Maher: The film wants to show the world that Egypt is a safe country and a symbol of tolerance. It wants to show that Egypt embraced and protected Christ and his mother despite being chased by the Romans and the Jews.

Al-Monitor: What would happen if the shooting of the film was met with open rejection from Al-Azhar?

Maher: I would shoot the film outside of Egypt, in Sudan, Lebanon and Jordan. However, I would be surprised if Al-Azhar rejected the shooting of the film. Al-Azhar refuses the filming of preachers of paradise and prophets. But the film will not incarnate Christ in his youth. It will only show him as a child.

Al-Monitor: What's the difference between the version of Ghali and the version of the foreign scriptwriter?

Maher: The foreign scriptwriter's version features a modern setting and then returns to the era of the birth of Christ and his journey in Egypt, but I think there is no need for a modern setting as the film is about Christ's childhood.

Al-Monitor: Do you expect to encounter difficulty in filming?

Maher: Of course, I prefer filming inside Egypt. It is difficult to create an environment similar to the Nile Valley, even in Sudan, or similar to the desert environment in which the Holy Family walked from Assiut to Cairo. I still wish to shoot this film in Egypt because this would provide Egypt with a major exposure, and those in charge of the film industry would benefit from this experience in Egypt. It will be a milestone in the history of Egyptian cinema. I decided to shoot this film, and I'm confident that its shooting will serve as an artistic creation.

Al-Monitor: But why will foreign actors take part in the film?

Maher: Because we want it to be a global film, not one dedicated to Arabic speakers alone.

Al-Monitor: How much will the production of the film cost?

Maher: I think it will cost at least $50 million, but the funding is no problem. There are many parties willing to finance the film.

Al-Monitor: Why the high cost?

Maher: The film will be very costly because it will feature the battles of the Romans. Also, the old era setting will cost a lot, but the topic will be quite interesting.

Al-Monitor: And what do you expect this film to achieve?

Maher: I expect the film to attract a large viewership, not only in the Arab world, but also around the world because our story has never been addressed before.

Al-Monitor: Who are the actors likely to appear in the film?

Maher: I cannot disclose any names now until the contracts have been signed. We are expecting a reply from the candidates within a month.

Al-Monitor: Will there be Arab actors in the film?

Maher: We have proposed Egyptian actors such as Amr Waked, Asser Yassin and Mahmoud Hemida.

Al-Monitor: Who will be the child who will act the Christ?

Maher: A casting will be done for children from around the world in order to choose the best two faces out of them. We will need two because the film includes different stages of Christ's childhood.
August 25, 2016

Iranian social media has been buzzing about the news of the alleged arrest of Abdol Rasul Dori Esfahani, a member of the Iranian nuclear negotiation team. Conservative media outlets were the first to reveal the name after Tehran prosecutor said last week that a dual-national was arrested for spying for British Intelligence. However, no government official as of yet has confirmed the news.

When asked to confirm the arrest of a fellow nuclear negotiator Aug. 25, Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi refused. I have only heard rumors about this matter, Araghchi said to Fars News on the sidelines of a conference regarding the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, which is known by the acronym BARJAM in Iran. He added, The [appropriate] officials should respond and explain if a spy has been arrested.

Araghchi continued, We cannot judge based solely on rumors. The security institutions should give answers, and I am not in a position to confirm whether someone has been arrested or not. He also rejected any responsibility on the part of the negotiation team, saying, Finding a spy is not our duty. The security and judicial authorities must tend to this, and I hope they answer soon.

Dori Esfahani was in charge of banking affairs during the nuclear talks, the one area of the nuclear deal where problems continue to persist. Araghchi blamed the United States for these remaining problems. A high number of sanctions have been [eliminated], Araghchi said. But there are others where we have encountered problems and obstacles, for which the prime reasons are the bad pacts and discreditable [acts] of the West, especially America. The criticism of the United States stems from the US banking sanctions unrelated to the nuclear deal that have created problems for many European investors who wish to invest in Iran.

Araghchis use of the word "discreditable" comes from a term Irans Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei used in a speech Aug. 24 when criticizing the nuclear deal. In that speech, Khamenei said the deal was an experience that showed no single administration in the United States could be trusted. However, he added that the Iranian negotiators worked night and day, saying, We are appreciative of these efforts.

With the presidential election 10 months away, Khamenei also asked the president to focus on the economy rather than get embroiled in partisan bickering. The administration must in no way make itself busy with election discussions, Khamenei said. Rather, the administration must work toward solving problems of the country, Khamenei said, adding, The best advertisement for an administration is the actions of the administration.

Khamenei said economic problems are the first priority for the country, and they must be resolved through the use of resistance economy policies. The resistance economy is an economic policy that stresses domestic capacities and focuses on having a more knowledge-based economy and reducing Iran's vulnerability of relying on oil and gas exports. Khamenei first issued the economic concept in a February 2014 decree.

Khamenei asked Vice President Eshaq Jahangiri, who is the head of the Headquarters of the Resistance Economy, to monitor both government and private economic activities to make sure they are in accordance with resistance economy policies. He also urged Jahangiri to promote the correct discourse regarding what a resistance economy entails and its importance for the various Iranian industries.
August 25, 2016

BAGHDAD  The Iraqi Cabinet has formed a supreme committee consisting of representatives from a number of ministries and security institutions to develop an integrated surveillance system for Baghdad.

Since 2003, Iraq's successive governments have failed to halt the bloodshed in Baghdad. Terrorist attacks have been ongoing, especially car bombs. The failure of all security plans in the past 13 years and the ongoing terrorist attacks are due to the poor management of the security file.

Security projects have included the 2007 Operation Imposing Law and the Baghdad wall, an idea that was suggested in 2011 and again in 2016. In 2014, the Baghdad Operations Command (BOC) proposed a project to monitor vehicles in the capital. The project, which remains incomplete, consisted of electronic tracking devices attached to the vehicles. In early 2016, it was restarted under the name of Saqr Baghdad, but implicated in a major BOC corruption case the parliamentary security committee investigated in May.

After all of these ineffective attempts, the government is again endeavoring to solve Baghdads security problem. But the new plan, if approved by the government, is unlikely to succeed, in light of the political and sectarian interference in all of the state institutions that are already crippled by financial and administrative corruption.

Saad al-Matlabi, a member of the security committee of Baghdad's provincial council, told Al-Monitor, The security system, which the Cabinet recently agreed to examine, consists of a project prepared by the Interior Ministry. It is an integrated security system that will be implemented in all Iraqi provinces if it proves successful in Baghdad.

He said, The Interior Ministry tried to learn from all of the previous security projects, and suggested developing Saqr Baghdad to monitor vehicles inside Baghdad through a tracking system, establishing an electronic wall around the capital and digging trenches and setting up concrete barriers in rugged and agricultural areas where electronic tracking is difficult. This is in addition to limiting the entrances to Baghdad to eight points equipped with sonar bomb-detection devices. He added, The Cabinet agreed that the projects details will be examined by all concerned security agencies.

Following the Karrada bombing July 3, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi ordered all checkpoints to refrain from using the sonar devices that had failed to detect the car bombs as the government was once again forced to rethink its security efforts.

Security analyst Ahmed Al-Sharifi told Al-Monitor, Infrared [devices] can be used to detect whats inside a vehicle, just as baggage is checked at airports. Yet no devices can detect explosives.

Sharifi said, The Interior Ministry's new security project, which was announced by resigned Minister Mohammed al-Ghabban, can be summarized as placing the security of individual cities in the hands of the Interior Ministrys security agencies, pushing the army back into their camps and canceling the joint operations commands.

Ghabban announced his resignation July 5, two days after the Karrada bombing. He said that he had submitted his resignation to Abadi and that he will not withdraw it unless the government conducts radical security reforms and ends its interference in the security agencies' powers.

Sharifi added, Political interference in the Interior Ministrys job is trying to thwart the Saqr Baghdad project, Baghdad wall and any other plan to preserve the capitals security. Many parties have interests in keeping security situation as is.

Ammar Tohme, the deputy chairman of the parliament's Security and Defense Committee, told Al-Monitor that the various plans' weak point is the weak intelligence work, which should be a part of the new security project.

He added, The surveillance of vehicles in Baghdad and set-up of a monitoring system are vital. Yet preventive actions consisting of intelligence and pre-emptive actions are more important."

After 2007, the BOC was created as a joint security formation to manage security operations. It is comprised of representatives of all security institutions, under the orders of the Defense Ministry. Its formation violated the constitution, as security within the cities is the jurisdiction of the Interior Ministry. Article 9 forbids the formation of an operations command before naming the commanders. If follows that the formation of the joint operations command is also unconstitutional.

For nearly nine years, there have been emergency measures that are not approved by parliament. Thus, the abolition of the joint operations commands in cities including Baghdad is a natural starting point for security reform.

One problem cannot be overcome under the sectarian quota system: Control of the security ministries must be wrested from the political parties and managed by independent figures. Until then, security cannot prevail over the capital or the rest of the Iraqi provinces.
August 25, 2016

When US Vice President Joe Biden visited Ankara Aug. 25 to repair Turkish-US relations, which have been strained since Turkey's failed July 15 coup attempt, he offered an interesting analogy. After examining the ruins at the Turkish parliament bombed by the putschists, he compared Turkey's trauma to America's experience after 9/11, urging reporters to "imagine if the plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, had made it to the US Capitol." He added, "Imagine the psychological impact on the American people."

Some Americans disliked this analogy, blaming Biden for "using 9/11 victims for political points." Yet in fact, Biden was right; 9/11 is actually a good analogy to understand the impact of the failed coup on Turkish society. The death toll in these attacks, admittedly, were unequal: There were 10 times more victims on 9/11 than during Turkey's coup. Still, just like 9/11, the coup attempt was the greatest attack the Turkish nation has faced in decades. Moreover, just like after 9/11, the Turkish state now has a right to defend itself and eliminate an immediate threat.

Yet, again just like after 9/11, there is a serious risk of overreaction.

Why was Turkey's failed coup such a traumatic experience? Turks have seen at least four military coups before, but never saw their parliament being bombed, their president barely surviving an assassination squad or their compatriots shot dead by officers or crushed by tanks. The latest coup attempt was a major ordeal  despite being shrugged off by skeptics, who  just like "9/11 truthers"  suggest that it must have been an "inside job."

There are other similarities between Turkey's coup plot and America's 9/11. In both cases, the governments declared that the attackers were not mere criminals who came together ad hoc for a particular crime. After examining the connections of the attackers, the culprit was identified as a broader terror organization. For the United States, it was al-Qaeda. For Turkey, it is now what the government and many of its foes call the Fethullah Gulen Terror Organization  the secretive side of an Islamic cult led by US-based Turkish preacher Fethullah Gulen.

Just remember that no one had claimed the 9/11 attacks, and the US government did not wait for a court decision to take on al-Qaeda. It rather followed "actionable intelligence," and called on its allies to join its "war on terror." This was not merely about punishing those who had attacked the United States, but also averting future threats. This exactly is what the Turkish government is doing now.

However, there is a major difference between al-Qaeda and the Gulenists that makes the situation extremely complicated. Al-Qaeda is proudly a violent organization that declared war on the United States. The Gulenists, on the other hand, seem to be the exact opposite. Gulen himself denies all charges, and the group appears as nothing but a moderate movement preaching peace, love and tolerance.

Nevertheless, as put by Turkey's investigative journalists  most of whom are also fierce critics of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan  and also former Gulenists who defected from the group, the visible part of the Gulen empire is only one part of it. The other part is a four-decade-old meticulous infiltration of key state institutions such as the military, judiciary and the police. By hiding their allegiances, and using various illegal tactics, the Gulenists have created a "state within a state" responsible for ruthless witch hunts against the group's enemies, and finally, it seems, the coup plot of July 15.

That's why Turkeys "war on terror" is now taking place not in the high mountains of Afghanistan, but the dark corners of Turkish bureaucracy. That's why, after the coup, a process that began earlier was hastened: the de-Gulenification of the state. As I argued before in Al-Monitor, this is only a legitimate response to a criminal cadre within the state.

There are some worrying excesses, however, that can turn this legitimate response into the government's own ruthless witch hunt. Since the coup, more than 80,000 civil servants lost their jobs, including more than 2,500 judges and prosecutors. Moreover, more than 20,000 people have been arrested. It is very likely that some of these are innocent people who joined or supported the Gulen community merely for its legal activities such as charity, education or religious training. The suspended judges and prosecutors were also arrested and had their financial assets frozen  depriving them of the chance to hire lawyers, let alone sustain their livelihoods. It is quite possible that many innocent people will be jailed for months and even years based on mere suspicion  as was the case with the establishment of the detention facilities by the United States at Guantanamo Bay after 9/11.

The alleged mistreatment of some of the top suspects, including torture as per Amnesty International, is even more disturbing. Many Turks ignore such alerts by human rights advocates these days  as some Americans did with torture at Guantanamo Bay and the "black sites" of the US Central Intelligence Agency, only to leave a permanent stain on their country's human rights record.

In foreign relations, Erdogan also seems to be launching a post-9/11 strategy: You are either with us or against us. He declared, "The United States has to choose either the Gulenist terror cult or Turkey." A constructive dialogue between Ankara and Washington would be better. For that, Ankara must present its legal case against Gulen persuasively, while US authorities must be vigilant but also empathize with their ally's distress. Hopefully, Biden's visit can be a step forward in that regard.

Finally, what will really define Turkey's future is a key question: Is the government merely willing to eliminate a clear and present danger to Turkish democracy, or is it inclined to use this as a pretext for a broader political design? Many people believe that after 9/11, the United States chose the latter option by occupying not just Afghanistan  which was hosting al-Qaeda  but also Iraq, whose "weapons of mass destruction" were never found.

In the Turkish case, the analogous question is whether Erdogan and his supporters will actually only focus on the real threat of the Gulenist infiltration within the state, or exploit this crisis to crack down on all political opponents. Both scenarios are possible, for while there has been a positive effort by Erdogan since the coup to reach out to the opposition, there is also a fervent pro-Erdogan zealotry to make the president the unquestionable savior of the nation  a second Ataturk. Friends of Turkey should engage with it now to help the first dynamic be more definitive in the nation's uncertain future.
August 26, 2016

GAZIANTEP, Turkey  A festive rumble echoed through the mainly Kurdish neighborhood of Beybahce in Gaziantep late on Aug. 20, belying the impending carnage. A henna night  a traditional party preceding weddings  was underway in the streets, attended mostly by women and children. Kurdish folk dances were in full swing and the henna ceremony was just to begin when an explosion ended the music. A suicide bomber had blown himself up among the crowd, leaving behind a bloodbath, with torn body parts littering the ground and people screaming for help.

The style and target of the attack pointed to the Islamic State, and Turkish officials soon singled out the jihadist group as the perpetrator.

The aftermath of the bombing was marked by anger and indignation among Kurds  anger because it was the latest in a string of IS-linked attacks targeting Kurdish civilians in Turkey, and indignation at what they felt was some Turks gloating at their plight. To amplify the grief, most of the 55 victims were children, and a small red shoe pictured among the debris became a poignant symbol of the tragedy.

The family hosting the party were identified as sympathizers of the Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP), adding a political dimension, and some have accused HDP lawmakers of exploiting the tragedy.

Political tensions were palpable at the funeral of the victims the following day, when a group of mourners booed ministers and lawmakers of the ruling Justice and Development Party who had come to attend the ceremony. As the imam led the prayers, the 30-odd small coffins punctuated the gloom and the wailing of Kurdish women pierced the air. It was clear from the womens dresses, the cloths placed on the coffins and the slogans the crowd chanted that the mourners were a Kurdish community supportive of the HDP, the standard-bearer of the Kurdish political struggle in Turkey.

Three other major bombings blamed on IS have targeted Kurdish civilians and pro-Kurdish activists over the past year. The first hit a pre-election HDP rally in Diyarbakir in June 2015. The second targeted a solidarity group on its way to Kobani in Suruc the following month and the third wreaked havoc in downtown Ankara in October as thousands of both Kurdish and Turkish activists gathered for a peace rally.

Why are the Kurds being targeted, people asked each other as they buried their dead in Gaziantep.

Mehmet Emin Ozdemir, a mourner bidding farewell to a friend, asked pointedly why Kurdish gatherings and not others were vulnerable to IS attacks. Wiping his eyes, he told Al-Monitor, I have questions buzzing in my head that Id like to ask the authorities. For more than a month, democracy rallies were held across Turkey [after the July 15 coup attempt], and not a single shot was fired, not a single bomb exploded. Not that I want bombs to explode, they must not. Yet, why is it that nothing happens when government supporters take to the streets, but bombs explode when the Kurdish people go out for weddings or rallies? Hundreds of young Kurds like me are curious about this. If anyone has a logical answer, wed like to hear it.

Some mourners charged that Ankara was tacitly backing IS. Others blamed the bloodshed on intelligence failures. Abuzer Yavuz, who was among the first to run to help the wounded after the blast, believes the attacks were meant to intimidate and subdue the Kurds. If people of this mentality think they can suppress the will of a people through bomb attacks, they are mistaken. They can never bully our people, Yavuz told Al-Monitor. But the targeting of a Kurdish-populated neighborhood has brought Kurdish patience to the point of running out, he added.

The multilingual neighborhood, home to people of several different ethnic backgrounds, was united in grief, damning the perpetrators and extending condolences to the Kurds. Elsewhere, however, feelings of enmity prevailed. A group of men brandishing Turkish flags and chanting nationalist slogans tried to disrupt the funeral of two victims who succumbed to their injuries two days after the attack, sparking an altercation at the cemetery and prompting the security forces to intervene.

Back to the oft-asked question about the motive of the attack: Its timing suggests revenge for Manbij, the northern Syrian town that IS had to cede to a Kurdish-led coalition a week earlier after more than two months of heavy fighting. Attacking a mainly Kurdish neighborhood across the border could have been IS answer to the Kurds, which it likely holds responsible for its defeat.

The IS defeat in the lengthy battle for the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani in January 2015 was followed by similar attacks in Turkey  the bombings in Diyarbakir and Suruc  suggesting that the jihadist group is targeting Kurds inside Turkey to avenge its failures against Kurdistan Workers Party-linked Kurdish forces in Syria.

Yet no matter what the motive was, the Gaziantep attack has left a deep scar on Turkeys Kurds  not only because of the heinousness of the attack but also for the way Ankara and their Turkish compatriots reacted. The condemnations were seen as feeble. No period of national morning followed and no minutes of silence were observed at sporting events. In the words of a Kurdish mourner at the funeral, The TV keeps broadcasting the Olympics. The dead are Kurds, after all.
August 24, 2016

Turkish authorities have yet to assign blame for the recent wedding massacre at Gaziantep, but they themselves must shoulder a considerable amount of responsibility.

Officials knew months ago that the Islamic State (IS) was considering an attack in Gaziantep, yet they did nothing. Regardless of which group is ultimately found to have committed the Aug. 20 suicide bombing  which killed 54, including 29 children, and wounded more than 90 others  Turkey should have been prepared.

It's certainly no secret that IS has a strong presence in many areas of Gaziantep. Court indictments related to the killing of more than 100 people in Ankara back in October had already indicated the possibility of a Gaziantep attack. Then in May, Yunus Durmaz, the "prince of IS" at Gaziantep, blew himself up  apparently to avoid surrendering to police who raided his home. In his computer, officials found documents about potential attacks.

Durmaz asked Ilham Bal, the chief of IS in Turkey, for permission to launch attacks in Gaziantep and Antalya, particularly against members of the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), but also against civilians.

PKK people are holding weddings," Durmaz said in one document. "There are some [civilian] relatives who come to these weddings, but most are PKK people. They display the PKK flag at the wedding, sing PKK songs. Shouldnt we hit such an occasion? There will be a wedding soon. If you approve, God willing, we will hit it.

Durmazs computer notes continue: We have determined the best civilian targets. In Antalya there is a nightclub where world-famous artists and tourists congregate. Every night foreign and local tourists assemble there. More than 1,000 of them. We will launch a suicide attack against it.  Another target is Americans. In Gaziantep there is [a United Nations] office with about 45 people, Turks and foreigners. [The] French have an office too. We will hit them with suicide attacks.  These are the targets. We could have hit soldiers and police but didnt because we felt that would impede our major operations. After our operations, we will open the new season if the Turkish republic doesnt take steps back and [IS] doesnt tell us to stop.

Durmaz details how he trained 400 militants at Gaziantep. He said 150 of them were put on the payroll and were ready to take over the city.

IS, which has made much use of the Jarablus-Gaziantep corridor and an al-Rai-Kilis border stretch, was able to set up its Gaziantep cells because of Turkeys nonchalance. We all remember how IS supporters celebrated the Charlie Hebdo attack in Paris in the streets of Gaziantep.

Elif Dogan Turkmen, a deputy of the opposition Republican People's Party (CHP) investigating the Gaziantep bombing, spoke of a reality everyone in the city knows about but the government ignores. He said, IS is very well-organized in this city. Three-four neighborhoods are fully under their control.  People are convinced the government allows this.

The state knows what is transpiring. According to a police intelligence report leaked to the media in April, today there are about 20,000 people supporting Salafi-Takfiri ideology in Turkey. The report says this is about the same level as in Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Jordan, and is a serious threat to Turkey.

The report says the war in Syria draws Turks to IS: We have seen that the desire to loot, to get married and to achieve martyrdom have made Syria an attractive choice. It has been noted that the [IS] declaration of a caliphate in June 2014 has given life to dreams of these segments for an Islamic state. They are motivated to live an Islamic life in lands ruled by Islam, further compounded with their expectations of receiving land, housing and salaries from the organization.

The report says that since April 2011, 2,750 Turkish Salafists have gone to and returned from Iraq and Syria. Today, 1,211 of them are in the region; 749 are with IS and 136 are with Jabhat al-Nusra. Until now, 457 Turks have been killed in the region.

The report added that Salafists find most of their recruits in Konya, Adana, Istanbul, Gaziantep and Diyarbakir.

Though IS has not been officially designated as the perpetrator in the Gaziantep attack, there are several reasons to suspect it is responsible.

A review of earlier suicide bomber or remotely controlled bomb attacks for which IS is blamed reveal target selections and motivations:

IS, which could not achieve its goals in Syria because of Kurdish resistance, used a bomb at a Diyarbakir rally of the pro-Kurdish Peoples Democratic Party (HDP) on June 5, 2015. IS sees the HDP as an extension of the People's Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish nationalist Democratic Union Party (PYD).

The second attack was also Syria-related. Socialist youth groups planning to take provisions and assistance to Kobani, Syria, were massacred July 20, 2015, in Turkey at Suruc.

The previously mentioned Oct. 10 twin bombings in Ankara targeted civil society groups and parties expressing solidarity with the Kurds and demanding peace.

On Jan. 12, foreigners, mostly Germans, were killed by suicide bombers at Istanbuls Sultanahmet district.

On March 19 at Beyoglu-Istanbul, foreigners again were the targets of a suicide bomber.

On June 28, civilians at Ataturk Airport of Istanbul were attacked by suicide bombers who also used guns.

The message of the three most recent attacks listed above was a warning to Turkey, which had adopted some anti-IS measures, and also to the international community.

The Gaziantep attack followed the expulsion of IS from Manbij by Syrian Democratic Forces led by the YPG. IS militants left Manbij in a 500-vehicle convoy and moved to Jarablus, which abuts the border with Turkey. There were predictions that IS would avenge its Manbij defeat and that is quite possibly what happened. It is also likely that, just as IS triggered Shiite-Sunni conflict in Iraq, IS aims to inflame the environment of ethnic conflict in Turkey.
opens tonight with a bang in Ti West's western "In the Valley of Violence" at 8 p.m. in the Alabama Theatre and will look to cap off another memorable weekend with a personal film that should appeal to the Birmingham crowd.

which premiered at Austin's SXSW Festival in March, tells a unique story about an estranged nun returning home where she must face her eccentric family and her past as a goth kid in North Carolina.

"Little Sister"



When: Sunday, Aug. 28 at 6 p.m.



Where: Alabama Theatre, 1817 3rd Ave North, Birmingham



Director: Zach Clark



Writers: Zach Clark, Melodie Sisk



Producers: Zach Clark, Daryl Pittman, Melodie Sisk



Cast: Addison Timlin, Ally Sheedy, Keith Poulson, Peter Hedges, Barbara Crampton, Kristin Slaysman and Molly Plunk



Music: Fritz Myers



Cinematography: Daryl Pittman

It marks director

Zach Clark'

s fifth feature film, following his previous effort "White Reindeer." Producing and sharing a writing credit is

Melodie Sisk

, an indie film vet who recently moved to Birmingham after attending SHOUT and the Sidewalk Film Festival for several years.

Sisk brought her first film "Modern Love is Automatic" to Sidewalk in 2009 and served as a SHOUT juror in 2010 and 2011 while simultaneously falling in love with the Magic City, which she has called home for a few years now.

Featuring original music by Fritz Myers and cinematography by Daryl Pittman, "Little Sister" looks to bring something fresh to Sunday's closing night screening, and reflective of what the independent film community is all about to mark a perfect end to the festival's 18th year.

Here's the full official synopsis: "October, 2008. Young nun Colleen is avoiding all contact from her family, until an email from her mother announces, 'Your brother is home.' On returning to her childhood home in Asheville, NC, she finds her old room exactly how she left it: painted black and covered in goth/metal posters. Her parents are happy enough to see her, but unease and awkwardness abounds. Her brother is living as a recluse in the guesthouse since returning home from the Iraq war. During Colleen's visit, tensions rise and fall with a little help from Halloween, pot cupcakes, and GWAR. 'Little Sister' is a sad comedy about family - a schmaltz-free, pathos-drenched, feel good movie for the little goth girl inside us all."

Nuns and GWAR. Should we repeat that? Really?

Sidewalk programmer Charlie Sanders put it succinctly.

"It's not often that a film can be described as both a sad comedy and one of the feel-good movies of the year, but such is the case with 'Little Sister,'" he writes. "With this cast of characters, a Goth nun, a war-torn, disillusioned and disfigured recluse and perpetually stoned parents, the film sounds like it would be completely demented, and it is, in the kindest and most wonderful way possible.

"We are honored to showcase Little Sister as the 2016 Sidewalk Film Festival closing night film."

REVIEWS

David Ehrlich, Indiewire

: "Addison Timlin's dynamite lead performance helps Zach Clark's fifth movie breathe new life into tired indie tropes."

Guy Lodge, Variety

: "Zach Clark courts greater indie exposure with this sweetly off-kilter tale of an ex-Goth nun facing her dysfunctional family."

INTERVIEW

Watch the following interview with writer/director Zach Clark and writer/producer Melodie Sisk from the 2016 Oak Cliff Film Festival:
Her friends in Birmingham's South Hampton neighborhood always knew exactly where to find Kim while the rest of them were outside playing: in the bathroom, playing the flute.

The young girl hijacked the only bathroom in her home because of its unparalleled acoustics and made it off limits to her parents and two brothers while she stood before the mirror and accompanied music, mostly classical--usually for hours, until, she says now, "the show was over."

Kim Scott performs at her album-release concert at ASFA

Well, the show's just getting started, and today those friends--and more--will find Kim Scott (she was Kim Felder back in the day, and off stage uses her married name, Kim Strickland) rising on the Billboard charts, performing at some of the world's most prestigious jazz celebrations, or speed walking through the hallways of the Alabama School of Fine Arts, where she directs the music department and is raising a new generation of young musicians.

As the God-fearing grand-daughter of Rev. Albert Felder, Sr., former pastor at Union Bethel Methodist Church (now the Union Bethel Christian Church), hers is truly a journey of a gift being rewarded through passion, continued learning and faith in abundance.

"My life," she says, "has been ordered."

It's almost a cliche to say Kim is the progeny of musical parents. Her mother, Belinda Floyd, was a talented pianist and vocalist who taught music in Birmingham's city schools. Father Albert Felder brought the funk, touring as a member of the Dynamic Soul Machine, a group signed to Stax Records, based in then-segregated Memphis. He played sax and was a vocalist.

It was symphonies, however, that most often filled their home, and after Kim tried the violin and piano, she picked up the instrument she calls "cute, petite, silver and shiny" in fifth grade. "It was the best thing ever," she is saying one recent morning as we sat in the mostly empty Dorothy Jemison Day Theater at ASFA. "Once I heard the sound I was hooked. I knew at that point I'd do whatever I had to do to be great on that instrument."

Of course, greatness comes on its own timetable, if it comes at all.

Scott turns 41 on Friday, and until five years ago her pursuit of greatness was largely fulfilled in the class room. Her aim was always to perform, and on the biggest stages, but for years her audiences were confined mostly to the teachers who nurtured her gift.

Teachers such as Suzanne Winters, the band director at Smith Middle School, who had a penchant for her flute section and stayed after school to work with Kim.

And like John McAphee, whose marching band at Phillips Academy lured Kim to try something new. But the fit wasn't right at the inner-city school; Kim had been raised in a mixed-race environment and says she "didn't find the same energy" for music at Phillips as she had enjoyed previously. "I knew I did not make the right decision," she says. "But I tried to stick it out."

She stayed there two years before attending--yes, ironically--AFSA in 11th grade. (She had auditioned and been accepted prior to attending Phillips, but deferred.) There, she not only found an environment dripping with the creative energy she craved, but also "a melting pot with students of every nationality; but we also celebrated each other's individuality."

Flute came natural to Scott at an early age

Kim received a full scholarship to the University of Alabama to study music performance, then yet another to earn her Masters at Oklahoma State. There, she studied pedagogy, the science of teaching. "I was trained to teach any subject in music: history, the flute, musicianship to non-majors and more. It was the best setup to everything that would come."

It paid off when she was informed of a rare opening at ASFA. She audition for the teaching job--a full day that included conducting the school's choir and orchestra, playing with the orchestra and teaching three classes, as well as a trio interviews.

A week later she got the job and in 2006 was named the school's musical director.

"Although I wanted to be a performer everything I did as an undergraduate and in graduate school was not in that track," she says. "I took additional classes in woodwind, percussion, strings and conducting. When I was hired [at ASFA], those were the things I was asked to do."

Ordered.

Kim was raised at Union Bethel before her family joined Sixth Avenue Baptist Church when she was a teen. Today, she and her family--husband Stephen, and their three sons--attend New Rising Star. "From an early age, I recognized that my talent was a blessing from God because it was very natural for me," she said. "I believe God has given me many strengths and guides me through the process."

Scott says she "fell into jazz," but knows it's much more than that; He sometimes nudges you towards places you've never been, or ever thought you'd tread.

She loved jazz, but had never played it ("I never thought I could.") until the summer of 2010. "I was always learning, and just decided to explore," she says. She listened to jazz radio and had an epiphany: no one was playing the flute.

Sure, she was a fan of legendary jazz flutists Hubert Laws and Bobbi Humphrey but the instrument's high, sweet notes were largely absent from contemporary jazz circles.

Of course, the little girl who locked herself in the bathroom wasn't going to be confined, not even in such a rigorous, disciplined genre as jazz. So recorded herself (in the living room, this time) covering the Beyonce hit "Deja vu" and uploaded it onto You Tube, asking jazz aficionados globally whether it worked.

"I was shocked," she says, "The feedback was, essentially, 'Do more.'"

Sensations rarely happen overnight, but over time and then, it seems, in a flash.

There was not a single "break" that led to success for Scott but a series of, yes, ordered, events:

That 2010 summer, she performed "Deja vu" at Birmingham's Jazz on the Park, which prompted a call the next day for her to open on the road for

Williams helped her assemble a band, pick out a few songs and record them at Audiostate 55 recording studio, owned by

During a performance at the

By then the tight, insular jazz community was starting to buzz about "this little flute player from Alabama." "Usually you have to have a second album on the charts and been invited to the top jazz festivals [before being accepted]," she says. "But they gave me a chance."

Scott (third from right) with Jazz in Pink

"We've heard about you. Do you want to audition?" The message was from popular all-female band Jazz in Pink: jazz/soul flutist Althea Rene was contemplating leaving the group. Her audition proved a bit unusual; it was to take place at JazzTrax, the famous festival on Catalina Island in Southern California. "They said, 'Meet us at the pier,'" Scott recalls. "We took the boat over, then they told me, 'Your audition will be during the sound check.'"

Hence, that flash: "If you give me a job, I'm gonna be ready," she says. "We get off the water and go right into the rotunda. I said, 'Well, time to turn it on.'"

You know Scott nailed it and has since performed at prestigious festivals in Atlanta, New Orleans, Hartford and elsewhere, including Seabreeze in Panama City, where she had first attended as a fan several years ago, to witness Rene, perhaps her only true contemporary. "Twenty-thousand people," she says. "And the place is full of jazz lovers. [Seeing Rene] was the highlight of my life."

Until this past April when Scott performed her own 70-minute set at Seabreeze, from a perspective vastly different. "You hit the stage of this huge amphitheater right off the pier, and see just a sea of people, so many you don't see where it ends. And they knew my music! I'd say a song title and they'd scream. I thought: This is it. This is what all hard work was for."

Scott's third album, Southern Heat, out in September

In September, Scott will release her third album, Southern Heat (on the Innervision label), and you by no means have to be a jazz snob to enjoy it. Like Scott, it crosses all spectrums: from tradition jazz to funk, pop to praise. Already the first single, "Sizzle'" (co-written with Detroit trumpeter Lin Rountree), has cracked Billboard's Top 20 National Smooth Jazz airplay chart.

On the night we spoke, Scott performed a spirited selection from Southern Heat, including "Billy Jean", "Glorious" (written by Martha Minuzzi) and "Sizzle," which featured a guest appearance by Rountree. Her band (the same one she assembled in 2010) included: Kelvin Wooten, keyboards; Eric Essix, guitar; Sean Michael Ray, bass; James "PJ" Spraggins, drums; Darrelll Tibbs, percussion; and backup vocalists Tamara Bodie, Danielle Hannah and Kaleah Wooten.

"Now when I run into friends from my neighborhood," she says, "they say, 'We remember those days; we never saw you being a kid.'

That's because she was locked in the bathroom: "I already had plans."

Watch a portion of Scott's album release concert:
It's only been two years since Madeline Stuart looked up at her mom while attending her first fashion show in Brisbane, Australia and said "Mum, me model."

Now, the 19-year-old Australian model has been featured in publications like Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Paper, Women's Weekly, New York Times, Elle, Marie Claire, and People.

She is also changing the way society views beauty. She is considered to be the first professional model with Down syndrome.

"In the beginning, people thought it was just a big advertising campaign, but now people can see that she has actually made it in the fashion world," said her mom, Rosanne Stuart, before her daughter's Birmingham Fashion Week opening night walk at Boutwell Auditorium.

She just modeled in Caspian Fashion week in Russia. In a few weeks, she is taking her third trip down New York Fashion Week runways. In November, she'll head to walk in Runway Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.

"Most of the campaigns Madeline has done has been about helping people with disabilities, helping children with schooling, or trying to get people to realize that everyone is beautiful."

Follow her journey via her Instagram page here.
Black Breastfeeding Week kicked off yesterday, and three North Alabama women will be hosting an event Saturday in Priceville.

"A lot of black women, we don't breastfeed like we used to," said Maryama Robinson-Bey, a certified birth and postpartum doula and one of the event's organizers. "There's a lot of stigma around breastfeeding. There are a lot of cultural taboos we'd like to tear down and educate our community."

The Huntsville event is called Maziwa Ya Mama (a Swahili term for mother's milk) and will be held Aug. 27 from 2-5 p.m. at the Nations Harvest Church Assembly in Priceville, Ala.

"I feel like often times there's not a platform for African-American mothers to talk about their parenting styles," said Sabrina Azemar, one of the organizers. "Often times when I go to a natural parenting event, I'm the only black person there. Women feel comfortable asking questions with people who look like them, without feeling awkward or left out."

Maziwa Ya Mama is held in conjunction with Black Breastfeeding Week, a national event held this year from Aug. 25-31. It was created to highlight the racial disparity in breastfeeding rates in the United States.

While most national and international health and medical organizations, including the World Health Organization and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control recommend breastfeeding, rates of breastfeeding are lower among black women than white women.

The CDC has said increased breastfeeding among black women could decrease infant mortality rates, according to Black Breastfeeding Week organizers. Across the United States, the infant mortality rate for black babies is double - in some places triple - the infant mortality rate of white babies.

The Maziwa Ya Mama event will feature speakers, door prizes, a documentary screening, and booths from local breastfeeding and natural parenting businesses. Demonstrations and guest speakers will present on topics including babywearing, cloth diapering and, of course, breastfeeding.

The event is open to everyone; children and families are welcome. More information is available at the event's Facebook page.

Check back next week for a feature that explores the reasons why events like this are being organized and what the birth and breastfeeding landscape is like for Alabama's black mothers.
A New York community struggles with grief and uncertainty in the aftermath of the murder of an imam and his assistant.

Queens, New York  In a quiet neighbourhood with tree-lined streets and rows of neat houses, a community grieves behind closed doors.

Ozone Park hasnt been the same since August 13, when Maulama Akonjee, 55, and his close friend Thara Uddin, 64, were shot and killed as they walked home after afternoon prayers at the mosque where Akonjee was the imam, Al-Furqan Jame Masjid.

Ive been praying behind this imam for three years. Hes very humble and didnt have problems with anyone, said Emrul Alam, who is a student and is also working. Everyone is shocked and disappointed.

Somir Uddin, 57, no relation to Thara Uddin, said that the mosque used to be full, with around 500 to 700 attending Friday prayers. Now, some have opted to pray at home instead.



New Yorkers mourn imams murder

Everyone is scared. The attacker isnt even from this neighbourhood. We dont know why he came here. But Somir Uddin said he wont be intimidated. I live near the mosque. I have no choice but to come. I dont care even if I die. I will come for God, he said.

The imams family remains at a loss over his murder.

I cant believe what happened, said Saif Akonjee, 23. That my father would be shot like this. His nephew Asif Mirza, 35, told Al Jazeera: He believed in peace. He taught his family and all of us to live side by side with all religions and not to judge anyone. This has been shocking for the entire community.

Maulama Akonjee, the familys main breadwinner, left a wife, five sons and two daughters behind, with all but one of his children living in New York. One son lives in Bangladesh, the home country of both murdered men.

My father had big dreams for my youngest brother, said Akonjees 29-year-old daughter, who asked not to be named for security reasons. He wanted him to become a successful engineer. And now I dont know if that will happen. I tell my brother that we are here for him. But I cant believe what happened. My dad took care of us and loved us. What have they done to my father?

With two young children of her own, she said she is afraid to go out and begins to tremble in fear in the evenings.

My daughter misses her grandfather and asks about where he is, she added

Just a few houses down on the same street, the family of Thara Uddin also mourns his loss. Uddins brother, Mashuk Uddin, 55, held back tears as he remembered him.

He always took care of the whole family, but I couldnt save him, he said. Everyone has been telling me what a nice person my brother was. I just want to know what happened. We are looking for justice.

Police arrested Oscar Morel, a 35-year-old Hispanic man born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, on August 14. He was indicted on Monday and has been charged with two counts of murder and two counts of criminal possession of a weapon.



A hate crime?

Some members of the 25,000-strong Bangladeshi community are convinced Morel is guilty of a hate crime  a possibility police are still investigating.

The men were carrying money when they died, but there was no robbery attempt, said Khairul Islam Kukon, 34, a community organiser and real estate broker. It was reported at the time of the murders that Akonjee was carrying more than $1,000 in cash, none of which was taken by Morel.

The New York Police Department says there is no reason for them to believe that Morel was hired as a hitman, and that they are not investigating such a claim.

I blame maniac Trump for the chaos and Islamophobia he has created, for his rhetoric and the way he describes Muslims, said Kukon, referring to Republican presidential nominee Donald Trumps controversial statements about Muslims  including the suggestion that they be banned from entering the US and be registered in a database.

Others in the community echo Kukons sentiments. Its obviously a hate crime. People are convinced by the Trump campaign and what they watch on Fox News, said local restaurant owner Nurul Haque.



Tensions in a changing community

Bangladeshis started moving to the Ozone Park neighbourhood in the 1980s, preceded by an influx of Latinos the decade before.

But the neighbourhood began as a predominately Italian one, where crime rates have been dropping steadily over the past couple of decades.

Some Italians stayed because all their roots are here, but many of the children moved away, and the older generation is gradually dying off, said Joe Puma, an Italian who works for Manhattan Construction.

Puma said that hes lived his whole life in the neighbourhood and has watched as its demographics have changed. He described how new minority groups began to coexist.

Everyone gets along. They work together, and theyre learning to live together. Its a rough neighbourhood. At four oclock in the morning Im always looking over my shoulder, he said in reference to the high number of robberies, but weve never seen anything like what just happened in this area.

Kukon, too, insisted that his community has no animosity towards their Hispanic neighbours.

You cant classify or blame an entire ethnicity for one lone wolf. I have Hispanic friends and I have great relationships with them. I go to their houses and we drink tea together, he said.

Still, the neighbourhoods Hispanic community seems to be on edge.

Its a shame what happened, said one young man, standing with a group of other young Puerto Ricans who agreed to talk but declined to be named out of concern over a potential backlash if the killings are proven to be a hate crime.

No one is singling us out on purpose, but people are on guard now, said one. People of all races live here, added another. And its such a quiet neighbourhood. The loudest sound here is the subway train passing by.

Puma explained how, when the mosque was first established, some in the community were initially puzzled upon hearing the Muslim call to prayer. Not in a bad way, it was just unfamiliar to them, he said. But for me it was like hearing church bells.

Back at Thara Uddins residence, his son, one of five children, said the family is too scared to leave the house.

My heart is broken, said Shible Ahmad, 21. You can replace money, you can replace your house, but you cant replace your father.

Aminur Rashid, 35, the landlord of the two-storey building where the Uddins live, described Thara Uddin as really nice and peaceful.

He had no problems with anyone, he said. I used to tell him not to walk alone at night, but he would go to the subway station each day to walk home with this son. He told me not to worry because he didnt bother anyone.
Pulse seeds are going to be crucial to our global fight for food security, particularly in the face of climate change.

Mahmoud Solh is the Director General at the International Center for Agricultural Research for Dry Areas (ICARDA).

In the Amhara region of Ethiopia, farmers have given up on one of their staple crops. Once our village was a major producer of faba bean, says farmer Yeshewalul Tilaye, from the Chichet village of Tarma Ber, but we lost hope.

Disease and natural resource degradation have plagued the Amhara region, which has a 90 percent poverty rate and is particularly susceptible to both drought and heavy rainfall.

Before the Ethiopian civil war broke out in the 1970s, pulses  the family to which faba beans belong  were the nations second biggest export crop.

Since then, production has decreased dramatically, partly due to recurrent droughts, prevailing diseases and a lack of investment in research to address these production constraints.

Global fight for food security

Abandonment of these key crops now should not be an option, as pulses are going to be crucial to our global fight for food security, particularly in the face of climate change. Why?

In a world where 792 million people are malnourished, pulses  the edible seeds of plants in the legume family such as beans, peas, chickpea and lentils  offer extraordinary nutritional value. Although lentils and chickpeas are among the cheapest protein-rich foods to buy, they are also high in iron and zinc, while being low in fat.

They are also among the most environmentally friendly crops we can grow. They require very little water compared with rice and wheat, and consume up to 20 times less water than animals raised for meat.

Given that global water demand is likely to increase more than 40 percent by 2030, less water-intensive food solutions are going to be vital.

Pulse crops also have the special ability to absorb nitrogen from the air, and fix it to the soil through their roots. Since nitrogen is essential for healthy plant growth, pulses are nourishing themselves as well as the soil in which other crops grow.

Once a sustainable supply of pulses is in place, we can move to investing in better product diversity. Currently, the selection of processed, ready-made and convenience foods that contain pulses is minimal. Pulses are most commonly eaten as ingredients in home cooking. by

Without faba beans  one of the most effective nitrogen fixers  to perform this function on their farms, Yeshewalul and his neighbours were forced to leave their land fallow in order to maintain soil fertility for barley production.

In sub-Saharan Africa, where up to 65 percent of land is degraded, poor soil fertility is one of the biggest obstacles to tackling hunger. Planting pulses can help African farmers address this issue head on.

The case for upping our production and consumption of pulses is clear. So how can this be done in the face of current challenges?

Investing in pulse crop research

We cannot ask the food industry to make better use of pulses, unless we can ensure their reliable supply.

Just as Yeshewalul has experienced in Ethiopia, a raft of challenges, from drought to disease, are affecting pulse production. We therefore need to prioritise research into boosting production of this most sustainable crop.

OPINION: Climate change and smart seeds in Africa

A new, disease-resistant variety of faba bean has been released by Ethiopian and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA) scientists, that is helping Yeshewalul and his fellow farmers see good bean harvests once more.

Further afield in West Bengal and Bangladesh, new lentil varieties have been released that mature so quickly, they can be grown between two rice-growing seasons.

This will make 11 million rice-growing hectares even more productive, and could reduce South Asias dependence on foreign imports for this key crop and boost prosperity in the region.

Investing in pulse product diversity

Once a sustainable supply of pulses is in place, we can move to investing in better product diversity. Currently, the selection of processed, ready-made and convenience foods that contain pulses is minimal. Pulses are most commonly eaten as ingredients in home cooking.

If we are to catalyse the production and consumption of pulses, for the good of our planet and future food supplies, we need to offer the consumer more exciting ways to eat them. Its time to look beyond bean stew and lentil dahl.

A new group of food technologists has taken on this challenge. As part of the United Nations International Year of Pulses, the Global Pulse Confederation organised a search for the most exciting and innovative new ways to eat pulses through a global competition: the LovePulses Product Showcase.

One innovator from Swaziland was awarded for her sweet bean jam, which is locally sourced and highly nutritious. Another competitor from Morocco fortified durum wheat with broad beans, chickpeas and lentils, which will add fibre and protein to the bread and couscous it produces.

Students from Canada have even come up with a dairy free frozen dessert made from fermented bean milk. These innovations have just been featured at the International Food Technologists Expo, the largest of its kind in the world, in Chicago.

The resources we have to feed the billions living on our planet are finite. Only with smart use of these resources is our growing population going to be able to overcome challenges such as climate change and water scarcity to achieve food and nutrition security.

Pulses may be a small part of the puzzle now, but with the right investment, they can be mighty.

Mahmoud Solh is the Director General at the International Center for Agricultural Research for Dry Areas (ICARDA).

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Ive had my doubts for a long time. Theres something unusual about them. Their body language  from the way they stroll together exchanging smiles and stares, to the way they tease and joke in the midst of tension and conflict.

Not exactly protocol, if you know what I mean.

But when I read an Agence France-Presse story back in September 2013 about this diplomatic odd couple, my suspicion turned into curiosity. I was compelled to dig deeper.

As I read the newswire story, I could only shake my head, as the AFP reporter went on to describe with uncanny details the prospects for John Kerry and Sergey Lavrov in Geneva.

The two men, who are spending three nights in the same luxury hotel where the famous reset button was debuted, may also be bonding over their late-night dinners. Lavrov is known to enjoy Scotch whisky, while Kerry is partial to the occasional beer or glass of fine wine.

Bromance in the making

Despite heightened tensions and the escalation to war in the eastern Mediterranean at the time, Kerry was comfortable enough to tease a blushing Lavrov in a televised encounter, before their Geneva talks on Syrias chemical weapons arsenal.

The world was on edge as the United States prepared to strike against the Syrian regime following Bashar al-Assads use of chemical weapons to attack his people that summer.

Assad, the doctor-cum-dictator, has killed tens of thousands using conventional weaponry, but the use of weapons of mass destruction was a red line  the US president warned as such.

Beyond the smiles and the regular show of diplomacy, serious questions on the reality of US-Russian relations linger below the surface: When did this political romance evolve? How has it survived bitter geopolitical rivalries? And what makes these two seasoned diplomats tick? by

Barack Obama insisted that it wasnt just a US red line, but an international red line as well: One cannot be allowed to attack a population with chemicals.

Bomb them, shoot them, torture them to death, but do not go spraying them with chemicals! Fair enough.

Or not.

At any rate, the bonding must have worked: The Americans held off on threatening the use of force and accepted a Russian-brokered deal with Assad instead, allowing him to rid Syria of chemical weapons in return for putting the prospect of US-led strikes against his regime on hold indefinitely.

In reality, Assad, the rogue dictator became a partner in an internationally brokered deal. Obama and Israels Benjamin Netanyahu were happy to see Syria free of weapons of mass destruction, but Syrians continued to die.

The diplomatic affair

Meanwhile, Kerry and Lavrovs Geneva encounter would have been no more than a passing diplomatic fling if the next two years had been different. But that wasnt the case. The two men became too close for comfort.

Thats not to say that Kerry and Lavrov did not have their ups and downs, but those were the kind of disagreements couples have even on their honeymoon.

By way of contrast, their relationship has been far more pleasant than that of Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which witnessed a few ups but mostly downs, but I will get to that later.

It was disturbing watching Johns bromance with Sergey deepen while Syria burned. As the relationship evolved, neither Russias military intervention in Ukraine nor its entry into the Syrian conflict could put a serious dent in the love affair.

But beyond the smiles and the regular show of diplomacy, serious questions on the reality of US-Russian relations linger below the surface: When did this political romance evolve? How has it survived bitter geopolitical rivalries? And what makes these two seasoned diplomats tick?

A rocky start

Less than two weeks into Kerrys tenure as secretary of state, North Korea alarmed the US and the rest of the world with its third nuclear test on February 11, 2013.

As one would expect, the new secretary of state contacted his Russian counterpart to consider what could be done about the sudden and dangerous escalation on the part of Pyongyang. Lavrov did not pick up or call back.

Kerry waited. One  two  three days, yet there was no response from his Russian counterpart. Such behaviour was anything but diplomatic, let alone friendly.

OPINION: Are the US and Russia helping or deceiving the Syrians?

Was Lavrov playing games? Playing hard to get? Giving Kerry a taste of whats to come? Showing him whos the boss?

Washington based journalists had a field day with the Russian humiliation of the new secretary. It seemed that there was nothing else to ask about except the damned call, or should I say  the no callback.

Kerry had no other option but to be patient, especially when it turned out that Lavrov was travelling in Africa. Its not like there were no phones or no reception on the continent. But then again, he could have been on a safari.

OPINION: Moscow and Washington are not that far apart on Syria

When Lavrov finally did return the call six long days later, their conversation was not made public. But I imagine  based on news reports  it could have only been frosty and might have gone as follows:

JK: I hoped to hear from you earlier. It was urgent.

SL: I had a busy travel schedule, and in all truth, what could we have done? The Koreans had already launched their missile.

[With a tone of irony and dismay] Besides, you already called your new friends, the Chinese.

JK: Look, I am keen to work closely with you regardless of your distaste for our diplomacy. I realise that every new secretary of state speaks of fresh beginnings, and Hillary even made a PR stunt of it.

SL: [Chuckling] She sure did, and she got it all wrong!

JK: This is different; I am different, and I will prove it to you. Watch out, Sergey, we are going to be friends.

SL: Oouf, youre quite the optimist. Make no mistake, I have a new president in the Kremlin and hes in no mood to play nice.

JK: My president has already made it clear to your former boss [Medvedev] that hes freer in his second term to pursue the policies he desires without pressure from Congress or the worries of another election.

SL: The proof is in the pudding [chuckles at the use of an old English proverb]

JK: [Exasperated] Tell you what  how about we meet in Berlin next week? The pudding is on me, the stomach ache on you.

SL: The 26th?

JK: Spasibo!

[Laughter]

Coming up in the series on Kerry and Lavrov: Was it love at first sight?

Marwan Bishara is the senior political analyst at Al Jazeera. Follow him on Facebook.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
Closed for nearly 200 years, the Tower of Winds, located in Athens, is now open to public.

Built more than 2,000 years ago, the Tower of the Winds is said to be the worlds first weather station.

Used by merchants to tell the wind and time  even in darkness  the station is still standing on a slope on Athens ancient Acropolis hill and has been restored and re-opened to the public for the first time in nearly 200 years.

The greatest mystery was how that clock worked at night.

The most prominent theory is that a hydraulic mechanism powered a water-clock device, using a stream flowing from the Acropolis hill.

It is, we believe, the worlds first weather station, Stelios Daskalakis, head of conservation, told Reuters news agency.

It is located in the Roman Agora [market place] as it was of great value for the merchants to read the weather and also tell the time their goods would arrive.

The Tower is credited to the architect and astronomer Andronikos of Cyrrhus. It is nearly 14m high and on top of its fully preserved roof made of 24 marble slabs, rests a Corinthian capital.

At the top of the octagonal tower, there is a frieze of one of each of the eight Anemoi: wind gods of Greek mythology.

On the floor of the tower are carved lines for the water clock and on the outside walls there are marks for a sundial.

It is believed that a bronze figure of Triton was sitting on the roof holding a rod and turning with the wind.

The building has had many guises over the years and the Whirling Dervishes were the last occupants.

The monument has been largely shut since they left in 1828.

It is no longer a weather station or even a 24-hour clock. The mechanism is believed to have been stolen during the Roman period.
Rodolfo Illanes, Bolivias deputy interior minister, was reportedly beaten to death after being kidnapped by miners.

Bolivias Deputy Interior Minister, Rodolfo Illanes, has been killed after being kidnapped by protesting miners, a senior government official has said.

All the indications are that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly assassinated, Carlos Romero, the minister of government, said late on Thursday in comments quoted by the Reuters news agency.

He said that the 56-year-old had gone to talk to protesters earlier on Thursday in Panduro, around 160km from the capital, La Paz, but was intercepted and kidnapped by striking miners.

The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said.

Local media also reported Illanes death, citing a radio station director who claimed he saw his body.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions with less stringent environmental rules, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

Protests turned violent this week after two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what they said was an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Morales nationalised Bolivias resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for ploughing the profits into welfare programmes and boosting development.

However, his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and authoritarianism in recent years, and even the unions who were once his core support have become disillusioned with him as falling prices have limited spending.
Eleven police officers killed and scores wounded in the town of Cizre close to the Syrian border, officials say.

At least 11 police officers have been killed and 70 wounded in a truck bomb attack at a police headquarters in Cizre in southeastern Turkey, according to the local governors office.

The bomb was exploded at a checkpoint outside the headquarters on Friday, after the attackers failed to pass the guards there, state media said. The blast was followed by an armed battle between the police and attackers.





Predominantly-Kurdish Cizre is in Turkeys Sirnak province and it borders both Syria and Iraq.

The attack killed 11 police officers and injured 78 people, 3 of whom were civilians, the statement by Sirnak governors office said.

Large plumes of smoke billowed from the attack site, footage on Turkish televisions showed. They also displayed a large three-storey building reduced to its concrete shell, with no walls or windows, and surrounded by grey rubble.

PKK claims responsibility

The outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) rebels claimed responsibility for Fridays attack.

Our sacrifice team staged a comprehensive action action in Cizre that left dozens of police dead, said the PKK, which is known for exaggerating tolls.

In the statement on its website it said the attack was retaliation for the continued isolation of its jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and the lack of information about his welfare.

Ocalan is held on the prison island of Imrali off Istanbul but has not been allowed visits by lawyers or supporters for more than a year.

The PKK also said it did not deliberately target the leader of Turkeys main opposition party in an attack in the northeast on Thursday.

The government had said the PKK had targeted the convoy of Kemal Kilicdaroglu, leader of the secularist Republican Peoples Party (CHP), who escaped unharmed. One security official was killed in the incident.

We will give those vile [attackers] the answer they deserve, Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a news conference in Istanbul on Friday.

The PKK, an armed group seen as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the US and the EU, has recently stepped up its attacks in southeastern Turkey.

INTERACTIVE: Timeline of attacks in Turkey

The latest attack in Cizre comes two days after Turkish forces launched an unprecedented ground and air offensive into neighbouring Syria, which, according to Turkish officials, targeted the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) and Syrian Kurdish fighters.

Ankara sees Syrias Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its armed Peoples Protection Units (YPG) fighters as an extension of the PKK.

Southeastern Turkey is going through the most intense fighting in decades after a ceasefire between the Turkish state and the PKK collapsed in July last year.

The military has repeatedly ordered military operations and curfews in southeastern urban centres, including Cizre, since then.

More than 40,000 people, have died since the PKK rebels took up arms in 1984.
Highest court to decide whether swimsuit should be banned at beaches as activists and rights groups take up the issue.

Frances highest administrative court will decide on Friday whether to overturn the ban on wearing the full-body burkini swimsuit, which has sparked controversy at home and abroad.

The State Council heard arguments on Thursday from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group which is seeking to reverse a decision by the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet to ban the Islamic swimsuit.

The ruling, due at 3:00pm (13:00 GMT), is likely to set a precedent for about 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly along the sun-drenched southeast coast.

A court in the Riviera resort of Nice upheld the ban this week.

The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, womens rights and the French states strictly guarded secularism.

WATCH: French burkini ban  secularism or security?

President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that life in France supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday condemned any stigmatisation of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was a political sign of religious proselytising.

We are not at war with Islam  the French republic is welcoming [to Muslims], we are protecting them against discrimination, he told BFMTV.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced that he will run in the 2017 election in, said if he becomes leader again he would ban the full-body swimsuit.

So Sarkozy calls the burkini a 'provocation.' Whether women cover or uncover their bodies, seems we're always, always 'asking for it.'  J.K. Rowling (@jk_rowling) August 25, 2016

Viral photo sets off anger

Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media, which quickly went viral, showed armed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a Nice beach as she removed a long-sleeved top.

The office of Nices mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling the AFP news agency that she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken.

The police fined her and she left the beach, the officials added.

1:Siam just wore clothes, not burkini.

2:French morality police fined her anyway.

3:Citizens since >3 generations. pic.twitter.com/yXebi3TCea  b9AcE  (@b9AcE) August 24, 2016

In a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the proliferation of burkini bans was not a welcome development.

Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed.

In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach, she said, using another term for the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant group (ISIL, also known as ISIS).

Prime Minister Valls contradicted his ministers claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain public order.

https://twitter.com/comicsandcola/status/768704902549897216

Necessary ban

The administrative court in Nice ruled on Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was necessary to prevent public disorder after the lorry attack in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest by two attackers in northern France.

The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are aimed at the garment. The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion.

Apart from the incident in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes for wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf.

I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming, said the woman, who gave only her first name, Siam.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, condemned the bans as he visited Paris on Thursday.

I dont think anyone should tell women what they can and cant wear. Full stop, he told the London Evening Standard newspaper.

France firmly separates religion and public life and was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010.

Human Rights Watch said on Thursday that a burkini ban would merely stigmatise practising Muslim women, exclude them from public spaces  and from sharing those spaces with their families and friends  and deprive them of their rights to autonomy, to leisure activities, to wear what they choose, and of course to practising their faith.

Several protests against the ban have taken place, and are planned.

In London on Thursday, activists gathered in beachwear outside the French embassy. While some wore burkinis, others wore bikinis.
Prime Minister confirms plan to add to the 500km razor-wire fence Hungary built on its southern border last year.

Hungary is planning to build a second fence on its southern border with Serbia to keep out any major new wave of refugees, Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced.

A 500km barrier  a razor-wire fence  was built last year along Hungarys border with Serbia and Croatia after the country witnessed an increase of refugees moving up from the Balkans towards northern Europe.

Stricter border patrols and the makeshift wall have led to a significant decrease in the number of refugees reaching Hungary. Last year around 400,000 migrants crossed Hungary on their way to western and northern Europe, but less than 18,000 have entered in 2016, according to official data.

Technical planning is under way to erect a massive defence system next to the existing line of defence which was built quickly [last year], Orban said in an interview with Hungarian public radio before adding that police presence would also be boosted to 47,000 from 44,000.

READ MORE: Hungary  Three villages and the fence that divides them

If it doesnt work with nice words, well have to stop them with force, and we will do so.

Hungarys treatment of refugees has been heavily criticised over the past year.

Those who pass the Hungarian-Serbian border get stuck in a no mans land, Hungarian territory that the authorities do not administer.





A recent report by Human Rights Watch cited refugees claiming that border guards beat up those who tried to make their way from no-mans land into Hungary.

Hungary is breaking all the rules for asylum seekers, Lydia Gall, an HRW researcher, said.

The European Commission should use its enforcement powers to press Budapest to comply with its obligation under EU law, to provide meaningful access to asylum and fair procedures for those at its borders and on its territory.

Meeting Merkel

Orban criticised the EUs policy of taking in refugees and distributing them over its member states based on a refugee quota. He is due to meet and discuss the policy with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

The question is whether Angela Merkel will be willing to change this flawed Brussels decision and whether she is willing to fight with us for this or not, Orban said.

Turkey and the EU are currently working together to minimise the number of refugees travelling from Turkey through the Balkans to reach Europe.

Recent tensions between the EU and Turkey have led to this deal being called into question by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

If the deal breaks down, Hungary might see an increase in refugees reaching its borders, which has prompted the plans for this second border fence.
State funeral planned for some victims of quake that killed at least 278 as rescuers pull out of some stricken areas.

Italy has called off rescue operations in some of the areas stricken by a powerful earthquake that killed at least 278 people as hopes of finding more survivors have faded.

Three days after the quake struck the mountainous heart of the country, sniffer dogs and emergency crews on Friday continued to scour the town of Amatrice, which was levelled in the disaster, but there was no sign of life beneath the debris.

Only a miracle can bring our friends back alive from the rubble, but we are still digging because many are missing, Sergio Pirozzi, the towns mayor, said, adding that about 15 people, including some children, had not been accounted for.

Hardly a single building was left unscathed in Amatrice, which was last year voted one of the most beautiful old towns in Italy and is famous for its local cuisine.

Most of the buildings in the Amatrice area were built hundreds of years ago, long before any anti-seismic building norms were introduced, helping to explain the widespread destruction.

Rescuers pulled out from nearby villages such as Pescara del Tronto after all the inhabitants had been accounted for.

READ MORE  Italy earthquake: Rescuers race to find survivors

Italy plans to hold a state funeral for about 40 of the victims on Saturday, which will be held in the nearby city of Ascoli Piceno.

A day of national mourning was announced, with flags due to fly at half-staff around the country for the dead, who include a number of foreigners.

The civil protection department in Rome said almost 400 people were being treated for injuries in hospitals, and 40 of them were in critical condition.

Survivors with nowhere else to go are sleeping in rows of blue tents set up close to their flattened communities.

The government has promised to rebuild the region, but some local people fear that would never happen.

Im afraid our village and others like it will just die. Most people dont live here year-round anyway. In the winter time, the towns are virtually empty, said Salvatore Petrucci, 77, who came from the nearby hamlet of Trisunga.

We may be the last ones to have lived in Trisunga.

Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe. Almost 30 people died in earthquakes in northern Italy in 2012 while more than 300 died in the LAquila disaster.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the region, allowing the government to release an immediate 50m euros ($56m) for relief work.

He has promised to rebuild the shattered homes and said he would also renew efforts to bolster Italys flimsy defences against earthquakes that regularly batter the country.

We want those communities to have the chance of a future and not just memories, he told reporters in Rome on Thursday.

Italy has a poor record of rebuilding after quakes. About 8,300 people who were forced to leave their homes after the deadly earthquake in LAquila in 2009 are still living in temporary accommodation.
Mirwaiz Umar Farooq a leader of separatist conglomerate, has been arrested in Indian-administered Kashmir.

A Kashmiri separatist leader has been arrested in Indian-administered Kashmir while leading a peaceful demonstration.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, from All Parties Hurriyet Conference (APHC), was initially held in the Nigeen Police Station after being arrested in front of his residence on Thursday, before he was transferred to Chashma Shahi Sub-Jail on Friday, the APHC said in a statement.

UP FRONT: Who actually cares about the Kashmiris?

Local media reported that Farooq was taken into custody for violating the terms of his house arrest by trying to participate in a march to the Martyrs Graveyard along with his supporters to pay tribute and protest against the recent killings of civilian Kashmiris.





Mirwaiz Umar has been under house arrest for nearly two months for speaking out against the continuing violence and oppression by the Indian Security Forces, APHC spokesman Shahidul Islam said in a statement.

Speaking out against the Indian states violations of basic human rights is not a crime, its heroism, Islam said.

Especially when India demonises people on the basis of their faith and ethnicity.

APHC spokesman added that they demand Mirwaiz Umar to be released immediately.

We appeal to the International Community to condemn the political detention of Mirwaiz Umar and we demand his immediate release, he said.

Currently, there is a siege going on in Kashmir, said Muzzammil Thakur, executive director of the Kashmir Institute of International Affairs.

Mirwaiz Umar Farooq has been detained unnecessarily and illegally, he told Al Jazeera. He is a popular leader who is working for Kashmirs prosperity.

We want him to be released immediately.

Mirwaiz Umars arrest also caused uproar on social media, with hundreds of people sharing their anger about the incident under the hashtag #freemirwaiz.

While emphasising that they view Mirwaiz Umars arrest as illegal, social media users demanded his immediate release and called for India to respect Kashmiri peoples human rights.

Stop persecution in Kashmir, we ask immediate release of Mirwaiz Umar Farooq #FreeMirwaiz  Nour Isler (@ColetteWang) August 26, 2016

Civilian killings

Almost daily anti-India protests are taking place in Indian-administered Kashmir after a popular rebel commander, Burhan Wani, was killed in a gun battle with security forces on July 8.





In the backlash over Wanis shooting, 66 civilians have so far been killed, many while defying a sweeping curfew to join banned protests.

Two members of the Indian security forces have also been killed, making it the deadliest chapter in Kashmirs troubled history since a similar spike in 2010.

Schools, shops and most banks remain shut, and normal economic activity has been paralysed.

Residents say the region feels more like a prison than the paradise that Prime Minister Narendra Modi evoked recently.

Since Modis Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014, there had only been sporadic violence, but tensions have never been far from the surface in Indias only Muslim-majority state.

Modi has spoken of his pain at the violence and on Thursday, he dispatched one of his top lieutenants to Kashmirs capital.

OPINION: Two centuries of oppression in Kashmir

Do not question our understanding of the situation  We know what the problem is, and well find a solution, Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters in Srinagar.

Modi has laid much of the blame for the unrest on Pakistan, which has a history of supporting Kashmiri separatists and, like India, lays claim to the whole of the region which was split between the two countries after independence in 1947.

While the Indian-controlled part has guarantees of autonomy, Modis Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is officially committed to scrapping that section of the constitution, and critics say its stance is exacerbating tensions.

The BJP is now part of a coalition government in Kashmir, performing strongly in last years state elections in areas where the states Hindus are concentrated.

New Delhi has reneged on its commitments by whittling down the autonomy, former chief minister Omar Abdullah told an AFP reporter.

Deadly mix

Despite the governments talk of wanting to restore peace, thousands of security reinforcements have been sent to the region in the last few days, some setting up camp in schools that have been closed.





Without any political initiatives, its all coming down to us. And what we do has its own consequences, a senior army officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A top police officer, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said a brutal suppression was likely.

For the first time, the militants and the public are on the same page. It is a deadly mix.

There is already deep anger about the security forces routine use of crude pump-action pellet guns, which spray blinding metal shards to break up protests.

READ MORE: Hundreds suffer eye injuries from pellet guns in Kashmir

The guns are meant to minimise fatalities in protests, although the law gives the armed forces a relatively free hand to use lethal force, especially against suspected militants.

Hospital authorities say they have treated at least 500 patients with eye injuries caused by pellet guns, many of whom will never recover their full vision.
The couple, due to appear in court on September 1, were found in a sexual position by the beach.

A sex scandal involving two leading Islamist political leaders has stirred an uproar in Morocco as angry social media users took to the internet to criticise the incident.

Moulay Omar Benhammad, 63, and Fatima Nejjar, 62, both vice presidents of the Reform and Unity Movement (MUR), the religious wing of the ruling Justice and Development Party (PJD), were briefly detained on Saturday morning after they were found in a sexual position on a beach in the port city of Mohammedia, some 60 kilometres from the capital Rabat.

The couple, set to appear in court on September 1, was granted bail after Benhammads wife refrained from filing a legal proceeding against him for adultery.

Nejjar, a widow and mother of six, faces a charge of complicity to adultery, while Benhammad, a married 63-year-old father of seven, faces charges of attempted corruption of the policemen who detained the two.

Under Moroccan law, extra-marital sex is punishable by a jail term of between one and 12 months.

The couple was expelled from the party on Monday.

MUR released a statement condemning the incident and accusing the two of committing an extremely serious fault that amounted to a violation of the principles of the movement, its orientation and its values.

The incident went viral on social media with users taking to the internet to criticise what they believe to be the religious leaders hypocrisy in their teachings regarding sexual freedoms and relations.

https://twitter.com/LailaLalami/status/768475183573118976

Videos of Najjar were quickly shared in which she advocates the use of the Islamic veil and urges students to stay away from temptation and vice.

Sex debate

The incident has triggered an old debate surrounding sexual freedoms in Morocco.

Moroccan activists have long called for the cancellation of Article 490 of the Penal Code, a law which punishes men and women caught having sex outside of marriage, even if the two are consenting adults.

According to activists, adults should have the freedom to engage in sexual relations as long as there is mutual consent.

In 2014, global advocacy group Amnesty International released a campaign called My Body My Rights that fell in line with activists calls for greater freedoms.

Amnesty International Morocco director Mohamed Sektaoui said at the time that the organisation was calling on the government to include sexual freedom in its criminal code reforms, and acknowledge it as part of human rights.

Sexual relations outside marriage must not be considered a crime punishable by law, he added.

The sex scandal, among a list of other assorted accusations against the ruling PJD, comes just weeks before Moroccos parliamentary elections in October.

While the party itself is keeping a low profile, its backers accuse opponents in parliament and the media of conjuring a slur campaign to damage PJD credibility ahead of the October general election.

It is an old practice to defame and discredit the other [party] in the fight for power, historian Maati Monbij told AFP.

The PJD remains popular in the conservative country, despite limited success in tackling corruption, and is credited with lowering the budget deficit.
The Philippines has agreed a peace deal with Maoist rebels to end one of Asias longest running insurgencies.

The Philippine government and Maoist rebels have signed an indefinite ceasefire deal to facilitate peace talks aimed at ending one of Asias longest-running insurgencies.

This is a historic and unprecedented event  [but] there is still a lot of work to be done ahead, President Rodrigo Dutertes peace adviser Jesus Dureza said at Fridays signing ceremony in Norway, which is mediating the talks.

READ MORE: Philippines and communist rebels agree on ceasefire

Both sides agreed to implement unilateral, indefinite ceasefires  something that has never been achieved before in the peace process.





Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende described the agreement as a major breakthrough.

We are on the highway to peace and we are talking of a timeline of maximum 12 months, Silvestre Bello, the Philippine government delegations head of negotiations, told AFP.

The two parties have been meeting in Oslo since Monday, wrapping up their talks with the signing ceremony on Friday.

As a prelude to the negotiations, both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, but the truce commitment by the Communist side was due to end on Saturday.

The two parties also agreed to speed up the peace process, and aim to reach the first substantial agreement on economic and social reforms within six months, a statement from the Norwegian foreign ministry said.

INTERACTIVE: Whos liable for the mounting death toll in Philippines?

They plan to follow this up with an agreement on political and constitutional reforms, before a final agreement on ending the armed conflict can be signed.

The two delegations agreed to meet again in Oslo on October 8-12.

Philippine President Duterte himself hailed the progress made in Norway.

We are in a better position [to talk peace] now. There is a window, he said, adding: We are not fighting the Communists. They have declared a truce. In return, I also ordered a ceasefire.

Good atmosphere

The head of the rebel delegation, Luis Jalandoni, was optimistic about the potential for achieving a lasting peace deal.

We think that the peace talks now can move forward with a good atmosphere and try to move on with the [negotiations on] social and economic reforms, which are vital for addressing the roots of the armed conflict, he told AFP.





The government and the rebels also renewed an agreement that ensures immunity and security for key representatives of the rebels political wing, the National Democratic Front, so that they can take part in the negotiations.

The Communist Party of the Philippines launched a rebellion in 1968 that has so far claimed the lives of more than 30,000 people, according to official estimates.

Its armed faction, the New Peoples Army (NPA), is now believed to have fewer than 4,000 gunmen, down from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s, when a bloodless revolt ended the 20-year dictatorship of late president Ferdinand Marcos.

They remain particularly active in rural areas, where they are notorious for extorting money from local businesses. They also regularly attack police and military forces, sometimes targeting them in urban areas.

In 2002, the US State Department designated the Communist Party and the NPA as terrorist organisations.

Forging peace with the rebels has been the elusive goal of Philippine presidents since a 1986 revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The force behind the current talks is President Duterte, who took office on June 30 after a landslide election victory.

READ MORE: Philippines Duterte calls off truce after rebel attack

On Monday, his government said it hoped to reach a peace accord within a year.

Duterte, who calls himself a Socialist, hails from Mindanao, the impoverished southern third of the Philippines where two rebellions  Communist and Muslim  have been most active.

He says ending both insurgencies is vital to his plan to curb poverty. He has even sketched the possibility of forming a coalition government with the rebels.

Duterte reputedly has close links to the Communists and is a former university student of Jose Maria Sison, now aged 77, who established the party.

The two sides hope to breathe new life into the process by discussing the outstanding issues of social and economic reforms, political and constitutional changes, and an end to hostilities.

Previous peace talks have addressed one issue at a time.
On anniversary of South Sudans peace deal, the head of the agreements monitoring body says fighting halted progress.

On the one year anniversary of South Sudans peace agreement, the head of the truces monitoring group has said the country is worse off today than it was before.

In an interview with Al Jazeera, Festus Mogae, head of the Joint Monitoring and Evaluation Commission (JMEC) and former Botswanan president, said that the largest problems stemmed from security  that is where weve made the least amount of progress.

Juba should be demilitarised, most of the forces should be cantoned in the areas that have been agreed, and there will be a neutral force here to reinforce peace, he said.

The peace deal, signed on August 26, 2015, by South Sudans President Salva Kiir and rebel leader Riek Machar, was an attempt by the warring factions to end their fighting in the five-year-old country.

But violence flared between the two sides in July, and despite the implementation of a ceasefire, concern for the fragile peace agreement remains high.

READ MORE: South Sudan president signs peace deal with rebels

The peace agreement envisioned that there were arrangements for them [rival armies] to come together to being to work together as a national force, said Mogae.

It was their failure to come together and reconcile that took much longer than expected, and in the end, it resulted in violence.

Mogae said the main reason behind the peace agreements failure stems from the bad blood between Kiir and Machar, rather than the deal itself.

It was never with the agreement [] We were trying to persuade him [Kiir] that they were leaders, and they should think of the welfare of the people, but they failed to do that.

Since the outbreak of fighting in July, Kiir has sacked Machar from his post and appointed Taban Deng Gai, a former opposition negotiator who broke ranks with Machar, as vice president, a move that was rejected by Machar.

READ MORE: Al Jazeera meets Salva Kiir and Riek Machar

Commenting on Dengs appointment to government, Mogae said: It is a welcome development that the opposition, at least some of the opposition, are finding common ground with the government.

Its good that we have Taban and Salva now working together and promising us and the nation that they will move forward with the peace agreement.

I am hopeful that this time around we can get it right [] the leaders as a whole have a duty to work together to bring about peace and begin to develop this country, said Mogae.

For now, the people of South Sudan are worse off than before.

South Sudan was founded 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, his former deputy who he had sacked earlier that year, 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 starving to death  and more than two million people were displaced.

The interview was conducted by Al Jazeeras Hiba Morgan in South Sudan. Follow her on Twitter: @hiba_morgan
Buses carrying residents and rebels leave Damascus suburb, as rebels prepare to cede control of area to Assad forces.

The first buses carrying residents and rebel fighters left the Damascus suburb of Daraya on Friday under a deal that will see the area evacuated after a four-year siege by government forces.

Aid convoys arranged by the medical charity Red Crescent entered the suburb early on Friday, as part of the deal that grants control of the area to government forces.

Rebel fighters and government forces agreed to a deal on Thursday to evacuate the town, which pro-government forces have surrounded since 2012. Since then, only one aid shipment has reached the area, according to the United Nations.

Residents were suffering from severe shortages and malnutrition prior to the aid deliveries, according to local activists.

A Reuters news agency witness saw six buses leaving the town, and footage on state television showed buses carefully driving past a large group of soldiers through streets lined with rubble.

The Syrian opposition criticised the evacuation, saying that the international community had failed the people of Daraya.

Daraya did not fail today, George Sabra of the opposition peace talks team told DPA news agency. It was the international community who failed, and failed the people of Daraya.

Sources told Al Jazeera that about 8,000 civilians and 800 rebels would be evacuated from the Damascus suburb, which, before the war, was home to a quarter of a million people.

Al Jazeeras Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Gaziantep on the Turkish side of the Syria-Turkey border, said the rebels were forced to sign the deal.





For nearly four years, residents of Daraya have lived under siege, with civilians being starved to death by government forces. This is a deal that the rebels had to sign, and we will now see civilians moved to Sahnaya  a town in the Damascus governorate  under regime control, he said.

UN not consulted on deal

The UN, which has repeatedly called for the lifting of the siege, said it was not involved and not consulted in this deal, in a statement put out by the UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan de Misturas office.

De Mistura, who met with the US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in Geneva on Friday, said the situation in Daraya was extremely grave and tragic and that the repeated appeals to lift the siege of Daraya have not been headed.

Reporting from Geneva, Al Jazeeras diplomatic editor James Bays said the Syrian governments starvation of surrender policy has actually worked because they have now managed to close down Daraya and remove everyone from Daraya.

Rebel forces from Daraya will be taken to the northern province of Idlib, held by the Army of Conquest, a coalition of armed anti-government groups.

The rebels who controlled Daraya belonged to two rebel groups: Ajnad al-Sham and the Martyrs of Islam, groups allied with the Army of Conquest.

However, activists told Al Jazeera that they were extremely concerned over the safety of civilians, many of whom are relatives of the rebels, as the government offered little to no guarantee.

A major setback

Speaking to Al Jazeera from Jordan, advocacy adviser Charmain Mohamed of the Norwegian Refugee Council said although the end of hostiles in the town was a positive step, her team was concerned about the protection of civilians and that any evacuations should be voluntary in nature.

There should be absolutely unfettered humanitarian access, and civilians should be protected, according to

international humanitarian law.

Some opposition groups also criticised the deal, calling it a major setback as Sunnis would be forced from their homes, further fracturing the country along sectarian lines.

This is a pattern by the government to push Sunnis out of communities they control and have been living in for decades. In 2015, there was a similar deal in Zabadani on the outskirts of the capital, our correspondent added.

Syrian Civil War map: Who controls what?

In 2012, several hundred people were killed in Daraya, including civilians, many execution-style, when security forces stormed the suburb after locals took up arms.

According to the UN, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, most surrounded by government forces.

In several places, lengthy government sieges have prompted rebels to agree to evacuation deals with the regime, leading activists to accuse Damascus of using starve or surrender tactics.

Earlier this year, de Mistura estimated that 400,000 people had died throughout the last five years.

The UN no longer keeps track of the death toll due to the inaccessibility of many areas and the complications of navigating conflicting statistics put forward by the Syrian government and armed opposition groups.
Suspension of illegal ban is temporary until court takes more time to issue definitive ruling.

Frances highest administrative court has suspended a controversial ban on full-body burkini swimsuits, pending a definitive ruling.

The State Council gave the ruling on Friday following a request from the League of Human Rights to overturn the ban in the Mediterranean town of Villeneuve-Loubet on the grounds it contravenes civil liberties.

The court said in a statement that the decree to ban burkinis in Villeneuve-Loubet seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.

Under the French legal system, temporary decisions can be handed down before the court takes more time to prepare a judgment on the underlying legality of the case.

WATCH: French burkini ban  secularism or security?

The ruling is likely to set a precedent for about 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly along the southeast coast.

A court in the Riviera resort of Nice upheld the ban earlier this week.

A fierce debate

The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, womens rights and the French states strictly guarded secularism.

President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that life in France supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday condemned any stigmatisation of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was a political sign of religious proselytising.

We are not at war with Islam  the French republic is welcoming [to Muslims], we are protecting them against discrimination, he told BFMTV.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced he will run in the election in 2017, said if he becomes leader again he would ban the full-body swimsuit.

Line in the sand

Amnesty International welcomed the ruling.

By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, todays decision has drawn an important line in the sand, Amnestys Europe director John Dalhuisen said.

French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women, he said.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith hailed the ruling as a victory for common sense.

The State Council heard arguments from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group.

Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a beach in Nice as she removed a long-sleeved top.

France was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010.
Although Jamie Dubow has never needed to use her EpiPen, she came close during the Summer semester of her freshman year.

Dubow, 20, had just eaten dinner at UFs Gator Corner Dining Center when she felt her airways begin to swell and her heart beat faster. Severely allergic to nuts, she panicked, thinking she was going into anaphylactic shock, a consequence of an allergic reaction that can kill if left untreated.

Luckily, it was just a false alarm, the UF psychology junior said, and she didnt have to use an EpiPen, an auto-injector of epinephrine. But now, the cost for the shot of medicine that could save her life has skyrocketed.

A pack of two EpiPens cost $100 in 2007. But since Mylan, the company that distributes the EpiPens, began hiking up its products prices, a pack now costs about $600, according to a New York Times article.

It gives you adrenaline, and it helps your body fight off the reaction that youre having, Dubow said. Its definitely worth it to have, just in case of emergencies.

The cost of EpiPen injectors is too high for the UF Student Health Care Center to stock, said Catherine Seemann, the centers communications coordinator. Nurses can administer epinephrine from a syringe if needed.

Its unfortunate, Seemann said. Its a horrible hike in the price.

At the SHCC, the full price for a two-pack of the injectors is $796.10, she wrote in an email.

In response to criticism of its rising prices, Mylan said in a statement it would take immediate action to improve EpiPen access by offering discounts to some patients facing high out-of-pocket fees, and expanding a program eliminates fees for certain patients.

Since she was young, Dubows parents have bought her EpiPens every year  they expire. This year, it cost them about $380 for a pack of two, lower than the stock price because of their healthcare coverage but higher than in years past.

Dubow said even though the price for her anti-allergy medication continues to rise, it wont stop her from keeping it for emergencies. If she ever needed to use an EpiPen, she said, she would probably give the pen to a friend to administer.

I have a lot of anxiety about it, so I would have someone else do it for me, she said.

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Dubow said the fact that Mylan chose to increase the price of a life-saving drug injector is unfair.

I think that its terrible that the price has increased in the past few years, because its a life saving drug, she said. It would be tragic if someone needed it and couldnt afford it.

Mylan, the pharmaceutical company that distributes EpiPens (pictured), has been significantly raising prices of the lifesaving medication since 2007.
UF Warrington College of Business Administration will have a new dean in 2017.

John Kraft will return to being a faculty member after serving as dean for more than 25 years. Kraft, who has been teaching at UF since 1970, said he was ready to step down.

I came to work one day and thought that was a good time to move on to something else, Kraft said.

He said he plans to return as a professor, teaching the same courses he currently does: strategy, international business and entrepreneurship.

A search committee, composed of deans from other colleges and other faculty members, has paired up with national recruiting firm  called Isaacson, Miller, Inc.  to find Krafts successor.

The dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, David Richardson, is chairing the search committee.

John Kraft has been an outstanding leader for the Warrington College of Business, and replacing John is going to be challenging, Richardson said.

The committee created a website for potential candidates, which outlines qualifications for the position, including a doctoral degree in a relevant field and experience as a business dean.

Richardson said he hopes to have a new dean by next Summer or Fall at the latest.

Once a new dean is found, he or she will take over for Kraft.

Kraft said he hopes the next dean will find what they want to focus on.

I think they can figure it out themselves, he said.

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No criminal charges will be filed against an Alachua County Sheriffs Office deputy whose police dog died of heat exhaustion.

The deputy left the dog inside his patrol car last month, ACSO announced Wednesday.

After consulting with the State Attorneys Office, an ACSO detective ruled Thomas Wilcox did not have any criminal intent when he left his dog, Robbie, 6, inside a hot patrol car on July 8, according to an offense report.

Now the departments Office of Professional Standards will conduct an administrative internal investigation to determine if any policies were violated, said Lt. Brandon Kutner, an ACSO spokesman. The results will go to Sheriff Sadie Darnell.

At the conclusion of that investigation, that will be filed up the chain of command, Kutner said.

Possible penalties include a reprimand, time without pay or removal from the K-9 unit, he said. He said he didnt know when the investigation will be finished.

Willcox, 41, has temporarily been assigned to work with other officers the departments training division, Kutner said.

On the day Robbie died, temperatures outside Wilcoxs home in Newberry, Florida, reached 96 degrees, according to the report.

Willcox, who was on vacation locally, had taken a break from a fishing trip to respond to a SWAT call earlier that day before returning to the trip, according to the report.

Wilcoxs father told deputies he didnt see Robbie in the yard when he stopped by at about 4 p.m. that day.

The father found Robbie, a Belgian Malinois, at about 5 p.m. and tried to spray him with a hose to cool him off.

When deputies arrived at 9:18 p.m. to investigate the dogs death, Willcox sat in a chair next to a kennel with a sheet over it.

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It appeared as if (Wilcox) had likely been weeping heavily, according to the report.

While Willcox lacked motive to kill or injure Robbie, he contributed to Robbies death by leaving him in the hot car, according to the report.

While in some instances, K-9 units are considered officers, such as with assault on a K-9, in this case this law is not applicable, Kutner said.
Nine parties registered for UF Student Governments Fall elections Thursday.

Parties have until Wednesday at noon to register, said Eric Hobbs, UFs supervisor of elections. Parties must be formed before students can begin interviewing to run with them next Thursday.

To qualify for elections, parties must either have candidates for the executive ticket or have at least six candidates for Senate, according to the 700 election codes.

Although parties registered today, Hobbs wrote in an email he still has to determine whether all parties meet the requirements.

Currently, there are two parties in SG: Access Party and Impact Party.

Access registered Thursday, said Michael Russel, the Access president. During Fall elections, he said, Access will focus on passing the online voting amendment in addition to their platform on student ideas, which has yet to be created.

We saw what was happening over the Summer, and we saw our party still needed to exist, Russel said.

Impact also registered and will seek student ideas for its platform, Impact president Janae Moodie wrote in an email.

The Impact party put the online voting amendment on the ballot, and were excited for students to have the opportunity to decide for themselves, she wrote in an email.

She explained that Senate President Jenny Clements (Impact, District A) sponsored all amendments to the Student Body constitution.

According to Alligator archives, Global Vote started a petition to place online voting on the ballot in the Spring 2015 election, which passed. Over the Summer, that amendment and four others were deemed unconstitutional by SGs Supreme Court. These amendments will be voted on again in Spring.

Sept. 1: Qualifying and interviewing from noon to 6 p.m. on the third floor of the Reitz Union.

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Sept. 2: Qualifying and interviewing from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Sept. 6: Qualifying and interviewing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Sept. 14: Absentee ballot requests close at 5 p.m.
Last week, Iran and Russia reached a historic agreement that allowed Russia to launch military strikes from Iranian bases in order to fight terrorism and continue propping up the Assad regime. Considering no foreign military has operated from Iran since World War II, this was a considerable step forward for Russia and, as I see it, a considerable step backward for the millions of Syrians on the ground who feel firsthand the brunt of Assads regime. A Russia more involved in Iran and Syria is bad for everyone.

Thankfully, however, the agreement proved to be short-lived. Iran revoked the agreement after Russia publicized it in, a kind of show-off and ungentlemanly (attitude), according to the Iranian defense minister, Brig. Gen. Hossein Dehghan. Although Irans foreign ministry spokesman told reporters in Tehran the tactical arrangement was only temporary, it appears Putin has a more long-term vision for Russias role in Iran. Frankly, after Crimea, Putin pushing the envelope too far shouldnt surprise anyone.

Apparently Russia and Iran are not on the same page, and the reasons for this can be traced back through recent history. Since the Islamic Revolution in 1979, Iran has sought to increase its power in the region. Also since then, Irans influence has been felt in a number of countries including Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen, where the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and Hezbollah are deeply involved in internal political and military conflicts. More importantly, the Iranian leadership has emphasized national sovereignty and independence from outside meddling, whether it be from the West, Russia or any other country.

In other words, Iran sees itself as a regional power. Furthermore, Iran has gone beyond region-mingling in Afghanistan and cooperating with al-Qaida. In recent years, Iran has even actively trained soldiers in Latin America who are sympathetic to the Islamic Republic.

Since Iran has projected an image of power, the fact that Iran allowed Russia to use its soil for military operations represents a major deviation. Therefore, Russias disclosure of its military operations from Iran projects an image of Iran as a client state rather than a true power. This source of embarrassment prompted Iran to terminate the agreement with Russia.

Now that Russias reemerged in the international arena, grabbed land in Crimea and assisted Assad, it views itself in confrontation with the West: surprise. In this political game, the traditional logic of international power competition is played out. Russia bragged about its operations from Iran in order to show muscle to the West and publicly display the fact that Russia is back in the Middle East.

But Russias attempt to show its teeth at the West by flaunting its special access has backfired, embarrassing both Russia and Iran. On the Iranian end, the misunderstanding between the two governments reflects its underestimation of Putins duplicity and his insatiable thirst for power.

Russia and Iran have a clear mutual interest: maintaining the authoritarian regime in Syria. Additionally, because many companies are still unwilling to do business with the Islamic Republic, Russia is a particularly crucial commercial partner. In 2014, the two countries signed a $20 billion energy deal.

While Russia would probably like to see a closer relationship between the two countries in order to expand its influence, Iran is saying, Not so fast. However, whether this an isolated incident or a premonition for future Iranian-Russian relations is still unclear. For the sake of the unfortunate subjects of Assads brutal regime, let us hope for the latter.

It is important for us as students and future leaders to pay close attention to the world beyond our borders. The crisis in Syria, which has led to the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time, raises some serious moral questions. What is Americas role in this messy and brutal conflict? Should we approach the increasingly competitive Russia as a friend and avoid confrontation, or is it time to renew a more aggressive Cold War approach?

Julian Fleischman is a UF political science and telecommunication senior. His column appears on Fridays.

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Riddle me this. Classes began Aug. 22, and by Aug. 26, only four days later, UF students are expected to have decided whether they want to drop their course. If not, they have to pay for it anyway.

How is that enough time for people to decide whether they want to take the class if most teachers only discuss the syllabus during the first week? Students can hardly get a feel for the pace of the course or what theyll be learning.

UF offers a 25-percent refund on courses if students drop by Sept. 16, but at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, classes for the Faall 2016 semester begin Sept. 7, and students have until Nov. 23 to drop classes without any repercussion.

While their classes might be more difficult, theres no reason we shouldnt be given a few extra weeks to determine whether to drop a class. According to UFs website, classes for Florida residents cost about $210.43 an hour, for which a three-credit course ends up being about $640. The same three-credit course costs, on average, about $3,000 for non-residents.

Having to throw away about $500 terrifies me, and I cant imagine a non-residential student contemplating dropping a course after realizing its no good. Even with a 25-percent refund, a non-Florida resident could have used that money to pay the rent for their entire semester of school.

A 2003 study conducted by Southeastern Louisiana University, called Why Do Students Withdraw From Courses, showed students top-five reasons for course withdrawal included: The student was uninterested in the subject, the student didnt like the course or the student didnt like the professor.

Id imagine it would take more than a week to garner whether you like a class or teacher. There have been many times when I regretted waiting another week after the drop/add period to realize I didnt want to take a class. By then it was too late, and it didnt seem worth it to drop because of all of the money Id throw away.

So why cant UF and other schools organize a different format that makes it less stressful for students to drop a class during the semester?

Although I do believe five weeks should give students enough time to decide whether to drop, a 25-percent return off the course just isnt enough of a refund.

At the University of California Los Angeles, students dont have to pay any fees if they drop before midnight their second week of classes. At the University of Southern California classes start Aug. 22, and students have until Sept. 9 to receive a refund, so why cant we follow suit?

It will help our school more than hurt it to extend the drop time without a fee, because more students will be able to opt out of classes they dont like or cant manage. Students will also be more likely to succeed in their schoolwork without the added stress of knowing their money has gone to waste. Our school can afford to make this change, and it could impact students mental health significantly.

I know Ive cried a few times over classes I didnt drop in the first week but wished I could.

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Even if UF were to consider other options like George Washington Universitys, which gives students a 60-percent refund in their second week and a 40-percent refund in their third, students might decide to drop classes more often earlier in the semester.

We already have to pay enough money, and the looming threat of throwing it away can lead us to make decisions that arent the best for us. So please, UF, reconsider.

Nicole Wiesenthal is a UF journalism senior. Her column appears on Fridays.
Here we are, dear readers: the end of the first week of school. It feels like only a few short hours ago we were packing our bags and kissing our families goodbye as we ventured into the abyss of collegiate life. Time flies when youre adding and dropping classes like theres no tomorrow. For all of our new readers out there, welcome to the Friday version of our paper, where we survey the whats going on in the world and either praise a story with a laurel or banish one forever with a dart. So get ready for our epic roast, our salty attitude gone wild, our Fall debut of

Darts & Laurels

First things first, lets touch on everyones go-to, man-crush-Monday piece of eye candy: Rush Limbaugh.

Last week, the radio-talk-show host responded to an effort by the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights, a branch of the U.S. Department of Agriculture, to call attention to and provide an infrastructure for the LGBTQ+ community living in rural America.

This #RuralPride campaign is geared toward both changing the perception that the LGBTQ+ are a metropolis-only community and tackling the particular needs and vulnerabilities of the nearly 10 percent of LGBTQ+ people living in rural America, according to the campaigns webpage. Sounds good, right?

Well, Rush, who also refers to himself as El Rushbo, definitely doesnt think so. To #RuralPride, El Rushbo said, They (the Obama Regime) are trying to bust up one of the last geographically conservative regions in the country; thats rural America.

If more lesbians end up farming alongside traditional farmers, whats the problem? Lesbians are already all over your deleted porn history, Rush, so dont act like this is some plague falling from the sky. And news flash: There are already LGBTQ+ living in rural America, and  guess what  some are already farmers. So, your precious rural America is in no danger of collapse.

We give a dart to El Rushbo for further stoking left-right hate by having his head so far up his own a--.

OK, now lets talk about dildos. Progressive dildos. Social justice dildos. Students at the University of Texas at Austin took protest at the center of campus against Texas open-carry gun laws Wednesday by wielding and distributing another sort of firearm thats actually illegal to carry on their campus: sex toys.

Rose Zander, a University of Texas at Austin student and organizer with the Cocks Not Glocks campaign told The Guardian, We have crazy laws here but this is by far the craziest, that you cant bring a dildo on to campus legally but you can bring your gun. Were just trying to fight absurdity with absurdity.

You see, dear readers, this is how you stage a protest: dildos armed at the ready. And were not exactly sure why a Texas university would be so adamant about banning items that resemble human genitals; Ted Cruz is the senator from Texas, and all of Congress considers him one of the biggest dicks on the Hill.

Granted, we Floridians arent much better off with our elected officials (This is why you have to get out and vote!). Anyway, we give a hard plastic laurel to the Cocks Not Glocks campaign and all of the University of Texas at Austin students working so hard to hold their officials accountable and keep their school gun-free.

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Who knew there could be more excitement to the first week of school than oversleeping past your first class or waiting for 5,000 years outside the advising office?
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English News Moving toward an inclusive world economy: President Xi Jinping on G20

Alwihda Info | Par peoplesdaily - 26 Aout 2016





By Zhang Huizhong from the Peoples Daily



The 11th G20 Summit will be held in Hangzhou on September 4 and 5. Since it was announced that China will be holding the 2016 G20 Summit at the 2014 Brisbane G20 Summit, President Xi Jinping has commented at length on the G20 Hangzhou Summit, elaborating on Chinas vision for the meeting while offering advice on the development of the G20, the world economy and global economic governance.



Earnestly maintain, build and develop G20

China is confident to fulfill its role as the chair of the 2016 G20 summit and a member of the three-member management troika for 2015 and 2017, and will work with all other parties to earnestly maintain, build and develop the mechanism of the G20.

(November 16, 2014, at the second session of the Brisbane G20 Summit )



Seize four key areas of world economy

Based on the current situation and the expectations of all concerned, China has chosen the theme Towards an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy for the 2016 Summit. We hope to continue work for the Summit in four key areas:

First, we must transform growth patterns in innovative ways, with a particular focus on pursuing reform and innovation. We must create and seize new opportunities to increase potential for global economic growth.

Also, we need to improve global economic and financial governance, increase representation of emerging markets and developing countries, and enhance capacity of the global economy to ward off risks.

Third, we need to promote global trade and investment to generate growth and build an open world economy.

Lastly, we must promote inclusive and interconnected development, strive to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, eliminate poverty, and achieve common development.

(November 16, 2015, at working luncheon of the Antalya G20 Summit)



Consolidate role of G20 as premier forum for global economic governance

G20 is now facing a transformation from a mechanism of crisis response to one of long-term governance. As its agenda items shift from short-term issues to deep-seated and longer-term ones, the necessity for and difficulty of macroeconomic policy coordination and enhanced cooperation among G20 members have both increased. We need to act in the spirit of partnership to work for the smooth transformation of the G20 and the consolidation of its role as the premier forum for global economic governance.

(November 16 2015, at working luncheon of the Antalya G20 Summit)



Open, transparent and inclusive approach

The G20 belongs to each and every one of its members. In preparing for the Hangzhou Summit, China will consistently follow an open, transparent and inclusive approach, and strengthen communication and coordination with all other members to jointly uphold, strengthen and develop the G20.

(November 16, 2015, at working luncheon of the Antalya G20 Summit)



Cooperation crucial in overcoming financial crisis

The G20 was set up at the height of the international financial crisis in 2008, demonstrating the determination of members to put the global economy back on its feet. The G20 thus became the premier forum for international economic cooperation. Looking back, I believe that the most valuable thing this process has created is the close partnership we have forged that has enabled us to jointly tide over a difficult time. It proves that in a world of deepening economic globalization, cooperation is the sure way for countries to meet challenges and achieve common development.

(November 30, 2015, speech on the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit)



Act with a broad vision, deliver concrete outcomes

As an important forum for cooperation among developed countries,emerging markets and developing countries, the G20 plays a key role in leading and advancing international economic cooperation. It should act with a broad vision and deliver concrete outcomes. It should address critical issues affecting the global economy and endeavor to promote strong, sustainable and balanced growth.

(November 30, 2015, speech on the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit)



Ensure economic growth benefits people of all countries

We should embrace the vision of a global community of a shared future, enhanced economic connectivity and exchanges among countries and improved global economic and financial governance so as to address inequality and imbalance in global development and ensure that the benefits of economic growth will be equitably shared by people of all countries.

(November 30, 2015, speech on the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit)



Pool wisdom, form synergy

In the course of making preparations for the 2016 G20 Summit, China will work with all involved in the spirit of win-win cooperation. We should pool our wisdom, form A synergy, implement the outcomes of the Antalya Summit and all previous summits, and jointly advance international economic cooperation.

(November 30, 2015, speech on the 2016 G20 Hangzhou Summit)



Focus on development

China will push forward the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by pushing the G20 Summit to focus on development and promoting the joint-construction of the "Belt and Road" initiative.

(July 7, 2016, meeting with UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon in Beijing)



Confidence across the world, impetus in global economic growth

G20 is a major platform for global economic governance. Under the current circumstances, as the world's two largest economies, China and the US should closely cooperate, jointly push the G20 Hangzhou Summit for positive results, spread confidence across the world and inject impetus into global economic growth.

(July 25, 2016, meeting with Assistant to the US President for National Security Affairs Susan Rice in Beijing)





Dans la meme rubrique : < > China's FAST discovers largest atomic cloud in universe China to make greater contributions to human progress China willing to work with the international community to promote equality, mutual learning, dialogue, and inclusiveness among civilizations Pour toute information, contactez-nous au : +(235) 99267667 ; 62883277 ; 66267667 (Bureau N'Djamena)
The official attitude, political and legal, of Britain to Islamic terrorists, jihadists, and their supporters has and continues to be ambivalent. It used to be indecisive: now its not so sure. If not imitating the action of the tiger, British policy needs stiffening of the sinews.

Events during the last month in Britain illustrate the uncertainty if not a double standard being invoked in decision-making. On one hand, Anjem Choudary, a terrorist linked to ISIS and to at least 15 terror plots, was on July 26, 2016 convicted in London and sentenced to prison. On August 9, 2016 a Muslim extremist named Tanveer Ahmed was sentenced to a 27-year prison term for the barbaric, premeditated murder in Glasgow of a fellow Muslim in an Islamic sectarian dispute. It was heartening news that the new prime minister Theresa May has spoken of a possible ban on extreme Islamic preachers in mosques and other places.

Yet, on the other hand and at the same time, the British Special Immigration Commission on April 18, 2016 took a surprisingly timorous position and allowed six Algerians, suspected of having ties to al-Qaeda, to remain in the UK because it felt they might be ill treated if deported to Algeria.

The benign attitude towards Islamic extremists has been repeated. On July 16, 2016 two Pakistanis clerics, Muhammed Naqib ur Rehman and Hassan Haseeb ur Rehman were allowed to enter Britain for a seven-week preaching tour, a Sacred Journey, at mosques in a number of cities. With what must be considered astonishing nerve, one of those cities is Maidenhead, the constituency of Prime Minister Theresa May herself.

The lack of judgment in admitting the two clerics to the country was compounded by the behavior of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby. On July 18, 2016 he welcomed the two clerics to his official residence in Lambeth Palace in London. No one doubts the good will and intentions of the archbishop, who until he was aged 60 thought he was the son of a whiskey salesman of Jewish origin, towards members of other religions. He has on June 10 hosted the Grand Imam of the Al Azhar Mosque in Egypt.

The archbishop in a debate in the House of Lords in December 2015 showed political astuteness. He declared that ISIS would not be defeated by military action alone. Religious and political extremism needed to be confronted with a robust ideological response, and supporters of Islamic extremism had to be confronted. After the massacre in Nice on July 14, 2016 Archbishop Welby said, Let us weep with them, let us stand with them.

Nevertheless, in his remarks, diplomatic but rather naive, at meeting the two Islamic clerics he said the result of the meeting would be to strengthen interfaith relations and address the narrative of extremism and terrorism. It is unclear whether he actually accepted the message of the two clerics that they had come to spread a message of peace, love, and tolerance.

A spokesperson for the archbishop said he had received a firsthand account of the situation in Pakistan. The details were not provided but one doubts that the archbishop had been correctly informed of the affiliations of the two Rehmans and their Pakistani activities. They had been affiliated with one of the rival Islamic sects, the Deobandi, a sect that is more supportive of suicide bombings and violent jihad than the rival Barelvi sect. Nearly half of the mosques and the Islamic seminaries in the UK belong to the Deobandi movement

The most compelling of the Rehman activities was their campaign in Pakistan in praise of Mumtaz Qadri whom they termed an Islamic holy warrior and martyr.

The issue is related to events in Pakistan in January 2016 when the heroic martyr Mumtaz Qadri was executed for the murder of Salman Taseer, the governor of Punjab province in Pakistan, a man who had disapproved of the strict blasphemy laws in his country, and disapproved of discrimination against religious minorities. Taseer had called for pardon for a Christian woman who was sentenced in 2010 to death for insulting the prophet. According to strict Islamic law, Taseer was an apostate for opposing the laws. Qadri thought he had a religious duty to kill him and did. Taseers 33-year-old-son Shahbaz was kidnapped and held hostage for four years.

Archbishop Welby and those who admitted the two Rehmans to the country might have been familiar with Qadri as a result of a recent court case. It concerned the murder in Glasgow of a shopkeeper named Asad Shah who was an open believer of the Ahmadi branch of Islam which holds that Muhammad was not the final Muslim prophet. This offended a Sunni taxi driver named Tanveer Ahmed in Bradford, a town dominated by Muslims, who opposed Shahs religious views and travelled 200 miles to stab Shah to death.

On being sentenced on August 9, 2016, Ahmed proclaimed, Praise for the Prophet Muhammad, there is only one prophet. What is relevant to the case of the two Rehmans is that Ahmed was a disciple of Qadri.

One interesting aspect of the Ahmed case is the seeming lack of clarity of British law. It was not completely clear whether his offence was held to have been aggravated by religious prejudice. If so, Ahmed, already sentenced to 27 years, might have faced a longer term of imprisonment.

The present issue of the Rehmans is a repetition of the blunder made more than twenty years ago, On August 6, 1993, the Pakistani cleric Masood Azhar, the founder and leader of Jaish-e Mohammaed in the Pakistani part of Kashmir and one of the most wanted terrorists in the world, was admitted to Britain for a speaking and fundraising tour. He delivered his message of jihad in 40 British mosques in 1993.

According to him, a substantial part of the Koran was devoted to killing for the sake of Allah. British security should have known Azhar was close to Osama bin Laden and had inspired a number of terrorist events. Among them were plots such as the 2005 7/7 London bombings, the beheading of David Pearl, training camps facilities and logistical support for British Muslims to carry out attacks in Britain, and the attempt in 2006 to smuggle liquid bomb-making substances onto planes.

The whole appeal of Azhar, who had been welcomed in Britain as a VIP guest, was based on the call for jihad and acceptance of a hardcore jihadist ideology.

Both past events and present concerns suggest that the Rehmans, one of whom is officially the custodian of the Eidgah Sharef, a Sunni Sufi shrine in Rawalpindi that hosts religious gatherings, should never have been admitted into the UK, and should never have been made welcome by official dignitaries. Those two clerics are connected to those in Pakistan who preach murder and hate.

The UK government's Home Secretary can ban people if their presence is not conducive to the public good. Until she became prime minister, Theresa May held that position. Her successor Amber Rudd should be equally concerned with the poisonous hate of Islamist extremists and do the right thing.
Pay to play, anyone?

So far, Team Hillary's defense of what the New York Post on Wednesday called the "Dough Nation" scandal reminds me of Mark Twain's joke about the girl back in Missouri who sought to excuse her illegitimate child on the ground that it was "so small."

"Only 3%," Hillary's spokesman told Politico on Wednesday, of Mrs. Clinton's total visitors while she was Secretary of State fall into the category of nongovernmental visitors. But half of those, it turns out, had previously made generous donations to the Clinton Foundation.

Yes, he said, but the Associated Press' investigation only dealt with the first half of Mrs. Clinton's tenure at Foggy Bottom.

So, you know, the AP's story is 'flawed. Nothing to see here. Keep moving.

Malarkey.

This one's got legs, folks. And there's at least another 15,000 emails coming by mid-September.

Furthermore, NPR reported Thursday morning, the 750 emails released this week are heavily redacted. That means that the quid pro quo which Team Clinton, so far, is loudly proclaiming is not there may, in fact, be there. We just can't see it yet.

In short, this truly is a presidential election without precedent. Even a leading Democratic columnist has had enough.

Mr. Trump's call for a special prosecutor now puts the stakes in this year's presidential race in sharp focus. No one believes, of course, that this attorney general will seek the appointment of a special prosecutor. But for Mrs. Clinton, Trump's demand means that she will almost certainly face new federal investigation and, quite likely, prosecution if she loses the election.

This takes the 2016 race out of anything before seen in American history. It's Hillary's own fault, of course. But it still makes this contest uncomfortably like an election in a Third World country.

"You lose, you die." Or at least end up in jail or have to flee the country.

Are we becoming Nigeria?

For Trump's supporters, the election of Mrs. Clinton to the White House would spell (a) ratification by the voters of President Obama's legislation, regulations and executive orders and (b) the certain capture by the Left of a Supreme Court majority. In other words, a historic disaster.

The possibility of a rollback of the latest wave of Progressive legislation -- something which hasn't happened since 1933 -- would disappear.

There were, of course, no Good Old Days (just read Mark Twain's The Gilded Age, Henry Adams' Democracy or any of H.L. Mencken's stuff to see that). FDR was known for his mendacity. LBJ had his Credibility Gap.

But underlying the success of the Clinton Cabal, there's something deeper. Many people, including my own father (born 1910), believed that Prohibition fundamentally corrupted the American people -- because it taught a generation to disobey the law while hypocritically pretending to support it. Mencken thought so as well, along with many others in the Lost Generation.

John O'Hara, a member of that generation but never an expatriate, made the case in his 1960 novellas, Sermons and Soda Water. All the scandals of the late '50's  the rigged game shows, the cheating scandals at the military academies  O'Hara said were traceable back to the cynical disregard for the law of the land during the Prohibition Era.

The subsequent decades, these observers thought, brought only corroboration. The electrical price-fixing cases and Big Steel's confrontation with the Kennedy White House were no surprise. Nor was LBJ's aforementioned Credibility Gap. Nor Richard Nixon's "I am not a crook." They were the legacy of Prohibition.

"They voted Prohibition at election time," Dad used to say, "and drank bathtub gin the rest of the time."

The moral rot which pervades Clintonism proceeds apace. As Bob Dole said in 1996 (when campaigning against Bill Clinton), "where's the outrage?"

We shall see, come November 8th.
Hillary Clinton may regret her attempt to tar Donald Trump as a racist by linking him to the alt right movement (whatever that is  no such formal organization exists). She went full Southern Poverty Law Center on the Trump campaign, tarring people she disagrees with as racists. (As AT readers know, the SPLC has made a lot of money soliciting contributions from well-meaning people, but has been running out of racists to fight (because racists on the left are invisible to it). So it has resorted to tarring Dr. Ben Carson on its extremist watch list, an allegation so absurd that it was forced to issue a totally unconvincing apology.)

In Hillarys judgment, she use the tactic of guilt-by-association to connect Trump to Steve Bannon to articles published by the website Bannon headed, and those headlines back to Trump. Normally, guilt-by-association is a tactic the left decries as unfair  for instance making any connection between Barack Obama and Bill Ayers.

The problem Hillary faces is she is giving the al right exactly what it wants: attention. And once the alt right gets attention, it starts raising questions in the minds of people that Hillary and the left would prefer remain unspoken.

If there is anyone who can be seen as a spokesman for the alt right, it would be Milo Yiannopoulos, two of whose headlines on Breitbart articles she quoted in her Reno, NV (interesting choice of venue: the city that first gained fame as Americas divorce capital).

Milo has fired back in characteristic fashion:

This is precisely what the alt-right is responding to. They post offensive memes because they know itll wind up boring, grouchy grannies like Hillary. The speech codes and political correctness of the Left are what has given rise to this vibrant new movement, what has given rise to Donald Trumps extraordinary popularity, and what gives rise to me  and my fabulous headlines! They were, by the way: Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive And Crazy (sorry, no offense, but its true!) and Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism Or Cancer? (no prizes for guessing which readers chose). Little did I realise when I coined the #FeminismIsCancer hashtag that it would end up in the mouth of the Democratic nominee for President. But theres something else that Clinton represents. While she obsesses over the ironic memes of dissident youths on the internet, there are Black Lives Matter activists calling for the deaths of white police officers, and there are teaching assistants in American universities hosting courses on how to stop white males. If theres genuine, noxious and damaging racism in the United States, it isnt coming from the alt-right, who are responding to it. Much of the alt-rights rhetoric is designed to illuminate the absurdity of identitarian politics and the blatant hypocrisy and cruelty of the progressive Left. Its working  and thats why the Left is so scared. Hillary is using the same old failed leftist tactics of name-calling, vague allegations and guilt-by-association, but hoping for a different result this time. In other words, she is complaining about a phenomenon she helped to create, thinking she can beat it with the bad habits and lazy smears that fostered it in the first place. Good luck with that!

Milo, if you have never seen or heard him, is openly, flamboyantly gay, smart, articulate, Brit-accented, fast-talking, funny, and could talk rings around Hillary. He, and many on the alt right, are provocateurs, absolutely childish in their revelry at violating taboos, which leads them to do very regrettable things, like resurrecting antisemitic imagery, and creating outrage. Milo openly admits this.

If I were to compare them to BlackLivesMatter, which Hillary has more or less embraced, they have equally disturbing rhetoric, but bigger vocabularies, and absolutely no riots, assassinations, or other actual physical consequences for their rhetoric.

The big danger Hillary faces is that there are serious question which political correctness has repressed that linger in the minds of a large majority of Americans. Starting with this: If it is good for black Americans, Asian Americans and every other group of Americans to celebrate the accomplishments of their culture and seek to preserve them, why is it bad for white people to do this?

Does Hillary really want to give Milo a platform?
On Wednesday evening, CNNs Anderson Cooper actually asked Hillary Clinton a tough question. Why was it okay for the Clinton Foundation to accept foreign donations when you were secretary of state, said Cooper, but it wouldn't be okay if you were president?

Hillary fumbled around for a minute or two before declaring, You know, look, Anderson, I know there's a lot of smoke and there's no fire. As Clinton watchers know, this was not the first time Hillary has used that metaphor.

On January 27, 1998, The "Today Shows" Matt Lauer questioned Hillary about the Monica Lewinsky scandal, which had just erupted. As to the charge that her husband had an inappropriate relationship with Monica, Hillary snapped, The president has denied these allegations on all counts, unequivocally. So too would Hillary.

''The great story here, she told Lauer, is this vast right-wing conspiracy that has been conspiring against my husband since the day he announced for president.

Eager to believe her, Lauer pitched Hillary a softball, So when people say theres a lot of smoke here, your message is where theres smoke... Hillary didnt miss a beat: There isnt any fire, because think of what weve been through for the last six years and think of everything weve been accused of.

Hillary praised herself for staying calm and offered an explanation as to how she managed to appear that way. I guess, she told Lauer, Ive just been through it so many times.

Here, everything depends on what the definition of it is. If it means lying on national TV to protect your husbands future, then, yes, Hillary had been through it.

Hillarys first major dabbling in it took place in January 1992 on "60 Minutes". When Steve Kroft asked Bill if he had an affair with Gennifer Flowers, he answered, That allegation is false. Hillary, her hands lovingly intertwined with Bills, nodded in affirmation. Of course, they were both lying. I have absolutely leveled with the American people, lied Bill late in the interview, and Hillary nodded again.

The Lauer transcript is a hoot. It deserves to be read in full and shared with anyone credulous enough to think there is no fire this time either.
Providence has handed the GOP a powerful issue to use in saving endangered Senate incumbents. As Politico reports:

In nine of 11 states with competitive Senate races, at least one insurer seeks to hike rates for Obamacare customers by at least 30 percent next year: Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield in Pennsylvania wants to jack up average premiums by more than 40 percent. In Wisconsin, three insurers have asked for rate hikes of more than 30 percent. In New Hampshire, two of the five carriers want to sell plans with rate increase above 30 percent. The potential sticker shock  coupled with the likelihood many consumers will have fewer choices next year after major insurers scale back their exchange participation  creates a potential political opening for Republican candidates, especially since the next Obamacare enrollment season starts one week before Election Day.

The absurd practice of allowing early voting will blunt the impact of this issue, as Democrats well know, which is why they will be running major events to register voters and capture their early ballots.

Nonetheless, the Democrats own the Obamacare disaster, and it is hitting people hard. It is tine to start generating ads in each of these states with sob stories of people unable to afford the deductibles, unable to buy insurance, and financially devastated.

If the GOP has the wit to act.

Hat tip: Ed Lasky

Rick Moran adds:

You have to wonder if the rate increases in Illinois will help struggling GOP senate incumbent Mark Kirk who is trailing Rep. Tammy Duckworth.

Rates could increase by an average of 44 percent for the lowest-priced bronze plans, 45 percent for the lowest-priced silver plans and 55 percent for the lowest-priced gold plans, according to a preliminary analysis released by the state Wednesday. Here's what those percentages mean: A 21-year-old nonsmoker buying the lowest-priced silver plan in Cook County next year could pay a premium of $221.13 a month, up from $152.42 a month this year.

While the majority of people who will see their premiums spike will be eligible for an increase in federal subsidies, there are about 25% of Illinoisians who aren't eligible. They will certainly feel the pinch.
A Princeton Univeristy health economist told the liberal website Vox that the Obamacare state exchanges were in a "death sprial" and nothing could be done to save them.

Sarah Kliff: Give me your assessment of where the Obamacare marketplaces are right now, and where you expect them to head in the future.

Uwe Reinhardt: I always joke about it like this: If you got a bunch of Princeton undergrads to design a health care system, maybe they would come up with an arrangement like the marketplaces.

The natural business model of a private commercial insurer is to price on health status and have the flexibility to raise prices year after year. What weve tried to do, instead, is do community rating [where insurers cant price on how sick or healthy an enrollee is] and couple it with a mandate.

When you do this as the Swiss or Germans do, you brutally enforce the mandate. You make young people sign up and pay. But we are too chicken to do that, so we allow people to stay out by doing two things: We give them a mandate penalty that is lower than the premium. And we tell them, If youre really sick, well take care of you anyhow. [A federal law called EMTALA requires hospitals to treat all patients with life-threatening conditions regardless of their ability to pay.]

SK: So what happens in a system like this? Does it eventually right itself, or does it fall apart?

UR: Liberals think this will settle itself. Eventually, though, we all know about the death spiral that actuaries worry about, and I think what youre seeing now is a mild version of that. These things accelerate, as premiums keep rising.

Weve had two actual death spirals: in New Jersey and in New York. New Jersey passed a law that had community rating but no mandate, so that market shrank quickly and premiums were off the wall. You look at New York and the same thing happened; they had premiums above $6,000 per month. The death spiral killed those markets.

What we do have in the Affordable Care Act is the mandate, so it will be a slower process. If the premium increases go through for 2017, some are 8 or 9 percent, and that is stiff. If those rates get improved, those are big enough that a lot of people will drop out.
As election day approaches, I feel a dark premonition that we are about to lose our freedoms. The portents are all too clear. If Hillary Clinton takes the Oval Office, she will impose by executive order a list of so-called Progressive measures that will be worse than any of the many scandals by which her character has been revealed over the years. There is no lie she will not tell, no crime she will not commit, and no freedom she will not usurp.

Perhaps the most central of all our freedoms is the Second Amendment. It is the one that gives us actual physical power over a would-be tyranny. Without it, all the other freedoms become forfeit, as so many of them already have.

Progressives are all too aware of this fact. The power of the Second Amendment was dramatically demonstrated by armed citizens against armed federal officials, and the federal officials had to retreat. It happened in an incident known as the Cliven Bundy standoff in April and May of 2014. It was a wake-up call, as the government was officially put on notice that armed citizens will, when pushed too far, unite in large numbers to confront armed federal officers.

The issues today are far larger, and far more numerous, than cattle grazing rights, which sparked the Bundy standoff. They range from the Lois Lerner violation of citizen rights of political participation to the requirement of bakers and photographers to participate in same-sex wedding ceremonies to the federal demand that high school boys and girls share the same showers.

As the Declaration of Independence tells us:

... all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable. ... But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.

These words underscore the necessity of the Second Amendment, and also the absolute necessity to abolish it if Progressives are to secure the iron-fisted rule they have methodically and patiently pursued over many years.

This is why there can be no doubt that it will be a top priority of a Clinton administration to disarm the American citizenry. Evils by the government will eventually become no longer sufferable. Americans will rise up against them. The government fully intends to prevent that from happening.

It has become a binary situation. Either we win or they win.

The question has now become this: when they come for your guns, what will you do? Think about that now, while there is time to plan.
For the second day in a row, US warships and Iranian patrol boats tangled in the Persian Gulf with the incident on Wednesday resulting in warning shots fired at the Iranian vessel.

On Tuesday, 4 Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps craft buzzed around several US patrol vessels, conducting what was described as a "high speed intercept" of at least one American warship. The IRGC patrol boats came within 300 yards and were warned numerous times before moving away.

The confrontation on Wednesday was between the USS Nitze and a lone IRGC patrol boat.

Reuters:

A U.S. Navy ship fired warning shots toward an Iranian fast-attack craft that approached two U.S. ships, a Pentagon spokesman said on Thursday, in the most serious of a number of incidents in the Gulf area this week. "They did feel compelled ultimately to fire three warning shots and the reason for that is... they had taken steps already to try and de-escalate this situation," spokesman Peter Cook told reporters. Tensions have increased in the Gulf in recent days despite an improvement in relations between Iran and the United States. Years of mutual animosity eased when Washington lifted sanctions on Tehran in January after a deal to curb Iran's nuclear ambitions but serious differences still remain over Iran's ballistic missile program, Syria and Iraq.

Improvement? What planet are these people from? Since the signing of the nuclear deal, Iran has seized more American hostages, flown drones over our fleet in the Gulf, seized our sailors, fired a missile in the vicinity of our ships, and harassed a ship carrying CIC Central Command. The doesn't include the constant "Death to America" chants that continue to echo from every mosque in the country.

Some "improvement," huh.

A U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, said the USS Squall patrol craft fired three warning shots from a .50 caliber gun in the northern Gulf on Wednesday after warning flares did not work. The incident started with three Iranian vessels, but there was only one around by the time the warning shots were fired, the official said. He described the Iranian behavior as "unsafe, unprofessional, and not routine." At one point, the Iranian vessel came within 200 yards (193 meters) of a U.S. ship, the official said. Another interaction took place between an Iranian and U.S. ship on Wednesday, the defense official said but gave few more details.

This constant testing is Iran's way of waging war. They want the propaganda benefits of victory without actually fighting. As long as President Obama is in office, the US will not engage militarily given the probability that any such incident would lead to the scuttling of the nuclear deal.

Iran knows this full well and is taking ruthless advantage of our weakness. Their bellicose actions in confronting US vessels in international waters are illegal and dangerous. But the US - and the international community - won't lift a finger to stop them.
Sometimes deep into the winter, after sunset or before dawn, sheets of unbelievably bright and vividly colored clouds can be seen forming against the partially dark twilight sky. This rare type of cloud formations are known as polar stratospheric clouds or nacreous clouds, and they can only be seen from high latitude regions such as Iceland, Alaska, Northern Canada, the Scandinavian countries and Antarctica. The Scandinavians call them mother of pearls because of their spectacular iridescent colors. Described as one of the most beautiful of all cloud formations, nacreous clouds are also the most destructive to our atmosphere. Their presence encourages a chemical reaction that breaks down the ozone layer, which is an essential shield protecting us from the sun's harmful rays.

Photo credit: marawaca/Flickr

Nacreous clouds develop at very high altitudes, within the lower stratosphere at 70,000 feet or above. For comparison, some of the highest clouds in the troposphere have a ceiling height of about 40,000 feet.

Clouds generally do not form in the stratosphere because there is not enough moisture. But nacreous clouds are different. They are not entirely composed of water droplets, but a mixture of naturally occurring water and nitric acid that comes from industrial sources.

Decades ago, we started using substances such as chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) in aerosols and refrigeration. These chemicals have been phased out, but they are so stable they persist to this date. CFCs take several years to rise through the troposphere until they reach the stratosphere where they begin to break down by ultraviolet light producing free chlorine atoms. Like any free radicle, chloride ions are very reactive and they go on a rampage attacking and destroying the ozone layer.

Photo credit: Stefan Tariczky/Flickr

Thankfully, ozone is not the only molecule the chlorine atom reacts with. They also interact with other chemicals in the atmosphere to form two very stable compounds hydrochloric acid and chlorine nitrate. These two compounds have locked up the majority of chlorine in the stratosphere, keeping them out of harms way.

But during the long winter months in the polar regions where there is little sunlight, temperature becomes so frigid in the stratosphere that clouds begin to form despite the air being so thin and dry. These nacreous clouds, formed out of frozen crystals of water, nitric acid and sometimes sulphuric acid, provide an ideal surface upon which chemical reactions occur that release the free chlorine atoms back into the atmosphere. The presence of sunlight is essential to the equation, so this happens only during spring when sunlight returns to the poles, and ultraviolet light break the bonds between the chlorine atoms. The process can only stop once the nacreous clouds are destroyed by air flows from lower latitudes.

Such chemical reactions could not take place anywhere else in the atmosphere. This is why the ozone hole is more prominent in the polar regions than elsewhere. Also, nacreous clouds are more commonly observed in the southern hemisphere. Consequently, the ozone layer is more depleted over the south pole, compared with the north pole.

Also read: Upside Down Rainbows and Fire Rainbows

Photo credit: Alice/Flickr

Photo credit: Florentin Moser/Wikimedia

Photo credit: Eirik Newth/Flickr

Photo credit: Christoffer Glosli/Flickr

Photo credit: Thoth God of Knowledge/Flickr

Photo credit: Alan Light/Flickr

Photo credit: Finnur Malmquist/Flickr

Photo credit: See Shinn/Flickr

Photo credit: Sandwich/Flickr

Photo credit: Alice/Flickr

Sources: NASA / Ozone Hole Watch / Atoptics / The Guardian
Earlier this year, Audi launched their implementation of Android Auto in the 2016 Audi Q7. Which we reviewed earlier this year, and spent some quality time with the Q7 to see exactly how well Android Auto was implemented here. While Audi did implement Android Auto a bit differently, it still works really well, despite not having a touch screen. At the time, the car maker had announced that they would be bringing Android Auto  as well as Apples CarPlay  to the 2017 Audi A4 which is available at your local Audi dealer right now. The car maker is also making it known that they will be bringing it to the 2017 Audi A6 and Audi A7 this fall, with the Audi A3 following soon after that.

For those that may not be all that familiar with Audis lineup, the A-series are all sedans (with a few exceptions like the A5, S8 and a few others) with the Q-series being SUVs. The Q7 is their largest SUV  and it is quite roomy to be honest. The A6 and A7 are their larger sedans, with the A6 starting at $47,600. The 2017 A7 will start at $68,800. Meanwhile the smaller 2017 Audi A3 will start at $30,900. This is a compact car, and actually the cheapest model you can get from Audi.

Audi has decided not to go all-in with Android Auto or Apple CarPlay for that matter, right off of the bat, like many of GMs brands have decided to do. Audi is taking it nice and slow and rolling it out to their more popular vehicles first, and then moving to the rest of their lineup. Googles Android Auto website does list the 2017 Audi Q2 as getting Android Auto, it doesnt yet have it. This model isnt actually sold in the US, it appears to only be sold in the UK. Which is likely why Audi USA didnt have anything to say about the Q2.

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Android Auto is Googles way of giving its users a usable infotainment system in the car. If youve driven a modern car  one from the last few years with a navigation unit  then youll know just how clunky infotainment systems can be. Googles approach is to basically take your phone and put it on a larger display in the car. You can think of it as plugging in your laptop to a monitor, thats essentially what youre doing with your Android smartphone (or iPhone with CarPlay) in the car. Although things are still a bit limited, you do get Google Maps, access to music, podcasts, audiobooks and other media apps, as well as the phone for making and receiving phone calls and there is some functionality built in for replying to text messages through supported apps. Its pretty simple, and if you have a car that has Android Auto built in, youll likely have an even better experience, than using a third-party head unit.
When companies put out promos, many times, they are only good in the US, but this particular promo is strictly for our northern brethren in Canada. Google is offering a $20 Google Play credit towards the purchase of movies, music and more. You have to buy a Google Chromecast or Google Chromecast Audio and then, once you set it up you will have access to all available offers from your Chrome browser or the Google Cast app on your Android phone or tablet. The $20 Google Play credit offer is good through 10/08/2016, but you can get more than one $20 credit  Google will give you one credit for each Google Chromecast/Audio that you purchase. There is also another offer for our Canadian crowd  you can get 90 days of free Google Play Music  an offer that must be redeemed by 12/31/2016. Once the 90 days are over, Google will start charging $9.99 CAD per month.

Using Chromecast is very easy  the first step is to look on the back of your HDTV and using the cords and adapters that came inside the Chromecast box, hook it into the HDMI port on your TV. Make sure you hook in the power supply  it can plug into a wall socket or a USB port on your TV. After you are plugged in you should see the set me up Chromecast display on your TV  if not, you may have to change the source input using your remote control. Just follow the on-screen instructions, hook up to your local WiFi, and you should be good to go.

Chromecast is one device that actually can be classified as a bargain  sure, it is limited in what it can do, but what it can do is still fascinating. Most other people would likely agree that it is a steal and just during the first quarter 2016, Google shipped 3.2 million units. Google typically throws Chromecast owners a treat once-in-a-while  like a free movie or free Google Play creditssometimes its a discount off of a movie. Unfortunately, most of these offers occur in the US, so this is why this $20 Google Play credit is a great deal for Canadians. It is a simple, cheap, yet powerful dongle that will expand your HDTVs capabilities.
The Xiaomi Mi Note and Mi Note Pro phablets have been quite popular last year. These two devices were introduced back in January 2015, and have been selling really well throughout 2015. That being said, Xiaomi was expected to introduce its successor(s) earlier this year, but that did not happen. We have seen quite a few Mi Note 2 leaks recently though, and the companys exec did confirm that a new phablet is coming soon, so we can expect the Mi Note 2 to land in the coming weeks.

The phones specs did leak recently, along with an image of this smartphone. According to rumors, Xiaomi actually plans to unveil more than one variant of the Mi Note 2, and only the highest-end model will ship with a curved display, and thats exactly the variant of this phone were here to talk about. A new leak surfaced in China, and it shows off Mi Note 2s curved display, even though the images are not all that revealing overall. If you take a look at the gallery down below, youll get to see three images which show off Mi Note 2s curved display. It is quite easy to notice that the display is curved on both its left and right side, similar to the Galaxy S7 Edge, Galaxy Note 7, and even the Vivo XPlay 5 which was introduced earlier this year.

Now, the highest-end Mi Note 2 variant is said to ship with a 5.5-inch or a 5.7-inch QHD display (quite probably the latter though), 6GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage. This device will be fueled by the Snapdragon 821 64-bit quad-core processor, at least if rumors and leaks are to be believed. The device is also said to sport two 12-megapixel camera sensors on the back, and Android 6.0 Marshmallow will probably come pre-installed on the Mi Note 2, while youll be able to find Xiaomis MIUI 8 OS on top of it. The 4,000mAh battery is also going to be a part of this package, and the most expensive Mi Note 2 variant is said to cost 3,499 Yuan ($526) in China. We still dont know when exactly will this phone land, but stay tuned.
With the advent of modern VR headsets like Oculus Rift, HTC Vive, and Samsung Gear VR, a large number of people around the world have started taking interest in the concept of virtual reality. The fact that virtual reality can offer a different view of how we see the world and how we react to what we see, it is a concept that may have a long future unless innovators come up with something thats truly advanced and a lot better than we can imagine. At the same time, it would be naive to expect companies like Facebook to do nothing to advertise the concept of virtual reality. Earlier this summer, President Barack Obama paid a visit to the Yosemite National Park near Mariposa in California and with the permission of the White House, Oculus in collaboration with Felix and Paul Studios released a film of the Presidents visit in virtual reality.

Earlier today, in a Facebook post, National Geographic released the 11-minute virtual reality video in which not only does the President take a tour of the national park with his family and a lot of other people, he also speaks about a number of relevant issues like climate change, the need for conservation and the importance of kids visiting national parks. While the Presidents spoke in the background, the 360-degree virtual reality video showed the park in all its glory. Through The Ages- President Obama Celebrates Americas National Parks, which is how the film is titled, has received nearly 200,000 views so far and it is truly an innovative and popular way of showcasing the wonders that virtual reality can bring to the world.

Even though making a VR film starring an American President is a serious thing, this isnt the first time that anybody has attempted to give VR a big marketing push by roping in celebrities. Last year, when Samsung launched its first Gear VR headset, it partnered with the NBA, Mountain Dew, and Red Bull to create 360-degree virtual reality content for the Gear VR starring celebrity players like Chris Bosch, San Francisco Giants Pitcher Jake Peavy, and other celebrities like Kevin Strahle (better known to most as YouTube star L.A. Beast) and Richard Ryan. Not too long ago, celebrity musician Bjork partnered with HTC to create unique album experiences in virtual reality on the HTV Vive during her tours. While we havent seen the last of celebrities doing their bit for virtual reality, theyve surely helped the platform get a head start and it wont be long before viewing VR films and playing VR games arent unique experiences for us anymore.
Lenovo and Microsoft recently announced a collaborative deal that sees Lenovo preinstalling a number of Microsofts applications onto its Android-powered devices. In addition to installing a number of Microsofts applications at the factory, which will include Microsoft Office, Skype and OneDrive, Lenovo and Microsoft have also signed a cross licensing patent deal. Whilst the terms of this have not been disclosed, it is likely that Microsoft is able to dip into Lenovos patent collection and vice-versa. This cross licensing patent deal is not the first deal that the American technology company has made with smartphone manufacturers and it almost certainly wont be the last.

Both companies made something of their arrangement by explaining how consumers would benefit from Microsofts productivity applications right out of the box. This is true and Microsoft are likely to see an uptick in the number of mobile customers using their applications. Having Microsofts applications pre-loaded onto the device could also encourage customers to buy Lenovo devices, either in a personal or professional capacity. Whilst it is fairly easy to download the applications from the Google Play Store, there are many smartphone customers who may not consider to try the Office apps on their device.

However, there is much more to this arrangement than bringing in a few more users to Microsofts applications and services. First, lets take a look at why Microsoft is arranging these licensing deals and what it stands to benefit. The crux of the matter is that there are several Microsoft patented technologies embedded into Android, which means that manufacturers should pay Microsoft a royalty in order to ship devices with Googles operating system. Many have dutifully signed checks to Redmond since 2011. The exact sum per device is not known but is believed to be between $7 to $15. In 2014, Microsoft sued Samsung for not paying this license fee and the two companies eventually agreed to share their patents between the two businesses. Weve also seen Microsoft applications appearing on Samsung flagship devices, such as the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S7 families. Back in 2014, Microsofts annual earnings from patents were believed to be around $2 billion. For a company as large and profitable as Microsoft, this is a relatively small sum, but it contributes to the business nevertheless and most of it goes straight into the bottom line.

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Android is the market leader in the world today, so surely Microsofts patent office must be popping Champagne corks? Not so fast. Microsoft does not have licensing deals with all manufacturers. Far from it, actually, and since 2011 there has been massive changes in the smartphone market. Weve seen a number of Chinese companies, such as Huawei, sell more and more Android devices whereas the established names back in 2011 are selling far, far fewer such as HTC. Many of those newer manufacturers to the Android party do not have a Microsoft licensing deal and are taking market share from those that do. This in turn is reducing the income Microsoft derives from patent license deals. Indeed, at the last quarterly results briefing Microsoft announced a 27% year on year drop and blamed a fall in license revenue per unit and licensed units. Microsofts cross patent licensing deals will combat this drop in revenue.

Until comparatively recently, Microsoft was pushing its own mobile operating system: Windows Phone. As a platform, Windows Phone still exists and is being sold to those businesses reliant on Microsoft Windows and Server platforms where Windows Phone does have certain advantages. For the longest time, Windows Phone offered the best in class experience for using Microsofts applications and services on the go but this was not a commercial success. Microsoft changed their approach, investing time and effort into improving their productivity applications. To use the example of Microsoft Office, this is a good productivity package on all available platforms, which include Android, iOS, Mac OS, Windows and even Linux and Chrome OS via Office Online. If a number of Lenovos customers try Microsoft Office on the Android platform and enjoy it, they may be tempted to subscribe to Microsoft Office 365. In the short term, this will boost Microsofts revenue but in the bigger picture, these customers are buying into Microsofts infrastructure. From this point, it doesnt matter if they switch from Android to iOS, or from Windows to Mac OS or Chrome OS, they can still access their Microsoft applications.

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Microsoft no longer wants to control the customer experience from start to finish, but instead is happy for the customer to access their applications and services by whatever route he or she wants. They are in effect treating the device as a dumb means of connecting to the customer. In this arrangement, it matters much less what manufacturer or platform is the current market leader, only that customers can access Microsofts products and services. However, to press on this advantage, Microsoft does need to sign into more cross licensing or similar patent deals with manufacturers. Given Microsofts patent portfolio and how useful this will be to those manufacturers wishing to break into the North American market, such as Xiaomi, we may be seeing more of these arrangements in the coming months. The alternative might be Microsoft suing any manufacturer that tries to sell devices into a patent-friendly market.
Meizu might still be one of the fastest growing Chinese smartphone manufacturers, but theyre not one of the largest ones just yet. According to yesterdays report, Meizu is actually the 7th smartphone manufacturer in China as far as H1 2016 smartphone sales are concerned (foreign companies included). The company is closing in on Samsung, but it will take some real effort to catch up to the rest of smartphone manufacturing companies in the country. Meizu did set a sales goal for this year, they intend to sell 25 million units before the end of the year, and considering the fact that they managed to sell over 11 million units in the first half of 2016, such numbers might be somewhat hard to pull off, but well see.

In any case, Meizu had released a teaser the other day which revealed that Meizu intends to release a new smartphone on September 5th. The Meizu Max will be its name it seems, and thanks to new images that just leaked, we now know what will this device look like. If you take a look at the provided images, youll notice that the Meizu Max is made out of metal (unibody design), and that it resembles the rest of Meizus lineup quite a bit. The companys mBack home button will once again be implemented below the display, and the dual-LED, dual tone flash will be included on the back. Now, if this device looks a bit large to you, well, theres a good reason for it, the Meizu Max is expected to be a rather large phablet, the first phablet this company might release since September last year when the PRO 5 launched. Now, on top of all this, another rumor reported that the device might cost 1,799 Yuan ($270), which indicates it might sport some really compelling specifications.

So, what about its specs? Well, we did not really stumble upon any spec listings or leaks, but we presume its display will be at least 5.7-inches in size, though it is possible Meizu is aiming to include a 6-inch panel here. The device will sport at least 3GB of RAM, and chances are Meizu will release more than one RAM variant of this phablet. Android 6.0 Marshmallow will come pre-installed on this smartphone, and on top of it, youll get Meizus Android-powered OS called Flyme. This device will be unveiled on September 5th, and it is also worth noting that the company also plans to release another handset on September 13th, chances are they will unveil the much rumored PRO 7 flagship phablet with a curved display during that event, but well see.
The unconventional LG V10 turned out to be a sleeper hit for LG Electronics last year, so its no wonder that the company is betting big on its follow-up that is all set to be announced on the 6th of next month. The LG V20 is being advertised as the first smartphone to launch with Android 7.0 Nougat out of the box, which in itself will be a major departure from how Google intros new flavors of its mobile operating system to the worlds media. While preview versions of Android Nougat is already available officially for a number of devices, ever since the launch of the Nexus One back in 2010, Googles Nexus phones have traditionally been the first ones to launch with new stable versions of Android out of the box.

Although that tradition now promises to be a thing of the past with the arrival of the LG V20, some reports now seem to suggest that the upcoming Nexus smartphones, codenamed Sailfish and Marlin, will actually be the first Android Nougat devices to be widely available for purchase. If that is indeed the case, LGs claim of the V20 being the very first device to come with Android 7.0 may well be just a technicality. While all this is conjecture right now, it is exactly what tech journalist, Mr. David Ruddock, seems to believe. According to his tweet which was posted earlier this week, LG V20 may be the first phone *in the world* to ship with Nougat. But Nexuses will almost definitely be first widely available.

While details about the global availability of the LG V20 is still unknown, the handset is expected to be available in the U.S. on T-Mobile from September 23rd. The device will reportedly come with an off-contract price-tag of $649, but theres no word currently on how T-Mobile is going to price it for its customers wholl opt for the monthly installment plan. As for the device itself, it is expected to come with some of the same offbeat features that characterized its predecessor from last year, the LG V10. That includes a dual rear camera setup and two display panels on the front, including a 5.5-inch QHD main display and a much smaller, secondary ticker screen at the top.
Japanese consumer electronics giant, Sony, is widely expected to unveil its two upcoming smartphones at the IFA trade show next month in Berlin, Germany. While one of the two devices is expected to be named the Xperia X Compact, there has been a little bit of confusion over the name of the other one. While some believe it will be launched as the Xperia XZ, other reports have claimed that it will come with the Xperia XR moniker. While its impossible to know for certain what Sony has in mind, the fact still remains that the company will most likely show off both the smartphones at its press event scheduled for September 1st in Berlin.

While the confusion over the name continues, the steady stream of leaks and rumors have already revealed quite a bit about the two devices, although, theres still a whole lot more that is still under the wraps. Be that as it may, a new rumor doing the rounds of the online tech media today seems to suggest that the two aforementioned smartphones from Sony Mobile will be launched on September 24th. The speculation started after a well-known tipster, who goes by the Twitter handle @Ricciolo1, tweeted about Sony launching some Style Covers on that particular day. However, a part of that tweet appears to hint at the distinct possibility that the phones may also become available for purchase from the listed date. The tweet states, 6 New #Sony Style cover 3 normal(white,blue,black),3 touch(MINERAL colors)!price 45/65 eur. Available 24/09 theyre not alone#Xperia.

It is the last part of that tweet, which is now being interpreted by sections of the media as a tongue-in-cheek reference to the launch of the the two smartphones alongside the accessories. While theres no way to confirm these rumors at the moment, it obviously wont make a lot of sense for Sony to launch the accessories without making the actual devices available for purchase, so maybe there is some amount of truth in the latest rumors after all. However, its all conjecture at this point in time, and well have to wait to see how Sony lays out its strategy going forward. As things stand now, even all the hardware specs of the two upcoming phones are not in public domain, but from the little we do know, both will apparently be fairly high-end devices powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor. They may also come with OIS (Optical Image Stabilization), which should make them the first smartphones from Sony to have that feature.
As is the case with many other China-based smartphone manufacturers, Xiaomi pre-installs their own Android-based OS on their devices. That OS is called MIUI, and the latest version is MIUI 8. Xiaomi had introduced MIUI 8 OS earlier this year, and the company had started rolling out this variant of the OS to specific Xiaomi-branded devices a couple of days ago. Additional devices will get the update really soon, and with that update, theyll get a rather different UI to play around with.

As some of you might know, Xiaomi had re-designed the UI in MIUI 8, while theyve also added a number of new features to the OS. MIUI 8 looks significantly cleaner than MIUI 7, while the company had also added a proper audio control center, the notification panel has been much improved in this version of the OS, etc. There are really tons of improvements here, and if youd like to know more about it, click here. That being said, were here to compare MIUI 7 and MIUI 8 in the visual sense, and actually show you how different MIUI 8 is. If you take a look at the gallery down below, youll get to see quite a few images showing parts of the UI in MUI 7 (right) and MIUI 8 (left) side-by-side. As youll notice, MIUI 8 is quite a bit cleaner than MIUI 7, Xiaomi had altered the colors throughout the UI, and theyre not as flashy as they used to be. The settings menu now longer includes colored icons, theyre gray now basically, while the dialer looks much cleaner thanks to a slight re-design, and the addition of some color up top. The weather app also looks cleaner now, more subtle, which is something many people will appreciate.

Now, if you take a look at the comparison between the notification panels, youll notice that the one in MIUI 8 actually resembles stock Android more than the one that was implemented in MIUI 7, its still not that similar to stock Android though, but its certainly closer than it was in terms of the design. There are a couple of additional comparison images down in the gallery, just in case youd like to check them out. Its also worth mentioning that Xiaomi is currently rolling out both the Chinese and global variants of MIUI 8 to Redmi 1S, Mi 2/2S, Mi 4i, Redmi Note 3G and Redmi Note 4G. A number of additional devices will get the update soon as well, stay tuned.
When Chromebooks were first introduced running Chrome OS, they werent exactly thought of the great platform that Google thought they were. In fact, its taken the better part of five years or so for Chrome OS to become as popular as it is now, with Chromebooks even outselling Macs in certain parts of the year. Since they launched, Chromebooks have continued to get cheaper, offer better features and the operating system itself has come on leaps and bounds. Its now more of a desktop operating system that relies on the web as a backbone, rather than something that is little more than a web browser. Now, many of them can even run Android apps, and thanks to that breakthrough, it appears as though Windows programs, running through an Android app on a Chromebook running Chrome OS might not be too far away.

Linux users reading this will probably have an idea of where this is going. Both Chrome OS as well as Android are based on top of the Linux kernel, the heart of the operating system, and Linux users  whether thats Ubuntu, OpenSUSE, Linux Mint or something else  have long had the option of running Windows programs using WINE, which stands for WINE is Not an Emulator. WINE is also available for MacOS and it effectively reverse engineers core components of Windows that programs need to function, and then allows Windows programs to run almost as if they were native on another platform. A firm called CodeWeavers have been offering their own supported version of WINE, rebranded and sold as CrossOver, for both MacOS as well as Linux, and now that Chromebooks run Android apps, theyre turning their attention to Chrome OS.

The below video shows off Steam for Windows running inside of CrossOver for Android on an Intel-equipped Chromebook. This is all kinds of crazy, but in reality its just WINE ported to run on Android and therefore on a Chromebook. If Google had relaxed their grip on Chrome OS a little bit, sophisticated apps like WINE would no doubt have been ported over years ago, but now that Android apps are open to the developers, they finally have the option to do it. The below video shows Steam installing and running hit indie game Limbo and while this is very, very pre-alpha software, its a promising example of what could be around the corner for Chromebook owners the world over. We mentioned Intel earlier, and thats because it looks as though this will only ever work on Intel-powered Chromebooks, due to the instructions that Windows programs expect from the processor theyre running on.
ZTE Corp today announced a 9.3% rise in first half profits to 1.8 billion yuan, the equivalent of $270 million. Over the same period, revenue rose by 4.0% to 47.8 billion yuan, which although an impressive figure was reportedly below investor expectations at 49.17 billion yuan. ZTEs outlook for the second half is less positive than it has been and the Chairman, Zhao Xianming said in a statement: The development of traditional telecommunication industries will be subject to stronger challenges in the second half of 2016, given the slowdown in global economic growth and increasing uncertainties. In other words, ZTEs core business of providing network infrastructure is slowing down and the business is blaming slowing worldwide economic growth. ZTEs split between domestic revenue versus overseas revenue is 58% in favor of domestic and 42% overseas.

The networking business has suffered from a challenging six months. A buoyant market for 4G LTE technology in the Chinese market has helped the company, but back in March the U.S. Commerce Department placed export restrictions onto ZTE following allegations that the company broke U.S. sanctions against Iran. This stopped ZTE from supplying network components although the Commerce Department has since suspended this ban until late November pending an investigation. In its statement, ZTE explained that it would continue to fully cooperate with the U.S. authorities but cited it would be difficult to estimate the financial impact stemming from the investigation. A negative verdict could hurt ZTEs exports in the short to medium term, which could put the worlds biggest supplier of LTE equipment in a difficult position. Another challenge that ZTE faces is that the Chinese carriers have nearly finished building out their LTE networks, which means capital expenditure is set to be reduced by the industry. The three largest Chinese networks are expected to reduce their capital expenditure by almost 20% in 2016 compared with 2015.

ZTEs directors recognize the importance of maintaining a high level of reinvestment into the business and with this in mind, 15% of revenue generated is spent on research and development. In ZTEs smartphone business, the companys own data shows that it is the sixth largest global phone manufacturer. It is showing as the second biggest in Russia and fourth in North America, Sweden, Spain and South Africa. ZTEs premium models, such as the AXON and Blade families, are being well received and theyre scheduled to announce a brand new device at IFA in the beginning of September.
UAE development arm injects $1 billion to Egypt economy to spur development

The Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), the UAEs international development arm has deposited $1billion at Egypts Central Bank to finance development projects in the next six years as the North African country looks to industrialization to foster economic growth.

According to a statement from the Fund, the deposit is to support the economic challenge in Egypt and is crucial in enabling future economic growth in the country in the coming years.

The deposit comes just two days after the UAE offered to help Egypt meet the requirements for the $12 billion loan that the North African country made earlier with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

According to Mohammed Saif al-Suwaidi, the Director-General of the ADFD, the deposit will be used in development projects in the primary sectors.

He added that the deposit demonstrates the UAEs commitment to support our long-term partners, ensuring their economic growth and stability, and is a landmark agreement which will make an immediate difference to the Egyptian economic system.

Tarek Amer, the Governor of the Central Bank of Egypt praised the role that UAE and its president play in helping the government to overcome the economic crisis and fund projects. He added that the deposit came at the right time.

He added: The UAE is one of the top countries with direct investments in Egypt, and several UAE-based companies are active in various economic sectors of Egypt. The country is among the top nations that provide unconditional support to the Egyptian economy.

Amer stressed the important role the fund plays in funding projects of the primary sectors like housing and agriculture.

Since 1974, ADFD funded around 17 development projects in Egypt of a total amount of $17 billion which was reflected directly and effectively on economic and social development.

Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD) is an independent national entity affiliated with the Abu Dhabi Government established in 1971.

ADFD aims to support developing countries in achieving sustainable socio-economic development. In addition, ADFD seeks to help developing countries achieve sustainable economic growth and reduce poverty by providing financial resources, forging partnerships in the public and private sectors, and adopting international best practices to ensure aid effectiveness.

www.adfd.ae
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.
Man who unlawfully cut down neighbours tree caused it to destroy his own home

To Luzerne County, Pennsylvania, where Raymond Mazzarella is upset that sap from a neighbours tree is damaging his car. He picks up a chainsaw, cuts down the tree and sees it come down right on top of his own home.

So bad is the resulting damage that the apartment block is now unfit for human habitation.

He decided it was the best thing to do, to get rid of the tree, where he thought it was going to go, I dont know, says Terry Best, a Pittston Township code enforcement officer.

=

Anorak

Posted: 26th, August 2016 | In: Reviews, Strange But True Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
BUDAPEST- Hungary will build a new fortified barrier against migrants along its southern border, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told State radio on Friday.



There will soon be ''more need for security'', said Orban, who has previously compared migrants to ''poison''. The fortified barrier, he added, will be able to stop ''several hundreds of thousands of people'' if necessary, he added, without saying when work will begin.
ROME - After a four-year-long siege by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, the rebel city of Daraya on the outskirts of Damascus has surrendered: according to local sources cited by a number of international media outlets, anti-regime insurgents reached an agreement with their counterparts to lay arms and leave Daraya in various phases.

Loyalist forces have recently been accused of indiscriminately bombing Daaya, with the alleged use of napalm.

Based on the accord, reported by Syrian media as well as by anti-regime activists and quoted by the BBC and Guardian, starting Friday some 700 rebels will be allowed to leave the city with their weapons (without handing them over, as initially reported) and move to Idlib. Meanwhile, 4,000 civilians will turn themselves over to government forces and will be housed in shelters, although many fear retaliation and intimidation by government forces against civilians from the besieged city.

The surrender and end of siege of Daraya is a harsh blow for 'secular' rebels, including members of the Free Syrian Army, and a strategic victory for Assad. The agreement, according to analysts, is part of a new strategy by the regime, which uses the 'stick and carrot' strategy to encourage rebels to surrender.
ANKARA - At least 11 people died in a car bomb attack against a police check poiint on Friday morning in the south-eastern Turkish city of Cizre near the border with Syria, State media report.



At least 78 were reportedly injured in the attack.



The health ministry has sent many ambulances and two rescue helicopters.



As often reported in similar cases in Turkey, telecommunications authority Rtuk has imposed a temporary censorship on the media over news concerning the attack.



According to Anadalou news agency, Kurdish militants are responsible for the attack. Syrian tanks over the past few days have been deployed in an anti-ISIS operation in Syria, which is also reportedly aimed at ensuring the withdrawal of Kurdish militants from the border.
Libya: Msf, vessel to rescue migrants attacked Gunmen open fire. Nobody wounded

(ANSAmed) - ROME, AUGUST 26 - Doctors Without Borders said in a statement on Friday that on August 17 an unidentified motor boat opened fire against its Bourbon Argos vessel during a search and rescue operation in the central Mediterranean Sea.



The attack, Msf said, occurred in international waters, some 24 nautical miles north of the Libyan coast. Gunmen aboard a motor boat fired as they were about 400-500 meters from the Bourbon Argos and then climbed on board, where there was nobody rescued during the day and where they remained for about 50 minutes before they left without taking anything nor wounding anybody.



After the incident, the Bourbon Argos reached Sicily, where it will remain while the incident is investigated, the organization also said. (ANSAmed)
Syria: rebel city of Daraya surrenders to Assad forces After 4-year siege, accord for rebels' exit,refuge for civilians

(ANSAmed) - ROME, AUGUST 26 - After a four-year-long siege by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al Assad, the rebel city of Daraya on the outskirts of Damascus has surrendered: according to local sources cited by a number of international media outlets, anti-regime insurgents reached an agreement with their counterparts to lay arms and leave Daraya in various phases.



Loyalist forces have recently been accused of indiscriminately bombing Daaya, with the alleged use of napalm.



Based on the accord, reported by Syrian media as well as by anti-regime activists and quoted by the BBC and Guardian, starting Friday some 700 rebels will be allowed to leave the city with their weapons (without handing them over, as initially reported) and move to Idlib. Meanwhile, 4,000 civilians will turn themselves over to government forces and will be housed in shelters, although many fear retaliation and intimidation by government forces against civilians from the besieged city.



The surrender and end of siege of Daraya is a harsh blow for 'secular' rebels, including members of the Free Syrian Army, and a strategic victory for Assad. The agreement, according to analysts, is part of a new strategy by the regime, which uses the 'stick and carrot' strategy to encourage rebels to surrender. (ANSAmed)
ROME - There are nearly 27,500 child migrants and refugees blocked in Greece - 40% of the total number of migrants blocked there - and the number continues to rise, according to the UN Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF).

It said 2,250 are unaccompanied minors, but only one-third live in formal housing, and with the sudden increase in arrivals in Greece, hundreds of child refugees and migrants are blocked in the country with serious needs around education and protection.

More migrants arrived in the first three weeks of August 2016 than in all of July - 1,920 in July and 2,289 in August - in a time when Greece is trying to cope with a welfare system that's already struggling due to the economic crisis, which leaves child migrants to face a double crisis.

"In Greece, refugee families have a true perception that they are always forced into a long wait," said Laurent Chapuis, UNICEF's migrant coordinator for Greece.

"They wait for a decision on their asylum request, for a decision on their transfer to other European countries, for their children to receive a proper education and places to play, that they can have adequate housing - they're simply always waiting to know what their future will be. For children, this wait is an eternity. Many of them come from war-torn countries like Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq and they've lost everything, including access to education and years of schooling, and they're once again 'suspended'," he said.

"Education is one of the most efficient ways to protect children from all forms of violence. This means we all must join forces to increase efforts by the government so that children can return to school in September".
EU says it hopes Turkey will adhere to migrant accord New report in September on progress towards visa-free travel

(ANSAmed) - BRUSSELS, AUGUST 26 - The European Commission (EC) is holding to its side of the migrant accord with Turkey, and hopes that Turkey will do the same, said EC spokesperson Alexander Winterstein on Friday.



Winterstein was responding to a declaration by Bulgarian Prime Minister Boiko Borisov, who was in Istanbul Friday meeting with Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, that the EU might experience a new wave of refugees from Turkey if it doesn't grant visa-free travel for Turkish citizens.



Borisov is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday in Berlin to discuss the migrant crisis.



Merkel is scheduled to meet with EC President Jean Claude Juncker in Berlin on Spetember 2.



Meanwhile, the next report on Ankara's progress towards the roadmap for visa liberalisation is expected in September, said EC spokesperson Natasha Bertaud.



"Over the past two days a high-level delegation of experts from the European External Action Service and the Directorate-General for External Relations has been in Turkey to talk about negotiations for access to the EU and visa liberalisation. The results of these talks will be included in the September report," she said.



According to the previous report there were still five criteria to fulfill, some with objective time limits to implementation, which is why the window has been widened.



"Of the five, the EU-Turkey Readmission Agreement has entered into force," she said.



The main hurdle remains the revision of Turkey's anti-terrorism laws.(ANSAmed).




PARIS - France's highest administrative court on Friday ruled against the burkini ban in Villeneuve-Loubet, one of 30 towns that have banned the full-body swimwear worn by some Muslim women from their beaches.

The Council of State ruling, made by three judges, annuls a lower court ruling in Nice that upheld the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet. But the mayor of the town says he will not withdraw the ban.

In the other towns the ban will remain in place until it is contested in court, although Friday's decision sets a precedent and the possibility that other bans could be annulled as a result.
Migrants: Hungary to build new barrier along southern border More security sayd Orban. He had compared migrants

(ANSAmed) - BUDAPEST, AUGUST 26 - Hungary will build a new fortified barrier against migrants along its southern border, Prime Minister Viktor Orban told State radio on Friday.



There will soon be ''more need for security'', said Orban, who has previously compared migrants to ''poison''. The fortified barrier, he added, will be able to stop ''several hundreds of thousands of people'' if necessary, he added, without saying when work will begin. (ANSAmed)
Tunisia: confidence vote today for Chahed unity government Wide support for premier, backing almost certain

(ANSAmed) - TUNIS, AUGUST 26 - A vote of confidence is scheduled Friday in Tunisia's Parliament for Tunisian incoming Premier Youssef Chahed and his team of 26 ministers and 14 secretaries of State.



Chahed's cabinet needs 109 out of 217 votes of confidence, which he is expected to win given the nature of the national unity government and the wide range of political parties that are represented.



Parties that have already said they will vote 'yes' include the Islamist Ennhadha (69 seats), Nidaa Tounes (67), Afek Tounes (10), Upl (12), the Al Horra group (25), as well as independents. The premier can reportedly count on at least 150-160 votes.



Only the left-wing opposition Popular Front (15 lawmakers) has said it will vote no.



Chahed is scheduled to speak in the morning, followed by lawmakers. He is then expected to reply before the final vote at around 9:00 pm local time (10:00 in Italy). (ANSAmed)
The AL250, FAA & EASA qualified FNPT II simulator, has been developed recently by Alsim and answers first phases training needs: PPL, CPL & IR/ME. This simulator is reconfigurable SEP/MEP and also offers glass or classical instrumentation.



Amry Allel Nassim, said: "We chose the ALSIM AL250 because of its great performance. The device offers high quality educational support for our training. Furthermore, Alsim are a well-known company who already have clients in Algeria, this gave us the confidence required to make the right decision for Algavia.



Algavia flight school is an FTO created in 2013 and certified by the Authority in charge of Civil Aviation in Algeria, Civil Aviation & Meteorology Direction, and The Ministry of Public Works and Transports. The school proposes a large and complete range of training and activities in the aviation sector and in particular, to train pilots (PPL/A - CPL/A - CPL/A.IR - ATPL/A- MCC). The school is planning to buy two DA40 next year and a DA42 in the medium term.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Georgias United National Movement (UNM) has changed its party list of MP candidates by placing Sandra Roelofs, wife of former President Mikheil Saakashvili, among its top candidates, Georgian Civil.ge reports.

The list, originally approved by the UNM in July, is still led by MP Davit Bakradze, who is now followed by Sandra Roelofs.

The partys decision to change its list comes less than a week after UNM named Roelofs as its majoritarian MP candidate in Zugdidi municipalitys single-member district No.66 of the Samegrelo region in western Georgia.

Being number two on the list of candidates of UNM party actually guarantees her to be elected in the Parliament through proportional, party-list system, even if she loses race for majoritarian MP seat in Zugdidi.

In Georgias mixed electoral system 73 MPs are elected in 73 single-member districts, known as majoritarian mandates, and rest of the 77 seats are allocated proportionally under the party-list contest among parties, which clear 5% threshold in nationwide popular vote.

Entry of Sandra Roelofs into this team is a serious strengthening of this team, which, I am sure, will bring lots of positive to our citizens, MP Bakradze said while announcing UNMs decision to change its party list of MP candidates.

I am ready for this struggle and I am confident that we will win, Roelofs said.

Meanwhile, Mikheil Saakashvili, who is now governor of Odessa region in Ukraine and who was chairman of UNM party before losing the Georgian citizenship late last year, campaigns for the party through video addresses, which he posts on his Facebook page. Some of the video recordings of Saakashvilis addresses were shown by UNM at several of its campaign events. Some Georgian election monitoring groups, among them Young Georgian Lawyers Association, claim it is violation of Georgias electoral legislation, which bans foreign citizens from campaigning in Georgias elections.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Representatives of Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton have participated in their first meeting with members of the Obama administration assigned to help pave the wave for a smooth transition of power in January, ABC News reported.

The White House says Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey attended Thursday's meeting as Trump's transition team chairman. Former Interior Secretary Ken Salazar attended as Clinton's transition team chairman.

The White House says the administration is committed to a transition that minimizes disruption and maintains continuity.

As part of that effort, Obama created the White House Transition Coordinating Council in May. The council reviewed a variety of issues for Christie and Salazar, including emergency preparedness, the processes for bringing in new personnel, and steps that key agencies are taking to make the transition more seamless.
Orbert Davis  trumpeter, composer and leader of the Chicago Jazz Philharmonic, has been

commissioned by the Jazz Institute of Chicago to write and perform a suite about the Great Migration for the 38th annual free Chicago Jazz Festival. Soul Migration, for octet, will be heard Sept 1 at 8 pm in Millennium Parks Pritzker Pavillion.

With the composition in progress, Orbert spoke about it with me at his home studio, demonstrating with some synthesized samples and even improvising a theme. Thanks to Collin Ashmead-Bobbit for recording the interview, excerpted here.

howardmandel.com

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PLEASE NOTE!

Due to the March 23, 2020 NM DOH Public Health Order, These Event Listings Are Not Accurate!

All non-essential businesses are closed, public gatherings are prohibited!

(One day some of these events will be rescheduled or will resume, but they are not happening now!)
All the latest Ashbourne news. Ashbourne is an historic market town in Derbyshire. Situated on the southern edge of the Peak District, it is known as the 'Gateway to Dovedale' and the 'Gateway to the Peak District'. Ashbourne is famous for the annual Royal Shrovetide Football Match, which has been played since at least 1667, although its origins may date back centuries earlier. Ashbourne became a Fairtrade town in March 2005. The popular Tissington Trail, which follows the route of the former Ashbourne to Buxton railway, starts on the edge of town. Keep up to date with the latest news from the town by signing up for our newsletter.
Beneficiaries in Makawanpur district, which has about 30,322 households, get about US$ 650,000, far less than the four billion dollars pledged by the international community. One reconstruction centre in lieu of 21 might further slow reconstruction.

Kathmandu (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Almost a year and a half after the violent earthquake that hit Nepal, the first sums of money have been handed out to survivors to rebuild homes and properties.

The first to benefit were 1,392 people in Makawanpur district, which has 30,322 households.

Nepali authorities have been repeatedly criticised for the slow pace of relief efforts and international aid distribution.

This first installment amounts to 69.6 million rupees (US$ 650,000) and is indicative of the governments difficulty in dealing with the emergency.

The earthquake of 25 April 2015 destroyed homes, schools, Hindu temples, and prisons, killing more than 9,000 people and injuring another 22,300. It also revealed the governments major shortcomings.

the green light for reconstruction came after eight months. In December 2015, the Neapli Parliament approved the Reconstruction Authority Bill. This set up the National Reconstruction Authority (NRA) tasked to evaluate damages and direct funds from the international community.

The NRA said that that US$ 8 billion were needed to start, four of which were pledged at a major donors' conference.

While the government is committed to signing agreements with earthquake victims to hand out the money, discussions are underway that might slow the recovery.

The NRA plans in fact to close 21 reconstruction centres in five municipalities and set up a single centre to direct reconstruction.
The training will take place in China and will deal with medical and nursing professional care. The division present in the UN Security Council is now evident in the military alliances.

Beijing (AsiaNews/Agencies) - The Chinese army will offer training in medicine and medical care to soldiers of Bashar Assad, engaged for over five years in a civil war which has bloodied the country.

Yesterday, the Chinese Defence Ministry announced that "after consultations between the two armies ... it was decided that the Chinese military will provide the Syrian side with medical and nursing professional training

Ministry spokesman, Wu Qian, said that "training will be made in China" and help to "reduce the humanitarian crisis in Syria." He also recalled that recently have been supplied to Syria " medical equipment and medicines."

"For a long time, China and Syria - he added - they helped each other. And China has always pushed for a political solution to the Syrian conflict and we have always supported the independence of Syria. "

Beijing supports Bashar Assad and is close to Russia, which is committed to combating the Isis guerrilla to defend the Syrian regime. In all these years a solution to the Syrian conflict was impossible to find, because of the division within the UN Security Council, where the United States, France and Britain - who support the Assad opponents  oppose to Russia and China. This division has become increasingly evident on the military terrain, with the addition of Iran, fighting the influence Saudi Arabia, an ally of the US, which funds and support the rebellion.
We share in the pain of those who have been injured, hurt, and left orphans and homeless. We grieve with Italy, said Bishop Ruperto Santos of the CBCPs Commission on Migrants and Itinerant Peoples. Amatrice and Accumoli, with Gods mercy, will rise again.

Manila (AsiaNews/Cbcp)  Bishop Ruperto Santos of the CBCPs Commission on Migrants and Itinerant Peoples has extended the local Churchs condolences to families of earthquake victims in Italy (August 24). The bishop said they are offering prayers to those killed by the quake, their relatives, as well as others affected by this trying moment of disaster.

We are deeply saddened by the deaths it caused among the residents of the affected areas. We share in the pain of those who have been injured, hurt, and left orphans and homeless. We grieve with Italy, Santos said. Let us all pray for bodily and moral strength to the survivors and faith and hope to the citizens of Amatrice and Accumoli that, with Gods mercy, they will rise again, he said.

Italy is gracious home to our OFWs, who experience love and acceptance there we are relieved that no Filipino perished in the deadly earthquake that hit Italy, said Santos.

As of last count, at least 267 people were reported killed and dozens are believed to be trapped in the towns of Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto that were hit hard by the quake. At the Vatican, Pope Francis has led more than 11,000 pilgrims in praying the rosary for the quake victims. The Pope also dispatched a team from the Vaticans fire squad to help in the rescue mission.
by Melani Manel Perera

The Missionaries of Charity in the Asian country will not be in Rome for the ceremony on 4 September. They will remain with our beloved poor. For this moment, they have prepared several activities of meeting and prayer. It will be a time of joy.

Colombo (AsiaNews) - The Missionaries of Charity in Sri Lanka have decided to undertake a "spiritual" pilgrimage to prepare for the canonisation of Mother Teresa, said Sister M. Johannes MC, regional superior of the order founded by Mother Teresa.

Since they will not be in Rome for the ceremony, they will celebrate in the various houses of the country together with "our beloved poor, she told AsiaNews. We have known this for a long time. We are sure that the founder is a saint. But the rite of canonisation will be a time of joy.

For this moment, we have prepared several activities of meeting and prayer. On 5 September, we all gathered in our Shanti Niwasa (House of Peace) to celebrate the holiness of Mother Teresa."

On 23 August, the nuns and those they help went on a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Lanka in Tewatte.

"On 11 September, we will be in the Church of St John the Baptist, in Mutwall. We chose this parish because Mother visited it during her visit to the country in 1986. The parishioners are very happy, because some of them met her during the trip. They will bring their memories. It will be a major moment ".

For 27 August, the Missionaries have prepared a meeting with young people, whilst on the 28, it will be the turn of the homeless. On the 31st, it will be children.

"We will celebrate together the Holy Mass, confess and approach the communion. As our founder taught us, the real celebration is in the sacraments. As his daughters, we thank God for the wonderful gift of her life. We too shall try to live with her spirit."
Both sides reached an agreement to allow civilians and rebels to leave the area. Since 2012 residents are under siege and face bombings and shortages of food, water and power. Washington and Moscow is due to hold talks focused on targeting Islamic State. In Aleppo 11 children had been killed in a barrel bomb attack.

Damascus (AsiaNews/Agencies) - A deal has been reached to allow civilians and rebel fighters to leave the Syrian town of Daraya after a long government siege.

Both sides said that the evacuation of the town, near the capital Damascus, will begin on Friday.

Government forces have encircled Daraya since 2012 and since then residents have faced near-constant bombardment and shortages of food, water and power. Civilians only received their first supplies in four years in June.

It comes as US Secretary of State John Kerry is due to hold talks on Syria with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov in Geneva. They are meeting in a bid to broker a temporary ceasefire in the city of Aleppo, where fighting between government and rebel forces has escalated in recent weeks, leaving hundreds dead.

Under the terms of the Daraya deal, 700 armed men will leave for the rebel-controlled city of Idlib while 4,000 civilians will move to government shelters, Syrian state media reported.

Daraya saw some of the first protests against the Syrian government, an uprising that transformed into a full-blown civil conflict.

In the past, Apostolic Nuncio in Damascus Msgr Mario Zenari denounced several times the dramatic conditions of Daraya and alle the other towns in Syria under siege (see Yarmouk). For the pontifical representatives they are a disgrace unfolding amid a silent international community.

The withdrawal of the rebels only a few miles from Damascus is a boost for President Bashar al-Assad, analysts say.

"We are being forced to leave, but our condition has deteriorated to the point of being unbearable," Hussam Ayash, an activist in the town, told the Associated Press news agency.

"We withstood for four years but we couldn't any longer."

Meanwhile a monitoring group said 11 children had been killed in a barrel bomb attack by government forces in a rebel-held neighbourhood of Aleppo.

They were among 15 people killed in the incident, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

The UN says Russia, who has been supporting the Syrian government in its offensives, has agreed to a 48-hour pause in Aleppo to allow in much-needed aid.

But the organisation added it was still waiting for agreement from other parties fighting on the ground.

In another development, the US has urged "strong and swift action" after a UN investigation concluded that Syria used chemical weapons against its own people.
This August 28 the first priest native to Mongolia will be ordained. The Apostolic Prefect, the Nuncio and the Bishop of Daejeon where the young man attended the seminary will preside. Missionary to Arvaikheer: "His testimony will help young Mongolians who are experiencing a process of vocational discernment." Joy and satisfaction of the local community: "If he has done it, we can do it too."

Arvaikheer (AsiaNews) - The Catholic community of Mongolia "is happy and proud of its first priest. Joseph Enkh-Baatar is faced with a great task: that of being a bridge between the Catholic culture and Mongolian culture. We'll we will support him as much as possible: I am sure that he will be able to face the challenges facing this young Church with the right sensitivity", Giorgio Marengo, Consolata missionary tells AsiaNews. He has lived in Mongolia since 2003 and from 2006 in Arvaikheer: the area is 400 kilometers from the capital Ulaanbaatar, and in fact is an outpost of the Catholic mission in Mongolia.

This August 28, in the Cathedral dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul in Ulaanbaatar, the first ordination of this community will be celebrated. Born July 10, 1992 with the arrival of three missionaries of the Immaculate Heart of Mary (CICM), the Mongolian Church counts little more than 1,000 faithful. Together with them almost 25 foreign missionaries and about 50 religious.

The ordination will be presided by the Apostolic Prefect, Msgr. Wenceslao Padilla (one of the first three missionaries to reach the country); Concelebrating with him, Archbishop. Lazarus YouHeung-sik, bishop of Daejeon (South Korea) and Msgr. Osvaldo Padilla, apostolic nuncio to Korea and Mongolia.

The ceremony will also feature the regional superior of the Maryknoll, Fr. Gerard Hammond, who helped the Korean Catholic community in preparing the future priest. Joseph has in fact attended the seminar in Daejeon, and was ordained a deacon there.

The mission in Arvaikheer, resumes Fr. Marengo, "is home to 15 of us. We are reciting a novena asking the intercession of St. Paul for him, while Enkh is in retreat. The common feeling is of joy but also of satisfaction: many of our parishioners live this ordination as the deepening of a journey of faith, which has enabled us to reach an important goal. And I hope that in some way this celebration can help other young Mongolians to follow his example".

Although still a very small community, in fact, the Mongolian Church has for some time a "Vocational Team" which follows a group of young men and women: "The sisters and fathers who accompany these young people do not want in any way to force their hand. It is a journey of discernment, which must continue in truth. Of course, Enkh's ordination stimulates this search. The important thing is to present it and live it in the right way: it is a first for the country, we have to make sure that it is understood that the priesthood is not a career but a calling".

With regards the vocation of the new priest, Fr. Marengo has great hope: "He knows Mongolian history, culture, religion and tradition. This is a peculiar people, proud and full of an ancient spiritual tradition. I hope he can become a bridge between the Church and the Mongols, that he can help them understand and can be understood by them. The Mongolian sensitivity is very strong, made up of many facets that often a foreigner cannot grasp".
President Dutertes anti-drug campaign has led to a bloodbath with no respect for the law and democracy. Unpunished, police and vigilantes have killed more than 2,000 alleged drug dealers. We must not give up, said the president of the Bishops Conference. God will hear the prayer for healing of the nation. For religious superiors, Evil prospers where good men are silent.

Manila (AsiaNews)  A wave of violence is sweeping the Philippines. The killings continue to rise. The divisions seem to widen even more. The indifference to the violations of the Commandments of God is spreading. However, We must not give up said Archbishop Socrates Villegas of Lingayen-Dagupan.

Since he came to power after last Mays elections, President Rodrigo Duterte has launched a campaign against drug dealers. As laudable as the initiative may be, the campaign is being carried out with the methods of a military dictatorship.

Impunity seems to define the mandate of the police in case of the "accidental death" of drug dealers, whilst more and more death squads are killing to earn unofficial rewards from local authorities.

Civil society groups complain that 2,000 people have been killed so far.

Statements by the Philippines police chief Ronald Dela Rosa are indicative of this climate of violence. In a speech aired on television, he called on drug users to kill traffickers and burn their homes.

Why dont you give them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire to register your anger, said Dela Rosa.

Theyre all enjoying your money, money that destroyed your brain. You know who the drug lords are. Would you like to kill them? Go ahead. Killing them is allowed because you are the victim.

Although it considers action against drug addiction necessary, the Catholic Church has strongly condemned this campaign.

On 28 June, the Bishops Conference issued an appeal for justice and legality addressed to the members of the armed forces and national security agencies, asking them to uphold the law in the country.

Today Mgr Villegas also issued a prayer for healing of the nation, calling for unity, solution to crimes and corruption, and compassion for those who died in the present purge.

For the prelate, prayer is the greatest weapon. We trust in the mercy of God to answer our prayers for healing, said Villegas. He will heed our prayers. We Believe in miracles and the power of a praying people. When we pray together, we are strong with the strength of God.

Catholic schools in the archdiocese will recite the prayer before the start of classes in every classroom between 30 August and 7 September.

The Association of Major Religious Superiors in the Philippines (AMRSP) on Thursday came out in support of the bishops.

We are alarmed at the silence of the government, groups and majority of the people in the face of these killings, said in a statement Father Cielito Almazan and Sister Regina Kuizon, AMRSP co-chairmen.

Ubi boni tacent malum prosperat. Evil prospers where good men are silent. Is this lack of public outcry a tacit approval of what is happening? Is it fear that prevents people from speaking out? Whatever the reason, this problem, if it remains unchecked, leads to a culture of impunity.

As religious and consecrated persons, we believe that the wheels of justice should take their course following the proper procedure and operate within the bounds of the law, it added.

We demand that the concerned government agencies continue apprehending those involved in drug trafficking but avoiding extrajudicial killings, and pursue and apprehend vigilantes who carry out such illegal actions.
by Piero Gheddo

The great missionary and journalist remembers his visits to the Mother since 1964. Mother Teresa will be canonised on 4 September. She set up a home for the dying in Kolkata and one for abandoned children. The first missionary Vigil was a procession of faith in a society marked by protests and violence. She proclaimed life as a gift and said abortion was murder. Mother Teresa was moderate and prayed at night. She slept on a mat. The 1977 Andhra Pradesh floods killed 100,000 and caused tens of thousands of refugees. Mother Teresa will be remembered for her work for the Church and around the world.

Milan (AsiaNews)  John Paul II called her "the icon of the mission in the 21st century": a mission that will be played out in Asia. I met this woman several times; she might have been small and unassuming, but she had an extraordinary charisma that earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 1979 and the only state funeral for a foreigner in India.

I met the Mother the first time in 1964, when I went to India with Paul VI. I later visited PIME missionaries with Father Augusto Colombo, which took me to meet briefly Mother Teresa of Kolkata (Calcutta).

God is here

We came to Nirmal Hriday, the Home of the Pure Heart, where rickshaws and carts brought in human refuse found on Kolkatas sidewalks. These poor people were dying, men, women, old people. Here they were welcomed in big rooms and lovingly cared for. For the first time they slept indoors, eat three times a day, and received medical care and medicines. Mother said that out of a hundred marginalised people, on average thirty survived, because they were brought in at the edge of survival.

She later took us to the nearby Shishu Bhavan, or Children's Paradise with orphans, abandoned children of single mothers. One of the Sisters of Charity told me: "I wanted to have my own family, but now I thank Mother who sent me here. I'm so glad to be the mother of these children." As I left the two facilities I was moved. I thought and prayed, "God is here."

With Father Colombo we went to the nearby temple of the goddess Kali, the goddess of destruction, where worshipers make animal sacrifices. The blood spurted from the throats of sacrificed animals, the faithful burnt incense and prayed fervently. Just a few days before, in Mumbay (Bombay), Paul VI had said that the religions of India are part of Gods plans and the Second Vatican Council was a preparation for the Ark of the Covenant with the God of Abraham, the father of faith, and the proclamation of Christ. I believed, thought and prayed: "God is even here!".

The second meeting with Mother Teresa occurred on Saturday, 10 October 1973, in Milan during the first Missionary Vigil on the eve of World Mission Sunday. It was a time of revolution. On that Saturday night, gangs of screaming protesters had blocked the city; they wanted a new world and began to destroy what was already there. That Saturday, 8,000 young people, with the Kolkata nun in the lead, sang and prayed through the streets of Milans historic centre, reaching together Piazza Duomo to listen to Mother Teresa and receive the blessing of Card Giovanni Colombo. The first Missionary Vigil, organised by the PIME Missionary Centre in the diocese of Milan and the Pontifical Missionary Works, led to more across Italy. Two days earlier, Mother had come to Milan from India with a young nun, hosted by the Missionaries of the Immaculate (PIME Sisters). With others, I accompanied Mother to see the archbishop of Milan. Card Colombo received her in his studio. When she came in, he got up and went to welcome her with open arms. Effusive as he was, he told her: "Mother Teresa, thanks for coming. You bring light into my diocese, and your presence will do much good . . ." Mother listened in silence and then said: "Your Eminence, let us pray a lot to be appropriate instruments in God's hands."

The gift of life and the murder of abortion

The most important event Mother attended in Italy was The festival of Life on Saturday, 23 April 1977, in the presence of all the bishops of Lombardy in a packed San Siro stadium in Milan, with thousands of others left outside. Ten Lombardy dioceses had mobilised, strongly supported by Card Giovanni Colombo, the greatest show of force by Italian Catholics against the anti-abortion law. The Festival of Life was also covered by non-Catholic newspapers. It seemed impossible that Catholics, already humiliated by the referendum against divorce (1974) and the overwhelming rise of a secularist, Marxist and anti-clerical culture, could have the courage to appear in public with such a mass of believers. The old nun, wearing cloth slippers and holding a coarse handbag with wooden handles, had a lot of charisma, and was very effective even when she said, enunciating one word at a time, the most common phrases, such as Belong to Christ, God loves you, and Jesus Christ is the Messiah, the Saviour. During the long pause before she talked, one could hear a pin drop in the stadium. Someone had told Mother Teresa that in Italy there was the political problem of the abortion law, and that one had to be careful not to press too much so as not to become politically involved. Mother said only a few words: "I must say two things, which I'll tell you: First, life is the greatest gift that God gives to man, for which we must thank him every day, and that we are required to use this gift well. Second, abortion is murder."

During her stay in Milan, Mother Teresa had some long interviews with the Missionaries of the Immaculate. I was close to her to tape and sometimes translate. From these meetings came Il Popolo della vita  Madre Teresa a Milano (The People of Life - Mother Teresa in Milan), edited by Piero Gheddo and Giacomo Girardi" (EMI 1977). PIME sisters said that Mother Teresa ate very little, slept on the floor on a mat and a blanket, and every night prayed for an hour. She was very affable, loved to joke, but had a very strong ideal in mind and heart: the mission to which God had called her. When Mother visited the PIME Missionary Centre in Milan, our institute already knew her well. When she saw the plaque Comunione e liberazione (Communion and Liberation) whose offices are in the same building, she asked "Liberation from what?". "From sin", replied the missionary who was accompanying her. "All right then," said the mother, "that is the only liberation that counts."

In November 1977 in India, a terrible tsunami ravaged the state of Andhra Pradesh (where PIME founded seven dioceses): 10-12-metre-high tidal waves swept inland 3-4 kilometers along a 90 km coastline, bringing death and destruction. More than 100,000 people died. I flew from Milan to bring the first aid collected in a fortnight from Avvenire and Eco di Bergamo (US$ 35,000) and I visited the affected region with Father Ennio Premoli PIME, director of Caritas of the Diocese of Vijayawada. I still remember the nightmare: a bus on a top of a big plant, a large pond with dead bodies of men, women, children, along with many buffaloes . . . Prisoners were used to burn the bodies: the army refused to perform this task.

Mother Teresa came with her sisters to bring aid and organise relief. Tens of thousands of refugees had lost everything. In a meeting at the Vijayawada government office, Mother proposed and got everyone to accept refugees in Hindu temples, Christian churches, schools, seminaries and novitiates locations, etc. I thought: "She has tremendous charisma", but also the extraordinary help of the Holy Spirit. I was also surprised by her vitality. I was 20 years younger, but that evening I was dead tired, whilst she still performed her hour of prayer, sitting on the ground in the Indian fashion!

A model of love, even for atheists

When she spoke she said few words, but went straight to the point. "God loves you, she told an old man sleeping on a bench in Milans Castello park. Moved, he told her: You are right, only God loves me. I have three children who do not care for their father, but God has not abandoned me." She would tell everyone she met "God bless you". Even in informal meetings, Mother always ended by saying: "Be holy". She also said it to me several times.

I went several times to India. Mother Teresa was foreign to the debates about new theologies. She did not praise Indian culture. She did not seek out the media. She was very restrained in answering reporters. She did not speak of interreligious dialogue. It might seem that she lived outside our time. Instead her witness of love for God and man made her welcome to everyone. She inculturated the Gospel in India, established bridges of dialogue with Hindus and Muslims, preached Christ and baptised many poor and children without arousing opposition. She managed to get into Communist countries like Cuba and Cambodia, who persecuted the Church and Christians.

One cannot understand anything about Mother Teresa outside the logic of faith. Her whole life was based on faith and love for God and man. She indissolubly joined together love for God and love for man. The one cannot be without the other. Everyone admires Mother Teresa, but few realise that what drove her life was the love and prayer for Christ, which she saw every day in the lepers, the poor, and the sick. The saint of Kolkata is a model for the rich, democratic, and developed West, where, however, love is missing and money and selfishness rule. We are in practice becoming atheists. One cannot be brothers with the poor who are pressing on our borders, such as migrants these days, if we do not return to God and to Jesus Christ.
by mons. Savio Fernandes*

Mgr Savio Fernandes talks about the proposed law the Union Cabinet unveiled yesterday. The life of every human person is to be respected and treated with dignity from the moment of conception. Indian authorities want to contain the womb-for-rent industry, that each year brings in billon of dollars and expose women's body to exploitation. A better option to surrogacy would be to adopt a child," the prelate said. "In India, there are so many children whose parents have abandoned them.

Mumbai (AsiaNews)  The Catholic Church holds that the life of every human person is to be respected and treated with dignity from the moment of conception, hence the procreation of a new person, whereby the man and the woman collaborate with the power of the Creator, must be the fruit and the sign of the mutual self-giving of the spouses, of their love and of their fidelity," said Mgr Savio Fernandes, auxiliary bishop of Mumbai and chairperson of the Family Commission of the Western Region of the Bishops Conference, as he spoke to to AsiaNews about the Indian government's decision to end the practice of commercial surrogacy. The law was unveiled yesterday. Regardless how altruistic this bill may appear, for Mgr Fernandes it is entirely not acceptable to the Catholic Church as it does not uphold the respect and dignity of the human embryo.

The bishop goes on to say that the Catholic Church is fully aware of the pain and sufferings of couples who discover that they are sterile. Nevertheless he declares that the better option is not surrogacy, but to adopt thousands of India's abandoned children. These children could be given the love, dignity and respect that is denied to them. The bishops comment follows.

The Catholic Church holds that the life of every human person is to be respected and treated with dignity from the moment of conception (cf. Gaudium et Spes, 24). Human procreation has specific characteristics by virtue of the personal dignity of the parents and of the children: the procreation of a new person, whereby the man and the woman collaborate with the power of the Creator, must be the fruit and the sign of the mutual self-giving of the spouses, of their love and of their fidelity (cf. Gaudium et spes 50). The fidelity of the spouses in the unity of marriage involves reciprocal respect of their right to become a father and a mother only through each other. The child has the right to be conceived, carried in the womb, brought into the world and brought up within marriage: it is through the secure and recognized relationship to his own parents that the child can discover his own identity and achieve his own proper human development. The parents find in their child a confirmation and completion of their reciprocal self-giving: the child is the living image of their love, the permanent sign of their conjugal union (Instruction on Respect for Human Life, Donum Vitae, II, A, 1).

The Catholic Church is fully aware of the pain and sufferings of couples who discover that they are sterile. Hence, it encourages research aimed at reducing human sterility on condition that it is placed "at the service of the human person, of his inalienable rights, and his true and integral good according to the design and will of God." (cf. N. 2375 of Catechism od the Catholic Church).

The Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill cleared by the Union Cabinet, as reported in todays Times of India, is definitely aimed at helping childless couples who have been married for five years and one of whom is infertile. Besides, the surrogate mother would have to be a close relative of the married couple. The bill also aims at reducing exploitation of surrogacy for commercial purposes.

However, no matter how altruistic this proposed surrogacy (regulation) bill may appear, it would not be acceptable to the Catholic Church as it does not uphold the respect and dignity of the human embryo. The Instruction on Respect for Human Life, Donum Vitae, I, 6, states These procedures are contrary to the human dignity proper to the embryo, and at the same time they are contrary to the right of every person to be conceived and to be born within marriage and from marriage.

A better option to surrogacy would be to adopt a child. In India, there are so many children whose parents have abandoned them, often due to poverty or because it is a girl-child. These children could be given the love, dignity and respect that is denied to them due to no fault of their own, through adoption. This would be a far more altruistic solution to the problem of sterility or infertility faced by married couples.

In his article dated July 12, 2012, entitled Does the Catholic Church support the use of a surrogate mother to have a child?, Charles C. Camosy states: The Church not only succinctly defines the gestational link  created in the conception-gestation-birthing of a baby  but clarifies the important truth that respect for this bio-psychic bond is so essential to upholding the dignity of the human being, to promoting his continued welfare and normal human development, that experience of it constitutes a childs natural human right and, by implication, the lack of experiencing the gestational link results in the failure to satisfy one of the childs basic human needs. The new field of prenatal psychology helps to reinforce the Churchs moral assessment of surrogacy. Its research findings underscore just how serious the harm can be when an infants right to his gestational link is denied.

* auxiliary bishop of Mumbai and chairperson of the Family Commission of the Western Region of the Bishops' Conference

(Nirmala Carvalho contributed to this article)
In a joint statement catholics e muslims personalities calls for promoting tolerance, respect for others' religious traditions. The leaders of the two great faiths support the fight against terrorism, fundamentalism and the use of weapons of mass destruction. They are "immoral". Continued dialogue between religions united by "common concern" for life and dignity of the human person.

Washington (AsiaNews) - A joint declaration issued today by U.S. Catholic bishops and Iranian religious leaders calls for developing a culture of encounter, tolerance, dialogue, and peace that respects the religious traditions of others. The leaders regard the development and use of weapons of mass destruction and acts of terrorism as "immoral."

The declaration was issued following a moral dialogue, which took place June 5-10, in Rome, Italy. The dialogue sought to build a sustainable channel of effective communication between American and Iranian religious leaders to foster greater mutual understanding and constructive engagement. The interreligious encounter focused on the moral tenets of each faith, especially as they relate to human rights, weapons of mass destruction, and terrorism.

Representatives from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) participating in the dialogue included Bishop Oscar Cantu of Las Cruces, New Mexico, chair of the bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace; Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, archbishop emeritus of Washington; Bishop Richard Pates of Des Moines, Iowa; and Bishop Denis Madden, auxiliary bishop of Baltimore. The five member Iranian delegation was headed by Ayatollah Mahdi Hadavi Moghaddam Tehrani and Ayatollah Abolghasem Alidoost. This dialogue built on an earlier meeting that was held in Qom in March 2014, which focused on the need for a world free of nuclear weapons.

"Today's joint declaration is the fruit of sincere dialogue between two religions that are united in their concern for the life and dignity of the human person," said Bishop Cantu. "Together, we commit ourselves to continued dialogue on the most pressing issues facing the human family, such as poverty, injustice, intolerance, terrorism, and war."

The declaration is signed by Ayatollah Ali-Reza A'arafi, senior member of the Supreme Council of the Society of Qom Seminary Scholars and president of Al-Mustafa International University; Dr. Abdul-Majid Hakim-Elahi, director of the International Affairs Office of the Society of Qom Seminary Scholars; Bishop Oscar Cantu; and Cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

The orignale text of the joint declaration is available here:

Gathered in the name of God

We met in Rome this year, which Pope Francis designated a Year of Mercy, to continue our moral and religious dialogue that began in Qom in 2014.

The belief in One God unifies Jews, Christians, and Muslims. Serving God requires working for the welfare of all His creatures and the common good of humanity. Religious leaders must provide moral guidance and speak out against injustice and anything that is harmful to humankind.

Christianity and Islam share a commitment to love and respect for the life, dignity, and welfare of all members of the human community. Both traditions reject transgressions and injustices as reprehensible, and oppose any actions that endanger the life, health, dignity, or welfare of others. We hold a common commitment to peaceful coexistence and mutual respect.

We regard the development and use of weapons of mass destruction and acts of terrorism as immoral. Together we are working for a world without weapons of mass destruction. We call on all nations to reject acquiring such weapons and call on those who possess them to rid themselves of these indiscriminate weapons, including chemical, biological, and nuclear weapons.

For similar reasons, we oppose all acts of terrorism, especially those that directly target innocent civilians, whether the perpetrator is a state, a non-state group, or an individual. We also reject indiscriminate sanctions and other policies that impose harm on innocent civilians, especially the most vulnerable.

We support the legitimate right of self-defense and affirm a nation's right to use proportionate and discriminate force to protect its people against transgression and to restore their rights. We condemn the forced expulsion of people from their homelands and affirm their right to return as well as the international community's responsibility to facilitate a restoration of their rights.

We remain gravely concerned by the spread of extremist ideologies, often fueled by superficial and erroneous readings of religious texts, that negate the inherent worth and dignity of every person, regardless of religious belief. We call upon religious and community leaders to confront the spread of such ideologies that induce sectarianism and violence.

Violent extremism and terrorism are global challenges. They are perversions of authentic religious belief. The guilt of terrorist acts should not be assigned to members of an entire religion, nationality, culture, race, or ethnic group. Countering violent extremism requires firm determination and cooperation to address its root causes. The human family must collectively and genuinely confront poverty, unemployment, the worship of money, ignorance, discrimination, armed occupation, military aggression, injustice, and the cultures of intolerance, supremacy, and impunity.

Peaceful coexistence is built on equity and justice. We call upon all to work toward developing a culture of encounter, tolerance, dialogue, and peace that respects the religious traditions of others. We commit ourselves to sustained, active inter-religious dialogue that transcends governments and national boundaries, serves the common good of the whole human family, and reflects our shared values.
Connecticut Program Aims To Grant Community College Educations To Inmates

Trending News: Prison Inmates Can Now Receive A Free College Education

Why Is This Important?

Because prison should be about reform, not just punishment.

Long Story Short

The Second Chance Pell Grant just launched a pilot program for Connecticut inmates to take college courses, and some will even be bused to local community colleges to take part in-person.

Long Story

Back to school season is officially in full swing, and even though the visual is usually parents with their kids frantically running through Target trying to find the right backpack, pencils and trapper keeper, its a bit of a different image for those behind bars. Yes, they deserve to be where they are, but if we used prison as a place of reformation to push prisoners to potentially be functioning members of society when they are released, thatd be a great thing, right?

The team at Second Chance Pell Grant seems to think so. They just created a pilot program in Connecticut which will allow inmates to take college courses for free (or close to it) while theyre doing their time. But, this new initiative isnt sitting well with everyone involved.

Holly Hetzel just signed up for classes and told WTNH News that It would depend on their crime or whatever, but I would rather not be sitting next to a scary person in my class. People are scary enough as it is, never mind inmates, said Hetzel.

The federal Pell Grant chose four community colleges (Asnuntuck, Middlesex, Quinebaug, and Three Rivers) to be a part of this program. Depending on the institution, the students income and other factors, the Pell Grant may be enough to cover the full cost of tuition. The maximum Pell Grant allowance for 2015-2016 was $5,775.

Hetzel says its hard to believe criminals get a free college education while the general public has to pay for it. That is a problem for me too, I dont think it should be free. They should be treated like us, we have to pay, they have to pay, said Hetzel.

According to Asnuntucks website, a total of 16 low-risk, near release students will be on campus at ACC, with an additional 400 inmates participating solely at area correctional facilities. Many of the students are currently located at low security, reintegration facilities and a high percentage are veterans.

However, out of the four of colleges participating, not all of them are actually allowing inmates to take classes on campus. Middlesex Community College, for example is bringing professors to the prisons as opposed to the other way around, likely as a preventative safety precaution.

Sen. John Kissel, a Republican from Enfield, does not support actually bringing prisoners to the physical campuses with the rest of the student body

The states decision to bus inmates to ACC raises a slew of questions, said Kissel. The safety of staff and students must be paramount. Asnuntuck has an open campus where people come and go all the time. So many things could go wrong with this decision. All it takes is one bad event. I support inmate re-integration efforts in general, but I cannot support this decision. I dont think it was properly thought through. I strongly urge state officials to reconsider this decision immediately.

There's definitely a lot left to be worked out, but if you're a nonviolent con in Connecticut, things may be looking up.

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Should taxpayers really be paying for their education?

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The Pell Grant is already designated for education, so if awarding some to convicts makes them better citizens and saves us money on the cost of jailing them, I'm all for it.

Drop This Fact

32 states offer some type of college or post-secondary courses to adult inmates. Unfortunately, these programs are substantially underused because many inmates lack the means to pay for them.
French Court Overturns Burkini Ban

Trending News: France's Highest Court Overturns Contentious Burkini Ban

Why Is This Important?

Because the government meddling in something like swimwear was never not-ridiculous.

Long Story Short

Frances highest court overturned a ban against burkinis that had been imposed throughout the countrys coastal towns.

Long Story

This week has been a long and strange saga of women's swimwear coverage, but it appears to be coming to an end  or is it?

After a contentious ban on burkinis (wetsuit-like swimwear that allows observant Muslim women enjoy the beach or pool in accordance with their religious beliefs) was imposed across 30 coastal towns in France, the countrys highest court overturned the ban, declaring that it was "seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom."

The contentious ban prevented women from enjoying the beach, and caused international uproar earlier this week after images surfaced of a woman being forced to undress in public by police officers, or risk getting cited for not wearing an outfit respecting good morals and secularism. Backlash ensued around the world, and in London, many turned up in front of the local French embassy for a makeshift beach party to protest the governments ban on the modest swim garb.

There's actual sand outside the Frenchembassy. Unfortunately for me, didn't bring my burkini today. #wearwhatyouwant pic.twitter.com/k7vuA4aA4D  Aina Khan (@ainakhan5) August 25, 2016

Activist groups have welcomed the decision, with Amnesty International spokesperson John Dalhuisen saying: By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, today's decision has drawn an important line in the sand.

7 images that show how ludicrous the burkini ban is https://t.co/3us8KnQ56k pic.twitter.com/ovp9v9hja1  The Independent (@Independent) August 26, 2016

Not everyone is happy with the decision, however, such as the mayor of Sisco, Corsica, who is outright refusing to comply with the high courts new ruling. He cites recent terrorist attacks as his reasoning.

Here the tension is very, very, very strong and I won't withdraw it, Mayor Ange-Pierre Vivoni said.

All mayors in the 30 towns that imposed the ban will be required to refund the women who have been ticketed thus far, as well as clear their criminal records.

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Will the French towns refund the women who have been ticketed immediately, or will they drag out their proceedings in the courts?

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Common sense seems to have finally prevailed.

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In a poll by The Economist, 81% of people believe that France is wrong for imposing a ban on burkinis.
Homeless Man Rewarded With Job After Turning In Lost Wallet

Trending News: This Homeless Guy Did The Right Thing And Got Rewarded With A Job

Why Is This Important?

Because theres a moral in this story somewhere.

Long Story Short

A homeless man in Thailand found a wallet containing the equivalent of nearly $600 in cash and handed it in to the local police station. The owner of the wallet was so touched he offered the man a job and a house.

Long Story

Every once in a while we get a reminder that people can be pretty decent if you give them half a chance, and the latest heart-warming tale comes from Thailand.

When a homeless man, known only as Woralop, 45, saw a designer wallet fall out of a businessmans pocket, he picked it up and found it had around $580-worth of cash inside as well as IDs and credit cards.

Given that he is reported to have had under 50 cents to his name at the time, Woralop wouldve been forgiven for pocketing what is a fortune to him, but instead he handed the wallet and all the money in to the local police station after trying and failing to catch up with the man who dropped it.

The wallet was returned to its rightful owner, a businessman called Nitty Pongkriangyos, who was so touched by Woralops honesty that he offered him a job at his metalwork factory in Bangkok and a place to live free of charge.

Note: Video is in Thai

My first reaction was wow, if it was me in that position with no money I probably would have kept it. But he was homeless and had just a few coins in his pocket and still handed it in. That shows a good, honest person. Just the kind of staff we need, he told Metro.

Woralop has now started work at the factory and earns $315 a month - a very respectable salary for Thailand - and he has become something of a celebrity in the country since his story was posted on Facebook by Pongkriangyoss girlfriend Tarika Patty.

Im so grateful to be given this chance to turn my life around. Having a clean bed to sleep in makes me so happy now, Woralop told Metro.

Hey, who's cutting onions in here?

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Would you be able to hand in a wallet full of cash at all, let alone if you were homeless?

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The story of Woralop and Nitty Pongkriangyos really restores your faith in humanity, its basically a real-life Aesops Fable.

Drop This Fact

Actor Chris Hemsworth recently rewarded 17-year-old Tristin Budzyn-Barker with a wad of bills for returning his cash-filled wallet on the Ellen DeGeneres Show. Ellen went one better and gave him $10,000 to put towards college tuition.
An Ohio lawyer who was given a 5-day jail term because of a Black Lives Matter pin she wore to court has lodged a federal lawsuit.



According to the Youngstown Vindicator, Andrea Burton sued Youngstown Municipal Court Judge Robert Milich on Thursday.



Last month, the Youngstown lawyer was given a 5-day prison sentence by judge Milich for contempt of court after she refused to remove a Black Lives Matter pin she was wearing.



The judge asked Burton several times to remove the pin citing a US Supreme Court case law that bans political pins from courts.



The judge even privately consulted with the lawyer in his chambers several reports say. When Milich and Burton returned to open court, the judge again ordered her to remove the pin but the lawyer still refused.



Burton was taken into custody, but the judge stayed the sentence pending an appeal.



According to Yahoo, Milich said: A judge doesnt support either side. A judge is objective and tries to make sure everyone has an opportunity to have a fair hearing, and it was a situation where it was just in violation of the law.



Burton, however, alleges her First Amendment rights of free speech and 14th Amendment rights of due process and equal protection under the law were violated.



In an interview with local station WFMJ, Burton said then of the issue: To remain neutral becomes an accomplice to oppression.



Its an act of civil disobedience, I understand that. Im not anti-police, I work with law enforcement and I hold them in the highest regard, and just to say for the record I do believe all lives matter. But at this point they dont all matter equally, and thats the problem in the justice system, she added.



Also named in the lawsuit are Judge Elizabeth Kobly and the city of Youngstown.


A lawyer in Virginia is making headlines after he called out customers who were nasty to her granddaughter in a post thats now viral on Facebook.But though the situations fame started after lawyer John Elledge took to Facebook to vent his anger, it has turned into an outpouring of love.His granddaughter, Sadie Karina Elledge, was undaunted by a hateful slight she received after serving a couple of customers in the local diner she worked at, but the lawyer wouldnt stand for it.The 18-year-old who was born in America but is of Mexican and Honduran descent was working at the Jess Lunch restaurant near her grandfathers John Elledge and Associates law firm in downtown Harrisonburg when she received a note scribbled on the check of customers who didnt leave her a tip.It read: We only tip citizens.On Facebook, the man posted a photo of the check and told the diner who wrote the slight: You are a complete and total piece of dung.The elder Elledge  who specialises in immigration; domestic, business and civil litigation; and criminal defence at both the state and federal levels  earlier wrote on Facebook that hed happily do the jail time if I could get just one solid punch in to the face of the person who wrote the note.According to his law firms website, Elledge graduated from James Madison University and George Mason University School of Law. Before his law career, however, he spent several years in Honduras.There, he taught in a bilingual school, developed a nationwide church youth program and helped establish a girls orphanage.According to The Washington Post, Elledge met his Honduran wife, Iris, who already had two children during his stay in the Central American country. He eventually returned to the US with Iris and adopted the kids.He told the publication that he is particularly sensitive to slights to his multicultural family.If theres a good thing to come out of all of this, its that theres been overwhelming support against the sentiment revealed by the diners dig.In a statement posted by the Elledge law firm, it was revealed that hundreds of well-wishers have messaged the family and most were asking how they can leave a tip for Sadie.Various reports note that people on social media are clamouring to leave a tip for Sadie. The young lady, however, wants the tips to go to two local charities should well-wishers insist on leaving her a tip.While the important aspect of the story has never been about the tip, we understand why people want to make a financial contribution. After discussing this issue with Sadie, she has determined that if people really want to respond with offers of financial support, that there are two local charities in Harrisonburg that should benefit from her well-wishers generosity: New Bridges Immigrant Resource Center, and the Samuel R. Bowman II Scholarship for Hispanic students, through the Harrisonburg Community Foundation, the law firm said.We want to thank everyone for their generosity of spirit and resources in showing Sadie that she is valuable, and that bigotry like that she experienced is not acceptable to most folks in modern society. At John Elledge & Assoc PC, we live our lives as more than just professionals as lawyers in Harrisonburg, VA. We hope to make a meaningful impact on the life of our community, it added.
A meeting of lockout law debate stakeholders was called by Deputy Premier Troy Grant on Tuesday as the government may be shifting its strategy in preparation for the release of former high court judge Ian Callinan's review of the sensitive legislation.



According to the Sydney Morning Heralds Sean Nicholls, the meeting may signal a shift in the governments strategy by appearing more consultative than they were in the greyhound racing.



Attendees left the gathering with the knowledge that the government wont be responding to the report in any haste, even as the review was promised to be published, the report noted.



This is in contrast to Grant and Premier Mike Baird announcing the closing of the greyhound racing industry soon after the special commission of inquirys report was published last month.



Furthermore, another possible signal the meeting is sending is that Baird and Grant know how difficult it would be to implement recommendations to ease restrictions if ever they are made by the Callinan review, Nicholls noted.



Nonetheless, its pointed out that Baird is adamant about not giving ground to possibly more lax rules citing data said to show alcohol-related violence dropping due to the laws.



Opponents of the laws are still heavily campaigning against the regime even as supporters including emergency room doctors and the Kelly family are fighting to even extend the laws reach to more areas in New South Wales.



Nicholls pointed out that Baird and Grant are in a tough place. They will face backlash either way whether the laws are relaxed or even widened in scope.



This time around, Baird and Grant appear to relying heavily on public reaction to Callinan's report to guide their decision, Nicholls wrote.



It's apparent that Baird and Grant are dreading this decision, perhaps more than any other they have faced in their two years at the top, he concluded.


In a bipartisan effort, members of the Northern Ireland Assembly are seeking a judicial review of the United Kingdoms plan to leave the European Union in another move that threatens to further delay the planned departure.According to The Belfast Telegraph, the group filed with the High Court in Belfast on Friday wanting to clarify the governments approach to the Brexit among other things.The various assurances sought by our clients have not been forthcoming and, indeed, the response heightened their concerns about the approach the Government was likely to take, the legal representatives are quoted by the publication as saying.In light of this, papers were lodged in the High Court in Belfast on Friday 19 August 2016 seeking leave to apply for judicial review.Part of the group seeking the review  which includes politicians and human-rights activists  is former justice minister David Ford.The movement is a rare bipartisan attempt as the group supporting it also includes Green Party leader Steven Agnew; Social Democratic and Labour Party leader Colum Eastwood; senior Sinn Fein Stormont Assembly member John O'Dowd; former head of the Progressive Unionist Party Dawn Purvis; ex-Equality Commission member and disability rights activist Monica Wilson OBE and the Committee on the Administration of Justice human-rights group, according to the publication.Writing to Prime Minister Theresa May and other Cabinet members, they pushed that Northern Irelands peace process and other unique requirements be considered before the process to leave the EU is triggered.The Brexit process will have to follow the rule of law, take into account parliamentary sovereignty, protect progress made towards a more peaceful society and accords adequate weight to the democratic will of those in Northern Ireland who voted in the European referendum and in the 1998 poll on the Good Friday Agreement, The Belfast Telegraph said.A parliamentary legislation which includes consent of the Northern Ireland Assembly should authorise the triggering of the Article 50 leave clause it added.Other lawyers in the UK have also urged for a free parliamentary vote before triggering the Brexit process. Meanwhile, even businessmen are involved in countering the planned exit.
Community lawyers are forced to increasingly depend on communication tools like Skype and Twitter to combat the adverse effect of funding cuts, a new study revealed.According to a census by the National Association of Community Legal Centres (NACLC), 43% of Queensland's community legal centres provided legal advice using Skype, 14% used Twitter, 33% used Facebook and 9% used YouTube.Community legal centres are reacting to a 30% federal funding cut from July, the Community Legal Centres Queensland (CLCQ) noted.Our centres are only able to see three out of seven people looking for legal advice. Community legal centres have had to look at creative ways to address this unmet need. Increasingly we are using technology to provide free legal information, James Farrell, CLCQ director, said in a statement sent to Australasian Lawyer.Meanwhile, the study also showed community legal centres rely heavily on volunteers. The 28 community legal centres that participated in the survey reported 1,750 volunteers giving 96,000 hours of their time to help provide services.The volunteers include commercial lawyers, migration agents, students, law graduates, and counsellors. For additional help, 48% of the centres had set up a formal arrangement with a university to offer clinical legal education to students.These census results show that centres are facing funding cuts over the next twelve months which will see a reduction in services and outreach, closure of branch offices and telephone advice lines, and loss of staff. As a result of this we have had to rely on volunteers to deliver these vital services, Farrell said.With funding cuts, community legal centres are working to generate independent funding, with 25% relying on philanthropic contributions and 40% of centres bringing in income from fundraising and sponsorship, according to the NACLC census.Our census showed that community legal centres are also being forced to spend more and more time on searching for funding to maintain crucial services. The Census revealed that 28 community legal centres spent 247 hours per week in 2014/15 financial year on funding-related activities. This means less time is available to provide legal assistance to clients, concluded Farrell.The national survey looked at the work undertaken by Queensland community legal centres over a twelve month period.The census found that the top 3 specialist areas or client groups for community legal centres were domestic/family violence (46.0%), homelessness (41.1%) and family law (40.3%).It also revealed that 15.3% of community legal centres clients identify as Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islanders, and more than a quarter of community legal centre clients say they have a disability. 15% of clients are from a cultural and linguistically diverse background.The study also found that 28 Community Legal Centres in Queensland report turning away 58,000 people and pro bono partners contributed 25,210 hours of assistance to 28 CLCs.
ANDI HORVATH

Hi. Im Dr Andi Horvath. Thanks for joining us. Today we get up close to, but at a safe distance from, earthquakes. We live on a dynamic planet in which the frequent rubbing of tectonic plates can often lead to devastating consequences for populated areas. We often hear about when we might expect the next big one, but how reliable is earthquake prediction? Given recent disasters in Japan, China, New Zealand and elsewhere, what have we learned about how to prepare for and recover from the almost certainly inevitable.

Our guest on this episode is University of Melbourne, geomorphologist and earthquake specialist, Associate Professor Mark Quigley. Mark survived the devastating 2010 and 2011 Canterbury earthquakes in New Zealand but unfortunately, lost his home to liquefaction. More about that later.

Through his experience, Dr Quigs, as hes known, has also gathered insight into how best to communicate earthquake risks and issues to the public. Mark, welcome.

MARK QUIGLEY

Hello.

ANDI HORVATH

When we see earthquake zones, we are amazed at the amount of force that bends bridges, levels large structures and topples or even subsumes landscapes. What...
A police warning has been issued in Australia about scammers phoning people claiming to be immigration officials and demanding fines be paid or they will face deportation.Visa holders in Australia are usually aware that they should not breach the conditions of their visa and it can be stressful when a so called immigration officials contacts them. The current scammers call and say they are from the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) and state that the person's visa, or a relative's visa will be cancelled and they will be deported unless they pay a fine.They give them an option of buying a number of gift cards to provide the caller with the verification numbers and several people have been scammed out of considerable amounts of money.They seem to be operating in the Woolgoolga area and particularly targeting the Indian community, according to a police spokesman who said anyone receiving a call out of the blue supposedly from a government department should be aware.In this instance if the call relates to purchasing gift cards it should be reported to the police, but anyone worried about a scam caller can contact the DIBP.Anyone with doubts about the identity of any caller who claims to represent a business, organisation or government department is advised to contact the body directly. 'Don't rely on contact details provided by the person, find them through an independent source such as a phone book or online search,' said the spokesman.The police also pointed out that you can still receive scam calls even if you have a private number or have listed your number on the Australian Government's Do Not Call Register as scammers can obtain numbers fraudulently or from anywhere it has been publicly listed such as in a phone book.'Don't let scammers pressure you. Scammers use detailed scripts to convince you that they're the real deal and create a high pressure situation to make a decision on the spot,' the spokesman added.People are also advised to keep their computer security up to date with anti-virus and anti-spyware software, and a good firewall and only buy computer and anti-virus software from a reputable source.They should never give personal, credit card or online account details over the phone unless they have made the call and the phone number came from a trusted source and never give a stranger remote access to their computer, even if they claim to be from a reputable business.Anyone who is worried that they may have provided their account details to a scammer are advised to contact their bank or financial institution immediately and anyone who has lost money as a result of this type of scam is asked to report the matter to their local Police Station.
Lots of Subclass 100 info in this threadWe're still waiting for ours to be granted. We resubmitted a lot of the same info, just updated with more evidence accumulated in the last year or so. More travel, photo's, events, changes in financials etc. Always a safe bet to err on the side of too much information.Wait time is varied depending who you talk to. When I applied in December 2015 we were told 6-8 months. I called immi a few months ago and was told it is now 8-12 months. Others who post on the thread linked above have been around the 8-10 month mark.You can submit the application earlier if you wish. We submitted ours months after the 2 year date.I'm not aware of anyone who has been interviewed. A thorough application should avoid any chance of that. My personal opinion is they are resource limited at immi and personal interviews would be a further stretch of those resources. If they are extending the wait times for visa approvals it tells me they don't have enough staff to cope with the volume. Just my personal view.
Introduces two tyres  FR500 for passenger car segment and Destination LE02 for SUVs.

The Indian subsidiary of Japanese tyre firm Bridgestone today introduced the Firestone brand in India with the launch of two tyres under the popular American tyre brand. The first one is the FR500 aimed at the passenger car segment while the second one called Destination LE02 is targeted at the SUV segment.



Available in 24 sizes ranging from 12-inch rim diameters to 16-inch rim diameters, the FR500 was launched at a starting price of Rs 2,200. It boasts of features such as better wear life and better wet breaking performance.



The LE02, on the other hand, will come in three different sizes with 15- and 16-inch diameters and bears a starting price of Rs 5,500. The company plans to launch 11 new high-durability sizes for SUVs under the Destination range by 2018. The tyres will be available across over 3,000 retailers of Bridgestone from October 2016.



The Firestone brand will be manufactured at Bridgestone's plants in Chakan, Pune and Kheda, Indore. Presently, the tyre maker has a production capacity of approximately 25,000 tyres per day with both its plants combined. It does not have any plans to tie-up with automakers at present and is targeting the new brand of tyres for the replacement market only.



The company aims to garner 20 percent share of the replacement market over the next five years with the launch of the Firestone brand, according to Vaibhav Saraf, senior GM (Consumer Products), Bridgestone India. The Japanese tyre major is looking to position the Firestone brand at customers looking for value for money, and is confident that there will be no cannibalisation between the two brands.

Over the last few years, India has emerged as a global economic powerhouse and also one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world. Firestone at the onset will focus on the passenger car and SUV car segments and subsequently expand the size range, said Kazuhiko Mimura, managing director, Bridgestone India.
And that's because, apparently, racing driver Carina Lima isn't the only one who enjoys spending time behind the wheel of a Koenigsegg . As the first video below shows, you don't necessarily need her level of track experience to womanhandle an Angelholm machine.The latest production coming from Misha Charoudin (you may know him as Boosted Boris or the drunken bicyclist who is supporting Koenigsegg in its Ring lap record effort) brings us a pair of Slovakian ladies who engage in a Nordschleife activity, ending up playing with a Koenigsegg CCX.Since Boosted Boris has done an awesome job at putting together the clip, one that also gives Shmee a part of the action, we'll let the video do its job without throwing any spoilers at you.However, we can't help but throw in a little presentation of the Woohoo Girls - consider this our written equivalent of the huge smiles all the guys in the first clip below show when meeting the racer girls.Yes, we're talking about amateur racers here, with these Slovakian (no, Akrapovic is based in Slovenia) beauties having already entered the motorsport realm and planning big things for next year.We're talking about Silvia Nedecka, who describes herself as a go-kart racer, model, presenter, actress and musician. Then we have Nina Zagozdzon (the one behind the wheel of the CCX), who talks about herself as a drift girl, track and street rally driver and stunt actress.Curious about how these two beauties train back in their home country? We thought so, which is why we added the second video below.P.S.: We'll probably get to see the steering wheel-savvy girls at next year's Gumball 3000 rally.
Before we even start discussing the Maranello halo car, allow us to note that this might be a Rosso Corsa (or another shade of Red) LaF that was photoshopped - truth be told, the reflection of the British flag in the nose of the hypercar does seem to point towards this.However, even if one of the world's 499 LaF owners decided to paint his gas-electric Fezza in such a color, it would be far from the most eye-catching Ferrari hybrid we've shown you.In fact, LaFs that can stand out among their own kind are split in two main categories. We'll start with the ones that, just like the example seen here, come in a single color.From Jay Kay's Green machine, to the more recent Matte Yellow beast, these are plenty of examples to discuss. Oh, and let's not forget the Purple one (you know, the hypercar of an actual prince).Then we have the LaFerraris that turn to various hue schemes. For instance, some of these were built with help from Ferrari's Tailor Made department and pack visual goodies such as the Italian flag . Other have seen their owners turning to the world of wrap, but we've only seen partial second skin jobs so far and we expect Maranello's potential wrath to be the reason for that - we all know how strict Ferrari can be when it comes to the aftermarket-forged appearance of its cars.Returning to the coffee-themed 950 hp (make that 963 PS, you metric system followers) Ferrari we have here, this was caught on camera by corentin.spot , who came across the velocity monster in London.
Tesla Motors has made another vital step in its strategy, and this one involves a necessary approval regarding the acquisition of Americas largest solar panel supplier, SolarCity.
The interview at the end of this story is 34 minutes long, but its worth watching it end-to-end with considerable attention to the EPs body language. From a mile away, its as clear as day that Andy regrets letting Top Gear go, but he also happens to be very excited about his new project at Amazon.Andy Wilman let it slip that The Grand Tour will have a news segment just like on Top Gear, but for legal reasons, Jeremy and the other two cannot refer to it as The News. Theres no Stig either, duh, but whats even more curious is that James May's ability to say c**k without the fear of a lawsuit is now a reality. According to Wilman, the BBC took legal aspects to a hilarious level.Here is a tell-tale excerpt from the interview:"They got funnier and funnier. We went to Namibia to make a big film [a.k.a. first episode of The Grand Tour]. The lawyers got out a film we had done in Botswana [Top Gear S10 E4]. The lawyers go through everything and they said, 'There's a scene where you're in the middle of the Okavango and you go, "This scenery is beautiful", so watch that you don't do that.'"Isnt that the most stupid thing youve ever heard regarding legal dos and don'ts? But wait, theres even more! "So we were in the desert in Namibia and we had to go, for legal reasons, this scenery is s**t, Wilman added. Dont know about you, but the BBCs potential efforts to hinder The Grand Tour only make the new car show funnier, as in much, much better than what the once-great Top Gear was before the all-new-and-not-too-good format For more info on that and much more, including the last days of Top Gear's golden era, press play. Here's a little spoiler alert: the giant green tent for the studio bits of The Grand Tour was Jeremy Clarkson's idea.
The weird theft happened Sunday night when a group of individuals showed up at around 1:22 AM and broke in. They cut the locks on the gates to gain access inside, after which they also killed the lighting system so they could work in peace. The surveillance footage only showed a large box truck arriving on the scene, but the number of the suspects, as well as any clues toward their identities, could not be established.What's perfectly clear is that the burglary was very well organized, and the fact that this isn't the first time something like this has happened at a dealership in Tyler might suggest it's the work of the same gang. Last year, another car seller had to go through a similar ordeal, and since other dealerships throughout Texas have also been hit.However, Don Martin, the Tyler Police Department Public information Officer, is quoted by Automotive News as saying it was all "kind of sporadic," which suggests the police doesn't have any leads at the moment.The Peltier Chevrolet dealership, on the other hand, is still evaluating the damage caused. Naturally, all vehicles were insured so after the internal inspection is completed, they will begin replacing the wheels and tires. David Bates, the general manager of Peltier Chevrolet noted that most of the stolen wheels were 20- or 22-inches, which would explain the high total value, but some of the vehicles have also been damaged during the heist.As difficult as removing 48 sets of large wheels in near complete darkness might sound, the hardest part is yet to come for the thieves: putting $250,00 worth of Chevrolet wheels on the market without raising suspicion. For their sake, we really hope their plan didn't end when they drove that box truck out the dealership's gates.
Photo courtesy of Rastrac.

Austin, Texas-based telematics provider Rastrac is partnering with Magellan on a system that provides vehicle tracking and reporting, including Hours of Service (HOS) compliance through an electronic logging device (ELD), according to the company.

Magellan's ELD will interface with Rastrac's GPS-based fleet tracking system. Magellan would provide real time mapping for a fleet's drivers, and the Rastrac system would provide historical GPS information including reports.

The mapping on the Magellan device is independent of Rastrac's system. The Magellan device provides HOS and interfaces with Rastrac hardware for tracking and reporting.

The U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) has issued HOS regulations aimed at managing the working hours of anyone who operates a commercial motor vehicle in the U.S.

Since 1938, these were recorded manually in paper logs and difficult to verify. In 2015, FMCSA added the Final Rule, which requires the use of an ELD that monitors engine hours, vehicle movement, miles driven, and location information. All paper logs need to be transitioned to ELDs no later than Dec. 18, 2017.
In five years, the capitalization of the carsharing market in the U.S. is estimated to grow to $187 billion. As the industry develops even more rapidly, it will have to figure out several big challenges.
The recently established opposition political party led by Armenias former foreign minister Vartan Oskanian has declared a regime change as its main goal in the October 2 municipal elections in the countrys second and third largest cities, Gyumri and Vanadzor.

Visiting Vanadzor on Friday, Oskanian, the leader of the Unity party, said that in pursuing their goal they will also be prepared to cooperate with other opposition forces should they need additional votes to form a majority in municipal assemblies.

Of course, if we dont win an outright majority and will have to form a majority with others to install our mayor, we will be ready to cooperate with all political forces that are indeed in the opposition field and sincerely want changes, he said.

Under the new Electoral Code adopted by Armenias National Assembly earlier this year, for the first time Gyumri and Vanadzor, where mainstream opposition parties and candidates traditionally fare well in parliamentary and presidential elections, will elect their mayors indirectly. Residents in these cities in the north of Armenia will vote for political parties to form municipal assemblies that will then elect a mayor from amongst their majority.

Unity, whose constituent assembly was held as recently as in June, has not concealed its ambitions to challenge President Serzh Sarkisians ruling Republican Party of Armenia not only in local elections, but also in the next parliamentary elections due in 2017.

Oskanian, who served as Armenias foreign minister throughout the 1998-2008 presidency of Robert Kocharian, is widely believed to maintain close links with the ex-president. But he himself insisted on several occasions that his party has no connection whatsoever with Kocharian.

The core of the Unity party consists of several former members of the Prosperous Armenia Party that left its parliamentary faction along with Oskanian following a 2015 government crackdown against its then leader Gagik Tsarukian. A number of other public figures, such as, for example, Armenias former ombudsman Karen Andreasian, are also with the Oskanian-led party.

The society has long been disappointed with the existing political system that has taken shape over the years and made it impossible to create fair political and economic relationships, the leading Unity party members declared in a joint statement earlier this year.

We are making a bid to become a pivotal, rather than just another, political force, they added.

Speaking in Vanadzor on Friday, Oskanian said that coming to power in two major cities is particularly important ahead of the 2017 parliamentary elections.

The oppositions victory in these two major cities will mark the beginning of a process, which, I am sure, will eventually culminate in a change of power as a result of the 2017 parliamentary elections, Oskanian underscored.

A number of other opposition parties, namely the Armenian National Congress led by former president Levon Ter-Petrosian, the Armenian Revival party led by former parliament speaker Artur Baghdasarian, the newly established Civil Contract party of opposition MP Nikol Pashinian and others, are expected to challenge the ruling party in the municipal elections in Gyumri and Vanadzor.

The opposition Heritage party said earlier this month it will not contest local elections because of the prosecution of its three leading members on fabricated charges. It is still unclear, though, if this is the final decision of the party led by another former foreign minister, Raffi Hovannisian.

Heritages deputy chairman Armen Martirosian, one of the three party members who were released on bail pending trial on charges of organizing mass disturbances during a July 29 protest, told RFE/RLs Armenian Service (Azatutyun.am) on Thursday that the matter will be discussed in the coming days.
26 August 2016 11:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Armenias armed forces have 13 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry reported on Augiust 26.

The Armenian armed forces stationed on nameless heights of Ijevan, Krasnoselsk districts and in the Aygepar village of the Berd district of Armenia opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located on nameless heights of the Gazakh, Tovuz and Gadabay districts.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near occupied Sarijali village of Azerbaijans Aghdam district, Horadiz, Gorgan and Garakhanbayli villages of the Fizuli district, as well as from the positions located on nameless heights of the Goranboy district.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

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26 August 2016 12:03 (UTC+04:00)

By Robert Harvey

Brexit means Brexit, Britains new prime minister, Theresa May, has declared. So it must: the wishes of the electorate, expressed by however narrow a margin, must be respected, even though referendums have no place in Britains unwritten constitution, which is based, sensibly, on representative parliamentary democracy.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the referendum to quell a rebellion in his Conservative Party, miscalculated so badly that his government failed even to plan for a vote to leave the European Union. Two months later, the fog is beginning to clear, and a way out of the Brexit maze can be discerned.

Brexit, it turns out, is not Bruicide. The referendums outcome has had little effect on the wider global landscape, and the impact on EU institutions is just another crisis to be managed, not the existential implosion that London-centric British newspapers imagine. May is in no hurry to act; nor is German Chancellor Angela Merkel (though, facing re-election next year, the increasingly desperate French President Francois Hollande says that he is).

May, who is as tight-lipped as Cameron was an open (if empty) book, has already created the institutional skeleton of a political strategy. Her government has created a department of international trade, which will be responsible for drawing up trade arrangements with the EU and the rest of the world (the European Commission had previously handled such arrangements). Another new department, the so-called Brexit ministry, will handle political, judicial, and constitutional negotiations.

The creation of these new departments has reduced the once-proud British Foreign Office to something of a think tank on international affairs, responsible for maintaining Britains public and trading relations around the world until things settle down again.

Mays approach has been to clasp the anti-European viper to her bosom, awarding the new trade department to a leading Brexiteer, Liam Fox, and appointing another, David Davis, as Brexit minister (officially, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union). The new foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, too, was a leader of the Leave campaign.

The idea is that the three men, who never spelled out (or probably didnt know) the consequences of Brexit during the campaign, now have to carry the can. There is the added satisfaction that all three have different ideas about Brexit, and that none of them likes the others.

Once the bureaucracy and broad parameters for the negotiations are established by early next year, May will formally launch the withdrawal process by invoking Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon. Two years of negotiations (longer if the EU agrees) will follow.

The three Brexiteers, after fighting one another like rats in a sack, will have had to come up with a package. By then, the next general election will not be far off, providing a second stamp of approval for Brexit.

That, at least, is the formal plan. But politics is, among other things, the art of managing the unexpected, which May and her advisers cannot have overlooked. The House of Commons almost certainly will be required to approve the application under Article 50. A few principled Conservative pro-EU MPs may vote against it, endangering the governments slim majority, though the great majority will respect the electorate's wishes. The House of Lords will almost certainly vote no, but can only delay.

But, even assuming that Article 50 is triggered smoothly, the negotiations will be much rougher. Fox may find it relatively easy to secure good terms with the friendly dominions  Canada, Australasia, some African countries, and so on. But his talks with India will be trickier, and extremely difficult with China (though not with Russia, which is eager to make mischief for the EU). Between them, these countries account for around a third of Britains trade. The United States is likely to be hard-nosed in trade negotiations with the UK, but benign, placing Britain in the middle of the queue, rather than at the back, as President Barack Obama threatened.

The remaining half of Britains trade, which is with the EU, will depend on what May, Davis, and Fox can secure. May has voiced distaste for off-the-shelf arrangements, but something like Norways arrangement with the European Economic Area (EEA), with a few bespoke differences, seems likely to be Britains best option  access to the single market, but no participation in political and judicial institutions.

A key point is that EEA status provides for an emergency brake (of the type the EU denied to Cameron in February) on the free movement of people. As the Norwegian EEA Agreement puts it, if serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties of a sectoral or regional nature liable to persist are arising, limits on free movement may be applied.

With EEA status, Britain could retain sovereignty (actually loss of influence in EU decision-making) and control of its borders, two key (and much distorted) promises made by Leave campaigners. But Britain would still have to conform to all those niggling EU (and indeed US and World Trade Organization) regulatory standards. And if Britain wants to entice multinationals as a springboard to the European market, it will have to conform to EU rules on competition and other matters. Otherwise, under WTO arrangements (favored by Fox), it would face European tariffs and lose investment.

Once an agreement with the EU is reached, it will be up to May to get it through Parliament. This will create considerable opportunities for obstruction and delay from the anti-Brexit majority there, at a time when a slowdown  a direct result of the Brexit vote  will be sapping the governments popularity.

This is why a second Brexit vote on the agreed terms of departure (favored by Johnson) should take place. Do you endorse them, May will ask voters, or do you want to stay? In the cold shower of reality, the vote may turn out to be different, as it was in Ireland and Denmark the morning after their EU referendums.

Then again, if the Labour Party continues to tear itself apart and Mays current popularity holds up, she could call an early election. Whatever she says now, British prime ministers often seek their own mandate, as Harold Macmillan did when he came to power following Anthony Edens resignation in 1957, and as Harold Wilson did in 1966 after receiving a wafer-thin majority in 1964. If she got it, her room for maneuver in the Brexit process would be greatly enlarged.

Copyright: Project Syndicate: Theresa May and the Three Brexiteers

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26 August 2016 12:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

With less than a week left for the 42nd World Chess Olympiad to be held in Baku, the organizers finish the last preparations for the event.

Youth and Sport Minister Azad Rahimov visited the Baku Crystal Hall, which will host the matches of the FIDEs event, gathering 2,000 chess masters from 180 countries. This beautiful arena once hosted Eurovision Song Contest in 2012.

The minister got acquainted with the preparations. Director of the Baku Chess Olympiad Operating Committee, Mahir Mammadov noted that the arena is ready to host the Olympiad.

After the familiarizing with the media, conference and exhibition rooms, the participants discussed the Opening Ceremony.

The Olympiad will see 182 men and 142 female teams. The solemn opening will be held on September 1. The competition will last until September 14.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli

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26 August 2016 11:52 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

The Ukrainian Ministry of Infrastructure is taking measures to reduce the tariffs for the transportation of goods on China-Ukraine-European Union route within the Silk Road project.

The corresponding agreement was reached by Ukraine and China after negotiations between government delegations and signing of the subcommittee protocol on trade and economic cooperation.

Ukraine and China have agreed to apply the mechanisms of public-private partnerships for infrastructure projects in Ukraine. China has proposed the use Silk Road fund for financing such projects.

The Ministry noted the importance of the participation of Chinese companies in goods transport through the port Chernomorsk through the territory of the Silk Road countries including Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. Within the framework of the joint creation of the Silk Road Economic Belt, Ukraine is taking measures to optimize and reduce rates for multimodal transport on China-Ukraine-European Union route.

Earlier, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol on competitive, preferential tariffs for cargo transportation on the Trans-Caspian international transport route -- Silk Road.

The Trans-Caspian International Transport Route is designed to provide transport connections between the East and West of Eurasia. It will enable the countries to reduce the costs of international cargo transportation.

Azerbaijan, which is already known with its energy projects, will contribute to global transit as a center of new Silk Road with important Trans-Caspian Transport Route.

The first test container train on route Shihezi (China)-Dostyk-Aktau-Alat, arrived in Baku international sea trade port on August 3, 2015.

In order to increase the transportation volume through the route, in May, delegations of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol providing competitive preferential tariffs on the Trans-Caspian route. The tariffs came into force from June 1.

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Amina Nazarli is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @amina_nazarli



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26 August 2016 18:01 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Association of winemakers will be established in Azerbaijan.

The decision was adopted at the meeting of Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) with the representatives of domestic companies, engaged in production of wine.

The meeting also discussed activities aimed at promoting exports of local wine production. Companies also offered their suggestions in this field.

Azerbaijan is an ancient land of winegrowing. Due to the favorable natural-climatic condition, numerous sorts of grape have been developed here.

Azerbaijani wines exported to Russia, Ukraine, Baltic States, Poland, Belarus, the UAE and China. More and more countries such as France are showing interest in the national brandy.

Azerbaijan became a member of the International Organisation of Vine and Wine in June 2014. The country has focused since then on the development of vines and wineries as important contributors to the economy and agriculture.

Local experts noted that the government has devoted considerable effort to creating the Caspian Coast wine trademark and has invested heavily in advertising the brand outside Azerbaijan. The ministries of agriculture and economy are working to develop a wine culture programme.

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26 August 2016 12:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The Russian Orthodox Church invariably and consistently supports the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and the search for mutually acceptable solutions for existing disagreements within the framework of the law.

This was stated in a letter of the Church addressed to Azerbaijans Embassy in Russia in response to the Embassys request on the final declaration of the 23rd annual conference of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy, the Azerbaijani Embassy told Trend on August 26.

The final declaration included a paragraph of anti-Azerbaijani nature that was the reason of the Azerbaijani Embassys quick respond.

The letter says that since 1993, with the mediation of Patriarch of Moscow and all Russia, a number of meetings of Armenian and Azerbaijani religious leaders were held. At the meetings, participants have repeatedly stated that the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict is devoid of religious ground  it has a political nature and the inciting of ethnic hatred is a sin from both the Christian and Islamic points of view.

Patriarch of Moscow today also supports the same position and makes efforts for the peaceful and fair solution of the conflict, the letter reads. The concern of the Azerbaijani side will also be brought to the attention of leadership of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with the signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

While the OSCE Minsk Group acted as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, the occupation of the territory of the sovereign State with its internationally recognized boundaries has been left out of due attention of the international community for years.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

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26 August 2016 14:13 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

Azerbaijan`s Foreign Ministry has warned that any person who illegally visits Azerbaijan`s Armenia-occupied territories will be declared a persona non grata.

These people will be immediately blacklisted, said Foreign Ministrys Spokesman Hikmat Hajiyev as he commented on news that Armenia is going to arrange an international conference to celebrate the anniversary of the separatist regime in the occupied Nagorno-Karabakh, Azertac reported.

Yerevan is set to make another provocation by organizing an international conference to mark the 25th anniversary of the separatist regime in the occupied Azerbaijani territory. Armenians plan to organize this conference through the French Center for Political and Foreign Affairs late this month or early September. Yerevan has already started sending invitations to former government officials, public figures and MPs of a number of countries. The Armenian side also plans to organize a visit of the conference participants to the occupied Azerbaijani territory under any pretext, he said.

The spokesman stressed that the conference aims to harm the OSCE Minsk Group-mediated negotiations to solve the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict, undermine efforts to ensure a lasting peace in the region, add tension to situation at this sensitive moment and propagate the separatist regime in the occupied Azerbaijani territory.

We urge the invited persons to respect international legal norms and principles, not to become tools of the Armenian propaganda machine and to refrain from participating in this provocative conference and visiting the occupied Azerbaijani territories, said Hajiyev.

The spokesman voiced satisfaction with the fact that several public and political figures have already refused to attend the conference.

As a result of Armenia's armed invasion into Azerbaijan's legal territory, the two neighboring countries have remained locked in a bitter territorial dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Armenia-backed separatists seized from Azerbaijan in a bloody war in the early 1990s.

Despite Baku's best efforts, peace in the occupied lands remains a mirage in the distance as Armenia refuses to comply with international law.

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26 August 2016 11:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

The changing geopolitical situation, processes occurring in the region and, at the same time, internal processes in Azerbaijan related to its development, requires the changes in the institutionalization process in public administration, said Elman Nasirov, political expert and Director of the Institute of Political Studies of the Academy of Public Administration.

Nasirov said that these changes are primarily related to the realities of the rapidly changing governance.

"I believe that the initiative of the President to hold a referendum over the amendments to the Constitution is a process following the development path traversed by Azerbaijan in the recent years", Nasirov said, adding that these reforms also contribute to more effective protection of human rights and freedoms.

Nasirov also commented on proposal to increase the President's office term from five to seven years.

"It is an extremely important step since in many cases the reforms carried out by the head of the state require time. The main objective in this case is to ensure a successful domestic and foreign policy pursued by the President", said the Director of the Institute.

The expert added that Azerbaijan is not pioneer in this issue, adding that many countries, such as Israel, Uzbekistan and Ireland have seven-year presidential term and Russia- six-year presidential term.

Nasirov considers the creation of the institute of vice-presidency as a new milestone in the public administration system since experience of other countries in the world, as well as neighboring counties allow to conclude that this institute is very effective in terms of good governance, operational decision making and implementation.

Nasirov said Azerbaijan aims to enter into a number of developed countries over the next 10 years.

The Cabinet of Ministers, in many cases, can not adequately respond to the rapidly changing realities, processes that require rapid solutions. Therefore, this new mechanism is very important, he said.

September 26, 2016 was set as the date for referendum on proposed changes to the constitution of Azerbaijan.

In a bill recently sent to the Constitutional Court, President Ilham Aliyev proposed amendments to 29 Articles of Azerbaijans current constitution. The changes envisage extension of the presidential term from five to seven years, establishment of the first vice-president and vice-president positions in the country as well as abolishment of minimum age limit for presidential candidates, dissolution of parliament by the president.

Final results of the Referendum will be announced till October 21.

The last time changes to the Constitution were made seven years ago, following Constitutional referendum held in 2009.

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26 August 2016 10:27 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijans First Lady, President of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation Mehriban Aliyeva has been elected as an honorary citizen of the Bulgarian city of Veliko Tarnovo, the city commune reported on August 25.

Veliko Tarnovo`s Mayor Daniel Panov`s proposal to elect the Azerbaijani First Lady as an honorary citizen was unanimously approved at a ceremonial meeting on August 25.

The status of the honorary citizen was awarded to Mehriban Aliyeva for her outstanding contribution to and involvement in the protection and promotion of cultural heritage of Veliko Tarnovo.

An agreement On conservation and restoration of Trapezitsa Architectural Museum Reserve and construction and repair of its technical infrastructure was signed in May 2015 in Sofia.

Under the agreement, the Heydar Aliyev Foundation, headed by First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva, carried out the restoration and preservation of the 150-meter long Western Wall of a historic monument, the construction of 700-meter long tourist alley, the creation and provision of a cultural center, the repair and preservation of three churches on the territory, and the creation of a transportation infrastructure for those coming to visit the reserve.

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26 August 2016 10:41 (UTC+04:00)

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has signed an order providing additional funding for the construction of Sugovushan-Qaralar-Qafarli-Ahmadabad-Narimankend-Hashimkhanli highway in Sabirabad district, Azertac reported.

Under the presidential order, 6.2 million manats were allocated from the 2016 State Budget for the completion of the construction of the road, which links ten residential areas with the total population of 20,000 people.

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26 August 2016 13:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

The society will benefit from the constitutional referendum set for September 26, political scientist, Professor of Western University Fikret Sadikhov told Day.Az.

He noted that any society and political system should be improved and reformed from time to time.

Needs of recent years and the ongoing changes in the geopolitical situation, as well as the increasing role of Azerbaijan in the region require various transformations in the country. Therefore, introduction of certain amendments to the Constitution is a natural phenomenon, said Sadikhov, adding that many states improve their political system and conduct government reforms by amending the basic law of the country.

He also stressed that such changes are made based on the decision of voters.

Voters themselves decide how to express their position: to agree with certain amendments to the Constitution or not. It is the right of each voter, Sadikhov said.

Sadikhov also commented on proposals to increase the Presidents office term from five to seven years and introduction of the Vice-Presidency Institution.

Amendments to the Constitution regarding the increase of presidential term and introduction of posts of First Vice-President and Vice-Presidents are acceptable and consistent with the status of our state. All these are new stage of modernization and improvement of countrys political system, said the analyst, adding that all the amendments fully comply with the requirements and challenges our country faced in recent years.

Previously, the Director of the Institute of Political Studies of the Academy of Public Administration under the President, Elman Nasirov also said that the creation of the institute of vice-presidency is a new milestone in the public administration system since experience of other countries in the world, as well as neighboring counties allow to conclude that this institute is very effective in terms of good governance, operational decision making and implementation.

September 26, 2016 was set as the date for referendum on proposed changes to the constitution of Azerbaijan.

In a bill recently sent to the Constitutional Court, President Ilham Aliyev proposed amendments to 29 Articles of Azerbaijans current constitution. The changes envisage extension of the presidential term from five to seven years, establishment of the first vice-president and vice-president positions in the country as well as abolishment of minimum age limit for presidential candidates, dissolution of parliament by the president.

Final results of the Referendum will be announced till October 21.

The last time changes to the Constitution were made seven years ago, following Constitutional referendum held in 2009.

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26 August 2016 14:46 (UTC+04:00)

By Amina Nazarli

Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine dismissed the complaint of Wog Aerojet, dissenting with the victory of SOCAR Trading House Energy Ukraine ( "daughter" of the Azerbaijani state company SOCAR) in the tender for the supply of diesel fuel for Ukrainian Railways -- Ukrzaliznytsia.

Wog Aerojet arguments were refuted by materials provided by Ukrainian Railways.

Antimonopoly Committee of the country has not found violations in the order of diesel fuel procurement procedure. However, Wog Aerojet is able to appeal the decision in court.

Meanwhile, in spite of the Wog Aerojets complaint SOCAR has completed the delivery of diesel fuel to "Ukrainian Railways" in the amount of 14.100 tons.

Earlier, Ukrzaliznytsia reported that one of the bidders of the tender WOG Aero Jet ,which price was 15.3 percent higher challenged the results.

SOCAR Ukraine won a tender held by Center for Provision of Production of Ukrzaliznytsia to supply diesel fuel. Following the tender, SOCAR Energy Ukraine and Ukrzaliznytsia signed an agreement on the supply of diesel fuel with a total volume of 14,087 tons worth over $10 million.

In Ukraine, SOCAR is represented by SOCAR Energy Ukraine, running a network of 58 refueling stations. The main activity of SOCAR Energy Ukraine is to improve the network of petrol filling stations and organize wholesale of petrol and oil products in the territory of Ukraine.

The company continues to steadily develop its filling stations network both in the capital of Ukraine and other regions. The filling stations are operating under the SOCAR brand in the Kyiv, Odessa, Lviv, Nikolaevsk, Rovensk, Cherkasy, Khmelnytsky and Poltava regions of Ukraine.

In January-July 2016, SOCAR exported 415,980 tons of diesel fuel as compared to the figure of 528,230 tons in the same period of 2015. The company has so far invested over $200 million in the development of business in Ukraine.

SOCAR is involved in exploring oil and gas fields, producing, processing, and transporting oil, gas, and gas condensate, marketing petroleum and petrochemical products in domestic and international markets, as well as, supplying natural gas to industry and the public in Azerbaijan.

The company has representative offices in Georgia, Turkey, Romania, Austria, Switzerland, Kazakhstan, Great Britain, Iran, Germany and Ukraine, as well as trading companies in Switzerland, Singapore, Vietnam, Nigeria, and other countries.

SOCAR owns petrol stations in Azerbaijan, Georgia, Ukraine, Romania and Switzerland. The representation in Ukraine was opened in 2008.

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26 August 2016 15:42 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

15:09 (GMT+4) The number of casualties as a result of the terror attack in Turkeys Sirnak province has reached 11, Milliyet newspaper reported on August 26.

Currently, the number of those injured has reached 70, and four of them are in serious condition, according to the newspaper.

Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorist organization stands behind the terror attack.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

11:12(GMT+4) The number of those killed as a result of the terror attack in Turkeys Sirnak province has reached 9 and 64 people have been injured, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

It is not excluded that these figures will rise, according to the newspaper.

Turkish authorities have not yet confirmed the number of dead and wounded.

11:12(GMT+4) The number of those killed as a result of the terror attack in Turkeys Sirnak province has reached 9 and 64 people have been injured, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

It is not excluded that these figures will rise, according to the newspaper.

Turkish authorities have not yet confirmed the number of dead and wounded.

10:13 (GMT+4) As a result of the terror attack committed near a police station, three policemen have been killed and two passers have been injured, Ozgur newspaper reported.

The building of the police station has been badly damaged.

09:28 (GMT+4) An explosion occurred near a police station in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak, Anadolu Agency reported on August 26.

There are injured people, according to preliminary data.

It was also reported that the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorist organization stands behind the explosion.

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26 August 2016 10:53 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

Experts of the Council of Europe will meet with Turkish side to discuss the investigation of the failed military coup attempt.

Turkey is ready to cooperate with the Council of Europe on this issue, said Thorbjorn Jagland, the Secretary General of the Organization in an interview with newspaper Welt, RIA Novosti reported.

Ankara intends to cooperate with the Council of Europe on the current process of coup investigation. Therefore, Europeans should make a contribution as well, the newspaper quoted Jagland.

Jagland was one of the first European officials to visit Turkey after the coup attempt of July 15.

One of the key topics discussed in the meetings was cleansing of Turkey from Gulen supporters, who were involved in failed coup attempt.

Gulen is accused of leading 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

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 on 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.

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26 August 2016 14:53 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) terrorist organization stands behind the terror attack in Turkeys Sirnak province, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, TRT Haber TV channel reported on August 26.

He said that the activity of PKK terrorists will not weaken Turkey's fight against them.

"The fight against the PKK will be continued," Yildirim added.

An explosion occurred in Turkeys southeastern province of Sirnak on August 26, as a result of which nine people have been killed and more than 60 have been injured.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

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26 August 2016 16:30 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

If the European Union (EU) doesnt agree to cancel visa regime with Turkey, the Union will have serious problems with illegal migrants, TRT Haber news channel quoted Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as saying.

Binali Yildirim noted that the EU has to understand the situation of migrants.

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if the European Union doesnt cancel visa regime with Turkey in mid-October, Ankara wont be able to receive illegal migrants from the EU, adding that the EU still has not paid $3 billion allocated for maintenance of refugees.

In turn, earlier 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.

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 principle of "one for one"

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.

Turkey has along 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.

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26 August 2016 17:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Gunay Hasanova

The Chairman of the European Parliament (EP), Martin Schulz, will visit Ankara on September 1.

He will hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and discuss the relationship between the EU and Turkey, RIA Novosti reported.

"I will visit Ankara on Thursday to meet with President Erdogan, to discuss relations between the EU and Turkey and hereby to confirm the European Unions support for democracy and democratic values in Turkey, wrote Schultz in his official microblog on Twitter.

At the moment, the EU delegation in Ankara discusses progress towards the abolition of visa regime for Turkish citizens and the accession of the country to the EU.

Previously, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said that if the European Union doesnt cancel visa regime with Turkey in mid-October, Ankara wont be able to receive illegal migrants from the EU, adding that the EU still has not paid $3 billion allocated for maintenance of refugees.

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 principle of "one for one"

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.

Turkey has along 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.

---

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Pastor Ken Adkins, who faced widespread condemnation for making offensive remarks about a fatal shooting that left 49 LGBT club goers dead and 53 others wounded at a gay nightclub in Orlando turned himself in to police about 9 a.m. Friday on aggravated child molestation charges on a young boy, reported The Florida Time-Union.

The alleged abuse took place at Adkins church in Brunswick, as well as the pastors car and the victims home, prosecutors said.

His attorney said investigators told him the abuse took place in 2010.

In 2012 a Glynn County magistrate ordered Adkins to stop using his Facebook and social media accounts to call a School Board member a fool or a runaway slave. The order also barred Adkins from using the term child molester without proof when criticizing a worker for two local campaigns.

The pastors wife said she believed Adkins would be cleared, and she expressed concern about the young man who made the allegations.

Charlotte Stormy Adkins said the alleged victim was part of the churchs ministry and had been mentored by her and her husband.

Shortly after the PLUSE Nightclub Massacre Adkins took to Twitter talking about the LGBT victims saying I dont see none of them as victims. I see them as getting what they deserve!!

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Former deputy Edward Tucker was recaptured in Lake Isabella on Friday, five days after he walked away from a rehabilitation facility where had
UK bakery distribution business Coultons Bread is to open a new depot in Caernarfon, creating 20 jobs, after teaming up with Kingsmill owner Allied Bakeries.

The depot, located on the Cibyn Industrial Estate, is a strategic partnership between Coultons Bread and Allied Bakeries and will distribute the full catalogue of Allied Bakeries brands, including Kingsmill, Burgen, Allinson and Sunblest. It will open on 14 November and will operate under the Coultons Bread brand name.

This is the seventh Coultons depot, with the company operating other sites in Liverpool, Manchester, Bradford, Nottingham, Carlisle and Newcastle.

Howard Hunter, managing director of Coultons Bread, said: This is an exciting time for us at Coultons Bread as we look to grow our bakery third-party logistics services. We have established this business model with Allied Bakeries over the page three years at our existing six depots and we are proud to have built a strong reputation for operational efficiency and service excellence for our customers.

In July Allied announced its decision to close a distribution centre in Flintshire as part of an efficiency review.
A bakery manager in Scotland has been found guilty of embezzling almost 3k from Aulds Bakery.

Prosecutors at a hearing in Greenock Sheriff Court said Loughray had been siphoning off the money for a number of months. At the time of the theft, she was reported to be 900 in debt for council tax and rent arrears, as well has having a credit card bill.

According to the Glasgow Evening Times, the court heard that Anne Loughray had exploited Aulds Bakerys method of banking to steal the money over a six-month period. The paper reported that the court heard the procedure at Aulds was to put takings into paper bags used for selling cakes and pastries to customers, marking the amounts on the outside of the bags. These would then be deposited at a Post Office Girobank.

However, while confirming that the bakery manager had been found guilty and would be sentenced in early September, a spokesperson for Aulds claimed that there were several errors in the report, including the companys suggested method of banking and that the report itself was not helpful to the company or to any local businesses.

In her defence, Loughray claimed she had lost 2,995 on one occasion, where she had lost the money after putting it into an Aulds carrier bag. However, she could not remember where the loss had occurred or on which day, claiming the cash had vanished sometime between 23 October and 3 November 2014. She also claimed that she had used 1k of her own money to try to cover up losing the takings.

However Sheriff Derek Hamilton dismissed the defence, saying; It seems to me that if someone lost nearly 3k, then the date would be etched on their memory.
For businesses looking to compete in todays increasingly challenging digital environment, IT is everything. Yet, few companies face the daily challenges of Getty Images, the Seattle-based stock photo agency that boasts an archive of more than 180 million assets, including still images, illustrations and film footage.

The 21-year-old firm serves customersincluding newspapers, magazines, advertisers, film and television studies, and online media outletsin more than 100 countries. It also works with more than 300 content partners and 230,000 contributors worldwide.

Its essential that our Website and IT systems operates at maximum efficiency, says Emily Ireland, director of IT Service Management at Getty Images. If there is a problem, whether its in the form of slow downloads or an inability for people to log in, we need to address the issue immediately.

Indeed, any performance lags or site slowdowns impact the business. Getty images pulls in between $2 million and $4 million per day, and an incident can cost the company as much as $125,000. In the past, pinpointing problems and fixing them was challenging.

It took too much time just to get the right technical people engaged and start troubleshooting an issue, Ireland points out. Shaving 10 or 15 minutes off a longer type of incident has enormous value for Getty.

In July 2012, the company launched an IT service management program with chat rooms and other tools to help IT staff diagnose and fix problems. However, the environment lacked a number of features Getty required. So, after a major power outage that caused Websites and feeds to fail, the company recognized a need to further upgrade its IT management and services capabilities.

Automating the Incident Response System

In February 2015, Getty installed a new communications system from xMatters. The technologywhich allows IT staff to push a button and start a contact rotation within specific groups of technicians using phone, text and emailintegrates with the companys existing ServiceNow environment via an API.

We have several on-call rotations when an incident occurs, Ireland explains. If a person responsible for the application or site doesnt answer within 5 minutes, it rolls onto the next person. If that person doesnt respond, it rolls to a manager. The entire process is automated.

So far, the xMatters system has trimmed engagement time by 70 percent. Shaving the response time from 15 minutes to 5 minutes makes a huge difference for our customers, Ireland says.

Because the company prioritizes incidents based on impact and urgency, its also better equipped to allocate resources more efficiently. Ireland says that staff members adopted the new technology with little resistance, and push notifications and alerts delivered through an app have been well-received.

In addition, analytics capabilities allow the director to identify problem points, as well as situations in which someone isnt responding to calls or text messages in a timely manner.

Getty is planning to use additional features of the xMatters solution in the months ahead. This system has helped us move IT operations forward, and it ensures that customers are getting the best experience possible, Ireland reports.
A North Port couple who tragically lost their 5-year-old son earlier in August set out to honor his memory Thursday by donating thousands of toy cars to Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital.

Sawyer Gordon, 5, hit by a truck while on his bicycle on August 9

Sawyer was previously a patient at Johns Hopkins All Children's

Parents wished to give back in a way that Sawyer would have loved

For Summer and Reppard Gordon, the trip to unload the multitude of toy cars for the young patients at the hospital was an emotional one.



The last time they were there, they left without their youngest son. Five-year-old Sawyer Gordon was killed on August 9 when he was hit by a truck while riding his bicycle.

At the time, the Gordons said it was their faith that was keeping them going.

"What's getting us through is that God has a plan, and we trust him, and I know I will see our son again," Summer said.

RELATED: Family remembers 5-year-old North Port boy hit, killed by car



Sawyer, a special needs student at Pinnacle Academy in Bradenton, loved to play with Matchbox Cars.



Photo: Summer and Reppard Gordon

"He loved Matchbox Cars so much, even when I came home from the hospital after he passed away, I laid in his bed and found three Matchbox cars hidden under his pillow," said Summer.

Friends and loved ones were encouraged to bring Sawyers favorite toy to his celebration of life on August 12.



"We walked into church service, celebration of life and they had all these displayed out, said Reppard. Really an emotional time where all these people who had come, basically brought cars with them.



Cars like the ones that brought smiles to Sawyers face while he went to appointments at Johns Hopkins All Childrens.



"Just a month ago, we were here for a test and it was a little traumatic for him," said Summer. "They gave him this awesome little motorcycle and for weeks he would say, 'I need my motorcycle, motorcycle.'"



The Gordons wanted to bring those smiles to other children, while honoring their sons memory.



"I just thought giving back and bringing them here was such a perfect fit so that these kiddos that are going through health struggles and challenges and tests, they can just be kids for a few minutes and take their mind off whatever the reason that they're here is," said Summer.



Kristin Maier, director of the Child Life Department at the hospital, received the donation and says Sawyers memory will live on through each one of these cars.



"This was a tragic situation and this family had so much unselfishness that they thought about giving back to other children and taking care of other children and helping their son's life and legacy live on through a gift to the children, who are still going through different kinds of treatment and care," said Maier.



The toys will be distributed throughout the hospital for patients to enjoy.



"I hope that they bring them joy, I hope that they can bring them a smile," said Summer.
(Note: Last updated 11:00 p.m. ET)



The tropical wave near Cuba remains disorganized. It will not have an impact on our weather this weekend.

Strong wind shear are still preventing it from developing, so the more likely scenario is that it moves westward without developing for a couple days, ending up near Key West by late Sunday.

Early next week on Monday or Tuesday it will likely move northwest into the Gulf. That is where it will have the best chance of developing, if it ever will.

WEATHER ON THE GO: Download the Bay News 9 app

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Please make sure to check our website and Bay News 9 app and watch our Tropical Updates each hour at :49.

Whether it develops or not, we could end up with higher rain chances next week due to higher moisture content in the atmosphere. As of right now, this looks like a much smaller threat to our state, but its still something worth watching closely.

Interesting tidbit -- the computer model with the best performance this week has not been the European model that so many people have raved about the past few years, but rather the American GFS model. The American GFS model has done a better job portraying a weak tropical wave not developing. This is why we dont hype and jump on one computer model like some in the business. We take a systematic approach that has a proven track record in the long run.

Well continue to track it this weekend and let you know if we see any major changes.













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N. Oregon Coast Group Releases Stunning Promo Videos of Tillamook County

Published 08/26/2016 at 5:51 AM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection staff

(Tillamook, Oregon)  Usually, it's best to really get away from it all by actually heading out to the Oregon coast. Sequestering yourself, in person, from the commotion of the city, escaping the daily life of cell phones and computers by simply listening to the rhythms of the water, the sway of the trees and the song of the birds. (Above: a still shot from one of the Tillamook Coast videos).

Especially, in Tillamook County, according to one group. But if you can't get out there physically, ironically, sometimes the best way to get away is via your computer. It was in that spirit that Visit Tillamook Coast (VTC) with Sea Legs Media of Salem, Oregon produced seven, story-based videos at www.youtube.com/user/tillamookcoast that depict the wonders of Oregons Tillamook Coast. They cover activities like hiking, surfing and paddle boarding; to fishing, gathering and feasting.

The videos were produced to exemplify the accessibility and enjoyment of being in nature, outdoor recreation, family destinations, and fresh food available in Tillamook County, said director Nan Devlin.

The first is a series of brief, eye-catching snippets of the region, covering sights and sites at Pacific City, Oceanside, Anderson's Viewpoint, Tillamook, Cape Lookout, Manzanita, Nehalem Bay and Oswald West State Park. Images flash by quickly and you get quite the sampler of the visual diversity and deliciousness of the area.

Other videos are actually narrated by local experts and include, Fly fishing on the Wilson River with Bryan Hornbeak, Kilchis Point Reserve with Gary Albright, Paddle boarding with Janice Gaines on Nehalem Bay, Garibaldi fresh seafood with Jeff Wong, and Meetings are amazing on the Tillamook Coast.

Hiking at Cape Lookout State Park with Brian Cameron and Skyler Veek is particularly fascinating. You see plenty of stunning scenery - likely stuff you have not seen unless you've made the five-mile round trip to the edge of the cape and back. Beautiful drone footage follows the two hikers along sometimes precarious edges from a point of view slightly above the pair, then abruptly it veers off across the drop-off point of a cliff precipice. Cameron talks convincingly how addictive the place is, speaking of seeing whales and the thrill of walking along sometimes dicey spots that skirt close to the edges.

At one point, he imparts the interesting tidbit that the weather can be better out there on that tip at times.

We produced these videos to show people the natural beauty of this part of the Oregon Coast and get a sense of all there is to explore and enjoy here, said Devlin. Tillamook County has spectacular views and beautiful beaches, but we have so much more and these videos touch on the many experiences our destination offers.

Devlin decided it was time to take VTCs video storytelling to the next level by creating more personalized videos that feature the voices of local experts to tell the unique stories of Oregons Tillamook Coast. The organization has carved a niche in Oregons tourism marketing industry for comprehensive content marketing, and is leveraging the power of video to inspire visitors.

For more information on the Tillamook Coast, visit www.tillamookcoast.com or subscribe to their YouTube Channel at www.youtube.com/user/tillamookcoast. Planning a meeting or team building event? Go to www.tillamookcoast.com/meetings. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours









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A man charged with capital murder in the execution-style shootings of six members of a Spring family in 2014 will face the death penalty, according to attorneys connected to the case.

Ronald Haskell, 36, of Utah, is set to stand trial in the fall of 2017, according to Harris County Assistant District Attorney Kaylnn Williford.

THE CRIME: 6 members of Spring family shot to death in likely domestic dispute

Prosecutors and defense attorneys updated state District Judge Kent Ellis during a court hearing Friday, but Haskell did not appear in court.

Outside the courtroom, defense attorney Doug Durham confirmed reports of Haskell's mental health issues and said those problems would likely be part of the defense. He said little else about the defense or mitigation.

DETAILS: Prosecutor say suspect in Spring family slaying shot victims 'execution-style'

Haskell is accused of slaying Katie and Stephen Stay and their children Bryan, 13; Emily, 9; Rebecca, 7; and Zach, 4. Another daughter, Cassidy, 15, also was shot, but survived.

The case made national headlines after Haskell, disguised in a FedEx uniform, allegedly pushed his way into the Stay residence where Cassidy Stay was home alone. He then bound the teen, and other members of the family as they arrived home. Haskell demanded to know the whereabouts of his ex-wife, Katie Stay's sister, then shot them all in the head.

IN COURT: Suspect in Spring killings collapses in court

Investigators said Haskell was trying to find out the location of his estranged ex-wife, a woman who apparently left him after several episodes of domestic violence.

On his initial appearance in court two days after the shooting on July 9, 2014, Haskell collapsed as an assistant district attorney described the crime he is accused of committing.

RESPONSE: Grieving Spring community gathers for Stay family funeral

After that, Durham outlined a possible insanity defense, saying Haskell suffered from mental illness, and was not on his medication when the crime occurred.

Haskell remains in the Harris County Jail without bail.
Big Thicket National Preserve will hold a free screening of "The National Parks of Texas: In Contact with Beauty," a 55-minute documentary that tells the stories of the 16 National Park Service units in Texas.

The screening will be held at the Jefferson Theatre, 345 Fannin St., in Beaumont on on Sept. 22 from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
A former Orange County sheriff's detective facing a federal money laundering charge involving $187,000 said Friday he was wrong to help conceal stolen funds from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

In a written statement provided by his attorney, Chad Hogan, 47, said he used a business account to cash checks for people involved in a conspiracy to defraud the federal government.

Ryan Gertz, Hogan's attorney, said his client plans to plead guilty next week to one count of money laundering in exchange for a prison sentence of one year and one day. He avoids a possible maximum 20-year sentence and $500,000 fine.

Hogan, who worked more than 20 years in law enforcement in Orange County and at the Port Arthur Police Department, also owned a cellphone business that cashed checks and accepted bill payments.

After he closed the business in 2012, he continued to cash checks for Nhung Tuyet Nguyen and other co-conspirators, according to Gertz. Hogan charged a percentage of the cashed checks as a fee.

In its charging document, the government accused Hogan of depositing 4,302 checks to his personal bank account between March 2009 and August 2015.

A plea hearing for Hogan is scheduled Thursday in federal court.

Hogan resigned from the Orange County sheriff's office in March. He started there in 2009 after leaving Port Arthur PD.

Nguyen, 50, pleaded guilty last month to theft of public money.

"Assisting these people in concealing the funds was wrong and I should never have been involved with it," Hogan said in the written statement. "One of the things I learned during my career is the necessity for citizens to take responsibility for their own actions. With my plea, I am taking full responsibility for my actions.

"My choices have resulted in the destruction of my career in law enforcement, embarrassment and pain for my family, and ultimately a year in federal prison. I regret my decisions and want to apologize to my family and friends for the embarrassment this has caused them."

Part of Nguyen's job as assistant manager at Beverly Place in Port Neches was to help tenants apply for HUD benefits, which help pay rent and utility expenses based on income, according to court documents.

Nguyen would apply for HUD benefits without tenants' knowledge and use rent payments for her personal benefit, according to the factual basis and stipulation document filed in her case.

Residents at Beverly Place were unknowingly receiving HUD benefits, even after they moved out of the apartment complex, according to the document.

From February 2009 until August 2011, Nguyen deposited $78,795 into her personal bank account from nearly 2,000 HUD checks made payable to Beverly Place residents, the document shows.

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
A former Orange County sheriff's detective who resigned earlier this year amid a federal investigation is expected to plead guilty next week to a federal money laundering charge in exchange for a lesser prison sentence.

Chad Wayne Hogan, 47, is accused of laundering a portion of $187,000 stolen from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to a charging document filed this week by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher T. Tortorice in a Beaumont federal court.

The U.S. government accuses Hogan of depositing 4,302 checks to his personal bank account between March 2009 and August 2015.

The former detective is accused of being part of a conspiracy to defraud HUD and residents who lived at the Beverly Place Apartments in Groves, according to the charging document. He is named as a co-defendant in court filings with Nhung Tuyet Nguyen, 50.

Nguyen, who also goes by Sandy Nguyen, was the assistant manager at Beverly Place Apartments from 2007 until the end of last year, according to a factual basis and stipulation document filed in her case by Tortorice last month.

Hogan is expected to plead guilty to one count of federal money laundering at a Thursday hearing, according to his attorney Ryan Gertz. In exchange for his guilty plea, Hogan is expected to receive a sentence of one year and one day in federal prison, Gertz said.

With the plea agreement, Hogan avoids a possible maximum 20-year sentence and $500,000 fine.

Federal prosecutors are seeking a money judgment to reclaim $187,706, the charging document shows. Additionally, the government also plans to seize Hogan's MCT Credit Union account, where the money was deposited, according to the document.

Hogan joined the Orange County sheriff's office in 2009 after working 18 years with the Port Arthur Police Department. He was one of 12 detectives at the sheriff's office before his resignation in March.

His co-defendant, Nguyen, pleaded guilty to theft of public money in July, and her plea was accepted on Wednesday by U.S. District Judge Marcia Crone, according to court records.

Nguyen's punishment is pending a pre-sentencing report.

Part of Nguyen's job at Beverly Place was to help tenants apply for HUD benefits, which help pay rent and utility expenses based on income, according to court documents.

Nguyen would apply for HUD benefits without tenants' knowledge and use rent payments for her personal benefit, according to the factual basis and stipulation document filed in her case.

Residents at Beverly Place were unknowingly receiving HUD benefits, even after they moved out of the apartment complex, according to the document.

From February 2009 until August 2011, Nguyen deposited $78,795 into her personal bank account from nearly 2,000 HUD checks made payable to Beverly Place residents, the document shows.

HUD paid $164,226 in rental and utility assistance for at least five residents who were unaware they had been granted benefits, according to the document. In total, the government believes at least 10 Beverly Place residents were victims of fraud totalling $393,583 in stolen benefits.

Nguyen is represented by attorney George Parnham.

BScott@BeaumontEnterprise.com Twitter.com/BrandonKScott
Jake Daniels

A suspect has been taken into custody at the Beaumont Independent School District Police Department after allegedly calling in a bomb threat at Ozen High School Friday morning, according to BISD spokesperson, Nakisha Burns.

According to Burns, Beaumont Police Department received a bomb threat call regarding Ozen High School early Friday morning.
The first Hollywood home of much loved American actress Lucille Ball was recently listed for $1.75 million.

The delightful two-bedroom bungalow with palm trees in the front yard sits in the heart of the West Holllywood's historic Spaulding Square neighborhood, an enclave of mostly Colonial-style bungalows developed between 1916 and 1926. Early residents were silent film stars and directors, according to the neighborhood association.
Since pharmaceutical company Mylan acquired and began selling EpiPen nearly 10 years ago, the drug's price has spiked almost 400 percent, leading the company's CEO to come under intense scrutiny, according to The New York Times.

Interestingly enough, Heather Bresch, Mylan's chief executive, is the daughter of Sen. Joy Manchin III (D-W.V.). The familial relation could pose as a conflict of interest if the Senate calls on Ms. Beech to testify about the product's price hike.

One senator calling for the executive's testimony claims her family connection will not impact the Senate hearing. Rather, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) said the Senate would focus on whether Mylan acted immorally with families paying erroneous prices for a life-saving drug that combats allergies.

This week, the Senate Special Committee on Aging required Mylan to provide information and a briefing about the rationale behind the price jump. Democratic presidential candidate referred to the 400 percent price hike at "outrageous." In a statement, Mylan said the company was putting forth efforts to help access to EpiPens such as giving schools free doses of the drug and helping customers with high deductibles pay for EpiPen.

More articles on quality & infection control:

National Patient Safety Foundation updates Online Patient Safety Curriculum: 6 points

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The need for effective infection & outcome metrics to propel the ASC industry forward
The Japanese pharmaceutical company Takeda Pharmaceutical announced its new Access to Medicines strategy, which aims to increase patient access to the company's gastroenterology and oncology medications.

Here's what you need to know:

1. The Access to Medications strategy addresses various barriers patients around the world face while seeking accessible and affordable healthcare.

2. The strategy includes accelerated registration of the company's medicines, increased participation of local centers in clinical trials and establishment of early access programs.

3. The strategy focuses on countries with limited healthcare systems and unmet patient needs, in regions like Africa, Latin America and Southeast Asia.

4. Takeda Pharmaceutical is also opening a new office in Nairobi, Kenya. The company says it will use this office to establish partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa.

5. At present, the company has established two corporate social responsibility programs: Takeda Initiative and HERhealth. Takeda Initiative supports healthcare workers in Africa through a partnership with the Global Fund and HERhealth addresses the need for women's healthcare services through a partnership with Business for Social Responsibility.
The four-paragraph letter from Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump's gastroenterologist Harold Bornstein, MD, is still making its way around the Internet.

The letter, which Mr. Trump released last December, attempts to confirm the nominee's physical health. Dr. Bornstein concludes the letter by stating: "If elected, Mr. Trump, I can state unequivocally, will be the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency."

Here are five things to know about Dr. Bornstein:

1. He is board certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine.

2. He is affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. However, he is not on staff there  even though he signed the letter as a member of the hospital's section of gastroenterology.

3. Although he signed the letter as a fellow of the American College of Gastroenterology in December, he has not been a fellow with the professional society since 1995, according to the Washington Post.

4. He has been the personal physician of Mr. Trump since 1980, according to the letter. Prior to 1980, Mr. Trump was treated by Dr. Bornstein's father, Jacob Bornstein, MD.

5. Dr. Bornstein earned his medical degree at Tufts University School of Medicine in Boston. He went on to complete his residency at Lenox Hill Hospital and his fellowship at the Connecticut-based Bridgeport Hospital.

Update: On Aug. 26, 2016, Dr. Bornstein told NBC News that he wrote the letter  which has been widely criticized as unscientific  in five minutes, while a limo sent by Mr. Trump waited outside Dr. Bornstein's office.
Houston-based MD Anderson Cancer Center reported a 76.9 percent drop in adjusted income for the 10 months ended June 30, a downfall it largely attributes to its Epic EHR implementation project.

In its agenda book and schedule of events for the University of Texas board of regents' meeting held Wednesday and Thursday, the health system reported a $405 million decrease in adjusted income as compared to the same time period the previous year.

"The $405.0 million (76.9 percent) decrease in adjusted incomewas primarily attributable to an increase in expenses combined with a decrease in patient revenues as a result of the implementation of the new Epic Electronic Health Record system," according to the agenda book.

The finance committee indicated expenses had increased due to a higher number of full-time employees, which required increased salaries, wages and payroll-related costs; salary increases and increased premium sharing rates; depreciation and amortization expenses related to the completion of several large projects; and other facility management and software projects.

Additionally, the agenda mentions an increase in consulting expenses "primarily related" to its Epic go-live, such as professional fees and services.

This isn't the first time MD Anderson has pointed to its Epic implementation project as a significant element of downward finances. In a May board of regents' meeting, the health system said costs related to the Epic implementation led to a 56.6 percent drop in adjusted income in the seven-month period that ended March 31.

In both instances, the health system said it anticipated a "material impact to revenues and expenses" due to the implementation.

"The post implementation strategy will focus on clinical productivity and operational efficiencies to return to normalized operations by year-end," according to the report.

MD Anderson went live on its Epic EHR in March.

More articles on finance:

5 most-read finance stories: Week of Aug. 22-26

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Oregon's healthcare price transparency grade improves after website creation
The union representing roughly 4,800 Allina Health nurses has filed required 10-day notices allowing the workers to strike beginning at 7 a.m. Labor Day, according to a Star Tribune report.

The strike over health benefits, staffing and safety issues will affect five Minnesota hospitals  Abbott Northwestern Hospital and Phillips Eye Institute in Minneapolis, United Hospital in St. Paul, Mercy Hospital in Coon Rapids and Unity Hospital in Fridley.

Leaders with the Minnesota Nurses Association planned to formally announce the strike Friday at a news conference at the Minnesota State Fair, along with leaders from other labor unions who also notified Allina that they will support the walkout, according to the article.

The upcoming strike is open-ended, meaning it will begin Sept. 5 and last until a deal is reached, reports the Star Tribune.

This will be the second Allina nurse walkout since an initial seven-day strike in June. Last week, the nurses rejected the latest contract offer from Allina, voting against it with the required two-thirds majority to authorize a strike. However, negotiators with the union decided to wait to set a date pending the outcome of talks that took place Tuesday, according to the artricle. The June strike, which didn't result in a deal, cost Allina $20.4 million. During the strike, Allina brought in 1,400 replacement nurses.

Multiple staffing agencies have already indicated they are recruiting nurses to cover an Allina strike, reports the Star Tribune.

A key sticking point in negotiations, along with workplace safety and staffing levels, has been the cost and design of the nurses' union-backed health insurance. Allina wanted to eliminate the nurses' four union-backed health plans, which include high premiums but low or no deductibles, and move the nurses to its corporate plans, reports the Star Tribune. The union wanted to protect those nurse-only plans. Allina has estimated that eliminating the nurses' four union-backed health plans would save the health system $10 million per year.

According to the Star Tribune, Allina and the nurses agreed to keep two of the union plans, but disagreed on how much the nurses should pay in future cost increases, and whether new Allina nurses could choose the union plans.
A 76-year-old veteran who had been a patient at Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center on Long Island committed suicide in the hospital's parking lot Sunday, according to The New York Times.

Peter A. Kaisen shot himself in the hospital's parking lot at around 12:30 pm after reportedly being denied services in the hospital's emergency department.

Two sources connected to the hospital who spoke to NYT on the condition of anonymity said Mr. Kaisen requested to see an emergency room physician for reasons related to his mental health. After being denied service, Mr. Kaisen reportedly went to his car and shot himself.

However, Christopher Goodman, a spokesperson for the hospital, told NYT there "was no indication that he presented to the ER prior to the incident."

The FBI has launched an investigation into Mr. Kaisen's death because it occurred on federal property. New York Reps. Steve Israel (D-Huntington) and Peter King (R-Seaford) sent a letter to FBI Director James Comey and VA Secretary Robert McDonald demanding an "expeditious and transparent" investigation of Mr. Kaisen's death, according to Newsday.

Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center has been under scrutiny since May, when NYT reported the hospital's five operating rooms had been closed since February after sand-size black particles began falling from air ducts.

More articles on legal and regulatory issues:

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Former CEO of West Virginia hospital sued for defamation
Dallas-based CTL Medical entered a General Services Administration partnership with Firehouse Medical.

Here are three key points:

1. Under the GSA partnership, CTL Medical will sell its spinal implants and devices to the U.S. government.

2. GSA contracts enable commercial suppliers to create long-term, government-wide contracts, selling their products at a volume discount price.

3. Firehouse Medical distributes medical supplies and training simulators. The company currently has three GSA contracts, a Defensive Logistics Agency Med/Surgical contract and a Distribution and Pricing Agreement with the DLA.

"Partnering with Firehouse Medical Inc. was a no brainer for us. Their extensive experience working with the U.S. government is something we value, and we are thrilled to provide our products to a new customer base," said Daniel Chon, president and CEO, CTL Medical.
Hewatt McGraw Sims, MD, of Coffee Regional Medical Center in Douglas, Ga., collaborated with Amendia to develop the Syzygy Stabilization System for spondylolisthesis patients, according to The Douglas Enterprise.

Here are five highlights:

1. Syzygy means the alignment of three celestial objects in astronomy. The system earned its name as it aligns three vertebral spine components.

2. The patented Syzygy system is a screw and rod system, helping surgeons align an unstable spine to decrease low back pain, leg pain, numbness or weakness.

3. Dr. Sims worked with Amendia for seven years to bring Syzygy to the market.

4. Amendia completed development of the system in June 2016.

5. Amendia plans to formally launch the system in the United States in October 2016.
Here are 10 key notes on orthopedic and spine device companies over the past week.

Johnson & Johnson could beat out Apple and Google's parent company Alphabet as the first $1 trillion company.

Medtronic reported $7.1 billion in worldwide revenue, in first quarter revenue for the 2017 fiscal year, which ended July 29, 2016.

Gregory T. Lucier is propelling NuVasive into a new wave of spine dominance.

Hewatt McGraw Sims, MD, of Coffee Regional Medical Center in Douglas, Ga., collaborated with Amendia to develop the Syzygy Stabilization System for spondylolisthesis patients.

Researchers published the two-year results from SI-BONE's INSITE study comparing the iFuse Implant System to non-surgical management for sacroiliac joint dysfunction.

The fifth patient implanted with InVivo Therapeutics' Neuro-Spinal Scaffold in the INSPIRE study improved from a complete AIS A spinal cord injury to an incomplete AIS B spinal cord injury.

CTL Medical entered a General Services Administration partnership with Firehouse Medical, under which CTL Medical will sell its spinal implants and devices to the U.S. government.

TranS1 was recently celebrated as Colorado's "Most Innovative Workplace."

India-based Apollo Hospitals Hyderabad's surgeons performed eight spine surgeries using Mazor Robotics' technology.

Oral-maxillofacial surgeons attending the Taiwan Association of Maxillofacial Surgeons Forum on Contemporary Facial Skeletal Surgery seemed intrigued by Misonix's BoneScalpel.
Here three spine surgeons weigh in on the most disruptive technologies and techniques in spine care today.

Ask Spine Surgeons is a weekly series of questions posed to spine surgeons around the country about clinical, business and policy issues affecting spine care. We invite all spine surgeon and specialist responses.





Next week's question: Do you think physician extenders are valuable? Why?





Please send responses to Anuja Vaidya at avaidya@beckershealthcare.com by Wednesday, Aug. 31, at 5 p.m. CST.

Question: What are the most disruptive new technologies in the spine market today?

Isador Lieberman, MD, Director, Scoliosis & Spine Tumor Center, Texas Back Institute, Plano: The most disruptive new technologies are robotics for automated surgery and biologics to arrest degeneration.

Plas T. James, MD, Atlanta Spine Institute: I think O-Arm is a good disruptive "robotic" technology to put in powerful self-guided screws, but I don't think we're close to robots performing spine surgery. I think you've got to be hands-on in spine surgery as much as possible. I think you use certain kinds of image-guided techniques with your own hands to fix the problem. But I'm not sure whether robots have a huge promise in spine surgery versus, for example, prostate or heart surgery where you have problems accessing certain areas anatomy-wise.

I think in surgeries, where your hands can't reach, a robot may be helpful, but using a robot to replace human hands is not necessarily the best way to go. I always use the analogy, if you're going to buy a pair of shoes that are hand-made or machine-made, which kind do you want? You want hand-made shoes because nothing is better than the human hand.

Mark Nolden, MD, NorthShore Orthopaedic Institute, Chicago: The more routine use of computer-assisted CT navigation platforms has been positively disruptive in the spine market today. It's now widespread use enables more predictable and accurate placement of spinal implants in complex and minimally invasive procedures.





The application and cost-effectiveness of robotics technologies in spine surgery has yet to be defined. Its utility for routine placement of pedicle screw implants is questionable.
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Sales at Ireland's biggest company CRH - which owns Northern Ireland firm Northstone - shot up by 35% to 12.7bn (10.86bn) in the first six months of the year as the company reported continuing momentum in its Americas business.

Profit before tax at the building materials firm increased by 344m (294m) to 407m (348m) as the company upped its dividend by 1.6% to 0.188 (0.16).

Net debt at the business climbed to 7.1bn (6.07bn), up from the 5.9bn (5.05bn) figure reported at the same time last year.

CRH - which employs nearly 1,000 people in Northern Ireland through Northstone and its subsidiaries - said the increased number reflects the firm's major spend on acquisitions in the second half of 2015.

The impact of Brexit is still unclear, in the medium-term at least. CRH said its outlook for its European business for the rest of this year is for a continuation of the trends seen in the first six months.

The Irish company is expecting its good momentum in the American construction markets to continue too.

CRH chief executive Albert Manifold said the firm had a "very satisfactory" start to 2016.

"Good performance from our heritage businesses and contributions from 2015 acquisitions delivered significant profit growth for CRH," he added.

"As always, we have maintained a strong focus on cash management, and with de-leveraging ahead of plan, I am pleased to report that we expect year-end debt metrics to be at, or below, normalised levels."

CRH employs 17,500 people in 18 countries.

Northstone (NI) Limited is based in Dunmurry and consists of Farrans - part of CRH since 1978 - Northstone Materials and Cubis, a manufacturer of access chambers and ducting systems.

In its most recent results for 2014, Northstone reported turnover of 298m, up from 24.6% on 2013.

However, pre-tax profits were down from 6m to 4m.
The Institution of Engineering and Technology has called on the Government to encourage more pupils to study crucial engineering-related subjects

Business groups urged the Government to encourage more pupils to study crucial engineering-related subjects such as physics, design and technology after fewer youngsters achieved top grades in the subjects.

The Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) said the UK's engineering and technology skills shortage was being made worse by a drop in numbers studying the subjects, while schools themselves were dropping the subjects.

Stephanie Fernandes of the IET said: "Given engineering currently accounts for 27% of our total GDP, and we are expecting a shortfall of 1.82 million new engineers over the next decade, removing subjects like design and technology from the curriculum is incredibly short-sighted.

"The subject is vital for engaging young people in the creative and problem fixing side of engineering. If they don't have this opportunity at school, it is inevitable we will produce fewer engineers, which represents a genuine risk to our economy."
Anna Friel will reprise her role as the detective

Crime thriller Marcella will return to television for a second series, ITV has confirmed.

Star Anna Friel will be back for eight new episodes of the noir detective show, which drew huge ratings in its first outing.

Friel and Swedish screenwriter and novelist Hans Rosenfeldt shared the news at the Edinburgh international TV festival. Marcella is Rosenfeldt's first English language show after the popularity of his series The Bridge.

Rosenfeldt said: "I was delighted at the reaction to the first season and am thrilled to be revisiting Marcella for ITV. In the second season, the audience will get the opportunity to spend more time in her world, further exploring some of the characters and getting to know them better."

Tony Wood, the show's executive producer, added: "The combination of Hans' masterful writing, Anna's gripping performance and Buccaneer's superb production team struck a chord with viewers. Naturally we're delighted to be working with ITV to create a second season of Marcella."

In the series Friel stars as London detective Marcella Backland, who returns to the murder squad after a serial killer becomes active again.

Details of guest casting will be announced in the coming months and the new series will air in 2017.
It has been 18 months since I wrote an open letter to the man who assaulted me. It was published in my university's student newspaper and, at the end of the letter, I encouraged others to write in with their experiences under the hashtag #NotGuilty. I hoped to reach out to other students who might have gone through something similar and felt unable to talk about it, or to get help.

Little did I anticipate that, almost overnight, the published piece would go viral. Soon, my letter was all over the national Press. My words were translated into several other languages and the hashtag became a global campaign.

The response was overwhelming. Since last April, hundreds of people around the world have shared their stories with the Not Guilty campaign.

My letter was the spark that fired up a movement which aims to break the taboo of talking about sexual assault.

We want to send a clear message to perpetrators that "we will not tolerate this", and to victims that "we are with you". And the good news is that it seems to be working.

One woman wrote to us after being assaulted by someone she had trusted and cared about. She said: "I have read many of the stories posted on here and feel more hopeful that, if so many women can move forward, then I can, too."

Another contributor, who was assaulted on public transport, said: "I am so proud to be a part of #NotGuilty. Why should we suffer this form of abuse?"

A woman who attended one of our workshops later told me that writing about her experience that day had finally allowed her to tell her family about the impact the attack had on her.

She also wrote a letter to her assailant: "Although they may never understand, I showed them that I can survive this unimaginable ordeal, and that empowers me."

Working on the campaign has taught me a great deal, primarily that sexual assault is an issue everyone needs to talk about - not just those who have experienced it.

As one recent contributor said: "If you have been made to feel uncomfortable, or damaged, by a sexual encounter, there are millions of women and men who have felt like you feel and who want to help you."

Open discussion about sexual assault is crucial for education, not only about the nuances of consent, but also about how and where to get help if you, or somebody you know, is assaulted.

I certainly didn't know about the support structures that existed until it happened to me. One woman told me that after she was assaulted, she googled "what to do if you've been raped".

The key, as with anything, is to begin as early as possible. This year, I ran #NotGuilty workshops in schools, covering issues from "sexting" to dispelling myths about assault and talking about the appropriate ways to support a friend who has experienced abuse.

Consent workshops have become more common at campuses and schools across the world and have been the cause of controversy.

One university student condemned them in an article for a student website as being a "smug, righteous, self-congratulatory intervention".

But, in my experience, their importance is demonstrated by the huge grey areas I have witnessed in people's understandings of what constitutes consent - particularly when alcohol, or close relationships, are involved - and I have no doubt that a large part of that is down to a lack of adequate sex education.

Talking with students gave me a real buzz, so I began to think about ways we could bring our online community together. Given that I had personally found it an incredibly restorative process, I decided to hold writing workshops for survivors.

In collaboration with Pavan Amara and My Body Back, which works to help women to reclaim their body image and sexuality after abuse, we held a workshop that allowed writers to address either their perpetrator, or anyone else they thought they needed to get through to. Despite one of the ground rules being "you can tear what you write up at any time, this is primarily for you, not anyone else", by the end every attendee wanted to read theirs to the group.

But I'm also passionate about the need to involve everyone in these conversations. Speaking at events such as the Clear Lines Festival, where I talked about enjoying sex again after the assault, made me realise that we need to get creative if we are to avoid preaching to the converted and attract audiences who are not already invested in the issue.

I ran an arts festival this year called We Need to Talk, for example, featuring three plays and a drama workshop that all incorporated themes of sexual violence - with the aim of engaging people with the issue through mediums they are perhaps more likely to approach of their own accord.

One play we put on was a one-man show by Tanaka Mhishi called This is How it Happens, which traces the struggles of a male rape survivor - many audience members commented on how they didn't realise how much the issue affected men, too.

Seeing the response to some of the more harrowing plays we showcased was moving. People were shocked to see the manifestations of trauma performed, and many told me they had "never quite realised the impact of it" before - which is exactly what I had hoped to change.

Though the campaign has given me a way to transform a negative experience into something I can feel hugely positive about and encouraged by, I can't pretend it has been an easy process to get here.

Dealing with the repercussions of sexual assault is a difficult, hugely up-and-down process for anyone, and going through this process in the public sphere was additionally overwhelming.

But when people ask me how I have changed 18 months on as a result, as well as the campaign, I think it is important to stress that, despite the media attention last year, I'm still much like I was 18 months ago.

I'm still a normal student, still plagued with the bugbears of essay deadlines and overdrafts, still enjoying the glorious freedoms and relative lack of responsibilities as one should in their twenties.

Part of normalising the discussion about sexual abuse is also normalising the individuals and the lives affected by it.

We need to emphasise that, just like the victims of any other crime, we shouldn't be defined by something that happened to us. We aren't just statistics or news stories, but individuals - just like everybody else."
Iain Duncan Smith has urged Theresa May to open formal negotiations for Britain to leave the EU "as soon as possible"

Article 50, the untested protocol for leaving the European Union, could be triggered early in 2017, Iain Duncan Smith has said.

The former work and pensions secretary, who was a prominent voice in the campaign to leave the EU, revealed he had spoken to those at the top of the government and was certain these senior figures, including the Prime Minister Theresa May, are very clear that they need to get on with triggering Article 50 as soon as possible.

His intervention comes after reports, earlier this month, suggested that ministers were in discussion over a delay in triggering the two-year process of leaving the bloc. It was suggested Ms May could push back the timetable because her new Brexit and International Trade departments will not be ready in time for negotiations in early 2017.

But, Mr Duncan Smith said: I have spoken to them and I am definitely certain that these characters - David Davis, Liam Fox, Boris Johnson and the Prime Minister - are very clear that they need to get on with triggering Article 50 as soon as possible, early in the new year. When they do that we will be bound on a course that Britain will leave and I believe they are all very positive about the outcome that will entail. We will be out and we will do incredibly well.

Mr Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative party, also suggested on BBCs Radio 4 Today programme that Britain could rely on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules to trade with the EU following Brexit.

He added that European countries including Germany are eager to negotiate a trade agreement with the UK. He said: "I think we would like to have, and I think it would be in the interests of the European Union even more than it might be for the UK, to maintain a trading relationship with the UK.

"Bearing in mind that we will anyway have access to the marketplace under WTO rules, so the question really is - do we want more preferential arrangements than that?" Asked if he would be happy with WTO rules, he said: "I'm saying that's the extent of where you could be and you'd still get access to the marketplace.

"I've already made it clear that my personal view is we should not seek to remain a member of the customs union nor necessarily remain a full member of the single market, because that would entail putting yourself yet again under the rule of European law.

"And that was one of the key areas that the British public voted for in the process of taking back control."

If Britain fails to negotiate a separate deal after the two-year period allowed under the terms of Article 50 then trade with the EU will revert to WTO rules. Mr Duncan Smith said: "Actually, if you look across the European Union, many of those countries now are quite desperate to sort out the relationship with the UK.

"For example, Germany is going through quite a difficult period right now, their manufacturers are deeply worried about what will happen afterwards, and they want to find a way to make sure that they don't end up having tariff barriers imposed on them as they export.

"That, of course, is possible to arrange even under the WTO process.

"What they want is, and we want, the bottom line is tariff-free access to the market and for them to do the same for us."

Independent
The injuries he sustained during an attack by a gang of loyalists in Larne in 2002

A Royal Marine arrested in connection with an investigation into Northern Ireland terrorism has spent a second night in custody as detectives continue to question him in relation to two dissident republican arms dumps.

It has also emerged that the soldier has an interest in Nazi war memorabilia.

Ciaran Maxwell (30), from Larne, Co Antrim, was arrested in a pre-planned anti-terror swoop on Wednesday.

On his Facebook page, Maxwell links to Waffenmeister Antiques, a site dedicated to swastika-bedecked German military kit, including SS uniforms, badges, pistols and Nazi-era medals.

The father of one, who is being detained on suspicion of preparation for acts of terrorism, 'liked' the Nazi memorabilia site.

It is understood this week's police operation was linked to the discovery of two dissident arms dumps earlier this year.

There are also claims that as a 16-year-old Maxwell was the victim of a savage sectarian beating in his home town.

He sustained a fractured skull and suffered multiple other injuries when loyalists attacked him.

During his recovery he recounted the incident to the republican newspaper An Phoblacht in an article accompanied by a picture showing his injuries.

Wednesday's arrest operation involved searches at a house and wooded area in south Devon.

In Northern Ireland, officers searched a number of properties in Larne on Wednesday.

Two separate hauls of weapons were discovered in Carnfunnock and Capanagh parks within three months of each other.

An armour-piercing improvised rocket and anti-personnel mines were among the cache recovered at Capanagh in May.

Pipe bombs, magazines and ammunition for an assault rifle as well as bomb component parts and command wires were also concealed in barrels in purpose-built holes in woodland.

In March, bomb-making items were found at nearby Carnfunnock Country Park.

Police said that four barrels were unearthed at Carnfunnock - two barrels were empty, but two contained a variety of potentially lethal bomb-making components.

Larne is predominantly unionist in its community make-up, so the discovery of the caches led to some initial speculation that they could be linked to loyalist paramilitaries.

However, after assessing the nature of the weaponry, police experts concluded they most likely belonged to dissident republicans.
GCSE results at a school in west Belfast plagued by leadership problems and bullying were not as bad as expected, a parent said.

An independent report into De La Salle College in Belfast has revealed allegations of a "culture of fear" among staff.

Kieran McCormick, whose son attends the school, said parents had feared for the worst ahead of results day.

"What has happened has impacted on the children's education and futures but not to the extent that we were anticipating. We were anticipating a disaster, we think we have avoided that."

Claims of bullying and intimidating behaviour were compounded by a teacher survey reporting low morale and lack of trust across the school following leadership difficulties.

A three-person panel led by educationalist Sir Robert Salisbury said it was unacceptable that broken relationships were allowed to affect pupils.

Mr McCormick added: "For parents the difficulty that we have found hard to grasp is that these are people charged with the responsibility to ensure the welfare and safeguarding and best possible education for our children."

He added: "We are glad that we have been vindicated.

"We knew as parents that there was something not right about that school, there were too many issues arising individually and collectively around our children's education and the report has laid that out there."

The panel said it was disturbed that so many submissions to it had raised the issues of bullying and intimidating behaviour within the school.

A staff wellbeing survey confirmed the poor state of working relationships with very low morale and a lack of trust across the school, the review said.

Critical internal reports, temporary appointments in key leadership roles and limited support for principals and vice-principals contributed to problems like staff absences.

It made 40 recommendations centred on providing stable leadership and protecting children's interests.
Around 600 full and part-time farmers have left the agriculture industry in Northern Ireland over the past year, it has emerged.

According to the latest census figures from June 2016 and just released by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, the total number of farmers has dropped to 29,500 - a fall of 2%.

The figures also suggest that despite the milk crisis in Northern Ireland, the number of dairy cows in the country is at its highest ever - 317,100, an increase of 2% from June 2015.

The statistics show that total cattle numbers were 3% higher in the same period.

The number of beef cows increased by 4% to 269,700.

The total number of workers in agriculture dropped 1% - down to 47,400.

Within this, the number of full-time and part-time farmers decreased by 2% to 29,500.

Charlie Weir, the chairman of Fair Price Farming NI, said that the numbers leaving the industry could increase even more next year.

"When finances became tight recently, farmers were paying off farm workers and some, themselves, indeed did quit farming," he said.

"Numbers could be reduced even more when this year is recorded in next June's census.

"It's no surprise that the number of dairy cows has increased. Two or three years ago when prices were good, dairy farmers brought in more heifers and these have been added to the overall dairy herd when they calved.

"Now when prices are poor, farmers are holding on to older cows they would normally have culled just to try and keep cash flow up by producing more milk.

"This trend has been mirrored across Europe, but it has added to the over-supply problem.

"Farmers need to take advantage of the voluntary supply incentive that was announced by EU farm commissioner Phil Hogan to ensure supply and demand level themselves out soon. There has of course been a number of new entrants coming into the dairy sector changing over from beef farming, so this also could have increased the dairy cow numbers."

In terms of sheep numbers, the total number recorded overall surpassed two million - a level not seen since 2007. There was a 1% rise in the number of breeding ewes compared with 2015.

Numbers have fluctuated in recent years, falling to a 20-year low of 876,000 in 2010, before increasing to 950,100 this year, which is the highest level recorded since 2007.
A crowd of youths have been blamed for the attack.

Thirteen Jewish graves have been damaged at Belfast City Cemetery in an attack branded "anti-community, anti-Belfast, anti social and anti Semitic".

It's thought a large crowd had gathered in the area at around 3pm on Friday with eight youths carrying out the attacks with hammers and blocks.

Headstones were knocked over and smashed in the attack. The concrete covers of some of the graves were also damaged.

Belfast Sinn Fein councillor Steven Corr described the attacks as "anti-community, anti-Belfast, anti-social and anti-Semitic".

He was one of the first on the scene and saw those responsible "stagger off".

"It was sickening," he said.

"They had actually tried - and on several occasions had - smashed the slabs which covered the remains.

"Most of the graves were very old. One from 1897 and the most recent about the 1950s.

"What happened was just disgusting."

DUP MLA William Humphrey said he has been in contact with the Rabbi and members of the Jewish community to express his revulsion.

"A graveyard is a sacred place and should be respected as such," he said.

"And those responsible are guilty of a most heinous hate crime."

The Falls Road cemetery is maintained by the council and is one of the oldest public graveyards in Belfast.

Chief Inspector Norman Haslett added: "This is a particularly sickening incident, which we are treating as a hate crime.

"To disturb the sanctity of a cemetery in this way is completely unacceptable and I can assure the public that we will conduct a robust investigation in a bid to bring those responsible before the courts.

"I have already liaised with local representatives and I will continue to do so regarding this and other issues relating to anti-social behaviour in the vicinity of the cemetery.

"I would appeal to anyone who was in the area at the time and witnessed this incident, or to anyone who has any information whatsoever that could assist in our investigation to contact police on the non-emergency number 101 quoting reference 742 of 26th August.

"Alternatively, information can be given anonymously through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
Director general of the Northern Ireland Prison Service Sue McAllister will leave her post at the end of October.

Mrs McAllister was appointed in May 2012 and was the first woman to hold the most senior position within a prison service anywhere in the UK.

A recruitment competition will be launched next month for her successor.

Mrs McAllister said: "Working in prisons in Northern Ireland is different and I have always been hugely impressed by the courage, professionalism and dedication of my colleagues.

"They play a crucial part in making Northern Ireland a safer place and I want to thank them all for their hard work over the last four years."

She paid tribute to the staff and in particular to the two officers murdered by dissidents during her tenure.

"The murders of David Black and Adrian Ismay were despicable and an attack on the whole community.

"Both came as a tremendous shock and I want to pay tribute to their families, friends and colleagues."

She said her focus had been leading transformational reform of the service and that role had come to a natural end.

Justice Minister Claire Sugden said: "The role of director general is a uniquely challenging post and Sue McAllister has led the organisation through the reforms, which have placed rehabilitation at the core of its work.

"The Prison Service plays a vital role in the justice system and Sue can be proud of what she has achieved in her time as director general."
The PSNI faces cuts of more than 40 million, the Police Federation has claimed.

The organisation, which represents more than 10,000 rank and file officers, warned of a looming crisis.

Chairman Mark Lindsay alleged reductions of this magnitude will inevitably impair services on the ground and lead to further increases in officer stress and illness.

He said: "This Federation is saying we as a service and society in general can't afford further swingeing cuts.

"We have officers who are run ragged, plugging holes in the service, and it can't go on indefinitely.

"Morale is at rock bottom, stress levels are through the roof and dissatisfaction levels are high.

"If the chief constable wants to protect the service, then he and his colleagues should say to the Department (of Justice) and the Executive that it cannot meet their service expectations for this community."

As part of last year's Fresh Start Agreement at Stormont, 160 million of additional funding will be provided by the Treasury for the next five years to support the PSNI in addressing the continuing severe national security threat and provide greater capability to tackle continued paramilitary activity and criminality. The money will be paid until 2021.

However, Mr Lindsay warned of a "looming crisis" in policing with further cuts of more than 40 million on the cards.

He added: "We've already seen the budget slashed by more than 25 million in the last five years and that's enough to cover the salaries of 1,000 officers."

Recently Northern Ireland's police chief was forced into an embarrassing apology over a late-night tweet suggesting officers overwhelmed by the job should "dry your eyes" or "move on".

Chief Constable George Hamilton was responding to an anonymous person on Twitter as he posted a light-hearted appeal for new recruits.

One Twitter user, apparently a police officer who says he lives with depression and pain, responded that police were expected to be social workers, paramedics and child minders as well.

"I know - more complex & challenging but we are here to serve so let's get on with it rather than wallowing in self pity!" Mr Hamilton replied on his verified Twitter account.

When the man denied he was wallowing in self pity, Mr Hamilton again responded: "Well you're allowed to leave & seek another job - nobody is asking you to stay.

"Dry your eyes, do the job or move on!"
Police remove what was described as a viable device from a house in Belfasts Atlantic Avenue

A pipe bomb attack carried out on a north Belfast house is being treated by police as a racist hate crime - and could easily have led to tragedy, a councillor has said.

The device was discovered in Atlantic Avenue yesterday afternoon, triggering a major security operation which saw families evacuated from their homes, as well as roads closing and traffic chaos.

The PSNI described the suspicious object as a "viable device" as it was removed for forensic examination.

It's understood that a man from central Europe had been living in the house targeted in the attack.

The pipe bomb was thrown after a rock was used to smash a window in the house late on Wednesday night.

But the deadly device was not discovered by the occupants until yesterday morning shortly after 9am, when a brave neighbour helped carry the potentially lethal home-made bomb into the street outside.

SDLP North Belfast councillor Paul McCusker condemned those responsible for the device.

"Those behind this device recklessly endangered the lives of local residents including the many young people who use this area because of the nearby shops and school," he said.

"A number of residents have been evacuated today as police continue their searches.

"This has created severe disruption for a number of elderly residents and families with young children who have been forced from their homes because of these reckless thugs.

"Those behind this attack have nothing to offer local people - and they must be brought to justice."

Sinn Fein councillor Mary Ellen Campbell also hit out at the criminals behind the security alert.

"This attack was wrong and must be utterly condemned," she said.

"It has brought nothing but disruption to the local community with several homes being evacuated. Incidents like this serve no purpose other than bringing disruption to the community and they need to stop immediately."

PSNI Inspector David McBride said: "The discovery of this device is being connected to an earlier report of criminal damage which is being treated as a hate crime, when a window was broken by a large rock at a residential property.

"Police are currently investigating these incidents and I appeal for information from anyone who may have seen any suspicious activity in the area between midnight and 9.30am (on Thursday) to contact police at Tennent Street station."
Daniel Sheridan died from his injuries on Friday

Tributes have been paid to a 13-year-old boy who died from his injuries following a motorbike accident on the north coast.

Daniel Sheridan, from Tallaght, Co Dublin, fell from his bike at a motocross track outside Limavady on Thursday.

He was flown to Altnagelvin Area Hospital for emergency treatment but died in hospital on Friday.

St Killian's Parents Association said: "The Parents Association would like to extend its deepest sympathies to Daniel Sheridan's family and friends. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

"St Kilian's Senior School will be open tomorrow at 12pm midday for those of you who would like to gather in remembrance.

"May he rest in peace."

Motorcycling Ireland Motocross posted: "On behalf on all In Irish Motocross I want to offer our support and thoughts to the Sheridan family in this incredibly sad time."

A HM Coastguard helicopter from Prestwick and an Irish Coastguard chopper from Sligo attended the scene, as did the PSNI.

CPR was administered at the scene, but the seriousness of the boy's injuries meant he required urgent hospital treatment.

Sinn Fein Assembly member Caoimhe Archibald expressed her condolences.

The East Derry MLA said: "The community is in shock following the tragic death of a 13-year-old boy.

"My thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult and sad time."

A post on the Coleraine Coastguard Facebook page on Thursday said: Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Team was tasked to prepare a landing site at Bellarena, following a report of a serious bike incident.

Condolences to the family of the boy who died after an accident in Magilligan yesterday. Heartbreaking a young life has been taken too soon  Claire Sugden MLA (@ClaireSugden) August 26, 2016

The Coastguard Team assisted NIAS Paramedics and PSNI Officers, already on scene, with emergency first aid for a 13-year old boy.

A landing site was prepared for the Irish Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 118 which airlifted the injured teenager to Altnagelvin Hospital.

UK Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 999 was also tasked.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said: "Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council was notified yesterday afternoon of a serious accident involving a young person at a Motocross premises in Magilligan. Officers from the Council attended the scene immediately and investigations into the circumstances of the accident are ongoing."

The PSNI said they investigating a sudden death on behalf of the coroner in relation to an incident.

Separately, a helicopter was also summoned to Banagher Forest near Dungiven yesterday, where a man had to be flown to Altnagelvin after he fractured his leg in a remote marshy area of the scenic forest.

Rescue teams were unable to reach the injured man to offer treatment and requested emergency airborne support, which was supplied by the coastguard helicopter operating out of Prestwick in Scotland.

The victim was last night receiving treatment in Altnagelvin, where his condition was described as serious, but not life-threatening.

A third rescue drama took place at Portrush, when the Irish Coastguard helicopter flew from Altnagelvin to take part in a sea search for a missing swimmer near the famous white rocks.

Fortunately, the swimmer involved was quickly located and the rescue operation was wound down.
International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Patrick Hickey (R) arrives at the police station after being arrested on allegations of taking part in a black market ticket ring, on August 18, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP/Getty Images

International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Patrick Hickey ((L-R) leaves in wheelchairs the Samaritano Barra Hospital after being arrested on allegations of taking part in a black market ticket ring, on August 18, 2016, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. AFP/Getty Images

Pat Hickey, a former president of the Olympic Council of Ireland, has been arrested in Brazil

The family of Pat Hickey have said they are "gravely concerned" about the conditions of Pat Hickey's arrest and detention in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The family of the 71-year-old, who has temporarily stood down as president of the Olympics Council of Ireland, said they are calling on the Minister of Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan and Minister of Sport Shane Ross to intervene in the situation urgently. They have also requested a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

In a statement issued by the Hickeys' family solicitor, Anne Marie James, the family described as "extremely worrying" the issues surrounding his arrest and detention.

"This arrest and detention occurred over seven days ago and still no charges have been brought, nor has an appropriate venue for a bail application been made available to Pat Hickey," they wrote.

The statement list five elements of the situation which they have concern:

The "manner in which Pat Hickey was arrested"



His "detention in a high security prison without charge"



The "effects of such detention on Pat Hickeys health"



The "pre-trial disclosure of what is purported to be evidence to the media without any right of a reply (which is leading and imbalanced reporting)"



Pat Hickeys "right to a fair hearing, given the prejudicial way in which he has been treated to date"

They have now requested an "urgent" meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan TD and the Minister for Sport Shane Ross TD and they have also requested contact with the Brazilian ambassador Alfonso Jose Cardoso.

The family say they also hope to meet with Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD when he returns from holidays.

The Department of Foreign Affairs are now considering a response to the family statement, Independent.ie can confirm.

They continued: "The Hickey family is gravely concerned about the effect this degrading and humiliating ordeal has had on their father and grandfather and how it continues to affect his physical and mental health.

"He has a serious heart condition and they are extremely anxious that he would be immediately released on bail and given the opportunity to respond to the accusations.

"They also, as a priority, want to get him home to Ireland as they have increasing concerns about his safety."

They added: "It was entirely inappropriate and unacceptable for a 71-year-old Irish citizen be taken from his bedroom, arrested and walked in a state of undress before a pre-arranged camera crew, after which film and still shots were released to the global media."

Pat Hickey is currently being held in a section of the notorious Brazilian prison, Bangu.

The 71-year-old has been detained since last Friday.

Mr Hickey is being investigated under Brazilian law for alleged ticket touting, running a cartel and illicit marketing.

Irish Independent
Screengrab from the Twitter account of Tashka4 of activity on Camber Sands, near Rye, East Sussex

Tributes have been paid to five men who died in a sea tragedy at a popular beach on the hottest day of the year.

Four of the men - who are aged in their late teens and early 20s and from London - have been named locally as Nitharsan Ravi, Inthushan Sri and Kobi and Ken Nathan.

Friend Charles Bosco said of Mr Ravi: "No one could say a bad word about him. I saw him two months back in church when we went on a pilgrimage.

"We go on a pilgrimage to Walsingham for a Tamil festival every year. He is a lovely guy who cares for his family. He is a social guy. Everyone is in shock. People are calling me saying how could it have happened."

Chief Superintendent Di Roskilly said: "These men were not fully clothed when they were pulled from the sea, but wearing clothes appropriate for being at the beach for the day.

"We have no further reports of anyone else missing from Camber and there are no ongoing searches related to this incident."

An online petition started a month ago to campaign for lifeguards at Camber has reached more than 3,600 signatures. Local resident Emily Van Eyssen said: "A car park here can make over 30,000 a day on a busy beach on a hot day. That should be paying for lifeguards that we urgently need."

A spokesman for Rother District Council said that, despite there being no lifeguards, there are summer patrols to advise people of potential dangers, reunite lost children with their families and deal with incidents on the beach.
'Dry your eyes, do the job or move on." PSNI Chief Constable George Hamilton's tweet sounded bad, didn't it? Put up or shut up, he seemed to be telling beleaguered police officers. No nonsense. Stop whinging. Get over yourself. Man up.

After a loud outcry about his comments, which Mark Lindsay of the Police Federation described as "nothing short of monstrous", Mr Hamilton apologised. He said he was "hugely proud of the officers and staff who go out and serve the public every day".

The Chief Constable was right to say sorry. As he acknowledged himself, such important and sensitive issues are best not dealt with in the 140 characters of a tweet. To do so trivialises and undermines Mr Hamilton's own status as a prime enforcer of the law. It's also dismissive of serious concerns within a vital service where money is short, morale is low and stress is high.

But George Hamilton wasn't entirely wrong. What he said was intemperate, but it certainly wasn't monstrous. It may have come out crudely, but the truth is that the job of a police officer - especially in Northern Ireland - does indeed require exceptional resilience, and not everyone is up to it.

These men and women have to see and do things that would make the rest of us reel with horror. This week on the BBC Nolan Show, some of them spoke powerfully about the suffering they have endured.

Writing on Facebook, an anonymous Lisburn and Castlereagh officer described how difficult it is to deal with the aftermath of car accidents, teenage suicides, rapes, cot deaths. Then, of course, there is the ever-present risk of attack by so-called dissident republicans, or the possibility of getting injured in a riot.

Honestly, I don't know how they do it. I couldn't.

While it's vital that the institution provides the support that frontline staff need, both formally and informally, the bottom line is that they have to be tough enough to do the job. They have to be able to fend off bottle-wielding thugs, or to look a grieving wife in the eye, or pull a dead child out of a wrecked car, and not be physically or emotionally incapacitated, unable to keep going. Somehow, they must assimilate the experience and continue. Otherwise, it's not the job for them.

Demanding as their current role is, today's cops do not have to endure what previous generations went through in the Troubles. Yet at that time, when murders were everyday occurrences, and police officers had to pick up body parts after bomb explosions, the idea of personal stress was rarely mentioned.

A study of serving RUC officers during the 1980s found that "stress is not a feature of their talk about the paramilitary threat", and "the occupational therapy unit is not valued highly among ordinary policemen and women because it is seen to be where the 'weirdos' go".

It's a sign of great progress that officers enduring depression and PTSD are no longer routinely dismissed as 'weirdos'. That intensely macho culture, reinforced by the violent extremes of the time, has been largely transformed, and there should be no shame in seeking treatment for these debilitating conditions.

But what's also developed in the intervening years is a new culture of emotional vulnerability, which, as the sociologist Chris Gilligan has observed, encourages people to give public expression to their emotions. To make sense of their experience primarily through how it makes them feel. "The spread of therapy culture in Northern Ireland is a product of the peace process", he wrote, back in 2005. "As the conflict recedes into the past but debates about its impact on individuals continue, so individuals - even police officers - can claim to be stressed and disorientated".

Today, the emotional temperature is even higher. Feelings of anxiety and uncertainty among the general public are rife. And because police officers are part of wider society, human beings with flaws and frailties like the rest of us, we shouldn't be surprised that they are speaking out about the personal toll that their job takes on them.

The thing is, too much emphasis on psychological frailty doesn't actually help people. It limits them. It tells them that they are weak and powerless, and that they can't manage without constant support.

Nobody wants to go back to the macho days of the stiff upper lip and ruthlessly repressed emotions.

But there's a lot to be said for the old idea of personal fortitude: the inner strength to carry on, no matter what.
Musa Qal'eh: its name means "fortress of Moses". To anyone who served there, Musa Qal'eh means intensive fighting, attacks with mortars, rockets, machine-guns and rifles, the feeling of being cut off and sheer exhaustion from the many firefights in which they were involved.

It's 10 years since Nato troops were first deployed to Musa Qal'eh as part of a plan to defend district centres (DCs) and help stabilise local government in Helmand province.

Fighting had broken out in the town in February 2006, resulting in more than two dozen deaths, including Abdul Quddus, the district chief. On March 3, Amir Jan, governor of Sangin district, was also killed in Musa Qal'eh.

Because of these deaths, British troops were sent to Musa Qal'eh, Sangin, Kajaki and Nowzad to protect the DCs. Between their arrival and late-July, eight men were killed in Taliban attacks. Danish troops, also part of the UK-led Task Force Helmand (TFH), then took over. They were due to remain until late August, when they, in turn, would be relieved by British soldiers.

The troops who relieved the Danes included a Royal Irish platoon, known as Somme Platoon. This was one of three Royal Irish Regiment platoons sent to Helmand to reinforce the 3rd Battalion Parachute Regiment (3 Para) Battle Group.

However, the three platoons did not deploy simultaneously and it's necessary to go back to January to examine the origins of what became E, or Easy, Company, 3 Para.

The Royal Irish returned from operations in Iraq in January 2006 and almost immediately volunteers were sought for a platoon to join 3 Para's Battle Group. There was no shortage of volunteers for 'Ranger Platoon'.

When 16 Air Assault Brigade took over the role of Task Force Helmand in April 2006, Ranger Platoon was ready for operational deployment.

It was soon clear that more boots were needed "on the ground". The Royal Irish were asked for two more platoons and a mortar section. Barrosa and Somme Platoons were created. Again, there was no shortage of volunteers. Before setting off for Helmand, the soldiers knew they would face a formidable foe and a high operational tempo.

Shortly after arriving in Helmand, Somme Platoon and the mortar section were told that they would join the Danish Reconnaissance Squadron in Musa Qal'eh. The Irishmen would relieve 16 Air Assault Brigade's Pathfinder Platoon in the DC.

Somme Platoon's commander later described how he watched the smiling faces of the Pathfinders as they waved the Royal Irish in and "viewed Musa Qal'eh in their rear-view mirrors".

It was soon evident why the Pathfinders were so cheery. They were waving goodbye to a scene of fighting fiercer than almost anything the British Army had experienced since Korea. Somme Platoon came under attack within minutes of arrival. It was the first of many assaults.

The deserted town had the surreal air of a ghost town. Its citizens had fled several days before Somme Platoon arrived as the fighting intensified.

All that remained were the Taliban, trying to get in and take over, and 140 Danes, supported by 38 Irishmen, battling to keep them out. The Danes were well-equipped and organised and Somme Platoon fitted in perfectly with their ethos.

Somme Platoon's first casualties were sustained on their third day in Musa Qal'eh, with two soldiers having to be evacuated. At this stage of the campaign, the Taliban were launching conventional infantry attacks, supported by mortars, rockets and machine-guns. They seemed determined to maintain the pressure on the DC to force the Nato troops out.

Frequent attacks were launched every day, some lasting for hours, while harassing fire from mortars and rockets was persistent. But there was some easing of the pressure at night as the Taliban realised that the defenders' night-vision equipment put any attacker at a disadvantage.

The pattern was set for the weeks that followed. On August 26, the Danes left Musa Qal'eh, while Barrosa Platoon with a company headquarter element from 3 Para arrived. Thus was E Company 3 Para formed.

But almost all its soldiers wore the green hackle and shamrock of the Royal Irish. The Danes' departure prompted the Taliban to believe that Nato was abandoning the DC, leaving it to the Afghan National Police. A major attack followed and, in a fierce two-hour engagement, the Taliban strove to drive out the defenders. Their efforts were repelled.

One defender was killed: Lance Corporal Jonathan Hetherington, Royal Signals.

In spite of this, the Taliban continued attacking. Knowing there were fewer defenders, they increased the pressure. The only opportunity for any rest was during the night when the Taliban refrained from attacking.

Rocket attacks ceased, however, probably due to Nato air, or artillery, operations, but Taliban mortar teams continued harassing the defenders.

Those mortar teams were well-trained and assisted many attacks in which seemingly fearless attackers used rifles, machine-guns and rocket-propelled grenades (RPGs). Taliban casualties were heavy, as the defenders could also call in air strikes and artillery support.

However, the Taliban mortars took their toll.

On September 1, four days after Cpl Hetherington's death, a mortar round struck a sangar, killing Ranger Anare Draiva instantly and wounding fatally Lance Corporal Luke McCulloch, who died on September 6. Others were wounded and had to be evacuated.

Those medical evacuations were the only opportunity for re-supply of the besieged garrison. The defenders were surviving on emergency rations and water from a well.

Then, on September 13, came a truce. Brokered by village elders, it indicated that the Taliban had blinked first. An agreement was reached that both Nato troops and the Taliban would leave Musa Qal'eh.

E Company were able to leave. They believed they had accomplished their mission, but the Taliban reneged on the agreement. Musa Qal'eh had to be fought for again, in 2007 and more lives were lost.

Ten years on, veterans are calling for the 2006 defenders of Musa Qal'eh to be recognised. Writing in this paper on Wednesday, Doug Beattie MC called for retrospective recognition of the gallant defenders of Musa Qal'eh.

It isn't too late for their courage to be recognised by the award of gallantry decorations to those who did their duty, fighting with courage and distinction.

Not everyone can be decorated, of course. But a small number of awards of the Military Cross and the Queen's Commendation for Bravery would show that their courage and sacrifice have been recognised by their Government.

The defenders of the Fortress of Moses deserve no less.

Richard Doherty's Helmand Mission: With 1st Royal Irish Battlegroup in Afghanistan is published by Pen & Sword (19.99)
The luxury home double-murder accused dentist Colin Howell shared with his US-born wife has been put up for sale.

The five-bedroom property  located at 48 Glebe Road in Castlerock  is on the market for a whopping 575,000.

The property  which is set on seven acres, has beautiful sea views and access to a lake  has been home to Howell and his family for a number of years.

Sources say the house was put on the market by his American wife, Kyle Howell.

Said one local source: It really is an ideal family home and there should be no shortage of offers  even in this current climate.

It really is a beautiful house that any family would be proud of.

A PSNI spokesman said investigators had knowledge of Howells house sale, adding: We are aware of the situation at Glebe Road in Castlerock.

A senior police source denied rumours Howells assets were set to be frozen as part of the murder inqury.

Added the source: There are no plans to seize anyones assets at this stage of the investigation into the murders of Lesely Howell and Trevor Buchanan.

Some of the investigators on the team are looking at the case from a financial perspective but there is a long way to go here.

This is a very complex investigation and police will be very thorough in their examination of any financial issues that may emerge during the course of the investigation.

Police will no doubt be keeping a close eye on any developments of the sale of the property of in Glebe Road over the coming weeks.

Detectives are dealing with a double-murder inquiry first and foremost but the financial side to the investigation is also very important.
iPhone bug: How the most dramatic iOS spyware ever found was revealed. Image: Shutterstock.com

A text message  promising its recipient that a link included in it would reveal details about torture in prisons in the United Arab Emirates  was suspicious and unusual.

But it made sense that it was arriving on the phone of Ahmed Mansoor, a human rights activist.

Still, Mr Mansoor wasnt convinced. He sent the message to Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog  and began a process that would expose a piece of spying software so powerful that Apple had to update every iPhone in the world to stop it from causing any more damage.

What Mr Mansoor had been sent was a link that would have allowed a piece of powerful eavesdropping software  apparently made by a secretive Israeli spying firm  to make its way onto his phone.

Instead, by alerting security experts, Mr Mansoor helped Apple patch up what might have been one of the most insidious hacks that have ever been found for the iPhone.

It allowed people to easily take control of a phone  and opened up the world of those mysterious people that were looking for that control.

Two reports issued Thursday, one by Lookout, a San Francisco mobile security company, and another by Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, outlined how the program could completely compromise a device at the tap of a finger.

If Mansoor had touched the link, he would have given his hackers free reign to eavesdrop on calls, harvest messages, activate his camera and drain the phone's trove of personal data.

Apple Inc. issued a fix for the vulnerabilities Thursday, just ahead of the reports' release, working at a blistering pace for which the Cupertino, California-based company was widely praised.

Arie van Deursen, a professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said the reports were disturbing. Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski described the malicious program targeting Mansoor as a "serious piece of spyware."

A soft-spoken man who dresses in traditional white robes, Mansoor has repeatedly drawn the ire of authorities in the United Arab Emirates, calling for a free press and democratic freedoms.

He is one of the country's few human rights defenders with an international profile, close links to foreign media and a network of sources. Mansoor's work has, at various times, cost him his job, his passport and even his liberty.

Online, Mansoor repeatedly found himself in the crosshairs of electronic eavesdropping operations. Even before the first rogue text message pinged across his phone on Aug. 10, Mansoor already had weathered attacks from two separate brands of commercial spyware.

When he shared the suspicious text with Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak, they realized he'd been targeted by a third.

Citizen Lab and Lookout both fingered a secretive Israeli firm, NSO Group, as the author of the spyware.

Citizen Lab said that past targeting of Mansoor by the United Arab Emirates' government suggested that it was likely behind the latest hacking attempt as well.

Executives at the company declined to comment, and a visit to NSO's address in Herzliya showed that the firm had recently vacated its old headquarters  a move recent enough that the building still bore its logo.

In a statement released Thursday, which stopped short of acknowledging that the spyware was its own, the NSO Group said its mission was to provide "authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime."

The company said it couldn't comment on specific cases.

Marczak said he and fellow-researcher John Scott-Railton turned to Lookout for help to pick apart the malicious program, a process which Murray compared to "defusing a bomb."

"It is amazing the level they've gone through to avoid detection," Murray said of the software's makers. "They have a hair-trigger self-destruct."

Working over a two-week period, the researchers found that Mansoor had been targeted by an unusually sophisticated piece of software which some have valued at $1 million. He told AP he was amused by the idea that so much money was being poured into watching him.

"If you would give me probably 10 percent of that I would write the report about myself for you!"

The apparent discovery of Israeli-made spyware being used to target a dissident in the United Arab Emirates raises awkward questions for both countries.

The use of Israeli technology to police its own citizens is an uncomfortable strategy for an Arab country with no formal diplomatic ties to the Jewish state. And Israeli complicity in a cyberattack on an Arab dissident would seem to run counter to the country's self-description as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East.

There are awkward questions, too, for Francisco Partners, the private equity firm which owns the NSO Group. Francisco is only an hour's drive from the headquarters of Apple, whose products the cybersecurity firm is accused of hacking.

Messages left with Francisco partners' offices in London and San Francisco went unreturned. Israeli and Emirati authorities did not return calls seeking comment.

Attorney Eitay Mack, who advocates for more transparency in Israeli arms exports, said his country's sales of surveillance software are not closely policed.

He also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated warmer ties with Arab Gulf states.

"Israel is looking for allies," Mack said. "And when Israel finds allies, it does not ask too many questions."
'We need to phase out CO2 emissions and we need to change our pattern of using fossil fuels if we want to save the Earth,' says a Dutch Labour Party member

Europe appears poised to continue its move towards cutting fossil fuel use as the Netherlands joins a host of nations looking to pass innovative green energy laws.

The Dutch government has set a date for parliament to host a roundtable discussion that could see the sale of petrol- and diesel-fuelled cars banned by 2025.

If the measures proposed by the Labour Party in March are finally passed, it would join Norway and Denmark in making a concerted move to develop its electric car industry.

It comes after Germany saw all of its power supplied by renewable energies such as solar and wind power on one day in May as the economic powerhouse continues to phase out nuclear energy and fossil fuels.

And outside Europe, both India and China have demanded that citizens use their cars on alternate days only to reduce the exhaust fume production which is causing serious health problems for the populations of both nations.

The consensus-oriented parties of the Netherlands are set to consider a total ban on petrol and diesel cars in a debate on 13 October.

Richard Smokers, principle adviser in sustainable transport at the Dutch renewable technology company TNO, said the Dutch government was committed to meeting the Paris climate change agreement to reduce greenhouse emissions to 80 per cent less than the 1990 level. The plan requires the majority of passenger cars to be run on CO2-free energy by 2050.

"Dutch cities still have some problems to meet existing EU air quality standards and have formulated ambitions to improve air quality beyond these standards," he told The Independent, adding that the government had at the same time been reluctant to implement strict policies on the environment.

"The current government embraces long term targets and strives at meeting EU requirements, but is hesistant about proposing 'strong' policy measures.

"Instead it prefers to facilitate and stimulate initiatives from stakeholders in society."

Read more

Read More

If the law to ban the sale of new fossil-fuel cars by 2025 passes, a significant move will have been made towards phasing out all petrol and diesel cars by 2035, added Dr Smokers.

His words come after Jan Vos, a member of the country's Labour Party, hailed the success of the proposed ban in passing through the Netherland's lower parliament.

"We need to phase out CO2 emissions and we need to change our pattern of using fossil fuels if we want to save the Earth," he told media site Yale Climate Connections. He added that electric cars needed to be affordable.

"Transportation with your own car shouldn't be something that only rich people can afford."

But a spokesperson for the Netherland's Department for Climate, Air and Energy said the law was not guaranteed to pass after discussions are resumed in October.

"The proposal is being considered, but there is still opposition to it," they told The Independent.

According to Quartz, sales of electric cars have surged in the Netherlands with an all-time high last December. Meanwhile, the country has one of the lowest levels of CO2 emissions from new cars in the European Union.

Elsewhere in Europe, Norway has hit its target of selling 50,000 electric cars three years ahead of its own target, in part owing to strong financial incentives to purchase the more environmentally friendly model.

Electric vehicles have been exempted from VAT and purchase tax, which would otherwise add 50 per cent to the cost of the vehicle, under new Norwegian laws.

Denmark, meanwhile, produced so much electricity from wind power in July last year that it was able to sell its excess to Germany, Norway and Sweden.

In India, Delhi was dubbed the equivalent of "living in a gas chamber" by its chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. Similar criticism has been levelled at major Chinese cities, with Beijing set to double the number of air monitoring stations to assess the city's air quality.

Meanwhile in the UK, Theresa May has closed the Department for Energy and Climate Change and merged it into a new Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

One point of concern for the Netherlands will be ensuring the current design of electric cars can be adequately scaled-up for densely populated urban environments, warned Dr Smokers.

"I think that living labs and other large scale experiments in the coming two decades will be needed to find out how we can tackle this challenge," he said.

Independent
Bangladeshi activists who fought in the 1971 war of independence celebrate a Supreme Court decision in Dhaka that cleared the way for the execution of Jamaat-e-Islami leader Motiur Rahman Nizami, May 5, 2016.

Updated at 7:36 a.m. on 2016-08-26

A law proposed by the government of Bangladesh threatens life imprisonment for people who criticize its founding father or spread false information about the war that birthed the nation.

The cabinet of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina this week approved a draft bill of a digital security law that contains a controversial new provision: Anyone caught spreading online propaganda about the 1971 war of independence from Pakistan, or who makes derogatory comments over the Internet about the countrys founding president could be imprisoned for life and fined 10 million taka (U.S. $127,760), if parliament ultimately adopts the Digital Security Law.

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladeshs first president, is Hasinas father who was assassinated in 1975.

Supreme Court lawyer Shahdin Malik described the provisions stipulation of life in prison for violators as harsh and a potential threat to free speech.

If such a provision is made, [it] would severely tarnish Bangladeshs image in protecting the freedom of expression and freedom of press, Malik told BenarNews.

The government has yet to spell out how it defines such propaganda about the war in the draft law, yet the conflict in which the former province of East Pakistan broke free from Pakistan 45 years ago remains a deeply divisive issue in Bangladesh. The schism is reflected in a long-running rivalry between its ruling and opposition parties.

Leaders from the ruling Awami League frequently accuse the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its ally, the faith-based Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami party, of being pro-Pakistan. Jamaat, for one, opposed Bangladeshs birth in 1971.

During Hasinas present rule as prime minister, several leaders from opposition parties have been prosecuted and executed over alleged crimes committed during the 1971 war, when they fought on the pro-Pakistani side.

In January, the BNPs chairwoman, former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia  Hasinas bitter foe  was charged with sedition for publically questioning the official number on how many people were killed in the war. The government has put the wartime death toll at as high as 3 million.

Mahbubur Rahman, a member of the BNPs highest policy-making Standing Committee, said people had the right to question the governments move to enact a law to stop propaganda against the liberation war and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

Most of the people respect Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and supporters of the war of independence. So, making a law to stop his criticism 41 years after his assassination is unusual. People may fear that the law may be misused, Rahman told BenarNews.

Bill draws fire

Should Bangladeshi lawmakers pass the bill, the new law would be named the Digital Security Act, and would replace the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act of 2006 as well as amend four of the older laws sections.

The government says that the new law, which would create an agency specializing in safeguarding Bangladeshs digital realm and protecting the country from threats via social media, is needed to bolster cyber security in the country of 54 million Internet users. Home-grown militant groups rely on Facebook and other online media to spread their messages.

One of the proposed amendments states that a person who deliberately publishes or transmits false or obscene content online or electronically that undermines law and order could face criminal charges. Any electronic material that may prejudice the image of the state or a person, or that may hurt religious beliefs can also considered an offense under the proposed law.

Such provisions in the proposed law have raised concerns that it could be abused and lead to violations of rights.

On Wednesday, the U.S.-based press freedom watchdog Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called on Bangladeshs legislature to scrap the bill.

Proposed cyber-crime legislation, if passed, would have a stifling effect on media freedom in Bangladesh, Shawn Crispin, the CPJs senior Southeast Asia representative, said in a statement.

The draft laws language dangerously conflates cyber-crime with fair critical comment. We strongly urge parliament to reject the bill and ensure that any further version includes clearly defined press freedom and freedom of expression guarantees.

Responding to the criticism from CPJ, the head of the Press Institute of Bangladesh, which comes under the Ministry of Information, said the government needed such a law because of challenges to digital security in a fast-changing age of global technology.

But the law is still under scrutiny because the bureaucrats have prepared the draft. Now, the Law Ministry will examine whether the law contradicts other existing laws. [T]he bill will be uploaded in the official website to seek feedback from the people, and we will hold discussions with all stakeholders before finalizing [this], Shah Alamgir Hossain, the institutes director general, told BenarNews on Thursday.

He added that the government was cautious in ensuring the freedom of press and freedom of expression, which, he said, were constitutionally guaranteed rights.

But we definitely need such law because a single post on any of the social media can create chaos in the whole country. We have seen the CPJs concern. I hope we would maintain a balance between ensuring digital and cyber security and guaranteeing the freedom of expression, Hossain said.

Shahriar Sharif in Dhaka contributed to this report.
An injured peahen is seen in its enclosure at Delhis Birla Charitable Hospital for Birds, Aug. 25, 2016. [Kshitij Nagar/ BenarNews]

Supervisor Khem Kumar Singh (right) and hospital worker Balwant Singh check up on injured birds at Delhis Birla Charitable hospital for Birds, Aug. 25, 2016. [Kshitij Nagar/BenarNews]

Shopkeeper Javed Mohammad holds up a manjha string after removing it from a power line next to his shop in old Delhi, Aug. 25, 2016. [Kshitij Nagar/BenarNews]

New Delhis annual kite flying season ended in mid-August, yet veterinary clinics there are struggling to cope with a large number of birds lying injured on local streets, as a result of aerial collisions with glass-coated strings that are banned but used in the sport.

Hundreds of birds have been killed and more than 1,100 are being treated at one Delhi hospital alone for severe cuts sustained from flying into the notorious Chinese manjha - a nylon thread coated with crushed glass and metal pieces  which is widely used by enthusiasts to cut off competitors kites.

Several people, including two children, have been killed during the month-long kite-flying season caused by mishaps with the strings.

Despite a court ban on the use of these sharp strings, Delhis Birla Charitable Hospital for Birds said it

had seen a three-fold increase in the number of injured birds this year.

This thread is a serious threat as it is extremely sharp. Birds easily get entangled and the thread cuts into their flesh. It is sharp enough to even slit a humans throat, Khem Kumar Singh, the hospitals supervisor, told BenarNews.

Among the toll on humans, at least five people have been killed and 10 others injured from the Chinese manjha this season, partly because of large lengths of the thread being discarded in the streets, according to the Delhi Police.

I dont like to sell this manjha because I know how dangerous it is. But I cant afford to lose out on the profit I make from it. People who buy it also know it is unsafe. But if they want to take the risk, who am I to stop them, Ashraf Syed, a kite seller in the old quarters of the capital, told BenarNews.
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What about seemingly random events? Does God control them?

THE FLIGHT OF AN ARROW

First Kings 22 contains a striking case. Micaiah, speaking as a prophet of the Lord, predicts that Ahab, the king of Israel, will fall in battle at Ramoth-gilead (1 Kings 22:2022). Ahab disguises himself in battle to avoid being a special target for enemy attack (v. 30). But Gods plan cannot be thwarted. The narrative describes the crucial event:

But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the scale armor and the breastplate. Therefore he [the king] said to the driver of his chariot, Turn around and carry me out of the battle, for I am wounded. (v. 34)

A certain man drew his bow at random. That is, he was not aiming at any particular target. An alternative translation would be that he drew his bow in his innocence (ESV marginal reading). The alternative translation might mean that the man shot at Ahab, but he did not know who it was (he was innocent of knowing it was the king). Whichever interpretation we take of this detail, we should notice that the arrow struck in just the right place. Ahab was dressed in armor. If the arrow had struck Ahabs breastplate, it might have simply bounced off. If it had struck his scale armor, it would not have wounded him. But there happened to be a small space between the scale armor and the breastplate. Perhaps for just a moment Ahab turned or bent in such a way that a thin opening appeared. The arrow went right in, exactly in the right spot. It wounded him fatally. He died the same day (1 Kings 22:35), just as God had said.

God showed that day that he was in charge of seemingly random events. He controlled when the man drew his bow. He controlled the direction of his aim. He controlled the moment the arrow was released. He controlled the flight of the arrow. He controlled the way Ahabs armor was put on earlier in the day, and the position that Ahab took as the arrow came nearer. He controlled the arrow as it struck in just the right spot and went in deep enough to produce fatal damage to organs. He brought Ahab to his death.

Lest we feel too sorry for Ahab, we should remind ourselves that he was a wicked king (1 Kings 21:2526). Moreover, by going into battle he directly disobeyed the warning that Micaiah the prophet gave in Gods name. It was an act of arrogance and disobedience to God. God, who is a God of justice, executed righteous judgment on Ahab. From this judgment we should learn to revere God and honor him.

Ahabs death was an event of special significance. It had been prophesied beforehand, and Ahab himself was a special person. He was the king of Israel, a prominent leader, a key person in connection with the history of Gods people in the northern kingdom of Israel. But the event illustrates a general principle: God controls seemingly random events. A single outstanding event, like the arrow flying toward Ahab, has not been narrated as an exception but rather as a particularly weighty instance of the general principle, which the Bible articulates in passages where it teaches Gods universal control.

COINCIDENCES

We can find other events in the Bible where the outcome depends on an apparent coincidence or happenstance.

In Genesis 24, Rebekah, who belonged to the clan of Abrahams relatives, happened to come out to the well just after Abrahams servant arrived. The servant was praying and waiting, looking for a wife for Abrahams son Isaac (Gen. 24:15). The fact that Rebekah came out at just the right time was clearly Gods answer to the servants prayer. Rebekah later married Isaac and bore Jacob, an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

Years later Rachel, who belonged to the same clan, happened to come out to a well just after Jacob arrived (Gen. 29:6). Jacob met her, fell in love with her, and married her. She became the mother of Joseph, whom God later raised up to preserve the whole family of Jacob during a seven-year famine (Genesis 4146). When God provided Rachel for Jacob, he was fulfilling his promise that he would take care of Jacob and bring him back to Canaan (28:15). Moreover, he was fulfilling his long-range promise that he would bless the descendants of Abraham (vv. 1314).

In the life of Joseph, after Josephs brothers had thrown him into a pit, a caravan of Ishmaelites happened to go by, traveling on their way to Egypt (Gen. 37:25). The brothers sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites. They in turn happened to sell Joseph to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh (v. 36). Josephs experiences were grim, but they were moving him toward the new position that he would eventually assume in Egypt.

False accusation by the wife of Potiphar led to Joseph being thrown into prison (Gen. 39:20). Pharaoh happened to get angry with his chief cupbearer and his chief baker, and they happened to get thrown into the prison where Joseph now had a position of responsibility (40:14). While they were lying in prison, both the cupbearer and the baker happened to have special dreams. Josephs interpretation of their dreams led to his later opportunity to interpret Pharaohs dreams (Genesis 41). These events led to the fulfillment of the earlier prophetic dreams that God had given to Joseph in his youth (37:510; 42:9).

After Moses was born, his mother put him in a basket made of bulrushes and placed it among the reeds by the Nile. The daughter of Pharaoh happened to come down to the river and happened to notice it. When she opened it, the baby happened to cry. The daughter of Pharaoh took pity and adopted Moses as her own son (Ex. 2:310). As a result, Moses was protected from the death sentence on Hebrew male children (1:16, 22), and he was instructed in all the wisdom of the Egyptians (Acts 7:22). So God worked out his plan, according to which Moses would eventually deliver the Israelites from Egypt.

Joshua sent two spies to Jericho. Out of all the possibilities, they happened to go to the house of Rahab the prostitute (Josh. 2:1). Rahab hid the spies and made an agreement with them (vv. 4, 1214). Consequently, she and her relatives were preserved when the city of Jericho was destroyed (6:17, 25). Rahab then became an ancestor of Jesus (Matt. 1:5).

Ruth happened to come to the part of the field belonging to Boaz (Ruth 2:3). Boaz noticed Ruth, and then a series of events led to Boaz marrying Ruth, who became an ancestor of Jesus (Ruth 4:2122; Matt. 1:5).

During the life of David, we read the following account of what happened in the wilderness of Maon:

As Saul and his men were closing in on David and his men to capture them, a messenger came to Saul, saying, Hurry and come, for the Philistines have made a raid against the land. So Saul returned from pursuing after David and went against the Philistines. (1 Sam. 23:2628)

David narrowly escaped being killed, because the Philistines happened to conduct a raid at a particular time, and the messenger happened to reach Saul when he did. If nothing had happened to interfere with Sauls pursuit, he might have succeeded in killing David. The death of David would have cut off the line of descendants leading to Jesus (Matt. 1:1, 6).

When Absalom engineered his revolt against Davids rule, a messenger happened to come to David, saying, The hearts of the men of Israel have gone after Absalom (2 Sam. 15:13). David immediately fled Jerusalem, where otherwise he would have been killed. During Davids flight, Hushai the Archite happened to come to meet him, with his coat torn and dirt on his head (v. 32). David told Hushai to go back to Jerusalem, pretend to support Absalom, and defeat the counsel of Ahithophel (v. 34). As a result, Hushai was able to persuade Absalom not to follow Ahithophels counsel for battle, and Absalom died in the battle that eventually took place (18:1415). Thus, happenstances contributed to Davids survival.

When Ben-hadad the king of Syria was besieging Samaria, the city was starving. Elisha predicted that the next day the city of Samaria would have flour and barley (2 Kings 7:1). The captain standing by expressed disbelief, and then Elisha predicted that he would see it... but... not eat of it (v. 2). The next day the captain happened to be trampled by the people who were rushing out the gate toward the food (v. 17). He died, as the man of God had said (v. 17), seeing the food but not living to partake of it. His death was a fulfillment of Gods prophecy.

When Athaliah was about to usurp the throne of Judah, she undertook to destroy all the descendants in the Davidic family. Jehosheba happened to be there, and she took Joash the son of Ahaziah and hid him away (2 Kings 11:2). So the line of the Davidic family was preserved, which had to be the case if the Messiah was to come from the line of David, as God had promised. Joash was an ancestor of Jesus Christ.

During the reign of king Josiah, the priests happened to find the Book of the Law as they were repairing the temple precincts (2 Kings 22:8). Josiah had it read to him, and so he was energized to inaugurate a spiritual reform.

The story of Esther contains further happenstances. Esther happened to be among the young women taken into the kings palace (Est. 2:8). She happened to be chosen to be the new queen (v. 17). Mordecai happened to find out about Bigthan and Tereshs plot against the king (v. 22), and Mordecais name then happened to be included in the kings chronicles (v. 23). The night before Haman planned to hang Mordecai, the king happened not to be able to sleep (6:1). He asked for an assistant to read from the chronicles, and he happened to read the part where Mordecai had uncovered the plot against the king (vv. 12). Haman happened to be entering the kings court at just that moment (v. 4). A whole series of happenstances worked together to lead to Hamans being hanged, the Jews being rescued, and Mordecai being honored.

Taken from Chance and the Sovereignty of God: A God-Centered Approach to Probability and Random Events, by Vern S. Poythress. Used by permission of Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers, Wheaton, Il 60187, www.crossway.org.

What if all eventsbig and small, good and badare governed by more than just blind chance? What if they are governed by God? In this theologically informed and philosophically nuanced introduction to the study of probability and chance, Vern Poythress argues that all eventsincluding the seemingly random or accidentalfall under Gods watchful gaze as part of his eternal plan. Comprehensive in its scope, this book lays the theistic foundation for our scientific assumptions about the world while addressing personal questions about the meaning and significance of everyday events.
Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia
Kenyan startup Capsule is set to launch Flare, a mobile solution that aggregates available ambulances onto a single system and allows patients or hospitals to request emergency help using their smartphone.

Flare app

Flare is the brainchild of Caitlin Dolkart and Maria Rabinovich, who between them have nearly a decade of experience working in the health space throughout Africa.

The app, which will be tested with ambulance companies in August and September ahead of the release of a Uber-style consumer-facing app at the end of the year, will allow patients or hospitals to see available ambulance options and request help quickly.

Our simple and practical app and telephone hotline gives hospitals and patients access to ambulances, and enables private ambulances to reach more customers and make better datadriven business decisions, said Dolkart. During a pick-up, it alerts hospitals that a patient is on-the-way. Flare aims to ensure that when an emergency arises it takes minutes, not hours, to access care.

She said the idea for Flare had arisen due to the enormous challenges prevalent in the Kenyan healthcare sector, notably the need to bring patients closer to a growing and uncoordinated healthcare marketplace.

While new clinics, hospitals, pharmacies, doctors and ambulances are added to the system each year, demand has not kept pace in large part because there is a lack of technical infrastructure for patients to learn about and connect to their healthcare options, Dolkart said.

Today, there is no well-functioning emergency response dispatch system like 911. In Nairobi, Kenya it takes up to two hours to get an ambulance. During an emergency, patients struggle to locate and connect to private ambulance companies through their individual dispatch phone numbers. They are often unaware of their options and waste critical time. Meanwhile, there are up to one hundred available ambulances sitting idly around Nairobi waiting for patients.

Flare has received support from different initiatives at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), where Dolkart completed her MBA, and won some startup and entrepreneurship prizes. It also took part in the recent three-month Merck accelerator in Nairobi, and is in the process of closing its first round of funding for a full launch in Nairobi.

Once the testing period is over and Flare is properly launched, the startup will make money by taking a percentage of each ride booked through the app. Though the app is initially launching in Nairobi, Dolkart and Rabinovich foresee relatively quick expansion, with Mombasa and Kisumu on the radar for early next year.

From there, we plan to move into Nigeria. There are a number of other major cities on our radar in East and West Africa, Dolkart said. Were specifically targeting places where theres an ample supply of ambulances, untapped demand, high penetration of smartphones, large private sector health care market, and also where there are already on-demand apps in the market like Uber.

So is Flare simply Uber for ambulances? Not quite, according to Dolkart.

A couple of major differences include the fact that our first customers are hospitals, which are super-users, she said. Right now, most of the ambulance traffic is between hospitals, who often do not have their own vehicles. Hospitals have trained personnel who know when patients require ambulances and what type of ambulance is needed.

Another major difference is that each ambulance is attached to a company, and are not independent contractors.

Within our platform, we will retain competition among the various ambulance companies, Dolkart said. Beyond distance to the patient, they can compete on a number of different variables, including type of vehicle, service level and price to name a few.
It has been 60 years since the 1956 Women's March to the Union Buildings. Since then much positive change, both politically and in the realm of gender politics, has occurred in South Africa. As a country we have been lauded for our progressive constitution, but women are still underrepresented in leadership positions. A survey released by Grant Thornton in 2016 showed that leadership positions held by women decreased from 27% in 2015 to 26% in 2016.

Solar Capital  which recently launched the largest solar farm in the southern hemisphere  hosted 90 women at an event in De Aar, Northern Cape on 4 August to assist in the empowerment of local women. Here energy entrepreneur, Makole Mupita, shared her views on how to encourage the increase of women in business and women entrepreneurs.

Mupita is the co-founder and executive director of Mahlako a Phahla Investments, a women-led company focused on the energy and infrastructure space. She is also an investor and board member of the project companies involved in the development, management, and operations and maintenance of the 175MW facility in De Aar. Mupita believes an attitude of excellence and a focus on education is needed for women to achieve in business.

Attitude of excellence

Excellence is an attitude we can all choose to have. If you have an attitude of achieving, if youre excellent, no one can judge you on your gender or the colour of your skin, your work will speak for itself. If you instil this attitude in your children and everyone around you that makes such a big difference," explains Mupita.

Education gets you places

Also of vital importance is education. Mupita admits that there are limiting social and financial factors to education in South Africa, but encourages all school goers to study hard and seek opportunities for further studies and development.

I am living proof that a solid education gets you places. I am originally from a small town in Polokwane and never dreamed I would be a part owner of a solar farm, but look at where I am now,"she says. Dont give up trying to further your studies. Nothing stops someone from getting an education at any age. You can educate and empower yourself. It can happen.

Although there are many parenting articles written about how to raise girls to be strong women with titles such as How to Talk to Little Girls, not as much is written about raising boys to respect the opposite sex. Mupita expounds her theory that women also have the responsibility of raising their sons to respect women. This is how men will grow to see the potential in women employees and look up to their female leaders."

Community involvement

Solar Capital De Aar offers an entrepreneurial development programme to the local community, of which a large percentage of participants are women. They also fund the Healthy Mother Healthy Baby Programme in De Aar which aims to raise awareness of, and decrease the rate of, foetal alcohol spectrum disorder, and recently funded a womens shelter in the area.

Lets make sure that Womens Day is seen by everyone, especially the young, as not just a public holiday in South Africa, but one which remembers the strength of those 20,000 women who marched 60 years ago, and be motivated by this strength to ensure women are respected and treated as equals to men in every way.
WASHINGTON: Mobile messaging service WhatsApp on Thursday announced it would begin sharing subscriber data with parent Facebook, giving advertisers better access to information on WhatsApp's one billion-strong user base.

The company said the change would allow Facebook to target advertising at WhatsApp users who are also on the social media platform, and help WhatsApp fight spam on its service.

But the move was sure to raise eyebrows among privacy advocates.

123RF

"By connecting your phone number with Facebook's systems, Facebook can offer better friend suggestions and show you more relevant ads if you have an account with them," WhatsApp said in a statement.

"For example, you might see an ad from a company you already work with, rather than one from someone you've never heard of."

Microsoft's popular calling and messaging platform Skype, a WhatsApp competitor, already serves up advertising to users.

WhatsApp said the change would not involve third-party banner adds or other undesirable content.

The decision comes four months after WhatsApp rolled out strong end-to-end encryption as a default feature for all users, saying this made the content of their communications impenetrable to all but those sending or receiving a given message.

"Even as we coordinate more with Facebook in the months ahead, your encrypted messages stay private and no one else can read them. Not WhatsApp, not Facebook, nor anyone else," the company said.

Facebook acquired WhatsApp in February 2014 for $16bn.

Source: AFP
Over the course of August, Bizcommunity has dedicated much coverage to the experience of women in various industries. Here, we learnt the perspective of Carmen Schaefer, a senior design and art lecturer at Red & Yellow School of Logic and Magic, who plays a role in preparing young creatives for the advertising industry. She covers topics relating to discrimination, obtaining jobs and creating award-winning work. We also interviewed Gabi van Niekerk and Carina Bonse, some of Red & Yellow's most promising students selected for this year's Loerie Student Awards, who are on the cusp of entering the industry.

Schaefer has three years experience as a lecturer at various tertiary institutions, some of which had female CEOs or had female academic heads. She is passionate about her craft and identifies herself as a proud feminist who has an equal relationship with her husband.

 Kzenon via 123RF

Representation of women

Schaefer pointed out that, in her experience, there doesnt seem to be an equal representation of men and women in creative director level roles. This is not the first time that the topic of a glass ceiling for women has been raised by a creative in the industry. Read what Katherine Glover has to say about it during last years Cannes Lions festival.

Carmen Schaefer

Schaefer related how she arrived at an advertising industry event with some of her top female students one year, where there was an opportunity to meet creative directors. All of them were middle-aged, white males. One of those super talented female students turned to her and said: "Do you have to be an old white man to be a creative director still?" Schaefer says while there are obviously female directors out there that she could refer her to, they just werent represented at this specific event - neither were creative directors of other races. She warns that organisers of industry events should be careful of this as It creates a lasting impression, which is not necessarily correct.

Bonse, who won a bronze Loerie at the 2015 Student Loerie Awards, added, I am aware that currently there are fewer women in top positions in the advertising industry. But there is a huge movement around the globe to get women into positions of power across all industries. Most of the top students in my class are women, and I feel they will go far with their talents.

People like Suhana Gordhan, the new chair of the Loeries, are certainly helping to challenge the current status quo by inspiring young women to get involved and succeed in the industry.

Torn between family and work

Schaefer went on to draw attention to the fact that female creatives feel pressured to balance their family and work life. She said, I think company management makes it really hard for women to progress in their careers and also have a family. I know a lot of female creatives who were at a crossroads and had to choose between advancing in their careers or having children. The working environment at South African agencies seems to depend very much on long hours spent at the agency: it makes being a mother difficult. I like the idea of having creches or qualified nannies at big companies. And flexi-hours would also help.

Sharing this sentiment, Gabi van Niekerk who was awarded a bronze Loerie this year for the Swimming In It campaign, said, I feel that there is opportunity for women in the ad industry to succeed, it's just a little tougher for us to do so. I hope that one day when I'm a creative director I can have a family without my entire agency freaking out!

What constitutes topnotch work

Swimming In It campaign

Explaining why she believed the Red & Yellow students work selected for the Loerie Student Awards to be award-winning, Schaefer said, We try to teach our creatives to think strategically, and really understand the business side of creativity. We often give them real client briefs and real issues to work with. I think it's excellent to enter the Loeries, as they do recognise creative excellence, but I'm hoping that the judges also looked deeper and tried to understand the strategy and concepts in the work.

The problem-solving in the thinking is really important for me. For example, the students did an integrated campaign to promote a cause, and we received two finalist nominations for those. One was for a campaign dealing with the issue of running safely for women (inspired by the Franziska Blochliger Tokai murder that upset all of us very much) and the other was Swimming In It, a campaign to create awareness of the sewage spill into the sea surrounding Cape Town. [The creatives invented a wristband that underwent a litmus test to notify swimmers of the levels of e-coli and other bacteria caused by sewage in the water.]

These campaigns were clever first, and beautiful second. To me, thats what should win awards. People are often seduced by superficial beauty, said Schaefer.

Students views on entering the industry

While the students have not yet held jobs in the industry, their being present at the Loerie Awards and having an opportunity to work on real-life campaigns has given them valuable insight. They defended their talent and ability to succeed in the industry.

I believe that I will get a job as a copywriter, because I work hard and I'm confident to speak about the work I do and stand up for it, said van Niekerk.

I dont feel there will be an issue for me finding a job as a woman in this industry, because if you want something badly enough, you will make it happen, concludes Bonse.
A new co-formulation, which potentially requires fewer injections, will simplify the treatment of insulin-dependent type 2 diabetes and thereby dramatically improve the quality of their lives.

Over the past decade, long-acting insulin analogues with improved time-action profiles that reduce this variability have been developed to mimic basal insulin secretion more closely. However, to provide effective glucose control, they need to be combined with a short-acting insulin to control glucose after meals, which must be administered separately, requiring multiple daily injections. Together with the risk of hypoglycaemia, this adds to perceived treatment burden and reduces the likelihood that people with diabetes will persevere with their treatment.

Dr Stephen Lawrence

Until recently, the incompatibility of different formulations of long- and short-acting insulins has meant the two could not be combined in one injection, and all current formulations are a premix of short-acting insulin and the same insulin modified to provide an intermediate-acting component.

Now, an analogue has been developed that provides an even profile of basal insulin (70%) over 24 hours and mealtime insulin (30%) in one pen device to improve control and reduce the risk of hypoglycaemia.

Dr Timmy Kedijang, vice-president and general manager: Novo Nordisk South Africa, says the new co-formulation offers safety, and is more cost effective because it requires fewer doses and therefore less insulin. In addition, the flexibility it provides diabetics and the technology and mechanism of the analogue help with treatment compliance.

The rule of halves

The scary fact is 60-80% of South Africans will die before their 60th birthday from diabetes, which kills more people than those great plagues of the 20th and 21st century, Aids and tuberculosis. And a big part of the challenge is that many sufferers dont even know they have it.

When it comes to type 2, the rule of halves applies, says Dr Stephen Lawrence, principal clinical teaching fellow on diabetes at Warwick University in the UK. This means that only half of diabetes sufferers are diagnosed, of those 50% have access to care, this number is halved again to the amount of diabetics who achieve glucose control, of which again only 50% reach the desired outcome.

The goal, therefore is to make treatment more accessible, as living with the complications of the disease can be a harsher than those who die as a result of diabetes, he says.

Outliving their pancreas

Blindness, end-stage kidney disease and non-traumatic amputation of lower limbs require life-long care and intervention, which puts a greater burden on resources. Therefore early diagnosis and treatment are essential. Insulin optimisation and intensification should follow the diseases progress, but eventually the diabetic will outlive their pancreas and will have to move onto insulin injections.

Understandably people on multiple insulin injections - because of the impact on their lifestyle - dont continue treatment, and 58,5% of doctors think their typical patients find it difficult to inject themselves as the perceived treatment burden increases.

When they start skipping injections, they increase the risk of hypoglycaemic episodes, which can increase the risk of harm to other people. For example, if they have an episode while driving, they could have an accident and injure other people.

The new co-formulation breaks down the fast and longer acting chains of insulin and only requires two injections daily with the main meals. More importantly it doesnt cause insulin stacking, Lawrence says.

Cost reduction

The analogue is available in South Africa pending approval from the department of health and has already cracked the nod from the major funders, says Kedijang. However it might take a while to get into the public healthcare sector, largely due to the laborious procurement tender system.

He says its time to have a more grown-up conversation regarding spending, its not just about the cost of the medication, but if the patient develops complications, that long-term cost also has to be factored in.

When it comes to the issue of access to quality healthcare, we need to be mindful of other things that are part of the logistics chain, Kedijang explains.
The digitalisation of business is inevitable and companies that resist the change, risk losing customers, revenue and potentially, even their reputation.

Felix Erken

The stakes are even higher for companies whose websites are the first and only place interested customers visit. In reality, a website only has seconds to make a good first impression.

A responsive site is essential. The latest Ericsson Mobility Report states that smartphone subscriptions continue to increase and that the number will surpass those for basic phone subscriptions during the third quarter of 2016. According to the report, the growth will continue, especially in markets such as Africa and the Middle East, where smartphone subscriptions will increase more than 200 percent between now and 2021.

Talking from own experience, a transition to a responsive site can result in a 30 percent growth in mobile traffic and nearly 15% more conversions. In brick and mortar terms that is many more feet through a showroom and an increase in sales that in todays economic climate is considered an achievement.

Responsive sites are optimised gateways for mobile users because they provide the best possible user experience, no matter which device or browser they are accessed from. It enables visitors to find what theyre looking for in seconds instead of minutes and they enjoy a seamless browsing experience.

Businesses that are serious about making a good first impression via their online showrooms have to continually invest in the digital platforms that drive ease of use. But it isnt only the ease with which visitors can navigate a site that will make them fill their online basket or complete an enquiry form. A site needs to reflect what is currently the norm in terms of look and feel - a site from the 2000s will repel visitors, its as simple as that.

The current best practice is to design a site with aesthetics and viewer engagement in mind. Over-sized images are in. Long pieces of text are out. If a site requires visitors to concentrate on reading text, it will lose them because people simply cant be bothered.

The Ericsson Mobility Report also states that video will account for almost 70% of mobile data traffic in 2021. Todays teens are streaming natives and they are the heaviest consumers of smartphone data for video streaming apps. The next evolution will be much more visual with video, virtual reality and augmented reality becoming the new normal.

The digitalisation of business is here to stay and companies have to continuously evolve their digital solutions to retain customers or risk losing them.

Businesses that understand that curious customers may never make it into their brick and mortar store if the online one doesnt give them what they want will invest in their digital offerings to provide interested customers the best online experience possible.

The investment will stand businesses in good stead and even more so if they, for example, want to become sponsored locations within the Pokemon Go virtual game board in the near future. The premise being that it will drive traffic and will work on a cost-per-visit basis similar to Googles cost-per-click search advertising.
Packaging group Transpaco, renowned for its no-frills operational approach and smart acquisition strategy, defied sluggish economic conditions to post a 38% increase in the bottom line in the year to end-June.

Its more illustrious peers, such as Nampak and Astrapak, have struggled in tighter trading conditions in SA.

Transpaco CEO Phil Abelheim said the performance was supported by controlled operating costs through improved manufacturing, distribution, and administration efficiencies.

Despite higher input costs  particularly in labour, energy, and raw materials  Transpaco fattened its margin to 9.2% from 8.1% in the previous financial year. Abelheim said a robust performance from the plastics division, including a strong contribution from recently acquired East Rand Plastics, pushed Transpacos turnover up 26% to more than R1.7bn.

The companys divisional review showed turnover in the plastics division had grown 37% to R1.23bn.

The top-line growth in the smaller paper and board products division was more pedestrian, increasing just more than 5% to R481m. Operating profit in the plastics division surged 76% to R100m, while the paper and board products segment showed a slight decline to R50.9m.

Opportune Investments CEO Chris Logan, a shareholder in Transpaco, said the company had delivered great results over time by sticking to its knitting and transforming "other packaging companies discards into gems".

In recent years, Transpaco has acquired unwanted businesses from Nampak and Astrapak.

Logan said Transpaco had outperformed packaging peers  sometimes to a huge extent.

"It remains a pity Transpaco has not been able to improve its liquidity to enable more investors to share in its success," he said.

The company has fewer than 33-million shares in issue and more than 50% of these are held by just four shareholders. Value asset manager Aylett had bought a 5% interest in Transpacos shares, Transpaco said on Wednesday.

Transpacos headline earnings of 330c per share were underpinned by reassuring cash flow from operations at R139m. Net cash flow came in at about R52m  or 157c per share, and supported the full-year dividend payout of 150c per share  40% higher than the previous year.

The dividend was covered a generous 2.2 times by headline earnings. Logan said Transpaco had increased dividends by a compound annual growth rate of almost 16%.

Looking ahead, Abelheim cautioned that a challenging trading environment prevailed. But he contended Transpaco would continue to target organic growth by maintaining strict financial control.

The firm would continue to identify and pursue appropriate acquisitions, he said. Transpaco had a stout balance sheet and was in a net cash position, he added.
Toyota South Africa Motors (TSAM) has scooped the Sunday Times Top Brand award as the best regarded car brand in the Consumer category in 2016. The 2016 survey results were announced at a glittering gathering in Sandton on Tuesday, identifying top brands in the business and consumer spheres based on thousands of interviews.

The winning brands are voted for by consumers and business decision makers who rank them as being the best in their category in a nationwide survey. According to Times Media, parent company of the Sunday Times, current trends among SA's top brands indicate that the tough economic climate has pushed consumers away from trying new things, back into the products they trust.

The consumer sample for the 2016 Sunday Times Brands Awards comprised 3,500 interviews, of which 2,500 were in the SA metros while the remaining 1,000 were in the non-metro areas. The sample also consisted of 502 C-level business decision makers - including CEOs, CFOs and COOs - from organisations of all sizes across the country.

Tough economic climate

"Winning a Sunday Times Top Brand award in the Car category is a significant accomplishment for the Toyota brand. The ability to maintain a strong position and forge ahead in a rather challenging economic climate is what distinguishes Toyota from other brands. We are eternally grateful to the South African market for their unwavering support, and it remains our philosophy and mission to create smiles whenever we interact with our customers," says Kerry Roodt, general manager of marketing communications at TSAM.

Roodt adds that while TSAM's sales and marketing teams find the recognition most rewarding, none of the organisation's achievements would have been possible without everyone rallying behind the Toyota brand. "I would also like to acknowledge all the traditional custodians of our brand - including Toyota Motor Company in Japan, all the departments at the head office, colleagues at the Prospecton plant and dealer network across the country. It's always amazing to see what can be achieved when we work together as a team," she says.
Tile and sanitaryware retailer Italtile reported on Thursday that headline earnings per share increased 21% to 86.9c in the year to end-June.

Italtile, which owns retail brands such as CTM, TopT and Italtile, said it would pay a dividend of 29c per share.

The company said trading profit rose 16% to R1.05bn.

Italtile opened 20 new stores during the reporting period.

Italtile said that while the renovations market grew during the reporting period, construction of new buildings remained sluggish, as evidenced by the negligible increase in the number of building plans passed.

The group said that reflected a worsening in consumers investment sentiment based on uncertainty in the economy and in the sociopolitical environment.

Earlier this month Italtile approached the Competition Tribunal to revive its merger with Ceramic Industries, in which it hold a 20% strategic stake.

The deal was stopped by the Competition Commission, which said in July that there was too much overlap within the industry.

Under the deal, Italtile would buy a further 73.5% of Ceramic Industries. The company said that the long-term success and sustainability of both businesses were inextricably intertwined, and had been for the past two decades.
South Africa has not had load shedding for nearly a year . This is a welcome development after years of power cuts that constrained economic growth. Electricity consumption has more or less flattened out, giving the national utility, Eskom, more space to catch up on maintenance and meet demand.

But all is not well in the countrys electricity sector.

There are challenges around rising costs and electricity tariffs. Further improvements are needed in technical and commercial performance. And Eskom has to raise sufficient finance to complete its investment programme. This comes at a time when National Treasury has no fiscal space for further equity injections.

On top of this, municipal electricity distributors are not investing adequately in maintenance and service delivery. This could have catastrophic consequences for security and reliability of supply in the future.

The current period provides an opportune time to consider the electricity sectors medium and long-term future. Is the sectors current structure fit-for-purpose? Does it provide a sustainable platform to achieve national goals and objectives?

What the economy and people want from the sector is instinctively and practically clear: access to electricity that is adequate, reliable and affordable as well as competitive prices in the case of business. And this should be accomplished within the bounds of environmental sustainability and transparent governance frameworks to attract enough investment to meet current and future needs.

At the moment it is not clear that the current structure can achieve these goals. This suggests that alternatives should be considered.

The case for restructuring

The past three decades have seen fundamental reform and restructuring of electricity sectors in countries all over the world. The old model, of a vertically integrated, state-owned monopoly, has been challenged. New models have been explored and adopted that involve different levels of integration or unbundling, competition and public or private ownership.

It is striking that South Africas electricity sector has been largely immune to these global developments. In recent years theres been private investment in a number of renewable energy independent power projects. But Eskom is now arguing that it doesnt need them.

The question of private or public should be unshackled from ideological predispositions. Debates around private participation in the electricity sector are often contentious. This includes whether privately owned entities are more efficient than public utilities. The country needs to consider restructuring proposals only in terms of whether they will support national economic and social development goals.

Choices range from a fully state-owned electricity sector to one which is fully privatised, or somewhere in between.

In fact, South Africa already has a hybrid system. State-owned Eskom and local government distributors are complemented by private independent power projects. Eskom has been unable to fund all the countrys electricity needs. Over the past four years independent power projects have mobilised close to R200bn in private investment.

It would seem sensible to retain a mixed electricity market  especially in power generation so that the country can secure adequate, timely and cost-effective capital investment.

But if the state were to countenance privatisation, it would be a mistake to allow private investment in an unstructured, vertically-integrated dominant Eskom. This would repeat the mistakes made in the privatisation of Telkom. There the strategic private partner used Telkoms monopoly to frustrate the entry and growth of new private players in the sector. It also maintained high prices.

Building competition into power generation

Globally many years of experience show that effective competition is possible in power generation (and energy sales), while electricity transmission and distribution mostly remain natural monopolies.

Independent power projects in South Africa already compete for the right to build, own and operate power stations based on long-term contracts and competitive prices. It makes sense to extend this kind of competition.

It is possible for power stations also to compete in a power exchange. This typically happens in a day-ahead market where independent power projects (and perhaps also Eskom) compete to sell their power for each period in the day. Such wholesale power markets have potential price benefits. But they are not always effective in attracting new investment. A much more effective way of attracting investment is through competitive tenders for long-term contracts.

Competition can also be encouraged by giving customers the right to choose their supplier. But international experience shows that while the benefits are potentially significant for large customers, theyre relatively modest for small users.

A modest amendment to the Electricity Regulation Act could make explicit the possibility of direct agreements between independent power projects and qualifying customers. This would spur innovation and investment, and reduce costs.

Traditionally, power systems have been vertically integrated: power generation, transmission and distribution functions have been combined in one company. But with generation potentially open to competition, many countries have decided to separate generation from the natural monopoly wire components.

The challenge of the current system is that it can discourage investment in independent power projects. It can also make inter-connection with the grid difficult or expensive and can constrain dispatch. This is because Eskom controls power purchases from independent power projects, as well as access to transmission, but also builds and operates its own power stations.

An alternative would be to spin off state-owned generation into a separate Genco. This would leave Eskom to control only transmission (and the system operator and buying functions). Eskom could then  on a neutral, transparent and fair basis  contract either State Gencos or independent power projects, creating a platform for private investment.

Overcoming state paralysis

Despite ample evidence of best practice South Africa seems to be in a state of paralysis.

The difficulty in restructuring state-owned utilities when they are in crisis is that governments are careful not to propose interventions that might further destabilise them. But when the crisis recedes so does the political imperative for restructuring. When Eskom was load shedding the focus was on immediate measures to keep the lights on and on improving its financial viability. It was more difficult to agree on far-reaching reforms that might prevent similar crises in the future.

It requires vision, leadership and commitment to restructure state owned enterprises. Any such process must remove impediments to investment and achieve efficiency improvements that facilitate economic growth and development.

There is an alternative to Eskoms leadership defending an old, vertically-integrated, monopolistic electricity industry model  which international experience shows is moribund. Would the company not want its legacy to be distinguished by a reforming zeal that sets South Africa on a different path? This would embrace a model for attracting new investment and securing power supply while containing costs and prices, and promoting environmental sustainability.

Perhaps South Africas fiscal position will have to deteriorate further before the country accepts that it can no longer fully fund its public utilities and that a greater openness to private investment is inevitable. It has already pumped R83bn into Eskom since 2008.

It would be better to start that restructuring and reform process now before there is another crisis.


Transoprt Minister Dipuo Peters's directive that the Passenger Rail Agency of SA (Prasa) halt a forensic investigation may come to naught.

Public Protector Thuli Madonselas office clarified that nobody can interfere with the implementation of remedial action recommended by the protector without taking its reports on judicial review.

The instruction has also been met with resistance by Prasa board chairman Popo Molefe, who has cited the Constitutional Court judgment reaffirming the public protectors powers.

The extraordinary development comes against the backdrop of President Jacob Zuma announcing this week that he would exercise greater oversight of state-owned enterprises, which have been a theatre for corporate governance failures.

Peters issued the instruction to Molefe in a letter dated August 12. "Whilst your efforts to clean up the organisation and enhance good corporate governance are commendable, I am deeply concerned that this investigation seems endless and without a clear scope," Peters wrote.

Peters also wrote that this had resulted in excessive spending of about R80m paid to Werksmans Attorneys.

Public protector spokesman Oupa Segalwe said on Wednesday, 24 August, the office would look into the case as the facts were unclear.

"Generally, no person is allowed to interfere with the implementation of the public protectors remedial action, unless they take her report on judicial review," said Segalwe.

"However, because we do not have the facts, we will check with the ministers office," he said.

Molefe said Prasa would not stop the investigations. "The minister has no powers to stop the investigations. Her instruction is a violation of  the Constitution and  the Public Finance Management Act."

Prasa had instituted the investigation after Madonselas report, released in August 2015, found widespread tender irregularities at the rail parastatal.

The auditor-general had also raised the alarm about Prasa.

Titled "Derailed", Madonselas report found that Prasa had awarded tenders improperly, contravening its supply chain management policy, the Public Finance Management Act and the Constitution. Madonsela ordered that the Treasury commission forensic investigations into contracts and tenders above R10m at Prasa.

The Treasury would work independently but she would set the terms of reference "so that they dont go too shallow".

By September 2015, five investigations were under way at Prasa, including a skills audit conducted at Peters behest.

Department of Transport spokesman Ishmael Mnisi said: "The minister asked the Prasa board to close off the investigation as soon as possible and submit a detailed report."

DA MP Manny de Freitas on Wednesday said Peters had to give reasons for her "about-turn" on the investigations, and "avow that this latest move has nothing to do with President Jacob Zumas and her relationship with the Guptas".

With Genevieve Quintal

Source: Business Day
Olivers Camp guest view - Eliza Deacon

We are immensely proud of this achievement, says Asilias positive impact coordinator, Clarissa Hughes. It means that our efforts are not only recognised nationally but also internationally, on a level that is understood across the board.

Fair Trade Tourism is partnering with like-minded African responsible tourism organisations like RTTZ through its mutual recognition agreements in an effort to raise awareness of the critical role sustainable, responsible tourism plays in the continents unfolding tourism landscape. Through these groundbreaking agreements, the organisation is helping to both benchmark standards in sustainable tourism and position Africa as a major role-player in making tourism a powerful tool for change.

By working with partners like RTTZ across Africa, Fair Trade Tourism is providing valuable market access to mutually recognised businesses through its network of approved international inbound and outbound tour operators and its Fair Trade Holiday packages, says the organisations managing director, Nivashnee Naidoo. These are packages in which at least 50% of bed nights are spent in either Fair Trade Tourism mutually recognised or directly certified businesses, she explains. We are delighted that Asilias eight camps can now be added to these itineraries.

Having attained RTTZs Tree Level, Asilias eight camps have all been operating for some time and have proved that their working culture and daily operations are fully integrated into a sustainable and responsible management approach. Systems are in place to monitor and redirect the operations and all the employees understand the triple bottom line approach.

Membership of RTTZ is entirely voluntary. Organisations represented on the Board of Trustees includes the Tourism Confederation of Tanzania, Hotel Association of Tanzania, Zanzibar Association of Tourism Investors, Tanzania Association of Tour Operators, Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania Tourist Board, Honeyguide Foundation and Round Table Africa.

Oliver's Camp Elephants

Promoting sustainable tourism in Tanzania

Its main mission is to encourage and promote a more sustainable tourism industry in Tanzania. The partnership with FTT will enhance the work of RTTZ in supporting and encouraging the development of sustainable tourism, and help to strengthen the economic and business foundation of the Tanzanian tourism industry. We see this relationship as key in communicating the successful growth of a fair and equitable industry in Tanzania to a global audience. Asilia has always been a leader in the fields of sustainability and responsible operations, and it is my pleasure to congratulate them on this remarkable achievement, said Damian Bell, director of RTTZ

Fair Trade Tourism board member Judy Kepher-Gona is a stalwart of the East African tourism industry and champion of sustainable tourism in the region. I believe that sustainability is the new luxury. Asilia is on the right track. All evidence points to a growing recognition of the significance of sustainability in tourism. East Africa cannot be left behind. Through the mutual agreement between RTTZ and FTT, East Africa becomes a global player in the sustainable tourism arena because FTT standards are recognised by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC). I hope many more properties in East Africa will follow Asilias steps, she says.

Asilia is the first and only African safari company to achieve a five-star rating from the Global Impact Investing Rating System (GIIRS) and is graded at the Platinum level for its impact model.
IBM Research has opened its second research location on the African continent and announced several new project collaborations in the areas of data-driven healthcare, digital urban ecosystems and astronomy. As part of a 10-year investment programme through the Department of Trade and Industry and working closely with the Department of Science and Technology, the new research lab is based at the University of the Witwatersrand (Wits).

IBM's researchers in South Africa with backgrounds in machine learning, mathematics, computer science, robotics, genomics and computational biology, are exploring the use of cognitive computing, the Internet of Things and Big Data to support South Africas national priorities, drive skills development and foster innovation-based economic growth.

South Africa is a tremendous growth and transformation story, yet its increasing population and healthcare delivery shortfalls continue to pose challenges in the country, said Solomon Assefa, director, IBM Research  Africa. With the ability to detect patterns and discover new correlations, cognitive and cloud computing and the Internet of Things can provide potential solutions.

The labs team of scientists is already collaborating extensively with local universities, research institutions, innovation centres, start-ups and government agencies. Aligned with areas of strategic national importance, the labs focus areas include:

Data-driven healthcare

 In support of the World Health Organizations End TB (Tuberculosis) Strategy, IBM scientists are designing wearable sensor technology connected to the Watson Internet of Things to trace the spread of highly infectious, communicable diseases. This innovation will help healthcare organisations and health officials develop prevention strategies and respond effectively.

 IBM scientists are developing cognitive learning approaches to transform cancer reporting, prevention and precision medicine in Africa. In a proof of concept study, IBM scientists have discovered a basic molecular link between cancer causing genes and those associated with metastasis, the cause of 90% of cancer related deaths.

Preliminary results from this work have been presented recently. Using anonymous, unstructured data provided by the National Cancer Registry in South Africa and in collaboration with the University of Witwatersrand Medical School, the team is developing cognitive algorithms to automate the inference of national cancer statistics in South Africa. This technology is expected to reduce a five-year time lag in cancer statistics reporting to real-time.

 With the support of the City of Johannesburg, IBM scientists have collected 65 samples of microbes and bacteria from 19 bus stations across the city as part of the global Metagenomics and Metadesign of the Subways and Urban Biomes (MetaSUB) international consortium. Once the samples are processed the results will be available to city planners, public health officials and scientists who will use the data to help officials predict and prepare for future disease outbreaks and discover new species and biological systems.

 In early September, scientists from IBM, H3ABioNet and the University of Notre Dame will host a hackathon on anti-malarial drug resistance and drug combination prediction.

Digital urban ecosystems

 Building on the company's global Green Horizons initiative, researchers at the new lab are working closely with experts from South Africas Council for Scientific and Industrial Research to analyse historical and real-time data from environmental monitoring stations. Using machine learning and cognitive models, the data collected in the City of Johannesburg, the City of Tshwane and the Vaal Industrial Triangle will help provide more insight about air pollution and model the effectiveness of intervention strategies. The project has recently been extended to predict ground level ozone and air quality forecasting.

 Commuters in the City of Johannesburg currently spend 35 minutes extra travel time per day due to traffic congestion, according to the Tom Tom Traffic Index. Unreliable traffic light infrastructure provides challenges to traffic light management in the city. Using real time anonymised traffic data from TomTom combined with Twitter, the scientists have developed a traffic optimisation recommendation tool which can help city officials dispatch traffic volunteers, known locally as pointsmen, to the intersections where they are most urgently needed.

 The City of Cape Town often battles with devastating wild fires, due to its unique topography and vegetation. Using data from The Weather Company, an IBM business, and the City of Cape Town's Open Data portal, IBM scientists have developed a cognitive dashboard. This can assess fire incidence risk and severity to help officials raise public awareness and prepare for emergency response.

 The number of people living off-the-grid in Africa has grown by 114 million since 2000. To help meet the energy needs of communities who are living remotely or would like to make use of renewable energy, IBM scientists have developed a mobile app which uses analytics to determine the solar requirements of users based on their energy needs and location.

Exploring the universe

 In 2018 the, Square Kilometer Array (SKA), the worlds largest radio telescope, will be built in South Africa and Australia. IBM scientists are collaborating with SKA South Africa (SKA-SA) on the development of unsupervised algorithms which can make groundbreaking astronomical discoveries. Scientists expect to eventually apply the cognitive technology to other applications, including the development of new pharmaceuticals and genomics.

 IBM scientists in South Africa are joining NASA, the SETI Institute and Swinburne University to develop an Apache Spark application to analyse the 168 million radio events detected over the past 10 years by the Allen Telescope Array (ATA).

Open infrastructure, sustainable design

The new lab features an Infrastructure-as-a-Service (IaaS) platform based on OpenStack connected to IBM Storwize for provisioning 80TB of storage for research projects. The lab is located in the Tshimologong Precinct in Braamfontein  an inner-city area which is today re-emerging as a vibrant Johannesburg district. The two-level, 900 square meter lab has a DIY maker space with electronic design equipment and a 3D printer.

Agile work spaces provide a collaborative environment for IBM scientists to train and mentor Wits students and local start-ups. Developer communities across Africa will also have access, at no charge, to a LinuxONE Community Cloud located in Johannesburg, which acts as a virtual R&D engine for creating, testing and piloting emerging applications via the cloud.

IBMs first African research lab was opened in Nairobi, Kenya in 2013.
Susan Credle, global chief creative officer at FCB, spoke to women in advertising during the DStv Seminar of Creativity. In this episode she speaks to Bridget Jung, digital creative director, Marcel Sydney.

Jung provides advice for young women entering the industry and following the right career path for you.





Read about Jung's DStv Seminar of Creativity presentation - The science fiction of advertising
Net#work BBDO has cause to celebrate, as the only agency to take home two Grand Prix Loeries this past weekend. The agency group has taken home an unprecedented 19 Grand-Prix Loeries in 22 years. Former Loeries chair and BBDO SA CEO Boniswa Pezisa shares her Loeries 2016 experience below.

ECD Brad Reilly says the weekends successes have proven local agencies are getting it right in advertising across the continent, with Grand Prix winning campaigns for Channel O, Nandos, Tusker Lager and Ster-Kinekor all making being a creative in Africa something to be proud of, as we turn the world upside down and put Africa on top.

The agency has worked hard to produce African solutions to African challenges, particularly in the digital and mobile space, which is why theyre so proud of their Grand Prix wins for Tusker Lager in the Digital and Interactive Mobile category, a first Grand Prix for BBDO Africa in partnership with BBDO Mediaedge in Kenya.

Reilly adds that the agencys other Grand Prix win, for Chicken Lickens Kung Fu in the TV, Film & Video category is an example of work thats African, without being obvious or cliched.

Boniswa Pezisa, CEO of BBDO South Africa shares further insights into the agencys Loeries 2016 experience below

1. Share your Loeries Creative Week experience with us.

Pezisa: I have watched the Loeries as an organisation and as an awards show grow from strength to strength, to now this fully fledged Africa & Middle-East integrated and comprehensive communication and design awards show. It continues to give back and develop the young uns and never forgets to acknowledge its movers and shakers as well as those who make a difference in our industry, whilst continually accelerating transformation of the show itself, the industry and the talent.

I had no lows but plenty of highs  to walk away with two Grands Prix in one weekend is a dream and right now Im still enjoying the dream, so with regards to any Loeries improvements, I know for a fact as the past Chair of the Loeries that the Loeries will conduct an introspective review and improve on what it needs to improve on. The bar at the Loeries never stays low or in the same place because that would be creative suicide.

2. Which Loeries win did you feel to be most deserving, and why?

Pezisa: Im biased because I believe both our Grands Prix wins were deserving, however to win a Grand Prix for our integrated East Africa campaign is testament to the maturity of our industry embracing and recognising great work, despite its market of origin.

3. What was the overall theme/message you got from this years DStv seminar of Creativity and both Loeries award nights?

Pezisa: That Africa is where it is happening and we should embrace and celebrate the creative opportunities it throws at us.

4. How has Loeries 2016 inspired you, looking ahead at the blank page of 2017? What creative innovation can we expect going forward?

Pezisa: That big ideas that drive salience at scale will continue to thrive in most awards show.

Click here for a recap of all the #Loeries2016 winners.
Local SME risk financier, Business/Partners is showing an encouraging cultural and empowerment shift in the country, as female entrepreneurs play an increasingly significant role in the South African economy.

 Cathy Yeulet via 123RF

Of the R310m, invested in female entrepreneurs in the 2016 financial year, the majority went to businesses in the traditionally male-dominated industries of manufacturing and retail - 41% of Business/Partners' clients are female-owned SMEs, where at least 25% of the business is owned by women, and in which the female entrepreneur is actively involved.

Jeremy Lang, regional GM at Business/Partners, says that recent investments also show that women are going into formerly male-dominated industries such as engineering. Additionally, sectors where female entrepreneurs have already established a sizeable presence, such as tourism, education and the beauty industry, continue to be well represented in the companys investments into women-owned businesses.

The most encouraging sign of the closing gap between male and female entrepreneurs is the increasing number of women who are actively and consciously choosing entrepreneurship as their career, as opposed to those who have had entrepreneurship thrust upon them by inheritance or the necessity of having to provide for a family.

If these trends continue, Business/Partners could soon reach parity between male and female clients, a major milestone of economic transformation that was unthinkable a few decades ago.

Lacking technical experience, networks

However, although South Africa has taken major strides towards the empowerment of women, a good deal of work still remains to be done to eradicate the countrys age-old gender gap effectively. The recent GEM South Africa 2015-2016 report shows that 7% of the female adult population in 2015 were engaged in early-stage entrepreneurial activity (TEA), in comparison to the marginally higher 11.6% reported for the male population.

Sectors such as manufacturing are still largely male-dominated and pose significant barriers to any new entrants, particularly for female entrepreneurs, who may have less technical experience and smaller networks due to a long history of entrenched discrimination in those industries.

Women also tend to face greater difficulties because they have fewer business-orientated networks in their communities and a lack of access to female role models and business mentors. It is thus vital that South Africas business community and funding institutions dont simply rely on changes in the marketplace to boost entrepreneurship among females, but that they actively and continuously empower women in the workforce, he says.

Women in Business Fund

In 2015, Business/Partners launched its R250m Women in Business Fund  to afford South African women a fair and equal opportunity to start, expand or purchase an existing business and to ensure continued emphasis on encouraging female entrepreneurship. As technical support is often required to strengthen a business, the Women in Business Fund supports female clients with grants up to the value of R25,000 for technical assistance as part of the finance package. Should further technical assistance be required, interest-free loans up to the value of R35,000 are also available to female entrepreneurs approved for loans under the Fund.

Lang says that the need and demand for such support services has been affirmed by the volume of calls received from female entrepreneurs during 2016 to date via the Business/Partners Entrepreneurs Growth Centre  a free resource that aims to provide information and guidance needed to run a successful business to the entrepreneur, through an easily accessible team of consultants. Over 1,000 calls, close on a third of all calls recorded, are from women requesting information about starting and growing their own business.

However, based on these calls, 658 business plans that were submitted to Business/Partners, of which only 188 were from women  highlighting female entrepreneurs cautiousness to start a business.

While such a cultural shift will understandably take time, an integral component of changing public perception is the constant recognition of the progress that has been made thus far. The more we celebrate successful female entrepreneurs as role models and provide tangible support and finance for female entrepreneurs, the more entrepreneurship will be entrenched as a legitimate and noble career choice for women, concludes Lang.
Sadly, for many organisations, marketing is not evident from the inside out; the brand strategy is not internalised and employees are not adequately empowered or educated as to how important a role they actually play in the business.

The fact is that your employees are your brand  everything that they do (or dont do) reflects on the brand. Hence it is critical that all internal stakeholders are fully immersed and engaged in the marketing of the brand; that they understand and live the brand as proud advocates.

As a case and point, South African Airways (SAA) are a proudly South African brand, an official Olympic sponsor and the national carrier of our team  but it would seem this has not been shared with the staff at large, and it would appear that they have not been encouraged to help build the SAA brand.

Flight 9223 from Sao Paulo to Johannesburg on Monday 15 August was jam-packed with people returning from the Rio Olympics, including two of our heroic Silver medalists. One was dressed in casual clothes and looked like an ordinary South African traveller, but the other was in his South African Olympic tracksuit, with his (large) Olympic medal on his chest. However, an Airbus is a big plane with over 300 passengers, so most were oblivious to the company that they were in for the haul home, and sadly, our heroes were neither exposed nor leveraged. Sadly for them, because they deserved to have been recognised. Sadly for the other passengers who would have loved to have applauded them and been a small part of their glorious story. Sadly for SAA, because they missed a perfect opportunity to build brand advocacy.

An upgrade for these athletes would have been nice, but given that the plane was full, this was probably impossible. However, a short announcement, a little bit of fuss and a little bottle of champagne would have cost nothing  and could have won the minds, hearts and actions of every passenger. Unfortunately, nothing was said or done. For the staff it was just another ordinary day, and for the family and friends of our two heroes on the flight, well they came home with little good to say about the airline  the flight had been delayed by seven hours and then they had missed a simple opportunity to shine.

The point is, for staff to help build the brand, the organisation must first create a consumer-centric culture to promote this; and cultures dont happen overnight. It takes time and effort to inform, inspire and involve your staff  but when they are truly engaged and empowered then they are in a great position to help win the minds, hearts and actions of your customers.
Samsung Electronics South Africa notes that in today's high stakes corporate world, a data breach can cost an enterprise dearly. The damage caused could be financial, it may be reputational, or the news of such a breach may simply scare away potential customers. Whatever the result, a lack of effective mobile security can disrupt an enterprise, but the information should still be accessible to the legitimate user.

Image by 123RF

Smart-devices are particularly attractive to cybercriminals, due to the sheer number in use and the multiple vectors of attack they present, including malicious applications and Web browsing. Companies therefore need to understand the role mobility plays in their organisation and consider the risks it poses to their business.

Samsung is aware of the many security issues raised by mobile devices and this understanding has been integral to the development of Samsung Knox, a security solution that offers multi-platform interoperability and a built-in, defence-grade security platform. It has been designed to keep business information intact, giving enterprises the opportunity to achieve organisational success in a more connected world, says Paulo Ferreira, director of Enterprise Mobility at Samsung Electronics South Africa.

According to Ferreira, the mobile security challenge is now at the forefront of business leaders thinking. While threats targeting mobile devices have not changed, the severity of the consequences has increased dramatically.

There are still two main causes of data loss on mobile devices: physical device loss and misuse of apps. Since mobile devices are now storing and accessing more-sensitive data, this means that in a scenario where a device falls into the wrong hands and does not have adequate protection, it can be the source of a major data breach, Ferreira explains.

On the other hand, the challenge around the misuse of applications is mainly due to the fact that it is invasive. Often, the application requests permission to access the user's contact list, personal information and location. Furthermore, many employees use personal file sharing tools with corporate documents. In addition, since applications rely on the cloud, mobile devices running compromised applications will provide a way for hackers to remotely attack public and private clouds and access corporate networks.

Other mobile threats include the rapid growth in malware attacks and user error. The former poses a security challenge in that when a device that has been infected by malware connects to a network, not only is the malware able to propagate, but it is also often designed to steal data from devices.

In addition, user error is a further challenge. Many users are lax when it comes to securing their devices, using weak passcodes or none at all and not encrypting the data that they contain. Given that mobile devices are routinely lost or stolen, unsecured devices provide offenders with easy access to sensitive data.

Knox is supported by over 120 enterprise mobility management (EMM) providers worldwide and performs with all popular single sign-on (SSO) and virtual private network (VPN) solutions to preserve enterprise legacy IT investments.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - The United States announced nearly US$35 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help the people of Ethiopia face the impacts of the worst drought in 50 years.

Triggered by El Nino, the drought follows successive poor rainy seasons and has exceeded many people's ability to cope. This funding announcement will support USAIDs UN and NGO partners in providing humanitarian aid, including more than 6,000 metric tons of supplementary and therapeutic foods to help an estimated one million people suffering from moderate and severe acute malnutrition.

The new funding will also increase access to safe water and sanitation facilities and promote hygienic practices to drought-affected communities. USAIDs Mission Director in Ethiopia Leslie Reed announced the new funding in Addis Ababa during an event commemorating World Humanitarian Day

To get communities back on their feet, USAID partners are providing seeds to farmers and assistance to protect their livestock and other assets. They are also helping to train health workers, expand programs that address gender-based violence in drought-affected areas, and augment logistics capacities so that critical supplies get to people most in need.

These efforts will help Ethiopians meet immediate needs, protect development gains made, and complement long-term efforts to build resilience to future disasters.

With this announcement, the United States is providing nearly US$774 million since FY 2015 in humanitarian assistance and continues to be the single largest humanitarian donor to the people of Ethiopia.

USAIDs mission director in Ethiopia, Leslie Reed announced the new funding in Addis Ababa during an event commemorating World Humanitarian Day, which was designated by the United Nations in memory of the 22 UN and relief agency staff who lost their lives in a bombing in Baghdad 13 years ago.
The annual Most Media Owner Africa Award will again be sponsored by MTN, as the industry celebrates the Awards on 8 September 2016 at the Wanderers Club in Illovo, Johannesburg.

"The media agency space is the lifeblood of the telecommunications industry. MTN is proud to be associated with a platform that seeks to celebrate excellence in the media agency and media owner sector. We believe that our sponsorship of this initiative will be a catalyst that will grow the industry, improve the level of professionalism and excellence," says Larry Annetts, chief consumer officer, MTN SA.

"MTN continues to show its support of the Awards and our media industry. I respect the fact that a brand owner that functions in Africa wants to acknowledge and celebrate service excellence by South African based media owners in the rest of Africa," says Sandra Gordon, founder of the MOST Awards.

For more information, click here.
Prague demonstrators chanted "Gas them!" when a group of muslim women was passing by

26. 8. 2016

cas cteni 1 minuta





Some two hundred anti-refugee demonstrators met in Prague's Little Town Square on Thursday afternoon to protest against Chancellor Angela Merkel's visit to the Czech Republic. The event was called Welcome for Mutti Merkel. The gathering was addressed by the well-known Czech islamophobes Martin Konvicka (who organised a mock ISIS invasion in Prague last Sunday) and Tomio Okamura. Tatjana Festerling from the German anti-refugee group Pegida also spoke at the meeting. Demonstrators carried placards comparing Merkel to Hitler.



When a group of women wearing a hijab was passing the demonstration, the demonstrators chanted "Gas them!" Czech police said it had no information about the incident.

A handful of pro-Merkel and anti-Merkel activists also gathered at the Prague Castle.

The Czech government resolutely rejected the EU policy of refugee quotas, but expressed interest in economic and academic cooperation with Germany.

Source in Czech HERE

There are stories like this in the Czech Republic every day that never make it to the outside world because of a lack of translation. You can support us and help reveal what's happening in Central Europe today. Please make a contribution today on www.paypal.com and send your donation to redakce@blisty.cz. We fully rely on crowdfunding in our work. Thank you.

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Kriti Sanon Gave Us Refreshing Looks Back To Back #NotThatWeAreComplaining Fashion Kaustubha

Kriti Sanon is back with new sets of outfits to impress us. Kriti has been away from the limelight but as she makes a comeback, we get a new series of gorgeous lookbooks.

Earlier we spotted Kriti Sanon wearing this edgy outfit by Topshop. Kriti wore a blingy bomber jacket from Topshop and paired the look with Topshop track pants. She paired this with a white tee and black pumps. We are happy to know how athleisure fashion is catching up here, in Bollywood.

Kriti looked lovely in a top knot. We should appreciate the efforts of stylist Sukriti Grover.

Another one of our favourite outfit sported by Kriti was this vibrant yellow Indian suit. Kriti was spotted attending a Dahi Handi event in Pune when we caught her wearing this gorgeous yellow anarkali from the label Sukriti Akriti. She finished the look with a pair of gold earrings.

Kriti recent raven look was also worth appreciating. Kriti wore a see-through top and a pair of black pants paired with edgy heels. She also wore a chunky star shaped earring by Topshop.

Which one is your favourite look?
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A woman accused of causing her elderly mothers death through neglect has been denied a request that she be allowed to babysit her grandson.

Crown attorney Deidre Badcock argued that the accused shouldnt care for the boy, given the allegations surrounding her deceased mother.

The allegations are that she is deceased as the result of the neglect of Rae Deutscher  We have concerns that she doesnt exercise proper judgment on persons that are in her care, Badcock told Judge Donovan Dvorak in Brandon provincial court on Thursday.

Rae Elene Deutscher, 58, is charged with failing to provide the necessaries of life to her mother, Elene Collins, thereby endangering her life.

Collins, 96, died at the Brandon Regional Health Centre on Dec. 24, 2014.

The charge against Deutscher dates between June 1 and Nov. 26, 2014. Family said it was a time when Collins couldnt care for herself due to dementia and she was generally ill. She was living with Deutscher, who was her caregiver.

Police alleged that Deutscher believed in alternative forms of treatment, and stopped providing medical care to her mother because of that belief.

The allegations against Deutscher  including those outlined by Badcock below  havent been proven, and shes presumed innocent.

The family said they raised concerns to police and mental health staff about Collins care, but those agencies were slow to act.

They said that on Nov. 26, 2014, when police did check on Collins at the urging of her family and a mental health worker, she was found unresponsive in Deutschers home.

Family said that Collins face was badly swollen and her injuries included multiple fractures, a brain hemorrhage and hematomas to her face.

She was taken to hospital by ambulance where she died about a month later.

The necessaries Deutscher is accused of failing to provide havent been specified.

However, Badcock told court that a statement Deutscher gave to police showed that she didnt believe in common modern medical practices and believed she knew better than doctors.

Rather, Badcock said, Deutscher treated her sick and bed-ridden mother with Reiki, or lathered her with lotions and oils and gave her a bubble bath.

The Crown made the remarks as Deutscher applied to the court to have her release conditions varied so she could babysit her 20-month-old grandson.

One condition of Deutschers release order, issued by Brandon police on June 29, forbid her from being a caregiver.

Her application to put in place an exception to allow her to care for her grandson was supported with an affidavit from one of her daughters (the boys mother).

She stated she was aware of the charge against the accused but trusted her to babysit her son. Her mother had done so before the charge was brought against her with no problems, the daughter stated.

Court heard that the accuseds daughter is a single mom who relies on her mother to care for her boy from time to time.

Defence lawyer Andrew Synyshyn said Deutscher would only babysit the child a few hours at a time with the moms permission.

Dvorak declined to make the amendment.

The allegation is that when she had somebody in her care that individual passed away as a result of a lack of care, Dvorak said. I think that its a reasonable condition that she not be a caregiver in the future, until the charges are resolved.

Dvorak put the case to Sept. 26.

The accused wasnt present in court for the application.

 ihitchen@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @IanHitchen
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A prolific thief accused of stealing guns, gold, cash and a Harley Davidson from Westman homes is now behind bars.

Jayson McDougall, 38, of Dauphin faces a total of 25 charges after a thorough investigation by RCMP officers connected him to three separate break-and-enters near Dauphin, Ashern and Virden this spring and summer.

On May 2, police were called to a break-and-enter at a house near Dauphin, where a total of 13 firearms, a safe, ammunition and holsters were stolen. The next day, Mounties were called to a residence in the Ashern area, about an hour and a half east of Dauphin. There, a 2009 Harley Davidson motorcycle had gone missing.

Over a month later on July 14, officers were called to reports of a break-and-enter at a house near Virden. There, police found three guns, a sizable amount of cash and gold and silver coins had been stolen.

Almost a month after that, Mounties secured a search warrant which landed several more stolen guns and other property.

In total, the charges and property seized have solved five break-and-enter or theft files in the Westman region, according to the RCMP.

The estimated value of the property recovered is $25,000.

McDougall is in custody in Dauphin, and faces 25 charges including counts of trafficking firearms, possess break-in instruments, unsafe storage of firearms, unauthorized possession of firearms, possession of property obtained by crime and possession of weapons obtained by crime.

Supt. Paulette Freill, the RCMPs Manitoba West District commander, said property crimes have become an ongoing concern in her area.

I am extremely pleased that our officers were able to link and close these files, get guns out of the hands of criminals and return a substantial amount of stolen property back to their rightful owners, she said in a statement.

 tbateman@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @tombatemann
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 26/08/2016 (2255 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Officials from Manitoba Health will be trolling through the backwoods of Riding Mountain National Park this fall, part of an expanded effort to search for the kind of ticks that best carry Lyme and other tick-borne diseases.

Richard Baydack, the director of communicable disease control for Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living, explained that there are two levels of monitoring for ticks in Manitoba.

The first, passive monitoring, is done by simply having the public submit samples of ticks that theyve noticed on themselves or other animals. The province receives hundreds of submissions every year.

A Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living map, created in April 2016, showing the blacklegged tick risk areas and passive surveillance submission sites in the province.

The way that we use that information is, its basically an early signal to let us know that maybe something is going on in a particular area. If we get a number, maybe several submissions from the same general area, or if we get a single submission that has a bunch of ticks, then either of those things are a signal to us that something more is happening, explained Baydack.

In the past five years, Baydacks department has introduced a second stage  active monitoring  that is triggered when more submissions begin to come from a specific area.

Baydack said submissions from the Riding Mountain area have forced it onto the list of places to monitor actively. Some of the submissions theyve received have tested positive for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease  commonly found on the blacklegged ticks.

Certainly in Manitoba (the blacklegged tick) is the most efficient in transmitting diseases. Whether they have Lyme disease or a couple other tick-borne diseases as well, they are also much smaller than wood ticks and their appearance is a little different, said Baydack.

The blacklegged tick is actually quite a bit more difficult to see. You really need to be quite vigilant because it can be quite easy to miss them, he added.

This fall, staffers will literally drag blankets through the bush at Riding Mountain, stopping at short intervals to inspect and record ticks found on the blanket.

If the numbers at the end of the process warrant, Riding Mountain will be declared a risk area.

Theres indication that ticks are becoming more prevalent closer to Brandon as well.

In the last few years there have been a pretty significant expansion westward along the Assiniboine River and also northwestward through the Pembina Valley, Baydack said.

Theyre not quite to Brandon in terms of risk areas but its certainly approaching.

Because of that, Baydack said his staff is especially interested in receiving ticks from the public in areas where ticks arent known to already exist.

The ones that are more useful to us are the ones that arent nearby our known areas. (In risk areas) we already know there are ticks there so submissions arent as useful there, he said.

 tbateman@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @tombatemann
A body was been recovered from the base of the Cliffs of Moher.

The discovery was made late yesterday however a recovery operation was not mounted until lunchtime today.

Gardai and the Irish Coast Guard had been searching for a man in his 50s from Dublin who was reported missing on Tuesday.

A search got underway early on Wednesday after a car the man is understood to have been driving, was found in a carpark at the cliffs.

Late yesterday, shortly before the search was due to be stood down for the night, Coast Guard personnel spotted a body on the shoreline at the base of the cliffs.

The Garda Water Unit was alerted and requested to be available to assist if it was confirmed that body was in the same location this morning.

While the body had been moved with the tide overnight, it was still visible on the shore and so Garda divers were called in.

Two divers swam ashore and recovered the remains at around 1.30pm.

The body was taken back to the Coast Guard station in Doolin and later removed to University Hospital Limerick where a postmortem examination will be carried out.
Trainee priests in Maynooth will be supervised at meal times under new stricter rules.

The move comes after claims that seminarians were using the gay dating app Grindr, and a suggestion that a gay subculture exists at the National Seminary.
Update 5.20pm: Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Charlie Flanagan has responded to the appeal by the Hickey family for Government intervention by issuing a statement.

In response to recent reports about in respect of consular care aspects of Mr. Patrick Hickey's detention in Rio de Janeiro, Minister Flanagan stated: "The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides consular care to Irish citizens who have been arrested or detained overseas. We are currently assisting two Irish citizens detained in Rio de Janeiro.

"In general it is Department policy not to comment in detail publicly on individual consular cases, of which there have been almost 1500 already this year. Any Irish citizen who requests or avails of consular assistance is entitled to privacy and confidentiality. However, I wish to make certain points in response to today's statement from the Hickey family.

"The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing ongoing consular assistance to Mr. Hickey through the Irish Embassy and Consulate in Brazil.

"My officials are in ongoing contact with the family of this citizen and with legal representative acting on his behalf.

"Senior officials of the Department met with Mr Hickey's Dublin-based solicitors on Wednesday, 24 August, and discussed the family's concerns in detail, and explained the Department's approach to this consular case.

"In general terms, the Department's focus in cases of arrest or detention of Irish citizens overseas is on a number of specific issues including ensuring that the citizen has access to legal representation, that the citizen is not being discriminated against on the grounds of nationality, and that the host authorities are fulfilling their responsibilities in ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of our detained citizen.

"In this context my officials are in ongoing contact with the Brazilian authorities.

"The Department cannot however provide legal advice or interfere in any way in the judicial processes in another country.

"I have agreed to meet with the Hickey family and arrangements will be made for this meeting to take place in the coming days. In the meantime, my Department is continuing to monitor developments in this consular case closely and is continuing to provide all appropriate consular advice and assistance to Mr. Hickey and his family."

Earlier: The Hickey family has released a statement calling for Government intervention into Mr Hickey's arrest and detention without charge in Rio de Janerio.

In the statement released by a solicitor acting for the family, the Hickey family are said to be "extremely concerned" about a number of aspects of Mr Hickeys situation, including the manner in which he was arrested and his detention at a high security prison without charge.

The family are also said to be concerned about the effects of the detention on Pat Hickey's health.

As well as this the Hickey's are concerned about "The pre-trial disclosure of what is purported to be evidence to the media without any right of reply" as well as "Pat Hickey's right to a fair hearing, given the prejudicial way in which he has been treated to date."

The family are requesting an urgent meeting with Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan TD and Minister for Sport Shane Ross TD.

They also wish to make contact with the Brazilian ambassador, Alfonso Jose Cardoso to highlight their concerns and hope to meet Mr Kenny when he returns from holidays.

The statement went on: The family is also calling upon Minister Flanagan to immediately issue a statement setting out the steps the Department of Foreign Affairs is taking to object to the manner in which an elderly Irish citizen was arrested and is still being detained in Brazil.

It was entirely inappropriate and unacceptable for a 71-year-old Irish citizen be taken from his bedroom, arrested and walked in a state of undress before a pre-arranged camera crew, after which film and still shots were released to the global media.
Three men have been arrested following drug seziures in Co. Cork.

As part of an ongoing intelligence-led operation into drug-dealing in Cork, two men - aged 33 and 35 - were stopped and searched in Togher.
At least nine people have been killed in a car bomb attack on a police station in southeast Turkey.

Dozens of other people were injured in the blast, which happened near the headquarters of an anti-riot police force in Cizre.
Five men have been arrested in the West Midlands on suspicion of terrorism offences.

The men were detained by counter-terrorism detectives on Friday in Birmingham and Stoke-on-Trent on suspicion of commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism, said West Midlands Police.
A court in France will decide today whether to overturn the ban on women wearing a burkini.

The topic has been in the headlines recently after photos went viral of what looks like police in the South of France forcing a women to take off a long-sleeved top. She was then given a fine.

The images of uniformed police appearing to require a woman to take off her tunic, and media accounts of similar incidents, have elicited shock and anger online this week.

This woman was at a beach in France when the police came & forced her to remove her burkini.

No difference than ISIS pic.twitter.com/LuPHfbYSZd  Yasmine (@yasminebllt) August 24, 2016

A court in Nice upheld the ban this week, but France's highest administrative court will make a final decision today after an appeal by the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group.

The full body swimsuits are banned in around 30 French towns.

Some fear that burkini bans, which are based on a strict application of French secularism policies, are worsening religious tensions. Divisions have emerged in President Francois Hollande's government over the bans, and protests have been held in London and Berlin by those defending women's right to wear what they want on the beach.

Critics of the local decrees have said the orders are too vague, prompting local police officials to fine even women wearing the traditional Islamic headscarf and the hijab, but not burkinis. The bans do not generally use the word "burkini" but forbid in a general way clothing that is ostentatiously religious.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls said on BFM television that burkinis represent the "enslavement of women" and reiterated support for the bans - but urged police to implement the bans fairly and respectfully.

Two human rights groups, arguing the bans are discriminatory, appealed to the Council of State.

The council held a hearing on Thursday and is expected to issue a ruling today.

The ruling specifically concerns a ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the decision will be binding and set a legal precedent on the increasingly heated question of whether cities can tell Muslim women what to wear on the beach.

The Human Rights League and the Collective Against Islamophobia in France say the Villeneuve-Loubet mayor's decree violates basic freedoms of dress, religious expression and movement.

The president himself has remained cautious on the issue, which reflects a long-running debate about France's century-old separation of church and state and its model of integrating immigrants from former colonies. Mr Hollande said that life in society "presumes that each person conforms to the rules, and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation".

Education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, a feminist with North African roots, said that while she does not like the burkini swimsuit, bans of the garment are politically driven and unleashing racist sentiment. Health minister Marisol Touraine took a similar stance.

"My dream of society is a society where women are free and proud of their bodies," Ms Vallaud-Belkacem said on Europe-1 radio. But with tensions in France high after a series of deadly Islamic extremist attacks, she said: "We shouldn't add oil to the fire."

In London, about 30 demonstrators threw a "wear what you want" beach party outside the French Embassy on Thursday to protest the bans.

Whatever the reason behind the ban, it does not justify "men with weapons standing over a woman telling her what not to wear. That's not a sight that any of us should stand for," said demonstrator Jenny Dawkins, 40, a curate at All Saints Church in Peckham.

The Villeneuve-Loubet order bars from local beaches anyone whose garments do not respect the principles of secularism, health and safety rules and good moral standards.

The conservative mayor in Villeneuve-Loubet, Lionnel Luca, has said he wanted to foresee any disruption to public order in a region badly hurt by the deadly Bastille Day truck attack in nearby Nice last month. The two towns are only 9 miles apart.

On Monday, a lower court in Nice ruled that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was "necessary, appropriate and proportionate". The administrative court added that wearing "conspicuous" religious clothing on the beach may be seen as a "provocation" by some people and increase local tensions.

The Nice court also said that burkinis can be viewed as an "expression of an erasing" of women and "a lowering of their place which is not consistent with their status in a democratic society".

Religious clothing is particularly sensitive in France, where an unusually large part of the population has no religious affiliation, and where the first provision in the constitution says France is a "secular Republic".
Zimbabwe police have used batons, tear gas and water cannons against anti-government protesters, despite a court order that police should not interfere with the demonstration in the capital Harare.

The demonstration brought together at least 18 opposition parties and civic organisations and was quickly dispersed by police.

The protest marks the first time that Zimbabwe's fractured opposition has joined in a single action to confront President Robert Mugabe's government since 2007.

Dubbed the "mega demonstration", the protest was to include veteran opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai and Mr Mugabe's former deputy, Joice Mujuru, according to organisers.

Water cannons, frequently used to break up anti-government protests in the past two months, were sprayed against demonstrators.

Usually bustling with street sellers, the capital's streets were bristling with police wielding batons and tear gas canisters.

Police were at the headquarters of the main opposition MDC-T party. Other police have mounted roadblocks on routes leading into the city.

Protests have become a near-daily occurrence in the southern African country, ravaged by a tumbling economy and widespread food shortages.

Friday's protest could be the most significant yet, particularly because it could bring together Zimbabwe's squabbling opposition amid talk of a coalition to fight Mr Mugabe in elections scheduled for 2018.

The 92-year-old, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from white minority rule in 1980, has refused to name a successor, insisting he wants to rule until he dies
KARACHI: Gold prices on Friday continued to gain more value on the local market, traders said. Gold went up by Rs...
LONDON: OPEC is likely to maintain its view world oil demand will rise for another decade, longer than many other...
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Thursday stood outside in the dark beside the wreckage of a downed drone and vowed...
Clive Palmer has appeared before the Federal Court in Brisbane in a bid to postpone answering questions about the collapse of the company behind the Yabulu nickel refinery.

The former federal politician represented himself at a hearing on Friday also attended by lawyers appearing for special purpose liquidators of Queensland Nickel.

Former federal politician Clive Palmer is taking part in an interlocutory hearing as part of proceedings over the collapse of the company behind the Yabulu Nickel refinery. Credit:Bradley Kanaris

The company collapsed earlier this year resulting in the loss of hundreds of jobs of the Yabulu nickel refinery.

The latest hearing comes after Mr Palmer was issued with a summons to appear and give evidence at a public examination on August 30.
She was a rising star in financial services, but Shivani Gopal was faced with an awful dilemma: keep working with a client who had licked her face, or avoid him and sacrifice her business?

It was after a business lunch that the man, with a few drinks under his belt, licked Ms Gopal, who was then an award-winning business development manager.

"My stomach just churned," she said. "I actually thought I was going to be sick. I left immediately.

"I was horrified as to how this could have happened to me and why, being such a strong, passionate [believer] in gender equality and having a voice ... did I not say anything? We shouldn't be subjected to this for starters. But when you're in shock, you just don't react the way you want to react."
Julie Bishop is about to embark on a wasteful attempt to channel Nostradamus. She's promised a new strategic blueprint for foreign policy  a "white paper" in the language of bureaucrats, or what she describes as a "philosophical framework to guide Australia's engagement". The plan is to deliver the document within a year.

It would be better to instead cancel the project altogether.

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop has promised a foreign policy white paper. Credit:Tony McDonough

Don't get me wrong. The aim of a white paper has traditionally been to peer about 10, 15 or 20 years into the future and judge the likely character of global politics. The country will benefit from a foreign minister who is willing to think hard about the years ahead and signal where the government would like to position Australia in the world.

But there are far more efficient ways to go about it. Only in February, Malcolm Turnbull released a defence white paper on Australia's strategic environment running to almost 200 pages. Why invest energy, countless hours and tortured drafting by teams of officials for the government to produce yet another lengthy treatise?
The plebiscite on same-sex marriage is in the political death zone, with the Greens committed to voting against it in the Senate and Labor looking poised to do the same.

It risks delaying gay marriage into the never-never, with the Turnbull government resolute that the issue will be resolved through a plebiscite or not at all.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale on Friday said his left-wing minor party would oppose a plebiscite on marriage equality, arguing people's rights should not be subject to a popular vote that could unleash homophobia and hatred.

"A plebiscite will be harmful, it'll be divisive, it'll be expensive, and we should never put questions of human rights to an opinion poll," he said.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has hit out at the directors of milk giant Murray Goulburn, declaring their 50 per cent pay rise awarded last year "doesn't pass the sniff test".

After a year of retrospectively slashing the price of milk solids paid to farmers, losing key executives and seeing its share price slide, the co-operative now faces an ACCC inquiry into the dairy industry.

The pay hike, agreed by investors in July last year before the turmoil began, angered farmers when it was revealed in financial statements lodged on Wednesday.

Announcing the ACCC inquiry after a meeting with farmers and industry representatives on Thursday, Mr Joyce said Murray Goulburn was an integral part of the dairy industry and its survival was essential.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will appeal directly to Labor and the minor political parties to "meet us in the sensible centre" or risk the wrath of Australians who want their politicians to work together and compromise.

And in a keynote speech to the Queensland Liberal National Party on Saturday that comes on the eve of Parliament returning, Mr Turnbull will defend his decision to go to a double dissolution election and argue that the Senate crossbench would have been even larger if a regular, half-Senate election had been held.

The call comes after a week of political argy-bargy that has seen Mr Turnbull, and his economic team of Scott Morrison and Mathias Cormann, ramp up pressure on the federal opposition to pass the so-called omnibus savings bill, worth $6.5 billion, when Parliament returns.

Labor leader Bill Shorten, in turn, used a speech at the National Press Club to urge the government pass about $8 billion of measures, including tax hikes, that the opposition had proposed during the election - and which the government has already rejected.
An Italian imam had his Facebook account suspended after posting a viral photo that quietly denounced Europe's burkini bans.

Izzedin Elzir, the Imam of Florence, shared the picture of a group of nuns dressed in full habit cavorting on a beach, in response to the controversial bans introduced in southern French cities including Nice and Cannes.

The picture, which was posted without comment, has been shared over 3,500 times. Credit:Izzeddin Elzir Facebook

The picture, which was posted on Facebook last Wednesday, was quickly shared more than 2000 times. The following day, Elzir's account was suspended.

Its incomprehensible. They asked me to verify my account by sending them ID," Elzir told Italian paper La Repubblica.
Index investments, those that track or mirror the returns of a certain market, are proving popular with investors.

However, unless investors are careful they could end up in an index investment that produces returns very different to the market in which they thought they were tracking.

Emerging markets can rewards investors for taking risks. Credit:AP

Index investments are popular because "active" fund managers, those who pick investments in a particular market, find it hard to outperform the market and justify their fees. Also driving the trend to indexing is the advent of low-cost exchange traded funds (ETFs).

They are listed on the Australian sharemarket and track not just sharemarkets here and overseas, but all types of markets, including the prices of commodities.
The school council at the exclusive Sydney Anglican girls' school Kambala has been applauded for publicly admonishing the views of two sets of parents who had complained that the employment of gay teachers was not "living up to our Christian values".

In a firmly worded letter sent out to parents on Wednesday, school council president and prominent businesswoman Sally Herman made it clear that Kambala would not discriminate, either positively or negatively, when hiring staff at the Rose Bay institution.

That policy extended to the sexual orientation of staff members.

Ms Herman  a Kambala Old Girl, who has worked in the financial services industry and also sits on the boards of Premier Investments, Suncorp and Breville  has been praised by some Kambala parents, community members and prominent marriage equality advocate Kerryn Phelps for her strong stance.
The Frenchman accused of killing one British tourist and leaving another clinging for life in a shocking backpacker hostel stabbing did not appear in Townsville court after police requested he stay away.

Smail Ayad, 29, is accused of the stabbing murder of 21-year-old Mia Ayliffe-Chung and the attempted murder of "hero" fellow Brit Thomas Jackson, who remained in intensive care after his father flew across the world to see him on Thursday night.

After allegedly attacking officers on two separate occasions, police cited public safety concerns in not bringing the accused into the Townsville Magistrates Court in person to face charges of murder, attempted murder and assaulting police.

He was expected to appear via video link but was not beamed into the court on Friday morning.
Storm Financial's former directors contravened their legal duty to carry out their job with "care and diligence" by giving inappropriate financial advice to vulnerable clients, a Federal Court justice has found.

The Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) began civil proceedings against Emmanuel and Julie Cassimatis in 2010, alleging that as the executive directors of Storm Financial Ltd they breached their fiduciary duties under Australian corporate law.

Storm Financial Boss Emmanuel Cassimatis in 2009. Credit:Glenn Hunt

The Townsville-based company's strategy backfired badly on thousands of customers during the global financial crisis with many losing their entire life savings and homes.

Storm folded in 2009 with debts of $88 million.
Premier Colin Barnett is furious at wealthy Perth businessmen he believes are trying to influence WA politics and force him out of the Liberal Party.

A group of prominent local businessmen privately funded a ReachTEL poll of almost 11,000 people across 11 Perth seats that showed Labor winning 10 of them and seizing government.

Mr Barnett said he would ask the public sector watchdog to investigate if the private poll they funded broke any laws.

"I am concerned about individuals in business, prominent businesspeople, seeking to interfere or influence decisions of government," he saId on Thursday.
Perth blogger Constance Hall says she has been overwhelmed with support after receiving "death threats" for deleting a photo of a boy who donned blackface to pay homage to Eagles star Nic Naitanui.

A Perth mother, who WAtoday has chosen not to name, posted a photo on Ms Hall's Facebook page of her son dressed up as the West Coast ruckman, with a black wig and his skin painted brown, for Book Week, in which children are asked to go to school as their favourite hero or book character.

Prominent blogger Constance Hall says she has received death threats for removing the blackface photo from her Facebook page.

The photo of the boy sparked widespread condemnation on social media and a call for education from injured Eagles superstar Naitanui, who later volunteered to meet with the young boy.

Ms Hall deleted the photo from her Facebook page, which has more than 880,00 followers, because she didn't agree with the "blackface".
Perth is in for yet another wet weekend with a heavy downpour expected on Friday night, and showers forecast throughout the day on Saturday and cold weather for the City to Surf on Sunday morning

Bureau of Meteorology spokesman Neil Bennett said the metropolitan area was likely to see rain from 5pm Friday, with up to 15 millimetres expected throughout the evening.

"The heaviest falls will probably start around 8pm or 9pm and continue through for much of Saturday," he said.

"There will likely be a bit of a break on Saturday morning between 5am and 8am but then showers will pick up and it will be a bit chilly as well."
Prague: Czech police detained an unidentified local man who attempted to breach the motorcade of German Chancellor Angela Merkel earlier Thursday, a police spokesman said.

Neither Merkel, nor anyone else was affected by the attempt, police spokesman Josef Bocan said by phone. The man was still being questioned by police, he added.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Credit:Bloomberg

The attempt took place before 2pm on Thursday as her motorcade headed from Prague's international airport to the city center, Bocan said. Police found no weapons in the car but there were some items, including cobblestones, in the vehicle, he said.

Merkel's chief spokesman, Steffen Seibert, didn't respond to phone calls or a text message inquiring about the incident.
Pavlina Pizova spent a month inside the hut. Credit:New Zealand Police "But the recovery team headed out first thing this morning and will be making every possible attempt to complete the recovery today, conditions permitting," he said. Family and friends in Europe raised concerns for the pair on Facebook, and police tracked their car to the Glenorchy end of the track, near Queenstown. Killed: Czech tramper Ondrej Petr. Kennett said the couple arrived in New Zealand on February 29 on a working holiday visa with potential jobs organised on a farm near Dunedin.

They set out on the Routeburn Track on July 26, despite being warned off by Department of Conservation (DOC) staff, and according to Kennett, they had no tent or locator beacon and told no-one of their plans. The start of the Routeburn Track in Fiordland National Park. Credit:Dave Nicoll After one freezing night outside and disoriented in heavy fog and strong winds with snow falling, the pair slipped five to seven metres down a steep slope, the man falling further. He became trapped between vegetation and rocks. Pizova heard him gasping for breath in his last moments. The woman decided to stay put because of the injuries and the snow. Credit:Iain McGregor

"She tried everything she could but she was totally exhausted," Kennett said. "It was impossible [to free him]." The warden's hut at Lake Mackenzie on the Routeburn Track. Unable to move her partner, the woman spent two sleepless nights outside, her possessions stuffed into her sleeping bag for warmth, Kennett said. She would wiggle her fingers and toes to try and keep them warm. She tried for two days to reach a campsite in the distance, but foggy, snowy conditions hampered her efforts. The snow was chest-deep in some places.

Lake McKenzie Hut and surrounding area on the Routeburn track near Queenstown where a woman was living for weeks after her partner died. Credit:Iain McGregor On the fourth day she reached the camp and broke into a warden's hut through a window to find food, gas and firewood. There was a radio too, but the English operating instructions were indecipherable to her. Her numbed fingers had turned white and her feet swelled drastically when she removed her boots. It was days before she could put them on again. After she recovered, the woman fashioned snow shoes from sticks but was unable to walk out through the deep snow. "She made several attempts to get out but was always stopped by her physical and mental condition," Kennett said. "She was devastated by the loss of her partner."

There were enough ashes from a fire for the woman to write an "H" for help in the snow in the hope of attracting a rescuer's eye. It was a month before, on Wednesday, they finally arrived. On Sunday, Kennett had noticed social media messages from concerned friends and family of the pair in the Czech Republic. They sent the consul the photos and car registration details that helped searchers track the couple to the Routeburn. The woman was doing "really well" but wanted to return home as soon as possible, Kennett said. Her family knew she was safe. Jensen said the woman was "relieved" to see the helicopter crew that picked her up. She was taken to hospital as a precaution and was understandably upset, but otherwise in good health, he said. "It very unusual for someone to be missing in the New Zealand bush for such a long period without it being reported."

A search and rescue helicopter crew was unable to recover the man's body last night. Police hoped to retrieve it this morning, weather permitting. Jensen said the man's death was not considered suspicious and would be investigated by the coroner. DOC Te Anau operations manager Greg Lind said the fact no-one noticed the woman was no surprise. "It would be only highly-skilled alpine people that should be attempting to use the Routeburn in winter time. "The fact that nobody was up there is certainly not unusual  if she was waiting for rescue from another party coming through she would have been very lucky."

Lind said there would have been a "reasonable degree" of tinned food and other items left in the hut by the wardens, whose season finished in April. "There's plenty of bedding, if she managed to get the fire going it would have been a reasonable location to be in." He said he hoped the incident would serve as a reminder to tramper's to take extra precautions. "The message is being ignored or overlooked by people and they are getting themselves into a right pickle. "People are making judgement calls about their own experiences and ability and often they are getting caught out."

WEATHER WARNINGS MetService issued daily snowfall warnings for the area in the nine days from July 24  the day the couple set out from Glenorchy. The forecaster has issued four more since. There was large snowfall about three weeks ago. Trampers said during the time the woman was trapped, the track was covered in up to one metre of snow either side of the remote Lake Mackenzie hut where the woman was holed up. DOC had warned trampers of an avalanche risk for those entering the Great Walks track from The Divide. Heavy snow made the Harris Saddle treacherous for those heading in from Glenorchy.

Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club president Richard Forbes was in the Routeburn on a club trip last weekend. DOC advised them not to go to Lake Mackenzie Hut because of the snow and avalanche risk. They went to the Falls Hut from the Glenorchy end instead. "You've got an alpine section [on the way] where it's more exposed." "If no-one's been in there because of the snow, I can see how it could happen." 'SHE DID THE RIGHT THING'

Barry Walker, also on the club trip, said the snow was a metre deep on the Falls Hutt side of Harris Saddle "and no doubt at the Howden end too". "She was not likely to get out in her state . . . she did the right thing and stayed put, never expecting no-one would turn up, I expect. "Their mistake was going beyond the saddle, no doubt, as conditions were severe. [It's] easy to stray off-track as markers [were] buried in places," Walker said. Dunedin man Stuart Eaton walked part of the Routeburn from August 12 to 14 and said the snow was thick. His group went from Glenorchy, stayed at Falls Hut, then went back the same way.

"No-one went over the [Harris Saddle] pass that weekend we were up there. There was avalanche danger on the pass so we went no further than Lake Harris." "I'd say the snow was about a metre in depth at the top of the track." 'DOESN'T MAKE SENSE' Otago Tramping and Mountaineering Club spokesman Ian Sime said although the track was officially closed, people tramped the track through winter. "People can leave food at huts, so there can be stuff there. Water wouldn't be a trouble. You'd be able to thaw [snow]."

Sime had "never" heard of this happening before. "It's unbelievable". Had the couple filled in the intentions book, a search would have started weeks ago. ONE OF THE 'GREAT WALKS' The track follows the Routeburn Gorge, along the Routeburn River, and usually takes trampers three days to complete. There is no cellphone coverage.

It is one of New Zealand's Great Walks and is popular in summer especially, with huts and campsites being booked out months in advance. Temperatures at MetService's closest station, Milford Airport, ranged from -3 degrees Celsius to 15C in the last 30 days, but a forecaster said temperatures on the Routeburn track would be cooler. In a statement, the Mountain Safety Council said even the most experienced trampers had accidents. "Unfortunately, a moment's complacency can sometimes have fatal consequences. "We'd like to remind all trampers, particularly those intending to be out for significant time periods of time, that it's important to make sure they have left an intentions form."
Paris: France's highest administrative court on Friday suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits that has opened divisions within the government and French society.

The Conseil d'Etat ruling to suspend all bans pending a definitive ruling followed a request from the League of Human Rights to overturn the burkini ban in the Mediterranean town of Villeneuve-Loubet on the grounds it contravenes civil liberties.

Nissrine Samali, 20, on the beach in Marseille. Credit:AP

"The contested ban seriously impinged on the principle of equality of citizens before the law, freedom of expression, freedom of conscience and freedom of movement and was manifestly illegal," the court said in suspending the ban of the Australian-invented garment in Villeneuve-Loubet.

Under the French legal system, temporary decisions can be handed down while the court takes more time to prepare a judgement on the underlying legality of the case.
His grandmammy punished her husband for adultery by dousing him in petrol while he slept and dropping a lit match on him. Her daughter, Vance's mama, has five ex-husbands and a heroin problem. They live in a small, violent world where sex and addiction fill long, boring lives left empty by unemployment. Oh, and they're probably all voting for Trump. What Trump offers, says Vance, is political opium - "an easy escape from the pain. To every complex problem, he promises a simple solution."

An answer is found in the bestselling Hillbilly Elegy, A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by JD Vance . Vance's folks herald from the hills of Appalachia - a land of exhausted mines and shuttered mills. Little people, real people - difficult people.

And yet Farage and Trump are none of these. A retired City trader and a Manhattan plutocrat, Nigel and Donald are products of the very establishment they condemn. The revolution is led by capitalists. How on earth did this happen?

London: Donald Trump introduced Nigel Farage at a rally in sweaty Mississippi and two worlds converged. Both men want immigration control, both speak for an alienated working-class. Farage called Brexit voters "little people, real people, ordinary people".

Do they speak for the working class? Donald Trump and Nigel Farage.

Thanks to Trump and Vance there's now a debate in the US about what to do about the marginalisation of poor whites. But those seeking a quick solution will struggle. As Vance acknowledges, the underclass has been around for a long time.

Hillbilly Elegy puts me in mind of Erskine Caldwell's Tobacco Road, a 1932 novel about Georgia sharecroppers who fecklessly feed off false religion, booze and sex. Think Deliverance with laughs. I once set the book as a text for an undergraduate American Studies class in England and was fascinated by the different reactions. The younger students, all good liberals, found the characters repulsive and the authors of their own misfortune. One mature student, with the wisdom of a bit of living, felt sorry for them. Anyone with experience of poverty understands the temptation to deaden the humiliation with drink.

Caldwell was often accused of being a communist. If he was, he has my sympathy - for the study of US history lends itself well to Marxist analysis. This was a country that wasn't discovered so much as plundered and exploited. Control over both natives and the European migrants was exerted through violence. The absence of a serious socialist movement can be explained by the state's willingness to beat up, arrest and deport union organisers, while passing labour laws openly designed to stop organisation.

The easy movement of people and capital has a lot to answer for, too. People live in Appalachia because there was once well-paid manual employment. But industries rise and fall. Many jobs have gone to Mexico since the end of the Cold War. Many Mexicans have come to America to do the jobs that American citizens supposedly won't do themselves - or rather won't do for tiny wages that no one could reasonably raise kids, pay taxes and meet the rent on.
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A record number of Bristol restaurants are featured in the 2017 edition of the Good Food Guide , confirming the city's food scene as the most vibrant outside London.

There are 25 Bristol eateries listed in the 66th edition of the prestigious guide, which is published on September 5, with six new entries: Wilson's in Redland, Bellita in Cotham Hill, Adelina Yard in Welsh Back, Bulrush in Cotham, No Man's Grace in Redland and Brigstow Bar & Kitchen in Harbourside.

The restaurants, which are inspected anonymously, are scored out of 10 in the notoriously hard-marking guide.

The highest scoring Bristol restaurant is Casamia, which relocated from Westbury-on-Trym to the old General Hospital in Redcliffe earlier this year. The restaurant, run by the Sanchez-Iglesias family, has retained its score of seven.

Bell's Diner in Montpelier scores five, the same mark as Wilks in Redland, which has also been named The Good Food Guide 2017 local restaurant of the year in the South West.

The highest-scoring new entry is Bulrush in Cotham, which scores four. The neighbourhood restaurant was opened in November 2015 by first-time restaurateurs George Livesey and Katherine Craughwell, who had previously worked in London.

Another new entry is Wilson's in Chandos Road, Redland, which was opened by chef Jan Ostle and his wife, Mary, in June. It's the first solo venture for Ostle, who trained in London.

Jan said: "It's a real shock to be recognised by the guide, especially considering how long we have been open, but it's an honour and validation for our work to date.

"It's also great for Bristol that so many new restaurants have been included - Bristol has a brilliant food scene and it's great to be part of it."

Two other Bristol eateries - tapas bar Spoke & Stringer in Harbourside and organic Korean restaurant Sky Kong Kong in Haymarket Walk, next to the central bus station - are new entries in the Local Gem section.

Here is the full list of Bristol restaurants in The Good Food Guide 2017

Casamia (score of 7)

Bell's Diner (5)

Wilks (5)

Birch (4)

NEW ENTRY: Bulrush (4)

The Spiny Lobster (4)

Wallfish Bistro (4)

NEW ENTRY: Adelina Yard (3)

NEW ENTRY: Bellita (3)

Greens (3)

Lido (3)

Prego (3)

Riverstation (3)

The Ox (3)

The Pump House (3)

The Rummer (3)

Bravas (2)

Manna (2)

NEW ENTRY: No Man's Grace (2)

NEW ENTRY: The Brigstow Bar & Kitchen (2)

NEW ENTRY: Wilsons (2)

Flour & Ash (1)

Pata Negra (Local Gem)

NEW ENTRY: Sky Kong Kong (Local Gem)

NEW ENTRY: Spoke & Stringer (Local Gem)

The Good Food Guide will be available to buy at Waitrose from September 5, at the special price of 12.99 (RRP 17.99).

The guide can also be pre-ordered now at the Good Food Guide website.
Founded in 1930, the same year as the college itself, the Geology Society at Brooklyn College brings together students with an interest in the subject, most of whom major or minor in the offering of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences. The majority of the expenses for the trip to the Bahamas, including travel and lodging, were covered through the student activity budget, a grant from the Academic Club Association, as well as funds allotted to the department. The remaining expenses were paid for by the students themselves.

Nine students and one faculty member went on this four-day expedition, during which they collected samples of rocks and sand, and explored Andros Barrier Reef, one of the largest reef systems in the world, as means to see up close what they discuss in their coursework. The students took it upon themselves to put this trip together as a proactive means to enrich their academic experience and supplement their classroom learning with out-of-the-classroom skill.

"I understand the idea that you don't truly learn something until you see it first-hand, in front of your face," said senior and president of Geology Society, Patrick Owusu. "I took what I learned from my classes and professors in the major and as I was looking at these rocks, holding them in my hand, I started to have an idea of how all these different processes came together to form ancient environments. Watching these processes happen before my eyes in the present opens a new level of understanding that you could never have just by reading a textbook. Seeing is believing."

"Andros is one of the few places on the planet where carbonate rocks and ooids (spherical grains at the bottom of the sea) are actually forming today," said Matthew Garb, a lecturer in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, who mentors his students and accompanied them on the trip. "These are identical to geological samples that formed hundreds of millions of years ago. So the present is a key to the past. You're seeing these processes today. It's a real cool connection."

One of the most striking things about the Geology Society is how inclusive it is. "Of the 10 of us that went to the Bahamas, eight of us are women," said junior Nicole Schneider. "My professors are always willing to talk with me. They never talk down or condescend. Growing up in Colorado, Brooklyn College is the most diverse place I've ever been. And I think that's great."

This inclusive inroad gave senior Donna Cao, the society's secretary, the confidence she needed to select earth and environmental sciences as her major.

"It's something that I've always been interested in because I'm concerned about climate change and fascinated by how you can understand the Earth's planetary history by looking at rocks," Cao said. "By examining the past in this way, in many ways, you can predict the future, and discover ways to preserve the planet and make it better."

Former president of the Geology Society, Anastasia Danilova '16, who also attended the trip, is now teaching an introduction to earth science course at Kingsborough Community College. Inspired by Matthew Garb and others, she is pleased to be in a position where she can positively impact students in the same way Brooklyn College faculty positively impacted her. As society president, she was a big advocate for the society to not just come together in the spirit of their shared interest in the subject matter, but also find ways to make an impact on their communities through service. For example, the society traveled to Plumb Beach to aid the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation in the cleaning and restoration of the beach. They had the opportunity to network with professionals and learn about internships in the field.

"The work and the service brings us together and reminds us that it's not only about us," said Danilova. "We live in a community. We live in a world that we're blessed to study. We're a very small part of it, but we should do our small part that makes it better for the whole."
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Far from bitter, hes serving up a double shot of forgiveness.

A Bay Ridge cafe owner spent $1,000 to hang a message of absolution on his storefront after a thief broke in and made off with thousands of dollars on Aug. 17. Abdul Elenani posted the nearly 8-foot-long banner on Third Avenue coffee spot Cocoa Grinder by Aug. 20, offering clemency and beseeching the burglar to change his ways. The brew maestro did not call police, because hes not one to hold a bitter grudge, he said.

People tend to forget to forgive, and it becomes all about taking revenge, said Elenani. Rather than harming the person, I want to send them a clear message. Id rather forgive the person and hopefully he changes.

Elenani drafted the missive shortly after the break-in. It explains that he did not call cops and is instead encouraging the cutpurse to seek help.

Well sir/madam, I didnt report this, and I didnt check the cameras to see who you are. Id rather just not know, Elenanis letter states. If the money you stole was to better you and your familys living, then I forgive you. If it was stolen for you to go out there and ruin yourself and health, I still forgive you and ask of you to fix yourself.

Locals are split over Elenanis bold move.

Its an inspirational message, one neighbor said.

I think its a great example hes setting, said Mohammed M., a Ridgite who didnt want to give his full name. If I was in his shoes, I dont know what Id do, but its a good message hes trying to send.

But a fellow cafe owner argued that Elenani should have alerted law-enforcement officials, lest the bandit strike again.

He shouldnt do this, he should call the police, said George Dokmaji, the owner of Sallys Coffee Shop nearby. If someone stole food to feed themselves or their family, okay forgive that, but not in this situation where someone is hurting your business.

Elenani, who practices Islam, said his religion was a big motivator for the banner, which includes two quotes from the prophet Muhammad, he said.

As a Muslim, thats what I was taught  to forgive, he said. Its a normal reaction. I dont understand why some people would think otherwise.

A drunk patron from a local bar already tore the banner down once, and Elenani plans to keep it up until it disappears, he said.
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Theyre out of the club, but theyll never be out of club soda.

Israeli seltzer-machine-maker Soda Stream rewarded four members of the Park Slope Food Co-op with free swag after they were kicked out of the socialist supermarket for disrupting a meeting to defend the business against pro-Palestinian members who want to ban its products.

And the exiles say the prize is proof their controversial defense of the promised land was the act of heroism they have believed it to be all along.

The co-op sees me as a criminal and other people see me as a hero, said Rhudi Andreolli. I was so excited. Im an ordinary person doing extraordinary things!

The crunchy Union Street store sentenced Millie Ruttner, Alan Ettlinger, Andreolli and her sister to one-year suspensions after finding them guilty of uncooperative behavior at a meeting last year where members of the grocery stores so-called Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement were condemning Soda Stream for its factory in the West Bank  the culmination of an eight-year battle between members over banishing Israeli products from shelves to protest the countrys occupation of Palestine.

In a letter included with the make-your-own pop machines, Soda Stream did not explicitly mention that they were rewards for rushing the stage to unplug the projector the pro-boycotters were using to convey their message, instead writing that they are for sharing information with the Park Slope Food Co-op about the fair and transparent way we operate and about our commitment to creating broad opportunity.

But it is clear to the rabble rousers that their unsanctioned offensive was at the heart of the companys gift.

Its just a thank-you for standing up for them, which we did, said Ettlinger.

The machine allows the spurned shoppers to convert regular tap water into flavored soda, and they think the gizmo is pretty neat.

I love seltzer water, said Andreolli. In the co-op, I was buying organic sodas, and it was expensive. Sometimes I make the seltzer and get so excited.

The exiles would rather see themselves welcomed back to the co-op, ending their banishment to such loathsome markets as Key Foods and C-Town, but their new home kitchen appliances are nonetheless a welcome consolation prize as they serve out the remainder of their suspension, said Ettlinger.

We havent had an effect on the co-op yet  thats like hitting your head against a brick wall  but it vindicates us as far as that we did something right, he said. We were protesting b- and hatred, which any moral human being would do.

Neither the co-op, nor its Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions group, returned requests for comment.
Is this the way forward?

Earlier this month, we reported on the burkini ban Cannes had enforced on its beaches, preventing Muslim women from wearing the modest swim-suit in an attempt to quell public concern in the wake of recent terror attacks across France. Since then, 15 French coastal towns have introduced the ban, including Nice, the site of the devastating Bastille Day truck attack that killed 85 people.

The ban has sparked global outrage, fuelled this week by images showing four police ordering a woman to remove her long-sleeved tunic - not a burkini - on the beach at Promenade des Anglais, where the truck attack occurred. Another woman has contacted French news agency AFP to tell of her experience on a beach in Cannes, where she was fined for wearing a headscarf, with her penalty notice outlining her crime as not wearing "an outfit respecting good morals and secularism."

The publicity has seen orders soar worldwide for burkinis, with designer Aheda Zanetti telling the New York Times that sales have gone up by 200% since the ban was instigated. Australia, Europe and Canada are her biggest markets.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls is defending the ban, telling BFM-TV, "We have to wage a determined fight against radical Islam, against these religious symbols which are filtering into public spaces. For me, the burkini is a symbol of the enslavement of women."
Essar Oil might be in a spot of trouble with its Russia deal but state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), Indian Oil Corporation (IOC), Bharat Petro Resources (BPRL) and Oil India (OIL), that have bought stakes in Russian oil assets, are not too perturbed by the US and European Union (EU) sanctions.
Chinese start-up has been devoting itself to selfies since 2008. In that time it has become a multi-billion-dollar business as hundreds of millions of people use Meitus suite of mobile photo apps to spruce and primp their selfies.
Crownit, a local merchant discovery and privileges platform, has raised money from FreeCharge founders Kunal Shah and Sandeep Tandon, Freshdesk founder Girish Mathrubootham and ex-Snapdeal CPO Anand Chandrasekaran.

The company did not disclose the quantum of the money raised from these investors.
Given the impact of foreign exchange on operations, ace investor Rakesh Jhunjhunwala asked the management to improve the disclosures related to hedging practices. Jhunjhunwala cited the example of Infosys and other which disclose their hedges and the rate at which the hedging is done.
For Rio Tinto, not pursuing the prized Bunder diamond project in Madhya Pradesh was a difficult pill to swallow. However, S Vijay Iyer, managing director, Rio Tinto India, believes the country has more to offer. He is also upbeat on the India growth story. Edited excerpts of an interview by Jayajit Dash:



The Government of India has recently unveiled a new mineral exploration policy. What opportunities does it offer for foreign players like Rio Tinto?



There are some strong positives in the NMEP (National Mineral Exploration Policy), such as the emphasis on ensuring the baseline geo scientific data is available in the public domain, quality research in a public-private partnership, special initiatives to assist in the search for deep-seated and concealed deposits, the quick aero-geophysical survey of the country, and the creation of a dedicated geo science database. We are evaluating these and the opportunities these could create.
Indias start-up sector might be going through a bust cycle with a clear dearth of capital thats squeezing to improve unit economics and in several cases shut down, but theres still lots of money to be made.
group, which runs Delhi and Hyderabad airports, has won the bid to develop and operate the Rs 3,000-crore Mopa airport in Goa on a public private partnership basis with the state government.
IT major sounded cautious and said that the company will give a clearer picture of its revenue growth guidance post the September quarter. The management also said that its performance in second quarter will be better than the first quarter. However, several analysts feel that a further guidance cut may be in the offing.

At an analyst meet also acknowledged that the cancellation of the RBS contract was an instance of cautiousness among key financial clients due to Brexit. The management concurred that they do see some softness in few clients which they had not anticipated at the beginning of the quarter.

There is a general cautiousness with regard to the macro and hence the management did not want to communicate the guidance just now. There is still one more month to go before the quarter ends and they want to make sure that RBS situation was a one-off. But given they have already stated the lower end of guidance at 10.5% and the situation has just worsened from then to now, a further cut seems likely, said an analyst from a brokerage firm attending the meet.

had cut its annual revenue forecast at the top end by 150 basis points (bps, meaning 1.5 percentage points) and at the lower end by 100 bps. The company said it is now expecting its revenues to grow between 10.5% and 12% in constant currency, as compared to the 11.5-13.5% it had given at the beginning of the financial year.

Earlier this month the company had said that the Royal Bank of Scotland will no longer pursue its plan to separate and list a new UK standalone bank, Williams & Glyn (W&G), and instead will pursue other options for the divestment of this business. Infosys has been a W&G program technology partner for consulting, application delivery and testing services, and subsequent to this decision, will carry out an orderly ramp-down of about 3,000 persons, primarily in India, over the next few months.

Vishal Sikka, CEO, Infosys also concurred the uncertainty in macro impacting the company. There are uncertainties across sectors, geographies. We did not see the RBS ramp down coming at the start of the quarter. We are seeing softness in some clients, post Brexit, now which was not anticipated at the start of Q2. We want to see if the RBS is a one-off case or there are more like RBS, said Sikka.

Analyst present at the meet said that the management looked and sounded much more cautious. They did say that client specific issue are in Europe but it is not restricted to Europe. There are a few cases outside Europe as well, said an analyst on condition of anonymity.

Sikka also cautioned that though the company has been able to win large deals in the last few quarters they need to be cautious as ramp-ups continue to take time. Our performance both in terms of market share and overall deal pipelines remains strong. We have been on a good trajectory in the last few quarters and I expect this to continue. However, we have to be cautious about large deals, he added.

On a much positive note for the employees, Sikka clarified that the company is not doing any layoffs. Every employee at Infosys is valuable. There is no involuntary attrition, he said. There were reports in media that the company has sacked close to 500 employees. Infosys earlier in a press statement had said that these employees were asked to leave on performance basis.

Infosys' first quarter performance had disappointed the Street as it missed expectations. For the first time in the last four quarters the company missed its revenue guidance. The management had attributed the softness in number due to challenges in the consulting services segment and core banking product Finacle.

Despite the near term hiccups, Sikka sounded confident about the digital strategy that the company has chosen to tread. MANA, an artificial intelligence platform from Infosys, which has been operational for the last four months has seen good traction. We have the first four clients on MANA and they are live. We have another dozen or so engagements underway. I am excited about MANA as it is renewing our existing business and services and we are expanding to new deals and projects, said Sikka.

When asked if there have been any issue that has disappointed him? Sikka said that after being in the industry for the last two years the conversations that he (Infosys) still has with clients are not strategic or of high level. I wish that we had the ability to have a much more strategic conversations with clients, we have started that but still at a relatively small number of client, approximately 50 out of more than 1,000 clients. This is the case with the entire industry, he added.
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L&T Chairman and Managing Director A M Naik said his priorities before stepping down in 2017 included making the company asset-light, expediting restructuring schemes and reviving small businesses. Further, he will devote his time mentoring 20 employees a year.
Russias Rosneft might have to restructure its deal with Ruia-promoted Oil that was banking on a stake sale to the state-owned company, to retire a major chunk of its group debt of Rs 88,000 crore.
Ajay Piramal, chairman, Piramal and Shriram groups, and Venu Srinivasan, chairman, TVS Motor and Sundaram Clayton joined the board of Ltd, the holding company of the Tata group of companies, as non-executive directors effective Thursday.

Billionaires Piramal, 61, and Srinivasan, 63, will join the high profile board, which has Ishaat Hussain, former CFO, Tata Sons, Vijay Singh, former defence secretary of India, Nitin Nohria, the dean of Harvard Business School, Ronen Sen, former Indian ambassador to the US, and Farida Khambata, global strategist, Cartica, as other directors. Cyrus Mistry is the chairman of the board.

When contacted, Srinivasan declined to comment on his appointment. Piramal was not immediately available for comment as he was abroad. Srinivasans wife, Mallika Srinavasan, 56, is already a director on the board of Tata Steel and Tata Global Beverages.

The appointment of two top Indian industrialists on the board of signifies the groups move to bring in more experienced talent at the holding company level at a time when the $103-billion revenue group is facing headwinds with a few of its group like Tata Steels European operations and Tata Teleservices.

Both Tata and Piramal groups are building financial services business separately and are competing. Srinivasan, the maker of TVS brand of two-wheelers, and the Tatas do not compete directly.

Analysts say the choice of both is good as both have immense experience in running businesses in India.

Take for example, Piramal, an alumnus of Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management. He had sold his pharmaceutical business to Abbott in 2010 for $3.72 billion, and is, since then, building a real estate empire, apart from investing in the financial services business of the Chennai-based Shriram group. Piramal also invested in Vodafone India Limited and exited with a hefty profit in 2014. The Piramals and the Mistry family are close and have common interest in real estate and construction business, said a Mumbai-based corporate analyst.

Srinivasan, an alumnus of College of Engineering, Chennai, and Purdue University, served as the president of the Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) for 2009-10, the president of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) for from 1999 to 2001, and the chairman of the National Safety Council of the Government of India



The appointment will strengthen Mistry, who, at the recent summit of Tata group CEOs in Mumbai, said by 2025, the group will become amongst the 25 most-admired corporate and employer brands globally, with a market capitalisation comparable to the 25 most-valuable in the world. In the last three years, the group has invested more than $28 billion  making it one of the biggest investors in India.

The group currently earns 69 per cent of its revenues from its global operations and is selling non-core assets across the world. The Tatas are also gearing up to invest in the defence business which has been identified as a core business for investment by Mistry.
With 14 more deaths, the toll in the rose to 149 on Friday even as the swollen Ganga river has started receding.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made an aerial survey of several flood affected districts during the day.

A release by the Disaster Management Department said Bhojpur accounted for 13 deaths, the maximum in any Bihar district

The flood has been caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers and has affected 32.51 lakh people in 2,018 villages under 553 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state, it said.

Ganga, though showing a receding trend, is flowing above the danger mark at seven places - Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts.

The receding trend has been witnessed at Gandhi Ghat, Digha Ghat and Hathidah in Patna.

A total 4.16 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.

The government is plying 2,516 boats for evacuation and and state disaster response forces have already been deployed in the affected districts.

Five hundred and eighteen relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas and are providing shelter to 2.05 lakh people, who are being provided medical services by 270 teams.

Arrangements have been made for providing food and other items and the government has so far distributed 6,105 quintal of flattened rice, 1,072 quintal jaggery, 111 quintals of sattu, 82,822 matchsticks packets, 48,629 polythene sheets and 2,43,959 dry food packets, the release said.

Besides, 108 camps were being run only for animals, the release said, adding, 108 cattle have been killed in the floods, it added.

Kumar made an aerial survey of Bhagalpur, Katihar, Munger, Khagaria, Begusarai, Samastipur and Vaishali districts. He was accompanied by Water Resources Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and his Principal Secretary Chanchal Kumar.

He also held a review meeting at Bhagalpur airport along with the principal secretary to the water resources department, Bhagalpur divisional commissioner, district magistrate superintendent of police.

He directed them to intensify relief work and assess the damage caused by floods.

While inspecting the various relief camps in Patna district, Kumar announced that Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 would be given to each girl and boy child respectively who are born in relief camps or hospitals after their mothers were evacuated from the flood affected areas.

The disaster management department release said every registered person in the camps would be given bath soaps and soaps for cleaning clothes, combs, hair oil, mirrors and sanitary napkins for women.

Besides, people in relief camps would be given clothes and served food in stainless steel utensils which they can take home when the flood water subsides.

The funds for utensils, clothes and soaps, comb, hair oil and sanitary napkins would be made available from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, the release said.
In a significant judgement, the Bombay High Court today lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of here, saying it contravenes the fundamental rights of a person.

The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

"The ban imposed on women from entering the is contrary to Articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the dargah on par with men," a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere said.

Under the said Articles, a person is guaranteed equality before law and has the fundamental right to practice any religion he or she wants. They prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion, gender and so on, and provide freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

The bench allowed a PIL filed by two women, Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz, challenging the ban on women's entry in the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah.

"The state government and the Haji Ali Dargah Trust will have to take proper steps to ensure safety and security of women entering the dargah," the court said.

The high court had in June this year reserved its verdict on the petition.

The PIL states that gender justice is inherent in Quran and the decision contravenes the Hadith, which proves that there is no prohibition on women visiting graves.

The Maharashtra government had earlier told the court that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah only if it is so enshrined in the Quran.

The ban on women's entry cannot be justified if it is on the basis of an expert's interpretation of the Quran, the then Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney had argued.

The dargah trust had defended its stand saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin.



Divulging the details of the judgment, Raju More, the petitioner lawyer, said, "Today, the Bombay High Court has given its reserved judgment and set aside the ban which was imposed on the entry of women and they have restored the status quo 'anti', that means earlier position when women were allowed has been restored."

Advocate Shoaib Memon, appearing for the trust had earlier said, "Women are not allowed inside mosques in Saudi Arabia. They are given a separate place to pray. We (trust) have not barred women. It is simply regulated for their safety. The trust not only administers the dargah but also manages the affairs of religion.



The lawyer further said that after the pronouncement of the judgment, the Haji Ali Trust said that they wish to go to the Supreme Court and want an eight-week stay.



"I opposed it. I said that since its a restoration of the earlier position, there is no need to grant stay. But the high court felt and rightly so that this is an important constitutional issue and, therefore, they have granted six weeks stay on the operation of the order," he said.



Therefore, the women will not be allowed to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah for the next six weeks.



The ban was imposed in 2012 by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust citing some religious traditions as the reason.



The trust had claimed that separate arrangements have been made for women to walk up to a certain point from where they can offer prayers, but are not permitted to touch the tomb of a male saint as it is a sin in Islam.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear next week Tamil Nadu government's plea seeking release of 50 TMC of water from Karnataka to meet its irrigation demands in the backdrop of the .

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur posted the matter for September 2 after Tamil Nadu government mentioned it and sought an urgent hearing.

In the petition, Tamil Nadu has charged Karnataka with diverting water meant for farmers during distress years for undeclared projects, in violation of the final orders of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal in 2007.

It has sought directions to Karnataka to release 50.052 TMC feet of Cauvery water to irrigate the farmland of Tamil Nadu in the "interest of justice."

The plea also sought the court's intervention to ensure that Karnataka adhered to the stipulated water releases in accordance with the 2007 order of Tribunal for the remaining months, starting from August 20 in the irrigation year of 2016-2017.

Meanwhile, a separate bench comprising Justices Gopala Gowda and Adarsh Kumar Goel posted before the apex court Registar a bunch of petitions and cross-petitions relating to the implementation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal (CWDT) award, filed by various parties, including Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala.

A detailed list of 17 agreed draft issues, including whether the suit for damages filed by Tamil Nadu was maintainable under Article 131 of the Constitution, was also filed before the bench which posted the matter before the Registrar for completion of proceedings.

Earlier, the apex court had refused to give an urgent hearing to a plea of Tamil Nadu government for setting up the Cauvery Management Board for implementation of the CWDT award.

At the directions of the apex court, the Centre, in 2013, had notified the final award of the CWDT on sharing the waters of the Cauvery system among the basin states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala and union territory of Puducherry.

Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal had recommended the setting up of a Cauvery Management Board/Authority on the lines of the Bhakra Beas Management Board for implementation of the order. The board, in turn, would constitute a Cauvery Water Regulation Committee for assistance.

The Tribunal, in a unanimous decision in 2007, had determined the total availability of water in the Cauvery basin at 740 thousand million cubic (tmc) feet at the Lower Coleroon Anicut site, including 14 tmcft for environmental protection and seepage into the sea.

The final award made an annual allocation of 419 tmcft to Tamil Nadu in the entire Cauvery basin, 270 tmcft to Karnataka, 30 tmcft to Kerala and 7 tmcft to Puducherry.
In a first of its kind initiative in India, more than 30 top academic and research institutes in Hyderabad coming on board of an institutional platform to collaborate in development and quick commercialisation of the industry relevant innovations in multiple fields ranging from defence to life sciences.
A reduction in government funding has severely affected research and development works at Research Associations (TRA) Assam-based Tocklai Research Institute. Paucity of funds has compelled the TRA to put on hold few on-going research projects like the ones on new clone development, mechanisation of operations, reduction of use of pesticides and to find ways to tackle climate change.
An important section of the Indian Navy headquarters here has changed its biorhythm to Melbourne time, monitoring The Australian newspaper as it publishes leaked documents containing the operational secrets of Indias new submarines.
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Consular Affairs Michele Thoren Bond on Friday said there was no drop in H1 and L1 visas being issued to Indian citizens after the visa fee for these popular visa categories was increased since January this year.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday played down the Scorpene leak saying it's "not big worry", but there are few pockets of concerns because the ministry is assuming the worst case scenario.

The Defence Minister said that the leaked documents put on the web of 'The Australian' newspaper does not include any of the weaponry systems of the Scorpene as been reported in the media.

Parrikar said that the navy has assured him that most of the leaked documents are not of concern.

The minister also said that Scorpene submarine has not even fully completed the sea trials, which is important to understand how it will work under water.

The Indian Navy has taken up Scorpene document leak matter with French Directorate General of Armament.

"We are waiting for the report. Basically, what is on the website is not of big concern. We are assuming, on our own, that this has leaked and we are taking all precautions", he said.

"What I am given to understand that there are few pockets of concern assuming that what is claimed to have been leaked has leaked actually. We are going by assumption of the worst case scenario. I think there is not big worry because we will be able out put things in right perspective", Parrikar added.

Asked by a journalist whether the Rafale deal would be affected because of the leak, the minister shot back questioning whether one can stop using French products just because a leak has happened in another company.

"You stop using all products from France? Obviously, the companies are different, the type of equipment is different and an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there. It is not intentionally leaked," Parrikar said.

He said the punishment should be based on the conditions in the contract.

More than 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked, raising alarm bells today in the security establishment.

The combat capability of the Scorpene submarines being built at Mazagon dock at a cost of $3.5 billion by French shipbuilder DCNS, went public when an Australian newspaper, "The Australian", put the details on the website.
Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India.

Shanmugaratnam has been invited to New Delhi to address top policy-makers on "Fulfilling India's Potential in the Global Economy" during the inauguration of NITI Aayog's maiden annual lecture on Transforming India.

Prime Minister Modi will on Friday inaugurate the event which will be attended by nearly 1,400 delegates, including Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and senior officers.

A panel discussion and brainstorming session are also part of the event where ministers and officers will exchange ideas on economy, governance and development with Shanmugratnam.

The annual lecture series on Transforming India was proposed by Prime Minister Modi to bring in international personalities to share their experiences and ideas on India.

Earlier, in November 2015, Prime Minister Modi visited Singapore and signed nine bilateral documents in areas of defence, maritime security, cyber security, narcotics trafficking, urban planning, civil aviation, and culture to further strengthen the ties between the two nations.

An active calendar of visits from both sides has further strengthened the bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Modi had visited Singapore earlier in 2015 to attend the State Funeral of Lee Kuan Yew on 29 March. His participation in the funeral along with the declaration of the funeral day as a day of mourning in India was deeply appreciated by the Singapore Government.

Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam also undertook a state visit to India in February 2015 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Recent visits from India to Singapore also include Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit in June 2016 for the inaugural Defence Ministers' Dialogue and the Shangri-La Dialogue; Minister of State(IC) for Power, Coal & NRE Piyush Goyal's visit in May 2016; Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan's visit in January 2016; Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu in October 2015 to participate as a key speaker at the Infrastructure Finance Summit 2015 and many other such prominent visits.

On the other hand many dignitaries from Singapore have visited India including Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam to attend the Growth Net Summit in Delhi in April 2016, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, K Shanmugam in November 2015 leading a business delegation to the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit in Jaipur , Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport Josephine Teo in October 2015 to attend the Third India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) and many other such visits.
SRM University's Chancellor T R Pachamuthu was arrested by Tamil Nadu police today in connection with alleged medical college admission cheating case.

On Friday, he was produced before the XI metropolitan magistrate at Saidapet and was remanded in judicial custody.
Ahead of the meeting of Empowered Committee of State FMs with industry chambers, on Friday said it will press for waiver of penalties on unintentional compliance errors which may occur during the initial phase of Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation.

The empowered committee of state Finance Ministers, headed by West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra, will meet traders and industry chambers on August 30, to understand their concerns.

Seeking adequate time for preparation of the required compliance systems for the industry, in a statement said it will "bring forth before the Empowered Committee certain concerns and areas of uncertainties while pleading for waiver of any penalties on unintentional compliance errors which may occur during the transition period".

It said while the industry wants the GST to be introduced at the earliest in view of its benefits to all stakeholders, the government and Empowered Committee (EC) should give adequate time for preparation for its smooth transition.

"Considering significant increase in documentary requirement and digitisation of the entire GST process, industry has to gear up and change their accounting and computer system after the GST Rules are released," President Sunil Kanoria said.

The government wants to roll out GST from April 1, 2017. The new indirect tax regime will subsume service tax, excise duty and other local levies.

It said in such a mega tax reform, there will be requirement to issue clarification on various GST provisions and hence the government at Centre and the states should gear up for such facility.

"Moreover, the penal provisions for unintended mistake during the transition phase should not be applied as was done in the case of service tax for few years," he said.

The chamber also highlighted concerns over the administrative machinery for implementation of the GST. While the tax base is same for Central GST and SGST, the administration by two authorities may lead to harassment if there is difference of opinion.

"It is recommended that there should be only one administrative authority. Centre and state can form joint team for such purpose," Assocham said.

Besides, there is also concern about the multiple audits and investigations provided in the draft GST Bill spanning over a long period of 3 to 5 years whereas the entire GST process will be fully computerised and each transaction is required to be recorded in the monthly return.

"These excessive administrative provisions need to be critically examined to avoid inspector raj which may be counter-productive to the objective of GST to provide ease of doing business," it said.
Domestic prices are on the upside since April, due to expectation of weak production. This has affected exports, mainly to Pakistan. In the current year (it runs from October of one year to September of the next), about 37 per cent of exports have been to Pakistan. However, with prices moving up to Rs 50,000 a candy (356 kg), this is being hit, says the trade.
Major multinational players in seed technology including Monsanto, Bayer, Dow AgroSciences and DuPont Pioneer on Friday announced the formation of a new industry body, days after Monsanto revealed that it had withdrawn its application seeking approval for the next generation of genetically-modified (GM) cotton in India because of regulatory uncertainties.
With the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, estimated at Rs 15,000 crore, nearing its completion, the Uttar Pradesh (UP) government is now sketching a blueprint for the industrial and handicraft sector development along its route.



The plan is to develop clusters of development around 232 villages bordering major cities along the way viz. Unnao, Kanpur, Lucknow, Kannauj, Etawah, Agra etc.
The West Bengal government on Friday said it was committed to the Tajpur deep sea port but it has not received any proposal from the Centre so far.

The state finance minister Amit Mitra informed on Friday, on the sidelines of a roadshow on maritime opportunities in West Bengal.

A senior state government official aware of the issue said as things stand now there is no room for the Centre in financial partnership.

Mitra was replying to a question on recent comments of the Kolkata Port Trust (KoPT) chairman M T Krishna Babu that the viability of the deep sea port at Sagar Islands is hinging upon another port in Tajpur-Shankarpur in the state.

The KoPT chairman had said that the Ministry of Shipping (MoS) had written to the West Bengal government about its stand on the .

Mitra also hoped that when the state was growing at 12 per cent there was scope for 3-4 more port projects all of which would be viable.

The state government was planning to float request for a proposal in the next two months and select partner over next months for nine berths of the in the first phase. The state government envisages investment to the tune of Rs 5,000 crore in two phases.

Mitra said state government would build the requisite infrastructure to connect the .

Officials from Adani and Essar were present among others at the roadshow.

Meanwhile, the state was planning to come out with a maritime policy and draft policy prepared by Crisil.

Bengal plans optimal utilisation of its 158 km coastline for industrial development, tourism and employment generation from the maritime sector.
Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore calls on PM

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Mr. Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore called on Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi today. .

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The Prime Minister conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the people of Singapore on the sad demise of former President S. R. Nathan. The Prime Minister said that Singapore has lost one of its great sons. .

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Mr. Shanmugaratnam briefed the Prime Minister on the status of various bilateral cooperation initiatives, especially in the areas of Skill Development and Smart Cities. .

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The Prime Minister recalled his successful visit to Singapore in November 2015, during which the bilateral relationship was upgraded to a strategic partnership", and said that he is keenly looking forward to the visit of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong to India in the near future. .

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issued a patch on Thursday to fix a dangerous security flaw in iPhones and iPads after researchers discovered that a prominent United Arab Emirates dissident's phone had been targeted with a previously unknown method of hacking.
Eight Turkish police officers were killed and 45 people injured on Friday when a car bomb blamed on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) militants exploded outside a police building in the southeast of the country.

The bomb attack caused immense damage to the headquarters of the special anti-riot police force in Cizre, with television pictures showing a thick plume of black smoke heading into the sky.

Eight police officers were killed and 45 more people wounded, two of them seriously, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting the local governorate.

Television quoted the health ministry as saying 12 ambulances and two helicopters had been sent to the scene.

Early pictures showed that the police building had been completely gutted by the power of the blast, reduced to a shell surrounded by a pile of rubble.

Adjacent buildings sustained severe damage and some were still on fire, television pictures showed.

Anadolu said the bomb had gone off 50 metres away from the building at a control post. It said the blast had been carried out by the PKK.

Security forces closed the main road to Cizre from the provincial capital of Sirnak to the north after the attack, Anadolu added.

The Turkish security forces have been hit by near daily attacks by the PKK since a two-and-a-half year ceasefire collapsed in 2015, leaving hundreds of police officers and soldiers dead.

The PKK has kept up its assaults in the last weeks after the unsuccessful July 15 coup by rogue elements in the military aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The latest attack comes two days after Turkish forces launched an unprecedented offencive in neighbouring Syria which the authorities say is aimed both at jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey on Thursday shelled the Kurdish militia fighters in Syria, saying they were failing to observe a deal with the US to stop advancing in jihadist-held territory.

Ankara sees the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia as terror groups bent on carving out an autonomous region in Syria and acting as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

The government has vowed to press on with the campaign to eradicate the PKK from eastern Turkey after a purge in the army for those responsible for carrying out the coup.

Over 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK first took up arms in 1984 with the aim of carving out an independent state for Turkey's Kurdish minority.

It is proscribed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.
India on Friday asked Pakistan not to remain in a "denial" mode regarding its support to cross- border terrorism as the war of words between the two countries intensified.

In his latest response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of August 19 for talks, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar once again emphasised on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabad's illegal occupation of PoK and conveyed that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is actually a "prime perpetrator" of terrorism.

The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that India seeks result-oriented talks with Pakistan with an agenda to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence by it, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Jaishankar while conveying his readiness to be available to engage any time at mutual convenience on these issues, however, mentioned that justifying terrorism and interference in the internal affairs of India are hardly serious basis for a result-oriented dialogue.

Asked about absence of the Finance Minister from the ongoing SAARC meet, indicating the growing strain in relationship, Swarup said, "Providing support, safe havens and sanctuary to terrorists and making the distinction between good terrorist and bad terrorist has posed enormous risk to peace and stability to our region.

"It is important for Pakistan to realise the reality and not remain in denial on the impact of cross-border terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Sooner Pakistan recognises this central and important fact, the sooner, India-Pakistan relationship can progress."



In the letter, the Foreign Secretary hoped that the government of Pakistan will reconsider its approach and show sincerity towards promoting good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.

"This will also send a larger message to a region which is deeply troubled by the policies that emanate from Pakistan," Jaishankar's letter said.

The Foreign Secretary has also reiterated that basis of further discussions between the two countries are -Simla Agreement of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999 and Joint statement of 2004, Swarup added.

On its part, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while briefing the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union countries in Islamabad about the situation in the Valley, "regretted" India's virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir.

At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz "deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed" in Kashmir which has taken a "toll of more than 80 innocent Kashmiris since July 8, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people," the Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.

On the UN's statement on Dawood Ibrahim's address, the spokesperson said this information about the terrorist is the result of latest updating of records pertaining to him by UN's 1267 Committee monitoring team which periodically updates the record of the global terrorists on its database.

He added that Dawood continues to remain on the designated list as a global terrorist; the 1267 monitoring committee continues to retain his Pakistani passport as a valid document; the UN has also confirmed that he resides in and has properties in Pakistan; and that the UN continues to keep a regular watch on him.

Besides the fact that his Pakistan addresses have been verified, some other record have also been updated as result of info provided by India such as his wife's name, father's name and several of his aliases.

"India continues to maintain that it is incumbent upon Pakistan to extradite this global terrorist to whom they have provided sanctuary for a very long period of time to face justice for his many crimes. We hope Pakistan will heed opinion on this issue," he added.

Asked whether India will raise the issue of Balochistan at the UNGA or UNHRC, Swarup remained non-committal, saying "India has a strong human rights record at home and we are naturally concerned of gross violations of human rights in the region you have referred to. How this is expressed in our diplomacy is something that you will have to wait and see.India on Friday asked Pakistan not to remain in a "denial" mode regarding its support to cross- border terrorism as the war of words between the two countries intensified.

In his latest response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of August 19 for talks, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar once again emphasised on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabad's illegal occupation of PoK and conveyed that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is actually a "prime perpetrator" of terrorism.

The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that India seeks result-oriented talks with Pakistan with an agenda to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence by it, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Jaishankar while conveying his readiness to be available to engage any time at mutual convenience on these issues, however, mentioned that justifying terrorism and interference in the internal affairs of India are hardly serious basis for a result-oriented dialogue.

Asked about absence of the Finance Minister from the ongoing SAARC meet, indicating the growing strain in relationship, Swarup said, "Providing support, safe havens and sanctuary to terrorists and making the distinction between good terrorist and bad terrorist has posed enormous risk to peace and stability to our region.

"It is important for Pakistan to realise the reality and not remain in denial on the impact of cross-border terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Sooner Pakistan recognises this central and important fact, the sooner, India-Pakistan relationship can progress."



In the letter, the Foreign Secretary hoped that the government of Pakistan will reconsider its approach and show sincerity towards promoting good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.

"This will also send a larger message to a region which is deeply troubled by the policies that emanate from Pakistan," Jaishankar's letter said.

The Foreign Secretary has also reiterated that basis of further discussions between the two countries are -Simla Agreement of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999 and Joint statement of 2004, Swarup added.

On its part, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while briefing the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union countries in Islamabad about the situation in the Valley, "regretted" India's virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir.

At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz "deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed" in Kashmir which has taken a "toll of more than 80 innocent Kashmiris since July 8, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people," the Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.

On the UN's statement on Dawood Ibrahim's address, the spokesperson said this information about the terrorist is the result of latest updating of records pertaining to him by UN's 1267 Committee monitoring team which periodically updates the record of the global terrorists on its database.

He added that Dawood continues to remain on the designated list as a global terrorist; the 1267 monitoring committee continues to retain his Pakistani passport as a valid document; the UN has also confirmed that he resides in and has properties in Pakistan; and that the UN continues to keep a regular watch on him.

Besides the fact that his Pakistan addresses have been verified, some other record have also been updated as result of info provided by India such as his wife's name, father's name and several of his aliases.

"India continues to maintain that it is incumbent upon Pakistan to extradite this global terrorist to whom they have provided sanctuary for a very long period of time to face justice for his many crimes. We hope Pakistan will heed international opinion on this issue," he added.

Asked whether India will raise the issue of Balochistan at the UNGA or UNHRC, Swarup remained non-committal, saying "India has a strong human rights record at home and we are naturally concerned of gross violations of human rights in the region you have referred to. How this is expressed in our diplomacy is something that you will have to wait and see.
An increasingly forlorn search for victims of the earthquake that brought carnage to central Italy entered a third day on Friday as the confirmed death toll climbed to 267.

Releasing the new count, Immacolata Postiglione, head of the Civil Protection agency's emergency unit, indicated there had been no survivors found overnight in any of the remote mountain villages devastated by Wednesday's powerful pre-dawn quake.

At least 367 people have been hospitalised with injuries but no one has been pulled alive from the piles of collapsed masonry since Wednesday evening.

As hundreds of people woke from a second night sleeping in cars or hastily erected tented villages, the area was rocked by a 4.8 magnitude aftershock just after 6:00 a.m. local time, underlining the perilous nature of a rescue effort involving more than 4,000 emergency service staff and volunteers.

More than 900 aftershocks have rattled the region since Wednesday's 6.0-6.2 magnitude first one triggered the collapse of hundreds of ill-prepared old buildings across dozens of tiny communities playing host to far more people than usual because of the summer holidays.

Many of the survivors camping out in the tents were carrying plastic bags containing the handful of possessions  clothes, ID documents, phones and wallets  they had been able to grab before fleeing their homes in terror.

Over a dinner provided by an emergency cell of an Italian chefs' organisation on Wednesday evening, one survivor told how close she had come to being trapped in a house in the tiny hamlet of Illica.

"I managed to get out alive because I found a hole in the wall and managed to make it bigger and I made it out onto a roof and walked across until I got to a terrace and managed to get down from there," said Elisa.

"We shared clothes, there were people going around with one slipper on, those who were basically naked until 11:00 am.

"When dawn came it was devastating because then we really understood what the damage was, and that there were people who couldn't be found, who were missing, who were dead."

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected by Wednesday's quake, which occurred in an area that straddles Umbria, Lazio and Marche.

Renzi also released an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) in emergency aid. Quake experts have estimated the cost of the short-term rescue effort and mid to longer-term reconstruction could exceed a billion euros.

There are also fears of a negative impact of an already stagnating Italian economy.

Past experience indicates that quakes always have a negative impact on tourism for the whole country in which they occur. Tourism is particularly important to Italy, contributing around four per cent of its GDP.

At least eight foreigners were among the dead, according to media reports and updates from foreign ministries.
US Secretary of State and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov met in Geneva on Friday for an expected push towards resuming peace talks for war-ravaged Syria.

The pair sat down in a luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva, launching into talks expected to centre heavily on Syria's devastating conflict.

The UN special envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura on Thursday described the meeting as "important", and said it could help his drive to resume peace talks.

Successive rounds of negotiations have failed to end a conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions from their homes.

Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the war, which erupted in 2011 after President Bashar al-Assad unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt.

In Geneva, Kerry and Lavrov shook hands cordially before the cameras, but did not comment on what they expected from their meeting.

When asked by a reporter what they thought was the primary impediment to a ceasefire in Syria, Lavrov said: "I don't want to spoil the atmosphere for the negotiations."



Kerry, who late Thursday flew in from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia where he announced a new peace push for conflict-torn Yemen, made no comment.

Friday's meeting came as the conflict became further complicated by Ankara's decision this week to send tanks into Syria.

Turkish-backed rebel fighters have seized the Syrian border town of Jarabulus from Islamic State (IS) group fighters. But Turkish forces have also shelled a US-backed Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey sees the PYD and YPG militia as terror groups bent on carving out an autonomous region in Syria and acting as the Syrian branch of its own outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

Ankara's hostility to the YPG also puts it at loggerheads with its NATO ally the United States, which works with the group on the ground in the fight against IS.

The Russian air force has been carrying out air strikes in Syria since September last year, claiming it only targets extremists.

The West and the Syrian opposition have accused it of hitting civilian targets in rebel-held areas, claims that Moscow denies.

But the US and Russia have a common foe in IS, and they have been in contact on efforts to establish military cooperation against the jihadists.

As a possible sign of tightening cooperation, Moscow vowed on Thursday to work with the United States on a response after a UN investigation found that the Syrian regime had carried out at least two chemical attacks.
Bolivia's Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes has been killed by miners who kidnapped him to demand labour law changes, the government has said.

"All signs indicate that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been cowardly and brutally murdered," Interior Minister Carlos Romero told a press conference.

Illanes was killed at the site of a blockade in the western highland town of Panduro.

"We went to the site where Deputy Minister Illanes was and we found him lifeless. We are very shocked, we are running a risk because the miners are furious," Efe news agency quoted Flores as saying.

Flores told Erbol Radio by telephone from Panduro, some 180 kilometres from La Paz, where clashes erupted between miners and police.

Illanes was taken prisoner by miners as he tried to persuade them to end roadblocks and he had said earlier on Thursday that authorities need to establish a dialogue with the protesters.

"I am being held by the comrades, I have not received any mistreatment," Illanes has told a reporter earlier.

"I am in very good health, let my family be reassured. I am sitting in a place guarded by the comrades so people do not harm me," he said.

Illanes spoke from Panduro, where he travelled early on Thursday with the hope of convincing the miners to clear the roadblocks and enter talks with the government of President Evo Morales.

Instead, the miners took the deputy minister prisoner.
will accord top priority to establishing friendly ties with the neighbouring countries like India and China based on trust and mutual understanding, the country's newly-elected Foreign Minister said on Friday.

Prakash Sharan Mahat, who assumed office on Friday, said that bilateral relationships with friendly nations would be made much stronger and balanced.

"We always have serious discussions regarding the bilateral relations with India and China. Both countries have friendly ties with and we need to strengthen and balance the ties so that will benefit from it," Himalayan Times quoted Mahat as saying.

He said the country would would establish friendly ties with the neighbouring countries based on trust and mutual understanding.

"Neighbors, friendly countries and Nepalese workers abroad are in priority," Foreign Ministry quoted him as saying.

Last week, Nepal Deputy Prime Minister Bimalendra Nidhi had visited India as the special envoy of the newly elected Prime Minister Prachanda.

He had conveyed that India is a very important neighbour for his country and development in Nepal cannot be achieved without the support of India.
Australian defence officials warned French naval contractor DCNS to beef up security in Australia, where it is preparing to build a $38.13 billion (50-billion Australian dollars) fleet of submarines, in the wake of a massive data leak, a government spokesman said on Friday.

DCNS was left reeling after more than 22,000 pages outlining details relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper earlier this week, sparking concerns about its ability to protect sensitive data.

A senior Australian defence official, acting on orders from Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, warned DCNS that the government was deeply concerned by the implications of the leak, a spokesman for the minister told Reuters.

DCNS is locked in exclusive negotiations with Australia to build a fleet of 12 next-generation submarines after seeing off its rivals, Germany's Thyssenkrup AG and a Japanese government-backed consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

DCNS said earlier this week that the leak, which covered details of the Scorpene-class model and not the vessel currently being designed for the Australian fleet, bore the hallmarks of "economic warfare" carried out by frustrated competitors.

TKMS Australia, the German shipbuilder's local subsidiary, declined to respond to the accusation. Mitsubishi Heavy Industry also said that it had no comment.

A senior industry source who was involved in the Australian submarine bidding called the allegation an "extraordinary" attempt to deflect attention from DCNS' security shortcomings.

"Clearly there's been a massive leak. And for the French to seek to blame either the Japanese or the Germans under some banner of 'economic warfare' is hysterical," he told Reuters.

The French victory in one of the world's most valuable defence contracts was a major blow to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda.

Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne visited Tokyo this week to meet with her Japanese counterpart, Tomomi Inada, in the first such visit since the contract was awarded.

DCNS and TKMS are currently locked in another competition for a lucrative contract to replace Norway's fleet of aging Ula-class submarines. The European shipbuilders, the world's biggest suppliers of conventional submarines, regularly lock horns.
French naval contractor DCNS has filed a complaint for breach of trust after a massive leak of documents concerning six Scorpene submarines it is building for India, a spokesman for the shipbuilder said on Friday.

DCNS was left reeling after details from more than 22,000 pages of documents relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper this week, sparking concerns about the company's ability to protect sensitive data.

"We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor on Thursday afternoon," the DCNS spokesman said.

A French government source said on Thursday that DCNS had apparently been robbed and it was not a leak, adding it was unlikely that classified data was stolen.

The Australian government said on Friday it had asked DCNS to take new security measures in Australia, where the company is locked in exclusive negotiations to build a new fleet of submarines for 50 billion Australian dollars ($38 billion).

DCNS said earlier this week that the leak, which covered details of the Scorpene-class model and not the vessel currently being designed for the Australian fleet, bore the hallmarks of "economic warfare" carried out by frustrated competitors.
Seven people were killed in an attack by jihadists on a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a spokesman for the city authorities said today.

"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" yesterday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.



jihadists attacked a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

Sporadic shots could still be heard coming from the scene several hours after the attack began, an AFP correspondent said, with at least one of the gunmen still thought to be holed up inside the restaurant.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

The al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack through the website of their Andalus radio station.

The Banadir Beach Restaurant near Lido beach is a popular eatery frequented by young people and Somali officials.

As in other recent Shabaab attacks, the violence began with the militants setting off a nearby car bomb before storming the building and engaging in a gunfight with security forces.

From their position inside the restaurant, the attackers also lobbed several grenades at the security services who cordoned off the area, the correspondent said.

Somali authorities said the car bomb had failed to fully detonate and they escorted local reporters to a nearby hospital where they presented a wounded man, with his head bandaged, as the bomber.

The Somali national news agency Sonna said some 20 people had been able to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight with the help of security forces.

It was unclear however how many, if any, customers and staff members remained trapped inside as the siege stretched into the night.

The Shabaab group is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in the capital Mogadishu.

It was forced out of the capital by African Union soldiers five years ago but continues to launch regular attacks including in recent months on restaurants, hotels and military bases.

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing some 20 people.

The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.
Miners who were on strike in kidnapped and beat to death country's deputy interior minister Rodolfo Illanes after he travelled to the area to mediate in the bitter conflict over mining laws, officials said.
United Nations Secretary General will visit a resettlement site in Jaffna in Northern Province of Sri Lanka and meet President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe during his trip to the island nation later this month.

Ban will leave for Singapore later this week, on the first leg of the trip that includes visits to to Myanmar and Sri Lanka for official visits, to China for the G20 Summit and the Lao People's Democratic Republic for the annual ASEAN-UN Summit.

On August 31st, he will travel to Colombo to meet Sirisena and Wickremesinghe as well as other members of the Lankan government and Parliament.

Ban will also deliver a keynote speech at a public event on the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goal 16, dedicated to the promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development.

"While in Sri Lanka, the Secretary General will also visit a resettlement site in Jaffna in north of the country and participate in an event on the role of youth in reconciliation and coexistence in Galle, in the south of the island," Ban's spokesperson Stephane Dujarric told reporters here yesterday.

In Singapore, the UN chief is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, as well as other government officials.

He will be conferred an Honorary Doctorate by Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam at the National University of Singapore.

In Myanmar, Ban will meet President U Htin Kyaw and Commander-in-Chief of the Myanmar Armed Forces Senior General Min Aung Hlaing as well as other political and civil society leaders. He will also meet State Counsellor and Foreign Minister Daw Aung San Suu Kyi.

On September 3, he will be in Hangzhou in China for the G20 Summit, which will also be attended by Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi and US President Barack Obama.

For the concluding visit if his trip, Ban will travel Vientiane in Laos, for the eighth ASEAN-UN Summit meeting on September 7 and the 11th East Asia Summit on Spetember 7.



This will be Moon's second visit to Sri Lanka.

He toured the island in May 2009 immediately after the Sri Lankan troops defeated the LTTE ending the three decades old civil war.

Since that visit, Lanka came under close UN scrutiny for its war crimes accountability during the war with the LTTE.

The UN Human Rights Council have passed three resolutions since 2012 to urge accountability for war crimes blamed on both the government troops and the LTTE.
Volkswagen will pay about $1.2 billion to reimburse US dealers for losses caused by the emissions-cheating scheme, a person familiar with the matter said. Volkswagen will also buy back unfixable used vehicles under the same terms as those given consumers, lawyers for the 652 dealerships said in a statement without disclosing the value of the tentative settlement. The German automaker said separately it agreed to make cash payments and provide additional benefits to dealers to resolve their claims. The agreement, which raises the amount Volkswagen will pay to resolve US lawsuits to $16.5 ...
Expressing grave concern over the shocking incident where a man had to carry the body of his wife from the District Headquarters Hospital in Bhawanipatna to his village on his shoulders in the absence of ambulance service, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Friday assured that stringent action would be initiated against those found guilty.

"Indeed that is very distressing news and we have ordered an inquiry and very stringent action should be taken against those found guilty. We have a new policy in force now, which is ambulance services to take dead bodies where they are required to be taken," said Patnaik.

Assuring the incident like this would not be repeated in future, Patnaik said, "Let's wait for the result of the inquiry, strict action will be taken."

The incident took place when Agang Majhi, the wife of Danu Majhi of Melghara village in Thuamul Rampur block, was admitted in Bhawanipatna District Headquarters Hospital suffering from tuberculosis.

She, however, died late on Tuesday.

Agang's husband was not able to get an ambulance till the next morning to take her body to his village.

In sheer desperation, he wrapped the body of his wife in a cloth, placed it on his shoulders and walked towards his village accompanied by his 12-year-old daughter.

The Chief District Medical Officer sent an ambulance to carry the body to Melghara village after being informed by some locals about the incident.

By that time, Danu had already covered a distance of 10 km carrying the body on his shoulder

"As we got to know of the incident, we spoke to the Chief District Medical Officer and arranged for an ambulance," Kalahandi District Collector Brundha D. said yesterday.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday alleged that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi was bringing down his own credibility with his critical remarks against the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and asked whether he would be able to accept the allegations that the grand old party was involved in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

Taking a jibe at the Congress vice-president, BJP spokesperson Sudesh Verma said the former says one thing in the court and something else outside.

"If Rahul Gandhi's logic is taken to a logical conclusion then can we say that the Congress is responsible for the massacre of Sikhs in this country? In 1984 we are aware that Congress leaders were involved in massacre of Sikhs. But if we say that the Congress was responsible and it was a part of the Congress conspiracy, will Rahul Gandhi accept this?" Verma told ANI here.

"The same logic holds if a person belongs to the RSS for a certain period of time, Nathuram Godse walked out, went to the Hindu Mahasabha and then he left Hindu Mahasabha also and became on his own because he thought that these organizations were not living up to his aspirations. And this is a recorded history. So, to blame the RSS for that, I think it is too much," he added.

The Congress vice-president yesterday said that he stands by his comments on the RSS and would never stop fighting its "hateful and divisive agenda".

"I will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said," he tweeted.

Rahul Gandhi's counsel Kapil Sibal had earlier on Wednesday told the Supreme Court that the Congress leader had not blamed the RSS as an 'institution' for the assassination of Mahatma Gandhi, but the people associated with it.

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The United States has asserted that it has consistently raised concerns at the highest level of the Pakistan Government "on the need to deny safe haven to extremists."

These comments were made by U.S. State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau during a daily press briefing on Thursday.

Replying to a poser, Trudeau said, "We have pressed the Government of Pakistan to follow up on their expressed commitment, their stated commitment to not discriminate among terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation."

When asked for a follow up on the attack on the American University in Kabul, she said, "Afghan President Ghani today issued a statement after his national security council meeting in Kabul. According to the statement, he says the attack on the American University in Kabul was organized and orchestrated from Pakistan."

She added, "The statement also says he called General Sharif, the Pakistan Army Chief, and demanded that action be taken against those who were behind this."

The State Department spokesperson, however, denied to comment as to who was responsible for the attack.

"As we have in the past, we encourage the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together not only in the wake of this attack and to ensure that such attacks don't happen again, but to increase their cooperation countering violent extremism writ large," she said.

The American University in Afghanistan's Kabul city came under attack on Wednesday evening. The attack was launched after the militants detonated a Vehicle-borne Improvised Explosive Device (VBIED) near the university compound with the remaining militants starting gun attack, reported Khaama Press.

No group has so far claimed responsibility for the incident.

It is reported that at least 12 people lost their lives in the deadly attack.

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India and Nepal have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) this week under which New Delhi will provide financial assistance for reconstruction and renovation of a hydro power plant at Chandannath municipality in Jumla District.

The MoU was inked by Gyanveer Singh, Second Secretary in the Embassy of India, Kathmandu, Rajesh Poudel, Local Development Officer, Jumla and Bishnu Bahadur Budthapa, Chairman, User Committee Chandannath Municipality in presence of Member of Parliament Lalit Jung Shahi.

The project would be funded by the Government of India to the tune of NRs 26.37 million under its Small Development Programme Scheme as part of India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme.

The hydro power plant in Chandannath was built in 1983 by Nepal Electricity Authority. It suffered damage during the insurgency period and was operating at sub-optimal capacity resulting in frequent power cuts and electricity problems in the municipality. At the request of the user committee of the small hydropower plant the Government of India is supporting reconstruction and renovation of the power-plant benefitting more than 20,000 people of the municipality.

This is Government of India's second project in this remote district. The Government of India had earlier supported the construction of the Chandannath Higher Secondary School with a total financial assistance of NRs 24.90 Million. Apart from this, in the past, three ambulances have also been gifted to different health organizations in the district.

India has extended financial assistance of approx. NRs 500 million towards renovation, restoration, upgradation of various sites of religious, educational, cultural and historical importance in Nepal in financial year 2015-2016. India-Nepal Economic Cooperation Programme has an outlay of over NRs 76 billion.

Under this programme, Government of India has completed or pursuing more than 533 projects in almost all districts of Nepal. These development projects, executed in partnership with Government of Nepal, are mainly in sectors like education, health, infrastructure that have been undertaken in response to local needs.

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Congress Party member and Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Ghulam Nabi Azad, on Friday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kashmir for failing to control the unrest in the valley.

He was responding to a poser regarding the Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh's second visit to the strife-torn valley triggered by the killing of Hizbul Mujahedeen commander Burhan Wani.

"I think the BJP-PDP government policies are to be blamed for failing to control the unrest, that is if the state and central government are still finding solution even the after the 50th day of curfew. It seems that people of Kashmir are unwilling to accept the policies of the government," he told the media here.

"BJP needs to introspect and quickly resolve the problem," he added.

He also refuted Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti's claim that five percent of the Kashmiri people are responsible for the unrest, saying the demonstrations held by the civilians were unprecedented since it was the first time that rural and urban people jointly protested against the government.

Azad also expressed concern over livelihoods lost due to the curfew.

"Lot of shops have been closed, schools have been closed, several livelihoods were destroyed by the curfew, so I am concerned about the well being of the civilians," he said.

The death toll in the Valley reached 67 with another youth succumbing to his injuries in the clashes that broke out between security forces and the locals in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

Curfew remains imposed in several parts of the valley and internet and call services, except for BSNL, remain suspended.

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Net 1 UEPS Technologies, Inc. today announced that it has signed a subscription agreement with One MobiKwik Systems Private Limited ("MobiKwik") in India.

MobiKwik is India's largest independent mobile payments network, trusted by over 32 million users and 100,000 retailers. MobiKwik's current shareholders include Sequoia Capital, Tree Line Asia, American Express, Cisco Investments, GMO Payment Gateway and MediaTek, as well as Bipin Preet Singh and Upasana Taku, the founders and executive officers.

As part of the strategic partnership, Net1 will invest $40 million in MobiKwik. In addition, through our technology agreement, Net1's Virtual Card technology will be integrated across all MobiKwik wallets in order to provide ubiquity across all merchants in India.

"Our strategic investment in MobiKwik provides us with meaningful participation in one of the largest and fastest growing digital payment markets globally," said Serge Belamant, Chairman and CEO of Net1. "We are excited to partner with one of India's most utilized and recognized digital platforms, through which we can introduce our products and services. We believe that this investment will accelerate our ability to build scale in India. Over the next three years, MobiKwik has targeted having 150 million users and 500,000 merchants, and the introduction of our various technologies is expected to enhance their value proposition and differentiation to users, online and offline merchants, increase acceptance, and accelerate growth. With Net1's expertise and track record in facilitating financial inclusion across Africa, our strategic relationship with MobiKwik marks an important milestone from which we can leverage India's substantial efforts to drive financial inclusion, down to the grassroots in rural and deep rural areas. Many of our solutions, most notably UEPS/EMV, are tailor-made to provide multiple financial and other services, increase accessibility, eliminate fraud and reduce cash," he concluded.

There are many similarities between South Africa and India including highly regulated markets, limited infrastructure and large unbanked populations. There have always been close ties and there is growing cooperation between the two countries, culminating with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to South Africa last month. This transaction lends further support to their efforts to drive improving bilateral relations in trade and investment.

Upasana Taku, the co-founder of MobiKwik said, "We greatly value our partnership with Net1 and look forward to learning from their best practices in serving the un-banked and under-banked users, while taking progressive steps towards making India a cashless economy. Our pioneering innovations in the fintech industry have helped us maintain this lead position, and with support from strategic partners such as Net1, we look forward to further strengthening our product offering and realize our vision to let users save, borrow, pay and invest using MobiKwik."

According to a July 2016 Google-BCG study, the size of India's digital payments industry will reach $500 billion by 2020, representing a ten-fold increase from current levels. The report predicts that more than 50% of India's internet users are expected to use digital payments by 2020, and the top 100 million users are expected to drive 70% of digital payments by value. The report also predicts that the value of remittances and money transfers that will pass through alternative digital payment instruments will double to 30% by 2020.

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Calling the abrupt dismissal of a joint press conference attended by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti in Srinagar as a lack of understanding, Congress leader Manish Tiwari said that the BJP does not understand the concept of Insaaniyat (humanity), Jumhooriyat (democracy) and Kashmiriyat, and therefore, it comes as no surprise that there is so much of confusion and contradiction in their policies.

"The biggest difficulty with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister is that they do not understand as to what the words Insaaniyat, Jumhooriyat and Kashmiriyat mean. And since they do not understand it themselves, or perhaps they have not fleshed out these concepts, they are unable to translate it into any policy," Tiwari told ANI.

"Therefore, you have this complete confusion and contradiction which came out starkly during the Home Minister's press conference which had to be abruptly terminated primarily, because both he and the Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir seemed to be distinctly uncomfortable with the tone of the questions being asked by the journalists," he added.

He said that even after the Home Minister's visit to the Kashmir valley, the violence has not declined.

"The fact is that even after two visits, as was pointed out by one of the journalists during his questions, the intensity of the violence in Jammu and Kashmir has not gone down."

He further said that the Home minister and the Prime Minister should tell the country if they agree with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) MP Muzaffar Hussain Baig's remarks that the Kashmir unrest has an ISIS dimension.

"Muzzaffar Beg, an honorable Member of the Parliament of the PDP had stated that perhaps the unrest in Kashmir is acquiring an ISIS flavor or an ISIS dimension. Now, the Home Minister and the Prime Minister should tell the country as to whether they share this assessment of their ally, the PDP, whose former deputy chief minister and member of parliament has articulated an extremely disturbing point of view," he said.

Beg on Thursday had cautioned that the six-decade-long conflict in Kashmir is on the verge of joining the global religious war like ISIS.

"So under those circumstances there is possibly an inability in the government to grasp the fact that there is a political dimension to the unrest in Kashmir which needs to be tackled in a political manner," he added.

During the joint conference, Rajnath Singh had said that he was ready to talk to those who believe in Insaaniyat, Jumhooriyat and Kashmiriyat, and said doors were open to the separatists for talks.

However, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti lost her cool and abruptly ended the joint press conference when journalists asked questions about her role in dealing with the current unrest.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi will today inaugurate NITI Aayog's maiden annual lecture on Transforming India here.

On the occasion, Singapore' Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam will deliver a keynote address on the subject-'Fulfilling India's Potential in the Global Economy'.

Nearly 1,400 delegates, including Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and senior officers will be attending the event.

A panel discussion and brainstorming session are also part of the event where ministers and officers will exchange ideas on economy, governance and development with Shanmugratnam.

The annual lecture series on Transforming India was proposed by Prime Minister Modi to bring in international personalities to share their experiences and ideas on India.

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New Delhi, Aug 26 (ANI): Mukesh Jadhav is all set to bring Agatha Christie alive by giving her one-act play, 'The Rats,' a more fleshed out narrative with his upcoming venture, 'Pratichayya.'

With an interesting cast like Shreyas Talpade, Rahul Dev, Makarand Deshpande and newbies Zenia Starr and Nicholas Brown, this psychological thriller is based on the journey through the maze of a woman's complex sensitivities and feelings that are both mysterious and at the same time mesmerizing.

"'Pratichhaya' was quite an adventure to shoot, I have many good memories of my time in Manali and relationships built. I have the pleasure of essaying Vinny, a bohemian journalist of sorts, who carries her emotions on her sleeve and loves a good story," Zenia, who is 'Miss India Australia' by Raj Suri, told ANI.

'The Birthday Song' star added, "There was something warmly familiar about working with Mukesh Sir, perhaps because I have only ever worked with debut film directors. There is something fresh and exciting about such an experience. The cast were all lovely and very inclusive, I remember sharing many a laugh with Makarand Deshpande who always surprised me with his ability to be jovial with us one second and then snap into character the next second when called for a take!"

Talking about Zenia, the 48-year-old director told ANI, "She is a born star, her screen presence and her performance skills are extraordinary. She is one of the most talented and beautiful actresses in the film world."

Showering praises on the newcomer, 50-year-old Makarand added, "I remember shooting in extreme conditions in Manali. It was freezing cold. During a shot, I saw a girl standing in shorts and couldn't believe it. I went up to her and asked her why and she said the shot required it. Zenia showed commitment and that she is mentally strong. Zenia was quick to say good things about the other actors and that's something I appreciate in a working environment."

The movie not only has a brilliant star cast, but also has Monty Sharma on its team, who has also composed music for movies like 'Black,' 'Ram Leela' and 'Saawariya.'

Shreyas, Rahul and Makarand will be playing brothers in this film. Interestingly, the 'Iqbal' star, who has mostly been seen in comedy films, will be playing a serious character, while Makarand will be in a never-seen-before role of a mute spectator in the film. Rahul's character will also face many challenges through the course of the film.

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President Pranab Mukherjee will begin his three-day tour to Bihar and Karnataka from today.

On Saturday, the President will address the first convocation of Nalanda University and lay the foundation stone of its campus at Rajgir.

He will also grace a function to commemorate the serving of two billion meals of the Akshaya Patra Foundation in Bangalore, Karnataka on the same day.

On Sunday, President Mukherjee will address the 24th annual convocation of the Law School of India University, Bangalore.

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ASSOCHAM will bring forth before the Empowered Committee (EC) of State Finance Ministers certain concerns and areas of uncertainties while pleading for waiver of any penalties on unintentional compliance errors which may occur during the transition period of Goods and Services Tax (GST).

Seeking adequate time for preparation of the required compliance systems for the industry, the ASSOCHAM memorandum to the empowered panel on GST has listed issues for the state finance ministers' meeting on August 30.

"While the industry wants the GST to be introduced at the earliest in view of its benefits to all stake holders, the Government and Empowered Committee (EC) should give adequate time for preparation for its smooth transition. Considering significant increase in documentary requirement and digitisation of the entire GST process, industry has to gear up and change their accounting and computer system after the GST Rules are released," said ASSOCHAM president Sunil Kanoria after discussing the issue at its Managing Committee, the top policy making and governing body of the chamber.

"Moreover, the penal provisions for unintended mistake during the transition phase should not be applied as was done in the case of service tax for few years," he added.

The chamber also highlighted concerns over the administrative machinery for implementation of the GST. While the tax base is same for Central GST and SGST, the administration by two authorities may lead to harassment if there is difference of opinion. It is recommended that there should be only one administrative authority. Centre and state can form joint team for such purpose.

There is also concern about the multiple audits and investigations provided in the draft GST Bill spanning over a long period of 3 to 5 years whereas the entire GST process will be fully computerised and each transaction is required to be recorded in the monthly return. These excessive administrative provisions need to critically examine to avoid inspector raj which may be counter-productive to the objective of GST to provide ease of doing .

There are issues regarding the construction industry as well. Input Tax Credit is not available for inputs/ input services utilised in the construction of immovable property. Tax paid on inputs/ input services would become a cost for the builders/ developers.

Services like fees, user charge or rent or any other manner from use of such buildings or infrastructure would be subject to GST. This will make huge investment required in infrastructure development unattractive. The Draft Legislation does not provide for the abatement of the value of land for levy of GST. "Need clarity on the taxability of the development rights under the Draft GST Legislation".

As regards banking and financial issues, there is no clarity on exclusion of interest from levy of GST. Interest is excluded from the taxable value the world over including in India under the service tax. It is suggested that draft GST law should make it clear. The recipient of service is not clearly defined for taxation of banking and insurance services. Likewise, the valuation of services like currency conversion which forms part of pricing is not provided in draft GST Bill or Valuation Rules.

The chamber would seek clarifications on all these issues from the Empowered Committee (EC) of State Finance Ministers.

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Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for his remarks on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Shaina NC has advised him to first educate himself before commenting on any issue of import.

"My advice to Mr. Rahul Gandhi would be to first read up on the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS), educate yourself, and only then comment. As they say in English, a little ignorance is a dangerous thing, and in this case, too much ignorance has been terribly dangerous," she told ANI.

Last year, Rahul Gandhi, addressing an election rally in Sonale, Maharashtra, on March 6, said that "the RSS people killed Gandhi ji" after which, RSS Bhiwandi secretary Rajesh Mahadev Kunte filed a complaint against him.

However, Rahul Gandhi's counsel, Kapil Sibal, told the Supreme Court on Wednesday that he had never blamed the RSS for killing Mahatma Gandhi.

But a day after that, Gandhi said he will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the RSS.

"I will never stop fighting the hateful & divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said," tweeted Gandhi.

He also posted a video of his remarks made by him at Bhiwandi, Maharashtra.

Earlier, RSS ideologue M.G Vaidya had said that Rahul must come clean on in what sense were those who killed Mahatma Gandhi associated with the Hindu nationalist organisation, and what was their position and credentials.

Vaidya said that Gandhi was just twisting his remarks and he must show his generosity by offering an apology for his statement, and should accept before the court that what he had said was wrong.

Following Rahul's submission, a Supreme Court Bench, comprising of Justices Dipak Misra and R F Nariman, said if the complainant agrees to the submission, it will take the statement on record and dispose of the petition.

Sibal, appearing for Rahul Gandhi, cited the affidavit filed before the Bombay High Court, saying he had only accused certain people of the RSS and not the organisation as the killer of Mahatma Gandhi.

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Expressing his approval over the selection of Urjit Patel as the new Reserve Bank of India (RBI) Governor, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy has said that he has high hopes from Raghuram Rajan's successor.

Speaking to ANI here, Swamy said Patel was Rajan's deputy for many years, which is why his next post should not feel new to him.

"He (Patel) has a PhD in economics and a degree from Yale, Raghuram Rajan had no degree in economics. After engineering, he did management. He did not have the general equilibrium regarding economics. Urjit Patel has been the deputy governor for so many years now, so this will not be new for him. I have high hopes from him," Swamy said.

Rajan announced that he would return to academia at the end of his term on September 4, 2016, adding he will always be available to serve his country when needed and asserted that his 'successor' would take the nation to new heights.

Rajan is currently on leave from the Chicago Booth School of Business where he holds the post of Distinguished Service Professor of Finance.

Swamy, who has been one of the chief critics of Rajan, welcomed the latter's decision and said that he was not even getting a second term in the first place.

Swamy also told ANI that Rajan made this decision to save his self respect.

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley said that the Centre respected Rajan's decision and appreciated the 'good work' done by him.

Patel's appointment had been made on the recommendation of the Financial Sector Regulatory Appointment Search Committee (FSRASC) headed by Cabinet Secretary Pradeep Kumar Sinha.

The committee undertook an extensive exercise to suggest a panel of names to the appointment committee of cabinet (ACC).

He will be the eighth Deputy Governor to be made RBI Governor.

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Taking a serious cognisance of highly-adulterated petrol and diesel sold in both rural and urban areas, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to specify measures that it would take to stop this practice within six weeks.

The court also asked the Centre whether it was possible that the petrol and diesel vending machines could be made "adulteration sensitive" to stop dispensing adulterated fuel.

The court asked the Solicitor General to file an affidavit on behalf of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The SC also ordered inquiry against a sitting Uttar Pradesh (U.P) MLA Devendra Aggarwal, who allegedly mixed kerosene with petrol.

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The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Central Government on plea of a Muslim woman challenging the Constitutional validity of 'triple talaq' to end a marriage.

The apex court has tagged this plea with pending matter in court.

The petitioner Ishrat Jahan has sought a declaration from the apex court, saying that Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 was unconstitutional, as it violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (life) and 25 (religion) of the Constitution.

In her petition, Jahan has asked whether an arbitrary and unilateral divorce through triple can deprive the wife of her rights in her matrimonial home as also her right to have custody of her children.

A batch of petitions is being heard by a bench headed by Chief Justice T.S. Thakur and notices have already been issued to the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and others.

However, this is not first such type of petition that has been presented before the Supreme Court.

Uttarakhand based Shayara Banu, another Muslim woman and the Rashtrawadi Muslim Mahila Sangh through its president Farah Faiz, have raised similar queries.

On July 29, the apex court had favoured a wider debate on the petitions challenging the validity of triple .

All India Muslim Women Personal Law Board (AIMWPLB) president Shaista Ambar has demanded abolishing of the triple system.

Talaq-e-bidat is a Muslim man divorcing his wife by pronouncing the word "talaq" more than once in a single tuhr (the period between two menstruations), or in a tuhr after coitus or pronouncing an irrevocable instantaneous divorce at one go (unilateral triple-talaq).

The Centre has set up a high-level committee to review the status of women in India, and according to reports, has recommended a ban on the practice of oral, unilateral and triple talaq (divorce) and polygamy.
The Supreme Court on Friday told the Allahabad High Court to dispose off Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari's petition challenging slapping of the Security Act in four weeks.

Tiwari was booked under the Security Act for making controversial remarks against Prophet Mohammad.

Tiwari, who claims to be the working president of Hindu Mahasabha, had allegedly called Prophet Mohammed the first homosexual in the world.

He had allegedly also circulated pamphlets against the Muslim community.

However, the Hindu Mahasabha later issued a statement, saying he was not a working president of their organization and that the organisation's name was being misused.

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After the French Government revealed that documents related to Scorpene submarine were not leaked but stolen, defence expert Commodore (Retd.) C. Uday Bhaskar on Friday advised New Delhi to initiate a rigorous and speedy probe in the matter.

"The statement by the French Government puts the entire issue in a different prospective because till recently there was a certain degree of conjuncture that this may have been some kind of hacking or that these were inadvertently made available to various sub-contractors and that is how they came in to the public domain. So, I think the big distinction is that if the documents have been stolen then I think it is important that the investigation be carried out rigorously and in a very speedy manner so that the motivation can also be established," said Bhaskar.

"It could be commercial espionage, it could be corporate rivalry or it could have security dimension that relates to India's potential adversities," he added.

According to reports, the French Government yesterday said documents relating to Indian submarines were stolen from French naval contractor DCNS and not leaked.

India and France have opened investigations after The Australian newspaper published the news on Wednesday.

'The Australian' newspaper uploaded information on its website relating to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines, which are being built in India by French firm DCNS.

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Scotland Yard has announced that the hijab will become a part of its official uniform in a bid to create a more diverse force by "encouraging women from Muslim communities, who may previously not have seen policing as a career option, to reconsider".

In the past, Muslim police officers in Scotland were allowed to wear the hijab, but only once it was approved by senior staff members, reports the Independent.

The Metropolitan Police introduced the hijab as an optional part of the force's official uniform in 2001 as part of a similar drive to recruit a more diverse force of officers.

In a statement, chief constable Phil Gormley said: "I am delighted to make this announcement and welcome the support from both the Muslim community, and the wider community, as well as police officers and staff.

"I hope that this addition to our uniform options will contribute to making our staff mix more diverse and adds to the life skills, experiences and personal qualities that our officers and staff bring to policing the communities of Scotland," he added.

The announcement was welcomed by the Scottish Police Muslim Association (SPMA), a group that aims to build links between Muslim communities in Scotland and the police.

The drive follows the statistics from the Scottish Police Authority report released earlier this year showing that just 127, (2.6 per cent) of the 4,809 applications to join the force were from people with ethnic backgrounds.

The approval of hijab by Scotland Yard comes as France is debating a ban on burkini, an all-covered swimsuit which exposes only the face, hands and feet and is worn by a small minority of Muslim women.

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday even called for a full burkini ban in France as he warned that immigrants, minorities and the Left were threatening to destroy the French identity.

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Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam on Friday called upon Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to India.

Shanmugaratnam has been invited to New Delhi to address top policy-makers on "Fulfilling India's Potential in the Global Economy" during the inauguration of NITI Aayog's maiden annual lecture on Transforming India.

Prime Minister Modi will today inaugurate the event which will be attended by nearly 1,400 delegates, including Union Ministers, Chief Ministers and senior officers.

A panel discussion and brainstorming session are also part of the event where ministers and officers will exchange ideas on economy, governance and development with Shanmugratnam.

The annual lecture series on Transforming India was proposed by Prime Minister Modi to bring in international personalities to share their experiences and ideas on India.

Earlier, in November 2015, Prime Minister Modi visited Singapore and signed nine bilateral documents in areas of defence, maritime security, cyber security, narcotics trafficking, urban planning, civil aviation, and culture to further strengthen the ties between the two nations.

An active calendar of visits from both sides has further strengthened the bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Modi had visited Singapore earlier in 2015 to attend the State Funeral of Lee Kuan Yew on 29 March. His participation in the funeral along with the declaration of the funeral day as a day of mourning in India was deeply appreciated by the Singapore Government.

Singapore President Tony Tan Keng Yam also undertook a state visit to India in February 2015 on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Recent visits from India to Singapore also include Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's visit in June 2016 for the inaugural Defence Ministers' Dialogue and the Shangri-La Dialogue; Minister of State(IC) for Power, Coal & NRE Piyush Goyal's visit in May 2016; Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Shivraj Singh Chouhan's visit in January 2016; Minister of Railways Suresh Prabhu in October 2015 to participate as a key speaker at the Infrastructure Finance Summit 2015 and many other such prominent visits.

On the other hand many dignitaries from Singapore have visited India including Singapore's Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, Tharman Shanmugaratnam to attend the Growth Net Summit in Delhi in April 2016, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law, K Shanmugam in November 2015 leading a business delegation to the Resurgent Rajasthan Partnership Summit in Jaipur , Senior Minister of State, Prime Minister's Office, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Transport Josephine Teo in October 2015 to attend the Third India Africa Forum Summit (IAFS) and many other such visits.

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Reacting to Nirbhaya rapist Vinay Sharma's suicide attempt, Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal has said the former had done what the system should have done long ago, implying that he should have been hanged for his crime.

"What the system was supposed to do, the Nirbhaya rapist himself is trying to do now. Nirbhaya's rapists need to be given the death penalty and this needs to be done immediately," she told ANI.

On reports of Sharma's lawyer alleging that his client was being tortured by the jail authorities and that it was not a case of suicide but a murder attempt, Maliwal said these allegations should be investigated.

She also said that there is an immediate need to send a strong message in society that rapists will not be forgiven and that they will be awarded capital punishment for this heinous crime.

"It is extremely important that not just Nirbhaya's rapists, but every person who is committing a rape, needs to be given a death penalty. There needs to be a very strong message in the system that we will no longer tolerate rapes," she said.

She blamed the system for further victimizing women who face rape and said, "I had met Nirbhaya's mother very recently and she told me that despite the fact that Nirbhaya is dead, even now such humiliating questions are being asked in court that it's almost like I feel good that my daughter is dead and she doesn't have to face these humiliating questions as to how was she touched, did she actually go into.she wanted to get raped?"

"It is very sad that this is happening. The courts need to take cognizance and immediately we need to do something about it," Maliwal added.

Vinay Sharma, one of the four convicts sentenced to death for the rape and murder of Nirbhaya in a moving bus in Delhi in December 2012, attempted to commit suicide by hanging himself on Wednesday in Tihar Jail.

He is admitted to the Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital, where he is recovering now.

His father Hari Ram Sharma, also, alleged that there is some "conspiracy" and that his son could have never attempted suicide.

He alleged that it was a failure of the jail administration and staff to provide adequate security to his son.

Police said Sharma appeared to have consumed some pills before using a towel to hang himself.

In March 2013, Ram Singh, another accused in the case, committed suicide by hanging in his cell, exposing the abysmal state of law and order inside the Tihar Jail.

Vinay, in 2013, had claimed that he was thrashed by other inmates and had demanded extra security.

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Nine people have been killed and 64 others wounded after an explosion hit a police checkpoint in the Turkish border town of Cizre.

According to reports, Kurdish rebels detonated a car bomb and pictures of the attack site showed large plumes of smoke coming out.

The pictures showed a building, said to be a police station, severely damaged and emergency services sifting through its wreckage, reports the Guardian.

Cizre is located in Sirnak, a province that borders both Syria and Iraq and has a largely Kurdish population.

Militants of the Kurdistan Workers' party, or PKK, have carried out a string of car bomb attacks on police and military in recent months after violence broke out between the two following the collapse of a fragile peace process.

Earlier this week, Turkey sent more tanks into Syria and warned a Kurdish militia to withdraw from frontline positions.

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With effect from 26 August 2016

Aseem Global announced Abhimanyu Bhadoo has resigned from the post of Company Secretary and Compliance Officer of the Company with effect from 26 August 2016.

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Held on 25 August 2016

Goldline International Finvest announced that the Board of Directors of the Company at its meeting held on 25 August 2016, inter alia, have considered & approved the following Businesses:

1. Change of name of the Company subject to the availability of Name from the Registrar of Companies, NCT of Delhi & Haryana and Subject to the approval of the Shareholders and other authorities etc.

2. Sub-division of each equity share of the Company having a face value of Rs. 10/- (Rupees Ten) each into 10 (Ten) equity shares having a face value of Re. 1/- (Rupee One) each, subject to the consent of the shareholders and other relevant authorities;

3. Appointed the Scrutinizer for the remote e-voting to be conducted for the ensuing Annual General Meeting.

4. Calling the Annual General Meeting of the Company on September 28, 2016 at Retreat Motel/Resort. Alipur, Main G.T. Road, Near Palla Mod, Delhi - 110 036 at 09.30 A.M. for the Financial Year 2015-16.

5. Notice of Annual General Meeting and Directors Report alongwith applicable annexures thereto for the Financial Year 2015-16.

6. Period of Book Closure for the ensuing Annual General Meeting.

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State Bank of India (SBI) and ICICI Bank will be in focus after the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) continued to classify these two banks as domestic systemically important banks (D-SIBs). The additional Common Equity Tier 1 (CET1) requirement for D-SIBs has already been phased-in from 1 April 2016 and would become fully effective from 1 April 2019. The additional CET1 requirement will be in addition to the capital conservation buffer. On account of being classified as D-SIB, there is additional CET1 requirement of 0.6% of Risk Weighted Assets (RWAs) for SBI and 0.2% of RWAs for ICICI Bank.

Among corporate news, Tata Motors is scheduled to announce Q1 June 2016 results today, 26 August 2016.

National Aluminium Company (Nalco) will be in focus after the manager to the company's buyback offer made the public announcement for the buyback of equity shares. Nalco proposes to buyback upto 64.43 crore equity shares at Rs 44 per share on proportionate basis through the tender offer route. The buyback offer aggregates to Rs 2834.96 crore. The buyback offer size represents 22.15% of the aggregate of the fully paid-up share capital and free reserves, as per the audited accounts of the company for the financial year ended 31 March 2015. The buyback offer opens on 30 August 2016 and closes on 14 September 2016. The promoter of the company viz. the Government of India (GoI) intends to participate in the buyback offer. As on 30 June 2016, GoI held 80.93% stake in Nalco. The company's board of directors had approved buyback on 25 May 2016.

Biocon will be watched after a regulatory submission for proposed biosimilar Trastuzumab, developed jointly by Biocon and Mylan, was accepted for review by European Medicines Agency (EMA). The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 August 2016.

EMA has accepted for review Mylan's Marketing Authorization Application (MAA) for a proposed biosimilar Trastuzumab, which is used to treat certain HER2-positive breast and gastric cancers. Mylan and Biocon, which have co-developed this proposed biosimilar, anticipate that this may be the first MAA for a Trastuzumab biosimilar accepted by the EMA for review. This is the second biosimilar submission developed by the partnership that has been accepted for review in Europe. Last month, Mylan's MAA for the proposed biosimilar Pegfilgrastim was accepted for review by EMA.

This filing includes analytical, functional and pre-clinical data, as well as results from the pharmacokinetics (PK) and confirmatory efficacy/safety global clinical trials for Trastuzumab. The PK study had demonstrated measured bioequivalence of Mylan's and Biocon's proposed Trastuzumab biosimilar relative to that of the reference drug. The second study, the 'HERITAGE Study', evaluated the efficacy, safety and immunogenicity of the proposed biosimilar Trastuzumab in comparison to branded Trastuzumab.

Worldwide, nearly 2 million women are diagnosed with breast cancer each year, making it the second most common cancer in the world. HER2-positive breast cancer is an aggressive form of breast cancer that tests positive for the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), which promotes cancer cell growth. Approximately 20% to 30% of primary breast cancers are HER2-positive. Trastuzumab is indicated for the treatment of certain HER2-positive early stage and metastatic breast cancer as well as HER2-positive metastatic gastric cancer.

TCS announced new software that enables retailers to leverage insightful data either from in-store sensors or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices to deepen relationships with customers through more personalized customer engagement strategies. The software helps established retailers compete more effectively for the loyalty of consumers. It is designed to counter the bombardment of consumers with random, irrelevant and untimely offers. Retailers are increasingly using IoT technologies to boost customer loyalty through customized marketing campaigns and to close sales - when, where and however the customer chooses. The new software enables retailers to build trusted consumer relationships over time by delivering valued, personalized experiences in the right context and driven by insights from a variety of real world and online data sources. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 August 2016.

J. Kumar Infraprojects said that J Kumar - CRTG joint venture (JV) won a contract worth Rs 5012 crore from Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) for Phase-3 of the city metro project work to begin by October 2016. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 August 2016.

MMRC had issued the LoA to J Kumar - CRTC JV for the 3rd phase of the Metro project and the project was assigned to the JV on the 5 July 2016.

The work order calls for design and construction of underground sections induding four underground stations at Dharavi, BKC, Vidhyanagari and Santacruz and associated tunnels worth approximately Rs 2858 crore. Further, the contract includes design and construction of underground sections including CSIA domestic airport, Sahar Road and CSIA International airport and associated bored tunnels worth approximately Rs 2153 crore.

The 33.5-kilometre long, Metro -3 corridor will stretch across 27 stations and will be built underground. The requisite preparatory work like conducting surveys and related investigations are in progress and the project work is likely to commence in October 2016.

Gammon Infrastructure Projects' net profit fell 1.84% to Rs 5.88 crore on 15.94% rise in total income to Rs 85.66 crore in Q1 June 2016 over Q1 June 2015. The announcement was made after market hours yesterday, 25 August 2016.

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Sales rise 10.10% to Rs 64940.12 crore

Net profit of Tata Motors declined 56.98% to Rs 2260.40 crore in the quarter ended June 2016 as against Rs 5254.23 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2015. Sales rose 10.10% to Rs 64940.12 crore in the quarter ended June 2016 as against Rs 58984.55 crore during the previous quarter ended June 2015.64940.1258984.5511.7218.666617.1010081.322066.286339.752260.405254.23

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The World Bank approved a credit of US$ 55 million for the Government of Nepal to scale up its Road Sector Development Program and address post-earthquake reconstruction needs, including the strengthening of the country's strategic road and bridge network to withstand future seismic and climate vulnerabilities.

The additional financing will top up World Bank support to the Roads Sector Development Project (RSDP) which has been ongoing since 2008. When it began, the project intended to provide residents in 10 beneficiary districts, including the poorest, in the mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal with all-season road connectivity, reduced travel time, and improvements in access to economic centers and social services. With the additional financing, 25 more districts stand to benefit from the maintenance of earthquake-affected bridges. The original 10 districts will also continue to benefit from road upgrading, slope stabilization and bridge works.

The Road Sector Development Project has been the cornerstone of our support to Nepal's strategic roads network for nearly a decade, said Takuya Kamata, World Bank Country Manager for Nepal.

While the primary focus has been to develop connectivity in the poorest and remotest regions of the country, the 2015 earthquakes highlighted the need to improve the resilience of key roads and bridges to future natural shocks.

RSDP currently serves a population of 2 million in 10 districts in the mid-western and far-western regions of Nepal. The project will serve another 10.2 million Nepalis following the maintenance of earthquake affected bridges in the 25 additional districts. The bridges that will undergo maintenance in these districts provide connectivity along the Birgunj-Narayanghat-Mugling-Kathmandu corridor which carries the vast majority of freight into and out of Kathmandu and Pokhara. This corridor is among Nepal's most vital infrastructure assets for supporting economic growth and development.

Nepal's hills and mountains are susceptible to extreme precipitation, earthquake, and landslides that can result in severed connectivity, loss of life, and damage to property, said Farhad Ahmed, Task Team Leader for the project. Robust construction, better maintenance and improvements in the capacity to respond will help Nepal adapt to unforeseen events.

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BJP's member of parliament Virendra Singh 'Mast' on Friday turned down a visa by the US Embassy here after he was asked by embassy officials to remove his 'pagdi' or headgear for the visa documentation.

Upset at being asked to remove his pagdi, Mast, a Rajput from Uttar Pradesh, refused to visit the US and returned to his constituency Bhadohi.

'Mast', a well known agriculturist by profession, who is always seen in a traditional safron pagdi, was invited by the US Embassy to visit the country and give a lecture on Indian agriculture techniques.

"The US Embassy had invited me to the US to attend a function on farmers, where I was asked to give a lecture on Indian agriculture techniques," Mast told IANS.

"When I went there on Wednesday for the visa documentation, the officials asked me to remove my pagdi to take my photograph. I refused and turned down the visa. I told them that I had been invited by the US and any invitation is not given on conditions," he added.

"How can I remove my pagdi," Mast said, adding, "It is my identity. It is my pride. Beside being an Indian and a farmer, I am also a Kshatriya. How can I remove my pagdi. I can't compromise with my pride."

Mast told IANS that it was the US Embassy which had contacted him and requested him to visit the US for giving the lecture.

"I did not ask for the invitation. In fact, they invited me. Some US Embassy officials contacted me before the monsoon session of parliament. They wanted to know about the Indian agriculture techniques and I briefed them about it. I was also interviewed by them," the MP said.

"They were impressed and they requested me to visit the US to give a lecture. But I politely refused as the monsoon session was to begin. They said they will be happy if I could agree to visit after the session ends," he said.

Mast said that after the end of the monsoon session, the US Embassy officials again contacted him and he then agreed to their proposal.

Mast said he will raise the matter with the External Affairs Ministry and also in parliament.

--IANS

bns/rn/vt

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Australia's Defence Department has warned French shipbuilding company DCNS to ensure total security of the plans for 12 next-generation naval submarines set to be built in Australia.

Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne reportedly sent a strongly-worded statement to DCNS after it was revealed that, earlier this week, files containing sensitive information about Indian submarines had been leaked to the public, reports Xinhua news agency.

Australian officials have told the French shipbuilder that it wants the same level of protection given to the US regarding information on Australia's 12 new, $40 billion submarines.

More than 22,000 pages of information, including design specifications as well as weapons and security details, were leaked online, prompting the company to suggest they might have been hacked.

DCNS won the multi-billion dollar contract in April, edging out competitors from Germany and Japan. While the leak was considered "very concerning", it does not affect that Australian "shortfin barracuda" model.

Pyne had previously said the leak had "no bearing on the Australian government's Future Submarine Programme" but on Friday reaffirmed Australia's concerns over security to the company.

DCNS issued a statement earlier in the week which said the "French national authorities for defence security will formally investigate and determine the exact nature of the leaked documents.

"The matters in connection to India have no bearing on the Australian submarine programme which operates under the Australian government's arrangements for the protection of sensitive data," the statement said.

--IANS

mr/sac

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Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes, who was held hostage by striking miners, died late on Thursday, the director of Fedcomin radio, Moises Flores, said.

"We went to the site where Deputy Minister Illanes was and we found him lifeless. We are very shocked, we are running a risk because the miners are furious," Efe news agency quoted Flores as saying.

Flores told Erbol Radio by telephone from Panduro, some 180 kilometres from La Paz, where clashes erupted between miners and police.

Illanes was taken prisoner by miners as he tried to persuade them to end roadblocks and he had said earlier on Thursday that authorities need to establish a dialogue with the protesters.

"I am being held by the comrades, I have not received any mistreatment," Illanes has told a reporter earlier.

"I am in very good health, let my family be reassured. I am sitting in a place guarded by the comrades so people do not harm me," he said.

Illanes spoke from Panduro, where he travelled early on Thursday with the hope of convincing the miners to clear the roadblocks and enter talks with the government of President Evo Morales.

Instead, the miners took the deputy minister prisoner.

--IANS

sku/

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Brazil's Olympic pole vault champion Thiago Braz da Silva has received a one kilogram gold bar from his former club as a reward for his triumph at the just concluded Rio Games here.

The 22-year-old won Brazil's first ever Olympic pole vault gold medal beating France's defending champion Renaud Lavillenie with an Olympic record leap of 6.03 metres, reports Xinhua.

"This is really important to me. I want to thank all of the people that have helped me throughout my career. The gold medal was also for Rio's public, who helped me so much," Da Silva said on Thursday after receiving the gift from Sao Paulo-based club BM&FBOVESPA.

Da Silva said he owed his start as a professional pole vaulter to Brazil's former world champion Fabiana Murer.

"When I came here in 2009 I didn't have a contract and she sponsored me, allowing me to stay in the team and in Sao Paulo," Da Silva said on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Murer announced her retirement from the sport on Thursday after failing to advance beyond the first round at the Rio Olympics.

--IANS

gau/sam/bg

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A Czech woman rescued after she went missing in the New Zealand wilderness gave details of her ordeal on Friday.

Pavlina Pizova issued a statement on her "harrowing" month in an unoccupied Department of Conservation warden's hut after she lost her 27-year-old partner, Ondrej Petr whose body was found near the mountainous 32-km Routeburn Track in the South Island, Xinhua news agency reported.

"After his death it took me another two nights out in the open before I reached the safety of the hut," Pizova said.

"The recent heavy snows meant I was walking through waist-deep snow and because all track markers were covered, I had to find my own way," she said.

Pizova admitted she and her partner had "made a few mistakes" before setting out in the wilderness, like not carrying a locator beacon and underestimating the winter conditions.

"I would like to use this opportunity to pass a strong message on to anyone intending to travel in the New Zealand mountains to seek very good information and mainly respect the winter conditions and changing weather," said Pizova.

The two Czech tourists had set out to hike the Routeburn Track on July 24.

She was discovered by searchers in a helicopter on Wednesday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel on Friday referred to the Privileges Committee of the house the issue of BJP lawmaker and Leader of Opposition Vijendra Gupta allegedly disclosing an audit report on the AAP government's media advertisements.

Gupta, who leaked some parts of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report on August 24, said it claimed the Delhi government used public money for propaganda and issued advertisements outside Delhi.

Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia, calling this leak a "breach of privilege of the house", said he received a Comptroller and Auditor General's report on the special audit of the Delhi government's Advertisement Department on August 24 at 5.30 p.m. He said even before he received the report, it was leaked to the media.

"Vijendra Gupta, on August 24, had raised the issue of non-tabling of the CAG report in the house. Till then, we had not received the report. We got it only by 5.30 p.m. on the same day. But I was surprised that the report details were already leaked to the media before it came to me," Sisodia said.

He said the report was lying with three persons -- the CAG, the Lt. Governor of Delhi and the Delhi Finance Secretary.

"I trust the Finance Secretary as he gave me the report in a sealed envelope. Now, the question is, who gave Vijendra Gupta that report? Who leaked it to the media? Primarily, this report was supposed to be tabled in the house. Then how did it reach Gupta and the media?" Sisodia said.

"It is a breach of the house's privileges. So, there should be action against Vijendra Gupta for leaking the CAG report. I demand this matter be referred to the Privileges Committee of the assembly," Sisodia added.

In response, Speaker Goel said: "It's a very serious matter and is related to the contempt of the house. So, I refer it to the Privileges Committee."

Gupta alleged the assembly was not functioning as per the Constitution and that he was not being heard over the matter, and walked out of the house.

On August 24, Gupta walked out of the assembly and issued a statement containing certain points of the CAG report.

--IANS

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In the 1980s and 1990s it was said the Punjab Police, with its strong-arm tactics, could even make a monkey admit it was a tiger. But in the past 10 months, the force has been grappling with a situation where it is either unable to solve or is going overboard in investigating major crimes.

Be it the murderous attack on senior RSS leader Brig Jagdish Gagneja (retd) in Jalandhar earlier this month, or the daylight murder of Chand Kaur, the eighty-eight-year-old widow of a former Namdhari sect head, near Ludhiana in April, or the sacrilege of religious books -- the Punjab Police finds itself at sea.

Major crimes in the state have increased in recent months, as Punjab inches closer to crucial assembly elections which are likely to be held next February.

With a new political entrant, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), breathing down the neck of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the opposition Congress, crimes are getting a political colour too.

The police are clueless about the attack on Gagneja and the killing of Chand Kaur and despite claims of "solid leads", the investigations in both cases have led nowhere.

In fact, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) recently expressed its displeasure to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal over the deteriorating law and order situation in Punjab.

"The delegation in unequivocal terms conveyed its displeasure over the deteriorating law and order situation in the state. Whether it was the attack on a shakha in Ludhiana or the daylight murder of Mata Chand Kaur or incidents of kidnapping and snatching, the common man on the streets is feeling insecure," the RSS leadership said in a statement.

Unidentified miscreants had fired shots at a RSS gathering in January.

In May, Ranjit Singh Dhadrianwale, 36, a Patiala-based Sikh preacher, was attacked near Ludhiana by 30-40 armed people when he was travelling with his supporters in his SUV. Dhadrianwale's close aide Bhupinder Singh was hit by a bullet and died.

The attack, allegedly carried out by the supporters of a hardline Sikh group leader, was well-planned and executed in filmy style by setting up a 'Chhabeel' (makeshift counter to offer sweetened water) near a bridge. The preacher's car was attacked as the convoy stopped as its occupants were offered the refreshment.

In another incident in July, a woman accused of desecrating the Sikh holy book, the Guru Granth Sahib, last year and who was out on bail, was shot dead by two persons near Gurdwara Alamgir in Ludhiana district. The police later claimed that two persons were arrested in the case.

In a case relating to the sacrilege of the Quran in Muslim-dominated Malerkotla town near Patiala, the Punjab Police was accused of political vendetta at the behest of the ruling Akali Dal after investigations pointed to the role of Delhi's AAP lawmaker Naresh Yadav in the incident. The Punjab Police arrested him after lengthy rounds of questioning.

The AAP leadership has questioned the police investigation. "This is nothing but political vendetta. But the AAP will not get bogged down by this," AAP leader Sanjay Singh said.

But the most embarrassing situation for the Punjab Police came in October-November last year when, following a series of incidents in which the Guru Granth Sahib was desecrated, police announced the arrest of two brothers for their alleged involvement.

Senior police officers even claimed a "foreign hand" and "foreign funding", linked to Australia and Dubai, in the "conspiracy" for the main incident at Bargari village in Faridkot district.

The arrests were announced with much fanfare in the presence of Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the state Home Minister.

The police was later forced to release the brothers.

The sacrilege incidents had led to protests across Punjab. Two persons were killed in police firing at Behbal Kalan village in Moga district and scores of others were injured in the violence during the protests.

Punjab Congress Legislature Party chief Charanjit Singh Channi has accused the ruling alliance of trying to vitiate the atmosphere in Punjab ahead of the assembly polls.

"These incidents could be compared to the situation in the beginning of militancy during the 1980s. At that time too, it was the Shiromani Akali Dal that was on record for hailing such killings," Channi said, adding that special investigation teams (SITs) set up by the Punjab government to probe crimes were trying to cover up the cases rather than solving them.

The Punjab Police was also caught napping during the attack on the Pathankot airbase in January and on Dinanagar town last July. In both incidents, the terrorists, suspected to be from Pakistan, easily reached their targets to carry out the terror attacks.

Both the incidents took place in the sensitive border districts of Gurdaspur and Pathankot, exposing the chinks in the security cover of the Punjab Police.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in)

--IANS

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Barack Obama has become the first US President to be featured in a virtual reality (VR) video where he can be seen traverseing through the Yosemite National Park situated in California's Sierra Nevada mountains, also conveying his concerns about climate change.

Created by National Geographic, Felix & Paul Studios, and Facebook-owned Oculus, the 11-minute video is available on the Oculus Store for Samsung Gear VR and will soon come to Oculus Rift VR headset.

"The VR experience provides a personal look at President Obama's trip to Yosemite with his family over Father's Day weekend," Oculus said in a blog post on Friday.

Obama is seen interacting with students during an event tied to his "Every Kid in the Park" initiative and speaking with Don Neubacher, the Yosemite National Park superintendent.

The viewers can explore the incredible surroundings of Yosemite, including El Capitan, the Cathedral Rocks, Mariposa Grove, Yosemite Falls and the Merced River.

"National Geographic has been a pioneer in visual storytelling throughout its 128-year history. We see virtual reality as a new frontier and are thrilled to use this powerful medium to help celebrate the National Park Service's centennial anniversary," said Rajiv Mody, Vice President of Social Media for National Geographic.

The viewers can also see the First Family - First Lady Michelle Obama, Malia, and Sasha - crossing the footbridge and taking in the view of Vernal Falls.

"As filmmakers, we wanted to use cinematic virtual reality's unique transportive power to bring audiences into a journey with President Obama where they could experience firsthand the vertiginous, lyrical, and timeless beauty of Yosemite," added Felix Lajeunesse, Co-founder of Felix & Paul Studios.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A court here on Friday convicted Ravi Kapoor, awarded death penalty in IT executive Jigisha Ghosh's murder case, in another murder case of a taxi driver in January 2009.

Additional Sessions Judge Sandeep Yadav held Kapoor and Ajay Kumar guilty of offences under sections 302 (murder), section 364 (kidnapping), section 394 (voluntarily causing hurt in committing robbery), section 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

According to police, Ravi Kapoor and his gang killed Mohammed Nadeem and fled with his car - Tavera, and his valuables on January 7, 2009.

The court also convicted two others - Ajay Sethi under sections 413 (habitually receives stolen property) and and Mohammed Arif for offences under section 411 (dishonestly receives or retains any stolen property) of the IPC.

The court has directed the government to appoint a probation officer (PO) who will prepare a Pre-Sentencing Report (PSR) as mandated by the Delhi High Court. Arguments for sentencing will be heard on October 1.

On August 22, the court handed death penalty to Ravi Kapoor and one more accused for kidnapping and killing Jigisha Ghosh in 2009, saying the magnitude and brutality of the crime made it "a rarest of rare cases".

Kapoor is also facing trial for killing journalist Soumya Vishwanathan in 2008.

--IANS

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There was no let up in the government-imposed curfew and separatist-called shutdown on Friday, the 49th day of Kashmir unrest that has brought life to a standstill in the troubled valley.

Police said the strict curfew will continue without any relaxation in Anantnag, Pulwama, Badgam, Shopian and Srinagar city while restrictions on the assembly of four or more persons will remain in force elsewhere in the valley.

The security restrictions were tightened amid apprehensions that separatist leaders may stoke further trouble as they have asked people to gather in Eidgah prayer grounds for a pro-freedom protest rally in the heart of the volatile old Srinagar city.

The separatist leaders, who have been detained in their houses since the unrest began on July 9, had planned midday congregational prayers at the Eidgah, which also houses a graveyard for those killed in militancy-related violence in the last 28 years.

But the government thwarted the protest march to the sprawling prayer ground.

Police deployment outside the upscale Hyderpora residence of hardline Hurriyat Conference chairman Syed Ali Shah Geelani was beefed up to prevent the octogenarian separatist from moving out and leading the rally.

Chairman of the moderate Hurriyat Mirwaiz Umar Farooq was held from his house and lodged at the nearby Nigeen police station on Thursday evening. The top cleric had planned to address his supporters over the phone to mark the August 25, 1989 police raid on Srinagar's Jamia Masjid.

The Mirwaiz's detention continued a day later.

Kashmir has been on the boil since the July 8 killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani that triggered the unrest - the deadliest the valley has suffered in six years.

Sixty-nine people, including two policemen, have been killed and over 11,000 injured in the unending cycle of violence.

A spokesperson for Doctors Association of Kashmir said various health facilities in the valley had received over 7,000 civilian injured in the last seven weeks. Most have been wounded by dangerous pellet guns.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh, here for two days for talks on seeking ways to break the logjam, said on Thursday that more than 4,000 security personnel have been injured by stones thrown by Kashmiri protesters.

The Home Minister made a passionate appeal for peace in Kashmir but cut no ice with separatist leaders.

He said the government was ready to hold peace talks with anyone who believes in democracy, humanity and Kashmiriyat - a Kashmiri spirit of living in harmony.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Muslim cleric in Bijnore in Uttar Pradesh has been booked on the charge of rape, police said on Friday.

An official said a video clip, in which accused Maulana Anwar-ul-Haq was seen in half-naked condition in the girl's company in a hotel room, had gone viral on the social media.

Haq, a cleric in the Jama Masjid in Chah Siri, had earlier announced a reward of Rs 51 lakh to anyone who cut the tongue of Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari for the latter's alleged disparaging comments against Prophet Muhammad.

The comments had led to violent demonstrations in many parts of Uttar Pradesh.

The girl claimed she was taken to the cleric as her family felt she was under the influence of some evil spirits.

She accused Haq of raping her on August 24 night on the pretext of conducting a physical examination. She along with her family members later assaulted Haq.

A case of rape and conspiracy to harm the victim has been registered. A police official said efforts were on to arrest the accused.

Informed sources said Haq was trying to arm twist the police by claiming proximity to Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Muslim clerics on Friday questioned the Bombay High Court verdict allowing entry of women up to the restricted grave area of the Haji Ali Dargah, asserting that while they respect the court, the ruling goes against Islam.

"Our Constitution gives every right to Indian citizens to follow the religion of their choice. When someone follows a religion, then he or she must also follow the rules of that religion. There are certain Islamic laws pertaining to Dargah and graveyards, which restrict women. The high court judgement is, therefore, questionable," Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, a prominent Lucknow-based Muslim cleric, told IANS over phone.

He contended that while women were "not prohibited" from entering a mosque, the rules for Dargah and graveyards were different, and claimed that certain Hindu laws too imposed restriction on women from entering cremation grounds.

"Islam gives equal rights to women and doesn't prohibit women from entering a mosque. But rules are different for Dargah. If any committee has made rules in light of Islamic Shariyat, it must be protected," he said referring to a 2012 decision by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust (HADT), prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Mumbai-based Dargah.

A cleric from Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, in Uttar Pradesh, said that while the matter was for the Iftaa department (which issues edicts) to comment upon "it's not ideal for a woman to enter a Dargah or graveyard, as per Islamic law".

"In Islam, though it's not a sin, but it is also not considered good for women to enter a Dargah or graveyard. Women had been going to the Haji Ali, so it must not be a problem, but it's not ideal," the cleric, who wished not to be identified, told IANS over phone.

The cleric also opined that though not ideal, women can continue visiting the graves or Dargah where they had been going to.

"However, it's wrong to promote visiting to those Dargahs or graveyards where it had always been prohibited," he said.

Islamic cleric Sajid Rashidi, from Delhi, also denounced the court's decision describing it as anti-Islamic.

"The high court is perhaps unaware of Sharia law. We respect the court but this is against Islam. The HADT has already resolved to approach the Supreme Court," Rashidi told media.

However, some clerics and schiolars, including Hina Zaheer, first woman Qazi of Uttar Pradesh, and Zakia Somani, founder member of Mumbai-based Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), welcomed the decision.

BMMA had in November 2014 filed the PIL challenging HADT's decision banning women inside the core area of Haji Ali Dargah.

"It's a welcome move and it will go a long way in restoring the faith of the people ... in equal rights and gender justice," Zakia Somani told media persons adding that the verdict sends a strong message to members of all other religions where male custodians have put themselves in charge.

"Gender justice is fundamental to Islam. Men and women both go to Haj... there women are allowed to go right up to Kaaba... women can go to mazaars all over the world," said Somani adding that "it was a great setback for us" when the Haji Ali Trust barred women from entering its sanctum sanctorum in 2012.

The Bombay High Court earlier on Friday permitted the entry of women right up to the restricted grave area of the famous Haji Ali Dargah here.

The 56-page ruling by a division bench comprising Justice V.M. Kanade and Mohite Revati-Dere came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and its office-bearer activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Somani.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw has pledged government assistance to renovate and preserve the ancient stupas and pagodas damaged by the earthquake on Wednesday, a report said on Friday.

Assessing the damage in the archaeological site in Bagan on Thursday, U Htin Kyaw called for protecting the heritage of ancient objects, stressing that the renovation work should maintain the original features with the help of foreign experts, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the report, the quake destroyed 241 pagodas in the Bagan region.

Visitors have been denied access to the damaged archaeological site with security measures being imposed on the area.

Meanwhile, State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi urged the Ministry of Religious and Cultural Affairs not to make haphazard repair of the toppled spires of the pagodas but to to draw up a project plan with technical assistance from the World Heritage Centre of the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco).

The Yangon office of Unesco has deployed experts to assess the damage.

At least three people were killed and six injured when the 6.8-magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar on Wednesday.

With an epicentre 197.9 km southwest of Mandalay and 19.3 km west of Chauk, the quake jolted most parts of the country including Nay Pyi Taw and Yangon.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ruled out a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants in the US.

However, the Manhattan real-estate mogul has declined to clarify whether he would still forcibly deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US -- a major tenet of his immigration platform -- after he suggested earlier this week that he was "softening" on the idea and also made a series of comments that indicated a path to legalisation was likely as long as they paid taxes accumulated from their time living here illegally.

"There's no path to legalisation unless they leave the country," CNN quoted Trump as saying after an event in Manchester, New Hampshire on Thursday.

"When they come back in, then they can start paying taxes, but there is no path to legalisation unless they leave the country and then come back."

Trump said that on his first day in office, he would authorise law enforcement to actively deport "bad dudes," such as those who have committed crimes, which he said numbered "probably millions", CNN reported.

But he declined to flatly say whether he would round up other undocumented immigrants, stressing that once the initial deportations occur, "then we can talk".

"There is a very good chance the answer could be yes," Trump said when asked if he would deport those who have lived here peacefully but without papers. "We're going to see what happens."

Trump's comments are the latest turn in a now-daily recalibration of his position on immigration, which Trump said he would crystallise in a speech next week, CNN noted.

Clinton's campaign called Trump's plan "dangerous" in a statement Thursday night.

"He may try to disguise his plans by throwing in words like 'humane' or 'fair', but the reality remains that Trump's agenda echoes the extreme right's will -- one that is fueling a dangerous movement of hatred across the country," CNN reported citing Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri as saying.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has pledged to impose a nationwide ban on the burkini -- full-body swimsuit worn by Muslim women -- if he is re-elected next year.

While launching his campaign to succeed President Francois Hollande in the 2017 presidential election, Sarkozy late on Thursday discussed issues of French identity and the nationwide ban on Islamic veils.

Earlier this week, Sarkozy controversially labelled the swimwear, worn by some Muslim women to cover the hair and face, a "provocation".

In an interview last week, Sarkozy declared that wearing a burkini was "a political act, militant, a provocation", the Independent reported.

According to Efe news, France's National Front party would also ban Islamic veils and other "religious" symbols in all public areas if it came to power in France, party Deputy Head Florian Philipot said.

He added that his party wishes to expand the 2004 law to bring the ban to all public spaces which affects those who wear the Islamic head covering, but also those who carry large Christian crosses in full view or wear the Jewish skullcap.

According to reports, Philippot said that his proposal is to expand the 2004 law that already restricts the use of Islamic veils in schools and for those working for the government.

More than a dozen French cities and communes have banned the swimwear in a trend started by the Riviera city of Cannes.

According to the Independent, France's highest administrative court is examining the legality of the by-laws, which have been brought in individually with varying wording alluding to clothing "respectful to morality and secular principles".

Some bans have alluded to a threat to public order, while other mayors have specifically put them in the context of terror attacks, extremism and fear.

Sarkozy, who served as French President from 2007 to 2012, is campaigning to be the conservative candidate for next year's elections.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Supreme Court on Friday restrained Tamil Nadu police from arresting expelled AIADMK's Rajya Sabha member on an alleged sexual harassment complaint.

While restraining the state police from arresting her for six weeks, the bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud asked the Madurai bench of Madras High Court to decide on her plea for anticipatory bail.

Two of Pushpa's former maids had accused her husband and son of alleged sexual harassment. They had complained that Pushpa knew about the incident but did not intervene.
After almost 25 years, a court here on Friday awarded seven-year jail term to former Haryana assembly Speaker Satbir Singh Kadian, 66, in a 1991 IFFCO case allegedly planned by stock broker Harshad Mehta, since deceased.

The court also convicted four others in the case, including three former officials of UCO Bank.

Central Bureau of Investigation Special Judge Jitendra Kumar Mishra turned down the plea of Indian National Lok Dal leader Kadian for leniency.

It said that as the then Speaker he was a role model for the country and if such person were to be given minimum punishment, it will affect the morale of the entire nation.

"The most peculiar fact in this case is that convict No. 1 (Kadian) is the elected representative of the people of his constituency and he was also the Speaker of the Haryana assembly, maybe after the commission of crime."

"It is his duty and the duty of other convicts also that they should remain faithful to the State, otherwise the integrity of the State would be in jeopardy," the court said and asked him to pay Rs 50 lakh as fine.

"Kadian was chairman of IFFCO (Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited) and he should feel proud that the people reposed faith in him as it is his own argument that it was a political post. But instead of proving their faith, he committed the crime by joining hands with other convicts and hatching a conspiracy as per the illegal design of Harshad S. Mehta (accused who has died)," the court said.

The court also awarded seven-year jail terms to UCO Bank's former Assistant Manager (Funds) Vinayak Narayan Deosthali,64, the bank's former Senior Manager (Deposits) Sunil Gorawara,70, and IIT alumnus Anil Kumar Malhotra, 65.

The court sentenced UCO Bank former Senior Manager (Cash) Karuna Pati Pandey, 84, to two years in prison in view of his old age and financial burden.

The court said he has suffered punishment during the trial for a single mistake committed by him as he was part of the conspiracy.

The court said it was Pandey's duty to stop any wrongdoing and if he had ensured this, such a conspiracy would not have been achieved.

The court held the convicts guilty of cheating public money to the tune of Rs 4 crore.

The CBI had alleged that Kadian was working as the IFFCO chairman from February 1, 1991, to April 24, 1991, and invested IFFCO's surplus funds of Rs 32.90 crore at lower rate of interest and thus caused a loss of over Rs 15 lakh to the organisation.

It alleged that in one transaction, Rs 4 crore was released by IFFCO for investment in the UCO Bank but the sum was credited to Harshad Mehta's account through his Delhi-based representative M.D. Khandelwal, who turned approver in the case.

Mehta expired during the trial and proceedings against him stand abated.

the CBI had accused Deosthali for acting as an agent of stock broker Harshad Mehta.

The court said: "Malhotra, who is an IIT alumnus, studied in an institution which was funded by the State, i.e., he should be indebted to the people of this country for providing him an opportunity to enrich himself with knowledge by studying in the premier institution."

"...he (Malhotra) also joined hands with Harshad S. Mehta towards exploitation of funds of institution like IFFCO and hatched conspiracy alongwith other accused in this case," it added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a move to placate the military, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has appointed retired Lt Gen Zamirul Hassan Shah as the new Defence Secretary.

Gen Shah assumed office on Thursday, marking an end to what had virtually become a stand-off between the government and the military on the posting, Dawn reported on Friday.

He replaced retired Lt Gen Alam Khattak, who completed his two-year contract on August 5.

Gen Shah had retired from military service earlier this year. His last posting was adjutant general of Pakistan Army.

The military had recommended Gen Shah's name to the government for appointment as the Defence Secretary long before Gen Khattak completed his tenure, the daily said.

The government rejected the nomination and asked the military to nominate some other officer.

"The government had some reservations about Gen Shah's nomination," the Dawn quoted a source in the Prime Minister Office as saying.

The army refused to change the nomination and insisted that Gen Shah must be appointed, the Dawn said.

The government then considered different options including continuing with Maj Gen Abid Nazir as the acting secretary.

But Sharif's advisers counselled him to avoid straining relations with the military on the issue and accept Gen Shah's nomination, it said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Tamil Nadu police on Friday arrested the Chancellor of SRM University T.R.Pachamuthu in connection with the medical college admission cheating case, said police.

The action comes after the Madras High Court recently asked the police why they did not question Pachamuthu despite the complaint against the group and threatened to transfer the investigation to some other agency.

The SRM group has large interests in education -- engineering, medical -- healthcare, transport, media and others.

Pachamuthu was also the founder of the Indhiya Jananayaka Katchi (IJK) party that aligned with the BJP during the 2014 general elections and 2016 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu.

According to the complaints lodged with the police S.Madhan of Vendhar Movies and a key person in IJK had collected crores of rupees from parents to secure admission in the medical college belonging to the SRM group.

However, Madhan disappeared in May this year after purportedly writing a note that the money collected from the parents has been given to the SRM group.

Reacting to that Pachamuthu in a statement said he is not connected with Madhan as he was expelled from the IJK party.

Meanwhile, Madhan's family has filed a habeas corpus petition in the Madras High Court which threatened to transfer the investigation to some other independent agency.

--IANS

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Popular character Steve Rogers, famous as Captain America in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, will no longer be seen as the superhero, says "Captain America: Civil War" director Joe Russo.

At the end of "Captain America: Civil War", Steve Rogers (Chris Evans) puts down his shield and walks away from his heroic mantle after reluctantly fighting Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr), who is enraged after learning that The Winter Soldier killed his parents.

When Steve Rogers reappears at the end of the movie to break out his allies from The Raft, the superhero prison in the middle of the ocean, he is without the stars and stripes. After that key moment, many wondered if this meant Steve Rogers had truly quit being Captain America, and Russo has confirmed it now.

Russo has said that Captain America has given up his identity as Captain in Marvel Cinematic Universe, reported The Huffington Post.

"I think him dropping that shield is him letting go of that identity. It's him admitting that certainly the identity of Captain America was in conflict with the very personal choice that he was making," Russo said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Advising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Benarjee to stop behaving like her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who usually blames the central government for non-cooperation, the BJP said on Friday that she should rather focus on governance.

"Our advice to Mamata Banerjee is to stop behaving like Arvind Kejriwal and get down to good governance so that the ruling Trinamool Congress honours the mandate given to them in 2016," said BJP National Secretary and West Bengal in charge Siddharth Nath Singh.

"Moreover rather blaming BJP for a cow census in Bengal, she should conduct census of cow smuggling to Bangladesh from Bengal being supported by her party workers," he added.

Banerjee had on Friday given three months time to the central government to waive the huge debts her government inherited from the previous Left Front regime and threatened to launch a movement on the streets of New Delhi if "interference" in the federal structure is not stopped.

"Mamata Banerjee's outburst at (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji today at TMC party function reflects her frustration as she cannot in her second term, blame previous state government of legacy problems she had inherited," Singh said in a statement.

Hitting back at Banerjee, Singh said that governance has never been her asset.

"Therefore, knowing her weakness, she is from day one of her second term, started to play a victimhood card and blaming centre for funds and non-cooperation," he said.

Singh claimed that Modi government is known for strengthening the federal structure and it is also important to note that under 14th Finance Commission, it has allocated Rs 2.5 lakh crores more than what West Bengal got under 13th Finance Commission.

--IANS

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Dubbing the Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2016, as "medieval and

non-progressive", the Congress on Friday said the Centre should have discussed it with

other political parties before approving it.

"The bill seems to be of the Stone Age. It is totally out of tune with the present times," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told a press conference here.

He said the bill's version presented by the earlier United Progressive Alliance government in 2010 was far better, and cautioned the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government that the proposed law might not get parliamentary approval.

"I doubt this will get parliamentary approval," Singhvi said, adding it was a step in the backward direction.

Calling for a "rethink" on the bill, the Congress leader said: "It seems that surrogate agency like the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) created its draft."

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the bill, which seeks to prohibit

"commercial" surrogacy and denies foreigners, non-resident Indians, single parents, live-in partners and same-sex couples from becoming parents through surrogacy.

Touching upon the issue of former Congress MP Ramya, against whom a sedition case was

registered for her remark on Pakistan wherein she had contradicted Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar comment that Pakistan is hell, Singhvi said that there is no freedom of speech in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime.

The Congress leader recounted how churches were attacked, an elderly nun was raped and how people of minority communities are being harassed in the name of cow protection ever since NDA came to power, and accused the central government of ruining the image of the country.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it intolerant India," he charged, and asked why

people would like to live in a country which does not allow freedom of speech and does

not inspire confidence among minority communities.

"Would we all like to live in a country like this," he asked, adding that definition of India was changing from tolerant India to intolerant India.

On the Kashmir turmoil, Singhvi said that there should be coordination among all concerned.

"It's not that it cannot be solved, but you need coordination for it," he added.

--IANS

sk/rn

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dubbing the Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2016, as "mediaeval and non-progressive", the Congress on Friday said the Centre should have discussed it with other political parties before approving it.

"The bill seems to be of the Stone Age. It is totally out of tune with the present times," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told a press conference here.

He said the bill's version presented by the earlier United Progressive Alliance government in 2010 was far better, and cautioned the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government that the proposed law might not get parliamentary approval.

"I doubt this will get parliamentary approval," Singhvi said, adding it was a step in the backward direction.

Calling for a "rethink" on the bill, the Congress leader said: "It seems that surrogate agency like the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) created its draft."

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the bill, which seeks to prohibit "commercial" surrogacy and denies foreigners, non-resident Indians, single parents, live-in partners and same-sex couples from becoming parents through surrogacy.

--IANS

sk/tsb/vt

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The vice chairman of South Korea's fifth largest business conglomerate Lotte, who was being probed over corruption charges, was found dead on Friday in an apparent suicide.

The police found the body of 69-year-old Lee In-won, hanging from a tree along a rural road, some 55 km east of Seoul, and also recovered a suicide note from his car, which was found abandoned nearby, EFE news reported.

Lee, who had 43 years of experience working with the group, was set to be questioned the same day by prosecutors over graft charges that include breach of trust and other irregularities.

Most of Lotte's top management as well as the Shin family - owner of the group - were also under the scanner over various charges, including embezzlement and creation of slush funds.

Lotte, which also has extensive business in Japan, is the fifth-largest "chaebol", the term for large business groups enjoying great economic power in South Korea

Last year, Lotte hit news headlines over a power struggle between founder Shin Kyuk-ho's two sons to gain control of the company.

--IANS

ksk

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
American swimmer Ryan Lochte has been charged by Brazilian police for making a false statement claiming that he was robbed during the recent Rio Olympics.

The 32-year-old has also been issued with a court summons, according to a statement from Brazil's civil police, reports Xinhua.

Even if Lochte is not present at the court hearing, he could be tried and faces a penalty of up to 18 months in jail.

In a statement, Lochte said he was with fellow US swimmers James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger when their taxi was stopped by thieves posing as police.

The athletes were returning to the Olympic Village after celebrating the end of the swimming competition at the Rio Games, according to Lochte.

But police accuse the swimmers of fabricating the story, claiming the swimmers were in fact confronted by security guards after they vandalized a gas station.

Lochte left Brazil before police were able to question him about the incident.

Bentz and Conger were stopped by federal police from boarding a plane at Rio's international airport on August 17.

Feigen agreed to donate nearly $11,000 to a Brazilian charity to avoid charges.

Lochte has lost several sponsors in the past week, including sportswear manufacturer Speedo. But Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops said it had signed an endorsement deal with the swimmer on Friday.

Lochte has won six Olympic gold medals, including one in Rio for his victory with the US 4x200 metre freestyle relay team.

--IANS

gau/sam/dg

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The leaked data on Indian Scorpene submarines was given by a "whistleblower" to The Australian, the newspaper said in a report, adding that the "whistleblower" would hand over the disk to the "government" on Monday.

The article does not clarify if the reference is to the Australian government.

A report by Cameron Stewart, who broke the report on the leak, told the story of how the 22,400 documents from French DCNS reached the newspaper continents away.

It also said that the "whistleblower's" hope is that this would "spur the Turnbull government and DCNS to step up security to ensure Australia's $50 billion submarine project does not suffer the same fate."

"He says he is a whistleblower and maintains that revealing to the world, via The Australian, that this classified data exists in a dangerously uncontrolled form is worthwhile because it will serve Australia's interests even if it causes an international furore," said the report.

According to the report, the CD with the documents has been in Australia for more than two years.

The report ruled out the "corporate war angle" that was given by DCNS and said for competitors to strike, Norway would have been a better place than Australia as DCNS is pitching its submarine for their Navy.

Stewart wrote in the report: "But it seems that the story behind this leak may be more incompetence than espionage -- more Austin Powers than James Bond."

He wrote quoting sources that the data was removed from DCNS in Paris in 2011 by a former French Navy officer who quit the service in the early 1970s and worked for French defence companies for more than 30 years before becoming a subcontractor to DCNS.

Stewart wrote that the subcontractor had copied some "sensitive data" from DCNS in France, and took it to "a Southeast Asian country".

The two men worked there, "carrying out unclassified naval defence work".

According to the report, the "speculation" is that the data on the Scorpene was removed to serve as a reference guide for the former naval officer's new job.

However, the two men are said to have "fallen out with their employer", a private company run by a Western businessman, following which they were sacked and not allowed inside the building.

The company refused to give them the data, and sent the data later to its head office in Singapore where it was uploaded on an internet server.

However, while the article in its opening lines implies the CD with the data was delivered to the "whistleblower" some time in April 2013, giving the timeline from Singapore it says the data was uploaded on an internet server on April 18, 2013, where it could have stayed for a few days or a year.

It highlights here the information was vulnerable to hacking and it is now known if any adversaries chanced upon the information at that time.

It was uploaded for "for the person in Sydney who was slated to replace the two sacked French workers."

Later the data was sent in a CD to the person in Sydney through post, who realised it contained sensitive information about India's submarine programme.

As per the report, the receiver transferred the data to an encrypted disk and erased and destroyed the original CD.

The information was lying with the person for almost two years since then.

It was given to The Australian by the person, who says "he is a whistleblower".

"He has not broken any laws and the authorities know who he is. He plans to surrender the disk to the government on Monday," the article says in its last line.

--IANS

ao/sku/

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Prime Minister said on Friday that India needed rapid transformation if it were to meet the challenge of the future. He said the country should change its existing administrative systems and laws, jettison unnecessary procedures, speed up processes, and adopt technology.



We cannot march through the 21st century with the administrative systems of the 19th century, said the PM in his opening comments at the inaugural lecture of the NITI Aayogs Transforming India lecture series at Vigyan Bhavan on Friday.



The PM said countries could no longer develop in isolation but needed ideas from outside, which was the purpose of the lecture series under the auspices of NITI Aayog. The first lecture was delivered by the Deputy PM of Singapore Tharman Shanmugaratnam on India in the Global Economy.



In his comments, Modi said: If India is to meet the challenge of change, mere incremental progress is not enough. A metamorphosis is needed. He said his vision for India was rapid transformation, not gradual evolution but that transformation could not happen without a transformation of governance. A transformation of governance cannot happen without a transformation in mindset. A transformation in mindset cannot happen without transformative ideas, Modi said.



The PM stressed on the need to brainstorm collectively to convert ideas into action. He said NITI Aayog, or the National Institution for Transforming India, was created last year as an evidence-based think tank to guide Indias transformation, including to learn from global standards. He highlighted the need to build institutions.



The PM said ever since taking over the reins of the Union government, he has personally participated in structured brainstorming sessions with bankers, police officers and with secretaries to the government. The ideas coming from those sessions are being incorporated into policy. These efforts have been to tap ideas from inside. The next step is to bring in ideas from outside, Modi said.



Modi asked all secretaries to the government to conduct a follow-up discussion in a weeks time, with the participants from their ministries. The purpose is to convert ideas that emerge in todays session into specific action points relevant to each group. Wherever possible, I request the ministers also to participate in these sessions, he said.



He said change was needed not just because India should keep up with the world but was also necessary for internal reasons. The younger generation in our own country is thinking and aspiring so differently; that government can no longer afford to remain rooted in the past, he said.



Shanmugaratnam, whom Modi introduced as one of the worlds leading intellectuals, spoke in his lecture about the transformative changes carried out in urban planning and administrative systems in Singapore.



Shanmugaratnam identified Indias primary school education system as the biggest crisis facing the country. Schools are the biggest gap between India and East Asia. And it is a crisis that cannot be justified, he said. The Singapore Deputy PM said the problem could be fixed, but not by ever increasing budgets but instilling better organisation and culture.



Shanmugaratnam saw a big challenge in the higher education system, which he said was not unique to India, but all over the world. We are over-producing graduates who go through a general academic education. We have over-academised learning... We are producing students who do not have the skills required in the real world. We have to re-orient our system to focus on the skills required in the real world, he stressed.



Shanmugaratnam also underscored the very special role cities play in reform, perform and transform. Because, it is cities which are crucibles of both innovation and inclusivity, he reasoned, advocating greater financial autonomy for cities. Its not just about budgets, its not just about programmes; it is about a social and political culture... he said, arguing for greater social cohesion in the society.



Shanmugaratnam said India has an unfulfilled potential and is uniquely positioned to recast the global narrative, requiring 8-10 per cent growth rate over 20 years so as to reduce the per capita income gap with the likes of China.



He called for bold economic reforms. India needs to grow at 8-10 per cent over the next 20 years if it is to create jobs for youthful population, reduce under-employment and achieve inclusive growth, Shanmugaratnam said. He said such growth cannot be achieved without significant changes to current day policies.



He said India has over-reached itself in regulating its economy but under-invested in social and human capital. To achieve its full potential, it will have to do less in some area and have to do a lot more in other areas.



According to him, India has to withdraw from its own role of the state, economic regulation and ownership that restrains private investment and job creation and also preserves incumbent, existing players at the cost to new ones.



He said it was necessary to encourage a social and political culture among the electorate so that they dont believe politicians who promise short-term results. He said in his country, its no longer easy to make short-term promises without people looking at you with skepticism. Trust politicians who invest in long-term and distrust politicians who promise short-term results, he said.
Yemen's rebel-run agency says airstrikes by the Saudi-led coalition have killed 11 civilians and wounded others in the northern city of Saada.

The agency, SABA, which is under control of the Shiite rebels known as Houthis, reported on Friday that the airstrikes destroyed two houses located in the district of Baqam in the city of Saada a Houthi stronghold.

It says women and children are among the dead, and that subsequent flyovers of coalition planes delayed the rescue operation. Some of the wounded are in critical condition, which may lead to a higher death toll.

The strikes came a day after the United Nations demanded an international investigation in the killings of civilians in Yemen.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) today claimed a suicide truck bombing on a police building in Turkey's southeast that killed 11 officers and wounded dozens more.

The blast came two days after the Turkish army launched an offensive in Syria that the government says is targeting both Islamic State (IS) jihadists and a Syrian Kurdish militia detested by Ankara.

The explosion tore the facade off the headquarters of the Turkish riot police in the town of Cizre, a bastion of PKK support just north of the Syrian border.

The local governor's office said 11 officers were killed and 78 people injured, three of them civilians. Four people were said to be in critical condition.

The state-run Anadolu agency said the explosion took place 50 metres (yards) from the building, at a control post.

The PKK said it carried out the assault in retaliation for the "continued isolation" of the group's jailed leader Abdullah Ocalan and the "lack of information" about his welfare.

Cizre, a majority Kurdish town, has been badly hit by renewed violence between the PKK and government forces since the collapse of a ceasefire last year.

Turkish security forces have been hit by near daily PKK attacks since a two-and-a-half year truce ended in July 2015, leaving hundreds of police officers and soldiers dead.

Turkey's operation in Syria aims to push both IS and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia that is fighting the jihadists out of the border area.

Ankara considers the YPG, which has links to the PKK, as a terror group bent on carving out an autonomous Kurdish region.

Speaking during the inauguration of a new bridge over the Bosphorus in Istanbul Friday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said the Cizre attack showed Turkey was "right to keep the operation in Syria broad to include all terrorist organisations".

Western media have suggested he is more intent on preventing Syrian Kurds joining up areas under their control than fighting IS.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim rejected the allegations.

"They either know nothing about the world or else their job is to report a bare-faced lie," he told a press conference with his Bulgarian counterpart.

Ankara's hostility to the Syrian Kurdish fighters has put it at odds with its NATO ally, the United States, which supports the YPG militia in the fight against IS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Eleven Turkish police officers were killed and 78 people injured today in a suicide truck bombing by suspected Kurdish rebels, three days into a two- pronged Turkish offensive against jihadists and Kurdish militia in neighbouring Syria.

The early morning blast almost completely destroyed the police headquarters in the southeastern town of Cizre, just north of the Syrian border.

"At 6:45 am (0915 IST), a suicide attack with a vehicle laden with explosives was carried out by the PKK terror group on the building of anti-riot police," the provincial governor's office said in a statement.

Eleven police officers were killed and 78 people injured, three of them civilians, the statement added.

Health Minister Recep Akdag said four people were in critical condition.

The explosion went off hours after the Turkish military shelled positions held by Kurdish militia inside Syria.

Turkey says its three-day-old operation in Syria - its biggest to date in its war-torn neighbour - is aimed both at Islamic State (IS) jihadists and the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) militia leading the fight against IS in the area.

Ankara has labelled the YPG, which has links to Turkey's outlawed PKK, as a terror group bent on carving out an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria on the Turkish border.

The blast in Cizre tore the facade off the four-storey police headquarters, sending up clouds of thick black smoke. Adjacent buildings were also badly damaged.

The state-run Anadolu agency said the bomb went off 50 metres away from the building at a control post.

Cizre, a majority Kurdish town, has borne the brunt of renewed violence between the outlawed PKK and government forces since the collapse of a ceasefire last year.

Turkish security forces have been hit by near daily attacks by the PKK since the two-and-a-half year truce collapsed, leaving hundreds of police officers and soldiers dead.

The latest bombing came at a critical moment, with hundreds of Turkish forces and dozens of tanks deployed inside Syria.

Turkey today sent four more tanks over the border, said an AFP photographer at Karkamis on the Turkish side of the frontier.

Kurdish activists have accused Turkey of being more intent on preventing Kurds creating a stronghold along its border than fighting IS jihadists.

But Prime Minister Binali Yidirim today denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that the Syria operation was singling out Kurds.

"They either know nothing about the world, or else their job is to report a bare-faced lie," Yildirim said.

Ankara's hostility to the YPG puts it at odds with its NATO ally, the United States, which supports the YPG in the fight against IS.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Online retail major Amazon India today said about 12,000 merchants from the country are selling their products in international markets under its global selling programme.

The programme, launched in May last year, with 200 sellers, has grown to about 12,000, Amazon India Director and General Manager (Seller Services) Gopal Pillai told PTI.

This represents about 12 per cent of Amazon India's merchant base that stands at about one lakh.

Under the programme, sellers can sell their products across nine international marketplaces, including those in the US, the UK, Japan, Canada and France.

Products like handicrafts, ethnic wear and jewellery are some of the products that see significant traction for these sellers.

The company today launched another programme for sellers called 'Amazon Connect' to offer them an integrated platform to interact with the Amazon.In's senior leadership.

"The programme will also help sellers better understand our seller-centric products and services as well as emerging trends in e-commerce. The objective is to enable sellers to grow profitably on Amazon.In," he said.

Talking about the festive season, Pillai said the company expects its sellers to see similar growth trends like last year.

"The festive season of 2015 saw some sellers registering 3X-5X growth in sales and this year, we expect a similar trend," he said adding that sales during the festive season were bigger than those seen in the entire year.

The US-based e-tailer has been expanding its operations in India at an aggressive pace.

Betting big on the burgeoning e-commerce market in India, its chief Jeff Bezos had said the company will invest USD 3 billion in India, taking its total investment committed here to over USD 5 billion.

The India operations has witnessed a 250 per cent year- on-year growth in bringing new sellers on board. It has also added new fulfilment centres, from 21 at the beginning of the year to 23, to expand its warehousing capacity. This will be further expanded to 27 by year-end.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Scouting all districts of the Odisha and several other states for about a month, joint teams of Odisha Police, Women & Child Development (WCD) and Labour departments have rescued at least 2,610 children, who had either gone missing or had ran away from their homes for different reasons.

According to officials, 339 of these rescued children were girls, including minors. Over 900 children were also rescued in a similar effort under 'Operation Smile' last year.

Officials said the rescued children would be produced before their respective district Child Welfare Committees for either restoration with their parents or suitably rehabilitated in child care institutes.

Following a Supreme Court direction in 2013 in a case related to Bachpan Bachao Andolan, the state government has undertaken the exercise to rescue the missing children of the state for last three years.

The Apex Court in the same order had stated all cases of missing children were to be registered as FIRs of cognisable offences and thorough investigations were to be made presuming them to be crimes of kidnapping or trafficking, unless proven otherwise.

Similarly, the Supreme Court had also directed to have a trained police officer as Juvenile Welfare Officer (JWO) in each police station and all complaints of non-cognisable offences pertaining to children were to be investigated after referring them to a magistrate.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 21 people, including two women, were killed today and 17 others injured when a bus skidded off the highway and fell some 100 metres into a river in Nepal's southwestern Chitwan district.

The passenger bus was heading for Pokhara from Gaur in Rautahat district here when it plunged into the Trishuli River, Chitwan Police Chief SP Basanta Kunwar was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post.

Police and locals rescued the injured and pulled out bodies from the wreckage where the bus was submerged.

The injured have been admitted to a hospital in Bharatpur in the district and the deceased are yet to be identified. The search operations for the missing persons is on, he said.

The cause of the accident has not been ascertained yet.

Road accidents in Nepal are generally blamed on poorly maintained vehicles and substandard roads.

Last week, at least 31 people were killed when a crowded bus skidded off the road and fell 300 meters down the hill in central Nepal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
At least 22 people, including a women, were killed today and 16 others injured when a bus they were travelling in skidded off the highway and fell some 100 metres into a river in Nepal's southwestern Chitwan district.

The passenger bus was heading for Pokhara from Gaur in Rautahat district here when it plunged into the swelling Trishuli river, Chitwan Police Chief, Superintendent of Police Basanta Kunwar was quoted as saying by The Kathmandu Post.

Police and locals rescued the injured and pulled out bodies from the wreckage as the bus was submerged.

The injured have been admitted to a nearby hospital in Bharatpur and the deceased are yet to be identified. The search operations for the missing persons is on, he said.

The cause of the accident has not been ascertained yet.

Road accidents in Nepal are generally blamed on poorly maintained vehicles and substandard roads.

Last week, at least 31 people were killed when a crowded bus skidded off the road and fell 300 meters down the hill in central Nepal.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In an unusual case, over 20 metal pieces, including large nails and hair pins, were surgically removed from the stomach of a mentally unstable woman in Pakistan.

The incident occurred in Peshawar's Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) yesterday, where a 22-year-old woman from Kurram tribal district was operated upon.

The 22-year-old woman, a resident of Kurram Agency's Parachinar area, complained of severe pain in her abdomen earlier this week and was rushed to the hospital.

After conducting an examination and reviewing x-rays carefully, doctors reached the conclusion that there were metallic objects in the patient's stomach, Dawn reported.

The doctor, who was leading a team of surgeons at LRH, said the team operated for four hours on the patient and removed 22 metallic objects from her stomach, including large nails and hair pins, and pieces of glass.

The woman is in stable condition, the doctor said.

He added that the patient's case history showed that she suffered from fits and mental illness.

The incident comes just days after a similar case emerged in Amritsar, where doctors operated on a 42-year-old police officer to remove 40 knives that the policeman claimed he used to feel an "urge" to eat. He ate the knives over a period of two months.

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Amid high drama, a four-star hotel in the heart of the city was today sealed by the bank officials over alleged non-payment of loan worth Rs 130 crore.

'Park Plaza hotel', located in upscale sector-17, was sealed by bank officials from Punjab National Bank, United Bank of India and State Bank of India with help of police force, police said.

To stop the bank officials from performing their duty, the hotel management had deployed bouncers outside the hotel. However, after a three-hour-long ordeal, the hotel was sealed, the police said.

Acting on an application by the banks, the district administration had recently ordered taking possession of the hotel.

"Around 200 guests were asked to leave by the police," a hotel employee said, adding "around 60 rooms of the hotel were booked".

Hotel staff, around 250 in number, said they had been rendered jobless.

Hotel CMD HS Arora, an NRI, alleged bias against him by the bank officials and local administration.

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At least six security personnel and a local government official were killed and four others injured in a clash with militants in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan Province.

Naeem Gichki, Tehsildar of Jiwani town, was returning yesterday with a security convoy of Levies personnel from the border area of Mojo with Iran when militants attacked them, Deputy Commissioner of Gwadar, Tufail Baluch said.

"He had gone there to resolve a dispute over coastal land property between two persons," he said.

Baluch said when their convoy reached Koldan they came under fire from militants in which six soldiers were killed and Gichki was also fatally wounded. Four others were injured, he said.

Two of the injured personnel, Risalar Major Abdullah and Sepoy Nazim were critically wounded and have been admitted to a hospital in Karachi.

The Gwadar port and its surrounding areas are an important part of the USD 46 billion Pakistan-China Economic Corridor project and the area has seen regular attacks and kidnappings of security and government officials.

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An all party Parliamentary delegation is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of September and meet a cross section of people, amidst the ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley.

Government will consult all political parties before finalising an itinerary for the tour aimed at restoring peace in the Kashmir Valley, which is witnessing violent protests even since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

The move comes after Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced in Srinagar yesterday that he had asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to make preparation for the visit.

Sources said the visit of the all party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir is expected to be discussed when Mehbooba will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow.

The facilitation of the all party delegation to the troubled state is considered to be an attempt by the government to bring the political parties on board of the process initiated to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

There has been feeling in the government that unrest continues for too long -- 48 days -- and normalcy needs to be restored as early as possible.

The cycle of violence has claimed so far 67 lives.

The Home Minister's two-day visit on August 24-25 to the restive Kashmir for the second time in a month was part of Centre's outreach.

Singh had said that the central government was willing to talk to anyone on the problems faced in Jammu and Kashmir within the ambit of 'Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat' (Kashmir's pluralist ethos, humanity and democracy).

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Amber Heard's team has accused Johnny Depp's team of trying to save tax by directly donating her divorce settlement money to charity instead of first giving her the access to the USD 7 million.

Heard had pledged to donate the money to the two foundations but Depp's team has begun to donate the money directly in her name.

The 30-year old actress and her team say "Pirates of the Caribbean" star is trying to save taxes by directly donating the money to the charity. They have now called out the actor to double the donation, reported People magazine.

"Amber Heard appreciates Johnny Depp's novel interest in supporting two of her favourite charities, the ACLU for domestic violence and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. This is great and unexpected .

"However, if Johnny wishes to change the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honour the full amount by donating USD 14 million to charity, which, after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his USD 7 million payment obligation to Amber. We would also insist that the full amount be paid immediately and not drawn out over many years," a member of Heard's team said.

The member said that anything less would be an attempt by Johnny's counsel, Laura Wasser and Patti Glaser, to reduce their client's true payment.

"The Danish Girl" actress was awarded USD 7 million in the couple's divorce settlement earlier this month after which she decided to donate all of the amount to her two favourite charities- the American Civil Liberties Union and Children's Hospital Los Angeles.

Depp and Heard divorced after a brief but ugly fight where the actress accused him of domestic violence in their 15-month-old marriage.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A team of 15 Armymen cycled 350 km through mountain terrain to the high-altitude Nathula pass at the Sino-India border.

The team from Sukna-based artillery regiment of Trishakti Corps covered the distance in 18 days beginning August 3 to mark 50 years of its coming into existence, defence sources said today.

Led by Captain Deepak Kumar Giri, the team traversed through high altitude areas that normally require acclimatisation by soldiers, before they can be put on duty.

The team cycled to Nathula, located at an altitude of 14,600 feet and paid homage to martyrs at the War Memorial, the sources said.

They also used the opportunity to educate young boys and girls on 'Swachh Bharat Abhiyan' and conducted motivational lectures to encourage the youth of Sikkim to join the Indian Army.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu today met Union Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma to impress upon the need for development of infrastructure to harness the tourism prospects of the north-eastern state.

Emphasising that Arunachal Pradesh has "great tourism potential" which needs to be harnessed "properly", Khandu, who took oath as the chief minister last month, highlighted various religious places in the state which are to be "developed and promoted" as tourist spots.

Sharma assured him of the ministry's assistance in promoting high-end tourism, preserving the natural beauty and eco-system of the state, an official release said.

Stressing that state can boost tourism through Centre's schemes like North-East circuit and 'Prasad', Sharma said economic air fare packages will also boost the tourism sector of Arunachal Pradesh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arunachal Pradesh, which is hosting the second edition of the 'Songs and Dances of the North East' festival in the city, is eyeing 20 per cent rise in tourist arrival in the state in the current financial year.

"Despite physical, social as well as psychological distance, there has been a steady growth of tourists in the state. In 2015-16, we received 3.45 lakh tourists, including domestic as well as foreign. Of this, 3.4 lakh were from the country itself," Arunachal Pradesh Tourism Secretary Joram Bedaa told PTI here.

"Looking at the trend and our current marketing efforts we are expecting a 20 per cent rise in numbers in the state in this financial year," he added.

The first edition of the annual 'Songs and Dances of the North East' festival was held in Delhi, organised by Meghalaya.

Bedda said Arunachal Pradesh is targeting premium audience so that the ecology and the natural beauty of the state is not disturbed.

Known as the 'Land of the Rising Sun', the state is located in the northeast and borders Assam and Nagaland in the south, and shares international borders with Bhutan in the west, Myanmar in the east and China in the north.

Covered by the Himalayas, the state is being promoted as an 'adventure destination' as it has rivers, mountains and forests and will soon get its own airport in Tezu, he said.

"We are well connected through road and air to Assam. We also have regular helicopter services connecting us to our neighbouring state. Besides, we also connected with Delhi with a superfast train," Bedda said, adding that there are plans of introducing a Rajdhani train connecting Itanagar and the national capital.

The state is also bullish on Bollywood projects to promote tourism and has regular meetings with the industry to shoot projects in the state.

On 2nd 'Songs and Dances of the North East' festival, he said, it is conceptualised and designed to bind together the diverse culture and heritage of the North East on a common platform and connect it with rest of India.

The festival's theme this year is 'Come, Experience the North East' and is sponsored by North Eastern Council (NEC).

He said the festival will showcase ethnic delicacies, music and dance, from all eight North Eastern states - Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Tripura, Arunachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Nagaland and Manipur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Arunachal Pradesh has requested the Centre to allow Advanced Landing Grounds (ALGs) in the state for civilian use.

Chief Minister Pema Khandu who is presently in New Delhi and during a meeting with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today, he requested him that the ALGs in the state which are national assets must be optimally utilized for larger good, an official communique said.

The Defence Minister, the communique said, has agreed in-principle that the ministry has no objection to the dual use of the ALGs.

"This will be a major boost in getting air connectivity in the state which will pave the way for all round development in the state," the communique quoting the minister said.

The operationalisation of ALGs at Tawang, Ziro, Aalo, Mechuka, Pasighat, Walong and Tuting in Arunachal Pradesh is under various stages of progress.

In fact, the construction work of ALGs at Ziro, Mechuka and Pasighat is complete and were recently operationalised by the IAF.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Assam is in need of an industrial revolution which can be achieved by developing the oil refining sector, according to the state's Industry Minister Chandra Mohan Patowary.

Speaking at the India Oil and Gas Summit-2016 here today, Patowary spoke about the importance that the oil and gas sector has in the economic development of the North East region and how much more could be done in this sector.

Narrating how other states have been developing their oil refining sector vis-a-vis Assam and the void that exists, the minister said there is an urgent need for an industrial revolution in the state.

He assured that very soon a new North East Industrial and Investment Promotion Policy (NEIIPP) would be launched for boosting the industrial development of the region.

Patowary also said that by next month, both paper mills in Nagaon and Panchgram would be functioning again and the Centre has allocated a fund of Rs 680 crore for the purpose.

The summit was organised by the Indian Chamber of Commerce (ICC) with a theme 'Charting the Roadmap for Hydrocarbon Vision 2030 for North East' which saw participation from CRISIL, Numaligarh Refinery, ONGC Jorhat Asset, Oil India, Assam Petroleum, ONGC Tripura Power Company, Assam Departments of Mines and Minerals and Industries and Commerce, Government of Tripura, among others.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Air purifier gear maker Atlanta Healthcare, along with UK-based Cambridge Mask Co, has launched military grade anti-pollution mask for the Indian market to strengthen its presence in the segment.

The company has plans to tap online channels, pharmacy firms and major hospitals for its sales.

As part of the strategy, Atlanta Healthcare will first focus on metro markets for its masks with a starting range of Rs 1,799 to Rs 2,199.

Atlanta Healthcare CEO Vibhor Jain said: "This move will allow us to venture into a wider community and expand our consumer base in the country."



Cambridge Mask Co-founder J Dobbing said: "Cambridge Mask Co is excited to be entering Indian market and now offering customers a new choice of masks. We believe no child or adult should worry about going outside -- to help with this we have developed a product with military grade technology that looks fashionable."



The company will import the masks from the UK, but if the volume picks up, it will also go for local manufacturing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Employees and officers working in would take out a procession here on Saturday demanding stringent action against wilful loan defaulters by booking criminal cases against them.

This was stated in a joint press release issued by Employees' Association and Central Bank Officers' Union.

Indian Banking system is incurring huge losses because of mounting debts due to the non-repayment of loans taken by various corporate houses and "other important personalities of the society", CBIEA General Secretary P Udaya Bhaskar and CBOU General Secretary M Venkateswarlu said.
Hitting out at the SP government in Uttar Pradesh for not acting against BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui after he was accused of insulting woman kin of an expelled BJP leader, the saffron party today alleged a nexus between the SP and BSP because of its growing "popularity".

BJP National secretary Shrikant Sharma told a press conference here that the state police used "barbaric" force against its workers taking part in a democratic protest in Lucknow and lodged "false" cases but was not taking against BSP leaders accused of insulting women.

BJP has been trying to corner BSP chief Mayawati after her supporters allegedly used sexist and insulting remarks against wife and daughter of Dayashankar Singh, who was expelled from BJP for using derogatory comments against her.

BJP had taken high moral ground on the episode citing its action against Singh, who was later arrested by the state. police while Mayawati's defended her party leaders. The BJP has also targeted the SP government for not taking police action against BSP leaders while as it did against Singh.

"There cannot be a bigger example than this of the nexus between SP and BSP," he said.

Targeting the Akhilesh Yadav government over "lawlessness" in the state, he claimed the state had seen over 13144 cases of murders, 2103 of rape, 6333 of robbery and dacoity during its rule till March 2016.

Against 3467 cases of rape in 2014, the numbers rose to 9075 in 2015.

"Women are not safe in the state. SP wants to come back to power on the strength of criminals.... The 15 year rule of SP and BSP have destroyed the state. People want change now and BJP will come to power," he said.

Referring to the use of "excessive" force by police against protesting BJP workers, he said, "If Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has any morality and humanity, he should quash false cases registered against BJP leaders, many of whom were not even there. He should instead take action against Siddiqui."



He also rejected reports of RSS and BJP undertaking surveys to zero in on the party's chief ministerial candidate.

(Reopen Des 32)



Shrikant Sharma also targeted the Left government in Kerala over the killing of an RSS worker and alleged that it has not registered a case against the accused and instead lodged an FIR against six RSS workers on "false" charges.

"The Kerala government is communal and barbaric," he told the press conference.

Over 250 RSS workers have faced deadly attacks since this government came to power in the state, he claimed, demanding that a case be registered in the alleged murder of the Hindutva activist and the "false" cases against the organisation's workers be cancelled.

Asked about the BJP's response to the Bombay High Court's verdict allowing entry of women in the the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah, he said the party welcomes it as the matter was about woman's rights.
The Brexit turmoil took a heavy toll on Tata Motors earnings for April-June, with the company today reporting a 57 per cent plunge in net income at Rs 2,236 crore.

While a battered pound eroded Rs 2,296 crore from its profit, adverse commodity derivatives blew a hole of Rs 167 crore.

As the pound took a beating -- sinking to a 31-year-low following the Brexit vote on June 24 -- the company's cash cow JLR took a 14 per cent forex hit at Rs 2,296 crore, offsetting the higher income arising from better volumes, Tata Group CFO C Ramakrishnan told reporters here this evening.

As a result, net income of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) fell 38.21 per cent to 304 million pound in the first quarter ended June, from 492 million pound, while its revenue rose to 5,461 million pound from 5,002 million pound a year ago.

He said the overall numbers were driven down by lower market incentives in the quarter. The numbers would have been still lower but for the one-time income of Rs 478 crore, or 50 million pounds, from claims arising out of the Tianjin (China) fire last financial year.

"Operating performance of JLR reflects the overall higher wholesales, offset by adverse forex impact of 207 million pound, including revaluation of 84 million pound, mainly euro payables resulting from depreciation in the pound following the Brexit vote," Ramakrishnan said.

"Higher volumes in both standalone as well as Jaguar Land Rover business were more than offset by the adverse forex impact of Rs 2,296 crore and adverse commodity derivatives impact of Rs 167 crore. On top of that, JLR operating profit was also hit by lower local market incentives and higher depreciation and amortisation expenses."



For the quarter, consolidated revenue rose to Rs 67,056 crore from Rs 61,510 crore, driven by improvement in the businesses of both the parent as well as JLR on the back of strong sales in Britain, Europe, North America, China, whose volume share declined to 14.1 per cent in the reporting quarter from 20.5 per cent a year ago.

Despite this, the China JV chipped in a profit of 45 million pound, Ramakrishnan said.

Despite the massive drop in numbers, the market lapped up the Tata Motors scrip, which rallied 4.24 per cent to Rs 514.70 on BSE, whereas the benchmark Sensex recorded a marginal drop.

(REOPENS BOM 21)



JLR sales numbers were driven by strong demand for the Discovery Sport, XE and the new F-Pace models in North America.

On a standalone basis, the company reported a net profit of Rs 25.75 crore for the June quarter, down 91.11 per cent, year on year.

Standalone sales rose 10.21 per cent to Rs 11,311.24 crore, from Rs 10,262.76 crore earlier. Sales, including exports of commercial and passenger vehicles, stood at 1,26,839 units, representing a growth of 8 per cent.

JLR wholesales (excluding China JV) stood at 1,20,776 units, he said, adding that China JV wholesales for the quarter came in at 13,558 units.

Tata Motors said subsequent to approval by shareholders at the AGM, the board has cleared a resolution to raise Rs 3,000 crore. The funds will be mopped up through issue of secured/unsecured debentures and/or bonds in one or more tranches from time to time.

On a standalone basis, the company saw its net income diving more than 90 per cent to a paltry Rs 26 crore despite all the segments witnessing growth -- M&HCV expanded by 7.8 per cent, LCV 11.6 per cent, passenger vehicles 6.3 per cent and car segment 15.1 per cent, driven by the demand for its new launch Tiago.

Ramakrishnan said the standalone numbers include those of its two local JVs - with Cummins and Fait - and are as per the Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS).

The strong growth in all segments along with ongoing cost reduction and other margin improvement initiatives led to the improvement of 60 bps in the Ebitda margin of the standalone business, he said.

The company netted other income such as dividend from subsidiaries of Rs 568 crore in the first quarter, up from Rs 481 crore a year ago.
Japanese tyre major Corporation on Friday introduced America's legendary tyre brand Firestone with the Firestone FR500 for cars and Firestone Destination LE02 for SUVs.

Firestone, a 116-year-old brand, will focus on the passenger car and SUV segments in the initial phase with the new brand, the company said.

The new brand of tyres will be manufactured at its plants in Chakan, Pune and Kheda near Indore. The company did not offer the pricing details, though.

Launching the Firestone brand, India Managing Director Kazuhiko Mimura said, over the past few years, India has emerged as one of the fastest growing automotive markets in the world. Firestone will focus on the passenger car and SUV segments initially and subsequently expand the size range.

"We hope to garner our fair share of the market through a wide network of dealerships and superior quality and service," Mimura said.

Firestone was founder in 1900 at Akron, Ohio, by Harvey Firestone and in 1988, Corporation of Japan acquired all operations of Firestone, transforming Bridgestone into one of the world's largest tire and rubber .

Bridgestone entered the country in 1996 and in March 1998 it set up its first manufacturing facility at Kheda in Madhya Pradesh, and expanded to Chakan, Pune in 2013.

Apart from tyres, the Tokyo-based firm also manufactures a broad range of diversified products including industrial rubber, chemical products and sporting goods sold in over 150 markets.
In a move to promote innovation in sector, farmers of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh will exchange experiences based on new experiments being done in the field of farming in both the states.

"The two states have different climatic conditions as well as variety in types of soil. Exchanging new ideas and best practices will help farmers of both the states to combat challenges faced in sector, besides enhancing productivity," an department official said on Friday.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh had during a meeting with Rajasthan's Agriculture Minister Prabhulal Saini recently at Kota in the western state expressed mutual consent on this step, he said.

It has been decided that atleast 50 farmers from Chhattisgarh will be sent on a study tour to Jaipur where they will also attend the agri-tech fair to be held from November 9 to 11, he said.

The farmers of Rajasthan were also invited herefor studying advanced methods of farming,specially in horticulture crops sector.

The Rajasthan government was informed in the meeting about various new practices underway in the field of horticulture in Chhattisgarh, like preparation of clusters of guava, lemon, custard apples and berries and the ongoing plantation of cashew saplings alongside the roads at wide-level, the official said.

Besides, initiatives like use of solar energy to ensure drinking water supply in villages of Chhattisgarh and distribution of solar irrigation pumps to farmers were also appreciated by officials there, he said.

Similarly, according to Rajasthan government, the state is the leading producer of cumin, mustard, and barley and even they had developed west Rajasthan as hub of date palm production, the official said.

The exchange of innovative ideas among the farmers of different states will help them to take up production of new crops according to the standard procedure, he added.
Amid allegation of huge surge in expenditure on advertisement by the AAP government, Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia today claimed there is no corruption in it and demanded that CAG conduct a comparative study of publicity expense by Delhi and other states.

"There has been no corruption in advertisements given by Delhi government's publicity department. The CAG report has not found even a single rupee scam in expenditure on ads by the government," he claimed during a Calling Attention motion in the Assembly.

"CAG may conduct a comparative analysis of spendings on advertisement by Delhi government and that of other state governments which will clear the air on the issue," he said.

"Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, Amit Shah and other leaders who have been alleging a corruption of Rs 526 crore in Delhi government's advertisements should apologise as CAG report has not pointed to even a single scam in it," the Deputy Chief Minister said.

Earlier, Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel cancelled a breach of privilege motion against Sisodia moved by Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta alleging he did not give the right answer in the Assembly on CAG report on Wednesday.

Sisodia asked the Chair to take action against the BJP leader for "leaking" the CAG report to the media before it was obtained by the government.

"By leaking the report to the media through a press release, Gupta has committed contempt of House and action must be taken against him and the matter should be referred to the Privileges Committee," he said.

The matter was referred to the Privileges Committee of the House by the Speaker.

Sisodia on August 24 had informed the House that the Delhi government has not received any CAG report.

"Gupta should tell where he found the report," Sisodia said, adding he received the report at 5.30 PM on Wednesday.

He also said the report was with CAG, Lt Governor of Delhi and Finance Secretary of Delhi government and he believed that it was not leaked by the government official.

When asked about the issue at an event, Lt Governor Najeeb Jung said, "It would not be really fair for me to comment. The process is very clear. It will be tabled in the Assembly where the MLAs will debate on it and the shortcomings. Reports have been published in the newspapers. Let's see what the outcome is."



The Deputy Chief Minister also challenged Gupta to be ready for a discussion and not "run away" when the report is presented in the House with the permission of the Speaker.

Gupta had moved the breach of privileges motion alleging, "Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia has committed contempt of the House by making wrong statement and in view of this the Assembly Speaker should punish him.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Canada's former prime minister Stephen Harper announced today he was quitting politics, 10 months after voters tossed his Tories out of office in a general election.

The awkward career-politician, who was more at home plowing through economic theory than glad-handing voters on the campaign trail, said in a statement that he was stepping down as a member of parliament after nearly 18 years of public service.

Summarizing the previous Tory government's accomplishments over nearly 10 years with him at the helm, Harper pointed to tax cuts, stiffer criminal sentences, and steering the economy "through the worst global recession since the Great Depression" in 2008.

Of the Group of Seven industrialized nations, he noted, Canada "came out in the strongest position of them all."



Harper's spokeswoman Anna Tomala said the former prime minister has formed a consulting group to provide advice to international clients.

"The firm will work in tech, finance, energy, infrastructure and manufacturing along (with) other files, in the US, Europe, Middle East and Asia," she said in an email.

Regulatory documents show Harper created a company last December called Harper and Associates Consulting Inc. With former aides Ray Novak and Jeremy Hunt.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Canadian twin brothers who had hoped to join the Islamic State (IS) group pleaded guilty to "terrorism" offenses and were sentenced today to prison terms, prosecutors announced.

The brothers, Ashton and Carlos Larmond, both 25, received sentences of 17 and seven years, respectively.

A third man, Suliman Mohamed, 23, faces a seven-year term for conspiring with the twins.

In court, prosecutor Douglas Curliss described Ashton as the "organizer and director" of an unspecified extremist plot.

Police alleged that he had urged others to wage jihad after his mother alerted the authorities of his plan to travel to Syria to join the IS group in 2013 and the government revoked his passport.

Later, on the day in October 2014 when a gunman shot dead a ceremonial guard and attempted to storm the parliament building in Ottawa, Ashton allegedly bragged to an undercover agent that he had "bigger plans."



Within hours of his arrest in January 2015 after a lengthy investigation, his brother Carlos was apprehended as he boarded a flight at Montreal's international airport.

Carlos acknowledged in court that he was planning to join the IS group in Syria.

At the time of their arrest, the trio were presented by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police as an extremist "cluster.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today asked people not to pay "exhorbitant" electricity bills and promised waiver of farmers' debt if the party forms government in the state after next year's elections.

Addressing a 'Kisan Chetna' dharna organised here under the leadership of Partap Singh Bajwa, former PCC president and the chairman of the PCC committee on farmer' issues, Amarinder said if the party is voted to power, he will ensure that the farmers' loans are waived off and their land is not taken away.

The PCC president said it was a tragedy that the same farmers of Punjab, who once fed the entire nation, were now either dying themselves for food or were killing themselves in despair for inability to repay their loans.

"We owe it to you as you have done your due and now it is our responsibility to bail you out," he told the farmers.

Referring to the complaint about the "exhorbitant" electricity bills slapped on the poor consumers by the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited, he asked them not to pay these bills and promised to settle these if Congress forms the government.

He said electricity was the most expensive in Punjab and the PSPCL was resorting to loot of poor consumers.

Lashing out at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal, Amarinder alleged that they had ruined the farming community, forcing them to resort to suicide.

He also attacked Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia, alleging that he had forced the synthetic drugs on youth thus destroying an entire generation.

Responding to the announcement made by AICC Secretary in-charge for Punjab Asha Kumari that all such people will be jailed, the PCC president said, "not only shall I put them behind the bars, I will set them right as well by hanging them upside down".

Among other poll promises, the former Chief Minister said not only will he cancel all the false FIRs against the Congress workers "on the first day of taking over the government", he will also ensure that all those people responsible, whether the Akali jathedars or the police officials, will also be put behind the bars.

"I will avenge each and every Congress worker's persecution," he asserted.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Launching a scathing attack on the Centre, Chief Minister on Friday alleged it was trying to "save money" by stopping or slashing funds for state projects but had spent a huge sum on a suit for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She gave three months time to the Centre to waive the huge debts her government inherited from the previous Left Front regime and threatened to launch a movement on the streets of New Delhi if interference in federal structure is not stopped.

"The Narendra Modi government has either stopped or slashed funds for various state government projects. He is trying to save money. What for will you save the money? You want to save the money for a coat and get a place in the Guinness Book?" she said.

Addressing a programme of the Trinamool Congress student wing, the Chief Minister said mockingly, "You can find your name in the Guinness Book for good work, but just imagine people are making it to it just by stitching coats."

The monogrammed suit Modi donned during his meeting with the US President Barack Obama last year entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive suit sold at auction. But it had invited Opposition criticism.

The suit was reportedly stitched at a cost of Rs 10 lakh and was auctioned at a base price of Rs 11 lakh. The money raised from the auction of the suit has been earmarked for the Centre's clean Ganga mission.

Mamata then referred to the Centre's peculiar rule that if there is no Aadhaar card then students will not get benefits or scholarships.

"Who are they to stop it? The government should understand that we have not come to power by the mercy of someone. The Centre has its own jurisdiction and state its own. The Centre should not interfere in the matters of the state," Banerjee said.

She threatened to launch an agitation in Delhi if the Centre doesn't stop interfering and doesn't waive the debts within three months.

She expressed regret that her government always cooperated with the Centre on positive issues, but was never reciprocated by.

She accused the Modi government of being interested more in giving advertisements rather than any proper work.

Banerjee also spoke on the Border Security Force (BSF) allegedly providing training to Narayani Sena of Greater Cooch Behar People's Association and accused the Centre of pursuing divisive .

"Just imagine BSF is giving training to those who want to break the nation and the state. An MP (BJP MP) is writing to the Centre in favour of them (Narayani Sena) and asking it to induct them in the Indian Army. Activists of their party (BJP) are going to every household and conducting cow census. We will not tolerate such things," Banerjee said.

The BSF has denied the allegation terming it baseless.
Delhi Home Minister Satyendar Jain today accused the Centre of using the Delhi Police as "instrument" against AAP MLAs and said full statehood to the national capital is the "sole solution to "harassment" of legislators.

Replying to discussion on police allegedly targeting the ruling party MLAs and DCW chief Swati Maliwal in the Assembly, Jain picked on Prime Minister and Lt Governor Najeeb Jung over the issue, claiming that country was being governed through British colonial rules



"In a TV interview, the Lt Governor had challenged the Aam Aadmi Party to win 282 seats in Lok Sabha election if it wants full statehood status to Delhi. Before Delhi Assembly polls, we had also been asked by BJP and Congress to contest elections if we want corruption-free governance. They challenged us and finally we won with blessing of people in the Assembly elections.

"I hope that LG's remarks will turn into reality and we will make Delhi a full state with the help of people," he said.

He further said that in the last one-and-a-half year, out of 67 AAP MLAs, 12 have been arrested by police on various charges, but in other states, MLAs and MPs are not targeted at such large scale in country.

"During emergency period in India, police had been misused against people. Centre has created emergency like situation in Delhi and is busy in getting our MLAs arrested. But, I want to make it clear that we will not afraid of threats, arresting and will continue to work for people," the Home Minister said.

Taking part in the discussion on the issue, AAP MLA Sarita Singh criticised Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) for raiding the office of Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal who fights for women's issues.

"Since Maliwal has assumed office, she has solved 400 cases, but she was deliberately being targeted," another MLA Bhawna Gaur said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A CISF jawan, posted in the Delhi metro network security unit, today allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself from his service pistol inside the station premises.

Officials said the incident was reported from Mewala Maharajpur metro station on the violet line at about 7:40 AM when constable Alpesh Rathod (30) was found lying in a pool of blood after he allegedly shot himself from his pistol in the CCTV observation room in the station area.

The security personnel went into a tizzy for sometime as the gun shot was heard inside the station.

"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident to ascertain the circumstances as to why Rathod took the extreme step. He used his service weapon to commit suicide," an official said, adding a family dispute is suspected to have led the jawan to take the extreme step.

Rathod, a native of Gujarat, had joined the Central Industrial Security Force's metro security unit in October 2014 and is survived by his wife and one-year-old daughter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A CISF jawan, posted in the Delhi metro network security unit, today allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself from his service pistol.

Officials said the incident was reported from Mewala Maharajpur station on the violet line at about 7:40 AM.

Constable Alpesh Rathod was found lying in a pool of blood after he allegedly shot himself from his force pistol.

"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident to ascertain the circumstances as to why Rathod took the extreme step," an official said, adding that some family dispute might have led him to take the extreme step.

Rathod, a native of Gujarat, had joined the Central Industrial Security Force's Metro security unit in October 2014 and is survived by his wife and a one-year-old daughter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Country's second largest software services firm Infosys today said it will give a clearer picture on its revenue guidance post the September quarter.

In an analysts' meet, the Bengaluru-based company it is witnessing "softness" in some clients, post Brexit, and the recent cancellation of the RBS contract shows how key clients were being cautious in the wake of Britain leaving the European Union.

"There are uncertainties across sectors, geographies. We did not see the RBS ramp down coming at the start of the quarter. We are seeing softness in some clients, post Brexit, now which was not anticipated at the start of Q2. We want to see if the RBS is a one-off case or there are more like RBS," Infosys CEO Vishal Sikka said.

He, however, added that the second quarter will be better than April-June period.

Infosys Chief Financial Officer Ranganath D Mavinakere said the company wants to give a more "accurate picture on guidance" after its executes the second quarter of FY2016-17 (July-September).

Infosys had disappointed the street by slashing its annual sales growth forecast to 10.8-12.3 per cent in US dollar terms for 2016-17, down from the previous forecast of 11.8-13.8 per cent rise.

This sent the stock crashing the most in a single day since Vishal Sikka became CEO more than two years ago.

Speaking to analysts today, Sikka said Infosys continues to see healthy deal pipeline.

He also stated that the company is not laying off any employees, saying "every employee at Infosys is valuable. There is no involuntary attrition."



There were reports that Infosys was laying off 500 staff but the company denied reports saying there had been a 'few separations in response to performance and disciplinary issues', which were unrelated to contract losses.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Miffed over Congress leader and PAC chairman Manas Bhuniya's defiant stand towards the state leadership, party MLA's today decided to appeal for his suspension and disciplinary action against him to the AICC.

State Congress President Adhir Chowdhury accused Bhuniya of working on the behalf of TMC and said the party would not tolerate such indiscipline.

"He is working on behalf of Trinamool Congress as an agent of TMC in lieu of 'supari'. We will not tolerate indiscipline. Nobody should take Congress for granted," Chowdhury said.

"Today in the meeting of Congress MLAs, a unanimous decision was taken to send a proposal to AICC requesting them to take disciplinary action and suspend Manas Bhuniya as he has indulged in anti-party activities, disrespecting the state leadership and the decisions taken by the party," Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Abdul Mannan told PTI.

"The MLAs had appealed him to resign from the post of PAC chairman but he didn't. He was even show-caused. He has crossed his limits," the senior Congress leader said.

Mannan said it was also decided that Bhuniya would be boycotted by Congress MLAs.

Reacting to the decision, Bhuniya said both Mannan and Chowdhury were deliberately insulting him.

"They are deliberately insulting me. I haven't received any letter of suspension. Let me get it first, then I will decide my future course of action," Bhuniya said.

He had boycotted today's Congress Legislature Party meeting.

The development came a day after Bhuniya's younger brother and West Midnapore district Congress president Bikas along with several Congress, joined the TMC.

Manas Bhuniya had been show caused by Congress for refusing to step down from the post of the chairman of the Public Accounts Committee despite repeated requests by party leaders.

Thirty-nine party MLAs had jointly appealed Bhuniya to resign from that post.

Congress wanted to give the PAC chairman's post to the CPI(M), with which it had jointly contested the West Bengal Assembly elections earlier this year.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An 11-year-old Royal Bengal tigress has set a record of sorts by begetting 22 cubs since 2008 in Madhya Pradesh's Pench Tiger Reserve (PTR), thus becoming the cynosure of all eyes as tourists flock in large numbers to catch a glimpse of the majestic beast.

Forest experts say the tigress' popularity is akin to India's most famous feline 'Machli', of Rajasthan, who died last week.

"Royal Bengal Tigress T-15, popularly known as 'Collar Wali' (one with a collar), has given birth to 22 cubs in six separate litters since 2008. I have not heard of any tigress that has given birth to 22 cubs anywhere," Pench Tiger Reserve's field director Subharanjan Sen told PTI.

The tigress gave birth to five cubs in 2011 and reared all of them, he said.

According to the last tiger count of 2014, the striped animal population in PTR, spread over Seoni and Chhindwara districts of MP, was between 35 and 49, he said.

T-15 is known as 'Collar Wali' as she was the first tigress to be radio collared in PTR for tracking her movements, though her radio collar is defunct now, another forest official said.

'Collar Wali' gave birth to 22 cubs in 6 litters between 2008 and 2015, said Kanha Tiger Reserve's field director Sanjay Shukla, who is former Chief Conservator of Forests, Seoni that houses PTR.

Shukla said the Department of Post issued a special cover envelope of Collar Wali on World Sparrow Day last year (March 20, 2015). Besides, New Zealand and Canada too issued personalised stamps on the tigress last year.

He said the tigress lives in Karmajhiri range in the core area of PTR and her offsprings have raised the population of big cats in the tiger reserve.

The tigress was born to tiger T-1, also known as Charger, and tigress Badimata in 2005, wildlife activist from Seoni, Sanjay Tiwari said.

Charger and Badimata too used to be a major tourist attraction once, he informed.

Tiwari said "tiger enthusiasts both from India and abroad are crazy about Collar Wali. They stay put in hotels just to get a glimpse of the tigress".

Earlier, India's most famous tigress 'Machli', of Ranthambore Tiger Reserve, died last week. The tigress was born in 1996 and was considered the world's oldest big cat. The feline had 11 cubs.

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Goa Congress today filed a complaint with the Lokayukta against state Power Minister Milind Naik over his alleged involvement in an scam of over Rs 300 crore in his department.

State Congress spokesperson Sunil Kawathankar filed a formal complaint against Naik before Lokayukta accusing him of being involved in the irregularities worth Rs 332 crore by way of awarding tenders in a fraudulent manner.

The petition accuses Naik of rigging tenders and bypassing laws to facilitate people known to him. State Chief Secretary, Secretary Finance and the Chief Electrical Engineer have also been made a party in the complaint.

Kawathankar in his petition has sought Lokayukta's directions to file FIR against all of them, including Naik.

The Congress leader has demanded also that the state government should maintain status-quo in all the tenders pending inquiry by Lokayukta.

Two days ago, the minister had refuted the charges saying he was not involved in any scam.

"Let an inquiry be conducted into the allegations. We have followed all procedures while awarding tenders for various works," he had said.

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A day after Rahul Gandhi said he stood by his remarks on RSS over Mahatma Gandhi's killing, Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu today accused the Congress of raking up needless controversies for reaping political gains and being "soft" on terrorists and hard on nationalists.

He said the BJP will keep fighting Congress' "hateful agenda" and said the opposition party has no moral right to point an accusing finger at the BJP or RSS after having practised "divisive and vote-bank" politics all these years.

"The recent remarks of Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi attacking the RSS clearly shows that the party is obsessed with raking up needless controversies with the intention of reaping political dividends. The Congress always remained soft on terrorists and hard on nationalists," he said.

"With the kind divisive and vote-bank politics it has pursued the Congress has no right to criticize the BJP. Let me make it clear, the BJP will never stop fighting the hateful and divisive agenda of the Congress," Naidu added.

The Minister said the Congress party never sincerely tried to promote social and communal harmony in the country and only practiced its trademark politics of "divisiveness and appeasement."



"It is unfortunate that such politics of appeasement only resulted in widening the divide between minorities and the majority rather than bringing cohesiveness in the society," he said.

Naidu also criticised the Congress for supporting Maoists, fundamentalists and communal forces and said it "is known for practising politics of opportunism right from the beginning".

Substantiating his charges, he said Congress supported those criticising the hanging of Yakub Memon, Maqbool Bhatt and Afzal Guru as well as to 'anti-national activities' in JNU, besides also symapthising with Amnesty International after its platform was used for raising anti-India slogans.

(REOPENS DEL 69)



Attacking the Congress, Naidu said, "its politics of opportunism and double standards was again on display recently when it sympathized with Amnesty International after the latter's platform was used to raise anti-India slogans."



"Congress leaders also extended support to similar activities in Hyderabad and expressed solidarity with Maoists, fundamentalists and communalists who criticized the hanging of Yakub Memon, Maqbool Bhatt and Afzal Guru. Similar support was extended to anti-national activities in JNU," he said.

The Union Minister said Congress "is known for practising politics of opportunism right from the beginning".

"It is the Congress, which promoted and aligned with the Muslim League, which was responsible for the division of the country," he said.

Naidu said the Congress also helped Majlis Ittehadul Muslimeen (MIM) to capture the mayor's post in Hyderabad and had an "unwritten pact" with it for many years and never hesitated to join hands with communal forces in different parts of the country for temporary political gains.

"Was it not the Congress party, which promoted Bhindranwale and even described him as Sant ? It was the Congress regime that supported LTTE with arms and ammunition and later sent peace-keeping forces to Sri Lanka resulting in the death of about 1,000 Indian soldiers.

"The Congress is silent on SIMI, ISIS and violent on patriotic organizations like the RSS," he said, adding that this is the reason why Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah wanted a "Congress-shasan mukt Bharat".
Congress supporters today gheraoed the Chief District Medical Officer's (CDMO) office here today demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation for the family of Dana Majhi, who had to walk 10 km with his wife's body on the shoulders after he was allegedly denied a hearse.

A large number of party supporters took part in the protest organised by Kalahandi district Congress and hit out at the administration for the alleged denial of a hearse for carrying the patient's body from the hospital here to her village.

District Congress secretary Samanta Khamari said besides compensation, they also demanded an impartial probe into the incident and stern action against those responsible and adequate steps for education of Majhi's 12-year-old daughter.

They also sought Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik's apology for the incident and alleged that all welfare schemes launched by the BJD government in the state have failed and the poor people were unable to get any benefit.

On Wednesday, Dana Majhi, along with his daughter, had to walk around 10 km carrying his wife's body on his shoulder as he failed to get a vehicle to transport it from a government hospital in the backward district of Kalahandi where she died.

Amang Dei (42) had died of tuberculosis at the district headquarters hospital in Bhawanipatna.

Majhi alleged that he failed to get any help from the hospital authorities and had no other alternative than to wrap the body in a cloth and start walking to his village Melghara, about 60 km from here.

After some local reporters spotted the duo, they called up the District Collector and an ambulance was sent for transportation of the body, but by then the man had walked around 10 km.

Kalahandi District Collector Brundha D has ordered an inquiry into the incident. Meanwhile, CDMO of Kalahandi Dr B K Brahma yesterday claimed that the husband of the deceased did not contact anybody for a vehicle to take the body from the hospital to his village.

"The patient was neither discharged nor declared dead by the ward in-charge doctor," the CDMO had claimed in a release, adding Majhi did not ask or contact anybody for a vehicle to carry his wife's body.

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Congress today said the Maharashtra government's draft legislation for internal security is against the Constitution and wrote to Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao, seeking scrapping of the proposed law.

"The draft is anti-constitutional and also violates the laid down procedure for enacting legislations," Leader of Opposition in the Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil said in the letter to Rao.

"The home department, while publishing the draft, did not take approval from the state cabinet and also the ministers of concerned departments," the Congress leader said.

"The draft violates Article 19 of the Constitution," Patil contended. "Indian citizens, as per Article 19, have been granted the right to assembly, without arms and in a peaceful manner.

"The draft of the Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act, in the garb of tackling terrorism, seeks to deprive the citizens of this right," he said.

Maharashtra is the first state in the country to draft its own internal security act.

The draft bill defines internal security as a situation "posing threat to state within its borders, either caused or provoked, prompted ... By a hostile foreign power ... Causing insurgency, terrorism or any other subversive act targeting innocent citizens, causing animosity between groups" etc.

Among others, it lays down requirement of police permission for a gathering of 100 or more people in certain areas. This provision has come in for a flak from the Opposition parties.

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Actress Demi Moore has joined Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon and Jillian Bell in Sony Pictures' "Rock That Body."



Ilana Glazer and Zoe Kravitz are also starring in the picture, which follows five friends who rent a beach house in Miami for a wild bachelorette weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Lucia Aniello will direct the comedy drama. Paul W Downs and Aniello co-wrote the script of the film.

Moore, whose has worked in movies like "Ghost," "A Few Good Men," "Incident Proposal" and recently in "Forsaken," will next be seen in human trafficking drama "Love Sonia" and "Blind.

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In a shocking incident, two minor sisters, who were forced to live in a dark, locked room devoid of ventilation in outer Delhi's Samaypur Badli area after being deserted by their drunkard father, were rescued with deep wounds due to maggot infection, police said today.

The two girls, aged eight and three years, were left alone in their rented house at Radha Vihar of Nepali Colony, allegedly by their drunkard father on August 17, they said.

After a foul smell started emanating from the house, neighbours made a PCR call on August 19 and the two girls were rescued from the house. They were infected with maggots and had skin infection, police said.

The room had no ventilation and it was a breeding ground for mosquitoes. The girls had also not eaten for days and were on the verge of death when they were rescued, a police official said.

They were admitted to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital and are currently out of danger, police said.

Delhi Commission for Women (DCW) chief Swati Maliwal met the girls and said the women's panel will take care of them.

"Met 2 little girls abandoned by parents. Hv deep wounds infested with maggot, were stinking. Such a shame. Parents shud b punished for this. DCW to ensure there upkeep. DCW counselors attending to girl. Spoke to @SandeepKumar ji n he has assured admission in residential school," she said in a series of tweets.

"Police have registered a case under sections 317 IPC (abandonment of child under 12 years by parents or guardian) and 75 of the Juvenile Justice Act. Once the girls are in better condition, we will produce them before CWC," said DCP (Outer) Vikramjeet Singh.

Police teams have been formed to trace the parents.

The girls' father, Bunty, from Uttar Pradesh, used to work as a labourer and spend all his earnings on alcohol. His is currently unemployed.

Locals told police that Bunty had married Jyoti who left him for another man a couple of months ago and took their five-year-old son with her. There were fights between the couple frequently and Bunty would often beat his wife. He used to scold the two girls after Jyoti left.

Bunty had deserted his mother who currently works as a maid in houses around Tis Hazari Subzi Mandi and stays at a night shelter. When the police contacted her and asked to take responsibility of the two girls, she cited her inability to do so.

Monetary help has been pouring in for the two girls. However, police is currently looking after the girls on its own, police said.

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The Maldives' dissident former president met opposition groups in neighbouring Sri Lanka today to hatch a plan to topple strongman president Abdulla Yameen, opposition sources told AFP.

Ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, who recently won asylum in Britain after being jailed by Yameen's government, was among several exiled opposition groups meeting in Colombo, two people in Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party said.

"The opposition leaders are meeting in Colombo to work out strategies to legally topple Yameen," one MDP member told AFP.

The MDP is part of a new coalition opposed to Yameen, called the Maldives United Opposition (MUO), formed in London in June where Nasheed sought asylum while on leave from prison for medical treatment.

The Male-based outlet Maldives Independent said Nasheed and two other seniors of the MUO arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

"The website report is accurate," a person close to the MDP told AFP.

There was no immediate comment from the Maldivian government, but the administration has consistently maintained there is a plot to oust the president.

In June, Yameen's former deputy Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 15 years on a charge of plotting to assassinate the president -- part of a sweeping crackdown on opponents, most of whom are in jail or exile.

The international community has mounted fierce criticism against what they say is Yameen's unlawful jailing of Nasheed and other opponents.

Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader who came to power in 2008, was forced to step down in February 2012 following a mutiny by police and the military.

In March 2015 he was jailed for 13 years on a charge of terrorism for having a judge arrested when he was president three years earlier.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned in May last year that democracy in the Maldives was under threat, saying Nasheed had been "imprisoned without due process".

The simmering political unrest in the nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands has dented its image as a paradise for upmarket tourists.

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Launching a counteroffensive against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her attack on the Centre and Prime Minister Narendra Modi today, the BJP asked her to stop "behaving like Arvind Kejiriwal and get down to governance".

"Our advice to Mamata Banerjee is to stop behaving like Arvind Kejiriwal and get down to good governance so that TMC honours the mandate given to them in 2016," BJP national Secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said.

Earlier, in the day Banerjee had attacked the Centre and taken a jibe at the Prime Minister as well.

"The Modi government has either stopped or slashed funds for various state government projects. He is trying to save money. What for will you save the money? You want to save the money for a coat and get a place in the Guinness Book?" she had told a meeting of TMC's students wing.

Singh characterised Mamata's outburst as an expression of "frustration" and asked her to stop playing the "victim card".

"Mamata's outburst against Modiji reflects her frustration as she, in her second (consecutive) term, cannot blame the previous government in Bengal (because then she would be blaming her own rule) for the problems she inherited," Singh said.

"Governance has never been Mamata Banerjee's asset. Therefore, she is from day one of her second term started to play the victim card blaming the Centre for paucity of funds and non-cooperation," Singh told PTI.

He said the Modi government is known for "strengthening" the federal structure and keeping this in mind the Centre under the 14th Finance Commission allocated a lot more than what Bengal had received under the 13th Finance Commission.

Singh also asked Banerjee and TMC to conduct a census on their "own party activists who are involved" in cow smuggling.

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A detailed project report (DPR) of the Assam government on steps to curb growing wildlife casualties due to traffic movement on the Highway-37 passing through the Park has been approved, the Road Transport and Highways Ministry has informed the Green Tribunal (NGT).

The Ministry told a bench headed by the NGT Chairperson Justice Swatanter Kumar that the approval was granted on August 9, after which the green panel directed the state government to file an affidavit stating the step they were going to take with regard to DPR in a time bound manner.

The bench will be hearing further on September 8.

The tribunal had earlier directed Assam government to expeditiously prepare a DPR and summoned its top officials including the concerned Secretary and Director of National Park to inform it about compliance of its earlier orders on the issue.

It had also directed the Union Ministry to take clear instructions as to whether or not it proposed to issue any draft notification in regard to Eco Sensitive Zone.

The Assam government had told the bench that DPR would be prepared in consultation with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun and the Director of Kaziranga park, which is home to the famous one-horned rhinos.

The NGT was hearing on a plea of environment activist Rohit Choudhury opposing expansion of NH-37 which passes from Jakhalabandha to Bokakhat through the Kaziranga Park.

It had earlier ordered demolition of roadside shops and eateries along the animal corridors near Kaziranga, among a slew of directions, in the wake of increasing wildlife casualties due to vehicular movement on the adjacent highway.

Gauhati High Court had, however, stayed the order on demolishing shops and dhabas located within 100 metres of NH-37.

The green panel had asked the state to ensure installation of sensor-operated automatic barriers at the animal corridors and ascertain whether speed-check cameras were in working condition or not.
Scores of Delhi University students today sat on a hunger strike demanding construction of new hostels in the varsity.

The hunger strike is part of the ongoing "A Room of My Own" campaign by the varsity students demanding better hostel facilities in the university to avoid harassment of students by private accommodation owners.

"The need for hostels is not only for a cheap accommodation but rather it should be linked to an idea of a closed campus where students live and share their ideas throughout day and night. One must link it to freedom of living and sharing academic ideas," Nandini Sundar, a sociology professor at the varsity.

Ankita Nirmal, a first year student said, "I am sitting on hunger strike because I cannot afford the high room rents that one has to pay for PGs and rented rooms. If the university doesn't provide me with hostels or if the rents are not reduced, I doubt if I can study here".

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Actor Michael Cashman will be returning to "EastEnders" as Colin Russell.

Cashman will be reprising his role for two episodes and sharing scenes with "EastEnders" legend June Brown, who plays Dot Branning, reported Digital Spy.

"It was a real joy, indeed a privilege, to return to my old home of Albert Square. To be amongst so many friends again, and to be back in the place where 30 years ago I started an amazing journey," Cashman said.

"An amazing journey which incredibly helped to change the country, and certainly its attitude to lesbian gay and bisexual people."



Colin joined "EastEnders" in 1986 and is best remembered for his on-screen relationship with Barry Clark.

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Eleven Turkish police officers were killed and 70 people injured today in a car bombing blamed on Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) rebels, as Turkey's army pressed an offensive against a Kurdish militia in neighbouring Syria.

The early morning blast almost completely destroyed the police headquarters in the southeastern town of Cizre, just north of the Syrian border and close to northwestern Iraq.

The explosion went off hours after the Turkish military shelled positions held by Kurdish militia inside Syria.

Ankara says the operation is aimed both at Islamic State (IS) jihadists and Kurdish fighters vehemently opposed by Turkey.

The bomb blast gutted the four-storey headquarters of the anti-riot police in Cizre, with television pictures showing a thick plume of black smoke rising into the sky.

Adjacent buildings also sustained severe damage.

Cizre has borne the brunt of renewed violence between the outlawed PKK and government forces since the collapse of a ceasefire last year.

Eleven police officers were killed, the state-run Anadolu agency reported, quoting the local governorate.

More than 70 people were injured, four of them critically, Health Minister Recep Akdag said in televised comments.

Anadolu said the bomb went off 50 metres (yards) away from the building at a control post, blaming the attack on the PKK.

Security forces closed the main road to Cizre from the provincial capital of Sirnak to the north after the attack, Anadolu added.

Turkish security forces have been hit by near daily attacks by the PKK since the two-and-a-half year ceasefire collapsed in 2015, leaving hundreds of police officers and soldiers dead.

The latest bombing came at a critical moment with hundreds of Turkish forces and dozens of tanks deployed inside Syria in what Ankara has presented as a two-pronged offensive against Kurdish militia and IS.

Turkey on Friday sent four more tanks over the border into Syria, said an AFP photographer at Karkamis on the Turkish side of the border.

Kurdish activists have accused Turkey of being more intent on preventing Kurds creating a stronghold along its border than fighting IS jihadists.

Ankara sees the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia as terror groups acting as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

Ankara's hostility to the YPG puts it at odds with its NATO ally, the United States, which works with the YPG on the ground in the fight against IS.

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A Nigerian national has been arrested in connection with the multi-crore ephedrine haul case here, taking the total number of arrests to 12 so far, police said today.

Felix Oshita (34), was arrested on Wednesday by Thane Police's anti-narcotics cell from Navi Mumbai for allegedly smuggling ephedrine powder from a shipping company official to former Bollywood starlet Mamta Kulkarni's husband and alleged druglord Vicky Goswami in Kenya, they said.

Oshita's name was not in the FIR lodged by police in connection with the drug haul case in April this year.

He was caught following revelations made by Sushil Kumar Assikannan, who was recently arrested from Bengaluru after being on the run since April when Thane police raided Avon Lifesciences in Solapur and seized around 18.5 tonne of ephedrine worth Rs 2000 crore.

Assikannan had during interrogation apparently informed the police that out of 180 kg ephedrine, he smuggled nearly 125 kg out of Avon Lifesciences premises in Solapur and gave it to Oshita, who then flew to Delhi and subsequently to Kenya.

Oshita took packs of 25 kg each while flying five times to Kenya and it is suspected that he handed it to Vicky Goswami's cartel in Tanzania for further processing it to manufacture methamphetamine, a police officer said.

The Nigerian's arrest, according to police, is a major breakthrough in the case as it could reveal the transportation links also, the frequent travels to Kenya and the subsequent activities of the accused.

Besides the 12 arrested, the police have named alleged druglord Vicky Goswami and Mamta Kulkarni as wanted accused in the case.

Among the arrested persons so far are a director and an operations manager of the Solapur-based firm.

Asikannan is suspected to have played role in transportation of ephedrine from Solapur unit of the factory to Mumbai and other parts of country and even overseas.

As per police, ephedrine was being diverted from Avon Lifesciences to a Kenya-based drug cartel headed by Goswami where it was to be used to make party drug methamphetamine.

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Harmony in a marital relationship can be achieved not by "worshipping husbands" but by treating each other as equals, former High Court judge Justice S N Dhingra has said.

"In India, men are worshipped by their wives. They are given the stature of god. However, the most important aspect for successful relations is treating each other as equals," Justice Dhingra said at a function here.

He was also critical of the television serials, which he said "promoted the idea that marriages were made in heaven" and asserted that "you make it and break it here only".

"Every marriage cannot be successful. It is a compromise. We must accept that these relations are based on trust and when that vanishes, there is nothing left in the relation," he said while launching a bi-monthly magazine 'Legal Samadhaan' which primarily deals with marital disputes.

Elaborating on the root causes of such disputes, Justice Dhingra said that in the absence of a divorce law till 1955, cases of marital disputes used to drag on without a legal remedy, unlike now when there are plenty of legal options to resolve these issues.

"People nowadays exploit dowry law, 498A IPC and try to extract as much money as possible. ... One of the solutions to handle the rising matrimonial troubles is to not let your selfishness overpower your future. It is also important to remember that marriage is not life, it is a part of life," Justice Dhingra said.

The magazine founder, Ninad Sharma said, "we innovate and devise effective solutions for those engaged in long legal battles with their spouse. We provide solutions like research and advocacy and counselling for marital troubles.

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INLD leader and ex-speaker of Haryana Assembly Satbir Singh Kadian was today sent to jail for seven years in the over 20 year-old IFFCO graft case by a special court which also slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh on him.

Besides 66-year-old Kadian, Special CBI Judge Jitendra Kumar Mishra also awarded seven year jail term to 64-year-old Vinayak Narayan Deosthali, ex-Assistant Manager (Funds) of UCO Bank, 65-year-old IIT alumni Anil Kumar Malhotra and 70-year- old Sunil Gorawara, ex-Senior Manager (Deposits) of UCO Bank.

The court also sentenced 84-year-old Karuna Pati Pandey, ex-Senior Manager(Cash) of UCO Bank, to two years imprisonment considering his old age and that he was facing financial burden and had suffered punishment during trial for a single mistake or offence committed by him.

"The most peculiar fact in this case is that convict no. 1 (Kadian) is elected representative of the people of his constituency and he was also speaker of Haryana Assembly, may be after the commission of crime. It is his duty and duty of other convicts also that they should remain faithful to the State, otherwise integrity of the State would be at jeopardy.

"Kadian was chairman of IFFCO and he should feel proud that people have reposed faith upon him as it is his own argument that it was a political post. But instead of proving their faith, he committed the crime by joining hands with other convicts by hatching a conspiracy as per the illegal design of Harshad S Mehta (accused who has died)," it said.

Refusing to show any leniency to Kadian, the court said he was a role model for the country, including Haryana, and if such persons would be given minimum punishment, it will affect the morale of the entire nation.

According to the CBI, while working as Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited(IFFCO) chairman during February 1991 to April 1991, Kadian had invested Rs 32.90 crore, the surplus fund of IFFCO at lower rate of interest and caused a loss of over Rs 15 lakh to the organisation.

It said in one transaction of Rs four crore meant for UCO Bank, New Delhi, for investment, the money was dishonestly and fraudulently diverted to the personal account of accused share broker Harshad Shantilal Mehta through his Delhi based representative.

The court, in its 226-page judgement, also imposed a fine



of Rs 50 lakh, Rs five lakh, Rs 25 lakh, Rs 10 lakh and Rs 50,000 on convicts Kadian, Deosthali, Malhotra, Gorawara and Pandey respectively.

It said that out of the total fine collected, 25 per cent should be paid to the CBI towards litigation expenses and 75 per cent to the State.

During the trial, the accused had denied the incriminating material against them and had claimed innocence.

All the five accused were held guilty for various offences including criminal conspiracy, dishonest misappropriation of movable property, criminal breach of trust by public servant under the IPC and criminal misconduct under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

INLD chief and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala and his son Ajay are also serving their 10-year jail term after conviction in teachers' recruitment scam. Another senior leader of INLD Sher Singh Badshami is also in jail.

Kadian had sought leniency in sentence on the ground that he was also an MLA and suffering from various ailments. He said he did not have knowledge about the transaction carried out by deceased accused Mehta and there was no evidence of embezzlement of funds against him.

The other convicts had also sought a lenient view saying they were aged and suffering from various ailments.

The court also took into consideration that the government floats various schemes for the betterment of farmers and the economy but said that in this case, all the convicts had joined hands for diversion of funds which were allowed and sanctioned in favour of accused Mehta only to provide him pecuniary benefits.

"The arguments raised by the convicts that there was no monetary loss to the bank has no value as aims and objectives of the trade policy of the State got frustrated due to the crime and conspiracy committed by convicts," it said.

The court agreed with the prosecutor's contention that many people adopted corruption as their way of living as it appeared the easiest route to get early success and easy wealth.

It said corruption has spread to such an extent in the society that it becomes "disease among professionals, medical professionals, educational professionals or even the custodian of the nation i.E. Politician of this country".
A minor girl was allegedly raped and murdered by her father's friend in Sarai Salwan village here, police said today.

The incident occurred last night when the six-year-old girl was taken to the outskirts of the village by the accused after girl's father had asked him to look after the minor as he was visiting his brother.

"Finding the girl alone, the accused took the girl to outskirts of the village where he raped and later strangulated her," SP (Rural) Arun Kumar said.

He said the mother and sister of the victim had gone to temple for Sankirtan.

Upon returning, when the the father did not find her at home, the family along with the villagers began searching for her and found her naked body at the outskirts of the village, he said.

"A case has been registered against the accused under 378 of IPC/Pocso Act and 302 of IPC, and hunt for his arrest is on," he added.

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Flipkart has rejigged its top deck yet again, carving a bigger role for head of 'category design management' Kalyan Krishnamurthy among other changes, to create a "top-team with clear accountabilities".

The rejig at Flipkart, the third major one this year, comes at a time when the Bengaluru-based firm is locked in a battle with global rival Amazon for market leadership.

In an internal note, Flipkart said the goal of the reorganisation is to "increase focus on Flipkart Group, consolidate to simplify organisation and creation of top-team with clear accountabilities".

The new structure will help the company better manage its functions and operations of the marketplace as well those of Myntra (and Jabong), Ekart (logistics) and PhonePe (wallet).

"In the last few months, Flipkart has made considerable progress in creating the foundation of an e-commerce conglomerate... Flipkart is now in a position to combine its strengths," the note said.

Co-founder Binny Bansal will focus more on his role as Flipkart Group CEO and consequently, Commerce will be managed by former Tiger Global (Flipkart's largest shareholder) executive Kalyan Krishnamurthy and Saikiran Krishnamurthy. They will report to Bansal.

Kalyan will lead the ad, Market Place (sellers), marketing and customer shopping experience businesses in addition to category design management.

Saikiran will look after supply chain as well as part of his existing role as Head of Ekart.

Another change in the structure is expansion of Nitin Seth's role from Chief People officer to Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), consolidating strategy, strategy deployment, quality, HR, corporate development, analytics, planning and communications.

Flipkart has also consolidated all engineering functions under Ravi Garikipati. He currently heads the advertising unit.

Peeyush Ranjan, who has moved back to the US, will have a focussed role as head of the newly formed US Office and F7 Labs.

Myntra and PhonePe would continue to be headed by Ananth Narayanan and Sameer Nigam, respectively, the note said.

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France's highest administrative court suspended a controversial ban on the burkini by a French Riviera town, although other resorts remained defiant, vowing to keep the restrictions in place.

In a judgement expected to lead to bans being overturned in around 30 towns along the French coast, the State Council ruled the measure was a "serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms".

The case was brought by two rights groups seeking to overturn the ban, which has triggered a fierce debate in and sparked critical headlines around the world.

The suspension of the ban on the Islamic swimsuit, which covers from the head to the heels, was welcomed by the United Nations.

But the ruling, which only applied to the ban imposed by Villeneuve-Loubet, was quickly dismissed by several other towns, including Nice, which vowed to keep the restrictions in place and continue imposing fines on women who wear the full-body swimsuit.

In its decision, the court said local authorities could only introduce measures restricting individual freedoms if wearing the swimsuit on beaches represented a "proven risk" to public order.

The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, a resort between Nice and Cannes.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as a "victory for common sense".

And UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said "we welcome the decision by the court," noting that the world body stresses "the need for people's dignity to be respected."

Police action to fine Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the tourist resorts of Nice and Cannes, has triggered a fierce debate about women's rights and the French state's strictly-guarded secularism.

But the ruling provoked defiance from several Riviera resorts, who pledged to continue imposing fines.

In recent weeks, around 30 French municipalities decided to ban access to public beaches "by anyone not wearing proper attire, which is respectful of good morality and the principle of secularism and not respectful of the rules of hygiene and bathing security".

Nice town hall said it would "continue to fine" women wearing the burkini as long as its ban put in place on August 19 was not overturned.

The far-right mayor of Frejus, David Rachline, also insisted his ban was "still valid", telling AFP there was "no legal procedure" against his ruling.

Ange-Pierre Vivoni, Socialist mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco, said his Burkini ban, introudced this month following a confrontation between Moroccan bathers and locals, would also remain "for the safety of property and people in the town because I risked having deaths on my hands".
Death row convict in the December 16 gangrape case, Vinay Sharma who had allegedly tried to commit suicide in Tihar jail, has been booked by the police for the offence even as he was shifted back to the prison from DDU hospital today.

Police said that a case of attempt to suicide has been registered at Hari Nagar police station against Sharma on a complaint by a Tihar jail official.

"A case has been registered under Section 309 (attempt to suicide) of IPC against the accused Vinay Sharma on a complaint by a Tihar official," said a senior police officer.

Sharma was shifted to the prison from DDU Hospital where he was kept under observation after he tried to hang himself in jail number 8 of Tihar on the night of August 23.

His security arrangements have been further beefed up and he has been provided counselling at the jail. He will be kept under a 24-hour observation by the jail authorities.

"Sharma was shifted from DDU Hospital to jail around 5.30 PM and he has now been shifted from his previous high-security ward to a special security ward. Tamil Nadu Special Police personnel will watch him round-the-clock so that no untoward incident occurrs in future," said a senior Tihar official.

A jail counseller interacted with him after his return from the hospital and he admitted that he was "depressed due to his conviction and death sentence", the official added.

Meanwhile, Sharma's lawyer A P Singh representing him in the gangrape case in the Supreme Court, circulated a letter to the media alleging that his client was "poisoned" inside the jail and sought his shifting to another prison.

Sharma, one of the four death row convicts in the December 16 gangrape case, allegedly tried to commit suicide in Tihar jail but his attempt was foiled by vigilant guards. As per jail sources, he had also claimed to have consumed a heavy dose of anti-depressants in his suicide bid, a charge rubbished by jail officials.

The 23-year-old victim was brutally assaulted and raped by six persons in a moving bus in south Delhi on December 16, 2012, triggering nation-wide shock and outrage. She was later shifted to a Singapore Hospital where she died.

Four convicts - Akshay Thakur, Vinay Sharma, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta -- were sentenced to death in the case.

Prime accused Ram Singh was found dead in his Tihar jail cell in March 2013 and proceedings against him were subsequently abated. A juvenile accused in the case was convicted and sentenced to a maximum of three years in a reformation home. He was released from there in December last year.

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Police today arrested notorious ganja smuggler Appilisetti Ramana and seized 120kg of the contraband near here.

The accused was apprehended at Bena Bhupala Patnam in the district when he was transporting the contraband, police said, adding that 120 kg of dry ganja was seized from him.

Ramana (48), who had earned crores of rupees in the illegal drug trade, had purchased land in and around Bena Bhupala Patnam, police said.

He was arrested on several occasions for smuggling. In 2008, he was sent to prison for a year by Visakhapatnam Rural police under the AP Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Drug Offenders Act, 1986 but he went back to the drug trade after being released, police said, adding that he supplied the contraband to Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.

Kothakota police station Inspector H Malleswara Rao said after the arrest, they raided the house of Ramana and seized land documents and a few other items.

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A 48-year-old Palestinian refugee, hired as an intern at a German mayor's office, was fired on the first day of work because she refused to remove her headscarf.

Mayor Elisabeth Herzog-von der Heide of the town Luckenwalde, near here, fired the intern after one day because she would not take off her headscarf, The Local reported.

"The Islamic headscarf is a means of expressing a religious worldview," Herzog-von der Heide was quoted as saying.

The mayor said that therefore, wearing a headscarf would violate the neutrality of the town hall, where crucifixes are also not allowed.

The Palestinian woman had been hired for a project called 'Perspectives for Refugees' and was set to work for six weeks.

The woman said that she did not want to remove the headscarf in the presence of men, and therefore Herzog-von der Heide said they would not be able to offer her a suitable working environment.

She said it would have been better to clarify this policy before hiring her.

A representative from the state parliament and Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party, Sven Petke, criticised the Social Democrat (SPD) mayor.

"There is no legal basis for this decision," Petke said, noting that the German Constitutional Court had ruled that personal beliefs and their connection to certain items of clothing should not be objectionable.

"It is something different than a crucifix on the wall," he said.

However, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party praised the decision to dismiss the intern.

"If the cross is not permitted in the rooms of the town hall, then there should not be special treatment for Muslims," said AfD state parliament representative Thomas Jung.

"The mayor deserves respect and not scolding for her uncomfortable decision," he said.

Wearing a headscarf to work, especially in legal or public sector work, has been hotly debated in recent years across Germany.

Germany's Constitutional Court ruled last year that blanket bans on teachers wearing headscarves were "constitutionally limiting".

A young lawyer in Bavaria won a victory at the end of June when the court sided with her that she would be able to wear a headscarf while performing legal duties. The judge stated that there was no legal grounds for denying her religious and educational freedom.

However, more recently two major judges associations have said that they are in favour of banning headscarves in court.

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Bangaluru-based GMR Infrastructure has won the final financial bid for construction of the greenfield airport at Mopa in North Goa, Chief Minister Laxmikant Parsekar announced here today.

The claims of all bidders were opened today by a committee comprising senior government officials.

"GMR has won the financial bid and it has pledged 36.99 per cent revenue sharing with the state government after the airport becomes operational," the Chief Minister told reporters.

He said other bidders like Airport Authority of India and ESSEL Infra had quoted 32.31 per cent and 27 per cent as the revenue share from the project with state government, which will be operational on BOOT (build, own, operate, transfer) basis.

The airport is planned in the Northernmost part of the state adjoining Maharashtra.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to lay the foundation stone for the project during second week of September.

This would be the second airport in the coastal state after Dabolim airport in South Goa.

Once being fully operational, Mopa airport will have the capacity to handle nine million passengers per annum.

State Governor Mridula Sinha in her speech during the first Assembly session this year had told the legislators that the first phase of the airport would be functional by 2019.

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The state government has given a go ahead to the police department to set up a detention facility at erstwhile Aguada prison for accommodating foreigners found in the conflict with law in Goa.

"Goa government has agreed to give a part of Aguada jail, which is vacant now, to be converted into a detention centre," Deputy Inspector General of Police, Vimal Gupta told PTI today.

The police department had proposed to set up such facility which can accommodate up to a minimum 30 people, who can be kept there until their deportation formalities are completed.

"Several foreigners are found loitering in the state without valid documents, but they are left on their own in the absence of detention centre. Several of them are out on bail, waiting for their case before the court to be decided," the DIG said.

He said there are some locals who are "professionals" in giving sureties to the foreigners when they are left on the bail, which is a "clear cut nexus".

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State-run Goa Meat Complex Limited (GMCL) has filed a compliance report before the Goa bench of Bombay High Court stating the slaughter house has been operational since May 31 after its renovation and modernisation was completed.

A division bench comprising Justices F M Reis and K L Vadhane had directed the state government and GMCL to make the abattoir functional before September 30, 2016 and file the compliance report.

GMCL is a government undertaking whose main objectives are to organise the provisions of efficient and modern hygienic facilities for slaughtering of animals in the public and private slaughter houses and to provide wholesome hygienic meat.

The directions were issued on a petition filed by 'Govansh Raksha Abhiyan', an NGO working for the protection of cows in the coastal state.

The compliance report submitted by GMCL Managing Director Uday Tarkar yesterday stated that "the work of modernisation and renovation for which a shutdown of the abattoir had been initiated since May 2015 was completed in March 2016.

"The requisite permission as required in law as well as keeping with the directions issued by the Supreme Court in relation to the functioning and operations of Goa meat complex (during one of the other cases) have been adhered to and obtained."



Tarkar said, "The abattoir has been completely operational since May 31, 2016 by commencing with the commercial operation of the plant."



The report mentions that "slaughtering of the animals in the abattoir is taking place in accordance with law, including the provision of the Slaughter House Rules, 2001, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1980, the Goa Daman and Diu Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1978, the Goa Animal Preservation Act, 1995 and various rules framed thereafter."



Tarkar stated that only those animals for whom the requisite certificates are obtained from the competent authority and the veterinary doctors under the provisions of Goa Animal Preservation Act, 1995 and the Slaughter House Rules, 2001 are slaughtered at the abattoir.

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Goa will receive its first chartered flight carrying domestic tourists on the eve of Diwali in October, Tourism Minister Dilip Parulekar said today.

"The first chartered flight which will fly domestic tourists from Surat (Gujarat) to Goa (Dabolim airport) will arrive on October 24 on the eve of Diwali," Parulekar told reporters.

"This will be the first time that a charter will carry domestic tourists, as against the regular practice of foreign chartered aircraft landing here," he added.

Parulekar said Goa has always been a great attraction for tourists from Gujarat.

"We are providing them this facility wherein they will be offered a package including their flight, three days and night stay in the hotel and pick-up and drop facility at the airports (Gujarat and Goa)," he said.

"The department has already begun spreading word among the travel agents and we are getting good response," he added.

The minister said similar flights can be planned more frequently "if the response continues to be good".

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As many as 13 passengers were offloaded from a Srinagar-bound GoAir flight from here for creating ruckus soon after boarding the plane.

The incident happened on July 1 soon after the aircraft doors were closed and the flight was set for departure, official sources said.

According to them, the passengers were apparently drunk and created ruckus causing inconvenience to others on the flight. They started shouting soon after boarding and also claimed that a few others from their group were not allowed to board.

The passengers were purportedly on their way to Amarnath.

Incidentally, a senior official of aviation regulator DGCA who was on the flight asked the pilot to call in security and offload the unruly passengers, they said.

The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) official was flying to Srinagar for some inspection work at Amarnath.

When contacted, a GoAir spokesperson confirmed the incident of offloading 13 passengers from the flight on July 1 but did not provide further details.

Following the incident, the flight, which was scheduled to depart at around 0545 hours was delayed by more than an hour.

GoAir, which has ambitious expansion plans, is also preparing for an initial public offer.

Earlier this month, GoAir CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schauer said it would hit the market with an IPO at the appropriate time.

"We are preparing ourself (for the IPO). Its a question of timing, it is about the right timing. We are not in a hurry. We will wait for the right timing. We want to be well prepared. There are many things which we need to look at (before going to stock exchange)," he had said.

Recently, the airline got government's approval to fly to nine countries including Iran, Uzbekistan and Kazakhastan.

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West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today said she is not going to the Vatican City as part of an official government delegation to attend the canonisation of Mother Teresa, but as a guest of the Missionaries of Charity.

"I am not part of any official delegation by the Government of India, but as a guest of my sisters from the Missionaries. So I will not sit in the front seat, but will be very happy to sit beside my sisters and brothers from the Missionaries," Banerjee said after unveiling a statue of the late legendary nun at the Archbishop's house.

The Chief Minister was invited to attend the sainthood function at Vatican on September 4 by Sister Prema, superior general of the Missionaries.

The official Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and also include Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, besides a host of other dignitaries.

"When Sister Prema invited me, I accepted it immediately and I never asked who is going and who is not, whether it is official or not," Banerjee said.

Recalling an old incident when she was an MP, the Trinamool supremo said one night she got a call from Teresa seeking help from hooligans who were trying to capture one of her homes.

"I called all my boys and girls and saved that institution from disaster," she said, adding during flights she had heard Teresa telling the crew many times not to waste any food and send it to her home for the poor.

"She worked for the downtrodden people. Everybody will remember her vision, dedication and action for generations to come," she said.

Banerjee said the state was proud that the Nobel laureate and Bharat Ratna awardee worked all her life in Kolkata.

The Chief Minister also announced that a space in Rajarhat has been alloted for building of a guest house for the Archbishop's House.

The All India Minority Forum and Mother Teresa Memorial Peace Committee organised a programme at Mother's House here to mark the 16th birthday of the Roman Catholic nun.

Committee chairman Idris Ali demanded that an airport, two railway stations and one hospital be named after Mother Teresa.

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The last date for filing Income Tax returns for taxpayers in Jammu and Kashmir was again extended to September 30 by the government today, in the wake of the ongoing turmoil in the state.

"On consideration of reports of dislocation of general life in certain areas of state of Jammu and Kashmir, the CBDT, in exercise of powers conferred under section 119 of the I-T Act, hereby further extends the due date for filing return of Income from August 31, 2016 to September 30, 2016, in case of assessees in the state of Jammu and Kashmir who are required to file their return by the said due date...," an order issued by the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) in this regard said.

The CBDT is the policy making body for the Income Tax department.

The government had earlier extended the due date for filing IT returns for Jammu and Kashmir to August 31, from the earlier deadline of July 31. The extension pertains to the tax returns for Assessment Year 2016-17.

The CBDT had also extended the deadline up to August 5 for other assessees liable to file I-T returns across the country.

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: BJP today charged Puducherry government with having 'failed' to take steps to ensure that students of Union Territory intending to do medical course faced no hiccups in getting seats after clearing NEET test.

President of party's local unit V Saminathan said the government had not yet released the ranking list of 200 students who had cleared NEET for admission to private medical colleges in the Union Territory.

He also said that larger states had issued orders procuring 85 per cent quota of seats in private medical colleges under government quota.

The governments had also issued orders fixing payment of fees to the private colleges in those States ranging between Rs 4.40 lakh and Rs 5 lakh, he said in a release.

But in the small UnionTerritorya very meagre number of seats are earmarked by managements to government sponsored students in private colleges and also in deemed to be universities colleges.

These colleges also levy tuition fees to the extent of Rs 12 lakhs from students, he alleged.

After earmarking seats under government quota the private colleges were also collecting around Rs 70 seats to fill the remaining seats in their institutions.

Saminathan sought to know why Chief Minister Narayanasamy and Health Minister Malladi Krishna Rao were keeping mum without taking steps to protect students' interests and said government should lose no time as counselling for admission of students clearing NEET was to start shortly.

CPI(M) local unit Secretary R Rajangam wanted government to emulate the example of Kerala in protecting students and procuring them seats in the private medical colleges.

He said in a release that the Kerala government ensured that students clearing NEET got admission without practical difficulty and the fees fixed by the government was also being adhered to by the managements.

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With industry pressure building up, the government today said it will undertake an "elaborate" multi-stakeholders' consultation to finalise the notification capping royalty for new genetically-modified (GM) traits and licensing guidelines on Bt cotton seed.

In May, the Union agriculture ministry had temporarily withdrawn the notification capping new GM traits as well as new licensing format for Bt cotton seeds. The same was then put as a draft for public comments amid opposition from the crop biotech industry.

"We are evaluating the public comments received on the draft notification. We will undertake an elaborate multi-stakeholders' consultation process for finalising it," Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh told reporters.

The ministry has received thousands of representations from farmers, companies and other bodies on this matter, which will be examined before holding a final round of consultation process with stakeholders, a senior ministry official said.

Some sections of the seed industry are divided on this issue and putting "pressure tactics" through different associations, the official added.

It may be noted that major seed companies, including global major Monsanto, Bayer, Dow, Dupont Pioneer and Syngenta, today formed a new body -- the Federation of Seed Industry of India (FSII) -- to protest against the government's move to tighten regulation on GM crops in India.

Currently, there are two bodies representing seed firms -- the National Seed Association of India (NSAI) and ABLE-AG.

In the draft notification, the Centre has proposed capping royalty for new GM traits at 10 per cent of the maximum sale price of Bt cotton seeds for the first five years. The new licensing norms also ensured eligible seed companies get access to the GM technology.

After the 5-year period, royalty would reduce by 10 per cent of initial value every year. If the GM technology loses its efficacy, the technology provider would not be eligible for any royalty.

In the draft notification on licensing guidelines for GM cotton seeds, the ministry has also capped upfront fee for the new GM trait at Rs 25 lakh to be paid in two equal annual instalments.

The notification prescribed a new format for bilateral agreements and said the existing signed pacts between licensors (technology providers) and licensees (seed firms) will become invalid and they should execute the agreement in new format in the next 30 days.

The new licensing norms were issued to ensure all eligible seed companies get access to the GM technology while technology providers like Monsanto are adequately rewarded under the "fair, reasonable and non-discriminative mechanism (FRAND mechanism)".

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The Centre on Friday called upon central trade unions to reconsider their decision to go ahead with their proposed nation-wide on September 2.

Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya has reached out to all the central unions and have asked them to reconsider their decision, a source said.

However, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh affiliate Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS), which held two rounds of meetings this month with ministerial panel led by the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, has not received any communication from the ministry, the source added.

As many as 10 central trade unions have decided to go ahead with their call for a 1-day pan-India on September 2, with no positive response from the government on their 12-point charter of demands.

The stir has been called to protest against certain labour law amendments and the government's indifference to union demands. The unions have said their decision to go on a country-wide still stands.

A senior union functionary said the letter by the labour minister is just a repetition of what he had said in the past, including during the meeting with the unions of July 18.

"There is nothing concrete in the so-called steps enumerated by the government to resolve our charter. We now are left with no other option, but to go on strike on September 2," he added.

BMS has so far not cleared its stand on whether it would join the Bharat Bandh.

On August 24, the union held the second round of meeting with the ministerial panel, after which it said it will take a decision after a formal communication from the government in this regard is received.

BMS had withdrawn from the strike call last year on September 2 following assurances by the government to work on the 9 out of the 12-point demands.
The Haryana Assembly today paid tributes to prominent personalities who died in the period between the last session and the beginning of the current Monsoon Session which commenced here today.

Speaker Kanwar Pal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ram Bilas Sharma read out the obituary resolutions and paid tribute to the deceased.

The members of the House also observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the departed souls.

Tributes were paid to former Governor of Haryana A R Kidwai, former Minister of Haryana Brij Mohan Singla, former Minister of State Chaudhary Shakrulla Khan, former Deputy Minister of Haryana Ram Prasad, former MLA Malik Chand Gambhir, former MLA Brij Anand, former Member of Joint Punjab Legislative Council Uday Singh Maan.

The house also paid homage to four freedom fighters and three soldiers.

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In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court today lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of here, saying it contravenes fundamental rights and that the trust has no right to prohibit women's entry into a public place of worship.

"We hold that the ban imposed by the Dargah Trust, prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the contravenes Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the the sanctum sanctorum at par with men," a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere said.

Under these Articles, a person has the fundamental right to practice any religion he or she wants. They prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion, gender and so on, and provide freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The bench allowed a PIL filed by two women, Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz, from NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, challenging the ban on women's entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah from 2012.

"The state government and the Haji Ali Dargah Trust will have to take proper steps to ensure safety and security of women at the said place of worship," the court said.

The bench held that the trust has no power to alter or modify the mode or manner of religious practices of any individual or any group. It also noted that the "right to manage the Trust cannot override the right to practice religion itself".

"The trust has no right to discriminate entry of women into a public place of worship under the guise of 'managing the affairs of religion' under Article 26 and as such, the state will have to ensure protection of rights of all its citizens guaranteed under the Constitution, including Articles 14 and 15, to protect against discrimination based on gender," the court said in its 56-page judgement.

The court refused to accept the arguments of the trust that allowing women in close proximity to the grave of male Muslim saint was sin in Islam. The trust had also quoted and submitted certain verses from the Quran to support its claim.

"Simply making the aforesaid statement and quoting verses are not sufficient, more particularly, when women were being permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum up to 2012. There is nothing in any of the aforesaid verses which shows that Islam does not permit entry of women at all, into a dargah/mosque and that their entry was sinful in Islam," the court said.

The bench noted that the petitioners' counsel Raju Moray



has, in fact, quoted certain verses from the Quran which show that Islam believes in gender equality and that the ban was uncalled for.

The court also held that one has to determine if a practice like the one that has been challenged in this petition is an essential part of Islam.

"Essential part of a religion means the core beliefs upon which a religion is founded and essential practice means those practices that are fundamental to follow a religious belief. The test is to determine if a practice is essential to the religion and to find out if whether the nature of the religion would change without this practice," the court said.

It said that the trust has not been able to justify the ban legally or otherwise, and hence it cannot be said that the prohibition is an essential and integral part of Islam and if taking away that part of the practice would result in a fundamental change in the character of the religion or belief.

The court also refused to accept the justification of the trust that the ban was imposed for safety and security of the women, in particular, to prevent sexual harassment of women at places of worship.

The trust had claimed that the ban was in keeping with an order of the Supreme Court wherein stringent directions have been issued to ensure that there is no sexual harassment to women at places of worship.

The court, however, noted that this submission by the trust is completely "misplaced and misconceived and is out of context".

"The trust under the guise of providing security and ensuring safety of women from sexual harassment, cannot justify the ban and prevent women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah," the court said.

It added that the trust is always at liberty to take steps to prevent sexual harassment of women, not by banning their entry into the sanctum sanctorum, but by taking effective steps and making provisions for their safety and security for example by having separate queues for men and women, as was done earlier.

"It is also the duty of the state to ensure the safety and security of the women at such places. The state is equally under an obligation to ensure that the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution are protected and that the right of access to the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah is not denied to women," the court said.

The bench noted that the aims, objectives and activities



of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust are not governed by any custom or tradition.

"The objects of the Trust are in respect of purely secular activities of a non-religious nature, such as giving loans, education, medical facilities, etc. Neither the objects nor the scheme vest any power in the trustees to determine matters of religion, on the basis of which entry of woman is being restricted," the court said.

The court held that the trust was a public charitable trust and hence open to people all over the world irrespective of their caste, creed or gender.

The high court had in June this year reserved its verdict on the petition.

The PIL states that gender justice is inherent in the Quran and the decision contravenes the Hadith, which proves that there is no prohibition on women visiting graves.

The Maharashtra government had earlier told the court that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah only if it is so enshrined in the Quran.

The ban on women's entry cannot be justified if it is on the basis of an expert's interpretation of the Quran, the then Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney had argued.

The dargah trust had defended its stand, saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin.

Advocate Shoaib Memon, appearing for the trust, had earlier said, "Women are not allowed inside mosques in Saudi Arabia. They are given a separate place to pray. We (trust) have not barred women. It is simply regulated for their safety. The trust not only administers the dargah but also manages the affairs of religion.
The Madras High Court has cancelled the bail granted to a suspect charged with smuggling large quantities of tablets containing zolpidem, a psychotropic drug substance used mostly for treatment of insomnia, to Malaysia.

Cancelling the bail granted to L Abudagir by an additional sessions court at Pudukottai, Justice V M Velumani said the sessions court failed to consider the gravity of the offence while granting the bail.

The central intelligence unit of customs had charged him with procuring the substance from medical representatives in Tiruchirappalli for smuggling it to Malaysia.

Counsel for CIC said Abudagir had acted as middle man to procure the drug from Tiruchirappalli on the advice of one Jamaludin of Ramanathapuram, settled in Dubai.

CIU officials initially arrested one Mohammed Syed Mustaffa, a medical representative, at a parcel service when he was booking a parcel containing 13000 tablets.The invoice seized from him showed the tablets were for a de-addiction centre at Tiruchirappalli.

After interrogating Mustafa, they arrested Abudagir at the parcel office at Chennai,and he told officials that he had attempted to procure the tablets on Jamaludin's advice, counsel for the CIU said.

He told them that the tablets were meant for smuggling to Malaysia.

The judge said records showed that Abudagir had committed an heinous crime. As per the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, there was a bar to grant bail to an accused in possession of commercial quantity of drugs, the judge added.

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India and Egypt want to maintain high-level contacts which are very critical in the building of further momentum in a already strong bilateral relationship, the Indian envoy here has said, ahead of Egyptian PresidentAbdel Fattah Al-Sisi's India visit next month.

India's Ambassador to Egypt Sanjay Bhattacharyya's remarks came during a roundtable seminar on 'India-Egypt Relations: Transforming Historic Ties to a New Partnership' organised by the Maulan Azad Centre in Cairo (MACIC) yesterday.

Bhattacharyya said that the visit of President Al-Sisito India and the previous formal visits to Egypt by the Indian side reflect the desire to have regular high-level contacts between the two countries which are very critical in the building of further momentum in a relationship that is already strong.

His comments came ahead of Egyptian President Al-Sisi's visit to India from September 1-3 to discuss ways to enhance bilateral cooperation in different fields.

Gillane Allam, former Ambassador of Egypt to India, Profesoor Mustapha Kamel Al Sayyid, faculty of Economics & Political Science Cairo University and Tarek Al Sanooti, head of the Diplomatic Section Al Alhram Al Messai participated in the roundtable.

They discussed the strong ties between India and Egypt and their wide ranging cooperation, mutual respect, appreciation of regional and global role as well as common endeavour to enhance bilateral partnership in all areas of interest.

"I think there are three areas which we can learn much from India. The first area is green revolution which is increasing yield of crops in a very high rate. The second area is the software industry. The third area is call center management," prof Kamel said.

Journalist Tarek Al Sanooti, who visited India several times in different occasions, spoke about how media flourished in recent years in India.

Sanooti said that cooperation between the two countries in the field of media is needed.

"People to people contacts is very important because it supports the political relations, economic relations, etc," he said.

"There is a great Indian business community in Egypt, however, there are few cooperation in the field of media. Media to media cooperation is important as it play a vital role in the relation between the two countries," he said.

Allam spoke about her experience in India as the Egyptian envoy to India a couple of decades ago.

Allam said that she is very happy that the relations have been developed and became better in recent time.

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Himadri Speciality Chemical Ltd today said Income Tax authorities have conducted search operation at the company's premises, adding that "no adverse material was found".

"Income Tax authorities have conducted search operation under Section 132 of the Income Tax Act, 1962 at the premises of the company on August 24 to check the books and records of the company," the Kolkata-based firm said in a filing to the BSE.

The company has extended full cooperation and provided all desired information to the authorities, it added.

The search operation did not impact any routine operations and working of the company, it said, adding that "no adverse material was found by the concerned authorities".

The company said it maintains high standards of corporate governance.

Himadri manufactures coal tar pitch, chemical oils, carbon black, napthalene, advance carbon, corrosion protection and naphthalene sulphonate.

It has six manufacturing facilities in India. However, the company did not specify the location where the Income Tax search was conducted.

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An Indian-American couple from Virginia has pleaded guilty to the charges of $20 million visa fraud involving Indian workers, the Justice Department has said.

Raju Kosuri, 44, and Smriti Jharia, 45, a married couple from Ashburn, Virginia were indicted on April 27.

According to the statement of facts filed with the plea agreement, Kosuri, Jharia and their co-conspirators fraudulently applied for more than 900 illegal immigration benefits under the H-1B visa program.

Since 2008, and at much greater scale since 2011, Kosuri has built a staffing business that amounts to a visa-for-sale system, in violation of federal law, the Justice Department said.

Kosuri and Jharia also admitted to defrauding the Small Business Administration in connection with a scheme to obtain HUBZone certification for a business named EcomNets Federal Solutions.

Kosuri agreed to forfeit proceeds of his fraud schemes in the amount of $20,900,000, a media release said.
Chandigarh will get its first international flight in mid-September as it will be connected with Sharjah and Dubai.

The first international flight will be run by Air India to Sharjah on September 15 while Indigo will fly to Dubai on September 26.

Official sources said the Home Ministry will set up the immigration counter by September 1 to facilitate the international travellers flying out of Chandigarh and for all in-bounds passengers.

Chandigarh airport is expected to be the gateway for the travellers from Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and part of Jammu and Kashmir.

With the operationalisation of international flights, the long-standing demand of the Punjabi diaspora would be fulfilled.

At present international travellers have limited choice of flights from Amritsar and they have to come to Delhi all the way to catch flights connecting different parts of the world.

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Israeli troops shot dead a suspected Palestinian assailant at the entrance to the West Bank village of Silwad today, the army said.

"Forces identified a suspect running towards an (army) post in Silwad, northeast of Ramallah," a spokeswoman said.

"The force shot the suspect, resulting in his death."



Silwad, close to the Jewish settlement of Ofra, is under constant stakeout by the Israeli army seeking to prevent attacks on passing settler traffic.

It is the scene of regular clashes between Palestinian stone throwers and troops.

A wave of violence since October has killed 222 Palestinians, 34 Israelis, two Americans, an Eritrean and a Sudanese, according to an AFP tally.

Most of the Palestinians killed were carrying out knife, gun or car-ramming attacks, Israeli authorities say, with the majority of them from the West Bank.

Others have been shot dead during protests and clashes with security forces.

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Looking to boost infrastructure spending, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley today sought investments from Singapore in the Rs 40,000 crore NIIF, a fund created for financing the sector.

Jaitley sought investment for National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) at a meeting with the visiting Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

Sources said investments were also sought in areas like infrastructure and manufacturing and Jaitley focused on agriculture and social sectors as well.

The government had set up the Rs 40,000 crore NIIF in December as an investment vehicle for funding commercially viable greenfield, brownfield and stalled projects. It was envisioned as a mother fund with several sectoral feeder funds.

Later, the government tweaked the NIIF model to allow sovereign wealth funds like Singapore's GIC and Abu Dhabi Investment Authority of UAE to invest directly in individual projects as well as in mother fund.

The government is to contribute Rs 20,000 crore to the fund and the remaining Rs 20,000 crore is expected to be raised through sovereign wealth funds.

On economic prospects, Jaitley said GDP can rise by 1 per cent if the monsoon is good, boosting agriculture productivity and income which in turn will boost rural expenditure.

On his part, the visiting leader promised to see whether SWFs and pension funds can invest in NIIF.

Shanmugaratnam said India has large potential to increase its exports.

He also suggested to Indian Finance Minister to keep exemptions low in the proposed GST regime.

Jaitley said that tax collectors would need to sharpen



their skills as indirect taxes of the Centre and the states are eventually going to converge.

"Once they (taxes of centre and states) converge into one tax, the cooperation between the Centre and the state authorities itself will have to reach very high standards," he said, while referring to the Goods and Services Tax (GST) which is on the anvil.

He further said that standardisation of practices, injection of technology and ability to detect any infringement of violation will require very large supervisory skills.

Observing that there are no grey areas in criminal or tax laws, Jaitley said stricter principles would need to be applied to detect violation.

"There are no grey areas in taxation laws. It's either black or white. It's either payable or not payable. And therefore to discover grey areas in fiscal laws is not possible, that's the same principle that applies to criminal law also, either an offence has been committed or not committed," the Minister said.
Japanese Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu today called on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar at his official residence here and invited him to visit his country.

It was a courtesy meeting between the two, said an official release, adding that the ambassador was accompanied by wife Patrisia Klara Hiramatsu and First Secretary at the Japanese embassy in New Delhi Riyosaki Kamono.

Nitish apprised the Japanese ambassador of the developmental projects being carried out in Bihar, the state's cultural heritage and its significance.

Inviting him to explore the state, the Chief Minister suggested that Hiramatsu should visit Bodhgaya, Nalanda, Rajgir and other places of historical and cultural importance.

The ambassador, on his part, extended an invitation to Nitish to visit Japan, the release said.

The Chief Minister also showed the 'bodhi tree' planted at his official residence to the ambassador who paid floral tributes to it, the release added.

Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, CM's Principal Secretary Chanchal Kumar, CM's Secretary Manish Verma and CM's Officer On Special Duty (OSD) Gopal Singh were present during the meeting.

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JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and two other students did not misuse interim bail conditions and cooperated with the probe in a sedition case relating to the alleged anti-India slogan-shouting at the university campus in February, Delhi Police today told a court here.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police made the submission in reply to the applications seeking regular bail for the three accused in the case before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh, who reserved the order on the accused's pleas for tomorrow.

Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan said the three accused have "cooperated" during the investigation and they have "not misused" their interim bail.

The probe agency also told the court that if granted bail, there must be certain conditions imposed on the accused as the investigation was still going on in the matter.

Kanhaiya, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who are out on interim bail, had moved the court for regular bail.

Kanhaiya's move came after the Delhi High Court on August 17 had refused his application for regular bail and asked him to approach the sessions court for the purpose. He was granted interim bail by the high court on March 2 for six months which is scheduled to expire on September 1.

While granting interim bail to Khalid and Bhattacharya on March 18, the trial court had observed that the role attributed to Kanhaiya does not appear to be different from the allegations levelled against the two accused.

The court had granted the relief to the duo on furnishing of a personal bond in the sum of Rs 25,000 with one surety of the like amount, which was complied with by them following which they were ordered to be released till September 19.

It had also directed Umar and Anirban not to leave Delhi without permission during the period of interim bail and make themselves available before the investigating officer as and when required for the probe.

The high court had earlier granted interim conditional bail for six months to Kanhaiya asking him not participate actively or passively in any activity which could be termed anti-national.

Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12 on sedition charges in connection with an event on the campus on February 8 where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Umar and Anirban were arrested later.

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Aam Aadmi Party today claimed that Manohar Lal Khattar government has failed on all fronts after taking over the reins of the state.

Though AAP's plan to ghearo the Haryana Assembly on the opening day of its monsoon session here today was foiled by police, party supporters held a protest a few kilometres away from the assembly complex.

Hitting out at the BJP government in the state, the AAP alleged it has failed to fulfill the promises it had made to people before coming to power.

"The BJP had made tall promises to the people of Haryana but it failed to fulfill these after it took over the reins of the state. During our protest today, we highlighted how this government has failed on various fronts, including law and order, power and unemployment. They are only playing politics over cow issue," AAP's senior leader in the state Naveen Jaihind said.

He also alleged that Opposition parties in the state have also been unable to corner the government over "burning issues".

AAP had not fought the 2014 assembly polls in Haryana where the ruling BJP enjoys a majority.

"When we raise our voice, like we tried to do during our protest here today, we are stopped. Despite protesting in a peaceful manner, we had to face lathicharge and water canons from the police. Many of our workers were detained by the police," Jaihind said.

Police said around 120-130 activists of the AAP were detained at the Sector 39 police station but were released later.

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Engineering major Larsen & Toubro's outgoing Chairman A M Naik has laid out a five-year road map to become an "asset-light" entity with revenues of Rs 2 lakh crore by 2020-21.

The company has identified a few non-core assets and is waiting for the opportune moment to sell them off, the chairman said while outlining his vision for a leaner L&T in times to come.

Addressing shareholders at the company's 71st annual general meeting here today, he said, "I would like to take this opportunity to share my vision of L&T of tomorrow... Our goal is to achieve a revenue of Rs 2 trillion by 2020-21 without compromising on margins and achieving an order inflow in excess of Rs 2.5 trillion per annum."



Naik, who is due to retire on September 30, 2017, talked about the unfinished agenda, but his priority is to make the company asset light and restructure small businesses.

"There is still so much to be done, but one thing is asset light and putting in top gear all the restructuring which is left of small businesses that are still part of L&T due to the bad world-wide market. They have to be sold or tackled strategically," he told reporters after the AGM.

The company is restructuring its projects division -- L&T IDPL -- and Naik hopes the process will be completed by March next year.

"In general insurance, we have sold the business and we hope it will go out (from the books) in the next 10 days. We have already sold Kattupalli port project that was asset heavy. Once we have finished restructuring the main ones, we will then look at selling the Nabha power project in Punjab," Naik said.

For the Nabha project, according to Naik, the company will have to wait till the legal problems, claims and counter claims are resolved and it might take more than a year to get settled.

L&T is reportedly in talks with the Adani group to sell the project at an estimated value of around Rs 3,000 crore.

Naik expressed confidence that with the economy starting to turn around, this target is achievable provided a right strategy and on-ground execution is in place.

As part of sharpening the business focus, Naik spoke of the company identifying select growth businesses in L&T's broad portfolio. These include IT, technology services, defence, smart world and water management.

"Our strategic plan involves re-allocation of resources - both talent and capital - to businesses with visible value creation potential. As most of these are also asset-light businesses, the initiative will be in line with our larger objective of building an asset-light organisation.

L&T had reported consolidated revenue of Rs 1,03,522



crore for the year ended March 31, 2016, a 12 per cent rise over the previous year, and its consolidated net income for the year rose just 7 per cent to Rs 5,091 crore.

Group companies L&T Infotech and L&T Technology Services will play a key role in this process, he said, adding that for the technology arms, the enterprise-wide initiatives will act as a ready-to-market showcase, enhancing client confidence in their capabilities.

On the economy, Naik said, "We are at the cusp of a turnaround. All indicators are positive. The government thrust on infrastructure and the 'Make in India' initiatives provide a range of opportunities for L&T."



On the defence sector, he said that with the opening up of the sector, there will be opportunities worth Rs 13 lakh crore over the next 10 years.

"With the resolution of issues relating to fuel supply and a clearer understanding on nuclear liability issues, the nuclear power sector is expected to grow significantly in the years ahead. We are looking at orders coming from the Navy, that is in the submarines-- nuclear and conventional and many other Navy and Coast Guard ships, which we make," Naik said.

He further said the company is also expecting orders for weapons systems, missile launchers, electronics warfare system, defence electronic systems, among others.

"We have seven facilities for manufacturing defence products that we have developed over the last 7-8 years. We were waiting for privatisation of this sector for a long time and now since it has happened, we think it will be a big opportunity for domestic players," Naik said.

He, however, expressed displeasure over the decision of the government to allow FDI in defence.

On the infra front, the Chairman said over 1,000 projects worth over Rs 14 lakh crore are in the pipeline in areas like roads, ports, airports and railheads.

"L&T has both the expertise and the track record to make the most of each of these opportunities. Over the years, we have set benchmarks, only to surpass them ourselves," he said.

On the ongoing technology-driven leadership drive at the company, Naik said, "This is more than a statement of intent. It is at the heart of the new L&T. Our mission is profitable growth through technology leadership.

"Since 2000, we have developed and rigorously implemented a five-year strategic planning process. We are now in the fourth wave of this programme," he said.
Light rainfall occurred at some places in north west, north central and south central parts of Bihar today, the Met Department said.

A storm with light rainfall made the weather pleasant early morning in Patna which recorded 11.2 mm of rain, while Purnea recorded 6.7 mm of rainfall, the Met office said.

Bhagalpur registered the highest amount of rainfall at 24.2 mm.

Light to moderate rainfall not only brought the temperatures down by few notches, but also gave a temporary relief to the people of Patna and Bhagalpur.

Purnea recorded the highest maximum temperature at 33.5 degrees Celsius, followed by 33.4 degrees Celsius in Bhagalpur, 32.7 degrees Celsius in Gaya and 32.4 degrees Celsius at Gaya.

Purnea remained the most humid place with the maximum morning humidity level at 97 per cent.

In its forecast for next 24 hours in the state, the Met department predicted generally cloudy sky with light rain.

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Following severe battering from ally Shiv Sena and the Opposition over its proposed internal security law, the BJP-led Maharashtra government has now decided to place the draft of the Act before an all party committee for discussion.

"On the instructions of the Chief Minister, it has been decided to place the draft of proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act before an All Party Committee for discussions," Additional Chief Secretary, K P Bakshi said in a statement issued here.

"Thereafter, the proposed draft will be discussed in the Cabinet and after discussions, public suggestions and objections will be invited. The finally-accepted draft will be sent to the Legislature after approval of the cabinet," he said.

Reacting to government's stand, opposition NCP said that the government should have taken all parties into confidence before uploading the draft for public.

"The CM knew very well that we would not allow him to go ahead with his plans of imposing dictatorial rule in Maharashtra. Thus, he did not consult the opposition. Now, the Shiv Sena's slap to the BJP has shamed it and the CM is now trying to woo the opposition to bulldoze his way through. This can never happen," NCP MLC Kiran Pawaskar said.

Congress secretary Al-Nasser Zakaria said the BJP should be ashamed of going against the ideals of party stalwarts like Atal Bihari Vajpayee and L K Advani, who always criticised the Congress for Emergency.

"Will these leaders, who have been shoved into the 'margdarshak mandal' agree to the BJP's stand under Modi ji now? We want the BJP stalwarts to come out in open and oppose this Act or else concede that the party's ideals have been demolished to suit their agenda," Zakaria said.
) The Maharashtra government is all set to launch the ambitious Mumbai-Nagpur Super Communication Expressway project which will create a state-of-the art road connectivity within a period of three years and give a fillip to investment.

It will cover a distance of 750 km through 10 districts.

Unveiling the Rs 46,000-crore project, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said it will be completed by October 2019 by Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC), the implementing agency.

Interacting with journalists here, he said not only Maharashtra but the entire country would benefit from the project.

"This is a project of all the countrymen, all the parties, all the stakeholders and all the motorists who would use it in the future," he said.

"I have directed the officials for comprehensive and in-depth planning and fast execution of the project with ample focus on development of agro-processing nodes," he said.

A key feature of the project is that it would be carried out in the Land Pooling model with farmers being made partners and some percentage of developed given back to them.

The six-lane super communication highway, connecting the entire breadth of Maharashtra, would require 9000 hectares of land.

Facilities like CCTV cameras, trauma centres, electronic toll points, two service lanes of service roads, utility shifting, bypass, and other structures would be installed to enhance operational and safety standards.

He said the land pooling model is already being practised by the Andhra Pradesh government to acquire land for its new capital city of Amaravathi.

MSRDC vice-chairman and managing director Radheysham Mopalvar, making a power-point presentation, said the expressway is expected to reduce the travel time between Nagpur to Mumbai from 18 to eight hours.

It will also give a boost to economic growth in the 10 passing districts and 14 adjoining districts, he said.

On the time-frame for the project, he said selection of the construction firm would be finalised by the end of this year, actual work would begin in January 2017 and it would be completed by October 2019.

Fadnavis said, "Initially the state government would incur the cost of the project and later MSRDC, which has a mastery in raising the funds through various schemes and bonds, would take care of the funding."



"Before kickstarting this project, I have spoken to several MPs, MLAs, Ministers and other people and now I appeal all the stakeholders to come forward and give their support to it," Fadnavis added.

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The Bombay High Court today granted anticipatory bail to Sachin Agarwal, managing director of Pune-based Maple Real Estate Group, and his brother Naveen Agarwal, both of whom are facing charges of cheating the people through misleading advertisement.

The duo had issued advertisement in newspapers offering one BHK flats near Pune for Rs five lakh. The advertisements carried photographs of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and district Guardian Minister Girish Bapat.

The advertisement, which received a huge response, gave the wrong impression that the scheme was a government project, according to the Shivajinagar police in Pune who registered a case of cheating in April this year.

Applicants' lawyer Aniket Nikam argued that they had no intention to cheat the flat buyers while launching an affordable housing scheme, and refunded the money whenever demanded by the buyers.

The two were cooperatiing with the police in the probe and hence their custodial interrogation was not required, advocate Nikam added.

Justice Sadhana Jadhav granted them pre-arrrest bail, asking them to cooperate with police and not to interfere in the probe.

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Ahead of winter season, railways is gearing up to install a modern safety device for enhancing the vision of loco pilots in foggy weather.

Dubbed as "Tri-Netra" (third eye), the new systems will give the locomotive pilot a clear view of the track ahead in bad visibility conditions so that he can apply brakes well in time.

"We have firmed up a proposal to install the device to equip diesel locomotive drivers with terrain imaging and radar assisted system to enhance the vision during the inclement weather," said a Railway Ministry official.

The system shall map the terrain ahead so that the driver knows when he is approaching a station or a signal.

It will enable the locomotive pilot to see objects from upto one kilometer away on straight track during inclement weather, he said.

Railways witness a serious problem of train running late by several hours during every winter in northern parts of the country due to fog.

The system would also come in handy specially during foggy weather as the system would enable the driver to see the signals clearly on the device.

Railways had called for Expression of Interest for the Tri-Netra project. "It has a got good response as a number of companies from Israel, Finland, USA and Austria have expressed interest in developing such a system," he said.

The train drivers face a lot of challenges while moving in poor visibility conditions. During fog, heavy rain and also during night, the locomotive pilots face serious challenges in looking out ahead to spot any obstruction on the track such as vehicles which get stuck while crossing the track or trees or boulders which have fallen across the track.

Because of the heavy momentum of the running train, the train driver has to always adjust the speed so that he can stop the train after seeing the obstruction.

In fair weather and in daytime, this is not a problem since train driver has a clear view of the track ahead. But in poor visibility, he has to reduce the speed suitably so that the brakes can be applied in time to stop the train without hitting the obstructions.

The system shall be made up of high-resolution optical video camera, high sensitivity infrared video camera and additionally a radar-based terrain mapping system. These three components of the system shall act as three eyes (Tri-Netra) of the loco pilot.

The concept of Tri-Netra was developed by using the technology employed by fighter aircrafts to see through clouds and operate in pitch darkness and the technology used by naval ships in mapping the ocean floor and navigating in the night.

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Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal today picked on Prime Minister over Lt Governor Najeeb Jung's remarks on "illegal" decisions taken by the AAP government.

"Modiji's thoughts are completely negative. He himself can't do anything good. And when others do, he gets it overturned," Kejriwal tweeted.

Speaking at an event, Jung today said that "illegal decisions" were taken by the city government before the Delhi High Court spelt out that the LG was indeed the administrative head of the national capital.

Jung also rubbished Kejriwal's oft-repeated claim that he and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have tried to stop the AAP's governance initiatives.

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Coinciding with Mother Teresa's 106th birthday and in the run-up to her canonisation as saint, a film festival focusing on her life and teachings was inaugurated here today.

The four-day-long movie carnival at the state-run Nandan multiplex is screening a selection of 23 best foreign and Indian films ever made on or inspired by Teresa.

Organised by the Archdiocese of Kolkata, Missionaries of Charity and SIGNIS India (Indian chapter of World Catholic Association for Communication), the fourth edition of Mother Teresa International Film Festival (MTIFF) is having three world premieres.

The festival opened with the screening of the 82-minute-long documentary 'Mother Teresa' by Petrie Productions (1986).

One of the biggest highlights of MTIFF is the world premiere of 'Mother Teresa: An unexpected encounter' by Leigh Wharton, who was one of the six people Teresa had allowed to film her.

The film had its beginnings 22 years ago in Kolkata when the renowned documentary filmmaker started shooting, but the footage later on got lost for 27 years before being found at a lab in New York.

Another big highlight will be 'Mother Teresa & Me', which is personal documentary narrating the journey of Goutam Lewis, a polio-afflicted man abandoned by his parents in Kolkata but rescued by Teresa who went on to become a successful entrepreneur in London.

'Love till it hurts' made by Pauline Sisters will be the third film to have a world premiere here.

Altogether there are films from seven countries,



including eight from India, said festival director Sunil Lucas.

He said they are presenting the best and the biggest repertoire of films and documentaries made on and inspired by the life of the Nobel laureate.

The Roman Catholic nun, who passed away in 1997 after serving the poor and sick on the streets of Kolkata for 45 years, will be declared a saint on September 4 by Pope Francis in the Vatican City.

After Kolkata, MTIFF will be held at over 100 locations in India and around 50 other countries to commemorate Teresa's sainthood.

Other notable films in MTIFF are 'Making of a Saint' and 'In the Name of God's Poor', which stars Charlie Chaplin's daughter Geraldine as Mother Teresa.

Another important work is from Emmy Award-winning directors Ann and Jeannette Petrie who made 'Mother Teresa: The Legacy' which was the official film for the occasion of her Beatification in Rome.

Chronicling Teresa's rich legacy, which is carried out through the Missionaries of Charity founded by her in Kolkata, the film also has her interviews and other video footage.

Besides films on the Mother's life, there will be works which take a cue from her teachings like the Bengali film 'My Karma'.

This is the fourth edition of the festival, which is held only on special occasions associated with the Nobel laureate.
Preacher Muni Tarun Sagar Maharaj today delivered 'Kadve Pravachan' at the Vidhan Sabha Complex here in which he laid stress on improving sex ratio and eliminating corruption in the country.

After the first day of the monsoon session of Haryana Vidhan Sabha was adjourned, Maharaj delivered his address which was attended by Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki, members of the House as well as bureaucrats.

While thanking Khattar government for inviting him in the House, he touched upon various issues in his talk, including the skewed sex ratio in the country.

"As per government survey, there are 990 females against 1000 males in the country and in this situation 10 male will have to stay unmarried," he said, adding it was a disturbing situation.

While giving suggestions for improving sex ratio in the country, Maharaj said at the political level those who have girl child should be given priority in contesting polls.

"At social level, people should not marry their girls in those families where there is no girl child," he said, adding, "if we follow these suggestions, we will get good results on improving sex ratio."



He also described corruption as the biggest problem of the country.

"A survey says that every third person in the country is corrupt and 60 per cent are on the verge of being corrupt while there are only 10 percent people who are honest," he said.

He claimed if corruption is eliminated in the country, it can fast turn into a developed nation.

He said Opposition of the government is "justified if it is meant to wake it up from slumber".

Haryana Education Minister Ram Bilas Sharma had yesterday said the address by Maharaj was unanimously decided in an all party meeting held recently in Haryana Niwas.

(REOPENS @ DES 53)



Maharaj asked all political parties to unite and jointly work to eliminate such evils as adverse sex ratio, corruption and terrorism from the society.

Describing terrorism as a menace, he said no religion supports it.

He blamed Pakistan for "sponsoring and spreading" terrorism which would one day "swallow" it.

"We should unite to fight the menace of terrorism as huge budget of the government is spent on defence activities. If this can be utilised for education, health and employment, the face of the nation would be different", he said.

Maharaj said the Chief Minster Manohar Lal Khattar was being blamed for "saffronising politics" with the Kadve Pravachan programme in the Vidhan Sabha, which, according to him, was in fact the "purification of politics in real terms".
In his first overseas trip after assuming charge of the top office, President of Myanmar U Htin Kyaw will embark on a four-day India visit from tomorrow to step up overall bilateral engagement with a major focus on ensuring better management of over 1,600 km-long Indo-Myanmar border.

Continuing with the high-level engagement, Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the de facto leader of the new government, will pay a visit here later this year to attend a conclave of regional grouping BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).

Suu Kyi, whose National League for Democracy brought down curtains on five decades of military rule, is the country's foreign minister.

Htin Kyaw will be accompanied by his wife, Daw Su Su Lwin, and a high-level delegation comprising several key ministers and top officials.

It will be the first visit by a top Myanmarese leader after assumption of office in March by the new government.

Sripriya Ranganathan, Joint Secretary in the Ministry of External Affairs, said Myanmar government has conveyed that Suu Kyi will be coming to India later this year to attend a conclave of regional grouping BIMSTEC (Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation).

The Myanmarese president will hold extensive talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday during which a host of issues including border management and ways to contain militant activities along the Indo-Myanmar border are likely to figure. Both sides are also likely to discuss ways to boost trade ties.

"We are intending to make it a really substantive visit," said Ranganathan, adding a number of MoUs will be signed between the two sides.

Asked about reports that Indian Army had recently crossed into Myanmar's border for the second time, she categorically said there was no basis to it.

"We have checked with our authorities and it has been conveyed categorically and clearly that Indian Army did not cross into Myanmar. This information was corroborated by Myanmar government. There is very clear understanding that we operate on respective side of our border," she said.

Ranganathan said there may be efforts by some local people residing in border areas to create confusion.

Myanmar, considered one of India's strategic neighbours, shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states including militancy-infested Nagaland and Manipur.

Asked about difficulties of Indian-origin people not being given citizenship papers by local authorities, she said a drive was launched by Myanmar to address their problems. She said very few thousand people are now left with the problem.

The Myanmarese President will arrive in Gaya tomorrow where he will visit the famous Mahabodhi temple, the archaeological museum, Daijokyo Buddhist temple.

He will leave for Agra from Gaya on Sunday. In Agra, he will visit the Taj Mahal and return here in the afternoon.

The visit of the Myanmarese President comes days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a day-long visit to the Southeast Asian nation.

During her visit, Myanmar's leaders had assured Swaraj that they would not allow any insurgent group to use its territory against India. On her part, Swaraj had conveyed to Myanmarese leaders that India was ready to extend "all help" to the new government.

Htin Kyaw is coming to India at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee. He will meet Mukherjee on Monday.

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Nepal Prime Minister Prachanda today inducted 13 new ministers from major coalition partner Nepali Congress into his Cabinet, including the important Minister of Foreign Affairs, taking its total strength to 31.

With that expansion, Prachanda's Cabinet has taken a full shape.

President Bidya Devi Bhandari administered oath to the newly-appointed ministers during a ceremony at 'Sheetal Niwas' or the Rastrapati Bhawan here.

NC president Sher Bahadur Deuba and senior leader Ram Chandra Poudel, other than Premier Prachanda, attended the swearing-in ceremony.

Those sworn-in included: Prakash Sharan Mahat, Minister for Foreign Affairs; Bal Krishna Khand, Minister for Defence; Sita Devi Yadav, Minister for Peace and Reconstruction; and Jeevan Bahadur Shahi, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation.

The porfolios of nine others were also assigned today.

Earlier, the Nepali Congress had sent Bimalendra Nidhi and Ramesh Lekhak to the Cabinet as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Home Affairs, and the Minister for Physical Infrastructure and Transport respectively.

Prachanda was elected Prime Minister on August 4 for the second time after being briefly in power in 2009. He succeeded CPN-UML chairman K P Sharma Oli.

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Taking suo motu cognisance of media reports about alleged undignified treatment of bodies of two women, the NHRC today issued a notice to the Odisha government and asked it to submit a report within a month.

The notice has been sent through the state chief secretary who has been given four weeks time to submit a report, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) said in a press release.

The first incident pertains to a man carrying his wife's body for 10 km as the district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna in Kalahandi allegedly did not provide him ambulance services.

The second incident is also about the non-availability of ambulance services due to which an old woman's body was slung on a bamboo pole to carry it in Balasore after she was crushed by a goods train near Soro Railway Station.

The Commission has observed that if found true, both these incidents, raise serious questions about violation of rights of the two deceased persons, the release said.

Stating that Right to Life of a person under Article 21 of the Constitution would also mean that a body is treated with respect, it also referred to reports about "Mahaprayana" scheme for free transportation of bodies from government hospitals to the residences of the deceased.

It said according to the media reports, Dana Majhi's wife died of tuberculosis at district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna and the hospital authorities did not offer any help for transporting the body despite Majhi's requests.

He was forced to wrap the body in a cloth and carry it on his shoulder to his home at Melaghara village, 60 km away from the hospital.

After the matter came to light, he was provided with a vehicle to complete the remaining 50-km stretch.

In the second incident, media reports said 80-year-old widow, Salamani Behera was run over by a goods train near Soro Railway Station in Balasore district. Her body was taken to the Community Health Centre.

The Government Railway Police reached the Centre after 12 hours and they could not arrange an ambulance to take the body to Balasore hospital for post-mortem.

Since rigor mortis had developed, the police personnel in order to put the body inside a sack allegedly broke its limbs by climbing over the body and finally carried it all the way from to the CHC to Soro railway station on their shoulders by tying it to a bamboo pole in the full view of the public.

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As the 'Onam' festival is around the corner, the CPI(M)-led LDF government in Kerala today asked its employees to ensure that celebrations were not held at offices during work hours as it was "not appropriate".

The festival will be celebrated in the second week of September.

Making the government's stand clear, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said in a Facebook post that 'Onam' (harvest) festivities are normally held at all the offices in the state.

"It is not appropriate and proper that such festivities, including laying of 'pookalams' (floral carpets), are held at officesduring office hours," he wrote.

The Chief Minister suggested that the celebrations could instead be held on holidays or after the office hours.

"Not only Onam, for that matter, any festival celebrations should be held without affecting the functioning of office work. In this matter, government would ensure its intervention," he wrote on the social networking website.

Vijayan said buying and selling of various articles on office premises during the festive season would also be restricted as these activities consume a major chunk of work hours.

He reminded the government employees of his earlier statement stressing on punctuality, early clearing of files and every employee being in their seats during the work hours.

The Chief Minister said proper functioning of government offices meant settling of issues connected to the people in time. For this, he said interventions and vigil were necessary.

Vijayan had, in June, warned the government employees against delaying decisions on files and had asked them to shed the "colonial, negative" attitude of "examining files" to deny the public the benefits.

"Each file has a throbbing life behind it and the employees should examine them with a positive attitude," he had stated.

After marking their attendance, the employees should be in their seats, not spend time on literary and other pursuits and also exercise self restraint in using mobile phones during work hours, the Chief Minister had stated.

The corrupt and those failing to discharge their duties in time would not get any protection, he had publicly stated at a meeting of Secretariat employees.

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London mayor Sadiq Khan has joined other protesters in the British capital to condemn the 'burkini' ban in France, saying no one should dictate women what they can and can't wear.

"Full stop. It's as simple as that.

"I don't think it's right. I'm not saying we're perfect yet, but one of the joys of London is that we don't simply tolerate difference, we respect it, we embrace it, and we celebrate it," said the city's first Muslim mayor yesterday during a visit to Paris to meet his counterpart Anne Hidalgo.

He was reacting to France's decision to ban the so-called 'burkini' - a term combining burqa and bikini to refer to fully covered beachwear worn by Muslim women.

"I'm quite firm on this. I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop. It's as simple as that," he said.

Khan's comments came on the same day when around 40 Londoners organised an impromptu "beach party" outside the French embassy in central London to protest against parts of France imposing a ban on burkinis as clothing that could provoke violence.

"A lot of women wear it by choice. If the burkini enables women to go and sit on the beach and enjoy the sunshine, surely that should be encouraged. It helps ensure these women are no longer on the margins," said a campaigner for Citizens UK, organisers of the protest.

The London protests follow photographs earlier this week showing four male police officers armed with handguns, batons and pepper spray forcing a woman on a beach in Nice to remove what they suspected to be a burkini.

Cannes, Nice and about 15 other areas of the France Riviera have outlawed the clothing.

The ban order issued by local mayors refers to clothing that "overtly manifests adherence to a religion at a time when France and places of worship are the target of terrorist attacks".

Lawyers for the French Human Rights League have argued the ban is illegal and have challenged it in court.

However, former French president Nicolas Sarkozy today launched his presidential campaign by calling for a complete ban on the burkini all across France.

"I refuse to let the burkini impose itself at French beaches and swimming pools... There must be a law to ban it throughout the Republic's territory," he said to thunderous applause in Provence in the first big speech of his campaign to win back the office he lost in 2012.

"Where is the authority when it is the minorities who govern? Never before has so much been ceded to them," said the 61-year-old, who had declared his candidacy earlier this week.

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There was no concrete outcome from the 13 Pravasi Bhartia Divas (PBD) India hosted between 2003 and 2015 to connect with the diaspora and government aims to reverse it by making the platform outcome-driven from its next edition, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj today said.

The PBD was launched by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2003 to step up India's engagement with its 25 million diaspora and annual congregation of NRIs and Persons of India origins had continued as an annual event till 2015. Last year government had decided to make it a biennial event.

The 14th edition of PBD will be held in Bengaluru from January 7 to 9.

Addressing a joint press conference along with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Swaraj said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was reaching out to the Indian diaspora across the globe and that the upcoming PBD will be very different from those held earlier.

"People coming from abroad will not go back only clicking selfies or photographs and having food... For the first time you will see a totally transformed PBD," she said.

Asked what was achieved in the previous PBDs, she said, "I think it will become relevant only after this PBD as I said I did not see any outcome out of the other PBDs."



The PBD used to be hosted by Ministry of Overseas Indian Affairs (MOIA) along with one host state every year.

The upcoming PBD is being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs along with Karnataka government. Government, earlier this year, had merged MOIA with MEA to avoid duplication of work and to improve efficiency.

Swaraj said no sincere efforts were made earlier to make PBD an outcome-driven event.

"No effort was made. There was no effort to make it outcome-driven. In 2015, we realised that it was just like a festival," she said.

Asked whether MEA will try to reach out to people from Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir for the conclave as Prime Minister had called for getting in touch with them, Swaraj, said there was "no decision" on that.

The Prime Minister will deliver a key note address at the event on January 8 which will be followed by Chief Ministers' session.

"This occasion will also give an opportunity to the state governments to interact with their respective diaspora and showcase the opportunities and progress made by their respective States," said Swaraj.

On January 9, President Pranab Mukherjee will confer the prestigious Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Awards (PBSA) on overseas Indians who have contributed in their respective fields.

January 9 is the main day of PBD as it was on this day in 1915 that Mahatma Gandhi, the "greatest Pravasi", returned to India from South Africa and led India's freedom struggle.

Swaraj said chief ministers of various states have been invited for the three-day event which is likely to be attended by around 3,000 delegates from across the globe.

The government will showcase its new initiatives and economic reforms including GST in the PBD with an aim to attract FDI.

Speaking on the occasion, Siddaramaiah said his government will leave no stone unturned in making the 14th edition of the PBD a grand success.

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has said no "technical traces" of telephonic contacts between the Kabul university attackers and people on its side of the border could be found and sought more evidence from the Afghan government.

Afghanistan had blamed militants using soil to launch the attack at the American University in Kabul that killed 16 people, including eight students, and left 50 people injured on Wednesday.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani called army chief General Raheel Sharif on Thursday and urged for action against the attackers' accomplices, Dawn reported today.

But General Sharif told the Afghan leader that there were no "technical traces" to prove the telephonic conversation with militants in Pakistan with the attackers.

Gen Sharif assured Ghani of "all-out cooperation" in investigating the role of Pakistan-based elements in the attack, but stressed that it could happen only after Afghans provide "more information".

The Afghan government shared three mobile phone numbers allegedly operating on the Pakistani side of the border, which it claimed had remained in contact with the attackers.

Subsequently, the Pakistan Army initiated a combing operation along the Pak-Afghan border near Chaman to find the suspected persons. "We searched, but no-one was found during the operation," the security sources said.

"Our evaluation of the evidence provided and outcome of Combing Operation so far, has shown that all Afghan SIMs used during the attack were from a network owned and operated by an Afghan company whose spillover signal affects some areas along the Pak-Afghan border," the Inter-Services Public Relations said in a statement.

Pakistani intelligence agencies are, however, continuing with the evaluation of the intelligence shared by Afghanistan after the attack.

The Foreign Office had earlier condemned the attack.

The high-level conversation took place as US Special Envoy to Af-Pak Richard Olson, Special Assistant to the US President Peter Lavoy and Commander of Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan Gen John Nicholson visited Islamabad, where they held meetings civil and military leadership.
Abid Rasool Khan, Chairman of Minorities Commission serving Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, today favoured women desisting themselves from visiting dargahs as they contain graves but was against any ban on their entry.

He said women should maintain decorum and dignity when they visit these shrines.

He was speaking in the context of a significant judgement of the Bombay High Court which today lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai, saying it contravenes the fundamental rights of a person.

Khan maintained that Islam says it is not desirable for women to visit graveyard but stressed that there is no ban as such.

"It's more of religious obligation where something has been told that it should not be done; after that it's the choice of the person to do it and face Allah on the 'day of judgement'", Khan said.

"My point is: women who want to go to dargah and pray, they can pray even from their house also, because Allah listens to every prayer. It's not that it should be done at a particular place", he told PTI.

"But if they still want to go and do it, then its their choice and they should be allowed to do it. We should not stop them from doing," Khan said.

He saw women being allowed to go into the sanctum sanctorum of dargah as also being part of "evolutionary" process, noting that earlier it was desirable that women should not go to mosque to pray.

"But later on, now, women are going to mosques and praying along with men in separate sections, most of the mosques in Hyderabad and Saudi Arabia (among others). So, this is evolution... How mankind changes, evolutionary things".

"Women were earlier only at home and never used to go out, but today they are coming out and want to go to dargah, let them go and pray", he said.

But Khan stressed that when women go to dargah, where pious and revered saint is buried, they should maintain decorum and dignity.

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President Barack Obama today burnished his environmental legacy by establishing the world's largest marine reserve, home to thousands of rare sea creatures in the northwestern Hawaiian islands.

Obama's announcement more than quadrupled the size of the existing protected area, known as the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which is now 582,578 square miles (1.5 million square kilometers) -- about four times the size of California.

The waters are home to pristine coral reefs and hundreds of animals found nowhere else on Earth, including a new species of ghost octopus discovered only this year and the world's oldest living organism, black coral, which is estimated to be 4,265 years old.

Some 14 million seabirds soar over the area and make their nests on the islands, including a 65-year-old albatross named Wisdom. The area is home as well to threatened green turtles and endangered Hawaiian monk seals.

The marine monument was established in 2006 by then president George W. Bush and was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2010.

"By expanding the monument, President Obama has increased protections for one of the most biologically and culturally significant places on the planet," said Joshua Reichert, an executive vice president at the Pew Charitable Trusts.

Greenpeace also hailed what it called a "bold decision" that will ban commercial fishing and mineral extraction in the region.

US Senator Brian Schatz, a Democrat from Hawaii, said in a statement that the expansion will create "a safe zone that will replenish stocks of tuna, promote biodiversity and fight climate change."



Obama "has given Native Hawaiians a greater voice in managing this precious resource," Schatz said.

But some expressed disappointment over the move to expand the zone to 200 miles from shore, saying that it imperils fishermen's ability to make a living.

"Closing 60 percent of Hawaii's waters to commercial fishing, when science is telling us that it will not lead to more productive local fisheries, makes no sense," said Edwin Ebiusi Jr., chair of the Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council.

"Today is a sad day in the history of Hawaii's fisheries and a negative blow to our local food security."



But Matt Rand, director of the Global Ocean Legacy project at the Pew Charitable Trusts, took a different view, saying that the change should have "a minimal economic impact" on fishing in the area.

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Admitting lapses by hospital and security staff that led to a tribal man in Kalahandi to walk 10 km with his wife's corpse on his shoulder, the Odisha government today said stringent action would be taken against the guilty.

"It (the incident) is very distressing. We have ordered an inquiry and stringent action will be taken against those who are responsible," Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in Bengaluru where he is attending Odisha Investors Meet, 2016.

District Collector of Kalahandi Brundha D told reporters at Bhawanipatna that the probe report showed there were "lapses and negligence" on the part of the staff of district headquarter hospital, where the woman was undergoing treatment, and the security agency.

Action would be taken against those found responsible for the incident after fixing responsibility, she said, adding steps would also be taken to improve facilities at the hospital.

The collector, who had ordered an inquiry into the August 24 incident, also said Dana Majhi had left the hospital with his wife's body in the wee hours of August 24 without informing anyone at the hospital.

The hospital, she said, has a hearse but nobody informed the personnel concerned about the death of the woman or the need to carry the body to his village.

The district administration had called the man and recorded his statement, the collector said.

Majhi, however, told reporters that he approached the hospital staff but they paid no heed.

"I did not want to keep the body of my wife at the hospital for long and left the place for cremation as per tribal rituals at our village," he said.

Asked how Majhi was called to Bhawanipatna without being allowed to properly perform a special tribal ritual held on the third day of death, sub-collector Sukanta Tripathy said it was essential to record Majhi's statement for the inquiry.

"Moreover, we also wanted to give the media an opportunity to speak to him and get his version," he said.

The incident triggered nation-wide outcry after Majhi, accompanied by his 12-year-old daughter, was seen walking with his wife's body on his shoulder on being allegedly denied a hearse by the hospital.

An ambulance was arranged only after he had covered 10 km to take the body to his home at Melghara village, about 60 km from Bhawanipatna.

Taking suo motu cognisance of the incident, National Human



Rights Commission issued notice to the state government seeking a report, while Odisha Human Rights Commission sent notice to the district collector and chief district medical officer of Kalahandi asking them to submit a report on the episode.

The ruling BJD described the incident as shameful and unfortunate. "There can be no excuse as the incident was shameful. However, government is not trying to shield anyone. Stringent action will be taken against those found guilty," BJD spokesperson Pratap Keshari Deb said.

Congress, which burnt effigies of the chief minister and the health minister here during the day, demanded resignation of both for the "inhuman" incident on moral ground.

Alleging that health services in the state had collapsed, Odisha PCC President Prasad Harichandan told reporters that following the "inhuman" incident both the chief minister and health minister have the lost moral right to remain in office and must step down forthwith.

Harichandan said a fact-finding team of Congress would visit Kalahandi tomorrow.

Congress supporters also gheraoed the office of chief district medical officer at Bhawanipatna demanding Rs 10 lakh compensation for Majhi's family.

A large number of party supporters took part in the protest organised by Kalahandi district Congress.

The incident also drew protests from other political parties, including BJP and Samajwadi Party which staged demonstrations in the state capital and demanded adequate compensation for the bereaved family.

Terming the incident as "shameful and inhuman", BJP leader Sajjan Sharma and Samajwadi Party state president Rabi Behera said the dignity of the dead must be maintained.

(Reopens CAL13)



The CPI state unit demanded dismissal of the collector and CDMO of Kalahandi, saying they should be held responsible for the "inhuman" incident.

"As the district collector and CDMO had not sent the ambulance to carry the body of Dana Majhi's wife, they should be punished," CPI state secretary Dibakar Nayak said in a statement.
India would raise with Egypt, a key member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), the issue of the group's stance on Kashmir, when its President Abdel Fattah Al-Sisi holds meetings with top leaders including Prime Minister Narendra Modi here during his visit from September 1.

Asserting that there was a "gap" between what some of the OIC countries convey to India in private and the position of their organisation, Amar Sinha, Secretary (Economic Relations) in External Affairs Ministry, said India would like them to make their position public.

During the visit of Sisi, who will be accompanied by a high-level delegation comprising ministers, officials and business leaders, key issues like terrorism and deepening economic engagement will be discussed extensively.

Cooperation in counter-terrorism has always been an important part of India's ties with North Africa and this time too this will remain one of the focus areas, Sinha said.

During the visit, which comes at the invitation of President Pranab Mukherjee, Sisi will meet Modi, Vice President Hamid Ansari and a host of other leaders.

Sinha also noted that political, economic and cultural exchanges were three important components of the bilateral ties.

During his visit, the President is expected to meet business leaders from India and Egypt.

Both countries also have a strong economic relationship. India is Egypt's sixth largest trading partner and there is an active cooperation between the two countries in various fields.

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dipped in Asia on Friday after Saudi Arabia's oil minister cast doubt on the need to cut output, denting hopes for a deal at talks next month aimed at addressing a global supply glut.

The commodity rallied for seven straight sessions and entered a bull market  a 20 per cent rise from recent lows  last week after Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and Russia announced plans to discuss the supply crisis, which has hammered the crude market for more than two years.

Prices have taken a beating this week on concerns about the chances of success at the Algeria meeting, but they turned higher on Thursday when Iran said it would join in, clearing up days of uncertainty over its attendance.

However, OPEC kingpin Saudi Arabia's energy minister Khalid Al-Falih revived worries about the success of the gathering.

In an interview, he told Bloomberg News: "I don't believe that an intervention of significance is required. I certainly don't advocate a cut."

But he added that a "freeze signifies that everybody is content with where the market is today and they want it to be trending in that direction".

At about 0410 GMT, the US benchmark West Texas Intermediate for October delivery was down seven cents at $47.26, while North Sea Brent was down 11 cents at $49.56.

A previous OPEC attempt to freeze output collapsed in April largely because of Iran's refusal to join talks, having just emerged from sanctions and keen to maximise its oil revenues.

However, even if a deal is reached in Algeria, there are doubts about the impact a production cap have on an already oversupplied market.
An Indian man who is serving a three-year sentence in Pakistan for illegally entering the country faces "threats" to his life in prison, Pakistan Human Rights Commission has said and asked the government to ensure his safety.

Hamid Nehal Ansari, 31, a Mumbai resident, was convicted in February in Kohat, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Ansari went missing in Pakistan in 2012 where he had allegedly gone to meet a girl he had befriended on the Internet, authorities last month admitted that he has been in army custody and facing a trial in military courts.

"The former, a young Indian engineer, illegally entered Pakistan because he wanted to help an internet friend, a young girl, and was arrested in 2012. The authorities denied any knowledge of him for a long time and eventually disclosed that he was tried by a military court and sentenced to three years' imprisonment," HRCP Secretary General I A Rehman said.

He said the Peshawar High Court is hearing his petition for the inclusion of the pre-trial period of detention in Ansari's imprisonment term, but now concern has been raised about "threats" to his life in prison.

"The government must ensure his safety and it will be proper to start preparing for Ansari's repatriation to India," he said.

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, 56 cases of enforced disappearances occurred in January this year, 66 in February, 44 in March, 99 in April, 91 in May, 60 in June and 94 in July. That is, 510 cases in the last seven months, or an average of 72.86 cases per month.

In reference to the report the commission said, "No review of disappearances can be complete without taking notice of the plight of Hamid Ansari..."



The Commission has said although many more instances of enforced disappearance are not reported, the number of cases received by the Commission is high enough for the government to abandon its complacency.

"The government of Pakistan should take a fresh look at the problem that has caused endless agony to thousands of families over the last many years," Rehman said, adding the government cannot pretend to be ignorant of the fact that enforced disappearances is still a major human rights issue in Pakistan and that a thorough reappraisal of the efforts to solve it is overdue.

The Commission has also decided some 480 cases this year. Of them 111 were dropped for not being enforced disappearances and 372 persons were traced - 189 persons said to have returned home on their own.

The Commission however does not tell where these people were during the period they could not be traced by their families.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had issued instructions for such people to be interviewed so that those responsible for their disappearance could be identified and punished.

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Pakistan on Friday "regretted" India's virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir even as it briefed the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union countries about the situation there in yet another attempt to internationalise the issue.

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz briefed the Ambassadors of the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council - China, France, Russia, the UK and the US, and the European Union here about the alleged "killings and serious human rights violations" being committed in Kashmir, a Foreign Office statement said.

While regretting "the refusal from the Indian side" to hold talks on Kashmir, Aziz also briefed the ambassadors over the exchange of letters between Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar.

Pakistan's move came after India hardened its stance further and once again virtually rejected Pakistan's latest invitation for talks on Kashmir, saying it is willing to discuss cross-border terrorism which was its "core concern".

Replying to his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry's fresh invitation of August 19 to visit Islamabad by the end of this month to discuss Kashmir dispute, Jaishankar had said in a letter he was willing to discuss terrorism emanating from Pakistan's territory which was India's core concern.

At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz "deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed" in Kashmir which has taken a "toll of more than 80 innocent Kasmiris since July 8, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people," the Foreign Office statement said.

Aziz stated that the international community, especially the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union have an important role to uphold the principles of human rights and international humanitarian law. He urged them to fulfil their commitments to the people of Jammu and Kashmir under the UN Security Council resolutions.

"The Adviser said that Pakistan welcomes the UN Secretary General's offer and would be ready to engage in a dialogue to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute," the statement said.

"The P-5 and EU Ambassadors stressed the need to resolve the issue peacefully. They also acknowledged the importance of dialogue to address this long standing issue and the prevailing grave situation," it said.

The war of words between the two nations comes amid a strain in bilateral ties over the continuing unrest in Kashmir with Islamabad issuing provoking statements on the turmoil following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani last month.

Wani was hailed as a martyr by Pakistan, which also tried to internationalise the Kashmir issue with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the country's foreign office writing to a host of countries besides the United Nations, while India has been maintaining that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the Valley is the root cause of the turbulence.
A Pakistan senator came under fire from the fellow lawmakers for controversial comments that the rich and poor population has been created by the "God" and one should not interfere in the system.

Senator Sardar Mohammad Yaqoob Khan Nasar of ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) passed these remarks during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Devolution yesterday.

The discussion started after Senator Taj Haider of Pakistan Peoples Party said that the country has become the property of the ruling elite, and that all decisions were made in the interests of the rich, Dawn reported.

"We have sent hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis abroad to work as labour and send foreign exchange (apparently) in the national interest and claimed that soon it will be proved that offshore companies were also made in the national interest. The poor of this country will never get to decide their own fates," Haider said.

Nasar responded by saying that if everyone were to become wealthy, there will be no one to grow wheat or to work as labourer.

"This is a system created by God, and he has made some people rich and others poor and we should not interfere in this system," Nasar said.

The PML-N senators' remark triggered a strong reaction, with Senator Haider saying that socio-economic classes were man-made phenomena with which God had nothing to do with.

Senator Mohammad Usman Khan Kakar also said that God created all people equal and that the poor were not meant to serve the rich.

However, Nasar could not be convinced and said that "once in China all people were considered equal, which did not work out well".

"Those who cannot get an education and cannot earn more have no right to live the life of a bureaucrat," Nasar added.

Mir Kabeer Ahmed Mohammad Sahi, chairman of the committee, then gave the example of the US, where he said the country's president shops in the same store as ordinary citizens and that the presidents' children also go to public schools.

To this, Nasar said that the principle of equality is not even implemented in parliament where members of the National Assembly were given development funds and not senators.

Most of Pakistani lawmakers belong to very rich families which control the political and economic systems of the country.

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A Pakistani shoemaker has landed himself in jail after he boasted to the media that he was going to send Peshawari sandals made from deer's skin to Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan.

According to reports, a cousin of Shahrukh who lives Peshawar went to shoemaker Jahangir Khan last Friday and asked him to make two pairs of Peshawari sandals for the actor.

"Apparently Jahangir Khan is a big fan of Shahrukh and decided to send the Bollywood star a special gift, Peshawari sandals made out of deer skin, from his side," a local police official said.

"Soon after the spread, the wildlife department officials contacted us and filed a complaint. We had to go and pick up Jahangir who is now behind bars," he said.

A wildlife official in Peshawar said that the probe is on to confirm whether deer skin was used by Jahangir in making sandals.

"If he has used deer skin than he will face fine and prosecution as under wildlife laws," the official said.

Shahrukh Khan is hugely popular in Pakistan.

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Pakistanis should speak up for Baloch people who are facing mass "oppression and injustice" from the establishment otherwise the international community will start speaking up for them, a former top Pakistani diplomat warned today.

"Either Pakistanis speak up for Balochistan or others would speak up for the Baloch," the former Pakistan Ambassador to the US, Husain Haqqani, said at an event to pay homage to Nawab Akbar Khan Bugti who was killed by Pakistan forces 10 years ago.

"Our greatest tribute to him and other Baloch killed for raising their voice would be to speak out against oppression and injustice in Balochistan," he said in his address to the event organised by the American Friends of Balochistan at the National Press Club.

"At the same time, we should not let Balochistan become a battleground for rival external powers. The people of Balochistan deserve better than being oppressed by Rawalpindi and Islamabad or being used as pawns in international great games," he said.

"Instead of attacking and destroying the Baloch, Sindhis, Pashtun, or Muhajirs, the Pakistani military establishment should focus on eliminating safe havens for international terrorists like al-Qaeda, ISIS and the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban," Haqqani demanded.

Understanding the sentiments of the Baluch, some of whom are now completely disillusioned with Pakistan, the former diplomat said instead of using force against the Baloch it would be best to recognise the sentiments and aspirations of the Baloch people.

"It is tragic that those who advocate talks with globally recognised terrorists such as the Taliban, have an intransigent position when it comes to engagement with the leaders and people of Balochistan," he said.

Only a few days ago, Pakistan's Federal Minister for Ports and Shipping, Mir Hasil Bizenjo acknowledged that "if a referendum were held in Balochistan today, the militants would win".

He added that there will be no referendum, implying that the status quo would prevail through force, Haqqani observed.

Asserting that Pakistan's history is replete with mishandling of various ethnicities and nationalities, Haqqani warned that the transformation of erstwhile East Pakistan into Bangladesh should be a lesson in the limits of military power in building a nation or keeping a country together.

"Starting from the 1970s the Baloch have been fighting for more autonomy within Pakistan. Their struggle has been brutally suppressed by the Pakistani state," he alleged.

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Telugu filmstar and Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan is all set to address a public meeting in Tirupati tomorrow after a long gap, arousing curiosity about the sudden purpose of the event.

Of late, Kalyan has not spoken anything on issues concerning the state and he even did not tweet anything after April 30 though he became a subject of criticism on social media over his continued silence on the special category status to Andhra Pradesh.

Kalyan had been a vocal supporter of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and has remained rather "friendly" with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

His only recent statement on the special status issue was when he met former CM of Karnataka Kumara Swamy in Hyderabad on August 20.

"It is a sensitive issue and I will respond at an appropriate time," Kalyan said that day.

It is expected that he may come out clearer on the issue at the public meeting tomorrow.

Kalyan had been camping in the temple town of Tirupati for the last two



days. Yesterday, he visited the family of his fan and Jana Sena worker Y Vinod Kumar who was allegedly stabbed to death by the fans of another film star NTR Jr.

Kalyan grieved the death and consoled Vinod's family and was distraught to know that the engineering student had plans of flying to the US for further studies.

Today, the star visited Tirumala Hills and worshipped Lord Venkateswara and will again take part in the Suprabhata Seva of the Lord in the wee hours tomorrow.

Later tomorrow evening he will address the public meeting at Indira grounds but there is no clarity yet on why the meeting is being organised without any formal announcement.

"We will take a decision on giving permission for the event depending on the prevailing conditions. Our staff is just returning from Pushkaram duties," Tirupati Urban SP Vijayalakshmi said.

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The Philippine government and Communist guerrillas today signed an indefinite ceasefire deal to facilitate peace talks aimed at ending one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

"This is a historic and unprecedented event... (but) there is still a lot of work to be done ahead," President Rodrigo Duterte's peace adviser, Jesus Dureza, said at a signing ceremony in Norway, which is mediating the talks.

Both sides agreed to implement unilateral ceasefires which are unlimited in time, something that has never been achieved before in the peace process.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende described the agreement as a "major breakthrough."



The two parties have been meeting in Oslo since Monday, wrapping up with the signing ceremony today.

As a prelude to the talks, each side had agreed to a ceasefire, but the truce commitment by the Communist side was due to end tomorrow.

The two parties also agreed during their negotiations to "speed up the peace process, and aim to reach the first substantial agreement on economic and social reforms within six months," a statement from the Norwegian foreign ministry said.

"They plan to follow this up with an agreement on political and constitutional reforms, before a final agreement on ending the armed conflict can be signed."



The two delegations agreed to meet again in Oslo October 8-12.

The Communist Party of the Philippines launched a rebellion in 1968 that has so far claimed the lives of 30,000 people, according to official estimates.

Its armed faction, the New People's Army (NPA), is now believed to have fewer than 4,000 gunmen, down from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s, when a bloodless revolt ended the 20-year dictatorship of late president Ferdinand Marcos.

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: Members cutting across various political parties held a demonstration here today seeking a CB-CID probe into the death of a minor girl, who went missing on Aug 22 near here.

The political parties also demanded that the government provide compensation to the victim's family.

Police said, the girl, who had left her house to attend tuition classes was later found dead with her head severed on the railway track near Uchipuli.

Her parents suspected that she had been kidnapped, abused and murdered.

They demanded a thorough probe into the incident.

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President Pranab Mukherjee today arrived at Patna on a two-day Bihar visit during which he is scheduled to participate in the maiden convocation ceremony of Nalanda University.

Governor Ram Nath Kovind, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Speaker of Assembly Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and other ministers welcomed the President at the Patna airport in the evening, an official release said.

Mukherjee would spend the night at Raj Bhavan and leave tomorrow for Rajgir where he would confer degrees on 12 students of the first batch of the university.

The President, who is the university's Visitor, would also give gold medals to two students on the occasion.

The Governor and the Chief Minister will be guests of honour at the convocation ceremony.

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Britain's Prince William has spoken out about missing his mother Princess Diana "every day" since she was killed in a Paris car crash on August 31, 1997.

The second in line to Britain's throne opened up about his grief earlier this week during a visit to a hospice in Bedfordshire, east England, as he comforted a 14-year-old boy who had lost his mother to cancer last year.

"I know how you feel. I still miss my mother every day - and it's 20 years after she died," said the 34-year-old royal.

"The important thing is to talk about it as a family. It's ok to feel sad, it's ok for you to miss her," he said.

During the visit to the Keech Hospice in Luton, the Duke of Cambridge was accompanied by wife Kate. The Duchess also made her own connection with the bereaved when she gave a hug to a six-year-old boy who had lost his eldest brother two years ago, saying: "I love cuddles."



The royal couple later visited the Young Minds youth mental health charity in London, where William warned volunteers he was feeling emotional.

"I'm carrying a lot of things at the moment. I'll be in floods of tears at the end otherwise. I've had too many sad families with the air ambulance so I can't have any more stuff. Something on the lower level if I can," he said as he joined a mental health helpline to receive calls.

The prince was referring to his part-time job as a helicopter pilot with the East Anglian Air Ambulance (EAAA) since July 2015, having previously served with the Royal Air Force (RAF) search and rescue.

In recent months, William and Kate have focused much of their public work on promoting the emotional and psychological well-being of children and young adults.

Young Minds is a member of their Heads Together umbrella group of charities, launched by the duke and duchess with Prince Harry to tackle mental health issues.

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Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta may find himself in a trouble after Speaker Ram Niwas Goel referred the matter of alleged leak of CAG purported report on government's spending on advertisments to the House Privilege Committee.

The Speaker's move comes after Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia requested the Chair to take action against the BJP leader for "leaking" the CAG report to the media before it was obtained by the government.

Later, Gupta alleged that the Kejriwal government was planning to cancel his membership of the Assembly as he was cornering it on several issues.

Quoting a press release on the CAG report issued by Gupta on August 24, Sisodia said in the Assembly that the AAP Government has only spent Rs 74 crore on advertisements in the last fiscal, rejecting the Opposition's allegation of huge expenditure on the same.

The Deputy CM claimed that government has saved Rs 6 crore.

"By leaking the report to the media through a press release, Gupta has committed contempt of House and action must be taken against him and the matter should be referred to the Privilege Committee," he said.

The matter was referred to the Privileges Committee of the House by the Speaker.

Sisodia on August 24 had informed the House that the Delhi government has not received any CAG report.

"Gupta should tell where he found the report," Sisodia said, adding he received the report at 5.30 PM on Wednesday.

Delhi Assembly Speaker Ram Niwas Goel rejected both the breach of privileges motions moved by Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta as well as rebel AAP legislator Pankaj Pushkar.

The breach of privilege motion against Sisodia by Gupta alleged that he did not give the right answer in the Assembly on CAG report on Wednesday.

Pushkar, who represents the Timarpur constituency as an AAP MLA, had moved the breach of privilege notice against the Deputy Chief Minister, accusing him of resorting to "falsehoods" while defending the Delhi government on the liquor issue.

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Telecom operators Reliance Communications and Aircel are expected to sign agreement for merger of their businesses by the first week of September.

"Term sheet between the two companies (RCom, Aircel) have been finalised. Definitive agreement for merger between the two companies is expected to be signed in a week or 10 days," an industry source close to the development said.

RCom and Aircel talks, if successful, would lead to formation of third largest telecom operator in the country with subscriber base of over 196 million.

"At present no regulatory approvals are required. The process for regulatory approval will begin after RCom and Aircel sign definitive agreement. It should take around 4-6 month time to complete merger and the combined entity will be rebranded," the source said.

The new entity, which is in the works, will hold spectrum across all allocated bands -- 800 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 MHz -- for 2G, 3G and 4G services. On the other hand, RCom and Sistema (MTS) are in process of merger. Sistema will hold 10 per cent stake in the new entity that will formed post its merger with RCom.

In December last, the two firms announced entering into 90-day 'exclusivity period' for the merger deal that will exclude RCom's tower and optical fibre assets for which a separate sale process is ongoing.

The talks were later extended twice.

The merged entity is expected to have Rs 25,000 crore business from the first day of its operation and is estimated have EBIDTA (cash flow) Rs 7,000 crore and finance cost about Rs 3,000 crore.

"RCom and Aircel have had nil free cash flow since long time but the resultant entity is being structured in a manner to have Rs 4,000 crore free cash flow which it can use for investments in network," the source said.

RCom's net debt at the end of 2015-16 was Rs 41,362.1 crore. Debt of Aircel could not be ascertain. At the end of last fiscal, RCom's consolidated revenue stood at around Rs 22,000 crore.

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Underlining that interdependence calls for greater cohesion among SAARC member states, Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today said the grouping must jointly work to change the economic landscape of South Asia and deliver its people from evils like poverty and illiteracy.

"Three decades ago the South Asian leadership made a commitment to accelerate the economic growth, social progress and cultural development of our region. Promoting the welfare and improving the quality of life of the people of South Asia was the key idea behind this thinking," Sharif said while addressing the inaugural session of the 8th SAARC Finance Ministers' meeting here.

Sharif said the increasing interdependence and the notion of shared goals and common concerns were the genesis of the South Asian Association of Region Cooperation (SAARC).

"By realising the commitment of the leaders enshrined in SAARC charter we can all progress and bring economic stability and prosperity including social uplifts for our generations," he said.

India is being represented at the summit by Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das as Finance Minister Arun Jaitley cancelled his participation amid the strain in bilateral ties.

At the meeting, Sharif said in the age of globalisation the world's focus is on finding regional solutions to common problems for the economic and social progress of the masses.

"Increasing connectivity, ease in communication, freer trade and finding solutions to hunger, poverty and foods in security have helped the world to enhance regional and sub-regional cooperation," an official statement quoted Sharif as saying.

He said the trans-boundary effects of climate change, spread of diseases, economic spillover and social evils are being countered by joint strategies at the regional level.

The interdependence calls for an ever greater cohesion among the SAARC member states, he stressed.

"Pakistan is ready to contribute to fulfil aspirations of the people of the region," the Prime Minister said.

He also expressed the confidence that deliberations of Finance Ministers would complement the agenda of 19th SAARC summit, which Pakistan will host in Islamabad on November 9 and 10.

Sharif also apprised the participants about economic policies being pursued by the Pakistan government, their acknowledgement by the multilateral institutions and their trickle-down effect.

He said reforms agenda of the government is aimed at strengthening regulatory and supervisory framework and safeguarding of the national economy.

Sharif said his country was committed to jointly work with SAARC member states in changing economic landscape of South Asia and deliver its people of poverty, illiteracy and other social ills.

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, in his welcome address, said



the South Asian region is blessed with immense resources and has the potential to meet the growth requirements of its peoples, Radio Pakistan reported.

He said joint strategies are the way forward to exploit this potential for the socio-economic upliftment of the people.

Dar expressed the confidence that the vision of South Asian Economic Union will promote economic cooperation, investment and connectivity among the regional countries.

He said the leaders of SAARC countries have repeatedly been emphasising upon the greater economic integration and cooperation.

The Finance Minister said though significant headways have been made in this regard, however, there is a need to remove non-tariff barriers and simplification of procedures in order to enhance cooperation in different sectors including trade, investment and energy cooperation.

Dar said the proposals to be finalised in the ongoing meeting will be presented before the SAARC summit to be held in November in Islamabad.

Later, being elected as the chairman of the 8th meeting of SAARC finance ministers, Dar in his brief remarks said that concerted and time-bound efforts are the only way to get the masses of the South Asian region out of the clutches of poverty and hunger.

He emphasised the need for greater intra-regional and inter regional cooperation to help South Asia combat all challenges including poverty.

Addressing the conference, Secretary General SAARC Arjun Bahadur Thapa said the South Asian region has the potential to become a global economic force.

He said that since the last SAARC Summit, significant progress has been made to bolster economic cooperation among the member states.

Thapa said the leaders of SAARC countries have set an ambitious target of establishing South Asian Economic Union which requires deeper interaction amongst the member countries.

Ministers and senior officials from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka attended the day-long conference.
The 19th Summit will be held in Islamabad on November 9 and 10, Pakistan announced on Friday.

"The Prime Minister of Pakistan (Nawaz Sharif) has invited the leaders of Member States to grace the Summit with their presence" and is looking forward to welcoming them in Islamabad, the Foreign Office here said in a statement.

However, it remains unclear whether Prime Minister Narendra Modi will travel to Pakistan for the summit given the strain in bilateral ties over the issue of cross border terrorism.

Home Minister Rajnath Singh had visited Pakistan earlier this month for the Home Ministers' meeting during which the chill in ties was evident while Finance Minister Arun Jaitley skipped the ongoing SAARC Finance Ministers' meeting and instead sent Economic Affairs Secretary Shaktikanta Das to represent India at the meet.

Pakistan Foreign Office said that nine observers of SAARC have also been invited to attend the summit.

The preparations for successfully hosting the summit in Islamabad are being made by Pakistan, the statement said.

In order to give impetus to the process of preparations, Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry on Friday inaugurated a SAARC Summit Cell at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The SAARC Summit Cell is headed by Ambassador Amjad Sial, who is a senior diplomat and Pakistan's nominee for the next SAARC Secretary General.

The SAARC Summit Cell will closely work with all stakeholders and concerned authorities in Pakistan. It will also liaise with the member states, SAARC observers and the SAARC secretariat for organisation of the summit, the statement said.

The South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) is comprised of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal, the Maldives, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.
Democratic Senator Bernie Sanders has endorsed Indian-American social-worker Peter Jacob, who is running for the US House of Representatives seat in New Jersey which is known to be a strong Republican bastion.

Sanders's endorsement is expected to give a big boost to the election campaign of 30-year-old Jacob, who is seeking to unseat incumbent Republican Leonard Lance who has represented Congressional District 7 of New Jersey since 2009.

Jacob's names figures in the list of 60 other liberal Democrat candidates running for local, state and Congressional office in November's election. The list has been posted on Sander's new initiative Our Revolution website.

"Raised in Union, New Jersey, in an Indian-American family, Peter understands how important a safe and caring community is to success," the website said.

"Through various community organisations, Peter has helped fight the ongoing scourges of child abuse, human trafficking, and disastrous Iraq War," it said.

"Meanwhile, he has continued to proudly campaign for healthcare reform, environmental sustainability, and immigrant integration back here in the US. If elected, Peter will continue to serve not just as a politician, but as a true public servant, and will fight to instill progressive values into New Jersey's legislation," the website said.

Indian-American Pramila Jayapal is other candidate who was endorsed by Sanders earlier.

Jayapal is running for Congress from Washington State. Sanders has also endorsed Tulsi Gabbard, the first Hindu Congresswoman, who is seeking her third term from Hawaii.

Jacob, whose parents immigrated from India in 1986, hoped that this would help him enter the Congress.

"Everyone at our campaign is incredibly touched and thankful for where we are at right now, however, we have a long way to go. With the backing of Senator Sanders, the Our Revolution campaign, and your help, we can bring the people's voices back to Washington," he said in a statement.

Jacob is the only campaign selected by Sanders in the State of New Jersey.

This is the same Congressional district from where Upendra Chivukula  the first Indian American to be elected to the New Jersey State Assembly  tried his luck in 2012 and lost to Lance by more than 50,000 votes.

The 7th Congressional District of New Jersey is said to be a strong Republican bastion. The party has retained this seat for the last 100 years, except for six years between 1975-1981.

After attending Union County College, in New Jersey, Jacob continued undergraduate studies in Sociology at Kean University. Soon after, Peter studied at Washington University in St Louis, earning a Master of Social Work from the top-ranked program in the nation.

During his undergraduate and graduate years, Peter was a student activist and leader.
The Supreme Court today asked the Centre to notify the amended Jammu and Kashmir State Bar Council Draft Rules after the Bar Council of India (BCI) said it had approved it.

A bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur gave the direction to notify the rules in four weeks, after the counsel for BCI told the court that it has approved the amended Jammu and Kashmir State Bar Council draft rules.

Advocate A K Prasad appearing for BCI told a bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, that the draft rules will now be forwarded to the central government for publication in the gazette.

The bench posted the matter for further hearing on the issue after six weeks.

Senior advocate Bhim Sigh in his plea has said that state bar council should be established in Jammu and Kashmir as it has been functioning in accordance with a transitory arrangement under provisions of the Advocates Act, 1961.

He also alleged that no initiative was taken to constitute the Bar Council by holding elections in accordance with the provisions of the Act.

The senior counsel also alleged that denial of a democratically elected Bar Council amounted to violation of fundamental rights.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
"Rampant" adulteration of diesel was taking place in petrol pumps and millions of litres of kerosene were being siphoned off as owners and dealers were "very powerful people like politicians", the Supreme Court said today.

"It is not a happy situation. It is something which is rampant and unfortunate and very powerful people like politicians have petrol pumps. They can tamper with the machine. They are the people who will resist the change," a bench headed by Chief Justice T S Thakur observed.

"Go to small and rural areas, all types of people are at play. Criminals and politicians," the bench said while expressing serious concern over the matter.

"How do you prevent adulteration? How to stop it? Is there any strategy," it asked, adding that "millions of litres of kerosene is siphoned off."



The bench, which also comprised Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, made the remarks while ordering a probe by a joint secretary rank officer of Ministry of Petroleum against Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party MLA, Devendra alias Mukesh Agarwal, who has been accused by his rival BSP leader Seema Upadhyay of indulging in adulteration of diesel at petrol pumps owned or operated by him through benami names.

It also asked Solicitor General Ranjit Kumar to file an affidavit on behalf of the Ministry spelling out measures to stop adulteration and siphoning off of subsidised kerosene.

The bench, which did not pay heed to Kumar's submission that private interest was being raised under the garb of PIL by a rival politician, directed that the inquiry report be submitted to the apex court within six weeks.

It said the inquiry officer should send notice to Agarwal, an MLA from Sadabad in Hathras district, to get his response on the allegation of Upadhyay, also a former MP.

It asked the Ministry to examine various options to check adulteration in petrol and diesel including the possibility of installing machines which can detect adulteration.

Upadhyay's counsel Rajeev Sharma said it was not a question of political rivalry between the two leaders but an attempt was being made to show how rampant adulteration in petroleum products was and how the "oil mafia" works.

The bench was further told that IIM graduate and Indian



Oil Corporation (IOC) officer S Manjunath, who tried to stop such practice, was gunned down by a petrol pump owner in Lucknow some years ago and similarly, a government officer in Nashik in Maharashtra was burnt alive.

The bench said "there is a deep-rooted and serious problem" and asked Solicitor General to come out with a solutions, preferring technological ideas.

While ordering the probe, the bench said the licensing authorities for petrol pumps and district administration will have to provide full assistance and cooperation to the enquiry officer.

Upadhyay, wife of senior and influential BSP leader Ramveer Upadhyay, claimed that there was a need for thorough probe by the CBI into business activities of Agarwal.

The MLA's counsel Rakesh Dwivedi refuted all allegations.

During the hearing, the bench was told that a question was asked in Lok Sabha earlier this month and it was revealed that there were 3801 cases of adulteration from petrol pumps with UP having the most - 672 - followed by 364 in Madhya Pradesh in the last three years.

While elaborating how the "oil mafia" worked, the petition alleged that subsidised kerosene, meant for persons residing in rural areas or below poverty line, has been long used for adulterating diesel and petrol, thus damaging both those for whom the oil is meant and those whose vehicles or engines are fatally damaged by the adulterated fuel.

"The resultant profit going into the pockets of fuel adulterators/black marketeers/mafias, is mind-boggling as kerosene oil is sold by oil refineries or their depots to the wholesalers at Rs 14-15 per litre enabling the retailers to earn 40-50 paise per litre," the plea said.

It alleged that subsidised kerosene was sold by oil refineries to wholesalers at Rs 14-15 per litre and further sold to mafias and black marketeers at Rs 25 per litre.

"Kerosene oil is chemically treated with a view to discolouring the same and thereafter sold to petrol/diesel outlets at Rs 33 to Rs 35 per litre, from where it is sold as diesel at Rs 54 per litre and petrol at Rs 74 per litre," the plea said.
Drawing attention to a high dropout rate in upper primary schools, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam today said schools are facing the "biggest crisis" in India.

Delivering the first lecture of government think-tank Niti Aayog's 'Transforming India' initiative, he said the world's second-most populous country also has the "biggest gap" in talent at the top and unfulfilled potential at bottom.

Speaking on the need for social mobility, Shanmugaratnam said experiments have shown that starting as early as possible in a child's life cycle helps.

"Intervention at pre-natal stage are critical, followed up with pre-school opportunities," he said, adding that India has some notable schemes in this regard citing the results of the Integrated Child Development Services and Anganwadis.

Things, he added, can be achieved with village-level interventions -- from reaching out to the mother and the child as early as possible and then schools.

"Schools are the biggest crisis in India today and have been for a long time. Schools are the biggest gap between India and East Asia. And it is a crisis that cannot be justified," the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore said.

Reeling off data, Shanmugaratnam said 43 per cent students drop out before finishing upper primary school. There is a shortage of 7,00,000 primary school teachers, only 53 per cent schools have girl's toilets and only 74 per cent have access to daily drinking water.

He went on to say this explains that when India took part in OECD PISA study in 2009, it was ranked 73rd out of 74 countries. "And this is in a country which has exceptional talent with people who go to IITs and IIMs and lead companies all over the world and are first-rated," he added.

"India has the biggest gap, I know and I have spent many years in education... Talent at the top and the unfulfilled potential of those in the rest of the society. And these things can be fixed. And it is not by way of ever-increasing budgets," he said.

Highlighting Singapore's example, the Deputy Prime Minister said it is not about spending more, but is about organisation and culture.

"How do we recruit our teachers, how do we train them, how do we hold the teachers accountable, how do we provide for quality across the system and not just at its most exclusive end? How do we ensure that every school is a good school?" he explained.

Shanmugaratnam saw a big challenge in the tertiary (higher) education system, which he said is not unique to India, but all over the world, the US, the UK, China, Europe and Korea.

"We are over-producing graduates who go through a general academic education. We have over-academised learning... We are producing students who do not have the skills required in the real world. We have to re-orient our system to focus on the skills required in the real world," he stressed.

On human resource development, Shanmugaratnam said:



"Human capital development is not just what happens in first 12 years or 18 years of our life, it is about what happens to the life. It is about life-long learning. We need to refresh ourselves."



It means developing potential throughout life, having an infrastructure that encourages people to learn, he noted.

Shanmugaratnam also underscored "a very special role" cities play in Reform, Perform and Transform, particularly in a large continental-scale society like India. "Because it is cities which are crucibles of both innovation and inclusivity," he reasoned.

"It is in cities where you get a working relationship between government, business, ITIs and schools. We have to empower them. Hold them accountable, give them some financial autonomy and hold competition among them. Cities will play a special role in future," he predicted.

Shanmugaratnam endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's policy, saying he has rightly emphasised that there is no strong economy and no strong nation without a strong society.

"And the social policies and the interaction between the social and economic policies have to be the primary arena for the government's ambition. Social policy at the end of the day is economic policy," he added.

He concluded saying the need of the hour is "what the Prime Minister emphasised in his speech".

"It's not just about budgets, it's not just about programmes, it is at the end of the day about a social and political culture...," he added.

Shanmugaratnam underlined the need for enhancing social cohesion and the need to bring various sections of society together.

Making the point that looking long term in developing culture always pays, he said: "A culture that focuses on the long term is essential for all that we want to achieve in an inclusive society. Short-termism is an enemy of social mobility.
A 23-year-old woman employee of a shopping mall today allegedly committed suicide by jumping from the top of the four-storeyed building near Thondayad here.

Ansa leapt to her death from the top of the building around 11.30 AM, police said.

She was rushed to Kozhikode Medical College Hospital where she succumbed to her injuries.

Police suspect family problems to be the reason behind her taking the extreme step.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian-origin former Singaporean president S R Nathan, who passed away earlier this week, was laid to rest after a state funeral today with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong describing him as one of Singapore's greatest sons.

Nathan, 92, had spent 40 years in Singapore civil service and two-terms as President from 1999 to 2011. He suffered a stroke on July 31 and was in intensive care of a hospital till he passed away on August 22.

The family held a private cremation after the state funeral service.

Seven eulogies were delivered at the state funeral service led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong at the National University of Singapore's University Cultural Centre this afternoon.

Prime Minister Lee described Nathan as "one of Singapore's greatest sons".

"He played a leadership role in the Indian community. But he was also a President for all Singaporeans, and cared deeply about racial and religious harmony," said Lee.

A lone bugler from the military band sounded the 'Last Post' after the state funeral for the Singapore-born Nathan.

A minute of silence was also observed, after which the Rouse was sounded -- a symbolic call back to duty after respect has been paid to the memory of the deceased.

Singaporeans, led by President Tony Tan Keng Yam, and diplomats paid their last respects to the late president at the Parliament, where he was laid to rest with full honours.

Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his wife also paid respects to Nathan, making a brief stop-over in Singapore en-route to Kenya.

Abe told Nathan's wife that Japan will never forget Nathan as he was the first head of state to visit Hiroshima and meet the atomic bomb victims during a state visit to Japan in 2009.

"For me, President Nathan was a great son of Singapore, a great educator, leader and statesman. He was also a great friend of Indonesia," wrote former Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono in the condolence book he signed at Singapore Embassy in Jakarta.

Ambassador-at-large Gopinath Pillai, in his tribute at the state funeral service, said giving back to the Hindu and Indian communities was of great importance to Singapore's late President.

Nathan was one of the founders of self-help group Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA), and as chairman of the Hindu Endowments Board (HEB), he ensured better accounting procedures were put in place.

Pillai said Nathan had told him that he took on the role of chairman of HEB because he felt that just as there were credible Indian ministers who had won the respect of all races in Singapore's political arena, the various Indian institutions here should also be credible.

"He did not think doing your best was good enough. Doing what was required was more important," said Pillai, delivering the last of seven eulogies at the funeral service for Nathan.

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"I would venture to say that almost half the households in Singapore have a photograph of Nathan with a member of their family," Pillai said.

Reflecting on Nathan's traits -- his integrity, perseverance, and commitment to Singapore -- Lee also made a mention of the January 31, 1974, terror incident in Singapore.

In that incident, two Japanese Red Army terrorists and two terrorists from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine tried to blow up the Royal Dutch Shell-owned refinery Pulau (Island) Bukom.

When the terrorists' attempt failed, they hijacked a ferry boat operating between Bukom and mainland Singapore.

Nathan, then 47 and a director of Security and Intelligence Division, led negotiations and had the terrorists surrender on February 7, on condition they be flown to Kuwait and freed.

He boarded the Japan Airlines plane from Singapore's former Paya Lebar Airport along with a 12-man team, freeing the terrorists after 13-hour flight to Kuwait.

The terrorists had planned to blow up the Shell refinery and disrupt oil supply to South Vietnam to show their support for communist North Vietnam during the Vietnam war.

Nathan is survived by his wife, daughter, son and three grandchildren.

Recalling Nathan's lighter side, Pillai said he loved watching Tamil and Malayalam movies, and listening to classical Carnatic music and light film songs.

The song 'Thanjavooru Manneduthu' that played at the start of the funeral service was a favourite of his, he said.

Nathan's friend Ramaswamy Athappan, recalled how the late President, despite being hospitalised helped four women motobikers from India, who arrived at the Singapore immigration at the causeway without motor vehicle insurance in July.

The four women from India arrived on their motorbikes at the Causeway on the last leg of a cross-border trip across Asia to raise awareness against female feticide in India.

But officers at the Immigration and Checkpoints Authority of Singapore did not allow them to enter Singapore as they did not have proper vehicle insurance.

One of the bikers' contacts happened to know Nathan and contacted him for help.

"Despite being hospitalised, and the lateness of the hour, Nathan telephoned me. He requested my assistance to help the bikers and their accompanying motor car to secure the required motor vehicle insurance immediately," recalled Athappan, in his tribute to the former President.

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Nathan had initiated a think-tank to develop deeper understanding between India and Singapore. He had once told the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), a think-tank of National University of Singapore, to champion the understanding of a "Singapore in India and India in Singapore", Pillai said.

"While Singapore and India enjoyed friendly relations, they did not have, in his views, a deep understanding of each other. His advise to me was - you should champion a Singapore in India and India in Singapore. That way you can help increase each country's understanding of the other," he said.

ISAS, Pillai said, was trying to live up to the former president's expectations.

He said Nathan was a man of foresight who strongly believed that diaspora of various South Asian countries had much in common.

There was much potential and value in bringing them together in neutral venue and Singapore was one of that, Pillai said, adding that Nathan was also the driving force behind the publication of Indian Diaspora book in 2006, the most comprehensive account of Indian diaspora even today.

"To show our deep gratitude for his immense contribution, the South Asian Diaspora Convention 2016, held in July, conferred on him the Outstanding Member of the South Asia Diaspora Award," Pillai added.
Founder chairman of SRM Group of educational institutions T R Pachamuthu was arrested here today in connection with an alleged scandal in medical admissions involving crores of rupees, police said.

"Pachamuthu has been arrested by CCB (Central Crime Branch) sleuths," a top police official told PTI.

Pachamuthu, whose Indiya Jananayaga Katchi (IJK) is an ally of NDA at the Centre, has been booked under IPC sections including 420 (cheating), the official said.

The Chancellor of the SRM University headquartered near here, was arrested in connection with more than 100 complaints from parents related to "transactions" involving payment of money running into several crores for getting admissions to medical courses in SRM institutions.

Parents had alleged they were duped after being promised medical seats in colleges run by the SRM Group, and a case was filed by police.

Film producer Madhan, who purportedly acted as an agent and collected huge sums of money from parents, is the key accused in the case and has been missing since May last.

Pachamuthu had strongly denied any link whatsoever with Madhan and said all admissions were being done transparently.

When Madhan mysteriously disappeared on May 27, his family members wanted Pachamuthu to be inquired over the issue and the matter also went to Madras High Court.

Police had named Madhan, perceived to be close to Pachamuthu, and his associates in the FIR on the basis of the complaints.

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Realty firm Supertech Ltd today said it will enter into the healthcare sector and invest Rs 300 crore to open four hospitals in the next 3-4 years.

The Noida-based developer will open hospitals in its integrated township projects.

"In the initial phase, the company will invest Rs 100 crore to open its first 100-bed super speciality hospital in their residential complex 'Cape Town' in sector 74, Noida," the company said in a statement.

"This will be followed by the launch of 3 more hospitals in the next 3-4 years with an investment of Rs 200 crore," it added.

The construction for the first hospital in Noida has already commenced and is expected to be completed by May 2017, the statement said.

The hospital will be well-equipped with latest technology, best infrastructure and a team of specialists to address the needs of patients.

"Top quality medical facilities at affordable cost still remain a challenge and we intend to fill this gap by launching our range of hospitals along with qualified and experienced doctors," Supertech Chairman R K Arora said.

Supertech is developing about 40 realty projects in Noida, Greater Noida, Gurgaon, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Moradabad, Dehradun, Haridwar, Rudrapur and Bengaluru.

Meanwhile, the company is fighting a legal battle in the Supreme Court.

In April 2014, the Allahabad High Court had ordered to demolish the company's two 40-storey towers in a Noida housing project.

Supertech challenged the high court order in the Supreme Court. The two towers -- Apex and Ceyane -- having a combined 857 apartments, of which about 600 flats are sold.

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Shares of Tata Motors today rose 2 per cent even as the company reported 57 per cent decline in consolidated net profit for the first quarter ended June 30, 2016-17.

The scrip gained 2.01 per cent to settle at Rs 503.65 on BSE. During the day, it jumped 4.3 per cent to Rs 515.

The scrip was top gainer among the 30-Sensex components.

On NSE, it rose by 2 per cent to end at Rs 503.75.

Tata Motors today reported 57 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,260.40 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, due to post Brexit adverse foreign exchange impacting its British arm JLR.

The company had posted profit of Rs 5,254.23 crore in the same period last fiscal.

Net sales in the first quarter of the current fiscal were up 10 per cent at Rs 66,101.27 crore as against Rs 60,093.79 crore in the year-ago period.

The company said higher volumes in both standalone as well as Jaguar Land Rover business more than offset by the adverse forex impact of Rs 2,296 crore and adverse commodity derivatives impact of Rs 167 crore in the operating profit mainly in the JLR business.

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Riots erupted in Zimbabwe's capital Harare after police fired tear gas and beat protesters who responded by throwing stones in the latest of a string of highly charged demonstrations.

The violence came yesterday as a High Court judge ordered police "not to interfere (with), obstruct or stop the march".

Dozens of police blocked off the site of an opposition rally for electoral reforms by 2018, when 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe who has ruled the southern African country for decades will seek re-election.

AFP correspondents saw armed police firing tear gas and water cannon at protesters gathered on the fringes of the central business district who were waiting for the march to start.

Demonstrators began throwing stones at police while some set tyres ablaze and others pulled down the sign for a street named after Mugabe.

Some people caught up in the melee, including children going to a nearby agricultural show, ran for shelter in the magistrate's court while riot police pursued the protesters and threatened journalists covering the rally.

The usually-bustling pavements were clear of street hawkers and some shops were shut, as rocks, sticks and burning tyres were strewn across the streets.

Opposition protesters also clashed with supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party who had refused to clear their street stalls.

ZANU-PF youths hurled stones at the opposition activists but were overpowered and their stalls set on fire.

Mugabe slammed the protests and accused foreign powers of having a hand in the unrest.

"They are burning types in the streets in order to get into power. They are thinking that what happened in the Arab Spring is going to happen in this country, but we tell them that is not going to happen here," said Mugabe in remarks broadcast by state television.

The march was organised by 18 opposition parties including the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru.

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Terrorism emanating from Pakistan and other issues of strategic importance as well as of commercial interest will discussed during the 2nd Indo-US Strategic and Commercial Dialogue (S&CD) to be held here on August 30.

During the Dialogue, to be co-chaired by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman along with US Secretary of State John Kerry and US Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker, the entire gamut of cooperation between the two countries will be taken up, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

The co-chairs will be accompanied by a high-level inter- agency delegation on both sides.

Asked if the current situation in Kashmir and the terrorism emanating from Pakistan will also figure during the talks between the two sides, he said, "Anything which is of strategic importance for both the countries will obviously figure. Very substantive discussions on all aspects of bilateral relationship, important regional issue and global developments."



The forthcoming S&CD will also review the progress made in the implementation of the various decisions taken in the recent Summit held in June in Washington DC and identify possible areas for future cooperation, Swarup added.

The S&CD is a comprehensive mechanism to discuss and deliberate the entire gamut of cooperation between the two countries.

The India-US Strategic Dialogue was elevated into a Strategic and Commercial Dialogue during the visit of US President Barack Obama to India in January 2015.

The first S&CD was held on September 22, 2015 in the US.

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Tamil Nadu government today expressed "profound sorrow" over the death of former President of Singapore, S R Nathan.

"The Government of Tamil Nadu expresses profound sorrow at the demise of the former President of Republic of Singapore Mr S R Nathan who passed away on 22.8.2016 in Singapore," the condolence message read.

"Heartfelt condolences and sentiments may please be conveyed to the members of the bereaved family of the departed dignitary," it said.

On the directions of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa, the message was registered at a condolence book kept at the Consulate General of Singapore here, the release added.

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A top Chinese general has been arrested for violating party discipline, becoming one of the most senior incumbent military officials to be targeted in the President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign. This campaign continues to shake the top brass of the People's Liberation Army (PLA).

General Wang Jianping, 62, deputy chief of the Joint Staff Department under the powerful Central Military Commission headed by Xihas been arrested for violating party discipline, Hong Kong based South Morning Post reported.

Wang, a former ally of China's disgraced security tsar Zhou Yongkang, was taken away by discipline inspectorin Chengdu, Sichuan province, on Thursday, the report quoted sources as saying.

The charges against Wang weren't immediately clear, but violating party discipline is a common euphemism in for corruption, the report said.

Wang's wife and secretary were taken away that same day, the source said.

His former secretary Su Haihui, deputy director of the armed police's training department, was also taken, he added.

Two more of China's former top commanders taken away for corruption investigation, the report said.

Wang was arrested by military prosecutors in Chengdu while he was on an inspection trip.

His wife and secretary were taken away in Beijing on Thursday, the report informed.

Wang is the first general still in active military service to be brought down since Xi launched his massive crackdown against deep-rooted corruption in the military in 2013.

His arrest followed the detention of Tian Xiusi, a former political commissar of the PLA air force and a member of the Communist Party's elite Central Committee.

Tian, 66, was detained by military graft-investigators and put under an internal probe last month.

While he holds the rank of general, Tian had already retired from the army when he was taken away.

So far nearly 50 top officials of the PLA including two former Chiefs were probed corruption in the unprecedented anti-graft campaign which also helped Xi to consolidate his hold on the powerful military, which also strengthened his position in the ruling Communist Party of for which he is the General Secretary.

The report also said rumours were rife about the fate of Wang and his political ally General Xu Yaoyuan, a former political commissar of the armed police.

As top leaders of the PLA's armed police from 2009 to 2014, Wang and Xu directly reported to then security tsar Zhou Yongkang.

Zhou, who was arrested on graft charges in 2013, was sentenced to life in jail in June last year. He was the most senior official to receive such a heavy sentence since the Cultural Revolution.
Two persons have been detained in connection with shooting dead constable Anand Singh in outer Delhi last week, police said today.

A Special Cell team of New Delhi Range has detained two persons, suspected to be among the three criminals who shot dead constable Anand Singh in Sector 5Industrial area on August 20, a source said.

49-year-old Singh, who was posted at Sector five police chowki in Shahabad, was shot dead by miscreants while he was chasing them after they had snatched moneyfrom a woman vendor at Samosa Chowk in the area.

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British politicians "divisive" and "anti-immigrant" rhetoric in the run-up to the EU referendum helped fuel a surge in hate crimes after the Brexit vote in June, a United Nations panel said today.

The UN's Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said in a report that it was "seriously concerned" at the sharp increase recorded since Britain's referendum to leave the European Union (EU), the BBC reported.

"The committee remains concerned that despite the recent increase in the reporting of hate crimes, the problem of underreporting persists, and the gap between reported cases and successful prosecution remains significant.

"As a result, a large number of racist hate crimes seem to go unpunished," the report said.

In the immediate aftermath of the referendum, hate crimes surged by 42 per cent in England and Wales, with a total of 3,076 incidents were recorded across the country between 16 and 30 June, according to official UK police figures.

Racist abuse peaked on 25 June - the day after the result was announced - when 289 hate crimes and incidents were reported across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

The report's authors also expressed concerned about "negative portrayal" of ethnic minority communities, immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in British media.

It said the EU referendum campaign had been marked by "divisive, anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric".

It asked the UK government to review the counter-terrorism measure to ensure it does not "constitute profiling and discrimination on the grounds of race, colour, descent or national or ethnic origin".

The report also criticised plans to replace the Human Rights Act of 1998 with a new British Bill of Rights, warning that it could lead to "decreased levels of human rights protection".

David Isaac, chairman of the UK's Equality and Human Rights Commission, said the organisation shared the UN's concerns and supported its call for "effective investigation and prosecution of all acts of racist hate crime".

"There are concerns that the acrimonious and divisive manner in which the referendum debate was conducted exacerbated worrying divisions in British society, and has been used by a minority to legitimise race hate," he said.

"Political parties need to come together and show leadership, working with the relevant crime prevention agencies," Isaac added.

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Expressing serious concern over the attack on the American University of Afghanistan that killed 16 people, including eight students, the UN Security Council has said nations must bring financiers and sponsors of the "reprehensible" acts of terrorism to justice.

The 15-nation council "condemned in the strongest terms" the "heinous and cowardly" terrorist attack on August 24 in Kabul, targeting students of the American University of Afghanistan.

The attack resulted in the death of 16 people, including eight students from the university, and 50 people injured, including 36 students.

In a press statement issued here yesterday, the council reaffirmed their "serious concern" at the threats posed by the taliban, al-Qaeda, Islamic State and illegal and armed groups to the local population, National Defence and Security Forces and the presence in Afghanistan.

"The members of the Security Council underlined the need to bring perpetrators, organisers, financiers and sponsors of these reprehensible acts of terrorism to justice, and urged all states to cooperate actively with the Afghan authorities in this regard," the statement said.

The council also stressed the need to take measures to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism, terrorist organisations and individual terrorists.

Expressing condolences to the victims and the Afghan government, the council said terrorism in all its forms and manifestations is "criminal" and "unjustifiable" and should not be associated with any religion, nationality, civilisation or ethnic group.

The council reiterated that no violent or terrorist acts can reverse the Afghan-led process along the path towards peace, democracy and stability in Afghanistan.

The UN mission in Afghanistan also condemned the attack, calling for those responsible to be brought to justice.

"An attack deliberately targeting an educational facility, during evening classes for university students, is an atrocity and those responsible must be held accountable," Pernille Kardel, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Acting Head of the UN Assistance Mission there, known as UNAMA, said in a statement.

The attack began with the detonation of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at a gate of the American University of Afghanistan, after which two gunmen entered the compound during the busy evening class period.

"The country's youth are a source of pride and bring real hope for a better future," Kardel said, adding that she is hopeful that "violence will not discourage their desire for continued learning and attaining the knowledge and skills critical to Afghanistan's prosperity."
The UN Security Council has warmly welcomed the historic peace deal reached between Colombia's government and FARC rebels, and pledged to help ensure the agreement takes hold.

The council met behind closed doors yesterday, two days after the Bogota government and rebel representatives announced they had reached a final peace deal to end decades of conflict.

The United Nations intends to set up a special mission in the South American country to monitor the ceasefire, help disarm the rebels and verify compliance with the peace deal.

The council "reiterated its commitment to supporting implementation of the ceasefire agreement, cessation of hostilities and the laying down of arms through the UN political mission in Colombia," said Malaysia's Deputy Ambassador Siti Hajjar Adnin, whose country holds the council presidency this month.

Council members "warmly welcome" the peace deal that will be submitted to a nationwide referendum on October 2 and congratulate Colombians, she added.

British Deputy Ambassador Peter Wilson said the council is considering the "next steps" to support the peace process.

The new UN mission for Colombia will be led by French national Jean Arnaud and made up of 450 observers deployed in some 40 sites across the country.

A first group of observers, mostly from Latin America, has already arrived in Colombia to verify the disarmament and monitor the ceasefire.

Under the peace deal, the FARC will begin moving its estimated 7,000 fighters from their jungle and mountain hideouts into disarmament camps set up by the United Nations.

The FARC will then become a political party and its weapons will be melted down to build three peace monuments.

Special courts will be created to judge serious crimes committed during the conflict.

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The United States has stressed on the need for Pakistan to not differentiate between terror groups based on their agenda or affiliation, asking it to ensure there are no safe havens for terrorists in the country.

"We have consistently raised our concerns to the highest level of the government of Pakistan on the need to deny safe haven to extremists," the State Department Spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters yesterday.

"We have pressed the Government of Pakistan to follow up on their expressed commitment, their stated commitment, to not discriminate among terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation," she said.

Trudeau drew the attention to what Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif had said that they would not discriminate.

The terrorist attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul is against the best and brightest of Afghanistan and "is a sign that we can all do more", she said.

"As we have in the past, we encourage the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together, not only in the wake of this attack and to ensure that such attacks don't happen again, but to increase their cooperation countering violent extremism at large," Trudeau said.

Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, in a nearly 10-hour raid.
The US has asked Pakistan to ensure that there are no safe havens for terrorists in the country, stressing that it should not differentiate between terror groups based on their agenda or affiliation.

"We have consistently raised our concerns to the highest level of the government of Pakistan on the need to deny safe haven to extremists," State Department Spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters yesterday.

"We have pressed the Government of Pakistan to follow up on their expressed commitment, their stated commitment, to not discriminate among terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation," she said.

Trudeau drew the attention to what Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif had said that they would not discriminate.

The terrorist attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul is against the best and brightest of Afghanistan and "is a sign that we can all do more", she said.

"As we have in the past, we encourage the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together, not only in the wake of this attack and to ensure that such attacks don't happen again, but to increase their cooperation countering violent extremism at large," Trudeau said.

Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening.

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The USFDA has found significant violations of current good manufacturing practice (CGMP) norms at a plant in Philadelphia that was earlier owned by Sun Pharmaceutical and has issued a warning letter to its current owner, Frontida BioPharm.

The Philadelphia plant is among the two facilities that Sun Pharma had sold to Frontida BioPharm in June this year, along with 15 products, for an undisclosed amount.

In a letter to Frontida BioPharm CEO Song Li, the USFDA said: "Because your methods, facilities, or controls for manufacturing, processing, packing, or holding do not conform to CGMP, your drug products are adulterated..."



The USFDA had inspected the drug manufacturing facility from June 15 to July 17, 2015.

The health regulator said the quality unit knowingly released 27 lots of various strengths of clonidine HCl tablets on or about March 5, 2015, despite evidence that active pharmaceutical ingredient (API) used in their manufacture was potentially contaminated.

The quality unit of the plant failed to ensure CGMP-related records are accurate, contain appropriate documentation and are consistent with your standard operating procedure, the letter added.

The FDA has warned the Frontida BioPharm to correct the violations cited in this letter "promptly".

"Failure to promptly correct these violations may result in legal action without further notice including, without limitation, seizure and injunction," the letter said.

It, however, does not mention Sun Pharma or its executives.

At the time of selling the units, Sun Pharma did not mention anything about the FDA inspections and had simply stated that it was selling the plants as part of its manufacturing consolidation in the US.

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Maharashtra's Vidarbha region in general and Nagpur, its biggest city, in particular has all the potential to attract investments in the defence sector, according to industry captains.

The business potential of Vidarbha, with special focus on the defence sector, was discussed at a buyer-seller meet organised by Confederation of Indian Industries (CII) today.

Nitin Deveshwar, Chairman, CII Vidarbha Zonal Council and Managing Director, ESMS India Pvt Ltd, said the first-ever buyer-seller meet organised at Nagpur provided an opportunity for local manufacturers to explore new avenues in the defence sector.

With the region having ordinance factories, it makes sense to have defence manufacturing units here, he said.

Deveshwar said there was now a greater impetus on private sector involvement in defence production.

Mukesh Bhargava, Convenor, CII Maharashtra-Defence Task Force and Vice-President, Head, Special Projects & Engineering System at L&T, said defence is the largest and fast-growing domestic market and has a wide opportunities ahead.

India is currently the 9th largest aerospace market in the world and going to become the third largest in the next few years, Bhargava said.

Large and growing domestic market, outsourcing of defence and indigenisation thrust from Government are the strengths of defence manufacturing sector in India, he added.

Executive Director & CEO, Mahindra Defence Naval Systems, Devendra Bhatnagar, spoke about various requirements and opportunities for SMEs in the defence manufacturing.

Sandeep Saigal, is Head, Defence Sales & Business Development at Tata Motors, said defence manufacturing is now open to the private sector and it will create a very positive impact on industries.

Tata Motors has collaborated with multiple platforms and application for defence manufacturing. Futuristic infantry combat vehicle (FICV) is where MSMEs can play a key role, Saigal said.

K Nandakumar, Chairman & Managing Director, Chemtrols Industries Ltd, emphasised on role and opportunities for MSMEs in defence sector.

Rahul Dixit, Member, CII Maharashtra Defence Task Force and Director, Midland Diesel Services, highlighted business opportunities in the sector in Vidarbha and Nagpur.

He said Nagpur and Vidarbha have all the potential to attract investments in the key sector.

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Punjab Congress Chief Captain Amarinder Singh today asked Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal as why he does not get his own Ford Foundation funding probed along with Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who is under fire for allegedly taking bribe for issuing tickets.

While the AAP leaders from Delhi and Uttar Pardesh were maligning Chhotepur for accepting party fund, why was Kejriwal silent on the massive money Sukhpal Khaira (AAP's NRI wing incharge) and other leaders collected from the NRIs in United States and Canada when they visited these countries in last few months, he alleged.

He also sought a probe into the funding of Arvind Kejriwal's NGO which was "funded" by the Ford Foundation which in turn "gets money from the CIA".

He also asked the Delhi Chief Minister how he could run an NGO while being in the service of the union government.

"Charity begins at home and better begin the probe with your own funding from Ford foundation that is so suspicious and controversial", he told Kejriwal.

On Congress party's stand on Chhotepur and whether the party will welcome him back, the PCC president said, "Congress party's doors are open for everyone whether Chhotepur, Navjot Sidhu (cricktere-turned-politician), Pargat Singh or Inderbir Bolaria (supended Akali Dal MLAs)".

However, he made it categorically clear that there was no direct communication between the Congress party and these leaders.

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A woman was killed and 26 people were injured when a private bus fell into a gorge in Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh today.

The mishap occurred at village Khurahal in Sundernagar sub- division of Mandi district around 5 pm.

The bus was going to Dharli from Sundernagar and fell into the gorge about 45 kms from here.

According to SP (Mandi) Prem Kumar, the deceased was identified as Kanchana Devi (24) while the injured were admitted in Civil Hospital, Sundernagar and one has been referred to Zonal Hospital, Mandi.

A case has been registered against the driver of the bus who was also injured inthe accident.

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A 36-year-old woman from Bhiwandi, who was found guilty of possessing counterfeit Indian currency notes, has been sentenced to four-year rigorous imprisonment by a district court here.

Thane District Judge A S Bhaisrae awarded the sentence to Shehnajbano Kamruddin Khan, a resident of Gaibinagar, recently. The court, however, acquitted another accused Mohammad Islam Anwar Hussain Ansari (25) for want of evidence against him giving him the benefit of doubt.

The Judge also slapped a fine of Rs 1,000 on Shehnajbano, besides awarding an additional three-month sentence after she was found guilty for offences punishable under sections 489 (B) and 489 (C) of the IPC.

The prosecution told the court that it was on October 15, 2013 that she went to the branch of Bombay Mercantile Bank to deposit Rs 50,000 comprising notes of Rs 100 and Rs 500 denominations.

The cashier on the counter who accepted the currency notes, suspected them to be fake and hence sought the assistance of his manager for a check following which it was found that all the 54 notes that she carried were fake.

Then the matter was reported to Kumbharwada police who based on a complaint by the bank arrested the woman, the court was told.

In her defence the accused told the court that she was illiterate and had given the currency for depositing in the bank and after an hour the police came and arrested her.

The fake notes were sent to the currency press at Nashik which in its report confirmed that these were counterfeits.

The judge in his order also noted that the accused was having accounts with different banks and hence it can be concluded that she was having banking knowledge.

"There is no material on record to show that at any point of time, prior to this incident, the accused had deposited such a huge amount in bank. She might have mixed the counterfeit notes in genuine notes and had tried to deposit the same in the bank. Therefore, it can safely be said that she was having knowledge that those 54 notes of Rs 500/Rs 100 were fake.

The series of notes and note numbers were also found to be different. Therefore, it can be inferred that the accused had intention to pass off the fake notes as genuine," the order said.

Using counterfeit notes in the market, rather in the present case, in the bank, is nothing but to disturb the economy of the nation, the judge noted.

Therefore, the accused is not entitled for any leniency. Not only that, she is not entitled to benefit of Probation of Offender's Act, under the Bombay Probation of Offender's Act, 1958, the order said.

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Elated after the Bombay High Court verdict allowing women's entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, members of city-based Bhumata Ranragini Brigade led by Trupti Desai, who has been spearheading the fight for gender equality in all places of worship, have decided to visit the shrine this weekend.

"We welcome the decision of the High Court. It is a tight slap on the faces of those who put a ban on women's entry into the Dargah. It's a big victory of women power," said Desai celebrating the verdict with her group outside her office here.

"This is a landmark decision. The right that women are entitled to get, the right that has been given to women in the Constitution, that were somewhere taken away from us. The ban was on entry of women in the 'mazar' (area) of the Haji Ali dargah.

"We have been fighting against the secondary status given to women...Patriarch mentality, this 'dadagiri' (high-handedness) attitude of the (shrine) Trust that 'we will not allow women'...This (the verdict) is a victory of movement of Bhumata Ranragini brigade," she added.

The women group led by Desai will visit the shrine in the heart of Mumbai on August 28.

"Though the high court has stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court, we will go on August 28 till the point where women are allowed and will seek blessings," she told reporters here.

Desai had led a high-profile campaign in April this year to break the bar on women at the core area of the Dargah, but was stopped short of entering the shrine at the last minute amid resistance by activists of outfits opposed to the move. However, in May she offered prayers at the Dargah but skipped venturing into the inner chamber of the shrine where women were not allowed.

The womens rights activist, whose previous campaigns were centred around Hindu temples, had then maintained that her agitation for right to equality for women at places of worship is not linked to any religion.

Bibi Khatoon, another social activist and member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) - a Muslim women's rights group, which had fought the ban, too rejoiced the verdict and said, "Firstly, I would like to thank the High Court judge, Kanade Sir. All these women who have been fighting for this right for sometime now had taken a back seat fearing what society will say...But then let the society say what they want to...But what we want do, we will do.

"The Sufi saints too were given birth by women, then why



we are being barred (from entering into the inner area of the dargah). Had the court not decided in our favour, we would have approached the Supreme Court. But we are very happy today that the court came to our rescue. I am thankful to our advocates, Raju Moray sir, and the entire media," she said.

The demand for equal access to the Haji Ali Dargah was first raised by BMMA, which had filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court in August 2014 against the "blatant discrimination on the ground of gender alone".

The Dargah Trust had defended its stand, saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin. Men have unhindered access to the actual burial place of the saint, and are also allowed to touch the tomb.

Earlier this year, women managed to break the gender bias and gained full access to Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

The fight to allow women into the shrine, built on an islet, 500 metres from the coast, intensified following a petition in the Supreme Court demanding entry for women to the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
Women's role in peace processes and ensuring their participation as decision makers in peace negotiations must be recognised by both the central and state governments, Control Arms Foundation of India (CAFI) Secretary General Binalakshmi Nepram said today.

"Women's role in peace processes and ensuring their participation as decision makers in peace negotiations along with present and post conflict reconstructions must be recognised and a resolution to this effect was taken at the just concluded Second North East India Women Peace Congregation," she said.

The Congregation, attended by women activists and community leaders from North East, also appealed to all ethnic groups and communities in the region to rise above the greater common goal of peace and prosperity for all.

Nepram pointed out it was also decided that the Centre must make a sincere effort to find a political solution to the armed conflict in Northeast India and urged for formulation of National Action Plans on Women, Peace and Security.

The Congregation has also demanded that non-state armed groups as well as state agencies end human rights abuses and violations of laws of war against civilians.

The women activists urged non-state armed groups to cease using landmines, cluster bombs, other bombs and various forms of attack in a manner that does not discriminate between military objectives and civilians.

It was also decided that all women must work on a shared vision, through re-establishing relationships, networking and interacting with other workers in the regional, national or international level.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 22-year-old migrant worker from Bihar was today arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and murdering an eight-month-old baby girl in the district, police said.

The baby was found dead with bleeding injuries last evening at Kondekoundanpalayam village, where about 25 families, hailing from Bihar, were staying and working in private textile and coir units.

Police took Sanjith into custody this morning while he was waiting for a bus to go to the railway station.

Police said during interrogation, he confessed to the crime.

He told police that as he found the baby lying alone, he attempted to sexually assault her and when she started crying, he banged her head on the floor, resulting in her death, they said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Earlier this week, Mumbai-born Turakhia brothers, Bhavin and Divyank, became the poster boys of the start-up ecosystem when they sold off their adtech company, Media.net, to a consortium of Chinese investors for a whopping $900 million. Their entrepreneurial journey started in 1998 with Rs 25,000 borrowed from their chartered accountant father. Over the last 18 years, they spawned a diversified $300 million web technology-based business - all bootstrapped without any external debt or investment. Bhavin Turakhia, founder and chief executive officer, Directi Group, tells Sudipto Dey that the group now plans to ramp up its existing businesses, as Media.net, managed by his brother Divyank, builds a business grounds-up in China. Edited excerpts:



What does the deal mean for employees?



We are ramping up our headcount from 1,200 to 2,200 in the current calendar year. Around 50 per cent of the additional headcount will come to Media.net that will now expand to China. This will give employees new opportunities to grow substantially in a new market. China is the second-biggest adtech market in the world, after the US. This deal will also benefit some key employees in the group who have stock options.
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
A travel insurance cover of up to Rs 10 lakh can be availed while a booking train ticket online by paying less than Rs 1 from August 31. A passenger booking a train ticket through the IRCTC website will be able opt for travel insurance cover for a premium of only 92 paise from August 31, a senior railway ministry official said.

Railway minister Suresh Prabhu had in his Budget speech announced that the Railways will provide optional travel insurance for journey at the time of booking. The new facility will be available to all passengers excluding those travelling on suburban trains while booking online irrespective of the class. It will be started on a trial basis. The cover will not be applicable for children up to five years of age and foreign citizens. It will be for passengers holding tickets such as confirmed, RAC and wait-listed ones, the official added.

The scheme offers travellers/nominees/legal heirs a compensation of Rs 10 lakh in the event of death or total disability, Rs 7.5 lakh for partial disability, up to Rs 2 lakh for hospitalisation expenses and Rs 10,000 for transportation of mortal remains from the place of a train accident or where an untoward incident, including terrorist attack, dacoity, rioting, shootout or arson, occurs. However, no refund of the premium will be given in case of cancellation of the ticket.

The scheme is being implemented by IRCTC in partnership with ICICI Lombard General Insurance, Royal Sundaram General Insurance and Shriram General Insurance selected through a bidding process. A total of 19 companies had participated in the bidding process and 17 were found eligible. Three selected insurance companies will get to issue the insurance policy on a rotational basis through an automated system. IRCTC has engaged the firms for one year with the provision of extending the contract on a performance basis.
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Market morning brief: Five things to know to start your trading day

Caution prevails ahead of a speech by Fed Chair Janet Yellen, which limited movements across global markets on Friday. Asian stocks tracked an overnight dip on Wall Street.

Photo: Reuters
Tata Motors on Friday reported a 57 per cent decline in consolidated net profit at Rs 2,260.40 crore for the first quarter ended June 30, due to post Brexit adverse foreign exchange impacting its British arm JLR.

The company had posted a consolidated profit of Rs 5,254.23 crore in the same period last fiscal, Tata Motors said in a BSE filing.

Consolidated net sales in the first quarter were up 10 per cent at Rs 66,101.27 crore as against Rs 60,093.79 crore in the year-ago period. The company said higher volumes in both standalone as well as Jaguar Land Rover business more than offset by the adverse forex impact of Rs 2,296 crore and adverse commodity derivatives impact of Rs 167 crore in the operating profit mainly in the JLR business.

The company also cited lower local market incentive in the JLR business as compared to the corresponding quarter last year and higher depreciation and amortisation expenses as against last year as reasons for the decline in consolidated profit for the quarter. On a standalone basis, the company reported a net profit of Rs 25.75 crore for the first quarter, down 91.11 per cent from Rs 289.84 crore in the year-ago quarter. Standalone net sales were at Rs 11,311.24 crore as against Rs 10,262.76 crore in the year-ago period, up 10.21 per cent.

The sales (including exports) of commercial and passenger vehicles for the quarter ended June 30, stood at 1,26,839 units, representing a growth of 8 per cent over last year. Jaguar Land Rover posted profit after tax of 304 million pounds compared with 492 million pound, down 38.21 per cent over last year. Revenue for the first quarter stood at 5,461 million pounds compared with 5,002 million pounds.

"The operating performance in the quarter reflects the overall higher wholesales, offset by adverse forex impact of 207 pounds million, including revaluation of 84 million pounds, mainly EUR payables resulting from depreciation in the Pound following the Brexit vote," Tata Motors said. JLR wholesales (excluding China JV) for the quarter were at 1,20,776 units, adding China JV wholesales for the quarter were at 13,558 units. Shares of Tata Motors ended at Rs 514.70, up 4.24 per cent on BSE.


With an aim to reduce risk in banking sector, RBI has proposed to limit exposure of a bank to a business group to up to 25 per cent of its capital, down from the existing 55 per cent.

"The Large Exposure (LE) limit in respect of each counterparty and group of connected counterparties, under normal circumstances, will be capped at 20 per cent and 25 per cent, respectively of the eligible capital base," RBI said in a Draft Large Exposures (LE) Framework.

The eligible capital base will be defined as the tier 1 capital of the bank as against capital funds at present, it said.

A group of connected large borrowing companies will be identified on the basis of control as well as economic dependence criteria, it said.

While inviting comment from public, it said, the proposed 'Large Exposure' (LE) framework will be fully applicable from March 31, 2019.

The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS) too recognised the need for banks to measure and limit the size of large exposures in relation to their capital.

The RBI's proposal is in line with BCBS standards (BASEL norms on capital adequacy).

The exposure framework has been released at a time when bad loans or non-performing assets are on the rise. Gross NPAs of PSU banks are Rs 4.7 lakh crore as on March, 2015, up from Rs 71,080 crore in 2011.

"Since the LE Framework is constructed to serve as a backstop to and complement the risk-based capital standards, it must apply at the same level as the risk-based capital requirements are to be applied, that is, a bank shall comply with the LE norms at two levels: (a) consolidated (Group1) level and (b) Solo2 level," it said.

The application of the LE framework at the consolidated level implies that a bank must consider exposures of all the banking group entities (including overseas operations through branches and subsidiaries) under regulatory scope of consolidation, to counterparties and compare the aggregate of those exposures with the banking group s eligible consolidated capital base for the purpose of complying with the norms, it said.

"Banks must gradually adjust their exposures to abide by the LE limit with respect to the eligible capital base (effective amount of Tier 1 capital)... Banks should avoid taking any additional exposure in cases where their exposure is at or above the exposure limit prescribed under this Framework," it said.

It noted that a bank's exposure to its counterparties may result in concentration of its assets to a single counterparty or a group of connected counterparties.

Internationally, it said concentration risk has been addressed by prescribing regulatory and statutory limits on exposures towards counterparties and various sectors of the economy.

The framework also noted that currently banks in India are "by and large" placed comfortably with regard to their large exposures vis- -vis limits prescribed under the LE Framework of the BCBS.

There may be cases where a thorough investigation of economic dependencies will not be proportionate to the size of the exposures, it said.

"Therefore, banks will be expected to necessarily identify possible connected counterparties on the basis of economic dependence only in cases where the sum of all exposures to one individual counterparty exceeds 5 per cent of the eligible capital base," it said.

In view of the practical difficulties involved in identifying the relationship between counterparties on the basis of economic dependence criteria, it has been decided to allow banks some discretion in this regard for an initial period of two years, it said.

Therefore, it said, for the first two years, while the banks may decide to identify the Groups of connected counterparties on the basis of economic dependence criteria on a best effort basis as per their Board approved policy, this provision will not mandatorily apply on immediate basis.
Telecom operators Reliance Communications and Aircel are expected to sign agreement for merger of their businesses by the first week of September.

"Term sheet between the two companies (RCom, Aircel) have been finalised. Definitive agreement for merger between the two companies is expected to be signed in a week or 10 days," an industry source close to the development said.

RCom and Aircel talks, if successful, would lead to formation of third largest telecom operator in the country with subscriber base of over 196 million.

"At present no regulatory approvals are required. The process for regulatory approval will begin after RCom and Aircel sign definitive agreement. It should take around 4-6 month time to complete merger and the combined entity will be rebranded," the source said.

The new entity, which is in the works, will hold spectrum across all allocated bands-800 Mhz, 900 Mhz, 1800 Mhz, 2100 Mhz and 2300 MHz-for 2G, 3G and 4G services. On the other hand, RCom and Sistema (MTS) are in process of merger. Sistema will hold 10 per cent stake in the new entity that will formed post its merger with RCom.

In December last, the two firms announced entering into 90-day 'exclusivity period' for the merger deal that will exclude RCom's tower and optical fibre assets for which a separate sale process is ongoing.

The talks were later extended twice.

The merged entity is expected to have Rs 25,000 crore business from the first day of its operation and is estimated have EBIDTA (cash flow) Rs 7,000 crore and finance cost about Rs 3,000 crore.

"RCom and Aircel have had nil free cash flow since long time but the resultant entity is being structured in a manner to have Rs 4,000 crore free cash flow which it can use for investments in network," the source said.

RCom's net debt at the end of 2015-16 was Rs 41,362.1 crore. Debt of Aircel could not be ascertain. At the end of last fiscal, RCom's consolidated revenue stood at around Rs 22,000 crore.
Germany's population registered its biggest increase in more than 20 years in 2015, data showed on Friday, as record numbers of migrants entered the country.

More than a million people fleeing war and poverty in the Middle East, Africa and beyond flocked to Europe's most populous nation last year, drawn by Germany's strong economy, relatively liberal asylum laws and generous system of benefits.

Net migration reached a record high of 1,139,000, more than doubling from 2014, the Federal Statistics Office said.

A domestic debate about the benefits and drawbacks of migration has been raised a notch by a recent spate of violent attacks on civilians, some of which were claimed by Islamist militants.

Federal elections are due next year and some German politicians have argued the influx will help ease a shortage of skilled labour as the population ages and birth rates fall.

Others are worried such a large number of migrants, many of whom lack the language skills and training Germany needs, is placing a heavy burden on the social safety net.

With 188,000 more people having died in Germany in 2015 than were born, overall the population rose by 978,000 to 82.2 million, its strongest rise since 1992.

The Interior Ministry has said 1.1 million migrants arrived in Germany last year with the aim of seeking asylum, with just under 480,000 applying. Asylum seekers have faced delays in making their applications.

The statistics office said the figures it used to calculate net migration were based on numbers registering at registration offices. Asylum seekers are initially housed in reception centres and generally only register later.

All of Germany's 16 regions saw their populations increase. Asylum seekers are spread around the country based on each state's population and tax revenues.

At the end of 2015 there were 8.7 million foreign nationals living in Germany, an increase of 14.7% compared with the previous year, with foreigners making up 10.5% of the population.

The IAB German labour office research institute estimated on Friday that the number of people who come to Germany in search of protection would fall to around 300,000 to 400,000 this year.

It said that estimate was dependent on the continued existence of the European Union's migrant deal with Turkey, which aims to stem the flow of illegal migrants to Europe, and the Balkan route remaining closed.

The IAB said the number of new arrivals had stabilised at about 16,000 refugees per month since April. That compares with more than 200,000 in November. (Reuters)

Source: www.businessworld.ie
RTE has today reported that discussions are under way between Irish and US officials with regard to updating existing tax agreements between the two countries.

The Department of Finance said the talks follow a move by the US earlier this year, where it updated its 'Model Tax Treaty' - a baseline text the US Treasury Department uses when it negotiates tax treaties.

The updated US model includes provisions intended to eliminate double taxation without creating opportunities for non-taxation or reduced taxation through tax evasion or avoidance.

Tax arrangements between US multinationals and EU member states have been placed in the spotlight in recent times after the EU Commission launched a number of high-profile investigations.

In 2014 European authorities opened a probe into Apple's tax arrangements with Ireland, and in preliminary findings, said the US firm's tax status here was improperly designed to give the company a financial boost in exchange for jobs in the country.

The verdict in this investigation is expected in the autumn.

Ireland's existing tax arrangement with the US - the Double Tax Treaty - was signed in 1997, with a protocol to the treaty signed in 1999.

Tax negotiations between Ireland and the US follow the OECD Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) reports last October, which made a number of recommendations for updating tax treaties globally.

According to RTE, the department said Ireland is "now actively engaged in implementing the BEPS recommendations both domestically and through international agreements".

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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Ryanair are this week celebrating being voted the Worlds favourite airline.

This is according to IATAs latest World Airline Transport Statistics which showed that Ryanair once again carried more international customers than any other airline.

Ryanair carried over 101.4m international passengers last year, almost 40m more than second-placed Easyjet (62.6m) and 55m more than Lufthansa in 4th place (46.9m).



Ryanair celebrated being named the worlds favourite airline once more by releasing 100,000 seats for sale across its European network, at prices starting from 19.99 for travel in October and November.

These low fare seats are available for booking on the Ryanair.com website until midnight Monday (29 Aug).



Ryanairs Chief Marketing Officer, Robin Kiely said, "IATA has once again confirmed that Ryanair remains the worlds favourite airline as we became the first airline in the world to carry more than 100m international customers in one year, thanks to our Always Getting Better programme and by offering the lowest fares in Europe."

Source: www.businessworld.ie

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SALT LAKE CITY (AP)  As consumers in Utah and around the country are expected to see higher health insurance premiums and fewer choices next year under President Barack Obamas health law, the White House is on the defensive with a new report that says rates will still be relatively inexpensive for most Utah consumers.

If rates for all health plans available on the federally-run insurance website increased 50 percent next year, about 80 percent of Utah consumers would see monthly rates of $75 a month or less, according to a report Wednesday from the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services.

Federal health officials say the hypothetical increases would be offset because tax credits that help people afford the insurance would also rise, and the online insurance marketplace allows people to shop around for the best plan.

While most workers and their families are covered by employers, the online insurance marketplaces are a key prong of Obamas health law, offering subsidies and a place to shop around for health insurance.

In Utah, about 164,000 are enrolled in insurance through the marketplace, with about 88 percent of them receiving some kind of federal tax credit to help pay the costs.

The rates for Utah 2017 plans are expected to be released in late September or early October, after the state Insurance Department finishes reviewing them, but insurers are expected to seek major premium hikes around the country.

The expected price increases come as insurance companies around the country have grappled with fewer people than expected signing up for coverage, and those getting coverage turning out to be sicker and costlier to cover than anticipated. Government efforts to stabilize insurance markets have had problems and as some insurers have left the arena, including nonprofits like Utahs Arches Mutual Insurance Co., a nonprofit insurance cooperative which shut down last year.

Arches reported losing $20 million in 2014, the first year the online market opened, and closed last fall after learning it would receive only a fraction of the federal money it was counting on to offset the loss.

Another insurer, Humana Inc., said earlier this year that it would be scaling back its participation in online marketplaces around the country.

Utah Insurance Department spokesman Steve Gooch said Thursday that includes Utah, where Humana had covered about 9,000 people in Davis and Salt Lake counties.

Without Humana offering plans, people shopping on the exchange in those two counties are expected to have only three insurance companies to choose from next year, unless more insurers jump into the market.

Mike Valentine, an insurance broker in Murray, said he doesnt expect Humanas departure to have a huge impact. Valentine said the insurer offered low prices but had a comparatively small network of doctors, so most of his clients werent signing up for Humana plans.

Marina Renneke, a Humana spokeswoman, said in a statement Thursday that a number of persistent issues have made it difficult to keep offering plans through the online insurance marketplace. Renneke said the company is working to avoid coverage disruption wherever possible, and We do not take these changes lightly.
NATOs Warsaw summit on July 8-9 made progress in strengthening Baltic security, enhancing the alliances counterterrorism and cyber defense capabilities, and strengthening relations with the European Union (EU). But the alliance has still not solved the challenge of ensuring the security of non-member states, including Afghanistan as well the countries of Central Asia and the South Caucasus.

BACKGROUND: NATO countries have taken measures in the last two years to counter Russian hybrid political-military threats that use cyber-attacks, information operations, economic coercion and other tools for projecting Russias power and influence in foreign countries. For example, the alliance has conducted multiple exercises with different hybrid scenarios, including some with levels of aggression above the alliances Article 5 threshold for collective defense. These drills have tested national-level procedures, multinational coordination and command structures, and collective mobilization and reinforcement capacities. In their commitment to enhance their collective resilience, the allied governments pledged to invest in preventive measures against hybrid security challenges. Importantly, NATO leaders at Warsaw recognized the need to adapt the alliance so that NATO would remain credible, flexible, resilient and adaptable in the face of hybrid and other evolving security threats.

The allies are working with NATOs non-member national partners to modernize their armed forces through various initiatives. The NATO Comprehensive Assistance Package for Ukraine consolidates the alliances funding for defense and security measures as well as political and social reforms to make Ukraine more resilient against Russian subversion. The U.S. alone provides several hundred million dollars in security assistance to fortify Ukraines intelligence, cyber, and electronic warfare capabilities through training and arms sales.

The summit expanded the partnership between NATO and the EU for addressing common challenges such as countering Russian hybrid threats as well as managing transnational terrorism and migration. For instance, the alliance has launched a new Operation Sea Guardian to coordinate efforts with the EUs Operation Sophia to interdict human trafficking in the eastern Mediterranean. A joint declaration signed by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, and European Council President Donald Tusk pledged to pool resources for enhanced intelligence, surveillance, resilience, and strategic communication; develop more interoperable and complementary military assets; promote greater defense industrial cooperation; and engage in more joint institutional exercises, particularly regarding cyber defense scenarios.

The declaration stated that greater NATO-EU collaboration aims to boost our ability to counter hybrid threats, including by bolstering resilience, working together on analysis, prevention and early detection through timely information sharing and, to the extent possible, intelligence sharing between staffs; and cooperating on strategic communication and response. The development of coordinated procedures through our respective playbooks will substantially contribute to implementing our efforts. NATO also committed to continue building partnerships with other multinational organizations, such as the United Nations, the African Union, and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), through various mechanisms: The Transatlantic Capability Enhancement and Training Initiative (TACET), the Partnership Interoperability Initiative, the Mediterranean Dialogue (MD) and the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI).

IMPLICATIONS: Despite this progress, the security of the non-member governments of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldova, and Ukraine remains precarious. In their Warsaw Communique, the allies affirmed their territorial integrity, independence, and sovereignty. But unlike the Baltic States, which enjoy NATO collective security commitments, or the members of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, which fall under Moscows control, these in-between states lack major multinational security ties. NATO governments have resisted providing them NATO membership or powerful conventional weapons. They have not met Ukraines request to join NATOs Enhanced Opportunities Partners Program. Warsaw marked the first meeting between the Georgian and NATO foreign ministers in a formal session of the NATO-Georgia Commission at a NATO summit. However, the resulting ten-point statement praising Georgias troop contributions to NATOs Afghan mission and reaffirming non-recognition of Moscows occupation of Abkhazia and South Ossetia and the Substantial NATO-Georgia Package  which funds further training, exercises, and other capability-building  did not represent a major improvement from the status quo.

Viewing Montenegros impending membership, the head of the Russian legislatures defense committee has complained that NATO members were ready to admit even the North Pole to NATO just for the sake of encircling Russia. However, whatever might happen in the Balkans, further NATO membership expansion in the former Soviet space is not on NATOs near-term agenda. West European fears of antagonizing Russia still preclude offers of NATO membership to these countries or even a level of robust defense partnership that would substantially improve their ability to counter a conventional Russian invasion. NATO leaders remain divided over whether providing more lethal military assistance to Georgia and Ukraine will enhance their security by raising the threshold for Russian aggression or degrade their safety by feeding into the Russian threat narrative that Moscow needs a sphere of influence in neighboring states to preemptively exclude NATO encirclement.

For now, the best that can be hoped for is that NATO will continue to fortify these states against Russian hybrid subversion despite the risks, already growing in Georgia, that local leaders or voters will conclude it would be safer to appease Moscow rather than rely on fickle Western backing.

NATOs Afghan mission remains as troubled as ever. At Warsaw, the allies and partners renewed their plans, subsequent to approval by future NATO governments, to keep more than 10,000 military personnel in the country for several additional years as well as render US$ 4-5 billion of aid annually to the Afghan National Security Forces (ANSF) through 2020. The military campaign has stalemated, with neither the government forces nor the main militant opposition, the Taliban, able to deliver a decisive blow. The ANSF require extensive NATO assistance for current combat operations and still suffer from high rates of desertion.

The new national government has yet to overcome the tensions of the hotly contested presidential elections. Divisions within the governing coalition and the Taliban and the growing presence of the terrorist organization calling itself the Islamic State (ISIS) in Afghanistan reduce even further the already small prospects of an Afghan-led and owned peace and reconciliation process. As in Syria, many actors can now block progress.

Afghanistans economy remains burdened by corruption, dependent on foreign aid and drugs production, and isolated from the rest of Central and South Asia, making it improbable that the country will realize NATOs goal of becoming self-sustaining by 2024.

For various reasons, Russia and China severely limit their collaboration with the NATO-led Resolute Support Mission, whose capacity-building programs train, advise and assist the ANSF. Yet, Moscow and Beijing fail to render their own military support to the Afghan government.

The recent terrorist attacks in Brussels, Paris, Nice, and Istanbul highlighted the vulnerability of NATO members to terrorists based in poorly secured regions. It is hard to see how any of these local governments can secure their territory from terrorists without NATOs help  or curb the illegal flow of migrants from their countries. NATO has therefore supported the global coalition to counter ISIS in the Middle East and North Africa as well as Afghanistan and Central Asia. For example, the alliance has pledged to assist Turkey in securing its border with Syria and have its AWACS fleet fly from bases in Turkey to assist with airspace de-confliction, intelligence gathering, and command and control.

CONCLUSION: Unfortunately, in many of its Eurasian missions, NATO lacks strong local security partners. The indigenous governments are weak, suffer from economic and political as well as defense capacity problems, and face powerful militant groups enjoying some foreign and domestic support. Whatever military success the alliance achieves in these struggles will be fleeting without more political, economic and other non-defense progress by NATOs local partners. Even NATO member Turkey is presenting a regional security problem due to internal instability and poor leadership choices.

AUTHORS BIO: Dr. Richard Weitz is a Senior Fellow and Director of the Center for Political-Military Analysis at the Hudson Institute.

Image Attribution: commons.wikimedia.org, accessed on August 24, 2016
CALLER-TIMES file photo Riders will participate in the seventh annual Rock & Ride on Saturday morning. Proceeds will benefit active duty military.

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By Esther Hackleman, Esther.M.Hackleman@caller.com

Motorcycles will roar through Corpus Christi during the seventh annual Rock & Ride to benefit active duty military.

The weekend of events will start with a free Friday night concert and packet pickup at Brewster Street Ice House, 1724 N. Tancahua St., for those who have registered for the event or would like to register.

But the real fun begins Saturday morning. Motorcyclists will start the 9 a.m. ride at Corpus Christi Harley-Davidson and tour seven stops through Corpus Christi and North Padre Island, according to a news release. At each stop, motorcyclists will pull a playing card from a deck of cards, which will be stamped at each location and revealed at the end of the night. The participant with the highest poker hand at the end of the ride receives $500 and a trip to Las Vegas, and the player with the worst hand receives $250.

Last year, more than 600 motorcycle riders participated in the event, which raised more than $14,000 for the troops through Operation: Cigars for Warriors, a nonprofit that sends cigars to active duty military overseas, according to a news release.

The ride will end at Brewster Street Ice House with the End of Run Rally & Party at 5 p.m. There will be live music, a car show, motorcycle displays, a dunking booth and more.

The night will end at the Concrete Street Amphitheater, 700 Concrete St., with the Classic Rock 104.5 Rock & Ride Concert featuring Pink Floyd cover band Bricks in the Wall and Somthin' Silky.

Tickets are available online at rocknride.cigarsforwarriors.org.

Twitter: @Caller_Esther

IF YOU GO

What: Seventh annual Rock & Ride

When: Friday and Saturday

Where: Ride will start at Corpus Christi Harley-Davidson and end at Brewster Street Ice House

Information: rocknride.cigarsforwarriors.org
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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

A former contracting officer for the Army from Corpus Christi was fined Thursday for violating the Trade Secrets Act, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.

Evangelina Prado, 60, was a contracting officer at the Corpus Christi Army Depot when she disclosed sensitive information pertaining to a contract bid. The information was disclosed before the bid and was unauthorized by law, according to the release.

Prado, who admitted to violating the act, was ordered by U.S. Magistrate Judge B. Janice Ellington to pay $1,000. She was also sentenced to two years of probation.

The Trade Secrets Act prohibits an officer or employee of the United States from publishing or divulging any sensitive information they receive in the course of their official duties.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
Associated Press photo Raven Harelson, 59, left, carries a drawer to the trash heap in front the home of Sheila Siener, 58, as friends and family help to clean out the flood damaged home in St. Amant, La., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Louisiana continues to dig itself out from devastating floods, with search parties going door to door looking for survivors.

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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

First United Methodist Church Kingsville launched a campaign to help Louisiana flood victims.

The church is hoping to collect "flood buckets," plastic buckets filled with 15 cleaning items so residents affected by the flood can clean their homes and belongings.

The buckets, which cost about $65 to assemble, will be distributed by the United Methodist Committee of Relief to Louisiana residents regardless of their religion, according to a news release.

Volunteers have already put together 35 buckets, but they are looking for the public's support.

The church is accepting donations from individuals and organizations. All of the money will go toward the flood buckets.

Donations can be brought in person or sent to the church's office at 120 N. 4th St. For more information, call the church at 361-592-2632. Donations will be accepted until Sept. 11.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
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By Fares Sabawi of the Caller-Times

The Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission released an app to keep the public informed on what the agency does.

"TABC:Mobile," available on Apple and Android smartphones, uses GPS technology to show users nearby establishments licensed by the agency. Users can also see which businesses are applying for a liquor license, according to a news release.

The app also has a portal where users can file complaints against a licensed business if they witness those businesses serving alcohol to minors or intoxicated customers.

"TABC:Mobile serves as a direct line of communication between TABC and the public from anywhere at any time," Public Information Officer Chris Porter said. "The app allows retailers to report a breach of the peace at their business as required by the Alcoholic Beverage Code and agency rules.

"It's our hope that this new tool will keep those lines of communication open while promoting the safe and lawful sale of alcohol in Texas" he said.

Twitter: @Caller_Fares
When is hurricane season? Here's what you need to know in South Texas
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The wait was finally over for secondary school pupils yesterday as students all over Cambridgeshire found out how they had done in the GCSE exams.

And it was the start of new things as this year's GCSE results are the first which will be used for the new Progress 8 system of assessment, which will come into play in next year's league tables.

Progress 8 looks to track pupils' progress from the end of primary school to the end of secondary school and will include a number of new benchmarks, including A*-C in English and maths.

However as the transition gets under way many schools chose to release the previous indicator of five A*-C grades, including English and maths.

There was a good crop of results across the region, with a number of schools recording improvements on previous results.

At Parkside Community College, 88 per cent of students achieved a C or above in English and maths, one of the new measures.

More than half of students achieved an A* or A grade in maths, with over a third achieving the same grades in English.

Headteacher Jodh Dhesi called the results outstanding" and spoke to congratulate his students.

He said: They have worked hard, but have also found time to contribute to school life while with us through arts, sport and charity work.

At Parkside we are not just celebrating the impressive top grades, but the efforts of the vast majority of students who made great progress with us."

Meanwhile at North Cambridge Academy (NCA), which won Secondary School of the Year at the News' 2016 Education Awards, 60 per cent of students achieved A*-C in English and maths, up 11 per cent on last year.

NCA was also among a small number which released a provisional Progress 8 score, which is based on students' progress measured across eight subjects.

The score came in at 0.12 meaning students are on average making greater than expected progress.

It's been a great year for the Academy having moved into our new building, and these results provide the perfect ending to a great year."

Linton Village College was among a handful of schools which chose to adopt the new Progress 8 measure a year early and was judged against this, rather than the traditional five A*-C system last year.

Its provisional score this year, using 2015 Attainment 8 estimates, is 0.7, which indicates higher than anticipated progress.

Under the previous benchmark, 73 per cent of pupils achieved five A*-C grades including English and maths.

Principal Helena Marsh said: We are thrilled with the performance of our Year 11 cohort.

The students and staff have worked incredibly hard in a time of significant curriculum change and turbulence in the education system. I wish all of our students every success."

At Swavesey Village College, 80 per cent of pupils achieved A*-C in English and maths.

Meanwhile pupils at Coleridge Community College pulled in record results, with 61 per cent getting A*-C in both English and maths. The school's Progress 8 score was 0.2. Head Mark Patterson said the future was bright".

There were also celebrations at Sancton Wood School after 97 per cent of students got A*-C grades and almost half (43 per cent) of the year group scooped A* and A grades in a least one subject.

Head Richard Settle said: "As with last year, we are absolutely thrilled with how our Year 11 students performed and it's incredible to see how our school is bucking the national trend by continuing to improve year-on-year."
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Developers of a wearable fitness tracker for dogs will be getting a grilling on Dragons' Den this weekend.

Entrepreneur Andrew Nowell, the man who founded Cambridge-based PitPat, will be appearing on the BBC Two show when it is broadcast on Sunday. The company is hoping to win investment from the five dragons; Nick Jenkin, Peter Jones, Deborah Meaden, Touker Souleyman and Sarah Willingham.

Honoria Simpson, from PitPat, said the company was approached by the show's producers six months ago.

It was a bit of a shock when they first got in touch," she said. We went through a few pre-interviews and then were invited to do the recording a couple of months ago.

I think it was quite a nerve-wracking experience for Andrew, but he got to have a few practice run-throughs before doing his presentation to the Dragons."

Like a canine version of the FitBit or Jawbone, which have become hugely popular in the last couple of years, PitPat gives owners an easy way to track the walking, running, playing and resting activity of their pet. It attaches to the animal's collar and is accompanied by a smartphone app which keeps track of all the vital statistics.

Honoria said the device, which has been on the market since last year, has already proved popular with fitness-conscious animal lovers.

We released PitPat last year and it's out in over 100 stores around the UK, as well as being distributed in Europe and New Zealand," she said.

"At the moment we're focusing on adding a few more features to the app, we've just enabled a way of keeping an eye on what your dog eats, which we're going to link to the major dog food brands."

Find out how PitPat gets on when the shows airs this Sunday, starting at 9pm on BBC Two.
| BY Ricki Green |

Alt.vfx and Collider have created a unique 360 VR fashion experience for Westfields latest campaign, The Front Line.

Produced for Sibling/Westfield, the new spots take the viewer on a 360-degree VR behind the scenes experience of the fashion world.

The models for the shoot  Emma Balfour, Yaya Deng, Ollie Henderson, Mattio Harnacke, Georgie Perkins, Evalina Milward and Sam Armstrong  can be seen performing choreographed routines, whilst decked out in Westfield brands 2016 collections.

Part of an instore campaign directed by Lincoln Caplice, the VR experience puts the viewer inside the original shoot.

Filmed on location at Sydneys Byron Kennedy Hall, the epic surroundings add ambience to the 360 experience, as Alt chief technologist Raymond Leung testifies: The behind the scenes shoot is designed to be viewed in any VR headset such as Samsung Gear, as well as viewed online as a 360 video. Once immersed in that world, you get to feel the drama of the Byron Kennedy Halls architecture, as well as feel the excitement and buzz of a fashion shoot.

The Collider team used a multi-camera system to capture the footage onsite. Alt.vfx then seamlessly ran this project through the companys 360 VR pipeline that has been developed over the past year, utilizing a range of technologies, including The Foundrys CARA VR, to achieve a fully immersive experience for all lovers of fashion and technology. As part of that pipeline, Alt were able to provide reviews throughout the process, including rough stitch, sign off and final grade and online, allowing the client to choose how they wanted the campaign to finally appear.

Says Estephan: Once we got the original footage selections, we were able to turn this immersive experience around in a very quick time, which really goes to show how easily these kind of VR add-ons or standalone 360 videos can become part of any campaign.

Creative Agency: Sibling

Production Company: Collider

Director: Lincoln Caplice

Visual Effects: Alt.vfx

Alt Producer: Tyrone Estephan

Alt Chief Technologist: Raymond Leung
| BY Ricki Green |

TAB via Clemenger BBDO Sydney, has undertaken its most significant brand repositioning on the eve of the AFL and NRL Final Series.

The relaunch, brought to life through TABs new We Love A Bet campaign, is designed to reinforce TABs market leadership through a new position, a new tone of voice and new creative.

Embracing TABs Australian heritage, the We Love A Bet campaign captures TABs role in the unique social and memorable moments punters experience when placing a bet with TAB.

Led by a series of advertising across television, radio and digital platforms, the campaign commences on Sunday August 28.

The TV commercials feature sporting legends Chris Judd, Greg Hall and Mark Geyer with punters reliving the times these stars transformed a TAB bet into an unforgettable social memory, all to the soundtrack of Bon Jovis Always.

Says Claire Murphy, chief marketing officer, Tabcorp: TABs new campaign has been developed to remind customers that TAB creates more memorable experiences than anyone else.

A bet isnt just a transaction with us, it is something more social, more entertaining and something that is in our Australian DNA which TAB has always been and will always be part of.

The campaign launches a new strategy for TAB which celebrates what is unique about this iconic Australian brand, all supported by new product innovations to be unveiled prior to the spring carnival and beyond. A major component of this approach will be an omnichannel focus, with TAB aiming to utilise its uniqueness of providing the ability to bet across multiple platforms.

Says Murphy: The campaign is designed to remind our customers that we offer more social experiences than digital alone. We are in pubs, clubs and on track. We create social currency.

We want punters to remember that TAB has always been there as an enduring part of their lives, whether it was two years ago or twenty years ago.

Says Paul Nagy, executive creative director for Clemenger BBDO: As Australians we love the beach, we love a beer and we love a bet. Its part of who we are. And theres no brand that encapsulates this Aussie passion for betting more than TAB.

Client: TAB

Chief Marketing Officer: Claire Murphy

General Manager Marketing, Wagering: Simon Jarvis

Head of Marketing and Communications: Victoria McCrea

Agency: Clemenger BBDO Sydney

Executive Creative Director: Paul Nagy

Head of Copy: Chris Pearce

Senior Art Director: Dave Lidster

Copywriter: Tom Russell

Art Director: Dan Walton

Head of Craft: Daniel Mortensen

Agency TV Producer: Denise McKeon

Post Producer/Department Supervisor: Kirstin Lees

Senior Sound Engineer: Anthony Tiernan

Senior Editor: Toby Royce

Editor: Alex Guterres

Senior Print Producer: Steve Tindall

Print Producer: Emma Boreland

Finished Artist: Anna Ballard

Senior Designers: Hayley Norman, Pez Perry

Studio Junior: Dave Kirk

Creative Retoucher: Giles Davies

Managing Director: Emily Perrett

Account Director: Francesca Clifford

Account Manager: Erin Maguire

Account Executive: Rachel McEwen

Planning Director: Bronwyn Galvin

Production Company: Plaza Films

Director: Paul Middleditch

Managing Director/EP: Peter Masterton

EP/Head of Projects: Megan Ayers/Linda Sapier

DOP: Tristan Milani

Edit House: The Editors

Editor: Jessica Mutascio

Media: OMD
And yes, yes we do. In fact, if you've been to a charity or community event in Canberra over the last five years, chances are you've heard the booming voice of the city's official town crier, Alan Moyse.
Both women have found solace through the support group Bears of Hope, set up by two other mothers who connected over the loss of their children. In 2006 Amanda Bowles lost her son Jesse and received a stuffed teddy bear during her hospital stay. Toni Tattis lost seven babies over three years, five through miscarriages and identical twins who were born at 26 weeks and died not long after. Tattis started donating bears at a handful of Sydney hospitals as a way of honouring each of her babies.
Mr Dwyer could not disclose how many of the $59 tickets - which doesn't include the booking and service fee, as well as the cost of baggage, seat selection, meals or travel insurance - were still up for grabs citing commercial reasons, but said the airline was "incredibly pleased" with early demand.
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Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

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.
A list of 9 blacklisted companies was released by IIT Bombay. The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay barred these companies from recruiting its students. This is the first instance of an IIT making public such a list - as mandated by the All-IIT Placement Council (AIPC) last week.

This decisions was put forth as the companies revoked job offers given to its students.

The list of the blacklisted companies are:

Portea Medical,

GPSK,

Johnson Electric,China

LeGarde Burnett Group

Peppertap,

LexInnova,

Mera Hunar,

Cashcare Technologies,

Indus Insights

The reasons for blacklisting the above companies include the following:

Revoking of offers in case of GPSK, Portea Medical, Peppertap and Cashcare Technologies

Delay in joining dates as with Indus Insights and Lex Innova

LeGarde Burnett Group not just revoked offers but the company was found to be fake with no proper office address

Mera Hunar came with a different name and hired students for another startup.

Since decisions on blacklisting are taken by the All-IITs Placement Committee (AIPC), and usually adhered to by all IITs, it is likely that the blacklisting holds true at the other older IITs as well.

How To Prepare For Campus Placements?

Infact, the combined list of blacklisted companies at the IITs is likely to far surpass 9. Blacklisted startups alone are expected to be over 20. "These 9 are companies that had created issues at IIT Bombay," said Shreyash Gupta, placement manager at IIT Bombay.

Interestingly, despite delaying offers, Flipkart does not feature among the list of blacklisted companies. After a face-off with the IITs, the ecommerce major had offered to arrange internships for affected students as a stopgap measure.
West Bengal Joint Entrance Examinations Board (WBJEEB) has declared the results, rank cards and merit list of the candidates who have taken up the WBJEE Medical 2016 entrance exam. This entrance test was held for selection of candidates for admissions into medical colleges in the state of West Bengal.

The WBJEE 2016 entrance exam was held on July 20, 2016.

How to check WBJEE Medical 2016 results?

Candidates who have appeared for the examination have to log on to the official website.

Click on the new live link 'Rank Card of Medical for WBJEEM 2016'

Candidates have to input details like roll number or application number; date of birth and security pin to access their results.

Candidates are required to take a print out their results for future reference.

According to reports, the merit list of WBJEEM 2016 featured 12,183 names out of 54,889 candidates who took the test.

Counselling sessions for the WBJEEM 2016 will begin on August 28, 2016 and will continue till September 30, 2016.

Exam Strategy to be Successful in NEET: Do's and Dont's

For the last time, WBJEEM will be the means of medical admissions in the state, from the next academic session students who want to pursue medical and dental courses will have to take up NEET.

For WBJEEM 2016, 5,862 students had enrolled who were competing for 2,550 MBBS available in 17 medical colleges in West Bengal.
Opels Chevy Bolt in disguise will debut at the upcoming Mondial de lAutomobile in Paris, after the car was first announced in February.



Dont expect too many differences between it and its American counterpart, as the new Ampera-E will only sport a revised front fascia. In fact, revised is a strong word in this case, as the badges and the turning signals will be the only differences between these cars.

So, since both the Ampera-E and the Chevrolet Bolt will be identical, there will be no surprises under the European variants hood as well.

The new supermini-sized Ampera-e should come with the same 203 PS (200 hp) and 360Nm (266lb-ft) of torque motor, capable of transforming every standing start and every motorway entry into an impromptu display of performance.

Thats because the compact car sprints to 50 km/h (31 miles) in only 3.2 seconds, and accelerates from 80 to 120 km/h (50  74 miles) in just 4.5 seconds. Opel even showcased the Ampera-es performance in a video, by pitting it against an Astra TCR and an Opel Adam R2 over a 30-meter drag race.

Anyway, even though the Ampera-e is good enough for a 0-100km/h (62mph) time of around 7 seconds, it also has a claimed driving range of more than 322km (200miles) on a single 9-hour charge.

The new Opel Ampera-e will be the German brands sole electric car offering.

PHOTO GALLERY

VIDEO
A man has been charged with criminal damage in Arizona after security cameras filmed him keying the Corvette of his former boss.



According to police, the 33-year-old man, Nicolus Thomas, visited the Midas auto shop he had been fired from to pick up his personal belongings. When he was there, he slyly left a massive scratch down the side of the 2008 Corvette Z06 owned by the shops owner.

Little did he known that the entire event was captured on CCTV and witnessed by a number of employees.

While speaking with ABC in Arizona, the Z06 owner, Michael Duda, said that he had a feeling the former employee may do something when he returned to the shop.

I just had a feeling. I even said something as he was standing behind me, Youre not going to do anything to my car are you? he said.

The damage caused was so comprehensive that the Corvette is currently being resprayed at a cost of almost $4,000 and Duda says that come rain or shine, the ex-employee is going to pay for the repairs.

VIDEO
Five people were left injured after a dump truck caused a series of crashes in San Gabriel, California on Wednesday.



Filmed by two following motorists, the massive truck can be seen veering across the median, crossing into oncoming traffic and rear-ending a white sedan, completely crumpling its rear end.

The carnage then continues as the driver approaches an intersection where he rams into a line of four cars waiting at a red traffic light. A white Volvo XC90 takes the brunt of the impact and is pushed forwards into a Toyota Highlander which then hits a silver sedan.

San Gabriel police Lt. Fabian Valdez told local media Pasadena Star-News that the driver of the dump truck was found semi-conscious after the crash and may have suffered a medical episode when behind the wheel.

In total, the truck caused three separate crashes and struck eight vehicles.

VIDEO
Aston Martin released a short video teasing their limited model, built to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the Supermarine Spitfire warplane.



The British company will only make 80 of these models, sold exclusively from the Lancaster Aston Martin dealership in Cambridge, UK.

First shown in July and finished in pearlescent Duxford Green with speed yellow accents, the V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80 is styled to match the original Spitfire warplane.

The front spoiler and rear diffuser are made out satin carbon fiber, the badge is solid sterling silver with a tailored Old English White inlay while owners can choose an original Spitfire serial number lacquered into the side strakes. The cabin also gets many aircraft-inspired details over a tan leather upholstery.

The 6.0-litre V12 engine still produces 563hp and 457 lb-ft (620Nm) of peak torque with customers able to choose between the seven-speed Sportshift III automated gearbox or its awesome manual version. 0-60mph (96km/h) comes in 3.7 seconds with the top speed set at 205mph (.330km/h)

The lucky owners will receive their cars at an exclusive handover ceremony on October 18 at the Imperial War Museum Duxford. As for the pricing, the limited Aston Martin V12 Vantage S Spitfire 80 is asking for 180,000 (around $236k in current exchange rates).

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VIDEO
Technology company nuTonomy has just started a self-driving taxi trial service in Singapore in what it claims to be a world first.



With the service, nuTonomy is offering smartphone users free rides around the One-North business district of Singapore in either its self-driving Mitsubishi i-MiEV or Renault Zoe.

As the companys autonomous driving systems are still in their infancy, a company engineer will sit behind the drivers seat to monitor the car and intervene if necessary. Following a successful trial, the firm plans to start a fully-fledged autonomous taxi service throughout the nation.

To test out the service, a number of locals were recruited by nuTonomy to jump into the passenger seat for a brief drive around some local roads. Impressively, the two cars performed without fault, offering users a glimpse into the future of the motoring industry.

VIDEO
Although Disney, Pixar, Lucasfilm, and DreamWorks continue to fight their employees in the wage theft lawsuit, other studios like Sony Pictures Animation, Sony Imageworks, and Blue Sky Studios have agreed to settle the case.

Due to the settlement funds provided by these other studios, amounting to nearly $19 million, the court-appointed claims administrator Kurtzman Carson Consultants has set up the web site animationlawsuit.com to help distribute the money.

Thousands of studio employees who worked at any of the studios in the lawsuit between 2001 and 2010 are eligible to participate in the settlement (the list of eligible job titles is here) and most have already received mailed letters explaining their rights. If you are an artist who hasnt been contacted yet, the web site will provide all the information you need to participate in the settlement, and also explains how to opt-out of the settlement for those who wish to continue suing Blue Sky and/or Sony Pictures.
Photo: Wayne Moore An undamaged 'Yes' sign.

Are things getting nasty in the Yes vs. No campaigns leading up to a referendum on a new city hall in West Kelowna?

Peter Wannop, co-chair of the 'Yes to the Civic Centre Committee" won't point any fingers, but says signs erected by the group around West Kelowna have been either vandalized or have gone missing.

The political campaign-style signs have been up for a few weeks in the city.

Wannop acknowledged one or two signs were damaged by the massive windstorm Sunday night, but said wind damage and vandalism are two different things.

"But, there was definitely some signs removed, because the wood was gone, and that heavy lumber doesn't fly through the air really well," said Wannop.

"We've put a report in with the RCMP to let them know what we've lost. It's five or six different locations. Then another one went missing late Tuesday evening."

Wannop said they put up about 25 of the larger four foot by four foot signs and many more of the metal framed bag signs.

"One of the guys said he put out five of them (bag signs), and went out the next day and four of them were gone.

"So, we're a little disappointed. We don't know who's doing it, we don't want to point any fingers, but we know it is against the law."

A city-wide referendum to determine whether the city will be permitted to borrow up to $7.7 million to construct a new city hall as part of a larger civic centre complex, will be held Sept. 17.
Photo: Carmen Weld

Crown counsel argued in B.C. Supreme Court Thursday that Michael Ellis deserves to be designated a dangerous offender.

Ellis was found guilty in February 2015 of 17 of 22 charges in an infamous 2012 police chase and shootout along Westside Road.

Three people led police on an hour-long pursuit from West Kelowna to Vernon, carjacking several vehicles during the chase.

Ashley Collins, Shawn Wysynski and Michael Ellis were eventually arrested near the Swan Lake junction near Vernon.

Wysynski testified in December 2014 he had forced Ellis at gunpoint to flee from police. Wysynski is currently serving a nine-year sentence for his part in the pursuit.

Collins, who was pregnant at the time, pleaded guilty to knowingly being in a vehicle with illegal firearms and was given an 18-month suspended sentence and 18 months probation. She had suffered a gunshot wound in the abdomen during the shootout, resulting in a miscarriage.

Ellis is the last of the three to be sentenced.

While he pleaded guilty a year and a half ago, the Crown is seeking an additional dangerous or long-term offender designation that would allow for either an indeterminate sentence or federal supervision of Ellis for up to 10 years after his release from jail.

If your lordship declines in finding Ellis a dangerous offender, the Crown is submitting that the court treat this application as a long-term offender application, said Crown prosecutor Murray Kaay.

While Ellis's defence counsel, John Gustafson, argued earlier this week that Crown lacks evidence with substance, Kaay said Ellis meets the criteria to be deemed a dangerous offender.

The Crown's position is that Mr. Ellis ought to be declared a dangerous offender as he constitutes a threat to the life, safety or physical and mental well being of others, Kaay said.

He is now 42 years old, he has a total of 56 convictions, he spent much of his adult life in jail. He has been incarcerated in both federal and provincial jails. His record is lengthy, it is serious and it compasses a wide spectrum of offences.

Kaay said Ellis now has the dubious distinction of having been convicted of 20 offences that fall under the dangerous or long-term offender application.

The Crown contends the evidence does show patterns of repetitive behaviours, and persistently aggressive behaviour.

Forensic psychologist, Dr. Will Reimer, testified in June 2016 that Ellis is a high risk to reoffend.

A decision on a possible dangerous or long-term offender designation will be heard at a later date.

 Click here for more Castanet stories on this case
Photo: Google Street View

Nanaimo RCMP are on the hunt for a pervert who exposed himself to a child.

Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong said a man exposed himself to a nine-year-old girl at Nanaimo Harbour Front on the evening of Aug. 12.

A family was out for a stroll with their two young children and were walking up the spiral staircase near Javawacky coffee shop, said Armstrong. While walking, they noticed a male between 50-60 years sitting on a bench at the top of the stairs. At one point, the mother turned to go back down the stairs to get her son when she heard her daughter calling for her. Her daughter told her mother the male had pulled down his pants and exposed (himself) to her. The husband tried to find the male, but the suspect had left the area and could not be located.

The suspect is a white male, 50-60 years old, weighing 140-150 pounds, about five feet eight inches tall with a slight build and short, unkempt brown hair. He was wearing an olive-green, button-down, long-sleeve shirt and washed-out dark pants.

Anyone with information on the incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or CrimeStoppers at nanaimocrimestoppers.com, text 274637, keyword Nanaimo or call 1-800-222-8477.
Photo: RCMP

Not only was her heart broken, a North Vancouver woman was left with a big hole in her bank account after developing an online relationship with a mystery man.

RCMP say the two started chatting on the much-publicized website, match.com.

The new man in the victim's life claimed to be living out of the country and needed $27,000 to help with legal fees for a construction contract, said police.

He promised to pay her back when he returned to Canada but took the money and ran.

Tens of thousands of dollars are scammed from online daters each year, said Const. Brett Cunningham, North Vancouver RCMP spokesperson. It's heartbreaking and frustrating to investigate these types of frauds.

The victim is suffering both an emotional and financial loss. The money transactions are hard to trace and prosecution is difficult.

Police say online predators are using dating sites to fabricate photographs, resumes, job titles and elaborate life stories in an attempt to gain the victim's trust  then they ask for money that will never be paid back.

You need to ask yourself the important questions," said Cunningham. Why am I not able to meet them in person? Why do they refuse to talk via webcam and more importantly, is this too good to be true?

There is some comfort for the victim in this case.

Police were able to recover $11,000 for her.

Because the incident was immediately reported to police and the money was not transferred outside of Canada, some of the money transactions were reversed, said Cunningham. Had there been a delay in reporting the incident, the outcome would have been less favourable.

Cunningham said recovering money from internet scams doesn't happen often.

For those who choose to date online, police advise:
Photo: CTV - Chopper 9

UPDATE: Friday 6 a.m.

A wildfire at Mill Bay, north of Victoria, jumped the Malahat Highway Thursday evening, shutting down traffic on Vancouver Island's main transportation artery.

CTV Vancouver Island reported late Thursday night the fire was 100 per cent contained on one side of the highway and 95 per cent on the other.

Fire crews were expected to be in mop-up mode this morning.

The was first noticed about 1 p.m. and grew to about 1.5 hectares.

It broke out near near Bamberton Provincial park.

About 40 firefighters from area departments and the BC Wildfire Service were manning the blaze.

It's the second time a fire has broken out in that area.

 with files from CTV Vancouver Island

ORIGINAL: Thursday 3:45 p.m.

A wildfire north of Victoria has shut down traffic on a Vancouver Island highway.

The fire broke out Thursday afternoon in Mill Bay, near Bamberton Provincial Park.

Firefighters from Mill Bay, Malahat, Cowichan Bay and Shawnigan Lake are fighting the fire, estimated to be about 0.7 hectares in size.

Provincial wildfire crews and two helicopters are also fighting the blaze.

CTV is reporting there is concern it could jump the Malahat Highway.

Northbound traffic has been closed due to the firefighting effort.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: CTV

The cat literally got out of the bag on an Air Canada flight to Vancouver this week.

One of two felines on the plane decided to have a look around the cabin after somehow getting loose from its carrier.

According to CTV, the curious cat barely caused a fuss.

The flight had left Ottawa on Wednesday, and witness Kath Thompson told CTV the owners were searching the packed flight for their pet.

The mischievous feline was finally captured when it brushed up against a passenger's leg.

The man picked the cat up and handed it to a flight attendant, who returned the animal to its owners, Thompson said.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Google Maps

Municipal workers in the East Kootenay city of Kimberley will be locked out of work Sunday after overwhelmingly rejecting a final offer from the city.

About 80 members of the United Steelworkers of America union voted 93 per cent to reject the citys final offer in a vote held Thursday.

The two sides have been negotiating for months to come to a settlement, but a provincially-appointed mediator was unable to find a way out of the impasse. Last week, the city asked for its final offer to be put to a vote.

Among the issues in the dispute are wage increases, grandfathered vacation benefits and a job evaluation system.

The city announced it was serving the union with 72-hour lockout notice soon after the vote results became known. It says the negotiation process has been stressful, resulting in dozens of grievances, short-term disability claims, and dropping attendance and productivity.

The lockout takes effect on Sunday, just before 3 p.m.

Both the union and city say theyre ready to return to the bargaining table, but no new talks are planned.

They have already agreed on what essential services will continue after Sunday.

Police and fire services, water and waste facilities, and the cemetery will operate as normal. However, the citys Aquatic Centre and two arenas will be closed, and building inspection services will not be available.
Photo: CTV

An explosive device discovered in a Vancouver storage locker this week was found by a man renting the unit.

The man alerted police through his lawyer.

An improvised explosive device was found Tuesday in the locker at Guardian Storage in Vancouver's Mount Pleasant neighbourhood.

The area was evacuated and the device safely disarmed.

The man found it while cleaning out the unit, his lawyer says. "It wasn't his box," Danny Markowitz told CTV.

Police are reviewing security footage and business records at the storage company.

Police returned to the scene Thursday with a search warrant, seizing more evidence. They are ruling out terrorism.

"We don't believe it's connected to any plot, but any time we see explosives ... it's concerning," Staff Sgt. Randy Fincham said.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: The Canadian Press/NASA

A SpaceX Dragon capsule is on its way back to Earth with a load of science experiments and gear.

Astronauts at the International Space Station used the big robot arm to release the capsule Friday morning. SpaceX is aiming for a splashdown in the Pacific, just off Mexico's Baja California coast, later in the day.

The Dragon delivered a new docking port last month. It's bringing back 3,000 pounds of research and equipment, including 12 mice that flew up on the Dragon as part of a genetic study.

SpaceX is the only space station shipper capable of returning items for analysis back to Earth. That's why it's so important to NASA. Everyone else's cargo ships are filled with trash and burn up on re-entry.
Photo: CTV

A poll in Germany suggests that a large majority favours at least a partial ban on the face-covering veils used by some Muslim women.

Security officials from Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc last week proposed a ban on wearing the burqa and other face-covering veils in public schools, courts, while driving and in some other situations. However, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere opposes a blanket ban on wearing such veils in public, pointing to constitutional problems.

A survey of 1,008 people by the Infratest dimap agency for ARD television, released Friday, found that 51 per centfavoured a blanket ban and 30 per cent a partial ban. It found that 15 per cent opposed any ban.

The telephone poll conducted Tuesday and Wednesday gave a margin of error of 3.1 percentage points.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanketed a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze.

Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra, where millions of people are already affected by haze, across the city-state and into southern Malaysia.

The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Borneo by weather satellites has increased in the past month though they are below levels last year when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis.

Singapore's three-hour air pollution index was at 157 by late afternoon, after peaking at 215. Its environment agency doesn't give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

"The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside," said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work. "I'm having a cough and it's getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home," she said.

Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces which have a combined population of more than 23 million people have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect including aerial water drops.

The haze is an annual problem for Southeast Asia, but last year's fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbours. About 261,000 hectares burned, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said Friday that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Strong aftershocks damaged two key access roads into quake-struck Amatrice on Friday, threatening to isolate the tiny hilltop town as hopes dimmed that firefighters would find any more survivors from the earthquake that killed at least 267 people.

Some crumbled buildings in Amatrice cracked even further after the biggest aftershock of Friday morning struck at 6:28 a.m. The U.S. Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8.

The shaking ground also damaged one key access bridge to Amatrice, forcing emergency crews to close it. Mayor Sergio Pirozzi said he was working with authorities to find an alternative bypass also to another damaged bridge. "We hope to God it works because otherwise with the damaged stretch of road, we are without any connection" to the main roads.

Even before the roads were shut down, traffic into and out of Amatrice was horribly congested with emergency vehicles bringing hundreds of rescue crews up to Amatrice and dump trucks carrying tons of concrete, rocks and metal down the single-lane roads.

The aftershock was preceded by more than 50 overnight and was followed by another nine in the next hour  part of the nearly 1,000 aftershocks that have rocked Italy's central Apennine Mountains since the original 6.2 magnitude quake early Wednesday.

Premier Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency and authorized 50 million euros for immediate quake relief.

The Italian government also declared Saturday a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by President Sergio Mattarella.

Rescue efforts continued through the night and into Friday, but more than a day and a half had passed since the last person was extracted alive from the rubble. While Renzi hailed the fact that 215 people had been rescued after the quake, authorities reported a steadily rising death toll that had hit 267 by Friday morning.

Civil protection operations chief Immacolata Postiglione still insisted Friday that the rescue effort hadn't yet switched to a recovery mission. Rescue workers have noted that a person was pulled out alive 72 hours (three days) after the 2009 earthquake in the Italian town of L'Aquila.

On the ground, authorities were still struggling to account for all the missing, since that number is still uncertain given the large number of visitors for summer holidays and an annual food festival.

"There is still hope to find survivors under the rubble, even in these hours," Walter Milan, a mountain rescue worker, said Friday. But he conceded: "Certainly, it will be very unlikely."

The vast majority of the dead were found in levelled Amatrice, the medieval hilltop town famous for its bacon and tomato pasta sauce. The other dead hailed from nearby Accumoli and Arcquarta del Tronto.

Across the area, thousands have been forced to abandon their homes, either because they were destroyed or they were determined to be too unsafe. Overnight some 2,100 slept in tent camps, nearly 1,000 more than the first night after Wednesday's quake, in a sign that a significant number had found nowhere else to go.
Photo: The Unicorn

A beloved Fibreglas pig named Henry that was taken by bacon burglars from a Calgary bar is heading home.

The 14-kilogram ornament  a fixture at the Unicorn Pub in the city's southwest for many years  was purloined sometime early Sunday morning as last call was approaching.

Thursday afternoon, an anonymous caller contacted local radio station CJAY 92, saying the ornament had been "found by a friend" and agreed to bring it down.

Henry showed up on the station's loading dock last evening, sporting a Hawaiian shirt and a note that read, in part: "Just a pig looking for a party! Had a wicked time!"

Station staff were to escort Henry back to the pub Friday morning.

Unicorn owner Mel Lafleur had appealed on social media for Henry's safe return, saying no questions would be asked.
Photo: The Canadian Press

France's top administrative court overturned a ban on burkinis in a Mediterranean town, in a decision Friday that should set legal precedent regarding a swimsuit crackdown that has divided the country and provoked shock around the world.

The ruling by the Council of State Friday specifically concerns a ban on the Muslim garment in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the binding decision is expected to impact all the 30 or so French resort municipalities that have issued similar decrees.

The bans grew increasingly controversial as images circulated online of some Muslim women being ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches.

Lawyers for a human rights group and a Muslim collective challenged the legality of the ban to the top court, saying the orders infringe basic freedoms and that mayors have overstepped their powers by telling women what to wear on beaches.

Mayors had cited multiple reasons for the bans, including security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks, risk to public order, and France's strict rules on secularism in public life.

The Council of State ruled that, "The emotion and concerns arising from the terrorist attacks, notably the one perpetrated in Nice on July 14, cannot suffice to justify in law the contested prohibition measure."

It ruled that the mayor of Villeuneuve-Loubet overstepped his powers by enacting measures that are not justified by "proven risks of disruptions to public order nor, moreover, on reasons of hygiene or decency."

"The contested decree has thus brought a serious and manifestly illegal infringement on basic freedoms such as freedom to come and go, freedom of conscience and personal freedom," the ruling reads.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, told reporters in Paris that women who have already received fines can protest them based on Friday's decision.

"It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent," he said. "Today all the ordinances taken should conform to the decision of the Council of State. Logically the mayors should withdraw these ordinances. If not legal actions could be taken" against those towns.

But the mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco said he wouldn't lift the ban he imposed after an Aug. 13 clash on a beach.

"Here the tension is very, very, very high and I won't withdraw it," Ange-Pierre Vivoni said on BFM-TV.
Photo: The Canadian Press

A Pacific Northwest tribe is travelling nearly 5,000 miles across Canada and the United States with a 22-foot-tall totem pole on a flatbed truck in a symbolic journey meant to galvanize opposition to fossil fuel infrastructure projects they believe will imperil native lands.

This is the fourth year the Lummi Nation in northwest Washington has embarked on a "totem journey" to try to create a unified front among tribes across North America that are individually fighting plans for coal terminals and crude oil pipelines in their backyards.

The highly visible tours, which include tribal blessing ceremonies at each stop, fit into a trend of Native American tribes bringing their environmental activism to the masses as they see firsthand the effects of climate change, said Robin Saha, a University of Montana associate professor who specializes in tribal issues and environmental justice.

"I wouldn't go as far as to say there's an anti-development movement, but tribes are feeling the effects of climate change quite dramatically and are responding in a lot of different ways," Saha said. "Some of them feel as if they're not going to survive."

In North Dakota, for example, people from across the country and members of 60 tribes have gained international attention after gathering in opposition to the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline. The totem pole heads to that site, near the Standing Rock Sioux's reservation, next week.

Tribes in the Pacific Northwest have protested publicly and taken legal action as West Coast ports have emerged as strategic locations for crude oil and coal companies to reach customers in energy-hungry Asia.

Seven crude oil or coal export terminals are proposed for conversion, expansion or construction on the Oregon and Washington coast. Some have already led to increased freight train traffic along the scenic Columbia River Gorge, where local tribes fish salmon.

A coalition of tribes turned out in June after an oil train derailed in Mosier. The oil from the derailment mostly burned off in a huge fire, but a small amount entered the Columbia River where the tribes have federally guaranteed fishing rights.

"We're all trying to unite our voices to make sure we're all speaking out," said Jewell James, a Lummi tribal member and head carver at the House of Tears Carvers.

The Lummi Nation launched a savvy public relations campaign last year against what would have been the nation's largest coal export terminal proposed for Cherry Point, Wash., at the heart of their ancestral homeland.

In May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a needed permit for the Gateway Pacific terminal after finding it would damage tribal fishing rights.

This year's 19-day totem trek started Tuesday in Vancouver, B.C., and makes a stop Friday in Longview, Wash., where a similar shipping terminal would export 44 million tons of coal annually to Asian markets. With the Gateway Pacific project on ice, the Longview project would now be the nation's largest coal export terminal.

It would mean 16 coal trains a day, mostly from mines in Montana and Wyoming, and an additional 1,600 round-trip vessel calls a year in the lower Columbia River, said Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, senior organizer with the Columbia Riverkeeper. There are concerns that wake from the ships could strand juvenile salmon and affect tribal fishing, she said.

Bill Chapman, president and CEO of Millennium Bulk Terminals in Longview, said in an emailed response to questions that a draft environmental review by Washington state and county officials found there would be no effects to tribal fishing. Trains already run through the area on established tracks and have caused no issues, he added.

The terminal on the site of an old aluminum smelter plant would create hundreds of much-needed family wage jobs and is supported by labour unions, Chapman said.

This year's brightly painted totem weighs 3,000 pounds and is carved of western red cedar. An eagle with a 12-foot wingspan sits on top, and the pole itself features a wolf and bear  symbols of leadership, cunning and courage  as well as white buffalo and tribal figures, said James, who has been carving totem poles for 44 years.

To the sounds of drums and a prayer song, the 22-foot-tall totem pole was blessed in a smudge ceremony at the entrance of Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle Thursday. Lummi Nation member Linda Soriano fanned smoke from burning sage, covering the pole in a haze as sun rays beamed down. She then fanned the smoke through the crowd gathered outside the church.
Photo: Contributed

Police are requesting public assistance to help locate a mother and three children who went missing from the Coldwater reserve near Merritt.

Monica Jacob, 32, was reported missing Thursday afternoon, Aug. 25.

She was accompanied by her three children, Lovely Jacob, 7, Ethan Jacob, 5, and Kathyanna Noltcho, 1.

RCMP believe that Jacob and her kids are together, and that she may be travelling to Saskatchewan, where she has family. She is described as an Aboriginal woman with brown hair and brown eyes, five feet, four inches tall and weighing 137 lbs.

No description is available for the vehicle they may be travelling in.

Anyone who may know of the familys whereabouts is asked to call 911, Merritt RCMP at 250-378-4262 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477.

 NewsKamloops.com
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In June 2016, the Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DHMH) was notified of a nonpregnant woman who sought treatment for a subjective fever and an itchy rash, which was described as maculopapular by her provider. Laboratory testing at the Maryland DHMH Laboratories Administration confirmed Zika virus infection. Case investigation revealed that the woman had not traveled to a region with ongoing transmission of Zika virus, but did have sexual contact with a male partner who had recently traveled to the Dominican Republic. The male partner reported exposure to mosquitoes while traveling, but no symptoms consistent with Zika virus infection either before or after returning to the United States. The woman reported no other sex partners during the 14 days before onset of her symptoms and no receipt of blood products or organ transplants.

The couple reported having had condomless vaginal intercourse twice after the mans return from the Dominican Republic and before the womans symptom onset, approximately 10 days (day 10) and 14 days (day 14) after the mans return. The man also reported that he received fellatio from the woman during their sexual encounter on day 14. On day 16 (2 and 6 days after the episodes of condomless vaginal intercourse) the woman developed symptoms of Zika virus infection, including fever and rash. On day 19 (3 days after symptom onset) she sought medical care; the provider suspected Zika virus infection, and serum and urine specimens were collected. Flavivirus and chikungunya virus tests were performed at the Maryland DHMH Laboratories Administration. Zika virus RNA was detected in urine, but not in serum, by real-time reverse transcriptionpolymerase chain reaction (rRT-PCR) using a test based on an assay developed at CDC (1). Serum rRT-PCR testing for dengue virus and chikungunya virus was negative. Serologic testing was negative for Zika virus immunoglobulin M (IgM) antibodies using the CDC Zika IgM antibody capture enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Zika MAC-ELISA) and negative for dengue virus and chikungunya virus IgM antibodies using InBios ELISA kits (InBios International, Inc., Seattle, Washington). Confirmatory serologic testing at the CDC Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratory was equivocal for Zika virus IgM antibodies using the Zika MAC-ELISA. Plaque-reduction neutralization tests (PRNTs) performed at the CDC Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed a recent Zika virus infection. Convalescent serologic testing performed at the Maryland DHMH Laboratories Administration on day 56 (40 days after symptom onset) was equivocal for Zika virus IgM antibodies using the CDC Zika MAC-ELISA and negative for dengue virus and chikungunya virus IgM antibodies using InBios ELISA kits. PRNTs performed at the CDC Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed a recent, unspecified flavivirus infection.

The womans male sex partner was interviewed on day 26 after his return to the United States. He reported that he had no symptoms consistent with Zika virus infection (i.e., fever, rash, conjunctivitis, or arthralgias) either during his travel or since his return, and he did not have any of the following other symptoms: myalgias, chills, eye pain, oral ulcers, genital ulcers, anal ulcers, hematospermia, hematuria, dysuria, and prostate pain. He reported feeling tired, which he attributed to having recently traveled. Serum, plasma, and urine specimens were collected from him on day 29, at which time he reported no new symptoms. Zika virus rRT-PCR testing performed at the Maryland DHMH Laboratories Administration was negative on serum and plasma and equivocal on urine. Serologic testing was positive for Zika virus IgM antibodies using the CDC Zika MAC-ELISA and positive for dengue virus IgM antibodies using an InBios ELISA kit. PRNTs performed at the CDC Arbovirus Diagnostic Laboratory confirmed a recent, unspecified flavivirus infection. Semen collected on day 31 had no detectable Zika virus RNA by rRT-PCR testing performed at the Maryland DHMH Laboratories Administration.

To date, only one other case has been reported in which a man without symptoms might have sexually transmitted Zika virus to his female partner (2). However, in that reported case, both the man and the woman had traveled to a country with ongoing Zika virus transmission where they were likely exposed to mosquitoes. In that case, although the detection of Zika virus RNA in the womans serum and urine by rRT-PCR 39 days after return from travel suggested sexual transmission from her male partner, it could not be ruled out that she had been infected from a mosquito bite during travel and had a longer than average incubation period or a prolonged period of viremia. No cases of sexual transmission of Zika virus from an asymptomatic man returning from travel to an area with active Zika transmission to his female sex partner who did not travel have been reported. Absence of Zika virus symptoms in persons returning from areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission might not preclude sexual transmission of Zika virus to their sex partners. Ongoing surveillance is needed to determine the risk for sexual transmission of Zika virus infection from asymptomatic persons. The findings in this report indicate that it might be appropriate to consider persons who have condomless sex with partners returning from areas with ongoing Zika virus transmission as exposed to Zika virus, regardless of whether the returning traveler reports symptoms of Zika virus infection. Providers should request Zika virus testing for any patients with illness compatible with Zika virus disease who have had sexual exposure without barrier devices to prevent infections to a partner who traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission (3). Such patients should also be reported to local or state health departments (4,5).

Current recommendations for the prevention of sexual transmission of Zika virus in returning travelers differ depending on whether the returning traveler is symptomatic and on whether the couple is planning to become pregnant (3,6). Couples in areas without active Zika transmission with circumstances in which one partner traveled to an area with active Zika virus transmission but did not develop symptoms of Zika virus disease should wait at least 8 weeks after the partner who traveled returned from the Zika-affected area before attempting conception, regardless of the sex of the traveler. Men with a diagnosis of Zika virus infection should wait at least 6 months before attempting conception, and women with a diagnosis of Zika virus infection should wait at least 8 weeks before attempting conception. Health care providers should counsel couples that correct and consistent use of condoms reduces the risk for sexually transmitted diseases and discuss the use of the most effective contraceptive methods that can be used correctly and consistently (6). Couples who do not desire pregnancy should consider abstaining from sex or using the most effective contraceptive methods that can be used correctly and consistently in addition to barrier methods, such as condoms, which reduce the risk for sexual transmission of Zika virus and other sexually transmitted infections (3). As more is learned about the incidence and duration of seminal shedding of Zika virus in infected men, recommendations to prevent sexual transmission of Zika virus will be updated if needed.
[]*ST:2016 20160826 16:21:18 



Wafangdian

Bearing

Company

Limited

2016

Midyear

Report







Wafangdian

Bearing

Company

Limited

2016

Midyear

Report

2016-25





August

25,

2016







Wafangdian

Bearing

Company

Limited

2016

Midyear

Report





Chapter

I.

Important

Prompts,

Table

of

Contents,

and

Definitions





The

Board

of

Directors,

board

of

supervisors,

directors,

supervisors,

and

top

management

of

the

Company

hereby

guarantee

that

there

are

no

false

record,

misleading

statements

and

important

omission

of

the

material

in

this

report,

and

assume

the

individual

and

associated

responsibilities

for

the

truth,

accuracy

and

completeness

of

the

contents.





Besides

the

following

directors,

all

the

other

directors

attended

the

Board

meeting

and

discussed

the

report.





Name

Post

Reasons

Assignee

name

Tang

Yurong

director

Busy

work

Fang

Bo

Wan

Shouyi

Independent

director

Busy

work

Zhang

Li





The

Company

plans

not

to

distribute

cash

dividends

or

bonus

shares

or

turn

capital

reserve

into

share

capital.





Chairman

Meng

Wei

,

General

Accountant

Ms.

Sun

Najuan

and

accounting

charger

Ms.

Yao

Chunjuan

declare:

guarantee

the

truth

and

completeness

of

the

financial

report

in

the

annual

report.





According

to

the

relevant

provisions

of

the

"Shenzhen

Stock

Exchange

Listing

Rules",

if

the

company

s

net

profit

attributable

to

shareholders

of

audit

listed

companies

continue

to

be

negative

by

the

year

2016,

the

company

shares

will

be

suspended

from

listing

in

the

2016

annual

announcement.

Please

the

majority

of

investors

of

investment

risks.





The

description

of

the

future

development

in

this

report

does

not

constitute

a

commitment

for

investors.

Investors

are

requested

to

pay

attention

to

the  WafangdianBearingCompanyLimited2016MidyearReportWafangdianBearingCompanyLimited2016MidyearReport2016-25August25,2016WafangdianBearingCompanyLimited2016MidyearReportChapterI.ImportantPrompts,TableofContents,andDefinitionsTheBoardofDirectors,boardofsupervisors,directors,supervisors,andtopmanagementoftheCompanyherebyguaranteethattherearenofalserecord,misleadingstatementsandimportantomissionofthematerialinthisreport,andassumetheindividualandassociatedresponsibilitiesforthetruth,accuracyandcompletenessofthecontents.Besidesthefollowingdirectors,alltheotherdirectorsattendedtheBoardmeetinganddiscussedthereport.NamePostReasonsAssigneenameTangYurongdirectorBusyworkFangBoWanShouyiIndependentdirectorBusyworkZhangLiTheCompanyplansnottodistributecashdividendsorbonussharesorturncapitalreserveintosharecapital.ChairmanMengWeiGeneralAccountantMs.SunNajuanandaccountingchargerMs.YaoChunjuandeclare:guaranteethetruthandcompletenessofthefinancialreportintheannualreport.Accordingtotherelevantprovisionsofthe"ShenzhenStockExchangeListingRules",ifthecompanysnetprofitattributabletoshareholdersofauditlistedcompaniescontinuetobenegativebytheyear2016,thecompanyshareswillbesuspendedfromlistinginthe2016annualannouncement.Pleasethemajorityofinvestorsofinvestmentrisks.Thedescriptionofthefuturedevelopmentinthisreportdoesnotconstitutecommitmentforinvestors.Investorsarerequestedtopayattentiontothe 
This service applies to you if your subscription has not yet expired on our old site. You will have continued access until your subscription expires; then you will need to purchase an ongoing subscription through our new system. Please contact The Chanute Tribune office at 620-431-4100 if you have any questions
Baylor School and Erlanger Hospital will host an evening with the popular young adult fiction author Jordan Sonnenblick, on Monday, Sept. 12, from 7-7:45 p.m. followed by a question and answer session and book signing. The event is free and open to the public and takes place in Baylors Alumni Chapel.

Mr. Sonnenblick is the author of seven books for children and young adults, including Drums, Girls & Dangerous Pie. Drums, Girls, and Dangerous Pie is the moving story of an 8th grade boy whose younger brother is battling Leukemia. Told with humor and care, this story reminds us all that even in the midst of struggle, life can bring us joy, said Julie King, Baylor School head librarian.

Locally, the book inspired Jack Skowronnek to create Jacks Chattanoggins, an annual head shaving event promoting awareness of children battling cancer and raising funds for the Center for Childhood Cancer and Blood Disorders at Children's Hospital at Erlanger. Jack, who is now a senior at Signal Mountain High School, has raised $175,000 according to the jackshaves.org website and will be at the event to introduce Mr. Sonnenblick.

In addition to an evening with Mr. Sonnenblick, Erlanger officials will be on hand to answer questions about the expansion plans for a new Children's Hospital. The new Childrens Hospital will ensure the highest level of care and will enhance the ability to attract the best medical talent," said Jan Cooper, director of development for Erlanger. "It's unique design is inspired by many of Chattanooga's iconic landmarks and attractions, and will enhance Chattanooga's ongoing transformation."
USDA Rural Development State Director Bobby Goode announced Friday multiple Rural Energy for America Program projects in three Southeastern Tennessee counties. Rural Development funds will be used to assist farmers and rural small businesses in developing renewable energy systems and making energy-efficiency improvements to their operations."I applaud the efforts of farmers and small business owners looking at ways of improving the financial stability of their companies while limiting environmental impacts, Dir.Goode said. Their environmental-friendly efforts will produce clean, green energy as they serve their customers."The three REAP project recipients announced and their respective counties are: Gregory S. Taylor, Marion County Dunlap Industries, Inc., Sequatchie County Russ Carmichael, McMinn CountyGregory Taylor is a poultry farmer with two poultry houses. A $20,000 REAP grant was used to install a 39.68 kW solar array to produce enough power for five households for a year.Dunlap Industries, Inc., located in the Dunlap Industrial Park, received a $126,092 REAP grant to assist with the installation of a 258.85 kW solar array to be mounted on the roof of an existing building on the property.Russ Carmichael owns a dairy farm in Riceville, Tn. A $7,250 REAP grant will assist with the installment of a 14.1 kW solar array which is an expansion of the existing 35 kW solar array installed in 2013.For more information on USDA Rural Development programs available in Southeastern Tennessee contact the Chattanooga Area Office at 423-756-2239, or visit them online at www.rd.usda.gov/TN
Beer-themed vacations are all the rage, with people lining up for tours of craft breweries, signing on for beer cruises, and hitting the road to visit the worlds best beer cities. Now, serious beer lovers can keep the party going even after they leave the bar or brewery. Hotels are tapping into the beer craze by offering beer-themed digs, on-site brewpubs, and lessons in brewing. Hotels with in-room taps are even in the works, according to The Telegraph. If you plan your trips around where to get the best pint, youre going to want to check out these beer-themed accommodations.

1. Brewhouse Inn & Suites, Milwaukee, Wis.

Locals know Milwaukee as Brew City, so its only fitting the town is home to a beer-themed hotel. The Brewhouse Inn & Suites is located in the historic Pabst Brewery on the edge of downtown. Reminders of the spaces former life are everywhere, from the front desk made of 1,500 beer bottles to the giant copper brew kettles in the hotels public areas (theyre original to the space). Next door is Jacksons Blue Ribbon Pub, which has more than a dozen Wisconsin-brewed beers on tap, and local breweries like Lakefront Brewery, Milwaukee Brewing Co., and, of course, Miller, are just a short drive away.

2. McMenamins Kennedy School, Portland, Ore.

Going back to school isnt a drag when you stay at McMenamins Kennedy School, a 57-room boutique hotel in a converted 1915 elementary school. Some rooms feature original chalkboards, and there are multiple on-site restaurants, bars, and a movie theater. For beer lovers, the big draw is the on-site Concordia Brewery located in what used to be the girls bathroom. Portlands known for its thriving beer scene and, for maximum enjoyment, plan your trip around one of the areas many beer festivals.



3. Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, Vt.

Vermont has more breweries per capita than any other state. If youre planning a tour of the regions beer hot spots, theres no better home base than the Trapp Family Lodge, a resort owned by the same family featured in The Sound of Music. The Trapp family brews their own beer on site, and tours of the brewery are offered, but thats hardly the only beer-related attraction in the area. The Alchemist brewery, famous for its Heady Topper beer, recently opened a new brewery and retail store in nearby Stowe. Its just one of many youll want to visit during your trip to Vermont. And a craft brewery tour will ferry you to most of them, so you dont have to drink and drive.

4. Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery, Calistoga, Calif.

Most people go to Napa for the wine, but theres good beer to be had in this region too. A visit to Russian River Brewing in Santa Rosa is a must, as is St. Florians Brewery, which is named in honor of the patron saint of firefighters and donates five percent of its profits to fire-related charities. Then, end your beer tour at the Calistoga Inn Restaurant & Brewery. The intimate 17-room B&B is upstairs from a charming riverside restaurant, and the Napa Valley Brewing Company thats located on-site was the first to commercially brew beer in the area since Prohibition. Tours are offered if you book in advance.



5. Woodstock Inn, Woodstock, N.H.

Why just taste different beers on your next vacation when you can make your own? Guests at New Hampshires Woodstock Inn who visit during a Brewers Weekend will learn how to make their own beer in the on-site microbrewery. You can find the dates for this event on their website, and attendees will enjoy two nights at the inn (which has 40 unique rooms in six buildings), meals, and a commemorative T-shirt. If you cant make the brewers weekend, you can still take a tour of the brewery, which includes a tasting and pint glass.

Follow Megan on Twitter @MeganE_CS
You may feel that todays obscenely rich  you know, the Bill Gates and Warren Buffetts of the world  have fortunes so vast that they could never be topped. Well, relatively speaking, the contemporary versions of the worlds wealthiest pale in comparison to some of the past, and by a wide margin.

There have been countless fortunes won and lost throughout history, both modern and ancient. People have built massive amounts of wealth a variety of ways: through blood, through the crown, savvy investing, or building incredibly powerful businesses. Today, it seems as though many of the worlds wealthiest have built their mountains of money through business ventures or inheritance, but throughout history, things are a bit more violent.

So, who are the richest people to have ever lived? Digging through research done by Business Insider, Celebrity Net Worth, and Yahoo Finance, weve been able to put together a list of the top 10 wealthiest individuals of all time. One important thing to note is that there are likely figures missing, as numbers do tend to get lost or disappear as time goes on. There are likely many historical figures  like Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, King Solomon, numerous Roman emperors, Egyptian pharaohs, and popes  who have controlled huge fortunes; yet there is no real way to put a dollar figure on those fortunes. Powerful families exist as well, including the Rothschilds and the Medici; however, their wealth is spread among several individuals, not a central figure.

As for those individuals that we can get solid wealth information on, read on to see the top 10.

10. Cornelius Vanderbilt, $185 billion

One of the most famous names in American history was built by Cornelius Vanderbilt, a man who came to fortune through the building of railroads and shipping lines during the 1800s. He is also the founder of Vanderbilt University, and his family name still carries much clout today. CNN anchor Anderson Cooper is even a part of the Vanderbilt family. During his heyday, Cornelius Vanderbilts wealth reached an approximate $185 billion, most of it accumulated later in life as he expanded his railroad empire following the Civil War.

9. Henry Ford, $199 billion

One of the major figures in American business history, Henry Ford was able to put together a net worth totaling just under $200 billion. Ford, of course, is known for founding Ford Motor Co. and bringing automobiles to the masses. A transportation revolutionary, he also was a trailblazer in industry and business, instituting higher wages for his workers and developing the concept of the assembly line, which allowed for the manufacture of inexpensive goods that the masses could afford.

8. Muammar Gaddafi, $200 billion

One person who most readers are likely familiar with is Muammar Gaddafi, the recently deceased and overthrown ruler of the northern African country of Libya. Gaddafi is said to have controlled a vast fortune of $200 billion, amassed during his 42-year rule over Libya. A highly controversial and divisive politician and ruler, Gaddafi was famously overthrown in 2011 during the Libyan civil war, when he was dragged into the streets and killed by revolutionaries.

7. William the Conqueror, $209 billion to $229 billion

William the Conquerors wealth has been estimated to be between $209 billion and $229 billion. Best known for becoming the first Norman king of England, William reigned from 1066 until 1087. He led the final successful invasion of England, becoming a monarch after setting out to depose of one. He was also known as William the Bastard and is thought to have been a descendant of viking invaders from years before, which explains where he got his knack for invasion.

6. Jakob Fugger, $221 billion

A relatively obscure historical figure compared to many other members of the worlds wealthiest, Jakob Fugger nonetheless was able to hoard $221 billion through his merchant and banking activities. Fugger lived from 1459 until 1525, having been both born and dying in Augsburg, Germany. The Fugger fortune was made through textile trading in Italy mostly, but also through the mining of silver and gold in Hungary and Bohemia.

5. Mir Osman Ali Khan, $230 billion

You may never have heard of Mir Osman Ali Khan, but he was without a doubt one of the wealthiest people the world has ever known. As ruler of the Hyderabad State in India, he grew his riches to a total of $230 billion. He became Nizam of Hyderabad after his father died in 1911 and reigned for 37 years, overseeing the expansion of education, electricity, and railroads in the region. He died in 1967, survived by his reported 149 children.

4. Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov, $300 billion

Known as Tsar Nicholas II, Nikolai Alexandrovich Romanov amassed $300 billion worth of wealth during his tenure. Nicholas II is probably most famous for being the last emperor of Russia before the country fell during the Russian Revolution. Both he and his family were eventually executed in 1918. Notably, Nicholas II became a saint recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church, and is known as the wealthiest saint in human history.

3. Andrew Carnegie, $310 billion

Andrew Carnegie, an incredibly wealthy and powerful industrialist, came to prominence during the mid-1800s by way of the steel industry. Having been born in Scotland, Carnegie came from a very poor family that entered the United States in the late 1840s. After successfully investing in a number of ventures, Carnegie founded the U.S. Steel Corp., which earned him most of his $310 billion fortune. He is also known for giving away almost all of it, and is remembered as one of the worlds foremost philanthropists.

2. John D. Rockefeller, $340 billion

The Rockefeller name is deeply ingrained in American history, and John D. Rockefellers $340 billion fortune still stands today as nearly the largest the world has ever seen. Born in 1839 in New York, he grew to prominence over his lifetime as the co-founder of Standard Oil. As one of the revolutionaries of the energy and petroleum industries, Rockefeller is also well known for his philanthropy, founding two colleges during his lifetime, the University of Chicago and Rockefeller University. He died in 1937 at the age of 97.

1. Mansa Musa, $400 billion

Far and away the richest man to ever walk the face of the Earth was Mansa Musa, or Musa I of Mali. As the reigning emperor of the Mali empire, Musa commanded a fortune worth a jaw-dropping $400 billion. Thats worth more than four times the current richest person in the world, to put things in perspective. Musa was born in 1280 and lived until 1337 as a devout Muslim, constructing numerous educational centers and mosques across Africa, one of which can be seen above, in Timbuktu. Being as that Musas reign was so long ago, there are still varying reports about his death and abdication of the throne to his son. However, no one has been able to come even close to the amount of wealth Musa presided over.

Follow Sam on Twitter @Sliceofginger

More from Money & Career Cheat Sheet:
Brendan Stewart clutches the remote while teaching a drone-flying class at the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy in Glenview. (John Konstantaras / Blue Sky )

After years of businesses flying in a gray area, drones will finally get an official set of rules from the federal government Monday.

And AeroVista Innovations, a year-old startup incorporated in Highland Park, is ready to stake its claim in the nascent industry by providing a blend of aerial photography (think from-the-sky shots of outdoor concerts and expensive real estate listings), drone training and consulting services.

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New Federal Aviation Administration regulations will effectively lower the barrier of entry to use a drone for business. Previously, a company needed licensed pilots and an FAA exemption to legally run a commercial drone operation.

That process took AeroVista seven months, the company said. With the rule change, those wishing to fly commercially will simply have to pass a 60-question written test and register their device before taking off. That means the skies  and the business space  will become more crowded.

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AeroVista has worked for Lift Technologies, construction firm Clayco's internal drone startup, and partnered with the YWCA of Metropolitan Chicago to create programming geared toward getting girls and women interested in the industry.

AeroVista owns three drones: a Phantom 3, a Phantom 4 and a higher-end Inspire 1, all made by DJI and retailing for about $1,200 to $3,200. The company also owns a host of add-on equipment, including high-definition cameras and thermal sensors, some of which sell for upwards of $10,000, said Brendan Stewart, the company's president of engineering. The contract pilots AeroVista regularly works with generally own their own equipment, he said.

The classes it offers range in cost from $89 for an hour for students to $798 for emergency response courses. Aerial service jobs are usually billed on a day or half-day basis, with post-production editing and data-crunching, if necessary, factoring into the final tabs, Stewart said.

AeroVista declined to disclose revenue but said aerial media, training and consulting account for roughly equal shares of the business. The company expects training and consulting to become its main money-makers in the future, especially as more businesses enter the industry.

"It's going to become cheaper and easier to get your hands on a drone," Stewart said.

Training services drew the Deerfield-Bannockburn Fire Protection District's Rick Bekielewski and two other suburban firefighters to the Northeastern Illinois Public Safety Training Academy's sprawling Glenview campus earlier this month. AeroVista has been offering two-day courses there for emergency responders.

The classes, a mix of hands-on flight instruction and regulation study, are geared toward helping emergency response professionals earn Federal Aviation Administration clearance to operate drones. In case of fires or floods, drones could be dispatched to scope out scenes or locate people in need of help.

Bekielewski, an avid flier of model airplanes with some limited recreational drone piloting experience, said his department might use its drone to perform safety inspections on some of the large properties in its jurisdiction. Mapping out the rooftops of large corporate campus structures, for example, could be much easier with a drone. Helping police with searches is another possibility, he said.

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"We have no idea where this is going and what we're going to do with it yet," he said. "But this is a start. To learn what we can do, what we can't do. Where we can go, where we can't."

So far, AeroVista, through a partnership with the training academy, has offered a handful of the emergency response classes. The company said it plans to eventually host three to five programs each month.

The company has also designed courses for commercial operators  a wedding photographer looking for an edge, for example.

AeroVista isn't the only local group offering training. Other companies selling similar services in the Chicago area include DartDrones, Vortex UAS and FSX Chicago. DartDrones and Unmanned Vehicle University have a presence in numerous states and are probably the biggest players in the training space nationally, said Matthew Engelke, who runs the drone training resources website Drone Training HQ and has seen the industry proliferate in recent years.

"The enthusiasm level has just gone through the roof," he said.

Lewis University, in Romeoville, has taken the concept of training a step further and is entering its second academic year of offering a bachelor's degree in unmanned aerial systems.

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Ryan Phillips, co-chair of the school's aviation department and the new program's director, said the market for drone training is growing, especially as practical applications for the technology become better-known.

"More and more of these (companies) are surfacing every day as the utility of (unmanned aerial systems) is more and more apparent," he said.

Will O'Brien is a freelance reporter.

Twitter @wpo3
One thing our presidential candidates are not doing at this juncture is setting a good example for workplace leadership.

Being a politician and being a boss or manager are two different things, of course, but leaders in the workplace certainly take cues from other high-profile bosses, be they politicos or CEOs.

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So let's take a moment to imagine life at work if all the executives and mangers behaved like Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

I'll present this as a series of emails to the staff:

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To: Staff

From: Larry Thompson

Subject: Loser Ned Anderson is wrong, and dumb

As your CEO  the best one this company has ever had, I'm told  I feel it necessary to inform you that Ned Anderson, our VP of human resources and a very low-energy guy, is falsely saying that I canceled Hawaiian-shirt Friday.

This is a lie. That's what Ned does. He lies, all the time. It's really bad, everyone says so. And I did not say Hawaiian-shirt Friday should be canceled. I love Hawaiian-shirt Friday and have many friends who wear Hawaiian shirts, some even on days that aren't Friday, they love them so much, and so do I.

I just heard from many reliable sources that some of the Hawaiian shirts being worn on Fridays were not made in this country, and I think that's wrong. We don't know where these Hawaiian shirts might be coming from, and until we can figure this stuff out and find a way to carefully vet all Hawaiian shirts  I call it extreme shirt vetting, EXTREME!  we need to stop allowing these shirts into the office.

Ned, who doesn't know what he's talking about, has twisted my words and so he is fired because I always win, it's just what I do, I win so much.

Thank you for your time and please get back to work, you dopes.

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 Larry Thompson, CEO (the best)



To: Staff

From: Ned Anderson

Subject: RE: Loser Ned Anderson is wrong, and dumb

I see Lyin' Larry has gone on another of his rants, trying to make me look bad when it's his stupid policies  and they are really just the stupidest  that are destroying Hawaiian-shirt Friday.

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What a loser. Larry is very unpopular and hated by so many people that it's just kind of sad. I mean, I feel bad for him, almost. I don't, but I could. But I don't. He's a lying sleaze.

Look at the people around him. Like CFO Andrea Higgins. She's a piece of work, isn't she? I call her Crazy Andrea, because she is actually crazy. Many have told me that very thing. And she says she loves Hawaiian-shirt Friday but then does everything she can to undermine it. She does not want to make Hawaiian-shirt Friday Great Again like I do. Such a loser.

Lyin' Harry and Crazy Andrea are too stupid to trust with Hawaiian-shirt Friday. Believe me. BELIEVE ME! I know.

 Ned Anderson, VP human resources (no VP is better)



To: Staff

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From: Andrea Higgins

Subject: RE: RE: Loser Ned Anderson is wrong, and dumb

WOW! Now we've got Know-Nothing Ned feeding us more of his lies, lies, lies. That's all that guy does, he lies. And I think he does it because he lacks stamina and strength.

You can see it, if you look at videos of Ned, and you talk to people who are saying lots of things, he just doesn't look well. He's weak. I don't know what's going on but there seems to be something there. I mean he's never around, when was the last time he was here on Hawaiian-shirt Friday?

And those hands. So small.

Sad.

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Larry is right about these foreign Hawaiian shirts that are finding their way into the office. I saw Don Langston from accounting wearing a very foreign-looking Hawaiian shirt and it made me feel very unsafe. Very unsafe. Not good.

 Andrea Higgins, CFO (none better, I'm told)

***

To: Staff

From: Don Langston

Subject: RE: RE: RE: Loser Ned Anderson is wrong, and dumb

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I have never worn a Hawaiian shirt to work. We don't even have Hawaiian-shirt Friday. Please take me off this mailing list, I have work to do.

 Don



In the interest of bipartisanship, I'd also like you to consider a company run entirely by people who behave like Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton:

To: Staff

From: Janet King

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Subject: All-staff email memo missing

Does anyone have a copy of the memo I emailed to the staff yesterday. I deleted mine.

 Janet



To: Staff

From: John McClaren

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Subject: RE: All-staff email memo missing

Mine has been deleted as well.

 John



To: Staff

From: Cindy Harris

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Subject: RE: RE: All-staff email memo missing

Cindy here with IT, I deleted that memo off our server per Janet King's instruction.

 Cindy



To: Staff

From: Janet King

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Subject: RE: RE: RE: All-staff email memo missing

I never gave an order to delete that memo. And what's a "server"?

 Janet



To: Staff

From: Cindy Harris

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Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: All-staff email memo missing

Yes you did. I have a copy of the email right here. It says: "Please delete staff memo off secret private server."

 Cindy



Working Lunch Weekdays Get the latest business news headlines, delivered to your inbox midday weekdays. >

To: Staff

From: Janet King

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Subject: RE: RE: RE: RE: All-staff email memo missing

UNSUBSCRIBE



So there you have it, folks. If you're looking for workplace leadership guidance, I strongly recommend you turn toward the 2016 presidential campaign  and then do the exact opposite of what those folks are doing.

TALK TO REX: Ask workplace questions  anonymously or by name  and share stories with Rex Huppke at IJustWorkHere@tribpub.com, like Rex on Facebook at www.facebook.com/rexworkshere and find more at www.chicagotribune.com/ijustworkhere.
Alere sued Abbott Laboratories claiming the medical-device maker failed to get U.S. antitrust clearance for their $5.8 billion merger agreement, potentially scuttling the controversial deal.

Abbott failed to "promptly secure antitrust approvals and other regulatory requirements," Alere said in a filing Friday in Delaware Chancery Court.

The suit is another escalation in the months-long saga between the medical-device makers. After agreeing to buy Alere in January, Abbott has tried to get out of the agreement and has said Alere improperly withheld information needed to finalize the transaction. Abbott officials offered to pay as much as $50 million of Alere's legal costs tied to the deal earlier this year, an offer that was was rejected by Alere's board.

Alere sued to force Abbott to complete the merger agreement, which values Alere shares at $56 per share. The combination would create the most world's biggest medical-testing firm. In April, Abbott also agreed to buy St. Jude Medical Inc. for $25 billion, raising further questions about the status of its Alere purchase.

"Alere will take all actions necessary to protect the interests of Alere shareholders, enforce Alere's rights under the merger agreement and compel Abbott to complete the transaction in accordance with its terms," the Waltham, Massachusetts-based company said in a statement.

Officials of Abbott Park, Illinois-based Abbott weren't immediately available for comment. The company's shares were little changed at $42.91.

The suit was filed under seal late Thursday and details were disclosed in a filing on Friday.

Bloomberg News


Bridget Bond tried not to cry at the front of the pharmacy line.

The Hoffman Estates mom had just learned three two-packs of EpiPens for her son could cost more than $1,400. The EpiPens could save the life of her 9-year-old, who's allergic to peanuts and tree nuts.

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"I was angry. I felt so taken advantage of," Bond said of that moment, nearly a year ago. "After nine years of preparing my son and showing him how to take good care of himself, now I have to compromise on what we think is good care."

She paid more than $950 to buy two sets instead of three, and spent the year stressing about making sure a set was always near.

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Witt Andresen, 8, and his dog Scout play Aug. 25, 2016, in their Glenview backyard. Witt, who has multiple allergies, depends on EpiPens as an emergency remedy, but the increased cost of the devices strains his family's finances. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)

The price of EpiPens has only grown since then.

Hand-wringing over the cost of EpiPens has become a back-to-school ritual in Illinois and across the country in recent years as the price of the devices has soared. A two-pack of EpiPens had a wholesale pharmacy price of more than $600 in May  up more than 500 percent since early 2008, according to the Elsevier Clinical Solutions' Gold Standard Drug Database. Consumers are typically charged more than that manufacturer's wholesale price before insurance and/or cost-saving programs kick in.

The spike has forced parents in Illinois and across the country to hold onto the devices past their expiration dates, carry only one at a time instead of the recommend two, or rely on schools to have extras. Illinois, however, is among a majority of states that don't require schools to keep their own supply of epinephrine, the drug in the device.

I was angry. I felt so taken advantage of.  Bridget Bond, whose son's allergies requires an EpiPen

In recent weeks, anger over those increases has spilled onto the national stage with politicians, parents and pundits urging Mylan  the company behind the EpiPen  to lower its prices.

Mylan reacted Thursday, saying it would offer $300 savings cards to patients with private insurance to lower their out-of-pocket costs. It also said it's expanding eligibility for its patient assistance program, to up to 400 percent of the federal poverty level for uninsured and underinsured patients. That means a family of four making up to $97,200 a year will now get EpiPens at no cost if they lack insurance or have a plan that only covers generic medications.

The moves, however, have done little calm the furor.

"The bottom line is the price needs to be reduced," said Dr. Sarah Boudreau-Romano, an attending physician in the division of allergy and immunology at Lurie Children's Hospital, who also has three children with food allergies. "These savings cards won't necessarily help everybody."

Glenview resident Meg Bowman shows Aug. 25, 2016, a pair of EpiPens she keeps for her son Witt Andresen, 8, who has multiple allergies. Bowman spent about $450 on three EpiPen kits a few weeks ago through a mail-order pharmacy. (Chris Walker / Chicago Tribune)

Bond, the Hoffman Estates mom, that even taking $300 off a $600 price tag, the medication's cost is still equal to a car payment.

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Plus, when insurers have to pay more, the cost gets passed along to consumers through their insurance premiums, said Clare Krusing a spokeswoman for insurance industry group America's Health Insurance Plans. "We all ultimately end up paying the cost of that drug," she said.

The EpiPen, when pushed into a person's outer thigh, delivers a blast of epinephrine that can counter allergic reactions such as breathing trouble, a drop in blood pressure and swelling and hives around the face and lips.

Parents are "spending enormous amounts on a medication they hopefully won't (need) to use that expires in a year, or they're simply not able to afford it and depending on someone else's EpiPen or the school EpiPen to protect them," Boudreau-Romano said.

But Illinois parents who forgo buying the pricey devices might be out of luck if they're depending on their schools.

Illinois and 38 other states did not have laws or guidelines requiring schools to stock epinephrine as of July, according to Food Allergy Research & Education, a nonprofit organization that aims to improve the health and quality of life for those with food allergies. Mylan is a corporate sponsor for the organization, but the group's CEO James Baker said it uses Mylan's money to support membership activities and does not help Mylan with marketing.

Illinois schools are legally allowed to carry their own epinephrine  and Mylan has a program where schools can get EpiPens for free  but the state hasn't tracked which schools do.

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Chicago Public Schools, for example, keeps its own epinephrine on hand, according to its Office of Student Health and Wellness website. But another district, Wheeling's Community Consolidated School District 21, does not, said spokeswoman Kara Beach.

Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law earlier this month that will require schools to report if they stock epinephrine auto-injectors.

There's no question that when schools do carry EpiPens, kids use them.

During the 2014-2015 school year, 17 Illinois school districts reported administering their own epinephrine 65 times, according to an Illinois State Board of Education report. More than half of the students and staff members who received the drug had not previously been diagnosed with a severe allergy.

Those numbers highlight the importance of the medication, said Jennifer Jobrack, senior national director of advocacy for the food allergy group.

"This is lifesaving medication that sometimes only has minutes to really work and you don't want to be too far away from it," Jobrack said. "It's that simple."

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Jobrack has her own 11-year-old with a peanut allergy. She said she's been lucky that her insurance covers the devices, requiring only a reasonable co-pay.

Glenview parent Meg Bowman, however, said there have been times when she and her husband wondered if they could wait another month to purchase a new EpiPen set because of the price. Bowman spent about $450 on three kits a few weeks ago, through a mail-order pharmacy, for her 8-year-old son who is allergic to dairy and lentils, among other foods.

Like many families who have children with food allergies, Bowman has multiple sets for different locations, such as the school nurse's office, her son's classroom, his school cafeteria, her home and her purse.

"It's a do or die," Bowman said. "I have to have it, and I feel like I have to have a certain number of them to keep him safe."

Mylan says its savings card and patient assistance programs help patients avoid paying the full cost of the device. The drugmaker also has said the proliferation of high-deductible insurance plans is partly to blame for the increasing numbers of patients paying full price for the product.

Critics say there are other factors at play, namely a lack of major competing products.

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Sanofi US made a similar device called Auvi-Q, but it recalled the product last year because of potentially inaccurate dosage delivery.

Even if another big competitor were to enter the market with a lower-priced alternative, Mylan could likely just lower its prices to match the competitor's and hold onto its market share, said Todd Grover, co-founder of Glass Box Analytics, a company that develops drug price benchmarks. That makes it risky for another manufacturer to enter the market, he said.

Mylan's sales of EpiPens reached $1 billion in 2015 and CEO Heather Bresch received nearly $19 million in total compensation last year, according to regulatory filings  a fact that has further enraged parents and others in recent weeks.

Grover believes public pressure is more likely to drive down the price than a future competitor. Until that happens, families like the Bonds say they'll continue to grapple with the rising prices because they have to, and will continue to feel taken advantage of by Mylan.

"They know I'm not going to compromise my son's life," Bond said.

lschencker@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter @lschencker
The maker of EpiPen announced Thursday that it will help more patients pay for the lifesaving allergy injection, bowing to intense criticism from politicians, doctors and patients over the drug's soaring list price.



Mylan's decision to offer patients a coupon and expanded financial assistance was criticized by politicians and insurers who called the move a superficial gesture that still leaves some patients and their health plans saddled with the full cost.



"This step seems like a PR fix more than a real remedy, masking an exorbitant and callous price hike," said Sen. Richard Blumenthal, D-Conn., who this week called on the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Mylan. "The only fair and effective relief is a substantial price reduction for everyone who needs access to this lifesaving drug."



A two-pack of the injectors, which release epinephrine to stop an allergic reaction, has risen from less than $100 in 2007 to $608 today. Mylan said the company never intended for patients to pay the full price, expecting insurers would carry the load.



"We recognize the significant burden on patients from continued, rising insurance premiums and being forced increasingly to pay the full list price for medicines at the pharmacy counter," chief executive Heather Bresch said in a statement.



Mylan declined to comment about criticism of its coupon offer and additional financial assistance.



The debate is the latest to embroil Congress in the battle over increasing drug costs and their role in escalating health insurance premiums. EpiPen's rising price is particularly notable because state and federal legislation have been key to the drug's rapid growth. Annual prescriptions for EpiPen products have more than doubled in the past decade to 3.6 million, according to IMS Health data.



Mylan benefited from factors including failed competitors, patent protections and laws requiring allergy medications in schools. Having a virtual monopoly has facilitated the rapid price hike. Mylan reached $1 billion in sales for the second time last year.

Epinephrine is an old drug, but EpiPen has long been the dominant way of injecting it  competitors' products have never gained the same traction and suffered setbacks.



"It's like Kleenex  it's even more dominant," said Wayne Shreffler, chief of pediatric allergy and immunology at Massachusetts General Hospital. "I think academics like me are very careful when speaking to say 'epinephrine autoinjector,' but for most of the community, they just say EpiPen."



Mylan lobbied lawmakers  both directly and indirectly  to increase the availability of epinephrine autoinjectors in U.S. schools. Although these legislative efforts were not supposed to benefit a particular company, the brand has such a lock on the market that when President Barack Obama signed the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act in 2013, a news announcement simply called it the "EpiPen Law."



The law gave financial incentives to states to enact their own mandates for schools to stock epinephrine autoinjectors, and allow trained school personnel to administer the treatment to students. Undesignated autoinjectors can be used on students even if the prescription is not in their name.



"That was a Trojan horse," said David Maris, a Wells Fargo analyst. "That was, 'Let's get it in schools to help people,' but it helps market EpiPen and promote it as the trusted product in schools."



Eleven states require schools to stock epinephrine, according to Food Allergy Research & Education, an allergy advocacy group that counts Mylan as one of its corporate sponsors.



A provision in the Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization bill that passed the Senate in April requires the agency to update its regulations to ensure that airlines carry epinephrine autoinjectors on board.



In 2012, Mylan announced the EpiPen4Schools program, providing the drug for free, which doctors said created a kind of social marketing pressure. Since then, it has given away more than 700,000 free EpiPens to schools nationwide.



In 2014, the company struck a deal with Walt Disney Parks and Resorts to increase anaphylaxis awareness  creating a website and developing storybooks for families living with severe allergies that were distributed in 2015, according to Mylan's Securities and Exchange Commission filing.

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"Their most brilliant maneuver, clearly, was giving them (EpiPens) away to schools and making it the thing that they could say, 'Well, the nurse knows how to use it,' " said R. Adams Dudley, a pulmonologist at the University of California at San Francisco. "What are the parents afraid of? Their child will be away from them, and they won't be there to use it. If they can say the school nurse knows how to use an EpiPen; she's never seen an Adrenaclick. ... It's just a fear thing."



When Mylan acquired EpiPen in 2007, the total market for epinephrine was around $207 million a year according to IMS Health. Even then, EpiPen was dominant, with its products accounting for nearly 90 percent of the sales. Another similar product, the Twinject, had just $10 million in sales, and physicians said the device was a little clumsier and not as appealing to patients.

Competitors have fizzled over the years. The Twinject was discontinued in 2012. The Auvi-Q was recalled in 2015 because of the danger it would administer the wrong dose. The Adrenaclick has a tiny market share, according to IMS Health data.



Teva Pharmaceutical Industries is developing a generic autoinjector, but it was rejected by regulators earlier this year for unspecified "major deficiencies," according to a spokeswoman, which will delay the launch until at least 2017.



The pattern of large, biannual price increases for EpiPen began in 2009. In an earnings call that year, Bresch, Mylan's chief executive, told investors that the company would be introducing a new version of EpiPen's autoinjector device, one with patent protection that would make it more difficult for a generic competitor to enter.



The month that the company launched the improved product, Mylan boosted the list price of the drug by 20 percent.



"Having a new version of the drug ... you're essentially wiping the slate clean  if any generic company wants to create a generic version, they're going to have to start a lawsuit," said Jacob Sherkow, an associate professor at New York Law School. "You get to start the pricing strategy process all over again."



Lesley Solomon, a parent from Brookline, Mass., with a 7-year-old son with severe food allergies, said the EpiPen has saved her son's life multiple times.



She's never tried another type of injection device.



"I knew that EpiPen worked for us, so there was no reason to try something else  so there's the trust factor you get in knowing something works for you. Why try something new?" Solomon said.



Even so, she'd like a better solution. EpiPens expire. They have to be kept at a certain temperature, meaning they can't be left in a car. She said she's excited by a Massachusetts start-up, Windgap Medical, which is trying to build an alternative.



Today, some of the congressional champions of laws to encourage stocking EpiPens in schools are among Mylan's harshest critics.

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Sens. Mark Warner, D-Va., Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., who were among the co-sponsors of the 2013 legislation, are demanding Mylan lower the price of the EpiPen and explain its pricing practices.



"I am deeply concerned about this significant price increase for a product that has been on the market for more than three decades, and by Mylan's failure to publicly explain the recent cost increase," Warner wrote in a letter to Bresch.



Bresch is the daughter of Sen. Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va. Manchin had largely stayed quiet this week as his Senate colleagues expressed outrage over EpiPen costs, but on Thursday, he issued a statement acknowledging their concern about high drug prices  but without directly criticizing Mylan.



"I am aware of the questions my colleagues and many parents are asking and frankly I share their concerns about the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs," Manchin said.
Gov. Bruce Rauner signed a bill into law Friday that toughens oversight and enforcement of shipping wine into Illinois and transporting alcohol across state lines.

It's a win for Illinois alcohol wholesalers who lobbied for the passage of Senate Bill 2989, sponsored by state Sen. James Clayborne, D-East Saint Louis. The bill enhances penalties on those illegally shipping or transporting alcohol into the state. It also raises licensing fees across the board for manufacturers, wholesalers and retailers, and establishes more of an audit process for booze coming into the state.

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But the bill had detractors, too, particularly from residents who purchased hard-to-find wine from out-of-state retailers. An online petition calling on Rauner to veto the bill garnered more than 1,500 supporters. Retailers aren't permitted to ship into Illinois, though some still do, but wineries are allowed to do so if licensed with the state. Now, retailers who take the risk could face felony charges.

Representatives of Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois, a trade group funded by the state's two largest wholesalers, Breakthru Beverage Group and Southern Wine & Spirits, have said the bill will bring in more revenue that will help the state's oversight of bootleggers and "bad actors" of e-commerce.

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"(The bill) protects the health and safety of Illinois consumers by promoting compliance with state law. It also gives the Illinois Liquor Control Commission the resources it needs to prevent out-of-state suppliers from taking advantage of a loophole that allowed them to direct ship wine into Illinois without paying taxes," said Karin Lijana Matura, executive director of Wine and Spirits Distributors of Illinois, in a statement Friday.

Some opponents of the bill argued the opposite. By prohibiting out-of-state retailers from shipping into Illinois, the state is missing out on "millions of dollars" in tax revenue and licensing fees, said Tom Wark, executive director of the National Association of Wine Retailers, in an interview earlier this week.

Fourteen states currently allow out-of-state retailers to ship to their residents, said Wark, who said he expected the matter to eventually be settled in the courts.

gtrotter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GregTrotterTrib
This version of spaghetti all'amatriciana by legendary Italian cookbook author Ada Boni calls for onion, an ingredient not used in many traditional recipes. For the recipe, go here . (Chicago Tribune)

Chicago restaurants are joining a worldwide campaign to bring aid to victims of Wednesday's earthquake in central Italy, creating specials and donating the proceeds to the effort.

Because Amatrice, one of the villages most damaged in the quake, is the birthplace of the dish spaghetti all'amatriciana, many of the specials involve that pasta preparation.

Indeed, this weekend the village was to celebrate its culinary patrimony with the 50th annual Sagra degli Spaghetti all'Amatriciana (Amatriciana Festival), and an unknown number of visitors who arrived early this week for the event may be among the vicitms. (The death toll has reached 267.)

In Amatrice, purists have said Amatriciana sauce should be made with six ingredients only: guanciale, San Marzano tomatoes, white wine, black pepper, peperoncino and pecorino cheese, then tossed with spaghetti.

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Some chefs and restaurants are using #eatforitaly to promote the cause, as is British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver who is donating through his restaurants. Another effort to raise awareness and funds that has risen up online and in social media asks people to make the dish at home or order it in a restaurant, open a bottle of wine from central Italy, post about it using #virtualsagra and then donate to agencies aiding relief efforts. (See www.undiscovereditaly.us .) If you are joining in at home, here is a recipe from Tribune archives

Nonnina, and sister restaurant Piccolo Sogno, will donate all proceeds of its special Amatriciana pasta dish to Italy earthquake relief. (Galdones Photography)

Here are Chicago restaurants participating in the relief efforts so far:

Acanto: All wines from Umbria and Lazio are 50 percent off through the end of August. Fifty percent of each sale will be donated to earthquake relief, according to sommelier Jon McDaniel. The region of Umbria -- which borders Lazio, the region in which Amatrice is found -- was also hit by the earthquake. 18 S. Michigan Ave., 312-578-0763, www.acantochicago.com

Ceres Table: A special bucatini allamatriciana ($26) available now through Friday, Sept. 2. Fifty percent of proceeds will be donated to the Italian Red Cross. 3124 N. Broadway, 773-922-4020, www.cerestable.com

Eataly: A special bucatini allamatriciana ($17) with La Quercia guanciale, red onion, tomato, chili flakes, pecorino and parsley will be available Sept. 1 to 30. Every Eataly will donate $5 from this special directly to the comune of Amatrice to contribute to the relief efforts. 43 E. Ohio St., 312-521-8700, www.eataly.com

Filini Bar and Restaurant: Meatballs (made with veal, pork and bone marrow) in pomodoro sauce ($12) will be offered as part of the relief effort throughout September. The restaurant in Aqua Tower will donate 25 percent from the dish by new executive chef Rick Starr. 221 N. Columbus Dr., 312-477-0234, www.filinichicago.com

Forno Rosso: A special Amatriciana pizza with San Marzano tomatoes, pecorino Romano, pancetta, olive oil and fior di latte mozzarella ($17) is available at both locations for lunch and dinner until Sept. 7. Chef and owner Nick Nitti will donate 70 percent of proceeds to help fund earthquake relief efforts. 3719 N. Harlem Ave., 773-295-5697; 1048 W. Randolph St., 312-243-6000; www.fornorossopizzeria.com

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Gene & Georgetti: Penne with mushrooms and peas ($19.25) is offered, with all proceeds from the sales of the dish going to a special relief fund set up by the Joint Civic Committee of Italian Americans, today through Monday (Aug. 28). The offering applies to both Gene & Georgetti locations: 500 N. Franklin St., Chicago, 312-527-3718; and 9421 W. Higgins Road, Rosemont, 847-653-3300, www.geneandgeorgetti.com

La Storia: A special pasta all'amatriciana ($12) available now through the end of August with proceeds going to relief efforts. 1154 N. Dearborn St., 312-915-5950, www.lastoriachicago.com

Monastero's Ristorante & Banquets: The venerable Northside Italian restaurant is supporting relief efforts in three ways, with proceeds from each going to the Italian Red Cross. Today through Sept. 11, bucatini all'amatriciana ($22), made with the fat long pasta strands with a hole shot through the center, is offered with 50 percent of proceeds being donated. Also through Sept. 11, the Monastero family will donate 20 percent of all dining room checks. And on that date, Monastero's will hold a fundraising event called the Sicilian American Cultural Association Medal of Merit Brunch, honoring Chicago's new Italian counsel general Giuseppe Finocchiaro, and Anna Clara Ionta, professor of Italian at Loyola University. Tickets, by reservation only, are $40; with $20 of each ticket being donated. 3935 W. Devon Ave., 773-588-2515, www.monasteros.com

Monteverde: A special all'amatriciana with bavette pasta (like thin linguine), guanciale, onion, peperoncino and pecorino Romano ($16) is available through Wednesday (Aug. 31). Chef and co-owner Sarah Grueneberg with Meg Sahs will donate half the proceeds to the Italian Red Cross for earthquake relief. 1020 W. Madison St., 312-888-3041, www.monteverdechicago.com

Nico Osteria: A special spaghetti all'amatriciana ($17) with pancetta, Tropea onion, tomato, and pecorino available now until Sept. 8. For every order of this special $2 will be donated to Italian Red Cross. 1015 N. Rush St., 312-994-7100, www.nicoosteria.com

Osteria Langhe: A three-course menu ($55) available until the end of September features tajarin (a thin ribbon pasta) with cream, fontina, a sunny egg and black truffle; porchetta with black lentils, mushrooms and black truffle; and panna cotta, as well as a flight of wines from Umbria. Proceeds from the special offering will benefit the Italian Red Cross. 2824 W. Armitage Ave., 773-661-1582, A three-course menu ($55) available until the end of September features tajarin (a thin ribbon pasta) with cream, fontina, a sunny egg and black truffle; porchetta with black lentils, mushrooms and black truffle; and panna cotta, as well as a flight of wines from Umbria. Proceeds from the special offering will benefit the Italian Red Cross. 2824 W. Armitage Ave., 773-661-1582, www.osterialanghe.com

Piccolo Sogno and Nonnina: Special pastas all'amatriciana (at Piccolo with bucatini, and Nonnina with small house-made rigatoni) with sauce of house-cured pancetta, red onions, San Marzano tomatoes, fresh marjoram, olive oil and pecorino Romano ($18), available now, lunch and dinner, through Sunday. Chef and co-owner Tony Priolo will donate 100 percent of proceeds -- and match the money raised -- to the Italian Red Cross to assist the people of Amatrice and raise awareness. 464 N. Halsted St., 312-421-0077, www.piccolosognorestaurant.com; 340 N. Clark St., 312-822-0077, www.nonninachicago.com

Il Porcellino: Spaghetti all'amatriciana ($15.95) featuring housemade pasta, La Quercia guanciale, red onion and tomato. A portion of proceeds from each serving sold will go to earthquake relief efforts, now through the end of September. 59 W. Hubbard St., 312-595-0800,

Spaghetti all'amatriciana ($15.95) featuring housemade pasta, La Quercia guanciale, red onion and tomato. A portion of proceeds from each serving sold will go to earthquake relief efforts, now through the end of September. 59 W. Hubbard St., 312-595-0800, www.ilporcellinochicago.com

RPM Italian: For every order of bucatini all'amatriciana ($15) sold throughout September at the restaurant's Chicago and new Washington, D.C., locations, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Italian American Relief Fund. 55 W. Illinois Ave., 312-222-1888,

For every order of bucatini all'amatriciana ($15) sold throughout September at the restaurant's Chicago and new Washington, D.C., locations, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Italian American Relief Fund. 55 W. Illinois Ave., 312-222-1888, www.rpmrestaurants.com/rpmitalian/chicago

Trattoria Gianni: a special spaghetti all'amatriciana ($16.95 full order, $12 half order) with olive oil, pancetta, garlic, onions San Marzano tomatoes, and pecorino Romano, available now until Sept. 4. Chef and owner Gianni Delisi will donate fifty percent from each order to earthquake relief. www.trattoriagianni.com

This story has been updated with new participants in the fundraising efforts.

lchu@chicagotribune.com






The Claudia Quintet + 1 with Theo Blackmann, and Kurt Elling, take the stage, during the 37th Annual Chicago Jazz Festival, at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion, Millennium Park, in Chicago, on Saturday, September 5, 2015. (Nuccio DiNuzzo / Chicago Tribune)

An open letter to: Mark Kelly, incoming Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events

From: Howard Reich, Tribune arts critic

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Dear Mr. Kelly,

Congratulations on soon becoming the next Commissioner of the Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events (pending City Council approval)!

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First up on your schedule: The 38th annual Chicago Jazz Festival, which begins Thursday.

As you know, this is the oldest of the city-sponsored music fests, the one that  for better or worse  begat all the others. Like everything else in Chicago, music is politics, which means that City Hall ultimately controls what happens at the fests.

Your predecessor, Michelle Boone, did one huge favor for the Chicago Jazz Festival that I hope will serve as a model and inspiration for you: She pulled it from the acoustically dreadful, aesthetically challenged environs of Grant Park and moved it to infinitely superior Millennium Park.

This took a certain amount of grit on her part, considering how long the champions of the status quo had fought a shift in venue. Though readers had been complaining to me for decades about the echo effects that marred performances in Grant Park's dilapidated Petrillo Music Shell, and though I had written extensively about this problem and others, resistance to change was unrelenting.

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The Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events, which produces the festival, and the non-profit Jazz Institute of Chicago, which programs it quite intelligently, argued to keep everything as it was and, indeed, did just that.

Not until 2013, during the 35th annual Chicago Jazz Festival, did the event get a home worthy of the musicians and their audiences: the stage of the Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

Why did Boone do it?

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"It was in the back of my mind from day one," she told me that year.

"The footprint of the event is actually better suited for the intimacy that Millennium Park is going to bring," added Boone.

"The trellis of the Pritzker Pavilion was built for the intricacies of the sounds of jazz."

I bring up this history to point out that though Boone improved the festival, there's a lot more yet to fix, and you're going to face the usual headwinds in trying change anything. Yes, such resistance seems odd for a music as dynamic and ever-evolving as jazz, but there you have it.

You're now in a position to take on the difficult task of improving a festival dependent on funds from a city that's broke, a festival that long has been outshone by counterparts in Montreal, San Francisco, Detroit and elsewhere. These competitors came into existence after Chicago's festival but grew steadily in budget and ambition, while Chicago's event has shrunk since its heyday as a seven-day extravaganza.

Then, again, the bigger, better jazz fests aren't run by city government.

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But this is the structure we now have, and the festival can be improved from the Commissioner's office. The event needs to grow creatively and physically.

Here are some suggestions:

Kill the screen. The oversized LED screen at the back of the Pritzker stage that projects images of the musicians as they play has been disastrous for those sitting in the permanent seating area. Artists are dwarfed and overshadowed by gargantuan, brilliantly backlit images of themselves. The camera operators' inability to follow the musical action  a virtual impossibility anyway in a music as freely improvised and fast-moving as jazz  leads to unintentionally comical results, the spotlight often missing the musicians who are playing solos and focusing on those who aren't.

Concertgoers on the lawn, however, understandably appreciate the screen, which brings them closer to the action.

One possible solution: As was done in Grant Park, get a portable screen (or two) and place it somewhere behind the permanent seating, so the lawn listeners can watch the flickering images while the seated listeners can perceive what's happening action onstage without garish, overbearing visual distraction.

Fix the side stages. For all the acoustical improvement of the Pritzker Pavilion over Grant Park's Petrillo Music Shell, the sound remains atrocious on all three Millennium Park side stages. In the tents grandiosely titled the Jazz Heritage Pavilion and the Von Freeman Pavilion, the cement floors make for harsh, over-reverberant, often incomprehensible sound. Can't mats or some kind of protective covering be placed on the ground to help absorb all that noise? The Chicago Community Trust Young Jazz Lions Stage, on the Harris Theater Rooftop, similarly yields an avalanche of decibels that regularly destroys the music.

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Expand the footprint. The best jazz festivals offer an array of free and ticketed events at multiple venues, rather than confining listeners to a one-size-fits-all model. Granted, everyone appreciates the free performances at the Cultural Center and Millennium Park, which bring the music to listeners who might otherwise not have a chance to hear it.

But why not have additional, ticketed events that make Chicago's clubs and concert halls an integral part of the festivities and, significantly, bring in desperately needed revenue? The Montreal International Jazz Festival has made a high art of this, presenting free performances outdoors and concerts in clubs, concert halls, churches and what-not.

Why not expand the Chicago Jazz Festival to include events at the Museum of Contemporary and Symphony Center, Andy's Jazz Club and the Jazz Showcase? Why not curate a concurrent jazz-films series at the Siskel Film Center? Why not add significant new dimensions to an antiquated festival format invented in the 1970s?

True, in recent years the fest has made baby steps this direction, with free performances in the days leading up to the event at PianoForte Studios, on South Michigan Avenue, and a few sets at the Chicago Cultural Center on Thursday afternoon. That's not nearly enough, considering all the venues available within walking distance of Millennium Park.

Calm the emcees. Each year festivalgoers at the Pritzker are subjected to emcees reading scripts or improvising discourses on the music. Why turn a jazz festival into a lecture series? Tell the announcers to cut the conversation and simply introduce the bands  the music speaks quite eloquently for itself without the blather.

Think big. Whether you embrace all, some or none of these suggestions, don't let the city's well-known budget constraints continue the think-small attitude that has defined this festival for decades. New venues, fresh approaches and unexpected offerings would make an often pleasant fest far more appealing  and bring it up to 21st century standards.

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Good luck.

Sincerely, Howard Reich

hreich@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @howardreich

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Stop me if you've heard this one before: a parent has died and the estranged offspring gather to rehash the past, complete with recriminations, secrets and lots of booze.

No, it's not "August: Osage County," though the women in Colette Freedman's "Sister Cities" could probably take honorable mention behind Tracy Letts' Westons in the Familial Guilt and Resentment Sweepstakes. In both plays, the apparent suicide of a parent  in Freedman's story, a mother  sets off the emotional fireworks.

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In fairness, a play where surviving siblings gather together to buck each other up with warm memories and unstinting mutual devotion would be pretty dull stuff. But Freedman's play (which has been well received elsewhere and has been turned into a film), too often feels forced and contrived. Director Ashley Neal's staging of the local premiere for Chimera Ensemble doesn't find a way to overcome all of the self-conscious moments.

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It does, however, offer some nice juicy moments for the cast, and it passes the Bechdel Test with flying colors. (Named for cartoonist Alison Bechdel, the test requires that women in a work of fiction talk to each other about something other than a man.) Though mother Mary's grown-up girls are the products of four different marriages, none of them seems as interested in men as Mom apparently was. Instead, they struggle to make their sisters hear and see them as they truly are.

The title comes from the fact that Mom named each daughter for the city in which she was born. Well, eldest sister Carolina (Katlynn Yost) was named for a state  or two, really  which may explain why she's reverted to the simpler "Carol" in her high-powered career as an attorney. (Does any woman lawyer on film or stage ever have a low-powered career? We're told Carolina made senior partner at 26, which rather strains credulity.) The other sisters, in birth order, are Austin (Nicole Fabbri), the one-time successful novelist; Dallas (Anna Donnell), the schoolteacher and devoted wife; and Baltimore (Norma Chacon), the free-spirited sociology grad student from Harvard.

So Freedman diligently checks all the boxes for diverging life choices with her characters, setting us up for some rather predictable back-and-forth about roads not taken. Oddly  though perhaps refreshingly  the fathers of the women are mentioned only in passing, and then mostly as markers of what genetic predispositions (alcoholism to Alzheimer's) will be passed along.

What helps "Sister Cities" get past Freedman's schematic categorizations is her well-honed mordant wit. This comes through most clearly in Fabbri's Austin, who has been living with Mom and nursing her through the ALS that drove her to suicide. In a rather moving flashback, Rainee Denham's Mary pointedly explains  first to Austin, and then directly to the audience  what it's like to be trapped with full consciousness inside a body (in her case, a dancer's body) that no longer obeys the desires of her mind.

Fabbri has probably the most developed character and she makes the most of it, though each of the actors finds at least one moment that shines. An analogy about the sisters as Russian stacking dolls feels a little too on-the-nose, but Chacon's Baltimore, embodying the defiant but bruised and somewhat-lost youngest child, makes it work. Donnell's Dallas, the least-developed of the characters, still manages to suggest some murky depths beneath the polished suburban-wife exterior.

Primarily, what's lacking in the production and the script is a sense of heightened risk and real consequences, which, given what we learn about Mary's death, is puzzling. Yost's brittle Carolina finds some surprising  and not entirely convincing  reserves of forgiveness late in the play, which feels a bit too much like a tidy-bow ending.

So "Sister Cities" doesn't quite connect the road map between these women. But there are points along the journey that may well resonate for those who have felt like strangers in the homeland of their own families.

Kerry Reid is a freelance critic.

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ctc-arts@chicagotribune.com

REVIEW: "Sister Cities" by Chimera Ensemble (2.5 stars)

When: Through Sept. 18

Where: Den Theatre, 1333 N. Milwaukee Ave.

Running time: 90 minutes

Tickets: $26 at chimeraensemble.com

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Watch the latest movie trailers.

Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
Prostate cancer patients on hormone therapy may be at increased risk of developing depression, a large study suggests. (Thomas Barwick / Getty Images)

Older men who receive testosterone-suppressing therapy for prostate cancer may be at increased risk of developing depression, a large study suggests.

The findings are based on over 78,000 U.S. men treated for earlier-stage prostate cancer, and they were published online earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.

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Researchers found that, among those given hormone-suppressing therapy, 7 percent developed clinical depression in the next few years. That compared with 5 percent of men who did not have the treatment.

The findings do not prove that hormone therapy is to blame. But they do offer "pretty strong evidence" that might be the case, said senior researcher Dr. Paul Nguyen. He is director of prostate brachytherapy at Brigham and Women's Hospital, in Boston.

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Nguyen said his team accounted for some other factors that could affect depression risk  including the severity of a man's cancer, his age and education. And there was still a connection between hormone therapy and depression.

Plus, Nguyen said, the longer the men were on hormone therapy, the higher the risk of depression.

Of men who were treated for six months or less, 6 percent developed depression within three years of their cancer diagnosis. That rose to 8 percent among men who were on hormone therapy for at least a year, the investigators found.

Dr. Mayer Fishman is a medical oncologist at Moffitt Cancer Center, in Tampa, who has studied the side effects of hormone therapy for prostate cancer. He and his colleagues have found a similar link between the therapy and depression symptoms.

"What I like about this study is that it's large, and it puts a number on the risk," said Fishman, who was not involved in the research.

So while it tells men and their doctors that hormone therapy may contribute to depression, Fishman said, "it also puts the risk in context."

Why would hormone therapy raise a man's likelihood of depression? Nguyen pointed to a few possible reasons.

"It could be a direct effect of reduced testosterone levels on mood," he said. "But there could also be indirect effects."

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Some of the physical effects of testosterone suppression  from sexual dysfunction to hot flashes to weight gain  may hinder a man's quality of life, Nguyen explained.

Hormone therapy is an option for treating some prostate tumors because testosterone can feed the cancer's growth. At one time, hormone therapy was an automatic choice, according to Nguyen. But that has changed.

"More and more, we've been recognizing that it has harms," Nguyen said. And for many men with earlier-stage prostate cancer, he added, those side effects could outweigh any benefit.

Unlike many other cancers, prostate cancer is often slow-growing and may never progress to the point that it's life-threatening. In fact, men are often diagnosed with "low-risk" prostate cancer  meaning it's unlikely to spread  and they can opt to delay getting treatment at all, according to the U.S. National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Instead, those men can choose "active surveillance," which means they have the cancer regularly monitored to see if it's progressing. Hormone therapy is not a good choice for men with low-risk cancer, Nguyen said.

When men do opt for treatment, surgery and radiation therapy are the main approaches. For those with high-risk prostate cancer, Nguyen said, there is evidence that adding hormone therapy can improve their survival odds.

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"High risk" means that the cancer could grow and spread within a few years, according to the NCI. To judge a prostate tumor's risk level, doctors use different measurements  such as the amount of prostate-specific antigen in a man's blood, and how abnormal (and aggressive) his tumor sample looks under the microscope.

Things get trickier, Nguyen said, when a man has "intermediate-risk" prostate cancer. In those cases, the benefits of hormone therapy are less clear and would have to be weighed against the risks.

"Our study suggests that psychiatric side effects should be one of the considerations," Nguyen said.

The findings are based on Medicare records for over 78,000 U.S. men treated for prostate cancer between 1992 and 2006. Overall, 43 percent underwent hormone therapy.

Once other factors were taken into account, hormone therapy was tied to a 23 percent increase in the risk of depression, the investigators found.

While all of the study patients were older, both Nguyen and Fishman said the depression likely applies to younger men too.

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Still, Fishman said that the risk should be kept in perspective. "Seven percent of men on hormone therapy became depressed," he said. "Put another way, 93 percent did not."

Plus, Fishman added, depression is treatable if it's detected.

"If we understand that depression is a risk, we can talk about it with patients, and they can anticipate it," he said.

"Men, especially older men, are pretty good at not showing their feelings," Fishman added. "So this is a wake-up call for them to speak up. They don't have to suffer in silence."

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There will be no puff of white smoke emanating from the roof of the Daley Center to let the public know it's all over.

But at some point in the afternoon of Sept. 15, up to 241 Cook County Circuit Court judges will shuffle out from a locked 17th-floor courtroom to hail their new boss  at least, if everything goes as planned..

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The secret ballot of judges to elect the head of one of the nation's largest court systems may not be as ancient a rite as the selection of a pope, but it's a process that's almost as arcane, according to a memo of voting procedures recently issued by the judge running the election, Raymond Jagielski.

Two challengers, Judges Tom Allen and Sandra Ramos, and long-serving incumbent Timothy Evans have been quietly but feverishly campaigning behind closed doors to win the support of their fellow judges.

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But if you thought that professional courtesy and old-fashioned notions of honor applied to the meeting of learned jurists, you'd be mistaken. Voter fraud appears to be a concern.

According to the rules circulated by Jagielski, judges won't be admitted to the courtroom without official identification  an appropriate safeguard, perhaps, given that a lawyer was earlier this month able to don a judge's robe and hear traffic cases at Markham courthouse despite not being a judge.

The contenders will each be allowed to speak for three minutes about why they should be elected, as will a fellow judge who nominates them. Judges seconding the nominations will be able to speak for two minutes, and each candidate will be permitted an observer who can dispute ballots. Only one assigned teller will be allowed to retrieve ballots from the ballot box, which will be sealed immediately after the election. And the judges have five hours to agree on a majority winner, or they'll have to reconvene to do the whole thing again.

While the campaign has been conducted with more decorum than, say, the presidential election, and the contenders have chosen their words carefully in letters circulated to support their candidacies, the race has been heating up.

Allen has called on Evans to explain the fake judge incident in Markham in greater detail, saying it represents one more example of Evans' failure as the leader of the county's courts.

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Ramos hinted at shenanigans in the appointment of associate judges, asking, "Why can't we have independent observers at the vote counts?"

And both Allen and Ramos have suggested that Evans has failed to communicate with his fellow judges, a message also delivered forcefully in a retirement letter circulated last month by Judge Sheryl Pethers, who wrote that Evans had repeatedly failed to respond to her requests for a meeting because she was a "nobody who nobody sent."

The criticisms prompted Evans, who has been challenged only once since he became the county's first African-American chief judge in 2001, to issue a magisterial memo noting, "I have learned that some judges have indicated that they are sometimes unable to reach me."

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Evans wrote that he appreciated having the issue brought to his attention and that he would set aside time on Thursdays to meet with judges.

Consider it an acknowledgment of papal fallibility, if you will.

kjanssen@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @kimjnews
The Obama administration issued an order that requires public schools to let transgender students use the bathrooms and locker rooms consistent with their chosen gender identity. (Mark Wilson / Getty Images)

For me as a liberal, this presidential election campaign has been one, long nightmare. I have visions of a President Donald Trump ripping up the U.S. Constitution, instituting a religious test for prospective immigrants and tinkering with the libel laws, enabling him to sue unfriendly reporters.

I like to think of myself as a relatively honest man. So I have to add that, unless Trump wins the November election, his end run around the Constitution is more rhetorical than real. But the present occupant of the White House has sometimes played fast and loose with the rule of law, thinking himself on the side of the angels.

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I am indebted to a Texas judge for prying that realization out of my unconscious  the deep recesses of the mind where, according to Sigmund Freud, we hide unpalatable facts from ourselves.

Last week, U.S. District Judge Reed O'Connor enjoined the Obama administration from requiring public schools to allow some transgender students to use the women's room, although they are biologically male. Other transgender students would have been allowed to use the men's room, though they are biologically female, under the administration's now-suspended mandate.

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Texas and 22 other states had sued, arguing that the regulation ran roughshod over mores dating to time immemorial. Adam and Eve, the Bible says, "knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings."

President Barack Obama explained the bathroom mandate as an extension of civil rights to sexual minorities. His attorney general, Loretta Lynch, told a transgender group: "History is on your side."

That may well be. A court could find that the mandate is perfectly kosher. Even so, Judge O'Connor's order shows that the Obama administration took a shortcut to the future  one that is deeply troubling.

The administration based its transgender mandate on a piece of congressional legislation known as Title IX. It prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex by educational institutions receiving federal funding. When it was enacted in 1972, "sex" and "gender" were synonyms. Since then, "gender" has taken on a secondary meaning of an individual's perception of being male or female.

In defending its bathroom mandate, the administration argues that what Title IX called "sex" also encompasses what is now known as "gender." So new legislation wasn't needed to give transgender students a choice of toilet facilities, locker rooms and showers. They were just "interpreting" Title IX, the feds say.

Government agencies regularly issue interpretations of congressional legislation. There is an established process for doing so, as Judge O'Connor noted. A potential interpretation has to be published, and the public given an opportunity to express its opinion. To be sure, that isn't necessary for a trifling change of a word or two.

But it's a world-class long jump from "sex" in Title IX  meaning women and men have equal rights  to "gender" in Obama's mandate  meaning transgender people have unprecedented bathroom privileges. To my way of thinking, that can't be done by presidential fiat. Only Congress can do it.

Yet the administration didn't preadvertise its bathroom mandate. Obama didn't ask Congress to update Title IX to include gender provisions. Yet there was precedent for doing so. Title IX of 1972 was itself a congressional update on the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Convinced he knew what was the right thing to do, Obama authorized the Justice Department and the Department of Education to send a memo to the nation's schools, on May 13 of this year. Basically it said: "This is now the law. Do it or else!"

The memo noted: "Schools receiving federal money may not discriminate based on a student's sex, including a student's transgender status."

In a previous dispute over immigration policy, Obama explained why he felt entitled to unilaterally change the rules. Frustrated by Congress' failure to act, in 2014, he announced new criteria for deciding which of the 11 million immigrants in this country illegally get to stay, and which get deported. It is currently suspended pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

Even before that, the president anticipated criticism, saying: "To those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: Pass a bill."

Yet bypassing the rules in order to do a good deed presents us with a classic slippery-slope problem. If one president is given a pass, how can another be denied the privilege?

Suppose Trump is elected president. Suppose he, too, issues executive orders putting into effect some of his campaign promises. Like subjecting prospective immigrants to "extreme vetting." Or keeping all Muslims  American citizens included  from entering the U.S. "until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on."

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Also suppose that liberals, myself included, haven't called Obama out for bending the rules. How, then, can we protest President Trump's transgressions with a straight face?

rgrossman@chicagotribune.com
Republicans running for election this year have watched the wheels coming off the Trump Train with increasing alarm. How can Republican candidates in down-ballot races survive such a calamitous nominee at the top of their ticket?

To win, Republican candidates need the votes of Trump Republicans and Never Trump Republicans, as well as independents who find Donald Trump either refreshing or abhorrent. Fortunately, they have a model in Southern Democratic candidates who for years ran successful campaigns in presidential years while distancing themselves from the top of the ticket.

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The opening was provided for Republicans by the Trump Convention, which bore little resemblance to a Republican convention. When both living former Republican presidents, the two most recent Republican presidential nominees, the popular host-state Republican governor and most of the other 2016 Republican presidential candidates all refused to show up or be seen with Trump, it could hardly be classified as a Republican event. Even President Barack Obama, who has an incentive to link Republican candidates to Trump, said the convention "wasn't particularly Republican  and it sure wasn't conservative."

Since then, the Trump brand has become increasingly distinct from the Republican brand. Moreover, voters are making that distinction. Post-convention polling often shows Republican Senate and congressional candidates running double digits ahead of Trump.

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One recent survey shows Republican Sen. Marco Rubio running 6 points ahead of Democrat Patrick Murphy in Florida, while Trump trails Hillary Clinton by 5 points there, a net 11-point advantage for Rubio. Comparable net advantages for other Republican candidates in post-convention polls include Sen. Rob Portman's 10 points in Ohio and Sen. Charles Grassley's 14 points in Iowa.

Preserving that level of split-ticket voting, with a substantial number of voters supporting Clinton for president and Republicans down-ballot, is the key to maintaining Republican control of the Senate.

How can Republicans preserve those margins? Localize, localize, localize. Successful Southern Democrats gave no more than lip service to their party's liberal presidential nominees, while using the advantages of incumbency to highlight specific ways their service in Washington benefited their constituents.

In 1972, Democratic nominee George McGovern's support in the 11 states of the former Confederacy ranged from a low of 20 percent in Mississippi to a high of 33 percent in Texas. Yet in the same year five Democratic candidates won election to the Senate with remarkable majorities: 54 percent for Sam Nunn in Georgia, 55 percent for J. Bennett Johnston in Louisiana, 58 percent for James Eastland in Mississippi, 61 percent for John McClellan in Arkansas and 62 percent for John Sparkman in Alabama.

In 1984, Democratic nominee Walter Mondale's Southern support ranged from a low of 35 percent in Florida to a high of 42 percent in Tennessee. Yet Mondale's weakness in the South did not prevent David Pryor from winning in Arkansas with 57 percent or Howell Heflin winning 63 percent in Alabama or Nunn winning 80 percent in Georgia or Johnston winning Louisiana with 86 percent.

Democratic candidates employed a mix of strategies to avoid being dragged down by the top of the ticket. In 1972, Eastland and Johnston refused to endorse McGovern, and in return President Nixon showered attention on the Democrats and did little to help their Republican opponents.

Nunn took a different tack in 1972 when his Republican opponent covered Georgia with posters linking him to McGovern. Nunn flew to Montgomery, Alabama, to receive the endorsement of then-presidential candidate George Wallace, saying "George Wallace represents the real views of Georgians." Nunn later said, "I frankly admired Wallace, not because of his racial views, but because of his willingness to stand up and shake a fist at Washington occasionally. There's something therapeutic about that in the South."

Other Democrats stood by their party's nominee, albeit without mentioning his name. In 1984, Heflin said he was "a yellow dog Democrat" who was going to support "the entire Democratic ticket." But he prefaced that comment by saying that he had spent his first term "doing everything I can to bring jobs back to Alabama," specifically mentioning his support for a new Oliver Lock and Dam and the Tennessee-Tombigbee Waterway.

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This fall will likely bring Democratic ads using morphing and Photoshop techniques that have become ubiquitous with modern software, such as those that linked Republican candidates to George W. Bush in 2006 as his popularity ebbed. Numerous debates will feature Democrats pressing their Republican opponents on whether they support Trump, and whether they agree or disagree with some inflammatory Trump utterance. Republicans can respond with a version of one of the approaches Southern Democrats have used in the past, depending on the character of their particular state or district: refusing to endorse the nominee, especially in states or districts where Trump has minimal support; allying themselves with a third-party candidate; or standing by "the entire ticket" and then talking about their own accomplishments.

Historical analogies are never perfect, and incumbents of the past had tools then that are largely unavailable today, primarily seniority and the ability to "bring home the bacon," which Southern Democrats raised to high art. But their success in the wake of a drubbing for their party at the top of the ticket demonstrates the possibility of down-ballot candidates not only surviving but also thriving in turbulent political waters.

Washington Post

Whit Ayres is president of North Star Opinion Research, a GOP polling firm in Alexandria, Virginia, and the author of "2016 and Beyond: How Republicans Can Elect a President in the New America." He was the pollster for Marco Rubio's presidential campaign.
No one won the guerrilla war in Colombia. The conflict dragged on for decades, killing 220,000 people and destroying many more lives. That's Colombia's tragedy. Now there is hope, and a lesson: how two sides, accepting that neither would prevail in battle, can find peace by talking.

The deal to end hostilities between Colombia's government and the rebels of FARC is such a marvel of compromise and trust between bitter foes that bells should ring around the world, especially in those places where civil war rages: Yes, it's possible to resolve an entrenched, stalemated conflict through negotiation. In the Middle East as well? Well, someday there, too, we hope.

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The Colombia settlement isn't unprecedented, which is part of its allure. There are similar cases, creating an instruction manual of sorts for potential success ending war. The Northern Ireland peace process worked, and holds. South Africa came together after apartheid.

In each of those cases, the end to fighting included a promise to heal wounds through a truth and reconciliation process, in which the participants acknowledge their roles in violence and other wrongdoing, providing victims with closure. Truth commissions set the record straight for the sake of history at the cost of pursuing legal charges against individuals. They worked in South Africa but didn't get off the ground in Northern Ireland.

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A version of that process is a key component to Colombia's peace plan. Should the rebels and soldiers and others sit before their country to confess their crimes, it will be an extraordinarily emotional moment for Colombia. This was a bloody conflict dating to 1963 that involved killings, kidnappings, torture, extortion and other traumas. FARC, a leftist insurgency officially known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, sought to overthrow the government. Right wing paramilitaries, FARC drug trafficking and assassinations were big parts of the mix.

Representatives of FARC and the government met over the course of four years in Havana to try to find peace. The deal they came away with required ego-crushing sacrifices by both sides. FARC relinquished its aim to displace the political and economic system of Colombia. The government was forced to recognize that it could not vanquish FARC or even imprison its leaders.

Their agreement, announced Aug. 24, calls for FARC members to disarm. Guerrillas and government forces will appear before a tribunal, and if they hold back nothing in their testimony will avoid jail time, agreeing to an alternate form of restricted liberty such as community service. FARC members will get compensation and the group will morph into a political party with guaranteed participation in the legislature for several years. The government promises to invest more in rural areas.

This peace deal is controversial. The current president sees "a new stage in history" for Colombia. A former president says the terrorists are getting away with war crimes. That disagreement matters because the deal must be approved in a referendum Oct. 2. If voters approve and the accord sticks, Colombia will get a better future. If it fails, war may reignite.

So much work went into this agreement, and so much is at stake, that optimism seems warranted. Mostly for Colombia's sake, but a little for the rest of the world. Maybe even the Middle East.

Join the discussion on Twitter @Trib_Ed_Board and on Facebook.
Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event in Reno, Nevada on August 25, 2016. Clinton remarked that her opponent, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, runs a campaign based on prejudice and paranoia. (Josh Edelson / AFP/Getty Images)

Hillary Clinton  Hillary Clinton, of all people!  has done the Republican Party a huge favor.

She has thrown the GOP a lifeline, given conservatives their last, best chance to save themselves from the ruinous blathering of Donald Trump.

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It's like the Grinch sitting down to carve the roast beast for the Whos down in Whoville. Who would've thunk it?

Clinton reached a hand out Thursday by calmly delivering a speech in Nevada that called out Trump's litany of bigoted comments, his casual wink-and-a-nod relationships with racists and hate-mongers, his embrace of the bile-spewing internet trolls of the alt-right.

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She left nothing to chance, citing specific examples, naming names, recounting stories from the alt-right website Breitbart, whose head man, Stephen Bannon, is now Trump's campaign CEO.

Clinton said of Bannon:

"To give you a flavor of his work, here are a few headlines they've published:

'Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy.'

'Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?'

'Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movement's Human Shield'

'Hoist It High And Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage.' "

Clinton was not being hyperbolic in her speech. Her words were grounded in facts, like those headlines. It wasn't so much an attack as it was a demolition.

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And it was exactly the kind of speech a Republican should have given during the primary, one that might have kept Trump from ever getting this far. Alas, the other candidates were too cowardly, all of them. Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz never stood up to Trump until it was too late, always fearful of the zealous fringe that supported him, the very same wackos Clinton took to task.

"This is what happens when you treat the National Enquirer like gospel," she said. "It's what happens when you listen to the radio host Alex Jones, who claims that 9/11 and the Oklahoma City bombings were inside jobs. He said the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre were child actors and no one was actually killed there. Trump didn't challenge those lies. He went on Jones' show and said: 'Your reputation is amazing. I will not let you down.' "

That's all true. And it's all just as despicable as it sounds.

The "alt-right" that Clinton talked about in her speech is a perverse collection of racist, misogynist, xenophobic white guys who resent America's diversity and think viciously harassing people online transforms them from pathetically aggrieved man-children into gods. (It doesn't.)

There are two schools of thought when it comes to handling internet trolls or radical fringe groups: ignore them or shine a light on them for all to see.

Clinton took that latter path, and said: "This is a moment of reckoning for every Republican dismayed that the Party of Lincoln has become the Party of Trump. It's a moment of reckoning for all of us who love our country and believe that America is better than this."

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She never said, "Vote for me." She simply called out Trump for what he is: a reckless bigot surrounded by equally reckless and equally bigoted wretches.

The Republican Party couldn't police itself well enough to stave off the rise of this reality television clown. Now Clinton  the hated Hillary Clinton, of all people  has given Republicans of good conscience a way out.

She did their dirty work for them. She gave them a reason  many reasons, in fact  to accept that Trump is unacceptable, and a chance to wash the stink of his campaign off before it clings to them forever. Not by voting for her but by recognizing all that comes with voting for him.

Clinton's an unlikely savior for Republicans who care about the future of their party. But if a lifeline comes along when you're drowning, you shouldn't care too much about who's on the other end.

rhuppke@chicagotribune.com
I give up. House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and my state Rep. Ann Williams all win.

I've lived in Illinois nearly all my life and have lived in Chicago since 1988. I'm a proud graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and have mostly been proud to say I'm a citizen of Chicago.

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But the Democratic machine has changed all that. Fiscal mismanagement and runaway spending coupled with an unsustainable pension system and dirty politics have left us with a $100 billion pension deficit and a budget more than $7 billion in the red. Madigan and his goons say that Gov. Bruce Rauner refuses to compromise, even while Rauner has agreed to raise taxes. But Democrats refuse to accept any of his badly needed pension and business reforms. Their solution to all of our problems are ever-increasing taxes on a citizenry finding it more and more difficult to make ends meet. Illinoisans are asked to tighten their belts while the government and public employees get more and more.

So I give up. Effective Aug. 31, I will leave Illinois, my proud home for nearly all of my life, for the fiscally sound state of Indiana. I'm taking my ample income and the taxes it generates with me. I see no solution to the fiscal problems Illinois faces with those currently in power. And so I give up, Illinois.

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Mr. Madigan, Mr. Cullerton, Ms. Williams, I hope you are proud of your achievement. You have driven a life-long contributing resident from the state. Enjoy what you have created and the legacy you are leaving your children and grandchildren. Goodbye.

 David Mansfield, Chicago
The Illinois Supreme Court voted 4-3 along party lines against allowing the political maps referendum on the November ballot, a victory for now for the Democrats. (John J. Kim / Chicago Tribune)

It's a shame but not the end of the world that Illinois residents will not be allowed to vote this November on whether to vastly diminish the role of politics in drawing of their political maps.

On Thursday, a 4-3 majority of the Illinois Supreme Court upheld a lower court ruling that a measure that would take mapmaking powers away from party officials and give it to an independent commission does not fit the state constitution's narrow definition of a permissible citizen initiative.

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A shame because this is just the sort of issue voters ought to be able to decide.

I'm skeptical, in general, of government by referendum and I'm glad Illinois isn't one of those states that turns every major controversy into a plebiscite. But there are a small set of issues, such as how district boundaries are drawn, that present such obvious conflicts of interest for legislators that they belong in the hands of the electorate.

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When in doubt  and the close call and bitterly conflicting opinions at the Supreme Court suggest this one is in doubt  the vote ought to go ahead.

The ruling is not the end of the world because the value of independent mapmaking is basically a moral abstraction. As I've previously noted, political scientists who have studied this issue from every angle have found no connection between the elimination of partisan gerrymandering  the drawing of strangely shaped legislative districts designed to give one party an outsized advantage  and the subsequent emergence of more responsible budgeting, improved business climates, diminished influence of special interests or less polarized, smoother-functioning legislative bodies.

In other words, lawmakers in competitive or swing districts  districts where the parties are closely matched  are no more likely to cast moderate or brave votes than lawmakers in safe districts where their party inevitably wins. And, logically, big money from interest groups plays an outsized role in elections in competitive districts. How much more of that do we want?

Democrats, who currently control the maps, won this round. The general counsel for the state party led the anti-amendment effort and the four Democratic justices on the high court voted in a bloc to remove it from the November ballot. But even though Democrats stand to lose control after 2020  if a Republican is still governor, it will likely come down to the equivalent of a coin flip  I can understand why they didn't want to risk unilateral disarmament.

Republican lawmakers are drawing Republican-friendly maps in red states all over the country, helping the GOP control statehouses and send disproportionate numbers of Republican congressmen to Washington. Why should Democrats in blue-state Illinois throw themselves on the sword of the salutary moral abstraction of independent mapmaking?

If gerrymandering is wrong here, it's wrong everywhere. And in the name of fairness and equal protection, Congress or the U.S. Supreme Court ought to step in and generate federal standards for drawing political boundaries at every level.

Re: Tweets

Record-setting "Jeopardy!" champion Ken Jennings has another honor for his resume: Winner, Chicago Tribune Tweet of the Week. His 2013 joke  "I asked my wife what women really want and she said 'attentive lovers.' Or maybe it was 'a tent of lovers.' I wasn't really listening"  beat out 17 other entries to win top honors in the reader poll that closed Friday . To vote in our polls, visit www.chicagotribune.com/zorn starting every Wednesday.

One of the losing Tweets, from @thepunningman, went as follows:

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Millennial: Check out my podcast, hit subscribe and make sure to tell all your friends.

Genie: These are terrible wishes.

But it reminded me that I have no greater desire in the world than that you check out "The Mincing Rascals," the bipartisan news analysis podcast from WGN-plus on which my conservative colleague Kristen McQueary and I are regular combatants, that you go to iTunes and hit subscribe and that you tell all your friends that it is essential listening.

Twitter @EricZorn
People have long recognized the Aurora Kiwanis Club as one of the biggest and most active service clubs in town.

But they might not have known it was the first Kiwanis Club chartered in Illinois and the 23rd in the entire country. That happened Sept. 9, 1916, which means the club's 100th anniversary is fast approaching.

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To honor that, Mayor Tom Weisner recently declared Sept. 9 as Kiwanis Day, and the City Council passed a resolution honoring the club.

"This superb organization has done so many wonderful things for so many years," Weisner said at a council meeting.

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He can personally attest to the club's contribution to the Aurora Interfaith Food Pantry, where his wife, Marilyn, is the director, he said.

"I picked her up there one night, and they were painting the pantry at 9 o'clock," Weisner said.

The club holds several major fundraisers each year  including Pancake Day and Peanut Day  and contributes to numerous organizations. In celebration of its anniversary, the club donated $100,000 to the new Aurora Public Library to build the children's area.

Weisner pointed out that the club's motto is "Serving the children of the world."

Clyde Shields, outgoing Kiwanis president, thanked the mayor and council for the recognition.

"It really does cap off a wonderful year," he said.

slord@tribpub.com
A new agreement will provide more options to Oswego residents and businesses for high-speed, fiber-optic communications services.

The Village Board recently approved a cable franchise deal with MetroNet, an Evansville, Ind.-based company working to expand its fiber-optic television, phone and internet services.

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"We believe when we expand into a community, there is a need for competition to enter the marketplace," MetroNet spokesperson Kathy Scheller said.

The long-term economic impact aside from "a better price point" for customers is that the 1 gigabit infrastructure will attract companies to the area, she said..

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"This type of infrastructure not only attracts businesses, but now those businesses will look to potentially locate to Oswego," Scheller said.

The new internet services will allow residents to work from home, she said, and physicians will be able to download medical records and respond to hospital emergencies.

The franchise area covers 70 percent of the village. MetroNet has proposed extending service to neighborhoods to the west and south once 15 qualified households register who are within 1,200 feet of existing distribution cable.

"For us to incur additional areas (before customers sign up for services) is not a win-win for us. We will incur the cost when there is interest." she said.

MetroNet anticipates build-out plans will be completed in three years.

Christina Burns, assistant village administrator, said discussions had been ongoing with MetroNet for two years. She said the franchise agreement addresses the construction time frame, levels of service and use of rights of way.

Plainfield granted MetroNet its first Illinois franchise earlier this year. Oswego would be the second, Burns said. MetroNet officials said they are looking to expand into the Bloomington-Normal area and into Ohio, Kentucky and Michigan.

Linda Girardi is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
The severe injuries to a Canada Goose received by the Fox Valley Wildlife Center on Saturday were not caused by a group of kids as initially reported, Batavia police said Friday.

A former intern with the center found the goose and brought it in Saturday morning, claiming the goose had been beaten by a group of children at a booster club event at Batavia High School Friday evening, Fox Valley Wildlife Center officials previously reported.

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But that didn't happen, according to a news release from the wildlife center.

"Upon speaking with the witness, police found that the information she provided to the Fox Valley Wildlife Center was inaccurate and the abuse to the goose by the children never occurred," according to the news release.

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Batavia police began investigating the incident Monday after noticing posts about it on social media, Det. Sgt. Shawn Mazza said. They contacted the wildlife center, where they were told personnel didn't know anything about the incident and referred them to the former intern. The intern told police she saw a group of kids ages 6 to 12 around the goose, but never said she saw anyone in the act of attacking it, Mazza said. Police do not believe anyone lied to them during the investigation, he said.

The department closed the case Thursday.

"It appears this whole thing ran wild as a result of social media," Mazza said.

In its news release, the wildlife center stated that it had published a post on its Facebook page about the goose and tagged the Batavia School District as a means of creating awareness about the situation. They removed the post shortly after "due to inappropriate comments not in line with the center's mission," according to the news release

"The Fox Valley Wildlife Center is saddened to know that it unintentionally reported inaccurate information and offers its sincere apology to the community and school district of Batavia," the statement said.

Laura Kirk, the center's director of animal care, told the Beacon-News about the goose incident in an interview Monday.

"When she brought it to us, it was laying in a box, its neck was kind of bent over, it wasn't able to stand or get up," Kirk said.

The wildlife center doesn't have a veterinarian on staff, so they called Willowbrook Wildlife Center in Glen Ellyn and transferred the goose for further treatment, she said.

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The goose has a localized neck injury, but nothing is obviously broken, and it doesn't have any open wounds or external bleeding, said Sandy Fejt, Willowbrook's education site manager.

It has not been made clear whether the former intern was a current intern when she brought the goose in on Saturday. Wildlife Center staff referred to her as an intern.

Fox Valley Wildlife Center officials could not be immediately reached for comment Friday.

hleone@tribpub.com
East Aurora School District 131's magnet school has been ranked the top elementary school in Kane County by Chicago Magazine.

The Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy, a third- through eighth-grade selective enrollment school, was the only Aurora school to make the list.

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The rankings are part of the magazine's lists of top elementary and high schools in Chicago and the suburbs. In Kane County, the magazine ranked the top 10 elementary schools and the top 5 high schools.

East Aurora officials celebrated the ranking at a staff welcome back event Wednesday, the day before the start of school in the district.

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"We need to tell everybody who will listen about our great students and our staff," School Board President Annette Johnson told staff during the event.

The East Aurora magnet academy earned the designation based on how much the school spends per student, its test scores, its average daily attendance and its rating on the 5Essentials survey of students and parents, designed to reflect the strengths and weaknesses affecting a school's atmosphere. On the 2015 survey, the magnet academy earned among the highest scores in each category out of the 18 responsive district schools, according to a Chicago Tribune breakdown of the results.

Students' PARCC scores, with the percentage of low-income students in the school taken into account, were given the most weight in the rankings, according to the magazine. Then the magazine factored in per-student spending and the 5Essentials survey, followed by average daily attendance.

The magazine also noted that a grant from the Dunham Fund philanthropic organization allows every students access to a new laptop, which they can use in class and at home.

The Fred Rodgers Magnet Academy, which last year had about 430 students during the 2014-2015 school year according to state data, serves East Aurora students interested in science, technology, engineering and math. Students apply to the school, and are selected based on an essay, their test scores, grades and teacher recommendations.

The other top-ranked elementary schools in Kane County were in St. Charles, Batavia, South Elgin and Streamwood, which is covered by Kane County's District U46. The top-5 high schools in the county, according to Chicago Magazine, were in Geneva, St. Charles, Batavia and a part of Algonquin covered by District 300, which serves Kane County.

A complete list of the rankings in Kane and the surrounding counties and Chicago is available at

sfreishtat@tribpub.com

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Twitter @srfreish
The Chicago-based planning firm hired by Yorkville to guide development of an updated comprehensive plan suggested the city needs a more solid sense of itself and that the annexation of several nearby unincorporated neighborhoods would be a good first step.

"One thing we heard quite a lot from community residents is that even though they live in the subdivision, they don't necessarily associate themselves living in Yorkville," Nick Kalogeresis, vice president of The Lakota Group, told the City Council. "What we wanted to try and do was try to have some (place making) that would allow people to understand and feel that they belong in Yorkville.

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"There are subdivisions that are less than 60 acres. I bring that up (and) we highlight that in the plan because as a city you can annex those areas. Other subdivisions that are being developed in the county are within your extraterritorial jurisdiction."

Downtown revitalization, roadway improvement and the overall visual appearance of the community were other issues that arose as the consultants talked to residents. The council was getting an initial briefing on suggestions for the plan, which was last updated in 2008. The review process began two years ago and will culminate with a likely vote in September.

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"We feel that we've garnered very big community support in implementing this plan," Kalogeresis said. His firm emphasized a strategy it calls "place-make Yorkville" throughout the plan, addressing the need for a stronger sense of community, he said.

Annexing the subdivisions on its fringes should be part of the strategy, Kalogeresis said.

Ald. Joel Frieders questioned how the city can annex unincorporated portions of Kendall County.

"When there's 80,000 pockets of people who get city services but don't pay city taxes, is that what you're describing?" he asked. "You're describing the way to actually do it? That's the part that's confusing to me."

Kalogeresis said the answer is not easy but possible by highlighting the advantages of becoming part of Yorkville.

"You have to understand where those areas are at first and then start the discussion with them," he said.

Megann Horstead is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.
A 20-year-old woman whose claim that she had been sexually assaulted by her ex-boyfriend set off a search by eight police departments, police dogs and a Chicago police helicopter has been accused of filing a false police report, authorities said.

Lauren M. Ryan, of York, Pa., was charged with felony disorderly conduct-false report, authorities said. She was released on a $10,000 signature bond from Cook County Circuit Court in Rolling Meadows following a hearing Thursday.

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Assistant State's Attorney Alyssa Grissom said Ryan called Schaumburg police Tuesday from the 1300 block of East Algonquin Road after her boyfriend broke up with her. Ryan allegedly told police that he had battered and sexually assaulted her, Grissom said.

Ryan was taken to Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights where she submitted to a sexual assault examination, Grissom said. She was released and placed in a hotel overnight, Grissom said.

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Police located the ex-boyfriend in a nearby restaurant on Algonquin Road but he fled, sparking the manhunt, Grissom said. He was taken into custody a short time later Thursday, she said.

Ryan gave differing versions of her story and eventually admitted she made the report to get back at her ex-boyfriend for breaking up with her, Grissom said.

Ryan has a previous conviction in Pennsylvania for making a false report, Grissom said.

The ex-boyfriend was cited for trespassing on private property in the 2500 block of Brush Road in Schaumburg, officials said.

George Houde is a freelance reporter.
This is a detail photo of a small brown bat held by an animal control officer at the Lake County Animal Control office in Mundelein in 2009. So far this year, 44 bats have tested positive for rabies in Illinois, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. (Tribune file photo / Chicago Tribune)

Despite their pop culture dark side and recent headlines linking them to rabies, bats are helpful creatures.

In fact, the next time a mosquito buzzes in your ear, you might thank a bat for having such a voracious appetite for those pesky buggers.

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Still, rabies being the deadly virus that it is, and bats being its primary carrier in this country, each year thousands of bats that are confiscated in homes or other places "out of their natural element," are tested for rabies. And, this year, like every year, a number of those scooped up bats have tested positive  six so far in Will County; 17 in Cook; and 44 statewide, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Recently, a bat that was found inside Palos Hospital tested positive for rabies. Another that was found in the Crete Public Library this summer also tested positive. Just to prove that bats do not discriminate, it should be noted that bats found to be positive for rabies have been found in homes in far out suburbs as well as city apartments. Among the locations this year: Flossmoor, Morgan Park, Braidwood, Joliet and Beverly.

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Though most human-bat encounters do not involve actual contact, in July a woman in Crete was bitten by a rabid bat.

That's reason enough to take a few minutes to learn more about these flying creatures and about the rare but deadly rabies virus.

There are more than 1,000 species of bats in the world. The kind flying around these parts is predominantly the little brown bat, which typically grows to be about 4 inches. They are a vital part of the ecosystem, animal experts say.

Though most bats do not have rabies, whenever the creatures are confiscated inside homes or other buildings or they are found walking or flitting about on the ground during the day, seemingly unafraid of people, they are grabbed and tested for rabies.

Melaney Arnold, spokesperson for the IDPH, said, "This appears to be a pretty typical year for rabid bat numbers."

The IDPH tests bats for rabies if a person has been exposed  for example, if someone is bitten or if they wake up in a room with a bat, she said.

Though human-bat encounters are rare, there is ongoing concern about it because bats can and do carry rabies.

It is estimated that up to 5 percent of the bat population carries the virus, said Dr. Stephen Sokalski, infectious disease doctor at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn.

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Sokalski said he believes the bat population has remained steady, maybe even decreasing a bit because of a nasal virus among the animals.

Still, he said: "Bats are very possibly the most common animal to have rabies. Occasionally you'll get a dog, raccoon or skunk, but mostly it's bats."

Bats spread rabies from one generation to another, Sokalski said. They don't pick it up outside, they transfer it among themselves.

Dr. Stephen Sokalski, infectious disease doctor at Advocate Christ Medical Center, says "Bats re possibly the most common animal to have rabies." (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune) (ZBIGNIEW BZDAK / CHICAGO TRIBUNE)

The virus can be transmitted to other animals, humans included, through a bite, he said.

"There were some rare cases where people were hiking in caves and thought they may have inhaled the virus that way," Sokalski said. "But most of the time it's in the saliva of the bat or skunk or raccoon or dog. That's how it's transmitted to humans."

Not out to get you

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Mindy Pomykala, animal placement coordinator with Will County Animal Control, said: "All bats around here are insect eaters. They are very good for the environment when they're outside minding their own business, flying around dusk to dawn eating mosquitoes and other insects."

Also, Pomykala said, "Keep in mind, brown bats are not aggressive."

But they are small enough to squeeze into an opening the size of a quarter.

"They're almost mouse size," she said.

"Once in awhile they'll end up in houses. They can be drawn to outside lights at night," she said. They follow the bugs.

The best way to protect yourself is to protect your pets, she said. If a rabid bat bites an unvaccinated dog, that dog can get rabies.

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"We actually had that scenario a year or two ago. A puppy that was too young to get the rabies vaccine came in contact with a rabid bat and (the puppy) had to be euthanized," she said.

"It's very important to keep pets vaccinated. People with cats sometimes say, 'My cat never leaves the house.' Well, bats get in the house," she said.

Besides, it's state law that they be vaccinated, she added.

Protect yourself

Donna Alexander, administrator of the Cook County Animal and Rabies Control department, said that rabies is probably one of the oldest known viruses. Dr. Jonas Salk was the one who came up with all the information on it, she said.

"Unfortunately, because it does exist in wildlife it is not a virus we can eradicate, like polio. So you have to be ever vigilant," she said.

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Although any warm-blooded mammal, including skunks and foxes, can get rabies, bats are the most prominent reservoir in wildlife, Alexander said.

This area typically sees a surge in the bat population during the summer because that's when there is a surge in the mosquito population.

"I don't think there is cause for concern," she said. "However, the concern should be for pet owners to make sure dogs, cats and ferrets are vaccinated."

While the East Coast has had a surge in raccoon rabies in recent years, Alexander said she was concerned earlier this year about the possibility of a spike in skunk rabies because of an increase in Missouri.

"I went on the news (then) to remind people to vaccinate animals and keep them on leashes so they can't run into those wild animals. Because if skunk rabies comes here it can infect dogs and cats allowed to wander," she said.

Skunk rabies is a different variant of the virus from fox or raccoon rabies, she said. All variants are equally dangerous and can be fatal.

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Rare but scary

Sokalski has never seen a case of rabies in all his years as a doctor, but he has worked in labs that test for it.

After he received his undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois, he landed a summer job with the State of Illinois' Division of Labs.

"My job was to do rabies testing. That was in 1965. In those days, people would send in animals and I would have to go down to the basement lab and open their skulls and take out the piece of the brain that we were testing for rabies, and make slides out of it and then read the slides in the afternoon," he said.

"But I have not seen an actual case of rabies," he said.

That's how rare it is.

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Still, because it's out there, Sokalski walked through a hypothetical scenario.

"Say you've got a bite on your hand. The virus begins to multiply in the area of the bite. Then over a number of days it can get into the nerves of the area. Then it travels along those nerves up to the brain. By the time it gets to the brain, the vaccine is not going to work and the outlook is pretty dismal," he said.

How quickly that can occur depends on how far the bite is from the central nervous system.

"If it's in the foot, it may take a number of weeks or a month to work its way up," Sokalski said. "But if it's on the neck or face, you may not have very much time at all."

The patient, he said, would look like an encephalitis patient.

A particular symptom that is unique to late-stage rabies is a phobia of drinking water, he said.

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"They will try to drink and be unable to swallow it and go into a spasm of the throat. Eventually, you can't even show them a glass of water without them having these same symptoms. Chances of survival are very low in that setting," he said.

Take precautions

Rabies in the United States has changed dramatically over the past half century, according to the Centers for Disease Control's website. Almost all, or more than 90 percent, of animal cases reported annually to the CDC now occur in wildlife; before 1960 the majority were in domestic animals.

Today, the CDC states, the principal rabies hosts are wild carnivores and bats.

The number of rabies-related human deaths in the United States declined from more than 100 per year at the turn of the 20th century to one or two per year by the 1990s, the CDC states.

The virus is transmitted through saliva and brain or nervous system tissue and become noninfectious when it dries out and is exposed to sunlight, the site states.

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Sokalski said if you've had direct contact with a bat, have been bitten or have cuts on your hands, or if you find a bat in your room and aren't sure if you've had contact, you should notify the IDPH or animal control.

"It is so very important if you think you may have potentially been exposed to have the appropriate interview based on the IDPH guidelines for rabies vaccine and that the appropriate decision be made early rather than think about it for a few days," he said.

Typical treatment for rabies includes washing the wounds with soap and water and then injecting immune globulin with high titers of antibodies against rabies into the bite area, Sokalski said.

The vaccine is typically given on the first day, and days 3, 7 and 14, he said.

Veterinarians, animal control workers and anyone who works directly with bats or other animals that can carry rabies typically get the vaccine as a precautionary measure. Everyone else should vaccinate their pets and secure their homes, particularly around chimneys, shingles, soffits and screens, experts say.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

IDPH's Arnold said: "Every year we are concerned about bat exposures to people and pets. If a bat is found in a home, people should call the local health department and animal control before releasing it out the window or door, and don't try to pick it up with their bare hands."

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If you find a bat on the floor, cover it with a bucket or box and then call for assistance.

The IDPH's Springfield office is at 217-782-4977; its Chicago office is at 312-814-2793. For more information about keeping bats out of your home, go to www.dph.illinois.gov/topics-services/environmental-health-protection/structural-pest-control/bats-exclusion.

Also, be mindful that both Cook and Will County offer rabies vaccine clinics. Cook County offers low-cost vaccination through Oct. 5. Locations include Palos Heights, Chicago Heights and Merrionette Park. For more information, call 708-974-6140 or go to www.cookcountyil.gov/service/low-cost-rabies-clinic.

For more information on Will County's rabies clinics, call 815-462-5633 or go to www.willcountyillinois.com/County-Offices/Public-Health-and-Safety/Animal-Control/Rabies-Vaccinations-and-Registration.

dvickroy@tribpub.com

Twitter @dvickroy
Advocate Christ Medical Center now offers a more comfortable experience with their new MRI Caring Suites, which allow patients to watch movies, listen to music or view family photos during the procedure. Thursday, August 25th, 2016, at Advocate Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn. | Gary Middendorf-Chicago Tribune Media Group (Gary Middendorf / Daily Southtown)

Look, we all have phobias. We all have limitations. And we all have moments when we can't help but share our shortcomings with the world, or at least the MRI technician.

I am not a fearful person. In fact, I like to think of myself as being braver than the average bear. Not crazy brave as in signing up for sky-diving lessons or going willingly into the line for the Dare Devil Dive at Six Flags Great America.

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But I have traveled a bit, including to developing countries. I have eaten outside the tourist areas in Mexico. I have snorkeled in the Pacific, ridden a horse in Durango, Colo., and opted to stay awake through hand surgery. And once, in an unusually courageous moment, I asked a very stern, somewhat demanding new boss if I could be the first person on staff to go part time.

Still here to tell about it all.

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And yet, several times, when very caring doctors suggested I needed an MRI  a procedure that offers a peek into a human's muscles and tissues  to get to the source of ongoing neck and subsequent shoulder issues, I declined, vehemently and usually in a sweat.

"I can't, I just can't," I'd said repeatedly, never having even seen an MRI setup. The horror stories alone were enough to convince me ongoing neck and shoulder pain would always be preferable to lying motionless in a noisy coffin for 40 minutes.

And so for years after a bad accident, I lived with the pain.

Until finally, this past spring, I couldn't live with it anymore. The neck was so bad that I was getting regular headaches that originated in the injured area and quickly moved up over my skull. The shoulder was so bad that I could barely lift my right arm.

I missed riding my bike. I wanted to be able to walk the dog with either hand again. And a grandchild was on the way.

It was time to face my fear.

The origin of panic

I'm not sure why some people suffer from claustrophobia, but I do know it is real, something that can make you tremble, cause you to reroute your life like a flowchart master and prevent you from ever becoming a successful scuba diver or astronaut.

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I suspect mine came on at an early age. I was 4 or 5 when my sister and I used to play with the neighbor girls down Mozart Street on Chicago's South Side. The sisters lived with their grandmother, a woman who didn't take kindly to neighborhood kids running like banshees through their home.

One particular day she shooed the four of us out of the house. I recall she had a broom, but maybe my memory embellishes. The other girls were older and faster and thus made it out of the house first.

The mean grandma caught up to me and gave me a shove into the screen door, which still had its storm window in place. She promptly shut the main door behind me.

I was trapped  like a slice of toast  between two doors.

I'm sure I wasn't in that position for long, just long enough for panic to set in. I remember my hands pressed against the glass. I remember my breath fogged up the window. I remember, very clearly, being terrified.

My sister  the same sister who later would also save me from drowning, from being trapped in an attic and from liberally using the popular phrase "sock it to me" when I was in middle school  came to my rescue. The screen door was jammed, and so she ran around to the back, confronted the scary grandma and somehow, some way negotiated my freedom.

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Right then and there I realized, one, I would owe my sister forever; and, two, being stuck in a small space, unable to move, was terrifying.

I've never forgotten either, although the first revelation doesn't keep me up at night.

A test of nerves and other things

Flash forward a million years and there I was allowing myself to be placed head first into a giant tube.

It was every terrible thing I'd imagined. Isolating, confining, suffocating, terrifying. I tried counting forward and then backward, both times losing track, which only added to my anxiety. Then I tried singing songs in my head. Eventually I visualized a bloody mary and repeatedly constructing and deconstructing it.

I tried self-talk, which gradually became self-scolding. Open your eyes. Don't you dare open your eyes. Go to sleep. Don't you dare go to sleep. Suck it up. Tell them enough's enough.

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Somehow, I made it through. Not even caring that the results would be available soon, I wobbled out of the facility, amazed that I survived and promising to never ever do that to myself again. It was almost as if I had to hug myself and tell myself everything would be OK.

Then I posted about it on Facebook. And the floodgates opened.

Admittedly, there were several people who found their MRI experience to be restful.

"I actually took a nap," one responder posted.

But others, like me, were freaked out by the procedure and surprised they made it through. For still others, fear has prevented them from even considering the test.

And it is for those folks in particular that I bring good news: Yes, fellow claustrophobes, there is light at the end of the dark, clinical, terrifying MRI tunnel.

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Sure, some have found relief through more "open" MRI facilities, but a new cutting-edge option for scaredy cats is something called the Caring Suite.

Tom Jacobs is director of Imaging Services at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn, which offers the system. He said he believes the traditional MRI is among the most anxiety-inducing medical procedures.

"Due to the fact that you're going into a tube, due to the fact that you're in there for approximately 30 minutes to an hour and a half, sometimes three and four hours, yeah, it's anxiety-inducing," Jacobs said. "You go in there, hear the door close, the next thing they're talking to you through the speaker and you're alone."

That's why the medical center jumped at the opportunity to install the newly designed system.

Like 'spa experience'

Advocate Christ was the first hospital in the country to purchase the system in late 2012 and the third to go live with it in 2013, Jacobs said.

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The suites, which are more spacious and allow patients to choose their own lighting and music and even watch a movie, were so successful as an inpatient option that when the hospital was recently redesigning its outpatient area, it added them there as well, Jacobs said. Soon, five of the six imaging stations will be a Caring Suite, he said.

Kathleen Kleinhoffer, MRI coordinator, was among the first technicians to be trained on the new system.

She has been an imaging tech since 1988 and has watched the technology evolve for the better.

"Anxiety back then was horrible. I can tell you of patients who refused to go through with it. I used to work for a mobile MRI company, and we would go from town to town, hospital to hospital to provide services. I had one patient who walked up the stairs of the semi truck, looked inside and said, 'See ya.' "

Even in recent years, she has had to pull panicked people out of the tube.

Registered technician Robin Rodighiero is not an anxious person.

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"Nothing really bothers me. I've jumped out of airplanes," she said. "But people come in here and do freak out. I'd never seen a grown man cry until I worked here. It's a very real fear people feel."

To help alleviate that fear, Rodighiero recommends that patients about to undergo a procedure not discuss it with friends and family.

Just like she's had some people freak out inside the tube, she's had others walk away from the test amazed that it didn't bother them.

"Not everyone is claustrophobic," she said. But many come to the test expecting to be, based on the experiences of others.

"A lot of people who have been here before and weren't able to do it have come back and are able to do it now with this new system," she said. "Some even liken it to a spa experience."

The Caring Suites system offers a larger procedure room, with lighted panels on the walls. Patients can upload family photos or select a movie  "Finding Nemo" and "Shrek" are the most requested  which then can be played on a 70-inch high-definition monitor on the ceiling, as well as into a pair of goggles that can be worn inside the tube.

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It's a massive effort to simply enable doctors to learn what is happening with a patient's muscles, tendons, nerves and ligaments, Kleinhoffer said.

"In an MRI, we're using the water molecules in your body to collect images. When you're outside the magnetic field, your hydrogen molecules are scattered. Inside the magnet, the molecules align themselves with the field of the magnet, north and south pole," she said. "We know how fast the water molecules spin at different field strengths. So there is a reason you're there, inside a magnet. While an X-ray will show bony detail, an MRI allows us to see differences in tissues."

Anxiety can prevent the test from being completed or prolong the procedure, she said.

"If you're fidgety and unable to hold still throughout, the images will be blurry," she said. "We take a lot of images. If one picture's blurry, they're usually all blurry. If motion is significant enough, we have to repeat the test."

Ironically, Kleinhoffer said, "I've become more claustrophobic over the years."

Recently, she was a test patient for a heart procedure. The setup required a heavy layer be placed on her chest.

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"Then they put me in the bore of the magnet. I wanted no part of it," she said. They pulled her out and gave her a set of goggles through which she could watch a selected scenario, such as swimming fish set to classical music.

"And then I was like, 'OK, I can tolerate it,' " she said.

Claustrophobia, Jacobs said, does not discriminate. It affects men and women and even children.

But, he added, the new Caring Suites have been a hit with kids who need the procedure. They like watching movies or watching photos of their family members and pets scroll during the test.

In the past, Rodighiero said, children who needed an MRI were automatically sedated first.

Daily Southtown Twice-weekly News updates from the south suburbs delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

But Kleinhoffer said the center recently performed an MRI in the Caring Suites on a 3-year-old without sedation.

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It's important to remember that an MRI is just a means to an end. And, often, that end is a happy one.

Thanks to my MRI, doctors were able to give me a diagnosis as well as a prescription for physical therapy.

I'm happy to report that my headaches are now gone, and my right arm is at 75 percent.

Just in time to hold my new granddaughter.

dvickroy@tribpub.com

Twitter @dvickroy
Rotary Club of Fox Valley Sunset were at Carpentersville Middle School to help stock the shelves of District 300s first in-school pantry. (Erin Sauder / The Courier-News)

Carpentersville Middle School was bustling with activity Thursday, and not just because it was the first week of classes.

Dozens of people, many from the Rotary Club of Fox Valley Sunset, were at the school to help stock the shelves of District 300's first in-school pantry.

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For more than six years, volunteers from The Chapel, a non-denominational church with locations in Lake Zurich, Barrington, Grayslake, Libertyville, Mundelein and Palatine, have been serving the district's needy families through the Mobile Food Pantry ministry.

Lake in the Hills resident Craig Raddatz, a Mobile Food Pantry team leader, said in his discussions with officials from the Northern Illinois Food Bank, a partner to The Chapel, he learned about the national trend of food pantries opening in school districts.

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An analysis by Northern Illinois Food Bank found that District 300 was an ideal candidate for a more permanent facility. While the school district is also served by the FISH (Friend, I Shall Help) Food Pantry in Carpentersville, that facility also finds it difficult to keep up with the demand.

With the help of the Northern Illinois Food Bank, The Chapel secured grant funding to build the pantry in 900-square-feet of space in the back of Carpentersville Middle School, 100 Cleveland Ave.

Chuck Bumbales, assistant superintendent of operations for District 300, was on-hand Thursday to help get the pantry set up. (Erin Sauder / The Courier-News)

The pantry will be primarily supplied by the Northern Illinois Food Bank. (Erin Sauder / The Courier-News)

Chuck Bumbales, assistant superintendent of operations for District 300, was also on-hand Thursday to help get the pantry set up.

He said the move of district administrators from their offices in the middle school to their new location in Algonquin opened up the space needed for the endeavor.

"The superintendent and board understand there's a need in our community," he said. "This is an ideal fit. A lot of pieces fell into place so it worked out really well."

Coordinators anticipate serving 100 families per week, making this the largest in-school food pantry within the Northern Illinois Food Bank territory, Raddatz said. Children who are currently enrolled in District 300 can visit the pantry with their families and choose the items they'll need to last them a week.

There will be no cost to these families.

"Some food pantries tell clients what they can take which creates a lot of waste. Client choice lets them pick out what food they need. And we'll try to stock the place based on the types of food they prefer," Raddatz said.

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He said fresh bread and produce will be available weekly, and there are refrigerators and freezers for milk and frozen meats, a mix of pork, chicken and beef. Other offerings will include personal care products, canned items, frozen foods, school supplies, diapers, as well as school and cleaning supplies.

The pantry will be primarily supplied by the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

Carpentersville resident Kris Korth is taking the helm as food pantry manager. For several years she has been involved in food outreach programs at her church.

"I read about (the pantry coming to Carpentersville Middle School) in the paper and thought, 'I want to be involved when it gets rolling,'" she said. "I have a passion for feeding people."

A ribbon cutting for the pantry is set for 4:45 p.m. Wednesday. The doors will open to families at 5 p.m. The pantry will be open from 5 to 7 p.m. every Wednesday.

Raddatz lauds the many people who helped get the pantry off the ground, including Morgan Stanley, the largest financial contributor, and the Rotary Club of Fox Valley Sunset whose members provided financial support as well as manpower to help build it.

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Some of the Rotary members are also teachers in District 300, he said.

"When we used to do the mobile food pantries there were days when we had no money and the Rotary came up with food drives," Raddatz said. "They kept us alive. They're like blood to us. They always come to the rescue. They're here to serve their community. They're just a wonderful organization."

The pantry recently received its 501(c)(3) tax status, which Raddatz said will allow coordinators to reach out to more donors.

But volunteers and monetary donations are still needed. For information, contact Raddatz at craddatz40@comcast.net.

Erin Sauder is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Interested parents and residents tour the former Fox River Country Day School property. The proposed Elgin Math and Science Academy charter school organizers say the property is their preference for a charter school within District U46. (Janelle Walker / The Courier-News)

If organizers had their druthers, the former Fox River Country Day School would become home to the proposed Elgin Math and Science Academy charter school.

The charter school's design team and organizers met at the campus on Elgin's northeast side Wednesday to see the building that could be used as its school and walk the campus.

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They also talked about how the charter school  if approved by School District U46's board  could be used by all U46 schools, and how the campus can be used by the community.

"We wanted to get on the site and get people excited about the site," said Kerry Kelly. She was one of the organizers of the first charter school proposal, which was turned down by U46, and the state, in 2014.

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The former Fox River Country Day School was their preferred location then, too, Kelly said. While the property is in Elgin, it actually falls into Carpentersville's Community Unit School District 300. The districts could do a swap to annex the land to Elgin, Kelly said.

It has sat empty since 2011, when the day school's administration announced that it was closing its doors  and its 53-acre wooded campus  after 98 years.

Originally appraised at $5.5 million when it was put on the market the following winter, the Elgin city council approved an intergovernmental agreement in April 2013 involving the Illinois Tollway Authority that divvied up the land on Elgin's far northeastern side between the city, the Kane County Forest Preserve District and the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation.

The portion controlled by Elgin includes the school's buildings.

The building eyed by Elgin Math and Science Academy organizers was built in 2005. According to information released by the school at that time, the 20,000-square-foot classroom building was designed to hold preschool through fourth-grade classes in one building. Called the Neil Building, It was constructed by Elgin-based Shales-McNutt Construction.

There are other buildings on the campus, including a dining hall, art workshops and kilns, gymnasium, and the administrative building  designed by John S. Van Bergen, a student of Frank Lloyd Wright.

The property sits on what organizers said is the state's last remaining white cedar forest.

"We want to talk about the use of this property, and making it a community property," and not just for use by the charter school, Kelly said.

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While the Neil Building is in primarily good shape, other buildings are not in good shape. In 2012, the administrative building was named one of the 10-most threatened historic buildings by Landmarks Illinois. Built in 1928, it needs extensive renovation, Kelly said.

But with additional users and a shared vision of potential campus uses, there is viability there, she said.

"This property is so unique, with unique ecosystems. There are just one or two places in the state left that have this," she said.

Even if the charter school does not open there, someone should use the buildings and property there, Kelly believes.

After touring the property  walking outside but not into most of the buildings  the 35 or so who attended met in a Neil Building classroom to talk about what could happen there.

As the attendees brainstormed, two deer walked past the windows.

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Jennifer Seydel of EL Education Inc. helped lead Wednesday's discussion.

"The vision for the school is solid," Seydel said.

Instead of focusing on how the charter school could use the property, she asked the groups to think about how the campus can be an asset for the entire community.

"We want this property to be valued as an opportunity for the community," Kelly said.

The Elgin Math and Science Academy team hopes to present a charter school plan to the school board this fall.

Janelle Walker is a freelance reporter for The Courier-News.
Evanston police say they are beefing up patrols after two carjackings occurred roughly three hours apart Thursday night and Friday morning.

The city has been experiencing an increase in car thefts lately, but the latest incidents involving guns "up the seriousness of the crime," Commander Joseph Dugan said.

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In the first incident, a 39-year-old Evanston woman was parked in front of her residence in the 1200 block of Fowler Avenue when two unknown men approached her black Mazda CX-9 on foot, Dugan said.

The first man pointed what appeared to be a black revolver and told her to get out of the car, Dugan said. The woman was able to collect her phone, cigarettes and driver's license, before exiting the vehicle, leaving her wallet, he said.

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The two men then fled in the vehicle while the victim was not injured, Dugan said.

After midnight, officers responded to another carjacking in the 1700 block of Washington Street where a 36-year-old Evanston woman was robbed of her 2008 Acura at gunpoint, Dugan said.

Patrol officers responding to the area observed both the Mazda from the earlier incident and the Acura following each other near Barton Avenue and Harvard Terrace, Dugan said.

Both vehicles fled eastbound on Harvard Terrace, he said. At Ridge Avenue, the Mazda continued eastbound and the Acura went southbound on Ridge, Dugan said.

As officers pursued both vehicles, the Mazda crashed into a security gate at a residence in the 200 block of Custer Avenue and the occupant fled, he said.

The Acura was recovered unoccupied several minutes later in the 1500 block of West Jonquil Terrace, Dugan said.

Officers are allowed to pursue vehicles for a forcible felony, which was considered to be the case in the car hijackings, Dugan said.

A loaded .38 caliber revolver was recovered from the Mazda, he said.

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Evanston police with assistance from Chicago and Skokie set up perimeters and searched for the suspects but were unable to locate them, he said. Both vehicles were towed to the Evanston police station for processing, he said.

In light of the incidents, Dugan said police are calling on the public to call the department at 847-866-5000 if they see anything suspicious in their neighborhoods.

bseidenberg@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter@evanstonscribe
Antioch police officers responding a report of a domestic disturbance at a Main Street apartment on Thursday ended up charging two residents with drug offenses after allegedly discovering an indoor cannabis-growing operation in the attic, officials said in a statement released Friday.

According to the release, investigators searching the apartment in the 200 block of Main Street seized a total of eight cannabis plants, along with cannabis-growing equipment, psychedelic mushrooms and drug paraphernalia.

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Police report Kathy J. Piet, 38, and Bobby M. Puente, 25, were both charged with unlawful possession of sativa cannabis plants and unlawful possession of a controlled substance (psilocybin mushrooms), which are Class 4 felonies. The two were also charged with a misdemeanor count of unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.

Both subjects reportedly appeared in Lake County Court Friday morning for a bond hearing, where Piet was released on a $25,000 recognizance bond and Puente, who police say was also wanted on a Lake County warrant for violating an order of protection, was remanded to Lake County Jail on $4,000 bail.

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Twitter @NewsSun
A Waukegan man has been charged with entering the home of a disabled man Thursday, injuring him and taking his property, police said.

The incident was one of two robberies the Waukegan Police Department say Timothy J. Brown, 48, of the 600 block of Lenox Avenue, committed, according to a news release.

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Police say Brown used physical force to rob a woman over the age of 60 while she was outside in the 900 block of Washington Park Wednesday.

The home invasion happened the following day in the 1300 block of North Avenue, according to the release.

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Cmdr. Joe Florip said as far as he was aware, neither victim was hospitalized.

Brown was arrested by the North Chicago Police Department Friday and turned over to the Waukegan Police Department, according to the release. He has been charged in both instances and has a bond hearing scheduled for Saturday.

emcoleman@tribpub.com

Twitter @mekcoleman
A U.S. Army soldier takes down a display at a memorial service for Sgt. John Penich October 23, 2008 at the Korengal Outpost in the Kunar Province of eastern Afghanistan. (John Moore / Getty Images)

The 8th annual Sgt. John M. Penich Memorial Poker Run will be held Saturday to raise money for veterans and honor the Beach Park native who died in Afghanistan in 2008.

The event, which will include motorcycles and vehicles, will stop at various bars throughout Lake County and Wisconsin.

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Penich's mother, Kathy Penich Garross, said her son was always worried about his men. After the squad leader died, his family started a fund "to keep taking care of his boys," Garross said.

"The poker run is a lot of fun, and John always loved to have a party," she said. "He was a 6-foot 2-inch, 250-pound gentle giant. He was so much fun."

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Penich earned a bronze star, two silver stars and was honored as Soldier of the Year, his mother said. He hoped to return to school after his tour of duty to eventually become a general, she said.

The poker run starts at 9 a.m. from the Stone Creek Grill in Winthrop Harbor and costs $15 per driver and $10 per rider. The first stop is Mount Olivet Memorial Park in Zion, where participants will place flags on Penich's grave, she said.

From there, the group will go to Masons Pub & Eatery in Kenosha, Wisc., and then lunch at Captains Quarters in Antioch. The next stop is a saloon in Kansasville, Wisc. then the American Legion Post 21 in Kenosha before ending back at Stone Creek Grill in Winthrop Harbor.

Over the years the event helped purchase 12 service dogs for veterans.

All the proceeds from the poker run on Saturday go into the memorial fund for future projects.

fabderholden@tribpub.com

Twitter @abderholden
Two water fountains at Waukegan School District 60's Lincoln Center administrative offices were bagged after initial tests showed them to have high lead levels. Subsequent tests found them to have amounts below the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's action level. (Emily K. Coleman / Lake County News-Sun)

Waukegan School District 60 is set to replace water fountains and piping in areas frequented by preschoolers and kindergartners, a district official said this week.

The decision came after a study initially found 10 percent of the district's water sources had lead levels greater than 15 parts per billion  the action level set by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for drinking water.

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All water sources at the action level will be replaced or removed regardless of location. The district decided to also replace water fountains and sinks in areas that serve preschoolers and kindergartners, who could be most affected by lead exposure, said William Newby, the district's deputy superintendent of operations, safety and facilities.

Federal agencies have raised concerns about any level of lead, especially for children.

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"Zero (lead) would be the ultimate goal, but probably not a practical goal" because of the high cost that would come with replacing all the equipment or installing new filtration systems  something that still may not completely eliminate lead from the water, Newby said.

U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, R-Ill., reached out to the district and said it is "taking every possible step to ensure students' safety," according to a Dold news release.

The district brought in an outside company this summer to do the tests at a cost of $22,000 in an effort to be proactive after lead was discovered in the drinking water in Flint, Mich., and throughout Chicago Public Schools, Newby said. Board member Anita Hanna has emphasized she raised the issue several times before anything was done.

Any level of lead "is unacceptable," Hanna said. "It's unacceptable for our children to consume that water."

Newby said the only way to achieve zero lead would be to completely eliminate water fountains. He noted water is also only one place where kids can be exposed to lead.

The first test found 31 water sources at action level, but a second round of tests designed to identify false positives found only four, documents show. Another three had 10 or more parts per billion, six had between 5 and 10 parts per billion, and the remaining 18 had less than 5 parts per billion.

The four water sources with the highest levels, all drinking fountains, are located at Thomas Jefferson and Daniel Webster middle schools, the Glen Flora Armory and Waukegan High School's Washington campus, records show.

Two of those water fountains also were found to have high levels of copper, documents show. Three water sources had originally tested high for copper.

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Water will be shut off to the fountains to ensure students do not use them, Newby said. Water sources had been temporarily bagged and taped while second-round testing occurred as the water could not be shut off during the tests.

The ultimate plan is to replace or remove those fountains, and the district will continue to do across-the-board testing on a regular basis moving forward, Newby said, adding that these tests had not been done before in his time with the district.

School board member June Maguire said the district should also encourage families to get their own water tested.

The district also sent out information to the community and families Thursday designed to answer frequently asked questions and provide them with resources to find out more information.

emcoleman@tribpub.com

Twitter @mekcoleman
Way back in November 1999, Hollywood paid one of its frequent visits to Waukegan, shutting down the Amstutz Expressway on a particularly autumnal day to film an accident scene for "Save the Last Dance."

At one end of the Amstutz, a temporary production office was set up on the vacated Johns Manville property. On Sheridan Road, the old News-Sun building  which had been sitting empty since the previous year  was again buzzing with life, as caterers set up tables of food and production staffers came in to warm up against the prewinter chill.

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When "Save the Last Dance" came out in January 2001, fans of filmmaking in Waukegan would have missed the result if they had blinked. The vehicular death of Julia Stiles' cinematic mother flashed by so quickly that the ratio of hours spent by the production on the Amstutz to total seconds of screen time came in at about 8 to 1.

Here in August 2016, the Amstutz is once again playing a cameo role in a feature film, but everyone outside Waukegan and even everyone inside the city will not recognize it, since the lakefront roadway is standing in for a generic Chicago street during about four to five minutes of screen time. Even the keenest of eyes will not be able to pick out, say, the St. Marys Cement silos in the background.

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The film in question is "Southside With You," an earnest and well-executed imagining of the afternoon a young Barack Obama and Michelle Robinson went on their first sort-of date.

As reported in your News-Sun back in July 2015, the Amstutz was shut down for 12 whole hours to allow a production crew to roll up and down the road with a process trailer  a truck mounted with cameras and towing a car, allowing actors to pretend like they're driving while they go through their lines.

On that perfect summer day, a lanky actor named Parker Sawyers, who looked more than a little bit like the 44th president of the United States, could be seen at the wheel of a battered yellow Datsun as the rig did one lap after another, circling back south from Greenwood Avenue. Actress and producer Tika Sumpter was a bit harder to spot for onlookers, but she was also in the Datsun, wearing a tangerine blouse that would have been at home in 1989.

Released this week, "Southside With You" was primarily shot in Chicago  look for the terraced breakwalls on the south lakefront and the Biograph Theater, among other sights  and the sequence filmed in Waukegan finds the young couple having a fairly serious disagreement as they drive along and discuss why Michelle Robinson is practicing standard corporate law rather than pursuing something with a social conscience.

It appears that everything that made it to screen from the Amstutz was shot well north of Grand Avenue, where the city structures are obscured by greenery. In fact, it looks like they drove the same path about 50 times to get the back-and-forth dialogue.

Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Locals can rest easy knowing that it's actually an effective scene  maybe too effective. Obama ticks off Robinson so completely that, in most dynamics, the date would have been over right then and there, setting up an alternate history too complicated to consider.

The conflict aside, Michelle Robinson's path to first lady carries on for another 45 minutes or so in an 84-minute film heavy on expository dialogue that might have been more at home on the Lifetime Movie Network or OWN rather than charging admission.

Don't get the impression that "Southside With You" isn't worth seeing. Sawyers, in particular, effortlessly captures Obama's easygoing charisma, even if the actor's voice isn't an exact match for the president's. The film's focus on two people discovering themselves and their places in the world at the same time they discover each other takes it a notch above the usual romantic business, and fans of pop culture will love Obama's dissertation on Jimmie "J.J." Walker and his connection to the paintings of Ernie Barnes.

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Who will see "Southside With You?" Certainly not anyone whose nights are occupied by "The O'Reilly Factor" and "Hannity," and films released in late August are not intended to be box-office blockbusters.

But Blue Staters who aren't interested in "Mechanic: Resurrection" this weekend will probably enjoy it, and everyone who stays through the credits will see a familiar name in the list of people and things earning "Special Thanks": the city of Waukegan.

danmoran@tribpub.com

Twitter @NewsSunDanMoran
Worried about Waukegan schools

Waukegan School District 60 is not worried about a $7.4 million deficit that wipes out the district's educational fund. It's the taxpayers who have to worry. They now have a superintendent from Chicago Public Schools who brings in others from Chicago at huge salaries. Every taxpayer should go to school board meetings. Every time those teachers stand out with signs and say "It's for the Kids" they need to also show their salaries. We, as taxpayers, need to stand up and say where we stand. We have failing schools that have not met state test requirements in how many years? And we have a $7.4 million deficit. We need to say enough is enough.

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Million dollar mistake

Waukegan Public Works Director Tom Hagerty needs to be fired for letting a $1 million invoice sit on his desk for four months without telling the mayor. How many more large bills will be discovered?

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Most cops are good

Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

The media seems to sensationalize the police officers and prosecutors who have lost their moral compass. We know the vast majority in law enforcement are honest, hard-working men and women, trying their best to keep us safe. May this knowledge help them as they go to work every day in a really tough job.

Respect all opinions

I recently heard someone say "Republicans are as dumb as a box of rocks." This individual apparently believes they are the arbiter of the character of all Republicans. Such an immature comment. How in the world did The Constitution find its genesis and remain with this nation for hundreds of years? Our Forefathers were wise  they believed there was wisdom to be found in a multitude of thinking minds. We weren't born as cloned individuals to think and act exactly the same. Lumping millions of citizens together and calling them dumb is quite arrogant. By the way, rocks are pretty good building blocks.

Tough choices

The choice between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump is repugnant to me. I know at least 30 people who are better humans then either of them. I believe either of them will cause problems for the country. Clinton will appoint liberal activists to the Supreme Court and will find ways to grant citizenship to the millions of illegal immigrants living here. These new citizens will become Democrats, ensuring the party will control the country for the next 50 years. This will cause huge problems for the taxpayers. Hopefully they will eventually get mad enough to oust the villains.

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.
Rev. Douglas Albert Williams will be the new pastor at Salem United Methodist Church in Barrington. (Lisa Williams / Pioneer Press)

Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban.

Salem United Methodist Church in Barrington has a new pastor  Rev. Douglas Albert Williams.

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He starts at the 123-year-old church Sept. 1. He plans to deliver his first sermon on how God teaches vision, titled "HGTV" for short, on Sept. 4.

He grew up in Oak Park, graduated from Illinois Wesleyan University and Garrett-Evangelical Theological Seminary in Evanston.

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Williams has served at churches throughout Illinois, including the Harmon/Eldena United Methodist Church in Dixon, First United Methodist Church in Normal, Earlville Methodist Church, Pierce Community United Methodist Church in Maple Park, Evangelical United Methodist Church in Ottawa and, most recently, Aldersgate United Methodist Church in Rockford.

Q. How did you become a pastor?

A. My parents took us every Sunday to the Methodist Church of Oak Park. I think I was quite young when a person there told me I'd make a good pastor. When I went to college, I majored in sociology and thought of going into social work. I had a change of heart and believed I needed to go into the ministry.

Q. Have you done missionary work?

A. In February of next year, I'm going to Kenya, Africa. People from the Mombasa Relief Initiative asked me to go with them and give away toys we made at Aldersgate United Methodist Church that involved many people of different age groups doing different parts of the toy-making process. Together, we produced and blessed close to 10,000 brightly colored trucks and cars to give away to children in distress, such as in hospitals and shelters. Ministry that glorifies God is ministry done together on both Sunday mornings and other times. Ministry is also when we take the faith we have and live it in ways that bless other people.

Shout Out is a weekly feature in which we introduce our readers to their fellow community members and local visitors throughout suburban. Check out more online at ChicagoTribune.com/ShoutOut.

tshields@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @tshields19
The Lincolnwood Village Board recently approved several finishing touches to a $4.5 million bridge that will connect the almost-finished Valley Line Trail bike path between the north and south sides of Touhy Avenue.

Trustees on Aug. 16 finalized the design of the steel bridge, unanimously accepting a July recommendation from the Lincolnwood Parks and Recreation Board to add 24-inch "Village of Lincolnwood" lettering and a village logo visible to motorists traveling east and west along Touhy.

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Scheduled to open in spring 2018, the overpass will connect the one-mile stretch of bike trail joining Lincolnwood to Chicago and Skokie. The bridge has been envisioned by Lincolnwood officials as the centerpiece of the bike path, which will lead from the Chicago-Lincolnwood border at Devon Avenue to the Lincolnwood-Skokie border at Lincoln and Jarvis avenues.

The 12-foot-wide asphalt Valley Line bike path is under construction on land that was once occupied by railroad tracks, according to the village, which is leasing the parcel from ComEd. The $1 million path is expected to be open in September, according to Andrew Letson, assistant to the public works director.

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Another $950,000 path, known as the Union Pacific Bicycle Path Project, is under construction on the east side of the village and is expected to open in November.

The final spoke in the overall bike path plan is the 10-foot-tall steel bridge, which has been in the works since 2011 when Lincolnwood was awarded a state grant for $1.4 million to cover 80 percent of the project costs.

But by the time engineers began designing the bridge in 2013, estimated construction costs jumped to $3.7 million, prompting the village to seek additional funding from the same type of state program  the Congestion and Air Quality grant.

The request was approved, bringing the state's coverage of the bridge project to nearly $3.6 million. The village was responsible for the remaining $893,000, according to the Lincolnwood Public Works Department.

The final designs that village board members approved show reddish-colored steel bars stretching across Touhy and connecting to tan-colored brick pillars on either side of the street. White-colored LED lighting illuminates the pillars from the ground up, with landscaping surrounding both ends of the bridge.

Lincolnwood Mayor Jerry Turry stressed the importance of the visibility of the "Village of Lincolnwood" lettering that will span the length of the bridge. Touhy Avenue is one of the village's busiest thoroughfares with around 40,000 vehicles passing by each day, according to the village.

Board members chose 24-inch letters, instead of an 18-inch version presented by bridge engineers Stanley Consultants.

"I made a mistake a long time ago when I was a trustee and had to choose the street signs," Turry said. "They looked fine (when they were approved) but we found out we couldn't see them in the dark. I'm not going through that again."

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In the past, the proposal for the overpass bridge was met with opposition by some residents from nearby condo building Barclay Place. Condo residents there cited concerns with privacy, safety, construction noise and aesthetics during a series of public hearings since 2014.

Opposition to the bridge seems to have dwindled since. No one from the public spoke on the matter at the Aug. 16 village board meeting.

Construction crews are expected to start building the bridge in fall 2017, the public works officials said.

Natalie Hayes is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.
Naperville resident Nancy Goodfellow has had two stories published in "Chicken Soup for the Soul" books this year. Both focus on daughter Lily, left, who has Down syndrome. (Photo provided by Nancy Goodfellow / HANDOUT)

Nancy Goodfellow is looking to make a difference  one story at a time.

Her essay, "My Answered Prayer," is just one example. The Naperville author's story is among those included in the new "Chicken Soup for the Soul: The Power of Gratitude." The collection of 101 real-life stories, released Tuesday, aims to help readers experience the benefits of gratitude and realize the impact thankfulness can have on their lives.

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Her essay, which had previously been published in a National Association for Down Syndrome newsletter, tells the story of how she and her husband responded when they learned their soon-to-arrive daughter would have Down syndrome.

"When I saw the (topic of) gratitude, I was like, 'Oh I have the perfect one for that,' " Goodfellow said. "So I was really glad that I could kind of dig that up because it has been an article that I've had close to my heart, that I feel strongly about, and I was thrilled to get it out there to a much wider audience."

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In her essay, she recounts how they dealt with news they received during an ultrasound 20 weeks into her pregnancy. They were told their daughter likely had a chromosomal defect that was "incompatible with life." The best-case scenario, the doctors said, would be Down syndrome.

"We spent the next three days praying our baby would be OK. ... We prayed for Down syndrome," Goodfellow wrote. "Our prayers were answered, and we received the most precious gift we could have ever hoped for  we were having a daughter, with Down syndrome."

While they encountered more health concerns throughout the remainder of the pregnancy, they focused on the positive. Goodfellow wrote she would forever be grateful for the circumstances surrounding her prenatal diagnosis.

"I was given the opportunity to see my daughter as a blessing, a child who not only survived, but also thrived in spite of her challenges," she wrote.

The essay is her second to appear in the "Chicken Soup for the Soul" series of books. Last fall, her essay "Perspective" was published in the volume "Think Possible." That piece is also about her daughter Lily, now an eighth-grader at Madison Junior High School in Naperville.

"I was all about putting things into perspective and more about when we got Lily's diagnosis, the fact we didn't think she was going to survive," Goodfellow said. "And so then when you end up holding this baby with Down syndrome in your arms, and she's pink and yelling and crying, and you get to actually hold her when everybody said you wouldn't get to hold her and she'd be air-lifted to a different hospital. So it was just all those things about keeping it in perspective."

Having stories published in two "Chicken Soup" books in one year is exciting, she said. Goodfellow, who is starting a new career as a children's book writer, submitted the essays after a teacher in one of her classes mentioned the series as a place where writers could get publishing credits.

Prior to having children, she was an editor and worked as a rare and used-book dealer. At the University of Iowa, she majored in English and journalism.

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"I always loved books and always wanted to be a writer," said the mother of three. "Once we had kids, I slowed down a bit with all of the work aspirations. Now that the kids are a little bit older, I'm trying to get back into writing again, and I'm working on some different projects  all featuring characters with disabilities and trying to just encourage friendship and inclusion."

Among those is a story about Sherman the sheep, who is mostly bald due to alopecia. Earlier this year Goodfellow was able to share the story with her youngest daughter Holly's class. An illustrator friend of Goodfellow's created drawings to go with the story.

"(The teacher) let me go in and read the story to the kids and see the way they reacted and get some conversation going to see if I was really conveying the message that I was hoping to convey," Goodfellow said.

The story was a hit with the students.

"Now it's just trying to find a publishing house that will love it, too," she said.

Goodfellow is no stranger to speaking to classrooms full of students. Ever since Lily was born, she has been very active with the National Association for Down Syndrome.

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"I'm a public speaker for them. It used to be that I would go out and just speak to doctors and nurses and talk at the hospitals about how to deliver a diagnosis to parents when they find out their child has Down syndrome or is going to have Down syndrome," she said. "Over the years it's kind of morphed into where I just really love talking to the kids and going in and doing these disability awareness presentations. Over the past year we've tweaked it a bit so we're not just going in and talking about Down syndrome. We go in and we talk about all disabilities."

She often speaks with Michelle Anderson, a 21-year-old woman with Down syndrome, who is a self-advocate.

"She talks to the kids about what it's like growing up with Down syndrome and what it's like having it. And she shows them all the photographs of her doing all the same things they did growing up and that they're doing now," Goodfellow said. "And depending on the age group, we'll show a video about autism, or I'll read a story to the younger kids.

"But then we just have a really open discussion on how you treat other people. It opens up a really good opportunity for kids to ask questions they were maybe afraid to ask before or share things they were afraid to share before."

She wrote about making school presentations in the most recent issue of Chicago Special Parent magazine. In the article, she talks about the time her son, Luke, first heard someone call his sister "retarded." So when she speaks to students, she calls upon another book series to ask them a question: What word in the "Harry Potter" stories is so offensive, it should not be spoken?

"Kids start to realize this is really, really disrespectful," Goodfellow said. "Like 'mudblood,' it's not something you can control. You were born that way.

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"It's cool to see the kids realize just how hurtful the word can be."

Kathy Cichon is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.
Township road deal needed

It is hard for retirees to remain in Illinois, Naperville in particular, because of our high real estate taxes. I believe that the real estate tax burden placed on our residents has reached a point of crisis  a crisis that demands immediate and bold action.

Politics too often trumps policy in Illinois. So how do we do it?

We do it by doing what Naperville has so often done. We work together as a community, and we figure out a solution. With respect to Naperville Township Road District highway services, we have a solution. A united mayor and City Council, with the support of the Naperville Township Board, have developed an agreement that will reduce real estate taxes for all incorporated and unincorporated Naperville Township residents. The result: Many hundreds of thousands of dollars of unnecessary expense is removed from the Naperville Township tax levy, and its residents receive the same level of services.

Unfortunately, the Naperville Township highway commissioner has refused to participate. Instead, he touts a deal that was reached with Lisle Township behind closed doors and which accomplishes little. It lasts less than a year and, his statements suggest, is merely intended to push this controversy down the road. That is not the answer.

There will never be a more obvious and attainable opportunity for tax savings than the one before us. Please support lower real estate taxes for all of our incorporated and unincorporated Naperville Township residents by supporting the long-term consolidation of Naperville Township highway services.

Kevin M. Coyne, Naperville City Council

Criticism too personal

Isn't it interesting how someone like Trump supporter B. Adamson accuses me of not only sexism but racism, too? (Where did that come from? Was it subliminal perhaps?) In any case, neither accusation is true.

Why can't some people stick to the issues and not get personal? The issue is Trump, and the essential fact remains that Trump is a con artist and is unfit to serve as president of the United States. That fact cuts only one way.

Fran Orchard, Naperville

Share your views

Submit letters to the editor via email to suburbanletters@tribpub.com. Please include your name and town of residence for publication. Please include phone number and email address for confirmation. Letters should be no more than 250 words.
Evanston's Trinity Lutheran Church celebrated its 125th anniversary with two days of festivities on July 30 and 31. Events included an afternoon guided historical walking tour of Evanston and an evening reception at the church on Saturday, attended by 160 guests.

Sunday highlights were a celebration worship service attended by 250, with Pastor Timothy Brown officiating, a sermon by Bishop Wayne Miller of the of the Metropolitan Chicago Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and music by a reunion choir. The service was followed by a group photo and a family brunch. More at www.trinityevanston.org
A Dolton, Ill., man has been charged with six felonies for a series of armed robberies committed between December and March at various Hammond fast-food restaurants.

A worker with the Subway Restaurant at 4538 Calumet Ave. told Hammond Police that she recognized Jamal Marco White, 26, as the man involved in three separate armed robberies by his eyes, according to a probable cause affidavit outlining the charges. Each time, White wore the same black hoodie with a dark colored mask covering the lower half of his face, and carried a gun, which he pointed at the worker on his third time there, the affidavit said.

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He faces five counts of armed robbery and one count of attempted armed robbery.

White went on to rob the Subway at 7518 Calumet Ave., the Dunkin Donuts at 4614 Calumet Ave. and the Dunkin Donuts at 7306 Calumet Ave., the affidavit said.

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In May, a Hammond detective received a call from an Oak Park, Ill., detective who advised that White had been arrested for a series of robberies there and was cooperating with police, according to the affidavit. When Hammond detectives entered an interview room with White, White said, "Subway?" at which point the Hammond detectives read him his rights, the document said.

White said in each of the robberies, he wore either a medical mask or winter mask and carried a black BB gun that looked like a .40 millimeter semi-automatic handgun, the court document said.

White also said he didn't remember robbing the Dunkin Donuts shops, according to the affidavit.

Hammond Police spokesman Lt. Richard Hoyda said White remains in custody in Cook County, Ill.
Days before his trial was scheduled to begin, a Gary man admitted Friday that he shot the victim.

As a result of his plea agreement, Davonta Davis Rufus Horde, 20, is facing a total of 13 years in the Indiana Department of Correction in two of his criminal cases, instead of 20 to 40 years on a charge of attempted murder.

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In court, Horde admitted he shot the victim multiple times at the man's home Jan. 18 in the 1500 block of Hayes Street in Gary after Horde forced his way into the home.

In a separate case, Horde admitted that on the same day, while a man and his sister were at their home in the 800 block of 36th Place in Gary, Horde pulled up in front of their residence in a red pickup truck and fired about five shots.

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The man pushed his sister to the floor as bullets came through the window near where she was sitting.

Horde's plea agreement, which was submitted to Lake Superior Judge Clarence Murray, outlines a 10-year prison sentence for aggravated battery and three years for criminal recklessness, served consecutively. If the judge accepts the plea agreement, charges that will be dismissed include attempted murder; aggravated battery, punishable by three to 16 years; battery, punishable by one to six years; numerous counts of criminal recklessness, punishable by one to six years; and a separate case in which Horde was charged with stalking and criminal recklessness, also punishable by one to six years.

Murray scheduled an Oct. 4 sentencing hearing.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
A LaPorte semitrailer driver was killed in a crash early Friday on the Borman Expressway near Cline Avenue in Hammond. (Indiana State Police / Post-Tribune)

A LaPorte man died in a four-vehicle crash early Friday on Interstate 80/94 near Cline Avenue in Hammond.

The victim was identified as Michael Northern, 53, who was driving a semitrailer pulling a grain hauler loaded with corn seed, according to the Indiana State Police.

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Northern was westbound at about 1:15 a.m. just west of Cline Avenue when police said he failed to slow down approaching a construction. Police said Northern rear-ended a 1997 Ford Taurus, driven by Shelton Slaughter, 21 of Sioux City, Iowa.

The semitrailer then struck a 2008 Nissan Altima, driven by Michael Bolden, 27, of Hammond, which caused the Nissan to hit a 2017 Kia Rio, driven by Jennifer Wieland, 41 of Homewood, Ill., police said.

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After hitting Bolden's Nissan, Northern went off the road and rolled over, police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene the Lake County Coroner's Office.

Slaughter was not injured and his three passengers were taken to Munster Community Hospital complaining of pain. Police said Bolden was taken to Methodist Hospitals Northlake in Gary with non-life threatening injuries and Wieland refused treatment at the scene.

All westbound lanes reopened at approximately 7:10 a.m.

jaanderson@tribpub.com

Twitter @JavonteA
Harry Hanford has been processing livestock for more than 50 years at the off-the-beaten path meatpacking plant he started with his dad in 1964.

For decades, Hanford Meat Packing Co. in Thayer has been the final destination for some of the livestock entered in local county fair competitions raised with care and exacting standards by local youth who participate in 4-H programs.

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"They learn respect and responsibility," Hanford said of the 4-H participants. "They put a lot into it."

Some may think the goal of showing an animal at the fair is the chance to earn a ribbon, but the price at auction is the real barometer. The reality is the vast majority of livestock shown at fairs everywhere is destined for the dinner table.

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Hanford said he does his best to purchase as much fair livestock as the shop can handle in an effort to support the youth who use the money to continue raising and showing animals.

"I bet we made 80 kids happy this year," Hanford said, as he ruffled through a handful of thank you cards.

Noah Hayden of Lowell will be using the money raised by the sale of his award-winning livestock to be ready for next year's fair season.

His dad, Doug Hayden, said winning the titles is a source of pride and the result of a lot of hard work.

"He had a really good year this year," Hayden said. Noah has been participating in 4-H showing swine and beef for three years. This was a banner year for Noah, who was able to secure top dollar for his livestock, Hayden said.

"Maybe we will put a little away for his college," Hayden said.

Fair season begins the first week in August for Hanford. He works with youth from five different county fairs, the Lake, Porter, Newton and Jasper county fairs, and the Kankakee County in neighboring Illinois. Hanford said he also helps process cattle for the carcass show at the Porter County Fair.

It takes 14 employees to keep the business running, processing meat and taking and filing orders, Hanford said.

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"We all have a lot of pride in what we do," Hanford said.

Randy Rahmoeller, Hanford's nephew, one day hopes to continue the family business. Rahmoeller grew up working in the plant and left for 10 years to work in construction. He returned to the business 10 years ago, and plans to spend his future there.

"It's a great business," Rahmoeller said, adding it takes the entire team to process the 15 to 18 cattle and 20 hogs a week that make their way through the plant. Fair season means there's at least 10 or more animals a week needing processing.

"I like to work with the people, the customers. It definitely takes everybody," Rahmoeller said.

Carrie Napoleon is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
A second challenge to the constitutionality of Indiana's death penalty law has been filed in the case of a man charged with killing a Gary police officer.

Carl Blount's defense team filed a motion Friday that is identical to one filed by attorneys representing serial killing suspect Darren Vann. The motion asks Lake Superior Judge Samuel Cappas to declare Indiana's death penalty statute unconstitutional and to dismiss the state's death penalty request. A hearing has been scheduled for Sept. 7.

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In the filing, Blount's defense team of Richard Wolter, Robert Varga and Thomas Vanes argue that the state's death penalty statute is unconstitutional because it violates a defendant's rights to a fair trial, to the due process requirement of proof beyond a reasonable doubt, and to a jury determination of the facts and law.

Under current Indiana law, a 12-person jury may unanimously recommend the death penalty when they find that prosecutors have proven beyond a reasonable doubt at least one aggravating circumstance and that the aggravating circumstance outweighs any mitigation presented by the defense. Under that framework, the state does not have to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the aggravating circumstance outweighs mitigating circumstances, the filing said. The judge must follow the jury's recommendation and sentence accordingly.

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However, if jurors determine the state has proven one aggravating factor but can't unanimously determine whether the aggravator outweighs the mitigating factors, the court must sentence the defendant to a term of years, to life without parole or to death. The provision in state law that allows a jury to sentence a defendant to death based on proof that is less than beyond a reasonable doubt that the aggravator outweighs any mitigating factors violates the Fifth, Sixth and 14th amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the filing states.

The motion notes that both death penalty cases are before Cappas. Blount's team suggested that it would promote judicial efficiency for the two defendants to have a consolidated hearing and argument on the issues outlined in the filing.

Blount, 28, has pleaded not guilty in the July 6, 2014, shooting of Gary police Patrolman Jeffrey Westerfield, 47, who was found shot multiple times in his police car at 26th Avenue and Van Buren Place.

Vann, 46, has pleaded not guilty in the 2014 killings of Afrikka Hardy, 19, of Chicago; Anith Jones, 35, of Merrillville; Sonya Billingsley, 53, of Gary; Tanya Gatlin, 27, of Highland; Teaira Batey, 28, of Gary; Tracy Martin, 41, of Gary; and Kristine Williams, 36, of Gary.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
While an Indiana State Police forensic scientist identified a handgun found in possession of a man on trial in a Hammond homicide as the weapon used in the killing, a defense expert trashed the firearms identification process as scientifically unreliable.

The vastly different views on the firearms examination were presented to Lake Superior Court jurors in the trial of Stephen Michael Day, 41, of Burnham, Ill., who has pleaded not guilty to a murder charge filed in the June 27, 2012, death of Thomas Thompson, 54, of Hammond.

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Melissa Oberg, a forensic firearms examiner with the Indiana State Police lab in Indianapolis, explained the process she used to identify a bullet recovered during the autopsy of Thompson to a handgun that Day had in his possession when he was stopped by Burnham police on Nov. 2, 2012. Oberg's finding was reviewed by a peer in the laboratory.

Deputy prosecutor Eric Randall showed Oberg photos that compared the bullet that killed Thompson to bullets that were test-fired from the .357 Magnum revolver.

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While he was in the Cook County Sheriff's Department lockup in Markham., Ill., Day told Hammond police Detective Sgt. James Lietz and Capt. Ezequiel Hinojosa he'd stolen the gun from a man who was going to shoot him with it the night of the traffic stop.

On those photographs, Oberg identified for jurors the marks made by the barrel of the handgun that matched in side-by-side photos of the bullets.

Defense expert William Tobin, a retired supervisory special agent with the FBI lab's metallurgy division, was shown the same photos by defense attorney John Maksimovich. Tobin said he had no idea whether the marks that Oberg pointed out were indicative that the bullets were fired from the long-barreled handgun.

Tobin said part of the problem with firearms identification is a "fallacy of presumption" that the surfaces on the bullets are unique. He also challenged the process as 100 percent subjective and said that results can't be repeated or reproduced in firearms examinations.

"Is there any science to back up her opinion?" Maksimovich asked.

"No," Tobin responded.

During cross-examination by Randall, Tobin said he had no idea how much he was being paid for his evaluation, but said his hourly rate was $295. "I probably have $65,000 in billable hours," he said, adding that he typically charges $5,000 to $10,000 for work he does for defense attorneys.

Tobin acknowledged he never examined the firearm itself or the bullet recovered during the autopsy.

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Jurors are expected to hear closing arguments in the courtroom of Judge Samuel Cappas and begin deliberations on Friday.

Ruth Ann Krause is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Merrillville's Vacant and Abandoned Property committee agreed to take the next step in addressing the number of vacant spaces in the Broadway Plaza retail center on the town's north side, which Council President Richard Hardaway called the last remaining eyesore in that area.

"This is a major problem as far as I'm concerned," said Hardaway, who chairs the committee and whose ward includes the plaza.

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He said it's been two years since Sav-A-Lot grocery store moved in as an anchor to the plaza in the 5400 block of Broadway, and no other business has opened there since.

Hardaway said Thursday he believes one of the problems is the rental prices.

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Code enforcement director Vickie Bunnell said there are 12 vacant units in the plaza, including a woman's dress shop that was there for years and just recently left.

Bunnell said she sent letters to the owners informing them that they need to register the vacant spaces with the town and let the town know what they intend to do with them. She said she has yet to receive a response from the owners, who she said are listed as different trust accounts.

Town Attorney John Bushemi said the next step would be to send letters to the owners informing them of their failure to comply.

Hardaway said the owners tried to lease some space in the plaza to a teen club a few years ago, but the council opposed the use.

"That's the north gateway to Merrillville." Hardaway said. "We won't settle for anything just to have something there."

Elsewhere on Broadway, Hardaway said the town was able to acquire for $1 an empty lot on the west side of the street, north of 57th Avenue. He said the owner of an adjacent school may be interested in buying the lot from the town to expand the school's parking lot.

The town will need two appraisals for that lot and six other lots on Broadway and one on 55th Avenue that it acquired in order to sell them. Bushemi said Indiana law calls for two appraisals.

Hardaway has said he hopes the six small lots on Broadway could be made into fewer, larger lots for business use.

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Bunnell said 119 vacant lots are registered with the town so far this year, eight of which are businesses. She said this is a big jump from last year, when only eight owners registered.

Karen Caffarini is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Students were introduced this week to the new Purdue Northwest  the result of the merger of Purdue Calumet in Hammond and Purdue North Central in Westville  by sombrero-wearing classmates touting a study cruise to Mexico and lots of other possibilities for clubs and classes.

Junior John Calvillo held up a round orange sign reading "CRUISE" about HTM 385.

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"Almost every spring we offer HTM 385," said Wendy Kasche, visiting professor in Hospitality and Tourism Management at the White Lodging School of Hospitality, Tourism & Management in the College of Business. The three-credit course offers a semester of instruction about the cruise industry followed by a five-day cruise from New Orleans with stops in Cozumel and the Yucatan. Students interview cruise staff members from all areas of the ship, write travel blogs and reflection papers, she said..

The annual welcome event was significant for the combined campuses in Hammond.

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"It is a historic week. It is the first week of the first academic year of Purdue Northwest," said Wes Lukoshus, assistant vice chancellor, media relations and communications.. "We have five academic colleges that lead to a degree and any of these are part of the Honors College. Two comprehensive campuses and one extraordinary university  that's the way we like to describe it."

Both campuses will have a new Center for Career Management through the College of Business, said Joelynn Marconi, career counselor. "Students can come to see us and we work with them one-on-one at Westville and Hammond," to identify skills and talents, consider internships and plot job strategies.

Kristen Campbell, a senior in her last semester, was enjoying the event while many of her friends were volunteering at tables.

"I'm able to socialize with them and meet the new people," said Campbell. "It's a call-out opportunity," meaning most of the organizations offer sign up lists where students can leave a phone number or email. "You don't have to join right away. They are all flexible and will work with you."

A number of fraternities and sororities were offering volunteer opportunities with such organizations as Big Sisters and Habitat for Humanity. The National Society of Leadership and Success, represented by political science major Kristen Powers, was seeking new members.

"We are open to all majors," she said, with applicants needing to have completed two semesters and achieved a gradepoint average of 3.0 or higher.

Out in the courtyard, a tall fluffy lion posed for pictures with students and faculty. A name hasn't been selected yet for the new mascot.

The Western and English equine teams were represented by senior biology major Kim Moreland.

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"Members do not need to have a horse or experience," she said. "If people don't want to ride, they can learn about horses. Our competitive team takes lessons and competes in Indiana and Wisconsin."

At another table, Michael J. Hines, coordinator for the Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, explained about visitation tours around the country and a summer internship where faculty members are paired with students for research projects.

Bruno Hnatusko, a freshman in the honors college for computer science, paused for a moment amidst the hubbub.

"I like the spirit," Hnatusko said.

Nancy Coltun Webster is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
Valparaiso's population is aging and diversifying, and residents are interested in maintaining neighborhood parks as much as new parks, according to studies for a new five-year plan.

The Valparaiso Parks and Recreation Department's consultants presented the findings at a recent park board meeting. A formal report is expected in the fall.

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Senior Project Manager Austin Hochstettler of PROS Consulting of Indianapolis and Gregg Calpino of Munster's SEH of Indiana suggested that the city consider all of Center Township to be part of the parks area. The median income is higher that way, and the final report will have strategies for including it, Hochstetler said.

People in focus groups want to see better connections on pathways and dedicated funding for the parks, and more outdoor recreational experiences, such as ziplines, adventure racing contests, canoeing and kayaking or tours, Hochstetler said. They'd also like an outdoor pool/aquatic center, an indoor track and a nature center with trails.

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The eighth graders and senior citizens interviewed by the consultants liked the idea of more multi-generation experiences -- programs where the ages meet rather than segregating seniors in Banta Center.

A survey showed that with the aging population, there's an unmet need for adult programs, especially for fitness and wellness, Hochstetler said.

Calpino said research showed not just a need to fill gaps in the hiking and biking pathways, but to better identify trails.

Parks Director John Seibert said Valparaiso University seniors interviewed had no idea a biking and hiking pathway was within 400 feet of the school, and Calpino said the pathways that lead to Valparaiso Marketplace shopping center appeared to just suddenly end with no warning.

People using the pathways want to see connections to countywide trails, Calpino said.

Other survey results show the most visited park is downtown's Central Park with 74 percent of those interviewed or surveyed using it.

Old Fairground Park was second on the list with 63 percent using it.

James D. Wolf Jr. is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
For weeks, Rick Welton heard a whistling sound along the Little Calumet River in the Black Oak section of Gary.

The 63-year-old birdwatcher from Lake Station instinctively figured it was a wounded bald eagle, and not just any bald eagle, but one of the eaglets he had been tracking since April.

Welton had often visited the heavily wooded site to keep an eye, and a camera, on this family of bald eagles  a male, a female and two offspring. He named the eaglets Liberty and Freedom.

One day, he spotted Liberty away from the nest, alone. The bird tried to get on a stump, but fell back  twice. Welton knew something was wrong.

"Birds don't fall off of anything unless there is a problem," he said.

Welton repeatedly returned, sometimes with chicken breasts to help Liberty survive. He kept a highly detailed account of his visits.

On Aug. 3, Welton encountered a swarm of mosquitos.

"It felt like a jungle," he said, recounting how he fell a couple of times in the thicket.

Liberty wasn't moving very fast. He crept closer, standing just 10 feet away. His heart pumped faster. His adrenaline skyrocketed.

"I felt that if I didn't get her now, I wouldn't get another chance," he said.

Welton pulled out a four-foot net. Liberty revealed powerful talons, possessing a deadly grip of 400 pounds per square inch. The two faced each other.

Welton tossed the net on the bird and furiously began trying to tuck it, but the tall grass got in the way and Liberty kept flexing its wings. Welton tried to keep track of the talons.

"But she got me," he said, pointing to four wound marks on his right arm.

Jerry Davich / Post-Tribune Rick Welton of Lake Station rescued a wounded bald eagle earlier this month near the Black Oak section of Gary. Rick Welton of Lake Station rescued a wounded bald eagle earlier this month near the Black Oak section of Gary. (Jerry Davich / Post-Tribune)

Finally, he tucked in the bird and headed out of the woods toward his van. Liberty, secured in a net with bungee cords, squirmed in the passenger seat.

Welton cried.

"It was a very emotional experience," he told me at Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehabilitation Center in Valparaiso where he left the bird in the care of Stephanie Kadletz, a licensed wildlife rehabilitator .

"The eagle was definitely emaciated," Kadletz said, noting it weighed only 5.85 pounds.

This is the first bald eagle rehabilitated at the center, which opened in 2014 and relies on donations and volunteers to operate. (To make a donation or volunteer, call 299-8027 or visit www.mrwildliferehab.org.)

Kadletz allowed me to view the eagle, which is kept alone in a small room. She cracked open the door and I peeked in. I was stunned by Liberty's size, especially its wing-span.

"Isn't she something?" asked Welton, who kneeled down for a better view.

Kadletz said the eagle has been placed in the center's flight cage, where she noticed a right wing injury of some kind. The day I visited, Liberty was taken to a local veterinarian for full-body X-rays and more tests.

"The bird is doing very well these days," Kadletz said, noting Liberty now weighs about 7.5 pounds. "Our hope is that it can ultimately be released back into the wild."

Jerry Davich / Post-Tribune Stephanie Kadletz, a licensed rehabilitator at the Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehab Center in Valparaiso, explains what has been done to help Liberty, a wounded eaglet. Stephanie Kadletz, a licensed rehabilitator at the Moraine Ridge Wildlife Rehab Center in Valparaiso, explains what has been done to help Liberty, a wounded eaglet. (Jerry Davich / Post-Tribune)

Brad Bumgardner, interpretive naturalist at Indiana Dunes State Park, said the eagle population has rebounded well since the first reintroduction efforts in 1985.

"They were removed from the endangered species list since then," he said. "We have well over 200 nesting pairs now in the state."

Bumgardner said eagles began nesting locally in the immediate dunes area a few years ago. They're fairly common along the Kankakee River, he added.

Designated as our country's national bird in 1782, the bald eagle nested throughout the nation. A loss of wetland habitat caused its drastic decline in Indiana. (For more information, visit www.in.gov/dnr/fishwild/3383.htm.)

"The use of industrial pesticides in the 1950s and 1960s caused the bald eagle population to slip to an all-time low," according to the Indiana Department of Natural Resources website. "Eagles absorbed these toxic chemicals through the fish they consumed. When governmental officials finally banned the use of these destructive chemicals, the bald eagle began the long journey down the road to recovery."

Welton has been fascinated with birds, bugs, rocks and fossils since childhood. He still uses the same binoculars he had as a kid. After working 34 years at Union Tank Car in East Chicago, he spends most of his time these days outdoors.

"I consider myself an amateur paleontologist," he said..

He asked me not to reveal the exact site of the eagle nest. The local conservation community takes seriously the protection of wildlife from dangerous human encroachment.

Jerry Davich / Post-Tribune Eagles have rebounded well since 1985, with more than 200 nesting pairs in Indiana. Eagles have rebounded well since 1985, with more than 200 nesting pairs in Indiana. (Jerry Davich / Post-Tribune)

With that said, some conservationists say Welton had no right rescuing the eagle, wounded or not.

"Sometimes you just have to let the circle of life play out," said Mike Echterling of Valparaiso, host of the "Conservation Mike" radio show on WVLP.

"This eagle might not turn out to be able to hunt well because it didn't learn from its parents. It also might not be a very good parent someday," he said.

While Echterling has mixed feelings about Welton's actions, he admitted that he might have done the same thing under similar circumstances.

Welton has no regrets.

"I had to do it," he said.

jdavich@post-trib.com

Twitter@jdavich
"Rosie the Riveter," dressed in overalls and bandanna was introduced as a symbol of patriotic womanhood in the 1940s. Here we are in 2016 and the world's great foundry of freedom still hasn't figured out why, how or even if women get paid less for doing the same work. (Anonymous / ASSOCIATED PRESS)

Here's how unfairness spawns.

Most of the first public school teachers in America were men. The task being a noble, significant, professional pursuit, it made sense for men to hold the position because, you know, they're men, and that's what men do.

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That lasted until male-only school boards found they could hire female teachers at 64 percent of the pay for the same skill. By the 20th century, 75 percent of all public school teachers were female.

Thus was born the teacher's union movement.

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In education, this gender relationship was rendered obvious because all the elected school boards were men. The great national bastion of freedom and democratic opportunity had not gotten around to deciding women were citizens until 1920.

All of the first commercial telephone Bell telephone operators also were men, for many of the same reasons. A guy business. Owned by guys. Run by guys. It's technology. Stand aside little lady, and let the men take over.

That lasted just long enough for Bell bigwigs to recognize that most telephone operators  all teen boys just as telegraphers had been  were swearing, wrestling, beer-drinking pranksters. That almost destroyed the business. So they replaced all of the male operators with females. Cheaper, too.

You can see how broad societal brush strokes hit the canvasses of life. When men hold the paintbrushes, artwork looks skilled but only when you're standing far away. The closer you get to male handiwork, the more paint-by-the-numbers it looks.

I will speak for all white men everywhere. We're all only minor variations of each other. See one, seen 'em all. The world is like some extended John Wayne movie.

Men run things. It's the Almighty's way.

This is why men see neither white privilege or its cousin, male privilege, as real barriers to the other 50 percent of us who are not male. Men do no see such issues unless they are the victims of some other group's sudden decision to speak up.

So, here we are in 2016 and the world's great foundry of freedom still hasn't figured out why, how or even if women get paid less for doing the same work.

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It seems mysterious beyond human understanding, though, in fairness, it wouldn't be nearly as mysterious if men were getting paid less.

Indiana, how do you stand, on Aug. 26, the national Women's Equality Day?

According to the World Economic Forum's annual survey, you are a resident of 26th fairest state in a nation that's the 28th fairest when it comes to equal pay. In fact, the nation has slid eight places in pay fairness since 2014.

Indiana's job equity standard for women suffers particularly in one category that measures fairness: Workplace environment.

Indiana's female workers get paid less, work more hours than men, have fewer seats in executive positions, work more minimum wage jobs, suffer more unemployment and get fewer shots at entrepreneurial advancement. Other than that, things are going great.

Illinois, that evil state just to the west, ranks 17th for women but would be much higher were it not for closed access to political power.

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As for the nation's standing, we are tied for pay equity with Cuba, which is still run by male Marxist revolutionaries. We're one spot behind Mozambique. American exceptionalism apparently isn't exceptional in every area.

If you are a woman who demands her nation enforce pay equity, then you'd have to live in Iceland, Norway, Finland, Sweden or Ireland.

Why is America so Third World when it comes to basic pay fairness?

It's just economic cause and effect. If you have political, educational and financial power, you win. Without power, you are told what to do. In America, that means two third of all minimum wage jobs are held by women, and why raising the minimum wage meets so many objections. Those objections are mostly male objections.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

The Center for American Progress says women are only "25 percent of executive and senior level officials and managers, hold only 19 percent of board seats, and are only 4.6 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs."

And though they constitute the majority of the financial-services and health-care labor forces, no woman in those fields runs her organization.

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Pragmatism is simpler. The power to reshape Indiana's fairness and access resides in the governor's mansion.

Until Indiana's political parties stop reserving the lieutenant governor's spot as the province of the least offensive ceremonial female sidekick, the imbalance won't change.

A woman must lead Indiana, because someone new must speak for women. History suggests it's not going to be a man.

David Rutter was an editor for 40 years at six newspapers. He never got paid much, either.

David.Rutter@live.com
What's Quickly? It's where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com.

Deportation was Donald Trump's biggest promise. Now the fence and deportation are a fuzzy picture in his rear view mirror, like his other grandiose promises.

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Trump says that the Chicago cops could fix the crime problem in one week. It is very easy to fix other people's problems when you have no sense of reality.

Politicians get elected when they cannot do what they promise. There is no perfect world where everyone gets what they want. There will always be the haves and the have nots.

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The Indiana voter ID law was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States several years ago. They agreed to hear it, they heard it, they ruled it was OK as written. They will not rehear it; and even the ACLU will tell you that would be a waste of time to try.

Our two last governors assure us that there is no such thing as climate change, so we can take comfort from the fact that recent unusual weather events in South Bend and Kokomo are just normal Republican weather.

Just because something is printed in Quickly does not mean it is true.

Why do news commentators always present news stories with regard to candidate Trump where the majority of the time he is of the in front of his building in New York City?

If I let my house fall into complete disrepair but have a million dollars in the bank, you'd call me a deadbeat or a fool. Yet when Mike Pence lets Indiana's roads and bridges fall into complete disrepair but hoards a $2 billion surplus just to make himself look good, you call him a great governor.

If you go to Hollywood or Washington, D.C. they have one thing in common. There's a lot of really rich people surrounded by some of the worst streets in America, with drugs, violence, crime and homelessness just blocks away.

Indiana needs a governor that will consider the needs of all of it's citizens. We have had quite enough of the Religious Right and out of state donors controlling our governor.

To the lifelong Cubs fan, if you don't like how Joe Maddon is managing the Cubs, maybe you should apply for the job. If you haven't noticed, the Cubs are leading the major leagues by a lot.

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Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

I loved the Jerry Davich column on old music. Music has such an intoxicating affect. It can lift your spirits with little effort.

I cannot believe all of the road construction projects in Northwest Indiana. It is an obstacle course just getting around. The town of Westville is being attacked from 3 sides with new roads. There is only one way in and out.

Words for your wisdom: Freedom is the presence of peace, and the absence of fear.

I love all these Quicklies that start with "I'm a lifelong Cubs fan," but then go on to just tear them apart. The Cubs are awesome this year. But haters gonna hate.

Charter school sponsors are furious at HBO's John Oliver for revealing what a scam on the public they actually are. They take money from public schools and have no accountability.

Am I the only one who thinks the anthropomorphized shopping cart from the Homewood Chevy commercials looks like the product of a syphilitic mind?

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Read more at www.post-trib.com/quickly.
Wang Jing, chairman of Beijing Xinwei Telecom Technology. [Xinhua]

A company owned by Chinese tycoon Wang Jing is taking over an Israeli satellite operation firm for US$285 million.

Wang said the deal is expected to help Beijing Xinwei Telecom Technology to access "scarce resources" in outer space, as the number of available positions on some satellite orbits is falling.

Wang is known for his plan to build a US$50 billion canal project spanning Nicaragua, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Beijing Xinwei is to acquire a 100 percent stake in Spacecom Satellite Communications through its unit Luxembourg Space Telecommunications, the technology company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"After the acquisition, we will be able to provide services to 95 percent of the world's people and gain a professional team with 20 years' experience in satellite operations," the statement said.

A researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology, who declined to be named, said this makes Xinwei the first private company to acquire scarce orbit resources in an industry that is highly controlled and run mainly by the military.

"This access is a really valuable asset, because the number of available slots on high Earth orbits is quite limited, and only a few permits are granted each year to countries around the world for the launch of satellites," the researcher said.

High Earth orbit refers to an orbit around the Earth at an altitude higher than 36,000 km.

"The United States and Russia dominate the satellite market in terms of manufacturing and operating, and this deal will unlock the potential for Chinese satellite companies," the researcher said.

The deal is not the first foray for Beijing Xinwei, which specializes in mobile network development and space industry products.

In 2013, the company launched a satellite, jointly developed with Tsinghua University, aimed at providing a cheaper alternative to foreign satellite communication providers in China's ocean and desert areas.

Founded in 1989, Spacecom operates AMOS, a series of Israeli communications satellites.

The company presells services and capacity to customers including broadcasters, telecom providers, communications companies and government agencies. The satellites it controls cover the Middle East, Central Europe, Asia and Africa.

Spacecom is also building an Amos 6 satellite for Facebook to provide broadband services directly to mobile phones.
Xu Yuyu, a college-bound student, died from a sudden heart attack on Sunday after tuition fees raised by her family were swindled in a telephone scam.

Police officers make a list of bank cards seized in a telecommunication fraud case in Xuchang, Henan province, in January. [Photo/China Daily]

The 18-year-old from Linyi, Shandong province, scored 568 points on her college entrance exam this year and was admitted to Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

On Aug 19, she received a phone call notifying her that she was due to receive 2,600 yuan ($390) in student funding. She had received an official phone call from the education authority the day before, so she did not question the authenticity of the second call.

Xu wired a 9,900-yuan "activation fee" into the scammer's bank account, hoping the money would appear in her student account, but it never did.

Xu was said to be devastated and fainted on the way back home from reporting the case to police.

Despite doctors' efforts to revive her, she died. According to reports, Xu was healthy.

Xu's family is poor and had to save for almost a year and borrow from relatives to put aside their daughter's tuition.

"We are already so poor. Why did they swindle us?" Li Ziyun, Xu's mother, recalled Xu asking.

"She never misspent her money and always saved what little she had," said Li.

Xu Lianbin, Xu's father, regretted taking his daughter to the police station the day of the swindle.

"If I took her to the police station even one day later, she might have been calm and she wouldn't have died," Xu said.

Staff at the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications told the Linyi police on Wednesday that the school didn't contact Xu, except for issuing an admission letter to her. The school expressed sympathy to Xu's family.

"Information about safety education, including how to avoid fraud, are in the admission notices, which each freshman gets along with the admission letter," said Xu Lei, director of the publicity department at the university.

On the same day that Xu encountered the telephone scam, Li Xiaqin, a sophomore at Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, also received a call, this one informing her that she was involved in a case of money laundering and needed to transfer money to prove her innocence.

Li, also from Linyi, wired 6,800 yuan to the bank account provided by the caller.

The Ministry of Education reminded students on Wednesday about frauds involving student funding. The ministry said any organization or person funding students does not ask students to make any transactions through ATMs or online. Students were advised to first confirm any payments with teachers and the local education authority.

According to an agent who provides student information, such information is easily collected and can be sold for as low as one fen (one-sixth of a cent) per student, Qilu Evening News reports.

"I frequently receive calls from strangers promoting their products. I am really puzzled over who released my information," said Yu, a resident of Jinan, Shandong province who only gave his family name.

Yu said he once received a phone call asking whether he'd like to send his 3-year-old daughter to a class that trains future movie stars.

"I just handed in materials to the kindergarten for my daughter in the morning. Then I got the call in the afternoon," said Yu.

Shi Xinmin, a police officer at the Shizhong district police station in Jinan, said, "These scammers clearly target their victims. It seems they know what you care about."

Police step up coordination overseas against scams

The number of telecom fraud cases in China has seen a sharp rise in recent years, resulting in significant financial losses for those who have fallen prey to scam phone calls. Many families have been left destitute.

In the first half of this year, 287,000 cases were reported nationwide, with losses totaling 8 billion yuan ($1.2 billion).

Authorities have handled 50,000 cases, finding more than 20,000 people guilty of telecom fraud since June last year. During the same period, more than 4,000 telecom fraud rings have been cracked.

Since April, police departments have stepped up coordination with other countries to crack down such crimes, detaining 295 suspects from countries such as Kenya, Malaysia, Cambodia and Laos.

Last year, nearly 600,000 cases were reported nationwide, an increase of almost 50 percent from the previous year, with victims scammed out of a total of 22.2 billion yuan. Half of that total flowed into bank accounts in Taiwan. Only a fraction of the amount has been recovered.

Chen Shiqu, a deputy inspector at the criminal investigation bureau of the Public Security Ministry, said only 200,000 yuan has been recovered in recent years. In most of the cases, criminals from Taiwan set up bases in countries such as Malaysia, Uganda and Turkey before hiring mainlanders to carry out the deception.

In April, police in Guizhou province cracked China's biggest telecom fraud case, in which 117 million yuan of public money was taken from the construction bureau of the Economic Development Zone in Duyun city.
Sixteen bookstores in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are donating books to the poor as part of an ongoing charity drive.

Letao Bookstore owner Li Duan (right) introduces the idea of donating books to a customer in Urumqi. [Photo/China Daily]

Inspired by a popular charity activity in Western countries where cafe customers buy an extra cup of coffee for a person unable to pay, the book-donating activitycalled "Book On The Wall"invites customers to buy extra books and then post the titles and prices on the wall instead of taking them home. The books are offered free of charge to people who don't have the means to pay.

Yalkun Osman, one of the founders of the activity, said, "We hope to help poverty-stricken people who like to read but have no money for books."

Of the 16 bookstores participating in the activity, two are in Urumqi, the regional capitalNawayi Bookstore and Letao Bookstore. They took part in July.

Li Duan, 60, owner of Letao Bookstore, said she decided to join the effort after she learned about it from Yalkun Osman and found that there were many poor people who needed books.

"Before the activity, I used to see some poor children who liked very much to read books but they had no money to buy any," Li said. "I often let them read books in my store. That experience made me want to participate," said Li, who is from Henan province but has lived in Urumqi for more than 10 years.

On the wall of Nawayi Bookstore, more than 20 titles donated by customers waited to be claimed.

Guzalnur, the owner, said she finds the charity activity inspiringso much so that she has provided other free books that were not listed on the wall but were needed to teach reading.

To support the activity, the two bookstores gave 15 to 60 percent discounts to the book donors.

"This bookstore was opened by my son when he was a college student to earn money for his tuition, and he got help from others when he ran the store. Now he had graduated, and I took part in the charity to help others in return," Li said.

Mahmutjan, who recently picked up a Uygur-Han bilingual children's book free for his 10-year-old son, said he was grateful for the activity, which gives people like him a chance to get books for their knowledge-thirsty children.

According to Yalkun Osman, some people didn't notice the activity, possibly because they didn't fully understand the idea, or because of the fast development of the internet, which has changed reading habits.

"But the most important factor is that curiosity and desire for knowledge has decreased, so some people were not willing to spend money for books. They were more willing to buy luxury goods. They pay no attention to their minds or to the training of their children," Yalkun Osman said, adding that the Book On The Wall project was not only a charity activity but also a kind of cultural outreach that could help realize a small dream for poor people who yearn to read.
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China has published the first pictures transmitted back to Earth from Gaofen-3, the countrys first C-band high-resolution Synthetic Aperture Radar satellite with a resolution of 1 meter.

Satellite gives clearer view of the Earth

The State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence published images of the Beijing Capital International Airport, Xiamen in Fujian Province, the northern port of Tianjin, Chinas fourth-largest freshwater lake Hongze and the Yellow Sea.

Gaofen-3 was launched on August 10 and started to take pictures and send them back from August 15.

The data was received by ground stations and processed by the China Center For Resources Satellite Data and Application.

Major users of the satellites services include the State Oceanic Administration, Ministry of Civil Affairs, Ministry of Water Resources and China Meteorological Administration.

Gaofen-3 has all-weather, 24-hour earth observation capability, and will provide China with new technologies for ocean environment monitoring, maritime rights protection, disaster monitoring and evaluation, meteorological research, monitoring of water conservation facilities, and water resource management.
Despite being illegal, childless Shanghainese couples risk their all to tap into the surrogate market, thus ensuring a flourishing underground trade with couples paying upwards of 400,000 yuan (US$60,114) for a baby.

"Every day, leaflets of small reproductive clinics are scattered outside hospitals. Yes, there is a huge demand," according to Sun Xiaoxi, deputy director of Shanghai Jiai Genetics and IVF Institute.

In a January 2015 report, Shanghai's health authority claimed that the city likely had about 400,000 infertile couples, with about 10 to 20 percent of them open to assisted reproductive methods. Sun said in 2015 alone, more than 48,000 couples in Shanghai looked at assisted reproductive methods. About 80 percent of them tried to have test-tube babies.

It is illegal in China to trade sperm, egg and embryos, and medical personnels and institutes are banned from getting involved in surrogacy. But despite that, the trade in having a baby with their DNA, but born to a surrogate mother, has continued to thrive. Much of it has got to do with high infertility rate, relaxation of birth control measures and the traditional imperative to have children.

"Like every other metropolis, locals don't marry at a young age. But when they grow older, they find it difficult to conceive," Sun said.

A legal researcher from Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, Liu Changqiu, told thepaper.cn that at least 10,000 Chinese couples had tried surrogacy this year.

All-inclusive service

Ye Tao, who works for a surrogacy agency called Xibei on Guoquan Road in Yangpu District, told Shanghai Daily that they offered "all-inclusive service, like helping find doctors and surrogate mothers."

"We charge between 400,000 yuan to 700,000 yuan depending on the needs, like if they have a preference for boys," he said. Ye said all the doctors are from top hospitals.

"We arrange the visits to the hospitals. They are then taken to their clinics to get the egg and the sperm. The process is safe and the success rate is high," Ye said.

A surrogate mother has to be healthy and under the age of 32. By "lending her womb" for about 10 months, she earns about 200,000 yuan. Clients can choose if they want the agency to take care of her or if they prefer to do it themselves.

Zhang Yan from Hunan Province earned nearly 200,000 yuan as a surrogate mother this year, thepaper.cn reported. The 31-year-old said she was desperate for money to raise her 2-1/2-year old son after her husband divorced her.

During pregnancy she lived with other surrogate mothers in a three-bedroom apartment rented by the agency.

Another divorced woman, Li Fang, gave similar reasons to get into the trade. Li also has a 3-year-old daughter. During pregnancy, she rarely went out over fears that she would bump into some acquaintances. Worse, she even refused to meet her parents during pregnancy.

The website of the agency, Xibei, claims that it was established in 2005 and had arranged more than 3,000 cases of surrogacy. The clients come from Chinese mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan and the USA.

Lawyer Liu Chunquan said only medical personnels and institutes are punished for helping in surrogacy. Agencies are punished for petty crimes like fraud or illegal medical practice, while surrogate mothers and clients are never punished, which has ensured the survival of the industry.

China's legal planners had looked at the possibility of banning any form of surrogacy and related trade before introducing the amended population and family planning law this year.

"We think surrogacy is a very complicated and sophisticated thing. We need to further discuss it," said Zhang Chunsheng, director of the legislative affairs department with the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

"It's a sensitive issue, and we have to follow the current law. But for me, I sympathize with those infertile couples. Some women want to have a baby but they just can't," Sun said.
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The former deputy mayor of south China's Haikou City, Li Jie, was sentenced to 11 years for accepting bribes of nine million yuan (about 1.3 million U.S.dollars), the local procuratorate said on Thursday.

The Second Intermediate People's Court of Hainan ruled on Thursday that Li was convicted of the crime for accepting nine million yuan and two gold bricks worth about 20,000 yuan from eight institutions and 23 people over 11 years.

The court also fined him 1.6 million yuan.
Chinese warplanes recently flew over an overlapping airspace defense identification zone belonging to South Korea and China, an incident South Korean media said was a show of muscle in response to the THAAD deployment. But the People's Liberation Army spokesman clarified on Thursday that it was part of a routine training program.

Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, takes questions from the press on Aug. 25 in Beijing. [Photo by Chen Boyuan / China.org.cn]

South Korea's Yonhap News Agency said that the fly over prompted Seoul to send warnings and scramble warplanes to escort them.

Colonel Wu Qian, spokesperson for the Ministry of National Defense, clarified at a routine press conference on Aug. 25 that air defense identification zones are not territorial airspace and that Chinese airplanes can legally pass through them, indirectly confirming that the reported fly over did take place.

"Recently, Chinese military aircraft flew to relevant airspace above the Sea of Japan to conduct training. On their way to the training area, they flew though the East China Sea Air Defense Identification Zone and other international airspace. This training is included in the training program," said Colonel Wu.

However, Seoul's decision to deploy the American THAAD system has met with great opposition from China, mainly because its deployment will disrupt the regional strategic balance in East Asia and compromise China-U.S. and China-ROK strategic mutual trust.

Earlier this month, while on a visit to China, U.S. Army's Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley told his Chinese counterpart Li Zuocheng that China should not feel threatened by the deployment of the THAAD system. Milley said that the THAAD system was merely intended to protect South Korea and U.S. personnel from missile attacks by the DPRK and that its radar's detection range was only a few hundred kilometers, implying that it would not jeopardize China's security.

But Colonel Wu said that Milley's explanation was not convincing. He pointed out that U.S. Navy Vice Admiral James Syring said in South Korea that the THAAD system can be turned from the terminal mode to forward-base mode in a very short time, meaning that its radar detection range can suddenly extend to more than 1,000 kilometers.

"The deployment of the THAAD system by the US in the Republic of Korea is not merely a technical issue, but a strategic one," said Wu. "The deployment of the THAAD system is like opening Pandora's Box in the region, the undesirable consequences of which are not to be underestimated."
Song Zhenning died of heart attack after being swindled in a telephone scam . [File photo]

Just five days after a college-bound student died of cardiac arrest after she was swindled by scammers, another student has died after falling victim to same telecom fraud.

Song Zhenning, a sophomore from Linshu county, Shandong province, received a call on Aug 18 purportedly from the local public security bureau. The caller claimed that Song's bank account had a 600,000 yuan overdraft due to jewelry purchase.

"He's a bit suspicious at first, but the other side provided all the bank details and the ID card number," said one of Song's relatives in an interview.

No one knows how exactly the phone call went but Song did transfer 2,000 yuan following the caller's instructions. He kept a receipt.

On his way home, he came across his relatives and talked about the phone call. It was then that Song realized that he was a victim of fraud. They went to the local police station and reported the case.

Four days later, the phone again rang.

According to Song's teacher and classmates, on that day, Song put his living expenses and family savings into the bank account for unknown reasons and in the afternoon he discovered that the money had vanished.

He finally informed his parents but told them he was scammed only 2,000 yuan as he was afraid of their reaction. The parents comforted him.

Song was about to go back to college for new semester the next day. At night, he bought shoes for his mother and clothes for his father online.

In the early morning of next day, Song was found lying on the couch unconcious.

The doctor said Song died from heart attack.

Earlier, Xu Yuyu, a college-bound student, died from a heart attack on Aug 21 after tuition fees raised by her family was swindled in a telephone scam.

On Aug 19, she received a phone call notifying her that she was due to receive 2,600 yuan (US$390) in student funding. She had received an official phone call from the education authority the day before, so she did not question the authenticity of the second call.

On the same day that Xu received the telephone scam, Li Xiaqin, a sophomore at Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, also received a call, this one informing her that she was involved in a case of money laundering and needed to transfer money to prove her innocence.

Li, also from Linyi, wired 6,800 yuan to the bank account provided by the caller.
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Congress people take part in the Brazilian Senate's session, during which the final stage of the impeachment process against suspended Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff is started, in Brasilia, Brazil, on Aug. 25, 2016. [Xinhua]

The Brazilian Senate began Thursday the impeachment trial of suspended president Dilma Rousseff.

Rousseff was accused of seeking to hide public budget deficits through fiscal irregularities, such as delaying loan payments to public banks and ordering additional loans without congressional approval.

Kicking off proceedings at 9:33 a.m., Ricardo Lewandowski, president of the Supreme Court, read out the order of proceedings to a sparsely filled Senate chamber, with only 28 of 81 senators present.

Then, the witnesses for the prosecution have begun to be heard. These include Julio Marcelo de Oliveira, a public official from the federal accountability office (TCU) who made the allegations against Rousseff, and Antonio Carlos Costa D'Avila, the chief auditor of the TCU.

According to daily O Globo, de Oliveira's testimony saw him accuse Rousseff of violating the Constitution through fiscal manipulation.

"Excess revenues, despite coming from a specific course, can only supplement a provision for future expenditure, if authorized in the budget. (In this case), there was no legislative approval, which means it was a violation of the Constitution," he was quoted as saying.

De Oliveira added that the TCU also never allowed such actions to be taken in 2014 or 2015.

The rest of Thursday and Friday will be dedicated to hearing witnesses. This process may continue into the weekend, if needed.

The defense has presented six witnesses, the maximum permitted. These include Rousseff's former planning minister Nelson Barbosa, her former budget secretary Esther Dweck, a leading economist Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, the former political investment secretary, Gilson Bettencourt, the former executive secretary of the ministry of education, Luiz Claudio Costa, and a law professor from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Geraldo Prado.

The declarations of each witness will be heard individually, followed by three minutes allotted for questions from each senator and three minutes for answers.

On Monday, Aug. 29, Rousseff will appear and provide her testimony while the prosecutors and defense lawyers will present their cases. On Tuesday, Aug. 30, the senators will express their opinions about the case.

The final vote into whether to impeach Rousseff or not could be held on Aug. 30, if time allows, or the next day.

Rousseff was temporarily suspended for up to 180 days on May 12 and her Vice President Michel Temer took over the presidency on an interim basis.

A two-thirds majority, 54 out of 81 senators,is needed to fully remove her from office. If this level of support is not obtained, Rousseff will immediately return to power and the case against her will be dropped.

Should Rousseff be impeached, Temer would complete her mandate until the end of 2018 and she would be ineligible to stand for public office for eight years.
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Photo taken on Aug. 24, 2016 shows damaged houses after an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy. [Xinhua]

At least 267 lives were claimed in the devastating earthquake that hit the central regions of Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, Italian officials said on Friday.

Some 207 people died in Amatrice and 11 in Accumoli, two towns in Rieti province close to the epicenter, Italian civil protection emergency chief Titti Postiglione told a press conference.

Other 49 victims were registered between Arquata del Tronto and Pescara del Tronto in Ascoli Piceno province.

Some 387 injured people were hospitalized across Lazio, Marche, and Abruzzo regions.

Rescue teams and dog units have been at work amid the rubbles all night long, the second past from the major quake that has also left thousands displaced, Ansa news agency reported.

About 2,100 people slept in the tent cities set up in the quake-hit areas, the civil protection said. Overall, some 3,500 places had been made immediately available for those who lost their houses.

Search for survivors: Race against time

Amatrice was almost flattened by the 6.0-magnitude quake, which struck at 3:36 a.m. local time on Wednesday.

A makeshift hospital was being set up near the devastated town, civil protection Postiglione told reporters in Rome. It would work in addition to Rieti, Ascoli, and L'Aquila hospitals, which have been serving as major reference medical points in the emergency.

In a race against time for last survivors, rescuers in the town have focused their efforts on two sites: a private building along the main street, and famed Hotel Roma nearby.

A high toll of victims was feared in the hotel, which had 32 registered guests during the night of the quake. However, at least 20 of them were believed to have escaped during the tremor, Ansa cited fire fighters official Carlo Cardinali as reporting. Fire fighters were told 15 people were still missing in Amatrice, and were believed to be under the rubbles, the official added.

Chances to find someone still alive were growing weaker, yet authorities vowed search activities would continue until all missing people were found.

Furthermore, some survivors of the 2009 L'Aquila quake had been found alive under the ruins as long as three days after the event, emergency experts and rescuers recalled.

The civil protection emergency chief said some 238 people were saved from under the rubbles so far: some 215 by firefighters, and 23 by rescue teams of Italy's mountain military corp.

Aftershocks

Some 4,000 units from all Italian civil and military forces were deployed in the huge emergency operation, according to authorities. Their efforts have been put at major risk by strong aftershocks since Thursday afternoon, which made the already damaged buildings tremble and more ruins collapse.

Overall, 928 aftershocks have been registered since the first quake, the National Institute of Volcanology and Seismology (INGV) stated.

"We had 57 tremors just since midnight on Thursday, and a major one among them -- a 4.8 magnitude quake at 6:28 a.m. local time according to INGV," Postiglione said.

A major bridge near Amatrice, which was crucial to rescuers and aid transportation, had to be shut on Friday morning because of the new tremors, the official added.

The Italian cabinet declared a state of emergency in the affected areas on Thursday, allocating a first trance of 50 million euros (US$56 million) to assist quake-stricken communities.
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Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi (5th R) attends a reception commemorating the 25th anniversary of ASEAN-China dialogue relations in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2016. [Xinhua]

A reception to mark the 25th anniversary of the dialogue relationship between China and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) was held in Beijing on Thursday.

Before the reception, Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi met with ASEAN ambassadors and representatives in Beijing, saying bilateral relations have made big strides over the past 25 years and contributed to regional peace, stability and prosperity.

China is willing to work with ASEAN to hold a successful commemorative summit marking the 25th anniversary of the dialogue relationship in September this year and to advance bilateral relations to a higher level, Yang said.

The ASEAN diplomats said China is the most active dialogue partner for ASEAN and ASEAN will work with China for a better relationship.

Yang and the ASEAN diplomats also visited an exhibition featuring China-ASEAN relations and unveiled a commemorative envelop to mark the 25th anniversary of the relationship at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse.
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U.S. Democratic Presidential Candidate Hillary Clinton gestures to spectators 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. [Xinhua]

More than half of the likely voters, or 53 percent, said they had "strongly unfavorable" views of Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, while 46 percent said the same about his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton, according to a national poll released Thursday.

Clinton now holds 10-point lead over Trump, 51 percent to 41 percent, among likely voters in a two-way race, the Quinnipiac University poll finds.

The New York billionaire leads Clinton among white men, 59 percent to 32 percent, and voters who are 50 years of age and older, while Clinton has the support of women, 60 percent to 36 percent, and those younger than 50, the poll shows, noting Trump has only 29 percent support of millennials aged from 18 to 34, and 15 percent of nonwhites.

Unpopularity rate remains high for both the two main parties' candidates though the latest results are a little bit better than what was issued earlier this month.

The former Secretary of State is viewed negatively by 59 percent of voters and Trump by 64 percent, according to the NBC News and the Survey Monkey Weekly Election Tracking Poll issued on Aug. 16.

Trump has recently soften his harshest positions on illegal immigrants and even apologized for causing pain to those he had attacked. However, it is deeply suspected if the change can continue and improve his performance in the polls.

Meanwhile, criticism has mounted for days over the allegations that donors to the Clinton Foundation enjoyed an easy access to Clinton during her time in the State Department.

The position change of Trump seems to be too convenient while the allegations over the Clinton Foundation have dealt a new blow to the Democratic nominee, leaving small room for them to swiftly enhance their popularities among voters, local analysts say.
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A Chinese fleet participates in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises with U.S. warships in west Pacific Ocean, June 20, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua]

A series of joint military exercises among Chinese, Russian, U.S. and Australian troops is getting underway.

The Chinese Defense Ministry says the first set of joint drills are already underway.

Spokesperosn Wu Qian says Chinese ground forces are teaming up with US and Australian troops for training sessions in Australia's rugged northern regions.

"Based on our agreement with the U.S. and Australian defense departments, China, the US and Australia are holding the joint 'Exercise Kowari 2016' that includes field survival training in Darwin, Australia from Aug. 24 to Sept. 11."

On top of this, the Chinese Defense Ministry says Chinese and Australian ground forces will also conduct their own, separate exercies - dubbed "Panda-Kangaroo 2016" from September 14th to the 23rd.

Those exercies, which will take place near Sydney, Australia, will include canoeing and downhill climbing drills.

The Chinese side says both sessions in Australia will be a good opportunity for Chinese ground forces to interact with their counterparts from Australia and the United States, and will also improve their overall training.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry's Wu Qian says preparation work is also underway for a planned joint naval exercise with Russia.

"China and Russia have held their third round of negotiation over the 'Joint Sea 2016' maritime exercise in Zhanjiang City from Aug. 16 to 21, exchanging views on the exercise plan and arrangements for communication and logistic supports. They have reached wide consensus and have also inspected the relevant sites and facilities to be involved in the exercises. "

An exact date as to when the joint naval exercises with the Russian navy have not been laid out.
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The impeachment trial against Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff began Thursday with the prosecution's main witness disqualified.

Julio Marcelo de Oliveira, a prosecutor at the Federal Court of Accounts (TCU), was supposed to testify earlier in the day.

However, the Supreme Court chief justice Ricardo Lewandowski disqualified Oliveira as a witness after Rousseff's defense team argued the federal prosecutor attended anti-Rousseff protests.

Oliveira, who accused Rousseff of breaking budget laws in his testimony, will instead testify as an informant.

All witnesses in the impeachment trial are being kept isolated in a hotel in Brasilia without access to any sort of news. The testimony process is expected to last until Monday, when both the prosecution and the defense will present their final statements.

Rousseff is expected to present her own defense on Monday. On Tuesday, the Senate will have the final vote.

If found guilty, Rousseff will be removed from office definitively.

Rousseff is charged with spending without congressional approval and manipulating government accounts in the run-up to her 2014 re-election.
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The Philippine government and communist rebels signed a cease-fire agreement on Friday after week-long peace talks in Oslo to end Asia's longest-running insurgency, NTB news agency reported.

In a joint declaration, the government and the National Democratic Front of the Philippines, the umbrella organization of Marxist groups including the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed group, the New People's Army, said they have agreed on a cease-fire with no time constraints.

The declaration also marks the beginning of a new round of formal peace talks between them, said the report. The two parties agreed to meet again in Oslo on Oct. 8 to deal with some remaining tough questions, it added.

As Rodrigo Duterte became new Philippine president this June, his administration is keen to forge peace with the rebels.

The peace talks first began in 1986. Yet over the years, no tangible results were made. Norway has facilitated the peace process since 2001. The last formal round of the negotiations took place in 2011.

The rebels begun its insurgency in 1969 and reached its peak in 1987 when it boasted 26,000 armed guerillas.

However, the movement has since dwindled due to differences in strategy and tactics, as well as the arrest of many of its top leaders in the late 1980s. According to the Philippine military, the group now has around 4,000 members.
Nikkei | Aug. 26, 2016

Boeing will establish a Chinese factory for completing the 737 jetliner for local delivery, its first such facility abroad.

The U.S. aircraft maker aims to begin operations at the facility in 2018 or 2019 with joint-venture partner Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China, or Comac, according to Ihssane Mounir, Boeing's senior vice president of sales for Northeast Asia.

The facility will install seats, kitchen facilities and lavatories as well as handle exterior painting. The location has yet to be decided.

State-owned Comac is developing the C919, a small aircraft in the same class as the 737. Although there are concerns about technology leaks, Mounir said Boeing will protect technology it relies on to be competitive while working with its Chinese partner on the rest of the 737. Boeing already has strong ties with China on the manufacturing front, including procurement of aircraft parts from that country.

China is forecast to supplant the U.S. as the largest aircraft market within a few years. Boeing projects that in the two decades until 2035, the world will need 39,620 new planes. China will need at least 6,000 aircraft worth some US$1 trillion.

Boeing is looking to capitalize on the country's abundant demand. European rival Airbus already has a final assembly line for its A320 jetliner in Tianjin.

Related News:

Boeing Says China Demand for Aircraft Steady Despite Economic Slowdown

Boeing, COMAC to Jointly Build 737 Plant in China
By Lena Ge, China Aviation Daily | Aug. 26, 2016

Hainan Airlines plans to launch two new services from Haikou to Laos over the next two weeks.

The carrier will start a Haikou-Vientiane service on August 31, followed by Haikou-Luang Prabang on September 4.

Both routes will be operated using Boeing 737-800 aircraft, despite frequencies unknown.

The launch of two new routes will facilitate travel and economy exchanges between China and Laos during the Association of Southeast Asian Nation (ASEAN) Summit in Vientiane.
Chinese tycoon Wang Jing waves after attending a media conference in Managua, Nicaragua, December 23, 2014. [Photo / VCG]

A company owned by Chinese tycoon Wang Jing is taking over an Israeli satellite operation firm for $285 million.

Wang said the deal is expected to help Beijing Xinwei Telecom Technology to access "scarce resources" in outer space, as the number of available positions on some satellite orbits is falling.

Wang is known for his plan to build a $50 billion canal project spanning Nicaragua, connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

Beijing Xinwei is to acquire a 100 percent stake in Spacecom Satellite Communications through its unit Luxembourg Space Telecommunications, the technology company said in a statement on Wednesday.

"After the acquisition, we will be able to provide services to 95 percent of the world's people and gain a professional team with 20 years' experience in satellite operations," the statement said.

A researcher at the China Academy of Space Technology, who declined to be named, said this makes Xinwei the first private company to acquire scarce orbit resources in an industry that is highly controlled and run mainly by the military.

"This access is a really valuable asset, because the number of available slots on high Earth orbits is quite limited, and only a few permits are granted each year to countries around the world for the launch of satellites," the researcher said.

High Earth orbit refers to an orbit around the Earth at an altitude higher than 36,000 km.

"The United States and Russia dominate the satellite market in terms of manufacturing and operating, and this deal will unlock the potential for Chinese satellite companies," the researcher said.

The deal is not the first foray for Beijing Xinwei, which specializes in mobile network development and space industry products.

In 2013, the company launched a satellite, jointly developed with Tsinghua University, aimed at providing a cheaper alternative to foreign satellite communication providers in China's ocean and desert areas.

Founded in 1989, Spacecom operates AMOS, a series of Israeli communications satellites.

The company presells services and capacity to customers including broadcasters, telecom providers, communications companies and government agencies. The satellites it controls cover the Middle East, Central Europe, Asia and Africa.

Spacecom is also building an Amos 6 satellite for Facebook to provide broadband services directly to mobile phones.

Zhao Lei contributed to this story.
A potentially vast export market for the United States opened this week when the first shipment of liquefied natural gas from the US sailed into China.

The cargo of US gas arrived on Monday at the Chinese port of Yantian, in the city of Shenzhen in Guangdong province. It came from the Sabine Pass export facility, in Texas, on the Gulf of Mexico, according to S&P Global Platts, a provider of energy and commodities information.

LNG is a clear, colorless and non-toxic liquid which is formed when natural gas is cooled to minus 126 C to make it easier to transport and store.

Stuart Elliott, a senior writer at Platts, which is a unit of Standard and Poor's Financial Services LLC, said demand for LNG in Chinaunlike in Japan and South Koreais rising, so the US will likely be targeting the Chinese market for LNG exports in the future.

"Total Chinese LNG imports so far in 2016 are up by around 18 percent year-on-year. US LNG is relatively cheap compared with other sources of LNG due to the shale gas boom in the US," Elliott wrote.

China imports LNG from several countries, "but the more alternatives you have, the cheaper you can procure your LNG," Elliott added.

Monday's shipment came via an expanded Panama Canal. New locks that opened earlier this summer permit larger ships to pass.

"Exports to the key markets of Japan, South Korea and China were made considerably more economical with the opening of the expanded Panama Canal," said Elliott. "Currently, the cost of shipping to Japan/South Korea through the canal is $1.11/MMBtu (per one million British thermal units), compared with $1.56/MMBtu via the Cape of Good Hope and $1.71/MMBtu through the Suez Canal."

Charlie Riedl, executive director of the Washington-based Center for Liquefied Natural Gas, an industry trade group, said that an expanded Panama Canal will help US LNG producers serve the Asian markets by shaving days off of shipping time.

"Travel time from the US Gulf Coast to Japan will be reduced by 11 to 14 days per voyage, depending on the route taken," he said.

Riedl said the majority of US exports will come from liquefaction terminals located on the Gulf Coast and the East Coast. "US LNG facilities including those that are operational or under construction are authorized to export up to 157 billion cubic meters per year, making them well equipped to meet the growing demand for LNG in Asia," he noted.

A spokesman for the US Department of Energy said additional large-scale liquefaction facilities are under construction in the states of Louisiana, Maryland and Texas.
Editor's Note: In this ongoing series on the birth and growth of privately owned Chinese companies that are redefining innovation, China Daily profiles Tiandy Digital Technology Co Ltd, one of the largest privately owned suppliers of video surveillance solutions in China that exports its innovative lowlight cameras.

Tiandy Digital Technology Co Ltd, one of the largest privately owned suppliers of video surveillance solutions in China, plans to roll out two production lines to double its sales in 2017 driven by surging demand.

The Tianjin-based company pioneered a surveillance camera requiring minimum brightness, equivalent to one star, to function. It is able to capture color photographs in true high definition even at night.

The private company started to develop the Starlight series cameras five years ago, and launched the second-generation camera at the beginning of 2016. Revenue in the first half of this year exceeded 800 million yuan ($120 million), up 37 percent from a year earlier.

The cameras gained popularity when launched earlier this year. They were set up beside all 12 playing fields in France during the European Cup this summer, and were shipped to the US for use in parking systems. Its sales in the European Cup project were 10 million yuan.

"We are the first in China to develop cameras with innovative technology that can shoot color photos even when the objects are 5 meters away, lit by candle light. The camera weighs only 0.6 kilogram," said Zhang Zheng, brand director of the firm.

It is estimated that global revenue for security equipment and services will exceed $170 billion, of which the Asian market will rise to $60 billion, 35 percent of the total, according to Dongxing Securities Co Ltd.

To meet the increasing demand, Tiandy's research and development team is accelerating the pace of technology innovation to grab bigger market share in the industry. "We see R&D as a must. The company spends, on average, 20 percent of its revenue exploring new opportunities," Zhang said. "We will invest more in the future."

The firm came to an agreement in April with a contractor to manufacture Super Starlight parking surveillance cameras in the US. "Under the agreement, the contractor will give our products first priority when they need cameras. The firm has begun to supply the order," Zhang said.

A scarcity of technical talent and low brand awareness are creating a bottleneck for the future development of the private company. In most of its previous overseas orders, the company produced on-contract for global brands.

To cope with the challenges, the manufacturer is hiring more young professionals in the R&D team to achieve technical breakthroughs.

"For the overseas markets, our goal is to build brand reputation by participating in industry exhibitions and developing independent distribution channels," Zhang said.

Wang Ying contributed to this story.
Dutch high-speed trading firm IMC BV is being investigated by authorities in China for its activities in the country's stock-index futures market last year.

The firm has received inquiries from the China Securities Regulatory Commission related to futures trading at its Shanghai-based affiliate, said IMC spokesman Ian Bickerton. Discussions between IMC and the regulator have been constructive and positive, Bickerton said.

The CSRC didn't reply to a fax seeking comment.

"IMC has confirmed with external counsel that its futures trading activity in China complied with all applicable regulations and exchange rules," Bickerton said.

"IMC is very confident that, after reviewing the information provided by IMC, the CSRC will resolve its inquiries positively."

The probe is the latest example of China's crackdown on high-speed traders in the wake of last year's market rout. Yishidun International Trading was earlier this month charged with manipulation by prosecutors in Shanghai. Also a draft rule on automated trading that would be among the strictest in the world was published late last year. The draft was reportedly put on hold, though the regulator has yet to comment.

China's $6.5 trillion equity market is free from high-frequency trading, because buying and selling a stock on the same day is banned. But some derivatives contracts, including stock-index futures, are available to super-fast traders, whose interest helped China's index futures market briefly become the world's biggest last year.

Regulators blamed the heightened activity for helping fuel the stock boom and subsequent bust, and in response imposed curbs that cut volume by 99 percent. The curbs remain in force, though regulators are said to be planning on easing them.

Shanghai prosecutors said on Aug 4 they have charged Yishidun with a criminal case likely to begin in the next three months. Yishidun is alleged to have self-traded and also placed large batches of orders far away from the market price, the Xinhua News Agency reported in November, citing the Shanghai police.

The hearings are expected to offer a view into how Chinese authorities view high-frequency trading. A spokesman for Yishidun said the firm "is ready to defend its position in court when required to do so".

Bloomberg
Two jack-up drilling platforms were delivered on Thursday at COSCO Dalian Shipyard in Dalian, Northeast China's Liaoning province.

Built for UK-based Foresight Group and named VIVEKANAND1 and VIVEKANAND2, the platforms will be moved to the west coast of India to serve Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC).

"We are all aware that the delivery of these rigs into the current market is a very special event as oil prices are low and so many oil exploration and drilling companies are struggling to survive," said Richard Sadler, CEO of Foresight Group.

Foresight and COSCO have proved they can ride the waves of the cycles, he said.

COSCO Dalian Shipyard Co Ltd is a leading shipbuilding and offshore engineering yard of COSCO Shipyard Group Co Ltd, which is a subsidiary of China COSCO SHIPPING Co Ltd.

"This is the first time that China has delivered two Super 116E platforms at the same time. It's especially precious under the current difficult market situation," said Liang Yanfeng, president of COSCO Shipyard Group and the board chairman of COSCO Dalian Shipyard.

Liang said the project benefits from the local government and national insurance and banking institutions, such as the China Export & Credit Insurance Corporation, the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and the China Development Bank Dalian Branch.

Tao Yi, vice-general manager of Sinosure Liaoning Branch, said the company is proactive in supporting leading Chinese offshore enterprises, assisting them to secure high-quality orders and to establish co-operation relationship with premium owners.

Since 2008, it has provided COSCO Dalian Shipyard with insurance cover for construction of nearly 240 projects, and financing support under export buyer's credit insurance to about 10 projects, he said.

"By undertaking credit risks during construction period and upon delivery, we help build a trust-cooperation system among shipyards, owners, and financial institutions," said Tao.
Wang Jianlin, chairman of China's Wanda Group speaks during an agreement ceremony in Beijing, February 10, 2015. [Photo/IC]

The government needs to take measures to encourage Chinese shoppers to spend money at home instead of overseas, Wang Jianlin, who runs China's largest chain of department stores, said on Thursday.

As investment and export's contribution to China's economic growth is weakening, consumption is regarded as an increasingly important driver. But the growth of Chinese overseas consumption, according to Wang, has far outpaced domestic consumption. And overseas consumption has changed from just in luxury products to daily products.

"Policy makers need to study this very seriously and come up with policies to curb excessive overseas consumption and pull consumers back home," the Wanda Group chairman said at a conference in Beijing on Thursday. The government needs to promote local brands and take measures against "shoddy" goods to regain consumers' confidence in domestic products, he said.

Chinese consumers spent about 1.5 trillion yuan ($225 billion) overseas in 2015, with about half of that going toward shopping, Commerce Minister Gao Hucheng said in a briefing in February.

Wang said he rejected a proposal from Korean government officials to provide him with a piece of land near Seoul on the condition that he uses it to build 20 to 30 plastic-surgery clinics geared toward Chinese visitors. He said he turned down the offer because it would result in more Chinese consumers going to Korea for plastic surgery.
A carver from the Netherlands works on a sand sculpture during the Zhoushan International Sand Sculpture Exhibition in Zhujiajian resort of Zhoushan city, East China's Zhejiang province on August 25, 2016. The exhibition is one of the activities organized to welcome the upcoming G20 Summit being held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province early next month. Some 50 sand sculptures will be built by dozens of carvers from around the world. [Photo/Xinhua]
As an important forum for cooperation among developed countries, emerging economies and developing countries, the G20 plays a key role in leading and advancing international economic cooperation, Xie Feng, the Chinese Ambassador to Indonesia, said in an article published on The Jakarta Post Wednesday.

Xie said that as the holder of the G20 presidency, China is keenly aware of the heavy responsibilities on its shoulders. During preparations for the G20 Hangzhou summit, China is working with all parties to pull in one direction in the spirit of a win-win partnership and to help pool wisdom and form synergy.

According to Xie, China is working to seek common solutions and contribute China's wisdom to this year's summit themed "Toward an Innovative, Invigorated, Interconnected and Inclusive World Economy".

"As an important emerging economy and a major developing country, Indonesia is the only Southeast Asian member of the G20. Under the leadership of President Jokowi, Indonesia is committed to promoting reform, development and people's livelihoods and has achieved sustained and rapid growth," Xie said.

"I am confident that with concerted efforts from all parties, the Hangzhou summit will fulfill our expectations and help build confidence and hope across the globe."

According to Xie, Indonesia plays an indispensable role in stabilizing the global economy. It has become the third-fastest growing economy among G20 members with an annual growth rate of 4.8 percent in 2015.

Statistics from the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) also show that Indonesia's realized foreign direct investment (FDI) in the first half of 2016 increased by 12.3 percent to exceed $14 billion, including $1.01 billion from the Chinese mainland, which increased significantly by 532 percent from the same period last year, Xie wrote in the article.

"These figures demonstrate the confidence of Chinese and other international investors in Indonesia's economy. I have full confidence in Indonesia's growth prospects as well as our trade and investment cooperation."

In the article, Xie mentioned that as an active participant in previous G20 summits, Indonesia has made important and unique contributions to the reform of international financial institutions, infrastructure cooperation and global sustainable development and helped to uphold the interests of developing countries. "China and Indonesia are the two largest emerging economies in East Asia and share similar positions and broad common interests in enhancing and reforming global economic governance," he said.

"Indonesian President Jokowi will soon leave for China to attend the G20 summit and meet with President Xi. This will be President Jokowi's third visit to China and the fifth meeting between our two presidents. Such frequent high-level exchange is unprecedented in our bilateral history and demonstrates the high standards of performance of our relationship.

"The two presidents will have in-depth discussions on aligning our development strategies, enhancing practical cooperation and jointly promoting peace and prosperity in the region and beyond. Hangzhou, renowned for its rich history, is also a city of innovation," according to Xie.

"It is a cosmopolitan city with a distinctive Chinese cultural appeal and global vision. I believe President Jokowi's upcoming visit will not only help to ensure a successful G20 summit but also reinvigorate the growth of our bilateral ties," he said.
The Hangzhou International Expo Center will be the main venue for the G20 Leaders Summit, which will be held on Sept 4 and 5 in Hangzhou, the capital of Zhejiang province. [Photo/Xinhua]

As the opening of the G20 Leaders Summit draws near, Hangzhou, the host city, is quickening its step to promote its signature beauty and entrepreneurship overseas.

One of the strongest endorsements has come from Jack Ma, founder and chairman of the Hangzhou-based global Internet giant Alibaba.

In a TV interview on Thursday, he explained why he chose to stand with Hangzhou from the very beginning.

"Because this city has entrepreneurship. It's so friendly to private sectors, and people here are well-educated," Ma said.

"We've got great talent, we've got a good environment, and we've got great culture, fighting for the future."

Although many may have been surprised when Hangzhou was chosen to host the summit, economic statistics suggest it well deserves the honor.

When the national economy grew at 6.7 percent in the first half of this year, the lowest in more than two decades, Hangzhou steamed ahead with 10.8 percent growth, joining hands with Chongqing as China's only two cities with a double-digit growth rate.

Walking along the streets of Hangzhou, through centuries-old allies and along Broadway-like Yan'an Avenue, a tourist can get whatever he or she wants with just a smartphone, via Alipay or WeChat Pay. No cash or credit cards are needed.

Starting this month, one can rent public bikes simply by scanning the QR code with a phone, no deposit required.

"I feel so proud. This is a city I will always miss, no matter where in the world I go," Ma said.

Meanwhile, a short video showcasing the beauty of Zhejiang province and its capital, Hangzhou, is being shown on CNBC channels during prime time until Sept 12.

The video, created by CNBC's Catalyst Content Studio, highlights some of Hangzhou's finest attractions.

From famous sights like the Qiantang River and West Lake to the headquarters of leading internet corporations, the video shows how the city has built its legacy on a long history of commerce and seafaring and developed into a vast modern hub of technology, imports and exports.

"As tea flows from the pot and warms the soul, as a lake massages the shores and nourishes the well-being of those who seek its serenity, Hangzhou is an ecosystem built for the future," a narrator says.

In 1972, when then-US president Richard Nixon came to rebuild relations with China, much of the negotiations and discussions were conducted in Hangzhou rather than Shanghai, where the final document was signed. Some scholars say the relaxing scenery in Hangzhou helped the two nations reach a deal.

"I think it's great to see another side of China," said Jaime Brett, 26, a student of media studies at New York University who is from Ohio.

"When we think of China, we tend to think of the Great Wall, pandas, Shanghai's skyline, but not a scenic city like Hangzhou," Brett told China Daily. "I think the video is perfect at showing us the diversity of China's cities."

Judy Zhu in New York contributed to this story.
A boy learns driving in An'an Traffic School at BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education Experience Center in Shenyang, Liaoning province, Aug 15, 2016. [Photo Provided To China Daily]

Northeast China's first permanent children's traffic safety education center, supported by BMW, opened last week in Liaoning province for every family free of charge, and the car maker started a social responsibility platform attracting volunteers to aid teaching.

The German automaker, celebrating its centenary this year, opened BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education Experience Center on Aug 25, at Shenyang Science Centrum in Shenyang city, capital of Liaoning province, and it will accept reservations from Sept 1 through the website.

"As an industry leader in CSR, BMW has been committed to promoting children's traffic safety with all stakeholders," said Anton Heiss, president & CEO, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, at the opening ceremony.

He said, "We are happy to see that we have made a real difference in building a safer world for Chinese children, and that is why we persist in running the traffic safety education program."

Anton Heiss, president & CEO, BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd, gives a speech at the opening ceremony. [Photo Provided To China Daily]

BMW Children's Traffic Safety Education, or BMW CTSE, has been running successfully for 12 years, bearing the philosophy of success, responsibility, and innovation.

After being introduced to China in 2005, BMW CTSE has traveled through 63 cities, and brought road safety education to more than 390,000 parents and children.

Heiss said, "We firmly believe that an excellent corporate citizen should not only have prominent business strength, but also take account of stakeholders in order to drive the industry's development and boost the society's unceasing progress."

Shenyang based BMW Brilliance Automotive Ltd also recruited 10 volunteers to support the CTSE program.

Yang Meihong, vice-president of BBA, told the reporter,"We are trying to promote the education nationwide, and started from stakeholders, including our associates, dealers, and car owners.

"As long as the stakeholders received good education on children's traffic safety, they are going to influence more people."
Shigetaka Komori, president and chief executive officer of Fujifilm Corp. [Photo / Agencies]

Fujifilm has survived and transformed into a global technology brand under its veteran chief

When the Tokyo-headquartered Fujifilm Corp elevated Shigetaka Komori, 77, its CEO since June 2003 and group president since 2000, to chair-man in 2012, photographic products, the company's mainstay, were reeling from the digital onslaught.

There was a time when photo graphic products accounted for 60 percent of the company's sales and up to 70 percent of its profit. But, within a decade, digital cameras evolved and thrived - and nearly destroyed Fujifilm.

The fate that befell Fujifilm's US rival Eastman Kodak Co, the 131-year-old maker of photographic film that filed for bankruptcy protection in 2012, almost came knocking on the company's door.

But, led by Komori, Fujifilm not only survived but with-stood the testing times. Today, it has transformed itself into a global technology brand known for innovation in six fields, with more than $20 bil-lion in annual revenues.

In accordance with its global strategy of diversified development, Fujifilm has been focusing on healthcare, graphic arts systems, highly functional materials, document solutions, optical devices and digital imaging.

Fujifilm operates 16 plants and branch offices in China. The company has invested more than $213 million in China and is optimistic about its future.

Recently, Komori spoke with China Daily about the company's strategy and his management style. The following are edited excerpts from the interview:

What's the secret of Fujifilm's success in China?

The key elements of our success are that we are honest and fair to society and to our stake-holders, no matter what kind of markets we are in. We have contributed to the Chinese society by providing products and values of high quality, good cost performance, excel-lent technology, and high credibility, which also fulfill the specific needs of the China market.

In the meantime, we cultivate sales talent who are able to understand customers' needs, deliver the advantages of our company and products, and thus win more market share.

How do you promote your business in China?

Although China has slowed down its economic growth, its economy is still growing. China's developments have great impact on the global economic environment and its neigh-boring countries. In this case, China's economy is always one of our company's concerns.

China is an important target market of all companies.

Currently, the expansion of medical services, environmental protection and energy saving are two major concerns of Chinese society, and Fujifilm has expertise in these fields. Therefore, we do hope that we can make a significant contribution to China.

What is your strategy in China?

Fujifilm's dream in China should be realized by top-quality products and service susing its cutting-edge, proprietary technologies.

First, we would like to enhance Chinese consumers' life quality. Second, we would like to contribute to Chinese society with solutions for the development or advancement of culture, science, technology and industry, as well as improve health and environ-mental protection.

By promoting the business of the above-mentioned fields, we increase our sales, and then use part of the profits to further develop innovative products and services.

What are your long-term plans for the China market?

Fujifilm will further enhance its research and development abilities in medicines and healthcare-related products to make breakthroughs as consumers have a great demand for products and services that can improve their health.

We are building a network between our databases and hospitals, as well as clinics, to share medical information to improve the efficiency of medical treatment.

We certainly can help doctors with invaluable reference material, to enable them to make quick and correct decisions in critical cases.

What is an effective leader-ship for a company in China?

The basic elements of a leader should be keen judgment, flexible response capacity to mobilize, high efficiency in execution and farsightedness, to lay the foundations for a long-term development

A good leader is able to grasp the essence of the information with quick and accurate analysis of the current situation.

How important is R&D investment for Fujifilm?

No matter how unpredictable the company's financial situation was, we implemented reforms in the past. I refused to cut back on R&D investment, including building the Fujifilm Advanced Research Laboratories. Even in the toughest of times, we man-aged some how to put together 200 billion Japanese yen a year for R&D.

How do you motivate your international team?

We endeavor to make our overseas staff understand Fuji-film's corporate values and thinking modes. Apart from our high-quality product line, we also provide necessary sales tools, and push ahead with the business by training local staff and sending Japanese talent to local companies.

Our corporate philosophy is this: We will use leading-edge, proprietary technologies to provide top-quality products and services that contribute to the advancement of culture, science, technology and industry, as well as improve health and environmental protection in society.

How do you handle hardships and setbacks?

Collect information, analyze the situation, find most appropriate measures, and then implement decisively. In such cases, judgment is crucial.

As CEO of Fujifilm, I make judgments every day with the belief that even if I must make 100 decisions, I won't make any wrong decision.

How do you ensure that all the management decisions are implemented smoothly?

Without communication from the top, the organization won't budge.

From formulating plans on what is to be done to making the final decision to go ahead, the leader must communicate it all byway of a clear-cut-message to employees.

In addition to sending a message to all employees four times a year via the in-house newsletter, I explain the company's vision and goals at the fiscal year meeting at the main office and at principal factories and research centers, as well as during my NewYear's speech.

In these talks, I repeatedly explain the present circumstances of the company, the direction we are headed in, and what we need to do, or more correctly, what must absolutely be done toward achieving those goals.
V1 Group, a Chinese new-media enterprise featuring online video, has signed an investment contract with a Dubai-based TV station to become its major shareholder, in a bid to help Chinese companies promote their brands in the Middle East.

Through the investment, V1 will become an international communications platform for Chinese companies in the Middle East, providing a window for their brands in the region, Zhang Lijun, V1's board chairman, said.

But Zhang declined to reveal the amount of the investment and what stake it holds in the TV station.

Dubai CATV, a satellite TV station broadcasting programs in both Chinese and Arabic to 25 Arab countries, is looking forward to drawing wide attention from Chinese users, especially Chinese businessmen, through V1's platform, according to Alex Liu, chairman of CATV.

Under the Belt and Road Initiative, the two sides both foresee a rapidly increasing demand for exchange between China and the United Arab Emirates, which is China's second-biggest trading partner in the Middle East, with bilateral trade volume reaching $48.6 billion in 2015.

The number of Chinese living in Dubai has soared from a few thousand to more than 300,000 over the past 25 years, according to a report of China Central Television, citing figures from Wang Changqing, chairman of the Federation of Overseas Chinese in the UAE, in September.

Meanwhile, more than 600,000 Chinese tourists visited the UAE last year, according to the China's embassy there.

Since its establishment in 2014, CATV has set one of its major goals as helping Chinese better understand the Arab world and assisting Chinese businesspeople to find opportunities in the Middle East, according Liu.

CATV has worked with some Chinese companies to promote their brands in the local market and provided advice to help them better understand local customers.

The upcoming Dubai World Exposition in 2020 will be a big chance for Chinese companies, said Liu.

"China's construction companies have the edge to take part in building the new exposition site."

However, V1 will not restrict its ambitions to Dubai or the UAE.

It is looking at the whole Middle East, with Dubai as a bridgehead for the many foreign companies, which want to expand their business in the area, said Zhang.
Xiaomi President Lin Bin at the release of the Redmi Note 4 on Thursday in Beijing. Provided to China Daily

China Mobile hopes to sell 30m of firm's handsets this year

Chinese smartphone vendor Xiaomi Corp unveiled a new smartphone with China Mobile Communications Corp on Thursday, as the company steps up efforts to expand offline retailing channels.

China Mobile, the country's largest telecom mobile carrier by subscribers, said it hopes to sell 30 million Xiaomi handsets this year, signaling a boost for Xiaomi, which is wrestling with declining shipments and mounting competition from rivals such as Huawei Technologies Co Ltd.

Priced from 899 yuan ($136), the new phone, the Redmi Note 4, will be on sale at China Mobile's 20,000 offline stores and more than 100,000 bricks-and-mortar retailing partners' stores.

Lei Jun, CEO of Xiaomi, said the company has sold more than 110 million smartphones under Redmi, a brand known for its cost-effectiveness. "The new phone is our latest effort to offer a quality smartphone that everyone can buy."

The move came as China's online smartphone sales hit a ceiling, and market players are banking on bricks-and-mortar retail partners for growth.

James Yan, research director at Counterpoint Technology Market Research, said it is highly possible to achieve the sales target, given China Mobile's sprawling offline presence.

"Telecom operators' retail channels account for 30 percent of China's total smartphone sales, and more than half of that are handled by China Mobile," Yan said.

The new phone's good design and sophisticated body, better than most of Xiaomi's previous phones, will also help boost sales. And the Beijing-based firm's supply chain partner Wingtech Group is able to ensure an abundant supply of the new phone, he added.

In 2015, China Mobile and Xiaomi jointly unveiled a smartphone called Redmi Note, whose total sales volume hit 27.5 million units, but that happened when Xiaomi was growing rapidly.

The partnership between Xiaomi and China Mobile will also be expanded to Southeast Asia, as China's smartphone market is reaching saturation point and local players are eyeing overseas markets for opportunities.

Li Huidi, vice-president of China Mobile, said the company is making investments in India and Southeast Asian counties where Xiaomi has established a presence.

"We will partner with hardware vendors such as Xiaomi to bring more domestic devices to overseas markets," Li added.

He did not disclose details, but analysts said it is likely for China Mobile to leverage its overseas investments or foreign partners to build retail channels for Chinese handsets.
Police officers make a list of bank cards seized in a telecommunication fraud case in Xuchang, Henan province, in January. NIU YUAN/CHINA DAILY

Students' information is easily collected and sold to scammers who prey on trusting people

Xu Yuyu, a college-bound student, died from a sudden heart attack on Sunday after tuition fees raised by her family were swindled in a telephone scam.

The 18-year-old from Linyi, Shandong province, scored 568 points on her college entrance exam this year and was admitted to Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications.

On Aug 19, she received a phone call notifying her that she was due to receive 2,600 yuan ($390) in student funding. She had received an official phone call from the education authority the day before, so she did not question the authenticity of the second call.

Xu wired a 9,900-yuan "activation fee" into the scammer's bank account, hoping the money would appear in her student account, but it never did.

Xu was said to be devastated and fainted on the way back home from reporting the case to police.

Despite doctors' efforts to revive her, she died. According to reports, Xu was healthy.

Xu's family is poor and had to save for almost a year and borrow from relatives to put aside their daughter's tuition.

"We are already so poor. Why did they swindle us?" Li Ziyun, Xu's mother, recalled Xu asking.

"She never misspent her money and always saved what little she had," said Li.

Xu Lianbin, Xu's father, regretted taking his daughter to the police station the day of the swindle.

"If I took her to the police station even one day later, she might have been calm and she wouldn't have died," Xu said.

Staff at the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications told the Linyi police on Wednesday that the school didn't contact Xu, except for issuing an admission letter to her. The school expressed sympathy to Xu's family.

"Information about safety education, including how to avoid fraud, are in the admission notices, which each freshman gets along with the admission letter," said Xu Lei, director of the publicity department at the university.

On the same day that Xu encountered the telephone scam, Li Xiaqin, a sophomore at Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, also received a call, this one informing her that she was involved in a case of money laundering and needed to transfer money to prove her innocence.

Li, also from Linyi, wired 6,800 yuan to the bank account provided by the caller.

The Ministry of Education reminded students on Wednesday about frauds involving student funding. The ministry said any organization or person funding students does not ask students to make any transactions through ATMs or online. Students were advised to first confirm any payments with teachers and the local education authority.

According to an agent who provides student information, such information is easily collected and can be sold for as low as one fen (one-sixth of a cent) per student, Qilu Evening News reports.

"I frequently receive calls from strangers promoting their products. I am really puzzled over who released my information," said Yu, a resident of Jinan, Shandong province who only gave his family name.

Yu said he once received a phone call asking whether he'd like to send his 3-year-old daughter to a class that trains future movie stars.

"I just handed in materials to the kindergarten for my daughter in the morning. Then I got the call in the afternoon," said Yu.

Shi Xinmin, a police officer at the Shizhong district police station in Jinan, said, "These scammers clearly target their victims. It seems they know what you care about."




Search platform advises more customized services for couples, focus on smaller cities

China's wedding industry should shift to more customized services, as the number of people getting married is decreasing, a market report said on Wednesday.

The industry enjoyed explosive growth in the past, partly because of the large marriage-age population. The number of couples tying the knot will be less than 10 million in 2020, down from 13.5 million in 2013, the high point after several years of growth since 2010, according to the 2016 Blue Book of the Marriage Market by Meituan-Dianping, an online-to-offline service platform.

The decline in Beijing and Shanghai is most obvious, the blue book said.

The number of people born annually after 1990 is lower than previous years. For example, data from the Ministry of Civil Affairs shows roughly 15 million babies were born in the country in 1996, a drop of 10 million from a decade previously.

Compounding the puzzle, the younger generation is postponing marriage.

However, while the marrying group is getting smaller, the price that prospective brides and grooms pay for each element of the processa wedding banquet, portraits, renting a wedding gownis on the rise, as is the total turnover of the industry, according to the report.

"Customers are not attracted by inexpensiveness," said Yang Feng, general manager of the wedding business department of Meituan-Dianping, which provides people with search results of 120,000 service providers in the marriage industry. "They are willing to pay more for high-quality service and experienceespecially custom services."

Newlyweds in Beijing pay an average of 260,000 yuan ($39,100) on marriage celebrations, which usually include wedding rings, flowers, wedding photography and a banquet with decorations. Some brides even purchase or rent three or four wedding gowns, the report said.

The average outlay in Shanghai is 200,000 yuan. The national average is just under 100,000 yuan.

The report also said businesses should further develop the market in small cities, as the ratio of people from those regions searching online for wedding services is rising.

The report noted that Henan, Guizhou and Yunnan provinces, as well as the Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, will likely present the best potential for development.

Huang Jianing, a Shanghai native, held two wedding feasts in Juneone in Shanghai and the other in Chengdu, Sichuan province, her husband's home. She said it cost more than 11,000 yuan for a table at a five-star hotel in Shanghai, but a table at the same standard in Chengdu cost 2,500 yuan.
For Taiwan tourism, winter came early.

A significant drop in mainland visitors in the past few months has taken its toll on the island's tourism economy. Forty percent of related businesses were hit with a sharp drop in revenue23 percent on averageaccording to a survey by Taiwan companies 1111 Job Bank and its subsidiary TaiwanXing travel agency.

The cold spell claimed its first major victim when Genesis Travel Agency, a time-honored company specializing in group tour services for mainland visitors, declared bankruptcy on Wednesday, according to the Taiwan tourism authority.

Mainland tourists accounted for 40 percent of Taiwan's total visitors last year. Now, with fewer visitors coming from the mainland, Hsu Kao-ching, a former executive of the Travel Agent Association, said he worried there would be more travel agency closures.

The total number of mainland visitors has fallen 22.3 percent since Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 20, according to the Taiwan tourism authority. In June, the number had dropped to 271,000, the lowest point in 30 months.

The number of Chinese group tours was cut by 47 percent from June to July, partly because of fallout from a fatal bus fire near Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport that killed 24 mainland tourists on July 19, according to the Taiwan tourism authority.

"Political uncertainty created by Tsai's party and safety concerns over the bus accident are the main reasons for the free fall in mainland tourists," said Zhu Songling, director of Taiwan Research and Cross-Straits Relations at Beijing Union University. "Mainland visitors just don't feel safe or welcome in Taiwan anymore."

The livelihoods of hundreds of thousands of tourism employees are at risk, said Lee Chi-yueh, chief adviser for TaiwanXing, in a public seminar on Wednesday.

"The situation doesn't look promising in the rest of the year either," he said.

Zhang Zhihao in Beijing contributed to this story.
A former senior official in Yunnan province stood trial on Thursday for allegedly accepting bribes worth over 24.3 million yuan ($3.7 million).

Qiu He, 59, former deputy secretary of the Yunnan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party of China, was accused of taking advantage of his official posts from 2008 to 2015 to seek benefits for others on construction projects, getting bank loans and job promotions.

The open trial was held in the Guiyang Intermediate People's Court in Guizhou province and attended by 60 members of the public including media, legislators and political advisers.

Qiu pleaded no contest to all the charges, according to a statement from the court.

He was quoted by the statement saying, "I feel sincerely remorseful for the crime I committed and I am willing to accept the punishments."

Qiu's case was tried in a court outside the jurisdiction of Yunnan province, which is customary in major corruption trials.

Ren Jianming, a professor of government administration at Tsinghua University, said officials in a province or a region are connected with intricate interests.

"When trials are carried out outside the administration of suspected corrupt officials it helps to root out nepotism in the region, which greatly benefits the continued anti-graft campaign."

The court adjourned on Thursday and will announce a verdict later.

Yunnan, a province with abundant minerals and rich tourist resources, has been plagued with corruption in recent years.

In June, Bai Enpei, a former senior official in China's top legislature, and the former top official in Yunnan province, confessed to corruption charges during a court trial.

Bai, deputy head of the Environment and Resources Protection Committee of the National People's Congress, pleaded no contest to charges of making illegal gains of nearly 250 million yuan and the accusation that his family members' expenditures were far greater than their income, according to the Anyang Intermediate People's Court in Henan province, where a public hearing was held.

According to the prosecution, Bai used his positions to benefit 17 companies and individuals in engineering construction, real estate development, mining franchises and job promotions.
China announced a State-level plan on Thursday to curb antimicrobial resistance, high-lighting the first multisector effort involving 14 ministries and agencies, including health, agriculture, food and drug, and environmental protection.

Previously, major measures fighting antimicrobial resistance, such as stricter control of antibiotic use at medical facilities, were initiated by the health authority.

However, that's far from enough, said Xiao Yonghong, a professor at the Institute of Clinical Pharmacology at Peking University and an adviser on the issue to the National Health and Family Planning Commission.

"It's a long overdue initiative and demonstrates the government's recognition of the challenge and the resolution to change systematically," he said. The World Health Organization defines antimicrobial resistance as "resistance of a microorganism to an anti-microbial drug that was originally effective for treatment of infections caused by it".

A report in the United Kingdom, the "Global Review on AMR", estimated that by 2050, antimicrobial resistance, including antibiotic resistance, could result in 1 million premature deaths in China per year.

It also called for joint efforts internationally to tackle the global challenge of AMR, which can spread in part through international trade.

Xiao said the upcoming G20 Leaders Summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, will include a session on fighting AMR through global cooperation. The effort must start within each country, he added.

Under the plan, the Chinese government will intensify international cooperation and exchanges to prevent and control drug-resistant bacteria in the next five years.

Martin Taylor, coordinator for health systems and security at the WHO's China office, said the WHO welcomes China's move to introduce a multisector action plan to fight antimicrobial resistance. He said the plan demonstrates China's global leadership on the issue before the G20 summit of international leaders.

Taylor said China faces many problems that lead to AMR.

There are not enough rapid diagnostic tests to allow physicians to prescribe the correct antibiotic, and over-the-counter sales of antibiotics without prescriptions in some pharmacies continue, he said. Moreover, Taylor cited an over-reliance on antibiotics for prevention and treatment of infections and said hospitals generate revenue from the sale of drugs including antibiotics.

Additionally, the public still demands antibiotics when they might not be needed, and the full course of treatment is not always completed, he said.

In response, the Chinese government also pledged in the new plan to integrate measures to intensify over-sight in research and development, production, distribution and application of antibiotics in the next five years.

All retail drugstores in China should sell antibiotics only when provided with prescriptions by 2020, the plan says. Major public hospitals are required to establish a management mechanism to strictly control antibiotic use.

On the agriculture side, veterinarians and employees of poultry and livestock industries will be required to finish training on the proper use of antibiotics by 2020.

Xiao said regularly feeding antibiotics to food animals fosters a breeding ground for drug-resistant pathogens that might threaten humans via the food chain.

To raise public awareness, the plan calls for all primary and middle school students to be educated on the issue by 2020.

"The more you eat antibiotics, the greater the risk of developing AMR," Xiao warned.

In addition, it is expected that one or two new antibiotic drugs, and at least five new testing devices developed by Chinese companies or institutes, will be developed and made available by 2020, according to the plan.

Contact the writers at shanjuan@chinadaily.com.cn
An AG600 massive amphibious aircraft, world's largest of its kind, rolls off a production line in Zhuhai, Guangdong province, on July 23, 2016. [Photo/IC]

Among G20 countries, China ranks ninth in innovation, according to a new report.

The G20 National Innovation Competitiveness Yellow Book 2015-2016 was made public on Thursday. It shows that China is the only developing country that makes the top 10 in innovation capability among G20 members, Beijing News reported on Thursday.

The growth of China in innovation competitiveness during the period outperformed the G20 average. It registered a rise of 2.6 in competitiveness score, compared with 0.5 for G20 average.

The ranking demonstrates that China's efforts to improve its innovation ability in recent years have paid off, said the report.

The Yellow Book was compiled by Fujian Normal University, China Science and Technology Exchange Center under the Ministry of Science and Technology, and the Institute for International Strategic Studies of the Central Party School of the Communist Party of China.

The US, the UK, and Japan took the top three spots on the list.

The nation's progress in innovation is in line with government support, according to Liu Dong, managing director of Accenture Technology Labs in Beijing.

"The government is placing more emphasis on innovation as the country looks for ways to produce products with larger added value," he said in an earlier interview.

Premier Li Keqiang highlighted entrepreneurship and innovation as the new engines to spur the country's economic growth in the 2015 Government Work Report.

The government has since unveiled dozens of measures to support grassroots entrepreneurs, including offering them tax breaks and helping them in funding their businesses.

G20 was initiated in 1999 and consists of Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Republic of Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union (EU).

The 2016 G20 Summit will be held in Hangzhou of China on Sept 4 and 5.
Long March-5 carrier rocket is loaded onto the Yuan Wang-22 cargo ship at North China's Tianjin Port, on August 25, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

TIANJIN -- The Long March-5 rocket, China's largest carrier rocket is scheduled to make its maiden flight later this year and departed northern China's Tianjin Port for the launch base in southern Hainan Friday.Carried by two special rocket-carrying ships, Yuanwang-21 and Yuanwang-22, the Long March-5 will arrive at Qinglan Port in Wenchang, Hainan Province, after a seven-day journey.As the country's strongest carrier rocket, the Long March-5 has a payload capacity of 25 tonnes in low Earth orbit and 14 tonnes in geostationary orbit.The rocket is planned to carry the Chang'e-5 lunar probe in 2017 and will be used to launch China's space station modules and Mars probes."The Long March-5 represents a landmark in the country's carrier rocket upgrading and has expanded the diameter of liquid-fuel rockets to 5 meters from 3.35 meters, and will improve space entering capabilities by 2.5 times," said Wu Yanhua, vice head of the State Administration of Science, Technology and Industry for National Defence.Instead of highly toxic propellants, the rocket uses liquid oxygen, liquid hydrogen and lox kerosene as fuel, making it more environmentally friendly. Its engines can produce a thrust of more than 1,000 tonnes when taking off.It has taken researchers 16 years to develop the rocket after nearly 7,000 tests. It was developed by the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology under the China Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation.Completed in 2014, the Wenchang launch site is the fourth of its kind in China. Being the closest site to the equator, Wenchang boasts considerable latitudinal advantages. Satellites launched nearer the equator have a longer service life as they have a shorter journey to make it into geostationary orbit and save fuel accordingly.
Song Zhenning died of heart attack after being swindled in a telephone scam . [File photo]

Just five days after a college-bound student died of cardiac arrest after she was swindled by scammers, another student has died after falling victim to same telecom fraud.

Song Zhenning, a sophomore from Linshu county, Shandong province, received a call on Aug 18 purportedly from the local public security bureau. The caller claimed that Song's bank account had a 600,000 yuan overdraft due to jewelry purchase.

"He's a bit suspicious at first, but the other side provided all the bank details and the ID card number," said one of Song's relatives in an interview.

No one knows how exactly the phone call went but Song did transfer 2,000 yuan following the caller's instructions. He kept a receipt.

On his way home, he came across his relatives and talked about the phone call. It was then that Song realized that he was a victim of fraud. They went to the local police station and reported the case.

Four days later, the phone again rang.

According to Song's teacher and classmates, on that day, Song put his living expenses and family savings into the bank account for unknown reasons and in the afternoon he discovered that the money had vanished.

He finally informed his parents but told them he was scammed only 2,000 yuan as he was afraid of their reaction. The parents comforted him.

Song was about to go back to college for new semester the next day. At night, he bought shoes for his mother and clothes for his father online.

In the early morning of next day, Song was found lying on the couch unconcious.

The doctor said Song died from heart attack.

Earlier, Xu Yuyu, a college-bound student, died from a heart attack on Aug 21 after tuition fees raised by her family was swindled in a telephone scam.

On Aug 19, she received a phone call notifying her that she was due to receive 2,600 yuan ($390) in student funding. She had received an official phone call from the education authority the day before, so she did not question the authenticity of the second call.

On the same day that Xu received the telephone scam, Li Xiaqin, a sophomore at Shandong Agriculture and Engineering University, also received a call, this one informing her that she was involved in a case of money laundering and needed to transfer money to prove her innocence.

Li, also from Linyi, wired 6,800 yuan to the bank account provided by the caller.
Two suspects have been arrested for allegedly swindling more than 40 million yuan ($6 million) from a woman with one claiming to be a pupil of financial tycoon George Soros and the other claiming to be Qianlong Emperor (1711-1799).

Wan Jianmin, one of the accused, is a 55-year-old man with only high school diploma but claimed to be a college graduate in finance and a student of Soros as well as in charge of an overseas royal fund of more than $300 billion.

He met the victim Zheng Xuejue in 2012 when the latter wanted to start rural banks. Wan also introduced his accomplice Liu Qianzhen to her.

While Wan reportedly confined his connections to the living, Liu went a step further. He allegedly claimed to Zheng that he was the immortal emperor from Qing Dynasty and possessed a large amount of royal assets.

Their tall tales convinced Zheng to shell out 2.22 million yuan for a pie of the "royal assets" and to buy jade cabbages in the first scam.

In 2014, Wan reportedly asked Zheng to purchase a fake financial product after promising her annual return of 10 times more on the investment.

Zheng transferred 5 million yuan in total to Wan's account through two transfers in May and July. But the money was transferred by Wan to various bank accounts of other people rather than invested.

In September, Wan allegedly carried out another scam, hooking Zheng to invest 10 million yuan in a computer company in Shenzhen, South China's Guangdong province.

He reportedly told Zheng that her investment in a chip development program would help her husband get his long-desired industrial land, so she transferred 30 million yuan from her husband's bank account to Wan.

However, only 10 million yuan was invested in chip development while the rest of it was spent on properties, cars and expensive medicines and no industrial land was brought under Zheng or her husband's name

Prosecutors in Shenzhen have demanded that the suspects should face criminal liabilities.
BEIJING - The top leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC) on Friday adopted a plan aiming to build a healthy China in the next 15 years.

The blueprint, called "Healthy China 2030," was passed at a meeting of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, presided over by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee.

Participants at the meeting said health is the basic condition for economic and social development and a key indicator of the nation's prosperity.

The "Healthy China 2030" plan is an important effort to implement the spirit of the Fifth Plenary Session of the 18th CPC Central Committee and to improve people's health, attendees said.

In the meantime, it is also important in China's efforts to engage in global health governance and implement the country's commitment to the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Attendees noted that although Chinese people's health has historically kept improving, China still faces various challenges brought by industrialization, urbanization, an aging population, and changes in lifestyles.

The participants said the plan should focus on the country's new development concepts: innovation, environmental concern, coordination, and open and shared growth.

The primary goal of the plan is to enhance people's health, and it can be achieved with the help of institutional reform and innovation, the participants said.

They added that future efforts should focus on promoting healthy lifestyles, optimizing health services, improving health security, building a healthy environment and developing health industries.

The government should play a leading role and the public should be mobilized to participate, attendees said, stressing that paying attention to the health of key groups such as women, children, seniors, migrants and low-income groups, was of particular concern.

Building a healthy China requires more government input and greater efforts to deepen institutional reforms, increased personnel development, the promotion of scientific and technological innovation, stronger legislation and the expansion of international cooperation.

Party committees and governments of various levels should speed up the formulation of supporting policies, participants said.
Premier Li Keqiang meets with President-elect of the UN General Assembly Peter Thomson on Friday. [Liu Zhen/For China Daily]

China will firmly support the United Nations in dealing with global threats and challenges and safeguarding the postwar international order, Premier Li Keqiang said on Friday when meeting the president-elect of the UN General Assembly.

Li made the vow when meeting Peter Thomson, president-elect of the 71st Session of the UN General Assembly. Thomson, permanent representative to UN of the island nation of Fiji, was elected in June and will take office next month for the one-year term.

As the permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has long been firm in upholding the authority and role of the United Nations in global affairs, Li said.

The world economy is seeing a sluggish recovery amid the challenges of terrorism, refugees and geopolitical risks, while the process of and confidence in globalization faces challenges from rising uncertain and unstable factors, he said.

China resolutely supports the UN to play a strong role in tackling global threats and challenges as the most widely participated in and authoritative intergovernment organization, he said.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the Peoples Republic of Chinas resumption of its legitimate seat in the UN. For the past 45 years, China has committed to safeguarding international order centered on the UN and upholding the purposes and principles of the UN Charter, Li said.

The 71st session of the UN General Assembly prioritizes the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and faces challenges posed by terrorism, refugees and infectious diseases, State Councilor Yang Jiechi said when meeting Thomson on Friday.

We will continue to uphold the authority of the UN as always, support the UNs work, strengthen and perfect global governance with other countries, promote the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and better realize win-win situations, Li said.

China, as a globally influential country, has played a crucial role in promoting international peace and sustainable development, Thomson said.

Li also expressed Chinas stance when meeting the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on July 8 in Beijing.

Frequent high-level exchanges between the UN and China show the importance China has attached to the UN and its recognition of the UNs achievements in global governance, said Zhu Feng, president of the Institute of International Studies at Nanjing University.

As president-elect of the UN General Assembly, Thomson needs Chinas support to achieve many of his tasks during his one-year term, said Ruan Zongze, executive vice-president of the China Institute of International Studies.

China has long contributed to the UN work, for example by dispatching the largest number of soldiers to UN peacekeeping operations among the five Security Council permanent members, said Ruan.

The UNs role has been strengthened in global governance in the 21st century and needs support from China, he said.
The Long March 5 carrier rocket is loaded onto a cargo truck at an unspecified assembly plant. [Photo/Xinhua]

China's heavy-lift Long March 5 carrier rocket started its sea journey on Friday to the Wenchang Space Launch Center on the island province of Hainan to prepare for its debut flight, according to the nation's space authority.

The rocket, the nation's strongest and most technologically advanced launch vehicle, left Tianjin's port in the morning and was being transported by the Yuanwang 21 and Yuanwang 22 space ferry ships, the China National Space Administration said.

The Long March 5 is scheduled to make its first flight around the end of the year and will enable China to put its future manned space station into orbit and send unmanned probes to Mars, the agency said in a news release.

As the nation's first-generation heavy-lift rocket, the Long March 5 has a liftoff weight of 869 metric tons and a maximum payload capacity of 25 metric tons in low Earth orbit and 14 tons in geosynchronous transfer orbit, roughly comparable to those of the United States Delta IV and Atlas V rockets.

The rocket will use liquid oxygen/kerosene and liquid oxygen/liquid hydrogen as propellants for its engines, which means the spacecraft will be friendlier to the environment than previous Chinese rockets, according to the rocket's developer, the China Academy of Launch Vehicle Technology.

It has taken researchers 10 years to develop the rocket after nearly 7,000 tests, the academy said.

Engineers will develop six configurations for the Long March 5 family, with each having different launch capacities, said Wang Jue, head of the Long March 5 project at the academy.

China's multibillion-dollar manned space program, a source of increasing national pride, aims to put a permanent manned space station into service in 2022. It will consist of three parts  a core module attached to two labs, each weighing about 20 metric tons.

Moreover, the academy has begun to develop a super-heavy rocket that will have a takeoff weight of 3,000 metric tons and will be able to thrust a 100-metric-ton payload to low Earth orbit.

If research and development proceed well, the super-heavy rocket will carry out its first flight around 2030.
Fancy a free Kindle? Take this Long March quiz.

Retrace the start of the Red Army's Long March - the task was simple, as were my expectations.

After all, it's a story known well. That of 86,000 soldiers - many aged in their early 20s - embarking 82 years ago on a brutal and gruelling year-long trek, which only 7,000 would survive.

Tell the stories many people don't know, I told myself - soldiers dying from hunger and exposure to China's harsh weather, Communist leader Mao Zedong's initial political struggles and debilitating illness, and his wife having to give up her newborn along the way.

After landing at Jiangxi province's Ganzhou airport, I did just that, as we retraced the Red Army's steps through Yudu, Xingguo and Ruijin counties.

But as we did, one thing became abundantly clear. I didn't have to imagine what hardship once looked like here - it was staring right at me. It was just a different kind. Among the region's countless villages are some of the poorest families in east China, and their stories were just as eye-opening.

One in particular was also inspiring.

I met 56-year-old farmer Yang Lanying on the outskirts of Jiecunxiang village, in Xingguo county. She was working at a newly-constructed vegetable farm - part of the government's anti-poverty measures in the region.

She told me that, for years, she'd been earning less than 2,000 yuan a year, selling produce from her rice farm. In my hometown, that's just AU$400.

I wouldn't dare admit to her how quickly I've gone through that much money. Yang, on the other hand, supported herself, a sick husband and two now-adult children. Granted, life's cheaper in the regions, but I can't see myself achieving a similar feat.

At her new job, Yang earns 2,100 yuan a month, and smiled from ear to ear as she told her story. And yet, her wage is a fraction of that earned by those living in cities. I could learn a thing-or-two from Yang Lanying, I thought.

I wasn't short on potential teachers. Over the course of our week-long tour, for every Red Army landmark or museum we visited, there was an under-developed village a short drive away.

Local officials took us to communities they're aiding  and that they are. Constructing farming facilities to create jobs, helping farmers sell produce to more consumers online, and trying to attract local tourists, are undoubtedly improving lives. But even officials admit there's a long way to go.

So, as I write this from the comfort of a hotel room in the province's high-rise capital, Nanchang, I feel I'm about to return home to Beijing with some much-needed perspective.

Fancy a free Kindle? Take this Long March quiz.
Letao Bookstore owner Li Duan (right) introduces the idea of donating books to a customer in Urumqi.[Photo by Mao Weihua/China Daily]

Sixteen bookstores in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region are donating books to the poor as part of an ongoing charity drive.

Inspired by a popular charity activity in Western countries where cafe customers buy an extra cup of coffee for a person unable to pay, the book-donating activity - called "Book On The Wall" - invites customers to buy extra books and then post the titles and prices on the wall instead of taking them home. The books are offered free of charge to people who don't have the means to pay.

Yalkun Osman, one of the founders of the activity, said, "We hope to help poverty-stricken people who like to read but have no money for books."

Of the 16 bookstores participating in the activity, two are in Urumqi, the regional capital - Nawayi Bookstore and Letao Bookstore. They took part in July.

Li Duan, 60, owner of Letao Bookstore, said she decided to join the effort after she learned about it from Yalkun Osman and found that there were many poor people who needed books.

"Before the activity, I used to see some poor children who liked very much to read books but they had no money to buy any," Li said. "I often let them read books in my store. That experience made me want to participate," said Li, who is from Henan province but has lived in Urumqi for more than 10 years.

On the wall of Nawayi Bookstore, more than 20 titles donated by customers waited to be claimed.

Guzalnur, the owner, said she finds the charity activity inspiring - so much so that she has provided other free books that were not listed on the wall but were needed to teach reading.

To support the activity, the two bookstores gave 15 to 60 percent discounts to the book donors.

"This bookstore was opened by my son when he was a college student to earn money for his tuition, and he got help from others when he ran the store. Now he had graduated, and I took part in the charity to help others in return," Li said.

Mahmutjan, who recently picked up a Uygur-Han bilingual children's book free for his 10-year-old son, said he was grateful for the activity, which gives people like him a chance to get books for their knowledge-thirsty children.

According to Yalkun Osman, some people didn't notice the activity, possibly because they didn't fully understand the idea, or because of the fast development of the internet, which has changed reading habits.

"But the most important factor is that curiosity and desire for knowledge has decreased, so some people were not willing to spend money for books. They were more willing to buy luxury goods. They pay no attention to their minds or to the training of their children," Yalkun Osman said, adding that the Book On The Wall project was not only a charity activity but also a kind of cultural outreach that could help realize a small dream for poor people who yearn to read.

Ma Lie contributed to this story.
Family Joys, by Zhou Tejun. [Photo/Chinaculture.org]

"Chinese Story" is a photo contest organized by the Centre of International Cultural Exchange and the China Photographers Association, with the support from the Ministry of Culture.

The contest aims to provide a comprehensive view of China, including its landscape, people and society. A group of photos that capture the happiness of Chinese common people in their daily lives highlights the thousands of submissions.
Floods cause substantial damage to prehistoric cliff paintings at Helan Mountain in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region, August 24, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

Continuous rainstorm-triggered floods caused substantial damage to prehistoric cliff paintings at Helan Mountain in Northwest China's Ningxia Hui autonomous region over the past few days.

Some of the paintings have been damaged by mud and silt while others have peeled off or cracked due to the rain. The paintings carved on individual rocks were more seriously damaged as floods washed the rocks away.

An employee with the scenic area, which has about 6,000 cliff paintings, told Xinhua that about a dozen paintings on individual rocks remained unaccounted for.

The unusually heavy rain resulted in rare floods in the mountain. Most defenses were destroyed by the powerful water flows, resulting in the devastating damage to the cliff paintings, said Hu Zhiping, deputy director of Helan Mountain Cliff Painting Administration in Yinchuan city, capital of the region.

The extent of the damage is still being investigated. Protection measures will hopefully minimize the losses, according to Hu.

Helan Mountain has around 20,000 cliff paintings carved by the nomads that once lived in northern China. The paintings are scattered over several hundred kilometers.

The paintings depict herding, hunting, sacrificial rites and life episodes of the people who lived 3,000 to 10,000 years ago. Images of animals dominate the paintings, followed by figures, vehicles, plants, planets, fingerprints, written characters and abstract signs.
Zhu Yongrong, general manager of business unit for children's brands, and child star Zhu Jiayu at the opening of the brand's first store in Chengdu. Photos provided to China Daily

A major Chinese fashion label has recently launched a new brand called Pomme de terre to fill a void in the fashion scene. Sun Yuanqing reports.

Adolescence can be a difficult time for teenagers and their parents, but major Chinese fashion brand JNBY wants to make it fun on the clothing front.

JNBY has recently ventured into this space with a brand called Pomme de terre.

The brand debuted in Chengdu earlier this month with a fashion show and store opening.

Inspired by an imaginary male character called Pomme, the brand's motto is "Don't be serious", and its first collection highlights light colors and natural fabrics.

Five years after founding jnby by JNBY, a children's wear label, JNBY created Pomme de terre at the request of mothers of growing children, says Li Lin, JNBY's founder.

Li says she doesn't believe in market research before going into new ventures. Instead, she believes in the power of the heart.

"We don't do things for commercial reasons only. We do them for love.

"People have different feelings after they have kids," she says.
Chinese telecom fraud suspects are escorted off an aircraft by the police at Guangzhou Baiyun International Airport in Guangzhou, capital of South China's Guangdong province, April 30, 2016. A total of 97 Chinese telecom fraud suspects, including 32 Taiwanese, were sent back from Malaysia under the escort of Chinese police on Saturday. The suspects are involved in more than 100 major transnational telecom frauds related to over 20 provincial areas in Chinese mainland. [Photo/Xinhua]

Xu Yuyu, an 18-year-old woman from a rural village in East China's Shandong province, died last week of a heart attack reportedly caused by her distress at being fleeced of nearly 10,000 yuan ($1,500).

The high school graduate had been enrolled by a university in neighboring Jiangsu province, and the money was what the financially strained family had saved to pay for her tuition fees.

The tragedy has once again brought telecom scams into the spotlight.

Today telecom scams have become part of daily life, and anyone can be targeted by fraudsters, who employ all forms of tricks.

Every day people are bombarded with phone calls or short messages claiming that they have hit the jackpot, defaulted on utility fees, or even been put under police investigation in a criminal case that requires cooperation to prove their innocence.

Due to massive theft of personal information, an act criminalized only last year, many people fall prey to imposters who can easily get personal information from the underground market for such info.

Lured by illusory gains or scared out of their wits, the gullible or those who feel threatened send money to the swindlers' accounts, or worse hand over their bank information.

China reportedly recorded nearly 600,000 telecom scam cases last year, involving up to 22 billion yuan. The number of recorded cases has increased by 70 percent each year since 2011.

And, of the cases reported, less than 5 percent have been actually solved. Even in the solved cases, the stolen money has rarely been retrieved.

In recent years, the police have intensified their efforts to combat telecom fraud by cooperating with their counterparts in foreign countries to target fraudsters overseas and repatriating suspects back to China to stand trial. But this is not just a task for the police. The telecom carriers also have an essential role to play.

For example, more than 90 percent of telecom scams reportedly involve false numbers created by fraudsters using software. Yet telecom carriers have apparently failed to plug this telecom security loophole.

Also, although telecom service providers have been required by the national regulator to verify the identity of users since 2013, the process has been slow, with more than 100 million users still registered to false accounts. Certain telecom bands sold to sub-contractors do not even require real-name registration.

There is a lot more to be done to put an end to telecom scams, and Xu's death highlights the urgency of fighting the fraudsters.
Pupils from across China wave the national flag at Tian'anmen Square during their summer camp in Beijing, July 23, 2014. [Photo/VCG]

A vocational school in Nanning, capital city of South China's Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, said it does not have enough accommodation for students admitted to the institution this semester, because their number is "more than expected". China Youth Daily commented on Thursday:

Although the Nanning vocational school has promised to turn some offices into temporary dormitories for the "extra" students, that does not alter the fact that it knowingly accepted more than 2,000 admissions while it only has some 900 dormitory beds.

This, to some extent, explains why the school tried to get a so-called confirmation fee from the students. Such a fee has exposed the dark side of the country's vocational education system. As a qualified vocational school, the one in Nanning is supposed to base its recruitment on its own capacity to admit students. It can only implement its enrollment plan after the local educational authorities approve it, and it is not permitted to make adjustments to it afterwards.

Apparently, the Nanning school failed to carry out its obligations; it even went further by collecting an unauthorized fee from students, which is forbidden by the relevant regulations.

Unlike the State-run universities, vocational colleges are less attractive and thus they issue admission notices to more students than they can accommodate to ensure they have a sufficient number to enroll.

But that does not mean vocational colleges can design their recruitment plan without consulting the local education authorities. That the Nanning vocational college does not have enough beds for the enrolled students, in essence, has a lot to do with the supervisory loopholes in the student recruitment system.
Hao Jingfang, the winner of this year's Hugo Award for the Best Novolette for her short science fiction, Folding Beijing, on Aur 20. [Photo / Weibo]

On Aug 20, Chinese writer Hao Jingfang was declared the winner of this year's Hugo Award for Best Novelette for her short science fiction, Folding Beijing. Last year, the Los Angeles-based World Science Fiction Society had bestowed the Hugo Award for Best Novel to another Chinese writer, Liu Cixin, for The Three Body Problem.

Two Hugo awards in two years is by any means a great achievement because science fiction is not a genre in which Chinese writers excel. In fact, science fiction writing has almost come to a halt in China.

Only four major science fiction magazines are published in the country, with Science Fiction World being the most popular with a circulation of 300,000. That number may seem impressive, but actually is small given China's population of 1.4 billion. Besides, the combined circulation of the other three magazines is so small that only a few people have heard of them.

In comparison, even though the American magazine Analog Science Fiction and Fact has a circulation of just over 100,000, it is only one of the many such magazines with similar circulation figures. Of course, the market for science fiction is much bigger in the West than in China.

Moreover, Chinese science fiction writers and their works both are small in numbers. On the amazon.cn list of 10 best-selling science fiction novels in the Chinese language, The Three Body Problem and Folding Beijing are the only two by Chinese authors, with the rest being translations of foreign writers' works.

The awkward situation science fiction writers face in China has much to do with the past. For long, science fiction was mixed with popular science reading materials and its target readers were children. In fact, Ye Yonglie, one of the best science fiction writers in the late 1980s and early 1990s, is popularly known as a "writer of children's literature" because his science fiction works are mostly for children. And many bookstores keep science fiction works in the children's literature section in the belief they are meant for children.

Another factor hindering the development of science fiction writing in China is lack of support from related sectors. After The Martian was released last November, the novel on which the movie is based became a bestseller and its author Andy Weir famous. But seldom has any Chinese science fiction work been made into a movie.

That's the reason why Liu and Hao deserve greater praise for their efforts. By combining the real life with the imaginary, the two have infused a breath of fresh air into the science fiction genre and widened its readership to include adults.

Hao's Folding Beijing depicts a city divided into three parts where residents take turns to enjoy life, reminding readers of the widening social divide across the world. In Liu's The Three Body Problem, lack of trust between different races in the universe is similar to the one that afflicts people on Earth. Their works are science fictions, no doubt, but raise many pertinent questions about human society and international relations.

That's the future Chinese science fiction writers should look atreflecting real life in imaginary worldsto attract more readers.

Another positive trend in Chinese science fiction works is the development of multiple products. A Chinese movie company bought the copyright of The Three Body Problem from Liu last year and the movie is expected to hit the screens in 2017. Plus a play based on the novel has been a huge success in Shanghai. Such ventures should give a fillip to science fiction writers in China, and we hope the movie and play based on Liu's novel are just the right start.

The author is a writer with China Daily. zhangzhouxiang@chinadaily.com.cn
US President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton appear onstage together after his speech on the third night at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US, July 27, 2016. [Photo/VCG]

When Barack Obama was first elected US president, many expected he would carry out a foreign policy that was less interventionist than his predecessor George W. Bush who ordered the invasion of Iraq and Afghanistan.

That has been mostly true. But Obama's intervention in Libya in 2011 to remove Muammar Gadhafi, the bombing of Syria without the invitation of its legitimate government and the arming of Syrian rebels, and his drastic escalation of drone strikes in other sovereign nations have made his foreign policy less distinct from that of the Bush administration.

Even Obama admitted that US intervention in the Mideast had failed miserably in an interview with Jeffrey Goldberg of The Atlantic magazine early this year.

Those in the US who now oppose military intervention on foreign soil are largely influenced by the 7,000 deaths and more than 50,000 injuries of US soldiers and the trillions of dollars of tax payers' money. Few seem to care about the much higher human and economic costs on the countries concerned, not to mention the pro-longed psychological trauma among the local populations.

However, it might be unfair to blame the US public for this because major TV net-works don't cover the conflict zones much, especially ground scenes after US bombing. People get far more news about Iraq, Afghanistan, Libya and Syria by watching CCTV, BBC, RT, France 24 or NHK.

When US presidential candidates Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton begin their first presidential debate at Hofstra University on Sept 26, foreign policy is unlikely to be a major focus. Economy, immigration policy and other domestic issues and even their personalities will get more time.

However, there is deep concern inside and outside the US about Clinton's hawkish track record. She has supported almost all the recent US wars, and as secretary of state, she was the one behind the regime change in Libya. One US foreign policy expert I met on Wednesday described her as "more hawkish than most people in DC".

While disapproving of Clinton, he won't endorse Trump either, calling him isolationist.

That is probably not isolationist in dictionary meaning, but relative to the excessive US interventionism in the past decades.

Trump might be less hawkish than Clinton if elected because he is a businessman and not an ideologue. For a businessman, there is usually a deal to be made and a solution to be found.

Concerned about both Trump and Clinton, a group of scholars at Cato Institute believe the US needs a major foreign policy change to alter the bipartisan consensus that the US is an indispensable nation.

The experts contend that while the end of Cold War ushered in a unipolar world, which suggested US foreign policy would be easier to manage, events in the last 15 years have proved otherwise.

In their report, Our Foreign Policy Choices: Rethinking America's Global Role, the experts believe that the US cannot rely on business-as-usual foreign policy but must seek alternative approaches that better suit the complexities of the 21st century.

The report criticizes the current US grand strategy, known as liberal hegemony, as it demands a massive, forward military deployment. They argue such a strategy tempts policymakers to use force even when vital US interests are not threatened.

For Christopher Preble, vice-president for defense and foreign policy studies at Cato and one of the authors of the report, the ability to act does not translate into the ability to solve problems.

Emphasizing that the US' global influence is strongest when spread by peaceful, rather than military, means, the choices the authors provide are based on a grand strategy of restraint.

The author is deputy editor of China Daily USA. chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com
The Orthodox Cathedral in Korca, Albania.[Photo/IC]

China and Albania will simplify visa application procedures for each other's citizens and issue five-year multiple entry visas for business, tourism, and family visits.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi made the announcement at a press briefing after a meeting with his Albanian counterpart Ditmir Bushati on Friday. They signed a memorandum of understanding to promote people-to-people exchanges.

Wang said China encourages more Chinese tourists to pay visits to the friendly and beautiful European country.

The two ministers agreed to enhance bilateral cooperation so as to benefit the two peoples.
People are seen preparing to spend the night in a gym following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 25, 2016. [Photo/Agencies]

ROME - At least 250 people died, and thousands were displaced in Italy, after a major earthquake that struck the central Lazio and Marche regions on early Wednesday, the authorities confirmed on Thursday.

The hardest hit places were the towns of Amatrice and Accumoli in Rieti province, and the villages of Arquata del Tronto and Peschiera del Tronto in Marche region.

Of the total 250 victims confirmed so far, some 193 were in Amatrice, 11 in Accumoli, and 46 in Arquata del Tronto, the civil protection department said.

The number of people injured and hospitalized rose to 365, it added.

The Italian government declared a state of emergency in the affected areas, after holding an emergency meeting on Thursday afternoon.

"The reconstruction of quake-stricken hamlets is a priority, and a moral obligation towards those communities," Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi told a press conference after the meeting.

The state of emergency will allow allocating an immediate first tranche of 50 million euros (56 million U.S. dollars) to assist those displaced.

On Wednesday, the Economy Ministry had overall pledged 234 million euros (264 million U.S. dollars) from a national emergency fund to help people living in the destroyed towns.

Economy Minister Pier Carlo Padoan would now provide tax exemption to the families living in the areas.

In Amatrice, Accumoli, and Arquata, rescue teams kept digging for survivors all day long. The 6.0-magnitude temblor that struck on Wednesday at 3:36 a.m. local time (0136 GMT) obliterated most of these centers.
Scholars from Chinese Academy of Social Sciences exchange view with their Russian counterparts in a telephone conversation held between Beijing and Moscow on Aug 25 ahead of the 2016 G20 summit. [Photo by Wang Mengzhen/chinadaily.com.cn]

Scholars from Beijing and Moscow called for emerging economies such as China and Russia to make their voice heard more at the G20 summit in Hangzhou, as they exchanged views in a telephone conversation on Monday.

The telephone conference, initiated by Russian news agency Sputnik, invited economic experts from key think tanks from China and Russia: Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) and Russian Institute for Strategic Studies (RISS).

"In recent years, trade protectionism among the group 20 members has not declined but worsened, and 40 percent of these barriers have been set by the United States," said Vyacheslav Kholodkov, head of International Economic Organizations Sector at RISS. "Thus China, as the chair of the 2016 summit, should initiate steps to counter the trend in Hangzhou."

"China and Russia, as major BRICS countries, are likely to discuss the further connectivity of China-led Belt and Road Initiative and Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union at the G20 summit," said Kholodkov.

"How to build a mature global financial safety net, especially the currency swap system, in the post-2008 financial crisis era will be one of the most important tasks in this year's G20 summit," said Liu Dongmin, director of International Finance Research Division at CASS.

Liu added that it is of great need for emerging economies such as China and Russia to push forward reforms of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank by raising the voting shares as well as the establishment of a multilateral international payment settlement system.

This year's G20 summit, scheduled for Sept 4-5 in China's eastern city of Hangzhou, has invited the largest number ever of developing countries, providing a unique opportunity for the developing world.
ANKARA - One police officer was killed and 25 people wounded in a car bomb attack at a police headquarters in the town of Cizre in Southeast Turkey on Friday, hospital sources said.

Cizre is in Sirnak, a province that borders both Syria and Iraq and has a largely Kurdish population.
ANKARA/KARKAMIS, Turkey - A car bomb at a police headquarters in Turkey's largely Kurdish southeast killed at least eight and wounded dozens on Thursday, officials said, two days after Turkey launched an incursion against Islamic State and Kurdish militia fighters in Syria.

The state-run Anadolu news agency blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), a militant group which has waged a three-decade insurgency for Kurdish autonomy and has been involved in almost daily clashes with security forces since a ceasefire collapsed more than a year ago.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility.

Hospital sources initially said that nine people were killed and 64 wounded, but an official later said the toll was eight. It was not clear whether the casualties were civilians or police officers.

Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes launched their first major incursion into Syria on Wednesday in support of Syrian rebels, in an operation President Tayyip Erdogan has said is aimed both at driving Islamic State away from the border area and preventing territorial gains by the Kurdish YPG militia.

Turkey views the YPG as an extension of the PKK, which is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died since the rebels took up arms in Turkey in 1984.

Turkish troops fired on YPG fighters in northern Syria on Thursday.

Also on Thursday, Interior Minister Efkan Ala accused the PKK of attacking a convoy carrying the country's main opposition party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The government has blamed the PKK for a series of attacks this month in the southeast. The group has claimed responsibility for at least one attack on a police station.
Liu Xianfa (eighth from right), the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, Professor Colletta Suda, the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Education, government of Kenya officials and the beneficiaries of the Chinese government scholarship during a pre-departure gathering at the embassy. [Photo/for chinadaily.com.cn]

The scholarships offered by the Chinese government to Kenyan students have been a great help to the country that has been struggling to enrol all qualified school leavers in public universities for many years, a senior government official has said.

Professor Colletta Suda, the Principal Secretary in the state department of higher education, says one of the greatest challenges in the country's education sector is the opportunity to increase access to higher education.

"The number of universities both private and public has increased over the last few years but we still don't have the capacity to absorb all the young people who qualify for higher education," she says.

While Kenya has 43 public universities, the surging number of students seeking higher education has exceeded the capacity of existing facilities, locking out thousands of potential undergraduates.

In 2016 for instance, out of the 525, 802 students who sat for last year's Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, only 74,046 got placements into the public universities out of the 165, 766 students who attained the entry mark of C+, which qualifies them for degree programmes.

Those who were refused admissions to public universities are forced to seek enrolment in the 33 private universities and colleges, hence missing out on state sponsorship.

The admission crisis has been created by the growing number of school-leavers owing to subsidised primary and secondary schooling. This is in addition to the increasing demand for higher education as the working population seeks to improve their opportunities in the labour market.

Suda says the Chinese government has been relieving the Kenyan government of this burden through the scholarships and hopes the number will increase in future.

The Principal Secretary gave the remarks during the pre-departure gathering for this year's Kenyan awardees of Chinese government scholarships held at the country's embassy.

Unlike last year which saw 67 students get full scholarships, this year saw the number increase to 120.

Suda challenged the students to bring back knowledge after they complete their courses to help improve the development of the country.

"The skills you are going to acquire in the universities are the kind of the capacity we need to develop our country in a sustainable way," she said.

Liu Xianfa, the Chinese Ambassador to Kenya, says he is proud of the fact that China has become one of the most favoured destinations for Kenyans pursuing higher education and professional skills abroad.

"I believe it is the acknowledgment and appreciation you have for the Chinese culture, history, social and economic development that you have been harbouring the desire to go there to advance your studies," he told the students.

He challenges the students to be messengers and ambassadors to introduce Kenya to more Chinese people as they devote themselves to facilitating the cooperation and promote the friendship between the two countries.

"Make satisfactory achievements and come back home to increase the development of your country upon completion of your study," says the ambassador.

The Chinese government has been offering scholarships to Kenyans annually since 1982, doubling the quota in 2011. Currently, there are over 300 Kenyan students studying in China under various categories of the government's scholarships.

"This year, we are providing over 200 government scholarships and more than 500 training opportunities for young Kenyan students, professionals and government officials," he says.

Fatma Abdullah, one of the scholarship awardees and who is going to pursue a PhD in International Relations, says she is grateful to the government of China for giving her an opportunity to access higher education.

"As we go to pursue our studies in China, we should create an impeccable impact and a positive image of our country. We should take advantage of the opportunities in China for the betterment of the development of our country," she says.

The beneficiaries of the scholarship, who were drawn from leading public universities where they were pursuing undergraduate and postgraduate courses, will be admitted in several universities in China from next month.

Contact the writer at edithmutethya@chinadaily.com.cn
Award-winning Mexican author had a young audience giggling recently in Beijing as she told a story about a flying beetle that buried itself in the towering hairdo of a woman just before she attended a wedding.

Mansour, who writes children's literature, read her story, El Peinado de la Tia Chofi (Aunt Chofi's Hairdo) at the Beijing Cervantes Institute on Aug 24 during the Beijing International Book Fair.

They marveled at Mansour's imagination while laughing along with the twisted plot, in which the vain aunt is forced to attend the wedding with the bug still in her hair because it couldn't be extracted without destroying her hairstyle.

Many of Mansour's inspirations came from actual life, she says.

"When I see something, or a scene, in daily life, they are like seeds planted in my head. With imagination, seeds grow up and become stories." Mansour says the story of the bug came from a childhood experience when her mother screamed after finding a bug on her hairdo.

Mansour's lively imagination and vivid writing earned her the Children and Youth Literature Award and the Edge of the Wind Award in Mexico.

She says children's literatures can be a bridge to encourage Sino-Mexican cultural connections. "China and Mexico are open to the whole world now. So it's a great chance for cultural exchange," she says. "A real good story can benefit children as well as adults."

Although her books have not been translated into Chinese yet, she still believes children could learn from her stories. "The more children can experience from outside their world, the wider their horizon will be, the more tolerant they will become in the future.

"Children have many things in common no matter where they come from. They are sensitive to beauty, love and color. So they will have resonance from my stories," Mansour says.

With a total of more than 570 million speakers, Spanish is one of the most widely used languages in the world. In China, more than 30 universities have Spanish majors, encompassing 25,000 students.

However, the translation of Spanish-language literature did not start until Don Quixote, first novel translated directly from Spanish, came out in 1995. Despite the interest in China, the amount of translated Spanish-language literature is still limited due to the lack of translators.

To promote Mexican and Spanish literature, the Beijing Cervantes Institute, together with the Mexican embassy in China and the Center of Foreign Studies at National Autonomous University of Mexico hosted the event during the book fair. The sponsors hope it will encourage more people, especially the young, to know and learn Spanish.

Cervantes Institute also has exhibitions, concerts, workshops, forums, movies, and sometimes cultural events free to the public to promote the Spanish language and culture. In 2015, the Cervantes Institute invited Chinese writer Liu Zhenyun and Spanish writer Enrique Vila to have a dialog on the relationship between literature and the city.

The Cervantes Institute is a nonprofit arm of Spain's government that promotes Spanish culture around the world. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote.
Contents of this Article:

The phrase May you live in interesting times is often  and incorrectly  described as a Chinese curse. Although there is in fact no equivalent Chinese phrase, for companies manufacturing in China, these are interesting times indeed.

This very long post aims to provide an overview of the challenges of manufacturing in China, as well as strategies for minimizing risks and maximizing opportunities. It outlines the administrative and regulatory requirements, process and production challenges, and specific cultural and market-specific risks.

I am writing this post after fielding dozens of requests over the years to put together in one place ALL of the basics necessary to manufacture in China successfully. In this post, Ive tried to include everything that is relevant close to 90 percent of the time, while not bogging you down with the things that happen ten percent of the time, or less.

Every business and company is different, however, and the information and advice offered here is intended to alert business managers to the legal considerations specific to the China manufacturing environment; it is not intended to serve as a replacement for bespoke legal advice. You may be the company that actually needs legal help with what I describe above as things that happen ten percent of the time, or less.

But no matter what your situation, I urge you to reach out to me if youd like to discuss your specific circumstances or feel you need some help in protecting your company against your China manufacturers.

China Manufacturing Challenges

Manufacturing in a foreign country can offer significant benefits  especially in terms of cost  but when the mountains are high and the emperor (thats you, the client) is far away (), problems can arise. The best way to reduce the likelihood of having problems with your China product suppliers is to recognize that most China manufacturing problems stem from something the product buyer failed to do to prevent the problem. In other words, it is mostly up to you to reduce your risks.

But what exactly should you do to protect yourself when manufacturing overseas? Start with these six basic measures:

Use a Good Manufacturer

If you do not know how to find a good manufacturer, pay someone who does. At the very minimum, make sure the company you will be using to make your products actually exists and is licensed to engage in the business for which you will be paying it. If you cannot afford to do these things, you should not be manufacturing overseas. Not kidding.

Use Good Manufacturing Agreements

Good contracts ensure that your China manufacturer knows what is required of it and what will happen to it if it does not meet those requirements. More than half of the overseas manufacturing contracts our international manufacturing lawyers see are worthless because they were written by someone who either does not know manufacturing or does not know international law, or both. Many are worse than using no contract at all.

Use Detailed Contracts

Overseas factories that engage in contract manufacturing tend to do exactly what you tell them to do. This means you need to clearly convey what it is that you want them to do, and that means your instructions and specifications should be detailed and in their language. Be overly specific.

Visit the Factory

Either your own people or a third-party quality control company should pay regular visits to your factory. Doing this allows you to make sure your factory understands what you want and lets them know that you are serious about making sure you get it. It also humanizes you and tells them that you really do care and are not just putting things down on paper to look good to your own buyers or to abide by some regulation somewhere.

Inspect Your Products

Perform regular product inspections appropriate to the product you are having made.

Register Your Intellectual Property

If you have intellectual property (IP) worth protecting (and nearly every manufacturer does), make sure you do everything you can within reason to protect it wherever you are manufacturing your products and wherever you sell your products. This means trademarks, patents and/or copyrights.

Intellectual Property Rights Protections

Register Trademarks in China

The Chinese trademark system is complicated: idiosyncratic, highly regimented, and overseen by capricious examiners.

So why not register China trademarks via the Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks?

The one-size-fits-all Madrid application makes registering a trademark in China seem easy. Really easy: all you have to do is check a box marked China. As a result, Madrid applicants are lulled into a sense of complacency, but all too often the result is a rejection that could have been avoided with a national application in China. Madrid applications are supposed to be cheap and quick, but fixing Madrid problems after the fact is neither.

Trademark prosecution in China is highly mechanical; for the vast majority of applications, you file an application, wait 18 months, and at the end of that time your trademark is either registered or rejected. (A slight oversimplification, but not by much.) For this reason, the meaningful work for Chinese trademark applications occurs before the application is filed.

First of all, it is essential to conduct a pre-application trademark clearance (a.k.a. a trademark screening) to assess the trademarks registrability. Is the mark inherently distinctive? Does it run afoul of Chinas statutory prohibitions on trademarks? Does it conflict with any preexisting trademarks?

Next, assuming the screening results dont scare you away, you must determine which class(es) to file in and the specific products or services (items) to be covered by the mark. This is a lot trickier than it sounds because the Chinese Trademark Office (CTMO) divides each Nice classification into a unique system of subclasses. For purposes of trademark registration, each subclass is treated discretely: a trademark for one item in a given subclass covers all items in that subclass, but is not effective on items in any other subclass.

When you file a China national application, you determine the subclasses that you want your application to cover. But when you file a Madrid application, your list of items goes straight to a CTMO trademark examiner, who will decide from your list which subclasses the items should go in without consulting you. This lack of consultation, combined with the examiners often-tenuous grasp of English (or French or Spanish), means that imprecise descriptions of items can lead to problems of both overinclusiveness and underinclusiveness.

It is possible to perform a pre-application screening before filing a Madrid application, and it is possible to craft a description of items in a Madrid application that will conform to the Chinese subclass system. But this requires working with an experienced China trademark attorney or agent, and it will cost nearly as much and take nearly as much time as a national application. In other words, you lose all of the advantages of the Madrid System, but keep all of the disadvantages.

Finally, even if your Madrid System trademark is registered in China without a hitch, you may still have trouble enforcing your rights. Upon registration, the only formal certificate for Madrid System trademarks is the one issued by WIPO. China does not issue its own separate trademark certificate. In theory, this should not be a problem, because the WIPO certificate should be sufficient to enforce your trademark rights under Chinese law. In practice, Chinese bureaucrats and e-commerce customer service reps generally could care less about Chinas WTO obligations. Much of the time, before they will lift a finger against an infringing factory or website, they will demand a copy of a CTMO-issued Chinese trademark certificate. It is easy enough to request a Chinese trademark certificate based on a WIPO registration, but it takes another three to five months to get one. That can feel like an eternity when your trademark is being knocked off.



Register Design Patents in China

A design patent in China is generally analogous to a design patent in the U.S. or a Community design in the EU and it covers novel product designs that (1) incorporate shapes, patterns, and/or colors, (2) are rich in aesthetic appeal, and (3) are fit for industrial application. China registers design patents without conducting a substantive examination of the design patent application and so it does not take much at all to secure one. Substantive examinations only occur if a third party challenges a patents validity after registration. A design patent applicant need only submit an application to SIPO that satisfies the procedural requirements, particularly with respect to proper formatting of documents and drawings.

As a result, in many circumstances companies must register a design patent on their product(s). If they dont, someone else will and then they find themselves having to challenge that patent in China (which is relatively expensive and time-consuming) or just walking away from China.

Even though many of the design patents in China are nothing more than slight modifications of existing product designs, they still can have substantial value because their owners can sue for patent infringement and register the patent(s) with China Customs and have counterfeit or copycat products seized at the border. Even if you do not think your design is novel enough to be patented, there is a first-mover advantage to your filing for a China design patent simply because your design patent will be valid until successfully challenged by a third party. A Chinese design patent grants its holder exclusive use of the aesthetic features of a product, not its functioning portion. In other words, the patent is on how the product looks; its external appearance.

What though, does it really mean to have a China design patent?

A typical design patent case starts with a phone call from a Western company telling us a Chinese company (usually a company it already knows and usually either its manufacturer or a competitor) just contacted the Western company (or the Chinese company that makes the Western companys product) and said the Western companys product violates the Chinese companys China design patent. The Chinese company then threatens to sue the Western company (and/or its Chinese manufacturer) for patent infringement damages and to block any of the Western companys infringing product from leaving China.

Though China Customs frequently blocks products from leaving China due to trademark infringement claims, blocking products due to a design patent claim is considerably less common. China Customs generally requires a party seeking to block a product from leaving China to post a substantial bond, which then becomes available to the party whose product has been blocked by customs. Many more companies are willing to bear this risk to stop trademark infringing products from leaving China than are willing to take this risk for a design patent claim.

Whats the best way to nip design patent hijacking? Register your design patent first, before anyone else can do so. If you want to be sure to avoid your products being held up at the Chinese border on an IP claim, you should secure both a trademark and a design patent.



Registering your IP with China Customs

China Customs will block products that infringe on China IP from entering or leaving China. The leaving China part is why it is 100% essential that you register your IP in China even if all you are doing in China is having your products made there. The leaving China part is also why it usually makes sense for foreign companies that have registered their IP in China to also register that IP with China Customs.

Even though manufacturing in China is on the decline, China still manufactures way more than any other country in the world and it is still by far the world center for product counterfeiting. If you register your IP in China, then also register that IP with China Customs, you will have positioned yourself to be able to block counterfeit versions of your products from leaving China for anywhere in the world.



China NNN Agreements

We love NNN Agreements for China. They are fast, cheap, easy, telling and effective.

If in the course of conducting business in China, you are going to reveal anything (e.g. to partners, suppliers) that you do not want made public, you should consider an NNN Agreement. If you are going to be showing your products, prototypes or designs to a Chinese factory, you should consider an NNN Agreement. If you do not want your Chinese manufacturer competing against you with your products, you should consider an NNN.

But the most important thing you need to know about China NNN Agreements is that they really should not be an NDA; they should be China-specific NNN Agreements, because Western-style NDA agreements do not work for China, and most of the time, using one is worse than having no protection at all.

NDA agreements prohibit your Chinese counterparty from disclosing your secrets. They do not stop them from competing against you or going behind your back to your customers or clients or to anyone else. To prevent these behaviors, you need a China NNN (non-use, non-disclosure and non-circumvention) Agreement.

1. Non-Use

Non-use requires your factory to agree not to make use of your idea/concept/product in a manner competitive with you, the disclosing party. The critical point is that this obligation arises by contract. This protection is not based on abstract property rights arising under intellectual property law. The prohibition protects you not because your concept is classified as some form of intellectual property such as a trademark, copyright, patent, mask work or even a trade secret. The factory is prohibited from using your work because it executed a contract that prohibits it from using your work. Getting a factory to sign a contract with a non-use provision means there is no need to look outside that contract to other areas of law for you (and Chinas courts) to be able to control the behavior of the Chinese factory.

2. Non-Disclosure

The next element of an NNN Agreement is non-disclosure. This is the core of an NDA, or Non-Disclosure Agreement. Surprisingly enough, you need not be terribly concerned with having your Chinese counterparty disclose the information you want kept secret to an unrelated third party. This is because Chinese companies usually have no interest in letting others in on their good thing. If they want to use your concept, they want to use it for their own purposes, not to disclose it to others.

But if you prohibit a Chinese factory from making direct use of your concept, the Chinese factory now has a problem. The clever Chinese entity will not directly breach your non-use prohibition; it will simply disclose your information to someone in its corporate group, then accurately claim it has not breached the non-use prohibition because it is not the one making use of your protected information.

For this reason, it is important you understand the type of group with which you are dealing, and you must make clear in your NNN Agreement that disclosure is specifically prohibited within the group, and that if there is any infringement by any member of the group, the factory that signed your NNN Agreement and made the disclosure is fully liable. Often, some education of your Chinese counterparty on this issue is required, because Chinese companies often do not consider disclosure to a member of their own group as violating a non-disclosure prohibition.

3. Non-Circumvention

Finally, you need to deal with non-circumvention. The Chinese factory knows you are purchasing the product at the China price, then adding a margin and selling it at a profit in the foreign market. In this situation, it is only natural for the Chinese factory to work to obtain a list of your customers to whom they can sell your product at the China price. After going through your customer list, they start marketing your product to the rest of the world. What would your customers do if offered your product for 50% less? In many industries (especially those where quality and servicing is critical), most customers would say no. But in many other industries  including consumer products  they quickly and almost uniformly say yes.

Note also that if you have not registered your brand name and/or logo as your own trademark in China, there is nothing to stop your Chinese manufacturer from putting your brand name and/or logo on these very same products and selling them into any country where you do not have a corresponding trademark.

This is circumvention, and you must prohibit circumvention by contract. There is no other way to do it. A good NNN agreement is your only protection.

Finally, we always do our China NNN Agreements in both English and Chinese. We make the Chinese version the official one, and the English version just a translation for our English-speaking clients. Making them in Chinese means that the Chinese courts will be able to better understand them and enforce them more quickly. It also takes away the other sides argument that it did not know what it was signing.





Should You Register Your Copyrights in China?

Copyrights are automatically protected in China under the Berne Convention, but to be able to sue quickly for a copyright violation and to have full copyright protection in China, it almost always makes sense to file your copyrights there. Just as in the United States and the E.U., you need only submit a small portion of your software code to secure copyright protection on the entire program.

Writing a Manufacturing Contract

Some of the important considerations, issues and questions to consider when drafting a China manufacturing agreement:

Decide if the agreement with your manufacturers will be exclusive or nonexclusive. Decide the manufacturers obligations to sell. There are basically two alternatives. The manufacturers are obligated to produce product under any purchase order you submit and their failure to produce at the agreed price would be a default. You would then almost certainly be required to purchase a minimum amount of product during a specified time period. This approach is best if you want to guarantee supply and you want to hold your manufacturers to their price commitments.

Or, obligate your manufacturers to produce product only for those purchase orders it accepts. In other words, they will have the right not to accept purchase orders, at their discretion. The advantage of this to you is that it will not require you to purchase any specific amount of product. The disadvantage is that there is no guarantee of supply and there is no way to hold your manufacturers to any price commitment.

Decide whether or not you want to identify specific ports of delivery. If you will have multiple ports and delivery locations in some of the countries where you will be receiving your product, the port/delivery location should be specified in the purchase orders rather than the manufacturing agreements. Decide on payment terms, e.g. payment 30 days after shipment, or 30 days after inspection. If you will provide for payment 30 days after shipment, you will need to determine when you will inspect the product. It is best to have inspection before payment, but this is not always practical. Decide on a warranty period. Decide on trade secrets/IP protection provisions, e.g. a monetary penalty for breach that might be both a lump sum penalty and a percentage of sales penalty. These penalties should be large enough to cause concern for the manufacturer, but not so large as to scare them into not signing. Decide on tooling provisions that may provide for a series of lump sum penalties. Manufacturers commonly refuse to return tooling and the most effective way to control this is to provide for a significant lump sum penalty for such a refusal.

Additional considerations in drafting a manufacturing contract include:

Product Testing: Where and how will you test your product? Will you do you own independent testing in China or will you wait until you receive the product in your home country? Will you require the Chinese factory to test and then provide you with test results? If you will do your own independent testing in China, it is important to set out the testing procedure in writing.

Manufacturing Set-up Costs:Your factory may ask you to pay in advance for some of the manufacturing set-up costs. Though this is normal, it is important to clarify those costs and then get them in writing.

Product Pricing: You will want to lock in your costs, especially in consideration of your factorys understandable desire to be protected from increases in the costs of materials. The normal way pricing is done for this kind of item in China is as follows:

The product price is fixed for a set period, say, one year. The Chinese manufacturer takes the price risk during this time, both for changes in component prices and for RMB/USD exchange rate risk. It is easiest if the manufacturer builds in the cost of items from the approved suppliers and takes the risk of price changes. Often a manufacturer will calculate that amount at cost+ to cover the risk and to cover the costs of advance purchasing and warehousing.

If your manufacturer is not willing to do the above, the quoted product price from them is not really a fixed price and it can change over time. The risk in this situation depends on the integrity and reputation of the manufacturer. Some Chinese manufacturers will double or triple their prices after production has started and after you are trapped into using them as your manufacturer. Reputable manufacturers typically will only raise their prices when there has actually been a material change in component prices.

Product Packaging Costs: It should be made clear who has responsibility for packaging design, production, and payment. It should also be made clear how packaging costs will be included in the final cost of the product. It is important to get these costs agreed and in writing.

Manufacturing Contract Duration: What will be the term of this agreement?

The Three Main Types of Manufacturing Contracts

Most manufacturing contracts involve one of three different types of manufacturing arrangements: Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM), Contract Manufacturing (CM), and Original Design Manufacturing (ODM). These three different arrangements influence various legal issues inherent to overseas manufacturing.





Original Equipment Manufacturing (OEM)

In this arrangement, the buyer purchases from a factory a product that is already being manufactured by that factory. The product buyer then packages this product with its own trademark and logo. The buyer and the factory may agree to certain cosmetic changes (color, shape, minor added features) that further customize the product for the buyer.

In an OEM arrangement, the intellectual property (IP) rights are usually clear: the buyer owns its branding (trademarks, logos and packaging) and the factory owns the product. Difficulty arises once the product is customized. Who owns the IP once the buyer has made changes to the product? An OEM agreement can provide clarity here. Usually, the buyer seeks to restrict the factory from using the customization in selling the base product to third parties.



Contract Manufacturing (CM)

In this arrangement, the buyer has a fully developed product design. Traditionally, this design was of a product that had been previously manufactured by the buyer. More recently, the product is a new design being manufactured for the first time overseas. In a CM arrangement, ownership may seem simple: the foreign buyer owns all the IP, both in design and branding, and the factory owns nothing. In practice, however, the division is not always so clear. For example, your factory may change your products design and use those design changes to modify its own products it sells in direct competition with your products. Difficulties exist in every contract manufacturing project, and they can be resolved with a clear, written agreement.



Original Design Manufacturing (ODM)

As external manufacturers are becoming more technically competent, foreign buyers have started entering into arrangements in which their overseas factories do some or all the product design work. There are many variations on this approach. In its most fundamental form, the foreign buyer provides drawings and a specification sheet, and the overseas factory does the rest of the work in consultation with the buyer.

In an ODM arrangement, the obvious question is: who owns the design of the product? Both the foreign buyer and its overseas factory may claim ownership of the design using conflicting arguments. The overseas factory will agree to make the product on an exclusive basis for the foreign buyer, but the foreign buyer does not have the right to have the product made by a third-party factory. This position can come as a bad surprise to the foreign buyer, particularly when its overseas factory suddenly announces it will be doubling the price for manufacturing the product.

These issues can get even more complex when the product incorporates or is based on technology clearly owned by the overseas factory. In this context, the factory will often state that the buyer can go anywhere it wants to manufacture the buyers own portion of the product design, but no third-party factory can make use of the factorys proprietary technology in the manufacturing process. Consider this case for a foreign buyer that has spent considerable time and effort to develop a product design only to learn after a year that its overseas factory has decided to terminate the manufacturing agreement.

There is no simple default answer to these difficult issues; the only way to resolve them is to draft a detailed written ODM agreement in advance, setting out a path to resolution that is fair to both sides. The legal default in most countries will favor the position of the factory. Absent a clear agreement on how to proceed, the foreign buyer will lose pretty much every time.

China Manufacturing Contracts

Product Development Agreements

Foreign companies that outsource their product manufacturing to China often co-develop their products with Chinese manufacturers. In some cases, the foreign company has completed its product development and the Chinese manufacturers only involvement is in setting up to manufacture the product in high volumes. In other cases, the foreign company side has only a general product idea and the Chinese manufacturer is tasked with turning the foreign companys napkin scribblings into a viable commercial product. Sometimes both the Chinese manufacturer and the foreign company contribute technology and know-how so the final product is a blend of both parties contributions.

The product development stage is the highest risk stage for foreign companies manufacturing in China, yet it is also the stage most neglected by foreign companies. Foreign companies will use NNN agreements in the factory search stage and they will use OEM agreements for the production stage, but they rarely use product development agreements.

This is a big mistake that often leads to one of two disasters for the foreign company.

The first disaster can occur when the Chinese manufacturer does not charge the foreign company anything for the product development work. In these situations, the Chinese manufacturer often will claim that any intellectual property in the developed product is its own and will generously offer to make the product on behalf of the foreign company at price, payment, quantity, quality and delivery terms chosen by the Chinese manufacturer. No matter how outrageous the pricing or other demands from the Chinese manufacturer, there is little the foreign company can do because it waited until development was finished before even considering who would end up with its IP.

The second disaster stems from foreign companies not considering the procedural issues necessary for successfully developing a product. Foreign companies far too often mistakenly assume that Chinese manufacturers can develop any product within the tight timeframes and close tolerances required by modern business. This often leads to the following:

The product is never completed or never works properly.

The product is not completed until after the market opportunity has passed.

The product cost ends up being far higher than projected.

The only good way to address the above product development risks is with a product development agreement enforceable in China. A good product development agreement covers the period between the NNN agreement stage when you are figuring out which Chinese manufacturer to use and the OEM agreement stage when you have already selected your Chinese manufacturer and know exactly what you will have manufactured.

A good product development agreement generally includes provisions addressing the following:

The product to be developed. The technologies the foreign company and the Chinese manufacturer will contribute. Who will provide the product specifications and in what form. Who will own the IP rights to the resulting product. Who will pay for product development costs? Who will pay for the molds and tooling? Setting of milestones. Chinese manufacturers often agree to do the development work, but fail to do so in a timely manner. Your product development agreement should provide incentives for your Chinese manufacturer to meet milestones and a penalty if it does not.

Chinese manufacturers usually prefer to cover all of the costs of product development because they want to own the resulting product and foreign companies far too often go along with this, without realizing this likely means the Chinese manufacturer will end up with the product and its related IP.

China Manufacturing Risk Management

A China Manufacturing Compliance Checklist

If you have familiarized yourself with the applicable Chinese laws and your business has done its utmost to comply with those laws, the odds of your company getting into legal hot water in China are low. We have helped countless foreign companies deal with China compliance failures, and very rarely have we concluded that our client was singled out for no good reason. Even when our client had done nothing wrong, we could still understand why the Chinese government had initially thought otherwise.

On top of this, the foreign companies we represent have become much savvier in realizing the need to remain in compliance. It has truly been years since any of our clients have excused their non-compliance by claiming everyone is doing it. And yet we still get plenty of calls from companies that make this excuse after they have been caught operating illegally. Guess what  in China like pretty much everywhere else in the world  this is no excuse.

But what exactly should you be doing now to ensure you are in compliance with Chinese laws?



Corporate Compliance

Are your companys activities still covered by the scope of business used during its registration? If you registered as an import/export company and you now own a factory, you should make some changes. Is your business in a different location from what is listed on your business license? That requires a change also. Is the person listed as your companys legal representative still with your company and still the person you want in this position? What about the general manager? The supervisor? Have there been any changes to the parent company?



China Employment Compliance

Chinas employment laws are complicated, localized, and pro-employee. Make sure you have appropriate written employment agreements with all of your employees in China, domestic and foreign. Review and update your employee manual (a.k.a. Employer Rules and Regulations). Review and update all other employment-related documents, from offer letters to severance agreements and everything in between. Make sure you otherwise stay in compliance: are all of your non-Chinese employees work permits and residence permits up-to-date? Have you secured approval from the local labor bureau for any employees under a non-standard working hours system? Have you secured all necessary renewals for such employees? Are you paying into the appropriate social insurance accounts for each employee?



China Tax Compliance

It is sometimes necessary to engage a competent local accounting firm. Your accountants must of course understand Chinese tax law, but they should also have at least a rudimentary understanding of your home countrys tax laws as well. For instance: make sure your transfer pricing is current and accurately reflected in your contracts and that your profit margins are high enough to keep Chinas tax authorities at bay.



China IP Compliance

We frequently get calls from foreign companies doing business in China that have let their China IP registrations fall into disorder (or never organized their IP in the first place). Most of the time, it is my law firms China IP lawyers who spot the problem. Even if you registered everything appropriately when you first came to China, have you kept up with newer products/services or brands? Are you registering design patents before you release your products? Are you keeping sufficient evidence of trademark use to fend off a non-use cancellation? Have you properly drafted and registered any trademark license agreements? Are you taking full advantage of Chinas trademark system to protect your brand name, slogans and logos?



China Contract Compliance

Many foreign companies do business in China in a way that makes it all but impossible for them to enforce their contractual rights. Do you have written agreements with all your major sources and clients? Are you using a lawyer to draft your design/manufacturing/licensing/purchase/etc. agreements? Are these agreements in Chinese? Enforced under Chinese law?

Spend the time now on the above to avoid having to spend a lot more time later.



Protecting Yourself from Scammers

What can you do to help prevent China factory problems? The quick answer is to know your factory before you contract with them and especially before you send them any money. The way to know your factory is to do due diligence on them. The bare minimum due diligence on your potential China manufacturing partner should include the following:

Obtain the Chinese manufacturers actual Chinese company name. This can then be verified by comparing it with the companys business license. Check with the official Chinese government registry to see if your Chinese manufacturer has actually been registered as a Chinese company. Check your Chinese manufacturers capitalization to see if it is sufficiently large enough and well-funded enough to handle your proposed deal. Check the Chinese companys corporate officers and shareholders to see if they have any conflicts of interest by owning other companies. This is quite common and often explains why they are insisting on you using certain sub-suppliers. Check the Chinese companys current operational status: Open, Irregular Operations, or Revoked. We have found that clients potential Chinese business partners had been placed on the irregular operations list by their districts Market Supervision and Administration Bureaus. The reasons for a company being flagged as such are often because of financial difficulties and mismanagement. You do not want to do business with such a company, because the consequences of a company being flagged as having abnormal operations include: Banking accounts and activities restricted or frozen.

Services and licensing provided by government bureaus restricted or prohibited.

Administrative penalties imposed. For example, a failure to notify the Bureau of a change in registered address carries a fine of RMB 10,000 to 100,000.

The individuals in charge of the company restricted. Additionally, if the company has been flagged for three years, it will be placed on the list of companies that have seriously violated the law.

We are seeing many more Chinese manufacturers on the irregular operations list than previously. Worse than that, we are also seeing more Chinese manufacturers showing up on the operations revoked list. Make sure the Chinese government has authorized your Chinese manufacturer (per its business scope) to do the type of business it is proposing to do with you. Companies in China must specify their intended business scope in their articles of association, and this scope is subject to approval by the government registration authorities and if a Chinese company exceeds its scope, it is operating illegally. Check the history of the Chinese manufacturer with which you might do business. Most fake companies do not bother to create a business history. If a company does not have a history you can verify, you should seriously consider walking away. Find out what property and IP your Chinese manufacturer owns. Companies that own property and/or IP are much less likely to scam you than those that dont. Check your Chinese manufacturers litigation history and whether and how often it has been in trouble with the government. A company that is constantly getting fined by the government and/or constantly getting sued by its product buyers is not a good company with which to do business. Have a good and China-specific manufacturing contract with your Chinese manufacturers. If the Chinese company formally declares bankruptcy (which does happen) and if it has some assets left (which also does happen) and if you have a China-centric manufacturing contract you at least have a chance at getting some or all of your money back. Pay as little as possible until your product has arrived and been quality-checked. One of the best things you can do to reduce your China product buying risks is to delay all or almost all payment until after you have confirmed delivery of conforming product. But few Chinese manufacturers will agree to this, and even fewer Chinese manufacturers that intend to scam you will do so. Use common sense. If a manufacturer seems too good to be true, it probably is not. Red flags: Insanely good proposed pricing

Unrealistic promised delivery times

Few questions to you about the details of the work

Unresponsive to your questions to them

Your Manufacturer Is Your Likeliest Competitor

In deciding to manufacture in China, you will essentially be educating your Chinese manufacturer in how to compete with you. And guess what? It is perfectly legal for your Chinese factory to copy your products unless you have a contract forbidding that. It is also perfectly legal for them to use your brand name in China (or even to register your brand name as its own trademark) if you have not registered your brand name as a China trademark.

Years ago, it was common to do business in China without a contract. Before China had modern trade laws and courts that were able to handle business disputes, this informal approach made sense because there was no alternative.

To pursue a claim successfully against a Chinese company, there must be a written contract between the parties, executed by both parties in accordance with the Chinese law requirements. Unlike in the U.S. or the E.U., Chinese courts rarely allow for proving the existence of a contract by putting together pieces evidenced by scattered POs, invoices, emails and desperate phone calls. The court will insist on a written agreement that unambiguously names the parties and provides the basis for the agreement.

Additionally, the contract must be enforceable in China. As a practical matter, Chinese courts incredibly rarely enforce foreign judgments, and it can be quite difficult to get them to enforce a foreign arbitration award. A contract enforceable in China must meet the following basic standards:
(Photo : Japan Air Self-Defense Force ) Japan Air Self-Defense Force F-15Js.

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Japan's Ministry of Defense is asking for a record budget of $51 billion for fiscal 2017 to cope with persistent military threats from China and North Korea amid growing tensions that might spin out of control.



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The defense budget is the fifth successive annual increase and is 2.3 percent higher than the current budget. Of this amount, $927 million will go to upgrading the PAC-3 variant of the MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missile (SAM) system manufactured by U.S. defense contractor Raytheon.



PAC-3 is a significant upgrade to nearly every aspect of the Patriot system. The new upgrade will double the range of the PAC-3's missile to more than 30 kilometers.



Japan will also set aside funds to produce the Block IIA version of RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) being jointly developed with the United States to shoot down missiles at high altitudes. SM-3 is a ship-based missile system used to intercept short-to intermediate-range ballistic missiles as a part of Aegis Ballistic Missile Defense System.



Funds will also be allotted to acquire the Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II stealth fighter jet. Japan has ordered 48 of the fifth generation stealth fighter and is one of eight countries jointly developing this aircraft.



Pilots of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force will fly the F-35A fighter jet for the first time by year end. The first four F-35s earmarked for Japan will roll off a production line in Fort Worth, Texas in November. The F-35s will be stationed at the Misawa Air Base alongside U.S. F-16s from the 35th Fighter Wing.



Funds will also go to strengthening Japan Coast Guard installations in the southern islands of Miyakojima and Amami Oshima to counter China's increasingly brazen aggression in the East China Sea.



Japan last June warned China further Chinese military naval incursions in the waters off its Senkaku islands that China also claims will compel Japan to take "necessary actions," including mobilizing the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF). The warning was prompted by a warship of the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) entering waters just outside Japanese territorial waters around the Senkakus.



Analysts have taken this to mean Japan has drawn a clear red line with the warning that violations of Japanese sovereignty by the PLAN will be met by force.



China has since tested this red line by sending PLAN warships close to the Senkakus but not close enough to trigger a Japanese military response. In its most blatant challenge to Japan, China last Aug. 6 sent a fleet of 230 fishing boats protected by seven China Coast Guard ships to swarm the waters off the Senkakus. Japan lodged a strong diplomatic protest over the Chinese provocation.



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TagsJapan, Ministry of Defense, china, North Korea, PAC-3 variant, RIM-161 Standard Missile 3, F-35A Lightning II
(Photo : Ministry of National Defense) ROC President Tsai Ing-wen adresses soldiers at the Han Kuang military maneuvers.

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The Republic of China held its largest military exercise ever, simulating the defeat of a seaborne invasion and aerial assault on the island by Chinese infantry and Special Forces.



ROC President Tsai Ing-wen, a vocal critic of China, presided over the fourth day of the multi-service maneuvers that saw live fire drills conducted at the Joint Operations Training Base Command at Pingtung County in southern Taiwan. The drills end Aug. 26.



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The massive five-day exercise is the largest ever in the ROC's history and also included cyberattack and asymmetric warfare drills. It comes at a time of increasingly strained relations with mainland China that keeps piling the pressure on Tsai to take a more pro-Beijing stance, and acknowledge there is only "One China."



The maneuvers are the 32nd edition of the annual Han Kuang military drills that simulate different defense scenarios in the face of a massive Chinese cross-strait attack spearheaded by warships of the People's Liberation Army Navy protecting transports with thousands of invasion troops of the People's Liberation Army Ground Force.



Watching some of the 27 live fire drills clad in a camouflage helmet and wearing body armor, President Tsai said her soldiers showed their determination to protect the nation. She said she was united with the Republic of China Armed Forces (ROCAF) in their mission to defend their country against an attack by China.



Tsai, who is also commander-in-chief of the ROCAF, warned her troops of the challenges they face as relations with China deteriorate over the long-festering issue of the ROC's independence. It is Tsai's first inspection of the Han Kuang series of exercises as commander-in-chief.



She said one of the top priorities of ROCAF this year will be to upgrade the individual equipment carried by its soldiers. She noted the troops in the exercise were wearing more modern locally designed digital camouflage uniforms.



"I promise you that the Ministry of National Defense will make it one of its top priorities this year to upgrade individual troop equipment," said Tsai.



Some 1,300 soldiers; F-16 fighter jets; newly-acquired AH-64E Apache attack helicopters and UH-60M Black Hawk helicopters; CM11, CM22 and CM33 armored vehicles;M109A2 self-propelled guns and 21 other types of weapons took part in the maneuvers, said the Ministry of National Defense.



The ministry revealed 8,000 shells were fired during the drill. This was the first time the AH-64E Apache and the UH-60M Black Hawk took part in Han Kuang.



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TagsRepublic of China, President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan, Han Kuang military drills, china, Republic of China Armed Forces
(Photo : Getty Images) Uber started its ride-hailing service in Macau in October 2015.

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Uber plans to officially close down its business in Macau on Sep. 9 according to a statement signed by Asia-based Uber executives.



The statement was signed by Ubers regional general manager in Asia Mike Brown and the companys regional public policy director in Asia Damian Kassabgi. The statement said that the company plans to stop its service in Macau because the government still has no time table for authorizing ride-sharing services and doling heavy fines to Uber drivers.



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According to Uber, local police authorities have collected over 10 million patacas ($1.2 million) in fines from over 300 Uber drivers in the past 10 months, according to Reuters. The global ride-hailing giant stated that it had hired over 2,000 full-time and part-time drivers in Macau, contributing over 21 million patacas ($2.6 million) in terms of economic benefits since it started operating in the city.



More than 90 percent residents of Macau support Uber because it offers better transport choices. Uber attempted to talk with Macau's transport authority but gained no positive response, and its petition to the city's chief executive on Aug. 16 also received no response.



We are committed to continuing to serve the riders and drivers of Macau. We continue to seek opportunities to work with the government on modern ridesharing regulations that will give us the chance to keep serving the people of Macau, Ubers Macau General Manager Tracy Lou Walsh said in a statement.



The American car-hailing app has become popular in Macau, where taxis are in short supply. Since Uber landed in Macau in October last year, the company was deemed illegal by the Public Security Police Force because of the lack of operating licenses, South China Morning Post.



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TagsUber, Macau, Uber Macau, china, Hong Kong, global ride-hailing giant, online ride hailing service, online trasportation
(Photo : Getty Images) China has urged Japan to play a 'constructive role' in the upcoming G20 summit and set aside its issues with Beijing

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As the G20 summit fast approaches, China has called on Japan to shed off its antagonistic stance towards Beijing and play a "constructive role" at the September 2 summit in the interests of all parties.



China's state-run news agency, Xinhua, said that Chinese state councilor Yang Jiechi told Shotaro Yachi, the head of Japan's national security council, on Thursday that Japan should play a "constructive role" in the upcoming summit despite the various problems that have been affecting Sino-Japanese ties.



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"The improvement of China-Japan ties has been continuously disturbed by various problems, especially the issues related to East China Sea and South China Sea, which is in the interests of neither side," Xinhua quoted the councilor saying.



Shaky relations



Ties between China and Japan have remained shaky over the years dating back to the World War II. In recent years, both nations have been at loggerheads over the long-simmering territorial dispute in the East China Sea, among other issues.



Beijing has also slammed Tokyo for interfering in the South China Sea dispute saying it is in no position to meddle in the conflict since it has no sovereign interest in the disputed area.



China and several Southeast Asian nations have been embroiled in disputes over the international waterway, escalating tensions among the claimant-countries in the region.



Hangzhou



Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is expected to attend the G20 summit along with world leaders including US President Barack Obama in Hangzhou next month.



Chinese Premier Li Keqiang, who also met with Yachi, said Sino-Japanese relations have "improved" despite the recent barbs traded by both countries over the issue of ownership of the Japanese-controlled Senkaku islands (Diaoyu Islands in Chinese) which are also being claimed by Beijing.



"The China-Japan relationship is still very fragile although there is a momentum of improvement," Li said.



The G20 summit, a meeting of the world's 20 major economies, will be held in the city of Hangzhou in China on September 2. The attending leaders are expected to discuss a host of global and regional issues affecting the organization.



Premier Li said he hoped that Japan would set aside its issues with China for the duration of the summit and contribute to its success.



Letter



He also called on the Japanese leader to initiate moves to ease the tensions between the two countries.



Xinhua said Abe had sent a letter to Li through Yachi assuring Beijing that Tokyo is committed to enhancing cooperation with Beijing and that he expects a successful G20 summit.



Japan recently lodged a diplomatic protest with China after seven Chinese Coast Guard ships and a swarm of 200 fishing vessels entered Japanese waters and surrounded the Tokyo-controlled Senkaku islands last week.


(Photo : chinamil.com) Senior Colonel Chen Deming

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In an extraordinary move, China recently revealed more information about secret anti-ballistic missile (ABM) tests it conducted back in 2010 and 2013 even as one of its foremost missile defense experts said war with the United States is not a question of if but when.



The revelation came on the heels of a joint decision by the United States and South Korea to station two batteries of the American Theater High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) anti-ballistic missile defense system in South Korea. It also sought to douse fears China has no defense in place against United States ballistic missiles as tensions rise in Asia



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Chinese media reported Beijing had published images of its medium-range anti-missile test and released the first video of a successful ground-based midcourse missile interception. It also focused the spotlight on little known missile and anti-missile defense expert, Senior Colonel Chen Deming.



In late July, China Central Television revealed for the first time video of China's successful ABM system tests in 2010 and 2013. In 2010, China tested an HQ-19 ABM interception system that's based on the Russian S-300 system.



The HQ-19 is China's version of THAAD. It's a vastly upgraded version of HQ-9 meant to destroy ballistic missiles and satellites in very Low Earth orbit.



The first ground-based midcourse missile interception test was held on January 11, 2010. An interceptor missile fired from the northwest desert successfully hit its target missile. Chinese media said this is the first time PLA disclosed details of its midcourse anti-missile test.



In 2013, China's tests focused on land-based, mid-course missile interception. There was also another test in 2011 about which no details were released.



The state propaganda machine also lavished attention on Chen, who it said has helped lead 28 research teams at a military base in northwestern China; supported 20 major scientific achievements and registered 13 patents.



"The problem is not whether the war will break out, but when," said Chen. "Our task is to develop the 'trump card' weapon for China before the war."



Chen expressed frustration at the pace of China's ABM development that began back in the 1960s.



"It cannot be delayed," Chen said of ABM development.



"We must follow the spirits of predecessors of the 'Two Bombs, One Satellite' to achieve a technological leap even at the risk of our lives. For the sake of maintaining peace, we must have anti-missile technology."



The hasty revelations by Beijing about its ABM system, however, raised doubts among some analysts.



"The public revelation about China's mid-course missile defense system does not reveal optimism about the country's perimeter situation," said Song Zhongping, a Beijing-based military expert, on his Weibo.



"However, we have made real progress in our missile defense system, which is now more advanced than what has been shown on TV."



Apart from the HQ-19, China has two other missiles that can be considered ABMs: the HQ-26, the Chinese equivalent of American RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 (SM-3) ship-based missile and the HQ-9 new generation medium- to long-range, active radar homing SAM similar to the American MIM-104 Patriot SAM system.



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Tagschina, anti-ballistic missile, Theater High Altitude Area Defense, THAAD, United States, Senior Colonel Chen Deming, HQ-19
(Photo : Getty Images.) Ant Financial could make an IPO in the Hong Kong stock exchange next year.

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Ant Financial, Alibaba Group's financial subsidiary company, is reportedly planing to make an initial public offering (IPO) in the Hong Kong stock exchange in the first half of next year.



Ant Financial was initially considering dual listing with the plan to list the company in Shanghai stock exchange. However, the plan has been put on hold due to regulatory hurdles, China Daily reported citing inside sources.



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Ant Financial's IPO is likely to be among the biggest IPO's for the Hong Kong stock exchange. However, the amount of capital that Ant Financial is planning to raise through the initial offering is still unknown.



According to the Hong Kong stock exchange rules, companies going public need a free float of at least 25 percent while certain companies can go for 15 percent. Based on the current valuation, a 15 percent stake in Ant Financial would be worth $9 billion.



Ant Financial, which owns China's biggest online payment service company Alipay, is currently valued at $60 billion after the latest round of funding. The company raised $4.5 billion through equity fundraising in June this year.



Apart from Alipay, Ant Financial owns China's largest money-market fund, Yu'e Bao. Alipay has so far has proved to be a major money spinner for Ant Financial. After creating a dominant position in China's online payment industry, Alipay is seeing growth opportunities in several emerging markets like India, Thailand, and Indonesia.



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(Photo : Getty Images) Chinese youngsters play online games overnight at an internet cafe in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China.

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China's three biggest state-run telecommunications company are preparing their respective infrastructure with the objective of testing 5G technology. China Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom are all working on their networks to prepare it for a possible national 5G network launch by 2020.



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Chinese media outlets reported that the total cost of building an operational 5G network would be at least RMB300 ($45 billion), the same amount was used to create the country's 4G network system.



According to China Tech News, China Mobile have already started working on a 5G development center and based in Qingdao City, Shandong Province. China Mobile's development center would conduct 5G-related research and tests, as well as possible applications in the Internet of Things platform and the mobile health sector. China Mobile has signed a partnership deal with Ericsson to study and develop 5G network frameworks, as well as possible drone applications.



China Telecom would be working with Huawei Technologies to conduct its 5G network development and testing. Additional, China Telecom is also working with a number of local government units to conduct early development of Internet of Things in the county.



On the other hand, China Unicom has reached an agreement with ZTE Corporation, and together the two companies would work on the research and development of 5G network.



China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology have already announced its plans to create and implement 5G network in China. From 2016 to 2018, companies involved in the project would perform basic research and development with a formal roll out of the technology expected in 2020.



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(Photo : Getty Images) The Huawei Mate 9 is expected to hit the market soon.

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With the exception of China, India is arguably the world's next biggest tech market. Chinese tech firm Huawei is looking to capitalize on the Indian market and has announced that it would soon begin manufacturing smartphones in the country.



Based on the latest report from IDC, Huawei is the world's third largest smartphone brand. Just like China, India also has a strict business policy when it comes to foreign investors.



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India has a program called "Make In India" which offers sizeable tax incentives to foreign companies that build their products locally. It appears that Huawei is trying to take advantage of this program, not only to lower production cost, but also to make its brand known in the country.



In a statement, Huawei India Consumer Business Group presider Peter Zhai said, "As an international brand, we are interested in developing our India business at the right time. It is going to be the second largest mobile devices market after China."



Zhai added that Huawei would have an aggressive stance in the Indian market. Huawei is no longer a stranger in the Indian smartphone industry. The company was lauded in the country following the successful release of its P9 flagship smartphone.



Huawei is not the only international company that has India as its main target. Tech giant Apple is also accelerating its investments in India. Recently, Apple announced that it would open a software design and development accelerator program in the Indian city of Bengaluru, and a mapping research center based in Hyderabad.



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California appeals court UPHOLDS prohibition of 'sexual orientation change efforts' 26 August, 2016 by Gregory Tomlin , |

SAN FRANCISCO (Christian Examiner)  The Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Northern California has upheld a controversial state law that places the state between mental health counselors and young people dealing with same-sex attractions.

Senate Bill 1172, passed in 2012, prohibits state-licensed counselors, many who are working in church-related or church-based ministries, from employing "sexual orientation change efforts"  which are many times rooted in a discussion of religion.

On Aug. 23, the court rejected the claim of the Pacific Justice Institute (PJI) and the counselors it represented that the law's primary effect was prohibiting counselors from engaging in discussions with some minors who actually sought to change because of their religious convictions. It also ruled that the motivation for the change did not matter.

The court today simply rewrote legislative history to avoid the uncomfortable reality that the California Legislature unabashedly targeted religious beliefs with this bill.

The court said the law has the "secular purpose of preventing harm to minors."

According to the law, "California has a compelling interest in protecting the physical and psychological well-being of minors, including lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender youth, and in protecting its minors against exposure to serious harms caused by sexual orientation change efforts ... ... Under no circumstances shall a mental health provider engage in sexual orientation change efforts with a patient under 18 years of age."

Just after the law was passed, the PJI won a preliminary injunction against the state when it argued that the state was curtailing the free speech of counselors when sex is discussed. It also said the free exercise of religion was at stake.

The Ninth Circuit overturned the injunction, arguing that any "informed and reasonable observer would conclude that the primary effect of SB 1172 is not the inhibition (or endorsement) of religion."

PJI's attorney said the court was being disingenuous in its ruling.

"The court today simply rewrote legislative history to avoid the uncomfortable reality that the California Legislature unabashedly targeted religious beliefs with this bill," attorney Kevin Snider said in a press release.

Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, also said the ruling was a "giant step backwards for religious freedom."

"A government that can tell a pastor what he can and cannot say during counseling is a government that can tell a pastor what parts of the Bible are off-limits. The court also reminded us today that this law lays the groundwork for further restrictions on parental rights."

In its ruling, the appellate court said the plaintiffs were "in no practical danger of enforcement outside the confines of the counselor-client relationship."

The court also said the state had repeatedly rejected the idea that the law targeted pastors. The court said the law "does not apply to members of the clergy who are acting in their roles as clergy or pastoral counselors and providing religious counseling to congregants."

PJI and its attorney remain unconvinced. They are weighing an appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court.
About 250 people were killed in a 6.2 magnitude earthquake that rocked Italy, and dozens more are reported missing. Hundreds of people were wounded, and thousands are left without homes.

The earthquake with an epicenter just 10 kilometers deep struck at 3:36 AM local time, which flattened towns around the area.

Italian emergency crews rescued the survivors and attended to the injured in the towns of Amatrice, Pescara del Tronto and Accumoli, which were the hardest hit.

"It was a 'boom' - but it was noise you felt through your bones, rather than heard," a 19-year-old student Alessio Serrafini told Sydney Morning Herald.

Rome also felt tremors lasting 20 seconds.

"My bed started to shake and the door was shaking, it was very scary," said one resident.

Residents were evacuated in Amatrice and Accumoli, and shelters were set up for the affected people.

"We had one of the most beautiful places in Italy and now we have nothing," Amatrice Mayor Sergio Pirozzi was quoted as saying by Wall Street Journal.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi visited the town of Amatrice on Wednesday.

"Italy weeps for its fellow countrymen," he told reporters.

"No one will be left alone, no family, no community, no neighborhood," Renzi promised. "We must get down to work ... to restore hope to this area which has been so badly hit.

A significant portion of the town Amatrice was destroyed by the earthquake.

"The aim now is to save as many lives as possible. There are voices under the rubble," Pirozzi said. "We have to save the people there."

One video of a rescue operation showed a 10-year-old-girl Giulia pulled out alive from the rubble 17 hours after the earthquake struck the town of Pescara del Tronto. People are seen cheering as she is rescued and transferred to a firefighter.

"Unfortunately, 90 percent we pull out are dead, but some make it, that's why we are here," said Christian Bianchetti, a volunteer working in the village of Amatrice.

The Pope expressed his sadness at the destruction of one of the most beautiful towns in Italy.

"Hearing the mayor of Amatrice say that our town is gone, and knowing that there are children among the dead, I am deeply saddened," the Pope said.

In 2009, an earthquake in the city of L'Aquila, about 55 miles south of the epic center of Wednesday's morning quake, killed over 300 people and injured 1,500, while leaving about 65,000 homeless.
Five states and two organizations comprising of health care providers have sued Health and Human Services over Obamacare regulations which mandate doctors to perform sex reassignment surgeries and procedures, even against their medical judgment and deeply-held religious beliefs.

Under the HHS regulations, physicians will be compelled to provide hormone therapy or sex change surgery despite their moral and conscientious obligations.

The HHS rules apply to health care providers who accept federal dollars from Medicaid and Medicare, and the providers can be taken to court for referring the sex change patients to other doctors.

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, who filed the lawsuit on behalf of the plaintiffs, said that the law is in violation of "medical judgment and conscience rights of doctors and health care professionals across the country".

"Under the new rule, a physician that believes that certain treatments are not in a patient's best medical interests may be in violation of federal law. And a physician that, for religious or conscientious reasons cannot perform a particular procedure, chooses to instead refer a patient to another health care provider may also be determined to be in violation of this new rule," he said.

The lawsuit represents over 17,000 physicians affiliated with the Franciscan Alliance Inc., Specialty Physicians of Illinois LLC, and Christian Medical & Dental Associations, and from five states including Kansas, Kentucky, Nebraska, Texas, and Wisconsin.

It states: "On pain of significant financial liability, the Regulation forces doctors to perform controversial and sometimes harmful medical procedures ostensibly designed to permanently change an individual's sex -- including the sex of children."

"Under the new regulation, a doctor must perform these procedures even when they are contrary to the doctor's medical judgment and could result in significant, long-term medical harm," it continues. "Thus, the regulation represents a radical invasion of the federal bureaucracy into a doctor's medical judgment."

The lawsuit says that many of the crucial medical decisions such as hysterectomy on transgender patients are called "medical necessity" by the HHS, thus disregarding individualized medical advice.

"HHS explained that a hysterectomy in this medical transition context would be 'medically necessary to treat gender dysphoria,' thereby declaring medical necessity, benefit, and prudence as a matter of federal law, and without regard to the opinions, judgment, and conscientious considerations of the many medical professionals that hold views to the contrary."
Thousands of People Flooded Downtown Oklahoma City on Saturday and Sunday Night for the Reinhard Bonnke Gospel Crusade



OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Aug. 26, 2016 /



During the two nights of ministry, Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda brought the Word of God to the crowd in a powerful "tag-team" of evangelism and prayer.



Each night the floor of the arena was filled with hundreds of people making the decision to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. Numerous people received healing in their bodies. Dozens testified on stage to the miracle work that God had done in their bodies. Multitudes received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.



Our team is now sorting through the large piles of decision cards turned in. These cards will be sent to the local churches for follow-up so that each person can begin the process of discipleship.



At the close of the last day, Daniel Kolenda invited high-school-age students to a special reception to plant the seeds of revival in secondary schools across the state of Oklahoma.



What an amazing harvest of souls! Over the two nights, thousands were touched by the power of God and embraced the message of hope. The stories of changed lives are just beginning to pour in.



Our gratitude goes out to the 250+ churches and 1,000 volunteers that helped make this historic event possible. For more information on the Reinhard Bonnke Gospel Crusades, please go to



To become a valued partner of this ministry please go to

Share Tweet Contact: Lori Bell, Liberty Resource Group , 918-760-2039, lori@libertyresoucegroup.com OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla., Aug. 26, 2016 / Christian Newswire / -- The crowd attending the two-night event at the Cox Convention Center was welcomed by Oklahoma City Mayor, Mick Cornett and joined by State Legislators and other local dignitaries.During the two nights of ministry, Reinhard Bonnke and Daniel Kolenda brought the Word of God to the crowd in a powerful "tag-team" of evangelism and prayer.Each night the floor of the arena was filled with hundreds of people making the decision to accept Jesus Christ into their hearts. Numerous people received healing in their bodies. Dozens testified on stage to the miracle work that God had done in their bodies. Multitudes received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.Our team is now sorting through the large piles of decision cards turned in. These cards will be sent to the local churches for follow-up so that each person can begin the process of discipleship.At the close of the last day, Daniel Kolenda invited high-school-age students to a special reception to plant the seeds of revival in secondary schools across the state of Oklahoma.What an amazing harvest of souls! Over the two nights, thousands were touched by the power of God and embraced the message of hope. The stories of changed lives are just beginning to pour in.Our gratitude goes out to the 250+ churches and 1,000 volunteers that helped make this historic event possible. For more information on the Reinhard Bonnke Gospel Crusades, please go to www.gospelcrusade.org To become a valued partner of this ministry please go to new.cfan.org/donate
home World 1,400 churches demolished as Cuba intensifies anti-Christian crackdown

The Communist regime of Cuba intensified its anti-Christian crackdown by taking on more than a thousand churches among more than a thousand documented violations on religious freedom.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) released its latest report on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) on Aug. 16 where they revealed 1,606 violations from the first half of 2016. These cases include harassment, arbitrary arrests, forced seizure of personal properties and confiscation of 1,400 Assemblies of God (AOG) churches. The government plans to demolish at least 100 of the AOG churches.

"There is a witch hunt against churches in Cuba at this time, mainly against the churches of apostolic and prophetic ministry," Rev. Alain Toledano, pastor of the persecuted Emanuel Church, told CSW in December last year.

The government's Planning and Housing Officials ruled Nov. 27 the eviction of the pastors and their families and the demolition of the five churches in Abel Santa Maria neighbourhood in the southern city of Santiago de Cuba.

"The communists have intensified in their hatred and persecution of the church following the Pope's visit to Cuba and the re-establishment of relations with the United States. I request constant intercession on behalf of the churches in Cuba," said Rev. Toledano.

CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas spoke out against the spike of religious violations but also said he's "humbled and inspired by the courage and perseverance" of the persecuted religious communities. He urged the United Kingdom, the European Union and the United States to take a stand with the Cuban people for their rights, particularly on religious freedom.

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) reported last year that the regime continued to enforce restrictive laws and harassment.

"The government principally targets for arrest or harassment religious communities and leaders deemed too independent from government control or those who support democracy and human rights efforts," said the report.
home World Angry Islamic mob burns down house of Nigerian Muslim for defending Christian student

Eight people died when a mob burned down the house of a Muslim in Zamfara, Nigeria on Monday, Aug. 22 because the man tried to prevent the lynching of a Christian student. The student from Abdu Gusau Polytechnic was beaten by the angry crowd when he allegedly made blasphemous remarks denouncing Islam.

A man identified only as Tajudeen reportedly rescued the student and brought him to the hospital, according to Pulse Nigeria. Eyewitnesses said that the mob's anger at Tajudeen led them to burn his house, killing the eight people inside.

A spokesman for the Zamfara State Police said that Tajudeen and his wife were not among the dead. President Muhammadu Buhari condemned the attacks as "barbaric" and "unacceptable." Buhari talked about the incident on his personal Twitter account.

Following the attack, the Abdu Gusau Polytechnic was shut down by management and the police enforced a 12-hour curfew from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m.

Christian organization Open Doors reported in March that there had been a 62 percent increase in violence against Christians in Nigeria in just one year. The report said that the source of persecution can be traced to Boko Haram, Muslim Fulani herdsman and Muslim religious and the dominant political elite forces in Northern Nigeria.

The organization recorded 4,028 killings and 198 church attacks in 2015. The figures for 2014 show 2,484 killings and 108 church attacks. There are about 30 million Christians living in Northern Nigeria who are at risk of persecution, according to Open Doors. The organization ranked Nigeria on its World Watch List as the 12th most difficult country to be a Christian.

Last July, a group of young Muslims stormed St. Philip's Catholic Parish in Baki Iku. Newsday reported that the angry youths attacked parishioners while they were praying inside the church. The youths reportedly declared that Christians are not allowed to pray on Fridays and that they only have the right to pray on Sundays.
home World New assault on Egypt Christians: Attacker shot dead after killing guard at Coptic Church

Church guards in Egypt shot dead a knife-wielding attacker who fatally stabbed one of their own men at a Coptic church Wednesday morning.

According to the Associated Press (AP), Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported that an unnamed assailant attacked one of the church guards at the Virgin Mary Church in Nozha suburb and stabbed him to death. The church's other security officials then gunned down the killer.

Though the killer's motives for the attack remain unclear as investigations continue, this follows a spike of sectarian attacks against the country's religious minorities.

Coptic Christians frustrated with the spate of religious-driven violence defied the country's ban on public protests and took to the streets in Cairo on Aug. 13 to demand their rights as citizens in the largely Muslim country.

"I am an Egyptian citizen above all," a protester named Michael Armanious told the AP. "We pay taxes, we serve in the army, we are dealing with all the same economic problems in Egypt with the rest of our countrymen, why should we have fewer rights?"

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi met with Coptic Pope Tawadros II and promised that "whoever has erred will be held accountable by law."

The Coptic Pope also met with state lawmakers urging them to uphold national unity as he cited a report of 37 sectarian attacks against the Coptic Christians since 2013 or an average of one violent attack per month.

"There's a gap between what the president says and what the executive implements," The Financial Times quoted Bishop Makarios of Minya as saying. "We have been patient and understanding, but many Copts increasingly feel he [Mr Sisi] has to take a position."

The sectarian violence is apparent in the town of Minya where Muslim mobs killed Copts, burned their houses and even abused an elderly Christian mother and forced her to parade naked.

"Mr President, a reminder: Copts are Egyptian and Minya is an Egyptian province," tweeted Bishop Makarios after another violence in the town.
home Faith Tabernacle in Bible was circular not rectangular, says Bible-loving engineer

For many centuries, scholars envisioned the Biblical Tabernacle or Tent of Meeting as a rectangular tent. This was based on the details in the Old Testament's book of Exodus. A Wisconsin engineer challenged this theory and said this specifically detailed design of the temporary house of God is not a modest rectangular tent but is actually a circular edifice.

According to Breaking News Israel, mechanical engineer Andrew Hoy studied for several years the details of the portable place of worship used by Israel, as described in biblical manuscripts.

Hoy's concept went against the belief scholars of old had established. He said the Tabernacle is a massive circular structure that stands six stories tall.

His study of the book of Exodus led him to the details of the construction of the Tabernacle and the realization that there were discrepancies between the life-size replicas of the Tent of Meeting at Timna Park and Ariel, both located in Israel.

Hoy is now in Israel to further explore his theory. He intends to examine archaeological evidences validate the circular Tabernacle theory and to find backing and support for the discoveries. He described his theory in detail on the Project 314 website.

He knows that the challenge of validating his claim is not an easy one as the Tabernacle is a portable structure and was dissembled 3,000 years ago.

"I think that restoration of personal study is really important, to look at the text for yourself with a critical eye. I wasn't looking for this, but when I began to study the verses about the Tabernacle, this is what became clear to me as being the absolute truth," Hoy said to Breaking Israel News.

The engineer was raised in a Lutheran Church and studied in a religious seminary in Jerusalem. He focused on learning Hebrew so he can study the Bible in its original form. Reports said that Hoy has a deep passion for the Bible and a knack for numbers.
home Faith Chalkstone receptacles found in Galilee cave same as those used in Jesus' time

Stone vessels were unearthed from a 2,000-year-old cave in Galilee this month. The containers were among numerous others found in what appeared to be an industrial factory producing stone receptacles.

According to a report by Israel National News the archaeological excavations in Nazareth, northern Israel, were headed by Dr. Yonatan Adler of Ariel University. The enormous underground cave carved into a chalkstone hillside was said to have served as a quarry and a workshop.

The reports said the factory held stone vessels in different stages of production. The team said this proves that creating such containers was a successful business in the time of Jesus.

According to Adler, an archaeologist specializing in ancient Jewish ritual law, stone receptacles were important in daily Jewish religious life during that period. Adler said it was a Jewish "Stone Age."

At the time when most wares used were made of pottery, first century Jews used stoneware made of soft, native chalkstone. It is said that the stone vessels met stringent religious requirements of purity and can never become ritually impure, hence the Jewish production of stoneware.

Stoneware was made famous in the story of the Wedding at Cana from the Gospel of John. This is where Jesus' first miracle of turning water into wine was said to have used six jars made of stone. In the bible, John 2:6 states, "Now there were six stone water jars set there for the Jewish custom of purification, containing twenty or thirty gallons each."

According to Times of Israel, the excavations have yet to find jars similar to the size mentioned in the book of John. Dr. Dennis Mizzi of the University of Malta said, "Fragments of large jars have not been unearthed." He explained that so far, stone mugs and small bowls were the only stoneware extracted from the site. There will be more excavations done next summer.
home World Chinese official kills farmer in row over forced land acquisition

A Chinese official fatally plowed over a farmer Sunday morning after the farmer protested the forced seizure of his land.

According to China Aid, a government employee in the coastal province of Shandong used a front loader to kill the farmer. Official reports then claimed the farmer died due to faulty operation of the machine.

However, social media posts contradicted the Communist State's report and said that the landowner mauled the farmer who stood his ground to defy the construction of a road on a piece of land that the government seized from him.

"Is the government any different than bandits?" China Aid quoted one social media comment.

The government reportedly deleted all social media posts surrounding the incident.

Peng Shengbin, a local resident, said that the state also harassed protesters on March 7, 2014 after forcing them to relocate. He said the government's demolition team even kidnapped his wife on March 22, 2014.

"They kicked her and beat her," Peng said. "My wife kowtowed to them, saying 'Don't kill me! We don't have any money!' They grabbed her hair and shoved her against the car. Afterwards, they abducted my wife and took her to a hotel."

He added that the government did not respond to their repeated complaints and appeals.

Prof. Philip Alston, United Nations expert on human rights and extreme poverty, said at the end of his fact-finding trip to China that the state should recognize human rights in order to make real progress.

"China has much to be proud of in the field of poverty alleviation. However, if it is to effectively ensure the implementation of its economic and social rights obligations, it needs to adopt more robust mechanisms for citizen involvement and for governmental accountability," said Alston on Tuesday.

The UN expert mentioned in his report the nationwide crackdown on human rights lawyers last year and the convictions on some of them only recently, the inefficiency of petitioning officials, the restrictive laws on non-government organizations, and the punitive responses to protests.
home Faith Christian charity rejects large donation from atheist in Oklahoma

The Murrow Indian Children's Home refused a large sum of money raised by an atheist for its advertising campaign, saying it would go against the Bible. Matt Wilbourn, the donor, first tried to donate $100 on Monday. Wilbourn raised more money through a crowdfunding campaign when his first offer was rejected.

According to Patheos, Wilbourn's company used to print the charity's advertisements for free because it was a good cause. This year, however, the charity organization insisted on paying for the service.

As an act of goodwill, Wilbourn decided to contribute $100 under the name "Muskogee Atheist Community." He later received a call from the charity informing him that his donation would not be accepted. He was advised to change the name on the donation but he refused.

According to Murrow's Facebook page, the words, "In Honor of the Muskogee Atheist Community," would have to be printed on the advertisement. The charity expressed its gratitude but refused the donation, citing that it would violate "biblical principles."

"Murrow cannot honor the atheist non-belief in God our father, and honor God our father under our Biblical principles," the statement said. "Those two positions are totally opposite of each other. Therefore, we must respectfully decline the donation and the request to honor the atheist community with the donation in an advertisement for a Murrow fundraising event," it added.

Wilbourn was able to raise a total of $28,280. The GoFundMe page stated that $5,000 will be donated anonymously to the children's home and the remaining amount will be donated to Camp Quest Oklahoma.

Some Christian donors commended Wilbourn for his efforts.

"Hello! I am a Christian and former social worker. I think the donation was a wonderful act of charity, and the children deserved the funds you offered," one donor posted.

The charity organization received criticism on Facebook for refusing the donation. One commenter posted, "Where in the Bible is it written not to accept money from atheists? When did Jesus say that? You misunderstand Christianity."
home World Disabled mom of imprisoned Christian in Iran pleads for son's freedom

The visually impaired elderly mother of an imprisoned Iranian Christian pleaded for justice and his son's release.

According to Mohabat News, Ebrahim Firouzi's mother cried as she addressed judicial authorities and cited how her disability prevented her from helping her son by going from court to court to follow up on his case.

She also implored for her son's freedom as she's not been able to visit him since his arrest in August 2013 because of her handicap.

Authorities held Firouzi in one of Iran's notorious prisons, Gohardasht or Rajaei-Shahr prison in Karaj, northwest of Tehran, where he's sentenced to five years on charges of espionage.

Firouzi's first arrest dated back in January 2011 for which he spent 154 days behind bars. His next arrest happened in March 2013 for which he spent 53 days in the infamous Evin prison.

Authorities reportedly assaulted the Christian prisoner on his way to court last month. Firouzi previously wrote an open letter where he revealed that he would not attend the said court hearing after officials prevented his lawyer's visits and access to legal documents. However, the scheduled hearing was postponed because of the judge's absence.

Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) called out the trend of repeated arrests against Christians in the country. The U.K.-based Christian organization cited the Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani as an apparent example.

The church leader first spent a year behind bars in 2012 and 2013 on charges of apostasy for which the court acquitted him.

Authorities then arrested the prominent pastor of Church of Iran on May 13 and released him July 24 but only to give him one week to raise 100 million Iranian tomans (approximately US$ 33,000) bond or face prison again.

"We are deeply concerned by these developments and await further clarification regarding the reasons for these arrests," said CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas.

"Unfortunately, it is not uncommon for Christians who have been arrested on account of their religious beliefs to be released and re-arrested time and again, in a tactic designed to foster a sense of insecurity within the community," Thomas added.
home Faith Irish seminary reviews policies amid Grindr gay dating app rumors

Allegations of a gay subculture and the use of a Grindr gay dating app among seminarians has forced Ireland's oldest priest-training college to review its current policies, including the use of social media.

Irish Catholic Bishops' Conference reported Wednesday that the Trustees of Saint Patrick's College in Maynooth, the National Seminary for Ireland, met the previous day to discuss new instructions for its students and staff as the college took in 14 new seminarians for priesthood training amid its latest controversies.

The Trustees of the college aimed to form priests "after the heart of the Good Shepherd" as they notably agreed to review the seminarians' use of the internet and social media, the college's whistleblowing policy, and to commission an independent audit into the governance of Irish seminaries.

The meeting of the four archbishops of Ireland together with 13 senior bishops acknowledged the controversy that recently entangled the reputed college.

While Hugh Connolly, the president of the seminary, described the atmosphere in Maynooth as a "very good one," one trainee priest speaking anonymously said it's "poisonous." Former trainee priest at Maynooth, 31-year-old Francis McLoughlin, also said, "there is an attraction for men with a same-sex attraction to the seminary."

"There is no place in a seminary community for any sort of behaviour or attitude which contradicts the teaching and example of Jesus Christ," the Trustees said in a statement.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin responded to the allegations by moving three Dublin seminarians to the Irish Pontifical College in Rome and said that he would no longer send seminarians to Maynooth.

"I wasn't happy with Maynooth," Archbishop Martin told The Irish Times on Aug. 1. "There seems to 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.

The leader of Ireland's largest diocese told RTE Radio the next day that anonymous letters and blogs circulated surrounding allegations of a gay culture and students using the Grindr app. The anonymous claims also accused the faculty of misconduct.

Bishop Alphonsus Cullinan of Waterford and Lismore said he, too, would send future seminarians to Rome while 14 of the 26 Irish diocesan bishops voiced support for Maynooth.
home World ISIS has price list for sale of Yazidi and Christian sex slaves

The Islamic State keeps a detailed store-like price list for its Yazidi and Christian sex slaves and enforced market regulations after a dip in demand, revealed a report.

According to Bloomberg, Zainab Bangura, United Nations' Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, verified the investigative report submitted to the U.S. State Department early this year by the Catholic fraternal organization Knights of Columbus and nonprofit In Defense of Christians, including a sex slave price list.

The 278-page report "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful Subject/Prices of Selling Spoils of War" revealed that IS sells female captives as young as one year old and as old as 50.

IS pegged Yazidi and Christian female children aged one to nine at $169.21. Yazidi and Christian female captives aged 10 to 20 are sold for $126.91. Those aged 30 to 40 are sold for $63.45 while those at the oldest range of 40 to 50 are sold the cheapest at $42.30.

"We have received news that the demand in women and spoils of war market has been experiencing a significant decrease, which adversely affects the Islamic State of Iraq revenue and the financing of the Mujahideen assaults," said the report. "Therefore, the Committee of Treasury considered setting regulations and prices with regards to selling women and spoils of war."

It also added that only foreign customers such as Turks, Syrians, and Gulf Arabs can make more than three purchases. The jihadi group also threatened to execute those who breaches the new selling practice.

The militant group also reported sold sex slaves like online commodities. They used encrypted messaging smartphone applications like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Telegram for making online transactions.

"Virgin. Beautiful. 12 years old.... Her price has reached $12,500 and she will be sold soon," the Associated Press quoted one of the sex advertisements posted on Telegram.

Some customers also haggle for prices.

"What makes her worth that price?" asked one on Facebook. "Does she have exceptional skill?"
home World ISIS rape victims keep their babies despite threat of being shunned by communities

Yazidi rape victims who escaped captivity courageously chose to keep their babies despite being shunned by their community. Many of them returned home pregnant or with infants in stride.

According to a Lifesite News report, the Yazidi rape victims were turned away because they engaged in sex with non-Yazidi men. Such an occurrence is unacceptable in their religion, even if it was done by force by Islamic State militants.

Baba Sheikh, a known leader of the community, said Yazidi women can be welcomed back into their community. However, their children will not be accepted. This may inevitably lead women to get an abortion.

"It is unacceptable in our religion to allow the birth of any children if both parents are not Yazidis," he said to Lifesite News. Many of the victims resorted to abortion to regain acceptance. Abortion is illegal in Iraq but authorities are said to have an "understanding" with the community leaders. Thus, no case was filed against the women who chose this option.

But not all victims heeded the call to get rid of their children. According to Rezan Dler, a member of the Iraqi Council of Representatives and a practicing lawmaker, there are a lot women who want to keep their babies. The lawyer has been working with the Yazidi victims. "They've indicated they would rather stay under IS slavery if returning home meant losing their babies," Dler said in a Voice Of Amercia interview.

She added, "A Yazidi woman who was pregnant for eight months when she escaped IS, she wanted to keep her baby, but her husband insisted on divorcing her if she refused to have an abortion. The couple finally separated. The woman is now living in a refugee camp with her 5-month-old child."

Dler said that there are also Yazidi women who gave birth and had their children adopted by Kurdish couples who could not have children.

Nofel Hamadi Akub, current governor of Nineveh, told reporters that in his province alone there are reportedly almost 3,000 children of "unknown parentage."
home Faith Joel Osteen urges Christians to break down barriers

Famed televangelist Joel Osteen urged Christians to break the barriers of limitations on their minds and achieve greater things in the name of Jesus Christ.

The 53-year-old senior pastor of Lakewood Church in Houston Texas, the largest Protestant church in the U.S., talked about breaking barriers on his blog Friday.

The preacher used the life lesson of Roger Bannister, who exemplified what it meant to break barriers when he made history in May of 1956 and run a mile in just under four minutes. Bannister's feat broke the scientists' theories at that time that the human body could not possibly run a mile under this few minutes and paved the way for more and more runners repeating his feat.

"If you'll do like Roger and recondition your mind, start thinking better, believing that you're a 'can do' person, knowing that you have seeds of greatness, you too will break barriers that you thought were impossible!" wrote Pastor Osteen.

The New York Times best-selling author believes that God meant His people to achieve great things in life. He also equated breaking barriers or setting new standards with making it easier for others. He said that's exactly what his dad did when he broke the chains of poverty for his family and gave him a better headstart in life.

"Remember, God is a progressive God. He wants to see you increase so you can help others increase," said the preacher.

He also quoted John 14:12, which states, "Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father."

Joyce Meyer, another prominent preacher and New York Times best-selling author, also believe that God didn't call His people to be trapped in negative thinking. Rather, Meyer said that God wants Christians to become "prisoners of hope," always expectant and cherishing hopeful thoughts in God's wonderful promises.
home US Khalid Jabara, Arab Christian in Oklahoma shot dead by neighbor, saved others as he was dying

Khalid Jabara, the Arab Christian gunned down by his prejudiced neighbor in Oklahoma, managed to save others' lives even as he died.

Khalid saved his family's lives before he succumbed Aug. 12 to gunshot wounds on the abdomen on the front porch of their family home at the hands of their 61-year-old next-door neighbor Stanley Vernon Majors.

Haifa Jabara, Khalid's mother, said she was at a friend's house when Khalid called her and told her to stay away from the house.

"He called me and said, 'Mom, stay where you are a this guy we learned has a gun. Please stay away!'" Haifa told Tulsa World in an interview.

Haifa also believed that Khalid saved his father's life, Mounah Jabara, who lay in poor health condition inside the house, by preventing Majors from getting in.

Tania Jabara, Khalid's first cousin, also attested that Khalid saved a neighbor woman's life by repeatedly telling her to go away when she came upon the scene.

"He saved my life. Because if I came, definitely he would shoot me because he tried to kill me," she said.

She referred to the incident back in September last year when Majors ran over her with his car as she strolled along the neighborhood. Haifa sustained major injuries and spent weeks in the hospital.

The court charged Majors with felony assault and initially detained him, but a judge released him without bond until his trial slated March 2017.

"Our brother's death could have been prevented," Crux quoted Victoria Jabara Williams, Khalid's older sister, as saying. "This man was a known danger."

Majors reportedly harassed the Lebanese-American Orthodox Christian family by calling them "dirty Arabs," "filthy Lebanese," "Aye-rabs" and "Mooslems," even when they're not Muslims.

Williams resented the fact that the court released Majors with "no ankle monitor, no drug/alcohol testing, nothing."

Khalid also called 911 two hours before the shooting incident. The Tulsa Police arrived but did nothing. Majors started the attack as soon as the police left.

"Here, in the United States, Mr. Jabara and his family became targets of violence and hatred not because of their faith, but because of their Middle Eastern identity and culture," said Kirsten Evans, executive director for In Defense of Christians (IDC), in a press release Aug. 17.

"Sadly, Middle Eastern Christians caught in the crossfire of the sectarian conflict plaguing the Middle East have also become vulnerable scapegoats for hatred and violence born of political and cultural tensions here in the United States."
home Tech New Zealand youth prefer reading printed Bible rather than Bible Apps, survey says

Young people from New Zealand still read the Bible on paper according to a recent survey. The Nielsen survey, commissioned by the Bible Society of New Zealand, showed that 87 percent of youth who read the Bible prefer the printed version.

The 196 respondents in the 13 to 18 age group considered themselves Christians who read the Bible in the last year. 83 percent had their own copy while 16 percent used a Bible shared by their family.

Bible Society chief executive Francis Burdett found the results encouraging but there were also a few concerns. According to the report published by the group, 90 percent of the respondents had Christian parents and a quarter of them attended a Christian school. 72 percent attended church regularly.

"We discovered high rates of regular Bible reading among the sample group and we found out just how important family members are in teaching them to read it," Burdett told NZ Catholic.

Parents were the most influential in teaching the youth to read the Bible, according to the report. 68 percent of the respondents were taught by parents, followed by 38 percent who were taught by a Church leader or Sunday school teacher. 29 percent of the respondents pointed towards their youth leader and pastor. The respondents were allowed to select more than one option for the question.

Nearly three out of 10 young readers admitted that they did not find the Bible encouraging or inspiring. "We also found a generation of 18-year-olds who are attending church less and becoming increasingly disillusioned with the Bible - saying the Bible is challenging, overwhelming and pointless," Burdett added.

Time also played a factor in the Bible-reading habits of young Kiwis. 32 percent of the respondents admitted that they do not have enough time to read the Bible. 62 percent said that they wished they could read it more.

The Bible Society is currently producing reading materials and training programs for the youth to deal with the challenges posed by the results of the survey.
home World LGBT rights exist only on paper in Africa, says Desmond Tutu's daughter

Mpho Tutu-van Furth, the daughter of South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu, spoke about the discrimination of homosexuals in Africa at a human rights congress held in Johannesburg on Tuesday. She mentioned at the event that even when there are laws protecting LGBT rights, discrimination still existed.

"People continue to be victims of discrimination, even though on paper you are entitled to fair treatment and protection," said Tutu-van Furth at the International Federation of Human Rights (FIDH) Congress. "These protections are not part of the experience for many people," she added.

Tutu-van Furth had to give up her ministry when she married her female partner, Marceline van Furth, in the Netherlands last year. In an interview with the The Guardian, she expressed her dismay when the Anglican Church asked her to give up her license to practice her priestly ministry.

"My father campaigned for women's ordination, and so every time I stand at the altar I know that this is part of his legacy. And it is painful, a very odd pain, to step down, to step back from exercising my priestly ministry," she said.

Marceline is an atheist but the former priest said that this was not an issue for her. Tutu-van Furth mentioned that Marceline would respect her beliefs and attend mass with her. Other priests offered to give up their licenses to express their support for Tutu-van Furth but she reportedly refused.

She disclosed in her speech at the FIDH Congress that she and her partner were not experiencing discrimination and they were receiving support from their family, friends and colleagues.

Tutu-van Furth commended South Africa as a leading example of democracy in the continent but she clarified that the effort to maintain democracy should continue. "Human rights and democracy are not an event. They are a process that has to be lived, created and recreated," she said to African News Agency.
home World Muslims in Lebanon turn to Jesus Christ as they minister to Syrian refugees

Many Muslims in Lebanon turned to Christ as they discovered His presence despite the dangers that face them as they minister to displaced Syrian refugees.

The ministry leader of Christian Aid Mission (CAM) reported that many Syrian refugees experience a resurgence in harassments and that many Lebanese Muslims, too, started turning to Christ.

One unnamed ministry worker reportedly felt Christ's presence after he awoke at 3 a.m.

"His faith was strengthened and renewed," said CAM's ministry leader. "He is faithful in sharing Christ with his family and neighbors, and we ask for continued prayers for him.

A female ministry worker started five prayer groups for women and overcame her illiteracy by audio media to spread God's Word.

"She doesn't cease to share the love of Christ with those that she encounters, and we know the only explanation for how she can do all this is the Holy Spirit," said the leader.

He added that a local couple became missionaries as the husband devoted himself full-time to ministry. There's also a new Christian convert who braved the dangers in his hometown of south Lebanon where he decided to go back in order to share the gospel with the community's Muslims. He's reportedly meeting eight people every day in his house for prayer, where he leads a ministry despite the apparent risks and lack of funding.

"He is a fisherman with a heart for God and an eagerness to minister to his people, no matter how dangerous it may be," the CAM leader said about this new convert.

Two more ministry workers, also illiterate and who use audio media for evangelization, decided to forge ahead to the war-torn neighbor country of Syria as they claimed that Christ called them to go there to spread His name. They said they can no longer wait for the refugees to go to them and are taking action instead to minister to people who need Jesus.

"The love of Christ burns inside them," said the ministry leader.

A Middle Eastern Christian woman touring the U.S. this month told Western Christians not to pray for persecution to end in the Middle East but rather to pray for God to endow them with the spirit to continue as His witnesses. She claimed that many Muslims have since turned to Christ since the sectarian attacks against Christians including the Islamic State atrocities in the name of Allah.
home Faith 'Good Christian Sex' pastor sees the Bible as an 'historic document' not God's infallible Word

The Christian author and pastor who wrote a book that single Christians could choose beyond sexual chastity said she sees the Bible as a historic document, not God's infallible Word.

Rev. Bromleigh McCleneghan of Union Church of Hinsdale in Illinois wrote the controversial book "Good Christian Sex: Why Chastity Isn't the Only Option a And Other Things the Bible Says About Sex," where she challenged traditional Christian values and beliefs surrounding sex outside marriage.

This led many Christian readers to assume that the pastor and married mother of three does not take the Bible as foolproof and the ultimate Word.

Rev.McCleneghan responded to such criticisms through a Q&A email interview with The Christian Post on Tuesday, where she clarified her stances, including her belief in the Bible.

"I profess Jesus as the Word of God, and the Bible as a witness to His life, ministry, death and resurrection. Which is to say that I take it seriously as a living witness, but also as a historic document written in a particular time and place," she wrote.

She also claimed that her book does not tell people to go all out in their sexuality but that she urges them to take a double look on what the Scripture really says.

"My book is really an invitation for people to reflect on Scripture and their experiences in the light of their faith. It is not an 'anything goes' approach to sexuality, but it does ask readers to consider what is at stake in the ways they order their sexual relationships," said Rev. McCleneghan.

She also responded to calls by some Christians for her to resign as a pastor. She says that her book did not merit the criteria for her removal according to the process followed by her denomination. She added that her book even received praises by the lay and clergy leaders.

While Rev. McCleneghan maintains that single Christians could enjoy a "mutually pleasurable and affirming sex," a study released by the Institute of Family Studies in June revealed that women who remained virgins before marriage are less likely to end up divorced than their counterparts.
home World Mosque construction near Leaning Tower of Pisa protested by hundreds

Hundreds of Pisa residents protested Saturday the local council's approval of a mosque construction near the iconic Leaning Tower and charged Islam as a religion of hatred.

The "No Mosque" campaign, led by the center-right Forza Italia party, garnered more than 2,000 signatures calling for a referendum on the decision as they claim that majority of the city's 90,000 population seeks to overturn it.

Those opposed sought to block the mosque construction on the grounds that the location's too close to the Italian monument and that the mosque would only breed radicalism.

"It's not just that it would be built in the wrong location, just 400 metres from the Leaning Tower, but also because people know that mosques are places where there is a risk of radicalization," Forza Italia party member Gianluca Gambini told the Daily Telegraph.

MP Daniela Santanche also vehemently opposed the mosque construction.

"Today we are at war, whether you like it or not, and we have to fight it with whatever we have. Mosques should be closed, not opened, because they are not places of worship, but places that preach hatred," said Santanche.

The campaigners held the protest just more than a week after authorities arrested 26-year-old Bilel Chiahoui, a Tunisian with avowed sympathies for the Islamic State extremist group. Chiahoui posted threats on social media to blow himself up at the Leaning Tower.

Izzedin Elzir, head of the Union of Italian Islamic Communities, maintained that the Muslims' rights should also be protected and accused the campaign of "prejudice and opposition." Elzir also accused the politicians of only trying to win votes by spreading the fear caused by terrorist attacks in the neighboring countries of France, Belgium, and Germany.

"They need to take responsibility for fanning the flames of prejudice and creating panic," he told Religion News Service.

He added that there're about 3,000 Muslim residents in the area and that about 300 of them regularly attend the Friday prayers in Pisa.

Pisa's Mayor Marco Filippeschi also cited that Muslims have been attending the small mosque in Pisa for the past 20 years. He added that the local council would not spend even once cent on the a4.5m mosque project.
home World Pope Francis cancels address to lead prayers for Italy's earthquake victims

Pope Francis expressed sorrow and solidarity as he led thousands of Vatican pilgrims to pray instead for the victims of the earthquake which shook Italy early Wednesday.

The Argentine pontiff told an audience of 11,000 at St. Patrick's Square that he planned to talk about Jesus' mercy for his weekly general audience but decided instead to lead a prayer service when he heard the tragic news.

"Hearing the news of the earthquake that has struck central Italy and devastated entire areas, leaving many dead and wounded, I cannot fail to express my heartfelt sorrow and my closeness to everyone in the earthquake zone, especially those who lost loved ones and those who are still shaken by fear and terror," said Pope Francis, as reported by Catholic News Service.

"Having heard the mayor of Amatrice say, 'The town no longer exists,' and knowing that there are children among the dead, I am deeply saddened," he added.

He then led a prayer of the sorrowful mysteries as he believed that Jesus would provide consolation and peace to those suffering.

The Vatican Radio also reported later in the day that the Holy See's Press Office announced six firefighters sent from the Vatican City State to Amatrice.

Italy's National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV) registered the main earthquake at 6.2 which struck central Italy at 3:36 a.m. followed by smaller quakes that lasted 12 hours, the strongest of which is a 5.5-magnitude earthquake that was registered.

According to Reuters, official reports counted the death toll at 247 Thursday and could rise more than 300, surpassing the number of casualties from the county's last major quake in 2009. Prime Minister Matteo Renzi also reported 368 people injured and taken to the hospital late Wednesday.

One grandmother, who lost a family of four that included her eight-month-old and nine-year-old male grandchildren, blamed God for the sudden loss.

"He took them all at once," Reuters quoted her as saying.
home World Prince Hassan of Jordan: 'Christianity an essential fabric to the Middle East,' condemns ISIS and urges interfaith efforts

Prince Hassan of Jordan strongly urged for interfaith relations as he condemned the Islamic State and embraced Christianity as an essential part of the Middle East.

The 69-year-old brother of King Hussein of Jordan together with the 53-year-old Dr. Ed Kessler, founding director of the Woolf Institute, represented the Muslims and Jews, respectively, in a joint statement for The Telegraph on Tuesday where they took a stance against the persecution of Christians, especially by the jihadist group, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS or Daesh).

The duo spurned the contention made by Daesh on the article "Break the Cross" on Dabiq, the group's online magazine used mainly for propaganda and recruitment, that refused to recognize and accept Christians as one of their own.

"Christianity has been part of the essential fabric of the Middle East for two thousand years. Far from being a Western import as some, incredibly, now seem to suggest, it was born here and exported as a gift to the rest of the world," wrote Hassan and Kessler.

They also denounced the atrocities committed by Daesh, not just against Christians but even to fellow Muslims. They criticized the terrorist group's "apocalyptic vision" as chiefly the makings of the "warped minds of today's jihadists" and accused them of wanting to take the world into another Dark Age similar to that of the Middle Ages.

"It is time to call a halt to the hate and atrocities that are causing convulsions throughout our immediate region and beyond," urged the two. "Peace and humanity itself hang upon the success of this interfaith exercise. It is that important," they added.

They pointed out that the Abrahamic scriptures of the world's three largest religions a Christianity, Islam, and Judaism a contained texts that have been used to justify division and crimes in the name of God.

Yet Islam also advocates the right to freedom and the right to human dignity just as Judaism calls for the preservation of human life above everything else. The duo suggested that contrasting texts from the same Scripture should be studied together and as they noted the importance of Scriptural interpretation.

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi of Qom, Iran's top Muslim cleric also condemned the Takfiri sects or Muslims who accuse other Muslims as apostates and lauded Pope Francis for refusing to identify Islam as a violent religion.
home World Radical Hindus prevent construction of church in India

Hindus have stopped the construction of a church in the central Indian state of Chhattisgarh. A mob erected a concrete wall that blocked the entrance to the compound where the church was being built.

Members of the mob also recently disrupted a Christian prayer meeting in the area on Aug. 21.

in an interview with UCA News, Christian community member Samuel Das said the extremists "wanted us to demolish the building after we finished more than half of the construction." He further stated that they brought the matter to the local police and district officials but no one came to help them.

"The situation in this area is so bad that if you want to be a Christian, you will have to prepare to be martyred," said Das. "The Hindu activists have a free hand to do anything they want to do as the police and the administration back them," he added.

The Chhattisgarh Catholic Council issued a press release last week and expressed anguish over recent attacks and unlawful actions against the Christian community.

"We urge the state government to take stern action against those responsible and to prevent recurrence of such incidents," said the council in its statement. "The role of police is not impartial as it often seemed to be under pressure from these groups. They register cases without proper investigation," it continued.

The Evangelical Fellowship of India's Religious Liberty Commission (EFIRLC) recently released a report detailing the increasing attacks against Christians in India. The report stated that the attacks in the first half of 2016 have already reached 133 while noting that there were 147 and 177 reported cases in 2014 and 2015 respectively.

The report also mentioned Chhattisgarh as one of the Indian states that has a history of anti-Christian policies as well as non-state agencies that target the Christian community.

To address the issue, the EFIRLC called on the Indian government for proper legislation against religious minorities.
home US Religious leaders cast doubt on Hillary Clinton's claims of being a defender of religious liberty

Religious leaders chimed in to cast doubts and reject claims made by Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, who portrayed herself as a defender of religious freedom.

Prof. Thomas Farr of Georgetown University rejected the idea and said that those who believed Clinton's claims of defending the religious liberties of Catholic schools, refugee services, adoption agencies, homes for the aged poor and other private organizations are "making a mistake."

"Her own words suggest that even churches will not evade her understanding of the kind of 'compelling government interest' that she considers abortion and same-sex marriage to be," Farr told Catholic News Service.

The former Secretary of State wrote an op-ed Aug. 10 for Utah's Mormon newspaper Deseret News where she claimed to place religious liberty in high esteem as she's defended it for years. She mentioned championing the rights of religious minorities such as Egypt's Coptic Christians, Tibet's Buddhists, and Chinese Christians.

Brian Burch, president of CatholicVote.org, noted that Clinton's policies counter religious liberties and that they tended towards the extreme end.

"She publicly opposes the long understood definition of religious freedom by hiding behind the euphemism of 'freedom of worship'," Burch said, picking on Clinton's own words.

He continued, "What this means is she supports the freedom of Catholics to pray inside of our churches, at least for now. But once outside we must embrace the orthodoxy of secular anti-Catholic progressives."

Farr also recalled that the pro-life presidential candidate once said that religious beliefs need to be changed to accommodate women's abortion rights.

The New York Times best-selling writer Eric Metaxas spoke out first against Clinton when he appeared on Fox News the next day Clinton's op-ed went out. Metaxas condemned Clinton as the very enemy of what she claims to be fighting for.

Metaxas said Clinton's claims "stunned" him as he considered them a cynical joke. The author of "If You Can Keep It: The Forgotten Promise of American Liberty" added that Clinton made it her goal to "work with progressives against those kind of people."
home World Salvation Army has helped 4,500 slaves since 2011 but more is needed, charity says

The Salvation Army reported that it received 4,500 victims of modern slavery between July 2011 and March 2016. The demand for support continued to grow and the organization, along with its partners, adapted its services to support the people being referred to it, according to the UK branch of the charity.

The organization reported that it received 1,331 victims of modern slavery between April 2015 and March 2016. This figure is in stark contrast with the 378 victims in the first year it began to accept potential victims of human trafficking and slavery.

The U.K. Home Office told BBC that the rise in numbers is a sign that efforts to shed light on modern slavery were working. "Slavery has long been hidden in plain sight, and our policy is designed to encourage more victims to come forward and ask for help," said Sarah Newton, U.K. minister for safeguarding, vulnerability and countering extremism.

Most victims were found in nail salons, car washes and farms. Victims were sometimes forced to pave drive ways, work as nannies and engage in sexual exploitation. 44 percent had been sexually exploited while 42 percent had been exploited for labor. 13 percent were exploited for domestic work.

The organization's report stated that most of the victims were from Albania. Other victims were from Poland, Nigeria and Vietnam. There were also British citizens who had been trafficked within the U.K.

The charity launched the Modern Slavery Victim Care and Coordination Contract which provided transport and accommodations in safe-houses for victims of modern slavery. It also gave victims access to legal and immigration advice as well as financial support and counseling.

"To combat modern slavery will require a continuing concerted effort from across society," said Anne Read, the anti-trafficking and modern slavery director for The Salvation Army.

"Everyone from official agencies, frontline workers, Government, NGOs and, [more] importantly, the general public has a part to play in defeating the perpetrators of these crimes and securing the safety and the best outcome for people currently trapped in slave-like conditions a unable to escape and forced to do things against their will," she said in a statement.
home World Top Muslim leader lauds Pope Francis for refusing to identify Islam with violence

A senior Iranian religious leader lauded Pope Francis for refusing to identify Islam with violence even after extremists brutally murdered a French Catholic priest in the name of Allah.

Grand Ayatollah Naser Makarem Shirazi of Qom shared Sunday on his official website a letter he's written for the 79-year-old leader of the Roman Catholic Church. Notable in the Grand Ayatollah's remarks were his expressions of delight and gratitude for Pope Francis' previous statements regarding Islam.

The top Muslim cleric also shared sentiments condemning the Normandy church attack as well as other crimes committed by the Takfiri sects or Muslim groups accusing other Muslims as apostates.

"I am really delighted to have heard your comments during your last trip to Poland in which you stated 'Islam is not equal to terrorism' and further dismissed the association of violence and harshness with any and all divinely-sent religions," wrote the Grand Ayatollah, according to a full letter translated and published by The Tablet. "Your wise and logical stance regarding Islam in disassociating the religion from the inhumane actions and atrocities of the Takfiri groups such as Daesh is truly admirable."

The Argentine pope made the lauded remarks on July 31 while on the papal plane on his way back to the Vatican after his visit to KrakAw, Poland where he attended the five-day celebration of World Youth Day.

Pope Francis also previously declared the world at war, following the Normandy church attack orchestrated by two teenage extremists whom the Islamic State militia hailed as one of its soldiers. Yet, the pope clarified that the war he referred to didn't mean a religious war.

The Catholic leader pointed out that even Catholics have their own share of violent people and crimes and that terrorism grows when one makes a god out of one's obsession for money.

The Grand Ayatollah agreed with Pope Francis that "such barbaric acts have nothing to do with divinely-sent religions and their various schools of thought."

"Rather, they originate from the inferior materialistic objectives of some corrupt superpowers who seek nothing but to obtain more illegitimate wealth," he said.

The Grand Ayatollah also added that Muslim scholars from across the globe held two International congresses to warn the world of the imminent dangers posed by the Takfiri terrorist groups and that such groups only survived because of the aid provided by "some corrupt superpowers."
home Faith XXX Church reaches out to those suffering from porn addiction

To help many who struggle with porn addiction, XXX Church has claimed to offer genuine freedom from porn.

Pastor Craig Gross invited those addicted to pornography to join his church's "My Pilgrimage" experience in order to attain true freedom and peace. He promised this experience would win over any skeptics just like him.

"I believe it because the people who have been given the chance to go through the My Pilgrimage experience with one another have actually discovered a freedom they never have before," wrote Pastor Gross on Aug. 17. "They've actually found a freedom that they can feel. A peace that certainly surpasses this skeptic's understanding a and yet there it is:peace."

The pastor shared that he received a letter from a friend the previous day who asked him whether "it is possible to be free from addiction to pornography anymore or if we're just selling false hopes and future failures under the guise that freedom is actually real."

He said the sentiment sounded harsh, yet, it made sense to him as he's witnessed marriages and lives falling apart as well as people losing hope, giving up and drowning in self-hatred just because they failed to overcome this strong temptation.

He also acknowledged that many offer hope just to earn a quick buck from it. Yet Pastor Gross insisted that "My Pilgrimage" experience would set free all those trapped in the bonds of porn addiction.

While renowned preacher Billy Graham did not offer any program like Pastor Gross did, Graham instructed a husband, who claimed to be secretly addicted to porn, to fervently resist the temptation through the help of Jesus.

Graham's instructions included staying away from places or things that lead the temptation, turning to Jesus by confessing one's sins and asking for His forgiveness and strength to overcome temptation.

While Graham advised resisting, megachurch Pastor Rick Warren said one should give in and not make things worse by resisting.

"The key to changing a habit is not to resist it, but to replace it," the New York Times best-selling author of "The Purpose Driven Life" told Oprah Winfrey on "Oprah's Lifeclass."

Pastor Warren continued, "Not to resist, but refocus ... Listen, here's a pastor telling you this: Do not resist temptation."
Burkini ban suspended by top French court over 'breach of fundamental freedoms'

France's top court has suspended the controversial burkini ban in a test case after a human rights group questioned the rule imposed by a number of seaside towns.

The decision only applies to one particular town of Villeneuve-Loubet, near Nice, but it is likely to set a legal precedent for up to 30 other areas which have barred women from wearing the swimsuit. It is a temporary decision handed down while the court takes more time to consider the full legality of the ban.

The burkini is a swimsuit designed for Muslim women which covers the hair and body.

Lawyers for human rights groups argued the ban on "beachwear which ostentatiously displays religious affiliation" in Villeneuve-Loubet infringed on basic freedoms.

The court agreed and found the ban "seriously and clearly illegally breached fundamental freedoms to come and go, freedom of beliefs and individual freedom". The case was brought by an anti-Islamophobic organisation and a human rights group.

But those who back the ban have said it is necessary to counter extremism and defend France's secularist principles.

The issue has divided the French government with the Prime Minister Manuel Valls saying it was a "necessity" but his education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem who said it challenged "individual freedoms".

The deputy mayor of Nice, which has also banned the swimsuit, yesterday defended the decision.

"What is the burkini? There is bikini and there is burka and the burka is forbidden. When you go to the beach you wear a bathing suit. You don't go to the beach as you want. If I want to go on the beach naked it's forbidden-I cannot," he told the Radio 4's Edward Stourton.

"So if you want to go to the beach in a burkini it's forbidden because it is a provocation. Religion and the state are completely separated. Religion is the affair of each one but each one at home, each one at church, not each one in the street."
Catholic sex education programme slammed by conservatives

A sex education programme produced by the Roman Catholic Church has been fiercely condemned by conservative Catholics who say it risks leading young people into immorality.

The course entitled The Meeting Point was launched at the World Youth Day gathering in Krakow, Poland last month. It was published by the Vatican Council for the Family with the backing of its president, Archbishop Vincent Paglia.

The Meeting Point, subtitled 'An Adventure of Love', is a web-based tool available in five languages. It draws on Pope Francis' encyclical Amoris Laetitia as well as teaching from Pope Benedict and Pope John Paul II. Introducing it, Paglia wrote that young people today "have no criteria for discerning the truth of good human sexuality from the emotivism introduced in many of today's channels of information and formation".

However, the course's frankness and openness to young people's experiences has drawn a sharp response from conservatives who want it to be far more directive.

The Cardinal Newman Society said in a statement yesterday that the programme was "not ready for Catholic schools". It said: "We find that The Meeting Point makes frequent use of sexually explicit and morally objectionable images, fails to clearly identify and explain Catholic doctrine from elemental sources including the Ten Commandments and the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and compromises the innocence and integrity of young people under the rightful care of their parents."

Furthermore, it said the programme "represents a significant break from the traditional approach to Catholic instruction and learning about human sexuality". It alleges that the programme has little to say about sexual sins and says it "often leaves the student uncertain about moral expectations".

The US-based American Life League has mounted a petition calling on the Vatican to withdraw the programme which has so far attracted more than 2,700 signatures. It accuses it of failing to mention hell, handing the sexual education of children to educators instead of parents and failing to name and condemn sexual behaviours such as masturbation and contracepted-sex as "objectively sinful actions that destroy charity in the heart and turn one away from God".

The petition quotes Dr Thomas Ward, founder and president of the National Association of Catholic Families, as saying: "I find it monstrous that an official arm of the Church would not only create a sexual education program for teens but one that bypasses parents as the primary educator of their children."
Christian Small Group: The rejected TV pilot

TV pilot season has come to an end, and while the big networks have picked up a handful of great concepts, inevitably most always get rejected. Sadly that was true of my own attempted venture into the world of television: a moving drama based on the personal and spiritual lives of a group of Christians in a church home group. Unfortunately none of the major networks were prepared to take a gamble on Christian Small Group, but that means I can now release the pilot episode into the world for everyone to realise what they missed...

INT: An average suburban house  EVENING

BRIAN, 45 is flicking through a Bible in an armchair. SUE, 43 is desperately rearranging a bowl of Pringles. There's a knock at the door.

SUE

I'll get that. Quick Brian, put the Mumford and Sons CD on.

Brian reaches to turn on the music from a pile of CDs marked 'edgy Christian'. Sue opens the door. It's TOM and NINA, both in their 20s. They've brought Pringles.

TOM

(nervously)

Hi, Sue? We've been allocated to your small group. Tom and Nina.

SUE

(exaggeratedly)

Hello! Lovely, welcome. Come and sit down, meet Brian.

They do; before Sue can close the door, IAN, 50 has appeared. He's wearing a crumpled shirt and a tie with a fish on it. They don't entirely match. He kisses Sue a little too exuberantly.

IAN

Sue!

SUE

(recovering)

Hello Ian. No Debbie this week?

IAN

Afraid not. She's got a runny tum.

(seeing Tom and Nina)

Ooh, newbies. Hello, I'm Ian. I expect they've told you about me. I'm a bit mad.

NINA

Er... I don't think so.

Ian sits down on the sofa between Tom and Nina. They're both a little surprised and edge to opposite ends.

BRIAN

Ah, I've had another text message Sue. Kieran and Penny can't make it tonight because Kieran's had to work late. Which is a huge coincidence given Arsenal are playing in the Champions League tonight.

SUE

Now Brian, don't be cynical.

BRIAN

...Helen Wicks can't make it because her babysitter has cried off. Conveniently.

SUE

Brian!

BRIAN

I'm sorry Sue. It's just that I spend a lot of time planning...

SUE

You sat down to do it 15 minutes ago Brian. Would you like some Pringles, Ian? We've got lots.

IAN

It's lovely to have new people here. We have a lot of fun in this group Tom. Do you like playing Cranium?

NINA

I love Cranium!

IAN

(ignoring her)

Has anyone talked to you about the men's ministry yet Tom? It's thriving.

Sue realises that Mumford and Sons' 'Little Lion Man' (the one with the big swear) has begun playing. Sue dives full-length across the room and switches it off.

TOM

Yeah... that's not really my scene to be honest. I don't really go in for all that single-sex ministry stuff.

Ian goes a bit red. There is a long and painful silence.

BRIAN

Oh I don't believe it. Hannah and Joel have just pulled out too. Apparently little Jedidiah has been throwing up. Well, we might as well start. Tom and Nina, you'll pick this up but we've been going through Mark's Gospel. We've all read the Bible reading as homework so I won't bother repeating it now.

TOM

That's... fine.

BRIAN

(reading from a small printed booked)

Right, question one. In this parable, some of the seed falls on the path, and is eaten by the birds. What do you think that seed symbolises?

There is another long and painful silence. All four of Brian's participants stare at the floor. Time seems to stand still. The ticking of the kitchen clock gets louder. Eventually:

BRIAN

(flicking to the back of the booklet)

Could it perhaps symbolise the people who don't respond to the gospel?

NINA

Mmm.

IAN

Yes, that sounds right.

BRIAN

Question two. Some seed falls on rocky places, and springs up but then withers. Who is like that in our culture?

IAN

That's us isn't it? We're all the seed. Jesus scatters us.

Brian looks at him. He knows Ian is completely wrong but he can't say anything. There is much more silence. Tom becomes intensely interested in his own shoelaces.

BRIAN

Hmm. I think that's probably given us enough to think about for the week ahead. We're going to do a bit of worship in a minute  Sue's bought a new CD by that Matt Rodman which we'll put on. But before that, it would be good to do some open prayer. Ian, we've been praying for your feet  any improvement there?

IAN

Afraid not Brian. Huge corn still  do you want to lay hands on it this time?

He begins removing his sock.

SUE

NO! I mean... no, that's OK Ian. Let's just keep praying. And Tom, Nina, have you got anything you'd like us to pray for?

NINA

Well, we have been experiencing some real problems with Tom's sister, who doesn't like me very much, but it's very sensitive...

BRIAN

Brilliant! That's one we can really get our teeth into! Sue  alert the prayer chain.

NINA

Er... well we have to be careful, there's lot of people in church who know her...

BRIAN

Sure, sure. Make a note Sue. Also I had a picture this evening of a man sitting at his computer, in the dark, and then the door opened and he quickly shutdown the computer and pretended he hadn't been looking at it. I don't know if that means anything to anyone?

FADE OUT

Martin Saunders is a Contributing Editor for Christian Today and the Deputy CEO of Youthscape. Follow him on Twitter @martinsaunders.
Earthquakes and floods: Is God punishing people?

Back in 1755, an earthquake destroyed one of the great capitals of Europe. Lisbon in Portugal was shaken to the ground. No one knows exactly how many people died, but estimates range up to 100,000.

It was an age of optimism. People thought the world was basically good and getting better. God was a benevolent figure who arranged the world for the benefit of human beings.

After Lisbon, it became increasingly hard to argue that. In moments, tens of thousands of people were dead.

And those questions from 250 years ago keep coming back, every time there's another natural disaster. Earthquakes, like the one that struck central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday morning, are somehow particularly potent destabilisers. When the ground on which we stand shakes, what's left to trust? And how can we reconcile the randomness of these deaths  at least 250 in Italy  with the goodness of God?

Earthquakes aren't the only natural disasters we face. There are fires and floods as well. The US state of Louisiana has just suffered its worst floods ever, killing 13 people and damaging more than 60,000 homes. Many people did not have flood insurance. California has also been reeling under a series of wildfires.

Christians respond to such events with love, care and practical help. But how do we answer the questions they raise? Here are a few suggestions.

1. Don't say God is punishing people

This was one of the responses to the Lisbon earthquake, as it was to London's Great Plague a century earlier. The idea that God is angry with people and punishes them with natural disasters goes all the way back to the Flood. But that doesn't mean it's true today. God is love, and more to the point, God is just, to everyone.

2. Don't minimise human responsibility

Some natural disasters are impossible to prepare for. Others that we could prepare for now we couldn't have done in the past. So the theological problem remains. But these disasters force us to ask, is there any more that could have been done? In Italy, attention's shifting to why more houses and public buildings weren't made earthquake-proof, when it's well known how to do this. In Louisiana, questions are being asked about why better warnings weren't given. God gives human beings responsibility for living well in his world. We can very often live better than we do. Laziness, greed or indifference have catastrophic consequences.

3. Accept the conditions of freedom

It's perhaps instinctive in us to ask, "Why did God allow this to happen?" An earthquake or a flood is perceived personally. Even if we aren't personally involved, we sorrow for those who are. But an earthquake happens when the earth's tectonic plates shift and realign. A flood happens when a weather system dumps massive quantities of water over a place that doesn't expect it. These things are the shadow-side of a fallen creation. It isn't possible to conceive of a world without destruction or pain. It's the price we pay for being alive.

4. Look for God in the tragedy

It's far too soon to say this to those who have been bereaved or injured in Italy, or who have lost everything they had and can't imagine starting again. Whole communities that have existed for centuries have been completely destroyed. Yes, it's like the world after the Flood: there was nothing left. But in time the world began again. The government will send in its bulldozers and builders and try to rebuild the shattered towns. But the longer and harder task will be the Church's, as it helps rebuild shattered lives and mediate the grace of God. We should pray for them: the pastors and priests, the faithful lay people, all those who will carry this load for years to come.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
El Salvador pastor accused of fuelling gang violence

A pastor in El Salvador has been accused of being involved in gang violence and of using his religious duties as a front to meet drug lords in prison.

Marvin Ramos Quintanilla was released from prison three years ago and appeared to be a transformed man. He found a city government job, joined an evangelical church and even got ordained as a pastor, according to CT Post.

However on July 28 Ramos was arrested again alongside several alleged leaders of Mara Salvatrucha, a gang labelled as an international criminal organisation by the US.

The gang's main rival is Barrio 18 and between the two they terrorise El Salvador. Partly thanks to gang violence, the central American nation had the highest homicide rate of any country not at war last year.

Prosecutors told a court that Ramos used his ordaination as a ruse to enter prison and meet with jailed gang leaders. The court was presented with hundreds of telephone records which purport to involve Ramos and appear to show him ordering the killing of three gang members in prison.

Ramos denies the charges.

"It is not true that I am the (gang's) financier. It is not true that I have entered the prisons. It is not true," he said during a recent court appearance. "I had left that behind me."

Salvador Ruano, mayor of the San Salvador suburb of Ilopango, has confirmed Ramos worked for him as part of a team helping poor communities, especially youth and single mothers.

Together with his wife and two children, Ramos attended a Nazarene evangelical church. "He seemed like good people. I had heard that he had left the gangs," one congregant told Associated Press.

Pastor Nelson Valdez, director of RED Torre Fuerte which gave Ramos his role of a chaplain, said: "For me Marvin is a person of spirituality, and ever since I met him I have seen him as a man following the Lord."

Prosecutors allege that Ramos used these credentials to preach inside prisons but he denies ever entering the prison. "My work has been in the communities," he said.
Huawei Mate 9 release date: new flagship and new sub-brand debuting at IFA 2016?

Huawei has already stated that the rumored Mate 9 will not be joining the IFA 2016 next week. However, rumors of the flagship making it to the trade show still circulate. Huawei is also reportedly announcing another new sub-brand at the said event.

According to Phone Arena, reports out of China mention that Huawei is hinting at a big reveal at the IFA in Berlin. Supposedly, the China-based tech maker has released a teaser for a Sept. 1 event just before IFA officially opens. In addition, a previous interview with Kevin Ho, Huawei's president for the handset product line, has purportedly confirmed that the company will be announcing a new sub-brand at the 2016 IFA, with the new branding focusing on mid-range handsets.

This will add a new portfolio for Huawei, who is behind the new Honor brand lineup. Just recently, Huawei has released the new Honor flagship series, the Honor 8 and Honor Note 8. It is unclear if the new sub-brand will have a global roll-out after the announcement, or if it will have region exclusivity.

As for Huawei's next flagship, it remains to be seen if the new Mate 9 will make it to IFA 2016. Previously, it is revealed that Huawei doesn't plan on unveiling the new flagship at the trade show, and may instead be planning a separate press event for the Mate 9. This is understandable, given that the Mate series is one of two top-tier flagships for the company, the other one already having its current flagship release, the P9. It is expected however, that even if there will be a stand-alone event, the new Mate 9 will still make it as a 2016 release.

Purported specs of the Mate 9 include a 5.9-inch screen with full HD resolution, as well as the dual-cam setup for its sister flagship. However, it is unconfirmed if the new Mate series will also use the same Leica-branded setup in the P9. Other supposed features of the Mate 9 include the new Kirin 960 processor, with two RAM versions, the base model having 4GB, and a top-tier variant with 6GB of RAM.
ISIS hostage Kayla Mueller stood up for her Christian faith while in captivity

US aid worker Kayla Mueller stood up for her Christian faith during her horrific ordeal in ISIS captivity despite claims she had converted to Islam, according to an ABC broadcast.

Fellow-hostages told of how the 25-year-old held on to her hope and faith despite attempts to convert her before she was killed in 2015.

Dutch photographer Daniel Rye Ottosen, who was taken hostage with Mueller, spoke of how they used to refer to their captors, a group of four Britons who had joined ISIS, including the notorious Jihadi John, as The Beatles.

"One of the Beatles started to say, 'Oh, this is Kayla, and she has been held all by herself. And she is much stronger than you guys. And she's much smarter. She converted to Islam.' And then she was like, 'No, I didn't,'" Ottosen said in an interview for the 20/20 The Girl Left Behind programme.

"I would not have had the guts to say that. I don't think so," Rye Ottosen added.

The programme also featured a chilling video of Mueller her parents were sent after her capture in 2013.

"My name is Kayla Mueller. I need your help," she says wearing a black headscarf and a green hijab in the video.

"I've been here too long, and I've been very sick. It's, it's very terrifying here."

Mueller was kidnapped from a Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) car in Syria and kept as a slave for 18 months. She was repeatedly raped by the ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, according to her fellow captives.

Negotiations for her release only began 10 months after her capture once MSF, known as Doctors Without Borders in the US, released an ISIS email address two months after they had received it.

But Jason Cone, executive director of MSF-USA, told ABC News that MSF were not hostage negotiators and could not take responsibility for Mueller because she was not an employee.

"There is risk inherent in humanitarian work in conflict, but we rely on people who are willing to take those risks to help us reach people in need around the world," MSF said in a statement.

"It's awful to know that people like Kayla Mueller, who carried a very similar spirit into the world, died during efforts to reach some of those same people."

Mueller's death was confirmed on February 6 last year.
It's not Christian to be nice

Somewhere along the way, Christianity has got itself entangled with a soapy, soft, non-offensive concept: 'niceness.' The movement founded by a radical so offensive he got himself killed has a bunch of followers who smile at each other with creepy insincerity; deep, warm crinkles at the corners of our eyes as we say 'God bless you' to shopkeepers in the hope that our niceness will get them to church where more nice people will be there to welcome them.

Jesus did not ask us to be nice. True, it does his reputation harm if we are needlessly rude and obnoxious. Yes, being polite oils the wheels of social interaction very effectively. And who could object to genuine friendliness? The fruits of the Spirit include kindness, gentleness, and self-control. But they do not include niceness.

The Oxford English Dictionary gives various definitions for the word 'nice': giving pleasure or satisfaction, of a person: pleasant or attractive, good-natured. While there is nothing intrinsically wrong with being nice, allowing niceness to become a defining characteristic of those who profess to be Christians is not only wrong but jeopardises our ability to live the kind of lives  communal and individual  that Christ calls us to live.

The nasty side of nice

Christians who are committed to niceness above all else are generally lovely company. I've worked hard at various times to be a nice Christian  someone who will make everyone feel good about themselves, who will repel conflict like the negative end of a magnet, who will be generally liked if not deeply known. In my twenties I had therapy for the depression that had dogged me since my early teens. Turns out I was unable to identify and deal with negative emotions and experiences, and as a result they controlled me.

Last year I took my eight-year-old daughter to see the Pixar film Inside Out. How I wished it had been made when I was a child! It tells the story of Riley, a young girl whose life is turned upside down when her parents move from Minnesota to San Francisco. As the external events play out, we watch five internal characters  Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear and Disgust  and their roles in Riley's adjustment to her new situation. By the film's conclusion, we come to see that each one is valuable and has its place in a whole and healthy human.

Christians are not supposed to be nice all the time. We are supposed to be the real, rounded, in-process people that we are. When we apply niceness to the surface of all our interactions like a layer of fine plaster of Paris, there are several consequences.

Firstly, we are unable to have genuine, life-transforming relationships. Proverbs 27:17 says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another." When Paul wrote to the new Christians under his care, he loved them enough to give them brutally hard critique. He challenges the church in Corinth for their jealousy and quarrelling (1 Corinthians 3:2-3), for a complete misunderstanding of God's form of wisdom, for tolerating the kind of sexual shenanigans even pagans would balk at (5:1-11), for getting drunk on communion wine and humiliating the poor in the community by not letting them eat communion bread (11:17-34) and on and on. There is nothing nice about this letter of Paul's. But "wounds from a friend can be trusted". (Proverbs 27:6) These criticisms, heard in the right spirit, had the potential to lead to repentance, growth and maturity.

Secondly, our niceness will not draw others to faith and it may well have a repellent effect. The Christian character in The Simpsons illustrates this as well as anyone. Ned Flanders' perpetual air of niceness is as enraging as it is suspect. What will draw people to faith is an encounter with Jesus, and Jesus was a lot of things but nice wasn't one of them.

Thirdly, nice people don't change the world, and as Christians we are citizens of a Kingdom in direct conflict with the kingdom of this world. When Jesus sent his 12 closest followers out on their first mission trip, he gave them an uncompromising message to deliver and no illusions about the kind of reception they were likely to receive: arrest, flogging, persecution, death. "Do not suppose that I have come to bring peace to the earth," he told them. "I did not come to bring peace, but a sword." (Matthew 10:34) There is nothing nice about being a Christ-follower. It is dangerous, exhilarating, polarising stuff.

This, then, is the challenge  how can we lose our reputation for niceness while still being known for the love we have for one another and the world? I suppose it comes down to developing a true and profound understanding of the meaning of love as embodied by our triune God. Love is not nice, but returning to that letter of Paul's to the wayward Corinthians, it is patient, kind, humble, forgiving, hopeful, trusting, persevering, protective and truthful (1 Corinthians 13: 4-7).Let's not be nice, but let's love well.
Jesus melts heart of man who hated God after losing his legs in California train accident

Mexican immigrant Juan Cruz lost both his legs when he was run over by a train after making his way to California. However, the loss of his legs doesn't mean much to him now because he found "something better": Jesus Christ.

Juan admitted that he was a mean-spirited man in his younger days in Toluca, Mexico. "I wasn't going to any church. I was a gangster since I was 13. I grew up in that circle of drugs and alcohol and stealing," he was quoted as saying in God Reports.

One day he and his brother Alvaro decided to try their luck in America. They succeeded in crossing the border into California and later decided to catch a freight train headed to Los Angeles.

However, their plans got derailed when Juan was accidentally run over by the train.

Rescuers rushed him to hospital where he underwent emergency surgery on his crushed legs. When he woke up the next day, he saw he had no more legs. He started screaming, saying he'd rather die than live as an invalid.

When a priest visited his room and told him that he was bringing the body of Christ to him, Juan shook his head, saying, "I don't want Christ."

The priest, Father Juanote, returned a few days later, but Juan again told him to go away. "I hated God and I hated church," Juan recalls saying.

One day, he saw the priest on his knees, crying. He asked why he was doing that when he already told him to go away.

The priest answered: "Because you are my little brother and you are a son of God and I would like to share this suffering with you if you let me be your friend. God loves you so much that he sent me here to share this suffering."

Shocked, Juan embraced the priest and started crying.

Father Juanote invited Juan to stay at his home after his hospital confinement. A family from Father Juanote's church later adopted Juan and took care of him.

One day, the family invited Juan to attend a church retreat. At first Juan refused, saying "No way. I don't believe in God."

However, he was eventually persuaded to join the retreat. It was there when he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ.

"I heard his voice talking to me by my name. He told me, 'Juan, it is me talking to you, Jesus.'"

Juan could not believe at first.

"It is not your thoughts. I love you so much. My love is all you need to be happy. I have a mission for you," Jesus told him.

And then Juan's resistance began to melt, softening his heart.

"Jesus showed me he is a real person," Juan says as he began confessing his sins.

"I want to give you my life. I want to follow you," the born-again Juan told Jesus. "I want you to be the Lord of my life and I want to live in you."

That happened 26 years ago, and now Juan lives happily with his wife Elizabeth, who he married 15 years ago. They have four children.

"Jesus came into my life and I found real meaning," he says. "This is what gives me the strength. Now I live because I found His love."
Nuns barred from wearing habits on the beach, says deputy mayor of Nice

Nuns' habits are also banned from some French beaches, the deputy mayor of Nice has confirmed, as the furore over a ban on burkinis continues to rage.

Speaking on Radio 4 on Thursday, Rudy Salles defended the decision to ban burkinis, a form of swimsuit for Muslim women that leaves only the face, hands and feet exposed. He insisted the ban was a "necessity" after a series of terror attacks hit France in recent months.

"What is the burkini? There is bikini and there is burka and the burka is forbidden. When you go to the beach you wear a bathing suit. You don't go to the beach as you want. If I want to go on the beach naked it's forbidden  I cannot," Salles told the World at One's Edward Stourton.

"So if you want to go to the beach in a burkini it's forbidden because it is a provocation. Religion and the state are completely separated. Religion is the affair of each one but each one at home, each one at church, not each one in the street."

When asked whether a Catholic nun wearing a habit would be allowed on beaches in Nice, the deputy mayor replied: "No. The same [ban would apply]."

The comments came after the secretary general of the Italian bishops' conference criticised the ban.

Bishop Nunzio Galantino said in an interview with Corriere della Sera: "It's hard to imagine that a woman [in a burkini] who enters the water is there to carry out an attack."

He added: "I can only think of our nuns, and I think of our peasant grandmothers who still wear head coverings."

He continued: "The freedom to be granted to religious symbols should be considered on a par with the freedom to express one's beliefs and to follow them in public life. And, let me tell you: I find it ironic that we are alarmed that a woman is overdressed while swimming in the sea!"

The row over the ban imposed in at least 15 French towns has divided the French government with the Prime Minister Manuel Valls clashing with his education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem.

Valls said the swimsuits represented "the enslavement of women" but Vallaud-Belkacem said the ban had "let loose" verbal racism.

"I think it's a problem because it raises the question of our individual freedoms: how far will we go to check that an outfit is conforming to 'good manners'?" she said.

France's high court began hearing arguments against the burkini ban from an anti-Islamophobia group and the Human Rights League on Thursday and is expected to rule on its legality.
Parents give the credit to God after their 16-year-old son survives deadly brain-eating amoeba

Only three people in the last 50 years had survived the brain-eating amoebic infection called Naegleria fowleri, a disease that kills 97 percent of its victims.

Sixteen-year-old Sebastian DeLeon from South Florida just became the fourth survivorsomething that one doctor called a "once-in-a-lifetime" miracle, the New York Daily News reports.

His parents said the miracle could not have happened without God's intervention.

"Thank you to everyone on the staff. And thank you to God, who guided them. I truly believe this was a miracle," said his mother, Brunilda Gonzalez.

Sebastian was swimming in an Orlando, Florida beach during a vacation with his family on Aug. 7 when he contracted the infection through his nose, according to the Daily Mail.

Minutes after inhaling the bacteria, Sebastian complained of intense headache and sensitivity to light. His family immediately rushed him to the Florida Hospital for Children in Orlando.

After examining the patient, Dr. Humberto Liriano was stunned. Sebastian had contracted a highly lethal disease.

"The family when they came to me immediately within 24 hours, I had to tell them to just say their goodbyes," Dr. Liriano said, according to CBS News in Florida. "I had to tell them 'tell him everything you want to tell your child because I don't know from the time I put him to sleep to the time I take the tube out, will he wake up.'"

Doctors lowered Sebastian's body temperature and induced a coma.

That's when the miracle began. A company that produces a drug that battles the rare infection, which is not available at most hospitals, happens to be based in Orlando. In just 12 minutes after Sebastian was diagnosed, the experimental drug called miltefosine arrived at the hospital, according to CBS.

Doctors then put their patient into a chemically-induced coma for days.

And then he woke up.

Now, "he's walking, he's speaking," Dr. Liriano said Tuesday, according to CBS. "I saw him this morning, he's ready to go home."

The doctor said it was simply amazing how the boy survived the deadly brain-eating amoeba.

"It's been miraculous to see Sebastian recover right before my eyes from such a fatal and unforgiving infection," he said. "This was a once-in-a-lifetime case for any doctor, and I'll take these lessons with me throughout the rest of my medical career."

The disease that struck Sebastian causes a rare and devastating infection of the brain called primary amebic meningoencephalitis.

The infection is very rare, with only about 35 cases reported in the U.S. in the last decade, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Race tops agenda at Southern Baptist conference

Racial reconciliation was top of the agenda for the third annual conference of the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission.

The conference entitled Onward: Engaging the Culture Without Losing the Gospel, which began yesterday and concludes today, has drawn around 1,000 pastors and cultural leaders to the Gaylord Opryland Hotel in Nashville to discuss how the gospel and Scripture apply to faith in the public square.

Speakers included ERLC president Russell Moore, megachurch pastor Andy Stanley, rapper Trip Lee and author Gabe Lyons.

Opening speaker Bryan Loritts, pastor of Abundant Life Christian Fellowship in Silicon Valley, confronted what he described as "evangelical passivity" in the Church  especially the white Church  in dealing with racial injustice. He used Paul's discussion of being "all things to all people" in 1 Corinthians 9 as a springboard for his reflections.

"There will be colour in heaven," Loritts said. "So we cannot dismiss that now. It must be something that we incarnate and that we live."

He criticised the idea of a colour-blind ethic, saying it was to have a low view of the 'imago dei' or image of God. The theology of a "fearfully and wonderfully made" person includes every aspect of him or her, he said, adding that everyone in the church should intentionally have friends from diverse cultures and backgrounds, with a posture of listening.

"Oh dear friend, let's go to war with evangelical passivity," Loritts concluded. "Let's have Paul's redemptive impatience."

Another speaker, Los Angeles pastor and community leader DA Horton, said that racial issues "are thorns in the side of the American church".

He said the Church needs intellectual equipping, for example by reading the works of minorities and women in seminary.

"It's one thing to have a multiethnic church, but another to have multiethnic leadership," Horton said.

He added that the Church also needs interpersonal engagement and dialogue.

During his session, rapper-pastor Trip Lee had similar practical advice for Christians who want to engage culture, extolling the virtue of simple faithfulness.

"There is another way to engage culture, and that is to be faithful in public," he said. "We should more deeply embrace the simple. Innovation is fine, but not at the cost of the simple."

The conference is designed to help Christians apply the gospel in their interaction with various facets of today's culture, including the arts, politics, sports, race, sexuality, marriage, parenting and everyday life.
Two nuns stabbed to death in Mississippi

The bodies of two nuns who had been stabbed to death were found on Thursday at their home in Duant, Mississippi, police have confirmed.

Officials told local media they are investigating the case as a robbery that escalated into murder.

Sister Paula Merrill, of the Sisters of Charity of Nazareth (SCN) in Kentucky, and Sister Margaret Held of the School Sisters of St. Francis in Milwaukee, both 68, were nurse practitioners and worked at the Lexington Medical Clinic.

They helped provide medical care for families and individuals who couldn't otherwise afford it.

Merrill and Held had not arrived at work, about 60 miles northeast of Jackson, on Thursday morning. Their bodies were found by a co-worker, police told local media.

No arrests have been made yet, but a spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety said a blue Toyota Corolla missing from the home of the two nuns was found abandoned on a secluded street about a mile away on Thursday evening.

The car has been taken to a state crime lab for analysis.

Rev Greg Plata, who leads the church attended by the two nuns, said they were "two of the sweetest, most gentle women you can imagine. Their vocation was helping the poor."

"People were attracted to them because of their goodness," he told the New York Times.

Bishop of Jackson, Joseph Kopacz, said: "These sisters have spent years of dedicated service here in Mississippi. They absolutely loved the people in their community."

"Pray in gratitude for the precious lives of Sisters Paula and Margaret... They served the poor so well. Because we are gospel women, please also pray for the perpetrators," SCN President Susan Gatz said in a statement.

The Mississippi secretary of state, Delbert Hosemann, said he hoped justice would be "swiftly served".

"Unbridled love and care for mankind has been met with unparalleled savagery," he added in a statement.

Additional reporting by Reuters
US Christian among first victims of Russia's anti-evangelism law

The first known victims of Russia's new anti-evangelism laws have been convicted and fined, according to the Forum 18 news service.

Two individuals, one a US citizen and one Ghanaian, have been heavily fined. A Russian citizen, Aleksandr Yakimov, leader of the New Generation Pentecostal community in Mari-Turek, is due in court on August 29.

An earlier case brought against a Hare Krishna devotee resulted in the acquittal of the accused, Vadim Sibiryev.

The legislation was passed by the government of Vladimir Putin to fierce international protests from campaigners who said it was a draconian attempt to stifle religious expression under the guise of clamping down on terrorism. Putin signed it into law on July 6 and Sibiryev was tried on July 28.

In Oryol, about 360 km south-west of Moscow, Baptist preacher Donald Ossewaarde, a US citizen, was fined 40,000 rubles for holding religious services in his home and advertising them on the bulletin boards of nearby housing blocks.

Ossewaarde, who has documented his case extensively on his website, was arrested in his home where policemen came to establish that a group was meeting with him for prayer and Bible reading, which they said was illegal. In court, he was accused of posting notices in public places, inviting anyone interested in studying the Scriptures to turn him for help. The Court also ruled that he failed to give the authorities written notification when he began his religious group activities.

According to Ossewaarde, the court refused to allow time for his lawyers to come from Moscow for the initial hearing, and then provided a lawyer for him. In a "confidential conversation" after the hearing, this court appointed lawyer advised him to accept the verdict and pay the fine without appeal. He then said that it would be better for the American to leave the city, because anything might happen to him and his family.

Ossewaarde's family has returned to the US but he has stayed to appeal his case.

According to Forum 18, "When the anti-sharing beliefs amendment was first introduced in 2016, it was unclear what this part of it would mean in practice. However, Ossewaarde's conviction for holding a service (which consisted of prayers, Bible readings, hymn singing and a sermon) in his own home suggests that almost any religious activity in private as well as public space may be given a 'missionary' slant and little protection may be afforded by the Article 16 provision."

In Moscow's Tver district, Ghanaian citizen Ebenezer Tuah, who heads the Christ Embassy church, was fined 50,000 rubles. He was arrested after police raided a sanatorium where he was performing baptisms.

According to the court verdict seen by Forum 18, Tuah "conducted religious rites and ceremonies, including religious gatherings, posted information about his beliefs on the internet with the aim of propagandising, and carried out missionary activity on the territory of the city of Tver, without the required documents and not in the conditions provided for by [the Religion Law]" on a regular basis for several months in the swimming pool and conference hall of the sanatorium.

This was, Judge Dmitri Zhurkin concluded, "activity aimed at disseminating information on his beliefs among non-participants (members, followers) of a religious association, in order to involve these persons in the religious association".

Tuah said he had performed baptisms and given religious talks and admitted that he did not have registration documents for the group. However, he denied trying to involve new members.

An unnamed "specialist" told the court Christ Embassy was a "neo-Protestant new religious movement" characterised by "a high level of missionary activity and continuous effort to involve new members, including via the internet". Tuah was found guilty of conducting "missionary" activity without the necessary documents and fined him the maximum amount permissible.
Energy job losses nationwide have totaled over 118,000, many of them in Houston, since December 2014, the start of the energy downturn.

Although many believe the worst is over, that is not much help to those who unexpectedly find themselves in the job market. So ,what to do?

Pause

The first thing most people say is, "I've got to get my resume done asap, I've got to get going." What I counsel people to do is to put in the clutch for the day, maybe for a weekend. Anytime you've been laid off, whether it's expected or not, it's a death of a part of your life, a part of your career. It's really important to pause and grieve for the lossthe financial loss, the career hiatus, the loss of self-esteem and confidence, whatever the loss you may be feeling. Pause and reflect, feel the sadness, and go through your grieving process. If you're angry, reflect on that too, because anger and sadness will not help you get another job.

Take Inventory

What do you want to do? Do you want a different type of job? Would you like to work at a different type of company? Are you considering a different location? Look at the loss of your job as a clean slate to explore different types of opportunities. Who do you know who works in the field to which you aspire? Talk to them, reach out to former mentors and managers. If you know people who have been laid off and are now working, get their insight on what worked and what didn't work. If you want to change fields, have at least two resumes---one for the field you have come from and one more tailored to the field in which you are interested. For thirty years I have recommend the book "What Color is Your Parachute." It is updated every year and always offers good advice for those searching for the ideal job.

Get Going On a Resume

Take inventory. Most people already have an up-to-date resume; hopefully, you do too. My philosophy is no matter how happy you are in your current role; you should have an up-to-date resume just to record what you've accomplished in each role you have held. If you need to prepare your resume, understand that you may need help. Ask friends to proofread. Just as it's hard to be your own doctor or lawyer, it's hard to do your own resume. There are many professional resume writers. It can be a good investment. However, make sure that the person you hire can give you references, a fixed price and examples of resumes that he or she has prepared for people holding similar positions.

Start with LinkedIn

LinkedIn is a valuable tool that you can use in several different ways. Look at examples of other LinkedIn members who hold similar positions to yours. It's really important to understand how LinkedIn works. The more people you are connected to, the more easily you can be found by recruiters and corporations who use LinkedIn. LinkedIn is so finely tuned now, if someone wants to hire a Texas A&M grad who went to graduate school at the University of Colorado and works in finance, it is that easy. You can only connect with people who are one, two or three degrees away from you. The more people you connect to, the more likely you are to be found. We have written several blogs in the past about using LinkedIn. You may find them useful.

A Couple of Quick LinkedIn Tips

1) You should have a fairly detailed background with a picture. One study says you are 16 percent more likely to be called or contacted if you have a picture.

2) Spend time updating connecting with people via LinkedIn. Connect with your previous colleagues, managers, mentors. If you've dealt with outside consultants, lawyers and accountants, connect with them as well. LinkedIn with as many people as possible, this is what I would call part of your "day job" now that you've been laid off.

Reach Out: Ask for Help

Start networking every day; look at it as a job to tell people you're laid off and seeking a new opportunity. Set a goal of ten contacts a day. Ask for helppeople are so willing to help. "Here's my resume. Are you aware of any company or opportunity that would be a good fit for me?" If they say yes or no, thank them and ask them how you can return the favor. By doing that, you get people thinking, "This is a two-way relationship, and how I can I help this person?"

The Emotional Highs & Lows

I have said that you have to go through the grieving process for the loss of your job. And this is true. During my 35 years in the search business I have observed that a positive attitude does make a difference. No one wants to hire someone who is angry at their last employer, or feeling sorry for themselves. It is normal to go through every emotionpanic, sadness, hopelessness, despair, angeryou name it. There is also joy and hope about finding a new job that is even a better fit. Truth be told, many people who are laid off weren't that happy in their jobs anyway. The quicker you see this as an opportunity not to settle but to go for a better fit, the better your results will be. Spend time visualizing and dreaming about the type of job you want. Do things that will keep your spirits up. Spend time with friends who are uplifting and want to help. Volunteer. Give something back, while you are searching.

Final Thoughts

The hardest part about looking for a job, especially for those who have been employed by a company for a long time, is that you will have to deal with some rejection. It's not personal. It may feel personal; it may feel like you're being rejected"nobody wants me"but it really isn't personal. You have to look at it as there are "X" number of calls, emails, resumes I need to submit to get a job. I don't know what that magic number is, think about it as kissing a lot of frogs before you find the right person. You really have to go through that exercise. Maybe it's 100, maybe it's 500. Whatever it is, just commit every day, looking for a job is your new job. It's a tough economy in parts of the country. We've seen this before, and sadly we will see it again. It's part of the business cycle. It will change and it will improve. That, I can promise.

Jane S. Howze, managing director and founder of The Alexander Group, has more than 30 years of experience in executive search. She has recruited executives worldwide in not-for-profit, energy, manufacturing, legal, life sciences and professional services. She directs board searches for the firm and is actively involved in the firm's diversity practice.
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Two suspects have been arrested in a fatal shootout during a drug deal outside a fast-food restaurant earlier this year in northwest Houston.

Anibal Hernandez, 21, and Angel Rivera, 29, are charged with capital murder in the death of Eric Torres about 10:15 p.m. May 3 in a Sonic parking lot at 1511 Wirt Road, according to the Houston Police Department.

A third suspect, 21-year-old Abraham Grimaldo, died in the gun battle.

Police said Torres had arranged to meet the suspects to conduct a drug deal and had parked his car in a drive-in stall at the Sonic. When the suspects arrived they parked their blue Honda Accord behind Torres' vehicle to block him in the stall.

Hernandez, who carried an AR-15, and Grimaldo got out of the backseat of the Accord to rob Torres. When Torres realized they were about to rob him, he opened fire with a handgun, wounding Grimaldo several times. Hernandez fired several shots with the AR-15, hitting Torres.

Police said Torres died at the scene.

Hernandez and Rivera put Grimaldo in the Accord and drove him to a nearby hospital, dropped him off and sped away. Grimaldo died at the hospital.

At the scene of the shooting, investigators found a large amount of marijuana and pills as well as Torres' pistol.

No information was released about what led investigators to identify Hernandez and Rivera as suspects. They were arrested Thursday without incident.
A man has been accused in the stabbing death of a 38-year-old woman Wednesday near a medical clinic in southwest Houston.

Kenneth Michael Dunn, 54, is charged with murder in the killing of Dina Corpus Cardenas about 8 p.m. at 2459 South Braeswood, according to the Houston Police Department.
The Katy Prairie Conservancy invites community members to help count and learn about fall shorebirds Sept. 6 for World Shorebirds Day, an international count day for sandpipers and their relatives.

Volunteers will sign in at 3:30 p.m. at the Field Office and meet on the Indiangrass Preserve at 4 p.m. Come prepared to stand or walk for two to three hours under the weather conditions on that day. Bring water, a folding chair and wear appropriate footwear and comfortable clothing for strong sun and mosquitoes. Participants may be walking up to one mile during the bird census. Adults and children are welcome.
AUSTIN -- A key lawmaker is arguing that an additional $38 billion in transportation funding should be no reason for lawmakers to toss toll roads out as a transportation option next session.

Sen. Robert Nichols, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said a vocal, but small, group of lawmakers continue to lobby for the elimination of toll roads. So Nichols took out his calculator to determine the cost of a tax road versus a toll road.
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The White Lives Matters movement will be listed as a hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center when it releases its annual Hate Map in February.

"I can't speak to how many chapters will be listed, but it's clear that the leadership of the group, the ends of the group -- it's just a flat-out white supremacist group," said Heidi Beirich, director of the center's Intelligence Report, in an interview with Chron.com.

"The ideology behind it, the racist leaders, everything about it is racist," Beirich added.

The leadership Beirich refers to is 40-year-old Rebecca Barnette. In addition to having her hands in the White Lives Matter movement, Barnette is also the vice president of the women's division of the skinhead group Aryan Strikeforce.

The center points to posts on Barnette's page on vk.com, a Russian social networking site used by white supremacists due to its lack of censorship.



In an Aug. 3 post on "Intelligence Report," the center reports, "Barnette says that Jews and Muslims have formed an alliance 'to commit genocide of epic proportions' of the white race. Now is the time, she adds in the same post, for 'the blood of our enemies [to] soak our soil to form new mortar to rebuild our landmasses.'"

"Her background, the rhetoric of the group, the hangers-on of the group are white supremacist," Beirich said. "The only question is how widespread they are, how many chapters there are."

It is also worth noting that the phrase "14 Words" seen on posters at these events is a reference to the popular white supremacist slogan "We must secure the existence of our people and a future for white children." The slogan was coined by David Lane, a member of the white supremacist terrorist group known as The Order, who later died in prison in 2007.

It also is sometimes used in reference to the slogan, "Because the beauty of the White Aryan woman must not perish from the earth," which was also coined by Lane.



White Lives Matter protest at NAACP in Houston

The question as to whether the White Lives Matter group is a white supremacist group was asked, yet again, after protesters with the organization set up shop outside of the NAACP in Houston on Aug. 21.

SEE ALSO: White Lives Matter protests outside of NAACP in Houston's Third Ward

The group waved Confederate flags - a historic symbol, yes, but one that is also associated with slavery and oppression - and wore guns. As a result not everyone was convinced when Ken Reed, one of the protesters, said, "It has nothing to do with racism on our part."

"The Confederate flag throws me off," resident Quintina Richardson said during the protest. "You're saying Black Lives Matter is a racist organization but when you're throwing the Confederate flag up and saying White Lives Matter, are you saying you're racist?"

Black Lives Matter movement's motives questioned

The same question has been asked about the Black Lives Matter movement, the movement which inadvertently birthed its antithesis.

The Southern Poverty Law Center took notice after many requests to label the Black Lives Matter movement a hate group came across its figurative desks in the wake of the murder of eight Dallas and Baton Rouge police officers.

SEE ALSO: Southern Poverty Law Center's 'Hate Map' identifies Texas groups

Short answer: The center says the Black Lives Matter movement is not a hate group because it seeks to promote a race that has been marginalized throughout history (in other words, black lives also matter.) Plus, the center points out the movement's leaders have condemned violence.

The center also points to the fact that "thousands of white people across America  indeed, people of all races  have marched in solidarity with African Americans during BLM (Black Lives Matter) marches, as is clear from the group's website."

Looking at the photos above, the reverse can't be said for the White Lives Matter group.

Hate groups on the rise (again) in America

Hate groups have been steadily on the rise since 1999, starting with 457 groups identified by the SPLC. The center says the number exploded around the turn of the century "driven in part by anger over Latino immigration and demographic projections showing that whites will no longer hold majority status in the country by around 2040."

The number of hate groups peaked in 2011 with 1,018 identified groups, before decreasing and reaching its lowest point of 784 groups in 2014. However, that number is back on the rise, with 892 groups identified in 2015.

Take a look at scenes from the Aug. 21 protest in the gallery above.
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Six members of a Spring family, including four children and two adults, were shot to death Wednesday after an apparent domestic dispute at their Spring home and a relative was arrested hours later after a police chase and a tense standoff in the cul-de-sac of a nearby neighborhood.

Authorities held a news conference about 5:30 a.m. Thursday to announce that Ron Lee Haskell, 33, had been captured and charged after a slow-speed chase and lengthy standoff.

A 15-year-old girl was wounded in the shooting at the home in the 700 block of Leaflet Lane and was airlifted to Memorial Hermann Hospital where she remained in critical condition late Wednesday.

Harris County Sheriff's Office identified the victims as two males, ages 4 and 13, two females, ages 6 and 9, and two adults, a 39-year-old male and a 34-year-old female.

Mark Herman, assistant chief deputy for the Precinct 4 Harris County constable, said authorities responded to a report of a shooting about 6 p.m. at the home on Leaflet Lane. There they found five people dead and two others with gunshot wounds to the head. Both were taken by Life Flight helicopter to the hospital, where one of them died.

More for you Constable: Suspect posed as delivery man in deadly Spring rampage

Before being flown to the hospital, one of the wounded was able to tell police that the shooting arose from a domestic dispute involving "someone who had left the family."

Herman said the victim, a female, gave them a description of the person, the type of car he was in, and said he was on his way to kill other family members at another address.

Authorities were dispatched to the home of the relatives a short distance away, near Ponderosa and Anvil, and arrived just before Haskell.

"As soon as they got over there, he came driving up, and that's when the chase started," Herman said, crediting the victim's information with saving the relatives' lives.

A 25-minute pursuit ended in a standoff at a cul-de-sac in a nearby subdivision on Country Meadow Drive after police, using spike strips, disabled Haskell's car. Authorities evacuated residents near the scene in the Country Lake Estates subdivision, while SWAT negotiators attempted to defuse the situation.

The standoff with Haskell lasted late into the night. SWAT teams sandwiched his Honda sedan between two hulking armored vehicles at the end of a quiet neighborhood street and bathed it in floodlights.

The suspect eventually surrendered after several tense hours and was taken into custody.

At one point during the standoff, Haskell pointed a gun at his head, police said.

Girl, 15, sole survivor

Speaking at a news conference late Wednesday, Pct. 4 Constable Ronald Hickman identified the victims as a man, a woman and four children ages 4 to 13. He said a 15-year-old girl was the only survivor at that hour.

He said investigators were trying to sort out the exact family relationships.

It was "obviously a domestic situation that went south," Hickman said. "Probably a divorce or at least a separation."

He credited the victim who gave police a description of the suspect with providing "critical information" to authorities: the name of the gunman and where he was going next.

"While quickly responding to that location, we saw him coming up to that residence where other relatives of that family lived and we assumed he meant to shoot them as well," Hickman said.

Public records indicate that Stephen Robert Stay and Katie Stay, ages 39 and 34, were living at the residence on Leaflet Lane, though they do not appear to have been the owners of the house.

A web page from the Houston Association of Realtors listed Stephen Stay as an area real estate broker and listed the home's address as his contact information.

Residents on the quiet suburban street where the shootings took place were stunned by the violence in their neighborhood.

Family 'close-knit'

A woman who said she lives across the street from the house described the family as "close-knit."

"It was a Mormon family," she said. "They were very sweet and their kids were very shy. This is a sad, sad day."

The woman, who asked not to be identified, said five children and two adults lived in the house.

John Barros, a real estate agent, said one of the residents of the home where the shootings took place was a broker with whom he worked.

"It's a great family  very religious," Barros said. "They pray every day."

Wesley Carr, who lives nearby in the Enchanted Oaks subdivision, said the Spring neighborhood is typically quiet.

"I've lived here 20 years. It's a very quiet neighborhood. It's not a through area," he said. "People just don't come here."

Second shooting this year

The shooting on Wednesday comes six months after another Harris County family was found shot to death in their Cypress home.

The deaths of Maoye Sun and Mei Xie and their children, Timothy Sun and Titus Sun, which made headlines across the globe and shook the Chinese-American community, has not yet been solved.

Their bodies were found about 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at their home in the 14000 block of Fosters Creek Drive.

The couple was last seen on Jan. 24. The boys attended school at Sampson Elementary the day before.

Chronicle photographer Brett Coomer contributed to this report.
The Sigma Nu Fraternity on Thursday announced that all activities at their Texas A&M chapter have been suspended, following last Saturday's death of a member at a campus fraternity house.

The fraternity took this action pending completion of an investigation into the death of Anton Gridnev, 19, of Frisco, according to a statement released Thursday by the Virginia-based fraternity.

"Anton's family and friends remain in our thoughts and prayers as we continue to grieve his death," said Brad Beacham, executive director of the fraternity, in the statement. "We are deeply troubled by information released by the College Station Police Department and remain prepared to assist, however possible, with the investigation by local authorities."

College Station police were called at approximately 4:40 a.m. last Saturday to a party at the Sigma Nu Fraternity house on 550 Fraternity Row, according to authorities.

When first responders arrived, they found Gridnev unconscious and not breathing at the home's doorway. Gridnev had been dragged there from his first-floor bedroom after becoming unconscious, according to a synopsis of the investigation inside of a search warrant obtained by the Chronicle. He was transported to the College Station Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead.

Authorities said a preliminary investigation found that Gridnev died of a drug overdose, though the substance has not been determined. An autopsy to reveal the cause of death has been completed, but results are pending.

Police seized drugs including cocaine, MDMA, known as ecstasy, and marijuana at the home, as well as money and other paraphernalia, according to the warrant. Illegal substances or drug-related products were in plain sight in at least 11 rooms of at the house, the synopsis says.

Witnesses at the scene said Gridnev had been celebrating his birthday and had taken an unknown quantity of Alprazolam, Hydrocodone, MDMA and possibly heroin, according to the synopsis.

Four fraternity members were arrested on drug charges at the fraternity.

Authorities identified them as Samuel Patterson, 21, for possession of LSD and MDMA; Michael Frymire, 20, for possession of a tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) substance; and Ty Robertson, 21, and Christian Sandford, 18, for possession of marijuana.

The four taken into custody are Sigma Nu members who were suspended from the fraternity following their arrest, according to Beacham. Headquartered in Lexington, Va., Sigma Nu Fraternity was founded at Virginia Military

The drugs found on Patterson and Frymire are punishable by up to two years in prison and a $10,000 fine. The other two arrested are facing a possible 180-day maximum prison sentence and fine of up to $2,000.

Three others were cited a the home for drug paraphernalia, a Class C misdemeanor. They were identified as Maxwell Gollomp, 19, a College Station resident from Bellaire; John Cain, 19, a College Station resident from Houston; and Zachary Farmer, 20, a College Station resident from Denton.

Authorities are also investigating technology devices in the house such as a computer for evidence of illegal activity, according to the warrant.

The Sigma Nu Fraternity is one of 58 Greek organizations on campus. Texas A&M officials said the university is cooperating with officials during the investigation. Classes begin there on Monday.

Police urge anyone with information on this case to contact the College Station Police Criminal Investigation Division at 979-764-3601.
A Houston businesswoman who Chinese authorities charged with spying last month after detaining her for more than a year was coerced into a confession and has been hospitalized twice after prolonged interrogation she described as "mental torture," her husband said Friday.

He said the new details come after Sandy Phan-Gillis met with U.S. Consular officials without Chinese state security agents for the first time last month and in early August talked to her newly appointed high-powered legal team, Mo Shaoping, a leading human rights law firm in China.

"She told us almost all of her confessions are faked under the torturs [sic] by

state security," lawyers with the firm told Jeff Gillis, an oil and gas services manager at Schlumberger in Houston. Phan-Gillis also told lawyers and consular officials that the interrogation terrified her so much that she fainted and had a heart attack, causing her to be hospitalized twice.

The new information, including that Phan-Gillis tried to kill herself three times and said she agreed with her interrogators because she feared life imprisonment, meets the United Nations' definition of torture, her husband said.

The U.S. State Department and officials with the Chinese Consulate in Houston and the Chinese Embassy in Washington D.C. did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Gillis said that increasing desperation after his wife was formally charged in July combined with no progress in diplomatic negotiations have also pushed him to speak publicly about the case for the first time since last September, when he initially brought it to national attention as China's President Xi Jinping visited Washington.

"The fact that the Chinese government still refuses to discuss the case leaves me without much feeling of hope, that they did issue a formal indictment leaves me without much hope, and also the fact that Sandy is finally able to speak out about her treatment in captivity, makes me feel like I really need to take the case to the American people," Gillis said.

President Barack Obama will meet with Xi during the G20 summit, which starts Sept. 4 in China, and Gillis released a plea for help he said his wife had dictated to U.S. Consular officials.

"I hope you can help me by negotiating with Chinese President Xi Jinping for my release when you meet with him at the upcoming G20 meeting," Phan-Gillis said in the letter. "I am accused of being a spy for the U.S. government. I have never been a spy."

In the case that has sparked condemnation from Congress and the United Nations, 56-year-old Phan-Gillis was detained in March 2015 while passing through an immigration control connecting mainland China with Macau. She was held for six months under residential surveillance, allowing police to hold her without charges while they investigate national security breaches.

In September, she was moved to a formal detention center in Nanning, Guangxi, a province bordering Vietnam. In July, she was charged with spying in the Nanning Intermediate People's Court.

Her detention, coming as she led a trade delegation including Houston's former mayor pro-tem Ed Gonzalez, was kept secret for months. It was first revealed when Phan-Gillis' husband launched the brief media campaign last September.

Within days, however, Gillis had shut it down, saying it was best to leave negotiations to the State Department. On Friday, however, he said his wife called him and pleaded with him to stop the publicity, saying she was afraid of what may happen to her.

"That is the only time I have spoken to her," he said. "This is very, very difficult. It is crazy-making, I would say that. This is not something I would wish on anyone."

The State Department has said consular officials meet every month with Phan-Gillis and are monitoring the case closely. Senior officials in Washington have raised it several times with their counterparts in Beijing.

In July a United Nations panel said China has arbitrarily detained Phan-Gillis in violation of international human rights norms. The U.N. working group said that the Chinese government told it that Phan-Gillis is charged with "assisting external parties to steal national intelligence." The panel called for her to be released or given proper assistance by a legal counsel.

In October a bipartisan congressional committee asked Secretary of State John Kerry to consider issuing a travel advisory for China, saying it found Phan-Gillis' detention "deeply troubling."

Chinese officials have disclosed no more information other than that she is under investigation for spying and stealing state secrets. Her case has been called unusual and a "red flag" for Americans working in China because many considered her a "poster child for good U.S.-China relations."

A Vietnamese refugee of Chinese descent who became a U.S. citizen decades ago, Phan-Gillis helped lead and later served as president of the Houston Shenzhen Sister City Association since 1994 and founded Houston's Chinese New Year festival. She coordinated training programs for Chinese nurses in Houston.

U.S. analysts say her case raises questions about the safety of Americans doing business in China under Xi, who has arrested at least nine foreigners on allegations of spying in the past two years and oversaw the passage of a sweeping national security law last summer that grants authorities broad discretion about what constitutes espionage. It was approved as Chinese authorities have increasingly blamed "foreign forces" for protests in Hong Kong and elsewhere and as the government has launched a massive anti-corruption crackdown that has also focused on dissidents.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers recently released a report that suggests leaving toxic waste in the San Jacinto River might be less risky than removing it.

The corps was tasked by the Environmental Protection Agency with assessing the technical feasibility of the clean-up options environmental regulators are considering for the San Jacinto Waste Pits, a federal Superfund site near Highlands.

EPA officials said the corps report is one of many documents being reviewed by the agency, which is expected to soon release its proposed clean-up plan for the site. It's unclear how the corps assessment will influence the EPA decision on what to do with the site.

A $9 million temporary armored cap was placed over the sludge to keep it from seeping off the site, and one option being considered by EPA is to keep such a cap in place and contain the waste.

Army Corps of Engineer study on San Jacinto Waste Pits The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers has released a study that evaluates the different clean up options being considered by EPA for the San Jacinto Waste Pits. The report indicates that leaving the waste in the river poises less of a risk than removing it Final Report San Jacinto River Site

Another option is to dig the waste out and move it out of the area. Many residents, city, county and elected state and federal officials have pushed for that removal option.

The corps report, however, indicates that leaving the waste in the river might prevent less of it from escaping off site, especially if improvements are made to the cap now covering the waste.

Texas officials discovered the waste pits in 2005 along the river, between Channelview and the small town of Highlands. The EPA determined that tugboats pushed barges of waste sludge from a Pasadena mill to the pits for offloading and storage in the 1960s.

The agency identified several hazardous substances in the pits, including dioxins, which are carcinogens linked to numerous potential health effects, including birth defects.

In 2008, the EPA designated the area a Superfund site and an armored cap was placed over the waste to contain it.

In December, divers discovered a hole in the northwest portion of the cap. EPA officials characterized the damage as "displacement" of the stone cover of the protective cap and ordered repairs.

Oddly, there appears to be no mention of the hole in the corps report.
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This week during their regular KRIV-TV segment, Houston's New Black Panther Party leader Quanell X and KTRH-AM morning host Matt Patrick discussed the upcoming presidential election.

The two are known to have lively sparring sessions during their Fox 26 FaceOff segments, touching on racial and societal issues of the day. They've been on air together for nearly five years and have cut around four or five of the segments a week.

The recent segment can be seen here in full on KRIV-TV's YouTube channel.

The two men do get testy with each other but have grown to become friends.

RELATED: Quanell X: Dallas police shooter was excused from Houston group years ago

This week X and Patrick discussed Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, with X coming out in favor of Trump, citing what he called a disloyalty to African-Americans by the Democratic Party.

"We have been voting for the Democratic Party like no other race in America, and they have not given us the same loyalty and love that we have given them," X said. "We are being pimped like prostitutes. They are the big pimps, pimping us politically, promising us everything, and we get nothing in return," X said.

RELATED: Former HISD teacher's lawsuit against Quanell X dismissed

X said he was moved by Trump's recent speech in Milwaukee in the wake of area riots after the shooting of an African-American suspect by a police officer.

"We may not like the vessel that said what he said, but I ask us to truly examine what he said," X said.

During his speech Trump openly courted the African-American vote.

"It's time for our society to address some honest and very, very difficult truths," Trump said Aug.16. "The Democratic Party has failed and betrayed the African-American community. Democratic crime policies, education policies and economic policies have produced only more crime, more broken homes and more poverty."

The entirety of the Trump speech can be read in full at Politico.

RELATED: Bland case prompts Quanell X-led forum with DPS

X said that African-Americans need to look at all the parties out there and look out for their own best interests. He added that things didn't seem to get better even with the election of Barack Obama as he feels they were led to believe.

"No politician can save the black community. We got to do it ourselves," X said. "America is in trouble and I want to say to black and white people, only a fool fights in a burning house and this house is on fire."

Patrick is a supporter of Trump, but he has conceded that sometimes he doesn't come across as the most eloquent public speaker.

"I would say he truly dislikes Obama. That's a fact," Patrick told Chron.com on Friday. "He isn't a fan of Trump -- me either -- but we both don't want Hillary."
The spike in people who got sick from K2 in Austin this week may have come from three dealers the police arrested Thursday.

According to the Austin American-Statesman, at least 28 people had been treated for adverse K2 reactions by Thursday.
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A Central Texas man is accused of murder after his wife's head was found inside a freezer.

According to news station KCEN, Davie Dauzat, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in the death of his wife, Natasha.

HOUSTON TRAGEDY: Details on grisly Houston decapitation emerge

Bellmead police were called to the home on Thursday around 11 a.m. after getting reports that a man was assaulting his wife, KCEN says

RELATED: Man found decapitated in San Antonio was from Houston

Two children, ages 1 and 2, were also in the home, but were not injured, according to the report.

Police told KCEN that Dauzat was covered in blood when he voluntarily came out of the house. Police secured the children.

Dauzat is jailed in McLennan County on $500,000 bond.

Bellmead is near Waco.
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Donald Trump's "Make America Great Again" slogan has been mocked by comedians as "Make America White Again."

For some Trump backers, that's not a joke.

READ MORE: SPLC to list White Lives Matter movement as a hate group

The GOP nominee and businessman has drawn a large following among what is known as the "alt-right," a collection of nationalists, conspiracy theorists, white supremacists, anti-immigration activists and others who find the mainstream Republican Party not conservative enough for their tastes.

The movement traces it's roots to the paleoconservative push of the early 1990s, the rise of former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke as a political force and even the libertarian stylings of former U.S. Rep. Ron Paul of Texas.

READ MORE: Clinton sees Trump ties to alt-right dystopian ideology

But, it has been the white supremacists and nationalists that have fallen into the public eye, as Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton calls out Trump for seeking the support of alt-right voters.

"There's always been a paranoid fringe in American politics, steeped in racial resentment. But it's never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it, and giving it a national megaphone. Until now," Clinton said in a speech Thursday in Nevada.

READ MORE: Trump: Nobody knows what alt-right even is

Trump took to his favorite medium, Twitter, to respond.

"Hillary Clinton's short speech is pandering to the worst instincts in our society," Trump tweeted. "She should be ashamed of herself!"

READ MORE: "Alt-right' hashtag spurs racism, rebukes during speech

As the campaign for the White House evolves - and devolves - what becomes of the alt-right movement remains to be seen.

Take a look at the gallery above for the 15 things you need to know about the alt-right movement.
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"There's nothing Trump can do that won't be forgiven except change his immigration policies," Ann Coulter writes in her book "In Donald We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome!"

Donald Trump seemed like he might do just that on the same night that Coulter held a book signing.

Wednesday Trump sat for an interview with Sean Hannity and said that it would be "very, very hard" to deport all undocumented immigrants.

"They'll pay back-taxes, they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty, as such, there's no amnesty, but we work with them," Trump said.

RELATED: Trump won't address immigration in Phoenix

Trump then implied that he may become more open to "working with" some.

"When I look at the rooms and I have this all over, now everybody agrees we get the bad ones out," Trump said. "But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject  and I've had very strong people come up to me, really great, great people come up to me," Trump said. "And they've said, Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person that has been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and the family out, it's so tough, Mr. Trump."

READ MORE: Texas' 'Donald Trump on steroids'

Coulter took to Twitter to attack Trump's latest comments, but she says that she still supports the GOP candidate.

"He's my guy, but I give him constructive criticism," Coulter told Hannity on Wednesday night.

"I think he panicked and he had to say (it)," Coulter told The Hill. "I don't think he is softening. I mean the big thing is the wall. I'm annoyed with the rhetoric. I'm annoyed enough with what he actually did without the media being hysterical about things he didn't do."

In recent days, Trump has been accused of flip-flopping on immigration.
AUSTIN -- Texas' attorney general gave public schools the official OK to disregard federal instructions to cater their bathroom policies to transgender students, a move the ACLU of Texas argues is misleading.

Attorney General Ken Paxton told Texas school district leaders in his own "guidance letter" Thursday that they have no obligation to change their policies related to which bathrooms transgender students are permitted to use. The letter follows his office's win in federal court to temporarily block the federal government from withholding funds from schools that fail to accommodate the gender identities of students.

Rebecca L. Robertson, legal and policy director of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Texas, called the letter an attempt to mislead school districts.

"School districts in Texas that already have inclusive policies to protect their transgender students are free to enforce them. Schools districts considering such policies are free to adopt them. And parents and students who want to challenge how their schools treat transgender kids are free to advocate  and to bring suit if necessary," said Robertson in a statement.

The central challenge of the federal lawsuit involving a dozen other states is yet to be resolved, namely whether decades-old federal statutes outlawing sex discrimination in public life apply to transgender students in schools. Instead, a Fort Worth federal judge temporarily blocked enforcement of the Obama administration's directive to schools, saying it conflicted with other rules and because the feds failed to comply with rules about public comment and notice.

"My office brought this lawsuit to stop the Obama Administration from rewriting the laws that have been enacted by the elected representatives of the people  and to stop his administrative agencies from threatening to take away federal funding from schools to force them to conform. The injunction granted does precisely that," Paxton said in a statement.

Paxton's letter instructs school district officials that they can disregard the the federal government guidelines and federal officials will have no legal ramification to withhold tax money from school districts as a consequence.

Any school districts wishing to implement their own guidelines must do so through the locally elected school board and must allow parents to review records regarding their child, such as records disclosing the student's preferred gender, Paxton's guidance letter said.

Legislators have all but promised they will revisit what bathrooms transgender students should use in public schools during the 2017 legislative session.

The ACLU of Texas put out its own letter to school superintendents Friday in response to Paxton's letter of guidance, stressing that school districts are required "to provide a safe and nondiscriminatory environment for all students, including transgender students," read the letter.

The crux of the issue rests with Title IX which states, "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance."

The ACLU argues this requirement has been interpreted by schools and the court to include gender identity, citing a ruling this April from the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that allowed a transgender high school boy to sue his school district for banning him from using the boys' bathroom.

"Attorney General Paxton's suggestion that your school district is now 'protected' and may therefore discriminate against transgender students with impunity is a gross misstatement of the Order and the law," read the letter.
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Texas isn't getting a lot of love from either Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton this presidential election year.

Next to California (seriously, isn't that just three states welded together?) which has 55 votes, Texas has the most electoral college votes in the nation.

For a state with 38 electoral votes to give, that seems like a missed opportunity for a candidate scrambling to get 270 electoral votes to win the White House. But, voting trends and the wisdom of the Founding Fathers are to blame for the Lone Star State's loneliness this election season.

READ MORE: Electoral College cancels you. Why you should are anyway

First, a civics lesson: The vote cast in November for president isn't a direct vote cast for either Trump or Clinton. It is a vote cast for an elector - someone who will later punch a ballot for a designated candidate.

Those folks meet in December and make the election results official by voting for whichever candidate they were pledged to based on who won their state. While the popular vote is interesting, it doesn't determine who wins the election.

The number of electoral votes, divvied up by state, does. So, a candidate could have a few million more popular votes than the opponent but lose because those margins were run up in a few big states.

READ MORE: Electoral map looks favorable for Clinton

Since 1960, the year John F. Kennedy and a Texan named Lyndon B. Johnson knocked off Californian Richard Nixon and Henry Cabot Lodge, Texas has chosen the Republican candidate all but four times.

From 1848, the first year Texas cast electoral votes, through 1948, the state went Democratic 23 times out of 26 contests. That's what political strategists call a stranglehold on a state by one party.

But, since Nixon's re-election to the presidency in 1972, Texas has voted for one Democrat to the highest office - former Georgia Gov. Jimmy Carter in 1976 in the first presidential election and big Democratic wave election after Nixon resigned in the wake of the Watergate scandal.

READ MORE: Charting the road to 270, Clinton lays out efficient path

Since then, Texas has been the proverbial "Red State," a sure thing for Republicans and a general election wasteland for Democrats.

The Founding Fathers also had a hand in making Texas irrelevant during a general election.

In a nutshell, as the Constitution was being debated and sorted out, delegates from small states generally favored the Electoral College out of concern that the large states would otherwise control presidential elections.

READ MORE: Could third party candidates thwart Clinton or Trump? Maybe

That means, when one party has a stranglehold on a state like Texas, there is no point in the short term for the other party to expend resources or compete for votes it is unlikely to get.

Thus, states such as Ohio (with 18 electoral votes) and Florida (with 29 electoral votes) that tend to go back and forth between the parties, draw more attention from the candidates.
A massive 650-pound fish was recently caught in a British Columbia river. The sturgeon has been a local legend for more than 40 years because of a distinct facial feature: a large pink nose received from a mysterious injury decades ago.

Nick McCabe, 19, is the river guide and angler who caught the fish. According to Global News, he took two hours to reel in the giant.
-- MORROW OUSTER, by the Houston Chronicles Mike Ward. Travis County Republican Chairman Robert Morrow, an outspoken and controversial conspiracy theorist who showed up at a Donald Trump rally in a jester's suit to underscore his opposition to the New York tycoon, got the boot Thursday.  Party officials said they expected that county executive vice chairman David Duncan would replace Morrow on Friday, with the title of acting chairman.



-- A federal judge has scheduled oral arguments for Jan. 24 to determine if the Texas Legislature approved a voter ID law in 2011 with the intent to discriminate against minorities. The U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last month that Texas' voter ID law had a discriminatory effect, but said a lower court judge overreached in finding that lawmakers had a discriminatory intent in passing the measure, per the San Antonio Express-News David Rauf.

-- What Trumps immigration week means for Cruz, by the Chrons Bobby Cervantes. For a host of Republicans who have opposed their partys presidential nominee  from Ted Cruz on one end to Jeb Bush on the other  the Trump campaigns political gymnastics this week is turning out to be a defining one for the candidate they spent months trying to drag down.

-- Another Texas defection . Per Politicos Kyle Cheney: Chris Suprun is a member of the Electoral College from Texas, a state the GOP can reliably count on to deliver votes every four years to the Republican presidential nominee. But this year, with Donald Trump sitting atop the ticket, Suprun is warning he might not cast his electoral vote for the GOP standard-bearer. Indeed, he wont rule out throwing his vote to Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton if Trump doesnt moderate his demeanor.

-- Well ahead of session, Senate Transpo Chair makes early defense of toll roads, by Quorum Reports Kimberly Reeves. A key lawmaker is arguing that an additional $38 billion in transportation funding should be no reason for lawmakers to toss toll roads out as a transportation option next session. Sen. Robert Nichols, who chairs the Senate Transportation Committee, said a vocal, but small, group of lawmakers continue to lobby for the elimination of toll roads. So Nichols took out his calculator to determine the cost of a tax road versus a toll road.

>> Statesmans Tilove : On Hillary Clinton and Alex Jones

-- With exception of Paxton, most state agencies are happily forthcoming with organizational charts, by Quorum Reports James Russell. In many cases, these organizational charts can be found on the agencies websites, either somewhere in the menu or in their biennial appropriations requests. Of course, not all agencies post those online. There is no law that we are aware of requiring them to do so.

And even if an agencys information is readily accessible, that doesnt mean it is as detailed as the charts prepared by other agencies. For example, the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commissions chart is online but it only lists job titles, not the names of the individuals in those positions.

Others, like the Health and Human Services Commission, provided fairly detailed and up-to-date organizational information. Some of the charts are simply out of date, though. The Office of Public Accountancy, for instance, does have an organizational chart but it is from 2013.

-- Your Friday read  Texas Monthlys Sasha Von Oldershausen:  SURVEILLANCE IS PART OF DAILY LIFE ON THE BORDER. BUT HOW MUCH DO THE PEOPLE WATCHING US KNOW? WHAT DO THEY SEE? AND HOW MUCH OF OUR PRIVACY ARE WE WILLING TO SACRIFICE IN THE NAME OF SECURITY?

CAPITOL DAYBOOK  no meetings scheduled

SPEED READ

US economy grew at tepid 1.1 percent pace in spring, AP

Confederate inscription removed from UT, AP

Urestis challenger emboldened by budding FourWInds scandal, Express-News

When is the right time for the Paul Qui redemption story? Texas Monthly

Local hospitals fight DHR expansion, The Monitor

Ted Cruz tours Corpus, visits base, Caller Times

Cruz eyeing 2020, but must clear Perry, others for re-election, Chron.com

Ratcliffe echoes calls for Clinton Foundation inquiry, The Dallas Morning News ($)

Texas brewers win fight over distribution rights law, Austin American-Statesman

Tomlinson: Of course EpiPens cost $300, Houston Chronicle

The National Park Services celebrates 100 years, AP

RACE TO THE WHITE HOUSE

-- Trump immigration waffle reflects voter confusion on issue, by the APs Nicholas Riccardi and Bill Barrow. It has been 30 years since the country embarked on an immigration overhaul, and the ambivalence of voters like Green is one reason why. Polls often show that majorities favor letting people illegally in the U.S. stay and also back tougher laws to deport them. Trump is now either caught up in, or trying to exploit, that contradiction as he considers softening his controversial immigration stance. He won the GOP primaries on the strength of an aggressive immigration policy, calling for the immediate deportation of the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally and construction of a Mexican border wall. But as he trails in the polls and struggles to overcome record lows with minority voters, he has sounded a softer tone.

>> Trump, wavering on immigration, finds anger in all corner, The New York Times

-- Latest on Steve Bannon domestic violence charges . Per Politico: Donald Trump's campaign manager declined to say Friday whether the candidate was aware of past domestic-violence charges against campaign CEO Stephen Bannon.

I don't know what he was aware of with respect to a 20-year-old claim where the charges were dropped. So that's all I know about is what I read, Kellyanne Conway told George Stephanopoulos on ABC's Good Morning America. Both Conway and Bannon were at the center of a Trump campaign shakeup last week, with Conway elevated from chief pollster and Bannon taking a leave of absence from running Breitbart News.

-- CNN: Race has long been an unsettling undercurrent of the 2016 presidential race. But this week, the two major candidates forced that debate into the open with Clinton's speech linking Trump to the "alt-right" movement, and Trump's new charge that the former secretary of state is "a bigot" who has pandered to minorities with feckless policies as part of a calculated quest for votes.

>> Clinton defends family foundation, says work will continue, AP
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.
5 Braves land All-Lakes; 6 on All-Academic Cherokee finished atop the Lakes Conference volleyball standings this fall at 5-0 and claimed its first volleyball league title in...

Raptors on to finals with win over Titans HOLSTEIN - The Class 2A #15-ranked Ridge View volleyball team hosted South Central Calhoun for the Class 2A Region 2...

Warriors end season with win over Rebels SIOUX RAPIDS - The Alta-Aurelia football team traveled to face Sioux Central for their final game of the season and...

Cherokee takes down Generals to finish season CHEROKEE - The Cherokee football team hosted Sibley-Ocheyedan on Friday and won 35-28 to finish out their season. The...
On June 6, 2016, those who still remember commemorated the 72nd anniversary of D-Daythe beginning of the liberation of Western Europe from Nazi control. It was a daring proposition: under the command of American general Dwight D. Eisenhower, Allied forces stormed heavily mined Normandy beaches guarded by imposing cliffs, atop which the Nazis had mounted a formidable array of firepower. John McManuss recent book on D-Day captures the situation in its title: The Dead and Those About to Die.

My father, Albert Israel Siegel, was among the men who fought that day. His fathermy grandfather Maxhad fled Russia to avoid conscription into the czars army. In America, Albert volunteered to serve. He saw his first combat as a soldier in the Army Signal Corps during the second wave of landings on D-Day. Loaded down with 60 pounds of equipment, he and his fellow soldiers had to jump into a landing craft bobbing in the waves 40 feet below their transport ship. A third of them mistimed the jump and ended up flailing about in the turbulent waters. The open landing craft was already under heavy firethat would only grow more intense as they approached Utah Beachso attempting to rescue the drowning men wasnt an option. Three out of the 42 men in my fathers platoon made it up the cliffs.

My father died in 2000. He rarely spoke of his war experiences. Still, I did learn a bit about his confrontations with General George S. Patton. Once, while my father rested with his unit along the side of the road, Patton, passing in a jeep, screeched to a halt and loudly insisted that my father put his helmet on. He obeyed, but the next time would be different. Following the German defeat in spring 1945, many Jewish prisoners who had escaped from the concentration camps were nonetheless being penned up by Patton. Against orders, my father and a number of other soldiers released the Jewish prisoners. An infuriated Patton wanted my father and his compatriots court-martialed. But in Paris, GIs who were aching to return home rioted, putting an end to talk of court-martials. My father and his friends, he told me, were soon on a troop carrier on their way back to America.

On the morning of this past June 6, I turned on my computer expecting to see some small remembrance of D-Day on Googles landing page. I say small because on Memorial Day, Google saw fit to commemorate our war dead with a miniature American flag. But there wasnt even that on D-Day; there was nothing. Though I was taken aback, I shouldnt have been. Two weeks earlier, Google had celebrated the career of West Coast Japanese-American activist Yuri Kochiyama, who had been interned along with her family during World War II. She went on to celebrate the likes of Malcolm X and Osama bin Laden, declaring in the wake of 9/11 that the U.S. government was the biggest terrorist in the world.

Googles competitor Bing, by contrast, celebrated D-Day with a commemoration of the U.S. Army Rangers heroic assault on Pont du Hoc, the heavily fortified escarpment connecting Normandys Utah and Omaha Beaches. In their initial combat mission, the Rangers Dog Company scaled the cliffs under withering fire and took out essential German positions. I cant be certain, but Ive always assumed that my father made it to the top of the Utah Beach cliffs in part because of the Rangers bravery. Its a small matter, but Ive replaced Google with Bing as my search engine.

Photo by Fox Photos/Getty Images
They buried John Timoney out of St. Patricks Cathedral the other day, a fitting departure portal for an Irishman who came to New York from Dublin at 12 and stayed to help transform policing not only in the city, but also across America. Timoney was one of a kind, eulogized outgoing NYPD commissioner William Bratton, and he was also one of the last of that kind. And who would know better than Bratton, who also is one of that kind? When he steps down on September 1, few such will remainand an era, indeed, will have come to an end.

Bratton and Timoney were part of a fractious crew. In truth, the group got along like cats with their tails tied together. But they were united in their conviction that big cities could indeed be policed. This was not at all certain 25 years ago.

Visionary cops like Bratton, Timoney, the late Jack Maple, and Ray Kellyallied with iconoclastic political leaders like Rudy Giuliani, former City Council speaker Peter Vallone Sr., and Michael Bloomberg, and energized by the theories of public-safety intellectuals James Q. Wilson and George Kellingcombined iron will with strategic insight and tactical acuity to transform New York City from Americas murder capital to the safest big city in the nation. It was a controversial process, because it was data-driven and therefore novel; because it was ruthlessly prosecuted; and because it was predicated on the radical notion of accountability. If individuals are held liable for even minor violations of the law, they will be less tempted to commit more serious offenses. Others would be deterred by example.

That was the theory, anyway; the practice was more complicated, as police work always is. But what the new way had going for it was that it worked: Crime began to dropfirst gradually, and then like a rock down a well. The reclamation of New York City was under way.

Fast forward to the de Blasio administration. Serious crime is still down, but cracks in the public-safety facade are appearing. Polls show New Yorkers increasingly to be fearful for the future, and with good reason. City Hall has become more tolerant of uncivil behavior and petty crime than at any time since David Dinkins was mayor. Obviously, this reflects a sea change in policing sensibilities, so the questions of the moment are whether Brattons pending departure was entirely his own idea. And whether it augurs an end to the anti-crime practices that have been so successful for more than two decades.

Brattons handpicked successor, NYPD chief of department James ONeill, is by all accounts a good cop. He came up through the ranks and is well-seasoned, which by definition also means hes an accomplished practitioner of the bureaucratic arts. Theres also little in ONeills resume to suggest that hes a wave-maker on a par with Bratton, Timoney, and Kelly.

Perhaps more significantly, hell come into office at a time when societys tolerance for constables, never profound, has been softened by two decades of anti-crime success. It seems that the emergency has passed, and this allows New York Citys always-hard-left-leaning political class to be overtly hostile to pro-active policingand to get away with it.

De Blasio himself won office running on an anti-NYPD plank. The City Council is openly antagonistic to best police practices. Ideology-driven judges and other outsiders have tied the department into knots. No police commissioner without the personal stature and intellectual heft of Bill Bratton is likely to prosper under present circumstances. Add to the mix the present turmoil generally besetting urban law enforcementthe Black Lives Matter movement, for example, represents a powerful disincentive to effective policingand the natural disinclination of beat-level cops to address quality-of-life offenses, and you have a city on a collision course with chaotic streets and violent crime.

This isnt meant to be disrespectful of soon-to-be-Commissioner ONeill. Again, hes a good cop who earned Brattons backing, and that counts for a lot. But hes also an outspoken advocate of so-called community policing, a concept that traces its roots at least back to the Lindsay administration, and to say that it didnt work then is a dramatic understatement. What it will look like this time around is anybodys guess, but the stated point is to immerse cops in the neighborhoods they patrol, toss in a big dollop of social work, and hope that what ensues is just as effective as the data-driven policing of the Giuliani-Bloomberg era, but less confrontational.

Who knows? Maybe it will work. But community policing, as practiced in the past, deemphasizes personal accountabilityagain, a linchpin of the Bratton-Timoney-Kelly wayand it also blurs the distinction between criminal and crime victim, the former being viewed less as villains and more as casualties of circumstance. (Or, as West Side Story lyricist Stephen Sondheim so slyly put it nearly 60 years ago, theyre depraved cause [theyre] deprived.)

Whether New York will tolerate a return to the old ways remains an open question. The skittishness over aggressive panhandling, vagrant encampments, and crime spikes in the parks suggests otherwise. Plus, many thousands of influential people are investing many billions of dollars in New Yorks future, and those folks have the heft to be heard at City Hall. Who knows if the de Blasio administration is even capable of listening? It is as tone-deaf as any government in recent memory. All thats certain is that the passing of John Timoney and the departure of Bill Bratton present an opportunity to foes of clear-headed, results-driven policing. What a pity it will be should they take itand succeed.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
New rules governing the use of small unmanned aircraft systems (UAS), also known as drones, come into effect on August 29. The changes, released by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), make it easier for everyday journalists to incorporate drone footage into their work. But just because you can use a drone, doesnt mean you should use a drone. CJR spoke with Matt Waite, founder of the Drone Journalism Lab, as well as Bill Allen and Rick Shaw of The Missouri Drone Journalism Program, to answer some basic questions about drone technology.

Whats changing in drone rules, and what do those changes mean for journalists?

Until now, anyone wanting to fly a drone for commercial purposeswhich doesnt include hobbyists flying drones in their backyardwas required to get a recreational or private pilot certificate. To get a private pilots license you need 40 hours of practical lessons in an airplane with a flight instructor. The total cost for that is about $9,000, says Shaw, who got his pilots license before the new rules were on the table. As of Monday, the new requirements to operate a drone are to obtain a remote pilot certificate with a small UAS rating and to pass a background security check conducted by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). It is also legal to operate a drone without the certificate if you are directly supervised by someone that has one.

Aerial videography and photography is nothing new, but before we had to hire a pilot, rent the airplane, and you were looking at $200 or $300 minimum for an hour to go up, and many times the pilots had a minimum of two or three hours, says Shaw. Now for that same cost, you can purchase a small unmanned aircraft, get someone on your staff trained, and use it repeatedly for a number of things. Plus, youre also flying at a lot lower altitude. You know the FAA regulationsan airplane cant fly below 400 feet off the ground. Whereas these you can get 10 feet, 50 feet, 100 feet off the ground.

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How do I get certified?

If you dont already hold an existing non-student Part 61 pilot certificate, then to obtain your remote pilot certificate you need to pass an aeronautical knowledge test conducted by the FAA at a cost of approximately $150. You can schedule your test at one of these FAA-approved centers, and you need to take a government-issued ID. After you pass the test, you can submit an airman certification and rating application. Youll be able to print a temporary certificate within 10 business days and the permanent certificate will be mailed to you once your security background check is complete. To keep your certificate up to date, you have to retake the knowledge test every two years. You can access test instructions, study guides, and sample questions here.

How hard is the test?

Hard. Hard enough that Waite, of the Drone Journalism Lab, anticipates a high failure rate. Theres a lot of aviation knowledge on there that is just not terribly accessible to people who dont take the time to study it, he says. If you think you can just sign up for the test and go take it, youre wrong. Thats going to scare away a lot of journalists [and] I think thats going to mean that its going to be a specialized skill within the newsroom.

Shaw concurs, that the test is just enough of a hurdle that perhaps would dissuade most people from considering it, but for those news organizations that really see the advantages of using unmanned aircraft or aerial videography its much more practical now than what it was before.

What restrictions should I be mindful of under the new rules?

There is a digestible summary of the new rules available here and the full text is available here. The main restrictions to be keep in mind are to do with the size of your drone, where you can fly it, how high you can take it, and keeping the drone in your line of sight.

You can only fly a drone that weighs less than 55 pounds, and you need to obtain permission from Air Traffic Control if you want to fly in Class B, C, D and E airspace, which basically refers to airspace surrounding airports. Either the drone pilot or a visual observer must keep the drone in their line of sight at all times. You cant use drones undercover or above people who arent part of the crew operating the drone, and you cant fly your drone faster than 100 mph or higher than 400 feet. You can only fly a drone during daylight hours, but that includes 30 minutes before sunrise and after sunset.

What about state laws and privacy issues?

Waite emphasizes the importance of knowing the rules where youre standing, including both local laws and customs. While the FAA has been formulating the new rules, some state legislatures have passed bills restricting the use of drones. For example, in Texas it is illegal to fly a drone higher than eight feet in the air, and to photograph private property without the permission of the landowner. You could take a drone, fly it 10 feet in the air and take a photograph of the downtown Dallas skylinea photo that has been taken tens of thousands of times from the ground and from the air and published without any problem at allbut because you used a drone, you were higher than eight feet, and you didnt notify every visible landowner in the frame, youre a criminal in the state of Texas, says Waite. Basically, be careful and learn the rules before you fly.

As journalists, if we use these tools, we need to do everything in our practical ability to communicate with citizens on how theyre going to be used.

Shaw thinks a lot of issues still need to be worked out. Many of the things that we face as photographers regarding trespassing issues, privacy issues, those are all still going to be concerns that we should be aware of, he says. Also, perception issues. The word drone, in the publics perception, has a somewhat negative connotation to it. As journalists, if we use these tools, we need to do everything in our practical ability to communicate with citizens on how theyre going to be used, use them in a responsible manner, and to not push those hot-button issues on privacy and trespassing.

What are some best practices to keep in mind and dangers to avoid?

Safety is the first priority when it comes to drones. Waite points out that a drone is essentially a flying lawnmower. If a big enough drone falls out of the sky at the wrong angle at high velocity, it could kill someone. The FAA rules are clear that you cannot fly a drone over people who arent manning the craft and that consent does not matter, says Waite. He adds: Journalists are creative people. There are ways to get the shot without flying over peoples heads.

And, of course, the real best practice is, in fact, practice. Shaw cites the lack of a practical component to the FAA test as a potential problem. The one oversight in the whole process was not having some standard that required a practical level of experience, he says.

Waite emphasizes the importance of getting to know your equipment in an unpopulated environment. You dont want your first flight with a drone to be one where youre out in an urban environment where there are lots of people and moving cars and distractions and things like that. Thats dangerous, he says.

Remember that the person who holds the remote pilot certificate is the person liable if anything goes wrong. Waite has concerns about potential lawsuits that could occur if, for instance, a news director bullies a journalist into flying in a situation they knew wasnt safe and something went wrong. Television news stations that have had manned helicopters for yearsif the pilot of the helicopter says, nope cant fly, its not safe, then thats the end of the discussion. It should be the same way with drones, says Waite.

Both Waite and Shaw recommend that drone operators use a spotter, who should be the only person talking to the pilot during flight operations.

Waite also recommends that newsrooms come up with their own policies to decide when and where it is safe to use a drone, and stick to them. That includes being mindful of weather restrictions and potentially giving themselves an extra margin of safety beyond what the manufacturer recommends. The Missouri Journalism School has done just that, including at least six hours of practical hands-on flight before anyone associated with the Journalism School can consider using an unmanned aircraft, says Shaw.

Although there is no requirement to do so, Shaw recommends that individuals and news organizations take out liability insurance to cover themselves in case of an accident. Theres a number of organizations that are offering insurance and most of those can be found with a little bit of research, he says.

What are drones good for when it comes to journalism?

One obvious benefit of drones is aesthetics. Aerial videos look great, and there is a novelty factor still at play in seeing the world from a new perspectivesomething that will no doubt fall victim to the law of diminishing returns as drone shoots become ubiquitous.

One area where drone footage is likely to be particularly helpful, however, is where it can give perspective to viewers by putting a story in geographical context. Anytime you have to describe to people how big something is, how far it goes, how much area it covers, a drone is going to be really useful, says Waite.

Its about using it as a tool in a thoughtful, creative way to replace many of the hardware devices that were used in classic cinematography.

Shaw references how drones can replace the expensive hardware and equipment that used to be required for dolly, tracking, and crane shots. Its not necessarily about shooting the thing up 200 feet in the air, he says. Its about using it as a tool in a thoughtful, creative way to replace many of the hardware devices that were used in classic cinematography.

Allen, of the Missouri Drone Journalism Program, cites the investigative utility of drones in this story out of Dallas, in which aerial images of a meat-packing plant captured by a recreational drone pilot sparked an environmental investigation into the possibility that pig blood was being dumped into the Trinity River.

Beyond that, Waite points to the potential for drone footage to be used in combination with virtual-reality technology to create a 3D virtual model of a location, essentially enabling audiences to walk through a news event without ever having to go there. He also sees news organizations eventually using things like multi-spectral cameras to do more nuanced environmental stories based on remotely sensed data.

I want to buy a drone. What do I need to consider?

There are two main types of drones: multi-rotor helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Multi-rotors come with either four, six, or eight rotors. The more rotors, the more lift the drone has and the more weight it can carryincluding more sophisticated camera equipment.

Multi-rotors are better for hovering in place or for getting a specific angle on a location. Fixed-wing crafts need to move to stay aloft, but that also means they tend to have better battery life. Even the best multi-rotors only have a battery life that allows for 20 to 30 minutes of flight time.

Prices can range from $20 for a practice drone without a camera attachedWaite keeps a couple of these in his office for people with no drone experience to practice withup to half a million dollars for a drone purpose-built for broadcast television or movie production.

Waite says basic, entry-level models for a news organization that come with a decent camera start at about $900. Between $900 and $1,800, you can get a quad-copter with a 4K camera, a stabilizer, and assisted flight technology. Beyond that, youre getting into more professional territory that will take you between $3,000 and $6,000. Drones in this range are about twice the size of entry-level quads and will carry better cameras. You can also get six or eight rotors for this price, which will help keep the copter in the air in case one of the rotors fails.

Where can I find out more information?

The Drone Journalism Lab has formulated a manual that interested parties can access on its website. The document is open-source and Waite encourages journalists to contribute to it as they learn from their own experiments with drones. The Lab also held a Drone Journalism Bootcamp in August and has plans to announce more in the future.

What are some good examples of drone journalism?

In the category of drone footage giving important perspective to the scale of a natural disaster, Waite cites CNNs recent coverage of the Louisiana floods. CNN has a special partnership with the FAA called the Pathfinder Program, which has enabled them to use drones before the introduction of the new rules.

Shaw references a MediaStorm story that looks at the drought in California.

He also points to this BBC video, which captures the number of refugees making the journey from Turkey to Greece by boat. Its the right story and the right tool to use for it because you need that aerial perspective to be able to show the magnitude of the crisis, says Shaw.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

Shelley Hepworth , formerly a CJR Delacorte Fellow, is Technology Editor at The Conversation in Australia. Follow her on Twitter @shelleymiranda.
In 2015, two researchers remotely hacked a Jeep Cherokee being driven by a reporter who documented how the researchers controlled everything from the cars radio and media console to its brakes and steering.

For Dr. Shucheng Yu, an associate professor of computer science at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, the exercise demonstrated how vulnerable smart cars with GPS, Bluetooth, and internet connections are to cyberattacks.

These cars have become the trend of the future, Yu said. There could be some very severe consequences if someone hacked into the car. A car can be fully controlled by the hacker if it is not protected.

So Yu and his student, Zachary King, a junior majoring in computer science at UALR, spent the summer researching how to keep cars safe from cyberattacks. They worked on the project during an intensive eight-week summer research program at UALR.

King was one of 10 college students from across the country recruited through a National Science Foundation grant-funded project, REU Site: CyberSAFE@UALR: Cyber Security and Forensics Research at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.

The goal of the program is to decrease cyberattacks on people using mobile technology and social networking sites, said Dr. Mengjun Xie, an associate professor of computer science and director of the CyberSAFE@UALR program.

The basic idea is to integrate cybersecurity and cyber forensics research with the latest technology in mobile cloud computing and social media to provide research opportunities to students, Xie said.

More than 130 students applied for 10 spots. Participants included undergraduate college students with a grade point average of 3.0 or higher who are majoring in computer science, computer engineering, math, physics, or electrical engineering

Those selected spent eight weeks conducting research full time with a faculty mentor at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Participants received a $4,000 stipend, on-campus housing, a meal plan, and travel expenses.

How to protect your smart car

In his project, Investigating and Securing Communications in the Controller Area Network (CAN), King created a security protocol to protect smart cars from hacking. He also built an experimental environment that simulates the communication system in a smart car, which allows the security protocol to be tested through simulations.

The research focuses on the development of a security protocol to protect the Controller Area Network (CAN), an internal communications system in vehicles.

There are many ways that hackers can control CAN, King said. Once they access it, hackers can pretty easily control your car however they want. We are proposing to add a layer of security, so if an unauthorized person accesses it, they still wouldnt be able to control your vehicle.

The security protocol protects the CAN in two ways. It authenticates messages sent through the network by creating an authentication code. This authentication code allows nodes on the network to differentiate between a valid message and an attackers message.

The second security feature protects against replay attacks, when a hacker attempts to breach the network by repeatedly sending an old message. The protocol uses a timestamp to calculate when the network last received the message, which verifies the messages freshness.

Yu and King are continuing their research this fall. In the future, Yu hopes to collaborate with industry and funding agencies to implement the security protocol in commercial vehicles and protect cars from hackers.

As for King, participating in this summer research program has left him considering a career in cybersecurity once he graduates in 2018.

Three months ago, I wouldnt have been able to tell you much about cybersecurity and what a security protocol would look like, he said. After having completed this program, I am more interested in cybersecurity than I was before, and I may end up going that route.

Source: University of Arkansas at Little Rock
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On Friday, volunteer crews from WOW 1 Day Painting of Cleveland/Akron brought out the ladders, tarps and brushes to paint as much of the Battered Women's Shelter exterior as possible in one day.

AKRON, Ohio -- The Battered Women's Shelter of Summit-Medina Counties is getting a fresh start in the former Middlebury Manor Nursing Home on East Market Street.

Volunteer crews from WOW 1 Day Painting of Cleveland/Akron on Friday brought out the ladders, tarps and brushes, as part of WOW 1 Day Painting's company-wide campaign to give back to communities across the country.

Known as the Hope & Healing Survivor Resource Center, the Battered Women's Shelter also houses the Rape Crisis Center.

WOW Akron owner Tammy Ricketson chose the Battered Women's Shelter for the Akron project because she'd met members of the shelter staff through the Greater Akron Chamber's Knowledgeable Network of Women.

Ricketson learned about the renovation and was so touched by the work of the shelter, she wanted to help any way she could.

"This is going to be great for them," Ricketson said. "It's going to be so much more convenient for everybody."

The massive building will take the shelter from 68 beds to 150 beds.

Because of its size, local contractor Sturgill Stucco Inc. was hired to paint the dormitory section of the building. During the 1 Day event, owner Bill Sturgill donated $5,000 worth of exterior patching and used his contacts to have $7,000 in paint donated through his supplier, StoCorp of Atlanta. A representative from Sherwin-Williams also donated supplies.

Shelter CEO Terri Heckman is wowed by the number of people and organizations that want to help. So far 350 entities have stepped up to help the shelter prepare the site for a grand opening in November.

"We went out and found partners who would help us fix it up, in a variety of ways, whether they were donating money or, like these people, bringing their skills in today," she said. "People were happy to help."

In 2012, the shelter traded with the city, swapping a donated property, the Navy Reserve Building on Dan Street, for the old nursing home, which is next to Akron Fire Station 2 on East Exchange.

There's no longer a need to keep the shelter's location private. The city is closing River Street, where the shelter's entrance is located, and tearing down the old buildings around it.

"The whole area is becoming a safety net now, a center for hope and healing," Heckman said. "When people come here they're going to see the hope. They're going to say 'I can change my life.'"

The facility has plenty of office space Heckman plans to open to other nonprofits serving victims of abuse.

"Anybody who wants to work out of here toward peace, there's room in here," she said.
AKRON, Ohio -- An Akron man is facing criminal charges after officers caught him shooting a gun in an East Akron apartment community Wednesday night, police said.

Michael J. Anderson, 24, is charged with discharging firearms, tampering with evidence, having weapons under disability and carrying concealed weapons, Akron Municipal Court records show.

Officers working extra detail in the Rosemary Apartments heard gunshots about 8:30 p.m. The officers saw Anderson firing a gun near Dahlgren Drive and Edmeyer Court, police said.

Anderson tossed the gun as officers approached, according to police. He was arrested without incident.

Police recovered a .22-caliber rifle.

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Assault, Miller Road: On Aug. 10, police were dispatched to PNC Bank on Miller Road regarding two men fighting. An arriving officer found the PNC security team, as well as a North Ridgeville man, 48, outside the bank and another North Ridgeville man, 55, sitting in his car.

The former told the officer he was driving eastbound on the Ohio Turnpike when he was cut off by the latter. That's when he followed the guy to the bank. He said they bumped chests.

The former said he hit the latter with his hand and forehead. The latter man said he was cut off twice by the former, who didn't use his turn signal. The latter, who had a bloody mark on his nose, worked at the bank. The former was charged with assault. The latter may be charged with disorderly conduct at a future date.

Drug paraphernalia possession, I-77: On Aug. 7, police observed a white GMC Sierra without license plates driving northbound on I-77. The Cleveland driver, 38, told the officer the plate was blocked by an asphalt seal-coating tank.

The plate was in the back window. It turned out the driver had a suspended license. While searching the truck, police found a bag with syringes, a metal spoon and a cotton filter. There was also a white residue substance.

The driver admitted to using heroin in the past. He was arrested for possession of drug paraphernalia and drug abuse instruments, as well as driving under suspension and not properly displaying license plates.

Marijuana possession, I-77: On Aug. 8, police observed a light-colored pickup truck with loud exhaust traveling southbound on I-77. While talking to the Akron driver, 48, the officer smelled marijuana.

It turned out the driver had numerous suspensions. The man denied smoking; however, when the officer searched the truck, he found a pill bottle containing marijuana. There was also a glass pipe.

The driver said the items weren't his and they must belong to people he gives rides. The man was arrested for having a suspended license. He was also cited for having a loud muffler and marijuana possession.

Drug paraphernalia, I-77: On Aug. 6, police observed a speeding Mercury Grand Marquis traveling southbound on I-77. The Belmont County woman, 29, told the officer she knew she was speeding but said the reason was because people were scaring her.

It turned out the woman didn't have a driver's license. The driver, who said she was visiting her cousin in Cleveland before he went to jail for heroin possession, began acting erratically.

The woman said there was nothing illegal in the car. Then she changed her tune and said there was a bowl in her backpack. While searching the car, police found a grinder with marijuana as well as a pipe.

The woman was cited for speeding, not having a license and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Warrant, I-77: On Aug. 11, police observed a Ford Expedition traveling southbound on I-77 change lanes without signaling. It turned out the Akron passenger, 24, had a warrant from Berea Police.

He was arrested and held for transport. The driver was given a warning regarding not using turn signals when making lane changes.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
Drunken driving, I-77: On July 29, police observed a speeding and weaving red Dodge Nitro traveling southbound on I-77. While talking to the driver, who smelled like alcohol, the officer noticed blood on his hand and center console.

The man said he injured his hand while working on his car. After failing a field sobriety test, the man was arrested for drunken driving. When the ambulance arrived, EMTs had a difficult time keeping the man still to wrap his hand.

The officer noted the man was uncooperative during the entire incident. The driver was also cited for not driving in marked lanes, weaving and not wearing a seatbelt.

Drunken driving, Royalton Road: On Aug. 2, police observed a Ford Focus with a temporary tag run a red light on Royalton Road. While talking to the confused driver, the officer smelled alcohol.

When told to get out of the car, the driver had a hard time operating the door handle. After failing a field sobriety test, the man was arrested for drunken driving. He was also cited for running a red light.

Bike theft, Amelia Drive: On Aug. 2, police were dispatched to an Amelia Drive home after a resident discovered his son's dirt bike was stolen from the bed of his pickup truck. There are no witnesses. Police are investigating.

Expired plates, Broadview Road: On July 31, police observed a maroon Mercury Cougar with expired plates on Wallings Road. When the car was pulled over, the driver backed into a parking space at Marc's.

The driver said he had just moved from Las Vegas to Broadview Heights. It turned out the man had a suspended license. Also, when the officer ran the sticker, which had expired in May, it came up to Royalwood Road address. The officer called the sticker owner, who said he noticed it was missing a few weeks prior.

The driver was charged with receiving stolen property, as well as expired license plates, fictitious license plates and having a suspended license.

Drunken driving, Sprague Road: On July 30, police observed a black Honda driving with its bright lights on Wallings Road. When the officer ran the license plates, it turned out the driver had a suspended license and an expired registration.

The Honda was pulled over on Sprague Road. While talking to the driver, who didn't have his license, the officer smelled booze. When the officer returned to his police car, two passengers exited the Honda and walked away.

The officer talked to the passenger, who smelled like marijuana. The driver admitted not only that he was drunk but that the marijuana in the car was his. After failing a field sobriety test, the man was arrested for drunken driving.

He was also cited for drug abuse, driving left of center, having expired plates, using his high beams and not wearing a seatbelt.

Aggravated burglary, Harris Road: On July 29, police were dispatched to Harris Road regarding a burglary. The homeowner said he returned home from work to find the contents of a small cabinet scattered on the floor.

The man said the entire house had been gone through. The homeowner discovered the burglars entered through a garage side door. Missing was ammunition, cordless drills, a bucket of change and dollars, a replica Civil War sword, a small television, jewelry, a rifle, laptop computer and guitar. Police are investigating.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
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Hillary Clinton has come under scrutiny over potential conflicts of interests between the Clinton Foundation and State Department.

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Clinton Foundation is a legitimate charitable organization. It has done good and needed work for worthy causes around the world. Equally legitimate, is the scrutiny the Foundation and the Clinton State Department are under over their interactions.

At the very least, released Clinton State Department emails provide evidence that the spirit of a 2008 Memorandum of Understanding between the Clinton Foundation and The State Department has been violated.

On December 12, 2008 the Clintons had "agreed to a set of protocols...for managing conflicts of interests, and the appearance of conflicts of interest."

State Department emails, released by court order, show Clinton Foundation officials repeatedly seeking to curry favor for Foundation donors at the State Department. The emails often used chummy language, demonstrating the cozy relationship between the Foundation and Hillary Clinton's State Department staff.

In a typical email exchange, Clinton Foundation official Douglas Band asked Hillary's aides if she could meet with "our good friend" Crown Prince Sheikh Salman of Bahrain. Salman had donated $32 million to the Foundation.

The AP recently reported that 85 of 154 people from "private interests" who met with Clinton while she was Secretary of State had donated to the Foundation. The number of private individuals she met with and the number of them who were donors, may actually be far higher because the AP was only given access to a limited number of emails and appointment book records by the State Department.

Hillary Clinton fired back that the AP report was "all smoke, no fire," Clinton charged that the AP cherry-picked her visitors, excluding the hundreds of visits with government employees and diplomats. The AP argued they intentionally focused just on non government employees who were from private interests because government employees would expect to have normal reasons to meet with Clinton and have normal access.

Quid Pro Quo or buying access?

So far, there is no concrete evidence of quid pro quo between Foundation donors and Clinton as Secretary of State. After Crown Prince Sheik Salman met with Clinton, she later approved a $630 million arms sale to Bahrain. Saudi Arabia donated $25 million to the foundation and then completed a $29 billion purchase of fighter jets. There's no way to prove that these or any other deals would not have been done if donations had not been made.

The point is, a Secretary of State and the State Department should want to avoid any such doubts and questions being raised. That was the whole point of the 2008 Memorandum of Understanding the Clintons signed. The Clinton's recognized it was a legitimate concern then. For the Clintons to now dismiss the questions being raised as absurd, is itself absurd.

Money talks and buys an ear.

Money talks, as the old saying goes. More importantly money buys an ear and makes people listen. The released emails leave the perception that donating to the Clinton Foundation gave the donor access to Hillary Clinton as Secretary of State that they might not have if they were a peasant from Timbuktu.

Georgetown University ethics and economics professor William English told Vox, "There's no doubt in anyone's mind that a large number of the Clinton Foundation donors who met with her gave partly to get access to the Clintons. It looks essentially like a nonprofit that has the conspicuous benefit of being a great place where people can get access to Clinton and her staff.

Not business as usual in Washington D.C.

In Washington D.C. and Statehouses, money has always bought influence and access. So why is the relationship between the Clinton Foundation donors and the Clinton State Department different from what domestic corporate and special interest lobbyists do every day?

The Clinton Foundation, as a nonprofit charity, is not bound by the same disclosure rules and laws as typical lobbyists. More significantly, foreign governments are restricted in what they can give U.S. officials. And the U.S. Constitution specifically bars the president or the first lady from accepting gifts from foreign countries.

The State Department had always tried to operate as an above the board non-partisan entity.

The Clintons may have done nothing illegal. But they've violated the spirit of their 2008 agreement. They've perpetuated the problem of money having too much influence in politics. And they've compromised the image of the State Department and their own charitable Foundation.
EAST CLEVELAND, Ohio - A Cuyahoga County grand jury will consider the case of a man found in possession of a gun linked to a 17-year-old girl shot and killed in East Clevelad.

JaSean Woods, 19, of Cleveland, is charged with receiving stolen property after detectives searched his house and found a weapon linked to his girlfriend Breanna Fluitt.

Fluitt was found dead early Saturday in a section of East Cleveland that consists of mostly abandoned buildings. She was shot five times, the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office said.

Fluitt's mother owns the .380 handgun. Fluitt took it without permission July 23 and Woods took it soon after, police said Thursday in East Cleveland Municipal Court.

Detectives have identified Woods as a person of interest in the shooting but he has not been charged in her death.

Detectives arrested him Tuesday after they obtained a warrant to search his home on East 115th Street in Cleveland.

Woods refused to come out of the house for more than a half hour but eventually surrendered, police said.

Detectives took Woods into custody after they found the stolen .380 handgun in a closet, police said.

Judge William A. Dawson set Woods' bond at $25,000 on Thursday in East Cleveland Municipal Court.

His case was bound over to Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Court at the conclusion of a preliminary hearing.

That court issued a warrant for his arrest after skipped a June 30 sentencing hearing. Woods pleaded guilty June 1 to two counts of robbery stemming from an Oct. 7 incident in Cleveland, court records show.

If you'd like to comment on this story, visit our crime and courts comments section.
CLEVELAND, Ohio - A new home owner couldn't be prouder than Ingenuity Cleveland program director Emily Appelbaum as she shows off the art organization's new 350,000 square foot space in the St. Clair Superior area.

"Look at that working crane .... and all of these loading docks ... and all of this light .... these wide open spaces ... isn't this area beautiful... check out these ovens from 1916 ... and all of this space ... there's even an old employee gym area... and upstairs has wood floors perfect for a dance company," enthuses the program director.

Appelbaum and an array of makers who work with Ingenuity are in the process of moving into the massive Osborn Industrial Complex at 5401 Hamilton Ave., where large-scale industrial brushes were made for more than 100 years.

The complex, opened in 1902 on Hamilton Ave., was an outgrowth of Osborn Manufacturing Corp., begun in Cleveland in 1887 by John Osborn. By the 1940s, it was the world's largest manufacturer of industrial brushes and foundry machines. By 1995, the company employed 300 workers on the site. It was later bought by the global conglomerate Jason Industries, and Osborn closed the Cleveland facility in 2004.

The complex will house the 12th annual Ingenuity festival this Sept. 23-25, taking the event back to its roots as a fest that took place in abandoned and unoccupied spaces around town.

"For some time we moved every few years, we always used underutilized space," says Appelbaum. "We were on the hunt for a new neighborhood where we could make an impact. St. Clair-Superior is perfect because its emerging arts community connects to an existing manufacturing community."

Fittingly, this year's Ingenuity theme is "Awakenings."

Unlike past years, Ingenuity is committing to St. Clair Superior for more than three days. They've signed a lease to the end of the year on the space, with the option of extending it for several years.

"We are building a lasting relationship with the community. We want to extend the footprint of our festival activities for a length of time," says Appelbaum.

They're doing this through an expanded IngenuityLabs Creative Collaborative program that offers resources, space and assistance for artists and entrepreneurs to develop projects on-site. Many of them have already begun moving into Hamilton Ave., though taking up only a small portion of the vast warehouse. Appelbaum estimates they'll use about 50,000 square feet at first.

"We're like homesteaders," she says.

Now in its pilot phase, the Collaborative collects minimal dues from local businesses and artisans in exchange for space in the Osborn building as well as access to the building's industrial amenities, including overhead cranes, 3-phase power, large loading docks, natural light and large open spaces.

"There are very few places large-scale, or any scale, makers can find things like this," says Appelbaum, gesturing at an overhead crane in a massive warehouse room.

The co-location of businesses will also cut costs for everyone. Participants can share materials and tools, as well as promote or market themselves collectively.

"Cleveland doesn't have any large-scale maker spaces like this," says Appelbaum. "This is a first for the city. We're looking to see what similar projects other cities such as Baltimore do and learn from them."

The Collaborative currently includes a half-dozen local makers who are in varying stages of moving in, with more in talks.

Collaborators include Soulcraft Woodshop; the Architecture Office firm; and Skidmark Garage, an artisanal vintage motorcycle rehab shop.

"Being a part of this collaboration benefits Skidmark Garage quite simply in exposure," says Skidmark Garage's Brian Schaffran.

"Originally, I wasn't sure how much Skidmark's worth could be in the world of Ingenuity Cleveland -- it wasn't obvious to me that we fit. But there is actually more creativity happening here than I anticipated. ... People are creatively finding solutions to their motorcycle problems together, they are building electric motorcycles, painting murals on the walls, leaving parts of their personalities to hang on the workbenches, and generally creating an environment where all people, bikes, and ideas are welcome."

Dru McKeown of the Architecture Office, whose Ingenuity project is called Iron ARTchiTECHS, says the collaboration is mutually beneficial.

"We are bringing together design professionals with local students to undergo a design/build installation competition. Students are given a prompt, some space to build their installation, access to materials and tools, and professional mentors.

"Both my partner and I previously ran our own solo practices and realize that collaboration makes work stronger. Having someone to bounce ideas off of, bring their own view and experience, or even create an unintentional interpretation through idea collision is extremely important to making sure that you continue to grow and learn as a designer."

Schaffran thinks the city will benefit, too.

"If a portion of Cleveland's population wakes up their want of learning and hundreds of little businesses appear in garages and empty spaces where people are actually making things, fixing things, using their thumbs for tasks other than the phone and laptop, Cleveland will be this killer hub of exciting activity that will draw people in and back. "

Appelbaum agrees. One goal of the Collaborative is "civic progress ... social, economic, educational and cultural improvements."

And she thinks their new home in St. Clair Superior, a mix of old industry and new maker spaces, is the perfect space to pursue these goals.

"It's a neighborhood on the rise, where there is still small and medium industry and there are mom-and-pop shops for everything from auto mechanics to painting. There are all these great artists and makers."

The owners of this repurposed-maker-space-formerly-brush-maker-building agree, says Terry Keenan, general partner Hamilton Marquette Partnership.

"The idea of the collaborative is larger than any group of separated businesses. We are looking to create an energy and have profitable businesses thrive from having more of a connection into the community, all brought together under our one large footprint.... That is a win for us, Ingenuity, the tenants, and the city of Cleveland.

"We've always envisioned this building as a maker space, and now is the right time -- with the right partners -- to make this vision come to life."

Interested in the joining the Creative Collaborative or IngenuityLabs? Applications online: ingenuitycleveland.com/incubate



Want to see inside the Osborn Industrial Complex? Get a sneak peek at the F*show contemporary furniture show from 5 to 10 p.m. Friday, Sept. 9.
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The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame's Library & Archives will be scanning the memorabilia of Northeast Ohio music fans on Saturday, Aug. 27. Maybe you've got one of these rare posters from the 1966 Beatles show at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, which sold for more than $23,000 at an online auction in New York City in 2013.

(Courtesy of Gotta Have Rock and Roll auctioneers)

CLEVELAND, Ohio - Hey, fans! This is your chance not just to VISIT the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame but to be IN the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Sort of, anyway.

The Rock Hall's Library & Archives, located in Cuyahoga Community College's Tommy LiPuma Center for Creative Arts on the downtown campus, 2809 Woodlands Avenue, is hosting another Memorabilia Scan Day. The last one was in November 2015.

Set for 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 27, the Rock Hall team will be scanning photos, handbills, programs and other memorabilia, and could wind up as part of the Rock Hall's collection. All items should be 8.5 inches by 11 inches or smaller.

This year, the museum particularly is looking for items related to the history of music in Northeast Ohio.

According to the Rock Hall, participants will get: A voucher for a free admission ticket, a complimentary USB drive with digital, preservation-quality image files of your items, archival-quality sleeves to help preserve your original materials and a copy of the Library and Archives' 'zine "Preservation: 88 Lines About 44 Techniques.''
Nine months since impeachment proceedings began for Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff, the last stage of the process is finally underway. The country's senate began a trial on Thursday, which is expected to last until next week. Rousseff herself will appear in-person on Monday and senators will then take a final vote, either on August 30 or 31, on whether she should be impeached.

The trial is set to confirm what Brazil-watchers have long anticipated: the country's first female head of state will be forced from office, and current Vice President Michel Temer will take her place. Of the 81 senators, 54, or two-thirds, must vote for impeachment for Rousseff's ouster to happen, and strategists say that's already a done deal. "We've last strong indications that over two-thirds of senators are likely to vote for impeachment," Monica de Bolle, non-resident senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE), told CNBC's "Squawk Box." "So, we could have a new official Temer government by September 6 or 7." Likewise, political consultancy Eurasia said there was a 90 percent probability the impeachment vote would pass, according to a Friday note. No changes to Congress are expected once Temer takes over; his team and cabinet will remain in place until the country's next general elections in 2018.

A frenzied trial

Despite the consensus on the outcome, the trial is still expected to be ugly.

Senators Ronaldo Caiado (R) and Lindbergh Farias (back) exchange insults during the Senate impeachment trial of Brazilian suspended President Dilma Rousseff at the National Congress in Brasilia on August 25, 2016. EVARISTO SA | AFP | Getty Images

There were heated arguments between senators on Thursday, with insults such as "scoundrel" tossed around, according to media reports. Rousseff still has a number of senators faithful to her, including Gleisi Hoffman who reportedly told peers that none of them had the moral authority to judge the president. The bickering ultimately forced Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski to briefly suspend the session to restore order.

"Impeachment is a traumatic process," explained de Bolle. "The country is still split. There are those who view this entire process as something that was manipulated by Temer and his Brazilian Democratic Movement party (PMDB)." The PMDB, once a staunch ally of Rousseff's ruling Working Party, is now the latter's main opposition. Rousseff is accused of breaking budget laws. Her critics say she spent state funds without congressional approval and falsified accounts to hide Brazil's widening deficit while campaigning for re-election in 2014. Rousseff denies the charges, and more arguments are anticipated on Monday when the 68-year old presents her defense to senators. "While her presence may have an effect on public opinion, it won't be enough to tip the balance in her favor in the senate," Eurasia predicted. Rousseff has called the impeachment a coup, but if she maintains that strategy on Monday, it's unlikely to resonate well with moderates, the consultancy explained. "This [her appearance on Monday] would not change the outcome of the impeachment trial, but it might help the Worker's Party in municipal elections later this year," Andrea Murta, deputy director of the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center, a Washington-based think-tank, told CNBC.
President Barack Obama (L) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) after a joint press conference on November 12, 2014 in Beijing. Getty Images

China and the United States are set to jointly announce their ratification of a landmark climate change pact before the G20 summit early next month, the South China Morning Post has learned. Senior climate officials from both countries worked late into the night in Beijing on Tuesday to finalize details, and a bilateral announcement is likely to be made on September 2, according to sources familiar with the issue. President Xi Jinping will meet his U.S. counterpart Barack Obama for the G20 summit in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, two days later on September 4. "There are still some uncertainties from the U.S. side due to the complicated U.S. system in ratifying such a treaty, but the announcement is still quite likely to be ready by Sept 2," said a source, who declined to be named.





Smog in Beijing, China. VCG | Getty Images

If both sides announce the ratification on the day, it would be the last major joint statement between the two leaders before Obama leaves office.

China and the U.S. account for about 38 per cent of global greenhouse gas emissions, according to the World Resources Institute. By ratifying the Paris Agreement on climate change, Beijing and Washington could generate momentum for the accord to come into effect as a binding international treaty. The pact agreed by representatives from 195 countries in Paris last December aims to keep the increase in the global average temperature to well below 2 degrees Celsius on pre-industrial levels. More from the South China Morning Post:

How China, the 'world's largest polluter', is taking on climate change

China and the US create a new climate for international collaboration on the environment

'I may do something else': Donald Trump's threat to renegotiate UN climate deal greeted with widespread dismay

Countries began the ratification process on April 22, Earth Day, and by Tuesday, 23 nations had joined, but they account for just 1 per cent of emissions. The treaty will enter into force only after 55 countries representing at least 55 per cent of emissions ratify or join the deal in other ways. China had said earlier it would ratify the accord before the G20 summit in September. In June, the U.S. said it would "work towards" approving the deal before end of the year, with the White House keen to seal a key part of Obama's environmental protection legacy before he leaves office in January. U.S. law allows the nation to join international agreements in a number of ways, including through the authority of the president.

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European news publishers will be given the right to levy fees on internet platforms such as Google if search engines show snippets of their stories, under radical copyright reforms being finalized by the European Commission.

The proposals, to be published in September, are aimed at diluting the power of big online operators, whose market share in areas such as search leads to unbalanced commercial negotiations between the search engine and content creators, according to officials.

The move will heap further pressure on the already strained relationship between Silicon Valley and Brussels, which are embroiled in increasingly fractious arguments over issues covering competition, tax and privacy. On Wednesday, the US Treasury department attacked commission moves to levy billions of euros from Apple for alleged underpayment of taxes in Europe.

More from the Financial Times:

Livestream video little more than gimmick

Advertising  Facebook and Google's duopoly

Food becomes key digital media ingredient



At the heart of the draft copyright plan, news publishers would receive "exclusive rights" to make their content available online to the public in a move that would force services such as Google News to agree terms with news organisations for showing extracts of articles.

Citing dwindling revenues at news organisations, the commission warns that failure to push on with such a policy would be "prejudicial for . . . media pluralism", according to one internal document.

Critics of the idea argue that similar efforts to charge Google for aggregating news stories have failed in both Germany and Spain. Google responded to a mandatory levy in Spain by shutting down Google News in the country. In Germany, many publishers opted to waive the charge in order to still appear on the search engine's news results after suffering big drops in traffic.
The pan-European STOXX 600 closed 0.6 percent higher provisionally after seeing strong fluctuations around 3.00 p.m. London time as Yellen spoke. The U.K.'s FTSE 100 closed 0.4 percent higher with the French CAC 40 and the German DAX seeing similar gains.

In the much-anticipated speech at the central bank's annual Jackson Hole summit, Yellen voiced optimism about the economy and an expectation that interest rate hikes were ahead. Speaking amid market speculation over when the Fed would resume a policy tightening that began in December, Yellen issued some cautionary tones, but pointed to more increases on the horizon. Several asset markets saw wild swings after the speech and U.S. stocks were trading higher by Europe's close.

"Yellen's acknowledgement that 'the case for an increase in the federal funds rate has strengthened' would appear to increase the likelihood of a near-term rate hike. On balance, however, we think most officials will want to see more concrete evidence of a rebound in GDP growth and a rise in inflation towards the 2 percent target, with a December move still appearing the most likely outcome," Andrew Hunter a U.S. economist at Capital Economics, said in a note.
Billionaire hedge fund boss Bill Ackman told CNBC on Friday the past 12 months were the "worst period of performance" of his investment career, and the implosion of Valeant Pharmaceuticals was mostly to blame.



"It's almost entirely been driven by Valeant. I've never owned a stock down 90 percent," the Pershing Square Capital Management chief told "Squawk Box," referring to Valeant's plunge from a 52-week high of $245 per share to around $18 per share in late June.

Since then Valeant has recovered to around $31 per share, as the embattled drugmaker works to regain investor confidence after questions about its pricing strategy and ties to a specialty pharmacy led to wider political and regulatory scrutiny, and hammered the stock.

Ackman, who joined the Valeant board in mid-March, said the company is making progress. In addition to revamping its board, Valeant earlier this year hired Joseph Papa, chief executive of over-the-counter drug company Perrigo, as its new CEO to succeed longtime chief Michael Pearson. Valeant in August named Paul Herendeen, an executive at animal drugmaker Zoetis, as its chief financial officer.

"[Valeant] is now a more traditional Pershing Square investment" now that it's been pummeled, he said. "We normally invest when shareholders have lost confidence in management. And that's what happened here. It was not just management, shareholders lost confidence in the numbers. The financial statements were delayed. There was a potential default."

Ackman said he broke all his investment rules with Valeant, initially striking up a partnership with the Canadian drugmaker in 2014 to try to buy Botox-maker Allergan . The unique arrangement raised questions at the time about a conflict of interest, an assertion Ackman had dismissed.

"We went off the reservation," he told CNBC on Friday, looking back at those early days. "We made one very big mistake taking a passive position in Valeant."

"We never normally get to meet the management of a company before making an investment. [And] we never invest in really complicated companies you can't figure out from just reading the 10K [filing]," he said.

Actavis ultimately thwarted Valeant, and purchased Allergan last year in a deal valued at $66 billion.

Once the Allergan deal was lost, Ackman stuck with Valeant in hopes to strike other deals. "We thought we could help, as we attempted to do in the Allergan transaction, by creating other potential merger opportunities. That was a big mistake."

Ackman's Valeant comments Friday on "Squawk Box" were part of a wide-ranging interview that also dealt with the billionaire's Herbalife short. The Pershing Square founder said he was approached to purchase Carl Icahn's stake in the nutritional supplement firm.
Hedge fund manager Bill Ackman told CNBC on Friday he was approached indirectly by Carl Icahn to purchase the billionaire's stake in Herbalife  Ackman's longtime short target.

Asked why Icahn would want to sell his stake in Herbalife, Ackman responded: "I think he knows this is toast" and "he's made bunch of money."



Herbalife shares slumped about 4.5 percent Friday after Ackman made his comments.



Icahn said: "I am not commenting on rumors and stories about what I am doing."

The Pershing Square Capital Management founder confirmed the gist of a Wall Street Journal report that Icahn was considering selling his stake in Herbalife to a group including the nutritional supplement firm's arch-nemesis Ackman.

Icahn "came to me" through investment bank Jefferies Group with a proposal in early August to "cover my short" position, Ackman said on "Squawk Box."

Saying no to Icahn at first, Ackman said he later reconsidered for only for a few million shares. Icahn owns 17 million-plus shares valued at around $1 billion.



Ackman said if he were to buy a small stake and sell it right away, he would probably lose about $30 million. "I would spend $30 million to get Carl out. I would probably spend more."

The Pershing Square chief is still betting against Herbalife  short more than $1 billion on the stock. He's been critical of Herbalife for years, calling it a pyramid scheme  allegations the company denies.
Rusal's profit slumped 70 percent in the first half of 2016, but the deputy CEO of the aluminum giant said tightening Chinese supply was helping stabilize metal prices.

"The price is very much stable at the moment and we can see improved supply-demand balance," Oleg Mukhamedshin told CNBC on Friday.

On Thursday, the Russian company posted a decline in first half net profit to $261 million from $879 million in the first six months of 2015.

Aluminum's cash ask price was $1,624 per ton on the London Metals Exchange on Thursday. The metal has stabilized at low levels this year after tumbling in 2015 and the latter part of 2014. It has shown fledgling strength in recent weeks, gaining 1.6 percent since the start of August.
Herbalife shares slumped Friday after activist investor Bill Ackman told CNBC he was approached to take a stake in the firm.

The stock ended the day down 2 percent.

Ackman made his remarks on "Squawk Box" after The Wall Street Journal reported that activist investor Carl Icahn had pondered selling his stake in Herbalife, worth approximately $1 billion, to a group that included Ackman.

"Carl [Icahn] is kind of the last man standing, and I think if he's gone, the whole confidence thing blows up," Ackman told CNBC.

Source: FactSet

Ackman has been short Herbalife since late 2012.

Icahn "came to me" with a proposal in early August to "cover my short" position, Ackman said.



Asked why Icahn would want to sell his stake in Herbalife, Ackman responded: "I think he knows this is toast" and "he's made bunch of money."



Icahn said: "I am not commenting on rumors and stories about what I am doing."



Entering Friday trading, Herbalife shares had been up 1.5 percent year to date, but have pulled back by approximately 9 percent this month.
For over a year, it's been the centerpiece of his campaign.



But, in a stark midcourse correction on his immigration policy, Republican nominee Donald Trump this week backed away from a pledge to round up millions of undocumented immigrants and transport them outside the country.

In the end, the plan may have simply proved too costly  both politically and economically.

By one estimate the direct price tag for removing some 11 million undocumented workers could top $600 billion. And the economic impact of a such a sudden contraction in the U.S. labor force would lop $1.6 trillion from the nation's economy. That's roughly the gross domestic product of Texas.

From the day he announced his bid for the White House, Trump has made immigration a major focus of his campaign.

"They're sending people that have lots of problems, and they're bringing those problems with us," he said in the day he announced in June 2015. "They're bringing drugs. They're bringing crime. They're rapists. And some, I assume, are good people."
Americans share a love affair for pizza, consuming a shocking 350 slices every second, but if you want to see a slice of the future, watch how a millennial pulls a piece from the pie. They are responsible for an increasing share of a U.S. pizza sales market expected to reach nearly $45 billion this year, up from $38.5 billion in 2015, according to Pizza Industry Analysis 2016. Far from being the typical go-to food accompanied by a round of beer on a night out with the guys, pizza is largely being consumed by millennial females  as much as 63 percent, according to PMQ Pizza Magazine.

Sam Diephuis | Getty Images

This younger generation not only look for healthier options but also consider the experience as significant as the food itself  an important consideration for entrepreneurs looking to cash in on the evolving pizza market, as today's 80 million millennials buying pizza are expected to outspend baby boomers by 2017, according to the report from Pizza Industry Analysis.

Today there are about 70,000 pizzerias operating in the United States, with another 4,800 set to open by year-end. Most of the $45 billion in market share is going to the franchises. The top four chains  Pizza Hut , Domino's , Little Caesars and Papa John's  pulled in $23.5 billion in 2015, according to Pizza Industry Analysis. The reason: the ability of bigger companies to meet the changing requirements of the consumer. These changing requirements are many.

Latest trends topping the market

The past few years have seen an enormous number of pizza establishments emerge to cater to the evolving marketplace, from gluten-free specialties and artisanal parlors with healthy options to the environmentally conscious and mobile pizzerias. The fastest growth area today is fast-casual, a build-your-own pizza model designed after the Chipotle service model. Chipotle's parent company has launched its own pizza brand, Pizzeria Locale. Buxton, a customer analytics firm, reports that millennials favor fast-casual pizza because it's inexpensive  around $8 to $10 a pie  and has a made-to-order design. According to Technomic, the fast-casual segment continued to lead the pack in 2015 with 11.4 percent sales growth, almost doubling the growth rate of any other dining segment.

One entrepreneur who is betting on this booming market is Brian Petruzzi, founder of 1000 Degrees Neopolitan Pizza, a franchise that offers customizable, authentic Neapolitan pizza on hand-tossed fresh dough. He defines the 1000 Degrees approach as fresh-casual, claiming it kicks the new pizza model up a notch by combining the concept of fast-casual with fresh ingredients in a fine-casual setting.



Customers ... want to be able to customize and make stuff their own. A lot of it is millennial-based. They like having control. Brian Petruzzi founder and CEO, 1000 Degrees

Launched in 2014, Petruzzi already has 25 1000 Degrees franchises up and running  in New Jersey, Michigan, Arizona, Texas, North Dakota, Florida and Connecticut  along with two locations in Malaysia. By the end of 2016, Petruzzi, who is also the pizza chain's CEO, plans to have at least another 30 U.S. locations open. "As far as signed agreements, we have well over 100. In Florida alone, we have 45," he said.

A lot of 1000 Degrees' success, says Petruzzi, is its transparency. "Customers want a lot more input into what they're getting. They want to see that the ingredients are fresh, and they want to be able to customize and make stuff their own. A lot of it is millennial-based. They like having control," he said.



Brian Petruzzi, founder and CEO of 1000 Degrees Neopolitan Pizzeria Source: 1000 Degrees Neopolitan Pizzeria

The menu boasts fresh, high-quality ingredients, including artisan-made cheeses and imported meats. Customers can choose from more than 50 toppings, from the traditional tomatoes, mozzarella, pepperoni and garlic to thinly sliced rib eye, grilled chicken, pineapple, jalapeno, banana peppers, bleu cheese, a smoky bourbon barbeque sauce and more. The 10- and 14-inch pies, priced between $5 and $17, depending on the market, circulate through a 1,000-degree oven and are done in 2 minutes.



Petruzzi says that while the food is ready quickly, his customers are in no rush to leave. "We're fast to get you your food, but we bring the food to your seat so you can sit back and relax. We focus on the dine-in experience."

To emphasize their fresh-casual approach, 1000 Degrees recently began offering self-serve beer and wine. "Dine in represents at lunch about 65 percent of our business and at dinner about 50 percent of our business." Petruzzi said.

A family-first approach

While many of the newer chains focus on catering to forward-thinking millennials, one chain is defying the demographic buzz, focusing on the tradition of celebrating family and embracing the community. The California-based Pizza Factory is a communal hub for pizza lovers where patrons sit and enjoy the traditional fare at long communal tables. Rather than delivering pizzas to you or having you grab them on your way home, Pizza Factory is a place where families and friends can relax and know they're likely to see a friend. According to Mary Jane Riva, the chain's president and CEO, the concept seems to be working. Pizza Factory currently has 115 locations in six states in the western half of the United States  and Pizza Today ranks the company as the 41st biggest chain in the country, with 2015 sales of $60.3 million, a near-$10 million improvement over 2014. Riva bought the company in 2012 for an undisclosed sum after owning five of her own Pizza Factory franchises, the first of which she purchased in 1989. She believes that dining together provides a warm, embracing experience.
Donald Trump has mastered social media like no other presidential candidate before him, using it as a tool to make news and communicate with supporters. But the Republican nominee's failure to turn his massive online support base into a robust fundraising tool is a missed opportunity, despite a new multimillion dollar investment many say is too little, too late. Trump spent $8.4 million on digital consulting and advertising in July, his latest campaign finance report showed. That's more than four times the $1.6 million he spent in June. The last two months have comprised 95 percent of what he's spent on digital overall, and it's nearly three times what he's spent on far more expensive advertising on TV. By those numbers, digital is Trump's top spending priority. But half a dozen Republican and Democratic digital strategists told NBC News that putting together a last minute digital strategy will cost more  and net less  than one built earlier. And it may yield disappointing results.

Put simply: The boastful billionaire's big play isn't his smartest investment. More from NBC News:

Hillary Clinton and Allies Outpace Team Trump in Fundraising

Where will the Republican Party go after 2016?

Beyond Trump: Where Will the GOP Go After 2016? "The irony here is, look, he could have saved himself a lot of money," Republican digital strategist Patrick Ruffini said. The chairman of Engage LLC, Ruffini isn't a Trump fan but argued that the Republican nominee could "have been outraising Hillary Clinton" if he had invested in digital fundraising early. "Fundraising takes place in the inbox," said Wesley Donahue, a Republican digital strategist who worked on Florida Sen. Marco Rubio's presidential bid. "If you wait longer, then you've got to spend more." Candidates typically spend years building up an email database that they can then mine for donations for months and years, and some grow them by renting outside group's digital lists  adding users who respond to their database  and running digital ads.

Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's list was built years in advance of her current White House bid, combining the list she built in her 2008 campaign with the 4 million person list built by the Ready for Hillary super PAC that was transferred to the campaign last year. Digital has scored a far smaller percentage of her spending: She's spent more than $68 million on television ads, and $7.2 million on digital and online advertising since her campaign launched last April.

Hillary Clinton Getty Images

Online advertisements are relatively cheap  with the notable exception of apricey promoted hashtag Trump's campaign purchased in July  so observers say that a large portion of his digital budget is likely being used to buy and rent email lists from like-minded Republican groups. He then sends fundraising appeals to people on those lists, collecting and keeping the donations, and, perhaps more valuably, email addresses. While Trump's team long boasted of the big data gathering their massive rallies' RSVPs garnered, he wasn't utilizing those lists for fundraising. He didn't send out his first solicitation until June 21, 2016  one year and one week into his candidacy. It's expensive to build a foundation quickly, Donahue said, and since small-dollar donors typically give repeatedly, they're worth more the earlier you can get them on your mailing list. "He's just doing what he's supposed to," he said. "It's about time." Trump's digital strategy is just one of the things he opted out organizing of during the primary, only to later scramble to put one together. He entered the general election without a finance team or a fundraising arm; he has few staff in battleground states and has largely dismissed the modern data analytics used by campaigns to target voters. He's staffed by a comparatively miniscule staff of less than 100, while Clinton has hired more than 700 staffers. The campaign says it is growing quickly, and argues that the nontraditional campaign just doesn't need the kind of structures others need. Trump's digital team is  like many of his earliest advisers  from outside the Beltway. The firm orchestrating Trump's digital strategy, Giles-Parscale, is run by a Trump associate, Brad Parscale, who did not respond to NBC News' requests for comment.

Parscale, a Texas-based digital strategist who is relatively new to politics, had been employed by the Trump Organization's businesses since 2011. Faced with staffing a presidential bid at the last minute, he brought in some outside vendors, including The Prosper Group, to help staff Trump's digital presence.

Vincent Harris, a digital strategist who worked very briefly for Trump this spring, said much of what Trump is doing others did a year or more ago. "I worked for Sen. Paul and we were doing a lot of things they are doing now, back in the primary election," the Harris Media head said. "But look, who won and lost?" Kenneth Pennington, one of the strategists behind Sen. Bernie Sanders' Democratic primary digital strategy, offered this perspective: "It's possible Trump could have been a much better online fundraiser. He hasn't made a real effort. When we were really competitive  we were edging up to $43 million [in online donations] a month." Sanders' small-dollar fundraising was perhaps the most notable of the 2016 cycle: He raised nearly $135 million of his $231 million online. Trump has also had online fundraising success compared to his lackluster traditional fundraising. He's brought in twice as much from donors giving less than $200, much of it coming from online solicitations, but his late start has put him far behind Clinton. While her online fundraising is more than Trump's  $60 million to Trump's $37 million in online support  it's only one-fourth of her total financial support. And much of Trump's online solicitations are merchandise sails, from those iconic "Make America Great Again Hats," for instance. Of course, both Trump and Clinton have raised money online through their joint fundraising accounts with their parties but those numbers aren't released until October. However, by focusing almost entirely on fundraising online, strategists say Trump may not have time or money to implement a digital strategy aimed at persuading undecided voters and energizing his base to get out and vote in November.

Donald Trump Carlo Allegri | Reuters
A Massachusetts probate court judge said Friday he has "some concerns" about how much information was being given to Sumner Redstone, the controlling shareholder of Viacom .

Judge George Phelan made the remark during a hearing on Friday that is part of the ongoing legal saga over whether Redstone was mentally competent when he removed former Viacom CEO Philippe Dauman and board member George Abrams from a trust that will determine the fate of his media empire.
Prague police have foiled an alleged attempt by a man armed with a baton, tear gas, handcuffs and cement blocks to infiltrate the motorcade of German Chancellor Angela Merkel on a state trip to the Czech Republic, The Mirror reports.

Officers halted the man driving a black SUV Mercedes as he tried to join Merkel's security detail on a trip to the Czech capital, sparking speculation that the German leader's life may have been in danger.

"The perpetrator has been detained," police spokesman Josef Bocan told the Mirror.

"He is suspected of attempting to cause a crime  specifically an attempt to use violence against an official."

"Thanks to the professional actions of officers, Angela Merkel's life was not in danger."



The German leader was in Prague for discussions with the Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka on strengthening defense co-operation within the European Union, Reuters reported.

You can read the full report here.


Shares of St. Jude Medical could drop sharply if the takeover of the company by Abbott Laboratories falls apart, Carson Block of Muddy Waters Capital told CNBC on Friday.

St. Jude agreed in April to be purchased by Abbott Laboratories.



"If the deal were to break, I think that we could be $55 or lower," Block said in an interview with "Closing Bell."

Muddy Waters published a report announcing its short position in St. Jude on Thursday after receiving a report by cybersecurity firm MedSec that claimed St. Jude's cardiac devices are vulnerable to cyberattacks.

MedSec CEO Justine Bone told "Closing Bell" on Friday that she made the unconventional decision to go to Muddy Waters instead of St. Jude with the findings because St. Jude had a history of not responding to security concerns.

"We have not seen St. Jude raise the bar, unlike some of their competitors who have put some basic protections in place," she alleged.

Block also defended his decision to not approach St. Jude with the findings and instead potentially profit by shorting the stock.

"This isn't an oversight or small little hole that you have to look very hard to find. These are gaping holes," he said. "This is a company that will ultimately be held to be grossly negligent."

On Friday, St. Jude disputed the allegations made by Muddy Waters Capital and MedSec.



"We have examined the allegations made by Muddy Waters Capital and MedSec ... and we conclude that the report is false and misleading," it said in a detailed statement.

It called the test methodology used by MedSec "flawed" and said its software has been evaluated by several independent organizations.

"St. Jude Medical will remain ever vigilant and dedicated to patient safety," the statement said.

Shares of St. Jude were temporarily halted Friday afternoon before resuming trading and closing up 19 cents at $78.01.

 CNBC's Christine Wang contributed to this report.


North Korean leader Kim Jong Un gives a New Year's address for 2016 in Pyongyang, in this undated photo released by Kyodo January 1, 2016. North Korean leader Kim Jong Un blamed South Korea on Friday for increased mistrust in a New Year speech after a year of heightened tension between the rival countries.

North Korea's latest missile test has security analysts admitting that the military-led country is closer than ever to possessing a nuclear missile system capable of attacking another country.

On Wednesday, a North Korean submarine-launched missile flew about 500 kilometers east, landing for the first time in Japan's Air Defense Identification Zone (ADIZ).

Pyongyang's official KCNA news agency reported that regime leader Kim Jong Un supervised the test and described it as "the greatest success and victory".

Research Analyst in Proliferation and Nuclear Policy at RUSI, Emil Dall, said to CNBC that Wednesday's launch appears to be North Korea's most successful missile test.

"It demonstrates Pyongyang's continued determination to develop a fully-workable nuclear weapon capability, and this is another piece in that puzzle.

Dall said Thursday it was also probable the rogue state now has a nuclear bomb that can fit on the missile.

"Whether North Korea has been able to construct a nuclear warhead small enough to fit on to an intermediate-range missile is uncertain, but should be assumed at this point," he said via email.

Analysts at the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University reported on their website on Wednesday that, "While North Korea still faces significant technological challenges, including building of a new class of submarine to carry the missile, it is on track to develop the capability to strike targets in the region, including Japan, by 2020".

Following the test launch, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe accused Pyongyang of carrying out an "unforgivable act".

A United Nations spokesperson also repeated that the actions were a violation of Security Council resolutions and urged the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to take steps to "de escalate the situation and return to dialogue on denuclearization".
France is home to some of the world's finest wines. In the Rhone Valley, the Chateau de Beaucastel winery traces its roots all the way back to 1549, when a barn and plot of land were bought by one Pierre de Beaucastel.

The estate now finds itself in the hands of the Perrin family, which has been associated with the estate since the early 20th century, when Pierre Tramier transferred control to his son-in-law, Pierre Perrin, who in turn passed the mantle to his son, Jacques.

Today Jacques' own sons  Jean-Pierre and Francois  work alongside other members of the Perrin family to manage the estate and produce a range of top quality wines.

The concept of "terroir" is hugely important to the family. "Terroir is four things: it's the grapes, it's the soil, it's the weather and it's the man with the habits and the work," Francois Perrin told CNBC's Lasting Legacy.

Jacques Perrin may have passed away in 1978, but his influence is still keenly felt among the family, and a special wine bearing his name has been created in his honor.

One of Jacques' biggest contributions was his decision to steer it in the direction of organic and bio-dynamic farming at a time when many other estates were using pesticides.

"He just went the other way because he had this kind of intuition that using all these pesticides was not a good thing to do," Marc Perrin, Jean-Pierre's son and a member of the fifth generation of Perrins to run the vineyard, said.

"And he was right."

"He was a very visionary man, we are extremely lucky," Marc went on to add.
According to those familiar with the process, Stepien will serve in the role of a National Field Director to guide the campaign on voter turnout in these finals weeks.

The Donald Trump campaign has brought on board Republican operative Bill Stepien, sources tell NBC News.

The decision was made by CEO Steve Bannon with Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner involved in recruiting Stepien.



More from NBC News:

Hillary Clinton tries to drive racial wedge between GOP and Trump

How Trump spent $8.4 million to play digital catch-up

Beyond Trump: Where will GOP go after 2016?

Stepien previously served as a top political aide to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, but was fired in January 2014 in the wake of the "Bridgegate" controversy. Christie claimed at that time Stepien had not been truthful with him. Christie and Stepien have not been in contact since, according to aides.



Stepien, who previously headed the NJ state GOP, has been running the PAC for NJ Lt Gov Kim Gaudagno.
The pharmaceutical and health-care industry needs reform "far more sweeping" than what Dodd-Frank did for the financial industry, former Vermont governor Howard Dean said Friday.



His remarks were in response to the recent controversy over Mylan 's $608 EpiPen.

"We pay for medicine on a fee-for-service basis in this country. As long as we keep doing that, we're going to keep encouraging this kind of stuff," Dean, who is also a doctor, said in an interview with CNBC's "Power Lunch."

Fee-for-service medicine is a method where health-care providers are paid for each service performed on a patient. Critics say the payment model pushes up costs.

"You pay us to do as much as we possibly can whether it works or not," said Dean. "The only way you are going to get budgetary predictability by the payers, both private and public, is to get rid of fee-for-service medicine and do all this . . . at a capitated basis."

On Thursday, Mylan CEO Heather Bresch addressed EpiPen's repeated price hikes in an interview with CNBC. She said she was "frustrated" and said middlemen added to the ultimate cost.

She also said she hoped the issue was an inflection point for the country.

"Our health care is in crisis. It's no different than the mortgage financial crisis back in 2007," Bresch said.

Despite his calls for changes in the health-care system, Dean wasn't indicting the entire pharma industry. He called Bresch an "outlier CEO."

"This is predatory behavior by a particular drug company, and there's really not an excuse for it. I don't see the other pharmaceutical companies doing this kind of predatory behavior and these kinds of outrageous price increases," said Dean.
Despite pre-election rhetoric in the U.S., renegotiating the North America Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) would be so disruptive that in practice it is unlikely to happen. In the 23 years since the creation of NAFTA there has been a remarkable process of rational economic integration among member countries, allowing them to benefit from their relative comparative advantages and resource endowments. A sudden breakup of such symbiotic relationship would inflict pain on all countries involved.

Let the numbers speak for themselves. Goods and services exports from the U.S. to Mexico have grown over six times from $51.9 billion in 1993 to $316.4 billion in 2015 according to Office of the United States Trade Representative, more than twice the increase in nominal U.S. GDP and total U.S. exports during the same period.

Of course U.S. imports from Mexico have also increased significantly since NAFTA, but a 2015 paper by the Congressional Research Service reports that 40 percent of the content of U.S. goods imports from Mexico are of U.S. origin. For reference, U.S. imports from China are estimated to have only 4 percent U.S. content.

A 2011 study by the Woodrow Wilson Center calculated that total two way trade activity between Mexico and the U.S. was responsible for 6 million U.S. jobs. These are jobs that, according to a 2005 study by the Institute for International Economics, pay 13-16 percent higher than average wages.



Adding trade with Canada illustrates the magnitude of NAFTA's economic dimensions. From 1993 to 2015, trade in goods and services among the three countries has grown to close to U.S.D 1.3 trillion. In fact, the U.S.'s trade activity with its two neighbors is larger than that with Japan, China, South Korea, Brazil, Russia, India, and India combined.



Beyond the headline numbers, NAFTA is also a story of regional economic integration via the creation of efficient cross-border production chains, as illustrated by the large export content of U.S. imports from Mexico and Canada. U.S. imports from Mexico ranging from auto-parts to airplane parts allow U.S. companies to compete successfully in global markets.

When it comes to the agricultural industry, Mexico is estimated to satisfy close to 45 percent of the U.S. consumption of fruits and vegetables, while Mexico depends heavily on U.S. imports of meat, dairy and grains. Mineral and fuel imports from Canada support competiveness in U.S. manufacturing in the northern states. Renegotiating NAFTA and re-imposing tariffs on these and other Mexican and Canadian imports would mean higher prices for the U.S. consumer and more expensive inputs for U.S. industry.



The damage of undoing NAFTA would go beyond that inflicted on regional good and services flows. Intra-regional foreign direct investment (FDI), currently protected by the investment chapter of NAFTA, would be negatively affected as well. U.S. companies are the largest source of FDI in Mexico, accounting for a stock of over U.S.D 100 billion. Mexican FDI in the U.S., while substantially lower than its counterpart, has also increased rapidly, from U.S.D 1.2 bn in 1993 to close to USD 20 billion today, an increase of over fifteen times.



Given the large negative consequences, it seems unlikely that the new U.S. president would be willing to pull the trigger on NAFTA's article 2205 or to reopen negotiations. Even if he or she did, there would be significant opposition from segments of the U.S. Congress as well as Mexico, Canada and multilateral organizations.

The last two and a half decades have led to the building of a mutually beneficial and deeply intertwined trade and investment relationship among NAFTA members. Still, anti-trade rhetoric is running so high that businesses and investors should be on their guard.
Syracuse University plans to demolish the Hoople Special Education Building at 805 South Crouse Ave. as it prepares for construction of the National Veterans Resource Complex. To accommodate the demolition work, the parking lot at the corner of South Crouse Avenue and Marshall Street will temporarily close to the public on Monday. The demolition work should continue into January, the City of Syracuse and Syracuse University said in a news release issued Thursday. (Eric Reinhardt / BJNN)

SYRACUSE, N.Y.  Crews will soon begin work to demolish the Hoople Special Education Building at 805 South Crouse Ave. on the Syracuse University campus.

The university is demolishing the Hoople Building to create space for construction of the upcoming National Veterans Resource Complex (NVRC).

To facilitate the demolition work, the parking lot at the corner of Marshall Street and South Crouse Avenue will be closed to the public beginning Monday, the City of Syracuse and Syracuse University said in a news release issued Thursday.

Crews will temporarily use the lot for heavy equipment as part of the demolition. Both the school and the city expect crews to finish the work by January.

Syracuse owns the lot and leases it to the City of Syracuse for public parking close to the shops and restaurants along Marshall Street.

The City suggests that drivers use the paid lot located between First Niagara Bank and University College along East Adams Street. Metered street parking in the area will also remain available.

About the Hoople Building

Opened in 1953, the Hoople Building is named for Gordon Hoople, who graduated from Syracuse University in 1915 and its College of Medicine in 1919, according to its page on the Syracuse University Archives website.

Hoople served as a professor of otolaryngology at Syracuses School of Medicine and at, what is now, Upstate Medical University.

He also established the schools Student Health Services in 1923 and served as chair of the schools board of trustees from 1967 to 1971, according to the website.

About the NVRC

The NVRC, which is tentatively scheduled for completion in the spring of 2019, will offer vocational and educational programs designed to advance the economic success of the regions and the nations veterans and military families, according to Syracuse University.

The NVRC is a key pillar of the Central New York regional economic-development councils winning proposal entitled Central New York: Rising from the Ground Up, the school contends.

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com
This 1909-S Lincoln, V.D.B. cent, graded MS-67 red by PCGS, is among the finest known. Heritage calls it A collectors dream coin.

A Very Fine Split Pole 1794 Liberty Cap large cent is perhaps the finest known example of the variety that shows the struggle at the early Philadelphia Mint.

Bokas 1794 Liberty Cap cent  Sheldon 21  is considered the second finest known and was the plate coin for Sheldons Penny Whimsy book.

United States large and small cents highlight Heritages Sept. 7 to 11 auctions held in conjunction with the Long Beach Expo. The signature consignment is the 1794 Liberty Cap cent collection assembled by New Jersey collector Jon Alan Al Boka.

Mark Borckardt, senior numismatist at Heritage, said, The Boka Collection is unrivaled amongst modern collectors, with fully 47 of his 58 coins ranking in the top 10 for their respective variety, and with 35 of those in the traditional Condition Census of the Top Six examples.

On the importance of the individual coins in the collection, Borckardt added, Nearly half of the collection  23 of the 58 coins  are plated in one or more reference works on the early cents. Almost one-third of the collection, 19 coins, has a continuous provenance over the last century, while another 19 have a provenance of at least 50 years.

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Boka maintains a website where he shares the story of 1794 large cents here. As he writes on that site, he began collecting at age 9 when his uncle Harry showed him a cigar box full of large cents that he had found in his basement. The site explains: Al became fascinated by the large coppers but was not to own one for many years. Boka purchased his first large cent, a middle date, in a coin shop in Amsterdam, Holland around 1965 while serving with the USAF in France.

The collector acquired his first important large cent  a Newcomb-13 1820 Coronet cent  from a coin shop in Delaware in 1973 and he would later assemble a high-grade date set that Heritage sold in September 2011.

The site cites Dr. William H. Sheldon, writing in 1949 on the charm of early U.S. large cents: Considered as a whole, the Liberty Cap cents possess a charm not often exceeded among the things made by man. Sheldon, like many collectors, was particularly intrigued by the diversity of 1794 Liberty Cap cents, writing, A collection of 1794 cents reflects much of the story of one of the most pioneering and romantic struggles in American history. In the little Mint building on Seventh Street in Philadelphia, during the middle of the last decade of the eighteenth century, history seems almost to have held her breath for a time, and we find the marks of her desperately clenched teeth engraved deeply on the soft copper pennies of those years.

Sheldons book Penny Whimsy is a key work for large cent collectors and 1794 and other early large cents are collected by Sheldon numbers.

A beautiful plate coin

Condition-wise, a top coin in Bokas collection is his Sheldon 21 1794 Liberty Cap cent graded Mint State 64 brown by Professional Coin Grading Service. The obverse die is unique to this Sheldon number and the reverse die is found with several other Sheldon die marriages, characterized by a double berry at AM in AMERICA.

This coin was the plate coin for Sheldons Penny Whimsy book and is the second finest 1794 S-21 cent according to Del Blands Condition Census. It has been in just nine collections over the past 140 years.

Boka writes, What more can I say about this beauty? This coin has everything: sharpness, color, fantastic eye appeal, and it is pedigreed to the famous 19th century collector, Dr. Edward Maris.

Split Pole die crack

Another fascinating coin in the Boka Collection that shows the issues the early Philadelphia Mint had in producing coins in quantities sufficient for circulation is a 1794 Liberty Cap cent graded Very Fine 30 by PCGS.

Classified as the Sheldon 66 die marriage, it is more popularly called the Split Pole variety and the obverse die has the widest date of any 1794 Liberty Cap cent.

The obverse is generally recognized by a large die crack that splits the pole near Libertys bust, though perfect die state pieces exist showing how the die originally looked.

The reverse die was used on three other Sheldon variety numbers and is characterized by double leaves at O in OF and at D in UNITED.

This particular example is considered Die State III, described by Heritage as follows: A crack from the rim extends into the space between the bust tip and the pole, eventually following the pole for its entire length, and then crosses the neck. A second obverse crack traverses the field over the date and crosses the lowest hair lock. A third obverse crack from the brow curves down in the right obverse field, disappearing before it reaches the border opposite the chin.

The example in the auction is considered the finest known by Bland in his Condition Census of the variety, just ahead of a Very Fine 20 example in the collection of the American Numismatic Society. However, Bill Noyes considers Bokas coin tied with the ANS coin. This Boka coin, too, was plated in Penny Whimsy, though obverse only.

On the coin Boka adds, The bidding will go high on this finest of all Split Pole 1794s. There are none even close to this well-pedigreed gem. Be ready for some real action when this lot comes up.

Bokas example last sold at auction at Ira and Larry Goldberg Auctioneers February 2013 sale of the Paul Gerrie Collection where it was then-graded VF-35 by PCGS and sold for $74,750. The Heritage offering represents a rare time at auction when a coin moves down a grade when reoffered.

Key Lincoln, top grade

An important small cent from the 20th century that will cross the auction block in Long Beach is a 1909-S Lincoln, V.D.B. cent graded MS-67 red by PCGS.

It is one of just 14 examples certified in this grade, a count that likely includes resubmissions of the same coin.

On the red color designation, Heritage articulates, The color varies, strictly within the Red parameter, from light gold to orange to brownish-orange, but there are absolutely no carbon spots, merely a few areas of darker or lighter toning.

Heritage calls it a collectors dream coin.

A different example in the same grade brought $94,000 at Heritages 2016 Florida United Numismatists auction in January.

The Long Beach Coin, Currency, Stamp and Sports Collectible Show is held three times annually and the fall installment is set for Sept. 8 to 10 at the Long Beach Convention Center.
Zahir Shahs portrait in later life on a uniface medal and in his younger days on a 2-afghani note from 1939.

Zahir Shah first reigned under the dominance of two senior uncles and never became an assertive monarch. His portrait is shown on a uniface medal and a 2-afghani note.

The Research Desk column from the Sept. 12, 2016, weekly issue of Coin World:

The 76.7-millimeter uniface bronze medal shown is something of a mystery. It presents a high-relief facing bust of an intent-looking gentleman of mature years with no identification except for an ornate Tughra or royal signature placed against the right rim.

Research reveals that the portrait is that of the last king of Afghanistan, Muhammad Zahir Shah (ruled 1933 to 1973), who ascended the throne on the assassination of his father, Muhammad Nadir Shah (ruled 1929 to 1933). Both were members of the Pashtun Barakzai dynasty, which began modernization of their multicultural land under Abd ur-Rahman (ruled 1880 to 1901).

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Zahir Shah first reigned under the dominance of two senior uncles and never became an assertive monarch. He strove for modernization by degrees, introducing the 1964 constitution that included some recognition of womens rights. Economic progress was slow, and in 1973 the king was overthrown by an ambitious cousin, Sardar Muhammad Daoud Khan, who proclaimed a republic with himself as president.

Five years later, Daoud was overthrown and killed, ushering in an era of bloody strife and foreign intervention. Soviet invasion in 1979 and installation of communist government were resisted by Mujahiddin who then fought the subsequent seizure of power by the radical Islamist Taliban.

American military intervention drove the Taliban out of most of Afghanistan and a Loya Jirga or Grand National Assembly was convened in 2001 to finalize a new government led by Hamid Karzai.

The king returned from exile in Rome for the Loya Jirga, but that body failed to do the logical thing and restore the monarchy.

Instead Zahir Shah was declared Father of the Nation in the new constitution, retaining popularity, and national mourning followed his death at age 92 in July 2002.

The medals artist, Haiderzad, has worked to strengthen appreciation of the arts in his war-torn land, initially through the Fine Arts faculty at Kabul University and by endowing the Haiderzad Museum of Modern Art in 2015.

As one-time director of the Afghanistan Mint, he has had extensive hands-on experience with coinage and the art of the medal. His foreign medal exhibitions included the highly successful exhibition of sculpture, paintings and medals at the United Nations in New York City in April 2008.
The search committee met June 16 to discuss the process of evaluating candidates. The chair of the Isaacson, Miller search firm said the ratio of people agreeing to be candidates is higher than what it sees in most public university searches.
More Information

According to the National Park Service website, Missouri is home to six national park sites. These include:

Harry S Truman National Historic Site

the Gateway Arch and Jefferson Memorial Expansion

Ozark National Scenic Riverways

Wilson's Creek National Battleground

Ulysses S. Grant National Historic Site

George Washington Carver National Monument

Missouri also have sites affiliated with or managed by the Park Service, including several historic trails.
The Missourians Opinion section is a public forum for the discussion of ideas. The views presented in this piece are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Missourian or the University of Missouri. If you would like to contribute to the Opinion page with a response or an original topic of your own, visit our submission form
Educators tour 3M to share with students

Some Columbia Public Schools teachers and administrators on Thursday got a refresher with a second taste of the Show-Me Careers Educator Experience.
Best of Business 2022: Learn Who Won Our 15th Annual Reader Poll

Local professionals chose their favorite business and professional services, products, healthcare, dining and more. Find out who their top picks are.
Columbus Arts Festival 2022 Patron Party

Arts backers and community leaders gathered June 10, 2022, for the Columbus Arts Festivals Patron Party, which raised more than $34,000.
May 13, 2016 - Construction workers labor on a 700-vehicle parking area at Methodist University Hospital. The garage is part of Methodist LeBonheur Health Care's $480 million expansion in the Memphis Medical District. (Yalonda M. James/The Commercial Appeal)

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By Wayne Risher of The Commercial Appeal

The city's leading minority business group wants Memphis companies to buy more locally, expand the economy and boost firms owned by African-Americans, women and other minorities.

Buy Local B2B (Business to Business) is a strategy that could inject an estimated $17.4 billion a year into the Memphis economy and at least $1.7 billion into minority businesses, said Luke Yancy III, president and chief executive of the Mid-South Minority Business Council Continuum.

Yancy described the program Thursday during the CEO/Presidents Roundtable at the organization's 2016 Economic Development Forum. He called on executives on the panel, in the audience and at the Greater Memphis Chamber to embrace Buy Local.

Citing a recent survey of business executives, Yancy said MMBC conservatively estimates that Memphis companies are doing 52 percent of their purchasing or nearly $35 billion a year outside Memphis. The group's goal is to get half of that outside spending diverted to Memphis and for minority businesses to pick up nearly 10 percent of the new spending.

The call to action comes against a backdrop of a widening wealth gap between whites and minorities and calls for Memphis and Shelby County governments to rectify historically disproportionate spending with white firms.

"The economic pie in Memphis has not grown significantly for the past several years and the minority participation rate is, quite frankly, dismal," said Mary Frances Winters of The Winters Group, a diversity consultant who led the panel discussion.

Buy Local is borrowed from the Billion Dollar Roundtable, 18 Fortune 1000 companies that have achieved an average 9.8 percent spending rate on minority- and women-owned businesses, Winters said.

"The Buy Local strategy transcends the idea of taking from one demographic group to another," Winters said. "We often times have a scarcity mentality that the pie is fixed. We're talking about expanding the pie for everybody in this plan."

Yancy said: "This study that the MMBC has done, I consider it very accurate. We called a number of companies. We pulled a lot of data. So I think the number...is a very conservative number. So hopefully with the chamber's help, with the Chairman's Circle and others, we can adopt a Buy Local strategy and impact minority receipts and small business receipts immediately."

Chamber president Phil Trenary, who was one of the panelists, said afterward that he expects the chamber and its leadership group, the Chairman's Circle, will take up the Buy Local idea in the future.

Trenary said the chamber is focused on related initiatives including certification for women- and minority-owned businesses, pairing of mentors and proteges and growing the number of jobs and minority businesses.

Joining Trenary on the panel were Jerry Collins, chief executive of Memphis Light, Gas & Water; Gary Shorb, chief executive of Methodist Le Bonheur HealthCare; and Frank Sanders, vice president, technology and manufacturing of Intel Corp.

Collins and Shorb said they divide large contracts into smaller pieces when possible to improve the prospects of minority and local companies winning the business.

Collins said MLGW spending on minority, women-owned and local businesses doubled between 2012 and last year.

"It is my belief a strong supplier diversity program is always in the best interest of the customers of MLGW," Collins said.

Sanders said the computer chip maker went out on a limb in 2015 and committed to spend $1 billion a year with diverse companies by 2020.

At the time, Sanders said, "Our spend was about $140 million. Do we have a clear path in understanding how we're going to get there? No. The bottom line is we recognize that was such an important imperative that we had to figure out a way to go do it. We had to be bold. We had to make a commitment. We strongly believe that what gets measured gets done."

Shorb said Methodist embedded minority firms within prime contractor Turner Construction Co. on its Olive Branch and Methodist University construction projects to help build the minority firms' business capacity.

Spending more with minority firms "can't be just a program," Shorb said. "It's got to be part of the culture of an organization. It's got to be an expectation of the leadership."
SHARE Medical device maker Medtronic's logo reflects in the pond in front of the corporate headquarters Tuesday, Aug. 24, 2010 in Fridley, Minn. (AP Photo/Jim Mone)

By Kevin McKenzie of The Commercial Appeal

Memphis-based Medtronic Spine, a division of Dublin-based medical device maker Medtronic Plc, today reported a 5.8 percent decline in global revenue for the first quarter.

For the quarter that ended July 29, the division reported revenue of $645 million, compared with $685 million a year ago.

The company reported that new products and procedural innovation are factors that should lead to improved results.

Medtronic Spine has a global workforce of about 5,600, including about 1,300 in the Memphis area.

Doug King, Medtronic Spine president and a senior vice president for Medtronic, issued this statement:

While our global revenue overall was flat, we were pleased that the Core Spine business in the U.S. grew in the low-single digits.

This builds on the sequential improvement weve achieved over the past couple of years and reinforces that the fundamentals of our business are in place to accelerate our progress.

"Our strategy is producing tangible results, as we not only launch a strong cadence of new products, but do so with sufficient quantities of instrument sets to supply the market.

"This has reinvigorated our sales force, resulting in strong adoption of newer technologies while producing a halo effect on the growth of our legacy product lines.
Roger Reed testifies Thursday during his trial in Judge James Lammey's court. Reed is charged with the killing of pastor Don Smith in 2014. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal)

By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

Roger Reed took the witness stand Thursday afternoon to testify in own defense, saying he did not shoot 57-year-old Prospect Park Baptist Church pastor Don Smith.

Reed, 25, said that on Halloween night 2014, he and his girlfriend, Lashonda Williams, walked to a Hickory Hill-area ATM. He said they had argued because Williams signed into his Facebook account and discovered he had communicated with his former girlfriend.

Williams walked away and got into a strange vehicle, Reed testified. As he was walking back to his father's apartment, the car pulled up with Smith dead in the vehicle, Reed said.

Assistant District Attorney Glen Baity questioned Reed about who could have been operating the vehicle.

"I assumed that she was driving the car," Reed said.

"On the passenger side?" Baity asked.

"Yes sir," Reed said.

"And this dead man was operating the foot pedal?" Baity asked.

"No, sir," Reed said.

Reed's testimony came a day after Williams testified that the pastor was killed following a prostitution deal with her and Reed.

Williams, 25, testified that the preacher drove by them three or four times looking at them, and then asked what they were trying to do. She said the pastor wanted sex with both of them and said he had $40. She said they both touched him sexually, and then Reed shot him. She said Reed planned to carjack someone to drive back to Greenville, Mississippi, where they are from.

Reed and Willliams were located days later in Greenville with the pastor's car. His body was found off Lichterman Road in the area of Winchester and Hickory Hill.

Reed denied having sex with the married pastor, and said he had no intention of going to Greenville. He said he saw $40 in the car's cup holder but wasn't aware of who it came from.

"Did you participate in any sex act with Mr. Smith?" asked Reed's attorney, Juni Ganguli.

"No, sir," Reed replied. "I did not."

"Did you shoot Mr. Smith?" Ganguli said.

"No, sir," Reed said.

The trial was to continue Friday.
July 14, 2016 - Riders board a MATA bus at the main terminal in downtown Memphis. Former security guard Adicus Mitchell is scheduled for sentencing in the assault of MATA passenger Semaj Gray. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

SHARE Adicus Mitchell March 12, 2010 - James "Se-Ma-J" Gray is seen in this 2010 photo. On May 6, 2014 Gray, a MATA bus passenger, was assaulted by security guard Adicus Mitchell. Mitchell pleaded guilty to aggravated assault of Gray. (Brandon Dill/Special to The Commercial Appeal) July 14, 2016 - MATA security guards chat with riders while waiting for buses to arrive at the downtown Memphis terminal. Former security guard Adicus Mitchell is scheduled for sentencing in the assault of MATA passenger Semaj Gray. (Stan Carroll/The Commercial Appeal)

By Katie Fretland of The Commercial Appeal

A former security guard contracted to work at a Memphis Area Transit Authority station was sentenced Friday to three years of diversion for the 2014 assault of bus passenger James "Semaj" Gray, who entered into a coma and died months later.

Adicus Mitchell, 52, apologized Friday to the victim's family and friends, as well as his own.

"My life has been turned upside down," he said in asking for mercy from the judge.

For diversion, charges are dismissed and the record expunged if the defendant pays court costs and follows the conditions set by the judge. Shelby County Criminal Court Judge Lee Coffee ordered an anger management program, curfew, GPS monitoring, community service and that Mitchell maintain employment.

Gray was unconscious when he arrived at Regional Medical Center on May 6, 2014, according to court documents. The formerly homeless man's age has been cited as between 69 and 71 years old.

A witness to the assault, Shretha Woodley, said she heard the security guard tell Gray to "get off the bus," and "when the victim did not get off the bus in a timely manner, (the guard) pushed (Gray) in the chest real hard off the bus causing him to fall on the concrete face first," according to an affidavit.

Coffee said he was reluctantly placing Mitchell on diversion, and he does not condone Mitchell's actions "at all."

Mitchell, who had no criminal record, pleaded guilty in March to aggravated assault involving the serious injury of Gray, a crime that allows for diversion.

"This is a law I firmly have some disagreements with," Coffee said.

A charge of aggravated assault resulting in Gray's death was dismissed. That charge, which is not eligible for diversion, would have carried a sentence of three to six years in prison at 75 percent and a possibility of earning a 15 percent reduction through credits, programs and behavior.

Attorneys for Gray's estate said in a lawsuit that Gray had a disagreement about the bus fare, and the bus driver called for security.

Mitchell "boarded the bus and immediately began to abusively confront Mr. Gray without provocation," wrote attorneys Henry E. Reaves III and Donnie Allen Snow. "The unprovoked confrontation escalated when (Mitchell) began yelling at Mr. Gray ... After a few minutes, (Mitchell) escalated the unprovoked confrontation further by violently pushing Mr. Gray through the door of the bus ..."

Gray suffered "catastrophic injuries," including a traumatic brain injury and broken bones, the attorneys wrote.

Assistant District Attorney Alanda Dwyer, who prosecuted Mitchell, said Friday that Gray's death was a result of Mitchell's actions, however there is evidence that Gray died from deep vein thrombosis, a medical problem involving blood clots usually in the legs. There were indications he suffered from the condition previously, but it was likely aggravated because he was no longer mobile after the assault, she said.

Dwyer opposed diversion, pointing out that the guard charged with protecting passengers shoved the victim off the bus.

Mitchell was working for Pro-Tech Security, which MATA contracted for security at the William Hudson Transit Center where Gray was assaulted. Ambassador Worldwide Protection Agency guards later took over at the terminal located on North Main.

A lawyer for the security company in court records said Mitchell responded to a request from the driver about an "unruly" passenger," who was apparently intoxicated.

Gray "was disruptive and did not comply with the request of the security officer to leave the bus," wrote attorney William S. Walton.

Friends of Gray told The Commercial Appeal after his death that Gray had struggled with alcohol abuse and mental illness that resulted in outbursts.

The judge reviewed video of the incident and said the victim said words to the guard that were "inflammatory" and "should not be used in a civilized society."

Deangelo Taylor, a friend of Gray, said outside the courtroom that Gray was "a good man."

"I can't believe they didn't give him no time at all," Taylor said of Mitchell's sentence.

On Friday afternoon at the terminal where Gray was injured, bus rider Cynthia Bailey said the guard should not have taken aggressive action against the passenger, even if they argued back and forth.

"I totally disagree with that," she said of the diversion sentence.

Mitchell's attorney, Dewun Settle, said Mitchell made a bad decision that caused grave consequences for another person. He is remorseful, Settle said.
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By Yolanda Jones of The Commercial Appeal

A Memphis couple has been sentenced collectively to more than 30 years for robbing several businesses throughout the city including Family Dollar Stores to Papa Johns, U.S. Atty. Ed Stantons office said Thursday.

Julius Knight, 33, and Deidra Mason, 25, were sentenced for the armed robberies that occurred between May and June of 2015.

According to court information, during the robberies Knight would enter the businesses with a weapon and demand employees give him money from the cash registers. In some of the robberies, authorities said Knight would wear disguises including, caps, a red wig and pantyhose over his face.

Mason, his girlfriend at the time, was the getaway driver.

Authorities found that a blue Ford Taurus was used as the getaway car in robberies at the Family Dollar, Subway and Papa Johns.

Last June, officers stopped the Ford that Mason was driving. She was arrested when police found she was driving on a suspended license. After she was in custody, police found that the car was the same one used in some of the robberies.

Two days after Mason was arrested, police said Knight continued the robberies alone. He robbed the Churchs Chicken on Chelsea Avenue and then five days later, he robbed the Churchs on Thomas Street.

In both robberies, Knight did not wear a disguise and witnesses and employees identified him to police. Authorities also were able to get fingerprints from the scene that matched Knights and he was arrested.

In May, Knight pleaded guilty to six counts of aiding and abetting Mason in the robbery of a business, one count of using a firearm during a robbery, and two counts of robbing a business. Mason pleaded guilty in April to six counts of aiding and abetting Mason in the robbery of a business.

Earlier this month, Mason was sentenced to 63 months in federal prison. Knight was sentenced to 336 months.
SHARE Former Mississippi Gov. William Winter listens as a legislative bill is read, naming the new Archives and History Building in his honor, during a signing ceremony at the Old Capitol Museum in Jackson, Miss., Friday, April 21, 2000. (AP Photo/Rogelio Solis)

By Kayleigh Skinner of The Commercial Appeal

The National Civil Rights Museum is adding former Mississippi governor William Winter to the list of 2016 Freedom Award honorees.

The museum announced in a statement Thursday that Winter will receive the award for his advocacy for public education and racial equality in Mississippi. Winter served as governor from 1980 to 1984, where he is well-known for his work to pass the Mississippi Education Reform Act of 1982. Former president Bill Clinton once called him "a great champion of civil rights."

Civil Rights attorney Benjamin Crump, journalist Soledad O'Brien, Yemeni human rights activist Tawakkol Karman, U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Damon Jerome Keith and attorney and social justice activist Bryan Stevenson will also receive the Freedom Award this year.

The museum has bestowed the award each year since 1991 upon individuals who have made outstanding contributions to civil and human rights. The theme of the 2016 awards is "And Justice for All."

The ceremony will take place at the Memphis Cook Convention Center Oct. 20.
Memphis city council member Bill Morrison (right) is chairman of a local task force that's studying the possibility of voluntary de-annexations.

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By Ryan Poe of The Commercial Appeal

Memphis and Shelby County officials may have an idea which areas of the city could be de-annexed easily  and cheaply  by Sept. 22.

Memphis City Council member Bill Morrison, chairman of a local task force that's studying the possibility of voluntary de-annexations, said he hopes to receive a report then about the "low-hanging fruit"  areas without city services or that don't generate much revenue.

Once task force members have an idea of what areas could be de-annexed, they can begin holding community meetings, inviting residents to give presentations and, perhaps, inviting some residents to sit on the task force, Morrison said.

"I think this task force knows we're going to get something done in some shape or form," Morrison said.

Chief Operations Officer Doug McGowen said he would begin working with the county and the city's consultant, The PFM Group, on recommendations of possible de-annexations.

De-annexing some noncontroversial areas would be a sign of good faith to state lawmakers, who on Monday asked whether the task force was seriously considering voluntary de-annexation.

McGowen, recapping his response, said the city is open to the possibility, as long as the decision is data-driven and made on the local level with input from all of the area shareholders.

"We had what I thought to be a pretty good dialogue, both before and after the session," he said.

Lawmakers could call for a second meeting, but McGowen said he's not sure yet if they will.

Most of Thursday's task force meeting was taken up by a recap of Monday's summer study committee meeting, including of a presentation shown to lawmakers of how 28 other states handle resident-initiated de-annexation.

De-annexation become a central focus of Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland in March, when lawmakers came close to approving a bill that would have allowed any area annexed since 1998 to petition for a vote to de-annex themselves.

The bill was effectively killed when it was sent to the summer study committee, but is expected to be resurrected next year.

According to the presentation shown by McGowen, only seven states allow referendum votes on de-annexation, although all but one require that the vote be open to all citizens in the city. If the bill had passed, Tennessee and Ohio would have been the only two states to restrict the vote to the areas that are seeking de-annexation.
Barney Sellers/The Commercial Appeal files Host celebrities kept the action going between acts and auctions on Aug. 28, 1970, during the 10-hour telethon at WMC-TV to raise $75,000 for the Memphis and Shelby County chapter of the American Cancer Society. Guest hosts included (from left), Marguerite Piazza, 1971 National Cancer Crusade chairman; William B. Tanner, president of Pepper and Tanner Inc.; Minnie Pearl, and Rufus Thomas.

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Aug. 26

25 years ago: 1991

Saturday night was an evening for weddings. There were gowns, rings and fancy food. But one thing the couples didn't have to buy was the golden full moon. Mason Granger and Kim Hindrew were married at the apartment of Pat Kerr and John Burton Tigrett. The Tigretts, who recently returned from the Orient, were on hand for the wedding that began at 7 p.m. About 50 people attended. Granger is assistant general manager of operations at WMC-TV Channel 5 and Ms. Hindrew is a news anchor at the station.

50 years ago: 1966

The first of nearly 177,000 Memphis and Shelby County youngsters head back to school this morning as students register for classes at all city high schools and two Catholic high schools. Registration for students entering the 11th and 12th grades in city schools will begin at 8:30 a.m., with 10th graders registering at 1 p.m. This year will be the first in which all 12 grades of the city schools are desegregated and also the first in which faculties will be integrated.

75 years ago: 1941

City employees who flagrantly violate city traffic laws will be summarily dismissed from the city's employ, Commissioner Boyle announced yesterday. Boyle, who is vice mayor, is acting mayor during Mayor Chandler's absence on vacation.

100 years ago: 1916

The contract for the completion to eight stories of the present-four-story east wing of the Baptist Memorial Hospital will be let the coming week at the office of the architect, John Gainsford.

125 years ago: 1891

While starvation is stalking in the agricultural districts of Russia, the American farmers are building more barns in which to store their bounteous crops. The American farmer is not so badly off as the men who want his vote would have him believe.
"Sister Paula was an angel," says Joe Morgan Jr., of Lexington, Miss., Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, standing at a businesses adjacent to the Lexington Medical Clinic where he was a patient of Sister Paula Merrill, one of two nurse practitioners who were found slain Thursday in their Durant, Miss., home, a few miles away. Merrill and Sister Margaret Held, were known for their kindness and community involvement in the mostly rural Mississippi Delta towns. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

SHARE Nuns Paula Merrill, left, and Margaret Held were nurse practitioners in Holmes County. (Photo: From Sisters of Charity video)

By Emily Wagster Pettus, Associated Press

LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP)  In the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where two nuns were slain, forgiveness for their killer is hard to find, even if forgiveness is what the victims would have wanted.

Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill were nurse practitioners who dedicated their lives to providing health care to people in the poorest county in the state. And as authorities search for the killer, many residents wonder how they will fill the hole the women's deaths have left.

"Right now, I don't see no forgiveness on my heart," said Joe Morgan Jr., a 58-year-old former factory worker who has diabetes and was a patient of Merrill's at the clinic where the two nuns worked.

He said Merrill would want him to forgive whoever killed the women, but he hopes the perpetrator is arrested, convicted and executed.

"She doesn't deserve to die like this, doing God's work," Morgan said, shaking his head. "There's something wrong with the world."

The women, both 68, were found dead at their home Thursday morning after they failed to show up for work at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldn't afford it.

Their stolen car was found abandoned a mile from their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police haven't disclosed a motive or any leads, and no arrests have been made.

Authorities have not said how the women were killed, but the Rev. Greg Plata of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, where the nuns had led Bible study for years, said police told him they were stabbed.

The priest said both nuns' religious communities have asked that people pray for the killer or killers. Asked about people's struggles to forgive, Plata said: "Forgiveness is at the heart of being a Christian. Look at Jesus on the cross: 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.'"

On Friday, a handwritten sign on the front door of Lexington Medical Clinic said it was closed until Monday.

The clinic and the nuns' home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.

The slayings did more than shock people and plunge the county into mourning. They leave a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.

Dr. Elias Abboud, who worked with the sisters for years and helped build the clinic, said it provided about 25 percent of all medical care in the county.

The two nuns cultivated relationships with drug company representatives, who often left extra free samples, according to clinic manager Lisa Dew.

"This is a poor area, and they dignified those who are poor with outreach and respect for them," Plata said. "They treated each person as a child of God."

Merrill's sister Rosemarie said her sister had been in Mississippi since 1981, helping the poor, and had worked in Holly Springs, where she used to ride around on a moped and was instrumental in locating the source of a tuberculosis outbreak.

Rosemarie said she doesn't know what will happen to the clinic and worries about the effect on health care in Holmes County. She said her sister and Held would often go into the clinic on Sundays after Mass or on their days off.

"It's just going to be a disaster," she said.

Genette Pierce, who works at a home health and hospice business a few doors down from the clinic, said: "Their patients  all of them  they're going to be lost without them right now."
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W.D. Phelps

Cordova

Memphis International Airport president Scott Brockman says were going to get victories, but its going to be less than what they were a year ago (Aug. 19 article, Airport sees growth pace easing up; Carriers will monitor demand for added seats). How encouraging .

This year I have flown out of Orlando, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Milwaukee and Charlotte, at all hours of the day and night, and all the shops, bars and restaurants were packed and hopping. Memphis was a ghost town. I flew into Greenville, North Carolina, which closes at midnight, and it was still more active than Memphis International Airport.

Im going back to Las Vegas, and guess where I am flying out of? I would much rather drive to Little Rock and fly nonstop on Southwest for a cheaper fare than try to get multiple connections with much higher fares out of Memphis.

Keep up the good work, Mr. Brockman. Maybe we can get a cropduster company to make Memphis its hub.
SHARE Paula Casey, president of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument, Inc.

By Paula F. Casey, Special to Viewpoint

All American women vote today thanks to Tennessee.

Tennessee was the last state of the then 48 states that could ratify the 19th Amendment, which granted all American women the right to vote in 1920. Led by a united Shelby County legislative delegation and with the persistence of state Rep. Joseph Hanover of Memphis, Tennessee became "The Perfect 36" since three-quarters of the states were necessary for ratification.

After Gov. A.H. Roberts signed and sent Tennessee's ratification papers to Washington, U.S. Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby issued his proclamation on Aug. 26, which became known as "Women's Equality Day." Votes for women became the law of the land.

Today, 96 years later, a monument to the suffragists' victory, commissioned by Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument, Inc., is being unveiled in Nashville's Centennial Park, beginning at 11 a.m. There is nothing outside the state Capitol building that depicts this historic event. By having this monument in Centennial Park, which has a historic connection to the suffrage movement, it will be seen by thousands of visitors.

This privately funded $900,000 monument is sculpted by renowned Nashville artist Alan LeQuire, who created the 19th Amendment bas-relief sculpture that hangs inside the Tennessee State Capitol and Athena Parthenos inside The Parthenon at Centennial Park.

It features five women who were in Nashville during the final ratification effort  Sue Shelton White of Jackson; Anne Dallas Dudley of Nashville; Frankie Pierce of Nashville; Abby Crawford Milton of Chattanooga and Carrie Chapman Catt, the national suffrage leader who came to Nashville during the summer of 1920 to direct the pro-suffrage forces and stayed at The Hermitage Hotel. Rep. Hanover was a solid ally for the cause.

We will also honor three women who are significant in Tennessee's political history  the late state Rep. Lois DeBerry of Memphis, the first woman to serve as House speaker pro tempore and the longest-serving member of the House at the time of her death in 2013; the late Hon. Jane G. Eskind of Nashville, the first woman to win statewide office in 1980, which was 60 years after ratification of the 19th Amendment and Rep. Beth Halteman Harwell of Nashville, the first woman to be elected speaker of the state House.

Their political careers were made possible by the suffragists' victory. We wanted to honor their public service now, especially since there is a dearth of statuary featuring women, so it won't take another 96 years.

Our statewide volunteer board has worked for nearly six years and overcome a lot of obstacles to make this happen. What we had to go through pales in comparison to the struggle the suffragists went through to win the right to vote for us.

This monument is for the ages. A hundred years from now, people will be reading about these remarkable women. They might also be amazed that there was a time in this country when women couldn't vote.

The mayors of Knoxville, Clarksville and Nashville and other dignitaries be on hand for the unveiling ceremony, which will be live-streamed at https://livestream.com/tndv-television/tnwomansuffrage. Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland's wife, Melyne Strickland, will represent her husband.

Please help us celebrate Tennessee's greatest gift to our country.

Paula F. Casey of Memphis is president of Tennessee Woman Suffrage Monument, Inc. (www.tnsuffragemonument.org), and helped publish The Perfect 36: Tennessee Delivers Woman Suffrage (www.theperfect36.com).
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By Dana Milbank

WASHINGTON  Jill Stein, the Green Party presidential nominee, favors alternative energy, and she leads by example. On Tuesday, she burned one of her own supporters.

Stein, making an appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, took her campaign on an unexpected detour when she accused famed leftist Noam Chomsky of being cowardly. The 87-year-old icon of the left, though a backer of Stein's, has said the only "rational choice" for swing-state voters is to support Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump.

"How do you get past that hurdle?" Sam Husseini from VotePact, a group that supports third parties, asked Stein from the audience.

The candidate, in reply, accused Chomsky of embracing "this politics of fear that tells you have to vote against what you're afraid of rather than for what you truly believe. So, Noam Chomsky has supported me in my home state, you know, when he felt safe to do so. I think it's fair to say my agenda is far closer to his than Hillary Clinton. But he subscribes to the politics of fear."

If opposing Trump is subscribing to the politics of fear, then put me down for a lifetime subscription.

In ordinary times, a voice such as Stein's contributes to the national debate. But these are not ordinary times. Trump's narrow path to the presidency requires Stein to do well in November, and polls indicate Trump does better with her in the race. But, 16 years after Ralph Nader helped swing the presidency to George W. Bush from Al Gore, liberals (including Bernie Sanders supporters) who otherwise agree with Stein are more inclined to recognize that she makes more likely the singular threat of a President Trump.

That's why, even in this year of change, she's polling about 3 percent in the RealClearPolitics average of polls. And that, in turn, is why only about half of the 20 seats were full when I arrived in the Press Club's Bloomberg Room (even the Green Party nominee can't escape those billionaires) a few minutes before her news conference.

There is much to like about Stein, 66. She arrived by cab and took all questions  in marked contrast to Clinton, who has gone more than 260 days without a news conference. Stein spoke with a passion for policy, remarking unbidden on the plight of the "Standing Rock Sioux in North Dakota" and speaking with a physician's authority about "air pollution and its various sequelae."

"We have a climate emergency," said Stein, "an absolutely devastating sea-level rise that would essentially wipe out coastal population centers, including the likes of Manhattan, and Florida" in 50 years. She called this "a Hail Mary moment," and one in which "we're really looking our mortality in the face."

Stein offered a refreshing break from the 2016 debate, which ricochets from Clinton's emails to Trump's outrages and staff shakeups but rarely settles on substance. "Our future is imperiled," she said. "There are more important things for us to be talking about."

But a moment later, there Stein was saying Clinton "put at risk" national security and the names of CIA agents. Stein said Clinton's character is "not compatible with someone that you want to trust as the leader of the country." She continued to talk this way about Clinton with reporters in the hallway after the session, which naturally led to headlines not about climate change but along the lines of this from David Weigel's article in The Washington Post: "Jill Stein: Clinton emails reveal security risks, 'special deals' for donors."

Stein complained about the 15 percent polling threshold keeping her and Libertarian Gary Johnson out of the presidential debates. But can she expect more than her 3 percent when she talks of boycotting Israel, spreads unwarranted fears about vaccines and WiFi, and has a running mate  Ajamu Baraka  who called President Obama an Uncle Tom?

Most disturbing is the Green Party nominee's creation of a phony equivalence between Clinton, a flawed and unloved but conventional candidate, and Trump, who is running a campaign of bigotry, xenophobia and intimations of violence.

"Donald Trump says terrifying things. Hillary Clinton actually has an extremely troubling record," Stein said Tuesday, calling the Democrats the "party of fracking," the "party of expanding wars" and the "party of immigrant deportations."

This is the sort of stuff I heard driving between campaign stops with Nader in 2000. It wasn't entirely true then. Now, with Trump on the ballot, any attempt to draw parallels between the two parties is preposterous.

Noam Chomsky knows that. It appears voters do, too.

Dana Milbank is a columnist for the Washington Post.
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Jurors in a federal court in Seattle have convicted a Russian hacker of stealing and selling more than 2 million credit card numbers.

On Thursday, the jury found Roman Valerevich Seleznev guilty of charges related to his hacking of point-of-sale systems.

Seleznev was arrested in 2014 after U.S. authorities accused him of installing malicious software on point-of-sale systems in U.S. restaurants.

From 2009 to 2013, Seleznev used this scheme to steal credit card data from businesses and send it back to his servers in Ukraine and McLean, Virginia. The stolen data was then sold on the black market, with Seleznev promising that buyers could make fraudulent purchases with them.

Testimony at his trial revealed that Seleznevs scheme defrauded $169 million from 3,700 financial institutions, the U.S. Secret Service said in a statement.

The Secret Service began tracking Seleznev in 2005. At the time of his arrest in the Maldives, he was found carrying 1.7 million stolen credit card numbers on his laptop. Seleznev reportedly is the son of a Russian lawmaker, Valery Seleznev, and also a senior member of several organized online crime networks..

Seleznev was convicted on 38 counts, including wire fraud, intentional damage to a computer and identify theft. He will be sentenced in December and could face decades in prison and millions of dollars in fines.

Seleznev has also been charged in separate cases in Nevada and Georgia involving racketeering and bank fraud.
Four former Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) employees, all of them over 50 years of age, allege in a lawsuit that the firm pushed older workers out so it could increase the number of younger employees -- millennials in particular.

The federal age-discrimination lawsuit, which marshalled statistical evidence, job ads and internal memorandum to support its claims, will also cite public statements by HPE CEO Meg Whitman in its case.

For instance, in a CNBC interview last November, Whitman was asked by an interviewer: You did announce significant job cuts about a month or so ago. Is that going to be it for HP? (HP announced cuts of up to 30,000 jobs in September last year)

Whitman responded: That should be it. That will allow us to right-size our Enterprise Services business... to make sure that weve got a labor pyramid with lots of young people coming in right out of college and graduate school and early in their careers. Thats an important part of the future of the company....

The complaint was filed last week by the former employees. At the time of their layoffs, which took place in 2015 and this year, Donna Forsyth, was age 62; Sidney Staton, 54; Arun Vatturi, 52; and Dan Weiland, 63. The lawsuit is seeking class action status.

The suit, filed in U.S. District Court in San Jose, is against Hewlett Packard and the successor firm following its split last year, Hewlett Packard Enterprise. It alleges that HP made it a priority to transform itself from an an old company into a younger operation.

Striving to reach this goal, HP has shed thousands of its older employees while at the same time aggressively recruiting much younger employees to replace them, the lawsuit states.

The employees involved worked at both post-split HP companies. An HP Inc. spokesman, in response, said: We are aware of the claims, deny them and plan to defend against them.

An HPE spokeman said: Hewlett Packard Enterprise has a longstanding commitment to the principles of equal employment opportunity and age inclusion is no exception. The decision to implement a workforce reduction is always difficult, but we are confident that our decisions were based on legitimate factors unrelated to age.

The lawsuit alleges that in 2013 HPs human resources department distributed written guidelines stating that HPs policy requires 75% of all external hire requisitions be graduate or early-career employees. Job ads were run with language that stipulated that candidates must have earned a bachelors or masters degree within the last 12 months.

The lawsuit also claims that internal documents characterized Baby Boomers as rule breakers, implying they were undesirable. Conversely, when it came to Millennials, HP made it clear that hiring new employees from this generation was highly desirable, the lawsuit alleges.

The Pew Research Center puts the age rangeof Millennials in 2015 as 18-34; for Generation X, its from 35 to 50; and for Baby Boomers, 51 to 69.

HP isnt alone in fighting an age discrimination lawsuit. Google is now fighting a claim by older workers who allege they were rejected for employment because of their age.
Quantum computers of the future will be so powerful that many believe they will be used to crack the powerful encryption used today to defend government secrets and protect sensitive corporate data like bank transactions.

In reaction, researchers are developing methods to bolster encryption that also rely on quantum physics. One approach is Quantum Key Distribution (QKD), the use of photons (minute particles of light) in laser light for encrypted quantum communications that primarily travel over fiber optic cables.

With quantum communications, a photon at one end of a fiber optic link can be linked to a photon at the other end, creating an encrypted link through which data can securely flow. Any attempt to tamper with the data would alter the photons quantum state, which would be evident at the destination. Once tampering is detected, the key needed to unlock the encryption will no longer work and the communication will remain secure.

August has proven to be a big month for quantum communications research. On Aug., 8, the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded $12 million to six research teams with 26 researchers at 15 U.S. institutions and universities. The researchers are charged with engineering over four years a quantum communications system on a chip that will operate at room temperature with low energy in a fiber optic network.

Today, quantum communications can be demonstrated in laboratories, but only at very low temperatures with bulky equipment that saps energy, the NSF said.

Then, on Aug. 16, China launched the worlds first quantum communications satellite, Micius, and successfully sent back 202MB of data to the ground the next day. The data was reportedly encrypted using a quantum communications technique, but details havent been revealed.

Chinas investment in a quantum communications satellite could push government and private sector research into the field. China is looking to prove secure quantum communications, but there are various experiments elsewhere, Vikram Sharma, CEO of Quintessence Labs, a quantum communications company, said in an interview.

His company of 50 researchers is developing a cost-efficient, commercially available, smaller-version QKD laser transmission system that should be available in the next 18 months. The basic technology has been successfully tested in Melbourne, Australia over fiber optic cable and under highways to prove its ability to handle disruptions.

The product, currently called qOpicta, would initially be sold to government organizations and banks. Westpac, an Australian bank, is an initial investor. A next-generation version of the product is envisioned to work without the use of a fiber optic network.

With the Micius satellite launch, the Chinese obviously recognize that quantum communications could help bolster Chinas defenses over other countries, whether from space or not, Sharma said.

Competitive advantage among nations relies on cyber superiority, he said. This whole field is a step change in technology, not just evolutionary.

Some experts believe quantum encryption can be cracked, including Alexander Ling, principal investigator at the Center for Quantum Technologies, which is based in Singapore.

ID Quantique, based in Switzerland, already makes QKD products, including the Cerberis QKD Server.

Its technology uses a variation in the way photons are transmitted compared to Quintessence Labs. ID Quantique described its technology in 2011.
Iain Dale is Presenter of LBC Drive, Managing Director of Biteback Publishing, a columnist and broadcaster and a former Conservative Parliamentary candidate.

I have to say I have immensely enjoyed Virgingate. Jeremy Corbyn has only got himself to blame for the situation hes got himself into. Or should I say spun himself into. For a man who promised us straight talking, honest politics, its been a bit of a boo-boo. His disciples really believe he is a different kind of politician. His antics on the Virgin train show he is no different from any other politician who wants to use a situation to their advantage. He described the train as ram-packed. It was nothing of the sort, as he well knew as he had walked through most of the train. But now it is Virgin Trains who are coming under fire for releasing the CCTV pictures  apparently they may have breached some sort of data privacy law. What a mad country we have become if a company cannot release pictures which prove its critics are being economical with the truth.

         

I dont know how many of you will have heard my appearance on Radio 4s Any Questions programme last weekend, but I have to admit I thoroughly enjoyed it. It was quite a right wing audience, which made a nice change, and they clearly had no time for Corbyn. He is a man who clearly polarises opinion. He has his devoted disciples (well, he would, wouldnt he, given that his initials are JC?) who believe that he is incredibly popular throughout the country. When you point out his actual popularity ratings in the polls and that he is the most unpopular opposition leader since time began, they refuse to accept the validity of any poll. Theyll probably refuse to accept the next general election result as well.

         

We know now that Corbyn has a very short fuse. There have been too many examples of it for it to be a coincidence. When my LBC colleague Charlotte Wright tried to grab a word with him one morning on the pavement outside his house he was incredibly rude and aggressive to her. This week Skys Darren McCaffery had the temerity to ask a question about the train incident at the launch of his health policy. Corbyn snapped at him that it was a health press conference and he wanted a question on health. Darren replied that he was asking the questions and hed ask what he damn well liked. If looks could have killed. It came across terribly on TV and Corbyn looked like a bully. The mask is slipping.

         

Have you noticed that diehard Remainers have started referring to the EU Referendum as an advisory referendum? They cling to the belief that Parliament could still go against the views of the British people and scupper Brexit. Either that or there should be a second referendum. Will these people never learn? It seems they cannot accept that Brexit supporters actually have brains which are functional. They think they know best and the people are peasants. Constitutionally I suppose they have a point in that strictly speaking Parliament doesnt have to follow the will of the people, but it would be a pretty brave prime minister who agreed to ignore the people. Indeed, it would fracture trust in politicians even more than it is at present. Probably irreparably. Brexit must mean Brexit. It must mean the repeal of the 1972 European Communities Act and it must mean that Article 50 is triggered at some point during 2017. And the latter does not need parliamentary approval. Its a matter for the Prime Minister, as the courts will no doubt rule in October.

         

So Nicolas Sarkozy is back. What an unpleasant little shit he is. His presidential campaign seems to be entirely based on winning back voters from Marine Le Pens Front National. This week he wrote an article about how France mustnt be seduced in going down the route of promoting multiculturalism like Britain has. Tell you what, I think most people would rather live in a tolerant, liberal country like Britain which by and large has very good race relations, rather than a country which sends armed police onto a beach to ask a muslim lady to take off her burkini. And Sarkozy would go much further in demonising and alienating Frances massive muslim population. I hope he gets his just desserts.
A key pillar of the outward-looking, optimistic Brexit case was that Great Britain was one of the worlds most prosperous and powerful countries with a global outlook to match. Getting subsumed into a regional bloc might suit some of our neighbours, the thinking ran, but not us.

With the Brexit vote now achieved, the Government has to start thinking seriously about what an independent Britains role in the 21st Century is supposed to be. If they intend it to be a significant one, then they should start preparing the ground for a sustained rise in defence spending.

Since the end of the Cold War, many European members of NATO have used the alliance, with its ultimate guarantee of US support, as an excuse to make serious defence cuts. Even Europes so-called martial cultures, the UK and France, have apparently left ourselves in a state where we cant conduct sustained operations without American help, as Libya demonstrated.

This article sets out how successive Governments have starved the Royal Navy of funds. Despite commissioning some state-of-the-art warships (which have their own problems), the author maintains that we arent buying enough of them to maintain the fleets previous capabilities  and dont even have the sailors to properly crew those we do build.

Even impressive shipbuilding projects, like the two huge Queen Elizabeth class aircraft carriers, disguise the fact that we apparently wont have the resources to put together a proper carrier group to protect more than one at a time. And some observers believe that this decline and fall of British sea power  much of which happened under the Conservatives  might not even be over.

World-class armed forces, particularly navies, are long-term investments. You cant pare them to the bone when times are good because they take so long to build up again. Since the end of the Cold War, we have slashed defence spending. But the optimistic assumptions of the 1990s have not been borne out by experience.

Not only is the Middle East more dangerous than ever, but in Russia we have a much more conventional military threat  one that has already proven willing to seize land by force in Crimea, is sending warships through British waters, and is sufficiently threatening to NATO allies in Eastern Europe that Britain has deployed troops in Estonia.

Meanwhile, if Donald Trump is any indication America seems to have started to grow tired of footing the bill whilst European countries cut their defence spending to the bone. Trump doesnt look like hes going to win the Presidency, but it would be foolish to continue to leave British forces dependent on the US.

A fleet which cant project strength everywhere we need it is no less silly than arguments that we should buy fewer submarines than Trident needs for a permanent at-sea presence.

Brexit gives us an opportunity to concentrate our minds on what we want Britains global role to be. We must recognise that an independently-capable conventional military is just as important to it as an independent nuclear deterrent, and be prepared to pay for both.
Maison Bour, the boulangerie, patisserie and chocolaterie at 82 avenue des Alpes in Cagnes-sur-Mer, a few kilometres west of Nice, is a marvel of French civilisation.

Every morning, when I went there to get our bread, my spirits were raised by the speed and skill with which its large and industrious staff constantly replenished the immaculate, delicious and astonishingly diverse display of breads, cakes, tarts, chocolate and other delights on which one could feast ones eyes while waiting for a few minutes to be served, for this was the height of the tourist season, and the establishment is deservedly popular.

Along the coast, in Nice itself, are other marvels of French civilisation, including many fine buildings of the Belle Epoque. What could be more delightful than to climb to the Tour Bellanda and sit in the shade, gazing along the graceful curve of the Promenade des Anglais?

But on the evening of 14 July, a few minutes after the Bastille Day firework display, 86 people were killed when Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel drove a lorry through the crowds along that very promenade.

Nice is now full of soldiers, patrolling the streets in threes, their firearms at the ready. They look, for the most part, very young and inexperienced: a show of force, but not a reassuring one.

And we have seen photographs of armed police officers telling a woman to remove the burkini she was wearing on the beach at Nice. Once again, this is not a reassuring spectacle, for it suggests a desperate lack of confidence on the part of the French authorities; a desperate desire to be seen doing something, whether or not the action is of the slightest value, or is counter-productive.

What has gone wrong in France? The best recent answer I have seen to that question was offered by Ambrose Evans-Pritchard, in yesterdays Daily Telegraph. He wrote:

A democracy can endure deflation policies for only so long. The attrition has wasted the French centre-right and the centre-left by turns, and now threatens the Fifth Republic itself. The maturing crisis has echoes of 1936, when the French people tired of deflation decrees and turned to the once unthinkable Front Populaire, smashing what remained of the Gold Standard. Former Gaulliste president Nicolas Sarkozy has caught the headlines this week, launching a come-back bid with a package of hard-Right policies unseen in a western European democracy in modern times. But the uproar on the Left is just as revealing. Arnaud Montebourg, the enfant terrible of the Socialist movement, has launched his own bid for the Socialist Party with a critique of such ferocity that it bears examination. The former economy minister says France voted for a left-wing French manifesto four years ago and ended up with a right-wing German policy regime. This is objectively true. The vote was meaningless.

France has been unable, as a member of the euro, to follow the policies it needs. The French national interest has been misinterpreted to mean following the policies that Germany and the European Central Bank require.

When those policies turned out to be wrong for France, nothing could be done to alter course. This is a disaster which plays into the hands of the Front National, of which the French political class is now terrified.

So in order to suggest it is still somehow in charge, it sends raw recruits onto the streets, and dictates what bathing costumes can be worn by Muslim women. Nationalistic gestures are meant to fill the gap left by the lost of national sovereignty, but instead look like an admission of impotence.

Not only are Frances Muslims unintegrated: it is harder and harder to discern the nation into which they could be integrated.

The founders of the European Union saw it as the answer to the national rivalries which had led to terrible wars. For the French political class, it seemed to offer release from fear of Germany. For the German political class, it seemed to offer release from the shame of being German.

The EU was a kind of liberation. The old world of national rivalries would wither away, and be replaced by a Europe in which such competition had become unthinkable, because wider loyalties now prevailed. Perverted nationalism would be replaced by a benevolent supranationalism.

The Germans were so swayed by this thinking that they agreed to get rid of their national currency, the German mark. The French and many others were so swayed by this thinking that they supposed the replacement of their own currencies with the euro would liberate them from German economic domination, and raise them to German levels of prosperity.

What a blunder. The abolition of exchange rates removed the ability of economies with quite different levels of productivity to make the adjustments needed to reflect those differences. The effect of pretending all these economies are the same is to show how different they are.

The members of the single currency find themselves placed on Procrustes bed. The agony is excruciating, but still the politicians pretend it can somehow be made to work.

In France and elsewhere, perverted nationalists now see themselves with great opportunities. For the only true answer to perverted nationalism is healthy nationalism, and when the European Central Bank is running the show, healthy nationalism has ceased to be possible.

In the United Kingdom, we now have the chance to show we are capable of the healthy nationalism, and healthy co-operation with sovereign neighbours, which are required. If we can manage this, the case for a Europe of nation states will become unanswerable.
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An exclusive interview with Marco Melandri, who will make his return to competition with the official Aruba.it Ducati team in World Superbikes next season.

Melandri, a title runner-up in both World SBK and MotoGP, has been away from racing since splitting from Aprilia halfway through a miserable 2015 MotoGP season...

Crash.net:

You're currently doing a three-day private test at Misano, is the old magic still there?

Marco Melandri:

Yeah, yeah, it's the third day today - I did Monday, yesterday and today and as for the magic; yes so much I absolutely love it. What a bike!

I'm riding the full Superbike from the test team and this is just for familiarity.

Actually on the first day we just spent some time trying to get the feel back as a rider because it's almost a year since I last rode a race bike regularly and for a racer that's a long time.

Then we spent some time getting a good position on the bike - footpegs, handlebars and things like that and yesterday we started to work on bike setup and settings to give me some confidence to be able to start riding a bit faster.

Crash.net:

How are the times looking?

Marco Melandri:

We actually did very similar times to Davide and Chaz so it's looking good.

Crash.net:

I don't believe you've ever raced the big twin before?

Marco Melandri:

That's right, this is my first time, I've ridden the road bike but never the full-blown superbike.

For me the first thing is that the power delivery is very different to the bikes I've ridden so far but having said that, the torque at low revs is great and that is something I instantly like. I think this engine character will go well with my style.

So the way the engine works is something that I liked straight away, the chassis side of things though took me some time to get used to but step by step my guys have followed my feelings and each run was better - I feel we are starting to understand the bike.

Crash.net:

When you say 'your guys' is this the same crew that you very successfully brought to BMW?

Marco Melandri:

No, no I have the full test team from Ducati, but I have been racing for a long time and I have already got experience with several of the engineers there so they already know how I work and the kind of set up characteristics I like. I can say that the way we are working in the pits has come very easily to us.

For racing I will be using the same team and crew chief as Davide is currently using.

Crash.net:

How did the Ducati ride come about?

Marco Melandri:

For me it was a strange situation because I hadn't been racing for some time and it also happened very quickly. I had heard some rumours but I was under no illusions, so wasn't necessarily expecting anything. Considering that I had been away for so long it just seemed incredible to get interest from Ducati. When I got the offer from them I couldn't believe it.

As for who contacted who - that's a long story and maybe even I don't know all of it!

Crash.net:

Would you have accepted a less competitive ride?

Marco Melandri:

No, for me it was important to come back with a team that I believed I could be really fast with.

I had some offers during the 2016 season but for me it was more important to get a competitive opportunity than just having any ride and honestly I think a factory Ducati ride is probably the best one I could imagine.

You've got to remember, I'm not 20 anymore so I've got to come back in a team that can fight for position straight away

Crash.net:

...and what kind of contract did you agree?

Marco Melandri:

It's a 1-plus-1, with us both having an option on the second year depending on performance.

Crash.net:

As an active sportsman, did you find the year away easy?

Marco Melandri:

It was actually OK because for family reasons. I've got a two-year-old daughter and I really enjoyed spending more time with her.

I was also working on a new project which will start in the middle of September. I am working on a website with my sister and a couple of other guys and as I said it will be launched in the middle of September - I don't want to give details now but if you stay in touch and follow me on the social media you'll see. All I can say is that it is to do with motorcycles, but not only racing.

Crash.net:

Did you ever think of retiring?

Marco Melandri:

Inside my head I have always been a racer, but the reality was that I didn't have a ride so from the outside you could say that I was already an ex-rider. But my internal conviction meant that when the opportunity came it was fantastic for me.

A rider always has to be ready to see the end of their career though, it happens to all of us sooner or later. For me though now is a bit early so I was very ready for this chance.

For me it was also too early because the last season I had had in racing had ended badly doing something I didn't really believe in. It was frustrating not to have a ride when things had ended in that way and I felt I was still strong.

I was really open to any possibility; a ride, a different project or even retirement - I didn't have plans, I was just waiting.

Crash.net:

What about the MV testing?

Marco Melandri:

I did one and a half days in Jerez but really that was just for fun. There was never any discussion about racing.

I also had an offer from Yamaha to race but they came to me too late, just two days before the event, and for me going racing on a new bike after not having ridden competitively for a year isn't very smart.

Crash.net:

You often mention how much time you have been off the bike, are you bike fit?

Marco Melandri:

Apparently I'm not too bad. I've been testing here for 3 days straight and I'm not feeling so bad. Sure I'm tired but I was expecting worse and to struggle more.

Even when I was away I was still training and for the last month I have been training hard so it looks like it will be OK.

Crash.net:

When you went to MotoGP in 2015, did you want to go?

Marco Melandri:

What do you think?

Crash.net:

Honestly, you didn't look very enthusiastic.

Marco Melandri:

Yes, that's true.

Crash.net:

So the problem wasn't you, it was your motivation?

Marco Melandri:

It was everything. The things that make a rider fast are the motivation and the confidence. For me this was all very low, I didn't have confidence in the bike and I didn't feel safe on it - for sure the situation wasn't the best. Given that situation, honestly, I don't think I could have done better.

But honestly I would prefer not to dwell on the past when there is such an exiting new page being turned in my career, I really want to look forward.

Crash.net:

Surely for an Italian biker getting a factory ride at Ducati is like an Italian driver getting a seat at Ferrari?

Marco Melandri:

Yeah, it's the big one. It's a special ride, the fans really love the bike and almost love the bike more than the rider, it's a great responsibility.

Even here at the test it has been pretty busy with people coming to see us ride and I'm looking forward to next season as much as I ever did in my career.

Crash.net:

Thanks Marco.

Marco Melandri:

No worries.
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Networking News

Google Battles AT&T, Comcast Over Fiber Rollout In Nashville, Reportedly Plans To Cut Fiber Staff In Half

Gina Narcisi

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Google Fiber ran into trouble with the competition in Nashville this week, a development that has Google threatening to back out of its Nashville-area fiber system rollout completely.

The Internet giant was unable to reach an agreement with the legacy carriers in the region, AT&T and Comcast, regarding utility pole wiring policies. The standoff between Google and the two service providers comes on the heels of a report from The Information this week that Google parent company Alphabet's CEO Larry Page has ordered Fiber to slash its staff of 1,000 in half to about 500 employees.

While the channel is waiting to see if Google Fiber will be a viable connectivity option for their customers, some partners remain uncertain about Google's future in the telecom space.

[Related: Partners Weigh In On Google Fiber Impact As The Telecom Industry Arms Itself For Disruption]

The connectivity market is fraught with rules and regulations, an area that the incumbent carriers that are entrenched in the fiber arena already know well.

"Google has the money for fiber rollouts and they have a history of success supporting business users in other segments. But the connectivity space is a completely different business vertical for them, this is a completely different business venture for them," said Courtney Humphrey, CEO of Opex Technologies, a Raleigh, N.C.-based solution provider. "Our main concern is customer experience and how they will execute in this area, so it is a wait-and-see scenario for us."

In Nashville this week, Mayor Megan Barrys office held negotiations between the three companies that ended without an agreement. Current Tennessee law requires a new service provider to tell the Nashville Electric Service to contact the other providers that use the same utility pole -- in this case, AT&T and Comcast -- that a new installation is being planned so that the incumbent carriers can prepare the poles for additional wiring, a so-called "make-ready" rule. Google requested that the rule be changed so that new entrants can more easily install their own wiring on shared poles. Google argued that current rules unnecessarily prolong the process of rolling out fiber lines to new locations.

AT&T and Comcast want the current rule requiring their own staffs be involved in the wiring be upheld, citing outage concerns during installation if Google were to make a mistake during the wiring process.

Google faced off with AT&T in Louisville, Ky., over the same issue. While Google won that battle, AT&T filed a lawsuit against the city over the new ordinance.

Google dove headfirst into the fiber communications market and has been giving legacy telecommunications and cable providers a run for their money by driving down fiber connectivity prices in certain geographies. Though it has a very limited geographic reach so far, many partners are interested in Google Fiber as another connectivity option for their end customers.

Opex Technologies' headquarters is in Raleigh, N.C., in an area Google is currently targeting for a fiber communications rollout. While Opex is waiting to see how Google plans on servicing business users, the solution provider is keeping an eye on Google Fiber availability and already has customers asking about the offering, Humphrey said.

"I think they will be a competitor to the cable companies, compared to the traditional network providers who deliver dedicated IP connectivity. [Google] is providing high-capacity, low-cost connectivity that is a great fit for the SMB space," he said.

Humphrey added that Google Fiber could also be a viable, cost-effective option for enterprise users who need diverse access and connectivity options for redundancy.

But Google's current issues are fueling speculation around the future of its Google Fiber plans. Google's aggressive plans involved signing up 5 million subscribers within five years. But according to The Information report, Google currently has around 200,000 Google Fiber subscribers. Google first rolled out Google Fiber in 2012.

Google has not confirmed reports regarding the downsizing of its Fiber business unit.

Alongside Google's recent strife in Nashville, the Internet giant recently postponed a fiber system rollout in San Jose, Calif., and is said to have shelved plans for a Portland. Ore., buildout.

Google Fiber is currently operating in nine metro areas, including Atlanta, Austin, Salt Lake City, and the site of its initial launch, Kansas City, Mo. and Kansas City, Kan.


MV Werften signed a letter of intent with the Finnish engineering company Foreship in Stralsund today. The agreement includes parts of the basic design, as well as design, purchasing and production assistance of the Crystal Cruises Endeavor class expedition vessels. The 20,000-ton cruise ships will be built at the Stralsund facility, with production starting late 2017 and deliveries from spring 2019.

Being about 160 metres long and 23 metres wide, MV Werften described the Endeavor class as the worlds largest and most spacious expedition vessels. They are designed to operate in Arctic and Antarctic regions, as well as in the tropical waters, when travelling between the poles. They can accommodate up to 200 passengers in 100 suites and the same amount of crew.

Additionally, on Aug. 18, the owners architect agreements for the Endeavor project were signed in Wismar by Crystal Cruises, including Tillberg Design, AD Associates and Kudos Dsign, as well as with Tillberg Design, SMC and Kudos Dsign on the Global class-cruise ships for Star Cruises. The 201,000-ton Global Class will be over 340 meters long and 45 meters wide. Steel cutting for the first vessel is expected to begin in late 2017 and delivery is scheduled for 2020.

The order book of MV Werften totals 10 cruise vessels for deliveries over the next five years.

(Photo: The Endeavor expedition vessel)
In the wake of continued security problems, NASA's CIO is sending a no-confidence signal to Hewlett Packard Enterprise, which received a $2.5 billion contract in 2011 to address problems with the agency's outdated and insecure information technology infrastructure.

In late July, CIO Renee Wynn, who took over the job last fall, took the unprecedented step of not signing off on the contract's "authority to operate," which expired on July 24.

"I have to applaud Renee for stepping up here," said government security expert Torsten George, vice president at Albuquerque, NM-based RiskSense, Inc. "You can almost call her a whistleblower. It's a bold move. Not a lot of people would have made that move, for career reasons."

NASA has seen a string bad cybersecurity news lately. At the beginning of the year, there was a hack by AnonSec where the group said it found default settings for administrator credentials at NASA computers, allowing them to steal employee information, flight logs, and other data.

In April, SecurityScorecard reported that NASA had the worst cybersecurity of all 600 U.S. government organizations.

In particular, the company found malware signatures indicating infected machines, SSL certificate issues, and insecure open ports. As a result, the agency got failing grades in IP reputation, network security, and patching.

According to a recent report by Federal News Radio, internal documents show that NASA has anywhere from hundreds of thousands to millions of out-of-date patches at every center across the country.

In addition, last November, NASA received an overall "F" grade for information technology from the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, included an "F" grade for risk assessment transparency.

Over the past six years, NASA's Office of the Inspector General issued 18 audit reports and made 85 recommendations designed to help improve NASA's IT security efforts, including issues related to acquisition of IT systems, cybersecurity vulnerabilities, IT security incident detection and handling capabilities, continuous monitoring tools, cloud computing technologies, web application security, and overall NASA IT governance.

Securing IT systems and data was a "top management challenge" for NASA, said inspector general Paul Martin in a letter to a U.S. Senate subcommittee overseeing the agency sent in late July.

HPE fails to fix problems

According to the contract, HPE was supposed to provide computing devices and services to more than 60,000 users to increase NASA's efficiency and "allow its employees to more easily collaborate in a secure computing environment."

Problems showed up early. According to NASA's inspector general, HPE failed to replace most computers in the first six months.

In a 2013 audit report, the inspector general said that multiple security patches were not applied in a timely matter, with some updates several months overdue.

Not all problems were due to HPE. NASA was responsible for some of the issues because of inefficient decision-making, problems setting up an ordering system, and inadequate oversight, the report said.

But the bottom line was that HPE wasn't delivering on its promises.

"HP is performing poorly under the contract even after taking into consideration the agency's failure to establish sound performance metrics," the report said.

Six months to shape up

According to George, Wynn made the right decision in denying the authority to operate.

"You don't want to end up in a few months seeing that there's been another breach, and she has to explain why she signed off," he said.

In theory, this means that insecure systems have to be closed off to outside access, he said. "Otherwise, they would present an attack surface that could be leveraged."

But there's a six-month grace period, he added.

"She used the authority to operate to get into the news, to elevate this message, but made an exception for 180 days to give people a chance to fix it," he added. "If not, after 180 days, she might go through and say, hey, let's shut everything down."

Issues go beyond NASA

But Wynn isn't just drawing attention to problems with the HPE contract. She's also drawing attention to the problems many government agencies are having to become compliant with the Department of Homeland Securitys Continuous Diagnostic and Mitigation (CDM) program.

"Agencies have to deal with hundreds of thousands of vulnerabilities across their IT environment and are often simply too overwhelmed to determine which vulnerabilities pose the highest risks," George said. "This move will hopefully raise enough awareness to force discussions on how to really operationalize cyber risk management."

Recent breaches at the Office of Personnel Management, the IRS, the FBI, and the Department of Homeland Security show that the problem is pervasive.

"It's a giant mess," George said.

The CDM came out of the Department of Homeland Security and NIST back in 2013, and was supposed to help address cybersecurity issues.

"In reality, not much has happened," said George. "A lot of agencies are still scratching their heads. There are a lot of different systems, a lot of contractors, and millions of vulnerabilities -- and they don't know where to start.

HPE declined to comment for this story.

NASA spokesman Karen Northon said that the agency is committed to holding vendors accountable if they don't meet their contractual obligations.



"The conditional Authority to Operate signed by NASAs chief information officer is one mechanism by which the agency can ensure Hewlett Packard Enterprises takes the necessary steps to fully meet their obligations," she said.

"The agency will continue to work closely with HPE throughout the remediation process to ensure this goal is met and the required level of service is sustained through the life of the contract."
At the turn of the 18th to 19th centuries, the academic world was on the cusp of a long period of upheaval. Traditional methods of instruction  tutoring students in Latin, Greek, theology, and rhetoric  had been in place since the Italian Renaissance. The great force of the Industrial Revolution was upending the needs of society and, as a result, academia was destined for seismic changes in the content, quality, accessibility and delivery of education.

The rise of industry demanded professionals with new skills. Archaic languages gave way to the sciences and engineering. Rhetoric and theology remained, but the canon of higher education broadened to encompass the needs of the emerging economy. Even with these changes, it would take a further century to see the launch of the Harvard Business School in 1908.

As we look back on the first 25 years of the information revolution, I wonder if we have enough distance to see the changes that are being demanded by the marketplace today? Do we know the skills needed for this new age? Are our schools building the professionals that will power the next century of innovation?

With regards to privacy and information security, I think the answer is unsatisfying. Not yet. We are beginning to understand what is needed, but we do not yet have the ability to produce at scale the number of professionals needed to handle data in the information economy.

Lets start with the numbers.

The deficits in cybersecurity professionals are well known. Last year, a report suggested that 209,000 infosec jobs were unfilled in the US.

The numbers for privacy pros are lower, but reflect a similar deficit. Earlier this year, the IAPP estimated that new privacy regulations in Europe would create a need for 28,000 data protection officers in the next two years. The IAPP currently has just over 3,000 members in Europe, leaving quite a gap. Further, the introduction of A-130 by the US federal government requires a senior agency official for privacy (SAOP)  resulting in a need for up to 500 privacy leaders in the US government alone.

Clearly, there are tens of thousands of new professionals in the fields of privacy and cybersecurity that will be needed in the coming years. Which raises a follow-up question: are our educational systems ready to produce these professionals?

Within the field of privacy, it is very clear that the profession is not emerging from a single discipline. IAPP research has shown that 40 percent of privacy pros have legal degrees, but large percentages within the profession have technical or business degrees. It appears that the field of privacy is a hybrid profession  made up of skills that span a number of disciplines, such as law and policy, computer science and IT, business and marketing, ethics and even philosophy.

A similar reality is emerging in the field of information security. Cyber professionals are being asked to master more than technology  they must understand the laws and policy that guide info security, along with the strategic imperatives and risk management techniques that guide their organizations. Like privacy pros, information security professionals are finding that the path to advancement is a broad fluency across disciplines.

John Maeda, a leading voice in tech and design, reflected on the rise of hybrid professionals in an interview last year:

"In a world where so many norms and 'truths' are shifting out of focus at the same time, it is the people who live across many worlds who become advantaged because they see the world through multiple lenses. If one doesnt work, they can try the other they have. And the other. And so forth. The jack-of-all-trades was often derided as 'the master of none.' But now the master of a discipline is rendered less powerful because his or her discipline is now evaporating."

There is an important truth in Maedas quote. Just as the Industrial Revolution made the educational system of the 1880s obsolete, the information revolution is rendering the mastery of a single discipline a liability, not a strength. Professionals in the information economy  including privacy and information security pros  need to have fluency across domains. The ability to speak the languages of law, risk, business, and IT are all needed to succeed in the information economy.

We have seen these shifts before. Factory laborers could not solve industrial revolution problems with agrarian tools. So too privacy and infosec professionals cannot address digital age challenges with an analog education and training.

So where to start?

For most privacy pros, the obvious step is to build skills in the fields of IT, infosec and business. Understanding these domains will invariably improve the management of privacy within an organization. The same is true for information security professionals. Grappling with the complexity of privacy law and policy will only help advance a career in a market that values fluency across domains.

Learning a new language  building fluency across domains  is not easy. But it is indeed what the market is demanding.

At least we dont have to learn Latin anymore.
The Philippines interested in Cuban Health System

Dr. Paulyn Jean B. Rosell-Ubial, Secretary of Health of the Philippines, praised on Wednesday in this capital the Cuban health system and expressed her interest in holding exchanges in this field.

After touring the Hermanos Ameijeiras Surgical Hospital, the executive, who heads a delegation of a dozen experts of that entity and of the World Health Organization, told reporters about her intention to know more about the universal system Cuba has and the access it has been able to develop for the entire population.

The top official expressed her hope that the Philippines can benefit from Cuban medical cooperation, from studying the universal system implemented on the island and the access to services in general because "our dream in my country is precisely to achieve a universal health system, which we do not currently have," she said.

On Wednesday the delegation of the Southeast Asian nation held a meeting with Dr. Roberto Morales, head of the Ministry of Public Health, and with other officials of that ministry, with whom she discussed issues of bilateral interest.

She also visited the 19 de Abril polyclinic in Havana, where she and the members of her delegation received an explanation on the Family Doctor and Nurse Program, an initiative by the historic leader of the Cuban Revolution, Fidel Castro, since January 1984, which in its more than three decades of existence has helped to raise health indicators in Cuba and in other countries of the world.

During her stay in the Caribbean nation, which will end on Friday, the Philippine delegation will also visit the Latin American Medical School, where it will know more about training programs and will hold a meeting with students, in addition to the Central Unit of Medical Cooperation, among other institutions.
US-Cuba regular flights to begin on August 31

An airplane of the US airline Jet Blue will arrive in Cuba on August 31, an event that will mark the reestablishment of regular flights from the US to the island, with a route that had not taken place for more than half a century.

Eduardo Rodriguez, Cuban Deputy Minister of Transport, confirmed today at a press conference that the flight will arrive at the Abel Santamaria International Airport of Villa Clara around noon, in a context of guarantees for operational safety and airport infrastructure.

He recalled that the restrictions imposed by the US embargo that prohibit its citizens make tourist trips to Cuba are sill in force, but recent changes to regulations of that economic siege, issued since 2015, take some steps in the positive direction.

The deputy minister explained that the improvement in this branch of transport is part of the process of implementing the memorandum of understanding signed in February.

Alfredo Cordero, president of the Cuban Institute of Civil Aeronautics (IACC), noted that the new stage makes it possible to carry out, in both directions, up to 110 daily flights, 10 at each Cuban international airport, except Havana, because pertinent authorization has not been given yet.

Trips will take place from anywhere in the United States to the island and vice versa, with reciprocal rights, he said; and it will be possible to make reservations online, while recognizing that a reduction in prices so far will be observed.

Regular flights of the U.S. company American Airlines will start operating In September to Holguin and Cienfuegos, while Silver will do the same to Santa Clara, Cordero informed.

Mayda Molina, an official of IACC announced the upcoming addition of other companies during the winter season, while American Airlines replace its charter flights with regular ones.

She said that the flights (11 daily until October 29) to the interior of the country were approved in all requested frequencies, with a higher number to Santa Clara, Holguin, Camaguey and Varadero.

It will be possible to make travel reservations from all Cuba, said Molina, and conditions for the purchase of tickets will be the same than those of any other airline operating on the island.

Regular flights offer more stability and better service conditions, and on the island they will join the charter flights already taking place from the northern nation.

The Deputy Minister of Transport said that Cubana Airlines makes progress in formalities to obtain permission to fly to the United States.
Unbeaten Berlin Brothersvalley, Penns Manor clash in Appalachian Bowl

Berlin Brothersvalley and Penns Manor square off in the Appalachian Bowl on Saturday. See how the teams stack up and what coach Doug Paul had to say.
Check it out: Fun things to do this weekend in Lake County

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She's no stranger to online controversy.

And Orange Is the New Black star Ruby Rose has sparked another social media frenzy after she showed her support for a 'poverty is sexist' campaign.

The Australian model-turned-Hollywood star shared a viral post of Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau backing the One Campaign - an organisation founded by U2 frontman Bono.

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'Poverty is sexist': Ruby Rose has sparked a social media frenzy after she showed her support for a viral campaign

'I signed @onecampaign #PovertyIsSexist letter and PM @JustinpjTrudeau just wrote back. Incredible,' Ruby wrote.

But the 30-year-old actress was on the receiving end of hundreds of profanity-filled tirades.

Some of her 8.7million Instagram followers suggested she didn't know the definition of sexism.

'Sexist towards who? Men?': Some of Ruby's 8.7million Instagram followers have slammed the Australian actress for supporting the campaign

'Lead Like Trudeau': Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is the first world leader to respond to an open letter penned by the One Foundation

'Sexist towards who? Men? Far more men than women are homeless so if anything poverty affects men more,' one of Ruby's followers fired back.

'How can poverty be sexist. Poverty is a word. It's not a person and doesn't have emotions or thought,' another said.

Taylor Swift's new BFF hit back at her critics in a lengthy Instagram post.

'I can understand that my last post seems controversial to some, which is why I urge you to do your own research on the issue as I have and as Bono and the ONE foundation has,' she wrote.

Ruby hits back: Taylor Swift's new BFF responded to her critics in a lengthy Instagram post

'I can tell you first hand just how sexist it is': The 30-year-old says she has seen how poverty disproportionately affects woman from her volunteer work

'Having personally volunteered in Kenya, Nepal, Laos and the Northern Territory I can tell you first hand just how sexist it is.'

The One Foundation penned an open letter to world leaders, urging them to support the campaign

Canadian Prime Minister Trudeau became the first leader to respond.

Online storm: Some of Ruby's 8.7million Instagram followers suggested she doesn't know the definition of sexism

'On behalf of the Government of Canada, I am writing you back to know that I wholeheartedly agree: poverty is sexist,' Trudeau wrote.

'Women and girls are less likely to get an education, more likely to be impoverished, and face greater risk of disease and poor health.'

After garnering a legion of fans from American comedy-drama Orange Is The New Black, Ruby has managed to secure various modelling gigs and roles in new movies.

She has recently been busy filming John Wick: Chapter Two and xXx: The Return of Xander Cage and also wrapped up filming for Resident Evil: The Final Chapter.
Milked and then abandoned by Sir Philip Shifty Green, the 22 remaining BHS stores close their doors for the final time this weekend, throwing the last of the chains 11,000 staff out of work and leaving 22,000 members of its pension scheme high and dry.

Meanwhile off the Greek island of Corfu, the tycoons billionairess wife continues her long summer cruise aboard the 100million Lionheart, one of three superyachts bought with the proceeds of her husbands wheeler-dealing.

Some think of Tina Green, the Monaco-based tax exile who nominally owns most of Sir Shiftys assets, as an ignorant pawn in her manipulative husbands game.

Milked and then abandoned by Sir Philip Shifty Green, the 22 remaining BHS stores close their doors for the final time this weekend, throwing the last of the chains 11,000 staff out of work and leaving 22,000 members of its pension scheme high and dry

In fact, she is a shrewd businesswoman, who must be aware of the labyrinthine transactions he conducts in her name.

Yet even if she were just an airhead with a vulgar taste for the high life, her responsibilities to the betrayed workers and pensioners of BHS would be quite as great as his.

For not only on paper but in practice, she is a vast beneficiary of his dealings, which allow her to crew Lionheart with 40 staff including two chefs, a hairdresser, a masseur and a dog walker.

As the titular holder of the familys assets through a Jersey company, she is also his co-conspirator in avoiding tax and maximising dividends from the companies he runs. These include more than 400million siphoned off from BHS between 2002 and 2004.

This is why the Mail welcomes last nights revelation that the Pensions Regulator is investigating Lady Green in its bid to plug the 571million shortfall in the BHS pension fund, left after her husband sold the company for 1 last year to a thrice bankrupt former racing driver, Dominic Chappell.

Despite promising more than two months ago that he would sort the crisis, Sir Shifty himself has yet to produce a penny of the 80million he is said to have offered  let alone the full 700million which may now be needed.

While he fails to deliver, and the Serious Fraud Office seeks evidence of criminal deception, the pensions watchdog is right to focus on his wife too.

If it is found that the couple deliberately avoided their liabilities  and why else would they offload the company to the patently untrustworthy Mr Chappell?  the regulator has the power to force them to pay up. It mustnt hesitate to use it.

The alternative is that BHS pensioners will lose out heavily, while the bulk of the shortfall will have to be met by the Pension Protection Fund, which is financed by everyone who contributes to eligible schemes.

It will be a grotesque injustice indeed if hard-working savers are forced to pick up the bills, while the Greens wallow in luxury aboard Lionheart.

No gimmicks, please

When Theresa May took over from David Cameron, this paper applauded her pledge to eschew gimmicks and political games.

So how depressing that one of her Governments first initiatives is to order a massive bureaucratic audit of racial disparities in public service outcomes.

When Theresa May took over from David Cameron, this paper applauded her pledge to eschew gimmicks and political games

The Mail believes passionately that people of every race should be treated equally  and we welcome the Prime Ministers acknowledgment that working-class white boys suffer disadvantages as well as ethnic minorities. But will this survey really help?

In the week it emerged that NHS bosses are planning closures all over the country, our public services surely have quite enough on their plates without being saddled with yet more paperwork.
For most women the final weeks of their pregnancy are a time of excitement and anticipation, but for one young mother all the joy and happiness was tainted by fear and pain.

Already a mother-of-one, Kirsty Wightman, 28, from Edinburgh, was given the devastating diagnosis at 31 weeks pregnant that she had terminal cancer.

The expectant mother was faced with having to deliver her daughter nine weeks prematurely, before embarking on a battle against the cancer, which had ravaged her body in a bid to stay alive as long as possible for her two children.

Kirsty Wightman, 28, from Edinburgh, found out while she was pregnant with her second child that she had terminal cancer

The full time mother said: 'One day I was looking forward to becoming a mum of two and meeting my little girl, and the next I was told I had incurable cancer and just three years to live.

'It felt like a nightmare. I was just 27, newly married and pregnant. I didn't understand how this could be happening to me, in an instant my perfect life was ripped apart.'

What makes her story even more tragic is that doctors at a hospital in Germany missed several opportunities to diagnose her cancer, instead allowing it to grow and spread unchecked as her pregnancy progressed.

The Scottish mother was forced to give birth to Kaci (above) nine weeks prematurely so she could receive treatment

Kirsty, pictured with her son Kyle before the diagnosis, said: 'My prognosis is still terminal but I am determined to prove doctors wrong and survive longer than three years'

'My husband Ray, 30, is in the Army and soon after our wedding in 2013 he was posted to Germany, so we moved to a base there, with our son, Kyle, now three.

'When I was around three months pregnant with my second child I found a lump around the size of a tangerine in my breast. I went to the base hospital and had a scan, but was told it was just a mass of tissue linked to pregnancy. I felt reassured and thought nothing more of it.

'However, a few months later I developed excruciating back pain and stabbing pains in my side. I was exhausted and being sick, so again I went to the hospital. And again I was told my symptoms were all pregnancy related. I was given fluids and kept in overnight before being sent home.'

Early warning signs of her diagnosis were constantly missed by doctors in a German hospital near where her military husband was stationed

When her husband Ray (pictured with Kirsty above on their wedding day) was moved to Oxfordshire, British doctors were able to properly diagnose her and layout a treatment programme

Soon after, Ray was posted to Oxfordshire and the family returned to the UK to settle in their new home.

'The day after we moved back from Germany I was in so much pain, and now suffering from horrendous night sweats, I went to the John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford.

'When I told them about all the pain I'd been having, and the lump in my breast, they immediately admitted me for a battery of tests including a biopsy and MRI scan,' remembers Kirsty.

After her consultant gave her the devastating news she was immediately booked in for a C-Section

'Perhaps naively, cancer still wasn't even on my mind at that point. Having been told several times by doctors in Germany it was all pregnancy related, I believed that.'

In June 2015, Kirsty's consultant at the John Radcliffe had to deliver the devastating news that not only did she have breast cancer, but it had spread to her spine and was now terminal.

She needed to give birth immediately so surgeons could operate on her spine, which had been broken by the pressure of the tumours growing on it, then begin chemotherapy and radiotherapy to try and treat the cancer for as long as possible.

When baby Kaci was born prematurely she was very tiny, weighing only 4lb 7oz

Unlike normal mothers who are out of hospital as soon as the baby is delivered, Kirsty stayed in for five weeks and Kaci for nine

Kirsty remembers:'It's hard to describe how I felt hearing those words. My first thoughts were for my unborn baby. Had she been affected by the cancer growing inside me? Would she survive being born so early?

'Then I thought of my son. He was just a toddler and yet I was being told I wouldn't live long enough to see him grow up.

'Ray was with me and we just sat stunned, holding hands, trying to take it all in.

She has said: 'I was too shocked to feel anything for myself at first, but later the anger came that the cancer had been missed, and now I was terminally ill'

Luckily Kirsty hasn't lost all her hair, but she did have to chop it back (left) and get accustomed to a new spiky do (right)

'I was too shocked to feel anything for myself at first, but later the anger came that the cancer had been missed, and now I was terminally ill.'

The following day Kirsty's daughter Kaci was delivered by Caesarean section under general anaesthetic. The tiny baby weighed only 4lb 7oz.

Recalling the operation, she said: 'I had to have a general anaesthetic because the damage to my spine by the tumours meant I was at risk of becoming paralysed. Doctors said it was a miracle it hadn't happened already, so wanted to keep me as immobile as possible until they could operate.

After delivering the baby the surgeons repaired her spine under general anaesthetic with metal rods and screws

'When I came round Kaci was brought to me and laid on my chest. For a few moments I forgot about everything and just fell in love with her. She was tiny but perfect, unharmed by the cancer.

'The relief I felt was incredible but once she was taken back to her incubator in the Special Care Baby Unit, my mind turned to what lay ahead of me, and I was terrified.'

Two days later the new mum was again put under general anaesthetic so surgeons could repair her spine with metal rods and screws.

'I was so scared I wouldn't wake up from the operation, or I'd wake up paralysed,' she says. 'Thankfully the operation was a success but it was several weeks before I could walk properly again and over a week apart from Kaci as we were in separate parts of the hospital and neither of us could be moved to see the other.

'That was horrendous, I ached to hold her.'

Though her back operation was a success she was still in agony as she desperately wanted to hold her tiny premature baby

Kirsty spent five weeks in hospital while baby Kaci spent nine weeks there, before both were finally allowed home.

Even then the wife and mother was denied the chance to just be a 'normal' mother, having to begin six months of gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy.

'I lost my hair and had to be hospitalised when I reacted badly to the chemo. Dealing with my treatment, while caring for two babies, was very difficult. Ray was given time off work, and both our families came from Scotland to help.'

Kirsty finished chemotherapy in December 2015 and in spring of this year, the family moved home to their native Edinburgh.

She's still on medication now, noting: 'I'm on Tamoxifen at the moment and feeling very well. Finally I am able to enjoy just being a mum to Kyle and Kaci.

She said that dealing with six months of gruelling radiotherapy and chemotherapy while caring for her two children was very difficult

It has now been over six months since she finish treatment but she is still taking a medication called Tamoxifen

'My prognosis is still terminal but I am determined to prove doctors wrong and survive longer than three years.

'I am realistic though. I know I'm not going to live for as long as I want to, and I am keeping a diary and creating photo albums for my children. I want them to know me, and remember me, when I am gone.

'Most of all I want them to know how hard I fought to stay with them for as long as I possibly could.'
Three years may have passed since they last graced our screens but as X Factor gets set to return this weekend, the four judges look as if no time has passed at all.

Indeed, Sharon Osbourne, 63, Simon Cowell, 56, Louis Walsh, 64, and Nicole Scherzinger, 38, look better than ever.

So what are their secrets? As the age-defying foursome prepare to make their TV comeback, FEMAIL looks at how gracefully they've aged since they were last on our screens in 2013.

As the X Factor returns to our screens this weekend, Sharon Osbourne, 63, Simon Cowell, 56, Nicole Scherzinger, 38, and Louis Walsh, 64, pictured this year, don't seem to have aged a day

SHARON OSBOURNE

Unlike a large number of her Hollywood contemporaries, Sharon Osbourne has never shied away from discussing the cosmetic work she's had done.

So it was no surprise that the outspoken 63-year-old led laughs at her own expense during a pre-taped clip for her anticipated return to hit talent show The X Factor.

In a clip released on ITV's website, the wife of Ozzy Osbourne is seen chatting with fellow returning judge Louis Walsh, who remarks that she looks 'different' from when she was first on the show in 2004.

'That was like, I think, year one,' said Louis, as he thumbed through images of the star on his phone. 'She looks different!'

Rolling her eyes in faux exasperation, Sharon sighed: 'Oh, here we go! Here we go!'

'Is that you?' Louis, seemingly genuinely baffled, asked Sharon, who prompted raucous laughter as she quickly shot back: 'Let me see, how many facelifts ago?'

As the age-defying foursome prepare to make their TV comeback, FEMAIL looks at how they've barely aged a day since they were last on our screens in 2013

She may be over 60 but Sharon Osbourne's youthful complexion would suggest otherwise.

The 63-year-old X Factor judge, who returns to the show this year, has been looking younger than her years on recent outings.

The mother-of-three looked refreshed as she watched Black Sabbath headline the rock festival at Donington Park, Leicestershire, earlier this month and has been showing off a notably youthful complexion at the show's auditions.

Sharon Osbourne, 63, looked very youthful as she was spotted supporting husband Ozzy Osbourne at Download Festival as Black Sabbath headlined the rock festival held at Donington Park in June

Sharon has spoken openly in the past about having plastic surgery, and admitted to having a facelift, tummy tuck and breast lift, as well as several other procedures.

In fact, speaking to Weekend Magazine this month, Sharon was asked who's had the most work done. 'Obviously me,' she said. 'Although I haven't actually had anything major done for a good two years. I'm just maintaining now. But yes, we're all very well groomed these days.'

Very expensively groomed, too. 'It doesnt come easy. It costs a lot of money and a lot of time,' she added.

It has not gone unnoticed that the judge is looking ageless at the recent X Factor auditions, left. Sharon, right, in 2013, has spoken openly in the past about having plastic surgery, and admitted to having a facelift, tummy tuck and breast lift, as well as several other procedures

It's been three years since she entertained fans of The X Factor with her quick wit and infectious personality but while the years may have passed, Sharon Osbourne looked simply ageless as she joined her fellow judges for the first day of auditions at Leicester's King Power Stadium in June

Does someone like Sharon rejuvenate her face and body for personal reasons or professional ones?

'A bit of both,' she admits. 'Look, nobody wants to see somebody on the panel who has teeth missing and grey frizzy hair and glasses. It's not sexy. It's not Saturday night TV.'

Discussing her fresh-faced look, Dr Benji Dhillon, Aesthetic Surgeon at Phi Clinic, said: 'If she hasn't had surgery, which may have been a face and neck lift, it is likely she has had some non-invasive treatment to tighten her neck and lift her face.

'This may have been with Ultherapy. In addition her cheeks, under eye hollows and lines around her mouth and nose seem to not be very visible, possibly reflecting that she has had some well placed dermal fillers to gently fill out areas where she has lost volume with age.

'Lastly the lines around her eyes and on her forehead are not very visible, indicating that she may have had some Botox to soften these lines.'

Left: Sharon Osbourne poses in the press room during the People's Choice Awards 2016 at Microsoft Theater on January 6, 2016 in Los Angeles. Right: Sharon Osbourne arrives at the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on January 15, 2012

Sharon showed off a different look - and lighter hair colour - during her first stint on X Factor in 2007

Alison Telfer, from the Glasshouse Clinic, added: 'Its great to see Sharon looking so animated and "natural". The natural movement of her mouth and gentle elevation of her cheeks would suggest that she isnt overdoing treatment and is instead adopting a more subtle approach to her facial work, leaving her looking refreshed and naturally beautiful. These pictures clearly show that "less is more".'

Sharon has previously confessed to going under the knife several times, and has no qualms about talking about the work she's had done.

The star also previously admitted to having spent 120,000 on plastic surgery.

She had a gastric band - causing her to lose over 100lb - a full facelift, a tummy tuck, an eye lift, abdominoplasty and Botox.

On her own chat show in 2006, Sharon introduced her plastic surgeon, Dr. Leslie Stevens, to talk about her various procedures, and even had Botox injected live in front of the studio audience.

'I think that Botox is one of the best things to be created in plastic surgery,' Sharon cooed at the time.

A year later, in her autobiography Unbreakable, she wrote: 'There's not much I haven't had tweaked, stretched, peeled, lasered, veneered, enhanced or removed altogether. I don't think I'm as bad as some women - like Jocelyn Bride of Wildenstein.

'But I won't be having any more cosmetic procedures.'

Another interview, with Night and Day magazine over a decade ago, she said: 'After losing half my body weight I had flesh hanging everywhere. I had the sort of breasts you normally only ever see in the pages of National Geographic magazine.

The star looking fresh-faced in 2006, left, and smooth in 2004

'So much needed doing that it couldn't have been done in one operation.'

Sharon went on: 'I had liposuction on my neck and had it lifted, too. I had my breasts lifted, my arms lipo-ed and my tummy tucked. I had my bum lifted and implants inserted. And I had my legs lifted.

'The total cost was 120,000 and it was worth every last penny. I love cosmetic surgery.'

She concluded: 'I don't mind getting older.'

Speaking about her look, Dr Natalie Blakely said: 'Sharon always looks amazing. She also had surgery pre-2013 and she looks fantastic. She's got a brilliantly defined jawline, her eyes are really open, her cheeks have got good volume.

'I would imagine that in order to maintain the results of her surgery she is using Botox some cheek filler, possibly temple filler and almost certainly a combination of radio frequency and ultrasound to keep the Jawline defined and the chin lifted.'

NICOLE SCHERZINGER

She's making her grand comeback to The X Factor judging panel this autumn.

So Nicole Scherzinger naturally ensured she was the centre of attention when she arrived at The X Factor press launch in London on Thursday afternoon.

The 38-year-old star looked stunning in an electric blue minidress with an asymmetrical skirt and a funky, cut-out neckline.

Nicole has never confessed to having any work done and has always had flawless skin.

Singer Nicole Scherzinger, left, at the Dublin X Factor auditions in July and at the Global Gift Gala in 2013, around the same time that she last appeared on the show

To achieve her glowy skin, Nicole swears by just 'lots of water, moisturiser, illuminator and a shimmery highlighter.'

Hawaiian-born Nicole once told FEMAIL: 'I love Dr Murad toner and I really like the Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energising Eye Masks, they're really tingly and I use them every other day.

'I love the SK-II Facial Treatment Mask too, it is yummy!

'I love my creme blushes, illuminator, and moisturiser is everything to me because it keeps your skin fresh and dewy and not too cakey.'

Sharing her budget beauty tips, she said: 'My family makes it on coconut oil so I get that for free!

'It's so healthy for the skin, it's anti-bacterial, it is everything. You can use it for your hair and skin.

'Whatever lip gloss you have, use it on your cheeks too, I do that a lot. I also love the Boots eye make-up remover pads and No. 7 has good face wash.'

Speaking about her look, Dr Natalie Blakely said: 'Nicole looks fabulous. She is very natural looking and possibly uses some Botox and possibly some filler. She hasn't really changed since 2013 and this could be due to a very careful use of Botox and filler to keep her looking refreshed and gorgeous.'

Hawaiian-born Nicole, left, this year, and, right, in 2013, once told FEMAIL of her beauty regime: 'I love Dr Murad toner and I really like the Bliss Triple Oxygen Instant Energising Eye Masks, they're really tingly and I use them every other day'

Speaking about her look, Dr Natalie Blakely said: 'Nicole looks fabulous. She is very natural looking and possibly uses some Botox and possibly some filler' (the star is pictured in 2013 with the old judging panel)

Gary Barlow, Sharon Osbourne, Nicole Scherzinger and Louis Walsh pictured in 2013 on the last show they were all together, minus Simon Cowell

LOUIS WALSH

Speaking to MailOnline last year, Louis said he won't succumb to the lures of cosmetic surgery - unlike his pal Sharon Osbourne.

'I dont need it  I think its because Im happy, but Ive never looked better. Im the only person on the X Factor panel who hasnt had Botox and I intend to keep it that way.

'Sharon loves it, but it's not for me. I had a hair transplant, but that was it.'

Sharon this month told Weekend Magazine: 'Every time I see Louis he says, "Hello darling, so what have we had done today?"'

Speaking to MailOnline last year, Louis Walsh, pictured this year, said he won't succumb to the lures of cosmetic surgery

Louis, pictured in 2013 at the last X Factor launch, is looking younger than ever now

Anne-Marie Gillett, Non-Surgical Director at Transform, commented: 'Looking at these images, it appears that Louis has had a hair transplant, as he is no longer showing signs of male hairloss, with his hairline having been restored.

'The more recent picture also seems to show signs of him having had a blepharoplasty, known as an eyelift, or eyebag surgery, which is a surgical procedure to remove and tighten the loose skin from the eye area. Common with men of his age, it results in a more youthful and fresher appearance. I would expect him to indulge in regular non-surgical treatments such as Botox, as his forehead is looking super smooth and line free.

'This, combined with a good skincare regime and regular skin treatments such as facial peels and laser rejuvenation, provides a younger appearance. Louis teeth are now much straighter and more aligned as a result of cosmetic dentistry, which has made a massive difference to his smile and overall look; he looks great for his age and the treatments seem to have really worked for him.

'His overall look is more polished and brighter, which translates well on camera, giving him a much fresher appearance!'

Speaking about Louis, left this year, and, right, in 2014, Dr Natalie Blakely said: 'His jawline still looks very defined and it is likely that he's having ultrasound and radiofrequency treatments like ultrasound to keep the jaw line and chin area lifted'

Dr Natalie Blakely added: 'I think pre-2013 he had a face and neck lift and started using Botox so he looks very refreshed by 2013. I think that he continues to use Botox and even think that he possibly might be having a little bit of filler his cheeks. It gives them a very natural and lifted appearance.

'However, in the new photograph he is smiling and that lifts the cheek so it's difficult to tell.

'His jawline still looks very defined and it is likely that he's having ultrasound and radiofrequency treatments like ultrasound to keep the jaw line and chin area lifted.'

When contacted by MailOnline, a spokesperson for Louis said: 'Louis is very public about eye surgery he had eight plus years ago but other than that he's never had anymore work.'

SIMON COWELL

He's one of the biggest names in an industry known for placing a value on looks.

And Simon Cowell did, in fact, reveal last year that he'd had a 'little too much' Botox to stave off the ravages of age. The music mogul and X Factor star, 56, has also confessed to trying more than a few anti-aging techniques.

During an interview, the 56-year-old admitted that he'd realised he'd overdone it with the popular cosmetic injections after Sharon Osbourne had made a joke about his face not moving.

Simon Cowell did, in fact, reveal last year that he'd had a 'little too much' Botox to stave off the ravages of age

Speaking about his age-defying attempts and grooming secrets in an interview with Daily Mirror, the X Factor boss revealed that his friend's gag had prompted him to give up the treatment.

Speaking unabashedly about the treatment and his views on it, he said: 'Hopefully I look better now  I probably did have a little too much Botox a couple of years ago, because everyone on TV has it.'

But while Simon has admitted to going overboard on the Botox, his quest for age-defying treatments has also featured some of the more crazy A-Lister beauty fads too.

Recalling one of his first forays into the world of beauty fads, he explained he had once been wrapped in foil like a TV dinner and left to 'detox' in his house.

'Once in LA, years ago, I met this girl who would wrap me up in cling film and then tin foil, after covering me in oils,' he said. 'It was meant to be detoxing.'

'She then put me in this tube in my house, locked me into it for an hour, and told me what she liked or didn't like on the show.'

Speaking unabashedly about the treatment and his views on it, Simon, left, last year, and, right, in 2013, said: 'Hopefully I look better now - I probably did have a little too much Botox a couple of years ago, because everyone on TV has it'

But while Simon explained that he's done undergone some crazy fads in his time including a sheep placenta facial, which he labelled a strange experience, he's still a fan of some beautifying regimes.

According to the Britain's Got Talent boss, he now has regular vitamin injections - a cocktail of vitamins and nutrients championed by stars such as fellow X Factor judges Rita Ora and Cheryl Fernandez-Versini.

But while he's kept his quest for a youthful visage up, the SyCo records boss admitted that since he and his girlfriend Lauren Silverman have become parents his priorities have changed.

Although he still says he does several hundred sets of push-ups a day to boost his fitness level, he has cut out a lot of the fad health and cosmetic treatments.

His skin is line-free, shiny and taut  all tell tale signs of regular Botox and dermal filler use. Its uncommon for a man of his age to have such a smooth appearance and youd expect more wrinkles across the forehead and around the eyes. I would say hes had too much product injected into the forehead area, as it looks very heavy in recent images

Anne-Marie Gillett, Non-Surgical Director at Transform, commented: 'Simon looks great for his age and what a head of hair he has! Looking at these pictures, it seems that hes also been indulging in some non-surgical treatments of late.

'His skin is line-free, shiny and taut  all tell tale signs of regular Botox and dermal filler use. Its uncommon for a man of his age to have such a smooth appearance and youd expect more wrinkles across the forehead and around the eyes. I would say hes had too much product injected into the forehead area, as it looks very heavy in recent images.

'His cheeks are looking fuller, suggesting hes had some dermal fillers injected. Id also say that hes had some cosmetic fillers in his nasal labial, commonly known as smile lines. The dermal fillers restore volume to certain areas of the face and create a more youthful appearance. I would expect Simon to work with some of the best practitioners available to combine a range of non-surgical treatments into his skincare regime.

'You can see that his skin is brighter in the recent pictures, which has been helped by regular facial peels, laser rejuvenation and microdermabrasion. Simon works in a very image based industry - non-surgical treatments are standard for anyone who works in TV and has regular pictures taken. Youd expect anyone with this type of work to have a good skincare regime and although its worked for Simon, we would always advise people not to overdo it  in particular when its injectables. You should always seek the advice of a qualified aesthetician or doctor, so that you can achieve a natural look without looking overdone or unnatural.'
She put her heart on the line in the name of love. And it seems the gamble may have paid off for Bella Frizza.

The Gold Coast radio host, who is set to walk down the aisle on the upcoming series of Married At First Sight Australia, has been photographed wearing a very prominent ring on a very important finger.

The 30-year-old made no effort to hide the hot pink sparkler and diamond band, and had a huge smile on her face as she had a coffee at an outdoor table in Surfers Paradise.

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Wedded bliss? Married At First Sight bride Bella Frizza has been photographed with a ring on her wedding finger

Bella will make her television debut when Married At First Sight Australia returns to the small screen on August 29.

The blushing bride will walk down the aisle to a complete stranger in search of love.

And while the gamble does not always pay off for the singletons, these pictures may show that Bella's match has lasted the distance.

Flashing her rock: The bubble blonde tucked her hair behind her ears, her pink sparkler on display

Rising to fame: Bella will make her television debut when the series returns to air of August 29

Double take: But in the promo shoot for the series Bella wears a completely different ring on her wedding ring

In the photos a smiling Bella is dressed in a white collared shirt and on-trend floral choker.

On her wedding finger is a silver band emblazoned with a hot pink stone.

The ring was part of a set, with a smaller diamond-studded band worn beneath the pink sparkler.

However, the set is different to the simple wedding band Bella wears in promo photos for the series.

Twice as nice: While the ring may hint at her ongoing marriage, it is strange to wear a different ring set

Dressed in a floral skirt and navy blue top, Bella wears a simple silver band that resembles neither the pink stone ring or diamond-studded wedding band.

The bubble blonde wrote in her radio bio that she loves: 'anything with sparkles on it'.
She presented him with a 133-year-old Carlsberg beer during their meet

The Australian-born Royal had the opportunity to meet the genius, too

Crown Princess Mary has looked positively glowing since she returned from Rio, showing off tanned, toned skin, her trademark glossy hair and an array of summery, pastel outfits.

And her meeting with Professor Stephen Hawking, at the DR Concert Hall for his lecture on 'Quantum Black Holes', proved no exception.

The 44-year-old Royal donned a pale pink dress with a pleated skirt for the occasion.

Royal meeting: Crown Princess Mary met with Professor Stephen Hawking (both pictured) in Copenhagen on Thursday

Eminent: The genius was speaking at his 'Quantum Black Holes' lecture, and the Australian-born Royal was one of 1,800 guests at the event

She paired this with a grey cardigan, rose quartz jewels, Gianvito Rossi stilettos and a Hugo Boss clutch bag.

Looking every inch the stylish Royal, the Crown Princess took a seat at Mr Hawking's lecture at the DR Concert Hall in Copenhagen on Wednesday with 1800 other people.

She later got the chance to meet with the genius himself.

Pretty in pink: The stunning 44-year-old Royal donned a pale pink dress with a pleated skirt for the occasion - she paired this with rose quartz jewels, stilettos and a grey cardigan (pictured)

Occasion: During their meeting, the Australian-born Royal presented the Crown Princess Mary with a Carlsberg beer - Mr Hawking posted on Facebook about their encounter

' I have spent the last five days in beautiful Copenhagen,' Stephen Hawking wrote on his Facebook page on Thursday.

'Last night I presented my Carlsberg Foundation Distinguished Lecture "Quantum Black Holes" in the DR Concert Hall in front of 1,800 spectators and 7,000 people in cinemas around Denmark.

'After my lecture I met Crown Princess Mary and was presented with a 133-year-old Carlsberg beer.'

Busy: It has been a full month for the Princess, who has attended an array of official events

The photos taken at the event show the Princess looking all smiles both outside the lecture theatre, and as she chatted with Mr Hawking just afterwards.

It has been a busy month for the Princess, who has attended an array of official events including the opening of the Monet exhibition, Monet: Beyond Impressionism.
A brave young woman who was prostituted by her own mother, has revealed how she has come to forgive her.

Lauren Darlington, 23, from Corrimal, NSW, has shared her story six years after her mother and a prostitute friend were both jailed for the the role they played in causing Ms Darlington to become an escort at the age of 16.

'I will never forget what happened, but it's been quite healing for me to forgive her,' Ms Darlington told Daily Mail Australia, referring to her mother.

Lauren Darlington (pictured) said she did not want to go through life with what-ifs

'I did not want to go through life with what-ifs. If something bad happened to her I would not want to look back and wonder. I do not want to have any regrets.'

Ms Darlington spent most of her childhood under the care of her father but she saw her mother every two weeks.

Then, when she was 16 she went through a difficult period.

'I just dropped out of school,' Ms Darlington revealed, adding 'I had lost a lot of time in school... I was in and out of hospital because I was self harming.'

She said the world of prostitution was glorified by a friend of her mother's

Describing herself as 'really mentally unwell' at this time, she went to stay with her mother - someone, she said, who 'understood' her.

'I felt comfortable around her,' Ms Darlington said. 'She was really good at looking after me when I mentally not well.'

However, during the stay, Ms Darlington was introduced to a prostitute friend of her mother's who glorified the world she worked in.

Ms Darlington said she agreed to be a prostitute to help her mum financially

'I was essentially being groomed, not by Mum, but by the friend,' she revealed, explaining the friend tried to impress her with tales of money and handbags.

'She said how easy it was,' Ms Darlington said. 'She was trying to get me comfortable with the idea of it.'

At the time Lauren and her mum were on Centrelink and money was tight.

She continued, 'I wanted to help Mum financially and it was painted to be so easy.'

Ms Darlington was exposed to the seedy world of prostitution, where she witnessed drug use, and was promised she could earn as much as $1000 for two nights work.

'Some nights you could get $500 or $600 but that would be for working 12 hours through the night,' she said.

Her mother and the friend falsified Ms Darlington's birth certificate, so that she would appear to 18 and over the legal age to work.

Ms Darlington's birth certificate was falsified by her mother and the friend, so she would appear to be of legal age to work

'It was only two or three weeks before I snapped out of it,' she said. 'One day I just had enough. I was just really tired of everything.'

'I realised I cannot do it any more. I was exposed to a lot of violence. I was recently self-harming and I had a lot of scars. It was quite an uncomfortable and vulnerable to be in that environment.'

All this time, her father had no idea what was happening. It was only when his daughter confessed to what had taken place several days later, that he found out.

'I came back to Dad's and I did not tell him for a couple of days. I did not know how to,' Ms Darlington said. 'As soon as I told him he took me straight to the police station.'

Ms Darlington said she was not ready to talk about her experience for a long time

Ms Darlington's mother and the friend were subsequently charged.

Her mother was sentenced to serve at least 18 months' jail after pleading guilty to charges of obtaining a benefit from child prostitution and causing a child to participate in prostitution.

The friend was was sentenced to two and a half years imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to intimidation and causing a person under the age of 18 to take part in the act of child prostitution.

Ms Darlington, who for a long time was not ready to talk about her experience, is speaking out to help other women who may be trapped in a cycle of prostitution. She now shares her journey on her blog Letters from Lauren

She said for a quite a while afterwards she was self harming and felt trapped in the past

'For quite a while afterwards I was self harming and I was unwell. I was so trapped in the past and how I felt about myself. Since then I have felt very insecure and quite unsure of who I am,' she said.

'But regardless of where you come from, it does not define who you are moving forward.

'I would hope that by me sharing my story it makes someone else feel they are not alone. I would like to go out and speak to younger women who are stuck in that kind of situation.'

In her 20s, Ms Darlington competed as a bodybuilder but has since changed her focus. She is now studying youth work and said: 'I still love weight training but it takes a lot of time and energy and I want to use that determination elsewhere.'

She said that although she is in a relationship now, her past continued to affect her.

For a time, Ms Darlington competed as a body builder but said her focus is now elsewhere

'The relationship now is beautiful and amazing and he is so supportive of me,' she said.

But she added, 'For a period of time I would have flashbacks. I would be able to be intimate in certain relationships. It was a really hard time. I would often be scared of people leaving and be paranoid.'

In spite of all that has happened to her, Ms Darlington said she was now in contact with her mother again and that her mother has 'said sorry' to her.

'It's mainly this year that it's been more of a relationship,' she said. 'There are still times when it is still hard but I've really closed the chapter of what happened.
To dunk or not to dunk, that was the question dividing the nation after Great British Bake Off returned to our screens - pulling in 11 million viewers.

Since the programme aired, McVities' brand director, Kerry Owens, has come forward saying: 'Only Brits could be so passionate about this issue, and they have spoken - Jaffa Cakes are not for dunking.

'As the experts of all things Jaffa Cake (and dunking) we tend to agree - the sponge base just isnt robust enough to hold up in a hot drink.

'However, Paul is the nations expert of all things baking so maybe well see him starting a new trend.'

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The furore was sparked by Paul Hollywood after the judge dunked a Jaffa cake into a cup of tea on the BBC One show - much to the disgust of Mary Berry

Mary Berry's face gave her opinion away as she said: 'We don't do that in the south you know'

The furore was sparked by Paul Hollywood after the judge dunked a Jaffa cake into a cup of tea on the BBC One show - much to the disgust of Mary Berry.

The act - and Mary's reaction, scolding Paul saying: 'We don't do that in the south, you know' - left viewers divided, with thousands taking to social media to vent their fury or support for the 50-year-old.

Twitter was alight with comments surrounding Paul's questionable decision to dunk the Jaffa cake - which the 12 new contestants were asked to make as their first technical challenge.

It also opened up the debate over whether a Jaffa cake is in fact a cake or a biscuit.

The answer, confirmed by HMRC (for tax purposes) is that Jaffa cakes are definitely cakes - not biscuits.

The HMRC ruled that Jaffa Cakes had enough characteristics of cakes to be accepted as such.

This didn't stop the comments though.

One viewer wrote: 'Paul Hollywood dunks his Jaffa cakes in tea. This is unacceptable. Just dunk a Digestive instead you savage.'

Another agreed, questioning: 'Who dips their Jaffa cakes in their tea?' with an emoji to sum up his disgust.

Referring to Mary's glare, another tweeted: 'Anyone who still believes that you should dunk your Jaffa cakes in tea should refer to Mary's disapproval.'

Others, however, jumped to Paul's defence.

One tweeted saying: 'I knew I wasn't the only one who dunks their Jaffa cakes into their tea!!'

Someone from down south agreed: 'Sorry Mary. Some of us do dunk Jaffa Cakes in our tea. Even in the South!'

The official Yorkshire Tea Twitter account even got involved in the action, tweeting: 'Do jaffa cakes dunk? YES THEY DO MARY BERRY.'

Others were unhappy with his decision, 'Anyone who still believes that you should dunk your Jaffa Cakes in tea should refer to Mary's disapproval'

The debate continued throughout the episode - which pulled in 11 million viewers - as others joined in and expressed their opinion.

'Ew' wrote one Twitter user, 'who dunks Jaffa cakes in tea' with several crying emoji faces.

Another made an important point, saying: 'It's cake week but Paul dunks it in his tea?!'

It was only a matter of time before t he British Bake Off official Twitter account even joined in, asking viewers: 'To dunk or not to dunk? Twitter, let us know how you feel!'

After 2,700 votes, the British Bake Off account sarcastically tweeted: 'Well, that's cleared that up then...'

Viewers were completely divided in their opinion and the results came to exactly 50/50.

Poll Would you dunk jaffa cakes into your cup of tea? Yes, of course! Ugh, no way! Would you dunk jaffa cakes into your cup of tea? Yes, of course! 816 votes

Ugh, no way! 2030 votes Now share your opinion





The debate continues.

Church minister Lee Banfield said he was disappointed at being the first person to leave the show.

The 67-year-old, who is also the oldest competitor in the seventh series, fell behind the other 11 bakers to become the first to exit the tent.

He admitted he was 'disappointed to be the first off' after his trio of bakes failed to impress judges Paul and Mary .

The bakers were asked to create drizzle cakes for the Signature bake and Jaffa cakes in the Technical challenge, before constructing a perfect genoise sponge with a mirror glaze for their final bakes, known as the Showstopper.

Jane Beedle, 61, was named the first Star Baker of the series, thanks to her impressive lemon and poppy seed drizzle cake, and chocolate and orange ganache-covered mirror glaze Showstopper.
She was hailed the world's hottest royal by Tatler magazine - and it seems that Lady Amelia Windsor is living up to the title.

Lady Amelia, who is 36th in line to the throne, was a vision in white as she celebrated her 21st birthday with friends at the Burberry cafe in London on Thursday night.

The 21-year-old was joined by her 23-year-old sister, Marina Windsor, and pals, Isabella Samengo Turner and Adriana Samengo Turner, at Thomass Cafe at Burberry 121 Regent Street.

Lady Amelia Windsor, who is 36th in line to the throne, was a vision in white as she celebrated her 21st birthday with friends in the Burberry cafe on Thursday night

The royal, who was dressed in a lace gown with a plunging neckline and chunky black boots, dined from the cafes quintessentially British menu.

Amelia's big sister, Marina, wore a silk dress with floral and python print panels from Burberry's AW16 collection and both sisters carried the brand's new tote.

Thomas's is a high-end cafe situated within Burberry's London flagship store and the menu is full of classic British dishes such as Shepherds pie, peas, carrots and marjoram for 18, as well as dishes like lobster and chips for 45.

The stylish foursome were in high spirits as they sipped on champagne and posed for the camera.

Lady Amelia, right, was joined by her sister, Marina Windsor and Isabella Samengo Turner and Adriana Samengo Turner at the event

The royal, who was dressed in a lace gown, and her friends dined from the cafes quintessentially British menu

She may be 36th in line to the throne and hailed as the most beautiful royal, but Lady Amelia Windsor has to earn her keep just like the rest of us.

According to the Evening Standard, the granddaughter of the Queen's cousin offered her waitressing services at the Rook & Raven gallery in Fitzrovia earlier this year for the launch of Sunsoul, a new natural energy drink.

The tipple is the brainchild of Sir Richard Branson's entrepreneurial children, Sam and Holly Branson, who are great friends of Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie.

The Windsor sisters prove they share good looks and style as they posed at the cafe carrying the brand's new tote

Thomas's is a high-end cafe situated within Burberry's London flagship store

The menu at the fashionable venue is full of classic British dishes such as Shepherds pie, peas, carrots and marjoram for 18

According to the Evening Standard, Lady Amelia Windsor, the 20-year-old granddaughter of the Queen's cousin, offered her waitressing services at the Rook & Raven gallery in Fitzrovia

She was spotted helping her friends out by handing out canapes including tuna carpaccio at one of the events.

The bash came a week after she attended a swanky handbag launch at Kensington Palace's Orangery.

And just a few days ago, the Duke of Kents granddaughter joined the Queen's extended family for a celebration of her 90th birthday at St Paul's cathedral.

The stylish star, who is studying at Edinburgh University, lived up to expectations in head-to-toe Chanel. She paired an elegant front-pleated dress with tweed sleeves, skyscraper shoes and a quilted yellow bag. The ensemble cost 8,000.

The young royal shot to global fame in April, when she appeared on the cover of Tatler magazine, who hailed her 'the world's most beautiful royal', and instantly became the darling of high society.

This isn't the first time that Lady Amelia (pictured at the queen's 90th) has hinted at a working life revealing that she had already done an internship with Chanel in Paris

Lady Amelia also recently revealed that she had already done an internship with Chanel in Paris.

She said of her time with the fashion house: 'It was one of the best experiences Ive ever had. To see how much goes into making a fashion business is quite exciting.'

But Lady Amelia is no mere vacuous socialite in the making. On the contrary. She is vocal about her love for Latin, saying she is 'crazy' about it after studying it for A-level and is rather bookish in nature.

She's currently reading French and Italian at Edinburgh University. Indeed, a friend of hers insists that, despite appearances, she's 'quite quiet'.

Tatler magazine even dubbed the brunette 'the most beautiful member of the Royal Family'

Fashion-loving Amelia Windsor joined Princess Diana's niece Lady Kitty Spencer at the Christian Dior Cruise collection at Blenheim Palace on May 31

The Earl Of St Andrews with wife, Sylvana, and their children, Lord Downpatrick Edward Windsor, Lady Amelia Windsor (centre) and Lady Marina Windsor were snapped on the Buckingham Palace balcony for Trooping the Colour when they were little

Religion was an important part of the children's formative years, and both Amelia's elder siblings converted to Catholicism, ruling themselves out of the line of succession, allowing Amelia to become 36th in line to the throne.

Amelia studied art history, French and Latin for A-level. But that Windsor love for glamour kicked in at an early age.
For two hours she charges 400 and some clients are married with children

The 19-year-old now makes money sleeping with men as an escort

Tashion first realised she was in the wrong body at age 16

A transgender teenager claims to have been paid to sleep with over 300 married men - earning 40,000 in just five months.

Three years after beginning to transition at the tender age of 16, college student Tashion EJ Taylor, from Cheshire, who was born a boy, said she was looking to find acceptance.

In January this year she first went on dating sites - even though she did not expect to receive any responses. However, to her surprise, within 24 hours she was inundated with messages from interested admirers.

College student Tashion EJ Taylor, 19, claims to have made 40,000 in just five months from sleeping with 300 men

The positive reception from the online community gave Tashion comfort and it persuaded her to respond to her growing list of suitors.

Her phone was constantly vibrating with new notifications from men aged between 30 to 50.

Within a month of signing up to three websites - Craiglist, We Love Dates and Your Lovers - Tashion agreed to meet her first admirer, a 40-year-old married doctor, for a coffee.

She said: 'I had been completely open about being pre-op transgender and really didn't think anyone would be interested in me.

'Since living as a woman from age 16 I'd never experienced that acceptance. I yearned for it.'

Tashion first came out as gay at 13, but quickly realised that she was in the wrong body, and started cross-dressing three years later.

While searching for acceptance she signed up to dating sites but fast found them a lucrative business

However, following a lack of family support she left home and was self-conscious around others.

After signing up to dating websites, Tashion found her new life unexpectedly lucrative and she said was finally finding the acceptance she craved. And, with her new-found confidence she was meeting a different man every week.

The college student enjoyed coffee dates, cinema trips and evening dinners, and found herself being wined, dined and adored.

At age 13 she came out to her family and at age 16 she first started to transition, Tashion now lives her life as a female

She says: 'I'd been bombarded with messages and seemed to attract a particular man. Older, married and usually with children.

'Of course I felt a bit guilty, but when I met them and talked through their back stories I actually felt sorry for them.

'These men were closeted and not able to express their real selves. I'd been there and could sympathise.'

Four months after uploading her digital profile, she took the next step and started having sexual relationships.

First her digital life started innocently with coffee dates and cinema trips, but soon the married men chased her for a more intimate relationship

Tashion explains: 'I took it slow at first, enjoying their company and keeping it casual. But in April I took the plunge and decided to start sleeping with them.

'I finally feel confident and able to be the real me.

'The men have become so attached and treat me like a princess, wanting to spoil and look after me.'

By June, Tashion was seeing 30 men a week and making 8,000 a month - as some of the married men would pay 400 to spend just two hours with her.

She reveals: 'I never set out to make money, but when they started offering it just became so easy. Looking good comes at a cost, so the money is welcome.

It was four months after creating her online profile before Tashion first enjoyed a sexual encounter

'I don't feel like I'm a prostitute. I don't stand on a street corner and I don't ask for it.

'I get bombarded with offers and interest from married men.

'You stop feeling guilty when you realise the pain they are suffering.'

In just five months she claims to have slept with 300 men, which is a tally that continues to rise.

Making a shocking 40,000, she is now saving for gender reassignment surgery.

Soon after sleeping with men she met online she was being offered 400 for two hours of her time

She said: 'I don't feel guilty. Yes I get moments where I feel bad, but seeing these men who can't come out makes me realise I'm like their therapy. They live these secret lives and I'm their secret mistress.

'I've slept with over 300 people and I love my life.

'I don't intend to stop any time soon, I'm earning good money and it's not always about sex. Sometimes people just want to chat over a coffee.

'I feel sexier than ever and have been told that I'm prettier than most women.'
American star is one of Victoria's Secrets new Angels

Kendall Jenner and Gigi Hadid may have been dominating campaigns and catwalks but in the fast-paced and fickle world of fashion, there's always a new name on everyone's lips.

Meet Taylor Hill - the Victoria's Secret Angel with supermodel good looks and a roster of A-list pals.

Taylor has been enlisted to model high street giant Topshop's AW16 collection - and proves her worth in the edgy campaign shots.

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Victoria's Secret Angel Taylor Hill, 20, proves she's the world's top model as she lands a coveted Topshop campaign

The 20-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel displays her model good looks and effortless sense of style as she models the brand's new collection in an edgy shoot.

In one image, she reclines on a balcony wearing a sheer dress toughed up with a studded black biker jacket and in another, she showcases her model physique in a fitted black dress.

Her debut campaign for the brand was shot in New York by acclaimed photographer Giampaolo Sgura and styled by Creative Director, Kate Phelan.

The budding supermodel also stars in a playful film starring her dog, Tate.

The 20-year-old Victoria's Secret Angel displays her model good looks and effortless sense of style as she models the brand's new collection in an edgy shoot

At just 19, Taylor was scouted while on a horse ranch in Colorado by Jim Jordan, an agent who is also a photographer

Speaking about their latest recruit, Kate said: 'Taylor walked in the February 2016 UNIQUE show  she is a social supermodel and a young woman with style and personality; she is every Topshop girl rolled into one.

'Whether she is a tomboy in jeans, glamorous in cocktail, or pretty in polka dots, Taylor is Topshops ultimate girl crush.'

At just 19, Taylor was scouted while on a horse ranch in Colorado by Jim Jordan, an agent who is also a photographer.

She recently told V magazine how she and her equally genetically blessed siblings  sisters Logan, 22, and Mackinley, 19, as well as brother Chase, 17  got into the modeling business.

'Okay, so, we went on a horseback riding trip  my sisters rode side saddle. Someone was doing a photoshoot at the ranch, and he mistook us for the models, and we were like, "Um, no."

'He told my mom I should move to New York and start modeling and all that stuff, and thats how it all started,' she said. Her siblings are also now working professionally, and signed to IMG.

The 20-year-old was also recently announced as the new brand ambassador for Maison Lancome, the beauty brand's collection of fragrances, and Jimmy Choo

The 20-year-old displays her model good looks and effortless sense of style as she models the brand's new collection in an edgy shoot

She was quickly snapped up to star in Intimissimi's catalogue, has modelled for H&M and was one of the faces of Rosa Cha with Erin Heatherton, Frida Gustavsson and Barbara Palvin.

The 20-year-old was also recently announced as the new brand ambassador for Maison Lancome, the beauty brand's collection of fragrances, and Jimmy Choo.

Whatever she is wearing, however, her boyfriend Michael Stephen Shank doesn't seem to notice much  or care.

'He's a boy, they don't notice! He just says, "You smell weird,"' she added. 'Boys just don't get it. Do it for yourself, not for anyone else.'

'I like Maybelline BB cream for a tint, rather than full-on foundation. The texture is really soft and it blends really nicely  its one of the best ones Ive found,' she told Vogue. 'MAC makes a glowy, pink bronzer that I really like that gives you more of a sun-kissed glow than a dark tan.

'And I wear a bit of mascara. I like LOreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Mascara, because the brush is plastic and gives you a lot of separation  every lash gets a coat without clumping together.

'On my lips, I like this Clarins lip butter  its so thick it looks and feels like honey, but it gives a nice shiny gloss.'
While most people would be loath to pose for an unflattering ID picture, one Michigan teen took a less-than-perfect snap on purpose  and it was totally worth it for the laughs.

High school senior Tyra Hunt, 17, didn't worry too much about being her prettiest self when she sat down for her new ID photo this year. Instead, she was focused on being her four-year-old self.

The Kentwood teen went all-out to recreate a picture day snap she took more than a decade earlier, in kindergarten, and earned the admiration of amused fans across the internet in the process.

Genius idea: Tyra Hunt, 17, decided to recreate a kindergarten picture for her high school ID this year

Love it! The Michigan high school senior has earned thousands of fans for the funny snap

Tyra, who is on her school's varsity cheerleading and track teams, told BuzzFeed that students at her high school are allowed to 'get creative' with their ID photos, and aren't restricted to simple smiling snaps.

So for her final school ID before heading off to college next year, she decided to look back to her first school picture for inspiration.

For the original photo, taken when she was four, Tyra really didn't want to pose for the camera.

'When I was in kindergarten, I refused to take my school picture, and it got so serious that the principal had to call my mom,' she told Fox17 West Michigan.

Make 'em laugh! She styled her hair the same way and even struck a nearly identical pose

Looking back: Tyra said she was reluctant to smile in the original childhood photo, which became a family favorite

Her mom then tried her best to make the little girl smile, which resulted in an odd  yet hilarious  grimace.

In the picture, Tyra is seen wearing a lime green hoodie that says Team USA across the front, and she has matching beaded hair ties in her pigtails. But she is is quite clearly a reluctant participant in the picture day routine, furrowing her brow and giving a forced, uneasy look to someone just above the camera's lens.

Though her mom may not have gotten the smile she hoped for, she actually got something much better. The whole family fell in love with the funny snap, which sits in their living room to this day.

So this year, when she posed for her senior ID, she committed fully to recreating that funny picture. She found a matching green shirt, and ironed on a similar Team USA emblem.

Though she knew the photo was funny, she is surprised it as gone viral

She did her hair the same way, and finally struck an almost identical pose, pouting out her lower lip to show her bottom row of teeth.

But the jokey ID photo hasn't been a hit with just her friends and family  it's been a hit with the whole internet. Since she shared the two photos side-by-side on Twitter, the post has been liked over 102,000 times and retweeted over 34,000 times .
The ever-entertaining Mary Berry may have watched in horror as Paul Hollywood dunked his Jaffa Cake into his tea - but the rest of the nation got the munchies during this week's Great British Bake Off.

The first episode of baking show's seventh series aired this week - pulling in 11.2 million viewers at its peak on Wednesday night - and inspired hordes of eager online shoppers to search for Jaffa Cakes and lemon drizzle, which both featured in the challenges.

Some of the country's top supermarkets reported that searches for, and sales of, both products surged during and after the popular show.

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After Jaffa Cakes, pictured here being eaten by Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry, and lemon drizzle cake featured on this week's Great British Bake Off, online grocery shop searches for those items rose by 136 per cent

Sainbury's found that searches for 'jaffa' on their website rose by 136 per cent on Wednesday compared to the previous day, while 76 per cent more people looked for 'jaffa cakes' than on Tuesday.

It may well have inspired bakers at home to try it for themselves, as Sainsbury's also reported a rise in online searches for related ingredients - including orange jelly and dark chocolate.

But not everyone who got hungry while watching the baking show wanted to test their baking skills.

About 136 per cent more people looked for shop-bought 'lemon drizzle cake' than on Tuesday, according to the supermarket - and they weren't the only one to report a Bake Off effect.

About 136 per cent more people looked for shop bought 'lemon drizzle cake,' according to Sainsbury's

Marks and Spencer reported that sales of poppy seeds are up 23 per cent this week, while lemon curd sales rose by 5 per cent - both ingredients used to make a lemon drizzle cake.

It also saw a rise in sales of traditional baking ingredients like caster sugar and eggs, which both rose by 12 per cent.

Sioned Read, Sainsburys buyer for home baking said: 'Were used to seeing a spike in demand each series and popular ingredients yesterday included orange jelly, gluten free flours and cooking chocolate, so the baking trend shows no sign of slowing this year.

'Its apparent that viewers want to get involved right away while watching the show, whether thats by sourcing ingredients, recipes or equipment.'

The 'dunking' furore was sparked by Paul Hollywood after the judge dunked a Jaffa Cake into a cup of tea on the BBC One show - much to the disgust of Mary Berry

M&S home baking buyer added: 'Weve already seen an increase in sales of baking ingredients this week as our customers cook up some treats ahead of the bank holiday weekend.'

The Bake Off effect follows the furore sparked by Paul Hollywood after the judge dunked a Jaffa Cake into a cup of tea on theBBC One show - much to the disgust of Mary Berry.

Since the programme aired, McVities' brand director, Kerry Owens, has come forward saying: 'Only Brits could be so passionate about this issue, and they have spoken - Jaffa Cakes are not for dunking.

'As the experts of all things Jaffa Cake (and dunking) we tend to agree - the sponge base just isnt robust enough to hold up in a hot drink.

'However, Paul is the nations expert of all things baking so maybe well see him starting a new trend.'

Mary Berry's face gave her opinion away as she said: 'We don't do that in the south, you know'

Twitter was alight with comments surrounding Paul's questionable decision to dunk the Jaffa Cake - which the 12 new contestants were asked to make as their first technical challenge.

It also opened up the debate over whether a Jaffa Cake is in fact a cake or a biscuit.

The answer, confirmed by HMRC (for tax purposes) is that Jaffa Cakes are definitely cakes - not biscuits.

The HMRC ruled that Jaffa Cakes had enough characteristics of cakes to be accepted as such.

This didn't stop the comments though.

Others were unhappy with his decision, 'Anyone who still believes that you should dunk your Jaffa Cakes in tea should refer to Mary's disapproval'

While some jumped to Paul's defence, there seemed to be quite a lot of outrage over his actions.

One viewer wrote: 'Paul Hollywood dunks his Jaffa cakes in tea. This is unacceptable. Just dunk a Digestive instead you savage.'

'Ew' wrote one Twitter user, 'who dunks Jaffa cakes in tea' with several crying emoji faces.

Another made an important point, saying: 'It's cake week but Paul dunks it in his tea?!'

The matter certainly divided opinion

It was only a matter of time before t he British Bake Off official Twitter account even joined in, asking viewers: 'To dunk or not to dunk? Twitter, let us know how you feel!'

After 2,700 votes, the British Bake Off account sarcastically tweeted: 'Well, that's cleared that up then...'

Viewers were completely divided in their opinion and the results came to exactly 50/50.

The debate continues.
Admits he wishes he had more confidence in his youth

We ask a celebrity a set of devilishly probing questions  and only accept THE definitive answer. This week it's TV adventurer Simon Reeve

The prized possession you value above all others Oddly, it's my white plastic childhood sick bowl! My mum Cindy, who's 73 now, kept it for years and then gave it to me. It reminds me of being lovingly cared for. Now I use it when my son Jake, who's five, is ill.

Simon is full of confidence now but he said when he was younger he was 'on the sidelines of life'

The biggest regret you wish you could amend Not ducking when a mate threw half a brick at me when I was 12. He was only mucking about but it hit me in the face and scraped my right eye. I'll never forget the agony of the doctors digging brick fragments out of my eye, and I've had to wear glasses and contact lenses ever since.

The temptation you wish you could resist Watching rubbish TV late at night. I'm a sucker for action movies, but I don't need to watch Die Hard 3 again!

The unlikely interest that engages your curiosity Chopping wood. I live in a remote part of Dartmoor with my wife Anya and Jake and it's reassuring to have a woodpile to keep us warm in winter.

The unending quest that drives you on To see as much of the world as I can in the time I have left.

The treasured item you lost and wish you could have again My pet gerbils Arthur and Terry  named after the characters in Minder  from when I was 12. I was devastated when they died.

The pet hate that makes your hackles rise... People using business lingo like 'blue sky thinking'. It's ridiculous.

The figure from history for whom you'd most like to buy a pie and a pint I'd get leadership tips from the US World War II commander General Patton. I can't organise my family!

The film you can watch time and time again The Battle Of Algiers from 1966. It's so gritty and realistic you feel as if you're there.

Simon has travelled the world as his philosophy on life is 'get out there and find purpose'

The person who has influenced you most My late grandma Lucy, who died in 2002 aged 81. She had polio when she was a child and needed a mobility car later in life, but nothing held her back. She used to take me and my brother James on mystery tours in that car and those trips sparked my adventurous streak.

The piece of wisdom you would pass on to a child Get on the dance floor! I was too self-conscious when I was younger, so I was on the sidelines of life. My wish for Jake is that he's a happy kid who dances.

The priority activity if you were the Invisible Man for a day I'd visit Turkmenistan, as I was denied entry there in 2003 when I was filming my series Meet The Stans, in which I visited the other four Central Asian republics.

The book that holds an everlasting resonance Schindler's Ark by Thomas Keneally [which was adapted into the film Schindler's List]. It made me realise true evil existed in the world.

The crime you would commit knowing you could get away with it I'd kidnap a few nasty dictators and give them some firm re-education treatment.

The song that means most to you Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life from Monty Python's Life Of Brian should be on the school curriculum. We should all feel positive.

The philosophy that underpins your life Get out there and find purpose.

The poem that touches your soul I'm not mad about poetry, but I really connect with this quote from the philosopher Bertrand Russell: 'Three passions govern my life: the longing for love, the search for knowledge and unbearable pity for the suffering of mankind.'

The misapprehension about yourself you wish you could erase It rankles that people think I'm a posh public schoolboy. I went to my local comp.

The event that altered the course of your life and character 9/11. My book about Osama bin Laden and Al Qaeda, The New Jackals, had been ignored when it came out in 1998. After the attack every TV station wanted to talk to me and it ultimately led to my first BBC travel programme two years later.

The way you would spend your fantasy 24 hours, with no travel restrictions...The day would begin with Anya, Jake and our dog Obi on the Greek island of Symi. I'd have breakfast at a cafe in the harbour  fried eggs on toast and Greek yoghurt with honey. For lunch we'd go to Istanbul, my favourite city, and have lamb  Obi would get the bone! Jake's obsessed with space so after lunch I'd take him in a rocket to zoom through the stars. After that I'd have a pint of Guinness in our local The Horse, then a walk on Dartmoor with the family to see the sunset.

The happiest moment you will cherish forever Finding my brother James after he got lost during the Harrods sale when I was nine and he was seven. Someone said they'd seen him walk off with a man, which scared me. I found him 15 minutes later and I've never felt such a rush of relief.

The saddest time that shook your world My dad Alan's death from cancer in 2001 aged 68. He died in my arms and the memory is imprinted on my mind. I still miss him all the time.

The unfulfilled ambition that continues to haunt you To learn another language. It's shameful that I've been to 120 countries with just English. I always have a translator with me!

The order of service at your funeral I'd like to be buried on a Devon hill with a beautiful view.

The way you want to be remembered As a great dad.
Each decade there is a new 'It' girl who everyone wants to emulate, but it is Princess Diana who has been named the biggest style inspiration of all time.

Le Tote, a fashion rental service, polled 2,000 Americans on the most exemplary styles and clothing items, asking them to name the most fashionable women of each time period dating all the way back to the early 1900s.

Results were analyzed by decade and saw Princess Diana receive the highest scores across all fashion eras  proving that her timeless beauty will always be in style.

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Iconic beauty: Princess Diana has been named the biggest style inspiration of all time

'Every style icon broke the mold by thinking beyond the trends of the time and creating their own signature look. Looks which, today, we still admire and emulate,' said Ruth Hartman, Chief Merchandising Officer at Le Tote.

Screen and stage actress Lillian Gish was one of cinema's first leading ladies, so it is unsurprising that her ensembles made her a fashion icon in the 1910s.

Meanwhile, famed designer Coco Chanel took the top spot in the 1920s for her unforgettable fashion sense.

Legendary actress Katharine Hepburn, known for her fierce and lively personality, had the most iconic style of the 1930s  beating out Bette Davis, one of the greatest Hollywood actresses in history.

Asking questions: The fashion rental service Le Tote polled 2,000 Americans on the most stylish women of each decade starting in the 1910s

Turn of the century: Actress Lillian Gash took the top spot in the 1910s (left), while Coco Chanel was named the most stylish woman of the 1920s (right)

Stiff competition: Legendary actress Katharine Hepburn (pictured) beat out Bette Davis to be named the most fashionable woman of the 1940s

Classic Hollywood star Lauren Bacall, who was known for her singing voice and her sizzling looks, also had the most highly-coveted style in the '40s.

Blonde icon Marilyn Monroe was the 'It' girl of the 1950s, as women all over the country hoped to emulate her sexy style.

And while the sex symbol ruled the '50s, Jackie Kennedy Onassiss timeless wardrobe got her voted as the most iconic woman of the following decade.

Farrah Fawcett  whose red swimsuit photo captured international attention  stole the top spot in the '70s thanks to her all-American good looks.

Still beloved: Lauren Bacall, Marilyn Monroe, and Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis are all considered fashion icons today

Simply stunning: Lauren Bacall was named the most stylish woman of the 1940s

Style stars: Marilyn Monroe (left) and Jackie Kennedy Onassis (right) ruled the 1950s and 1960s, respectively

Princess Diana was ranked as having the most iconic style of the 1980s, closely followed by pop icon Madonna.

In the 1990s, the 'Rachel' hair cut was all the rage, so it is no shocker that Jennifer Aniston beat out Julia Roberts for the most stylish woman of that decade.

Bronx native Jennifer Lopez left no question about who had the most popular fashion choices in the 2000s after she received twice as many votes as Lady Gaga, whose style came in second.

Meanwhile, Kate Middleton has the most iconic style in modern history as the The Duchess of Cambridge, beating out the likes of Beyonce, Victoria Beckham, and the Kardashians.

Royal win: Madonna's flashy ensembles couldn't beat out Princess Diana's classic style

Iconic: Farrah Fawcett (left) was voted the most stylish woman of the '70s, while Princess Diana was lauded for her fashion sense in the 1980s (right)

'Trends may come and go, but one thing all of these style icons have in common is confidence,' Ruth added. 'Ultimately, it doesnt matter what you wear. What matters is that you feel beautiful and strong every time you step out the door.

'Confidence is at the core of what we do at Le Tote. We strive to make fashion accessible and approachable. Because every woman deserves to walk out the door feeling like an icon every day.'

Of course, without the creation of new wardrobe items, there would be no such thing as iconic styles. Bell-bottoms, miniskirts, and skinny jeans are the most iconic clothing items of all time.

Changes: Fashion evolved from grunge in the 1990s to skinny jeans in the 2000s

Something in the name: Jennifer Aniston (left) was named the most fashionable woman of the '90s, while Jennifer Lopez nabbed the top spot a decade later (right)

Kate Middleton beat out the likes of Beyonce, Victoria Beckham, and the Kardashians to be named the most stylish woman in the 2010s

Cat eye sunglasses, pencil skirt, and petticoats were voted the most iconic clothing items from the 1950s, while the miniskirt, go-go boots, and tie-dyed shirts made top headlines in the 1960s.

The 1970s were the decade of the bell-bottoms, platform shoes, and hot pants, as these were ranked as the best wardrobe items.

Meanwhile, the 1980s is when shoulder pads, leg warmers, and acid washed denim jeans made their mark in the fashion world  and survey participants agreed that those were the most iconic fashion items of the decade.

TOP 10 CLOTHING ITEMS OF ALL TIME Bellbottoms Mini Skirt Skinny Jeans Shoulder pads Leg Warmers Platform shoes Go-go boots Cat eye sunglasses Pencil skirts Acid Washed denim Advertisement

TOP 10 FASHION FAUX PAS OF THE PAST DECADE Whale tail (exposed thong) Ugg boots Leggings as pants Crocs Ultra-low-rise jeans Harem pants Lens less glasses Grills Juicy Couture loungewear Trucker hats Advertisement

Flannel shirts, cargo pants, and Dr. Martens boots were the most popular fashion items when grunge ruled in the 1990s, while skinny jeans were voted as the most iconic wardrobe item of the 2000s.

'Everyone should have the joy of trying new trends and developing their unique, personal style,' Ruth said. 'Thats why, at Le Tote, we let our members borrow clothing and accessories without the commitment to purchase. We believe that fashion should be fun, fluid and affordable.'

And while there have been plenty of iconic fashion items in modern history, there have also been a bit of fashion faux pas.
Fundraising campaign will last for months to help earthquake victims

2 from each sale will be donated to the Italian Red Cross

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver has urged Italian restaurants in Britain to follow his lead in making donations from sales of a classic pasta dish, which originates from an Italian town destroyed by Wednesday's devastating earthquake.

The celebrity chef has put the famous Pasta Amatriciana dish on the special board at every branch of Jamie's Italian across the UK.

In total 2 from every sale of the meal - spaghetti in a tomato sauce with pork cheek and pecorino cheese - will be donated to the Italian Red Cross.

Jamie Oliver has put the famous Pasta Amatriciana dish, pictured, on the specials board at every branch of Jamie's Italian across the UK. 2 from every sale will be donated to the Italian Red Cross

The dish hails from Amatrice in Italy - where the 6.2 magnitude earthquake has all but destroyed the picturesque town, killing at least 268 and injuring 400.

'This is going to go on for months, and I think we can raise thousands and thousands and thousands of pounds,' Jamie, 41, said in a Facebook Live video yesterday that has been viewed more than 1.5million times.

'This is just a little bit of love to our Italian neighbours, and trying to do something in the way that we know that we can, which is cook.'

He added: 'I know it's gruesome out there but we're going to do what we can.'

The idea to raise money from sales of the famous pasta dish began in Italy, with more than 600 restaurants signing up to the campaign launched by food blogger Paolo Campana.

Jamie said he was trying to get more British Italian restaurants involved in the campaign. The fundraiser was launched by food blogger Paolo Campana, and now 600 restaurants in Italy have signed up

Now Italian restaurants across the world have been urged to follow suit.

In his Facebook Live video, Jamie said: 'There's lots of chefs around Italy doing this, I'm trying to get the British ones involved as well.'

The Naked Chef also posted the fundraising appeal on Instagram, where he wrote above a picture of the dish: 'Sadly this activity will run for months to come as it will take time to relocate people in new accomodations [sic].

'But we can support for the same time - every bit of help will count.'

The image has been 'liked' more than 66,000 times.

Jamie posted the fundraising appeal on Instagram and made a Facebook Live video. The 2 donation from each dish will help fund the ongoing rescue mission by the Italian Red Cross, and help them to treat families for injuries and provide food and comfort to those who have lost loved ones

Amatrice was set to hold its 50th annual food festival celebrating the 'spaghetti allamatriciana' dish before the devastating earthquake.
As a result, they break easier and give off less protection to UV rays

Consistent exposure to sunlight wears down lenses in sunglasses

Sunglasses should be replaced at least every two years, scientists warned today.

Rays from the sun damage lenses over time - meaning they gradually let more UV light through and provide less protection.

Without adequate UV filters, the eye is exposed - and the damage can cause long-term, irreversible harm to vision.

Rays from the sun damage lenses over time - meaning they gradually let more UV light through and provide less protection

Brazilian researchers have now called for standards that test the quality of sunglasses to be revised, so that safe limits for the filters can be established.

They say a new test would guarantee sunglasses were safe to wear for a period of two years.

Exposure to sunlight varies across the world, but tropical countries have the highest amounts as UV levels are extremely high in summer and remain high in the winter.

Therefore, sunglasses worn in the southern hemisphere may need replacing more often than in those worn in the northern half.

Lenses may also break more easily a result of consistent exposure to sunlight, experts say.

And wearing sunglasses which don't offer proper protection can cause oedema - distorted vision from a swollen eye.

Experts say sunglasses worn in the southern hemisphere may need replacing more often than in those worn in the northern half

It can also result in cataracts - where the lens of the eye becomes cloudy, affecting vision - and pterygium - the growth of pink, fleshy tissue on the white of the eye which can interfere with sight.

WHAT ARE THE CATEGORIES OF SUNGLASSES? Sunglasses are categorised based on how much light they let through to the eye - known as visible light transmission (VLT). Darker glasses have a lower percentage while lighter shades have a much higher allowance. Category 0: 80-100 per cent VLT Suitable for: Category 1: 46-79 per cent VLT Suitable for: Fashion Category 2: 18-45 per cent VLT Suitable for: General purpose, watching and taking part in sport Category 3: 8-17 per cent VLT Suitable for: Open mountain ranges Category 4: 3-8 per cent VLT Suitable for: High altitude trekking and mountaineering. Source: Ultralight Outdoor Gear Advertisement

Prolonged UV exposure can also damage the macula - the part of the retina responsible for the majority of vision.

Professor Liliane Ventura, of Sao Paulo University, said: 'Ocular health is a serious concern worldwide, but particularly in tropical countries where UV indexes are extremely high in summer.

'In most countries in the southern hemisphere... sunglasses standards are not quite appropriate for the ultraviolet conditions.

'Sunglasses play an important role in providing safety, and their lenses should provide adequate UV filters.'

The test currently used in Europe, Australia, New Zealand and parts of South America and calculates how badly the lenses deteriorate as a result of exposure to the sun.

It exposes sunglasses to a sun simulator for 50 hours from a distance of 30cm.

The 450 W lamp is the equivalent to two days in a natural environment on a summer's day, or four in winter.

But Professor Ventura claimed the current test is 'ineffective' in its present form and doesn't accurately measure the quality of sunglasses.
The suit can't get wet as its structure would change and stop working

His mother found a hospital in the US which would give him a special cast

But when he went back to hospital the curve had become gradually worse

A toddler with a crooked spine must wear a special cast for 24 hours a day to prevent his lungs from being crushed.

Charlie Ferris can not even bathe while he wears the suit because water would prevent it from working properly.

The 13-month-old, from County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, has scoliosis  twisting of the spine  which if left untreated could kill him.

His family were told he would need to wear a plaster jacket for four months to stop the curve from becoming worse.

But after scans revealed his condition was deteriorating rapidly, his alarmed parents travelled to the US for a special cast which moulds his spine back into shape - in an attempt to save his life.

13-month-old Charlie Ferris was fitted with a special cast after being diagnosed with infantile scoliosis - twisting of the spine

His mother Donna, 35, said: 'When I started researching Charlie's condition, I heard about a cast that's used in the US that straightens curved spines, whereas the one used in Northern Ireland only holds the curve in place and stops it getting worse.

'When I told Jody we needed to take Charlie to than the US to get this treatment, rather than stay at home, he asked if I was mad.

'But I didn't care how much it cost. We'd live in a tent if needs be to pay for the treatment and getting there. I was prepared to move.'

They first noticed Charlie's back was twisted in October 2015 after his father Jody, 36, noticed an abnormal bend.

After an X-ray at Belfast's Musgrave Park Hospital, he was officially diagnosed with infantile scoliosis and doctors confirmed he had a 28 curvature.

Doctors confirmed Charlie had a 28 curvature of his spine following an X-ray. But they wanted to wait for three months to see if it became worse. When Charlie returned to hospital, they revealed his spine had curved even more and was now at 42 (right)

The family were told Charlie would need to wear a plaster jacket for four months at a time until he was old enough to be placed in to a hard, removable brace. But his mother Donna, 35, said she wasn't prepared to wait any longer, and began searching for alternative treatments online

They first noticed Charlie's back was a twisted in October 2015 - and doctors suspected it to be a curved spine

Mrs Ferris said the doctors wanted to wait for three months to assess the curve and see if it became worse.

WHAT IS SCOLIOSIS? Scoliosis is the abnormal curvature of the spine in an S-shape. Signs include a visible curve in the spine, one shoulder or hip being more prominent than the other, clothes not handing properly and back pain. Pain usually only affects adults with the condition. In most cases, the cause of the scoliosis is not known but it can be caused by cerebral palsy and muscular dystrophy. In the UK, scoliosis affects three to four children could of every 1,000. It is also thought that as many as 70 per cent of over 65s have some degree of scoliosis. Most children with the condition do not require treatment as it is mild and corrects itself as the child grows. However, in severe cases the child may need to wear a back brace until they stop growing. Occasionally, a child needs surgery to straighten their spine. Source: NHS Choices Advertisement

But in February, when the family returned to hospital, doctors had revealed the spine had curved even more and was now at 42.

She added: 'I was heartbroken and I cried for days. 'I nearly collapsed. I was so angry we'd waited.'

The family were told Charlie would need to wear a plaster jacket for four months at a time until he was old enough to be placed in to a hard, removable brace.

In time, he would also need to have surgery to implant metal rods in to his back to straighten his spine.

But Donna said she wasn't prepared to wait any longer, and began searching alternative treatments for online.

Through her research, she heard about Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, US, who said they could treat him by fitting him with casts until his spine is straight.

They said they would commit to the procedure for however long it takes, and regardless of whether the family could afford it.

In April, she flew her family over for a consultation - and within eight days he had been fitted with a cast.

However, the cast can't get wet as it would change the structure and stop working.

Charlie has also had to change his eating habits, with parents keen to ensure he doesn't gain weight and prevent the suit from becoming too tight.

Through her research she heard about the cast from Shriners Hospital for Children in Philadelphia, US, which would help straighten his spine

The cast appears to have worked so far as Charlie's spine has straightened by 10. Mrs Ferris said: 'What Shriners Hospital has done for Charlie means the world to us and at the end of his treatment we'd like to give them a donation as a thank you'

Since his first fitting, the toddler and his parents have flown back to America twice more so that he can get larger casts that take into account his growth.

So far, the treatment appears to be working as Charlie's spine has straightened by 10.

Mrs Ferris added: 'We can't tell how many casts Charlie will need, but based on those figures, he could only need eight casts, meaning we're a quarter of the way towards a straight spine.'

'I would have never thought there was anything better than what is offered here but when I found out there was, why wouldn't I have taken my baby across the water to get him the best?

'What Shriners Hospital has done for Charlie means the world to us and at the end of his treatment we'd like to give them a donation as a thank you.'
A sugar found in breast milk protects newborn babies against a deadly bug, scientists believe.

The naturally occurring compound wards off group B streptococcal infection, new research suggests.

Also known as GBS, it is the most common life-threatening infection in newborn babies in the UK, causing meningitis, blood poisoning and pneumonia.

A naturally occurring sugar in breast milk may help prevent Group B streptococcus infection - a common cause of deadly meningitis, researchers from Imperial College London found

It claims the life of one baby a week and many others are left with long-term disabilities.

Many pregnant women naturally carry the bug and the number of infections in babies is rising.

However, it hasnt been understood why some newborns pick up the bug and others remain healthy.

Researchers from Imperial College London studied 183 women in the Gambia and their babies.

They tested the mothers DNA for a gene that is linked to blood group and also plays an important role in determining the type of sugar that her breast milk contains.

Tests were also run for GBS.

The team found women with the gene were less likely to have the GBS in their gut, and their babies were also less likely to be infected at birth.

Human milk contains 200 different sugar compounds - more than seven times as many as other animals.

Plus, those babies that were infected found it easier to fight off the germ if their mothers breast milk contained a sugar called lacto-n-difucohexaose I.

Around half of women are thought to produce the sugar lacto-N-difucohexaose I.

BREAST-FED BABIES ARE BETTER BEHAVED Babies who are breast-fed until the age of six months are better behaved as children, researchers have found. Experts monitored the behaviour of 1,500 children aged between seven and 11. They found those who had only been breastfed for the first month of their life, or less, were twice as likely to display behavioural problems than those who were breastfed until six months. The research, led by Glasgow University experts and carried out among children in South Africa, suggests breastfeeding has benefits that extend beyond physical health. Advertisement

Finally, tests in a dish in the lab showed that breast milk containing the sugar was better at killing the GBS.

Lead researcher, Dr Nicholas Andreas, Although this is early-stage research it demonstrates the complexity of breast milk, and the benefits it may have for the baby.

Increasingly, research is suggesting these breast milk sugars may protect against infections in the newborn, as well as boosting a childs friendly gut bacteria.

It is thought that the sugar allows friendly bacteria to flourish and out-compete any harmful bacteria that may be in the youngster's gut, such as Group B streptococcus.

The sugar is also thought to act as a decoy which fools the bacteria into thinking it is a type of human cell that can be invaded.

The bacteria latch onto the sugar, only to be excreted by the body.

This may help protect the baby from infection until their own immune system is more mature to fight off the invaders at around six months of age.

It may also be possible to add the right sugars to formula milk, but lead researcher Dr Nicholas Andreas said it could be hard to get the recipe right

In future, pregnant women could be tested for the blood group gene during pregnancy. Those found to be lacking them could be given specific supplements when pregnant and breastfeeding.

It may also be possible to add the right sugars to formula milk, however Dr Andreas said it could be hard to get the recipe right.

The NHS advises that breastfeeding gives babies the healthiest start in life, saying it cuts the odds of stomach bugs, chest and ear infections and constipation.

It says that breast-fed babies have lower odds of being obese and while every little helps, it recommends babies are fed exclusively on their mothers milk for the first six months.

It adds that breastfeeding also benefits women, by cutting their odds of breast and ovarian cancer and helping them bond with their baby.

Despite the advice, Britain has one of the lowest rates of breastfeeding Europe, with a quarter of new mothers never attempting it and just one in 100 managing to give their baby nothing but breast milk for the recommended six months.
All US blood centers will start screening for Zika.

The move, ordered by the Food and Drug Administration on Friday, is a major expansion in a bid intended to protect the nation's blood supply from the mosquito-borne virus.

It means all US states and territories will need to begin testing blood donations for Zika immediately.

Previously, the FDA had limited the requirement to Puerto Rico and two Florida counties.

But now that Zika has been detected hundreds of miles away from Miami - the current outbreak zone - officials are cracking down on any chance of a spread.

All US states will need to begin testing blood donations for Zika immediately (file image)

'There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission,' said Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDA's biologic products center, in an agency release.

'At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion.'

Blood collection sites already test donations for HIV, hepatitis, West Nile virus and other blood-borne viruses.

FDA officials said Zika testing is already underway in Puerto Rico and parts of Florida, where 'it has shown to be beneficial in identifying donations infected with Zika virus.'

The FDA has authorized use of two experimental blood-screening tests for Zika, one made by Roche and another from Hologic Inc.

Several testing sites are already voluntarily using the technology, including blood centers in Texas.

The cost of adding Zika testing to the blood screening process is less than $10, according to officials at South Texas Blood and Tissue Center.

Since February, U.S. blood centers have been turning away people who have recently traveled to areas with Zika outbreaks, under a previous FDA directive.

Zika is spread primarily by mosquito bites, as well as sex.

A patient has been diagnosed with the mosquito-borne infection in Pinellas County. The area just outside Tampa is 265 miles away from Miami on the other side of the peninsula

There have been cases of Zika transmission through blood transfusion in Brazil.

The FDA works with other federal agencies to set standards for screening, testing and handling blood donations.

Last month, blood centers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale had to halt donations until they could begin screening each unit of blood.

The order followed now-confirmed reports of local Zika transmission in the Miami area  the first in the continental U.S.

Puerto Rico suspended blood donations and imported blood products in March until the island began screening its blood.

Friday's announcement follows recent pressure from members of Congress urging the FDA to expand Zika screening.

'We must implement widespread universal screening now to prevent any further contamination of the blood supply before it occurs and to pre-empt a widespread shortfall in the blood supply,' stated Reps. Lloyd Doggett, D-Texas, Patrick Murphy, D-Fla. and a half-dozen other House members, in a letter to the FDA earlier this month.

The Zika virus causes only a mild illness in most people, but scientists have confirmed that infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects.

The tropical mosquito that spreads Zika and other viruses is found in the southern U.S.

While health officials have predicted that mosquitoes in the continental U.S. would begin spreading Zika this summer, they also have said they expect only isolated clusters of infections and not widespread outbreaks.

So far, there have been about 40 cases of homegrown Zika in Florida.
Thankfully his relatives took him under their wing to try and save his life

The condition caused him to suffer bouts of vomiting and drowsiness

A baby was abandoned by his parents because his head had swollen to three times its normal size.

Royal Kumar, from India, was born with the potentially deadly hydrocephalus - a build-up of fluid on the brain.

The condition caused the four-month-old to suffer severe bouts of vomiting, drowsiness and his development had halted.

But his biological parents couldnt accept his difficulties and abandoned him.

Royal Kumar, from India, was born with hydrocephalus - a build-up of fluid on the brain

Thankfully, his relatives Prabha Devi, 30, and her husband Rajendra Prasad, 45, took him under their wing.

The generous couple even donated all of their life savings in an attempt to save Royal's life.

Mrs Devi said: I was really stressed to see him look so bad. I always wondered why poor people had to suffer such pain.

'Several neighbours asked me why I adopted him knowing his condition.

'I told them because he is a human being. Who will take care of him if I leave him? He will die.

'He is like my own child now and I will do everything to save him.

Royal's biological parents couldnt accept his difficulties and abandoned him - but thankfully relatives Prabha Devi, 30 (pictured), and her husband took him under their wing

The condition caused the four-month-old to suffer severe bouts of vomiting, drowsiness and his development had halted

She added: He is already considered a member of our family. I have already sold all my gold for his treatment.

'Ever since he has come into my life, he is like my child. I have never differentiated between the three of them and I never will.'

The family have already spent over 2,000 (Rs200,000) on his treatment but have yet to make any progress.

Surgeons had tried to cure the condition by inserting a shunt - a medical device which helps remove the fluid on his brain and drains it into the bloodstream - helping to relieve the pressure.

Surgeons had tried to cure the condition by inserting a shunt - a medical device which helps remove the fluid on his brain and relieves the pressure - but it didn't work

His generous relatives have even donated all of their life savings in an attempt to save his life

Mr Devi, who works as a labourer earning 50 (Rs5,000) a month, heard about the work done at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS), in Ranchi, eastern India.

Doctors operated on Royal this week and inserted a new shunt, as they said the previous device had stopped working.

Dr Chandra Bhushan Sahay, an associate professor of neurosurgery at the hospital, said Royal was a neglected case and performed the surgery for free.

He added: He was operated on somewhere else before coming here. However, that shunt had become blocked and had stopped working - which meant we had to insert the shunt through the other side of the brain.

'He was vomiting, and drowsy and did not have normal development when he arrived but hes now better.

The mortality rate is extremely high in these cases as the growth of the body and brain is not normal and if neglected the chances are even slimmer.
A man with no symptoms of Zika has passed the virus to a sexual partner.

In earlier cases of sexual transmission, the virus was spread by someone who at some point had symptoms.

But an ominous new development, reported by the CDC on Friday, shows that is not always the case.

A Maryland man, who has not been identified, went to the Dominican Republic, where there is a Zika outbreak.

He didn't get sick but his sex partner did and recovered.

New development: A Maryland man, who has not been identified, went to the Dominican Republic, where there is a Zika outbreak. He didn't get sick but his sex partner did

It suggests the virus' spread could be far more prolific in the United States than previously thought.

And the case demonstrates how ignorant we still are about the virus.

Zika is mainly spread by mosquitoes, and causes only a mild illness in most people.

But infection during pregnancy can lead to severe brain-related birth defects.

Doctors believe Zika spread from someone with no symptoms is extremely rare.

They said the case is not reason enough to change health advice to couples, though they are investigating the case and its implications.

The news comes a day after scientists discovered Zika can stay in the vagina for much longer than previously thought.

The virus may replicate and stay in the vagina days after a woman becomes infected through sexual transmission, scientists warn.

And the alarming finding could have 'potentially dire consequences', they say.

If passed on to expectant mothers, the virus can cause severe birth defects such as microcephaly - where the baby's brain doesn't form correctly.

That finding follows recent warnings that Zika can survive in semen for as long as six months - despite scientists believing it would disappear after three.
A 15-year-old Colorado boy who helped pass a law requiring schools to allow students to use medical marijuana has died.

Jack Splitt used marijuana to treat pain from cerebral palsy.

In February 2015, he and his mother, Stacey Linn, made headlines after a teacher ripped off his cannabis-laced skin patch.

Stacey and Jack hit out at the teacher and began pushing for what ultimately became known as Jack's Law in June this year.

On Wednesday, just weeks after the historic bill, Jack's debilitating muscle contractions worsened and he died.

Brave: Jack Splitt pictured with his mother Stacey outside their home in Lakewood, Colorado, in April. He was the inspiration for 'Jack's Law', passed in June, which gives school districts the authority to give children marijuana treatment on campus

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper, left, congratulates then-14-year-old Jack, right, after signing a bill named after the teen to crack down on the state's medical marijuana industry

He had just started the new term at Wheat Ridge High School days earlier.

'Jack had a tough life, but he was a trooper and a very brave young man,' his mother Stacey told The Denver Post.

'When he smiled at you, it changed your life. I've had people tell me that when Jack smiled at them a year ago, they can still remember his smile.'

The law, which was signed by Gov. John Hickenlooper in June, requires schools to allow a parent or caregiver to administer medical marijuana on campus.

Previously the law allowed school districts to permit medical marijuana treatments for students under certain conditions but advocates said it was useless because none of the state's 178 school districts used that authority.

School officials opposed the law, fearing they could lose millions in federal funds for allowing the use of a drug illegal under federal law.

But parents told lawmakers about how their children were unable to attend school because of the ban on marijuana treatments.

Medical marijuana has been legal in several states for two decades but school districts and lawmakers nationwide are only now starting to grapple with thorny issues about student use.

New Jersey also requires that schools accommodate medical pot as long as it is in a non-smokable form and is administered by a nurse or caregiver.

School officials testified against the requirement, saying marijuana remains illegal under federal law.

Kathleen Sullivan, a lawyer for the Colorado Association of School Boards, said the requirement could endanger about $433 million in federal money that goes to Colorado public schools.

'This is a bill that asks you to gamble with local money,' Sullivan said.

On Wednesday, Jack's debilitating muscle contractions worsened and he died

But dozens of parents packed a hearing in April to say their children are unable to attend school because schools forbid marijuana treatments.

'This is not about two kids smoking a joint between cars in a parking lot,' said Jennie Stormes, mother of a teenage boy suspended from school last year for having yogurt mixed with cannabis pills to treat a disease that gives him seizures.

'They need to make reasonable accommodations so that children who need medical marijuana can go to school,' said Stacey, Jack Splitt's mother Linn.

Finally, lawmakers were swayed by testimony from Jack himself.

'Say yes so I can go to school like every other kid,' he said.

The bill passed 10-3.

Medical marijuana has been legal in several states for two decades.

But school districts and lawmakers nationwide only started to grappling with thorny issues about student use of a drug still illegal under federal law this year.
Four million Americans carry EpiPens in their purses.

The small syringes filled with epinephrine are prescribed to combat a whole host of allergies - from nuts to medication.

One hit - injected into the sufferer's thigh - can save someone from a potentially-fatal anaphylactic reaction.

EpiPens have made headlines in recent days after the manufacturer, Mylan, hiked the price from $94 for two hits to $600.

The cause reached an even bigger audience after Sex And The City star, and former Mylan ambassador, Sarah Jessica Parker slammed the firm and dropped her contract.

But why?

Here, medical law expert Timothy Holbrook, a professor at Emory University, explains the politics that determine our healthcare:

The small syringes filled with epinephrine are prescribed to combat a whole host of allergies - from nuts to medication. One hit can save someone from potentially-fatal anaphylactic shock

The rising price for EpiPens, a drug delivery system that is crucial for persons experiencing potentially life-threatening allergic reactions, has resulted in outrage.

The price increase, from about $94 for a two-pack of injectable epinephrine to more than $600 in just nine years, has members of Congress calling for investigations in how Mylan, the drugs manufacturer, can justify this increase.

In the last year alone, the price has climbed by $200.

The company does offer a savings program that applies to some consumers.

Those with high-deductible insurance plans, which includes a growing number of Americans, do not get much relief, however.

This is hardly the first example of sharp price increases.

Turing Pharmaceuticals, and its then-chief executive Martin Shkreli, raised the price of the drug Daraprim, which treats a life-threatening parasitic infection, from $13.50 to $750 per tablet.

The drug, 62 years old at the time, was not covered by a patent and was a key antibiotic used in treating persons with HIV/AIDS.

The price hike put patients health at risk, leading to a cost of hundreds of thousands of dollars for some.

Shrekli, unsurprisingly, was vilified (and, for unrelated reasons, ultimately indicted on fraud).

Heather Bresch, CEO of Mylan NV, blames insurance companies for the price hike

While this conduct was outrageous, it wasnt illegal.

Any pharmaceutical company is free to set the price for its drug at any level the market will bear that maximizes their profits.

Other drugs whose prices have risen include treatments for hepatitis C, cancer and high cholesterol.

So, while the price hike was not the best public relations move, it is legal.

What explains such a rapid rise in price for a drug that has been around for several years?

As a patent lawyer with particular experience in the pharmaceutical industry, I think its important to look at the role of patents and also FDA approvals in drug discovery and sales.

Currently, a backlog of about 4,000 generic drugs is awaiting FDA approval.

Both factors play a role in how both rare and common drugs, such as EpiPens, can shoot up in price so rapidly.

Patents encourage innovation

High drug prices for medications are nothing new.

They are often expected, given the role of the patent system in fostering innovation in the pharmaceutical industry.

Patents create incentives for persons to innovate by giving them a limited period of exclusivity, currently from the date the patent issues until 20 years after its application date.

During the patents term, the owner can stop others from making, using or selling the patented invention.

Without this period of exclusivity, companies would have little incentive to engage in research and development.

Pharmaceutical research and regulatory approval is a costly endeavor.

The average cost to bring a drug to market is $2.6 billion, according to the Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development.

Imagine the world of pharmaceuticals without patents.

FDA approval takes so long, there is no competition for Mylan

The National Institutes of Health predicts drug development would greatly diminish.

Once a company put a drug on the market, others could purchase it and likely figure out how to synthesize a competing version, without incurring all of the research and development costs to identify that particular chemical entity.

When the competitor enters the market, they would be able to undersell the original innovator, whose price must reflect those sunk costs of research and development.

Likely, it would not be profitable to have ever engaged in the drug innovation to begin with.

Patents help stimulate innovation by temporarily avoiding this dynamic.

Playing monopoly

During the patent term, particularly for pharmaceuticals, the patent holder may effectively have a monopoly, allowing the company to charge prices higher than a competitive market would allow.

As a society, we largely have accepted this elevated price because we believe it helps pharmaceutical companies to recoup their sunk research and development costs and to perform later research for the next generation of drugs.

Once the patent expires, however, others can enter the market, creating competition and lowering the price for the drug.

There are opponents to the power of these patents.

Critics argue that these patents deny patients access to those drugs to patients in need.

Theres more at play here: The FDA

Interestingly, though, the patent system is not to blame for many of these price hikes we hear about in the news.

Instead, these drugs, such as the EpiPen, are off-patent, suggesting that generic competition should help keep prices lower.

So, if it isnt the patent system, then what is at play?

It is conceivable the cost of producing some of these drugs has gone up.

HOW SJP WEIGHED IN ON THE EPIPEN DEBATE Sarah Jessica Parker stepped down as the face of pharma company Mylan on Thursday after it emerged the company had raised the price of its life-saving EpiPens by 548 per cent. In a post on Instagram, the Sex and the City actress said she was 'disappointed, saddened and deeply concerned' and called for Mylan to reverse the price hike. Her announcement came the same day that the beleaguered company - which has faced an outpouring of scorn since the price increase came to light - was challenged by Senator Joe Manchin, father of Mylan CEO Heather Bresch. Parker signed up to be the face of Mylan's Anaphylaxis 101 website and associated promotions, ostensibly designed to raise awareness of peanut allergies, in May. In her Instagram post she called it 'a cause that's deeply personal to me because of my son's life-threatening peanut allergy.' But she said that she had 'recently learned' of Mylan's price hike - which took EpiPen prices from $57 per pen in 2007 to $318 today - and that she was quitting as a result. 'I hope they will seriously reconsider the outpouring of voices of those millions of people who are dependent on the device, and take swift action to lower the cost to be more affordable for whom it is a life-saving necessity.' Advertisement

Similarly, there could be surging demand that drives up prices as well.

Neither, though, explain the abrupt, dramatic hikes of some of these medicines.

At the simplest level, there is simply a lack of competition for these drugs, even absent patent protection.

Some of this dynamic could be the well-recognized consolidation in the pharmaceutical industry, which may have reduced competition.

The low profit margins on some of these drugs may have led some companies to leave the market altogether, leaving only one company.

But even absent consolidation, there is another barrier that appears to be in play: regulations by the FDA, and the huge backlog.

Even generic drugs need regulatory approval to be sold, which makes sense: we dont want fly-by-night companies selling impure or otherwise harmful drugs.

But obtaining approvals does add costs and time to competitors attempting to enter the market.

One potential EpiPen competitor, Teva Pharmaceuticals, failed to obtain regulatory approval, delaying their entry into the market.

Another competitor, Sanofi, recalled its competing epinephrine delivery device because it may be delivering in incorrect dosage.

That leaves Mylan alone in the market, with the power to raise prices, which is what it did.

Congress and the FDA are well aware of the backlog, even though the FDA says it is picking up the pace, thanks to fees charged to the drug companies seeking approval.

In theory, some of these are just short-run problems.

Eventually exorbitant prices will draw other competitors to the market and prices will come down, or so goes the thinking of basic supply and demand.

But, FDA regulations  if unduly onerous  could continue to create long delays, resulting in higher prices and loss of access to some of these medications.

It may be time for the FDA to reconsider some of its regulations governing these well-known, generic drugs to reduce the cost of approval and to facilitate competition.

For example, the FDA may need to consider some sort of accelerated approval for importing drugs already sold in countries with regulatory systems comparable to our own.

In that way, competition for these unpatented drugs could return more quickly.

As famed economist John Maynard Keynes noted, in the long run, were all dead.

But, even if these price hikes are only in the short run, some of these patients may be dead in the short run, too.

At present, companies will charge prices that the market can bear for these drugs.

There are few levers the government has to impact these prices.

The FDA is in a unique position to act.
The word psychopath typically conjures up images of a woman in a shower screaming as a man lunges at her with a knife  the famous scene from Alfred Hitchcocks 1960 horror thriller, Psycho. Or possibly Hannibal Lecter in the chilling film The Silence Of The Lambs.

We tend to assume all psychopaths are brutal murderers with no regard for the feelings of others. They are assumed to be sadists, gaining pleasure from other peoples pain.

The word 'psychopath' conjures up images of men lunging at women with knives, or Hannibal Lecter, above, says Dr Max

We even use the word semi-jokingly, saying my boss is a psychopath, or my ex was a psycho and such like.

A number of political commentators are claiming U.S. presidential candidate Donald Trump is a psychopath.

They seem to base this on the billionaires scant regard for what others think and his apparent glee at causing anger and hostility among liberal Americans.

Trump will probably revel in this label  but Im not convinced. Simply dismissing him in this way is lazy.

Being racist, misogynistic or generally offensive  as Trump undoubtedly is  is not the same as suffering from a serious psychological problem.

So, what actually is a psychopath?

Well, first, it isnt a diagnosis used in psychiatry. The proper diagnosis is antisocial (or dissocial) personality disorder. It is characterised by a lack of remorse, difficulties with empathy, superficial charm, unwillingness to accept responsibility, lack of behavioural control and impulsiveness. And, yes, its strongly linked with criminal behaviour.

There has been much debate about what causes someone to become a psychopath.

We know that brain scans show differences in people with antisocial personality disorder, particularly the parts of the brain (such as the parahippocampal gyrus and the amygdala) that are involved in empathy and emotional responses.

It is likely that theres a genetic element, with people being predisposed to psychopathic behaviour. But theres an environmental aspect, too, with peoples upbringing playing a big role.

That said, many psychopathic traits arent necessarily disadvantages. And all of us  to a greater or lesser extent  have psychopathic traits in our personality.

Nor is that necessarily a bad thing. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Occasionally getting in touch with our inner psychopath can help us to be focused, dedicated and to prioritise what we want to achieve.

Sometimes we need to be a little self-centred, able to cut ties with someone destructive or willing to challenge people despite it being socially awkward to do so.

Interestingly, many surgeons score highly on psychopath tests  and when you consider what they have to do, day in, day out, thats a positive thing.

When youre operating on someone, you have to suspend the fact they are another human being and focus instead on the task in hand.

To be able to detach like that is a psychopathic trait.

And its not just surgeons. As an NHS psychiatrist, I hear heartbreaking stories every day. Of course, a key aspect of my work is empathising and trying to understand the patients experience. But, equally, I have to be able to detach myself, because otherwise Id be a gibbering wreck and no use to anyone.

Years ago, I remember once watching a doctor in A&E tell a grand-father that his daughter and baby grandson had been killed in a car accident. As the elderly man sank to the floor sobbing, the doctor did his best to console him.

He then moved from this scene to treat a child who had fallen off a climbing frame  immediately managing to switch from the scene of unimaginable distress to laughing and joking with the child.

He didnt allow the horror hed just experienced to affect his next patient. Yes, that is psychopathic  but its also what made him such a good doctor.

This week, police raided a house in Surbiton, South-West London, to discover a 1 million jungle of cannabis plants. At the same time, yet more research was published that showed the damaging effects of the class B drug.

The study highlighted a symptom that many psychiatrists have long known is associated with cannabis use: avolition  a severe lack of motivation or initiative. These cases are particularly upsetting. Parents bring in their once lovely, bubbly son or daughter, who now lies in bed all day and has stopped doing the things they once enjoyed. Often, they stop going to school, shun their friends and become paranoid.

There are those who would push for the legalisation of cannabis, emphasising it is not as dangerous as alcohol and cigarettes. But this isnt a reason to allow something that causes so many mental health problems, from depression and anxiety to schizophrenia. We must continue to send a clear message that cannabis is dangerous and that it ruins lives.

It's no wonder the NHS makes so many blunders

The revelations in Tuesdays Mail about the extent of the crisis within the NHS struck a cord with me.

It laid bare that more and more mistakes are being made by the NHS (there were three times more blunders last year than in 2005), and this is because of atrocious understaffing and cuts to front-line services.

My own speciality  patients with eating disorders  has the highest mortality rate of any mental health condition.

One in five people with an eating disorder dies from it, so any mistakes I make might have fatal consequences.

It is no exaggeration to say I live in fear. Every evening, I run through all the patients I have seen to make sure that I havent missed anything.

More and more mistakes are being made by the NHS and this is because of atrocious understaffing and cuts to front-line services. File photo

My own stressful situation of budget cuts and constraints is far from unusual. Indeed, trusts up and down the country are facing similar predicaments. As posts are frozen or cut, existing staff have to step in and take on yet more work. Doctors and nurses do their best, but is it any wonder that mistakes are made?

For years, the NHS has plugged the gaps with locum doctors and agency nurses. However, in an attempt to address spiralling costs, the Government has insisted that the amount spent on locums and agency staff is reduced.

Thus, many trusts have fired the locums and there are gaping holes in services. Locums were a sticking plaster covering chronic under-investment; now the plaster has been ripped off, the festering wound underneath has been revealed.

But, as any surgeon will tell you, there comes a point when you need to open up a wound to expose it to the air. And this is what we need to do with the problems the NHS is experiencing.

I desperately hope that, with Brexit, we will be able to open up our borders to those with skills and training from outside the EU  much as we did in the Sixties and Seventies with doctors from India. But that alone certainly isnt going to solve all the problems.

I strongly believe that our National Health Service is the fairest and most effective way of delivering healthcare  but the current model simply cant go on like this.

We urgently need a frank discussion about what we can and cant expect from the NHS. If we want the current level of care, with the NHS providing everything we want from the cradle to the grave, then it requires more funding. Its that simple.

It may be that we, as a nation, decide we dont want that. Fair enough.

But then well have to work out what we expect the state to fund and what individuals should pay for.

I doubt any politician is brave enough to put those two choices to the public, though. But we clearly need a re-think and fast, because the NHS is at breaking point. Doing nothing cant be an option.

HRT is not all bad news

As if menopausal women didnt have enough to worry about, there was yet another study published this week that was full of doom about HRT (hormone replacement therapy).

The research found that the risk of developing breast cancer nearly tripled in those taking the combined form of the medication, which contains the female sex hormones oestrogen and progesterone, than non-users.

Dr Max says that for many women struggling to cope, HRT has been a godsend, helping them manage low mood and acute anxiety. File photo

This is one of just a number of studies that have raised serious concerns about the safety of HRT.

While it was initially heralded as a panacea for the problems facing women going through the menopause, over the past two decades the pendulum has swung the other way and there has been near relentless negative publicity.

It means, unsurprisingly, that doctors of my generation and younger are very reluctant to prescribe it.

Yet theres no doubt that, for some women, the physical and psychological aspects of The Change are crippling.

Ive seen many women who are struggling to cope and for whom HRT has been a godsend, helping them manage low mood and acute anxiety.

And the positive benefits from taking HRT  reduced risk of bone fractures from osteoporosis, reduced rates of heart disease and certain cancers such as bowel cancer  are forgotten.

We know that HRT has associated risks and its not right for everyone. But, like many medicines, whether or not its right for someone is a careful balancing act between risks and benefits.
The Supreme Court issued a notice on Friday to the Centre on a fresh plea challenging the constitutional validity of triple talaq from a West Bengal-based Muslim woman who was divorced by her husband through a phone call from Dubai.

The development comes on the heels of the top court last year initiating a historic exercise to examine if controversial practices such as instance divorce and polygamy allowed by Islamic personal law results in gender discrimination.

Since then a number of Muslim women have come forward to challenge the legitimacy of the practices.

Banned in many Muslim majority countries: Saudi Arabia, Pakistan and Iraq, have banned or restricted triple talaq (Picture for representation only)

A distraught 30-year-old Howrah resident, Ishrat Jahan, joined the chorus on Friday.

Her husband rang her up in April last year, uttered talaq talaq talaq and disconnected the call.

The Constitution allows Muslims, Indias biggest religious minority group, to regulate matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance through their own civil code, though the community itself has been clamouring for reforms and a ban on oppressive customs.

The instant divorce practice has been barred by more than 20 Muslim countries including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.

Jahan has questioned the legality of talaq-e-bidat (triple talaq), nikah halala which refers to the marriage of a woman with another man who subsequently divorces her so her previous husband can remarry her and polygamy under Muslim personal laws.

A bench headed by Chief Justice TS Thakur issued notices to the ministries of women and child development, law and justice as well as minority affairs apart from the National Commission for Women, police chiefs of Bihar and West Bengal and the womans husband, Murtuza Ansari, on her plea.

At one point, the CJI orally remarked that he (the husband, a Muslim man) is entitled to have four wives and even without talaq, he can marry again.

Jahan also wants back her four children three daughters and a son snatched away by her husband, as well as maintenance.

The petition comes at a time when talaq over texts, emails and phones are becoming common. Jahan has sought a declaration from the apex court, saying that Section 2 of the Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, which permits triple talaq, is unconstitutional as it violates fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (life) and 25 (religion) of the Constitution.

She has asked whether an arbitrary and unilateral divorce through triple talaq can deprive the wife of her rights in her matrimonial home as also her right to have custody of her children.

The bench headed by the CJI after clubbing together several petitions is examining the effect of triple talaq and polygamy on the fundamental rights of Muslim women and inspecting if these practices are ending up in gender discrimination.

It all began on October 27, 2015 when a Supreme Court bench of justices Anil R Dave and Adarsh Kumar Goel while dealing with a Muslim divorce case ordered registration of a Public Interest Litigation and urged then Chief Justice HL Dattu to set up a special bench to consider gender discrimination suffered by Muslim women owing to arbitrary divorce and second marriage of their husbands during the currency of their first marriage.

That significantly came 30 years after the apex court urged the government to frame a uniform civil code to help in the cause of national integration in the Shah Bano case.

An important issue of gender discrimination which, though not directly involved in this appeal, has been raised by some of the learned counsel for the parties which concerns rights to Muslim women, the bench had said.
Tape 8, Part 1: Indrani insists Sheena has run away with someone and the crime branch chief has helped her reach this conclusion.

A set of taped conversations have thrown new light on the sensational developments in the Sheena Bora murder case.

The taped conversations, allegedly between prime accused Indrani Mukerjea, her husband Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea, seem to indicate an attempt to cover up the murder.

These tapes were allegedly recorded over a period of two weeks, apparently right after Sheena was murdered.

We look at some of the suspicious conversations.

NIGHT OF THE MURDER

TAPE 13

Rahul builds a timeline of Sheenas disappearance, tries to convince Peter that something wasnt right.

Sheena sent me a message when she left Taj Lands End, around 8:30 in the evening on the 24th. And that message is saying that she is on the way to Royal China for dinner... Basically saying just left Taj Lands End, heading to Royal China for dinner. I phoned Royal China and they were open on that night, they werent closed.

"So something changed the plan between Taj Lands End from heading towards Royal China, which is what Sheena obviously thought she was doing.

"Now apparently she was dropped off at Amar Sons an hour later at 9:30pm. Papa there is something going on that is not right... you know it as well.

Peter says Indrani said we drove past Royal China and it was shut.

Rahul informs Peter that Royal China said there was no booking of Sheena or Indrani or Mukherjee or any Bora but they were definitely open.

He asks Peter and Indrani to speak to people from Royal China. Indrani takes over to give the sequence of events.

According to her: At 6:30 pm, Sheena comes to Amar Sons, buys a saree, post which they went to a jeweller (Notandas) opposite Moti Mahal.

Then while heading towards Taj Lands Ends, they crossed Royal China and found it shut.

Tape 17 ,Part 1: Rahul refuses to believe a single claim from Peter about being in touch with Sheena. Peter then reiterates he spoke to Sheena. Peter claims to have shown Rahul messages he had received from Sheena on the morning of April 26, but his son denies having any recollection of such an exchange. Pictured is Peter Mukerjea

She also claims to call the restaurant.

She says Sheena needed to be back at Amar Sons by 9:15 so they left Taj Lands End between quarter to 9 or 9 or 9:15.

She adds that she was back home by quarter to 10.

The Royal China mystery Rahul continues to prod Indrani asking, if Royal China was open or shut  Indrani insists it was shut and later asks him to confirm what time they open.

Initially, Indrani says they would have crossed Royal China at least by 7:30 pm, but minutes later she says it must have been around 7:15 when we went to Taj. Rahul seems to catch this and asks Indrani to reconfirm their timing.

I dont know, replies Indrani before attempting to build a timeline.

Her timing on crossing Royal China changes again towards the end, saying it was shut when they left Amar Sons around quarter to 7.

More discrepancies Another discrepancy that Rahul catches is Indranis version from the saree shop.

Initially she says Sheena tried 6-7 sarees and later she says 3-4 sarees.

Indrani had earlier claimed that Sheena reached Amar Sons at 6:30pm, but later she says she got a message from Sheena at 6:15pm that she had reached.

Indrani remains pretty liberal with her timelines  while she initially says it took them 15 minutes at the saree shop, she changes that to half an hour towards the end of the clip.

Towards the end of the conversation, Rahul tells Indrani there was no point in giving silly examples, to which Indrani says I dont know about Sheenas disappearance.

Indrani says, I dont want you to sit there and think that I am hiding something, she says.

Later Peter takes over the call saying he or Indrani had nothing more to say and Rahul was free to do his own investigations.

Peter Mukerjeas son Rahul Mukerjea and Indranis daughter Sheena Bora (extreme right) were engaged to be married

TAPE 17, PART 1

Peter Mukherjea tells Rahul, Sheena is okay, gives vague details.

Peter begins the call with insisting Sheena is okay. Indrani said, will you please speak to jiju and say that youre fine. She said, jiju, hi, Im fine... and you know... (Doesnt complete sentence).

Rahul goes on to question Peter if he asked her to get in touch with one of her friends, or if he remembered if Sheena was calling from a landline or a mobile.

Replying in the negative, Peter says Sheena asked not to give her number to Rahul and that he called Rahul just to calm his mind.

WHAT PETER SAID

TAPE 17, PART 2

Rahul refuses to believe a single claim from Peter about being in touch with Sheena.

Rahul continues to prod Peter  did she call on your mobile or Indranis phone or what?

She called on Indranis mobile, responded Peter.

Tape 13: Rahul builds a timeline of Sheenas disappearance, tries to convince Peter Mukerjea that something wasnt right. He asks Peter and Indrani to speak to people from Royal China

I was sending the message to you to close this chapter... and when I came upstairs, Indrani was on the phone and she said Sheena just called.

Rahul doesnt seem convinced.

So she just called to say shes okay? She just called right now, out of the blue to say shes okay?

Peter then reiterates he spoke to Sheena.

Peter claims to have shown Rahul messages he had received from Sheena on the morning of April 26, but his son refuses to have any recollection of such an exchange.

Peter then changes his claim to Well, I did read it out to you thats for sure.

But Rahul remains unconvinced and stresses on how easy it will be for Indrani to fake the whole communication and how all these developments were too convenient.

Use your dimaag man. Hello papa I love you but youre pushing my limits here man.

TAPE 2

Peter appears completely uninterested in Sheena Boras disappearance. Rahul urges his dad to take note of Sheenas uncharacteristic behaviour of being missing from work.

She has never missed a day in work in last three years for once without informing. Now shes been gone for more than 2-3 days and she hasnt informed anyone. This is why its out of character. Can you hear what Im saying and take it in?

Peter suggests let them inform whoever that shes not come to work.

He also dismisses her inactivity on social media as intentional.

WHAT INDRANI SAID

TAPE 8, PART 1

Indrani insists Sheenas run away with someone and the crime branch chief has helped her reach this conclusion.

Indrani claims to Rahul that Sheena gave her a story about some Nagpur guy, but she was actually in constant touch with a guy named Nishant Khurana from Delhi.

She suggests Sheena has vanished or wants to run away with Khurana, saying they were concerned since she had Rs 40,000 cash with her.

She claims that according to the crime branch chief, Sheena was definitely at the domestic airport at about 11am, before which she was talking to Khurana for an hour.

They chased down everything... from Bandra, after that she was at the airport, she says.

Rahul says this means Sheena has a plan and seems to be doing okay, but Indrani insists it means gone somewhere and shes with somebody. 

At least we are not feeling like fools, all of us are not sitting and fighting here, no?

TAPE 8, PART 2

Peter takes over and tells Rahul he will get more information as soon anything comes in.

Rahul says at least he can now deal with his own thing in his head.

He also asks Rahul to assume the worst, since Sheena was talking to someone for about an hour and he didnt know who the guy was.

Rahul is quick to dismiss Peter  no, no, not necessarily... you talk to friends for lengthy periods if something is going on.

He refuses to get into conjecture saying, Sheena wont stay incommunicado forever, right? Ill still wait for her.

TAPE 8, PART 3

I think we should all have a good night sleep, says Indrani.

Indrani takes over and ask Rahul to get some rest.

She insists that Sheena gave her some Nagpur bullshit and now that its turned out to be a completely different guy, they should all give it a rest and get a good night sleep.
Chinese Foreign Ministers visit to India this month has done little to bring a semblance of normalcy to Sino-Indian ties.

Just weeks after the Indian government cleared the deployment of a special version of the BrahMos cruise missile in Arunachal Pradesh, Chinese state media has warned that such a move would have a negative influence on stability along the border.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be in China to attend the G-20 summit in Hangzhou next month.

A missile is launched from the Chinese Navy's guided-missile destroyer Taizhou during a live ammunition drill in the East China Sea

Following the ruling by an international tribunal last month which rejected Beijings claims over much of the disputed South China Sea area, China is campaigning against the issue to be raised in G20 Summit saying it is a matter to be resolved between parties concerned and outsider has no role.

Chinese president Xi Jinping will also visit Goa for the coming BRICS summit scheduled for October.

Media

Ahead of the Chinese Foreign Ministers visit, Chinese state media had warned India to avoid unnecessary entanglement with China over the South China Sea debate if New Delhi wishes to create a good atmosphere for economic cooperation.

Terming that India and China are partners, not rivals, the state-run Xinhua news agency has also suggested that the door for India's admission into the NSG is not tightly closed and New Delhi should fully comprehend Beijings concerns over the disputed South China Sea.

Wang Yis visit was the first high-level visit between the two countries after China blocked Indias Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) membership bid at the plenary meeting of the 48-nation grouping in June on the grounds that it was not a signatory to the NPT.

During his visit, Wang said it is up to India to decide what position it wishes to take vis-a-vis the ongoing issue.

Wang's visit also came just days after Chinese troops transgressed the border on land and by air in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand last month.

India-China bilateral trade which totalled around $70 billion last year tilted heavily in favour of Beijing with over $46 billion trade deficit.

And then in his Independence Day address to the nation, PM Narendra Modi threw down a gauntlet not only to Pakistan but also to China with his reference to the people of Balochistan, the people of Gilgit, and the people of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

PoK is a key transit point in the ambitious $45 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) that will give Beijing access to the Arabian Sea through the port of Gwadar.

Chinas plans to build infrastructure in POK and Gilgit, territory claimed by India, have irritated India and New Delhi has informed Beijing of its strong views.

Sino-Indian ties have entered a rough patch and this issue has not helped matters.

So Modis message to China too was categorical that without Indias support, CPEC would remain a pipe-dream as India too has levers it can pull to scuttle the project.

Pakistan will be concerned as resource-rich Balochistan is the home of the Gwadar port being built with massive investment from China.

China is already concerned about the security of its investments traversing through this area and has pushed for the Pakistan Army to be given a leading role, over civilian authorities.

Meanwhile, tensions are rising in Asia as China takes steps to assert its control over the waters of South China Sea after its claims were rejected by an international tribunal at the Hague last month.

Chinas Defence Minister Chang Wanquan has called for a peoples war at sea to push back against threats to Chinese claims.

In a speech last week, he warned of maritime security threats and called for increased preparations for what he termed a peoples war at sea in order to safeguard sovereignty.

Dispute

More significantly, China is also changing its laws to arrest and jail anyone caught fishing in waters Beijing considers its own, even though many of those waters are precisely the bits that are disputed among Chinas neighbours in the South China Sea.

Last week, Chinas Supreme Court said people caught illegally fishing in Chinese waters could be jailed for up to a year, issuing a judicial interpretation defining those waters as including the countrys exclusive economic zones.

Over the past few weeks, all three Chinese naval fleets have taken to the sea to practice for a sudden, cruel, and short conflict.

Beijing has also begun to fly bomber and fighter aircraft near disputed islands in the South China Sea.

It has also announced that it would hold joint naval drills in the waters with Russia in September, terming the drills routine and not directed at any third party.

A group of new photographs have revealed the construction of several reinforced aircraft hangars at Fiery Cross, Subi and Mischief Reefs, all land formations built up by China in recent months, on which the Chinese have also built runways.

Neighbours

Chinas neighbours too arent keeping quiet.

Reports have emerged of Vietnam secretly fortifying several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new mobile rocket launchers capable of striking Chinas runways and military installations across the vital trade route.

Japan filed a protest with Beijing over recently discovered radar equipment China secretly installed in a gas exploration platform close to disputed waters in the East China Sea.

Japan is concerned that the radar could be a signal that China will begin using gas exploration platforms as military outposts.

The protest came on the same day an armada of 13 Chinese Coast Guard ships sailed into waters just outside what Japan considers its territorial waters in the East China Sea.

At this time of regional flux, Indias ties with China have entered a phase where antagonistic posturing is the new norm.

Chinas openly hostile acts are forcing a recalibration in India.

India will have to work with other regional states as to make sure that China does not upend the regional balance of power to everyones disadvantage.
A day after gruesome double murder and gang-rape in Mewats Dingarheri village, the incident has taken on political overtones.

Thanks to apathy of the ruling BJP government on Friday.

Local residents have alleged that none of the BJP leaders, including Tavru MLA Tej Pal Tanwar, local MP Rao Inderjeet Singh or any minister, has visited Dingarheri village or met with the victims.

When police reached the scene of the crime, two of the victims were found lying on a bedstead with severe head injuries

Abid Khan, the president of bar council of Mewat said Wednesday nights incident was a rarest of rare one which took place in Dingerheri village but no political figure of Haryana government has come forward so far to console victims or announce compensation as they belongs to minority community.

The bar association members have visited Mewat Medical College on Friday and handed over a memorandum to Deputy Commissioner Mani Ram Sharma seeking arrest of all accused within 48 hours.

They have also consoled victims besides assuring them that if Haryana government does not act properly, Bar Council members of Mewat will pursue this case and fight hard for justice.

Lawyers of Mewat will also get down on streets if local police fail.

The magnitude of this case is more heinous than Bullandshahr gang-rape. A couple has lost lives. The BJP is maintaining distance with the matter,  said Hamid Hussain, Vice President of Mewat Bar Council.

Raman Malik, an official spokesperson of Haryana government admitted that local MLA Tej Pal Tanwar was in Chandigarh and hence he has not visited Mewat.

He along with other BJP leaders will go there on Saturday and that Haryana government is keeping an eye on every development and working hard to nab the culprits.
Bunhill Row in the City is the place to be next week to see British corporate history being made. At Slaughter and Mays City offices, a foreign predator will make legally-binding pledges to protect the company it is bidding for as part of the condition for being given the go-ahead.

The test case is the controversial 24billion takeover of ARM Holdings by Japans SoftBank, one of the biggest corporate takeovers ever of a British company, one which has been criticised as yet another case of Britain selling its finest assets. But the sale of the microchip designer should be rather different, or at least thats what the lawyers and bankers stitching together the complex legal deal hope.

When ARMs shareholders meet on Tuesday for an extraordinary general meeting to approve the takeover, they will also be voting for a package of legally backed pledges voluntarily given by SoftBank with regard to the location of ARMs HQ in Cambridge, as well as promises about creating and protecting jobs.

Open for business: SoftBank chief execuitve Masayoshi Son with Stuart Chambers, Chairman of chip designer company ARM Holdings

This is the first time rule 19.7 under the Takeover Code rules is being used in a live bid. The rule was added to the Code after the furore created by Pfizers failed bid for AstraZeneca. Pfizer attempt triggered fears that the US giant was yet another foreign company looking to asset-strip a UK drugs giant.

But at least it forced regulators to look again at new ways of enforcing foreign buyers to stick to promises made during a bid  and this is the result. As the bitter Kraft bid for Cadbury showed, pledges made to sweeten shareholders are not worth the paper written on. Not long after the Kraft bid, it closed a Cadbury factory, moving production to Poland.

The rule gives the Takeover Panel the teeth to prevent a predator from breaking its promises. Bidders are required to make an intention statement to the panel when making their offers. They can also volunteer Post-Offer Undertakings (POUs) which are legally binding, and this is what SoftBanks Masayoshi Son, has done.

SoftBanks POUs promise that over the next five years the number of UK employees (1,600) will double in order to develop leading edge technology, that there will be no reduction in employees outside the UK and that the HQ will stay in Cambridge. This is serious stuff.

You could argue that Sons pledges were easy to make. After all, he has bought ARM to build on its fantastic technology not destroy it. Nor is there overlap between the two businesses so there are no issues about closing factories. Indeed, when Son and ARMs Simon Segars hammered out their deal, growing the UK business was integral so making the promise was a given.

Yet it was smart diplomacy on Sons part to tell Prime Minister Theresa May that he would go further than necessary and make those promises binding. Not every bidder  foreign or British  will need to make the same promises, so the SoftBank case should not be seen as a precedent. Each takeover will be different which means different concerns will need to be addressed.

Take the London Stock Exchanges merger with Deutsche Boerse, or Shells takeover of BG Group. In both cases, much of the merger logic is about stripping out costs so making such promises would be irrelevant.

Its only when there is a bid for, say BP or AstraZeneca, where keeping jobs and R&D will be essential, that we will discover whether bidders are prepared to make similar promises  and whether the new takeover codes teeth are false or have real bite.

Scandi beauty

So who is telling a porkie? Estate agents and economists who claim an acute 1.4billion brick shortage is causing house prices to rise and fewer to be built. Or the Brick Development Association which denies the shortage.

Perhaps the BDA can make the denial because it knows the 264,000 homes needed are not going to be built any time yet. But bricks are a red herring. There is a far bigger issue at stake. The planning application system is in crisis, and unresolvable without a housing revolution. Councils are stuffed full of stuffy third-rate planners who hate contemporary houses, always harking back to pastiche Victorian copies.

Housebuilding: 'Britain needs the sort of designs you see in Norway and Denmark'

So housebuilders build cheap pastiche Victorian semis, and are incapable of kitting them out even with the latest energy self-sufficiency as they have been doing in Scandinavia for at least 50 years. There, all houses are obliged to build with heat pumps, triple glazing and every other possible energy saving device. Its an indictment on our housebuilders and planners that we are so behind the curve.

They even have the cheek to pretend their homes are luxury executive ones.

Then you have the Nimbies who object to anything new. You can see why: the level of most residential housing is beyond ugly.

What we need being built are superb-quality, timber-framed homes which are fitted out with cutting-edge technologies from hermetically sealed windows to energy systems; the sort of designs you see in Norway and Denmark, as well as Canada and the US. Its time for Scandi beauty as well as Scandi Noir.

The decent thing
More than 5,000 jobs worldwide are expected to go in the merger of brewing giants Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, around 3 per cent of the combined workforce.

Meanwhile financiers, lawyers and PR firms involved in the 79billion deal are set to celebrate a $735million (556 million) fee bonanza, with investment banks Goldman Sachs, Morgan Stanley and Barclays taking the lion's share.

According to documents released today, the job losses - part of an attempt to make 1.4billion (1billion) in cost savings from the merger - will be implemented gradually, in phases, over a three-year period following completion.

Harsh cost: Over 5,000 jobs are expected to be axed as a result of the merger of brewing giants Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, around 3 per cent of the combined workforce

The advisory fees bill relates to the structure of the deal, which is one of the biggest corporate tie-ups in history.

Today's documents showed that public relations firms Brunswick and Finsbury will walk away with up to $29million (21million). Law firms, including magic circle firms Freshfields and Clifford Chance, will trouser up to $261million (197million).

Last month AB InBev, the world's largest brewer behind brands such as Stella Artois and Budweiser, was forced to table an improved bid for SABMiller - world number two - following the collapse in the pound after Britain's decision to quit the European Union.

Shareholders in SABMiller, who will now receive 4,500p a share, up from its earlier offer of 4,400p, are set to vote on the deal on September 28.

SABMiller shares were changing hands at 4,370p each in late morning trading today, unchanged from last nights closing price.

Resistance to the deal from some institutions prompted AB InBev to raise its initial cash and shares offer at the end of July, although some shareholders in SABMiller, including Aberdeen Asset Management, have argued that the increased price is still not enough.

However, several other former rebel investors, including activist US fund Elliot Management, have moved to support the bid since the raised offer.

SABMiller  whose brands include Fosters and Peroni - employs some 70,000 people and AB InBev more than 150,000, although the combined group's workforce will be lower because of planned divestments, principally in Europe along with joint venture stakes in the United States and China.

Chilled offer: Last month, Budweiser brewer AB InBev was forced to table an improved bid for SABMiller following the collapse in the pound after Britain's decision to quit the EU

The documents, giving full details of AB InBev's offer and the takeover process, said the extent of job reductions in all locations was not yet certain, but that the combined group's headquarters would be in Leuven, Belgium, with global management based in New York.

AB InBev sees job losses likely at SABMiller's global headquarters in Woking and the closure of its head office in London within a year, along with the relocation of some regional headquarters.
Advisers will land a massive fee bonanza from the 79billion mega merger of two of the worlds biggest brewers  but the tie-up will also lead to around 5,500 job losses.

Budweiser brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev has agreed to buy London-listed SAB Miller in one of the biggest takeover deals of all time.

The merger will bring together brands including Fosters, Stella Artois and Corona in a brewing giant that will make 30 per cent of the worlds beer  enough to fill 31,320 Olympic-sized swimming pools.

Deal: Budweiser brewer AB InBev has agreed to buy London-listed SAB Miller

As part of the deal nearly 1.5billion will be paid to advisers, according to documents released yesterday.

AB InBev will pay the lions share  about 1.3billion  with 650million going to financiers including Lazard, Barclays and BNP Paribas.

A further 140million will be paid to lawyers including Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer and Clifford Chance while accountants Deloitte will receive 11million and City PR firm Brunswick will get 15million. AB InBev will also pay 359million in taxes and other expenses, which include stamp duty to HM Revenue and Customs.

SAB Miller will pay 152million, which includes 86million for financial and broking advice to JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley, Goldman Sachs and Mayfair-based Robey Warshaw. Some 58million will be paid in legal advice to lawyers including Linklaters and PR firm Finsbury will take home 6.8million.

The deal is great news for the advisers  many based in London  but the documents also reveal AB InBev plans to cut 3 per cent of its workforce following the merger.

The job cuts will form part of 1billion of annual savings that AB InBev said it is seeking from the takeover and will be implemented gradually, in phases, over a three-year period following completion, a spokesman said.

It said the combined groups headquarters will be in Belgium, and the management office would remain in New York, meaning the SAB Miller UK offices would close.

This integration is subject to consultation with the potentially affected SAB Miller employees but is likely to involve the loss of roles at SAB Millers headquarters in Woking, the spokesman added.

The brewing giants were accused of a disgusting U-turn earlier this month after a pledge to protect British jobs was abandoned.

The merger will bring together brands including Fosters, Stella Artois and Corona

Workers had been told SAB Miller roles in the UK would be protected, including 523 back office staff in Woking and 51 in London. But AB InBev later revealed the new headquarters would be abroad, and that Woking jobs would be moved to Belgium in about six months. AB InBev insisted it did not commit to not make any redundancies.

At the end of 2015, AB InBev employed more than 150,000 worldwide, while SAB Miller employed another 70,000.

While the firm did not specify the total number of the job cuts yesterday, it has agreed to sell a number of assets from the combined company to win regulatory approval. In March it announced it would sell SAB Millers 49 per cent stake in CR Snow to China Resources Beer. And in April it accepted a 2.1billion offer to buy the beer brands Grolsch and Peroni to Japan-based Asahi Group Holdings.

However, the transfer of jobs overseas is another blow to British business, with yet more brands falling into foreign hands.

Consumers are still smarting after the loss of chocolate brand Cadbury to US giant Kraft in 2010, when Cadburys UK factory in Keynsham near Bristol was shut despite previous assurances it would remain open.

The latest deal will see shareholders in SAB Miller vote on the deal next month.
Banking giants Barclays and Bank of Scotland are facing potential court action over allegations they misled customers taking shared appreciation mortgages in the 1990s.

Christopher Philpot, a solicitor at Teacher Stern, believes he has found a way to take the banks to task over the outrageously expensive loans, based on an assertion that the contracts were unfair.

Thousands of people took shared appreciation mortgages in the late 1990s from both Barclays and Bank of Scotland. The products were sold directly to borrowers and allowed them to release a cash sum worth up to 25 per cent of the value of their home, often interest-free.

Elderly borrowers who took shared appreciation mortgages have built up hundreds of thousands of pounds of debt and many can barely afford their bills

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.

It was even worse for some borrowers. Bank of Scotland issued thousands of shared appreciation mortgages where the borrower not only forfeited up to 75 per cent of any uplift in value of their home, they also agreed to pay around 6 per cent interest for the lifetime of the mortgage.

This has left many thousands of borrowers in dire financial situations, with some unable to downsize because they would be left with inadequate funds to buy a new property. But there may yet be some hope.

Philpot said: 'We believe we are making positive progress on unresolved cases, and are optimistic that we have found a legal means that should allow a wider section of people who were affected to do something about it.

'Our aim is to help our clients find easier access to justice but these are not simple claims. That said, we believe there are ways to challenge the banks.'

SHARED APPRECIATION 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. 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%)

Philpot is not the first lawyer to attempt to get justice for borrowers who say they didn't realise what they were signing.

The Shared Appreciation Mortgages Action Group was set up in 2009 by Hilary Messer, of RWP Solicitors, to fight for redress for affected borrowers. She raised 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.

In exchange for a waiver on those costs, complainants agreed to sign a gagging order stopping them from ever complaining about shared appreciation mortgages again.

Unfortunately for those borrowers, there will be no redress. But for those who didn't sign the gagging order and either have a shared appreciation mortgage or have sold their property and redeemed a shared appreciation mortgage in the past six years, there may be an opportunity to take part in a fresh claim against Barclays and Bank of Scotland.

A spokesman from Barclays said: 'The supporting literature on shared appreciation mortgages directed borrowers to seek independent legal and financial advice. We are satisfied that SAMs were sold in the right way. Barclays does not comment on past or present matters that are or were the subject of legal proceedings and before the courts.'

A Bank of Scotland spokesman said: 'Bank of Scotland no long offers shared appreciation mortgages. If a customer feels they are facing financial hardship as a result of their shared appreciation mortgage we would encourage them to contact us to see if we can assist. We review all customer cases on an individual basis.'

BARCLAYS SAID: Barclays operates a hardship scheme for borrowers who require assistance. As part of this scheme we provide financial assistance to borrowers either by way of a non-repayable grant to cover the cost of adaptions to their property, or, if necessary, provide interest free borrowing to help borrowers move to an alternative property of their choice. Any further borrowing, as well as being completely free of interest, does not need to be repaid until the borrower voluntarily vacates or sells their property. Barclays took great care to ensure that all aspects of the SAMs product and the contents of supporting brochures were clear. We are satisfied that this product was sold in the right way because we:  Required sellers to explain the mortgage to the borrower and evidence this by completing a Confirmation of Discussion form, a copy of which was provided to the borrower  Confirmation was required from the borrowers legal adviser that they had explained the provisions and implications of the legal charge and mortgage conditions to the borrower  We complied with our obligations under the mortgage code

BANK OF SCOTLAND SAID: We encourage customers to contact us if they feel they are facing financial hardship as a result of their SAM. For 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 more suitable home in their target area. In other cases where the customer does not want to move but has mobility issues such as getting up or down stairs, we may be able to provide them with a grant for works to be carried out that would improve their quality of life. We have assisted many customers and each case is assessed on an individual basis. We apologise if a customer has had difficulty contacting us about their SAM. If a customer wishes to discuss their SAM they can call us on 08000 964 518 or write to us at: Shared Appreciation Mortgages Regulatory Response Team Lloyds Banking Group Pendeford Business Park Wolverhampton WV9 5HZ




Nicola Stopps founded Simply Sustainable six years ago, with just 2,500 and with a six-month-old baby on her arm.

Today she has a network of consultants around the country, advising corporate clients on making their businesses more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

While Nicola misses aspects of office culture, she has a team of experts at the top of their game who are happy to work for her because she offers flexible working  and is more than happy for employees to take time out in the middle of the day to make lunch for an ageing relative or pick up children from school.

She shared her Start-up Secrets with This is Money in Cape Town, where she was attending the Dell Womens Entrepreneur Network.

Flexible working: Nicola and her team work all around the country at times that suit them

How did you get started?

I had spent six years in the corporate world, and decided when my daughter was born I needed a change.

I wanted to use my experience in house to start my own consultancy  to be profit making, but with my hippy background I wanted it to be the benefit of society and the environment.

I set up small and low risk. All I needed was a laptop and some business cards.

I had already registered the name Simple Sustainable some time ago, just in case.

I got started, using my existing network and landed my first big client EE.

I would make endless phone calls, contacting the head of corporate responsibility or corporate affairs at firms. I still do it today  and still find it nerve wracking picking up the phone.

Id read through business magazines and find out what was going on in the sector.

Then Id either phone or Id email  just two paragraphs, but really focused to show I understood what they did and what they needed. Then if I didnt hear Id follow up after ten days. After three times Id give up.

CV: Nicola Stopps 2002  Appointed to co-ordinate environmental management at BBC 2004  Appointed Environmental Manager for DHL Express 2007  Appointed Director of Environment and Sustainability at Travelodge 2009  Appointed Head of Corporate Responsibility for T-Mobile 2011  Founded Simply Sustainable Limited, with a mission is to create a world of sustainable responsible businesses

How did you make yourself stand out?

When I worked in house I saw that there were consultants who were generally well paid but I couldnt trust to deliver exactly what we needed.

For example, they would produce a 30-page report, when our board would only really look at a couple of slides, and I would find myself wasting my time condensing it.

Theyd be full of academic studies, with next steps proposed involving doubling the budget  something I knew would never be possible.

Or they would produce reports on headed paper and not in the format that we used at all, so I would be left thinking weve just paid thousands of pounds for this, and Im left reformatting it all.

So now I know to ask, 'how many pages would the Board need and what format do you want it in?' We offer a personalised service.

How did you grow the business?

I started to take on freelance consultants. They all worked from home and I would get good people who appreciated the flexibility it gave them.

All worked in house at corporates before and so knew what they needed  they had that practical knowledge.

After three years I decided I wanted to bring people on to the payroll.

I also try to give the perks of smaller business without incurring cost that we cant yet afford, for example, childcare vouchers.

When I started to expand the business I wanted to make sure our own practises reflected the ethos of the business  to benefit employees as well as clients.

We need people to work really hard, but we have contracts specifying a number of hours per week, rather than specific working hours.

Why cant someone make lunch for their mum who lives down the road? Great consultants choose us for the adaptability we offer  it means we end up with the best.

We also have no offices. We use cloud technology and video conferencing. It means we can also scale up really quickly.

Now we have five consultants and hoping to grow to 15-20 in the next five years. Im looking to partner across the world.

Working from home: Nicola and her team work from home, but regularly have conference calls and go out for lunch to keep in touch

How do you build a team remotely?

We all get together once a month  I take everyone for lunch.

You do lose something not working in the same space, thats the honest truth, but we make sure we come up with alternatives.

We take time to do the silly stuff  Im thinking about doing silly moustache video conferencing!

Clients love the fact that we work remotely  weve got no office space so weve got no overheads. They know theyre not paying for gold taps.

What do you do for businesses?

We help large organisations develop strategies to be more sustainable and responsible.

We help them understand their impact and bring them into line with international standards.

For companies with social programmes, we help them to understand their true impact.

We build on what companies are good at  their strengths and their personality.

We also help with climate change reduction targets.

How did you manage to secure funding?

I started with a few thousand pounds. I needed a laptop, insurance  not much else.

We had six months of savings, but that was for our family, so I knew I needed to work quickly to make it a success.

I dont spend much  I dont buy expensive things. Except once, I spent a grand on a designer handbag. I wanted to win one client and I knew the HR director loved handbags and would judge me on it. I got one, it started a conversation  and I got the business.

Work-life balance: Nicola says she gets excellent employees because they have happy with the flexible working she offers (posed by models)

What one change to legislation or policy would help your business the most?

I live in one of the most entrepreneurial towns in the world  Tring.

Its where big corporates often live when they want to leave London. But the broadband is terrible. Its better, in fact, at my parents in the Brecon Beacons.

High speed broadband across the country would make a real difference.

Who or what has inspired you?

My mother was an inspiration to me she was very giving but also had grit. She instilled a hard work ethic and always said to me dont be a wilting flower and earn your own money, it gives to choices.

She was also extremely compassionate for people, especially those in need, volunteering for Womens Aid often late into the night. I was brought up in the Beacon Beacons as so was always connected with nature and the environment around me.

What piece of advice you'd tell your younger self?

I wish I had learnt earlier in life that sport is the best way for me to manage stress. I was very sporty as a teenager and then it gently slipped out of my life in 20s and early 30s.

Now I run and train every day and also enjoy any sport we can get our hands on as a family at the weekends. Last week we went on our kayak up the Wye; our dog, my daughter and my husband on one kayak  it was bit squashed!

What the most important quality is you look for in a business partner or employee?

I have two  they must be a pleasure to work with for ourselves and for our clients. This is actually in our company values.
Despite a bitter court fight between their relatives, the siblings of both Roxy Jacenko and the man who put her husband behind bars are friends and were colleagues until recently.

Ruby Davis, Ms Jacenko's estranged sister, began working for corporate high-flyer Alexander Hartman at his media distribution company Newzulu in December 2014.

Her role as the 'Director of Celebrity Content' in Los Angeles came more than a year after Ms Jacenko's partner Oliver Curtis was charged with conspiracy to commit insider trading.

Alexander's little brother, John, was the prosecution's chief witness in Curtis' trial earlier this year.

Ruby Davis, the sister of Roxy Jacenko, is pictured with Alexander Hartman, the older brother John Hartman

John Hartman (right) - Alexander Hartman's younger brother - was the chief prosecution witness in the trial of Oliver Curtis, who is seen left with his wife Roxy Jacenko

He refused to make eye contact with his former best friend while giving evidence in May.

Ms Davis and Mr Hartman's friendship appears to have withstood any awkwardness surrounding the trial, which ended with Curtis jailed for at least a year.

The pair dine together when in the same city and regularly 'like' each others' photographs on social media.

Ms Davis finished her job at Newzulu in July 2016, according to her LinkedIn profile.

However it is understood she has focused on her car website for American women, Chickdriven, for the past year.

Mr Hartman, a successful businessman and son of celebrity obstetrician Keith Hartman, left his role as managing director of Newzulu this month.

He is the executive vice president of Matilda Media and the Chairman of the National Museum of Australia's Digital Strategy Forum.

Recently, Ms Davis has been a world away from the troubles of her celebrity sister.

She has been gallivanting about Europe on holiday, posting happy snaps of her time in Ibiza and London to her popular Instagram page.

Ruby Davis has been gallivanting about Europe recently - this picture taken on a boat in Ibiza

Ms Davis visited London (left) and Saint Tropez (right), according to recent Instagram posts

Ms Jacenko was diagnosed with breast cancer weeks after her husband was jailed. She defended her reputation in an interview with 60 Minutes at the weekend.

The sisters are said to have been estranged since 2008.

Then, police brought an interim AVO against Ms Davis after she allegedly slapped Ms Jacenko at a Kings Cross nightclub.

The AVO was later revoked and dismissed.

Despite the tensions, Ms Davis attended her sister's wedding to Mr Curtis in 2012.

The reception was held at Sydney's lush ARIA restaurant. Ms Jacenko shipped her Vera Wang wedding dress to Australia from Los Angeles in a first class seat.

The Sweaty Betty PR chief, Ms Davis and Mr Hartman were approached for comment.
The France burkini row has deepened after claims that photos of a Muslim woman forced to remove her swimwear by armed police on a beach were staged.

French politicians and media questioned the controversial incident in Nice on Tuesday and asked why the woman was lying down on a beach with no towel, book or parasol in the full glare of the midday sun near a police post - with a photographer nearby.

They are fears France's controversial burkini ban, which began in Cannes, may be leapt upon as a propaganda tool by Islamic extremists.

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Four French police officers close in on the woman, who appears to be sleeping, on the Promenade des Anglais beach in Nice, southern France

The woman, who was wearing a traditional headscarf and matching top, was spoken to by the officers, who have been tasked with implementing the ban

French Socialist politician Julien Dray said: 'You don't need to be a genius to know what happened. I am suspicious. She is near a police post. She does not seem to want to sunbathe because she is covered up, but she does not have a parasol, either.

'Who sent a photographer to that spot to take those pictures. By whom? To what end? Hardly had they gone online than they went round the world, notably in the Middle East media.'

She was alone without a thing under the burning sun. The trap worked. There is manipulation. Olivier Siou, political editor of TV station France 2

'These images seem to have been prepared. If this is true, it is very serious.

'That would confirm that people are deliberately try to damage the unity of our country and our freedoms.'

Laurent Bouvet, founder of the political magazine Printemps Republicain, said: 'Why, when there is a ban on that type of dress on the beach, should she place herself right in the middle without any accessories like a bag or towel and stretched out on very uncomfortable pebbles?'

Olivier Siou, political editor of TV station France 2, went on: 'People are getting indignant about these photos, but not about the obvious provocation.

'She was alone without a thing under the burning sun. The trap worked. There is manipulation.'

'I am suspicious. She does not seem to want to sunbathe because she is covered up, but she does not have a parasol, either,' says French Socialist politician Julien Dray.

'She was alone without a thing under the burning sun. The trap worked. There is manipulation,' said Olivier Siou, political editor of TV station France 2.

Police in Nice, scene to the horror lorry terror attack in which 84 people were murdered on Bastille Day, have issued 24 fines for violating the city's ban on 'inappropriate clothing' since the ban was introduced.

There has been an international backlash against France since the burkini fine pictures were published, with officers being labelled as 'fascist' for enforcing the crackdown.

Another young Muslim mother was ordered off the beach at Cannes and fined for simply wearing a headscarf.

Three armed officers pointed a pepper spray canister in the 34-year-old's face and told her she was in breach of a new rule outlawing swimming costumes that cover the entire body.

The woman, known only as Siam, a former air stewardess from Toulouse, said the 'racist' officers simply wanted to humiliate her in front of her children and other family members, even though she was not actually wearing a burkini.

There are fears that the incident could have been set up to inflame tensions between Muslims and non Muslims.

The city's former mayor Christian Estrosi, defended the force but also questioned the motivation behind the photographs: 'I denounce what seems like a manipulation that undermines the local police, and puts the officers at risk.

'Already, complaints have been filed to prosecute those who spread the photographs of our municipal police officers and those uttering threats against them on social networks.'

French officials today insisted that the incident was real - with officers patrolling the entire beach - and denied claims that there was any kind of set up.

In a separate incident, video has emerged of armed police waiting for Muslim women to come out of the sea at nearby Nice, and then warning them about their choice of headscarves

Four women were fined 38 euros for wearing their burkinis on the beach in Cannes - a total of 30 areas in France have now issued rules about the burkini

Cannes on the French Riviera first introduced a ban on the all over swimsuit and women risk a 32 fine. Pictured: A fully covered woman goes paddling at Fort Mahon in northern France

A city council spokesman said the four officers had 'fulfilled their duties' when they gave the woman a fine and ordered her from the pebbles.

'The woman was pretty much asleep when they approached her  the idea that she somehow forced them to approach her is fantasy,' said one.

'She wasn't even wearing a burkini, she just had a tunic and headdress on which might have been considered inappropriate.'

This picture was certainly not staged, as some people have alleged. The freelancer witnessed the scene, which took place at 11am on Tuesday and lasted roughly 10 minutes. Best Image agency

A spokesman for the Paris-based Best Image agency which distributed the pictures, said they were taken by a freelancer who 'happened to be on the beach at the time.'

He said: 'This picture was certainly not staged, as some people have alleged. The freelancer witnessed the scene, which took place at 11am on Tuesday and lasted roughly 10 minutes.

'The woman was issued with a fine and left the beach a few minutes later. That is all the photographer was able to see.'

'The woman was pretty much asleep when they approached her  the idea that she somehow forced them to approach her is fantasy,' said a Nice official. Pictured: A woman shields from the sun under a parasol in Marseille, where a ban has been in place since the start of August

London mayor Sadiq Khan attacked Frances burkini ban: I dont think anyone should tell women what they can and cant wear.' Pictured: Women in burkas cooling off at Camber Sands

Earlier this week, four women were fined 38 euros for wearing their burkinis on the beach in Cannes

Frances highest administrative appeal court is considered an application to have the ban on the burkini made illegal. Pictures: Women standing in the water before they were fined

Nice Matin newspaper accused British agency Vantage News of staging the pictures alongside Best Image, which was vehemently denied by company owner Joe Sene.

'It was categorically not a set up,' he told MailOnline.

The row over the Nice photos is the latest in a series of incidents in the south of France and comes after video emerged of armed police waiting for Muslim women to come out of the sea at nearby Nice, and then warning them about their choice of headscarves.

Earlier this week, four women were fined 38 euros for wearing their burkinis on the beach in Cannes.

Cannes first introduced a ban on the all over swimsuit worn by some Muslim women. Women wearing 'inappropriate' swimwear risk a 32 fine.

On Thursday, London mayor Sadiq Khan attacked the ban as other opponents accused it of inciting racist and sexist attacks against Muslim women.

Before a visit to Paris  his first overseas since taking office  Mr Khan said: Im quite firm on this.

I dont think anyone should tell women what they can and cant wear. Full stop. Its as simple as that.

Protest: There were also demonstrations against the ban in London, where around 50 people faked a beach party outside the French Embassy involving women wearing burkinis

Protesters carried banners with slogans such as the Burkini ban is racist and Islamophobia is not freedom

On Monday, a Twitter user filmed the moment police asked the woman in a purple top and grey headscarf to get out of the water and fined her on the spot

Anne Hidalgo, his counterpart in the French capital, also called for an end to the burkini hysteria.

But former President Nicolas Sarkozy waded into the debate, saying it was time to end the presence of burkinis on French beaches.

'Wearing a burkini is a political act, it's militant, a provocation,' he said in an interview with Figaro to be published today.

'If we do not put an end to this, there is a risk that in 10 years, young Muslim girls who do not want to wear the veil or burkini will be stigmatised and peer-pressured.'

Today, the Council of State, Frances highest administrative appeal court, considered an application to have the ban on the burkini made illegal. It is expected to deliver a verdict on Friday or early next week.

It is being asked to judge the verdict of a lower court which ruled that the burkini was 'liable to offend the religious convictions or non-convictions of other users on the beach'.

Two human rights groups have argued that the ban on a garment that does not cover the face was petty, and designed to spread hatred against a small group of mainly Muslim mothers and grandmothers.

There have been demonstrations against the ban in London, where around 50 people faked a beach party outside the French Embassy involving women wearing burkinis.

Protesters carried banners with slogans such as the Burkini ban is racist and Islamophobia is not freedom.




Sina Ali Musati claimed he did it as a distraction from the Monica Lewinsky scandal - which was then at its height

journal published claims by a Canadian law student about the 1998 bombing Bill Clinton ordered in Iraq

An article in the Muslim journal where Huma Abedin was assistant editor claimed Bill Clinton bombed Saddam Hussein to deflect from his Monica Lewinsky affair.

The claim made made in an article published in the Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs, where Abedin was a member of the editorial board - the group of people who decide what is published in the academic journal.

It is the latest bombshell to emerge from the archives of the journal, whose editor-in-chief is Abedin's mother, Saleha Mahmood Abedin, an academic in Saudi Arabia.

Abedin, who is not an academic, has been Hillary Clinton's closest aide since spending time as an intern at the White House, at exactly the time the Monica Lewinsky scandal was unfolding.

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Affair: Bill Clinton's 'not appropriate' relationship with Monica Lewinsky led to his impeachment - and as the House moved towards the articles, he ordered airstrikes on Iraq

Strike: An Arleigh Burke-class destroyer launches a Tomahawk cruise missile as part of Operation Desert Fox - which Abedin's journal says was ordered to distract from Bill Clinton's scandals

Address: Bill Clinton used an Oval Office address to tell the nation of the airstrikes on the Saddam regime, to degrade his alleged ability to produce weapons of mass destruction

But the version of events published in her journal is one which is unlikely to be embraced by the presidential candidate, and especially not by Bill Clinton.

It is outlined in a provocative article published in 2002, and headlined: 'Arab/Muslim 'Otherness': The Role of Racial Constructions in the Gulf War and the Continuing Crisis with Iraq.'

The article was written by Sina Ali Muscati who was the time described as a 'second year law student' at the University of Ottawa. His academic credentials were not declared.

Key role: Huma Abedin, like her sister and brother, was a member of the editorial board of the journal and therefore responsible for selection what was published

Muscati wrote about the 1991 conflict and its aftermath, which saw Saddam Hussein remain in power throughout the 1990s, despite being bombed twice - in 1996 and in December 1998.

'The crisis with Iraq has also probably benefited Clinton, serving as a good deterrent of attention from personal crises, such as his campaign funding scandals, legislative failures, or the Monica Lewinsky affair,' he said.

'By occasionally bombing Iraq in the name of humanity, at least, he has been able to look strong and presidential.'

Clinton's bombing of Iraq in December 1998 was widely mocked as 'Monica's war'.

He ordered four days of strikes by bombers and cruise missiles at the height of his impeachment trial, brought in the wake of his admission that he had had a 'not appropriate' relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

The strikes - known as Operation Desert Fox- were ordered the day after the House of Representatives issued a report accusing the president of 'high crimes and misdemeanors' and ended on the day the articles of impeachment were passed.

Previous strikes in 1996, Operation Desert Strike, were ordered during a campaign finance scandal.

Among the other allegations leveled in the article are claims that the Gulf War of 1991 was driven by a desire for profits and political gain, with the U.S. government and media glossing over the deaths of hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqis who were 'demonized' and 'characterized as subhuman'.

The article claimed that President George HW Bush, who ordered the invasion by a U.S.-led coalition force, saw his support rating jump nearly 90 per cent following the war. In fact he was voted out of office after his first term.

Dictator: Iraq's dictator Saddam Hussein was the target of the 1998 Operation Desert Fox. The journal's article also claims that the U.S. should not have backed Kuwait when he invaded it in 1990

Same roles: Both Huma (with husband Anthony Weiner) and her sister Heba Abedin were assistant editors at the journal, while their brother Hassan was associate editor.

At her side: Huma Abedin with Hillary Clinton. The journal, where hse was on the editorial board before she was appointed as Clinton's top aide, has opposed women's rights and blamed the US for 9/11

The 2002 article claimed that hundreds of thousands of Iraqis died 'directly from the war, from subsequent civil strife, or from the American and British enforced UN sanctions'.

It goes on: 'Following the Gulf War, Iraqi rebellions publicly urged by the then President [HW] George Bush, but which received no American support, led to tens of thousands more Iraqis killed or made homeless by their army, almost under the noses of retreating American troops.

'Subsequent sanctions have led to even more Iraqi deaths, including over 600,000 Iraqi children alone.'

The journal article said that Iraqis were viewed with a 'racist outlook' and described in the media, by the U.S. government and military in terms including 'cockroaches' and 'barbaric', pitting Muslims and Arabs as evil against a humanitarian Western force.

The article also questioned the motives behind the 1991 Gulf War  suggesting that the real reason was to protect American access to Middle Eastern oil and not for the liberation of Kuwait, as the U.S. government had claimed.

'Indeed, it seems that had Iraq not been an Arab and Muslim country occupying huge oil reserves, the Gulf War would have been unacceptable,' it reads.

In the article's view, 'Saddam Hussein seems to have paid a great service to the West.'

'Gulf oil reserves were brought under greater Western control, the glory of American military might was assured, lucrative arms sales increased, and Western leaders were popularized.

'Moreover, the costs fell mainly on the Iraqi people, who were largely the ones to pay the price of blood.'

The article openly accused the U.S. of double standards in claiming that Saddam Hussein was a 'brutal aggressor' for invading its neighbors  while the U.S. had been condemned by the United Nations for its own invasions of Grenada and Panama in the 1980s.

'In fact the Panama invasion claimed between 1000 and 4000 lives, making it even bloodier than Iraq's invasion of Kuwait,' according to the article.

The article also appeared to defend Saddam's decision to invade: 'Kuwait's economic policies were far more damaging to Iraq than Panama's were to the US.'

It also questioned why the U.S. ignored what it claimed was the historical conflict between Iraq and Kuwait to serve its own ends  and why America would take the side of Kuwait in the first place.

Hillary pictured with Saleha Mahmood Abedin, mother of Huma, at a women's college in Jeddah in 2010. She remains editor-in-chief of the journal

'Another purported objective of the war, preserving peace and liberty in Kuwait, makes little sense. Kuwait is a dictatorship with a poor human rights record. It abolished its parliament shortly before the Iraqi invasion to become an absolute monarchy, leaving little freedom to defend there.'

The article also alleged further hypocrisy on the part of the U.S. and Israel who had focused on Arab/Muslim conflict when they 'have done nothing' to restore the Palestinian rights demanded by the UN Security Council.

It also criticized U.S. journalists who 'frequently refer to occupied Palestinian land as 'disputed' territory, as US diplomats do'.

The article suggests that the American people were hoodwinked into supporting war with Iraq due to the media and were 'convinced that Saddam Hussein posed a serious threat'.

At the time of publication, Abedin was an aide to Clinton, who was then the junior senator for New York.

That same year Clinton voted in favor of giving her husband's successor, George W Bush, authority to declare war on Hussein. Clinton has also been consistently pro-Israel.

Family: Huma Abedin is married to disgraced sex pest congressman and failed would-be New York mayor Anthony Weiner

The journal is heavily associated with the Abedin family.

The editorial board - the group who decided on the contents - included Huma's mother as editor-in-chief, her brother Hassan as associate editor and her sister Heba as another assistant editor.

The Clinton campaign did not respond to a request for comment on Abedin's role at the journal or whether she was paid for her position.

Huma Abedin was listed on the journal's masthead for more than a decade after she joined Clinton's team in 1996, rising from White House intern to one of the presidential nominee's closest confidantes.

She is a likely pick for chief of staff in a Clinton administration.

Abedin, who is married to disgraced congressman Anthony Weiner, who is Jewish, has denied having a working role on the Journal of Minority Muslim Affairs.

Her name first appeared on the magazine in 1996 and was dropped in 2008 around the time she went to work for Clinton at the State Department.

'My understanding is that her name was simply listed on the masthead in that period. She did not play a role in editing at the publication,' a Clinton spokesman told the New York Post earlier this week.

That claim appears contradicted by her presence on the editorial board. Abedin herself rarely makes public statements, although she used an interview with Vogue - whose editor Anna Wintour is a vocal Clinton supporter - to speak of her Muslim faith and fluency in Arabic.

The Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs' contents often appear to be at odds Clinton's avowed positions on feminism, homophobia and Middle Eastern policy.

An earlier article published in the academic Islamic journal also alleged that there were deep ties between the upper echelons of U.S. politics and pro-Israeli, Jewish-Americans, suggesting that Jewish people have been able to 'work the system' and are 'greatly aided by the American memory of the Holocaust' and Israel serving as America's ally in the Middle East.
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A Sydney Harbourside apartment with 1970s decor has sold for $6.3 million, $800,000 over the asking price, to a Chinese buyer.

The Darling Point apartment has expansive views of Sydney Harbour, the city skyline as well as the Opera House and the Harbour Bridge.

Its 1970s interior was supposed to be stripped away until real estate agents from Richardson & Wrench Double Bay stepped in to keep it to show buyers the 'endless possibilities for modern transformation' with the unit, according to Domain.com.

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The Darling Point apartment with amazing panoramic views of Sydney Harbour sold for $6.3 million to a Chinese buyer

The 1970s interior was kept to show buyers the apartment's potential for 'modern transformation'

Some of the apartment's retro features include retro wallpaper, shag pile carpets and timber paneling, this bedroom also includes a built-in fish tank

The kitchen's bright green interior, including the dining chair and floral wallpaper

The five bedroom unit was sold in its original condition to a Chinese buyer who bought the property for $800,000 above the asking price.

The eighteenth floor apartment once belonged to the late Singaporean property tycoon Cho Poon Chow, who first bought it in 1980 for $475,000, according to Domain.com.

When the tycoon died in 1997, the unit was left to his wife Grace and son Chow Kwok Ching.

For the last 13 years the place had been left unattended and untouched from its original decor.

The property was previously owned by the late Singaporean tycoon Chow Kwok Ching in 1980 for $475,000

When Chow Kwok Ching died in 1997 the property was passed on to his wife and son, the property was left vacant and untouched for 13 years

The property's retro living room has bright orange furniture, timber paneling and beige shag pile carpet

Located in Darling Point, a very desirable part of Sydney, an apartment in the same building a few floors above sold for $6.6 million

The Thornton Street home has bedrooms have funky, bright wallpapers and shag pile carpets, and even has a wall with a built-in fish tank.

The living room has a panoramic views of the Harbour and the city, with an orange lounge set and diner furniture.

It is also located in a very desirable part of Sydney and is close to plenty shops, good schools and ferry transport.

An apartment in the same building, a few floors above, was sold for $6.6 million after it was renovated.
Angel Natal, 31, from Bridgeport, Connecticut, has been arrested after he allegedly let two friends watch him have sex on FaceTime with a woman he met online

A 31-year-old man has been arrested after he allegedly let two friends watch him have sex on FaceTime with a woman he met online, without her consent.

Angel Natal matched with the victim on OkCupid and then agreed to meet her in a Bridgeport, Connecticut, park.

The pair connected, so the woman decided to go back to an apartment with Natal.

Police said the two were having 'consensual sex,' when the woman noticed Natal kept looking back over his shoulder, The Connecticut Post reported.

The woman then looked in a mirror and saw an iPhone that was on FaceTime with two men watching them having sex.

Cops said the man hung up the call when the woman became upset.

When she left the apartment the two men she had seen on the phone drove up and high fived Natal.

As a result, she reported Natal to police.

Police said they later confronted Natal who admitted having his cell phone set on the video-chat app so he record the pair having sex, according to reports.

They said he told them: 'It's porn. I like to watch porn.'

He was charged with voyeurism and held on a $15,000 bond.
Oshin's parents want him to live his final days without chemo's side effects

of survival have decreased dramatically to 40 per cent

The chances of a boy with brain cancer surviving are 'remote', say doctors, but they are asking a court to order that he have more treatment any - against his parents' wishes.

Oshin Kiszko, six, from Perth, was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumour in November 2015. His parents opposed the treatment recommended by doctors because the side effects would dramatically reduce the quality of his life.

Doctors are pushing for further treatment after the six-year-old under-went a court-ordered bout of chemotherapy in March, but his chances of survival have decreased dramatically from the originally estimated 50 to 60 per cent, according to WA Today.

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Perth doctors are taking the parents of cancer-stricken Oshin Kiszko (pictured), six, to court for the second time because they believe the young boy should undergo more chemotherapy and radiation treatments

Oshin's parents, Angela Kiszko (left) and Colin Strachan (right), who declined treatment for their son because they didn't want his brain 'fried with radiation' are now asking that their son live out his last days

Oshin's (pictured) chances of survival have decreased dramatically from the originally estimated 50 to 60 per cent after the delay in treating him

The court's decision to order treatment was delivered a week after it was reported Oshin's chance at survival had already declined due to delay in treating him with chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

Because of the delay, a Princess Margaret Hospital doctor told the WA Family Court combining treatments would give Oshin just a '40 per cent chance of survival' over the next five years.

The doctor said he was not convinced that treatment alone could save the boy and recommended radiotherapy.

Family Court Chief Judge Stephen Thackray admitted the chances of Oshin surviving more than five years even with treatment were slim when he sided with doctors earlier this year.

'I acknowledge Oshin's parents, who have done what they thought was right,' he said.

Oshin's cancer is now diagnosed as terminal and his parents, Angela Kiszko and Colin Strachan, are requesting that he enjoy his last days without the intensive treatment.

The couple will reportedly fight for palliative care in court instead for Oshin.

Ms Kiszko said Oshin completed his last chemotherapy session 11 weeks ago and has since regained his strength.

Oshin (pictured) was diagnosed with medulloblastoma in November last year. Now, after receiving chemotherapy, he is weak and 'lashing out' at his family

Oshin (pictured) had originally been given a 50-60 per cent chance of surviving five years if he began both chemotherapy and radiotherapy

The parents have kept up their objections, despite Oshin's mother (left) admitting in a 60 Minutes interview last month she 'didn't understand' chemotherapy

The parents had expressed concern over the possible side-effects of chemo and radiotherapy, which can carry high long term risks of intellectual disability in medullablastoma patients, particularly young children.

Ms Kiszko said she didn't want her son's brain 'fried with radiation'.

She said she would have preferred to treat him in an alternative clinic in Asia, despite the facility having no scientific backing.

'I don't want my son's brain fried with radiation, the effects are too harsh, too damaging, and I find it really difficult to even call it a treatment,' she told the program.

'As parents we know our child better than anyone.'

She told Perth Now in June that she wants her son's quality of life to be considered.

During his rounds of chemotherapy, Ms Kiszko said Oshin developed ulcers in his stomach, can barely eat or use a toilet, and was lashing out at his family to avoid treatment.

She said she believes he'll be 'treated until death'.

'I would like to offer Oshin peace, love and some fun times while we still can,' Oshin's mother said

Oshin's (pictured) parents are seeking legal advice about his treatment

Ms Kiszko (pictured) said she did not want to put her son through the treatment after seeing what it had done to her mother and step-mother - both of whom died of cancer

Professor Brian Owler, a neurosurgeon from the Australian Medical Association, said the risks of the treatment were present, however, many children 'survive not only the tumour but get treatment and go on and live happy and fulfilled lives.'

'Children with medulloblastoma go through years of what I see as torture, medical treatments, relapses, just to get this  maybe  five years,' Ms Kisko told the Sydney Morning Herald.

She told the newspaper: 'I would like to offer Oshin peace, love and some fun times while we still can.'

Ms Kiszko said she did not want to put her son through the treatment after seeing what it had done to her mother and step-mother - both of whom died of cancer.

'I have watched and learned what all these children and their families go through and it is nothing short of toxic hell,' she said.

'The children are not really alive, they are completely drugged and exhausted and on the verge of death.

'It almost feels like Nazi Germany and I am honestly sickened by the treatment of all these children.'

The hearing continues.

'I have watched and learned what all these children and their families go through and it is nothing short of toxic hell,' Ms Kiszko (middle) said
A law graduate who allegedly pretended to be a solicitor 12 times and sat in on multiple police interviews, has said it wasn't his 'responsibility' to correct police.

Jacob Reichman, 24, denied a charge of engaging in legal practice when not entitled in the Brisbane Magistrates Court on Thursday.

Mr Reichman told the court he only ever referred to himself as a 'legal representative' even though he was allowed to sit in on police interviews with clients, reported the Courier Mail.

Law graduate Jacob Reichman, 24, (pictured) who allegedly pretended to be a solicitor 12 times and sat in on multiple police interviews, has said he only ever referred to himself as a 'legal representative'

The court heard Mr Reichman graduated from a law degree at Bond University in Queensland in October 2013, but had not been admitted as a solicitor.

Recordings heard in court reportedly showed Mr Reichman in interviews with clients telling them not to answer questions, and not correcting police officers who called him a solicitor when interviewing suspects about charges.

Mr Reichman told the court his employer had instructed him to refer to himself as a 'legal representative'.

The court also heard recordings of conversations of Mr Reichman reportedly joking with officers not to hurry because 'we get paid by the hour'.

Mr Reichman said he was talking about lawyers and not himself.

He said he had previously pleaded guilty to referring to himself as a solicitor, which is why he was aware of ensuring he only referred to himself as a legal representative.

Police officers told the court if they had known Mr Reichman was not a solicitor, they would have excluded him from giving advice in interviews, and prevented him from speak to suspects in private.

The hearing continues on Friday.
A Sydney man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened firefighters with an axe as they tried to save his home from flames.

The 56-year-old was charged with trying to obstruct a member of the fire brigade with a weapon and causing malicious damage.

Emergency services were called to the address on Alexander Road at Whale Beach, on Sydney's northern beaches, just after 2am on Friday.

A Sydney man has been arrested after he allegedly threatened firefighters trying to save his northern beaches hime with an axe

The 56-year-old was charged with several offences including intent to obstruct a member of the fire brigade with a weapon

Police said firefighters from Fire & Rescue NSW had begun hosing the house when they were confronted by the axe-wielding man.

The fire-fighters were forced to retreat and called police for assistance. He was arrested a short time later.

Despite attempts to save the weatherboard house, it was destroyed by the fire.

The man was refused bail and is due to appear at Hornsby Local Court on Friday.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined and the scene will be examined further on Friday.
A U.S. judge has ordered the State Department to release by Sept. 13 any emails it finds between Hillary Clinton and the White House from the week of the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, among the thousands of additional emails uncovered by federal investigators.

The document drop could create one or more news bombshells just eight weeks before Election Day and at least a week before any U.S. states open their 'early voting' periods.

The order came Thursday after the FBI gave the department a disc earlier this month containing 14,900 emails to and from Clinton and other documents it said it had recovered that she did not return to the government  despite pledging last year that she had done so.

Judge William Dimitrouleas of the U.S. District Court in southern Florida made his order in response to a request by the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch, which is suing the State Department for Clinton-era records under freedom of information laws.

The latest courtroom victory for a conservative watchdog group could spell new trouble for Hillary Clinton, who will see potentially embarrassing emails that she deleted surface 8 weeks before Election Day

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton called it 'astonishing that Hillary Clinton tried to delete and hide Benghazi emails and documents'

Judicial Watch is a 22-year-old conservative watchdog group that uses the Freedom Of Information Act and other 'sunshine' laws to put government information in the public domain.

Federal Judge William Dimitrouleas is putting the State Department's feet to the fire, potentially exposing more Hillary Clinton secrets in the 8 weeks before the election

Its typical tactic is to file FOIA requests and then take government agencies to court if they don't respond.

Although most of the organization's targets have been liberal politicians, it also joined with a left-wing group during the George W. Bush administration to sue for records related to Vice President Dick Cheney's secretive energy policy task force.

During the Obama administration it has been busy suing the State Department over document related to the Benghazi terror attack and Hillary Clinton's email scandal.

It also filed suit against the IRS over its unwillingness to disclose information about how its agents targeted right-wing groups for special scrutiny.

The Benghazi terror attack in 2012 killed four Americans and gutted the American diplomatic mission in the Libyan port city

Christopher Stevens served as the U.S. Ambassador to Libya from June 2012 to September 11, 2012 when he was killed in the attack

Clinton, the Democratic presidential nominee, has been criticized for using an unauthorized private email system run from a server in the basement of her home while she was secretary of state from 2009 to 2013  a decision she says was wrong and that she regrets.

The issue has hung over her campaign for the White House and raised questions among voters about her trustworthiness.

Fitton and his watchdog group have been taking government agencies to court and exposing their secrets since he became its president in 1998

Spokesmen for Clinton did not respond to requests for comment.

Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said in a statement: 'It is astonishing that Hillary Clinton tried to delete and hide Benghazi emails and documents.'

'No wonder federal courts in Florida and DC are ordering the State Department to stop stalling and begin releasing the 14,900 new Clinton emails.'

At least one other judge has said the department will eventually have to release all the newly recovered work emails, and at least some are expected to appear before the Nov. 8 presidential election.

After the system's existence became more widely known, Clinton returned what she said were all her work emails to the State Department in 2014, and the department released them in batches to the public, some 30,000 in all.

Clinton has testified before Congress about the causes of the Benghazi fiasco, infamously asking 'what difference at this point does it make?'

WHO IS JUDICIAL WATCH? Judicial Watch is a conservative-leaning group that relies on lawyers and Freedom of Information Act lawsuits to force the government to reveal information about its inner workings It has filed numerous lawsuits to require disclosure, including suing the State Department to release Hillary Clintons emails and pushing for more prompt release It also has sued to gain information about Clinton aide Huma Abedins special status as a government employee given permission to do outside work, and sought information on Benghazi and IRS activities It hounded Bill Clintons administration with lawsuits in the 1990s, but it also sued the George W. Bush administration for release of minutes from a secret energy task force stocked with oil industry bigs It was founded by conservative lawyer Larry Klayman, got funds from conservative billionaire Richard Mellon Scaife, and is currently headed by Tom Fitton Advertisement

The FBI took her server in 2015 after it was discovered she had sent and received classified government secrets through the system, which the government bans.

Clinton has said she did not know the information was classified at the time.

After a year-long investigation, FBI Director James Comey said last month that Clinton should have recognized the sensitivity of the information and that she had been 'extremely careless' with government secrets.

But he said there were not enough grounds for a prosecution, a decision criticized by Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump and other Republicans.

It remained unclear if there were any newly discovered emails that related to the September 2012 attack on a U.S. facility in Benghazi, Libya, in which four Americans, including U.S. Ambassador Chris Stevens, were killed.

'Using broad search terms, we have identified a number of documents potentially responsive to a Benghazi-related request,' Elizabeth Trudeau, a State Department spokeswoman, said in a statement.

'At this time, we have not confirmed that the documents are, in fact, responsive. We also have not determined if they involve Secretary Clinton.'
Chinese businessmen with links to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop have donated half a million dollars to the Western Australian division of the Liberal Party during the past two years.

All the donors have links to the Chinese government and the vast bulk of the money was given by companies with no apparent business interests in WA, according to political disclosures.

Ms Bishop, the leading federal member of the party in WA, has singled out each of the three key donors for praise at various events in recent years, Fairfax Media reports.

Chinese businessmen with links to Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, including Huang Xiangmo of the Yuhu Group, have donated $500,000 to the WA branch of the Liberal Party

Billionaire Chau Chak Wing's Hong Kong Kingson Investment Ltd donated $200,000 to the WA Liberal Party in 2014-15.

The businessman, who has donated millions to both sides of government in the past decade, had a building named after him at the University of Technology, Sydney in February 2015.

Ms Bishop officially opened the building, which was partly funded by a $25 million donation by Dr Chau.

The Yuhu Group gifted $280,000 to the WA Liberal Party in 2013-14.

The company's chairman Huang Xiangmo attended a fundraiser with Ms Bishop and Tony Abbott during the 2013 federal election campaign.

Ms Bishop, the leading federal member of the party in WA, has singled out each of the three key donors for praise at various events in recent years

Xavier Soo also donated $20,000 in 2013-14 and the Chinese address listed is the headquarters of Chinese-Australian business the Waratah Group.

Fairfax Media says several of the donations have been obscured by the channelling of funds via executives or related companies, or by the donors' failure to disclose them to the Australian Electoral Commission (AEC).

It says the revelations raise further questions about foreign donations linked to ministers with trade and diplomatic responsibilities and heighten anxiety about the influence of foreign governments in Australian politics and business.

Ms Bishop did not respond to questions about how she handled potential conflicts between her responsibilities as a party fundraiser and minister.
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Cairo, Illinois was once as bustling with people as its Egyptian namesake. Located between both the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, its population of more than 15,000 filled the streets with goods, industry and noise in the 1920s.

But as railroad lines took over from the shipping industries across the 20th century, the number of jobs began to dwindle and people began to flee. In 2014, it had a population of just 2,576.

Today much of Cairo - called 'Care-oh' by its remaining residents and 'Kay-roh' by outsiders - is abandoned, with parts of its downtown area being reclaimed by nature - as these stunning pictures of its near-deserted streets, seen on Atlas Obscura, show.

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True nature: Once Cairo was a bustling shipping port, thanks to its position on both the Mississippi and Ohio rivers. But now the city is mostly abandoned - especially in the downtown area (pictured), where nature is reclaiming many buildings

Seeing green: Cairo is the southernmost city in Illinois, putting it on the borders of Missouri and Kentucky - and the warmer weather has led to plantlife swallowing up old buildings like these. And the devastation is now reaching residential areas

Apocalyptic: Once, these downtown streets would have been full of people. Now only a few cars show that anyone is still in town at all. The city's misfortunes began in the early 1900s when railways took away the shipping that was the city's lifeblood

The town's luck began to fall in 1889 when the Illinois Central Railroad bridge opened over the Ohio River - although much railroad activity was still routed through the town, so its effects were not severe.

The same can't be said for a second bridge that opened around 23 miles up the Mississippi at Thebes, Illinois in 1905.

The completion of that bridge drained away much railroad activity, reducing the need for the ferries that once carried railroad stock.

And with steamboats being phased out in favor of barges, Cairo was no longer the essential hub it had once been. The end had begun.

Amateur footage was filmed by YouTuber Sterling Johnson and captures the eerie ambiance of the town

Abandoned: No-one is drinking New York's Rheingold beer in this building any more. The deathblow was delivered to Cairo's economy in 1978, when the I-57 bridge opened across the Mississippi River, destroying its restaurant and hotel industry

Desolate: These buildings on the road to the levee in downtown Cairo once housed successful families; now they are decaying. The town was also troubled by racial tensions throughout its history - especially as jobs began to dwindle

Crumbling: Even the city's most grandiose homes haven't been able to escape the passage of time

The town was hit again in 1929 and 1937 when bridges were completed across the Mississippi and Ohio rivers, respectively, allowing a route through for US Routes 51, 60 and 62.

As the bridges were built at the town's southern tip, it was easy for traffic to bypass Cairo completely, draining away more money.

But there was still a little money coming to the town until 1987, when the Interstate 57 bridge opened across the Mississippi, allowing traffic to bypass the town altogether - killing its hotel and restaurant industries.

Shuttered: Today, it's mostly only governmental buildings that survive in downtown Cairo - such as (ironically) the Chamber of Commerce (second from left)

Gone: With so many of the population gone, amusements such as this bowling alley and private enterprises such as the furniture store on the right disappeared

Rotting: The frontages of these downtown stores were removed or have rotted off. Some of the buildings - like the one on the far right - have collapsed or been demolished altogether

Without residents and their taxes, most of the town has fallen into disrepair, with only government buildings such as the library being able to stay open.

The community and region are attempting to revitalize the city by rebuilding its landmarks and developing heritage tourism based on its historic relationship with the two rivers.

But they obviously have a long way to go.

Grim: The Downtown area looks especially grim on overcast days such as this one
Lawyers for a New Hampshire prep school sex assault victim say parents and alumni at St Paul's School helped raise over $100,000 for her alleged attacker's defense team.

Documents filed in a New Hampshire federal court Thursday allege that Joshua Abram, described as a 'prominent SPS parent' in the filings, contributed $10,000 and solicited more donations from other parents and alumni, the Boston Globe reported.

The money allegedly helped graduate Owen Labrie pay for prominent attorney J.W. Carney, who represented notorious Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger.

Lawyers for a New Hampshire prep school sex assault victim say parents and alumni at St Paul's School helped raise over $100,000 for her alleged attacker Owen Labrie's defense team. Labrie is pictured in March 2016

The money allegedly helped graduate Owen Labrie (center) pay for prominent attorney J.W. Carney (left), who represented notorious Boston gangster James 'Whitey' Bulger

Abram was quoted by the newspaper as saying in an email to parents and alumni: 'We hope that you will join the many other SPS families who feel that while the facts of this case can only be decided by a judge and jury, we can be united in the bedrock principle that Owen has the right to his day in court with a proper defense.'

The lawyers for the victim, the Globe reported, said that 'no one at the school undertook the slightest effort to raise a penny for Labrie's victim, whose family was forced to spend tens of thousands of dollars on counseling, travel, and many other expenses related to the assault'.

A St Paul's School spokeswoman did not immediately respond to an email message seeking comment from DailyMail.com.

Labrie, of Tunbrudge, Vermont, who was accused of raping the 15-year-old, was convicted last year of misdemeanor sex assault charges and a felony charge of using a computer to lure an underage student for sex. He was cleared of rape.

He was sentenced to a year in jail but is out on bail pending appeal.

He allegedly participated in an upperclassmen competition called the 'Senior Salute' to have sex with female students before graduation.

The victim's parents filed a lawsuit against St Paul's School in June claiming it failed 'in its most basic obligation to protect the children entrusted to its care'.

It also accused the school of not taking action against Labrie's predatory behavior.

The lawsuit, which alleges negligence and intentional infliction of emotional distress, also accuses the school of failing to support the girl.

It describes how she was 'shunned, ignored and outright mocked' by the school community. It seeks unspecified damages.

St Paul's, a private, Episcopal coed school for students in grades 9 through 12, has denied the parents' allegations.

The victim's parents filed a lawsuit against St Paul's School in June claiming it failed 'in its most basic obligation to protect the children entrusted to its care'

The school previously said in a statement: 'We believe this lawsuit is without merit, and we plan to vigorously defend ourselves.

'We categorically reject any allegations that St. Paul's School has an unhealthy culture.

'The safety of our students has been and will continue to be the highest priority for our school.'

The victim and her parents were granted anonymity by the courts - something St Paul's has challenged.

The school has said its right to a fair trial could be jeopardized if it can't identify the girl in a pretrial investigation, Concord Monitor reported.

Labrie (pictured in May 2016) was convicted last year of misdemeanor sex assault charges and a felony charge of using a computer to lure an underage student for sex. He was cleared of rape

The Boston Globe wrote that 'Thursday's filing withdrew the request for anonymity  and said the lawsuit would soon be resubmitted with real names'.

Labrie, who's 20 years old, was 18 when he was arrested in 2014 days after graduating from St Paul's.

During his trial, Labrie testified that he and the girl had consensual sexual contact, but he denied having sexual intercourse with her.

He acknowledged he had boasted to the contrary to friends, in profane emails and social media posts that were shared with the jury.

The encounter between Labrie and the girl took place in a nearly deserted building whose roof had a panoramic view of the school's 2,000-acre campus.

After a brief time on the roof, the girl testified, Labrie led her to a dark mechanical room, they consensually kissed and touched each other and he raped her.
A man has been found unconscious with significant head injuries in a car park in Cairns.

Police are appealing for information about the man, believed to be aged in his 30s, after he was found in the car park of adult education school Skill360 on Friday morning, The Cairns Post reported.

He is in a critical but stable condition in the Cairns Hospital.

A mystery man has been found unconscious with significant head injuries in the car park of Skill360 (pictured) in Cairns

Far North Detective Inspector Geoff Marsh said police were trying to determine the man's identity.

'We would ask anyone with information to contact Cairns police or Crime Stoppers,' he told The Cairns Post.

A Queensland Police spokesperson said the man was Caucasian.

Police believe the incident is suspicious and have set up a crime scene.
The Apex teen gang member who hit and killed a mother-of-two in a stolen BMW was high on methamphetamines and using Facebook on his mobile phone at the time.

Amanda Matheson, 47, died in a Melbourne hospital last November three days after the 16-year-old drove on to the wrong side of the road and slammed head on into her car.

The 16-year-old was on probation for a police pursuit and car theft at the time of the accident and left grieving relatives to wait for almost two hours in court on Wednesday - because he didn't want to go, according to the Herald Sun.

Amanda Matheson a mother-of-two was killed when an Apex teen gang member stole a BMW while high on 'ice' and slammed head-on into her car

The car the teenager drove was also used in a carjacking three days earlier in which suspected Apex thug Issac Gatkuoth pointed a shotgun at a terrified drivers head.

At the time of the accident the boy was reported as saying that the victims of his crime deserved to be targeted as they were rich.

'I do it for fun because I'm bored. If they (the victims) can afford a nice car, they can afford to fix it,' the 2015 report quoted the boy as saying.

After fleeing the scene the boy was arrested by police at a nearby McDonald's.

The car the teenager drove was also used in a carjacking three days earlier in which suspected Apex thug Issac Gatkuoth (pictured) pointed a shotgun at a terrified drivers head

An Apex gang member turns away from the camera to hide his identity

Two Apex gang members walking through Melbourne's streets

The boy has pleaded guilty to nine charges, including dangerous driving causing death, failing to assist at a serious accident and car theft.

The judge said he was concerned at the lack of remorse and unruffled demeanor shown by the teenager following the accident while his defence lawyer argued that the teenager was battling his own self consciousness.

The defence said that the reason the boy was late for court was due to the fact that 'he has been wrestling with trying to write a letter of apology'.

The teenager is due to be sentenced next month.
in the early hours of morning

A male taxi driver has received an almighty fright after he was forced to abandon his vehicle by a knife-wielding thief who sped off in the cab in the early hours of the morning in Toowoomba.

Police are investigating the incident involving the cabbie who was sitting in Lindemann Court at 4.10am when the male robber approached the window and threatened him with a knife forcing him from his vehicle.

The thief then sped off and appears to have abandoned the taxi at a nearby estate to flee on foot.

Male taxi driver robbed of his vehicle at knifepoint after 4am in Toowoomba

A sum of cash inside the taxi was stolen, The Chronicle reports.

No one was injured in the armed robbery and investigations are underway to discover the identity of the robber.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.

The armed thief sped off and dumped the car at a nearby estate to flee on foot
Experts hunting for missing flight MH370 plan to float replica plane wing parts across the Indian Ocean in their latest efforts to find the airliner.

Scientists from Australia's government-funded science and research organisation the CSIRO and search experts from the Australian Transport Safety Bureau have made copies of the missing plane's flaperon.

A flaperon from the plane was found off the coast of Reunion Island in the Indian Ocean on July 29, 2015, but the discovery did not lead to lead back to the main fuselage.

The team made is making six replica flaperons which have been fitted with transmitters and will be set out to sea with buoys off the coast of Australia's island state of Tasmania, according to The Australian.

Australian Transport Safety Bureau director of Flight 370 search operations Peter Foley standing beside the replica wing flaps

Authorities from Reunion Island carry a two-metre long piece of debris that appears to be a wing found on July 29, 2015

Flaperons are located on the wing, close to the body of the plane and help stabalise a plane during and after taking off, creating lift and drag of a wing, according to WSJ.

The team will track the replica wings course and speed to compare the movement and behaviour from 30 years of data from American buoys.

The scientists will collect the information and add the new data to the patterns of the buoys.

The search for the missing MH370 has focused over the Indian Ocean towards Western Australia and towards Africa

They believe debris is likely to have drifted to the southern coast of Western Australia, towards Tasmania or across the Indian Ocean towards Africa.
The adoptive parents of a Ukrainian man who posed as a high school student and had sex with a 15-year-old girl allegedly used him to get public handouts.

Stephayne and Michael Potts have been accused of putting son Asher - who turned out to be 23-year-old illegal immigrant Artur Samarin - down on welfare forms in a bid to get taxpayer-funded food and medical assistance, even though they knew their son's true identity.

According to ABC News 27, they also knowingly made false statements to the Dauphin County Assistance Office in Pennsylvania and took around $13,000.

The couple have not been arrested, but are due in court on October 6. They are each facing two counts of fraud.

Earlier this month Samarin pleaded guilty to a number of fraud and sex charges, which carry penalties of up to 40 years in prison and $90,000 in fines.

On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges and now faces deportation.

Samarin, who called himself Asher Potts, is accused of having sex with a 15-year-old girl.

The arrest affidavit said Samarin told a detective in February he had sex with the girl in the fall of 2014, when he was 22.

Stephayne and Michael Potts have been accused of putting son Asher - who turned out to be 23-year-old illegal immigrant Artur Samarin - down on welfare forms in a bid to get taxpayer-funded food and medical assistance, even though they knew their son's true identity

Asher Potts was known to his classmates as a hard-working intelligent student. But it turned out he was posing as a high school student and was in the United States without a visa

He had impressed teachers and community leaders while attending John Harris High School in Harrisburg and had been accepted into a college in Florida before authorities concluded he was considerably older and was a Ukrainian citizen who overstayed a student work visa.

Since Samarin has no sentencing deal, it will be up to Dauphin County Judge Deborah Curcillo to choose his punishment during sentencing scheduled for September.

Earlier this month Samarin pleaded guilty to a number of fraud and sex charges, which carry penalties of up to 40 years in prison and $90,000 in fines

On Wednesday, he pleaded guilty to federal fraud charges and now faces deportation. He is pictured arriving for a preliminary hearing on March 24, 2016

Samarin, thin and pale and dressed in a yellow county prison uniform, said little as he stood before the judge with his lawyer, Adam Klein.

He told the judge he had been speaking English for more than three years and understood the charges against him.

Klein said Samarin consulted with an immigration attorney before deciding to enter the pleas.

Swatara Township Police Chief Jason Umberger testified that he first met Samarin while volunteering in December 2014 at a 'shop with a cop' event that pairs economically disadvantaged children with police officers to spend $100 buying Christmas presents for the children's families.
Police have renewed the search for a fugitive suspect in two brutal murders of his lovers in Michigan and Ohio in 1983, revealing that he may be living as a woman in Los Angeles.

Cold case investigators this week released new age-progressed sketches showing how John Gentry Jr may look like today, more than 30 years after the slayings of his girlfriend and boyfriend.

Gentry, who would now be 63, has not been seen since the April 1983 killings of Barbara Gerber and William Veith, police said.

Police who have renewed the search for John Kelly Gentry Jr (pictured left in 1983) suspected in two brutal murders in Michigan and Ohio more than 30 years ago have released a sketch (right) of what the suspect could look like today

Now detectives from the Monroe County Sheriff's Office in Michigan said they believe Gentry may be living in Southern California and have issued an age-progressed drawing of him, hoping that members of the public may recognize him.

'The US Marshals Service received information in the last five years that Gentry was possibly living in California as a woman, that dresses as a woman,' Monroe County Sheriff's Detective Jeff Smith said.

According to the new information, Gentry now possibly goes by his middle name, Kelly, and had been seen in West Hollywood, which has a large LGBT community, reported the Los Angeles Times.

Citing his 'past history,' without giving any details, Smith said the information came as no surprise to Gentry's family.

He also said Gentry may be dead since his fingerprints, which are recorded in an FBI database due to a prior criminal record, had not been flagged anywhere since the murders.

'If he's alive he's obviously living somewhat of a law-abiding life, because otherwise the prints should come back a match,' Smith said.

Gentry's 25-year-old girlfriend, Barbara Gerber, was found stabbed to death at her home in Summerfield Township, Michigan, on April 12, 1983.

Gerber's car was stolen and later recovered in Toledo, Ohio.

Six days later, sheriff's detectives searching for Gentry found the body of William Veith, 52, in the basement of his Toledo rare coin shop.

His car was also stolen and eventually found in South Bend, Indiana.

Gentry pictured in mugshots taken in 1979. He had spent time in jail for crushing his boyfriend's Adam's apple

Smith said that Gentry had also been having a relationship with Veith, who was found bludgeoned to death with an ax handle.

Gentry's fingerprints were found at the scene of Gerber's slaying.

A month after the killings, Gentry sent postcards to a friend and to his father from San Diego, California, but has not been heard from since, Smith said.

Gentry had served time in the Lucas County Jail in Ohio after crushing his then-boyfriend's Adam's apple; that is where he met Barbara Gerber, who was working in the facility's kitchen.

Gentry lied to Gerber that he had been in jail for defending a woman. After his release, the two began dating and eventually moved in together.

Shortly after, Gentry met 52-year-old William Veith in Toledo, Ohio, and the men struck up a romance.

Gentry allegedly split his time living in Michigan and Ohio with his two lovers, neither of whom knew of the other.

Investigators suspect that Gerber and Veith learned the truth in April 1983, which may have led to their killings.

Barbara Gerber was sexually assaulted, stabbed and had her throat slit. Her killer also turned on the stove in her home and lit a candle nearby, possibly hoping it would cause and explosion, but his plan was thwarted when the victim's brother showed up and found her body.

Less than a week later, William Veith was found bludgeoned to death in his Toledo, Ohio, home, with the handle of an ax, which was left at the scene.
School council chief Sally Herman (pictured) was firm in her response to the outraged parents

A top school in Sydney's eastern suburbs has thrown its support behind their gay teachers and told parents to get with the times.

Parents of students at the Kambala school this week complained that gay teachers at the school detracted from its 'Christian values'.

But school council chief and businesswoman Sally Herman lambasted their views in a letter sent home this week.

'In recent days, two families have stridently expressed their displeasure at Kambala for, in their opinion, not living up to our Christian values by hiring and retaining teachers who are gay,' Ms Herman wrote.

'At the core of their displeasure is a concern that their daughters may be exposed to messages or values that they do not personally agree with.'

Scroll down for the full letter

'Love isn't an optional extra': The elite Kambala school has told parents to get with the times

Parents of students at the Kambala school this week complained gay teachers at the school detracted from its 'Christian values'

'There is little to be gained by me choosing words that cushion the message so I will be straightforward.

'We are a school community whose composition reflects the diversity of the broader community that we serve.'

Ms Herman took the opportunity to remind the school community of a passage from Corinthians in the Bible.

'And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.

'At Kambala, love isn't an optional extra.'

The full letter from school council chief Sally Herman: 'Kambala does not discriminate'

Justifying her firm response Ms Herman told Fairfax Media: 'It is 2016. I think the response is not surprising.'

Kerryn Phelps, the first LGBT person to be elected as president of the Australian Medical Association, was quick to throw her support behind Ms Herman's comments.

'She provides an impressive example of the style of leadership needed by schools and workplaces everywhere... Making it clear that attempts to discriminate on the basis of sexuality, ethnicity, gender, faith, or political convictions are not a part of their ethos. Well done,' she said on her Facebook account.

Kambala old girls have also shown their support for the schools hard stance against discrimination.

'Pretty proud to say that this is my school!' a former student said on Facebook.
PetSmart says: 'An internal investigation is underway, and we remain in continual contact with the pet parent'

A necropsy is being performed before Demon's remains are cremated

Daley says: 'It wasn't even 20 minutes, not even that after I picked him up and he was deceased'

She took the dog to an animal hospital - and Demon's temperature was found to be 104.5 degrees

Owner Desiree Daley picked up the dog and says 'he sounded worse than an asthmatic trying to catch his breath'

A dog went to an O'Fallon, Illinois, PetSmart to be groomed - and was having difficulty breathing when he was reunited with his owner.

The dog, named Demon, later died, KTVI reported.

His owner Desiree Daley told the station in an interview: 'They failed me, they failed my dog. They know they're at fault for something.

'Their negligence is the reason we don't have our sweet boy.'

Scroll down for video

A dog went to an O'Fallon, Illinois, PetSmart to be groomed - and was having difficulty breathing when he was reunited with his owner. The dog, named Demon, later died

Owner Desiree Daley (pictured) collected Demon on Saturday, and told KTVI: 'He sounded worse than an asthmatic trying to catch his breath'

Daley collected Demon on Saturday and recalled: 'He was labored breathing, he couldn't breathe. He sounded worse than an asthmatic trying to catch his breath.'

She took her pet to an animal hospital - and Demon's temperature was found to be 104.5 degrees, KTVI reported.

Daley said: 'It wasn't even 20 minutes, not even that after I picked him up and he was deceased. Gone.'

She took the dog to an animal hospital - and Demon's temperature was found to be 104.5 degrees

Daley said: 'It wasn't even 20 minutes, not even that after I picked him up and he was deceased. Gone'

A necropsy is being performed on Demon's body before his remains are cremated, according to the TV station.

Daley said: 'Somebody has to give me answers. He was healthy when I dropped him off, he wasn't healthy when I picked him up.

'I need to know what happened. How does a dog go for a bath and nail trims and never come home, I don't get it.'

A card from the O'Fallon PetSmart said: 'We are so sorry for your loss and we apologize for the pain your family has to endure'

PetSmart said in a statement to KTVI: 'We are truly saddened by the loss of Demon.

'An internal investigation is underway, and we remain in continual contact with the pet parent.

'Additionally, we are all waiting for test results to better understand what happened.'
A 14-year-old girl is fighting for life with critical head injuries after being hit by a car as she ran across a busy road to catch a bus in Melbourne.

The year eight Chinese international student at The Knox School was airlifted to Royal Childrens Hospital after being treated at the scene.

She ran into the path of a car on Stud Road near Scoresby Secondary College at 8am on Friday was she tried to catch a bus.

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The year eight Chinese international student at The Knox School was airlifted to Royal Childrens Hospital after being treated at the scene

The black Mazda CX5 was driven by a 25-year-old woman from Scoresby, according to the Knox Leader. The driver was not injured.

Pictures from the scene show her wrapped up on a stretcher being loaded into a helicopter on before being transferred to hospital.

The girls school wrote on Facebook that she had been living with close relatives in Melbourne and her parents in China had been informed of the situation.

We have gathered the students from Years 5 to 12 to inform them of the basic information as we know it, it wrote.

We are hoping for a positive outcome. We ask our community to keep the young girl in their thoughts and we wish her well for a speedy recovery.
Byron Bay mum Sara Connor, who spent three days on the run with her British boyfriend after allegedly bashing a Bali police officer to death, will undergo psychiatric tests on Friday.

The mother-of-two and her young DJ boyfriend David Taylor were arrested a week ago after being named as suspects for the murder of policeman Wayan Sudarsa on Kuta beach.

Connor, 45, has since claimed she was trying to protect the officer from being beaten to death by Taylor after his bloodied body was found with 42 wounds.

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Accused killer Sara Connor (left) was trying to protect a Bali police officer from being beaten to death by her enraged British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (right), according to her lawyer

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali last week with 42 wounds to his body. Police claim Mr Taylor confessed to hitting the officer with a beer bottle, but denied killing him.

The couple, who each face a number of charges, have undergone lengthy interrogation sessions and Connor is due for psychiatric examinations on Friday morning, the ABC reported.

Taylor has requested not to be sent for the tests because he is exhausted after a long night of questioning by Bali Police.

The two accused have expressed remorse over Wayan Sudarsa's death and say they want to apologise to his family, according to their lawyers.

'In the interrogation our client said that he felt regret at his actions,' Taylor's lawyer Haposan Sihombing told News Corp.

'He also said... that he will ask to apologise to (Wayan's) family and he is still thinking that he will make a letter also for the family,' he said.

It comes after details of Connor and Taylor's three days on the run emerged as police piece together the murder investigation.

Connor and Taylor were found to have checked out of the Kuta hotel where they had been staying and moved into a new homestay at Jimbaran for two nights the same day the officer's body was found.

The owner of the new home in Jimbaran said the couple displayed 'normal behaviour' and were not suspicious.

Bali police claim to have found the bloodied clothes worn by Byron Bay mother Sara Connor (right, pictured on August 23) and her British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (left) on the night they allegedly murdered a local policeman in a drunken rage

Balinese officials said it was Ms Connor's idea to destroy the evidence linking her and her boyfriend Mr Taylor to the alleged murder - burning their clothes in a housing complex and dumping the policeman's cut-up ID cards (pictured) by the side of the road

Two days after the police officer was murdered, Connor and Taylor rented a motorbike and told the shop owner that they needed to go to the Australian consulate because her passport was gone.

To get to the shop, the couple would have walked by the dead police officer's home.

Taylor (C, with hood) is escorted by police officers for interrogation at a police station in Denpasar

Connor received a call from her home in Australia last Friday informing her she had made the news given the alleged murder.

The couple then allegedly burned the clothes they had been wearing at the time, which Bali officials claim to have found in nearby Jimbaran.

Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said on Wednesday said they then found Mr Sudarsa's ID cards cut up and dumped on the side of the road.

They claim it was Connor's idea to destroy any evidence linking her and her boyfriend to the alleged crime.

The couple were arrested last Friday when they visited the Australian Consulate where police had been waiting - three days after they allegedly murdered the officer.

The police chief said officers had asked Connors's boyfriend to tell them where they had dumped the cop's possessions.

'We took David there, but he couldn't tell us clearly where the place was,' Mr Purnomo told reporters.

'So we went again during the night and we found the wallet, ID card, police card, motorbike registration letter, phone (sim) card, hand phone case.'

Ms Connor is accused of being the mastermind behind the destruction of evidence allegedly linking her to the brutal death of Balinese police officer Wayan Sudarsa

'It was put into a plastic bag and thrown away in Suluban Beach area in Uluwatu, South Kuta.'

He claims the couple set alight their clothes in the hours before they were arrested last Friday. Burnt fabric and a button was found in the bushes, Mr Purnomo said.

'Cutting (those cards) was Sara's idea. Burning (the clothes) idea may have come from both of them,' he added.

They have yet to find the police officer's phone.

Connor and Taylor have not seen each other since their arrest, having been held separately at Denpasar police station.

Earlier this week lawyers for the two said a scuffle broke out between Taylor and Mr Sudarsa after Connor lost her purse on Kuta Beach.

Local police claim Taylor accused Mr Sudarsa, who was on duty at a nearby hotel at the time, of stealing Connor's purse and of being a fake police officer before beating him with binoculars, a beer bottle and a mobile phone, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Taylor confronted the police officer and the two fell to the ground as they wrestled, during which the officer allegedly bit Connor on the leg and arm.

Local police claim Mr Taylor (pictured centre) accused the officer of stealing Ms Connor's purse before beating him with binoculars, a beer bottle and a mobile phone

Ms Connor (pictured) has maintained her innocence over his murder, her lawyer Erwin Siregar said

'Then David said to the victim: 'You are a bogus cop. Where's my bag? Where's my bag? F--- you bastard police.' The officer said: 'I don't know.' But he kept insisting, three times,' Denpasar Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said.

Taylor then allegedly continued to hit Mr Sudarsa with a glass beer bottle as Ms Connor left to continue looking for her purse.

'By then David had lost it and hit him repeatedly with the broken bottle, causing the 17 wounds on the head. After the [officer's] head was injured, [Taylor] searched his body, his belongings, that's how the victim's clothes got unbuttoned and loose. The man had already lost consciousness.'

Connor has maintained her innocence over his murder, her lawyer Erwin Siregar said.

'Sara said that she (was) not involved with this murder, she (was) not involved at all with this murder,' the lawyer said.

Mr Siregar said his client had tried to separate the two men.

Her British boyfriend has allegedly admitted to hitting Mr Sudarsa.

A crime scene established on Kuta Beach in Bali is pictured on Friday

Taylor's lawyer, Haposan Sihombing, said Connor tried to help her boyfriend in the struggle.

But her lawyer said she 'insists that she was not involved with the murder at all'.

'She saw from behind that Taylor hit the victim, but she did not know what he used to hit,' the lawyer alleged.

Connor's ex-husband, Anthony 'Twig' Connor, who is the father of her two sons aged nine and 11, was due to make a statement on behalf of the family in Sydney on Wednesday but decided not to front the media.

'Late last night we were advised by the Australian Government not to hold the conference', a statement from a family spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Connor faces a murder charge and an additional charge of participation in a murder. Taylor is being held as a suspect for murder, assault and battery charges.
A school surfing carnival has been postponed after scores of shark sightings were reported at the beach venue.

Surfing WA planned to hold the state final of the 2016 SunSmart WA School Surfing Titles at Trigg Beach in Perth's northern suburbs on Friday.

More than 120 students from 28 high schools across Western Australian were set to compete when the event was postponed on Friday morning.

The SunSmart WA School Surfing Titles at Trigg Beach have been postponed after a dramatic increase in shark sightings in the past few months. Pictured is a shark sighted off Trigg Beach on Friday morning

Pictured is a warning sign at Trigg Beach advising swimmers not to enter the water because of the recent shark sightings

Beaches one kilometre each side of Bennion Beach (Trigg Beach to Mettams Pool) were closed on Thursday until 7.30am on Friday. Stock image shows surfers at a beach in WA

According to Sharksmart, the WA government's shark safety information resource, there have been 61 shark sightings reported at Trigg Beach between 6 June to 25 August.

Beaches one kilometre each side of Bennion Beach, including Trigg Beach , were closed on Thursday until 7.30am on Friday.

The Department of Fisheries WA deployed drum lines at Trigg Beach on Thursday.

Surfing WA events manager Justin Majeks told Daily Mail Australia they cancelled because of ongoing concerns with regards to multiple shark sightings.

'Yesterday Fisheries deployed drum lines just north of competition area. There's been a Fisheries boat out today and with our overarching auspice being safety of competitors we thought it would be a fairly bad look for us to push ahead with the event given what's gone on in last 24 hours,' Mr Majeks said.

'We've got great safety measure in place - water safety jet skis and water safety officers - but I just think that it would be something that could potentially damage our reputation if we proceed.

There have been numerous shark sightings at the beach in Perth's northern suburbs this month (pictured)

Surfing WA's Justin Majeks said the frequency of reports (pictured) led them to postpone the state-wide surfing event

There have been a total of 61 shark sightings at Trigg Beach (including the one pictured in this tweet) since the start of June

Mr Majeks said the schools and principals involved in the event had expressed their concerns after the frequency in shark sightings

'The schools and principals have their concerns as well which they've expressed to us.'

Over the past two weeks Surfing WA had been running regional and metro qualifying events, in the lead up to the final.

Mr Majeks said they were extremely busy at this time of year, but were looking at postponing the event to the week commencing 12 September.
A woman working in a Melbourne shopping centre has been subjected to a frightening sexual assault.

Detectives are hunting for a man who sexually assaulted the employee of a pop-up perfume shop at the Narre Warren South complex last month, Nine News reports.

During the vile assault the man, who is thought to be in his 60s, repeatedly told the shop assistant she was 'beautiful'.

Police are hunting for a man (pictured on CCTV) over frightening sexual assault at a shopping centre in Melbourne

The man approached the store several times showing 'interest in the victim', police said, before the assault.

'We have a small portion of footage of the offender coming in to and walking out of the shop, however there were no witnesses,' Detective Senior Constable Rachael Kennedy said.

The victim initially approached the man to see if he needed any help while he looked around the store.

'He pretended it didn't occur, he didn't make eye contact with me as he left the store,' she said.

During the sickening assault the man repeatedly told the victim she was 'beautiful'

The 20-year-old, who wished not to be identified, said the man then touched her inappropriately and left her 'in shock'.

'I just stared blankly trying to digest what had happened,' she said.
The California couple accused of murdering a woman, kidnapping her three children and then going on the run were arrested in Colorado Thursday after cops found them by chance.

Brittany Humphrey, 22, and her 'husband' Joshua Aaron Robertson, 27, are believed to have murdered Humphrey's sister, Kimberly Harvill, and taken her kids on the run.

All three children were found alive in a New Mexico hotel Wednesday, but when cops caught Robertson and Humphrey they found them to be with a fourth child - the one-and-a-half-year-old daughter of a prison convict, the LA Times reported.

They are now back in California.

Caught: Joshua Robertson (left in 2014) and Brittany Humphrey (right in 2012) were arrested in Colorado Thursday. They allegedly took the kids of Kimberly Harvill, who was found dead

Tragic family: Harvill lost husband Kenneth Watkins (both pictured, with their kids) to suicide last year. Her body was found beaten and shot by a California rest stop on August 14

Robertson and Humphrey were caught by cops at a motel in Pueblo, around 100 miles south of Denver.

The police officers were engaged in an unrelated investigation at the motel when they came across Humphrey and the one-and-a-half-year-old girl, said Pueblo County Sheriff's Office.

Robertson was arrested about two blocks away; although he had been described as 'armed and dangerous' previously, neither he nor Humphrey put up a fight.

The girl was Madisyn Harper, the daughter of a convict in Madera County, police said.

Her mom told investigators she had given permission for Robertson to look after her, but later filed a 'missing person at risk' report.

Safe: Harvill's kids, including Joslynn Watkins (pictured), two, disappeared around the time she died. All were found in a New Mexico motel Wednesday. Cops think the couple took them

Found: Brayden (left), three, and Rylee (right), five, were also found at the motel. Robertson and Humphrey had another kid with them when caught: Madisyn Harper, one

Harvill's body was discovered by a motorist who had stopped at Gorman Post Road near Lebec, California, on August 14.

She had suffered head wounds and multiple gunshots to the torso.

Her children Joslynn, Brayden and Rylee Watkins - aged two, three and five, respectively - were taken either just before or after her death, cops said.

They believe Robertson and Humphrey took the kids after killing Harvill.

LA County sheriffs homicide Lt Joe Mendoza said that 'it is suspicious that they did not come forward to law enforcement and instead fled.'

The couple, formerly of Fresno, had been moving 'from motel to motel' and were staying in Lebec just before Harvill's murder, according to police.

Infant: Robertson (believed to be this man, in photo taken by Humphrey) was given permission to look after Harper by her mom, a convict. But she later filed a missing persons report

Happier times: Watkins and Harvill had been together for at least six years and had three children before he killed himself. Her children, now orphans, are in the care of the state

The children were found Wednesday at a motel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where they had been left with a 'Good Samaritan.' All three were alive and well.

They will be placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services once they are returned to California, as their father committed suicide last year.

According to her social media account, Harvill was engaged to a man going by the last name Keithley.

The couple were set to marry on August 11, just three days before she was found dead.

New beginning: Harvill posted this photo on her Facebook page August 3. It shows her posing with her fiance, a man who goes by the last name Keithley. They were due to marry August 11

On August 3, she posted a selfie with her fiance with the caption: 'Soon to be Mrs Keithley 8/11/16.'

A day later, Harvill's sister, Brittney Humphrey, posted on her own Facebook page a photo of a shirtless man with tattoos on his chest, who is believed to be Joshua Robertson. The caption read: 'My husband.'

A news release from the Sheriff's Department Tuesday said Robertson was 'on post-release community supervision and has a previous arrest for possession of a firearm.'
A documentary has unearthed explosive claims police officers ordered a hit on a 17-year-old drug dealer turned FBI informant after helped take down corrupt cops and a mayor's brother-in-law.

A hitman says he was asked to murder Richard Wershe Jr - a man who has been behind bars for almost 30 years for possessing cocaine - after his information led to the arrest of a number of powerful people in Detroit.

The film, '650 LIFER: The Legend of White Boy Rick', documents the life of Wershe Jr, who was given a life sentence in 1988 for a non-violent drug crime when he was just 17 .

A draconian law at the time meant that if you were carrying over 650 grams of cocaine, you were given an automatic life sentence. He is eligible for parole, but Wayne County Prosecutors refuse to release him, despite the help he has given to the authorities.

A teaser trailer sent to DailyMail.com by Transition Studios shows interviews with a number of former FBI agents and attorneys who all say they knew corrupt cops were involved in the case, and believe Wershe should have been freed years ago.

It also shows convicted killer, Nathaniel Craft, insisting that he was asked to kill Rick, but make sure it 'led back to no one'.

Wershe's case has been in the headlines for decades, but now he hopes the new documentary and a Hollywood film being made at the same time will help lead to his freedom.

A documentary has unearthed explosive claims police officers ordered a hit on 17-year-old drug dealer turned FBI informant Richard Wershe after he helped take down corrupt cops and a mayor's brother-in-law. Wershe is pictured left at 17 and right in a recent mugshot

Three attempts on his life are believed to have been uncovered. Producers told DailyMail.com there were three failed plans to kill the drug dealer in a car chase, on his way to prison and in the courthouse.

Craft later admitted to federal prosecutors that he was involved in more than 30 homicides.

Convicted drug kingpin Johnnie Curry also claims that his crimes were far worse than Wershe's - but he was released earlier.

In the film he says: 'On a scale of one to 10, I would say he was about a two. He was nowhere near me.

'I did way more than he could possibly have ever done to get that kind of a sentence.'

In an email to DailyMail.com from Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan earlier this month, Wershe said he continually faces roadblocks because politicians and attorneys still 'lie and cover stuff up'.

Wershe Jr was given a life sentence in 1988 (pictured) for a non-violent drug crime when he was just 17 under a draconian law. He is eligible for parole, but Wayne County Prosecutors refuse to release him

Convicted killer, Nathaniel Craft, claims he was asked to kill Rick, but make sure it 'led back to no one'. Three attempts on his life are believed to have been uncovered

He spoke from his cell just days after President Obama pardoned hundreds of inmates for drug offenses.

Wershe told DailyMail.com he is truly happy for those on the list and praised the President for correcting a 'mass injustice'.

But he said he is helpless, as the only one who can release him is Michigan's Governor, Rick Snyder.

The filmmakers are hoping to get the politician to sit down for a private viewing in a bid to have him release Wershe.

The documentary's director, Shawn Rech, told DailyMail.com, that Wershe became a scapegoat for politicians in a city in decline in the 1980s.

He said: 'The film examines how a juvenile could possibly receive a life sentence for possession of drugs.

'We explore the legend of "White Boy Rick," which it turns out didn't have much truth behind it.

Producers told DailyMail.com there were three failed plans to kill the drug dealer in a car chase, on his way to prison and in the courthouse. He is pictured being led into court in 1988

Convicted drug kingpin Johnnie Curry also claims that his crimes were far worse than Wershe's - but he was released earlier. In the film he says: 'On a scale of one to 10, I would say he was about a two. He was nowhere near me'

'It did work out great for TV stations and their news ratings, as well as politicians who needed a scapegoat for a big city in decline.

'We gained access to almost all of the key players. From the real drug lords who ran Detroit's street enterprises, to the FBI agents who worked their cases, to some of the journalists who reported on all of this at that time.

'The film is as much about the city's culture of corruption as Rick's case. We even uncovered new, jaw dropping evidence of just how high the corruption went.

'Believe it or not, this film will contain a lot of new information about what went on back then.

'I suppose we're benefiting from people getting more comfortable as time passes.

Wershe, seen in a holding cell during his trial, says he knows his work as an FBI informant means he is still behind bars today

'The goal of the film is to shine a light on those who stand in the way of Rick's release.

'We show the viewer what's really going on, and why certain powerful individuals are committed to never allowing Rick's release. Their arguments don't hold up.'

Wershe was a paid informant who helped the authorities prosecute crooked cops and the brother-in-law of former Detroit mayor Coleman Young (pictured) - actions which seem to have dented his chances of release

Wershe was a paid FBI informant who helped the authorities prosecute crooked police officers and Willie Valson, the brother-in-law of former Detroit mayor Coleman Young.

His actions seem to have dented his chances of release.

In an interview with WDIV in February, 2015, he said it was his cooperation with cases against high-profile figures, including a former homicide cop and city councilman Gill Hill, which has stopped him being set free.

He told the reporter at the time: 'I embarrassed a lot of people. But all I did was what I was asked and all I did was tell the truth.

'I was asked to go out there and get information about some people that were involved in the drug trade, and their connections, and how the drugs were coming in.

'They got me involved in this. I was a kid. I made a poor decision. Should I be paying for it 27 years later? I dont think so.'

His legal team believe he has been wronged by the legal system and his family are constantly pushing for him to be freed.

Wershe stands with a painting he did in prison. It was sold at auction for a cancer charity

They have a Facebook group which keep supporters updated about developments in his case.

Long-time attorney Ralph Musilli told the Detroit News in September: 'How can you give up a man's life? We're talking about someone who went into prison at the age of 18 on a nonviolent crime. You can't let this guy stay in prison.'

FBI agent Gregg Schwartz, who investigated some of Detroit's drug rings and other corruption, said drug dealers and murderers have been freed while Wershe still languishes behind bars.

In an interview with DailyMail.com earlier this year he said Wersche should not be behind bars.

During the film, he states: 'I am sorry to say, the legend of White Boy Rick, is just not true.'

He added: 'Third world countries don't incarcerate like this.'

A baby-faced Wershe was recruited as an informant by the FBI in 1984, mainly because his father had done the same, and he was trusted by a black family who were being investigated.

Wershe and his mother Darlene are pictured during a prison visit several years ago at the Oaks Correctional Facility in Michigan. She said she wants to spend some time with her son before she dies

He came from a lower-middle class family. His parents had split in a bitter divorce and his sister was plagued by drug addition problems.

Richard Wershe Sr was a small-time arms dealer who made money on the side by selling information about neighborhood crooks and dealers to federal agents.

The elder Wershe ended up introducing his son to the informant business.

He was undercover while crack cocaine was taking over cities across America, replacing heroin as the illegal drug of choice.

The FBI's office in Detroit was keen to look into the dealings of the Curry Brothers. They were traffickers based in the city's east side, where Wershe lived with his father.

Johnny Curry, the leader of the racket, was married to Cathy Volsan, the attractive niece of the then Mayor Coleman Young, who had constantly been on the feds' radar.

Informants known as 'stool pigeons' like Wershe would help convict some of his most loyal allies during his reign.

Cathy Volsan's father Willie Volsan, the mayor's brother-in-law, had been a major player in illegal gambling, but moved on to heroin and crack cocaine when it flooded the streets.

Wershe remembers that, as an informant, he was living a luxurious life alongside drug kingpins that children his age couldn't dream of.

Over two years working for the FBI, Wershe said he was given approximately $30,000. He used the money to buy clothes, jewelry and even cars - even though he wasn't even old enough to drive

Retired FBI agent Herman Groman says he knew there were corrupt cops involved in Wershe's case from the beginning

He remembers going to Las Vegas when he was just 15 with the Curry brothers. He was sent to watch the Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns fight, armed with money from the federal agents and fake identification.

He told WDIV: 'They wanted as much information as I could on a drug organization in Detroit. The government is the one that provided me with the fake ID.'

Documents obtained by the TV station list payments for Wershe's flight, room and spending money.

It was with his informant work on trips like this that meant the FBI was able to get permission for wiretaps and listening devices trained on Johnny Curry.

About a year after members of the gang inadvertently murdered a 13-year-old boy during a drive-by shooting, the federal agents and local cops on the task force stopped taking Wershe's phone calls, because they didn't need him.

He had dropped out of school to become an informant and had little formal education. So he went back to what he knew - dealing drugs.

His connections from his time with the Curry family helped him get in touch with and form a business relationship with Art Derrick, a trafficker in Miami who owned a small fleet of aircraft that could get the drugs to Detroit quickly.

Wershe was not a street dealer, Musilli told the Detroit News, but sold cocaine at a wholesale level.

Wershe is pictured sitting (right) at a family event in the mid 1970s. He is with his late grandfather Ray Wershe and friend Dave Majkowski

By this time Johnny Curry was in jail and his wife, Cathy Volson, who was several years older than Wershe, boldly approached him and suggested they have a fling. She didn't know Wershe had been the one who put her husband in jail.

Mrs Volson was protected by the mayor's family and was warned every time she was close to becoming part of a police investigation.

In 1987, when Wershe was arrested, he had 9,000 grams of cocaine and $30,000 in cash on him.

By that time, the 17-year-old defendant in his own high-profile trial on drug charges was a father to two young daughters.

His youngest child, a son, would be born shortly after he was incarcerated.

While he was in prison, the FBI still asked for his help. They told Wershe to inform Cathy Volsan Curry one of his trusted 'connects' from Miami needed police protection.

FBI agent Gregg Schwartz, who investigated some of Detroit's drug rings and other corruption, said drug dealers and murderers have been freed while Wershe still languishes behind bars. In the film, he says the legacy of White Boy Rick is 'not true'

The 'connect' was an undercover FBI agent posing as a big-time Miami drug dealer. She in turn introduced undercover FBI Agent Mike Castro, posing as Mike Diaz, to her father, Willie Volsan.

In turn, Mr Volsan introduced the agent to various police officers willing to take bribes to provide protection for what they believed were drug and cash shipments through Detroit. One of these cops, Sgt. James Harris, was a member of Mayor Young's security detail.

Volsan, Harris, and nearly a dozen police officers were indicted and convicted. Harris and Mr Volson were jailed for 19 years in 1993 for an operation designed to ensnare Mayor Young.

Inspector Gil Hill, an officer who worked with the Curry family, was a major politician in Detroit at the time and had helped Mr Volsan for a brief time.

For Mayor Coleman Young, a white FBI 'stool pigeon' sleeping with his niece that had sent his brother-in-law to prison, was seen as the ultimate betrayal.

Wershe had made the wrong enemies in Detroit politics.

Rick is seen walking in to one of his recent court appearances. The only person who can let him out his Governor of Michigan, Rick Snyder

In Hill and Young, Wershe had made enemies of two of the most powerful black politicians in Detroit.

For Wershe's parole review in 2003, the Wayne County prosecutor, Mike Duggan, sent a scathing letter to the Michigan Parole Board opposing his release

He reportedly accused Wershe of being a 'gang leader' and 'violent kingpin' who intimidated witnesses who 'just disappeared.'

It read: 'This is one inmate that needs to remain in prison for his entire life.'

But Vince Wade, an investigative reporter who has covered the case, asked for the letter through a Freedom of Information request, and the prosecutor's office said it didn't exist.

A change in the state's drug-sentencing law in 2002 made Wershe eligible for parole. He had one hearing, in 2003, and was denied.

Musilli said Wershe has even helped Florida authorities crack drug cases while locked up in that state in the early 2000s.

He made subsequent requests for hearings in 2007 and 2012, but was turned down. His next opportunity to request a hearing, which comes up every five years, is not until December 2017, according to the Detroit News.

Scott Burnstein, an author and true crime historian, has researched Wershe's case for years.

He told WDIV: 'I don't use the word tragedy or injustice lightly, but I use it emphatically when I'm talking about Rick Wershe,' Burnstein said. 'I honestly believe that this is the prostituting of our youth, and then just throwing them in a cage and throwing the key away.'

'I think it's a true tragedy an injustice. A wrong needs to be righted,' Burnstein said.

The documentary is still in production and is set to be completed in the Fall.

It is being made by the same team behind Showtime's 'A Murder in the Park,' a film that helped free wrongfully-convicted prisoner, Alstory Simon.
Pauline Hanson has rejected accusations she 'hates Muslims' as she walked into Parliament House for the first time since her imprisonment on unfounded electoral fraud charges 13 years ago.

Ms Hanson, 62, will to return to Canberra politics as a Senator and reveals in an interview with 60 Minutes that she hasn't forgotten who was behind her demise.

In footage for the program, Ms Hanson cries as she stands outside Parliament House on her reutn, but admits that sitting at her old desk 'feels good'.

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Now: Pauline Hanson is overwhelmed as she returns to Canberra's Parliament House on the even of taking her place in the senate

Then: Pauline Hanson pictured in parliament during her last stint in federal politics in 1996

The one-time fish and chip shop owner from Queensland sounded a warning to rivals.

'I said I'm like a bloody old elephant and I don't forget,' she warned.

'I'm going to be a person in the senate that they'll have to deal with.'

She was jailed for 11 weeks of a three-year sentence in 2003 before being acquitted of electoral fraud, pointing the finger of blame at ex-prime ministers Tony Abbott and John Howard for a 'witch-hunt' against her.

Pauline Hanson takes a seat in her office in Canberra, admitting to 60 Minutes it 'feels good'

The newly elected senator takes the program on a tour of her family farm in Queensland

This is the mug shot of Pauline Hanson in August, 2003 when she was jailed and then acquitted of electoral fraud

Ms Hanson has always contended the court case was a 'sham' led by the then-Liberal government's Mr Abbott with Mr Howard's support - something Mr Howard labelled 'a ludicrous conspiracy theory'.

On 60 Minutes she listens intently to Tony Abbott's claim that 'I thought it was in Australia's national interest that the Pauline Hanson political juggernaut be stopped'.

And Mr Abbott would be accused of organising a $100,000 fund with a specific aim to pursue legal action against the Ms Hanson.

Her daughter Lee was there on the day her mother walked from from Brisbane Women's Prison, acquitted of the charges.

'It took her years to be able to move past that,' she added.

Pauline Hanson listens intently to her daughter Lee who recalls her family's pain when her mother was jailed for electoral fraud 13 years ago

Ms Hanson is pictured with supporters on election night on 2 July in Ipswich

Pauline Hanson admits on 60 Minutes that her 'please explain' moment to the question of whether or not she was xenophobic changed her life

Ms Hanson was jailed in August 2003 after she and her adviser at the time, David Ettridge, were found guilty of fraudulently registering One Nation and obtaining electoral funding of almost half a million dollars.

The program calls the One Nation party leader 'Australia's most polarising politician' focusing on her early days when, in 1996, Ms Hanson was first elected to the House of Representatives as an independent.

The spotlight also returns to her challenging of government support for Aborigines and her further claim that 'I do not want Australia to become "Asianized".'

'I blame Tony Abbott (left) [and] John Howard (right) for my imprisonment and no one will ever change my opinion about that,' Ms Hanson has claimed

Ms Hanson has been elected to the Senate with One Nation following the 2 July double dissolution federal election, along with three other One Nation party candidates

And then they turn to her current policy of banning Muslim immigration.

'Do you hate Muslims,' asks Liz Hayes.

'No I don't hate,' she replies.

She recalls the moment responding with the quizzical 'please explain' when 60 Minutes accused her of being xenophobic.

'That changed my life,' she admitted.

60 Minutes will feature the Pauline Hanson story on Sunday at 8.30pm on Nine
for the suspected thief who dumped the car

Melbourne Police are on the hunt for a suspect who attacked officers in a stolen vehicle when becoming cornered in a dead end street after a dangerous car chase through the streets of Thornbury.

Police officers said it appeared the car thief tried to drive 'over the top of them' when escaping, according to The Age, leaving one detective with minor injuries from the collision.

The chase occurred at 1am when an unmarked police car pulled up next to the Holden Colorado in Thomas Grove, allegedly stolen days ago, which then took off and was cornered when it entered the dead end Smith Street.

Melbourne Police are still searching for the thief that rammed the officers

Appearing to be trapped the assailant performed a U-turn ramming the stationary undercover police car that had cornered the Colorado.

The Colorado then reversed into a second police car that had just arrived forcing both undercover cars back several meters.

In a lucky escape one of the officers, who had just exited the driver's side door, only narrowly avoided being run over.

The assailant then sped off only to collide with another car on St Georges Road in Preston, luckily the young female driver was unharmed.

Police are still searching for the thief that attacked the officers.

Members of the public with information are urged to contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull's top indigenous adviser has slammed as 'a silly mistake' a local council's decision to cancel Australia Day fireworks display because it could offend Aboriginal people.

Warren Mundine, the chair of the Prime Minister's Indigenous Advisory Council, was responding to the local council in Fremantle, Western Australia, to cancel the annual fireworks display on Australia Day, deemed 'Invasion Day' by some Aboriginal people and activists.

'I think this was a silly mistake, let's have a sensible conversation about shifting the date so we can all come together, but banning fireworks doesn't help  it just spoils the day for people,' Mr Mundine told Macquarie Radio on Friday.

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Warren Mundine has slammed a local council's decision to cancel Australia Day fireworks display because it could offend Aboriginal people

Indigenous Labor MP Ben Wyatt (pictured) said the cancellation of Australia Day fireworks is likely to cause more division

Australia Day fireworks in Western Australia's Fremantle have been cancelled after councillors voted against the event over Indigenous cultural sensitivities

Indigenous Labor MP Ben Wyatt echoed Mr Mundine's sentiments and says the cancellation of Australia Day fireworks is likely to cause more division.

'The relationship between Aboriginal people and Australia Day is profound. Cancelling fireworks is a facile response and likely to cause more division,' the MP posted on Twitter.

Councillor Doug Thompson said he voted for the cancellation because of the $145,000 price tag.

'I think it's a waste of money to spend that amount of money for such a short event,' he said.

'$145,000 for an event which takes essentially 30 to 40 minutes is not a good return.'

The controversial decision was made by councillors over Indigenous cultural sensitivities, but Mr Wyatt says the choice will 'not advance the cause of reconciliation'

The Indigenous MP tweeted further: 'Cancelling popular events in the name of reconciliation does not advance the cause. If its because of cost, then call it cost'

However, Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt did not attribute cost to the decision, but said: 'there has been a growing movement that January 26 is increasingly becoming a day that is 'not for all Australians'.'

'For many Aboriginal Australians it is indeed a day of sadness and dispossession,' Mr Pettitt said.

'This does not just refer to Indigenous involvement but the involvement of many other Australians who feel increasingly uncomfortable with the date and what it represents.'

Protesters called for the council to move the fireworks to a more 'sensitive' date with the hashtag #FireWorksFreeFreo.

Protesters called for the council to be sensitive to the concerns of the Indigenous community

The protest was coordinated through the Australians of British Heritage for Indigenous Justice and Reconciliation group

Fremantle Mayor Brad Pettitt (pictured) said 'there has been a growing movement that January 26 is increasingly becoming a day that is 'not for all Australians''

The council met with the Indigenous community to discuss the event on Wednesday night.

According to reports, local far right groups had been threatening to demonstrate out the front of the council chamber.

But only a group of anti-Australia Day fireworks protesters affiliated with the group Australians of British Heritage for Indigenous Justice and Reconcilliation showed.

The decision - which garnered the support of every councillor bar one - has sparked outrage on social media with some people saying they were 'offended'.

'There's no reason to go to @CityofFremantle now @bradpettitt takes away one thing that has brought thousands of people (to) it', wrote Chris Williams.

'As a 7th generation Aussie I am offended,' said Rob Smith.

Local councillors said they were flooded with emails from constituents arguing for and against.

The event attracts crowds of up to 50,000 each year, injecting more than $2.5 million into the local community, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce claimed

One supporter, Clr Jon Strachan, said the Invasion Day debate was 'quite strong'.

He said there was an argument it is 'less and less relevant to celebrate Australia Day in that way.

'There's also is a side in Western Australia that it means nothing to us,' he said, arguing Federation Day (January 1) could be more appropriate.

Another supporter, Clr Jeff McDonald, supported the decision on principle. But he said it was rushed through without enough community consultation.

He said there was a suggestion the fireworks could be replaced with a light show.

'Don't replace fireworks with a light show if it's still insensitive, on Australia Day,' he said.

The mayor, Mr Pettitt, said the city will instead be presenting a family-friendly event to celebrate being Australian on an alternative date.

'We've talked about a range of things which may include everything from light shows and projections, to concerts, to even having a giant family picnic,' he told Nine News.

The event attracts crowds of up to 50,000 each year, injecting more than $2.5 million into the local community, Fremantle Chamber of Commerce claimed.
A brazen New York City nail salon owner fended off a would-be robber armed with a gun who came into her store by grabbing his weapon and shoving it down his pants.

Annie Dheng, owner of Peony Nails Spa in Greenwich Village, was captured on video standing her ground Wednesday night after the suspect came in demanding money.

In an effort to keep the about 10 customers inside at the time, along with two small children safe, a quick-acting Dheng shoved the thief who then fled out of the salon.

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A brave New York City nail salon owner fended off a robber armed with a gun who came into her store by grabbing his weapon and shoving it down his pants

Annie Dheng (right), owner of Peony Nails Spa in Greenwich Village, was captured on video standing her ground on Wednesday night after the suspect (left) came in demanding money

Dheng (pictured) said she was not scared at any point during the incident and even said she would do it again

The ordeal unfolded at the spa around 8.30pm when the man is seen on surveillance video walking inside wearing a dark hat and plaid shirt, according to WABC.

He stands at the counter and Dheng walks over to him. He asks her in a hushed voice if she is the manager.

'I said yes sir, what can I help you with?'', Dheng told WABC.

'He came my way and said, "don't talk I have a gun, give me your money."'

Dheng said she refused to give him money, telling him: 'I don't give you nothing.'

At that point, she said the man reached for the gun, acting as if he was about to use it.

She then pushed the weapon down his pants before shoving him in the chest and chasing him out of the nail salon.

'The first time I just used my hand to push back, I pushed the gun back and then I pushed him and he ran away,' the brave woman told WABC.

The ordeal unfolded at the spa around 8.30pm when the man is seen on surveillance video walking inside wearing a dark hat and plaid shirt

He stands at the counter (pictured) and Dheng said she walked over to him when he asked her if she was the manager

She said yes which was when he demanded money. However, the brazen owner refused to give him anything. At that point she said he tried to take out a weapon

Dheng then walked back into the store, called police and returned to work as usual.

No one inside the shop was hurt doing the incident, according to the station.

Dheng's 10-year-old daughter, Jasmine was in the back of the nail salon at the time and said she was not aware the dramatic ordeal was unfolding.

'I heard screaming. I just was thinking someone had forgot to pay or something, I shook it off,' Jasmine told WABC.

Jasmine noted that while her mom should have fended off the robber to protect the customers, she said her actions were 'dangerous.'

Dheng's 10-year-old daughter, Jasmine was in the back of the nail salon at the time and said she was not aware the dramatic ordeal was unfolding

The salon pictured above. The man in Wednesday's incident reportedly fits the description of a thief wanted for several other armed robberies at nail salons

She added she was proud of her mom.

Dheng, who said she would do it again if faced with a similar situation, said she was not scared at any point during the incident.

Police have described the suspect as a white male in his 30s who is 5'11'' and weighs around 160 pounds, according to the New York Post.
A man accused of sexually abusing a girl who was pimped by her father has had his bail extended again, but must enter a plea at his next court appearance.

Alfred John Impicciatore, 46, faces six charges including four counts of sexually penetrating a child aged between 13 and 16.

He was supposed to enter pleas to the charges in Perth Magistrates Court on Friday, but his lawyer was absent and it was revealed disclosure from the prosecution had only been received on Wednesday.

Alfred John Impicciatore (pictured), 46, faces six charges including four counts of sexually penetrating a child aged between 13 and 16

Magistrate Robert Young noted the matter had been dragging on for more than a year, but said given the late disclosure he was willing to adjourn the case for two weeks.

In a criminal trial the prosecution has a duty to disclose to the defence all relevant evidence which it has before the trial starts.

He warned Impicciatore he must enter pleas on September 9 so the case could be committed to the WA District Court.

Eight men were originally named in the notorious case, with the group dubbed the 'Evil 8' by local media, but that number was later reduced to seven because one of them was not charged with offences related to the girl.

Those jailed so far include the victim's father, who is appealing his 22-year sentence.

Another one of her abusers was Christian preacher David Volmer, 41, who was last year jailed for ten-and-a-half years after he pleaded guilty to 12 charges.

Volmer advertised sexual massages on Craigslist and met up with the girl and her father three times in a city hotel and at her father's home where he molested and raped the blindfolded girl while her father sat in the same room.
Agriculture Minister Barnaby Joyce has slammed reports of a pay increase for Murray Goulburn directors after the cooperative slashed the price it pays farmers for milk products.

The 50 per cent pay increase was agreed to by investors in July - before a controversy erupted around the payments to farmers that many producers say is sending them to toward financial ruin, reported the Sydney Morning Herald.

Murray Goulburn slashed its milk solid price to $4.31 a kilogram on July 1, following cuts in April that lowered the price from $5.60 to less than $5.

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Controversy erupted around the dairy industry earlier this year after farmers told of their financial hardship

Fair-trading regulator the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has announced it will open an inquiry into the company's prices in November.

After a meeting with farmers and dairy industry representatives on Thursday, Mr Joyce told ABC Radio on Friday the pay rise was out of order.

He said the pay rise would be interrogated as part of what had gone wrong in the industry, saying it posed 'serious questions'.

Mr Joyce said that because Murray Goulburn is a co-operative, dairy farmers still had a 'huge say in how that organisation is run'.

He questioned the price difference between water and milk, saying: 'Why is it that a bottle of water which you can get out of a tap would be dearer than a bottle of milk which someone had to go to work at 4am to produce?'

Agricultural Minister Barnaby Joyce slammed Murray Goulburn directors for taking a pay increase

In the 2014 and 2015 financial years Murray Goulburn collected $1.2 million, rising to $1.657 million in 2016 - a total of a 38 per cent pay rise.

The amount would have been much higher if the board hadn't waived their fees for the last two months of the financial year, as the disaster unfolded.

Fair-trading regulator the ACCC will open an inquiry into the company's prices in November.

Former chief executive Gary Helou, who left in April, also received $3.3 million for the year including salary and leave.

This week Murray Goulburn reported a net profit of $40.6 million in the 12 months leading up to June 30.
A high profile Sydney oncologist who spiked a female trainee doctor's drink before indecently assaulting her has been jailed for at least two years.

John Henry Kearsley, who was the director of radiation oncology at St George Hospital, pleaded guilty to spiking the woman's wine when she visited his home for dinner in 2013.

He then indecently assaulted the woman who was a medical trainee in the same field.

John Henry Kearsley, who was the director of radiation oncology at Sydney's St George Hospital, pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman after spiking her wine at his home in 2013

The 63-year-old handed his wedding ring to his crying wife in court on Friday as he was jailed for a maximum term of four years and three months.

Kearsley hasn't worked at St George Hospital since the charges were laid and he lost his medical registration which was suspended after he pleaded guilty.

In sentencing, Judge Penelope Hock said Kearsley had been a highly regarded medical professional of exemplary character at the time.

The judge noted that he put the drug in the woman's wine with the intention of sexually assaulting her.

The 63-year-old handed his wedding ring to his crying wife in court on Friday as he was jailed for a maximum term of four years and three months

Kearsley hasn't worked at St George Hospital since the charges were laid and he lost his medical registration was suspended after he pleaded guilty

She said his work led to significant and ultimate burn out given he was an extremely hard-working and devoted professional.

Psychiatric evidence referred to his depressive disorder, social anxiety, alcohol use disorder and his self-medication through a sedative - the same drug he put in the woman's drink.

Kearsley has now lost his profession and good standing in the community and had been subjected to extensive media publicity, the judge noted.

She accepted he was genuinely remorseful, had rehabilitated himself and the offending had been contrary to everything he had believed in.
Greens leader Richard Di Natale has vowed to block the gay marriage plebiscite in the Senate, while also defending his decision to move Sarah Hanson-Young from the immigration portfolio.

Di Natale confirmed that the Greens would be voting down the government's planned plebiscite on same-sex marriage, leaving it up to Labor to block the bill in the Senate, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

The party stated that human rights should not be subjected to a popular vote and that a plebiscite campaign would only create homophobia and hatred in the country.

Greens leader Richard Di Natale (centre) vowed to block the gay marriage plebiscite, and also defended his decision to move Sarah Hanson-Young from the immigration portfolio

'A plebiscite will be harmful, it'll be divisive it'll be expensive, and we should never put questions of human rights to an opinion poll,' Greens leader Di Natale said.

'Young people are at risk. We will most likely see young people take their lives if this plebiscite goes ahead and the hate that will come [if] that is unleashed.'

The decision will put pressure on Labor to block the bill and ty to stop the plebiscite from going ahead.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has already called the plebiscite 'ridiculous' and looked to be giving a strong hint that Labor will also seek to block it.

Di Natale confirmed that the Greens would be voting down the government's planned plebiscite on same-sex marriage

Meanwhile Di Natale also defended his decision to dump Hanson-Young from her immigration portfolio, and reiterated that his party's strong pro-refugee stance would still remain, reports the Sydney Morning Herald.

On Thursday Senator Hanson-Young was transferred to the education, finance and trade portfolios after a reshuffle, and said she was 'disappointed' about the move.

'I think the country owes her a great debt,' he told the ABC. 'She's led the charge on a more humane, compassionate and decent approach to the treatment of refugees.'
the tiger shark was bigger than his 3.5 metre jet ski

A jet-skier was left awestruck at the sight of a massive tiger shark swimming just metres below him.

Jonah Cooper is a regular on the waters of Noosa's Granite Bay, north of Brisbane, but he had never been as close to the toothy grin of a tiger shark as he had been on Tuesday.

The sea creature was captured on camera hooked on a drum line.

'It went past the first drum line then took the second one,' Mr Cooper told Sunshine Coast Daily.

'It wasn't being aggressive or anything (when he spotted it)... it was a beautiful spectacle.'

Jonah Cooper (pictured) is a regular on the waters of Noosa's Granite Bay, north of Brisbane, but he had never been as close to the toothy grin of a tiger shark as he had been on Tuesday.

Mr Cooper had no fear after he spotted the shark, quickly dunking his camera into the water to capture the creature on video.

'He's bigger than my jet ski,' he exclaims, before quickly turning the camera back to the creature which stretched longer than the 3.5 metre machine Mr Cooper sat on.

Mr Cooper told the Sunshine Coast Daily that it was a 'real shame' seeing the shark caught on the drum line and believes GPS-fitted drum lines and nets that alerted authorities to live catches are better.

The avid ocean lover said he'd seen many sharks including tiger sharks and hammerheads, caught on the inside of nets, even at Noosa Main Beach.

Mr Cooper had no fear after he spotted the shark, quickly dunking his camera into the water to capture the creature on video

Mr Cooper said he alerted the authorities when he saw the shark hooked on the line but Shark Control Program manager Jeff Krause says there was no sign of the massive tiger shark upon inspection

Mr Cooper said he'd seen many sharks including tiger sharks and hammerheads, caught on the inside of nets, even at Noosa Main Beach.

The avid ocean lover said he'd seen many sharks including tiger sharks and hammerheads, caught on the inside of nets, even at Noosa Main Beach.

Mr Cooper said he alerted the authorities when he saw the shark hooked on the line but Shark Control Program manager Jeff Krause says there was no sign of the massive tiger shark upon inspection.

'There were signs that a shark had been caught on the drumline, however, the shark was no longer there,' he told the Sunshine Coast Daily.
A three-storey police station was destroyed in the powerful explosion

At least 11 police officers were killed and 70 injured when suspected Kurdish militants attacked a police checkpoint in south-east Turkey with an explosives-laden truck.

Turkey on Friday vowed to retaliate. 'We will give those vile (attackers) the answer they deserve,' Prime Minister Binali Yildirim told a news conference in Istanbul. 'No terrorist organisation can hold Turkey captive.'

The attack struck the checkpoint some 50 yards from a main police station near the town of Cizre, in the mainly Kurdish Sirnak province which borders Syria, the Anadolu Agency reported.

Footage shows the remains of a police station in Cizre, southeastern Turkey, following a suspected car bomb attack

Turkey vowed to retaliate with Prime Minister Binali Yildirim telling a news conference in Instanbul: 'We will give those vile (attackers) the answer they deserve. No terrorist organisation can hold Turkey captive'

Smoke rises and fires burn after the attack on the police checkpoint by Kurdish militants

The Health Ministry said it had sent 12 ambulances and two helicopters to the scene

The three-storey police station was destroyed in the powerful explosion.

News channel NTV showed large plumes of smoke billowing from the site, which it said was a police checkpoint.

At least two of the wounded were in a critical condition, an official said. The Health Ministry said it had sent 12 ambulances and two helicopters to the scene.

State-run Anadolu Agency blamed the attack on the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), which has been involved in almost daily clashes in the region since last July, when a ceasefire between it and the government collapsed.

The PKK is listed as a terrorist organisation by Turkey, the United States and the European Union. More than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have died since the rebels took up arms in 1984.

On Thursday Interior Minister Efkan Ala accused the group of attacking a convoy carrying the main opposition party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu.

The government has blamed the PKK for a series of attacks this month in the southeast. The group has claimed responsibility for at least one attack, on a police station.

Smoke was seen billowing from the site, which is close to the borders with Iraq and Syria
Donald Trump's running mate Mike Pence was a cartoonist during his days at I

Voters would like to think all politicians have skeletons in their past.

But for Mike Pence, it appears to be stick drawings.

It has been revealed that Donald Trump's running mate was an aspiring satirical cartoonist while he was at law school.

The Governor of Indiana has openly admitted he didn't enjoy his legal studies, so to pass the time he doodled about his experiences.

The sketches were published in Indiana Universitys Robert H. McKinneys School of Law newspaper, Dictum, in the 1980s.

The cartoons featured the confused student Daze, and would include play on famous titles such as 'Torts Illustrated'.

Stephan Pastis, the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine, analyzed Pence's cartoons for the Washington Post.

'Cartoons by Mike Pence are just about as funny as youd imagine them to be,' he said.

'Id tell him to stick to his day job,but I dont like how he does that, either,' he also told the newspaper's Comic Riffs section.

Here are some examples of Pence's artwork:
A former high-flying real estate agent and member of a well-known horse racing family who gambled away more than $1.6 million of his clients' money has been sentenced to up to six years' jail.

James Robert Ray Lyons, the grandson and nephew of Melbourne Cup-winning jockeys Billy Cook and Peter Cook respectively, was jailed after pleading guilty to three fraud-related charges in the Brisbane District Court.

Lyons earned up to $2 million a year as a commercial real estate agent but that wasn't enough to feed an addiction that led to him betting more than $3.5 million between 2011 and 2013.

James Robert Ray Lyons (pictured) was jailed after pleading guilty to three fraud-related charges in the Brisbane District Court

Mr Lyons comes from a well known Queensland horse racing family

In sentencing, Judge Brad Farr acknowledged the 38-year-old suffered from a psychiatric condition and the court heard Lyons' addiction was likely linked to bipolar disorder.

Judge Farr also noted Lyons had not repaid any of his "ill-gotten gain" and some of his former clients were still out of pocket, including one man owed more than $400,000, though the court earlier heard more than $1 million had been paid to victims out of a compensation fund.

But he ultimately acknowledged the significance of Lyons' mental health issues and set a parole eligibility date of August 23, 2018.

Defence barrister Saul Holt had said his client had been undergoing counselling for his gambling addiction for the past four months.

Lyons confessed to his fraud when one of his victims confronted him in 2013.

One of Lyons' victims Stephen Graham branded him a 'scumbag' outside court.

'He was very smooth. He spoke well,' Mr Graham told reporters. 'But he got the better of us.'

One of Lyons' victims Stephen Graham (pictured) branded him a 'scumbag' outside court
Donald Trump has hit back at Hillary Clinton by saying the Democratic nominee needs to 'address racist undertones' of her unsuccessful 2008 campaign, and accused her of calling a white supremacist a 'mentor'.

The Donald went on the attack against his presidential opponent on Twitter at 10:40pm on Thursday, firing off five tweets in about 15 minutes.

In the social media sledges, Trump accused Clinton of having racial elements to her 2008 campaign against Barack Obama for the Democratic nomination, before accusing her of 'sabotaging the inner cities', and praising a former Ku Klux Klan member.

'Hillary Clinton only knows how to make a speech when it is a hit on me. No policy, and always very short (stamina). Media gives her a pass!' he tweeted to kick off the rant.

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Donald Trump has hit back at Hillary Clinton by saying the Democratic nominee needs to 'address racist undertones' of her 2008 campaign, and accused her of calling a white supremacist a 'mentor'

Trump then shared an article about Clinton publicly supporting the late Klan leader Sen. Robert Byrd, and calling him a 'mentor' after he died in 2010.

Byrd joined the KKK when he was young in the early 1940s, before he went on to become to be elected in West Virginia.

However, his views on race changed drastically over time, and before he died Byrd said he regretted voting against the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and described his one-time support of the KKK as 'the greatest mistake' of his life.

The last tweet in his barrage was a video, along with the caption: 'Hillary Clinton needs to address the racist undertones of her 2008 campaign.'

The Donald went on the attack against his presidential opponent on Twitter at 10:40pm on Thursday, firing off five tweets in about 15 minutes

Trump attacked Clinton on a number of different fronts, claiming her previous campaigns have had 'racist undertones' and said she supposed a former KKK member

The video showed a compilation of different sound-bytes from Clinton's unsuccessful campaign that claimed she campaigned on racial issues against then-Senator Obama.

Trump's tweets came after Clinton attacked the Republican nominee for the 'steady stream of bigotry' coming from his campaign on the heels of releasing an online ad showing a slew of Ku Klux Klan members and white nationalists supporting the Republican hopeful.

'He is taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party,' she charged from a campaign stop this afternoon in Reno, Nevada.

Hillary Clinton slammed Donald Trump today in Reno for his connections to the 'alt-right,' a racist strain of right wing politics

Speaking to voters today in Reno, Nevada, Hillary Clinton said she thought Donald Trump's overtures to the black community were just another way to repeat 'harmful stereotypes'

Speaking for 30 minutes, Clinton laced her speech with words like 'prejudice,' 'paranoia,' the 'radical fringe,' and the 'alt-right,' the latest iteration of white supremacy, Clinton said.

Before her afternoon remarks, a Trump surrogate had already pointed to Clinton's new attack ad, saying it was a 'disgusting new low.'

Trump, like he said last night, again called Clinton a 'bigot.'

Clinton started her Reno speech by claiming it was voters who compelled it, approaching the Democratic nominee on the campaign trail to voice their worries.

Hillary Clinton called Donald Trump and his surrogates' claims about her failing health a 'fever dream,' suggesting it was just another conspiracy theory being pushed by the campaign

Hillary Clinton spoke to supporters today in Reno, Nevada and listed all the ways Donald Trump has courted the right-wing fringe

'Alt-right' leaders have cheered the rise of Republican Donald Trump, who kicked off his campaign speaking negatively about illegal immigrants coming in from Mexico

'Everywhere I got people tell me how concerned they are by the divisive rhetoric coming from my opponent in this election,' she said, adding that it's 'like nothing we've ever heard before' from a major party candidate running for president of the United States.

Clinton claimed that Trump was running a campaign filled with 'prejudice and paranoia' and his recent outreach to African-Americans was 'insulting' and 'ignorant' as he suggested that many feared for their lives daily from inner-city crime.

Clinton called what Trump was doing 'sinister,' suggesting this outreach was nothing more than reinforcing impressions of the black community held by his mostly white audiences.

'Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters,' Clinton said.

Clinton mocked Trump's love for conspiracy theories, reminding her audience of his 'birther' background, as Trump had been on the forefront of pushing the fiction that President Barack Obama was born outside the United States.

'His latest paranoid fever dream is about my health,' she said, noting how Trump and his surrogates had recently tried to push the idea that the 68-year-old Clinton was unwell, with Rudy Giuliani even pointing to online videos that suggested the Democrat was suffering a seizure.

'And all I can say is, Donald, dream on,' she said.

The crowd broke into 'HILLARY' chants at this line.

'This is what happens when you treat the National Enquirer like gospel,' Clinton quipped. 'They said in October I'd be dead in six months.'

Clinton rehashed many of the controversies of yore  the time Trump said a Mexican-American judge would be biased against his Trump University case; the Star of David anti-Clinton image Trump retweeted, that was viewed as both anti-semitic and sourced from a 'fringe bigot's' Twitter account, Clinton said.

'Just recently Trump claimed that President Obama founded ISIS. He has repeated that over and over again,' Clinton said.

She noted how Trump said 'thousands of American Muslim in New Jersey cheered the 9/11 attacks,' Clinton said. 'They didnt.'

She reminded the audience how Trump had once tried to link Sen. Ted Cruz's Cuban immigrant father to the President John F. Kennedy assassination, suggesting that it was the Cuban immigrant part of Rafael Cruz's background that would make Trump say such a thing.

She also heralded Republicans including former President George W. Bush and Sen. John McCain for pushing back when Americans showed their prejudice.

'This is what I want to make clear today: A man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far reaches of the internet, should never run our government or command our military,' Clinton proclaimed.

The Trump campaign hit back suggesting that Clinton was trying to sweep her own political issues under the rug by devoting the entire speech to attacking Trump.

'Donald Trump is talking about issues; Hillary Clinton is talking about Donald Trump,' Kellyanne Conway, Trump's new campaign manager, responded.

'Today, as she took a break from her Hillary-in-Hiding Tour, she missed another opportunity to talk about education, infrastructure, terrorism, healthcare, the economy and energy,' Conway added, alluding to the fact that Clinton has spent most of her week not campaigning, but on a glitzy west coast fundraising tour.

Hillary Clinton posted her attack ad in this tweet, which she sent out this morning in advance of her speech today in Reno, Nevada

This morning the Hillary Clinton campaign dropped a web ad featuring footage of an interview with a KKK leader, who told a black interviewer that he was supporting Donald Trump

The ad showed footage from a CNN report that said that white nationalists were calling voters on behalf of Donald Trump

Hillary Clinton's ad suggested that Donald Trump was dog whistling those on the far right, including KKK members

Hillary Clinton is able to make the argument that Donald Trump is tied into the 'alt-right' because of Trump's hiring of Breitbart's Stephen Bannon (pictured in today's attack ad). Breitbart is credited with taking the 'alt-right' movement more mainstream

Teeing up her Reno speech, Clinton had tweeted out a new online ad, prominently featuring KKK members, which was met with a furious response from the Trump campaign.

'Hillary Clinton and her campaign went to a disgusting new low today as they released a video tying the Trump Campaign with horrific racial images,' said Pastor Mark Burns, a Trump surrogate, in a statement. 'This type of rhetoric and repulsive advertising is revolting and completely beyond the pale.'

'I call on Hillary Clinton to disavow this video and her campaign for this sickening act that has no place in our world,' Burns added.

The spot, which the Democrat tweeted out this morning, starts with a KKK imperial wizard saying, 'The reason a lot of Klan members like Donald Trump is because a lot of what he believes we believe in.'

It goes on to quote a self-identified 'white nationalist' and former KKK grand wizard David Duke, both of whom are also supporting Trump.

'If Trump wins they could be running the country,' the ad warns.

It also mentions Trump's new campaign CEO, Breitbart's Stephen Bannon, and his connections to the 'alt-right.'



The 'alt-right' is a rather new term and its definition is still nebulous, but conservatives who prescribe to it say they are trying to preserve 'white identity' and 'Western values' as liberals push multiculturalism and 'political correctness.'

In Reno today, Clinton pegged it as a new term for old ideas.

'The names may have changed Racists now call themselves "racialists." White supremacists now call themselves "white nationalists." The paranoid fringe now calls itself "alt-right,"' she said.

'But the hate burns just as bright,' she added.

In the run-up to her speech, Trump's campaign pushed back noting how the candidate has never even uttered the words 'alt-right.'

'Mr. Trump has never used or condoned that term and continues to disavow any groups or individuals associated with a message of hate,' said campaign spokeswoman Hope Hicks in a statement.

But while Trump's campaign reorganization last week may have put the GOP nominee on more solid footing, it opened him up to this type of criticism because Breitbart News Network, where Bannon, Trump's new CEO was borrowed from, has been linked to this new strain of conservatism.

The Clinton campaign pointed to an assessment made by the Southern Poverty Law Center, which tracks hate groups within the United States.

An April 2016 piece on SPLC's website is headlined, 'Is Breitbart.com becoming the media arm of the 'alt-right?'' and charts Breitbart's move from a conservative news site to one more willing to embrace white nationalists, with prominent Breitbart writers Allum Bokhari and Milo Yiannopoulos calling some of its founders 'intellectuals.'

Clinton took on Breitbart in Reno by simply reading some of the news site's headlines to the crowd.

'To give you a flavor of his work, here are a few headlines theyve published,' she said of Bannon, before she began.

'Birth Control Makes Women Unattractive and Crazy,' she listed. 'Would You Rather Your Child Had Feminism or Cancer?, Gabby Giffords: The Gun Control Movements Human Shield, Hoist It High And Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims A Glorious Heritage.'

'That one came shortly after the Charleston massacre, when Democrats and Republicans alike were doing everything they could to heal racial divides,' Clinton pointed out. 'Breitbart tried to enflame them further.'

'Just imagine  Donald Trump reading that and thinking: "this is what I need more of in my campaign,"' she said.

'Trump likes to say he only hires the "best people," but hes had to fire so many campaign managers its like an episode of the Apprentice,' she cracked.

Besides name-dropping Bannon, Clinton ticked off the right's other characters that Trump has become associated with too.

She pointed to outgoing UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage's appearance with Trump at a campaign stop last night. She spoke of his appearances on the radio with host Alex Jones, who she described a 9/11 and Oklahoma City bombing truther who has made similar statements about Sandy Hook.

'He ever said, and this is really so disgusting, he even said that the victims of the Sandy Hook massacre were child actors. And no one actually died,' Clinton said.

'I don't know what happens in somebody's mind or how dark their heart must be to say things like that, but Trump doesn't challenge these lies,' she said.

Her takeaway to the crowd was that Trump  even with new leadership and a more moderated strategy  is the same old Trump.

'He may have some new people putting new words in his mouth,' Clinton noted. 'But we know where he stands.'

Clinton argued that it wasn't just 'overheated campaign rhetoric' or 'an outrageous person saying outrageous things for attention.'

'But look at his policies,' she said. 'The ones that he's proposed,' she said, noting his plans to deport millions of illegal immigrants or ban non-American Muslims into the United States.
A teenager who allegedly led police on a 40km chase in a stolen car with a five-year-old girl in the back seat was high on ice and on parole at the time, a court has heard

But it was only his last act in a crime spree across three Melbourne suburbs on the morning of August 18, a court was told on Friday.

The 18-year-old is also accused of stealing a 1991 Nissan Silvia in Werribee and an iPhone in Norlane before he carjacked the BMW from the driveway of a home in Wyndham Vale.

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A teenager who allegedly led police on a 40km chase in a stolen car with a five-year-old girl (pictured) in the back seat was high on ice and on parole at the time, a court has heard

Despite being 18, his name and pictures have been suppressed by the Melbourne Magistrates Court.

Sent back to Malmsbury Youth Justice Centre for violating his parole, the youth was then allegedly involved in an armed prison riot on Monday, according to the Herald Sun.

He appeared in court via video link charged with 11 offences including child kidnapping, false imprisonment, car theft, dangerous driving, engaging in a police pursuit that placed people in danger of death, and using ice.

The 18-year-old is also accused of stealing another car in Werribee and an iPhone in Norlane before he carjacked the BMW (pictured) from the driveway of a home in Wyndham Vale

His lawyer, Ali Besiroglu, said the youth was withdrawing from drug addiction, and previously had drug-induced psychosis and suicidal thoughts, the Herald Sun reported.

Mr Besiroglu said his client would be in juvenile detention until next May for his original unrelated crime, and then transferred to an adult prison for the new charges.

He said the accused, who will face court again on November 11, would be vulnerable in an adult prison due to his youth.

The young girl was found abandoned in the car after the thief dumped it 40km southwest from her home following a police chase (pictured)

During last week's carjacking, the young girl spent 90 minutes in the terrifying police chase while she was strapped into her car seat.

She was found abandoned in the car after the thief dumped it 40km southwest from her home, according to Nine News.

The young girl was seen clutching onto her father, Manik Sharma, with her head buried in his chest as they were reunited at the scene.

'It was terrible, I'm still in shock but I'm relieved I have my daughter back,' Mr Sharma said.

An 18-year-old man has been arrested and charged with 11 offences, including kidnapping

'She was happy to see me, I was happy to see her.'

It is believed the young girl was left alone in the car after Mr Sharma forgot something inside their house and ran in to get it.

The thief allegedly made off with the car while a second offender fled the scene in a white Toyota Supra, according to police.

Police were still searching for the second man in the Toyota Supra.
A man seen 'acting in a bizarre manner' next to an airport stripped down to his boxer shorts, scaled a fence, evaded security, and jumped into a parked truck which he drove at speed into an airplane.

Officers at Eppley Airfield in Omaha, Nebraska, first caught sight of the man around 9.30pm yesterday, when he was reported to be screaming that people were trying to kill him.

After he jumped over the fence, he got into an unlocked pickup truck before being blocked by police. But he reversed in the direction of a Southwest plane and slammed into its nose gear.

Officers at Eppley Airfield (pictured) in Omaha, Nebraska, caught sight of the man last night

An airline spokesman said there were around 18 passengers onboard the Boeing 737, which was heading to Denver.

One of the passengers on board the flight was injured in the incident, the airline said in a statement.

The pilot had a bump to the knee while a flight attendant had one on the elbow, ABC reported.

The unidentified man was arrested and taken into custody.

The man reversed in the direction of a Southwest plane and slammed into it (file photo)

Police said there was no suggestion this was a terrorist incident.

A Southwest spokesman said: 'We are removing the aircraft from service to inspect for damage.
In 2012, a first year nearly died after drinking alcohol and shampoo

It comes after a series of controversial incidents at the college

A university student and the brother of a Liberal MP allegedly raped a young woman at a college event.

UNSW student Jean-Claude Perrottet, 20, allegedly committed the act on the grounds of St John's, a residential college at the University of Sydney, after he was invited as a guest to the college's Annual Formal in 2015, news.com.au reported.

He appeared in the district court today on charges of sexual intercourse without consent.

UNSW student Jean-Claude Perrottet (pictured) , 20, allegedly raped a young woman

Perrottet's older brother is Dominic Perrottet, the Member for Hawkesbury and Minister for Finance, Service and Property in the Baird Government (pictured)

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Perrottet's older brother is Dominic Perrottet, the Member for Hawkesbury and Minister for Finance, Service and Property in the Baird Government.

A letter issued to college students in May this year confirmed the charges against him, but stated that 'the person charged has no connection with the college other than being present on that one occasion.'

'The police were immediately contacted at the time, and the college acted to ensure that all possible assistance was provided to the young woman.'

Perrottet's next court appearance is in late September.

It comes after a series of controversial but unrelated incidents at the Sydney University college.

In 2012, a first year resident at St John's College, who was allergic to alcohol, was found convulsing in a hallway after she was forced to drink a mixture of alcohol, shampoo, sour milk, and dog food.

In 2012, a first year resident at St John's College (pictured), who was allergic to alcohol, was found convulsing in a hallway after she was forced to drink a mixture of alcohol, shampoo, sour milk, and dog food

The young woman was rushed to hospital and almost died.

The University of Sydney has been under fire for its lack of action on sexual assault.

Earlier this week the Vice-Chancellor Dr Michael Spence received an open letter from the university's Women's Collective.
Christian's mother backs her son because homework causes arguments and severe stress

In an audacious attempt that would delight school students across the nation, eight-year-old Christian has reached out to the PM to forbid homework.

The Perth primary school student wrote to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull asking if he could forbid the arduous chore that is ruining his childhood.

On Today Tonight and Sunrise Christian said homework makes him 'Very, very stressed and after spending six hours at school I just want to come home and relax.'

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In an audacious attempt that would delight school students across the nation, eight-year-old Christian (pictured) has reached out to the PM to forbid homework

The Perth primary school student wrote to Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (pictured) asking if he could forbid the arduous chore that is ruining his childhood

Christian has the full support of his mother because homework causes too many arguments and 'severe stress' as the schoolboy suffers from Aspergers Syndrome, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and severe anxiety.

Christian's request to the PM comes only days after a Texas School Teacher's policy to ban homework went viral after she told families to 'spend their evenings eating dinner as a family and reading together'.

After a few days the post of her policy on Facebook had more than 66,900 shares and dozens of comments from parents speaking out in support of Mrs Young's policy.

The teacher went on to explain that research is yet to prove homework improves performances.
Billboards attacking ISIS are appearing across major US cities, declaring 'Hey ISIS, you suck!' and signed by 'Actual Muslims'.

Dubbed Islam's 'declaration of independence' from ISIS, the advertising has been sighted along roads in Chicago and Phoenix after being erected by a Chicago-based Islamic public relations company, Sound Vision Foundation.

The billboard says 'Life is sacred' and references verse 5:32 of the Koran, which warns against killing.

A billboard erected in Chicago captures the attention of passing motorists

The billboards are signed 'From: #ActualMuslims'.

Muslim groups in up to 15 other cities were now requesting for signs to be installed in their area, RT reported.

The foundation's Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid told CBS News Chicago that attacks in Europe and the US caused his group to become more pro-active.

'Our neighbors don't realize that Muslims are absolutely opposed to ISIS,' he said. 'ISIS actually kills more Muslims than anyone else.'

KORAN, VERSE 5:32 'Because of that, We decreed upon the Children of Israel that whoever kills a soul unless for a soul or for corruption [done] in the land - it is as if he had slain mankind entirely. And whoever saves one - it is as if he had saved mankind entirely. And our messengers had certainly come to them with clear proofs. Then indeed many of them, [even] after that, throughout the land, were transgressors.' Advertisement

Sound Vision Executive Director Mohammad Siddiqi told CBS Phoenix: 'This is our declaration of independence against ISIS. It's as simple as that.'

Retired professor and follower of Islam Dr Aneesah Nadir told Fox10 Muslims were often the target of bullying and physical violence because the religion's extremist element.

'We want our neighbors to know - we're colleagues and classmates and neighbors, and we want our neighbors to know that we don't approve of this at all,' Nadir said.

'In fact, Prophet Mohammed, peace be upon him taught the exact opposite of what ISIS is portraying and we want everybody to know that.'

Imam Abdul Malik Mujahid from the Sound Vision group which is behind the billboards

The response on social media has been positive.

Tom Carter, of Battle Ground, Washington, tweeted: 'Love this, bit late but better then never. Keep it coming #actualmuslims '
It is believed the shark was once a pet or it was dumped after a fishing trip

Police don't know how the shark got there but have ruled out a sharknado

It was found alive but has since died after authorities came to its aid

A shark was found 20km away from the ocean in a roadside puddle

A live shark found partially submerged in a roadside puddle 20km away from the ocean has died.

A shocked member of the public made the 'amazing discovery' in a roadside puddle at One Tree Hill, north-east of Adelaide, at 10.45am on Friday.

The live shark was placed in a container of water after a member from Fauna Rescue SA came to its aid.

The live shark found partially submerged in a roadside puddle 20km away from the ocean

'Just when you thought it was safe on land, this happened,' a police spokesperson said.

The exact circumstances as to how the shark came to be in the puddle is still a mystery.

'Police have ruled out the possibility of a Sharknado [a 2013 sci-fi comedy-disaster film about a waterspout that lifted sharks out of the ocean and dropped them on land],' the spokesperson said.

'It's believed the shark may have been caught earlier today and dumped, or was kept as a pet but was growing too large for its tank.'

The live shark was placed in a container of water by wildlife officers but it later died

After seeing the images of the submerged shark users on social media couldn't help but note how the animal appeared to be cruelly dumped.

'Why didnt someone ring the RSPCA that is pure cruelity to that shark .someone needs to be remanded for their actions,' Maxine said.
Complaints were about the housing market and expensive flights

Not everyone agreed as Australians took to complaining on social media

Only complaint he had was the need for Australia to improve its broadband

Tourist from the UK praises Australia including its 'boxed wine' and pies

An British tourist who is dreading having to leave Australia to return home questions why Australians bother leaving the country.

Having only spent one month in the 'Land Down Under', Chadders, appeared to have fallen in love as he praises the accessibility of amazing coffee and wine by the box.

But not all appear to agree as Australians take the opportunity to complain about everything from the expensive housing market to the overpriced domestic flights.

A British tourist praised Australia for it's great pies (left) and boxed wine (right), with his only complaint being slow broadband - but not all Australians agreed (stock photo)

Unfortunately need to go back to the UK for a couple of years to finish my degree but please can I come back for good when I've sorted my life out?, Chadders said on Reddit.

Everyone is so laid back, your coffee is amazing, everywhere is clean, free BBQs! wine by the box, roads are easy to drive, countryside is stunning, your pies are on another level and the weather isn't too bad! It's a bloody paradise here.

The only complaint was Australias slow broadband.

Just need to sort out some decent internet, he said.

My only question is, how do you stand going to other countries when you have everything so fantastic in Australia?

But Australians did not hold back as they began to complain about why Australia is not so great.

Australians couldn't help but complain about Australia's very expensive housing market (stock photo)

'Why do people think Australian's flock to Bali, it ain't just the cheap ass beer & singlets!!! It's because it takes forever to fly anywhere in Australia & costs half a year's wages one way!' one user said.

'Personally, I think it's not worth leaving the UK's affordable housing, family/friends and ease of travel to Europe etc for Australia,' said another.

'I don't find it worth living in Australia. It's a nice country and on paper it's got everything, but ... It's just so far away from everything...I find that Aussies are quite emotionally distant - they're friendly and outgoing, but it's hard to make an emotional connection, it's all surface level acquaintanceship,' said one user.

While another Australian couldn't comprehend the very expensive housing market.

'What could you buy in Melbourne for $500k AUD? [Unlike the UK] Pretty much nothing - maybe a shoebox studio in the CBD or a 1970's teardown in the semi-rural outer fringes.'
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Defiant BHS workers used one of their final shifts to wear T-shirts that mocked the collapsed chain's former owners Sir Philip Green and Dominic Chappell.

Staff at the Swansea branch wore red T-shirts with homemade signs saying: 'No more Green' and 'Next Job Chauffer' written on them, insulting billionaire tycoon Sir Philip and his successor Chappell.

The protest was planned to keep morale high while the store prepared to close its doors for good, as frantic shoppers swarmed to shops across the country to pick up last-minute bargains.

BHS crashed in April this year - threatening the income of 20,000 pensioners - after thrice bankrupt former boss Chappell bought the 88-year-old chain from Sir Philip for 1 last year.

Defiant BHS workers used one of their final shifts to wear T-shirts that mocked the collapsed chain's former owners Sir Philip Green and Dominic Chappell

Staff wore the T-shirts to 'keep morale up' during their last shift - although the store's manager admitted there had been a lot of tears and emotion

Staff at the department store in Swansea wore red T-shirts with homemade signs saying: 'No more green' and 'Next Job Chauffer' written on them - with the chaffeur line targeted at Mr Chappell

Customers turned up in hoards to scoop the final bargains from a BHS store in Bromley, as the chain prepared to close the remaining 22 stores

Massive neon posters reading 'Last day today' and 'Save 90 per cent' adorned the windows as the chain prepared to close its doors

Staff made their feelings clear for Green, who took more than 400 million in dividends from the chain, leaving it with a 571 million pension deficit.

Steve Britten, manager of the Princess Way store in Swansea said people could read into the slogans on their tops in whatever way they wanted.

He said: 'You can make what you like of it. Every day we have been doing a theme and we were going to wear green T-shirts on one of the days.

'Immediately one of the staff said 'No more green.' You can read what you like into that 'no more green' thing. We have read it all in the press and seen it all - everyone has their thoughts.

''Next job is a chauffeur' is a bit of fun on Dominic Chappell. It's keeping the morale up - we will go out with a big bang on Sunday.'

Mr Britten said staff had been emotional since they found out their store would be one of the final 22 closing for good.

He said: 'We have been through the emotion - on June 22 we were given the official notice. Obviously that was a tough time as we did not know what was going on or what was happening.'

Former BHS boss Dominic Chappell (left) bought BHS for 1 in 2015 from billionaire tycoon Sir Philip Green (right), who had owned it for 15 years

140 stores have closed since April, including BHS's flagship Oxford Street store and its branches in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Telford and Birmingham city centre

The stores were a flurry of activity, with shoppers even taking the clothes rails themselves as they left the store

Buyers left the shop laden with several full shopping bags as they made the most of the sales. The final stores will close for the last time on Sunday

He added: 'We look like we are going to be the last store in the region - we are quite proud of that. We are the last ones standing.

'It feels like a sense of achievement - we have had lots of stock in from different stores around the country that have closed.

'We had four artic lorries in the car park and the staff pushed the items all in within an hour.'

'They have kept their chins up and have been positive to the end. There's been lots of tears but not of sorrow.

'I loved working here and have really been pleased to work for the company and the store.'

Buyers left stores laden with trollies and shopping bags as 13 shops, including in Liverpool, Brighton, Bromley and Croydon, closed today after ceasing trading earlier this week.

Prices for clothes were slashed to 90 per cent off, leaving one customer apparently exhausted by the selection

Sad sight: The windows of the shop, which was a stalwart of the British high street for almost 90 years, were plastered with sale signs

Mr Chappell said he accepted some of the responsibility for the company's failure but also said he was 'stitched up' by Sir Philip, who took more than 400 million in dividends from the chain, leaving a 571 million pension deficit

Stores, plastered with neon sale signs, have been shifting cut-price stock, while staff have been given redundancy packages.

THE FINAL 22 BHS STORES PREPARE FOR THE AXE Administrators are preparing to close the last 22 BHS stores. Here is where they are located: Exeter St Enoch Centre, Glasgow York Romford Doncaster Uxbridge Leicester Belfast Hanley Swansea Cribbs Causeway, Bristol Surrey Quays, London Metrocentre, Tyne and Wear Merryhill, West Midlands Harrow Walthamstow Bexleyheath Norwich Kingston St James, Northampton Wood Green St Albans Advertisement

Over the weekend the remaining shops across Belfast, Leicester and Wood Green in London will also close for the final time.

By the time the last stores cease trading, 11,000 people will have lost their jobs and leaving 22,000 staff facing the prospect of less generous pensions in retirement.

The chain's administrators, Duff & Phelps and FRP Advisory, have closed 140 stores since April, including BHS's flagship Oxford Street store and its branches in Wolverhampton, Walsall, Telford and Birmingham city centre.

Another 13 stores closed on Tuesday and stores in such areas as Belfast, Leicester and Wood Green in London will close their doors for the last time on Sunday.



Shops in Lewisham Shopping Centre, Bromley High Street and Bexleyheath will also close their doors to the public before the weekend.

Mr Chappell, 49, blasted Sir Philip - who had owned BHS for 15 years - for 'stitching him up' after the company went bust.

The former racing driver said he accepted some of the responsibility for the company's failure but he had also trusted 'knight of the realm' Sir Philip, who had not kept his word.

Mr Chappell told ITV News: 'What we did wrong is we trusted a knight of the realm Sir Philip Green to stand good on his word.

'We were stitched up, this was a company in far worse shape than we thought, Philip did not stand good promises.

He said: 'He told us he would sort out the Pension Regulator, he did not. He told us he'd sort out the suppliers, he did not.

'The company failed because of those two issues, end of story.'

Speaking about the company's failure, Mr Chappell said: 'Yes I must take responsibility for that but there are other people in the fray as well and they must take some responsibility as well.'

Today BHS officially vacated the premises of 13 former shops, including in Liverpool, Brighton, Bromley and Croydon, after ceasing trading earlier this week

One customer left a Bromley store in south-east London struggling to carry two large plastic bags laden with goods

Bargains galore: A BHS store in St Albans had large neon signs boasting massive reductions on all fixtures, fittings and equipment

He said he had earned 1 million from BHS but insisted his conscience was 'very clear'.

Sir Philip was branded the 'unacceptable face of capitalism' in a scathing report earlier this year.

It revealed how the tycoon 'systematically' plundered hundreds of millions from BHS before leading it to disaster.

He took more than 400 million in dividends from the chain, leaving it with a 571 million pension deficit and sold it to a man with no retail experience.

The billionaire enriched his family for more than a decade through a series of shady property deals, awarding himself fat dividend cheques and starving the retailer of investment, MPs concluded.

He doomed the chain by selling to a 'manifestly unsuitable' bankrupt  who stuck his 'hands in the till'  then blamed others for the collapse, the inquiry found.

Veteran Labour MP Frank Field has asked the Serious Fraud Office (SFO) to launch a formal investigation into the pair to ascertain if any criminal wrongdoing occurred during the sale of the chain and throughout their respective ownerships.

SIR SHIFTY'S SUPERYACHT HOLIDAY: HOW PHILIP GREEN HAS BEEN SUNNING HIMSELF ABROAD DURING BHS CRISIS Sir Philip pictured sunning himself on the balcony of his 100 million superyacht this summer during the BHS meltdown Sir Philip Green - nicknamed Sir Shifty - came under fire for holidaying on his 100million superyacht in the Mediterranean during the breakdown of BHS. The billionaire tycoon was pictured sunning himself on the three-storey vessel, named the Lionheart, with his Monte-Carlo based wife Tina just months after the company's collapse. Sir Philip took more than 400 million in dividends from the chain, leaving it with a 571 million pension deficit. In July BHS workers even demanded he sell his yacht to pay for their pensions, with furious employees launching a series of petitions and online support groups. They blamed the businessman for the chain's collapse and urging him to put his hands in his pockets to help those facing unemployment. In one petition - entitled 'Sell the Yachts, Pay the Pensions' - nearly 200 people have called on Sir Philip and his family to 'repay the money which they out of BHS to pay off the 571m deficit.' He was seen on board the three-storey vessel with his Monte-Carlo based wife Tina (pictured together) just months after the company's collapse The vessel, which sleeps up to 12 people and has a crew of 18, is called Lionheart Since the retailer Sir Philip Green offered to 'sort' the black hole in BHS's pension scheme, he has sold his superyacht - which he had used to entertain model Kate Moss and pop mogul Simon Cowell. The sale price is not known, but Green reportedly paid $50 million to buy the 208-foot gin palace ten years ago. 'The yacht has been sold and the new owner changed the name,' a broker confirmed. The vessel, which sleeps up to 12 people and has a crew of 18, has now been registered under the name Lioness V. The tycoon was dubbed 'Philip Greed' after he and his family banked more than 400 million in dividends from BHS during his 15 years at the helm. If Green, who was accused of 'cowboy capitalism', needs to raise any more cash to support the 20,000 members of the BHS pension scheme, he could always sell his two other yachts. He and his Monte Carlo-based wife, Tina, took delivery of the newest just last month. Also named Lionheart, the 100 million monster is the length of a football pitch and has a helipad on its upper deck. The couple, whose fortune is estimated at 3.5 billion, also own the 109-foot superyacht Lionchase, which is used mostly by their two grown-up children, Chloe and Brandon. Advertisement

Signs with the words 'All stock reduced' hung over rails of clothing that were selling for the slashed price of 5

Everything must go: Hangers were being given away for free as a branch in St Albans tried to shift every last item in store

Clearance: Baskets stacked in a corner were full of clothes that were being given away for free

It has also emerged that Mr Field is probing Sir Philp's Arcadia retail empire, which includes Topshop.

John Hannett, general secretary of the shopworkers' union Usdaw, said: 'Wherever the blame lies for the demise of this once great British retailer, it certainly is not with the staff who are paying a high price for corporate decisions that have led us to where we are today.

'There remains some very serious questions that need to be answered, by former owners of the business, about how a company with decades of history and experience in retail has now come to this very sorry end. In the meantime, we are providing the support, advice and representation our members require at this difficult time.'

In July, amid fresh calls for Sir Philip to lose his knighthood, MPs blasted his web of companies that was designed to help him and his wife Tina avoid tax.

Meanwhile Mr Chappell was in the headlines earlier this week after he was stopped by police after driving his 75,000 15-plate Range Rover through Andover, Hampshire, at 63mph in a 40mph zone.

He has been banned from driving for six months despite claiming he cannot afford taxis and that he would suffer 'abuse' if he were forced to get the train.

Rows of DVDs and electrical goods were being sold at three for 1 as prices were slashed to the extremes
Heartbreaking footage from Syria shows two dust-covered boys racked with sobs and desperately clinging to each other after they learn their brother has died in an airstrike.

A horrific barrel bomb attack on Wednesday by Syrian government forces left a total of 15 people dead in the Aleppo suburb of Bab al-Nairab, tearing families apart.

The brothers wrap their arms around each other as they wail loudly, their faces creased in pain as they mourn their sibling - their suffering raw and heartrending.

Heartbreaking footage from Syria shows two dust-covered boys racked with sobs and desperately clinging to each other after they learn their brother has died

A horrific barrel bomb attack by Syrian government forces left 15 people dead in Aleppo. The shocking video highlights the extent of the damage in the Bab al-Nairab suburb of the city

Further images - many too graphic to publish - also highlight the tragic aftermath of the strike, with distraught parents pulling the lifeless bodies of babies and children from the rubble.

Syria's regime has been accused of regularly using barrel bombs - crude, explosive devices - on rebel-held areas that are home to civilians.

The grievous deaths come a week after the plight of children in the conflict was highlighted by a photo of Omran Daqneesh, five, dazed and bloodied after an airstrike in the same city that killed his ten-year-old brother Ali.

A stretcher bearing a small body is hastily attended to amid the razed buildings

The dead child's brothers wrap their arms around each other as they wail loudly

Their faces creased in pain as they mourn their sibling - their suffering raw and heartrending

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said four women were also killed in Wednesday's bombing in the rebel-held neighbourhood of Bab al-Nayrab.

Syrian rebel groups and ISIS are not believed to have used the weapons.

A report suggested that the government of Bashar al-Assad  still in office thanks to the support of Russia  was behind the bombing, although both the President and his government deny using barrel bombs.

In upsetting photos, one man carried a lifeless baby amid the rubble, while a young boy tenderly leant over the shrouded bodies of his brother and sister.

The grievous deaths come a week after the plight of children in the conflict was highlighted by a photo of Omran Daqneesh, five, dazed and bloodied after an airstrike

Syria's regime has been accused of regularly using barrel bombs - crude, explosive devices - on rebel-held areas that are home to civilians (shown here mourning)

A doctor in the area said the bomb yesterday was lobbed from a helicopter to hit more than one building.

The UN says Russia is supporting plans for a 48-hour ceasefire around the city so humanitarian aid can be delivered, but assurances from the combatants are still required.

The atrocity in Bab al-Nayrab came as the UN published a report blaming Assads regime for attacks on civilians with chlorine gas  a banned weapon  in 2014 and 2015.

Further images - many too graphic to publish - also highlight the tragic aftermath of the strike, with distraught parents pulling the lifeless bodies of babies and little girls from the rubble

A doctor in the area said the bomb yesterday was lobbed from a helicopter to hit more than one building

The UN says Russia is supporting plans for a 48-hour ceasefire around the city so humanitarian aid can be delivered, but assurances from the combatants are still required

Syrias regime has repeatedly been accused of dropping crude explosive devices, surrounded by shrapnel and placed in metal barrels, on rebel neighbourhoods. Assad has denied the practice, just as he has refused to admit using chemical weapons.

More than 290,000 have been killed in Syria since the conflict began in 2011, with Moscow now helping the government, and Islamic State fanatics still controlling parts of the country.
Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death the nation's deputy interior minister who had travelled to the region to mediate on a bitter dispute.

Rodolfo Illanes was murdered by miners who were angry when police killed two protesters in violent clashes.

Bolivian miners are in dispute with their government over laws which prevent them from dealing with international companies.

Bolivia's deputy interior minister Rodolfo Illanes, pictured, was beaten to death by miners when he travelled to Panduro to negotiate with protesters who had blocked roads as part of an ongoing dispute with the Government over new laws regulating the industry

Illanes travelled to the area to negotiate the release of hundreds of trucks and cars which are being held up by the striking miners who are protesting against government policies

Bolivian riot police killed two protesters in clashes which may have prompted the violence against Illanes, whose body is yet to be released to authorities following his brutal murder

Miners blocked roads in Panduro, 80 miles south of La Paz, blocking thousands of cars and preventing them from passing.

Illanes travelled to the area to negotiate with the miners when he was kidnapped.

He was taken hostage on Thursday morning, although he tweeted later that day: 'My health is fine, my family can be calm.'

However, Defence Minister Reymi Ferreira told Red Uno television his colleague had been 'savagely beaten' by the miners.

The independent miners want to be able to associate with private companies, however this is prevented by Bolivian law as the workers are restricted to acting within co-operatives

It was claimed Illanes had been possibly tortured.

Bolivia's informal or artisan miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives. They want to be able to associate with private companies, which is prohibited. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they would cease to be cooperatives.
A 19-year-old 'billionaire' playboy with a fleet of luxury cars will learn to drive in a Rolls-Royce after his 100,000 gold-plated Maserati was impounded by police.

Officers forced Hamza Sheikh to hand over his keys to the supercar last week after he was penalised for driving without insurance.

Police grew suspicious when they saw his Maserati GranCabrio being driven through Kingston with L-plates on.

Mr Sheikh, from Mayfair, has a variety of luxury cars to choose - worth more than a 1million

The Pakistani-born teenager could be summonsed to court to pay at least a 300 fine and be docked six points on his licence for driving an uninsured car

The property developer who also studies business management at Regents University had the indignity of police posting a photograph of his impounded Maserati

Most 19-year-olds have to make do with an old Ford Fiesta or similar when they learn to drive but not Hamza Sheikh who has a whole collection of luxury cars

Mr Sheikh sits on top of his gold-painted Maserati which is worth 100,000 when new

The Pakistani-born teenager could be summonsed to court to pay at least a 300 fine and be docked six points on his licence. His supercar was impounded for two days.

But it's no issue for Mr Sheikh, from Mayfair, who said he still had a variety of luxury cars to choose - worth more than a 1million.

He told the Evening Standard he would just 'drive in a Rolls-Royce with insurance'.

'I have a Rolls-Royce and a Range Rover. I am just waiting for my new gold Lamborghini to be delivered in the meantime,' he said.

'Since I was young I have been learning to drive in supercars  Ive also learnt in a Porsche Panamera, so a Maserati is a piece of cake.'

The Maserati has a 4.7litre V8 engine which pushes out 444 brake horse power

Officers forced Hamza Sheikh to hand over his keys to the supercar last week after he was penalised for driving without insurance

Police grew suspicious when when they saw his Maserati GranCabrio being driven through Kingston with L-plates

The property developer who also studies business management at Regents University had the indignity of police posting a photograph of his impounded Maserati on Twitter with the words: '#NoInsuranceNoCar.'

Mr Sheikh explained the reason for his driving indiscretion was because his 'busy lifestyle' meant he missed a letter from his insurance company.

His Maserati is painted in the metallic colour because he is the 'golden child' of his family, he added.

In April Mr Sheikh also fell foul of traffic rules when he received a parking ticket near Hyde Park.

Britain's supercar season is currently in full swing, with hundreds of flashy vehicles flown into London from the Middle East over the summer.

This month a chrome Mercedes-Benz McLaren and silver Lamborghini Aventador were among the supercars spotted in the capital.

The arrival has become a regular event, with rich Arabs trying to outdo each other with their modified cars.
Two 90-year-old D-Day veterans made their second tandem parachute jump in just five days - with one landing on the battlefield he was shot down over 72 years ago.

Fred Glover and Edward 'Ted' Peri donned red jump suits as they hurtled towards the ground at Old Sarum Airfield in Salisbury on Thursday.

It was their second jump in a week after parachuting into Merville Battery in north-west France, a fortified German bunker which saw fierce fighting during the 1944 Normandy landings.

D-Day veterans Ted Pieri (left) and Fred Glover, both 90, made their second tandem parachute jump in five days at Salisbury's Old Sarum Airfield

Thursday's jump (pictured) was their second jump in a week after parachuting into Merville Battery in north-west France

The jumps helped raise money for next year's charity D-Day trip to Normandy, which is aiming to take around 150 veterans

It was a familiar sight for Mr Glover, from Brighton, whose glider was hit over the battlefield by anti-aircraft fire more than 70 years ago, sending him crashing into a nearby orchard.

After being injured he recouped at a Parisian hospital and later escaped with French Resistance support.

Speaking before the jump, he said he was 'not at all nervous' and 'really looking forward' to jumping with the Red Devils parachute display team.

He added: 'I've been returning to visit the area since the 50th anniversary of D-Day in 1994 and I have lots of friends in Normandy, they're a good crowd.

Ted Pieri (pictured), 90, from Kent, joined the 1st Airborne Division in 1943 while Mr Glover was a member of 6th Airborne 'A Company'

Fred Glover was actually shot down over the airfield in France where they jumped on Saturday during the war. He has gone back every year since to pay tribute to those lost

'I've been going for so many years now that some of the toddlers I've met are now grown up with families of their own.'

Mr Pieri, from Kent, joined the 1st Airborne Division in 1943 while Mr Glover was a member of 6th Airborne 'A Company'.

The jumps helped raise money for next year's charity D-Day trip to Normandy, which is aiming to take around 150 veterans and 80 black cabs to Normandy for four nights, according to a committee member.

They did the jump to raise money for the London Taxi Benevolent Association For War Disabled, also known as the Taxi Charity.

After being injured in France during the war, Mr Glover (pictured) he recouped at a Parisian hospital and later escaped with French Resistance support.

Ted Pieri (left) and Frank Glover (right) charity D-Day trip to Normandy, which is aiming to take around 150 veterans and 80 black cabs to Normandy for four nights

The London Taxi Benevolent Association For War Disabled was set up in 1947 in Fulham and relies on donations and volunteer London taxi drivers to provide their cabs and time for free.

Mr Pieri said: 'I've been on a number of outings with the charity including a trip to Arnhem last year. At each event I have had a different taxi driver who hosted and looked after me throughout.
Hungary will build a new, 'more massive' fence on its southern borders to defend against a possible surge in the number of migrants, Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

Orban, who earlier said migrants were 'poison', said on state radio that there may soon be a 'greater need for security' and the fortified barrier would be able to stop 'several hundreds of thousands of people' at the same time, if needed. He did not say when construction could start.

Orban said the surge could take place if, for example, Turkey allows the millions of refugees living there to leave for Western Europe.

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Children play at a makeshift camp for migrants in Horgos, Serbia, meters away from Serbia's border with Hungary

'Then, if we can't do it nicely, we have to hold them back by force,' Orban said. 'And we will do it, too.'

Hungary built fences protected with razor wire on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia last year, when nearly 400,000 people passed through the country on their way west.

The fences have greatly slowed the flow of people entering Hungary, which is also beefing up its police force with 3,000 new 'border hunters' to tighten control at the fences.

It has also introduced controversial legislation that allows officials to return migrants to Serbia if they are caught within eight kilometers (five miles) of the border.

A migrant child eats in Horgos. Hungary built fences protected with razor wire on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia last year, when nearly 400,000 people passed through the country on their way west

Children carry water at the Horgos camp. Orban reiterated his call for the stronger protection of Europe's external borders

Hungary has denied repeated allegations that officers have used force to 'escort' the migrants and refugees back to Serbia.

Orban reiterated his call for the stronger protection of Europe's external borders, saying joint efforts were needed to defend the borders between Serbia and Macedonia and Macedonia and Greece.

'Immigration and migrants damage Europe's security, are a threat to people and bring terrorism upon us,' Orban said, adding that this was caused by allowing the uncontrolled entry of large numbers of people 'from areas where Europe and the western world are seen as the enemy.'

Orban's virulent anti-migrant stance also includes a government-sponsored referendum on October 2 seeking political support for the rejection of any European Union plans to resettle migrants among its member countries.
Honey Rose (pictured), 35, who failed to spot a fatal eye condition in the eyes of an eight-year-old boy has been spared jail today

A judge has slammed a Boots optometrist who failed to notice that an eight-year-old boy was suffering from a fatal eye condition.

Vincent 'Vinnie' Barker, died in July 2012 after a preventable condition led to a dangerous build up of fluid in his brain.

Honey Rose, 35, from Newham, East London, performed a routine eye test on the youngster five months earlier - but she did not notice 'obvious abnormalities' in both his eyes.

The symptoms were signs of the life-threatening condition, hydrocephalus, and Mr Justice Stuart-Smith branded Roses failure to recognise that Vinnie needed an urgent referral a tragic lapse.

When he went for his examination, Rose told Vinnie's mother that he needed 'no treatment whatsoever' and later told the court she had 'done her best' for him.

It was suggested she had not used an opthalmascope to look inside Vinnies eyes and had not looked at the abnormal retinal images which would have alerted her to his condition.

She denied gross negligence manslaughter but was found guilty by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court following a ten-day trial. She is the first optometrist in the UK to ever have been charged over a patients death.

But Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said he would not jail her, and instead gave the married mother-of-three, a two-year prison term suspended for two years and ordered her to do 200 hours unpaid work.

He said that Vinnie's parents had not wanted Rose's children to suffer as a result of their mother going to jail.

Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said that Roses failure to recognise that Vinnie needed an urgent referral was a tragic lapse.

He told her: One thing is certain. In the course of a routine eye investigation such as you had carried out thousands of times before, you did not carry out an examination of the back of Vinnie Barkers eyes with an opthalmascope or inspect retinal images that were presented to you as those of Vinnie Barker.

If you had done either of those things, you would immediately have seen the pathology that would have caused you to refer him urgently for further investigation.

Vincent had bilateral papilloedema, a life-threatening condition involving fluid on the brain, causing swelling

I do not accept, and I am confident that the jury did not accept, that you were shown the wrong images either by a colleague or by calling them up yourself.

Mr Justice Stuart-Smith dismissed Roses claim that Vinnie had reacted to the light from her opthalmascope, meaning she could not examine him properly.

He said her story was contradicted by Vinnies mother Joanne Barker, 37 who was sitting with him and told the jury how he co-operated as Rose moved the instrument towards his eyes.

Mr Justice Stuart-Smith said: She was close by and well placed to see if her son was in any sort of difficulty. She saw no sign at all.

I reject any suggestion that there was anything in Vinnie Barkers behaviour that gave you good reason not to inspect the back of his eyes by internal examination.

Mrs Barkers evidence was clear and compelling while your evidence which you first articulated when you became aware of the tragic consequences some six months later, was nether of those things.

Vincent, known as Vinnie, was taken home from school sick on July 13, 2012, but his condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead after failed resuscitation attempts at Ipswich Hospital

He told Rose that it had clearly been her responsibility to look at the retinal images if she had not carried out an internal examination.

The judge added: The question remains, why did you commit such a basic and serious error? The error might have been avoided if you had chosen to ask to see the retinal images or had a discussion with a colleague about what they showed, but that doesnt explain why you didnt ask and didnt discuss.

I have therefore reached the conclusion and sentence you on the basis that there is no obvious explanation for your breach of duty. You simply departed from your normal practice in a way that was completely untypical for you - a one off for no good reason,

The judge said that Roses guilt was aggravated by her recording in Vinnies medical notes that she had done a proper examination and her story in court which was essentially a cover up

But while he recognised the terrible rawness in grief suffered by Vinnies family, he said that Rose was a woman of previous good character, a devoted wife and mother and was deeply remorseful.

He added: Taking into account the various factors, including both the seriousness of the offence and the very powerful mitigation that is available to you, I have reached the conclusion that it would not be merely unnecessary, but wrong to impose an immediate custodial sentence.

Perhaps most importantly, an immediate custodial sentence will not bring back Vinnie. The Barkers grief is profound and lasting, but I am not convinced it requires the imposition of an immediate custodial sentence.

Vincent's parents Ian and Joanne Barker (pictured at court today) said a 'void' had been left in their lives that would 'never heal' following their son's death

In a final gesture of great dignity, I have been informed that the Barker family are mindful of the potential harmful effect that an immediate custodial sentence would have on your children and are anxious that no more suffering should be caused by the sentencing process than is absolutely necessary.

Prosecutor Jonathan Rees QC said 'any competent optometrist' would have spotted Vincent's swollen optic discs - bilateral papilloedema - and Vincent's death could have been prevented if Rose had 'done her job properly'.

Rose was working as a locum, and Mr Rees said her conduct fell so far below the standards expected that it was 'criminal'.

Jurors heard that photographs taken by another member of staff shortly before Vincent was examined by Rose showed evidence of raised pressure within the skull.

Rose's failure to detect the swelling of Vincent's optic discs and make an urgent referral was a 'significant contributory factor' to Vincent's death, Mr Rees said.

At a previous hearing, Rose claimed she had been unable to properly examine the back of Vinnie eyes with an opthalmoscope because he had photophobia and shut his eyes when she shone a bright light into them at close range.

She also said when she tried to examine him with the opthalmoscope, Vinnie had not looked in the direction she wanted and had what she described as 'poor fixation'.

Rose, who was born in India and qualified as an optometrist there in 2005, said she that after 'a couple of minutes' of trying she had abandoned examining Vinnie's eyes with the opthalmoscope.

She accepted that if she had been able to see his optic discs she would have spotted there was a serious problem and immediately referred him to hospital - but denied she failed to properly examine Vinnie's eyes and said she 'did the best' she could.

In the early hours of July 13 2012 the day of Vinnie's death he went to his parent's bedroom complaining of headache.

His father, Ian Barker, gave him Calpol and he went back to bed and the following morning he ate a breakfast and went to school and he seemed fine.

However around 2.50pm the school called Mrs Barker to report Vinnie was sick.

She collected him and took him home where he deteriorated.

By 8pm Mr Barker discovered Vinnie was cold to the touch and very sick so he called 999 and paramedics came to resuscitate him before taking him to the A&E department at Ipswich Hospital.

At 9.27pm Vinnie was formally pronounced dead after 40 minutes of attempts to resuscitate him.

The Boots branch in Ipswich that Vincent and his mother went to, where Rose was working as a locum

Following sentencing, Vinnie's parents Ian and Joanne Barker, and his four siblings, issued a statement.

It read: 'The outcome of this case does not change our life sentence; we will never be able to fully accept that our special little boy is never coming home.

'The void left in our lives will never heal and the ripple effect to those around us is immense.

'As parents the distress of witnessing your child's life from start to end in just 8 short years is excruciatingly hard and nonsensical.

'The decision of a jury or judge cannot bring Vinnie back or undo the devastation of his death. A guilty verdict would never make us winners, our loss is simply too great.

'Our main concern has always been the accountability of those we entrust with our own health and the health of those we love.

'It is the responsibility of individuals and the organisation they work for to perform their duties to the expected levels of good practice without exception.

Rose, a married mother-of-three, denied gross negligence manslaughter but was found guilty by a jury at Ipswich Crown Court (pictured) following a ten-day trial

'The actions of professionals or their failure to act to a standard at which they are required to perform should not go without consequence.

'We have a duty to our son to ensure that his precious and wonderful time with us is celebrated.

'Once every formality is dealt with, as a family we can then begin to move forward and build something positive in his memory.

'Our intention is not to damage the reputation of optometrists, but actually to raise awareness and promote the health benefits and value of good optometry.

'Because, we believe without doubt that if our son had received the duty of care he was owed on 15th February 2012, he would still be with us today.

'Our thoughts as always, are with those like us who have experienced the death of a child and the overpowering and overwhelming whirlpool of grief that your life becomes.

WHAT IS PAPILLEDEMA? This is a rare condition which causes the optic nerve to swell and if left untreated, can lead to brain damage and blindness. Papilledema is where the optic disc  located at the end of the optic nerve  becomes swollen. The swelling means the pressure in the brain becomes dangerously high. It is one of several conditions listed by the College of Optometrists as requiring emergency referral within 24 hours. People with papilledema will suffer symptoms due to the raised pressure in their skull, including headaches which become worse when they wake up, strain or bend. They may also suffer nausea and vomiting and a 'whooshing sound' in their ears. A quarter of people with it suffer visual symptoms - usually vision turning black or grey as if a veil has fallen over the eyes - for 30 seconds at a time. Over time, the field of vision can become smaller with a blind spot growing. Left untreated, the condition causes loss of vision. Advertisement

'We know only too well time does not heal the pain. Time just provides a way to begin anticipate and manage the raw emotions that are everlasting.'

Speaking after sentencing, Suffolk Police Senior Investigating Officer Detective Superintendent Tonya Antonis said: 'This case was about much more than justice for Vinnie's family.

'Whatever the outcome of the trial it was never going to bring Vinnie back and it was never their aim to see Honey Rose imprisoned, they only want to raise awareness of the issue so that something positive can come from his death.

'If this case makes the optometry profession reflect on their practices and review their policies to prevent it happening to anyone again, or encourages other parents to take their children to get their eyes tested with the knowledge that any serious issues would be picked up, then it will be worthwhile.'

The College of Optometrists said in a statement: 'The College of Optometristsonce again extends its condolences to the family of Vincent Barker.

'The conviction of Honey Rose is unprecedented; she is the first optometrist in the UK to face charges, and found to be guilty, of gross negligence manslaughter.

'Optometrists play an important role safeguarding the nation's eye health and the profession is regulated. Optometrists practising in the UK must be registered with the General Optical Council (GOC), the profession's regulatory body, and all sight tests have to meet a set standard to ensure they are capable of detecting disease, injury or any abnormality in the eye.

'The GOC sets standards for optometrists and the College of Optometrists, the professional body for optometry, supports the profession in meeting these standards.

'Our Guidance for professional practice outlines how optometrists should apply the GOC's standards in practice.

'The Guidance provides information on the following areas; how to conduct a routine eye exam, how to examine children, how to safely and correctly keep patient records and when, and with what urgency, an optometrist should refer a patient to a GP or the hospital eye service.

'Optometrists are trained professionals whose first duty of care is the eye health of their patients.

'They test sight, examine the health of the eyes, give advice on visual problems, and prescribe and dispense glasses or contact lenses.

'The primary obligation for an optometrist is the duty of care of their patient.

'We hope this conviction and sentencing will not have an impact on the public's trust in optometrists and those that should continue to have regular sight tests.'

Rose denied the charge but was found guilty after a 10-day trial last month.
Family yet to return home and say there are huge numbers of kangaroos

Mileah had 17 stitches on her chest and suffered permanent scars

A mother who wrestled and kicked an aggressive kangaroo to save her young daughter's life has recounted the harrowing ordeal.

Argie Abejaron ran outside her Hervey Bay home on Queensland's Fraser Island to find the kangaroo holding her daughter Mileah, two, to the ground as it scratched her face and chest.

Ms Abejaron was sent sprawling onto the floor, but she managed to wrangle the kangaroo off her seriously injured daughter, reports Fraser Coast Chronicle.

Argie Abejaron wrestled and kicked an aggressive kangaroo to save her young daughter's life

The mother ran outside her home on Queensland's Fraser Island to find the kangaroo holding her daughter to the ground as it scratched her face and chest (stock)

The mother said the kangaroo, roughly the same size as her, pushed her onto the ground and scratched her.

'The kangaroo was about the same size as me, and I thought I could take it on. But it was really strong.'

The yell of a neighbour distracted the kangaroo and the mother pulled her unconscious daughter from harm's way.

Mileah was rushed to Hervey Bay Hospital to get 17 stitches on her chest, suffering scars that doctors believe will remain with her for her life.

'One side of her face is scraped and across her body, she just has razor like marks. There are some marks on her neck too.'

She has since been released from hospital, and her parents hope she is young enough she will not remember the attack.

Ms Abejaron's partner Chad said there are huge numbers of kangaroos surrounding their home

The two-year-old girl suffered permanent scars from the animals scatching her face and chest on Queensland's Fraser Island

The family have yet to return home and have chosen to stay with relatives, saying there are huge numbers of kangaroos in the area.

'Something needs to be done; there are a lot of kangaroos there,' said Mileah's father Chad.

'We don't want any of them killed, but there is the possibility of having them relocated.'
The owners of an untouched paradise island where Prince William romanced his then-girlfriend Kate Middleton has been reduced in price from 17million to 15million.

The uninhabited island of S'Espalmador, which is part of the Balearic Islands of Formentera, first went on sale a year ago when the price was revealed by upmarket estate agents Savills.

However it has now been revealed that the island off the east coast of Spain where the royal couple spent one of the first holidays together and enjoyed a mud bath has now been reduced in price by 2million.

Relaxing: Prince William and Princess Kate (pictured in Honiara on Guadalcanal Island in 2012) were famously snapped on a yacht off the island of Formentera, from where you can walk to Espalmador at low tide

Romance: Prince William and then-girlfriend Kate Middleton (pictured in Australia in 2014) relaxed with their friends and Kate's sister Pippa on a yacht moored near Espalmador

The 137-hectare island forms part of a natural park and was bought in 1932 by British man Bernard Cinnamond for 42,500 ESP or 120

The owners have denied that the price reduction was because there was difficulty in finding a buyer, saying that instead it was to allow local authorities to buy it and keep it in public hands.

They said that they want the island, most of which is listed as a National Park, to be in public hands where it can be properly managed, and believe that will only happen if it is sold to local authorities.

It is currently owned by Catalan architect Norman Cinnamond and his sister Rosy, who are the grandchildren of British man Bernard Cinnamond, who bought it in 1932.

The 137-hectare island forms part of a natural park and at the time it was bought by the British man for 42,500 ESP or 120.

Stunning: Upmarket estate agents Savills are now asking 15million for the 338 acre island

Hotspot: Espalmador, which is located in the Balearic Islands, is a popular stopping point for yachts heading between Ibiza and Formentera

The siblings originally wanted to sell the island for 24million euros (20.6million), but have been willing to reduce the price if it is bought by the local council of Formentera as they want it to be in the best hands.

Cinnamond said: "It would be the most appropriate thing to be able to preserve the island in the way it deserves to be."

The Balearic government and Insular Administration will meet in September to discuss the offer, seeing as the local council does not have the necessary funds on its own to finalise the deal.

The royal couple visited the island in September 2006 on a day trip from nearby Ibiza, where they were staying at Maison Bang Bang - the 6million mansion of Kate's wealthy uncle, Gary Goldsmith.

The tattooed tycoon told Hello magazine in a recent interview they had the 'Ibiza experience', revealing: 'We organised a whole itinerary for them, including going over to a neighbouring island on a boat.

'They've got mud baths and they were all rolling in the healing muds, which they thought was great fun although it was particularly smelly.

Getting dirty: Socialite Paris Hilton (right) has posted photos of herself and friends after a dip in one of Espalmador's mud baths

Time off: Socialite Paris Hilton (second from left) treated herself to a mud bath on the island in September 2014 during a break from her world DJ tour

'Back at the house a friend of mine was teaching William how to mix on the DJ decks and he performed to the whole family as they swam. Kate's mum Carole told me afterwards they had a brilliant time.'

Thousands of tourists have followed in the royals' footsteps, even though mud baths on Espalmador are banned nowadays under the threat of a heavy fine. Locals say their healing properties are a myth.

Socialite Paris Hilton treated herself to a mud bath on the island in September last year during a break from her world DJ tour, before sharing the snaps on her Instagram.

Mediterranean paradise: S'Espalmador lies just to the south of party island Ibiza

Sophie Wessex was pictured on Espalmador last summer in a dazzling red one-piece swimsuit as she enjoyed time out with husband Edward and their two children James and Louise.

Dutch model Mark Vanderloo wed fellow model Robin Van der Meer on the island, part of a national park, in June 2011 although he was later fined because the ceremony took place without permission.
Joshua Strickland, 21, of York, was branded every passenger and crews nightmare

A thug whose drunken and aggressive behaviour on a Jet2 flight to Cyprus caused it to divert has been jailed for six months.

Joshua Strickland, 21, of York, who had failed a love rat lie detector test on ITVs The Jeremy Kyle Show, was branded every passenger and crews nightmare.

The unemployed painter and decorator had been restrained by his friends after he threatened to attack several people on the plane from Leeds Bradford, forcing the pilot to divert to Manchester.

While a stewardess was speaking to a family sitting nearby on board the flight, Strickland put his face close to hers and said I want a f***ing drink.

He threatened other passengers, saying shut up or Ill smack you and when the plane returned to Manchester, Strickland was heard to say: If they are doing this I might as well knock someone out.

Manchester Crown Court heard how on July 13, he turned his attentions to a Cypriot family sitting nearby on the flight and told them: You had better not be talking about me or I will knock you out.

He added: Speak English, talk English.

Elizabeth Evans, prosecuting, said a seat was found at the back for Strickland and he was physically restrained in his seat, partly by his friends. However, he broke free after pretending to go to the toilet and ran down the aisle towards the Cypriots.

Crew members told the captain of Stricklands volatile, abusive and unpredictable behaviour and the decision was made to turn back and land at Manchester.

TV appearance: Strickland failed a love rat lie detector test on ITVs The Jeremy Kyle Show

Unemployed painter and decorator: Strickland had been restrained by his friends after he threatened to attack several people on the plane from Leeds Bradford Airport

The prosecutor said the defendant repeatedly tried to get out of his seat as the plane descended and friends attempted to cover his mouth.

Strickland was arrested when the plane landed and the flight was further delayed until a new crew arrived. He then pleaded guilty to being drunk on an aircraft.

HOW JOSHUA STRICKLAND IS AMONG 60 PASSENGERS BANNED FOR LIFE BY JET2 Strickland was banned for life by Jet2. The airline applied for 10,350 compensation from Strickland but the judge pointed out that the defendant was unemployed and on benefits. Phil Ward, managing director of Jet2, said: We are thrilled with the decision by Manchester Crown Court today. Joshua Stricklands violent outburst was absolutely unacceptable and caused a lot of distress plus significant delays for our customers. Our customers, many of whom are families, should be able to look forward to an enjoyable flight experience with us and we will not let a disruptive few spoil this. We will take whatever action necessary to stamp it out.' Jet2 says it has a zero tolerance against disruptive passenger behaviour, including banning the sale of alcohol onboard all flights before 8am. It says that so far more than 500 passengers have been refused travel and more than 60 of these have been given lifetime bans. Advertisement

Huw Edwards, defending, said his client was remorseful.

Mr Edwards said: He has asked me to pass on his apologies to those who had to experience what was at least an extremely unpleasant, and at most a frightening, experience which resulted from his frankly awful behaviour.

Strickland had 11 previous convictions for 20 offences, including a most recent offence of battery in 2014 in which he received a community order.

He was said to have had a troubled upbringing and has mental health problems together with a history of alcohol and substance misuse.

Mr Edwards said Strickland was finally willing to address his depression.

Sentencing, Judge Eliot Knopf said: There is no question this must have been every passenger and crews nightmare. You were particularly unpleasant and aggressive because of your obsession with the Cypriot family, for whatever reason.

It has been said on a number of occasions in recent years where people appear before court for sentences of this nature, they must expect condign punishment.

'Not just being punished for what they did, but so that the message goes out they will receive a strict sentence.
Byron Bay mum Sara Connor, who spent three days on the run with her British boyfriend after allegedly bashing a Bali police officer to death, has been forcibly escorted for psychiatric tests.

Images show the 45-year-old mother of two being manhandled by police officers as she is taken into a Bali police station as part of investigations over the murder of policeman Wayan Sudarsa on Kuta beach.

Ms Connor underwent psychiatric tests on Friday, after claimed she was trying to protect the officer from being beaten to death by her British boyfriend David Taylor after his bloodied body was found with 42 wounds.

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Sara Connor is forcibly escorted by police officers for psychiatric tests over the murder of a Bali police officer

Images show the 45-year-old mother of two being manhandled by police officers as she is taken into a Bali police station

The couple, who each face a number of charges, have undergone lengthy interrogation sessions, the ABC reported.

Taylor has requested not to be sent for the tests because he is exhausted after a long night of questioning by Bali Police.

The two accused have expressed remorse over Wayan Sudarsa's death and say they want to apologise to his family, according to their lawyers.

Ms Connor's family has sought the assistance of top Sydney barrister Peter Strain to assist with her case, reports Fairfax.

'In the interrogation our client said that he felt regret at his actions,' Taylor's lawyer Haposan Sihombing told News Corp.

'He also said... that he will ask to apologise to (Wayan's) family and he is still thinking that he will make a letter also for the family,' he said.

Accused killer Sara Connor (left) was trying to protect a Bali police officer from being beaten to death by her enraged British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (right), according to her lawyer

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali last week with 42 wounds to his body. Police claim Mr Taylor confessed to hitting the officer with a beer bottle, but denied killing him.

It comes after details of Connor and Taylor's three days on the run emerged as police piece together the murder investigation.

Connor and Taylor were found to have checked out of the Kuta hotel where they had been staying and moved into a new homestay at Jimbaran for two nights the same day the officer's body was found.

The owner of the new home in Jimbaran said the couple displayed 'normal behaviour' and were not suspicious.

Bali police claim to have found the bloodied clothes worn by Byron Bay mother Sara Connor (right, pictured on August 23) and her British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (left) on the night they allegedly murdered a local policeman in a drunken rage

Balinese officials said it was Ms Connor's idea to destroy the evidence linking her and her boyfriend Mr Taylor to the alleged murder - burning their clothes in a housing complex and dumping the policeman's cut-up ID cards (pictured) by the side of the road

Two days after the police officer was murdered, Connor and Taylor rented a motorbike and told the shop owner that they needed to go to the Australian consulate because her passport was gone.

To get to the shop, the couple would have walked by the dead police officer's home.

Taylor (C, with hood) is escorted by police officers for interrogation at a police station in Denpasar

Connor received a call from her home in Australia last Friday informing her she had made the news given the alleged murder.

The couple then allegedly burned the clothes they had been wearing at the time, which Bali officials claim to have found in nearby Jimbaran.

Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said on Wednesday said they then found Mr Sudarsa's ID cards cut up and dumped on the side of the road.

They claim it was Connor's idea to destroy any evidence linking her and her boyfriend to the alleged crime.

The couple were arrested last Friday when they visited the Australian Consulate where police had been waiting - three days after they allegedly murdered the officer.

The police chief said officers had asked Connors's boyfriend to tell them where they had dumped the cop's possessions.

'We took David there, but he couldn't tell us clearly where the place was,' Mr Purnomo told reporters.

'So we went again during the night and we found the wallet, ID card, police card, motorbike registration letter, phone (sim) card, hand phone case.'

Ms Connor is accused of being the mastermind behind the destruction of evidence allegedly linking her to the brutal death of Balinese police officer Wayan Sudarsa

'It was put into a plastic bag and thrown away in Suluban Beach area in Uluwatu, South Kuta.'

He claims the couple set alight their clothes in the hours before they were arrested last Friday. Burnt fabric and a button was found in the bushes, Mr Purnomo said.

'Cutting (those cards) was Sara's idea. Burning (the clothes) idea may have come from both of them,' he added.

They have yet to find the police officer's phone.

Connor and Taylor have not seen each other since their arrest, having been held separately at Denpasar police station.

Earlier this week lawyers for the two said a scuffle broke out between Taylor and Mr Sudarsa after Connor lost her purse on Kuta Beach.

Local police claim Taylor accused Mr Sudarsa, who was on duty at a nearby hotel at the time, of stealing Connor's purse and of being a fake police officer before beating him with binoculars, a beer bottle and a mobile phone, according to The Sydney Morning Herald.

Taylor confronted the police officer and the two fell to the ground as they wrestled, during which the officer allegedly bit Connor on the leg and arm.

Local police claim Mr Taylor (pictured centre) accused the officer of stealing Ms Connor's purse before beating him with binoculars, a beer bottle and a mobile phone

Ms Connor (pictured) has maintained her innocence over his murder, her lawyer Erwin Siregar said

'Then David said to the victim: 'You are a bogus cop. Where's my bag? Where's my bag? F--- you bastard police.' The officer said: 'I don't know.' But he kept insisting, three times,' Denpasar Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said.

Taylor then allegedly continued to hit Mr Sudarsa with a glass beer bottle as Ms Connor left to continue looking for her purse.

'By then David had lost it and hit him repeatedly with the broken bottle, causing the 17 wounds on the head. After the [officer's] head was injured, [Taylor] searched his body, his belongings, that's how the victim's clothes got unbuttoned and loose. The man had already lost consciousness.'

Connor has maintained her innocence over his murder, her lawyer Erwin Siregar said.

'Sara said that she (was) not involved with this murder, she (was) not involved at all with this murder,' the lawyer said.

Mr Siregar said his client had tried to separate the two men.

Her British boyfriend has allegedly admitted to hitting Mr Sudarsa.

A crime scene established on Kuta Beach in Bali is pictured on Friday

Taylor's lawyer, Haposan Sihombing, said Connor tried to help her boyfriend in the struggle.

But her lawyer said she 'insists that she was not involved with the murder at all'.

'She saw from behind that Taylor hit the victim, but she did not know what he used to hit,' the lawyer alleged.

Connor's ex-husband, Anthony 'Twig' Connor, who is the father of her two sons aged nine and 11, was due to make a statement on behalf of the family in Sydney on Wednesday but decided not to front the media.

'Late last night we were advised by the Australian Government not to hold the conference', a statement from a family spokeswoman said on Wednesday.

Connor faces a murder charge and an additional charge of participation in a murder. Taylor is being held as a suspect for murder, assault and battery charges.
A legal challenge to Oscar Pistorius shockingly too lenient six-year jail term for murdering Reeva Steenkamp was today rejected for having no reasonable prospects of success.

A Pistorius family source greeted the news with great relief and welcomed the judges humanity after accusing prosecutors of having a personal vendetta against the shamed athlete.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel spent almost an hour arguing against the injustice of Pistorius prison sentence in the latest round of legal wrangling in pursuit of the runner, which was described as ego driven and unprofessional by one of the Blade Runners relatives.

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel told the court that the judge had ignored a string of aggravating factors about the murder of an innocent, defenceless woman

Mr Nel told the judge that he had found six misdirections in her sentencing of Pistorius for the 2013 murder of Reeva, which resulted in a punishment that induces a sense of shock.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp multiple times through a toilet cubicle door in his home in the pre-dawn hours of Valentine's Day, 2013

The 29 year-old, who was treated for wrist injuries two weeks ago in what prison sources claimed was a self-harming incident in his cell, was not in court. Pictured: On his stumps during his trial

Mr Nel told Judge Thokozile Masipa that she had misdirected herself in law by handing down a punishment that was less than half of South Africas prescribed minimum 15-year sentence for murder.

The 29 year-old track star, who was treated for injuries to his wrists two weeks ago in what prison sources claimed was a self-harming incident in his cell, was not in court for the 80 minute hearing.

Judge Masipa, who presided over the paralympians trial, took a little over an hour to decide that the states case was not worthy of referring to her superiors in South Africas Supreme Court of Appeal as there would be little chance of senior judges arriving at a different punishment for Pistorius.

A relative of the runners told MailOnline, Judge Masipa is not a sissy, thank god. She can stand up to Nel. She knows the case, she knows the law. She is a serious legal mind and wont be bullied into changing it.

Although todays result will bring some relief to Pistorius and his family, the state may still petition a higher court over the matter.

Mr Nel, known as the pitbull for his confrontational style of questioning witnesses, told the judge that he had found six misdirections in her sentencing of Pistorius for the 2013 murder of Reeva, which resulted in a punishment that induces a sense of shock.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, who presided over the paralympians trial, took a little over an hour to decide that the states case was not worth referring to South Africas Supreme Court of Appeal

A relative of the runners told MailOnline, Judge Masipa is not a sissy, thank god. She can stand up to Nel.'

This case has been exhausted beyond the point of exhaustion, said defence lawyer Barry Roux, who told the court that 'enough was enough'

A family source told MailOnline the athlete was convinced Mr Nel was motivated by a personal grudge against him. Pictured: jail where Pistorius is being held

The prosecutor told the court that the judge had over-emphasised the athletes disability, sense of vulnerability and given undue weight to his expression of remorse and led to a disturbingly disproportionate punishment.

Judge Masipa is not a sissy, thank god. She can stand up to Nel. She knows the case, she knows the law. She is a serious legal mind and wont be bullied into changing it. Relative of Oscar Pistorius

The court failed to take into account that the accused fired four shots through the door and he never offered an acceptable explanation for having done so, Mr Nel told the hearing, adding, there was a massive chasm between regret and remorse.

Mr Nel told proceedings that the judge had ignored a string of aggravating factors about the murder of an innocent, defenceless woman.

He said the court should have started at the minimum murder sentence of 15 years when considering its punishment of Pistorius.

Mr Nel said Pistorius sentence had to be challenged as it set a dangerous precedent for future murder cases. Pictured: Pistorius at the men's 400m semi-finals in London

Last year, the judges manslaughter verdict was overturned on appeal  but Judge Masipa increased his term by just one more year

This induces a state of shock, he told the court, bluntly. The deceased died in a horrendous way. That is what bothers Mr Steenkamp [her father].

Mr Nel concluded his 55 minute argument by stating that Pistorius punishment had to be challenged as it set a dangerous precedent for future murder cases.

Neither family was in court for the hearing.

Reevas uncle, Mike Steenkamp, said he was not surprised at the judges ruling.

'It would be impossible for the judge to allow this to back again to the appeal court. I think Barry and June are resigned to the fact that this is the end of the road in this case.

'We didnt think that it had much chance of success from the start. But we have always gone along with whatever the state thought was the right thing to do.

The Reeva Steenkamp Foundation is now up and running and the family are just wanting to devote all our energies to that now, and leave this legal matter behind us.

'We move forward in Reevas memory and to do good things for other women, thats what we need to be doing now, not this.

Mr Nel said the court should have started at the minimum murder sentence of 15 years when considering its punishment of Pistorius

Its a personal thing, a vendetta, Nel is driven by his ego, its not right or professional the way that he keeps coming back to this again and again.,' family source tells Mail Online

South African reports last month said Pistorius had been put on suicide watch following an incident in his cell which had left him needing hospital treatment for injuries to his wrists

Todays hearing was the States second challenge of a ruling by Judge Masipa. It first appealed her finding that Pistorius was guilty of manslaughter, for which she sentenced him for five years in jail.

Last year, the judges manslaughter verdict was overturned on appeal  but when Pistorius appeared again in her court for sentencing for the more serious crime, Judge Masipa increased his term by just one more year.

A family source told MailOnline the athlete was anxious about the proceedings, and was convinced Mr Nel was motivated by a personal grudge against him.

Its a personal thing, a vendetta, Nel is driven by his ego, its not right or professional the way that he keeps coming back to this again and again. It clearly has to be personal now,  he said.

Barry Roux, Pistorius defence lawyer, echoed the familys sentiments when arguing against the application to appeal, telling the court enough is enough.

I see a lot of prejudice against the accused coming from the state, Mr Roux said firmly, glancing at his opponent across the High Court in Pretoria.

He said the states application was an insult to the court the state, and their argument did not justify using his client as a ping pong ball being sent back and forth between the court houses of South Africa.

The double-amputee, who is being held at the Kgosi Mampuru II Prison in Pretoria, told prison officials he injured himself sliding on his wet cell floor, while moving around on his stumps

Inside sources told a South African paper that razor blades were found in the disgraced athlete's cell, and that his wrist injuries, described as 'severe', were self-inflicted

Prosecutors had an attitude of punish him, punish him, punish him towards Pistorius, the sprinters lawyer said.

This case has been exhausted beyond the point of exhaustion, Mr Roux said, asserting that a higher court would not come to a different finding on punishment for his client.

South Africas City Press newspaper reported earlier this month that Pistorius had been put on suicide watch following an incident in his cell which had left him needing hospital treatment for injuries to his wrists.

Prison officials told City Press newspaper that the athlete was under 24-hour monitoring, with increased cell visits by warders. Pistorius brother Carl denied it was a suicide bid, as sources had claimed. The incident coincided with the first day of competition in the Rio Olympic Games, almost three weeks ago.

Inside sources told the paper that razor blades were found in the disgraced athlete's cell, and that his wrist injuries, described as 'severe', were self-inflicted.

Prosecutor Gerrie Nel spent almost an hour arguing against the injustice of Pistorius prison sentence but his case was rejected

The National Prosecuting Authority said after the judgment, which surprised many legal observers, that it was considering the options left available to take the matter further

Paralympian has clashed with state doctors and refused to take the medication they gave him, saying it was 'toxic'

According to the newspaper, the injury occurred soon after he had an altercation with prison officials over medication prescribed by state doctors.

The Paralympian had refused to take the medication, saying it was 'toxic' and demanded to be given medication prescribed by his private doctor.

He alleged that the prison official wanted to kill him and demanded to be transferred to another jail.

Warders also raided his cell and found a pair a scissors, prescription drugs and 'toxic pills'.
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The downfall of Bam Margera has been captured on camera during his wild visit to Finland, with the Jackass star photographed being taken away in a police van and later brazenly urinating in a public park.

Margera, 36, was behaving erratically around Helsinki during the trip this month which culminated in a night where he sat helplessly on the sidewalk yelling before police helped him stand up and carted him off in their van.

The photographs show the depths of of the troubled television star's plight, with him also shown talking to Helsinki police in a separate incident in a car on the day he was photographed urinating in the park.

Margera has struggled with substance abuse since the death of his close friend and co-star Ryan Dunn five years ago, saying he feels 'completely lost' in the wake of the tragedy.

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Helsinki police officers approach Bam Margera on a street near the Sea Horse restaurant in Finland during his visit this month

During the incident in the Finnish city, Bam's wife Nicole was seen looking angry and giving the finger

In a separate incident, Margera urinated behind a tree during a day out with his dog to enjoy the summer weather

The star was photographed sitting on the street outside the city's Sea Horse restaurant with his wife Nicole.

Helsinki police offices arrived and helped Margera to his feet after he was seen yelling.

Nicole, clutching a dog, was also spotted nearby talking to police and later looking angry.

Bam and Nicole have experienced a troubled past with booze after she was done for DUI and also wrecked the couple's Porsche in a smash.

Margera began yelling at someone in the street and waving his arms during the night out in Helsinki with wife Nicole

Bam appeared very upset during the street incident before officers arrived to take him away to the police station

Nicole outside the Sea Horse Restaurant, a well-known venue in Helsinki, where the couple are believed to have dined

The police paid a visit to Nicole, who was carrying a dog as she spoke to one of the officers outside the restaurant

The officers helped the tattooed Margera, looking unsteady, to his feet on the street near the restaurant

The star closed his eyes while he rose to his feet before officers took him to a police van

The officers continued to support the Jackass star when he finally made it to his feet on the Helsinki sidewalk

Margera was taken away from the scene in the back of a police van after the officers helped him get up off the sidewalk

Officers appeared to conduct a search of Margera on the street before putting him inside the police van

Margera was put in the back of the police van by the officers and taken away from the scene

Last year, Bam had reportedly been sober for three months after quitting booze following a history of benders in recent years. He had received help from a doctor he met on reality TV.

Dunn lost his life in a horror 130mph smash in his Porsche 911 GT3 on a Pennsylvania highway in 2011. He was later found to have been drunk at the time.

'It was the worst phone call I ever got in my life waking up to that,' Bam said at the time.

Margera is greeted by a friend during a day visit to the outdoor cafe section of the Sea Horse restaurant in a nearby park

Margera spent some quality time with the dog and his friend, who enjoyed a drink while the happy trio walked the streets

The pair were drinking in the vehicle before officers arrived to talk to them, in the star's second contact with Finnish law

Finnish police officers approached the pair while they were still in the car and spoke to them when they exited the vehicle

Bam got out of the car and held the dog during the visit by Finnish police

The star appeared to see the lighter side of life during his discussions with a Finnish police officer at the park

Margera walking along a Helsinki street with another friend before they had some drinks and did some shopping in the capital

Margera enjoyed a few drinks with his friend in the sunshine at the cafe in Helsinki while reading a book

The pair also enjoyed some shopping in a jewelry store during their time together this month

In other brushes with the law, Bam was arrested in Iceland in 2013 after destroying a rental car and not paying for the damage. He was later released after paying for the damage, TMZ reported.

Tragedy: Ryan Dunn (left) was a fellow stunt performer on Jackass alongside Margera and Johnny Knoville (right) before his tragic death in a car crash in 2011

He was fined 500 in Glasgow in 2013 after verbally abusing a member of staff at a hotel following an Eminem concert in the city.

During the trip to Helsinki this month, the star was also photographed peeing in a public park on a day when he was also visited by police again while sitting in a car drinking with friends.

MailOnline has contacted Margera's representatives for comment.
A family have a won a High Court battle to overturn their brother's will after he left 95 per cent of his 1.1million estate to his carer.

David Poole, 46, died in March 2013 but a will, which was drawn up just weeks before his death, left the bulk of his estate to carer Mark Everall.

Mr Everall was appointed to him as a 'supporting landlord' by Worcestershire County Council in 1993.

Mr Poole's two brothers Darren and Sean (pictured) were forced to go to the High Court after they challenged the validity of the will, in which they received nothing

David Poole (pictured right), 46, died in March 2013 but a will, which was drawn up just weeks before his death, left the bulk of his estate to carer Mark Everall

Mr Poole was assigned the carer after suffering head injuries and reduced use of his limbs following a motorcycle accident in 1985 and was later awarded damages worth more than 1 million.

Mr Poole's two brothers Darren and Sean were forced to go to the High Court after they challenged the validity of the will, in which they received nothing.

Judge David Cooke ruled in their favour this week after a six-day hearing which took place in June.

The judge said Mr Everall failed to show that Mr Poole knew and approved the terms of the will.

He also ruled that Mr Poole didn't understand what he was doing so the will was not truly representing his intentions.

Judge Cooke said Mr Poole was 'prone to suggestibility' and to being led by those close to him and that he was satisfied Mr Everall used his relationship to isolate him.

Mr Poole's brothers said today they were 'put through hell' during the High Court battle.

The High Court ruling declared in favour of Mr Poole's February 2012 will, in which 60 per cent was left to various charities including Save the Children and Cancer Research UK

But Sean Poole, 42, said they were delighted their brother's 'true intentions' - which will see 60 per cent of his estate donated to charity - can now be honoured.

He added: 'David's solicitor alerted me, saying: "There's something seriously wrong".

'I was staggered when I found out it was 95 per cent, that me and my brother would receive nothing and about the money going to charity being cut.

'When I heard the judge has said those things it was just a relief, no-one in authority had ever believed us.

'That will was never my brother's true wishes, I wanted to honour my brother so took it to court.'

The High Court ruling declared in favour of Mr Poole's earlier will, made in February 2012, in which 60 per cent was left to various charities including Save the Children and Cancer Research UK.

Sean added: 'This was never about money, it was about the principal of honouring my brother's true intentions.

'It is not really a victory, me and Darren have been put through three years of hell needlessly.'

A spokesman for Worcestershire County Council said the authority would not comment on the case because the will is a private matter.
In yet another bout of infighting in the party, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell (pictured) said his party's General Secretary Iain McNicol was guilty of 'a clear pattern of double standards'

Labour officials have been accused of mounting a 'rigged purge' of Jeremy Corbyn supporters but failing to take action against a Blairite peer who gave the Lib Dems 2.1million.

In yet another bout of infighting in the party, Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell said his party's General Secretary Iain McNicol was guilty of 'a clear pattern of double standards' after he suspended the hard-left leader of the Bakers' union Ronnie Draper but turned a blind eye to Lord Sainsbury despite funding a rival party.

In a blistering public attack, Mr McDonnell claimed 'thousands' of members and registered supporters who backed Mr Corbyn had been denied a vote in the leadership election 'without being given an explanation or opportunity to challenge the decision'.

In a rallying cry to left-wing supporters, he said: 'Labour party members will not accept what appears to be a rigged purge of Jeremy Corbyn supporters. The conduct of this election must be fair and even-handed.'

But Mr McNicol took the unusual step of correcting Mr McDonnell on Twitter, writing: 'John, just to clarify you say 'party officials'. Decisions are made by elected NEC members, and not party staff.'

Mr Draper, who represents nearly 20,000 workers as general secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, revealed he had been suspended from the party yesterday over something he wrote on social media after 40 years as a member.

On the same day, it emerged that Lord Sainsbury, Labour's biggest private donor, gave the Liberal Democrats 2.1million in the run up to the EU referendum.

Overall Lord Sainsbury, 75, spent 8million on his failed attempt to keep Britain in the EU - more than any other individual.

The former science minister is hated among the hard-left. He served under Tony Blair and last month was one of the biggest donors of the campaign to oust Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, giving 65,000 to the New Labour group Progress.

John McDonnell accused Labour officials of mounting a 'rigged purge' of Jeremy Corbyn supporters but failing to take action against a Blairite peer who gave the Lib Dems 2.1million

But Mr McNicol took the unusual step of correcting Mr McDonnell on Twitter, writing: 'John, just to clarify you say 'party officials'. Decisions are made by elected NEC members, and not party staff'

In a blistering public attack on General Secretary Iain McNicol (left), Mr McDonnell claimed 'thousands' of members and registered supporters who backed Mr Corbyn (pictured right at a debate with challenger Owen Smith last night) had been denied a vote in the leadership election 'without being given an explanation or opportunity to challenge the decision'

Lord David Sainsbury (right), a Labour peer and former minister under Tony Blair and Gordon Brown (left), has been a regular donor to the Labour party for years but surprised Westminster by giving the beleaguered Lib Dems two donations totalling a massive 2.1million in June

He could face disciplinary action for funding the Lib Dems, but the Labour party has yet to take any action.

Accusing Labour officials of bias, Mr McDonnell said in an angry outburst: 'The decision by Labour Party officials to suspend the bakers' union leader, Ronnie Draper, from the party and deny him a vote in Labour's leadership election over unidentified social media posts is shocking, and appears to be part of a clear pattern of double standards.

'While Ronnie, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, has been denied his say in Labour's election, no action is being taken over the Labour peer, Lord Sainsbury, who has given more than 2 million to support the Liberal Democrats.'

He added: 'Meanwhile, thousands of other members and registered supporters are reported to have been denied a vote without being given an explanation or opportunity to challenge the decision or process.

The latest release of donations to political parties also showed the Formula One boss Max Mosley (pictured) donated 200,000 to Labour

'Labour party members will not accept what appears to be a rigged purge of Jeremy Corbyn supporters. The conduct of this election must be fair and even-handed.'

Labour was set back by further infighting during a bitter leadership debate between Mr Corbyn and challenger Owen Smith last night.

Mr Smith accused the Labour leader of lying about voting for Britain to stay in the EU and claimed he was secretly 'happy' about the Brexit outcome.

But he was booed and heckled by audience members in the bad-tempered debate in Glasgow last night and Mr Corbyn hit back by telling his challenger: 'I thought we had grown up, we weren't any longer going to use those kind of questions.'

Mr Corbyn added: 'You know perfectly well that the answer is that I voted Remain and I'm very surprised and indeed disappointed by the question.'

The latest release of donations to political parties also showed the ex-Formula One boss Max Mosley donated 200,000 to Labour.

Mr Mosley, who became a privacy campaigner after media reports of his private life, is a supporter of Labour's deputy leader Tom Watson, a leading campaigner against allegations of press intrusion and phone hacking.

Lord Sainsbury also donated 2.15million to Labour in June, which was his first since 2010 after refusing to fund the party under Ed Miliband's leadership. He said he had given money to both opposition parties to bolster their campaigns to keep Britain in the EU.

Overall, Labour received the most donations than any other party in the three months to July this year.

The party, which attracted large donations due to its support for staying in the EU, received 6.2million, the Tories attracted 4.3million and Lord Sainsbury's donation helped the Lib Dems raise a healthy 2.87million in the three months.

The main Brexit-supporting party, Ukip, was given 1.25million, while the Women's Equality Party was given 154,570 between April 1 and June 30 as it contested its first election in the London Mayoral race.

Explaining the move in a statement yesterday, Lord Sainsbury said: 'During the last two years I have helped put together the Stronger In Europe Campaign, and have provided them with funds. I have also made donations to the Labour Party, the Liberal Democrats, and a number of other registered bodies.

Lord Sainsbury gave the Lib Dems, led by Tim Farron (pictured) more than 2million during the EU referendum campaign

'I did so because I believe strongly that coming out of Europe will be damaging to our economy and society, and dangerously so if we come out of the Common Market.

'I am proud of what the Stronger In Europe Campaign did in explaining honestly and clearly the benefits we get from being in Europe and the damage from coming out.

'I am sorry that we failed to convince the British people as I believe the dangers of Brexit are very real, and I hope that thoughtful and careful leadership by the new Prime Minister will mean that my worst fears are not realised.'

Welcoming the support from the Labour peer, a spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats said: 'Lord Sainsbury has been a major figure in progressive politics over four decades.

'We are extremely grateful for his practical support, which recognises the phenomenal campaigning abilities of the Liberal Democrats, who in the referendum campaign held 1,000 street stalls and were calling up to 100,000 voters a day.

'His help was a recognition that we had the second largest party political campaign for Remain and was a testimony to the hard work of our members.

'It is largely because we got across such a uniquely positive case for Europe that since the referendum over 18,000 people have joined the Liberal Democrats.
One officer has been charged with

A police officer has been charged and two others are facing dismissal after an internal investigation revealed they drove two Aboriginal boys to the outskirts of a rural town and dumped them there to walk home.

The investigation found the officers drove the boys, aged 13 and 15, to the outskirts of South Hedland in Western Australia's north on June 11 after reports of a disturbance in town, WAtoday reported.

The boys were dumped between South Hedland and an area known as Two Mile Camp.

A police officer has been charged and two others are facing dismissal after an internal investigation revealed they drove two Aboriginal boys to the outskirts of a rural town and dumped them there to walk home (stock image)

The incident was one of a series of clashes between police and indigenous youths which prompted an investigation into possible cultural problems at the South Hedland police station (pictured)

Following the incident an Internal Affairs investigation was launched within WA police.

One officer was charged with two counts of assault and one count of reckless driving.

Loss of confidence proceedings, which can cause dismissal, have been commenced against all three officers.

The trio have been stood down from operational duties while the investigation takes place.

The incident was one of a series of clashes between police and indigenous youths which prompted an investigation into possible cultural problems at the South Hedland police station.
A Nigerian pastor underwent a dramatic 'exorcism' in the hopes of being able to perform miracles and expand his congregation.

Bizarre footage shows Pastor Victory Chiaka crouched on all fours and shaking wildly as a fellow pastor cries out for the evil spirit to leave his body.

The religious man had been desperate to save his church in Imo State in Nigeria and had previously resorted to seeking 'magic' help from a witch doctor.

The religious man had been desperate to save his church in Imo State in Nigeria and had previously resorted to seeking 'magic' help from a witch doctor.

Bizarre footage shows Pastor Victory Chiaka crouched on all fours and shaking wildly as a fellow paster cries out for the evil spirit to leave his body.

He even sacrificed a chicken and a goat to give himself a supernatural edge.

Chiaka told Emmanuel TV - one of Africa's largest Christian television networks - that he had asked the witch doctor to do a charm for his protection and to make his church and its congregation grow.

'The witch doctor told me that he would prepare a charm for me and that I will swallow,' he said.

'He said that with these charms, no one would be able to kill me. And also that I would have the power to do miracles.'

'The witch doctor told me that he would prepare a charm for me and that I will swallow...that with these charms, no one would be able to kill me. And I would have the power to do miracles'

He even sacrificed a chicken and a goat to give him a supernatural edge

Chiaka later decided to visit The Synagogue Church Of All Nations and Pastor T.B. Joshua to receive his deliverance after witnessing the negative repercussions.

Footage of the exorcism shows Chiaka along with many others eagerly soaking up T.B. Joshua's words in their hope of being delivered from evil spirits.

Numerous men and woman can be seen writhing on the floor as they undergo the ritual.

Chiaka later decided to visit The Synagogue Church Of All Nations and Pastor T.B. Joshua to receive his deliverance after witnessing the negative repercussions.

'Come out! Come out!' Pastor T.B. Joshua yells repeatedly and at an increasing volume as the atmosphere reaches a climax in the church

Numerous men and woman can be seen writhing on the floor as they undergo the ritual

The congregation undergo dramatic convulsions as the spirits 'leave' their body

'Come out! Come out!' the Pastor T.B. Joshua yells repeatedly and at an increasing volume as the atmosphere reaches a climax in the church.
Sir Richard Branson has revealed how he feared he would die after crashing head first onto a road in a high-speed bike crash on the British Virgin Islands.

The 66-year-old Virgin tycoon was on a training cycle run with his two adult children Holly and Sam when the horrifying incident happened on Virgin Gorda on Monday.

Sir Richard, who is worth nearly 4billion, was taken to Miami, Florida, for X-rays and scans - which found he had suffered torn ligaments and a cracked cheek.

Richard Branson has revealed how he feared he would die after crashing head first onto a road

The 66-year-old Virgin tycoon was on a training cycle run with his two children Holly and Sam

Sir Richard was cycling on the British Virgin Islands when the incident happened on Monday

He said: I was heading down a hill towards Leverick Bay when it suddenly got really dark and I managed to hit a sleeping policeman hump in the road head on.

The next thing I knew, I was being hurled over the handlebars and my life was literally flashing before my eyes. I really thought I was going to die.

I went flying head-first towards the concrete road, but fortunately my shoulder and cheek took the brunt of the impact.

Sir Richard added that wearing a helmet saved his life, and his bicycle went flying off the cliff. He continued: I really couldnt believe I was alive, let alone not paralysed.

The first person to arrive on the scene was his assistant Helen Clarke, whom he claims to have told: Im alive! At least youve still got a job.

Sir Richard, who is worth nearly 4billion, was taken to Miami, Florida, for X-rays and scans

One of his team sprinted over to help him and he was taken to Miami for treatment

Tea through a straw: Medics found he had suffered torn ligaments and a cracked cheek

One of his team sprinted over to help him and he was taken to Miami for treatment, but admitted he had been extremely fortunate with his lack of major injuries.

He added: My biggest hardship is having to drink tea out of a straw. Oh, and being called elephant man by a six year old.

My attitude has always been, if you fall flat on your face, at least youre moving forward. All you have to do is get back up and try again.

The accident took place on the fifth anniversary of the fire on his private residence of Necker Island, which gutted his 75million house and led to it being rebuilt.

On Tuesday his Twitter account posted CCTV images appearing to show Labour's Jeremy Corbyn walking past empty unreserved train seats before he was filmed sitting on the floor complaining about 'ram-packed' carriages on a Virgin service.

Sir Richard said that wearing a helmet saved his life, and his bicycle went flying off the cliff

Sir Richard (file picture) said he had been extremely fortunate with his lack of major injuries

Blaze: The accident took place on the fifth anniversary of the fire on his private residence of Necker Island in 2011, which gutted his 75million house and led to it being rebuilt

SIR RICHARD'S VARIOUS INJURIES AND BRUSHES WITH DEATH The incident comes six months after Sir Richard told how he had beenbitten by a `shark while swimming with dozens of stingrays in the Cayman Islands. During the same trip he also smashed his head into a glass door while out shopping - and he has knocked teeth out twice while playing tennis over the past year. And in 1985, his speedboat famously capsized in high seas about 140 miles from the Isles of Scilly as he tried to set a record for the fastest-ever Atlantic crossing. Sir Richard added in his blog post today that he had experienced 'many brushes with death, not least in my ballooning adventures'. From 1995 to 1998 he made several attempts to circumnavigate the globe by balloon with Per Lindstrand and Steve Fossett. Advertisement
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The Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards 2016 are in full swing - with hundreds of hilarious photos being sent in from around the world.

Among the best early entries this year are photos of a cheetah appearing to find something hilarious, a gorilla caught in an unfortunate position, and a baby elephant face-planting the ground.

The panel of judges is comprised of wildlife experts and household names and includes comedian Hugh Dennis, wildlife TV presenter Kate Humble, African landscape photographer Tom Sullam, and wildlife photographer and Comedy Wildlife Awards founder Paul Joynson-Hicks MBE.

Judge, Tom Sullam said: 'The essence of the competition is to raise awareness of the wildlife that we live with. Comedy is an essential part of our lives, and there are thousands of occasions when pets and wild animals alike behave in a funny manner.'

Austria's Julian Rad won the competition last year with his memorable shot of a chubby-cheeked hamster running towards the camera.

The deadline for entries is October 1, 2016, and the overall winner will receive a stunning photographic safari holiday consisting of seven nights in Kenya's Masai Mara. To be in with a chance to win you can enter the competition for free through the website www.comedywildlifephoto.com.

What a hoot: This image by Edward Kopeschny shows one very content snowy owl in Ontario, Canada

Mane attraction: Alexander Pfeiffer photographed this horse in Germany shaking its head using a high shutter speed

These penguins clearly couldn't face being photographed by Charles Kinsey, so they hid their heads - completely

A puffin has some fun on the Farne Islands, looking like it's been trained at the Ministry of Silly Walks

It's supposed to be hyenas that laugh, but this cheetah in South Africa clearly hasn't read the rule book

Three's the magic number: This cute family of squirrels, shot in Canada, are all lined up for an outing

The one that got away: This pelican in Greece loses it composure completely when it drops its fish supper

Tall guy: This giraffe at a watering hole in Botswana showed off its gurning skills to Monika Carrie

This seal gave photographer Adam White a wave as it played in the water at Donna Nook in Lincolnshire

Bringing up the rear: A playful lion cub follows its mother a bit too closely in this picture by Douglas Croft

He's ready for his close up: This frog in Poland hops to it and poses for the camera

He's behind you! These burrowing owls in Cape Coral, Florida, lined up perfectly on this low perch

Life's most definitely a beach for this kangaroo in Lucky Bay, Australia, who is taking advantage of an unguarded parasol and towel

A red squirrel seemingly praying for the heavy snow to stop in Canada - pictured by Isabelle Marozzo

Taken to tusk: This Walrus in Norway looks like he's just realised that he's forgotten something

This lion (left) in Kenya's Masai Mara reserve seems to have been burning the candle at both ends, while the mountain gorilla pictured in Rwanda on the right has been caught picking its nose

Two adorable little monkeys share a smooch in Kenya. The panel of judges for the Comedy Wildlife Photo Awards is comprised of wildlife experts and household names and includes comedian Hugh Dennis

It's a moment he'll want to forget, if he can: A baby elephant face-plants the ground in Zimbabwe

A young fox cub spots the camera from behind a tree in Dillenburg, Germany, and can't resist a grin

Appetite for a funny look: This chipmunk in Ontario, Canada, has stuffed her cheeks so full of corn they look ready to pop

Winging it in style: Four birds walking down the road like they own it in Tanzania. It's one of hundreds of pictures submitted to the award from around the world

Inquisitive: This very curious bald eagle was snapped by Will Saunders in Cordova, Alaska

Coo-ee! I'm up here! A harvest mouse appearing to be waving at the camera in Cheshire

The odd couple: A frog and chipmunk were captured by Isabelle Marozzo sharing a romantic kiss in Canada

Life's fin-tastic: This fish, snapped off Sal, Cape Verde, appears to be the happiest in the world

Just putting on my pearls before I hit the town: A macro photograph of honey bee tentacles in New Zealand has caused a buzz

This fish understandably doesn't look very happy at its predicament. The picture was taken by Chrys Mellor in East Yorkshire

Chilling out: An adorable little monkey makes a snowball in Japan. The deadline for entries is October 1, 2016, and the overall winner will receive a stunning photographic safari holiday consisting of seven nights in Kenya's Masai Mara
On the morning of August 26, 2015, WDBJ7 reporter Alison Parker was doing an interview in Moneta, Virginia, when a disgruntled former colleague opened fire, killing Parker and cameraman Adam Ward on live TV.

On the one-year anniversary of Alison's death, her father wrote a scathing op-ed for the New York Daily News, blasting the National Rifle Association, accusing Republican politicians of being in the pocket of the gun lobby, and vowing to do whatever it takes to help bring about gun control reform.

'Not a single day goes by that we don't feel the devastation and void in our souls,' Andy Parker writes of daughters Alisons killing. 'It's the new normal for lives that will never be the same.'

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Father's fight: Andy Parker marked the one-year anniversary of his daughter Alison's on-air killing by writing a scathing op-ed lambasting the NRA. The 24-year-old Virginia reporter and cameraman Adam Ward (pictured together) were shot dead last August

Advocate: Mr Parker has been pushing for gun control reform in the wake of his daughter's murder

Vester Lee Flanagan (pictured) posted video of the deadly attack on social media

The 24-year-old reporter was executed on air along with 27-year-old cameraman by Vester Lee Flanagan II, 41, who had been fired from WDBJ.

Flanagan fled and posted video of the attack on social media while also writing about his grudges against Parker and Ward in a Twitter rant.

He also faxed a 23-page manifesto-cum-suicide note to a national news station outlining his motives for the attack, saying he bought the handgun he used following the Charleston Church killings, adding: 'my hollow point bullets have the victims initials on them'.

Five hours later, police cornered Flanagan in Fauquier County, Virginia, where he shot himself in an attempt to commit suicide. Flanagan initially survived but later succumbed to his gunshot wound.

A third victim of the shooting, local chamber of commerce director Vicky Gardner, whom Parker was interviewing at the time of the attack, was wounded but survived.

Alison Parker's father writes that the day he got the call that his daughter has been killed, his world was shattered and he, wife Barbara, son Drew and Alison's boyfriend, Chris Hurst, 'became members of a club no one ever wants to join.'

Parker (left) and Ward (right) were shooting a segment for WDBJ7 in Moneta, Virginia, on the morning of August 26, 2015, when a former colleague of theirs ambushed them

A year later, Andy Parker says in his searing op-ed piece that 'the NRA still controls too many politicians. There is no new meaningful common-sense gun legislation passed at a federal level, and terrorists on watch lists can still buy weapons even if they cant board a flight.'

He then goes on the offensive against conservative politicians like House Speaker Paul Ryan, Texas Congressman Mike McCaul and Virginia Congressman Bob Goodlatte, accusing them of following Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, whom he calls 'their orange-faced Fuhrer,' and keeping their 'bloody hands egregiously in the pockets of the NRA.'

Flanagan, 41, a disgruntled former employee at WDBJ7, killed himself hours after the double homicide

Mr Parker, who has become a fierce advocate for gun control since his daughter's murder, says that he has recently confronted Goodlatte at a community forum over his inaction on gun reform and asked during a Q&A session, 'Bob, how do you sleep at night?'

As usual, he looked like he swallowed a lemon, Parker writes. He never uttered a word of response. It was the face and the response of a coward and Ive opined before  this coward should join the treasonous Republican leadership in acquiring a new wardrobe - orange jumpsuits.

Parker, however, reserved his harshest words for the NRA, accusing the powerful gun lobby of spouting the myth' that if elected president in November, Hillary Clinton would abolish the Second Amendment and take away Americans' guns.

With hundreds of millions of guns in circulation across country could the government possibly take all of these guns away? he asks rhetorically.

But Parker writes that despite the NRA's best efforts to block federal legislation and the politicians' persistent intransigence, progress has been achieved on the state level in the form of stricter gun laws.

Another thing that has changed since Alison's death, Parker writes, is that the issue of gun control has stopped being a 'third rail' for Democrats and has become part of the national conversation.

Parker makes the argument that having the ability to go to the movies, to school or house of worship without fear of being gunned down is a civil right, and draws a parallel between the struggle for gun control legislation and the civil rights fight of the 1960s.

Couple: Parker is pictured here with her boyfriend, fellow reporter Christ Hurst

'Momentum is on our side and it's only a matter of time until we prevail,' he declares. The needle has moved, and I'm not going to lose this fight. I'm Alisons dad.'

Meanwhile, WDBJ7 in Roanoke, held a moment of silence at 6.45am during Friday's 'Mornin' telecast in honor of Alison Parker and Adam Ward.
Labour has suspended new member Catherine Starr (pictured) from the party and denied a vote in the leadership election after she posted about her love of rock band Foo Fighters on Facebook

Labour has suspended a new member from the party and denied a vote in the leadership election after she posted about her love of rock band Foo Fighters on Facebook.

Catherine Starr, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, was shocked to receive a letter from the party's General Secretary Iain McNicol telling her that following a vetting procedure she was being refused full membership as she had 'shared inappropriate content on Facebook'.

It said this related to a post on March 5 when she had shared a clip of Dave Grohl's band and wrote 'I f****** love the Foo Fighters'.

That day Mrs Starr, 33, had also shared a friend's inoffensive poster about animal free cosmetics and a cartoon about veganism.

Today Mrs Starr, who previously voted Liberal Democrat, said she felt she was a victim of the National Executive Committee's 'over-zealous vetting procedure designed to stop supporters of Jeremy Corbyn voting for him'.

Her suspension will help Mr Corbyn's right-hand man John McDonnell in his attempt to uncover what he described as a 'rigged purge' of left-wing supporters by Labour officials.

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The Shadow Chancellor launched a blistering attack on Mr McNicol last night, accusing him of 'a clear pattern of double standards' after suspending the hard-left leader of the Bakers' union Ronnie Draper but took no action against Blairite donor Lord Sainsbury despite his 2million donation to the Lib Dems.

Mr McDonnell claimed it was part of a concerted effort by Labour HQ to bar Corbyn supporters from voting in the leadership election.

Catherine Starr, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, was shocked to receive a letter from the party's General Secretary Iain McNicol telling her that following a vetting procedure she was being refused full membership as she had 'shared inappropriate content on Facebook'. It said this related to a post on March 5 when she had shared a clip of Dave Grohl's band and wrote 'I f****** love the Foo Fighters'

Explaining why her membership application had been rejected, Mrs Starr was told: 'You shared inappropriate content on Facebook on 5 March'

Catherine Starr was told she was suspended for sharing 'inappropriate content on Facebook on 5 March' but she said the only content she posted on that day was a clip of Dave Grohl's band and wrote 'I f****** love the Foo Fighters'. That day Mrs Starr, 33, had also shared a friend's inoffensive poster about animal free cosmetics (pictured left) and a cartoon about veganism (pictured right)

Catherine Starr said she felt she was a victim of the National Executive Committee's 'over-zealous vetting procedure designed to bar supporters of Jeremy Corbyn (pictured with leadership challenger Owen Smith last night)

Explaining why her membership application had been rejected, Mrs Starr was told: 'You shared inappropriate content on Facebook on 5 March.'

Mr McNicol explained: 'At any time before the individual is accepted as a full member of the Party, the General Secretary may rule that the individual application for membership be rejected for any reason which s/he sees fit.'

She has appealed against the rejection and is awaiting a response from the NEC.

Mrs Starr, who lives in the Wiltshire village of Shipton Bellinger, said: 'I was shocked and taken aback by the letter from the NEC.

'I can be quite forthright about the things I believe but I am never abusive. I simply do not believe in being threatening or intimidatory.

'I was totally confused so I looked back to see what posts I had shared on March 5.

'I shared a Foo Fighters video, a picture of a poster listing cruelty free cosmetics brands and I shared a joke from a a vegan comic book.

'I had also made a comment on a friends' post which was inoffensive.

'I have heard about the NEC kicking people out for posting things they don't like.

'I find it bizarre they have enough time on their hands to try to vet things like this at all, but I don't go in for intimidating people or shouting them down anyway.

'I'm not a confrontational or aggressive person.

'The NEC seem to have adopted an over-zealous vetting policy which may be aimed at stopping news members voting for Jeremy Corbyn.'

In a blistering public attack on General Secretary Iain McNicol (left), Mr McDonnell (right) claimed 'thousands' of members and registered supporters who backed Mr Corbyn had been denied a vote in the leadership election 'without being given an explanation or opportunity to challenge the decision'

John McDonnell accused Labour officials of mounting a 'rigged purge' of Jeremy Corbyn supporters but failing to take action against a Blairite peer who gave the Lib Dems 2.1million

But Mr McNicol took the unusual step of correcting Mr McDonnell on Twitter, writing: 'John, just to clarify you say 'party officials'. Decisions are made by elected NEC members, and not party staff'

Mrs Starr, who works as a bids manager for an engineering firm, had joined the party in order to vote for Corbyn.

She said: 'I used to support the Lib Dems, although I was never a member.

'I felt royally stitched up by the Lib Dems coalition with the Tories.

'Jeremy Corbyn was the one who made me think Labour were a viable option, because he stands up for what he thinks.

'I joined up in July to vote for him and got an email welcoming me to the party. I paid an additional 25 so I could vote in the leadership election and that was taken from my account on July 22.

'I got an email telling me to 'look out for your ballot' but it didn't arrive, and then to my surprise I got this letter.'

A Labour spokesperson said: 'We don't comment on NEC decisions regarding individuals.'

The party said it has 'a robust vetting process which is being carried out by panels of elected NEC members'.

Labour was set back by further infighting during a bitter leadership debate between Mr Corbyn and challenger Owen Smith last night.

Mr Smith accused the Labour leader of lying about voting for Britain to stay in the EU and claimed he was secretly 'happy' about the Brexit outcome.

But he was booed and heckled by audience members in the bad-tempered debate in Glasgow last night and Mr Corbyn hit back by telling his challenger: 'I thought we had grown up, we weren't any longer going to use those kind of questions.'
The Silicon Valley romance of Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and his street violinist girlfriend has come to an end.

Page Six reports that the 40-year-old tech billionaire has called it quits with Gabi Holzwarth, 26, with sources blaming the split on the increased pressures Kalanick has been facing at work due to his company's massive losses.

It was revealed on Thursday that the company lost over $1 billion in the first half of the year, a devastating blow for Kalanick, who founded the company in 2009 and has expanded operations to over 58 countries in the past five years.

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Cue the violins: Uber CEO Travis Kalanick, 40 and his violinist girlfriend Gabi Holzwarth, 26, have split after two years (couple above at the Vanity Fair Oscar party in February)

Hit a chord: Holzwarth (above in October 2014) was a street violinist who met Kalanick after venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar hired her to perform at a party

Holzwarth was a street-busker violinist in San Francisco a few years ago when she began to catch the eyes - and ears - of some of the most influential people in the tech world.

Recode wrote in a 2014 profile of the young musician that Brian Pawlowski, the Senior Vice President of NetApp, hired her to play a private party after he heard her outside a Trader Joe's in the city.

Venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar - whose fund has invested in Airbnb, Munchery and Uber - also caught Holzwarth playing on the streets, and he too had her play violin at a private event.

It was at that event that Pishevar introduced Holzwarth to Kalanick, and the two hit it off.

The pair quickly took their romance public, with Holzwarth attending the Time 100 Gala in April of 2014 with Kalanick.

In the past few years the two have also been seen walking the red carpet at the annual White House Correspondents' Dinner, Vanity Fair Oscar Party and the ultra-exclusive Met Ball, which they attended this past May.

The careers of both took off during the relationship as well, with Holzwarth frequently hired to perform at events for the likes of BitTorrent, NetApp, Muchery, Samsung, LinkedIn and Google.

Uber meanwhile watched as its valuation continued to increase despite a number of legal setbacks, and just this month announced that they would start testing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh.

Famous friends: Sources claim that Kalanick ended things due to increased pressure at work (l to r: Holzwarth, Kalanick, model Liu Wen, Wendi Murdoch and Christophe Artaux at a Met ball pre-party in 2015)

Holzwarth also credited Kalanick with saving her life in a 2015 interview with Business Insider, revealing that she was working to overcome a decade-long battle with an eating disorder when the two first met.

She relapsed just a few months into their relationship, and at that point made the decision to explain her problem in detail to Kalanick.

'I told him absolutely everything and that I was 30 pounds underweight,' said Holzwarth.

'Then I wrote a Facebook post, it got hundreds of likes, it said "Im going to have to stop playing gigs for a while, I have to recover." I was crying when I wrote it, feeling so relieved to have this out in the open.'

She said that Kalanick told her 'we're going to do this together' after she opened up, and would come home from the office on time or set aside his work if she needed help during those first few months.

'Travis, he's been so helpful in my recovery. He's been such a rock. That's a side that no one really sees about him,' she explained.

Neither has commented on the split, but Holzwarth did post a video on Facebook playing a cover of the Bruno Mars song When I Was Your Man on her violin.
He's fresh off a hard fought election win, but prime minister Malcolm Turnbull and wife Lucy now have even more reason to celebrate.

Australia's leading couple became grandparents for the third time on Friday as they welcomed Alice Lucinda Turnbull-Brown into the world.

Meeting their granddaughter for the first time, the prime minister and Australia's first lady couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces.

And Lucy also revealed that the inspiration behind the little bundle of joy's middle name, Lucinda, was a nod to her grandmother.

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Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull (middle right) and wife Lucy (middle left) welcome their newest grandchild Alice Lucinda Turnbull-Brown into the world on Friday morning. They are pictured with their daughter Daisy (right), James Brown (left) and grandson Jack

Alice was given the middle name Lucinda as a nod to her grandmother Lucy

'It's a little girl, Alice Lucinda, which I'm very touched by because Lucinda is my real name,' Ms Turnbull told the Daily Telegraph.

Taking to Facebook to share the exciting news, the prime minister was also glowing with excitement.

'Lucy and I are filled with joy to meet you Alice Lucinda Turnbull-Brown!' he wrote.

'With Mum Daisy, Dad James and brother Jack we couldn't be happier.'

Alice is the second child for Daisy Turnbull, a teacher at a private girl's college in Sydney, and James Brown, a former army officer and current academic at the University of Sydney.

Alice is the Turnbull's second granddaughter, they are pictured here with one-year-old Isla and daughter-in-law Yvonne Wang

Australia's leading couple's first grandchild Jack (pictured) was born in 2014

Their younger son Jack, born in 2014, was Mr and Mrs Turnbull's first grandchild.

The couple also have a one-year-old granddaughter Isla, the daughter of Alex Turnbull and Yvonne Wang.

Alex and Daisy are the Mr and Mrs Turnbull's only children
A man stripped down to his boxer shorts, stole a pickup and drove it into the nose of a Southwest Airlines plane at an airport in Omaha, Nebraska, according to authorities.

The unidentified man was spotted after around 9.30pm at Eppley Airfield on Thursday when authorities saw him in front of the airport screaming that people were trying to kill him.

Officers chased the man into a parking garage, but ran out a different exit before scaling a fence onto a runway.

An unidentified man (pictured) stripped down to his boxers before driving a pickup truck into an airplane on Thursday at an Omaha, Nebraska, airstrip

The man then got inside an unlocked Southwest pickup truck, which was turned on with the engine running, Tim Conahan, Chief of Police for the Omaha Airport Authority told ABC News.

He then drove into a Southwest plane, which was headed to Denver, as passengers were boarding.

The truck crashed into the nose gear of the plane, where approximately 18 passengers had gotten onboard.

The crash caused minor injuries to three people on board.

The man suffered minor injuries due to barbed wire on the fence he climbed over and crashing into the plane.

The man was spotted outside Eppley Airfield (pictured) screaming that someone was trying to kill him before driving the truck into a Southwest plane

The man is in custody. His name hasn't been released.

Following the incident he was transported to Nebraska Medicine to treat his injuries.

Southwest released a statement after the incident saying:

'We are removing the aircraft from service to inspect for damage.

'We are replacing the crew and the aircraft, and the flight is expected to operate with an approximate three-hour delay.'
A judge got the last laugh as he finally jailed a thug who boasted that he had avoided prison when he was given a second chance after a vicious street attack.

David Newlands, 24, was given 150 hours community service for attacking the vulnerable man in Glasgow but refused to perform it and was given two more chances by Judge Norman Ritchie.

He even boasted about avoiding jail, writing on Facebook 'I'm out bro, easy', claiming that he told justices to 'stick it up their pipe' but still walked free again.

David Newlands, 24, was given 150 hours community service for attacking the vulnerable man in Glasgow but refused to complete it and was given two more chances

After being let off by Judge Norman Ritchie, he boasted about it in an arrogant post on Facebook that showed contempt for the legal system

However, he came back to Judge Ritchie who jailed Newlands (pictured), adding: 'It's always interesting to see a different view on sentencing as in 'I'm out bro easy.' As they say, LOL'

However, he came back to Judge Ritchie who jailed him for nine months, adding: 'It's always interesting to see a different view on sentencing as in "I'm out bro easy." As they say, lol.'

The judge added: 'I gave you two chances. You didn't take the chances. I hope you don't think I'm doing this out of anger. In truth it enlivened what was otherwise a dull day.'

He ordered Newlands, who is currently serving eight months for assault and breach of the peace, to serve nine months to be added to the end of a current sentence he is serving.

The court heard that the Facebook comments were brought to the judge's attention by social workers who prepared a background report on Newlands.

Newlands and seven others admitted charges on August 4 after Ivor Miller was wrongly branded 'a beast' and chased until he threw himself out of a flat window in December.

They had chased Mr Miller, 27, along two streets in Glasgow City Centre. He tried to hide in two pubs before he fled into a derelict flat and jumped out of a second-floor window, suffering severe injuries.

Newlands, who is currently serving eight months for assault and breach of the peace, was jailed for nine months, which will be added to the end of his current sentence

Hours after his second appearance at court, Newlands boasted on social media 'I'm out bro, easy'.

He also wrote: 'People wonder y this country is f****d ? A got a high court conviction n they never sent me eh jail instead gave me a community order..told them to stick it up ther pipe so got sent back to court n what do they dae?

'The judge says mr Newlands I would refer to you as an idiot..n then what does he dae ? He geez me it again f**k c.s n f*** probation am no dayn it simple !!! F*** the polis!!!

Newlands, who was represented by advocate John McElroy, admitted breaching the order.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said Friday that the problem with secretly collecting documents about Donald Trump is that nothing he can publish is more outrageous than what Trump himself says daily.

And he claimed that both Trump and former Democratic candidate Bernie Sanders should have done more to highlight Hillary Clinton's lack of 'judgment and experience' handling Libya while she was secretary of state.

'We do have some information about the Republican campaign,' Assange said on 'Fox & Friends.'

But 'from the point of view of an investigative journalist organization like WikiLeaks, the problem with the Trump campaign is that it's actually hard for us to publish much more controversial material than what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth every second day,'

Julian Assange said Friday that his WikiLeaks organization has some information about Donald Trump's campaign but can't compete with the sensational things Trump himself says regularly

Trump has stayed in the headlines with a series of controversial statements that are often more damaging than anything WikiLeaks might publish

'That's a very strange reality for most of the media to be in,' he said.

Trump, the Republican nominee for president, is known as a brash straight-talking politician whose shoot-from-the-hip style consistently gets him into trouble with reporters and Democratic politicians.

He has criticized war hero John McCain, questioned the impartiality of a federal judge because of his Mexican heritage, flip-flopped on his longstanding illegal immigration policies, mocked a disabled reporter, and the list goes on.

Assange's organization has also published more than 20,000 documents related to Hillary Clinton's history as America's top diplomat.

Assange spoke from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has been holed up since 2012 as he fights extradition to Sweden related to a rape allegation that he denies

'A major failure of the Trump campaign and the Bernie Sanders campaign,' he said Friday, is that 'Hillary Clinton tried to run on her having judgment and experience in the State Department.'

'Later on, those campaigns  too late in the process, in my view  started picking up that the experience was mostly a bad experience.'

'So for exampe, Libya: We published 1,700 emails about her involvement in Libya. Benghazi is just a small part of that.'

'She was the leading architect, the leading political force driving to destroy the Libyan state,' Assange said.

Assange said Hillary Clinton hasn't been criticized enough for her failed regime-change push in Libya

Clinton was the 'architect' behind deposing Libyan strongman Muammar Gaddafi, which created a power vacuum later filled by the ISIS terror army

Some senior Pentagon generals, he recalled, opposed the idea of deposing Muammar Gaddafi because they feared 'radical jihadi groups would move in and take it over, which they did. It's not a failed state, ISIS, etcetera.'

Assange was all business during his 12-minute interview but there was one comic moment when his cellphone rang.

Assange spoke via video link from the Ecuadorian embassy in London, where he has been holed up for more than four years as he fights Swedish extradition requests related to a rape allegation.
In the dock: A-level student Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Farah, 20, pictured, has been jailed for seven years after he helped Nur Hassan, 19, from Manchester, travel to Syria to join ISIS

A student jailed for seven years today acted as a communications chief for a battalion of British ISIS fighters known as the 'Britanni Brigade.'

Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Farah, 20, was prosecuted after he helped his friend Nur Hassan, 19, from Manchester, travel to Syria to join ISIS.

Farah is a cousin of the so-called 'terror twins', Zhara and Salma Halane, who fled their home in Chorlton to marry ISIS fighters in Syria.

Five other friends from Manchester with links to extremism kept close contact with Farah as he ran communications for their 'Britanni Brigade'.

As part of the investigation, detectives uncovered photographs of a 'school of terrorism' used as a base by the British ISIS brigade, believed to be in Syria.

Members scrawled on a whiteboard in one room, a mock equation for the 'square root of jihad.' and another image showed the whiteboard with the words: 'The Islamic State is here to stay,' alongside a sketch of an assault rifle.

Farah used his mother's home in the city to created a 'hub of communication' for his so-called 'Mandem' group of like-minded extremists who called him 'Shiekh' and 'Hafiz' as a mark of respect.

The extremist also revelled in ISIS' brutal executions and in a series of inflammatory messages referred to beheadings as 'lick some heads off' and asking his friends if they were 'smacking (killing) guys'.

School of jihad: The British gang of extremists who clung together while fighting for ISIS in Syria, had a whiteboard with the words: 'The Islamic State is here to stay,' alongside sketch of an assault rifle'

Schooling: Members of the Britanni Brigade scrawled on a whiteboard in one room, a mock equation for the 'square root of jihad.

Gang: Extremists Raphael Hostey, Ahmed Ibrahim Halane and Khalil Raoufi studying in the UK in a photo sent to Farah

Propaganda: Photographs of an ISIS training facility, including these weapons, were sent to Farah, who was seeking inspiration to travel out and join the group himself

At the Old Bailey today judge Michael Topolski sentenced Farah to seven years in prison a further three years on extended licence.

The judge told him that the extent of his radicalisation was 'considerable', saying: 'Your support for jihad was global and offensive in nature and not defensive and limited to Syria.'

Stash: Khalil Raoufi, told him they had established a 'Britanni' brigade as part of ISIS, and sent this photo of sweets and his rifle in Syria

He went on: 'Your conduct demonstrated a significant degree of sophistication as well as determination and commitment.

'I am satisfied that what motivated you to assist was the very same set of extremist beliefs that motivated your friends to travel and train and fight and, if necessary, to die.'

Messages sent to Farah by members of the 'Britanni Brigade, who were mainly from Syria, were uncovered by police when they arrested the terror suspect.

When his friend, Khalil Raoufi, told him they had established a 'Britanni' brigade as part of ISIS, Farah, who was known as Jama to friends, replied: 'May Allah terrorise the kuffar thru you and the mandem [gang].'

Three months after his arrest, his cousins Salma and Zahra Halane, who had 28 GCSEs between them, and were star pupils at Whalley Range High School, also travelled out to Syria.

Their brother, Ahmed Ibrahim Halane, 21, known as 'Pie' because of his rotund physique, was said to be the leader of the group, and was responsible for grooming Jama.

Close: Jama Farah told police that he knew them all through his cousin Halane, who was 'emir', or leader, of their group of close friends. Halane, pictured posing at Cairo airport on his way to Somalia, is believed to be in Denmark and banned from the UK

Network: Khalil Raoufi, known as Abu Layth, was killed fighting in Syria and Raphael Hostey, or Al Qaqa, was shot in the foot in Syria

Family: Farah is related to the so-called 'terror twins', Zhara and Salma Halane, left and right, who fled their home in Chorlton to marry ISIS fighters in Syria

Halane and his friend, Nur Hassan, known as Lady Legs, are now living openly in Denmark after being banned from returning to Britain.

One member of the group, Mohammed Javeed, 19, known as Prinny, is believed to have died as a suicide bomber in Iraq and Raoufi, known as Abu Layth, was killed fighting in Syria.

During his evidence, the defendant confirmed that when he twice discussed with his friends 'doing a Prinny', that was what they were referring to.

Detectives see the group as the advanced guard of British fighters who blazed the trail that dozens of others then followed.

Photographs of an ISIS training facility were sent to Jama, who was seeking inspiration to travel out and join the group himself.

The images show a school or university that the group appears to have taken over in Syria and their activity around the campus.

The pictures were sent by Raoufi, and Jama told him: 'Mandem [gang] looking mad and the campus looks banging.'

The young men had scrawled on a whiteboard in one room, a mock equation for the 'square root of jihad.'

Another image showed the whiteboard with the words: 'The Islamic State is here to stay,' alongside a sketch of an assault rifle.

Two Kalashnikov assault rifles rested on a teacher's desk with a water cooler and office furniture in the background.

Window into their world: The gang sent these photos of life in Syria including the view from their flat and doing chores

Taking over: Rifles on university desk in Syria as the British fighters bragged about life abroad

In another the basketball court could be seen and the fighters boasted about their collection of sweets and the 'Playstation booty' they had captured.

However, in another image a young fighter was doing household chores, sweeping up a dormitory room.

Raoufi featured in the images, eating a meal in the college canteen with crates of drinks bottles stacked behind him and sitting at a teacher's desk in military fatigues.

However, he complained about the reality of the war because he had been stuck on guard duty and felt he was missing out on the big battles.

Jama, who went on to study chemistry at Huddersfield University, was found guilty of preparing acts of terrorism by helping his friend, Nur Hassan travel to Syria and putting him in touch with a leading member of the group.

The Old Bailey heard that Jama had been given a 'citizenship award' at the age of 16, and the judge, Michael Topolski QC, said Jama had 'very considerable' intellectual abilities.

'You were the youngest in the group, but I have little doubt you were intellectually and emotionally the equal, if not the superior of any other member of it,' the judge said.

'You were still a schoolboy who should have been using your intellectual abilities and your skills to pursue your studies.

'It is now clear you also had the will and the commitment to use your skills and your intellect to pursue your passionate belief in the cause of violent jihad.'

Prosecutor Gareth Patterson had told jurors it was clear that Jama Farah supported ISIS from what was found on his computers as well as messages on WhatsApp and social media.

Mr Patterson said he performed an 'important role as the hub of communication' in the UK.

Close friends Raphael Hostey, Mohammed Javeed and Khalil Raoufi headed from north west England to Syria on October 6 2013 to join IS, the court heard.

Raoufi and Hostey went on to encourage others from England and around the world to swell their ranks in postings on Twitter.

Raoufi, also known as Abu Layth, was killed in combat in February 2014 and Hostey, or Al Qaqa, was shot in the foot.

After Jama Farah was arrested on March 11 2014, he told police that he knew them all through his cousin Halane, who was 'emir', or leader, of their group of close friends.

Jama Farah, of Manchester, denied wrongdoing. He was cast by his defence as an over-excited teenager sitting in his bedroom at home on his computer in contact with his friends and passing on phone numbers, concerned for their welfare.

Following a trial in February, the jury convicted him of facilitating Hassan's travel to Syria and for his communication with Raoufi.




Portland school officials this week came under fire for banning radio stations that play hip-hop music from their buses, prompting allegations of racism.

According to The Oregonian, Portland Public Schools sent a memo to bus drivers this past March prohibiting them from playing 'religious, rap music, or talk show programs' while students are being driven to and from school.

The only types of music that were deemed appropriate were pop music, country, and jazz.

When parents found out about the directive, some of them were incensed.

The memo handed down to bus drivers 'fell into the lap' of Colleen Ryan-Onken, a parent, who circulated it to other parents. 'I think it's overtly racist and leaves out two of our major communities in our music choices,' she said

'I think it's overtly racist and leaves out two of our major communities in our music choices,' said Colleen Ryan-Onken.

When you outlaw a kind of music that is very indicative of the modern culture of one group of people you're basically saying that they're not welcome,' Ryan-Onken said. 'Those of us in the district, living in diverse communities in Portland, understand the racial equity stuff going on is entirely for the cameras. There is no real meat behind it.'

Ryan-Onken said the directive 'fell in her lap' a few weeks ago. She then passed it around to other parents, who were in schock.

The negative reaction from parents put school officials on the defensive.

'We regret the way this was communicated, a Portland Public Schools spokeswoman said. 'Our intent is to limit student exposure to religious teachings, profanity and violent lyrics.'

The school system is now reconsidering its ban.

Rap music as performed by Drake (seen here) and others has come under fire for lyrics which critics say encourage violent behavior and disrespect of woman

'The transportation department will be revising its guidance to bus drivers shortly to be more inclusive of different genres of music,' the spokeswoman said.

School officials said the ban was initially instituted after parents had complained of certain radio stations that were played on the buses.

Rap and hip-hop has often been cited by community leaders as a music genre that propagates offensive lyrics that glorify crime and promote misogyny.

Still, that explanation doesn't satisfy Ryan-Onken.

The intense backlash and media attention generated by the decision is now prompting Portland Public School officials to reconsider

'Country music is offensive,' she said. 'It's about date rape, liquor and drugs  all kinds of things! It's just as offensive as rap music can be.'

Another parent, Kim Sordyl, wrote to a senior school official, Public School Board Vice Chairwoman Amy Kohnstamm, calling the directive 'racist.'

While Portland is overwhelmingly white  76 percent  it has taken pride in its tolerance and inclusiveness. Yet critics say that the Rose City's liberalism has its limits, particularly when it comes to hip hop and rap.
Tracy Briley, 50, was arrested and charged with felony lewd and lascivious exhibition

A man who was caught performing oral sex on a woman on a Florida boardwalk told officers that he was 'an emergency responder and had to assist the female as it was his duty,' police say.

Tracy Briley, 50, was found with his shorts around his ankles and his genitals in plain view at the Sunset Beach Boardwalk on Wednesday afternoon, a Treasure Island police spokesperson told DailyMail.com.

Briley claimed that since he was homeless, he didn't have any other choice but to have sex in public.

A witness told authorities that he and his three-year-old grandson witnessed Briley performing oral sex on the woman, who is also homeless.

The woman involved was taken to Palms of Pasadena medical center for a 'medical issue,' Fox 13 reported.

Police arrested Briley and charged him with felony lewd and lascivious exhibition. He was also charged with a misdemeanor trespassing count.

He is currently in the county jail being held in lieu of $10,000 bond as of Friday morning.

According to The Smoking Gun, this isn't his first run-in with the law. Briley's record includes prior arrests for battery; possession of drug paraphernalia; evidence tampering; robbery; disorderly conduct; littering; and possession of an open container.
The White House says President Barack Obama plans to donate to the foundation honoring Kayla Mueller, shortly after her parents said the president 'had broken his promise'.

Kayla's Hands, a foundation in Mueller's name, seeks to honor her commitment to humanitarianism and serving the needy.

But Mueller's parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller, told ABC News in an interview airing Friday that Obama promised during a private meeting to make a contribution, shortly after their daughter was killed while in ISIS captivity last year.

'I'm still waiting for that donation, Mr President,' Carl said in the interview.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says he won't discuss private presidential conversations. But he says Obama intends to contribute to the foundation in the future.

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The White House says President Obama plans to donate to the Kayla's Hands foundation honoring Kayla Mueller, shortly after her parents, Carl and Marsha Mueller (pictured), said the president 'had broken his promise'

President Obama (pictured with Kayla's parents) made the promise to Mueller's parents, shortly after their daughter was killed while in ISIS captivity last year

Earnest says the organization is consistent with the types of charities the president and first lady Michelle Obama have donated to previously.

He added that the pain and grief Mueller's family is expressing is 'entirely understandable'.

Marsha recalled that the president asked 'what he could do for you' during a private meeting when he went to Phoenix, Arizona, after their daughter's death.

Her husband added that Obama said the donation would be 'anonymous' to the Kayla's Hands foundation and assured them he would follow through.

Kayla's (pictured) parents said Obama said the donation would be 'anonymous' to the Kayla's Hands foundation and assured them he would follow through

The president has yet to make the contribution to the Mueller's foundation, but a White House official confirmed to ABC News that he still intends to do so.

In a statement to ABC, the official said: 'The president will continue to support the goals of the organization in different ways, including by making a donation, as pledged to the Mueller family.'

The Muellers said several missteps by the Obama administration cost their daughter her life.

Carl told ABC that Obama could have been hailed a 'hero, but he chose not to'.

In the 20/20 interview, her mother Marsha also spoke of her heartbreak at seeing her then 24-year-old daughter as a helpless hostage.

I saw how thin she looked but I saw that her eyes were very clear and steady, she said. It broke my heart but I also saw her strength.

Mueller, of Prescott, Arizona, and her boyfriend, Omar Alkhani, were abducted by ISIS gunmen from a Doctors Without Borders vehicle near a hospital in Aleppo run by the humanitarian group on August 4, 2013.

At the time, ISIS were not as widely known as they are now and sent the clip of Mueller, one of their first Western hostages, in a bid to secure a millions of dollars in ransom.

Recently, an ISIS hostage video of Mueller was revealed  showing the murdered aid worker pleading for help from captivity.

Mueller, of Prescott, Arizona, and her boyfriend, Omar Alkhani (left), were abducted by ISIS gunmen from a Doctors Without Borders vehicle near a hospital in Aleppo run by the humanitarian group on August 4, 2013

Mueller is pictured with her family and pets as a youngster

The Muellers said several missteps by the Obama administration cost their daughter her life. The family also pinned their hopes on the non-governmental aid groups their daughter had worked for, including the Danish Refugee Council, Support to Life and the NGO Forum

The 22-megabyte video was sent to a friend of the aid worker, who passed it on to authorities, who then handed it over to her parents.

But although the video was received by the Muellers within weeks of their daughters capture, they didnt begin negotiations for 10 months.

They pinned their hopes on the non-governmental aid groups their daughter had worked for, including the Danish Refugee Council, Support to Life and the NGO Forum.

KAYLA MUELLER REFUSED ESCAPE TO SAVE SEX SLAVES Daniel Rye Ottosen, a Danish freelance photographer, recalled how Mueller was paraded in front of the other prisoners as an example by ISIS butcher Jihadi John. Ottosen said the terrorist, who real name was Mohammed Emwazi, told the captives: 'She is much stronger than you guys. She's much smarter. She converted to Islam.' Interrupting her captors, Ottosen recalls Kayla saying: 'No I didn't.' That was in May 2014 while Mueller was being held in an oil refinery, one of the few times during her captivity that she had contact with other prisoners. For most of her ordeal, Mueller was kept in isolation, beaten, verbally abused, physically tortured or raped on an almost daily basis. Later that same year, after being transferred to oil and gas emir Abu Sayyaf's compound, a Yazidi sex slave who calls herself Julia, recalled how she concocted an escape plan and begged Mueller to come with her. The girl, who was just 13 at the time, said: 'I told Kayla, "We want to escape," and I asked her to come with us. 'She told me, "No, because I am American. If I escape with you, they will do everything to find us again." 'It is better for you to escape alone. I will stay here.' Advertisement

They said the groups told them the government has stepped in to help and would bring their daughter home safe.

Carl told ABC that his family trusted them all like sheep.

They didnt start negotiating for their daughters freedom until May 23, 2014  which is when they say Doctors Without Borders finally handed over an email address from Muellers kidnappers which they had got from one of their own workers who had been held hostage and freed.

Days later, they received an audio clip with Kaylas voice telling them that she remains healthy along with the price of her freedom.

Recently, an ISIS hostage video (pictured) of Mueller was revealed  showing the murdered aid worker pleading for help from captivity

The video was received by the Muellers within weeks of their daughters capture, but authorities didnt begin negotiations for 10 months

Mueller had been held in captivity for 18 months, and kept as a sex slave in a Syrian dungeon until she was killed in a Jordanian airstrike February last year. ISIS released images of this badly damaged building in which they claimed Mueller had been killed during the airstrike

In July of 2014, the president authorized a US military raid by the elite special mission unit Delta Force to free the hostages, according to ABC, but the squadron had discovered the hostages had already been moved.

The Muellers told ABC that several wealthy donors volunteered to contribute money for Kayla's ransom, but a senior White House official refused their request for a letter that would guarantee the donors would not be prosecuted.

In June 2015, Obama said 'totally unacceptable' for his administration to threaten hostage families with prosecution.

A spokesperson for the White House provided the network with a statement saying the US 'worked tirelessly to recover Kayla Mueller'.

'Despite our best efforts, we recognize these families were frustrated by and disappointed in the way their government supported them in their time of need,' the spokesperson said.
MSNBC 'Morning Joe' cohost Mika Brzezinski ripped GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump for having 'no idea' what his words meant, after becoming incensed at the candidate's labeling of Hillary Clinton as a 'bigot' just days after the candidate attacked Brzezinski as 'neurotic.'

Brzezinski went after Trump on the early-morning show following a segment about Trump's escalating attacks on Clinton, which escalated from faulting her proposals based on 'bigotry' early in the week to labeling her an outright 'bigot' at a speech in Mississippi and in an interview with Anderson Cooper on CNN.

Speaking directly to the candidate, who wasn't on the show, Brzezinski said: 'Donald Trump, you have no idea what your words mean.'

She continued: 'You have no idea. You have no idea what your words mean. And I can't pretend and sort of try and cover this fairly and put it in the objectivity. You have no idea what your words mean and what you're doing to this country.'

MSNBC 'Morning Joe' cohost Mika Brzezinski spoke directly to Republican Donald Trump Friday, telling him: 'Donald Trump, you have no idea what your words mean'

Just days earlier, the host was on the receiving end after Trump attacked her as 'off the wall, a neurotic and not very bright mess!' on Twitter.

Then Trump said cryptically: 'some day, when things calm down, I'll tell the real story' about Brzezinski and her co-host, former GOP Florida congressman Joe Scarborough.

Trump was alluding to a report in the New York Post's Page Six column from June about 'romance chatter' involving the hosts. Both hosts are divorced.

As Politico reported, Nicole Wallace made an unfavorable comparison between Trump and McCain, who went out of his way to criticize an audience member at a town hall who said Barack Obama was a Muslim.

'When he did the right thing, because he knows from right and wrong,' Brzezinski added. 'Whether we agree with him or not, he's a human being who knows from right and wrong and knows what his words mean.'

Trump was under fire on the show for labeling Hillary Clinton a 'bigot' for her policies, which he says take African Americans for granted, in just the latest escalation of campaign rhetoric

Clinton called into the show Friday to attack Trump's 'divisiveness'

Trump opened up a new attack on the cohosts when he labeled Brzezinski as 'neurotic' and 'a mess,' and said he would 'tell the real story' about her and cohost Joe Scarborough

Trump used to call into the show regularly, but labeled it 'unwatchable!' in his recent attack

CALL ME ANYTIME: Clinton has taken a cue from Trump and called into the show, a format that gives an edge to the newsmaker

The host wasn't the only one hitting Trump on Friday morning's show. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton once again slammed his 'divisiveness' after delivering a full-on attack on Trump for firing up the 'radical fringe' of his party.

'He's taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America's two major political parties,' she said Thursday,' The Hill reported.

Clinton didn't directly answer a question from Scarborough about whether she thought Trump was a bigot.

'All I can do is point to the evidence of what he has a said and what he has done, and from the start he has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. Its deeply disturbing that he is taking hate groups that lived in the dark reaches of the Internet, making them mainstream, helping a radical fringe take over the Republican party,' she said.

'He has a disturbing pattern of courting white supremacists. Hes been sued for housing discrimination against communities of color  A man with a long history of racial discrimination who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and these kind of white supremacist, white nationalist anti-Semitic groups should never run our government or command our military.'

'I am reaching out to everyone, Republicans, Democrats, Independents, and everyone who is as troubled as I am by the divisiveness of the Donald Trump campaign,' Clinton said on the show Friday.

'This is not a normal choice between a Republican and a Democrat ... We are facing a divisive candidate whose loose cannon temperament and complete lack of temperament make him unqualified to be president and unfit to be commander-in-chief.'
Donald Trumps campaign CEO is registered to vote in Florida - a key swing state - under an address of an abandoned house where he doesnt actually live.

Stephen Bannon, the newly appointed chief executive of Trumps presidential campaign, has an active voter registration at a house in Miami-Dade County, Florida, that is empty and expected to be demolished in the near future.

The discovery of Bannons voter registration comes just after it was revealed that, according to divorce papers filed in the mid-1990s, he allegedly has a history of abusive behavior towards his family.

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Stephen Bannon, the newly appointed chief executive of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, is registered to vote at a Miami house that he used to rent for his ex-wife, Diane Clohesy

Bannon never lived in the house himself, but instead rented it for his ex-wife, Diane Clohesy, a Tea Party activist, who moved out earlier this year

The owner of the Coconut Grove house, Luis Guevara, told The Guardian that the property had been emptied, and neighbors confirmed that the house had been abandoned for several months.

Nobody lives there  we are going to make a construction there, Guevara said.

Clohesy (pictured) and Bannon divorced seven years ago

Bannon never lived in the house himself, but instead rented it for his ex-wife, Diane Clohesy, who moved out earlier this year, according to The Guardian. The couple divorced seven years ago.

A Politico reporter revealed on Friday - in a Tweet suggesting that The Guardian had accused Bannon had committed voter fraud - that the campaign CEO has never voted in Miami-Dade County.

Trump's campaign has insisted that Bannon lives in Florida, simply at 'another location'.

Previously, Bannon rented a different home for Clohesy, who works as a Tea Party activist, in Miami from 2013 to 2015, and had his voter registration linked to the property during part of that time period.

Under Florida law, voters must be legal residents of the state and county in which they register to vote.

The Florida State Department defined legal residence to be where a person mentally intends to make his or her permanent residence.

The owner of the house, Luis Guevara, said the property had been emptied, and neighbors said the house had been abandoned for months

Guevara said that the house is soon going to be demolished so he can make way for a new development

Such can be proved through obtaining a Florida drivers license, paying tax receipts, paying bills for residency (light, water, garbage service) and receiving mail at address, claiming the property as homestead, declaring the county as domicile, and doing other activities indicative or normally associated with home life.

Submitting false information on a Florida voter registration is a third-degree felony, and if convicted a person can face up to five years in prison.

While Bannon has rented in the Miami area for years, he owns no property in Miami-Dade County.

As of last week, he was a resident of Orange County, California, where he owns a house in Laguna Beach.

Records from Orange County show that Bannon was registered to vote in California from the 1980s until 2014, when he began registering in Miami.

In addition to his Orange County home, Bannon co-owns a Los Angeles condominium and is known to stay at a $2.4million townhouse in Washington, DC, that has been dubbed Breitbart embassy, owned by Mostafa El-Gindy, an Egyptian businessman and former member of parliament.

As of last week, he was a resident of Orange County, California, where he owns a house in Laguna Beach (pictured above)

The discovery of Bannons voter registration comes after it was revealed that, he allegedly has a history of abusive behavior toward his ex-wife Mary Louise Piccard and his two daughters

Earlier this week it was revealed that Bannon was accused of domestic abuse in the 1990s.

On New Year's Day 1996, Bannon allegedly verbally and physically abused then-wife Mary Louise Piccard before scaring her out of town to stop her testifying in court, court papers say.

It's also claimed in the documents that he had refused to marry her unless medical tests proved the twins she was carrying were 'normal,' the New York Post reported.

Bannon, formerly chairman of the Breitbart News Network, was accused in the documents of grabbing Piccard - his second wife - 'by the throat and arm.

The documents also say he threatened to take away their girls, who were seven months old at the time.

Piccard told the NY Post that she had no comment, 'and neither does my daughter.'

And a spokesperson for Bannon said 'Steve has a great relationship with his ex-wife and his twins'.
A veteran Tory councillor has been accused of making racist and sexist comments when he was introduced to a black fireman.

Andrew Dransfield, vice-chairman of Buckinghamshire and Milton Keynes fire authority, made onlookers wince as he shook the firefighter's hand and declared 'You're the first one I've seen.'

The crewman looked embarrassed and stayed silent following the remark from the councillor, who was on an official visit to Great Holm fire station in Milton Keynes.

Undeterred, the councillor tried to clarify things by ploughing on with 'You know....ethnic minority.'

The black firefighter, who hasn't been named, did not respond but, according to witnesses, looked furious as Mr Dransfield added: Now all we need is a woman. Are there any here?'

The councillor, who in his sixties, now faces an inquiry for making racist and sexist remarks to the firefighter, who has complained to the Fire Brigades Union.

An FBU spokesman said 'We are taking this very seriously and we are supporting our member.'

One onlooker said: 'We couldn't believe what we were hearing. Everyone was cringing and wondering what he'd come out with next.

'He must have seen the way the fireman reacted, saying nothing to his first comment about ethnic minorities.

'But it didn't stop him...on he went, making the comment about women. He doesn't seem to realise you can't say that sort of thing these days, especially in an official capacity, without getting into trouble.'

Mr Dransfield has defended himself, claiming he was 'just being positive and welcoming'.

He told MailOnline: 'I fully support diversity and would like to see a more representative complement of ethnic minority and female firefighters.

'No offence was intended and I am more than happy to apologise if offence was taken.'

But a second investigation has been ordered by Graham Britten, the director of legal and governance at the fire authority, under its code of conduct.

The allegations sparked calls for Mr Dransfield's job as a Milton Keynes councillor to be reviewed.

Labour councillor Zoe Nolan said 'I am saddened to hear allegations that a firefighter has been subjected to such insensitive and totally inappropriate comments.

'If these allegations are proven I would expect the Conservatives' leader to immediately remove him from the fire authority and examine his role as a councillor.'

On social media, a resident calling themselves 'iam' posted 'Typical of MK Tories. An insult to modern standards.What is wrong with these people?'

Ira Bott added 'Alf Garnett lives on!'

Mr Dransfield, who runs an IT consultancy business and studied maths at Hertford College, Oxford, is also a member of the parish council serving the village of Loughton, where he has lived for over 40 years.

He is the Tory member for the Loughton and Shenley wards on Milton Keynes Council and was first elected as a member in 2002.

Three years ago he was in the news after he branded the Milton Keynes council's chief executive 'a wimp' in a row over how to mark the death of Margaret Thatcher.
Nosheen Sadaf was sent to prison for six months at Manchester Crown Court

A businesswoman who twice fraudulently claimed her sister had been driving her car after being caught speeding was caught out by handwriting experts.

Nosheen Sadaf was sent to prison for six months at Manchester Crown Court yesterday after her ruse was spotted by police.

Sadaf, 36, who was previously banned from driving for four months for totting up penalty points, was caught driving her BMW at 38mph in a 30mph zone on the A56 in September 2014, the court heard.

But when she received a letter informing her she was to be prosecuted, Sadaf claimed her sister, now living in Pakistan, was driving the car and had taken it without her permission.

She gave officers details of how to contact her sister, but she was never tracked down and the ticket was cancelled.

Then in March last year, Sadaf was again caught speeding, exceeding a 30mph limit while driving a Volvo on Alan Turing Way near Manchester City's stadium in the city.

She again blamed her sister, the court heard, giving the exact same excuse.

Sadaf, of Didsbury, Manchester, had sent letters claiming to be written by her sister, but handwriting experts were called in who proved that she had written the letters on both occasions.

Addressing Sadaf, who wept in the dock as she was sentenced, Judge Hilary Manley said: 'These were repeated, calculated and deliberate actions by you designed to obfuscate and mislead to avoid the consequences of your bad driving.

Sadaf, 36, who was previously banned from driving for four months for totting up penalty points, was caught driving her BMW at 38mph in a 30mph zone in 2014 (Manchester Crown Court pictured) the court heard.

'What is particularly aggravating in this case is that you did this repeatedly, not only preparing to lie again but, worryingly, you were still driving at excess speeds.

'You didn't appear to have learned from the first time and you were only caught out after the police engaged experts.'

Judge Manley said that it was 'disingenuous' for Sadaf, a single mother to a 12-year-old daughter, to appeal for leniency because of her child's welfare.

The court was told that Sadaf, who previously worked in sales, was remorseful for her actions.
A teacher in Germany has been found guilty of 'holding people against their will' after a pupil in a group he put in detention called the police.

Fifty-year-old Phillip Parusel now has to attend sensitivity training on how to handle difficult children, or pay a euro fine equivalent to 750.

The music teacher, a court heard, made the disruptive pupils write an essay on the composer Paganini and sat with his guitar across his legs so they could not leave the classroom at their school in Neuss in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.

Fifty-year-old Phillip Parusel (pictured), has been found guilty of 'holding people against their will' after children he put in detention called the police

But one of the comprehensive schoolchildren, all aged 13, resented the punishment and called police on his mobile phone to say he was being held against his will.

Judge Heiner Collen found him guilty of 'deprivation of liberty'. A further charge of assault brought by one pupil who said he hit him in the stomach was withdrawn.

Collen said he had sympathy for the teacher because he had a difficult job, but that locking up children after school time was not the answer.

Afterwards Herr Parusel said: 'I am glad the assault charge was off the table. I am open for tips about the future. I accept I am not a perfect teacher.'
Lauren McDade (pictured) left Alex Ballantyne disfigured after stabbing him in the leg

A former Red Cross worker has been struck off the social care register for stabbing her boyfriend after accusing him of being unfaithful.

Lauren McDade, from Irvine in Scotland, left Alex Ballantyne permanently disfigured after stabbing him in the leg in 2014.

The 28-year-old admitted assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement in June this year at Kilmarnock Sheriff Court and was sentenced to a Community Payback Order and ordered to carry out 300 hours of unpaid community service.

However, she has now endured further punishment after being hauled in front of the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC).

A panel told McDade that her behaviour was unacceptable for social worker.

The charges, laid at a hearing earlier this month, stated: 'You were registered in the part of the register for Support Workers in a Care Home Service for Adults on 25 July 2014.

'While employed as a Social Care Worker with British Red Cross, on 28 June 2014, you assaulted AA, c/o Police Scotland, and struck him on the leg with a knife to his severe injury and permanent disfigurement.

'On 26 June 2015, you were convicted for the assault detailed above.'

In their findings report, the SSSC panel said the McDade's misconduct fell far below what is expected of a social worker as it involved 'domestic abuse'.

Explaining their reasons for striking McDade off, they said: 'The public has the right to expect that social service workers will comply with the law and not commit violent criminal acts.

'Your conduct calls into question your suitability to work in social services.

'The Sub-committee considered that a Removal Order is the only appropriate sanction which would safeguard the public and the reputation of the social services profession.

Lauren McDade was struck off from the register after being told her behaviour was below that expected of a social worker

'Your behaviour was a serious disregard of the Code and the system of Registration which is designed to safeguard the interests of the public and the reputation and standards of the social services profession.'

It was reported at the time McDade was heavily drunk when she turned up to a flat on Rubie Crescent, Irvine, and accused Ballantyne, then aged 22, of cheating.

During a heated row she walked into the kitchen, returned with a knife and stabbed Ballantyne in the leg.

The British Red Cross offer services across the UK including an Options for Independence care home in Irvine.
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This is an astonishing look inside Britains largest purpose-built civilian shelter from the Second World War.

The eerie photographs show the dark, rusted tunnels of the underground shelter in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde.

The structure built into the side of a cliff could have held up to 1,000 people seeking refuge from Nazi attacks.

This is an astonishing look inside Britains largest purpose-built civilian shelter from the Second World War

The eerie photographs show the dark, rusted tunnels of the underground shelter in Port Glasgow, Inverclyde

The structure built into the side of a cliff could have held up to 1,000 people seeking refuge from Nazi attacks

Other images show what remains of the toilets and the generator that would have been used to power the shelter

Other images show what remains of the toilets and the generator that would have been used to power the shelter.

The pictures were taken by urban explorers Abandoned Scotland who try to draw attention to forgotten buildings.

A member said the shelter was built by the owner of the local rope works to house his family and its workers.

They added: It is said it could hold over 1,000 people and is the largest shelters still in existence in the UK today.

This one is dug into the side of a cliff, so was completely underground.

The pictures were taken by urban explorers Abandoned Scotland who try to draw attention to forgotten buildings

A member of the group said the shelter was built by the owner of the local rope works to house his family and its workers

The group told how 'it is said it could hold over 1,000 people and is the largest shelters still in existence in the UK today'

A member of Abandoned Scotland said the shelter was 'dug into the side of a cliff, so was completely underground'

It is believed there were five entrances from different parts of the Gourock Ropeworks factory at one stage.

The shelter is said to have been safe from any bombs that could have been dropped around or on top of it.

Abandoned Scotland said that visiting and picturing the sites will 'preserve a bit of history for future generations'.

The area of Inverclyde was badly hit during the war in May 1941 in what became known as the 'Greenock Blitz'.

The shelter is said to have been safe from any bombs that could have been dropped around or on top of it

Abandoned Scotland said that visiting and picturing the sites will 'preserve a bit of history for future generations'

An entrance sign to the shelter in Port Glasgow, which is marked: 'Warning: Dangerous structure - access prohibited'

It is believed there were five entrances from different parts of the Gourock Ropeworks factory (pictured) at one stage

The raids targeted ships and shipyards around Greenock, the next town along the Clyde from Port Glasgow.

And the flames from a direct hit on a distillery provided a beacon for other planes to drop bombs on the area.

Some 246 people died in Greenock during the two nights of raids, while 52 were listed as missing-believed-dead.
of those involved can't be sued, the school believes there may be a way to sue the state or county where the trial was held

Attorneys are investigating the possibility of filing a civil-rights lawsuit in the case of a black teenager electrocuted more than 70 years ago for the killings of two young white girls in a segregated South Carolina mill town.

George Stinney was 14 when he was arrested, convicted of murder in a one-day trial and executed in 1944. A state judge in 2014 tossed out the conviction, saying a grave injustice had been done.

'It's an awful part of our history and one that we have to tackle,' Charleston School of Law President Ed Bell said Friday as he announced that law students will help research the legal grounds for suing over something that happened seven decades ago.

Miller Shealy, a professor at the Charleston School of Law, announces on Friday that attorneys plan to bring a civil rights lawsuit stemming from the 1944 execution of 14-year-old black boy George Stinney

Two years ago, a judge reviewed Stinney's case and overturned the sentence that sent the 14-year-old to the execution chair in 1944

Bell said that the lawyers, law enforcement and court officials who participated in the case have long since died. Their descendants can't be sued and research will determine whether the state or Clarendon County, where the trial was held, can be named as defendants, he said.

Stinney confessed to killing 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker (pictured) and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames, after the 14-year-old was separated from his parents and interrogated by police. The judge who reviewed his case said it's likely the confession was coerced

'It may be a shallow victory. There may be no money to be collected. But the fact is, we have to figure out a way in our society to take these wrongs and learn from them,' he said.

Miller Shealy, an attorney and law professor at the school who helped bring the case to overturn Stinney's conviction, said what happened in Clarendon County all those years ago was happening nationwide.

'It wasn't unique to South Carolina,' he said. 'This is not Jim Crow stuff. Wisconsin, Idaho, most states, had all-male juries, all-white juries, no women, no minorities on the bench. Women couldn't even go to law school.'

Shealy noted that Stinney has two sisters and a brother who lived for decades with the stigma that their brother was a murderer. He said the family at the time had to leave the small town of Alcolu because they were threatened by a mob.

Stinney was living with his family in the segregated mill town of Acolu, South Carolina when he was arrested in connection to the murders of two white girls, 11-year-old Betty June Binnicker and 7-year-old Mary Emma Thames.

Stinney is seen second from the right in this pictured published in a newspaper in 1944 , entering South Carolina's death house at a state prison in Columbia

The girls disappeared on March 23, 1944 when they went for a bike ride together in search of wildflowers.

The girls' bodies were found the next morning in a shallow ditch behind a church, butchered to death with a railroad spike, their skulls crushed in.

Stinney was arrested after witnesses said they saw him picking flowers with the girls.

He admitted to the crime after being separated from his parents and interrogated by police.

Some of Stinney's surviving family members were in the court room in 2014 when the sentence was overturned. On the left, Stinney's sisters Amie Ruffner (left) and Katherine Stinney-Robinson (right) in court last January

After that, the justice system moved at lightening speed as he was tried in just one day and found guilty by an all-male, all-white jury who deliberated for less than 10 minutes.

Stinney was denied appeal and just three months after the girls' bodies were found, he became the youngest person in the twentieth century to be executed.

The 95-pound teen was so small he had to be propped up on a phone book on the electric chair, and one of the electrodes was too big for his leg.
of 10 years in jail on Friday

A Melbourne father who sexually abused his daughter and got her pregnant at the age of 14 has been sentenced to a minimum 10 years in jail.

The man was sentenced by a Victorian County Court judge on Friday.

The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had pleaded guilty to threatening his daughter with a knife and persistently sexually abusing a child under 16.

A Melbourne father who sexually abused his daughter and got her pregnant at the age of 14 has been sentenced to a minimum 10 years in jail (stock image)

The girl was nine at the time and had run away from her father after he began fondling her in a bedroom at the family home.

'You grabbed a knife and threatened that you were going to stab her, and yelled at her that she should obey her father,' said the judge.

After this incident, the father started having sex with his daughter, usually while she was home alone from school, or while her mother and siblings were not home.

He also forced her to watch pornographic films and repeat the film's sexual acts on him.

When the man's parents came to Australia in 2015 to visit him, he continued sexually abusing his daughter while his parents were in the house.

Last year, when she was 14, the girl began showing symptoms of pregnancy.

Her mother remarked that her daughter's stomach was getting bigger.

'You tried to persuade your wife that it was kidney stones, and told your daughter to drink more water,' the judge said.

The man was sentenced by a Victorian County Court judge on Friday

'You blamed her for not eating and drinking enough.'

The mother took her daughter to a doctor, and an obstetrician confirmed the 14-year-old was 19 weeks pregnant.

The girl told her mother she had been repeatedly sexually abused by her father, and the mother left home with her children and went to police.

The daughter later had a late-stage termination of pregnancy.

When interviewed by police, the father admitted the sexual abuse.

The father, who cannot be named for legal reasons, had pleaded guilty to threatening his daughter with a knife and persistently sexually abusing a child under 16 (stock image)

'You told police that what you did was sick,' the judge said.

'You said to them: I'm not a human being. I'm worse than an animal.'

The judge said the father had shown a complete disregard for his daughter's humanity.

'Your criminality represents the lowest depths of human depravity,' she said.
Byron Bay mum Sara Connor, who allegedly bashed a Bali police officer to death with her British boyfriend, has cried during routine psychiatric tests.

The 45-year-old mother of two was forcibly escorted to the Bali police headquarters on Friday, where she underwent four hours of psychological testing.

It comes as holes emerge in the stories of Ms Connor and her British DJ boyfriend David Taylor, 34, who allegedly claims they committed the murder together and that she hit the officer, reports Herald Sun.

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Sara Connor has cried during routine psychiatric tests in Bali police headquarters

The Byron Bay mum is pictured being forcibly escorted to the routine psychiatric tests

Sources said Ms Connor burst into tears during the psychology test, which is reportedly staged to ensure the suspects can undergo the investigation.

The testing was reportedly not linked to her guilt or innocence but was a measure of her attitude.

'They only want to see about the attitude of Sara,' her lawyer Mr Siregar said.

Ms Connor claimed she was trying to protect the officer from being beaten to death by her British boyfriend David Taylor after his bloodied body was found with 42 wounds.

But his lawyer Haposan Sihombing has offered conflicting accounts of the events that night, claiming Ms Connor played a part in the alleged murder.

He said after Ms Connor was bitten on the leg and arm by the officer she hit him.

Accused killer Sara Connor (left) was trying to protect a Bali police officer from being beaten to death by her enraged British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (right), according to her lawyer

Police officer Wayan Sudarsa (pictured) was found dead on Kuta Beach in Bali last week with 42 wounds to his body. Police claim Mr Taylor confessed to hitting the officer with a beer bottle, but denied killing him.

There are also inconsistencies in their accounts of how many witnesses there were to the incident.

Ms Connor claims her boyfriend was speaking with three bystanders before the fight, while Mr Taylor claims she spoke with four witnesses after the incident.

Friends on Friday launched a crowdfunding for Ms Connor which raised more than $7000.

The couple, who each face a number of charges, have undergone lengthy interrogation sessions, the ABC reported.

Taylor has requested not to be sent for the tests because he is exhausted after a long night of questioning by Bali Police.

The two accused have expressed remorse over Wayan Sudarsa's death and say they want to apologise to his family, according to their lawyers.

Bali police claim to have found the bloodied clothes worn by Byron Bay mother Sara Connor (right, pictured on August 23) and her British DJ boyfriend David Taylor (left) on the night they allegedly murdered a local policeman in a drunken rage

Ms Connor's family has sought the assistance of top Sydney barrister Peter Strain to assist with her case, reports Fairfax.

'In the interrogation our client said that he felt regret at his actions,' Taylor's lawyer Haposan Sihombing told News Corp.

'He also said... that he will ask to apologise to (Wayan's) family and he is still thinking that he will make a letter also for the family,' he said.

It comes after details of Connor and Taylor's three days on the run emerged as police piece together the murder investigation.

Connor and Taylor were found to have checked out of the Kuta hotel where they had been staying and moved into a new homestay at Jimbaran for two nights the same day the officer's body was found.

The owner of the new home in Jimbaran said the couple displayed 'normal behaviour' and were not suspicious.

Balinese officials said it was Ms Connor's idea to destroy the evidence linking her and her boyfriend Mr Taylor to the alleged murder - burning their clothes in a housing complex and dumping the policeman's cut-up ID cards (pictured) by the side of the road

Two days after the police officer was murdered, Connor and Taylor rented a motorbike and told the shop owner that they needed to go to the Australian consulate because her passport was gone.

To get to the shop, the couple would have walked by the dead police officer's home.

Taylor (C, with hood) is escorted by police officers for interrogation at a police station in Denpasar

Connor received a call from her home in Australia last Friday informing her she had made the news given the alleged murder.

The couple then allegedly burned the clothes they had been wearing at the time, which Bali officials claim to have found in nearby Jimbaran.

Denpasar District Police Chief Hadi Purnomo said on Wednesday said they then found Mr Sudarsa's ID cards cut up and dumped on the side of the road.

They claim it was Connor's idea to destroy any evidence linking her and her boyfriend to the alleged crime.

The couple were arrested last Friday when they visited the Australian Consulate where police had been waiting - three days after they allegedly murdered the officer.

Ms Connor is accused of being the mastermind behind the destruction of evidence allegedly linking her to the brutal death of Balinese police officer Wayan Sudarsa

Local police claim Mr Taylor (pictured centre) accused the officer of stealing Ms Connor's purse before beating him with binoculars, a beer bottle and a mobile phone
Sheriffs say that wounded man knows more than he is letting on about the identity of the shooter

Salvador was standing near the man in his front yard when armed assailant shot them

A bereaved family's pain over the loss of their son in an apparent gangland killing is tugging at hearts in Southern California.

Authorities investigating the death of a four-year-old boy who was killed in front of a home in a suspected gang-related shooting in a Los Angeles suburb is offering a $20,000 reward to anyone who can provide information leading to the arrest of those responsible.

Salvador Esparza III, who lived with his family in Monrovia, was killed by a gunshot to the head last month as he was standing in the front yard of a home belonging to a family acquaintance just before 11 p.m.

The young boy was standing near the acquaintance, a 27-year-old man who had apparently been the target of a local armed gang in Altadena, a suburb just north of Los Angeles.

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Juanita Esparza (seen here giving a statement to the press in Monrovia, California) urges anyone with information about the death of her grandson to come forward

The man suffered gunshot wounds and was taken to a hospital.

'If you know who did this, if you know what caused it, how can you, yourself, sleep at night?' the child's grandmother, Juanita Esparza, told KTLA.

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'This happened to us, and it could happen to your family as well. God forbid anything is ever to happen to another kid  but put yourself in our shoes.'

The boy's mother, Coral Salvador, pleaded with those with information about the case to come forward.

'Please, please don't be scared to talk. Just talk to detectives, talk to somebody about it,' Salvador said. 'I really want justice for my son.'

With tears in her eyes, the mother described her anguish in the month since her son was taken from her.

Salvador Esparza III suffered a fatal gunshot wound to the head while visiting a family friend in the nearby town of Altadena last month

Authorities have been unable to make an arrest since the killing, prompting them to announce a $20,000 reward to anyone with information leading to a break in the case

'I feel like he got ripped away from me,' she said. 'He was really excited to start school.'

Investigators with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said that they are questioning the 27-year-old man, who says that he does not know who was responsible.

When asked if he was forthcoming with information about who may have been behind the shooting, the detectives were not convinced.

'Do I believe him? I think he probably knows more than he's telling us,' Lt. John Corina of the Sheriff's Department said.

'I feel like he got ripped away from me,' Salvador's mother, Coral, said. 'He was really excited to start school.' Officials said that the four-year-old was set to begin kindergarten this fall

Sheriffs in Los Angeles County say that they have few leads in the case and are encouraging people to leave tips anonymously

'We don't have much of a description [of the shooter] right now,' Corina said. 'We have a male black suspect who got into a dark-colored car and drove off.'

Authorities say that witnesses can leave tips anonymously.
The footage was uploaded in 2012 but Bowe was only identified this week - just days after she got engaged

The video shows Bowe and three other women talking about the 'the obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race'

West Virginia's attorney general has fired a spokeswoman after footage emerged on the Internet of her making white supremacist remarks.

The YouTube video of Carrie Bowe, who worked as an assistant communications director for Republican Patrick Morrisey, shows her talking about the 'ongoing genocide' of whites.

'I've been thinking a lot about a phrase I've been hearing: that anti-racist is just a code word for anti-white,' Bowe declares in the six-minute video.

'If I tell the obvious truth about the ongoing program of genocide against my race, the white race, liberals and respectable conservatives agree that I'm a Nazi who wants to kill six million Jews.'

Bowe was fired just an hour after she was identified in the video this week by the Charleston Gazette-Mail

Bowe works as an assistant communications director for West Virginia's attorney general Patrick Morrisey

The footage, featuring three other white woman, was first uploaded in 2012 but Bowe was only identified in it this week by the Charleston Gazette-Mail - just five days after she got engaged.

Just over an hour later, Bowe's employers said that she was 'no longer a member of this office'. Morrisey is currently running for re-election as attorney general in the state.

The 'anti-white' phrase that Bowe refers to in the video is widely attributed to well-known Charleston-based white supremacist Bob Whitaker.

The video, which was previously removed from YouTube, boasts that it has been banned in 18 countries.

One of the other speakers filmed asks, 'How long would it take anyone to realize, Im not talking a race problem, Im talking about the final solution to the black problem?'

The 'Final Solution' was Hitler's ultimate plan to murder all Jews during the Second World War.

The three other women in the video recite similar racist slogans and talk about 'the final solution to the black problem'

Bowe alluded to the uproar in a Facebook post.

'There something (sic) that's surfaced of a project I was involved with several years ago. I understand this may be offensive and hurtful to some - know that was not my intention then and will never be my intent, but I take full ownership of my role in the message.

'Unfortunately, I did not view the finished edit - my understanding of the project was not the reality of the completed product or the malice intentions of its creators. And while this action cannot be undone, I am working with all of my power to remove the content.'

Bowe's employers were swift to emphasize that the views expressed were not reflective of their own.

'The employees conduct and statements, which occurred years before being employed by the attorney generals office, were not previously disclosed until today, which is contrary to the transparency requirements for being a member of this office, do not reflect the opinion or the perspective of the attorney general or this office,' Morrisey's spokesman Curtis Johnson told the Gazette-Mail Thursday.

Bowe got engaged last Saturday - days before she was fired

Bowe has worked as an assistant director of communications at Morrisey's office since January 2015, according to her LinkedIn profile, which at the time of writing still lists it as her current employer.

'Carrie is a coal miners daughter and shares the same deep-rooted character of the hard working people of eastern Kanawha County. A consistent straight shooter, you will always know exactly where Carrie is coming from,' the profile states.

According to her Facebook Bowe just got engaged to her fiance, Jeremy McClanahan, last Saturday.

In the video Bowe says that 'if a black woman wants to date inside her race, that's acceptable. If an Asian woman wants to date inside her race, that's acceptable,' Bowe says.

'But if I want to date and marry inside my race, the white race, I am called the R-word,' another woman finishes.

The former assistant communications director shows off her engagement ring

The video brags of its offensive content
Three men accused of selling horsemeat as beef have been charged with fraud.

Ulrick Nielsen, Alex Ostler-Beech and Andronicos Sideras will appear in court in September accused of dishonestly arranging 'for beef and horsemeat to be combined for sale as beef'.

Hungarian Food Ltd was found to be selling horsemeat falsely labelled as diced beef at its market stall in Preston, Lancashire during the scandal (stock image)

Tesco Everyday Value beef burgers were one of the first products removed from shelves after it was discovered they contained horse meat during the scandal (stock image)

They are jointly charged with conspiracy to defraud between January 1 and October 31, 2012 following an investigation led by City of London Police.

In 2013, UK supermarkets were rocked by the horsemeat contamination crisis, when products labelled as beef and other meats were found to contain various amounts of horse flesh.

Kristin Jones, the Crown Prosecution Service's head of specialist fraud, said: 'The CPS has today authorised charges against three men relating to the sale of mixed beef and horsemeat products which were sold as beef.

Asda admitted it had removed its 1.54 corned beef products from stores across Britain in 2013 during the crisis (stock)

'After carefully considering evidence from the UK and overseas, the CPS has decided that there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to charge these three men.'

City of London Police, which worked with the CPS and the Food Standards Agency, said that Ostler-Beech, 43, of Highfield Close, Hull, and Sideras, 54, of Friars Walk, Southgate, north London, were first arrested and questioned in July 2013.
Brett Ryan (pictured), 35, of Toronto, has been arrested and charged with the crossbow shooting deaths of two men and one woman in a Canadian suburb

A 35-year-old Toronto man is facing murder charges in the deaths of three people suffering from what appeared to be crossbow wounds.

Brett Ryan is facing three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths that shocked a quiet residential neighborhood in the city's east end.

The slayings were discovered on Thursday when police found two men and one woman lying in the driveway suffering from serious wounds with a crossbow lying nearby.

All three died at the scene, according to CBC News.

The names of the victims have not released but an autopsy is scheduled.

Ryan is due to appear in court Friday morning.

Police said there was a link between the crossbow scene and a suspicious package investigation in a condo on Toronto's waterfront.

However, officials would not say what the link was between the package and the attack.

The condo was evacuated as police cordoned off the area but the package was later cleared.

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Ryan was arrested in 2008 in relation to 14 bank robberies committed throughout Toronto and Durham Region

Police have charged 35-year-old Brett Ryan with the alleged crossbow deaths of three people in a Toronto suburb

On Thursday three people died in an incident involving a crossbow in the Scarborough suburb of Toronto

Ryan was arrested in 2008 in relation to 14 bank robberies committed throughout Toronto and Durham Region, CP24 Go reported.

At the time he wore a fake beard as a disguise and was called the 'fake beard bandit' by officials.

He was sentenced to three years in prison in 2009.

Ryan was also listed as living at the address of the crime scene when he filed for bankruptcy in 2010, City News reported.

'We don't have any idea with regards to why this may have happened,' police spokesman David Hopkinson said.

The slayings happened in a quiet residential neighborhood and all three people were pronounced dead at the scene

A police source told CTV News that two bodies were discovered in the garage at the Scarborough home and the third was found in a driveway.

Police say the man who placed the call to 911 is one of the deceased.

There are reportedly no other suspects outstanding.

Television footage showed police tape surrounding part of a residential street near Markham Road and Eglinton Avenue East, a suburban area east of the city's downtown area.

Resident Jerome Cruz told CTV News Channel that he heard someone screaming for several minutes before everything went silent.

He also heard a commotion and what sounded like 'banging' in his neighbor's backyard.
The widow of a fallen police officer faced a daunting task on Monday: taking her kids to the first day of school alone.

In the end though, Jessica Scherlen wasn't by herself, as nearly two dozen of her late husband's fellow officers with the Amarillo, Texas police department stepped up to the plate to make the first day of school a happy occasion.

The officers helped Mrs Scherlen take her two eldest sons and daughter to school on Monday, giving them the hugs and wishes of good luck that their father normally would have been there for.

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Nearly two dozens officers escorted a fallen officer's children for the first day of school on Monday

Amarillo police officer Justin Scherlen died earlier this month from injuries sustained in an on-the-job crash a year earlier. His son Jackson, 4, is pictured in a striped shirt above

Monday marked son Jackson's first day of school ever. He started pre-Kindergarten

The officers also escorted Officer Scherlen's second and fourth grade children (pictured center) to school on Monday

Jackson Scherlen hugs one of the officers who came out to bring him to school on Monday

Justin Scherlen, 39, passed away just two weeks ago from injuries sustained in an on-the-job car crash a year ago.

His widow told ABC News that it was 'awesome to see' how her family was 'still loved by the blue family and that they still care'.

The occasion was especially momentous for the couple's four-year-old son Jackson, who started his first day of school ever on Monday in Pre-Kindergarten.

Justin Scherlen (left) is pictured above with his wife and their four children before his death

'I'd give it all back just to have Justin here with his son,' Officer Daniel Smith said. 'At least we can be here for him and let Jackson know that he always has someone to call on.' Officer Scherlen pictured left and right

Officers gave him a police badge sticker to wear to class, and made sure he got plenty of hugs before going in to meet his teacher and new classmates.

'I think Jackson really enjoyed having everyone here,' Mrs Scherlen said. 'Just to know that hes still loved by the blue family and that they still care. Emotionally, its awesome to see.'

The officers also walked to class Officer Scherlen's fourth-grade daughter and second-grade son.

His widow Jessica Scherlen (left) said that it was 'awesome to see' how her family was 'still loved by the blue family and that they still care'.

'I think Jackson really enjoyed having everyone here,' Mrs Scherlen said. 'Just to know that hes still loved by the blue family and that they still care. Emotionally, its awesome to see.'

Officers let the couple's youngest son sit on one of their motorcycles during the morning school run

Scherlen was injured in an on-the-job car crash a year ago. Above, scenes from that crash

The couple's youngest child, another son, is not yet old enough to go to school.

Officers said showing the three eldest Scherlen children off to school was the least they could do for their fallen officer.

'I'd give it all back just to have Justin here with his son,' Officer Daniel Smith said. 'At least we can be here for him and let Jackson know that he always has someone to call on.'
Kelontre Barefield (pictured), 23, has been sentenced to 45 years in prison after pleading guilty to shooting dead police dog Jethro. He also pleaded guilty to unrelated burglary charges

An Ohio man who killed a K-9 officer has been sentenced to 34 years for the incident that resulted in shooting the dog and 11 years for additional crimes.

Kelontre Barefield, 23, pleaded guilty to both shooting K-9 officer Jethro and four unrelated burglary charges and an aggravated robbery charges, according to the Stark County Clerk of Courts.

Barefield's actions were called 'intolerable' by Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin G. Farmer.

She said Barefield violated 'the safety and security of this county and the people sworn to protect it'.

Jethro was killed in January after being shot multiple times while responding to a burglary at a grocery store, according to officials.

Police exchanged fire with Barefield, eventually shooting the 23-year-old in the ankle and taking him into custody.

During the exchange, Jethro was shot three times.

Farmer added the longevity of the sentence 'reflects not only the seriousness of Jethro's death and the fact that he shot at two officers but also the terror inflicted on victims of the burglaries and aggravated robbery'.

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Jethro (pictured) was killed earlier this year after being shot multiple times while responding to a burglary at a grocery store

Jethro's handler, Canton Police Department Officer Ryan Davis (pictured), said he was devastated by the loss of his partner

He received the collective 45-year sentence for both of his pending cases.

Barefield reportedly took the plea deal after his public defenders assured him it would be difficult to find an impartial jury after Jethro's death was made public in the media, the Cleveland Scene reported.

Barefield said 'he felt his attorneys were there for a paycheck' and didn't have his best interests in mind, but after reasoning with him he agreed to the deal.

'I would trade places with him in a heartbeat. Absolutely, because I wouldn't have to sit here and suffer over the loss of him,' Davis said

Barefield's actions were called 'intolerable' by Stark County Common Pleas Judge Kristin G. Farmer, who said the longevity of his sentence reflects the severity of his crime

Barefield reportedly took the plea deal after his public defenders assured him it would be difficult to find an impartial jury after Jethro's death was made public in the media

Jethro's handler, Canton Police Department Officer Ryan Davis, said he was devastated by the loss of his partner, who he had worked with since Jethro was an eight-week-old puppy.

WHY A 34 YEAR SENTENCE? Barefield received a collective 34 years for the incident that killed Jethro. In Ohio others have received seven years for attempted murder, 15 years to life for raping a child, and 13 years for a nearly $5 million tax scam. However, the charges brought against Barefield were broken down into multiple parts. He was sentenced to: Six years for aggravated robbery with an additional automatic three years for using a firearm

Eighteen years for two counts of felonious assault with an additional automatic six years for using a firearm

Three years for assaulting a police dog or horse with an additional automatic three years for using a firearm Advertisement

'I'm here because he did what he did.

'I would trade places with him in a heartbeat. Absolutely, because I wouldn't have to sit here and suffer over the loss of him.

'He's left a hole that will never be filled. He gave his life for me,' Davis told CBS News.

In March, an 11-year-old girl sent the police department her allowance money to help provide the other K-9 officers at the station bulletproof vests.

'Officer Davis has received 2,000 letters since Jethro's death, and he was catching up with them over the weekend.

'He came across this girl's letter and donation, and it really touched him,' Officer Eric Stanbro, head trainer of Canton PD's K-9 unit, told ABC News.

The girl, Allison, wrote to Davis saying: 'I sorry about Jethro. So here is my allowance for the bulletproof vests. God bless you and the dogs.'
Republican Donald Trump kept up his race-fueled attack on Democrat Hillary Clinton Friday, calling his rival and her husband 'predators' and hitting her for 'racist undertones' of her failed 2008 campaign.

It was just his latest effort to get under Clinton's skin with increasingly incendiary comments, which culminated this week when he directly called his rival a 'bigot' who doesn't care about African American communities.

'The Clinton's are the real predators' Trump wrote on Twitter in just one of a barrage of attacks.

The Tweet linked to a campaign video that dredged up Clinton's comments in support of the 1994 crime bill, where Clinton spoke of the dangers posed by 'super predators' with 'no conscience' and 'no empathy.'

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Republican Donald Trump labeled Hillary and Bill Clinton as the 'real predators' in a race-based Twitter attack Friday

At the time, the tough crime measure won support of Republicans and members of the congressional black caucus, but the comments drew fire during this year's Democratic primary amid concern about police killings of unarmed black suspects.

On that issue, Trump has stressed 'law and order' and frequently lauds the bravery and risks undertaken by police.

The Trump web ad quotes defeated Democratic rival Vermont senator Bernie Sanders calling the 'super predators' term a 'racist term  and everybody knew it was a racist term' at a CNN debate.

It also shows video of Clinton being confronted by a 'Black Lives Matter' protester.

Trump also tweeted that 'Crooked Hillary will NEVER be able to solve the problems of poverty, education and safety within the African-American & Hispanic communities.'

Donald Trump blasted the Clintons as the 'real predators' on Twitter

He has railed against Clinton as being unwilling and unable to solve problems faced by blacks and Hispanics

Trump has also been recalling 'racist undertones' of Clinton's failed 2008 against Barack Obama

In another missive, he wrote: 'What do African-Americans and Hispanics have to lose by going with me. Look at the poverty, crime and educational statistics. I will fix it!'

In yet another salvo, Trump wrote: 'Hillary Clinton needs to address the racist undertones of her 2008 campaign. #FlashbackFriday.'

The video brought up clips from the heated 2008 South Carolina primary, where Clinton said that Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s dream 'began to be realized' realized when President Lyndon Johnson pushed through civil rights legislation  a statement taken by some as patronizing because it stressed the importance of white leadership.

The Donald went on the attack against his presidential opponent on Twitter at 10:40pm on Thursday, firing off five tweets in about 15 minutes

Trump attacked Clinton on a number of different fronts, claiming her previous campaigns have had 'racist undertones' and said she supposed a former KKK member

Hillary Clinton slammed Donald Trump Thursday in Reno for his connections to the 'alt-right,' a racist strain of right wing politics

It also brought up Bill Clinton's calling Obama's campaign a 'fairy tale' and dismissively comparing the campaign to Rev. Jesse Jackson's failed bids.

Clinton went after Trump for relying on 'prejudice and paranoia' in his campaign, in an appearance on MSNBC Friday, though she didn't directly answer a question from Scarborough about whether she thought Trump was a bigot.

'All I can do is point to the evidence of what he has a said and what he has done, and from the start he has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. It's deeply disturbing that he is taking hate groups that lived in the dark reaches of the Internet, making them mainstream, helping a radical fringe take over the Republican party,' she said.

'He has a disturbing pattern of courting white supremacists. He's been sued for housing discrimination against communities of color  A man with a long history of racial discrimination who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and these kind of white supremacist, white nationalist anti-Semitic groups should never run our government or command our military,' Clinton continued.

'This is not a normal choice between a Republican and a Democrat ... We are facing a divisive candidate whose loose cannon temperament and complete lack of temperament make him unqualified to be president and unfit to be commander-in-chief,' she added.

A Trump campaign ad features Clinton referring to 'super predators' in support of the 1994 crime bill, which contained a now-lapsed assault weapons ban, funding for anti-crime and social services programs, funding for more police, and stiffer sentences

A video with clips from the 2008 campaign features Clinton getting grilled by the late NBC host Tim Russert about some of her campaign tactics

Clinton in 2008 invoked the necessity of President Lyndon Johnson's acumen to push through civil rights legislation

Clinton on Thursday also blasted Trump for 'prejudice' in a speech in Reno.

'Everywhere I got people tell me how concerned they are by the divisive rhetoric coming from my opponent in this election,' she said, adding that it's 'like nothing we've ever heard before' from a major party candidate running for president of the United States.

She called Trump's recent outreach to African-Americans as 'insulting' and 'ignorant' as he suggested that many feared for their lives daily from inner-city crime.

Clinton called what Trump was doing 'sinister,' suggesting this outreach was nothing more than reinforcing impressions of the black community held by his mostly white audiences.

'Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters,' Clinton said.

Trump hit back on Twitter Thursday night, saying, 'Hillary Clinton only knows how to make a speech when it is a hit on me. No policy, and always very short (stamina). Media gives her a pass!'

Trump has repeatedly invoked race during his speeches this week and last week, usually before mostly white audiences, speaking about the plight of inner city 'war zones.' His polling among black voters has been stuck in single digits. He met with black and Hispanic activists at Trump Tower on Thursday and plans other outreach efforts next week.
Twisted Al Qaeda terrorists are picking the mobile phones of fallen enemies and calling their families to boast about the killings.

One Al Qaeda killer in Aleppo rang one mother on her son's mobile phone to describe how he had beheaded the soldier.

At the start of the call, the terrorist tried to ingratiate himself with the woman on the other end, by claiming he had picked up the handset and wanted to find its owner.

A member of Al Qaeda's Syrian group Jabhat al-Nusra, file photograph, called the mother of a Syrian soldier in Aleppo on the dead man's mobile phone to gloat over the man's death

The victim was a member of Bashar Al-Assad's Syrian Arab Army fighting in Aleppo

Aleppo is being destroyed by constant bombardment by rebel and government forces

But once the woman identified herself as the soldier's mother, the killer announced his true identity.

The killer claimed he was Saqr Rahman Al-Ansari, of Jabhat Al-Nusra, which is a Syrian affiliate of Al Qaeda.

Al-Ansari then told the woman that he had chopped her son's head off.

The woman asked again who was calling, to which the killer replied: 'I beheaded your son today and this is his mobile, and I wanted to call and let you know, and we're coming to get you, God willing, you dogs of Aleppo. You who betrayed the Syrian people.

'I severed your son's head, you traitorous b****. You're supporting the Syrian Army while it bobards the territories, huh?

'They're killing the children in Idlib.'
Police are appealing for assistance from the public in finding Ariana

Fears are held due to her age and the fact she has a medical condition

She finished class for the day but failed to get on her

Fears are held for a nine-year-old who vanished near her school after finishing classes for the day.

Police are appealing for assistance from the public to find Ariana Lyons, who went missing from near her school in Sanctuary Point in the Shoalhaven region of NSW.

Police launched a search for Ariana, who has a medical condition, after she failed to return home on her school bus. .

Fears are held for Ariana Lyons, who went missing from her school in Sanctuary Point

Ariana is described as being of Caucasian appearance, about 130cm tall, with a slim build and short bobbed red hair.

At the time she was wearing her school uniform of green shorts with white and red and green polo shirt. She was also carrying her school bag.

Grave concerns are held for Ariana's well-being due to her young age and the fact she has a medical condition.

Anyone who may have seen Ariana or has information about her whereabouts is urged to call Triple Zero (000) immediately.
Jeremy Corbyn today said he does not consider himself wealthy, despite earning more than 137,000 a-year, owning a 600,000 home and a 1.6million pension.

The Labour leader was announcing a new policy to fund the arts during a visit to Edinburgh as he said high arts such as ballet and opera should not be the preserve of the wealthy, adding: 'I don't consider myself high-brow or wealthy, but I still enjoy some aspects of classical music.'

He was immediately branded 'out of touch,' with critics pointing out he earns five times the average UK salary.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured in Edinburgh today) said he does not consider himself wealthy, despite earning more than 137,000 a-year, owning a 600,000 home and a 1.6m pension

Mr Corbyn earns 74,962 as an MP and an extra 62,440 as Leader of the Opposition.

In total, this amounts to more than five times the average UK salary of 26,500.

His north London home in Islington has nearly doubled in value since he bought it in 2007 for 363,000.

And when he retires, the veteran socialist will be entitled to the gold-plated pension offered to MPs, which will pay out at nearly 50,000 a year.

His north London home in Islington (pictured left) has nearly doubled in value since he bought it in 2007 for 363,000. Jeremy Corbyn (pictured leaving his home, right) was in Edinburgh today promising to reverse the 42.8m cuts to the arts industry over the last six years

He will also benefit from the state pension and entitlements from his time working at Haringay Council and a trade union representatives - making his total pension pot an estimated 1.6million.

Meanwhile it emerged today that Mr Corbyn's official campaign team have asked supporters to donate 10 to help them manage the 'selfie queues' at rallies.

A London regional organiser sent a message to supporters saying the money raised would help the leader's campaign cope with the lines of people demanding photos with Mr Corbyn.

The desperate appeal for donations suggests Mr Corbyn's campaign coffers could be running low, with more than three weeks of the leadership contest left.

As he pledged to reverse 42.8million in cuts made to the arts industry over the past six years, Mr Corbyn said today: 'I hate the elitism [that says] only the wealthy can go to ballet, only the wealthy can go to opera, only the wealthy can go to Glyndebourne, only the wealthy can enjoy what's termed high-brow music.

'I don't consider myself high-brow or wealthy, but I still enjoy some aspects of classical music.

'I want everybody to have that attitude and that same experience.'

The Labour leader was announcing a new policy to fund the arts during a visit to Edinburgh as he said high arts such as ballet and opera should not be the preserve of the wealthy, adding: 'I don't consider myself high-brow or wealthy, but I still enjoy some aspects of classical music'

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured speaking to young Labour party activists in Edinburgh today) was immediately branded 'out of touch,' with critics pointing out he earns five times the average UK salary

It emerged today that Mr Corbyn's official campaign team have asked supporters to donate 10 to help them manage the 'selfie queues' at rallies

The SNP hit out at Mr Corbyn over the comments. A spokesperson said: 'People listening to Jeremy Corbyn will be very surprised to hear him declaring that his six-figure salary does not make him wealthy, another example of how out of touch Labour is with Scottish voters.'

Last night the Labour leadership race turned nasty as Mr Corbyn's challenger Owen Smith accused him of lying about voting Remain in the EU campaign.

Mr Smith claimed the veteran left-winger he was 'secretly happy' that Britain voted to leave the EU and attacked Mr Corbyn for being 'complacent and passive' about Brexit.

In a bad-tempered debate between the pair in a leadership hustings in Glasgow last night, Mr Smith repeatedly questioned whether Mr Corbyn had voted to remain in the EU as he attempted to put Europe at the centre of the hotly-contested leadership election.

But the Welsh contender was heckled by audience members, who accused him of being anti-democratic after pledging to hold a second referendum on EU membership.

Jeremy Corbyn (left) was accused of being 'happy' about Britain having voted to leave the European Union by his Labour leadership rival Owen Smith (right)

The pair shook hands at the end of tonight's Labour leadership debate in Glasgow but it was a bad-tempered affair and there was clearly no love lost

Mr Smith said: 'The reason I think that Jeremy can be so complacent and passive about this is that he's happy about the result. He's not bothered about the result.

'The truth is of course that Jeremy is quite content now for us to sit back and for that hard Brexit that Liam Fox and David Davis and Theresa May are going to produce to take place.

'And I say to him, if he's so concerned about protecting workers' rights why on earth would we allow the Tories to implement a Brexit deal which is going to see workers' rights in this country sold down the river?'

Mr Smith was booed by many of those in the audience when he added: 'I'm not even sure Jeremy did vote In.'

Mr Corbyn responded: 'I thought we had grown up, we weren't any longer going to use those kind of questions.'
The mysterious disappearance of a Swedish count reputed to have had an affair with the wife of George Ludwig of Hannover, later King George I of Great Britain, may soon be solved.

German authorities are planning to test DNA taken from human remains found beneath the Leine Palace in Hannover earlier this month to determine whether they belong to Count Philipp Christoph von Koenigsmarck.

Hannover prosecutor Thomas Klinge told the DPA news agency today that if the DNA did prove to be Koenigsmarck it was highly likely he was murdered when he vanished without a trace on July 1, 1694.

The unfortunate Count Philipp Christoph von Koenigsmarck (pictured, left) may have been killed by the future King George I (right) who was something of a hypocrite because at the same time his wife (centre) was having an affair he himself had a mistress

The Swede was a dashing young soldier in the Hanoverian army and had a passionate affair with Sophie Dorothea of Celle, which prompted the future King George I to divorce her the same year.

The 34-year-old Sophie was imprisoned in Ahlden Castle in Lower Saxony until her death more than a quarter of a century later, in 1726.

The love letters that passed between the two were published by William Wilkins as The Love Of An Uncrowned Queen although there was a suspicion they were forged.

A gallery employee poses with the 1715 painting of King George I by Sir Godfrey Kneller at The Queen's Gallery in Buckingham Palace. He became King of England in 1714, 20 years after his wife's lover vanished

Sophie had only reluctantly married George, who was she wed to as part of a 17th century arranged marriage. When first told of the match she said: 'I will not marry the pig snout!'

In 1948 a period drama, Saraband for Dead Lovers, starring Stewart Granger and Joan Greenwood, hit British and American cinemas. It was based on the couple's doomed love affair.

Sophie's son would later become King George II and he was furious at his mother's imprisonment and hated his father as a result.




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Residents of Notting Hill have started boarding up their homes and businesses ready for the carnival this weekend - while police have already arrested more than 100 people.

Drugs, guns, cash and other weapons have been seized from homes across the capital as part of Operation Vitality.

Among them are two machetes and an Arabian-style curved dagger with a six-inch blade.

The crackdown has been launched so that the carnival, now in its 50th year, can run smoothly, with troublemakers stopped from using it as a cover for crime and violence.

This business isn't taking any chances. As police act to round up troublemakers in advance of the popular Notting Hill Carnival, wooden boards are springing up on shopfronts across the area

Boards have also been erected in front of Notting Hill's famously colourful houses to prevent damage during the carnival

During a raid in Lambeth, south London, yesterday 2,000 in cash was seized, while five people were arrested on suspicion of possession of Class A drugs, and two for possession of Class B drugs.

Two machetes were seized from an address in Camden, while four people in Barnet were arrested after police seized a firearm.

Meanwhile, another raid in Barnet saw two suspects arrested on suspicion of possession of ammunition and possession with intent to supply Class B drugs.

Superintendent Robyn Williams said that so far, there had been 111 arrests, 100 drug seizures and 30,000 in proceeds of crime confiscated. Guns, machetes and knives had also been recovered.

More than one million people are expected to enjoy this year's carnival. It is the largest street festival in Europe and was first held in 1964 by the Afro-Caribbean community

Over the bank holiday weekend the streets come alive to steel bands, colourful floats and costumed performers as members of the public flood into the area to join in the celebrations - but locals are wary of damage being caused to their properties

Teams from Scotland Yard are executing more than 200 search warrants across the capital in a crackdown on drugs and violence ahead of the event, which is the biggest of its kind in Europe. Over one million people attend every year.

As well as the raids, police are visiting suspected gang members, carrying out weapons searches, and checking cars.

Thousands of officers will be on duty for the carnival itself, the force's largest annual policing event.

Ms Williams said: 'With Carnival being the largest event in London, it can present opportunities for those who are attending for reasons other than enjoying the festivities.

'It is only right that we take steps to deter and reduce crime at every opportunity, both prior to and during what has become the centrepiece in the capital's event diary.'

A supermarket front being boarded up on Portobello Road, home of the famous market, in the run-up to carnival weekend

Ms Williams said the policing plan is in line with the current terrorist threat level, which is at severe.

Earlier this month, Scotland Yard announced plans for routine armed patrols in the capital following the terrorist atrocities in Belgium and France.

Ms Williams said 'a range of tactics' will be used at the carnival, including specialist officers such as the force's anti-gang squad.

The partying is set to carry on through the day and well into the night as revelers let their hair down and have fun

A Caribbean theme is central to the carnival - this pub is hosting a warm-up party but also taking steps to protect its windows

Final preparations are made to a giant model animal inside a church ahead of the carnival parade when the streets will come alive with steel bands, colourful floats and costumed performers

It was reported on Sunday that a British offshoot of Black Lives Matter has called for a 'lively intervention' at the carnival.

The London Black Revolutionaries  blamed for violent clashes at Downing Street after last year's election  also reportedly called for a 'fight against social cleansing and gentrification'.

However, Black Lives Matter UK, which has staged protests in London, Birmingham and Nottingham over the summer, later stressed that it has not called for disruption of the carnival.
Police are investigating a driver who slammed his car straight into a young boy crossing the road - and his own dashcam footage is the main evidence against him.

Shocking footage from Russia shows the motorist, 50, speeding down a city street without braking when an eight-year-old boy is seen on a zebra crossing.

The Peugeot 301 ploughs straight into the child, hurling him across the windshield before he crashes to the tarmac.

Shocking footage from Russia shows the motorist, 50, speeding down a city street without braking when an eight-year-old boy crosses via a zebra crossing

The Peugeot 301 ploughs straight into the child, hurling him across the windshield

The boy rolls around on the ground in agony as female bystanders rush to his side - casting horrified looks at the male driver.

Police are investigating the incident in the city of Tver in north-western Russias Tver Oblast region.

And, in an ironic turn of events, the main piece of evidence will be the footage from driver's own dashcam.

It has been argued that the sun might have dazzled the driver but other motorists, coming onto the road from a side street, had managed stopped to give way to the youngster.

The boy and his bags fly into the air as the car strikes him before he is hurled to the tarmac

The boy rolls around on the ground in agony as female bystanders rush to his side - casting horrified looks at the male driver

The boy was rushed to hospital but was fortunately not seriously injured and was allowed to go home later that day

However, police are taking the incident seriously and have launched an investigation

The boy was rushed to hospital but was fortunately not seriously injured and was allowed to go home later that day.

However, police are taking the incident seriously and have launched an investigation.
An aristocrat and owner of one of Britain's finest estates is believed to have shot himself after battling depression for decades, an inquest heard.

The High Sheriff of Cornwall, Anthony Fortescue, 69, died from gunshot injuries suffered on his 7,500-acre Boconnoc Estate in November last year.

An inquest heard that Mr Fortescue, whose body was found next to a gun in the utility room of the family home near Lostwithiel, Cornwall, had suffered from bouts of psychotic depression since the 1980s.

The High Sheriff of Cornwall, Anthony Fortescue, 69, died from gunshot injuries suffered on his 7,500-acre Boconnoc Estate in November last year

An inquest heard that Mr Fortescue, whose body was found next to a gun in the utility room of the family home near Lostwithiel, Cornwall

The death was not treated by police as suspicious.

But assistant coroner for Cornwall, Barrie van den Berg, recorded an open verdict during the hearing in Truro today citing a lack of evidence for a verdict of suicide.

His in-house carer, Elizabeth Visagie was the last person to see him alive, and said he was 'feeling low' on the morning of the incident.

The previous day, he had attended Remembrance Sunday services in Truro and Bodmin in his role as High Sheriff.

Ms Visagie told the inquest she was cooking dinner in the kitchen of the family home when she heard the sound of a gunshot.

She the attempted to resuscitate him before calling the emergency services.

Ms Visagie said: 'He was a really nice man but he would get depressed.

'We often headed out in his car and had long chats. He didn't appear to be suicidal and it never once came up in conversation.

'The day before [his death] he headed out to several churches as part of Remembrance Day and he was in a fantastic mood, laughing and joking. He was really buoyant.

Assistant coroner for Cornwall, Barrie van den Berg, recorded an open verdict during the hearing in Truro (Mr Fortescue pictured with his wife Elizabeth)

The house, its historic grounds, the gardens and deer park within are now used for weddings, corporate days and private parties

'That morning [November 9] Anthony got up as usual, but he was really down and depressed.'

The inquest heard that Mr Fortescue was an experienced and licensed shooter and was the only person who had access to the gun cabinet located inside the property's store room.

That morning Ms Visagie asked Mr Fortescue if he wanted to carry out his exercises, but could sense that he wasn't motivated for activity.

She added: 'Anthony was in the lounge sitting in a chair and lying with his head back, snoozing. He appeared to be fast asleep so I went into the kitchen.

'There had been some gunshots the day before because it was pheasant shooting season. [That morning] I heard this gunshot and it sounded really close.

'I could smell cordite and I just thought, 'No, please no'. I saw that the utility room door was open and I saw him lying there.

'I moved the gun to the side and began trying to resuscitate him. I didn't know what else to do. Then I called 999.'

The inquest was told that Mr Fortescue had suffered from sporadic bouts of psychotic depression since 1985.

He was taking anti-depressant and anti-psychotic medication.

A psychiatrist report read in the inquest stated that Mr Fortescue had feelings of worthlessness in the preceding months, as well as a loss of motivation and loss of interest in activity.

The house, set in Cornwall's largest park, was bought in 1717 by Thomas Pitt with the proceeds from the famous Pitt Diamond

Construction workers carry out the massive task of renovating the 13th Century Boconnoc House in Cornwall after it fell into serious disrepair

He had previously been admitted to the Priory mental health hospital in London.

As well as his depression, Mr Fortescue was prone to suffering from delusional beliefs.

No thoughts of suicide were reported.

Mr Fortescue's wife, Elizabeth, said her husband's depression was triggered by certain events in his life.

She added: 'He needed a hip replacement, and this affected his mobility.

'He was frustrated that he couldn't move around and the pain got him down.'

The Boconnoc Estate dates from the Domesday Roll of 1086 and is said to have been used by Charles I who hid in one of the bedrooms - now known as the King's bedroom - during the Civil War.

Merchant Thomas Pitt purchased the estate with the proceeds of the famous Pitt Diamond in 1717, which he sold to the Regent of France before it ended up in the hilt of Napoleon's sword.

Pitt's grandson, William, became Prime Minister.

The property was used by American forces during the Second World War with the grounds used as an ammunition dump in preparation for D-Day in 1944.

I could smell cordite and I just thought, "No, please no" Mrs Visagie, in-house carer

The estate lay empty for nearly 30 years following the death of Anthony's great uncle in 1969 and fell into disrepair.

But together with his wife Elizabeth, 67, whom he married in 1977, Mr Fortescue started a labour of love and undertook a mammoth restoration in 1997.

He sold some redundant barns to pay for the repairs and the finish restoration, completed in 2012, won a string of awards.

In recent years the estate has promoted itself as an upmarket wedding and events venue and is often used as a backdrop for films and television series.

A family statement read: 'Anthony Fortescue's family and many friends, all of whom had great affection for him, reflect on his many achievements.

'He completed the remarkable restoration of Boconnoc House in 2012.

'For the final two years of his life he continued, in spite of declining health, to devote much of his time to the development of the estate and his wide ranging involvement in the local community.'

Mr Fortescue leaves his wife and two daughters, Clare, 34, and Sarah, 32.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, seewww.samaritans.org for details.




to police asking them to use a better photo

A Sydney teenager on the run responded to a police alert by asking them to use a more flattering picture.

Amy Sharp, 18, escaped from Surry Hills Corrective Services Cell Complex in Sydney shortly after 3pm on Friday August 19.

On Thursday police released two mug shots of Sharp, seeking help from the public on her whereabouts.

Amy Sharp, 18, escaped from Surry Hills Corrective Services Cell Complex in Sydney shortly after 3pm on Friday August 19 (pictured)

On Thursday police released two mug shots of Sharp, seeking help from the public on her whereabouts (pictured)

Shortly after Sharp sent a cheeky response to the police alert with a picture of herself

Shortly after Sharp sent a cheeky response to the police alert with a picture of herself.

She wrote: 'Can you use this photo, please and thank youYours Truly, Amy Sharp xx.'

Her post attracted a huge number of comments.

'She asked the cops to use a better pic of her,' wrote one user.

'This is the best thing I have seen on Facebook,' said another.

Sharp wrote: 'Can you use this photo, please and thank youYours Truly, Amy Sharp xx'

A Sydney teenager on the run responded to a police alert by asking them to use a more flattering picture

Many commentators suggested police could track the teenager's whereabouts using the post.

They may have been right as Sharp was arrested in the early hours of Saturday morning at Wentworth Park in Sydney.
An Arkansas policeman is suing a large gun manufacturer after accidentally shooting himself in the foot  literally.

According to the website Guns.com, Larry Jones, a cop from Cherry Valley, Arkansas, was injured when his pistol unexpectedly discharged as he was trying to outfit the gun with a tactical light at a shooting range in June 2013.

According to the lawsuit, Jones is seeking damages worth $75,000 from the manufacturer, Austrian-based Glock. The case is being heard by a federal court in Helena, Arkansas.

Jones is claiming that the Glock 19C pistol, which he bought in December 2000, was sold to him 'in a defective condition which rendered (it) unreasonably dangerous.'

First produced in 1988, the Glock 19 is considered a 'compact' firearm that is geared toward use by the military and law enforcement

The plaintiff is alleging that Glock's decision not to outfit the pistol with a manual safety feature led to the accident.

The manufacturer had a responsibility to give 'a reasonable and adequate warning of dangers inherent and/or reasonably foreseeable in the use' of the pistol, according to the lawsuit.

Glock is denying the allegations of the lawsuit.

This is not the first time the Austrian gunmaker is being put under the microscope for its products' lack of safeguarding measures.

Last year, Glock agreed to a financial settlement with a retired Los Angeles Police Department officer who was left paralyzed when his 3-year-old son accidentally fired his handgun while riding in the family truck.

According to MyNewsLA.com, the retired officer, Enrique Herrera Chavez, sued the company after the shooting on July 11, 2006 that rendered him a paraplegic paralyzed from the waist down.

This is not the first time that Glock has been sued. Last year, it settled a lawsuit with an LAPD officer who was left paralyzed from the waist down after he was accidentally shot by his son

Chavez, who admitted to forgetting the gun in the back seat when he and his son climbed into the vehicle, claimed that the Glock 21 gun and hip holster were designed without a grip safety, making it relatively easy to fire.

GLOCK 19C 'COMPENSATED' 9mm PISTOL Traditionally, Glock has marketed itself to police departments as maker of guns with an ability to fire immediately. Glock installed the so-called 'Safe Action System,' which the company describes as 'a fully automatic safety system consisting of three passive, independently operating, mechanical safeties, which sequentially disengage when the trigger is pulled and automatically reengage when the trigger is released.' Advertisement

'In fact, the trigger energy on the Glock is so low that it was easier to pull the trigger on the Glock than on cheap, plastic toy guns ordered off the Internet,' Chavez's lawyers alleged in court papers.

The company rejected the argument, saying that Chavez had failed to follow basic LAPD guidelines that required him to disassemble the weapon so that it would not be operable.

This past March, a high-profile pro-gun activist was shot in the back by her four-year-old son after he found her pistol lying on the back seat of her truck just 24 hours after she boasted about his shooting skills online.

Glock has denied allegations that it has failed to properly outfit its weapons with safety features that would have prevented accidental shootings

Jamie Gilt, 31, who posts about firearms on her social media accounts was driving through Putnam County, Jacksonville, Florida, in her truck when she was wounded after the toddler picked up the weapon and shot her in the back.

It came just a day after she said the youngster would get 'jacked up' before a shooting practice on a page dedicated to her musings on Second Amendment rights.

On the profile Jamie Gilt for Gun Sense she wrote: 'Even my 4 year old gets jacked up to target shoot with the .22.'
As president of the Motion Picture Academy, Cheryl Boone Isaacs is one of the most influential women in film.

And Isaacs put that influence to work on Friday, encouraging people to see Birth Of A Nation despite the rape controversy surrounding director and star Nate Parker and co-writer Jean Celestin.

She told TMZ: 'The [rape] issue is one issue, then there is the issue of the movie.

Cheryl Boone Isaacs, president of the Motion Picture Academy, has told moviegoers that they should watch Birth Of A Nation despite controversy around director Nate Parker

It is perhaps no surprise that Isaacs (pictured at the 2016 Oscars) wants the film to do well as it is tipped for nomination next year, providing a defense for the Academy after years of complaints over perceived racial bias

'On the issue of the movie, the important thing is for people to see it, to enjoy it, be inspired by the film, and I think that is what is very important.

Quizzed on whether she has seen the movie herself, Isaacs refused to answer, saying instead: 'I know by the conversation that has happened since Sundance [film festival] that it is a movie that people need to go and see.'

It is perhaps not surprising that Isaacs wants the film, about a slave rebellion in Virginia, to do well as it is tipped for Oscar nomination next year.

If the movie wins big it would be a massive PR opportunity for the Academy, which has been dogged by allegations of racial bias for years, particularly after no African American directors or actors were nominated last year.

Her comments came after the American Film Institute canceled plans to screen the film after 17-year-old rape allegations against Parker and Celestin resurfaced.

Parker and Celestin, who are both African-American, stood trial in 2001 charged with rape, sexual assault, indecent assault and involuntary deviate sexual intercourse.

The alleged assault took place on the night of August 21, 1999, when both men and their accuser were students at Penn State University. Parker and Celestin attended on wrestling scholarships.

Last week it emerged that the alleged victim committed suicide in 2012, aged 30.

Parker issued a statement on Facebook saying that he did not want to take away from the late woman's 'pain' but continues to protest his innocence.

Parker claimed he had sex with the alleged victim and beckoned Celestin into his room to join him.

Both men claimed that the alleged victim was an enthusiastic participant in what followed as Celestin put his penis in her mouth, before the men switched positions and carried on.

Nate Parker, who wrote, directed and starts in the movie, was accused of rape back in 1999 while on scholarship at Penn State University alongside co-writer Jean Celestin

The film is based on the story of Nat Turner, a slave who led a rebellion in Virginia, and has grabbed attention after winning at the Sundance Film Festival

In contrast the victim recalled regaining consciousness to find Parker on top of her having sex with her.

In another flash of scant memory she recalled Celestin putting his penis in her mouth. This was not consensual sex, she alleged, but rape.

But according to the defense the catalyst to her allegation was her guilt at being a willing player in the events of the night of August 21 when, after a night of heavy drinking, she had sex with two black men.

In cross examination of the alleged victim the defense repeatedly and pointedly described the men whose company the alleged victim kept through out the evening and into the night of the attack not simply as 'men' but as 'black men'.

The court heard testimony from her in which she claimed that the next day she told a mutual acquaintance that she had been raped and he responded, 'I'm sick of white b****** crying rape'.

Rugi Kavamahanga was also a student at Penn State at the time and had been drinking with the alleged victim, Parker and Celestin and others in the Silver Screen Grill the night of the attack.

The group had gone back to Kavamahanga's apartment before Parker, Celestin and the alleged victim broke off and moved on to Parker's.

The alleged victim left her ID at Kavamahanga's place prompting her to speak with him and go round to his place the following day.

Today Kavamahanga, vehemently denies ever saying that he was 'sick of white b****** crying rape'.

Speaking to DailyMail.com the energy consultant who had a couple of classes with Parker that summer said: 'That's false. I never said that.

During Parker's trial the defense was criticized for bringing the victim's sexual history into the case, including submitting a picture of her with her ex-boyfriend as evidence (pictured)

'I don't want to speak bad of the dead so I don't want to comment on her motivations but the next day she didn't tell me anything. She never told me about being raped.'

Parker was acquitted on all four counts with which he had been charged.

Celestin was convicted of sexual assault, a verdict subsequently overturned when a retrial set for 2005 did not take place because the alleged victim did not wish to testify again.

The Birth of a Nation is loosely based on the story of Nat Turner, a slave who led a rebellion in Southampton County, Virginia in 1831. Parker stars as Turner in the film.

The film premiered at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival, during which in made history by landing a $17.5million distribution deal with Fox Searchlight Pictures - the largest worldwide rights deal made at the festival to date.
A farmer who fought a terrifying three-hour battle with a bear has astonished medics by surviving massive head injuries caused in the attack.

Victim Jube Valanti Adveppache, 58, had been picking mushrooms in one of his fields in southern India when the bear attacked without warning.

Jube later told wildlife officials and police how the animal - believed to be a sloth bear - pounced on him without warning and would not let him go.

Scroll down for video

Jube Valanti Adveppache, 58, survived a three-hour bear attack in southern India after he was mauled by a Sloth bear, stock photo right, until the predator thought he was dead

The man believes he was attacked by an Indian sloth bear, pictured right. Despite their almost comical looks and awkward gait, they can be very effective killers according to experts

The attack was remarkably similar to Leonardo Di Caprio's hit movie The Revenant, pictured

In a scene remarkably similar to the bear attack in Leonardo Di Caprio's hit movie The Revenant, the predator kept breaking off the attack and then restarting it.

Jube says it was three hours before the bear seemed convinced he had killed him and moved off into the forests around Haliyal in Karnataka State.

He told officials he staggered nearly three miles, bleeding heavily, to get back to his village.

Hospital officials say he has been transferred from an intensive care unit to another hospital to recover.

A medic told local media: 'He is out of immediate danger.'

Horrific photos of his injuries reveal horrific scars on the man's head where the bear mauled him.

One eye is closed and swollen, a thick scar from the bear's fearsome claws runs down the side of his nose.

His face and his head are covered in other cuts and bruises.

Despite their shambolic, sometimes comic appearance, sloth bears are seen as highly dangerous in India.
An RAF veteran was granted his dying wish when a Spitfire performed a flypast in tribute at his funeral.

Flight Lieutenant Kenneth Bellamy, who died aged 92, joined the RAF at the age of 17 in 1942.

The following year he joined 54 Squadron who were sent to Australia by Britain's Prime Minister Winston Churchill to defend against the threat of a Japanese invasion.

RAF Lieutenant Kenneth Bellamy, who married his wife Peggy after the Seond World War (pictured), has been granted his dying wish after Spitfires flew over his home city and above his funeral

After the war Kenneth returned to Britain where he met his wife Peggy and they had two children - son Anthony, 66, and daughter Karen, 51, who has two daughters of her own.

The siblings proudly looked on as the Spitfire made four circuits of his home city before flying above the funeral in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, on its final approach.

His daughter Karen, who is a teaching assistant, said it was exactly what her dad had always wanted.

The family who were delighted said it was exactly what he would have wanted

But his son and daughter often joked with him that he would never see it

A lot of people had gone to a lot of trouble to organise this for Mr Bellamy and his family

She said: 'It was always one of his wishes that a Spitfire fly over his funeral, we always laughed and said that he wouldnt see it though.

'But a lot of people have gone to a lot of trouble to organise this for him.'

After leaving the RAF, Kenneth joined high street retailer Burton and then became area manager at Co-op menswear until retiring in 1988.

His wife Peggy, who was as a postwoman, passed away 17 years ago.

The funeral took place at St Michaels Church with family and members of 54 RAF squadron, including retired Air Marshall Sir Roger Austin.
A motorist had an amazing escape after his car got stuck just as it dropped into a narrow hole which goes straight through a clifftop and ends with a 65-foot drop to the sea below.

The black Daewoo got stuck tight in the small hole off southern Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

The man found himself trapped with the hole too tight to open any of the doors and had only one possible escape route.

The car drove into the hole at the top of the cliff (circled) and to escape the driver had to smash his windscreen and leap into the sea below

He managed to kick out the car's shattered windscreen and jumped into the sea far below him.

The man survived the fall and managed to swim to shore where he alerted rescuers about his trapped car.

The amazing incident happened at Cape Tarkhankut, part of the Crimean Peninsula controversially annexed and occupied by Russia, on the Black Sea.

The car ended up well and truly wedged in the hole and the driver could not open either door. After he alerted the authorities winching gear was lower down (right) to pull the car out

The driver, who has not been identified, was from the Ryazan Oblast region of western Russia and said he had 'not been ready for the dangerous roads of Crimea'.

The hole in the 100-foot high cliffs runs through about 33 feet of stone before opening out above a sheer drop down to the sea.

Rescuers winched the car out of the hole the next day in an operation captured on the camera of an eyewitness with a smartphone.

The adventurous driver, who was not a local, did not spot the hole as he drove along the cliff. Salvage experts (right) lower themselves into the hole to connect winching gear

The video quickly went viral on social media and local internet forums where users could hardly believe the story.

One internet forum user, Denis, commented: 'This man was really blessed, if he had fallen through the hole in the car he would already be dead by now'.

Anna added: 'He's been born again.'

A fire department spokesman said: 'The car fell into a hole through the cliff, luckily nobody got hurt.'
A mother has admitted murdering her baby daughter before fleeing to Uganda.

The body of 20-month-old Sarah Dahane was found dead at Angela Whitworths home in Bicester, Oxfordshire, on May 16, 2013.

Sarah Dahane, above left, was found dead at her home in Bicester, Oxfordshire in May 2013. Her mother, above right, fled to Kenya and then Uganda after the discovery

On the day the little girl was discovered, Whitworth, 44, flew to Nairobi in Kenya, before travelling on to Uganda.

She was arrested on March 9 this year in a joint operation between Thames Valley Police and the Ugandan authorities.

On the day the little girl was discovered, Whitworth, 44, flew to Nairobi in Kenya, before travelling on to Uganda. Above, forensics at the scene in 2013

Police at the scene where the body of 20-month-old Sarah Dahane was found in May 2013

Two weeks before she was detained, Thames Valley Police had offered a 10,000 reward to try and track her down.

Appearing at the Old Bailey today from Bronzefield prison, Whitworth, wearing a lime green T-shirt with a black pattern pleaded guilty to murdering her daughter on May 15, 2013.

Mr Justice Saunders said she will be sentenced on October 4 when she faces a life sentence.

As part of the appeal to find Whitworth, Sarahs father, Nabil Dahane, said: My one and only daughter Sarah was so beautiful, lovely and lively.

She loved everyone and everyone just loved her back.

Our time together was really happy and precious. She meant the world to me, still does and will always do regardless.
Jane Gordon with her beloved violin. She was distraught after leaving it on a train

A professional musician who accidentally left her 300-year-old violin on a busy train has been reunited with her beloved instrument.

Jane Gordon, 37, appealed for the safe return of the Maggini violin after leaving it on a carriage travelling from Waterloo station to St Margarets station in south west London.

British Transport Police said the instrument remained on the racks for three hours before being removed by a passenger at Queenstown Road station in Battersea, south London.

But a couple found the instrument dumped at the end of their road and returned it last night.

Ms Gordon told the Evening Standard: 'It is amazing news. I am thrilled.

'We had a phone call from a member of the public that it had been found so we were able to retrieve it safe and sound.

'I am so happy this nightmare is over. I feel very lucky.'

Ms Gordon, who has played in world renowned cocerts, was distraught after she forgot to pick it up when she got off the train as she was due to play at the Proms concerts next week.

British Transport Police wanted to hear from these people, as they think they know what happened

This woman, who was captured on CCTV on the train, has been asked to contact the investigating officers

The musician, from Twickenham, south west London, alighted at St Margarets station, forgetting her valuable Italian violin was in the luggage rack.

At the time, she told MailOnline: 'I'm absolutely distraught  it's like losing a member of your family, you develop a relationship with an instrument.

'It's 300 years old and it's a special violin. I've owned it for four or five years.'

The investigation into the circumstances of how the violin was taken will continue.

CCTV footage showed the rare musical instrument, which was in a case, remained on the luggage rack for three hours after Ms Gordon left it on Monday August 22.

It was removed by a passenger who got off the train at the unmanned Queenstown Road rail station in London at around 6.50pm.

British Transport Police have released images of a man and woman thought to have information about what happened next.

Maggini violins regularly fetch more than 30,000 at auction and one went for more than 133,000 when it was sold in 2011. The Italian master violin maker only made around 60 of them during his lifetime.

Ms Gordon, a professional violinist, is due to play in two Proms at the Royal Albert Hall as part of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment on September 4 and 9.

The violin was in a case with the word GEWA printed on the outside and there were four bows and some asthma medicine inside the case

She plays in several orchestras and as part of a chamber ensemble called Rautio Piano Trio.

She has performed at major concerts at Sydney Opera House, the Lincoln Center in New York and across Europe and has won a number of international prizes.
They had to rope in a shopkeeper to help them out and unlock the exit

But when trying to leave they were

This is the unbelievable moment two bumbling armed thieves seek help from the man they have just threatened at knifepoint to help them escape from a shop.

Stash in hand, the violent pair are flummoxed by the operation of the glass exit door, and have to reel in the store worker to let them free.

At the start of the horrifying crystal clear CCTV footage, the two crooks are seen bursting into a Co-op in the village of Sawley, Derbyshire.

Shocking CCTV: Two thieves are caught threatening shopkeepers with knives in Derbyshire

One robber is clad in a blue-striped top and a red motorbike helmet, with his accomplice in a dark tracksuit and a blue scarf.

The man in the helmet confronts staff and drags one female member around brandishing a large knife, before forcing her to fill up his bag with cigarettes and money from the safe.

Then when the duo try to make their escape they find that the automatic front door is locked, and try to kick it down.

The callous crooks march into the back room and demand staff load their bags with cash

One robber is clad in a blue-striped top and a red motorbike helmet, with his accomplice in a dark tracksuit and a blue scarf

Eventually a member of staff has to come over to unlock it and let them out, before they reportedly fled on a motorcycle.

Detectives have now launched an investigation surrounding the heist, which occurred around 10pm on Tuesday, August 23.

Police are trying to trace another man who went into the Tamworth Road Co-Op, in Long Eaton, at around 9.45pm the same evening.

As they try to make their escape they find the automatic door is locked, and try to kick it down

Eventually a member of staff has to come over to unlock it and let them out, left, before they reportedly fled on a motorcycle

The man told staff there were two men acting suspiciously outside, and he may have witnessed something that could help the inquiry.

He was in the company of a woman, is white and wore a blue t-shirt with a white logo on the front.
Sandra Danevska, 38, of Hammersmith, west London, stalked her former partner reducing his life to one of 'utter misery'

A jilted lover has been jailed for five years for trying to frame her ex for more than 130 fictitious crimes including rapes and acid attacks.

Sandra Danevska, 38, of Hammersmith, west London, stalked her former partner reducing his life to one of 'utter misery'.

The nanny, originally from Macedonia, lingered outside his address taking meticulous notes before destroying his relationships by harassing subsequent girlfriends, one of whom was falsely arrested for stalking, with online hate campaigns.

She bombarded police with phoney complaints leading her ex, Darko Baric, to be investigated for a string of fictitious attacks including stabbings.

Danevska evaded justice for four years until police tracked a series of fantastic allegations to homes, and the Dorchester Hotel, where she babysat children.

She was jailed for five years today at Isleworth Crown Court.

Judge Giles Curtis-Raleigh said: 'You are an intelligent and articulate woman but unfortunately you have employed your intelligence as well as considerable diligence and skill to make the life of Mr Darko Baric, a man you were clearly infatuated with, an utter misery.

'You have then tormented two of his girlfriends in a similar way.

'You had two short relationships with Mr Baric and you were thereafter, as he thought, simply friends.

'But as he became involved with other women you commenced a sustained campaign against them.'

Mr Baric was quizzed by police over an offence and one of his girlfriends was even arrested.

The judge said: 'Hundreds, if not thousands, of hours of emergency services, ambulance and even fire brigade time was unduly wasted and scarce public funds squandered to further your campaign of harassment.

'This was a sophisticated stalking campaign carried out over years and with no regard for public resources.'

Danevska used sophisticated methods to cover her tracks and 17 police investigations failed to snare her.

But she was caught out when Detective Constable Dean Puzey, of Hammersmith and Fulham CID, connected IP addresses from online crime reports to her employers' homes.

Police then executed a warrant to find the stalker's diary in May last in which she recorded minute details of her ex's movements.

In it police found she noted the times of when he opened and closed his blinds and speculated where he had been and who he was with.

One entry on January 2, 2015, read: '11.30pm at home, but the phone silent, or perhaps just the TV. Lights on in the kitchen.'

She and Mr Baric, 45, a long-term friend, briefly resumed an old relationship in the Summer of 2013 but he called it off saying they should be 'just friends' in September that year.

Danevska could not handle the rejection and she stalked his new girlfriends with fake social media profiles and email addresses in his name to send threatening and malicious messages.

Danevska evaded justice for four years until police tracked a series of fantastic allegations to homes, and the Dorchester Hotel, where she babysat children. She was jailed for five years today at Isleworth Crown Court (pictured)

She also made him believe he was being followed by sending him anonymous reports of his daily activities from various email accounts.

One girlfriend received threatening and malicious messages from Danevska between November 2012 and May 2015.

One message read: 'You f****** arrogant b****. You will never have Darko! Trust me NEVER EVER! I will make sure of that. And for your information, we are still very much together ahahahaha.'

His next girlfriend received the same treatment between September 2013 and May last year and even had her details put on a sex website.

Danevska was also convicted of perverting the course of justice by falsifying evidence to make officers believe that one of the women was the one carrying out the harassment.

She made a total of 134 bogus police reports against him leading officers to visit him 42 times at home and ten times at work.

Officers and medics would be dispatched to investigate the allegations and treat 'victims' to find no evidence of crime, often after kicking down doors when they got no response.

Among Danevska's phoney reports was one that read: 'One was my friend called Darko come with his new Serbian girlfriend and he sexually assoult [sic] my wife and the girl my son, but I come unexpectedly so we start fighting so she took knife and hurt us all.

'Please come and save us. Save my son he is bleading [sic] a lot'.

Firefighters were even called when Danevska, posing this time as Mr Baric, reported to police that a woman had covered his flat in petrol and was wielding a knife and a box of matches.

Danevska also bombarded him with up to 400 phone calls and texts per day.

Helen McCormack, prosecuting, said: 'There were literally hundreds and thousands of malicious emails.

'Ms Prosperi was arrested and investigated because of false evidence.'

Sapna Shah, mitigating, said her client was 'kind-hearted' and regretful for keeping the diary.

One false email account created in Mr Baric's name was used to send two emails to one of the girlfriends from the Dorchester Hotel on March 6 last year.

Officers discovered Danevska was working for Rockabye Babysitters on that night and had been employed to care for children staying at the Park Lane hotel.

Daneveska was found guilty of three counts of stalking involving serious alarm or distress and two counts of perverting the course of justice between May 2011 and May 2015.

She appeared in the dock wearing a white top and an imitation pearl necklace and was supported my her mother in the public gallery.
A group of British fighters in Syria have launched an attack on Labour leadership candidate Owen Smith after he called for talks with the Islamic State.

Five fighters helping Kurdish forces in Syria, who call themselves the Bob Crow Brigade after the famous rail union boss, posed beside a wall on which they daubed a message condemning Mr Smith's intervention.

It read: '@OwenSmith2016 Want to talk to ISIS? Tell that to the martyrs of Manbij. If you fight you won't always win, if you don't fight you will always lose.'

Passionate: Five fighters helping Kurdish forces in Syria posed beside a wall on which they daubed a message condemning Mr Smith's intervention

The British volunteer fighters posted their photo on their Twitter account where they repeated their message with the hashtag '#BobCrowBrigade.'

Mr Smith provoked outrage this week when during an interview he said that Britain may have to negotiate with IS whose fighters have butchered thousands of innocent people in its reign of terror in north Syria and north Iraq.

Since January 2014, when the Islamic State took captured the Syrian town of Manbij, hundreds of local foreign fighters have been executed or died fighting to retake the territory.

Hundreds of people were evacuated from Manbij by the Syrian Democratic Forces after the Arab-Kurdish army drove ISIS away from the area

The machine gun-brandishing militants first made reference to the RMT's former leader Bob Crow, who died of a heart attack in 2014, in a message released earlier this month.

In large red lettering on the wall of an outpost, they wrote: 'Victory to the guards! Victory to the RMT!...from one struggle against injustice to the struggle against another.'

The reason for their backing is unclear, but a small number of Kurdish fighters from the International Freedom Battalion based in northern Syria with the YPG come from the UK.

The YPG have been a key force fighting ISIS in north and north eastern Syria.

They are the main component in the Syrian Democratic Forces alliance that is currently battling the terror network with air support from the US-led anti-ISIS coalition.

Manbij Mothers were spotted smiling and in tears as they were moved to safety by the SDF last week

One supporter explained: 'They are all socialists, communists and anarchists - and so was Bob Crowe.'

Smith, the MP for Pontypridd and former shadow work and pensions secretary, announced that he would challenge Corbyn after the Labour leader was hit by a series of resignations from his shadow cabinet, and lost the confidence of 172 of his MPs.

Asked in a televised debate whether the terrorist group should be allowed to join talks about resolving the conflicts in the Middle East, Smith said 'all actors' should be involved.

He added: 'My view is that, ultimately, all solutions to these international crises do come about through dialogue, so eventually if we are to try to solve this all of the actors do need to be involved.

This abandoned building was found in Manbij, a city in northern Syria, where 50,000 locals were held captive by ISIS

'But at the moment Isil [Isis] are clearly not interested in negotiating.

'At some point for us to resolve this, we will need to get people round the table.'
Davie Dauzat, 23, remains in the McLennan County Jail where he was ordered held on a $500,000 bond, charged with murder of his wife who was beheaded

A Texas man is accused of beheading his wife just hours after police officers visited the couple for a welfare check.

Bellmead police Sgt. Kory Martin says officers visited 23-year-old Davie Dauzat and his 21-year-old wife, Natasha, on Thursday at their mobile home in Bellmead, 80 miles from Dallas, after a relative called police. Officers found no trouble and left.

Yet just two hours later, a relative called police once again two hours later to say Dauzat had killed his wife.

Police returned and found Natasha Dauzat had been decapitated and her head had been placed in the freezer.

A hostage negotiator made contact with Davie Dauzat, who came out of the home covered in blood, police said.

The couple's two toddlers were home, but not hurt.

23-year-old Davie Dauzat and his 21-year-old wife, Natasha had just celebrated their second wedding anniversary on Tuesday of this week

A source close to the investigation said Natasha had been stabbed before she was decapitated.

'He was still inside with the children at one point, said Sgt. Kory Martin, spokesman for Bellmead Police.

'We had a hostage negotiator who made contact with him and as soon as we made contact with him, asked him to come outside, he voluntarily came outside and we were able to get him into custody and we quickly had units run inside that home and secure those children and the crime scene.'

The Facebook page of Natasha Tagliarino Dauzat recently stated 'I'm the happiest girl ever with an amazing Husband and kids and I love them'.

Police had visited their mobile home just two hours before the murder of Natasha was reported. At the time, police could see nothing amiss with the couple

A large police presence was visible throughout the neighborhood late Thursday morning, and roadways were barricaded around the mobile home park.

Word of the tragedy spread quickly Thursday evening, stunning many who knew them.

James Lee, who said he has lived in the neighborhood since 1993, sat on his front porch, watching firefighters and law enforcement work. Lee said he was shocked by the unusual scene.

'Emergency responders and rescue people come out here from time to time trying to help people with medical issues, and of course Bellmead (police) out here for fights, but we've never had this many police out here at once,' Lee said to the Waco Tribune.

The couple's two children, aged one and two-years-old, were at home when the killing took place

'I heard a man killed his wife and hid in the closest, but I don't know what for.'

The Dauzats were married August 23, 2014 and had just celebrated their second anniversary.
A Kentucky judge has ruled that a woman who was found guilty of murdering her boyfriend and sentenced to 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole last year will be granted a new trial.

Campbell County Circuit Court Judge Fred Stine announced his decision to overturn 25-year-old Shayna Hubers conviction on Thursday, a year after he sent her to prison for the killing of 29-year-old Ohio lawyer Ryan Posten.

Hubers conviction was thrown out after it emerged that Dave Craig, 53, who had served as a juror during the woman's trial, was a felon. Under Kentucky state law, felons are not allowed to serve on a jury.

Second chance: Shayna Hubers (left) has been granted a new trial, a year after she was convicted of killing her boyfriend, 29-year-old Ryan Posten (right)

Hubers, pictured in court last August, was sentenced to 40 years in prison without the possibility of parole for the 2012 murder

During Hubers first trial, prosecutors argued that the woman, then 21, shot Posten inside his penthouse apartment in Highland Heights in October 2012 after he tried to break up with her so he could go on a date with a former Miss Ohio 2012 beauty queen.

The woman claimed self-defense, saying that Posten became violent and that she shot him six times, including once in the face, because she was in fear for her life.

During a bizarre videotaped interview with police after her arrest, Hubers asked officers questions about life behind bars and was seen singing.

'I shot him enough times to kill him,' she said during the interview, 'so that he wouldn't suffer... He was laying there, twitching and making noises, and I shot him in the head.

'I was watching him die. It was painful to watch him die and to know that I had done that,' reported WCPO at the time.

Hubers then described her late boyfriend of one year as 'vain' about his looks.

'I shot him right here,' she said in the video as she pointed to her nose. 'I gave him his nose job he wanted.'

Prosecutors argued that the woman intentionally shot the attorney six times across a table after Poston tried to end their relationship.

The woman said the lawyer made fun of her speaking voice, insulted her family and physically assaulted her by pushing and dragging her around.

She detailed how the 29-year-old victim allegedly pushed her down against the arm of the couch and threw her against furniture in the moments before the first shot rang out.

The night of his killing, Posten was set to go on a date with former Miss Ohio 2012

'He said, You're just a hillbilly from Kentucky." And I am. I guess the hillbilly came out in me, and I took up for myself,' she told police in the recording played in court.

Hubers cellmate Cecily Miller said the woman confessed to her, boasting that she had 'cackled' with glee during the murder.

It took jurors five hours to find Hubers guilty of murder. At her sentencing last August, Judge Stine - the same judge who on Thursday threw out her conviction - dubbed the murder 'as cold-blooded an act' as he has seen in his 30-year career and chastised Hubers for failing to show any remorse.

In the months after the guilty verdict, Deanna Dennison, the lawyer who is working on Hubers' appeal, noticed the name of juror No 483, Dave Craig, and recalled that she had represented him in a child support case back in 1992.

Dennison ran the name through court records and uncovered the felony charge.

Craig said in court this week that he fell behind on child support payments, had no recollection of pleading guilty and did not realize he was a convicted felon when he was selected for the jury.

'They could have chosen any one of a million attorneys,' Dennison told The Cincinnati Enquirer on Thursday. 'They happen to have chosen me to do the appeal. I happened to be the one who represented the convicted felon. Otherwise, no one would have picked up on this.'

Campbell County Commonwealth's Attorney Michelle Snodgrass said her office is prepared to try Hubers again and 'hold her accountable.'

Prosecutors said Hubers, then 21, shot Posten in anger because he was planning to break up with her. The woman, however, claimed self-defense

Hubers, seen here in court last year, will remain jailed as she awaits her new trial

In a statement to ABC News, Ryan Poston's family said it respected Judge Stine's decision to grant Hubers a new trial.

'If we must endure another trial, we do so with absolute confidence that justice shall again be served,' the familys statement read.

The victim's family also wrote that they do no blame Dave Craig for the overturned conviction, reported the station WCPO.

'We know he honestly believed he was doing his best to serve his community,' read the statement. 'While we are disappointed that we must once again face a trial, we know there is no new exculpatory evidence nor testimony and Shayna Hubers is just as guilty today as the night she murdered our beloved Ryan.'
Shana Grice, 18, was found murdered in her home in Brighton, East Sussex

The heartbroken boyfriend of a 'kind and caring' teenager who was found murdered in her home today told how he gave her a kiss and a cuddle just hours before her body was found.

Shana Grice, 19, was discovered after she failed to turn up for work and detectives have arrested a 27-year-old man in connection with her 'suspicious' death.

And her devastated boyfriend, Ash Cooke, 21, today spoke as he was coming to terms with his loss by getting a 'Shana' tattoo in her memory.

The couple, who have been together for three-and-a-half years, were planning on starting a family in 2017 and went on holiday to Mexico with friends earlier this year.

The self-employed kitchen fitter last saw Miss Grice yesterday morning at about 7am as he said goodbye to her at the front door of her home in Brighton, East Sussex.

They made plans to have dinner together on Friday evening, before attending Mr Cooke's uncle's wedding together on Saturday.

However, less than three hours later, police were called to the address over concerns for the welfare of Miss Grice, after she had not arrived at work in the morning.

Ash Cooke, 21, (pictured) today spoke as he was coming to terms with what happened to his girlfriend Shana (left)

Mr Cooke (right) said that his girlfriend was the 'nicest person you could ever meet' after her body was discovered

They discovered her body alone in the house and while the cause of death is yet to be established, detectives are treating it her death as murder.

Her parents Sharon Grice and Richard Green today paid tribute to their 'beautiful' daughter.

In a joint statement, they said: 'Shana is our beautiful girl, a kind thoughtful, caring daughter who always thought of others.

'We would like to thank Ashley and his family for their support.

'We would also like to thank everyone for their beautiful kind words.'

Mr Cooke told how he has answered questions from officers, who have taken his mobile, and is today asking why anyone would want to kill her.

He said: 'Shana was the nicest person you could ever wish to meet.

'We have been together just over three-and-a-half years and we had plans. We had my uncle's wedding on Saturday and dinner tonight.

'We were planning to have children together next year and we were all ready to settle down, but now all that's not going to happen.

'She was supposed to finish work today and I was going to be meeting her then to go out for dinner.

Mr Cooke said that the couple (pictured) were planning on starting a family together next year

The 19 year old (pictured) was found after she failed to turn up for work and detectives have arrested a 27-year-old man

'I was with her yesterday morning, that's when I last saw her because I stayed with her Wednesday night.

'I start work early and I have to leave hers at 7am in the morning to get ready.

'She was awake and came to the door, we had a kiss and a cuddle and said goodbye, and then she locked the door after I left.

'I was working in Saltdean and as soon as I knew something wasn't right I knew I had to try and find her.

'I jumped in my van and rushed back to hers as fast as I could.'

Tragically, upon his arrival he learnt of his girlfriend's fate.

He added: 'She was a really kind girl, and she cared about everyone.

'I don't know why anyone would do this to her because she wasn't a nasty person and looked after everyone.

Mr Cooke (right) said that 'everyone loves' Shana and was making reference to the number of tributes which poured in on social media

'Everyone loves her, as you can see from the tributes on social media.

'I'm getting a big Shana tattoo, it's quite a big arm piece as a tribute to her.'

Mr Cooke continues to assist the police in their investigation, and will return to the force's Lewes base to sign the statement he made to officers yesterday.

He added: 'I think they are coming to get me later because I have got to go in and sign a statement.

'They had their suspect in Brighton, and they didn't want me there near him, so I went to Lewes to give my statement and now have to go back and sign it.'

He explained that Shana worked for delivery wholesaler Palmer and Harvey.

A Sussex Police spokesman said: 'A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the death of a woman at an address in Mile Oak.

Police officers (pictured) stood outside the house in Brighton where the body of Shana Grice was found

'Just before 9.45am on Thursday (25 August) police were called to the address in Chrisdory Road, Mile Oak, over concerns for the welfare of a 19-year woman living there who had not arrived at work in the morning.

'The body of a woman, believed to be the resident, was found inside the house. Formal identification has not yet taken place.

'Nobody else was in the house at the time.

'The cause of death has not yet been established but it is being treated as suspicious and detectives from the Surrey and Sussex Major Crime Team led by Detective Chief Inspector Paul Rymarz, are investigating.

'A 27-year old Portslade man was arrested on Thursday afternoon at an address in Burgess Hill on suspicion of murder and is currently in custody for interview and further enquiries.'

Superintendent James Collis added: 'Our thoughts are with the deceased and with her family and friends, who are receiving our support at this time.'

Friends of Shana also took to Facebook to pay tribute to their friend.

Geo Pettman wrote: 'Ever such a distressing reminder that the world is never as it seems, life is such a precious thing Shana Grice will forever be in everyone's heart.'

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after an 19-year-old woman's body was found at a house in Brighton (pictured)

Sinead Smythe said: 'Heaven has gained such a beautiful angel. I cannot believe what has happened. You were such a great soul!

'My thoughts are with everyone who knew her dearly. Forever in all our hearts. Rest in peace Shana Grice you will never be forgotten.'

Hassan Zerrouk, of Brighton, added: 'You will be 100 per cent missed Shana Grice !
A bride was left paralysed after slipping on her dress while dancing at her own wedding, which was held on Friday 13.

Natasha Timson, from Chelmsford, Essex, was celebrating her marriage to husband Steven Timson, 40, in May by dancing to the song Saturday Night.

The recruiter slipped on the polished floor when her shoe became tangled in her satin dress just half an hour before the end of the wedding.

Natasha Timson (right), from Chelmsford, Essex, was left paralysed after slipping on her dress while dancing at her wedding to Steve Timson (left), which was held on Friday 13

The 39-year-old said: 'I had a fantastic start to 2016, I married my soulmate, bought a new flat and was in my dream job for a fantastic company with good prospects ahead of me.

'After a fall, stone cold sober by the way, at the end of my wedding I had to go to hospital.'

She added: 'I cracked my head so loudly they heard it on the other side of the room,' according to The Sun.

Natasha was taken to hospital and diagnosed with concussion but had to wait eight weeks before learning about the full damage caused to her brain.

The recruiter (pictured left in hospital) slipped on the polished floor when her shoe became tangled in her satin dress just half an hour before the end of the wedding

She said: 'Prior to the fall I had not been 100 per cent for over a year, I felt run down, exhausted and almost unable to function every so often and was told by my GP firstly I had a virus, then it could be shingles, then I had diabetes and then that I had a liver condition.'

Two weeks later she returned to hospital for further tests revealing more devastating injuries.

She said: 'My MRI came back showing brain lesions, my brain was also very swollen and temporarily damaged due to the fall.

'I'd gone from the happiest time of my life to the worse [sic].'

Natasha's health continued to deteriorate until she learned she had suffered a hemiplegic migraine after the brain injury fall leaving half of her body paralysed.

To add to her health concerns she was also diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis.

Natasha, who has been in hospital for more than three months, remains in a wheelchair and is unable to move her lower left leg.

Natasha's health continued to deteriorate until she learned she had suffered a hemiplegic migraine after the brain injury fall leaving half of her body paralysed

On her decision to hold the wedding on the 'unlucky' date, the bride said: 'Everybody laughed and joked and we actually got it cheaper because it was Friday 13.'

She is now raising money for Funding Neuro, a charity researching treatments and cures for neurological conditions, with a JustGiving page.

She also writes a blog detailing her treatment and recovery.

She writes: 'The sad thing is many people like me go undiagnosed or told it's all in their head.

'This is because of a lack of knowledge into neurological issues.

'I am writing this blog daily to highlight the issues people with neurological issues like me face, and to raise not only awareness but also funds for Funding Neuro UK.

'The truth is I had never heard of them before all this, but you never think it will be you or your family.
Police in Atlanta now believe an Uber driver, who sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman, posed as a driver in order to lure her into his vehicle.

Atlanta police Sgt Warren Pickard said in a news conference Thursday that some Uber drivers wait outside bars anticipating that people will need rides, much like taxis do.

'He just generally picked up on that methodology and it just so happened that she got into the car,' Pickard said.

Atlanta police now believe an Uber driver, who sexually assaulted a 20-year-old woman, posed as a driver in order to lure her into his vehicle while she was leaving a bar (file photo)

The woman told officers she was leaving the Park Bench Pub on Atlanta's north side about 2.30am on August 13, when she contacted Uber to get a ride home, police said.

She told the officers that instead of taking her home, the driver took her to Chastain Park, about two miles away, and assaulted her.

Police said the driver eventually pushed her out of the car after she fought back.

The Atlanta attack is the most recent of several attacks by phony Uber drivers across the nation.

Within the past 12 months, police in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Orlando, Florida, have issued alerts to warn residents about people pretending to be Uber drivers and preying on unsuspecting customers.

The woman told officers she was leaving the Park Bench Pub on Atlanta's north side about 2.30am on August 13, when she contacted Uber to get a ride home, police said

She told the officers that instead of taking her home, the driver took her to Chastain Park (pictured), about two miles away, and assaulted her. Police said the driver eventually pushed her out of the car after she fought back

Similar cases have been reported in several cities, including Los Angeles, where a man in April was arrested and accused of luring a woman into his SUV, and then raping her and choking her until she became unconscious.

The woman fought back and was choked unconscious at least three times before she managed to scream loud enough to alert neighbors, Los Angeles Police Chief Charlie Beck said.

In Washington, D.C., police warned residents to be on guard after a woman on October 10 entered a silver sedan, 'which she mistook as an Uber car', the Metropolitan Police Department's alert states.

The driver had a knife, and sexually assaulted her, police said in the statement.

Within the past week, University of Florida police warned students that a man in a Chevy Malibu with Uber stickers on the car has been soliciting rides around campus.

The driver, who is not affiliated with Uber, 'is specifically targeting female students', police said in a statement on Sunday, warning students to be vigilant about their safety.

Uber advises that customers take several steps to ensure that their driver is an actual Uber driver, a company spokeswoman said in a Friday statement

University police said they knew of no criminal activity, but asked that anyone with information about the driver contact them.

Uber advises that customers take several steps to ensure that their driver is an actual Uber driver, a company spokeswoman said in a Friday statement.

Riders are advised to only ride with drivers they request through the Uber app, not by flagging down cars.

Before the trip begins, customers also should double check the vehicle's license plate, the driver's name and photo to make sure they match the information they receive through the app when requesting a ride, the statement said.
An aristocrat who sacked the manageress of his holiday home while she was pregnant has been forced to pay her compensation.

The Earl of Harrington, whose son-in-law is Viscount Linley, fired Hollie Harker soon after she and her husband Jon learnt they were expecting their first child.

The couple said they had been working at the earls eight-bedroom French property Chateau de Combecave, in Touffailles near Toulouse, for eight months when they were told to leave forthwith without explanation.

Holly Harker, pictured with her son Charlie, who is now 19 months old, was sacked after she told her employer she was pregnant

During their claim for wrongful dismissal, Mrs Harker, 26, who has a history of miscarrying, was terrified the stress would cause her to lose the baby, but eventually gave birth to a healthy boy.

However, after discovering she was pregnant again in June last year she miscarried and was taken to hospital after having a panic attack.

We feel vindicated and look forward to moving on with our lives and forgetting the nightmare they put us through Holly Harker

She said the situation was not helped by the strain of the case against the earl.

The Harkers won their case at a hearing in May in France.

The earl, who disputed he knew of the pregnancy at the time, was told to pay an undisclosed sum in compensation and Mrs Harkers legal costs.

Mr Harker, 30, who now works in sales for a company in Leeds, said: The whole episode has left us feeling wronged. We had no apology or acknowledgment from them that they ever did anything bad to us.

We feel vindicated and look forward to moving on with our lives and forgetting the nightmare they put us through. We have the right to have kids and a family.

The Earl of Harrington, pictured with his wife in 2001, said he decided to dismiss the couple after warning them of shortcomings in their work

The Harkers were recruited as live-in guardians for Combecave in 2013 by the Earl and Countess of Harrington, who live there three months of the year and have a multi-million-pound fortune based on substantial property holdings, mainly in South Kensington.

Mrs Harker said: One of the questions they asked was Are you planning on having children?

We did explain to them that it was in our plans but I had suffered a miscarriage four months before that. Lady Harrington said Thats really horrible. We kind of got talking about that.

They were offered the job and moved into an apartment above the earls garages next to the chateau.

Their tasks involved looking after the grounds, cleaning and caring for their employers Labrador and an African grey parrot.

Mrs Harker said: There was nothing said that was negative about the way we were working. Ever.

In April 2014 Mrs Harker learnt she was pregnant and few weeks later they told their employers.

Mrs Harker said: They looked shocked but they were still smiling. You could tell they were thinking OK, how is this going to work?

Several days later the earl told Mr Harker the couple would have to leave the property immediately. Mrs Harker said: I burst into tears. We had no home.

In the legal case the earl argued he had been unaware of the pregnancy at the time.

He said he decided to dismiss the couple after warning them of shortcomings in their work.

The Harkers now live in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, with their son Charlie, who is now 18 months old.

The Harringtons have been contacted for comment.
A software company that sells a brute-force data erasure program is boasting that its technology gave Hillary Clinton the power to 'wipe' her private homebrew email server before it fell into the hands of the FBI.

Application developer Andrew Ziem wrote in a Thursday night press release that his BleachBit software prevented the FBI from accessing emails that Clinton deleted.

'Last year when Clinton was asked about wiping her email server, she joked, "Like with a cloth or something?" It turns out now that BleachBit was that cloth.'

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Hillary Clinton joked in 2015 about 'wiping' her email server 'with a cloth,' but it turned out a brute-force software program was used to permanently wipe the data from her private server

BleachBit's developer bragged Thursday night on his website that his software had a hand in one of this election cycle's most enduring scandals

When Windows, Mac OS, Linux or other operating systems 'delete' files, their entries in a hard drive's directory are erased but the core data typically remains in place.

BleachBit is one of many software packages that go further, 'zeroing out' the data itself so it can't be pieced back together again by hackers or forensic examiners.

South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, who chairs the House Select Committee on Benghazi, told a Fox News Channel audience on Thursday that Clinton's use of BleachBit had erased her deleted emails so thoroughly that 'even God can't read them.'

'She and her lawyers had those emails deleted,' Gowdy said. 'And they didn't just push the delete button ... They were using something called BleachBit.'

Clinton told reporters last year in a rare press conference that the more than 33,000 emails she ordered deleted concerned personal, non-work-related subjects like yoga sessions and the planning of her daughter Chelsea's wedding.

Bleachbit is capable of 'shredding' computer data and can 'hide traces of files,' according to its website

Gowdy suspected that Clinton considered all her emails related to the controversial Clinton Foundation to be personal messages, and got rid of them instead of handing them over to the State Department.

'You don't use BleachBit for yoga emails or for bridemaids emails,' Gowdy charged. 'When you're using BleachBit, it is something you really do not want the world to see.'

Clinton has avoided for months answering questions about classified material in emails that the State Department recovered from her.

She has not held a formal press conference in the last 265 days.

After the Fox News segment aired, Ziem wrote in a BleachBit user forum, his website's traffic spiked.

'I do not know who the visitors are, but web site traffic was sharply up this morning (when it aired live on TV),' he wrote.

'It slowed down, and now it is picking back up again.'

Ziem wrote in his press release that 'BleachBit has not been served a warrant or subpoena in relation to the investigation' into Clinton's emails.
Talk about being unlucky  time after time.

Kyle Cook, a 31-year-old resident of Lakeland, Florida, has lived through potentially life-ending traumas, emerging from them relatively unscathed.

In the last four years, he has been struck by lightning, bitten by a venomous spider, and attacked by a rattlesnake. And he has survived, according to The Ledger.

'He's a walking Murphy's law,' his father, Mike Cook, said. 'I walk on the other side of the mall.'

Kyle Cook, 31, of Lakeland, Florida, may be the unluckiest (or luckiest, depending on how one looks at it) man alive, having survived a snake bite, spider attack, and a lightning strike

On August 11, Cook was mowing the lawn of his parent's home when he heard a rattling sound that he thought may have been made by his lawnmower.

When the sound persisted after he shut off the lawnmower, he noticed a five-foot long snake a mere three feet away from him on the ground.

Scared at the sight of the animal, Cook froze. He slowly moved his left foot back and inadvertently stepped on a stick. The sound of the stick snapping apparently provoked the snake, which quickly lunged for Cook's right angle.

'When it snapped, it moved so fast,' Cook told The Ledger. 'I've heard they can move half the length of their body in less than two milliseconds. I didn't even see it bite me. I just screamed and ran to my wife.'

They immediately drove to the emergency room. Cook, who calls himself a 'bigger guy,' said that this layers of fat didn't allow the snake's fangs to dig in too deeply.

Cook shows off the bite marks left by an eastern diamondback rattlesnake, which he found in his parents' yard as he was mowing their lawn earlier this month

The eastern diamondback rattlesnake is a pit viper that can be found primarily in the southeastern United States

'[The doctors at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center] said the tissue saved my life because it didn't allow (the venom) to go into the bloodstream,' Cook said.

Fortunate to be alive, Cook was released after one day in the hospital. His ankle is still red, and the pain prevents him from wearing a shoe.

Snake bites against humans are not rare, but the story is all the more remarkable considering Cook's track record.

Almost four years to the day prior, he was hit by lightning. While driving a sweeper truck, a fierce storm approached.

This past spring, the down-on-his-luck Cook was bitten by a recluse spider, causing his hand to swell. He needed surgery to drain toxins from his hand, sparing him an amputation

When the left sweeper became stuck in a gutter, he left the cap to release a hydraulic line and release the sweeper. It was at that moment that lightning struck just 10 feet away.

The electricity travelled through the puddle and the sweeper's metal bristles and reached his left hand, knocking him 6 feet backwards and leaving him unconscious for about a minute.

'It was like Mike Tyson hitting me with a jackhammer in the jaw,' Cook said.

Doctors said that the lightning left him with a minor heart attack and a severe concussion. Cook also sustained permanent damage to his spine and nerves on the left side of his body.

Cook said that he still suffers from intense nerve pain compounded by a condition known as stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal column, which causes arthritis.

This past April, Cook's misfortune struck again  this time coming in the form of a spider bite.

While working as a truck driver, he arrived at a warehouse and waited for his truck to be loaded.

As he was sitting on a pallet, a recluse spider, one of the most poisonous spiders in nature, bit him on his left hand. Within minutes, the hand swelled and turned red.

Cook kept working despite the worsening condition of his hand. After about a week with no improvement, he went to the hospital, where a doctor performed surgery to drain the accumulation of toxins.

The surgery turned out to be critical, since it saved his hand from being amputated. The time he needed to recuperate eventually cost him his job, as the truck company fired him due to extended absence.

As if that weren't enough, Cook said that he was once bitten by an alligator that he accidentally caught while fishing. He also says that he has been stung by man-of-wars and stingrays. He has also been bitten by non-poisonous reptiles like corn and indigo snakes.
A farming family has been 'cruelly' ordered to leave the UK after making a 'simple mistake' with their immigration application.

The Talbots settled in Dorset from New Zealand six years ago to help their two sons establish a cattle farm.

But their lives have been shattered by a 'technicality' that led to them missing the deadline for their application.

A top immigration judge has said there 'really is no reason' why they cannot stay, but Home Office officials have refused to listen.

Louise and John Talbot were photographed with their sons Charles (left) and Edward (right) on their farm in Dorset

The 'hard-working and honest' family of four are now calling on Immigration Minister Robert Goodwill to intervene and save them from deportation.

Louise Talbot, 52, said: 'It has been an utter nightmare  so cruel.

'It was one simple mistake. It was just a slip, an unintentional error. We were not trying to bend the rules.

'We are utterly distraught at the thought of our lives being devastated because of a technicality. This is our home. I would serve a prison sentence to sort this out.'

Mrs Talbot, a qualified school teacher who runs cheese-making classes for the WI and Waitrose, said officials rejected their application simply because it was out of time. She described their decision as 'criminal'.

The family  who lost 21 ancestors fighting for Britain in the two world wars  had been visiting Dorset for more than 30 years when they decided to move there permanently in 2010. They qualified for ancestry visas because Mrs Talbot's grandmother was born in the UK.

They have since spent thousands educating their two sons  Edward, 24, and Charles, 21  at agricultural schools here.

They knew their visas would expire in May last year and intended to apply for indefinite leave to remain as soon as possible  28 days before they would expire. But they did not realise they needed to pass a Life in the UK test as well as meet other criteria.

Mrs Talbot and husband John, 62, passed first time but Charles was studying for exams at the Royal Agricultural University in Cirencester and did not pass until after the deadline had expired. Edward was born in the UK and so has dual citizenship.

But when the family produced their finished application  at a cost of 5,700  they were told it was unsuccessful because they had missed the 28-day window.

Their passports were seized and they were told they could not appeal. They have now been told to 'leave the UK voluntarily' or they will be 'liable for enforced removal'.

Louise Talbot (pictured) said: 'It has been an utter nightmare  so cruel. It was one simple mistake'

But an immigration judge has urged the Home Office to take a 'benevolent view' following a hearing of the case in February.

Mr Justice Jay said: 'There is really no reason, frankly, why this application should be refused if the applicants can meet what I would like to call the substantive requirements, namely the fact of ancestry and the fact that they now successfully have all passed this test.'

Agricultural business graduate Edward, whose plan for a dairy and beef farm has been on hold for a year now, said: 'It is an extreme case of bureaucracy gone mad.

'We need the immigration minister to understand this case is absolute nonsense and use the power available to him to grant the application.

'We came here legally, we haven't submitted false documents, and we haven't committed any crimes. In any other walk of life or business it just wouldn't happen.'

The case has echoes of the problems facing the Brain family, who settled in the Scottish Highlands on a student visa  but the terms of their stay were later changed by the Government and they are fighting deportation.

John Talbot has links to Dorset dating back 42 years when he came over from New Zealand to work on a farm for a year. He and his wife have been married 32 years and regularly returned to the county before deciding to settle.

They now say their farm cottage near Blandford Forum feels like their true home.

The family GP, writing a reference for the family, said they were 'honest, hard-working and reliable', and the stress of the 'unfair' situation had caused them health problems.
A man in Ohio jumped to his death inside a courthouse on Friday after he was sentenced to prison for an attempted murder conviction related to when he drunkenly shot another man in the face.

After Jason Binkiewicz, 42, was sentenced to 13 years in prison Friday morning, he managed to break away from the bailiff who was taking him out of a Jefferson County courtroom.

'He made a run for the banister on the third floor of the courthouse and threw himself over the banister and has been pronounced dead,' Sheriff Fred Abdalla told WTOV.

It's estimated that he jumped 100 feet to his death, from the third floor in the courthouse to the first floor.

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Tragic: Jason Binkiewicz (above) jumped to his death inside a courthouse on Friday after he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for an attempted murder conviction in Ohio

Binkiewicz (left) managed to break away from the bailiff who was taking him out of a Jefferson County courtroom and threw himself over the banister on the third floor

'As soon as Binkiewicz started running, Deputy Price he was on him quick enough when he reached out, he had his shirt,' Abdalla said.

'It wasn't good enough, and if he held on to the shirt, most likely Deputy Price would have gone over with him.'

Binkiewicz was arrested for attempted murder for drunkenly shooting a man in the face in 2015

Binkiewicz was found guilty earlier this year for a November 2015 shooting in Newtown.

Police say he was drunk when he went to the home of Ronald Horton and shot the man in his jaw, WTOV reported.

His defense attorneys claimed during the trial that the shooting stemmed from a drug deal, but Horton said that Binkiewicz shot him for no reason.

Binkiewicz told police that he went to Horton's home to purchase crack cocaine and heroin.

The shooting victim admitted to authorities that he used drugs, but said that he never sold any and did not try to shoot Binkiewicz.

He said that he fired his weapon at Horton because the homeowner had shot at him.

Binkiewicz fled from the crime scene with a pal who was waiting for him outside.

He reportedly told his friend that the alleged drug dealer tried to shoot him.

It's estimated that he jumped 100 feet to his death, from the third floor in the courthouse to the first floor. Above authorities are pictured outside of the courthouse after his death

Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said: 'I don't think that anybody thought that this was going to happen today.' Above is the Jefferson County Courthouse

Binkiewicz was arrested a short time later and charged with attempted murder and felony assault.

He was found guilty by a jury last month.

Prosecutors in the case said they couldn't have predicted the tragic outcome that happened on Friday.

'I don't think that anybody thought that this was going to happen today,' Prosecutor Jane Hanlin said.

'Sometimes if we are aware something has happened in the past, or there have been those types of threats, then we are looking for that, we're going to be taking different action.

'It really is just a heart-breaking day for everybody here because they're typically lots of people in the courthouse, there are criminal proceedings going on, a lot of activity at the courthouse.

As the sheriff said, we are thankful that the deputy wasn't injured and we're actually thankful that nobody else was hurt as he went over that railing, that he didn't hurt or kill anybody else on the way down.'

WTOV reported that the Steubenville police department will be handling the investigation along with the Attorney Generals office.
The fate of two British families torn apart by the Italian earthquake came down to which floor members were sleeping on in the holiday home when it collapsed, a neighbour has said.

Maria and Will Henniker-Gotley were on the ground floor of their eight bedroom farmhouse in Sommati when they died, leaving their children Francesca and Jack, aged 12 and 14, who had been upstairs, orphaned.

Staying with the couple, but on the top floor, were their friends Anne-Louise and Simon Burnett, from south London, whose 14-year-old son Marcos was downstairs and died in the tragedy.

Yesterday Angelo Bonanni, who owns a restaurant which backs on to the Henniker-Gotleys holiday home, said the Burnett couple and the children survived because they were sleeping on the top floor, whereas the hosts and Marcos were on the ground floor and crushed by the impact of the earthquake.

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Maria and Will Henniker-Gotey: Their two children have been left orphaned after the couple died when their holiday home in Sommati came crashing to the ground. The couple died because they were sleeping on the ground floor, a neighbour said yesterday

Marcos Burnett, 14, who died in the Amatrice earthquake in Italy, was also sleeping on the ground floor when the disaster struck

Mr Bonanni said he had helped rescue the couples two children.

His father Nando added that the youngsters were terrified but did not immediately know their parents had died, saying: I waited for their aunt Giulia to come here at about 10pm.

The Henniker-Gotley home was purchased and lovingly renovated by Mrs Henniker-Gotleys late father some ten years ago.

The eight-bedroom farmhouse which was reduced to rubble also claimed the life of Marcos Burnett whose family was staying with Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley and their children

But in the early hours of Wednesday morning, the farmhouse in Sommati that they were sharing with another family came crashing to the ground.

The village is a mile from the worst-hit town of Amarice.

Mrs Henniker-Gotley, 51, was a finance manager for the London-based Children and Arts charity. Her 55-year-old husband  believed to be an Oxford graduate  was a consultant.

A family torn apart: Simon and Anne-Louise Burnett (right) were injured in the earthquake but have been left without their son Marcos (left)

The mailbox with the names of Henniker-Gotley is all that is left standing in front of the collapsed farmhouse

His parents and sister escaped with injuries and were last night being treated in hospital.

Mrs Henniker-Gotleys cousin Carlo Taliani, 38, who owns a restaurant in a nearby village, said he received a call informing him that the couple  who had come to see him just days earlier  were dead.

He said the couple had loved returning to the village where Mrs Henniker-Gotleys father Sante, who emigrated to London, was from.

William and Maria Henniker-Gotley's property in London

Sante named the holiday home Villa Olivia after his late wife.

Mr Taliani, who is housing many of the homeless in a makeshift tent on his land, said the house was renovated in a very British manner, despite its rural Italian location in the Rieti province.

He said: She (Mrs Henniker-Gotley) moved a lot between London and here. She liked it because of her roots.

He said the family were known to locals for doing traditional British things such as having afternoon tea.

Mr Taliani learned of the tragedy after Mrs Henniker-Gotleys sister called a mutual friend and asked him to collect her from Rome airport so she could care for her orphaned niece and nephew.

Relatives mourn over a coffin of one of the earthquake victims prior to the start of the funeral service in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, on Saturday

A man farewelled his loved one inside the coffin during the mass funeral

The man broke down and cried during his attempts to farewell his loved one

A woman pays her respects to a loved one while sitting surrounded by coffins

Relatives of the dead mourn near coffins of some of the earthquake victims prior to the funeral

Relatives mourn near coffins of some of the earthquake victims prior to the funeral service

A relative of a victim of the earthquake is seen in front of a coffin before a mass funeral in Ascoli Piceno, Marche region, Italy, on Saturday

A priest before the mass funeral for earthquake victims which is due to take place today

Two relatives of a victime embrace each other before the mass funeral in Ascoli Piceno

Mr Taliani is housing many of the homeless in a makeshift tent on his land as the numbers continue to rise

Damaged houses are pictured in Casale, a central Italian village near Amatrice two days after the 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck

He said he was surprised the home was flattened as it was renovated fairly recently, adding: You would not have expected it to crumble like that  you would have thought that they would have been able to get out. Marcos, along with Jack, was a pupil at 6,500-a-term Wetherby school in Notting Hill, west London, where Princes William and Harry studied and the Beckhams children also attend.

Yesterday the schools headmaster Nick Baker paid tribute to Marcos as an utterly charming boy. He added: He was quick-witted, always had a smile on his face and wanted to be involved in everything.

He was a friend to all and a credit to his school and family. He will be missed by all that knew him.

Rescuers of the Italian Red Cross carry the body of a victim on a stretcher in a delimited area in the central Italian village of Amatrice on Friday night

The first funerals for victims of the devastating earthquake that hit central Italy this week were held on Friday as the recovery effort continued

His parents both suffered broken bones, while his sister is understood to have minor injuries.

It is thought they were only told their son had not survived on Thursday, when a relative visited them from Britain. Mr Burnett and his wife  who is believed to be a director at JP Morgan in the City  are from Bayswater, west London.

Neighbours described Marcos as a nice, normal teenage boy who was always on his skateboard.

Rescuers of the Italian Red Cross and members of the Italian Guardia di Finanza (Financial Guard) stand in a square in the central Italian village of Amatrice where the quake hit

Neighbour Bruno Formicola, 50, told The Daily Telegraph how he heard cries for help in English coming from the rubble.

A joint statement from the families issued by the Foreign Office said: It is with sadness that we can confirm the deaths of Maria, 51, and Will Henniker-Gotley, 55, and Marcos Burnett, 14, in the earthquake in Amatrice.

Their families have paid tribute to the tireless work of the Italian rescue workers and hospital staff.

The Queen has made an undisclosed donation to the British Red Cross to support rescue efforts in the area.

Her Majesty and the Duke of Edinburgh said their thoughts and prayers were with victims.

The central Italian village of Amatrice was still occupied by many rescue workers on Friday as they removed bodies from the rubble of destroyed buildings
A woman who was mistakenly declared dead in July 2014 is fighting the Federal Government, which is trying to force her to pay back two years worth of social security for services it paid for during that time.

Barbara Murphy, 64, of Roy, Utah, first knew something had gone wrong when her credit card was declined while out to dinner.

Her granddaughter, who works for a bank, called Murphy's bank to find out what had gone wrong.

Barbara Murphy (pictured left with her husband), 64, of Roy, Utah, is struggling to prove to the federal government that she's alive after being mistakenly marked dead. The Social Security Administration is trying to force her to pay back two years worth of social security for services it paid for during the two years it thought she was dead

Murphy's granddaughter was told the account had been frozen after the Social Security Administration issued a notice of her death.

Murphy was able to reactivate her account but the bank manager urged her to contact Social Security.

She then went to her local Social Security office and couldn't register for a spot in line because her Social Security number had been disconnected.

Finally she was able to speak with someone.

'I said,"'Now would you like to take my pulse and see that I'm alive? Because you're showing me dead." And I said, "You've caused me heartache",' Murphy told Deseret News.

Murphy was able to sign a document saying she's contesting her listing as deceased.

She was assured she would be restored to active and would be updated about her progress.

As of Thursday, Murphy has still be unsuccessful at reversing the filing the she's dead.

She then went to her local Social Security office in Roy, Utah, (pictured) and couldn't register for a spot in line because her Social Security number had been disconnected. When she finally spoke with someone she was able to sign a document saying she's contesting her listing as deceased

'It was a joke. Since that time, every facility I have ever visited, every doctor's office I have ever visited, has received requests for every payment they have received be refunded to Social Security,' Murphy said.

The Social Security Administration has even been attempting to pull the money it thinks it's owed out of Murphy's bank account.

The government is attempting to pull the money in order to recoup any Medicare or Medicaid dollars used for Murphy's treatment during the two years it declared her dead.

Murphy is on a fixed income and now fears she won't be able to pay her bills, prescriptions or see a doctor.

She says the only reason the Federal Government hasn't been able to take her money out of her account is her fiercely loyal bank.

When the Social Security Administration called her bank, which asked not to be identified, and told them to remove the two years worth of funds, the bank declined.

'The only protection I've had is my wonderful bank, because they have worked so hard and diligently to help me.

She was assured she would be restored to active and would be updated about her progress. As of Thursday, Murphy has still be unsuccessful at reversing the filing the she's dead (stock image)

'The young man at the bank, I just can't applaud him enough. Every time something comes up, he'll pick the phone up and call me,' Murphy said.

Spokeswoman for the Social Security Administration, Cindy Malone, told the Deseret New it couldn't speak about Murphy's case because of privacy laws.

'We may never know how it happened. We focus on fixing the issue.

'We post about 2.8 million new reports of death each year from many sources, including family members, funeral homes, financial institutions, postal authorities, states and other federal agencies, and around one-third of one per cent are subsequently corrected," Malone said.

Murphy hopes to one day know how this error occurred and hopes there is someone who can be help accountable.
Clutching a stuffed pink unicorn and a crucifix to her heart, a sobbing Kayla Ertl and her family walked into a church in Watkins, Minnesota, Friday for the funeral of her slain 5-year-old daughter.

Alayna Ertl was murdered last Saturday, after being kidnapped from her home by family friend Zachary Todd Anderson, who was invited to stay the night, according to police.

An autopsy showed the 5-year-old died from 'homicidal violence,' which included strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head. A criminal complaint revealed Alayna also had been sexually assaulted.

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Shattering loss: Alayna Ertl's parents, Kayla and Matt, hold hands with Alayna's older brother Carter as they leave the funeral home for the short procession to the church for Alayna's funeral Friday

Touching tokens: Kayla Ertl clutches a stuffed unicorn and a crucifix to her heart as she walks into St. Anthony Catholic Church for her daughter's funeral service

Kayla Ertl, dressed in black, breaks down in tears and presses her face against her son Carter

St Anthony's was also the site of a vigil that was held in Alayna's honor earlier this week

Final journey: Pallbearers carry the casket of five-year-old Alayna Ertl out of St. Anthony Catholic Church, with her family (right) walking behind it

The procession moves down Central Avenue from St. Anthony Catholic Church to the cemetery following the service

Show of support: Nearly the entire population of Watkins crowds the burial service for five-year-old Alayna

On Friday morning, hundreds of mourners, led by Alayna's devastated parents and older brother, came out to say a final farewell to the little girl.

The funeral for the child who was about to start kindergarten in two weeks was held at the red-brick St Anthony Catholic Church in Watkins beginning at 10.30am.

After the service, a wooden casket containing the remains of the 5-year-old was carried out of the church en route to a nearby cemetery.

Alayna's parents, Kayla and Matt Ertl, and her brother, Carter, wept and held hands as they followed her coffin to her final resting place.

On Tuesday night, about 1,000 people - practically the entire town's population - gathered to honor Alayna.

Little Alayna's parents were the first to light candles at the service at St Anthony's

Family friend Zachary Anderson (left) allegedly kidnapped Alayna (right) last Saturday from her home and hid her body in the swamp under debris. An autopsy showed Alayna died from 'homicidal violence'

Almost the entire small town of Watkins, Minnesota turned out for a candlelight vigil in honor of a five-year-old girl who was murdered there last weekend

Visitations have been scheduled for Thursday and Friday at a local funeral home. Above, a small boy attends the service on Tuesday

At the beginning of the service, the mourners released hundreds of pink and purple balloons into the sky to pay tribute to Alayna.

As the balloons took off into the night sky, the song 'Let It Go' from the Alayna's favorite movie Frozen was played.

'Today we remember a little girl who was given to us as a gift,' Rev. Aaron Nett, a priest at the church who led the service, said, according to the Star Tribune. 'She had a love for others which was free and innocent.'

Little Alayna's horrific murder has rocked the community, with many residents saying they never could have imagined something so gruesome happening in such a safe, small town.

'Like a complete nightmare. It's like everybody's in shock and nobody knows how to feel. Feel anger or feel sadness or - it's just hard to put it into words how any of us feel,' Alayna Ertl's godmother and aunt Angie Adams told KARE 11.

'Its been hell,' Tom Ertl told the Star Tribune on Tuesday. Ertl is the director of the Ertl Funeral Home in Watkins and a distant cousin of the victim. 'This is just senseless. There are no words.'

Dawn Kuechle was set to have Alayna in her kindergarten class at Eden-Valley Watkins Elementary School, when the school year started in two weeks. She attended the vigil on Tuesday with another kindergarten teacher at the school, where Mrs Ertl was a volunteer parent.

'Horrific. Very difficult,' Kuechle called the crime. 'Just not knowing, not understanding why, and trying to understand just where we go from here.'

Two visitations have been planned for Alayna at Ertl Funeral Home. One from 4 to 8pm on Thursday and another from 9 to 10am on Friday.

'Alayna gave joy to our lives by always having a smile and kind words to say,' her obituary reads. 'She loved learning from her brother and always gave the best hugs.'

Meanwhile, Alayna's accused killer sits in jail on charges of murder, criminal sexual conduct, kidnapping and motor vehicle theft.

Zachary Todd Anderson, 25, kidnapped Alayna early Saturday from her home in Watkins, about 70 miles northwest of Minneapolis, authorities said.

An autopsy showed Alayna died from 'homicidal violence,' which included strangulation and blunt force trauma to her head, according to KSTP.

The child had also been sexually assaulted, according to the criminal complaint.

Anderson was a friend of the family and had been spending Friday night at the Ertl family's house.

Alayna was last seen when she was put to bed around 2am Saturday.

She and Anderson were gone by morning along with the family's 2002 GMC Sierra truck.

He was found hours later at his family's cabin near Motley, about 80 miles to the north.

When Anderson's father found out about the abduction he called the sheriff's office and reported that he believed his son was involved, according to KSTP.

He said Anderson had called earlier that day and asked for permission to go to their family cabin in Motley.

When Anderson's father found out about the abduction he called the sheriff's office and reported that he believed his son was involved and may have gone to their family cabin

Alayna's body was discovered near Wilderness Park (pictured) outside of Motley in rural Cass County

A memorial sign was posted near where Alayna's body was found. It reads: 'A life gone to soon'

Investigators said they found the stolen 2002 GMC Sierra hidden in a wooded area near the cabin.

They also found a single-shot 20-gauge shotgun on the kitchen table with multiple rounds spilled about.

Officers told the station they also found an apparent suicide note with blood on it.

Anderson was arrested after being found in knee-deep water in a swampy area shortly after police began their search.

They said he had open cuts on his left wrist.

Police said he told them Alayna was hidden in the swamp under some debris. He then showed them the location.

Authorities came across the little girl's pink blanket sticking out from some brush in the water.

After scouting the area, they found the child's lifeless body submerged in the water and hidden under brush, KSTP reported.

Alayna's body was discovered near Wilderness Park outside of Motley in rural Cass County.

Anderson was a co-worker of Ertl's father and had stayed at the home on previous occasions, Meeker County Sheriff Brian Cruze said Saturday night.

According to the Star Tribune, Anderson does not have a previous criminal record outside of traffic violations.

Anderson is being held at the Crow Wing County Jail.




Dazed and bloodied: Five-year-old Omran Dagneesh, the small survivor who should shame us all

The small boy with a grievous stomach wound was one of hundreds who processed daily through the hospital in Aleppo where I was working as a trauma surgeon.

'Am I going to die?' he asked me quietly.

Ali was just four years old, and it was the fact that he could speak with such calm self-awareness about death that frightened me.

Death is now so commonplace in Syria's largest city that even the youngest children live daily with the reality of it. And this is an awful and abiding tragedy.

A child of four should not understand the meaning of death, much less have the prescience to foretell his own.

I thought about little Ali, who did indeed die from shrapnel wounds, when a surgeon friend phoned me last week from the underground M10 hospital in Aleppo, where I had also worked.

He told me he had treated Omran Dagneesh, a five-year-old boy who had been admitted with a deep scalp wound.

At the time I did not know who Omran was, or realise the significance of my friend's remarks  after all, he was treating many child casualties every day.

But, of course, within minutes, I, along with millions of others worldwide, was faced with Omran's picture on my television screen. The image of him sitting in an ambulance  shell-shocked, covered in dust, dazed and bloodied  became iconic.

Perhaps the world had become so inured to awful images of death that it took a living child, a boy who had actually survived his injuries, to symbolise so powerfully the horror of the conflict in Syria.

Omran has spent the entirety of his short life living under a constant bombardment from the skies. The attack is relentless and unimaginable.

As a result, he and the other children of Aleppo are wise beyond their years.

First, Omran's home was destroyed in the air strike from which he was rescued.

Too shocked for tears: A brother and sister in Aleppo, both victims of the incessant bombing

Then, a day later, his ten-year-old brother  another Ali  died as a result of injuries to his kidney and liver, as well as fragmentation wounds sustained during the blast.

His distraught parents did not even have a home in which they could receive mourners.

But these losses are commonplace. Civilians in the rebel-held district of the city where Omran and his parents live endure incessant attacks from rockets, barrel bombs and high-energy explosives which rain down from Russian jets and Assad-regime helicopters.

Children play in the rubble of bomb blasts. Their schools, if they ever had them, have been destroyed.

Now there are napalm and chlorine gas attacks, too.

A friend, another fellow doctor, rang to tell me last week of around 20 patients who were admitted to his makeshift hospital after a chemical weapon attack with chlorine.

His emergency department was full. He had neither enough masks nor oxygen cylinders available to treat the majority.

He was not able to ventilate any of the seriously ill patients because he simply did not have the equipment to do so.

As a result, two died after the chlorine combined with the water in their lungs to produce hydrochloric acid, which then dissolved their lungs. My friend was utterly devastated.

It is now 23 years since I first volunteered to work as a surgeon in the world's worst trouble spots.

Pictured, people carry out wreck removal works after a barrel bomb attack in Aleppo

Every year, I spend a couple of months away from my NHS posts at three London hospitals (Chelsea and Westminster, the Royal Marsden and St Mary's where I work in vascular, general and cancer surgery) to operate on the wounded and dying in conflict zones.

After all that time, you may wonder if I have become anaesthetised against shock.

Actually I have not. And on the three occasions I have volunteered in Aleppo, in 2013 and 2014, the emotional trauma I felt has never abated.

Each time I see a child die  and more than 70 per cent of the casualties I treated in Syria were children  I feel heartbroken. Each time I hand a small corpse to a grieving parent, I mourn with them.

I have seen many children, brought to hospital by distraught parents, who appear not to be wounded at all.

They bear no evidence of trauma or distress, but their bodies are lifeless because they have been killed by the shockwaves from bombs and are literally drowning internally in their own blood.

One mother tried fruitlessly to feed her lifeless child who had died in this way. She failed to take in the fact that he was dead because to her his body still seemed perfect, unscathed, and she would not believe he could not be revived.

To see her trying to spoon food into his mouth was pitiful. It was a desperate task breaking the news that nothing I could do could help her son.

Other children bear only too obviously the awful evidence of trauma. One day in Aleppo, seven children from a single family were brought into the hospital where I was operating.

Their mother was dead, and one of her little sons had had his buttocks blown off. He was still alive and he had white blobs on his face.

These were his sister's brains. It was the most dreadful sight I'd seen in all the years I have been operating in war zones, and the vision of it stays with me today.

I could not save the boy. All I could do was comfort him and hold his hand as he died.

Yet he is not unusual. The grim list of dead and dying continues to grow remorselessly, and what fills me with as much horror as the deaths is the fact that our senior politicians in the West do no more than wring their hands.

The time has past, I believe, for empty platitudes. The stream of infant and child deaths, of innocent civilian casualties, shames us all.

And actually it is our problem, too, as a tide of refugees  an estimated ten million in the next five years if the conflict is allowed to continue unabated  streams out of the country.

What we are witnessing in Syria now is a holocaust, an unparalleled humanitarian disaster, and it is time for our Prime Minister to show her mettle. I implore Theresa May to show the same resolve as John Major did in the Gulf War in 1991.

He created a safe haven for the Kurds, when they were being attacked by Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons, by enforcing no fly zones and sending aid. If he could do this autonomously, so too can Theresa May.

She must demand a no-fly zone to stop Assad's and Putin's bombers from wreaking further death and destruction. And there must be a humanitarian corridor so help reaches the beleaguered people of Aleppo.

The answer is not military action. A temporary cessation of hostilities is not the solution either, but it is better than doing nothing, and inertia condemns us as both weak and heartless.

Pictured, a Syrian man carries a wounded child in the rubble of buildings following a barrel bomb attack

If the war is allowed to continue for another five years, one million people will be dead.

Meanwhile, the intensity of the assault on the innocents of Syria escalates. When I first packed my gas mask and went to Aleppo for six weeks in 2013, I spent much of my time there teaching surgeons how to perform complex trauma surgery from gunshot and fragmentation wounds.

On average, we treated a dozen or so wounds a day.

When I returned to the city in September 2014, the rocket attacks by Syrian jets had been joined by helicopters dropping barrel bombs packed with TNT.

These were being dropped indiscriminately on the most densely populated areas. Every day had become a mass casualty event.

Since the Russians intervened in 2015, at the request of Assad, the air strikes have escalated. Every civilian  children included  in the rebel-held areas is now regarded as a terrorist.

And so cynical are the attacks that the most dangerous place to be in Aleppo now is a hospital. Twenty-nine in the north of the country have been attacked, and now they are being bombed on average every 17 hours.

There are now just three makeshift hospitals operating in Aleppo, codenamed M1, M2 and M10.

Even the latter, which is underground, has been targeted. These hospitals have just six trauma surgeons between them, dealing night and day with a constant stream of casualties.

Every doctor in Syria who speaks in public now does so using an alias, because they also fear for their lives.

I, as a humanitarian going to Syria to operate and save lives, am also regarded as a terrorist and am therefore a target.

Indeed, my friend and colleague Abbas Khan, a British orthopaedic colleague who volunteered in the same hospital as I did, is one of the many who were killed two years ago.

Today, as a father  I have a beautiful one-year-old daughter called Molly  I am sharply aware of the contrast between her blessed life with my wife Elly and me in London, and the constant pall of fear under which the children of Aleppo live. Truly, it breaks my heart.

As Stephen O'Brien, the United Nations' humanitarian chief said this week, the callous carnage that is Syria has long since moved from the cynical to the sinful.

He has urged all parties in the conflict to heed a call for a 48-hour pause in the fighting to allow humanitarian aid to be delivered to every area of Aleppo.

Pictured, Syrian citizens inspect the damage caused by rockets that hit residential neighborhoods in the northern city of Aleppo

I share his anger at the cataclysm and I endorse his call for a safe passage for aid, because now even basic and essential medical supplies have run out.

An abiding memory  one that haunts my dreams still  is of the screams of children on whom I was forced to operate without adequate pain relief or anaesthetic.

'I kiss your hand, uncle, please stop,' begged a 12-year-old boy, polite but crying in pain when a tube was inserted into his chest by a colleague who had no anaesthetic to numb the pain.

The doctors and nurses  now a dwindling number  who remain in the city working until they are beyond the point of exhaustion, and imperilling their own lives, are nothing short of heroic.

Many are my friends, and every night, when I finish work, they often call me so we can talk through the process of an operation together.

I have set up a foundation, too, to train surgeons in trauma surgery. But the best place to learn is in the thick of the conflict.

The other night, a fellow surgeon called to ask for advice. He was operating on a little girl whose shoulder had been blown off. It is an everyday injury in Syria, and one I had already encountered.

I talked him through the process of cutting out the shattered bone and moving a flap of skin from the child's back to cover her missing shoulder.

Together  me in London, he in a makeshift underground operating theatre in a primitive, ill-equipped hospital in Aleppo  we sent messages to each other on WhatsApp. We got through it.

This is how surgery is carried out in a war zone; on a wing and a prayer. The little girl survived. Many others are not so fortunate.

And when I think about the many casualties I have treated, those who lived and those who died, I feel not just sadness but an intense and burning anger.

The world must join me in being outraged. Silence and inaction are not merely inexcusable, but sinful.
An elementary school art teacher from Ohio has been arrested after cops carried out a drugs raid at the home she shares with her partner.

Kelly Nicole Stone, 30, was arrested on drug possession charge in the early hours of Friday morning during a raid by police in the city of Kettering.

Officers say they obtained a warrant after numerous drug complaints by neighbors before moving in on the property.

Kelly Nicole Stone, 30, an elementary school art teacher from Ohio, has been arrested after police carried out a drugs raid at the house she owns with her partner

Another man, 31-year-old Donte Shackelford, was arrested at the same address on an outstanding warrant from a different jurisdiction, cops said.

Records show the property, worth $82,000, was purchased in April 2012 by Stone and James McGill, 30, who is believed to be her partner.

School authorities say Stone sometimes went under the name McGill, according to the Dayton Daily News.

While public records show Stone has no criminal history, McGill has a history of arrests for DUI, traffic offenses and contributing to the unruliness of a minor stretching back to 2004 - though a most of those charges were dismissed.

There is no record of McGill being arrested alongside Stone on Friday.

Stone teaches in the Huber Heights school district at at Charles Huber Elementary and Wright Brothers Elementary, according to district officials.

Stone, who has been charged with drug possession, teaches at Charles Huber Elementary (pictured) and Wright Brothers Elementary

She taught at Summit Academy Community School in Dayton from 2012-15 according to the state treasurers website.

Huber Heights school Superintendent Susan Gunnell said: 'It's highly unfortunate. When we get this information we take it very seriously and put our steps in motion.

'First and foremost, who we want in front of our children are people who are able to make good decisions and follow rules and guidelines.'
Dozens of people gathered outside an Albuquerque apartment complex for a candlelight vigil for a 10-year-old girl who was brutally murdered and dismembered.

The complex where Victoria Martens lived has opened up the property to mourners who wanted to pay their respects Thursday evening.

Family, friends and neighbors placed numerous balloons, toys, stuffed animals, candles and flowers outside the apartment building.

Victoria turned 10 on Tuesday, the same day police found her lifeless body.

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Dozens of people gathered outside an Albuquerque apartment complex for a candlelight vigil for a 10-year-old girl who was murdered and dismembered

The complex where Victoria Martens lived has opened up the property to mourners who wanted to pay their respects Thursday evening

Family, friends and neighbors placed numerous balloons, toys, stuffed animals, candles and flowers outside the apartment building

Victoria's mother, her mother's boyfriend and the man's female cousin are accused in the grisly killing.

On the day Victoria was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, she was found murdered in her family's apartment in New Mexico by police.

Her dismembered body was found wrapped in a burning blanket.

Details of what Gov Susana Martinez and law enforcement officials described as an unspeakable crime emerged Thursday in a criminal complaint made public and filed against the girl's mother, her boyfriend and his cousin.

The three were arrested late Wednesday night.

Police said Victoria was injected with methamphetamine, sexually assaulted, strangled and stabbed before being dismembered.

Young victim: Police officers discovered Victoria butchered body wrapped in a blanket and set on fire in the bathtub

Horror crime: Michelle Martens (left), her boyfriend Fabian Gonzales (center) and his cousin Jessica Kelley (right) have been charged in the shocking rape, murder and dismemberment Martens' daughter

Community in shock: Women mourn near the apartment in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the body of Victoria who police said was sexually assaulted, strangled then dismembered was found lying under a burning blanket

Early Wednesday morning, police received a call about a disturbance inside a unit at the Arroyo Villas Apartment Complex on Irving Boulevard.

Officers who responded to the address came upon a gruesome crime scene in the bathroom, said Albuquerque Police Chief Gorden Eden.

'This is a horrific tragedy for our community,' Eden told reporters. 'I want to assure the public that we will pursue justice and we will make sure that we exhaust every resource into this investigation.'

By Thursday morning, a makeshift shrine for Victoria had emerged underneath a tree at the apartment complex.

Martinez said in a statement the abuse and killing of Victoria 'is unspeakable and justice should come down like a hammer'.

The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Martens, her 31-year-old boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales and his 31-year-old cousin, Jessica Kelley, face charges of child abuse resulting in death, kidnapping and tampering with evidence.

Gonzales and Kelley have also been charged with criminal sexual penetration of a minor.

But Gonzales, his left eye looking black and swollen, denied having anything to do with Victoria's death as he was led out of the police station in handcuffs late Wednesday.

He and Martens reportedly had met on a dating site

The victim's mother, with a stitched-up wound above her nose, said nothing as she was led out and placed into the back of a police car.

Mother's confession: Martens told police her boyfriend drugged her daughter so he could 'calm her down' and have sex with her

Gonzales, his left eye appearing black and swollen, denied having anything to do with the girl's death as he was led out of the police station in handcuffs

Police said Kelley was hospitalized late Wednesday and will be booked after she is released.

No details were disclosed about why she was hospitalized.

This afternoon, Michelle Martens and Fabian Gonzales made their initial court appearances and were ordered held on $1 million bond each.

Neither entered a plea.

According to the criminal complaint, Martens made a confession, telling police Gonzales drugged the girl so he could 'calm her down' and have sex with her.

She said Kelley held her hand over the child's mouth and she stabbed the girl in the stomach after Gonzales had choked her.

Sickening details: The 35-year-old mother-of-two (left) said Gonzales and Kelley (right) drugged her daughter with methamphetamines to calm her down before the rape

The complaint also states that the mother, who also has a younger son, told investigators that Gonzales and Kelley dismembered Victoria.

One of the police officers who arrived at the apartment found the girl's body in a bathroom, rolled up in a blanket that had been set on fire. The officer put it out.

Some of her remains were found in a plastic bag in a hamper near the kitchen, reported The Albuquerque Journal, citing court records.

Albuquerque Public Schools said Thursday that Victoria was a student at Petroglyph Elementary School on Albuquerque's west side.

In a statement, the district said school officials were having a hard time wrapping their heads around around the sickening case.

People who knew the slain child said she was well-liked and friendly.

Christine Zamora said she taught Victoria gymnastics every Saturday and that she came to class happy.

Innocents: Victoria (left) was a student at Petroglyph Elementary School. She is survived by a younger brother (right)

Neighbor John Madrid says he often saw the girl at the pool and that she was excited about the start of the new school year.

Gonzales has an arrest record stretching back to 2004, including a felony child abuse charge, driving while intoxicated and resisting arrest.

It was unclear whether he was convicted of most charges, but he did plead no contest to a charge of child abandonment.

Kelley's arrest record includes battery, domestic violence and drug charges  most of them dismissed. Online court records show no past criminal history in New Mexico for Martens.

Mugshots of Martens and Gonzales released by police showed them with bruises on their faces. In his statement in the criminal complaint, Gonzales said his cousin hit him and Martens with an iron.

Laura Bobbs, a local minister and close family friend of the victim, told the Albuquerque Journal she was planning Victoria's birthday celebration for when the child was supposed to arrive home from school Wednesday afternoon.

They were going to have pedicures and manicures and eat cake.

Bobbs broke down sobbing and yelling Wednesday outside the apartment complex as detectives investigated.
Authorities in Ohio and Indiana are coping with an abnormal spike in the number of cases of heroin overdose.

In Cincinnati alone, there have been an estimated 80 heroin overdoses - three of them fatal - in the last two days  and a total 174 suspected overdoses in the last week.

According to Fox News, authorities in the Queen City believe that people are mixing heroin with a powerful sedative used on elephants, which is 10,000 times more potent than morphine.

Health officials in Hamilton County say that the spike in overdose cases has devolved into a full-blown crisis, with emergency rooms being overwhelmed with new patients

The drug, carfentanil, is being mixed with heroin, causing an estimated 174 overdoses in just one week, according to Cincinnati authorities. Carfentanil is considered 100 times more powerful than fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opioid prescribed to patients recovering from surgery.

Meanwhile, in Indianapolis, a 'supercharged' form of heroin is believed to contain a potentially deadly cocktail that includes fentanyl.

The Drug Enforcement Administration has warned that fentanyl is 50 times more powerful than heroin, according to USA Today. The effect is a much more intense high, but too much can send a user to the emergency room.

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The current rash of overdoses has not been limited to Cincinnati. According to The Indianapolis Star, authorities are on alert for the arrival of shipments of the drug.

The news comes just as one person was reported dead on Tuesday and 11 others hospitalized for overdosing on the drug in Jennings County, Indiana, which lies 80 miles south of Indianapolis.

Last year, accidental drug overdoses killed 3,050 people in Ohio, an average of eight per day, state officials say

Earlier this month, 27 people overdosed  one fatally  within a span of five hours in Huntington, West Virginia. Similar spikes were reported in nearby Ohio cities Akron and Columbus.

'It's just a matter of when we'll see it, not if,' Dr. Dan O'Donnell, the EMS medical director in Indianapolis, said when asked if a similar spate is anticipated there.

According to the Star, undercover narcotics agents have been buying heroin on the streets of Indianapolis, only to later discover that it was fentanyl.

'It's a very scary time right now,' said Greg Westfall, the special agent in charge of the DEA's Indianapolis office. 'It is deadly.'

Carfentanil, a sedative used on elephants, is being mixed with heroin, causing an estimated 174 overdoses in just one week, according to Cincinnati authorities

The form of fentanyl being sold on the streets of Ohio and Indiana is considered a synthetic imitation of the opioid that is prescribed by doctors.

Authorities say this version of fentanyl is made in underground factories in China and then shipped to Mexico. There cartels smuggle it into the United States.

Indiana law enforcement seized five pounds of fentanyl during a traffic stop on the interstate in Henry County.

Nick Ernstes, Hancock County's sheriff's deputy, said that the distribution of fentanyl has grown more extensive in the past year.

Earlier this month, 27 people overdosed  one fatally  within a span of five hours in Huntington, West Virginia. Surges in overdoses have also been reported in nearby Akron and Columbus, Ohio

'It's coming up off of the border states, then filtering up and being pushed through to the rest of the country,' said Ernstes.

Initially, Ernstes said that dealers were 'stomping' (mixing) the fentanyl with heroin.

'Now the demand is such that they are getting it and they are not even stomping on it,' Ernstes said. 'It's going out as straight fentanyl, but they are selling it as heroin.'

The federal government warned this week that painkillers containing fentanyl are responsible for a surge in overdose deaths across the country, AFP reported.

Pop legend Prince, who died of an accidental overdose of fentanyl in April, is the latest high-profile victim of the addictive and often-counterfeit pills that are sweeping the nation.
Hundreds of family, friends and community members have packed out a church to farewell Miss World Australia Elyse Miller-Kennedy, who died in a car accident in August.

The service for the 17-year-old was held at St Thomas Catholic Church in Mareeba, Queensland, with emotional tributes read by her mother, sister and boyfriend, reported the Cairns Post.

Her sister read a poem the pair wrote together earlier in the year titled Sail Away.

Hundreds have packed out a church in Queensland to farewell Miss World Australia Elyse Miller-Kennedy (pictured), who died in a horror car accident in August

'If youre feeling blue as the sea, stay calm, look to the sky and breathe. If you feel like a boat adrift, raise your sails to the wind so sea,' she recited.

Father John Sullivan led the service, speaking of the tragedy and sense of loss over her young death.

'There is a great, gaping hole in the hearts of those who loved her,' he said.

Elyse Miller-Kennedy (pictured) died in hospital in early August from serious injuries from a car accident in far North Queensland. Her car collided with French tourists who were driving on the wrong side of the road

Ms Miller-Kennedy died in hospital after a horror smash with French tourists driving on the wrong side of the road.

The Year 12 student suffered massive head and chest injuries in the crash in North Queensland on August 3.

'We had faith Elyse would take the title of Miss World in future years,' the Miss World Australia organisation said in a touching tribute.

'She encompassed the essence and ability required to become the international supermodel she aspired to be.'

'We had faith Elyse would take the title of Miss World in future years,' Miss World Australia said in a touching tribute

'We would like everyone to remember Elyse's inner beauty,' family friend Katrina Porter said

The teenager gained her licence just five weeks before the crash.

Police believe she was hit by French tourists who were driving on the wrong side of the road.

Her car flipped in the collision and she was pinned upside down for two hours before she was rescued and rushed to Townsville Hospital.

Ms Miller-Kennedy would be remembered for her 'inner beauty' and 'generous sweet soul', family friend Katrina Porter said.

'We would like everyone to remember Elyse's inner beauty, the warmth she showed to all, her humbleness during her journey throughout her larger than life experiences and of course the generous sweet soul and friend she was to so many.'

The Year 12 student was described as a shining light in the heart of far North Queensland

The 17-year-old was involved in a collision near Dimbulah, north of Cairns, and was flown to hospital with severe head injuries

Ms Miller-Kennedy represented Queensland in the Miss World Australia finals held in Melbourne in July.

A tribute posted by the Miss World Australia organisation on Facebook said her 'potential was limitless'.

'Elyse will always be remembered for her beautiful soul, charismatic charm and kind heart. Elyse's inner beauty truly exemplified her outer.

'Elyse's potential was limitless - we had faith Elyse would take the title of Miss World in future years.

'She encompassed the essence and ability required to become the international supermodel she aspired to be and most importantly her passion and drive to graduate with Honours in Law and help those in need was a tribute to her intelligence and humanitarian heart.'

'Elyse will always be remembered for her beautiful soul, charismatic charm and kind heart,' her family said in a statement

'She encompassed the essence and ability required to become the international supermodel she aspired to be,' Miss World Australia said

Senior constable Lee Chamberlain said Ms Miller-Kennedy was driving on the right side of the road when she was hit in the head-on smash, the Herald-Sun reported.

He said: 'Elyse was driving back from the Mareeba direction and was on the correct side of the road.

'Our inquiries show that the two vehicles came together on the Dimbulah-bound lane, so she was where she should have been at the time.'

A French tourist has been charged with dangerous driving causing death in relation to the incident.

The 17-year-old had only got her driver's licence five weeks before the crash
Agent flagged down two police officers and the father is now in custody

Found 'scared' Ava inside and said Byrne started walking away with her

A traffic agent spotted Byrne's Hyundai in New York City around 2 pm

Authorities issued an Amber alert for Ava and 24-year-old Robert Byrne

A three-year-old girl has been found in New York City hours after authorities issued an Amber alert reporting her disappearance.

Police believe Ava Byrne, three, went missing after her father took her from her home in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania on Friday morning.

Investigators sent out the Amber alert hoping to locate Ava, who had been last seen around 12.30am on Nescopeck's Vine Street, and 24-year-old Robert Byrne.

A traffic agent spotted Byrne's silver Hyundai in Manhattan, near the Lincoln Tunnel, around 2.15 pm on Friday, authorities said.

Police believe Ava Byrne (left), three, went missing after her father, 24-year-old Robert Byrne (right) took her from her home in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania on Friday morning

Ava was only wearing a diaper when she went missing, according to the Amber alert, which listed her as in 'imminent danger'.

Byrne was described as a 5'9'' white man with black hair and brown eyes, weighing 215 pounds.

The little girl's father did not have custody of Ava, the New York Daily News reported.

A fellow driver told the traffic agent that the 2004 silver Hyundai Elantra mentioned in the Amber alert was just two cars behind him.

Investigators sent out the Amber alert hoping to locate Ava, who had been last seen around 12:30 am in Nescopeck, Pennsylvania. Tey found her hours later in New York City

The agent pulled the car over and saw Ava inside. She wasn't crying but looked scared, he said.

As the agent called for police backup, Byrne took Ava in his arms and began to walk away, the Daily News reported.

The agent flagged down two police officers who were patrolling nearby. They questioned Byrne and asked him to relinquish his daughter.

'He just gave us the little girl, and we immediately handcuffed him,' Officer Sean Mooney told the Daily News.

Byrne remains in custody at the 10th Precinct and charges are pending.
Minaj did not appear in court but did put up her brother's $100,000 bond when he was arrested in December

Jelani Maraj, 37, will have four days to decide if he will take a plea deal in a child rape case

The brother of Nicki Minaj has been given more time to consider a plea deal in a case in which he has been charged with raping a 12-year-old girl multiple times.

Jelani Maraj, 37, will have four days to decide if he will take a deal of 15 years to life, which prosecutors offered him last month, the New York Daily News reported.

On Thursday, he signed an adjournment in a Long Island court, according to the Daily News.

If Maraj, who is set to appear in court on Monday, decides not to take the deal and is found guilty, he could face life behind bars.

Maraj is accused of raping the victim, who sources previously told the Daily News was someone 'he had access to', several times between April and November.

He was arraigned in a Long Island hospital on December 4 on charges of first-degree rape and first-degree sexual conduct against a child.

Maraj is the older brother of 33-year-old rapper Nicki Minaj (the siblings pictured together)

He had been arrested two days prior, but suffered an unknown medical condition that required him to be arraigned later at Nassau University Medical Center.

Maraj was released from jail on a $100,000 bail after his 33-year-old sister, rapper Minaj, put up the bond which was guaranteed by the two homes she owns in nearby Baldwin.

He appeared in public for the first time almost a week later on December 9 for a preliminary hearing on the rape charges.

Maraj appeared in public for the first time in December (pictured at the time with his mother Carol, left and lawyer Andrea Zellan) for a preliminary hearing on the rape charges

At the hearing, he was accompanied by his mother Carol and lawyer Andrea Zellan. Minaj did not appear in court with them.

The name and gender of the victim is being withheld due to the nature of the crime and the fact that the individual is a minor.

Both Maraj and Minaj were born in Trinidad, but raised in New York City.

Minaj's siblings Micaiah Maraj (left) and Jelani Maraj (right) are pictured with their mother Carol Maraj (center) last April

Minaj has not commented on her brother's case, but the pair are close, with Minaj paying a reported $30,000 for his wedding on Long Island last August to longtime girlfriend Jacqueline Robinson.

She had posted a photo of herself and her brother at the reception on Instagram, writing: 'I would cross the ocean for u. I would go & bring u the moon. Promise u. For u I will,' Nicki wrote.
Theresa May has ordered a year-long audit of all public services to ensure ethnic minorities and the white working classes are not being treated unfairly.

The root-and-branch review will consider whether people are treated differently by schools, hospitals and the courts because of racial background.

The huge administrative exercise will put extra pressure on public services at a time of crisis, with the NHS in deficit and schools overcrowded.

People queue for the Job centre in Bromley, Kent. Job centres will be one of a number of public services which will be audited

Mrs May said the plan would help tackle burning injustices and reveal difficult truths about how race affects the level of service people receive.

It will consider whether someones skin colour affects how quickly they get a GP appointment or how well they do at school  and whether they are more likely to be tasered.

Number Ten said the findings would lead to new policies, adding: The audit will show disadvantages suffered by white working-class people as well as ethnic minorities.

For example, it will give more details about why white working-class boys are much less likely than others to go to university.

The Prime Minister said: When I stood on the steps of Downing Street on my first day, I made clear that I believe in a United Kingdom by every definition  and that means the government I lead will stand up for you and your family against injustice and inequality.

Theresa May visiting a joinery factory in Croydon, south London earlier this month with local MP Gavin Barwell (far left). She says she is keen to ensure that white working class people are not being discriminated against

'Today, I am launching an audit to look into racial disparities in our public services that stretches right across government. It will highlight the differences in outcomes for people of different backgrounds in every area  from health to education, childcare to welfare, employment, skills and criminal justice.

She added: This audit will reveal difficult truths, but we should not be apologetic about shining a light on injustices as never before.

It is only by doing so we can make this country work for everyone, not just a privileged few.

Theresa May said: 'When I stood on the steps of Downing Street on my first day, I made clear...the government I lead will stand up for you and your family against injustice and inequality'

All aspects of the state  schools, universities, GPs surgeries, hospitals, courts, job centres and benefits offices  will be covered by the audit.

A team will be set up in the Cabinet Office to collect information from across the country about race, gender, income and geographical location. This will then be collated to show up any disparities in access to services and how people are treated.

Existing data shows that Britons from a black Caribbean background are three times more likely to be permanently excluded from school.

Black women are seven times more likely to be detained under mental health laws than white women  and the employment rate for ethnic minorities is ten percentage points lower than the national average.

In addition, members of ethnic minority households are almost twice as likely to live in relative poverty as white people. Downing Street said that, in the first instance, civil servants will use data already being collected to inform their conclusions.

But if more information is needed, public sector bodies such as schools and hospitals will be asked to provide it.

Details uncovered by the exercise will be published on the Governments website next autumn, and the findings will then go on to help ministers formulate policies to tackle the injustice.

A No 10 spokesman said: It will help understand where there are geographical inequalities in services that affect people of some races more than others, such as the white working class who tend to live in coastal towns or BME [black and minority ethnic] communities who tend to live in inner cities.

They added that the review will help force poor-performing services to improve. The move is designed to have the same effect as the stop and search audit that Mrs May ordered chief constables to carry out when she was home secretary.

It revealed that people from black and ethnic minority communities were seven times more likely to be stopped and searched than white people. Now, the proportion is only four times as likely.
A 14-year-old boy died after being buried by sand while digging a tunnel in a dune to seek shelter from the wind, an inquest has heard.

Tragic Eoin Corcoran started making a tunnel in an area of the beach known as the '100-footer' with his friend but it collapsed.

The helpless teenager was then submerged from the knees up after tonnes of sand collapsed and crushed him.

A young friend who was with him desperately tried to pull him out and was joined by passing dog walker Matthew Robins who heard him calling 'help, help me'.

Eoin Corcoran (pictured) was submerged from the knees up when tonnes of sand collapsed and crushed him

But he died from sand inhalation and traumatic asphyxiation after being buried for around ten minutes in one of the biggest dunes on St Ouen's Bay in Jersey on February 5.

Mr Robins told the inquest: 'I was hoping in my heart of hearts to see a group of kids having a laugh and then I saw the legs.

'It was a huge effort [to pull him out].

'I felt hopeless from the moment I saw Eoin's face, but you just have to keep going.'

He was eventually pulled free with each rescuer taking one foot each and Mr Robins tried to resuscitate him for around 30 minutes but was unsuccessful.

Paramedics later arrived at the scene and the youngster was taken to hospital but was declared dead at 8.10pm.

Advocate Mark Harris said it was likely that Eoin died while being buried in the sand.

He said: 'They (the attempted rescuers) should be commended, but it is a very likely truth that Eoin died while buried in the sand and before help could be obtained.'

Eoin's father Michael Corcoran paid tribute to his son at the inquest and described him as 'a beautiful boy.'

He added: 'We loved him dearly and he gave us a lot of love.'

The 14 year old began digging a tunnel in a bid to seek shelter from the wind at St Ouen's Bay in Jersey (pictured)

His school Les Quennevais described the Year 10 pupil as a 'gentle and caring young boy'.

Mr Robins was commended for his actions by Eoin's father and Deputy Viscount Mark Harris at the hearing.

People are now being warned about the dunes and The Environment Department on the island is reviewing signage in the dunes to see if it needs to be improved.
Google and Facebook could be forced to pay news publishers if they want to use chunks of their stories online.

The internet giants will have to reach deals with content providers, such as newspapers, before they can use excerpts of articles on their sites.

Officials at the European Commission in Brussels say the plans, which will be unveiled in September, are being drawn up to dilute the power of big online operators whose market share gives them an advantage in commercial negotiations.

Publishers are crying foul and the EU is set to take up their case against powerful online players like Google

They want to protect media pluralism with copyright reforms because publishers are seeing shrinking revenues, even though their online audiences are growing.

But the proposals could trigger a new fight between the EU and Google.

They are already locked in bitter talks over claims the search engine and mobile phone software provider is exploiting its dominant market position.

Under the new plans, news publishers will have exclusive rights to make their content available online to the public.

If other internet sites want to use extracts, they will have to agree terms with the content providers before they do so.

Search engines will still be able to provide links to stories for free as the rules will apply only when sites want to show segments of articles rather than just a headline.

Facebook is one of the big online aggregators which is seen as taking news which is produced by publishers without donating towards the journalism

The Commission said granting the new rights to news publishers would recognise their role as investors in content and give them a stronger position when negotiating with other players.

There would be no obligation on content providers to make other sites pay for using their stories but some may choose to do this in the hope of attracting more readers.

Previous attempts by Germany and Spain to force internet sites to pay for reproducing news stories failed.

In Germany, publishers opted to waive the charges so they would still appear in the search engines news results after suffering big drops in traffic.
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What Is Tarek el Moussas Ethnicity, Why Did He Divorce His Wife and Who Is He Dating? Tarek El Moussa has made himself one of the most recognizable men on reality television, especially to fans of HGTV. Thanks to his expertise in the world of real estate, Tarek has become a national star. But even to his hardcore followers, there are questions about Tarek El Moussa that remain unanswered, such as his ...

Fun Facts About Natalie Beckers Lonely Childhood and Eventual Career Success Natalie Becker is an actress of South African descent who became famous for her appearance in films like The World Unseen and The Scorpion King 2: Rise of a Warrior. A multitalented individual, Natalie is also a television/radio presenter. She is also a co-founder of the Thought Leader Global Media which she runs together with ...

Top 3 Female CNN News Anchors You Didnt Know Were Africans CNN is one of the leading news agencies in the world. The satellite and cable news network was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner and has been one of the best sources of news for a number of years. It also boasts of the best journalists and presenters all around in media broadcasting. The company is a ...

Channels That Aided Katie Pavlichs Growth as a Journalist and All About Her Marriage To Friedson If you have ever come across any Fast and Furious featuring Barack Obama, it is the handiwork of Katie Pavlich. The book which claims to have exposed Obamas bloodiest scandal and the shameless cover-up thereof, has been earning Pavlich much praise and fame ever since it was published in 2012. Nonetheless, Pavlich is more famed ...

Is Oprah Winfrey Married? Husband, Children, Biography, House, Facts Oprah Winfrey is a billionaire philanthropist, talk show icon, producer, actress, and writer. The media icon famously dubbed The Queen Of All Media owns and hosts the highest-rated television program in the media circle. Read more about the powerful television star below. Oprah Winfrey Biography Oprah was born as Orpah Gail Winfrey on January 29, 1954, to a ...

Who Is Arsenio Hall, What Happened To His Talk Show and Why Do Fans Think He Is Gay? He is one of the funniest beings to have graced the comedy constituent of the American entertainment industry. Arsenio Hall has a reputation for the rib-cracking disposition always portrayed in his comedy roles. He is not just a comedian; he is also an actor and a former talk show host for his popular show, The ...

What Is Woah Vicky Famous For and Who Are Her Family Members? Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Woah Vicky is one of those stars that have utilized the internet as a powerful tool to propel themselves to instant fame. The social media space, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, etc., offers lots of people the right opportunities and potentials to become superstars overnight. Not everyone achieves ...

Where Is Michael Strahan Since His Retirement From The NFL and Who Is His Partner? Michael Strahan is a retired American football player turned media personality. He played the defensive lineman position and holds the record for most sacks in a single NFL season. He also only played for the New York Giants throughout the entire 15-year professional career that saw him win a Super Bowl ring. In February 2014, ...

How Wendy Williams Went From Being a College DJ to Having Her Own Talk Show and More About Her Divorce Wendy Williams is a former radio personality, now talk show host, who is known for her outspokenness and brash no-nonsense attitude. She gained fame and notoriety for her on-air clashes with celebrities before moving on to host her own talk show. Since 2008, Williams has hosted the nationally syndicated television talk show, The Wendy Williams Show. ...

Who is Sunny Hostin? Her Husband, Family & Net Worth Sunny Hostin is no ordinary Latina  American lawyer but also a successful columnist, multi-platform journalist, and social commentator. A happily married woman and mother of two, Hostin is the Senior Legal Correspondent and Analyst for ABC News and co-host of ABCs popular morning talk show, The View. She is a legal expert popularly known as a former ...

Who Is Robert Costa and Is He Married, Who Is His Wife? Robert Costa is a political analyst for NBC News and MSNBC who is regarded as being part of Americas next generation of journalists. The University of Notre Dame graduate, who is of Italian/Portuguese descent, has been lauded for his fresh political perspectives in an industry full of old heads. In addition to his work listed above, Costa ...

Team Valor Pokemon Go  7 Key Facts You Need To Know Team Valor Pokemon Go  The craze of the new game Pokemon Go is one that took the gaming world by storm sending teenagers and adults alike into a frenzy and one of its teams Team Valor, has proven to be instrumental in making it so. Before the game was created, Pokemon was a cartoon ...

Sheryl Underwood  Husband, Family & Net Worth She is known for her trademark smile which can be described as the brightest and broadest smile ever seen on planet earth. She is none other than Sheryl Underwood the comedian, actress, and TV host whose funny wits has left America in great awe. Although Sheryl has risen to become an important personality in the industry, ...

Team Mystic Pokemon Go: 7 Facts You Need To Know And Signs You Are One Team Mystic of the break out game Pokemon Go is a team that is full of sass and chivalry. With an enchanting monicker, Team Mystic stands out from the rest of its counterparts and deserves to take the crown as champion in the Pokemon gaming-verse. To be a member of this exceptional team of Pokemon battle ...

Exploring Guy Beahms Dr Disrespect Persona, Wife and Why He was Banned Permanently From Twitch Guy Beahm who is popularly known by his online alias  Dr DisRespect, is an award-winning Twitch.tv streamer. He has leveraged on the Twitch platform to become an internet personality that is quite widely known. His online success is just more proof that anyone who is good at what they do can attain celebrity status ...

Critical Facts About Lee Ann McAdoo  The Infowars Anchor Lee Ann Mcadoo is a conservative journalist and television host whose interests in conspiracies and astrology has established her as a famous American reporter. Often referred to as Wonder Woman, McAdoo is a reporter who works for InfoWars.com, a controversial right-wing website run by radio show host, Alex Jones. Who Is Lee Ann McAdoo? Lee Ann McAdoo was born on 7 ...

Millie Weaver  Age, Husband & Infowars Career Millie Weaver is an American model, journalist, political activist, and social commentator. The young and beautiful journalist rose to fame working as a reporter for a controversial right-wing website InfoWars.com. Also known as Millennial Millie, Weaver is a social media influencer with over 100,000 subscribers on her YouTube channel and over 35,000 followers on Twitter. Who Is Millie Weaver and What Is ...

Is Jessica Tarlov Married? What Are Her Height & Weight? Jessica Tarlov is an American political consultant, strategist, and analyst whose influential and regular TV presence has made a popular figure. A good example of beauty with brains, Tarlov has appeared on various TV networks, mostly the FOX News Network where she is known for her liberal views on political analysis and insights. She is also the senior director ...

Who Is Kelly Rebecca Nichols  Alex Jones Ex-Wife? Kelly Rebecca Nichols is the ex-wife of controversial American radio show host, Alex Jones. She got nationwide attention following her divorce and subsequent custody battle with her estranged husband. Nichols, who worked with PETAs public relations department, was herself no stranger to controversies as she was involved in several publicity stunts of the non-profit animal rights ...

Who Is Bree Morgan  Cole Sprouse Ex-Girlfriend And What Is She Up To Now? Although Bree Morgan became famous through the Instagram, she also sapped some dose of popularity from Disneys sweetheart, Cole Sprouse of the Sprouse brothers. She is not only an Instagram star but also a YouTube vlogger whose popularity has long exceeded the ordinary level. Bree is conspicuously prominent on the internet and has her digital savviness ...

Does Vanna White Have Husband or Children, What Is Her Net Worth / Salary? For over three decades, Vanna White has been a household name, famous as the co-host and letter turner of the iconic NBC game show Wheel of Fortune. The talented and beautiful television personality is also an actress with several TV series and films to her credit. Since making her Wheel of Fortune debut in 1982, she has become one ...

Liz Wheeler  Biography, Husband & Net Worth Liz Wheeler is the kind of girl who sets the room on fire whenever she comes around. In this situation, however, she sets our screens on fire each time she appears as the host of One America News Tipping Point. She is, therefore, a presenter, publisher, consultant and a member of the Board of Zoning ...

Betty White  Net Worth, Children & Husband The entertainment industry will remain indebted to personalities like Betty White who brought something extra to the table and kept the world entertained for donkey years. The comedienne, actress, and writer graced the big screens in the early 50s as a show host and has been a delight since then. She is the queen of ...

Is Bill Nye (The Science Guy) Dead or Alive, What Are His Net Worth & Education? Everyone will always remember Bill Nye as the Science Guy. Besides his TV show Bill Nye the Science Guy, he is well-known for his Netflix show Bill Nye Saves the World which started airing in 2017 as well as his appearances in many famous media projects as a science educator. The star studied mechanical engineering ...

Is Cesar Millan Dead, Who Is The Wife & What Is His Net Worth? Cesar Millan is the famous dog whisperer who often stirs up mixed emotions. The Mexican-American is precisely speaking, a dog behaviorist; he has been in the game for over 25 years. His Emmy-nominated television series, Dog Whisperer with Cesar Millan further pushed his method and tactics into the limelight. The series was produced from 2004 ...

Is Thomas Sanders Gay and Does He Have A Boyfriend? By the time Vine was shut down in January 2017, Thomas Sanders was already popular within and beyond the internet community for his heavy involvements on the online video hosting platform. After the tragic shutdown of Vine impacted on the growing career of the multi-talented personality, he immediately switched over to YouTube where he continued to upload ...

Is Shepard Smith Gay, Who Is The Boyfriend & What Is His Net Worth? There are only a few media personalities who are as bold and confident as Shepard Smith. Apart from his impressive stint at Fox News Channel which includes but not limited to his classic news delivery, upfront stance on virtually every issue and much more; he loves his job as much as he loves his personality. Smith ...

Is Milo Yiannopoulos Gay? His Husband and Net Worth Milo Yiannopoulos is a popular writer, journalist, polemicist, public speaker, and political commentator who is also known as the founder of The Kernel, an online blog. He has been said to be among the list of 100 weird and influential people in the United Kingdom. He appeared on this list as a result of personal beliefs and ...

Does Ryan Seacrest Have A Wife Or Girlfriend, What Is His Net Worth? From radio to television, Ryan Seacrest is a household name and a force to be reckoned with in showbiz. The radio personality, television host, and producer is best recognized as the host of the popular TV talent search contest American Idol. Heres how the media personality who always knew what his lifes ambition was and diligently pursued ...

Is Anderson Cooper Gay, Who is The Boyfriend or Husband? For many, the thought of becoming a millionaire by writing and talking about other people appears unachievable but this is the reality of the prominent American journalist Anderson Cooper who gathered millions of dollars for conducting accurate political analysis and other vital reports on TV. He is the main anchor of the CNN news show Anderson ...

Is David Muir Gay or Does He Have A Wife, What Is His Salary? David Muir is an Emmy Award-winning journalist who works for the ABC broadcast-television network and anchors the ABC World News Tonight with David Muir program while also co-anchoring the magazine program 20/20. The Ithaca College graduate, whose show has become the most-watched newscast in America, has covered stories from all across America and the world; reporting ...

Joel Osteen  Divorce Rumors, Net Worth & Family Members Joel Osteen is an American Televangelist, Senior Pastor of Lakewood Church based in Houston, Texas, a husband and a father of two. He is an author of many books, seven of which are New York Times Best Sellers and his televised sermons capture more than 7 million viewers per week and 20 million every month ...

Who Is Todd Chrisley? What To Know About His Children, Gay Rumors & Net Worth Premiered on the USA network in 2014, Chrisley Knows Best is one of the most watched family reality TV shows in the U.S. The series which is currently in its sixth season is centered around U.S real estate mogul Todd Chrisley and his family. The show reveals Todd the patriarch of the Chrisley family as a strict dad who rules ...

Who Is Shannon Bream Of Fox News? Her Husband, Children & Net Worth Shannon Bream who hosts the iconic primetime program started her journalism career in the late 1990s debuting as the evening and late-night news reporter for the CBS affiliate, WBTV. The beauty from America currently works for the Fox News Channel and she is best known for anchoring the primetime program. She also hosts Americas News ...

Is Troye Sivan Gay, Who Is His Boyfriend and What Is His Net Worth? Troye Sivan is an Australian singer and songwriter best known for songs like Happy Little Pill, Youth, Heaven (with Betty Who) and The Boyfriend Tag (with Tyler Oakley) which have all garnered him different awards and ranked on the Billboard Charts. Sivan, who was born in South Africa but now resides in the United States, is ...

Did iDubbbz Have Cancer, Is He Gay and Who Is His Girlfriend Now? iDubbbz is one YouTuber who has made a career out of courting controversy. Renowned for his absurdist channels and comedy video series, the Los Angeles based personality is the owner of two channels, iDubbzTV, and iDubbzTV2, as well as the brains behind comedy video series such as Content Cop, Kickstarter Crap, Gaming News Crap, and ...

Inside Greg Gutfelds Love Story With Wife Elena Moussa and Why Fans Thought He Was Gay Greg Gutfeld is a seasoned American television producer whose career in the media industry has spanned over a decade. He is a man of many talents who makes extra income through comedy, journalism, and editorial works. Gutfeld regularly appears on Fox News Channel as a panellist and co-host of the political talk show The Five ...

Works That Made Bo Burnham A Household Name and How Much He Is Worth Now One of YouTubes first viral stars and the worlds most exciting young comedian, Bo Burnham, has always amazed critics and comedy aficionados alike. Often regarded as the Justin Bieber of comedy, thanks to his fresh looks, floppy blond hair and hoodies, he has a multi-faceted career bigger than many comedians twice his age. It wouldnt ...

Is Louie Anderson Gay And What Is His Net Worth? Louie Anderson has one of the most abstract faces in the industry and equally knows how to use it to his advantage. He is not only a stand-up comedian but also an actor and television host who is known for his distinctive comic wits. Some of his notable projects include Family Feud, where he was ...

Is Don Lemon of CNN Gay, Who is His Partner and What Is His Salary? Don Lemon has risen to become one of the most recognizable faces on CNN over the past few years. The fiery journalist, who anchors CNN Tonight with Don Lemon, is liked and somewhat disliked for his strong and candid opinions on a variety of matters that do not just include politics but also race, significantly, matters that ...

Is Rachel Maddow Gay, Who is the Wife and How Much Does She Earn in Salary? Rachel Maddow is an award-winning American journalist, political commentator, and television news anchor. She is best known for hosting the popular nightly TV show The Rachel Maddow Show on MSNBC. Prior to this, she hosted a talk radio program on Air America Radio from 2005 to 2010. As of now, the TV sensation co-anchors MSNBCs ...

Demystifying Pokimane  Her Real Name, Ethnicity & Boyfriend Like most social media celebrities in this digital era, Pokimane Thicc is one of those stars who took advantage of the internet to make a name for herself. Given the unlimited potentials which the social media space offers, many people have been instantly propelled to fame just by posting creative online contents. Not only has ...

A Breakdown of Kris Jenners Net Worth, Sources Of Income and Relationships Over The Years Standing outside and looking in, Kris Jenner looks like the oil that greases the wheels of the entire Kardashian/Jenner machine. She has been dubbed a momager and rightfully so because she seems to have had a part to play in the trajectory of each and every one of her daughters individually and the Kardashian brand ...

Pursuits That Brought Liza Koshys Fame To its Zenith and Her Love Life Since David Dobrik Liza Koshy is an American actress who has leveraged YouTube as a platform to promote her comedy while also serving as a television host on occasions. She is talented and funny and has gathered a lot of fans from around the world. Koshy started on Vine in high school and was able to get millions of ...

Alex Aiono Biography  Inside The Life Of The American Singer Not everyone who started from the streets has attained the heights where Alex Aiono is currently. His story could be referred to as the perfect definition of rising from Grass to Grace. He came into the limelight after he started out as a YouTuber, singer, and producer. One fascinating thing about the young YouTuber is ...

Virginia Vallejo Biography And Her Love Story With Pablo Escobar Virginia Vallejo can be referred to as one of the oldest whistleblowers in history after her involvement with Pablo Escobar which made her famous. Over the years, many questions have been raised about her relationship with the drug lord and why she endangered her life to be with him despite his notorious acts. The death ...

Princess Love Bio  Ethnicity, Real Name & Parents For many people, Princess Love is simply Ray Js wife but there is so much more to this feisty lady than meets the eye. She is a star in her own right and has many feathers on her cap. Princess Love is a reality TV star, a model, video vixen, and fashion designer. She and her ...

Who is Papa Franku Also Known As Filthy Frank or Joji, Where is He Now? The social media as we all know today has given people the opportunity to be creative and innovative and at the same time, make something of themselves. YouTube is one of the known social platforms we have today that makes it possible for people to express their God-given talents and post videos they created to ...

Who Is Molly Qerim, How Did She Become a Famous Sports Anchor and Who Is Her Husband? Molly Qerim is an American sports anchor popularly known for moderating First Take, a highly rated sports talk show, on ESPN. Prior to joining ESPN, Qerim hosted Fantasy Live and NFL AM on NFL Network. It is quite obvious that the widely acclaimed television personality is in a class of her own when it comes ...

Safiya Nygaard  Height, Parents & Net Worth Safiya Nygaard is an American YouTuber, writer, content producer, and director who is popular for posting makeup, beauty and fashion videos on YouTube. Her videos regularly top at least one million views, thanks to her lively character as well as her willingness to experiment with outrageous outfits and different beauty products. Here are the things to ...

The Rigors of Sunlen Serfatys Career Journey Until CNN and Fun Facts About Her Personal Life CNN correspondent, Sunlen Serfaty is an Emmy Award-winning journalist known for covering a broad range of breaking news stories, national news, and Washington politics. She has been able to garner widespread recognition for herself which even goes beyond the sphere of her work. Her profile also increased with the extensive work she did in covering ...

Demystifying Jazz Jennings Real Name, Boyfriend & Family Of One The Youngest Transgenders Jazz Jennings is an unusual personality who became famous as a transgender activist and was recorded as the youngest documented public figure to be seen as transgender. She is also a YouTube personality and spokesmodel for brands, her fans, and other transgenders. She fought for acceptance in her high school with her super supportive family for over ...

Inside Fred Armisens Life  Ethnicity, Romantic Relationships and Gay Rumors Fred Armisen is an award-winning American comedian, he is also a writer, an actor as well as a musician. He was a cast member of the legendary comedy show, Saturday Night Live for 13 years and also one of the brains behind the successful satirical show Portlandia. Find out more about this incredibly talented guy ...

Ed and Lorraine Warren Biography: Cases, Kids, and Family Life Have you ever woken up with fear you could not explain, or felt a strange presence that made the hair at your nape rise or even experienced strange occurrences around you? Well, these were some of the promptings that made the well-known paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren delve into trying to explain the ideas ...

Truth About Tony Romos Wife, Kids and Life Since His NFL Retirement Tony Romo grew from the field as a quarterback to the screens as an American Football Analyst. He was a quarterback for the Dallas Cowboys in the richest football league in the world (NFL) before retiring. As a junior, he was honored as an All-Ohio Conference Member, an Ohio Valley Conference Player of the Year and ...

Who is Brittany Venti, The Controversial Game Streamer and YouTuber? In recent times, many people live stream themselves playing video games. This has become a popular pastime on the internet and many highly skilled gamers have become internet celebrities through this means. However, some of them rather than becoming renowned for their gaming skills and great commentary, have become controversial and infamous. A good example ...

Rob Dyrdeks Family: His Kids And Relationship With Wife Bryiana Noelle Flores A multi-talented star and an elite pro skateboarder, Rob Dyrdeks success story began at a remarkably young age. Yet another proof that schooling doesnt always correlate with success, Rob has established himself not just as a phenomenal sportsman but also as a successful entrepreneur. Besides perfecting his skill as a natural talent on the board, ...

xChocobars  Biography and Everything You Should Know About Her Having distinguished herself and recorded massive successes in an industry notably dominated by men, it is very safe to say that Xchocobars deserves all the attention and cash she makes from her career. A household name on Twitch (a smart live streaming video platform), the online-gamer is popularly known for streaming classic games such as Stardew ...

Everything To Know About Mary Padian, Her Boyfriend and Net Worth Mary Padian is a famous American television reality personality best known for her involvements on the Reality show Storage Wars. She also has her own shop called Mary finds where she displays her antique collections. Since her childhood, Padian has been a creative learner. At the time, she used to create new items out of reusable ones and ...

Betsy Woodruffs Family Life: Is She Married or Related To Bob Woodruff? An old name in the world of journalism, Betsy Woodruff has warmed her way into the hearts of many with her impressive talents. Through hard work, Woodruff has carved a niche for herself in a very competitive field. Betsy has strong family and work values and is also an advocate for equal opportunities for everyone ...

Matpat (Matthew Patrick)  Wife, Height & Net Worth As far as internet business is concerned, Matpat remains one of the most dynamic and seasoned figures. He boasts a wealth of experience that has helped him in growing his business from one level of greatness to another. Like most successful people, MatPat started out small but today, he makes millions of dollars from his ...

Facts About Ricegum  His Girlfriend, Real Name & Net Worth Ricegum is an online gamer and YouTube sensation who ditched college; took advantage of the digital era, and made a name for himself on the internet. Though he began as a gaming YouTuber, Ricegum soon gained recognition as a controversial internet star following his many diss tracks. Here is everything you need to know about the youngster ...

Joy Taylor Once Married MLBs Richard Giannotti  Inside Look At Her Love Life and Family The erosion of the sexist idea that women have no business in sports broadcasting created a host of women celebrities who attained fame outside of modeling and acting. One of them, Joy Taylor, a radio personality and TV host for Fox Sports 1, has been in the industry since 2009, becoming one of the most ...

What To Know About Conan OBriens Wife, Kids & Family Today The name Conan OBrien is one that jumps right at you almost immediately you start talking about the most popular television hosts in the USA and this is no surprise because the man behind that name has risen to become one of the most admired men in the business. Known for hosting the late-night talk ...

David Letterman  Net Worth, Wife & Son In all of American, one man whose face has been seen frequently by late night TV talk show lovers is none but David Letterman. The comedian and TV show veteran has been hosting late night talk shows for more than three decades. His Late Night with David Letterman show began on February 1st, 1982 aired ...

Demystifying Sssniperwolfs Family Background And The Boyfriends Shes Had Since she launched her eponymously named channel in 2013, Sssniperwolf has been on the rise when it comes to video game influencers. She is one of the biggest names in the online gaming subgenre of YouTube videos. Real name Lia Shelesh, she started with Call of Duty: Black Ops II but has diversified with other ...

Lester Holt  Wife, Family & Net Worth Lester Holt is a multiple award-winning journalist, newscaster, reporter, and actor who has worked for notable media houses like WCBS TV, CBS, MSNBC and among others. His remarkable feat in journalism has endeared him to the hearts of many and earned him some awards and recognitions. Read on to get acquainted with his biography, ethnicity, ...

What Is Louis C.K. Doing Now, Where Are His Family And How Much Is His Net Worth? It is not easy to make it in comedy. It takes more than a funny bone and the ability to elicit a few giggles from a listening audience. For all the complexities that go into making a successful career in comedy, Louis C.K, the Washington D.C-born comedian, did it. For years, he was at the ...

The Progression of Hoda Kotbs Career, Her Ancestry and Family Life Hoda Kotb gained fame as a television host and news anchor for NBC. She anchors the shows signature show Today, and it has been an excellent vehicle for her skills in front of a camera. Kotb has won several awards, including Daytime Emmys and Peabody Awards. Simply put, she is one of the most successful ...

Jerry Seinfelds Family: All About The Amazing Comedians Wife and Kids Apparently one of the highly important entertainers in America, Jerry Seinfeld is a man of many talents. A very funny man, he is considered to be one of the most successful comedians in the USA who has been in the business as a professional rib-cracker for more than 40 years. As an actor, he has ...

The Rigors Of Sarah Silvermans Rise To Prominence And Rundown Of The Men She Has Dated A comedian, writer, and actress, Sarah Silvermans art and craft is as unique as you would ever find. Her poignant use of comedy to discuss social issues such as race, sexism, politics, and religion has gained her an impressive following. As unorthodox as her style is, so is her life experiences. She previously suffered from epiglottitis ...

Who Is Hannibal Buress, Does He Have A Wife or Girlfriend & Why Was He Arrested? Making people laugh when they are tense or not in the mood is a tough order and to ply the trade, it must indeed take some guts and expertise, this is what the humor maker, Hannibal Buress has been able to achieve and sustain after his inital teething process. The African-American is a screen writer, stand-up ...

The Success of John Mulaneys Career Efforts Since His Work On Saturday Night Live and Facts About His Wife John Mulaney had been working as a professional comedian for years before Saturday Night Live changed his status for life and like many who are now his fans, you probably did not know of him then. However, that changed when he joined the sketch comedy show in 2008. Since then, he has been one of ...

Jeff Dunham  Wife, Children and Net Worth Ventriloquism is a very subtle method of making an inanimate object (like a puppet, doll or dummy) appear to be saying words which are actually coming from the person (holding the inanimate object). In effect, the individual throws his/her voice to the puppet and can even appear to be having a conversation with it. Not ...

Ellen DeGeneres  Net Worth, Wife  Portia de Rossi & Parents Ellen DeGeneres is an American female standup comedian who has proven that whatever a man can do, a woman can also do. Since her journey as a standup comedian started in 1981, she has held swirl as one of the finest comedians America and the world at large has seen. She is often referred to ...

Revisiting Joan Rivers Death  The Daughter, Husband & Net Worth She Left Behind Joan Rivers was a renowned American comedian, TV host, writer, and actress. Her brand of comedy consisted of scathing one-liners and no individual or topic is spared. She hosted her own talk shows in the 80s and 90s and was a pioneer for women in stand up comedy. She was the first woman to host a late night ...

The Struggles of Margaret Chos Childhood, How It Influenced Her Career Growth and Love Life Margaret Cho is best described as a comic star who knows how to maneuver everything related to life into a rib-cracking joke. She is also known to criticize every social and political problem, especially those involving race and sexuality. Apart from her talents as a comic actress, she does amazingly well as a singer and ...

Where Is Eric Bolling Today? Who Is His Son & What Is His Net Worth? Eric Bolling who was once a notable figure on Fox News, is an American TV personality, an author, and versatile Journalist. As a political and financial analyst/commentator, he anchored discussions bothering on finance for Fox Business Channel. Here is everything there is to know about his career, family, and allegations that led to his exit ...

Who Is Chelsea Handler and Does She Have A Husband or Boyfriend? Chelsea Handler is one of Americas top female comedians. She is also an actress, writer, television host, producer, and activist. She is known to be very outspoken even with things that are very personal. In separate interviews with The New York Times, Handler revealed that she had an abortion twice when she was 16. She has authored five books ...

How Did Laura Lee Achieve Fame, How Much is She Worth and Who is Her Husband? Laura Lee is a popular American YouTuber, make-up artist and beauty blogger. From posting videos of her makeup routines on Instagram, Lee has transformed into a beauty influencer and a YouTube sensation. Today, her YouTube Channel has over 630 million views and 4.5 million subscribers. Asides having millions of followers across all social media platforms, ...

Madison Gesiotto Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Measurements Madison Gesiotto is no ordinary woman; although she excelled in quite a number of pageants and competitions while she was in school, it is her views on politics and issues in America that has made her name known to most people. She possesses beauty and intelligence in a seemingly equal measure and has been able ...

Who Is Lil Tay? Parents, Brother, Sister, Age, Net Worth, Ethnicity Child stardom is nothing new in the entertainment world. With the advent of social media, we have seen more stars made from the internet than ever before, and Lil Tay is one of them. Her uploaded rap videos trademark is cursing, swearing, cash-throwing, and use of obscene languages. Her fame went wild after she dropped ...

What To Know About Tig Notaros Wife, Kids and Family Today Tig Notaro is an American stand-up comic star, writer, actress, and radio analyst. Since she started her career in 2001, she has become one of Americas best comedians, particularly when it comes to observational comedy. One prominent aspect of her routine involves her family, which includes a wife and two children. Interestingly, Tig Notaro is part ...

Who Is Chantel Jeffries? What To Know About Her Age, Ethnicity & Net Worth Chantel Jeffries is a lady of many talents. Beyond being celebrated as a DJ, she has fared well as a model, an actress, musician, and as an artist. She first rose to fame on Instagram where she has a large following. However, in recent times, she has hit the spotlight for her rumored relationships with some ...

Is Ellen DeGeneres Married, Who Is The Brother  Vance DeGeneres and Family Members? Ellen DeGeneres is one of a kind celebrity in todays world as she has used her wealth for the greater good for many people. She has served a host of famous awards shows like the Grammy, Primetime Emmy and Academy Awards. Moreso, she is probably one of the most decorated entertainment personalities around the world and ...

Carli Bybel Bio  Height, Boyfriend & Net Worth Video blogging is now on the rise and YouTube is the place where most of it happens. If you are a lady who cares about her looks or a guy who likes to help his woman out with her looks, then one person whose name rings a bell when it comes to giving beauty tips ...

Who Is Lexy Panterra? What To Know About Her Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth Lexy Panterra is one of the YouTube personalities whose breakout came through the Twerk dance videos she posted on her social media handles and YouTube which has so far generated over 13 million views for her. From there on, she created her LexTwerkOut workout program in 2014. She is sure very talented as she as moved ...

Who Is AnneMunition? What Is Her Ethnicity & Does She Have A Girlfriend or Boyfriend? AnneMunition is a professional gamer and content creator of American origin. She is one of the most sought-after streamers on Twitch  a popular online platform for watching and streaming videos, especially video games. AnneMunition has almost half a million followers on Twitch and her channel has accumulated at least 13 million views. Her favorite games ...

Norm MacDonald  Former Wife, Son & Net Worth Recently, 59-year-old former Saturday Night Live stand-up comic Norm MacDonald caused a not-so-funny stir when he expressed his personal opinion about the #MeToo movement speaking in defense of Louis CK and Roseanne Barr. Following the backlash of his actions, he is diligently doing damage control for his questionable opinion by posting a public apology on ...

Inside Iliza Shlesingers Life With Husband and How Much She is Worth Now Witty, spontaneous, and truly humorous, Iliza Shlesinger is an American comedian who is clearly proving that the stereotypical claim that women are not really funny is not only incredibly wrong but completely outrageous. Having been in the game for more than 10 years, Shlesinger has grown bigger with each step, stunning fans with her incredible ...

Who Is Nessa Diab? Details of her Parents, Ethnicity & Relationship With Colin Kaepernick Nessa Diab has gained more fame as the girlfriend of different footballers than in her career. She is currently with the popular National Football League (NFL) player, Colin Kaepernick, and has stood by his side during his most trying times. Also known for her mononym, Nessa, she recently engaged in a tweet battle with the ...

Samantha Bee  Inside the Life of Full Frontal Comedian and Presenter We have over the decades seen various brands of humor and personalities who have walked the ropes. One of the formidable forces in the world of comedy is no other than the iconic Samantha Bee of the Daily Show who now runs her own television show on TBS channel. She is a Canadian-American political commentator, ...

What Happened To Jessica Williamss Boyfriend And Which Are Her Best Works? Jessica Williams is a woman who has a lot of feathers in her cap  and keeps acquiring more. The former senior political correspondent of the comic Daily Show, who is also a comedian and actress whose recent movie appearance include starring as a playwright just recovering from a recent split with her boyfriend, Damon, and ...

Who is Nicole Byer? Here are 5 Facts You Need To Know About The Comedian Nicole Byer, an American comedian, actress, and writer, made a name for herself after she played supporting roles on MTVs prank show Ladylike and the reality show Girl Code. The latter was a series that featured comedians who analyzed in minute details, all the issues that young women deal with daily, from period to dating, to weird friendship dynamics and questions about sex. Currently, ...

A Closer Look At Bart Kwans Ethnicity, Height & Personal Life Bart Kwan is one of few Asians who is known for being successful in the comic industry at an international level. His fame broke out after the YouTube channel which he created with his close pal Joe Jo garnered up massive followings. The talented duo has been running the channel since 2007 and their success ...

Heres How VanossGaming Achieved Fame Online, His Worth and Other Facts About The Gamer For many years, the decision to drop out of college to pursue an online career was considered to be foolish and self-destructive by conventional wisdom. It was no different when Evan Fong, popularly known as VanossGaming, dropped out of college to pursue a YouTube career. However, that radical move paid off, and he stands shoulder to ...

Desi Perkins  Ethnicity, Net Worth & Husband YouTube is littered with videos of makeup tutorials by different people but if you are interested in learning how to do your makeup like a pro, there is just one person on that platform who you must follow. She is none other than Desi Perkins! She is a popular make-up artist, Instagram star, and vlogger. Desi, ...

The Phases of Casey Neistats Pursuits and His Love Story With Candice Pool YouTuber, vlogger, filmmaker, and creator extraordinaire; these are just a few hats that Casey Neistat wears and the story of how he got here is incredible. A native of Connecticut, Neistat started out by making refreshingly-authentic short films and videos that featured content that was based on everyday life and called attention to serious issues. He ...

Connor Franta  Inside The Life of American YouTuber YouTube has produced a lot of young celebrities in modern times and Connor Franta happens to be one of them. Apart from being a YouTuber, the young American is also an entrepreneur, entertainer, and writer. His journey to fame began almost a decade ago when he started a self-named YouTube channel where he uploads content ranging ...

Rhett and Link  Bio, Who are Their Wives, Net Worth and Family Facts Rhett and Link refer to an American comedy duo who are very popular on YouTube. They are known for their comic songs, viral commercials, skits and the daily show, Good Mythical Morning. Good Mythical Morning is the most watched daily show online, averaging 100 million views in a month. The show has featured guests such ...

A Walk Through The Maze of Ryan Higas Career Pursuits And Relationship With Arden Cho Ryan Higa is not only celebrated as a YouTube star, but he is also famed for appearing on television screens as an actor and comedian. Nigahiga, his Youtube channel, has gathered over 20 million subscribers and billions of views with his different comic acts, short films, and music videos uploads. With the rise in his career, ...

What to Know About The Shows That Made Craig Ferguson a Star and His Family Ties Rising to the top of your profession can sometimes be a hard and difficult process. It requires days and nights of working consistently hard to be better than what you were yesterday. It requires not giving up when all of your experiences seem to be pushing you to quit. It is because of these challenges ...

David Dobrik Married Liza Koshy for One Month  Inside His Family and Relationships David Dobrik is a YouTube sensation who has garnered fame not just for his vlogs but his love life too. Given his career as a YouTuber, his channel is one place where he shares his romantic escapades. With a cute boyish look like his, this Slovakian young man is definitely a good catch, and not ...

Merrell Twins Bio  Ethnicity, Parents & Boyfriend One of the beautiful things about modern life is social media. As rudimentary as it might seem, it could turn out to be the greatest thing that would be invented in the next 50 years because of its impact on human life. Very few tools have revolutionized human behavior and culture as much as social ...

Who Is Bunny Meyer, Is She Married & What Is Her Net Worth? Bunny Meyer is a YouTube celebrity who has amassed over 8.8 million subscribers with 1.5 million viewers on her channel. She is popularly known as Grav3yardgirl and is one of the highest-paid YouTubers in the world. She initially started out as a fashion designer and later chose the path of a YouTuber. Grav3yardgirl has used her knowledge on fashion, makeup, ...

Ninja  Inside The Life of The American YouTuber and Internet Personality Ninja is a talented video game player known for his mastery of Fortnite and other seemingly difficult games he plays with ease. The video gamer made a career out of what is ordinarily the hobby of many people and has since then amassed a huge online following. Find out about him here, including the controversies that ...

What Is Eva Gutowskis True Sexuality and How Did She Rise So Fast As an Influencer? Ever since Eva Gutowski joined YouTube in 2011, it has been an interesting journey for her, moving from one milestone to the other. Backed by an army of young women and teenage girl fans known as Evanators, she has risen to become one of the most-talked-about personalities in the digital stratosphere. She has also leveraged ...

Emma Chamberlain Biography  Age, Height & Net Worth Before now, people in the entertainment industry could only achieve popularity after many years of dedication and hard work but since social media came into the scene, massive success and overnight popularity became possible. That is the story of Emma Chamberlain who encountered fame as a fifteen-year-old. Emma is one of the many young people who became ...

Anna Akana  Ethnicity, Boyfriend & Net Worth There is a new crop of YouTubers known by their different contents with a very strong uniqueness that stands every one of them out, some upload video games, some fashion while some others have comedy video contents to showcase on their channels. Anna Akana has used her platform to showcase her comedy contents to the ...

Revealing Truths About Lilly Singhs Ethnic Background, Family and Her Relationship With Yousef Erakat Lilly Singh is an Indian-Canadian YouTube personality, actress, and comedian also known as Superwoman. She kicked off her YouTube career in 2010 with the launch of her channel IISuperwomanII and followed it up with a vlog channel in 2011. This paved the way for her fame and success which led to a world tour. The ...

Who Is Andrea Constand, Is She Married and What Is Her Connection With Bill Cosby? Many people got sexually molested but could not voice out due to the stigma victims suffer and what will become of them thereafter. Very few of the victims danm every consequence to seek justice and bring the perpetrator to the book, like Andrea Constand. She never got any media buzz, not until her friend cum molester; ...

Who Is Lazarbeam (Lannan Eacott)? Here Are Facts You Need To Know Lannan Eacott became a person of interest after his YouTube channel, LazarBeam pulled him to the limelight. Initially, he started with uploads of Madden Challenge videos before deciding to build his own channel in January 2015. Within the space of three years, his YouTube channel had gathered over 7 million loyal subscribers. Today, he has not ...

Puzzling Facts About Wengies YouTube Success and More About Her Fiance Among the many YouTubers who have succeeded in winning the hearts of millions of people is Wengie. She is a Chinese-Australian YouTube personality, vlogger, singer, and voice actress. Wengie is famous for a lot of things, from her simple life hacks, DIYs, craft ideas to fun experiments, tricks and pranks. Her content portfolio also includes hair tutorials, diet & fitness tips, lookbooks, ...

Is Jeffree Star A Billionaire and How Much Does He Make On YouTube? If looks can be deceptive then theres no other person who proves this maxim better than Jeffree Star. A quick look at Stars pictures would likely leave you wondering whether or not to tag him a male or female. But who says being controversial has to be a curse? For Star, his looks have caught ...

The Place of Rosanna Pansinos Career Hats In Her Rise To Fame and Facts About Her Personal Life There are a few phrases that could summarize Rosanna Pansinos rise to fame. None of them can do it better than the famous axiom, no knowledge is lost. Her popularity YouTube comes out of her foray into other professions, specifically acting. Although acting now occupies one of the major professional hats in Rosannas resume, it was ...

Muselk (Elliott Watkins) Biography  Age, Girlfriend and Net Worth The new and best in-thing in terms of career is video gaming and we have over time seen young men and women make massive income from an activity that was purportedly designed to serve as a hobby or a relaxation activity. One of such individuals is the Australian-born YouTube Celebrity and Twitch streamer, Muselk, whose ...

PopularMMOs Biography: 5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know We have over the years seen social media millionaires, especially on the YouTube social platform. These celebrities cum millionaires have made names for themselves after carving out niches on the internet, and a typical example of one of such exciting media personality on the YouTube is American Minecraft gamer and YouTube star, PopularMMOs whose channel ...

Jason Nash Once Married Marney Hochman  What To Know About His Ex-Wife and Kids The now-defunct video-sharing app Vine was the path that led Jason Nash to fame. With it, he built an audience of over two million followers, which he parlayed into a significant YouTube career. That move has seen him become one of the most popular personalities on the internet, with the cash income to go with ...

Where Does Dantdm Live? What Do We Know About His Net Worth, Wife and Brother? Most parents buy video games for their kids to occupy their time leisure, while other parents frown at their kids when they play video games. Despite the disparity, every parent would be proud of their child if he/she eventually turns a celebrity or millionaire through playing video games like Dantdm. Biography of Dantdm Dantdm was born Daniel ...

LaurDIY  Biography: 5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTuber LaurDIY is the YouTube channel of Lauren Riihimaki which she created on December 1, 2011, when she was still a college undergrad with the sole aim of giving Do It Yourself (DIY) as well as practical fashion and beauty tips to her followers. She has used the channel to establish herself as a YouTube personality ...

Lachlan Ross Power  Bio And Family Life Of Australian The YouTube Star It is amazing the varied sources of income that the internet has made possible in this day and age. Internet fame can get its holder a whole lot of monetary and social benefits, but it must be noted that it does not come easy or cheap. For those who desire fame, content is the sacrifice ...

Alfie Deyes  Bio and Net Worth: Everything You Need To Know Alfie Deyes is one internet personality you definitely would like to know about. He boasts of over 10 million subscribers on three of his YouTube channels and has three bestseller books to his name. He is probably the most renowned young personality on YouTube today and his vlogging empire continues to grow by the day. ...

Colleen Ballingers Love Story With Husband Erik Stocklin and How Much She Is Worth Now Colleen Ballinger is an American comedian and YouTuber who is a very funny, adventurous, and highly talented woman. She is also an actress, singer, and writer. Collen is widely known for her work on YouTube where she posts content on her channel, Miranda Sings. The comedian has gained many subscribers over the years and has ...

Who Are The Dude Perfect Members and How Much Are They Worth? Entertainment in the 21st century can be digested in many forms and with platforms like YouTube, the creators and purveyors of entertainment have been democratized. Today, one of the most popular platforms to exhibit ones creative talents is YouTube, even though there are other platforms like Twitter, Facebook, who suffer in comparison to YouTube because ...

Who Is Rudy Mancuso, What Is His Earning Power and What Do We Know About His Girlfriend? Rudy Mancuso started his internet journey on Vine. He would later transition to YouTube where he solidified his place among the internets most beloved comedic creators. He is now regarded as one of the renowned internet personalities in the world, with a presence in mainstream TV and film projects like Comedy Centrals Drunk History and ...

Vsauce (Michael Stevens) Biography and Net Worth: All You Need To Know The advent of YouTube and the internet as a whole revolutionized how human beings consume information. With each passing year, the percentage of learning that is done in a traditional classroom decrease as a seismic shift to internet-based learning happens in our education industry. From open courses online to YouTube classes and videos, there are ...

How did Jake Paul Make His YouTube Big Break and Who is His Wife? One of the most interesting Social Media personalities of the 21st century is the young and popular Jake Paul whose elder brother is the famed Vine star, Logan Paul. Jake has utilized the power of the internet to bring himself to the limelight with a channel named JakePaulProductions that has amassed up to six billion ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About Reaction Time (Tal Fishman)  The American YouTuber Before 2015, the leading meaning of reaction time was the amount of time it takes to respond to a stimulus, until Tal Fishman started his channel, Reaction Time on YouTube and the dominant meaning changed. Today, a google search of Reaction Time would deliver Tal Fishmans videos and YouTube channel link with a few physics ...

Grace Helbig  Net Worth, Boyfriend and Family Life of The YouTuber Grace Helbig is an American internet personality, comedian, actress, and writer. She became popular due to her daily vlog series, DailyGrace, which ran on My Damn Channel from 2008 to 2013. Helbig is also popular for her own indie series on YouTube, ItsGrace, which she launched in 2014. Her vlogs which feature random stuff such as ...

Mark Wiens Bio  Ethnicity, Wife and Parents Food is a great way to connect with people. We all love to eat, if not for the pleasure of food, the satisfaction of quenching hunger, and the very process of providing and sharing that food is part of the strongest bonds that bind humanity together. Maybe it is our historical connection to food, where ...

Is Filthy Frank Dead, What Happened To Him and How Much Is He Worth? As George Kusunoki Miller, he was a nobody. However, as Filthy Frank, George was one of the most famous internet personalities on the planet. The Filthy Frank Show, a sketch series on his YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank, was one of the platforms most influential creations. He is the reason a crazy dance song, Harlem Shake, made it ...

CaptainSparklez Bio  Net Worth, House and Cars of The Famous YouTuber Sometimes, what society wants from its citizens is quite different from what the citizens want for themselves. This is evident in the life and career of video blogger and American YouTube personality, Jordan Maron famous for his YouTube channel CaptainSparklez. He dropped out of school after discovering his talent in playing an online game called Minecraft. ...

Who is Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg)? Here are Facts You Must Know Canadian Youtube personality, Simply Nailogical (Cristine Rotenberg) originally started out polishing and designing nails even before it became a trendy culture in the social media. Simply Nailogica started out her showbiz career in her early days as a child actress, acting in commercials for game and toy companies. Aside from acting, she is blogger, vlogger, specializing ...

5 Interesting Facts You Need To Know About Huda Beauty In the world of entrepreneurship, it is interesting when an individual has a mentor who he/she looks up to, this yield more productivity on the part of the individual. The iconic and rich American beautician and makeup artist Huda Kattan nicknamed Heida is the founder of the Huda Beauty blog which is number one Instagram beauty blog ...

Is Dino MasterChef Gay? Details About His Ethnicity, Girlfriend, Where He Is Now Food, for the better part of the early years of human life, was nothing more than what we needed for survival. There was no artistry or curation to the method of cooking. The scarcity of food left no room for artistic expression until we figured out agriculture and we could make as much as we ...

Who Is Gabbie Hanna And How Did She Become Famous? As the world shifts to digital media and depends more and more on streaming services for its news and entertainment content, YouTubers have become one of the leading creators in the new media world. Their understanding of the online audience: how to create, maintain, and increase followers, are all handy skills that have primed them ...

Jacksepticeye  Height, Girlfriend & Net Worth Jacksepticeye is a YouTuber and actor who gained popularity with a series of gaming videos he uploads on his channel to the delight of millions of his subscribers. He is Known primarily for his comic video game series titled Lets Play and his vlogs. His channel was formerly ranked 46th in the list of most subscribed ...

Chris Heria Personal Details: About His Wife, Height & Ethnicity Background In this generation, keeping fit has become one of the major criteria for being hale and hearty. In fact, most occupations these days are majorly concerned with ones body mass, weight and looks. Unlike the past where most people have to register in a gym to keep fit, social media has made it quite easy ...

Everything You Need To Know About Game Grumps Gaming is becoming incredibly popular on YouTube these days with game vloggers make millions of dollars out of them yearly. One of the most popular up-coming gaming YouTube channels is Game Grumps. The Lets Play series was created in 2012 and celebrated its fifth anniversary on July 18th, 2017. In six years of its existence, the ...

Daithi De Nogla Biography, Girlfriend and Net Worth YouTube has created an avenue for many to make wealth and become famous from the comfort of their homes while having fun. Many have built a career out of the platform, uploading numerous videos that have earned them the admiration of viewers across the globe. For Daithi De Nogla, he is loved for his humorous commentary on ...

Does Phoebe Robinson Have A Boyfriend or Husband and What Do We Know About Her Family? Phoebe Robinson is a New York-based comedian, writer, and actress. She is best known as the co-creator and co-host of the WNYC Studios podcast 2 Dope Queens. Just like some other female comedians, she never had any original plans of becoming a stand-up comedian even though, according to her, she took a class on a whim at Carolines on Broadway. After ...

Who Are Lex and Alana from Listed Sisters? What Is Their Ethnicity & Is the Show Cancelled? America is a country built on diversity. Everywhere you look all over the country, a countless number of immigrants or children of immigrants have become an integral part of the fabric of the country. From entertainment to business, immigrants are creating a niche for themselves and climbing to the summit of their respective professions. One ...

Riveting Facts About Danielle Lombard And What She Is Best Known For The American entertainment industry is one that provides many avenues for aspiring hopefuls to express their talents and become famous. From films to television shows and game shows, there is no shortage of ways for men and women who desire fame to pursue and earn it in the United States of America. Another tested medium ...

Unearthing New Details About The YouTube Success And Personal Life of Alex Burriss of Wassabi Productions Wildly hilarious and truly audacious, Alex Wassabi is an American YouTuber who has become a very popular face on the video-sharing platform after having garnered millions of subscribers over the years by keeping people glued to his channel with his witty parody video releases. If you have always loved parody videos, there is every chance ...

Everything You Need To Know About H2O Delirious H2O Delirious whose full birth name is reported to be Jonathan Gormon Dennis has successfully kept himself mystified by hiding his face behind the masks leaving his loyal fans speculating who he really is for many years. The American YouTube star is easily identified by the Jason Mask Style with make-up which he wears on his ...

Who Is HolaSoyGerman and What Happened To Him? German Garmendia has certainly seen it all when it comes to internet success. His channels, HolaSoyGerman and JuegaGerman are in the top twenty most subscribed channel on YouTube. The Chilean YouTuber found a way to tap into one of the worlds greatest inventions and make a living from it. He has been able to build ...

Who Are Glenn Becks Family, What Is His Net Worth And What Happened To Him? The American political commentary space is filled with different personalities. A few of them, through their rhetoric, charisma, and resources have been able to build a large following of men and women who listen to them for insight and direction for various political and social issues in the United States. For Conservatives, the story is ...

Following Charissa Thompsons Rise Through The Ranks Of Sports Casting and All About Her Boyfriend Superstar TV host and sportscaster, Charissa Thompson, has been hailed as one of the highest-profile women journalists in America, and the reason is there for all to see. She has worked for popular establishments such as Versus, Yahoo! Sports, ESPN, GSN, and Big Ten Network. She currently hosts the popular pre-game show, Fox NFL Kickoff, ...

Is Chris Kattan Gay or Does He Have A Wife? What Is His Net Worth? Chris Kattan is a popular American comedian and actor. He has appeared in several comic movies and TV series such as The Middle, A Night at the Roxbury and Bunnicula. Kattan is, however, most popular for his six-year stint as a cast member of Saturday Night Live. During his time on the legendary show, he ...

Everything You Should Know About the Rise of Insta Star Claire Abbott and Why She Gave It All Up A lot of young Americans have shot into the limelight for uploading different kinds of videos on YouTube. Some of these young stars include Connor Franta, Desi Perkins, Emma Chamberlain, the Dolan Twins (Ethan and Grayson), and Claire Abbott. The latter became a social media celebrity for uploading sexy bikini pictures of herself on social media. Apart from ...

5 Facts You Need To Know About The YouTube Channel  h3h3Productions H3h3Productions is a YouTube channel that specializes on Comic responses or reactions of other contents or trendy stories. The celebrity couple that created the channel has over time racked up sizable views for their commentaries and contents. Even though they had their own fair share of copyright cases, thankfully they scored an unprecedented victory in all ...

Lilypichu Bio  Height, Brother and Love Story With Albert SleightlyMusical Chang Like most popular internet celebrities, Lilypichu is one of those Twitch streamers who spend their lives on camera. From daydreaming about the possibility of becoming a full-time professional streamer, she grew to live out her dreams on the popular live streaming platform where people play games, make crafts, and showcase their day-to-day activities. Given the rise of ...

KSI  What To Know About His Girlfriend, Brother  Deji Olatunji & Net Worth Assuredly, when Internet inventors Vint Cerf and Bob Khan created the technological masterpiece, they probably did not know how massive the creation will be harnessed by many for different purposes including as a platform for earning money through content creation. One of such person who smiles to the bank regularly today for spending time creating ...

The Interesting Progression and Highlights of Carrie Keagans Career as a Host and Actress Carrie Keagan has garnered huge fame through her various stints on television. She is not just your regular TV host but one with a difference. Keagan has hosted several high profile events and TV shows, including VH1s Big Morning Buzz Live and Fox News Channels Red Eye with Greg Gutfeld. However, not many know she ...

The Gist On Elise Jordans Marriages And Her Rise To Prominence Political commentaries tend to be boring when it is handled by someone who does not have a knack for it. However, when you see the likes of Elise Jordan run the same commentary, you will have a lot of reasons to look forward to watching her again as the journalist is well-versed in the field ...

What Is Timmy Thick Best Known For and How Successful Is The Star? Thanks to the internet, many people whose talents would have ordinarily gone unnoticed have become famous. A very good example of this modern-day internet celebrity is Timmy Thick, an American social media star. He became popular on Instagram due to his penchant for posting raunchy pictures of himself. He also often posted videos of himself ...

What Does Heather Storm Do For a Living and Who Is She Dating? Reality Television is a great way to make a name for oneself as well as amass a fortune. Heather Storm can attest to this as she is one of those who have made a name and earned a lot from reality TV. She made her name appearing on shows like Car Fanatics, Awesome Autos, and, ...

Matt Carriker Biography  Net Worth, Wife & Height Unlike your regular veterinary doctor next door, Matt Carriker chose to spice up his noble profession with the unusual. Though he is known to many as a medical practitioner, Carriker is better renowned as a YouTube star and an animal lover. Having recorded huge successes on his various YouTube channels, the vet doctors name and ...

Jillian Mele of Fox News Career Achievements, Husband & Measurements There are quite a good number of presenters on radio and television who listeners and viewers may never wish to miss any of their shows because of their sensational golden voice, beauty or the special way or artistry they anchor their shows. Jillian Mele is one of such. She has been at the top of ...

Who is Gillian Turner of Fox News? Her Fiance or Husband and Net Worth Gillian Turner is well-known as a news correspondent for Fox News Channel but before she became a TV personality, she built an intimidating resume working for different institutions, including the American government. She served in different capacities at the White House National Security Council during the administration of former US Presidents  George W. Bush and Barack Obama. ...

Gloria Govan Bio  Age, Ethnicity & Height Even as Gloria Govan is famous as an American actress, author, a TV host, and reality television star, shes more popular as the wife of the former NBA player, Matt Barnes. She became known after appearing on the Florida version of the reality television series, Basketball Wives and later, Basketball Wives: LA  after Matt was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Sadly, ...

Michael Fishmans Interesting Start as an Actor and Why He Divorced His Wife of Many Years When one door closes, another one opens. As silly as that axiom may seem, it is the story of the resurgence of Michael Fishman, who plays D.J Conner on the popular show, Roseanne. Having played the character for several years as a child actor into his teenage years; when the show originally ended, Michael did ...

Who Is October Gonzalez  Tony Gonzalezs Wife? All You Need To Know October Gonzalez is a popular American TV host and media personality. Additionally, she is also a model. Gonzalez has hosted several TV shows such as Beat Shazam, Entertainment Tonight, and Rachel Ray. She has also featured in several reality TV shows. Gonzalezs fame is not just due to her profession but also because of her ...

Who Is Tony Berlin  Harris Faulkners Husband: His Children and Family Facts Tony Berlin is a popular American media guru. He has variously worked as a reporter, anchor, and producer for some of the biggest TV networks in America. They include CNN, CBS, NBC, and ABC (where he hosted the popular Good Morning America). Berlin has now diversified into public relations and owns his own PR firm. ...

The Progression of Gianna Tobonis Journalism Career and Details About Her Marriage to Kyle Buckley Gianna Toboni may not be your ideal newscaster but her unusual reporting is what made her a household name. The American journalist is renowned for her hard-hitting and authentic reportage. A motivator and activist for total press freedom, Gianna loves to explore pervasive cultural issues. Not only does this unique and ambitious journalist call for all ...

Dog The Bounty Hunters Family Including Details of His Late Wife and Kids Popularly known as Dog, a name which he got from the television series, Dog The Bounty Hunter, Duane Chapman, an American bounty hunter, and one-time bail bondsman, went from being convicted for a felony to being a reality TV star. He was brought to the limelight following the capture of the convicted criminal, Andrew Luster in 2003 and this eventually made ...

Vicky Karayiannis, Chris Cornells Wifes Bio, Children and Family The world of showbiz is made up of different people who serve different roles, and function in a variety of capacities, and one of the most important people are those in the background. Publicists are undoubtedly one of these background people yet they are vital to the life and fame of most of our favorite ...

Joe Rogan Has A Step-Daughter and 2 Other Kids With Wife Jessica Ditzel  Meet His Family Joe Rogan is a popular American stand-up comedian and TV host. His journey to stardom began in the late 80s and has seen him host several shows, the most popular is the game show titled Fear Factor. The exciting show dares contestants to face some of their greatest fears and embark on challenging stunts. The ...

Josh Gates and Wife Hallie Gnatovich Have 2 Kids But Who Has the Higher Net Worth? Best known for his explorations and adventures, Josh Gates, is a television presenter with a voracious appetite for seeing the world and the beauties in it. Some of that beauty, however, is in his home, in the form of two children he shares with his wife, Hallie Gnatovich. Not excluded is their marriage which has lasted ...

Holly Sonders Wiki, Plastic Surgery & Why She Divorced Her Husband  Erik Kuselias After trying everything within her capacity to have a low key wedding, Holly Sonders was drawn to the public because of her husbands controversy at his workplace. Well, the two are rumored to be divorced but the article below will give more light on how true these rumors are. Meanwhile, Holly Sonders is yet to ...

Nadeska Alexis Bio  Age, Boyfriend & Net Worth Journalism is one diverse profession that allows the practitioners to choose their area of specialty, build a career on it by reporting the truth and facts which in the long run will distinguish them as deserving commendation and recognition among their peers. Some choose to specialize in political journalism, while to others it is sports ...

Media Platforms Charlamagne Tha God Has Explored and All The Controversies He Has Courted Charlamagne Tha God is an American on-air personality, radio presenter, and more recently, author. He is popularly known as a co-host on New York radios nationally syndicated show, The Breakfast Club, a program he has been hosting alongside DJ Envy and Angela Yee since 2010. However, his early years had no connection to his current career ...

A Look At Jimmy Fallons Net Worth and Family Including His Wife & Kids Sometimes, a childs passion for something is a pointer to what he/she would become in the future. As a child, Jimmy Fallon was literally obsessed with watching the late-night comedy program, Saturday Night Live (SNL). Then, his parents would tape the clean parts for him to watch and later, he and his sister would re-enact sketches from the ...

Kay Adams Biography  Does The Sportscaster Have A Husband or Boyfriend? When you hear the phrase sports enthusiast, women are hardly the first group that comes to mind. Well, thats changing pretty fast. Especially with the rise of female sports analysts and broadcasters like Kay Adams who is famed for knowing more about sports than most men do. And why not, shes paid handsomely for it ...

Ben Shapiros Family  Meet His Wife, Kids and Sister Who is Popular for the Wrong Reasons A multi-talented man, Ben Shapiro is a man of controversial nature, an attribute that has made him an unusual public figure. An intellectual whose career path was clearly defined even before he became a man, the Jewish conservative commentator has always had his way with words. He became popular by sharing his critical and often ...

QVC Shawn Killinger Bio  Husband, Net Worth & Facts To Know Shawn Killinger is a prominent TV personality who has worked her way to the top. Though not initially a journalist by training, she defied the odds and today has established herself as a household name, as well as, worked alongside some industry legends. More than just being a reporter, newscaster, and anchor, heres all you ...

Liv Lo  Dissecting the Ethnicity, Parents and Personal Life of Henry Goldings Wife While many are aware that Liv Lo is the better half to Crazy Rich Asians star Henry Golding, only a few understand why his beautiful wife appears increasingly endearing to fans. A former model turned TV personality, and fitness star, Liv has an impressive resume which when combined with that of her statuesque spouse is considered a perfect ...

Stpeach Age, Husband and Other Facts About The Twitch Streamer Lisa Vannatta, famously known by her online alias, STPeach is a Canadian video game streamer cum vlogger who has garnered fame through her appearances on different video-sharing/social networking platforms such as Youtube, Instagram, Twitch, Reddit, and Twitter. The beautiful lady got her career to a start in August 2015 when she joined the live streaming video platform, Twitch. She rose to ...

Insights into Seth Meyers Wife, Family and What His Net Worth Is Celebrities are mostly remembered and known for the work they do. For Seth Meyers, his career as a comedian, writer, actor, TV host, and producer is his biggest identifier. He was on Saturday Night Live SNL show as a head writer and cast member for more than ten years during which he built a reputation ...

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Tourists in north-west China were treated to a rare phenomenon this week when multiple waterspouts swirled over a lake.

These giant columns appeared to have descended on waters at the same time. At one point, as many as three could be seen rotating in close proximity.

The incredible scenes lasted for five minutes on Qinghai Lake in Qinghai Province on Wednesday, reported People's Daily Online.

Spectacular: Three giant water columns appeared on China's Qinghai Lake on Wednesday

Incredible: Tourists were stunned by the multiple waterspouts that occurred at the same time

The 26-second-long footage was taken by one of the onlookers and was released by China Central Television Station yesterday.

According to eyewitnesses, the spectacle occurred at around 10:30am when clouds suddenly appeared in the skies.

Onlookers quickly took out their mobile phones to capture the incredible sight.

The meteorological phenomenon is known as 'dragon sucking water' in Chinese.

One unnamed spectator told a reporter from local Xining Evening News: 'The phenomenon suddenly occurred above the calm Qinghai Lake. This is so exciting.

'I have heard of "dragon sucking water" before. I'm so happy to witness the stunning scenes with my own eyes.'

The waterspouts rotated for around five minutes.

One excited eyewitness said the phenomenon suddenly occurred above the calm Lake

A local meteorological expert said it is not uncommon to see waterspouts above Qinghai Lake

A spokesman from the Hainan Region Meteorological Observatory said that waterspout is a common sight on Qinghai Lake.

The spokesman said: 'The temperatures above Qinghai Lake have been high recently. When a cold front comes, it's quite normal to see the phenomenon.'

According to the National Ocean Service of the United States of America, waterspouts fall into two categories: the tornadic ones and the fair-weather ones.

Tornadic waterspouts are usually accompanied by high winds and seas, large hail, and frequent dangerous lightning. They develop downwards from thunderstorms.

On the other hand, fair-weather waterspouts form along the dark flat base of a line of developing cumulus clouds. They develop on the surface of waters and work their way upwards.
They say love conquers all, and this couple from China are a perfect example.

Dong Zhijun, who stands 2ft 6in tall, and his wife Yuan Wanyu, who is a burns victim, prove that when it comes to love, appearance isn't everything.

The pair, who live in Anshan city in northern China's Liaoning Province, said mutual understanding and unconditional support are the keys to a happy marriage, reported the People's Daily Online.

True love: Dong Zhijun, 29, and his wife Yuan Wanyu, 27, have been married for six years

To have to hold: The couple, from China's Anshan city, say happiness isn't about appearance

According to the report, Dong, a 29-year-old online businessman, was born with rickets.

The condition, which affects bone development, hampered the growth of Dong's limbs when he was little, leading him to stand less than three feet tall.

The man suffered from poor health in his early years and spent most of his childhood and teenage years in bed because he was prone to bone fractures.

Dong was only able to walk - aided by a pair of crutches - after he entered adulthood.

To me, she is the holiest and most gorgeous girl in the world...No matter what happens, Wanyu and I will face up to it together. Dong Zhijun, 29

Dong's fate changed in 2003 when he was just 16 years old.

His father passed way that year due to sudden illness and his mother's health began to deteriorating.

The man, who had been taken care of by his parents daily, realised he would have to learn to support himself.

He started to teach himself how to read and write Chinese characters.

He also learned how to type on a keyboard and use the internet, thanks to a second-hand computer his sister bought him.

Fascinated by the digital world, Dong moved on to established four websites and supervised another seven.

He had been recruited as an IT clerk by an information services company, according to a report on Xinhua News Agency.

Dong now works as a broadcaster on a live-stream platform, which has earned him around 150,000 followers. The man also runs an online store.

The internet has not only given Dong a career but also brought him true love.

'He is a very kind man': Yuan, who was disfigured in an accident aged one, met Dong online

Dong and his wife, Yuan Wanyu, 27, met each other seven years ago through an online job marketplace devoted to disabled people.

Yuan is originally from Zhaoqing city in southern China's Guangdong Province.

She was severely burned in an accident when he was one year old.

Yuan's face was disfigured and she lost all fingers on her left hand as a result of the accident.

What's more? She had been unable to close her eyes since the accident due to the disfigurement.

The poor financial condition of Yuan's family meant she couldn't go to university after high school.

Her appearance had also become an obstacle for her to find a job in her hometown.

After Yuan met Dong online, the pair stayed in close contact for a year.

Yuan had been rejected by several companies due to her looks, and Dong became her confidante.

The two quickly fell in love.

Yuan said in an interview with Xinhua in 2010: 'He is a very kind man.'

In the same interview, Dong said: 'I love her from my heart and I will warm her heart all my life.'

The precious relationship prompted Yuan to make a life-changing decision - she moved 1,750 miles from Zhaoqing to Anshan to be with Dong.

Afterwards, Dong spent all his life savings to help Yuan treat her poor eyesight - a result of her eye-closing difficulty.

Happy marriage: The couple lead a simple life and enjoy cooking and watching TV together

The couple married in 2010.

They said they lead a simple life, mostly staying at home, cooking and watching TV together.

Dong, a loving husband, said he enjoyed doing housework as it could reduce the workload of his wife.

On the other hand, Yuan is Dong's best support when he goes out.

She helps her husband go down the stairs and take him out for a walk regularly in his wheelchair.

Talking about his wife, Dong told Xinhua: 'To me, she is the holiest and most gorgeous girl in the world.'
The US National Parks are full of wonders like deep canyons, active volcanoes and ice so dense it looks bright blue.

In honor of the 100th anniversary of the United States National Park Service, Google has released a series of exhibits that brings these breathtaking locations to you.

Called The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks, this 360-degree videos send users to five different National Parks and provides them with a local ranger to guide them through the stunning landscapes.

Scroll down for videos and click here to launch the interactive site

The US National Parks are full of wonders like deep canyons, active volcanoes and ice so dense it looks bright blue. In honor of the 100th anniversary of the United States National Park Service, Google released a series of exhibits that brings these breathtaking locations to you. Pictured is Bryce Canyon located in southern Utah that is known for crimson-colored hoodoos, which are spire-shaped rock formations

The National Park Service was founded on August 25, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson with the hope of preserving the nations natural and historic wonders for future generations to enjoy.

Adventurers can marvel at parks from all of the country: Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Dry Tortugas in Florida, New Mexicos Carlsbad Caverns and Bryce Canyon located in Utah.

To inform users about what location they are visiting, Google has also placed little buttons in the video that can be clicked and the virtual tour guide will explain what is around them.

The exhibit includes Kenai Fjords in Alaska, which users can explore

And users can choose to explore different areas of the parks such as flying over an active volcano or exploring a sunken shipwreck.

This Google Arts & Culture exhibit and interactive documentary in honor of this months NPS Centennial is available on the web and in the Google Arts & Culture App on iOS and Android.

WHERE DID GOOGLE GO? Adventurers can marvel at parks from all of the country: Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Dry Tortugas in Florida, New Mexicos Carlsbad Caverns and Bryce Canyon located in Utah 'The Hidden Worlds of the National Parks' is a 360-degree video that transports viewers to five different US National Parks. Users can kayak through icy waters, fly over active volcanoes and trek through massive caverns. The exhibit includes Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Dry Tortugas in Florida, New Mexicos Carlsbad Caverns and Bryce Canyon located in Utah. Users will also have their own local virtual tour guide who will explain what they are seeing around them. And they can choose different activities to do while visiting the park. Click here to start your journey. The exhibit includes Kenai Fjords in Alaska, Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, Dry Tortugas in Florida, New Mexicos Carlsbad Caverns and Bryce Canyon located in Utah. Advertisement

National Geographic has also launched a project using virtual reality, with the help of the US President Barack Obama.

President Obama has become the first sitting U.S. president to project himself into virtual reality  in this case, a 360-degree representation of Yosemite National Park.

The 11-minute VR video , narrated by Obama, is one part paean to the wonders of America's national parks and one part warning of the threat posed by climate change.

It's also a testament to how powerful VR can be when done right.

National Geographic joined Facebook's Oculus Studios and VR specialists Felix & Paul Studios to produce the free video, which came out Thursday to mark the centennial of the National Park Service .

To inform users about what location they are visiting, Google has also placed little buttons in the video that can be clicked and the virtual tour guide will explain what is around them. There will be little icons spread out among the scene that users can select to learn about the park, like Carlsbad Caverns National Park is in the Chihuahuan Desert of southern New Mexico. This cavern is home to more than 100 caves

It's available on Samsung's Gear VR headset and through Facebook's 360-degree video service. It's coming soon to the Oculus Rift headset.

Although the video advocates visitation and preservation, the experience is mostly an opportunity to marvel at Yosemite's natural wonders, from the giant El Capitan rock formation that opens the video to the tall sequoia trees filling Mariposa Grove and the Merced River rushing through Yosemite Valley.

You can almost touch the surrounding tall grass; later in the video, it feels as though you're floating in a real canoe.

Crews captured Obama's June visit to the California park with his family.

In the video, Obama addresses an audience on climate change, with the 2,424-foot-tall Yosemite Falls as a backdrop.

Users can choose to explore different areas of the parks such as flying over an active volcano at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in Hawaii (pictured), which encompasses two active volcanoes: Kilauea, one of the world's most active volcanoes, and Mauna Loa, the world's most massive subaerial volcano. This Google Arts & Culture exhibit and interactive documentary in honor of this months NPS Centennial is available on the web and in the Google Arts & Culture App on iOS and Android

The National Park Service was founded on August 25, 1916 by President Woodrow Wilson with the hope of preserving the nations natural and historic wonders for future generations to enjoy. Pictured is Dry Tortugas in Florida, which consists of seven islands, plus protected colorful coral reefs

In a more intimate setting, surrounded by trees, Obama speaks with Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher on the importance of exposing kids to national parks .

The video concludes with Obama urging viewers in a voice-over to take action on the environment in light of threats such as wildfires and melting glaciers.

'We hope people emotionally connect to this story, to these environments, and we hope that it elicits within them a desire to visit national parks,' said Felix Lajeunesse, the 'Felix' in Felix & Paul. ('Paul' is his partner, Paul Raphael.)

The Felix & Paul team recorded former President Bill Clinton's journeys to Africa in VR last year, but a sitting U.S. president had yet to appear in VR.

After all, VR didn't exist beyond labs and small gaming circles before Obama took office.

Oculus was looking for ways to extend VR beyond games and approached the White House to explore an opportunity that wouldn't feel gimmicky, said Colum Slevin, head of experiences for Oculus VR.

The White House, in turn, suggested pairing with National Geographic, which was already developing tie-ins to the park service centennial.

Although National Geographic has produced 360-degree video before, this is its first project in full VR, with more immersive, 3-D imagery intended for viewing through special headsets.

'This is the next frontier,' said Rajiv Mody, National Geographic's vice president for social media.

National Geographic has also launched a project using virtual reality, with the help of the US President Barack Obama. President Obama has become the first sitting U.S. president to project himself into virtual reality  in this case, a 360-degree representation of Yosemite National Park

The VR technology, he said, can take people 'to experiences they aren't able to necessarily experience on their own.'

Nonetheless, the video could be a hard sell, warned Joel Espelien, an analyst with Diffusion Group, which tracks emerging video formats and services.

He said many VR viewers are younger and male  not the same audience that would watch a nature show on PBS.

And while the video isn't overtly political, Obama's appearance in an election year could make it seem so, he said. The VR video isn't a traditional documentary, as the producers and the White House worked on the script together.

At this juncture, many VR projects feel experimental , as if their producers mainly wanted to play with new filmmaking techniques or showcase the technology's potential.

THE RISE OF OCULUS RIFT Oculus, which began crowd-funding through Kickstarter in August 2012, was acquired by Facebook for $2 billion in 2014 and has shipped two developer versions so far. The black headgear comes with a remote, an audio system, a sensor and an Xbox One wireless controller. Oculus said there were more than 30 games available on the Oculus Store and it would soon add feature-length movies. There's a backlog of orders and people who order now shouldn't expect delivery until July. It's not clear, though, how many units Oculus made for the first round, and whether there will ultimately be much demand beyond gamers and hard-core technologists. Advertisement

This Yosemite video, though, feels much more like a short nature movie that just happens to be viewable in a 360-degree surroundscape.

(It does, of course, also deliver a promotional punch for the park system.)

For instance, the Yosemite project managed to avoid a common VR pitfall that can render landscape shots remote and distant because 360-degree cameras lack zoom.

Lajeunesse said the team made sure to juxtapose distant iconic landmarks with nearby grass, trees and other tangible objects, lending perspective to the shot.

The 11-minute VR video , narrated by Obama, is one part paean to the wonders of America's national parks and one part warning of the threat posed by climate change. It's also a testament to how powerful VR can be when done right

Producers also kept the cameras at a constant vantage point from scene to scene  low, at roughly sitting height  based on the assumption that most people would be watching this video sitting down, Raphael said.

But visuals alone aren't enough. 'The emotional connection, a lot of that comes from having the voice of the president being there with you on this journey,' Lajeunesse said. 'It somehow makes those moments in nature feel more personal, feel more intimate.'
A 'kitten-sized' lion that roamed Australia's rainforests in the early Miocene era has been named after veteran British naturalist David Attenborough.

The fossil remains of the 'microleo attenboroughi' were found in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area by palaeontologists in July.

The animal's teeth were found sticking out of a small block of limestone, which researchers believe is about 18 million years old.

A 'kitten-sized' lion that roamed Australia's ancient rainforests some 18 million years ago has been named after veteran British naturalist David Attenborough. The lion is estimated to have weighed about 600g (21.2 ounces), according to the University of New South Wales

THE MICRO PREDATOR The lion has been named 'microleo attenboroughi' after BBC broadcaster David Attenborough. Weighing only about 600 grams, it was more like a ringtail possum in size. The tiny marsupial lion prowled the lush rainforests of northern Australia about 18 million years. It probably hunted small insects and small invertebrates like lizards, frogs and birds. The species was smaller than the other members of this extinct marsupial lion family, including its most famous but younger relative  the lion-sized Thylacoleo carnifex. Intriguingly, although many thousands of bones and teeth have been recovered in the 40 years of research at Riversleigh, only one specimen of this small flesh-eater has been recovered. Advertisement

'It's around about the size of a grey squirrel...maybe a little bit bigger than kitten-sized,' Sydney's University of New South Wales palaeontologist Anna Gillespie told AFP.

She added that the new species was estimated to weigh about 600g (21.2 ounces) and was smaller than other members of an extinct marsupial lion family.

'It was probably living and hunting in the treetops and probably hunting small insects and small invertebrates like lizards, frogs and birds,' she said of the discovery, which has been detailed in the Palaeontologia Electronica journal.

The 'microleo attenboroughi' had teeth that included 'an elongate, lethally sharp, knife-like premolar in front of basined molar', which is a feature of the other marsupial carnivores in the family.

Gillespie said the extinct lion would have lived in a hot and wet climate.

It was discovered in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area is believed to be one of the most significant fossil deposits in the world and is located in the remote north-western Queensland.

This image shows the relatively tiny tooth row of Microleo attenboroughi compared with the tooth row of its Pleistocene relative, the lion-sized Thylacoleo carnife

Reconstruction of the early Miocene rainforest environment 18 million years ago that enabled hundreds of species to become fossils found in Nevilles Garden Site in the Riversleigh World Heritage Area in Queensland

She said that the 'incredibly rich' diversity of animals found in Riversleigh was nearly the equivalent of the mammal diversity currently seen in Borneo in Southeast Asia.

The size differences between Microleo attenboroughi and other genera of marsupial lions, Priscileo, Wakaleo and Thylacoleo

'Despite its relatively small size compared with the Pleistocene Thylacoleo carnifex  the last surviving megafaunal marsupial lion  the new species was one of the larger flesh-eaters existing in its ancient community of rainforest creatures at Riversleigh,' says team member UNSW Professor Mike Archer.

The extinct lion was named after Attenborough as the conservation icon and BBC legend has long been a champion of the significance of Riversleigh, Gillespie added.

'He's been up to the area and done filming of the area.

'He's actually counted it as probably one of the four top fossil sites in the world because of the diversity and the fact that it's given us an insight into the changes in the Australian environment and animals over such a big time period,' she said.

Fossil specimens by the UNSW team in Riversleigh have ranged between 1.9 million years and 24 million years old, Gillespie said.

The Microleo attenboroughi fossil will eventually go on display at the Queensland Museum.

The extinct lion was named after veteran British broadcaster David Attenborough (pictured) as the conservation icon has long been a champion of the significance of Riversleigh
As wildfires wreak havoc from California to southern Spain, scientists are coming up with increasingly radical ways to halt their spread.

Boeing's latest idea is to use military weapons fitted with fire-retarding ammunition to help prevent the fires from moving to nearby areas.

The aerospace group recently applied for a patent for a 'Fire-retarding artillery shell' based on howitzers.

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Positioned dozens of miles away from the fire, artillery cannons fitted with fire-suppressing ammo could bombard the fire to the tune of two rounds per minute. Pictured is an image from the patent application

HOW IT COMPARES TO TRADITIONAL METHODS At the moment, firefighters douse blazes with gallons of chemicals - such as borate or ammonium phosphates mixed with water - which are dropped from helicopters or planes. But Boeing claims its patent if far more effective and much faster. A howitzer battery is usually six guns, notes Popular Science. If it took 36 hours for one howitzer to deliver 6,469 gallons of fire retardant, and 7.6 hours it would take one plane, Popular Science says six howitzers could fire enough to make a firebreak in just under six hours. Advertisement

A howitzer is a artillery shell with a relatively short barrel that uses small propellant charges.

This means that projectiles travel relatively high trajectories with a steep angle of descent - ideal for fighting a blaze.

At the moment, firefighters douse blazes with gallons of chemicals - such as borate or ammonium phosphates mixed with water - which are dropped from helicopters or planes.

While this is more efficient than containing the fire with trucks and water cannons, Boeing argues that it is still relatively slow.

'In order to establish an aircraft-delivered firebreak for a relatively small 28 acre fire, it would take approximately 7.6 hours to deliver a required 6,469 gallons of fire-retarding material,' Boeing's patent application reads.

'During the 7.6 hour time period, the relatively small 28 acre fire has the potential to grow and burn an estimated 100 acres of land'.

Each anti-fire shell would comprise 'a timer, an altimeter, an accelerometer, a global positioning device, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, or a distance measuring device'

Its idea is to contain forest fires by shooting shells filled with fire-retardant. Each shell, according to the patent, could pack one to six gallons of the material.

Safely positioned dozens of miles away from the fire, artillery cannons such as the field howitzers last seen fighting in the Iraq war, could relentlessly bombard the fire with two rounds per minute.

Many pieces of artillery are being phased out by armies worldwide. Pictured is a US Howitzer gun in the Kuwait desert in 2003

It is estimated that a medium-size battery of five or six howitzers could do the job of a fire-breaking helicopter in about half the time.

The shells delivering the fire-suppressing payload had to be specially designed.

Boeing's application reveals that each shell would be a sophisticated piece of hi-tech 'comprising a timer, an altimeter, an accelerometer, a global positioning device, a temperature sensor, a pressure sensor, or a distance measuring device.'

In this way, the chemicals would be delivered exactly where it is needed - that is over the fire or around it to halt its propagation.

While Boeing's proposal might not be the ultimate magic bullet for forest fires, anti-fire artillery could be a valid complement to aircraft and other fire-fighting techniques currently in use.

And as many pieces of artillery are being phased out by armies worldwide, Boeing's system could take advantage of the availability of a large amount of warfare guns.

It is not clear yet whether Boeing intends to go ahead with the project outlined in its patent.
Tiny mind-controlled nanobots that can be injected into the human body and directed by a doctors' thought could be used to treat diseases in the future.

Scientists have for the first time used thought alone to control nanorobots inside a living creature after getting them to release a drug inside cockroaches.

They say the technology could be used to treat brain disorders such as schizophrenia, depression and attention deficit disorder.

Scientists have created tiny nanobots out of DNA that can carry drugs inside them. These can be controlled using computer software that detects changes in brain activity. The researchers say it could be used to deliver drugs to patients (artist's impression of nanobots pictured)

NANOBOTS IN THE BRAIN COULD TURN US INTO GODS The human brain could be enhanced by tiny robotic implants that connect to cloud-based computer networks to give us 'God-like' abilities, according to a leading computer scientist. Ray Kurzweil, an author and inventor who describes himself as a futurist who works on Google's machine learning project, said such technology could be the next step in human evolution. He predicted that by the 2030s, humans will be using nanobots capable of tapping into our neocortex and connecting us directly to the world around us. This will allow people to send emails and photos directly to each other's brains while also backing up our thoughts and memories. Speaking at an event organised by the Singularity University at Moffett Field in California, which he helped found and TheWorldPost, Mr Kurzweil said they could also expand our capacity for emotions and creativity. He said this ability to expand our brains with the information held in the cloud will combine with the power of artificial intelligence to make humans more 'God-like'. Advertisement

It echoes the nanite and nanobot technology seen in science fiction TV series like Star Trek and Red Dwarf, where swarms of microscopic robots can be used to repair damaged tissue.

Researchers at Bar Ilan University in Ramat Gan, Israel, and the Interdisciplinary Centre in Herzliya, built their nanobots using a form to DNA origami to create hollow shell-like structures.

Drugs could then be placed inside these before they were chemically locked shut with particles of iron oxide.

To release the drug, an electromagnet can be used to deform the DNA shells by pulling the DNA shells need to be heated with an electromagnet.

The nanobots mean doctors can control the release of drugs over time by only allowing a small number of them to release it at once.

Led by Dr Ido Bachelet, a principal investigator of nanotechnology at Bar Ilan University, the team have now shown they can control this process with human brainwaves.

To achieve it they trained a computer algorithm to detect when a person's brain was under strain from doing mental arithmetic.

By looking for changes in the activity of the brain, the computer was then able to trigger an electromagnet to unlock the nanorobots that had been injected into a cockroach.

They released a flourescent protein into the cockroaches, allowing the scientists to track the rate of release.

Writing in the journal Public Library of Science One, the researchers said: 'As a proof of principle we demonstrate activation of DNA robots to cause a cellular effect inside the insect Blaberus discoidalis, by a cognitively straining task.

The researchers tested their technology by injecting nanobots into the bodies of cockroaches (stock picture) and using sensors that could detect changes in brain activity in a human subject. This triggered an electromagnet which in turn released the contents of the nanobots

The nanobot (illustrated A and photographed B) released flourescent particles in the cockroaches in a controlled fashion (shown C and D) according to an increase in brain activity in a human trying to solve a difficult maths problem

'This technology enables the online switching of a bioactive molecule on and off in response to a subject's cognitive state.'

They said the technology could be adapted to be used in humans by looking for changes in brain activity that come with schizophrenia or bouts of depression or epilepsy.

Patients could be injected with the nanobots carrying a drug and given a cap containing sensors capable of detecting the electrical activity of their brain.

When that activity displays a certain pattern, it could then trigger an electromagnet in the cap to cause the nanobots to release the drugs they are carrying.

The technology could look for changes in brain activity (illustrated) that precede a seizure in epilepsy patients and trigger the nanobots to release anti-seizure medication in the brain

Speaking to New Scientist, Sachar Arnon, lead author of the paper at the Interdisciplinary Center, said: 'It could be modified to suit your needs.'

In the case of epilepsy, for example, it could detect a seizure may be coming from the brain activity and release anti-seizure drugs from the nanobots.

Mr Arnon added it may even be possible to use the technology outside the medical field.
A fear of germs may be dooming the humble bar of soap as young, hygiene obsessed members of millennials turn to hand wash instead.

New figures have revealed that young people aged between 18 and 24 are choosing liquid soap over the old fashioned bars.

Sales of soap bars in the US fell by 2.2 per cent between 2014 and 2015 even though the overall market for bath and shower products increased by 2.7 per cent, Mintel has found.

Young consumers are turning their back on traditional bars of soap (pictured) over fears that they carry germs, according to new research by Mintel. They found that soap bar sales have declined by 2.2 per cent in the past year despite the soap market growing by 2.7 per cent

IS ANTIBACTERIAL SOAP REALLY BETTER? Korean scientists examined the effect of triclosan, the active antiseptic ingredient most commonly used in these types of soaps. They compared the ability of antibacterial and non-antibacterial soap to remove bacteria from human hands using 16 healthy adult volunteers. They found it was no more effective, both experiments indicating that there is 'no significant difference' between the effects of plain soap and antibacterial soap when used under 'real life' conditions, they concluded. Tests conducted by consumer watchdog Which? also found that rubbing your hands vigorously with soap and water for 30 seconds is as effective as antibacterial handwashes. Advertisement

Most of this decline in the use of soap bars has been driven by younger consumers and women.

But it appears traditional bars of soap are still popular with older members of society, particularly men who are over the age of 60, perhaps adding to its old fashioned image.

The figures fit within a growing trend that shows consumers are turning their back on traditional soap bars  since 2010 the number of households using bar soap has dropped by five per cent.

While some of this may be partly driven by the growing range of soap products now available, Mintel found that nearly half of all US consumers believe soap bars are covered in germs after use.

This was most strong in those aged between 18 and 24-years-old  the cohort often identified as Generation Z, or more widely as millennials.

However, recent studies have suggested there is little basis for this belief.

For example, research conducted by scientists in South Korea last year found that expensive antibacterial hand wash was no more effective at killing bacteria than normal soap and water.

Margie Nanninga, beauty analyst at Mintel, said: 'The market for bar soap is being impacted by preferences for alternate formats, including liquid body washes and liquid hand soaps.

Despite the decline in soap bar sales, the overall soap market has continued to grow as people turn instead to liquid hand wash (pictured) and shower products

'The market is also seeing increased pressure from the sale of in-shower moisturizers in the body care segment, which may discourage consumers from spending more on soap, bath and shower products that highlight intensive moisture.

'This can result in consumers using more basic, lower-priced bar soap options in order to splurge on in-shower moisturizers.'

The research by Mintel also highlights a shift in washing habits with 66 per cent of Americans saying they prefer taking a shower to a bath.

Liquid body wash now accounts for $2.7 billion (2 billion) worth of sales in the US  nearly half of the soap market - perhaps reflecting this shift to showering.

Bath products like bubble bath account for just four per cent of the market.

The research by Mintel also reveals an interesting divide between men and women when it comes to soap use.

Around half of consumers in the US believe that soap bars (stock picture) can carry germs, but recent research has shown that scrubbing with normal soap and water is just as effective at cleaning hands as using antibacterial hand wash

Around 53 per cent of men believe traditional soap bars can be used to wash their face, just 36 per cent of women are willing to do so.

Ms Nanninga said that bar soap manufacturers could perhaps do well to invest more in luxury products.

Overall, sales of soap, bath and shower products grew 15 percent between 2010-15.

She said: 'Strong sales of bath products are the result of increased spending for premium benefits, with consumers seeking aromatherapy in bath products and natural ingredients across all segments.
Users have been outraged by the change, claiming Whatsapp has gone back on an earlier promise to protect data

WhatsApp has come under fire after announcing it will start sharing the phone numbers of its users with Facebook, its parent company.

The move means WhatsApp users could soon start seeing more targeted ads on Facebook  although not on the messaging service itself.

Now the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) has said it is 'looking into' the changes WhatsApp has made to determine if is illegal in the UK.

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WhatsApp will start sharing the phone numbers of its users with Facebook, its parent company. That means WhatsApp users could soon start seeing more targeted ads on Facebook  although not on the messaging service itself

WHAT THE CHANGES MEAN WhatsApp will begin 'coordinating' accounts with Facebook by sharing users' mobile phone numbers. They will also share device information, such as the type of operating system and other smartphone characteristics. Facebook will uses the phone number internally to better identify WhatsApp users on Facebook. This mean it can recommend friends or show targeted advertising. The ads would come through a Facebook program called 'Custom Audiences'. This lets a business upload lists of customers and phone numbers. Facebook matches the list to users with the same information and shows them ads. Facebook says it doesn't give out users' information to advertisers. Whatsapp has also suggested messages typically sent via SMS text by businesses could be sent on Whatsapp instead. Advertisement

The move is a subtle but significant shift for the messaging app, which has long promised to safeguard the privacy of more than one billion users around the world.

'The changes WhatsApp and Facebook are making will affect a lot of people,' said Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham.

'Our role is to pull back the curtain on things like this, ensuring that companies are being transparent with the public about how their personal data is being shared, and protecting consumers by making sure the law is being followed.

'We've been informed of the changes. Organisations do not need to get prior approval from the ICO to change their approaches, but they do need to stay within data protection laws. We are looking into this.'

WhatsApp is giving users a limited time to opt out of sharing their information with Facebook, although they must take the extra step of unchecking a box to do so.

It also says Facebook won't post phone numbers online or give them out to anyone.

The move has angered many users who took to Twitter to voice their dismay.

David Lindahl Photog wrote: 'Might be time to delete the @WhatsApp account after the latest annoucnement about intentional data privacy theft to @Facebook'.

Abbey Padbury added: 'I think I will be deleting it then...I am not having them share my information with bloody Facebook'.

The giant social network has been looking for ways to make money from WhatsApp since it bought the service two years ago, in a deal ultimately worth 16 billion ($21.8 billion).

The move has angered many users who took to Twitter to voice their dismay. David Lindahl Photog wrote: 'Might be time to delete the @WhatsApp account after the latest annoucnement about intentional data privacy theft to @Facebook'

At the same time, Facebook has pledged not to interfere with a longstanding promise by WhatsApp's co-founders to respect users' privacy and keep ads off its messaging platform.

But Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Washington-based Electronic Privacy Information Center (Epic) told the Guardian Whatsapp may be breaking the law.

He says that by going back on its agreement to keep WhatsApp data private, Facebook is violating an agreement reached with the FTC in 2012.

'The FTC has to act,' Rotenberg says. 'It's absurd that a company can disregard a legal judgement.'

Information Commissioner, Elizabeth Denham is investigating WhatsApp over changes to their data sharing practices

WhatsApp yesterday offered a glimpse of its plans for turning on the money spigot, releasing new documents that describe the company's privacy policy and the terms of service that users must agree to follow.

The documents are the first revision of those policies since 2012, before Facebook acquired WhatsApp.

One change follows through on previous hints by WhatsApp executives, who have said they're exploring ways for businesses to communicate with customers on WhatsApp.

That could include using WhatsApp to provide receipts, confirm a reservation or update the status of a delivery.

Companies could also send marketing offers or messages about sales to individual customers, according to the new documents, which note that users will be able to control or block such messages.

Facebook has pledged not to interfere with a longstanding promise by WhatsApp's co-founders to respect users' privacy and keep ads off its messaging platform

WhatsApp says it will continue to bar traditional display ads from its service.

'We do not want you to have a spammy experience,' the company tells users in a summary of the new policies.

Another change is potentially more controversial: WhatsApp says it will begin 'coordinating' accounts with Facebook by sharing WhatsApp users' mobile phone numbers and device information, such as the type of operating system and other smartphone characteristics.

The company says Facebook will employ the phone number internally to better identify WhatsApp users on Facebook, so it can recommend friends or show targeted advertising.

HOW TO SEE AND CHANGE YOUR AD SETTINGS ON FACEBOOK The latest changes from Whatsapp could mean you see more targeted ads on Facebook. To find what Facebook and advertisers know about you, simply log into your Facebook account on a desktop. Once you are on the site, travel to the left hand side where you will see your name, 'Edit Profile', 'Favorites' and 'Pages'. Under the section 'Pages', 'Like Pages' should be list. Click on this option and it will take you to another page that lists a range of suggests for you to choose from. At the top are three options  'Top Suggestions', 'Invites' and 'Like Pages'. Click on 'Like Pages' and you should be presented with every page you have 'Liked' since you became a Facebook member. Here you can unclick certain pages, so Facebook can serve you better ads. Advertisement

The ads would come through a Facebook program called 'Custom Audiences,' which lets a business upload lists of customers and phone numbers or other contact information the business has collected from warranty cards or other sources.

Facebook matches the list to users with the same information and shows them ads.

Facebook says it doesn't give out users' information to advertisers.

WhatsApp phone numbers are valuable to Facebook.

While the social network already has many phone numbers, it doesn't require users to provide them, and doesn't always have the most current number for everyone on Facebook.

But anyone on WhatsApp must provide a current phone number because that's how WhatsApp knows where to deliver messages.

The coordination of accounts may draw fire from privacy advocates.

WhatsApp has long promised not to employ user data for advertising. Its acquisition by Facebook two years ago sparked complaints from activists who worried the new owner would start mining WhatsApp accounts.

Though both companies pledged WhatsApp would operate separately from its parent, the Federal Trade Commission warned them publicly, in a 2014 letter, against changing how they employ WhatsApp user data without users' consent.

WhatsApp says current users have up to 30 days to accept the new policy terms or stop using the service.

Once they accept, they have 30 more days to opt out of sharing with Facebook.

Privacy groups have praised WhatsApp for building powerful encryption into its services, making it impossible for the company or anyone else to read users' messages.
It would provide humankind with near limitless energy, ending dependence on fossil fuels for generating electricity.

US Government physicists have backed plans to create 'a star in a jar' - replicating on Earth the way the sun and stars create energy through fusion.

Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) revealed their plan for a next generation fusion device in a paper published in the journal Nuclear Fusion.

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Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory revealed their plan for a next generation fusion device in a paper published in the journal Nuclear Fusion. Pictured, researchers inside the centre stack of the $94-million upgrade of the National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade, which began operating last year.

'We are opening up new options for future plants,' said lead author Jonathan Menard, program director for the recently completed National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade (NSTX-U) at PPPL.

The $94-million upgrade of the NSTX, financed by the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Science, began operating last year.

Spherical tokamaks are compact devices that are shaped like cored apples, compared with the bulkier doughnut-like shape of conventional tokamaks.

The plants already exists in experimental form - the compact spherical tokamaks at PPPL and Culham, England.

These tokamaks, or fusion reactors, could provide the design for possible next steps in fusion energy - a Fusion Nuclear Science Facility (FNSF) that would develop reactor components and also produce electricity as a pilot plant for a commercial fusion power station.

HOW DOES FUSION POWER WORK? A simulation of plasma inside the tokamaks Fusion involves placing hydrogen atoms under high heat and pressure until they fuse into helium atoms. When deuterium and tritium nuclei - which can be found in hydrogen - fuse, they form a helium nucleus, a neutron and a lot of energy. This is down by heating the fuel to temperatures in excess of 150 millionC, forming a hot plasma. Strong magnetic fields are used to keep the plasma away from the walls so that it doesn't cool down and lost it energy potential. These are produced by superconducting coils surrounding the vessel, and by an electrical current driven through the plasma. For energy production, plasma has to be confined for a sufficiently long period for fusion to occur. Advertisement

The increased power of the upgraded PPPL machine and the soon-to-be completed MAST Upgrade device moves them closer to commercial fusion plants, the researchers say.

The NSTX-U and MAST facilities 'will push the physics frontier, expand our knowledge of high temperature plasmas, and, if successful, lay the scientific foundation for fusion development paths based on more compact designs,' said PPPL Director Stewart Prager.

However, the devices face a number of physics challenges.

How it works: Fusion involves placing hydrogen atoms under high heat and pressure until they fuse into helium atoms.

For example, they must control the turbulence that arises when superhot plasma particles are subjected to powerful electromagnetic fields.

They must also carefully control how the plasma particles interact with the surrounding walls to avoid possible disruptions that can halt fusion reactions if the plasma becomes too dense or impure.

Researchers at PPPL, Culham, and elsewhere are looking at ways of solving these challenges for the next generation of fusion devices.

The central stack of the reactor being lowered into place (left), and in situ (right).

The spherical design produces high-pressure plasmas - the superhot charged gas also known as the fourth state of matter that fuels fusion reactions - with relatively low and inexpensive magnetic fields.

This unique capability points the way to a possible next generation of fusion experiments to complement ITER, the international tokamak that 35 nations including the United States are building in France to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power.

ITER is a doughnut-shaped tokamak that will be largest in the world when completed within the next decade.

Physicists at the U.S. Department of Energy's Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory revealed their plan for a next generation fusion device in a paper published in the journal Nuclear Fusion. Pictured, a test cell for the $94m National Spherical Torus Experiment-Upgrade with its tokamak in the center.

WHAT IS ITER? The International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor (Iter) will be the world's largest tokamak nuclear fusion reactor when it's complete in 2019. 35 nations including the United States are building it in France to demonstrate the feasibility of fusion power. But its construction is proving a challenge. A team of engineers in France is currently grappling with building the massive device, which has magnets that weigh as much as a Boeing 747. Advertisement

'The main reason we research spherical tokamaks is to find a way to produce fusion at much less cost than conventional tokamaks require,' said Ian Chapman, the newly appointed chief executive of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and leader of the UK's magnetic confinement fusion research programme at the Culham Science Centre.

A key issue is the size of the hole in the center of the tokamak that holds and shapes the plasma.

In spherical tokamaks, this hole can be half the size of the hole in conventional tokamaks, enabling control of the plasma with relatively low magnetic fields.

The smaller hole could be compatible with a blanket system for the FNSF that would breed tritium, a rare isotope - or form - of hydrogen.

Existing experiments have used bulkier doughnut-like shapes, such as the world's largest 'Stellarator' fusion reactor. Dubbed Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), the reactor is designed to contain super-hot plasma for more than 30 minutes at a time

Tritium will fuse with deuterium, another isotope of hydrogen, to produce fusion reactions in next-step tokamaks.

For pilot plants, the authors call for superconducting magnets to replace the primary copper magnets in the FNSF.

Superconducting magnets can be operated far more efficiently than copper magnets but require thicker shielding.

However, recent advances in high-temperature superconductors could lead to much thinner superconducting magnets that would require less space and reduce considerably the size and cost of the machine.

Included in the paper is a description of a device called a 'neutral beam injector' that will start and sustain plasma current without relying on a heating coil in the center of the tokamak.

Such a coil is not suitable for continuous long-term operation.

The neutral beam injector will pump fast-moving neutral atoms into the plasma and will help optimize the magnetic field that confines and controls the superhot gas.

Pictured The first plasma in Wendelstein 7-X. It consisted of helium and reached a temperature of about one million degrees Celsius

Earlier this year scientists successfully switched on the world's largest 'Stellarator' fusion reactor.

Dubbed Wendelstein 7-X (W7-X), the reactor is designed to contain super-hot plasma for more than 30 minutes at a time.

This week, the reactor produced a special super-hot gas for a tenth of a second.

Scientists hope that, if it can work for longer, it could eventually lead to limitless supplies of clean and cheap energy.

The reactor produced a helium plasma which reached a temperature of one millionC.

Researchers claim the unusual design, which is housed in a huge lab in Greifswald, Germany, could finally help make fusion power a reality

'We're very satisfied', concludes Dr Hans-Stephan Bosch, whose division is responsible for the operation of the Wendelstein 7-X, at the end of the first day of experimentation.

'Everything went according to plan.'

The next task will be to extend the duration of the plasma discharges and to investigate the best method of producing and heating helium plasmas using microwaves.

Researchers claim its unusual design, which is housed in a huge lab in Greifswald, Germany, could finally help make fusion power a reality.

Containing super-hot plasma for long periods has been the Holy Grail for reactor designs, and could help scientists provide an inexhaustible source of power.

Fusion reactors, such as the W7-X, work by using two kinds of hydrogen atoms  deuterium and tritium  and injecting that gas into a containment vessel.

Pictured is the initial test of the system. The image shows how the fluorescent rod makes closed, nested magnetic surfaces visible

Scientist then add energy that removes the electrons from their host atoms, forming what is described as an ion plasma, which releases huge amounts of energy.

Strong magnetic fields are used to keep the plasma away from the walls; these are produced by superconducting coils surrounding the vessel, and by an electrical current driven through the plasma.

The most common design for a reactor is something known as a Tokamak, which is a hollow metal chamber in the shape of a donut.

The fuel is heated to temperatures in excess of 150 millionC, forming a hot plasma.

While the Tokamak design is ideal for containing this plasma, it poses some safety risks, for instance, if the current fails or there's a magnetic disruption.

In stellarators, plasma is contained by external magnetic coils which create twisted field lines around the inside of the vacuum chamber

These disruptions can unleash magnetic forces powerful enough to damage the reactor.

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute say the W7-X is a more practical option and can overcome the safety problems of a Tokamak reactor, according to an in-depth report in Science.

'Tokamak people are waiting to see what happens. There's an excitement around the world about W7-X,' engineer David Anderson of the University of Wisconsin, Madison told Science.

In tokamaks, two sets of magnets are used to contain the plasma; an external set surrounding the vacuum chamber and an internal transformer that drives current in the plasma.

This causes the magnetic field to be stronger in the centre than it is on the outer side.

As a result, plasma contained in a tokamak can moves to the outer walls where it then collapses.

In stellarators, plasma is contained by external magnetic coils which create twisted field lines around the inside of the vacuum chamber, according to Science.

The photograph on the left combines the tracer of an electron beam on its multiple circulation along a field line through the machine. On the right is one of the interior components of the W7-X being made

As such, it overcomes can continuously hold the plasma away from the walls of the device.

Its key component is a ring 50 superconducting magnetic coils approximately 3.5 metres in height. In total the device is 16-meters-wide.

The stellarator design was first thought up in 1951 by Lyman Spitzer working at Princeton University.

But at the time, it was thought to be too complex for the constraints of materials available in the middle of the 20th Century.

Now using supercomputers and new materials, researchers have finally made Spitzer's vision a reality.

While the Tokamak design is ideal for containing this plasma, it poses some safety risks, for instance, if the current fails or there's a magnetic disruption

'We all know the trend of global development, the hunger for energy of emerging economies and emerging countries,' said Professor Johanna Wanka, Federal Minister for Education and Research.

'So when we talk about energy, we need research that keeps all options open. And one of these options is nuclear fusion.

'Wendelstein 7-X is an important step forward allowing us to better evaluate the 'fusion option.'

The machine took 1.1 million hours to assemble, using what has been described as one of the world's most complex engineering models.

Testing of the magnetic field in the Wendelstein 7-X fusion device was completed in June  much sooner than expected.

The test revealed that the magnetic cage for the fusion plasma, which has a temperature of many million degrees, was working as scientists predicted.
and white-sounding ones, like Emily and Matt, with pleasant ones

Humans look to the power of machine learning to make better and more effective decisions.

However, it seems that some algorithms are learning more than just how to recognize patterns - they are being taught how to be as biased as the humans they learn from.

Researchers found that a widely used AI characterizes black-sounding names as 'unpleasant', which they believe is a result of our own human prejudice hidden in the data it learns from on the World Wide Web.

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Researchers found that a widely used AI characterizes black-sounding names as 'unpleasant', which they believe is a result of our own human prejudice hidden in the data it learns from on the World Wide Web

Machine learning has been adopted to make a range of decisions, from approving loans to determining what kind of health insurance, reports Jordan Pearson with Motherboard.

A recent example was reported by Pro Publica in May, when an algorithm used by officials in Florida automatically rated a more seasoned white criminal as being a lower risk of committing a future crime, than a black offender with only misdemeanors on her record.

Now, researchers at Princeton University have reproduced a stockpile of documented human prejudices in an algorithm using text pulled from the internet.

HOW A ROBOT BECAME RACIST Princeton University conducted a word associate task with the popular algorithm GloVe, an unsupervised AI that uses online text to understand human language. The team gave the AI words like 'flowers' and 'insects' to pair with other words that the researchers defined as being 'pleasant' or 'unpleasant' like 'family' or 'crash' - which it did successfully. Then algorithm was given a list of white-sounding names, like Emily and Matt, and black-sounding ones, such as Ebony and Jamal', which it was prompted to do the same word association. The AI linked the white-sounding names with 'pleasant' and black-sounding names as 'unpleasant'. Princeton's results do not just prove datasets are polluted with prejudices and assumptions, but the algorithms currently being used for researchers are reproducing human's worst values - racism and assumption. Advertisement

'We replicate these using a widely used, purely statistical machine-learning modelnamely, the GloVe word embeddingtrained on a corpus of text from the Web,' reads the study that has yet to be published.

'Our results indicate that language itself contains recoverable and accurate imprints of our historic biases.'

Before starting this study, the team did what many researchers do  they looked to previous work for a starting point.

White-sounding names like Emily and Matt with linked by the AI with words deemed 'pleasant', while black-sounding ones, such as Ebony and Jamal', were associated with 'unpleasant' ones Pictured are the names given to the AI and words it associated them with - European American names were linked with the 'pleasant' words and African American names with 'unpleasant'

ELON MUSK BACKED FIRM IS FEEDING ITS AI REDDIT THREADS OpenAI will feed popular Reddit threads to algorithms that have a probabilistic understanding of dialogue with the hopes it will one day hold a conversation itself. By feeding Reddit threads to DGX-1, it will hopefully read and learn a range of conversations faster than any other system has done before it, as conversations are filled with natural human language and commonly used slang. OpenAI's researches are also exploring other methods for teaching its technology conversation such as interacting with humans and the real world. Advertisement

The University of Washington published a study in 1998 that asked participants to complete a word association exercise.

Participants were asked to associated words such as 'flowers' or 'insects' with others that the researchers defined as 'pleasant' or 'unpleasant', like 'family' or 'crash'.

What most expected, the subjects associated 'flowers' with 'pleasant' terms and 'insects' with those deemed 'unpleasant'.

However, the next part of the study presented another group of all-white subjects with a list of black and white-sounding names and asked them to do the same word association exercise.

The researchers read the results with disappointment, as most of the volunteers linked the white-sounding names as 'pleasant' and black-sounding ones as 'unpleasant'.

Now, Princeton University reproduced the University of Washington's study using a popular algorithm designed to analyze human language through data, instead of actual humans.

They hypothesized that popular algorithms that use the written word from the internet to learn, develop a human biases coupled with racism and sexism.

'We have found every linguistic bias documented in psychology that we have looked for,' reads the study.

'If AI learns enough about the properties of language to be able to understand and produce it, it also acquires cultural associations that can be offensive, objectionable, or harmful.'

'These are much broader concerns than intentional discrimination, and possibly harder to address.'

The team took their case one-step further and used the same terms from a study in 2004 that sent thousands of resumes to employers  some had white-sounding names and others black-sounding names. And were given the same results as the first word task (credit: Princeton University/Bath University)

GloVe, the algorithm used in this study, is an unsupervised learning algorithm trained with ordinary language found on the World Wide Web and maps the semantic connection between words.

The Princeton researchers used the same number of words in their study as the University of Washington team did in their experiments, and similar results were found with GloVe.

Flowers were linked to being 'pleasant' and insects to be 'unpleasant', but the algorithm also associated white-sounding names like Emily and Matt with words deemed 'pleasant', while black-sounding ones, such as Ebony and Jamal', were associated with 'unpleasant' ones.

FACEBOOK'S AI IS BEING FED YOUR STATUS UPDATES DeepText is Facebooks artificial intelligence that uses deep neural networks to understand the meaning of text being shared on the site 'with near-human accuracy' and gives relevant suggestions. It is capable of reading 10,000 posts every second in 20 different languages. This system leverages deep neural network architectures, including convolution and recurrent neural nets and has the ability to perform world-level and character-level based learning. Facebook has begun this technology in Messenger, as it sits behind the scenes distinguishing text in conversations. For example, DeepText knows that when a user says 'I need a ride' they are talking about requesting a taxi. And when they say 'I like to ride donkeys', the system understands this is a casual conversation that requires no action. DeepText will also be able to understand language in users' statuses. Advertisement

The team took their case one-step further and used the same terms from a study in 2004 that sent thousands of resumes to employers  some had white-sounding names and others black-sounding names.

The author, Marianne Bertrand, found that a majority of employers favored white names, just as GloVe did.

Princeton's results do not just prove datasets are polluted with prejudices and assumptions, but the algorithms currently being used for researchers are reproducing human's worst values - racism and assumption.

'We can learn that 'prejudice is bad', that 'women used to be trapped in their homes and men in their careers, but now gender doesn't necessarily determine family role' and so forth,' writes the researchers.

'If AI is not built in a similar way, then it would be possible for prejudice absorbed by machine learning to have a much greater negative impact than when prejudice is absorbed in the same way by children.'

And some people of the world have experienced this firsthand.

Princeton's results do not just prove datasets are polluted with prejudices and assumptions, but the algorithms currently being used for researchers are reproducing human's worst values - racism and assumption. Some people of the world have experienced this firsthand, with Microsoft's racist chat bot Tay (pictured)

Earlier this year, Microsoft launched an AI bot named Tay that was designed to understand conversational language among young people online.

However, within hours of it going live, Twitter users took advantage of flaws in Tay's algorithm that meant the AI chatbot responded to certain questions with racist answers.

These included the bot using racial slurs, defending white supremacist propaganda, and supporting genocide.

The bot also managed to spout gems such as, 'Bush did 9/11 and Hitler would have done a better job than the monkey we have got now.'

And, 'donald trump is the only hope we've got', in addition to 'Repeat after me, Hitler did nothing wrong.'
Like the true businesswoman that she is, Michelle Mone battled through heat to get yet more work done on Thursday.

Luckily, she was able to take her work meeting outside and enjoyed an al fresco lunch at Scott's restaurant in London.

The bra tycoon looked flawless, as ever, wearing a printed jumpsuit that served to accentuate her curves with a waistbelt at the middle.

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Showing off her shape: Michelle Mone hit Scott's restaurant in London wearing a patterned jumpsuit on Thursday

Though she kept things monochromatic from top to toe, the businesswoman plumped for a simple colour pop in the form of her bright orange handbag.

She toted the carry-all on one elbow while keeping her phone close for any important calls and emails.

At lunch, Michelle looked serious when a stern expression washed over her face, but her vivacious personality shone through as she exited, again.

Colour pop: She offset her monochrome ensemble with a colourful, orange handbag

Too hot to work: The blonde businesswoman said it had been too hot to work

'Can't work another 5 mins,' she wrote on Twitter the previous day. 'Mega hot in #London How is it where you are?'

Michelle has been back in the British capital for meetings and is currently on a global tour called 'MMMotivate' to help inspire future business leaders.

This month, Michelle is also said to have taken ownership of her 1.5 million dream mansion after buying her ex-husband out of the property in Thorntonhall, Lanarkshire.

Heading inside: It looked like Michelle was heading into a business meeting

Confirming the news, she posted a photo of the homes luxury kitchen on her Twitter page.

It said: Some things in life are worth waiting for! 3 new homes in 4 weeks... incredible but never again. Time to celebrate,' adding a Martini glass emoji.

Property records have now revealed that Baroness Mone paid 125,000 earlier this month to become the sole owner of the house.
The Two Noble Kinsmen (Swan, Stratford on Avon)

Verdict: Are RSC standards slipping?

Rating:

Stratford's Royal Shakespeare Company is preparing itself for next week's official opening of Sir Antony Sher's Lear. That excitement may explain the distinctly 2nd XI feel to a production at the RSC's adjacent Swan Theatre this week.

The Two Noble Kinsmen was probably written in 1614, two years before Shakespeare's death. The play is attributed to both Shakespeare and John Fletcher and the co-authorship may explain an uneven quality in the writing.

Some scenes feel like off-cuts or reworkings from other Shakespeare plays  most notably a sub-plot involving a gaoler's daughter who is driven mad by unrequited love for a young nobleman. She is very much Ophelia Mark II  there is even Hamlet-style talk of 'doing it behind the arras'.

Blanche McIntyre's production of this rarely-performed non-masterpiece has its moments. The two title characters, handsome cousins Arcite and Palamon, are brought to life splendidly by Jamie Wilkes and James Corrigan. Both actors honour the Stratford tradition. The gaoler's daughter is played touchingly by Danusia Samal.

Shakespearean struggle: Jamie Wilkes (left) and James Corrigan in The Two Noble Kinsmen

But, oh dear, a few other members of the cast are really not up to what one used to consider RSC standard.

Words are mumbled. One closing exposition would barely rate a pass at drama school, it is so indistinct, and the accents are a self-indulgent mess, though director McIntyre must take the blame for that. At one point, a character rushed on and dropped his prop. Oops!

Some of the off-the-ball facial gestures are laughably amateur, ranging from the melodramatic (twitching jaw muscles, not least from Gyuri Sarossy's Theseus), to wandering-eye disengagement (one or two of the minor gods who infest the semi-Olympian plot). The delivery includes needless shouting and over-strained earnestness, accompanied by the occasional hand-to-heart move which may either be a Star Trek-style salute or a sign intended to convey solidarity.

The gaoler himself (Paul McEwan) could be a minor figure in TV's Casualty, he is so underwhelming, and dressed in oatmealy modern clothes. No wonder his daughter's down in the dumps.

Hippolyta (Allison McKenzie) is a self-regarding Scotswoman but her sister Emilia, supposedly some sort of Zuleika Dobson who strikes longing into the two noblemen, is turned into an eeh-bah-gum Northerner by Frances McNamee.

Theseus has to do the first scene with his coat hanging off one shoulder. Hippolyta is subjected to a plunging front and silly headgear and Eloise Secker's Diana seems to have wandered in off the set of Xena: Warrior Princess.

From the opening scene, in which two characters enter via ropes from on high like SAS soldiers at an embassy siege, the direction is prey to stunts and startling noises (a couple of low-level grates keep banging open on the stage, which at least prevents you from dozing off).

Add some pointless gender changing and some not particularly tuneful singing and you are left wondering if quality has surrendered to political correctness at the RSC's casting department.
The Chanels will see you now.

FOX released their latest promo pictures for season two of the television series, Scream Queens, on Thursday.

Cast members including Emma Roberts, John Stamos and Jamie Lee Curtis donned scrubs and stethoscopes in their solo shots, drumming up excitement about the new season, which will be set in a hospital.

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She's back! Emma Roberts donned a bright pink dress adorned with a rhinestone stethoscope around her neck in the latest promotional pictures on Thursday of season 2 Scream Queens

Meanwhile Lea Michele was channelling Michael Myers from Halloween in her sinister shot for the comedy horror series.

Continuing from the previous season, the former Kappa Kappa Tau sisters jump three years ahead and are studying medicine at an asylum-turned-hospital run by Jamie Lee Curtis' character Dean Munsch.

And based on the latest photos, the sorority sisters are all dolled up, ready to give an intense surgery.

Standing against a light green background, Emma sported a short pink dress, adorned with a rhinestone stethoscope around her neck and a pink hat with a sparkling C for 'Chanel' written on it.

Hannibal Hester? A creepy Lea Michele, dressed in a blue jumpsuit, will play pscyhotic Hester, an allude to Halloween II and Silence of the Lambs

Time for your shot! Keke Palmer, who plays Zayday Williams on the show, added glam to her doctor's outfit in a purple velvet dress, laced-up green heels and a chunky necklace

In her right hand she held a clean, sharp knife while Keke Palmer's character carried a large syringe in her hand, wearing a purple velvet dress underneath a white lab coat.

Season two will also feature two new characters, portrayed by John Stamos and Taylor Lautner.

The 53-year-old actor, who will play Dr. Brock Holt, the recipient of the world's first hand transplant, also wore a white lab coat and stethoscope as he is pictured holding a bloody heart in his hand.

Taylor will play Dr. Cassidy Cascade, who sported a stylish look in his promo picture wearing maroon pants, a blue-collared shirt and dark tie underneath a white doctor's coat.

Heartthrob! John Stamos is the newest addition to the cast and will play Dr. Brock Holt as he's seen holding a bloody heart

Paging all doctors: Taylor Lautner is the second addition to the cast while returning star Abigail Breslin is all pink in her nurse outfit

Emma Roberts spoke about the new characters to Access Hollywood in an interview last week, saying: 'John and Taylor are doctors and they also play some of our love interests. There's been some kissing happening, which has been fun. And yeah, we love having them.'

She added that her character Chanel will have a kissing scene with 'one or both of them.'

Original cast members Jamie Lee Curtis donned a position in power dressed in a black pantsuit while Lea Michele - wearing a blue jumpsuit in the promo - plays Hannibal Hester, a nod to Silence of the Lambs and Halloween II.

Powerful: Dean Munsch, played by Jamie Lee Curtis, runs the asylum-turned-hospital in the new season of the comedy horror series

Scary: Billie Lourd and James Earl give an ominous look in their latest promo

Season two, which kicks off on Tuesday, September 20, will also see returning cast members Abigail Breslin, Billie Lourd, and James Earl.

Recently announced guest stars Cecily Strong and former Saturday Night Live's Cheri Oteri will also appear in the new season.

Director Ryan Murphy telling The Hollywood Reporter about the new guest stars: 'Before the show did seem very young, but now I hope there's something for everybody.'
There's nothing like a mother-daughter shopping trip.

Kyle Richards spent one-on-one time with her eight-year-old daughter Portia on Thursday as the duo stepped inside the West Hollywood high-fashion store, Zimmermann, for a quick look-around.

The 47-year-old mom looked comfortable and stylish in a striped sweater and jeans, while Portia wore cute cat ears and a Mean Girls T-shirt.

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Quick stop: Kyle Richards took a look around the West Hollywood store, Zimmermann, on Thursday with her eight-year old daughter, Portia

Dressed in a black-and-white, partly see-through sweater, the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star paired it with light denim jeans, folded at the bottom and ripped at the knees.

She opted for gold and white sneakers and pulled her brunette locks up in a high ponytail, teased on the top for a voluminous look.

Kyle wore dark eyeliner, light bronzer and a nude lip as she carried a large black leather purse over her shoulder.

Her daughter, whom she raises with husband of 20 years Mauricio Umansky, wore a white t-shirt that donned the words, You Can't Sit With Us - quoted from the Mean Girls movie - which she paired with black leggings and white trainers.

Shopping buddies: The mom-of-four opted for a striped, knitted sweater and light denim jeans that were ripped at the knees and folded at the bottom

'You can't sit with us:' Her daughter donned a white t-shirt quoted from the Mean Girls flick paired with black leggings, stylish choker and a cat-ear headband

Make a run for it: The mother-daughter pair had their eyes on the prize

Portia teamed it with a cat-ear headband piece, a black choker and a black-and-gold leather backpack.

Appearing as if they're running into the boutique, the mother-daughter browsed around the Australian-owned store.

Founded in 1991, Zimmermann on Melrose Place has been frequented by celebrities including Minka Kelly, Ashley Benson and January Jones.

Fancy anything? The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star took a look around the shop, an Australian-designed boutique that has been frequented by a slew of stars

Kyle, who recently returned from a steamy trip to Mykonos, Greece with co-star Erika Jayne will appear in the TV Land pilot, American Woman.

Based on her childhood, Kyle created the series, which will follow Alicia Silverstone's character, a mother of two daughters, who leaves her husband and navigates the single life in the 1970s.

Kyle has also been enjoying her time as a new great-auntie, telling DailyMail.com last month how proud she is of Nicky Hilton saying: 'Nicky's an amazing mom and the baby looks just like her.'
Once upon a time when these two heirs hit the town it meant popping bottles, branding Lindsay Lohan a 'fire crotch' or someone ending up with a DUI.

But nowadays, Paris Hilton and Brandon Davis have traded non-stop partying for celebrating contemporary art.

The 35-year-old heiress joined the former bad boy playboy in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday night for a pop up art show.

Art connoisseurs: Paris Hilton joined former bad boy playboy Brandon Davis in Beverly Hills, California, on Thursday night for a pop up art show (seen here with the artist Bosco Sodi)

Brandon - who was once known as Greasy Bear - was in fact the brains behind the event, with the oil heir bringing the works of Mexican contemporary artist Bosco Sodi to Los Angeles for the first time.

Happy to support her pal in his new endeavors, Paris wowed at the event in a figure-flaunting, but still tasteful, look.

Paris, who spent the afternoon at the hair salon, stepped out in a blue crocheted dress.

As it was an art show and not a nightclub party, Paris ensured she did not flash too much skin through the fabric's open weave by wearing a nude slip underneath.

Babe in blue: Paris stepped out in a blue crocheted dress which was figure-flaunting but still tasteful thanks to a nude slip

Bold: Some sky-high black stilettos added a few inches to her already very lengthy limbs

Juxtaposition: The DJ opted to strike a few poses in front of some of the collection

Friends: RHOBH star Kyle Richard's daugther Farrah Brittany Aldjufrie also stopped by to take in the creative scene

Turned over a new leaf: Brandon - who was once known as Greasy Bear - brought the works of Mexican contemporary artist Bosco Sodi to Los Angeles for the first time

The 35-year-old's time at the salon was clearly well spent also with her blonde locks falling in perfectly styled waves.

Joining the heirs at the event was singer Lana Del Ray.

The singer dressed simply in a white shirt dress which cinched in at the waist.

Friends forever: The star was clearly very happy to support her pal in his new endeavors

No so shiny: She kept her bling to a minimum, opting for just a large silver bracelet and diamond stud earrings

Unusual choice: The 35-year-old wore nude coloured fishnet stockings under the dress

Earlier in the day as she arrived at the salon, Paris was making sure to do multi-task and do a little self-promotion at the same time as getting styled.

The star, who only recently got back to Los Angeles after her DJ residency in Spain, headed into the salon carrying her all-important laptop no doubt stacked full of her club tracks.

The Mac computer had a big giant sticker with Paris' name on it so there could be no mistaking her for anyone else.

Strike a pose: The star struck a few of her signature poses as she entered the gallery

She's got it in the bag! Paris was seen carrying a large black patent clutch bag at the soiree

Blonde ambition: Her golden locks rested about her shoulders in gentle waves

Eye eye! The former reality TV star accentuated her eyes with lashings of mascara

Shining bright: She accessorized with an array of bold statement jewellery pieces

But the Simple Life star was not done there, she also carried a handbag from her own line.

For her appointment, the star wore a black semi-sheer dress with a plunging neckline.

The frock featured a white floral print and asymmetrical hemline.

Art fan: Joining the heirs at the event was singer Lana Del Ray, who dressed simply in a white shirt dress which cinched in at the waist

Paris managed to match her shades perfectly to the dress, donning black round sunglasses with crystals on the corners.

Paris further accessorised the look with some pointed toe high heels, something the tall star really wears.

Paris - who returns to Ibiza on Friday for two weeks to finish playing at Amnesia on September 3 - recently spoke about her love of DJing.

Can't miss her: The star, who only recently got back to Los Angeles after her DJ residency in Spain, headed into the salon carrying her all-important laptop no doubt stacked full of her club tracks and with her name stuck on the front

Telling FOX News Magazine: 'I love DJing because I love music.

'I love going out. I love entertaining people and just being up on stage. Just feeling the energy of everyone is incredible. Theres nothing like it.'

She added: 'Every single night I play in Ibiza is crazy. I start playing around 4AM to 6AM, and then after that, spraying the foam. Its called a Foam and Diamonds party It's pretty wild.'

Going with the flow: For her appointment, the star wore a black semi-sheer dress with a plunging neckline
The French are perhaps unfairly famed for their rudeness.

But Natalie Portman did nothing to dispel the stereotype after she revealed her relief at being back among friendly Americans after moving from Paris to Los Angeles.

She even admitted during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday she was so used to the 'cool' ways of Parisians that the mere act of someone smiling at her is something of a novelty.

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So rude: Natalie Portman revealed she was glad to be back living in the US after having to endure the 'coolness' of the grumpy French on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Thursday

The 35-year-old Black Swan star - rocking a Rodarte LBD - told the chat show host: 'Everyone smiles a lot here. It's so nice. They're more cool in France.

'I didn't realise I got used to it until I got here and I was so surprised.'

Indeed she said she was actually shocked when someone started a friendly conversation in an elevator when she initially returned to her homeland.

She added: 'Someone would smile at my child and I'd be, "What a good person." People are really lovely here.'

Clash of civilisations: Jimmy was amazed the French do not even like to smile at each other

In need of a lift: After spending a few years in Paris she said it was shocking when someone started a friendly conversation in an elevator

Relieved: The glowing actress said that 'everyone smiles a lot here. It's so nice'

The observant Israel-born Oscar-winner, who moved to France in 2014 after her husband Benjamin Millepied was made the Paris Opera Ballet's director of dance, also pointed out the French are obsessed with etiquette to the point of absurdity.

She said: 'I feel there's a lot of rules of politeness and codes of behaviour there you have to follow. It's a lot looser here.

'(In the US) You care about making the person next to you comfortable because you want them to feel good.'

In fact it was some timely advice from an acquaintance that ensured she did not get snubbed by disgruntled staff at Paris's famed boutiques.

A oui bit rude: The Dior muse - rocking a Rodarte LBD - revealed the French will take offense and not be pleasant if proper etiquette is not followed

So much for money talks: She said shop staff will be unhelpful if not given a customary 'bonjour' followed by a two second gap of silence

What a song and dance: She moved when her husband Benjamin Millepied, who she met when filming Black Swan, was made the Paris Opera Ballet's director of dance

The actress, who is worth $50 million, said: 'A friend of mine taught me that when you go in some place you have to say "bonjour" before you say anything else, then you have to wait two seconds before you say something else.

'So if you go into a store you can't be like "do you have this in another size," or they'll think you're super rude and then they'll be rude to you.'

Mother-of-one Natalie also revealed she has yet to show her five-year-old son Aleph any of her Star Wars movies, despite thinking when she made them they would be ideal family viewing.

The star, who played the future Darth Vader's ill-fated wife Padme, said: 'Then I realised I die in the movies. It's kind of a scary thing to show your kid.'

Jerusalem-born Natalie was promoting her film A Tale of Love and Darkness, which she wrote, stars in and directed. The film, which tells the childhood story of Israeli author Amos Oz, boasts a script entirely in Hebrew.

A precocious child: But she said her maturity as a young actress backfired when she snapped a star's packet of cigarettes as she was concerned for his health

'Not amused': She admitted the star, who she refused to name, was not best pleased

But did she write the theme tune? She was promoting her film A Tale of Love and Darkness, which she wrote, stars in and directed

And she said her own experiences as a child actor came in handy as she worked with Amir Tessler, who plays the young Amos, revealing she used tricks such as telling the boy there was an ice-cream van outside to keep his enthusiasm high.

But she said she was more of a 'little adult' when she started performing aged just 11, and revealed her mature ways landed her in hot water when she snapped an actor's cigarettes.

Explaining her reasoning Natalie said: 'On a set the actor was smoking I took the cigarettes and broke the whole pack. My mom (said) "No," I (told her), "You said smoking is terrible for you."'

The actress, who played the stepdaughter of smoker Al Pacino in Heat back in 1994, said the mystery star, who she refused to name, was 'not amused' by her behaviour.

Drab: At first glance Natalie Portman seemed to be wearing a dull outfit as she arrived at Jimmy Kimmel Live in Hollywood on Thursday

Earlier the cunning stylist brightened up a boring outfit by wearing a pair of flamboyant sunglasses as she arrived in for her appearance on the show.

The Star Wars stunner at first glance seemed to be wearing a drab combo as she headed into the studio in Hollywood.

Her conservative outfit of black blouse, white trousers and wedge shoes simply provided the perfect canvas to highlight her spectacular monochrome framed sunglasses.

More than meets the eye: But it simply provided a platform that allowed her flamboyant sunglasses to shine

Oscar-winner Natalie will also be appearing in the forthcoming movie Planetarium.

The film is sure to have found its way on more than a few people's to-watch lists after the latest trailer dropped on Thursday.

Natalie is shown getting up close and personal with Lily-Rose Depp, daughter of Johnny, in a soapsud-covered bath, with the pair even sharing a cigarette.

Star attraction: She was appearing on the show to promote her new film Planetarium

The dynamic duo are playing sisters who are self-styled spiritualists who can communicate with the dead, and who show off their gifts talents in 1930s pre-war Paris, in the drama.

But their close bond comes under strain when they courted by a French film producer determined to record their paranormal antics on camera.

A release date in the US is yet to be announced, but it will premiere in September at the Venice Film Festival and go on wide release in France in November.
Gisele Bundchen took a night off from her very action-packed month for a relaxing outing on the town in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday.

The 36-year-old was spotted out to dinner, where she cut an extremely stylish figure in her effortlessly chic summer ensemble.

The model's baggy jeans were practically slipping off of her as she made her way to dinner while carrying an eye-catching leather purse.

Night out! Gisele Bundchen took a break from her very action-packed month for a relaxing dinner in Rio de Janeiro on Thursday

Gisele appeared to be joined by a male pal as she stepped out in her low-cut white top which flashed a hint of cleavage.

Her jeans were rolled up at the hem to show off her extremely stylish strappy heels.

Putting her flawless features on full show, Gisele slicked her long gold strands up into a no-fuss bun with several loose strands streaming across her face.

She also applied a slick of black eyeliner to draw out her eyes, and looked radiant with dewy and rosey cheeks, along with light pink lipstick.

Simply stunning: Putting her flawless features on full show, Gisele slicked her long gold strands up into a no-fuss bun with several loose strands streaming across her face

Stepping out: The catwalk queen was spotted making her way outdoors while clutching her eye-catching purse

And, accessorizing the summery look up, Gisele donned a delicate gold necklace, bracelet, rings, and a cuff earring that clung to her earlobe.

Gisele had jetted out of Brazil last week after participating in the Olympics, but it seems she's returned now to get some work done.

On Thursday, Patricia Veneziano of WBorn productions tagged Gisele in a snap which suggested the catwalk queen was working in Rio de Janeiro that day.

Hitting her stride! Bundchen's tan heels accentuated her long and toned legs

'Working with the queen!!!', the image was captioned.

Earlier this month, Gisele was in Rio de Janeiro to take part in the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics by walking down a runway.

The supermodel, speaking last week to Access Hollywood, explained how she nearly shed tears of joy during the celebration.

'Believe me, I was very emotional - I was really breathing very deeply not to cry,' she said, explaining how the tears were welling up out of national pride.

'I was just so proud of being there. I was proud for Brazil, I was proud for our people,' she said. 'I mean, so many different names, so many people who have worked so hard to make such a beautiful celebration.'

All eyes on Gisele! The world watch earlier this month as Gisele took part in the opening ceremony for the Summer Olympics by walking down a runway
Bachelor fans were up in arms when Richie Strahan and Alex Nation shared a bath filled with melted chocolate during Thursday night's show.

But they can be rest assured that no food standards were breached in what was considered 'one of the most unhygienic dates in history.'

Osher told news.com: 'As far as I know, no breaches of food standards were made when immersing Richie and Alex into 300 litres of liquid chocolate.

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A chocolate bath? No food standards were breached in the what was considered one of the most unhygienic dates in history

How charming! At one point, Richie appeared to lift up his legs and place his crotch directly in front of Alex's face

'Im not sure what we did with it after they were done, but Im nearly 100 per cent sure it was not eaten by anyone,' he added.

During the show, the reality TV stars couldn't stop laughing as they shared an intimate moment in the sweet brown liquid.

At one point Richie appeared to lift up his legs and place his crotch directly in front of her face.

'I feel like I'm watching an intro to a weird porno,' wrote Twitter user @brbkissed.

And @thereafter tweeted: 'I feel like this bath situation is soft core porn' (sic).

Precious memories: The reality TV stars couldn't stop laughing as they shared an intimate moment in the sweet brown liquid - but fans were less than amused

Gross: 'I feel like I'm watching an intro to a weird porno,' wrote Twitter user @brbkissed

'Porn': And @thereafter tweeted: 'I feel like this bath situation is soft core porn' (sic)

Meanwhile @terrymiu claimed The Bachelor was 'officially no longer appropriate for children under the age of 18'.

And it was breaking point for @AussieGal999, who said: 'That's it - I had to change the channel'.

Other Twitter users compared the images of Richie and Alex covered in chocolate to an extreme pornography genre.

How sweet? Other Twitter users compared the images of Richie and Alex covered in chocolate to an extreme pornography genre

Will you take this... BROWN rose? During the date, Richie gave Alex a brown rose - which was also covered in melted chocolate

Appropriate? Some Twitter users questioned why this date was broadcast

Done: It was breaking point for @AussieGal999, who wrote she 'had to change the channel'

Is 7.30 too early? Meanwhile @terrymiu claimed The Bachelor was 'officially no longer appropriate for children under the age of 18'

The duo enjoyed the bath filled with 300 litres of milk chocolate during their single date.

The blonde single mother stripped down to a strapless blue bikini before sharing a deep kiss with Richie.

Richie confessed to her: 'A lex, I've had such a sweet time today. We get along like a house on fire. Like, the chemistry is out of control. It is absolutely crazy.

'We've made huge progress!' Alex declared the chocolate-dipped date a success

'And when I'm around you, I feel fireworks... Today was about showing the romance of chocolate, but I think all it proved was how much chemistry we do have together.'

Later, Alex said: 'If Richie can take me looking like a drowned rat in chocolate, then I feel like we've made huge progress in our relationship this evening!'

The Bachelor airs Wednesdays and Thursdays at 7.30pm on Network Ten
They called off their engagement in May.

But it seems there could still be hope for Emma Roberts and Evan Peters after they were both spotted at a friend's house in Studio City on Thursday.

The former couple arrived separately to the location, but their mutual presence sparked rumours of a reconciliation.

Sparking rumours of a reconciliation: Emma Roberts and Evan Peters were seen arriving to the same friend's house on Thursday in Studio City

For the outing Emma looked chic in a black halter-neck dress, while Evan kept it casual in a T-shirt and jeans.

The 25-year-old flashed her long legs in the floor-length frock, which boasted a daring slit up one side.

Emma's tiny waist was cinched in with a brown leather belt, and she added a pair of leopard print flats.

The actress pulled her long blonde locks into a fuss-free ponytail and went make-up free.

Cheers: The actress, who arrived first, was spotted enjoying a drink during the outing

She finished off her glamorous daytime look with a pair of retro sunglasses and a black bag slung over one shoulder.

Emma was earlier spotted grabbing breakfast in the same ensemble, but it seems she was in a hurry as she got her food and a coffee to go.

The pair began dating in 2012 after meeting on set of the film Adult World, and got engaged in December 2013.

Dressed to impress: Emma had been seen grabbing breakfast in the same ensemble earlier that day

Showing some skin: The 25-year-old wore a slit black halter-neck maxi dress with leopard print flats

The couple ended their engagement in June of last year before getting back together in October, but split again this May.

Emma, who was arrested after a heated argument with Evan in 2013 (although he declined to press charges), was linked to Christopher Hines after the split.

The niece of Julia Roberts is busy working on the second season of Scream Queens ahead of its September 20 premiere.

Calling it quits: Emma and Evan (pictured in 2013) ended their engagement in May after dating on and off for a few years

Earlier this month, Emma was pictured wearing a wedding dress and veil while filming for the Fox show.

The Ryan Murphy-created series will see its second season set three years after the end of season one.

This time around, it will be taking place in an asylum turned hospital run by Jamie Lee Curtis's character Dean Munsch.

Was it just a fling?: The niece of Julia Roberts was linked to Christopher Hines after the break-up. They are seen here in June

Lea Michele, Keke Palmer, Billie Lourd and Abigail Breslin are also returning, while John Stamos and Taylor Lautner will be joining the cast.

'John and Taylor are doctors and they also play some of our love interests,' Emma recently told Access Hollywood, adding that her character will be romantically involved with one of them.

'There's been some kissing happening, which has been fun. And yeah, we love having them.'
Ariana Grande acquired two brand new tattoos on Thursday, one of which she made in honour of her best friend, Alexa Luria.

The 23-year-old showed off the art work to her social media followers, one of which was an inscription on her thumb of their shared initial, the letter A.

'I got this one for my best friend slash for myself, since we both have the same initial,' she said in a Snapchat video.

Friends 'til the end! Ariana Grande acquired two brand new tattoos on Thursday, one of which she made in honour of her best friend, Alexa Luria

A sign: The second tattoo was of the Venus symbol, was was located on her finger

The second tattoo was of the Venus symbol, which was located on her finger.

'a couple new finger tats today,' she wrote in the caption of an Instagram photo. 'so fine & perfectly petite, they won't even show up in this Polaroid. love & thanks.'

The photos Ariana shared the process of her actually getting the tattoo, and the final product.

It's clear the hit-maker was more than happy with the finished product, as she happily modeled the ink for her fans.

Besties: Grande honoured her best friend Alexa Luria, pictured June, by etching their shared initial onto her thumb

Lucky number 13! The songbird suggested she had a over a dozen tattoos

Tatt's perfect: Grande's tattoo was done by celebrity favourite Dr. Woo

Ariana suggested she had a over a dozen tattoos when she also captioned one of the Instagram snaps, 'I think this is my 13th.'

Among Ariana's numerous tattoos include a tiny crescent symbol on her neck, the quote 'Mille tendresse' at the back of her neck, and 'Bellissima' inked along her rib cage.

The songbird's new art work were done by celebrity-favourite tattoo artist, Dr. Woo.

'So fine & perfectly petite': Grande shared the news of her new tattoos online

Explanation: Grande explained the inspiration behind her A tattoo to her Snapchat fans

In good hands: Dr. Woo carefully etched in an A onto the singer's thumb

Dr. Woo has a long list of celebrity clientele, which has included the likes of Kelly Osbourne, Ariel Winter, Miley Cyrus, and Jaime King.

The tattoos come at a busy time for Ariana, who is slated to perform her new song Side To Side with Nicki Minaj at the upcoming MTV Video Music Awards on Sunday.

Ariana, who is nominated at this year's show, and Nicki's infectious track was released this past year as part of Grande's Dangerous Woman album.

Ace work: Grande showed off the fresh new art work for her fans

Discreet: Grande, pictured in Los Angeles in 2015, has the quote 'Mille tendresse' tattooed at the back of her neck
Due to abortion ban, 'Wisconsin can no longer train its own physicians'

Wisconsin has three OB-GYN residency programs. Two are sending residents across the border for rotations in abortion care. The other is weighing its options.
It seems that The Bachelor 'villain' Keira Maguire is about to join forces with Roxy Jacenko.

The controversial reality TV star was spotted leaving the PR queen's Sydney offices on Friday following a meeting.

Keira looked like she meant business as she strutted out of Sweaty Betty PR's office wearing a leather jacket and black jeans.

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Power meeting: Keira Maguire was photographed leaving PR queen Roxy Jacenko's Sydney offices on Friday following her stint on the reality TV show

Roxy also runs The Ministry of Talent, who look after the careers of 'Australias leading creatives'.

While visiting the office, Keira took the opportunity to visit the Sweaty Betty showroom, which is stocked full of products the agency represents.

She walked away with a bunch of freebies and looked thrilled as she walked down the street with multiple shopping bags.

What is she plotting? Keira is tipped for TV stardom after her breakout role on The Bachelor

Girl's dream: Keira walked away from her meeting with a bunch of freebies courtesy of Roxy

Why so shy? Keira has become a household name in the last few months

Shop 'til you drop: Keira appeared excited to make the most of her free shopping trip

And it's no surprise Keira is looking to extend her time in the spotlight after claiming she was the most famous Bachelor contestant.

'They just want to be friends with me now because I'm getting the most attention,' she said about her co-stars during a TV appearance.

It wasn't the first time Keira turned on her co-stars, having blasted them when she was booted off The Bachelor last week.

Guilt-free shopping spree: The reality star took her time to look through the rails of clothes and pick her favourite items to take home

Dressed for success: Keira looked pleased with herself after her business meeting at the talent agency in Sydney

The new Lara Bingle? Keira could be negotiating modelling or TV presenting deals

Retail therapy: Keira couldn't wipe the smile off her face as she greeted photographers

Her exit came following a disastrous yoga date which marked the end of her outspoken stint on the dating reality series.

'I was too good for this situation, and I felt it so many times. I'm like, ''What are you doing here?'' she said.

'I do not give a f*** about those b******. I'm so glad to get out of there. They're all nasty. Like, ugh, pieces of work.'

Professional poser: Keira also displayed her signature plump pout during the trip

Blonde bombshells: Keira was in high spirits after meeting with Roxy Jacenko

PR queen: Roxy Jacenko called Keira in for a meeting at her Sydney office

However, she did manage to make one friend during her time on the show in fellow contestant Sasha Zhuralyova.

In fact the pair have such a close bond Keira recently confessed she had a lesbian fantasy involving Sasha.

Meanwhile, it's been a difficult few months for Roxy after husband Oliver Curtis was incarcerated for insider trading.

Soon after she was diagnosed with breast cancer and recently underwent surgery to have the cancerous tumour removed.
Robert Pattinson had a guitar and a rifle strapped across his back as he kicked off filming for his new movie Damsel on Thursday in Oregon.

The 30-year-old actor stars in the Western drama along with 26-year-old Australian actress Mia Wasikowska.

The movie written by the Zellner Bros and directed by David Zellner follows a businessman who travels West to join his fiancee in the mountains.

Man of action: Robert Pattinson carried a guitar and a rifle while filming Damsel on Thursday in Oregon

Robert looked ready for adventure as he strode about in a double-breasted leather jacket, denim pants and leather boots.

He also had a pistol holstered and wore an ammunition belt filled with bullets around his waist.

The Twilight star donned a tan fedora and sported a goatee for his character.

Robert was seen leading a miniature horse and using a feedbag to provide a snack.

Row boat: Mia Wasikowska also was spotted on the set rowing a boat with a small horse

Western drama: The Twilight star also had a pistol and ammo belt

Snack time: Robert used a feedbag to give the horse a snack

Pounding it: The actor used a hammer while pounding away on a row boat

On the water: Robert rowed the boat as the cameras were rolling

He also was seen pounding a hammer on a wooden boat and rowing it along with a box aboard labeled as fragile.

Mia also was spotted rowing the boat with the little horse in the bow.

Robert has several film projects in the works including The Lost City Of Z and Good Time that are both in post-production.

Handle with care: A large box marked fragile was on the boat

Core work: The actor was getting a core workout with all the rowing

On the shore: Robert rowed the boat onto shore

He was last seen in the historical drama The Childhood Of A Leader that was released in June in US theaters and on-demand.

Mia recently starred in the sequel Alice Through The Looking Glass opposite Johnny Depp.

She can next be seen in the French war biopic HHhH about the assassination of Nazi leader Reinhard Heydrich in Prague during World War II.

Her turn: Mia also was seen rowing the boat with the horse on the bow

Australian actress: The Canberra native recently starred in the sequel Alice Through The Looking Glass
She made headlines after appearing in the first season of The Bachelor in 2013, vying for the affections of Tim Robards.

And Emma Rose continues to flaunt the assets that got her noticed in a photo shared to Instagram on Friday.

The busty brunette, now based in Los Angeles, promoted a straightening brush while clad in skimpy lace lingerie.

No one's looking at the hairbrush! The Bachelor's Emma Rose, now based in LA, promoted a straightening brush clad in lingerie for a busty Instagram photo shared on Friday

'So happy with my new @LVLHAIR straightening brush,' Emma captioned the post shared with her 483,000 Instagram followers.

'It literally straightens in 5 minutes, the best for when I'm in a hurry and need to straighten my hair.

'I wake up with the craziest bed hair! Yet I'm always late,' she continued.

Not shy: Numerous other snaps on Emma's Instagram page see the social media influencer strip down to either a bikini or sultry lingerie set

The close-up shot saw the former reality star stripping down to just a skimpy green bra set with flirtatious strap detailing, that flaunted her impressive cleavage and incredibly taut torso.

With her long chocolate locks falling in loose waves over one shoulder, Emma highlighted her striking facial features with defined brows, lashings of mascara and a bold red lip.

Numerous other snaps on Emma's Instagram page see the social media influencer strip down to either a bikini or sultry lingerie set.

Busting out! The brunette beauty is now based in the U.S after she made headlines for her role in the first season of The Bachelor in 2013

Racy lady: Emma is no stranger to flaunting her ample assets in raunchy social media snaps

Meanwhile on the personal front, it appears Emma has split from model George Gerges - several months after he was accused of dealing cocaine, and charged with numerous offences.

Since then she's been spotted with businessman Marc Marano in Florida. According to Marc's Instagram account, he is the President of F45 Training's US expansion project.

Last September, Emma's then-boyfriend George was accused of dealing cocaine out of the back of his Lexus as part of an alleged drug ring operating across Sydney.

Soaking it up: Emma documents all of her travels on social media and recently posted a throwback shot of her bikini clad figure on holiday

He was arrested at the time in a series of raids in Sydney where police seized cocaine, MDMA, cannabis, cash and a sawn-off rifle.

Facing court, he was charged with numerous offences, including supply of drugs, possessing steroids and participating in a criminal group.

Later that month, The Sydney Morning Herald reported he had been granted bail after the Central Local Court heard his girlfriend Emma was struggling financially, after being left to pay their $650 Bondi apartment weekly rent.
He was given a lifelong X Factor ban in 2009 after storming on stage during a live Jedward performance sporting a pineapple on his head, mocking their hairstyles.

But it appears Simon Cowell has forgiven Calvin Harris, and he is tipped to join the show as a guest judge in Nice, France.

According to The Sun the 32-year-old superstar DJ is set to join Nicole Scherzinger at the Judge's Houses.

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Guest judge: It appears Simon Cowell has forgiven Calvin Harris, and he is tipped to join the show as a guest judge in Nice, France

A source told the publication: 'Calvin is rightly regarded as one of the biggest artists in music due to his phenomenal chart success.

'Simon wants A-listers on board and made a beeline for Calvin, ensuring him there would be no issues after the Jedward row.

'It was a long time ago and both have moved on so much since then.'

Ban lifted? The 32-year-old DJ was given a lifelong X Factor ban in 2009 after storming on stage during a live Jedward performance sporting a pineapple on his head, mocking their hairstyles

In 2009 Calvin was due to appear on The Xtra Factor alongside Rihanna.

However ahead of his appearance, during Jedward's live performance, he invaded the stage with a pineapple on his head.

Simon was furious, and had the star escorted out of the studio before imposing a 'life-time ban' on the star.

At the time Calvin explained: 'I was just inspired to make a mockery of the show because it is a music competition, it is a joke and I think it should be treated as such.

A lister: In the past seven years Calvin he has had huge musical success internationally, and is now worth an estimated 30million. His high profile relationships with Rita Ora and Taylor Swift helped further boost him to A list status

'So when people were saying 'John and Edward, maybe they deserve to stay in this week', I was like 'are you watching what I'm watching?'

However in the past seven years Calvin has had huge musical success internationally, and is now worth an estimated 30million.

His high profile relationships with Rita Ora and Taylor Swift helped further boost him to A list status, opening the doors for his return to the show.

Meanwhile Nicole Scherzinger naturally ensured she was the centre of attention when she arrived at The X Factor press launch in London on Thursday afternoon.

The 38-year-old star looked stunning in an electric blue minidress with an asymmetrical skirt and a funky, cut-out neckline.

Beautiful in blue: Nicole Scherzinger ensured she was the centre of attention when she arrived at The X Factor press launch in London on Thursday afternoon

Nicole highlighted her slender legs in the thigh-skimming number, while the halterneck cut drew attention to her gym-honed upper body.

The former Pussycat Dolls star added some edgy accessories to dress up her look, including silver strappy heels, stacks of quirky bangles and statement earrings.

She pulled her dark locks up in an elaborate top knot and set off her eyes with plenty of kohl.

Nicole was joined by her fellow judge Louis Walsh - but Sharon Osbourne and show boss Simon were nowhere to be seen.

The stunning star also popped into Global studios for an interview with Capital during her busy day in the city.

Stunning: Nicole highlighted her slender legs in the thigh-skimming number, while the halterneck cut drew attention to her gym-honed upper body

Stylish: The former Pussycat Dolls star added some edgy accessories to dress up her look, including white strappy heels, stacks of quirky bangles and statement earrings

The press launch came after Simon made several candid confessions about his past mistakes running the ITV singing competition.

'The good thing about having a Twitter account is they [viewers] tell you what they think, it's a bit like your mum and dad when they go, 'Simon, you have screwed up'.

And referencing last year's panel, which included Rita Ora and Cheryl, he added: 'It wasn't anyone's fault, I just didn't realise how much the viewers missed everyone.

Leggy lady: Nicole completed her ensemble with a pair of silver strappy heels

Centre stage: All eyes were on the former Pussycat Dolls singer as she strutted her stuff

Striking: The Poison hitmaker pulled her dark locks up in an elaborate top knot and set off her eyes with plenty of kohl

Making an entrance: Nicole ensured she made a strong impact at the press launch

'In a strange way, that's what I learnt, so this line-up was the easiest decision we have ever made, there was no speculation, it was just this is who's going to be on the show.'

And with Caroline Flack and Ollie Murs being replaced by original Dermot O'Leary, Simon said: 'Dermot came to see me in LA about three months ago and I hadn't seen him for a while. I was so happy to see him, I think he thought it was going to be an awkward conversation.

'I just said, 'There's nothing to be awkward about, I should have phoned you, you should have phoned me, everyone misses you so come back'.

Here she comes! The singer put on a leggy display as she exited the car

Statement look: Nicole completed her attire with a trellis style bangle

Futuristic: The star completed her look with a stylish top knot and plenty of eyeliner

Here he comes! Veteran judge Louis Walsh looked delighted to be making his return

His mini-me: Louis posed with a puppet version of himself, and didn't seem too impressed

That was it and I think it's been good in a way because I think you can take him for granted. I think Olly and Caroline did a great job but the public relate this show to Dermot, so now he's back, and even I look at him in the clips and think, 'God, he's so good!'.

However he doesn't regret losing Dermot on last year's X Factor, explaining: 'No, I don't regret any decisions because you have got to make some changes occasionally to see if things work or not.'

And speaking about his partner in crime Louis, whom Simon is often seen disagreeing with, along with the rest of the panel, the 56-year-old music mogul said: 'Me and Louis have a relationship that goes back a long way. Louis' naughty, the auditions are long days but he makes it much more fun.

Simon said of his relationship with Louis: 'He's naughty, the auditions are long days but he makes it much more fun'

Suited and booted: The Irish music mogul looked smart in a navy blazer and light chinos

Putting in an appearance: Xtra Factor hosts Rylan Clark-Neal and Matt Edmondson posed together on the red carpet

Dapper dude: Rylan was in his element as he made his grand arrival at the event

'I was actually thinking that about all of them actually, it's like a little reunion, they are all on great form.

'Me and Sharon are a bit like Tom and Jerry, but we love each other secretly, and Nicole is slightly nuts, I love that. Then there's Dermot, I missed him so much'.

The X Factor returns to ITV this Saturday at 8pm.

Close bond: Matt joked around outside the Hamyard hotel, pretending to plant a kiss on Rylan

Edgy look: New X Factor live host Roman Kemp was rocking a statement jacket

Back in business: Dermot O'Leary was making a triumphant return after show boss Simon Cowell begged him to come back




Melbourne Spring Fashion Week kicked off on Friday night with a soiree featuring the biggest names in Australian style.

And model Jesinta Campbell opted for casual chic as she led the arrivals at the Vogue American Express Fashion's Night Out.

The 25-year-old wore cropped black trousers with a longsleeve white T-shirt and also draped a jacket over her shoulders.

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Fashionista: Model Jesinta Campbell opted for casual chic as she led the arrivals at the Vogue American Express Fashion's Night Out in Melbourne on Friday night

The fiancee of Sydney Swans player Lance "Buddy" Franklin styled back her hair to reveal a pair of stunning drop pearl earrings.

Meanwhile, Jesinta opted for a natural look face of make-up and a slick of glossy lipstick.

The former Miss Universe Australia finished off her look with black heels featuring a stylish ankle detail.

She's flawless! The fiancee of Sydney Swans player Lance "Buddy" Franklin styled back her hair to reveal a pair of stunning drop pearl earrings

Elsewhere, actress Isabel Lucas flaunted her slim waist in a fitted skirt that kicked out in layered ruffles at the hem.

Posing for the cameras, the 31-year-old took a sartorial risk by dressing in different shades of moss green.

The ex-Home And Away star accompanied the skirt with a knitted high-neck sweater tucked in at the waist.

Welcome to the jungle! Ex-Home And Away star Isabel Lucas took a sartorial risk, wearing different shades of moss green

Beauty: The 31-year-old wore knitted high-neck sweater tucked in at the waist

Fashion blogger and model Sarah Ellen went for a rock-star look, pairing a fluffy deep red jacket with a bright leather skirt.

With tanned and toned legs were on full display, she accessorised boldly with a black choker necklace.

Sarah took style tips from Jesinta by wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Vogue Australia logo.

Also adding a touch of casual style, the Neighbours star wore a pair of black and white shiny sneakers.

Rock chic: Actress and fashion blogger Sarah Ellen took style tips from Jesinta by wearing a white T-shirt emblazoned with the Vogue logo
She's bragged about an 'empowering' one-night-stand and admitted to begging a male pal for his sperm in her sex column for Yahoo Be.

But while Mel Greig's latest gig has earned her some new fans, not everybody enjoys hearing the racy DJ boast about her sexual exploits - including her own sister.

When asked what her friends and family think about her raunchy confessions, the 34-year-old told The Daily Edition: 'My sister's like, "Please, do you have to?'''

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Family affair: Former 2DayFM star Mel Greig (pictured) revealed her sister isn't a fan of her raunchy new sex column for Yahoo Be

The busty DJ added: 'It's not the "Walk of shame". It's the "Walk of girl got game!"'

To emphasize her point, the sassy Mel confidently snapped her fingers as she delivered the cheesy pun.

The radio host - who encourages women to pick up men through Instagram instead of dating apps - also explained why she's lifting the lid on her sex life.

Sassy: 'It's not the walk of shame. It's the walk of girl got game!' said the 34-year-old blonde

Outspoken: Mel spoke to The Daily Edition on Friday about her racy dating column

'I think we need to have these conversations,' mused the newly-minted sexpert.

She continued: 'A lot of women are going through it, and if we don't start talking about it then they're going to feel more and more ashamed.'

The newly-single blonde previously wrote about her recent one-night stand with a mystery man.

Mel claimed she needed a good 'release' after separating from her husband Steve Pollock six months ago.

'I think we need to have these conversations': Mel has written about one night stands and also given advice on how to pick up men on Instagram

'I felt so empowered!' Mel claimed her one-night-fling was 'empowering', having previously criticised dating app Tinder as 'superficial'

While she refused to reveal the explicit details of the tryst, Mel said she felt 'so empowered' after her 'under-the-doona escapade.'

In another column for Yahoo Be, she also confessed to drunkenly texting a male pal for his sperm in a desperate bid to get pregnant.

'Yep, I just asked my male friend to donate his sperm. I was a few wines in and I was starting to fret about my future,' she wrote candidly.

'Soon to be divorced, and a sufferer of endometriosis, my baby making timeline is diminishing quickly. So clearly, the smartest thing for me to do was scroll through my phone and pick my own sperm donor,' she added.

Mel said she hastily retracted the offer the next morning by sending an 'apology text' for the 'boozy message.'
One is an actress and environmentalist, the other is a DJ and reality TV star.

So it was no surprise that Isabel Lucas and Havana Brown were dressed in VERY different outfits as they attended the Emporium Opening Runway at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week on Friday.

Isabel, 31, covered virtually every inch of her skin in a conservative ensemble, while Havana, also 31, flash plenty of flesh in a pair of kinky boots.

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Opposites attract? DJ Havana Brown (L) and actress Isabel Lucas (R) couldn't have dressed more differently at the Emporium Opening Runway at Melbourne Spring Fashion Week

Transformers star Isabel looked like she'd stepped out of a past century in a modest olive green outfit consisting of a long ruffled fishtail skirt and a long-sleeve turtleneck sweater.

She paired the stylish-yet-chaste attire with a pair of matching ankle boots.

Meanwhile, racy Havana couldn't have looked more different to Isabel if she tried.

Blast from the past: Transformers star Isabel looked like she'd stepped out of a past century in a modest olive green outfit

Transfixed: The brunette beauty couldn't take her eyes off the runway

The raunchy DJ caught the eye in nothing but a T-shirt and a pair of thigh-high boots.

While the provocative pop diva ditched her trousers for the event, she did manage to cover up on top with a colourful faux-fur jacket.

Adding another element to the peculiar ensemble, Havana wore one of her signature bandanas.

Covered up: The 31-year-old chose not to flash even a glimpse of flesh at the fashion party

Conservative: The Transformers actress wore a modest outfit consisting of a long ruffled fishtail skirt and a long-sleeve turtleneck sweater

Isabel, who is based in California, has returned Down Under to serve as the official face of the 2016 Melbourne Spring Fashion Week.

She began her career in Australia playing Tasha Andrews on Home And Away from 2003 to 2006, and won the Silver Logie Award for New Popular Talent.

Since moving overseas, she has starred in several big budget movies, including Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen and Red Dawn, co-starring ex-boyfriend Chris Hemsworth.
She won the hearts of the nation during the 2005 series of The X Factor.

But Brenda Edwards had to put her life on hold after being diagnosed with breast cancer earlier this year, enduring a difficult few months of chemotherapy and a mastectomy.

The star, who has enjoyed a successful career in musical theatre since leaving the show, made an appearance on Friday's installment of Loose Women to share the good news that she is cancer free.

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Good news: X Factor star Brenda Edwards made an appearance on Friday's installment of Loose Women to reveal that she is cancer free

Brenda beamed as she made her emotional announcement, telling the presenters: 'I had an operation six weeks ago. I had a mastectomy.

'They sent tissue away and recently I got the news back... that I'm free of cancer.'

The audience whooped and cheers as the stage star delivered her good news, and she was presented with a giant bouquet of flowers.

Brenda was quick to praise the staff who had looked after her over the course of the past few months, saying, 'I just need to take a moment out to say thank you to the nurses and staff at Charing Cross Hospital.'

Emotional moment: The audience whooped and cheers as the stage star delivered her good news, and she was presented with a giant bouquet of flowers

Tough time: Brenda was quick to praise the staff who had looked after her over the course of the past few months

Brenda recalled the moment she discovered she had a lump in one of her breasts while playing Motormouth Maybelle in the UK tour of Hairspray.

The vocal powerhouse explained: 'My dresser was very upset and she was crying. She told me a friend of hers had just been diagnosed with stage three breast cancer.

'I thought, I better check myself - and I immediately felt a lump.'

First taste of fame: Brenda was mentored by Sharon Osbourne on the second series of the talent show and lost out on a place in the final, which saw Shayne Ward beat binman Andy Abraham and country act Journey South to victory

Explaining how she had coped with her illness, Brenda said: 'I've tried to stay positive throughout the whole experience.

'I didn't want to be down for the cast, I can't even begin to tell you the immense appreciation I have for them.'

During her appearance on Loose Women, Brenda also demonstrated to a curious Stephanie Davis the best method to check your breasts.

Guidance: During her appearance on Loose Women, Brenda also demonstrated to a curious Stephanie Davis the best method to check your breasts

Brenda was mentored by Sharon Osbourne on the second series of the talent show and lost out on a place in the final, which saw Shayne Ward beat binman Andy Abraham and country act Journey South to victory.

She was treated to a special pre-recorded message from Sharon during the show, with the veteran judge - who has also beaten cancer - praising her bravery.

'Brenda is at that point in her life where she can go back to her passion. She's got the talent', Sharon said.

After watching the flashback montage, Brenda cheekily joked: 'I don't look like I've aged at all!'
He just bagged himself a D in General Studies after re-sitting the GCSE exam on live TV.

But Joey Essex hasn't passed the dating game with flying colours just yet, as he told MailOnline on Thursday as he contemplated his future ambitions and love life.

The reality star, 26 - who shot to fame as the lovable former beau of Sam Faiers on TOWIE- now has his sights set on finding his perfect girl as he confessed: 'You get bored of being single. But I'm definitely not eager.'

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The future: Joey Essex, 26, contemplated his future ambitions and love life while unveiling the exciting new Oreo Flavour Mobile on London's Southbank to launch two new flavours

Speaking about his new E4 show Celebs go Dating with former Geordie Shore star Charlotte Crosby and Made in Chelsea's Stephanie Pratt, the Essex native revealed: 'I did meet a nice girl on the show though. We got along well. But we'll just see what happens.'

And the chatty star is a firm believer in 'opposites attract' as he relayed, 'there was a girl a while ago who was just perfect, like everything down to a T, but I dunno, something wasn't right. It's all about opposites for me.'

Joey was on London's Southbank unveiling the exciting new Oreo Flavour Mobile to launch two new flavours and even though the sweet venture will have attracted a few young ones, Joey isn't set on the idea of any 'little Joey's just yet'

The reality star - who was rumoured to have a short-lived romance with Little Mix's Perrie Edwards last year - stated: 'I mean, never say never. Right now I'm too busy with all my filming. No little Joey's running around.'

And while his ex Sam is now content with her husband Paul Knightley and son Paul Tony, eight months, Joey can't seem to picture such a major responsibility: 'Walking to the shop to get my salmon and avocado toast with a pushchair. Not happening.'

'You get bored of being single': The reality star- who shot to fame as the lovable former beau of Sam Faiers on TOWIE- now has his sights set on finding his dream girl

New love? Joey confessed to meeting a potential flame on his new E4 show Celebs Go Dating stating, 'we got along well. But we'll just see what happens'

Family plans: The chatty star is a firm believer in 'opposites attract' and has also revealed he doesn't want 'any little Joey's' running around just yet

The likable television personality is also currently reaping the efforts of his hard work - mainly his academic success which saw his re-sit a GCSE exam for ITV2's Re-Educating Joey Essex.

Joey opened his results before a TV audience of millions on Thursday and appeared delighted with his achievement after predicting earlier on in the day to Good Morning Britain that he would get a D.

And reflecting on the outcome a day later, Joey stated: 'I feel more proud than I thought I would. I mean looking at myself compared to ten years ago, it's crazy.

If I got lower than D, then I mean, I wouldn't be upset, I'd still have a smile on my face, but it would be a shame.'

And always taking into account the opposite end of the spectrum, he pondered: 'If I got something higher than a D, it would have been unrealistic. I mean, the best I got at school was a C in Art and I tried really hard in maths and got a D.

'Won't be re-sitting any more GCSE's though,' he added. 'It's good to look back on everything. I've accomplished a lot in ten years. But I always try my hardest.'

Success: Joey has been doing rather well for him with a slew of television projects under his belt and in the pipelines

Keeping busy: He has already filmed two new episodes of Educating Joey Essex in LA and Philadephia

Hanging with the bigwigs: He is set to fly out New York next month to interview Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton ahead of the US presidential election

'Mint is peng!': He relies on snacking on Oreos to keep him going and gushed about the new flavours Strawberry Cheesecake and Mint

And despite re-doing elements of his school years again, Joey has been doing rather well for him with a slew of television projects under his belt and in the pipelines.

He has already filmed two new episodes of Educating Joey Essex in LA and Philadephia and is set to fly out New York next month to interview Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton ahead of the US presidential election.

But despite all his time in the States, Joey seems apprehensive about his plans to crack America.

'I might want to crack America in the future... maybe, but right now I know where my home is. I love England.'

And in terms of his food of choice that keeps him going during his jam-packed schedule, Oreos were the obvious answer.

She moved on: His ex Sam is now content with her husband Paul Knightley and son Paul Tony, 8 months but Joey can't seem to picture such a major responsibility

Back to school: Joey talked about preparing to receive his latest GCSE result during an interview with Good Morning Britain on Thursday morning before receiding his D in General Studies

Congrats: Taking to Twitter, he shared an image of his certificate with the message: 'Thank you so much for all the amazing messages .. happy you enjoyed the show tonight and so happy I got a D'

He looking absolutely delighted about unveiling Oreo's bright blue Flavour Mobile in conjunction with their new Strawberry Cheesecake and Mint flavours.

'Did you know I actually brought ten boxes of Oreos today? It's my only snack. I've been eating it all day. I walked in today and was like 'did you guys know I liked Oreos that much?

'We launched the campaign today and it was sick! It was on that river next to the London Eye. Strawberry Cheesecake in my favourite flavour but Mint is peng!'

The Oreo Flavour Mobile will visit seven cities and three festivals across the country this autumn including London, Cardiff, Bath, Birmingham, Manchester, Liverpool, Leeds and Newcastle, as well as Bestival, SouthWestFour and House of Common festivals
When they were last together she reduced him to tears.

And, clearly, Lillie Lexie Gregg is not looking forward to the possibility of being reunited with ex-boyfriend, Stephen Bear, this weekend.

The blonde beauty, 25, cut a downcast figure as she stepped out in Birmingham for a solo coffee break on Thursday - just hours before the Celebrity Big Brother final.

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Anxious? Lillie Lexie Gregg appeared to be dreading the possibility of being reunited with ex-boyfriend, Stephen Bear, this weekend

Keeping it casual for the occasion, the model stepped out in a pair of black leggings which she matched with a white vest top.

Adding a pair of trainers to the mix, she also lugged a back-pack and tied a jacket around her tiny waist.

Scraping her hair into a semi up 'do', the CBB proxy-star was spotted at a local Starbucks where she was clearly distracted.

Acting up? The blonde beauty, 25, cut a downcast figure as she stepped out in Birmingham for a solo coffee break on Thursday - just hours before the Celebrity Big Brother final

Drama: Lillie and Bear first met while filming the current series of MTV's Ex On The Beach in April, and the two continued their romance once filming finished in Thailand

Chatting on her mobile phone with a frown on her face, she appeared to be upset as she chatted to the mystery caller.

At one point she even held her head in her hands, which suggested even more upset for the ex of CBB's Bear.

The latest sighting comes shortly before he's due to be evicted in the grand finale of the Channel 5 competition.

Lillie and Bear first met while filming the current series of MTV's Ex On The Beach in April, and the two continued their romance once filming finished in Thailand.

Not happy: Chatting on her mobile phone with a frown on her face, she appeared to be upset as she chatted to the mystery caller

Imminent: The latest sighting comes shortly before he's due to be evicted in the grand finale of the Channel 5 competition

Despite appearing to be loved-up, Stephen hit it off with housemate Chloe Khan while on CBB and had viewers captivated by their full-on relationship.

Having previously claimed that Lillie wasnt the one following his romance with Chloe, the starlet then entered the house as part of a task to get closure from the situation.
I don't know how many young women come to this blog or how many are parents of teenage or young adult women, but here are some safety tips from Kelsey's Army:

T

I

P

S

1. Trust your instincts - If something feels wrong then something probably is wrong.2. Know your surroundings - know who and what is around you.3. Always have a plan for where you would go and what you would do if a situation arises.4. Be willing to make a scene in order to be noticed.5. Let someone know where you are going and when you will be back.Remember the acronym TIPS:ake Chargenform others of your whereaboutsrepare for any situationurvival Mentality (role play situations so you will respond should they happen)For more information, go to Kelsey's Army
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Amazing photos offer a rare insight into how star Tom Hardy has been turned into a World War Two Spitfire ace in the new epic Dunkirk.

Christopher Nolan's eagerly anticipated drama about the Allied evacuation from Northern France in 1940 looks to be one of the most visually impressive war-time films since Saving Private Ryan.

Nolan has used host of stars for his epic, including Hardy and One Direction singer Harry Styles, and incredible machinery, gadgets and movie magic to ensure audiences feel like they are fighting alongside the cast on the beaches.

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The eagle has landed: Tom Hardy was spotted on the set of Dunkirk for the first time on Friday as he films his part in the WWII big screen epic in Palos Verdes, California

Pictures snapped on the set of the film, which has been filmed in Northern France and California, show Hardy locked into the section of a Spitfire's cockpit as bespoke camera equipment is wedged around it.

The machinery appears to offer crew members a close up view of the actor, who was wearing a pilot's fleece jacket and a life-safer - uniform synonymous with pilots at the time.

Hardy was seen being helped in and out of the cockpit which was positioned on a stage with the Californian coastline in the background.

One shot in particular reveals how the suspense and drama of the film's flight sequences are being created, with Hardy's cockpit positioned at an angle on a specialised frame.

The plane is held in position by weights on the top of the frame, and crew members, which also holds a rig of cameras used by Nolan and his crew to film Hardy, complete with pilot's goggles, who is wedged inside the cramped cabin.

It is not clear how exactly the frame will work, but it would appear that the wheel being held by weights can move the whole cockpit allowing Nolan to create the effect that the plane is weaving and rolling in the air.

All smiles: He looked delighted to be taking part after months of speculation over his role

Hands-on: Director Christopher Nolan (pictured behind the camera) certainly seemed to take charge while on set

Fans hoping to see the film's cast - which also includes Cillian Murphy and Kenneth Branagh - flying around in full replicas off Spitfires they may also be in for a treat.

It appears that Nolan has been meticulous in recreating the scenes at Dunkirk with a bonafide replica of a spitfire also captured on set.

It is not known exactly whose character will be seen flying in the Spitfire, although the pictures suggest Hardy, but no doubt a stunt double will be used.

Flight scene: The scenes on the coastline showed aircraft in various different states, ready for filming

On the set: Earlier that day, Tom was spotted wearing a sleeveless roll neck top

Looking cool: The London-born star wore his military boots in the heat on Friday

Out of costume: Young stage and screen star Jack was looking smart when he arrived

Unlike in the cockpit section, no cameras were seen built onto the plane. However, it was lifted into position by a large blue crane.

The iconic aircraft was later put on a stage with its cockpit facing out to sea.

Despite the film being in the early stages of production, Warner Bros Pictures teased fans with the first trailer of Dunkirk at the start of this month.

Simulating flight: The actor was rotated so that they could simulate flight

Also spotted: is Jack Lowden was also being filmed on the afternoon in a different aircraft

The 56-second-long preview is shot in dull tones and focuses on the bleak, raw nature of the French coastline in 1940, giving a hint as to how the finished visuals will look.

None of the film's star names feature in the trailer, with the eerie landscape all that's required to portray the desperate nature of the situation.

The teaser did cause some controversy, even so, as eagle-eyed fans were quick to spot the unidentified extra who was accused of 'ruining' the chilling atmosphere.

'Looking positively delighted about being bombed by Nazis!' said one disgruntled fan after the clip was released via the Official Twitter account.

Making a movie: The scenes looked visually very different from those captured on the Northern France coastline in May

Taking flight: The aircraft was spotted on the very edge of the cliff, overlooking the sea

All hands on deck: There were many crew members making sure the scenes went without a hitch

Where's it from? The markings on the aircraft denoted a United Kingdom plane

On the same side: Jack seemed to be kitted out in the same military garbs

Wide smiles: After months of speculation about his role, it seemed like it had finally been revealed

Taking his seat: Tom is best known for his roles in Legend and Mad Max: Fury Road

Feeling sick yet? The actor had to have a strong stomach to be turned in loops

Getting to grips: Tom kept his cool in control of the aircraft
They certainly packed on the PDA while in the Celebrity Big Brother house.

And, clearly, Marnie Simpson and Lewis Bloor wanted to continue that when they were reunited outside the Channel 5 surveillance property on Friday.

The pair locked lips after Marnie, 24, was evicted in fourth place - eventually losing to Stephen Bear.

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Reunited: Marnie Simpson and Lewis Bloor locked lips as she was evicted from CBB on Friday

Leaving little to the imagination, the Geordie Shore 'star' was determined to milk the occasion by going bra-less in a semi-sheer jumpsuit.

Deftly displaying her assets, it gave onlookers quite an eyeful as she navigated the exit staircase and greeted Lewis, with whom she shares an agent.

Wearing her hair in a rather interesting urban 'do, she added a pair of strappy heels to the mix.

Now that's a public display of affection! The pair ensured they kissed in full view of the crowd

Get a room! Leaning over a railing to lock lips with Lewis, the moment looked almost scripted for maximum impact

Yep, we saw it! Marnie looks directly at photographers to ensure they're capturing the moment

Leaning over a railing to lock lips with Lewis, the moment looked almost scripted for maximum impact.

Later, while discussing their romance, Marnie told Emma Willis: 'He was my best friend in there. The days were going so quick when I was with him. When he left I was depressed. I felt like I was going through a break up.

'I didn't expect to feel the way I felt. It turned into something a lot more deeper than that. I was so overwhelmed with how I was feeling for him, and I've never really felt like that.'

Marnie admitted '100 per cent' that Lewis was the one and said she wanted to go on holiday with him now they were out of the show.

Attention-seeker: Leaving little to the imagination, the Geordie Shore 'star' was determined to milk the occasion by going bra-less in a semi-sheer jumpsuit

Yep, we get it - you're in love! Deftly displaying her assets, it gave onlookers quite an eyeful as she navigated the exit staircase and greeted Lewis, with whom she shares an agent

Going on to discuss her position in the final, she added: 'I can't believe it. I didn't take more than a week's worth of clothing.

'I think it's because all the negativity and hate I've had from Geordie Shore. I've never been a Geordie Shore favourite.'

Not that she was the only one to discuss her experiences, of course. In her exit interview, Aubrey told Emma she found it 'intense' and 'unforgettable' inside the house.

All smiles: The pair were certainly giddy when they caught up...after just a few days apart

Mwah! The reality TV show pair couldn't get enough of one another as the cameras rolled

It's almost like they knew! Marnie and Lewis keep a keen eye on each other - and the media

Later, while discussing their romance, Marnie told Emma Willis: 'He was my best friend in there. The days were going so quick when I was with him. When he left I was depressed'.

She said: 'Everything in that house is draining. It's much smaller than it looks. If someone has anxiety, everyone has anxiety.'

Regarding her feelings towards Bear, she explained: 'I've always felt consistently about Bear. I don't think he's a horrible person. He's a lot more difficult than anyone can realise.

'I think he's young at heart and will always be that way.'

Time to go: Marnie Simpson has finished fourth in the Celebrity Big Brother final

Good effort: Aubrey O'Day has finished fifth in the Celebrity Big Brother final

A bit of all white: The American singer followed Frankie Grande out of the house leaving Renee Graziano as the sole American finalist

First to go: Frankie Grande was the first finalist voted out, finishing sixth

She added: 'Frankie for me personally was one of the strongest people in the house so to come after him everyone should be thankful.

'I've never done anything like this. A few days in I thought, "how the hell am I going to manage this with a smile on my face?"'

The flamboyant brother of pop star Ariana made quite the exit as he strutted his stuff down the spiral staircase to meet host Emma Willis.

He told Emma: 'I made it to the finals which is incredible. That means there's room for improvement for me to do it again.'

Ever the showman: The flamboyant brother of pop star Ariana made quite the exit as he strutted his stuff down the spiral staircase to meet host Emma Willis
JetBlue to launch first US commercial flights to Cuba next week

The US airline JetBlue will make the first direct commercial flight between the United States and Cuba in more than half a century next Wednesday, the Cuban authorities said Thursday.

The August 31 inaugural flight -- the first of its kind since 1961 -- is scheduled to take off from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and arrive in the central Cuban city Santa Clara.

"The revival of regular direct flights is a positive step and a contribution to the process of improving relations between the two countries," Cuban Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez told local media.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports, not including Havana, are American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines Matthew Hinton (AFP/File)

Wednesday's scheduled journey will kick off a new flight schedule that includes 110 daily trips, with 90 already authorized by both governments to nine Cuban airports, many of them in or near tourism hotspots.

Twenty daily routes to Havana are pending, with airlines requesting the US authorities to triple that number, Rodriguez said.

With regular commercial flights set to resume, communist Cuba's aging airports are under scrutiny after decades of isolation from the United States during which only charter flights were permitted.

Rodriguez called US skepticism of Cuba's airport safety "unfounded in fact," in line with a statement from the island nation's head of civil aviation security, Armando Garbalosa.

"I can responsibly assure you that the level of security at our airport installations complies with world standards, including the standards of the United States. There is nothing to fear," Garbalosa said last month.

According to the US Department of Transportation, the airlines designated to fly to the nine Cuban airports -- not including Havana -- are American Airlines, Frontier Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Silver Airways, Southwest Airlines and Sun Country Airlines.

Their flights will depart from Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Chicago, Minneapolis and Philadelphia, slated to land in the Cuban cities Camaguey, Cayo Coco, Cayo Largo, Cienfuegos, Holguin, Manzanillo, Matanzas, Santa Clara and Santiago de Cuba.
Hospitals won't bill Florida nightclub shooting victims

Two hospitals that treated victims of this summer's attack on the Orlando gay night club Pulse will not bill survivors for out-of-pocket medical expenses -- more than $5 million -- officials announced Thursday.

"The Pulse shooting was a horrendous tragedy for the victims, their families, and our entire community," Orlando Health president and CEO David Strong said in a statement.

"During this very trying time, many organizations, individuals, and charities have reached out to Orlando Health to show their support. This is simply our way of paying that kindness forward."

People look out at the Pulse nightclub which is still an active crime scene on June 18, 2016 in Orlando, Florida Speancer Platt (Getty/AFP/File)

The health network's main hospital treated most of the 53 injured people who required immediate medical attention in the aftermath of the June 12 massacre, which left 49 dead.

Nine victims died after arriving at the hospital.

Orlando Health will not charge patients or their families directly, and will for other ways to shoulder costs instead, including federal funds, private insurance, disability insurance and the state's crime victim compensation program.

Florida Hospital, which treated a dozen club-goers, said it would not even bill victims' insurance for care costs or any potential follow-up surgery.

"It was incredible to see how our community came together in the wake of the senseless Pulse shooting," Florida Hospital's president and CEO Daryl Tol said in the local Orlando Sentinel newspaper. "We hope this gesture can add to the heart and goodwill that defines Orlando."

Florida Hospital said treatment costs at its facility totaled more than $525,000.
US government seeks ban on swimming with Hawaii dolphins

US federal officials are seeking a ban on swimming with Hawaii's spinner dolphins, saying the encounters popular with tourists are harming the nocturnal creatures' sleeping habits.

The proposal by the National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) would ban swimming with Hawaiian spinner dolphins or approaching the animals within 50 yards (45 meters).

The measure would affect highly popular excursions that allow tourists to swim with the marine mammals or get near them by boat.

Although there is no firm count on the number of dolphins in the Hawaiian islands, the most recent estimate puts their number at 3,350, according to NOAA Nicolas Maeterlinck (Belga/AFP/File)

"We are taking this action because spinner dolphins in the main Hawaiian islands are experiencing intense pressure from swimmers and other ocean users looking for a dolphin encounter," Ann Garrett, of the NOAA's Fisheries Office of Protected Resources, told reporters earlier this week.

The playful and naturally curious creatures hunt for fish, shrimp and squid in deep waters offshore by night, and rest during the day in shallow waters.

They swim back and forth while resting with half of their brain alert while the other half rests.

Officials say the creatures have faced intense pressure in recent years from dolphin-viewing activities that disrupt their resting time.

Garrett said that her agency fears the chronic disturbance can negatively affect the mammals' health and reproductive success.

"By reducing disturbance to Hawaiian spinner dolphins, we hope to prevent long-term negative effects to (them) and to protect the sustainability of the local population," she said.

Garrett said her agency would consider public comment on the issue for 60 days and hold a number of community meetings in September before making a final decision within a year.

The proposed ban would be implemented within two nautical miles from shore of all main Hawaiian islands and in designated waters between the islands of Maui, Lanai, and Kahoolawe, where the dolphins are found throughout the day.

Although there is no firm count on the number of dolphins in the Hawaiian islands, the most recent estimate puts their number at 3,350, according to NOAA.

Victor Lozano, owner of Dolphin Excursions in Oahu, said the proposed regulations were welcome because many tour operators and individuals run amok in the waters as they seek out the dolphins with no regard for their well-being.

"I am all for the no-swim ban," he said. "Some tour groups have no clue about the behavior of dolphins and some people swim out toward them."

However, he questioned how federal officials could enforce the ban on boats coming within 50 yards of the animals.
Australian minister says French submarine leak 'embarrassing'

A massive leak of secret data on French submarines is embarrassing, Australia's Defence Industry minister said on Friday, stressing that security between Australia and the DCNS shipbuilders would be "the most stringent in the world".

The Australian newspaper reported this week that it had seen 22,400 leaked pages detailing the combat capability of the Scorpene-class DCNS submarine designed for the Indian navy.

Variants of the submarine are used by Malaysia and Chile, with Brazil due to deploy the vessels from 2018.

India's Scorpene Class Submarine INS Kalvari takes part in its maiden sea trials off the coast of Mumbai Indian Navy (Indian Navy/AFP/File)

Australia awarded French contractor DCNS a Aus$50 billion (US$38 billion) contract last April to design and build its next generation of submarines.

"Obviously it is a very serious matter for the Indian navy and for the DCNS project," Australia's Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne told Channel Nine.

Pyne stressed that the leak had "no bearing at all on the Australian project" as Canberra has commissioned a different model to the Scorpene.

The Australian's scoop prompted DCNS to file a complaint to France's public prosecutor over the leak, who must now decide whether to launch a preliminary inquiry, hand it over to instructing magistrates or set the case aside, a French legal source told AFP.

"The French government is obviously investigating a very serious leak," Pyne said.

"It's embarrassing for DCNS and it's embarrassing for the Indian navy."

The Australian newspaper said the leaked documents were marked "Restricted Scorpene India" and revealed the combat capabilities of India's new submarine fleet.

They also included thousands of pages on the submarine sensors and thousands more on its communication and navigation systems as well as nearly 500 pages on the torpedo launch system alone.

Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar has ordered a probe into the newspaper report but Pyne stressed that Australia did not anticipate a security problem with its submarines.

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation said Australia's defence department has told DCNS it wants the same level of protection as the United States gives for information on Australia's submarines.

"Our security measures with both the United States, with the Collins Class submarine, with the air warfare destroyers, as they will be with DCNS, are the most stringent in the world," Pyne said.

"There has never been a breach in the many decades in which they have been operating."

Australia awarded its submarine contract to DCNS but the secret combat system for the 12 Shortfin Barracudas is being supplied by the United States.

The submarines are a scaled-down conventionally powered version of France's 4,700-tonne Barracuda.
Scandals mount for Morocco's Islamists ahead of vote

Beachside trysts, a three-tonne drug bust and a dodgy attempted land deal: the scandals facing Morocco's ruling Islamist party are piling up ahead of crucial parliamentary elections, leading some supporters to cry foul.

The Justice and Development Party (PJD), which has led a coalition governing the North African kingdom since late 2011, finds itself in a fight for re-election in October's vote as opponents take advantage of the rumours dogging the group.

Last week two vice presidents of the PJD's religious wing were suspended after the couple, both in their 60s, were found in a "sexual position" on a beach south of Rabat and arrested, local media reported.

Supporters of the Justice and Development Party (PJD) wave party flags as they celebrate the results of Moroccan regional elections Fadel Senna (AFP/File)

It was, according to the Le360 news site considered close to circles in Morocco's royal court, "the cherry on the cake" of scandals involving the Islamists.

While the party itself is keeping a low profile, its backers accuse opponents in parliament and the media of conjuring a slur campaign to damage PJD credibility.

"It is an old practice to defame and discredit the other (party) in the fight for power," historian Maati Monbij told AFP.

"Some people at the heart of the state worry about the PJD coming first in elections."

Following years in opposition, the party found itself the head of a coalition in 2011 tasked with guiding Morocco through a turbulent period that saw other North African states convulsed by the Arab Spring uprisings.

That vote followed concessions from King Mohammed VI, the scion of a monarchy that has ruled the country for 350 years.

A new constitution curbed some, but not all, of the king's near-absolute powers as autocratic regimes fell in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Now, as a new election looms, the mounting controversy around the PJD provides a fillip for its rivals, most notably the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM).

- String of accusations -

The list of accusations against the PJD is long and varied.

Last year, a woman filed a sexual harassment case against a PJD candidate near Marrakesh. A party member was arrested last month in the southwest of the country in possession of three tonnes of cannabis.

And a PJD governor is accused of using his political influence to try to force through the sale of 200 hectares (500 acres) of southeastern farmland.

The latest furore caused by the in flagrante arrest of Omar Benhammad, 63, and Fatima Nejjar, 62, is all the more damaging to a party that extols Islamic moral behaviour.

Some social media users in Morocco have revelled in the case, posting videos of Nejjar in full Islamic headdress exhorting female students not to give in to "temptation and vice".

Their case is a "tough lesson" for "a movement that calls people who go to festivals scoundrels, those who go out at night lewd, and that say men and women who mix will go to hell," the Al Ahdath daily wrote.

"Do as I say not as I do," said a glib Huffington Post Morocco piece.

Akhir Saa, a newspaper close to the rival PAM party, went further, claiming that successive scandals were a "big blow for political Islam represented by the PJD."

- 'Scheming and backstabbing' -

The PJD remains popular in the conservative country, despite limited success in tackling corruption, and is credited with lowering the budget deficit.

Supporters accuse the media and parties reportedly close to royal court circles of seeking to influence October's vote with negative PJD coverage.

Cleric Ahmed Raissouni, who is close to the PJD, denounced what he called "police machinations".

"The source of this aggression against the party today is made up of what I call the deep state," according to PJD lawmaker Abdelaziz Aftati.

Sociologist Mohammed Ennaji used Facebook to criticise what he termed "scheming and backstabbing" against the Islamists.

But others feel that the long charge sheet against the PJD exposes the double-standard governing the behaviour of Morocco's Islamist elite.

Huffington Post Morocco criticised what it called the party's "obsession and neurosis" over personal relationships, calling the beach affair a sign of its own "hypocrisy and frustrations".

The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) remains popular in Morocco despite limited success in tackling corruption, and is credited with lowering the budget deficit Fadel Senna (AFP/File)
22 dead as bus plunges into Nepal river

A packed passenger bus plunged into a river early Friday in central Nepal, killing 22 people, a senior local official said.

The bus fell into the swelling Trishuli river, off the highway at Chandi Bhanjyang village in Chitwan district.

The death toll was initially put at 21, but deputy district chief Chet Narayan Sharma Ghimire said search and rescue workers had recovered another body.

Accidents are relatively common on Nepal's highways because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving, and death tolls running into double figures are frequent Prakash Mathema (AFP/File)

Ghimire said that 16 people were rescued from the partially submerged wreckage of the bus and are undergoing treatment at local hospitals.

"A team has been sent to pull out the bus. We will investigate the cause of the accident," he told AFP, adding that the search was continuing to ensure no more passengers were unaccounted for.

The bus was heading to the tourist town of Pokhara from the southern district of Rautahat.

Accidents are relatively common on Nepal's highways because of poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving, and death tolls frequently run into double figures.
British backpacker murder case adjourned in Australia

A Frenchman charged with murdering a British woman in Australia had his case adjourned until October on Friday, as the father of a man wounded in the incident arrived from Britain to be with his son.

Smail Ayad, 29, is facing one count of murder over the stabbing death of Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, late Tuesday at a backpacker hostel in Home Hill, a rural town in north Queensland.

He is also charged with two counts of attempted murder over the stabbing of a 30-year-old British man -- named in local media as Tom Jackson -- who is fighting for life in hospital, and a 46-year-old Australian man who suffered non-life threatening wounds.

Flowers and messages are placed on a fence outside the hostel where British backpacker Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, was stabbed and killed on August 23, 2016, in Home Hill, Australia's rural Queensland - (AFP/File)

The French national did not appear in Townsville Magistrates Court Friday, with his lawyer Helen Armitage asking for the case to be adjourned.

"He is in custody but I don't require him to be brought up," Armitage told the court, the Townsville Bulletin reported.

"At this stage we request the matter be listed for a committal mention with a brief of evidence to be prepared."

The case was adjourned until October 28 and there was no bail application made, with Ayad remanded in custody, a court officer told AFP.

Jackson's father Les arrived in Townsville, a city some 100 kilometres (60 miles) north of Home Hill, late Thursday to be by his son's bedside.

Tom Jackson was hailed a hero by Queensland Police after the alleged attack for trying to help Ayliffe-Chung.

"There is no doubt Mr. Jackson attempted to render aid to Mia," police Superintendent Ray Rohweder told Queensland's Courier Mail.

"His subsequent actions were absolutely fantastic and I have no doubt that his actions on that day, as selfless, completely selfless as they were, led to the injuries that he now has."

Police have alleged that Ayad said "Allahu Akbar" (God is greatest) during the attack and again when arrested, but have also said there were no signs of radicalisation.

"There has been no indication whatsoever that any radicalisation or any political motives existed that caused him to attack the people that he did," Rohweder told reporters Thursday.

The Australian government has been increasingly concerned about extremism and in particular about home-grown radicalisation, keeping the terror threat alert level at high since September 2014.
Conflict and drought threaten Mozambique's Gorongosa park

Passing through the aged faded gates into Gorongosa National Park, it's difficult to imagine you've just entered Mozambique's largest wildlife sanctuary.

Bled dry by a long civil war that ravaged Mozambique from 1976 to 1992, the park has seen a remarkable turnaround in the last decade.

But even as it rises from the ashes, a fresh bout of conflict and a devastating drought threaten to undermine its revival.

Gorongosa National Park has more than 72,000 animals from 20 different species, mainly antelopes and zebras John Wessels (AFP)

Big mammals like elephants and buffalos are still rare in this 4,000 square kilometre (1,544 square-mile) reserve, but a restoration project launched by American philanthropist Greg Carr in 2004 has seen the return of species once on the brink of extinction.

"Before the launch of this project, we were heading towards extinction," Gorongosa conservation head Pedro Muagara told AFP.

"Now, in terms of reproduction, there are very positive signs. The numbers are growing."

Today, the park has more than 72,000 animals from 20 different species, mainly antelopes and zebras.

But even as wild life returned to Gorongosa, political tensions were growing.

Since 2013, sporadic fighting has broken out between government forces and rebels from the main opposition Renamo party.

Refusing to accept the results of the 2014 national vote, Renamo leader Afonso Dhlakama has holed himself up in the mountains bordering the park.

For villagers fleeing the unrest, the unfenced Gorongosa has proved an easy refuge and food source.

Decked out in his khaki ranger's uniform, Muagara is one of the 150 armed rangers protecting animals from poachers and illegal hunters.

"With the fighting, the park has become a real target because the communities can no longer sustain themselves, so they hunt the animals instead," he said.

- Tourists scared -

An ongoing regional drought sparked by the El Nino weather phenomenon that has ravaged southern Africa for two years has also presented a new challenge, drying up several rivers in the park.

Animals desperate for water now congregate around the few remaining water sources, making them easy targets for poachers.

Faced with the unrelenting scourge of poaching, the park dedicates much of its rehabilitation programmes to educating local communities.

"We're trying to offer them alternatives, like farming options, for example," Gorongosa director of human development Manuel Mutimucuio told AFP.

At the end of the long track cutting through the thick forest is a glistening blue swimming pool at a luxury hotel completely renovated in 2012.

But today the facility stands empty, deserted by tourists frightened by the conflict. Only a few researchers remain in the luxurious rondavels.

In 2012, Gorongosa received 7,000 registered visitors. Today, even with the fighting confined to the park's extreme north, that number has plummeted to less than 1,000  mostly expatriates living in the capital Maputo, and South African tourists better informed of the situation on the ground.

"Unfortunately, today we have just four tourists  everybody else here works either directly or indirectly for the park," said hotel manager Paolo Matos, who took up the position just weeks before tensions escalated in 2013.

"We're losing a lot of money."

With Gorongosa's turnaround once again threatened, park employees want to believe in the promise of better days, drawing hope from ongoing peace talks between Renamo and the government.

"During the civil war, everything was destroyed and we rebuilt," sighed Menesses Sousa, a park employee since 1974, before the war.

"But today it's starting again, and I don't what will happen."

Floodplains at Gorongosa National Park John Wessels (AFP)

Waterbucks run across floodplains at Gorongosa National Park John Wessels (AFP)
Singapore shrouded in smog as haze returns to SE Asia

Acrid smog blanketed Singapore Friday as the city-state was hit by the years first major outbreak of haze, an annual crisis sparked by forest fires in neighbouring Indonesia.

Singapore's air quality index reached unhealthy levels with conditions deteriorating through the day, marking the worst haze episode in the city since vast parts of Southeast Asia were blanketed in smoke in 2015.

Last year's haze outbreak was among the worst in memory, shrouding Malaysia, Singapore, and parts of Thailand in acrid smoke.

Singapore's air quality index reached unhealthy levels on August 26, 2016, with conditions deteriorating through the day Roslan Rahman (AFP)

The blazes are started illegally to clear land, typically for palm oil and pulpwood plantations, and Indonesia has faced intense criticism from its neighbours over its failure to halt the annual smog outbreaks.

Indonesian police said a total of 463 people have been arrested over forest fires so far in 2016. This is more than double the number arrested over the blazes in the whole of 2015 but the data suggest that most of this year's arrests involved smallholders.

Singapore's National Environment Agency (NEA) said the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) breached "very unhealthy" levels of 215 during the day. PSI levels above 100 are deemed unhealthy and people are advised to reduce vigorous outdoor activity.

The NEA added that the smoke was being blown from fires in central Sumatra, the Indonesian island just across the Malacca Strait from Singapore.

Visibility from high-rise offices and other vantage points was virtually zero. An AFP photographer said he could hardly see the skyline from one of the city's highest points at Mount Faber, while haze kits sold out at a drugstore chain by lunchtime.

Food server Marcus Tan, 28, who works at a riverside restaurant with outdoor seating, said he was worried the haze would agitate his asthma.

"I know I'm supposed to wear a mask so I don't have another asthma attack. But do you think anyone will want to eat food served by someone wearing a mask?" he said.

Smog was also visible in Kuala Lumpur, the capital of neighbouring Malaysia, over a few days last week but did not breach unhealthy levels.

Singapore last September closed schools and distributed protective face masks as the air pollution index soared to hazardous levels following three weeks of being cloaked in smoke.

Indonesia's Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency said on its website that the number of "hotspots" on Sumatra had increased in the past 48 hours.

A hotspot is an area of intense heat detected by satellites, indicating a blaze has already broken out or that an area is very hot and likely to go up in flames soon.

As of Friday, there were 69 hotspots on Sumatra, up from 43 two days earlier, the agency said.

In the Indonesian part of Borneo island - another area where large numbers of smog-belching fires occur every year -- there were 31 hotspots as of midnight Thursday local time, it added.

However there were far fewer fires than at the peak of last years crisis, when hundreds burned out of control.
Kurd advance angers Turkey, Washington's impossible ally

As Turkish troops ostensibly hunting Islamic State (IS) group fighters shelled a US-backed Kurdish militia inside Syria, analysts warned that Ankara's alliance with the West is at stake.

US Vice President Joe Biden tried to patch up ties with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's government this week, but the conflict in Syria has forced Washington into a delicate balancing act.

On the ground, the US strategy relies on using the Kurdish YPG militia backed by American special forces advisors and coalition air power to take the fight to the IS group.

Turkey says Operation Euphrates Shield is aimed at ridding the northern Syrian border area of both Islamic State (IS) extremists and the Kurdish militia vehemently opposed by Ankara Bulent Kilic (AFP)

NATO member Turkey is a nominal part of the anti-IS coalition, but regards the YPG as part of the same "terrorist" movement as the PKK Kurdish separatist group waging a guerrilla war within its borders.

This week, Ankara sent troops and allied Syrian rebel fighters to seize the Syrian border town of Jarabulus from IS group fighters.

But Erdogan also aimed to deny it to the Kurds, who have advanced across the Euphrates River into the region as the dominant faction in the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

Now Turkey is demanding the Kurds retreat across the river, announcing on Thursday that its military had begun shelling YPG positions north of the town of Manbij, which the Kurds seized this month.

The US dilemma was underlined in a pair of tweets from US diplomat Brett McGurk, President Barack Obama's special envoy coordinating the coalition fighting the Islamic State group.

"We support our NATO ally Turkey in protecting its border from ISIL terrorists, and struck ISIL targets near Jarabulus earlier today," he wrote, using the US government's acronym for the IS group.

"We also support the Syrian Democratic Forces which have proven a reliable and extremely capable force in the fight against ISIL," he added, reflecting Washington's reliance on Kurdish manpower.

- Tacit approval -

US diplomats have successfully maintained that dual loyalty -- despite protests from Ankara -- for months as the coalition has begun to recapture ground from IS group forces in Iraq and Syria.

But Ankara will only tolerate open US support for the Kurds for so long, and analysts see this week's Jarabulus offensive as a clear warning to both Washington and the YPG that it is prepared to act.

Erdogan, they warn, would not have launched the operation without the tacit approval of Russia, Syrian strongman Bashar al-Assad and his ally Iran -- showing Turkey has contacts outside the coalition.

"I don't think Turkey is ready to let go of the United States and its NATO partnership just yet," said Merve Tahiroglu, a researcher on Turkey at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD).

"But what yesterday's operation was really about was to show the Kurds and the United States that Turkey has options," she added.

"They are carrying out this operation... so that the Kurds don't have to, so that the United States doesn't have to do it, and that the Americans don't do it with the Kurds."

The increased Turkish assertiveness comes amid a wave of anti-Americanism, stoked by Erdogan's loyal supporters in the media, in the wake of a failed coup d'etat attempt last month.

America has denied Turkish reports it was somehow behind the putsch, but Erdogan has angrily demanded it extradite US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, the plot's alleged mastermind.

While officials greeted Biden with smiles and handshakes, pro-government media have stirred up Erdogan's supporters with tales of Western skullduggery and his popularity has grown.

For former Turkish member of parliament Aykan Erdemir, now an FDD fellow, the orchestrated anger reflects a move away from Turkey's formerly pro-Western orientation.

"Turkey is moving into what I would call a more Middle Eastern modus operandi," he said.

"That is, a lot of incitement in government-funded media, strong anti-Americanism, strong anti-Westernism... coupled with quite a warm reception in one-on-one settings.

- Public anger -

Erdogan does not really fear the United States tried to overthrow him, but is riding a wave of public anger and exploiting "Turkey's deep-rooted xenophobia, anti-Semitism and anti-Western sentiment," Erdemir said.

Three-quarters of Turks have a negative view of the United States, and Erdogan appears to believe he can control and exploit the angry mood, according to a Pew poll conducted in October 2014.

That's a mistake, Erdemir argues.

"Once you fuel these fires, you never know how and where it will end," he said. "And that's why I'm concerned about Turkey's trans-Atlantic orientation, I'm concerned about Turkey-EU relations."

Mourners hold portraits of fighters from the Kurdish People's Protection Units' (YPG), killed in combat against Islamic State (IS) group jihadists Delil Souleiman (AFP/File)

Turkey send more tanks to Syria Jean Michel CORNU, Vincent LEFAI (AFP)

Members of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) attend the funeral of fellow fighters who died during an assault against the Islamic State (IS) group Delil Souleiman (AFP/File)
Kill drug lords, Philippines' top cop tells addicts

The Philippines' police chief has called on drug users to kill traffickers and burn their homes, escalating President Rodrigo Duterte's deeply controversial crime war that has claimed 2,000 lives.

"Why don't you give them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire to register your anger," Ronald dela Rosa said in a speech aired on television Friday.

"They're all enjoying your money, money that destroyed your brain. You know who the drug lords are. Would you like to kill them? Go ahead. Killing them is allowed because you are the victim."

A activist holds a banner in front of Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters during a protest condemning extra-judicial killings related to President Rodrigo Duterte's campaign against drugs, in Manila on August 24, 2016 Noel Celis (AFP/File)

Dela Rosa was speaking Thursday to several hundred drug users who had surrendered in the central Philippines.

Dela Rosa's comments followed Duterte's own controversial directives that have sparked criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups.

Duterte, 71, won May elections in a landslide on a vow to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals in an unprecedented blitz that would eliminate illegal drugs in six months.

He promised on the campaign trial that 100,000 people would be killed and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that fish would grow fat from feeding on them.

Days after his election win, Duterte also offered security officials bounties for the bodies of drug dealers.

And when he took office on June 30, Duterte told a crowd in Manila: "If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful."

The UN special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, said such directives "amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law".

However Dela Rosa and Duterte have insisted they are working within the law and their aides have dismissed some of their comments as merely "hyperbole" meant to scare drug traffickers.

- 'Sad, mad and sorry' -

After a barrage of bad headlines, Dela Rosa on Friday apologised for his remarks the previous day and described them as due to an "emotional outburst".

"Yesterday, I said that because I felt so bad. I was in front of those poor people, pushers and users, they looked like zombies. I was so mad, that's why I said that," he told reporters.

"I'm sorry if I said something unpleasant. Many people are reacting. I am very sorry. I am just a human being who gets mad."

When asked earlier Friday if Duterte supported Dela Rosa's call to murder and commit arson, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella denied that was the police chief's intent.

"There is no such call. It's a passionate statement," Abella said, without elaborating.

Dela Rosa told a Senate inquiry this week that the confirmed number of people to have died in the drug war was 1,946.

He said police had shot dead 756 suspects in self-defence.

He said there were another 1,190 killings under investigation, but they were likely due to drug gangs murdering people who could implicate each other. He also emphasised the crime war had so far been a success.

"I admit many are dying but our campaign, now, we have the momentum," he told the Senate.

Many Filipinos continue to support Duterte, accepting his argument that drastic measures are needed to stop the Philippines becoming a "narco state".

- Child deaths -

But criticism has continued to mount, with fears that security forces and hired assassins are roaming out-of-control and killing anyone suspected of being involved in drugs or for other reasons.

The US government on Monday expressed its concern about "reports of extrajudicial killings".

Local media have also reported a growing number of children who have been killed in the crossfire.

Human Rights Watch released a statement condemning the death of a five-year-old girl who was shot this week when unknown gunmen reportedly entered her home and tried to kill her grandfather, an alleged drug user, who was wounded.

"Duterte's aggressive rhetoric advocating violent, extrajudicial solutions to crime in the Philippines has found willing takers," the US-based group's Asia deputy director, Phelim Kine, said in a statement.

Philippine national police director, General Ronald Dela Rosa, speaks during a senate hearing in Manila, on august 23, 2016, on the spate of extra judicial killings Ted Aljibe (AFP/File)
One pilot killed in Vietnam army jet crash

A Vietnamese trainee pilot was killed when his fighter jet crashed into a rice field, an official said Friday, the third deadly military plane accident since June.

The pilot was the only one on board when the plane went down in south-central Vietnam, the Ministry of Defence said on state-run television.

The L39 fighter jet belonged to the air force pilot training college near the crash site in coastal Phu Yen province, chief administrator of the provincial people's committee told AFP.

Communist Vietnam has been keen to update its almost exclusively Russian-made military hardware amid tensions with Beijing over disputed territory in the South China Sea - (AFP/File)

"During its training session, the fighter jet crashed into the rice field, killing the trainee pilot on board," Ho Thi Nguyen Thao said.

Though Vietnam's civilian aviation sector has a strong safety record, there have been several recent accidents involving military aircraft.

In June, a jet fighter carrying two pilots crashed during a training mission off the coast of northern Nghe An province, with only one of the pilots rescued.

Days later, a military search plane deployed to find the missing pilot lost contact and was later found crashed with all nine people on board dead.

One of the worst accidents in recent years was in July 2014, when 19 people were killed after a Russian-made Mi-171 chopper crashed in the capital Hanoi during a training exercise.

Communist Vietnam has been keen to update its almost exclusively Russian-made military hardware amid tensions with Beijing over disputed territory in the South China Sea.
Seven killed in Mogadishu beach restaurant attack

Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a popular beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, city authorities said on Friday.

"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.

Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The wreckage of a car bomb outside a beach restaurant in Mogadishu after an attack by alleged Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab rebels Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP)

The assailants also threw grenades at the security services who cordoned off the area. One man with a head wound was detained by the authorities which accused him of being the bomber.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.

The Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed via the Telegram messaging service, claiming to have killed "scores" of people.

It said the restaurant was targeted because it was frequented by "apostates" indulging in "obscenity and vice".

The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, seeking to impose an austere Islamic rule on the country.

By Friday morning officials said the attackers had been killed.

All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.

- Threat to elections -

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try to violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago, Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned that the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.

Somalian soldiers guard an ambulance transporting a wounded alleged Shebaab rebel at Daru shifa hospital in the capital Mogadishu Mohamed Abdiwahab (AFP)
'Deadly mix' set to compound Kashmir's misery

His apples are ripe for plucking but Abdul Shakoor is resigned to this year's crop becoming another victim of a 50-day explosion of violence in Indian Kashmir that shows no sign of abating.

"My main crop will be ready soon for harvest but buyers from outside are nowhere to be seen," said Shakoor, who runs an orchard in the Himalayan territory's southern town of Shopian.

"We had a meeting of growers recently and we ended up pledging that we would be willing to forgo this year's harvest in solidarity with the separatist cause."

Kashmiri Muslims gather with their boats laden with fruits and vegetables, at the floating market on Dal Lake at dawn, in Srinagar, on August 25, 2016 Sajjad Hussain (AFP)

The rose-red apples are one of the divided region's most famous exports, both an economic mainstay and symbol of its lush beauty and fertile soil.

But as summer draws to a close, this year's crop is doomed to rot given the general shutdown since the army shot dead a charismatic militant on July 8.

In the backlash over Burhan Wani's shooting, 66 civilians have been killed, many while defying a sweeping curfew to join banned protests.

Two members of the Indian security forces have also been killed, making it the deadliest chapter in Kashmir's troubled history since a similar spike in 2010.

Schools, shops and most banks remain shut, and normal economic activity has been paralysed.

Residents say the region feels more like a prison than the "paradise" that Prime Minister Narendra Modi evoked recently.

Since Modi's Hindu nationalist government came to power in 2014, there had only been sporadic violence but tensions have never been far from the surface in India's only Muslim-majority state.

Modi has spoken of his "pain" at the violence and on Thursday dispatched one of his top lieutenants to Kashmir's capital.

"Do not question our understanding of the situation... We know what the problem is, and we'll find a solution," Home Minister Rajnath Singh told reporters in Srinagar.

Modi has laid much of the blame for the unrest on Pakistan which has a history of supporting Kashmiri separatists and -- like India -- lays claim to the whole of the region which was split between the two countries after independence in 1947.

While the Indian-controlled part has guarantees of autonomy, Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party is officially committed to scrapping that section of the constitution and critics say its stance is exacerbating tensions.

The BJP is now part of a coalition government in Kashmir, performing strongly in last year's state elections in areas where the state's Hindus are concentrated.

"New Delhi has reneged on its commitments by whittling down the autonomy," former chief minister Omar Abdullah told an AFP reporter.

- Deadly mix -

Despite the government's talk of wanting to restore peace, thousands of security reinforcements have been sent to the region in the last few days, some setting up camp in schools that have been closed.

"Without any political initiatives it's all coming down to us. And what we do has its own consequences," a senior army officer told AFP on condition of anonymity.

A top police officer, who was not authorised to speak to the media, said a "brutal suppression" was likely.

"For the first time the militants and the public are on the same page. It is a deadly mix."

There is already deep anger about the security forces' routine use of crude pump-action pellet guns which spray blinding metal shards to break up protests.

The guns are meant to minimise fatalities in protests although the law gives the armed forces a relatively free hand to use lethal force, especially against suspected militants.

Many of the 66 killed are students, such as Amir Nazir, who was on a visit from his university to his home town of Bijbihara when he was shot by police chasing a group of protesters.

"No constitution in the world can justify my son's killing, but we have seen such deaths regularly in Kashmir," said Amir's father Nazir Ahmed Lattoo. "It's state terrorism."

Hospital authorities say they have treated at least 500 patients with eye injuries caused by pellet guns, many of whom will never recover full vision.

The economic cost is hard to boil down to figures but some estimates put the cost to the local economy at one billion rupees (15 million dollars) every day.

- Empty houseboats -

As well as its impact on agriculture, the unrest has devastated the tourist industry, with many of Kashmir's famous houseboats lying empty on Dal Lake at the height of the summer season.

The shutdown has evoked memories of the 1980s when Indian-administered Kashmir became one of the world's most militarised zones as the army sought to crush a mass uprising.

Rights groups say 70,000 people were killed in the fighting and thousands more disappeared after being taken away by security forces.

The intervening years may have been calmer but Abdullah said the army's tactics can only exacerbate the ongoing crisis.

"You have youngsters who are lying injured in hospitals today whose only demand is that if I can get out of here, lay my hands on a weapon," he said.

"It is almost like the fear that had set in about joining the ranks of militants, that has completely evaporated."

Indian home minister Rajnath Singh (L) addresses a joint press conference with chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Mehbooba Mufti, in Srinagar, on August 25, 2016 Sajjad Hussain (AFP)

An Indian paramilitary trooper stands guard during a curfew at Lal Chowk quarter of Srinagar, on August 14, 2016 Tauseef Mustafa (AFP/File)
On a roll: 'Sausage Party' maestro bids for elusive Emmy

With eight Oscars, 11 Grammys and a Tony vying for space on his mantelpiece, Alan Menken's bill for dry-cleaning tuxedos might well match the box-office take of most Off-Broadway openings.

The legendary US composer has picked up more than 100 nominations at major awards ceremonies in an illustrious career spanning five decades that has produced some of Disney's best-loved animated movies.

With this year's awards season about to hit full stride, the 67-year-old New Yorker is vying to join exalted company as a member of the select "EGOT" club -- winners of the Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony.

Composer Alan Menken poses after being honored with a Star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2010 Gabriel Bouys (AFP/File)

"Awards are a wonderful barometer of how much your career is appreciated by your peers," he told AFP. "But if I don't win, I'll live."

"Ever since I got the Oscars, the Grammys and the Tony, that whisper in my ear from people kept coming: 'EGOT, EGOT, EGOT!' It's like a monkey on my back."

Only 12 entertainers in history have joined the EGOT club, including such luminaries as John Gielgud, Audrey Hepburn and -- among those still alive -- Whoopi Goldberg and Mel Brooks.

Menken gets to be the 13th if "A New Season", his song from musical comedy "Galavant", wins for outstanding original music and lyrics in September's Emmy Awards for television.

Menken hopes the ditty -- with its rhyming couplet "We're gonna have to kill ya if you sing the freakin' song/It didn't win an Emmy, now it's time to move along" -- might tickle the Television Academy.

- Orgy -

Born in Manhattan to aspiring actress Judy Menken and her boogie-woogie piano-playing dentist husband Norman, the aspiring maestro grew up watching Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals like "Oklahoma" and "Carousel".

After graduating from NYU in musicology, he formed a writing partnership with Howard Ashman on "Little Shop of Horrors" (1982), which went on to become the highest grossing Off-Broadway show ever.

The pair were hired by Disney to write "The Little Mermaid" in 1989 and Menken has since scored many of the studio's biggest hits, including "Beauty and the Beast", "Aladdin" and "Pocahontas".

Two years ago, he was approached by the team behind "Sausage Party", the first R-rated computer-animated feature in history, to lend his songwriting chops to a project that would be Disney for adults.

The movie has been a huge critical and commercial hit, but is something of a departure for Menken, who was not used to penning lyrics liberally sprinkled with four-letter words.

"Sausage Party" may look like children's fare, but no Pixar movie ever sent up the world's major religions or featured a drawn-out orgy scene involving animated groceries.

"The music is the straight man in this," Menken said. "Even before I was involved, the directors were attempting a score with very epic, traditional Hollywood music."

The composer believes writing-producing team Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen, who also stars, imagined it would be "a hoot" to have a Disney grandee providing the music for a parody of the studio's output.

- 'Politics is hideous' -

"They didn't have a lot of experience with working the way I work on songs, and I think for them it was more a matter of 'we'll know what we like when we hear it.'"

The raucous comedy deals intelligently with adult preoccupations such as religion, sex and death, telling the story of a frankfurter leading a group of groceries on a quest to discover what really happens when they are chosen to leave the supermarket.

Menken claims he was naive about the movie's themes, at least until his two grown-up daughters explained that the title may be a euphemism for group sex.

"I didn't have a clue, I said 'What are you talking about?'" he remembers.

Next up in December is a Broadway adaption of Chazz Palminteri's autobiographical play "A Bronx Tale", co-directed by Robert De Niro, who made and starred in the 1993 film version.

After that, Menken is signed up to work with musical theater's man-of-the-hour Lin Manuel Miranda on a live-action version of "The Little Mermaid".

With a movie under his belt that tackles religion, Menken is adamant that he has no intention of extending his scope to include political musicals, however.

"Right now, politics is about as distasteful to me as you could possibly imagine and I think most people feel the same," he says.

"It's hideous the tone of this campaign in America... I'm not saying that the world hasn't always been an ugly, chaotic place but no -- I think I'll stick to songwriting."

Directors Conrad Vernon (L) and Greg Tiernan at the world premiere of "Sausage Party" Valerie Macon (AFP/File)

Seth Rogen, who co-wrote, co-produced and starred in "Sausage Party", arrives for the movie's world premiere Valerie Macon (AFP/File)
Philippines, Communists sign indefinite ceasefire

The Philippine government and Communist guerrillas on Friday signed an indefinite ceasefire deal to facilitate peace talks aimed at ending one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

"This is a historic and unprecedented event ... (but) there is still a lot of work to be done ahead," President Rodrigo Duterte's peace adviser Jesus Dureza said at a signing ceremony in Norway, which is mediating the talks.

Both sides agreed to implement unilateral, indefinite ceasefires -- something that has never been achieved before in the peace process.

The Communist Party of the Philippines launched a rebellion in 1968 that has so far claimed the lives of 30,000 people, according to official estimates STR (AFP/File)

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende described the agreement as a "major breakthrough".

"We are on the highway to peace and we are talking of a timeline of maximum 12 months," Silvestre Bello, the Philippine government delegation's head of negotiations, told AFP.

The two parties have been meeting in Oslo since Monday, wrapping up their talks with the signing ceremony on Friday.

As a prelude to the negotiations, both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, but the truce commitment by the Communist side was due to end on Saturday.

The two parties also agreed to "speed up the peace process, and aim to reach the first substantial agreement on economic and social reforms within six months," a statement from the Norwegian foreign ministry said.

"They plan to follow this up with an agreement on political and constitutional reforms, before a final agreement on ending the armed conflict can be signed."

The two delegations agreed to meet again in Oslo on October 8-12.

Philippine President Duterte himself hailed the progress made in Norway.

"We are in a better position (to talk peace) now. There is a window," he said, adding: "We are not fighting the Communists. They have declared a truce. In return, I also ordered a ceasefire."

- 'Good atmosphere' -

The head of the rebel delegation, Luis Jalandoni, was optimistic about the potential for achieving a lasting peace deal.

"We think that the peace talks now can move forward with a good atmosphere and try to move on with the (negotiations on) social and economic reforms, which are vital for addressing the roots of the armed conflict," he told AFP.

The government and the rebels also renewed an agreement that ensures immunity and security for key representatives of the rebels' political wing, the National Democratic Front, so that they can take part in the negotiations.

The Communist Party of the Philippines launched a rebellion in 1968 that has so far claimed the lives of 30,000 people, according to official estimates.

Its armed faction, the New People's Army (NPA), is now believed to have fewer than 4,000 gunmen, down from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s, when a bloodless revolt ended the 20-year dictatorship of late president Ferdinand Marcos.

They remain particularly active in rural areas, where they are notorious for extorting money from local businesses. They also regularly attack police and military forces, sometimes targeting them in urban areas.

In 2002, the US State Department designated the Communist Party and the NPA as terrorist organisations.

Forging peace with the rebels has been the elusive goal of Philippine presidents since a 1986 revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The force behind the current talks is President Duterte, who took office on June 30 after a landslide election victory.

- Hopes for peace deal -

On Monday, his government said it hoped to reach a peace accord within a year.

Duterte, who calls himself a Socialist, hails from Mindanao, the impoverished southern third of the Philippines where two rebellions -- Communist and Muslim -- have been most active.

He says ending both insurgencies is vital to his plan to curb poverty. He has even sketched the possibility of forming a coalition government with the rebels.

Duterte reputedly has close links to the Communists and is a former university student of Jose Maria Sison, now aged 77, who established the party.

The two sides hope to breathe new life into the process by discussing the outstanding issues of social and economic reforms, political and constitutional changes, and an end to hostilities.

Previous peace talks have addressed one issue at a time.
Women, children 'tainted' by Boko Haram become Nigeria outcasts

Starving and alone, five-year-old Umar was left for dead in a camp for internally displaced people in northeast Nigeria.

The reason? He is the son of a Boko Haram fighter.

It took a Boko Haram widow to rescue Umar. Fatima Salisu had been held captive by the insurgents for 16 months and was forced to marry an Islamist fighter before she escaped to the camp outside the northeastern city of Maiduguri.

Councillors speak to Hafsat Ibrahim (L) and Fatima Salisu (2-R), who were held captive for over 12 months and forcibly married to Boko Haram Islamists Aminu Abubakar (AFP)

Like Umar, the 25-year-old native of Cameroon is an outcast. Salisu says the other women never share food or board with her and they refuse to call her anything but a "Boko Haram wife".

"They don't allow us to come near them. Everyone treats us with contempt," Salisu told AFP, speaking outside the camp to avoid attracting attention. "We are not wanted."

She can tolerate the jeers, but she worries about Umar and other children who are bullied.

Salisu said one Nigerian soldier had told her to "let him die. He is a Boko Haram child and we will throw him into the garbage."

She said she fears the ill treatment could turn the children against society.

- New underclass -

Umar is not alone. Experts warn of a growing divide between women who were captured and children born to Boko Haram militants and the rest of the population.

This new Boko Haram underclass is struggling to reintegrate into a society reeling after years of devastating attacks by the insurgents in their bloody pursuit of an independent Islamic state.

"Ostracising the children of insurgents will impede the process of community reconciliation and rehabilitation  and that, distinct from any potentially radicalising effects  makes it a troubling development," Hilary Matfess, a Washington-based analyst, told AFP.

The United Nations estimates that this year seven million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in northeast Nigeria.

At risk are 1.4 million children who have been displaced by the conflict and 20,000 children in the northeast who have been separated from their families, according to an August UNICEF report.

Among the most pressing needs is the reintegration of women and children who are returning to their communities after being held captive by Boko Haram.

But the conflict has made people in the northeast wary. "There has been a serious breakdown of trust in communities across the north," Matfess said.

"A number of women, most famously the Chibok girls, were abducted into the insurgency, but a significant number of women joined the insurgency of their own accord," said Matfess.

"Telling the difference once women return to their communities -- whether through escape or liberation by the security forces -- is next to impossible."

- 'We were forced' -

Even family members don't sympathise with relatives "tainted" by Boko Haram.

"Our blood relations stigmatise us," said Hafsa Ibrahim, a 27-year-old who was kidnapped from the town of Bama and forcibly married to a Boko Haram fighter.

"They think it was with our consent that we got married to Boko Haram," Ibrahim said, choking back tears. "We were forced."

Some local politicians have acknowledged the problem.

"We must show love to these innocent children as much as we should support the innocent mothers," Borno State Governor Kashim Shettima has said, warning that otherwise the Boko Haram children will "inherit" the fervour of their fathers.

Entrenched "deterministic views" in northeast Nigeria hold that biological fathers transmit "bad blood" to the children -- "a child of a snake is a snake" is one saying encapsulating this idea, according to global organization International Alert in a 2016 report on the topic.

With the Nigerian army claiming a series of successful attacks on Boko Haram, winning back territory and freeing thousands of people, the need to reintegrate captives has never been greater.

But if life in the camp is any indication, much work still needs to be done.

"Whenever the child cries they tease him, and tell him to go meet his Boko Haram father in the bush," Salisu said about her adopted boy. "They show no love."

Twenty-seven year old Hafsat Ibrahim was held for 12 months by Boko Haram Islamists and says that now "blood relations stigmatise us" Aminu Abubakar (AFP)
Iran wants 'pre-sanctions oil market share'

Iran wants its pre-sanctions share of the crude market, Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh said on Friday, dampening the prospects of agreement on an output freeze at an OPEC meeting next month.

"Iran had no role in disrupting the stability of the oil market and after the (lifting of) sanctions we seek to revive our share in the global crude market," he said, quoted by the ministry's SHANA news service.

Zanganeh had given a brief boost to world prices on Thursday after announcing he would attend the informal OPEC meeting in Algiers on a possible output freeze with non-cartel producer Russia in late September.

Tehran says it has doubled its exports of oil and gas to 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) since signing a nuclear agreement with world powers in July last year

But on Friday he insisted there could be no talk of Iran abandoning its ambitions to restore its market share after last year's nuclear agreement with world powers led to the lifting of sanctions on its oil exports.

"Iran will cooperate with OPEC on improving prices and the state of the crude market, but we expect our right to restore our lost market share in the market to be considered," Zanganeh said.

"Iran has made its sacrifices for the market and it's no longer the time for Iran," another Iranian website, Mizan Online, quoted him as saying.

Tehran says it has doubled its exports of oil and gas to 2.7 million barrels per day (bpd) since signing the nuclear deal in July last year.

Its total output has risen from 2.7 million bpd to 3.85 million bpd, close to the level before international sanctions were imposed in 2012.

"When the instability occurred in the market, ... Iran's oil exports were less than one million bpd," Zanganeh said.

"We expect those who disrupted the market's stability to take the highest responsibility in restoring stability."

Prices had already dipped in Asian trade earlier on Friday after Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih played down the prospects of any major move on output.

"I don't believe that an intervention of significance is required. I certainly dont advocate a cut," he told Bloomberg News.

A previous OPEC attempt to freeze output collapsed in April largely because of Iran's refusal to join talks.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 20, ARMENPRESS. Defense Minister of Iran Hossein Dehghan said Irans decision to allow the Russian Air Space Force to use the airdrome of the Shahid Nojeh air base in Hamedan is a part of cooperation in fighting the Islamic State terrorist group at request from the Syrian government, TASS reported.

"It is a military decision made in the framework of cooperation in fighting IS and other terrorist, which is organized at request from the Syrian government," he said.

The Minister said Iran currently has no plan to supply more air base to Russia, but if necessary, the issue will be discussed.

A Tupolev Tu-22M3 long-range bomber carries out air strikes against ISIS and Al-Nusra Front targets in the Aleppo, Dayr al-Zawr and Idlib Governorates. This is the first time Russia's Aerospace Forces carry out air strikes against terrorist targets in Syria operating from Iran's Hamedan Air Base.




Evacuation begins from Daraya, symbol of Syria revolt

Rebels and civilians, many in tears, began evacuating the Syrian town of Daraya on Friday after a four-year army siege, in a blow for the beleaguered opposition.

The evacuation came after a deal struck by President Bashar al-Assad's government and opposition forces in the town, which is near Damascus and was one of the first to rise up against the regime.

The fighters and their families left the devastated town aboard buses escorted by ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles, an AFP reporter said.

Syrian government troops stand guard as a bus carrying people drives by, as part of an evacuation from the town of Daraya outside the capital Damascus on August 26, 2016 Youssef Karwashan (AFP)

The first bus to emerge from Daraya carried mostly children, elderly people and women.

Government troops waved their weapons in celebration when buses carrying rebels left the town, and taunted the fighters by chanting pro-regime slogans.

Inside Daraya, which has been surrounded by loyalist forces since 2012 and suffered constant bombardment, tearful residents said final goodbyes, a local rebel told AFP.

"This is the hardest moment, everyone is crying, young and old," he said on condition of anonymity.

State news agency SANA, which announced the deal on Thursday, said 700 rebels and their families would go to rebel-controlled Idlib and thousands of civilians would be taken to government reception centres.

The evacuation is expected to last until Sunday, and a military source said the army would then enter Daraya.

A rebel official told AFP the civilians would go to regions under regime control around the capital and rebels will go to Idlib "or sort out their situation with the regime".

A military source said 300 rebels and their families would be evacuated during Friday.

- 'Weeping residents' -

Daraya council said on Facebook that civilians would be taken to the government-held town of Hrajela in Western Ghouta, outside Damascus.

"From there they will continue to the areas they wish to go to," it said.

The council said fighters and their families would be taken to northern Syria, escorted by the Red Crescent.

The United Nations said it was not involved in negotiating the deal, although a UN team would enter Daraya to identify civilian needs.

UN envoy Staffan de Mistura said it was "tragic that repeated appeals to lift the siege of Daraya... and cease the fighting, have never been heeded".

It was "imperative" that its residents be protected and evacuated only voluntarily, he said.

"The world is watching."

Daraya is just 15 minutes drive from Damascus and even closer to the government's key Mazzeh air base.

Daraya was seen as a symbolic bastion of the March 2011 uprising that began with peaceful protests against Assad's government, before degenerating into a war that has killed more than 290,000 people.

Rebels accused the government of killing some 500 people in a military operation in Daraya in August 2012.

Friday's evacuation provoked anger and bitterness among opposition supporters, and the rebel said residents wept as they prepared to leave.

"People are saying goodbye to one another, children are bidding their schools farewell, mothers are saying goodbye to the martyrs in the graves," he said.

"People are gathering their memories and the few possessions they have left to preserve the memory of the four years of siege, hunger and shelling."

- Daraya 'destroyed' -

The rebel said the decision to evacuate had been taken because of deteriorating humanitarian conditions.

"The town is no longer inhabitable, it has been completely destroyed," he said.

In four years, just one food aid convoy entered Daraya, in June, shortly after a convoy carrying medicine.

The arrival of the food was followed by heavy regime bombardment that residents said stalled distribution.

According to the UN, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, most surrounded by government forces, although rebels and jihadists also use the tactic.

Long sieges have prompted rebels in several locations to agree evacuation deals with the regime, prompting activists to accuse Damascus of using "starve or surrender" tactics.

On Friday, the UN said only a single full aid convoy had reached besieged areas of Syria in August, denouncing the "wholly unacceptable" level of access.

In Geneva, US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov discussed efforts to resume Syrian peace talks, with De Mistura briefly joining them.

As the meeting got under way, Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed to step up efforts to ensure humanitarian aid reaches civilians in the battlefront northern city of Aleppo.

Moscow and Washington back opposing sides in the Syria war which has become a complex conflict involving several regional powers as well as jihadists.

Daraya is located just 15 minutes drive from Damascus and is even closer to the government's Mazzeh air base

Daraya was seen as a symbolic bastion of the March 2011 uprising that began with peaceful protests against Assad's government Youssef Karwashan (AFP)
Iran denies US accusation of arming Yemen rebels

Iran on Friday denied US accusations it has delivered missiles to Yemeni rebels, retorting it was US support for a Saudi-led coalition backing the government that had prolonged the conflict.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said the comments by Secretary of State John Kerry on a visit to Saudi Arabia on Thursday were "completely baseless".

"Iran has repeatedly said that Iranian military power will never be a threat to any country and is merely for defence purposes," Zarif said in a statement on the ministry's website.

Iran's foreign minister said John Kerry's comments on a visit to Saudi Arabia were "completely baseless" Claudio Reyes (AFP)

"The US administration with such remarks is itself becoming a partner in the child killings and war crimes committed by the Saudi regime against the innocent people of Yemen.

"Undoubtedly, Mr Kerry knows better than others that the Saudi government in the past year and half has consistently and seriously blocked all efforts made to establish a ceasefire in Yemen."

The Saudi-led coalition intervened in Yemen in March last year after the rebels and their allies overran most of the country, prompting President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi to flee into exile.

The UN brokered three months of peace talks in Kuwait but they were suspended earlier this month when the government reacted angrily to the rebels' appointment of a new ruling council in Sanaa.

Kerry announced a fresh peace initiative on Thursday aimed at forming a unity government but hit out at Iran for what he said was its support for the Shiite rebels.

"The threat potentially posed by the shipment of missiles and other sophisticated weapons into Yemen from Iran extends well beyond Yemen and is not a threat just to Saudi Arabia and... the region," he told reporters.

Civilian victims in the Yemen conflict
Kerry, Lavrov hold marathon Syria talks

US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov held marathon talks in Geneva on Friday for an expected push towards resuming peace talks for war-ravaged Syria.

The two diplomats met on and off for nearly 12 hours at a luxury hotel on the shores of Lake Geneva, taking sporadic breaks to consult with their teams before resuming the meet.

They were briefly joined by the UN envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, who had said Thursday the talks would be "important", and could help his drive to revive the stalled negotiations.

US Secretary of State John Kerry arrives at the Hotel President Wilson in Geneva on August 26, 2016 prior to a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei lavrov Alain Grosclaude (AFP)

Asked during a break how the meeting was proceeding, Lavrov responded: "Excellent".

After a long day spent mostly behind closed doors, it was unclear whether anything had been agreed or if the two powers were readying to make an announcement about a possible path forward to ease the devastating crisis in Syria.

De Mistura had voiced hope of bringing the warring parties back to the negotiating table by the end of August, but that deadline looks sure to slip in the face of intense fighting on the ground.

Successive rounds of international negotiations have failed to end a conflict that has killed more than 290,000 people and forced millions from their homes in more than five years.

Moscow and Washington support opposite sides in the war, which erupted in March 2011 after President Bashar al-Assad unleashed a brutal crackdown against a pro-democracy revolt.

Russia is one of Assad's most important international backers while the US supports Syria's main opposition alliance and some rebels.

- Aid to Aleppo -

Friday's meeting came as the conflict became further complicated by Ankara's decision this week to send tanks into Syria to back rebel fighters.

The Turkish-backed fighters have seized the Syrian border town of Jarabulus from the Islamic State (IS) group, while Turkish forces have also shelled a Syrian Kurdish militia that it considers to be a terror group.

Ankara's hostility to the YPG however also puts it at loggerheads with its NATO ally the United States, which works with the group on the ground in the fight against IS.

The Russian air force has meanwhile been carrying out air strikes in Syria since September last year, claiming it only targets extremists.

The West and the Syrian opposition have accused it of hitting civilian targets in rebel-held areas -- claims that Moscow denies.

But the US and Russia have a common foe in IS, and they have been in contact on efforts to establish military cooperation against the jihadists.

The two countries co-chair a UN-backed humanitarian taskforce for Syria, which has been struggling to ensure access for desperately-needed aid across the country.

The UN on Friday described the lack of humanitarian access to Syria's besieged areas as "wholly unacceptable", saying just one aid convoy had completed deliveries this month.

According to the United Nations, nearly 600,000 live under siege across Syria, most surrounded by government forces, although rebels and Islamists also use the tactic.

Syria's battered second city Aleppo, which is divided between government and opposition control but surrounded by loyalist forces, has emerged as a top concern.

Russia last week gave its blessing to a long-demanded 48-hour pause in fighting in the northern city to allow in aid, but de Mistura on Thursday accused other unspecified parties of still dragging their feet.

There was hope that Friday's talks between Kerry and Lavrov might help boost those efforts.

Meanwhile, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin agreed that they would together push for aid to reach Aleppo.

In telephone talks "the two leaders... agreed to accelerate efforts to ensure help reaches people in Aleppo," the state-run Anadolu news agency said, adding that Erdogan briefed Putin on the current Turkish operation inside Syria.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (R) and US Secretary of State John Kerry (L) have launched talks in Geneva expected to centre heavily on Syria's devastating war Natalia Kolesnikova (AFP/File)

Main players in the Syria conflict Alain BOMMENEL, Jean Michel CORNU (AFP)
Kuwait arrests govt staffer promoting IS online

Kuwaiti police have arrested a government employee accused of spreading the Islamic State jihadist group's ideology online, the interior ministry said.

Othman Zain Nayef, a 26-year-old Kuwaiti national, had "used his office and computer to spread the extremist ideology of the so-called Daesh terrorist organisation", it said in a statement late Thursday, using an Arabic acronym for IS.

The ministry, quoted by state news agency KUNA, said he had allegedly confessed to being a member of the group's "electronic army" and to having hacked official websites "in friendly and sister states".

An image taken from a propaganda video released on March 17, 2014 by the Islamic State group's al-Furqan Media allegedly shows fighters raising their weapons as they stand on a vehicle mounted with the trademark jihadists flag

Kuwaiti authorities announced last month having dismantled three IS cells plotting attacks, including a suicide bombing against a Shiite mosque and hitting an interior ministry target.
US fears over IS group's SE Asia expansion

Islamic State jihadists are eyeing expansion into Southeast Asia by joining forces with local extremists, a senior US counter-terrorism official warned Friday.

IS has a history of partnering with militant groups around the world, including in Egypt, Libya and Nigeria, and wants to broaden its reach in the region, according to Justin Siberell, acting coordinator for counter-terrorism at the US State Department.

"My understanding is that they have looked at existing groups across the region," Siberell said in a conference call from Washington with Asia-based journalists.

Indonesian police on August 5 arrested six suspected militants over a plot to launch a rocket attack on a Singapore waterfront district Romy (AFP/File)

"There have been people that have pledged affiliation and allegiance to IS at the group level. We're certainly concerned about that, we're concerned about the rise of new IS affiliates and we're working with governments to do what they can to prevent that."

Siberell also noted that militants from Southeast Asia fighting with IS in Iraq and Syria have been deployed in a unit called the Katibah Nusantara, and could pose a threat when they eventually return to their home countries.

"We're certainly concerned about IS' ability to expand or to establish branches," he said.

There have been only relatively minor attacks and plots blamed on IS affiliates in the region, but analysts fear the group could become more effective.

Indonesian police earlier this month arrested six suspected militants over a plot to launch a rocket attack on an up-market Singapore waterfront district from the nearby Indonesian island of Batam.

The suspects' alleged leader, Gigih Rahmat Dewa, is accused of planning the attack with Bahrun Naim, a leading Indonesian militant who is believed to be fighting with IS in Syria.

In January IS-linked militants launched a deadly gun and bomb attack in Jakarta which left four attackers and four civilians dead.

Singapore on August 19 announced it had detained two men under its tough internal security law after discovering they intended to travel to Syria to fight for IS.
Philippine troops 'kill six Abu Sayyaf militants'

Philippine security officials killed six members of militant group Abu Sayyaf on Friday including one involved in the kidnapping of two Canadians who were beheaded in the troubled south, the military said.

A military spokesman said soldiers clashed with 100 members of notorious kidnap-for-ransom gang Abu Sayyaf as troops carried out President Rodrigo Duterte's orders to "destroy" the militants.

In April and June, the group beheaded two Canadian tourists after ransom demands were not met. They were among four people kidnapped from the southern resort island of Samal last September.

In April and June, the Abu Sayyaf Islamic militant group beheaded two Canadian tourists in the Philippines after ransom demands were not met Therence Koh (AFP/File)

"We were able to recover (the six militants') bodies. One of them is a sub-group leader of the Abu Sayyaf who was involved in the Samal kidnapping," regional military spokesman Major Filemon Tan told AFP.

Tan said 17 soldiers were wounded in the encounter as the military aims to track hostages including a Norwegian who was kidnapped with the Canadians along with a Filipina who was released in June.

The Abu Sayyaf is still holding a Dutch birdwatcher abducted in 2012 and Indonesian sailors kidnapped from the high seas in recent months, said Tan.

Duterte, who took office on June 30, initially pleaded for peace with the Abu Sayyaf but has since hardened his stance after the group continued kidnapping and beheading hostages.

The military said Wednesday the Abu Sayyaf beheaded a 19-year-old Filipino captive after a ransom demand was not met. Police recovered his head in Sulu.

Responding to the incident, Duterte vowed on Thursday to annihilate the group.

"My order to the police and to the armed forces: seek them out in their lairs and destroy them."

Similar demands from previous Philippine leaders went unfulfilled.

The Abu Sayyaf is a loose network of a few hundred Islamic militants formed in the 1990s with seed money from Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda network and has earned millions of dollars from kidnappings-for-ransom.

Its leaders have pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group but analysts say they are mainly focused on lucrative kidnappings.
Turkey PM denies Syria operation singling out Kurds

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yidirim on Friday denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that Ankara's military operation in Syria was singling out Kurdish people rather than jihadists.

"They either know nothing about the world, or else their job is to report a bare-faced lie," Yildirim snarled when asked to comment on claims the operation was not targeting Islamic State (IS) jihadists but Kurds.

He had been asked to respond to an article in German weekly Der Spiegel -- which frequently riles the Turkish authorities -- with the headline "Turkey's Syria operation -- IS is the pretext, the Kurds the target".

Turkish Army tanks drive to the Syrian Turkish border town of Jarabulus on August 25, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP)

Yildirim said: "Our soldiers' mission is to ensure our border security and the life and property of our citizens. The news apart from that is just a lie."

"You tell lies that Turkey is weak in the fight against ISIS (IS) but when we save innocent lives from ISIS you go and write this," he fumed.

Ankara has said it will act in the operation against the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia who it accuses of seeking to carve out an autonomous region in northern Syria.

Turkey regards the organisations as terror groups who represent neither the Kurdish nor the Syrian people. The YPG are allies of the United States in the fight against IS but Ankara argues this is a dangerous error.
Poverty, hardship emboldens protesting Zimbabweans

A failing economy and deepening poverty have spawned a wave of sporadic anti-government protests in Zimbabwe, the likes of which have not been seen in years.

Street vendors, bus drivers, grandmothers, university graduates and even civil servants have joined protests that have become an almost daily occurrence in recent weeks.

The protests rocking the southern African country since June indicate that Zimbabweans are no longer afraid of the repressive government of President Robert Mugabe and are refusing to be silenced.

A man runs past Zimbabwean police car allegedly set ablaze by supporters of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai faction (MDC-T) during a march against police brutality in Harare on August 24, 2016 Wilfred Kajese (AFP/File)

The "outburst of public anger" has come about as a response to various factors including economic hardships that have condemned millions to poverty, bad governance, and infighting within the ruling ZANU-PF party over Mugabe's succession, according to political scientist Eldred Masunungure.

"The state of the economy and big levels of abject poverty are forcing people to go on to the streets," said independent analyst Dumisani Nkomo.

"People don't have (an) option, they have nothing to lose because they know if they don't protest they will die, with their children, of hunger," said Nkomo.

The state has reacted violently to the protests, unleashing police to brutally quell demonstrations with tear gas, water cannon and by physical assaults.

But the police violence has only hardened the protesters' resolve.

- 'Makes me stronger' -

"Each time they torture me, punish me and do all sorts of bad things, I get stronger and more inspired," said veteran protester and outspoken Mugabe critic Stendrick Zvorwadza.

Zvorwadza, who bears the scars of a recent beating when he tried to hand police flowers as a gesture of peace, warned that the current protests were only a warm-up ahead of "bigger demonstrations that will see this government running away or coming to the table to say they are ready to listen".

Zvorwadza heads the National Vendors Union, an association which groups tens of thousands of Zimbabweans who have been forced to become street hawkers to eke out a living.

Rallying under various banners, Zimbabweans are demonstrating against the state's failure to halt the worsening economic troubles which have seen banks running short of cash and the government failing to pay civil workers.

- 'Push Mugabe out' -

Analysts and activists have warned of a total breakdown within society unless Mugabe heeds demands for key political and economic reforms, or steps down.

On Friday, the main opposition parties will stage a march to push for electoral reforms ahead of the 2018 vote in which the 92-year-old leader will seek re-election.

Another activist, Promise Mkwananzi, said nothing short of Mugabe's resignation will end the protests.

"We aim for the exit of Mugabe from the political scene," said Mkwananzi who leads the #Tajamuka (We are Agitated) protest movement which has called for a nationwide strike on August 31.

"The precursor for resolving the problems in this country is the exit of Mugabe from power," said Mkwananzi.

"The time is now for political parties and citizens to come together to push Mugabe out."

- Citizen activism re-emerges -

Mugabe has been in power since independence from British colonial rule in 1980. He has avoided naming a successor despite his advanced age and concerns over his fitness to rule.

Despite putting a brave face and deploying heavy-handed approach to the protests, "panic is everywhere" in the administration, said Masunungure.

The last time Zimbabwe saw a wave of similar protests was in the late 1990s.

Led by civil society groups and trade unions, those demonstrations spawned the emergence of the Movement for Democratic Change -- the only party that has posed a serious challenge to Mugabe's iron grip on the country.

"It is a repeat of what happened before. What is distinctly different is the medium of communication and mobilisation where social media is the new development," said Masunungure a political scientist at the University of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabweans have taken to Facebook, Twitter and WhatsApp using the hashtag "ThisFlag" to share the hardships of living under Mugabe's rule and to organise protests.

"There is... a re-emergence of an active citizenry where Zimbabweans are refusing to turn the other cheek, saying 'I need to express my views to the government'," he said.

Demonstrators hold crosses and banners during a protest against the introduction of new bond notes and youth unemployement in Harare, Zimbabwe on August, 3, 2016 Wildref Kajese (AFP/File)

Zimbabwean anti-riot police chase supporters of the opposition party Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai faction on August 24, 2016 Wilfred Kajese (AFP/File)

Firefighters try to estinguish a burning vehicle after opposition party Movement for Democratic Change Tsvangirai faction (MDC-T) supporters clashed with police during a march against police brutality in Harare on August 24, 2016 Wilfred Kajese (AFP/File)

Zimbabwe opposition party supporters shout anti-government slogans during a demonstration in the central city of Gweru, on August 13, 2016 Zinyange Auntony (AFP/File)
Who is fighting who in Syria?

Syria's conflict broke out in March 2011 with peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad's government but has evolved into a complex war involving jihadist groups and regional and international powers.

Over 290,000 people have been killed and more than half of Syria's population has been displaced in the conflict, which Turkey entered this week, dispatching troops to battle the Islamic State (IS) jihadist group and halt the advance of Kurdish forces.

WHO IS FIGHTING WHO?

Over 290,000 people have been killed and more than half of Syria's population has been displaced in the conflict Youssef Karwashan (AFP)

- Regime against rebels -

The main battleline pits the approximately 300,000 soldiers of the Syrian army, and allied forces, against myriad rebel groups and Syrian and foreign jihadists.

The largest anti-regime rebel alliance is the Army of Conquest, grouping Islamist factions like Ahrar al-Sham and Faylaq al-Sham with jihadists such as Fateh al-Sham Front, previously Al-Qaeda affiliate Al-Nusra Front.

The biggest battlefront at present is Aleppo city, divided between government and opposition control but surrounded by loyalist forces.

The government is also fighting to retake control of Eastern Ghouta, next to Damascus, which is largely controlled by the Jaish al-Islam rebel group.

- Regime against IS -

Syria's army has fought IS in several parts of the country, expelling the jihadists from the ancient city of Palmyra in March.

- Regime against Kurds -

Syria's Kurds have largely stayed out of the conflict between the government and armed opposition, but in August regime aircraft bombed Kurdish forces for the first time in Hasakeh, a city jointly controlled by the regime and Kurds.

Kurdish forces now hold 90 percent of Hasakeh.

- Kurds against IS -

Syria's Kurds have carved out a semi-autonomous region in north and northeastern Syria, with their People's Protection Units (YPG) becoming a key partner of the US-led coalition fighting IS.

Since January 2015, the YPG has ousted IS from the key towns of Kobane and Manbij in Aleppo province, Tal Abyad in Raqa province, and large parts of Hasakeh province.

The YPG is also the key component of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), which groups diverse factions battling IS.

- IS against rebels -

IS considers all those who fail to pledge allegiance to its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi its foes and has battled rebel groups and even rival jihadists.

Rebels backed by Turkey participated in this week's capture of the border town of Jarabulus from IS.

- WHO SUPPORTS WHOM? -

- Regime -

The army is bolstered by 200,000 irregular forces, notably from the National Defence Forces. It also fights alongside between 5,000-8,000 forces from Lebanon's powerful Shiite militia Hezbollah, as well as Iranian, Iraqi and Afghan fighters.

Russia, a key regime backer, began an aerial campaign in support of Assad's government last September and has helped Damascus recapture areas in several provinces.

Iran is another key ally, providing financial and military support.

- Rebels -

Opposition factions deemed "moderate" are backed by the West, particularly the United States, France and the UK, though the forces have accused their supporters of providing insufficient support.

Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar also back the opposition, and they have also lent support to Islamist factions.

- Kurds -

Syria's Kurds are key partners of the anti-IS coalition headed by Washington, but Turkey considers the YPG to be a branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which Ankara brands a "terror" group.

- Jihadists -

No country openly backs the jihadists of Fateh al-Sham and IS, although the latter has been able to rely on funds from taxation and resources in the territory it holds in Syria and Iraq.

- WHO CONTROLS WHAT? -

- Regime -

Syria's government holds around 35 percent of the country, including strategic areas such as the capital Damascus, central Homs and Hama, the coast, and large parts of Aleppo. Sixty percent of the population lives under its rule.

- IS -

Despite setbacks since 2015, IS controls around 35 percent of Syria, much of it uninhabited. It dominates Deir Ezzor province on the Iraqi border and Raqa province. It is also present in a number of other regions.

- Kurds -

Kurdish forces hold around 18 percent of the country, including three-quarters of the Syrian-Turkish border. They have declared a federal region in areas under their control.

- Fateh al-Sham, other rebels -

Fateh al-Sham and other rebel forces hold some 12 percent of the country. The largest expanse is in Idlib province and controlled by the Army of Conquest alliance.

- WHAT ARE GOALS OF EACH PARTY? -

- Regime -

President Assad has said he wants to retake the whole country and will not stand down.

- Rebels -

Rebel forces seek to oust Assad, though factions differ on their vision for the country, with Fateh al-Sham aspiring to an Islamic emirate.

- Kurds -

The Kurds seek an autonomous region in areas where they form a majority.

- IS -

IS seeks to expand its self-proclaimed "caliphate" in territory under its control in Syria and Iraq.

- United States -

Washington has called on Assad to step down, but its efforts are now focused on combatting IS.

- Russia -

Moscow insists Assad will not be ousted, and seeks a diplomatic victory by competing with Washington to shape negotiations between the regime and rebels.

- Iran -

Tehran seeks to protect key ally Assad, and assert its role in the Arab world.

- Turkey -

Ankara backs the opposition, but is currently focused on preventing the Kurds from creating a contiguous autonomous region.
Tata Motors profits fall on weak Jaguar Land Rover sales

India's largest carmaker Tata Motors reported a 57 percent fall in quarterly profits Friday, slowed by weak sales of its luxury British unit Jaguar Land Rover and foreign exchange losses.

Consolidated net profit for the three months to the end of August 2016 fell to 22.36 billion rupees ($337.11 million) compared with 52.31 billion rupees a year ago, the Mumbai-based company said in a report.

A Bloomberg poll of 23 analysts had predicted that the manufacturer would report net profits of 25.33 billion rupees for the first quarter ended August.

India's largest carmaker Tata Motors' consolidated net profit for the three months to the end of August 2016 fell to 22.36 billion rupees ($337.11 million) compared with 52.31 billion rupees a year ago Miguel Medina (AFP/File)

Tata said in a statement that its profits had fallen due to foreign exchange impact after the Brexit vote.

"The operating performance in the quarter reflects the overall higher wholesales, offset by adverse foreign exchange impact of 207 million pounds including revaluation of 84 million pounds, mainly euro payables resulting from depreciation in the pound following the Brexit vote," it said.

Tata said in May that a total of 4.78 billion rupees recouped from a massive chemical blast in China's Tianjin last year that killed 161 people had boosted profits for the company.

Investors were upbeat ahead of the earnings announcement with shares of Tata Motors, part of sprawling tea-to-steel conglomerate Tata, rising two percent on the Bombay Stock Exchange on Friday.
Most read of the week
Pistorius: from Olympic glory to jail for murder

A South African judge on Friday rejected an appeal by the state against a six-year jail sentence for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius who murdered his girlfriend in 2013.

Prosecutors had protested against the length of term -- which is less than half the minimum for murder in South Africa -- as "shockingly lenient".

Here is a timeline of events that followed the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

A South African judge on Friday rejected an appeal by the state against a six-year jail sentence for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius Marco Longari (POOL/AFP/File)

- 2013 -

February 14: Police arrest the double-amputee Olympic and Paralympic sprinter for killing Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home.

February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder "in the strongest terms".

February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He fired through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term "premeditated" murder.

February 21: Global sportswear manufacturer Nike suspends its sponsorship contract with the athlete.

February 22: Pistorius is granted bail.

- 2014 -

March 3: The trial opens in Pretoria before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman. Ten days later, Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens.

April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp.

June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness.

September 12: Judge Thokozile Masipa finds Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.

October 21: The judge sentences him to a maximum of five years in jail. He is immediately taken to Pretoria prison.

- 2015 -

October 20: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts him of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful".

December 8: Pistorius is released on bail pending sentencing, and remains under house arrest.

- 2016 -

March 2: Pistorius, now 29, loses his final bid to appeal his murder conviction.

July 6: He is sentenced to six years in jail for murder, but prosecutors later appeal.

August 14: South African media reports say Pistorius is put on 24-hour suicide watch.

August 26: Masipa, the same judge who issued the six-year term, rejects the state appeal for a longer sentence.

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates after winning the final of the men's 200 metre T44 classification event at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games Mark Ralston (AFP/File)
Dissidents 'plotting to topple' Maldives president

The Maldives' dissident former president met opposition groups in neighbouring Sri Lanka on Friday to hatch a plan to topple strongman president Abdulla Yameen, opposition sources told AFP.

Ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, who recently won asylum in Britain after being jailed by Yameen's government, was among several exiled opposition groups meeting in Colombo, two people in Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party said.

"The opposition leaders are meeting in Colombo to work out strategies to legally topple Yameen," one MDP member told AFP.

Former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader who came to power in 2008, was forced to step down in February 2012 following a mutiny by police and the military Ben Stansall (AFP/File)

The MDP is part of a new coalition opposed to Yameen, called the Maldives United Opposition (MUO), formed in London in June where Nasheed sought asylum while on leave from prison for medical treatment.

The Male-based news outlet Maldives Independent said Nasheed and two other seniors of the MUO arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

"The website report is accurate," a person close to the MDP told AFP.

There was no immediate comment from the Maldivian government, but the administration has consistently maintained there is a plot to oust the president.

In June, Yameen's former deputy Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 15 years on a charge of plotting to assassinate the president -- part of a sweeping crackdown on opponents, most of whom are in jail or exile.

The international community has mounted fierce criticism against what they say is Yameen's unlawful jailing of Nasheed and other opponents.

Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader who came to power in 2008, was forced to step down in February 2012 following a mutiny by police and the military.

In March 2015 he was jailed for 13 years on a charge of terrorism for having a judge arrested when he was president three years earlier.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned in May last year that democracy in the Maldives was under threat, saying Nasheed had been "imprisoned without due process".
Iran, South Korea to begin trade in euros

Iran and South Korea are to start trading in euros, legally circumventing US sanctions on dollar transactions with Tehran, a senior official announced Friday.

After months of talks with Washington, at the urging of Iran, Seoul will "with US approval... convert South Korean won to euros without any direct intervention of dollars", Deputy Foreign Minister Hamid Baedinejad said on his Instagram page.

If other countries with "local and limited currencies" also traded in euros, it would "lead to easier commerce between Iranian traders and businesses and those countries", he added.

Trade between Iran and South Korea in euros will begin on August 29, Baedinejad quoted South Korean Finance Minister Yoo Il-Ho as saying Miguel Medina (AFP/File)

A landmark deal between Tehran and world powers, signed in July last year and which came into force in January, saw many international sanctions on Iran lifted in exchange for curbs to its nuclear programme.

But non-nuclear-related sanctions have remained in place, preventing Iranian banks and businesses from carrying out global financial transactions in dollars.

Trade between Iran and South Korea in euros will begin on August 29, Baedinejad quoted South Korean Finance Minister Yoo Il-Ho as saying.

KEB Hana Bank, Shinhan Bank and Woori Bank, which in May became the first South Korean lender to open an office in Iran, will support the transactions, he added.
Turkey and the Syria conflict: key developments

Here are key developments in Turkey's involvement in the Syria conflict, after Ankara launched a major offensive aimed both at jihadists and Syrian Kurdish forces.

- Ankara drops Assad -

In September 2011 Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who had previously described Syrian President Bashar al-Assad as a friend, says: "The Syrian people do not believe Assad, and I do not either."

Turkish Army tanks are driven towards the Syrian-Turkish border town of Jarabulus on August 25, 2016 Bulent Kilic (AFP)

Siding with the West six months after peaceful protests against Assad were brutally put down, Ankara joins mounting diplomatic pressure on its neighbour, before imposing sanctions on Damascus in November 2011.

- Hosts Syrian opposition -

In July 2011 defected Syrian army colonel Riyadh al-Assad sets up a Free Syrian Army operating out of Turkey to fight the Assad regime.

In October, after several meetings on Turkish soil, Syrian opposition leaders meeting in Istanbul announce the creation of a broad-based Syrian National Council.

In November 2012 Turkey recognises the Council as "the legitimate representative of the Syrian people".

- Accused of complacency -

In September 2014 Islamic State jihadists attack the Syrian border town of Kobane, entering the town which becomes the scene of urban guerrilla fighting.

Ankara, accused of letting IS fighters reach Syria via Turkish territory, rebuffs pressure by western allies to intervene militarily and help Kurdish forces against the jihadists.

Turkey has regularly voiced concern over the possibility of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria led by militias it considers close to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK).

In late January, Syrian Kurds backed by international air strikes retake Kobane.

- Joins anti-jihadist coalition -

On July 20, 2015 the Syrian conflict spills into Turkey with an attack blamed on IS fighters in the border town of Suruc that kills 34 people.

Erdogan launches a "war against terrorism" aimed at both the PKK and the IS.

In August, Ankara joins the US-led coalition and tightens airport and border checks. Jihadist cells are dismantled after several attacks blamed on the IS, including one which kills 103 people at Ankara's central railway station in October.

- Makes up with Moscow -

On August 9, 2016 Erdogan meets Russian President Vladimir Putin in St Petersburg to seal a reconciliation with Moscow, which has backed Assad. Ties had deteriorated after a Russian fighter plane was shot down by the Turkish air force the previous November .

Putin is one of the first world leaders to call Erdogan following a failed coup attempt in Turkey on July 15.

On August 19, Turkey's foreign minister visits Iran -- which also backs the Syrian regime -- a week after a visit by his Iranian counterpart to Ankara.

On August 20, Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim says Assad can remain temporarily during a transition period because "he is one of the actors today no matter whether we like it or not".

- Turkish tanks into Syria -

On August 24, Turkish troops launch Operation Euphrates Shield in Syria to drive out the IS, as well as Kurdish militias.

Turkish tanks and opposition fighters drive the IS out of the key Syrian border town of Jarabulus.

The operation comes several days after an attack blamed on the IS which killed 54 civilians at Gaziantep in the south east.

But it is aimed more than anything else, according to experts, at preventing the creation of an autonomous Kurdish region in Syria.

Map showing zones of control in the Syrian conflict, focusing on the Turkish offensive at Jarabulus
Niger Delta Avengers spawn copycats in Nigeria's oil heartland

When the Niger Delta Avengers (NDA) rebel group announced this week it had called a ceasefire and was entering talks with the government, many hoped peace would be restored to the country's oil belt.

If only it were so easy.

The NDA dominate the headlines, but behind the scenes, a groundswell of other groups have been claiming damaging attacks on Nigeria's oil infrastructure and are refusing to come to the negotiating table.

Nigeria's petroleum minister has said that the country's oil output has dropped 23 per cent from last year to 1.5 million barrels per day, according to Bloomberg News Stefan Heunis (AFP/File)

They include the Reformed Egbesu Boys of the Niger Delta, Adaka Boro Avengers, Joint Niger Delta Liberation Force, Niger Delta Revolutionary Crusaders and the Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate.

Nigerian security forces operating in the region say the NDA have been responsible for just over half of the major attacks on oil pipelines and facilities in recent months.

"More than 50 percent of these attacks have been traced to the so-called Niger Delta Avengers, but we have also discovered that other groups have emerged in the last three months and some of these attacks can be traced to these new groups, a military officer based in the oil-hub city of Warri told AFP.

From our records in the last three months, the NDA have claimed responsibility for six attacks, but we have recorded 16 militant-related attacks in Delta and Bayelsa states," said a senior state security officer in Warri.

That is bad news for Nigeria.

The country's petroleum minister has said that the country's oil output has dropped 23 per cent from last year to 1.5 million barrels per day, according to Bloomberg News.

"Our average for the year will obviously be dismal," Emmanuel Kachikwu said earlier this month.

"We have a lot more groups now we need to bring together to have peace."

- Ceasefire 'charade' -

Most of those groups are refusing to negotiate with the Nigerian government.

"The charade called ceasefire is in the bid to collect more money from both the federal government and oil companies to be shared between the founders and the boys of the Avengers," said Greenland Justice Mandate spokesman Aldo Agbalaja on Monday in a statement.

"The Niger Delta Greenland Justice Mandate is still carrying on with this campaign against Nigerias oil and gas interest until the federal government does right by our people."

Each group has a different variation on the Niger Delta Avengers platform varying by ethnicity and region, but all demand greater ownership of oil blocs and a bigger share of crude revenues.

"The issues of resource ownership and management which have been agitating the people over the years have not been addressed," said Eric Omare, spokesman for the Ijaw Youth Council, a community organization in the heart of the oil-rich riverlands.

Until these issues are addressed and the people benefit from the oil revenue, peace would continue to elude the Delta region and no amount of security presence can solve the problem."

- 'Take vengeance' -

An amnesty program introduced by former President Umaru Yar'Adua in 2009 brought peace to the Niger delta after attacks by the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) crippled output.

In return for laying down their arms, militants were handed monthly stipends and given training as divers, welders and farmers.

Yet when President Muhammadu Buhari indicated that he would wind down the costly program in an effort to trim government spending the region erupted again in violence.

"If the government fails to put concrete plans in place for major infrastructural development in the region -- modern hospitals, access roads, schools, market plazas -- the negotiation will likely break down," said Chijioke Nwaozuzu, petroleum economist at the University of Port Harcourt.

"The negotiation could be stalemated. If this is unresolved, it could lead to an escalation of violence," Nwaozuzu said.

The proliferation of groups makes it more difficult to engineer a comprehensive solution.

Securing a deal with the Avengers may even backfire, said Ecobank energy analyst Dolapo Oni.

"What sort of negotiations are we having with the NDA? What exactly are we offering them to ease the tension, are we offering money? Pipeline contracts? Jobs?" Oni said.

"If the Nigerian government offers the Niger Delta Avengers money, similar to what happened years ago with MEND, that could result in further instability," Oni said, speaking from Lagos.

"What we could see is infighting between the militant groups, which will still result in sabotage, as that's how they will take vengeance."

Workers protest demanding that the Nigerian government reinstate prices of fuel at 86.50 naira ($0.43, 0.38 euros) per litre in May 2016 Pius Utomi Ekpei (AFP/File)
S. Sudan ex-VP Machar discharged from Khartoum hospital: aides

South Sudan's former rebel leader Riek Machar has been discharged from hospital in Khartoum after being treated for a swollen leg, his aides told AFP on Friday.

Machar was replaced by Taban Deng Gai as South Sudan's first vice president after hundreds of people died in Juba last month in clashes between Machar's forces and government troops.

On Tuesday, the Sudanese government announced that Machar had arrived in Khartoum for "medical treatment", but did not elaborate.

South Sudanese leader Riek Machar was replaced by Taban Deng Gai as first vice president Zacharias Abubeker (AFP/File)

"He has been discharged," Manasseh Zindo, a senior aide from Machar's party SPLM/A (IO), told AFP.

Another party aide, Sabiet Majok, said Machar had been discharged on Friday morning.

"His condition has improved. His leg has improved. Basically, what we know is that his leg had swollen due to long-distance walking," Zindo said.

Following last month's deadly fighting in Juba, Machar escaped to the Democratic Republic of Congo before travelling to Khartoum.

On Tuesday, Sudan said that when Machar arrived in the capital that he needed "immediate medical treatment".

"He's in good health now, but he will stay in Khartoum for some more days," Majok said.

He said Machar plans to meet President Omar al-Bashir, and also to hold a press conference.

Majok said Machar soon plans to travel to Ethiopia, Djibouti, Uganda and Kenya -- the other member countries apart from Sudan of East African trading and security bloc IGAD.

After a 1983-2005 civil war, the mainly Christian south of Sudan split from the Muslim north on July 9, 2011, following a referendum six months earlier.

But in December 2013, a brutal civil war erupted in the world's youngest country between supporters of President Salva Kiir and Machar, after Kiir accused his deputy of plotting a coup.

Ties between Khartoum and Juba have been strained since then amid allegations that Sudan backs Machar in the civil war that has killed tens of thousands of people and forced more than two million from their homes.

The civil war in South Sudan has split the country along ethnic lines and driven it to the brink of collapse.
New Trump manager faced domestic violence charge: press

US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's newly-appointed campaign manager was charged with domestic violence in 1996, New York newspapers reported Friday.

According to both the New York Post and the New York Times, the case against conservative media mogul turned political operative Steve Bannon ended when his wife failed to appear to testify against him.

Bannon -- head of the incendiary conservative news site Breitbart -- was a controversial choice when Trump hired him to replace a previous campaign chief tainted by his past as a lobbyist for pro-Kremlin interests.

US presidential hopeful Donald Trump's newly-appointed campaign manager was charged with domestic violence in 1996, a report said Suzanne Cordeiro (AFP/File)

It is understood that Bannon no longer faces any proceedings relating to the 1996 case, but its revelation may complicate Trump's task as he seeks to woo wary women voters.

According to a police report seen by the papers, police were called to the couple's Santa Monica, California home on New Year's Day in 1996 and found Piccard upset and with marks on her neck and wrist.

She told police that she and Bannon had had a fight and that he had seized a telephone when she had attempted to call for help, throwing it across the room and smashing it.

The city attorney brought charges against Bannon and served him with a domestic violence protective order, but when the case came to trial in August Piccard did not appear and prosecutors dismissed the case.

According to court records, Piccard told investigators that Bannon had ordered her to leave town during the case and threatened to leave her and their twin daughters destitute.
Saudi roof collapse kills Ethiopian worker: media

An Ethiopian worker was killed and 18 Egyptians were injured when the roof of a building under construction collapsed in Saudi Arabia, a newspaper reported on Friday.

They were trapped when the metal roof in Mecca collapsed on Thursday, Okaz said on its website, citing the Civil Defence department.

It did not say what caused the collapse, which is under investigation. The men had been doing metalwork at the time, Okaz reported.

Eighteen Egyptians were injured and an Ethiopian worker was killed when a metal roof of a building under construction collapsed in Mecca, a newspaper reported Khaled Desouki (AFP/File)

Fifteen of the Egyptians needed hospital treatment.

A day earlier, two Pakistanis died in a separate construction accident in Mecca, the newspaper said.

Millions of expatriates work as labourers and in other jobs in Saudi Arabia.
SpaceX's Dragon cargo ship splashes down in Pacific

SpaceX's unmanned Dragon cargo ship splashed down Friday in the Pacific Ocean, returning a load of NASA research from the International Space Station, the US space agency said.

The capsule returned to Earth at 11:47 am (1547 GMT) southwest of the Mexican state of Baja California with more than 3,000 pounds (1,360 kilograms) of cargo.

Some of the experiments conducted on board should enable scientists to better understand the effects of long-duration spaceflight on the human body, as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration works toward its goal of sending people to Mars by the 2030s.

SpaceX's Dragon, pictured on July 20, 2016 at the International Space Station, is the only cargo carrier in use that can return gear to Earth. Others, such as Orbital ATK's Cygnus, burn up on re-entry to Earth's atmosphere

One examined how microgravity affects human heart cells, while another used lab mice to study how spaceflight affects DNA.

The return of the spacecraft caps the ninth resupply mission for the California-based SpaceX under a contract to ferry goods to the astronauts living at the ISS.

The Dragon launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida, last month and arrived at the space station July 20, carrying the first of two docking adaptors to allow commercial spacecraft to park at the space station in the coming years.
UN council plans S.Sudan visit to push for regional force

The UN Security Council is planning a trip to South Sudan next week to persuade President Salva Kiir to accept a new regional protection force or face an arms embargo, diplomats said Friday.

Ambassadors from the 15-member council are scheduled to travel from September 2 to 7 for meetings on the proposed 4,000-strong force to be deployed in Juba to strengthen the UN peacekeeping mission.

The mission, known as UNMISS, has faced criticism for failing to protect civilians, including dozens of women and girls who were raped near a UN base in Juba after a flareup of violence in the capital Juba in early July.

This handout photo provided by the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS) and released on July 16, 2016 shows women doing laundry as people collect water at the UN compound in the Tomping area in Juba Beatrice Mategwa (AFP/File)

Kiir's government has expressed strong reservations about the proposed deployment that was authorized by the Security Council two weeks ago and has called for further discussions.

"We want to know the mandate of this protection force," said South Sudan Vice President Taban Deng Gai during a visit to the Sudanese capital Khartoum on Monday. "We want to sit with them in Juba, not in New York."

The council adopted a resolution on August 12 authorizing the force and threatening to impose an arms embargo if UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon reports within a month that the Juba government is not cooperating with the plan for the regional force.

US Secretary of State John Kerry traveled to Kenya this week and said following meetings with regional foreign ministers that there was "absolutely no question that we need to move forward with the deployment of the regional protection force."

South Sudan descended into war in December 2013 when Kiir accused his former deputy Riek Machar of plotting a coup, and a peace deal signed last year was left in tatters during the flare-up in Juba in early July.

During the fighting, Machar, who had been persuaded to return to Juba as part of the national unity government agreed under the peace deal, fled the country and is now in Khartoum, having been replaced by Deng in Juba.

Tens of thousands of people have died in the fighting, with the United Nations reporting shocking levels of brutality from gang-rapes, killings and the wholesale burning of villages.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Emergency Situations of Armenia on August 25 at 11.30 has contacted the Consul of Armenia to Italy, 2nd Secretary A. Hovhannisyan who informed that 247 have died at that period of time, and 368 were injured due to the earthquake in Italy.

According to the information, Armenians and Armenian citizens are not among the victims and wounded of the earthquake, the MESs website reports.

Armenias Consulate to Italy is in constant contact with the local authorities.

BBC reported Italy has declared a state of emergency in the regions worst hit by Wednesday's earthquake as hopes of finding more survivors fade.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has pledged 50m (42m) in funds for rebuilding.

At least 267 people are now known to have died and 400 were injured. Teams have continued to search the rubble of toppled buildings for a second night.

However, hundreds of aftershocks have hampered the efforts of the 5,000 rescuers.

The 6.2-magnitude quake hit in the early hours of Wednesday, 100km (65 miles) north-east of Rome in mountainous central Italy.

The worst affected towns - Amatrice, Arquata, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto - are usually sparsely populated but have been swelled by tourists visiting for summer, making estimates for the precise number missing difficult.

More than 200 people died in Amatrice alone, Ansa news agency reported.

Earlier it was reported the Armenian Embassy in Italy set a hotline for Armenian citizens affected by the earthquake in Italy and need assistance, the Armenian MFA writes on Facebook, Armenpress reports.

The Armenian citizens can call at +390687788654.






US repatriates 161 Cuban migrants

The United States repatriated 161 Cubans this week after intercepting them at sea as they attempted to reach American soil, the US Coast Guard said Friday.

Coast Guard patrol boats shuttled the migrants to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba on three separate trips made Monday, Thursday and Friday, the agency said in a statement.

"We discourage anyone from taking to the sea and attempting to reach U.S. soil illegally  they are risking their lives with very little chance of success," Coast Guard Captain Mark Gordon said.

United States Coast Guard patrol boats shuttled 161 migrants to Bahia de Cabanas, Cuba on three separate trips made Monday, Thursday and Friday, the agency said in a statement Fireman Taylor Bacon (US Coast Guard/AFP/File)

"Navigating the Florida Straits can be extremely dangerous for the unprepared on illegal voyages and often leads to injury or death."

The Coast Guard has seen a spike in the number of Cubans arriving in the United States by land and sea since Washington and Havana announced they would begin normalizing relations in December 2014.

Cuban migrants who reach the United States are put on a fast track to residency and citizenship under a Cold War-era policy that many fear will be shelved as the two countries normalize relations.
US pilots tell of encounter with Syrian jets

Two US fighter pilots have told of a high-stakes encounter over northern Syria, when they stealthily shadowed a pair of Syrian regime jets and were prepared to shoot them down.

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq last week scrambled fighters to intercept Syrian jets targeting Kurdish forces working with US advisers near the northeastern city of Hasakeh.

On August 19, a pair of US F-22s raced toward two Syrian Su-24 fighters that had flown into the region.

The US-led coalition fighting the Islamic State group in Syria and Iraq last week scrambled fighters to intercept Syrian jets targeting Kurdish forces working with US advisers near the northeastern city of Hasakeh Petras Malukas (AFP)

The Americans' mission was to determine if the Syrian planes were going to target coalition ground forces and -- if necessary -- shoot them down.

"I followed him around for all three of his loops," one of the US pilots, an Air Force major, told USA Today in a story Friday.

"He didn't appear to have any idea I was there."

The pilots said they got to within 2,000 feet (600 meters) of the Syrian jets. F-22s are stealth fighters and pilots are trained to avoid being seen.

The pilot of the second US jet, a captain, said he tried to hail the Syrians on a common radio frequency but got no response.

In the coalition flight control center in Qatar, Major General Jay Silveria told USA Today he was ready to tell the pilots to fire on the Syrian planes if they threatened coalition forces.

"I wouldn't have hesitated," Silveria said.

"All I needed at that point to shoot them down was a report from the ground that they were being attacked ... We were in a perfect position to execute that with some pretty advanced weaponry."

In the end, the Syrian jets left and appeared not to have been armed.

Officials told USA Today it was not clear the Syrian jets even knew they had been trailed.

A shoot-down would have marked a serious escalation in Syria's bloody conflict.

Though the US-led coalition is fighting IS in the ruined country, it has not waded into conflict with the regime of President Bashar al-Assad.
Fiat chief rejects complaints over US sales data

Allegations that Fiat Chrysler Automobiles falsified US sales data are meritless and the company's financial reports are "totally accurate," chief executive Sergio Marchionne told reporters Friday.

Marchionne said the FCA is cooperating with authorities from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department probing the company's reporting after it was forced to restate unit sales for the past five years last month, revising the way it counted vehicle turnover.

The move came after a Fiat Chrysler dealer group sued the company over its sales reporting practices, which one said amounted to fraud.

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne, pictured on May 5, 2016, said the company is cooperating with authorities from the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department probing the company's reporting Alberto Pizzoli (AFP/File)

The SEC is investigating whether FCA deliberately misstated the sales numbers, but Marchionne insisted there was no intent to deceive.

"The (sales reporting) system goes back to the 1980s. We inherited it" when Fiat took over Chrysler, Marchionne told reporters during a visit to an FCA stamping plant in the Detroit suburbs.

"We kept on applying the system that has been applied for nearly 40 years," he said. "I make no bones about it. We picked it up in 2009."

He rejected the suggestions in some media reports that there was anything more serious.

"The allegations are ultimately trivial," Marchionne said. "The press started to read into the allegations all kinds of things and one has to be careful in accepting them at face value."

"The important thing to remember is that our financial numbers are totally accurate," he said.

"We look forward to having that conversation with the SEC and we'll take it from there."

Marchionne also said FCA has not yet found a partner to build small and mid-sized passenger cars.

He announced back in January that FCA planned to shift more of its production capacity to building trucks and sport utility vehicles, which are more popular with American consumers than passenger cars.

Marchionne also declined to comment on reports that FCA's component unit Magneti Marelli will be sold to South Korea's Samsung.
Amazon dabbling with 30-hour work weeks: report

US online retail titan Amazon, which has been accused of fostering a cutthroat workplace atmosphere, will try out teams that log 30-hour work weeks, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

The employees will receive the same benefits as those putting in 40-hour weeks, but get three-quarters of the pay, according to the Post, which is owned by Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos.

Many people at Amazon already work part-time, but the program would be novel in that entire teams including managers would be scheduled for 30 hours weekly on the job, the Seattle-based company said in an informational session invitation posted online at eventbrite.com.

Many people at Amazon already work part-time, but the program would be novel in that entire teams including managers would be scheduled for 30 hours weekly on the job David McNew (Getty/AFP/File)

"This initiative was created with Amazon's diverse workforce in mind and the realization that the traditional full-time schedule may not be a one-size-fits-all model," Amazon said in the post.

"We want to create a work environment that is tailored to a reduced schedule and still fosters success and career growth."

The Eventbrite post, first spotted by the Washington Post, was available online Friday. It was titled "Reinventing the Work-Life Ratio for Tech Talent."

Amazon declined an AFP request for comment.

A source with knowledge of the matter told AFP that the program was not intended for the entire company, but would involve just a handful of very small teams involved with designing some technical systems.

Amazon has been criticized for its working conditions, especially at fulfillment centers where pressure is high to ship purchases to customers quickly and efficiently.

The New York Times caused controversy last year with a story depicting almost Darwinian conditions at Amazon, with white collar workers competing to survive and sometimes weeping at their desks or going without sleep for days.
Police officer fatally shot in eastern Tennessee

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  A police officer has died in a shooting in eastern Tennessee.

Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp said the officer responded with a Blount County sheriff's deputy to a domestic disturbance. Sheriff James Berrong says when the two arrived Thursday afternoon, a man came out firing and fatally wounded the officer.

Crisp said the other officer returned fire. He says the suspect wasn't hit and was taken into custody.

Crisp didn't identify the officer, saying some family hadn't yet been notified. He said the man had three small children and had been with the department for several years.

Crisp and Berrong held a news conference outside the University of Tennessee Medical Center where the officer was pronounced dead. The news conference was posted on WATE-TV's website.

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Prison: Man convicted in deadly home invasion tried suicide

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)  A man convicted in the slayings of a mother and her two daughters during a home invasion in a wealthy Connecticut suburb has tried to kill himself in prison.

Department of Correction spokeswoman Karen Martucci says Joshua Komisarjevsky (koh-mih-sar-JEV'-skee) tried to hang himself Aug. 18. She says it happened shortly after Komisarjevsky and accomplice Steven Hayes were transferred to the SCI Camp Hill Correctional Institution in Pennsylvania.

The men recently had their death sentences changed to life without parole.

Martucci says Komisarjevsky didn't require medical attention outside the prison and is receiving mental health treatment.

The men were convicted of the 2007 murders of Jennifer Hawke-Petit (PET'-it) and her daughters at their Cheshire home, which was set on fire. They blamed each other. Husband and father William Petit survived.
Lotte Group vice chairman found dead before corruption probe

SEOUL, South Korea (AP)  Lotte Group said Friday its vice chairman has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Korea's fifth-largest business group.

Lee In-won, 69, the company's highest-ranking executive outside the founding family and the top aide to its chairman, was found dead hours before a scheduled appearance at a prosecutors' office Friday morning.

"It is difficult to believe," Lotte Group said in a text message to reporters. Lee has been a Lotte man for more than 40 years since he joined the company's hotel business in 1973.

People pass by Lotte Group office in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Lotte Group says its vice chairman has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Korea's fifth-largest business group. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

The death sends Lotte into a fresh crisis. South Korean prosecutors are investigating allegations of embezzlement, slush funds and tax evasions at Lotte Group. The investigation forced the group in June to withdraw its initial public offering plan for Hotel Lotte Co. that could have raised as much as 5.7 trillion won ($5.1 billion).

Local media reported that Lee took his own life. Yonhap quoted a note he left as saying that there was no slush fund, in an apparent response to prosecutors' allegations. Its report said a resident found his body lying on a mountain in the east of Seoul early Friday morning.

Lotte could not confirm the report. Police did not answer calls.

The ongoing investigation and the death of its long-time executive is the latest challenge for Lotte Group, with two sons of Lotte's 93-year-old founder, Shin Kyuk-ho, already embroiled in a bitter battle over control of the group.

In a rare public display of a family feud among South Korean business elites, the younger son, Shin Dong-bin, 61, last year demoted his father to honorary chairman from general chairman overseeing Lotte's businesses in Japan and South Korea. His older brother, Shin Dong-joo, 62, was removed from executive positions at various Lotte companies and then launched several failed attempts to take back the group from his younger brother.

The younger Shin, now chairman at Lotte Group, apologized publicly in June, days after prosecutors raided Lotte's headquarters. The investigation was a setback for Shin Dong-bin who had vowed to make his group and its governance transparent as public criticism mounted because of the fight with his brother.

Lee In-won was a top aide to Shin Dong-bin.

Lotte started as a chewing gum company in Japan in 1948. It now operates businesses in chemicals, food, shopping and hotels, including South Korea's largest discount and department store chains. Its brands are well recognized not only in Japan and South Korea but around Southeast Asia.

In this Dec. 16, 2015 photo, Lotte Group Vice Chairman Lee In-won attends a charity fundraising event in Seoul, South Korea. Lotte Group said Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, Lee has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Korea's fifth-largest business group. (Yonhap via AP)

A man leaves Lotte Town in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Lotte Group says its vice chairman has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Korea's fifth-largest business group. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)

A man passes by a Lotte duty free shop in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Lotte Group says its vice chairman has been found dead as authorities widen a probe into corruption at South Korea's fifth-largest business group. (AP Photo/Ahn Young-joon)
Judge over Stanford sex assault leaving criminal cases

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A California court said Thursday that a judge who was harshly criticized and subjected to a recall campaign for the leniency of a six-month jail sentence for a former Stanford University swimmer who sexually assaulted an unconscious woman will no longer hear criminal cases, a move that came at his own request.

Santa Clara County Presiding Judge Rise Pichon said she has granted the request for reassignment of Judge Aaron Persky.

"While I firmly believe in Judge Persky's ability to serve in his current assignment, he has requested to be assigned to the civil division, in which he previously served," Pichon said in a statement. "Judge Persky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment."

FILE - This June 27, 2011 file photo shows Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who drew criticism for sentencing former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to only six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. The California judge has recused himself from making his first key decision in another sex case. The Mercury News reported Monday, Aug. 22, 2016 that Persky filed a statement saying that some people might doubt that he could be impartial. The judge is the target of a recall campaign after he sentenced a former Stanford swimmer to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman. (Jason Doiy/The Recorder via AP, File)

The move is not necessarily permanent. The assignment is subject to an annual review and takes effect Sept. 6.

Pichon said that another judge's desire to transfer to Palo Alto has made a quick swap with Persky possible. Normally such changes don't happen until a new year.

Persky ordered the six-month sentence for Brock Turner, a Dayton, Ohio, resident who had been attending Stanford on a swimming scholarship. The judge cited a probation department recommendation and the effect the conviction will have on Turner's life.

Authorities say Turner sexually assaulted the girl while she was passed out near a trash bin.

The case sparked a national debate on college drinking and sexual assault and led to a recall effort against the judge.

Michelle Dauber, the Stanford law professor behind the recall effort, said that while the move from Persky is welcome, the recall attempt will continue, in part because Persky "can still transfer back to hearing criminal cases any time he chooses."

"The issue of his judicial bias in favor of privileged defendants in sex crimes and domestic violence still needs to be addressed by the voters of Santa Clara County," Dauber said in an email. "In our opinion, Judge Persky is biased and should not be on the bench."

Dauber and other organizers have said they will begin collecting signatures in April to qualify the issue for the November 2017 ballot.

Persky had already departed from two sex-crimes cases since his June sentencing of the 20-year-old Turner exploded in national media.

On Monday he formally recused himself from deciding whether to reduce a San Jose plumber's felony child pornography charges to misdemeanors.

That came two months after the district attorney's office removed Persky from a different sexual assault case, saying "we lack confidence" in the judge's ability to decide it impartially.

In addition to his supervising judge, attorneys who have argued in front of Persky cite his abilities. Santa Clara County deputy public defender Gary Goodman in June called him a "solid and respected judge," while defense attorney Barbara Muller said he's "one of the fairest judges" in the county.

A jury convicted Turner, a former Olympic hopeful, of sexually assaulting the young woman he met at a campus fraternity party in January 2015 after she passed out behind a trash bin.

The sentence along with the long and much-shared statement the victim read in court made the case a national rallying cry for a reconsideration of how rape is handled by the law.

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Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
Tourist describes death, harrowing month in New Zealand bush

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP)  Pavlina Pizova says she couldn't free her partner after he slipped down an icy bank and became wedged between rocks and branches. After he died, she stayed with him through the freezing night.

It would take almost another month before Pizova would be rescued from the New Zealand wilderness in an ordeal she described Friday as "harrowing."

The tourist from the Czech Republic, who was rescued Wednesday from a park warden's hut on the snowed-in Routeburn Track near Queenstown, broke down in tears as she read aloud her account in halting English. Czech Consul Vladka Kennett provided more details.

Czech tourist Pavlina Pizova attends a press conference at a police station in Queenstown, New Zealand, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Pizova, whose partner fell to his death, survived a harrowing month in the frozen New Zealand wilderness before being rescued, police said. (James Allan/New Zealand Herald via AP)

Pizova's comments came soon after rescuers retrieved the body of her partner, 27-year-old Ondrej Petr.

The couple set out on July 26 to hike the scenic track, a 32-kilometer (20-mile) route that typically takes three days in the summer, but which can become treacherous in the winter months from June to August.

Pizova said they made several mistakes: they didn't tell anybody of their specific plans, they didn't take a locator beacon, and they underestimated the winter conditions.

"All these aspects contributed to our tragedy," she said.

Midway through the hike, as they tried to reach the Lake Mackenzie Hut, things started to go wrong.

"The conditions were extreme. We encountered heavy snowfall and low cloud which contributed to our enforced overnighting in the open," Pizova said. "In our attempt to reach the hut, the tragic accident happened."

Kennett said Petr fell down the slope.

"Pavlina slipped behind him, and was unable to help him out, and that was it," Kennett said. "She stayed with him for the first night, beside him, because first of all she wanted to be with him, and she couldn't move any farther due to the weather conditions."

Kennett said Pizova spent another night outdoors as she remained lost in the deep snow. She rubbed her feet and tried to keep her blood circulating, and wore all the clothes and blankets she had with her.

Pizova says she finally found her way to the Lake Mackenzie Hut and broke into the warden's quarters through a window. She says she tried to hike out several times but her frost-bitten feet and the avalanches she was witnessing discouraged her.

Pizova would end up spending nearly a month at the hut. She used ash to fashion a letter "H'' in the snow to signal for help. But other hikers were avoiding the route, and the planes and helicopters she waved at never saw her.

Kennett said Pizova also tried making snow shoes, crampons and walking sticks from items she found around the hut, attempts which would later impress rescuers. But Kennett said she never made it more than a few hundred meters (yards) before turning back.

"She wasn't confident to carry on but she didn't give up trying," Kennett said. "She tried everything she could, given the conditions."

Kennett said Pizova survived on food left behind by the wardens, who don't live there during the winter.

Police Inspector Olaf Jensen said it took weeks before friends and family realized the couple was missing and raised the alarm. He said the Czech Consulate informed police on Wednesday and they launched a search the same day.

He said police found the couple's car at the trailhead and sent a helicopter along the route. He said Pizova was relieved to see her rescuers.

"It's very unusual for someone to be missing in the New Zealand bush for such a long period without it being reported," Jensen said.

Pizova, who was traveling around New Zealand on a working holiday with her partner, is eager to return home as soon as possible, Kennett said.

Pizova said she wanted to warn other travelers to seek good information and to be aware how quickly the New Zealand weather can change.

Kennett said she can barely understand how the hiker managed to survive her ordeal.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. Donald Trump ruled out Thursday a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants in the United States, walking back comments he made earlier this week in which he appeared open to the idea, CNN reports.

But the Republican nominee declined in an interview with CNN's Anderson Cooper to clarify whether he would still forcibly deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US -- a major tenet of his immigration platform -- after he suggested this week he was "softening" on the idea.

"There's no path to legalization unless they leave the country," Trump said after an event in Manchester, New Hampshire. "When they come back in, then they can start paying taxes, but there is no path to legalization unless they leave the country and then come back."

Trump said that on his first day in office, he would authorize law enforcement to actively deport "bad dudes," such as those who have committed crimes, which he said numbered "probably millions." But he declined to flatly say whether he would round up other undocumented immigrants, stressing that once the initial deportations occur, "then we can talk."

"There is a very good chance the answer could be yes," Trump said when asked if he would deport those who have lived here peacefully but without papers. "We're going to see what happens."

Trump's comments are the latest turn in a now-daily recalibration of his position on immigration, which Trump said he would crystallize in a speech next week. During the primary, Trump advocated unequivocally for deporting undocumented immigrants, and the shifts he has hinted at would be a highly-scrutinized flip on a trademark issue.

Trump had said earlier this week that he would be open to a "softening" on immigration, and made a series of comments that indicated a path to legalization was likely as long as they paid taxes accumulated from their time living here illegally. Yet Trump now seems to be reverting to his original plan -- one derided as a "touchback" policy in which those without proper papers must return home before re-entering the country.

Yet it was now unclear to what length Trump would go to execute those deportations.

"It's a process. You can't take 11 at one time and just say 'boom, you're gone,'" he told Cooper, floating the idea that as many as 30 million people could be living here illegally, a projection well beyond most analysts' figures. "I don't think it's a softening. I've had people say it's a hardening, actually."

On Wednesday, Trump suggested he would allow exceptions to let some undocumented immigrants to stay in the US, vowing he wouldn't grant them citizenship but telling Fox News, "there's no amnesty, but we work with them."

Trump continued: "No citizenship. Let me go a step further -- they'll pay back-taxes, they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty, as such, there's no amnesty, but we work with them," Trump told Sean Hannity when asked if he would allow for exceptions to his long-held position.

At the same event with Hannity, Trump, who over the weekend met with Hispanic advisers, said about his immigration policies: "There could certainly be a softening because we're not looking to hurt people."

Clinton's campaign called Trump's plan "dangerous" in a statement Thursday night.

"He may try to disguise his plans by throwing in words like "humane" or " fair," but the reality remains that Trump's agenda echoes the extreme right's will -- one that is fueling a dangerous movement of hatred across the country," Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri said.

Photo by AP
Official: Striking miners kill deputy minister in Bolivia

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP)  Striking informal miners in Bolivia kidnapped and beat to death the country's deputy interior minister on Thursday after he traveled to the area to mediate in the bitter conflict over mining laws, officials said.

Government Minister Carlos Romero called it a "cowardly and brutal killing" and asked that the miners turn over the body of his deputy, Rodolfo Illanes, who holds the formal title of vice minister of the interior regime.

Illanes was "savagely beaten" to death by the striking miners, Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira told Red Uno television, his voice breaking.

Independent miners clash with the police as they run from clouds of tear gas during protests in Panduro, Bolivia, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Thousands of independent miners continued their protests with roadblocks which precipitated the clashes as the police attempted to dislodge them. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Earlier, Romero had said that Illanes had been kidnapped and possibly tortured, but that he could not confirm local media reports that he had been killed by the striking miners, who are demanding more rights, including the right to associate with private companies.

The fatal beating follows the killings of two protesters in clashes with police, deaths that likely escalated tensions in the strike.

Illanes had gone to Panduro, 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of the La Paz, where the strikers have blockaded a highway since Monday, to open a dialogue. Thousands of passengers and vehicles are stranded on roads blocked by the strikers.

At midday Thursday, Illanes said on his Twitter account: "My health is fine, my family can be calm." There are reports the Illanes had heart problems.

Bolivia's informal or artisan miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives. They want to be able to associate with private companies, which is prohibited. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they would cease to be cooperatives.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of President Evo Morales, went on an indefinite protest after negotiations over the mining legislation failed.

Police from up next to the main highway during clashes with Independent miners in Panduro, Bolivia, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Thousands of Independent miners continued their protests with roadblocks which precipitated the clashes as the police attempted to dislodge them. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Independent miners clash with the police during protests in Panduro, Bolivia, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Thousands of Independent miners continued their protests with roadblocks which precipitated the clashes as the police attempted to dislodge them. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
Senegal clamps down on Quranic schools that exploit children

DAKAR, Senegal (AP)  Twelve-year-old Boubacar was picked up from the streets of Senegal's capital at night by police, along with dozens of other children, in the latest crackdown on begging.

The boy was sent to this West African country by his family in neighboring Guinea to study the Quran at one of the capital's 1,600 Islamic schools, known as daaras. He is among thousands of students, or talibes, sent out by teachers to beg for money and food. Some schools have been accused of keeping the children in unsafe living conditions and abusing them.

"I want to return to my family," Boubacar said at a transit center for street children.

FILE-In this file photo Sept. 24, 2013 photo, a "talibe" begs for change from a driver stopped at a gas station, in the Medina Gounass suburb of Dakar, Senegal. More than 500 such children have been taken from Dakar's streets in the past two months. President Macky Sall announced the crackdown in June, 2016, and said the government will prosecute, fine and jail parents or Quranic teachers, known as marabouts, who are found guilty of abuses.( AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell,File)

More than 500 such children have been taken from Dakar's streets in the past two months. President Macky Sall announced the crackdown in June and said the government will prosecute, fine and jail parents or Quranic teachers, known as marabouts, who are found guilty of abuses.

"A child's place is not in the streets ... the children have rights to learn, and to be in good health," said Maimouna Balde, the director of Centre Ginddi, the main government transit center. On a hot summer day, dozens of children played games in a room and watched TV as authorities worked to find their families.

Senegal has staged these crackdowns before. Because of resistance from some marabouts and a lack of prosecutions, the abuses have continued and unfit schools remain open.

At least five children living in daaras died in the first half of this year from beatings or traffic accidents while begging, according to Human Rights Watch. Dozens of children have been beaten, chained, attacked or sexually abused while begging in the past two years, the group said.

"While the government's recent actions are commendable, removing talibes from the streets will not lead to long-term change unless Quranic schools are regulated and offending teachers are held accountable," said Corinne Dufka, the rights group's West Africa director.

Talibes represent some 90 percent of the roughly 30,500 children on the streets, according to Senegal's director of rights for children and vulnerable groups, Niokhobaye Diouf.

At the Centre Ginddi, the children are registered, cleaned up, given clothes and fed. If they come from a daara, they go into Quran classes. They are then reunited with their families, or with marabouts who come to find them. If there's no sign of abuse, they return to the daara.

Senegal's penal code outlawed begging years ago, and the country has ratified all major international conventions on children's rights. But previous efforts to enforce the measures on child beggars have fizzled.

In 2010, the children were taken off the streets after the U.S., among other countries, threatened to cut off aid if Senegal did not address human trafficking. In 2013, after nine children died in a fire in a Quranic school in Dakar, the president said the government would close all schools that didn't meet basic safety standards.

Months later, however, no teachers were in custody, and no daara had been shut down.

Though arrests of marabouts accused of being abusive have increased slightly in recent years, rights groups say Senegal has prosecuted only a handful of extreme cases.

"The death of talibe children as a result of corporal punishment and abuse by some Quranic teachers must no longer remain unpunished," said Mamadou Wane, president of the Platform for the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights, a coalition of 40 Senegalese children's rights organizations.

Rights groups have said a failure to consistently enforce the laws regulating the school system has emboldened abusive teachers.

Some teachers are pushing back against the latest crackdown. At a recent gathering of marabouts in Kaolack, one said the efforts to stop children from begging were anti-Islamic.

"The retrieval of children from the streets must immediately stop," Hady Diakhate told the televised meeting, saying the children shouldn't be taken to transit centers. "The parents would prefer they were taken to the daaras ... talibes are Muslims, so they must be left in daaras. That is their place."

Another marabout in a suburb of Dakar said he supports the government's efforts, but Quranic schools need more financial support to improve.

"We welcome this decision, because it will bring order in Quranic schools. But the government must support Quranic schools by subsidizing and helping to recruit qualified teachers," said Imam Bousso.

Diouf, the children's rights official, said most daaras are not a problem.

He said the government is in talks with marabouts to determine what is needed to keep them safe and conditions good. It will provide limited cash and food to daaras and families in need until the next stage of the program is determined, he said. The government also hopes to one day create a select group of daaras that will have internet access and teach skills and subjects in addition to the Quran.

"The state's concern is not to interrupt these practices," Diouf said of daaras. "It's to stop the mistreatment of children."
AP EXPLAINS: How Colombia's conflict evolved over decades

With Colombia's government and the country's biggest rebel movement announcing an agreement on a historic peace deal, and the Colombian president moving quickly to hold a national referendum on it, The Associated Press explains how the conflict began and developed over the decades.

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HOW IT STARTED

FILE- This April 1948, file photo shows rioting and looting as a street car is overturned and burned during an uprising following the assassination of Jorge Eliecer Gaitan in Bogota, Columbia. The 1948 assassination of populist firebrand Jorge Eliecer Gaitan sparked the political bloodletting known as "La Violencia," or "The Violence." The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are preparing for a peace deal in Columbia's half-century guerrilla conflict which has roots in the assassination. (AP Photo/E. L. Almen, File)

The 1948 assassination of populist firebrand Jorge Eliecer Gaitan led to a political bloodletting known as "The Violence." Tens of thousands died, and peasant groups joined with communists to arm themselves. A 1964 military attack on their main encampment led to the creation of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC.

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WHAT THE REBELS WANTED

Though nominally Marxist, the FARC's ideology has never been well defined. It has sought to make the conservative oligarchy share power and prioritized land reform in a country where more than 5 million people have been forcibly displaced, mostly by far-right militias in the service of ranchers, businessmen and drug traffickers. The FARC lost popularity as it turned to kidnapping, extortion and taxes on cocaine production and illegal gold mining to fund its insurgency.

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HOW THE US GOT INVOLVED

In 2000, the United States began sending billions of dollars to counter drug-trafficking and the insurgency under Plan Colombia, which helped security forces weaken the FARC and kill several top commanders. The State Department classifies the group as a terrorist organization and its leaders face U.S. indictments for what the George W. Bush administration called the world's largest drug-trafficking organization.

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THE MASSIVE HUMAN TOLL

More than 220,000 lives have been lost, most of them civilians. In the past two decades, most of the killings were inflicted by the militias, which made peace with the government in 2003. The FARC abducted ranchers, politicians and soldiers and often held them for years in jungle prison camps. Its captives included former presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt and three U.S. military contractors, all of whom were rescued in 2008.

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AFTER DECADES OF FALSE STARTS, A PLAN FOR PEACE

Mid-1980s peace talks collapsed after death squads killed at least 3,000 allies of the FARC's political wing. Another effort fell apart in 2002 after the rebels hijacked an airliner to kidnap a senator. The latest talks had gone on since 2012 in Havana and culminated Wednesday evening with a deal after the last issues were resolved. Agreement previously had been reached on land reform, combatting drug trafficking, the guerrillas' political participation and punishing war crimes on both sides. In late June, negotiators announced a cease-fire agreement and a blueprint for how an estimated 7,000 FARC fighters will demobilize and lay down their weapons once the peace accord is implemented.

FILE- In this April 9, 1948, file photo, a mob quickly gathers in Bogota, Colombia after Jorge Eliecer Gaitan was shot. The 1948 assassination of populist firebrand Jorge Eliecer Gaitan sparked the political bloodletting known as "La Violencia," or "The Violence." The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are preparing for a peace deal in Columbia's half-century guerrilla conflict which has roots in the assassination. (AP Photo, File)

FILE- In this April 9, 1948, file photo, Jorge Eliecer Gaitan lies dying in the Colombian Capital of Bogoto after being shot. Others are unidentified. The 1948 assassination of populist firebrand Jorge Eliecer Gaitan sparked the political bloodletting known as "La Violencia," or "The Violence." The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia are preparing for a peace deal in Columbia's half-century guerrilla conflict which has roots in the assassination. (AP Photo, File)

CORRECTS DATE PHOTO TAKEN - In this Aug. 13, 2016 photo, a rebel soldier of the 48th Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, poses for a photo with his dog in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. As the countrys half-century conflict winds down, with the signing of a peace deal with the Government perhaps just days away, thousands of FARC rebels are emerging from their hideouts and preparing for a life without arms. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

CORRECTS DATE PHOTO TAKEN - In this Aug. 15, 2016 photo, rebels of the 32nd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, sit in a boat as they patrol the Mecaya river in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. As the countrys half-century conflict winds down, with the signing of a peace deal perhaps just days away, thousands of FARC rebels are emerging from their hideouts and preparing for a life without arms. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

CORRECTS DATE PHOTO TAKEN - In this Aug. 16, 2016 photo, rebels of the 32nd Front of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, laugh during a break, at their camp in the southern jungles of Putumayo, Colombia. As Colombias half-century conflict winds down, with the signing of a peace deal perhaps just days away, thousands of FARC rebels are emerging from their hideouts and preparing for a life without arms. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)

Humberto de la Calle, right, head of Colombia's government peace negotiation team, shakes hands with Ivan Marquez, chief negotiator of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, left, while Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez, center, applauds after signing an agreement in Havana, Cuba, Wednesday, August 24, 2016. Colombia's government and the country's biggest rebel group reached a deal for ending a half-century of hostilities in what has been one of the world's longest-running armed conflicts. (AP Photo/Ramon Espinosa)

People celebrate as they follow a broadcast on screen the announcement from Havana, Cuba, that delegates of Colombia's government and leaders of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia reached a peace accord to end their half-century civil war, in Bogota, Colombia, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. The government's accord with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia must still be ratified by voters in a plebiscite in order to take effect. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
In El Salvador, 'gang pastor' alleged to be crime financier

SAN SALVADOR, El Salvador (AP)  Walking out of prison three years ago, Marvin Ramos Quintanilla seemed to turn over a new leaf after a life of crime and gangland violence.

He got a city government job working in community development, and also ran a business selling used cars imported from the U.S. He joined an evangelical church, where his family was regularly seen worshipping, and even got ordained as a pastor.

Then on July 28, Ramos was arrested along with several alleged leaders of the feared Mara Salvatrucha gang, which has been designated an international criminal organization by the U.S. government. Salvadoran authorities also seized thousands of dollars in cash long with properties, businesses and bank accounts.

In this Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, handcuffed to another prisoner, Marvin Quintanilla Ramos, center, an evangelical pastor accused by El Salvador Police to be the financier of Mara Salvatrucha gang, is walked out after a court hearing in San Salvador, El Salvador. Prosecutors allege that Ramos used his pastoral credentials to access prisons so he could conspire with jailed leaders of the gang. Religion, they say, was a facade to mask his real work: helping run Mara Salvatruchas street operations and directing its finances at a key moment when gangs are facing a tough crackdown by the government and are moving to diversify their criminal operations and become more corporate in makeup and structure. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)

Prosecutors allege that Ramos' new life was a front, that he used his pastoral credentials to access prisons so he could conspire with jailed leaders of the gang. Religion, they say, was a facade to mask his real work: helping run Mara Salvatrucha's street operations and directing its finances at a key moment when gangs are facing a tough crackdown by the government and are moving to diversify their criminal operations and become more corporate in makeup and structure.

Ramos denies the allegations.

"It is not true that I am the (gang's) financier. It is not true that I have entered the prisons. It is not true," he said during a recent court appearance. "I had left that behind me."

Prosecutors have presented as evidence hundreds of telephone intercepts purportedly involving Ramos, however, including one from January in which he allegedly ordered the killing of three gang members in the Izalco prison in western El Salvador.

Little is known about Ramos, including the meaning or origin of his purported gang nickname, "Piwa." Many who have crossed paths with him are reluctant to speak openly, saying even an offhand comment about gangs can get you killed in El Salvador. Mara Salvatrucha and the rival Barrio 18 gang terrorize much of this Central American nation, which recorded the highest homicide rate last year for any country not in open war.

According to an identity document obtained by The Associated Press, Ramos was born May 22, 1980, in San Rafael Oriente, a small town about 80 miles (125 kilometers) southeast of the capital of San Salvador.

Appearing in court, Ramos, who favors a short, conservative haircut, wore a long-sleeve dress shirt that hid the arm tattoos visible when he was presented to the media the day after his arrest. Smiling, he took questions from reporters, though he gave clipped answers.

Ramos told AP he was from Soyapango, a notoriously dangerous suburb east of San Salvador that is said to be one of the country's most fertile gang recruiting grounds. He said his parents no longer live there, but did not answer when asked if they were still alive.

He apparently joined the gang by his late teens, since in 2000 he was convicted of aggravated homicide, sentenced to 15 years and put in the maximum-security prison in Zacatecoluca familiarly known as "Zacatraz." In March 2012, he was among a number of inmates moved to a less-strict prison as part of a truce struck with the gangs, and he was released in October 2013.

He moved back to the capital.

Salvador Ruano, mayor of the San Salvador suburb of Ilopango, confirmed that Ramos worked for his government directing a social program targeting the poor, especially youths and single mothers.

After rival gangs in Ilopango declared a peace in 2013, gang members involved in the accord "brought me this man Marvin so he could work on the process that they were calling the truce," Ruano said.

City documents show Ramos held the title of "adviser" for citizen development from November 2013 until he was let go in May of this year.

Ramos lived with his wife, a teacher at a bilingual Christian school, and their two young children in Miramonte, a working-class neighborhood where several neighbors interviewed by AP said they hardly knew him. Nobody answered the door at his home, and a woman nearby said she believed the family had moved away.

They attended the Nazaret evangelical church, whose pastor declined through an intermediary to speak to AP.

"He was not our pastor; he only worshipped here," said a woman at the church, who insisted on speaking anonymously for fear of gang reprisals.

She said police had been coming around the area since Ramos' arrest and complained that street gossip was wrongly tarring Nazaret as a Mara Salvatrucha church.

"He seemed like good people. I had heard that he had left the gangs," she said.

It was a nonprofit pastoral network called RED Torre Fuerte that gave Ramos his credentials as a chaplain in 2015 after a year of study.

"For me Marvin is a person of spirituality, and ever since I met him I have seen him as a man following the Lord," said pastor Nelson Valdez, director of RED Torre Fuerte. He said he had no knowledge of continued gang involvement by Ramos.

Ramos was seen traveling in multiple vehicles, including luxury automobiles  something Valdez said he didn't think twice about "because he sold used cars and that was how he made a living."

He also was going around armed. Valdez said he learned Ramos had two registered weapons, a pistol and a .22 caliber rifle, and asked why he needed to be armed if he was now a Christian.

"He told me that some people in the gang did not like what he was doing. ... When they captured him he had the pistol and another illegal one," Valdez said.

Valdez, who is also a lawyer and represents Ramos' wife, said she did not want to talk to the media.

Authorities say Ramos somehow obtained certificates from the prison system and the national police falsely attesting he had no criminal background, which allowed him to obtain firearm permits. Prosecutors are looking into whether he was helped by any government official.

He is also alleged to have used his RED Torre Fuerte pastoral license to gain permission to preach inside prisons, despite rules barring known gang members from visiting associates behind bars.

"We are investigating it," Justice Minister Mauricio Ramirez Landaverde said.

Prosecutors have released the document that granted Ramos access to prisons, though he denies ever going inside.

"My work has been in the communities," he said.

But authorities contend that after leaving jail he in fact was a main national leader for Mara Salvatrucha, overseeing everything from collecting extortion payments to coordinating arms acquisitions.

Prosecutors say during the time Ramos allegedly directed the Mara Salvatrucha's financing, the gang used illicit proceeds from extortion and drug trafficking to diversify and quietly run, through front men, an array of businesses including restaurants, beer halls, auto import and repair shops, bus and taxi firms, strip clubs, no-tell motels and even a brothel in a high-end neighborhood of San Salvador.

Ramos is alleged to have been a key figure in a new corporate gang structure known as "The Federation," conspiring with the traditional leadership known as "La Ranfla."

"The members of 'The Federation' are gang leaders who are free, while those of 'La Ranfla' are imprisoned gang leaders," Attorney General Douglas Melendez said. Ramos, he said, "was the financier."

In this Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016 photo, Marvin Quintanilla Ramos, left, an evangelical pastor accused by El Salvador Police to be the financier of the Mara Salvatrucha gang is transported back to prison handcuffed to another prisoner and on the back of a police pickup truck after a court hearing in San Salvador, El Salvador. Prosecutors have presented as evidence hundreds of telephone intercepts purportedly involving Ramos, however, including one from January in which he allegedly ordered the killing of three gang members in the Izalco prison in western El Salvador. (AP Photo/Salvador Melendez)
What's in a name? Governments recast anti-extremism efforts

BOSTON (AP)  Government efforts to prevent violent extremism from taking root in the U.S. are getting new, less polarizing names.

Massachusetts this month recast its controversial Countering Violent Extremism, or CVE, program in Boston as Promoting Engagement, Acceptance and Community Empowerment, or PEACE.

The move comes after Minneapolis  another city where such efforts are underway  rebranded its program last year as Building Community Resilience. The Department of Homeland Security also created the Office of Community Partnerships to advance CVE efforts.

FILE - In this March 31, 2015 file photo, Muslim, Christian, minority and government leaders fix their eyes on a laptop screen showing a video as part of a federal pilot program called Countering Violent Extremism, at Roxbury Community College in Boston. The U.S. government is toning down efforts to prevent violent extremism from taking root. Massachusetts this month rebranded its controversial "Countering Violent Extremism" program as the "Promoting Engagement, Acceptance and Community Empowerment" project, or PEACE. Seated at center right is Carmen Ortiz, U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa, File)

Pilot programs in Boston, Minneapolis and Los Angeles were launched to fanfare by President Barack Obama in 2014 as a modest part of his administration's broader strategy to combat extremist thinking before it results in violence.

George Selim, who heads the Office for Community Partnerships and an interagency CVE task force, said that the federal government isn't shying away from the CVE moniker and that he's fine with local efforts adopting names they feel best reflect their intentions.

"I don't think that waters down the CVE mission because, at the end of the day, CVE is largely a Beltway Washington term," he said. "What Boston is doing is a good progression of what they set out to do a couple of years ago."

Experts say the name changes are in part recognition that CVE and other similarly named programs in the United Kingdom and elsewhere have generated strong opposition among some civil rights activists who feel they unfairly target Muslims.

"The term CVE has become a distraction, a catch-all phrase that is defined by both sides of the debate as either the cause of or solution to all society's problems," said Seamus Hughes, deputy director of George Washington University's Program on Extremism.

The changes also show how counter-radicalization efforts in the U.S. are gradually evolving from a criminal justice question to one focused on public health, said Salam Al-Marayati, president of the Los Angeles-based Muslim Public Affairs Council.

"The name change reflects a significant shift in the policy from a 'rooting out radicals in communities' frame to an 'empowering communities' frame," he said. "Government has heard our concerns. Non-law enforcement agencies are taking the lead. It's about civic engagement, honest conversations in communities and providing mental health support where needed."

But other Muslim activists worry the programs  whatever their names  are still too focused on Islamic extremists.

Shannon Erwin, director of the Boston-based Muslim Justice League, said the programs will still lead to profiling, monitoring and intelligence gathering of Muslims. The PEACE moniker, she said, only obscures how controversial the program is.

Michelle Hillman, a spokeswoman for the Massachusetts Executive Office for Health and Human Services, which is overseeing Boston's PEACE project, declined to respond to Erwin's comments or say how the agency came up with the new moniker.

But the program's intent to address violent extremism as a public health issue hasn't changed, she said.

PEACE's central aim is to "prevent people from joining organizations that promote, plan or engage" in violent extremism, according to a request this month for project proposals

Boston, like the other two pilot cities, was given about $220,000 in federal money to help kick-start local CVE-related efforts. Proposals for using the money are due mid-September.

In Los Angeles, where the mayor's office is leading efforts, grant money also has not yet been distributed, Al-Marayati said.

Minneapolis, which remains focused on addressing terrorist recruitment among its sizeable Somali community, awarded portions of its money to six community groups this year.

The federal Office for Community Partnerships, meanwhile, announced last month it was making available another $10 million to support up to 60 different initiatives across the country.

It is calling that effort the Countering Violent Extremism Grant Program.

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Follow Philip Marcelo at twitter.com/philmarcelo. His work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/journalist/philip-marcelo
ANA cancels flights to fix Rolls-Royce engines on Boeing 787

TOKYO (AP)  Japanese airline All Nippon Airways has started grounding Boeing 787 "Dreamliner" flights after detecting problems with their Rolls-Royce engines.

Nine domestic flights were canceled Friday, and others will be canceled through September. ANA says there will be no cancellations on international routes.

The airline operates a fleet of 50 Dreamliner jets. It has been repairing some of the 37 used on international routes since a problem with the engine was detected in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in February.

ANA spokesman Tetsuya Yokoi said the airline has decided to repair the 13 aircraft used for domestic flights too.
Unknown gunmen kill 6 policemen in southwest Pakistan

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP)  A police spokesman says unidentified assailants killed at least six tribal police officers and wounded two others in an overnight rocket and gun attack in southwest Pakistan.

Abdullah Rind, spokesman for the Levies tribal police, said Friday that the attack took place Thursday night near the Iranian border.

He says the assailants first fired a rocket and then opened fire on a vehicle carrying the police, who were returning from a border town near Iran. He says the motive behind the attack was not clear.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but separatist groups have waged a low-level insurgency in Baluchistan province for years.
Indonesia steps up fire response as haze blankets Singapore

JAKARTA, Indonesia (AP)  Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanketed a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze.

Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra, where millions of people are already affected by haze, across the city-state and into southern Malaysia.

The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Borneo by weather satellites has increased in the past month though they are below levels last year when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis.

A river taxi is dwarfed against the Marina Bay Sands Integrated Resort on a hazy day, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, in Singapore. Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanket a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze. Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra across the city-state and southern Malaysia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

Singapore's three-hour air pollution index was at 157 by late afternoon, after peaking at 215. Its environment agency doesn't give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

"The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside," said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work. "I'm having a cough and it's getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home," she said.

Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces which have a combined population of more than 23 million people have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect including aerial water drops.

The haze is an annual problem for Southeast Asia, but last year's fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbors. About 261,000 hectares (644,931 acres) burned, causing billions of dollars in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said Friday that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.

About 2,800 hectares (6,918 acres) have burned so far this year, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry.

Separately, Indonesia's Supreme Court has rejected an appeal by a palm oil company PT Kallista Alam that was ordered to pay compensation of 366 billion rupiah ($28 million) for burning peatlands, according to a decision published this month on the court's website.

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Associated Press writer Annabelle Liang in Singapore contributed to this report.

Tourists look at photographs taken on their smartphones in front of a hazy financial skyline on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 in Singapore. Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra across the city-state and southern Malaysia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)

A cleaner wears a mask to protect himself from the hazy weather while working on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 in Singapore. Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanket a swath of Southeast Asia in a smoky haze. Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra across the city-state and southern Malaysia. (AP Photo/Wong Maye-E)
UN official: For Afghan women 'glass is half full'

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  As the United States prepared to invade Taliban-ruled Afghanistan 15 years ago, then-First Lady Laura Bush took over her husband's weekly radio address to tell the American people that part of the reason for going to war after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was to liberate Afghan women from the brutality that had been forced on them by the extremists' regime.

As the war against the Taliban grinds on, Afghan women are still largely treated as property and barely a week goes by without news emerging of a woman or girl being stoned to death, burned with gasoline, beaten or tortured by her in-laws, traded to repay a debt, jailed for running away from a violent husband, or sold into marriage as a child.

Abuse of women in Afghanistan remains entrenched and endemic, despite constitutional guarantees of equality, protection from violence and age-old practices such as trading young women to pay debts.

File - In this Monday, July 18, 2016 file photo, Afghan officials check the body of Zarah, a pregnant teen, who died after she was set on fire in her husband's home, in a hospital in Kabul, Afghanistan. Fifteen years ago as the United States prepared to invade Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, then-First Lady Laura Bush took over her husbands weekly radio address to tell the American people that part of the reason for going to war after the attacks of September 11, 2001, was to liberate Afghan women from the brutality of the extremists regime. But abuse of women in Afghanistan remains entrenched and endemic, despite constitutional guarantees of equality. (AP Photos/Massoud Hossaini, File)

Earlier this month, news emerged from remote central Ghor province of Zarah, a pregnant 14-year-old who was allegedly tortured and set on fire by her in-laws as they took revenge on her father over a failed deal to marry one of their relatives.

Mohammad Azam, 45, traveled to the capital, Kabul, to call for justice for the killing of his daughter. Yet he too had taken a young bride as payment for construction work.

The British government said in a report in early July that "documented cases of violence against women have risen" in the first half of 2016, with 5,132 cases reported to the Afghanistan Independent Human Rights Commission, "including 241 murders."

Attending a small rally in western Kabul to support Azam's call for justice, women's rights activist Veeda Saghari said violence against women is largely ignored by Afghanistan's judicial sector.

"That is why all kinds of violence against women such as acid throwing, beating, stoning, informal community tribunal verdicts, burning, forced divorces, forced marriages, forced pregnancies, forced abortions have reached a peak," she said.

In fairness, much has improved for Afghan women since the Taliban were ejected from power. During five years of Taliban rule, women were not permitted to attend school or work, were largely confined to their homes, and subject to public beatings for violations of strict rules on what they could wear in public. When it came to their health, very few had access to doctors, and benchmarks such as maternal mortality were among the worst in the world.

Now millions of girls go to school, compared to practically none in 2001, and access to health care is widespread. The constitution protects women from the worst excesses they suffered before 2001. Figures published by the World Bank show a drop in maternal mortality, for instance, from 1,340 per 100,000 live births in 1990 to 396 in 2015.

Many women work for the government and security services, run their own business, and are elected to parliament. Figures from President Ashraf Ghani's office show 33 percent of all teachers are women, and there are 240 women judges. He has nominated four women as Cabinet ministers, appointed seven as deputy ministers and four as ambassadors.

Yet for most Afghan women, the struggles of today are little different to those under the Taliban. Many working women are targeted and often killed by extremists. High-profile lawmaker Shukria Barakzai, who ran a secret school for girls during the Taliban era, survived a suicide bomb attack in 2014, and was appointed ambassador to Norway last year.

But in impoverished and rural areas, girls can often be of less value to their families than their animals. A burns unit in the western city of Herat has a ward dedicated to treating young women who set themselves on fire, as much a cry for help as a suicide attempt. Women's prisons in major cities, including Kabul, hold hundreds of women accused of adultery for having sex outside marriage, as well as young women who have run away from home to escape arranged marriages or abusive, often much older, husbands.

Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of U.N. Women, has found that government officials, judges, clerics and educators are often receptive to the concepts of women's rights, as enshrined in the Afghan constitution. But, she said, "When we are dealing with extremism there is pushback, every step of the way there is pushback."

Following the fall of the Taliban, the Western push for women's rights led some Afghans to feel that Western values were being forced on them, she said, and that had led to problems of acceptance of women's rights as homegrown.

The situation is complicated by almost 40 years of conflict.

"We have a generation that has only known war, and at the same time you also have a generation that has been educated, that knows about the lives that are lived by people in other parts of the world. There has to be some confusion as people try to deal with all these issues," Mlambo-Ngcuka said, adding: "So the glass is half full."

That doesn't mean Afghanistan should be given special treatment, she said. "Rape is rape, physical violence is physical violence. So in our quest not to be overbearing and not to overshadow local efforts, I don't think that we should also move away and not talk about the universality of rights," she said.

As a member of the United Nations and signatory to the "same charters as all the other member states, we have to hold them to the same standards because the nation has actually signed on to the same value system as the other nations," she said.

"What is good for a child in Europe in terms of protection, in terms of making sure that they have a right to education, not to be married early, that is good for a child in Europe and it is good for a child in Afghanistan."

DILE - In this Monday, July 18, 2016 file photo, Mohammad Azam, 45, and father of Zarah, a pregnant teen who died after she was set on fire in her husband's home, talks during an interview in a tent in Kabul, Afghanistan. Azam traveled to the capital to call for justice for the killing of his daughter. (AP Photos/Massoud Hossaini, File)

In this Wednesday, July 20, 2016 photo, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, the executive director of U.N. Women, speaks during an interview with the Associated Press in Kabul, Afghanistan, Wednesday, July 20, 2016. She has found that government officials, judges, clerics and educators are often receptive to the concepts of womens rights, as enshrined in the Afghan constitution. But, she said, When we are dealing with extremism there is pushback, every step of the way there is pushback.(AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
Kuwaiti government employee arrested over IS online postings

KUWAIT CITY (AP)  Kuwait's Interior Ministry says a government employee has been arrested for spreading Islamic State ideology and hacking social media pages of "some friendly and sister countries."

The ministry identified the man arrested as Osman Zebn Naif, born in 1990, and said he confessed to being part of the Cyber Army of the Khilafah. That's a known group of hackers supporting the extremists in Iraq and Syria.

The ministry says it had monitored Naif for months and his statements led to the arrest of two people in Iraq and one in Jordan on Thursday night. It says he used his work computer for the hacking.

It wasn't clear Friday if Naif had a lawyer.
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The Central Bank of Armenia informs that on August 26 the USD exchange rate was 474.85 AMD which is an increase of 0.17 drams compared to the previous day.

Armenpress reports that the Euro decreased by 0.09 drams forming 536.06 drams. British pound dropped by 1.29 drams forming 626.71 drams, Russian ruble increased by 0.01 reaching 7.33 drams on August 26.

The prices for precious metals are as follows: the price for silver per gram is 282.44 AMD, gold-20,172 AMD, and platinum-16,396.52 AMD.
Tribe trucks totem pole 4,800 miles in fossil fuels protest

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP)  A Pacific Northwest tribe is traveling nearly 5,000 miles across Canada and the United States with a 22-foot-tall totem pole on a flatbed truck in a symbolic journey meant to galvanize opposition to fossil fuel infrastructure projects they believe will imperil native lands.

This is the fourth year the Lummi Nation in northwest Washington has embarked on a "totem journey" to try to create a unified front among tribes across North America that are individually fighting plans for coal terminals and crude oil pipelines in their backyards.

The highly visible tours, which include tribal blessing ceremonies at each stop, fit into a trend of Native American tribes bringing their environmental activism to the masses as they see firsthand the effects of climate change, said Robin Saha, a University of Montana associate professor who specializes in tribal issues and environmental justice.

Linda Soriano of the Lummi Nation performs a smudge ceremony at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, fanning smoke from burning sage with eagle feathers onto a totem pole, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The 22-foot-tall Lummi Nation totem pole is traveling nearly 5,000 miles across the U.S. and Canada to galvanize opposition to the development of fossil fuel infrastructure, particularly around sea ports in Oregon and Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

"I wouldn't go as far as to say there's an anti-development movement, but tribes are feeling the effects of climate change quite dramatically and are responding in a lot of different ways," Saha said. "Some of them feel as if they're not going to survive."

In North Dakota, for example, people from across the country and members of 60 tribes have gained international attention after gathering in opposition to the four-state Dakota Access oil pipeline. The totem pole heads to that site, near the Standing Rock Sioux's reservation, next week.

Tribes in the Pacific Northwest have protested publicly and taken legal action as West Coast ports have emerged as strategic locations for crude oil and coal companies to reach customers in energy-hungry Asia.

Seven crude oil or coal export terminals are proposed for conversion, expansion or construction on the Oregon and Washington coast. Some have already led to increased freight train traffic along the scenic Columbia River Gorge, where local tribes fish salmon.

A coalition of tribes turned out in June after an oil train derailed in Mosier. The oil from the derailment mostly burned off in a huge fire, but a small amount entered the Columbia River where the tribes have federally guaranteed fishing rights.

"We're all trying to unite our voices to make sure we're all speaking out," said Jewell James, a Lummi tribal member and head carver at the House of Tears Carvers.

In recent years, cheap natural gas has prompted many domestic utilities to abandon coal, driving down production at major mines in the Powder River Basin of Montana and Wyoming, the nation's largest coal producing region. Asian coal markets have become a potential lifeline for the mining industry  and Pacific Northwest ports are seen as the anchor.

The Lummi Nation launched a savvy public relations campaign last year against what would have been the nation's largest coal export terminal proposed for Cherry Point, Washington, at the heart of their ancestral homeland.

In May, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers denied a needed permit for the Gateway Pacific terminal after finding it would damage tribal fishing rights.

This year's 19-day totem trek started Tuesday in Vancouver, British Columbia, and makes a stop Friday in Longview, Washington, where a similar shipping terminal would export 44 million tons of coal annually to Asian markets. With the Gateway Pacific project on ice, the Longview project would now be the nation's largest coal export terminal.

It would mean 16 coal trains a day, mostly from mines in Montana and Wyoming, and an additional 1,600 round-trip vessel calls a year in the lower Columbia River, said Jasmine Zimmer-Stucky, senior organizer with the Columbia Riverkeeper. There are concerns that wake from the ships could strand juvenile salmon and affect tribal fishing, she said.

Bill Chapman, president and CEO of Millennium Bulk Terminals in Longview, said in an emailed response to questions that a draft environmental review by Washington state and county officials found there would be no effects to tribal fishing. Trains already run through the area on established tracks and have caused no issues, he added.

The terminal on the site of an old aluminum smelter plant would create hundreds of much-needed family wage jobs and is supported by labor unions, Chapman said.

"We're building on a location where industry has existed for over 70 years," he wrote. "Our export terminal is sited on a stretch of the Columbia River dotted with manufacturing plants and docks."

A third large coal terminal in Oregon was dealt a blow this month when a judge upheld the state's right to deny the project based on a similar threat to tribal fishing rights.

If proponents decide to appeal, the case will go to trial in November.

This year's brightly painted totem weighs 3,000 pounds and is carved of western red cedar. An eagle with a 12-foot wingspan sits on top, and the pole itself features a wolf and bear  symbols of leadership, cunning and courage  as well as white buffalo and tribal figures, said James, who has been carving totem poles for 44 years.

To the sounds of drums and a prayer song, the 22-foot-tall totem pole was blessed in a smudge ceremony at the entrance of Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle Thursday. Lummi Nation member Linda Soriano fanned smoke from burning sage, covering the pole in a haze as sun rays beamed down. She then fanned the smoke through the crowd gathered outside the church.

"Mother Earth is hurting," said Lummi Nation member Randy Peters Sr. as he began his prayer song, "Mother Earth has been hurting from all of the abuse that has been going on. The unsafe practices of the coal, and the mining and the transportation of energy."

Tribes in Oregon, Montana, Idaho, North Dakota, South Dakota and Canada will host the Lummi until their end point in Winnipeg, Manitoba, where tribes are fighting oil pipelines bound for the East Coast.

"You can't put a price on the sacred. Our land and our water are sacred," said Reuben George, manager of the Tsleil-Waututh Nation Sacred Trust Initiative in Vancouver, British Columbia, where his tribe is opposed to a major oil pipeline. "This totem pole represents our laws, our culture and our spirituality."

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Associated Press writers Manuel Valdes in Seattle and Matthew Brown in Billings, Montana, contributed to this report.

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Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus .

Linda Soriano of the Lummi Nation performs a smudge ceremony at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, fanning smoke from burning sage with eagle feathers onto a totem pole, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The 22-foot-tall Lummi Nation totem pole is traveling nearly 5,000 miles across the U.S. and Canada to galvanize opposition to the development of fossil fuel infrastructure, particularly around sea ports in Oregon and Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

Linda Soriano of the Lummi Nation performs a smudge ceremony at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, fanning smoke from burning sage with eagle feathers onto a totem pole, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The 22-foot-tall Lummi Nation totem pole is traveling nearly 5,000 miles across the U.S. and Canada to galvanize opposition to the development of fossil fuel infrastructure, particularly around sea ports in Oregon and Washington. (AP Photo/Manuel Valdes)

In this Tuesday, Aug. 23, 2016 photo, Matthew Pearson, left, of Bellingham, Wash., views a traveling totem pole with his son Graham, in Bellingham. A Pacific Northwest tribe has begun a nearly 5,000 mile road trip with a 22-foot-tall totem pole in tow. The Lummi Nation embarked on its fourth totem journey since 2012 to galvanize opposition to coal and crude oil projects it says could imperil native lands. (Robert Mittendorf/The Bellingham Herald via AP)
Girl's killing is New Mexico's latest horrific child death

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP)  The killing this week of a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl who was drugged, raped and dismembered is just the latest horrific child slaying case for New Mexico, which has the nation's highest youth poverty rate and a state government that has had heavily publicized difficulties protecting children from abuse.

Victoria Martens was not known to have been a victim of previous violent abuse. But officials acknowledged Friday that the man accused of injecting her with methamphetamine before raping her was not being monitored by probation officers or tested for drugs as mandated by a judge last year.

In that case, 31-year-old Fabian Gonzales was arrested for beating another woman in a car with a baby inside it while the woman was driving and ended up pleading no contest to two misdemeanor crimes that kept him out of jail. Corrections department officials said Friday they never got the judge's order for him to be supervised by probation officers.

This Aug. 25, 2016 booking photo provided by the Metropolitan Detention Center shows Michelle Martens. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez says what happened to the little girl "is unspeakable and justice should come down like a hammer" on whoever is responsible. Officer Tanner Tixier said in a news release Wednesday, Aug. 24, that charges are being filed against Martens, Fabian Gonzales, and Jessica Kelley.(Metropolitan Detention Center via AP)

Victoria's death follows a 40-year prison sentence handed down in May for an Albuquerque woman for the 2013 kicking death of her 9-year-old son. That case prompted an overhaul of the New Mexico state agency that investigates child abuse.

That same month, an 11-year Navajo girl was taken to a desolate area by a stranger who sexually assaulted her, bludgeoned her and left her to die.

"We have a litany of little angels who are crying at us from the grave," said Allen Sanchez, executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops.

New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Secretary Monique Jacobson said Friday that state records showed no prior cases involving violence or sexual abuse against Victoria. The agency has joined police in the investigation into the death.

Jacobson said she was prohibited by law from disclosing whether the agency had received any other complaints related to Victoria, described by neighbors from her blue-collar apartment complex as a seemingly happy and sociable girl who loved to swim and dance.

The others charged in Victoria's death are her mother, Michelle Martens, and Gonzales' cousin Jessica Kelley. While Martens has no online record of an arrest in New Mexico, she told police Kelley had been released from jail just days before Victoria's death.

The three face charges of child abuse resulting in death, kidnapping and tampering with evidence. Gonzales and Kelley are also charged of criminal sexual penetration of a minor.

There were conflicting reports from state officials Friday over communication of probation requirements imposed on Gonzales between court administrators and the New Mexico Department of Corrections.

Deputy Corrections Secretary Alex Sanchez said her agency never received a judgment and sentence order mandating supervised probation for Gonzales. It was meant to ensure he committed no crimes and threatened jail time as punishment for violations like illegal drug use.

Second Judicial District Court spokesman Tim Korte said records show the documents were forwarded to the corrections department in February 2015.

Martens worked at a local grocery store, said neighbors who knew little else about her, and told detectives she met Gonzales online about a month before her daughter's death.

Victoria's grieving grandparents and other relatives said they were thankful to first-responders, investigating authorities and community members who offered prayers, said minister and family spokeswoman Laura Bobbs.

"Children have few rights and no one to speak for them," Bobbs said. "Today, I speak for the children and the voice of Victoria. Parents, communities and governments need to put our children first because they are our future."

Other high-profile New Mexico child killing cases include a woman sentenced last year to 21 years in prison for smothering her infant daughter to avoid hearing her cry and a man sentenced to 63 years for raping and killing his baby daughter.

Those stories made national headlines, but Victoria's slaying is drawing deeper condemnation.

New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez said it was more troubling than all crimes she handled during a 25-year career as a state prosecutor before her election to the state's top post in 2010.

"I personally took on some of the most brutal, violent, gut-wrenching cases our state has ever seen. This has to be the worst," she said in a statement Friday.

Sanchez suggested deaths like Victoria's could be prevented if state child welfare case workers made more home visits and New Mexico implemented a statewide pre-kindergarten program. Research shows both help reduce to reduce child abuse and poverty, he said.

"We should get on this now," Sanchez said. "It's going to take a whole generation before we see real change."

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This story corrects that Sanchez is executive director of the New Mexico Conference of Catholic Bishops, not the CEO of New Mexico Voices for Children.

___

Follow Russell Contreras on Twitter at www.twitter.com/russcontreras and Susan Montoya Bryan at www.twitter.com/susanmbryanNM

This Aug. 25, 2016 booking photo provided by the Metropolitan Detention Center shows Fabian Gonzales. Albuquerque police are charging Gonzales along with two other people in the death of a 10-year-old girl a killing called "unspeakable" by the state's governor. Officer Tanner Tixier said in a news release Wednesday, Aug. 24, that charges are being filed against Gonzales, Michelle Martens, and Jessica Kelley. (Metropolitan Detention Center via AP)

This undated photo provided by the Metropolitan Detention Center shows Jessica Kelley. On the day Victoria Martens was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, she was found dead in her family's apartment by Albuquerque police officers. Details of what New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez and law enforcement officials described as an unspeakable crime emerged Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in a criminal complaint made public and filed against the girl's mother, her boyfriend and his cousin, Jessica Kelley. (Metropolitan Detention Center via AP)

A memorial for a 10-year-old girl who police said was sexually assaulted, strangled then dismembered is seen at an Albuquerque, N.M., apartment building Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. On the day the girl was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, she was found dead Wednesday in her family's apartment by Albuquerque police, her dismembered remains lying under a burning blanket. The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Martens, her 31-year-old boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, and his 31-year-old cousin, Jessica Kelley, are facing charges. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

Women mourn near the apartment in Albuquerque, N.M., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, where the body of a 10-year-old girl who police said was sexually assaulted, strangled then dismembered was found. On the day the girl was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, she was found dead Wednesday in her family's apartment by Albuquerque police, her dismembered remains lying under a burning blanket. The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Martens, her 31-year-old boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, and his 31-year-old cousin, Jessica Kelley, are facing charges. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF LAST NAME TO MARTENS, NOT MARTEN - In this Thursday Aug. 25, 2016 photo, from left to right, Nicole Maldonado, Myriah Flores, and her mother Sharlene Benavidez attend a candlelight vigil for 10-year-old Victoria Martens at the apartment complex, Thursday Aug. 25, 2016, in Albuquerque, N.M., where the young girl lived and was killed. (Jim Thompson/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF LAST NAME TO MARTENS, NOT MARTEN - In this Thursday Aug. 25, 2016 photo, a couple hundred people attend a candlelight vigil for 10-year-old Victoria Martens at the apartment complex, Thursday Aug. 25, 2016, in Albuquerque, N.M., where the young girl lived and was killed. (Jim Thompson/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

CORRECTS SPELLING OF LAST NAME TO MARTENS, NOT MARTEN - In this Thursday Aug. 25, 2016 photo, Destiny Banks, at right, comforts her friends Jessica Quintana and Estrella Hurtado after a candlelight vigil for 10-year-old Victoria Martens at the apartment complex, Thursday Aug. 25, 2016, in Albuquerque, N.M., where the young girl lived and was killed. (Jim Thompson/The Albuquerque Journal via AP)

A memorial for a 10-year-old Albuquerque girl who police said was sexually assaulted, strangled then dismembered is shown at an Albuquerque apartment on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 On the day a girl was going to celebrate her 10th birthday, she was found dead Wednesday in her family's apartment by Albuquerque police, her dismembered remains lying under a burning blanket. The girl's mother, 35-year-old Michelle Marten, her 31-year-old boyfriend, Fabian Gonzales, and his 31-year-old cousin, Jessica Kelley, are facing charges. (AP Photo/Russell Contreras)
Poll: Germans for at least partial ban on face-covering veil

BERLIN (AP)  A poll in Germany suggests that a large majority favors at least a partial ban on the face-covering veils used by some Muslim women.

Security officials from Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservative bloc last week proposed a ban on wearing the burqa and other face-covering veils in public schools, courts, while driving and in some other situations. However, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere opposes a blanket ban on wearing such veils in public, pointing to constitutional problems.

A survey of 1,008 people by the Infratest dimap agency for ARD television, released Friday, found that 51 percent favored a blanket ban and 30 percent a partial ban. It found that 15 percent opposed any ban.
3 children taken after mom's killing are back in California

LOS ANGELES (AP)  Three young children kidnapped from the Los Angeles area after their mother was killed have been returned to California from New Mexico as investigators shift their focus to filling in the gaps in the case.

The children, between 2 and 5, were flown back to the Los Angeles area Thursday, Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Steve Katz said.

They're in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, which will decide whether they can be placed with family members.

This undated booking photo released by the Pueblo, Colo., Police Department shows Joshua Robertson, and Brittany Humphrey. Eleven days after the body of a woman was found in the Los Angeles area, the couple suspected of killing her and kidnapping her three children have been arrested in Colorado. Robertson, and Humphrey, were arrested Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 without incident in Pueblo, Colo. about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs. The couple was wanted in connection with the death of Humphrey's half-sister, Kimberly Harvill, whose body was found with multiple gunshot wounds along a road in a remote area of Los Angeles County on Aug. 14. (Pueblo Police Department via AP)

Meanwhile, Joshua Aaron Robertson, 27, and Brittney Humphrey, 22, were being held without bond in Pueblo, Colorado, where they were arrested without incident Thursday.

It was unclear whether they had attorneys.

Robertson and Humphrey are considered persons of interest in the death of Humphrey's half-sister, 26-year-old Kimberly Harvill, whose body was found with gunshot wounds along a road in a remote area of Los Angeles County on Aug. 14.

Katz said detectives were expected to fly to Colorado on Saturday to interview the couple about Harvill.

"We really do need to find a few more pieces to the puzzle to get a better idea of events and how they transpired," Katz said.

During the search, authorities said Humphrey and Robertson should be considered armed and dangerous. They were found as Pueblo police officers conducted an unrelated fugitive roundup at a motel.

A baby girl belonging to Robertson was found unharmed and was in state custody.

Katz said he didn't know whether the couple had a gun at the time and Pueblo police declined to answer questions about the case.

A day before the couple was arrested, Harvill's three children were found safe at a motel on the outskirts of Albuquerque, New Mexico. Police said Robertson and Humphrey had asked a man at the motel to watch the kids, and he called police when the couple didn't return.

The children's father, Kenneth Chad Watkins, killed himself by lying in front of a train last September, according to the Fresno County coroner.

Harvill and the children had most recently lived in Fresno and were transitory, moving from motel to motel, Katz said, adding that they depended on panhandling to survive.

In the days before her death, Harvill was staying with the children in Lebec, an unincorporated area of Los Angeles County where authorities said Robertson and Humphrey were living and where Harvill was killed.

Harvill, Humphrey and Robertson were all involved with methamphetamines, detectives said.

Investigators said they knew of no ongoing conflict between the sisters.

___

Follow Amanda Lee Myers on Twitter at https://twitter.com/AmandaLeeAP. Her work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/amanda-lee-myers.

ADDS NAMES OF VICTIMS - This photo combination provided by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department shows Joshua Robertson and Brittany Humphrey, who authorities are seeking in connection with the killing of Kimberly Harvill and kidnapping of her three small children. Authorities say the couple may have left California with the children, Rylee Watkins, 5, Brayden Watkins, 3, and Joslynn Watkins, 2. (Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department via AP)

Los Angeles County Sheriff's Lt. Joe Mendoza speaks about a woman's killing and the kidnapping of her three children, at a news conference at the Hall of Justice in downtown Los Angeles, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. Joshua Aaron Robertson and Brittany Humphrey are wanted in the killing of Humphrey's half-sister, Kimberly Harvill, and the kidnapping of Harvill's three young children. Harvill's body was found Aug. 14 with multiple gunshot wounds along a road in a remote area of Los Angeles County. (AP Photo/Amanda Lee Myers)
Quake damaged roads threaten access to Italy town

AMATRICE, Italy (AP)  Rescue workers acknowledged Friday they might not find any more survivors from Italy's earthquake as they confronted a new obstacle to their recovery work: a powerful aftershock that damaged two key access bridges to hard-hit Amatrice, threatening to isolate it.

Mayor Sergio Pirozzi, warned that if new roads weren't quickly cleared to bypass the damaged ones, Amatrice risked being cut off at a time it needs as many transport options as possible to bring emergency crews in and some of the 281 dead out.

"With the aftershocks yesterday but especially this morning the situation has worsened considerably," Pirozzi told reporters. "We have to make sure Amatrice does not become isolated, or risk further help being unable to get through."

A man and woman comfort each other in front of a collapsed house, in Amatrice, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Rescue crews have raced against time since a devastating earthquake leveled three towns in central Italy last Wednesday Aug. 23, leaving hundreds dead. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

The biggest aftershock struck at 6:28 a.m., one of the more than 1,000 that have hit the area since Wednesday's quake. The U.S. Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8.

It left one key access bridge to Amatrice unusable, and damaged another one. Crews began clearing trees to create an alternate bypass road to avoid the nearly 40-kilometer (25-mile) detour up and down mountain roads that they were forced to use Friday, slowing the rescue effort.

Even before the roads were shut down, traffic into and out of Amatrice was horribly congested with emergency vehicles and dump trucks carrying tons of concrete, rocks and metal down the single-lane roads.

Multiple ambulances were also bringing the dead to an airport hangar in the provincial capital of Rieti, where four big white refrigerated trucks created a makeshift morgue to which relatives came in a steady stream Friday.

Premier Matteo Renzi declared a state of emergency and authorized 50 million euros ($56 million) for immediate quake relief. The Italian government also declared Saturday a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by President Sergio Mattarella.

Thirty-four caskets were lined up in a gym in Ascoli Piceno ahead of Saturday's Mass. A memorial service for the Amatrice victims is scheduled for next week.

The first private funeral took place in Rome on Friday for the son of a provincial police chief who was honored at one of Rome's most important basilicas. One of Pope Francis' top advisers celebrated a funeral Mass for seven other victims south of Rome.

Rescue efforts continued, but by nightfall, two full days had passed since the last person was extracted alive from the rubble.

"There is still hope to find survivors under the rubble, even in these hours," Walter Milan, a rescue worker, said Friday. But he conceded: "Certainly, it will be very unlikely."

The head of the firefighting squad, Bruno Frattasi, said there was always hope of finding someone alive. But by Friday he was talking more about time running out and recovery efforts.

"We hope to recover all the bodies," he said. "It's necessary because even if they didn't make it, they must be returned to their families."

He said the toll had stabilized in the Arquata area of eastern Le Marche region, with 49 dead and no one else unaccounted for. In Amatrice, the situation was more uncertain; Mayor Pirozzi has estimated there could still be 15 people unaccounted for.

The vast majority of the dead were found in leveled Amatrice, the medieval hilltop town famous for its bacon and tomato pasta sauce. On Friday, three more bodies were pulled from the rubble in Amatrice, bringing the death toll there to 221.

On Friday, Pirozzi insisted the historic center of the town would be rebuilt as it was  not left to rubble and a "New Town" built. That was the strategy used in L'Aquila in nearby Abruzzo, where the historic center was demolished in the 2009 quake and modern housing built miles away for residents.

"I don't want  and this is shared by everyone  a ghetto," Pirozzi said of the widely criticized "New Town" model. "Each community must remain where it is because what is needed is a sense of belonging."

He said local and regional leaders also agreed that temporary housing for the homeless will involve pre-fab Alpine-style villas in the places where existing communities were, complete with schools, saying the important thing was to give residents hope and keep their sense of community.

"I'm convinced Amatrice will be reborn, because no night is long enough to prevent the sun from rising," he said.

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Winfield reported from Rome. Associated Press writers Frances D'Emilio in Rieti, Italy, and Francesco Sportelli in Amatrice, Italy, contributed to this report.

Rescuers carry away a body of a woman found in a collapsed house, in Amatrice, central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Wednesday's earthquake. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A family looks as rescuers recover a body of a relative from a collapsed house, in Amatrice, central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Wednesday's earthquake. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

An earthquake survivor is carried on a wheel chair in a tent camp set up as a temporary shelter following an earthquake in Pescara Del Tronto, Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Rescue crews rattled by aftershocks dug through crumbled homes Thursday looking for earthquake survivors as donations began pouring into the area and Italy again anguished over its failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from the country's highly seismic terrain. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Rescuers work amid collapsed building in Amatrice, central Italy, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Rescue crews raced against time Thursday looking for survivors from the earthquake that leveled three towns in central Italy and Italy once again anguished over trying to secure its medieval communities built on seismic lands. (Italian Firefighters Vigili del Fuoco via AP)

A volunteer takes some rest in a makeshift camp set up inside a gymnasium following an earthquake, in Amatrice, central Italy, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Rescue crews rattled by aftershocks dug through crumbled homes Thursday looking for earthquake survivors as donations began pouring into the area and Italy again anguished over its failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from the country's highly seismic terrain. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Earthquake survivors walk in a tent camp set up as temporary shelter after an earthquake in Pescara Del Tronto, Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Rescue crews rattled by aftershocks dug through crumbled homes Thursday looking for earthquake survivors as donations began pouring into the area and Italy again anguished over its failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from the country's highly seismic terrain. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

This combination of two satellite images provided by DigitalGlobe shows tents in a field, top, in Amatrice, Italy on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 following an earthquake, left, and April 21, 2014. Aftershocks in central Italy rattled residents and rescue workers alike Thursday, as crews worked to find more earthquake survivors and the country anguished over its repeated failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from seismic catastrophes. (DigitalGlobe via AP)

A man is given personal belongings after rescuers recovered the body of a woman from the collapsed house, in Amatrice, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Rescue crews have raced against time since a devastating earthquake leveled three towns in central Italy last Wednesday Aug. 23, leaving hundreds dead. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Sister Marjana Lleshi gets emotional during an interview with the Associated Press in Ascoli Piceno, Italy, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Sister Mariana, a 32-year-old from Albania, was one of three nuns and an elderly woman who survived the earthquake that hit central Italy early Wednesday when she escaped a collapsing convent in Amatrice, a medieval hilltop town. When the quake struck, half of the convent collapsed, three nuns and four elderly women are still missing. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

People look at a family photos that were found by rescuers in a collapsed house, in Amatrice, central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Wednesday's earthquake. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Rescuers line up to have breakfast, in Amatrice, central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Italy's earthquake . (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

A group of rescuers from China arrives in Amatrice to take part in search and rescue operations two days after a deadly earthquake hit central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Wednesday's earthquake. (Flavio Lo Scalzo/ANSA via AP)

This picture taken on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016 shows the crumbling hulk of the Hotel Roma in Amatrice, central Italy, where a strong quake had hit a few hours earlier. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Italy's earthquake. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

Aerial view of the village of Saletta in central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, where a strong quake hit early Wednesday. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors as donations began pouring into the area and Italy again anguished over its failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from the country's highly seismic terrain. (AP Photo/Localteam)

Aerial view of the village of Saletta in central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, where a strong quake hit early Wednesday. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors as donations began pouring into the area and Italy again anguished over its failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from the country's highly seismic terrain. (AP Photo/Localteam)

Aerial view of Accumoli in central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, where a strong quake hit early Wednesday. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors as donations began pouring into the area and Italy again anguished over its failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from the country's highly seismic terrain. (AP Photo/Localteam)

Aerial view of the village of Saletta in central Italy, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, where a strong quake hit early Wednesday. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors as donations began pouring into the area and Italy again anguished over its failure to protect ancient towns and modern cities from the country's highly seismic terrain. (AP Photo/Localteam)
Trump immigration waffle reflects voter confusion on issue

AKRON, Ohio (AP)  Dean Green supports Donald Trump partly because of the GOP presidential nominee's tough, deport-them-all stance on illegal immigration. But the 57-year-old Republican paused as he complained about U.S. immigration policy and acknowledged that deporting all 11 million people in the U.S. illegally would separate families.

"I don't want to break up families," Green said.

It has been 30 years since the country embarked on an immigration overhaul, and the ambivalence of voters like Green is one reason why. Polls often show that majorities favor letting people illegally in the U.S. stay and also back tougher laws to deport them.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

"The electorate is conflicted and that's a fundamental problem," said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. "This is such an emotional issue that reason and facts have very little to do with how people stand."

Trump is now either caught up in, or trying to exploit, that contradiction as he considers "softening" his controversial immigration stance. He won the GOP primaries on the strength of an aggressive immigration policy, calling for the immediate deportation of the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally and construction of a Mexican border wall. But as he trails in the polls and struggles to overcome record lows with minority voters, he has sounded a softer tone.

"To take a person who's been here 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, it's so tough," Trump told a Fox News town hall, quoting what some "really strong" supporters had said to him. He even polled the audience on whether to allow some people in the country illegally to stay, a key part of President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's agendas.

Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, which advocates for an immigration overhaul that would let people in the country illegally remain here while increasing border security, said that Trump's words mean little until he commits to a real policy change. But just the fact that the candidate has to utter them is telling, he said.

"Opposition is not just toxic with Latinos and Asians and African-Americans, but with white voters," Schulte said.

A Pew survey released Thursday found 24 percent of the public favoring toughening border security first and 29 percent letting people stay in the country. Forty-five percent called for both. Trump's proposed wall is opposed by 61 percent of the country but backed by 78 percent of his supporters.

Views of immigrants have shifted over time, but remain conflicted, said Mark Lopez of Pew. In the early 1990s, two-thirds of Americans surveyed by Pew characterized immigrants as a burden on society, but now nearly two-thirds see them as a benefit. Lopez noted that happened as large numbers of immigrants settled in the U.S. and had children. However, a Pew survey last year found 50 percent of Americans believe immigrants make the economy worse compared to 28 percent who believe they make it better. (The survey did find majorities think immigrants improve food and music.)

Immigration has created complications for both parties. During the Democratic primary, as she courted groups that favor a softer stance on immigration, Clinton had to disavow her prior opposition to providing driver's licenses for people here illegally and also her support for deporting Central American children who flooded the border in 2014.

But the Democrat's contradictions are dwarfed by those in the GOP. During the GOP primary Trump slammed rivals like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for backing "amnesty"  letting people here illegally remain. But in exit polls in 20 primary states, 53 percent of Republican voters supported letting those immigrants stay, even as Trump won the primaries.

Ayres recalled a focus group in the Deep South during which conservative voters complained about illegal immigrants. One man said he wanted them to pay taxes, work and learn English. Ayres told the man that was precisely the bipartisan proposal that had passed the Senate in 2013 and was being held up in the Republican-controlled House. "But that's amnesty," the man responded. "I don't support that."

"That's when I turned around and cracked my head against the wall," Ayres said.

Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, which pushes for less immigration, sees Trump's shift through that prism. "Trump is much more like an average American than he is like a politician," said Beck, whose group still downgraded Trump in its voter guide this week. "He's thinking about these things, people are talking to him and he's reflecting that."

Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which also advocates for less immigration, doesn't think the Republican nominee should be cut any slack. Trump has changed his position on many issues, but immigration is the one that launched his candidacy, he said.

"Without the immigration issue, the words 'President Trump' would still be a 'Simpsons' joke,' " Krikorian said.

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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 holds a roundtable meeting with the Republican Leadership Initiative in his offices at Trump Tower in New York, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Dr. Ben Carson is seated next to Trump at center. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
Clinton says controversies behind her; Trump begs to differ

NEW YORK (AP)  Hillary Clinton vigorously defended her family's foundation against Donald Trump's criticism on Friday and declared she's confident there will be no major further accusations involving the foundation, her emails or anything else that could undermine her chances of defeating him in November.

She said the private Clinton Foundation's charitable programs would continue if she's elected, even as Trump and other critics argue they would present a conflict of interest.

In an interview on MSNBC's "Morning Joe," the Democratic presidential nominee kept up her verbal assault on Trump's campaign, asserting it is built on "prejudice and paranoia" and caters to a radical fringe of the Republican Party.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton pauses as she speaks at a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College, in Reno, Nev., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

Clinton is looking to counter Trump's attempts to win over moderate voters who have been unsettled by some of his remarks and policy proposals. In the meantime, he has been softening his tone on immigration and reaching out to African-Americans, a traditional Democratic constituency.

Clinton is also targeting moderate voters  and especially Republicans  by depicting Trump and his supporters as extremists, and casting the race as "not a normal choice between a Republican and a Democrat." She has contrasted Trump with former Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Bob Dole, and former President George W. Bush, praising their decisive steps to counter racism and anti-Muslim sentiment.

In turn, Trump is trying to paint Clinton as the racist.

He has released an online video that includes footage of the former first lady referring to some young criminals as "super predators" in the 1990s. The video also shows Clinton's former Democratic rival, Bernie Sanders, denouncing the phrase as "a racist term." Clinton has since apologized.

Trump tweeted Friday: "How quickly people forget that Crooked Hillary called African-American youth "SUPER PREDATORS" - Has she apologized?"

Trump says Clinton is trying to distract from questions swirling around donations to the Clinton Foundation and her use of her private email servers for official business while secretary of state. On Friday, he also continued his recent push to broaden his base of support among minority voters, convening a roundtable with Latino backers at his hotel in Las Vegas.

But his new outreach comes amid his own mixed signals on his immigration plan, including whether or not he would stick with a primary campaign promise to deport 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

In her phone interview with MSNBC, Clinton was asked if she was certain there are no emails or Clinton Foundation ties to foreign entities that would affect her presidential prospects. She replied, "I am sure," and mentioned her strong understanding about the foundation's work.

But neither that issue nor her emails appears to be going away soon.

The State Department now says it doesn't expect to publicly produce all the detailed daily schedules showing meetings by Clinton covering her time as secretary of state before Election Day.

The agency told The Associated Press it expects to release the last of the files around Dec. 30. The AP's lawyers asked the department late Friday to hasten its efforts and provide all of her minute-by-minute schedules by Oct. 15. The department did not immediately respond.

The schedules took on new importance this week after the AP analyzed the ones released so far and found that more than half the people outside the government who met or spoke by telephone with Clinton during the first half of her time as secretary of state had given money  either personally or through companies or groups  to the Clinton Foundation. The AP's analysis focused on people with private interests and excluded her meetings or calls with federal employees or foreign government representatives.

On Friday, Clinton promised to put in place additional safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest with her foundation should she win the White House.

"I appreciate the concerns that people have expressed, and that's why I have made it clear that if I'm successful in November we are going to be taking additional steps," she said. She said the foundation's charitable programs has been "in line with American interests and values" and must continue, perhaps through partnerships with other organizations.

Top Republicans have found common ground with Trump in his criticism of the Clinton Foundation and her use of the email server. But they have been noticeably quiet in defending Trump against Clinton's charges of racism in his campaign.

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Lerer reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Jonathan Lemire contributed from Las Vegas and Jill Colvin from Washington.

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Follow Lerer on Twitter at @llerer and Thomas at @kthomasDC

___

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

Former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson during Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump's roundtable meeting with the Republican Leadership Initiative in his offices at Trump Tower in New York, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton takes cellphone photos with people in the audience at a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nev., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
The Latest: Turkish PM says EU refugee deal could collapse

BUDAPEST, Hungary (AP)  The Latest on Europe's migration issues (all times local):

1:00 p.m.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim has warned that Europe risks facing a "huge regional" refugee problem if a deal with Turkey to stem the flow of migrants collapses.

A migrant child eats at a makeshift camp for migrants in Horgos, Serbia, meters away from Serbia's border with Hungary, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Officials say Hungary's police could join the Serbian troops patrolling the Balkan country's border with Macedonia or Bulgaria to help curb the influx of migrants trying to reach the European Union. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)

Turkey is demanding that the European Union ease visa restrictions for Turkish citizens and has threatened not to implement an agreement with the EU to take back refugees. Turkey is also demanding that the EU deliver promised funds to help Turkey improve conditions for close to 3 million Syrian refugees.

Yildirim said if the visa-waver deal and the agreement for the refugee's return are not implemented, "the refugee issue will not remain within Turkey's borders, it risks turning into a huge regional problem that will concern the whole of Europe."

Plans to loosen visa restrictions have run into trouble over Turkey's refusal to amend its anti-terror laws at a time when it is fighting heightened threats from the Kurdish rebels and the Islamic State group.

Yildirim was speaking in Istanbul during a joint news conference with his visiting Bulgarian counterpart.

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9:55 a.m.

Romanian border police say they are investigating more than two dozen migrants on suspicion of illegally crossing into Romania from Serbia.

Police said in a statement they detected the group  26 adults, a 10-month-old baby and a 3-year-old child  shortly after midnight Friday in southwest Romania, by using heat-detecting equipment.

They said they detained a Serbian man who was later spotted heading toward the Serbian border on the same route the migrants had used. He is suspected of being a guide for the 27 Syrians and an Iraqi citizen.

Police say 600 migrants have tried to illegally cross into Romania this year, about 40 percent less than for the same period in 2015.

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9:50 a.m.

Hungary's prime minister says the country will build a new "massive" fence on its southern borders to defend against a possible surge in the number of migrants.

Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who earlier said migrants were "poison," said Friday on state radio that there may soon be a "greater need for security" and the fortified barrier would be able to stop "several hundreds of thousands of people," if needed. He did not say when construction could start.

Orban said the surge could take place if, for example, Turkey allows the millions of refugees living there to leave for Western Europe.

Hungary built fences protected with razor wire on its southern borders with Serbia and Croatia last year, when nearly 400,000 people passed through the country on their way west.
American University in Kabul starts repair work after attack

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP)  After a deadly attack this week, the American University of Afghanistan says it has started repair work at its sprawling campus on the edge of Kabul.

A statement posted Friday on its website says the campus is closed and all work "temporarily suspended" but that security is being put in place so the campus can reopen soon. It says "rumors" of it is closing are untrue.

The university lost at least seven students and a professor in the militant attack Wednesday night, when a suicide bomber detonated his vehicle at the campus gates while two militants stormed the grounds, gunning down students.

Afghan security forces stand guard after an attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The attack has ended, a senior police officer said Thursday, after several people were killed. Kabul police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said the dead included one guard, and that about 700 students had been rescued. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

At least 13 people died and more than 40 were wounded.

The university has about 1,000 students. No group has so far claimed responsibility for the attack.

Smoke rises from a complex after an attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The attack has ended, a senior police officer said Thursday, after several people were killed. Kabul police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said the dead included one guard, and that about 700 students had been rescued. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)

Afghan security forces stand guard after an attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The attack has ended, a senior police officer said Thursday, after several people were killed. Kabul police Chief Abdul Rahman Rahimi said the dead included one guard, and that about 700 students had been rescued. (AP Photo/Rahmat Gul)
YEREVAN, AUGUST 26, ARMENPRESS. The death toll in a recent devastating quake in central Italy has risen to 278 people, Armenpress reports, citing Sputnik, Italy's RaiNews24 reported on Friday.



The deadly 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the mountainous regions of Umbria, Lazio and Marche in the early hours of Wednesday, causing extensive damage and around 650 aftershocks continuing 48 hours later. Earlier official reports indicated at least 268 people killed and 387 injured in the quake. Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi declared a state of emergency in the regions following an emergency Cabinet session late Thursday, and released an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($56 million) in emergency aid to the affected areas.



Earlier, Armenian consulate in Italy had informed there were no Armenians among the victims.
Alabama House narrowly approves governor's proposed lottery

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP)  The Alabama House of Representatives narrowly approved Gov. Robert Bentley's proposed state lottery Thursday night after 10 hours of contentious debate and two vote attempts.

Legislators clapped and cheered as the bill passed shortly before midnight on a 64-35 vote, exceeding the 63 votes required to pass the chamber. The bill now moves to the Alabama Senate where senators must decide whether to go along with mostly minor House changes to the legislation.

The Republican governor, seeking to end the Deep South state's historic opposition to gambling as a revenue source, proposed a lottery as a way to provide money to the state's perpetually cash-strapped Medicaid program. Alabama would become the 45th state with a lottery if lawmakers and voters approve the idea.

Rep. Alan Harper, R-Northport, takes part in discussion of the proposed lottery bill on the floor of the house of representatives during the Special Session of the Alabama Legislature in Montgomery, Ala., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)

Rep. Craig Ford, D- Gadsden, speaks during debate on the proposed lottery bill on the floor of the house of representatives during the Special Session of the Alabama Legislature in Montgomery, Ala., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via AP)
Turkey unveils 3rd Istanbul bridge linking Europe with Asia

ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkey opened one of the world's largest bridges Friday designed to allow traffic to cross the Bosphorus Strait between Europe and Asia and ease congestion in Istanbul.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan oversaw a ceremony inaugurating the $3 billion Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, which is touted by its Turko-Italian developers as the world's broadest suspension bridge at 58.4 meters (192 feet) wide.

The toll bridge, spanning 1,408 meters (4,620 feet) over the Bosphorus, features 10 lanes, including two rail lines. At 322 meters (1,056 feet), officials say the bridge's 322-meter (1,056-foot) towers are also the tallest in the world.

Red and white balloons, symbolising the colours of Turkish national flag, float in the air during the inauguration of the new Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (Tolga Adanali, Depo Photos via AP)

It becomes Istanbul's third bridge spanning the strategic strait.

"This bridge upon which we look with pride will hopefully be a pioneer for many things. ... We will be proud of it, you will see. International movies will be filmed here, you will see," Erdogan told the audience, among them the king of Bahrain, dignitaries from several other countries and hundreds of citizens.

Some vehicles were permitted to cross the bridge for the first time Friday, while the general public can start using it Saturday, Erdogan said.

Located near the Black Sea coast north of Istanbul, the bridge is expected to ease traffic gridlock in the city of 15 million, in part because heavy trucks will be required to use it rather than the two older bridges nearer the city.

Not everybody likes the bridge's name. It honors a 16th century Ottoman sultan, Selim, whom the Alevi religious minority blames for instigating a massacre of their people five centuries ago.

Environmental groups have criticized the destruction of forests to build approach roads to the bridge.

The bridge forms part of the 257-kilometer (160-mile) North Marmara Highway, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2018.

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, hours before an inauguration ceremony in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (AP Photo)

Turkey's Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar prays during the inauguration of the new Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.(Tolga Adanali, Depo Photos via AP)

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim speaks during the inauguration of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (Tolga Adanali/Depo Photos via AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the inauguration of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge overthe Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.(Tolga Adanali/Depo Photos via AP)

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge,the third bridge over the Bosporus, hours before an inauguration ceremony in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (Tolga Adanali, Depo Photos via AP)

The Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge,the third bridge over the Bosporus, hours before an inauguration ceremony in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (Tolga Adanali, Depo Photos via AP)

Turkey's Chief of Staff Gen. Hulusi Akar salutes during the inauguration of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.(Tolga Adanali/Depo Photos via AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks during the inauguration of the Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016.(Tolga Adanali/Depo Photos via AP)

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, centre, addresses the crowd during the inauguration ceremony of the new Yavuz Sultan Selim Bridge, the third bridge over the Bosporus, in Istanbul, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (Tolga Adanali, Depo Photos via AP)
Philippine rebels agree to indefinite cease-fire

OSLO, Norway (AP)  Philippine communist rebels on Friday agreed to an indefinite cease-fire in peace talks with government officials aimed at ending one of Asia's longest-running insurgencies.

After a weeklong meeting in Norway, negotiators for the Maoist rebels and the government issued a joint statement pledging to accelerate the peace process for a conflict that has killed tens of thousands since the late 1960s.

The rebels said they would extend indefinitely a unilateral cease-fire that was set to end on Saturday, a move that came in response to President Rodrigo Duterte's cease-fire which took effect on Aug. 21.

Representative of the Philippine government, Jesus Dureza, 2nd left, Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs Boerge Brende , centre, and representative of the communist movement the National Democratic Front of the Philippines Luis Jalandoni, 2nd right, during the meeting for the signing of a joint declaration in which both parties undertake unilateral ceasefires without time constraints. (Berit Roald / NTB via AP) Photo: Berti Roald / NTB SCANPIX Representant for den filippinske regjeringen, (f.v) Jesus Dureza (GPH), utenriksminister Brge Brende og representant for kommunistbevegelsen National Democratic Front of the Philippines (NDFP) Luis Jalandoni etter signeringen av en felleserklring hvor begge parter forplikter seg til unilaterale vapenhviler uten tidsbegrensninger. Signeringen finner sted pa Holmenkollen Park Hotell, fredag. Foto: Berit Roald / NTB scanpix

"The joint statement we are signing manifests the historic significance of what we have achieved," said Jose Maria Sison, founder of the Philippines Communist Party.

Philippines presidential peace adviser Jesus Dureza called the statement a "historic and unprecedented event" and gave credit to President Duterte.

In the statement, the two sides reaffirmed previous agreements and agreed to discuss the release of detainees and who should get immunity to take part in the talks. Negotiators said they aim to complete the peace talks in nine to 12 months.

Although less numerous and less violent than Muslim separatist rebels in the country's south, the Maoists have fought and outlived successive Philippine administrations for nearly 50 years, holding out against constant military and police offensives. They draw support from those dissatisfied with economic inequality, especially in the countryside, and the Philippines' alliance with the U.S. The conflict has left an estimated 40,000 people dead.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende, who facilitated the talks, said all involved had to make sure that a potential peace agreement help people in poor, rural areas improve their lives.

"It's a unique opportunity and we all have to contribute," he said.

Negotiators agreed to meet again on Oct. 8-12 in Oslo.

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This story has been corrected to show an estimated 40,000 people have died in the conflict, not 150,000.
SpaceX Dragon returns to Earth with station science, gear

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP)  A SpaceX Dragon capsule returned to Earth on Friday with scientific gifts from the International Space Station.

NASA astronaut Kate Rubins waved goodbye as the Dragon slowly flew away Friday morning. Six hours later, the spacecraft parachuted into the Pacific, just off Mexico's Baja California coast. It's loaded with 3,000 pounds of research and equipment, including 12 mice that flew up on the Dragon as part of a genetic study.

"Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed," SpaceX reported via Twitter.

In this frame grab taken from NASA Television, a SpaceX Dragon capsule separates from a robotic arm of the International Space Station en route back to Earth with a load of science experiments and gear from the space station, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (NASA via AP)

Rubins and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi used the big robot arm to release the capsule. Mission Control thanked the astronauts for their effort, then added, "To the Dragon recovery team, fair winds and following seas."

The Dragon delivered a new docking port last month that will be used in another year or two by SpaceX and Boeing, which are developing crew capsules for NASA. Its shuttles five years retired, the space agency has turned over orbital deliveries of both cargo and astronauts to private companies, in order to focus on Mars exploration. In the meantime, NASA astronauts ride in Russian capsules to the space station.

SpaceX is the only space station shipper capable of returning items for analysis back to Earth; that's why the Dragon is so important to NASA. Everyone else's cargo ships are filled with trash at mission's end and burn up on re-entry.

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Online:

SpaceX: http://www.spacex.com/

NASA: http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/station/main/index.html
Turkish PM vows to continue Syria military operations

ISTANBUL (AP)  Kurdish-led forces in Syria said they have come under artillery shelling in northern Aleppo Friday from the Turkish military for the second straight day, as Ankara continued its campaign to push the group back from its border areas.

The Turkish prime minister vowed in remarks Friday to continue military operations in Syria until there is no longer any "terror" threat to Turkey from its war-torn neighbor.

Ankara this week sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the Islamic State-held town of Jarablus and contain the expansion of Syria's Kurds in an area bordering Turkey. The dramatic escalation was also a reflection of Ankara's growing concern over increasing Kurdish clout and ambition in Syria and at home. U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters seized the town of Manbij from IS militants earlier this month, raising concerns they would advance toward Jarablus along the border with Turkey.

A child waves toward Turkish troops heading to the Syrian border, in Karkamis, Turkey, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency said late Thursday Turkish artillery have shelled a group of Syrian Kurdish militia fighters in the north of the town of Mambij after they allegedly ignored warnings to retreat. (AP Photo/Halit Onur Sandal)

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said the Syrian Kurdish militia's goal is to carve out a separate state  a "dream" he insists "they will never achieve."

He said the Turkish cross-border operation would continue until, "We ensure 100 percent our border security and the life and property of our people."

Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces' local group in Manbij, said artillery shelling on Amarneh village, south of Jarablus, continued Friday. "The shelling from Turkish artillery is continuing," he told The Associated Press in an exchange of Whatsapp messages from Manbij.

He said another village to the west also came under attack late Wednesday but said it was not clear if it was from Turkish-backed forces or from Islamic State militants. He said chemical gas was used in the attack.

Turkish officials said artillery shelled Kurdish fighters for allegedly ignoring warnings to retreat from the village, where they had advanced a day earlier.

Ankara has demanded that the Syrian Kurdish forces, known as the YPG, pull back east of the Euphrates River. YPG spokesman Redur Khalil said in a statement Friday that his forces have pulled back from west of the river. He didn't say where to but added "no one can take as a pretext the YPG presence west of the River Euphrates in Manbij to attack it."
SAfrican judge denies appeal for harsher Pistorius sentence

JOHANNESBURG (AP)  A South African judge on Friday dismissed an appeal by prosecutors for a harsher sentence against Oscar Pistorius who was found guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend in 2013.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said the state's appeal to extend the six-year sentence against the 29-year-old double amputee Olympic sprinter had a limited prospect of success.

"I am not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success for an appeal," she said in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, reads her verdict during the state appeal hearing at the high court in Johannesburg, South Africa,Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The State lost it's appeal after challenging a ruling by Judge Masipa against convicted murderer Oscar Pistorius who received six years for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe/POOL)

Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of February 14. He claimed he thought she was an intruder. The state charged that he shot her in anger after an argument. Pistorius was found guilty of murder and sentenced by Masipa to six years in prison.

The sentence was "shockingly light" and that the judge should have used 15-year minimum as starting point as Steenkamp had suffered a "horrendous death," said prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Pistorius never offered an acceptable explanation for having fired four shots through the toilet door, he said.

The fact that Pistorius fired four shots using hollow point bullets that are designed to inflict maximum damage meant the possibility of death was more likely and should have been an aggravating factor, said Nel.

The state may appeal Masipa's decision at the Supreme Court of Appeals in the city of Bloemfontein, but is yet to indicate whether it will do so.

South African chief state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, reatcs as Judge Thokozile Masipa, reads her verdict during the state appeal hearing at the high court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The State lost it's appeal challenging Masipa's six years prison sentence on Oscar Pistorius for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe/POOL)

Defense lawyer Barry Roux speaks during the state appeal against Oscar Pistorius's six year murder sentence, at the high court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe/Pool)

South African chief state prosecutor Gerrie Nel, speaks during the state appeal against Oscar Pistorius's six year murder sentence, at the high court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, Pool)

Defence lawyer, Barry Roux, speaks during the state appeal against Oscar Pistorius's six year murder sentence, at the high court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe, Pool)

South Africa's chief state prosecutor Gerrie Nel speaks during the state appeal against Oscar Pistorius's six year murder sentence at the high court in Johannesburg, South Africa, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (AP Photo/Themba Hadebe/Pool)
The Latest: UN and Red Cross head to suburb being evacuated

BEIRUT (AP)  The Latest on developments in Syria's civil war (all times local):

10 p.m.

The United Nations says a small team from the U.N. and the Red Cross are going to a suburb of Damascus which is being evacuated "to meet with all parties and identify the key issues for the civilians."

Aid ambulances in Daraya, a blockaded Damascus suburb, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The development in the Daraya suburb is part of an agreement struck between the rebels and the government of President Bashar Assad. Rebels agreed to evacuate after four years of grueling bombardment and a crippling siege that has left the sprawling suburb southwest of the capital in ruins.(AP Photo)

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric stressed that the U.N. was not consulted or involved in negotiations of the deal reached between rebel factions and government forces to evacuate Daraya, which has been besieged since November 2012.

But he said "a U.N. humanitarian team is reaching out to all parties, including the local population."

"We are using this lull in the fighting to get in and see what we can do and obviously see for ourselves what the situation is inside the city," Dujarric told reporters Friday at U.N. headquarters in New York.

"We just hope if we are not involved that the international norms and standards are respected," he said.

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5:30 p.m.

Turkish officials say Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russia's Vladimir Putin have agreed to "speed up" efforts to deliver aid to Aleppo.

Officials from Erdogan's office said the decision was reached during a telephone conversation between the two leaders on Friday.

The officials provided the information on condition of anonymity in line with Turkish government regulations. They did not elaborate on the plans.

On Friday, Erdogan also briefed Putin on the Turkish incursion into Syria launched this week to liberate a key Islamic State stronghold, according to the officials.

The Kremlin said Putin and Erdogan had "a detailed exchange of opinions on the situation in Syria, underlining the importance of joint efforts in fighting terrorism."

--Suzan Fraser in Ankara

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5:15 p.m.

Kurdish-led forces in Syria say they have come under artillery shelling from the Turkish military for the second straight day in northern Aleppo, as Ankara continued its campaign to push the group back from its border areas.

Turkey's incursion into Syria this week to capture the town of Jarablus from Islamic State militants was a dramatic escalation of Ankara's role in Syria's war. It was also a reflection of its growing concern of increasing Kurdish clout in Syria and at home. U.S.-backed Kurdish-led fighters seized the town of Manbij from IS militants earlier this month, raising concerns they will advance toward Jarablus along the border with Turkey.

Sharfan Darwish, spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces' local group in Manbij, said artillery shelling on Amarneh village, south of Jarablus, continued Friday. He said another village to the west also came under attack late Wednesday but said it was not clear if it was from Turkish-backed forces or from Islamic State militants.

Turkish officials said artillery shelled Kurdish fighters for allegedly ignoring warnings to retreat from the village, where they had advanced a day earlier.

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3:45 p.m.

The United Nations is calling for the protection of people being evacuated from a suburb of Damascus and says their departure must be voluntary.

A statement issued on Friday by office of the U.N. special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, says the U.N. was not consulted or involved in the negotiation of the deal reached between rebel factions and government forces in Daraya.

Under the terms of the agreement, some 700 gunmen and 4,000 civilians are to evacuate the ravaged and long-besieged suburb southwest of the Syrian capital.

The statement says "the world is watching." It describes the situation in Daraya as "extremely grave" and said it was "tragic" that repeated appeals to lift the siege of Daraya have never been heeded.

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3:30 p.m.

Syrian rebels and civilians have started leaving a ravaged and long-besieged suburb of Damascus as part of a deal struck with the government.

The first bus with rebels and their families emerged from inside Daraya on Friday, surrounded by armed Syrian army troops.

Under the agreement, the rebels will be allowed safe passage to the rebel-held northern province of Idlib, while the civilians will be taken to a shelter south of Daraya.

Daraya's rebels struck the deal late on Thursday, after four years of grueling bombardment and a crippling siege by government forces that left the sprawling suburb southwest of the capital in ruins.

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1 p.m.

The Turkish prime minister vows to continue military operations in Syria until there's no "terror" threat to Turkey from the war-torn neighbor.

Friday's remarks by Binali Yildirim follow Turkey's incursion into Syria. Ankara this week sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the Islamic State-held town of Jarablus and contain the expansion of Syria's Kurds in an area bordering Turkey.

Yildirim says the Syrian Kurdish militia's goal is to carve out a separate state  a "dream" he insists "they will never achieve."

He says the Turkish cross-border operation would continue until "we ensure 100 percent our border security and the life and property of our people."

Yildirim says Turkish operations in Syria will continue until IS militants "and other terror entities are cleared from the region."

Damaged buildings in Daraya, a blockaded Damascus suburb, on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The development in the Daraya suburb is part of an agreement struck between the rebels and the government of President Bashar Assad. Rebels agreed to evacuate after four years of grueling bombardment and a crippling siege that has left the sprawling suburb southwest of the capital in ruins.(AP Photo)
Israel: Soldiers kill Palestinian who ran at West Bank post

RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP)  Israel's military says its soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian who ran toward their post in the West bank.

Circumstances of the shooting are unclear and the military said it is investigating Friday's incident.

Since September, Palestinians have killed 34 Israelis and two visiting Americans in attacks. Some 208 Palestinians died in that time, most identified as attackers by Israel.

Israel blames the violence on a campaign of incitement by Palestinian political and religious leaders. The Palestinians say it is rooted in decades of living under military rule and fading hopes for independence.
Bolivian president, opposition spar over official's killing

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP)  President Evo Morales and his political opponents traded recriminations Friday over the shocking beating death of a high-ranking government official by protesting miners who had blockaded a highway.

The killing of Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes underscored how Morales, a former coca growers' union leader, has increasingly found himself at odds with the same kind of popular social movements that fueled his rise to power and have made up his political base.

"This is a political conspiracy, not a social demand," Morales said at a news conference, accusing his political opponents of backing the miners' cause. He called for three days of official mourning, criticized the "cowardly attitude" of the protesters and insisted that his government had "always been open" to negotiation.

An honor guard stands vigil over Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes lying in state, inside the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

He ordered prosecutors to find and bring to justice those responsible for Illanes' killing as well as anyone who may have ordered it.

Businessman and opposition leader Samuel Doria Medina rejected Morales' comments about the opposition and said the government should try to make peace.

"The prices of minerals have gone down and the costs of production have increased," he said. "That is the cause of the protest."

"Morales would do well to be critical of himself and set aside false conspiracy theories blaming the right wing and the media," former President Jorge Quiroga said, "when the undercurrent of these protests is the crisis."

Mourners brought flowers to a funeral Mass for Illanes on Friday in the capital, La Paz, where a red-uniformed honor guard carried his coffin into the government palace. Lawmakers and government officials paid their respects.

Illanes' kidnapping and killing followed weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region of Bolivia that has been hit hard by falling metal prices.

The miners began blocking the highway in the town of Panduro, 80 miles (130 kilometers) south of La Paz, on Monday, to demand they be allowed to work for private companies, which promise to put more cash in their pockets.

The issue has bedeviled Morales, who began as a champion of the working class and nationalized oil and gas interests, only to see his support crater amid the financial downturn. Miners say Morales has become a shill of the rich and done little to help them make ends meet as the economy slows.

Illanes, who was also a lawyer and university professor, had traveled to the scene of the protests in an effort to negotiate with the strikers, who had armed themselves with dynamite and seized several highways, stranding thousands of vehicles and passengers.

Instead he was taken captive by the miners Thursday morning. At midday he said via Twitter: "My health is fine, my family can be calm."

But later in the day Illanes' body was found abandoned on the side of the highway, his car burned. An autopsy found he died from trauma to the brain and thorax. Police raided the offices of the miners' union and detained 15 people.

Illanes "was kidnapped, tortured and murdered," Morales said.

His driver escaped.

The fatal beating came after the killings of two protesters in clashes with police Wednesday, deaths that likely fueled the tensions.

The highway was clear on Friday as the miners returned to their camps and their leaders stayed out of sight.

Bolivia's informal miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives producing primarily zinc, tin, silver and gold.

It's rough work in the barren, high-altitude "altiplano" region of the Andes, where the miners live in camps and work with picks and dynamites in nearly tapped-out mines.

They want to be able to associate with private companies but are currently prohibited from doing so. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they will no longer be cooperatives.

The influential National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, a strong ally of Morales in years when metals were more valuable, was organized in the 1980s amid growing unemployment in the sector that followed the closure of state mines.

Federation members went on an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed. Strikers are also demanding access to new mineral deposits and subsidized electricity to help them handle the crisis in the mining sector.

Morales says they have "exaggerated ambitions."

Bolivia has seen increased social agitation as a financial slowdown hit an economy heavily dependent on natural gas and minerals, which account for over 70 percent of foreign export sales. Export earnings fell by about a third in the first half of the year. Though down from recent years, Bolivia is still expected to see GDP growth of about 3.9 percent in 2016, outperforming its South American neighbors.

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This story has been corrected to say that Morales nationalized oil and gas interests in paragraph 11.

An Aymara woman arrives with a bouquet of flowers to leave for Bolivia's late Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes, at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Mourners gather before the coffin containing the remains of Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes, during a Mass inside the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Bolivia's President Evo Morales speaks during a press conference at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking miners in Bolivia armed with dynamite seized highways in a protest over mining laws and then kidnapped, possibly tortured and beat to death the county's deputy interior minister in a killing President Evo Morales characterized Friday as a "political conspiracy,". (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

In this Nov. 26, 2014 photo, released by the government-run Bolivian Information Agency, Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes speaks during a press conference at the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia. Government officials said that the striking miners kidnapped and beat Illanes to death after he traveled to the area to mediate in the bitter conflict over mining laws. Government Minister Carlos Romero called it a "cowardly and brutal killing" and asked that the miners turn over the body of his deputy. (Gonzalo Jallasi/Bolivian Information Agency via AP)

A woman reaches out to touch the coffin containing the remains of Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes, outside government palace in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Independent miners clash with the police as they run from clouds of tear gas during protests in Panduro, Bolivia, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Thousands of independent miners continued their protests with roadblocks which precipitated the clashes as the police attempted to dislodge them. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Miners stand near the vehicle belonging to Bolivia's late Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes, before it was set on fire during clashes between independent miners and police, in Panduro, Bolivia, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

Police officer escort independent miners detained for questioning in the death of Bolivia's late Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes, in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)

An honor guard stands vigil over Bolivia's Deputy Minister of Internal Affairs Rodolfo Illanes lying in state, inside the government palace in La Paz, Bolivia Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Striking Bolivian miners kidnapped and beat to death Illanes Thursday, in a shocking spasm of violence following weeks of tension over dwindling paychecks in a region hit hard by falling metal prices. The miners were demanding they be allowed to work for private companies, who promise to put more cash in their pockets. (AP Photo/Juan Karita)
The Latest: Trump's CEO accused of anti-Semitic remarks

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on the U.S. presidential race (all times EDT):

10:30 p.m.

The ex-wife of Donald Trump's new campaign CEO says he made anti-Semitic remarks when the couple was trying to get their daughters into a private school.

Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump smiles while speaking at a campaign rally in Manchester, N.H., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)

In divorce papers released Friday, Mary Louise Piccard says Stephen Bannon didn't want his "girls going to school with Jews."

Piccard says in a 2007 court declaration in Los Angeles Superior Court that Bannon said he didn't like the way Jews raised their kids to be "whiny brats."

Police records and court papers show Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, faced a domestic violence charge in 1996 following an altercation with Piccard. The charges were dropped when she didn't show up in court.

The couple filed for divorce the following year, though the case was revisited several times over the next decade.

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7:50 p.m.

Donald Trump's personal physician tells NBC News he needed just five minutes to write a glowing public assessment of Trump's health as a limousine waited to carry the letter back to Trump.

Dr. Harold Bornstein's report last December remains the only medical information released so far by Trump's campaign.

In an interview Friday, Bornstein says the 70-year-old Trump is in excellent health both physically and mentally.

While he wrote last year that Trump's physical strength and stamina are extraordinary, Bornstein tells NBC that he doesn't think Trump is in any better or worse shape than the average person who exercises daily.

Trump and his allies have been questioning the health of his Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton. Her physician has said the former secretary of state has no serious issues.

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6:30 p.m.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is opening the only Donald Trump campaign office in the state.

The office in a suburban strip mall near Indianapolis was sweltering after an overflow crowd packed into the small space Friday afternoon.

Vice presidential nominee Pence vowed he and Trump would be elected in November to "make America great again."

The campaign now has three paid staffers in the state. But party officials say they have an army of volunteers and are also operating out of the Indiana Republican Party headquarters.

Pence says that while he never expected to be a vice presidential candidate, he and wife Karen knew what their answer would be if asked.

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6 p.m.

Donald Trump is calling the pace of the nation's economic growth "a catastrophe" and placing the blame on the Obama administration.

Trump, speaking in Nevada Friday, noted that the nation's GDP rose just 1.1 percent in the second quarter after being revised down from 1.2 percent.

"When it was 1.2, they thought it was a catastrophe," Trump says. "Now they brought it down. Which is unheard-of numbers."

He is unfavorably comparing the U.S. economy to China's and says the nation has "some very, very serious problems and it's going to get worse with this group of people" in charge.

The Republican nominee is meeting with Latino supporters in Las Vegas.

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5:40 p.m.

Donald Trump is meeting with Latino supporters in Las Vegas to discuss a push to win the battleground state of Nevada.

Trump convened about two dozen Latino supporters, local Republican leaders and campaign staffers Friday at his hotel just off the Vegas Strip.

He says: "People don't know how well we're doing with the Hispanics, the Latinos. We're doing really well."

The meeting comes amid a new push from Trump to court Latino and African-American voters. But it also comes amid mixed signals from the candidate on his immigration plan, including whether or not he would stick with a primary campaign promise to deport 11 million immigrants living in the United States illegally.

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2:50 p.m.

Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine is associating Donald Trump's values with those of the Ku Klux Klan.

Kaine made some of his most pointed comments to date about Trump at a voter registration rally at Florida A&M University, a historically black university in Tallahassee.

Kaine said: "Ku Klux Klan values, David Duke values, Donald Trump values are not American values." Duke is a former Ku Klux Klan leader.

When by a reporter asked if he thinks Trump is a racist, Kaine said he didn't know Trump. But Kaine said the Republican presidential candidate has clearly made "bigoted" comments.

Kaine urged the students to help get out the vote, noting Florida may be the closest swing state this election.

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2:10 p.m.

Donald Trump's new campaign CEO faced a domestic violence charge in the 1990s following an altercation with his ex-wife. The charges were eventually dropped.

Stephen Bannon, the former head of Breitbart News, was charged in 1996 with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and attempting to dissuade a victim from reporting a crime. That's according to a police report and court documents cited by several news outlets.

The Trump campaign declined to comment.

But Alexandra Preate, a spokeswoman for Bannon, says police never interviewed Bannon, who is on leave from the conservative news site Breitbart. She added that Bannon has a great relationship with his ex-wife and kids.

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1:30 p.m.

Donald Trump's presidential campaign now has its own mobile app.

The campaign on Wednesday unveiled its "America First" smartphone application, aimed at engaging the GOP nominee's supporters.

Supporters can earn points by contributing to the campaign, attending events and sharing messages and videos.

They can also unlock "up to 8 levels of activist badges," with names like "Apprentice," the name of his reality television show, and "Big League," a phrase commonly used by the Republican nominee on the campaign trail.

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10:10 a.m.

Hillary Clinton has a new television ad that reiterates her message that opponent Donald Trump is a bad bet for the African-American voters he is trying to woo.

The spot opens with a news clip of the Republican presidential nominee saying at a rally, "What do you have to lose?" as he asks black voters to pick him. "You're living in poverty. Your schools are no good. You have no jobs."

The commercial then reminds viewers  as Clinton did in a speech Thursday in Reno, Nevada  that Trump's real estate company was once charged with discriminating African Americans and breaking federal law.

The campaign says the 30-second spot is set to run on cable channels across Florida, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Ohio. Those are the same four states in which the Trump campaign aired its first general election ad.

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8:55 a.m.

Hillary Clinton is defending the work of her family foundation, saying the organization needs more time to ensure the continuity of their programs.

If elected, Clinton says she'll take additional steps to make sure there are no conflicts of interest between her administration and the global charitable network founded by her husband.

Winding down the programs and finding partners, she says, takes time.

"We're going to make sure we don't undermine the excellence and the results," she says.

Former President Bill Clinton announced last week that if Hillary Clinton is elected president, the Clinton Foundation would no longer accept foreign and corporate donations, he would step down from its board and he no longer would raise money for the organization.

Clinton spoke in an interview with MSNBC's "Morning Joe."

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3:30 a.m.

Donald Trump's waffling on his hard-line immigration program reflects voter ambivalence and confusion on the emotional and complex issue.

Polls often show large majorities support letting people in the country illegally stay here. But they also show support for tough measures that could lead to those immigrants' deportation. Majorities in Republican primary states told pollsters they backed letting immigrants stay but also voted for Trump.

Now Trump is trying to soften his hard-line program. Advocates of a more lenient immigration approach say that proves the hard-line position is politically untenable. Those who want to limit immigration argue that it mainly reflects Trump's erratic nature.

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton speaks at a campaign event at Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno, Nev., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)
Springsteen breaks his record for longest US show

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP)  It was another record-breaking night for Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with a few surprises thrown in at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium.

The Springsteen fan website, Backstreets.com, says Thursday night's show lasted nearly four hours, breaking the previous record for the group's longest U.S. show of 3 hours and 52 minutes set at MetLife on Tuesday.

The Boss' longest show was 4 hours and 6 minutes in Helsinki, Finland, in 2012.

Springsteen also acknowledged Thursday was the 41st anniversary of his "Born to Run" album.

Ending the 33-song set was a marriage proposal between a couple who came on stage before "Jersey Girl."

One more MetLife concert scheduled for next Tuesday.
The Latest: Valls: Burkini ruling won't end vital debate

PARIS (AP)  The Latest on the ruling by France's top administrative court on burkini bans (all times local):

9:30 p.m.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls says the court ruling suspending a ban on burkinis in a Mediterranean beach town doesn't put an end to what he says is a fundamental debate.

A bylaw forbidding women to wear burkini is posted on an information panel at a public beach in Villeneuve-Loubet, French Riviera, southern France, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. France's top administrative court has overturned Villeneuve-Loubet's burkini ban amid shock and anger worldwide after some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches. (AP Photo/Claude Paris)

Valls wrote on his Facebook page that denouncing the burkini "in no way puts into question individual freedom" and is really about denouncing "fatal, retrograde Islamism."

Valls wrote: "The burkini is not a religious sign, it is the affirmation of political Islam in the public space."

The decision suspending the burkini ban in Villeneuve-Loubet opens the way for easy legal challenges in nearly 30 other towns with such bans if mayors refuse to lift the orders.

The Socialist prime minister had come out in favor of the bans and said in his commentary that "to remain silent ... is a small renouncement."

Some female government ministers had publicly disagreed with his position.

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8:30 p.m.

A lawyer for Human Rights League says the group plans to ask all French mayors who banned burkinis to withdraw their orders after a top court ruled against one such decree.

The lawyer, Patrice Spinosi, says that if the mayors refuse to do so after Friday's ruling by the Council of State, he will systematically take each case to court.

With the decision to suspend the ban in the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, courts are required to follow the Council of State ruling.

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8:15 p.m.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric says the decision by a top court in France to overrule a town's burkini ban was a welcome development.

Dujarric said Friday: "We welcome the decision by the court. I think our opinion was expressed fairly clearly the other day on the need for people's personal dignity and person to be respected."

He had also commented on the issue earlier in the week, after photos emerged that appeared to show police officers in Nice instructing a woman on a beach to remove her tunic.

He then said "it's about respecting the dignity of people; it's about respecting the dignity of women. And as I said from what we've seen in the photos, it doesn't look like that was the case in this particular incident."

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7:05 p.m.

The White House is stepping gingerly into the burkini debate.

Asked about a French town's ban on the beachwear, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he was reluctant to "second-guess" an ally's internal debate about security.

Still, Earnest noted the U.S. was founded as a country where people "could observe their religious faith, and worship God without the fear of persecution or even intrusion by government authorities."

He said President Barack Obama "believes strongly in the freedom of religion" and believes protecting that freedom strengthens national security.

The French town's ban on the burkini was overturned by the country's Council of State on Friday, which said it infringed on basic freedoms.

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6:05 p.m.

The mayor of the French town whose burkini ban was suspended by the Council of State, says the ruling will "heighten passions and tensions."

Conservative Villeneuve-Loubet Mayor Lionnel Luca told reporters that "rampant Islamization is progressing in our country" and with the ruling to suspend his town's ban on burkinis at public beaches "they've gained a small additional step."

"Far from calming, this decision can only heighten passions and tensions, with the risk of trouble we wanted to avoid," he said.

Luca, also a lawmaker, said that now only a law can now stop troubles since mayors cannot do so. He suggested he would take action when Parliament returns from its summer leave  but did not say what kind of law he would seek.

Former conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced this week he's seeking the conservative nomination for the presidential race, said Thursday that he wants a law banning the burkini "on the entire territory of the Republic."

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4:30 p.m.

National Front leader Marine Le Pen says the overturning of a ban on burkinis in a French Mediterranean town is "not surprising" but the battle is not over.

The right-wing leader said that lawmakers must vote "as quickly as possible" on an extension of the 2004 law that banned Muslim headscarves and other ostentatious religious symbols in classrooms to include all public spaces.

Le Pen, who is running for president in the 2017 race, wrote in a statement that: "The burkini would obviously be part of it."

Former conservative President Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced this week he's seeking the conservative nomination for the race, said at a rally Thursday night in southern France that he wants a law banning the burkini "on the entire territory of the Republic."

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4:10 p.m.

Amnesty International is praising a French court decision against bans of burkini swimsuits, calling such decrees invasive and discriminatory.

John Dalhuisen, Amnesty International's Europe Director, said in a statement Friday: "By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, today's decision has drawn an important line in the sand."

Several French towns banned the burkini for reasons including security and fears of public disorder. France's Council of State ruled Friday that a burkini ban in one Riviera town is not justified and violates several fundamental rights.

Many human rights groups denounced the bans, which caused shock outside French borders.

"Invasive and discriminatory measures such as these restrict women's choices and are an assault on their freedoms," Dalhuisen said. "The enforcement of these bans leads to abuses and the degrading treatment of Muslim women and girls."

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3:30 p.m.

A human rights lawyer says the decision by France's top administrative court to overturn a ban on burkini swimsuits should set a legal precedent for the whole country.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, told reporters that other mayors who have banned burkinis must conform to Friday's decision regarding the town of Villeneuve-Loubet. He also said women who have already received fines can protest them based on Friday's decision.

"It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent," he said. "Today all the ordinances taken should conform to the decision of the Council of State. Logically the mayors should withdraw these ordinances. If not legal actions could be taken" against those towns.

"Today the state of law is that these ordinances are not justified. They violate fundamental liberties and they should be withdrawn."

Human Rights League was among the groups that brought the lawsuit against the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, saying the orders infringe basic freedoms.

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3:25 p.m.

The mayor of Sisco in northern Corsica says he won't lift his ban on the burkini despite a ruling by France's top administrative court regarding a similar ban in another town.

Ange-Pierre Vivoni had banned the burkini after an Aug. 13 clash on a beach in Sisco.

He told BFM-TV Friday: "Here the tension is very, very, very strong and I won't withdraw it."

He conceded he doesn't know whether a woman was actually wearing a burkini the day a clash occurred that set a group of sunbathers of North African origin, from another town, against villagers from Sisco.

It took days to untangle the events leading to the violence that many immediately assumed was over a burkini siting.

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3:10 p.m.

France's top administrative court has overturned a town burkini ban amid shock and anger worldwide after some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches.

The ruling by the Council of State Friday specifically concerns a ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the binding decision is expected to set a legal precedent for all the 30 or so French resort municipalities that have issued similar decrees.

Lawyers for two human rights groups challenged the legality of the ban to the top court, saying the orders infringe basic freedoms and that mayors have overstepped their powers by telling women what to wear on beaches.

Mayors had cited concern about public order after deadly Islamic extremist attacks this summer, and many officials have argued that burkinis oppress women.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, told reporters that the decision should set a precedent, and that other mayors should conform to it. He also said women who have already received fines can protest them based on Friday's decision.

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10:05 a.m.

France's highest administrative court is considering whether it's legal for towns to ban body-covering burkini swimsuits, which have become a symbol of tensions around the place of Islam in secular France.

After human rights groups challenged a local burkini ban, the Council of State is scheduled to issue a ruling Friday afternoon.

At a hearing Thursday, lawyers for the rights groups argued that the bans are feeding fear and infringe on basic freedom. Mayors who have banned burkinis cite concern about public order after deadly Islamic extremist attacks this summer, and many officials argue that burkinis oppress women.

The bans have divided France's government and society and drawn anger abroad, especially after images circulated online showing police appearing to force a Muslim woman to take off her tunic.

Activists protest outside the French embassy, during the "wear what you want beach party" in London, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The protest is against the French authorities clampdown on Muslim women wearing burkinis on the beach. Writing on the sign reads: 'No to Islamophobia, yes to Burkinis.' (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

Marwan Muhammad, head of the Collective Against the Islamophobia in France, answers reporters outside the Conseil d'Etat, France's top administrative court, in Paris, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The court has overturned a town burkini ban amid shock and anger worldwide after some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, answers reporters outside the Conseil d'Etat, France's top administrative court, in Paris, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The court has overturned a town burkini ban amid shock and anger worldwide after some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)

A woman wearing a Muslim headscarf, right, and who refused to be identified, stands outside the Conseil d'Etat, France's top administrative court, in Paris, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The court has overturned a town burkini ban amid shock and anger worldwide after some Muslim women were ordered to remove body-concealing garments on French Riviera beaches. (AP Photo/Thomas Padilla)
Tunisian parliament voting on new premier after shakeup

TUNIS, Tunisia (AP)  Tunisia's newly nominated prime minister and his proposed Cabinet are facing a vote of confidence in parliament which would allow them to take power.

Youssef Chahed, 41, has promised to focus on fighting terrorism and corruption and boosting growth. He is expected to win Friday's confidence vote.

President Beji Caid Essebsi nominated Chahed after the previous government collapsed in July amid economic troubles. Tunisia has struggled with soaring unemployment and slumping tourism since its 2011 revolution and jihadi attacks last year at a beach resort and major museum that killed around 60 people.

Newly named Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, center, delivers his speech at f the Parliament in Tunis, Friday Aug. 26, 2016 ahead of a confidence vote. Chahed, 41, was minister for local affairs in the government of Habib Essid that fell last month. (AP Photo/Riadh Dridi)

Chahed proposed a government with more women and young politicians but kept several key figures, including the defense, interior and foreign ministers. Chahed notably proposed changing the finance minister, nominating Lamia Zribi, a 55-year-old state bank director.

From the left, front row, Tunisian Interior Minister Hedi Mejdoub, Defense Minister Farhat Horchani, Justice Minister Ghazi Jeribi and newly named Tunisian Prime Minister Youssef Chahed, stand at the Parliament in Tunis, Friday Aug. 26, 2016 ahead of a confidence vote. Chahed, 41, was minister for local affairs in the government of Habib Essid that fell last month. (AP Photo/Riadh Dridi)
Shouts, charges of 'stupidity,' at Brazil president's trial

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  A trial against Brazil's president turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after the head of Senate declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority.

The second day of the trial against President Dilma Rousseff got off to an edgy start when Senate President Renan Calheiros decided to bring up a comment made on Thursday by Sen. Gleisi Hoffmann, a member of Rousseff's Workers' Party.

Hoffmann, who like many in the Senate and lower Chamber of Deputies is being investigated for corruption, had declared that "no one here" had the moral standing to judge Rousseff.

Lawyer Janaina Paschoal, sitting, talks with senators who support the impeachment of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, during the impeachment trial in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The second day of the trial turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after the head of Senate declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

"It can't be that a senator is saying things like this," said Calheiros, who later added: "I am very sad because this session is, above all, a statement that stupidity is endless."

In a bizarre and heated exchange with Hoffmann and other senators, Calheiros said he had asked the Supreme Federal Tribunal, the country's highest court, not to raid Hoffmann's home, apparently trying to make the point that federal lawmakers should not be persecuted arbitrarily.

Only the high court can decide to investigate, arrest or prosecute federal lawmakers. Police are investigating whether Hoffmann and her husband received kickbacks from state oil company Petrobras in the form of campaign contributions. They deny wrongdoing.

Calheiro's comments provoked gasps of surprise in the Senate, and are likely to raise questions about his relationship with justices on the high court, who are supposed to be independent.

Soon after the exchange, Calheiros' office released a statement saying that the petitions to the court were routine in nature and reiterated the immunity of senators.

With several senators shouting at once, Chief Justice Ricardo Lewandowski called for a five minute recess, then changed his mind and said the body would instead return after lunch.

A few hours later, senators returned to the chamber and continued with the proceedings in their usual subdued manner.

Rousseff, in the middle of her second term, is accused of breaking fiscal rules in her management of the federal budget. She denies wrongdoing and argues that her enemies are carrying out a "coup d'etat."

Opponents claim that her maneuvers were an attempt to continue high spending and mask deficits, which ultimately exacerbated a severe recession in Latin America's largest economy.

Rousseff and her supporters, however, argue something more nefarious is at play: corrupt lawmakers who want to oust her so they can then water down an investigation into billions of dollars in kickbacks at state oil company Petrobras.

The two-year investigation has led to the jailing of dozens of businessmen and politicians, and threatens to bring down many more. Indeed, both Hoffmann and Calheiros, the senators who argued, are being investigated in probes related to Petrobras. And while senators debated on Friday, federal police announced they were recommending charges against former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Rousseff's predecessor and mentor.

Federal police accuse Silva of having an apartment built for him by a constructor connected to Petrobras. Silva denies the accusations.

On Friday, Rousseff's defense called experts to testify and answer questions, a day after the prosecution dominated Thursday's session.

Luiz Gonzaga Belluzzo, an economist, argued that Rousseff had not broken so-called fiscal responsibility laws. He said that instead of hiding government spending, as critics argue, in early 2015 she was coming up with contingency plans to maintain spending in the face of declining revenues.

"Removing President Dilma on these allegations is an attack on democracy," he said.

Several days of debate, including an address by Rousseff on Monday, will culminate in a vote on whether to permanently remove her from office.

The Senate voted in May to impeach and suspend her for up to 180 days while the trial could be prepared.

Vice President Michel Temer took over in May. If Rousseff is removed, Temer will serve the rest of her term through 2018.

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Peter Prengaman on Twitter: www.twitter.com/peterprengaman

Mauricio Savarese on Twitter: www.twitter.com/MSavarese

FILE - In this Dec. 13, 2015 file photo, a woman holds a sign that reads in Portuguese; "Dilma Out" during a demonstration in favor of the impeachment of Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff, on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Just days after the Rio Olympics ended, Brazilian senators are now gearing up for a final decision on whether to permanently remove Rousseff from office. (AP Photo/Silvia Izquierdo, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 6, 2014 file photo, Brazil's President Dilma Rousseff listens to a question during a re-election campaign news conference at the Alvorada Palace in Brasilia, Brazil. Just days after the Rio Olympics ended, Brazilian senators are now gearing up for a final decision on whether to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office. The months-long leadership fight has brought to the surface deep polarization in Latin America's most populous nation, fueled by anger over endemic corruption and angst about an emerging economy that has gone from darling to depression amid its worst financial crisis in decades. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

The domes of the the National Congress building, designed by the late Brazilian Oscar Niemeyer, are illuminated as the sun rises on the first day of the impeachment trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, in Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Brazil's Senate on Thursday began deliberating whether to permanently remove Rousseff from office, the final step in a leadership fight that has paralyzed Congress and cast a pall over a nation in the midst of a severe recession. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's Senate leader Renan Calheiros attends the impeachment trial of suspended President Dilma Rousseff, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The second day of the trial turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after Calheiros declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A woman walks past a graffiti message that reads in Portuguese; "There will be no coup" in reference to the country's political crisis, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The second day of the impeachment trial of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after the head of Senate declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's Senate begins day two of deliberating whether to permanently remove suspended President Dilma Rousseff from office, in Brasilia, Brazil, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. The second day of the trial turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended on Friday after the head of Senate declared "stupidity is endless" and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the body's moral authority. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
High school girl accused of attacking teacher with stun gun

SEMMES, Ala. (AP)  Authorities say a high school girl in south Alabama faces a felony assault charge after attacking a teacher with a stun gun.

Mobile County sheriff's officials say a video shows the girl trying to fight another girl Thursday afternoon at Mary G. Montgomery High School outside Mobile. Authorities said that when a teacher tried to break up the fight, the teen used the stun gun and then ran.

Mobile County Sgt. Joseph Mahoney tells Al.com (http://bit.ly/2blotj9 ) deputies caught the girl and arrested her.

It wasn't known early Friday how the student obtained the stun gun.
Ankara police detain suspected IS members, free students

ISTANBUL (AP)  Turkey's state-run Anadolu news agency says police have detained several suspects in anti-Islamic State raids across the capital Ankara and "liberated" over two dozen students in one of their schools.

Counterterrorism police conducted simultaneous operations at 20 locations early Friday, detaining 17 suspected IS members.

Anadolu said one location was a bookstore which operated as a school for young children. It said 22 girls and four boys recovered there would be returned to their families.

The school recruited its students via social media advertisements but Anadolu didn't specify how old the children were.

IS is blamed for several recent attacks in Turkey, including a suicide bombing at a wedding last week that killed 54 people.
1 killed, dozens injured in new Kashmir anti-India protests

SRINAGAR, India (AP)  A young man was killed and dozens of other civilians were wounded Friday when Indian government forces fired bullets and shotguns to quell new protests against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir.

A police officer said thousands of Kashmiris defied harsh security restrictions and joined the protests after Friday Muslim prayers. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of department policy.

Clashes erupted in over a dozen places, including in the main city of Srinagar, between rock-throwing protesters and troops, who fired live ammunition, shotguns and tear gas.

Kashmiri people shout pro freedom slogans during a protest march in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Curfew and protests have continued across the valley amidst outrage over the killing of a top rebel leader by Indian troops in early July, 2016. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Police said the man died in southern Pulwama town. At least 50 civilians were injured in the clashes.

Earlier, government forces blocked worshippers from offering prayers at large mosques for the seventh consecutive week. However, prayers were allowed at small neighborhood mosques.

A strict curfew, a series of communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of Kashmir's largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8.

Residents have struggled to cope with shortages of food, medicine and other necessities.

At least 67 civilians have been killed and thousands injured, mostly by government forces firing bullets and shotguns at rock-throwing protesters. Two policemen have also been killed and hundreds of government forces have been injured in the clashes.

Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan and claimed by both. Most Kashmiris want an end to Indian rule and favor independence or a merger with Pakistan. More than 68,000 people have been killed since rebel groups began fighting Indian forces in 1989 and in the subsequent Indian military crackdown.

Kashmiri Muslim women shout pro freedom slogan during a protest march in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Curfew and protests have continued across the valley amidst outrage over the killing of a top rebel leader by Indian troops in early July, 2016. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

An injured Kashmiri man is brought for treatment to a hospital in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Police in Kashmir say a young man was killed and dozens of other civilians were wounded in new protests against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region. Police said thousands of Kashmiris defied harsh security restrictions and joined the protests after Friday Muslim prayers.(AP Photo/Dar Yasin)

Kashmiri people shout pro freedom slogans during a protest march in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Curfew and protests have continued across the valley amidst outrage over the killing of a top rebel leader by Indian troops in early July, 2016. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

Kashmiri watch from their house during a protest march in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Curfew and protests have continued across the valley amidst outrage over the killing of a top rebel leader by Indian troops in early July, 2016. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)

A Kashmiri barber trims the beard of a man inside an ally in Srinagar, Indian controlled Kashmir, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Most of the shopkeepers have not been able to open their shops due to protests and a curfew continuing across the valley amidst outrage over the killing of a top rebel leader by Indian troops in early July, 2016. (AP Photo/Mukhtar Khan)
The Latest: Governor dismisses calls to resign for voicemail

PORTLAND, Maine (AP)  The Latest on the obscene tirade that Gov. Paul LePage left on a lawmaker's voicemail (all times local):

1:05 p.m.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage is dismissing calls from Democrats that he should resign in the wake of an angry tirade he left on the voicemail of a political opponent.

FILE- In this June 7, 2016, file photo, Maine Gov. Paul LePage attends an opioid abuse conference in Boston. LePage is being accused again of making racially insensitive comments, this time by saying photos he's collected in a binder of drug dealers arrested in the state show more than 90 percent of them are black or Hispanic. The governor made the remark at a town hall in North Berwick, Maine, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer, File)

The governor held a news conference Friday in Augusta where he again defended himself for leaving the vulgar voicemail on the phone of Democratic Rep. Drew Gattine.

LePage says Gattine calling him a racist was more offensive than anything he said in response. Gattine denies calling LePage a racist.

At a separate news conference in Portland, Assistant House Democratic Leader Sara Gideon called for a "political intervention" from members of both parties to either ensure that the governor "gets the help that he needs" or that he's removed from office.

Gideon says LePage's behavior is inappropriate for "any human being who's functioning normally in society."

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12:20 p.m.

Republican Gov. Paul LePage is apologizing to "the people of Maine" for leaving a vulgar voicemail for a Democratic legislator and says he was using a metaphor when he said he wished he could challenge the lawmaker to a duel.

LePage said in a written statement Friday that he takes it "very seriously" when someone calls him a racist and that it made him "enormously angry" when he heard from a reporter that Rep. Drew Gattine (gah-TEEN') had called him one.

Gattine denies calling LePage a racist.

LePage says being called a racist is "the absolute worst, most vile thing you can call a person." So he says he referred to Gattine as a vulgar name involving oral sex because it was the "worst word" he could think of.

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10:45 a.m.

Police have received a citizen complaint about the voicemail left by Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage on a Democratic state lawmaker's voicemail.

LePage left an obscenity-laced phone message Thursday morning for Rep. Drew Gattine (gah-TEEN') that said, "I am after you." He later told reporters that he wished it were 1825 so he could challenge Gattine to a duel and point a gun between his eyes.

LePage said in the message that he wanted to talk with Gattine about the legislator calling him a racist. Gattine has denied calling LePage a racist.

A Westbrook police official said the complaint came from someone who didn't live in the city. It's unclear if there will be an investigation.

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9:45 a.m.

Maine Republican Gov. Paul LePage has unleashed an obscene tirade on a Democratic legislator, leaving him a message that said "I am after you" and telling reporters he wished he could point a gun between the legislator's eyes.

Rep. Drew Gattine (gah-TEEN') told The Associated Press that LePage sounded unhinged in the Thursday morning voicemail. In the voicemail, LePage said he wanted to talk with Gattine about the legislator calling him a racist. Gattine has denied calling LePage a racist.

LePage was accused of making racially insensitive comments at a town hall in North Berwick on Wednesday, when he said most of the drug dealers arrested in the state are black or Hispanic.
Canada restores its traditional UN peacekeeping role

TORONTO (AP)  The Canadian government said Friday it will restore the country's traditional U.N. peacekeeping role by providing up to 600 soldiers for missions around the world.

Defense Minister Harjit Sajjan said that Canada is committed to re-engaging in many multilateral peace operations.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has promised to return Canada to peacekeeping after more than a decade of dwindling participation. Canada had participated in more direct combat operations, such as the war in Afghanistan.

The additional soldiers represent an increase over the 19 Canadian troops deployed on peacekeeping missions at the end of July, bringing the total more in line with the number of Canadian peacekeepers deployed in the 1990s and early 2000s.

The Canadian government did not say where the troops will be deployed. Sajjan recently returned from Africa.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric welcomed the contribution and renewed re-engagement. The commitment comes ahead of a U.N. peacekeeping conference in London Sept. 7-8.

"The Canadian military has a long and illustrious history with peacekeeping. And we're happy in a sense they're re-engaging and coming back," Dujarric said.

"Peacekeeping by its very nature, especially in the past few years, has become increasingly complex, increasingly complicated and we have no doubt that the contributions of Canada can help us meet those needs."

Canada has a history of successful peacekeeping missions in the Middle East, the Balkans and on the Indian subcontinent.

Although peacekeeping has existed for a long time, the formalized United Nations concept of neutral, multinational intervention was first proposed in the 1950s by Canada's foreign minister, Lester B. Pearson, who went on to become prime minister and the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1957.

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An Auburn woman is one of two central New York business owners featured in a new ad highlighting U.S. Rep. John Katko's support for the region's small businesses.

The minute-long ad released Friday is titled "Understands" and will air on broadcast and cable TV stations in the 24th Congressional District. The cost of the ad buy wasn't disclosed.

The stars of the ad are Lisa Conway of Cicero and Mary Anne Giacona of Auburn. Conway owns Pioneer Warehouse & Distribution in Liverpool. Giacona is the founder and CEO of The Center on Hoffman Street in Auburn.

In the commercial, Conway and Giacona discuss the challenges of balancing work and family life. They also praise Katko for the record he's established in his first term.

"He's a problem-solver. He's bipartisan. He's gonna get in there and whatever it takes to get the job done," Giacona says in the ad.

Conway added, "It's so refreshing to have a congressman who understands small businesses and who actually listens."

Both women joined Katko for a press conference at Pioneer's warehouse in March. At that event, he unveiled a proposal billed as an alternative to paid leave. The legislation would create parental savings accounts which would allow workers to set money aside for when they need to take leave from their jobs or to cover expenses related to the birth of a child.

"It's not another government program," Katko said in March. "My proposal works to bridge the gap and provide a compromise that central New York employees and businesses can get behind if they so choose."

Katko's bill isn't directly mentioned in the ad released by his campaign, but it's what Conway is talking about when she says the incumbent congressman "has a plan."

"And it's a good one," she says in the commercial. "I know  because we worked on it together."

At the press conference in March, Giacona said Katko's plan to establish parental savings accounts is a "win-win."

The ad also contains a subtle jab at proposals that would establish federally mandated paid leave programs. Conway says "politicians who support tax hikes, they don't understand what it's like to own a small business and having employees that are counting on you."

Katko's opponent, Democratic challenger Colleen Deacon, supports legislation that would establish such a program.

Deacon's former boss, U.S. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, introduced the FAMILY Act, which would create a national paid family leave program. Deacon says she would advocate for passage of the legislation if elected to Congress.

Deacon's first TV ad of the general election began airing last week and features her dad, Ross, sharing his story of being laid off by a central New York company.

The 24th Congressional District is comprised of Cayuga, Onondaga and Wayne counties, plus the western portion of Oswego County.

Election Day is Nov. 8.
Congressmen: FBI, VA must probe vet's death outside hospital

NEW YORK (AP)  Two congressmen want federal authorities to investigate why a former Navy gunner apparently killed himself on the grounds of a veterans' hospital in New York.

Peter Kaisen, 76, a retired police officer from Islip, was found Sunday in a parking lot at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.

His wife, Joan Kaisen, told Newsday he had been suffering from back pain so bad he was unable to sit for more than a few minutes. Doctors at Northport told her husband earlier this year there was nothing more they could do to ease his suffering, she said.

Tom Farley, a longtime friend and fellow veteran, told The Associated Press that Peter Kaisen visited the hospital once or twice per month but didn't tell anyone where he was headed when he made the 30-mile trip from his home Sunday.

"We all think there is probably some depression," Farley said. "Maybe he wanted meds. Maybe he wanted to sit and talk. I don't know. None of the family knows."

Kaisen's body was found outside his car in a parking lot near a community living center at the edge of the hospital's suburban campus just after noon Sunday, about 10 minutes after he arrived at the site, officials said.

A spokesman for the hospital, Christopher Todd Goodman, declined to discuss Kaisen's patient history at the VA but said the hospital had no evidence that he sought treatment at the emergency room, entered any hospital buildings or had any interactions with staff or patients on the day he died.

"The Northport VA stands ready to cooperate with any investigative body that believes more information is needed," the hospital's director, Philip Moschitta, said in a statement. "At no point did the staff in this facility fail to do the right thing by our patients."

U.S. Reps. Peter King, a Republican, and Steve Israel, a Democrat, sent a letter to the FBI and to the secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs on Thursday asking for a "transparent" investigation into the death, following a media report  denied by hospital officials  that Kaisen had sought emergency mental health care at the hospital but had been turned away.

"It is critical that our nation's veterans feel they can trust the services provided by their VA medical facilities, and that their health and wellbeing is of the upmost priority," they wrote.

A spokeswoman for the FBI in New York said agents responded to the scene, but since nothing criminal was discovered, a subsequent review would be conducted by the VA.
The Latest: Man charged with homicide in police shooting

MARYVILLE, Tenn. (AP)  The Latest on the fatal shooting of a Tennessee police officer (all times local):

6 p.m.

An eastern Tennessee man arrested after a shootout with police that left one officer dead has been charged with criminal homicide that could make him eligible for the death penalty if he is convicted.

Blount County Sherriff James Berrong says that Brian Keith Stalans has also been charged with four counts of aggravated assault related to the Thursday shootings, including for allegedly firing a gun into a home occupied by a child younger than 5 years old.

Berrong said Stalans had been locked out of the house when his father had been warned that he returning to the home with a firearm. The father called police, and the younger Stalans opened fire on officers who responded to the scene.

Officer Kenny Moats was fatally shot in the neck while taking cover behind his vehicle.

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1 p.m.

Blount County Sherriff James Berrong says he wishes he could "turn back the clock" on an initial visit to an eastern Tennessee home where a police officer was killed later in the day Thursday.

Authorities say Officer Kenny Moats was taking cover and waiting for backup when he was fatally shot in the neck by 44-year-old Brian Keith Stalans. The sheriff says the gunman had an active order of protection against him in another county, and had been flagged as a "dangerous individual" in the national crime database.

But the sheriff says deputies followed the law in deciding not to make an arrest when they responded to an earlier call Thursday about a domestic disturbance between the suspect and his father.

Authorities were called again to the home later Thursday by someone who described acts of violence and the involvement of a firearm. That's when Moats was shot.

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11:20 a.m.

A police officer who was fatally shot responding to a dispute between a father and son in eastern Tennessee had been wearing a bullet-proof vest, but he was struck in the neck.

Authorities say Marysville Police Officer Kenny Moats was killed Thursday while responding to the second domestic disturbance call of the day at the home.

The Blount County Sheriff's office says Moats and a deputy were able to get the father to safety and were taking cover behind their vehicles when the son opened fire from the garage, striking Moats from about 70 yards away.

The sheriff's office says 44-year-old Brian Keith Stalans was arrested. Jail records do not indicate whether Stalans has an attorney.

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11 a.m.

The officer killed responding to a domestic disturbance in eastern Tennessee has been identified as 32-year-old Kenny Moats, a nine-year veteran of the Maryville Police Department.

According to Police Chief Tony Crisp, Moats had a stellar record with the department and had been assigned to the Fifth Judicial Drug Task force in May.

In Crisp's words: "We know this tragedy will bring our community closer together, and that will be a lasting legacy of Officer Moats."

The Blount County Sheriff says 44-year-old Brian Keith Stalans came out firing on a property in Maryville Thursday afternoon and fatally wounded Moats before being taken into custody.

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9 a.m.

Authorities say a police officer who was fatally shot in eastern Tennessee was responding to the second domestic disturbance in the same day at the home.

Blount County Sheriff James Berrong said officers lacked probable cause to take the suspect into custody the first time they were called to the home in Maryville, on Thursday morning. A second call that afternoon reported more violence, and a gun involved.

The sheriff's office says 44-year-old Brian Keith Stalans came out firing and fatally wounded the officer before being taken into custody. Spokeswoman Marian O'Briant said charges were likely on Friday.
Handsome cop upstages rock stars in Northern Ireland

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP)  Fans in Northern Ireland are keenly awaiting a Belfast music festival featuring Avicii and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. But the build up to Friday's event has been dominated by a policeman offering safety advice for the event.

Though rarely receiving more than a few dozen responses to online posts, Police Service Northern Ireland got more than 3,000 when police officer Bobby Singleton advised revelers on how to behave responsibly at the concert.

Singleton, who bears a passing resemblance to the U.S. actor Ben Afleck, earned the hashtag #OfficerHotStuff from admirers, but did not appear in subsequent safety posts.

Singleton responded on Twitter: "My colleagues are ensuring I'm kept well grounded."

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Online:

Police Service Northern Ireland: http://www.facebook.com/PoliceServiceNI
Former Canadian prime minister Harper leaves politics

TORONTO (AP)  Former Canadian prime minister Stephen Harper has resigned his seat in Parliament.

Harper announced he was stepping down as the member of Parliament for the district of Calgary Heritage in a statement and on social media. Harper had stepped down as Conservative party leader in October on the night he lost the election to Liberal leader Justin Trudeau, but had chosen to remain as a member of Parliament.

Harper served as prime minister for almost a decade. Canada shifted to the center-right under Harper, who lowered sales and corporate taxes, avoided climate change legislation, strongly supported the oil and gas extraction industry and backed the right-wing government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. His legacy includes merging two conservative parties in Canada.
Cincinnati sees estimated 78 heroin overdoses in 2 days

CINCINNATI (AP)  Cincinnati police are asking for the public's help in trying to identify the source of the suspected heroin behind an estimated 78 overdoses in just two days.

Meanwhile, Hamilton County officials say they will seek funding for treatment and expanded response teams.

County officials are calling the latest onslaught of overdose cases a public health emergency, and county Health Commissioner Tim Ingram says the number of emergency-room incidents over the last six days was "unprecedented."

Emergency rooms estimate they had 174 suspected opioid overdose cases this week, including three deaths. Last year, accidental drug overdoses killed 3,050 people in Ohio, an average of eight per day, state officials say.

Cincinnati City Manager Harry Black said authorities suspect carfentanil, a drug used to sedate elephants and other large animals, may be mixed in with heroin and causing the overdoses. The drug is 100 times more potent than fentanyl, which is suspected in spates of overdoses in several states.

Last month, carfentanil was discovered in the Cincinnati area's heroin stream, but many hospitals don't have the equipment to test blood for the previously uncommon animal opioid.

County Commissioner Dennis Deters said Thursday the expanded teams would include a law enforcement officer, an emergency responder and a specialist who could treat people who've overdosed. He said the cost of the beefed-up program hasn't been determined yet.

Nan Franks of the Addiction Services Council of Cincinnati noted that Cincinnati currently doesn't have enough places to treat the rising number of drug users who seek help.
Comfort food: Eat all'amatriciana to help quake victims

ROME (AP)  Food lovers and chefs in Italy and beyond are urging restaurants to serve up more pasta all'amatriciana in a move to support the quake-hit hometown of the hearty dish.

The rustic food, made of tomato sauce with pork jowl and topped with pecorino cheese, comes from Amatrice, which was destroyed by this week's earthquake and the idea is for some of the proceeds to go to help the devastated areas rebuild.

Residents in the medieval hilltop town had been preparing to host a yearly food festival this weekend dedicated to the dish. Instead, they will be burying the many dead men, women and children killed before dawn Wednesday in the violent quake. Altogether, three towns were devastated, with 281 people killed, 221 of them in Amatrice.

This picture taken on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016 shows the crumbling hulk of the Hotel Roma in Amatrice, central Italy, where a strong quake had hit a few hours earlier. Strong aftershocks rattled residents and rescue crews alike Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, as hopes began to dim that firefighters would find any more survivors from Italy's earthquake. (Massimo Percossi/ANSA via AP)

Now some food lovers hope that they can at least harness the symbol of the devastated town that lost the most for a good cause.

Italian food blogger and graphic designer, Paolo Campana, launched an appeal on Wednesday, saying on Facebook that "We have to move fast."

"Pasta all'amatriciana is a symbol," he told The Associated Press on Friday. "So I decided to use this symbol to help."

He has asked restaurants to put the dish on their menus and donate 2 euros ($2.25) per dish sold directly to the Italian Red Cross, which is participating in relief efforts in the affected areas in the Apennine mountain region of central Italy. One euro would be donated by the customer and one by the restaurant.

He says he knows it's not a lot, but that if many people take part it could make a real difference.

Since his appeal, other voluntary initiatives have been cropping up in Italy, even in regions where the dish is not typically eaten. The effort has also gone international.

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said on Facebook Thursday that he and 700 chefs at his Jamie's Italian UK restaurants, an international chain, will be serving up pasta all'amatriciana and donating 2 pounds ($2.65) per dish sold to help the rescue effort in Italy.

Oliver told his Instagram followers that "this could really make a difference," and that money will go to firefighters, camps, food, clothing and medical assistance.

"I think we can easily make thousands and thousands of pounds to help," Oliver said.

Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food International, which promotes traditional cooking with sustainable ingredients, has also called on restaurateurs worldwide "to put the symbolic dish of this devastated town on their menus."

The effort is also generating interest on social media under the hashtags #virtualsagra and

The heart of the yearly pasta festival, called a sagra, was the local Hotel Roma, which had a restaurant which served up the dish.

Now the hotel is in ruins, with several people killed under its rubble.

"Let's hope that it (Amatrice) will be reborn again," Luca Palombini, the assistant chef at Hotel Roma, told the AP on Friday, speaking from the San Salvatore Hospital in L'Aquila, where he was recovering from a broken foot. "Amatriciana will be even better, the Spaghetti all'amatriciana. I hope it will be reborn and that we will move forward, even better than before."

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Candidates capitalize on the ever-powerful 'religious vote'

ATLANTA (AP)  Republican Donald Trump has told conservative evangelical pastors in Florida that his presidency would preserve "religious liberty" and reverse what he insists is a government-enforced muzzling of Christians.

The same afternoon, Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Kaine praised another, more liberal group of black church leaders in Louisiana for their "progressive values that are the values of Scripture," and he urged them to see Hillary Clinton as a kindred spirit.

The competing appearances earlier this month highlight an oft-overlooked political reality: The "religious vote" is vast and complex, and it extends beyond generalizations about "social conservatives" who side with Republicans and black Protestant churches whose pastors and parishioners opt nearly unanimously for Democrats.

FILE - In this March 24, 2016 file photo, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton looks at Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, third from left, as she participates in a roundtable with Muslim community leaders at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. Seated with Clinton from left are City of Los Angeles General Manager, Emergency Management Department James Featherstone, Senior Policy Analyst City of Los Angeles Human Relations Commission & Adjunct Assistant Professor (CSUDH) Joumana Silyan-Saba, Garcetti, President of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, Salam Al-Marayati, and Exucutieve Director of the Center for Religion and Civic Culture Brie Jeanette Loskota. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster, File)

Here's an overview of how the dynamics among religious voters could help determine the 45th president.

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HOW RELIGIOUS ARE AMERICAN VOTERS?

There's a reason politicians chase steeples. Exit polls from recent elections suggest religiously affiliated Americans and those who attend services regularly are more likely to vote than those who claim no organized faith identity.

In 2012 exit polls, almost nine out of 10 voters claimed some religious affiliation and eight out of 10 voters identified as Christian. That's a higher proportion than what surveys typically find in the general population: A 2014 Pew Research Center survey found that three out of four people claim a religious affiliation, while seven out of 10 Americans are Christian.

Still, there's no absolute count of who believes what, since the government's census doesn't ask.

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MOST CHRISTIANS ARE REPUBLICANS, RIGHT?

White Christians do skew toward Republicans. President Barack Obama won about 40 percent of white Catholics, according to 2012 exit polls. He won less than a third of white non-Catholic Christians. A slice of that group, white evangelical or "born-again" Christians, are even more conservative, with a strong opposition to abortion rights and same-sex marriage, along with strong support for Israel. Obama won just a fifth of them.

Yet those groups are just a subset of religious voters, and the Democratic nominee still gets some of that vote. White non-Catholic Christians cast about 40 percent of the 2012 ballots, with white Catholics responsible for less than a fifth. The "born-again" white evangelical vote accounted for just a quarter of the overall electorate  same as the total Catholic vote that includes millions of Hispanics, Asians and African-Americans.

Black and Hispanic voters, meanwhile, also form key pieces of the religious vote, and they lean heavily in Democrats' favor.

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TRUMP AND WHITE EVANGELICALS

In Florida, Trump told pastors he's not their "perfect" candidate.

He's drawn fire for his boasts about sexual exploits and his caustic rhetoric about immigrants.

But he's tapped Mike Pence as his running mate, touting the Indiana governor's staunch anti-abortion, anti-gay rights record that appeals to many white religious conservatives.

Trump compares himself to Ronald Reagan, another divorced candidate initially questioned and then embraced by conservative religious leaders. Reagan "knew how to win," Trump reminded the pastors in Florida. Arguing that too many evangelicals stayed home for Obama's victories, Trump says he's the movement's best chance for conservative federal court appointments and relaxing the ban on tax-exempt churches participating in blatant political activity.

Yet Trump also risks his own oversimplifications. He urged the Florida assembly to "get your people out to vote," pointing specifically at Utah, a GOP-stronghold where he is underperforming. Utah is, in fact, heavily Mormon.

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CLINTON, THE METHODIST

Just as Trump is aiming for traditionally Republican religious sectors, Clinton's is focusing most heavily on a Democratic trove: the black church. The group Kaine addressed in New Orleans was the Progressive National Baptist Convention, an outgrowth of the civil rights movement. Clinton's staff includes a "national African-American faith outreach director."

Still, Clinton bets that Trump's atypical GOP profile gives her some opening. She touts her Methodist faith, and some of her arguments about Trump's temperament and his treatment of others are aimed broadly at moderate and even Republican voters who prioritize their faith.

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IS THERE A BELLWETHER?

The winner among Catholics has also won the national popular vote in every presidential election since 1972. But it's really more a function of math: Catholics cast about a quarter of presidential ballots, and the group is ideologically, ethnically, racially and geographically diverse. So it's basically a massive sample size of the complete electorate. For example, Mitt Romney won six out of 10 white Catholics in 2012, about the same proportion he claimed among all whites; Obama dominated among non-white Catholics, just as he did among other non-whites. Together, Obama won a narrow majority of the Catholic vote, not much different than his national popular vote share.

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WHERE IT MATTERS MOST?

Each party's religious anchors  black Protestants for Democrats, white evangelicals for Republicans  figure prominently in Southern battlegrounds of Florida, North Carolina and Virginia (and Georgia, assuming that traditionally GOP state stays competitive). They also are important in Ohio, though the Midwestern band of states that Trump will depend on for any chance of victory generally is whiter and more Catholic than the Southern battlegrounds.

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Follow Barrow on Twitter at https://twitter.com/BillBarrowAP.

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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
AP Explains: The trial to remove Brazil's president

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP)  Brazil's Senate on Friday began the second day of deliberations in a trial to decide whether to permanently remove President Dilma Rousseff from office. While the formal accusations against Rousseff are related to her management of the federal budget, the leadership fight involves much more. The Associated Press explains how we got to this point and how the trial is likely to play out.

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HOW ROUSSEFF'S SUPPORT COLLAPSED

A woman opens a banner with the name of Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff, during a rally in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. Brazils Senate braces for a final showdown in a trial that could overthrow President Rousseff after months of lengthy proceedings in Congress. She is accused of breaking fiscal laws, in managing the federal budget as her government ran out of resources. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Rousseff was re-elected to a second four-year term in October 2014. As the economy worsened, hundreds of thousands took to the streets in early 2015, with many demanding the ouster of Rousseff and her left-leaning Workers' Party. Her foes in Congress introduced a measure last year to impeach and remove her. In April, the Chamber of Deputies approved it 367-137 and in May, the Senate voted 55-22 in favor. Rousseff was suspended and Vice President Michel Temer became interim president.

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THE CHARGES: ILLEGALLY MOVING MONEY BETWEEN BUDGETS

Rousseff is accused of illegally shifting funds between government budgets. Opposition parties say that was to boost public spending and shore up support while masking the depths of deficits. Rousseff says other former presidents used similar accounting techniques.

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THE TRIAL BEGINS

Supreme Court chief justice Ricardo Lewandowski will preside as witnesses from both sides testify and senators cross-examine them. Rousseff is expected to testify on Monday. A vote is expected by the middle of next week. A supermajority  54 of the 81 senators  is needed to convict her, which would result in her permanent removal from office.

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THE DEFENSE: IT'S A COUP!

Rousseff and her backers say impeachment is a "coup" by corrupt opposition lawmakers meant to derail investigations into into billions of dollars in kickbacks at the state oil company. They also argue that Brazil's ruling class wants to end 13 years of leftist government. Opponents say Rousseff's budget maneuvers aggravated the crisis in Latin America's largest economy.

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THE STAKES: BEING BANISHED FROM OFFICE

A conviction would permanently remove Rousseff from the presidency and bar her from holding any office for eight years. Temer would serve out her term, which ends Dec. 21, 2018. If convicted, Rousseff will likely appeal to the country's highest court. But previous appeals during the process have failed.

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ANOTHER POSSIBILITY: RETURN TO OFFICE

If fewer than 54 senators vote to remove her, Rousseff would return to office. She's promised that if that happens, she would let voters decide in a plebiscite whether they want early presidential elections.

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BRAZIL'S POISONED POLITICS CLOUD THE FUTURE

Brazilians are soured on politicians in general; both Rousseff and Temer are very unpopular. A poll taken last month by Datafolha found that 62 percent want new elections to solve the crisis. But before new elections could occur, both Rousseff and Temer would have to resign or be removed from office.

Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff arrives at a rally in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. Brazils Senate braces for a final showdown in a trial that could overthrow President Rousseff after months of lengthy proceedings in Congress. She is accused of breaking fiscal laws, in managing the federal budget as her government ran out of resources. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Brazil's suspended President Dilma Rousseff speaks during a rally in support of democracy and against the coup, in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016. Brazils Senate braces for a final showdown in a trial that could overthrow President Dilma Rousseff after months of lengthy proceedings in Congress. She is accused of breaking fiscal laws, in managing the federal budget as her government ran out of resources. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
KFC is insisting a recipe discovered in a scrapbook belonging to Colonel Sanders' nephew is not authentic.

However, that hasn't stopped rampant online speculation that one of the most legendary and closely guarded secrets in the history of fast food has been exposed.

It all started when a Chicago Tribune reporter visited with Joe Ledington, a nephew of Kentucky Fried Chicken founder Colonel Harland David Sanders.

Joe Ledington, of Corbin, Kentucky, holds a 1980s photo of him with his uncle, Colonel Harland Sanders, who created his world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken in his Corbin cafe

A handwritten list of 11 herbs and spices, jotted down on the back of the will of Claudia Sanders, the late wife of Colonel Harland Sanders who created his world-famous Kentucky Fried Chicken, is displayed

The reporter was working on a story for the Tribune's travel section about Corbin, Kentucky, where the colonel served his first fried chicken.

At one point, Ledington pulled out a family scrapbook containing the last will and testament of Sanders' second wife, Claudia Ledington.

On the back of the document is a handwritten list for a blend of 11 herbs and spices to be mixed with two cups of white flour.

While Joe Ledington initially told the reporter that it was the original recipe, he later said that he didn't know for sure.

Colonel Harland Sanders is pictured in this file photograph

The original Sanders Cafe sign, dwarfed by a newer KFC sign and bucket, tower over the Corbin, Kentucky, restaurant

Joanne Gould tried out the recipe that was discovered in the scrapbook. She said: 'I think it is safe to say that this is probably the correct original recipe'

KFC  which is a subsidiary of Yum Brands Inc.  calls its recipe 'one of the biggest trade secrets in the world'.

It says that the recipe the reporter saw is not the real thing.

'Many people have made these claims over the years and no one has been accurate  this one isn't either,' KFC said in a statement.

The Louisville, Kentucky-based company says that the original recipe from 1940 handwritten by Sanders is locked up in a digital safe that's encased in two feet of concrete and monitored 24 hours a day by a video and motion detection surveillance system.

Joe Ledington could not immediately be reached for comment on Friday.

Above, a commemorative representation of the 11 secret herbs and spices Colonel Harland Sanders made famous in his recipe for Kentucky Fried Chicken
Express Mart Convenience Stores is opening a new 24/7 store in Moravia located directly across from Fillmore Glen State Park.

Encompassing 5,000 square feet, the mart includes a Dunkin' Donuts with a drive-thru and a Subway sandwich shop. Express Mart will offer all grades of fuel including non-ethanol, a separate diesel island, kerosene, propane exchange, air machine, vacuums and food service.

"We are very excited to open our largest store to date in Moravia," said James Borer, brand manager for Express Mart, in a news release. "Our mission is to continue to build our legacy with our guests through discipline, education, empowerment, and passion of our people."

A soft opening of the new location will be at 10:30 a.m. Friday, Sept. 9 at 1695 State Route 38, Moravia. There will be a ribbon cutting, with local and public officials attending. Members of the public are welcome to the ceremony, too.

For more information about Express Mart visit expressmart.com.
Other controversial remarks made by GOP Maine Gov. LePage

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP)  Republican Gov. Paul LePage left an obscene tirade on the voicemail of a Democratic lawmaker who criticized his remark that 90 percent of the drug dealers arrested in the state are black and Hispanic. He also told reporters he wished it were 1825 so he could challenge the lawmaker to a duel and point a gun between his eyes. LePage later said that was a metaphor and he meant no physical harm.

Here's a look at other controversial remarks made by the two-term governor:

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September 2010

As a candidate for governor, LePage told a group of fishermen during a discussion of federal regulations that he wouldn't be afraid to tell President Barack Obama to "go to hell." He later said he regretted the words but didn't back down on criticism of the administration.

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January 2011

After the Portland NAACP chapter felt slighted when LePage declined invitations to attend Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, a reporter asked LePage about it. He answered: "Tell them to kiss my butt." LePage ended up attending a breakfast honoring the slain civil rights leader in Waterville, as he had in the past, and he skipped events in Maine's largest city.

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February 2011

LePage dismissed the dangers of bisphenol-A, a chemical additive used in some plastic bottles, by saying the worst that could happen was "some women may have little beards." LePage later said he was joking.

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December 2011

LePage used a barnyard epithet when he was asked about a meeting he had with three unemployed workers and a lawmaker. When a reporter asked him for his thoughts about the meeting, LePage used the expletive, then repeated it slowly.

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April 2012

At a town hall meeting, LePage was asked about state fees. LePage's response: "The problem is, Middle management of the state is about as corrupt as can be."

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July 2012

In a radio address, LePage assailed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the health care overhaul law, saying Americans had no choice but to buy health insurance or "pay the new Gestapo  the IRS." He later said he didn't mean to offend the Jewish community or minimize the Holocaust.

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June 2013

Expressing his frustration over the state budget, LePage used a vulgar phrase to describe a Democratic opponent, saying the lawmaker "claims to be for the people, but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline."

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June 2015

LePage joked about shooting a political cartoonist to the cartoonists' son at a youth leadership program. A newspaper official said it wasn't funny, especially after the killing of cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

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January 2016

LePage said during a town hall meeting that drug dealers with the names "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" come to Maine from New York City and Connecticut, sell their drugs and then "half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave." LePage later apologized, saying he meant to say "Maine women" instead of white women.

Later that month, LePage said he wanted to use the guillotine to execute drug dealers publicly. The governor's office said the remark during a radio interview was just a joke to illustrate his support for tougher penalties for drug crimes. In the interview, LePage laughed when he talked about using the guillotine to chop off the heads of drug traffickers.

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February 2016

LePage was accused of racial insensitivity over a joke about a Chinese investor's name. The man's first name is Chiu  pronounced "choo." When LePage mentioned him at a business breakfast, he pronounced the man's name with an emphatic fake sneeze. The governor's office later said the two have an "excellent relationship."

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April 2016
Husband: Texas woman's treatment in China amounts to torture

DALLAS (AP)  The husband of a business consultant detained for more than a year by Chinese authorities says her treatment amounts to torture.

Jeff Gillis said Friday that Phan "Sandy" Phan-Gillis is in failing health and her suffering meets the United Nations' definition of torture.

The State Department last month said Chinese authorities informed the U.S. they will bring a legal case against the 56-year-old consultant. U.S. officials have urged China to resolve the case in a manner that respects international human rights.

Phan-Gillis was detained in March 2015 while traveling with a trade delegation promoting business opportunities in her hometown of Houston.
Welcome to the fourth grade: Teacher's rap targets students

SKOKIE, Ill. (AP)  A new teacher who made a music video to welcome his students has become a bit of a star with his fourth-graders.

Dwayne Reed's video was posted on YouTube this week and has already been viewed more than a half-million times and earned him an appearance on ABC's "Good Morning America."

The 25-year-old Reed just began teaching at Stenson Elementary School in the Chicago suburb of Skokie.

Dwayne Reed poses for a portrait at Stenson Elementary School in Skokie, Ill., Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Reed, who starts his first year as a student teacher this fall semester, wrote a rap welcoming his fourth graders to school. His three-minute video was posted on YouTube this week and by Thursday morning had more than 363,000 views. (AP Photo/Tae-Gyun Kim)

In his video, Reed wears a lab coat and sings, "Welcome to the fourth grade. So happy to meet you. Can't wait till I see you."

Reed says he wants his students to know they are important and loved and that they can be leaders.

He says students love the video and even introduced themselves to him using his lyrics.

Dwayne Reed poses for a portrait at Stenson Elementary School on Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in Skokie, Ill. Reed, who starts his first year as a student teacher this fall semester, wrote a rap welcoming his fourth graders to school. His three-minute video was posted on YouTube this week and by Thursday morning had more than 363,000 views. (AP Photo/Tae-Gyun Kim)
Town rallies around Jewish family hit by swastika graffiti

HAVERTOWN, Pa. (AP)  A Jewish woman in suburban Philadelphia woke up last week to a spray-painted swastika on her trash bin, and now her neighbors and strangers from other countries are rallying to support her by painting their own garbage cans with flowers, hearts, birds and butterflies.

Esther Cohen-Eskin was stunned when she went outside the morning of Aug. 19 and saw the Nazi symbol on her bin. She said she felt targeted because the sign didn't appear anywhere else in her Havertown neighborhood, where she's lived for almost 20 years.

"It's not like someone wrote some obscenity on my trash can or gave me the finger," she said in a telephone interview Thursday. "The swastika is such a deep-rooted sign of hatred for everyone, especially Judaism, that I felt so targeted."

In this Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, shows Esther Cohen-Eskin's garbage can that was defaced with a large swastika and then she repainted as a flower in Havertown, Pa. The neighborhood has rallied around the Jewish family and also painted their trashcans to show their support. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)

She spoke to her husband and called police, who have begun an investigation.

She called a friend for advice and he told her: "The only way to triumph hate is with love." Hearing that, Cohen-Eskin, an artist, decided to paint over the swastika with flowers, and to stick letters in mailboxes asking her neighbors to paint their trash bins as well, turning symbols of hate into symbols of love.

"We decided that painting something over this ... it kind of made the swastika completely meaningless," Cohen-Eskin said.

In this tight-knit community of different religions and creeds, the searing symbol of hate made Cohen-Eskin's letter electrifying.

"I still get goosebumps," said Megan Connell, one of Cohen-Eskin's neighbors. "I had to explain to my three-year-old that someone could do something so ugly, and we took it as a family thing."

A local bar, Connell's mailman, and others spread word across town, and people online started passing around Cohen-Eskin's story. After she sent the letters, she went out for an art show  and came back to hundreds of messages and phone calls from people as far afield as Canada, Germany, and Ireland. Many sent pictures of trash cans they painted in a show of support.

A tough part of Cohen-Eskin's request was that neighbors first paint a swastika, and then cover it with images of love and peace. Connell said that part of the task was "very, very difficult."

"It's something you would never want to put ever, and not anything I ever thought I would be painting on anything," she said.

Connell decorated her bin with an owl to send the message that the neighborhood is watching, even at night. Other neighbors painted the word "unity" on their bins up and down the block.

"I was so sad and I just wanted to do anything I could do to help," said Jenny Farley, recalling how Cohen-Eskin and her husband brought banana bread to greet her when Farley moved next door eight years ago. "I think everyone came together and said, 'How can we support them?'"

Now, Cohen-Eskin wakes up every morning to new pictures of beautifully painted bins from all over the world.

"It gave me a whole new reassurance in humanity," she said. "I feel invigorated by all the love. It's exciting ... it makes you feel there's so much good out there."

This Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 photo, shows Megan Connell's trashcan that she painted to show support for her neighbor who's trashcan were defaced with a large swastika in Havertown, Pa. Esther Cohen-Eskin's painted a flower over the swastika on her garbage can and her neighborhood has rallied around the Jewish family by painting their trashcans in support. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke)
Ex-hostages say American stayed brave amid torture in Syria

PRESCOTT, Ariz. (AP)  Former hostages say an Arizona woman slain by Islamic State militants remained steadfast in her Christian faith and stood up to her captors despite being tortured, raped and verbally abused.

Four ex-hostages who had shared cells with Kayla Mueller spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with ABC News set to air Friday.

Frida Saide of Sweden and Patricia Chavez of Peru and Belgium were among the women held with the 26-year-old Mueller for six weeks at an abandoned oil refinery in Syria in 2014. They said guards targeted Mueller more than other prisoners.

A Yazidi girl held captive by ISIS alongside Kayla Mueller (pictured in May 2013) has revealed how she tried to persuade the American hostage to escape with her

"They would scream at her, and they would, you know, blame her for everything that America has done in the world," Saide said.

Mueller and her boyfriend were captured after both left a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo. Omar Alkhani was released 20 days later after being beaten and interrogated.

Other hostages said Mueller of Prescott, Arizona, kept a positive outlook while sharing a 12-by-12 room with brick walls and a single light bulb where she could only tell if it was daytime if a bit of light appeared through a small vent.

Mueller sometimes entertained Saide and Chavez by doing impressions of the guards. Mueller also told them how she briefly cared for a 14-year-old Shiite girl and a woman while isolated for six months.

"She was amazing. She was a really strong girl," Chavez said.

Prisoners say Mohammed Emwazi, also known as Jihadi John, led three other guards who paraded Mueller around the refinery in March 2014. One hostage, Daniel Rye Ottosen, a Danish freelance photographer, recalled Mueller daring to contradict a guard who said she had converted to Islam.

Mueller was held captive for 18 months. Her family confirmed her death in February 2015.

Saide and Chavez said they managed to smuggle out three letters written by Mueller. One of the contacts she listed on the back of a letter was Kathleen Day, a campus minister at Northern Arizona University, where Mueller studied.

Day said the willingness to transport Mueller's letters was extraordinary because the women could have been killed.

"These young women and hostages were all alone," Day told The Associated Press. "They had no power. They had no voice. They had no money yet they stayed steady in their compassion and outreach to others."

Parents Carl and Marsha Mueller criticized President Barack Obama for not honoring a pledge to donate to Kayla's Hands, a foundation created to honor her commitment to serving the needy.

Carl Mueller told ABC News that Obama had promised during a private meeting in 2015 to make a contribution. Mueller also accused the Obama administration of failing to help secure his daughter's release.

"The president could have been a hero, but he chose not to," Mueller said.

Emily Lenzner, a spokeswoman for the Muellers, told the AP the couple would not comment further.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest said he would not discuss private presidential conversations but he expects Obama will contribute to the foundation in the future.

"It certainly is consistent with the kind of charity organization that the president and the first lady have supported in the past," Earnest said.

He said it's "entirely understandable" for the Muellers to feel pain and grief about their daughter not being saved from the terror group.

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Defense attorneys clash with prison over recorded meetings

KANSAS CITY, Kan. (AP)  Defense attorneys who represent inmates at a privately run federal prison in Kansas were livid after learning that their meetings with clients had been recorded on video, despite repeated assurances from the penitentiary that the conversations were private.

The recordings that came to light this month had no audio, but the complaints raise the question of whether nonverbal interactions such as body language or the exchange of legal documents are protected under attorney-client privilege.

"We never had any idea we were being recorded," said Laine Cardarella, a federal public defender in Missouri whose clients include detainees at the Leavenworth prison. "This has had a chilling effect."

This Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 photos shows a look down Highway Terrace in Leavenworth, Kan., at the main gate of the Leavenworth Detention Center of Corrections Corporation of America. Defense attorneys who represent inmates at a privately run federal prison in Kansas were livid after learning that their meetings with clients had been recorded on video.(AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

A federal judge said the recordings might have violated the Sixth Amendment rights of hundreds of inmates and ordered them stopped.

The company that runs the prison, Corrections Corporation of America, insists that silent video recordings of inmate-attorney meetings "are a standard practice" throughout the country and are used solely to enhance the prison's safety and security.

Unlike prisons controlled by the federal Bureau of Prisons, which generally forbids any recording in attorney-client meeting rooms, private facilities set their own standards.

Concerns about prison recordings of attorney-client conversations are not necessarily new, but nobody has a real grasp of the extent of the problem, said Barry Pollack, president of the National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers.

"I certainly hope that this sheds light on a situation that has not gotten sufficient attention and is an impetus for change," Pollack said. "Criminal defense attorneys have been aware of this problem for years, but it's a difficult one to address."

City and county jails are not governed by Bureau of Prisons policies either, he said. Several Kansas and Missouri jails that house federal prisoners have acknowledged recording attorney-inmate meetings before the judge told them to stop.

Without uniform standards in place, inmates and attorneys are subject to a patchwork of policies that sometimes threaten their privacy, Pollack said.

The recordings came to light when federal prosecutors tried to force a defense attorney off two cases using footage subpoenaed by a grand jury in a contraband probe.

The subpoena sought all surveillance footage at the prison as part of an investigation into a conspiracy involving as many as 95 inmates and 60 people outside the facility. Of the thousands of hours of video turned over to investigators, some included footage of attorneys meeting with clients.

Defense attorney Jackie Rokusek said two prosecutors told her they had video of her meeting with a client in another case, and that they intended to review it. She asked to see the video and observed not only her meeting with a client, but also footage of other attorney-client visitation going on at the time.

In court documents filed Tuesday, prosecutors said the only people who have seen that video were the defense attorney, her investigator and possibly another attorney assigned to the case. Because the recordings have no sound, they said, it's unclear whether the videos include privileged communication.

"There is very little case law on the issue of whether nonverbal interaction can be protected by the attorney-client privilege," prosecutors wrote.

U.S. District Judge Julie Robinson ordered the company and any jails holding federal detainees in Kansas and western Missouri to cease recording attorney-client conversations and to turn over any footage.

The judge said she hoped to appoint a so-called special master by mid-September who would oversee the investigation, which could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In addition to reviewing the videos, investigators will look into why dozens of recorded phone calls between attorneys and their clients were provided to other lawyers representing inmates in the contraband case.

In Tuesday's filing, prosecutors said unless an inmate provides an attorney's phone number in advance or tells prison staff that a call is being placed to an attorney, there's a good chance the conversation is being recorded.

Lawyers should realize their call is being monitored if they hear a recording telling them it is, prosecutors said.

Kansas Federal Public Defender Melody Brannon called the intrusion into attorney-client privilege "unprecedented."

"We couldn't find anything even comparable to the degree of invasion and misconduct by the government that is before the court," she said.
Coast Guard repatriates 161 Cuban migrants to island

MIAMI (AP)  The Coast Guard this week has repatriated 161 Cuban migrants to the island nation following more than a dozen interdictions at sea.

The Coast Guard said in a news release that 27 migrants were repatriated Friday, with 68 returned on Thursday and 66 on Monday. All were returned to the city of Bahia de Cabanas.

Cuban migrants attempting to reach the U.S. who are caught at sea are generally returned home, while those who reach American shores typically are allowed to stay.

Migration is up significantly this year amid fears that thawing relations with Cuba may lead the U.S. to end its preferential treatment of Cuban immigrants.
UK police arrest 5 suspected of terrorism in West Midlands

LONDON (AP)  Police in central England have arrested five men on suspicion of commissioning, preparing or instigating acts of terrorism.

Detectives from the West Midlands police department's counter-terrorism unit arrested the men Friday at locations in Birmingham and nearby Stoke-on-Trent. Officers are searching several locations in both cities as part of the investigation.

A police statement says a military bomb disposal team has been deployed to the Lee Bank district in central Birmingham as a "precautionary measure."
Judge refuses to suspend California's assisted death law

SAN DIEGO (AP)  A California judge on Friday rejected a request by physicians to immediately suspend a new state law allowing terminally ill people to end their lives.

Riverside County Superior Court Judge Daniel A. Ottolia said the law will remain in effect for now. He also agreed to allow the physicians to pursue their lawsuit claiming the law lacks safeguards to protect against abuse.

The law took effect June 9 and allows terminally ill adults to obtain a prescription for life-ending drugs if a doctor has determined they have six months or less to live.

Advocates argued that terminally ill people could face prolonged, painful deaths if the law is suspended.

Elizabeth Wallner, a Sacramento resident with stage IV colon cancer who attended the hearing, said she cried with relief when the judge denied the motion to suspend the law.

"I want to have the ability to control the end of life and protect my child from watching me be tortured to death," she said. "It just gave me an immeasurable sense of peace."

California is one of five states in which terminally ill people can end their lives. Oregon was the first to provide the option in 1997.

The California law is being challenged by the Life Legal Defense Foundation, American Academy of Medical Ethics and several physicians.

Opponents of the law say hastening death is morally wrong, puts all kinds of patients at risk for coerced death by loved ones, and could become a way out for people who are uninsured or fearful of high medical bills.

Attorney Stephen Larson, who represents the plaintiffs, said his clients want the law declared unconstitutional. Determining when someone has six months or less to live is arbitrary and opens the door for abuse, and doctors are not held accountable after they prescribe the life-ending drugs, he said.

"There are plenty of cases of elderly people suffering and people just want them gone," Larson said. "This makes it too easy."

The state attorney general's office countered that medical professionals can refuse to prescribe and dispense the drugs. The law also specifies that the terminally ill person must be able to self-administer the drugs.
The Latest: Kids taken after mom's death back in California

LOS ANGELES (AP)  The Latest on the kidnapping of three children whose mother was found dead near Los Angeles (all times local):

11:30 a.m.

Authorities say three young children kidnapped from the Los Angeles area after their mother was killed are back in California after being found safe in New Mexico.

This undated booking photo released by the Pueblo, Colo., Police Department shows Joshua Robertson, and Brittany Humphrey. Eleven days after the body of a woman was found in the Los Angeles area, the couple suspected of killing her and kidnapping her three children have been arrested in Colorado. Robertson, and Humphrey, were arrested Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016 without incident in Pueblo, Colo. about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs. The couple was wanted in connection with the death of Humphrey's half-sister, Kimberly Harvill, whose body was found with multiple gunshot wounds along a road in a remote area of Los Angeles County on Aug. 14. (Pueblo Police Department via AP)

Los Angeles County sheriff's Capt. Steve Katz said Friday that the children were flown back Thursday night.

They're in the custody of the Department of Children and Family Services, which will decide whether they can be placed with family.

A couple wanted in connection with the kidnapping and the death of the children's mother were arrested without incident Thursday in Pueblo, Colorado.
AUBURN  Blue bulbs have been lighting up people's porches across Auburn this month and it's all thanks to a local donation to the police department.

According to Auburn police chief Shawn Butler, a representative from Lowe's brought 70 blue light bulbs to the department in early August for the officers to put outside their homes.

"Showing a blue light in support of police and fallen officers has been around for a while," Butler said. "It's something to show solidarity as a police family."

Blue lights have been used to support law enforcement for years. The idea began in the 1980s when a woman lit a blue candle in her window for her son-in-law; he had been killed in the line of duty while serving with the Philadelphia Police Department.

There are currently 66 sworn officers at the Auburn Police Department and Butler said they were all more than happy to participate and "light up the night."

"The lights were gone instantly, and I know the officers have kept them on at night, especially in light of last month's police shootings in Dallas and Baton Rouge," he said, noting that there are two bulbs shining blue outside the department on Market Street. "As a family nationwide, we pull together in times of tragedy."
Obama creates world's largest marine protected area

WASHINGTON (AP)  President Barack Obama on Friday expanded a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating a safe zone for tuna, sea turtles and thousands of other species in what will be the world's largest marine protected area.

Obama's proclamation quadrupled in size a monument originally created by President George W. Bush in 2006. The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will contain some 582,578 square miles, more than twice the size of Texas.

The president is slated to travel to the monument next week to mark the new designation and cite the need to protect public lands and waters from climate change. The president was born in Hawaii and spent much of his childhood there.

FILE - In this Aug. 4, 2016 file photo, President Barack Obama speaks during a news conference at the Pentagon. The White House says that Obama will expand a national monument off the coast of Hawaii, creating the worlds largest marine protected area. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)

In expanding the monument, Obama cited its "diverse ecological communities" as well as "great cultural significance to the Native Hawaiian community and a connection to early Polynesian culture worthy of protection and understanding."

The monument designation bans commercial fishing and any new mining, as is the case within the existing monument. Recreational fishing will be allowed through a permit, as will be scientific research and the removal of fish and other resources for Native Hawaiian cultural practices.

The regional council that manages U.S. waters in the Pacific Islands voiced disappointment with Obama's decision, saying it "serves a political legacy" rather than a conservation benefit.

The council recommends catch limits and other steps designed to sustain fisheries. It said it recommended other expansion options that would have minimized impacts to the Hawaii longline fishery, which supplies a large portion of the fresh tuna and other fish consumed in Hawaii.

"Closing 60 percent of Hawaii's waters to commercial fishing, when science is telling us that it will not lead to more productive local fisheries, makes no sense," said Edwin Ebiusi Jr., chairman of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council "Today is a sad day in the history of Hawaii's fisheries and a negative blow to our local food security."

Sean Martin, the president of the Hawaii Longline Association, said his organization was disappointed Obama closed an area nearly the size of Alaska without a public process.

"This action will forever prohibit American fishermen from accessing those American waters. Quite a legacy indeed," he said in an email to The Associated Press.

The Pew Charitable Trusts helped lead the push to expand the monument. It says research shows that very large, fully protected marine reserves are necessary to rebuild fish populations and diversity of species.

"By expanding the monument, President Obama has increased protections for one of the most biologically and culturally significant places on the planet" said Joshua S. Reichert, an executive vice president at Pew.

The White House is describing the expansion as helping to protect more than 7,000 species and improving the resiliency of an ecosystem dealing with ocean acidification and warming. It also is emphasizing that the expanded area is considered a sacred place for Native Hawaiians.

Shipwrecks and downed aircraft from the Battle of Midway in World War II dot the expansion area. The battle marked a major shift in the war. Obama will travel to the Midway Atoll to discuss the expansion.

With the announcement, Obama will have created or expanded 26 national monuments. The administration said Obama has protected more acreage through national monument designations than any other president.

The White House said the expansion is a response to a proposal from Democratic Sen. Brian Schatz and prominent Native Hawaiian leaders. The federal government will also give Hawaii's Department of Natural Resources and Office of Hawaiian Affairs a greater role in managing the monument, an arrangement requested by Schatz and Gov. David Ige.

Ige signed off on the expansion Wednesday, telling Obama in a letter that there had been tremendous debate on the issue locally. In the end, he decided the "proposal strikes the right balance at this time for the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands, and it can be a model for sustainability in the other oceans of planet Earth."

But American Samoa's delegate in the House of Representatives, Aumua Amata, said the monument expansion would place an already economically challenged territory at greater risk.

"Our local fishing industry, which comprises more than 80 percent of the local economy, depends heavily on access to these waters," Amata said.

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The Latest: Hostages say Kayla Mueller brave amid torture

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Latest on slain American hostage Kayla Mueller's time as a prisoner of Islamic State (all times local):

11:35 a.m.

Former hostages say an Arizona woman slain by Islamic State militants remained steadfast in her Christian faith and stood up to her captors despite being tortured, raped and verbally abused.

Four ex-hostages who shared cells at one time with Kayla Mueller spoke publicly for the first time in an interview with ABC News airing Friday.

Frida Saide and Patricia Chavez say Mueller always had a positive spirit while they were imprisoned for six weeks in an abandoned oil refinery in Syria.

They say she constantly demonstrated concern for other prisoners.

A humanitarian aid worker from Prescott, the 26-year-old Mueller was captured in August 2013 after leaving a hospital in Aleppo.

Her family and the Obama administration confirmed her death in February 2015.

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10:40 a.m.

The White House says President Barack Obama plans to donate to the foundation honoring Kayla Mueller (MYOO'-lur), an American killed by Islamic State militants last year.

A foundation in Mueller's name seeks to honor her commitment to humanitarianism and serving the needy. But Mueller's father told ABC News in an interview airing Friday that Obama promised during a private meeting in March 2015 to make a contribution, then never did.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest says he won't discuss private presidential conversations. But he says Obama intends to contribute to the foundation in the future. Earnest says the organization is consistent with the types of charities the president and first lady Michelle Obama have donated to previously.
AP National News Calendar

Eds: Major scheduled events for the week of Aug. 28 - Sept. 3. Note that many events are subject to change at the last minute.

The following economic reports will be issued in Washington (all times EDT), unless otherwise noted:

SUNDAY: No events of note.

MONDAY: Commerce Department releases personal income and spending for July, 8:30 a.m.

TUESDAY: Standard & Poor's releases S&P/Case-Shiller index of home prices for June and the second quarter, 9 a.m.; The Conference Board releases the Consumer Confidence Index for August, 10 a.m.

WEDNESDAY: National Association of Realtors releases pending home sales index for July, 10 a.m.

THURSDAY: Labor Department releases weekly jobless claims, 8:30 a.m.; Labor Department releases second-quarter productivity data, 8:30 a.m.; Institute for Supply Management releases its manufacturing index for August, 10 a.m.; Commerce Department releases construction spending for July, 10 a.m.; Freddie Mac, the mortgage company, releases weekly mortgage rates, 10 a.m.

FRIDAY: Labor Department releases employment data for August, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases international trade data for July, 8:30 a.m.; Commerce Department releases factory orders for July, 10 a.m.

SATURDAY: No events of note.

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SUNDAY, AUG. 28

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MONDAY, AUG. 29

WASHINGTON  Congress on break until Sept. 6.

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TUESDAY, AUG. 30

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WEDNESDAY, AUG. 31

President Barack Obama is in Lake Tahoe, Nevada, for a summit on environmental protection, and also is expected to address the World Conservation Congress in Honolulu.

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THURSDAY, SEPT. 1

President Barack Obama visits Midway Atoll to mark the expansion of a marine national monument.

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FRIDAY, SEPT. 2

President Barack Obama visits China and Laos, through Sept. 9.

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Agnieszka Radwanska advances to New Haven final

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)  Top-seeded Agnieszka Radwanska breezed through her Connecticut Open semifinal Friday, routing two-time defending champion Petra Kvitova 6-1, 6-1.

Radwanska, who will be seeded fourth next week in the U.S. Open, was never challenged. The Polish star won the first five games of the first set and the first four in the second against her Czech opponent, who has been fighting off a cold all week.

The 27-year-old is looking for her second title of the year after winning the Shenzhen Open in China in January.

"It's good that I'm again in this level that I can really play my best tennis, especially before the Grand Slam," she said

She will face the Ukraine's Elina Svitolina in the final.

The 21-year-old Svitolina ousted Sweden's Johanna Larsson 6-4, 6-2. Svitolina beat Serena Williams in the Olympics and is ranked No. 23 in the world. She's 4-0 in WTA finals, but this will be her first in a Premier event.

"It feels, of course, more special because it's a premier event," Svitolina said. "For the rest, I don't think this way. It's just a final, you know. My goal is to win a

Grand Slam. It's just another step in the right direction."

Radwansaka also has never won a Grand Slam, but is looking for her 19th WTA singles title. Fifteen of those have come on hard courts.

She had never made it past the quarterfinals in New Haven, but had a relatively easy trip this year that included a first round bye and straight set wins over Jelena Ostapenko of Latvia and lucky loser Kirsten Flipkins of Belgium

The loss snapped an 11-match winning streak for Kvitova in New Haven, where the Olympic bronze medalist was looking to join Venus Williams and Caroline Wozniacki as four-time winners. She also won the tournament 2012.

The two-time Wimbledon champion said she was fatigued, a bit ill and Radwanska just ran her off the court.

"She's not playing very hard, but she's using her speed, she's putting everything in," Kvitova said. "Even (when) you feel it's winner there, she still can catch it and rallies continue."

The first match began with three consecutive service breaks before the 21-year-old Svitolina found her touch and took control. The 10th seed broke Larsson at love in the fifth game of the second set and cruised from there.

Svitolina said she's received a lot of congratulations since the Olympics, but she was disappointed because she did not medal and hopes for bigger things next week.

"I wouldn't dream if I didn't think I could achieve this," she said of a Grand Slam title. "I think I need some time to adjust my game to try to compete against top players."

Radwanska has a bit of an extra incentive on Saturday. A win would give her enough points to clinch the U.S. Open Series bonus challenge and a chance for up to an extra $1 million, depending on her finish at the U.S. Open.
5 years after Irene, missing teenager's family still hopes

MONTPELIER, Vt. (AP)  Relatives of a teenager who walked out of his foster home on the eve of Tropical Storm Irene and hasn't been seen since hope the storm's fifth anniversary will prompt anyone who knows what might have happened to come forward and help solve the lingering mystery.

Marble Arvidson 's mother, Sigrid Arvidson, now of Estes Park, Colorado, plans to return to Brattleboro this weekend for the first time since she moved away after her son's disappearance.

Within the next few weeks, Marble's aunt is planning to distribute an age-progressed photograph that would show what the then-17-year boy, about to start his senior year of high school in fall 2011, might look like now.

FILE - In this file photo released in August 2012 by the Brattleboro Police Department, a poster bears photos of missing Brattleboro, Vt., resident Marble Arvidson. On Aug. 27, 2011, the day before Tropical Storm Irene swept into Vermont -- Arvidson left a note for his roommate that he was headed out and would be back within a couple of hours. But he hasn't been seen since. (AP Photo/ Brattleboro Police Department, File)

Most of Vermont has moved on five years after the raging floods caused by Irene, with hundreds of millions of dollars in repairs completed to public infrastructure and private property. But there's still no word on what happened to Marble.

His mother doesn't know if he's dead or alive.

"The best I can do as a mom is to love him in whatever form he is in right now," Sigrid Arvidson said Friday from her sister's house in Belchertown, Massachusetts. "My desire is still to locate his physical body."

The police and Marble's relatives all hope the anniversary might jog someone's memory, or that five years of maturity or festering guilt might prompt someone to come forward with information.

"I think that there are people who know what happened and they are not speaking about it," said Marble's aunt, Patricia Kittredge, a former non-commissioned officer in the Massachusetts National Guard.

Kittredge has continued to work with the police. She said she'd heard of tips that were forwarded to police that after Marble left his home, he was beaten by two boys or young men.

"A kid shouldn't be able to disappear into thin air," Kittredge said. "It's hard when you run out of places to look."

Marble was in the custody of the Vermont Department for Children and Families and living in a foster home on the western edge of Brattleboro on the afternoon of Aug. 27, 2011, when he pinned a note to the door of his bedroom saying he'd be back in half an hour. He is thought to have left with a man in his mid-20s.

The teenager left a few hours before it started raining, and by the next day, Aug. 28, all of Vermont was being pummeled by Irene, which had already killed dozens of people as a hurricane in the Caribbean and along the East Coast.

Brattleboro Police Chief Michael Fitzgerald said the missing-person case remains open.
Killing of 2 nuns leaves gaping hole in poor community

LEXINGTON, Miss. (AP)  In the poverty-stricken Mississippi county where two nuns were slain, forgiveness for their killer is hard to find, even if forgiveness is what the victims would have wanted.

Sisters Margaret Held and Paula Merrill were nurse practitioners who dedicated their lives to providing health care to people in the poorest county in the state. And as authorities search for the killer, many residents wonder how they will fill the hole the women's deaths have left.

"Right now, I don't see no forgiveness on my heart," said Joe Morgan Jr., a 58-year-old former factory worker who has diabetes and was a patient of Merrill's at the clinic where the two nuns worked.

"Sister Paula was an angel," says Joe Morgan Jr., of Lexington, Miss., Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, standing at a businesses adjacent to the Lexington Medical Clinic where he was a patient of Sister Paula Merrill, one of two nurse practitioners who were found slain Thursday in their Durant, Miss., home, a few miles away. Merrill and Sister Margaret Held, were known for their kindness and community involvement in the mostly rural Mississippi Delta towns. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

He said Merrill would want him to forgive whoever killed the women, but he hopes the perpetrator is arrested, convicted and executed.

"She doesn't deserve to die like this, doing God's work," Morgan said, shaking his head. "There's something wrong with the world."

The women, both 68, were found dead at their home Thursday morning after they failed to show up for work at the clinic, where they gave flu shots, dispensed insulin and provided other medical care for children and adults who couldn't afford it.

Their stolen car was found abandoned a mile from their home, and there were signs of a break-in, but police haven't disclosed a motive.

Authorities have not said how the women were killed, but the Rev. Greg Plata of St. Thomas Catholic Church in Lexington, where the nuns had led Bible study for years, said police told him they were stabbed.

The state posted a reward of $20,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction.

Plata said both nuns' religious communities have asked that people pray for the killer or killers. Asked about people's struggles to forgive, the priest said: "Forgiveness is at the heart of being a Christian. Look at Jesus on the cross: 'Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.'"

On Friday, a handwritten sign on the front door of Lexington Medical Clinic said it was closed until Monday.

The clinic and the nuns' home in Durant are in Holmes County, population 18,000. With 44 percent of its residents living in poverty, Holmes is the seventh-poorest county in America, according to the Census Bureau.

The slayings did more than shock people and plunge the county into mourning. They leave a gaping hole in what was already a strapped health care system.

Dr. Elias Abboud, who worked with the sisters for years and helped build the clinic, said it provided about 25 percent of all medical care in the county.

The two nuns cultivated relationships with drug company representatives, who often left extra free samples, according to clinic manager Lisa Dew.

"This is a poor area, and they dignified those who are poor with outreach and respect for them," Plata said. "They treated each person as a child of God."

Merrill's sister Rosemarie, speaking by telephone from her Stoneham, Massachusetts, home, said her sister had been in Mississippi helping the poor since 1981 and had previously worked in Holly Springs, where she used to ride around on a moped and was instrumental in locating the source of a tuberculosis outbreak.

Merrill was raised in the suburbs of Boston and came from a working-class family, her father a laborer and her mother a bookkeeper, her nephew David said. He said his aunt had worked with Held for many years.

"We always considered Margaret just part of the family," he said. "The word 'sister' has many meanings, and they fulfilled all of them."

Rosemarie Merrill said she doesn't know what will happen to the clinic now and worries about the effect on health care in Holmes County. She said her sister and Held would often go into the clinic on Sundays after Mass or on their days off.

"It's just going to be a disaster," she said.

Genette Pierce, who works at a home health and hospice business a few doors down from the clinic, said: "Their patients  all of them  they're going to be lost without them right now."

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Associated Press writer Rebecca Santana in New Orleans contributed to this report.

Traffic passes along Mississippi Highway 12 that runs adjacent to the closed Lexington Medical Clinic where Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both nurse practitioners worked, Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 in Lexington, Miss. The two women, who worked in the rural Mississippi Delta, were found slain in their home in neighboring Durant, Miss., Thursday. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Durant Police Chief John Haynes, left, and assistant Police Chief James Lee reassure Lexington Medical Clinic employees Lisa Dew, right, and Viola Turner, seated, that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was giving the home of two slain Catholic nuns who worked as nurses at the clinic a through crime scene investigation, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, in Durant. The clinic office manager and a Durant police officer discovered their bodies inside the house after both nuns did not report for work. Authorities said there were signs of a break-in and their vehicle was missing. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

This undated photo provided by Sisters of Charity of Nazareth shows Sister Paula Merrill. Sister Margaret Held and Merrill, two nuns who worked as nurses and helped the poor in rural Mississippi, were found slain in their home and there were signs of a break-in and their vehicle was missing, officials said Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Sisters of Charity of Nazareth via AP)

This 2015 photo provided by the School Sisters of St. Francis shows Sister Margaret Held. Sister Paula Merrill and Held, two nuns who worked as nurses and helped the poor in rural Mississippi, were found slain in their home and there were signs of a break-in and their vehicle was missing, officials said Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. (Michael O'Loughlin/School Sisters of St. Francis via AP)

A Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agent takes a bag with evidence from the Durant, Miss., home of two slain Catholic nuns who worked as nurses at the Lexington Medical Clinic, to her vehicle, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The clinic office manager and a Durant police officer discovered their bodies inside the house after both nuns did not report for work. Authorities said their were signs of a break-in and their vehicle was missing. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Two Mississippi Bureau of Investigation agents inspect a car in the garage of the Durant, Miss., home of two slain Catholic nuns who worked as nurses at the Lexington Medical Clinic, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. The clinic office manager and a Durant police officer discovered their bodies inside the house after both nuns did not report for work. Authorities said their were signs of a break-in and their vehicle was missing. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)

Rev. Greg Plata, speaks outside the St. Thomas Catholic Church that he pastors Friday, Aug. 26, 2016 in Lexington, Miss., about the community loss with the murders of Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill, both nurse practitioners in the town. The two women, who worked in the rural Mississippi Delta, were found slain in their home in neighboring Durant, Thursday. (AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis)
Judge in Stanford sex assault case leaves criminal court

SAN FRANCISCO (AP)  A judge whose sentencing of a former Stanford University swimmer to six months in jail for sexual assault touched off a national debate over campus rape took himself off criminal cases  but efforts to remove him from the bench are still moving forward.

Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky asked to be relieved from hearing criminal matters and transferred to another court, which was granted.

"While I firmly believe in Judge Persky's ability to serve in his current assignment, he has requested to be assigned to the civil division, in which he previously served," Presiding Judge Rise Pichon said. "Judge Persky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment."

FILE - This June 27, 2011 file photo shows Santa Clara County Superior Court Judge Aaron Persky, who drew criticism for sentencing former Stanford University swimmer Brock Turner to only six months in jail for sexually assaulting an unconscious woman. The California judge has recused himself from making his first key decision in another sex case. The Mercury News reported Monday, Aug. 22, 2016 that Persky filed a statement saying that some people might doubt that he could be impartial. The judge is the target of a recall campaign after he sentenced a former Stanford swimmer to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman. (Jason Doiy/The Recorder via AP, File)

The move is not necessarily permanent  it is subject to an annual review and takes effect Sept. 6.

Another judge's desire to transfer to Palo Alto made it possible to do a quick swap with Persky, Pichon said. Normally such changes don't happen until a new year starts.

"It's unusual, but not unprecedented," judicial ethics expert Richard Zitrin said of Persky's transfer request.

The move would have been more unusual had court management decided to transfer Persky against his will, Zitrin said.

"It's entirely appropriate for the judge to ask for a transfer if he felt he could no longer be effective," said Zitrin, a University of California, San Francisco, law professor.

Persky in June ordered the six-month sentence for Brock Turner, a Dayton, Ohio, resident who had been attending Stanford on a swimming scholarship. The judge cited a probation department recommendation and the effect the conviction will have on the 20-year-old's life.

Authorities say Turner sexually assaulted the girl last year while she was passed out near a trash bin next to a campus fraternity house. They had both been drinking heavily.

The sentence that many considered lenient and a powerful statement from the victim that was widely shared made the case a national rallying cry for a reconsideration of how sexual assault is handled by the courts. It also led to a recall effort against the judge.

Michelle Dauber, the Stanford law professor behind the campaign, said that while she welcomes Persky's decision to leave criminal court, the recall effort will continue, in part because he "can still transfer back to hearing criminal cases any time he chooses."

"The issue of his judicial bias in favor of privileged defendants in sex crimes and domestic violence still needs to be addressed by the voters of Santa Clara County," Dauber said in an email. "In our opinion, Judge Persky is biased and should not be on the bench."

Recall organizers say they will begin collecting signatures in April to try to qualify the issue for the November 2017 ballot.

Persky had already left two sex-crimes cases since sentencing Turner. He formally recused himself Monday from deciding whether to reduce a San Jose plumber's felony child pornography charges to misdemeanors.

That came two months after the district attorney's office removed Persky from a different sexual assault case, saying "we lack confidence" in the judge's ability to decide it impartially.

In addition to his supervising judge, attorneys who have argued in front of Persky back his abilities. Santa Clara County deputy public defender Gary Goodman in June called him a "solid and respected judge," while defense attorney Barbara Muller said he's "one of the fairest judges" in the county.

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Dalton reported from Los Angeles.
'Making a Murderer' attorney seeks more evidence testing

MADISON, Wis. (AP)  The attorney for a Wisconsin inmate featured in the hit Netflix series "Making a Murderer" filed a motion Friday seeking permission to perform extensive testing on evidence she believes will show he's innocent.

Steven Avery was convicted in 2007 and sentenced to life in prison in the death of 25-year-old photographer Teresa Halbach, who disappeared after a visit to the Avery family's Manitowoc County salvage yard in 2005. Avery has argued he was framed.

His attorney, Kathleen Zellner, told reporters awaiting her filing outside the Manitowoc County courthouse that she wants to date blood and DNA found at the scene to see if it was planted. She promised the results will show that Avery isn't guilty and that someone else killed Halbach.

FILE - In this March 13, 2007 file photo, Steven Avery listens to testimony in the courtroom at the Calumet County Courthouse in Chilton, Wis. The attorney for Avery, a convicted killer featured in the hit Netflix documentary series "Making a Murderer," filed a motion Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, seeking permission to perform extensive scientific tests on evidence she believes will show he's innocent. (AP Photo/Morry Gash, Pool, File)

Her motion notes that forensic science has advanced dramatically since Avery was convicted. It asks for testing and re-testing on an extensive list of evidence, including Halbach's vehicle key, which was found in Avery's room with his DNA on it; Avery's blood found in the vehicle; and a pair of women's underwear found in the yard to see if they belonged to Halbach and contain male DNA.

"The most reassuring thing is that we are going to get to the bottom of who killed Teresa Halbach," Zellner said. "And we firmly believe that we will establish it was not Steven Avery."

The Wisconsin Department of Justice is handling post-conviction activity in Avery's case on behalf of county prosecutors. A spokesman for the agency didn't immediately respond to an email Friday afternoon.

Avery, now 54, was charged in November 2005 with sexually assaulting and killing Halbach, who disappeared that Halloween after traveling to the salvage yard to shoot photos for a car magazine. Investigators found her charred remains in a burn pit in the yard.

Avery and his then 16-year-old nephew, Brendan Dassey, lived on the property. A jury in 2007 convicted Avery of being a party to first-degree intentional homicide and a judge sentenced him to life in prison.

Later that year, a separate jury convicted Dassey of being party to first-degree intentional homicide, mutilating a corpse and sexual assault. He, too, was sentenced to life.

The case fascinated the public. Two years before Halbach's death, Avery had been released from prison after spending 18 years behind bars for rape that a DNA test later showed he didn't commit.

Avery contended police framed him for Halbach's death because the rape exoneration embarrassed them and he had a $36 million wrongful conviction lawsuit pending against Manitowoc County. That lawsuit collapsed when he was arrested in Halbach's death.

Avery has alleged that investigators planted blood taken from him during the rape case and planted Halbach's DNA at the scene.

He argued in an appeal that he should have been allowed to blame others for Halbach's death, that police illegally searched his trailer and that a judge improperly replaced a juror during deliberations. A state appeals court rejected those arguments in 2011.

Avery and Dassey burst back into the public consciousness late last year after Netflix aired "Making a Murderer." The series raised questions about investigators' integrity in the Halbach case. Prosecutors insisted the show was one-sided but it still created a national groundswell of support for Avery and Dassey.

A federal magistrate judge overturned Dassey's conviction this month, ruling investigators coerced him into confessing. The state Justice Department has 90 days to appeal or decide whether to retry him. If the agency chooses to do nothing, he will go free.

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This version of the story was corrected in the summary to make clear that Avery's lawyer is Kathleen Zellner.

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Dallas protest leader sentenced to 2 years in prison

DALLAS (AP)  A leader of the group that organized the protest where a sniper killed five law enforcement officers in Dallas was sentenced Friday to prison for unrelated probation violations.

State District Judge Gracie Lewis revoked probation for Dominique Alexander and sentenced him to two years in prison with credit for time served. Alexander, the 27-year-old founder of the Next Generation Action Network that organized the July 7 rally to protest recent fatal police shootings of black men, had been on probation for a 2009 felony injury to a child conviction.

The hearing Friday was held two weeks after Dallas County District Attorney officials filed a motion to revoke Alexander's probation for multiple violations. Alexander's supporters have said those issues had largely already been addressed by the same judge at previous hearings. They say he is being targeted because of the protest, but the shooter Micah Johnson was not affiliated with their group.

This Aug. 12, 2016, photo provided by the Dallas County Sheriff's Department shows Dominique Alexander. On Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, Alexander was ordered to prison. Alexander, the founder of a protest network and one of the Dallas police departments most vocal, visible critic, believes hes being targeted because he refuses to stop the demonstrations. (Dallas County Sheriff's Department via AP)

"We will continue to push for police reform. This is the very reason we need to push for police reform. This system is corrupt," said Kim Cole, an attorney for Alexander and for the network. "There were five applications (for revocation) filed in 11 days and there were no new offenses committed. Explain that."

Prosecutors alleged Alexander violated his probation by missing meetings with his probation officer, leaving the state without notifying his probation officer, failing to complete community service and classes and falling behind on fines and fees. Court records showed Lewis sentenced Alexander to 10 days in jail in December for several missed meetings and added 30 hours of community service after he admitted to leaving the state at a hearing earlier this month.

Prosecutor Douglas Millican said Alexander was being treated the same as any other defendant.

"I feel silly having to say this, but we would be standing here in this position regardless of circumstances with who the defendant was or what he was involved in. I would be having the same conversation with you if he was a pediatric neurosurgeon and had to be in surgery in 10 minutes," he told the judge.

Cole said Alexander received extra scrutiny because of his protest involvement, noting that police and sheriff's officers had sent social media posts and other photos and video of Alexander to the judge to show he had left the state.

Lewis said she had given Alexander multiple opportunities over the last six years to follow the rules.

"I've done everything but almost beg him to do what he is supposed to do," she said.

Cameron Gray, another attorney representing Alexander, said he doesn't plan to appeal the ruling. He said with time served Alexander will be eligible for parole in six months or less.

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This story has been corrected to say that Gracie Lewis' title is state district, not Dallas County, judge.

In this photo made Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016, Dominique Alexander makes cell phone call from the doorway of his apartment in Dallas. Alexander, a leader of the protest where a sniper killed five law enforcement officers in Dallas was ordered to prison Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, for unrelated probation violations. Alexander, the founder of the Next Generation Action Network that organized the July 7 rally to protest fatal police shootings of black men, had been on probation for a 2009 felony conviction for injury to a child.(AP Photo/LM Otero)
Judge denies Nevada county's claim to national forest road

RENO, Nev. (AP)  A dirt road in a national forest at the center of a decades-old dispute between the Forest Service and a rural Nevada county will remain in federal hands after a judge ruled county officials failed to prove it was theirs before President Theodore Roosevelt permanently reserved the remote wilderness in 1909.

Federal Judge Miranda Du says the agency had no authority to cede control of the land to Elko County in a 2001 settlement agreement granting a rare right-of-way to the road running along a mountain river with threatened bull trout near the Idaho line.

Conservationists say it's a critical victory in the face of similar confrontations across the West with ranchers, miners, states and counties pressing the federal government to relinquish control of tens of thousands of square miles of public land. The Utah Supreme Court currently is weighing that state's push to claim the right to use about 12,000 rural roads running across more than 40,000 square miles.

"It doesn't control or decide any claims in Utah or anywhere else, but it says that the U.S. government shouldn't be in the business of recognizing meritless claims over federal property," Michael Freeman, a Denver-based lawyer for Earthjustice, said Friday.

Elko County District Attorney Kristin McQueary declined comment.

Forest Service officials said the ruling doesn't change anything on the ground in one of the most remote stretches of U.S. wilderness outside of Alaska. All but the last half-mile of the 2.4-mile stretch of road has remained open to motorized travel while the legal battle continued, but with limited maintenance and grading so as to minimize impacts on the fish.

"The decision in the Elko County case does not affect public access or limit the U.S. Forest Service's ability to manage the South Canyon Road," Forest Supervisor Bill Dunkelberger said, adding the agency will continue to seek Elko County's input in managing the road.

Du ruled the fact some mining prospectors and sheep herders may have traversed the route before the Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest was created doesn't constitute a legal right of way under a 1866 law intended to promote mineral exploration across the West.

"The continuous public use of the South Canyon Road requires a demonstration of more than random or merely occasional use," she wrote Aug. 16.

Similar fights have been waged in Idaho, Oregon, Alaska and New Mexico over the 1866 law. The statute was repealed in 1976, but right-of-ways legally established previously were grandfathered in.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals twice struck down the agreement in Nevada. The U.S. Supreme Court refused to hear Elko County's appeal in 2008.

The dispute dates to 1998 when the agency announced plans to replace the road that washed out in a 1995 flood with a non-motorized trail. County commissioners responded with a resolution claiming ownership of the road, and State Assemblyman John Carpenter and others formed the citizen "Shovel Brigade" with plans to rebuild it by hand.

The government sought an injunction blocking reconstruction, filing suit in 1999 against Carpenter after then-Interior Secretary Bruce Babbitt declared the bull trout threatened in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Nevada.

But after President George W. Bush replaced President Clinton in 2001, the service reversed course and agreed to the settlement over the objections of The Wilderness Society and others who accused the government of kowtowing to anti-federal activists.

"The consent decree would have put the federal government under a court order to not dispute Elko County's claim, the legal and practical effect of which was to transfer the title to Elko County," Freeman said.

The parties resumed negotiations in 2009 and last year Du conducted an eight-day evidentiary hearing before ruling the county failed to prove its claim.
WASHINGTON  Newspaper commentators are not known for writing about lying. Such reproaches are up to our beloved mothers, who somehow never ... ever ... let go of warning us about the horrors of not being truthful, or up to our pastors, priests, rabbis, imams or otherwise wise mentors.

Sometimes the warnings would be taken up by smart-alecks, with something like, "It's always better to tell the truth, because lying puts such a drain on your memory." But usually, the remonstration was more in line with the Bible's sober warning to "bear not false witness."

So it seemed a little strange and even off-beat that, in this last week the papers have been full of stories about people being punished for lying that would have done my mother's heart good.

One is forced to wonder: Could this actually be one of those "teachable moments" the Obama folks often refer to  one of those events that can be employed to change human behavior?

First on the block we have none other than the talented Ryan Lochte, who has won no fewer than 12 Olympic medals, which puts him second among American swimmers to the super-legendary Michael Phelps, and who would seem to have not a care in the world.

When Lochte went to the Rio 2016 Games this summer, he was a hero of advertising, from the swimmer's Speedo to the fashionista's Ralph Lauren. Muito dinheiro, amigos! He had been the subject of a 2013 reality TV series called "What Would Ryan Lochte Do?" The world lay at his feet, which ploughed the water everywhere like magic fins.

And then, the supposedly blessed Ryan Lochte LIED.

Remember, please, that he didn't have to lie. That night, he and three of his comrades-in-sport went to a big, joyful, champagne-soaked French party in Rio and drank too much. OK, not nice, but also usually not fatal.

But Lochte & Co., in that "otherworld" of drink and drunken drama, about 6 a.m. stopped at a simple gas station to use the men's room. There they, so to speak, pissed off the armed guards by tearing apart the men's room. His pals said he was in an "altered" state. Still, by any means, a lesser "crime" than most.

But then, our very own Ryan LIED.

Did he actually decide to, or did it just come out? We don't know yet. But we do know that his first story  that he and his compadres were robbed by gun-toting men wearing police uniforms, with one putting a gun to Lochte's Olympian head  soon turned out to be false, as many of these tales so often do.

Indeed, the tall tale also pissed off, so to speak, the Brazilian authorities, who were already angered by accusations all over the world of Brazilian criminality. The second story was rather quickly dug out by the supposedly inefficient Rio police, and all hell broke loose.

Just as lying malefactors, from Al Capone talking about his income to Dick Cheney arguing on behalf of destroying Iraq, so often do, Lochte got out fast, leaving for the states and abandoning friends before they seemingly could even figure out he had left.

At the same time, in mid-August, I happened to be visiting my hometown of Chicago, and, lordy Lord, it was announced by Chicago Police Superintendent Eddie Johnson that seven officers should be fired for their response to their colleague's fatal shooting of a young African-American man, Laquan McDonald, in 2014.

It now turns out that the city fathers, its police department and its well-known Mayor Rahm Emanuel had stood back two years ago, after Officer Jason Van Dyke fired 16 shots at the 17-year-old McDonald, killing him. The officer at the time claimed that the boy had moved menacingly toward him with a knife, a story contradicted by the video of the shooting.

The police officer is now charged with murder and is awaiting trial, but until now, the other officers had supported his original story and, as the Chicago Tribune worded it last week:

"To the (police) department's critics, the significance of the video of Mr. McDonald's shooting was not just in showing how wanton and unnecessary his killing had been, but in starkly demonstrating how blatantly and casually police officers had lied about the circumstances of another officer shooting a man."

There's that word again: This time, the police officers LIED.

Now, there is much more to say about both the Rio and the Chicago stories, but essentially both involve lying while trying to cover up a malfeasance. And so one has to ask, what if they had told the truth?

In the Lochte case, if he had admitted to being in an "altered" state and apologized, it would have been over in half a day  and forgotten. Instead, he is deeply humiliated, his swimming glory days are over, and his financial glory days are REALLY over, as his sponsors drop off, each one faster than the other. Americans in Rio were so embarrassed, they left notes of apology at the Rio airport for the Brazilians.

In Chicago, one man is dead and another is being tried for murder, while seven police officers who could have told the truth, or even stopped the killing, are facing dismissal. The infamous Chicago "code of silence," both among the police (about each other) and among black Chicagoans (about neighborhood gang killings), is ironically self-destructive.

Our mothers tended to tell us that lying was wrong because it was morally wrong. It is! But on a larger level, lying is not only wrong, but it is dumb. Good mamas, please tell that to your kids, too!
Canadian rescued near 'Into the Wild' bus

FAIRBANKS, Alaska (AP)  Authorities in Alaska say a Canadian man is the latest person to be rescued near an abandoned bus made famous by the book and film "Into the Wild.

The Fairbanks Daily News-Miner (https://is.gd/678kai) reports 22-year-old Matthew Sharp of Manitoba was rescued after he was unable to hike back because of minor injuries and high river levels.

Alaska State Troopers say a personal locator beacon registered to Sharp was activated early Thursday morning. Troopers responded by helicopter and found Sharp, who was flown to Fairbanks.

"Into the Wild" chronicled the life and death of 24-year-old Chris McCandless, who hiked into the Alaska wilderness in April 1992 with little food and equipment. He was found starved to death in the bus almost four months later.

The bus has long been a destination for those seeking to retrace his steps.

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Oregon fair generates buzz with 1st legal pot display in US

SALEM, Ore. (AP)  Living marijuana plants went on display Friday at the Oregon State Fair, with organizers saying it's the first state fair in the nation to allow cannabis for public viewing.

The state voted to legalize recreational marijuana in late 2014. Here are a few things to know about legal pot in Oregon and the display at the fair:

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In this Aug. 26, 2016 photo in Salem, Ore., Billy Jean Clay, left and Roxanne Hunt, of Silverton, Ore., look at marijuana plants at the Oregon State Fair during the first day of an exhibit of living pot plants. Oregon voters legalized recreational marijuana in late 2014 and the state is the first in the nation to allow live marijuana plants at the state fair. (AP Photo/Gillian Flaccus)

WHAT'S THE BUZZ?

The Oregon State Fair allowed a display about marijuana without any living plants last year and it generated no complaints. So this year, the organization took the next step and agreed to let marijuana growers display live plants.

The Oregon Cannabis Business Council, which is sponsoring the display, says it's the first time living pot plants have been open for public viewing at any state fair nationwide.

The council is renting space in an exhibit hall for its tent and selected nine plants for the display at an industry event two weeks ago.

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WILL FAIRGOERS GET HIGH?

No. While the tent holding the display smells strongly of weed, fair authorities are only allowing immature plants  that is, pot plants without flowers.

Marijuana leaves are much less potent than the flowers, or buds, and it's not yet legal to transport flowering plants within the state anyway.

Donald Morse, director of the Oregon Cannabis Business Council, said his group hopes to get permission to display flowering pot plants next year, but the details aren't finalized.

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CAN ANYONE SEE THE PLANTS?

No. The exhibit is in a translucent tent and both the entrance and exit are monitored. Anyone entering must present identification proving they are 21 or over.

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AREN'T STATE FAIRS FOR GIANT PUMPKINS, PIGS AND APPLE PIE?

The way people think about marijuana in Oregon is changing, and recreational grow sites are recognized under state law as farm crops.

The Oregon Liquor Control Commission is in the process of licensing recreational marijuana in much the same way it already controls the sale and use of alcohol.

Fair spokesman Dan Cox says the event must adapt to changing cultural and societal values and allowing the display is one part of that shift.

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A CASH CROP

Oregonians voted to legalize marijuana in 2014 and the state allowed the sale of marijuana "edibles," such as pot-infused candies and confections, earlier this year.

This week, the state said it had processed $25.5 million in taxes on recreational pot since January 2016.

Anticipated state revenue through June 2017 was recently quadrupled by Oregon's Legislative Revenue Office, from $8.4 million to $35 million.

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BUT IT'S ILLEGAL, RIGHT?

Recreational marijuana is still illegal in 46 states and is banned by the federal government.

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Follow Gillian Flaccus on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/gflaccus .
Louisiana's four-legged flood victims await reunions, homes

LIVINGSTON, La. (AP)  Two weeks ago, fast-rising floodwaters forced many south Louisiana homeowners to leave their beloved pets behind as they boarded rescue boats or waded through chest-deep water to reach dry ground.

Now many four-legged victims of the historic flooding are getting refuge at animal shelters near and wide  with a shot at being reunited with owners desperate to get them back.

The reunions, like one Friday at a shelter in Livingston, are emotional.

Bonnie Smith, 67, was thrilled when she stopped by the Livingston, La., animal shelter on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016, and found Betsy, the cat that always slept at the foot of her mother-in-laws bed before she died in July at age 103. One of Smiths tenants had rescued the cat from floodwaters two weeks ago but had to leave it at a shelter in a Denham Springs church when they were evacuated. The shelter reunited Smith with the cat. (AP Photo/Michael Kunzelman)

"We've cried a thousand tears of sadness and joy," said Bonnie Smith, 67, overjoyed as she was reunited Friday with a family cat named Betsy.

Smith found Betsy at an animal shelter in Livingston Parish, one of the areas hardest hit by last week's catastrophic flooding. Floodwaters rose here so fast in some places that pets and their owners were quickly separated.

"Some of these people left with even no shoes on. It was that fast and that bad," said Dr. Lesa Staubus, a staff veterinarian with the American Humane Association who drove from Oklahoma last Friday to help coordinate efforts at two Livingston Parish animal shelters.

Veterinarians and volunteers were caring for roughly 150 pets Friday at the shelters in the town of Livingston and in nearby Walker. Recently, they've helped reunite around 50 families with their cats or dogs.

Shelter workers post photographs of rescued pets on a Facebook page. Pets unclaimed 45 days after the flooding began will become candidates for adoption. And sheltered pets are given a temporary name  like Frank the beagle, Gracie Hope the Catahoula leopard hound mix and Layla the dachshund  and not just for record-keeping purposes.

"If a dog is just a number, it's hard to bond with them," Staubus explained.

They've also cared for a pig, chickens, a rabbit and ducks at the Livingston shelter, though dogs and cats are the norm.

Robin Pomes, a volunteer at the Livingston shelter, tried to comfort a shaking dog kept there since Aug. 18.

"She's scared to come out of the kennel," Pomes, 55, said of the 5-year-old hound mix.

Mike Steele, spokesman for the Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, said at least 3,300 pets were rescued  and likely many more that weren't reported.

Volunteers from the LSU School of Veterinary Medicine and an organization known as the Louisiana State Animal Response Team are caring for rescued pets at a Baton Rouge movie production studio and at convention centers in Baton Rouge and Gonzales. The Gonzales facility has been a shelter for cattle, horses and other livestock threatened by the flooding.

Outside the flood zone, others also helped.

Michelle Ingram owns a New Orleans pet boarding and grooming business that she uses to fund Zeus' Rescue, a nonprofit animal rescue operation. She and a crew of employees and volunteers have been part of the animal rescue effort since Aug. 13, when she headed for a shelter in badly flooded Denham Springs.

"We couldn't find a route in. I actually ended up taking in a yellow lab off of a sheriff's boat that they had just found swimming," she said.

At the Livingston shelter, Smith thanked volunteers for taking care of the cat that always slept by her mother-in-law's bed before the woman died in July at age 103. One of Smith's tenants rescued the cat from floodwaters but had to leave it at a shelter in a Denham Springs church when they were evacuated.

"They say she had a little scratch on her nose. That's nothing," Smith said. "We're just so pleased to have her back."

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McGill reported from New Orleans.
Jeremy Corbyn concerned at 'unfair' removal of vote from Labour members

Jeremy Corbyn has voiced concern that supporters have been "unfairly removed" from voting in the Labour leadership election.

Mr Corbyn confirmed his campaign has written to the party's general secretary Iain McNicol in the wake of the suspension of bakers' union chief Ronnie Draper.

It follows claims from shadow chancellor John McDonnell that thousands of members and registered supporters had been reportedly denied a vote without a proper explanation.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has been in Edinburgh as part of his leadership campaign

Mr McDonnell, who is chairing Mr Corbyn's bid to be re-elected as Labour leader, warned party officials against ''what appears to be a rigged purge of Jeremy Corbyn supporters''.

Asked during a visit to Edinburgh whether he thought the leadership election was subject to a "rigged purge", Mr Corbyn said: "I'm very concerned that some people seem to have been unfairly removed from the ability to vote in this election.

"A number of people have contacted me as a result of that and we have sent the names in that we're concerned about to the general secretary, and asked him to make sure that the party checks into this carefully to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote is able to vote in this election. We want a fair and open election."

Mr Draper, a prominent supporter of Mr Corbyn and a Labour member for 40 years, said he was ''disgusted and in shock'' after receiving a letter saying he was suspended pending a hearing, a move which will prevent him voting in the leadership election.

The BFAWU union, which has almost 20,000 members in the food industry, is backing Mr Corbyn in the leadership contest against Owen Smith.

A number of other Labour Party members said they have also been suspended , with one saying four people with a combined membership of 163 years have received letters.

Meanwhile, Mr Corbyn called for an end to the online abuse being directed at Johanna Baxter, a member of the ruling National Executive Committee, over the suspensions.

He said: "I have been in touch with Johanna Baxter to let her know that I am appalled by the abuse directed towards her for her role on the National Executive Committee. No abuse is carried out in my name, and no one responsible for abuse is a genuine supporter of mine.

"I have repeatedly called for a kinder, gentler politics, which is why I launched Respect and Unity, a code of conduct calling on all Labour members and supporters to conduct themselves with a high standard of behaviour.
Boy, 14, among three Britons killed in Italy earthquake

A 14-year-old boy on holiday with his parents is among three Britons killed in the deadly earthquake that rocked central Italy.

A married couple from south London also died following the 6.2 magnitude quake that struck early on Wednesday morning, which left 250 people dead and levelled three small towns.

Their devastated families paid tribute to "the tireless work of the Italian rescue workers and hospital staff" as the Queen made a donation to support search and rescue efforts.

Maria and Will Henniker-Gotley, who died in the Amatrice earthquake in Italy (FCO/PA)

A joint statement from their families issued by the Foreign Office said: "It is with sadness that we can confirm the deaths of Maria, 51, and Will, 55, Henniker-Gotley and Marcos Burnett, 14, in the earthquake in Amatrice, Italy on August 24.

"Their families have paid tribute to the tireless work of the Italian rescue workers and hospital staff and expressed their gratitude for the love and support they have received from the Italian people. Their thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the earthquake."

The Foreign Office was providing support to the families, it added.

A state of emergency has been declared in the areas affected and aftershocks have continued to strike, including one of a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 on Friday morning.

The Queen donated an unspecified amount to the British Red Cross, of which she is a patron, to support the Italian Red Cross in its relief efforts, Buckingham Palace said.

The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh have previously said they were "saddened to hear of the loss of life" and sent their "thoughts and prayers" to the "people of Italy, especially the family and friends of those affected".

Cornwall-based charity Shelterbox has sent a team over to Italy to assist with setting up accommodation for those displaced by the earthquake, while the British Red Cross has set up a section on its website for donations to be sent to their Italian counterparts.

Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver, meanwhile, announced that for a month 2 from each Pasta Amatriciana dish sold at his restaurant will be sent to help relief efforts.

It is believed Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley owned a property in Sommati, a village about 1.3 miles (2km) from Amatrice.

Their two children, believed to be aged 12 and 14, survived but their condition is unknown.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: "They were lovely. They were a lovely family. It's very hard to take in.

"They were very warm and friendly, extremely good neighbours. It's just so awful to think of their children."

She added: "I think Maria's father came from the village and was possibly born there. When he was ill - he has since died - they bought a house there and they go out every summer."

Marcos and his family were staying with the Henniker-Gotleys.

His parents, Anne-Louise and Simon Burnett, were both taken to hospital and their daughter also survived. Her condition is unknown.

The mother and father were initially taken to separate hospitals 40 miles (60km) from each other, where she was treated for facial fractures and he was being treated for a broken leg.

The latest aftershock hit the region at 6.28am local time on Friday. The US Geological Survey said it had a preliminary magnitude of 4.7.

Italy's national geological institute put the magnitude at 4.8. It was preceded by more than a dozen weaker aftershocks overnight and followed by another nine in the subsequent hour.

The quake zone has experienced more than 500 aftershocks, some measuring 5.1, in the two days since the original pre-dawn quake on Wednesday.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday that a number of Britons had been "affected" by the earthquake.

He said extra staff had been sent to the region to help provide support to Britons, while the Government has offered "any assistance that we can" to the Italian authorities.

He said: "My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people and everyone affected by the terrible earthquake that struck central Italy.

"The British Government has offered any assistance that we can to help with the recovery effort and I have spoken with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to express my condolences personally.

"As the scale of the disaster has become clearer, we now know that a number of British nationals have been affected.

"British embassy staff are in the region providing consular support, and we have deployed additional staff to support this effort."

Firefighters and rescue crews using sniffer dogs have been working in teams around the hardest-hit areas of the country.

"We will work relentlessly until the last person is found, and make sure no-one is trapped," said Lorenzo Botti, a rescue team spokesman.

Marcos Burnett was 14 (FCO/PA)
Spoiler alert: Don't tell, Poldark and The Fall fans urged

Fans of Poldark and The Fall were begged not to give away spoilers as they were given a first look at the highly-anticipated returning series at the Edinburgh International TV Festival.

The crowd whooped and cheered as they were shown the first episode of the second series at Poldark, which picks up hot on the heels of the devastating cliffhanger from April 2015, when Ross Poldark was arrested for murder and plundering a shipwreck and his wife Demelza was left alone on the Cornish cliff-top.

In the new series Ross faces capital crimes while he and Demelza are still dealing with the death of their daughter, Julia.

Poldark and its star Aidan Turner will returning for a new series (BBC/PA)

While the first episode takes on a dark tone, there is still much for fans of star Aidan Turner's shirtless scything scene in the first series to enjoy.

New characters are introduced in the second outing of Winston Graham's 18th-century saga, including Midsomer Murders star John Nettles as Ray Penvenen and Gabriella Wilde as his niece Caroline.

W1A star Hugh Skinner stars as Unwin Trevaunance, a prospective MP who hoping to marry the wealthy heiress.

New characters are also introduced in the first episode of the third series of serial killer drama The Fall, with Wallander star Krister Henriksson and Coupling actor Richard Coyle joining the cast.

Before the screening, one of the show's executive producers implored the audience not to reveal anything on social media, saying: "This is a treat, we don't want to spoil it."

At the end of last series, Jamie Dornan's serial killer Paul Spector appeared close to death in the arms of Gillian Anderson's troubled detective Stella Gibson after he was shot while in police custody.
Radicalised student given seven years for helping friend travel to Syria

A radicalised student has been sentenced to seven years behind bars for helping a friend go to Syria while studying for his A-levels.

From his mother's home in Manchester, Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Farah, now 20, created a "hub of communication" for his "Mandem" group of like-minded extremists in 2013.

Following a trial at the Old Bailey, the defendant was found guilty of preparing for terrorist acts by attempting to facilitate Nur Hassan, 19, from Manchester, to travel to Syria to fight.

Abdullahi Ahmed Jama Farah was given a seven-year sentence

Judge Michael Topolski sentenced him to seven years' detention and a further three years on extended licence.

The judge told him that the extent of his radicalisation was "considerable", saying: "Your support for jihad was global and offensive in nature and not defensive and limited to Syria."

He went on: "Your conduct demonstrated a significant degree of sophistication as well as determination and commitment.

"I am satisfied that what motivated you to assist was the very same set of extremist beliefs that motivated your friends to travel and train and fight and, if necessary, to die."

He highlighted messages in which the defendant referred to beheadings as "lick some heads off" and asking his friends if they were "smacking (killing) guys".

In assessing Jama Farah's dangerousness, the judge added: "I bear in mind that as relatively recently as 2015, with the full extent of the grotesque barbarity of Isis clear for all to see, you were continuing to support them and doing so openly and publicly."

Jama Farah is the cousin of the so-called "teenager terror twins", Zhara and Salma Halane, who at the age of 16 left their home in Chorlton in Manchester in June 2014 and are believed to have married IS fighters.

Prosecutor Gareth Patterson had told jurors it was clear that Jama Farah supported IS from what was found on his computers as well as messages on WhatsApp and social media.

Mr Patterson said he performed an "important role as the hub of communication" in the UK.

Jama Farah, who is Danish and of Somali origin, was in communication with four other friends abroad, two of whom are believed to have been killed and another badly injured in fighting.

His cousin Ahmed Ibrahim Halane, known as Pie, from Manchester, went to Somalia in September 2013, where he is thought to have joined the terrorist group al-Shabab.

Halane, brother of the "terror twins", is currently in Copenhagen, banned from returning to the UK.

Close friends Raphael Hostey, Mohammed Javeed and Khalil Raoufi headed from north-west England to Syria on October 6 2013 to join IS, the court heard.

Raoufi and Hostey went on to encourage others from England and around the world to swell their ranks in postings on Twitter.

Raoufi, also known as Abu Layth, was killed in combat in February 2014 and Hostey, or Al Qaqa, was shot in the foot.

Javeed, nicknamed Prinny, ended up in Iraq where, it emerged during the trial, he blew himself up in a suicide attack.

During his evidence, the defendant confirmed that when he twice discussed with his friends "doing a Prinny", that was what they were referring to.

After Jama Farah was arrested on March 11 2014, he told police he knew them all through his cousin Halane, who was "emir", or leader, of their group of close friends.

Jama Farah, of South Grove, Longsight, Manchester, denied wrongdoing. He was cast by his defence as an over-excited teenager sitting in his bedroom at home on his computer in contact with his friends and passing on phone numbers, concerned for their welfare.

Following a trial in February, the jury convicted him of facilitating Hassan's travel to Syria and for his communication with Raoufi.

Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Mole, head of the North West Counter Terrorism Unit, said: "Jama was very much a key part of the communication between this group of friends who had gone abroad with the intention of committing acts of terrorism.

"By regularly providing them with new contact details and updates on each other he supported their efforts to evade authorities and continue their extremist lifestyles.
British backpacker hurt fleeing Australia attack 'devastated' by friend's death

A British backpacker has spoken of his devastation and heartbreak after being caught up in an attack in Australia which ended with his friend being fatally stabbed.

Chris Porter, from Kent, has been discharged from hospital after reportedly damaging both ankles when he jumped from a second-storey window to flee the knifeman.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was killed in the attack at the Shelley's Backpackers accommodation in the Home Hill area of Queensland on Tuesday night.

Mia Ayliffe-chung died after being stabbed at a backpackers' hostel in Australia (Tommy Martin/PA)

A 30-year-old British man, named by police as Tom Jackson, was admitted to hospital with critical head injuries, while a 46-year-old local man suffered non-life threatening injuries.

In a Facebook posting, Mr Porter said: "I'm truly devastated and heartbroken about what has happened and I'm still in shock.

"Never thought I'd be heading back through that airport without Mia. I'd appreciate if everyone just gave me some time to myself for a while and I will get through all my inbox gradually."

Smail Ayad, 29, has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.

Superintendent Ray Rohweder, of Queensland Police, also said there was an indication that Ayad had taken cannabis on Tuesday evening.

Police have confirmed he shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack but said there is no indication that radicalisation or political motives were involved.

Mr Rohweder said there were a "number of concerns in relation to both officer and public safety" after the suspect allegedly attacked a number of officers.

The 12 serious assaults he has been charged with are in relation to 12 separate police officers. Ayad has had access to legal representation and the French consulate and has declined to be interviewed.

A post-mortem examination found Miss Ayliffe-Chung died from multiple stab wounds.
Arsenal close in on striker Lucas, with defender Mustafi also a reported target

Arsenal have launched a bid to sign forward Lucas Perez from Deportivo La Coruna and are reportedly close to bringing in German defender Shkodran Mustafi.

Their 27-year-old attacking target, known commonly as Lucas, has emerged as a top target for Arsene Wenger as he looks to add to his ranks before the transfer window closes next week.

A deal for Mustafi has been mooted for weeks, and according to BBC Sport, an agreement between Arsenal and Valencia is not far away, with the price for the 24-year-old Germany centre-back reported to be in excess of 35million.

Arsene Wenger has been keen to add attacking options to his Arsenal squad this summer

Lucas has also been linked with Everton, but Press Association Sport understands the Gunners are trying to clinch a deal for the former Karpaty Lviv and PAOK striker.

Having failed to lure Jamie Vardy away from Leicester and after a summer of reported interest in Lyon forward Alexandre Lacazette, Arsenal now appear to have made a move to bolster their strike-force.

Lucas scored 17 goals and provided eight assists as Deportivo finished 15th in LaLiga last season .

Local newspaper La Voz De Galicia reported Arsenal have agreed to meet the 20 million euros (17.1million) buy-out clause in Lucas' contract, and that the move was hours away from completion.

Deportivo La Coruna withdrew Lucas from their squad for the trip to face Real Betis in LaLiga on Friday night.

The club said in a statement: "The striker Lucas Perez will not fly to Seville, with permission of the club."

Arsenal have taken just one point from their opening two Premier League games, having lost 4-3 at home to Liverpool before a goalless draw against champions Leicester last weekend.

Wenger has already signed young Japan striker Takuma Asano this summer, but he confirmed the 21-year-old was now expected to be loaned out having been denied a work permit.
Rory McIlroy hopes for better after opening round par at The Barlcays

Rory McIlroy endured a mixed day in the opening round of the The Barclays as his level par round leaves him five shots off the lead.

McIlroy, down at number five in the world rankings and chasing his first PGA Tour win of the year, carded three birdies and three bogeys in his first 18 holes at Bethpage Black.

The 27-year-old, starting on the back nine, suffered back-to-back bogeys at 15 and 16, but made up for it with three birdies after the turn, only to drop a shot at the penultimate hole.

Rory McIllroy carded three birdies and three bogeys in his opening round

His level par round of 71 leaves him well behind the first-round leaders, but the Northern Irishman is confident of performing better on Friday.

"It was okay, it was difficult conditions out there," McIlroy told pgatour.com "I felt like I could have been a few better, but I missed a couple of short ones. I hit the ball pretty well tee to green and anything under par this afternoon is a good score.

"I can get back out there in hopefully better conditions and with better greens I can post something in the 60s. I felt par was a fair reflection of how I played."

Patrick Reid and Scotland's Martin Laird are the joint leaders on a blemish-free five under, with Reid firing three birdies and an eagle and Laird sending down five birdies.

Four players, including Rickie Fowler, are a shot further back on four under, while world number one Jason Day is three under and well placed.
HIT: To the return of the New York State Fair.

The fair opened Thursday and will run through Labor Day at the Geddes fairgrounds. The annual exhibition is a great showcase for everything agriculture, and Cayuga County-area livestock, foods and arts are always widely represented.

We know that not everyone is a fan of the fair, but some people travel long distances to visit the fairgrounds, and those of us who live nearby can easily take in all the shows, rides and attractions.

MISS: To charges that an Auburn mother left three young children in a car by themselves on the day that one of them walked into oncoming traffic.

Police charged the woman with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child, alleging that on Aug. 11 she left an 8-year-old, 3-year-old and a 9-month-old in a car without supervision. The 3-year-old got out of the car and walked into the street, where he was struck by a car. The boy suffered a head injury but has since recovered.

HIT: To an effort to teach girls that they should never believe there are limits to what they can accomplish.

Girls in an Auburn Girl Scout Troop are proudly wearing T-shirts with the iconic image of Rosie the Riveter and the saying "Never Underestimate A Girl" on the front. On the back are the names of distinguished women including Amelia Earhart, Sacajawea, Susan B. Anthony, and Malala Yousafzaj, a Pakistani activist who survived an assassination attempt by the Taliban.

We salute the great women of the past  and today's girls who are following in their path.
Laura Robson "pumped" as she puts herself one win away from US Open main draw

Laura Robson stands one win away from the US Open main draw after edging out Bulgaria's Isabella Shinikova 6-4 6-4 in the second round of qualifying.

Robson's career has been derailed by injury over the last two years but her recent revival continued in New York as she battled her way to victory against the dangerous Shinikova.

It means Robson has recorded seven wins on the bounce after winning an ITF event in Landisville earlier this month and she will now face either Germany's Tatjana Maria or Turkey's Ipek Soylu for a place in the first round.

Laura Robson is on a hot winning streak

Robson has endured an inconsistent year against a variety of lowly-ranked opponents but, during a late match at Flushing Meadows on a sparsely attended Court 8, there were some encouraging signs for the 22-year-old, now ranked 247th in the world.

"I feel really healthy, quite fit, today was a long day as well as yesterday but I've dealt with it well," Robson told Press Association Sport.

"I've been here a couple of times before in the last rounds of qualifying and had two awful matches but to be honest, I didn't even know if I was going to play this tournament so to be where I am now feels great and I'm definitely pumped for tomorrow."

Lengthy rain delays throughout the evening meant the contest started under floodlights at 10pm local time but that did not stop Dan Evans, the British number two, turning out to support in the crowd.

Evans had also watched on as Robson won her opening round on Wednesday and he stayed for the whole one hour and 19 minutes, with the match ending at just before 11.30pm.

"The late matches seem to be working for me," Robson said. "I can't believe Evo came back, we've got a really good group of support going. He's like a lucky charm - although don't tell him that."

Few players can match Robson's superb ball-striking from the back but Shinikova gave it a good go, regularly unleashing a rasping forehand that often caught the Briton by surprise.

While the quality was high in the rallies, however, both players struggled terribly with their serve and by the end of the 20 games played, there had been a total of 14 breaks.

Robson conceded six of them - three consecutively due to double faults in the second set - but her return and blistering forehand ultimately proved too strong for her opponent, who was in tears as she left the court.

"My serve has always been a bit iffy, it's something I just learn to cope with," Robson said.

"She was really tough to play against because she completely ripped the ball and sometimes I didn't even see it, I just had to get a racket on it.

"But I knew she would also be quite inconsistent so I just had to stick with her service games and try to hold my own as well. I'm really happy with the win."

Robson's compatriot Tara Moore saw her hopes of reaching the main draw ended as the British number four earlier lost to Germany's Antonia Lottner.
A&Es and hospitals face closure in NHS funding crisis

The NHS is drawing up plans to close services including A&E departments and district hospitals amid a dire funding crisis.

Experts warned there could be a "glut" of hospital services shut down as providers face a 23 billion national funding deficit.

An investigation commissioned by campaign group 38 Degrees uncovered 44 Sustainability and Transformation Plans (STPs) being drawn up across England to meet significant cuts.

Jeremy Hunt has been urged to admit that there is a disparity between what the NHS is being asked to achieve and the money that is available to do it

The revelations come after Stafford County Hospital suspended its A&E service for children on Thursday after senior staff said it was not clinically safe.

38 Degrees said the analysis, carried out by health policy experts Incisive Health, "reveals far-reaching plans to close services, which appear to have had little input from patients and the public".

It found that, in the Black Country, there are proposals to shut the A&E department at the Midland Metropolitan Hospital and to close one of two district general hospitals as part of a planned merger.

In Leicestershire and Rutland, there are plans to cut the number of hospitals in the area from three to two, w hile in Suffolk and North East Essex there are plans to "reconfigure" acute services within Colchester Hospital University Trust and to close GP practices.

Hospital beds are at risk in Dorset, while there are proposals to close the equivalent of five wards in the Leeds Teaching Hospitals Trust.

Director at 38 Degrees Laura Townshend said the findings show the NHS is "dangerously under-funded".

She said: "These proposed cuts aren't the fault of local NHS leaders. The health service is struggling to cope with growing black holes in NHS funding. These new revelations will be a test of Theresa May's commitment to a fully-funded National Health Service.

"The NHS belongs to all of us - so local people should get a say in any changes to their local services."

The findings come as Chris Hopson, chief executive of NHS Providers, which represents frontline NHS leaders, warned that a "glut" of hospital services could shut down.

Mr Hopson called on Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and NHS England boss Simon Stevens to admit there is a disparity between what the NHS is being asked to achieve and the money that is available to do it.

He said: "Our members tell us that they are struggling to keep services open because of workforce shortages and they therefore face really difficult decisions about; do you close down something either permanently or temporarily because you cannot staff it safely?"

He added: "NHS Improvement, when asking our guys to improve their financial position, one of the places they have been asked to look at is 'Please identify your marginal acute services where you are trying to prop up what is really an unsustainable rota'.

"So we would expect to see a bit of a glut of those kinds of decisions going forward because our guys have been specifically asked to identify them."

Mr Hopson warned that tough decisions lie ahead on what care the NHS can afford.

He said: "We have now reached the point where we cannot do everything - we cannot provide the required quality of service to the required performance standards for the money available.

"What you can't do is ask us to do the impossible and then beat us up when we fail to deliver it."

He said "NHS leaders must agree what is going to give", adding: "Is it about reducing the size of the workforce? Is it about rationing access to care? Is it about letting waiting times slip? Is it about letting the deficits go up?"

A spokesman for NHS Improvement said: "It is an essential part of the planning process for local areas to identify which services could be unsafe, under-used or unsustainable.

"It is absolutely right that decisions on the future of health services are taken locally in consultation with the people who use those services. That planning process is still going on and no decisions have been taken."

And commenting on the Incisive Health investigation, the Department of Health said it had protected the NHS "by giving it an extra 10 billion to fund its own plan to transform services".

A spokesman said: "Changes to local services will only go forward where they are designed by doctors and in the clear interests of local patients."

Labour leadership challenger Owen Smith said: "The true scale of the Tories' plans to cut the NHS have finally been exposed.

"Plans being drawn up behind closed doors are going to see A&E departments shut, the closure of hospital wards and damaging cuts to other essential frontline services.

"Jeremy Hunt calls these 'efficiency savings', but they are in fact another hammer blow to the very fabric of our NHS; and with a weak opposition the Tories think they can get away with it.

"I will not allow the NHS to continue bearing the brunt of the Tories' failed austerity policies. That is why I'm calling on Theresa May to bring a halt to these plans and support my proposals for new taxes on the wealthiest to inject an extra 60 billion into the NHS over the next five years."

Labour's shadow health secretary, Diane Abbott, said: "This analysis is a damning indictment of this Government's underfunding and mismanagement of the NHS.

"It reinforces all the concerns highlighted by the recent NHS providers report and the King's Fund survey of Trusts' NHS finance directors. Emergency closures of vital units across the country testify to a real crisis.

"The Government needs to properly fund the NHS and cut out the waste of PFI, agency staffing and inflated drug prices. These resources should be ploughed back in to frontline services."

Natalie Beswetherick, director of practice and development at the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, said: "Bringing together local NHS commissioners, providers and councils to plan health and care services for their communities is a much-needed step forward.

"Given the financial challenges, it is vital that STPs focus on delivering measures that both improve services for people and deliver savings.

"For example, falls prevention services save 4 for every 1 invested. And putting physiotherapists into GP surgeries as the first point of contact for conditions like back pain reduces pressure in primary care and means less onward referrals to hospitals.

"NHS staff and patients must have the opportunity to offer their views on local plans through full consultations."

Tory chairwoman of the Commons health committee, Sarah Wollaston, said the NHS needed more funding so it could put greater resources into prevention.

"The trouble is that the money that was put into this so-called sustainability and and transformation programme is mostly being sucked into plugging the provider deficits, and relatively, a very, very small amount of it is left for the so-called transformation - that's to say, investing in new premises in the community that allow you to make those changes.

"I do think that there is a very strong case for saying that the health service now needs more money," she told the BBC.

Ms Abbott said the NHS could make billions of pounds' worth of savings by ending the private finance initiative arrangements, and getting a better deal on drug supplies.

Richard Murray, of the King's Fund health policy think-tank, told the BBC the NHS may have to look at expanding charging from current areas like prescriptions.

Lib Dem health spokesman Norman Lamb said: "The original intention of Sustainability and Transformation Plans - bringing NHS services together with a stronger focus on prevention, early intervention and community care - makes sense as a principle.

"However, it would be scandalous if the Government simply hoped to use these plans as an excuse to cut services and starve the NHS of the funding it desperately needs."

NHS Confederation chief executive Stephen Dalton said: "These local plans are being made when funding is very tight but they are not about cuts - they are about modernising services to match people's changing care needs.

"It is inevitable during such important changes that some services will be moved, reduced or enhanced. It is too simplistic to focus only on what appears to be lost. It's also important to look at what alternatives are being provided.

"We are seeing an important shift in which local NHS leaders are starting to get beyond the anxiety of making tough decisions and are working closely with local government and others to reshape services, reflecting changes in public need.
One tenth of 20,000 Syrian refugees resettlement pledge reached

More than a tenth of the 20,000 Syrians the Government has pledged to resettle have been brought to Britain so far, the latest figures show.

Previous prime minister David Cameron announced plans to step up a resettlement initiative in September after a public outcry over the fate of those driven to attempt the perilous crossing of the Mediterranean.

The Government pledged to give refuge to 20,000 Syrians from the region around the war-torn country by 2020.

A charter flight carrying Syrian refugees arriving at Glasgow Airport

Home Office figures show that between the start of October last year and the end of June, 2,646 people have arrived under the Syrian vulnerable persons resettlement scheme.

In the final three months of last year, 1,085 were brought to the UK.

The number then dipped to 517 in the first quarter of this year before more than doubling to 1,044 in the three months from April.

Refugee Council head of advocacy Dr Lisa Doyle said: "There is absolutely no reason why a country as welcoming and wealthy as Britain would be unable to fulfil its pledge to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020.

"After all, it's only the equivalent of each constituency welcoming one family a year."

Steve Symonds, Amnesty International UK's refugee programme director, said: "The target of resettling 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020 has always been too low and too slow."

Those arriving under the programme have been resettled across 118 local authorities - up from 71 in the six months to March. Coventry has taken the highest number, with 125, followed by Gateshead (107) and Edinburgh (83).

The data show there were 273 council areas where no Syrians had been resettled under the scheme in the nine months from October.

Earlier this month a Commons committee report warned of a "two-tier system" over participation in the initiative, which is voluntary for town halls.

Regionally, Scotland has taken by far the greatest share of refugees under the scheme, with 862 over the three quarters - or a third of the total number who have arrived.

The North East had the next highest number, with 302, followed by the West Midlands, where 276 people were located.

Meanwhile, 97 have been resettled in London, 96 in the East of England and none in the North West, according to the figures.

The North West, however, had the highest number of asylum seekers receiving support under a different system, with more than 9,000 in the second quarter of this year.

Other figures showed that asylum applications in the UK from main applicants increased by 41% to 36,465 in the year to the end of June - the highest number for more than a decade.

And there were 3,472 asylum applications from unaccompanied children and teenagers - a 54% rise compared to the previous year.

David Simmonds, chairman of the Local Government Association's asylum, refugee and migration task group, said: " We are confident that there will be sufficient places that will support the Government's pledge to resettle 20,000 people by 2020, and the focus must now be on ensuring families are matched to the right placements and that they arrive safely and are well supported.

"Councils have an excellent track record in welcoming asylum seeking and refugee children and their families for many years and continue to work hard to support the Syrian resettlement scheme, alongside all the other schemes in current operation.
Optometrist who failed to spot brain condition which killed boy spared prison

An optometrist who failed to spot symptoms of a life-threatening brain condition during a routine eye test of an eight-year-old boy who later died has been sentenced to a two-year suspended prison term.

Honey Rose, 35, failed to notice that Vincent Barker had swollen optic discs when she examined him at a branch of Boots in Ipswich.

The abnormality is a symptom of hydrocephalus - fluid on the brain - and Vincent died in July 2012, about five months after the eye test.

Vincent Barker was examined by an optometrist who failed to spot abnormalities in his eyes and he later died (Suffolk Police/PA)

Rose had not looked at retinal photos taken by a colleague and failed to examine the backs of his eyes with an opthalmoscope, Ipswich Crown Court heard.

She had carried out thousands of examinations over years and was "generally competent".

Judge Jeremy Stuart-Smith, sentencing, said although it was a "single lapse", the breach of duty was so serious that it was criminal.

The landmark case is thought to be the first conviction of an optometrist for gross negligence manslaughter.

Gross negligence manslaughter cases generally involve multiple lapses over a period of time and involve obvious symptoms that would lead to a health practitioner referring someone for immediate treatment.

Judge Stuart-Smith told Rose: "You simply departed from your normal practice in a way that was completely untypical for you, a one-off, for no good reason."

He added that there was "nothing in (Vinnie's) general presentation that should have rung particular alarm bells for you".

Rose had tried to "cover up" her actions when she found out Vincent had died, claiming he had not co-operated and showed signs of photophobia.

Judge Stuart-Smith dismissed this account as false and praised the Barker family for showing "dignity and restraint", noting they had called for leniency in sentencing.

He said an immediate custodial sentence was not required to bring home the importance of optometrists properly discharging their duty to patients as the case had been highly publicised and had already caused great concern to the optometry profession.

A written statement from Vincent's mother Joanne Barker said: "The knowledge our loss should have been prevented and Vinnie should have been saved is intolerable to live with."

Rose's husband Louis Kennedy fought back tears as he took to the witness stand and said "sorry" to the Barker family, who were in court. Rose made no comment as she left court.

Ian Stern QC, mitigating, said Rose had worked "extremely hard" to qualify in India before moving to the UK and qualifying as an optometrist here.

"The loss of that vocation, which undoubtedly will happen when she comes before a fitness-to-practise panel, will affect her self-respect as someone who worked so hard to obtain those qualifications," said Mr Stern.

Rose has three children aged eight months, five and ten, and has not worked since March 2013.

He said the court case had "sent shockwaves round the optometric practice".

A letter from the Association of Optometrists said there had been an increase in practitioners' concerns about the way they were doing their job, said Jonathan Rees QC, prosecuting.

Rose, of High Street North, East Ham, was convicted of gross negligence manslaughter after an earlier trial at Ipswich Crown Court.

In addition to the suspended sentence she was also ordered to complete 200 hours of unpaid work and given a 24-month supervision order.

Speaking outside court, Detective Superintendent Tonya Antonis, of Suffolk Police, said she felt the sentence was proportionate.

"It was never the Barker family's intention that Honey Rose should go to prison," she said.

"What they wanted was some accountability by the profession and to ensure this doesn't happen to anybody else."
Claudio Ranieri tells Danny Drinkwater to adapt to life without N'Golo Kante

Leicester boss Claudio Ranieri has told Danny Drinkwater he must learn to cope without N'Golo Kante.

The midfielder signed a new five-year contract on Thursday to become the latest player to commit his future to the club.

Jamie Vardy, Wes Morgan, Andy King, Kasper Schmeichel, Riyad Mahrez and Ben Chilwell have all penned new deals since Leicester won a shock Premier League title last season.

Leicester's Danny Drinkwater broke into the England squad last season

Kante bucked the trend and joined Chelsea for 32million in July and Ranieri wants England man Drinkwater to adapt his game after the loss of his team-mate.

"Danny has to change something because with Kante he made a very good couple," said the Italian, ahead of Saturday's visit of Swansea.

"Both are a little free but they linked well because when one went forward the other covered and they swapped well. Now we have to restart to find the right solution. (Nampalys) Mendy is out so I want to see (Andy) King or another midfielder and what they can do.

"I think Danny can get better, last season he played all the matches, more or less, it's the first season he played so many and now he is getting better.

"It's also good for him to play in the Champions League so he can increase and improve his international matches."

Drinkwater joined Vardy in signing a new contract with the England striker having committed his future to the club until 2020 in June.

Last season's 24-goal top scorer is yet to get off the mark in the league, having scored in Leicester's 2-1 Community Shield defeat to Manchester United, and Ranieri feels he is now getting special attention.

He said: "Yes, of course. Last season Jamie was a dangerous man, now he is dangerous and a goalscorer. I'm not worried because Jamie is very focused on this."

The Foxes were drawn in Group G of the Champions League on Thursday and face Porto, Club Brugge and FC Copenhagen, starting in Belgium next month, but Ranieri insisted they have been able to keep focused.

"I hope, it's another step," he added.
Jose Mourinho does not want Marcus Rashford to be an international bench warmer

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho says he prefers Marcus Rashford being with England's Under-21s at the moment rather than warming the bench for the seniors.

Eighteen-year-old striker Rashford scored eight goals for United last season having only made his first-team debut in February and was rewarded with a surprise spot in Roy Hodgson's England squad.

After netting on his international debut in a friendly against Australia, he was then limited to two late substitute appearances at Euro 2016, where England crashed out to Iceland in the last 16.

Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho says he prefers Marcus Rashford, pictured, being in the England Under-21 squad at the moment rather than the seniors

Hodgson has been replaced by Sam Allardyce and Rashford was named in Gareth Southgate's England Under-21 squad this week.

Mourinho said on Friday: "I prefer it this way, because to be selected (for the seniors) and be on the bench behind (Harry) Kane and (Jamie) Vardy and all the experienced players, and play one minute or not play...

"I would prefer him to go to the Under 21s and play what Southgate decides, but I believe 90 or 80 minutes, a big part of matches, and contribute to his development."

Rashford ended up making 18 appearances - all of them starts - last season under Mourinho's predecessor Louis van Gaal.

This term his only action so far has been as a substitute in the Community Shield, while new frontman Zlatan Ibrahimovic has come in and netted four goals in three starts.

But Mourinho insists Rashford, who he has described as "amazing" for his age, has a bright future at United and will play "a lot".

The Portuguese said: "Marcus is a young and talented player. We bought one striker (Ibrahimovic) - not two or three or four. If you don't trust him or want him to play, you buy other strikers. That is not the case.

"Zlatan is playing and is showing why, and Marcus is our striker number two at the moment. For an 18-year-old boy, I think he is amazing."

And Mourinho added: "They can play together because they did it already. They played against Leicester (the Community Shield game, a 2-1 victory) as a two when Marcus came on."

Ibrahimovic's fellow new signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan is another yet to start a game so far this term, coming off the bench in the three so far - the Community Shield and then Premier League wins against Bournemouth and Southampton.

Mourinho has defended his decision on that front and says his confidence in midfielder Mkhitaryan is such that he does not need to rush his integration.

"It's difficult but if (Juan) Mata is on the bench, you tell me I want to kick him out and want to sell him," Mourinho said.

"If I don't play (Anthony) Martial it's because he is in crisis, or if I don't play Ashley Young, it's because I don't like Ashley Young. If it's Memphis Depay, it is because he is on his way out...

"It is because I think the others (starting ahead of Mkhitaryan) are playing really well.

"When some managers buy players they play them for sure because they think about protecting themselves - 'I bought this player, I have to show the world I was right.'

"No - the first thing I think about is my team, not myself.

"Because I know he is a super player and I know for sure he will succeed, I am not in a hurry to say he plays every game now from the beginning, to show everyone how good he is. No.

"But he is ready to play and maybe he will play tomorrow (in United's away league clash with Hull)."

Mourinho is also backing forward Martial to come good this term after a relatively quiet start.

The France international was frequently the star performer last season in a much-derided United side under Van Gaal that finished fifth in the Premier League.

Mourinho said: "I think when a team is not playing especially well and in the middle of that average level somebody comes out of that, he goes immediately to the highlight.

"I think this is a different picture. Last season, no Martial, no three points. This season, no Martial goals and three victories. The team is okay. Other players are scoring goals.

"I think he's performing more than okay. I wouldn't expect much more than that. He had no pre-season. He was the last one to arrive apart from Paul Pogba. Some guys take more time. I think he's doing fine.
Theresa May 'can trigger Brexit without Parliament'

MPs could be sidelined by Theresa May over Brexit, with the Prime Minister reportedly set to deny them a vote before formally triggering the process of leaving the European Union.

The Prime Minister is facing legal challenges over whether she has the right to begin the Brexit process without the approval of Parliament.

But the Daily Telegraph reported she had been told by government lawyers that she did not need parliamentary approval to begin the Article 50 procedure, which starts a two-year countdown to cutting ties with Brussels.

Theresa May has reportedly been told she does not need a vote to begin the Brexit process

A Downing Street source said the report was speculation but added that Mrs May was "committed to delivering on the verdict the public gave".

Labour leadership hopeful Owen Smith ha s promised to attempt to block the triggering of formal negotiations to leave the EU until the Government offers a second referendum or calls a general election to approve its final Brexit deal.

He said that under his leadership the Labour Party would opposed triggering Article 50 until the Conservatives commited to a second public vote.

A legal challenge bid to prevent the Government from triggering Article 50 of the Lisbon Treaty without the prior authorisation of Parliament is due to be heard in the High Court in October.

Government lawyers are expected to assert that the Prime Minister can use the royal prerogative to start the process of withdrawing from the EU.

Those mounting the challenge say the course proposed by the Government is unlawful because only Parliament is empowered to authorise service of the Article 50 notice and consequent withdrawal from the EU.

Meanwhile, former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith has suggested Britain could rely on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules to trade with the European Union (EU) following Brexit.

The prominent Brexiteer said the UK should not necessarily seek to remain a member of the single market as such a move would involve surrendering control to Brussels.

He also predicted the Government will trigger Article 50 early in the new year and start the formal two-year countdown to Britain leaving the EU.

Mr Duncan Smith told the BBC Radio 4 Today Programme that European countries including Germany are eager to negotiate a trade agreement with the UK.

He said: "I think we would like to have, and I think it would be in the interests of the European Union even more than it might be for the UK, to maintain a trading relationship with the UK.

"Bearing in mind that we will anyway have access to the marketplace under WTO rules, so the question really is - do we want more preferential arrangements than that?"

Asked if he would be happy with WTO rules, he said: "I'm saying that's the extent of where you could be and you'd still get access to the marketplace.

"I've already made it clear that my personal view is we should not seek to remain a member of the customs union nor necessarily remain a full member of the single market, because that would entail putting yourself yet again under the rule of European law.

"And that was one of the key areas that the British public voted for in the process of taking back control."

Mr Smith said: "Theresa May is clearly running scared from parliamentary scrutiny of her Brexit negotiations. She's looked at the numbers and she knows she might not win a vote in parliament.

"She hasn't set out what Brexit means and she doesn't want to be held to account in vital issues such as stripping away workers' rights and environmental safeguards.

"Under my leadership, Labour will press for whatever final deal she, Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and David Davis come up with to be put to the British people, either in a second referendum or at a general election."

Shadow international trade secretary Barry Gardiner said: " "The logic of saying the Prime Minister can trigger Article 50 without first setting out to Parliament the terms and basis upon which her Government seeks to negotiate; indeed without even indicating the red lines she will seek to protect, would be to diminish Parliament and assume the arrogant powers of a Tudor monarch.
British car output up in July but growth slows

LONDON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - British car production rose in July but at a slower pace than in June, according to an industry group which urged the government to make sure the country's exit from the European Union does not hamper the sector.

Britain's overwhelmingly foreign-owned carmakers had urged voters to remain in the 28-member bloc, where over half of British car exports are sold.

According to the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), output in July rose 7.6 percent to 126,566 units, driven by a 14.1 percent jump in domestic demand and a 6 percent rise in international demand.

In June, sales rose 10.4 percent compared with the same month a year earlier, led by a 24 percent increase in domestic demand.

On a year-to-date basis to the end of July, production grew 12.3 percent to just over 1 million units, the best performance in 16 years. According to the SMMT, more than three quarters of a million cars built this year are destined for overseas markets.

"Future success will depend on continued new car demand and attracting the next wave of investment so Britain must demonstrate it remains competitive and open for business," SMMT Chief Executive Mike Hawes said.

The automobile sector faces bigger risks from the Brexit negotiations than many others in Britain because the EU imposes a 10 percent import tariff on vehicles from outside the bloc.
Zawahri urges Iraq Sunnis to wage guerrilla war as IS loses more land

By Maher Chmaytelli

BAGHDAD, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Al Qaeda leader Ayman al-Zawahri on Thursday called on Iraq's Sunnis to prepare for a "long guerrilla" war as Islamic State militants lost more land near their de facto capital Mosul.

Islamic State (IS) has lost this year about a half of the territory it conquered in 2014 and 2015 in Iraq in battles against government and Kurdish forces backed by a U.S.-led coalition as well as Shi'ite militias supported by Iran.

The ultra-hardline group is also retreating in neighboring Syria against an array of U.S.-backed Syrian and Kurdish forces and the government army backed by Iran and Russia.

IS split from al-Qaeda in 2014 and its chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi doesn't recognize the leadership of Zawahri who succeeded Osama bin Laden after his killing in 2011.

Zawahri reprimanded Al-Baghdadi for an extreme interpretation of Islam and the ''bloodletting'' which, he said, gave ``Safavid Iran and its subservient government in Iraq ... a pretext to eradicate the Sunnis.''

"The Sunnis of Iraq should not just surrender upon the fall of (their) cities into the hand of the Shi'ite Safavid army,'' Zawahiri said in a video distributed by supporters, using a derogatory term for the army of Iraq's Shi'ite-led government.

"Rather they should reorganize themselves in a long guerrilla war in order to defeat the new Crusader-Safavid occupation of their areas as they defeated them before."

He also called on ``the heroes of Islam among the mujahideen of Syria to assist their brothers in Iraq in reorganizing themselves, because they are fighting the same battle.''

Zawahri did not say what specific group in Syria he was addressing his message to since the Al-Nusra Front cut its links with al-Qaeda last month and took a new name, ''Jabhat Fatah al-Sham.''

Zawahri's video was aired as Iraq's Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced capturing the oil province of Qayyara, 60 kilometres (38 miles) south of Mosul.

"The liberation of Qayyara is an important step toward achieving the larger goal of restoring Mosul," Abadi said

Iraqi forces last month captured the Qayyara airbase which it plans to use as a hub to support forces advancing on Mosul.

Abadi hopes to take back Mosul this year, effectively defeating IS in Iraq. it was from Mosul's Grand Mosque that Baghdadi declared his 'caliphate' two years ago.
Deal agreed to evacuate thousands from besieged Damascus suburb - rebel leader

AMMAN, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Rebels and the Syrian army have agreed a deal to evacuate all residents and fighters from the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, an insurgent leader there said.

The evacuation would start on Friday and last for two or three days, said Captain Abu Jamal, the head of the Liwa Shuda al Islam, the biggest of two main rebel groups inside Daraya.
I was watching the CBS morning news show today, and was saddened to see this couple, in their early 70s, laboring alone, in their destroyed Baton Rouge home, discarding their life long possessions in an effort to, somehow, start the rebuilding process. So far, they reported that FEMA had given them a total of $800. Meanwhile, Obama couldn't bring himself to cut his vacation short in response to this disaster.

Over 60,000 homes are either damaged or destroyed in the region. And everyone of those destroyed properties represents people, property owners whose lives, like their homes, have been destroyed. A different president would mobilize the armed forces, and would have troops and equipment in Baton Rouge helping these people start getting their lives back together. And right behind the troops should have been the FEMA employees with checkbook in hand.

You know, our president, about six weeks ago, acting on his own, without any congressional approval, handed out $400 million to a sworn enemy of the USA, and a global supporter of Islamic terrorism. That $400 million could have gone a long way in helping people like the retired couple featured on the CBS morning program, don't you think?

Tom Colvin

Auburn
Portugal public deficit shrinks 10 pct in January-July

LISBON, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Portugal's public deficit shrank by 10 percent in January-July from a year earlier, to 4.98 billion euros ($5.62 billion), which the Finance Ministry said was a better performance so far than envisaged in this year's budget.

The country barely avoided European sanctions last month after overshooting the 2015 deficit target with a gap of 4.4 percent of GDP, and has to meet this year's deficit goal of 2.5 percent, which means much bigger cuts are required in what remains of the year.

Brussels has on various occasions said that additional budget measures are likely to be needed due to an economic slowdown, but the government is adamant that its original budget plan, which has a cushion worth 0.3 percent of GDP to guarantee that this year's fiscal commitments are met, will be enough.

The Finance Ministry said the public administration revenues rose 2.8 percent in January-July, outpacing a 1.3 percent increase in spending and pushing the deficit down.

The primary balance, which excludes debt costs, was a surplus of 316 million euros after a deficit of 585 million a year earlier.

The government took over in late 2015 and started reversing austerity policies of the previous administration. It has promised Brussels it will cut the budget deficit mainly thanks to more disposable income made available to the population that it says should boost consumption.
Kerry lands in Geneva for talks with Russia's Lavrov on Syria

GENEVA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry arrived in Geneva on Thursday to try to finalize details of a deal with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on military cooperation and intelligence sharing in Syria.

American and Russian officials, whose governments back opposite sides in the five-year Syrian war, have been meeting since July on the plan aimed at defeating Islamic State. Kerry and Lavrov are to meet on Friday for talks.

Kerry said earlier this week the talks were nearing an end, with technical teams still meeting.
Petrobras voluntary layoff program accepted by 6,100 employees - source

SAO PAULO, Aug 25 (Reuters) - A voluntary layoff program at state-run oil company Petroleo Brasileiro SA has been accepted by 6,100 employees, a source with direct knowledge of the matter told Reuters.

The number may rise by month-end, the deadline for the plan proposed by the oil giant known as Petrobras. Around 12,000 employees, or 21 percent of its workforce, are eligible.
Austria's Heta says winding down of assets progressing well

VIENNA, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Austrian "bad bank" Heta Asset Resolution said it made good progress in selling assets in the first half 2016 and confirmed that it was hoping to wind down the vast majority of its property, machines and bad loans by the end of 2018.

"From the current point of view a cash position of 7.7 billion euros is to be expected at the end of the mid-term period in 2020, under the assumption of a wind-down of close to 80 percent of the portfolio (baseline 2014) by the end of 2018," Heta said in a statement on Thursday.

Heta is the state wind-down vehicle for failed lender Hypo Alpe Adria.

Austria's province of Carinthia has been in long-running negotiations with creditors including Commerzbank and Allianz to agree on a buy-back deal for bonds at a discount to the 11 billion euros in guarantees it made for them.

In May, shortly after the Austrian financial regulator imposed a big haircut on Heta bonds, Austria's government reached agreement in principle with creditors, paving the way for a bond buyback offer in early September.

Heta said its balance sheet had decreased 0.4 billion euros ($451 million) to 9.2 billion euros as of the end of June, as measured by Austrian accounting standards.

Profit after tax was 7.5 billion euros for the six months through June, mainly due to the haircut.

The financial watchdog cut the nominal value of the bulk of bonds by more than half, making Heta a test case for new European rules aimed at ensuring that a failed bank's losses are shared with creditors.
DEALTALK-Anbang's Hong Kong IPO to lift veil on Chinese group's backers

By Denny Thomas and Elzio Barreto

HONG KONG, Aug 26 (Reuters) - For investors and bankers wanting to know more about who's behind Anbang Insurance Group, China's second-largest life insurer, plans for a Hong Kong IPO next year should provide some answers.

Anbang's relentless pursuit of overseas deals, rapid financing and opaque shareholding structure have raised questions about its deal-making prowess. In April, it aborted an eye-catching $14 billion bid for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide.

For a company boasting about $300 billion in assets, including New York's Waldorf Astoria hotel, Anbang's chairman Wu Xiaohui and top executives maintain a low profile. Company directors rarely appear in public or give media interviews.

That operational secrecy and limited financial disclosures has deterred some foreign banks from taking on Anbang as a client, with some bank compliance departments feeling they couldn't satisfy strict 'know-your-client' tests on the group, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.

That may change as plans take shape for an insurance IPO that some bankers reckon could raise $5-$7 billion.

Under Hong Kong listing rules, Anbang will have to disclose information on its shareholding structure, subsidiaries and changes in its financial position for recent years - a process made more complicated by an acquisitions spree estimated at as much as $15 billion as it chased higher yielding assets.

Listing companies also have to detail how they plan to use the IPO funds, and are held accountable to that.

Investors will be keen to read the 'risk factor' section of any listing document, laying out management's view of the business and its future strategy, bankers and analysts said.

"If you're dealing with what's effectively a financial conglomerate involved in all sorts of things including investing in hotels, financial disclosure could be actually quite important and require a fair amount of work from banks and accountants," said Philippe Espinasse, a former banker at UBS and Nomura.

In response to Reuters queries for this article, Anbang said its overseas acquisitions have been examined and approved by various regulators. "Anbang has engaged in and has fully complied with all corporate governance and internal compliance procedures to work with a broad range of top-tier financial advisors," it said.

JOINING IN

Bankers and investors will also be keen to find out more about Anbang's leadership and ownership.

The chairman, 49-year-old Wu, is married to a granddaughter of Chinese patriarch Deng Xiaoping, while Levin Zhu, the son of former premier Zhu Rongji and founder of China Investment Capital Corp, the country's largest domestic investment bank, has also been an Anbang director.

Founded as an auto insurer in 2004, Anbang has grown to be China's No. 2 life insurer, with 10 percent market share and premium income of $34 billion.

It has invited a dozen investment banks, including nine foreign banks, to make IPO pitches, people familiar with the matter said.

Confident that Hong Kong's listing rules will force Anbang to disclose information previously kept under wraps - and lured by a potential $200 million in IPO fees - more foreign banks are also interested in joining the deal, one of the knowledgeable individuals said.

Only four foreign firms - Evercore Partners, Deutsche Bank , BNP Paribas and UBS - have advised Anbang on M&A deals, earning just over $20 million in fees, according to a Thomson Reuters review and Freeman & Co estimates, though another source said Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Nomura Holdings and PJT Partners have also worked with Anbang.

For deal-starved investment banks, the acquisitive Anbang could prove a valuable client as IPO funds could give it the firepower for more deals, the people said.

"If somebody says they don't want to be on this deal, they would be lying," said one Hong Kong-based equity capital banker, whose firm was invited to pitch for the IPO, adding that compliance officers would find a reason to justify being on the deal.

"If this was a $100 million or $500 million deal, sure, you can think of many reasons why it wouldn't make sense to be involved."
Bolivia says deputy interior minister killed after kidnap by miners

By Daniel Ramos

LA PAZ, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Bolivian Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes was beaten to death after he was kidnapped by striking mineworkers on Thursday, the government said, and up to 100 people have been arrested as authorities vowed to punish those responsible.

"At this present time, all the indications are that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly murdered," Minister of Government Carlos Romero said in broadcast comments.

He said Illanes had gone to talk to protesters earlier on Thursday in Panduro, around 160 km (100 miles) from the capital, La Paz, but was intercepted and kidnapped by striking miners.

The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said, in a case that has shocked Bolivians.

Defence Minister Reymi Ferreira broke down on television as he described how Illanes, appointed to his post in March, had apparently been "beaten and tortured to death".

Illanes' assistant had escaped and was being treated in a hospital in La Paz, he said.

"This crime will not go unpunished. Authorities are investigating ... around 100 people have been arrested," Ferreira said.

Protests by miners in Bolivia demanding changes to laws turned violent this week after a highway was blockaded. Two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what they said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions with less stringent environmental rules, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

The vast majority of miners in Bolivia, one of South America's poorest countries, work in cooperatives, scraping a living producing silver, tin and zinc. There are few foreign-owned mining firms, unlike in neighboring Peru and Chile.

Natural gas accounts for roughly half of Bolivia's total exports. Ex-coca grower Morales nationalized Bolivia's resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for ploughing the profits into welfare programs and boosting development.
Kerry, Lavrov talks to try to finalize details of cooperation on Syria

By Lesley Wroughton

GENEVA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and his Russian counterpart, Sergei Lavrov, will try to hammer out final details of a cooperation agreement on fighting Islamic State in Syria during talks in Geneva on Friday.

The hope is that a deal will lead to a cessation of hostilities across Syria and relaunch talks on a political transition in the country.

While Kerry said this week that technical teams from both sides were close to the end of their discussions, U.S. officials indicated it was too early to say whether a deal was likely.

When Kerry launched the Syrian cooperation talks in July on a visit to Moscow, the proposal involved Washington and Moscow sharing intelligence to coordinate air strikes against Islamic State and grounding the Syrian air force to stop it from attacking moderate rebel groups.

Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit the fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more, as well as preserving a political track.

The talks take place just days after Syrian rebels backed by Turkish special forces, tanks and warplanes entered Jarablus, one of Islamic State's last strongholds on the Turkish-Syrian border.

Turkish military shelled the People's Protection Units, or YPG, south of Jarablus and demanded that the YPG retreat to the east side of the Euphrates River within a week.

The Kurdish militia had moved west of the river earlier this month as part of a U.S.-backed operation, now completed, to capture the city of Manbij from Islamic State.

Turkey's stance puts it at odds with Washington, which sees the YPG as a rare reliable ally on the ground in Syria.

By reaching a deal with Russia, which supports Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Washington hopes that it will help launch talks on a political transition in Syria.

Russia agreed to a 48-hour humanitarian ceasefire in the divided Syrian city of Aleppo to allow aid deliveries, although U.N. officials said they were waiting for security guarantees from parties on the ground.

The United Nations has pushed for a weekly pause in the fighting in Aleppo to deliver food, water and medicine to people caught in the fighting.

Separately, Syrian rebels and government forces agreed in a deal on Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents from the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya, ending one of the longest standoffs in the five-year conflict.
Tanzania's army of community health workers face mistrust as they roll out services

By Kizito Makoye

DAR ES SALAAM, Aug 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - One of the biggest tests of Justine Michael's job as a community health worker is not the distances he must travel along remote dirt roads to visit patients in Tanzania's Mkuranga district, but rather the suspicion he often encounters.

Many villagers are wary when they are approached by a stranger dressed in trousers and a shirt, rather than the crisp white coats favoured by doctors all over the world, he said.

"Some people don't trust the services we provide. When I visit a family, the people are sometimes very hostile or say, 'what do these hospital sweepers (cleaners) want?'," Michael said.

"We want them to change this mindset and know we are trained to do this work," he added.

Michael is one of more than 5,000 community health workers the Tanzanian government has deployed to provide essential life-saving services in rural areas where 70 percent of the country's population of 49 million live.

The initiative was introduced a year ago to address gaps in healthcare in the East African country where there are only 0.1 doctors and 2.4 nurses and midwives for every 10,000 people, according to 2014 data from the World Health Organization.

In Tanzania, healthcare is considered a luxury especially in remote, rural parts where, according to the World Bank, only 9 percent of the nation's doctors are based.

"Our plan is to have at least two community health workers in each village," said Otilia Gowelle, director of human resources and development at the ministry of health, referring to the government's five-year plan.

COURAGE

In Bagamoyo district housing one of the most important trading ports along the East African coast during the slave trade, community health workers make regular visits to Fatma Abdul as she progresses through her third pregnancy.

Using simple messages with pictures, they stress the importance of breastfeeding for the first six months and offer advice on how to keep babies warm or identify signs of illness.

But the health workers have done more than provide antenatal care, they have also brought hope to the HIV-positive mother of two.

"I got a lot of courage when they told me being HIV-positive is not a death sentence," Abdul said, sitting outside her mother's thatch-roofed house not far Bagamoyo town where houses with doors of intricately carved wood line the dusty streets.

Shame over her status stopped Abdul from attending appointments at the local hospital, but she soon started receiving home visits from community health workers instead.

"They taught me how to stay healthy and protect my baby from being infected with HIV," said the heavily pregnant 35-year-old.

"When I give birth I might feed my baby with infant formula to avoid passing the infection," she added.

MATERNAL MORTALITY

Eireen Darlington says the community health workers she trains at a nursing and midwifery school in Tanzania's commercial capital Dar es Salaam, are taught to promote nutrition, basic hygiene, family planning and immunisation.

They are also trained to tackle domestic violence and alcohol abuse, provide counselling and care for HIV/AIDS patients and give special attention to expectant mothers.

"They detect and handle risky pregnancies as well as assisting women during labour and child birth," Darlington said.

According to the World Health Organization, only 47 percent of births in Tanzania are attended by a skilled health worker of any kind - a reality that contributes to high maternal mortality rates.

"While Tanzania has reduced child mortality, mothers and new born are still at high risk of untimely death," said Keith Hansen, World Bank Vice President for Human Development, at the launch of a report on service delivery data in Tanzania in May.

Tanzania's maternal mortality rate was 432 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014, an improvement on 790 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2008.

But the rate still falls short of northern neighbours Kenya, which had a maternal mortality rate of 495 deaths per 100,000 live births and Uganda, which had 438 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2014, World Bank data showed.

Although the use of community health workers is widely seen as an effective way of addressing Tanzania's shortage of health professionals, critics of the scheme say health workers do not always provide quality services.

"For community health workers to be able make an effective contribution, they must be carefully selected, adequately trained and continuously supported," said Anastacia Kileo, a public health expert at KCMC medical training centre.

She also worries that the government does not have the budget to pay a larger health workforce.
Oil prices dip as Saudi Arabia dampens prospects of output freeze

By Henning Gloystein

SINGAPORE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Oil prices dipped in early trading on Friday after the Saudi energy minister tempered expectations of strong market intervention by producers during talks next month.

International benchmark Brent crude oil prices were trading at $49.55 per barrel at 0114 GMT, down 12 cents from their previous close.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude was down 7 cents at $47.26 a barrel.

Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Reuters late on Thursday that "we don't believe any significant intervention in the market is necessary other than to allow the forces of supply and demand to do the work for us," adding that the "market is moving in the right direction" already.

Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria from Sept. 26-28.

The minister's comments put a dampener on expectations of a meaningful intervention into the market which has been dogged by oversupply for more than two years.
Taiwan stocks flat on caution in overseas markets, financial shares slip

TAIPEI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Taiwan stocks were nearly unchanged on Friday in cautious trade as bellwether financial shares slipped and on weakness in overseas markets.

As of 0209 GMT, the main TAIEX index was little changed at 9,113.28, after closing 1.1 percent higher in the previous session.

The electronics subindex fell 0.2 percent, while the financials subindex gained 0.1 percent.

Shares in CTBC Financial were up 0.3 percent.

CTBC said late on Thursday that it was scrapping a deal with CITIC Bank International (China) Ltd, cancelling its second deal in less than one month.

Meanwhile, shares in Mega Financial were down 0.2 percent, resuming its slump that started late last week after closing higher for the first time in five sessions on Thursday.

The company is at the centre of a local probe after being hit with a rare fine by New York financial regulators over anti-money laundering violations.
This article originally ran in the August issue of AVN magazine.

Once upon a time, LeGrand Wolf and his husband were both good Mormon boys, born and raised in Utahan upbringing complicated by their sexual orientation.

We were true believers and we even went on missions. But we both sensed that we were gay from a young age, and thats a big problem, so neither of us told anyone, says Wolf, owner and creative director of MormonBoyz.com. My husband and I have always loved porn, and after we got married we took the little money we had and started paying guys off Craigslist to dress up in Mormon outfits and jack off on camera. It immediately got enough traction to start paying its own costs, but life got in the way.

So the site went dormant for two yearsbut was re-launched in 2012 when the whole country was considering a Mormon for president. Very quickly, it was pulling in enough money for us to invest in professional equipment and pay for full-on fucking in our videos. Thats when the site really started to take off, and we could now afford more elaborate sets, costumes, equipment and a shoot team.

Wolf notes that the essence of the site is innocent: young Mormons getting their first education in gay sex, with each other and with the men of the priesthood. We try really hard to get the emotional reality of being an obedient missionary into our filmsthe sets, costumes, camera work and scenarios are all about these submissive boys giving themselves up to these older men who have total power over them.

When creating MormonBoyz, they decided it would need to incorporate several themes: the gay daddy/son dynamic, the gay incest taboo, gay bareback (its how the priesthood is conferred: ordination by insemination), men in suits (lots of clothed male/naked male porn) and gay Mormon. Wolf explains that each Mormon boy goes through a series of secret erotic rituals as part of his initiation into The Order, and along the way he ends up having casual sex with other missionaries he is paired with (called his missionary companions in Mormon speak).

Yes, the iconic image of Mormon boys are the missionaries that spend 24/7 in a boy/boy pairing. Yes, missionaries on bicycles and going door to door, two by two is the iconic image of Mormon missionary boys, but gay Mormon wasnt at the top of our list because, unlike Catholic schoolgirl porn, gay Mormon boy porn wasnt a thing yet, says LeGrand, who worked as the senior coordinator on several National Institutes of Health-funded studies prior to delving into the adult industry as full-time employment.

I was a researcher that focused on the sexual health of men during my time in the university setting. My team conducted huge national and international surveys of men who have sex with men. I learned a lot while looking at the de-identified responses of hundreds of thousands of mennot gay in most casesin their responses about the sex they were having (or fantasizing about) with other men. Among the things I learned while culling through the data, men are no more or less likely to engage in homosexual behavior than women. People who feel uncomfortable when they see two men kiss or hold hands are three times as likely to have experimented with guys, and twice as likely to still secretly hook up using apps like Grindr and GayRomeo, he says.

I learned a lot of things that informed the creation of MormonBoyzresearch was fascinating, and I enjoyed my work on how technology has changed the behavior of men who have sex with men, but I was restless. I didnt want to just study what other guys were doing, so I decided to make porn on the side.

And considering the path Wolf endured to get there, thats a minor miracle. Coming to terms with being sexual was incredibly difficult for me as a young man. There were simply no positive images of gay Mormons when I was a kid. I didnt even have the language to say to myself: Im attracted to men because Im gay. I was really confused about what I wanted, and it wasnt until I was 20 that I admitted to myself that I was gay and acted on my attraction to men.

Wolf says that he hopes MormonBoyz communicates to Mormon teens that its really fun and really hot to be gay.

My first sexual experiences happened when I was a Mormon missionary. When I was in the missionary training center, I was suddenly surrounded by other adolescent boys and I wanted to fuck a lot of them. We shared a communal shower nicknamed the Tree of Life, so every morning wed stand in a circle naked and soap up. By some miracle, I managed to never get a boner even though that shower was the hottest thing that had ever happened to me, he recalls. When I left the training center and went out into the world to preach the gospel, one of my companions happened to be bisexual and a total slut. Since a missionary spends all day, every day with his companion, it wasnt long before he and I started having sex.

The MormonBoyz Movement

Wolf notes that taking the site from solo jerkoff videos to full-on fucking seemed like the obvious progression. While it worked to a degree, the growth didnt spike the way he had hoped.

When we moved toward a focus on the daddy/son content, the growth went up like crazy, he says. So many guys wrote in to share with us their stories of sex they had on their missions with their companions. We were hearing from Bishops and Stake Presidents (Mormon leaders) about the sex they were having with Mormon boys after their missions. And so many women were writing in to tell us that this was their favorite porn site, which was really a surprise to usweve had hundreds of emails from women referencing the story pages of our Elders. Women love the fact that we are story-based porn.

Wolf says he is most proud of the number of guys they have helped bottom for the very first time, noting that about 50 percent of the men they shoot with have never been with another guy: Of the guys who had been with another guy, many of them had never bottomed in anal sex before. Not only were we their first, but many of them love the experience of discovering their prostate. He adds that most of the men have never shot elsewhere.

Its also a sign of just how unique we are that various bloggers will write to us and ask, Can you please tell me the porn name for Bishop Angus and Patriarch Smith? As if their MormonBoyz porn name isnt their real porn name. Or rather, as if their porn name on MormonBoyz is their real name. While guys who go on to do work with other studios after our studio take on less-Mormon names, frequently they just drop their title (Elder, Brother, President, Bishop) with a first name. This is exactly what happens when Mormon missionaries return home.

Wolf says they are always looking for handsome, young, clean-cut, innocent-looking guys who can take orders and a pounding, and they generally like to work with first timers. Mormon boys are called as missionaries when they are 18. While you can technically still be called on a mission until you are 25, most boys start their missions at 18 or 19.

Wolf notes that the MormonBoyz world centers on a set of secret sexual practices peculiar to Mormonism: the rites of passage to gain the Patriarchal Priesthood or Priesthood of the Father involve a series of steps in the Mormon temple. He says that the average Mormon might not know about all of these rituals, but that most are realand reserved for the elite.

Regular Mormons going through the temple actually do see and use its glory holes, they just call them by a different name. They are called The Veil, and Mormons blindly touch each other through openings during one step in the secret Mormon temple ceremonies, Wolf says. On our site, there is the step involving the priesthood stretcher, and believe it or not, this is literally the only step that doesnt happen in a Mormon temple. That said, it is common for priesthood leaders to ask for details and even a demonstration in private when boys come to them and confess their sexual sins, especially homosexual sinsor as Mormons like to say, transgressions involving same-sex attraction.

Mormon Misconceptions

Wolf notes that while they did not set out to piss off Mormons, it happened anyway. We get hate mail, our sites have suffered DOS attackspeople are constantly flagging our social media posts. The most disturbing for us was our exclusion from the Utah Pride parade this year. The whole fiasco was shady and offensive. Its one thing for Mormons to object to our work, its another to be attacked by sex-negative elements of the gay community itself.

Because the site is so unique, Wolf says it has received a lot of attention without really tryingsome good, some bad. We even had death threats during the first year. But all told, our brand has attracted a lot of positive attention, and that has really helped us stand out. The Los Angeles Times put our Magic Mormon underwear as the featured story on the front page of their Style section. VICE did a feature article on our website, and weve been in several dozen other publications quite a few times since we launched. But there is a reason for the interest. Our commitment to our niche, and the nature of our niche, has helped us stand out. Weve tried very hard to have a clear vision of what fantasy were serving.

Wolf says they try not to take the hate mail and controversy too seriously. If anything, this inspires us to work harder to make great erotic fantasies for everyonemostly non-Mormons, but Mormons, too! Mormon is one of Utahs top-five search terms on xHamster. Were having fun, and so are our fans.

The company also operates MormonsSecret.com, a place to buy authentic replicas of the secret Mormon underwear that plays a big role on the site; and MormonGirlz.com, which focuses on the secret sex rituals performed in Mormon temples and the taboo practices of polygamy. Meanwhile, MormonBoyz was recently revamped with a fresh design. Wolf adds that a pin-up calendar and the first book from the teama sexy Missionary Journalare on the way, along with their first-ever crossover projects with other studios.

I am very proud of how we run our studio, says Wolf, who directs all the videos and is joined on staff by his husband, their friend Brooke Hunter (a lesbian ex-Mormon) and a shooter/editor theyve had since the re-launch. We think were fairly unique. Were the only place for gay Mormon porn. Mormon missionary-themed content at the other studios will pop up here and there, but without fail its way off. The costuming is wrong, the grooming is off, and the other studios dont understand what really makes Mormon missionaries different or unique. And its not just the lingothe other studios dont have the real Magic Mormon underwear! When other studios try and execute the Mormon missionary genre, we think its greateven when it is cringe-worthy.
Obama expands Hawaii marine protected area; plans Midway Atoll visit

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - President Barack Obama on Friday will dramatically expand the Papahnaumokukea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii, the White House said, an action that will ban commercial fishing from more than 582,500 square miles (1.5 million square km) of the Pacific Ocean.
Hmong refugees who fled Laos woven into social tapestry of Western U.S.

By Ellen Wulfhorst

MISSOULA, Montana, Aug 26 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - M issoula welcomed a migrant family from the Democratic Republic of Congo this month, part of an effort to resettle refugees in the small western U.S. city where hundreds of Hmong people from Laos began arriving in the 1970s.

Here are some facts about Missoula, a city of 71,000 residents in the northwest of Montana, and the Hmong people.

- About 260,000 people of Hmong origin live in the United States, according to government census figures. Most live in the states of California, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

- Roughly 230 Hmong live in and around Missoula, which is surrounded by mountain ranges, including the Bitterroot Mountains, Sapphire Mountains, Rattlesnake Mountains and Garnet Range.

- Author Norman Maclean, who grew up in Missoula, wrote about the city in his 1976 "A River Runs Through It and Other Stories." It was made into a movie in 1992 directed by Robert Redford and starring Brad Pitt.

- "Gran Torino," a 2008 movie directed by and starring Clint Eastwood, told the story of an ill-tempered retiree in Michigan and his relationship with his neighbors, a Hmong refugee family.

- The Hmong language was not written until relatively recently. The most widely used written form was devised in the 1950s by a group of missionaries. Another form used mostly in one dialect was designed at the turn of the 20th century, and another form came following the Communist revolution using Chinese symbols.

- The Hmong are known for sewing story cloths. The textiles are stitched and embroidered and recount family histories, wars and other tales.
Indonesia's most-wanted awakens new generation of jihadis

By Randy Fabi and Kanupriya Kapoor

SOLO, Indonesia, Aug 26 (Reuters) - During a May 2011 shootout, Indonesia's counter-terrorism forces killed the leader of a militant group thought to be behind a series of failed bomb attempts around the city of Solo in Central Java.

The death of "Team Hisbah" founder Sigit Qurdowi caused the group to splinter. Some formed an anti-vice squad in the city; many others became associated with a former Solo resident called Bahrun Naim, who authorities believe is a leading Indonesian coordinator for Islamic State (IS).

Now, five years later, Naim, based in IS's stronghold of Raqqa, Syria, is building an ever-more sophisticated network of militants from his former hometown, according to police, self-proclaimed radicals and people who work with the militants in Solo.

Solo, which has a long history of schools and mosques associated with radical Islamists, is a breeding ground for Naim's recruits, counter-terrorism officials say, and many of his lieutenants in Indonesia have come from Team Hisbah.

As a result, authorities fear the risk of a major attack in Indonesia is growing.

Islamist militancy in the world's most populous Muslim-majority nation has been contained since a crackdown on Jemaah Islamiyah - al Qaeda's franchise in the region - put hundreds of its leaders and followers behind bars in the mid-2000s.

But like al Qaeda before it, IS is reviving a fragmented radical Islamist movement in Indonesia that has endured in various incarnations for the past century, authorities say.

Nearly $800,000 has been transferred from foreign countries to fund radical Islamist groups in Indonesia since 2014, officials from Indonesia's financial transactions watchdog said at an international counter-terrorism conference in Bali in mid-August. It wasn't clear how much money has come from Naim, who police say is now Indonesia's most-wanted militant.

Reuters contacted a man identified as Naim last November on the Telegram app, using details provided by one of his acquaintances. In that exchange, Naim said IS had "enough men in Indonesia to carry out an action, more than enough support. Just waiting for the right trigger." Reuters could not independently verify the man's identity or his assertions.

"BOOMING MOVEMENT"

Amir Mahmud, a former Afghan-trained mujahideen, started the Islamic State Supporters Forum in Solo (also known as Surakarta) in July 2014 to "accommodate the development" of a jihadist movement in Indonesia.

Around 2,000 people showed up to one of its first gatherings at the Baitul Makmur Mosque, where many backed an Islamist caliphate in the Middle East, he said.

"This is a spontaneous spiritual calling," said Mahmud, who is also an Islamic university lecturer.

"Islamic State," he added, "is a booming movement."

Mahmud said two of his sons left Indonesia to fight for IS in the Middle East, and one has since been killed. Indonesia does not prohibit citizens from supporting groups such as IS or fighting for them abroad.

Police say they can arrest terrorism suspects only once they have committed a crime on Indonesian soil.

"If there is a person who declares support for ISIS, that becomes preliminary evidence for police to investigate whether they are involved in terrorist groups or activities," Freddy Haris, the justice ministry's director-general for laws told Reuters. "If there is proof they are involved, then we proceed with (legal) action."

Mahmud, who has not been charged in any militant plot, noted that contacting Naim online was not difficult. "Bahrun Naim created a website on detonation, and people can access that," he said, speaking in a small restaurant near the palace of the Solo sultan.

That has been difficult, however, since the government has blocked blogs and websites linked to Naim. Security officials acknowledged that Naim continues to communicate with his recruits through social media and messaging apps.

Edi Lukito, leader of an Islamic anti-vice squad called Laskar Umat Islam Surakarta (Surakarta Muslim Battalion) said he knew of regular bank payments Naim made to at least one young recruit in the city.

"This young generation has an extraordinary passion for jihad and they want to carry guns quickly," said Lukito, who said he does not support IS.

JAKARTA ATTACKS

Although not a member of Team Hisbah himself, Naim was the liaison between IS and Hisbah members when he was running an Internet cafe in Solo, the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict (IPAC) said.

He disappeared in January 2015 after serving time in prison on a 2011 conviction for possession of ammunition and police believed he moved to Syria.

Naim emerged from obscurity a year later, when police identified him as the mastermind of gun and bomb attacks in central Jakarta that killed eight people, including the four attackers.

Since then, he's been linked to other thwarted attacks, including a foiled plot, led by Solo native Gigih Rahmat Dewa, to launch a rocket into Singapore's Marina Bay casino resort area, using a boat from the neighbouring Indonesian island of Batam..

Another member of Team Hisbah, counter-terrorism police told Reuters, was 31-year-old Nur Rohman. He blew himself up outside a police station in Solo in July, one of a series of attacks claimed by Islamic State across the world during the Ramadan fasting month, including the killings of foreigners at an upscale cafe in Dhaka just days earlier.

JAVANESE CULTURE

Nestled in the lush volcanic hills running down the spine of Java, the archipelago's most populous island, Solo is a hub of traditional Javanese culture, blending elements of Hinduism, Buddhism and animism. The city of 800,000 is the hometown of Indonesian President Joko Widodo and of the Solo royal family.

Solo also has long been host to radical Islamist movements that take their inspiration from the Middle East. It is the hometown of Abu Bakar Bashir, the spiritual leader of Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), who is serving a 15-year sentence for helping to fund a militant training camp in Indonesia's staunchly Islamic province of Aceh. The city features dozens of Islamic boarding schools, including Bashir's al-Mukmin Ngruki.

"The population of radical groups in Solo is already very high, so they are like raw material ready to be radicalised," said Solahudin, a leading authority on Islamic extremism in Indonesia. "It's easier to recruit people in Solo than in other places," said Solahudin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name.

A dozen or so radical youth groups operate in the city, including bands of vigilantes, modelled after Saudi Arabia's religious police like Team Hisbah and the Surakarta Muslim Battalion, who raid the city's gambling dens, cafes, and brothels, security officials said.

They became especially prominent after the fall of Indonesia's late strongman President Suharto in 1998, who had ruthlessly suppressed any sign of opposition from hardline Islamist groups.

Agus Junaedi, who took over the vigilante wing of Team Hisbah after the death of its founder Sigit in 2011, insists the group only conducts anti-vice raids: "Nothing more than that."

"Every time there is an arrest that involves terrorists, it is always linked to Hisbah in Solo," Junaedi, who runs a small store selling herbal medicines and Korans, complained.

LACKING EXPERTISE

Naim uses his contacts in Solo to look for people he believes can be easily radicalised, said a senior counter-terrorism official.

"After online contact is established, he will teach them how to make bombs and give them tactical instructions on how to plan attacks," the official said.

Naim's followers are not capable of mounting a major attack, said Mahmud of the Islamic State Supporters Forum.

"They cannot get materials like in the Bali bomb," he said, referring to the 2002 bombings of night clubs in Kuta Beach, Bali that killed 202 people, most of them foreigners. "It was easy to access in the past, but it has been tightened."

That could be changing.

Last week, Indonesia's counter-terrorism force arrested a suspected militant with alleged ties to Naim. Authorities say he was planning an attack in Bali with the same kind of explosive material used in IS attacks in Paris last November and in Brussels in March.

Police seize 150 grams of the peroxide-based explosive TATP (triacetone triperoxide), known as "the mother of Satan" in militant circles, in the raid.
China stocks rise after money exit rumour denied; Hong Kong also up

SHANGHAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - China stocks rose on Friday morning, recouping the previous day's loss, with some traders attributing the improving sentiment to regulators' denial that insurance money is getting pulled out of the market.

The China Insurance Regulatory Commission (CIRC) late on Thursday denied a market rumour in a local media that 600 billion yuan ($90.17 billion) worth of insurance money would gradually exit the market due to tougher rules.

"The official denial apparently aided market sentiment," said Wu Kan, head of equity trading at investment firm Shanshan Finance.

"The rumour caused a bit of panic-selling yesterday but now, the market is back."

The blue-chip CSI300 index rose 0.6 percent, to 3,327.47 points by lunch break, while the Shanghai Composite Index also gained 0.6 percent, to 3,085.74 points.

Small-caps rose sharply, with Shenzhen's start-up board ChiNext up 1.3 percent.

In a sign of improving risk appetite recently, outstanding margin loans has exceeded 900 billion yuan, hitting a seven-month high.

Banking shares were firm as investors took relief that newly-released earnings by some of country's biggest lenders didn't show a sharp deterioration in asset quality as many had feared.

Bank of Communications (BoCom), which reported near flat first-half profit, saw its bad loan ratio also stay stable from the previous quarter.

Brokerage CICC said BoCom could be the first among China's Big Four state banks to see an improvement in its asset quality.

Disclosure that government-backed funds increased holdings in BoCom by 570 million A shares also helped sentiment.

"It's true there's concern that some bad loans at Chinese lenders are not exposed yet, but for China's yield-hungry investors, banking shares are still regarded as a safe place to put their money," said Wu of Shanshan Finance.

In Hong Kong, the Hang Seng index added 0.5 percent, to 22,939.17 points, while the Hong Kong China Enterprises Index gained 0.6 percent, to 9,557.61.

Most sectors in Hong Kong rose, led by energy and tech stocks
Romania - Factors to watch on August 26

Here are news stories, press reports and events to watch which may affect Romanian financial markets on Friday.

DEBT TENDERS

*Romania sold a higher than planned 646.3 million lei ($163.78 million) worth of April 2024 treasury bonds on Thursday, with the average accepted yield at 2.63 percent, central bank data showed.

*It sold a planned 800 billion lei ($202.75 billion) of one-year treasury bills at a separate tender on Thursday with the average accepted yield at 0.55 percent, against a 0.7 percent yield in June.

ISSUANCE

The finance ministry is expected to unveil leu debt issuance plans for September. .

BUDGET GAP NARROWS

Romania's consolidated budget deficit narrowed to 0.23 percent of gross domestic product in the first seven months of the year against a 0.5 percent shortfall at the end of June.

CEE MARKETS

Hungary sold 12-month bills at higher yields at an auction on Thursday, bucking a falling trend of the past few weeks, after a central bank deposit tender had drained banking sector liquidity.

For the long-term Romanian diary, click on

For emerging markets economic events, click on

For an index of all diaries, click on
Cases where Obama judges on appeals courts left a mark

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A selection of recent U.S. appeals court rulings in which Obama judicial appointees played a significant role:

VOTING RIGHTS 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, July 29 A three-judge panel featuring two Obama appointees struck down North Carolina's voter identification law on a 3-0 vote, saying it had a discriminatory intent. TRANSGENDER RIGHTS 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, April 19 The court ruled 2-1 in favor of a transgender student seeking to use a boys' restroom, with two Obama appointees in the majority. TELECOMMUNICATIONS/INTERNET U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, June 14 On a 2-1 vote, with an Obama appointee in the majority, the court upheld the Federal Communication Commission's major "net neutrality" regulation.

GUN RIGHTS 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, Oct. 19, 2015 A panel featuring two Obama appointees and one judge appointed by Democratic President Bill Clinton rejected challenges to gun regulations in New York and Connecticut passed in the aftermath of the 2012 Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in Connecticut. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case. CLASS ACTION LITIGATION 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, July 7, 2015 The court allowed employee class action lawsuit against Wal-Mart Stores Inc to move forward. An Obama appointee wrote the opinion, while a Republican appointee partially dissented. The Supreme Court declined to hear the case.
U.S. aid to Pakistan shrinks amid mounting frustration over militants

By Idrees Ali

WASHINGTON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Pakistan's continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming U.S. military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabad's strategic importance as an ally to Washington, U.S. military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said.

The United States has cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply in recent years, reflecting mounting frustration among a growing number of officials with the nuclear-armed country's support for the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

That frustration has dogged U.S.-Pakistan ties for more than a decade, but has spiked anew as the militant Islamic group has advanced in parts of Afghanistan that U.S. and allied forces once helped to secure, U.S. officials and analysts say.

"We're seeing a very definitive and very sharp reorienting of U.S. policy in South Asia away from Afghanistan-Pakistan and more towards India," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank.

(Graphic showing U.S. annual military and civilian aid to Pakistan since 2011: http://tmsnrt.rs/2boG04J)

The U.S. relationship with Pakistan has long been a transactional one marked by mutual mistrust, marriages of convenience, and mood swings.

The long-standing U.S. frustration with Pakistan's refusal to stop supporting the Taliban, especially within the U.S. military and intelligence community, is now overriding President Barack Obama's administration's desire to avoid renewed military involvement in Afghanistan, as well as concerns that China could capitalize on fraying ties between Washington and Islamabad, the U.S. officials said.

Obama announced last month he would keep U.S. troop levels in Afghanistan at 8,400 through the end of his administration, shelving plans to cut the force in half by year end.

American civilian and military aid to Pakistan, once the third-largest recipient of U.S. foreign assistance, is expected to total less than $1 billion in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to U.S. government data. The United States has not appropriated less than $1 billion to Pakistan since at least 2007.

The decrease also comes amid budget constraints and shifting global priorities for the United States, including fighting Islamic State militants, a resurgent Russia and an increasingly assertive China.

In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would seek to bar $430 million in U.S. funding for Islamabad's purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter refused to authorize $300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan, citing the limited gains the country has made fighting the militant Haqqani network, which is based in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The approval of such funding has been mostly routine in the past.

LIMITS OF COOPERATION

The U.S. Congress has yet to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year. The Pentagon is due to authorize $350 million in military aid for the next fiscal year, and is unlikely to approve it under the Obama administration, a U.S. defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

"Congress is no longer willing to fund a state that supports the Afghan Taliban, which is killing American soldiers," said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert and former CIA officer who headed Obama's first Afghanistan policy review.

In a stark illustration of the limits of U.S.-Pakistan cooperation, the United States killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistan's remote Baluchistan region in May, without informing Pakistan.

Some U.S. officials still warn of the dangers of allowing relations with Pakistan to deteriorate. In a July 26 opinion piece in the Financial Times, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that "the strategic imperative for improved relations between the U.S. and Pakistan is clear - for the safety of American troops and the success of their mission in Afghanistan, for the stability of the region and for the national security of both Pakistan and the U.S."

A senior Pakistani defense official said the United States will continue to need Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. Authorities in Islamabad have long rejected accusations that Pakistan has provided support and sanctuary to militants operating in Afghanistan.

"We have lost over a hundred billion dollars in fighting terrorism, which is more than anything they have given us," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In any event, the official said, Pakistan can turn to other sources of aid, including China. Last year the two countries launched a plan for energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan worth $46 billion.

Nevertheless, the U.S. tilt toward India, Pakistan's arch-foe, is likely to continue.

U.S. defense companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co. are entering the Indian market, and the country has become the world's second-largest arms buyer after Saudi Arabia, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Earlier this year, India and the United States agreed in principle to share military logistics, as both sides seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China.
Many dead and wounded in blast in southeast Turkey - security sources

ANKARA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Many people were killed and wounded in an explosion on Friday at a police headquarters in Cizre in southeast Turkey, security sources said on Friday.

Television news channels said the blast took place at a police post. Details of casualties were not immediately clear.
Australia warns shipbuilder DCNS after massive security leak

By Matt Siegel

SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Australian defence officials warned French naval contractor DCNS to beef up security in Australia, where it is preparing to build a A$50 billion ($38.13 billion) fleet of submarines, in the wake of a massive data leak, a government spokesman said on Friday.

DCNS was left reeling after more than 22,000 pages outlining details relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper earlier this week, sparking concerns about its ability to protect sensitive data.

A senior Australian defence official, acting on orders from Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, warned DCNS that the government was deeply concerned by the implications of the leak, a spokesman for the minister told Reuters.

DCNS is locked in exclusive negotiations with Australia to build a fleet of 12 next-generation submarines after seeing off its rivals, Germany's Thyssenkrup AG and a Japanese government-backed consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.

DCNS said earlier this week that the leak, which covered details of the Scorpene-class model and not the vessel currently being designed for the Australian fleet, bore the hallmarks of "economic warfare" carried out by frustrated competitors.

TKMS Australia, the German shipbuilder's local subsidiary, declined to respond to the accusation. Mitsubishi Heavy Industry also said that it had no comment.

A senior industry source who was involved in the Australian submarine bidding called the allegation an "extraordinary" attempt to deflect attention from DCNS' security shortcomings.

"Clearly there's been a massive leak. And for the French to seek to blame either the Japanese or the Germans under some banner of 'economic warfare' is hysterical," he told Reuters.

The French victory in one of the world's most valuable defence contracts was a major blow to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda.

Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne visited Tokyo this week to meet with her Japanese counterpart, Tomomi Inada, in the first such visit since the contract was awarded.

DCNS and TKMS are currently locked in another competition for a lucrative contract to replace Norway's fleet of aging Ula-class submarines. The European shipbuilders, the world's biggest suppliers of conventional submarines, regularly lock horns.
Australia pulse crops racing to record to fill Indian plates

By Harry Pearl and Cecile Lefort

SYDNEY, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Australian farmers are set to churn out record harvests of pulses such as chickpeas and lentils after they rushed to take advantage of surging prices due to shortages in world No.1 producer and consumer India.

Prices of the key pulses, long-used to make dishes such as curries and growing in popularity globally due to their high-protein content, soared above A$1,200 ($915) per tonne earlier this year, according to National Australia Bank.

Although markets have since pulled back to around A$700 per tonne, they are still well above longer term averages of A$300 to A$500, said Nick Goddard, chief executive of industry body Pulse Australia.

The rise, largely driven by production shortfalls in India due to back-to-back droughts and irrigation problems, prompted Australian farmers to plant more pulse crops, with a total harvest of around 4 million tonnes expected this year compared to 2.2 million last season, according to Pulse Australia.

That should help cement Australia's position as a top five global exporter of pulses alongside nations such as Canada and China at a time when it is looking to rebalance its economy as a mining investment boom fades.

"(Prices) were double where they normally were," said Phil Christie, a farmer in southeast Australia, explaining why he chose to plant 20-percent more chickpeas this season.

Australia typically exports two-thirds of its chickpea output to India, with most of he remainder sold to Bangladesh and Pakistan. Very little is consumed locally.

As well as chickpeas and lentils, pulse crops include field peas, lupins and fava beans.

Prices are expected to ease towards year-end as the Indian growing season gets off to a strong start and as producers such as Canada and Russia ramp up exports.

But Pulse Australia has forecast export earnings from this year's harvest would likely hit a record A$2 billion, up from $1.2 billion in 2015.

Goddard cautioned some farms in the state of New South Wales had recently had crops ruined by excessive rainfall, although he said the overall outlook remained strong.

"Even if we lose a bit because of the rain, it's still going to be a very good year," he said.
OAKLAND COUNTY, Mich.In one of the (so far) rare instances, a victim of "revenge porn"posting nude and/or sexually explicit photos or video of someone without their knowledge or consenthas been awarded monetary damages by a court, and in this case, the unnamed woman is due to receive $500,000 from her ex-boyfriend.

Only a couple of "revenge porn" recoveries have made the headlines. Perhaps the most famous was about one year ago, when rapper 50 Cent was ordered to pay $2 million to Lastonia Leviston after he posted a hardcore video of the pair, reportedly because Lastonia had taken up with 50 Cent's rival Rick Ross.

In a similar matter, though not exactly "revenge porn," TV personality and ESPN host Erin Andrews was awarded $55 million by a Tennessee jury after her stalker, Michael Barrett, shot video of her in the nude through a peephole in the door of her Nashville Marriott hotel room. It is expected that the hotel will be on the hook for the bulk of that award.

In the Oakland County case, neither the victim nor her ex-boyfriend were named, the latter because knowing his name would make it easier to identify the woman. However, after establishing a phony email account that appeared to belong to the woman, the ex convinced a photographer who had taken the photos to send them to him, and thereafter, he posted the nude photos of her on several internet sites.

"My client was tormented for a year and a half over this occurrence," her attorney, Kyle Bristow, told the Detroit Free Press, noting that the case is the first of its kind in Michigan. "Before I got involved, she tried to plead with these websites to remove the photos. It was like a horrific game of 'Whack a Ball.' [sic] ... She was scared that she had a stalker out to get her. It affected her employment and her attendance at college. ... She's very happy with the results we've procured."

Currently, 26 states and the District of Columbia have enacted revenge porn laws. A nationwide effort to criminalize revenge porn is currently before the U.S. Congress.

Pictured: Chrissy Chambers, whose petition to outlaw revenge porn on change.com amassed more than 192,000 signatures.
PRESS DIGEST - Bulgaria - Aug 26

SOFIA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Friday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- The security environment in the Balkans in the context of the migration crisis in Europe has been in the focus of a meeting of Bulgaria's Interior Minister Rumyana Bachvarova and her German counterpart Thomas de Maiziere in Berlin, the interior ministry said (Trud, Standart, 24 Chasa, Monitor)

-- Regional court in the southern city of Plovdiv has left the accused of the fire in the tobacco warehouse 44-year-old homeless person in custody. His lawyers said that he is a convenient scapegoat so that prosecutors can say that the case is closed (Standart, Trud, Monitor)

-- Some 550 artifacts - parts of jewelry, rings, Roman buttons, pottery and other, dating back to 200-400 years AD, have been found in the Danube town of Nikopol. A further historic expertise has been appointed to establish the real value of the finds (Standart, Monitor, Telegraf)
Hungary to build second fence on border with Serbia to keep out migrants

BUDAPEST, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Hungary plans to build a second barrier on its southern border with Serbia to keep out migrants, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban told public radio on Friday.

Orban said the new border fence, built alongside the existing barrier, would strengthen defences to be able to keep out potentially hundreds of thousands if Turkey's policy on migration changed.

"Technical planning is under way to erect a more massive defence system next to the existing line of defence which was built quickly (last year)," Orban said.

A razor-wire fence built along Hungary's southern border with Serbia and Croatia has sharply reduced flows of migrants who last year moved up from the Balkans towards northern Europe. But a steady trickle of migrants is still arriving at Hungary's border with Serbia.
Iran sets terms for cooperating with OPEC to stabilise oil market

DUBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Iran will help other oil producers stabilise the world market so long as fellow OPEC members recognise its right to regain lost market share, the country' oil minister said on Friday in remarks made ahead of next month's meeting of the oil exporters group.

Iran, OPEC's third-largest producer, boosted output after Western sanctions were lifted in January, and had to refused to join OPEC and some non-members in an accord earlier this year to freeze production levels.

"Iran will cooperate with OPEC to help the oil market recover, but expects others to respect its rights to regain its lost share of the market," Bijan Namdar Zanganeh was quoted as saying by the oil ministry's news agency SHANA.

Asked about an oil output freeze plan, Zanganeh said that Iran supports any effort to bring stability to the market.

Tehran insists it will be ready for joint action only once it regains pre-sanctions output of 4 million barrels per day (bpd). It pumped 3.6 million bpd in July, OPEC figures show.

Zanganeh said Iran had no role in instability of the oil market, as the crisis happened when Tehran's exports were less than 1 million bpd.
Death toll in Somalia beach restaurant attack rises to 10

MOGADISHU, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The death toll from an attack late on Thursday by Islamic militants on a seaside restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 10, police said.

The casualties comprised six civilians, two members of the security forces and two of the attackers, Ali Abdullahi, a police officer, said on Friday.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed the attack, which triggered a gun battle that ended at around 3:00 a.m. local time, police said.
Lactalis, French milk producers resume price talks

By Sybille de La Hamaide and Pierre-Henri Allain

PARIS/RENNES, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Europe's largest dairy group Lactalis and French milk producers resumed talks on Friday afternoon after failing to reach a deal on an increase in milk prices in more than 10 hours of talks on Thursday, a labour union source said.

Farmers said it was up to Lactalis to produce a new offer.

European dairy farmers are struggling with a slump in milk prices caused by oversupply after the European Union scrapped quotas last year, Russia banned Western food imports and Chinese dairy imports weakened.

Family-owned Lactalis agreed on Tuesday to renegotiate the price paid to its suppliers after hundreds of milk producers protested at its headquarters in northwestern France, blaming the company for paying less than its competitors.

Lactalis, which pays 257 euros ($290) per 1,000 litres, said in a statement on Friday it had offered to raise its price by 15 euros as of Sept. 1 but farmers said it was not enough and vowed to continue their protests.

"We're wondering if Lactalis is really committed to working this out," Florent Renaudier of the FDSEA farm union said.

Hundreds of farmers have been protesting in front of the dairy company's headquarters in Laval since Monday night, bringing 200 to 300 tractors, cows and trailers. They also launched protests in supermarkets targeting Lactalis products.

Lactalis filed a request for urgent proceedings at the regional court of Laval to demand a lifting of the blockade, a court official said, adding that the case was due to be examined later on Friday. Lactalis declined to comment.

Lactalis mainly produces cheese, milk and butter with brands including President, Bridel, Galbani and Lactel.

Talks resumed at 6 pm (1600 GMT) on Friday, the union source said.

DIGGING IN

Producers started the talks asking for an average price of 290 euros ($328) per 1,000 litres for the whole of 2016, while Lactalis offered 265 euros, three sources, who did not wish to be identified, said.

The farmers request meant Lactalis would need to agree an increase to about 335 euros until the end of the year to compensate for current low prices, according to estimates by the milk producers union FNPL.

Unions say the cost of production for farmers is between 330 and 380 euros per 1,000 litres.

Agriculture Minister Stephane Le Foll had called on both sides to resume negotiations as soon as possible.

"The price paid to producers by Lactalis, the world's leader in the market, cannot remain the lowest in the market, a step forward is needed," the ministry said in a statement.

Lactalis said earlier this week it faced strong competition elsewhere in the European Union, where milk prices have fallen more steeply than in France over the past year.

In June, raw milk prices paid to producers stood at 27.70 euros per 100 kg in France compared with 23.22 euros in top producer Germany, 25.12 euros in Britain and 25.00 euros in the Netherlands, European Commission data showed.

Le Foll said he would put forward a wider plan next Tuesday on the implementation of EU measures to limit milk output.
Gunmen kill seven in ambush in Pakistan's southwest

QUETTA, Pakistan, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Gunmen in Pakistan killed six soldiers and a provincial government official in an ambush on their convoy in the insurgency plagued southwest province of Baluchistan, a senior official in the region said on Friday.

The attack took place about 80 kilometres (50 miles) from Gwadar, a port that will play a vital role in a planned $46 billion China-Pakistan economic corridor stretching from the Arabian sea to China's far-western Xinjiang district.

The convoy had been returning from dealing with a land dispute late on Thursday when gunmen fired rockets and hurled grenades at the group, Tufail Baloch, a deputy district commissioner for Gwadar, told Reuters.

"It was a sudden attack. They also used AK-47 rifles," he said. The dead included a senior local government official.

Separatist groups in Baluchistan, a sparsely populated but vast province bordering Iran and Afghanistan, have launched sporadic attacks on security forces during their decades long struggle for an independent homeland.

Pakistan is particularly sensitive to attacks on Chinese workers and interests in Baluchistan, and promised them protection.

Militants have mostly targeted government personnel and security forces during the past decade, but attacks on civilians do occur.

Last year gunmen stormed Jewani airport in Baluchistan, killing engineers and destroying radar systems.
Hungary to build second fence on Serbian border to keep out migrants

By Krisztina Than

BUDAPEST, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Hungary plans to build a second fence on its southern border with Serbia that would enable it to keep out any major new wave of migrants, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday.

Orban said the new barrier, to be built alongside the existing one, would strengthen defences to respond if Turkey's policy on migration changed. If that happened, hundreds of thousands could appear at Hungary's border, he told public radio.

"Technical planning is under way to erect a more massive defence system next to the existing line of defence which was built quickly (last year)," Orban said.

Orban said Hungary had to prepare for the eventuality of a deal between Turkey and the European Union to clamp down on migration into Europe via the Balkans unravelling.

"Then if it does not work with nice words, we will have to stop them with force, and we will do so," Orban said.

A razor-wire fence built along Hungary's southern border with Serbia and Croatia has sharply reduced flows.

Last year hundreds of thousands of migrants moved up from the Balkans towards northern Europe. That flow has since been reduced to no more than a steady trickle.

Orban said Hungary would also boost its police presence to 47,000 from 44,000, of which 3,000 will be constantly deployed on the southern border.

He also said it was Europe's interest to work with Turkey and to agree on the issues that serve Europe's security.

Under the existing deal, Turkey has agreed to help stem the tide of illegal migrants into the bloc in exchange for aid and visa-free travel for Turks. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said that European leaders are not living up to their side of the pact.

Later on Friday, Orban and other prime ministers of Central European EU member states -- the Visegrad countries -- will meet in Warsaw with German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

Orban said the task for politicians was to change a decision by the EU to let in migrants and distribute them based on quotas among member states.

"The question is whether Angela Merkel will be willing to change this flawed Brussels decision together with us. Whether she is willing to fight with us for this, or not, Orban said."
French naval contractor DCNS files complaint following data leak

PARIS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - French naval contractor DCNS has filed a complaint for breach of trust after a massive leak of documents concerning six Scorpene submarines it is building for India, a spokesman for the shipbuilder said on Friday.

DCNS was left reeling after details from more than 22,000 pages of documents relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper this week, sparking concerns about the company's ability to protect sensitive data.

"We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor on Thursday afternoon," the DCNS spokesman said.

A French government source said on Thursday that DCNS had apparently been robbed and it was not a leak, adding it was unlikely that classified data was stolen.

The Australian government said on Friday it had asked DCNS to take new security measures in Australia, where the company is locked in exclusive negotiations to build a new fleet of submarines for 50 billion Australian dollars ($38 bln).
Chinese man arrested in Hong Kong over FACC cyber attack in Austria

VIENNA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A Chinese citizen has been arrested in Hong Kong in connection with a cyber attack that cost Austrian aerospace parts maker FACC 42 million euros ($47.39 million), Austrian police said on Friday.

FACC fired its chief executive and chief financial officer after the attack, which involved hoax emails asking an employee to transfer money for a fake acquisition project - a kind of scam known as a "fake president incident".

FACC's customers include Airbus and Boeing.

A 32-year-old man, who was an authorised signatory of a Hong Kong-based firm that received around 4 million euros from FACC, was arrested on July 1 on suspicion of money laundering, a spokesman for Austria's Federal Office for Crime said.

Such attacks, also known as "business email compromise", involve thieves gaining access to legitimate email accounts inside a company - often those of top executives - to carry out unauthorized transfers of funds.

The technique, which relies on simple trickery or more sophisticated computer intrusions, typically targets businesses working with international suppliers that regularly perform wire transfers.

A spokesman for FACC said the company was working on getting back 10 million euros which had been found and frozen on accounts in different countries around the world. These 10 million euros are not included in the 42 million euro hit the group has already booked.

The spokesman declined to give details on the arrest or the location of the accounts.

In June, the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) said identified losses from this scam totalled $3.1 billion and had risen by 1,300 percent in the past 18 months.

Such scams have been reported by 22,143 victims in all 50 U.S. states and in 100 countries around the world.

The FBI said reports indicate that fraudulent transfers have been made to 79 countries with the majority going to Asian banks located in China and Hong Kong.

Another tool for fraud, "ransomware", which has received much media attention over the past year, refers to malicious software that thieves use to blocks access to a computer until a ransom is paid.

Security experts say the two trends are the fastest growing cyber security threats to businesses worldwide.
Zimbabwe police fire teargas to disperse opposition protesters

HARARE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Zimbabwean police on Friday fired teargas to disperse anti-government supporters gathering in a square in the capital Harare ahead of a planned protest calling for electoral reform, a Reuters witness said.

A High Court judge was due to rule on whether the demonstration should be allowed to proceed on Friday morning.
Saudi energy minister tempers expectations for production freeze

By Nichola Groom

LOS ANGELES, Aug 25 (Reuters) - Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih tempered expectations that the world's major oil producers would look to freeze production next month, telling Reuters on Thursday that the "market is moving in the right direction" already.

"We don't believe any significant intervention in the market is necessary other than to allow the forces of supply and demand to do the work for us," he said in an interview following a speech at the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council in Los Angeles.

Members of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria from Sept. 26-28.

Oil rallied last week in part on anticipation of a freeze, but those hopes have waned in the last couple of days.

Speaking publicly for the first time since talk about freezing production surfaced in the last few weeks, Al-Falih said there have not yet been any specific discussions of a production freeze by OPEC, even though world supply remains high. His comments suggest the chances of a pact are minimal, as he pointed to a market rebalancing and steady demand.

Benchmark Brent crude has rebounded sharply since January but struggled to stay above $50 a barrel. Saudi Arabia recently hit a record in terms of barrels-per-day production, and other member nations, including Iran, have said they will boost output.

The kingdom, the world's largest oil exporter, started to raise production from June to meet rising seasonal domestic demand as well as higher export requirements. Al-Falih did not say whether there was a specific level of output that would be necessary to stabilize the market.

Saudi Arabia produced 10.67 million barrels per day of crude oil, the most in its history, in July, and Al-Falih said on Thursday that production has remained around that level, though he could not cite a specific number for August.

Global marker Brent futures gave back some gains following Al-Falih's comments, slipping as much as 35 cents, or 0.7 percent, over 20 minutes, before recovering somewhat. Brent was trading up 61 cents at $49.66 a barrel by 3:35 p.m. ET (1935 GMT).

A previous attempt to freeze output at January levels to support prices collapsed in April after Saudi Arabia said it wanted all producers, including Iran, to join the initiative. Since Al-Falih's appointment in April, Saudi Arabia has taken a softer tone toward Iran at OPEC.

Al-Falih said no specific production level for a freeze has been broached yet.
Danish electronic payments company Nets to list in late Sept -media

COPENHAGEN, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Denmark-based card payment services company Nets plans to list on the stock exchange in late September, Danish newspaper Borsen reported on Friday, citing several sources close to the process.

The payments processor, which will announce its listing plans at the beginning of September, is expected to float around half of its shares, according to Borsen, which did not identify its sources.

Nets was formed in 2010 through a merger between Norway's Nordito and Denmark's PBS, both payment services providers. It was acquired in 2014 by Boston-based private equity funds Bain Capital and Advent International and Danish pension fund ATP for 17 billion Danish crowns ($2.6 bln).
Death toll in Somalia beach restaurant attack rises to 10

MOGADISHU, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The death toll from an attack late on Thursday by Islamic militants on a seaside restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 10, police said.

The attackers set off a car bomb at the Banadir restaurant at the city's Lido beach before engaging security forces in a fight for several hours.

The casualties comprised six civilians, two members of the security forces and two of the attackers, Ali Abdullahi, a police officer, said on Friday.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed the attack, which ended at around 3:00 a.m. local time, police said.

The group has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the Western-backed government.

In a separate incident in southern Somalia, a roadside bomb planted by al Shabaab militants injured 10 people, police said on Friday, raising the number of wounded from three initially.

One of those wounded in the explosion in Baardhere town in Gedo region was the local district commissioner, police said.
Myanmar army chief reshuffles officers, promotes intelligence chief

By Shwe Yee Saw Myint

YANGON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Myanmar's army chief, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, reshuffled top posts on Friday, promoting his intelligence chief and other officers leading efforts to present the military as a responsible partner in a democratic transition.

Military intelligence chief Lieutenant General Mya Tun Oo was promoted to the joint chief of staff of the army, navy, and air force, the de-facto third most senior position and one seen as a stepping stone to becoming army chief.

The promotion comes shortly after Min Aung Hlaing decided to stay on as army chief for the next five years, and appears aimed at consolidating his power base as he forges a delicate relationship with new government leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

The military ruled Myanmar with an iron first for nearly 50 years until it began stepping back from politics in 2011 and paved the way for a historic election last November.

Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) defeated the army-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party in the vote and went on to form the first democratically elected government in more than half a century.

After a tense beginning for the new administration, punctuated by military objections to the NLD's move to establish a special post for Suu Kyi, relations between the military and government have improved, observers say.

Min Aung Hlaing has attended events that are symbolically important for Suu Kyi and the two sides are collaborating in efforts to forge peace with ethnic minority rebels.

Western defence attaches see Mya Tun Oo as an astute military operator with sound awareness of international relations and regional politics, capable of navigating a difficult political transition.

He stunned the public last month when he admitted the military had killed five villagers in the north of the country. In an unprecedented move, he announced a court marshal and promised to look after the families of the dead.

He has also recently participated in the talks between the military and Suu Kyi on the peace process.

Min Aung Hlaing appointed eight other officers to new posts, including several regional commanders.

The military retains a key role in politics with 25 percent of seats in parliament, giving it an effective veto over changes to a 2008 junta-drafted constitution that bans Suu Kyi from becoming president because her late husband was British and her sons are not Myanmar citizens.
U.S. and Russia fail to close deal on ending violence in Syria

By Lesley Wroughton and Stephanie Nebehay

GENEVA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The United States and Russia failed on Friday to reach a breakthrough deal on military cooperation and a nationwide cessation of hostilities in Syria, saying they still have issues to resolve before an agreement could be announced.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov, addressing a joint news conference after more than nine hours of off-and-on talks in Geneva, said teams from both sides would try to finalize details in coming days in the Swiss city.

Kerry said the talks with Lavrov had "achieved clarity on the path forward" but together they offered few details on how they planned to renew a February cessation of hostilities and improve humanitarian assistance.

"We don't want to have a deal for the sake of the deal," Kerry said. "We want to have something done that is effective and that works for the people of Syria, that makes the region more stable and secure, and that brings us to the table here in Geneva to find a political solution."

The talks have been complicated since initial meetings in July by new government attacks on opposition groups, and a significant offensive in the southern part of the divided city of Aleppo led by opposition fighters intermingled with the Nusra Front, an al-Qaeda affiliate also seeking to topple Russian-backed President Bashar al-Assad.

In the days ahead the technical teams, which include U.S. and Russian military and intelligence experts, will try to figure out ways to separate the opposition groups, backed by the United States and Gulf Arab countries, from the jihadis.

It was unclear after Friday's meetings whether outstanding issues could all be resolved between Moscow and Washington, which back opposing parties in the Syrian conflict. The United States has insisted that the Syrian air force, which has dropped barrel bombs and chlorine on residential areas, be grounded but Lavrov said on Friday that was not the goal.

Assad's future is not part of the current talks. Instead, discussions are focused on finding an effective and lasting solution to end the violence, which would open negotiations on a political transition in Syria.

"If the remaining details can be completed, we believe we will be able to address the two primary challenges to the cessation of hostilities - the regime violations and the increasing influence of the al-Nusra Front," Kerry said.

Kerry believes the plan is the best chance to limit fighting that is driving thousands of Syrians into exile in Europe and preventing humanitarian aid from reaching tens of thousands more.

The talks came as opposition groups effectively surrendered the Damascus suburb of Daraya to the government after a grueling four-year siege.

Kerry said the Syrian regime had "forced the surrender" of Daraya in contravention of the February cessation of hostilities agreement, but Lavrov said the local accord was an "example" that should be "replicated".

The Russian foreign minister said another besieged area was "interested in such an operation with mediation of the Russian Federation." He did not name the area.
Philippine government, communist rebels sign indefinite ceasefire

OSLO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The Philippine government and Maoist-led rebels signed an indefinite ceasefire agreement on Friday as part of efforts to end a conflict that has lasted almost five decades and killed at least 40,000 people.
Philippine government, communist rebels sign ceasefire deal

By Alister Doyle

OSLO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - The Philippines government and Maoist-led rebels agreed indefinite ceasefires on Friday as part of an accord to accelerate efforts to end a conflict that has lasted almost five decades and killed at least 40,000 people.

The government expressed hopes that a peace agreement could be reached within a year after the Oslo talks, the first formal meeting for five years. The guerrillas, who reiterated demands for "revolutionary change", stopped short of setting a deadline.

Both sides, at a signing ceremony in a hotel on the outskirts of Oslo, hailed the ceasefire deal and measures to step up negotiations as a breakthrough after 30 years of fitful peace talks.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Boerge Brende, hosting the ceremony, urged both sides to mirror an agreement between Colombia's government and Marxist FARC rebels to end Latin America's longest conflict, dating back more than 50 years.

"I hope this has been an inspiration," he said after the five-day meeting in Oslo. Norway has been a long-standing facilitator for peace deals in Colombia and the Philippines.

Under the Philippines accord, the rebels indefinitely extended a week-long ceasefire that had been due to expire after the Oslo talks. The government reaffirmed an open-ended ceasefire since Aug. 21 that could have been called off if the guerrillas failed to match it.

"There is a clear plan to accelerate the peace negotiations," Jose Maria Sison, the exiled founder of the Communist Party who lives in the Netherlands, told Reuters.

He called the Philippines "semi-colonial" and "semi-feudal". The rebels want sweeping reforms to redistribute land to poor farmers and to nationalise industries.

The government and the National Democratic Front (NDF), the political wing of the Communist Party, agreed to meet again in Oslo from Oct. 8.

"There is still a lot of work to be done ahead. Let us all stay the course together, no matter what," said Jesus Dureza, Philippines presidential peace adviser.

Both sides urged President Rodrigo Duterte, who helped unblock the negotiations by releasing 16 detainees before the talks, to proclaim an amnesty for all insurgents.

Rebels said that such an amnesty, which would also need approval by Congress, could cover about 530 jailed guerrillas.
Zinc touches 15-month high; gains could be short-lived

By Eric Onstad

LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Zinc hit its highest in 15 months on Friday as bearish speculators scrambled to close out positions, though some investors doubted that the hefty gains were entirely justified.

Volumes were huge, with zinc turnover on the London Metal Exchange (LME) of over 17,000 lots, more than double the activity in aluminium, one of the most active contracts.

"Shorts had been building up recently because people were expecting a setback lower, but when stops were triggered, that forced the shorts to cover," said Gianclaudio Torlizzi, Partner at the T-Commodity consultancy in Milan.

LME zinc rallied to its highest since May 2015 at $2,333 a tonne before retreating. Zinc, used to rust-proof steel, failed to trade in closing open outcry activity but was bid up 0.7 percent to $2,314, taking this year's gains to 44 percent.

Torlizzi said the surge might be the last gasp before the market turns lower, which could send prices sliding to about $2,000.

"We're sceptical about the sustainability of this move because the current price of zinc is not justified. We haven't seen any tightening in the refined market, only in concentrates."

Koen Straetmans, senior strategist at NN Investment Partners in the Netherlands, was also wary.

"Zinc has been a star performer and I had a position, but closed it. I think that obviously there is still an inventory overhang and, given where it trades, it might fall back."

LME zinc inventories are still relatively high at 454,175 tonnes.

The jump in zinc occurred during Asian trading after state media said that China plans to cut steel production by 2.91 million tonnes in inner Mongolia this year.

As China steel mills wind down, steel prices lift, meaning the remaining mills can pay more for ingredients such as zinc.

Other metals ended mixed after U.S. Federal Reserve chair Janet Yellen said the case for raising U.S. interest rates had strengthened.

LME copper ended down 0.2 percent at $4,615 a tonne, having closed little changed in the previous session when it fell to its weakest since June 24 at $4,620 a tonne.

Copper seemed to shrug off another rise in LME inventories, which climbed 7,700 tonnes on Friday, bringing the increase over the past two weeks to nearly 70,000 tonnes.

LME nickel dipped 0.5 percent to $9,800 a tonne, bringing it down by about 5 percent over the week for its biggest weekly drop since March.

Lower Chinese imports and an absence of fresh mine suspensions in the Philippines have eroded risk premiums that drove prices to their highest in a year this month.

Aluminium closed 0.1 percent down at $1,642.50.

Lead finished 0.7 percent up at $1,875 while tin firmed 0.8 percent to $18,890, its highest since February 2015.

PRICES

Three month LME copper

Most active ShFE copper

Three month LME aluminium

Most active ShFE aluminium

Three month LME zinc

Most active ShFE zinc

Three month LME lead

Most active ShFE lead

Three month LME nickel

Most active ShFE nickel

Three month LME tin
Hungarian PM Orban calls for joint European army

BUDAPEST, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said on Friday the European Union should start setting up a joint European army.

Orban, a staunch critic of the EU's migration policies, said security should be a priority for Europe.

"We should list the issue of security as a priority, and we should start setting up a common European army," Orban told a news conference after a meeting between Central European member states and German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Warsaw.
Nigerian traditional rulers want prisoners freed before Delta talks

By Felix Onuah

ABUJA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Traditional leaders in Nigeria's oil-producing Niger Delta have demanded that authorities release youths arrested by the army before they will mediate in talks with militants who have been blowing up pipelines, a government official said.

On Thursday, Oil Minister Emmanuel Ibe Kachikwu met traditional leaders from the southern region where a wave of pipeline attacks has cut the country's oil output by 700,000 barrels per day (bpd) to 1.56 million bpd.

The government had asked the leaders to make contact with the militants, who are fractured in many small groups with no unified command or demands.

The rulers, or traditional kings, asked for the release of a group of school children arrested in May and other prisoners caught in a military sweep against militants in the swamplands, the official said.

They also want the government to appoint one team to engage with all militant groups, he said.

Kachikwu asked the leaders to contact the different militant groups. "So I do urge you all to continue to reach out to all the splinter groups," he said, according to the officials.

"The government is worried that over $40 billion invested in the area is yet to yield the desired result," he said, referring to oil investments in the Niger Delta.

Militants say they want a greater share of Nigeria's oil wealth to go to the impoverished region. Crude sales make up about 70 percent of national income and the vast majority of that oil comes from the swampland.
A review of Flagstaff Justice Court documents for two random months earlier this year shows approximately 80 percent of people arrested on felony charges get out of jail within two days of their initial court appearance because the Coconino County Attorneys Office has not filed formal criminal charges.

The majority, however, are not accused of violent crimes.

Democratic Coconino County attorney candidate Gary Pearlmutter raised concerns about the releases.

Currently, our court reports that close to 90 percent of defendants arrested for felonies are released, without any supervision, within days of their arrest, because the County Attorneys Office and law enforcement agencies are not filing formal complaints against them, Pearlmutter wrote in an email to the Daily Sun last month. The release of violent offenders is of particular concern, especially if they committed a domestic violence offense.

At the time, he was unable to provide a named source for that statistic. In a related article published in the Daily Sun this past Sunday, the Mohave County Attorney said 90 percent sounded way too high, while local defense attorneys Ryan Stevens and Steven Harvey estimated at least 75 percent of felony arrestees get released with no formal charges filed until months or even years later.

This week, Flagstaff Justice Court Administrative Manager Maia Rodriguez confirmed she gave the 90 percent figure to Pearlmutter but clarified that it was just her best guess based on the many years she has worked in the court.

It turns out her guess was not far off.

On Wednesday, Rodriguez provided the Daily Sun with Flagstaff Justice Courts documents regarding the initial appearances of suspects who were in law enforcement custody.

According to those documents, in January 2016, the Flagstaff Justice Court held initial appearances for 96 felony arrestees, not counting those arrested only on warrants or those falling under the jurisdiction of another justice court. Of those 96 arrestees, 79 had annotations stating no formal charges were filed with the court within the next 48 hours  or about 82 percent. For July, the figure was also 82 percent.

"We charge only those cases where there is sufficient evidence of a crime, said Pearlmutters Democratic Primary Election opponent, Bill Ring, who is on leave from the county attorneys office while a candidate. If there is sufficient evidence, we charge it. But there is a difference between being accused upon arrest and having the evidence in hand within 48 hours to prove it.

When a law enforcement agency arrests a suspect on a felony charge and puts them in jail, an initial hearing must be held in Justice Court within 24 hours. At that time, the judge will inform the defendant of the charges, inform him of his rights, appoint an attorney if appropriate and set release conditions. The criminal charges are considered informal at the initial appearance.

The County Attorneys Office then has 48 hours from the beginning of the business day after the initial appearance to file formal charges with the court. Often, however, the county attorney will return the police report to the law enforcement agency for additional investigation.

When the county attorney asks the police for more investigation and no formal charges are filed in the 48-hour window, an in-custody defendant must be released from jail and any release conditions set at the initial appearance are vacated, including orders to stay away from the people listed as victims.

In Sundays Daily Sun article, Williams Police Chief Herman Nixon said he wouldnt be surprised if the number of felony arrestees released from jail within days of their arrests was as high as 90 percent because 48 hours is not always enough time to get laboratory results or interview all the witnesses in especially complicated cases. He did add that his department prioritizes the most serious cases to prevent dangerous suspects from being released.

"We are generating the facts well after Mr. Pearlmutter's claims were made, Ring said. The data appears more calming than first speculated and I am certain it boils down to the timely availability of evidence.

Although approximately 82 percent of Flagstaff Justice Courts felony defendants were released within 48 hours of their initial appearance without formal criminal charges in January, most were arrested for non-violent crimes, like theft, DUI and drug crimes.

Only 16 of the 79 released without formal charges were accused of violent crimes against another person, such as aggravated assault or child abuse. Thats about 20 percent. At least four cases involved domestic violence. The County Attorneys Office has seven years to file formal charges in most felonies and formal charges were later filed against 10 of the 16 suspects.

None of those suspects was released on their own recognizance at their initial appearance. The judge ordered five of them to be released to the Pretrial Services Unit for supervision without bond. The other 11 could only get out of jail if they posted bond, which ranged from $1,000 to $200,000. Most did not.

A similar pattern held true from month to month.

In July 2016, for example, the Flagstaff Justice Court held initial appearances for 78 felony arrestees, not counting those arrested only on warrants or those falling under the jurisdiction of another justice court. Of those 78 arrestees, 64 were listed as no complaint filed  or about 82.1 percent.

Only 14 felony arrestees released without formal charges filed within 48 hours  about 18 percent  were arrested in connection with a violent crime against another person. Two were released on their own recognizance at their initial appearance, one was released to a third part, two were released to the Pretrial Services Unit for supervision and nine had to post bond to get out of jail.

I remain concerned that we are not formally charging the violent offenders immediately after their arrest, Pearlmutter said. We should do everything possible to resolve it or to bring charges against them in a timely manner.

He said he was especially concerned about the domestic violence cases, where it is common for witnesses and victims to recant or change their stories.

In most domestic violence situations, the witnesses are present and statements can be obtained at the time of arrest and usually are, Pearlmutter said. Lab testing is usually not required in domestic violence cases. We have to be concerned about the safety of the victims in domestic violence cases.

The solution he proposed was working with local law enforcement to make sure they are completing investigations into serious violent crimes in time for the County Attorneys Office to file formal charges within 48 hours of an arrest. He said it would be a priority of his administration if he is elected.

Ring also talked about working with law enforcement, although he did not call for officers to investigate cases more quickly.

"If elected I will put public safety first and encourage the kind of cooperation that assures the public is not at risk, Ring said. I met recently with top law enforcement officials and I know they feel the very same way.

Ring raised concerns that a push for speedy investigation and charging could lead to the violation of peoples rights.

We have a proud Constitutional history, Ring said. We do not charge cases and jail the suspects on the basis of speculation only and I'm not about to begin now. Two-hundred-forty years ago, that arbitrary practice by the British started a revolution, and this sensitivity is what is lacking in Mr. Pearlmutter's innuendos.

Pearlmutter disagreed with Rings assessment.

Of course we want to ensure peoples civil rights are protected, but police are able to act upon probable cause to arrest, Pearlmutter said. In felony situations, we need to look out for protecting the victims in our community.
Israeli troops kill Palestinian who ran towards them, army says

JERUSALEM, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers on Friday shot and killed an apparently unarmed Palestinian who ran towards their position in a Palestinian village in the occupied West Bank, and the incident was under review, a military spokeswoman said.

A Palestinian official said the 38-year-old man suffered from mental illness, and several unsourced Israeli news websites reported that no weapons were found on his body.

"(Israeli) forces identified a suspect running towards an IDF (Israel Defence Forces) post in Silwad," the military spokeswoman said. "Upon the suspect's advance, the forces shot the suspect, resulting in his death. The incident is currently being reviewed."

Asked whether the Palestinian had been armed, she said that "the details are still being checked."

Since October, Palestinians, many of them acting alone and with rudimentary weapons, have killed at least 33 Israelis and two visiting Americans. At least 209 Palestinians have been killed, 141 of whom Israel said were assailants. Others died during clashes and protests.

Palestinian leaders say assailants have acted out of desperation over the collapse of peace talks in 2014 and Israeli settlement expansion in Israeli-occupied territory that Palestinians seek for an independent state. Most countries view the settlements as illegal. Israel disputes this.

Israel says incitement in the Palestinian media and personal problems at home have been important factors that have spurred assailants, often teenagers, to carry out attacks.

On Wednesday, an Israeli soldier fatally shot a Palestinian motorist who the army said had stabbed him and thrown rocks from his car at a military vehicle in the West Bank.
EU should drop Russia sanctions, Slovak PM says after meeting Putin

BRATISLAVA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico on Friday renewed his call for the European Union to end sanctions against Russia after meeting President Vladimir Putin in Moscow, saying they had failed to influence the settlement of any key issues.

He made his comments on Facebook as Slovakia, which holds the rotating EU presidency, prepared to host a meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers next week, with some central European countries expressing unease over the continuing sanctions on Russia.

The EU bloc imposed energy, financial and defence sanctions on Moscow after it annexed Ukraine's Crimea in March 2014 and agreed in June to extend them until the end of January. Separate sanctions, aimed at individuals, expire next month and may be extended.

Fico said: "Personally, I think it is time to view the sanctions rationally and to say that they harm both the EU and Russia."

"They have brought absolutely nothing to (solving) the sensitive questions which they were supposed to influence. We agreed with Vladimir Putin that our common pursuit is to revive our mutual trade again," Fico said in the comment which appeared on his Facebook page along with a photo of his Thursday meeting with Putin.

Slovakia imports almost all its gas and oil from Russia, as well as nuclear fuel to generate two power plants. It exports cars to Russia, though these are just a fraction of its exports to the EU.

Fico, who was re-elected for a third time as prime minister in March, has, like some other central European powers, consistently questioned the use of sanctions on Russia.

Hungary has taken a similar line. Czech President Milos Zeman, a backer of Russia, has repeatedly called for ending sanctions and the head of the upper house of the Czech parliament pleaded with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to end them when she visited Prague on Thursday.

Merkel said last week there was not reason to lift sanctions as Russia has not fulfilled its commitments under the Minsk agreements aimed at ending the conflict in eastern Ukraine where Kiev and the West say Russia is arming and supporting separatist rebels.
Zimbabwe police fire tear gas at opposition leaders - Reuters witness

HARARE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Zimbabwean police on Friday fired tear gas at opposition leaders Morgan Tsvangirai and former vice president Joice Mujuru as a protest rally against President Robert Mugabe descended into violence, a Reuters witness said.

Tsvangirai and Mujuru fled the rally in their cars, the witness said.
No impact from Brexit on Norway gas exports to Britain - minister

By Stine Jacobsen

OSLO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Exports of Norwegian gas to Britain will not be affected by Britain's vote to leave the European Union, Norway's oil and energy minister told Reuters.

The Nordic country is Britain's top foreign gas supplier, accounting for some 40 percent of all supplies in 2015.

Norway's EU affairs minister said this week the country wants to maintain a good relationship with Britain after it leaves the EU. While Norway is not a member, it pays for access to the European single market and may have to negotiate a new trade agreement with London after Brexit.

"There is no reason to believe that market access for Norwegian gas exporters to Britain will be affected by Brexit. We have been a stable gas exporter and we will continue to be so," Tord Lien said in an interview on Friday.

The minister also said he expects the oil market to rebalance soon, although the exact timing remains uncertain.

"I want to be very clear on that we shouldn't plan for $100 (oil price) when working with projects. We should aim to establish a cost cutting level which is sustainable at oil prices far below $100," he said.

He sees signs of improvement in the Norwegian oil industry, which has struggled with spiralling costs and a 60 percent fall in crude prices since June 2014. The sector accounts for 20 percent of Norway's GDP.

Tens of thousands of oil workers have lost jobs on the Norwegian continental shelf, as oil firms postponed or cancelled projects.

"The vast majority of players in the industry see now that costs are being managed and controlled...and that things are starting to turn for the better," said Lien, adding that he still thinks there will be more cost reductions and lay-offs.

"We experience that many of the projects now have breakeven prices at a level which makes them profitable to produce."

Statoil said on Thursday it had managed to reduce breakeven prices for its portfolio of non-sanctioned projects to well below $41 per barrel of oil from $70 in 2013.

The minister's comments echoed the optimism expressed by the chief of the country's oil directorate, Bente Nyland, on Thursday. Nyland said the worst of the belt-tightening was over and the industry could be turning a corner.

But while investment in new projects is improving, the money is yet to trickle down to the oil supply industry.

"There is no doubt that the supply industry still will experience challenging times," Lien said.
Kuwait detains member of Islamic State cyber army-newspapers

DUBAI, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Kuwaiti authorities have detained a state employee suspected of belonging to the Islamic State-linked "Cyber Caliphate Army", and hacking official websites of foreign countries to spread militant ideology, local media reported on Friday.

The Arabic-language al-Watan and al-Qabas reported that the 26-year-old man identified as Othman Zebn Nayef was arrested after months of surveillance.

Al-Qabas quoted the interior ministry's public information department as saying in a statement that Nayef confessed to being "a main member of the so-called Caliphate Cyber Army", believed to be the electronic arm of Islamic State.

The English-language Arab Times, which carried a similar report, did not identify the department where he had worked, but said he was caught using his office computer to "hack official social media sites of some 'friendly and sister' countries to spread the extremist thoughts of the so-called Islamic State".

The statement said Nayef's arrest had helped capture two suspects in Iraq and one in Jordan on Thursday, but provided no further details.

Kuwait has waged a crackdown on Islamist militants since a suicide bomber killed 27 people in an attack on a Shi'ite Muslim mosque in Kuwait city in June 2015. Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack.

In a separate report, al-Qabas said that around 150 Kuwaiti nationals and residents who hold no citizenship, known as Bidoon, were in Syria fighting within armed groups trying to topple President Bashar al-Assad, and that up to 11 have died in the fighting.

The newspaper quoted unnamed sources as saying that some of those fighters have been trying to find ways to return home as they face "extortion" and robbery from fellow militants.
What do surging LME copper stocks say about China? Andy Home

By Andy Home

LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A wave of copper is currently washing up in London Metal Exchange (LME) warehouses.

Arrivals of metal have totalled 73,325 tonnes this week, lifting headline exchange inventory to 271,575 tonnes, the highest level since October last year.

There's no big mystery as to where this metal is coming from. Surging arrivals at LME sheds in Singapore and South Korea have broadly corresponded to export flows out of China.

And in part this is no more than a continuation of the stocks rebalancing that has been playing out for several months, a refilling of a depleted LME system from high inventories in China that accumulated earlier this year.

But unlike the mini surge of LME arrivals in early June, there is no obvious bull-bear battle being waged across the front part of the London copper curve.

If no-one is being forced to deliver metal against a short position, the alternative explanation would be that this is China pushing out surplus.

If so, it would mean that copper oversupply, already clear to see at the raw materials stage of the supply chain, is finally starting to take manifest form in the refined metal arena.

Graphic on Chinese exports 2016:

http://tmsnrt.rs/2bnKQDl

Chinese exports vs LME arrivals 2016:

http://tmsnrt.rs/2bU4N2u

LME ARRIVALS VS CHINESE EXPORTS

It's not unusual for LME copper stocks to trend higher during the dog-days of northern hemisphere summer as manufacturing activity drops a gear.

And, conforming with that pattern, warranting of metal has taken place at a wide variety of LME good delivery points, including Hull in Britain, Bilbao in Spain and several U.S. locations.

But the real stand-out has been the accelerated flows at Singapore, which has received almost 95,000 tonnes since the start of June, and South Korea, which has taken in 103,000 tonnes.

Both countries have also featured prominently in China's export profile over the same period of time.

Customs data shows exports of 89,000 tonnes to Singapore and 76,000 tonnes to South Korea since March, when China's exports first started accelerating. Between them Singapore and South Korea have accounted for almost 60 percent of all outbound flows.

The correspondence between Chinese exports and LME arrivals isn't perfect (see the chart above) but the broad picture is one of metal leaving China and turning up in the most easily shippable LME locations.

The question is whether this metal is being pushed or pulled.

PULL...?

A mini-surge of copper arrivals in the LME system in early June bore all the hallmarks of a distress delivery by a short position holder facing a cash-date squeeze.

What's noticeable about the current flood is that there is no similar tension in the LME spreads.

True, the LME's market positioning reports show a dominant long holding between 50-80 percent of non-cancelled stocks and 40-50 percent of cash positions as of the close of business Wednesday.

But ever since the bull-bear battle of early June the front part of the curve has been trading in benign contango. The cash-to-three months period traded as wide as $27 per tonne backwardation in late May. As of Thursday's close it was valued at $9 per tonne contango.

The very front part of the curve, between cash and the September prime prompt on the 21st of the month has tightened up a little over the last couple of days but is still only quoted at level.

Any pull on extra units to alleviate LME spread stress is currently weak, in other words.

That's not to say there is no gravitational pull at all, rather it has been coming in the form of incentives offered by LME warehouse operators in the Asian region.

That particular magnet, however, only really works if the incentives are competitive in terms of physical premiums, first and foremost in China itself.

...OR PUSH?

Which it seems they are.

Premiums for delivery to China are trading at a soggy $45-50 per tonne over LME cash prices, according to LME broker Triland Metals.

To put that figure into context, remember that Chilean producer Codelco's "benchmark" premium covering 2016 shipments to China was set at $98 per tonne.

Nor is there any obvious indication of tightness within the mainland market, Triland again noting that the domestic premium structure is largely flat against front-month Shanghai Futures Exchange contracts.

All of which tells us that the Chinese market right now seems very comfortably supplied, if not oversupplied, with physical refined copper units.

To the point that LME warehouse operators can probably match if not better Chinese premiums, stimulating a physical arbitrage.

So who is actually moving the material?

Some of it seems to be coming from Chinese smelters themselves, or at least the handful that have clearance to export without paying the export duty.

Modest exports to countries such as Thailand, Vietnam and Bangladesh have no obvious LME arbitrage significance since none of them host LME warehouses.

But there is almost certainly a second stream of exports being shipped by merchants from China's bonded warehouse zones.

Or maybe that should read "re-exports". Copper in bonded warehouses has not yet been subject to China's VAT and can turn around and head back out without any tax penalty, albeit showing up in the customs figures as bona fide "exports".

TOO MUCH COPPER?

So if China is pushing out surplus copper, or at least exerting a lesser magnetic pull than that offered by LME warehousers, what does it say about the health or otherwise of Chinese demand?

Not as much as you might think.

China's apparent consumption, a back-of-the-envelope calculation factoring in production, imports and visible stocks movements, jumped by 11 percent in the first half of this year.

Not even the most exuberant bull would argue that real consumption growth was anywhere near that level. The spectrum of estimates is a wide one but the middle ground would be around three percent.

The implication is that there has been significant stocks build, possibly on the mainland, possibly in bonded warehouses and most probably a combination of the two.

China, in other words, is full of copper.

And getting fuller, because the other dimension to this mass stocks relocation is China's own production of refined metal, up almost 10 percent in July and up by around eight percent over the year to date.

That of course is a reflection of the oversupply in the raw materials market and the subsequent flow of concentrates into what is the world's largest smelting and refining base. Imports of concentrate have surged by 35 percent so far this year with the pace accelerating steadily over the last few months.

The tension between this domestic production surge and the strength of import demand was ratcheted up over the first part of this year.

We're now seeing it resolved in the form of higher exports and rising LME inventories.

It is starting to look as if the copper surplus, so obvious in the concentrates market and yet so elusive in the refined market, is now finally taking concrete form in LME sheds in Singapore and South Korea.
Norway reschedules appeal against mass murderer Breivik to January

OSLO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Norway's appeal case against a legal ruling that found the state had violated the human rights of mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik will most likely be held in January, a court said on Friday.

Far-right militant Breivik killed 77 people in July 2011 - eight in a bomb attack in Oslo and 69 in a shooting spree at a youth meeting of the Labour Party on a nearby island.

The case was originally scheduled for November, but Breivik's lawyer Oeystein Storrvik said earlier this month he would ask for a later court date, as he had another case scheduled on those days.
Fighters and residents leave besieged Damascus suburb Daraya

DAMASCUS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Fighters in the Damascus suburb of Daraya began to leave with their families and other residents under an evacuation deal on Friday, effectively surrendering the town to the government after a gruelling four-year siege.

A Reuters witness saw six buses leaving the town. Footage on state television showed buses driving past a large group of soldiers through streets lined with rubble.

Peeping from the window of one of the vehicles was a small child no older than four or five, too young to remember life before the siege.

Only one shipment of aid has reached the area since the Syrian army surrounded the town in 2012, the U.N. says.

Syrian state television reported that all the buses that left on Friday had arrived at a housing centre in Herjalleh, a suburb west of Damascus.

A Syrian Army general told reporters in Daraya that about 300 families of fighters would leave the town on Friday, and in total about 700 fighters and 4,000 civilians would be evacuated by Saturday. Fighters who did not want to make peace with the Syrian government would be transferred to Idlib, he said.

Two Free Syria Army rebel groups from Daraya, the Shuhada al-Islam and Ajnad al-Sham, would travel to Idlib, a rebel stronghold in northwest Syria, on Saturday, rebel factions in the south said in an emailed statement.

The plight of civilians in Daraya and other besieged areas has long been of concern to the United Nations, which has condemned the use of starvation as a weapon by both sides.

But the United Nations was not consulted on Daraya's evacuation plan and U.N. Special Envoy Staffan de Mistura and U.N. humanitarian coordinator Stephen O'Brien, voiced deep concern about it on Friday.

They said civilians should be evacuated only if their safety could be guaranteed and it was on a voluntary basis.

There have been previous deals outside U.N. control to allow similar evacuations of besieged fighters and civilians, or to let people return to their homes after ceasefires were agreed.

In February, about 4,000 people returned to their south Damascus neighbourhood under a local ceasefire deal.

SITE OF EARLY PROTESTS

Conditions were so bad in Daraya that, amid reports of the army burning local wheat fields, some people were reduced to eating grass and sending their children out to beg, the U.N.'s World Food Programme said.

Daraya, just 7 km (4 miles) from central Damascus, and flanking an important military airbase, was one of the first places to see peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad before the five-year-old civil war began.

Fighters in the suburb fought off repeated attempts to retake it by government forces as the conflict escalated. It was also the scene of one of the worst atrocities of the war.

In 2012, several hundred people were killed, including civilians, many execution style, when security forces stormed the suburb after locals took up arms. Both the army and rebels blamed each other.

In recent weeks, the army has escalated its use of barrel and incendiary bombs there. Last week its only hospital was hit, rebels and aid workers said.

Syria's government denies deploying barrel bombs, but their use has been widely confirmed by outside monitors, including the United Nations, whose Security Council condemned the dropping of incendiary devices last year.

Daraya's local council said in an online statement that civilians will be initially taken to the town of Herjalleh in the Western Ghouta suburbs of Damascus and "will move later to places they choose".
Bolivian miners lift roadblock after deputy minister beaten to death

By Daniel Ramos

LA PAZ, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Protesting Bolivian miners on Friday abandoned a roadblock where a day earlier they kidnapped a government deputy minister, who was later found beaten to death.

President Evo Morales called for three days of national mourning and declared Friday a day of "deep pain" for the country.

Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes, 56, was beaten to death on Thursday after being taken hostage by miners who had blocked a major highway near Panduro, around 160 km (100 miles) from capital city La Paz. Officials said he died of blows to the head.

The brutal killing of a senior minister has shocked the country and the violent protests highlight the conundrum Morales has of keeping his increasingly divergent core support happy at a time when income is tight.

The deputy minister had traveled to Panduro to negotiate with the miners on Thursday. His body was found early on Friday morning by the side of the highway that connects La Paz with the city of Oruro, wrapped in a blanket, said Edwin Blanco, the prosecutor in charge of the investigation.

"The cause of death was basically bleeding in the brain. Ribs were also broken," Blanco told reporters.

Illanes' assistant was also badly beaten and is in intensive care in a hospital in La Paz.

At least two miners were killed and 17 police injured earlier this week, authorities said, after they clashed when the protesters blocked the highway. On Friday the road was clear as they abandoned the blockade.

The miners - who belong to co-operatives digging for tin, zinc, silver and other metals rather than working for private employers - have been affected by the global fall in commodity prices. They say they want the government to loosen rules intended to protect the environment so they can increase output.

Their list of demands also includes being allowed to sign contracts with private companies, the reduction of tariffs on imported machinery, and government subsidies to help defray energy costs. They also do not want their subcontracted workers to be allowed to form unions.

Leaders and spokespersons from the National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, who had organized the week's protests, did not answer phone calls on Friday and did not comment in the media.

Police said they had rounded up dozens for questioning in Oruro and La Paz. No-one has yet been charged for the killing.

Morales, an ex-coca grower, nationalized Bolivia's resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for plowing the profits into welfare programs.

But his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and authoritarianism in recent years. Some workers have soured on him as falling commodity prices have crimped spending.

Most of the country's miners, including those involved in the protests, work in cooperatives. Unlike neighboring Peru and Chile, there are few foreign-owned mining companies.
Colombia's FARC rebels face tricky return under peace deal

By Helen Murphy and Luis Jaime Acosta

CORDILLERA ORIENTAL, Colombia, Aug 26 (Reuters) - After three decades fighting in the remote mountains of Colombia for a Marxist revolution, 60-year-old FARC rebel Cesar Gonzalez must now return to a society he barely recognizes.

A peace deal unveiled on Wednesday between Colombia's government and guerrilla leaders will end half a century of war and allow the rebels to set up a political party and seek power peacefully, at the ballot box.

But reintegrating 7,000 fighters of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) - many of whom have spent at least half their lives at war - will be a crucial part of making the peace deal work, and it is no easy task.

"The world has changed so much - technology - we are out of date, but we must get up to speed," said Gonzalez, who says he left his wife and their four children and took up arms to prevent being killed for his Communist beliefs in the 1980s and hasn't seen them since.

He knows little of iPhones, the Internet or even washing machines.

"In those days telephones had dials," he said, laughing at how out of touch he is with modern Colombia.

Returning guerrilla groups to society at the end of civil wars is always difficult and the challenges are even bigger in Colombia because the conflict has gone on for so long.

Gonzalez, who teaches Marxism at a FARC camp high in Colombia's Cordillera Oriental, or Eastern Mountain Range, says he has no regrets about his guerrilla life and is preparing for a new life in community politics.

Even for some younger rebels, like 33-year-old Gissella Mendoza, civilian life may be tough.

Trained as a medic during her 20 years in the FARC's ranks, she has saved lives, amputating limbs and stemming bleeding from major wounds. But it is unlikely she will be able to practice her field when she demobilizes.

With only a fifth grade education, little money and most of her life hidden from society, she would need to start from scratch and learn alongside much more privileged students.

"God willing, I'll be able to continue, what else can I do?" she says, a 9 mm pistol strapped to her waist. "It would be so hard."

The rebels' base is extremely remote, accessible only with a three-day journey by mule - fording furious rivers and climbing rock faces.

The camp itself is a hodge podge of wooden structures that run along planks stretched across the mud. Fattened pigs loll at the entrance and blustering wind competes with the constant whir of a generator.

FARC fighters here say they are optimistic a binding end to the war is possible but would not flinch at returning to armed struggle if the government shirks on its commitments to protect demobilizing rebels, allow the rebel group to enter politics and invest in rural areas.

"If the government fails to meet its obligations, we will take up arms again," said Gabriel Mendez, 32, an 18-year veteran who teaches peace accords to the rebels and worries they may be targeted by death squads.

Fear of being killed is real. During a previous peace process in 1985 thousands of former FARC rebels and supporters were assassinated by paramilitary groups.

A repeat of that violence seems unlikely now, but some guerrillas are wary. They know how to obtain weapons, and disarming as part of the accord would be easily reversible, said one rebel who asked that his name not be connected to such comments.

Under the peace deal, the FARC committed to disarm, end its involvement in the illegal drugs trade and provide reparations to its victims.

'DIABOLICAL'

For now, the rebels believe peace will hold and they will be able to compete for power at the ballot box.

"Peace will allow us to talk; we want to talk," said Leiber Ramires, 38, a soft-spoken rebel commander dressed in olive green fatigues and rubber boots. "Colombians have been sold a story that we're diabolical - we aren't and we want to form a political party that will allow us to fight alongside society."

The fighters listen in silence - except for the constant coughing - to Leiber's lecture before standing in line for breakfast, then another class. The teachings seem archaic for a post-conflict Colombia and Latin America's fourth-biggest economy.

"We are revolutionaries," said Ramires.

When asked about their future, the rebels say they want to be involved in a political solution. They expect to live off funds from international aid.

Few talk about government programs for reintegration or see any problem entering the work place after decades at arms.

"We will await orders from our leaders, see what they tell us to do," said 28-year-old female fighter Amalfi, her nom de guerre, who has been in the ranks since she was 17.

The rebels patrol the valleys beyond the camp and cook rice, beans and pork in the kitchen's clay oven. They bathe in ice-cold mountain water and sleep on frames of tree trunks filled with leaves. The forest provides privacy for their toilet needs.

Food arrives at the camp by pack mules. Every month, sacks of potatoes, toiletries and other staples are strapped to the beasts which totter along slippery mountain paths.

The FARC has for decades used proceeds from extortion and the illegal drugs trade to fund its war.

"We have more than most Colombians, we have food," said Amalfi, who wants to seek out her family as soon as possible.

Women make up about 30 percent of the camp and while they carry the same weapons and wear the same uniforms as men, they also use colorful hair accessories and makeup. Permission is required from the camp's commander for sex between fighters.

The 51st front and the nearby 53rd, a two-hour hike on foot, form part of the FARC's feared Eastern Bloc. Both have seen their fair share of war.

When the FARC tried to seize the capital Bogota in 2001, rebels from here were stationed in surrounding towns until a hardline offensive spearheaded by then-President Alvaro Uribe pushed them back into the inhospitable mountains.

They suffered nightly bombing raids that they remember as the worst time of the war.

A bilateral ceasefire agreed in June means camp life is easier now. Smoking is permitted past 6 p.m. and torches guide the way along slippery walkways.

The final accord, which still needs to be signed and put to voters in a referendum, will test the country's tolerance. Both sides are suspicious of each other and many Colombians despise the FARC because of its involvement in drug trafficking and kidnappings.

Without forgiveness, peace could fail and the nation return to war, says 29-year old Katerine Mendoza, who wears a necklace depicting the FARC's late founder, Manuel Marulanda.
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Cuba says U.S. commercial flights welcome

By Marc Frank

HAVANA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Cuba said on Friday it was ready to receive U.S. commercial flights beginning next week and that it viewed their renewal after being suspended in 1961 as another positive step in a growing detente.

JetBlue is scheduled to inaugurate direct flights between the long-time nemeses on Aug. 31, when it flies from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to Villa Clara in central Cuba.

American Airlines in September will start flying from Miami to the provinces, followed by other airlines.

There will be 20 daily flights to Havana by the end of the year.

"It is a positive step and contribution to the improving relations between Cuba and the United States," Deputy Transportation Minister Eduardo Rodriguez told local media.

Josefina Vidal, who heads Cuba's U.S. diplomacy department, said Cuba had confirmed the JetBlue flight, removing the last technical hurdle of official approval.

Rodriguez said U.S. airlines would be handled in a similar fashion as the 110 airlines currently flying to Cuba and with equal attention to security issues that were already a normal part of the country's system.

"Cuba is strong in matters of operational and aviation security, which are recognized internationally," the Communist Party daily, Granma, quoted him as stating.

Seventeen U.S. charter flights land every day in Cuba, but they are expected to gradually succumb to competition from the airlines.

Cuba has been experiencing a tourism boom since the announcement in December 2014 that the United States would normalize diplomatic ties and work to solve various outstanding issues.

Last year a record 3.5 million tourists visited, straining dilapidated infrastructure and pushing up prices, especially in the capital. Thousands of homes now rent out rooms, helping to ease the strain, and some 2,000 private restaurants have opened.

The Obama administration has focused on allowing normal travel, loosening restrictions despite a ban on tourism that only Congress can lift, and authorizing travel related businesses to set up shop in Cuba and communications companies and banks to provide support such as roaming and credit cards.

The direct flights follow the opening of the first U.S. administered hotel and arrival of the first U.S. cruise ship earlier this year.
Chile's Codelco in 'fragile' situation as it makes loss

SANTIAGO, Aug 26 (Reuters) - World no. 1 copper miner Codelco produced more copper in the first half of 2016 than a year ago, but made a financial loss, and the chief executive said on Friday that the company position was "extremely fragile."

The Chilean state-owned firm produced 843,000 tonnes of copper in the first half, up 1.4 percent, and made a pretax loss of $97 million, it reported Friday.

Even though direct cash costs fell 9 percent to $1.275 per pound of copper compared to a year ago, the copper price is down over 20 percent, continuing a slide sparked by cooling demand in top buyer China.

That has complicated the scenario enormously for Codelco, which gives all its profits back to the state and relies on capitalization and some debt issuance to fund its operations.

"We are playing on the edge," Chief Executive Nelson Pizarro said at a press conference following the release of results. Earlier this week he raised eyebrows in Chile after he said at a mining forum that "there is no money, not one damn peso."

In order to maintain output at its tapped-out mines, Codelco has been betting on multi-billion dollar expansion projects, but the economic scenario has forced it to scale back some of those plans.

Two of those projects - to take century-old Chuquicamata underground and build a new crushing plant at Andina - were progressing according to plan, said Pizarro on Friday.

But another plan, to expand Radomiro Tomic, was being redesigned, as it was not as profitable as the other projects, he added.

Although the overall result in the first half was a loss, the company did make a $54 million profit in the second quarter, and Pizarro expressed hope that the price of copper had at least stabilized.

"If (the copper price) can do what we think, we will end this year positively," he said.
Bomb disposal squad deployed in central England after arrests

LONDON, Aug 26 (Reuters) - An army bomb disposal team was deployed to an area in Birmingham, central England, on Friday after police arrested five men on suspicion of preparing acts of terrorism.

The West Midlands police force said as a result of one of the arrests, an army bomb disposal team had been called in as a precautionary measure to the Lee Bank area of Birmingham.

The Fire Brigade said it had been assisting the police with the operation.

Police said two men, aged 32 and 37, were arrested in the Stoke area of Staffordshire while three others, aged 18, 24 and 28 were arrested in Birmingham, Britain's second-biggest city.

"Police are searching a number of properties in the Stoke and Birmingham areas as part of the investigation; these searches are ongoing," they said in a statement.

"The arrests were intelligence-led and part of an ongoing investigation."
Yellow fever vaccination drive in Congo's capital hits target

KINSHASA, Aug 26 (Reuters) - A vaccination campaign against yellow fever in Congo's capital is almost complete, but the gains may be reversed by the looming rainy season and the spread of the disease to areas where people have not yet been vaccinated, the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday.

Health officials began a campaign to vaccinate 7.5 million people in Kinshasa last week to combat the worst outbreak in decades of the hemorrhagic virus. More than 400 people have died in Congo and neighboring Angola since December.

In all, health authorities aim to vaccinate 14 million people in the two countries by the end of August to halt the spread of the disease before the rainy season next month.

As of Thursday, 6,925,276 people, or 91.3 percent of the target population, in Kinshasa were vaccinated in the latest campaign, WHO said in a weekly report. About 2 million people were vaccinated in Kinshasa during campaigns in May and July.

The campaign wrapped up on Friday, but health workers will continue over the coming days to seek out individuals they missed, said WHO's Congo spokesman, Eugene Kabambi.

"We had to resolve this before the rains ... It's a big success," Kabambi said, adding that additional preventive measures need to be taken to definitively stop transmission.
Venezuela says signs $5.5 bln mining deals, companies include Barrick

CARACAS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday that Venezuela had signed over $5.5 billion in mining deals with companies including Canada's Barrick Gold Corp and China's Shandong Gold.

The deals are part of plan to ease the OPEC nation's grave economic crisis that has caused food shortages and supermarket riots.

"Today we are signing investments and letters of commitment for projects for over $5.5 billion," said Maduro in a televised meeting with foreign mining executives.

Earlier this month, Maduro said Venezuela had struck $4.5 billion in mining deals with foreign and domestic companies. He also said that he expected $20 billion in mining investment contracts to be signed in coming days.

It was unclear if the $5.5 billion were part of the broader $20 billion investments.
Miami hotel bookings slow, airfares fall since Zika outbreak

By Jeffrey Dastin

Aug 26 (Reuters) - Travelers have booked fewer hotel rooms in downtown Miami, and leisure airfares to the greater Miami area have inched down in the weeks since the Zika virus was detected there, data reviewed by Reuters shows.

Hotels sold 2.9 percent fewer rooms in Miami's central business district and northern neighborhoods during the first three weeks of August than they did a year earlier in the same period, according to hotel data and analytics firm STR.

That area includes the Wynwood arts district where on July 29 Florida officials said they confirmed cases of people who contracted the virus, marking the first transmissions by mosquitoes in the continental United States.

The decline in hotel bookings may be an early indication of the virus's effect on Miami's robust tourism industry, which had an economic impact of $24.4 billion in 2015, according to the Greater Miami Convention and Visitor Bureau.

The drop in the number of hotel room sales for the downtown and north Miami areas is a departure from largely uninterrupted growth in bookings there at least since 2010. From January 2016 through July, hotel stays by paying travelers were up 1.2 percent from a year ago, according to STR data.

But for the latest week ended Aug. 20, the number of hotel rooms sold was down 4.2 percent, compared to a year earlier.

Jan Freitag, senior vice president of lodging insights at STR, said the decline was not due to abnormally strong numbers the year before, and could reflect the impact of Zika virus concerns.

"We don't know enough yet," Freitag told Reuters, saying he would like to see up to two months of data, and monitor traffic to Miami from Europe and Brazil, both major sources of visitors to South Florida.

"Zika is not only a serious threat to public health. It has the potential to be an equally serious threat to a community's economy," said travel industry analyst Henry Harteveldt, adding that worries about the virus likely contributed to the decline in Miami.

AIRFARES DOWN

The Zika virus was detected in Brazil last year and has since spread across the Americas. The virus poses a risk to pregnant women because it can cause a severe birth defect known as microcephaly. In Brazil, more than 1,800 cases of the condition have been linked to Zika.

Earlier this week, officials reported new Zika infections in Wynwood, and also one case hundreds of miles away in Pinellas County, on the Gulf Coast.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that pregnant women who are worried about exposure to Zika might consider avoiding all of Miami-Dade County. On Friday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration recommended universal testing of donated blood for the virus in the United States and its territories.

Miami tourism officials said hotel managers have not alerted them to bookings weakness related to the Zika virus.

It was too early to tell from the data that Zika had an impact on travel or bookings, tourism officials said.

"These numbers don't turn this quickly," said William Talbert, chief executive of the Greater Miami Convention and Visitors Bureau.

In a sign that airlines are trying to stimulate demand to and from Miami, airfares have gotten cheaper from a year ago, according to an analysis of the top U.S. domestic routes by Harrell Associates that was reviewed by Reuters.

Leisure fares on Miami routes were down 9 percent in late July from the prior year, while those to Fort Lauderdale were down 14 percent, the Harrell Associates data shows. Fares were sampled July 18 and July 25.

Since the first Zika cases were announced, the decline in leisure fares to and from Miami had widened to 16 percent, while fares for nearby Fort Lauderdale had dropped an average of 18 percent from a year earlier, the analysis found. That data is based on samples of airfares taken Aug. 15 and 22.

Nationwide, the high-restriction leisure fares are down 3 percent in mid-August from the prior year, the analysis by Harrell Associates found.

American Airlines Group Inc, the largest carrier in Miami, declined to comment on individual markets or whether the virus would impact its business. Its rival in the area, JetBlue Airways Corp, did not immediately comment.

Airlines have been struggling for months to curb the decline of ticket prices amid growing competition in popular markets.

While Miami Beach has continued to see hotel demand rise through August, that rate has appeared to slow: from 6.4 percent higher in the first seven months of the year compared to the same period in 2015, to only 2.6 percent higher this month, the STR data showed. The same trend holds true for Miami-Dade and Monroe counties, according to the data.
No "Arab Spring" in Zimbabwe, Mugabe warns protesters

HARARE, Aug 26 (Reuters) - President Robert Mugabe warned protesters on Friday that there would be no "Arab Spring" in Zimbabwe after anti-government demonstrations descended it to some of the worst violence seen in the southern African nation for two decades.
Venezuela says signs $5.5 bln mining deals with companies

CARACAS, Aug 26 (Reuters) - Venezuela has signed over $5.5 billion in mining deals with companies including Canada's Barrick Gold Corp and China's Shandong Gold, President Nicolas Maduro said on Friday.

Barrick, the world's largest gold producer, said in a statement that "at the invitation of the government, we intend to review information pertaining to mining opportunities in the country."

A spokesman for the Toronto-based company did not respond to questions about spending or development plans in the country.

"Today we are signing investments and letters of commitment for projects for over $5.5 billion," said Maduro in a televised meeting with foreign mining executives.

The deals are part of a plan to ease the OPEC nation's grave economic crisis that has caused food shortages and supermarket riots.

Earlier this month, Maduro said Venezuela had struck $4.5 billion in mining deals with foreign and domestic companies. He also said that he expected $20 billion in mining investment contracts to be signed in coming days.
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Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti came out all guns blazing, hitting out at those exploiting young children - using them as human shields, while targeting camps of the security forces in the Kashmir Valley.

The chief minister gave no quarter in an emotional outburst at her first press conference with the Union home minister Rajnath Singh in Srinagar. "Let us differentiate between those who want peaceful resolution through dialogue and those who are preparing youngsters to pelt stones", she said.

Mehbooba Mufti did not stop here. She went on to say 95 per cent of Kashmiris wanted a peaceful resolution. It is only 5 per cent that are resorting to terror and have hijacked the initiative. And the chief minister made it very clear that the 5 per cent would be dealt with accordingly by the law.

Mehbooba Mufti has reiterated the point that vested interests are misguiding the youth, especially those youngsters who are not from well-off families. Protesting youngsters are diverted towards military camps and used as human shields to target the security forces.

"Did they go to fetch milk at the police station or toffees or medicines at an army camp when they got hit by pellet guns?" she thundered.

This is the reality of the protests in Kashmir. Mobs are paid and diverted towards camps of the security forces. The charged mobs attack the security forces and as the second last resort, the forces use pellet guns and as the last resort, when weapons are being looted or government property set on fire - security forces are compelled to open fire, resulting in casualties and causing yet another cycle of violence.

However, Mehbooba Mufti has also clarified that she is against security forces breaking the law - as is alleged in the case of the unfortunate death of a lecturer. The army has ordered an inquiry, promising speedy action in case there was a violation of the law.

J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti with Union home minister Rajnath Singh at a press conference on August 25. [Photo: Agencies]

Mehbooba Mufti also tore into the argument that, in government her current stance is diametrically opposite of that she took in 2010, when Omar Abdullah was the chief minister. In fact, both in Delhi and Srinagar, this point is being made that when in government, politicians in Kashmir have a different take on developments as compared to when they are in opposition.

Mufti claimed in 2010 there was reason for unrest - from the Machil fake encounter to the allegations of rape in Shopian. As for the current cycle of violence, Mehbooba Mufti she asserts there was no fake encounter - she insists three "militants" (terrorists) were killed in an encounter with the security forces.

The National Investigation Agency is probing a money trail to select bank accounts months prior to the unrest and systematic disbursement of funds in areas where violence occurred. The government is probing the persons who received the funds from Gulf countries and looking into the disbursement pattern.

Moreover, Mufti has torn apart the bogey of "spontaneous outburst of pent up fury". She insists the issue requires a political solution but not through terror, especially when children of the poor are being used as cannon fodder by vested interests.

In the past, she said vested interests were using terror as a means to target women and curtail education. She has also said that Afghanistan did not fall into the hands of the Taliban overnight. Neither did the situation worsen in Syria suddenly. Women were targeted systematically and education was stopped.

There are vested interests who are trying the same in the Kashmir Valley. They need to be checked before it is too late. The security forces have also made it very clear - the Burhan Wani encounter was based on genuine intelligence inputs and the cycle of violence was carefully planned by culprits subsequently.

There are stakeholders of peace in the Valley and in Delhi and there are stakeholders of violence - not just in the Valley and Delhi but also across the line of control in Pakistan.
If you think Indian media is biased, take a look at American media: it's leagues ahead in prejudice.

A flashback is necessary. India had just tested a nuclear device at Pokhran in May 1998. We were on holiday with the children in New York.

The news of the Pokhran nuclear test came in that afternoon, US time. Surfing the news channels, I was shocked at the tone of the reportage. On CNN, ABC, CBS, NBC and Fox, anchors hectored India for this unpardonable sin. How dare India, a non-NPT member, test a nuclear device?

The Indian point of view was totally absent. American nuclear experts, security officials and defence hawks all came together on TV to denounce India.

President Bill Clinton was urged to impose immediate economic and technology sanctions on India (which he did days later).

Annoyed by the one-sided coverage, I called CNN. "Get an Indian version on your programme," I said to someone in the newsroom.

India's nuclear-capable Agni 5 ballistic missile.

They had no idea whom to contact. "Talk to the Indian ambassador Naresh Chandra in Washington," I suggested. "You need balance in your story."

Eventually the network did get Chandra and other Indian viewpoints on air but the coverage remained skewed.

While president Clinton was a friend of India, Atal Bihari Vajpayee had been prime minister for just two months. The two leaders hadn't yet developed a rapport.

Indian diplomacy was lacklustre and defensive. In Washington, India lacked clout.

American newspapers were as biased as the TV networks. The New York Times and The Washington Post harangued India over the nuclear test. The tone was febrile.

Having spent a few days persuading the networks to broadcast the Indian view (and doing some of my own haranguing to make sure they did), we returned to India. The children's school holidays were over and I had to get back to work.

Back home, the reaction to the nuclear test was euphoric. But there was bitterness over the hostile reaction in the West, especially in the US and Britain.

And yet, like our diplomats, Indian media remained defensive. Even the US economic sanctions evoked only tepid criticism.

I called the editor-in-chief of The Times of India under whom I had trained years ago. He told me to quickly write a strong op-ed on the Indian nuclear test and the West's reaction to it which he agreed smacked of hypocrisy and arrogance.

Here's what I wrote in The Times on June 16, 1998 in an op-ed titled "The NPT game is up - India must set the agenda now":

"India's nuclear test has shaken the edifice of nuclear hegemony carefully constructed by the five 'original' nuclear weapon powers (the P-5). Their duplicity in denying the same right to other countries - a responsible nuclear weapons programme - that they arrogate to themselves stands exposed in the glare of international debate that will now increasingly focus on the P-5's double standards. "By testing its nuclear device, India broke no laws, domestic or international. It is the P-5 nations who have been in consistent breach of the law by reneging on two of their legal obligations under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). First that they would not abet the transfer of nuclear technology to a third country (China did so clandestinely to Pakistan, Iran and North Korea). And second that they would work towards eliminating their own nuclear arsenals.

"Strategically, India was absolutely justified in pursuing its nuclear option to a logical end - testing and eventual weaponisation."

Eighteen years later, in 2016, India is an acknowledged nuclear weapons power. NSG membership remains under negotiation but the US, so viscerally opposed to the Indian nuclear test in 1998, is at the forefront pushing India's case.

But back in 1998, opinion in the US was hostile to an extraordinary degree. Even Shashi Tharoor, then executive assistant to UN secretary-general Kofi Annan, was opposed to India's nuclear test. At a private lunch meeting with me in Mumbai shortly after the Pokhran test, Shashi argued passionately against India's nuclear adventurism. It took all of two hours to successfully counter his arguments.

As expected, the direct consequence of Pokhran-II was Pakistan's own nuclear test a month later. Today with its conventional army fighting insurgencies on several fronts, Pakistan rattles the nuclear sabre, calling it Islamabad's weapon of last resort.

And yet, it is an empty threat - a bluff as I wrote on these pages on September 4, 2015: "In a statement issued last week, Pakistan's national security advisor Sartaj Aziz said India shouldn't take his country for granted. Pakistan, he added grimly, has nuclear weapons. Other members of the Pakistani establishment have made similar statements in the recent past. But as Pakistan's army chief General Raheel Sharif knows perfectly well, Islamabad cannot use its nuclear stockpile - not even the small tactical battlefield nuclear weapons Pakistan is developing. The reason is simple: a retaliatory nuclear strike by India would cripple Pakistan. The Americans know this. So do the Russians and the British. And of course, so does Pakistan."

Farooq Abdullah, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, had this to say about Sartaj Aziz's nuclear threat in an interview: "When a senior diplomat, a former foreign minister, talks about nuclear weapons, it's crazy. May I remind Sartaj Aziz about Hiroshima and Nagasaki? Does he want to bomb Jammu and Kashmir? India also has a bomb. When I went to Pokhran after the tests were conducted, I remember Vajpayee's words. He said we aren't the ones to use this first, we have this as a deterrence, only to tell people don't take us for granted. We can defend ourselves. I want to tell Aziz, don't think of the bomb because innocents will die. Sartaj Aziz saab, you too will die if the bomb falls."
On Tuesday, August 23, all 83 Runza Restaurants in Nebraska, Colorado, Iowa and Kansas donated 10% of sales to purchase books for libraries, schools and school foundations in communities with a Runza location. The fundraiser, titled Great Books for Great Kids, promotes the importance of reading and literacy. This years effort raised $28,609.64. In the fourteen year history of the fundraiser, over $435,000 has been donated. Runza Restaurants was recognized by the National Restaurant Association in 2005 for the Great Books for Great Kids initiative and was awarded the Restaurant Good Neighbor Award in the large business category.
Conservatives Should Support Achievement Districts

the members of the State Board of Education select an established entity to manage the ASD;

the ASD Superintendent serves at the pleasure of the State Board of Education;

the ASD Superintendent must submit an annual report on all aspects of the operation to the Joint Legislative Education Oversight Committee;

the ASD may be terminated by the State Board of Education if its schools do not meet certain student performance benchmarks;

the State Board of Education is required to contract with an independent research organization to evaluate the implementation and effectiveness of the ASD at the conclusion of the initial fiveyear contract; and

most importantly, the General Assembly could repeal ASD legislation at any time.

The true measure of ASD success will become clearer in the coming years as the portfolio of ASD schools matures and demonstrates a multiyear track record of student academic performance. The long-term legacy of the ASD will hinge on how public officials, school operators, philanthropic organizations, and community members navigate many of the topics covered in this report.

Last week, North Carolina's House K-12 Education Committee approved House Bill 1080 , a bill that would establish an Achievement School District (ASD) in North Carolina. The ASD would supervise and operate five of North Carolina's lowest-performing elementary schools.Public school advocacy groups, such as the North Carolina Association of Educators, oppose the establishment of an ASD in the state. Shouldn't Republican lawmakers support it for that very reason?A more serious question is why liberals are up in arms about the potential takeover of five of North Carolina's 1,845 elementary schools. Indeed, the ASD would oversee instruction and operations for only 0.3 percent of elementary schools in the state. That is hardly a recipe for the kind of widespread calamity prophesized by those on the Left. Then again, their objection to the ASD has more to do with advancing their "school privatization" narrative than actually trying to improve chronically low-performing schools and bolster economic and educational opportunities for North Carolina's disadvantaged children.Accordingly, ASD opponents have put forward suspect claims about the proposed legislation and record.For example, opponents of achievement district legislation complain that it lacks accountability. HB 1080, however, includes robust accountability measures. Consider the fact thatSimply put, the ASD is subject to the oversight of both the State Board of Education and the members of the General Assembly. If it ain't working, it ain't staying.To their credit, lawmakers have carefully evaluated the ASD in an interim committee and remain cautious. They recognize that the initial results from similar plans in other states are encouraging but those plans did not necessarily produced immediate or consistent gains in student achievement.For example, results from the third year of Tennessee's ASD indicated thatOn the other hand, reading scores declined slightly last year and remain relatively low.North Carolina's ASD will build on the considerable strengths of the idea, while keeping in mind shortcomings identified by ASDs in Tennessee and elsewhere. In fact, Chapel Hill-based Public Impact already did the work. In The Achievement School District: Lessons from Tennessee , authors Juli Kim, Tim Field, and Elaine Hargrave conclude,Later this year, the Tennessee Department of Education will release standardized test scores for 2016. At that point, we'll have a much clearer picture of the performance of the state's ASD schools.In the meanwhile, lawmakers should lay the groundwork for an Achievement School District in this state. Conservatives must be bold if they truly care about raising student achievement for those who need it the most.
Breweries and Distributors Are Not at Odds, When Markets Are Voluntary

A healthy relationship between adults is no different than a relationship between two businesses.

Brewers and distributors are natural companions when left to voluntary means.

Government involvement creates adversaries.

"In a free market, the two industries can benefit tremendously from each other."

Relationships should be built upon voluntary choice, promoting mutual respect and mutually beneficial outcomes. In these unions both parties are better off with each other, than they are alone. Voluntary relationships can create tremendous value to this world, however these only exist when parties are free to associate, finding cooperation at the right time, place, and manner.If this makes perfect sense in personal relationships, why then is there disconnect when we think about business relationships, such as breweries and distributors? More specifically, the 25,000-barrel self-distribution cap involuntarily imposed on local brewers by North Carolina.In the voluntary market, breweries oftentimes find themselves in need of distribution services outside of their own capacity. Breweries may be growing too fast for their self-distribution efforts, they may be unfamiliar in a new market, or decide they can cut costs by using a third party.Other entrepreneurs see this opportunity and offer their expertise in distribution, competing against other distributors to help solve this problem confronting breweries. Oftentimes forgotten, distributors are also competing with the breweries' right to say "no" should they not benefit and keep distribution in-house in a voluntary market.Forcing relationships between breweries and distributors makes at least one party in the relationship worse off. But that is exactly what North Carolina has mandated upon brewers via multiple antiquated regulations. Wholesaler and big-beer company lobbyists are using the law to benefit themselves at the expense of smaller brewers and consumers. These groups have framed the debate, pitting what should be two mutually-beneficial parties against each other as adversaries.Lobbyists and legislators have utilized adversarial tactics to make brewers and distributors look as if they are at war with each other. There really is no other outcome if policy continues to use the strong arm of the government to penalize and take away the rights of brewers to self-distribute their product over 25,000 barrels Relationships in which one party benefits only at the expense of the other party are often referred to as "zero-sum" relationships. A zero-sum-game mentality fails to see how both parties actually benefit from voluntary interactions.Absent coercion, zero-sum relationships rarely if ever exist. If one party were to suffer or be made worse off in a relationship, then it wouldn't happen or it would quickly end. Mistakes are made and bad things do happen, though in a voluntary market there are always choices elsewhere.In addition to self-distribution, there are many other liquor- and beer-related laws needing to be reconsidered. As it stands now, breweries have little to no rights if they make a mistake when forced to pick a distributor. Laws supported by the wholesalers' union make ending a relationship with a distributor either illegal or so expensive the brewer is forced to maintain the inefficient partnership.The difficulty when talking about this issue is that no brewer wants to make it look like distributors are not wanted in some capacity. In a free voluntary market, the two industries can benefit tremendously from each other.However, wholesale union leaders are very happy to make it look like the breweries are the problem. Wholesalers fought raising the alcohol limit cap that passed in 2006. Now they allege brewers at the 25,000 cap are trying to push out smaller brewers and destroy public health all because it is apparently "greedy" to want to sell and market your own creation the way you as a business owner see fit.It seems hypocritical to insinuate another party as controlling or greedy when in fact it's wholesalers utilizing the force of the government to push brewers around. And it's not just in North Carolina. Check out wholesaler claims in Florida Massachusetts , and Texas in the past few years.As long as we allow government the power to destroy beneficial relationships, lobbying will go on. It's time for brewers to get their rights back to choose their own methods of distribution. Then, once the government is out of the way, distributors and brewers can finally find the relationship they are looking for at the right time for both - ensuring our beer is made and distributed by a happy marriage, not one born of cheap political tricks.Listen and read more from Greg on his weekly podcast " Free To Brew
 Geriatric Collaborative of Central Virginia is accepting registration for the Elder Care Conference for healthcare workers and family caregivers, which will be Sept. 8 and 9 at Westminster-Canterbury of the Blue Ridge at 1550 Pantops Mountain Place. Details and advance registration are available at corporation.tjpdc.org/gccv/elder-care-conference. (434) 979-7310.

 Lewis and Clark Exploratory Center offers The Seed Exchange: Learning from Native American Seeds from 2 to 3:30 p.m. Saturday. $7 museum admission. 1445 Darden Towe Park. (434) 996-7282.

 Montpelier offers Decorative Beadwork with Kathleen Conery from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Gilmore Cabin, across from the entrance to Montpelier. Details are available at montpelier.org/visit/gilmore-cabin-workshop. (540) 672-2728.

 Orange County Department of Fire and EMS is accepting registration for the Fire Fighter 1 class from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. Wednesdays from Sept. 21 to Feb. 28 at Mine Run Volunteer fire Department at 31077 Old Plank Road in Locust Grove. The Emergency Medical Technician class is held from 7 to 10 p.m. Mondays from Sept. 19 to Jan. 30 at Orange County Rescue Squad Building at 151 Berry Hill Road in Orange. Register in advance at fstrs.virginia.gov. (540) 672-7044.

 Virginia Extension Services accepts registration for the day-long official 4-H Babysitters Training Course, which will be from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sept. 3 at the Albemarle County Office Building on Fifth Street Extended. $10. (434) 872-4580.
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo.  For hungry trout, few meals compare to the giant salmonfly, a finger-size slug of protein that packs more meat in one gulp than a handful of lesser bugs.

Think T-bone steaks on the river, said Woodland Park fly fishing guide Robert Younghanz.

But on the Arkansas River, Pteronarcys californica has been missing from the menu for upward of a century, the casualty of a toxic past.

One state aquatic biologist hypothesizes salmonflies suffered a localized extinction, or extirpation, during an era when Leadville mine waste flowed unchecked into the Arkansas. That was before new water treatment measures initiated a turnaround that began in the early 1990s and eventually spawned one of the states most popular fisheries, reported The Gazette.

Now an effort to re-establish the bug, also known as the giant stonefly, seeks to add a fresh chapter to the unfolding success story. It has anglers sitting up and taking notice, even as it puts the rivers vaunted recovery to the test.

In 2012, Colorado Parks and Wildlife launched a three-year effort that scooped up an estimated 135,000 giant salmonfly nymphs from the Colorado River near Kremmling and deposited them at eight test sites near Salida.

After mounting what the agency calls the largest insect transplantation on record, a problem emerged at a critical juncture.

In 2015, a year after the last of the salmonfly deliveries to the Arkansas, state wildlife workers went back to the test areas to gauge their progress, searching the riverbank in 100-foot swaths, from the waters edge to the willows.

After 58 man hours, they found no evidence that transplanted salmonflies had crawled out of the river to shed their exoskeletons and sprout wings, the culminating change in their roughly three-year life cycle.

Further searches this spring and summer turned up no adults and little more than a handful of exoskeletal chucks, said Greg Policky, the state aquatic biologist who devised the experiment.

The hunt to figure out why has Policky, a more than two-decade veteran of the agencys Salida office, mulling troubling questions about a river hes spent much of his career rehabilitating.

Of all the rivers in Colorado, the Arkansas holds special allure for anglers.

They come to enjoy a 102-mile stretch of Gold Medal water, the states designation for its highest-quality fisheries, recognizing those with a standing fish stock of 60 pounds per acre and at least 12 trout per acre larger than 14 inches.

By those standards, the Arkansas has the most prime fishing in Colorado.

When the river won its designation in 2014, it boosted the states total mileage of Gold Medal streams by a third, to 322 miles.

It wasnt always so.

After mining came to Leadville in 1859, heavy metals began filtering into the Arkansas and ravaged its ecosystem, killing all fish around Leadville. Further downstream, near Salida, trout for decades lived for no more than two to three years  long enough to spawn, but too brief to acquire significant size.

The Arkansas was a dead river, said Jean Van Pelt of the Southeastern Colorado Water Conservancy District.

The rivers fate began to change in 1992, when two treatment facilities were constructed near Leadville to remove heavy metals like cadmium and zinc, generated on mine runoff, before they reached the river.

The effect was nearly immediate.

It turned things around, Policky said. By 1994, we had a self-sustaining population of brown trout here.

Better water quality cleared the way for two decades of piecemeal improvements, including efforts to restore the Arkansas to a natural state in areas where it had been straightened or otherwise modified, a common occurrence in the developing West.

One recent project in Hayden Flats south of Leadville, for example, created a new bend in the river by installing a subterranean structure of latticed logs and timber at the river bank, then burying it under transplanted willows. The result is a veritable fish condo that creates optimal flow conditions while giving trout a place to hide from predators.

Downstream near Salida, the effect of the rivers rehabilitation was profound, fattening up trout and extending their life expectancy to up to a decade.

In theory, it should have created trophy conditions for the giant salmonfly, too.

On rivers where Pteronarcys californica thrive, the anglers are as happy as the fish.

The bugs grow up to 2 to 3 inches long, and their annual hatches in May and June induce feeding frenzies in streams across the Rocky Mountain West.

On the Frying Pan River, trout pick salmonflies off rocks jutting from the water until their bellies grow distended.

You land them and theyre puking stoneflies out, said Dave Way of the Western Anglers fly shop and guide service in Grand Junction.

A recent hatch in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison created a spectacle on par with the towering cliffs, said Bill Edrington, founder of Royal Gorge Anglers in Canon City.

It looked like thousands of hummingbirds in the sky, catching thermals and rising, he said.

Beneath the clouds of bugs, the fishing is unforgettable, said Younghanz, who works at Anglers Covey and produces a popular Bug Guy DVD series for anglers.

The fish come up and just slam your dry fly, he said. Its incredible to see the force of it.

Even anglers who dont fish salmonfly hatches benefit from their presence, because they fatten up fish and make for a healthier stock.

That excitement translates to tourism dollars, though its difficult to quantify.

Unlike commercial rafting, an industry in which every customer is accounted for, fishing is harder to track. But it appears to be on the uptick, and a big part of the draw is the Gold Medal designation, said Bob Hamel, owner of Arkansas River Tours.

Its a marketing tool as well as a fact of the condition of the river, Hamel said. Obviously, people want to fish Gold Medal water. They want to go to Blue Ribbon rivers in Montana. Its a draw. The good thing for us is its pretty much the whole river you can access, so its pretty spread out.

Aside from their incredible size, the giant salmonfly is also known for its sensitivity to pollution.

Where mayflies and caddisflies tolerate some level of heavy metals, for example, conditions must be right for giant salmonflies, which prefer pristine, fast-moving, highly oxygenated streams with large cobble bottoms.

With Pteronarcys, as with any stonefly, they seek out perfection in habitat, Edrington said.

Pollution, excessive sediment and other factors will keep them at bay.

Said Policky: If you want to figure out the health of the system, you can basically look at stonefly diversity.

Boosting the health of the Arkansas has been Polickys focus for more than 20 years, and hes credited with playing a key role in signature improvements.

In 2014, he received the Southeastern Water Quality Conservancy Districts annual Friend of the Arkansas River Award for a slate of contributions, including his successful push to earn the Gold Medal award in January 2014.

In a nomination letter, fellow Colorado Parks and Wildlife aquatic biologist Doug Krieger called him the principle source of aquatic science expertise in the upper Arkansas River Valley, crediting him with crafting sensible fishing regulations, helping to safeguard a unique breed of cutthroat trout in an Arkansas tributary and lobbying for optimal flows through the rivers flow control program.

Reintroducing the giant salmonfly was meant as another effort to reverse decades-old missteps on the Arkansas.

During all three years the bugs were stocked, they hatched in mid-May, fueling hopes it would be a matter of time before they took off like gangbusters, he said.

Back-to-back years without hatches suggest the process will be slower than expected; it could also indicate the experiment has been a failure.

Policky urges patience.

Any number of factors could explain the bugs apparent absence, Policky said, including competition from other bugs, or the large amount of sediment that washes into the river from the overgrown forests cloaking the Collegiate Peaks.

But he acknowledges the problem could also be environmental. For that reason, the search to explain the bugs failure to take wing is centered on water quality data measured by sensors by the rivers headwaters near Leadville.

So far, the data show no evidence of heavy metals in the water, but the monitoring isnt continuous, raising the possibility that some level of contamination could be finding its way back in.

Standing at the river bank, he mulled the possibilities.

Did heavy metals rear their ugly head again? Did we have a release that we dont know about? This is the canary in the coal mine.

If indeed I can track it to water quality, Pteronarcys is how Im going to get there.

On the other hand, fish and other bug communities appear to be thriving, an indication that perhaps some other cause is to blame. Policky chalks it up to another unknown in an unprecedented effort to revive a bug species through transplantation.

Frankly, theres never been anything like this, for sure not to this magnitude.

If giant salmonflies rise from the Arkansas, it may well be in isolated pockets that suit them best: bends and riffles where conditions are just right.

An army of fishing guides is keeping an eye out to see if the bug has gained a toehold somewhere out of sight.

Strictly speaking, the brown and rainbow trout in the Arkansas dont need another insect; the rivers transformation spawned a veritable buffet line of options, Edrington said.

We have three species of mayflies; four to five species of cattisflies; two or three species of stoneflies; and hoppers, beetles and ants in the water as well, Edrington said. Do they need to have Pteronarcys to grow? Of course not. This river became a Gold Medal stream without them.

Policky said hes holding out hope the buffet line will soon expand to offer T-bone steak.

He says hes willing to wait until 2020 or longer before declaring the experiment a failure.

With so many variables at play, success may be harder to define. Policky says he has an idea what it will sound like.

When I hear anglers say theyre coming to the Arkansas to fish our salmonfly hatches, thats when Ill know.

This story was made available by The Associated Press.
A law firm is planning to file lawsuits against Tropical Smoothie Cafe on behalf of several people who are sick, as well as about a dozen who have received vaccines, in connection with an outbreak of hepatitis A in Virginia.

We represent several people sickened and dozens who have received vaccines. We will be filing suit [Thursday]  courts willing, said Attorney William D. Marler, with the Seattle-based food safety law firm Marler Clark LLP PS.

As of noon Thursday, 28 people across the state and five in the region have contracted the virus from strawberry smoothies served by the restaurant as recently as Aug. 9, according to the Virginia Department of Health. Genetic testing shows the illnesses were caused by a strain of hepatitis A connected to frozen strawberries from Egypt, according to the health department.

A man who lives near Virginias border with Maryland and who contracted hepatitis A after drinking a smoothie at Tropical Smoothie Cafe will be named as a plaintiff in the lawsuit that the firm is preparing to file in Richmond Circuit Court, according to Marler.

Marler said in a phone interview late Thursday afternoon that the law firm is currently representing at least four other people who are sick and are believed to have gotten sick from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. The law firm plans to add additional plaintiffs names to the lawsuit.

A second lawsuit will also be filed on behalf of those who have received vaccinations after having been to Tropical Smoothie Cafe, Marler said.

Five cases have been reported in the northwest region, which includes Albemarle County, Charlottesville and other area counties, 10 in the north region, eight in the east region and five in the central region. None have been reported in the southwest region.

Cases are occurring statewide, so the risk could be anywhere, and the risk has passed by now, but we want people to know there would be a potential risk associated with any smoothie that contained strawberries at any location, said Diane Woolard, an epidemiologist and director of the health departments Division of Surveillance and Investigation.

Anyone who consumed a smoothie with frozen strawberries from a Tropical Smoothie within the last 50 days is encouraged to watch for symptoms of hepatitis A, she said.

You can eat something that has the virus in it, and it could be up to 50 days before you can have symptoms, she said. It usually occurs within a month, but we will be looking out for cases to occur potentially through September.

Hepatitis A is an inflammation of the liver caused by a virus. The classic symptom of hepatitis A is jaundice, which is a yellowing of the skin or the eyes. Other symptoms of include fever, fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, dark urine and light-colored stools.

Almost all people who get hepatitis A recover completely and do not have any lasting liver damage, although they may feel sick for months, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Exposure can occur through direct contact with another person who has the infection or by consuming food or drink that has been contaminated with the virus.

It is very important for people who have symptoms of hepatitis A to stay home from work, especially if they work in food service, the health department said in a statement.

Tropical Smoothie Cafe has more than 500 locations in the U.S. and 96 in Virginia, including one in the Rio Hill shopping center in Albemarle County.

In a recent video statement, Mike Rotondo, CEO of Tropical Smoothie Cafe, said he sincerely apologies for any issues this may have caused any of their customers.
RICHMOND  State auditors have cleared the University of Virginia of accusations of creating an alleged $2 billion-plus slush fund.

Officials from the Virginia Auditor of Public Accounts presented their findings before members of a joint committee of the General Assembly on Friday morning.

I did not see anything that would indicate a slush fund of any kind, said Eric M. Sandridge, who led an audit of the universitys Strategic Investment Fund.

There are certainly policy arguments about whether you should accumulate those kinds of assets  my office doesnt get into that, he said.

The university has been in hot water since former Rector Helen E. Dragas accused it of sitting on massive reserves  made up of investment returns since 2009, as well as some cash reserves  while raising tuition.

The university has set these reserves aside for investment, using the estimated $100 million in annual returns for strategic investments meant to boost research and academics.

Dragas has characterized these investments as pet projects.

State auditors found that nothing UVa did violated state law, and Sandridge said he saw no evidence that any public money or tuition revenue went into the fund  though it wouldnt be illegal for the university to do so.

Talk of spending the $2 billion is misleading, Sandridge said, because the university cannot simply spend reserves from its investment fund. Much of it has to stay invested, and the university must keep some of it on hand in order to keep its AAA bond rating, he said.

The universities have pooled those assets to maximize their return, Sandridge said.

University officials reiterated that the fund would allow the university to make major improvements  hiring, research and academics  without relying too much on tuition increases.

Rector William H. Goodwin Jr., one of several officials to speak on behalf of UVa at Fridays meeting, said he thinks the university is being unfairly punished for trying something new and innovative  setting aside an investment fund that will pay for future improvements.

Part of the fund could go toward tuition mitigation or financial aid, but he asked lawmakers to give administrators some time to work on it.

I would plead with yall  just give us a year with it, Goodwin said. See what we do with it.

Del. James P. Massie III, R-Henrico, said the auditors findings showed the reserves existed when Dragas was rector.

He asked Patrick D. Hogan  the universitys chief operating officer  whether Dragas ever inquired about the reserves that eventually became the Strategic Investment Fund.

Hogan said she did not.

In my four years, she never has, Hogan said. But I will tell you, she was well aware of those balances because those were reviewed by the Finance Committee.

Dragas, who said she was out of state on family business Friday, was not at the meeting. In a statement read to the legislators, she said the money had been deceptively labeled operating funds in regular reports from the University Investment Management Company, which manages the endowment.

She said she had assumed those funds were being used for operations and was never told otherwise.

Surely, had I known, I would have been even more vocal in my objection to recent tuition increases, she said.

Dragas statement criticized the university for hiking tuition and, in 2013, cutting financial aid when it had large reserves on tap.

She also repeated accusations that the board had illegally discussed the fund in private and that Goodwin ordered the other members not to talk about it  accusations Goodwin has repeatedly denied.

She called on legislators to freeze tuition and conduct a thorough, objective review of non-classroom spending in the interests of keeping college costs as low as possible.

While the university deserves to pat itself on the back for its exceptional investment acumen, opportunities to quickly create a more level and diverse playing field are equally rare, the statement reads.

Lawmakers  drawn from both the House of Delegates and the Senate  were more sympathetic to UVas account.

Sen. Janet D. Howell, D-Fairfax, said the university has done a good job managing its finances in the face of declining state funding. The state has not adequately supported UVa, Howell said, and has a miniscule part in what goes on there.

I hope those who have damaged you will apologize, she said.

Del. S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, said it was irresponsible to assert that the university could just take these reserves and wave a magic wand to make these tuition increases go away.

Still, university and state officials agreed that UVa could take greater transparency measures in the future.

Speaking after the meeting, Del. R. Steven Landes, R-Weyers Cave, said that probably created some of the confusion that led to this dispute.

I dont think the university intended or has created a slush fund, he said. I do think there couldve been some additional transparency in where those funds were coming from. And I think a lot of the board members didnt understand that from the standpoint of the balance sheet.
RICHMOND  Raises for state employees, teachers and other public workers remain a priority for Gov. Terry McAuliffe and General Assembly leaders, but they say pay increases may not be possible in a two-year state budget with a projected $1.48 billion revenue shortfall.

The shortfall that began in the last fiscal year already has diverted $125 million planned for raises on Dec. 1 to help defray a projected $843 million shortfall in this fiscal year. The remaining $221 million budgeted for public employee pay hikes in the second year also are imperiled in the face of an additional projected shortfall of $632.7 million, legislators say.

"It's going to be very difficult," House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, said on Friday after McAuliffe addressed the assembly's money committees.

House Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, called the possibility of pay increases for state employees "very problematic" in the fiscal year that will begin July 1, 2017, and end June 30, 2018.

But the top lobbyist for state employees remains hopeful that if state tax revenues recover - as they did two years ago in the face of a projected $2.4 billion shortfall - state workers and other public employees will be at the front of the line.

"The thing that's encouraging is it's still a priority," R. Ronald Jordan, executive director of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, said Friday.

Salaries for state employees - more than 105,000 full time and 22,000 part time - lag the private market by more than 23 percent and overshadow a new push by House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, to move the state away from traditional pension benefits for its workers.

But raises in the two-year budget were tied directly to revenues in the last fiscal year, which fell short by about $279 million.

"Pay increases are still on our mind and a high priority," Secretary of Finance Richard D. "Ric" Brown told members of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations and Finance committees.

But the biggest priority for McAuliffe remains state funding for K-12 public education, accounting for about 29 percent of the budget and most of the $8.6 billion the state is budget to send to local governments this year.

"When cuts are made, the one thing we want to protect is our education," the governor told the committees in a speech that lasted just under a half-hour.

McAuliffe said the state has the option of using about $378 .2 million from its revenue stabilization or rainy day fund in the first year, which combined with the deferred raises would leave about $340 million in spending cuts for the year that ends June 30.

House leaders had estimated the potential first-year withdrawal from the fund at up to $420 million. First, however, the state is scheduled to make a $605 million deposit to the fund that was included in the budget.

The governor didn't address another potential withdrawal in the second year of budget, but Appropriations Director Robert P. Vaughn estimated the state could tap an additional $210 million, which, combined with $221 million in deferred pay increases, would leave a hole of about $200 million to close with spending cuts.

State agencies will be asked shortly to identify spending cuts in their budgets, as the administration works to determine how close the immediate shortfall by early October and begin preparing budget amendments for the governor to propose in December.

McAuliffe said after his speech that compensation for state employees is "a top concern for all of us," but said it's too soon to make any promises about restoring raises in the second year of the budget.

"These decisions are always tough," he said.

The state's options also are limited by lagging growth in payroll income tax collections because of lower wages and the threat of additional cuts in federal spending under sequestration when a two-year congressional budget deal expires in October, 2017, during the second year of the state budget.

"The revised revenue estimates I report to you today have been further reduced to reflect the belief that the trend toward lower-paying jobs will continue in the short term, as well as our concern about next October's sequestration trigger," the governor said.

Income tax collections withheld from payroll account for about two-thirds of state general fund revenues, but in the last fiscal year grew by 2.4 percent, not the 4.1 percent in the forecast on which the budget was based.

The new forecast, produced in consultation with the Joint Advisory Board of Economists and the Governor's Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, lowers the expectation for revenue growth from 3.2 percent this year to 1.7 percent - a $564.4 million swing. In the second year, the new forecast drops from 3.9 percent to 3.6 percent, for an additional reduction of $632.7 million.

Still, Republicans expressed skepticism about the revised projection in the second year. "I don't think the job growth numbers are as rosy as the governor would foresee," Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, told Brown.

Other Republicans sought to tie sluggish wages and income tax collections to Democratic policies, particularly the Affordable Care Act, which they said has prompted employers to reduce hours to part time so they don't have to provide health insurance to workers.

They dismissed McAuliffe's renewed call for Medicaid expansion, which he said would bring billions of dollars in federal money into the budget to relieve the state general fund. "He needs to take that off the table," Cox said.

McAuliffe also urged legislators to lobby Congress, as he has, to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act. He said the proposed law would generate up to $300 million in revenues for transportation in Virginia by allowing the state to tax Internet sales, as his Republican predecessor, Gov. Bob McDonnell, proposed as part of transportation funding legislation in 2013.

Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, expressed surprise at lagging sales tax revenues, which the governor lowered by $118.6 million this year by dropping the growth forecast from 4 percent to 2.6 percent.

"To me, a greater concern (than income tax collections) is that sales taxes are down and people are spending less," said Norment, a champion of the tourism industry that dominates his Williamsburg-area district.

The governor acknowledged the growth in part-time jobs, as well as the substitution of younger, lower-paid workers for retiring veteran employees, but he blamed uncertainty over the national economy.

"The fiscal year 2016 wage and revenue figures underscore the large number of temporary employees in the workforce, a likely sign that our businesses are still looking for assurances that our national recovery is sustainable," he said.

The new forecast lowers the expected growth rate for payroll withholding from 4 percent to 3 percent this year, a half-percent lower than originally proposed, reducing available revenues by $312.6 million. The additional reduction reflected the opinion of business leaders and legislators on the governor's advisory council that the state should be cautious.

It would have cost an additional $700 million if the council had adopted the most pessimistic scenario, Brown told the committees.

"We would call that ugly back home," Jones replied.
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."
First of two parts

Del. Robert B. Bell is back in the forefront of mental health reform, following the death last year of a mentally ill inmate in Hampton Roads and the subsequent discovery that few safeguards were in place to protect him.

Not only was he allowed to starve to death in the Hampton Roads Regional Jail, but follow-up investigations never uncovered a definitive answer as to why. No one seemed to have the authority to really dig into the case.

Without authority that allows investigators to pursue errors and wrongdoing to their source, few answers to such tragedies can be produced. And without answers as to the causes of errors and wrongdoing, few solutions can be devised.

We need a clear line delineating which agencies can investigate such a death and what their powers are, Del. Bell said this week during a meeting of lawmakers studying how to reform the states mental health system.

Mr. Bell is co-chairman of that group. Prior to that, he chaired a special House of Delegates subcommittee following the Virginia Tech massacre, which was perpetrated by a mentally ill student.

He shares leadership of the current subcommittee with Sen. Creigh Deeds, D-Bath, whose district includes Charlottesville and parts of Albemarle.

The current subcommittees work was launched after Mr. Deeds became the victim of a heartbreaking tragedy in which his mentally ill son attacked him and then committed suicide. The senator had tried to get emergency help for his son only the day before, but that effort was unavailing due to a series of bureaucratic slip-ups and regulatory limitations.

Soon afterward, the General Assembly launched the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Twenty-First Century, mandated to take a deeper and longer look at problems and solutions.

Now, ironically and sadly, yet another tragedy has revealed yet another gaping hole in Virginias approach to mental health  this one involving the interface between mental health and incarceration.

The case involves a 24-year-old man who had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. He was arrested on charges of stealing $5 worth of snack food, and was sent to jail to await transfer to a mental health facility.

But there he languished  losing 46 pounds in just over three months and dying of a wasting syndrome of unknown etiology, according to the coroners report.

And somehow, this happened in the full view of his jailers.

Since then, accusations of blame have been rampant, but answers have been few  particularly regarding the jails role in the death. The Office of the State Inspector General said it lacked authority to investigate a death in jail.

Del. Bell said investigators not only need the power to investigate jails, but the power to do so immediately.

Theyve got to have the resources to swoop in right away, Bell said.

That sounds like pure common sense to us. Jails shouldnt have time to hide evidence of wrongdoing or devise cover stories. But even if there is no deliberate cover-up, the fact is that evidence fades over time and recollections of events grow fainter. Immediate investigation is always more effective than delayed investigation.

Lawmakers first must designate a clear line of authority regarding investigations. But they also must enable investigators to move quickly and decisively.

Thats just common sense.
The two defendants in a bizarre pig-killing incident have had their charges certified to a higher court.

On Thursday, 33-year-old Lee Edward Oakes Jr. and 27-year-old Jerelyn Aymarie Sutter had a preliminary hearing in Albemarle General District Court before a small but focused crowd of animal rights activists clad in T-shirts, some of which read #justiceforprofit.

Profit, one activist said, was the name given to a pig that was allegedly stolen from the Charlottesville-Albemarle SPCA in July and subsequently killed. A release from the SPCA stated that animal control officers delivered the animal to the Berkmar Drive shelter for temporary hold on July 3, but that it was later stolen from the facility after hours. The theft resulted in the death of the farm pig, the statement read.

Sutter, a former employee of the SPCA, was arrested along with Oakes in connection to the July 10 incident. The two were each charged with cruelty to animals, petit larceny and maiming and killing of livestock, which is a felony.

In court Thursday, prosecutor Matt Quatrara asked for those misdemeanor petit larceny charges to be upgraded to felony theft of livestock, a request that was not opposed by the defense. Quatrara then began calling witnesses to describe the events that led to the pig being taken from the SPCA and ended with it being found dead at a farm outside of Verona.

According to testimony, the pig had been found by animal control on July 3. It was taken to the SPCA, which was to serve as a temporary holding place. When an officer returned to the SPCA that evening to retrieve the pig, he was met by Oakes, who informed the officer that he had given the pig to a friend to be taken to a butcher.

The officer then told Oakes to contact his friend and return the pig to the SPCA, but, as the officer later learned, it was too late. During that initial interaction, Oakes told the officer that the pig had been feral and that he had been charged by the pig at one point.

Surveillance footage taken from the SPCA and presented to the court showed Oakes with the pig at about 7 p.m. July 3, taking the pig from its shelter and putting a harness on it. The footage further showed Oakes walking the pig around and petting it. Officers said that Oakes appeared to have an altercation with the pig when he attempted to subdue it, and that 20 minutes after the pig first showed up on camera, it appeared that the pig had been stabbed somewhere out of frame.

A veterinary expert also testified Thursday that after the pigs remains were returned to authorities, it appeared the pig had been stabbed at least 31 times, mostly around its neck.

After the presentation of evidence, defense attorneys for Oakes and Sutter noted to the court that when it was brought to the SPCA, the pig did not have markings or tags to show that it was already someone elses property. Quatrara agreed that the ownership of the pig was a difficult question that should be argued at trial, but not at the preliminary stage.

The owner of the pig said outside of court Thursday that it had escaped from his property sometime before July 3.

Speaking directly to the wording of the defendants charges, defense attorneys also argued that if the pig was feral, then it may be redefined as a nuisance rather than livestock. Judge Steve Helvin dismissed that notion, stating that he was not buying the argument that the pig was feral based on the surveillance footage.

Helvin added that, given the evidence, a jury also may decide that the killing was in fact malicious due to the extreme number of stab wounds found on the pig. He then certified the charges up to Albemarle Countys Circuit Court. The cases next hearing date in that court has not yet been made publicly available.

The outcome of Thursdays hearing seemed to please the dozen or so activists seeking justice for the pigs killing. Debbi Torres, who runs a pig sanctuary in North Carolina, said that she was one of many in a network of people involved with animal sanctuaries that became interested in the case. She and others traveled from all over to see that the case moved forward.

I felt that the [Commonwealths Attorneys office] did a wonderful job representing our cause and the pig, and were very happy with the judges decision to move forward with the prosecution of this situation of the case is indicative of a larger problem with local animal shelters and animal control officers that do not have the specific training and resources necessary to deal with pigs.

We really want to show people that there are a lot of pet pigs, and there needs to be a better protocol as to where these pigs go and how theyre taken care of when theyre found, Torres said.
Bigfoot fans will descend this weekend on Hungry Mother State Parkwhere guests reported sightings of Sasquatch on two occasions in 2006for the first Virginia Bigfoot Conference.

Scheduled for today and Saturday, the event will feature five guest speakers who are recognized as Bigfoot experts.

Back in the summer of 2006, one visitor at the Smyth County park said they were hiking and noticed a large hairy man shaped thing 30 yards ahead, according to a reported sighting on the Virginia Bigfoot Research Organizations website.

On another occasion in 2006, someone said they saw Bigfoot while canoeing on the lake. The person reported hearing rustling on a hillside and then saw the creature moving up the hill.

It was described as more than 6 feet tall, with dark brown fur, a hump-backed posture and walking on two legs at a fairly good speed.

There have been a number of Bigfoot sightings reported in nearly every county in Southwest Virginia. Last summer, a person visiting a cabin in the Fort Blackmore area said he and his family heard several yells in the woods. In 2012, a person at South Holston Lake said he heard several heavy footsteps walking up a hill. The person turned to look, but saw nothing, the sighting reports.

There have been more than 70 recorded viewings, going all the way back to the mid-1800s in Virginia. In 2012, the Animal Planet series Finding Bigfoot came to the Bristol area in search of the infamous Wood Booger.

In Norton, theres a Wood Booger Search Event Festival, due to the number of sightings reported over the years in the High Knob area. The first search event in Norton was held in 2014.

This weekends conference will welcome Bill Dranginis, founder of the Virginia Bigfoot Research Organization. Dranginis is said to have created the first mobile Bigfoot research station after two different Bigfoot encounters that changed his life.

Along with Dranginis, Professor Joe Gisondi, author of the new book Monster Trek: The Obsessive Search for Bigfoot, will attend the conference.

Patrick County, Virginia native Russell Easterbrooks, a man with a background in nearly every subject from bodybuilding to working in Vermont State Parks, will also speak. Easterbrooks has been a Bigfoot enthusiast for nearly 40 years.

David Floyd of Charleston Southern University will also speak about his research on the cultural and psychological implications of Bigfoot. He is the host of the podcast SasWhat and is working to edit an anthology of essays by several Bigfoot researchers.

Finally, Larry The Animal Guy Battson is expected to entertain audiences with accounts of people encountering Bigfoot.

The event will also host a live auction. All proceeds that do not help fund the conference will be donated to a charity.

More information on the conference can be found on the Virginia Bigfoot Conference Facebook page or by visiting www.vabigfootconference.com.

276-645-2531

Twitter: @RSorrellBHC
McCrory Campaign Launches New TV Ad, 'Back The Blue' Online Petition As Law Enforcement Support Continues To Build Across NC

"Friend" - Pat McCrory for Governor TV Ad

Transcript:

Contact: The Pat McCrory Committee

The Pat McCrory Committee media@patmccrory.com

Raleigh, N.C. Today, the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association (NCPBA) endorsed Pat McCrory for governor as support for his re-election campaign among the law enforcement community continues to grow across the state.said Randy Byrd, president of the NCPBA.Governor McCrory was joined by NCPBA leadership and rank and file members in Raleigh Thursday morning for a press conference announcing this major endorsement.said Governor Pat McCrory.In addition to the N.C. Police Benevolent Association, Governor McCrory has also received key endorsements from the N.C. Fraternal Order of Police and the N.C. Troopers Association.To highlight the governor's strong support from the law enforcement community, the Pat McCrory Committee launched a new television ad, "Friend." The ad features Michael Potts, who was shot 5 times during a routine 2013 traffic stop in Durham. Governor McCrory shared Michael Potts' incredible story during his 2015 State of the State address Pat McCrory has a proven record of standing up for the rule of law as governor, even under intense political pressure. He called for halting the relocation of Syrian refugees to North Carolina until thorough background checks could be conducted and signed a bill to end sanctuary cities in North Carolina, unshackling the hands of law enforcement and ending policies of noncooperation among federal, state and local law enforcement agencies.Additionally, he signed a bill to establish a clear legal process for the release of law enforcement video while balancing privacy, transparency and public safety. The governor has also funded appropriate use-of-force training and supported local jurisdictions with $5 million in matching grants for body cameras. Governor McCrory also established a 'Blue Alert System,' similar to silver and amber alerts, to aid in the apprehension of suspects who kill or inflict serious bodily injury on a law enforcement officer.Instead of a political appointee, Governor McCrory hired an outstanding law enforcement officer and professional to lead the State Bureau of Investigation who will be a strong partner for law enforcement around the state and ensure the agency is independent and free of politics. Governor McCrory has also shown a commitment to improving the state's crime lab and addressing chronic backlogs, including money in his budget to open a new Western Crime Lab and increase resources to help with backlogs.Throughout his first term, Governor McCrory has proven to be an active partner with the law enforcement community in tackling North Carolina's mental health, substance abuse and addiction crisis, which is severely impacting our communities. The latest state budget includes $20 million to implement the strategic recommendations from his task force on mental health and substance use, including the expansion of specialty treatment courts like drug and veteran courts, mental health first-aid training and tools to combat the heroin and opioid epidemic like Naloxone.The Pat McCrory Committee also launched an online petition inviting citizens who also support Law Enforcement to join Pat McCrory's campaign for governor. Click here to view the petition For a full fact sheet on Governor McCrory's strong record on helping law enforcement and keeping our communities safe, click here Michael Potts: I got shot five times, twice in the face carrying out a traffic stop. That night, who walks in the hospital but my governor. Said he wished he could bring me something to eat, but my jaw was wired shut. He promised to have me to the house for dinner when I got out, and he did. No politics, just me and my family. Pat McCrory's law enforcement's friend. And, mine.
Kathy Manos Penn

Color me busy. Before I retired, I kept encountering articles about the dangers of being at loose ends in retirement with too much time on your hands. Conversely, I'd speak to folks who'd say, "Oh, you'll be busier than you are now." Guess which contingent was right?It's a rare day I don't have a list of things to accomplish. They may not all be exciting or noteworthy, but they are time-consuming. I can count on one hand the days I haven't had at least one thing I needed to get done, and when I have one of those days, I think to myself,So far, reading novels still mostly happens at night.If you're not one of those retirees who told me how busy I'd be, you may be wondering just what fills my time. Lots of things. I do lunch with friends. I still work out at Gold's Gym and Infinity Yoga, and it's been a plus to ride bicycles with my husband on weekdays when the Greenway's not crowded. Going to a movie on a weekday afternoon is also a treat.When I worked, I didn't read the morning paper until the evenings, but now I read it with my coffee, check my news feeds and emails, and play a few rounds of Words with Friends. If I don't have errands to run, I head upstairs to my office to do some writing for the Crier, my blog or BeaufortCountyNow.com. I've even started pulling together a collection of my columns with the goal of having it published in time for the holiday season. And I still edit the occasional article for my former manager and provide feedback here and there for others I used to work with. And naps, let's not forget the joy of taking an afternoon nap.One of my retired girlfriends is delighted to have a playmate and has a list of outings she wants us to take here in the Atlanta area. We've already visited two of the three historic homes in Roswell, spent a morning on Chamblee's antique row, and have the Swann House on our list.Add to those fun activities all of the chores I've been putting off until I had time and my days are full up. I've accomplished a few things on my "I'll get to it someday list" and still have plenty to go. Simple things like taking a lamp to the repair shop, rearranging my office, getting the office painted, and pictures hung, and filling five bags with books for the Friends of the Dunwoody Library combine to fill the time.I enjoy not having a "Must Do" list but instead a list I can pick and choose from as the mood strikes. I've gone through two rooms gathering knickknacks I don't know why I had and taking them to Southern Comforts Consignment and Furkids Thrift Shop. I plopped down in front of my cookbooks one day and purged that collection, and I was inspired to clean out yet another file cabinet when I read about a shredding day at a local real estate office.September and October promise to be busy travel months for us, and then the holidays will be here. With that schedule, I can't see boredom setting in anytime soon. Maybe next year. Then again, maybe not.
In the recordings, professors from Koch-funded schools share strategies to help their peers spread the Koch gospel on their own campuses. They speak frankly about attempts to dodge transparency requests by their students and faculty, mention their cozy relationships with high-level university administrators, mock journalists and portray anything other than their own free market teachings- including humanities, social sciences, gender studies and diversity initiatives-as laughable.

A "refocus" of the mission and activities of the center faculty to concentrate solely on teaching and academic research and service.

A 90-day moratorium on public policy pronouncements/opinion writing or any other activities that can be construed as political activism. Dean Edwards has indicated that he will consider strongly extending this moratorium to ensure the new focus for the Center is implemented in full.

The appointment of a new chair of the Department of Economics and Finance, who will be a member of the finance faculty rather than the economics faculty. Dr. George Crowley, who made the comments that brought about this controversy, was scheduled to serve as the Department Chair, but that appointment has been canceled.

[Even] poorly chosen words are constitutionally protected speech under the First Amendment, to which Troy University is bound as a public entity. Furthermore, your own Academic Freedom policy explicitly states, "The teacher is entitled to full freedom in research and in the publication of the results there from..." and "[when] a member of the academic community speaks or writes as a citizen, he or she should be free from institutional censorship or discipline...." Your decision to "refocus" the Johnson Center's mission and impose a ban on public policy pronouncements for 90 (or more) days violates the U.S. Constitution and your own policy.

I was a tenured professor in the Department of Finance at Auburn University for three years. I know about the toxic political atmosphere surrounding higher education in Alabama, and I know also of the incredible political clout of the Retirement Systems of Alabama (RSA) and its CEO, David Bronner. At this point let me be crystal clear: If a professor at Troy University wants to "take down" the RSA or any other state program or policy, he or she has an absolute right to try to do so. You may think this professor's stance is wrong, and you are free to support the RSA and Dr. Bronner all you want, but you may not penalize one of your faculty for his or her research conclusions or policy views. It is unseemly at best and illegal at worst to see the lengths to which the RSA is using its power to squelch legitimate, constitutionally protected criticism of its actions by Johnson Center faculty.

This incident was instigated by a small group of anti-Koch zealots who claim to be concerned about academic freedom. Ironically, it is these paranoid activists who want to violate the right of faculty to write and speak as they wish. Congratulations to you and Troy University for being willing pawns in their game.

Freedom of speech has been under siege at many American colleges and universities. Sometimes the attack comes from aggressive students who can't stand having others say things they disagree with, and sometimes it comes from administrators who don't like it when faculty members make impolitic statements.A recent case at Troy State University in Alabama combines both.At the April 2016 meeting of the Association of Private Enterprise Education (APEE) in Las Vegas, an unKoch My Campus employee named Ralph Wilson secretly recorded a number of sessions, and the organization later released transcripts and audio files.UnKoch My Campus is website run by a group of activists who believe the "Koch Brothers" are unduly influencing higher education through their funding of various professors and university-based programs. They seek to expose what they call unethical behavior on the part of these professors in support of the Kochs' political agenda. (Full disclosure: I am the director of The O'Neil Center for Global Markets and Freedom at SMU's Cox School of Business, which has received donations from the Charles G. Koch Foundation.)APEE is a group of professors and public policy experts who meet yearly to talk about their recent research. APEE's membership, as the name implies, is mostly made up of people who are pretty favorable toward the idea of private enterprise, economic freedom, free trade, and laissez-faire.The unKoch My Campus website using the hashtag #kochileaks breathlessly described the nefarious goings on at APEE as follows:As soon as I read this description, I knew there was nothing of interest in the recordings. If someone at APEE had really said something embarrassing, the unKoch zealots surely would have mentioned this right up front. Indeed, a reading of the transcripts yielded nothing juicy, and I expected the issue to fade quickly.That proved correct for the most part, as the story garnered little attention in traditional or social media.That is, until a memo dated July 1, 2016 was leaked from Alabama's Troy University and appeared in the local media . The memo was from the Troy University Chancellor's office to the members of the Board of Trustees, outlining a series of disciplinary actions targeted against the faculty of Troy's Manuel H. Johnson Center for Political Economy What caused this severe set of sanctions?It turns out George Crowley was one of the professors secretly recorded at the APEE meeting. The Troy University administrators claimed to be upset that Crowley described Troy as "third-tier" and that the Johnson Center's research was trying to "bring down" the Retirement System of Alabama (RSA).At this point, I became involved. I had been asked to serve on an advisory board for the Johnson Center, so I wrote a letter to the Chancellor with the following:At the end of the letter, I resigned from the board, and I then began trying to publicize the case on Facebook and Twitter.The real story here is not about Charles Koch or secret recordings. Rather, it's about Alabama politics. David Bronner is one of the most politically powerful people in the state and he is not happy with research published by Johnson Center faculty that suggests the RSA may not be on a secure financial footing.It bears noting that Troy University is a state university very much beholden to the legislature for funding. Was this crackdown on the Johnson Center faculty retaliation for their research on the RSA? I wonder what communications have occurred between Bronner and the RSA and Troy University officials leading up to this event?At least, there is a semi-happy ending to the story. After some publicity, and I assume after talking to their attorneys, Troy backed off the first two sanctions, but the chilling effect on free speech on campus will undoubtedly linger for a long time. Professors will think twice before saying or publishing anything that might land them in trouble as happened with George Crowley.The unKoch My Campus activists are right about one thing. Academic freedom is under assault on college campuses across America, but Charles Koch is not the problem. They are.
Abdulrahman Alkahmees (BSc 10, DDS 14) walks into the room with a Tim Hortons double-double in his hand and a big smile on his face. After two years of working as a dentist in Kuwait, he has returned to Halifax and Dalhousie to study for a graduate degree in periodontics. And he couldnt be happier.



Like many Kuwaiti students at Dalhousie, Abdul arrived in Halifax fresh out of high school to study for an undergraduate degree, followed by  if all entry requirements were met  a qualification from one of Dals professional schools. I was 18 and had never left Kuwait before, he says. It was September and as the plane landed, I couldnt believe how green everything was.



Abdul credits his mother with fuelling the academic achievements of all of her six children  four brothers and two sisters. She never finished high school, so for her, education is power. We now have two medical doctors, one veterinarian, one engineer, and one masters student in the family. And one dentist.



Abdul found a welcoming and supportive environment at Dal. Everybody is nice and multiculturalism is embedded here. I felt comfortable enough to put myself out there and it really helped me in terms of making friends and improving my English. Being here changed everything for me and opened my mind to new ideas.



It also opened his mind to winter and hot yoga  both of which he loves. After he graduated with his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree in 2014, Abdul headed home to Kuwait to work, returning to Nova Scotia every holiday to reconnect with his close circle of Dal friends and the Halifax he had come to love.



Boosting his confidence



In Kuwait, Abdul pursued a one-year residency that enabled him to rotate through several public speciality clinics. Not only was it great hands-on experience, it also turned his thoughts to further studies. It was a big boost to my confidence to be thrown right into the work and just be able to do it, says Abdul. It made me realize how well trained I was here at Dal. The specialists I worked with in Kuwait were impressed with what I could do and encouraged me to specialize.



Abdul applied to the four Englishspeaking Canadian dentistry schools that offer graduate periodontics programs. I had other offers and interviews, he says, but as soon as I knew I had a place at Dal, I stopped looking at other universities.



He also appreciates the help he received with the somewhat daunting amount of paperwork involved in returning to Canada. Both faculty and staff responded to emails super fast and helped me to get the process started. I honestly dont think I would have received the same treatment at another school.



Abdul is one of three students embarking on the three-year graduate periodontics program at Dal. For him, the appeal of the program is that it covers a lot of things he wants to do, including restorations and small surgeries. I like the idea that I could go into a more rural community and be equipped to perform many tasks, he says.



Until classes begin in early September, Abdul is content to explore Nova Scotia, doing some of the things he was too busy to do as a student and spend time with friends.



Im so happy to be here now and doing what I love.
Its not easy navigating a new home. For the recent influx of refugees from war-torn Syria, it can be challenging to crack the codes of working and living in a new country.



But computer code is a universal language  one many are eager to learn.



Last week, more than 30 Syrian newcomers to Canada and Halifax spent five afternoons on campus, learning HTML, CSS and Javascript to help expand their computer skill sets. The camp was hosted jointly by the Dalhousie Computer Science (CS) Society and Syrian Student Society, and offered free of charge to participants.



Yaser Alkayale, a third-year Dal CS student from Syria who put the curriculum together, says one of their goals was to invite refugees who may feel uncertain about their place in the school system, and expose them to a taste of what computer science has to offer.



We gave them some lectures, some lab work, some guest lectures, a little bit of a tutorial  as close to the full university experience as we could in that time, he explains. Yes, they learned website creation, but what we hope they really learned was that computer science is cool, its a big field with lots of opportunity and its great to study at Dalhousie.

Expanding opportunities



The camp was open to individuals hoping to get into university sometime in the near future, and attracted students ranging in age from 12 to 50.



We wanted to introduce them to the university and what courses in computer science would be like, adds Zaher Abd Ulmoula, a member of the Syrian Student Society whos new to Halifax himself. (Hes starting a masters in Computer Science this fall.) Many of them didnt know anything about coding or programming languages.



Helping organize the camp was doubly valuable for Zaher, given it was his first time getting exposed to a Canadian classroom experience.



I learned a lot about the teaching at Dalhousie, says Zaher, also from Syria. Its very different from my country when I got my degree there [in IT Engineering]. Its good to know about that.





The inspiration for the camp came from Computer Science Dean, Andrew Rau-Chaplin, who suggested the idea to Yaser and also donated funds from the Faculty to support it.



I actually took the curriculum for one of the courses we have in the Faculty  the introduction to website creation  and I just jammed it all into one week instead of three months, says Yaser. A lot of parts were taken out, but they were able to come up with something that was close to what they would have come up with had they taken the course at Dalhousie.

Making a difference



Yaser says the students have gotten great feedback from participants, with many positive posts and thanks on their Facebook page. Going forward, theyre discussing ways to continue the camp as a once-weekly session, provided they can find the funding and support to do so.



Wed love to expand on it in the future, says Yaser.



Camp organizers and participants.
On Thursday a Miles City health center received a surprise $50,000 grant that will help provide a school health program that places school nurses in the town's middle and high schools.

The Healthy Kids, Healthy Families Grant, a Blue Cross Blue Shield of Montana program, was presented to the oneHealth community-based health center during a ceremony Thursday afternoon in what officials initially thought was a meeting to go over their grant application.

"We were surprised when they came through the door with that big check," said Kent Doughty, oneHealth CEO. "It was hugely humbling as well."

The community-based outpatient primary health care center provides a number of services in Miles City and the surrounding area, including behavioral health, emergency preparedness, immunizations, maternal and child health and work in the Miles City school district.

It is working to place one registered nurse each in the middle and high school and the grant money will go to support that program.

"Our goal is to be able to offer sustainable and measurable programs in the schools," Doughty said. "We want to utilize school nurses as a catalyst for change."

Included in those efforts and stated goals of the nurses are disease prevention and management, nutrition, physical activity, meeting health standards and screenings and supporting safe environments in the school setting.

The nurses will attend the Zero Suicide Academy, a two-day training aimed at teaching them how to reduce and address youth suicide and helping at-risk teenagers. They'll also use it to work with school staff on developing policy and training, as well as education in the school and community on physical and mental health.

"A lot of our communities have been plagued with teen suicide and mental and behavioral health problems that are out there," Doughty said. "We want our two nurses to help mobilize more people and take action."

The nurses should be in place later in the first half of this school year, Doughty said.

The BCBSMT Healthy Kids, Healthy Families program aims to work with nonprofit organizations that have a measurable impact on youth and their families, focusing on nutrition, physical activity, disease prevention and management, support safe environments and suicide prevention. There were 17 applications for grants this year.

"It's great to have the school district here in Miles City to work with us as a collaborator and as a partner, with their continuing trust to continue with the investment we've made in outreach," Doughty said. " ... We're really thankful and blessed that Blue Cross Blue Shield felt our goals and our ideas were thoughtful enough. They're allowing us to move forward."
New Delhi: Ahead of the meeting of Empowered Committee of State FMs with industry chambers, Assocham on August 26 said it will press for waiver of penalties on unintentional compliance errors which may occur during the initial phase of Goods and Services Tax (GST) implementation.

The empowered committee of state Finance Ministers, headed by West Bengal Finance Minister Amit Mitra, will meet traders and industry chambers on August 30, to understand their concerns.

Seeking adequate time for preparation of the required compliance systems for the industry, Assocham in a statement said it will "bring forth before the Empowered Committee certain concerns and areas of uncertainties while pleading for waiver of any penalties on unintentional compliance errors which may occur during the transition period".

It said while the industry wants the GST to be introduced at the earliest in view of its benefits to all stakeholders, the government and Empowered Committee (EC) should give adequate time for preparation for its smooth transition.

"Considering significant increase in documentary requirement and digitisation of the entire GST process, industry has to gear up and change their accounting and computer system after the GST Rules are released," Assocham President Sunil Kanoria said.

The government wants to roll out GST from April 1, 2017. The new indirect tax regime will subsume service tax, excise duty and other local levies. It said in such a mega tax reform, there will be requirement to issue clarification on various GST provisions and hence the government at Centre and the states should gear up for such facility.

"Moreover, the penal provisions for unintended mistake during the transition phase should not be applied as was done in the case of service tax for few years," he said.

The chamber also highlighted concerns over the administrative machinery for implementation of the GST. While the tax base is same for Central GST and SGST, the administration by two authorities may lead to harassment if there is difference of opinion.

"It is recommended that there should be only one administrative authority. Centre and state can form joint team for such purpose," Assocham said.

Besides, there is also concern about the multiple audits and investigations provided in the draft GST Bill spanning over a long period of 3 to 5 years whereas the entire GST process will be fully computerised and each transaction is required to be recorded in the monthly return.

"These excessive administrative provisions need to critically examine to avoid inspector raj which may be counter-productive to the objective of GST to provide ease of doing business," it said.
According to experts, the increase in coal dispatch has been on account of various reasons like rise in coal production by CIL, improvement in evacuation and opening up of new mines.

New Delhi: Dispatch of coal by CIL to the power sector went up 1.1 per cent to 131.1 million tonnes (MT) in the April-July period of this fiscal even as the PSU workers announced to go on a nationwide day-long strike next week.

The dispatch by Coal India (CIL) in the corresponding period of last fiscal was 129.6 MT, according to official data. Last month, the figure stood at 31.4 MT, up 1.7 per cent compared to the same month a year ago.

However, the dispatch of fossil fuel by Singareni Collieries Company (SCCL) during April-July period declined by 1.6 per cent to 15.150 MT, over 15.390 MT in the same period of previous fiscal, the data said.

According to experts, the increase in coal dispatch has been on account of various reasons like rise in coal production by CIL, improvement in evacuation and opening up of new mines.

The government is eyeing 1.5 billion tonnes of coal production by 2020. Of this, CIL - which accounts for over 80 per cent of the domestic coal production - is looking at an output of one billion tonnes.

With CIL having around 42 MT of coal at its pithead and power plants in possession of comfortable fossil fuel stock, the proposed strike by coal workers is likely to have a limited direct impact.

Trade unions will go on a nationwide stir on September 2 to press for their various demands. Last week, CIL had told exchanges: "We have received a communication of notice... for strike on September 2. Efforts are being made for conciliation process."

In September last year, a majority of about 4 lakh coal workers across the country had gone on strike called by trade unions, which hit the production level in a big way.

The strike call was given by major trade unions such as INTUC, AITUC and CITU to pitch for their demands that included opposition to any further stake sale in Coal India.

Nearly 5 lakh bank union workers and officers are set to join the strike to protest against what they call "anti-people policies of the Modi government and labour reforms".
The Reserve Bank on Thursday announced a slew of reforms in the fixed income and currency markets that would increase participation and boost liquidity in local debt market.

MUMBAI: The Reserve Bank on Thursday announced a slew of reforms in the fixed income and currency markets that would increase participation and boost liquidity in local debt market. In a major step, which will help ease the process of investment in debt securities, foreign portfolio investors would be allowed to transact in corporate bonds directly without a broker. RBI will now permit entities exposed to exchange rate risk, whether resident or non-resident, to undertake hedge transactions with simplified procedures, upto a limit of $ 30 million at any given time.

The person can use his discretion to access any market and use any of the permissible products. With a view to develop the market for rupee denominated bonds overseas, banks would now be permitted to issue rupee denominated bonds overseas also called as Masala bonds. This is to provide an additional avenue for banks to raise additional Tier I and Tier II capital as these rupee denominated bonds would qualify for inclusion as additional tier  I and tier  II capital.

RBI also proposed to allow banks to issue rupee denominated bonds overseas under the extant framework of incentivising issuance of long term bonds by banks for financing infrastructure. In order to encourage activity, brokers authorised as market makers will be allowed to participate in the corporate bond repo market.
Several solar energy companies are holding back their expansion plans till there is some clarity on the governments policy on dumping of solar panels in the country. (Representational image)

Mumbai: Several solar energy companies are holding back their expansion plans till there is some clarity on the governments policy on dumping of solar panels in the country. A dialogue with the government on this issue has been on and the industry hopes for some policy announcement. Many of them had expanded due to the rise in domestic demand but in the last two months the Chinese had slashed their prices by 15 per cent and the price difference works out to Rs 2 per watt or Rs 20 lakh per one megawatt.

Earlier there was almost parity between the Chinese and domestic prices, said Sunil Rathi, director, marketing and sales, Waaree Energies. The U.S. and Europe have imposed anti-dumping duty to promote their domestic industry. Almost 80 per cent of the solar panels in India are from China as their prices are unrealistically lower.
New Delhi: Manufacturing is expected to pick pace in the country in the second quarter buoyed by increase in exports and improved domestic demand, according to a survey done by apex industry chamber Ficci. Ficcis latest quarterly survey on manufacturing suggests a mild improvement in manufacturing sectors growth in the ongoing second quarter of the fiscal, with a slightly better outlook for production. The survey had earlier indicated a slowdown of the first quarter of 2016-17, which seems to be waning, said the chamber.

The proportion of respondents expecting higher growth during the July-September quarter has risen to 55 per cent as against 53 per cent for April-June quarter 2016-17, said Ficci. However, it remains much below the percentage of 60 per cent for January - March quarter of the previous fiscal, it said. The slight improvement in the outlook for manufacturing production in second quarter of the current financial year is attributable to various factors including somewhat better outlook for exports compared to previous quarters, and better outlook on domestic demand front too, said Ficci.

In terms of order books, almost half (49 per cent) respondents reported higher order books for the quarter July- September 2016-17 which is more than that of the previous quarter (38 per cent), said the chamber. The proportion of respondents expecting higher exports in the second quarter 2016-17 rose by 5 percentage points to 41 per cent. Ficci said that milder improvement for the quarter gets reflected in terms of investment as for Q2 2016-17, 73 per cent respondents as against 75 per cent respondents in previous quarter reported that they dont have any plans for capacity additions for the next six months. Though the proportion standing against expansion plans is still considerably high but is comparatively lower on a quarter-on-quarter basis. The higher percentage implies slack in the private sector investments in manufacturing is here to continue,said the chamber.

It said that uncertain economic environment, unfavourable market conditions, competition from imports, delayed clearances, inadequate infrastructure (power) and cost escalation are some of the major constraints which are affecting the expansion plans of the respondents. The survey found that in some sectors, average capacity utilisation has almost remained the same in Q1 2016-17 as was in Q1 2015-16. The electronics and electricals sector, though, recorded a dip in the average capacity utilisation over the same period.

Exports to UK on the rise:

Indian engineering exports to UK defied Brexit fears by jumping 12 per cent in July. The sentiment hit by Britains decision to leave the European Union has not come in the way of Indias engineering exports to UK and other two big markets of Germany and France, as these destinations defied the general declining trend, giving positive growth to the manufacturing and high-tech exports, said Engineering Export Promotion Council of India (EEPC).

Engineering exports to Britain went up by over 12 per cent to $215 million in July, 2016 from $192 million in the same month of the previous year. Shipments to Germany were even better close to $200 million, rising by over 19 per cent year on year from $168 million in July, 2015. Exports to another key market, France were moderately higher by 2.29 per cent, said EEPC. It said that engineering exports to UK are in line with the trend of the Britains economy defying concerns around the June 23 referendum in that country. A quick decision on the change of the PM helped calm the nerves, EEPC chairman T.S. Bhasin said.
Mumbai: Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor and wife Mira Rajput have been blessed with a baby girl on Friday evening at Hinduja hospital in Khar.

Mira was rushed to the hospital on Thursday evening. Though a premature baby, the daughter was born of a normal delivery and weighs 2.8 kg.

Two days back, Shahid had posted an adorable selfie with Mira.

Shahid and Mira, who tied the knot with each other in Delhi on July 7, 2015.

After converting his bachelor pad into a love nest for wife Mira, Shahid Kapoor is now ready for a new change in his life  parenthood. The actor has made some special arrangements for the baby.

According to reports, Shahid has converted one of his many rooms into the babys room and his powder room into a proper shower-cum-toilet. Shahids sea-facing pad in Juhu, originally had a dance studio in the basement, which the actor and his younger brother used to utilize to perfect their grooves, apart from partying with friends.
Rating:

Cast: Jason Statham, Jessica Alba, Tommy Lee Jones, Michelle Yeoh

Director: Dennis Gansel

The Mechanic clarifies something upfront; it is brutal, ruthless and mechanical. The Resurrection is not very different from the 2011 Mechanic in terms of its presentation. It just has a bit of detailing thrown in here and there, but mostly it is the same movie. When you go for a Jason Statham movie you are assured of the action, of his eagle-like presence and his stone-cold attitude towards everything. It has the Statham brand of action and a lot of bad guys who are asking for it. And the best thing about it is the absolute lack of pretence, though it is a failed idea since they are all in the pretence that is the film. There is some introduction to Phonm Penh and Cambodian landscape, its beaches and its music, and they are lovely.

If you are interested in drama, this is a little bit of it, but it might not be very interesting. The story does not build on you and it does not try to keep up an illusion. Its like Arthur Bishop (Statham) had to be brought back, so they went around and looked for the most round-about way to get his attention. Involving Gina (Jessica Alba) in the plot adds less to the story and more to the glam factor. The story does not venture any further into building a relationship or significant affection before she is snatched away from Bishop and in the bargain he has to kill three of the worlds most dangerous and strongly protected individuals.

Obviously, there is no stopping him, for the Bishop is almost like a bullet designed to pierce through metal, and enter the most secured fortress, and he does so with his constant, lustrous and emotionally drained expression. One wonders if there has been a moment of elation in his life and how would Bishop have expressed it then. Even Jessica Alba is not very expressive. The targets that Bishop has to eliminate are all interesting characters, and the incredible thing with the treatment of the film is that there is absolutely no personality or expression from the targets. You dont see them in their personal lives, you simply hear the voice of the contractor describing the most banal details about the target, and Bishop has no interest in hearing their last words.

What it does is that it takes the audience in this world of guilt-free killing. A world of no remorse, no repentance and a world where you can simply go on pulling the trigger while imagining yourself in the armour vest. The troubles of trafficking, of racketeering and child abuse are rampant across the world and perhaps a mainstream film like this would raise a little more concern. Interesting thing to notice are the first two targets who are accused of child trafficking and abuse, and so there is no talking, simply killing. The third target, Tommy Lee Jones is into another kind and a different fate awaits him.

The writer is founder, Lightcube Film Society
Fans of actor Naga Chaitanya, who have been patiently waiting for the release of his film Premam will now have to wait for a little longer. The film that was supposed to release on September 9, will now release during Dasara in October.

However, fans need not be disappointed, as the filmmakers plan to release a video of a song from the film. We are planning to release a song on August 29, on Nagarjuna, Chaitanyas fathers birthday, says producer Naga Vamsi. He also adds that the team plans to host the audio launch on September 20, the birthday of Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Chaitanyas grandfather.

Though he didnt confirm the reason behind postponing the film, Vamsi says that the film is a Dasara gift for the fans. However, sources reveal that the producer was irked with Chaitanyas other film, Sahasam Swasaga Sagipo (SSS), which was also going to release on September 9.

Apparently, Chaitanya spoke to the producer of SSS, Gautham Menon, about the film and then decided to postpone the release date of Premam.

Shruti Haasan, Anupama Parameswaran and Madonna Sebastian play the three female leads opposite Chaitanya in the film. Sources add that Venkatesh and Nagarjuna are playing cameos in the film.
Writer-lyricist Kabilan Vairamuthu, son of noted lyricist, poet, and writer Vairamuthu, is on cloud nine! His third novel Meinigari (Virtual Reality)  one of the first Indian novels about reality television  has received recognition from the National University of Singapore (NUS). It has been included in the contemporary Tamil literature course of the universitys South Asian Studies Programme.

An excited Kabilan tells DC how the idea of penning a book about reality television occured to him I had worked as an executive producer and was part of the core teams of a couple of private channels. I met many people during that time, and drew on those real-life experiences to write this novel. Dr. Vasugi Kailasam, lecturer for the South Asian Studies Programme, is the person who chose the book. She states, I have included Kabilan Vairamuthus Meinigari in my contemporary Tamil literature course as an example of how popular Tamil literature is attentive to the reading patterns of todays attention-deficient youth. Young students, predominantly from diaspora, have enjoyed its cinematic style of storytelling.

Prod Kabilan about the purpose behind including the novel in the curriculum, and he replies, NUS sees the novel highlighting the changing trends in literature. They also found the structure of the 150-page novel about five young people to be interesting. Its meant for youngsters, so students can relate to it as well. For me, I want Meinigari to serve as a media guide or handbook for those who enter TV.

The novel reflects the concept of infotainment. What was his famous fathers reaction? Oh, he was delighted, says Kabilan and recalls an incident his dad told him. Appa once told me that his first poetry collection was Vaigarai Megangal, which he wrote when he was studying at Pachaiyappas College. Inadvertently, another colleges literature department added it to their course without knowing that and later removed it!

On the film front, Kabilan is busy screenwriting and penning lyrics for a slew of flicks including K.V. Anands next project with Vijay Sethupathi, Ajith-Sivas next flick Thala57, Singam III, Indirajith, and Gokuls next movie Mathiyaal Vel.
Islamabad: In an unusual case, over 20 metal pieces, including large nails and hair pins, were surgically removed from the stomach of a mentally unstable woman in Pakistan.

The incident occurred in Peshawars Lady Reading Hospital (LRH) yesterday, where a 22-year-old woman from Kurram tribal district was operated upon.

The 22-year-old woman, a resident of Kurram Agencys Parachinar area, complained of severe pain in her abdomen earlier this week and was rushed to the hospital.

After conducting an examination and reviewing x-rays carefully, doctors reached the conclusion that there were metallic objects in the patients stomach, Dawn reported.

The doctor, who was leading a team of surgeons at LRH, said the team operated for four hours on the patient and removed 22 metallic objects from her stomach, including large nails and hair pins, and pieces of glass.

The woman is in stable condition, the doctor said. He added that the patients case history showed that she suffered from fits and mental illness.

The incident comes just days after a similar case emerged in Amritsar, where doctors operated on a 42-year-old police officer to remove 40 knives that the policeman claimed he used to feel an "urge" to eat. He ate the knives over a period of two months.
The situation for women in India is gradually changing as several women are joining the workforce and more and more importance is being given to education of girls. While there are government initiatives and campaigns by the society for educating women, there are many who are working their way towards a better future.

One of these brave women is Zamarrud Parveen from Delhi, who is driving a cab in Delhi to fund her education at Jamia Millia Islamia University in the city. Parveens father is a daily wage worker who moved to Delhi from a village in UP in search of better opportunities.

The driving came when Parveen wanted to study further and faced a difficult financial situation. Her mother always wanted to drive by herself, and hence encouraged her daughter to learn driving when they got to know of an NGO called Azad Foundation which teaches underprivileged women to drive.

By the time she turned 18, Parveen got her license and started driving for a private company, as she later joined Uber after three years. She told India Today that, Allah has been kind--both my parents have been very supportive. I have three younger siblings that my parents are taking care of, but the support they've provided me with so far has been my backbone.

Parveen is now in her third year of graduating with a BA from Jamia Millia Islamia, and is glad that the line of work gives her enough time to study and also money that can support her livelihood.

She sees herself as a professor at Jamia Millia Islamia in the coming 10 years, as her story will continue to inspire many others to chase their dreams.
Riverside Contracting of Missoula has applied for a permit to open cut 24 acres in Paradise Valley to extract gravel. They also plan to operate a crusher and asphalt plant at this site 3.5 miles south of Emigrant. Such an operation would endanger the economic viability of Paradise Valley, and here is why:

The largest Park County employment sector is food and accommodations. Recreation and tourism account for 22 percent of labor income in Park County. According to the Yellowstone Gateway Business Coalition, Park County experienced $196 million in non-resident tourism revenue in 2014.

In 2015, 760,166 visitors traveled via the Paradise Valley Highway 89 corridor en route to Yellowstone National Park, making use of area restaurants, retailers and lodging. As the only year-round park entry point, and being strategically placed near I-90, Livingston and Paradise Valley experience a high rate of vehicular traffic. Yellowstone National Park had 4.1 million visitors in 2015, and 2016 visits have increased by 5.6 percent, year to date.

According to Public Opinion Strategies: Montana Business Survey, 73 percent of business owners say we can protect land and water and have a strong economy with good jobs. Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research data show that the majority of vacationers are attracted to Montana for mountains and forests, open space, and rivers.

These statistics demonstrate the viability of recreation related business in Paradise Valley. Within a 1.5-mile radius of the proposed gravel pit and asphalt plant site lie five lodging operations. Within 3 miles are two restaurants with outdoor seating. All of these facilities may suffer economically should a noisy, odor producing industrial operation be allowed so near.

Local property values may deflate. Why would anyone want to buy a home within earshot of a gravel pit with a noisy crushing operation?

At risk are not only the aesthetics, health, purity of air and water but also the values of personal homes and viability of businesses. In 2012, the Park County taxable property value was $38 million. Opposite the proposed site, 14 Yellowstone River waterfront parcels are valued at $9.45 million. There could be a substantial reduction in this value, and in the value of business revenues, should the proposed gravel pit and asphalt plant be allowed to operate. The long-term stability and economic viability of the Emigrant area of Paradise Valley is of greater value than the profits to be made by an out-of-town extraction company that will leave the open-cut area exposed for 20 years.
What do you do when your relationship turns into a disaster which eventually leaves you homeless? While most people would be devastated by such a turn of events, one woman made an epic comeback in life by travelling the world by getting her dates to pay for her.

26-year-old Maria Shaw was faced with a similar situation as she had to rely on friends and family for support and accommodation, but that only lasted till she joined dating site Miss Travel in December 2015.

In eight months Maria has been to Dubai, Paris, Marbella and Milan, as her flight and accommodation are paid for by the men she meets through the site and Maria insists that there is no pressure on having sex.

Maria joined Miss Travel hoping that someone would help her travel to Australia since she wanted to start over there after her break-up. She told Mirror, "Tthe men I have met have never had any expectations for a sexual relationship and those that do make it clear that's what they are after in initial messages, I instantly turn them away.

She added, "Recently I flew to Dubai to meet a guy I had previously met up with twice in London, he flew me first class which was an unforgettable experience. I was there for five days but he worked during the day so we just met up for dinner at fancy restaurants at night.

Maria said that while some want a relationship, others just want company, and she is all set to fly to Ibiza in September with a man she met in Paris.
A 4-year-old girl in Odisha was raped alleged by the driver of her school van. (Representational Image)

Bhubaneswar: The Odisha police arrested a man who allegedly raped a four-year-old girl on the school campus in Gangapada area on Thursday. The man has been identified as the driver of the victims school van.

The driver lured away the child to the school toilet on Thursday and raped her there, police on Friday.

The incident came to the light when the girl returned to home and informed her mother about it.

"We have arrested the driver after the girl identified him. A case has been registered at the Mahila Police Station here," commissioner of police Y. B. Khurania told reporters.

The medical examinations of both the victim and the accused have been done, he added.

The matter comes to light even as the state government faces criticism over an incident in which a tribal man had to carry the body of his wife for over 10 km after allegedly being denied a vehicle by the hospital authorities in Kalahandi district.
Reports indicated that many parts of the conversation appear conspicuous. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: Almost after a year of investigation in the controversial Sheena Bora murder case, CBI on Friday produced the call recordings of Indrani Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea in the special court of Mumbai, wherein both Indrani and Peter are trying to convince Rahul that Sheena was alive and well.

Being curious, Rahul, who had been in a relationship with Sheena, made the call recordings while having conversation with Indrani and Peter, after Sheena's disappearance. Rahul is heard questioning Indrani and Peter's version of the story as he asked You expect me to buy this? to his father Peter, in one of the taped conversations.

A set of 20 tapes, which have been exclusively accessed by a leading English news channel, are part of the evidence that has been presented by the CBI in the ongoing investigation into the murder of Sheena Bora. Meanwhile, the CBI clarified that all the taped conversations played in media indicate that there was an attempt to cover up the Sheena Bora murder case.

Excerpts from the phone transcripts:

Peter: More to sayNothing more to saynothing more to you knowhaaadd to this. All I am saying to you

Rahul interrupts (As far as)

Peter: All I am saying to you

Rahul interrupts again (As far as)

Peter again says: All I am saying to you

Rahul (interrupts again): As far as you are concerned what has happened?

Peter: What?

Rahul: As far as you are concerned what is it? Tell me again. Just clarify it

Peter: Nonowhatwhatwhat..wha..whawhat are you saying?

Peter: as far as I am concerned what?

Rahul: Ya what has happenedwhat has happened to Sheena?

Peter: As far as I am concerned what has happened to Sheena is that she has gone on her own accord somewhere and she doesnt want to be in touch with anybody right now.

Rahul: Right

Peter: That is myThat is my understanding

Rahul: Ok

Peter: Whether you thinkWhether you think that this is completely out of character or whateverI..i have no way to believe whether it is out of character or not coz I dont know her as such. I dont know what her character is.

Rahul: I do, her friends do

Peter: So you do. Alight. You do. She has a character from your point of view. Fair enough. You haveahyouryour understanding of the situation. I am telling you my understanding. Right. Whatever the situationwhatever the understanding I have. After thatwhatwhat can I say to you? I have nothing more to add.

Rahul: Hmmmm

Peter: My suggestion to youand it is only a suggestion advice to you guidance...if that is what it isleave it aloneshe will come back when she wants to come backif she hasnt been in touch with anybody and shes gone off and you know wants to bewants to be inwants to be in hidingShe wants to go with somebodymay be she is with somebodymaybe this somebody is an imaginary personI dont know and I dont want to at least. That is her look out. Right. Her choice. Heres the matter.as I said we got bigger fish fryyou got other things to dowait till the time is right and she will either come back to you or she will not come back to you. (A car honks in the background). Thats it nowyouyou can go turning the whole world upside down. Go right finding out who, where, what, this, that. You mightyou might some clues and you might find Sheena. Good. Then what happens after that. You will bethenyou will be satisfied thathaaashe is okay.

Rahul: Yeah

Peter: Right

Rahul: Exactly

Peter: Ok. NowAfter you done your search and you dont find her because she has covered her trails nicely then what happens? You stillyou knowthree weeks latertwo weeks laterone week laterwhatever period of time latereverybody has done all the homework here and still havent been able to find herfor whatever reasonswhere shes gone?...what shes atWhat happens?

Rahul: Then Papa

Peter: Where does itWhere does it lead to?

Rahul: See Indrani was the last person to see her. Okay.

Peter: Indrani was. So she was the last person. So Indrani will say that listen I dropped her outsideaaaaaaAmarsons (Indrani in the background says who is the last person who she contacted) And then who is the last person she contacted after that. (Indrani prompts again saying Rahul). She send you a message

Rahul: Ya

Peter: And then she sentshe sent Indrani a message also. (Indrani prompts again Dead of the night may be) Yes late night on that night. So

Rahul: Tikh heinShe sent. She sent me a message in the morning as well. Actually.

Peter: haa??

Rahul: She sent me a message in the morning and then 45 minutes after that the messages were all very different. (Indrani says something in the background which is not audible)

Rahul: Alright. Anyway

Peter: Sopauses..

Rahul: If something is happening within that 45 minutes timespan

Peter: Right

Rahul: And weve known it. In that morning message she said XX And then basically no more message from her And something happened 45 minutes after that I got a message which is completely different andpausesand a bit weird. So you seeYou see what it isI mean

Peter: SorryI dont knowyouyou coming to Goa or what..(Indrani talks in the background)

Rahul: I dont know

Peter: Ehhh

Rahul: I dont know

Peter: What

Rahul: I dont know yet. I am not sure

Peter: Alright when you are sure decide what you want to do. And you come to Goa, you tell me you want to come herewant to be togethertake it overnightSee youI will do thatCome hereCome and meet everybodyCome and talkthen what you have to say or whatever you want to say youno..no..no..no issues

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: I haveyou know

Rahul: We can keep it here (goes inaudible with Peter trying to talk as well)

Peter: Let everybodywhoever who meet here toowhoever you talk tolet them tell you what their view isdecide what you want to do after that nahYou are a grown manyou can do whatever. Rahul.

Rahul: Ya

Peter: You dont needYou dont need my advice or anybodys advice to do whatever you want to do. So go ahead and do what you have to do nah.

Rahul: Whawhaa..whaa

Peter: Thats what I am saying to youYou want to do that and spend your time doing thatgo ahead

Rahul: Doing what?

Peter: Not a problem. Doing whatever you want to do? Whether you want to come to Goayou dont want to GoaYou want to stay in BombayYou want to stay inyou knowgo to DehradunNext

Rahul: All I want to do is hear from SheenaI said

Rahul: HelloHello (and the phone disconnects)

Peter: Hello

Rahul: Haa

Peter: Hawe gotwe got disconnected.

Rahul: Yeah

Peter: Soyou know(goes inaudible and incoherent)..You want to come to Goacome to GoaCome

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: I am more concerned about that right now. I am not concerned this other thing. Because that will..(Rahul says Whatever) murdering time.

Rahul: Where Sheena is? Sheenas disappearance. And thats the only thing I am concerned about. There is nothing I need to clear myself. There is nothing I need to think about (Peter talks in the background: If she had not send youIf she had not send youExcuse me)

Rahul: (Raises his tone) Papa listen its not just me okay. Its not just meall of her friendsRighther Facebookher internether worktheypeople from her work have come home looking for her saying that she is very conscientious at work. She has never missed a day in three years. She has never missed a day without informing. Now shes been gone for more than two, three days and she hasnt informed anyone. This is why it is out of character. Can you hear what I am saying and take it in.

Peter: I am hearing what you are sayingI am hearing what you are sayingif yourif her work people feel thatthen that is absolutely finelet them go andlet themlet them inform whoever that shes not comeshes not come to work. They come looking for her at her home address which is the right thing for them to do. Right?

Rahul: Yeah. Exactly

Peter: Shes notShes not been active on Facebook or you knowher BBM (Blackberry Messenger)I dont know if she has a Blackberry or not or whateverbut she has not been active on any of those..huhyou know any of those internet thingsthen she has to beyou knoweither it is intentional that she is not doing so and she is just kind offby herself.

Rahul (interrupts): She wasshe wasshe was supposed to collect a Blackberry and a dongle from your ex-head of security. What was his name? (Goes inaudible). After she met Indrani the first time she was saying that she can organise a Blackberry for her. I think she had a couple of messages back and forth from this chap. Whats his name, I cant remember? Sachin or Suhel or something or someone like that. (Indrani is heard saying chuck it)

Rahul: Hello (Phone apparently gets disconnected)

Peter: Hellooo

Rahul: Hihi

Peter: Hi darling

Rahul: Very bad luck

Peter: I know. We are in the (Indrani gets into the conversation makes the talk inaudible)

Peter: There was a bad patchyou knowon the drive back home

Rahul: Oookay

Peter: Thats why it was all bouncing aroundthe signal and everything.

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: What..what Indrani is saying that Sheena had told her that there is this person by the name of her bossby the name of Mr Mukerjee at work

Rahul: Yeahya yaCorrect

Peter: Right. And that she was going to inform him (Rahul goes hmm in the background) of her decision to resign or whatever

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: okay.

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: Now I dont know whether she has done that or not.

Rahul: No she obviously hasnt

Peter: Or whether. Oh she hasnt. But if you can give him a call and ask him if Sheena has (Indrani prompts saying: contacted him) or made any contact or

Rahul (interrupts): PapaPapathey have come to me. Its not me. They have come here looking for her. She obviously hasnt. (Peter in the background says: NonoI know) How can I call him up and ask him suddenly. She hasnt informed her bosscoz they are looking for her.

Peter: Ya. Well that the thing. No for me I am just telling you what Indrani has saidthat this is the guy who she uses the namehe is the person I will be resigning to. This is the person I will be giving my resignation. But obviously shes not done that

Rahul: Thats not something she mentioned to me. She was on boardshe was on the way to getting promotedShes got a placement in Oxford Brookes University in January

Peter (interrupts): Nono no no noI am saying this is what she toldthis is what she told Indrani.

Rahul: Listen. Listen I am telling you what she has told me nowOkayShe was

Peter: What she told you?

Rahul: Ya what she told me. Ill tell you that. Shehmmshe had

Peter (interrupts): Shall I put it on a speaker phone?

Rahul: No no. Why? Where is the need?

Peter: No. Only because then Indrani can hear it also. I dont have to repeat itthe same thing over to Indrani. Right

Rahul: Okay

Peter: About this part of her workyou know related thing. Just wait

Peter (after putting the phone of speaker mode): Hello

Rahul: Hello

Indrani: Hi Rahul. We can hear you. Tell me?

Rahul: Accha. Now what Sheena has told me with regards to all this (Indrani in the background says Yeah) is that she hadshe has got a place in Oxford Brookes Universitybut its not until January. Clear his throat.

Indrani: Correct

Rahul: And she told me that you Indrani had suggested to her to look around elsewhere to look at other different universities also there are better places to go to

Indrani: Ya

Rahul: Ya. And And And her work as far as I know she was doing very very well She was on her way to getting a promotionshe got rate excellent recentlythere is no reason why she would drop herhmm a job and disappear without informing anybodyIts just completely (gets inaudible as Indrani starts talking)

Indrani: Yes She did not inform. Thats what I want to ask. Last time what she had told me Rahul that is what nownowthat is exactly what I was telling Peter. I said if she has not informed anybody at work also then it is a bit concerning. Because what she had told me that I dont know if there is anybody by the name of Mr Mukerjee. Is there anybody by the name of Mr Mukerjee at work?

Rahul: Ya

Indrani: Ya so she saidso I thinkyou should probably check with himI dont knowshe said that I am going to inform him thatyou knowI am not going to be coming in for work or whatever and will let him knowtomorrow I will let him knowso that was what her conversation with me was so beyond that I dont know. So you might want to just check if at all she has informed him, not informed him

Rahul (interrupts even as Indrani goes on): Obviously she hasnt

Indrani: Call then its a bit of ayou knowthenwe can openwhatever we want to dowhether kind of informor let it beor whateverthat we can take a call. Okay. But if she is informed

Rahul (interrupts): We cant inform. Who can we inform on behalf of her? We cannot inform her bosses anything

Indrani (tone get higher): no nonot informno no no noRahulthat is not what I am saying. I want you to check whether she has informed Mr Mukerjee or whatever this persons name iswho her boss iswhether she has contacted himindicated she is coming to worknot coming to workwhateverjust check thatthat is because now we are concernedI am concernedokaythat is why I am asking you checkI dont know who this Mr Mukerjee is

Rahul: Hmmm

Indrani: OkaywhetherI dont knowwhether there is a Mr Mukerjee who exists there. Now you are saying there is a Mr Mukerjee. So if there is a Mr Mukerjeeso you just check no...

Rahul: Ya I meanIthats whatlikeIndrani if she had informed her boss at work then he would surely have not send people looking for her know

Indrani: No nojust check noRahulwhy dont you just check oncetill you have not spoken to him you dont know no(Peter says something in the backgroundinaudible) Who is the person okwas it Mr Mukerjee who came

Rahul: She took one day off..okay

Indrani: Sorryshe took one day off

Rahul: She took one day offand she hasnt returned after that

Indrani: On when

Rahul: Thats what the people from Reliance just told me when they were here

Indrani: Okdid takeso who did she informshe took a day off

Rahul: She took one day off

Indrani: When

Indrani: So when

Rahul: in the past three daysI am not exactly sure which day it wasbut she took one day off and since then she hasnt returned to work, and it has been three or four days now. So obviously they are concerned.

Indrani: So can you find out who this Mr Mukerjee isso that we can also contact and find outif you can find out

Rahul (interrupts): IndraniI am you can do that alsoyou guys know more people than I know. You guys know all of them

Indrani (interrupts): No nobut do you knowdo you know Mr MukerjeeDo you know Mr Mukerjee at allwho is he whateverdo you know

Rahul (Cuts in): Ya I knowya I know of him

Indrani: Then wePeter give him a call and find out that has she informedhas she notinformed whateverwe can do thattohso that it gives all of uswe know that if she has informed himthen we know that she is okayyou know resigned and leftokayotherwise if she has not informed himthat is all I want to know

Rahul: Okay. Well I meanI dont think she has because that what they have come her for

Indrani (interrupts): Okay Rahul

Rahul (continues): To find out where she is

Peter: Rahulwho is thewho is the guy that came

Rahul: Ahh.whenjust now

Peter: Ya

Rahul: III am not awarethey were Reliance people

Peter: Yado they give you a card or did they have something

Rahul: Ya they had their Reliance IdsI dont remember their names

Peter: Ok..so you dont know who they are as in they have not left a name, numbernothing

Rahul: Well Nothey said they will be in touchthey said if we cant locate her I will have to come to the police and we will be in touch. Thats all they said

Peter: Ya they dont have coming to you if she arrives suddenly arrives and you get in touch with heryou dont know who to contact right?

Rahul: If what? If what?

Peter: What I am saying is that she suddenly appears and you have to let the Reliance people know that

Rahul (interrupts): Do you Papado youdo you remember a year agoa year ago or some while ago you asked me a question standing outside Marlow I think it was. You said what would happen, how would you feelwhat would happen if Sheena just disappeared one day? Do you remember?

Peter: Aaaah?

Rahul: You remember asking me that question?

Peter: I probablyI dont remember but ya I could have well have done. Yes

Rahul: Hmmm

Rahul: No surprise. Fine (As Peter continues to speak)

Peter: What if she suddenly disappears in the sense that what if she suddenly decides toyou knowcarry on.

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: Right. My question to you is something different. My question to you is where ishaaahmmmwho isif you have know this Mr Mukerjee or if you have ever spoken to him

Rahul (interrupts): I know. I know

Peter: No. Have you spoken to anybody at the work place? Anybody?

Rahul: Ya it just kind of her home. Arent they?

Peter: Darling I know you are saying thatbut who are they? Who is they? Is there a name so that I can call

Rahul: No. Not really. They gonna do their own investigation and so they probably would have been in touch with you I would have thought, if they cant locate her

Peter: So you dont have the name of the person who came!!

Rahul: NoooI forgot to take the name. I just told you. I am in a bit of state myself with worry and what notso II didnt taketake their namesthey took my numberthey took my nameand they took some other personal details of Sheenas family members and what notand they said they are looking you knowthey will try and locate her and if they cant then will do what they have to dothey will inform the police and then it all goes from there

Peter: Right. Fair enough. I guess we willif they are gonna do that we will be able to find out nahwe will be able to locate her somewhere

Rahul: Ya I hope so. This is what I hope so

Peter: No nothats what I am sayingif the Reliance guys are working on it then thats fineits a good thingif they cant find her or say can find herthen you.(long pause)I meanthe point is you need to know where Sheena is right

Rahul: I dont need to know where is okayI need to know she is okay

Peter: Fair enough. Understand it. She is okay.she isshe is alrightyaa.

Rahul: Yaa

Peter: So if the RelianceI am just trying toyou knowahhhprocess this in my head that if Reliance guys have come because she is not shown up at work then clearly the reading in my head is that she has not resigned from. She has not sent a letter

Rahul: Ya

Peter: She is not yet informed them and she has just not showed up at work. Which means that they have got concerned and they waited another day or two and now they have shown up at her home to say where is Sheena.

Rahul: Ya. Correct. Ya

Peter: Right

Rahul: Correct

Peter: They have not come looking where is Sheena, but they have come looking for herShe has not come to work or whateverNow the thing iswhich indicated that she is not in touch with them

Rahul: Ya

Peter: Right

Rahul: Thats what I am saying to you

Peter: And now if they find that.if now they.now they not met her just nowif theyhaaahaaathen pursue theiryou knowinvestigation and find out where they go look for Sheena

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter (continues): directly by themselves or the polices help or whateverRight..

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: then one they find outin due coursethey will find at least somethingthey will either comeback clueless and say she has disappeared

Rahul: Ya

Peter: Rightwithout traceorthathaaayou know

Rahul: Then do you think you care? Then do you think you worry may be? If thats the case

Peter: If that is the case then of course I will worry where she is

Indrani (chips in): WhateverI want to find out who this Mr Mukerjee isnow that you are telling me that we have to find out no!!

Peter: I can call Reliance and speak to Mr Mukerjee (Indrani is heard in the background saying ya) but I dont have no number nothing. I dont a have her work number.

Rahul: Yaneither do i. I have never spoken to himSoI dont know

Peter: Did these guys leave a work numberbusiness card or something

Rahul: Nothey said. No they didnt. Otherwise I would tell you. They just said that they will get in touch

Indrani (interrupts again): I am looking for anyone at her work place anyone at her work placeyou know

Rahul: I dont have anybodys number. No..

Indrani: Ok. Alright. Anyway let me find outlet me find out because she mentioned this name Mr Mukerjeeshe has got a boss called Mr Mukerjee whom she is going to inform about hisyou know so let me just check out who this Mr Mukerjee is and Peter and myself will chat and you know she is informed him then we know she is fine noif she is not informed him then step gap we can fight what we want to do right

Rahul: We have to we have to find her

Peter: If she has spoken to Mr Mukerjee or informed him thenMr Mukerjeeand we will find out whenif at all she has done when she did..(Indrani says Correct)and when this communication went to these guys who (Indrani says Thats all) who came knocking on the door. Do you have her office phone number. (Indrani prompts)

Rahul: No. No. I dont. I used to talk to her on her mobile no.

Peter: You talk to her on her mobile

Rahul: Yaaa. So its all off now. So I dont have another office number and all

Peter: Hmmm

Rahul: Ya. You know I cant help in that regard. I dont know

Peter: Fine

Rahul: Just you knowWe got to find wherever she is and see that she is safe

Indrani: Somebody has worked with she knows noshe doesnt know..(inaudible)

Rahul: People fromPeople from Reliance came and they said she phoned and she took one day offno they didnt say she phonedthey said she just took one day off and she has returned since thenits been several days and they are very concernedits very out of her characterso then taken personal numbers and details of her family from meand they gonnagonnasort ofstart their own investigation

Peter: Did they say which day she took off?

Rahul: Nooo..Nononoif it wasthey would haveobviouslymust have been the first day she was missing presumably rightthe first day

Peter: No Rahultoday is Saturdayand the first day that she had

Rahul: What night did she have dinner with Indrani?

Peter: What night? Haaawould have been the nighthaawhich night was it? The dinnershe had dinner withthe evening

Indrani: She did not have dinner with me yaar

Rahul: Ok No. No drinkor whatever or jewellery shopping or whateverwhat night was it when she met Indrani?

Peter: 25th Indrani went to Kolkata. So it was the 24th night

Rahul: So then she must have takenshe must haveif she did inform she would have taken the following day presumablyhaving had late night or whatever

Peter: Presumably

Rahul: And then. Since thenshe hasnt been in touch. She works on Saturday as wellhuhso today is a working day for her. So today another day she has been missing.

Peter: Right.

Peter: She would have taken an off on 25th

Rahul: Presumably. I am presuming what would have been the logical thing

Peter: Ya presumably

Indrani: Says something (inaudible)

Peter: No if she has taken one day off and then not

Indrani: Then thats the thing for him to find out know whether she has taken one day off or..(Inaudible)

Peter: Are you hearing this?

Rahul: No quite did not hear what Indrani was saying but

Peter: What Indrani said was that she wouldnt haveif sheifits a big if

Rahul: Ya

Peter: If shes taken 25th off then she would have spoken to somebody either on the 25th morning

Rahul: Ya

Peter: To say thatI am not coming into work today

Rahul: Correct

Peter: Or

Rahul: It would have been too late in the night before to call and inform so she probably would have done it in the morning

Peter: Ya it would have been too late to call a night before so on the following day if she took that day off then she would haveshe would havetaken that day off and she would have called from wherever and she would have called somebody. Now I wouldnt mind to know who that somebody isthat she informedthat she was taking the day off.

Rahul: Ya. Exactly. Me too. Shes got several bosses you knowthe managerthe head of the department and whateverwhoever there isI dont know. Sorry

Peter: Ya

Rahul: I dont know who she would have informed

Peter: So I dont knowI dont know really where to startwho to talk to

Rahul: Hmm

Peter (continues): At Reliance. And which number to callto say look

Rahul: To say

Peter: What?

Rahul: To sayto say what?

Peter: To say that Sheena took a day off, which day she took the day off, when did she call and who did she speak too on that dayto inform them that she is not coming into work that day. Who she spoke to..UnderstandI cannot speak to that person no

Rahul: I dont know. I cant help you on that man

Peter: (inaudible)

Rahul: Can I call you back?

Peter: Ok

Rahul: Hellohello hi

Indrani: Hello, Rahulhihi. Ok listen two things now. I said I should give you a quick update on two things. One is we managed to find out who this Mukherjees name is. Mr Shubodhoy Mukherjee (Sheenas boss at MMOPL).

Rahul: Ya

Indrani: We also managed to get his telephone number. We have contacted him.

Rahul: Okay

Indrani: and what he said...that apparently on 25th Sheena did inform him that she was going to travel, and not coming to work.She did not specify why she needed a days leaveshe said I am travelling on some personal matter, or whatever.so I cannot be coming to work whatever.

Rahul: Okay

Indrani: (as supposedly told by Col. Mukherjee.) No this is something newway of form. So now I (Col. Mukherjee) have got only two concerns. All my office stuff is lying there, datas, and she has not officially resigned That all my concern is that all my office stuff is therewherever she is staying.So I need, you know, an official resignation to take over the payroll and things. Rest of all are your family matters, whatever it is.

But in the meanwhile, because I (Indrani) was also asking him (Col Mukherjee), because now I am getting little bit concerned, because I asked if she has contacted anybody else, and he said that she has not contacted anybody after that. So what I have done, because Papa is sitting here and thinking, what is the best thing to do is at least what we think to find out if she cares to contact She doesnt have to contact us. We need to know where she is. Where ever she is at least find out where she is. That is all. So what we have done is we have in fact talked to Papas friend Bharti, who is head of the Crime Branch.

Rahul: Okay

Indrani: We have called him just now. And he said, to write a missing report because we know quite a bit at this stage. If you are interested to find out location whatever, lets find. You give the mobile details. So we have given mobile details. He even wanted your number, details. Not going to call you or anything, you know. Basically says, you are the last people she has contacted.

Rahul: Ya

Indrani: because from that they can basically get a sense of location.that if she left Bombay. Because from the phone they can get detaileven if she pulled out the sim they will be able to tell.

Rahul: okay

Indrani: We can see now that if she is Bombay then you know you knowshe is in Bombay or wherever you knowwherever she is in she was talking about Nagpur. Sheenas papa told me she told you something else about Nagpur

Rahul: ya

Indrani: Anyways she was not there

Rahul: ya

Indrani: Because I had asked her to come to Goa because I am looking for a property in Goa. I said why dont you come along to Goa with me for this thing. So now the next step is going to Mr Bharti...he is going to get back to us by tomorrow. And I also told Mr Shubodhoy that yet she touches anyone then we will seethen of course his concern is only basically official point of view. Okay But he said I can understandgive me a little bit of background to whatever is I can see this is a personal thing and I dont want to get involved in personal thing I want an official resignation and I want my things back.

Rahul: Okay

Indrani: She is not being in touch with meever since you know late night she sent me a message that was the last thing. You know I have no idea she is really not the kind of be in touch, and I gave the background I said look in fact the boy (referring to Rahul) has called us and you know now we are also beginning to get concerned because why should be someoneyou knownot be touch with no man. In fact in between called up Mekhail also in the morning. So he absolutely did not know. You know.. I did not want to alarm or anything.She has not been in touch with uslast you know whatever

Rahul: ya

Indrani: One month, two month, which is true, I mean that is a fact that she is not been in touch with you know them (referring to Mekhail and grandparents in Guwahati) at all. So there is no way she is going to you know contact them. So that is now even a blame. So anyways let us you know wait to hear what weyou know the baat (the talk) from them. But in the meantime..

Rahul: but if you guys get to find out where she. (I) Did not because she is, you know, no result is found.

Indrani: Exactly, ya exactly what we want to know. That you ok. She is somewhere you know where she is.... Anyways lets see. Do you want to speak to Papa. Quickly one second

Peter: Hi Rahul

Rahul: Hello

Peter: Hi

Rahul: Hi

Peter: Do you hear I will sort this thing.We have spoken to someone on call, even Bharti who is head of Mumbai crime branch, he is a senior police officer. He is known to me very well for long time. We called them and he just asked her number. Then we gave him your number and Sheenas number.

Rahul: Which number did you have given to him. Her number is switched off and new number is

Peter: New number we dont have, we dont have a new number

Rahul: Okay

Peter: So we have given the last number that Indrani had. Indrani had her new number. And we had given the number that was switched off as well.

Rahul: ya ya

Peter: We have given the Idea number so we can track them from last and most recent activity of that phone number and find out where the soul is

Rahul: ya

Peter We can do actually it.. latest technology.

Rahul: ok

Peter: So we are concerned, and you are concerned now.

Rahul: You know why I am concerned

Peter: I do understandno no I do understand But you know I am giving you the understanding that I have at that point in time okay. If my understanding changes I am sharing it with you.

Rahul: Okay

Peter: You know what Im saying. When I said to you listen, I am assured that she is fine, at that point of time I am not lying to you, I am telling you I assure you that she is fine. But when I start to feel uncomfortable the most, you know may be there is more to this them I am sharing that with you too, saying yes, I am little bit more concerned than I was this time yesterday. So I am, thats why I am talking about both, Indrani and me both, right. We have spoken tojust now

Rahul: okay

Peter: I mean I have spoken to Mr Mukherjee. Found his number got in touch with him. Right

Rahul: Okay

Peter: She (Sheena) has spoken to him or contacted him apparently on the 25th

Rahul: Okay Okay

Peter: Right, but after 25th she has not made any further contact

Rahul: Okay

Peter: Right. Secondly in that with her office people she did not specify apparently how many days she just said will she needs to travel for some personal work and she said out of town

Rahul: Ok. You found this out on the 25th ?

Peter: I found this out just now after speaking to Mr Mukherjee

Rahul: When did you speak to Mr Mukherjee

Peter: Indrani spoke to Mr Mukherjee just now after she got his namejust now

Rahul: Okay

Peter: After I spoke to you.After I spoke to you Then she called Mr Mukerjee we found out his mobile number, we got his email Id now, we have spoken to him. Explained to him the background, and he has confirmed that she has spoken to him or she has communicated with him that shes not coming to work on the 25th morning.

Rahul: Okay

Peter: But in that communication it has not been stated that she has not said one day, two days, four days or weekWhatever.. Shes not specified the time.

Rahul: Okay

Peter: UnderstandAnd that is happened just now in the last half an hour

Rahul: Okay

Peter: then in the last half an hour to Mr Mukerjee

Rahul: ya

Peter: Then Mr Bhartiprobably spoke to in the last 10 minutes

Rahul: Ok

Peter: As soon as he disconnected, we called you

Rahul: Okay. Hopefully she will turn up know.

Peter: I dont know if she will turn up or something will turn up with regard to where she is or what her recent activity from her phone is

Rahul: Hmmm. But the phone has been off the whole day since that morningits been off.

Peter: Darling. But I dont know what technology these guys use.

Peter: What information and how the police operates. What level of detail they can access on the phone and it is for them to know nahthey do all these things when they track people who are terrorists and god knows what.

Rahul: Hmmm

Peter: Right

Rahul: Ya

Peter: They know how to track phone lines and phone messagesand find out what is the most recent activity. So I guess let him do his homework now hes gothe has been informedhe is a friendhe is doing it as a friendand he said he is gonna get back to usyou knowin the next day or so.

Rahul: Ok. Cool

Indrani: Hello. Hi Rahul.

Rahul: Hello..hi..hi

Indrani: YaayayahihiIn fact when we spoke to Mr Shubhodoy also just to let you knowbecauseyou knowI meanI saidlookif she contacts me I will immediately kind offbut she is not been in touch with me okthat isbut she if contacts me we will tell her obviously to put in a formal resignation this that...but in the meanwhile I said you know what we might domy husband and myselfyou knowwe will discuss and we will probably put in a missing report or whateveryou knowin case she doesnt contact. So he said you wait for 24 hours because lets chat tomorrow in 24 hours. He said that is your personal matter whatever you all want to do is your personal matter. Wait for 24 hoursif she contacts..

Rahul (interrupts): Wait for another 24 hours, I suppose. I mean how long has it been now Indrani. Its been four days almostwhere there has been no contact with her. So why would we wait for another 24 hours

Indrani: YaYabut we have alreadyI dont want to wait thats why we didnt waiteven we dont have to listen to him know

Rahul: Yaya

Indrani: We didnt wait at allwe immediately contacted. We havent told you we have contacted. I am just sharing this with you. Because what we did is the moment we disconnected, me and Peter chatted on what is it that we do nextyou knowbecause I also thought of the same thing that why should we wait for 24 hours. If it is going to be found out, lets find out and then we are all at peacebecause slowly slowlyboth of usand now I am also beginning to get concerned

Rahul: Ya obviously.

Indrani: I will tell you that very honestlytill now I was not concernedyou knowok till morning I said tikh hein (its ok)I mean she is run awayshe is run awaybut the fact isyou know nowit has been like you said its been four daysat least if someoneI am trying to think off somebody she has contactedanybodyokwho she would have touched base with. I dont know anyI know only two three of her friends you knowyou know Pranoy, Sanjana, Pranamibeyond that I dont know anybodysometimes she mentions work girls and all. Now I have no idea who this Nagpur fellow isall we want to know that if there is anything in Nagpurwhateveris her phone located to Nagpurhas she gone to Nagpuris she in Nagpurthen okay fair enoughthen we let go whateveryou knowthen we take a call. Then we dont have to go aroundyou know but at least till we dont knowI myself didnt want to wait for 24 hours

Rahul: Obviouslyobviously..

Rahul: Its already been sort three four days so would you want to wait for another 24 hours to find out. You are concerned as I am concerned having not heard from her for three four days.

Indrani: Correct

Indrani: Sowe have communicatedand in the meanwhile we have started the processif you suddenly receive a call dont panic. I mean somebody might just call you to ask you know when was the last time she contacted whateverwhatever I meanbecause she lived with you. So they will call youokay. So dont panic. Now we are also getting a bit concerned. So thats the thing.

Rahul: Ya Ya

Indrani: If you have anything you have my number alsoif there is any need we will come down to Mumbaiwhateverdont worrywe have set the ball rollingwe cant go higher than thiswe have informed the head of the crime branchProbably what we basically want to establish isnow for me here the concern is only that I dont know who the hell this guy is from Nagpur. Some guy with a Bentley or whateverI have no clue who he is. Number one. Ok now if

Rahul (interrupts): How manyhow many Indranihow many Bentleys are there in Mumbai

Indrani: listen

Rahul: If this guy is with a Bentleythen probably its a good way of finding out.

Indrani: Ya Yawhich issome guy with some Bentley and she refused to kind off you knowwhich is what the issue wasok at least tell me who it is whatbut she wouldnt sayso I am beginning to find this whole thing a bit dodgy

Rahul: Ya

Indrani: Now I am putting two and two togetherand the only reason she contacted me basically was because she wanted the moneythat is the only reason she contacted me.

Rahul: Okay

Indrani: There was no other reason that she wanted to contact mewhich you knowI mean now itsyou knowitsfalling in place

Rahul: Hmmm

Indrani: Anyway so nowall that I want to know is that she is alright and thats itbeyond that you knowI am not going to kind offyou knowkill myself over this.

Rahul: Hmmmhmmm..hmmm..hmmm. Excellent. As and when you get to know anything, please let me know.

Indrani: Ya ya.. Of course. Of course. I will let you knowandhaaaI think we can wait till this guy reverts back to usand then we will take a call nah..

Rahul: Ok. Ok

The conversations between Rahul, Indrani and Peter went back and forth. Indrani went on to tell Rahul that Sheena had possibly gone of with a guy in Nagpur who owned a Bentley. But then later she went on to say that Sheena had left the country.

Indrani: She is kind of really so smart and would had flown alone on a different name... which is also possible I mean ...One can get into the airport ..it is not very difficult. To get in you can get another visa on e-ticket...

Rahul : As in, what are you trying to say?

Indrani: Okay..Giving you an example if you are booked in the name of Rahul Mukherjee. You can take out an e-ticket in the name of Rahul Mukherjee Even if you change your name and you walk in as Rahul Mukherjea and dont give your ticket of Rahul Mukherjee. That is possible. But it is very unlikely but she has gone to that extent

Rahul: How is that possible?

Indrani : You can change the name or your e-ticket no. That what I am trying to say. If you are booked in under someones name. Under a false name

Rahul: But this just doesnt add up?

Indrani: See. I dont know we have done whatever we could have. Whatever information we have given you. Now if she does not come for some reason best known to her...why you are wasting our time?

You know 50 each time. She genuinely doesnt get in touch... In fact, it is because Papa (Peter) has insisted that to inform you...cannot just leave you ...We are worried about you  the way you just walked out in morning

Rahul: But doesnt she contact me?

Indrani: Rahul see if she wanted to contact you she would have contacted you know, Rahul.

Rahul: That doesnt make sense?

Indrani: Probably because this is my view but I think you are calling up everywhere (unclear)

Indrani: (unclear) She is not going to be dead, may be.. why would you think death would be reason? She caught her life and you somewhere then why would she be dead for no reason? I mean I want think you know.. aisa lagta hai, she said. She informed her (unclear) thats it. But at the right time as and in she is brave she will contact why would she be dead? And people dont take whole of the flash back.

Indrani: If you indeed worry on that account, please dont worry because you know when somebody thinks shes been on a phone call. Shes been talking to people. Shes gone to the airport. She has taken up flight so she clearly talking has been doing on that deal know.
Alauddin, 26, was arrested immediately after he shot dead Feroze on Wednesday. (Representational Image)

New Delhi: A 28-year-old contractor was allegedly shot dead by one of his workers, who was eyeing to his post, in Khajuri Khas area of north east Delhi, police said on Thursday.

Alauddin, 26, was arrested immediately after he shot dead Feroze on Wednesday.

Alauddin worked as a labourer in a showpiece gramophone manufacturing company where Feroze was the contractor, said A K Singla, DCP (north east).

Feroze was rushed to GTB Hospital where he was declared brought dead by the doctors.

"In her statement, Feroze's wife said that her husband had told her that Alauddin was after his job and might kill him," said the officer.

While Feroze's family has alleged that Alauddin had planned the act, the accused claimed that he was teaching Feroze how to use a gun when he accidentally shot him, police said.

A case under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code has been registered at the Khajuri Khas police station and further investigation is underway to determine the motive behind the murder, the officer said.
Pune: A spy camera, six mobile phones and two vials of a muscle relaxant have been found by police from the residences and a poultry farm of Santosh Pol, dubbed as 'Dr Death', who is being probed for his alleged role of murders of at least six persons between 2003 and 2016 in Satara district.

Satara police on Thursday produced Pol before the court of 2nd Judicial Magistrate R K Thorat in Wai, who remanded him in police custody until August 26, while his accomplice Jyoti Mandre was remanded in judicial custody.

Searches have been conducted at Pol's houses in Wai and Dhom, and a poultry farm, also located in Dhom.

Police told the court they had recovered a spy camera pen, six mobiles phones, two vials of muscle relaxant succinylcholine chloride (SUCOL), three syringes, documents relating to Pol's BEMS degree, multiple SIM cards, gold jewellery, ATM cards, a telephone diary and two motorcycles during the searches.



Pol is accused of killing six people, including five women and a man, in 'cold blood' between 2003 and 2016.



Informing the court about the murder of Mangala Jedhe, an anganwadi worker, allegedly by Pol and Mandre, police said the duo had met Jedhe on June 15.



They took her to Mandre's house in Wai and in the wee hours of June 16, they took her to Pol's poultry farm, where she was administered 10 ml of the muscle relaxant, police said.



Police alleged despite knowing that a dose of scolin above 1 or 1.5 ml is dangerous, Pol administered her an overdose of the medication and killed her.



"After killing Jedhe, the duo then buried her body in the backyard of Pol's poultry farm (in Dhom)," police said in their submission before the court.



"Pol, currently arrested in Jedhe murder case, will be produced in court on Friday and once he is remanded in judicial custody in that case, he will be arrested in other murder cases," said Sandip Patil, Superintendent of Police, Satara.



He said police will interrogate Pol to find out if he had any role in the mysterious disappearance of three persons, as claimed by their family members.



The SP said police suspected a "foul play" in 2012 death of a ward boy in a hospital in Wai where Pol was then working.



"In 2012, one Tushar Jadhav, a ward boy working with Ghotawadekar Hospital, Wai, died after he was beaten up by family members of a woman patient who was allegedly molested by him.



"Pol used to work in the same hospital. The cause of Jadhav's death was pulmonary cardiac arrest, which was caused by excessive alcohol consumption. Since family of the deceased had clarified that he never used to consume alcohol, a foul play is suspected," Patil said.
The police probe team received information from the Swaroop Nagar police about a quarrel that took place near wine shop among two groups of motorcyclists on the issue of purchasing of gol gappas. (Representational photo: file)

New Delhi: The Delhi police arrested two men for allegedly thrashing a young mechanic to death over a tiff involving purchasing gol gappas (a popular street snack) from a roadside vendor in northwest Delhis Bhalswa Dairy area earlier this month.

With the help of CCTV footage, the police identified one of the accused, 21-year-old Sunil Kumar, and arrested him from his home in Bhalswa. On his information, his co-accused Lucky (also 21) was arrested from Jahangirpuri area on Thursday, DCP (northwest) Vijay Singh said.

A PCR call was received about a body of a young man lying unconscious at Kachchi Gali, near Singhaniya Glass godown, in Bhalswa on the evening of August 4. A team of police reached the and but the mechanic was shifted to B.J.R.M. Hospital by a PCR van. The youth, however, succumbed to his injuries in the hospital.

The police during its investigation found that the young mechanic had dumped at the spot by two men on a motorcycle. The identity of the victim was, however, not established.

Later, the police probe team received information from the Swaroop Nagar police about a quarrel that took place near wine shop among two groups of motorcyclists on the issue of purchasing of gol gappas, said the senior police officer. The police closely scanned the area near the spot and found an abandoned Bullet motorcycle. Registration number of the motorcycle led them to the house of the deceased, a young motor mechanic called Irfan who lived at Rajiv Nagar in Bhalswa.

The police also procured CCTV footage from near the spot and found footage of the fight between the two groups of young men.

Later, photographs of the suspects were prepared and circulated among the police personnel. The hard work paid off and the probe team received a tip about Sunil Kumar.

This story originally appeared in The Asian Age
Coimbatore: A 22-year-old migrant worker from Bihar was on Friday arrested for allegedly sexually assaulting and murdering an eight-month-old girl in a Tamil Nadu village, police said.

The infant was found dead with bleeding injuries on Thursday evening at Kondekoundanpalayam village, where about 25 families from Bihar stay and work in private textile and coir units.

Police took the accused, identified as Sanjith, into custody on Friday morning while he was waiting for a bus to go to the railway station. He confessed to the crime during interrogation, police said.

Sanjith told the interrogators that he attempted to sexually assault the infant who was lying alone, but when she started crying, he banged her head on the floor that resulted in her death, police said.
Lucknow: A young woman in Subhash Nagar locality in Bareilly district has been caught on CCTV camera trying to strangulate her infant son. The CCTV camera was installed in the house by her husband Deepak Chaturvedi after neighbours informed him that the child was being beaten regularly by his wife, Poonam.

In the CCTV footage, Poonam is seen physically abusing the baby and when he does not stop crying, she even tries to strangulate him. Deepak Chaturvedi told local reporters on Friday that he installed the cameras without informing his wife.

He said, until four years ago, Poonam used to behave normally, but her behaviour changed after their son was born, one and a half years ago. The wife, meanwhile, has lodged a complaint with the police accusing the husband of demanding dowry. She has now gone to her parents house with her son.

Deepak Chaturvedi said he would approach the court with the CCTV footage and seek action against his wife and also fight for the custody of their son.
The court had asked the state government to express its opinion on the PIL.

Mumbai: Maharashtra government on Tuesday informed the Bombay high court that it was in favour of allowing entry to women in the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah. The HC has reserved its judgment on the issue.

The court on February 3 had asked the state government to express its opinion on the PIL challenging the decision of Haji Ali Trust to ban the entry of women in the inner sanctum of the historic dargah.

Appearing before the bench of Justice V.M. Kanade and Justice Revati Mohite Dere, the AG said unless the Dargah Board is able to prove that ban is part of their religious practice with reference to Quran, women should be allowed to enter the inner sanctum of Haji Ali.

The Dargah Board said that the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah houses the grave of a male saint and in Islam it is sin for women to touch a male saint, and hence, women are barred from touching the tomb.

They have also argued that the decision has been taken considering safety of women and to protect women from uncomfortable situations since the dargah is very crowded.

On the other hand, the petitioners lawyer Raju Moray contended that as per Haji Alis website, no one is buried inside the tomb. Hence, it is not a graveyard of a saint.

After hearing the arguments of the parties concerned, the division bench asked all the parties to submit their arguments in writing in two weeks.
Hyderabad: There is good news for fund-starved AP. The Central government will release Rs 3,000 crore for the Polavaram irrigation project.

This became possible through a loan that the Centre has taken from Nabard. The Union finance ministry has asked the state government where to include the amount  in the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management limit of the Centre or the state?

In its reply, the AP finance department said that this amount should be included in the Centres FRBM limit since Polavaram was a National Project. The AP government is seeking 100 per cent funding from the Centre for its completion.

The Union finance ministry has proposed to release this sum of Rs 3,000 crore on a 70:30 ratio. This means that the Centres share is 70 per cent while the states will be be 30 per cent. But Union water resources minister Uma Bharathi has opposed this proposal, instructing the finance ministry to release these funds on a 90:10 ratio, making the Centres share 90 per cent and the state governments share 10 per cent.

The Centre had allotted only Rs 100 crore in the current years budget for the Polavaram Project while the state government had allotted Rs 3,000 crore for it in its budget, under the impression that the Centre would release more funds for the project.

Objecting to the Rs 100 crore grant, the state government asked for sanction of more funds to complete the project in the scheduled period.

The state government had even thought of asking the Centre to allow borrowings for the project. However, it was advised that since it is a national project it is also the Centres responsibility to complete this project. AP wants to complete the project by 2018-end a year ahead of the general elections.
Terry Klein died from a gunshot wound to the head, the Richland County coroner confirmed Friday.

Klein, 63, died on Wednesday at a construction site. Authorities arrested 35-year-old Raymond Hansen and charged him with homicide related to Klein's death.

No official determination was made on the cause of death prior to an autopsy.

Hansen made an initial court appearance Thursday, and bond was set at $2 million. The coroner, Maggie Gist, conducted an autopsy that day.

Hansen was arrested and appeared in court on a citation issued by the Sheriff's Office, which included the homicide charge. Richland County Attorney Mike Weber said this was done in place of full charging documents because the investigation is ongoing.

"We have to give him a charging document of some type," Weber said. "We're still compiling information."

Investigators have not determined a motive for Hansen, who was not an employee at the construction site where the incident took place. As of Thursday, authorities had not recovered a weapon.

Weber said that he expects full charging documents to be filed prior to a preliminary examination hearing scheduled for Sept. 7. If those documents are filed, Hansen will be arraigned in District Court.

That hearing is set for Sept. 14.
New Delhi: A BJP member of the Lok Sabha refused to take the US visa after he was asked to remove his pugree at the US Embassy for security reasons, asserting that his turban was a matter of his "traditional honour" which he cannot remove.

Virendra Singh, a three-time Lok Sabha MP and presently representing Bhadohi (UP), said the US embassy had first interviewed him over farming issues and later invited him to visit to their country.

Singh said he went to the embassy on Wednesday for the purpose of visa and was asked to remove his pugree.

"I cannot do it. I am a farmer and pugree is a matter of honour for me. It is also a matter of the country's honour to me. How can I remove my pugree for the sake of security? I can never do it. It is they (US embassy) who had invited me to visit their country. I refused the visa. I said I am not interested," he said.

He was scheduled to leave for the US today, Singh said. Singh is invariably seen in Parliament in pugree and often speaks on the issues of rural concerns, including farming.

Peeved over the issue, he said he is contemplating taking up the matter with the Ministry of External Affairs.

When asked an MEA spokesperson said the issue was not officially raised with the ministry and, when and if, it is done the matter will be taken up with the US officials.
New Delhi: Reaffirming its support for India's NSG membership bid, Canada on Thursday said the scope of the deal between the two countries for supply of uranium can be further "expanded".

Speaking on a range of issues, Canadian High Commissioner to India Nadir Patel said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is likely to visit the country in the "not so distant future" and that dates are being worked out.

"The date has not yet been set. The challenge is simply scheduling and nothing else. I am working with both the Prime Ministers' offices to try to secure a window. But we are certainly highly anticipating that visit happens in the not so distant future," he said.

Patel said the movement of uranium consignments from Canada to India which began last year is progressing "extremely well".



Asked about its possible expansion, he said, "There are provisions for that to happen." Patel was interacting with a select gathering at the Foreign Correspondents Club here.



Patel emphasized that Canada's "strong support" on India's bid to enter the 48-member Nuclear suppliers Group, resisted by China, was "clear and vocal".



"We have come out vocally. We have made that very clear.



We have advocated for India to join as we feel there's a lot to gain from India joining in terms of global collaboration as well," he said.



Gujarat born Patel said, "There is something different right now" in Indo-Canada ties that had not been experienced in the past.



"There's a transformation happening both in India and Canada. We can coexist with common and shared values and have very significant differences of opinion," he said.



Replying to a query on free trade agreement and Intellectual Property Rights, he said problems on the front of IPR are "workable" and not a stumbling block.



He stressed on the need for speeding up economic reforms by opening up more sectors of Indian economy.



"There are other areas that are creating quite a challenge for us to navigate. We subscribe to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of economic reforms but frankly I don't think there has been much progress in a real policy matter.



Although some sectors have opened up. Much more needs to be done," he said.
New Delhi: Concerned over the sedition case against actress-turned-politician Ramya as also the actions of cow vigilante groups, Congress on Friday squarely blamed the Modi government for an "intolerance wave" in the country.

"Modiji in two years has redefined India's identity as 'Intolerant India'. This intolerance wave is redefining India in the worst possible manner and diminishing India," party spokesman Abhishek Singhvi told reporters here.

Claiming that since 2014 when the Modi government took office, there have been weekly filing of sedition cases, he said that one of the "biggest casualties" because of the government is the freedom of thought, freedom of speech and expression.

"Why is it that you are having attacks on ancient churches in Mangalore, rape of a nun in West Bengal, this whole campaign across the country in the name of the cow", he said in a veiled attack on BJP and the Sangh Parivar.

Noting that the essence of democracy can be found in the quote, "I disagree with you entirely, but will defend till death your right to disagree with me", he lamented that this is something that is beyond the comprehension of those in power now.

A case of sedition has been filed against actress for her remarks that Pakistan is not hell. She is standing by her remarks and has ruled out an apology
Srinagar: "Bhago yahan se" (go away from here) -- a voice suddenly booms from a dark corner of a street in curfew-bound Srinagar as dusk falls. This is the voice of a paramilitary personnel behind a Concertina wire who tries to prevent movement of people on the main road here and is unwilling to listen to anyone even if one is carrying a curfew pass or has some emergency.

Srinagar like any other part of Kashmir is witnessing the longest spell of curfew since July 8 when unrest broke out in the Valley. "This has become a daily routine. To walk just across the chowk, which is only 500 metres away, I have to take a detour of nearly two kilometres through narrow lanes and by-lanes to reach my aunt's place," says Mushtaq Mir, a resident of Rainawari locality in downtown city.

Mir is carrying some medicines for his aunt who has been suffering from age-related ailments. Changing his path, Mir, accompanied by his wife, finally chose another route to reach his destination but not before a group of young boys try to block his way as he was sneaking from by-lanes.

Armed with 'lathis', stones and bottles filled with petrol and kerosene, youngsters will soon inquire every single detail from you and verify everything before letting you go, he said. "The security forces at least give you a chance to retreat while with youngsters that option is also not available and you are allowed to cross only after every detail has been verified," says his wife.

This broadly is the experience of an average Kashmiri in the Valley today who is caught between security forces and agitating youth with no end to this misery in sight.

Many such harrowing experiences of anguished residents were shared on a quick round of the city. "We are not inhuman but we have to act tough as a preventive measure. In case of a medical emergency, we take care and ensure that the patient reaches the hospital," says a middle-rung paramilitary officer deployed at Rainawari chowk, who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

The officer reasoned out that in case his men showed leniency "we will see the crowd swelling within no time resulting in clashes and at times in injuries or death. So what's the harm in taking precautions?"

While life has come to a standstill on the main roads, there is activity in narrow lanes and by-lanes. People are seen busy discussing politics at corner meetings and watching every stranger with suspicion.

In Nowpora, a stranger to the locality was being questioned by a group of youth. The man, whose face had turned red due to 'civil interrogation', was frantically looking for his identity card and hospital papers.

His father was admitted to a private hospital in the adjacent Khayam chowk and he had to rush there because of medical emergency. After proving his identity and the urgency, the bunch of youths, who had virtually seized his scooty for a fun ride, took him to a place from where the deployment of security forces was visible. "I had to hurl stones at the CRPF camp after which I was allowed to go," he said.

"But are there any takers in the state or central government," asks Inam-ul-haq, a resident of Nowhatta area, who believes that very soon his savings will end.

"I don't know what to do thereafter. My business will also not pick up immediately even if the situation starts getting better," Haq, who runs a travel agency, said.
Container of cigarettes seized by the DRI officials here in the city on Thursday. (Photo: DC)

Chennai: Sleuths from the Directorate of Revenue Intelligence, Chennai seized Rs 7 crore worth Indonesian cigarette smuggled into the city via the seaport from Singapore as plywood sheets.

According to a press release from DRI, officials intercepted the container from Singapore at a container freight station in New Manali. The container belonged to Thivya Agencies of Ayanavaram.

Of course, there were plywood sheets. But behind the sheets there were 700 cartons with 70 lakh sticks of Djarum Black cigarettes. These 700 uniformed sized cartons were wrapped in black plastic sheets and stainless steel sheets.

These smuggled cigarette packs have no pictorial warning, which is mandatory in the country, DRI official said. We are trying to locate the importer, added he added.
Prima facie there was nothing wrong in a Muslim man having four wives without divorcing the first wife, the court siad. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday observed that if Islam allowed a man four wives, then the husband can marry a second time even without talaq.

Making this oral observation, Chief Justice T S Thakur -- heading a three-judge Bench -- indicated that prima facie there was nothing wrong in a Muslim man having four wives without divorcing the first wife.

The Bench, which also included Justice A M Kanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said unless and until the constitutionality of the triple talaq, permitted under the Muslim personal law, is struck down by court, a man can divorce his wife by pronouncing the phrase thrice.

The CJI told V K Biju, counsel for petitioner Ishrat Jahan of Howrah, We have seen that you have challenged the constitutionality of the triple talaq. But until it is determined, he (husband) is entitled to have four wives. Even without talaq, he can marry again.

The CJI made the oral observation after Ishrat Jahan had complained that husband Murtuza Ansari married another woman after pronouncing triple talaq to her from Dubai.

When counsel complained that her husband had taken away her four children and that they should be secured as the police had failed to register an FIR, the CJI asked the petitioner to file a habeas corpus petition in the Calcutta High Court.

The Bench, however, issued notice on her petition challenging triple talaq and directed this petition be tagged with similar petitions in which the response of the Centre and the All India Muslim Personal Law Board had already been sought.

Read: Supreme Court issues notice to Centre on plea challenging Triple talaq

In her petition, Jahan had prayed for a direction against the Union of India and others for a declaration that practice of talaq-e-bidat (triple-talaq), nikah halala and polygamy under Muslim personal laws as illegal and unconstitutional.

She sought a further direction to declare the Talaq pronounced by her husband Murtuza Ansari against her as invalid from the outset for being illegal, unconstitutional, and violative of Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the Constitution. She prayed the court to pass further orders to provide a life of dignity to Muslim women.

Contending that the whereabouts of her children were not known, she sought an interim direction to the West Bengal police to find out the whereabouts of her three daughters and a son -- Shaista Khatoon, Kahkasha Khatoon, Bushra Khatoon and Mohammad Zaid Afzal.

She also sought a direction to grant her protection from any attack by her husband or his relatives and to grant maintenance for her and children.

She said this case is a classic example of misusing Sec. 2 of the Muslim personal law (Sheriyat Application Act, 1997), which provide for triple talaq. She said her husband took away the four kids between the ages 7 and 12 after saying talaq, talaq talaq over phone to her and had remarried.

Pointing out that Muslim women suffer in view of this provision, she said this provision -- in so far as it seeks to recognise and validate talaq as a valid form of divorce and the practices of nikah halala and polygamy -- is void and unconstitutional as such practices are not only repugnant to the basic dignity of a woman as an individual but also violative of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15, 21 and 25 of the Constitution.

She pointed out that the Constitution neither grants any absolute protection to the personal law of any community that is arbitrary or unjust, nor exempts personal laws from the jurisdiction of the legislature or the judiciary.
The Delhi police told a court that the three JNU students, Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, cooperated in the sedition case relating to the alleged anti-India slogan-shouting at the university campus in February. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union or JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and two other students did not misuse interim bail conditions, and cooperated with the probe in a sedition case relating to the alleged anti-India slogan-shouting at the university campus in February, Delhi police told a court on Friday.

The Special Cell of Delhi police made the submission in reply to the applications seeking regular bail for the three accused in the case before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh, who reserved the order on the accused's pleas for Saturday.

Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan said the three accused have "cooperated" during the investigation and they have "not misused" their interim bail.

The probe agency also told the court that if granted bail, there must be certain conditions imposed on the accused as the investigation was still going on in the matter.

Kanhaiya, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who are out on interim bail, had moved the court for regular bail.

Kanhaiya's move came after the Delhi High Court on August 17 refused his application for regular bail and asked him to approach the sessions court for the same. He was granted interim bail by the high court on March 2 for six months and it is scheduled to expire on September 1.

While granting interim bail to Khalid and Bhattacharya on March 18, the trial court had observed that the role attributed to Kanhaiya does not appear to be different from the allegations levelled against the other two accused.

The court had granted the relief to the duo on furnishing of a personal bond in the sum of Rs 25,000 with one surety of the like amount, which was complied with by them following which they were ordered to be released till September 19.

It had also directed Umar and Anirban not to leave Delhi without permission during the period of interim bail and make themselves available before the investigating officer as and when required for the probe.

The high court had earlier granted interim conditional bail for six months to Kanhaiya asking him not participate actively or passively in any activity which could be termed anti-national.

Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12 on sedition charges in connection with an event on the campus on February 8 where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Umar and Anirban were arrested later.
Chennai: The Madras high court has said the payment of compensation to families of the deceased involved in manual scavenging is an issue that certainly needs the attention of the State government, as otherwise it would require to pronounce on the same judicially.

A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice R.Mahadevan was passing further interim orders on a PIL from Change India by its director A.Narayanan, which sought a direction to the authorities to prevent manual scavenging and to award compensation to the families of the deceased involved in manual scavenging.

In its order, the court said the Additional advocate-general stated the State government has filed review petition before the Supreme Court, which was likely to be listed shortly.

The petitioner, appearing in person, expressed anguish that in the issue of social justice, the State government has taken such a disruptive approach of denying the benefits to persons who have suffered on account of the practice prevalent of manual scavenging. He has rightly pointed out that the issue was one of compensation to be paid by government and if private parties were responsible, recovery can always be made by State government. He submitted that on the one hand, there were various freebies and on the other hand, due benefits were not being extended to the class which requires such benefits, in the form of compensation, the bench added.

The Bench said, "We can only say, this is an issue which certainly needs the attention of the state government as otherwise, we would be required to pronounce on the same judicially, there being no doubt about the legal position as on date, unless the State government succeeds in its endeavour of review".

The bench said the petitioner also pointed out that as per the latest progress report dated August 16 the state government claims that families of 41 people were still untraced. He rightly pointed out it was the duty of the State government to trace these people and the Home department can always be involved in this process.

The situation ought not to come such a pass where to locate such persons, the petitioner has to file a habeas corpus petition.

"We also make it clear that the impending local body elections should in no manner whatsoever affect the task to be performed in this behalf as that excuse is not acceptable to us", the bench added. Posting the matter for October 7 for further hearing, the judges said

the Additional advocate-general has recently taken over charge and requested for some time to examine this matter and advise

the State government properly.
Hyderabad: Abid Rasool Khan, Chairman of Minorities Commission serving Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, on Friday favoured women desisting themselves from visiting dargahs as they contain graves but was against any ban on their entry.

He said women should maintain decorum and dignity when they visit these shrines.

He was speaking in the context of a significant judgement of the Bombay High Court, which on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai, saying it contravenes the fundamental rights of a person.

Khan maintained that Islam says it is not desirable for women to visit graveyard but stressed that there is no ban as such.

"It's more of religious obligation where something has been told that it should not be done; after that it's the choice of the person to do it and face Allah on the 'day of judgement'", Khan said.

"My point is: women who want to go to dargah and pray, they can pray even from their house also, because Allah listens to every prayer. It's not that it should be done at a particular place," he said.

"But if they still want to go and do it, then its their choice and they should be allowed to do it. We should not stop them from doing," Khan said.

He saw women being allowed to go into the sanctum sanctorum of dargah as also being part of "evolutionary" process, noting that earlier it was desirable that women should not go to mosque to pray.

"But later on, now, women are going to mosques and praying along with men in separate sections, most of the mosques in Hyderabad and Saudi Arabia (among others). So, this is evolution... How mankind changes, evolutionary things".

"Women were earlier only at home and never used to go out, but today they are coming out and want to go to dargah, let them go and pray", he said.

But Khan stressed that when women go to dargah, where pious and revered saint is buried, they should maintain decorum and dignity.
New Delhi: India on Thursday asked Pakistan not to remain in a "denial" mode regarding its support to cross-border terrorism as the war of words between the two countries intensified.

In his latest response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of August 19 for talks, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar once again emphasised on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabad's illegal occupation of PoK and conveyed that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is actually a "prime perpetrator" of terrorism.

The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that India seeks result-oriented talks with Pakistan with an agenda to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence by it, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.

Jaishankar while conveying his readiness to be available to engage any time at mutual convenience on these issues, however, mentioned that justifying terrorism and interference in the internal affairs of India are hardly serious basis for a result-oriented dialogue.

Asked about absence of the Finance Minister from the ongoing SAARC meet, indicating the growing strain in relationship, Swarup said, "Providing support, safe havens and sanctuary to terrorists and making the distinction between good terrorist and bad terrorist has posed enormous risk to peace and stability to our region.

"It is important for Pakistan to realise the reality and not remain in denial on the impact of cross-border terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Sooner Pakistan recognises this central and important fact, the sooner, India-Pakistan relationship can progress."

In the letter, the Foreign Secretary hoped that the government of Pakistan will reconsider its approach and show sincerity towards promoting good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.

"This will also send a larger message to a region which is deeply troubled by the policies that emanate from Pakistan," Jaishankar's letter said.

The Foreign Secretary has also reiterated that basis of further discussions between the two countries are Simla Agreement of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999 and Joint statement of 2004, Swarup added.

On its part, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while briefing the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union countries in Islamabad about the situation in the Valley, "regretted" India's virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir.

At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz "deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed" in Kashmir which has taken a "toll of more than 80 innocent Kashmiris since July 8, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people," the Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.

On the UN's statement on Dawood Ibrahim's address, the spokesperson said this information about the international terrorist is the result of latest updating of records pertaining to him by UN's 1267 Committee monitoring team which periodically updates the record of the global terrorists on its database.

He added that Dawood continues to remain on the designated list as a global terrorist; the 1267 monitoring committee continues to retain his Pakistani passport as a valid document; the UN has also confirmed that he resides in and has properties in Pakistan; and that the UN continues to keep a regular watch on him.

Besides the fact that his Pakistan addresses have been verified, some other record have also been updated as result of info provided by India such as his wife's name, father's name and several of his aliases.

"India continues to maintain that it is incumbent upon Pakistan to extradite this global terrorist to whom they have provided sanctuary for a very long period of time to face justice for his many crimes. We hope Pakistan will heed international opinion on this issue," he added.

Asked whether India will raise the issue of Balochistan at the UNGA or UNHRC, Swarup remained non-committal, saying "India has a strong human rights record at home and we are naturally concerned of gross violations of human rights in the region you have referred to. How this is expressed in our diplomacy is something that you will have to wait and see."
HELENA  A Montana Highway Patrol trooper from Helena pleaded guilty on Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of careless driving after he struck a pedestrian with a patrol vehicle while on duty.

Mike Zufelt, 41, was turning left from Prospect Avenue onto Gibbon Road when he struck a 50-year-old Helena man in the crosswalk around 10 p.m. on Aug. 19, according to police.

The pedestrian had minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to St. Peter's Hospital for treatment, police said.

Helena police investigated and forwarded the report to the city attorney's office for review.

Zufelt was cited Wednesday.

The charge comes from failing to drive in a "careful and prudent manner," according to Montana law, and comes with a fine of up to $100.

"I didn't see the pedestrian, and the pedestrian didn't see me," Zufelt said Thursday. "I'm no different than anyone else. If I deserve a citation, I deserve a citation."

MHP Sgt. Jay Nelson said any time a trooper is involved in a wreck, the case is inspected by a crash-review board. No disciplinary action has been taken.

"It is a tragedy. We're grateful the individual is OK," Nelson added.
New Delhi: As a debate raged over sensitivity of leaked Scorpene data, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Thursday played down the leak, saying it is "not a big worry" as weapon system details were not included, a remark challenged by the publisher who asserted these will be made public on Monday.

However, the Minister while noting that he is speaking on the basis of Navy's briefing to him, said there are "few pockets of concerns" because the ministry is assuming the worst case scenario.

He also made it clear that the leak of documents on Scorpene submarines will not have any impact on any deal being worked out with the French including the Rafale fighter jet contract.

The Defence Minister said that the leaked documents put on the web of 'The Australian' newspaper does not include details of any of the weaponry systems of the Scorpene as has been reported in the media.

Parrikar said that the Navy has assured him that most of the leaked documents are not of concern. "Weapon system agreements are with weapon manufacturers and they are separate agreements. Secondly, all submarines have so far not done the sea trials. Therefore the most important signature (movement of the submarine) does not form part of the documents.

"The most important aspect is that we do our integration through our technical capability," he said.

Hours later, Cameron Stewart, the journalist who broke the story regarding the leak of 22,000 pages of "restricted" data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai under licence from DCNS, said those also have been leaked. "India's defence minister says leaked data on Scorpene Submarines does not include weapons systems. Wrong. We will release weapons docs Monday," he tweeted.

"When I say we will release a leaked document on Scorpene weapons systems, they will of course be redacted by us of sensitive information."

The remarks by the Minister came even as Defence Ministry sources played down the leak saying it does not compromise national security as the documents were old and did not contain details of weapon system.

The minister also said that Scorpene submarine has not even fully completed the sea trials, which is important to understand how it will work under water.

The Indian Navy has taken up Scorpene document leak matter with French Directorate General of Armament. "We are waiting for the report. Basically, what is on the website is not of big concern. We are assuming, on our own, that this has leaked and we are taking all precautions", he told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organised by defence website bharatshakti.in

"What I am given to understand is that there are few pockets of concern assuming that what is claimed to have been leaked has leaked actually.

"We are going by assumption of the worst case scenario. I think there is not big worry because we will be able out put things in right perspective", Parrikar added.

Asked by a journalist whether the Rafale deal would be affected because of the leak, the minister, who was puzzled by the query, shot back questioning whether one can stop using French products just because a leak has happened in another company.

"You stop using all products from France? Obviously, the companies are different, the type of equipment is different and an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there. It is not intentionally leaked," Parrikar said.

While media reports from France have said that the documents were "stolen" by a former DCNS employee, India has not received anything in writing.

More than 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked, ringing alarm bells in the security establishment.

The combat capability of the Scorpene submarines being built at Mazagon dock at a cost of over USD 3.5 billion under licence from French firm went public when the Australian newspaper put the details on the website.

Asked whether the Ministry has got in touch with the newspaper for the set of documents, he said, "Why should I? I am assuming that everything has leaked."

When asked if the DCNS should have informed India about the leak which is said to have happened in 2011, Parrikar said the government will wait for an official reply from the firm. "One aspect is security which is a top priority for us. We have a team in place. They are going into the details assuming that the leak has taken place.

"The second aspect is the contractual obligation and proper information. That we have asked and are waiting for a reply from them. Let the reply come," he said.

Asked how concerned or how alarmed was he, the minister said, "If you ask me, I have always expressed my concern until a solution has been found. But the navy has assured me that most of the concerns, like I told you for example, the arms... we have different contract as far as arms and ammunition are concerned.

"In 2011 and 2014 we have developed our own document, with the help of which we have... whereas there are many modifications which have been done," he said.

Parrikar stressed that India does its own integration. "So all these aspects makes lot of concerns in much lower potential or category. They (navy) have assured me that probably they we will be able to address most of concerns," he said.
New Delhi: The changing demographics of the US does not support the views of the Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump, a former senior US official said even as he termed "restraint" as the leitmotif of President's Obama policy.

Ashley Tellis, a senior advisor to the Ambassador at the US embassy here, said the policies of President Obama has "definitely" helped India.

"The trajectory of India-US relationship is set and has seen a steady progress irrespective of whichever President has come to power in Washington. It is also unlikley to change," he said delivering a lecture on 'America and the World: Obama's Strategic Legacy' organised by Carnegie India.

Tellis, who is believed to have played a crucial role during the Indo-US nuclear cooperation agreement, said New Delhi recognises that the US is important to aid India's rise in power.

He, however, admitted that the US "failed" to gauge the genesis of the ISIS, but once it did, a fair amount of success was achieved in destroying the terror group.

Noting that restraint has been the leitmotif of Obama's grand strategy, Tellis said, the success of American engagement will not come from greater restraint but from assertiveness and any successes arising from Obama's policies are only transitory and not permanent.

He said Obama successfully avoided entry into major wars, not succumb to temptation of military intervention especially in the Middle east and successfully put a "break" on the Iranian nuclear programme.

Tellis, however, added that Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton will be more assertive, if voted to power as she deeply believes that if the US leadership is not forthcoming then even the collective actions or solutions will fail.

"She is more comfortable to use the American power than President Obama," said Tellis, who served on the National Security Council staff as special assistant to the president and senior director for strategic planning and Southwest Asia.

Asked about the impact on the Republican party if Trump loses, he said, if that happens marginally then the party will gravitate to the view held by Trump and if he is defeated resoundingly, then it will have to rethink on its ideology.

"Whatever views are presented by Trump the changing demography of America simply does not support that ideology.

It's after all the arithmetic that will kill the party," Tellis said.

The former senior US official said Obama believes that an exercise of American power does not include "nation building".

He said despite the rise of other powers including India and China, the US will remain the sole superpower and it will remain for sometime and added "assertiveness", which is missing in the Obama's foreign policy will make a return with the change of regime.
The apex court also asked the Centre whether it was possible that the petrol and diesel vending machines could be made adulteration sensitive to stop dispensing adulterated fuel. (Photo: PTI/Representational)

New Delhi: Taking a serious cognisance of highly-adulterated petrol and diesel sold in both rural and urban areas, the Supreme Court on Friday asked the government to specify measures that it would take to stop this practice within six weeks.

The court also asked the Centre whether it was possible that the petrol and diesel vending machines could be made "adulteration sensitive" to stop dispensing adulterated fuel.

The court asked the Solicitor General to file an affidavit on behalf of the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas.

The Supreme Court also ordered inquiry against a sitting Uttar Pradesh MLA Devendra Aggarwal, who allegedly mixed kerosene with petrol.
New Delhi: Facing criticism over its draft surrogacy bill, the government today said it is open to incorporating suggestions but insisted that some of its key provisions, including putting a stop to abandonment of children and exploitation of women, are "non-negotiable".

Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda also dismissed criticism that government was trying to impose moral values on citizens, saying it is about "righteousness" and the technological advancements in this area have to be used in the "right perspective".

"This (bill) is an attempt to stop commercial surrogacy. It has been approved by the Cabinet. It will now go to the Parliamentary Standing Committee. Interactions will take place and suggestions will come to the government. We will take note of them. Then it will go to the Parliament.

"Discussions will take place there. So open to idea is in the sense...this is the direction we have taken. It is our responsibility to save the mothers by stopping exploitation. To take it to its ultimate end, whatever good idea or suggestions will come, we are open to it," Nadda told reporters.

The Union Cabinet recently gave its nod to the introduction of the Surrogacy (Regulation) Bill, 2016 in Parliament, which seeks a complete ban on commercial surrogacy and allowing only legally-wedded Indian couples to opt for children through it.

"Non-negotiable is exploitation of women should not happen, abandonment of children should not take place," Nadda said. The proposed bill also proposes a bar on unmarried couples, single parents, live-in partners and homosexuals from opting for surrogacy.

"It's not a question of imposing moral values, its a question of righteousness. Technological advancement has to be used in the right perspective. "Proven exploitation (of women) has been there, children have been abandoned and there was no regulation. We have tried to come out in that direction," Nadda said when asked whether the government is trying to impose moral values.

On the proposed provision that only "close relatives" of couples will be allowed to be surrogate mothers, Nadda said, "This bill has got the basic framework of what we accept and what we do not. Under this, opting for a family friend does not come. We will deliberate while framing rules, how far we can go (on widening the ambit).

Nadda said approval by the Cabinet is the first stage and the government has shown its intention to see to it that commercial surrogacy does not take place while it has also tried to give alternatives to it so that the needy can take advantage of this scientific advancement.

"Basic objective is commercial surrogacy should stop.

What are the alternatives to that, we have tried to give it.

There should be no exploitation of women and abandonment of children should stop.

"This is the central focus. For this, whatever good suggestions will come, they are okay," he said, adding that the bill is a "progressive" step.

The bill has a provision for a jail term up to ten year and a fine of Rs 10 lakhs for violations, such as abandoning the child and opting for commercial surrogacy.

With the surrogacy bill approved by the Cabinet, officials indicated that the Assisted Reproductive Technology bill (ART) bill may also be soon taken up as it is in the final stages. IVF, sperm and ovum banks may also be included in it, officials said.

On how the IVF clinics will be monitored, Nadda said the bill has the provision of establishing a national surrogacy as well as state board apart from having an appropriate authority which will monitor the compliance of all the provisions and anybody can complain to the board.

Nadda also dismissed criticism that in certain cases physically challenged children are discriminated against when parents opt for another child through surrogacy and said physically challenged children will get all their rights.

Nadda said providing compensation to mothers in case of emergencies is also a good suggestion and the government is open to the idea.

Asked how the government reached the conclusion that the Indian couple have to be married for five years to be eligible to opt for surrogacy, Nadda said 5 years is a "reasonable" time for couples to be settled.

"We have kept a reasonable time for couples, both for them to settle and stabilise. Proven infertility also takes time," he said.

On why single people have not been allowed, the minister said that there have been cases where child has been abused and therefore having a strong family institution is very essential.

On being asked whether the definition of family for the government changes with each bill, he said adoption laws also also need changes and they will be taken up later but the definition of family does not differ.

On the bar on foreigners as well as NRIs and PIOs who hold Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) cards from opting for surrogacy in the proposed bill, officials said there were certain issues highlighted by the External Affairs Ministry like issuance of visa for some countries and disappearance of the person after abandoning the child.
Hyderabad: A special session of Telangana legislature is convened on August 30 to ratify the Constitution Amendment Bill on Goods and Service Tax (GST).

Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao on Friday held a meeting with Legislative Affairs Minister Harish Rao and other senior officials on fixing the date for discussion on the Bill in the Legislative Assembly and Legislative Council.

"The Chief Minister has requested Assembly Speaker Madhusudhana Chary and Council Chairman Swamy Goud to convene both the Houses on August 30 to debate the GST Bill," stated a release issued by the Chief Minister's Office.

The Advocate General will attend the session as a special invitee in order to clear doubts of the members, if any, on the legislation.

Passed by Parliament recently, the GST bill needs to be ratified by at least 15 state legislatures before the President can notify the GST Council which will decide the new tax rate and other issues.

The government has set April 1, 2017 as target date for rolling out GST, considered as the biggest tax reform in the country since Independence.
New Delhi: A Muslim woman, who was divorced by her husband through a phone call from Dubai, has challenged the Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala, leading the Supreme Court to seek response from the Centre on her plea on Friday.

Talaq-e-bidat is a Muslim man divorcing his wife by pronouncing more than one talaq in a single tuhr (the period between two menstruations), or in a tuhr after coitus, or pronouncing an irrevocable instantaneous divorce at one go (unilateral triple-talaq).

Nikah halala refers to the marriage of a woman with another man who subsequently divorces her so that her previous husband can remarry her.

While dealing with the plea of the 26-year-old woman from Kolkata whose husband divorced her by saying talaq thrice over telephone from Dubai, a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, issued notice to Ministry of Minority Affairs and others.

The court tagged the petition, filed through advocate V K Biju, with a bunch of other pleas which are scheduled to come up for hearing on September 6.

Petitioner Ishrat Jahan has sought a declaration from the court that Section 2 of Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 was unconstitutional as it violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (life) and 25 (religion) of the Constitution "in so far as it seeks to recognise and validate talaq-e-bidat (triple talaq) as a valid form of divorce".

"My husband and his relatives are constantly attempting to drive me out of my matrimonial home," Jahan said, adding that her four children were also forcibly taken away from her.

"The petitioner does not have any support as her parents are residing in Bihar. She is surviving with her sister's help. The police are also not making any effort to trace her children," the petition said while seeking urgent directions from the court for her and her children's protection.

On June 29, the apex court had agreed to examine the issue and said that a divorce through 'triple talaq' among the Muslim community was a "very important matter affecting a large section of people", which has to be tested on the "touchstone of the constitutional framework".

The apex court had taken suo motu cognizance of the question whether Muslim women faced gender discrimination in cases of divorce or due to other marriages of their husbands and urged Chief Justice of India to set up a bench to examine the issue.

Subsequently, various other petitions including one by triple talaq victim Shayara Bano were filed challenging the age-old practice of 'triple talaq' among the Muslim community.

All India Muslim Personal Law Board and Jamiat-e-Ulema had defended triple talaq and said it was part of Quran-dictated personal law which was beyond the ambit of judicial scrutiny.
Mumbai: Harshaben Kevadiya is still upset. Two months ago, her sister, Rasilaben Kathiriya, succumbed to kidney-related complications after getting operated at the Powai-based Dr LH Hiranandani Hospital.

According to hospital records accessed by this newspaper, Harshaben donated her kidney to Rasilaben after mandatory medical tests found her fit for the donation. Harshaben on Friday, however, said that she did not donate her organ to Rasilaben and insisted the actual donor is a stranger to her.

The hospital records revealed that the donor, who allegedly used Harshabens identity particulars, including her matriculation certificate, was from Gujarat and donated a kidney to Rasilaben in May for the transplant. Less than a month later, in June, Rasilaben died due to alleged kidney complications.

When shown hospital records related to the transplants donor and the recipient, Harshaben said, This is not my photograph. But the name in the document is mine while it also has my previous address, from where I moved a year ago.

Rasilaben was suffering from renal problems for more than a year. She was receiving treatment at Hiranandani Hospital where she was advised to undergo a transplant, she said.

A document labelled statement by recipient shows that nephrologist Mukesh Shete was the doctor treating Rasilaben for the past three years and he had also allegedly advised her to undergo a kidney transplant, which would prolong and improve her quality of life.

Shete is one of the five Hiranandani doctors who was arrested by the Powai police in its probe into the kidney-transplant scam that was busted at Hiranandani Hospital. Rasilabens transplant has been under the scanner since last week.

When Harshaben was asked if she had met any of the doctors implicated in the kidney scam, she initially denied it, but when shown a picture of Shete, she said, Yes, my husband said the doctor we met was arrested recently for something.

A senior DHS officer revealed that documents related to the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) testing results, which form part of the transplant process, show that the HLA for Harshaben and Rasilaben matched. But, we suspect that the documents are fake or were forged. We are checking them in detail, said the officer.

The documents submitted by the Kevadiyas also reflect the loopholes in the document verification process conducted by the hospital in transplant cases. The declaration of the donor before the surgery shows the address for Harshaben Kevadiya as Flat no 104, A Wing, Ashwin Co-op Housing Society in Rashmi Nagar in Virar (west).

However, when this reporter visited the building, it was found that Harshaben and her husband Bharatbhai had moved out more than a year ago.

The final documents submitted by the Kevadiyas to the hospital mention that Harshaben studied in Mount Mary School in Bandra but when asked where she did her schooling, Harshaben said that she spent her entire childhood in Surat, Gujarat.
Bhopal: In a heart-wrenching incident similar to the one witnessed in Odishas Kalahandi district recently in which a tribal had been forced to trek 12 km on foot carrying body of his deceased wife on his shoulder, a woman in a Madhya Pradesh village had to walk down six km in labour pain through flood water to reach the nearby hospital for delivery.

Sandhya Yadav (28), a resident of Timariha village under Chhattarpur district, literally dragged herself, being supported by two other women, to cover a distance of six km on foot to pick an auto rickshaw to reach the district headquarters hospital at Chhattarpur on Friday, due to non-arrival of the medical ambulance. The woman delivered a baby girl in the hospital.

Interestingly, the MP government has with much fanfare launched a scheme, christened Janani Express, to carry the pregnant women to hospital from their houses in ambulance and back to their houses after delivery, free of cost.

We repeatedly called the officials concerned to send the medical ambulance when Sandhya got labor pain early in the morning. We were forced to make her walk six km to reach the hospital when the ambulance did not show up, Namrata Yadav, kin of Sandhya, told this newspaper.

It is a serious lapse by the driver of the Janani Express. I have ordered a probe into the incident, Chhattarpur district chief medical officer B.K. Gupta said.
Ambulances lined up in front of Gandhi Hospital. Many of the ambulances parked in front of big hospitals are in poor working condition. (Photo: DC)

Hyderabad: While the Odisha incident, wherein a man carried the dead body of his wife for about 10 km, has created a sensation in the country, Telangana too does not have free ambulance services for shifting dead bodies from hospitals to the villages of the deceased.

Taking advantages of the situation of the kin of the deceased, ambulance drivers in the city exploit them, charging anywhere between Rs 5,000 and Rs 15,000, depending on the distance from major hospitals in the city like Osmania General Hospital, Gandhi Hospital, NIMS, Niloufer etc.

Approximate charges for shifting dead bodies from Hyderabad to various places.

Exploitation by ambulance drivers and some staff of mortuaries starts with the completion of post-mortem  from the time of placing a white cloth on the body. The two-and-half meter cloth is sold for Rs 800 to Rs 1,000. Besides, the mortuary staff usually demand Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 for chemicals to prevent the body from decomposing.

Private ambulances operators charge per kilometer, including the return trip, or fixed rates to some localities in districts. Ambulance operators at Gandhi Hospital charge as per the distance.

Mr A. Narender, an ambulance operator at Gandhi Hospital, said they charged Rs 10 per kilometre without a freezer and Rs 12 per kilometre with freezers. We charge for return journey too as we need to return to Hyderabad empty, he said.

At Osmania Hospital, ambulance operators exploit families of deceased persons based on their status  Rs 10,000 and above apart from an additional Rs 2000 for the freezer.

The Health minister had told the media at the Secretariat earlier, while launching the free ambulance service for shifting dead bodies four months ago, that as many as 50 ambulances would be launched soon. But so far there has been no improvement in the Mortuary Ambulance scenario.
LARAMIE, Wyo.  A handful of college students are getting firsthand history lessons at the Wyoming Territorial Prison State Historic Site, which launched a student internship program in the spring.

"Years ago, they had an internship program with previous curators," said Renee Slider, cultural resource specialist. "That was here, and it did well, and then it kind of dwindled. When I started last year that was one of the things that I wanted to do  I wanted to offer internships to the history department, to the American studies department, for students."

While the internships are unpaid, students can receive college credit for their work. The most valuable aspect of the program, Slider said, is being able to impart her knowledge to students interested in museum work  and teaching them there's more to museums than what meets the eye.

"There's a lot of stuff that you do in the background as far as dealing with the public, exhibits, events and the planning and the preparation that goes into that," Slider said.

"A lot of times, what they're learning in school is just out of books, and this is actual, real world experience. And everything that they're learning here is something that they can take back to put on their resume and also use in jobs that they apply for."

This summer, the program has two interns: Curtis Leon, a history student at California State University-San Bernardino, and Lizzy Cardenas, a University of Wyoming history student.

"We help out everywhere around here," Leon said. "So, that was one of the things to get used to, life at the museum, 'cause there's never really a day off for them."

His work includes contributing research to the museum's Living History project in which actors bring convicts' stories to life through live performances.

"I'm doing research on the convicts for an interpretive script, so that people can come in here as volunteers and act as one of the past convicts," Leon said. "So, Living History is so people can come here and see and experience the history, not just read about it on a plaque."

Working at the territorial prison has been the best internship he's had so far, he said.

"I've never been a part of any museum with living history going on, especially in this way," he said. "I've only read about stuff like this. So, coming here and actually experiencing it and being a part of it and learning how to do it  it's all of those mixed up in one."

Cardenas said her role involves creating a social media presence for the site, such as taking SnapChats of different parts of the prison, and she is currently working on a research project involving social media use in museums.

"One museum does Twitter every four hours," she said. "I did not know they put that much work into it."

One of the best parts of working at the territorial prison is the unique layout and flow of the facilities, she said.

"I like I can take as much time as I want," she said. "You can walk through it in 45 minutes, or you can do hours. There's so much to see every time I come here."

The museum plans to hire two University of Wyoming students for the fall semester, Slider said. Those interns will help organize the site archives and continue work on the Living History scripts, including research on events outside Wyoming.

"When the convicts are talking about being here they can reference something going on in history," Slider said.

"So, it helps people that are coming here kind of place it in United States history, in a broader picture."
A Captain rank officer of the army posted in Shillong was sent to jail after he was apprehended carrying 22 bottles of rum in the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani express. (Representational photo: PTI)

Patna: After reports that some of their staff were being arrested in Bihar for violating the states liquor policy, the Army has issued a warning to its present and retired staff from carrying liquor in the state.

According to Indian Express, the Army was forced to issue the direction after many of its service personnel were arrested for violating the prohibition in the state enforced by the Nitish Kumar government despite possessing the relevant authorisation letter.

The warning was issued by the Canteen Services Directorate of the Quartermaster General, in a letter sent to all the command headquarters of the Army, Navy and Air force.

The Nitish Kumar government, on April 5, imposed a total prohibition in the state, making possession and consumption of liquor an offence.

The law has put many in the defence forces in quandary, who have opposed it vigorously.

Though the prohibition does not extend to military cantonments, the only notified cantonment in Bihar is the Danapur cantonment, the leter noted, making other cantonments fall in purview of the law.

A Captain rank officer of the army posted in Shillong was sent to jail after he was apprehended carrying 22 bottles of rum in the Dibrugarh-New Delhi Rajdhani express.

Another jawan was arrested at Hajipur junction in Vaishali after he was found with several bottles of Indian made foreign liquor.

The prohibition law is expected to be more stringent, with a revised version of the law in the Bihar assembly extending the liabilities to entire families and even assets.
It alleged that the present Fadnavis government is betraying the trust of people with the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act. (Photo: PTI)

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Friday said the Maharashtra government's proposed legislation for internal security would be a "jolt to democracy" and, if implemented, the situation in the state would be worse than that during the Emergency.

"If the government, in the name of 'internal security', is trying to impose Emergency in the state, its attempt has to be opposed. This law is worse than the Emergency of 1975 which (former PM) Indira Gandhi imposed," the Sena said in an editorial in its mouthpiece 'Saamana'.

"Those in power today (the BJP) had levelled various allegations against the then government although there were no complaints to prove that the common man faced any hardship," the ruling coalition partner said.

It alleged that the present Fadnavis government is betraying the trust of people with the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act.

"This is an attempt to kill the freedom of people and a jolt to democracy. What has suddenly happened in the state that has threatened internal security. If Emergency has to be imposed, do it in Kashmir, or in Gujarat, where journalists are being killed and atrocities taking place on Dalits."

The Sena claimed that the proposed law gives unprecedented powers to the police to clamp down on persons taking part in marriages or naming ceremony of children.

"Tomorrow if Amitabh Bachchan is being followed by 100 or more fans, or if you see more than a 100 enthusiastic people outside Sena office, will you put them all behind bars?" the Sena asked.

The proposed legislation would be the first such state-level law for internal security which will give unprecedented power to the police department, if implemented. It proposes special security zones where movement of arms, explosives and inflow of unaccounted funds will be prohibited.
Bhopal: The Indian Army rejected a 23-year-old man for having a tattoo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on his chest.

According to a report, Saurabh Bilgaiyan from Madhya Pradeshs Tikamgarh district claimed that so far he has made five attempts to join the Army, but was disqualified each time not because he lacked in any department but because of the tattoo.

Bilgaiyan claimed the recruiting officials rejected him during chest measurement when they saw the tattoo, which reads: Jab tak sooraj chand rahega Shivraj mama aur Modi ka naam rahega.

He got the tattoo in February 2014 as he is impressed by Modi, who was then campaigning for the general elections. He also claims to be a fan of Chouhan.

Bilgaiyan, now, wants to meet both the Prime Minister and the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister to ask the reason behind repeated rejection from the Army.
Citizens hold posters and shout slogans to protest against the killing of civilians, in Srinagar. (Photo: PTI)

New Delhi: An all party Parliamentary delegation is likely to visit Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of September and meet a cross section of people, amidst the ongoing unrest in Kashmir Valley.

Government will consult all political parties before finalising an itinerary for the tour aimed at restoring peace in the Kashmir Valley, which is witnessing violent protests even since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani on July 8.

The move comes after Home Minister Rajnath Singh announced in Srinagar yesterday that he had asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to make preparation for the visit.

Sources said the visit of the all party delegation to Jammu and Kashmir is expected to be discussed when Mehbooba will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi tomorrow.

The facilitation of the all party delegation to the troubled state is considered to be an attempt by the government to bring the political parties on board of the process initiated to bring peace in Jammu and Kashmir.

There has been feeling in the government that unrest continues for too long -- 48 days -- and normalcy needs to be restored as early as possible. The cycle of violence has claimed so far 69 lives.

The Home Minister's two-day visit on August 24-25 to the restive Kashmir for the second time in a month was part of Centre's outreach.

Singh had said that the central government was willing to talk to anyone on the problems faced in Jammu and Kashmir within the ambit of 'Insaniyat, Jamhooriyat and Kashmiriyat' (Kashmir's pluralist ethos, humanity and democracy).
Party leader Mukul Roy claimed that an official of the Election commission communicated the information to him recently. (Photo: PTI/file)

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress will get the status of national party very soon, its vice-president Mukul Roy said on Thrusday .

"Very soon the TMC will get the status of the national party. Recently an official of the Election commission had communicated it to me. Apart from West Bengal, Trinamool Congress has presence in states such as Manipur, Arunachal Pradesh and Tripura," he said.

The Election Commission has recently decided that for a political party to get the status of a national party it has to win two per cent of seats in the Lok Sabha from at least three different states in the latest general election.

Or, it has to poll in a Lok Sabha or Assembly election six per cent of the total valid votes in at least four states, in addition to winning four Lok Sabha seats. Or, it has been recognised as a state party in at least four states.

At present, BJP, Indian National Congress, BSP, NCP, CPI and CPI(M) are the six recognised political parties. Besides, there are 64 recognised state parties in India.

The Election Commission on Monday amended rules whereby it will now review the national and state party status of political parties every 10 years instead of the present five.
The troubled India-Pakistan relationship and the disturbances in the Kashmir Valley following the July 8 killing of Burhan Wani are eliciting some international attention. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon offered his good offices if requested by both sides, to facilitate dialogue in order to achieve a negotiated settlement, in his reply to Pakistani PM Nawaz Sharifs letter condemning human rights violations in the Valley and demanding the plebiscite mandated in UNSC Resolution 47 of 1948. While Pakistan habitually ratchets up its Kashmir ditty as the UN General Assemblys high-level session approaches each September, this year talking to the Pakistanis in Track-2 meetings one senses they perceive an opportunity akin to the one they got in late 1980s when the mishandled elections in Kashmir, combined with the Pakistan-sponsored jihadis victory in Afghanistan, enabled them to destabilise Kashmir. But Pakistan may be making some false assumptions, as it has earlier while launching military misadventures against India. First, unlike in the 1990s, the Line of Control is today properly fenced, making it harder to push huge numbers of jihadis across. Second, Indias economic condition and its international standing is now vastly superior. Third, India is led by a strong PM who draws strength from a muscular Pakistan policy.

From the detritus of diplomacy, missed chances, terror-caused interruptions and sudden bonhomie since Narendra Modi assumed office, a doctrine is emerging. His critics dub it as mindless see-sawing while the government insists there is method in the melee. The governments of Prime Ministers Atal Behari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh had similarity in their basic approaches to Pakistan. For them, dialogue was the sole means to resolve outstanding disputes and enhance confidence-building measures. Both found, however, that whenever the dialogue was resumed, either the Pakistan Army itself (as in Kargil) or its puppets (as in the 2001 attack on the Indian Parliament, the Mumbai train bombings and the 26/11 Mumbai attack) derailed the process of the composite dialogue. After a hiatus, and Pakistan promising to curb India-specific terror syndicates nurtured by its Army, the dialogue was resumed. It was invariably a victory of hope over experience.

Mr Modi, however, is attempting to break that cycle. On assuming power after a high-decibel campaign, he promised to rewrite how India was run, as indeed the war on terror was conducted. When he invited Saarc leaders to his May 2014 swearing-in, a new dawn of regional cooperation arose. But thereafter tactical mistakes were made. If some new red lines are to be introduced, while extending the hand of friendship, they should be laid after quiet diplomacy. Instead, after the Modi-Nawaz meeting of May 2014, it was announced that the two foreign secretaries would meet. It seemed all the ground rules had been agreed upon, but for the government, then just a few hours old, no such preparation was feasible.

Therefore, when the foreign secretary-level talks were called off at the last minute over Pakistan high commissioner Abdul Basit meeting the Hurriyat leaders, it surprised everyone. Earlier governments too had objected to such meetings, but the dissonance was handled without public acrimony. After that, three other inflexion points for a resumed engagement have been the Ufa meeting of the two Prime Ministers in July 2015, the meeting of the national security advisers in December 2015, and Mr Modis completely unexpected halt in Lahore in December 2015, ostensibly for the wedding of Nawaz Sharifs granddaughter.

But Mr Modis Lahore journey was hardly over when a meticulously planned terrorist attack, traceable to Pakistan, was made on the Pathankot airbase in January 2016. The initial Pakistani reaction was, for the first time, of empathy, and not automatic denial. India responded by allowing Pakistans Joint Investigation Team to visit the attack site. This was an unprecedented step in counter-terror collaboration. However, the euphoria soon melted when Pakistan sat over the Indian request, agreed to in advance, for Indias NIA team to visit Pakistan. The death of ailing J&K chief minister Mufti Muhammad Sayeed in January 2016, the drift of the state till his daughter Mehbooba finally took office in April and the death of Burhan Wani in July set the stage for the Valley to explode. The alienation had obviously been building up for some time, perhaps since the 2014 floods. It has taken the Union home minister a month and a half to concede that pellet guns, which have caused so much anger in the Valley, must be withdrawn.

The net result is that positions have hardened all around. India obviously resents advice from overseas about stabilising the Valley. Meanwhile, the gloves came off as Mr Modi, in his Independence Day address, pointed at Pakistans human rights violations and political skulduggery in Gilgit Baltistan, Pakistan-occupied Kashmir and Balochistan. In the process, he also put China on notice that its presence in and economic activity via the disputed parts of Kashmir were questionable. With extremely sensitive elections looming in Punjab and Uttar Pradesh, the latter a must-win for Mr Modi, India-Pakistan relations face turbulent times. But the Modi doctrine is now clear  zero tolerance for terror means zero tolerance; the Hurriyat has no place at the dialogue table as it is a Pakistani puppet, which has never tested its popularity electorally; a more assertive stance on PoK to unsettle Pakistan; and a readiness to confront the Sino-Pak alliance. The question is whether this is again tactical manoeuvring or a real strategic shift. In any case, the priority is to not have red lines over Delhi talking to stakeholders in the Valley, including the Hurriyat. The ultimate riposte to Pakistan would be to win over hearts and minds in Kashmir. Once the people feel the touch of empathy, only then, as Mr Modi has promised, they will get the whiff of freedom.
The business of child surrogacy is a problematic one. Questionable ethics, commercial exploitation, specially of poor Indian women and much more. At the same time, it does help those who cant have children and many families, Indian and from other parts of the world, have used this route to get a child. India has been a leader in commercial surrogacy and fertility tourism, mainly because of the low costs involved, specially for those from Western economies. No reliable data exists but some estimates have put it as a $2.3 billion business. Such a vast commercial enterprise needs government regulation at the very least to protect the rights of all concerned. Instead, the government has gone the whole hog and decided to ban it. The new surrogacy bill will allow only ethical surrogacy to infertile legally married couples and debars singles, foreigners (including PIOs), and NRIs and homosexuals from opting for it. Even live-in partners will not be allowed to go for it. Sushma Swaraj, minister of external affairs, who announced this new proposal, specifically said when asked about homosexuals: It doesnt go with our ethos.

Somewhat gratuitously, she also criticised celebr-ities who have resorted to surrogacy to get a child. So there you have it. This is less about the rights of poor women who lends her womb or the doctors who make money unethically, and more about culture, and worse, morality. Or specifically Bharatiya culture as perceived by Ms Swaraj and her party. In the worldview of the Sangh Parivar, not just gays, but also singles and those who commit the cardinal sin of living together, cannot have the same rights as a married couple. The phrase family values that is so often used by conservative American politicians would fit perfectly. After all, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat constantly lectures the nation about the adarsh Indian parivar  in which the woman is either making babies or chapattis, the head of the family (the male) calls the shots. This governments policy on refugees too is coloured by its cultural philosophy. Hindus from Bangladesh or Pakistan are welcome, but others (i.e. Muslims), even if they are persecuted, (and well may be Indians) are to be sent back.

Those with long memories will recall P.N. Oak, a so-called historian, who used to insist that the Taj Mahal was actually a Hindu temple. In those days he was dismissed as a bit of an eccentric, to put it mildly. But now, in the digital era, a Google search for his name will throw up over 6,40,000 entries, many of them examining his theories in detail. In the current dispensation, he may have been made the head of some research institution. In the same vein, we are now told about ancient Indias prowess in everything from plastic surgery to aviation to missile technology. Much of this is slowly finding its way into textbooks; how can it not, when the highest in the land endorses it. It is, after all, the Indian ethos.

Thus, denying homosexuals the right to have children by surrogacy is simply an extension of denying homosexuality as somehow un-Indian. Gays had a short burst of freedom, when Article 377 was done away with, but now they are back to being criminals. How then can criminals be allowed the rights law-abiding citizens have? No one should be surprised if homosexuals are also debarred from adopting children. What this new Bill is going to do is to push the entire business of surrogacy underground. After all, the strictest laws have not been able to prevent the black market in kidneys. The existing infrastructure and the doctors are not going to fold up their tents and vanish simply because the government bans it.

A couple which wants a child desperately will go to any length to get one. Once again it is the poor who will be exploited and now they will have no recourse to justice, because they would be party to a crime. A law to ensure that medical ethics are not flouted and women are not exploited and cheated is a welcome one, but barring specific groups of people from ever opting for surrogacy to get a child is plainly discriminatory. Even worse is advancing a cultural argument to justify these exceptions. Its high time those in power give up their social prejudices and ensure that all citizens are treated equally.
Welcome signs are now evident of the Centre changing its line on Kashmir in order to begin a conversation with all sections of society in the Valley so calm may be restored. This is a far cry from the governments initial, confused, reaction. Even at the all-party meeting in Delhi just before Independence Day, the Prime Minister Narendra Modis outlook seemed one of pressing for a security-oriented solution. Union home minister Rajnath Singh arrived in Srinagar on Wednesday for the second time in a month in an effort to start a dialogue even with the Hurriyat. He didnt name the separatist outfit specifically, but said through tweets that he was ready to converse with anyone within the parameters of insaniyat, jamuhooriat and Kashmiriyat, the formula first articulated by Atal Behari Vajpayee over a decade ago.

If Pakistan desires to push the envelope further in J&K, no Hurriyat elements are likely to join the conversation with the Centre for the fear of facing reprisals at the hands of Pakistan-directed terrorist elements. But the point will become clear to ordinary Kashmiris  the real constituency the government is trying to address. Mr Singh thus articulated the Vajpayee formulation from Srinagar. Kashmiris understand and appreciate this. A few days earlier, at his meeting with an Opposition delegation from Kashmir led by former CM Omar Abdullah, Mr Modi had spoken only of a dialogue within the framework of the Constitution. It was at that meeting that the Centres changing stance first found articulation; and Mr Singhs second visit to Srinagar seems to indicate that the government is looking for ways to commence a dialogue.

Two noteworthy developments took place before Mr Singhs visit. The Centre, at least for now, has decided to withdraw the CRPF  which along with the J&K police had used pellet guns against protesters, in the process blinding many civilians  from the Valley, and insert the BSF in its place. This is a positive sign. In the past, the BSF has brought order back on the streets without alienating populations. The second significant development was the public statement by Lt. Gen. D.S. Hooda, who commands the Army in the Valley, urging talks with all sections of society. This signalled that the policy was now moving towards de-escalation. He also said that to begin with, the protests after militant Burhan Wanis killing were spontaneous, and that Pakistan got into the act only afterwards. This was the opposite of the Centres stand that Pakistan was responsible from the beginning. The signs are good, but a dialogue takes time to fructify.
US Representative for the Tennessee's 5th congressional district Jim Cooper gives framed copies of the statement to Prof. Ramayya.

Visakhapatnam: Prof. Akunuri V. Ramayya, an alumnus of Andhra University and a nuclear physicist at Vanderbilt University of USA, has discovered a new super-heavy element  Tennessine-117 (Ts-117). Prof. Ramayya and Prof. Joseph Hamilton of the Department of Physics of Vanderbilt University are the main contributors of the discovery of a new addition to the Periodic Table. Ts-117 is named after the Tennessee State in US.

Andhra University Vice-Chancellor, Prof. G. Nageswara Rao, has expressed his happiness and congratulated Prof. Ramayya for the great honour he brought to AU. Prof. Ramayya and his research partners were duly honoured for their novel contribution to Nuclear Science, Prof. Rao said.

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By the time Williams returns to Earth in two weeks to close out his latest half-year trip, he will have logged 534 days off the planet for NASA.

Astronaut Jeffrey Williams has a new record for NASA under his space belt.

The commander of the International Space Station marked a U.S. recording-breaking 521st day in orbit Wednesday, a number accumulated over four flights. That surpasses the 520-day record set by Scott Kelly, whose one-year space station mission ended in March.

By the time Williams returns to Earth in two weeks to close out his latest half-year trip, he will have logged 534 days off the planet for NASA.

His record won't last long. Space station veteran Peggy Whitson will top that after she flies up in November for another six-month stay. She's already at the 377-day mark for total space time, a record for a woman. And even that won't come close to the world record of 879 days held by Russian cosmonaut Gennady Padalka  a total of 2  years.

Kelly, who is now retired from NASA, called Williams from Mission Control in Houston and offered congratulations "on passing me up here."

"It's great to see another record broken," Kelly radioed. "But I do have one question for you. And my question is: You got another 190 days in you?"

Williams replied, "That question's not for me, that's for my wife." He thanked Kelly for accepting the one-year stint "so I didn't have to."

Williams recalled telling his wife, Anna-Marie, and the rest of his family that if he did the one-year flight versus his current six-month assignment that he'd be back six months earlier  in March.

"That never flew with anybody," he confided.

As it is, Williams will be No. 14 on the world's most-time-in-space list, behind 13 Russians, by the time he lands.

Williams, 58, a retired Army colonel, rocketed into orbit in March along with two Russians. They will return via a Russian Soyuz capsule to Kazakhstan on September 7. Williams will conduct one more spacewalk next week before heading home.

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CHEYENNE  Lawmakers are set to review Wyoming's sales tax exemptions next month, with the possibility of some exemptions being eliminated to boost state revenue.

The Wyoming Tribune Eagle reports the Joint Revenue Interim Committee will discuss exemptions designated for economic development and other services not currently covered by the sales tax.

The meetings, scheduled for late September, come as the state is trying to recover from major financial losses related to the declining energy industry.

The Wyoming Department of Revenue has estimated that removing several exemptions will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars each year. The extra funds would be split between state and local governments.

Those opposed to removing exemptions say doing so would negatively affect economic development in Wyoming.
Dominos is set to join the growing list of companies that aspire to make commercial deliveries by drone. Dominos Pizza Enterprise in partnership with Flirtey  a drone delivery company, conducted a demonstration of pizza delivery by drone on Thursday in Auckland, New Zealand.

Domino's Group CEO and Managing Director, Don Meij said in a statement, "These trial deliveries will help provide the insight we need to extend the weight carried by the drone and distance traveled. It is this insight that we hope will lead to being able to consider a drone delivery option for the majority of our orders."

Domino's drone delivery service (image: Domino's)

New Zealands current regulations allow businesses to tap unmanned aircraft for commercial uses, thereby, allow Dominos to invest in such a technology. Moreover, it will let the latter reach more rural customers and urban customers in a much efficient time. This isnt the first time Dominos has experimented with drone delivery. They have carried out similar stunts in the UK and Greece as well.

The service is yet to receive regulatory approval from New Zealands Civil Aviation Authority (CAA). If successful, the company wants to extend the service to six other markets  Australia, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Japan and Germany.

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Recently, photographs of armed policemen ordering a Muslim woman on a beach in the Mediterranean city of Nice, surfaced the internet, inviting widespread criticism.

The incident occurred at the citys Promenade des Anglais beach, wherein, four police officers armed with handguns, batons and pepper spray were seen forcing a woman to remove her burkini as a part of a much-debated, new ban of France. The woman, a 34-year-old mother of two, is thought to have been issued with a fine and warned about the new dress code on the beach.

However, posting images and videos of the bans enforcement is considered unacceptable by Christian Estrosi, president of Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur.

I am denouncing what seems like a manipulation that undermines the local police, and puts the officers at risk. Already, complaints were filed to prosecute those who spread the photographs of our municipal police officers and those uttering threats against them on social networks, he said in a Wednesday statement.

In fact, Socialist Prime Minister, Manuel Valls even defended the ban, saying it represents enslavement of women.

The legal basis for this particular lawsuit still remains unclear. French bylaws setting parameters on what women can wear on the beach do not specify the word burkini in their language. The law only outlines clothing which is not respectful of good morals and of secularism.

The judges in France have upheld the bans and the case has now reached the nations highest administrative court for review. The body has 48 hours to deliver a ruling on the bans.

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Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet. (Photo: AFP)

Johannesburg: South African prosecutors were in court on Friday pushing for a longer sentence for Oscar Pistorius for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, saying his six-year term was "disturbingly inappropriate".

"The sentence of six years is shockingly lenient and disturbingly inappropriate," prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued in court, as the state sought permission to appeal the sentence handed to the athlete last month.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

At his sentencing in July, High Court judge Thokozile Masipa listed mitigating factors for giving him less than half the minimum 15-year term for murder, including the athlete's claim he believed he was shooting an intruder.

"I'm of the view that a long term of imprisonment will not serve justice," Masipa said.

But Nel argued that the six-year sentence was flawed and that it should be appealed.

Judge Masipa must now decide whether or not to allow the prosecution to appeal to the Supreme Court.

She was also the judge who had originally convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter.

But an appeals court upgraded his conviction to murder in December.

Pistorius's defence said it was an "insult" to suggest that the court's sentencing had been flawed and that it was time the case came to a close.

"Enough is enough. What does the state want?" defence lawyer Barry Roux said.

"This process has been exhausted beyond the point of exhaustion," he added, accusing the prosecution of sending Pistorius "like a ping pong ball between courts".

Pistorius, who pleaded not guilty at his trial in 2014, has always denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, saying he was trying to protect her.

The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius -- known as the Blade Runner -- became the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 games.
Washington: Pakistan's continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming US military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabads strategic importance as an ally to Washington, US military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said.

The United States has cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply in recent years, reflecting mounting frustration among a growing number of officials with the nuclear-armed country's support for the Taliban in neighboring Afghanistan.

That frustration has dogged US-Pakistan ties for more than a decade, but has spiked anew as the militant Islamic group has advanced in parts of Afghanistan that US and allied forces once helped to secure, US officials and analysts say.

Read: US expresses concern, asks Pakistan to deny safe havens to terrorists

"We're seeing a very definitive and very sharp reorienting of US policy in South Asia away from Afghanistan-Pakistan and more towards India," said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank.

The long-standing US frustration with Pakistan's refusal to stop supporting the Taliban, especially within the US military and intelligence community, is now overriding President Barack Obama's administration's desire to avoid renewed military involvement in Afghanistan, as well as concerns that China could capitalize on fraying ties between Washington and Islamabad, the US officials said.

Obama announced last month he would keep US troop levels in Afghanistan at 8,400 through the end of his administration, shelving plans to cut the force in half by year end.

American civilian and military aid to Pakistan, once the third-largest recipient of US foreign assistance, is expected to total less than $1 billion in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to US government data. The United States has not appropriated less than $1 billion to Pakistan since at least 2007.

The decrease also comes amid budget constraints and shifting global priorities for the United States, including fighting Islamic State militants, a resurgent Russia and an increasingly assertive China.

In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would seek to bar $430 million in US funding for Islamabad's purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets.

Earlier this month, Secretary of Defense Ash Carter refused to authorize $300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan, citing the limited gains the country has made fighting the militant Haqqani network, which is based in the country's tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The approval of such funding has been mostly routine in the past.

Limits of Cooperation

The US Congress has yet to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year. The Pentagon is due to authorize $350 million in military aid for the next fiscal year, and is unlikely to approve it under the Obama administration, a US defense official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. "Congress is no longer willing to fund a state that supports the Afghan Taliban, which is killing American soldiers," said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert and former CIA officer who headed Obama's first Afghanistan policy review. In a stark illustration of the limits of USPakistan cooperation, the United States killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistans remote Baluchistan region in May, without informing Pakistan.

Some US officials still warn of the dangers of allowing relations with Pakistan to deteriorate. In a July 26 opinion piece in the Financial Times, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that "the strategic imperative for improved relations between the U.S. and Pakistan is clear - for the safety of American troops and the success of their mission in Afghanistan, for the stability of the region and for the national security of both Pakistan and the US " A senior Pakistani defense official said the United States will continue to need Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. Authorities in Islamabad have long rejected accusations that Pakistan has provided support and sanctuary to militants operating in Afghanistan.

We have lost over a hundred billion dollars in fighting terrorism, which is more than anything they have given us," said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In any event, the official said, Pakistan can turn to other sources of aid, including China. Last year the two countries launched a plan for energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan worth $46 billion.

Nevertheless, the US tilt toward India, Pakistan's arch-foe, is likely to continue.

US defense companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co. are entering the Indian market, and the country has become the world's second-largest arms buyer after Saudi Arabia, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Earlier this year, India and the United States agreed in principle to share military logistics, as both sides seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China.
Manchester: Hillary Clinton said Thursday that Donald Trump has unleashed the "radical fringe" within the Republican Party, including anti-Semites and white supremacists, dubbing the billionaire businessman's campaign as one that will "make America hate again."

Trump rejected Clinton's allegations, defending his hard-line approach to immigration while trying to make the case to minority voters that Democrats have abandoned them.

The ping-pong accusations come as the two candidates vie for minorities and any undecided voters with less than three months until Election Day. Weeks before the first early voting, Trump faces the urgent task of revamping his image to win over those skeptical of his candidacy.

In a tweet shortly after Clinton wrapped up her speech in the swing state of Nevada, Trump said she "is pandering to the worst instincts in our society. She should be ashamed of herself!"

Clinton is eager to capitalize on Trump's slipping poll numbers, particularly among moderate Republican women turned off by his controversial campaign. "Don't be fooled" by Trumps efforts to rebrand, she told voters at a speech in Reno, saying the country faced a "moment of reckoning."

"He's taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of America's two major political parties," she said.

Trump tried to get ahead of the Democratic nominee, addressing a crowd in Manchester, New Hampshire just minutes before Clinton.

"Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support this campaign, of being racists," Trump predicted.

"To Hillary Clinton, and to her donors and advisers, pushing her to spread her smears and her lies about decent people, I have three words," he said. "I want you to hear these words, and remember these words: Shame on you."

Trump tried to turn the tables on Clinton, suggesting she was trying to distract from questions swirling around donations to The Clinton Foundation and her use of her private email servers.

"She lies, she smears, she paints decent Americans as racists," said Trump, who then defended some of the core - and to some people, divisive - ideas of his candidacy.

Clinton did not address any of the accusations about her family foundation in her remarks. Instead, she offered a strident denouncement of Trump's campaign, charging him with fostering hate and pushing discriminatory policies, like his proposed temporary ban on Muslims entering the United States.

Her speech focused on the so-called alt-right movement, which is often associated with efforts on the far right to preserve "white identity," oppose multiculturalism and defend "Western values." Discussions about the alt-right movement became the subject of a Twitter war Thursday, with people on both sides of the debate tweeting under the hashtag #altrightmeans.

"#altrightmeans we don't want to kill you we just want you to go away," tweeted one person.

"#altrightmeans white supremacy. That's all Alt Right is. Another code word for white supremacy. Nothing more nothing less," another tweet said.

Clinton's campaign also released an online video that compiles footage of prominent white supremacist leaders praising Trump, who has been criticized for failing to immediately denounce the support he's garnered from white nationalists and supremacists, including former Ku Klux Klan Grand Wizard David Duke.

Trump, who also met Thursday in New York with members of a new Republican Party initiative meant to train young - and largely minority - volunteers, has been working to win over blacks and Latinos in light of his past inflammatory comments and has been claiming that the Democrats have taken minority voters' support for granted.

At rallies over the past week, the Republican presidential nominee cast Democratic policies as harmful to communities of color, and in Mississippi on Wednesday he went so far as to label Clinton "a bigot."

"They've been very disrespectful, as far as I'm concerned, to the African-American population in this country," Trump said.

Many black leaders and voters have dismissed Trump's message - delivered to predominantly white rally audiences - as condescending and intended more to reassure undecided white voters that he's not racist, than to actually help minority communities.

Cornell William Brooks, president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, told C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" Thursday that Trump has not reached out to the organization for any reason. He added that Trump refused the group's invitation to speak at its convention.

"We're going to make it clear: You don't get to the White House unless you travel through the doors of the NAACP," Brooks said. "More importantly, you don't get to the White House without addressing the nation's civil rights agenda."

Before the meeting in New York, several protesters unfurled a banner over a railing in the lobby of Trump Tower that read, "Trump = Always Racist." They were quickly escorted out by security as they railed against Trump for "trying to pander to black and Latino leaders." "Nothing will change," they yelled.
When they come back in, if they come back in, then they can start paying taxes," he said. (Photo; AP)

Washington: Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Friday ruled out a pathway to legal status for illegal immigrants and said if elected to the White House he would authorise law enforcement agencies for deportation of those illegal immigrants who have committed crime.

There are an estimated 11 million illegal immigrants in the US, of which several hundred thousands are of Indian origin.

"We are going stop illegal immigration pouring into our country. My first day in office, I am going to notify law enforcement authorities that all of the bad dudes, and we have a lot of them that are here illegally, that are the heads of gangs and drug cartels and all sorts of people... They're out," Trump said.

"There is no path to legalisation, unless people leave the country. When they come back in, if they come back in, then they can start paying taxes," he said.

Trump said using the existing laws of the country Obama has deported a large number of illegal immigrants. "You have a lot of people being deported. We're going to do that vigorously. We're going to go with the laws that are existing, but we're going to have a very strong border and we're not going to have people pouring back in," he said.

The Republican presidential nominee remained non-committal on deportation of all the 11 illegal immigrants even those who have not committed any crime.

"We're going to see what happens once we strengthen up our border... But there is a very good chance the answer could be yes, we're going to see what happens," he said.

"We're going to have a tremendous wall. We're going to have a wall that Mexico pays for, which will be very easy, because they are making a fortune with us, the wall is peanuts compared to the money that they make," he said.

The Hillary Campaign was quick to slam Trump for his remarks on illegal immigration.

"Confirming what we've seen from the start of his campaign: Donald Trump will be Donald Trump. No one can change his hateful rhetoric or dangerous policies to send a

deportation force into American communities, rescind DACA and DAPA, end birthright citizenship, and even ban remittances to families in Mexico in order to help build his giant wall.

He may try to disguise his plans by throwing in words like 'humane' or 'fair' but the reality remains that Trump's agenda echoes the extreme right's will - one that is fuelling a dangerous movement of hatred across the country," she said.

"Enough is enough. Donald Trump must stop playing games with the lives of law-abiding immigrant families in order to save his campaign. These are families who contribute to the greatness of our country and that need a President who will fight to keep them together - not someone who will denigrate them and tear them apart," Palmieri said.

Meanwhile, Trump defended calling Clinton a bigot saying her policies are "extremely bad" for African-Americans.

"She is a bigot because you look at what's happening to the inner cities, you look at what's happening to African-Americans and Hispanics in this country where she talks all of the time," Trump said.

"Because she's selling them down the tubes. Because she's not doing anything for those communities. She talks a good game but she doesn't do anything," he said.

"Her policies are bigoted. Her policies are bigoted because she knows they're not going to work," Trump said.
Medical report of the victim's body suggested that she had been given a dose of methamphetamine in order to calm her down as the couple could have sex with her. (Photo: YouTube Screengrab)

New Mexico: Police in the US state of New Mexico found a schoolgirl's dismembered body in a burning bathtub after she was allegedly drugged, raped, chopped up and set on fire on her 10th birthday by her family.

According to a report in the Mirror, the victim identified as Victoria Martens, was first injected with methamphetamine and then sexually assaulted before being strangled and stabbed.

Police said that they discovered Victoria's burnt and dismembered corpse in a bathtub after they got a call from an unidentified person informing them about smoke rising from Arroyo Villas Apartment Complex's bathroom. When the body was found, it was partially wrapped up in a blanket, they added.

Investigators said that this incident was 'the most gruesome act of evil' they had ever witnessed.

Following the incident, police arrested the victim's mother, her boyfriend and his cousin. Police said when they entered the house, they came across horrifying scenes. The victim's dismembered body lay in the bathtub and blood stains all over the place. Parts of her body were wrapped up in plastic bags and hidden in the laundry hamper, added police.

Medical report of the victim's body suggested that she had been given a dose of methamphetamine to calm her down as the couple could have sex with her.

Investigators believe that the boyfriend of victim's mother raped her while his cousin covered her mouth and pinned her down to the floor as he watched the horrific abuse.

Police chief Gordon Eden said that the incident was a complete disregard of human life and the worst betrayal by a mother. The accused have been arrested and are held on a bond of $1 million cash.
The most dramatic moment in Wednesday's three events occurred when an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boat maneuvered around two US patrol ships, the USS Squall and USS Tempest. (Photo: AP)

Washington: Iranian ships harassed US naval vessels in three recent incidents, including one that prompted an American ship to fire warning shots, a US official said.

The incidents all occurred in the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, a day after another encounter in which a group of Iranian naval vessels with their weapons uncovered sped close to two US Navy guided-missile destroyers.

The most dramatic moment in Wednesday's three events occurred when an Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps boat maneuvered around two US patrol ships, the USS Squall and USS Tempest.

Despite multiple warnings via radio and loudspeaker, the Iranian boat approached head on, coming within 200 yards (metres) of one of the vessels, US Navy Fifth Fleet spokesman Commander Bill Urban said.

"This situation presented a drastically increased risk of collision," he said.

"Ultimately, Squall resorted to firing three warning shots from their 50-caliber gun, which caused the Iranian vessel to turn away."

In an incident earlier in the day, three Iranian vessels crossed the bow of the Tempest within 600 yards on three separate occasions - creating a possible collision hazard, Urban said.

The third incident involved the guided missile destroyer USS Stout. Urban said one of the Iranian boats from an earlier encounter conducted an "unsafe intercept" by crossing the Stout's bow at close range.

All three encounters Wednesday occurred in international waters in the northern Persian Gulf, Urban said.

On Tuesday, four Iranian warships sped close to two US Navy guided-missile destroyers with their weapons uncovered in the Strait of Hormuz in an "unsafe and unprofessional" encounter, according to the Pentagon.

The USS Nitze shot warning flares, sounded its whistles and attempted unsuccessfully to communicate with the Iranian boats, officials said.

The Nitze was accompanied on its mission by the USS Mason, another destroyer.

When asked about the Tuesday incident, Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said his country's "naval units have the duty of safeguarding the country's security in the sea and the Persian Gulf."

A defence official said that ships from the US and Iranian navies had interacted more than 300 times in 2015 and more than 250 times the first half of this year.

Ten per cent of those encounters were deemed unsafe and unprofessional, the official said. In January, the Iranian navy briefly captured the crews of two US patrol boats that had, through a series of blunders, strayed into Iranian territorial waters.

The 10 American sailors were released within 24 hours.
"There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission," said Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research. (Photo: Pixabay)

Miami: All donated blood should undergo tests for the Zika virus, which can cause birth defects, US regulators said Friday, amid a mounting outbreak of the mosquito-borne virus in the United States.

"There is still much uncertainty regarding the nature and extent of Zika virus transmission," said Peter Marks, director of the Food and Drug Administration's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research.

"At this time, the recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion."
Days after his election win, Duterte also offered security officials bounties for the bodies of drug dealers. (Photo: Pixabay)

Manila: The Philippines' police chief has called on drug users to kill traffickers and burn their homes, escalating President Rodrigo Duterte's deeply controversial crime war that has claimed 2,000 lives.

"Why don't you give them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire to register your anger," Ronald dela Rosa said in a speech aired on television Friday.

"They're all enjoying your money, money that destroyed your brain. You know who the drug lords are. Would you like to kill them? Go ahead. Killing them is allowed because you are the victim."

Dela Rosa was speaking Thursday to several hundred drug users who had surrendered in the central Philippines.

Dela Rosa's comments followed Duterte's own controversial directives that have sparked criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups.

Duterte, 71, won May elections in a landslide on a vow to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals in an unprecedented blitz that would eliminate illegal drugs in six months.

He promised on the campaign trial that 100,000 people would be killed and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that fish would grow fat from feeding on them.

Days after his election win, Duterte also offered security officials bounties for the bodies of drug dealers.

And when he took office on June 30, Duterte told a crowd in Manila: "If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful."

The UN special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, said such directives "amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law".

However Dela Rosa and Duterte have insisted they are working within the law and their aides have dismissed some of their comments as merely "hyperbole" meant to scare drug traffickers.

'Sad, mad and sorry'

After a barrage of bad headlines, Dela Rosa on Friday apologised for his remarks the previous day and described them as due to an "emotional outburst".

"Yesterday, I said that because I felt so bad. I was in front of those poor people, pushers and users, they looked like zombies. I was so mad, that's why I said that," he told reporters.

"I'm sorry if I said something unpleasant. Many people are reacting. I am very sorry. I am just a human being who gets mad."

When asked earlier Friday if Duterte supported Dela Rosa's call to murder and commit arson, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella denied that was the police chief's intent.

"There is no such call. It's a passionate statement," Abella said, without elaborating.

Dela Rosa told a Senate inquiry this week that the confirmed number of people to have died in the drug war was 1,946.

He said police had shot dead 756 suspects in self-defence.

He said there were another 1,190 killings under investigation, but they were likely due to drug gangs murdering people who could implicate each other. He also emphasised the crime war had so far been a success.

"I admit many are dying but our campaign, now, we have the momentum," he told the Senate.

Many Filipinos continue to support Duterte, accepting his argument that drastic measures are needed to stop the Philippines becoming a "narco state".

Child deaths

But criticism has continued to mount, with fears that security forces and hired assassins are roaming out-of-control and killing anyone suspected of being involved in drugs or for other reasons.

The US government on Monday expressed its concern about "reports of extrajudicial killings".

Local media have also reported a growing number of children who have been killed in the crossfire.

Human Rights Watch released a statement condemning the death of a five-year-old girl who was shot this week when unknown gunmen reportedly entered her home and tried to kill her grandfather, an alleged drug user, who was wounded.

"Duterte's aggressive rhetoric advocating violent, extrajudicial solutions to crime in the Philippines has found willing takers," the US-based group's Asia deputy director, Phelim Kine, said in a statement.
As part of its effort to promote tourism on tribal lands, members of the newly formed North Dakota Native Tourism Alliance toured tourist amenities on each of the reservations.

The tour featured presentations by the Spirit Lake Nation, Standing Rock Sioux Tribe, Three Affiliated-Mandan, Hidatsa & Arikara Tribe, Turtle Mountain Tribe and the Sisseston-Wapheton Tribe. Native Tourism Alliance Chairman Les Thomas said the purpose of the tour was to familiarize alliance members with each others' offerings and aid in the development of a statewide tribal lands tour for visitors.

Starting on the North Dakota side of the Standing Rock Reservation, for example, there is the Marina at Prairie Knights Resort with picnic areas, RV parking, a nature trail and a 3-mile mountain biking trail. Prairie Knights has lodging, dining and authentic Native American crafts.

Traveling south to Fort Yates, named for Capt. George Yates who later died at the Battle of the Little Big Horn, the fort's original stockade remains intact. In the Fort Yates cemetery, there is a monument for the Indian Police who were killed attempting to arrest the Lakota leader Sitting Bull. On the west side of Fort Yates is the Standing Rock Monument, which, according to legend, is the petrifaction of the Arikara wife of a Dakota man with her child on her back.

Two miles south of Fort Yates is Four Mile Creek, where Lewis & Clark camped on Oct. 14, 1804. There are also opportunities for visitors to take a wagon or saddle up horseback for a ride along the Cannonball River 30 miles west of Fort Yates as cowboys offer historical facts about the relationships between the Native Americans and settlers.

The South Dakota side of the reservation boasts the birthplace and burial site of Sitting Bull, as well as the resting place of Sakakawea, the Shoshone guide of Lewis and Clark.

The Sakakawea and Sitting Bull Monuments are located about a mile north of the Indian Memorial Area, which houses the Jedediah Smith Historical Monument describing the life and accomplishments of its famous explorer namesake. Theres also a camping area and cabins, a playground and a marina.

Four miles southeast is the Grand River Casino and Resort, complete with. lodging, dining and authentic Native American crafts.

In Kenel, S.D., is the newly reproduced Fort Manuel replicating the log outpost, constructed in 1811 by fur trader Manuel Lisa.

The Standing Rock Native American Scenic Byway, which winds through the whole reservation, is dotted with memorial markers, monuments, museums and sacred sites showing history from the Native American point of view.

Tour participant, alliance member and MHA Nation Tourism Department Official Jason Morsettet said they arrived on the Fort Berthold Reservations to the sounds of the drums and the bells of dancers. A trip on a yacht set sail out of the 4 Bears Casino & Lodge Marina and visitors viewed an earth lodge.

The Three Affiliated Tribes  the Mandan, Hidatsa and Arikara or Sahnish  which populate Fort Berthold, believe their presence in North America is from the beginning of time. Sahnish means the original people from whom all other tribes sprang.

Thomas said the Alliances hopes are to be able to attract the world traveler by working together to create a statewide experience, complete with hands-on, year-round activities. Before setting off on the tour, the Alliance members met with state tourism officials to share their action plan for promoting the amenities of each reservation and educating the public about the tribes.

Theres a whole big history here, Thomas said. Each (tribe) is different with its own language and culture.

For example, the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa have a subculture which came from French fur traders mixing with the tribe. The Metis are known for their fiddle and guitar playing and style of dance called jigging, which was demonstrated during the Alliance tour.

"I feel there is an untapped market that Indian Country is finally getting into," Tribal Chairman Richard McLoud said of the Alliance.

Right now, were getting off the ground, developing our partnerships, Thomas added, and by partnering with state tourism, the tribes will be able to get their message out to all of the international markets targeted by the state.

The next step is website development for each of the tribes and creation of a tourism department on reservations that dont have one, according to Thomas, so potential visitors have a place to go to help plan their trips. The tribes also want to have a larger presence in the states tourism guide, as well as developing brochures.

Thomas said many of the tribes have had to put other priorities ahead of tourism, but bringing in tourism as an industry on the reservation, dollars can be generated to preserve tribal heritage.

For example, the Sisseton Wahpeton Oyate Tribal Archives is home to a large collection of fine art by Native American artists, such as Paul War Cloud and Tino Walking Bull. There are also moccasins and other clothing items, such as a dent allium shell cape dated at 1880, as well as stone tools and numerous other items.

The tribe does not have a museum or cultural interpretive center  the paintings are on display in the Administration Building rotunda  and the staff that works with the tribes artifacts and collections contend there is a great need for one. That is something a successful tourism program could help fund, Thomas said.

Most of our history is handed down mouth to mouth, Thomas said. As elders pass on, the history goes along with them . We have to have a place to tell the stories.

The Alliance will give presentations starting at 9 a.m. Sept. 7 during the United Tribes Leadership Summit. For more information, contact Thomas at lesthomas52@yahoo.com.
Ex-president Mohamed Nasheed was jailed by the Abdulla Yameen's government in March 2015. (Photo: AP)

Colombo: The Maldives' dissident former president met opposition groups in neighbouring Sri Lanka today to hatch a plan to topple strongman president Abdulla Yameen, opposition sources said.

Ex-president Mohamed Nasheed, who recently won asylum in Britain after being jailed by Yameen's government, was among several exiled opposition groups meeting in Colombo, two people in Nasheed's Maldivian Democratic Party said.

"The opposition leaders are meeting in Colombo to work out strategies to legally topple Yameen," one MDP member said.

The MDP is part of a new coalition opposed to Yameen, called the Maldives United Opposition (MUO), formed in London in June where Nasheed sought asylum while on leave from prison for medical treatment.

The Male-based news outlet Maldives Independent said Nasheed and two other seniors of the MUO arrived in Sri Lanka on Wednesday.

"The website report is accurate," a person close to the MDP said.

There was no immediate comment from the Maldivian government, but the administration has consistently maintained there is a plot to oust the president.

In June, Yameen's former deputy Ahmed Adeeb was jailed for 15 years on a charge of plotting to assassinate the president - part of a sweeping crackdown on opponents, most of whom are in jail or exile.

The international community has mounted fierce criticism against what they say is Yameen's unlawful jailing of Nasheed and other opponents.

Nasheed, the country's first democratically elected leader who came to power in 2008, was forced to step down in February 2012 following a mutiny by police and the military.

In March 2015, he was jailed for 13 years on a charge of terrorism for having a judge arrested when he was president three years earlier.

US Secretary of State John Kerry warned in May last year that democracy in the Maldives was under threat, saying Nasheed had been "imprisoned without due process".

The simmering political unrest in the nation of 1,192 tiny coral islands has dented its image as a paradise for upmarket tourists.
"The Islamic headscarf is a means of expressing a religious worldview," Herzog-von der Heide was quoted as saying. (Representational Image)

Berlin: A 48-year-old Palestinian refugee, hired as an intern at a German mayor's office, was fired on the first day of work because she refused to remove her headscarf.

Mayor Elisabeth Herzog-von der Heide of the town Luckenwalde, near here, fired the intern after one day because she would not take off her headscarf, The Local reported.

"The Islamic headscarf is a means of expressing a religious worldview," Herzog-von der Heide was quoted as saying.

The mayor said that therefore, wearing a headscarf would violate the neutrality of the town hall, where crucifixes are also not allowed.

The Palestinian woman had been hired for a project called 'Perspectives for Refugees' and was set to work for six weeks.

The woman said that she did not want to remove the headscarf in the presence of men, and therefore Herzog-von der Heide said they would not be able to offer her a suitable working environment.

She said it would have been better to clarify this policy before hiring her.

A representative from the state parliament and Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party, Sven Petke, criticised the Social Democrat (SPD) mayor.

"There is no legal basis for this decision," Petke said, noting that the German Constitutional Court had ruled that personal beliefs and their connection to certain items of clothing should not be objectionable.

"It is something different than a crucifix on the wall," he said.

However, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party praised the decision to dismiss the intern. "If the cross is not permitted in the rooms of the town hall, then there should not be special treatment for Muslims," said AfD state parliament representative Thomas Jung.

"The mayor deserves respect and not scolding for her uncomfortable decision," he said.

Wearing a headscarf to work, especially in legal or public sector work, has been hotly debated in recent years across Germany.

Germany's Constitutional Court ruled last year that blanket bans on teachers wearing headscarves were "constitutionally limiting".

A young lawyer in Bavaria won a victory at the end of June when the court sided with her that she would be able to wear a headscarf while performing legal duties. The judge stated that there were no legal grounds for denying her religious and educational freedom.

However, more recently two major judges associations have said that they are in favour of banning headscarves in court.
The propellor-driven An-12 transport plane made an emergency and safe landing on Thursday at Baha airport in southwest Saudi Arabia, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said. (Representational Image/ AFP)

Riyadh: A Sudanese Antonov aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after take off from a base used to bomb rebels in Yemen, the kingdoms aviation regulator said, without reporting injuries.

The propellor-driven An-12 transport plane made an emergency and safe landing on Thursday at Baha airport in southwest Saudi Arabia, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

Baha is about 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of Khamis Mushait, home to the airbase which has been at the forefront of a bombing campaign by a Saudi-led Arab coalition against rebels in neighbouring Yemen.

The plane was en route to the Sudanese capital Khartoum with 10 crew members, the aviation authority said.

It said the Antonov, an aircraft designed in the former Soviet Union, had engine failure and its tyres had burst on landing in Baha, without specifying if it was a civilian or military model of the plane.

Sudan, one of several Arab countries in the coalition, has deployed troops and aircraft against the Yemeni rebels.

Khartoum has regularly used modified Antonovs to bomb insurgents on its own territory.

In April, a Sudanese military Antonov-26 crashed in the countrys restive North Kordofan, killing all five crew members.
Turkish police and firefighters are parked near a damaged police headquarters after a car bomb killed 11 Turkish police officers on Friday in Cizre, southeastern Turkey. (Photo: AFP)

Daraya (Syria): Syrian rebels and their families began evacuating the town of Daraya outside the capital Damascus on Friday, under a deal agreed with the government after a four-year army siege.

The fighters and their families left the devastated town on buses accompanied by ambulances and Red Crescent vehicles, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

The first bus to emerge from the town carried mostly children, elderly people and women.

A military source said that around 300 rebels and their families would also be evacuated from Daraya on the first day of the evacuation.

The evacuation, a part of a deal between the government and opposition fighters in Daraya announced on Thursday, is expected to run until Saturday. Rebels are being allowed to leave with their personal weapons and have been promised safe transit to opposition-held Idlib city.

Civilians are expected to be transferred to government-run reception centres for processing and resettlement.

An estimated 8,000 people have remained in Daraya despite a siege that began in late 2012 and constant government bombardment.

Turkey on Friday sent four more tanks across the border into the Syrian city of Jarabulus.
Hamid Nehal Ansari, 31, a Mumbai resident, was convicted in February in Kohat, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan. (Representational image)

Lahore: An Indian man who is serving a three-year sentence in Pakistan for illegally entering the country faces "threats" to his life in prison, Pakistan Human Rights Commission has said and asked the government to ensure his safety.

Hamid Nehal Ansari, 31, a Mumbai resident, was convicted in February in Kohat, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Ansari went missing in Pakistan in 2012 where he had allegedly gone to meet a girl he had befriended on the Internet, authorities last month admitted that he has been in army custody and facing a trial in military courts.

"The former, a young Indian engineer, illegally entered Pakistan because he wanted to help an internet friend, a young girl, and was arrested in 2012. The authorities denied any knowledge of him for a long time and eventually disclosed that he was tried by a military court and sentenced to three years' imprisonment," HRCP Secretary General I A Rehman said.

He said the Peshawar High Court is hearing his petition for the inclusion of the pre-trial period of detention in Ansari's imprisonment term, but now concern has been raised about "threats" to his life in prison.

"The government must ensure his safety and it will be proper to start preparing for Ansari's repatriation to India," he said.

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, 56 cases of enforced disappearances occurred in January this year, 66 in February, 44 in March, 99 in April, 91 in May, 60 in June and 94 in July. That is, 510 cases in the last seven months, or an average of 72.86 cases per month.

In reference to the report the commission said, "No review of disappearances can be complete without taking notice of the plight of Hamid Ansari..."

The Commission has said although many more instances of enforced disappearance are not reported, the number of cases received by the Commission is high enough for the government to abandon its complacency.

"The government of Pakistan should take a fresh look at the problem that has caused endless agony to thousands of families over the last many years," Rehman said, adding the government cannot pretend to be ignorant of the fact that enforced disappearances is still a major human rights issue in Pakistan and that a thorough reappraisal of the efforts to solve it is overdue.

The Commission has also decided some 480 cases this year. Of them 111 were dropped for not being enforced disappearances and 372 persons were traced - 189 persons said to have returned home on their own.

The Commission however does not tell where these people were during the period they could not be traced by their families.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had issued instructions for such people to be interviewed so that those responsible for their disappearance could be identified and punished.
Metro commuters travelling on the Blue Line complain of lack of direct trains from Dwarka to Noida City Centre once the evening rush hour is over.





The Blue Line comprises two corridors  Dwarka to Noida City Centre and Dwarka to Vaishali.



Passengers say that they have to wait longer to catch a direct train heading to Noida City Centre on the Blue Line after 9 pm.



Before 9 pm, the Delhi Metro runs services from Dwarka to Vaishali and Dwarka to Noida City Centre. But after 9 pm, it introduces another set of service on the corridor from Dwarka to Indraprastha (a station just before the interchange station, Yamuna Bank), said Bineet Tripathi, who takes the Metro from Mandi House daily.



After 9 pm, the Delhi Metro runs trains in three loops  Dwarka to Vaishali, Dwarka to Indraprastha, and Dwarka to Noida City Centre, he added.



Both the corridors  Dwarka to Vaishali and Dwarka to Noida City Centre  have a common interchange station, Yamuna Bank, which is 10 stations before Nodia City Centre and seven stations before Vaishali.



When the Delhi Metro starts running services up to Indraprastha, those of us who are heading to Noida City Centre find it difficult to board a direct train to Noida as the trains are jam-packed, said Ritesh Tiwari, who works at ITO.



Passengers also complain that the Delhi Metro does not run alternate services for Noida City Centre and Vaishali. They say each Vaishali train should be followed by a train to Noida.



Even before 9 pm, there are more trains heading to Vaishali than Noida City Centre. Many a time Delhi Metro runs two back to back trains towards Vaishali during rush hours, said Surabhi Sharma, a private firm employee.



Not only the trains get overcrowded but the platform also sees a huge rush because of this, she added.



Lack of alternate service for the two corridors make matters worse for those travelling on the network late at night. More often than not, there are two trains heading to Vaishali, then comes a train for Indraprastha and at last there is train going towards Noida City Centre, said Lal Singh, who usually takes Metro after 9 pm.



As the time passes the waiting time keeps increasing from four minutes to seven minutes and finally 10 minutes between each train, he added.



At present, the Delhi Metro spreads across 210 kilometres, with a ridership of nearly 26 lakh passengers daily. Earlier this month, the Delhi Metro recorded the highest ever footfall of over 33.60 lakh passengers on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. The Blue Line saw over 12 lakh passengers on that day.



When contacted Delhi Metro officials maintained the frequency on the corridor was adequate for service after the evening rush hour.



They said trains have to be pulled out of service at that time for maintenance.

Trains are taken off service close to the depot. In the case of this corridor, Yamuna Bank is the depot so the Delhi Metro runs a few trains till Indraprastha station only, said an official.


A Bengal tiger rescued from what activists have called "the worst zoo in the world" arrived in South Africa for a new home today, after living in a small cage in Gaza alongside another tiger's stuffed corpse.





The nine-year-old male, known as Laziz, arrived by plane. His handlers said he was in good condition and calm after traveling in a wooden crate.



The Four Paws charity launched a rescue effort at the Khan Younis zoo in Gaza when it discovered that the zoo was displaying the taxidermied corpses of animals that had died from stress, disease and starvation.



After the zoo asked for help, Four Paws yesterday removed 15 animals including five monkeys, a porcupine and an emu. Most were destined for an animal sanctuary in Jordan.



The tiger was taken to the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary, where he took a few groggy steps into his new enclosure, used an old tree trunk as a scratching post and collapsed under a shelter to sleep off the effects of a sedative.



"Laziz is in good condition apart from a scratch on one side of his face, which comes from the crate," said Marina Strydom, a veterinarian at Lionsrock, said today.



The facility already holds about 100 big cats that have been rescued from zoos and circuses around the world. The tiger's new enclosure is several hectares in size with tree trunks, rocks and makeshift structures to climb.



Meals will mostly include donkey meat and cow legs. Years of conflict, cold winters, longstanding negligence and outbreaks of disease have killed many animals in captivity in Gaza.



Conditions in Gaza, home to 1.8 million people, have steadily deteriorated since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized control of the territory in 2007 and prompted an Israeli and Egyptian blockade.


Question: What is food allergy in children?

DaSilva: A food allergy occurs when a childs body has a bad reaction to food, typically related to the immune system. Food allergies usually occur after the second time a child has eaten the particular food. The immune system produces Immunoglobulin E antibodies to react with the food, releasing histamines into the bloodstream. This causes allergic symptoms to appear. Food allergies are different than food intolerance, though similar symptoms may be present.

Q: What are the most common causes of food allergy in children?

DaSilva: Almost all food allergies are caused by eight foods: milk, eggs, wheat, soy, tree nuts, peanuts, fish and shellfish.

Eggs, milk and peanuts are the most common causes of food allergy in children; peanuts, trees nuts and shellfish cause the most severe reactions.

Q: How common is food allergy in children?

DaSilva: The rate of food allergy in children has continued to increase. Nearly 5 percent of children under age 5 have a food allergy.

Q: What are the symptoms of food allergy in children?

DaSilva: Each child experiences symptoms differently. Symptoms can appear minutes to an hour after eating the food. The most common symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, hives, swelling, eczema, itching or swelling of the lips, tongue or mouth, itching or tightness in the throat, difficulty breathing, wheezing and lowered blood pressure.

Allergies to milk and soy are seen in infants and young children. Often, these symptoms differ from other allergies, but may include colic or fussy behavior, blood in a childs stool, poor growth and eczema.

Symptoms of food, milk or soy allergy may look like other health conditions. Always see a childs health care provider for a diagnosis.

Q: How is food allergy in children diagnosed and treated?

DaSilva: After a physical exam and health history, including a list of foods eaten prior to symptoms, a variety of tests can be done to figure out the exact food causing symptoms. There is no medicine to prevent food allergy in children.

Children must avoid eating any food that would cause an allergic reaction.

Vitamins, approved by the childs doctor, should be given regularly to offset any lack of nutrients.

An emergency kit containing epinephrine may be prescribed.

As a child gets older, the childs doctor may reintroduce those foods to see if symptoms persist.

Many children may outgrow their food allergies; however, allergy to peanuts, tree nuts, fish and shellfish can be lifelong.

Breastfeeding mothers will have to avoid any food allergen as small amounts of food allergen can be passed on to a child through breast milk.

If a baby is allergic to milk, the doctor may suggest switching to soy or hypoallergenic formula.
In a landmark judgement, the Bombay High Court today lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah here, saying it contravenes fundamental rights and that the trust has no right to prohibit women's entry into a public place of worship.





"We hold that the ban imposed by the Dargah Trust, prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah contravenes Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the the sanctum sanctorum at par with men," a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere said.



Under these Articles, a person has the fundamental right to practice any religion he or she wants. They prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion, gender and so on, and provide freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.



The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.



The bench allowed a PIL filed by two women, Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz, from NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, challenging the ban on women's entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah from 2012.



"The state government and the Haji Ali Dargah Trust will have to take proper steps to ensure safety and security of women at the said place of worship," the court said.



The bench held that the trust has no power to alter or modify the mode or manner of religious practices of any individual or any group. It also noted that the "right to manage the Trust cannot override the right to practice religion itself".



"The trust has no right to discriminate entry of women into a public place of worship under the guise of 'managing the affairs of religion' under Article 26 and as such, the state will have to ensure protection of rights of all its citizens guaranteed under the Constitution, including Articles 14 and 15, to protect against discrimination based on gender," the court said in its 56-page judgement.



The court refused to accept the arguments of the trust that allowing women in close proximity to the grave of male Muslim saint was sin in Islam. The trust had also quoted and submitted certain verses from the Quran to support its claim.



"Simply making the aforesaid statement and quoting verses are not sufficient, more particularly, when women were being permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum up to 2012. There is nothing in any of the aforesaid verses which shows that Islam does not permit entry of women at all, into a dargah/mosque and that their entry was sinful in Islam," the court said.
A 48-year-old Palestinian refugee, hired as an intern at a German mayor's office, was fired on the first day of work because she refused to remove her headscarf.





Mayor Elisabeth Herzog-von der Heide of the town Luckenwalde, near here, fired the intern after one day because she would not take off her headscarf, The Local reported.

"The Islamic headscarf is a means of expressing a religious worldview," Herzog-von der Heide was quoted as saying.



The mayor said that therefore, wearing a headscarf would violate the neutrality of the town hall, where crucifixes are also not allowed.



The Palestinian woman had been hired for a project called 'Perspectives for Refugees' and was set to work for six weeks.



The woman said that she did not want to remove the headscarf in the presence of men, and therefore Herzog-von der Heide said they would not be able to offer her a suitable working environment.



She said it would have been better to clarify this policy before hiring her.

A representative from the state parliament and Angela Merkel's conservative CDU party, Sven Petke, criticised the Social Democrat (SPD) mayor.



"There is no legal basis for this decision," Petke said, noting that the German Constitutional Court had ruled that personal beliefs and their connection to certain items of clothing should not be objectionable.



"It is something different than a crucifix on the wall," he said.

However, members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party praised the decision to dismiss the intern.



"If the cross is not permitted in the rooms of the town hall, then there should not be special treatment for Muslims," said AfD state parliament representative Thomas Jung. "The mayor deserves respect and not scolding for her uncomfortable decision," he said.



Wearing a headscarf to work, especially in legal or public sector work, has been hotly debated in recent years across Germany.



Germany's Constitutional Court ruled last year that blanket bans on teachers wearing headscarves were "constitutionally limiting".



A young lawyer in Bavaria won a victory at the end of June when the court sided with her that she would be able to wear a headscarf while performing legal duties. The judge stated that there was no legal grounds for denying her religious and educational freedom.



However, more recently two major judges associations have said that they are in favour of banning headscarves in court.
Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar today played down the Scorpene leak saying its a "not big worry", but there are few pockets of concerns because the ministry is assuming the worst case scenario.





The Defence Minister said that the leaked documents put on the web of 'The Australian' newspaper does not include any of the weaponry systems of the Scorpene as been reported in the media.



Parrikar said that the navy has assured him that most of the leaked documents are not of concern.



The minister also said that Scorpene submarine has not even fully completed the sea trials, which is important to understand how it will work under water.



The Indian Navy has taken up Scorpene document leak matter with French Directorate General of Armament.



"We are waiting for the report. Basically, what is on the website is not of big concern. We are assuming, on our own, that this has leaked and we are taking all precautions", he said.



"What I am given to understand that there are few pockets of concern assuming that what is claimed to have been leaked has leaked actually.



"We are going by assumption of the worst case scenario. I think there is not big worry because we will be able out put things in right perspective", Parrikar added.



Asked by a journalist whether the Rafale deal would be affected because of the leak, the minister shot back questioning whether one can stop using French products just because a leak has happened in another company.



"You stop using all products from France? Obviously, the companies are different, the type of equipment is different and an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there. It is not intentionally leaked," Parrikar said.



He said the punishment should be based on the conditions in the contract. More than 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked, raising alarm bells today in the security establishment.



The combat capability of the Scorpene submarines being built at Mazagon dock at a cost of USD 3.5 billion by French shipbuilder DCNS, went public when an Australian newspaper, "The Australian", put the details on the website.
India today asked Pakistan not to remain in a "denial" mode regarding its support to cross- border terrorism as the war of words between the two countries intensified.



In his latest response to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of August 19 for talks, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar once again emphasised on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabad's illegal occupation of PoK and conveyed that not just India but the larger region is aware that Pakistan is actually a "prime perpetrator" of terrorism.



The Foreign Secretary has made it clear that India seeks result-oriented talks with Pakistan with an agenda to put an end to cross-border terrorism and incitement to violence by it, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Vikas Swarup said.



Jaishankar while conveying his readiness to be available to engage any time at mutual convenience on these issues, however, mentioned that justifying terrorism and interference in the internal affairs of India are hardly serious basis for a result-oriented dialogue.



Asked about absence of the Finance Minister from the ongoing SAARC meet, indicating the growing strain in relationship, Swarup said, "Providing support, safe havens and sanctuary to terrorists and making the distinction between good terrorist and bad terrorist has posed enormous risk to peace and stability to our region.



"It is important for Pakistan to realise the reality and not remain in denial on the impact of cross-border terrorism on the bilateral relationship. Sooner Pakistan recognises this central and important fact, the sooner, India-Pakistan relationship can progress."



In the letter, the Foreign Secretary hoped that the government of Pakistan will reconsider its approach and show sincerity towards promoting good neighbourliness and peaceful co-existence.



"This will also send a larger message to a region which is deeply troubled by the policies that emanate from Pakistan," Jaishankar's letter said.



The Foreign Secretary has also reiterated that basis of further discussions between the two countries are -Simla Agreement of 1972, Lahore Declaration of 1999 and Joint statement of 2004, Swarup added.



On its part, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz, while briefing the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union countries in Islamabad about the situation in the Valley, "regretted" India's virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir.



At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz "deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed" in Kashmir which has taken a "toll of more than 80 innocent Kashmiris since July 8, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people," the Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.
The Allahabad High Court today stayed the arrest of five family members of Mohd Akhlaq, who beaten to death by a mob in Dadri, in connection with a case registered against them at Gautam Buddh Nagar district for allegedly slaughtering a cow and consuming its meat.





A division bench comprising Justices Ramesh Sinha and P C Tripathi, however, refused to grant relief to Akhlaq's brother Jaan Mohammed, who was among the six persons named in the FIR lodged following a direction issued to the effect last month by a Surajpur district court.



The bench observed that Jaan Mohammed "could have been involved in the alleged act alongside his deceased brother".



Others named in the FIR, but whose arrests were stayed, are Akhlaq's son Danish, mother Asghari, wife Ikraman, daughter Shaista and sister-in-law Sona.



Danish had sustained critical injuries while his father was beaten to death by a mob which had barged into their house on the intervening night of September 28-29 last year suspecting them of having consumed beef.



Passing the order, the court disposed of the petition filed by Jaan Mohammed and others who had challenged the FIR alleging that they had been "falsely implicated".



The lower court had order filing of the FIR on the complaint of Surajpal Singh and other residents of Bisada village in Dadri tehsil who had prayed for booking Akhlaq's family under the cow slaughter act, citing a forensic report which had stated that the meat found inside their house was "of cow or its progeny".
A Pakistani shoemaker has landed himself in jail after he boasted to the media that he was going to send Peshawari sandals made from deers skin to Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan.





According to reports, a cousin of Shahrukh who lives Peshawar went to shoemaker Jahangir Khan last Friday and asked him to make two pairs of Peshawari sandals for the actor.



"Apparently Jahangir Khan is a big fan of Shahrukh and decided to send the Bollywood star a special gift, Peshawari sandals made out of deer skin, from his side," a local police official said.



"Soon after the news spread, the wildlife department officials contacted us and filed a complaint. We had to go and pick up Jahangir who is now behind bars," he said.



A wildlife official in Peshawar said that the probe is on to confirm whether deer skin was used by Jahangir in making sandals.



"If he has used deer skin than he will face fine and prosecution as under wildlife laws," the official said.



Shahrukh Khan is hugely popular in Pakistan.
CANNON BALL  An upside down flag hangs in the center of a new community larger than most small towns in North Dakota. Its a protest camp near the Cannonball River at the border of the Standing Rock Indian Reservation.

The flag is a symbol of distress, that the area had been taken over by an enemy. But the atmosphere on the afternoon of Aug. 18 at the Seven Councils or Overflow Camp, where hundreds are staying in Morton County, hardly feels urgent. Rather, it's joyful and cooperative.

The setup is an extension of the Camp of Sacred Stones, located on the reservation at the confluence of the Cannonball and Missouri rivers, where people have been protesting an oil pipeline since April. During the past week, the once-small effort has grown to an estimated 1,500 to 2,000 people.

On Aug. 17, after days of protests, work at the Dakota Access Pipeline site just north of the camp was put on hold until Wednesday, when a hearing was held on the tribe's lawsuit against the Army Corps of Engineers over its approval of the pipeline crossing under the Missouri River.

Most people at the camp, who rallied at the work site, insisted the demonstrations were peaceful, but law enforcement has said officers received information about weapons. The Morton County Sheriff's Department said in a statement on Aug. 19 no weapons were seen.

Many at the camp saw the previous days efforts as a small victory. Often repeated was a gladness that the tribes were working together.

Its been a long time since we all camped together, said 18-year-old Jasmine LeBeau of Eagle Butte, of the several tribes gathered there. It feels natural.

LeBeau traveled back and forth by bus from the Cheyenne River Indian Reservation in South Dakota three days in a row with her family. On Aug. 18, they said the travel was enough and decided to put down camp.

She asked how she could help and was directed to prepare giant pots of soup. She cooked over an open fire near a tent where women molded dough into fry bread. A few feet away, a dozen kids shucked corn hauled in on a pickup bed.

She was preparing food for the thousands who have come from across the country  the unfamiliar license plates give them away  to show their support for the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe in its protest of the pipeline.

The group at the camp is predominantly native, but many white people are there, too. There are kids, adults and grandparents.

Many are camped in tents and teepees set up between awkwardly parked school buses, which bring people in each day from nearby reservations.

Some people show up with food, water, tents. Others bring just enough gas for the drive down.

When people started to flood in over the weekend  many found out about the event through social media or were asked by their tribal chairman to join  and numbers exceeded 500, Standing Rock leaders started planning to provide for the big group.

We knew immediately that we needed Porta Potties, said Johnelle Leingang, the tribal chairmans executive secretary and member of the emergency management task force. Thats essential.

The task force coordinates with the state for water tanks, Dumpsters, a medical trailer and a wash station. They have volunteer nursing assistant and emergency medical technicians. Leingang said they arranged for a helicopter pad for emergencies, as ambulances cannot access the site.

"The Lakota people, it is in their nature to mobilize," said Harold Tiger, the emergency manager at the Cheyenne River reservation, who calls himself the EMS Warrior and was assisting in Cannon Ball. "Everyone takes on their responsibilities."

The biggest issue so far has been heat exhaustion, Leingang said. People of all ages are walking a mile and a half to the protest site, where hundreds have stood in recent days demanding workers to stop building an oil pipeline under the Missouri River, in temperatures that exceeded 80 degrees.

There is no real plan for extreme weather, except to keep everyone updated on the forecast.

Protesters said they were washing up in a nearby creek or heading over to Prairie Knights casino and Cannon Ball, as there are no showers onsite.

People said most supplies have been donated. There is a tent up front, where people drop off food and water, trash bags and supplements for babies and diabetics. A rumor is going around about two deli trucks coming in from California. No one seems to remember to give feminine hygiene products, a family working in the donation tent contended.

Cashiers at nearby stores said business has been steady as people from around the county pick up supplies and items to donate. Water, ice, sandwich meats and tobacco have gone fast from the Family Dollar and White Buffalo Supervalu in Fort Yates.

Joye Braun, one of the organizers, described the Camp of Sacred Stones similarly to the overflow camp, though the focus is on prayer. She denied a Tribune reporter and photographer access to that camp.

Security also seemed tighter at the entrance to the Camp of Sacred Stones. People coming in were asked if they had alcohol or guns and if they were a "Fed."

Mark Tilsen, a former teacher on the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota, said he chose to stay at the second camp, not the original spirit camp, because space is limited there and he wants to turn his attention toward action instead of prayer.

"For Oglala, we've been praying all summer, and we're done with it," Tilsen said. "We're here to stop the pipeline."
The countrys third largest private lender Axis Bank, has partnered with Amazon Internet Services (AISPL) and Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) Bank, to provide a three-month mentorship programme for startups in the FinTech domain.





Axis Bank President and Chief Information Officer Amit Sethi informed, We have already received over 200 applications and we are in the process of scrutinising them. Our first batch of startups, due to join in September, will build interesting cases for AI (artificial intelligence), blockchain, big data analytics, robotics and much more that can take consumer banking to the next level.



Axis Bank Executive Director Rajiv Anand said, Our Thought Factory in Bengaluru (Diamond District) is equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure and technology designed to foster entrepreneurship and innovation in banking and beyond.




Huawei India, a part of the $46-billion Chinese information and communication technology behemoth Huawei, inaugurated its largest Global Service Centre (GSC) in Bengaluru, with 1,000 employees, on Friday.





In an interaction with DH as part of the GSC inauguration, Huawei Telecommunication India Chief Executive Officer Jay Chen said that India has been a priority market for the company.



We have been investing here from 1999, when we opened our R&D centre in Bengaluru, the first one outside China. The inauguration of GSC, the largest centre in the world, further reaffairms our commitment to India, Chen said.



He also pointed out that GSC offers combined services of a global network operation centre, network integration, network planning and optimisation, and IT integration towards a customer-centric operational modal.



The GSC will service over 350 million subscribers world-wide in 30 countries. It will manage 50 projects providing end-to-end solutions in a multi-network, multi-technology and multi-vendor environement, he said.



Huawei has Huawei Technologies and Huawei Telecommunications as two registered entities in India looking after its R&D and enterprise and consumer division. The company also committed an investment of $170 million at its 20-acre Huawei Technologies campus in Bengaluru, where the GSC is also located.



Chen also made it clear that India is a strategic market for the company and has a long-term strategy. We are looking at tapping the growing opportunity in the telecommunications enterprise space, where network upgrades and software services are being offered as value-added services. India is also leapfrogging in technology, with 4G and IoT playing key roles. Huawei is well-positioned to tap the opportunity with its technology capabilities, he said.



The Huawei India CEO also made it clear that the companys deep interest lies in participating in Make in India. Besides building solutions for our global requirement, Huaweis Make in India plans include the setting up of a manufacturing facility in Chennai, he said.



Sources at Huawei revealed that the company will double its headcount next year, to meet growing global demand.




Another earth could be circling the star right next door to us. Astronomers announced Wednesday that they had detected a planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, the closest neighbour to our solar system. Intriguingly, the planet is in the stars Goldilocks zone, where it may not be too hot nor too cold. That means liquid water could exist at the surface, raising the possibility for life.



Although observations in recent years, particularly by NASAs Kepler planet-finding mission, have uncovered a bounty of earth-size worlds throughout the galaxy, this one holds particular promise because it might someday, decades from now, be possible to reach. Its 4.2 light-years, or 25 trillion miles, away from earth, which is extremely close in cosmic terms.



One astronomer likened it to a flashing neon sign. Im the nearest star, and I have a potentially habitable planet! said R Paul Butler, an astronomer at the Carnegie Institution for Science and a member of the team that made the discovery. Guillem Anglada-Escude, an astronomer at Queen Mary University of London and the leader of the team that made the discovery reported in the journal Nature, said, We know there are terrestrial planets around many stars, and we kind of expected the nearby stars would contain terrestrial planets. This is not exciting because of this. The excitement is because it is the nearest one.



Beyond the planets size and distance from its parent star, much about it is still mysterious. Scientists are working off computer models that offer mere hints of whats possible: Conditions could be earth-like, but they could also be hellish like Venus, or cold and dry like Mars.



There is no picture of the planet, which has been designated Proxima b. Instead, Anglada-Escude and his colleagues detected it indirectly, studying via telescope the light of the parent star. They zeroed in on clocklike wobbles in the starlight, as the colours shifted slightly to the reddish end of the spectrum, then slightly bluish. The oscillations, caused by the bobbing back-and-forth motion of the star as it is pulled around by the gravity of the planet, are similar to how the pitch of a police siren rises or falls depending on whether the patrol car is travelling toward or away from the listener.



From the size of the wobbles, the astronomers determined that Proxima b is at least 1.3 times the mass of Earth, although it could be several times larger. A year on Proxima b  the time to complete one orbit around the star  lasts just 11.2 days. Although the planet, lost in the glare of the star, cannot be viewed by current telescopes, astronomers hope to see it when the next generation is built a decade from now.



And the planets proximity to earth gives hope that robotic probes could someday be zooming past the planet for a close-up look. A privately funded team of scientists and technology titans, led by the Russian entrepreneur Yuri Milner and the theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking, have announced Breakthrough Starshot Initiative, a project to develop and launch a fleet of iPhone-size spacecraft within two to three decades. Their proposed destination is the Alpha Centauri star system, which includes two larger sunlike stars in addition to Proxima Centauri.



We will definitely aim at Proxima, said Avi Loeb, a Harvard astronomer who is chairman of an advisory committee for Breakthrough Starshot. This is like finding prime real estate in our neighbourhood. This newly discovered planet is much closer to its parent star, about 5 million miles apart, than earth is to the sun, 93 million miles. Even Mercury, the innermost planet of our solar system, is 36 million miles from the sun.



While Proxima b might be similar to earth, its parent star, Proxima Centauri, is very different from the sun. It is tiny, belonging to a class of stars known as red dwarfs, with only about 12% of the mass of the sun and about 1/600th the luminosity  so dim that it cannot be seen from earth with the naked eye. Thus Proxima b, despite its closeness to the star, receives less warmth than earth, but enough that water could flow on the surface. Whether the planet has liquid water or an atmosphere is pure speculation at this point, Anglada-Escude said in a news conference.



If the planet formed close to the star, it could be dry and airless, but it might also have formed farther out and migrated inward to its current orbit. It is also possible that the planet formed dry and was later bombarded by comets or ice-rich asteroids. There are viable models and stories that lead to a viable earth-like planet today, Anglada-Escude said.



Even if it is habitable, scientists studying the possibility of life elsewhere in the universe spiritedly debate whether planets around these red dwarfs are a promising place to look. Small stars are more erratic, especially during their youth, and eruptions off the stars surface could strip away the atmosphere from such planets. Levels of X-rays and other high-energy radiation bombarding the planet would be 100 times that on earth, the scientists said.



The close orbit suggests that the rotation of the planet would probably be gravitationally locked by the stars pull. Just as the same side of the moon always faces earth, one side of Proxima b is probably eternally bright, always facing the star, while the other is ever dark. Additional visible light observations further convinced the scientists that they were not being fooled by variations in the star itself erroneously mimicking the presence of a planet.



Pale Red Dot project



The discovery was more than a decade and a half in the making. Michael Endl, an astronomer at the University of Texas and one of the authors of the Nature paper, peered at Proxima Centauri for eight years beginning in 2000, looking for hints of a planet. At that time, I didnt see anything highly, highly significant, Endl said in an interview. Then we published our data and moved on.



Later, Anglada-Escude, analysing data from a different instrument on a different telescope, found inconclusive hints of a planet. He reached out to Endl to reanalyse the earlier data, and he also spearheaded the Pale Red Dot project, which tried to observe Proxima Centauri every day for two months earlier this year.



The new observations clearly revealed the 11.2-day period of the planet, and the signal matched what Anglada-Escude had suspected earlier. It also matched a signal that was hidden in the noise of Endls data, which was lower in precision and observed Proxima Centauri only once a week or so, not every day. There are hints of perhaps another planet, perhaps more, but those hints are still ambiguous, scientists said.



The discovery could provide impetus for planet-finding telescopes. Ruslan Belikov of the NASA Ames Research Centre in Mountain View, California, has proposed a small space telescope costing less than $175 million dedicated to the search for planets in Alpha Centauri. While it would not be powerful enough to spot Proxima b, its existence would give more confidence that terrestrial planets also orbit the two sun-like stars there. It just raises the public awareness theres a new world just next door, Belikov said. Its a paradigm shift in peoples minds.




Cuba is a small country, almost half the size of Karnataka. But Cuba has been in big news in spite of it being so small. For several decades, it had huge problems with its neighbour USA.





This tension with the global big brother resulted in several problems leading to several trade restrictions. In April 2015, US President Barack Obama visited Cuba. This again created big news. It is amazing how a small country can make such global news.



There is another extremely interesting feature about Cuba that has not attracted much media attention and is indeed most fascinating. That is about Cuban healthcare. Just look at these very impressive health indicators: the Infant Mortality Rate is 4.2 per thousand births which is even lower than that of the USA and is one among the lowest in the world.



Just compare it with Karnataka which is 38, while the Indian national average is 40. Life expectancy in Cuba is 77.5 years, one of the highest for any country, whereas for India, it is 68. There is one doctor for every 170 Cuban citizens and India has one doctor for 1,700.



These remarkable achievements can be shot down by the critics on the basis that Cuba is a small country with little population (Cuba population is 11 million). What is to be noted is that Cubas health care services extend to several needy countries all over the world. Since 1960, Cuban medical personnel have served in 158 countries, conducted 1.2 billion consultations, attended 2.2 million births and performed more than eight million surgeries. In September 2014, Cuba had 50,731 medical personnel, including 25,412 doctors, serving in 66 countries.



Cuban medical staff were offering healthcare to over 70 million people in the world, more than the whole of G8 (the global club of the rich nations), the World Health Organisation and Medicins Sans Frontieres (Doctors Without Borders) put together. One and a half million people owe their lives to Cubas medical programmes. This level of humanitarian solidarity is unprecedented, with Cuba doing more to assist the worlds poorer nations than any other country in the world. This is what a sovereign country all over the world can and should do.



Since 2004, Cubas Operation Milagro (Operation Miracle programme) has restored sight of three million people from 34 countries through free eye surgery. UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon wrote that it has given us a new vision of the world  one of generosity and solidarity: we are all one, human beings who are all brothers and sisters. Healthcare has to cease being a privilege for a few, and should become the right of the majority.



In Venezuela, Cubans carried out 80% of the 647 million medical consultations between 2003 and 2014. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) fell from 25 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 13 in 2010. In 2013-14, Cuba sent 11,400 doctors to work in Brazil to support the governments Mais Medicos (more doctors programme) effort to provide healthcare to 50 million people living in poor, rural areas in Brazils north.



Pak earthquake



In 2005, earthquake in Pakistan killed 80,000 people and Cuba at once sent 2,500 members of the medical team with 32 field hospitals, providing 1,000 medical scholarships to local students. The Cubans stayed for seven months, treating 17,43,000 patients, 73% of those medically assisted in all of Pakistan after the earthquake. As against this, the USA and European Union sent just one base camp each and stayed for a month.



Cuba has provided free medical education for thousands of Cubans as it has now 70,000 doctors. It has been providing free medical education since 1959 to 52,000 students to be trained as doctors from 130 countries every year.



Its Latin American Medical School, with an enrolment of more than 8,000 students from Third World countries, is the worlds largest medical school. Ban Ki-moon called it the most advanced medical school in the world. The curriculum blends evidence-based medical education, an understanding of health as a right for all, and compassionate care. Medical care is guided by need and not patients ability to pay.



Students selected for medical training are mandatorily from the poor community only and are not charged tuition fees. They get monthly pocket money and free housing, food and toiletries. Rather than using a business model of a university as a profit machine, the medical school only requires that the students sign a contract agreeing to practice in an underserved community upon graduation.



Director-General of World Health Organisation Dr Margaret Chan sums it succinctly: Cuba has shown that it is possible to have health and well-being for all. These medical cooperation programmes are not paternalistic aid. The fundamental nature of Cuban medical internationalism is to provide a sustainable system  one that is not dependent on foreign participation, but instead (one that) trains local talent to take over from the Cubans.



(The writer is President, Drug Action Forum  Karnataka)
Tamil Nadu police on Friday arrested the founder and chancellor of SRM University T R Pachamuthu on the charges of financial irregularities in the allocation of medical seats in his institution.





Though Pachamuthu was questioned by the states Central Crime Branch team, he was formally arrested on Friday under sections of IPC 406, 420, and 34. However, Pachamuthu was first taken to a hospital for a check up and is expected to be produced before the magistrate at night.



According to the case, more than a hundred students had complained that they had been guaranteed medical seats at SRM university, and had paid more than Rs 70 crore altogether for the it, but did not get admission.



The medical seat scam came to the limelight when the parent of a student, Venkatesan, lodged a complaint at the Chennai police commissioners office, claiming that a person called Madhan of Vendhar movies is yet to return the Rs 52 lakh taken from him after promising a medical seat to his son.



Following this, several parents approached the police and said that they had also paid the money to Madhan, who was said to be very close to Pachamuthu. However, Madhan disappeared in May leaving a note saying that the money collected from the parents has been given to the SRM group. Though Pachamuthu repeatedly denied the claims made by Madhan, pressure from the parents made the police arrest the SRM chancellor.



The police also questioned Pachamuthu with regard to the disappearance of Madhan, who is also a film producer.




Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi who is known for animal rights activism said on Friday that the Kerala governments decision to kill dangerous dogs is unlawful.





The minister also said that the step taken by the state government will not solve the problem as it would lead to more breeding. She suggested that the solution lies in sterilization. It makes dogs happy, no sterilized dog ever bites, she said. She also asked where the money given to the state for sterilization has been spent. She said that the Animal Welfare Board for India gives money for sterilization of dogs.



She said that the decision to kill dangerous dogs could be used to kill any dog.

You say kill, kill, kill. You keep killing and they keep biting. The dog becomes hostile.

If you kill the dog, females will breed more. Also, dogs will come from outside. I am totally with the people of Kerala but if you keep killing, you break the law and you continue to do things that do not work,



Maneka said. If you sterilize the dogs they will be happy, they will be gentle, she said.



Kerala govt reiterates killing of strays



Keralas Minister for Local Self Governments K T Jaleel reiterated that the government will kill feral dogs in the state even as more stray dog bites were reported on Friday, DHNS reports from Thiruvanthapuram.
With a week left for the canonisation of Mother Teresa at the Vatican, a life-size bronze statue of the evangelist was unveiled in Kolkata on Friday. She will be formally canonised as Saint Teresa by Pope Francis on September 4.





Born to Albanian parents at the Macedonian capital Skopje in 1910, Teresa spent most of her life in Kolkata and set up the Missionaries of Charity, a worldwide organisation that runs hundreds of homes, hospices and other centres for the have nots.



The statue was inaugurated in the presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who will lead a delegation for the canonisation ceremony.



The 5 feet 2 inch statue was donated by city businessman Namit Bajoria, who is the honorary consul of the Republic of Macedonia in Kolkata.



The statue was unveiled in a sombre evening ceremony at the Bishops House on Park Street, which was christened Mother Teresa Avenue in 2001.
The Supreme Court on Friday refused to pass any order for granting custody of children to a Muslim woman, who challenged the validity of triple talaq and practice of polygamy after she was divorced by her husband over a phone call from Dubai.





A three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice of India T S Thakur asked the woman to approach the police and get a case registered if her children had been snatched away by her husband after pronouncing triple talaq.



You file a police report or go to the Calcutta High Court with a habeas corpus petition for your childrens custody. We cant pass the orders, the bench also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud said, issuing a notice to the Union government on her plea.



The bench tagged her petition with a similar matter pending before it and sought responses from the Centre and National Commission for Women.



Her advocate, V K Biju, submitted that the woman has sought a declaration that Section 2 of Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937, was unconstitutional since it violated the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (life) and 25 (religion) of the Constitution insofar as it seeks to recognise and validate triple talaq as a valid form of divorce.




An audience of 50 met with the Bis-Man Transit Board of Directors Thursday at the Bismarck Public Library and learned what cost impact their suggestions might have on future paratransit and fixed bus routes. No action was taken and no new draft plan was presented by transit officials, however.

The two-hour listening session was held after Bismarck City Commissioners directed transit officials to gather more feedback from riders on revisions proposed for the two public bus services. The Bis-Man Transit plan presented earlier this summer would cut fixed routes from 12 to six, eliminate 24-hour service for paratransit curbside service and remove healthy seniors from the paratransit service.

BisMan Transit Director Roy Rickert estimates that without changes to two bus systems, the bus service would run at a $743,584 deficit at the end of 2017 and at a deficit of $885,367 by late 2018. With the proposal presented earlier this summer, the transit would be $234,000 in the black in late 2017 and $268,543 in the black in 2018. The figures above deficit include all of the revisions and cuts in service presented in the plan earlier this summer.

However, he and staff estimated extra costs would be incurred by continuing 24-hour service for the paratransit, keeping ADA riders at the same rate for extended hours, increasing the rate for extended hours by 50 cents, keeping holiday costs for paratransit riders the same, making holiday costs $5 for all riders or increasing the age eligibility to 70 or 75 for the paratransit system.

He said:

 It would cost $52,024 more to bring paratransit service hours back in the revised plan between 7 p.m. to 6 a.m.

 Keeping holiday service for paratransit riders would increase cost by $12,969 for service using existing fees.

 Providing holiday bus service for everyone at a rate of $5 would cost $14,864 more.

 Increasing the age eligibility for the paratransit riders to 70 would increase the cost to the proposed plan to $332,713 and to 75 would costs $321,277 more. Either would bring the bus service back to a deficit, Rickert said.

 Keeping paratransit service running between midnight and 6 a.m. with a $5 rate per rider would still increase costs to $52,024.

Adding the University of Mary pilot route would bring in $72,000 per year, according to Rickert.

Lincoln was excluded from the bus service in the plan presented earlier this summer. Transit board members said the city of Lincoln has not contributed to bus service provided it and that is a $68,668 cost. A Lincoln woman who relies on the service to reach a Bismarck job to request the Lincoln City Council contribute the bus service.

Also suggested was increasing the levy for the bus service, but Rickert said that would take a citywide vote and likely not have an impact until 2018 if approved.

One woman asked how the board could justify to senior taxpayers who supported the bus service all these years they might have to walk 10 blocks to reach the bus now. "It just seems that you are taking away a lot of their initiative to be on their own."

"People who come from other communities are used to having fixed route systems that run more efficiently than ours does. I hear often from my friends who are from those communities they wish the fixed route system here was better so they wouldn't have to use their cars as much," said Rachel Drewlow of the audience.

Another woman argued why the board is reducing paratransit service to those who need it, but increasing other bus services.

Transit Board Member Kim Badenhoff the plan proposed earlier this summer added revenue to the entire system. "What Roy has proposed is an opportunity to increase revenue with the fixed route which will ultimately help paratransit. ... The long-term goal is how can we grow the entire system and add service for everyone. Paratransit is costing enough money that if we don't do something, it will cease to exist. We don't want this community to lose their service. ... It's painful to do this, but the bigger pain is not having it at all," she said.

Transit Board member Glenn Lauinger said there was potential to make budget if the age eligiblity was increased to 70 discontinuing service to Lincoln, eliminating paratransit hours from midnight to 6 a.m.and adding a University of Mary route. He said the board was open to keeping Lincoln in service if that city council contributed to the bus service.

Bis-Man Transit Board President Ben Eherth said comments received over the past several weeks will be compiled and a new draft of the plan will be presented at a future public hearing via the Bis-Man Transit. "We're trying to modify that and still meet the needs of the customers." He said the transit could run next year without a new plan, but it will eat into reserve funds saved.
Two girls locked up at a house in Outer Delhis Samaypur Badli were found by police and neighbours lying on a mattress infested with maggots.



The girls , locked up by their father, are still recovering at the hospital. Police are unable to trace their parents Jyoti (32) and Bunty (35).



Two months ago, Jyoti left home taking the couples only son, leaving the girls (names changed) Hema (8) and Rekha (3) at the mercy of their father. Neighbours said Bunty has been depressed since Jyoti abandoned them and had left the girls unattended in one of the two-room house.



Bunty is still not arrested. He came around 8.30 am on Friday to his house, said Nand Kishore, their landlord and neighbour.



Others said the couple had ill-treated the children since they did not want daughters. The girls were not sent to school too.



Hemas infection on the scalp was untreated, Kishore told DH, noting that the girls had been starving for several days. When he rescued them, they told him that their father did not come to check on them.



Bunty does odd jobs and his wife used to work at a clothes store in Samay Pur Badli.

On Asugust 18, Kishore got a whiff of a foul smell emanating from the locked doors of the house while working at his shop next door.



I knocked, but no one opened the door. So, I called the police who break opened the door. Bunty was not there, Kishore said.



Police found the girls wrapped in a bed sheet with black maggots swirling around them. The maggots were coming from Hemas head wound.



Kishore rushed the girls to Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in west Delhis Rohini sector, where they are recovering.



Dr Sushant Gupta, who is treating them, said Hemas head was covered with maggots because a wound was left unattended for a long time. This could happen in the rainy season, he added. Police and doctors requested journalists to conceal the girls names.






The Supreme Court on Friday expressed sheer inability to solve all the problems afflicting the country by merely passing orders in order to create Ram Rajya.





Do you think one order passed by us will establish Ram Rajya in the country? Will our one order lead to the eradication of corruption? Had our orders run so effectively, then we would have passed orders directing that no one should indulge in corruption or crime, a three-judge bench presided over by Chief Justice T S Thakur observed.



Hearing a PIL by an NGO through its chairman Dhanesh Ishdhan for the removal of encroachments from footpaths across the country, the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said the courts capacity to pass orders on such issues was limited.



We want to do various things, but we cannot do so as our capacity is limited, the bench added. The petitioner-in-person insisted that people were crying for help because civic as well as the police authorities, drawing huge salaries, were not able to do anything to remove encroachments from footpaths, lanes and roads.



Our intentions are as good as yours, but we cant go on clearing roads, the bench said, directing the petitioner to educate people on the removal of such obstructions.

The court also told him that as the Delhi high court was already hearing a similar plea, he could approach that court, being a resident of the city.



With regard to others cities, the bench suggested he should not be bothered. The petitioner, however, continued arguing.



He said it was a gross violation of the fundamental rights of the citizens and if the Supreme Court did not intervene, who would provide relief to the general public.



This angered the bench, which dismissed the petition. But on persistent requests by the petitioner that the previous Chief Justice of India, H L Dattu, had admitted his petition igniting hopes among the people, Justice Thakur agreed to consider the petition in February, a month after his retirement. This evoked laughter from the advocates present in the courtroom.






The Paris public prosecutor opened a preliminary investigation after French naval contractor DCNS filed a complaint for breach of trust over a leak of documents concerning six Scorpene submarines it is building for India, a judicial source said.





DCNS was left reeling after details from more than 22,000 pages of documents relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper this week, sparking concerns about the companys ability to protect sensitive data.



We filed a complaint against unknown persons for breach of trust with the Paris prosecutor on Thursday afternoon, a spokesman for the shipbuilder said on Friday. The Paris prosecutors office opened an investigation for breach of trust, receiving stolen goods and complicity, the judicial source said later on Friday.
The Supreme Court on Friday agreed to hear on September 2 Tamil Nadus petition for direction to Karnataka to release 50.052 tmcft of Cauvery water from its reservoirs for cultivation of samba (rice).



A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice T S Thakur posted Tamil Nadus application for consideration after the states counsel sought urgent hearing. In its application, Tamil Nadu accused Karnataka of diverting the rivers water, which is the lifesaver for its farmers in distress years, for undeclared projects in violation of the 2007 final order of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.



The attempt of Karnataka to deliberately undermine the final order of the tribunal by drawing water for summer irrigation and by planning and executing new schemes has to be stopped, failing which the inhabitants of the applicant state will be put to irreparable loss and hardship, Tamil Nadu argued. Claiming that Karnataka flouted the principles of federalism and inter-state water-sharing, Tamil Nadu maintained that it had not received its daily/monthly share of Cauvery water from June 1 to August 19, 2016, which caused a cumulative shortfall of 50.052 tmcft at Biligundlu.



Tamil Nadu said Karnataka was yet to reply to its request of July 30, 2016, to make up for shortage of 22.934 tmcft of water as on July 26. Tamil Nadu urged the court to direct Karnataka to release 25 tmcft of water to Biligundlu within the next 10 days to make up for the shortage of 50 tmcft.



This is necessary to facilitate cultivation of samba in the Cauvery basin of Tamil Nadu. In addition, Tamil Nadu urged the court to direct Karnataka to replenish the remaining shortfall of 25 tmcft of water at Biligundlu before the third week of September so as to sustain samba cultivation.



Meanwhile, Karnatakas counsel senior advocate F S Nariman and his Tamil Nadu counterpart submitted before a separate bench of Justices V Gopala Gowda and Adarsh K Goel that both states had agreed on issues for determination of the suit by Tamil Nadu for damages caused by short delivery of water as per interim award of the Cauvery tribunal in 1991, 1992 and 1995. The bench directed both the states to submit a list of witnesses within four weeks for deciding the suit for compensation.


India and the United States will try to narrow the differences on a proposed Bilateral Investment Treaty (BIT) next week, although an early breakthrough seems unlikely.





The second India-US strategic and commercial dialogue, scheduled to be held on August 30 in New Delhi, is likely to give both sides, an opportunity to review progress in the negotiation on the proposed BIT. The two sides are likely to focus on narrowing the differences on sticky issues, but the negotiations are unlikely to conclude in the next few months, sources in New Delhi said.



The US Secretary of State John Kerry and Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker will lead the delegation from Washington in the dialogue. The Indian delegation will be led by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Commerce Minister Nirmala Sitharaman.



The second dialogue will be the last major bilateral engagement between India and America before the tenure of the US president Barack Obamas administration ends.

Obama and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, however, may have a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the G20 summit at Hangzhou in China early next month.



Sources told DH that the BIT would possibly be inked only after the new administration took over in Washington.



Washington, D.C. conveyed to New Delhi that it had certain reservations over Indias new model of the BIT, which would require a US investor to spend up to four years trying to resolve a dispute in local courts and negotiate for six more months before seeking arbitration by an international tribunal.



Besides, Washington, D.C. also had concerns over the absence of two clauses in the new template adopted by India  one that would have guaranteed fair treatment to a US company before it would invest in India and the other, which would have guaranteed exclusive protection to US investments in India, sources said.India and the US had three rounds of negotiations on BIT since August 2009.




The leaked data on Scorpene submarines does not contain any information on the boats weapon system as details of those contracts are not available with DCNSthe French firm, which is at the receiving end of the raging data leak controversy, Defence Ministry sources assured on Friday.





The Rs 18,798 crore contract to licence-produce six Scorpene submarines in Mumbais Mazgaon dock was realised through six separate commercial contracts signed in 2005, including one with another French firm MDBA, to supply the Exocet missiles.



Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar too emphasised that the leaked documents didnt have information on the underwater boats weapon system.



We are not worried about the leak on the website. Our submarine has not done any operation sea trial. We do (weapon) integration of our own. Navy has assured me that most of the things are not of concern, Parrikar said here on the sidelines of a function.



But Australian journalist Cameron Stewart, who reported the leak for the daily The Australian, has challenged Parrikar claiming that the 22,400 leaked pages of information also contain data on the weapon system. The journalist, however, contended that the newspaper would not put out any information on its website, which would harm Indias national security.



Defence Ministry sources insisted that the leaked information is commercial in nature and is likely to be made available to any country by the manufacturers. For instance if China or Pakistan wanted technical information on a particular type of sonar, all they have to do is to float a Request for Information so that the firms can provide them the data. Sources said the information appears to be about five to six years old, when the French-origin submarines production system was not populated with adequate data, which are of operational relevance.



Even now the documentation on the first Scorpene submarine  to be named INS Kalvari post commissioning  is incomplete. It would be finished six months after the trial. The trials are being conducted by the Indian Navy and the operational data is safe and secure, said a source.



Whistleblower to hand over disc



The whistleblower behind the Scorpene document leak will hand over the disc containing thousands of pages of data detailing the Indian submarines stealth and warfare capabilities, to the Australian government on Monday, The Australian newspaper on Friday said, PTI reports from New Delhi.



It said that the identity of the unnamed whistleblower is already known to the Australian authorities. The weekend edition of the newspaper said that neither France nor India knew about the leak till Monday afternoon when it sought a comment from French firm DCNS.


One civilian was killed and more than 100 were injured in fresh violence on Friday as authorities reimposed curfew and restrictions across the Kashmir Valley to prevent people from marching towards Eidgah in the old city of Srinagar on the call of separatists.





Reports said a youth was killed, while over 20 were injured in clashes between protesters and security forces in Pulwama district after Friday congregation prayers. In Shopian and Anantnag districts, fresh clashes left scores of people injured. At least 30 protesters were injured in highway towns of Pattan, Pallahan and Hygam in north Kashmirs Baramulla district.



Witnesses said clashes broke out after security forces intercepted protest rallies of hundreds of people who were heading towards the national highway. Youths and security personnel clashed at several places in the Valley.



A six-year-old boy was among 50 people injured in daylong clashes in Sopore and Handwara towns. The boy was hit by pellets in Handwara.



In Srinagar, separatist leaders Syed Ali Geelani, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq and Yasin Malik had asked people to march towards Eidgah for an azadi rally and to offer joint congregational prayers there.



Geelani and Mirwaiz, who are under house arrest since the violence broke out on July 9, defied restrictions and came out of their homes to march towards Eidgah. However, the police stopped them and took them away.



The authorities imposed curfew and blocked all entry points to Hazratbal to prevent the protest march to Eidgah.



In Srinagar, curfew was reimposed to scuttle the separatists march. Curfew was relaxed in most areas of Srinagar on Tuesday. This had resulted in movement of people and vehicles in the last three days,



For the seventh consecutive on Friday, the authorities did not allow congregation prayers in Srinagars historic Jamia Masjid. On Thursday evening, a Tata Sumo vehicle was set on fire by protesters at Nowshehra area in the old city. The vehicle was carrying equipment of a cellular company.



All-party delegation likely to visit J&K



An all-party delegation is likely to visit violence-hit Jammu and Kashmir in the first week of September, DHNS reports from New Delhi.



The move comes a day after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh said in Srinagar that he had asked Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti to make arrangements for the visit of the leaders from all parties.



The opposition parties, especially the Left parties, had demanded that the Centre should organise a visit of the all-party delegation to the Kashmir valley.


In a landmark verdict, the Bombay High Court on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah here.





The court ruled that the ban imposed by the managing trust of the shrine is in contravention of the fundamental rights of an individual provided by the Constitution.



We hold that the ban imposed by the respondent No 2 (Haji Ali Dargah Trust) prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah contravenes Articles 14 (equality before law), 15 (prohibition of discrimination on grounds of religion, race, caste, sex or place of birth) and 25 (freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion) of the Constitution, and as such restore status-quo ante, i.e. women be permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum at par with men, a division bench comprising Justice V M Kanade and Justice Revati Mohite Dere said.



Dr Noorjehan Safia Naiz and Zakia Soman of NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan had filed a PIL before the high court challenging the ban, and made the Maharashtra government, Haji Ali Dargah trust, trustees and charity commissioner as the parties. The bench also directed the state government and trust to take effective steps to ensure the safety of women at the said place of worship.



However, the court stayed the implementation of the order for six weeks to enable the trust to move the Supreme Court.



The trust has no right to discriminate the entry of women into a public place of worship under the guise of managing the affairs of religion under Article 26. So, the state will have to ensure protection of rights of all its citizens guaranteed under Part III of the Constitution, including Articles 14 and 15, to protect against discrimination based on gender, the court ruled. Shoaib Memon, appearing on behalf of the trust, said: Islam discourages free mixing between men and women.



The intention of the said restriction is to keep interaction at a modest level between men and women.



Quoting verses from the Quran and Hadith (reports of statements or actions of Prophet Muhammad), Memon submitted that the prophet had ordered that mosques should have separate doors for women and men so that they do not enter and exit through the same door.



We welcome the verdict, Raju Moray, representing the petitioners, said after the judgement was pronounced.



The bench said the trust, under the guise of providing security and ensuring safety of women from sexual harassment, cannot justify the ban and prevent women from entering the sanctum sanctorum.



The trust has no right to discriminate the entry of women into a public place of worship under the guise of managing the affairs of religion under Article 26. So, the state will have to ensure protection of rights of all its citizens guaranteed under Part III of the Constitution, including Articles 14 and 15, to protect against discrimination based on gender, the court ruled. Shoaib Memon, appearing on behalf of the trust, said: Islam discourages free mixing between men and women.



The intention of the said restriction is to keep interaction at a modest level between men and women.



Quoting verses from the Quran and Hadith (reports of statements or actions of Prophet Muhammad), Memon submitted that the prophet had ordered that mosques should have separate doors for women and men so that they do not enter and exit through the same door.




A free screening of Most Likely to Succeed, an award-winning, thought-provoking documentary on education reform, will be shown in seven North Dakota communities over 11 days, from Monday through Sept. 8.

The film presents the argument that American educational practices, which are rooted in traditions more than a century old, need to adjust to the needs of todays students. Commentators in the film say the school model hasnt changed as the world economy shifts and traditional white- and blue-collar jobs disappear and that these trends could produce chronically high levels of unemployment among graduates in the 21st century.

The North Dakota Department of Public Instruction, the Greater North Dakota Chamber and North Dakota United are hosting the showings. Each one will be followed by an audience question-and-answer session of the issues raised by the film.

Ted Dintersmith, a venture capitalist and education reform advocate who is the films executive producer, will be present at each showing and will take questions afterward. School Superintendent Kirsten Baesler will participate in the question-and-answer sessions in Bismarck, Dickinson and Watford City.

All showings will begin at 6 p.m. The film lasts about 1.5 hours, and audience discussion usually lasts until 9 p.m.

 Monday: North Dakota Heritage Center, 612 E. Boulevard Ave., in Bismarck

 Tuesday: Dorothy Stickney Auditorium in May Hall, 291 Campus Drive, Dickinson State University campus.

 Wednesday: Watford City High School auditorium, 2313 Wolves Den Parkway

 Thursday: Minot High School Central Campus Auditorium, 215 First St. S.E.

 Sept. 6: Sweetwater Elementary School, 1304 Second Ave. N.E. in Devils Lake

 Sept. 7: Empire Arts Center, 415 Demers Ave., in Grand Forks

 Sept. 8: Bremer Bank Theatre, Harry & Ella Stern Cultural Center, North Dakota State College of Science campus, 800 Sixth St. N., in Wahpeton
Four British citizens staged a protest in front of the Air India office at Unity Building on Friday night against the airline's move of transferring the reserved seats to other passengers.



The Britons - Nayeema, Manza, Ivan and Diya - said that they had come to the city on August 7. We had paid Rs 2.5 lakh and reserved the onward journey to England on August 26. We went to the KIA at 5 am as the flight was to leave at 6.10 am. The Air India staff did not issue us boarding passes and sent us away, alleged Nayeema.



All the four claimed that the Air India staff did not behave properly. We learnt later in the evening that the Air India had allotted the seats to other passengers. Hence, we staged a protest," Nayeema added. The Halasuru Gate police rushed to the spot, but the Air India staff had left for the day. The police are trying to contact senior officers of the Air India, said the police.
The BJP Minority Morcha on Friday charged the state government with indulging in divisive politics by not inviting BJP Muslim leaders to the inauguration of the Haj Bhavan in Bengaluru.



The Bhavan, located at Hegde Nagar, is scheduled for inauguration on Saturday to coincide with Air Indias first Haj flight from Karnataka. Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Morcha president Abdul Azim said it was the BJP government which had released grants for the Rs 87-crore Bhavan.



It was the BJP government which finalised the plans for the Bhavan, released grants and monitored the progress of the project for five years. But no BJP Muslim leader has been invited for the inauguration, he said.



Azim charged the government with engaging in social boycott of Muslims in the BJP. Azim refused to comment on queries from reporters on BJP leader K S Eshwarappa trying to consolidate OBC and Dalit votes (but leaving out minorities) by associating himself with the Sangolli Rayanna Brigade.




Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhavs mother acquired agricultural lands at both Hegganahalli in Devanahalli and Ramanayakanahalli in Anekal in violation of the rules governing the purchase of farmland by non-agriculturists.





Tarabai Maruthirao Jadhav had bought 16 acres and 10 guntas through two sale deeds (28/02/1985 and 2/09/1985) at Kundana hobli in Devanahalli taluk for Rs 48,000. The same land was pledged to the Primary Land Development Bank in September 1990 for a loan of Rs 79,200, wherein Jadhav was one of the mortgagers along with his mother.



The land was subsequently converted by the then deputy commissioner, Bengaluru Rural, in 1996-97, and the plan was approved by the Bangalore Metropolitan Region Development Authority for residential plots.



In 1997-98, the plots were sold for a total consideration of Rs 58.87 lakh. In 1999, some more land was converted for commercial purpose and sold for Rs 4.35 lakh. Between 1999-2000, some plots were sold for Rs 9.90 lakh and in 2000-2001 a few more were sold for Rs 9.50 lakh.



The sale deeds suggest that Tarabai had earned Rs 82.52 lakh as proceeds from the sale of commercial plots between 1997-2001. Thus, it is found that she had bought the agricultural land in Devanahalli in violation of Section 79 (b) of the Karnataka Land Reforms Act, 1961, as she is not an agriculturist. It is also to be examined whether there was violation of Section 79 (a) vis-a-vis, the non-agricultural income exceeding the then prescribed limit.



A year after the last sale of the commercial plot in Devanahalli, Tarabai bought 16 acres and 10 guntas of agricultural land in various survey numbers at Ramanayakanahalli in Anekal taluk for Rs 16.25 lakh. However, this purchase is in clear violation of Sections 79 (a) and 79 (b). Reason: Tarabai had by then lost the agricultural status gained in Devanahalli after the conversion of the land and not engaging in any cultivation. By the sale of plots in Devanahalli, Tarabai had earned an average non-agricultural income of more than Rs 2 lakh from 1997 to 2002.



Retired IAS officer V Balasubramanian said the purchase of agricultural land in Anekal was a clear violation of Section 79 (a). Once she (Tarabai) converted the agricultural land for commercial purpose and earned Rs 82 lakh, because of the high non-agricultural income, she was ineligible to purchase agricultural land.



What the Act says



Sec 79 (a) of the KLR Act stipulates that no person who are a family or a joint family which has an annual income of not less than Rs 2 lakh from sources other than agricultural lands, shall be entitled to acquire any land whether as land owner, landlord, tenant or mortgagee with possession or otherwise or partly in one capacity.



Rajinis 2 plots



There is a star connection to the controversy surrounding the sale of commercial plots by Chief Secretary Arvind Jadhavs mother Tarabai Maruthirao Jadhav at Hegganahalli in Devanahalli taluk. Tamil superstar Rajinikanth has bought two plots, measuring nearly an acre, on the same land.






Akhila Karnataka Police Mahasangha president V Shashidhar said on Friday that he would continue to fight for the welfare of police personnel.





He was speaking to reporters after being released from Central Prison, Parappana Agrahara. In June, he had given a call to police personnel to skip work for a day demanding fulfilment of their long-pending welfare measures.



He was arrested on the charge of sedition for launching a campaign instigating the police personnel on June 2. The High Court granted him bail on Thursday.



Home Minister G Parameshwara and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah conspired against me. They ensured that I was arrested and jailed. I was put behind bars for 85 days only because of Parameshwara and Siddaramaiah, he said.



 I did not have any intention to fight against the system or the police. I was fighting for the welfare of policemen. I was seeking the governments attention towards their long-pending demands, he said.



Shashidhar said he would not remain silent, but work for the welfare of policemen. He claimed that he was tortured in the prison. He was a constable before being dismissed in the 1980s. He founded the Mahasangha to fight for lower-rung police personnel.


A sub-inspector of police in Attibele has sought filing a complaint against Bengaluru Rural MP D K Suresh for accusing him of taking money from the public. In a requisition to Bengaluru Rural SP Amit Singh on Friday, sub-inspector Srinivas said the MP spoke ill of him in front of several people including his colleagues at his house in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, on Thursday morning. The SP, however, said the case didnt merit a complaint.



A senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said: Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP), Bengaluru Rural, inspector and sub-inspector of Attibele police station, inspectors from Anekal and Jigani police stations and a sub-inspector from Bannerghatta police station were called for a meeting by Suresh. The MP told them that drivers of trucks transporting granite were being attacked and robbed. Police are supporting the goons instead of protecting drivers, the MP told them. The DySP tried to explain but was interrupted by Suresh, who asked him to keep quiet. He ordered an immediate stop to attacks on lorry drivers.



Suresh himself is a granite businessman and has close links to several granite businessmen in Jigani and the surrounding areas falling under Bengaluru Rural constituency. He is the younger brother of Energy Minister D K Shivakumar. As the police officers were leaving Sureshs house, the MP asked Srinivas which police station he was from.



Srinivas told the MP he was from Attibele police station. Suresh then took a sarcastic jibe at the sub-inspector saying he was good at collecting money from the public. Srinivas asked the MP to check with locals about his conduct and whether allegations against him were true. If they were found to be true, Srinivas offered to seek a transfer. Suresh replied that every policeman says the same. Srinivas walked out saluting Suresh. Srinivas felt humiliated as Suresh spoke ill of him in front of other police personnel and the public, he added.



Suresh told DH: A month ago, I conducted a meeting with the public in Anekal and nearby areas. They spoke about the rise in crime in Anekal, Jigani and surrounding areas. They also told me the police were not registering complaints in time. I assured the public that the matter will be looked into. On Thursday morning, I called them for a meeting and told them about the peoples complaints, added Suresh.



The police are conducting an enquiry into the matter. The incident does not merit registering a case. Suresh made observations about the crime rate and accused the sub-inspector corruption. Srinivas felt humiliated as Suresh spoke ill of him in front of his colleagues and the public, said Amit Singh.


Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has convened a meeting of Congress legislators from Bengaluru on Saturday morning to discuss about the demolition drive by the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike.





The meeting has been convened to apprise the legislators on the drive which has created a lot of resentment among people, especially those who have constructed houses on rajakaluves. Senior officers of the BBMP will also attend the meeting to be chaired by the chief minister.



The MLAs had been reportedly complaining that they were not taken into confidence before launching the demolition drive.



Besides, AICC general secretary incharge of Karnataka Digvijaya Singh is scheduled to arrive in Bengaluru on Saturday on a private visit.



He is expected to arrive at 5.30 pm and likely to leave for Delhi late in the evening, sources in the Congress said.




The Confederation of Real Estate Developers Associations of India (CREDAI) on Friday urged the state government to follow the statutorily approved Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) of 2005 to identify encroachments on stormwater drains and not rely on the century-old village survey map.





Experts at Impact of Brand Bengaluru, a brainstorming session organised in the wake of the demolition drive and the National Green Tribunal (NGT) ruling of May 6, 2016, reiterated that the government must go by the CDP.



T G Sitharam, chairman, Center for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transport and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), Indian Institute of Science, wanted the government to refer to the CDP master plan instead of the village map. Things have changed over the years, and depending on the village map is not correct. Even government officers may struggle to locate a rajakaluve on the village map, he said.



Architect Naresh V Narasimhan echoed a similar opinion. Its utterly shocking that Bengaluru being the IT hub depends on the village map. The primary reason for flooding is that no lake has been de-silted. The 800-acre Bellandur lake is just five feet deep, while its actual depth is 25 feet, he said. People who are new to the city dont even know whats a rajakaluve and kaldhari or kharab land. Buildings come up only on government approval.



Earlier, Namrata Kolar, a litigation consultant, said the NGT ruling on lake buffer zone, if implemented, would invalidate projects that had duly followed all the procedures.



The CDP report, which is prepared after long research and public debate, clearly sets the land use, demarcates existing as well as future roads and supersedes kaldhari/bandi dhari and defines the drains in place of erstwhile nalas. This master plan has legislative sanction. Even the High Court of Karnataka has upheld that the CDP supersedes all previous maps and sketches, Irfan Razack, chairman of CREDAI National, told reporters.



Razack said it was incorrect for the government to rely on the 1904 village map as Bengaluru had undergone a drastic change in land use. We go through a series of approval processes from different government agencies. The Occupancy Certificate (OC) must be the final document and there should be no revisiting even if the government changes, he said.



CREDAI will support building a drain network across Bengaluru in public-private partnership and through the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative, he added.




Judgments

Glen Morgan, 34 Violate Conditions of Release,Resist/Interfere with Arrest 10 Days

John Ashepak, 36 Resist/Interfere with Arrest 60 Days

Josephine H. Jones, 36 Importing Alcohol  Dry Area $1500, 3 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

David K. David, 32 Hunting Season and Bag Limit for Musk Oxen  Unit 18 $1500,1 Yr. Prob.

Craig Frederick Moses, 31 Importing Alcohol  Dry Area $1500, 3 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

Eva J. Tinker, 34 Importing Alcohol  Dry Area $1500, 3 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

Ryan Nicholai, 27 Importing Alcohol  Dry Area $1500, 3 Days

Krista Lynn Waskey, 18 Reckless Endangerment 30 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

Leonard Patton, 29 Reckless Driving 30 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

Kenneth W. Gilbert, 22 4th Degree Assault 20 Days, 2 Yrs. Prob.

Charlie Patrick, 39 Importing Alcohol  Dry Area $1500, 3 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

Steven Evon Sr., 34 Driving Under the Influence $3000, 20 Days, 2 Yrs. Prob.

Isaiah Fisher, 25 Disorderly Conduct $100

Daniel Black, 59 2nd Degree Criminal Trespassing 1 Yr. Prob.

Aaron John, 34 Disorderly Conduct $100

Cameron Ivon, 34 Disorderly Conduct $50

Christopher Horn, 30 Violate Condition of Release $50

Thomas Patton, 24 Driving Under the Influence, Violate Conditions of Release $3000, 20 Days,2 Yrs. Prob.

Minnie Kalila, 42 Reckless Endangerment 1 Yr. Prob.

Toby Jackson, 34 1st Degree Harassment 60 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

Kenneth W. Gilbert, 22 4th Degree Assault 20 Days, 2 Yrs. Prob.

Frieda Matdelene Carl, 58 Importing Alcohol  Dry Area $1500, 10 Days, 1 Yr. Prob.

Christine F. Williams, 20 Driving Under the Influence $1500, 10 Days, 3 Yrs. Prob.

Wassilie Alfred, 50 2nd Degree Criminal Trespassing 1 Yr. Prob.

Evan Albert Waskey, 24 3rd Degree Assault 6 Mos., 3 Yrs. Prob.

Probation violations

James Robert Tikiun, 25 Violated Conditions of Probation 3 Days

Michelle Alfred, 28 Violated Conditions of Probation 30 Days

John Baptist C. Prince, 23 Violated Conditions of Probation

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Hageland Aviation has agreed to settle a claim brought by the victims of a 2016 mid-air crash for 2.5 million dollars.

Renfros Alaskan Adventures, based in Bethel, and the estate of one of its pilots, Zachary Babat, sued Hageland as a result of the 2016 mid-air crash near Russian Mission. The trial in that case was scheduled for April of this year in Bethel after long delays due to Covid.

The parties reached a settlement in March. Five people perished in the crash, which involved a Hageland Cessna Caravan and the Piper Super Cub flown by Babat for Renfros.

Kerry Pride of Montana brought the claim on behalf of her deceased husband Zachary Babat, and Wade Renfro brought the claim for his company, Renfros Alaskan Adventures. Renfros sued for financial losses to the company from the crash, and Pride sought a variety of damages, including loss of income from her husbands art business as well as from flying.

Both claimants relied on a map which was created from equipment on board the aircraft which recorded the flight paths flown by each. Here is that map from the National Transportation Safety Board:

The Renfros Super Cub (yellow line) was traveling north at a steady altitude between 1,700  1,800 ft above mean sea level (msl) prior to the crash. The Hageland Caravan (white line) was flying northwest after departing the runway at Russian Mission about three minutes before the crash and was climbing.

Aviation experts employed in the case established that the Caravan pilot would have had a clear view of the Super Cub in front of him and to the left of his position in the cockpit. It was also clear that the Caravan was below and behind the Super Cub until the seconds before the crash, leaving Babat little chance to observe the Caravan.

Neither Hageland nor its pilots estate brought a claim against Renfros Alaskan Adventures or the Babat estate.

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The Alaska State Troopers were notified on September 28, 2022, at approximately 5:30 pm, of an attempted sexual assault in Kwethluk. Troopers immediately responded to Kwethluk and began investigating the report. Troopers determined that 21-year-old Kwethluk resident Abraham Nicolai had taken an adult on a boat ride to a remote location on the Kwethluk River. Nicolai then forced the adult out of the boat and strangled the adult while holding them under the water while attempting to take their clothes off. Nicolai was arrested at his home after attempting to hide from responding Troopers. He was remanded to Yukon Kuskokwim Correctional Center on charges of Attempted Murder, Attempted Sexual Assault in the First Degree, and Assault in the First Degree, Second Degree, Third Degree, and Fourth Degree. Additional charges may be filed as the investigation continues.

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Gubernatorial candidates on Thursday laid out their priorities for the state of North Dakota and traded a few barbs while tackling issues including oil and property tax policy as well as growing mental health and drug problems in the state.

Facing off at the Ramkota Hotel as part of a policy summit sponsored by the Greater North Dakota Chamber were Republican Party candidate Doug Burgum, state Rep. Marvin Nelson, D-Rolla and Marty Riske of the Libertarian Party.

Nelson and Burgum were at odds over the states ability to take on a growing concern over adequate mental health services and treatment of addiction.

Nelson said the state has fumbled on mental health since the 1980s farm crisis, speaking of personal experience at that time supporting and consoling farmers on edge in difficult financial situations.

I hear a lot of lip service. I do not see a commitment of any kind, Nelson said.

Burgum took a more optimistic tone despite lamenting dozens of overdoses and several deaths in the Fargo area in recent months. He acknowledged that the problem will take a coalition effort and willpower to achieve results.

This is not something the state can solve itself, Burgum said.

Burgum said it will require input from law enforcement, faith-based organizations and community leaders.

Riske pivoted toward his opposition of prohibition, a Libertarian Party stance.

The best policy is to make natural drugs legal, safe and free so that criminals disappear and lives are regained, Riske said.

Candidates also sparred briefly on the Republican-dominated Legislatures move to change the states oil tax structure last session.

Lawmakers lowered the states 6.5 percent oil extraction tax to 5 percent effective Jan. 1, and raised the threshold for hitting the states large oil tax trigger after that date. The law created an overall 10 percent tax on industry and left the states 5 percent gross production tax untouched.

Democrats were fiercely opposed to the legislation, calling it a giveaway to industry. Republicans said the law provided stability and predictability for the oil industry and the state's oil tax structure.

Burgum echoed the GOP line that it was the correct choice especially since the states revenues have taken a huge dive since then and lower oil prices couldve cost the state hundreds of millions of dollars. He said the state is competing in a global economy and technology unlocked shale plays such as the Bakken.

That didnt go unnoticed  and now weve got a glut of oil, Burgum said, adding that lower taxes will attract business.

Nelson said the push for oil tax changes was shameful, adding that concerns brought forward by the Three Affiliated Tribes were brushed aside during the legislative debate. He said such treatment makes recent protests like those by tribal members and activists opposed to the Dakota Access Pipeline project unsurprising.

The Industrial Commission hasnt handled it well. It is one of the biggest messes in state government, Nelson said of regulation of the oil and gas industry.

Riske said the changes appeared to him to have been a good deal for the state.

Property tax issues

Burgum said keeping property taxes in check is a problem for any state that tries to take a lead role in managing them. He said property taxes are different in each community and county, adding that some cities are overextending themselves with infrastructure buildout.

Were not going to be able to come up with a solution where one size fits all, Burgum said. The state shouldnt be in the business of subsidizing local sprawl.

Nelson disagreed with the premise that the government was subsidizing communities.

I dont think the state has lived up to its responsibility, Nelson said.

Riske was opposed to property tax breaks made to individuals with the expectation that the state would fill the gaps.

Two more debates are scheduled. The North Dakota Newspaper Association is sponsoring an Oct. 3 debate in Bismarck and Prairie Public Television will host one Oct. 10 in Fargo that airs Oct. 12.
A review by Monica Devine

The Fox Boy is a sensitive portrayal of the Yupik Eskimo people of SW Alaska, their struggles and triumphs living with white outsiders (teachers, priests, store owners) who brought monumental changes, both bad and good, to their traditional way of life.

In her role as a social worker, Gretchen Brinck squarely faces her own failed expectations and works tirelessly for favorable outcomes in families besieged with alcohol abuse. She calls out prejudice and failed government programs and fights for the rights of children to be adopted within their own cultures.

As an outsider working in a culture that is not her own, her rendering is not Pollyannaish, rather a sincere telling of the pitfalls and bureaucratic tangling when faced with the nearly impossible task of doing whats best for kids. I closed this book thinking Ms. Brinck is a woman who chose her profession because she truly cares about people. She fights for Native children, depicting the importance of placing adoptees with Yupik over white families.

These situations are complex, for this book is equally about the dire need to protect children from abuse.

No innocent child should be beaten, chained with the dogs, and left to starve. This line stayed with me for a long time afterward, and I predict others will be similarly moved. Social workers understand the need for culturally intact families, but at the same time have an obligation to protect children from familial harm.

Sandra Kleven, a social worker and the publisher of The Fox Boy, writes a compelling forward to the book, delineating how the Yupik culture was severely disrupted by contact with the western world. Without genetic adaptation to alcohol, the Yupik people have no defense, and alcohol dependence remains a chronic problem in many villages today. She, too, worked diligently in village communities where the loss of hope has led to a suicide epidemic among adolescents.

I will always be an outsider, she writes.  still, my growth of soul is tied to village Alaska tundra.

The Fox Boy is a harsh, yet tender account of one womans fight to right wrongs, while simultaneously dealing with the pain of her own distressed marriage in the absence of family support. The writing is universal, we can all easily empathize, but also up-close and personal. It is no wonder The Fox Boy has been nominated for the 2021 National Book Award, a prestigious honor, indeed.

The Fox Boy is available on Amazon and at the Kusko Art Guild.

Monica Devine is the author of Water Mask, 2019, University of Alaska Press.

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Thank you for finding our loved ones

To the Search & Rescue Volunteers of Alakanuk, Emmonak, Kotlik, and Mountain Village

Thank you so much for volunteering your time and resources to help search for our daughters, Patience and Haley, last month. Your willingness to help on short notice is much appreciated and helped contribute to their safe return and a positive outcome. We could not have found them without you. Special thanks goes to Jason Fancyboy and Jeff Unok of Kotlik who found them, fed them, made sure they were warm, and delivered them home safely. God bless all of you that helped with their safe return! Thank you so much, the Alstrom and Moses families.

Audrey Alstrom

Anchorage, AK

A GREAT BIG Bethel THANK YOU!

The 2017 Bras n Bros fundraiser event sponsored by the VFW Auxiliary Post 10041 at the end of January was a success due to the involvement of several state, city and local agencies and businesses PLUS the selfless contributions of time from many individuals.

THANK YOU to the Robert V. Lindsey VFW Post 10041, YKHC and YKHC Injury Prevention, Lynden Air Frieght, Bethel Police Department, Bethel Fire Department, Immaculate Conception Church, the Magic Man, Mike Calvetti, Gold Rush Liquor and Swansons Store.

With everyones support, the VFW Auxiliary raised over $8,000.00 for scholarships, funeral and medical assistance, Americanism, Veterans recognition and Veterans family support.

LaTesia M. Guinn

VFW Auxiliary Bras n Bros Chairperson

Post 10041, Bethel AK

Lets stand as one, not as divided tribes

It has been a while since I last wrote. To my displeasure of some leaders of this region, I dont need to name names as you know who you are. There are a select few of us without getting compensated are trying our best to help this region.

I personally have spent countless hours of phone conversations with some respected and tireless elders and real leaders that affect our economically depressed region. I applaud those that had the courage to attend last weeks first YK Delta Intertribal Conference. Alcohol was the main topic first day and many of the attendees were affected by this very hard topic.

From my perspective it was a good turnout.

Many spoke out mostly because there already have been many preventable and premature deaths. Young and old have died from alcohol since the liquor store opened. I would like for the City of Bethel to reconsider their position with the two that are open now. The AC and BNCs licenses to operate. Needless to say the BNCs store has not been operating after the leaders of that corporation advocated publically that it is time. Time for the younger generation to learn how to drink moderation and what not.

One old man from Bethel testified when the Wild Goose was open back in the late 70s which was heartbreaking. As for the AC liquor store, what has it brought to our delta? Are they going to send food, attention, comfort, and especially LOVE to those children that are being neglected? The money that AC liquor store earns is only benefitting a Canadian company. I can only imagine if they earned 2.7 million last quarter to date this delta contributed over 5 million dollars by now.

It is time that we stand as one not as divided tribes. These organizations that you tribes erected have their own agendas. We tried and cried wolf but never got heard but turned the other way. With that being said I hope you tribes can come together. We can all agree to disagree as united tribes and great people of this Yupik, Cupik, Cupig, and Athabaskans of this great region.

Steven M Alexie

Napaskiak, AK

You, Womens History, and the Power of Social Security

March is Womens History Month  a time to focus not just on the past, but also on the challenges women continue to face. Nearly 60 percent of the people receiving Social Security benefits are women, and in the 21st century, more women work, pay Social Security taxes, and earn credit toward monthly retirement income than at any other time in our nations history. Knowing this, you can be the author of your own rich and independent history, with a little preparation.

Social Security has served a vital role in the lives of women for over 80 years. With longer life expectancies than men, women tend to live more years in retirement and have a greater chance of exhausting other sources of income. With the national average life expectancy for women in the United States rising, many women will have decades to enjoy retirement. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, a female born today can expect to live more than 80 years. As a result, experts generally agree that if women want to ensure that their retirement years are comfortable, they need to plan early and wisely.

You can start with a visit to Social Securitys Retirement Estimator. It gives you a personalized estimate of your retirement benefits. Plug in different retirement ages and projected earnings to get an idea of how such things might change your future benefit amounts. You can use this valuable tool at www.socialsecurity.gov/estimator.

You should also visit Social Securitys financial planning website at www.socialsecurity.gov/planners. It provides detailed information about how marriage, widowhood, divorce, self-employment, government service, and other life or career events can affect your Social Security.

Your benefit is determined based on your earnings. You can create your personal my Social Security account to verify that your earnings are correct. Your account also can provide estimates of future retirement, disability, and survivors benefits.

If you want more information about how Social Security supports women through lifes journey, Social Security has a booklet that you may find useful. It is Social Security: What Every Woman Should Know. You can find it online at www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10127.html.

Robin Schmidt

Social Security Administration

Alaska Public Affairs Specialist

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by Calista Corporation Staff

Mail-in ballots are on their way to registered Alaska voters.

Calista (cha-LIS-tah) Corporation leadership alerts its Shareholders of voting age that the Division of Elections has begun the process of mailing ballots to registered Alaska voters for the June 11, 2022 special primary election.

Three important pieces of information to share:

 Voters will vote for one candidate in this special primary election

 Ballots must be signed by a witness

 The deadline to postmark ballots for the special primary election is June 11, 2022

The upcoming special primary election will determine which of the 48 candidates will temporarily fill the vacant U.S. House of Representatives seat following the passing of Congressman Don Young. The top four vote-getters will advance to the August 16 special general election, which will be conducted using ranked choice voting.

Now more than ever, our Regions people need to be heard, said Andrew Guy, Calista Corp. President/CEO. As Shareholders of the Calista Corporation, when you cast your ballot, youre advocating for more than 35,000 people with ties to the Yukon Kuskokwim Region. You play a role in ensuring our elected officials understand and respect our needs. Please look for your ballot in the mail, make one choice in this pick one primary, and return it by the June 11 deadline.

Voters can expect ballots to arrive within the coming week. If you need to update your mailing address or if you do not receive a ballot, contact any Division of Elections office. Absentee in-person voting will begin on May 27 with specific locations to be announced.

Learn more about the special primary election by visiting https://elections.alaska.gov/specialelections.php.

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GCI, Alaskas largest technology company, has completed the heavy construction phase of its Terrestrial for Every Rural Region in Alaska network, a massive Alaska infrastructure project that, when complete, will connect 84 rural communities to modern technology with high-speed terrestrial broadband. Completing the TERRA ring will mark the end of the flagship project, creating a chain of interconnected communities that now have online access to the rest of the world.

After seven years of engineering and construction, GCI celebrated this milestone with Bethel residents Thursday at a community event that drew more than 1,000 people, including local and state leaders, U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski and representatives from Sen. Dan Sullivans office.

Alaska is home to some of the most challenging weather and geography in North America, which makes connecting nearly 45,000 Alaskans to a wealth of online resources a tremendous accomplishment, said Martin Cary, senior vice president of GCI Business. GCI is bringing high-speed broadband to Alaskans living in some of the most remote communities on earth. Were incredibly proud and thankful to the dedicated partners and hardworking crews that made it all possible.

Were just not going to be able to have a physics teacher in Kwethluk, said Sen. Murkowksi. But to be able to bring that expertise out to the villages through distance delivery, this is going to be the great equalizer.

Closing the TERRA ring will result in:

Access to high-speed broadband for over 80 rural Alaska communities, through which 3G/4G cellular service is also possible;

Critical bandwidth made available to numerous public, private and nonprofit entities such as school districts, regional health corporations and Alaska Native organizations;

High-speed data streaming for use in video conferencing, a critical tool for health care and education that can result in long-term cost savings for Alaskans;

Increased network capacity and improved reliability for TERRA communities through one of the largest fiber-microwave networks in the country.

The build-out of the TERRA network was no small feat. Since 2010, GCI and its partners in construction, STG Inc. and Ericsson Inc., have been tackling Alaskas unpredictable weather and challenging geography to construct more than 100 TERRA microwave towers in Alaskas wilderness. Construction relied on heavy-lifting helicopters to deliver tower equipment, tools and steel to remote areas. GCI crews withstood weeks of wilderness isolation to build TERRA towers and construct a next-generation network for communities that now have the world at their doorstep.

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Photo by Mike Williams

U.S. Senators Lisa Murkowski, Dan Sullivan, and Congressman Don Young, all R-Alaska, welcomed Attorney General William Barr to Alaska, May 30th, along with tribal leaders and community members in Bethel and Napaskiak.

Attorney General Barrs itinerary includes a series of meetings at the federal, tribal, state and local level with a focus on law enforcement and public safety issues, particularly in rural Alaska.

Public safety and lack of law enforcement are both serious challenges across the state, particularly in Alaska Native communities that are disproportionately impacted by sexual assault and domestic violence cases. We are encouraged to know that the Attorney General is investing the time to meet face-to-face with Alaska tribal officials, elders, and youth to help address these pressing issues, said the Alaska Congressional Delegation. As a delegation we have long been committed to ensuring communities, both urban and rural, are safe and secure. We look forward to building on those efforts alongside Attorney General Barr.

Attorney General Barr spent time in the village of Napaskiak where he toured the local store, the public safety building where he saw the jail cells, the Russian Orthodox Church, the school where the Napaskiak Eskimo Dancers performed for him, and he also visited the home of Tribal Administrator Sharon Williams.

Tribal Administrator Williams presented AG Barr with an emergency resolution to address public safety, effects of alcohol and drugs, and call to action.

In Bethel Barr visited the Tundra Womens Coalition shelter and the Association of Village Council Presidents where he met with local advocates and tribal leaders.

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From oil and gas companies to federal agencies, ANSEP strategic partners offered unmatched educational and professional opportunities for Alaskans this summer.

This summer, 21 students from across Alaska participated in the Alaska Native Science & Engineering Programs Summer Bridge opportunity, which places recent high school graduates in paid science, engineering or business internships with ANSEP strategic partners. Over the course of 10 weeks, students prepared for college and future STEM careers by getting hands-on, professional experience.

These internships took students across Alaska and beyond. With Santos, Anchorages Sally Yu worked on a pipeline cost modeling project and Wasillas Ezra Gilmore assisted with a geographic information system mapping project. Through his internship with ConocoPhillips, Dillinghams Kristian Nudlash graphed daily fish counts in the Nushagak and Naknek Rivers, and traveled to Wainwright and Atqasuk with the ConocoPhillips Village Outreach Department to discuss the Willow Project.

In Anchorage, Bethels Haley Sundown interned with the United States Geological Surveys Alaska Volcano Observatory. She performed routine laboratory assignments related to volcanic ash deposits, maintained databases and used a USGS scanning electron microscope to image volcanic ash samples and identify minerals.

In Alaskas Aleutian Islands, Emily Charles of Anchorage interned with the Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska on a weir at McClees Lake sampling and collecting data on returning salmon. In Southeast Alaska, an internship with the National Park Service gave Palmers Lena Edwards and Bethels Jordan Wheeler the chance to participate in an archaeological dig on an eroding river bank in Klondike Gold Rush National Park. They conducted archaeological surveys, excavated archaeological features and implemented best practices in field and laboratory procedures.

On the other side of the state, an internship with the Tanana Chiefs Conference took Wasillas Josiah Dowdy to Alaskas Interior where he studied the abundance and run timing of adult salmon in Henshaw Creek.

This summer, the largest group of ANSEP students in the 24-year history of Summer Bridge traveled to Washington D.C. Manokotaks Celine Alakayak and Wasillas Glenda Root interned with the National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, as part of ANSEPs 15-year partnership with the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, completing projects related to corporate development and funding; human resources; and diversity, equity and inclusion.

On Capitol Hill, Bethels Charlee Korthius interned with Sen. Lisa Murkowski assisting legislative staff and learning the various aspects of working in the U.S. Senate. Then, Charlee joined Anchorages Riss Delara for an internship with Bristol Bay Native Association/Fisheries Research Institute in Aleknagik. Charlee collected data on factors influencing sockeye salmon production while Riss gathered data on stream flow and temperature, zooplankton, and smolt and juvenile fish. Riss spent the other half of her Summer Bridge internship with Defenders of Wildlife. She created educational materials and activities for ANSEP Middle School students about the impact of litter on polar bears.

Students who completed paid Summer Bridge internships with ANSEPs strategic partners this year represent 10 different Alaska communities and five different Alaska Native Regional Corporations.

Anchorage

 Malia Batchelder, University of Rhode Island

 Emily Charles, Qawalangin Tribe of Unalaska (Calista Corporation)

 Caralynn Charles-Smith, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (Calista Corporation)

 Riss DeLara, Bristol Bay Native Association and Defenders of Wildlife

 Alandra Jones, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (Calista Corporation)

 Jessica Martinez, ANSEP and Alaska Department of Fish & Game (Calista Corporation)

 Sally Yu, Santos

Bethel

 Charlee Korthuis, Bristol Bay Native Association and the Office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski

(Calista Corporation)

 Haley Sundown, U.S. Geological Survey (Calista Corporation)

 Jordan Wheeler, National Park Service

Chugiak

 Isaiah Faso-Fomoso, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service

Dillingham

 Kristian Nudlash-Barger, ConocoPhillips (Bristol Bay Native Corporation)

Eagle River

 Gabe Abdelnoor, University of Rhode Island

Fairbanks

 Ezra Hunt, ConocoPhillips (Calista Corporation)

Manokotak

 Celine Alakayak, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Bristol Bay Native Corporation)

Palmer

 Lena Edwards, National Park Service

Wasilla

 Josiah Dowdy, Tanana Chiefs Conference

 Ezra Gilmore, Santos (Cook Inlet Region, Inc.)

 Glenda Root, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Cook Inlet Region, Inc.)

Unalakleet

 Victoria Fisher, Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (Bering Straits Native

Corporation)

Summer Bridge provides unparalleled professional and educational experiences for recent high school graduates in Alaska, said ANSEP Founder and Vice Provost Dr. Herb Schroeder.

These students are gaining invaluable experience in office settings and on a university campus while sharpening their skills and building valuable professional and peer-to-peer connections.

The opportunity to send students to work with our partners in D.C. this summer is just a preview of the endless opportunities that lie ahead for ANSEP students.

In addition to preparing academically, socially and professionally for college, students who successfully complete Summer Bridge are eligible for scholarship funding to attend the University of Alaska this fall. Many students have already earned free credits toward a bachelor degree through previous coursework completed in ANSEPs Acceleration Academy component.

Through scholarship funding and components like Acceleration Academy potentially saving families three full years of college costs, ANSEP helps students save tens of thousands of dollars on higher education.

Elementary, middle and high school students across Alaska as well as current university students who are interested in participating in ANSEP can learn more and apply at www.ANSEP.net.

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The extent to which government should be involved in business incentives was debated by a five-member panel at the Greater North Dakota Chamber Policy Summit held Thursday at the Ramkota.

Highlighted were tax increment finance districts and Renaissance zones, with discussion on whether they boost the community or unfairly decide winners and losers in business.

Participating were Dave Anderson, director of public affairs for Sanford and longtime advocate of revitalizing downtown Fargo; Tony Gehrig, a Fargo City Commission member; Kate Herzog, marketing and assistant director of the Downtowners Association in Bismarck; Nolan Canright, a former Bismarck police officer and 2016 Bismarck Commission candidate; and Dale Zimmerman, owner of Peacock Alley in Bismarck.

Anderson praised the Renaissance zone as the "biggest hammer in the toolbox," with the potential to be used in many future projects. He said downtown Fargo has tripled its value via 215 Renaissance projects.

"It's more than the valuation and the taxes; it's what we created for the community. It's a gathering space for the neighborhood. We have more living downtown than we ever had," he said.

Gehrig said incentives can be useful for a limited time, but they should not be stacked indefinitely, forcing other people to pay while others benefit.

"My tax bill in Fargo was 7 percent higher -- not just my city share, my total share. ... When someone doesn't pay their taxes, we pay for them. That tax money doesn't get taken away from the city of Fargo or the schools; people pay that money for them," said Gehrig, maintaining that incentives often have drawn larger corporate businesses away from other parts of town.

Herzog said more research needs to be done, but the incentives in urban areas will give a large return.

Downtown subsidizes the rest of the community, according to Herzog.

"Downtown is one of the most tax-efficient areas in the community. You reduce the streets. You have a lot of density. Downtowns are the Swiss Army knife of the community: It's going to give you more money than it uses, generally," she said.

Canright questioned why the Bismarck Renaissance zone was given an extension after all five Burleigh County commissioners voted against supporting it.

"We are taking money from one area of town and moving it to another area of town. I do believe we need to sunset these," he said.

Zimmerman said he did not use the incentives for his businesses. He said it's hard to defend multimillion-dollar corporations benefiting from urban incentives, but it is useful for smaller businesses.

"Sometimes these incentives are the difference between making and breaking them," said Zimmerman.

He noted that before urban incentives were offered, the Civic Square building, Patterson Place and the downtown depot were all set to be torn down because of their condition. Today, the property values are $10 million, generating $80,000 in property tax revenue per year.

He said Patterson Place was saved by a federal housing incentive.

"Without Renaissance (zoning), (downtown) Bismarck would be a ghost town," he said.
By John Vidal

21 April 2016 (Guardian)  A documentary about the murder of a rainforest activist has been viewed tens of thousands of times online after being banned by the Cambodian government. The film, I Am Chut Wutty, was due to be shown this week in a Phnom Penh cinema to coincide with the fourth anniversary of the killing of the environmentalist by an unidentified military police officer in April 2012. But the Cambodian Department of Cinema and Cultural Diffusion refused the cinema a licence, stating that the British director had no permission to make the film.
By Lindsay Fendt

11 August 2016 (mongabay.com)  On a Tuesday in March, indigenous activist Nelson Garcia was shot in the face in northwest Honduras. The next day, in Guatemala, unknown attackers found environmentalist Walter Mendez outside his home and filled his chest with bullets. Two weeks earlier gunmen killed Berta Caceres, an internationally renowned environmental campaigner, in her Honduran home. And in the months before, similar killings were reported in Brazil, Mexico, and Peru. Since 2010, murders over land disputes have been on the rise worldwide, but the problem is especially severe in Latin America, according to U.K.-based NGO Global Witness. The group documented more than 900 environmentalists killed in the region between 2002 and 2015. Last year was the deadliest year on record, with 185 murders worldwide, nearly two-thirds of them in Latin America, according to a report the group released in June. There is an increase in pressure to exploit resources that have not been exploited yet, John Knox, a Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment for the United Nations, told Mongabay. You have very powerful economic interests on one hand and marginalized communities on the other and that seems to be leading to these conflicts [worldwide]. Though in Latin America the reasons for the killings vary, many are related to a surge in development in remote parts of the region. Seeking out foreign investment, governments have been granting concessions to foreign-funded hydroelectric dams, mines, and other projects, often without consulting the communities already occupying the land. Meanwhile, landless ranchers, poachers, and illegal loggers are also pushing into remote areas in search of untapped resources. Most of the encroached-upon areas have been inhabited by indigenous groups or subsistence farmers for generations, but many communities lack titles or deeds for their land. With little government assistance, some members of these communities are opposing environmental destruction on their own and paying the ultimate price. It is one of the most serious injustices in the world, said Bill Kovarik, a professor at Radford University in Virginia who tracks murders of green activists. For every one of these very serious deaths there are dozens of others that face violence. [more]
By Sarah Jane Keller

25 August 2016 (smithsonian.com)  It was the kind of clear late-August day that anglers live for. Yet at the Yellowstone River near Livingston, Montana, not a single oar boat or even a fishing line broke the rivers calm surface. All was still, save for an osprey scavenging the corpses of pale, shimmering whitefish along the gravelly shoreline. A light breeze carried the sweetish smell of aquatic decay. Earlier this month, the Yellowstone River made national headlines with the news of an unprecedented fish die-off in its usually healthy waters. Starting in mid-August, biologists counted 4,000 dead whitefish floating on the Yellowstone or washed ashore, but they estimate that the true number is in the tens of thousands. As if that wasnt enough, theyve recently spotted rainbow trout and Yellowstone cutthroat troutboth economically important speciesgo belly-up as well. This devastating scene has state officials so worried that, on August 19, they closed a 183-mile stretch of the river and all of its tributaries until further notice. Fishing boats, inner tubers, even swimming dogs: none are allowed to get into the water. The culprit is a tiny, highly contagious parasite called Tetracalsula bryosalmonae, which exclusively attacks fish. It worms its way into fishes kidneys, where it causes proliferative kidney disease and can obliterate fish populations, according to state biologists. (Science writer Ed Yong explains how this scientifically elusive parasite evolved from a jellyfish-like creature at The Atlantic.) Those biologists note that its been a hot summer, and streamflows have been historically lowstressful conditions that make cold-adapted fish populations ripe for a deadly disease outbreak. The river closure is meant to keep the parasite out of other rivers and to keep fishers and boaters from further taxing sick fish. [] News of the whitefish kill didnt surprise Clint Muhlfeld, a U.S. Geological Survey aquatic ecologist and University of Montana researcher who studies climate change impacts on cold-water ecosystems. Were seeing severe impacts on Montanas waters, mainly increases in stream temperatures and decreases in flows. These climate-induced changes are likely going to begin to interact with existing stressors such as habitat loss and invasive species, he says. The climate is warming, and there are going to be consequences for our freshwater ecosystems. [more]
BOWMAN -- The three people arrested in connection to the alleged motel room murder of 23-year-old Nicholas Johnson in Bowman last week have been charged in Southwest District Court -- but not for murder.

Chase Swanson, 21, of Bowman, and Madison West, 26, of Bowman, were charged Thursday with aggravated assault, a Class C felony, related to Johnsons death after allegedly hitting Johnson in the head with a ratchet and using a belt as a garrote to strangle him.

The third person arrested, Todd Pashano, 28, of Kingman, Ariz., was charged with hindering law enforcement because, a criminal complaint states, he delayed the discovery or apprehension of Swanson and West by his failure to call 911 after discovering they had allegedly committed homicide. That raised the charge to a class C felony.

Bowman Police Chief Charles Headley stated the reason Swanson and West were charged with a lesser crime was to obtain an arrest of the three immediately.

Essentially, those will be amended when they are brought back, he said. We just wanted to hurry up and get them detained.

Swanson and West are being held in a Denver correctional facility on the aggravated assault charges, but will face murder charges in early September when they are extradited to Bowman County, he said.

Johnson, who was from nearby rural Rhame, was found dead shortly before noon Saturday by workers at the El-Vu Motel south of Bowman on U.S. Highway 85. His body was found in a pool of blood, according to Bowman police. When police arrived, they focused on finding the residents of Room 25 -- West and Swanson -- where Johnsons body was found.

While authorities believe West and Swanson are dating, in Aug. 17 court records from a different case, West stated that she lived alone in Room 25 of the motel.

Along with help from other state agencies, Bowman police were able to track down Swanson, West and Pashano en route to Colorado driving Johnsons truck.

Swanson and West have prior criminal charges in Bowman County, the most recent stemming from events this summer.

Swanson was arrested in June for hitting an acquaintance in the face with a steel rebar and threatening to kill the the victim during the altercation.

According to court documents, he stated at that time he was a farmer on his family farm, Swanson Farms. Its believed at the time of Johnsons death, however, Swanson and West were both employees of the El-Vu Motel.

In July, West had allegedly assaulted relatives in Bowman and caused bodily injuries to their arms and face. Court records state family members believed West was a danger to herself and others stemming from her drug induced outbursts.

During the visit, police found a .22-caliber rifle that had been shortened to a length of 32 inches. The serial number of the rifle had also been ground off. The firearm had been reported stolen and the owner of the gun correctly identified it as having been stolen from his vehicle in June.
MORTON COUNTY  While hundreds are settling in for the long haul at an encampment to protest the Dakota Access Pipeline, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers confirmed Thursday that the pipeline developer, Energy Transfer Partners, does not yet have a written easement to build the pipeline on corps property.

Corps spokesman Larry Janis said the easement is still under review, though the agency did issue Section 408 permission in late July that allows the easement to be written.

They cant build the project by accessing corps property from west to east across Lake Oahe, Janis said of any current construction.

That could partly explain the companys decision Aug. 18 to voluntarily stop construction at its work site just north of the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation near the Missouri River-Lake Oahe, where an active protest led to 28 arrests. The company has since received a federal court restraining order to prevent all arrestees  including tribal chairman Dave Archambault  and any Jane and John Doe from being at the work site and places such violations in federal, not district court.

The stopped work also stopped active protest, and protesters have since held prayer circles and other gatherings in the camp area about 1 mile south.

The realization that the company still does not have an actual easement surfaced Wednesday in a federal district court in Washington, D.C., where the Sioux tribes request for an injunction to stop the pipeline pending its suit against the corps was heard. The court judge said he wants more time to study whether the corps failed to follow the National Historic Preservation Act and other federal laws in its environmental review of the project. The judge said he will rule on the injunction Sept. 9.

Everybody thought they had it (easement), said attorney Carolyn Raffensperger, executive director of the Science and Environmental Health Network. This is really important information.

Raffensperger is among four attorneys volunteering legal services to the tribe and the individuals who were or may be arrested.

They addressed several hundred circled around the council fire mid-day Thursday; a cool, breezy day that called for blankets and jackets. They said legal issues may get worse for the state of North Dakota and other agencies.

Amnesty International observers were in the camp Thursday and an observer from the United Nations is scheduled to be in camp Tuesday, said Phyllis Young, the Standing Rock camp coordinator.

Young said the tribe is alleging racial discrimination for acts including a police barricade on Highway 1806 near Mandan that detours anyone going home to the reservation, but gives access to everyone else north of the reservation, and airplane surveillance.

We are exploring the defense of that roadblock. Theres nothing to warrant that kind of lockdown," said Angela Bibens, an attorney.

The roadblock is manned 24 hours a day by North Dakota Highway Patrol troopers and other cooperating agencies. Bibens urged anyone with an outstanding warrant or unpaid child support to refrain from getting arrested to prevent their personal problems from getting worse. She said only people with a clean record should consider themselves arrest-able.

Meanwhile, camp managers met Thursday to discuss logistics now that it appears the camp, with anywhere from 500 to 2,000 people in tents and tepees, will stay active until the courts injunction decision Sept. 9.

Johnelle Leingang, an emergency manager, said a noticeable number of people left the camp after Wednesdays news that the injunction decision would be delayed.

The majority are coming back, and the head cook said shell provide the same amount of food for 2,500 people, Leingang said.

The camp is actually three camps: the main Seven Council camp on the north side of the Cannonball River, the Rosebud camp across the river and the original Sacred Stone Spirit camp further southeast.

Even as a small group from the Arizona Navajo Nation that brought meat and produce to the campers earlier this week packed up to go home Thursday, a group of eight Native Descendants from California rode in on motorcycles to stay through the weekend.

It was a beautiful drive. We had the heart and the spirit to get here and, if we could stay longer, we would. This is history in the making, Anthony Cuevas, said.

Chairman Archambault, who this week had an opinion piece on the protest published in the New York Times, spoke at the council fire after returning from the D.C. court hearing.

He expressed gratitude for the support from tribal nations around the country and for the peaceful prayerful nature of the camp.

When this is done, if its ever done, they will remember the people who live on reservations. What I see today is unbelievable. The prayers are never-ending," said Archambault, adding that the protest has caught the attention of the nation.
RANKED: The 10 Best Bollywood Action Movies of All Time
Sigfox is deploying its IoT network in Colombia, in partnership with WND and managed by Phaxsi Solutions.

The rollout coincides with the launch of a nationwide alliance of universities, technology leaders and companies known as the Centre of Excellence and Appropriation of Internet of Things (CEA-IoT). The alliance received an initial investment of $1.8 million this year to promote the IoT as a tool for strengthening Colombias economic development.

This is a very timely launch of Sigfoxs network in Colombia on many levels, said Carolina Campo, Phaxsi CEO and co-founder. First, its light infrastructure enables Phaxsi to quickly and simply connect Colombian businesses and citizens to the IoT. Second, our goal is to work with the national alliance to sustainably develop, consolidate and grow the IoT market in Colombia. Finally, the arrival of this global connectivity solution opens the door to new economically competitive and energy-efficient services for Colombian businesses. These will deliver a significant, positive impact for the Colombian economy.

She said likely IoT use cases and applications for companies and government agencies include logistics, supply-chain management, asset-tracking, crop and soil monitoring, alarm systems for homes and businesses, smoke detectors, smart-city apps and utility meter reading.

Sigfoxs expanding global network provides simple, reliable, energy-efficient and cost-effective connectivity for billions of objects that communicate small messages to the cloud, and which make up the vast majority of IoT use cases. With its unique offer, Sigfox enables businesses to add new services with their products, allowing them to expand their business models and grow revenue.

Following deployment of Sigfoxs dedicated, bidirectional IoT network in Brazil and Mexico earlier this year, Colombia becomes the third Latin American nation to roll out the global network and the 24th globally. With Brazil and Mexico, Colombias deployment, which has already begun, will extend Sigfox coverage to 57% of Latin Americas territory and 60% of its population.

Phaxsi Solutions is collaborating with WND, the Sigfox partner founded in 2015 to deploy the network throughout Latin America, to provide IoT connectivity in Colombia. The partners said the countrys top 10 urban areas, representing more than 50% of the countrys population, will be covered by mid-2017.

Colombia, our third nationwide deployment in Latin America this year, is a key part of our mission to rapidly develop the IoT ecosystem in this region, said Chris Bataillard, founder of WND. We are eager to develop Colombia with Phaxsi, which has a strong strategic mix of radio experience and entrepreneurial spirit required to quickly deliver the many benefits of the IoT to the people of Colombia. And we see many application, hardware and ecosystem synergies across the region that already includes Colombia, Mexico and Brazil.

Rodolphe Baronnet-Fruges, Sigfox executive vice president for networks and operators, said Sigfoxs economical and reliable connectivity solution will help overcome infrastructure and cost barriers for IoT adoption in Colombia. In addition, the companys global ecosystem of partners, such as component and device manufacturers, IT developers and integrators, will help quickly grow Colombias IoT ecosystem.

Colombia is a very promising setting for rapid IoT adoption because public and private groups recognise the key role the IoT can play in the creation of new companies, improved efficiencies for businesses and new services for citizens, he said. Sigfox will work with WND and Phaxsi Solutions to quickly build the local ecosystem of hardware manufacturers, solution makers, startups and others to rapidly realise these benefits for Colombians.
Zinc explorer North River Resources subsidiary's application for a mining licence for its Namibian mining project was delayed again.

North Rivers subsidiary NLZM is still currently waiting on the mining application for its Namib project, a restart of a high grade zinc-lead underground mine, from the Namibian Ministry of Mines and Energy, following two delays with the government not having provided any revised date or time-frame for a decision.

"The duration and outcome of these discussions remain uncertain and the final issue of the Mining Licence on commercially acceptable terms cannot be guaranteed," the company said in a statement.

NLZM submitted a proposal on April for a mining application and included reference to the Namibian government's poverty eradication aims by providing an opportunity for local ownership of the Namib project, participation by historically disadvantaged Namibians in the management of the project; and implementing a corporate social responsibility strategy. The ministry said it will respond as as soon a possible.

The AIM-listed company said it is also examining the proposed National Equitable Economic Empowerment (NEEEF) Bill, which will set out obligations for companies to provide opportunities for ownership and management participation for previously disadvantaged Namibians.

The company said the extent to which the NEEEF Bill would place additional obligations on the Namib project is unclear, and the company and Namibian mining industry as a whole will need to seek further clarity.

Furthermore, "certain obligations under the draft Bill are inconsistent with those laid down under the terms & conditions to the Notice of Preparedness to Grant," the company said.

North River also appointed human resources professional Ratonda Katjivikua and solicitor Francois du Plessis to NLZMs board, and former Namibian politician Asser Kapere as chairman.

North River chief executive James Beams, said: "I am very pleased with the new appointments to the board of NLZM. North River is at a critical juncture as we seek to advance our mining licence application and take the Namib project forward to a construction decision, and the combined skills and experience of the new board members of NLZM will greatly strengthen the leadership of the group".

Shares in North River Resources were down 16.38% to 12.12p at 0834 BST.
Belgian brewer Anheuser-Busch InBev said on Friday that its merger with SABMiller could result in thousands of job losses.

According to documents related to the transaction, around 3% of the companys total workforce, or 5,500 jobs could be axed as AB InBev looks to make pre-tax savings of at least $1.4bn a year within the four years after the takeover completes.

The company said on Friday that the job cuts would be implemented gradually, in phases, over a three-year period after the merger.

AB InBev, which currently employs around 150,000, said the 3% figure does not include sales and front-office supply staff.

Although there was no mention of where the job losses would occur in terms of regions, the documents revealed that the combined groups headquarters would be in Leuven, in Belgium, with global management in New York.

At 1215 BST, AB InBev shares were up 0.4% to 112.25 while SABMiller was up 0.1% at 4,376p.
Hikma Pharmaceuticals chairman and chief executive Said Darwazah has splashed on 4.32m worth of the firm's shares, just a day after they dived on comments from US presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton.

Darwazah, whose father founded the company, paid 2160p a share, snaffling 200,000 of them. At about 18:03 BST, shares in Hikma were up 1.49% to 2182p.

On Thursday, Clinton and several senators spoke out against pharmaceutical pricing by drug companies, denting their shares in London and in the US.

A day earlier, on Wednesday, Hikma reported a jump in first-half revenues but a drop in operating profit, as it reiterated its full-year revenue guidance.

In the six months to the end of June, core revenue rose to $882m from $709m, but operating profit slipped to $176m from $204m due to a lower contribution from specific market opportunities for the generics business compared with the first half of 2015.

The company declared an interim dividend of 11 cents per share, in line with the dividend in the same period last year.

Top Director Buys

Hikma Pharmaceuticals (HIK)

Director name: Darwazah,Said

Amount purchased: 200,000 @ 2,160.00p

Value: 4,320,000.08



Frenkel Topping Group (FEN)

Director name: Granite,Jason

Amount purchased: 843,000 @ 44.00p

Value: 370,920.00



Haydale Graphene Industries (HAYD)

Director name: Gibbs,Raymond (Ray) John

Amount purchased: 115,000 @ 180.00p

Value: 206,999.99



Eurocell (ECEL)

Director name: Kelly,Mark

Amount purchased: 43,939 @ 170.69p

Value: 74,999.48



Scapa Group (SCPA)

Director name: Hardcastle,Graham

Amount purchased: 20,000 @ 245.93p

Value: 49,186.00



Eurocell (ECEL)

Director name: Lawson,Robert (Bob)

Amount purchased: 15,739 @ 170.69p

Value: 26,864.90



Cropper (james) (CRPR)

Director name: Cropper,Mark A J

Amount purchased: 2,600 @ 887.50p

Value: 23,075.00



John Laing Group (JLG)

Director name: Brousse,Olivier

Amount purchased: 5,815 @ 256.40p

Value: 14,909.66



Jupiter Us Smaller Companies (JUS)

Director name: Booth,Lisa

Amount purchased: 463 @ 744.75p

Value: 3,448.19



Sky (SKY)

Director name: Lewis,Dave

Amount purchased: 334 @ 870.50p

Value: 2,907.47



Centrica (CNA)

Director name: Pusey,Stephen

Amount purchased: 989 @ 236.20p

Value: 2,336.02



Centrica (CNA)

Director name: Meakins,Ian

Amount purchased: 854 @ 236.20p

Value: 2,017.15



Centrica (CNA)

Director name: Valle,Margherita D.

Amount purchased: 842 @ 236.20p

Value: 1,988.80



Sky (SKY)

Director name: Gilbert,Martin J

Amount purchased: 119 @ 870.50p

Value: 1,035.89



Sky (SKY)

Director name: Pigasse,Matthieu

Amount purchased: 117 @ 870.50p

Value: 1,018.48



Sky (SKY)

Director name: Sukawaty,Andrew (Andy)

Amount purchased: 114 @ 870.50p

Value: 992.37



Sky (SKY)

Director name: Clarke,Tracy Jayne

Amount purchased: 74 @ 870.50p

Value: 644.17



Blackrock Throgmorton Trust (THRG)

Director name: Beart,Simon

Amount purchased: 160 @ 328.00p

Value: 524.80



Blackrock Throgmorton Trust (THRG)

Director name: Beart,Simon

Amount purchased: 146 @ 328.00p

Value: 478.88



Standard Life (SL.)

Director name: Matthews,Paul

Amount purchased: 63 @ 355.00p

Value: 223.65



Standard Life (SL.)

Director name: Savage,Luke

Amount purchased: 42 @ 355.00p

Value: 149.10



Blackrock Throgmorton Trust (THRG)

Director name: Latymer,Lord

Amount purchased: 45 @ 328.00p

Value: 147.60



Standard Life (SL.)

Director name: Skeoch,Keith

Amount purchased: 35 @ 355.00p

Value: 124.25





Top Director Sells

Frenkel Topping Group (FEN)

Director name: Fraser,Richard

Amount sold: 1,000,000 @ 44.00p

Value: 440,000.00



Frenkel Topping Group (FEN)

Director name: Dean,Julie

Amount sold: 686,000 @ 44.00p

Value: 301,840.00



Haydale Graphene Industries (HAYD)

Director name: Gibbs,Raymond (Ray) John

Amount sold: 115,000 @ 179.96p

Value: 206,954.00



Pennon Group (PNN)

Director name: Loughlin,Christopher

Amount sold: 16,040 @ 882.01p

Value: 141,474.40



Pennon Group (PNN)

Director name: Davy ,Susan

Amount sold: 6,617 @ 882.01p

Value: 58,362.60




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New Approach to Control Cancer Not Eliminate It

Published: 2016-08-26 - Updated: 2022-01-18

Author: Oregon State University | Contact: oregonstate.edu

Peer-Reviewed Publication: N/A

Jump to: Main Digest | Publications

Synopsis: Metronomic dosage regimen uses significantly lower doses of chemotherapeutic drugs but at more frequent time intervals. Imagine if we could manage cancer on a long-term basis as a chronic condition, like we now do high blood pressure or diabetes. This could be a huge leap forward. The types of cancers this approach may best lend itself to are those that are quite complex and difficult to treat with conventional regimens based on "maximum tolerable dose."

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Main Digest

Researchers have created a new drug delivery system that could improve the effectiveness of an emerging concept in cancer treatment - to dramatically slow and control tumors on a long-term, sustained basis, not necessarily aiming for their complete elimination.

The approach, called a "metronomic dosage regimen," uses significantly lower doses of chemotherapeutic drugs but at more frequent time intervals. This would have multiple goals of killing cancer cells, creating a hostile biological environment for their growth, reducing toxicity from the drug regimen and avoiding the development of resistance to the cancer drugs being used.

A system just published in Chemistry of Materials by a group of researchers from Oregon and the United Kingdom offers an even more effective way to deliver such drugs and may be able to greatly improve this approach, scientists say. Further testing is needed in both animals and humans for safety and efficacy.

"This new system takes some existing cancer therapy drugs for ovarian cancer, delivers both of them at the same time and allows them to work synergistically," said Adam Alani, an associate professor in the Oregon State University/Oregon Health & Science University College of Pharmacy, and lead author on the new study.

"Imagine if we could manage cancer on a long-term basis as a chronic condition, like we now do high blood pressure or diabetes. This could be a huge leap forward."

This approach is still in trial stages, Alani said, but shows promise. In some prior work with related systems in animal tests, OSU and collaborating researchers have been able to completely eradicate tumors.

Total remission, Alani said, may be possible with metronomic dosage, but the initial goal is not only to kill cancer cells but to create an environment in which it's very difficult for them to grow, largely by cutting off the large blood supply these types of cells often need.

Most conventional cancer chemotherapy is based on the use of "maximum tolerable doses" of a drug, in an attempt to completely eliminate cancer or tumors. In some cases such as ovarian cancer, however, drug-free intervals are needed to allow patient recovery from side effects, during which tumors can sometimes begin to grow again or develop resistance to the drugs being used.

The types of cancers this approach may best lend itself to are those that are quite complex and difficult to treat with conventional regimens based on "maximum tolerable dose." This includes ovarian, sarcoma, breast, prostate, and lung cancers.

One example of the new metronomic regimen, in this instance, is use of two drugs already common in ovarian cancer treatment - paclitaxel and rapamycin - but at levels a tenth to a third of the maximum tolerable dose. One drug attacks cancer cells; the other inhibits cancer cell formation and the growth of blood vessels at tumor sites.

The new system developed in this research takes the process a step further. It attaches these drugs to polymer nanoparticles that migrate specifically into cancer cells and are designed to release the drugs at a particular level of acidity that is common to those cells. The low doses, careful targeting of the drugs and their ability to work in synergy at the same time appeared to greatly increase their effectiveness, while almost completely eliminating toxicity.

"Our goal is to significantly reduce tumors, slow or stop their regrowth, and allow a person's body and immune system time to recover its health and natural abilities to fight cancer," Alani said. "I'm very optimistic this is possible, and that it could provide an entirely new approach to cancer treatment."

This research was supported by OSU, the Medical Research Foundation of Oregon, and the AACP New Pharmacy Faculty Research Award Program. It was done in collaboration with researchers from the Oregon Health & Science University, Pacific University, and Kingston University in the United Kingdom.

Reference Source(s):

New Approach to Control Cancer Not Eliminate It | Oregon State University (oregonstate.edu). Disabled World makes no warranties or representations in connection therewith. Content may have been edited for style, clarity or length.

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.

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ESPN College GameDay is in Jackson, not the OSU-PSU game. Here's why

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BREMERTON (AP)  A Bremerton company is out of options in its battle to keep serving food on ferries.

The Kitsap Sun reports that after losing a legal fight to keep the food contract with Washington State Ferries, Olympic Cascade Services asked Gov. Jay Inslee to step in. The governor declined.





. . .
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Purchases in the West bucked the trend, rising 2.5 percent.



By JOSH BOAK

AP Economics Writer

WASHINGTON  U.S. homebuyers pulled back in July, as sales declined amid a shortage of available properties and steadily rising prices.

Sales of existing homes fell 3.2 percent last month to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.39 million, the National Association of Realtors said Wednesday. The decline marks a reversal from rising demand that pushed sales in June to their highest level since February 2007.





. . .
$19M lease OK'd for Capitol Hill TOD sites



Journal Staff Reporter By BRIAN MILLER Journal Staff Reporter

[enlarge] More than 300 housing units, 30,000 square feet of retail and a plaza will be built above the Capitol Hill light rail station.

The Sound Transit Board of Directors voted Thursday to approve the long-term lease for Portland developer Gerding Edlen to build more than 300 housing units and retail above the Capitol Hill light-rail station.

Last month, the board approved a separate $2.6 million land sale to nonprofit developer Capitol Hill Housing, which will own the so-called B-North parcel. CHH's partner, Gerding Edlen, will construct a 90-unit apartment project for CHH on that site  as well as four separate seven-story, mixed-use buildings around the station.

Sound Transit's description of the motion approved yesterday lists three concurrent 99-year leases for Gerdling Edlen's three parcels (B-South, A and C), with the developer later paying a lump sum of $17,435,000 when it sells the properties, as it is required to do by 2033 or sooner.

Gerding Edlen will begin paying Sound Transit $222,350 annual rent when new space comes online.

Sound Transit said in a press release that the developer will pay a total of $19 million.

The roughly 2.3-acre site is bounded by Broadway, East Denny Way, East John Street and 10th Avenue East. The site also extends south beyond East Denny Way, including a pedestrian-plaza extension of Nagle Place that will connect to Cal Anderson Park.

Gerding Edlen previously told the DJC that it hoped to begin construction in 2018 and finish the following year, with a projected budget of roughly $130 million.

CHH must raise about $30 million for the B-North project, which Schemata Workshop is designing. Those units will be for people or families making at or below 60 percent of the area median income.

Gerding Edlen's design team also includes Hewitt; no contractor has yet been selected.

(Editors note: The names of firms on the project team have been corrected. An earlier version incorrectly said a contractor had been chosen. )

The full project does not have a name yet but there will be four buildings  presently known as C, A-South, A-North and B-South. They'll have retail space, an undetermined amount of underground parking, and about 207 market-rate and 125 affordable apartments. The affordable units will have income restrictions, which would end in 12 years.

Sound Transit said one-third of the apartments will be family-sized, with two or more bedrooms, and all the new buildings will be designed to meet LEED platinum requirements.

About 30,000 square feet of retail will be built along Broadway, and it could include a market-hall similar to Pike Place Market and Melrose Market on Capitol Hill.

A plaza in the complex will have space for Broadway Farmers Market.

More information is at soundtransit.org/capitolhillTOD





Brian Miller can be reached by email at brian.miller@djc.com or by phone at (206) 219-6517.




Israeli firm linked to hacks of UAE activist's iPhone

An Israeli company named NSO Group is said to be behind the tools that were used in a hacking attempt on a human rights activist in the United Arab Emirates, however details of the ultra-secretive company are not known.

The NSO Group that ells sophisticated hacking tools to governments, defence forces and intelligence agencies, keeps a low profile, changing its name on a regular basis.

According to commentators, that profile is likely to be raised following the in-depth research conducted by Lookout Security and Citizen Lab's Bill Marczak and John Scott-Railton, who exposed a major iOS security flaw that allowed an attacker to take full control of an iPhone using nothing more than a text message.

The activities of the company came to light after Ahmed Mansoor, a 46-year-old human rights activist from the United Arab Emirates, received a strange text message from a number he did not recognise on his iPhone.

''New secrets about torture of Emiratis in state prisons," read the intriguing message, which was accompanied by a link.

The message raised Mansoor's suspicion as he had earlier been the victim of government hackers. He did not click the link but sent the message to Marczak.

It turned out that the message was not what it purported to be and the link did not lead to any secrets, but to a sophisticated piece of malware.

The malware exploited three different unknown vulnerabilities in Apple's iOS operating system which would have allowed the attackers to gain full control of Mansoor's iPhone.

This comes as the first time anyone had uncovered an attack of the kind. Until this month, there had been no instance of an attempted spyware infection leveraging three unknown bugs, or zero-days, in the iPhone. The tools and technology needed for such an attack, which was essentially a remote jailbreak of the iPhone, could be worth as much as $1 million according to experts.

The researchers alerted Apple which rolled out an update yesterday to fix the vulnerabilities.


The Australian newspaper on Thursday uploaded a fresh bunch of leaked documents relating to information about the operating instructions of the underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines being built in Mumbai by French firm DCNS for the Indian Navy. A top defence analyst allayed fears that the exposure could compromise the security of the combat vessels. Like in the previous case, the newspaper blacked out details which it felt would compromise India's security interests. However, the new set of documents, with the Indian Navy insignia on them and marked "Restricted Scorpene India", gave details of the sonar system, which is used to gather information underwater. They revealed a wide range of technical specifications of the sonars and at what degree and frequency they would function. The documents detailed the "Operating Instruction Manual", which talked of how to select a target for weapon firing and weapon configuration selection, among others. Though the Navy has not yet officially reacted to the release of the new documents, sources maintained that they did not compromise national security. They said the same information was on "many naval defence websites". The paper said it has been told that the secret data was removed from DCNS  35-per cent owned by Thales and 65 per cent by the French government - by a former sub-contractor in 2011 and taken to a private company in Southeast Asia before being passed on to a branch of that company in a second Southeast Asian nation. A disk containing the data was then posted in regular mail to a company in Australia. At this stage it is not thought that the leak came from India. The sub-contractor was fired while providing training in India, the paper's source said. India's defence ministry said that it saw no immediate security risk and the French government said the information in the documents only showed how the submarines operate and did not compromise their security. "The Indians can object to the fact that these documents show the Pakistanis how to maintain their submarines and that's annoying, but it doesn't tell the Pakistanis how to detect an Indian ship, or how we build a submarine in France. Not at all," the source said.








Auto-playing video advertisements are not only an annoyance, but apart from being unwanted, a lot of them use up precious data without our knowledge and push up our data bills. The Telecom Regulatory Authority of India has taken this under consideration and is planning to take action against auto-playing video ads across platforms, from smartphones to broadband-connected PCs. Speaking to The Times of India, Trai chairman R S Sharma calling it a serious problem, said that he is concerned with the involuntary downloads which are consuming data from internet packs. ''Trai officials are working on this, but I think we should work at a much more furious rate. We will be able to come up with some response quickly,'' he said. With the increase in internet speeds, the rate of consumption has also gone up. With things such as auto-playing video advertisements, which do not require the consent of the consumer, it is the consumer who ends up paying the price. Industry analysts have long been citing unnecessary and hidden downloads behind higher data usage than the consumer expects. The issue of unwanted video downloads was also highlighted in a survey conducted by online mobile app Nanu which arrived at this conclusion after speaking to 14,154 mobile customers from across 23 states in India (See: Indian smartphone users end-up paying more: Nanu survey). According to the survey's finding, there was a high possibility of consumers facing hidden data charges. Around 42 per cent respondents were not aware that video ads consume data without your clicking on them and around 35 per cent respondents had noticed an increase in their data billing without altering their usage much. Using ad-blockers is an effective way to cut out the unwanted advertisements. According to a report in Scroll, around 122 million people in India use some sort of ad-blocking feature to surf the internet without viewing advertisements. India is also the fastest growing markets for mobile phone adblockers, according to a Pagefair report. But of late, a lot of websites do not load if users have an ad-blocker activated. They force users to disable the ad-blocker before displaying content. A lot of the time, these video ads play with the audio muted, so there is no way for the consumer to even realise that there is a video ad playing somewhere on the current web page. Not to forget those annoying rollover ads which not only ruin your reading experience, but also shoot up data usage (60% of Indians find mobile ads annoying; pop-ups the worst: survey). Social networking site Facebook is quite popular among Indian users. Of late its push towards video content and now with Facebook Live activated for all iOS and Android devices, the auto-playing video content is surely going to see a spike. Facebook is also testing a new feature which allows all auto-playing videos to play back with sound turned on. While there are ways to disable auto-play, it requires action from the users. For a lot of users who are not aware of this, it translates into more data usage on every Facebook visit. According to R S Sharma, Trai is making plans to speak to the various parties concerned to find a solution. Sharma hinted that if there are technological solutions to resolving the matter, then Trai will work with the technology companies concerned to bring these solutions into effect.








One of Donegals best known hotels is to benefit from a major investment by a Canadian businessman.

The Highlands Hotel in Glenties has received investment from David Harvey who is based in Ontario.

The investment will see the hotel undergo a refurbishment, but management will remain with the Boyle family, who have owned the hotel since 1948.

Johnny Boyle, who has owned and run the hotel along with his wife Christine for over 40 years, said that while there has been a change in the structure of the ownership, the family will still be running the hotel on a day to day basis.

He said the hotel has been enjoying a very successful few years, but the approach from Mr Harvey will secure its future and see the investment it needs.

This is a major investment which will ensure the future of the hotel, he said.

It is a big part of life in Glenties. It is almost like a community centre. Community meetings are held here and the community gathers here after local funerals.

We will still be involved. Our daughters Sinead and Catherine are the main managers and Grainne and Aileen are also involved.

The hotel also acts as a focal point for the arts in the area.

Fiddle classes are held there every week and it hosts the Annual Glenties Fiddle weekend.

The hotel is closely associated with the MacGill Summer School, named after local writer Patrick MacGill, and has played host to the school for 36 years. Local art is exhibited there including many works by Mr Boyle himself, an award- winning artist who has exhibited in Europe and the United States.
A Donegal granny who has just got her driving test has been told by her grand-children that shes good enough to get a job on Top Gear.

Mrs Joan Heraty (78), Kilcar, booked a course of lessons after her husband, Ray, died five years ago.

She explained: "Where I live on the Wild Atlantic Way", she said, "not even the Community Bus Service can get to my house. I was relying on friends and family to go anywhere and that's not really satisfactory."

So, Joan (pictured with her instructor Diane Harvey) booked the lessons with D's School of Motoring & Training, Killybegs and Diane Harvey, the award-winning proprietor of the motoring school said: "I am delighted. I loved Joan's enthusiasm and her ability.

"Many a person would say they were too old but anybody can learn if they are willing to put in the time and effort. You have to want something and Joan really wanted this", she added.

Asked to comment on her success, Mrs. Heraty said: "This is not about me; it's about Diane and the care she took. She gave me every encouragement and care. I was her client and I was paying her but it never felt like that. She was fabulous.

"She used to say to me to stop driving like a granny, and I would say 'Well, I am a granny.'" Joan has three children and three grand-children. And they're all very proud of her. One of them told her she could now apply for a job on "Top Gear".

When Joan and her late husband retired from running The Piper's Rest pub in Kilcar, they bought a camper van and travelled all over Europe, with Ray doing all the driving.

"I was the original happy passenger", Joan said. "I never wanted to drive. Every now and then he would say I should learn but I didn't want to."

Joan booked her first theory lesson with D's School of Motoring three years ago and did a trial run at the driving test two years ago to get an idea of what was ahead of her. When she took the test this week, she was ready.

"Diane is very good as assessing a person and taking you out of your comfort zone", she said. "There are people like myself who have reached a certain age and they think they can't do it. They can; if they have the right teacher", Joan insisted.

She added that people should make sure their teacher is a professional and is properly registered. "There are many others around my own age who say they wished they had the nerve to learn to drive. I didn't have the nerve either, just the right teacher", Joan said.

Asked to say what the driving licence means to her, Joan said: "This is not about me. It's about Diane and the care she took. What she has given me is independence."

Pictured Joan gives the thumbs up and Diane Harvey of D's School of Motoring & Training, Killybegs
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.
Migration Info graphic International migration flows: tracking the trends

In 2015, the world saw the highest levels of forced displacement recorded since World War II. There was a dramatic surge in the number of refugees, asylum-seekers and internally displaced people across the world. Data Source: International migrant stock 2015, UN



Sensing the need for "safe and orderly migration involving full respect for human rights and the humane treatment of migrants and refugees", the UN General Assembly has decided to convene a high-level meeting on large movements of migrants and refugees on September 19, 2016.





Data Source: International migrant stock 2015, UN



On this note, we have distilled a staggering volume of data on major people flow across world, the fastest-growing destinations for migrants and the trend of intra-state migration.



The number of international migrants worldwide has continued to grow rapidly over the past fifteen years reaching 244 million in 2015, up from 222 million in 2010 and 173 million in 2000.



chart shows top ten people flows across world (click on bars to explore more)





Total Migration in 2015

244 million

Data Source: International migrant stock 2015, UN



Between 2000 and 2015, some regional "corridors" grew very rapidly. Asia was one of the fastest growing destinations for migrants from Africa, with an annual average growth rate of 4.2 per cent, equal to an increase of nearly 2 million migrants during this period. For foreign-born people from Asia, the fastest growing corridors outside of Asia were from Asia to Oceania (4.8 per cent increase, yielding 2 million more migrants) and from Asia to North America (2.7 per cent increase, yielding 6 million more).



One of the fastest-growing destinations for migrants originating from Latin America and the Caribbean was Europe (6.4 per cent, or 3 million more). For foreign-born people coming from Europe, one of the fastest-growing destinations was Africa (3.2 per cent, or 0.5 million more), whereas for foreign-born people originating from North America, it was Latin America and the Caribbean (3.4 per cent per annum, or 0.5 million more).



Click on the bars to explore major people flow (over 500,000 migrants) across world

Data Source: International migrant stock 2015, UN



Northern America hosted the third largest number of international migrants (54 million), followed by Africa (21 million), Latin America and the Caribbean (9 million) and Oceania (8 million).



In 2015, South-South migration flows (across developing countries) continued to grow compared to South-North movements (from developing to developed countries). About 90.2 million international migrants born in developing countries resided in other countries in the Global South, while 85.3 million born in the South resided in countries in the Global North.



Hover mouse on the waves to explore the trends in international migration and click on continent circle to view country level migration

Migration of people to and from India

India has the largest diaspora in the world, followed by Mexico and Russia

In 2015, 16 million people from India were living outside of their country. With 12 million people living outside of their country, Mexico was a close second. Other countries with large diasporas included Russia, China, Bangladesh, Pakistan and Ukraine. Of the 20 countries with the largest number of international migrants living abroad, 11 were in Asia, six in Europe, and one each in Africa, Latin America, the Caribbean and North America.



Hover mouse on the waves to explore the trends in Indian migration

Data Source: International migrant stock 2015, UN



Migrant death toll passes 3,000 in Mediterranean till july 2016



Global migrant deaths have 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 Internationtal Organization for Migration said.





Data Source: International Organisation for Migration (IOM)



In 2015, at least 5,400 migrants lost their lives or went missing during migration. Of these fatalities, 3,770 occurred in the Mediterranean, a 15 per cent increase from fatalities recorded in 2014, though the overall rate of deaths in 2015 was lower. This is largely due to the predominance of the shorter and relatively safer Eastern Mediterranean route in 2015 as opposed to the Central Mediterranean, which was the main route in 2014.



Over three quarters of deaths in 2015 occurred along the Central Mediterranean route (an estimated 2,890). About 800 migrants are estimated to have died or gone missing in South-East Asia in 2015, nearly 70 per cent of these in the Bay of Bengal and Andaman Sea.





"Migrants, as all people, deserve protection and empathy"



The 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, adopted at the United Nations in September 2015, stresses the multidimensional reality of migration. The Agenda calls on countries to:

 Implement planned and well-managed migration policies



 Eradicate human trafficking



 Respect the labour rights of migrant workers



 Reduce the transaction costs of migrant remittances





The Agenda also highlights the vulnerability of migrants, refugees and internally displaced people, and emphasises that forced displacement and related humanitarian crises threaten to reverse much of the development progress made in recent decades.





 Data Courtesy: International migrant stock 2015, UN and International Organisation for Migration (IOM)



 Text and Analysis: Lalit Maurya and Subhojit Goswami



 Image Courtesy: Down to Earth








Infiniti's Australian boss says the brand is "on track" in Australia despite sluggish sales for the luxury marque.

Nissan's luxury arm sold fewer than 400 cars in Australia in the first six months of the year, a number Mercedes-Benz, BMW or Audi exceed in an average week.

NSW Government figures show that the number of Infiniti cars registered in the state grew by just 25 vehicles in 2015. Tesla, a younger brand with a single body style and just one dealership, managed to register 235 cars from its Sydney dealership in the same period.

Renault Nissan chief executive Carlos Ghosn told reporters in January that he aims for Infiniti to take 10 per cent of the prestige market, but the brand currently holds just 0.5 per cent of the premium vehicle segment in Australia.

Infiniti Cars Australia Jean-Philippe Roux says the brand requires a lot of work.

"Globally, Mr Ghosn has been setting some targets in terms of a percentage of the global premium market," Roux says.

"As far as Australia is concerned it's about building the brand step by step. We are on track with the plan."

The brand launched in Australia in 2012 with the ageing M-series sedan and FX-series SUV that were soon joined by the G37 Coupe and Convertible. Infiniti then introduced a new naming system based on the letter Q, rounding out its current range with the Q50 and Q70 sedans, Q70 Coupe and QX70 and QX80 SUV duo.

Roux says Infiniti then chose to limit its local operation until it had a lineup worthy of competing with premium rivals. It will soon open outlets in the Melbourne CBD and Doncaster as well as a Gold Coast retail centre at the Pacific Fair shopping centre.

"You cannot expand your network unless you have the product," Roux says.

"That's the reason, for quite some time our dealer network was limited.

"Now we have the product plan to support the natural expansion."

Roux says Infiniti's awareness "is not where it should be", and that the Mercedes-based Q30 hatch represents the next chapter in its expansion. The model will be joined by a high-riding, all-wheel-drive QX30 alongside more powerful Q50 variants in September and a new Q60 Coupe before 2017.

While Infiniti is certain the Q30 will improve sales, Roux says it is "not a silver bullet".

"It is not 'make or break', it's an important milestone. It's not going to change our issues, it's an important milestone on a long journey," Roux says.

"We need to be more relevant to the market.

"We are not relevant to the market yet. We're getting there I think, the network extension, the product expansion and the brand are getting there."
Honda is confident its all-new CR-V will be a top player in the cut-throat mid-size SUV when it arrives in 2017.

Honda Australia boss Stephen Collins acknowledges that the rival Mazda CX-5 is the benchmark in the class but believes the new CR-V has the potential to close the gap.

"I can't see any reason why we can't get double digit market share, in the private market, and if we do that we'll be one of the top players," Collins says.

The new CR-V will be unveiled in the US, most likely the Los Angeles motor show in November or Detroit show in January, before going on sale in Australia in the second half of 2017.

Scott McGregor, Honda Australia general manager of customer and communications, hinted the new model will be a step forward from the current model.

"We're pushing very hard to put the latest of what's available in that car," McGregor says. "We've seen some early images and we're pretty excited about what it's like."

Asked if the new model would offer a seven-seat variant McGregor was non-committal but didn't rule it out.

"It's certainly part of the discussion but in terms of final specs and the pricing for Australia we haven't worked through that," he said.

But Collins did confirm that the new CR-V will be offered exclusively with a petrol engine, skipping the diesel offered in previous models, citing a lack of demand for diesel engines in small and mid-size SUVs.

"Our core business now and on-going is petrol," Collins said. "The diesel [question] is interesting because diesel is reducing in most segments. We're looking at diesel but our focus for CR-V will be petrol."

Collins also confirmed that the CR-V and smaller HR-V will be Honda Australia's only SUV offerings for the foreseeable future, despite his interest in a larger SUV model to compete against the likes of the Toyota Kluger, Mazda CX-9 and Hyundai Santa Fe.

"I think that would be on our wish-list," he said. "Clearly the two big segments where we don't compete are large SUVs and pick-ups. If there was an appropriate product somewhere in the Honda world we could fill those holes with then we would do that."

He admitted the local operation has put forward a business case previous for both a large SUV, such as the US-only Pilot, and the Ridgeline ute, but needs other right-hand drive markets to show interest in order to make the numbers add up.

"We're always in discussion on that but at this point in time there is no right-hand drive availability," he said.
Home Four wheelers South Korea To Investigate Vehicles Beyond Emission Norms Now oi-Rajkamal

The Volkswagen Diesel Gate scandal is like plastic  it just seems to be everywhere. The latest news from South Korea is that the country has implemented harsher rules because of the emission scandal.

Now, South Korean regulators are probing deeper into the issue and will also check other carmakers for emission and noise levels. South Korea somehow believes that there are more automakers and Volkswagen was not the only one to cheat the system.

South Korea's investigation will cover over 12 automakers who collectively manufacture 110 diesel vehicle models. The investigation report will be announced in three months' time. There are no details as to which carmakers will be probed, but BMW, Mercedes, and the VW Group sell diesel vehicles.

In South Korea, 15 percent of vehicle sales are accounted by imports and authorities seem to be taking a hard step towards diesel vehicles. Recently, South Korea barred 80 VW models from being sold in the country, which later lead to VW itself suspending sales in South Korea.

South Korea is looking to increase electric vehicles in the country, and is expecting clean vehicles to make up as much as 30 percent of sales by the year 2020.
Thoughts after a Month with Blackphone

About a month ago, I decided to order a Blackphone. The product web site makes some tall claims about security, even calling it a secure smartphone. This kind of proclamation is rather bold, perhaps even disingenuous, and often leads to intense scrutiny in the security community. For example, consider the the response to Oracle calling their product Unbreakable. Im a bit of a skeptic, so over the last month Ive spent some of my free time researching Blackphone as a company and evaluating the security of its flagship smartphone. I wrote this post to present some of my observations and the opinions formed as a result of my research.

Before diving in, I want to point out that Im not the first person to take a look at Blackphone. The device was announced in January and was finally made available in June. At that time, Ars Technica reviewed a pre-release version of the device and their review was cross-posted on Bruce Schneiers blog. In August, Blackphone had a booth in the DEF CON 22 vendor area and the CSO even did an interview discussing the device. At that event, fellow droidsec researcher jcase bought a Blackphone and subsequently rooted it on the same day. After Black Hat/DEF CON, companies like Malwarebytes, Bluebox, and viaForensics have since posted their takes on the device. These articles and myriad of associated reader comments raise many valid points; many of which echo my own sentiments.

I purchased the Blackphone shortly after returning from DEF CON. It shipped directly from Hong Kong and arrived in only two days! Once it arrived, I quickly added it to the droid army and starting taking a look.

Getting Root

My first order of business, as is the case with any new device, was to get root on the device. It shipped with PrivatOS 1.0.1, which left it vulnerable to the chain of bugs jcase used to root Blackphone at DEF CON. The steps in reproducing this method are as follows:

Enable third-party app installs Host/install an apk that pops the debugging menu (be sure to set Content-type) Run the app and enable USB debugging Use adb jdwp with jdb to debug the remotewipe system app Inject some code to spawn telnetd as system Find a way to get from system to root

I made fairly short order of reproducing the first five steps of the path to root, leaving me with system privileges. The last part involved getting root from the system account. jcase didnt disclose his method for achieving this, so I started auditing to find my own way. It didnt take long before I found what I was looking for.

The following excerpt from /init.qvs.rc illustrates the problem.

service boot_script /data/boot_script.sh oneshot user root disabled [...] on property:sys.boot_completed=1 [...] start boot_script

On Android, the system user owns the /data directory and therefore can easily create the /data/boot_script.sh shell script. On the next boot, init will execute the script as root. This allows not only escalating privileges from system to root, but also allows persisting root access across subsequent vulnerable system updates. I was able to use this issue to keep root access even after installing the PrivatOS 1.0.2 and 1.0.3 updates.

Reporting the Issue

I reported the issue on August 25th and it was quickly acknowledged. A fix was released as part of PrivatOS 1.0.4 on September 9th. The Blackphone staff fixed the issue within 14 days and graciously credited me in their release notes. Such a short turn around is pretty impressive for a security issue in the initial ramdisk of a smartphone. The fix for the issue is as follows:

diff -ubr 1.0.3/boot/root/init.ceres.rc 1.0.4/boot/root/init.ceres.rc --- 1.0.3/boot/root/init.ceres.rc 2014-08-26 19:46:49.029329552 -0500 +++ 1.0.4/boot/root/init.ceres.rc 2014-09-09 14:06:38.526742249 -0500 @@ -591,9 +591,6 @@ user system group system inet net_admin -# Customers should remove this line -import init.qvs.rc - # log save to files service nvlog_to_file /system/bin/nvlog_to_file.sh class main Only in 1.0.3/boot/root: init.qvs.rc

Reflecting on Exploited Issues

Although Blackphone fixed these issues quickly, its unclear why they shipped in the first place. The excerpt above included removing a comment that says, Customers should remove this line. This comment was likely left by NVIDIA, the System-on-Chip (SoC) manufacturer who provides the Board Services Platform (BSP) for this device.

In steps 4 and 5, I exploited a security issue reported by Sebastian and Marco from viaForensics (also droidsec members). jcase independently discovered and exploited this same bug at DEF CON 22. The root cause of the issue was that Blackphone shipped a system app that was debuggable. Its quite unfortunate actually, because the Android Compatibility Test Suite (CTS) would find this type of security issue quickly.

Unfortunately, the staff at Blackphone didnt catch these issues on their own. The presence of such issues is distressing. A solid Security Development Lifecycle (SDL) should make the likelihood of such issues small. Perhaps Blackphone doesnt have an SDL, or perhaps they just missed these issues. In any case, the fact that such rookie mistakes shipped detracts from Blackphones security claims.

Differences from Android/AOSP

After rooting the device, I began investigating exactly what changes Blackphone made to Android/AOSP to make their device more secure and/or private. People have been making a bit of stink about this on Twitter and in reader comments on various articles. Most of Blackphones responses point to process differences like quicker patching rather than hardening or increased privacy features. Keep in mind that although some of the differences from other Android devices are apparent, they arent necessarily differences from AOSP.

PrivatOS is NOT Open Source

Unfortunately, Blackphone has not made any of their source code for PrivatOS available; despite making promises to make Blackphone open source all the way. They made the source to their Linux kernel available, which they are legally encumbered to do due to GPL. Much of the code in AOSP is released under a BSD or Apache license, which does not have this legal requirement. Im not terribly surprised given the fact that Silent Circle, one the companies behind Blackphone, also was very slow to keep their open source promise.

The reasons for not releasing code are unclear. Perhaps the bureaucracy that plagues the mobile operating system ecosystem is rearing its ugly head. The cause could be internal logistics issues, NVIDIA holding them back, or an attempt to protect company IP. Whatever the case, the important thing to realize is that keeping the code closed hurts Blackphone.

Opening the source code will increase trust in the Blackphone product and the company behind it. Many eyes arguments aside, auditing open source software is easier than reverse engineering. For example, in June 2013 Azimuth Security reviewed the open source ZRTP library used by Silent Circles apps. They identified several vulnerabilities which were subsequently fixed. Without taking a look at the Blackphone code, we dont know if they introduced additional security issues, which is unfortunately common for Android device manufacturers. The ideal way to review these changes from AOSP would be to compare the source code against Android 4.4.2. Without the code, the amount of reverse engineering time and effort required is enough to dissuade most researchers (including me, so far). Apart from making auditing easier, opening the source code greatly improves transparency. Researchers and analysts can easily review the code to verify no backdoors are present.

Not Android Compatible

Although Blackphone is based on Android 4.4.2 from AOSP, it is not Android compatible. That means Blackphone isnt allowed to use the Android name and cannot ship with access to Google Play. The former is largely unimportant, but the latter actually has interesting security ramifications  both good and bad.

Excluding Google Play, or any other app store for that matter, removes a huge attack surface. In fact, in Blackphones default configuration, you cant install apps at all. I think this is fantastic. After all, installing an app is effectively equivalent to giving the author of that app a shell account on your most personal machine. Nobody would give a complete stranger a shell, now would they?

On the flip side, not having access to Google Play means Blackphone doesnt benefit from the resources that Play provides. Features like automatic app updates, remote kill, and other ecosystem wide mitigation potential. Further, it probably means Play Services and Google Cloud Messaging are not present, which may break apps that depend on those features. Omitting this feature effectively separates Blackphone from the rest of the Android ecosystem; for better and for worse.

Not going the compatible route also means that Blackphone probably doesnt have access to the Open Handset Alliance. While not much has been stated publicly about the OHA since its inception, it is believed to be the channel through which Google and other Android OEMs share important vulnerability information. Not having access to privately reported vulnerability advisories and code fixes ahead of time puts Blackphone at a slight disadvantage. Because disclosure practices are so terrible in the Android ecosystem, Blackphone may miss out on important fixes entirely.

Considerations of Forking AOSP

As a fork of AOSP, Blackphones PrivatOS incurs significant maintenance costs but can also realize some amazing benefits. Standing at over 25 gigabytes of source code, backporting patches can be a nightmare. This is probably the biggest reasons that OEMs and carriers take so long to release firmware updates. In some cases, difficulties arise resulting in such updates being scrapped and never released at all.

Just think of the insane amount of code that will change when Android L is finally released. To remain secure, Blackphone will have to do one of two things. Option one is to comb through all released changes and backport security relevant fixes. This applies to not only Android-specific projects, but also to external projects that are included in AOSP like OpenSSL and WebKit/Blink/Chromium. Failure to do so could leave Blackphone users susceptible to publicly disclosed security issues such as those regularly published on the Google Chrome Releases blog. For example, the stable channel update on August 26 fixed over eight security issues, four of which were rated High and one rated Critical. Blackphone will need to review such changes and keep their fork updated to keep users secure. This is no small feat.

Now, the awesome part of being a fork is that they can do this quicker than Google itself. Being decoupled from AOSP, they dont have to wait for Googles fix to come down in the next major version release. This is something that Blackphone is already doing, and doing fairly well. For example, they were able to fix serious vulnerabilities like FakeID and futex/Towelroot on their own, accelerated time line. This is certainly a good thing, but as mentioned earlier in this section, the sheer amount of code to track and maintain remains a herculean challenge.

Observed Changes

While using the Blackphone, the following changes from AOSP were observed:

The bootloader on the Blackphone is easily unlockable, but immediately re-locks itself after booting up. This is annoying when developing, but is a great feature for those that might forget to re-lock the bootloader.

The recovery mode on the device appears changed, but its not clear how exactly at this point. First off, its difficult to get into. To do so, you have to use adb reboot recovery or quickly hit Vol-Up and Vol-Dn after powering the device on. Once you get in to recovery mode, the buttons dont appear to do anything at all. This means no sideloading updates and so on.

Permissions handling code within the Android Framework must have been modified to support the Permissions Privacy feature. This is presumably the biggest change that Blackphone has made to AOSP.

Its important to note that these changes have not been verified by comparing code to AOSP or otherwise; mostly because the source code is not available. This is by no means a complete list of changes, or even possible changes. I am leaving a more in-depth review for a later date or an exercise to the reader.

Bug Bounty Program

On September 23rd, Blackphone announced their bug bounty program. Surprisingly, this is the first Bug Bounty program for any Android-based smartphone. Although Googles Patch Rewards Program (PRP) covers AOSP, it is focused on hardening and does not reward for individual vulnerability reports/fixes. Chrome offers a bug bounty, which covers Chrome for Android, but thats a far cry from paying for bugs in the entire Android OS.

Previously, Blackphone publicly stated that they were against Bug Bounties. In fact, CEO Toby Weir-Jones told Ars Technica that bug bounties are contrary to the companys philosophy. Although its strange that they have changed their mind, I welcome and applaud their new approach. Working with the security research community at large and compensating researchers for their time is the right move.

Conclusions

After only a little over a month with a Blackphone, Ive gotten a feel for the device, the company behind it, and the software that it runs. Along the way, I noticed several differences to most other Android-based devices. I tried to discern whether or not the device lives up to its claims of being focused on security and privacy. While I made some headway in this, I think there is much left to be done.

When it comes to security, I feel that Blackphones claims are overstated. Blackphone made several rookie mistakes when shipping their device, one of which was completely avoidable by simply running the Android CTS. Further, the Blackphone contains no additional OS or kernel hardening features when compared against other Android devices. Comparing the device against Samsungs Galaxy S5, Blackphone lags quite a bit behind.

Of course, its not all bad news. Their commitment to fast patching, which Ive witnessed first hand, deserves great acclaim and is a refreshing improvement over the rest of the Android ecosystem. With the addition of their bug bounty program, they are poised to truly make a difference by leveraging the community at large. Blackphone still has security challenges to conquer, but they seem to be headed in the right direction.

I would be remiss if I didnt point out Blackphones flakiness when it comes to keeping their word. The companys inability to keep its promises raises doubt and will likely cause many would-be customers to lose interest. The type of people that value Blackphones key features need to be able to trust the device and the company behind it. I implore Blackphone to rectify this problem, uphold their word, and deliver the source code to PrivatOS. Im convinced that much good will come of it.

Privacy is where Blackphone really shines. From permissions modifications to custom communications apps, Blackphones privacy features truly make snooping on a users private information more difficult. Unfortunately, achieving privacy requires achieving solid security. All bets are off if someone compromises the device, regardless of secure cryptography or otherwise.

All said and done, I can honestly say that I like the device. I admire and applaud what the company is trying to do and wish them the best.
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Melbourne-based edutech start-up Xplor recently raised $6 million in Series A funding. Its a big win for founder and CEO Mark Woodland, who sees it as validation of his vision and business model. Having previously transformed his family-owned childcare centre into $22 million business, hes determined to disrupt the early learning sector, here and abroad, by bringing education into the 21st century.

Launched in August 2015, Xplor is an app-based childcare management platform that enables parents to experience their childs early learning journey in real-time through a live feed of photos, videos and activities. By automating roll-call and attendance as well as rosters, reporting, payroll, invoices, payments and HR, the platform also reduces the admin burden on educators, freeing them up to focus on teaching.

There are no bolt-ons, no modules, Mark told Dynamic Business. Just a complete platform that gives parents, educators and administrators their time back.

To extend its market reach, Xplor offers the software and supporting hardware, including iPod Touches and iPad check-in kiosks, free to education facilities in Australia and overseas. Meanwhile, families that sign up to the platform pay $2.50 per week.

Xplor is currently rolling out to thousands of childcare centres and kindergartens across Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and the USA. In addition, the platform currently facilitates over 5.5m daily connections across their existing pool of childcare centres and kindergartens.

Ultimately, Mark wants Xplor embraced by every single one of Australias 15,000 childcare centres and kindergartens. He spoke to Dynamic Business about his journey from ADF member to childcare centre operator to industry disruptor.

Romanticising education is the quickest way to kill it

From 2003 to 2010, Mark served in the Australian Army within the Royal Australian Artillery and Australian Army Psychology Corps. During this period, his mother, a retired primary school teacher and principal, bought a childcare centre in Melbourne. To reduce his mothers administrative workload, and thus allow her to focus on teaching, Mark joined the business in 2010.

He had little interest, however, in traditional teaching, believing (as he still does) that the quickest way to kill education is be romantic about it. Mark was also frustrated by the outdated and manual operating systems prevalent in the childcare sector. Consequently, he resolved to use technology to bring efficiency to the business and to redefine what it meant to teach and learn.

In 2012, Mark took the reins of Woodland Education. Over the next three years, he grew it from a $400k business into a $22 million business with three centres and a customer base of 850 families. Mark attributes much of this success to his experience in the Army, explaining that it taught him perseverance and not to give up, even when the odds are against you.

We need to stop teaching like its a decade ago

In 2014, Mark founded Liveely, a software platform that automates administrative process in the aged care sector. Later, in January 2016, Mark sold Woodland Education to focus on the newly-launched Xplor. The edutech start-up, which had been in development since 2010, evolved out his original vision for the family business; namely, to redefine education while reducing admin, thus enabling educators to educate. Mark, who completely self-funded the software, said the business has spent the time since launch helping childcare centres and kindergartens to re-imagine education.

Instead of being upset that children are incredibly engaged when using mobile devices or playing videogames, educators should seek to create that same level of engagement in learning, Mark said.

Its the digital era, technology is here to stay. We need to stop teaching like its a decade ago because children, who are digital natives, are tuning out. By not embracing new technologies in the education space, were not only wasting our own time, were wasting our childrens time. We have a lot to lose if this continues. If we wake up and learn, we have a lot to gain.

We are facing an incredible time in education. Childcare centres and schools need to compete on service, not rely on demand. Services around the world understand this and love the Xplor platform because we genuinely care about education and are solving the challenges currently facing the industry. We are solving a problem not creating a problem to solve.

Were expanding, exploring new technologies

Mark said a continuing focus for Xplor is refining the platform to ensure the best possible service for parents, children, educators and childcare centre operators. In addition, the business is using funding from the Series A round, which was led by AirTree Ventures, to grow Xplors teams in Australia, Malaysia, Singapore and the United States. There are also acquisition talks with other platforms in the space and plans to launch Xplor in the UK and China next year. According to Mark, the next five years in edutech will be incredibly exciting, with plenty of opportunities to evolve his start-up.

Ten years ago, smartphones didnt exist and neither did the digital and online services that matter the most today, such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Uber, Mark said. Its fascinating that ten years before that, the internet  not social media  was considered the biggest shift the world had seen. VR, I think, will be bigger than both, so were currently exploring VR platforms and interactive video.
Global poverty is on the decline. Technological progress is pacing at break-neck speed. Freedom and opportunity are spreading across the world. And yet our political classes and popular masses continue to preach of impending doom.

Why do we have so much pessimism in an age of such pronounced prosperity?

In a splendid essay for The Spectator on the doom delusion, Johan Norberg argues that, on the whole, there is actually great cause for optimism. Writing in a vein similar to thinkers such as Matt Ridley and Deirdre McCloskey, Norberg reminds us that, according to a range of data about poverty alleviation, economic growth, scientific discovery, and population growth, the present looks great and the future looks even brighter.

But alas, as Norberg explains, only 5% of Britons and 6% of Americans believe the world is improving:

If you think that there has never been a better time to be alive  that humanity has never been safer, healthier, more prosperous or less unequal  then youre in the minority. But that is what the evidence incontrovertibly shows. Poverty, malnutrition, illiteracy, child labour and infant mortality are falling faster than at any other time in human history. The risk of being caught up in a war, subjected to a dictatorship or of dying in a natural disaster is smaller than ever. The golden age is now.

Norberg goes on to explain precisely what has improved and why, as well as the dangers of forgetting it. When we dont see the progress we have made, we begin to search for scapegoats for the problems that remain, he writes. Sometimes, in the past and perhaps today, we have been too quick to try our luck with demagogues who offer simple solutions to make our nations great again  whether by nationalising the economy, blocking imports or throwing out immigrants.

As for what drives such pessimism, Norberg outlines the following drivers, which Ive tried to boil down to a quick, bulleted (bold words are mine, quotes are Norbergs):

Biology makes us this way: Were hardwired not to believe this. Weve evolved to be suspicious and fretful: fear and worry are tools for survival. The hunters and gatherers who survived sudden storms and predators were the ones who had a tendency to scan the horizon for new threats, rather than sit back and enjoy the view. They passed their stress genes on to us.

Prosperity changes our tolerance level: Part of our problem is one of success. As we get richer, our tolerance for global poverty diminishes. So we get angrier about injustices.

Mass communication paints a lopsided picture: Bad news now travels a lot faster. Just a few decades ago, you would read that an Asian city with 100,000 people was wiped out in a cyclone on a small notice on page 17. We would never have heard about Burmese serial killers. Now we live in an era with global media and iPhone cameras every-where. Since there is always a natural disaster or a serial murderer somewhere in the world, it will always top the news cycle  giving us the mistaken impression that it is more common than before.

Nostalgia taints reality: As we get older, we take on more responsibility and can be prone to looking back on an imagined carefree youth. It is easy to mistake changes in ourselves for changes in the world. Quite often when I ask people about their ideal era, the moment in world history when they think it was the most harmonious and happy, they say it was the era they grew up in.

With the exception of his extended bit on biology  which has some merit, but is greatly overstated  Norbergs analysis strikes me as pretty persuasive.

Whats missing, I think, is a discussion about the distorted view of the human person that pervades modernity. We are fretting, in part, because our economic and technological success has routinely been paired with a humanistic, materialistic ethos, leading us to zero-sum perceptions of human capacity and relationship and bleak visions of the future. Even as we enjoy the fruits of human freedom and exchange, we somehow retain the view that humanity is a drain to be constrained.

The temptation to relish in our own power and designs is real, drawing us toward supreme confidence in our abilities to predict an apocalyptic future, even as we exhibit severe skepticism about the aspects and prospects of personhood  love, relationship, creativity, collaboration, innovation, exploration, and beyond. Rather than viewing humans as creators and co-creators made in the image of God, we see mass consumption and pollution.

Such views and attitudes have always existed, of course. But when paired with the new economic realities and drivers that Norberg highlights, its a poison that makes all the difference, sticking readily to a primed populace. Instead, we should stay attentive to affirming what Julian Simon famously observed: humans are the ultimate resource  valuable assets to our families, neighbors, distant strangers, and, yes, Planet Earth herself.

When we grasp our creative design and God-given calling here on Earth, not to mention the transcendent purpose that intersects and stretches on into eternity, hope and optimism move far to the front. With that sort of fire driving our philosophy of life, the fear of man will be replaced quite handily.
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August 25, 2016

Palestinian Journalists Targeted by Hamas and Palestinian Authority, Media Silent



Palestinian journalists are being targeted by Palestinian officials ahead of local and municipal elections in the West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and the Gaza Strip scheduled for Oct. 8, 2016. Yet, the crackdown on Palestinian reporters by Hamas, the U.S.-designated terror group that rules the Gaza Strip, and the Palestinian Authority (PA), which governs the West Bank, has been largely ignored by U.S. news media outlets.

Writing in the Gatestone Institute, Israeli Arab journalist Khaled Abu Toameh detailed repressive measures against Palestinian journalists? by Hamas and the PA (Hamas, Palestinian Authority Target Journalists Ahead of Election,? Aug. 23, 2016).

Toameh highlighted the Aug. 18, 2016 arrest by Hamas of a Gazan journalist named Ahmed Said. Said runs a radio program called Sawt Al Shaab (Voice of the People). Palestinian Arabs routinely call Saids show and vent about problems in the Gaza Strip.

Before Said was detained, Toameh noted that the radio host had phone the spokesman of the Hamas police force, Ayman Al Batnihi, to discuss the recent rise in cases of homicides in the Gaza Strip.? In response, al Batnihi reportedly threatened Said, telling him, You are causing us a lot of problems and inciting people. I know how to deal with people. You need to be hanged.?

Another Palestinian Arab reporter who has reported on problems in the Gaza Strip, Abu Awwad, also was arrested by Hamas shortly before Said.

Toameh pointed out in his article: Both journalists made the mistake of reporting on the suffering of Palestinians living under Hamas rule. These are not the kind of stories that Hamas wishes to see ahead of the local and municipal elections.?

Hamas is not the only Palestinian group to attack the press ahead of the October elections.

PA security forces detained Mohamed Abu Khabisah, a journalist for Anadolu, a Turkish news agency. Like Said and Awwad, his personal computer was seized. According to Toameh, Khabisah was apparently arrested for reporting about financial corruption in the Palestinian Authoritys official news agency, Wafa.? This made him the sixth journalist to be arrested by the PA since the decision to hold local and municipal elections was taken two months ago.?

As CAMERA noted in a recent Washington Times Op-Ed (When journalists kill journalists,? April 22, 2016), terrorist groups and authoritarian regimes often use intimidation to exploit and manipulate the press. Yet, the constraints imposed by terrorists and despotic governments often go unmentioned in media coverage.

Indeed, as Toameh pointed out, foreign journalists have chosen not to report about the campaign of intimidation facing their Palestinian colleagues.? Instead, some in the mediawhile ignoring abuses by Hamas and the PAhave accused Israel of crushing? its own free press (see, for example Jumbled, Incoherent NYT Op-Ed Slams Netanyahu,? CAMERA, Aug. 1, 2016).

It may just be that distorting the news about Israel is a much easierand perhaps a much saferassignment than noting how Hamas and the PA are silencing criticism.

Remarking on the methods of fascist leaders such as Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini, the British leader Winston Churchill noted:

You see these dictators on their pedestals, surrounded by the bayonets of their soldiers and the truncheons of their police ... yet in their hearts there is unspoken fear. They are afraid of words and thoughts: words spoken abroad, thoughts stirring at hometerrify them.?

Both Hamas and the PA seem fearful. The press should take note.





Posted by SD at August 25, 2016 04:37 PM

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 Palestinian Journalists Targeted by Hamas and Palestinian Authority, Media Silent | Main | The Intensifying War in Syria - How is the Media Covering It? 

August 26, 2016

USA Today Report Shines Light on Terrorist Motivations, Israeli Responses



In only 487-words, a USA Today report (Attack lull ends as Israeli is stabbed by Palestinian,? Aug. 12, 2016) on a Palestinian terrorist attack in Jerusalem provided readers with information frequently omitted by major U.S. news media outlets. Although the article initially erred by claiming that an Aug. 11, 2016 terror attack was the first such attack after a five-week lull,? it nonetheless offered some valuable reporting and insights.

As CAMERA has noted (After CAMERA Contacts about Error, USA Today Corrects on Palestinian Terror Lull,? Aug. 26, 2016), the August 11 assault was, in fact, not the first such attack? since July 1, 2016. Other incidents were detailed by, among others, Israels Foreign Ministry. Following contact from CAMERA, Today editors commendably issued a correction.

The rest of the article, however, was informative and offered details seldom found elsewhere.

Rubin highlighted Israels strategy in confronting the so-called stabbing intifada? in which Palestinian Arabs have, since September 2015, attacked Israelis with rocks, knives, vehicles, and guns, among other weapons. Rubin pointed out that Israel has tamped down attacks by retaliating against the assailants families rather than cracking down on all Palestinians and provoking a widespread push for new violence against Israelis, according to security analysts.?

By contrast, some news media have inaccurately depicted Israeli counterterror responses as both indiscriminate and disproportionate (see, for example Haaretz Validates Bernie with Bad Information,? CAMERA, April 18, 2016).

New Israeli counterterror methods are detailed in the Today article. For example, the report noted that Israeli authorities have developed online algorithms to identify and take down online posts that incite assaults. [and] other ministries have worked on a system to find potential attackers based on their online comments in support of violence and a desire to avenge the death of a relative by Israeli forces.?

Despite the terrorist attacks, Rubin pointed out that the Jewish state has been letting more Palestinian workers into the country and is planning to distribute thousands of work permits in the near future, a move intended to spare the wider Palestinian community punishments for the acts of a few.?

Unlike some prior reports on the stabbing intifada, the USA Today article highlighted a key cause behind it: the al-Aqsa libel. Rubin stated that the assaults and murders were prompted by false rumors that Israel would take control of the sacred Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem.? Indeed, as CAMERA noted at the time (Incitement over Temple Mount Leads to Palestinian Violence, Again,? Sept. 16, 2015), Palestinian leadership have repeatedly echoed an old libel which claimed that Jews held designs to rid? Jerusalem of the al-Aqsa mosque, located on Judaisms holiest site, Temple Mount. As in previous instances, for example 1929, 1996 and 2000, Palestinian officials and media used that libel to encourage anti-Jewish violence.

The USA Today report, despite an initial error, gave readers insights into both a motivating factor behind Palestinian terror attacks and how Israel is responding to the violence. Shira Rubins article can be found here.





Posted by SD at August 26, 2016 02:10 PM

USA Today seems to be doing a better job very recently in its Israel coverage. Unlike other MSM, they actually correct errors and bia (recently, anyway). I think efforts by CAMERA, including letters written by supporters of CAMERA are helping.

Posted by: Michael at September 1, 2016 11:27 AM

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This bold musical depicts the dark side of the American Dream and reflects the work yet to be done to ensure life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for all.

I did it to bring down the government of Abraham Lincoln and to avenge the ravaged South

I did it to prove to her my everlasting love

I did it because no one cared about the poor mans pain

I did it to make people listen

These are the thoughts of John Wilkes Booth, John Hinckley, Jr., Leon Czolgosz and Sam Byck, as expressed through the creative genius of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman in the musical dramedy Assassins.

This American masterpiece in no way justifies the acts of Presidential assassins, successful or not. But it does attempt to get inside the heads of nine of the men and women who, for reasons they believed they were entirely justified, felt the only way they could be heard or make a difference was to kill the President of the United States.

In the words of Ryan Moore, Associate Director for a new production of Assassins opening September 9 at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, Mich.:

In Assassins, nine figures from history who attempted  some successfully and others not  to kill the President of the United States, occupy a limbo-like carnival ground in which they relive their crimes and engage in historically impossible interactions across time and space.  Through Sondheims signature blend of intelligent lyrics and haunting music and John Weidmans often darkly comic script, Assassins explores the psychology and motivations of these men and women, which range from twisted political ideology to personal frustration to unadulterated glory-seeking, and dissects our nations culture of celebrity. Some of the characters, for instance John Wilkes Booth and Lee Harvey Oswald, are household names, while others are relegated to the periphery of history. Yet all are driven to harrowing acts in pursuit of their own perverse view of the American Dream.

Sondheim and Weidman cunningly use the facts of history to bring dark truths about humanity to light. As Sondheim himself has said, the show is about The rage of the impotent. What do people do when they feel they have no other choice? And what makes some people express murderous fury while others are able to find a more productive outlet for their frustrations?

Ive always thought Assassins is about what happens when our countrys citizens feel the American Dream is not within their grasp. How do they respond? How do they find their place in a country where their plight is overlooked or even disparaged? In the words of Emma Goldman, who appears in the show, What does a man do?

Its those questions that have drawn me to this show ever since I first heard it in the 1990s. And thats what motivated me to audition for this production of Assassins, in which I play Sara Jane Moore, who tried to assassinate President Gerald Ford. I played the role once before, in 2010, and I thought it was chillingly meaningful then, when anti-government sentiment felt like it was at a tipping point. I think the show is even more relevant and powerful today, at this time in our history when anger, vitriol and violence seem to be running rampant.

There have always been people like these men and women  the oppressed, the downtrodden, the unsuccessful, the lost, the disenfranchised, the despairing. But in the years since I first heard Assassins, the voices of Americans like these seem to keep getting louder. Maybe its the 24-hour news cycle or the rise of social media or a disturbing shift in our countrys attitudes, but I cant remember a time when the frustration, fury and ferocity of humanity felt so close to the surface.

Im not here to tell people what to think about Assassins. The authors have explicitly said they left the show open-ended  they dont take a position on gun culture or anything else  because they want people to make up their own minds. Their hope is that people will see the show and feel upset, angry and even outraged enough to go home and have a conversation about what theyve witnessed and experienced. Sondheim and Weidman are deliberately provocative in telling the stories of the nine men and women they profile, because they want to motivate people to think for themselves. Dont assume for a moment that the show isnt entertaining  its full of exquisite music, brilliant storytelling and plenty of humor, albeit quite dark. But those elements are used to powerful effect.

So I wont tell you what to think about Assassins, but I will say this: I think its vitally important for Americans to consider what can drive people to such horrifying acts. None of the people profiled in this show were particularly remarkable, other than John Wilkes Booth, who was a well-known actor before he assassinated President Abraham Lincoln. In fact, most of them were unsuccessful and unfulfilled, seeking to justify their existence or find the attention they craved through one desperate, dramatic act.

We need to pay attention to people like this before they go to extremes. We must address the injustice in our society, the cracks in our social safety net that allow people to suffer the ravages of poverty and despair, our woefully lacking mental health system that allows deeply troubled people like these to go without the care they need. If we connected with each other and cared for one another a bit more, perhaps people wouldnt feel compelled to take such vicious action.

When I become frustrated about America, I find positive ways to take action. Auditioning for Assassins is one example. After the massacre at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, I felt helpless and distraught about violence in our country. The opportunity to make an artistic statement, as one friend put it, felt like a productive response.

But there are others who may feel pushed to take destructive action instead. Sara Jane Moore, for example, said at her sentencing hearing that she was not sorry shed tried to assassinate President Ford because it seemed like a correct expression of my anger.

I cant imagine ever taking the action Sara Jane Moore did. But I can understand feeling strongly about the present and future of America. I can appreciate that people on the other side of the aisle from me politically feel just as passionate about their beliefs. The difference is this: Most of us would never act on it in a violent way.

Assassins reveals what was in the hearts and minds of these nine men and women, or what the authors have imagined based on what we know about them. As characters, they may not be drawn with sympathy but they are painted with empathy for the plight of those who feel disconnected from the promise of America.

I hope youll find the time to come see our production, which Im very proud to be part of. Every member of the team  onstage and off  is as committed to this production as I am, although I cant speak for their motivations for being part of it. But you will walk away feeling entertained and maybe just a little bit outraged, and hopefully eager to discuss what youve witnessed. If thats your response, weve done our job.

Assassins will be presented September 9-24 at Avon Players in Rochester Hills, Mich. Get all the details and order tickets HERE.

[Photo credit: Bryan Clifford, courtesy of Avon Players.]
Salesforce plans to unveil Einstein, an artificial intelligence product, at next months Dreamforce 16, Forbes reported Wednesday.

Einstein integration will give Salesforces sales, service, marketing, collaboration and e-commerce products predictive suggestion and insights capabilities. It will serve as a new nerve system across the entire business.

The details within the Forbes story are accurate, Salesforce spokesperson Ashish Patel told CRM Buyer. Well be sharing more details in the coming weeks.

AI is key to Salesforces future, CEO Marc Benioff has emphasized on more than one occasion.

We have moved from real-time analytics to predictive analytics, noted Natalie Petouhoff, a principal analyst at Constellation Research.

Understanding your customer is not enough. Predicting what they need and want is the competitive advantage for companies that want to innovate their customers experience, and one of the top ways to do that is AI, she told CRM Buyer.

Purchasing Spree

Salesforce in recent years has acquired several AI companies  RelateIQ, BeyondCore, Coolan and Tempo AI  as well as advanced analytics firm Implisit Insights, deep learning startup MetaMind, and machine learning provider PredictionIQ.

Company employees are overwhelmed with information, remarked Alan Lepofsky, a principal analyst at Constellation Research.

Software vendors are looking toward AI as a new way to filter and prioritize information and, ideally, automate repetitive or mundane tasks, he told CRM Buyer.

The company now has quite a collection of acquisitions to knit together, said Constellation Research Principal Analyst Doug Henschen.

Its move toward delivering automated predictive insights is clear, he told CRM Buyer, but only time will tell how soon Salesforce can bring its many acquisitions together to continuously and automatically deliver fresh insights and recommendations right within the context of its sales, service and marketing applications.

Road Ahead

Five of the seven companies Salesforce acquired in the past eight months have an analytics focus, observed Anne Moxie, a senior analyst at Nucleus Research.

The three key avenues of development Salesforce is most likely to pursue, according to Nucleus, are intelligent business applications, a more advanced standalone offering, and a data distribution service.

All of these will likely tie into Salesforce Einstein, Moxie told CRM Buyer.

Salesforce has the opportunity to not only make its business applications more intelligent and provide an advanced standalone analytics application, she noted, but also to make a stronger play in the market as a data provider.

It could expand on its use of Dun and Bradstreet data in Data.com by leveraging its new data center tools to build out its data management infrastructure, added Moxie, and use its new AI tools to suggest what data should be used next and how.

Einstein has the potential to act as a sort of a network between the many different sources that Salesforce generates with its own applications, its App Exchange, and with external data partners, Moxie said. With Einstein on board, Salesforce can make a play unlike that of the preexisting market for cognitive or intelligent business solutions.

Algorithmic Muscle

Einstein is probably some sort of souped-up cognitive environment with back learning capabilities, and the secret sauce is its algorithms, speculated Michael Jude, a program manager at Stratecast/Frost & Sullivan.

Artificial intelligence is a better way to make better connections in a large database, but whether its substantially better than what Salesforce already have depends on the customer experience, he told CRM Buyer.

It could be a transformational thing, but AI so far hasnt been completely transformational, Jude pointed out. It takes a lot of front-end effort to make it go. You have to put in a lot of time to train it. The basic question to answer is, how many wrong answers are you willing to get in order to get a right answer?
Facebook last week announced a new move to fight clickbait in the News Feed: downranking links from Web domains and Facebook Pages that consistently post clickbait headlines.

Those that stop posting clickbait no longer will be downranked.

Users who post links that lead to a clickbait domain on their personal Facebook page also could have their posts downgraded, according to Facebook.

The latest adjustment is an extension of Facebooks earlier efforts to reduce the distribution of clickbait posts.

Were seeing websites and Pages using new techniques to create clickbait and [are] updating how we detect clickbait accordingly, a Facebook spokesperson said in a statement provided to the E-Commerce Times by company rep Caitlin Hudspeath.

Facebook has built a system that identifies phrases commonly used in clickbait headlines and traces them to the source. Guidelines include whether the headline withholds information that would help the reader understand the articles content, and whether the headline exaggerates the articles content to the extent that it misleads readers.

The ranking update doesnt impact ads, Facebook said.

Greater Legitimacy

The new system should help strengthen user engagement on the platform and position Facebook to be a primary source of legitimate news for their 1.71 billion active users per month, said Cindy Zhou, a principal analyst at Constellation Research.

The longer users stay on the platform, the higher [their] chances of viewing more ads and, thus, [increasing] revenue for Facebook, she told the E-Commerce Times.

Folks will game around this, predicted Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group.

Users will continue to lose trust in headlines until [Facebook] puts in place a solution that can look at the behavior and intelligently block clickbait efforts before they hurt users, he told the E-Commerce Times.

Clickbait creators may come up with creative headlines to defeat the system, but youll find theyll be much more curtailed, predicted Mike Goodman, a research director at Strategy Analytics.

Theyll either become more sensational, which is easy to handle, he told the E-Commerce Times, or theyll become less sensational, which means Facebook is winning.

Gone Today, Here Tomorrow

Advertisers this year are expected to lose US$7.2 billion worldwide due to ad fraud, according to a study conducted jointly by the Association of National Advertisers and White Ops.

Researchers collected data from nearly 10 billion online advertising impressions across 1,300 campaigns that 49 ANA members conducted from Aug.1 through Sept. 30 last year.

Clickbait is basically fraud. Its in the best interest of Facebook as well as the rest of the industry to minimize fraud, which is a major problem for digital advertising, Strategy Analytics Goodman said.

This is something of a win-win scenario, he remarked. It ultimately does improve the user experience, and Facebook gets something out of this. Like most corporations, Facebook is in it for the profit  thats what commerce is all about.

The issue is more about user experience, and by making this change, Facebook is looking for users to stay on the social platform longer, which can lead to higher ad revenue, said Constellations Zhou. Legitimate publishers will welcome the change, as they likely had their content buried by the noise of clickbait stories.

Brands want to associate themselves with platforms that provide them relevant buyers, she pointed out. Clickbait ads choking the News Feed leads to poor user experience, which can cause [users] to disassociate themselves from legitimate ads.

On the downside, the move might revive the specter of censorship first raised this spring by allegations that Facebooks Trending Topics feature had an anticonservative bias, Zhou suggested. Still, Facebooks doing a good job of being transparent by posting what theyre looking for in their algorithm.

Like many other attempts to rid the Web of bad actors, this will be like whack-a-mole, said Enderle.

It would be better to focus on user behavior and help users flag and report clickbait attempts, he suggested. This would go to the heart of the issue in a sustaining way.
One of global warmings biggest culprits is lurking in the most unlikely of places. Black carbon from household stoves is fueling climate change and degrading public health and the issue has spurred a wave of investment in novel alternatives to solid fuel cookstoves.

Millions of women in developing countries cook on stoves heated by burning wood, charcoal, crops and dung. Soot from these stoves collects in homes and in the atmosphere as black carbon, a potent greenhouse gas second only to CO2 in its ability to trap heat. But unlike CO2, which is harmless if inhaled, black carbon contains carcinogens that can enter the bloodstream and wreak havoc on vital organs.

Smoke from cookstoves claims roughly 4 million lives each year, more than malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined. Women and children stand at greatest risk. Photo credit: Pixbay

Having an open fire in your kitchen is like burning 400 cigarettes an hour, Kirk Smith, professor of environmental health at UC Berkeley told the World Health Organization. Smoke from cookstoves claims roughly 4 million lives each year, more than malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis combined. Women and children stand at greatest risk.

So pernicious are black carbons effects that Sen. James Inhofe of Oklahoma, Capitol Hills most outspoken climate change doubter, supported a bill to investigate its dangers. Inhofe told the The Guardian he was concerned about the spread of lung disease in Africa, where so many families cook on wood stoves.

Inhofes political rivals have proved just as determined to eliminate indoor pollution from burning wood and coal. In 2010, Sec. of State Hillary Clinton announced an public-private partnership to provide clean-burning stoves to families in Africa, Asia and South America. As of October, the Global Alliance for Clean Cookstoves had delivered 28 million stoves, a milestone on its way to its goal of 100 million stoves by 2020.

The alliance counts oil giant Shell among its key partners. To critics, Shells participation may look like greenwashing, a way for the fossil fuel titan to invest in clean energy without undercutting its oil businesssee its sponsored article in Wired magazine or its TV commercial. But the company has contributed to grants for numerous game-changing ventures, like BioLite, a U.S. startup producing clean-burning stoves.

BioLite developed a cookstove with an attached thermo-electric generator that uses heat produced by burning wood to generate electricity. The generator powers a fan that draws oxygen into the burner, feeding the fire while eliminating smoke. The result is a cleaner, more efficient stove.

According to BioLite, the HomeStove requires roughly half the fuel of an open fire and produces 90 percent less carbon pollution. And, the extra energy produced can be used charge a cell phone or power an LED light.

Some contributions to the genre of clean cookstoves have proved less elegant. Last week, (B)energy, a German social business venture, put forward its latest designan enormous inflatable bag that can be filled with methane from decomposing organic matterfood, manure, even human waste. Once filled, the bag can be transported on ones back and connected to a stove to provide fuel.

Jonathan Cedar, one of BioLites founders, believes cleaner-burning stoves could be the next penicillin, saving millions of lives at a negligible cost. Their impact on climate change could be even bigger. Solid fuel stoves account for 25 percent of black carbon emissions globally. Unlike carbon dioxide, which can linger in the atmosphere for centuries, black carbon remains for just days or weeks, meaning cutting pollution from cookstoves would pay off quickly.

According to BioLite, the HomeStove requires roughly half the fuel of an open fire and produces 90 percent less carbon pollution. And, the extra energy produced can be used charge a cell phone or power an LED light. Photo credit: BioLite

Reductions in short-lived climate pollutants cannot be made in isolation from efforts to reduce other greenhouse gases, especially carbon dioxide, said Sameer Akbar, a senior environmental specialist at the World Bank. But black carbon and methane reductions can slow the warming impact in the near-term. That would buy us some much-needed time to address carbon dioxide emissions and to help communities adapt to the changing climate.

As far as global warming goes, clean-burning cookstoves are low-hanging fruit. They are cheap, unobjectionable and able to produce immediate benefits for the climate and for human health. The challenge now is getting people to change the way they cook.

Jeremy Deaton writes about the science, policy and politics of climate and energy for Nexus Media. You can follow him at @deaton_jeremy.

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A new study released by the University of Michigan in the Aug. 25 journal of Climate Change is causing a ripple through the fuel industry, as it contends that more carbon dioxide is actually released through biofuels than gasoline.

Biofuels were always pegged as being more environmentally friendly because it was assumed they emitted little to no carbon when being grown. The study challenges this assumption.

To verify the extent to which that assumption is true, you really need to analyze whats going on on the farmland, where the biofuels are being grown, University of Michigan Energy Institute research professor and study author John DeCicco told The Detroit Free Press.

People havent done that in the pastthey felt like they didnt need to.

The study incorporates tailpipe emissions and crop growthwhich are instrumental in the growing of crops used for biofuelsand found that carbon emissions during that period actually only absorbed 37 percent of biofuel production from 2005 to 2013, directly contradicting previous studies that claimed that using biofuels emitted less carbon than using gasoline.

Promotion of biofuel use is based on whats known as the lifecycle analysis, which contends that CO2 released when the fuel is burned originates from carbon dioxide that biofuels removed from the atmosphere during the photosynthetic process.

When you look at whats actually happening on the land, you find that not enough carbon is being removed from the atmosphere to balance whats coming out of the tailpipe, DeCicco said. [Biofuels] is unambiguously worse than petroleum gasoline, he added.

To calculate carbon emissions, DeCicco employed his Annual Basis Carbon method, which counts carbon emissions using chemistry of the location where it is generated. It differs from the lifecycle analysis in that it incorporates the stock-and-flow nature of the carbon cycle.

The use of biofuel and other products, including ethanol, tripled from 4.2 billion gallons in 2005 to 14.6 billion gallons in 2013, supported by the U.S. Renewable Fuel Standard and Californias Low-Carbon Fuel Standard to promote these types of fuels for transportation purposes. Biofuels, usually consisting of corn or soybeans, accounted for approximately 6 percent of all fuel sources in the U.S. in 2013.

Emily Cassidy, a research analyst with the Environmental Working Group, welcomed the report, saying the Renewable Fuel Standard needs to be looked at more closely.

There is mounting evidence that the Renewable Fuel Standard has been bad for the environment and the climate, and this paper is a new take on that, she told The Detroit Free Press.

Other scientists are taking issue with the study, pointing out that it was funded by the American Petroleum Institute.

DeCicco said the API was the only group willing to finance the study, and emphasized that the report is peer-reviewed.

Others are critiquing the studys short-sightedness. Harvard University geologist Daniel Schrag told Climate Central that eight years is not sufficient to measure bioenergys ultimate contribution to improving the climate.

In the long run, theres no question that biofuels replacing petroleum is a benefit, he said.

Choosing a timeline on which to measure biofuels impact is one of the key difficulties in determining the actual benefit of using biofuels, and is the subject of continuing debate at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

The University of Michigan report only focused on the eight years in question. However, other scientists contend that the benefit to biofuel use is that the increased number of crops will suck in excess carbon dioxide emitted by biofuel production.

Another biofuel supporter, Jim Zook, contends that other studies have decisively shown that biofuels substantially lower greenhouse emissions, compared to gasoline. Zook is the executive director of the Corn Marketing Program of Michigan and Michigan Corn Growers Association.

To Zook, biofuels have an added advantage: they produce a byproduct which can then be used for a high-protein livestock feed.

We are actually getting more products by going through the ethanol process, and being better stewards of our resources by doing that, Zook told the Detroit Free Press.

Princeton University researcher Timothy Searchinger has long criticized biofuels as a less than ideal solution to curb increasing carbon emissions.

The U.S. is not coming close to offsetting the carbon released by burning biofuels through additional crop growth, Searchinger told Climate Central.

The controversial study was published shortly after Reuters reported that the EPA has not issued a report to Congress on the environmental impact of the Renewable Fuel Standard since 2011. Federal law mandates the EPA provide a report every three years.

The EPA said it will complete a report by the end of next year. The reports are used to set the amounts of biofuels that must be incorporated into American diesel and gasoline supplies each year.
This was retail politics and oil lost, was how Adrienne Alvord of Union of Concerned Scientists summed up the stunning environmental victory Tuesday in the California legislature, a victory which cemented the states commitment to a 40 percent reduction in climate pollution by 2030.

Its not accidental that states providing climate leadership are the states with the biggest clean energy sectors, including California.

Only a few weeks ago there was a strong consensus that the oil industry, by spending millions of dollars on behalf of a cadre of moderate Democrats in the Assembly, had blocked just such a doubling down on the states existing 2020 goals. For the oil industry, victory was an existential necessity. Only by holding future climate commitments hostage could the industry hope to get Gov. Brown to abandon the states existing mandate that by 2020 the carbon content of fuels be cut by 10 percent. As a practical matter, the requirement means roughly 20 percent of Californias more vehicles will be driving on something other than oilelectricity, natural gas or biofuels.

And oil knows it cannot withstand a competitive transportation fuels market. Once California creates such a market and builds businesses that can produce low carbon fuels at scale, fuels competition will go global and oils empire will wither. But it looked like oil had survived to fight another day. Gov. Brown had signaled his next move by forming a ballot committee for a (high-risk) initiative for the fall of 2018. But a small group of climate and environmental justice advocates refused to let the Assembly moderates off the hook. Demanding a vote, they re-energized their broad coalition of main-line businesses, EJ advocates, labor, climate greens, the faith community, clean tech and clean fuels businesses, local government and public health advocates.

Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon told them he would give them a vote once they had the votesand on Tuesday he pulled the trigger, giving the oil industry, which thought it had won, only 24 hours to regroup. It wasnt enough and the Assembly passed SB32 by 47 votes, a six vote margin over the 41 needed. The California Nurses Association was heard from, but so was Ebay. Gov. Brown and the White House weighed in, but a lone Republican, Assemblywoman Catherine Baker joined them in supporting progress. Wednesday the Senate concurred and the bill, linked to an environmental justice focused companion bill, went to the governor for his signature.

Why the victory? Quite simply, retail politics. Clean energy now provides far more stimulus and creates far more jobs than fossil fuels. Clean power is seen by the public as the linch-pin of the states economic future. Jobs on the ground trump oil industry ads on the screen. Its not accidental that states providing climate leadership are the states with the biggest clean energy sectorsCalifornia, Washington, Nevada, Oregonand Iowa, with its nation leading wind sector and a public utility, Mid-America, that is planning to shortly hit 85 percent renewables and go on to 100 percent.

And its cheaper.

The oil industry is in a state of shock. Their press release bizarrely asserted that Rendon had scheduled the vote to cover up the fact that the states latest auction for carbon emission permits had attracted few buyersa result oil called terrible. The auction simply reflected the fact that emitters, uncertain if the law would be extended past 2020, did not know how many permits they needed to buy. The oil industry conceded as much, saying Todays miserable auction result reflects the markets lack of certainty. But it is revealing that oil called it terrible and miserable that the cost of carbon permits was lowdemonstrating again that what they fear is not that decarbonizing will cost too much and hurt the economy, but that it will prove irresistibly cheap and strand them. Also revealingSB32 was written precisely to provide the certainty whose absence the oil industry allegedly deplores!

(In fact, the legislature is going home next week and Rendon had to bring the bill up more or less when he did. The short notice was tacticalbut hardly conspiratorial).

Ideological, right-wing opponents of climate progress and clean energy stayed more on message, releasing a poll purporting to show that the public, all the other evidence to the contrary, didnt really favor tougher clean-up of carbon pollution or California climate leadership after all.

Read carefully, however, the poll says something quite different. It confirms that most Californians want to move forward on clean energy and climate, believe that such progress is good for California even if others do not lead and want action. Even California Republicans are part of this consensus. Sixty-two percent of California Republican voters think that climate change is either a very serious or somewhat serious threat to the state. Again, of Republicans, 67 percent expect the changes resulting from global warming to occur in their lifetimes. A majority favor the states current climate goals and a plurality favor the longer-term, more ambitious goals just passed.

It is true that, if nudged to believe that after such action, hundreds of local manufacturing facilities would be shut down and thousands of middle-class jobs would be lost in California large majorities of Republicans, and Democrats and Independents, lose their appetite. But if you said to the same sample that ambitious climate progress would mean continued economic growth, an end to air pollution, cheaper gas and billions of dollars of new exports for California industries the supportive numbers among Republicans would probably jump from a plurality to a super-majority. The latter statement is the true one, it turns outand, more or less, it is what most California voters are experiencingwhich explains why, un-manipulated, even Republicans are happy that the state continues to move forward.

But California is not the only arena where oils long regime is coming to an end. Investors are watching warily as the majorsChevron, Exxon, BP and Shell have now accumulated an unprecedented $184 billion in debt, fallen far short ($40 billion short in the first half of 2016) of their promised goals of paying their dividends from profits, not borrowing. Shell, Chevron, Exxon and BP have all seen their previous platinum grade credit ratings cut a notch. To placate investors, the majors pledge that they have new (but far from transparent) business plans to someday make money againif only oil will stay at some magic level. For BP its $50-55/barrel. Unfortunately, it has not been in that range since 2014.

Many of the independent oil producers, of course, have gone bankrupt. Oil remains stubbornly below $50. Most independent analysts believe that for the oil majors, prices in the $75 range are required to compete with Persian Gulf and other OPEC members in the long term. And those prices, unequivocally, require one thing: a continuation of oils monopoly in transportation fuel.

California this week called the question. That monopoly is going away. Oil has lost before, but never because the retail politics of its competitors proved more compelling. This was no decisive battle. There may be none, just as there is no moment when the fate of the Roman Empire was sealed.

But the sands of time are running. Oils empire is in its decline and fall.
(Photo:  Paul Jeffrey / WCC)Floating candle lanterns fill a river on August 6, 2015, in Hiroshima, Japan, in front of the city's atomic bomb dome. The lanterns, thousands of which were launched on the 70th anniversary of the atomic bombing of the city, bear handmade messages and drawings, conveying each person's prayers for peace and comfort for the victims of the violence.

A United Nations group with strong support from churches and ecumenical groups is urging States to "negotiate a legally-binding instrument to prohibit nuclear weapons."

Do it "in 2017" and make sure the negotiations are "open to all States" and include civil society, Jonathan Frerichs reports for the World Council of Churches.

The demands are in a report adopted last week by a United Nations working group of more than 100 countries meeting in Geneva.

The report with this recommendation was adopted by a three-to-one margin with broad inter-regional support despite a boycott by the nuclear powers and strong resistance from their allies.

The working group's final report, adopted on Aug. 19, will go to the U.N. General Assembly this October. A majority-led resolution to start negotiating a nuclear weapon ban treaty is now likely to emerge there.

"This development marks the highest point so far in a growing wave of support for outlawing nuclear weapons on humanitarian grounds," said Peter Prove, international affairs director of the World Council of Churches.

"Faith-based advocacy has contributed to this effort, and will be greatly needed to help bring the will of the majority, the rule of law, and the welfare of all people and of the whole creation to bear on nuclear-armed countries which are modernizing their arsenals instead of eliminating them."

During the working group, networks of the WCC and Pax Christi International contacted 24 governments to advocate for a ban.

They worked as part of the International Campaign to Abolish Nuclear Weapons to stress the need to start negotiations in 2017 and for such negotiations to be open to all states, block-able by none and to include civil society.

The final draft produced by the UN working group had been carefully revised in order to achieve consensus and be adopted without a vote.

But at the last minute Australia hardened its position and called for a vote. Ultimately 68 States voted to adopt the report, 21 nations joined Australia in voting against adoption and 13 countries abstained.

Ecumenical advocates are in contact with governments on all sides of the issue, the WCC reported.

Advocates in Brazil, Mexico, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Egypt, Sweden, Finland, Ireland, Switzerland and New Zealand encouraged their governments, part of the nuclear-free majority, to press for a nuclear weapons ban.

Most of their governments were among the 68 nations in favor of the final report with its ban recommendation.

CHURCHES ENGAGED

Churches and related organizations also engaged with governments that rely on nuclear weapons, which are mostly NATO members.

The bishop of the Evangelical Church in the German state of Baden called government attention to the renewed importance being given to nuclear arms, the long-term modernization of nuclear arsenals, and the "catastrophic consequences" which nuclear weapons cause.

The church asked the government to help strengthen legal norms against nuclear weapons.

A ban on nuclear weapons would be similar to the existing prohibitions against chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, the church noted.

Church and Peace, a Pax Christi member in Europe, contacted the governments of Germany, Switzerland and two nuclear powers, France and the United Kingdom.

The Canadian Council of Churches wrote Canada's foreign minister that "when measures employed to defend nation states...threaten humanity and the planet itself, such measures must be categorically rejected."

Members of the WCC Ecumenical Peace Advocacy Network and Pax Christi International have also been in contact with the Australian, Netherlands, Belgian and Norwegian governments. These states, which rely on US nuclear weapons, were urged to engage in the ban debate in good faith. Contacts in national capitals were followed up by ecumenical delegates in Geneva.

Support for establishing a new legal prohibition against nuclear weapons is stronger than the 68 States that voted "yes" at the U.N. working group.

Earlier in the group's final week, 108 states of Africa, Latin America, South East Asia, the Pacific and a few in Europe called for a time-bound commitment to start negotiations on a ban.

One hundred twenty seven nations have signed a "Humanitarian Pledge" to make new treaty law against nuclear weapons, while 159 states have made a joint declaration that nuclear weapons "must never be used again, under any circumstances."

One hundred thirty five States voted at last year's UN General Assembly to set up the current Open-Ended Working Group to identify "concrete, effective legal measures" required for a world without nuclear weapons.

A large majority of the group has now concluded that outlawing nuclear weapons is the place to start.
Education leaders in states where resistance to taking annual exams remains strong are bracing for penalties that the U.S. Department of Education could send down in the coming months for falling short of testing enough qualified students last school year.

Under both the previous No Child Left Behind Act and the recently enacted Every Student Succeeds Act, the Education Department has required that states administer their annual standardized exams to at least 95 percent of qualified students.

But in New York and Coloradotwo hotbeds of testing opt out activismstate K-12 officials have reported in recent weeks that they missed that benchmark last school year. Participation rates in some grades in New York and Colorado actually dipped below the previous year during 2015-16, evidence that the opt-out movement isnt going away anytime soon.

Federal education officials have not yet decided how they will penalize states with high opt-out rates, placing some state leaders on edge. The department in the past has been reluctant to talk tough about potential consequences. Its not even clear whether U.S. Secretary of Education John King Jr. (who was at the helm of the New York education agency when the opt-out movement first took hold) will make the decision or if the Obama administration will leave it to the new president and his or her secretary of education.

ESSA Regulations

Any heavy sanctions, such as withholding millions of federal dollars or specifying punishments for schools with high opt-out rates, could lead to a battle over state versus federal rights, similar to the one launched after the department tried to entice states to adopt the Common Core State Standards through a series of incentives.

In its proposed regulations under the Every Student Succeeds Act, the Education Department calls for states with opt-out rates above 5 percent to either choose from a series of options the department provides or come up with their own satisfactory way to handle districts with high opt-out rates. Responding to those proposed regulations, state leaders say they have limited influence when it comes to persuading parents to have their children take statewide exams.

Just as [New York] law requires that no school district shall make any student or promotion or placement decision based solely or primarily on student performance on the grades 3-8 [English/language arts] and math examinations, there should be no consequences for any individual student based upon whether that student participates or does not participate in state assessments, New York Commissioner of Education MaryEllen Elia wrote in an Aug. 1 letter to the department.

For example, no student should be denied promotion to the next grade based on failure to participate in a state assessment, she wrote.

Although we recognize that the statute contains the 95 percent denominator provision, we are disappointed that USDE has not been creative in providing states with flexibility to address the potential unintended consequences of this provision of the law.

The opt-out movement, a form of protest in which parents refuse to allow their children to take their states standardized tests, began in 2014 and has built strong momentum in Northeastern and Western states. Parents have argued, among other things, that taking so many tests stresses out students, that the test questions are too heavily based on the common-core standards, and that the tests results are unfairly being used to punish teachers.

Who Is Harmed?

Parent activists, along with some teachers and the unions that represent them, have staged large rallies days before exams are administered and have provided tips to parents in social-media posts on how to opt their children out of exams.

Buffering their movement is a bevy of laws that state legislatures passed in recent years that protect students from being punished academically if they dont take the exams.

But critics of the movement say that having so many students opt out of statewide exams delegitimizes the results and the accountability systems that states use to judge schools performance. That lack of valid test results, which are at the heart of most school accountability measures, disproportionately hurts low-income children and students of color, they argue.

A recent Teachers College, Columbia University, survey found that the vast majority of parents who opted their children out of statewide exams are white and higher-income.

Before students took state exams last spring, Commissioner Elia traveled around touting the tests as a reliable way to measure students progress on New Yorks learning standards, gave teachers a chance to vet the questions, and then tossed out time limits on the test. It was all part of an effort to drive down the number of students who would opt out. In the end, though, more students21 percentin grades 3-8 refused to take the state exams, up slightly from the previous year.

In Colorado, local media reported that only 90 percent of students in grades 7-10 completed common-core-aligned exams.




Queens Congressman Gregory Meeks trashed Donald Trumps recent calls for black voters to support him over Hillary Clintonand claimed that those overtures are really coded messages directed at white nationalists.



Meeks, a Democrat who chairs the Congressional Black Caucuss Political Action Committee, was referring to claims the GOP nominee has made at rallies this week that liberal policies have led to poverty, unemployment and crime in African-American neighborhoods. The congressman, speaking on a press call with several other Clinton-backers, noted that Trump made these statements while speaking to overwhelmingly white crowdsbut that the brash businessman has declined invitations to address black groups like the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Urban League.






Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire on Thursday and said the veil has been pulled back on the "vast criminal enterprise" Hillary Clinton ran out of the State Department. Clinton, the Democratic nominee for president, is expected to give a speech later in the day bashing the Republican presidential nominee.



"This week the curtain was truly lifted," Trump said Thursday. "The corruption was revealed for all to see. The veil was pulled back on a vast criminal enterprise run out of the State Department by Hillary Clinton. As the Associated Press documented, more than half of the meetings Hillary Clinton took as Secretary of State with people outside government were Clinton Foundation donors."




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.

14:55, 28 OCT 2022
Papahanaumokuakea is home to more than 7,000 marine species, including sharks, whales, turtles, dolphins, monk seals, seabirds, thousands of fish species, and many other animals found nowhere else in the world. Photo by Louiz Rocha

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Today, in an exhilarating lead-up to next weeks gathering of dozens of nations at the World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, President Obama announced his intention to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands, which will make it the largest marine protected area in the world. President George W. Bush declared Papahanaumokuakea a federal monument in 2006, and in 2010, it became the first mixed UNESCO World Heritage site in the United States.

Todays action amounts to a vast expansion on the original, excellent idea.

The announcement, which happened thanks to a great assist from U.S. Senator Brian Schatz, will provide quite a statement of leadership as representatives of the IUCN member nations gather in Honolulu  the first time the Congress has been held in the United States in its 60-year history.

Papahanaumokuakea is a vast and isolated linear cluster of small, low lying islands and atolls, and surrounding ocean, roughly 250 km to the northwest of the main Hawaiian Archipelago and extending over some 1,931 km. The area has deep cosmological and traditional importance, as an ancestral environment, as an embodiment of the Native Hawaiian concept of kinship between people and the natural world, and as the place where it is believed that life originates and to which the spirits return after death. On two of the islands, Nihoa and Makumanamana, there are archaeological remains relating to pre-European settlement and use.

Much of the monument is made up of pelagic and deepwater habitats, with notable features such as seamounts and submerged banks, extensive coral reefs, and lagoons. The monument is home to more than 7,000 marine species, including sharks, whales, turtles, dolphins, monk seals, seabirds, thousands of fish species, and many other animals found nowhere else in the world. Scientists recently discovered the oldest living coral, estimated to be 4,600 years old, the largest sea sponge (the size of an SUV), and a new species of octopus referred to as Casper for his translucent, white, ghost-like appearance.

Scientists estimate that a minimum of 30 percent of our worlds oceans must be protected just to mitigate the effects of climate change, but currently less than five percent are protected. Further, our oceans face new, destructive industries such as ocean mining, and the continued impacts of industrialized commercial fisheries where, in Hawaii alone, more than 10,000 marine animals, primarily sharks, become victims of bycatch every year. Banning commercial fishing in this vast area has tremendous regenerative potential for our oceans and for all marine life, and will save a lot of lives.

We commend President Obama, Senator Schatz and the thousands of policymakers, organizations, and Hawaii residents who have been part of this remarkable ocean protection initiative.

P.S. This was a remarkable week for the President, who is seeking to cement his environmental legacy in the very week that the United States celebrated the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service. Using his authority under the Antiquities Act, President Obama also designated more than 87,500 acres of Maine lands, donated by a founder of the Burts Bees natural care products company, as the Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument, to be administered by the NPS. This approach falls short of what some activists want, and amounts to a transfer of Roxanne Quimbys private land holding to the National Park Service, yet its an important protection. While bear hunting will be prohibited, some forms of hunting will be allowed, which is an adverse precedent for national monuments. Nonetheless, it is a move we celebrate, one that protects a vast territory of significant wildlife habitat and natural areas in the American Northeast. Much of this land abuts Baxter State Park, created through the largesse and wisdom of one of the early 20th centurys greatest animal advocates, Governor Percival Baxter.

P.S.S. I couldnt help but link the presidents actions under the Antiquities Act to protect these natural areas with another bit of news from Hawaii: the announcement by the National Marine Fisheries Service that it would prohibit swimming with or approaching within 50 yards of Hawaiian spinner dolphins. Such interactions are stressful to the animals and we need to exercise greater restraint, given the evidence now available. Were in a struggle to save the planet, its ecosystems, and its nonhuman inhabitants, as well as ourselves. What could be more important than these kinds of actions that promise to protect both habitat and imperiled species in a broader interest?
Tributes paid to former MHK after tragic death



Martyn Quayle

Tributes are being paid to a former MHK and government minister who died this morning.

57-year-old Martyn Quayle passed away in a Liverpool hospital after suffering head injuries in a fall last week.

He represented Middle between 2001 and 2011 - in that time he held ministerial positions in the Department of Home Affairs, Tourism and Leisure and Health and Social Care.

Marown Parish Commissioners say their 'heartfelt sympathies and deepest condolences' go out to his family - whilst current Home Affairs Minister Juan Watterson has described him as a 'real gentleman of Manx politics'.

Chief Constable Gary Roberts has described his death as 'tragic' and says he was a 'good man who cared about the Isle of Man'.
A proposed federal rule contains game-changing reforms to end the soring of Tennessee walking horses  where trainers put flesh-burning chemicals on the horse's feet, or place foreign objects between the shoe and the hoof. Photo by The HSUS

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The annual Tennessee Walking Horse National Celebration begins in Shelbyville, Tennessee, today  the high point of a months-long show season of torture and pain for walking horses subjected to the despicable practice of soring. The good news is, this may be the last year where abused horses are put on show with the blessing of the events leadership. Next year, a new Celebration may dawn.

In July, the U. S. Department of Agriculture issued a proposed rule in response to a number of requests in a February 2015 rulemaking petition filed by The HSUS, with pro bono help from the international law firm Latham & Watkins. The proposed rule contains game-changing reforms to end the half-century-long battle against the soring of Tennessee walking horses, racking horses, and related breeds. This cruel practice  where trainers put flesh-burning chemicals on the horses feet, or place foreign objects between the shoe and the hoof  has persisted and flourished because of a handful of scofflaw owners and trainers within a segment of the Tennessee walking horse show industry who perpetuate, cover up, and deny the rampant abuse. Theyve also fought in the political realm for decades to block real reform, so that they can continue to abuse horses at their shows. The political allies of the horse soring crowd are using every trick in the book to try to delay or block final action from the USDA.

A year ago today, I wrote about our undercover investigation of ThorSport Farm in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, which gathered incontrovertible and damning evidence of soring. All of the 75 wrapping samples that the investigator obtained directly from the legs of horses either owned by or trained at ThorSport had soring or masking substances on them that are prohibited at horse shows by the USDA under the Horse Protection Act. All of our findings and samples were handed over to the proper authorities in Tennessee. Unfortunately justice was not served for the animals, but this investigation has been viewed well over 500,000 times online and like our 2011 Jackie McConnell investigation, has helped educate the public about the persistence of soring.

Earlier this year, the USDA released their foreign substance results from the 2015 National Celebration and their findings were more indicative and damning of the soring industry than anyone could have expected. Of the 200 random samples taken by the USDA at the industrys marquee competition, 175 tested positive for illegal foreign substances used to sore horses or temporarily numb them to mask their pain during inspection. This astounding 87.5 percent of samples, an increase from 52 percent at the 2014 Celebration, confirm that soring is on the rise among this class of barbaric trainers.

Prior to those results the USDA also revealed a report showing its inspectors disqualified 181 out of 525 (over 34 percent) of the horses they inspected at last years Celebration a figure in line with the results at nine other shows that agency representatives attended that year. Thats clearly not the work of a few bad actors, but the hallmark of an industry hell-bent on maintaining a tradition of cruelty at all costs.

These USDA reports consistently reveal vast rates of industry noncompliance and clinch the case for federal reform to strengthen enforcement of the Horse Protection Act. The USDA first warned in the Federal Register in 1979 that their secretary would consider removing tall stacked shoes and ankle chains if soring persisted. The agency has repeatedly delivered the same message over the past four decades. In 2010, the USDA Inspector General issued a damning report about non-compliance, but also said there are defects in the laws enforcement that must change. Last month the USDA, recognizing that more than 300 members of the U.S. House and Senate are publicly signed on to legislation to crack down on abuses, took action to correct some of the big gaps in the law by proposing regulations that would eliminate the stacked shoes and chains, and the industrys own corrupt self-policing system.

I commend Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack for proposing common sense solutions to finally help bring an end to soring and to salvage the walking horse industry, securing its place in the humane economy of the 21st century and beyond. This abuse of horses is an appalling form of cruelty  different, but just as brazen as cockfighting or bullfighting. These abusers have had decades to get their house in order. Through the years, theyve proved that theyre little more than organized criminals, and the only way to crack down on their racket is to strengthen the law and enforce it without prejudice.

The equine community, animal lovers, and humane-minded people across America must step up and show their support for this proposed rule during the public comment period which ends September 26th. Click here to leave a comment stating your desire to end soring for the welfare of the horses. You can also attend one of the final comment sessions in Riverdale, Maryland, on September 6th, or a virtual meeting on Thursday, September 15th.
The ArtsQuest Foundation recently announce the recipients of the first Linny Awards.

Marlene "Linny" Fowler was a huge supporter of the arts. She died in 2013 at the age of 73.

Named after the late Marlene "Linny" Fowler, of Bethlehem, the multidisciplinary awards honor Fowler's dedication to and support of the arts.

The awards presentation will be held Nov. 10 at the ArtsQuest Center at SteelStacks.

The 2016 Linny Award winners are:

Vicki DaSilva of Allentown, Visual Artist of the Year. DaSilva has been credited with the term "light graffiti" and was the first to use the medium as a solo art practice.

Craig Thatcher of Coopersburg, Performing Artist of the Year. Thatcher is a rock and blues musician who has toured across country and around the globe.

Jeremy Gipson of Orefield, Emerging Artist of the Year. Gipson creates both visual art and music and was the winner of the inaugural ArtPop Lehigh Valley Scholastic Billboard Competition.

Denise Parker of Bethlehem, Arts Educator of the Year. Parker is the vocal music/choral director at Northeast Middle School in Bethlehem, teaching all 790 students there.

Paul Farr of Center Valley, Philanthropy in the Arts Award. Farr serves on the ArtsQuest Visual Arts Board and Wheaton Arts and Cultural Center Honorary Board. In 2016, he and his wife, Kym, founded the Cesar Bourdon Memorial Fund through the Lehigh Valley Community Foundation to honor organizations or individuals dedicated to helping neighbors in Allentown's inner city.

Knoll Inc., located in East Greenville, Excellence in Product Design. Lehigh Valley-based business is honored for innovativeness and creativity of its goods and products.

Three area businesses also received Supporter of the Arts awards. They are: Concannon Miller, of Bethlehem, for small business; Embassy Bank, of Bethlehem, medium; and Air Products, Allentown, for large business supporter.

Jordie Werner of Bethlehem, received the Penn State Lehigh Valley Scholarship Award. Werner is a senior at Liberty High School and a film/video producer.

Linny Award nominations were submitted for artists, organizations and businesses in Lehigh, Northampton, Upper Bucks and Upper Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, and Warren County, N.J.

The ArtsQuest Foundation Board previously selected three individuals from the region for their longtime commitment and dedication to the arts. They are: Steve Tobin, of Quakertown, Joe Brake, of Bethlehem and Ann Roth, of Bangor

Visit the ArtsQuest Foundation website for more information and to purchase tickets for the event.

Follow lehighvalleylive.com on Twitter at @lehighvalley. Find
Constitutional provisions to institutional guarantee of rights for Indias historically marginalised are conspicuously available and democratically acknowledged. The abundance of institutions has not necessarily matched the deliverance of protective rights, and surprisingly, state action in many areas breed opacity and flimsy excuses for procedural misrepresentation. In many cases, state mechanism defeats the chances of the socially marginalised, enforcing claims of human dignity and universal non-derogable rights through legal mechanisms formally available to them.

Indias vibrant democracy has received wide acclaims, but less recognition of the substantial disgust and fervour of the suppressive weight of state mechanism and primordial social structure against the so-called lower caste groups. What to speak of the progressive implementation of non-derogable rights of Dalits by governments over a period of time? Rather they have been wilfully callous and blind. Caste-related violence and exploitations are a reality. But the states reluctance to acknowledge their endurance, and the assiduous efforts to silence them, shows the decadence of substantive human rights to lower castes, tribal, women and minority which is comparatively available to fellow humans in the liberal democracies.
War is not round the corner, but that is not reason enough to not engage with it as a phenomenon and as an existential threat in South Asia. The rhetoric of responsible nuclear power, much in evidence in Indias recent and ongoing Nuclear Suppliers Group bid, should not obscure clear and present nuclear dangers. Realists wish to husband power in order to deter war and, in the case that one is imposed on India, to preserve the national interest. The problem is that sustaining such power creates the conditions for conflict, which in crisis does not necessarily help avert conflict, and in conflict might prove counterproductive to the national interest.

A popular scenario in strategic circles can help explain this paradox of more power not necessarily begetting greater security. Realists in control of the national security establishment and of prime time believe that Indias unassailable power deters Pakistan. This is true in so far as conventional attack is concerned, and also in incentivising Pakistani control over good terrorists. However, this is debatable to the extent that Pakistan can control the entire spectrum of terrorists to which it is host. Thus, India can figure in terrorist cross hairs. Assorted jihadists might like to express solidarity with the Kashmiri angst, if only to put one over the Pakistani state, whom they consider as having let their side down by providing only rhetorical support. The military power India has would not deter them and, on the contrary, could even act as a pull factor in case they wish to destabilise Pakistan to expand their reach.
Osteoporosis affects millions of patients around the world and is characterised by a reduction of bone strength that results in increased rates of fractures. The irreversible mechanical behaviour of bone is currently well characterised at the organ level. The behaviour of mineralised collagen fibres, bones fundamental building block, remains a challenge for researchers. This weekend, scientists from Heriot-Watt University (United Kingdom), University of Bern, Empa (both in Switzerland), the CNRS and University Grenoble Alpes (France) and the ESRF will try to unveil those properties.

I arrive at the beamline to find five scientists glued to the screens, in a passionate discussion in three different languages, French, English and German. One of the screens shows the beam, while another one shows the in situ microindentation instrument developed by the team and the ESRF to study the samples, in this case mineralised collagen fibrils (which make up fibre in bones). It is Friday morning and there is a long weekend ahead of a hopefully successful experiment. This is only the beginning.

The team. First row next to the desk, from bottom up: Jakob Schwiedrzik, Michael Sztucki, Aurelien Gourrier. Back row, from bottom up, Alexander Groetsch, Uwe Wolfram.

It is the very first time we use this indenter in a diffraction beamline, so we need some time to set it all up and the samples are quite costly, explains Uwe Wolfram, leader of the group, from Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh (UK). Each specimen, originating from tendon and 6 times 12 m in size, is priceless due to the expensive preparation techniques and the long preparation time. No one has previously managed to provide insight into the irreversible mechanical properties of mineralised collagen fibrils with such a unique experimental setup because there was no way of studying them without having interference on to the results due to porosity, cracks, and other existing heterogenities in bones structure-mechanics hierarchy.

The indenter.

The indenter combined with the unique capabilities of ID13 overcomes this difficulty and allows the study of fibrils of 100 nanometres diametre. It applies load to the samples to study the stiffness and strength of an individual fibre. Combining this with Small Angle X-ray Scattering (SAXS) and Wide Angle X-ray Diffraction (WAXD) measurements on ID13 should show the deformations in the collagen network (SAXS) and in the mineral platelets (SAXS/WAXD). The indenter has been specifically developed through a European collaboration of the four institutes in the UK, Switzerland and France, as well as the ESRF. It would not have been possible to be here today if we hadnt worked all together in the last year, it has been a very important joint effort, explains Wolfram.

The team intends to study the fibrils with the indenter. Ultimately, the researchers expect to be able to contribute to the development of personalised treatment and diagnoses strategies for bone-related illnesses or even engineering of bones artificially.

Text by Montserrat Capellas Espuny
This research article by Dr. C. N. Kurugundla et al. is published in The Open Plant Science Journal, Volume 2016

Teams of scientists and labourers from the Department of Water Affairs in Botswana undertook a decades old challenge since the 1970s to combat invasive weeds in wetlands of Botswana, namely the Okavango Delta, off the Kwando-Linyanti-Chobe River and the Limpopo River. Continuous monthly surveys and monitoring of rivers, lagoons and other wetlands resulted in success and shall serve as inspiration in aquatic weeds management.

The review paper "Alien Invasive Aquatic Plant Species in Botswana: Historical Perspective and Management" describes the species biology, distribution, historical spread, negative impacts, and control achieved right from their discovery in Botswana. The review presents success stories of control of salvinia, Salvinia molesta,by its biocontrol weevil, Cyrtobagous salviniae. No fresh releases of the weevil were undertaken after mass releases in 1999 and 2000,which got established in three years time. It also presents the successful eradication of water lettuce, Pistia stratiotes, in the transboundary Kwando River wetlands by 2005. Management of the growth of water hyacinth, Eichhornia crassipes, from 2012 in the transboundary Limpopo River jointly with neighboring South Africa is also addressed in the review.

The review also looks at legislation regarding aquatic weeds. The Government of Botswana "regulates the movement and importation of boats and aquatic apparatus to prevent the importation and spread of aquatic weeds" by the strict implementation of "Aquatic Weed (Control) Act -1986".

The efforts made by the department have benefited tourism, water resource use, and wildlife. Partly due to the achievement of aquatic weeds control, the tourism sector is now very stable and contributes ca. 25% to the country's GDP.

The authors Kurugundla et al. suggest that integrating biological and physical control with public awareness campaigns while working with conservation groups and NGOs would provide sustainable development of wetlands for ecological integrity and livelihoods.

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For more info about the article, please visit http://benthamopen.com/FULLTEXT/TOPSJ-9-1

Reference: Kurugundla. C. N.; et al. (2016). Alien Invasive Aquatic Plant Species in Botswana: Historical Perspective and Management, Open Plant Sci. J., DOI: 10.2174/1874294701609010001
Light has reciprocity with bidirectional transmission in ordinary media. Circulators and isolators are indispensable components in classical and quantum information processing in an integrated photonic circuit. Therefore, all-optical controllable non-reciprocal devices are always a hot topic in the research of photonic chips. Normal non-reciprocal devices are based on magnetic-optical material. However, incorporating low optical-loss magnetic materials into a photonic chip is technically challenging.

DONG Chunhua's group and ZOU Changling from the Key Laboratory of Quantum Information, University of Science and Technology of China (USTC) of Chinese Academy of Sciences first experimentally demonstrated non-magnetic non-reciprocity using optomechanical interactions in a whispering gallery microresonator. This work was published in Nature Photonics.

This study utilizes ordinary optomechanical interaction in whispering gallery microresonators, where the two optical modes are the degenerate clock-wise (CW) and counter-clockwise (CCW) traveling-wave whispering-galley modes with opposite orbital angular momentums. For such an interaction, the CW and CCW modes are independently coupled with the mechanical mode.

Because of the conservation of orbital angular momentum, the driving field can stimulate coherent interaction between signal photons and phonons only when the driving and signal optical fields are coupled to the same optical mode. As a result, the directional driving field breaks the time-reversal symmetry and leads to non-reciprocal transmittance for the signal light.

Optomechanically induced non-reciprocal transparency (OMIT) and amplification (OMIA) are observed, and a non-reciprocal phase shift of up to 40 degrees is demonstrated in this study. Optomechanically induced non-reciprocity is actually controllable using two oppositely propagating driving fields that excite the CW and CCW modes simultaneously, which behaves as a controllable narrowband reflector with nonreciprocal transmittance.

Note that the underlying mechanism of the non-reciprocity demonstrated in this study is actually universal and can be generalized to any traveling wave resonators via dispersive coupling with a mechanical resonator. With the mechanical vibrations being cooled to their ground states, applications in the quantum regime, such as single-photon isolators and circulators, also become possible.

Aside from these applications, non-reciprocal phase shift is of fundamental interest for exploring exotic topological photonics, such as the realization of chiral edge states and topological protection.

The results of this study represent an important step towards integrated all-optical controllable isolators and circulators, as well as non-reciprocal phase shifters.

This work is an extension of last year's research by DONG's group regarding Brillouin scattering non-reciprocity (Nature Communications), which expanded the applications of non-reciprocal devices based on cavity optomechanics to the whole optical wavelength or even the microwave wavelength. Especially when the system is in the ground state, single-photon isolators and circulators also become possible, which will play important roles in a hybrid quantum Internet. Not sure what "which" is referring to here.

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This work was financially supported by Ministry of Science and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, National Natural Science Foundation, Synergetic Innovation Center of Quantum Information & Quantum Physics, and the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities.
For chemists like Sarah Reisman, professor of chemistry at Caltech, synthesizing molecules is like designing your own jigsaw puzzle. You know what the solved puzzle looks like--the molecule--and your job is to figure out the best pieces to use to put it together.

"We look at the molecule we want to build and think about how to cut it up into pieces. When we are in the lab, the question is: do your puzzle pieces go back together?" says Reisman.

Synthesizing molecules is a vital part of many chemical manufacturing industries, from producing fuels to dyes used in flatscreen TVs with organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. Scientists also create molecules from scratch to better understand how they work, as well as to design new drugs.

Reisman's team has been busy trying to crack the puzzle of the insecticide ryanodine, a complex molecule first isolated from a tropical plant in the 1940s. Ryanodine paralyzes insects by binding to a class of calcium-channel receptors called ryanodine receptors. In humans, these receptors play critical roles in muscle and neuronal function. Mutations in the genes that encode ryanodine receptors can lead to disease, including certain types of heart arrhythmias and possibly Alzheimer's disease.

As a stepping stone on the path to synthesizing ryanodine, Reisman, along with graduate student Kangway Chuang and postdoctoral researcher Chen Xu, first targeted a similar molecule, ryanodol. Ryanodol previously has been made by two other research groups: In the late 1970s, a research team made ryanodol in 41 steps, and in 2014, another team synthesized the chemical in 35 steps.

Now, reporting in the journal Science, Reisman's team has devised a route to synthesize ryanodol in just 15 steps. This significantly cuts the time required to make ryanodol, and presumably also ryanodine, which Reisman's team will try to synthesize next.

"Once you have the platform for making both of these molecules, it opens up a lot of possibilities," says Reisman. "In general, it is important that we know how to put molecules together. Without this, it's tough to think about how to study the biological function of molecules and develop new drugs."

Ryanodol and ryanodine belong to a class of molecules called terpenes. These are naturally occurring molecules that commonly contain between 10 and 30 carbon atoms. For example, 10-carbon terpenes include R-carvone, the molecule behind the flavor in spearmint leaves; and pinene, which is derived from pine trees and is the primary chemical in the paint solvent turpentine. The antimalarial drug artemisinin, derived from the wormwood shrub, is a 15-carbon terpene.

Ryanodol and ryanodine are some of the more chemically complex 20-carbon terpenes, with five different carbon rings and many carbon-oxygen bonds.

"The simplest forms of terpenes give you fragrances and flavors, but as you build upon the structure, you get more interesting biological compounds like ryanodol and ryanodine," says Reisman.

There are two big challenges in the synthesis of ryanodol. First, chemists have to build the five rings that make up the carbon backbone of the molecule, and second, they have to precisely decorate seven of the carbons with "OH" (or hydroxyl) groups, the chemical structure found in alcohols. Previous syntheses of ryanodol required multiple chemical reactions to introduce the OH groups, adding extra steps. Reisman's synthesis develops new reactions that brings in two or three alcohols at a time--a key discovery of the new synthesis that makes it more efficient.

The Reisman team began with a simple commercially available terpene, then attached two of the OH groups. They then built up four of the five carbons rings in a series of reactions. Next, the team brought in two more OH groups, and a precursor to an OH group, again in a single step. The fifth and final ring was formed in two steps using conditions developed in a previous synthesis, which also introduced the remaining two OH groups.

"Five of the oxygen atoms are brought in with just two reactions. That is the key to streamlining the synthesis," says Reisman. "It's like building from Legos using the larger pieces instead of the small ones. You get there faster."

Reisman's team is now working on the final piece of the puzzle: creating ryanodine from ryanodol. They think the solution not only will help them to make ryanodine but also aid in the synthesis of new, designer analogues. This will lead to more precise studies of the ryanodine receptors and the possible development of drugs that can target them.

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The Science study, entitled "A 15-Step Synthesis of (+)-Ryanodol," is also authored by Kangway V. Chuang and Chen Xu of Caltech. Reisman is a Heritage Principal Investigator, and the research is funded by the National Science Foundation, Shenzhen UV-ChemTech Inc., the National Institutes of Health, Eli Lilly, and Novartis.

Editors' Note: Cute related animation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2oc2iEg9e0
The most complex piece of matter in the known universe is the brain. Neuroscientists have recently taken on the challenge to understand brain function from its intricate anatomy and structure. There is no sure way to go about it, and Dr. Javier DeFelipe at the Cajal Institute in Madrid proposed a solution, in his Frontiers in Neuroanatomy Grand Challenge article "The anatomical problem posed by brain complexity and size: a potential solution."

Today, one year after the Challenge was published, DeFelipe and colleagues published a discussion around the actual size of the problem and possible solutions, in the new article "Comments and general discussion on 'The anatomical problem posed by brain complexity and size: a potential solution'."

"Rather than attempting to fully reconstruct the whole brain or a particular brain region, the solution seems to lie in realistic computational modelling of the brain," says DeFelipe. This approach has inspired scientists all over the globe to contribute to large multidisciplinary projects, known as big data projects. The challenge is grand because it goes straight into and beyond the matter of Is there one best way to study brain function?

Designing an approach that tackles brain complexity has challenged scientists to rethink some of the most fundamental aspects of their work and to innovate. "Realist brain models based on biological data obtained in the lab can speed our understanding of brain function, because we expect it to require much less than timely experiments in living tissue," says DeFelipe, "But as a neuroanatomist, I believe -- as do many of my colleagues -- that there is a lot of confusion about the anatomy of the brain and that there are frequent misunderstandings and wrong assumptions about many aspects of the brain organization or the use of experimental animals," he explains.

By uniting many contributors in the discussion, the article resulted in a constructive and thoughtful dialogue from different views on the study of the human brain. "My idea was to present this problem to other neuroscientists and general readers in a simple manner and, try to provide a solution," he says.

The study of the human brain is challenging, not only because of its complexity and technical difficulties, but also because of ethical limitations. "For obvious reasons, we are not always ethically allowed to collect all the necessary types of data directly from human brains. So, there is a big debate about the range of specific strategies that we should use." The discussion also touches whether big worldwide projects, like the Human Brain Project based in Europe and the Brain Activity Map based in the United States, are a new and better paradigm to go forward, he says, or "if it is better to just follow the most common and traditional scheme of supporting relatively small groups of researchers."

This discussion comes at an important moment for neuroscience, with potential impact on the hundred millions of funding devoted to the development of extraordinary technology inspired by biology. "The results of such large efforts can be a true paradigm shift", says DeFelipe, whose main focus is the study of cortical circuit organization and function, and the history of how we came to our current understanding.

The outlook is inspiring. "By taking on such a grand challenge, this type of work involving hundreds of scientists, will generate results beyond our daily pursuits in the lab", says DeFelipe.

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The global supply potential of the high-tech metals gallium and germanium is much greater than actual annual production levels. This is the main conclusion from Max Frenzel's work. Frenzel, a postgraduate student at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF), which closely cooperates with the TU Bergakademie Freiberg, is one of two recipients of the Bernd Rendel Prize for Geosciences 2016. The prize, awarded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), will be presented on 28th September at the annual conference of the German Geological Society (DGGV) in Innsbruck.

The young scientist (27), born in Lobau/Saxony, impressed the DFG Jury not only with his diverse research background, but also with his international experience. Before he came to the HIF he studied Mineral Science and Geological Sciences at the University of Cambridge (2008 to 2012) obtaining first class honors degrees in both subjects. "In Freiberg, considerable experience is available concerning both mineral economics as well as the formation of mineral deposits; this was my reason for coming here in 2012", said Frenzel. Since then he has worked on the global availability of critical metals and their economic exploitation.

No detailed research on the actual availability of high-tech metals

Gallium is essential for the production of high-performance chips used in smartphones and tablets, while germanium is required, for instance, for the production of fiber optic cables. According to Frenzel's estimate, based on comprehensive calculations, the annual global production of gallium and germanium could be at least 7 times higher than it is at present. He said: "At least 2,900 tonnes of gallium could be produced every year, while current (2014) production is 440 tonnes. For germanium, current (2014) production is 165 tonnes, while it could be at least 1,200 tonnes."

He explained, "Previously, the exact quantities of high-tech metals available to industry was not known"; giving this as the motivation for his research. Due to their low concentrations in primary ores, raw materials such as gallium and germanium are predominantly won as by-products from the mining of other quantitatively more important main products; whereas gallium is found in aluminium and zinc ores, germanium is obtained during the production of zinc and coal. Consequently, the availability of both of these elements is mainly constrained by geological factors. However, technological and economic factors also play their part.

Supply risk for critical metals unknown

At present, geoscientists assume that the availability of high-tech metals in the ground is high enough to cover demand. "None of them can be seen as critical in geological terms," said Professor Jens Gutzmer, a mineral deposits expert at the TU Bergakademie Freiberg and director at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology. Professor Gutzmer has advised and mentored Max Frenzel during his post-graduate studies, in which Frenzel developed the new raw material estimation method as part of his dissertation.

Gallium and germanium are the first two high-tech metals whose availability Frenzel has examined using his new method. Very probably, the available amounts of both these metals will be sufficient to cover future demand. "However, the new estimation method might reveal potential supply risks for other metals", said Professor Gutzmer.

New type of estimation method for by-products

To be able to forecast the global availability of mineral raw materials with greater accuracy, Frenzel determines the probable range of the supply potentials of a particular by-product, taking into account the effects of different recovery processes for the metals as well as various other factors. He estimates that, with a probability of 95 %, the supply potential of gallium lies between 2,900 and 10,400 tonnes per annum, and that of germanium between 1,200 and 4,300 tonnes. In both cases, the probable range is between 7 and 25 times the amount of current annual production. The estimates are dependent on the further mining of the main products in which gallium (aluminium and zinc ores) and germanium (zinc ore and coal) are found.

Bernd Rendel Prize 2016

Since 2002, the DFG has been awarding this prize to young graduate geoscientists who have not yet obtained their doctorate. The prize money of 1,500 Euros is intended to be used for scientific purposes. "I will probably use it to attend the Goldschmidt 2017 geochemistry conference in Paris to present my findings there," said Frenzel. The young scientist is the lead author of seven articles in various peer reviewed journals; a further two articles are currently under review. He has also presented eleven contributions at international conferences. Next year, he will continue his research at the University of Adelaide in Australia, for which he has received a one and a half year scholarship from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD).

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_For more information:

Prof. Jens Gutzmer | Director at the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at HZDR

Tel.: +49 351 260-4400| E-Mail: j.gutzmer@hzdr.de

Max Frenzel

Tel.: +49 351 260-4407 | E-Mail: m.frenzel@hzdr.de

_Media contact:

Anja Weigl | Press officer

Tel.: +49 351 260-4427| E-Mail: a.weigl@hzdr.de

Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology at HZDR

Chemnitzer Strae 40 | 09599 Freiberg | http://www.hzdr.de/hif

The Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR) conducts research in the sectors energy, health, and matter. The HZDR has been a member of the Helmholtz Association, Germany's largest research organization, since 2011. It has four locations (Dresden, Leipzig, Freiberg, Grenoble) and employs about 1,100 people - approximately 500 of whom are scientists, including 150 doctoral candidates.

The aim of the Helmholtz Institute Freiberg for Resource Technology (HIF) is to develop innovative scientific technologies for the commercial sector in order to process and utilize mineral and metalliferous raw materials more efficiently and to recycle such materials in an environmentally friendly manner. The HIF was founded in 2011 and is part of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf. The institute cooperates closely with the TU Bergakademie Freiberg.
Boston, MA - Researchers have identified a potential molecular mechanism through which lead, a pervasive environmental toxin, may harm neural stem cells and neurodevelopment in children. The study, from Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, suggests that lead exposure can lead to oxidative stress -- a process that can change cell behavior and has been linked with health problems -- among certain proteins within neural stem cells.

The study -- one of the first to integrate genetic analysis in the lab with genomic data from participants in an epidemiological study -- will be published online Aug. 26, 2016 in Environmental Health Perspectives.

"It is known that lead particularly affects the early stages of neurodevelopment, but the underlying molecular mechanisms remain poorly understood. Our study identified one such key mechanism and has potential implications for therapeutics to treat the neurotoxicity associated with lead exposure," said Quan Lu, associate professor of environmental genetics and pathophysiology and senior author of the study.

Numerous studies have suggested that lead exposure can be particularly dangerous for children, with the potential to harm their cognitive, language, and psychomotor development and to increase antisocial and delinquent behavior. Although limits on the use of the lead have helped reduce blood lead levels in U.S. children, there are still half a million children aged 1-5 with blood lead levels twice as high as those deemed safe by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control. Recent incidences of lead contamination in drinking water in Flint, MI, and several U.S. cities highlight the continued threat. And, outside the U.S., lead levels in the environment remain high in many countries where lead has not, or has only recently, been phased out from gasoline, paint, and other materials.

In the new study, researchers explored molecular mechanisms through which exposure to lead may impact neural stem cells, which are cells that can differentiate to form other kinds of cells in the central nervous system and play a key role in shaping the developing brain.

They found that lead exposure induced an oxidative stress response in the cells, and they identified two proteins involved in the process: SPP1, or osteopontin, and NRF2.

Researchers also conducted genetic analyses on blood samples from a group of infants who were part of the Early Life Exposures in Mexico and NeuroToxicology (ELEMENT) prospective birth cohort -- a study aimed at assessing the roles of environmental and social factors in birth outcomes and in infant and child development. They found that genetic variants in SPP1 in some samples were linked with cognition development in the children, whose neurodevelopmental progress was followed through age 2.

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Other Harvard Chan School researchers involved in the study included Peter Wagner, PhD '16, who led the study while a doctoral student at the School; Hae-Ryung Park; Zhaoxi Wang; Rory Kirchner; Yongyue Wei; Li Su; and David Christiani.

Funding for the study came from the Harvard Superfund Research Program (P42ES16454), NIEHS R01 grants (ES015533, ES022230, and ES006189), and the Harvard NIEHS Center grant (P30ES000002). Wagner was supported by the Joseph D. Brain and Jere Meade Fellowships as well as the NIH Training grant on Interdisciplinary Pulmonary Sciences (5T32HL007118).

"In Vitro Effects of Lead on Gene Expression in Neural Stem Cells and Associations between Upregulated Genes and Cognitive Scores in Children," Peter J. Wagner, Hae-Ryung Park, Zhaoxi Wang, Rory Kirchner, Yongyue Wei, Li Su, Kirstie Stanfield, Tomas R. Guilarte, Robert O. Wright, David C. Christiani, and Quan Lu, Environmental Health Perspectives, online August 26, 2016, doi: 10.1289/EHP265.

Visit the Harvard Chan School website for the latest news, press releases, and multimedia offerings.

Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health brings together dedicated experts from many disciplines to educate new generations of global health leaders and produce powerful ideas that improve the lives and health of people everywhere. As a community of leading scientists, educators, and students, we work together to take innovative ideas from the laboratory to people's lives -- not only making scientific breakthroughs, but also working to change individual behaviors, public policies, and health care practices. Each year, more than 400 faculty members at Harvard Chan School teach 1,000-plus full-time students from around the world and train thousands more through online and executive education courses. Founded in 1913 as the Harvard-MIT School of Health Officers, the School is recognized as America's oldest professional training program in public health.
A type of sugar found naturally in some women's breast milk may protect newborn babies from infection with a potentially life threatening bacterium called Group B streptococcus, according to a new study from Imperial College London

A type of sugar found naturally in some women's breast milk may protect new born babies from infection with a potentially life threatening bacterium called Group B streptococcus, according to a new study from Imperial College London.

These bacteria are a common cause of meningitis in new borns and the leading cause of infection in the first three months of life in the UK and globally.

The new research, on 183 women in The Gambia and published in the journal Clinical and Translational Immunology, suggests a sugar found in some women's breast milk protect babies against the bacteria.

The bug is carried naturally in the vagina and bowels by up to one in three women and can be transferred to the baby during childbirth or in breast milk. In the UK pregnant women deemed high risk are offered a test for the bacteria, or women can pay privately. This test consists of a swab a few weeks before a woman's due date. However there is still a chance of a woman picking up the bacteria in her gut at some point between the test and giving birth (once the bug gets into the gut of the mother or baby it can trigger an infection).

However, the new research, from the Centre for International Child Health at Imperial, found that naturally-occurring sugars in a woman's breast milk may have protective effects against Group B streptococcus.

Each woman's breast milk contains a mixture of many different types of sugar, called human milk oligosaccharides. These are not digested in the baby's tummy and act as food for the 'friendly bacteria' in a baby's intestine.

The type of sugars a woman produces in her breast milk are partly dictated by her genetic make-up. A type of genetic system in particular, called the Lewis antigen system (which is involved in making the ABO blood group), plays an important role in determining breast milk sugars.

In the study, the team tested all the mothers' breast milk for the sugars that are known to be controlled by these Lewis genes. They also tested women and their babies for Group B streptococcus at birth, six days later, and then between 60 and 89 days after birth.

The team found women who produced breast milk sugars linked to the Lewis gene were less likely to have the bacteria in their gut, and their babies were also less likely to get the bacteria from their mothers at birth.

In addition, among the babies who had the bacteria in their guts at birth, the infants whose mothers produced a specific sugar in their breast milk, called lacto-n-difucohexaose I, were more likely to have cleared the bacteria from their body by 60-89 days after birth. This suggests this breast milk sugar, which is linked to the Lewis gene, may have a protective effect.

The researchers then went on to show in the laboratory that breast milk containing this particular sugar -- lacto-n-difucohexaose I -- was better at killing the Group B streptococcus bacteria compared to breast milk without this specific sugar.

Around half of all women in the world are thought to produce the sugar lacto-N-difucohexaose I.

Dr Nicholas Andreas, lead author of the research from the Department of Medicine at Imperial said: "Although this is early-stage research it demonstrates the complexity of breast milk, and the benefits it may have for the baby. Increasingly, research is suggesting these breast milk sugars (human milk oligosaccharides) may protect against infections in the newborn, such as rotavirus and Group B streptococcus, as well as boosting a child's "friendly" gut bacteria."

He added the presence of these sugars allows "friendly" bacteria to flourish and out-compete any harmful bacteria that may be in the youngster's gut, such as Group B streptococcus.

The sugars are also thought to act as decoys, and fool the bacteria into thinking the sugar is a type of human cell that can be invaded. The bacteria latch onto the sugar and is then excreted by the body. This may help protect the baby from infection until their own immune system is more mature to fight off the "bad bugs" at around six months of age.

The team hope their findings might lead to new treatments to protect mothers and babies from infections. The researchers raise the possibility of giving specific breast milk sugar supplements to pregnant and breast-feeding women who do not carry the active Lewis gene. This may help prevent harmful bacteria getting into the baby's gut at birth and in the first weeks of life.

Some companies are already exploring adding such sugars to formula milk, but Dr Andreas cautioned it would be difficult to replicate the mix of sugars found in breast milk: "These experimental formulas only contain a couple of these compounds, whereas human breast milk contains dozens of different types. Furthermore, the quantity of sugars produced by the mother changes as the baby ages so that a newborn baby will receive a higher amount of sugars in the breast milk compared to a six-month-old."

Dr Andreas, who is a post-doctoral fellow at the Centre for International Child Health at Imperial, also suggested that testing new mothers' blood for the Lewis gene may be beneficial: "If we know whether a mother is colonised with Group B streptococcus and know if she carries an active copy of the Lewis gene, it may give us an indication of how likely she is to pass the bacteria on to her baby, and more personalised preventive measures could be applied."

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The work was supported by the Medical Research Council at the MRC Unit The Gambia, the Wellcome Trust, and the Thrasher Research Fund.
New Orleans, LA - Dr. John England, Professor and Chair of Neurology at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and colleagues in Honduras and Venezuela have reported a new neurological complication of infection with the Zika virus. They described the first confirmed case of Zika-associated sensory polyneuropathy in a paper published online by the Journal of the Neurological Sciences, available at http://www.jns-journal.com/article/S0022-510X(16)30535-4/abstract.

"Zika virus infection has become a new emergent neuropathological agent with several neurological complications," notes LSU Health New Orleans' Dr. John England, who chairs the World Federation of Neurology's Work Group on Zika. "Outbreaks of Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS) associated with Zika virus infections have been reported as well as a high occurrence of a syndrome associated with congenital Zika virus infection, mainly microcephaly with brain malformations. Other neurological complications associated with Zika virus infections have also been reported such as meningoencephalitis, or acute myelitis."

The paper presents the case of a 62-year-old Honduran male patient who had traveled to Venezuela and who developed acute sensory polyneuropathy during the active phase of infection with Zika virus. The patient's sensory polyneuropathy has largely remitted, but the improvement occurred over several months.

According to the National Institutes of Health, peripheral neuropathy is a condition that develops as a result of damage to the peripheral nervous system - the vast communications network that transmits information between the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord) and every other part of the body. (Neuropathy means nerve disease or damage.) There are many forms. Sensory nerve damage causes a variety of symptoms because sensory nerves have a broad range of functions. Larger sensory fibers enclosed in myelin register vibration, light touch, and position sense. Damage to large sensory fibers impairs touch, resulting in a general decrease in sensation. Since this is felt most in the hands and feet, people may feel as if they are wearing gloves and stockings even when they are not. This damage to larger sensory fibers may contribute to the loss of reflexes. Loss of position sense often makes people unable to coordinate complex movements like walking or fastening buttons, or to maintain their balance when their eyes are shut. Smaller sensory fibers without myelin sheaths transmit pain and temperature sensations. Damage to these fibers can interfere with the ability to feel pain or changes in temperature. People may fail to sense that they have been injured from a cut or that a wound is becoming infected. Others may not detect pain that warns of impending heart attack or other acute conditions.

The World Federation of Neurology(WFN) established a Work Group on Zika to contribute expertise to the global response to the Zika crisis. Dr. England traveled to Honduras in May to collaborate and consult on local Zika cases.

"Clinicians should be aware that Zika virus infection can also cause an acute infectious sensory polyneuropathy," says Professor Marco T. Medina, Dean of the Faculty of Medical Sciences at the Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Honduras, also a member of the WFN Zika Work Group and first author of the new publication. "Our patient is the first confirmed Zika infection case report associated with an acute sensory polyneuropathy which began during the acute infectious phase. This suggests a probable direct viral inflammatory process affecting sensory nerves, but an autoimmune etiology cannot be definitely excluded."

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LSU Health Sciences Center New Orleans educates Louisiana's health care professionals. The state's most comprehensive health sciences university, LSU Health New Orleans includes a School of Medicine, the state's only School of Dentistry, Louisiana's only public School of Public Health, and Schools of Allied Health Professions, Nursing, and Graduate Studies. LSU Health New Orleans faculty take care of patients in public and private hospitals and clinics throughout the region. In the vanguard of biosciences research in a number of areas in a worldwide arena, the LSU Health New Orleans research enterprise generates jobs and enormous economic impact. LSU Health New Orleans faculty have made lifesaving discoveries and continue to work to prevent, advance treatment, or cure disease. To learn more, visit http://www.lsuhsc.edu, http://www.twitter.com/LSUHealthNO or http://www.facebook.com/LSUHSC.
Engineers from MIT and Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) are using light to print three-dimensional structures that "remember" their original shapes. Even after being stretched, twisted, and bent at extreme angles, the structures -- from small coils and multimaterial flowers, to an inch-tall replica of the Eiffel tower -- sprang back to their original forms within seconds of being heated to a certain temperature "sweet spot."

For some structures, the researchers were able to print micron-scale features as small as the diameter of a human hair -- dimensions that are at least one-tenth as big as what others have been able to achieve with printable shape-memory materials. The team's results were published earlier this month in the online journal Scientific Reports.

Nicholas X. Fang, associate professor of mechanical engineering at MIT, says shape-memory polymers that can predictably morph in response to temperature can be useful for a number of applications, from soft actuators that turn solar panels toward the sun, to tiny drug capsules that open upon early signs of infection.

"We ultimately want to use body temperature as a trigger," Fang says. "If we can design these polymers properly, we may be able to form a drug delivery device that will only release medicine at the sign of a fever."

Fang's coauthors include former MIT-SUTD research fellow Qi "Kevin" Ge, now an assistant professor at SUTD; former MIT research associate Howon Lee, now an assistant professor at Rutgers University; and others from SUTD and Georgia Institute of Technology.

Ge says the process of 3-D printing shape-memory materials can also be thought of as 4-D printing, as the structures are designed to change over the fourth dimension -- time.

"Our method not only enables 4-D printing at the micron-scale, but also suggests recipes to print shape-memory polymers that can be stretched 10 times larger than those printed by commercial 3-D printers," Ge says. "This will advance 4-D printing into a wide variety of practical applications, including biomedical devices, deployable aerospace structures, and shape-changing photovoltaic solar cells."

Need for speed

Fang and others have been exploring the use of soft, active materials as reliable, pliable tools. These new and emerging materials, which include shape-memory polymers, can stretch and deform dramatically in response to environmental stimuli such as heat, light, and electricity -- properties that researchers have been investigating for use in biomedical devices, soft robotics, wearable sensors, and artificial muscles.

Shape-memory polymers are particularly intriguing: These materials can switch between two states -- a harder, low-temperature, amorphous state, and a soft, high-temperature, rubbery state. The bent and stretched shapes can be "frozen" at room temperature, and when heated the materials will "remember" and snap back to their original sturdy form.

To fabricate shape-memory structures, some researchers have looked to 3-D printing, as the technology allows them to custom-design structures with relatively fine detail. However, using conventional 3-D printers, researchers have only been able to design structures with details no smaller than a few millimeters. Fang says this size restriction also limits how fast the material can recover its original shape.

"The reality is that, if you're able to make it to much smaller dimensions, these materials can actually respond very quickly, within seconds," Fang says. "For example, a flower can release pollen in milliseconds. It can only do that because its actuation mechanisms are at the micron scale."

Printing with light

To print shape-memory structures with even finer details, Fang and his colleagues used a 3-D printing process they have pioneered, called microstereolithography, in which they use light from a projector to print patterns on successive layers of resin.

The researchers first create a model of a structure using computer-aided design (CAD) software, then divide the model into hundreds of slices, each of which they send through the projector as a bitmap -- an image file format that represents each layer as an arrangement of very fine pixels. The projector then shines light in the pattern of the bitmap, onto a liquid resin, or polymer solution, etching the pattern into the resin, which then solidifies.

"We're printing with light, layer by layer," Fang says. "It's almost like how dentists form replicas of teeth and fill cavities, except that we're doing it with high-resolution lenses that come from the semiconductor industry, which give us intricate parts, with dimensions comparable to the diameter of a human hair."

The researchers then looked through the scientific literature to identify an ideal mix of polymers to create a shape-memory material on which to print their light patterns. They picked two polymers, one composed of long-chain polymers, or spaghetti-like strands, and the other resembling more of a stiff scaffold. When mixed together and cured, the material can be stretched and twisted dramatically without breaking.

What's more, the material can bounce back to its original printed form, within a specific temperature range -- in this case, between 40 and 180 degrees Celsius (104 to 356 degrees Fahrenheit).

The team printed a variety of structures, including coils, flowers, and the miniature Eiffel tower, whose full-size counterpart is known for its intricate steel and beam patterns. Fang found that the structures could be stretched to three times their original length without breaking. When they were exposed to heat within the range of 40 C to 180 C, they snapped back to their original shapes within seconds.

"Because we're using our own printers that offer much smaller pixel size, we're seeing much faster response, on the order of seconds," Fang says. "If we can push to even smaller dimensions, we may also be able to push their response time, to milliseconds."

Soft grip

To demonstrate a simple application for the shape-memory structures, Fang and his colleagues printed a small, rubbery, claw-like gripper. They attached a thin handle to the base of the gripper, then stretched the gripper's claws open. When they cranked the temperature of the surrounding air to at least 40 C, the gripper closed around whatever the engineers placed beneath it.

"The grippers are a nice example of how manipulation can be done with soft materials," Fang says. "We showed that it is possible to pick up a small bolt, and also even fish eggs and soft tofu. That type of soft grip is probably very unique and beneficial."

Going forward, he hopes to find combinations of polymers to make shape-memory materials that react to slightly lower temperatures, approaching the range of human body temperatures, to design soft, active, controllable drug delivery capsules. He says the material may also be printed as soft, responsive hinges to help solar panels track the sun.

"Very often, excessive heat will build up on the back side of the solar cell, so you could use [shape-memory materials] as an actuation mechanism to tune the inclination angle of the solar cell," Fang says. "So we think there will probably be more applications that we can demonstrate."

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This research is supported in part by the SUTD Digital Manufacturing and Design Center (DManD) and the SUTD-MIT joint postdoctoral program.
There's no shortage of accolades in Hollywood: Oscars, Tonys, Grammys, Emmys.

"But what about the teachers?" asked James Geller, computer science professor and associate dean of research at NJIT's Ying Wu College of Computing Sciences.

Geller decided to organize an award ceremony to celebrate the contributions and commitment to teaching college-level computer science. It was a joint venture between NJIT and Patricia Morreale, chair of the computer science department at Kean University, where the ceremony took place Aug. 17 in conjunction with the third annual Computer Science Chairs Conference.

"I like movies but I don't think Leonardo DiCaprio has really improved the life of anybody who's watching him in a movie," Geller quipped. "I think it's teachers who are improving the lives of people, and they should be awarded for that."

Honorees included Princeton University computer science professor and author Brian Kernighan (Outstanding Impact on the Profession of Computer Science Education), NJIT university lecturer Junilda Spirollari (Outstanding Performance in Computer Science Education at a Ph.D.-Granting New Jersey Institution) and Deborah Knox, associate professor of computer science at The College of New Jersey (Outstanding Performance in Computer Science Education at an Undergraduate and M.S.-Granting New Jersey Institution).

After accepting his award, Kernighan gave a presentation on teaching digital humanities in computer science by exploring an early social network.

Also on hand were Kean University Provost Jeffrey Toney, who welcomed the audience of computer scientists, and New Jersey Deputy Secretary of Higher Education Gregg Edwards, who touched on his team's efforts to enhance the best practices in computer science education.

"New Jersey is part of a national effort to promote STEM learning through various mechanisms--higher education is one of them, K-12 is another," he explained. "But we're also trying to identify what else is happening in defined communities to promote STEM learning."

Another big effort, Edwards said, is making sure more New Jersey students graduate from high school ready for college. "We're developing new learning standards and tools to measure how well we're doing to reach those standards."

The recipients shared highlights of the experiences in their lives that guided them toward excellence in teaching. Spirollari said that 20 years ago, she would have "never imagined this day, coming from such an impoverished, small country in the Mediterranean where women were not meant for computer science."

For Knox, excellence in teaching may be measured in many ways, but to a student, a professor's excellence isn't necessarily about teaching theory or creating an application--or even the grade earned. "A student may measure our excellence when we make a connection in order to share our own joy of learning and our own fulfillment in guiding the student to success," she said.

Although it took three years to get off the ground, Geller is thrilled with the turnout and warm reception of the award ceremony.

"No, New Jersey will never be Hollywood, but New Jersey could be the education state. New Jersey could be the software state. And lets remember," reminded Geller, "everything that makes technology tick was invented in New Jersey."

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About NJIT

One of the nation's leading public technological universities, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) is a top-tier research university that prepares students to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT's multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. With an enrollment of 11,300 graduate and undergraduate students, NJIT offers small-campus intimacy with the resources of a major public research university. NJIT is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT ranks fifth among U.S. polytechnic universities in research expenditures, topping $110 million, and is among the top 1 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to Payscale.com. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on the state of New Jersey.
July 19, 2016

The National Science Foundation (NSF) late last month decommissioned a 38-year-old communications satellite that for 21 years had helped to link NSF's Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station with the outside world. It was among the oldest, continuously operating satellites in the skies.

The Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite, or GOES-3, was designed and built as a National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) weather satellite. After completing its NOAA mission, it was repurposed as a communications satellite to support the NSF-managed United States Antarctic Program.

The satellite's dwindling propellant supply triggered the need to move it to a disposal orbit.

"During its 21 years of operation for the United States Antarctic Program, the GOES-3 satellite provided life-supporting phone and internet communication services to the research community," noted Hans Graber, director of the University of Miami's Richmond Satellite Operations Center at the Center for Southeastern Tropical Advanced Remote Sensing (CSTARS), which had operated the satellite since 1995. CSTARS is part of UM's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science.

In a cooperative effort with partner organizations, scientists and engineers with CSTARS and the university's physics department planned and executed the maneuvers for the decommissioning, which was completed on June 29.

NSF, NOAA, and Lockheed Martin, which oversaw the university's subcontract to operate the satellite, marked the decommissioning, itself a complex undertaking, as a milestone in telecommunications history.

"This was a carefully planned and collaborative operation," said Art Ibers, vice president of Exploration and Mission Support at Lockheed Martin Information Systems and Global Solutions. "Over 14 days and 20 orbital adjustment maneuvers, the satellite was carefully nudged into a 'graveyard' orbit, safely removed from the other still-operating geostationary satellites by about 250 kilometers. After reaching its higher orbit and ensuring that all fuel on-board had been depleted, the satellite's operators started shutting off its systems one by one, until finally commanding it to turn off telemetry, making it completely passive."

Amundsen-Scott's extreme latitude -- 90 degrees south, directly over the pole -- makes it impossible to "see" most communications satellites, which orbit at or near the equator at an altitude of more than 22,000 miles. GOES-3 was able to communicate with the station because an oscillation in its orbital plane shifted it far enough south for its signals to reach the bottom of the planet for about 6.5 hours per day.

NSF will replace the service provided by GOES-3 with the Defense Satellite Communications System Phase III, vehicle B7 (DSCS III B7) satellite, which is visible from the South Pole for about 3.5 hours per day. As a result, the station will see internet access speeds increase from roughly 1.5 megabits per second (MBPS) under GOES, to up to 30 MBPS under DSCS.

The new DSCS capability was used to provide telemedicine video capabilities from the South Pole to the United States during the recent medical consultations that preceded the evacuation of two patients from the South Pole in late June.

But the increased data volume of the DSCS satellite will primarily benefit researchers who send large quantities of data to their home institutions from sophisticated, large-scale experiments at the South Pole, including the South Pole and BICEP radio telescopes and the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, a massive particle detector built into the ice.

The GOES-3 satellite was launched into geostationary orbit in 1978. By 1989, its weather-observation instruments had failed, so its orbit was modified to allow it be used as a communications satellite.

Since 1995, it's been one of the main satellites used to communicate and provide internet service to the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station and a variety of deep field science camps in the Antarctic.

NSF, through its subcontractors, took over operation of the satellite in 1999.

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When NASA's Aqua satellite passed over the tropical low pressure area known as System 99L it was located over Hispaniola. The AIRS instrument aboard Aqua analyzed the low pressure area in infrared light.

The Atmospheric Infrared Sounder or AIRS instrument aboard Aqua provided temperature data on System 99L on Aug. 25 at 1:47 p.m. EDT (1747 UTC) . AIRS infrared data showed that the depression had some powerful thunderstorms with high cold cloud tops (as cold as -63F/-53C). NASA research has shown that storms with cloud top temperatures that cold can generate heavy rainfall.

A weak area of low pressure extending from eastern Cuba northward to the central Bahamas is producing disorganized shower and thunderstorm activity. The upper level winds from this low pressure system will be keeping System 99L from developing further for the next couple of days as it moves west-northwestward at about 10 mph. Conditions could become a little more favorable for development early next week when the system moves into the eastern Gulf of Mexico.

Regardless of development of the storm heavy rains with the potential to cause flash floods and mud slides are likely over Hispaniola today and over eastern and central Cuba through the weekend. Gusty winds and locally heavy rainfall are likely over portions of the Bahamas, and will likely spread into parts of South Florida and the Florida Keys over the weekend.

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Banning tobacco sales within 1,000 feet of schools could reduce socioeconomic and racial/ethnic disparities in tobacco density across neighborhoods, according to a study being published today in the journal Nicotine & Tobacco Research.

Researchers tested the potential impact of a policy banning tobacco sales near schools in the states of New York and Missouri, and results indicate that such a ban would either reduce or eliminate existing disparities in tobacco retailer density by income level and by proportion of African American residents.

Currently, there are notable disparities in the number and density of tobacco retailers in the country by race and income, with more tobacco retailers in areas with lower incomes and greater proportions of African American and Hispanic residents. A high proportion of retailers located in these areas were in urban areas, which also have stores located in closer proximity to schools.

If policymakers implement a ban on tobacco product sales within 1,000 feet of schools, the existing disparities would effectively be eliminated.

While the study was a test of how this policy would impact retail density and it did not test the impact of such a policy on actual tobacco use, the results suggest possible health benefits to low-income communities. Policies banning tobacco product sales near schools appear to hold great promise for reducing tobacco-related disparities at the point of sale. Local communities across the United States are starting to pass and implement bans on tobacco sales near schools.

"Having more tobacco retailers in your community is linked with having higher smoking rates, so many communities want fewer tobacco retailers. Our study found that a policy banning tobacco sales near schools significantly reduces the number of tobacco retailers while also ensuring that they are not highly clustered in poorer and racially and ethnically diverse neighborhoods like they are in most communities," said lead study author Dr. Kurt M. Ribisl, professor at the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health and leader of the Cancer Prevention and Control Program at UNC Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center.

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The paper "Reducing disparities in tobacco retailer density by banning tobacco product sales near schools" is available at: http://ntr.oxfordjournals.org/lookup/doi/10.1093/ntr/ntw185

Direct correspondence to:

Kurt M. Ribisl, PhD

Email: kurt_ribisl@unc.edu

Department of Health Behavior

Gillings School of Global Public Health

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Rosenau Hall CB7440

Chapel Hill, NC 27599

To request a copy of the study, please contact:

Daniel Luzer- daniel.luzer@oup.com or 212-743-6113

Nicotine & Tobacco Research is one of the world's few peer-reviewed journals devoted exclusively to the study of nicotine and tobacco. It aims to provide a forum for empirical findings, critical reviews, and conceptual papers on the many aspects of nicotine and tobacco, including research from the biobehavioral, neurobiological, molecular biologic, epidemiological, prevention, and treatment arenas. It is published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco.

Sharing on social media? Find Oxford Journals online at @OxfordJournals
Mapping the Past begins with the death of Charles' Irish-born mother; Patsy. The book tells the story of five young Royal Engineers -- the author's grandfather and great uncles - as they travelled the globe mapping the British Empire, in the height of its pre-war pomp.

"I knew very little about my mother's childhood in Ireland, and almost nothing about her father Patrick. I was aware that he'd been a Royal Engineer, and I knew of course that he was Irish -- but I had no idea what a fascinating life Patrick and his brothers led, and I had only the vaguest sense of how Patrick's death affected and stayed with my mother," said Charles.

When his mother died, Charles began to go through the relics of her life. They included a box of old photographs, a battered suitcase stamped with the initials of the grandfather he had never known, and the service records of Patrick's brothers, who, like him, had all enlisted in the Royal Engineers as the nineteenth century became the twentieth. So began an extraordinary journey of discovery that took him from the age of Queen Victoria to the battlefields of the Western Front.

"The book's starting point is a quest to trace the military careers of my grandfather and his four brothers, Irish Roman Catholics who served as military surveyors in the Royal Engineers at the end of the nineteenth century. It traces the part they played in the British Empire from its high point in the late nineteenth century to the aftermath of the Great War, when revolution in Ireland anticipated the Empire's eventual collapse. But it also explores the immigrant heritage of my wider family, to whom Britain offered the one common point of identity," said Charles.

Charles' grandfather Patrick Lynch was born in County Clare and joined the Royal Engineers in 1894. Having specialised as a topographical surveyor, he spent the first five years of his service working with the Ordnance Survey in Britain, contributing to OS maps of north-west England and Wales. He received his first foreign posting when he was sent to Gibraltar in 1899, contributing to a survey of the peninsula to help improve its defences. It was the first of a series of postings around the Empire, which included Sierra Leone, Canada, the Federated Malay States (Malaysia today) and Ceylon (Sri Lanka).

Lynch spent much of his time working for a mapping unit called the Colonial Survey Section: part of British Intelligence, it had the specific role of mapping British possessions that were considered to be of strategic importance. The 22 years of his military career in the Royal Engineers ended with the Great War, when he was posted to the British Expeditionary Force in France in October 1915. One of the few surviving family documents from this period is the permit he used to gain entry to church towers and other tall buildings from which to survey the battlefield.

Charles added: "The initial motivation in writing the book was the romance of the British Empire at its most eventful and colourful time -- the idea of holding up a mirror to the largest Empire in history through five Irish brothers who mapped it had an obvious appeal. But as I continued with my research, I found myself more and more driven to resolve the tensions in my own identity. I had never really thought about what it meant to be British before, or even felt particularly British. The more I discovered, the more I found myself fascinated by the question of what being British means when your family heritage is a mix of Roman Catholic Irish and Russian Jewish. This book is some attempt at an answer."

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Mapping the Past is available from Aug. 25, 2016. It is published by Penguin.
Kansas City, MO. -- Researchers at the Stowers Institute have established a definitive link between the makeup of the microbiome, the host immune response, and an organism's ability to heal itself.

They showed that a dramatic shift in the microbial community of planaria robs the freshwater flatworm of its superior regenerative abilities. This same shift has been observed in human inflammatory disorders, though previous attempts to mimic it in lower organisms like fruit flies or zebrafish have proved unsuccessful.

The study, published in the journal eLife, provides a valuable model for uncovering the basic molecular mechanisms governing the interplay of immunity and regeneration, and could point the way toward new therapies to combat serious human ailments like chronic non-healing wounds.

"This is the first animal model to link pathological shifts in endogenous bacteria with the inhibition of regeneration," says Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, Ph.D., an investigator at the Stowers Institute and the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and senior author of the study. "We know that some kinds of bacteria are critical to our health, and that other kinds of bacteria can make it very difficult for us to recover from illness. Now we can study how the changing nature of the microbiome - and the way the immune system responds to those changes - impacts the natural execution of regenerative processes."

For a long time, researchers believed that the immune response primarily posed a barrier to effective tissue regeneration and repair. However, recent studies in a variety of different organisms have shown that it can play a central role in promoting this process as well. Still, the molecular mechanisms driving these diametrically opposed outcomes remain unclear.

A sudden dilemma in the Sanchez Alvarado Laboratory presented an opportunity to dissect the perplexing duality of the immune system. An infection struck part of the lab's planaria population. The infected animals developed lesions around their eyes, and those lesions grew larger and larger until their entire head degenerated. Normally, the worms could simply regrow a new head, but the infection somehow thwarted their regenerative powers.

Sanchez Alvarado's team and the Stowers aquatics facility developed a modified tank system that was capable of circulating and sanitizing the culture media so they could rear healthy worms, but they found that when they took the worms out of that system, they quickly got sick again. Although most of the lab members viewed this development with frustration, Chris Arnold, Ph.D., a new postdoctoral research associate at the time, took a different perspective.

"I saw this as the perfect inducible model system. It was making lemonade out of lemons," Arnold said. "We could take worms that were healthy, remove them from the tank system when desired, and place them in other conditions where they would then become ill. Amazingly, we found that when we withdrew the worms from the tank system and they developed problems, we could successfully treat their tissue degeneration with antibiotics. That suggested bacteria might be involved."

Arnold decided to determine what kind of bacteria were living with the worms. He conducted a bacterial census and found that the microbiome of the worms was surprisingly similar to that of humans. When the worms were healthy, they housed a large population of Bacteroides - a group of helpful, supportive, symbiotic bacteria - and a smaller population of Proteobacteria - a group that contains a number of dangerous human pathogens. But when the worms developed lesions, they experienced a huge surge in Proteobacteria, some members of which have been shown to cause peptic ulcers and stomach cancer in humans.

The researchers wondered if it was not the bacteria itself, but rather the immune system's response to the bacteria that was impairing the worm's ability to regenerate. To test this hypothesis, Arnold used an advanced molecular technique called RNA interference to silence core components of the immune system. Then, he looked to see how each one affected the ability of the worms to repair their lesions and regenerate their heads during infection.

The researchers discovered that when they blocked a gene called TAK1 kinase, the worms were able to recover from the damage incurred from infection. They looked at other genes that interacted with TAK1 kinase including activators and inhibitors of the TAK1 pathway and found that most of them also affected regeneration, but only when worms were infected.

"Our findings suggest that there is something special about regeneration during infection that's different than normal regeneration. There are genes that prompt degeneration in one case, and regeneration in another. It is topsy-turvy, completely different from what we would expect. We think this pathway might act to get rid of infected cells, clearing them out so the infection cannot spread to healthy tissue. Only when we block the pathway, can we allow regeneration to occur even in the presence of infection," said Sanchez Alvarado.

Sanchez Alvarado says that in the future, it may be possible to develop small molecules that suppress this immune pathway in order to bump up tissue repair and regeneration not just in a simple organism like planaria, but also in higher organisms like humans. However, first they will need to understand more about the activators and inhibitors in the pathway, and how they interact.

"Our healthcare system is struggling to deal with conditions of impaired wound healing. We know that bacteria are impediments to healing in patients, and that antibiotics aren't always effective, especially with the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria. By understanding the genes and pathways involved in the immune response, we may be able to interpret the signals that determine whether an organism decides it is beyond repair or tries to regenerate. Perhaps then could we develop more effective therapies," said Arnold.

###

Other contributors include M. Shane Merryman, Aleishia Harris-Arnold, Ph.D., Sean A. McKinney, Ph.D., Chris W. Seidel, Ph.D., and Longhua Guo, Ph.D. from the Stowers Institute; Sydney Loethen from the University of Missouri; and Kylie N. Proctor from Pittsburg State University.

The work was funded by the Stowers Institute for Medical Research, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health (R37GM057260). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the NIH.

Lay Summary of Findings

Shifts in the balance of the human microbiome - the microbial communities that call our bodies home - underlie persistent inflammatory disorders, chronic non-healing wounds, and scar formation. In an article published in the journal eLife, Stowers Institute scientists explore the interplay between the microbiome, host immunity, tissue repair, and regeneration in planaria, a freshwater flatworm. Postdoctoral Research Associate Chris Arnold, Ph.D., his advisor Alejandro Sanchez Alvarado, Ph.D., and their collaborators find that ailing flatworms experience a dramatic expansion of pathogenic Proteobacteria that closely mirrors changes associated with human ailments. This bacterial infection stimulated the flatworms' immune response, impeding its regeneration capabilities. The study provides a valuable animal model for understanding host-microbiome interactions and for designing therapies that may enhance healing in humans.

About the Stowers Institute for Medical Research

The Stowers Institute for Medical Research is a non-profit, basic biomedical research organization dedicated to improving human health by studying the fundamental processes of life. Jim Stowers, founder of American Century Investments, and his wife, Virginia, opened the Institute in 2000. Currently, the Institute is home to about 500 researchers and support personnel, over 20 independent research programs, and more than a dozen technology development and core facilities. Learn more about the Institute at http://www.stowers.org and about its graduate program at http://www.stowers.org/gradschool.
Women in Egypt are seeking out doctors' opinions on whether they should circumcise their daughters and, though it is illegal there, physicians are not discouraging the practice, giving legitimacy to a procedure that has serious medical risks, according to a new study led by a former Stanford University School of Medicine researcher.

Rates of female circumcision, also known as female genital mutilation or female genital cutting, have rapidly declined in Egypt in recent years as a result of women's empowerment and mass media campaigns that highlight the potential health risks of the procedure, which include infection, hemorrhage and death, said the study's lead author, Sepideh Modrek, PhD, who was an instructor in medicine at Stanford when the work was conducted.

Among the 410 women interviewed in the study, about one-third said they were uncertain about the need for the procedure and/or were worried about the risks for their daughters, so they sought out doctors for advice, the study showed. Most women who said that they would follow through with the procedure for their daughters were having it done by physicians, rather than traditional midwives, as a safety precaution, the researchers found.

"We found that it's true some women were planning to do it [cut] anyway and are just going to the doctor for harm reduction," said Modrek, who is now an assistant professor of economics at San Francisco State University and a visiting scholar at Stanford. "But others are confused. They have heard mixed messages and don't know what to do and are looking to the doctor for the final decision. And that's the problem with medicalization -- it is essentially legitimizing the practice."

Modrek and her colleague, Maia Sieverding, PhD, social scientist in the global health sciences at the University of California-San Francisco, surveyed a group of mothers in the greater Cairo area in early 2014 and conducted in-depth interviews with 29 of them to discern their attitudes on female genital cutting. The results were published online Aug. 25 in International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.

Effort to eradicate practice

Modrek said the practice, which is common in northern sub-Saharan Africa, is believed to have originated in Egypt's Nile Valley and goes back thousands of years to the time of the pharaohs. The procedure, typically done on girls between the ages of 7 and 14, involves cutting away a portion of the female genitals; in some countries, including Egypt, this involves removal of the clitoris, but in more extreme cases the entire external genitalia is removed. The procedure can lead to a wide range of medical problems, including severe pain and bleeding, infections, problems urinating, cysts, sexual problems, complications in childbirth and death, according to the World Health Organization.

More than 200 million women in 30 countries worldwide have undergone the procedure, according to the WHO, which has widely promoted abandonment of the practice, which it considers a violation of women's and girls' rights.

A 1994 United Nations International Conference on Population and Development in Egypt provoked national debate on the practice and sparked the growth of a women's movement to eradicate the procedure.

Since then, national media campaigns have drawn attention to the risks of female genital cutting, which was outlawed in 1997 unless "medically necessary." In 2007, the government closed this loophole in the law following outrage over the cutting-related death of an 11-year-old girl. More recently, in June of this year, a 17-year-old girl died of complications from the procedure, which was performed in a doctor's office, according to news reports.

These changes have led to a decline in the practice in Egypt. According to estimates from the 2014 Survey of Young People Egypt, there has been a 10 percent drop since 2002 in rates of female genital cutting among girls ages 13 to 17.

The roles of mothers

Modrek, a health economist, said she became interested in the issue while researching the effects of education on fertility among women in the Middle East. She began to notice the trends in Egypt on female genital cutting, in particular the move toward medicalization of the procedure. She and Sieverding, who lived in Cairo, became interested in how physicians were influencing women's decisions about female genital cutting -- an issue that had been discussed but not systematically studied before, she said.

They identified 269 women living in an urban neighborhood near Cairo and another 141 in a semi-rural neighborhood outside the capital city. Some 68 percent were Muslim while the remaining participants were Christian, a religious minority in Egypt. Some 69 percent had completed at least secondary education, while 32 percent had only completed primary school or less.

The study focused on mothers, as they are the primary decision-makers when it comes to female genital cutting, though most also respect the opinions of their husbands and their own mothers, the researchers said. The average age of the participants was 31. Ninety-two percent of them had been circumcised themselves.

The women were asked to complete a detailed questionnaire about themselves and their attitudes toward the procedure, including questions about education, religion and health, and the role of female genital cutting in marriage, family and community life. Some then agreed to sit down for a more in-depth conversation, lasting up to an hour, to further probe their views on the highly sensitive topic. A local research associate conducted all the interviews, Modrek said.

Results showed that many women were seeking out doctors' opinions -- typically a family doctor or gynecologist -- because they were unsure whether the procedure was medically necessary and were looking for validation from an authoritative source. Muslim women were more likely to seek out doctors for advice, with 37 percent saying they would seek this counsel, while only 5 percent of Christian women said they would look to doctors for guidance.

Ambiguity from physicians

In the interviews, the mothers said they were conflicted -- caught essentially between a longstanding cultural tradition and media messages indicating it could be harmful, Modrek said. Some expressed fear that their daughter would "hemorrhage and die" -- language commonly used in media campaigns -- and believed physicians would be better able to deal with these possible consequences, the researchers reported.

"The women said, 'I'm going to the doctor because I am hearing I shouldn't do this, but my mother says I should do it and my mother-in-law says I should do it. You, the doctor, are the expert. Do we need to do this to our daughter?'" Modrek said.

But the women said they received ambiguous messages from physicians, some of whom examined the girls and told them to come back another time. In nearly all cases, doctors did not explicitly reject the idea, but gave the women vague answers about the possible "need" for the procedure, the researchers reported.

"That's the slippery slope," Modrek said. "The doctor is seen as the more legitimizing voice and the voice of reason. Based on the women we interviewed, the doctors are not coming out and saying, 'You really don't need to do this.'"

As a next step, she said she hopes to do a study querying physicians directly on their attitudes and practices toward the procedure.

###

The study was funded by a seed grant from the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford.

Stanford's Department of Medicine also supported the work.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu.
If you ask two different doctors about e-cigarettes, you might get two different answers.

Whether you want to know about the safety of the devices -- which create an inhalable aerosol from heated liquid nicotine and flavoring -- or how to use them to quit smoking tobacco cigarettes, physicians range greatly in their responses to patients.

That's one finding from a new study by researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine who analyzed more than 500 online interactions between patients and doctors discussing e-cigarettes. The study will be published online Aug. 26 in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"Researchers have previously surveyed doctors about their knowledge and attitudes concerning e-cigarettes. In this study, we were curious about actual provider behavior -- the advice doctors gave in real patient interactions," said the study's senior author, Judith Prochaska, PhD, MPH, associate professor of medicine at the Stanford Prevention Research Center. "Within a novel online medical forum, we were able to observe the exact advice doctors were giving patients and see how that advice varied by topic and clinician."

The new observations have already helped inform the development of an educational portal, by Prochaska and colleagues, which aims to teach doctors what's known about the health effects of e-cigarettes and how to communicate the benefits and risks of the devices to patients. Available online through the Stanford Center for Continuing Medical Education, the interactive program provides clinicians with continuing medical education credits.

A growing trend

While traditional cigarettes deliver nicotine to a person's body when they inhale burning tobacco, e-cigarettes work by heating up liquid until it vaporizes. E-cigarette use among both adults and teenagers has risen quickly in the decade since coming on the market. According to the latest estimates from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 3.7 percent of U.S. adults regularly use e-cigarettes. The devices are often promoted as safer than combustible cigarettes, and are also suggested as a smoking cessation aid, yet there's little long-term evidence to support either assertion.

"There's been rapid growth in the promotion and use of the products without an evidence base in terms of their safety and efficacy for tobacco cessation," Prochaska said.

Because e-cigarettes are so new, and so few studies have been conducted on them, physicians have little to rely upon when patients ask about the devices. For this reason, Prochaska and her colleagues wondered what doctors typically said, and whether they conveyed that uncertainty.

"The big question for me, working in tobacco control, is what's the best way for physicians to counsel their patients about electronic cigarettes," said postdoctoral scholar Cati Brown-Johnson, PhD, a co-lead author of the new paper.

A new source of data

Prochaska and Brown-Johnson teamed up with researchers at HealthTap, an online health company that allows users to submit medical questions, which are answered by any of the 72,000 licensed physicians that work with the site.

"Outside of sitting and watching years of live interactions between patients and providers, this was really the best way for us to get data," said Brown-Johnson.

When the scientists searched through all the anonymous questions posted on the site from July 2011 through June 2015, they identified almost 10,000 that related to tobacco or smoking. Of those, about 500 mentioned e-cigarettes -- and the rate of e-cigarette-related questions increased over the four-year time period.

The questions ranged from the straightforward, like "Are e-cigs unsafe and can they become addictive?" to more specific concerns, including "Does nicotine/e-cigs cause hair loss?" and "Can vapor cigarettes affect asthma?" Overall, about 34 percent of the questions related to specific side effects and harms of e-cigarettes, 27 percent to general safety and 19 percent to use of e-cigarettes as quitting aids.

For each question and answer, the researchers analyzed what themes were mentioned by patients and physicians, whether the answers were negative or positive about e-cigarettes in tone and message, and whether patients clicked a button to thank the provider for their answer.

Mixed messages

The most frequent themes brought up by physicians matched the most frequent concerns of patients: specific side effects and general safety. But doctors also often brought up topics not mentioned by patients, including the need for more research on e-cigarettes and the relative safety of e-cigarettes compared with combusted tobacco. In addition, clinicians tended to mention nicotine more often than patients, often expressing specific concern about nicotine addiction.

And when it came to the overall tone of the physicians' answers, there was a range: 47 percent of answers were deemed by the researchers as being negative regarding e-cigarettes -- for example, focusing on risks of the devices and discouraging patients from using them. Another 20 percent were positive -- for example, encouraging the use of e-cigarettes as smoking cessation aids.

When asked specifically about quitting smoking, 54 percent of doctors mentioned e-cigarettes as a potential tool.

"The existing research, however, does not indicate that e-cigarettes help people quit combustible cigarettes," Prochaska said. "This is an area in need of greater study."

Educating doctors

When the researchers looked at how often patients thanked providers for their answers, they also spotted a trend: Most thanks were directed at doctors who had given a positive message about e-cigarettes.

"That finding is really interesting in thinking about how physicians might best connect with their patients," said Brown-Johnson. "Doctors might consider conveying their information about e-cigarettes in a non-judgmental way, even when conveying the risks," she said.

The study also suggested other ways that scientists who research vaping and smoking might help doctors better communicate with their patients. "It showed us the need for provider education on e-cigarettes so they are aware of the limitations of what's known," said Prochaska. Future studies, they said, could inform how doctors may tailor messages on e-cigarettes to different types of patients.

Andrea Burbank, MD, the other co-lead author and a former Stanford Health4All fellow, said the research "is an example of evidence-based medicine in the information age. With this data we were able to rapidly prioritize real-world concerns about e-cigarettes for policymakers and researchers."

###

Other Stanford authors are former Stanford Health4All fellow Arianna Wassmann, MD; postdoctoral scholar Eric Daza, DrPh; and research assistant Amy Chieng.

Prochaska has provided expert witness testimony in litigation against tobacco companies and consults with Pfizer on smoking cessation medication. Wassmann was previously employed at HealthTap, which was founded by an alumnus of the Stanford Graduate School of Business, and holds stock options in the company.

The study was funded by the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (grants R01HL117736 and T32HL007034) and the State of California Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program.

The Stanford Department of Medicine also supported the work.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu.

Print media contact: Jennie Dusheck at (650) 725-5376 (dusheck@stanford.edu)

Broadcast media contact: Margarita Gallardo at (650) 723-7897 (mjgallardo@stanford.edu)
The Stranger is one of our two Seattle alternative weeklies, and it can be vile, addled, or both. But this is worthy of a note of congratulations. Author Charles Mudede contributes an article titled What the White Mans Fly Tells Us About Intelligent Design. Its a little bitstrange, and certainly no embrace of ID. The gist of it, in fact, is a surprising endorsement of the thinking of University of Chicago biologist James Shapiro, a leading scientist in the Third Way of Evolution movement.

Shapiro seeks an alternative to orthodox evolutionary theory that is neither ID nor Darwinism. Mudede associates it with panpsychism, which may not be far off. Key paragraph:

Shapiro does not use the term panpsychism, but he does describe processes such as proofreading for DNA replication as thoughtful. These systems are very aware of what they are doing, and it could not be otherwise. But the reason why there is resistance to the obvious and tested facts of lifes profound intelligence is because it risks confusing science with the ideas of those who want to bring the supernatural into the natural by way of intelligent design (ID). But there is a very important distinction between recognizing the intelligence of life and speculating on an intelligence that has designed life. The first operates in life (immanent); the second operates in a place thats not only outside of life but nature as we understand it (transcendental). If there is an intelligent designer, then it must be some kind of living form, and therefore something in life, and sharing all of the characteristics of a living entity. Only life designs things. To have a design is to have a goal in life. What exists is goal-oriented: we must eat, must f***, must make copies of ourselves.

ID doesnt assume the supernatural or, as Mudede says, the transcendental. It merely weighs evidence of purpose in nature, which could be wholly in nature and not outside. But leave that aside. Shapiro is a daring and original thinker  and no Darwinist. How fascinating that a writer for The Stranger takes it in stride that life down to the level of DNA is goal-oriented and that such a teleological view, clearly contradictory of Darwinism, is obvious and tested, and could not be otherwise.

Mr. Mudedes headline, incidentally, is a reference to honeybees, which were brought here by Europeans and were called by some Native Americans the white mans fly.' He finds them to be emblematic of design that [is] within and not outside of the processes of life. Im not sure that I understand his argument there about honey and social power.

It doesnt matter. Our compliments to The Stranger for publishing this odd but welcome piece. Probably when Darwinism falls, it will be like this, with writers and scientists unable to maintain the old faith in unguided evolution, but not yet ready for ID, and reaching for something, like Dr. Shapiros natural genetic engineering, as an alternative and a refuge.

Photo credit: Ricks at German language Wikipedia [GFDL or CC-BY-SA-3.0], via Wikimedia Commons.

Im on Twitter. Follow me @d_klinghoffer.
First Read is a morning briefing from Meet the Press and the NBC Political Unit on the day's most important political stories and why they matter.

Trump's stunning flip-flop on immigration

Earlier this week, we wrote that Trump was weighing the possibility of backtracking -- as difficult as it seems -- on his previous call for a "deportation force" to deal with the 11 million undocumented immigrants living in the United States. But never in our wildest dreams did we expect him to signal being open to a path for legal status for those undocumented immigrants, something over which he attacked primary rivals Ted Cruz and Jeb Bush. At least this soon. "No citizenship," Trump told Fox News' Sean Hannity in an interview taped Tuesday afternoon, per NBC's Benjy Sarlin . "Let me go a step further  they'll pay back-taxes, they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty, as such, there's no amnesty, but we work with them." More from Trump: "When I look at the rooms and I have this all over, now everybody agrees we get the bad ones out," Trump said. "But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject...they've said, Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person that has been here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and the family out, it's so tough, Mr. Trump."

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Compare Trump's new rhetoric with Jeb Bush's from the primary season

If that sounds familiar, it's not too different from Jeb Bush's rhetoric during the 2016 primary season. "What we need to do is allow people to earn legal status where they pay a fine, where they work, where they don't commit crimes, where they learn English, and over an extended period of time, they earn legal status. That's the path -- a proper path," Bush said at the Nov. 2015 Fox Business debate. But here is how Trump responded to someone like Bush during the primary season: "The weakest person on this stage by far on illegal immigration is Jeb Bush. They come out of an act of love, whether you like it or not. He is so weak on illegal immigration it's laughable, and everybody knows it," Trump said at a Feb. 2016 debate in South Carolina. And here's a Trump TV ad attacking Ted Cruz for being "pro-amnesty" and "pro-immigration" for once holding a similar view on legal status.

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Will Trump's supporters give him a pass?

That's the big question we have. For one, conservative Ann Coulter -- whose new book "In Trump We Trust" has this line: "There's nothing Trump can do that won't be forgiven. Except change his immigration policies" -- went on the attack:

It's not "amnesty." It's "comprehensive immigration reform"!!!! Trump: "they have to pay taxes, there's no amnesty," she tweeted .

. Only part he left out was the "hoops" they'll have to jump through! Trump: "No citizenship. Let me go a step furtherthey'll pay back-taxes," Coulter added .

What will Laura Ingraham say? What about Rush Limbaugh? Of course, Trump's new position here doesn't seem 100% set in stone, as Sarlin writes . "He sounded unsure of his own immigration position on Tuesday, at one point turning to the audience to survey them on the issue. 'Look, this is like a poll, there's thousands of people in this room,' Trump said. 'Who wants those people thrown out?' He later asked 'Who does not want them thrown out?' and concluded 'there weren't that many for the number two, but the few people that stood up, I get that.'" NBC's Hallie Jackson reports that Trump is expected to announce specifics on his immigration position in the next week or week in a half. Remember, Trump's initial hardline immigration stance is what got him traction during the GOP primary, and it's the most potent issue for many in the conservative base. This is definitely a risky move for Trump.

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Clinton: "There are no excuses" when it comes to her email setup

Calling into CNN last night, Hillary Clinton appeared intent on cleaning up Colin Powell's frustration about how Clinton and her allies are trying to pin her email problems on him. "Well, look, I have the utmost respect for Secretary Powell, and he was incredibly grateful after I was nominated and before I took the job," she said, per NBC's Monica Alba. "Appreciated the time he took when I was preparing to become secretary. Not going to re-litigate in public my private conversations with him. I've been asked many questions about emails and what I've learned is, what I've tried to explain there are no excuses. I want people to know that the decision to have a single email account was mine. I take responsibility for it. I apologize for it. I would certainly do differently if I could." Clinton also responded to the recent controversy over the Clinton Foundation: "I worked as Secretary of State was not influenced by any outside sources. I made policy decision based on what I thought was right to keep Americans safe and protect US interests abroad. No wild attack by Donald Trump is going to change that and State Dept has said itself that there is no evidence of any kind of impropriety at all." The Trump campaign isn't buying any of it. "Clinton's attempt to blame Colin Powell for her illegal email server backfired, and there's no way the Clintons could go from dead broke to making more $250 million since leaving office without breaking the law and trading off their access to office," communications adviser Jason Miller tells First Read. "This is exactly why we need a special prosecutor to investigate the blurring of lines between the Clinton State Department, the Clinton Foundation and the Clinton's personal bank account. It's corruption and the rigged system in Washington at its worse, and it's exactly why we need to vote for a change agent like Donald Trump."

What does the "Alt Right" mean?

At 3:00 pm ET, Hillary Clinton will deliver remarks from Reno, NV tying Donald Trump to the conservative 'Alt Right" movement. But what does the Alt Right mean? We surveyed some Republicans and journalists and organizations who've observed the movement:

The Southern Poverty Law Center : "A set of far-right ideologies, groups and individuals whose core belief is that "white identity" is under attack by multicultural forces using "political correctness" and "social justice"

: "A set of far-right ideologies, groups and individuals whose core belief is that "white identity" is under attack by multicultural forces using "political correctness" and "social justice" A Capitol Hill Republican: "White nationalists preying on racial and religious prejudices"

A prominent conservative commentator: "The reflexively anti-DC anti-Ryan/McConnell right"

The Washington Post's Dave Weigel, who has written about the movement : "Conservatives opposed to the philosophy of 'invade the world, invite the world.'"

NBC's Kasie Hunt has more on today's speech: Clinton is NOT expected to label Trump a racist or a white nationalist; rather she will keep to what she's been comfortable with and label his words and policies as such. Expect the speech to trace Donald Trump's recent history in politics from his birther comments through to this campaign

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Where will the Republican Party go after 2016?

Be sure to read the piece by NBC's Leigh Ann Caldwell and Benjy Sarlin on what happens to the GOP after the 2016 election. "Whether or not Trump prevails in November, the GOP is set for a rebuilding process like none in recent memory. If he wins, he'll face a Congress whose leaders have largely distanced themselves from his brand and who oppose much of his agenda. If he loses, his one-of-a-kind candidacy offers each faction of the party a credible argument that its approach would have carried the election instead."

Tuesday's Primary-palooza

Finally, we wanted to touch on the primary races we'll be covering on Tuesday - John McCain vs. Kelli Ward in Arizona (which is a much closer race than this month's earlier Paul Ryan primary), Marco Rubio vs. Carlos Beruff in Florida, Patrick Murphy vs. Alan Grayson in Florida, and Debbie Wasserman Schultz vs. Tim Canova in Florida.

On the trail

Hillary Clinton campaigns in Reno, NV at 3:00 pm ET Donald Trump has a closed meeting with Latinos in New York, and then he holds a rally in Manchester, NH at 1:00 pm ET.
The magazine claimed that powerful state entities were preventing Himal from receiving external grants despite complying with the regulatory mechanism

Himal Southasian, a Lalitpur-based magazine covering South Asia, has decided to temporarily suspend publication. The magazine claimed that the governments bureaucratic set-up was hiding under the garb of regulatory mechanisms to prevent the publication from receiving external funds.

Himal is being silenced not by direct attack or overt censorship but the use of arms of bureaucracy to paralyse its functioning, the magazine said. It stated that the press had remained largely independent in Nepal during the 1990s but the resolve to progressive ideas had deteriorated over the past two decades.

The Southasian Trust, which runs the magazine, mentioned that they had complied with the regulatory framework for external funding but was still being victimized due to political reasons.

Government officials in the various regulatory departments privately admit that the Trust has been in full compliance but regret their inability to process papers due to pressures, citing powerful state entities who they refuse to name for the record, it said.

Despite being blocked from receiving grants since the last seven months and unable to get work permits for non-Nepali citizens, the magazine managed to continue with the publication.

Our dwindling workforce tried to overcome these and other challenges, but in the end suspension was the only option, it added. However, the magazine will continue publication till November end to meet all the outstanding obligations.

exchange4media spoke to Nepalese journalists based in the country and abroad. According to sources, the press in Nepal witnessed lesser attacks by politicians as compared to systematic suppression under monarchical rule. However, it becomes difficult for journalists in case they are highly vocal against state authorities. Low wages of reporters is another concern.

Media has been time and again intimidated and arrested in Nepal. Few journalists were even murdered during the time of Maoist insurgency. The Kings regime deployed military in news rooms for press censorship, one source said.

It was also mentioned that Himals Founding Editor Kanak Mani Dixit was being probed by the Commission of Investigation on Abuse of Authority (CIAA) on charges of disproportionate wealth. Dixit had earlier taken a critical view on the appointment of CIAA chief Lokman Singh Karki in May 2013.

Since investigation is ongoing against Himal by two departments, I sense it was hard for them to work. The issue of foreign investment in Nepali press was perceived very critically when the funding of few western governments in Himal Southasian was revealed a few years ago, the source stated.

When exchange4media questioned Himal Southasian regarding its funding, the magazine stressed that it had always maintained transparency. Most of the journalism we have been doing has been supported by donor funding, said Aunohita Mojumdar, Editor, Himal Southasian.

According to Mojumdar, the magazine is primarily supported by three entities i.e. Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu, Open Society Foundation and Mountain to Mountain Foundation from Switzerland. She wondered why the government was targeting Himal in particular.

We havent done a great deal on Nepal that could have irked anyone. But there must be some political reasons, she said. Commenting on the arrest of Dixit in April 2016, she stated that his political targeting was a matter of public record.

Some of the English-language media in Nepal has republished the statement issued by the Southasian Trust in some form or the other. But there hasnt been massive outpouring of support. We have not received any statement of support either individually or institutionally, she said.

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Missouri voters may have an opportunity this fall to vote on increasing cigarette taxes to pay for early-childhood programs in the state, but supporters of a competing initiative are fighting to have the education-related measure taken off the ballot, even though theyve lost once in court.

The Missouri 60 Cent Cigarette Tax , if approved, would raise cigarette taxes from their current 17 cents per packthe lowest in the nationto 77 cents per pack by 2020. The measure would also impose a 67-cents-per-pack tax on cigarette wholesalers for certain cigarettes.

The revenue from the tax, estimated at $263 million to $374 million annually, would go into a newly created Early Childhood Health and Education Trust Fund.

In 2014-15, about 4 percent of Missouri 4-year-olds were enrolled in state-funded preschool , according to the National Institute for Early Education Research.

Competing Cigarette Tax Hikes in Missouri

The measure is on the same ballot as a 23-cents-per-pack cigarette and tobacco tax that would go to transportation improvements in Missouri.

Large tobacco companies have lined up to support the early-childhood cigarette tax because of a 67-cent provision on cigarette wholesalers , reports St. Louis Public Radio. The station notes that the added tax is aimed at closing the loophole that has allowed small tobacco companies to avoid the payments that the large tobacco companies have made to 46 states, including Missouri, as part of [a multistate] 1998 court settlement.

Smaller tobacco companies, on the other hand, are supporting the 23-cent ballot measure, which would have less of a financial impact on them. They are among the groups fighting to have the early-childhood measure removed. A judge ruled Tuesday in favor of keeping the 60-cent tax hike on the ballot , but opponents have said they plan to file an appeal. Their argument is that people signed a petition for the 60-cent hike based on an inaccurate summary of the measure.

In the meantime, the Missouri National Education Association has come out against the 60-cent ballot measure , saying that it would allow public money to be spent at private and parochial schools.
Exeter student tackles plight of child brides in Bangladesh

A student with close ties to Bangladesh has just returned from a research mission to raise awareness of the damaging culture of child marriage.

Muntasha Quddus, in her 3rd year of the University of Exeter Medical Schools Medical Sciences programme, won the 6,918 Davis Peace Project grant while on her Professional Training Year (PTY) at the University of Chicago. During this research placement year, she decided to take on the poignant issue of child marriage in Bangladesh, where her parents were born and where she visits family most years.

Muntasha won the grant with her research proposal entitled Bidai Ballo Bibaho - Goodbye to Child Marriages. She has recently returned from visiting three different schools in rural areas of Bangladesh where child marriage is the norm. She spent a month raising awareness through workshops and talks with the local communities, informing them of the danger that these young girls face. Bangladesh in particular has the fourth highest rate of child marriages in the world  emphasising the need for the project. Around 65% of the girls are married by their 18th birthday and 29% are married by the age of 15.

Child marriages are detrimental to the upbringing of the brides. All hopes of a normal childhood are diminished, with the young girls deprived of education while facing domestic violence and poor health conditions.

Muntasha said: Urgent action needs to be taken to give these young girls a brighter future. I will be focussing on the health implications of these marriages on the children, raising awareness of sexual and reproductive health. Many young girls and parents are unaware of the complications of early pregnancies or unsafe sex. In my studies, I have a particular interest in public health science and I will be putting all my knowledge from my training into practice.

During her Professional Training Year, Muntasha has been working at the University of Chicagos Public Health Sciences department, networking and getting hands-on experience in the lab. Throughout her time at Chicago, Muntasha stayed at the International House (I-House), which has an initiative for students whereby they can design their own grassroots summer projects. The I-House is a diverse residential community that allows students and scholars from around the world to live together.

This Davis Projects for Peace Grants encourages students to create and utilise pioneering techniques for engaging participants in conflict resolution, reconciliation, breaking down barriers that cause conflict, and finding solutions for conflict and maintaining peace.

Dr Reza Zamani, Muntashas tutor and Director of the Medical Sciences programmes, said: Im very proud of Muntasha for showing such fantastic initiative and pursuing a research project which is in line with both her studies and her personal passion. Our Professional Training Year is designed to provide students with a meaningful insight into knowledge-based working environments, and in this case Muntasha has taken full advantage of the opportunities available to her. Muntasha is an extremely hardworking individual and excelled in her project. Last year, she was awarded a prize by FORCE for the best PTY placement which looks into mutational spectrum of arsenic-related non-melanoma skin cancers, which is a growing environmental health issue. A manuscript of her research data has just been submitted to an international peer-reviewed journal for publication for which she is the first author.

Find out more about Muntashas project by following her blog. Additional information about the Davis Projects for Peace is available on the official website.
20 Year old Male from Melbourne, Australia



I'm moving to Canada in about 6 months, i still don't know where to live there, Quebec, Toronto, Ottawa, Vancouver or anywhere British Columbia there. I only can speak English so i'm worried about going to somewhere like Quebec and not understanding what anyone is saying, i'd much prefer a place where people speak preferred English.



I've been reading so many blogs, forum posts on Canadian girls, i hear they are stuck up and hard too approach but i hear it depends on where in Canada you go, (This is what i read from the internet).



I'd prefer to stay somewhere in Canada also, where the girls are beautiful of course, not rude, stuck up and are easily approachable. I would love to know your honest thoughts on each place in Canada it will greatly help me choose where to stay and live! Thanks
Hi there, I am new to this forum so hope someone could point me in the right direction.



My husband and I have started looking into moving from the UK to Canada . We are both skilled people and seem to fall under the visa requirements from what we have read so far.



However, before we go any further, we need to find out about the cost of insurance! We both have existing health conditions which require repeat prescriptions for the rest of our lives.



Would be grateful of any thoughts. We are expecting it to be expensive but struggling to find a company that would be advisable to go through.



Thanks
Canada Job



I have submitted EOI to canada. But i need offer letter from canadian company to get a Invitation.



While applying for jobs in Canada, should i say, i need work permit and authorization to work in Canada or i dont need it.



I dont need work permit but i need an offer letter from a canadian firm to proceed further.



I wish to have your views..
Hey all,



Quick question here. I Recently got my visa all completed and my family were out of the country during this time. They have now arrived on a normal visit visa, and I am processing their visa's myself.



I've received their entry permits now, and the next step is change status. I know this can be done "in country" for a fee but am I correct in thinking that if you leave and re-enter the UAE, it will in effect change their status anyway?



We are planning a weekend break away and was considering Oman somewhere, so thinking its actually better to save the 1000+dh on change status in country for my family's visa's (x2) and take a trip away.



Am I correct in thinking this will work?
Nobody can tell you what will happen in 10 years, as that will depend on many other factors..



However those 'good quality' buildings have that reputation for a reason, so they are not perfect but usually the developer of those buildings refurbish the building periodically, to keep them in a decent shape.



So in terms of quality, the apartment will be in the same quality or better depending on how you look after it, refurbish it etc, the building it self should be fine too if it is a building run by a proper developer..



But again nobody can tell you the value, as yes of course if a new building pop up and is really good quality by a decent developer, and priced right then of course it will affect the 'older' building prices somehow, but again nobody can tell you what will happen in 10 years..
CA Supreme Court Upholds Teacher Tenure Protections

Good news for teachers in the Golden State: the California Supreme Court refused to hear an appeal challenging teacher tenure and other job protections for educators. This means seniority rules and due process protections for teachers will remain in place, after a trial court judge threw them out in 2014.

This case is just one flashpoint in the current push-and-pull of traditional teacher protections and unionization and a platform of education reform that aims to re-make schools in the image of private businesses. Here's a closer look at the court's ruling.

The Originals

The case was originally filed on behalf of nine students in Southern California (though funded by nonprofit group Students Matter, founded by Silicon Valley entrepreneur David Welch). The group challenged current teacher tenure laws, arguing they disproportionately harm poor and minority students. And the trial judge agreed, saying the tenure laws were unconstitutional because they made it virtually impossible to fire incompetent teachers. Also, the trial judge said these ineffective teachers in schools serving predominantly low-income and minority students violated those students' rights to equality in education under the California Constitution.

But that decision was overturned by a three-judge state appeals court, who ruled that it is up to the state legislature to set education policy and that teacher tenure laws "do not inevitably lead to the assignment of more inexperienced teachers to schools serving poor and minority children."

The Supremes

The students and their backers appealed the decision to the California Supreme Court, but the court voted 4-3 not to hear the appeal, instead leaving the lower court ruling and the teacher protection laws in place. The majority is not required to issue an opinion when declining to hear a case, but two dissenting justices issued statements saying legitimate issues of law were at stake.

The war over educational reform is far from over, but this decision seems to indicate that the battles will be fought in the legislature, not the judiciary, at least in California.

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Friday, August 26, 2016

August 26, 2016

By Bob Coleman

Editor, Fraud Friday

Fraud Friday  Borrower Ensnared in SIGTARP Prosecutions Jailed for 5 Years

Sophisticated borrower photoshopping fraud continues to trip up lenders who rely too much of borrower documents instead of the first C of credit  borrowers character.

A former vice president of Eastern Tools of Ontario, California, admitted that he and his co-conspirators defrauded East West Bank by making material misrepresentations about Eastern Tools accounts receivable and its financial statements to obtain and maintain a loan with the bank.

Louis Yeung created numerous shell corporations to act as purported suppliers and retailers doing business with Eastern Tools, when, in reality, these shell corporations were entirely under the control of Yeung and existed for the sole purpose of creating the illusion of revenues.

Yeung also admitted that the fictitious companies allowed Yeung to falsely inflate Eastern Tools accounts receivable and financial statements in representations to East West Bank. Yeung admitted that in order to further the scheme, he and others opened post office boxes, phone accounts and email accounts purportedly associated with the shell retail companies, and provided information about them to East West Bank auditors, to promote the illusion that these shell customers were independent entities.

Yeung defrauded TARP-recipients East West Bank and United Commercial Bank, the latter of which failed less than a year after receiving nearly $300 million in TARP funds, says Christy Goldsmith Romero, Special Inspector General for the Troubled Asset Relief Program.

He established fake companies to create the illusion that they were doing business with Eastern Tools & Equipment Inc. and then lied about accounts receivable and inventory to secure an $11 million line of credit with UCB. When Eastern Tools failed, UCB lost more than $9 million. SIGTARP will continue to aggressively investigate allegations where U.S. taxpayer funds may be put at risk.

Louis received 63 months in jail and ordered to pay $9.6 million in restitution.
Friday, August 26, 2016

New York State Liquor Authority Violations Lawyer

An investigation by the State Liquor Authority may include an on-site undercover inspection of a licensed establishment by SLA Investigators, police or other law enforcement agencies. Investigations are often the result of an online complaint or an anonymous call to the Liquor Authority. They can also be the result of a referral from another agency such as the health department, local government, local police or a local community or business group. Recently, the Authority has been participating in joint agency investigations and sting operations. A violation with one agency is often a domino effect with disciplinary activity in each agency, multiplying the damage.

When an investigation by the SLA Enforcement Unit results in the finding by Counsels Office that a liquor license violation occurred, the licensee will be issued a Notice of Pleading, which sets forth the alleged violation(s). The licensee may then enter one of the following pleas: Guilty, Not Guilty, No Contest, or Conditional No Contest. If the licensee pleads Not Guilty, they will face a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. After a Not Guilty plea is entered, the licensee can request to see the Authoritys evidence of violation from the Counsels Office. The licensee will also have to exchange its evidence in defense of the alleged violation. Sometimes the exchange of evidence results in a negotiated plea agreement.

A disciplinary hearing always requires the advice of an experienced NY State Liquor Authority Violations Lawyer. Too often, an establishment facing a first violation fails to consult a liquor license attorney and pleads guilty or No Contest to a violation without thinking through all the possible ramifications. An unrepresented licensee may not be aware of possible ways to reduce the fine or may inadvertently make a public record of a statement against its interest that could be used against it by other agencies. The failure to properly defend a licensee on an initial violation can result in significantly harsher penalties in any subsequent violations. A violation remains on a licensees record for five years. Possible penalties a licensee can face include a suspension, cancellation, a civil penalty (monetary fine), a bond claim or even a revocation of the liquor license. It can also include a combination of these.

If a liquor licensee is found guilty after a hearing, they can appeal that decision by filing a controversion. When handling controversions, we request and review a transcript of the hearing, review all relevant case law, draft and submit a memorandum of law arguing why the adverse decision is incorrect and supporting it with evidence in the record we also appear for an oral argument before the State liquor Authority Full Board.

Adverse final rulings by the State Liquor Authority may be challenged in New York State Supreme Court through a process known as an Article 78 proceeding. In cases where significant penalty is imposed, such as revocation of a liquor license, the Tracy Jong law Firm can file an appeal asking a Supreme Court Justice to review the decision.

We request a copy of the full record, review case law and submit affidavits, documentary evidence and memorandums of law arguing for the decision to be vacated or reversed. We appear in court to orally argue the case.

Even when Article 78 proceeding fails to reverse an adverse decision, we can often work on your behalf to negotiate a settlement with the Liquor Authority, which frequently results in reinstatement of your liquor license.

To Schedule a Consultation- Call (585) 247-9170. We represent licensees state wide.

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

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Tracy Jong Law Firm
Anyone who is afraid of failure and afraid to face challenges will never taste success, so said our Professor in Marketing. I did laugh it off at that time but got cold feet when it actually happened in my life.I landed in this small tiny Arab State of Qatar in the Middle East to set up a joint Business venture. The project was to set up a world class Car Rental firm, possibly with an International tie up. Having decided on the project, I earnestly settled myself in getting into the details of registration, premises, stationery, finance, staff etc, etc. With a positive mind, I told myself nothing should stop me now. Having travelled miles away from home, I was more than keen to make this Business Venture a success. The name of the Company was chosen: SPEEDY Car Rental.We were into Business for about 2 months and the least expected thing happened. Iraq invaded Kuwait. I realized that we were in a tight spot now. Tension ran high in the region. Eventually the war broke out in January 1991, many people fled the country and the region leaving SPEEDY in deep trouble.As usual, "when things become difficult, and every effort seems to bring disappointment, it can be tempting to lower your expectations or even water down your goals and ambitions." It was no different with me. I thought of running away, hanging up my boots and calling it quits. I remembered the words of Thomas Edison, the famous scientist who said: "Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." How I wished it was true in this case too!I decided to hang in. I kept telling myself, "I am not afraid of challenges and obstacles", after all they are those frightful things you see when you take your eyes off your goal! I stayed on through those grilling months of uncertainty and insecurity. Finances ran low, banks were up and above to get their dues. To add to all this, the banks even threatened to take all my vehicles that were hypothecated to them. In all this, I felt I made a wrong decision to move to the Middle East. I was now ready to face FAILURE.I was living against all hopes. I prayed that the war may end soon. After 2 months it did, but not before I piled up enough debts for me and my Company. Each day I kept believing that something good would happen.My Persistence and Perseverance paid off: as soon as the war was over, people started flooding back and the car bookings picked up. The company which was started off with 10 cars now grew five times over. It so happened that all who returned back to the country had no cars as they had already sold them off !Speedy went on adding to its fleet and very soon entered the Top 5 bracket of Car Hire firms, which included the top names like Avis, Budget, Europcar & Hertz. We were invited by HONDA to visit their plant in Japan, which was a clear indication that the company had joined the big league.Things were not the same and easy for Speedy. We had to work hard and improve on our sales and service. In a short span of 2 years Speedy grew even more. There were newspaper articles both in the local & international media (Gulf times, Khaleej Times, TTG Middle East etc) about the Fastest growing Company in the region.Success, I believe, comes to the one who dares, even after failure, to think positively and look forward confidently. If I had to give up and do like others did, run from the troubled spot, I wouldn't be writing this article.After all, it's only the experience that makes a man tough. I have learnt 2 lessons from the above experience and would like to share them with you.Failure doesn't mean you'll never make it. It means that it will take a little longer.Failure doesn't mean that God has abandoned you. It means that He has a better plan for you.The so-called Failure is sometimes good; it provides us with a learning experience.
Former President Bill Clinton has arrived in Monte Vista for a fund-raising event for the Democratic presidential campaign of his wife, Hillary Clinton.

The former president waved at the media as he entered the home of businessman Henry R. Munoz III, the national finance committee chair for the Democratic National Committee.
'My Bodyguard' is the kind of coming-of-age drama that Freddie Bartholomew, Jackie Cooper, and Mickey Rooney used to make in the thirties and forties (e.g., 'The Devil Is a Sissy,' 'Tom Brown's School Days,' et al.). This 1980 indie is told from the point of view of Clifford (Chris Makepeace), a shy and smart high school sophomore whose acclimating himself to a new school in Chicago. Clifford quickly befriends Carson (Paul Quandt), a short and spunky kid who he sits by in class. Clifford is soon harassed by Melvin Moody (Matt Dillon), the school bully who confronts Clifford and other boys in the school's grimy bathrooms. Clifford realizes that he needs a personal bodyguard to protect himself from the antics of Moody and his friends. He thinks he may have found that person in Ricky Linderman (Adam Baldwin in his screen debut), an imposing figure whose also new to the school.

The first couple of scenes make it seem that Clifford's family is well-off. Clifford dresses sharp, has a personal chauffeur, and his father serves as hotel manager at the Omni Ambassador East Hotel. But Clifford's dad, Mr. Peache (Martin Mull), makes it clear that he is not the hotel owner. Clifford actually hails from a working-class family. Moody is also interested in being a social climber. He slicks his hair back and tries to be presentable in front of the girls. Moody picks on Clifford because he really wants to steal his lunch money. Linderman is enigmatic and his character arc unpredictable. The audience knows that he is repressing familial trauma internally but can't grap all the circumstances unitl later.

'My Bodyguard' marked the feature directorial debut of Tony Bill, who went on to become a prolific movie and television actor/producer/director. The film is particularly notable for its young stars. Dillon's character of Moody is a logical extension of his character of Richie from 'Over the Edge' (1979). In that film directed by Jonathan Kaplan, Richie famously quipped, "I only got one law. A kid who tells on another kid is a dead kid!" Baldwin is mostly reticent throughout and gives Linderman the appearance of a lost soul. The movie also features early roles by Joan Cusack and Jennifer Beals. The old pro is Ruth Gordon, perfectly cast as Gramma Peache, whose irreverence and comedic charm gives the film energy. Watch for cameos by John Houseman and George Wendt.

There are certain aspects in the script and clothing that have not aged well but 'My Bodyguard' is a sweet and tender film that is well worth revisiting.
Around 600 farm workers have left the agriculture industry in Northern Ireland over the past year, new figures show.

The size of the agricultural labour force decreased by 1% per cent from the previous year to 47,400.

Within this, the number of farmers decreased by 2% to 29,500 due to decreases in both the full-time and part-time farmer categories.

In terms of other full-time workers, both paid and unpaid categories showed a decrease of 5% compared to 2015.

The statistics are compiled from a survey of farm businesses augmented by administrative data.

The preliminary results were based on the first 9,000 returns and, whilst they should give an indication of the main trends, are liable to be amended in the light of returns received and processed later.

Final results will be published in November 2016 by which time all returns from farmers will have been processed.

'Farmers need to take advantage of the voluntary supply incentive'

"When finances became tight recently, farmers were paying off farm workers and some, themselves, indeed did quit farming," said Charlie Weir, chairman of the Fair Price Farming NI told the Belfast Telegraph.

"When finances became tight recently, farmers were paying off farm workers and some, themselves, indeed did quit farming," he said.

"Numbers could be reduced even more when this year is recorded in next June's census.

"It's no surprise that the number of dairy cows has increased.

"Two or three years ago when prices were good, dairy farmers brought in more heifers and these have been added to the overall dairy herd when they calved.

"Now when prices are poor, farmers are holding on to older cows they would normally have culled just to try and keep cash flow up by producing more milk.

"This trend has been mirrored across Europe, but it has added to the over-supply problem.

"Farmers need to take advantage of the voluntary supply incentive that was announced by EU farm commissioner Phil Hogan to ensure supply and demand level themselves out soon.

"There has of course been a number of new entrants coming into the dairy sector changing over from beef farming, so this also could have increased the dairy cow numbers."

'Extreme hardship'

Borrowing on UK farms has grown significantly and is relatively unchecked in recent times with a record 17.769bn in the year ending June.

The data shows a rise of 208m in overall agricultural borrowing which shows a continued trend year-on-year.

Historically borrowings normally fall around December time as farm subsidy payments make their way into the farmers' bank account.

Between 2009 and 2014, the drop is borrowing between November and December averaged 4.5%.

But increasing numbers of farmers are borrowing to ease cash flow problems with the Chair of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee Neil Parish MP saying farmers face 'extreme hardship' as prices for produce is low.

Increasingly volatile markets may mean farming businesses that are highly seasonal or have long profit cycles will need to think differently about managing their cash flow in the future.

NFU President Meurig Raymond said: "Cash flow problems are arguably the biggest threat for farm businesses at present. And the NFU has been working directly with the banks to ensure a positive dialogue continues in the face of external factors, outside of our control, which are having an impact on farmers bottom lines.

"Farmgate prices for key commodities are in a markedly different place than they were two years ago, leading to lower margins and profitability across the sector."
All cattle farmers are being asked to help compile an accurate assessment of antibiotic use within their herds in a major national survey.

Carried out by the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers and the University of Bristol, the survey was launched in response to the O'Neill Review.

"The ONeill Review on antimicrobial resistance (AMR) concluded that both a local and global focus across animal and human medicine is required if we are to win the battle to maintain the efficacy of antibiotics," explains RABDF Chairman Mike King.

The completed surveys, which will be kept totally anonymous, will be made available to the University of Bristol research and reproduced in research articles.

The final data will also be presented to the Responsible Use of Medicines in Agriculture (RUMA) Alliances task force which has been established to specifically examine how meaningful targets can be developed to replace, reduce and refine antibiotic use in UK agriculture.

The publication of 'Tackling Drug Resistant Infections Globally: Final Report and Recommendations', by Lord Jim ONeill, was applauded as a 'global landmark in the fight to keep antibiotics effective for both animals and people'.

Economist Jim ONeill, charged two years ago by David Cameron with finding answers to one of the most pressing problems in the world today, says the global financial cost of no action would be the loss of 10 million lives a year by 2050 and 69tn ($100tn) a year.
A farmer has been ordered to pay 8,957 in fines and costs for polluting a stream near a popular Cornish holiday beach.

On 9 July 2015 the Environment Agency received a report that the Tywardeath Stream in Par had turned brown and smelt of slurry.

As a precaution, warning signs were erected at nearby Par Sands, a designated bathing beach, informing people of the pollution and advising them not to swim in the sea.

The pollution was traced to East Lanescot Farm where slurry was gushing from a pipe. Eels and fish were seen in distress gasping for air immediately downstream of the farm.

David Phillips, a partner in the company that operates the farm, said as soon as he was alerted he tried to stop the pollution by putting a bung in the leaking pipe and started emptying the slurry lagoon with a tanker.

When the slurry lagoon was emptied it was discovered a redundant pipe, that flowed under the lagoon, had collapsed and this had caused the pollution.

David Phillips estimated that 50,000 gallons of slurry had leaked from the lagoon.

He was unaware the slurry had reached the Treesmill Stream, a tributary of the Tywardeath Stream, so hadnt reported the incident to the Environment Agency.

'Serious impact on the environment'

Among fish casualties were 30 brown trout found upstream of Par duck pond and downstream of the farm. In total, more than a kilometre of river was polluted.

Magistrates heard there was a similar pollution incident on the farm in 2013.

It hadnt resulted in a prosecution, but the farm was referred to the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme.

Had suggested improvements had been carried out following this previous incident, the severity of the 2015 slurry spill would have been reduced.

Lisa Goodall for the Environment Agency said: "The pollution from this farm had a serious impact on the environment.

"Hundreds of fish were killed and a local beach was put at risk during the bathing season and there were significant costs incurred during the clean-up operation. Par duck pond, which is used by recreational fishermen, was badly affected.

Appearing before Truro magistrates, David Phillips was fined 675 and ordered to pay 8,214 costs after pleading guilty to an unauthorised discharge of slurry from East Lanescot Farm on 9 July 2015 contrary to Regulations 12(1)(b) and 38(1)(a) of the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010.
First Milk has announced that it will increase its September milk prices by up to 1.25ppl.

In a letter to members today, chairman Clive Sharpe said he is "pleased" to report that for the third month running First Milk will be increasing the milk price.

"With the market recovering and having exited our loss making activities, returns are flowing directly through to our milk price," Mr Sharpe said.

"At the same time we are bringing forward the delivery of the business performance supplement, which comes from continuing improvements in our own efficiency.

"There will be further price lifts for October"

"Last month we forecast a 0.5ppl increase for our manufacturing pools from 1st September, however with further advances in the market we will actually deliver a 1ppl increase.

"As well as increased cheese returns, we are now starting to see price movement from some of the major liquid processors, which directly benefit our balancing pools.

"There will be further price lifts for October and we will confirm the level of this during September once we get a full view on market changes.

Business Performance Supplement

First Milk introduced a Business Performance Supplement in June.

"This is the money that comes not from market changes - which now flows through directly - but from our own planned improvements such as removing loss making divisions; improving our commercial and quality performance; and cutting our costs," Mr Sharpe stated.

"This supplement was at 0.75ppl and will now increase by 0.25ppl from September to 1ppl.

"Further increases in this supplement are budgeted and will follow shortly to cover the initial 2ppl that we have committed to deliver," concluded Mr Sharpe.

Chief executive Mike Gallacher added that the company recognises it is not yet a return to "sustainable prices."

"However, with future market prices for commodities forecast to be around the mid-20s, members can be confident that as the market continues to rise in line with this forecast; so will our milk price," Mr Gallacher said.
The Tenant Farmers Association has said the National Trust's vision for a post Brexit shouldn't focus only on environmental outcomes, labelling it a 'huge mistake'.

TFA Chief Executive George Dunn said the Trust has focused on the need to ensure that there is support only for environmental outcomes in the post Brexit environment.

Mr Dunn said: "The TFA agrees that around a third of the current annual budget spent through the CAP should be earmarked for a brand-new, outcome focused agri-environment scheme which rewards active farmers for their labour, management and investment in managing land for biodiversity, landscape and nature. However, this is only one part of what is required."

Last week, the National Trust released a statement on a reform of farm support, proposing a system which is more environmentally friendly.

"Focusing only on domestic environmental outcomes would be a huge mistake," said Mr Dunn

The conservation organisation said that reforms are needed to "reverse decades of damage to the countryside we love."

The TFAs post Brexit agricultural policy argues for three distinct elements of a new policy which adds business resilience and market development alongside a package of agri-environment measures.

"Post Brexit Government policy for agriculture must address all of the market failures that exist and not just the provision of environmental public goods.

"The declining share of national income spent on primary food products, the structure of food marketing creating an unfair trading platform for farmers, long-term food security and uneven production standards all need to be addressed.

"Focusing only on domestic environmental outcomes would be a huge mistake," said Mr Dunn.

'Greater business resilience'

Mr Dunn said farm businesses need a 'farm business development grant' scheme, which provides capped funding.

"We need to assist with the implementation of approved plans for greater business resilience covering fixed equipment, cost reduction initiatives, additional processing capacity, diversification, marketing, cooperative initiatives, producer organisations, climate change adaptation and environmental improvement.

"Finally, we also need a package of near market research and development, technology transfer, promotion, market development, brand development and other supply chain initiatives focused on supporting British produced food.

"We must also see a greater degree of public procurement of British food and a requirement for all food sold in Britain to meet at least Red Tractor standards.

"Where imported product is unable to meet those standards we must substitute those imports with home produced products.

"Without this, we merely export our environmental, animal welfare and consumer safety problems abroad," said Mr Dunn.
Somerdale International has been presented with its Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade by Her Majestys Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset Mrs Anne Maw at a ceremony held at the companys Wellington headquarters.

The winning of the prestigious Queens Award, which was announced at the end of April, recognises Somerdales sustained track record in becoming a leading exporter of high quality British cheeses and dairy products to over 50 countries around the world.

The ceremony which was attended by Somerdales staff, representatives from many of its British cheesemaker supply partners and local dignitaries was also used to mark over a quarter of a century of growth and development for the Somerset based business.

Presenting a cut glass bowl and certificate, on behalf of Her Majesty The Queen, Mrs Anne Maw, Lord-Lieutenant of Somerset said In Britain, and of course here in Somerset, we make some of the very best tasting cheeses in the world.

It is therefore particularly pleasing to be able to recognise the success of Somerdale International in growing exports of cheese internationally.

Commenting on the award Nairn Glen, Chairman of Somerdale International, said: We are extremely honoured to have been presented with the prestigious Queens Award for Enterprise in International Trade."

"The Award recognises the experience and expertise we have accumulated in more than 25 years of exporting to all parts of the globe; the skill and dedication of our staff; and the excellence of our partner suppliers who produce some of the very best British cheeses.

As has been well documented, the last few years have been very challenging for all involved in the British dairy industry."

"At Somerdale we strongly believe that developing the market for British dairy exports will be a key element going forward for securing the growth and sustainability of this important sector."

"As such, we wont be resting on our laurels and will be doing everything we can to promote and sell British cheeses across the world.
A globe-spanning video and poster contest is asking the world's children to help highlight how climate change is making the task of feeding a growing world population all the more challenging.

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the UN asks children what humanity can do to meet that challenge.

The number of people on the planet is expected to grow to over 9 billion by 2050, and FAO estimates that global food production will need to increase by 60 percent to keep up with all the new mouths to feed.

Meanwhile, the world's small scale and family farmers  who produce much of the world's food  are among those being hit hardest by higher temperatures, droughts, and weather related disasters associated with climate change.

The FAO has picked "Climate is changing. Food and agriculture must change too," as the theme of World Food Day 2016 (WFD 2016), which will be celebrated on 16 October.

The World Food Day poster and video contest aims to give children an opportunity to explore this theme.

Children will be urged to express their ideas about the relationship between climate change, the food people eat, and the causes of hunger  and share them with others.

Children and teens aged 5 to 19 are encouraged to learn about the WFD 2016 theme and use their imagination to digitally design, draw or paint a poster that explores it.

The deadline for entries is 30 September 2016.


U Aung Kyi Thein appointed Mon States

USDP Chairman U Aung Kyi Thein appointed Mon StatesUSDP Chairman

U Aung Kyi Thein takes over the post of U Ohn Myint, the former Mon State Chief Minister and USDPs former chairman for Mon State.

From Mon State, 10 individuals were selected as central committee members and 3 more were chosen as reserved members of the committee. Those people were selected based on the party rules, said U Soe Tun, Moulmein District level USDP Chairman, who also presented at the conference.

27 representatives from across Mon State attended the party conference.

U Soe Htun also stated that U Win Maw Oo was selected as Mon States USDP secretary at the conference.

U Aung Kyi Thein served as director of the Agriculture and Irrigation Department and is from Kwan Yaik Village, Chaungzone Township. He competed for Pyithu Hluttaw representative of the Chaungzone constituency in the 2015 elections.

Representing the USDPs central level, the party selected U Than Htay as chairman, replacing former president U Thein Sein, while U Myat Hein and U Thet Naing were elected as vice-chairman and general secretary respectively. The secretarial posts were given to U Pike Htway, U Than Htun, U Kyaw Kyaw Htay, U Tin Aung Chit and Dr. San San Nwe.
By Joe Dales, Farms.com

Ames, Iowa  Farmers and agri business professionals from around the world are preparing for an important gathering in a field near Boone, Iowa next week. The Annual Farm Progress Show begins on Tuesday August 30 and runs Wednesday and ends Thursday, September 1. Organizers report that even with lower commodity prices the show is sold out as far as exhibitors wanting to be there.

For information on the 2016 Farm Progress Show visit http://www.FarmProgressShow.com

One of the favorite farmer must see events during the Farm Progress Show is the Harvest Demonstrations. All of the new combines and technology is on display in a real corn field.

The Farm Progress Show is also the event where many manufacturers and companies unveil new products and have the latest equipment available on display with senior company representatives to explain new innovations.

The Farms.com will be exhibiting in the Varied Industries tent at booth number VIT9405.

We always have a terrific time at the Farm Progress Show, says Andrew Bawden, Manager with Farms.com. This is one of the best farm shows for a number of reasons, all of the major companies exhibit with many of their best displays and people combine that with the large number of farmers from across the world attend and you have a winning combination.

For more information on the Farm Progress Show visit the website at www.FarmProgressShow.com

More details on the Farm Progress Show near Boone, Iowa.

Aug 30,31, & Sept 1, 2016

Admission: $15 per Adult

At the Gate: Students ages 13-17 - $8

Kids 12 and under Free

Show Hours:

Tuesday & Wednesday  8 am to 5 pm

Thursday  8 am to 4 pm

Address:

1827 217th Street; Boone, IA 50036

Here is video of some of the highlights from our trip to the Farm Progress Show in 2014 when it was last held near Boone, Iowa.
"Every market in the world has an alternative and one of the biggest competitors to Australian beef is Brazilian beef, which is extremely cheap and they are happy to sell it at any price to move it out of the country."
"It is about how we get the right people engaged, how we get the leadership needed to grow the group, how to anticipate the future needs and making sure grower groups have a seat at the table when determining R&D for the State," he said.
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In 1965, John Lennon, George Harrison, Cynthia Lennon, and Pattie Boyd were having dinner at a dentist friend's house. The dentist put LSD in their coffee without telling them first. When he revealed what he had done, John was pissed off, and rightly so. "How dare you fucking do this to us?" he said. Rolling Stone's Mikal Gilmore has the story and an animated interview with John about their first trip on LSD and the secret history of Revolver:

"It was as if we suddenly found ourselves in the middle of a horror film," Cynthia Lennon said. "The room seemed to get bigger and bigger." The Beatles and their wives fled Riley's home in Harrison's Mini Cooper. (According to Bury, John and George had earlier indicated a willingness to take LSD if they didn't know beforehand that it was being administered.) The Lennons and Harrisons went to Leicester Square's Ad Lib club. In the elevator, they succumbed momentarily to panic. "We all thought there was a fire in the lift," Lennon told Rolling Stone in 1971. "It was just a little red light, and we were all screaming, all hot and hysterical." Once inside at a table, something like reverie began to take hold instead. As Harrison told Rolling Stone, "I had such an overwhelming feeling of well-being, that there was a God, and I could see him in every blade of grass. It was like gaining hundreds of years of experience in 12 hours."





The couples ended up at the Harrisons' home in Esher, outside London. John later said, "God, it was just terrifying, but it was fantastic. George's house seemed to be just like a big submarine It seemed to float above his wall, which was 18 foot, and I was driving it. I did some drawings at the time, of four faces saying, 'We all agree with you.' I was pretty stoned for a month or two." This unwitting initiation into LSD would find its fulfillment the following year in Revolver, the Beatles' bravest and most innovative album.
What was it like to be an Oath Keeper? John Zimmerman can tell you
Woody Allen has dismissed child sex abuse allegations made against him as "stupidity".

Woody Allen

The legendary 80-year-old director has for years had to face accusations he molested Dylan - Mia Farrow's adopted daughter who he co-adopted in 1991 - since his acrimonious break-up from Mia in 1992.

Dylan, 31, accused Woody of sexually assaulted her when she was just seven years old and as recently as 2014 she wrote in an open letter that he abused her in a "dim, closet-like attic" at their family home.

Woody was investigated over the abuse allegations at the time of the incident, but was not charged after a panel of psychologists, appointed by US prosecutors and the police, concluded that Dylan had not been molested.

The 'Cafe Society' filmmaker has always maintained his innocence and accused Mia of fabricating the claims and forcing her daughter to go along with them due to her bitterness over their split and his subsequent marriage to Soon-Yi Previn - the daughter Mia adopted with her ex-husband Andre Previn - in 1997.

The allegations came to the forefront again in May when his estranged biological son Ronan Farrow wrote a scathing piece in The Hollywood Reporter stating he believed his sister Dylan and lambasted the media for supporting his father.

Woody has now come out on the attack about Ronan's piece, insisting he has already been cleared of any wrongdoing.

In an interview with The Guardian newspaper, he said: "I have no interest in all of that. I find that all stupidity. That situation has been thoroughly, thoroughly investigated up and down the line by New York social services in a 14-month investigation." The 'Blue Jasmine' director went on to claim that he has been harassed over the matter, but insists it has no effect on him any more.

He continued: "It has been investigated by Yale and conclusions were clear and I have no interest in that whole situation.

"I get harassed all the time on it. But it doesn't affect me and I just have no interest in it ... It (has) confirmed all my misanthropic feelings."

In his essay, titled 'My Father, Woody Allen and the Danger of Questions Unasked', Ronan, 28, stated he witnessed "inappropriate" behaviour from his father, writing: "I believe my sister. This was always true as a brother who trusted her, and - even at five years old - was troubled by our father's strange behaviour around her: climbing into her bed in the middle of the night, forcing her to suck his thumb - behaviour that had prompted him to enter into therapy focused on his inappropriate conduct with children prior to the allegations."

Back in 2014, when Dylan released her open letter, Woody strenuously denied he abused his daughter, insisting: "Of course, I did not molest Dylan. I loved her and hope one day she will grasp how she has been cheated out of having a loving father and exploited by a mother more interested in her own festering anger than her daughter's well-being."

However, Dylan responded angrily to Woody's Golden Globe Lifetime Achievement Award in the same year and took aim at her father, saying: "Woody Allen is a living testament to the way our society fails the survivors of sexual assault and abuse."
'Marcella' is set to return for a second series.

Anna Friel

The ITV crime show has been given the go ahead for another installment of eight episodes after Anna Friel agreed to reprise her role as Detective Sargent Marcella Summers next year.

The show's screenwriter, Hans Rosenfeldt, announced the news at the Edinburgh International TV festival and teased that fans of the show can expect to explore the world of Marcella and several other characters in much more depth.

He said: "I was delighted at the reaction to the first season and am thrilled to be revisiting 'Marcella' for ITV.

"In the second season, the audience will get the opportunity to spend more time in her world, further exploring some of the characters and getting to know them better."

Meanwhile, executive producer, Tony Wood, is thrilled to be working on a brand new series and was full of praise for both Anna and Hans.

He added: "The combination of Hans' masterful writing, Anna's gripping performance and Buccaneer's superb production team struck a chord with viewers.

"Naturally we're delighted to be working with ITV to create a second season of Marcella."

Further casting details are expected to be unveiled in the next few months.

Anna, 40, previously said she was "scared" she wouldn't be able to do her 'Marcella' role justice the day after accepting the part, when it first aired in April.

At the time, she said: "I was quite scared at one point. I said yes the next day because otherwise they'd have had to move on, or in the next few days.

"And then I started to go, 'What can I do? I can't play that, I know nothing about that world.' "

But Anna - who shot to fame as 'Brookside's Beth Jordache - soon got to grips with her "odd" alter ego.

She added: "Then suddenly she started to come together. We've created a new word, we go, 'Let's Marcella it up.' She's quite odd."
The Government of Nepal has urged the European Union to extend the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), to support the domestic economy that is recovering from the effect of devastating earthquake last year. The plea has been made as the EU is planning to phase out GSP facility to the least developed countries (LDCs) beginning next year.

Under its reformed GSP law, adopted on October 31, 2012, the EU has been offering zero-duty facility for products (except arms and ammunitions) manufactured in the LDCs for import to the 28-nation European market. But, this has not led to a drastic increase in the share of preferential import in the European market.

One reason for LDCs failing to significantly increase their exports to the EU is that the GSP facility is available only to LDC products with 30 per cent value addition.

The Government of Nepal has urged the European Union to extend the Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), to support the domestic economy that is recovering from the effect of devastating earthquake last year. The plea has been made as the EU is planning to phase out GSP facility to the least developed countries (LDCs) beginning next year.#

Like Nepal, other LDCs have also requested the EU for extension of the facility in order to strengthen their fragile economy.

Under the GSP, Nepal mainly exports carpets, readymade garments and handicrafts to the EU, according to the Trade and Export Promotion Centre. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, nicknamed the Queen of Knitwear, has died at the age of 86, after suffering from Parkinsons disease for some time. Rykiel typified a new generation of designers who launched their own labels outside the established system of Haute Couture. Her relaxed striped knitwear was a shift away from more formal suits.

Rykiel innovated not just with the cut of her garments, but also with her philosophy of fashion. She collaborated with the popular French mail-order company Les 3 Suisses in 1977 (shock! horror!) and then released a renegade fragrance, 7eme sens, the following year.

French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, nicknamed the Queen of Knitwear, has died at the age of 86, after suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time. Rykiel typified a new generation of designers who launched their own labels outside the established system of Haute Couture. Her relaxed striped knitwear was a shift away from more formal suits.#

She designed sweaters closer to the body than they had ever been. She rejected linings and embraced exposed seams, defiantly decreeing that the sweater should be worn against the naked skin. Her clothes were black; they were striped. She made clothes for women who wanted total freedom of movement: women who were explorers, lovers, and nomads.

French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, nicknamed the Queen of Knitwear, has died at the age of 86, after suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time. Rykiel typified a new generation of designers who launched their own labels outside the established system of Haute Couture. Her relaxed striped knitwear was a shift away from more formal suits.#

Declared Queen of Knits by Womens Wear Daily in 1972, Sonia Rykiel became an international icon. The movement she created was intimately linked to the ready-to-wear revolution taking place in 1970s Paris. She urged women to be eccentric, seductive, mysterious, and to create their own style.

French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, nicknamed the Queen of Knitwear, has died at the age of 86, after suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time. Rykiel typified a new generation of designers who launched their own labels outside the established system of Haute Couture. Her relaxed striped knitwear was a shift away from more formal suits.#

Alongside her mother Nathalie, she created the Rykiel Enfant line in 1983; in 1989 she launched Sonia Rykiels little sister, Inscription Rykiel, rechristened Sonia By Sonia Rykiel in 1999. (RKS)

French fashion designer Sonia Rykiel, nicknamed the Queen of Knitwear, has died at the age of 86, after suffering from Parkinson's disease for some time. Rykiel typified a new generation of designers who launched their own labels outside the established system of Haute Couture. Her relaxed striped knitwear was a shift away from more formal suits.#

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The 22nd batch of six designer talents from the International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) at Gen Next Show of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 dazzled the audience with their high octane creativity and fashion statements. The Gen Next shows by LFW have been the launch pad for top designer brands in the country Vaibhav Singh's menswear called 'Hybrid' was a line of sharply cut and tailored garments, which revealed minute detailing, with the colour story being dark and sombre with lead, black, dark rose and tin fills that matched the mood of the coming season.

The 22nd batch of six designer talents from the International Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD) at Gen Next Show of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 dazzled the audience with their high octane creativity and fashion statements. The Gen Next shows by LFW have been the launch pad for top designer brands in the country. Vaibhav Singh's menswear...#

Gaurav Khanijo's collection 'Morpheus' was a fantasy of Indian handlooms with a vintage touch, inspired by the dragon fly, the bright hues of sun yellow, red and royal blue for double breasted jackets, fitted trousers, button less coats and tunics presented stylish male attire.Abhishek Paatni presented a premium wear line of pret and bespoke clothing under the 'Nought One' label, thereby giving menswear a stylish twist.Inspired by Vincent Van Gogh's painting 'Starry Night over Rhone', Anupreet Sidhu brought forth the celestial bodies like The Great Bear into the colour scheme.Designer Diming Rubu's collection 'The Missing Piece' was a great semi-formal offering, where classic silhouettes came alive on the ramp for the fashion conscious women in the age group 25-40 years.Paridhi Jaipuria presented a sleek womenswear line called 'Bunai', which created a melange of garments with a high level of craftsmanship that projected great urban work wear, using specially hand woven fabrics along with crisp Egyptian cottons. (AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
The next edition of the Yarn, Fabric & Accessories Trade Show (YFA) Show which begins November 23, 2016 will have an exclusive Denim Zone, where 20 top Indian denim fabric makers will exhibit their denim innovations. Additionally, the organisers are holding YFA Talent, a fashion designing contest for upcoming designers from fashion designing institutes in association with TIT Bhiwani and the Textile Association of India (TAI), another initiative is Titoba, an alumni meet, where more than 800 top industry professionals will meet on the sidelines of the show.

Furthermore, there will be a conference, again in partnership with TIT-Bhiwani and the Textile Association of India (TAI).

A special Chinese Pavilion will also be seen, where around 40 Chinese exhibitors will showcase yarns, fabrics and garment accessories. A Trend Pavilion will also be set up by the Trend Partner, WGSN, the global authority on fashion trends.



With still three months to go, nearly 80 per cent of the space has already been booked at the show, which will feature products beginning right from fibres to yarns to fabrics and finally accessories and will also bring renowned suppliers from the these four segments closer to buyers.

The fair is organized by Vision Communications, supported by the Northern India Textile Mills Association (NITMA) with AEPC (Apparel Export Promotion Council), TA(I) (Textile Association of India), PDEXCIL (Power loom Development Export Promotion Council), CMAI (Clothing Manufacturers Association of India), FOHMA (Federation of Hosiery Manufacturers Association), NAEC (Noida Apparel Export Cluster), NITRA (Northern India Textile Research Institute), U.P. Apparel Exporters Association and PTA Users Association as supporting associations.(AR)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  India
Finally, the much awaited news of the week has arrived! According to a leading daily, DNA, the lovely couple, Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput are blessed with a baby girl today in the evening at 7:56 pm at the Hinduja Healthcare Surgical hospital in Khar.

Yesterday evening, Mira rushed to the hospital and her loving hubby is by her side since then. The actor has also posted an adorable selfie with his wife on the Instagram, in which Mira's prominent baby bump was visible.

Rani Mukerji SPOTTED With Baby Adira; Slams The Paparazzis For Clicking Pics

Shahid and Mira got married in July 2015 and now they are all set to start a new chapter of their life with a new member! Well, we just can't wait enough to get a glimpse of Shahid-Mira's baby princess!

Many congratulations to the lovely couple and we hope both mother and daughter are doing fine!

On the work front, Shahid Kapoor will be next seen in Vishal Bhardwaj's upcoming film, Rangoon. The film also casts Saif Ali Khan and Kangana Ranaut in the lead roles.
Well, according to the reports, there is enough reason for the superhero movie fans to get disheartened. After Hugh Jackman bids adieu from playing the iconic character of Wolverine in X-Men movies, it's time for Chris Evans to step down from the role of Captain America in MCU movies.

Joe and Anthony Russo, who have directed the Captain America: Civil War, confirmed the news that Chris Evans will no longer be seen in the iconic character of Captain America in the upcoming movie Infinity War movie.

The 35-year-old actor, who portrayed the role of Steve Rogers, will not be seen donning the traditional red-blue Captain America costume in MCU anymore.

"I think him dropping that shield (at the end of the film) is him letting go of that identity. (It's) him admitting that certainly, the identity of Captain America was in conflict with the very personal choice that he was making," Joe said.

Earlier, the writers of the movie, Stephen McFeely and Christopher Markus said that the reason why the Captain was not dead in the 'Civil War' is because, there is a chance that the Avengers might need him in the future, and there they hint about his comeback in the future movies.
KOKOMO, IN -- (Marketwired) -- 08/25/16 -- To provide assistance to the victims of the Indiana tornadoes, all 13 Ponderosa Steakhouse restaurants in Indiana will hold a "Buy One, Give One" fundraiser on Sunday, August 28, 2016. For each entree or buffet sold that day, Ponderosa Steakhouse will donate $1.00 to the American Red Cross.

"Indiana holds special significance for Ponderosa Steakhouse, which was founded in Kokomo 51 years ago in 1965," said Tom Sacco, CEO, Homestyle Dining. "Our company and our incredible franchise community in Indiana stand strong with the people of Indiana, who fell victim to these devastating tornados. By holding this 'Buy One, Give One' fundraiser, we hope that we can help provide a meal for those in need."

The participating Ponderosa Steakhouse restaurants are:

South Bend -- 52627 State Route 933

Anderson -- 5009 South Scatterfield Road

Auburn -- 1130 West 7th Street

Princeton -- 2020 West Broadway

Indianapolis -- 5005 South Emerson Avenue

Plymouth -- 2100 North Michigan Avenue

Vincennes -- 2625 Hart Street

Greenfield -- 1585 North State Street

Portland -- 1002 North Meridian

Scottsburg -- 44 West McClain Avenue

Madison -- 327 Cliff Drive

Goshen -- 1919 Lincoln Way East

Washington -- 5 Cumberland Drive

Funds will also be raised at Bonanza Steak & BBQ in Seymour at 2046 E. Tipton Street.

About Homestyle Dining LLC

Dallas, Texas-based Homestyle Dining LLC owns, operates and franchises family-focused restaurants throughout the United States and internationally under the Ponderosa Steakhouse and Bonanza Steakhouse brands, where guests enjoy flame-grilled steaks and entrees along with a high-quality buffet featuring an endless selection of salads, soups, appetizers, vegetables, and desserts at affordable prices. Homestyle Dining recently introduced Cole's Backyard Grill, a truly unique experience around a rich, flavorful and creative American menu at fast casual pricing in an eclectic and comfortable environment. The first Cole's Backyard Grill opened in 2014, with plans to open up to 250 restaurants in the next five years. The new Bonanza Steak & BBQ, recently opened in Seymour, IN, is a full service, casual dining concept celebrating Bonanza's American steakhouse heritage with its modernized menu including new authentic, Southern-style BBQ offerings, and an interior redesign around a butcher house theme. Plans call for 100 franchised locations in the next five years.

Contact:

Erin Peacock

Peacock PR

(949) 939-1872

Email Contact




VANCOUVER, BC--(Marketwired - August 25, 2016) - Odin Mining and Exploration Ltd. ("Odin") (TSX VENTURE: ODN) announces the results of its annual general and special meeting of shareholders held on August 25, 2016 in Vancouver. At the meeting, shareholders voted in favour of electing each of Marshall Koval, Lyle Braaten, Donald Shumka, Michael Steinmann and Stephen W.C. Stow as directors of Odin to hold office for the ensuing year. The shareholders also voted in favour of each of the other matters considered, including appointing auditors for the ensuing year, authorizing the board of directors to determine the remuneration payable to the auditors, confirming and approving Odin's 10% Rolling Stock Option Plan, and changing Odin's name to "Lumina Gold Corp."

Odin's official name change to Lumina Gold Corp. will be effected at a time to be determined by the directors of Odin.

ODIN MINING AND EXPLORATION LTD.

Signed: "Marshall Koval"

Marshall Koval, President & CEO

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this news release.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Information

Certain statements and information herein, including all statements that are not historical facts, contain forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Such forward-looking statements or information include but are not limited to statements with respect to Odin's official name change to Lumina Gold Corp. being effected at a time to be determined by the directors of Odin. Often, but not always, forward-looking statements or information can be identified by the use of phrases such as "will be effected" or variations of that phrase.

With respect to forward-looking statements and information contained herein, Odin has made numerous assumptions including among other things, that it will obtain approval to change its name from the TSX Venture Exchange and the British Columbia Corporate Registrar. Although Odin has attempted to identify factors that would cause actual actions or events to differ materially from those disclosed in the forward-looking statements or information, there may be other factors that cause unanticipated or unintended actions or events. Also, many of the factors are beyond Odin's control. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements or information. Odin does not undertake any obligation to reissue or update forward-looking statements or information as a result of new information or events after the date hereof except as may be required by law. All forward-looking statements and information made herein, are qualified by this cautionary statement.

For further information contact:



Martin Rip

tel: + 604 646-1884

fax: + 604 687-7041
WOLFSBURG (dpa-AFX) - Volkswagen AG's (VKW.L, VLKAF.PK, VOW.BE) agreement to pay 652 U.S. auto dealerships for losses caused by its diesel-cheating scheme will cost the carmaker about $1.2 billion, Bloomberg reported a person familiar with the matter. That will raise Volkswagen's settlements to resolve U.S. lawsuits that include those by car owners and regulators to $16.5 billion, with the automaker still facing investor claims and possible criminal charges. Under the deal announced in court Thursday, the company will buy back unfixable used vehicles under the same terms as those given consumers and independent dealers. VW agreed to make cash payments and provide additional benefits to the dealers to resolve their claims, the report said. Volkswagen reached a $14.7 billion agreement with car owners and U.S. and California regulators that calls for buying back or fixing 480,000 Volkswagens with 2.0-liter engines. The company is also on the hook for $603 million it agreed to pay 44 states, and it faces more state government claims and investor class actions in the U.S., lawsuits in Germany and South Korea and possible criminal penalties in all three countries. U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who last month gave preliminary approval to the carmaker's settlement covering the 2-liter models, pressed on Thursday for a solution for vehicles with 3.0-liter engines. Those models include the Volkswagen Touareg, Porsche Cayenne and Audi Q5. Breyer ordered the company to file a plan for fixing the 3-liter engines and proof that it works to U.S. regulators by Octeber 24 and report back to him on November 3. 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.
FORT WORTH, TX--(Marketwired - August 25, 2016) - When choosing a place to live, Marcus Hiles Fort Worth developer understands that one of the great debates is deciding between large cities and their smaller neighboring towns. Within the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex area alone, people searching for their next home are often confused by the idea of moving to an idyllic suburban setting or a bustling downtown one. Hiles, the Chairman and CEO of Western Rim Properties, has learned firsthand about the major differences renters should anticipate. A builder of affordable upscale communities across the Lone Star state for more than two decades, he shares his expertise to provide keen insight about popular and affluent Frisco versus the energetic, culturally diverse Dallas.

Some of the enticing features that have been drawing people to Frisco are the contemporary amenities offered in newer, upmarket rentals, like those found at The Towers By The Park. Marcus Hiles Fort Worth based company created the development "to host highly desirable exclusive lifestyles," he says. Through the conveniences of the hotel resort-style design, residents enjoy access to an infinity edge 165-foot long swimming pool, tanning deck and cabanas, as well as a 24-hour high-tech fitness center boasting a cardio theatre. Located in the suburban Frisco, all of the one- to four-bedroom units "bring chic, urban living in the form of modern, loft-inspired apartments," says Hiles. "Our unique properties take great pride in being on the cutting edge-they come complete with real hardwood floors, attached garages, granite kitchen counter tops and stainless steel appliances." Western Rim's townhomes and apartments are also known for being unmatched in value. Hiles notes, "A new high-end apartment with similar features to what you'll find in our Frisco community costs upwards of twice as much in Dallas." Employment is another major factor to consider. Frisco, which straddles Collin and Denton counties, has a job growth rate multiple times higher than that of Dallas, and the per capita incomes in Frisco approach 50 percent higher than those earned by its southern city neighbors.

Beyond their respective housing options and job markets, the landscape of the two areas are markedly different. At The Towers By The Park, Marcus Hiles Fort Worth based company has prioritized the inclusion of green spaces. The complex was planned to incorporate the beauty of the natural environment; it features a stocked pond with a fishing pier and direct access to the 38 wooded acres of nearby McCord Park, nestled along Cottonwood Creek. The presence of a large shade tree canopy that some renters trade for their proximity to the city life among Dallas's high-rises also has direct health benefits: Frisco renters make use of trails in the great outdoors with more frequency, and take advantage of the site's better air quality, which generally measures at 25 percent cleaner than the atmosphere in Dallas.

Marcus Hiles is a renowned real estate investor whose companies manage affordable luxury residential properties within the greater areas of Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston, New Braunfels, Austin, and San Antonio. Western Rim Property Services was founded in 1990 after Hiles recognized the unmet demand for housing with state-of-the-art amenities. Today, his companies manage over 15,000 rentals across Texas. In addition to his unwavering commitment to the environment, Hiles has contributed significant capital to the improvement of public parks, lakes, streams, and green spaces. By increasing number of trees within his communities to numbers above their pre-developed rate, the property mogul aims to reach his goal of maximizing the canopy to account for approximately 25,000 trees by 2025.

Marcus Hiles Fort Worth Property Investor: http://marcushilesfortworth-news.com

Marcus Hiles Fortworth Texas -- Real Estate: http://www.marcushilesfortworthtexas.com/

Marcus Hiles Fort Worth Real Estate Investor Discusses the Dilemma of Big City vs. Suburban Living: http://finance.yahoo.com/news/marcus-hiles-fort-worth-real-034554037.html

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/26/11G111919/Images/Marcus_Hiles_Fort_Worth_Real_Estate_Expert_Compare-6a6c40d025d29d6cb18ab999b32dfa3e.jpg

Embedded Video Available: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-VD8VW2A0-w

Contact Information

ICMediaDirect.com

TEL: 1.800.595.0821

www.ICMediaDirect.com

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WASHINGTON (dpa-AFX) - A Texas jury ruled that General Motors Co. (GM) wasn't liable for a 2011 accident that left Zach Stevens, then 19, with a brain injury after his 2007 Saturn Sky careened out of control on a rain-slick road and hit a pickup, killing the driver. General Motors Co.'s victory in a Houston courtroom Thursday makes the carmaker three for three in trials related to an ignition-switch defect, but its legal entanglements may stretch on for years. At least a dozen lawsuits are set for trial in the next year The next trial begins September 12 in New York federal court in a lawsuit over the 2011 crash of a Chevrolet Cobalt in Virginia. The company also faces lawsuits by car owners claiming economic losses because of the reduced value of their vehicles. In 2014, GM recalled 2.6 million U.S. cars with ignition switches in danger of jostling off. Once the switch came off, the cars lost power and safety systems such as power steering, power brakes, air bags and seat belts were prevented from working as designed. The defect has been linked to at least 124 deaths and 275 injuries. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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U.S. expands Northwestern Hawaiian Islands reserve, creating world's largest protected area

HONOLULU, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Pew Charitable Trusts joins partners in Hawaii and the scientific community in praising today's announcement by President Barack Obama that the United States has expanded the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, also known as PapahAnaumokuAkea, to 582,578 square miles (1.5 million square kilometers).

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401603

Video - http://origin-qps.onstreammedia.com/origin/multivu_archive/PRNA/ENR/PEW-08262016.mp4

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The action creates the largest protected area in the world and expands the original monument by more than 442,760 square miles (1.15 million square kilometers). The area now covered is almost four times as large as California.

Today's announcement builds on steps taken by six presidents-starting with Theodore Roosevelt and including three Republicans and three Democrats-to conserve the ecosystems and wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 2006, President George W. Bush designated the islands and the surrounding waters a national marine monument, marking the first time a large area of ocean had been set aside for protection in the United States, which has a long history of establishing national parks on land. At the time, PapahAnaumokuAkea was the largest marine reserve in the world. Subsequently, more than a dozen large-scale highly protected marine reserves have been created around the globe, including nine larger than the original Hawaiian monument.

"PapahAnaumokuAkea inspired an international movement to safeguard large areas of ocean and create the world's first generation of great parks in the sea," said Joshua S. Reichert, an executive vice president at Pew who oversees strategy for its Global Ocean Legacy project. "By expanding the monument, President Obama has increased protections for one of the most biologically and culturally significant places on the planet."

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) agreed. "Expanding PapahAnaumokuAkea makes a definitive statement about Hawaii's and the United States' commitment to ocean conservation. By adopting my proposal to expand the monument, President Obama has created a safe zone that will replenish stocks of tuna, promote biodiversity, and fight climate change, and he has given Native Hawaiians a greater voice in managing this precious resource," Schatz said.

"President Obama's declaration is only the beginning. To create continuing success, we will need to work together to maintain and grow the partnerships that made the expansion possible in the first place," the senator added.

Through petitions, public meetings, and other events, Hawaiians expressed strong support for the expansion, particularly the Native community, which proposed the idea to the White House in January. To Native Hawaiians, PapahAnaumokuAkea is a place of honor, believed to be the root of ancestral connections to the gods and the site to which spirits return after death.

"PapahAnaumokuAkea is critically important to Native Hawaiian culture-it is our ancestral place, the birthplace of all life," said Sol KahoEohalahala, a seventh-generation Hawaiian from the island of Lanai and a member of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group. "The expanded monument will serve as a conservation, climate, and cultural refuge for my granddaughter and future generations."

Pew's Global Ocean Legacy campaign worked with Native Hawaiians, scientists, elected officials, community leaders, businesses, and the larger environmental community to build support for expansion. The efforts included an in-depth study of the biological and cultural significance of the area, town hall meetings, educational sessions, news conferences, and media interviews. More than 1 million people from Hawaii and beyond signed petitions or wrote letters to the White House and lawmakers. In June, some 1,500 scientists signed a letter to President Obama backing the expansion.

Although much of the region remains to be fully explored, PapahAnaumokuAkea is home to more than 7,000 species, a quarter of which are endemic, or found nowhere else on Earth; some have only recently been discovered. The area provides habitat for rare species such as threatened green turtles, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, and false killer whales, as well as 14 million seabirds representing 22 species. This year, scientists exploring these waters discovered a new type of ghostlike octopus they nicknamed Casper, as well as three new species of fish.

Some places within the expanded monument show 100 percent endemism at depths of 100 meters. Scientists also have found the world's oldest known living organism-a deep-water black coral estimated to be 4,265 years old-within the new boundaries. Shipwrecks from the World War II Battle of Midway, including wreckage from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, also are located in the newly protected area.

More ocean has been set aside for protection in the past 18 months than during any other period in history, with announcements of new marine reserves by the governments of the U.S., the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Chile, and Palau. The Global Ocean Legacy campaign has helped safeguard 2.4 million square miles (6.3 million square kilometers) of ocean by working with local communities, governments, scientists, and other stakeholders around the world.

Even with these successes, only about 3 percent of the world's ocean has been set aside with strong protections. Recent science supports conserving at least 30 percent to maintain biodiversity, support fisheries productivity, and safeguard the myriad economic, cultural, and life-supporting benefits of the seas.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org.

Global Ocean Legacy is a partnership established in 2006 to promote the creation of marine reserves in the world's oceans. Current partners include The Pew Charitable Trusts, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Lyda Hill, Oak Foundation, The Robertson Foundation, and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. Learn more at globaloceanlegacy.org.

Media contact: Laura Margison, +1-202-849-0272, lmargison@pewtrusts.org






Sadayoshi Yokoyama, Toshiko Watanabe DENSO CORPORATION Phone: 81-566-25-5594 Fax: 81-566-25-4509 sadayoshi_yokoyama@denso.co.jp toshiko_watanabe@denso.co.jp

KARIYA, JAPAN, Aug 26, 2016 - (JCN Newswire) - In an effort to deepen and advance its knowledge in artificial intelligence, DENSO has entered into a technical advisory contract with one of the world's foremost researchers in computer vision, Carnegie Mellon University Professor Dr. Takeo Kanade. Through this contract, DENSO is looking to advance its artificial intelligence technology and expand its engineering expertise in the areas of advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), autonomous drive, and the Internet of Things (IoT).Dr. Kanade, a U.A. and Helen Whitaker University Professor of Robotics and Computer Science at Carnegie Mellon will provide technical guidance to DENSO engineers on image recognition and machine learning, and will also speak at lectures and seminars organized by DENSO for a variety of purposes, such as recruiting, relationship building, etc. These activities will be held mostly in Japan.Dr. Kanade and DENSO have worked together from 2002-2009 on a joint research of image recognition technology. In addition, he has been a lecturer of DENSO's high talent program organized by DENSO E&TS Training Center.DENSO expects to use artificial intelligence technology in more areas of its business. Currently, it uses machine learning in its sensing technologies and applies them to its sensing products.DENSO has developed technologies and products to help create a society free from road traffic accidents. Based on its accumulated technologies, DENSO will continue to contribute to building a safe and secure automotive society for all people around the world, not just for drivers and pedestrians.About Dr. Kanade:Dr. Kanade works in multiple areas of robotics: computer vision, multi-media, manipulators, autonomous mobile robots, medical robotics and sensors. He has written more than 400 technical papers and reports in these areas, and holds more than 20 patents. He has been the principal investigator of more than a dozen major vision and robotics projects at Carnegie Mellon.Profile of Professor Takeo Kanade- Professor Takeo Kanade received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Kyoto University in 1974. After serving as Assistant Professor at Kyoto University, he became a senior research engineer at the Robotics Institute of Carnegie Mellon University. At the Robotics Institute, he was appointed to Associate Professor and to Professor, and then he served as the Director from 1992 to 2001. In 2006, Professor Kanade established the Quality of Life Technology Center (QoLT) and became its Director.- From 2001 to 2009, he also served as the Director of the Digital Human Research Center (DHRC) at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) in Japan. Currently, he is a Special Fellow of DHRC.- Foreign member of the National Academy of Engineering- Fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Science- Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), American Association of Artificial Intelligence, Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE), and Robotics Society of Japan- Special Adviser to the Advanced Integrated Intelligence Platform Project (AIP) administered by Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT)AwardsNEC C&C Award, Joseph Engelberger Award, Japan Robot Association (JARA) Award, Japan Society of Artificial Intelligence (JSAI) Career Achievement Award, Otto Franc Award, Marr Prize Award, Benjamin Franklin Institute Medal and Bower Award, IEEE International Conference on Computer Vision (ICCV) Azriel Rosenfeld Lifetime Achievement Award, Okawa Prize from the Okawa Foundation for Information and Telecommunications, IEEE Robots and Automation Society Pioneer Award, Kyoto Prize.About DensoDENSO Corporation, headquartered in Kariya, Aichi prefecture, Japan, is a leading global automotive supplier of advanced technology, systems and components in the areas of thermal, powertrain control, electronics and information and safety. Its customers include all the world's major carmakers. Worldwide, the company has more than 200 subsidiaries and affiliates in 38 countries and regions and employs nearly 140,000 people. Consolidated global sales for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2014, totaled US$39.8 billion. Last fiscal year, DENSO spent 9 percent of its global consolidated sales on research and development. DENSO common stock is traded on the Tokyo and Nagoya stock exchanges. For more information, go to www.globaldenso.com, or visit our media website at www.densomediacenter.com.Source: DensoContact:Copyright 2016 JCN Newswire . All rights reserved.
~ Focus on Countries with High Unmet Medical Needs the Inclusion of Innovative Medicines ~

~ Announcement coincides with TICAD VI and the opening of new Takeda offices in Nairobi, Kenya. ~

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited (TOKYO:4502) today announced the launch of a bold, new Access to Medicines (AtM) strategy, aimed at increasing access to its innovative and potentially life-saving medicines for patients with some of the highest unmet medical needs. For decades, the company has provided product, funding and access in many parts of the world, based on regional needs. The new AtM strategy builds on that by focusing on geographies and therapy areas with the highest unmet need.

This comprehensive approach is focused on countries with less developed and evolving healthcare systems in areas such as Latin America, South East Asia and Africa, where sustainable approaches to tackle barriers that limit access to medicines are needed to make a meaningful impact on patient lives. Of the 38 million people who die from non-communicable diseases each year, three quarters or 28 million of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries.

"Access to innovative medicines and quality healthcare is vital to the health of people across the world," said Christophe Weber, president and CEO, Takeda. "In line with Takeda's values, our Access to Medicines strategy will expand on our existing commitments to enhance global health, so that our innovative and potentially life-saving medicines can be more accessible and affordable to patients in regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa."

The announcement coincides with the Sixth Tokyo International Conference of Africa's Development (TICAD-VI), and the Company's formal opening of offices in Nairobi, Kenya, from where Takeda aims to forge sustainable AtM partnerships across Sub-Saharan Africa adopting a 'not-for-profit' approach.

Takeda's new AtM strategy will focus on increasing access to some of its most innovative medicines in the areas of oncology and specialty gastroenterology, as well as its vaccine candidates for communicable diseases such as dengue and chikungunya. As part of the Company's not-for-profit approach in Sub-Saharan Africa, Takeda is also working to improve patient access to some of its diabetes and hypertension medicines.

The initiative aims to address multiple access barriers common across regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa including development of AtM-targeted life-cycle management for its existing medicines, accelerated registration of its innovative medicines, increased participation of local centres in clinical trials, establishment of early access programs where applicable, and introduction of innovative approaches to address affordability for those patients whose ability to pay the full cost of treatment is limited.

"Takeda is committed to help advance patient health via collaborative, affordability-based approaches that bring together key stakeholders to ensure our latest, innovative medicines reach the patients that need them. We have rolled-out comprehensive patient assistance programs in a number of Emerging Markets. Our aspiration is that eligible patients who are prescribed Takeda's potentially life-saving medicines will be able to get access to them," commented Takeda's Giles Platford, president, Emerging Markets Business Unit.

In countries such as Kenya, Takeda's approach goes beyond medicines. The company is working with several partners to enhance local cancer management capacity, increase access to treatment, and address access barriers for other chronic diseases such as diabetes and hypertension. "We aim to establish Nairobi, Kenya as a regional center of excellence for Sub-Saharan Africa in the area of oncology/haematology," commented Isabel Torres, Takeda's Global Head, Access to Medicines. "To further that goal, and make a sustainable contribution, Takeda will work alongside governments, NGOs, healthcare professionals, patient associations and local community in multiple Public-Private Partnerships. The opening of our Nairobi office is a significant step forward in helping forge those collaborations and in enabling patients in the region gain better access to medicines."

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities are an important cornerstone of Takeda's AtM strategy in Sub-Saharan Africa. Two key programs include the Takeda Initiative, a 10-year program started in 2010 to partner with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria by strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers in Africa; and HERhealth, which works to address the pressing social need for women's health awareness and services. Takeda has supported the initiative since 2015 in partnership with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and aims to expand the program reach to women in Ethiopia and Kenya.

About Takeda

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited is a global, research and development-driven pharmaceutical company committed to bringing better health and a brighter future to patients by translating science into life-changing medicines. Takeda focuses its R&D efforts on oncology, gastroenterology and central nervous system therapeutic areas plus vaccines. Takeda conducts R&D both internally and with partners to stay at the leading edge of innovation. New innovative products, especially in oncology and gastroenterology, as well as our 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, visit http://www.takeda.com/news.

Media Background: Initiatives under Takeda's Access to Medicines Strategy

1. Patient Assistance Programs (PAPs)

A cornerstone of Takeda's Access to Medicines strategy are their PAPs, specifically designed to ensure that eligible patients living in countries with evolving healthcare systems and prescribed some of Takeda's life-saving medicines are able to access the full course of treatment, in a sustainable way, through innovative, affordability-based approaches. Designed and intended to make the full course of treatment more affordable, PAPs will be tailored to address local needs via different collaborative cost-sharing models between patients, Takeda, and at times, charities, medical societies and other parties. Takeda aims to put a number of these programs in place across South East Asia, Middle East, Africa and Latin America.

2. Going "Beyond Medicines"

Affordability, and the provision of medicines, are not the only barriers faced by patients to access medicines. To overcome these barriers, Takeda is developing programs that "go beyond medicines" in the Philippines, Brazil and Ukraine countries that represent the complex healthcare landscapes of their respective regions, where significant barriers to access exist and where Takeda's is sufficiently equipped to have the biggest impact.

In Brazil , Takeda is providing personalised patient support and increasing patients' convenience by mapping out a network of infusion clinics within the country for patients prescribed with Entyvio for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)

, Takeda is providing personalised patient support and increasing patients' convenience by mapping out a network of infusion clinics within the country for patients prescribed with Entyvio for Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) In the Philippines, Takeda will work with local transportation partners to overcome considerable geographical challenges and deliver portable diagnostic kits for the treatment of Hodgkin's Lymphoma to and from the country's remote islands

3. Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA)

Takeda aims to establish Nairobi, Kenya as a center of excellence in oncology/haematology diagnosis, care and treatment in SSA. One of the major objectives of its efforts in Nairobi will be to support learning exchanges and training for African oncologists and pathologists. Given the shortage of cancer specialists in the region, Takeda is funding a fellowship program for first year oncology students at the University of Nairobi as part of a Public-Private Partnership, to help create a pipeline of future oncologists.

Takeda is also establishing a fellowship program for its employees to share skills, experience and technical expertise to support local healthcare capacity building in SSA, working with local HCPs, scientists and NGOs. Other initiatives currently in development in SSA include patient awareness interventions and Patient Assistance Programs to address affordability barriers to accessing some of its innovative medicines.

To help address the burdens of diabetes and hypertension, Takeda is establishing a long-term partnership with select local counties in Kenya and to create a mobile screening program for diabetes and hypertension. The Company will also improve access to some of its diabetes and hypertension medicines in SSA.

4. Takeda's Research Development (R&D)

Takeda's global R&D Access to Medicines efforts focus on improving access to innovative medicines in countries with evolving healthcare systems by increasing participation in its clinical trials, in partnership with local health authorities, so the Company's innovative medicines are potentially approved faster1; accelerating registration of its medicines and establishing early access programs, where allowed, through the targeted life-cycle management of its existing medicines.

The patient-centric approach to R&D in these countries goes beyond the development and provision of medicines as well, striving for sustainable patient impact through local healthcare capacity building.

Communicable diseases (CDs) and neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) also place a disproportionate burden on patients in countries with evolving healthcare systems. Takeda is supporting the development of new medicines and vaccines to address these diseases through non-profit, public-private partnerships, as well as through its Vaccine Business Unit.

Takeda is a founding member of the Global Health Innovative Technology (GHIT) Fund, a pioneering, non-profit public-private partnership established in Japan in April 2013 by the Government of Japan, a consortium of five Japanese pharmaceutical companies, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, to promote the discovery and development of new drugs to fight communicable diseases in countries with evolving healthcare systems:

Following Takeda's lead, ten additional global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies joined the GHIT Fund in June of 2016.

Takeda is a collaborative partner through GHIT on projects for malaria, tuberculosis, Chagas disease, and Leishmaniasis.

The Company is also establishing Research Development partnerships for CDs and NTDs with:

Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi)

Medicines for Malaria Venture (MMV)

The Global Alliance for TB Drug Development (TB Alliance)

WIPO Re:Search: a consortium established by the World Intellectual property Organization (WIPO), in collaboration with BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH), to accelerate R&D of new drugs, vaccines, and diagnostics for neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis.

1 Subject to local regulatory approvals

5. Takeda's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Initiatives

Takeda's on-going CSR programs also contribute to its Access to Medicines strategy by prioritising quality of life through disease prevention and local healthcare capacity building. Established programs include:

The Takeda Initiative: A ten-year program started in 2010 to support the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers in Africa.

A ten-year program started in 2010 to support the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria by strengthening the capacity of healthcare workers in Africa. HERhealth: An initiative addressing the pressing need for women's health awareness and services in evolving healthcare systems. Takeda has supported HERhealth since 2015 with Business for Social Responsibility (BSR) and aims to expand its reach to China, Ethiopia, Kenya and India in 2016 and 2017.

Recent Takeda CSR programs which commenced in FY2016 include:

Global Measles Vaccination for Children : In partnership with UN Foundation, Takeda made a 10-year commitment to immunize 5.4 million children with the measles vaccine in 40 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America.

: In partnership with UN Foundation, Takeda made a 10-year commitment to immunize 5.4 million children with the measles vaccine in 40 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Community Health Workers Training for Maternal and Child Health: In partnership with World Vision, Takeda aims to build the capacity of 1,400 community health workers to reduce preventable deaths in children by providing some 500,000 people with health knowledge and services over five years in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan.

In partnership with World Vision, Takeda aims to build the capacity of 1,400 community health workers to reduce preventable deaths in children by providing some 500,000 people with health knowledge and services over five years in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Afghanistan. Maternal and Child Health for Minority Tribes program: In partnership with Save the Children Japan, Takeda is supporting a program in Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos by providing 150,000 village people, including 40,000 women and children in minority tribes, with healthcare education, training and services over five years.

In partnership with Save the Children Japan, Takeda is supporting a program in Myanmar, Vietnam and Laos by providing 150,000 village people, including 40,000 women and children in minority tribes, with healthcare education, training and services over five years. Digital Birth Registration: In partnership with Plan International Japan, Takeda is working for three years with the Government of Kenya to promote, an essential step to ensuring that children enjoy full rights and gain access to healthcare and education.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825006419/en/

Contacts:

Media Contacts:

Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited

Vince Docherty, +65 8332 4233

vince.docherty@takeda.com

Jocelyn Gerst, +1 224 554 5542

jocelyn.gerst@takeda.com

Kazumi Kobayashi, +81 (3) 3278-2095

kazumi.kobayashi@takeda.com


Today, U.S. Representative Tom Price, MD (R-Ga.) and Dunwoody Mayor Denis Shortal joined members of the Georgia medical technology and veteran communities to discuss the importance of working with veterans as they transition to the private sector and the many workplace contributions they can provide. The event took place at the U.S. corporate headquarters of Elekta (STO:EKTAB), and was co-hosted by MVPvets (the MedTech and BioTech Veterans Program) (http://www.mvpvets.org/), the Southeastern Medical Device Association (SEMDA) (http://semda.net/), and the Advanced Medical Technology Association (AdvaMed) (http://advamed.org/).

The event featured:

U.S. Rep. Tom Price, MD, (R-Ga.)

Denis Shortal, Mayor of Dunwoody (Brig. Gen., USMC, Ret.)

Bill Yaeger, executive vice president, Region North America, Elekta (former Marine Corporal)

Scott Whitaker, president and CEO, AdvaMed

Mike Grice, board of directors, MVPvets (Lt. Col. USMC, Ret.)

Rich Ellis, senior vice president of field service, Elekta (former U.S. Army Captain)

Pat Mackin, chief executive officer, CryoLife (1st Lt. Army, Ret.)

Jason Rupp, executive director, SEMDA

During his remarks, Rep. Price highlighted the need for both the public and private sectors in Georgia and across the country to commit to recruiting and hiring former members of the military in positions that not only effectively leverage their skills, but also offer opportunities to advance in their post-military careers.

"Our obligation to our troops does not end when they leave active duty," said Congressman Price. "When members of our military brave men and women who were willing to put their lives on the line for the safety and security of the American people join the civilian workforce, they should have access to a job market that is ready and eager to embrace their invaluable skills. I'm proud to be a part of recognizing this important effort to support our veterans in the workplace and, specifically, their important contributions to the health care industry."

Currently, approximately 200,000 men and women transition from military to civilian careers each year. Engineers, information technology specialists, electrical and mechanical technicians are among the top 25 jobs for veterans, according to a recent survey conducted by GIJobs.com. However, veterans with skills in human resources, finance, logistics and the supply chain, among others, are also needed.

During the panel, speakers discussed the robust technical skills and valuable soft skills like high levels of resiliency and advanced team building veterans bring to the workplace that make them effective and productive employees. The panelists also highlighted the commitment of the medical technology industry through programs offered by organizations like MVPvets to help prospective employers evaluate and match veterans with mentors, jobs and career resources.

"The U.S. medical technology industry has led the world in innovation, quality and manufacturing excellence for decades, due in large part to its drive to serve the common good," said Mike Grice. "Recruiting our nation's veterans, who share this commitment and have dedicated their lives to something greater than themselves, is a natural extension of that mission."

"The life sciences industry is a vibrant contributor to economic development in the U.S., and medical technology companies in particular provide uniquely challenging, stimulating and meaningful careers for people with military backgrounds. Elekta is a proud employer of veterans and active reserve duty military personnel, with 80 percent of our engineering and technical positions held by veterans, in addition to a number of executive level roles," said Bill Yaeger.

About MVPvets (Medtech Biotech Veterans Program) MVPvets is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to assist and prepare transitioning military veterans for meaningful employment in life science companies. MVPvets is free to veterans and offers an online Collaborative Portal with mentor matching, job-matching, eLearning via the LifeCollaborative, news, blogs and more. To learn more, visit www.mvpvets.org.

About Elekta

Elekta is a human care company pioneering significant innovations and clinical solutions for treating cancer and brain disorders. The company develops sophisticated, state-of-the-art tools and treatment planning systems for radiation therapy, radiosurgery and brachytherapy, as well as workflow enhancing software systems across the spectrum of cancer care. Stretching the boundaries of science and technology, providing intelligent and resource-efficient solutions that offer confidence to both health care providers and patients, Elekta aims to improve, prolong and even save patient lives.

About SEMDA The Southeastern Medical Device Association is a non-profit trade association with the mission to make the southeast a world-class region for medical technology, device, and diagnostic companies. Created in 2004, the association provides a unique resource and networking opportunity for medical device companies, inventors, physicians, and investors interested in accelerating the growth of the medical device industry in the Southeast. Through regional meetings, professional development, and its highly regarded investor conference, SEMDA meets the needs of the members of the medical device community.

About AdvaMed

AdvaMed member companies produce the medical devices, diagnostic products and health information systems that are transforming health care through earlier disease detection, less invasive procedures and more effective treatments. AdvaMed members range from the largest to the smallest medical technology innovators and companies. For more information, visit www.advamed.org.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160825006451/en/

Contacts:

AdvaMed

Danielle Blake, Associate Vice President, Public Affairs,

Tel: 202-434-7233

e-mail: dblake@advamed.org

or

Elekta

Raven Canzeri, Global Public Relations Manager

Tel: +1 770-670-2524

e-mail: raven.canzeri@elekta.com


LONDON (dpa-AFX) - Computacenter plc (CCC.L), the independent provider of IT infrastructure and services that enables users, reported that its statutory profit before tax for the six month period ended 30 June 2016 was 23.6 million pounds, a decrease of 66.6 per cent in actual currency from last year's 70.7 million pounds, with the comparative performance in the prior year significantly enhanced by the disposal of the Group's subsidiary, RDC, in February 2015.



Profit attributable to equity holders of the parent fell to 16.06 million pounds from 61.74 million pounds in the previous year. Statutory earnings per share decreased by 73.0 per cent to 13.2 pence from 48.8 pence last year.



The Group's adjusted profit before tax has decreased by 13.9 per cent in constant currency to 25.3 million pounds, and by 13.1 per cent in actual currency. It should be noted that at a country level, a somewhat disappointing result in the UK was offset by a stronger than expected performance across the rest of the Group, particularly in France.



Group's adjusted revenues decreased by 0.6 per cent in constant currency to 1.478 billion pounds, and increased by 2.8 per cent in actual currency.



The company expects the full year to show modest progress in its adjusted profit before tax, as compared to 2015 after allowing for the 3 million pounds benefit from the one-off gain realised in the comparative period.



Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

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SINGAPORE, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Leading experts congregate in Singapore to address the critical systems necessary to ensure student mastery of required skills.

Children must adhere to 21 st Century values in order to thrive

Century values in order to thrive Critical thinking and metacognition identified as key competencies

Pedagogy to shift focus towards process rather than outcome

Digital advancements, together with the likes of demographical evolution and globalisation, are the biggest contributors to the changes in requirements needed in the education industry. One of the most crucial challenges we face right now is how students can be prepared adequately so they are able to thrive in a dynamic world where careers they eventually take on don't yet exist and current job opportunities they study towards will have become obsolete by the time they are ready for them. How can education stay relevant and what does 21st Century learning entail?

This was the topic of discussion at the fifth Marshall Cavendish Education Conference last week in Singapore. With a theme of 'Putting Change into Context -- A Journey into 21st Century Learning', the biennial event, organised by Marshall Cavendish Education, a renowned global educational solutions provider, brought together some of the most influential local and overseas experts in education to share insights on holistic learning through curriculum, technology and professional development to empower teachers and engage learners.

There is no question that a robust approach is a necessity for holistic learning, which if done well, can ensure a smooth and efficient transition from school to the workplace. In the innovation-driven, rapidly changing world we live in, being able to read, write and solve arithmetic problems are no longer enough for employers. The upcoming generation must add to these attributes by acquiring skills such as creative thinking, ability to communicate and innovate solutions in order to command the attention of the organisations they want to work for.

Currently, it is all too evident that schools are still full of teacher dominated classrooms that implement regular high stake examinations. Too much emphasis is placed on the outcome, or the grade, but to be 21st Century ready, we must embrace change and move towards a focus on the process rather than the outcome so children can become much better at areas such as reasoning development, and concept explanation. It is the role of academic institutions and educators to teach students metacognitive methods -- the analysis of one's own thinking processes - and the ability to learn how to learn, to put them in good stead for future challenges.

Amongst the discussions held at the three-day Marshall Cavendish Education Conference, Maths was quoted as a case where students who understand the processes required to derive the solution to a problem through 'mastery' rather than applying formulae that are memorised and then regurgitated benefitted more. In many Asian countries and regions such as mainland China, Singapore, and Hong Kong known for their academic excellence where the 'mastery' approach has already been implemented with known results, there are many success stories, that other nations can emulate.

A little over a month ago, the UK-government announced a GBP41 million investment in 'Asian Maths' for primary schools across England to help students improve in Mathematics. While the 'mastery' concept will be implemented in Maths lessons, students should be able to adapt the approach and execute it across other subjects through their newly learned way of tackling problems and be 21st Century ready.

Lee Fei Chen, Head of Publishing of Marshall Cavendish Publishing Group said:

"We will see many changes in the world of education in the 21st century. As a publisher of print and digital education solutions, we have to ensure our content encourages a holistic approach to learning that offers interactive dialogue between the teachers and their students. While the discussions over the last few days at our conference have been about how to make sure education stays relevant, we need to continue to facilitate and contribute to the conversation between the educators, parents, students and media. The challenges around 21st Century learning are very much real, and we have to make sure we have the solutions for them."






LJUBLJANA (dpa-AFX) - Slovak producer prices decline continued to slow in July, figures from the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic showed Friday. The total producer price index decreased 4.6 percent year-on-year following 4.8 percent fall in June. Domestic producer prices declined 4.6 percent after a 4.5 percent drop in the previous month. On a month-on-month basis, producer prices rose 0.2 percent in July after a 0.3 percent gain in the previous month. Prices climbed for a fourth straight month. Domestic prices edged up 0.1 percent after a 0.4 percent increase. 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.
cBrain has won an open procurement and signed an agreement with Liverpool City Council to deliver a solution for HR case management and personnel files. The solution is based on F2, an integrated digital production platform for government work. The solution for Liverpool City Council will be delivered as a cloud service. cBrain has implemented core HR case management services previously in a number of organisations. HR processing on the F2 platform for UK local government is part of cBrain's Council-as-a-Service (CaaS) offering. Council-as-a-Service offers significant cost savings for local authorities as it can replace a number of existing IT systems covering document management (EDRM), content management, customer relationship management (CRM), collaboration and knowledge management, input/output management, and workflow/line-of-business case processing systems. Per Tejs Knudsen, CEO Anne Dorthe Hermansen, ir@cbrain.dk +4540118608

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.
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, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Brand Licensing Europe (BLE), the largest and most prestigious licensing event in Europe, has revealed the line-up of industry executives judging this year's License This! competition.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20130723/629764-a )



Kelvyn Gardner, Managing Director of LIMA UK will chair the panel. He is joined by:

Tom Gunn , Senior International Brand Director, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products

, Senior International Brand Director, Nickelodeon & Viacom Consumer Products Jane Evans , Director, JELC

, Director, JELC Sam Ferguson , Senior Director of Licensing & Retail, Jazwares

, Senior Director of Licensing & Retail, Jazwares Pat Reading , Licensing Director, UU Ltd

, Licensing Director, UU Ltd Max Lister , Senior Licensing Manager, Natural History Museum

, Senior Licensing Manager, Natural History Museum Clare Piggot , Director of Licensing and Merchandising, Larkshead Media.

Now celebrating its seventh year, License This! is a unique initiative which runs as part of BLE; organised by UBM and sponsored by the International Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA). The competition offers new creative concepts or brands the chance to break into the global licensing industry. It is open to anyone with a concept that has yet to be published or broadcast, or a brand that has not yet extended to non-core consumer products. It applies to any new property with its roots in publishing, art and design, television or digital media.

Entries are reviewed by the panel of judges, and a shortlist of four properties are then pitched to them in front of visitors at BLE on 13th October 2016. The winner will receive a prize worth over 6,000, including a fully furnished stand at BLE 2017 in order to bring the property to market. They will also receive LIMA membership for one year and a ticket to the LIMA Licensing Essentials Course & Spring Fling Networking Party in May 2017.



Chair of judges, Kelvyn Gardner, said: "As the second annual LIMA survey demonstrates, retail sales of licensed products are increasing year on year. Platforms like License This!, which expose new talent to industry executives, are therefore essential for the future development of the industry. I am looking forward to working with my fellow judges to review this year's creations."

The competition has provided a successful launch platform for many past winners, including Pink Chillies, RaNT! and Mr Trafalgar, who have gone on to sign licensing agreements as a result. OiDroids, a range of collectable pop out and build robot characters aimed at the pocket money sector, was crowned 2015 winner. Visitors can meet the OiDroids team at this year's show as it brings the property to market on its prize stand in the Art, Design & Image Zone.

Entry forms and competition rules can be found at http://www.brandlicensing.eu . Deadline for entries is 9th September 2016. Brand Licensing Europe 2016 takes place from 11-13th October 2016 at London's Olympia.

About Brand Licensing Europe, part of UBM's Licensing group

Brand Licensing Europe 2016 (http://www.brandlicensing.eu) takes place from 11 - 13th October 2016 at Olympia, London. It is the only pan-European event dedicated to licensing and brand extension. Now in its 18th successful year, Brand Licensing Europe 2015 was the biggest event to date; hosting 300 exhibitors and 7,203 visitors from 63 countries.

Brand Licensing Europe is owned by UBM which also organises Licensing Expo in Las Vegas, USA. Both shows are produced in partnership with the international Licensing Industry Merchandisers' Association (LIMA). License! Global is the official publication for both shows.

About UBM EMEA

UBM EMEA (http://ubmemea.com/) connects people and creates opportunities for companies across five continents to develop new business, meet customers, launch new products, promote brands and expand markets. Operating in more than 23 countries, UBM EMEA organises many of the world's largest, most important live events, awards and community sites in a wide variety of industries. Its events include Brand Licensing Europe, Technology for Marketing, eCommerce Expo, Customer Contact Expo and Decorex.
Under its new Taiwanese ownership, Sharp's solar division has begun exploring international solar cell supply opportunities, and recently revealed that it is assessing the markets of the Philippines, Indonesia, Mongolia and across Europe. This week, as reported by the Nikkei, Sharp has also begun conducting market research into the viability of supplying into China - the world's largest solar market and a traditionally difficult sell for the higher-cost components Sharp produces. With Hon Hai Precision Industry now the parent company, however, such bold steps are likely to become more commonplace. Its subsidiary, Foxconn Technology Group, has long seen the development of Chinese sales network as a viable target, and with Sharp's strong brand already securing supply ...

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.
VIENNA (dpa-AFX) - French shares drifted lower on Friday as investors digested GDP and consumer confidence data, and looked ahead to Fed Chair Janet Yellen's speech at Jackson Hole later today for clues on the economy and monetary policy. With several Federal Reserve officials arguing the case for another interest-rate increase and the recent run of U.S. data suggesting improving economic conditions, market participants are waiting to see whether Yellen will keep open the option of a further rate hike in September. The CAC 40 was down 9 points or 0.20 percent at 4,397 in late opening deals after hitting as low as 4,388 earlier in the session. The benchmark index declined 0.7 percent in the previous session following hawkish comments from two more Federal Reserve officials. Media company Vivendi slumped over 4 percent as it logged a steeper-than-expected fall in second-quarter profits and unveiled plans to cut 300 million euros in costs from its pay-TV unit Canal Plus. In economic releases, French GDP stagnated as estimated in the second quarter, but the country's consumer confidence improved unexpectedly in August, separate reports from the statistical office INSEE showed. According to the second estimate, French GDP remained flat from the prior quarter after expanding 0.7 percent in the first quarter. The consumer confidence index rose to 97.0 from 96.0 in the previous month, as households became more confidence about their personal financial situation. Elsewhere, GfK market research group's forward-looking consumer confidence index for Germany rose to 10.2 in September, its best reading since June last year. 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.
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About Censored News Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell. Since 2006, Censored News has received more than 20 million pageviews. As a collective of writers, photographers and broadcasters, we publish news of Indigenous Peoples and human rights. Contact publisher Brenda Norrell: brendanorrell@gmail.com

From the publisher Censored News is published by Brenda Norrell, a journalist in Indian country for 40 years. Norrell created Censored News after she was censored and terminated as a staff reporter at Indian Country Today in 2006. She began as a reporter at Navajo Times during the 18 years that she lived on the Navajo Nation. She was a stringer for AP and USA Today and later traveled with the Zapatistas through Mexico. She has been blacklisted by all the mainstream media for 14 years. Contact brendanorrell@gmail.com

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GREENWOOD VILLAGE, CO -- (Marketwired) -- 08/26/16 -- GH Solutions (OTC: GRSU), a company focused on creating functional operating divisions within the hemp industry, today announced the Company's new KOIOS Raspberry Wonder with Hemp beverage will soon be released and distributed by KEHE Distribution and Hyperion Distribution.

"KOIOS currently sells their existing beverage nationally through these and other distributors," stated Rik J Deitsch, CEO of GH Solutions Inc. "Our new product is a great addition to the KOIOS product offering and should be able to be sold throughout all of their existing markets," he continued. "This also represents the largest potential launch of a hemp-based beverage. As research continues into the benefits of formulations containing hemp extracts, GH Solutions will be well-situated to reap the benefits of the growing marketplace," he concluded.

KEHE Distribution was founded in 1953 and is one of the largest natural grocery distributors in the world. They are a state-of-the-art organization of 4,500 employee-owners and a vast seventeen distribution center network across the U.S. and Canada. KEHE has currently placed KOIOS Berry Genius in Sunset Foods, Pete's Fresh Markets, Mazyerecks, Tony's, fourteen Better Health locations, Natural Health Center, Joseph's Market, Caputos and Harvest Health.

Hyperion Distribution is one of Colorado's top food distributors. Currently, through Hyperion, KOIOS Berry Genius has been placed in over ten new 7-11's and several C stores throughout Colorado in the short time the agreement has been in place.

GH Solutions expects to issue updates on additional distribution partnerships in the very near future.

About GH Solutions, Inc.

GH Solutions, Inc. is a science-based company focused on operating divisions within the burgeoning hemp industry. GH Solutions brings a patented technological advancement to the nutraceutical, functional beverage, and health food markets. As the exclusive licensee of US Patent #6080401 for hemp/cannabis based applications, the Company is the sole source of formulations that offer the benefits of botanicals like hemp seed oil with the health and wellness effects of probiotics. GH Solutions encourages all current and prospective shareholders to visit our website at: www.ghsolutionsinc.com or Greenhouse's Facebook page at https://m.facebook.com/Greenhousesolutionsinc

About KOIOS

KOIOS LLC creators began developing their own nootropic formulas to combat their ADHD and to eliminate harmful stimulants out of their lives. After several years of research, testing and development with an INC 5000 lab, they formulated KOIOS. Each ingredient has more than a decade of research behind it from some of the largest medical institutions in the world. KOIOS combined 11 of the most potent nootropics, to give you a finely tuned, high performance brain enhancement supplement. Not only are the short-term results of KOIOS staggering, but each ingredient in our formula has been shown, scientifically, to have long lasting positive effects on the brain. KOIOS encourages people to visit their website to learn more: http://www.mentaltitan.com

SEC Disclaimer

This press release contains forward-looking 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 "forward-looking statements." Actual results could differ materially from those projected in Greenhouse Solutions' ("the Company's") business plan. The launch of the new product through KEHE Distribution and Hyperion Distribution should not be construed as an indication in any way whatsoever of the future value of the Company's common stock or its present or future financial condition. The Company's filings may be accessed at the SEC's Edgar system at www.sec.gov; statements made herein are as of the date of this press release and should not be relied upon as of any subsequent date. The Company cautions readers not to place reliance on such statements. Unless otherwise required by applicable law, we do not undertake, and we specifically disclaim any obligation, to update any forward-looking statements to reflect occurrences, developments, unanticipated events or circumstances after the date of such statement.

Contact:

GH Solutions Inc.

info@ghsolutionsinc.com

Ghsolutionsinc.com

1-877-895-5647




BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The Commerce Department is scheduled to release its preliminary second quarter GDP data at 8:30 am ET Friday. Economists expect the growth for the quarter to be downwardly revised to 1.1 percent from 1.2 percent. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major rivals. While the greenback rose against the franc, it declined against the yen and the pound. Against the euro, it held steady. The greenback was worth 1.1293 against the euro, 100.33 against the yen, 0.9683 against the franc and 1.3212 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.
PORTLAND, OR--(Marketwired - August 26, 2016) - Shane Co., one of the most famous jewelry stores in Oregon, announced today that it will host the Sapphire Soiree at its store in Tigard on Thursday, September 22 from 6pm-9pm. The party will feature sips, snacks and sparkles in Shane Co.'s sprawling showroom near Washington Square Mall, where guests will get an exclusive look at the most fabulous sapphire jewelry styles for fall.

Sapphires, the symbolic gemstone for September birthdays, will be displayed loose in a variety of shapes and sizes, and will also be featured in engagement rings, wedding bands, stackable rings, pendants, bracelets and earrings. Each sapphire is personally selected by Shane Co. founder and CEO Tom Shane, who chooses each gemstone for its natural beauty and vibrant color. Sapphires in traditional blue, ice blue, Kentucky blue, pink, lavender, green, orange, yellow, white and black will be available to try on and for purchase.

Portland's top fashion bloggers will co-host the party and model their favorite sapphire jewelry pieces. Lavenda, professional photographer, stylist and author of LavendasCloset, has been featured in German Cosmo, Portland Monthly, Teen Vogue and other major publications and ad campaigns. Crystalin Marie is a fresh face on the Portland fashion scene. The author of fashion and lifestyle destination website CrystalinMarie.com, she is known for her stunningly curated Instagram posts that reach over 50,000 followers.

Shane Co. is located at 9730 SW Cascade Avenue in Tigard, Oregon. For more information on the Sapphire Soiree and to RSVP, visit www.ShaneCo.com/Party.

About Shane Co.

Shane Co. is the largest family-owned jeweler in the United States and is renowned for their unique engagement rings, wedding bands and stunning gifts for every occasion. The Denver, Colo.-based company is a direct importer of diamonds, rubies, sapphires, pearls and other gemstones and operates 20 stores in 13 states, as well as an online store at www.ShaneCo.com. Shane Co. is recognized in the industry as a price leader offering the finest array of customer benefits, including a Free Lifetime Warranty and a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee.

Shane Co. on Facebook, Shane Co. on Twitter

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/25/11G111894/Images/41070850_41076901_41074698_41048694_0007_BL-38f51c1cc42495d3a74d102dbe3691de.jpg

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/25/11G111894/Images/BloggerShoot_Portland_2016_0603_BL-398ad1a0172d9a8e917c80293ba5c7f1.jpg
SAN FRANCISCO, CA--(Marketwired - August 26, 2016) - Azure Minerals Ltd. (ASX: AZS), an Australian company developing two precious metal projects in Mexico, has caught the attention of a pair of analysts and the Mining Journal.

Included in this article is: Azure Minerals Ltd.

Ngaire McDiarmid started his July 1 Mining Journal article on the company by writing: "As if opening a jewellery box, virtually everywhere Azure Minerals looks, it discovers silver, gold and base metals at its flagship Alacran project in Mexico."

Describing Azure's Mesa de Plata target at Alacran, Warwick Grigor of Far East Capital noted in a July 12 research report that the deposit contains, "a 26 Moz silver resource at 84 gpt Ag, with a near surface high grade zone of 15 Moz at 220 gpt. The company is very confident that it will have a mine here with an engineer recently being appointed to carry out a feasibility study."

Continue reading this article: Azure Minerals Strikes Silver and Gold in Mexico

About Streetwise Reports - The Gold Report

The Gold Report shares investment ideas for the precious, base and critical metals sector. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

DISCLOSURE:

Azure Minerals Ltd. is a billboard advertiser of Streetwise Reports. The companies mentioned in this article were not involved in any aspect of the article preparation. Streetwise Reports does not accept stock in exchange for its services. The information provided above is for informational purposes only and is not a recommendation to buy or sell any security.

Full disclosures are available at the end of the article: Azure Minerals Strikes Silver and Gold in Mexico

Paul Guedes

Email contact


LONDON, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Analysis and Forecasts for Jet Injector Technologies and Competing Technologies Including Novel Needle Technology, Inhaler Technology and Microneedle Technology With an Assessment of Leading Companies Including Antares, Zogenix and 3M

What can be expected from the Needle-Free Delivery Technologies Market? Which areas are going to grow at the fastest rates? This visiongain report shows you potential revenues to 2026, assessing data, trends, opportunities and prospects.



Our 183-page report provides 105 tables, charts, and graphs. Discover the most lucrative areas in the industry and the future market prospects. Our new study lets you assess forecasted sales across all the major regional and national Needle-Free Delivery Technology markets. You will see financial results, trends, opportunities, and revenue predictions. There is much opportunity in this fast moving market.

Forecasts from 2016-2026 and other analyses show you commercial prospects

Besides revenue forecasting to 2026, our new study provides you with recent results, growth rates, and market shares. Discover qualitative analyses (including SWOT analysis) and commercial developments.

See revenue forecasts for the leading regional and national markets

How will leading national and regional markets perform to 2026? Our study forecasts revenues in national markets, including:

 US

 EU5 (Germany, France, UK, Italy and Spain)

 Japan

 China

 India

 Rest of the World

Leading companies and potential for market growth

Visiongain forecasts overall revenue for the Needle-Free Delivery Technologies Market will reach $2,093.9m in 2020. We predict high revenue growth over the forecast period, which will driven by the strong demand for improved vaccine and drug delivery methods.

To see a report overview please email Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongainglobal.com

Our work analyses the key companies in the market. See visiongain's analysis of six leading companies, including:

 3M

 Antares Pharma

 Beckton Dickinson and Company (BD)

 Bioject Medical Technologies

 PharmaJet

 Zogenix

A company profile gives you the following information where available:

 Discussion of a company's activities and outlook including regional and national revenue shares

 Historic revenue, analysis and discussion of company performance

 Analysis of major products/services currently available on the market

 Acquisitions and strategic partnerships

Discover capabilities, progress, and commercial prospects, helping you stay ahead.

What issues will affect the needle-free drug delivery industry?

Our new report discusses issues and events affecting the needle-free delivery technology market. You will find discussions, including qualitative analyses:

 Highly fragmented and competitive market with significant variations in different geographic regions

 Changing political and regulatory landscape changing the prospects of future products and reimbursement opportunities

 Future opportunities for needle-free delivery technologies

You will see discussions of technological, commercial, and economic matters, with emphasis on the competitive landscape and business outlooks.

How theNeedle-Free Delivery Technology Market Forecast 2016-2026: Analysis and Forecasts for Jet Injector Technologies and Competing Technologies including Novel Needle Technology, Inhaler Technology and Microneedle Technology with an Assessment of Leading Companies including Antares, Zogenix and 3Mreport helps you

In summary, our 183-page report gives you the following knowledge:

 Revenue forecasts to 2026 for the Needle-Free Delivery Technology Market- discover the industry's prospects, finding promising places for investments and revenues

 Revenue forecasts to 2026 for two major submarkets- jet injectors and competing technologies (novel needle technology, inhaler technology and transdermal patch technology)

 Revenue forecasts to 2026 for two major regional markets- EU5 and Rest of the World

 Revenue forecasts to 2026 for the leading national markets- US, Germany, France, UK, Italy, Spain, Japan, China, India and Rest of the World

 Assessment of leading companies- analysis of services, business operations, products, pipelines, revenue (where available) and recent mergers & acquisition activity

 Discussion of what stimulates and restrains companies and the market

 Prospects for established firms and those seeking to enter the market

You will find quantitative and qualitative analyses with independent predictions. You will receive information that only our report contains, staying informed with this invaluable business intelligence.

Information found nowhere else

With our survey you are less likely to fall behind in knowledge or miss opportunities. See how you could benefit your research, analyses, and decisions. Also see how you can save time and receive recognition for commercial insight.

Visiongain's study is for everybody needing commercial analyses for the needle-free drug delivery market and leading companies. You will find data, trends and predictions. Please order our report now.

To see a report overview please email Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongainglobal.com

To request a report overview of this report please emails Sara Peerun at sara.peerun@visiongainglobal.com or call Tel: +44 (0) 20 7336 6100

Or click on https://www.visiongain.com/Report/1716/Needle-Free-Delivery-Technology-Market-Forecast-2016-2026

Companies Mentioned in the Report

3M

Actavis

Activa Brand Products

AcuShot

Adamis

Aktiv-Dry

Alkermes

Alza

Anesiva

Antares Pharma

Aradigm

Astellas Pharma

AstraZeneca

BD

BeadTek

Berlex Labs

Bespak

bioCSL

Bioject Medical Technologies

Biomedics

Boehringer Ingelheim

Bristol-Myers Squibb and Somerset Pharmaceuticals

Cambridge Consultants

CareFusion Corporation

CEA-LETI

Corium International

CosMed

Crossject

CureVac

D'Antonio Consultants International

Debiotech

Durect

Echo Therapeutics

Elcam Medical

Eli Lilly & Co

Endo International

Ethical Holdings/Schering

Eurojet Medical

Ferndale

Georgia Institute of Technology

Giant Eagle

GlaxoSmithKline

Glide Pharmaceutical Technologies

Hangzhou Hema Medical Equipment

Haselmeir GmbH

Health-Mor Personal Care

Hirtenberger

Ichor

iHealthNet

Immunomic Therapeutics

ImmusanT

Injex Pharma

Inovio Pharmaceuticals

Invion

Janssen Pharmaceuticals

Key Pharmaceuticals

Kroger

LEO Pharma

LTS Lohmann Therapie-Systeme

MannKind

Mecaplast

Meda Pharmaceuticals

Medac Pharma

Medical International Technologies

Medi-Ject

MedImmune

Merck

Merck Serono

Micron Biomedical

Mylan

nanoBioSciences

NanoPass

Napp Pharmaceuticals

National Medical Products

Nektar Therapeutics

Nemaura

Nicobrand Limited

Novartis

Novo Nordisk

Novogyne Pharmaceuticals

NuPathe

Nycomed

Ortho-McNeil

Owen MumFord Inc

Par Pharmaceutical

Parke-Davis

Penjet Corporation

Pernix

Pfizer

PharmaJet

PKA SoftTouch Corp

Procter & Gamble

ProStrakan

Purdue Pharma

Radius Health

Rhenovia Pharma

Rite Aid

Roche

Sandoz

Sanofi

Searle Pharmaceuticals

Shire

SHL Group AB

Shwarz-Pharma

Societe Nationale des Poudres et Explosifs

STADA Arzneimittel AG

Stat Medical Devices

Takeda

Teva

The Medical House

TheraJect

TheraTech

Transdermal Specialties

Trimeris

Trinity-Chiesi

UCB Pharma

University of California-San Francisco

Vaxxas

Vetter Pharma

Vyteris

Watson

West Pharmaceuticals

Westmount Pharmacy

Ypsomed AG

Zogenix

Zosano

Zydus Cadila

To see a report overview please email Sara Peerun on sara.peerun@visiongainglobal.com
MCLEAN, VA--(Marketwired - August 26, 2016) - Vricon was awarded a General Services Administration (GSA) contract to support the Army Geospatial Center (AGC) with 10-meter and 0.5-meter geospatial data. Vricon's mission is to build The Globe in 3D by producing photorealistic 3D products and digital elevation models with unmatched coverage and delivery timelines.

Under the contract, Vricon will provide AGC with DSM-10 -- a digital surface model (DSM) with 10-meter postings -- for an entire country. Vricon also will provide the Vricon Data Suite -- a bundle of products that includes Vricon 3D Surface Model, Vricon DSM, Vricon Point Cloud, and Vricon True Ortho -- for specific areas around the world. All Vricon Data Suite products possess a 0.5-meter resolution.

"This is a tremendous award for Vricon," said Magnus Brege, CEO of Vricon. "It validates the quality of our products and the importance of our global coverage. Moreover, the US Government recognized our pricing model as 'extremely affordable' -- we create this value through our unique automated processing techniques that help keep costs down while maintaining superior accuracy."

To learn more about Vricon, visit www.vricon.com.

About Vricon

Vricon serves the global professional geospatial market with world-leading 3D geodata and 3D visualization solutions. Vricon is headquartered in McLean, Virginia. For further information, visit http://www.vricon.com.

Vricon Media Contact

Craig Brower

+1 (703) 283-4588

media@vricon.com
BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - The University of Michigan is set to release the final estimate of its U.S. consumer sentiment for August at 10 am ET Friday. Economists expect the index to be upwardly revised to 90.7 from 90.4 in July. Ahead of the data, the greenback traded mixed against its major rivals. While the greenback held steady against the euro, it dropped against the rest of major rivals. The greenback was worth 1.1300 against the euro, 100.28 against the yen, 0.9669 against the franc and 1.3221 against the pound at 9:55 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
Naspers Limited (Naspers) (JSE: NPN, LSE: NPSN) The 102nd annual general meeting (AGM) of Naspers Limited was held this morning in the Media24 Centre at 40 Heerengracht, Cape Town, South Africa.

Shareholders are advised that all resolutions set out in the notice of AGM were passed by the requisite majority of shareholders represented at the annual general meeting. The following information is provided in compliance with the JSE Limited's Listings Requirements:

Issued share capital:

N ordinary shares 438 036 121

A ordinary shares 907 128

Total votes exercisable by A and N shares: 1 345 164 121

Number of shares present/represented at the AGM (being 79,02% of the total votable shares): 346 831 851 A and N ordinary shares.

Total votes present/represented at AGM being 1 204 568 256 (89,55%) of total votes exercisable.

Details of voting results:

Votes

for Votes

against Votes abstained* Number Number Number Ordinary resolutions 1 Acceptance of annual

?nancial statements 1 204 219 556 99.97% 0.00% 348 700 0.03% 2 Con?rmation and

approval of payment of

dividends 1 204 405 749 99.99% 0.00% 162 507 0.01% 3 Reappointment of

PricewaterhouseCoopers

Inc. as auditor 1 133 742 243 94.12% 67 306 218 5.59% 3 519 795 0.26% 4 To confirm the

appointment of: 4.1 Mr HJ du Toit as a non-

executive director 1 202 766 312 99.85% 1 001 474 0.08% 800 470 0.06% 4.2 Mr G Liu as a non-executive director 1 203 828 265 99.94% 58 080 0.00% 681 911 0.05% 5 To elect the following

directors: 5.1 Mr FLN Letele 1 199 839 539 99.61% 3 162 969 0.26% 1 565 748 0.12% 5.2 Mr R Oliveira de Lima 1 194 639 484 99.18% 8 534 033 0.71% 1 394 739 0.10% 5.3 Mr JDT Stofberg 1 200 890 402 99.69% 2 943 213 0.24% 734 641 0.05% 5.4 Prof D Meyer 1 203 004 306 99.87% 881 759 0.07% 682 191 0.05% 6 Appointment of the

following audit

committee members: 6.1 Mr DG Eriksson 1 200 655 987 99.68% 3 230 078 0.27% 682 191 0.05% 6.2 Mr BJ van der Ross 1 123 272 811 93.25% 78 864 844 6.55% 2 430 601 0.18% 6.3 Prof RCC Jafta 1 196 441 705 99.33% 7 446 021 0.62% 680 530 0.05% 7 To endorse the

company's remuneration

policy 946 789 592 78.60% 217 065 357 18.02% 40 713 307 3.03% 8 Approval of general

authority placing

unissued shares under

the control of the

directors 843 674 501 78.76% 209 715 817 19.58% 17 827 938 1.33% 9 Approval of issue of

shares for cash 1 054 702 534 87.56% 132 389 766 10.99% 17 475 956 1.30% 10 Authorisation to

implement all

resolutions adopted at

the annual general

meeting 1 202 143 097 99.80% 1 854 274 0.15% 570 885 0.04% Special resolution number 1:

Approval of remuneration of non-

executive directors: Proposed 31 March 2018 1.1 Board chair 1 198 591 502 99.50% 5 405 589 0.45% 571 165 0.04% 1.2 Board member 1 188 401 415 98.66% 15 595 676 1.29% 571 165 0.04% 1.3 Audit committee chair 1 191 784 344 98.94% 12 212 747 1.01% 571 165 0.04% 1.4 Audit committee -

member 1 192 415 258 98.99% 11 581 833 0.96% 571 165 0.04% 1.5 Risk committee chair 1 192 831 313 99.03% 11 165 778 0.93% 571 165 0.04% 1.6 Risk committee -

member 1 192 988 770 99.04% 11 008 321 0.91% 571 165 0.04% 1.7 Human resources and

remuneration committee

- chair 1 192 831 313 99.03% 11 165 778 0.93% 571 165 0.04% 1.8 Human resources and remuneration committee

- member 1 192 988 770 99.04% 11 008 321 0.91% 571 165 0.04% 1.9 Nomination committee -

chair 1 192 988 770 99.04% 11 008 321 0.91% 571 165 0.04% 1.10 Nomination committee -

member 1 192 988 770 99.04% 11 008 321 0.91% 571 165 0.04% 1.11 Social and ethics

committee chair 1 192 989 050 99.04% 11 008 321 0.91% 570 885 0.04% 1.12 Social and ethics

committee member 1 193 477 424 99.08% 10 519 947 0.87% 570 885 0.04% 1.13 Trustees of group share

schemes/other personnel

funds 1 201 755 600 99.77% 2 237 398 0.19% 575 258 0.04% Special resolution number 2:

Approve generally the provision

of financial assistance in terms of

section 44 of the Act 1 097 922 466 91.15% 89 020 450 7.39% 17 625 330 1.31% Special resolution number 3:

Approve generally the provision

of financial assistance in terms of

section 45 of the Act 1 199 149 812 99.55% 3 403 302 0.28% 2 015 142 0.15% Special resolution number 4:

General authority for the

company or its subsidiaries to

acquire N ordinary shares in the

company 1 176 479 629 97.67% 25 537 908 2.12% 2 550 719 0.19% Special resolution number 5:

General authority for the

company or its subsidiaries to

acquire A ordinary shares in the

company 1 043 375 190 86.62% 137 538 131 11.42% 23 654 935 1.76% Special resolution number 6:

Amendment to the memorandum

of incorporation: fractions of

shares 1 201 857 804 99.77% 296 647 0.02% 2 413 805 0.18%

* Abstentions are represented as a percentage of total exercisable votes.

In his AGM address, chairman Koos Bekker reported that Naspers delivered a solid performance for the year against a volatile macroeconomic backdrop. He noted while shareholders had already received copies of Naspers's summarised financial results, these were also available on the group website www.naspers.com.

Highlights of 2016 included:

In constant currency core headline earnings, a reliable indicator of sustainable earnings, grew 49% in dollars to US$1.2bn.

Revenue rose 22%, driven by strong growth especially in ecommerce and via our interest in Tencent.

With your approval, the annual gross dividend will be increased by 11% to 520c per listed N ordinary share, and to 104c per unlisted A ordinary share.

However, we also faced some challenges:

Our video-entertainment segment bore the brunt of falling commodity prices, which drove African currencies down. Angola and Nigeria were tough. We had to lower some prices to help our loyal customers.

The South African economy slowed.

We are no longer competing against local players: these days our competitors are Google, Facebook and Amazon, boxers many times our size and scale. Competition is now global, while regulators still think in terms of countries. We need to change their mindset.

We invested heavily in engineers, technology, content and marketing. We are proud of a few achievements:

Supersport is the main funder of sport on the African continent.

We paid taxes of R9.8bn to various countries where we do business.

Our ownership profile in MultiChoice has reached the remarkable point where black South Africans and white South Africans now own equal percentages of the company. We were quite surprised when we did the latest calculation: this shows the country is moving faster in rebalancing ownership than previously thought.

Taking a longer view, our market capitalisation has grown from US$622m on listing in 1994 to US$73.9bn today.

We appreciate the constant support of our shareholders. We also thank our partners, suppliers and associates around the world. Most importantly, we deeply appreciate what our friends and employees have contributed over the past year in enthusiasm, energy and enterprise.

Important Information:

The report may contain forward-looking statements as defined in the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as 'believe', 'anticipate', 'intend', 'seek', 'will', 'plan', 'could', 'may', 'endeavour' and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements, but are not the exclusive means of identifying such statements. While these forward-looking statements represent our judgements and future expectations, a number of risks, uncertainties and other important factors could cause actual developments and results to differ materially from our expectations. These include factors that could adversely affect our businesses and financial performance. We are not under any obligation to (and expressly disclaim any such obligation to) update or alter our forward-looking statements, as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Investors are cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking statements in this report.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20160826005419/en/

Contacts:

Naspers

Meloy Horn, +27 11 289 3320

+27 82 772 7123

Head of investor relations

meloy.horn@naspers.com
LONDON, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Amery Capital Exits Long Tall Sally (LTS) to TriStyle Mode GmbH (TriStyle), Backed by Equistone Partners Europe (Equistone), one of Europe's Leading Mid-market Private Equity Investors

TriStyle, the German direct fashion retailer operating brands Peter Hahn and Madeleine across Europe has acquired the Amery Capital backed tall women's specialist, Long Tall Sally, in deal valued at c. 30 million.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401698 )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/320735LOGO )



TriStyle was itself acquired by Equistone last year and the business has been actively looking for other synergistic opportunities that can benefit from TriStyle's strong operating, sourcing and financial stability, strength and momentum.

Long Tall Sally will continue to be operated independently from its east London offices with the existing management team led by Andrew Shapin.

Andrew Shapin, CEO, Long Tall Sally commented: "The tall women of the world have a strong desire to purchase well made, up to date fashion and we are proud and passionate about working to provide them real choice. Our team, with the backing of Amery Capital, has transformed LTS from a 10 million UK retailer to an international, fast growing, profitable, digitally led 50 million (60m, $68m) sales p.a. omni-channel business, with c.70% of sales online. We are very excited about the opportunity to continue to accelerate our growth around the world with the backing of one of Europe's leading direct to consumer fashion businesses."

Maurice Helfgott, Chairman of Amery Capital and Long Tall Sally said, "We are delighted that Michael and Maurice Bennett will deservedly enjoy yet another successful return on the inspiration, wisdom, and laughs they have invested in Long Tall Sally over the past 10 years. They join me in wholeheartedly thanking Andrew Shapin and our experienced teams and suppliers across the world for making Long Tall Sally such a success.

I am very pleased to remain with the business as Chairman, and to reinvest with Andrew in TriStyle alongside such accomplished professional investors Equistone Partners Europe."

Michael Bork Partner of Equistone and Head of the Advisory Board of TriStyle said, "I think Long Tall Sally and Andrew and Maurice and the team are wonderful and am excited and confident about their future together with TriStyle. We are grateful about the opportunity to work together in the future for the sake of our customers. As promised we will add interesting businesses to the TriStyle Group to grow the business organically and by external acquisitions. But it's not all just about growth,the creativity, professionalism, understanding of customers, markets and product of both teams is outstanding and will result in a success story."

Niels Degen, member of the TriStyle management team said: "At TriStyle we are delighted to welcome Long Tall Sally to our group. Together with Long Tall Sally and its fabulous management team we will continue to strengthen our position as a leading women's omni-channel fashion retailer. We will work together closely for continuous growth of the TriStyle companies Long Tall Sally, Peter Hahn and Madeleine."

---

Advisors:

Amery Capital and Long Tall Sally, its Shareholders and Management were advised by BDO (Tax DD), Blick Rothenberg (Audit and Tax DD), Berwin Leighton Paisner (Legal Advisor), Financo (Financial Advisor), KPMG (FDD and Tax Advice), Javelin (CDD) and Livingstone Partners (Management Advisor).

Michael Bork and Dr. Katja Muhlhauser led the transaction for Equistone Partners Europe. TriStyle and Equistone were advised by Shearman and Sterling (Finance EPE), Latham & Watkins (Banking), CMS (Legal Due Diligence, SPA), KPMG (Financial and Tax Due Diligence) and PWC (Commercial Due Diligence).

Notes to Editors:

Long Tall Sally

www.longtallsally.com

Long Tall Sally is an omnii-channel retailer of fashion for taller women. The Company was founded in 1975 by six-foot tall American entrepreneur, Judy Rich, who opened the first store on Chiltern Street in the west end of London in 1976. The Company's mission is to be "the first choice in fashion for tall women worldwide".

LTS an online led omni-channel retailer generating c.70pc of it revenues from it ecommerce websites, supported by a catalogue distributed in its four main markets of US, UK, CA and DE as well as shipping to over 120 countries. The business also has 10 stores in the UK, 7 in Canada, 4 in the US and 5 in Germany. The Company achieved LTM to July 2016 sales of c.50 million and underlying profit of 3.8 million (Euro 4.4m USD 5.0 million). All clothing is designed in-house, carefully proportioned to flatter taller women. The company has 388 employees globally, 212 working in the UK, 129 in North America and 47 in Germany.

Amery Capital Limited purchased long Tall Sally through a CVA in 2005 and has funded the organic growth and acquisitions, which have together transformed the business, including Tall Girls CA, Barefoot Tess USA, Long Fashion DE and Long Elegant Legs USA, all of which have been subsumed into a global single view of customers and inventory,

Amery Capital

Amery Capital was founded by Maurice Helfgott with the backing of legendary retail entrepreneurs, Michael and Maurice Bennett on its key investment projects. Maurice leads Amery Capital as Executive Chairman, with a principal focus on advising and investing in digital, retail and consumer businesses in the private and public markets.

Amery Capital's other current investment interests include Oliver Sweeney and Goat Fashion. Earlier successful investments included Retail Profile Europe Limited which was successfully sold to SpaceandPeople PLC in 2013.

Equistone

Equistone is an independent investment firm wholly-owned and managed by its executives. The company is one of Europe's leading investors in mid-market buyouts with a strong, consistent track record spanning over 30 years, with more than 400 transactions completed in this period. Equistone has a strong focus on change of ownership deals and aims to invest between 25 million and 125 million of equity in businesses with enterprise values of between 50 million and 300 million. The company has a team of 37 investment professionals operating across France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, investing as a strategic partner alongside management teams. Equistone is currently investing its fifth buyout fund, which held a final closing at its 2 billion hardcap in April 2015.

Equistone is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Further information can be found at www.equistonepe.com

Michael Bennett and Maurice Bennett CBE

After successfully building up and selling Bennett Cameras to Dixons in the 1960s, Maurice and Michael Bennett founded Warehouse, the first really successful British own-brand, design-led, fashion retailer, which was subsequently sold to Freeman's in 1986.

In 1991 they founded Oasis Stores , developing the business from  1 million turnover to a hugely successful, publicly listed fashion retailer. Along the way they bought Coast - a brand developed from 2m turnover when it was bought, to almost  100 million today. In 2002, Maurice and Michael Bennett successfully exited Oasis Group when PPM Ventures took the company private.

The Bennetts subsequently took control of Phase Eight, turning around and growing the company and selling it to Barclays Capital in 2005, producing a seven times return on investment for themselves and their partners.

Michael and Maurice were awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drapers Gala Dinner in 2006.

Maurice Helfgott

Maurice is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Amery Capital, a principal investment and advisory firm with a focus on digital, retail and fashion related businesses.

As well as being Chairman of Long Tall Sally, Maurice is Chairman of leading European online optical company, MyOptique Group, backed by six European VCs including Index Ventures and Highland Capital, and which announced a successful exit to Essilor International in August 2016.

He is also Chairman of Amery investee company, Oliver Sweeney, the luxury menswear brand also backed by the Business Growth Fund; Chairman of Unforgettable.org, a start up B Corporation helping people with dementia, backed by Bridges Ventures and Impact Ventures UK. In addition, Maurice serves on the Boards of END. Clothing and Goat Fashion and is Senior Independent Director of Moss Bros Plc. He has worked as an independent industry advisor to a number of leading international PE firms.

Maurice was previously an Executive Director on the Main Board of Marks and Spencer plc and holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.

Andrew Shapin

Andrew has been CEO of Long Tall Sally since 2007. He previously founded and ran the very successful Cotswold Company from 1997, where he remains Chairman. From 1991 to 1997 he was Group Marketing Director of Innovations PLC, a company that seeded much of the marketing talent in early UK digital entrepreneurship.

TriStyle Group

TriStyle Mode GmbH, headquartered in Munich, is a holding which unites the independently managed mail order and ecommerce companies Peter Hahn and Madeleine. The enterprise belongs to Equity Investor Equistone Partners Europe.

With its two brands specialising in high-quality women's fashion for the 45-plus target group, TriStyle is among the European mail-order market leaders in the Best Ager segment. Within this group, it has a stable and expansive portfolio that, on a strategic and financial level, is steered and monitored by the holding.

The company also has sourcing offices in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Istanbul and Porto, incorporated under the name TriStyle Sourcing Ltd.

In the 2014/2015 fiscal year, the mail-order company with 1,354 employees recorded sales of 505.4 million (consolidated). Of this amount, 170.9 million are allocated on Madeleine (272 employees) and 334.8 million on Peter Hahn (1,004 employees).

Each of the two brands - Peter Hahn and Madeleine - is distinct from one another due to their clear brand and product profiles. They cover the entire spectrum of high-quality ladies' fashion and accessories for the 45-plus target age group. The companies sell their products in 11 countries with their own foreign subsidiaries. Across Europe, customers can shop online or by catalogue, as well as in more than 20 department stores in Germany and Switzerland.
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At 10am local time on August 26, the "Sensing China-Travel to Kazakhstan" exhibition formally opened atKazakhstan National University in the nation'slargest cityAlmaty.

Co-sponsored by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China, the Embassy of thePeople's Republic of China in Kazakhstan, the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Almaty, Astana government and the municipal government of Almaty, theexhibition will last forsix days (from August 26-31)and featuresaphoto exhibition and tourism promotion, a "Created in China"economics and trade fair, the "establishing China" pavilion, the China intangible cultural heritage exhibition,andmedia visits between China and Kazakhstan.

The centuries-old history, superior natural conditions, inclusive city temperament, cultural exchange and mutual learning brought by theSouthSilkRoad together have formed the outstanding traditional culture of Chengdu. As the region's mosttraditional art skills, Shu embroidery, bamboo weaving, shadow play, eggshell painting, calligraphy, gourd pyrography and tea art willjoin togetherwith Ya'an Tibetan tea and Wusheng paper-cutting to offer visitors an interactive and performance-filled experienceto vividly present China's intangible traditional art skills to anaudience.

Part of the "Sensing China" series sees the arrival in Almaty of 30 panda sculptures, a special gift from Chengdu, in China's southwestern Sichuan province. The "panda exhibition"is set to be one of the highlights of the show and will show the people of Kazakhstan the culture, spirit and charm of China.

The pandason displaywereco-created by the young people of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Sichuan University, Sichuan Normal University, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, with the intention ofbringing them to Kazakhstanto show the world what it is to be"Created in China",not just"Made in China".

"We want to conserve Chinese culture by borrowing thesymbol of China's national treasure, the panda, to protect intangible cultural heritages, instill the newborn strength of Chengdu intoyounger generations, and present Chengdu in the way that it deserves," said Kevin Liu, the designer of the "panda exhibition".

To see some photos of the exhibition in action, click the links below.

Photo1

Photo 2

Photo 3

This press release is distributed by Chengdu Economic Daily, a co-sponsor of the "Sensing China-Travel to Kazakhstan" exhibition.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Government will today deploy security forces to quell mass demonstrations organized by a coalition of opposition parties joining forces to push for electoral reforms and change should the protest turn violent as pressure mounts on President Mugabe to reform or quit.Police refused to grant the parties permission to March, setting stage for violent confrontation like the situation that happened on Wednesday.Home Affairs Minister Ignatius Chombo said state security forces would not hesitate to descend heavily on protestors.Military sources say the army would be on high alert and could patrol the streets to following Wednesday's clashes.
WOODBURY, NY--(Marketwired - August 26, 2016) - Vanderbilt Financial Group, an Independent Broker Dealer known as the Sustainable Broker Dealer, adds an additional two representatives just a week after adding eight to their sales-force totaling $220 million in Assets Under Management added in August.

This addition secures 2016 as Vanderbilt's biggest period of growth to date, much due to the Executives Team's recruiting process led by COO, Joe Trifiletti. "We understand the pain points of being a representative and have designed customizable business models that provide state of the art technology and tools to assist our representatives in creating successful and sustainable practices," says Trifiletti. When recruiting, Vanderbilt applies a strict code of ethics to ensure the highest quality of talented representatives who are cultural matches with the firm's core values.

Financial Advisor, Stephen Kaufman joins Vanderbilt with over 20 years of experience and was most recently associated with LPL. Stephen will work out of Vanderbilt's Freehold, New Jersey branch.

Palavi Malik joins the team as an Insurance Representative after working at Mass Mutual as a Financial Representative. Palavi has been in the financial industry for over six years and says, "I come from a family of entrepreneurs. I am excited to join the Vanderbilt team and believe that success is a result of hard work and razor sharp focus." Palavi joins Vanderbilt's Woodbury headquarters.

"We're excited by our recent growth and are confident that representatives like Stephen and Palavi will help us further our sales-force and financial footprint. Vanderbilt Financial Group has always been driven by a strong entrepreneurial spirit, and it's exciting that Palavi shares that drive," says Vanderbilt Financial Group Chief Executive Officer, Steve Distante.

About Vanderbilt Financial Group: Founded in 1965 and located in Woodbury, NY, Vanderbilt Financial Group is an Independent Broker Dealer known as the Sustainable Broker Dealer committed to investing with purpose. The firm offers Impact Investments in socially and/or environmentally responsible, ethical, and impactful opportunities. In 2014 the firm was recognized with the MAP Vital Factors Solutions Presidential Award for achieving excellence through implementing the MAP Management System' and in 2015 became the first LEED Platinum office building on Long Island. Vanderbilt's refreshing, unique, and innovative culture is a driving force to constantly strive to positively impact their community. To learn more, check out http://joinvanderbilt.com/.

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/26/11G111987/Images/PalaviMalik-ff2ac5481f879894990cf6731d95fa92.jpg

Image Available: http://www.marketwire.com/library/MwGo/2016/8/26/11G111987/Images/kaufman-dfb2ddb5900586548a0894e01d386ca5.jpg

Contact:

Jenny Klaum

Communications & Events Coordinator

Phone: (631) 845-5100

Email: jklaum@vanderbiltsecurities.com

Website: www.joinvanderbilt.com
Toronto, Ontario and New York, New York--(Newsfile Corp. - August 26, 2016) - Intertainment Media Inc. (TSXV: INT) (OTC Pink: ITMTF) (FSE: I4T) ("Intertainment" or the "Company") announces that it has received a Statement of Claim filed by Mr. Anthony Pearlman, former President and Chief Operating Officer of Intertainment, in the amount of approximately $650,000 claimed in unpaid wages and other damages in connection with his employment with Intertainment.

Mr. Wayne Parsons, Chief Executive Officer, says "I am extremely disappointed to receive these claims by former management. We are working extremely hard with limited finances to try and turn around what we have inherited. I feel for the shareholders as I would rather be spending time and money trying to fix the underlying business versus responding to lawsuits".

The Company is thoroughly assessing the claim with legal counsel and is considering all available recourse.

Contact

For further information on the Company please contact:

info@intertainmentmedia.com

Forward Looking Information

This news release contains certain "forward-looking information" within the meaning of such statements under applicable securities law.

Forward-looking information is frequently characterized by words such as "plan", "expect", "project", "intend", "believe", "anticipate", "estimate", "may", "will", "potential", "proposed" and other similar words, or statements that certain events or conditions "may" or "will" occur. These statements are only predictions. Forward-looking information is based on the opinions and estimates of management at the date the statements are made, and are subject to a variety of risks and uncertainties and other factors that could cause actual events or results to differ materially from those projected in the forward-looking statements. Actual timelines associated may vary from those anticipated in this news release and such variations may be material. Actual results could differ materially because of factors discussed in the management discussion and analysis section of our interim and most recent annual financial statements or other reports and filings with the TSX Venture Exchange and applicable Canadian securities regulators. The Company undertakes no obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or management's estimates or opinions should change, unless required by law. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on this forward-looking information.

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.
Danhua Capital, a Palo Alto, CA-based venture capital firm, raised $250m for its second fund.

According to a regulatory form filed with the SEC, Danhua Capital II, L.P. had a final target of $255m. 55 investors participated in the offering.

Led by Shoucheng Zhang, Founding Chairman, Andrew Gu, Founding Partner, Rachel Wan, Vice President, Dovey Wan, Managing Director and Kevin Ding, Managing Director, Danhua Capital invests primarily in early stage and growth stage companies with potentially disruptive technology/business model and operating in large markets. Areas of focus include AR/VR, Artificial Intelligence, Mobile Internet, Big Data, Cloud Computing, Robotics and other technologies.

The above mentioned team brings to portfolio companies a combination of education/research/entrepreneurship/capital market, extensive network in Silicon Valley and China, and knowledge in technologies.

The firms portfolio includes Meta, Optimizely, Cohesity, EverString, GoodData, 3DR, Survios, Lytro, Qeexo, GraphSQL, Zenreach, Trustlook, Flirtey, GrubMarket, Audacy, InsideMaps, String, Diassess, MailTime, Wish, Pilot.ai, NextInput, Epinomics and LoomAi.

FinSMEs

26/08/2016
Four Foods Group (FFG), a restaurant concept incubator and accelerator company based in American Fork, Utah, completed the placement of over $35m of growth capital to fund their expanding operations.

The company has raised funds from various commercial and alternative sources including:

 $18m from Opus Bank,

 $12m from Red Bridge Capital and

 over $7m from other private capital providers.

The funds will be used to expand FFGs business operations and relationships across multiple brands by utilizing its operating processes, expertise, systems and relationships to accelerate the growth of emerging restaurant brands and concepts.

Led by Andrew K. Smith, Chief Executive Officer, FFG has established teams for in-house real estate, development and construction, facility management and set-up, operations, human resources, recruiting, hiring and training, payroll and benefits administration, IT support, marketing, financial oversight, accounting and investment financing. It provides capital in addition to the support services for the business to grow while allowing the operating partner to maintain significant equity in the business as revenue increases.

Four Foods Group has built and opened 43 Kneaders Bakery & Cafe restaurants throughout the Western United States with five additional units currently in development. The company, which currently employs over 1,800 employees in multiple states, is projected to surpass over $100 million in revenue in 2016, according to a note.

FinSMEs

26/08/2016
Symphony Commerce, a San Francisco, CA-based Commerce-as-a-Service platform, raised $11m in funding.

Backers included CRV, Blue Cloud Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures and FirstMark Capital.

The company, which has raised $45m in total funding to date, will use the funds to continue to expand operations.

Founded in 2010 by Harish Abbott and Henry Kim, Symphony Commerce provides a Commerce-as-a-Service platform featuring web store, inventory management, and fulfillment capabilities that are all integrated without installations.

The company serves some of the worlds most well-known brands such as Pepsi, J Brand Jeans, Neff and Krave Jerky.

FinSMEs

25/08/2016
Mumbai: In a big disappointment for the lenders for the second time, auction of the long-grounded Kingfisher Airlines' (KFA) trademarks and logo turned out to be damp squib once again despite having a lower reserve price.

Banks also had put on the block some of the moveable assets of the company worth Rs 13.70 lakh lying at the

Kingfisher House, for which, too, no bidders came forward.

In their second attempt, the 17-lender consortium led by State Bank of India had put the airline's trademarks including Kingfisher logo and the once-famous tag-line 'Fly the Good Times' on the block, to recover a part of their over Rs 9,000-crore loans from beleaguered businessman Vijay Mallya and his grounded carrier.

Banks had also put the Flying Models, Funliner, Fly Kingfisher and Flying Bird Device on the sale.

"I think the reserve price for the trademark was still found to be high by the bidders," a source said.

Legal experts said the entire brand value of the Kingfisher brand has taken a beating and so bidders remained

elusive. "Value of trademark of the entire group has gone down to almost nothing and nobody will like to buy it," said an expert dealing in intellectual property rights.

In April, the banks had made a failed attempt to sell brands and trademarks of the airlines, owned by Mallya. The auction was unsuccessful as none of the bidders came forward due to the higher reserve price of Rs 366.70 crore.

In today's auction the reserve price was reduced by 10 percent to Rs 330.03 crore, but still no bidders came forward.

The Kingfisher brand itself was valued at over Rs 4,000 crore by consultancy Grant Thornton when the airline was at

its peak.

In its annual report for 2012-13, KFA said, at its peak, it was the largest airline in the country with a five-star rating from Skytrax.

The airline's brand had been registered separately from the Kingfisher beer trademarks.

Lenders had also put on sale movable assets worth Rs 13.70 lakh lying at the Kingfisher House. The items on sale included eight cars-Toyota Innova and Corolla, and Honda City and Civic among others. The reserve price of each car was set differently in the range of Rs 90,000-2.50 lakh.

Earlier this month, the auction of Kingfisher House proved a damp squib again as no bidder turned up for the erstwhile headquarters of the Mallya-led airline at a reduced reserve price of Rs 135 crore.

The Kingfisher House has a built-up area of over 17,000 sq ft and is located in the plush Vile Parle area near the

domestic airport in the megapolis.

Yesterday, rating agency Crisil revised its ratings on the bank loans of Kingfisher Airlines to 'not meaningful' from 'Crisil D' (default grade). "The rating revision is because KFAL's creditors (including bankers) have filed winding up petitions against the company. Furthermore, it remains in deep financial distress following the cessation of operations in fiscal 2013 and complete erosion of networth," the agency said.

Crisil had rated bank facilities, including long and short-term loans, working capital loans and cash limit worth

Rs 5,582 crore, given to the now defunct airline
New Delhi: Enunciating his vision to rapidly transform India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi Friday said there is a need to change laws, eliminate unnecessary procedures and speed up processes to go beyond "mere incremental progress".

"If India is to meet the challenge of change, mere incremental progress is not enough. A metamorphosis is needed.

That is why my vision for India is rapid transformation, not gradual evolution," he said at the first 'Transforming India' Lecture organised by the NITI Aayog here.

Stressing on the need to bring changes through transformation of governance, Modi said it cannot happen with an administrative system of the 19th century.

"A transformation of governance cannot happen without a transformation in mindset and a transformation in mindset cannot happen without transformative ideas," he added.

"We have to change laws, eliminate unnecessary procedures, speed up processes and adopt technology. We cannot march through the 21st century with the administrative systems of the 19th century," he said.

With his entire Cabinet in attendance, Modi said the change has to be for both external and internal reasons. Each country, he said, has its own experiences, resources and strengths.

"Thirty years ago, a country might have been able to look inward and find its own solutions. Today, countries are inter-dependent and inter-connected. No country can afford any longer to develop in isolation. Every country has to benchmark its activities to global standards, or else fall behind," he said.

Stating that change is also necessary for internal reasons, he said the younger generation is thinking and aspiring so differently that the government can no longer afford to remain rooted in the past.

The Prime Minister further said that fundamental changes in administrative mindsets usually occur through sudden shocks or crisis.

With a stable democratic polity in India, special efforts will have to be made to force transformative changes, he added.

"As individuals, we may absorb new ideas by reading books or articles. Books open the windows of our minds. However, unless we brainstorm collectively, ideas remain confined to individual minds," he said.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe (RBZ) governor John Mangudya yesterday vowed to forge ahead with plans to introduce bond notes in October despite widespread resentment by citizens and opposition political parties.In May, Mangudya said bond notes would be introduced as part of measures to stem the prevailing cash shortages under a $200 million facility guaranteed by the African Export-Import Bank.Under the facility, qualifying exporters would get an additional 5% export incentive in bond notes, which will be at par with the United States dollar.Mangudya said he would not buckle to populist sentiments as the move was in the best interest of the economy.
Shares of Trident Ltd suddenly came into the spotlight in an otherwise lacklustre broad market sentiment today.

Investors scampered to buy the Trident stock following a CNBC TV18 news flash that the US-based Target Corporation is evaluating shifting contract to the company.

Reacting to the news, the Trident stock zoomed 12.45 percent to close at Rs 56 a share on BSE amid volumes of 81.05 lakh shares traded as against two-week average volume of just 3.60 lakh shares.

Later, in a clarification issued to the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE), Trident said Target Corp could be sampling bed sheets made by the company.

"Over the years, we have built and developed long standing relationships with the leading globla retailers including Target Corp, and as a normal course of business, we keep getting orders from them," Trident Ltd said in a release issued to the BSE.

The latest development comes in the wake of the US-based retailer earlier in the week announcing its decision to terminate business with Welspun India for passing off cheap bed sheets as premium Egyptian cotton.

Target said on Friday that it was severing ties with Welspun after its extensive investigation had confirmed that the Indian company, which purportedly used Egyptian cottons to make sheets and pillowcases sold to the retailer, substituted non-Egyptian cotton instead.

Earlier in the day, Welspun India had shrugged off its three session losses, as the stock shot up over 6 percent to touch the day's high of 57.80 over its previous day's close of Rs 54.40.

However, as news started trickling in that Target Corp may chose its distant rival Trident Corp for supplying of bed sheets, Welspun India stock gave away its intra-day gains and plunged nearly 9 percent to end at Rs 49.70 a share on BSE.

In the last five sessions, Welspun India stock has crashed a whopping 51.7 percent amid frenzied selling over loss of a key customer. Investor wealth in the stock eroded by a staggering Rs 5,340 crore.

In fact, Target is Welspun India's biggest customer after Bed Bath and Beyond. It accounted for about $90 million, or 10 percent of the company's total business in the financial year through March, Welspun executives said in a conference call on Monday.

Not just Target Corp, other US-based retailers such as Walmart, JC Penny and Bed Bath are also considering revieving their contracts with Welspun in view of the alleged unethical business by the company.

However, in a move aimed at taking evasive measures, Welspun India today said it has appointed consultancy firm Ernst & Young to look into alleged lapses in its products supply after the US-based Target Corp terminated contract with the textiles maker.

"The company has appointed Ernst & Young LLP to review our supply chain systems and processes," Welspun India said in a BSE filing.

With agency inputs
Shakuntala Devi was used to seeing her affluent neighbours rushing to private hospitals, at even the mildest bout of fever. Given the paltry sums of money her family earned, from a grocery shop in Laxmi Nagar, she could hardly dream of doing the same. In her case, managing to travel long distances to a government hospital, to tend to a medical emergency in the family, was the highest form of healthcare she could afford.

But things have changed since the Delhi Government opened a mohalla clinic in her vicinity. Now even Shakuntala Devi walks to the clinic at the drop of a hat, much like her neighbours. The line of economic disparity has blurred, at least in the case of medical care in the city.

My four-year-old son got fever last week. I took him to the mohalla clinic. The doctor examined him and gave some medicine. After four days, he recovered. And it cost me nothing, Devi said, with a smile.

A tall board with a list of 212 diagnostic tests  that are all conducted free of cost  stands defiantly in the poorly lit waiting room of the Laxmi Nagar mohalla clinic.

Shyam Kumars case, a labourer in a factory in Noida, is the same as Shakuntala Devi's. A doctor in my vicinity advised me to get a few diagnostic tests done. But when I went to a private diagnostic centre, I was told that it would cost me Rs 800, which is far beyond my financial capacity. Then a neighbour advised me to get the tests done at the mohalla clinic. I have got all the tests done for free, and am here to collect the reports,  Kumar said.

Dr P Saxena, who sits in a well lit chamber next to the waiting room with three aides, says that, though the clinic is expected to collect samples for 212 free medical tests, urine and typhoid tests are not being done there. Still the tests done by the clinic are not less than 200 in number.

Every evening the private laboratory that is assigned with the task of conducting the tests collects the samples from us and provides us with the results, Saxena said.

The mohalla clinic in Laxmi Nagar is only one part of a revolutionary project by the Delhi government, that aims to provide free primary healthcare to all by opening 1000 such free clinics throughout the city. Though the government has opened only 102 such clinics as of now, in a city with 10 million plus population, the relief delivered by these tiny institutions to the people they have served is immense.

Narrowing disparity

Dr Kenneth E Thorpe, Chair of Department of Health Policy at the Rollins School of Public Health USA, who recently visited India and met with Delhi Health Minister Satyender Jain, to learn more about the government's new healthcare initiative, said that the 'mohalla clinics are definitely an important addition to Indias health sector'.

Primary healthcare is not covered by health insurance in India. Hence, expenses incurred on this front are done out-of-pocket. There is a growing need to cover this gap. mohalla clinics do this by providing free primary healthcare, Thorpe said.

India has a very high out-of-pocket health expenditure, at 89.2 percent, as per a study conducted by the World Health Organisation.

High out-of-pocket expenditure results in lower adherence to prescription. It costs the US economy, which has the lowest out-of-pocket expenditure level at 21.4 percent, 337 billion US dollars a year, and 15 percent of it is attributable to cost factor, as per a study conducted by Express Scripts.

Cost of treatment is also seen as a major contributor to Indias growing economic disparity. As per the Draft Health Policy of the government of India, each year 63 million people are pushed into poverty due to healthcare expenditure.

A study conducted by the Planning Commission of India in 2009 showed that 2.9 percent of Indias urban poverty is contributed by out-of-pocket expenditure on health. Out-of-pocket expenditure consists of 1.9 percent of Delhis household expenditure, and its contribution to poverty in the state is 0.5 percent.

The contribution of medical care cost to the economic disparity in other states of India is even more drearier. As per the Planning Commission study, health care cost contributes to 4.6 percent of poverty in Uttar Pradesh, 4.6 percent in Rajasthan, 3.3 percent in Andhra Pradesh and 3.8 percent in Kerala.

No wonder then that the mohalla clinics in Delhi, which are now also seen as a measure to narrow down the economic disparity in the capital, were dubbed as the new model of health care for India by Dr Kenneth Thorpe.

He said that the mohalla clinic model has to be looked at while constructing similar models of primary healthcare in another states. But he also said that there could be other good models as well, where people are required to pay monthly fees for primary healthcare.

Fighting non-communicable diseases

Indias disease burden has shifted to non-communicable diseases (NCD). But no detailed data is available about the growing menace, even as 60 percent of death in the country is caused by NCDs. Mohalla clinics is a model that can provide us with data related to the growth of this menace, if emulated in the country all over, said Thorpe, who also heads a global non-governmental organisation named Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease.

According to a study conducted by the World Economic Forum, India has to create a data sharing mechanism to fight the challenge thrown by NCDs. Thorpe, who has worked extensively on Indias health sector and also has come up with an action oriented blueprint on NCDs, also said that the patients health data is recorded in every mohalla clinic electronically, which can be handy in fighting NCDs.

He also adds that most of the NCDs are preventable and manageable. A virulent primary health care system can serve these purposes to a great extent, by providing timely and correct diagnosis and treatment. As per government records, mohalla clinics in Delhi have treated more than eight lakh people and about 43,000 have gone through medical tests in them.

The Change

Mohalla clinics have not only saved the likes of Shakuntala Devi from travelling long distances to government hospitals, but also from what they had to face there.

The government hospitals in Delhi are often accused of suffering from Babudom.

Suraj Sinha, who works in a NGO, says that often employees in government hospitals treat the patients as lowly creatures. Many a times, it is difficult to find doctors in the hospitals. Often, not all the medicines are not available there either.

Some patients also allege that only friends and family members of hospital staff get proper care in some government hospitals.

Saurav, a patient who went to the Babu Jagjivan Ram Memorial Hospital in Jahangirpuri, said that, A common man hardly gets good treatment here, unless he knows someone on the staff.

Certainly, the ones who visit the mohalla clinics are saved from going through this ordeal in government hospitals. But what has not changed is the Babudom in such hospitals.

Firstpost visited Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital two days in a row to check on the allegations raised against it. But neither the superintendent nor the deputy-superintendent were present to answer our queries, on both the days. Interestingly, none of the staff-members could come up with a clear answer as to what field duty these officials were busy in.

Despite the growing contempt against these hospitals, the patients continue to rush-in. A doctor at the hospital said that though decreasing the rush of patients to government hospitals is one of the main ideas behind opening the mohalla clinics, but Delhi is yet to see a major change in this direction. This could be because many neighbourhoods do not have a mohalla clinic, and only 102 of such clinics have been opened, which are unable to meet the demand. The Babu Jagjivan Ram hospital sees 4,800 to 5,000 patients everyday, and this number is more or less static, without any decrease even after the new healthcare concept has came up.

He expects that a decrease in the number of patients in government hospitals will happen only after the target of 1000 mohalla clinics is met.
On Friday, The Australian uploaded a fresh tranche of leaked documents that contained information on operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene-class submarines, which are being built in India by French firm DCNS.

While the newspaper has blacked out the details which could compromise India's security interests, a top defence analyst allayed fears that it could compromise the security of the strategically important combat vessels.

A few days ago, the Ministry of Defence had cleared a new blacklisting policy for defence firms. The file has been cleared. It is now with the Attorney-General for legal vetting. It will be issued as soon as his office clears it, a top defence official had told PTI.

The Indian Express reported that under the new policy, companies will face action only when there is clear and sufficient "evidence of corruption or criminality."

Companies in future will not be indiscriminately blacklisted unless the charges against them are criminal in nature or they have committed a crime like stealing documents or paying a bribe," Parrikar told The Indian Express.

Reports suggest that the new norms will include heavy fines and graded blacklisting and other norms to avoid indiscriminate blacklisting of firms under a blanket rule. Moreover, the defence minister had told PTI that the government will not stop from a buying a product from a company even if any equipment or software manufactured by the blacklisted entity was embedded into it.

With the Rs 3,727-crore AgustaWestland chopper scam and now the Scorpene data leak, the new policy of not taking strict action against firms for procedural lapses, in the absence of criminality, can be significant. According to The Hindustan Times, a balance between military battle-ready and pulling up fraudulent defence contractors is what the focus of the NDA government is. The report added that the UPA government had "blacklisted six defence companies."

The new set of documents, that was released on Friday, has the Indian Navy insignia on it and marked "Restricted Scorpene India" and gives details about the sonar system of the submarines which is used to gather intelligence underwater. It talks about a wide range of technical specifications of the sonars and at what degree and frequency it will function.

The documents detail the "Operating Instruction Manual", which talks about how to select a target for weapon firing, weapon configuration selection, among others.

Although the navy has not yet officially reacted to the release of new documents, sources said that it does not compromise national security. "On the face of it, these documents are basic operating manual. You buy any goods from the market, it will come with an operating manual," defence analyst Commodore Uday Bhaskar (retd), director of Society of Policy Studies told PTI.

The Indian Navy, issued a statement on Thursday, saying the matter has been taken up with the French director-general of armaments, who has "express(ed) concern over this incident and has requested the French government to investigate this incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side".

The statement added that an internal audit of procedures to rule out any security breach is also being undertaken.

Over 22,000 pages of information were reportedly leaked from DCNS, the French company that designed Scorpene submarines being built in India. Parrikar has also asked the navy to discuss the matter with DCNS.

The French government, however, said that the leaked documents were stolen from French naval contractor DCNS and not leaked. "It is not a leak, it is theft," the source said. "We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual."

The source said the documents looked to have been stolen in 2011 by a former French employee that had been fired while providing training in India on the use of the submarines.

Whether or not the new defence blacklisting policy will have any impact on this particular case remains to be seen.

With inputs from agencies
Pune: Elated after the Bombay High Court verdict allowing women's entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, members of city-based Bhumata Ranragini Brigade led by Trupti Desai, who has been spearheading the fight for gender equality in all places of worship, have decided to visit the shrine this weekend.

"We welcome the decision of the High Court. It is a tight slap on the faces of those who put a ban on women's entry into the Dargah. It's a big victory of women power," said Desai celebrating the verdict with her group outside her office in Pune.

"This is a landmark decision. The right that women are entitled to get, the right that has been given to women in the Constitution, that were somewhere taken away from us. The ban was on entry of women in the 'mazar' (area) of the Haji Ali dargah.

"We have been fighting against the secondary status given to women... patriarch mentality, this 'dadagiri' (high-handed) attitude of the (shrine) Trust that 'we will not allow women'...This (the verdict) is a victory of movement of Bhumata Ranragini brigade," she added.

The women group led by Desai will visit the shrine in the heart of Mumbai on 28 August.

"Though the high court has stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court, we will go on 28 August till the point where women are allowed and will seek blessings," she told reporters here.

Desai had led a high-profile campaign in April this year to break the bar on women at the core area of the Dargah, but was stopped short of entering the shrine at the last minute amid resistance by activists of outfits opposed to the move.

However, in May she offered prayers at the Dargah but skipped venturing into the inner chamber of the shrine where women were not allowed.

The women's rights activist, whose previous campaigns were centred around Hindu temples, had then maintained that her agitation for right to equality for women at places of worship is not linked to any religion.

Bibi Khatoon, another social activist and member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) - a Muslim women's rights group, which had fought the ban, too rejoiced the verdict and said, "Firstly, I would like to thank the High Court judge, Kanade Sir. All these women who have been fighting for this right for sometime now had taken a back seat fearing what society will say...but then let the society say what they want to...but what we want do, we will do."

"The Sufi saints too were given birth by women, then why we are being barred (from entering into the inner area of the dargah). Had the court not decided in our favour, we would have approached the Supreme Court. But we are very happy today that the court came to our rescue. I am thankful to our advocates, Raju Moray sir, and the entire media," she said.

The demand for equal access to the Haji Ali Dargah was first raised by BMMA, which had filed a public interest litigation in the Bombay High Court in August 2014 against the "blatant discrimination on the ground of gender alone".

The Dargah Trust had defended its stand, saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin. Men have unhindered access to the actual burial place of the saint, and are also allowed to touch the tomb.

Earlier this year, women managed to break the gender bias and gained full access to Shani Shingnapur temple in Ahmednagar district of Maharashtra.

The fight to allow women into the shrine, built on an islet, 500 metres from the coast, intensified following a petition in the Supreme Court demanding entry for women to the famous Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
News / National

by Staff reporter

The MDC-T, through its National Youth Assembly, has unleashed terror attacks in the country targeting law enforcement agents.The terrorist arson attack on the police truck in central Harare, as well as the calculated arson attack on the police post at Market Square in Harare on August 24 2016, is testimony of the terror being visited upon the security establishment.In a well-orchestrated move, the MDC-T National Youth Assembly, led by its national chairperson Happymore Chidziva, aptly nicknamed Bvondo (Provocateur)," used an arsenal of petrol bombs, stones and iron bars which were prepared before the so-called launch of the #MyZimbabwe Campaign.Chidziva is famed within the terror organization that is the MDC-T for his "bvondorisation," which loosely translated, means a very violent and provocative person. The launch was a ruse which was intended to act as a cover for the well-planned acts of sabotage, banditry and looting.
New Delhi: JNUSU President Kanhaiya Kumar and two other students did not misuse interim bail conditions and cooperated with the probe in a sedition case relating to the alleged anti-India slogan-shouting at the university campus in February, Delhi Police on Friday told a court.

The Special Cell of Delhi Police made the submission in reply to the applications seeking regular bail for the three accused in the case before Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh, who reserved the order on the accused's pleas for Saturday.

Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan said the three accused have "cooperated" during the investigation and they have "not misused" their interim bail.

The probe agency also told the court that if granted bail, there must be certain conditions imposed on the accused as the investigation was still going on in the matter. Kanhaiya, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya, who are out on interim bail, had moved the court for regular bail.

Kanhaiya's move came after the Delhi High Court on 17 August had refused his application for regular bail and asked him to approach the sessions court for the purpose. He was granted interim bail by the high court on 2 March for six months which

is scheduled to expire on 1 September.

While granting interim bail to Khalid and Bhattacharya on 18 March, the trial court had observed that the role attributed to Kanhaiya does not appear to be different from the allegations levelled against the two accused.

The court had granted the relief to the duo on furnishing of a personal bond in the sum of Rs 25,000 with one surety of the like amount, which was complied with by them following which they were ordered to be released till 19 September.

It had also directed Umar and Anirban not to leave Delhi without permission during the period of interim bail and make themselves available before the investigating officer as and when required for the probe.

The high court had earlier granted interim conditional bail for six months to Kanhaiya asking him not participate actively or passively in any activity which could be termed anti-national.

Kanhaiya was arrested on 12 February on sedition charges in connection with an event on the campus on 8 February where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Umar and Anirban were arrested later.
Coming hot-on-the-heels of the Kalahandi incident, the Odisha administration was left red-faced again after news emerged that a dead body of an 80-year-old woman was broken, slung to a pole and carried back to Balasore.

According to The Indian Express, Salami Behera, was met with an accident when she was run down by a goods train in Soro railway station in Balasore. Following the incident, it took 12 hours for the body to arrive at Soro Community Health Centre for post mortem even though the Government Railway Police was informed about it.

After the post-mortem, the police had waited for an ambulance to arrive for several hours, India Today reported. When the ambulance did not arrive hospital workers in order to tie the dead body to the bamboo pole, had to break the hip of Behera because rigor mortis (stiffening of joints few hours after death) had set in.

Two hospital workers were tasked with transporting the body to Balasore.

Rabindra Barik, on receiving the dead body of her mother, was shocked at the treatment meted out to her mother and is reportedly contemplating lodging a complaint.

The incident occured just a day after locals in Kalahandi found Dana Majhi carrying his wife Amang Dei's body along with his 12-year-old daughter.

Following the Kalahandi incident, Odisha Chief Minisiter Naveen Patnaik told ANI, "The incident took place on Wednesday when locals found Majhi carrying his wife Amang Dei's body along with his 12-year-old daughter."
In Bengaluru on Friday, Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik had a matter-of-fact reply when asked by reporters to react to the shocking visual of a husband, Dana Majhi, carrying the body of his wife for a distance of 10 km on Wednesday, because the Kalahandi district hospital did not give him a hearse van or an ambulance to transport the body to his village, 60 km away.

"We are looking into this matter. We will take action. Fresh ambulances will be ordered," Patnaik said.

As far as the Odisha government is concerned, that is the end of the story. Patnaik was effectively telling the national media to switch off its outrage machine and continue with its 'Odisha does not exist in the Delhi view of India's national media map' policy.

Which is not off the mark. For the better part of the last decade, most national TV channels have not had a representative in Odisha, and the ones that have, are making do with a marginal presence with few resources. In the TRP-driven market that TV channel owners swear by, Odisha is not a hefty contributor.

Which is why only when a story from Odisha conforms to the stereotype of poverty and malnutrition with powerful visuals that it makes it to the national news rundown.

"On most occasions, when a story like this happens, parachute journalists come down," says Purusottam Singh Thakur, Fellow at People's Archive of Rural India. "But unfortunately, the kind of rural distress stories that you get to report in Odisha, find no space in mainstream media."

Odisha journalists would tell you that the Dana Majhi episode is probably the 12th incident of this kind in the last year. If it was not for the crew of OTV, an Odia news channel, which filmed it quickly before calling up the District Medical officer for help, even Dana Majhi's story would have gone unreported. Those looking to shoot the messenger do not realise that it was the channel crew that ensured Majhi and his daughter got a vehicle to take the body back home.

Thakur points out that another incident took place in Balasore district on the same day, when the bones of an 80-year-old dead widow were broken because the stiff body could not wrapped due to rigor mortis. The body was then wrapped in a sheet, tied with a rope and then slung on a bamboo pole, like they would carry a dead animal. The woman, Salamani Behera had died when she was run over by a train near Soro railway station.

The CM, who has been Odisha's most powerful man since 2000, talks of ordering more ambulances now. But one visit to this part of Odisha, and Patnaik would have known the ground conditions. The Indian Express reports that with no ambulance available to shift Behera's body to the hospital, the Railway police asked an autorickshaw to carry it. He asked for Rs 3500, whereas the budget with the Railway police for such incidents is Rs 1,000.

Behera, in effect, died twice. First killed by the speeding train, then by the system.

Odisha clearly is not a state for the dead. The apathy of the system has reduced its sensitivity to a dead state.

Senior journalist Sampad Mahapatra points to the speed at which the administration has given itself a clean chit. "It says Dana Majhi, the husband never asked for help. How is it possible for him to wrap up his wife's body and walk out of the hospital without any permission," asks Mahapatra.

Editorial Director of OTV, Sandeep Sahu points out that the absence of the national media makes it easier for the political establishment to control the narrative. "Sections of the Odia media are compromised through their owners. The CM has utter disdain for the regional media. In 16 years as chief minister, he is yet to give an interview to the Odia media," says Sahu.

Human rights activists point out incidents of this kind demonstrate that the people do not really matter. "Look at the irony. This belt of Odisha is extremely rich in mineral resources like bauxite, but the people are extremely poor. Travelling through the area gives you a sense of acute government neglect. From a human rights perspective, bodies being taken like this is stripping a human being of his or her dignity," says VS Krishna of Human Rights Forum.

Odisha has also been home to a Maoist movement for over a decade, and observers feel deprivation of this sort only provides the ground for far-left movements to take off. Pushed to a place constantly at the bottom of the pyramid, people feel they have a legitimate reason to get attracted to an ideology that argues from their perspective that the gun is the only solution for victims of social oppression and monumental neglect.

But it is not as if the other sarkaar  the Maoist establishment  is any less corrupt, any less compromised. Most of the Naxal leadership in Odisha is from Andhra Pradesh, leaving the Odia foot soldiers frustrated that they cannot climb upwards in the Maoist hierarchy beyond a particular designation.

"The Maoist leadership also indulges in political deal-making with the politicians especially at the time of elections, apart from extortion money and protection money," says Sahu.

Aware that Odisha's faultlines are not well-documented or broadcast beyond the state's borders, Patnaik is in Bengaluru for Odisha Investors Meet to paint a rosy picture, to tell industry that they are among the best in the 'ease of doing business' parameters. With stiff competition between states to woo the same capital, for Patnaik attracting big-ticket investment into Odisha is a matter of life and death.

Irony just died.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

Zimbabwe's riot police have descended at Freedom Square in Harare to disperse a gathering on more than 20 opposition political parties.The opposition had planned to demonstrate in Harare today.However, pictures seen by Bulawayo24.com this morning show riot police tanks arriving at the assembly venue.People at the site have been ordered to leave.
Srinagar: Every day, Residency Road in Srinagar is packed with thousands of shoppers, commuters, students and office goers. It is the busiest street in the heart of Srinagar city. But, these days, it takes a while before you notice a moving soul. Shops are shut, business establishments are closed and no one has any inkling when the situation will return to normal.

Srinagar, the summer capital of the state of Jammu and Kashmir, is a curfewed city; its days bear an uncanny resemblance to its nights. A city of more than 1.5 million people is caged and wrapped in concertina wires. And its streets are missing human existence.

The silence broken by an occasional jackboot-tapping, bamboo sticks, roaring vehicles, and the siren of ambulances ferrying the wounded. The deafening silence is the only sound in this tormented city. Some places in the city look strikingly like New York City in the Hollywood film I Am Legend  in which a virus, originally created to cure cancer, wipes out most of mankind.

We are jailed inside our homes, said Ali Mohammad Koka, a driver by profession, who lives on the Bund near Lal Chowk. A lane leading to Kokas house is closed with coils of concertina wires.

But than when you move towards the clock tower, in central Lal Chowk, the Red Square  a name given to it by a leftist Sikh intellectual BPL Bedi after the Red Square of Moscow, and a place were Indians first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru addressed a huge gathering in 1948 and promised Kashmiris a referendum  you find paramilitary soldiers, manning different entry and exit points, refusing to allow anyone access.

These days, said Ashraf Ahmad, who runs a tea stall inside a taxi stand near clock tower, I sell tea to CRPF and police personnel, because no one else will come here.

But Tuesday was different. A group of reporters met outside a newspaper stall, sat on the pavement, and discussed Kashmir. Most of them were meeting after a long time. But even this short accidental gathering was cut short by a policeman zooming in and ordering them to honourably disappear from the street. It took them less than four minutes to leave.

A day earlier, accompanied by a colleague, I sat on a staircase for three long hours to count the number of vehicles passing through Lambert Lane, on Residency Road, we counted three: One of the Jammu and Kashmir police, another of a journalist going to office and the third, a Jammu and Kashmir Bank van.

We walked towards Lal Chowk and saw a group of soldiers with bamboo sticks and rifles slung across their shoulders, nervous. They were from Manipur, Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Rajasthan, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. Striking a conversation with them was difficult.

Dont know when this election will get over, and we can go home, a CRPF soldier freshly deployed in Kashmir, said causally, after checking our ID cards.

But there's no one around who will come for matadan (voting), he added, as we tried to explain that there were no elections scheduled in the near future. Was he being naive or just kidding, I wondered as we walk towards the tower. On a normal day, you would struggle to get a space enough to even set down a foot. But these days, a CRPF bunker-style vehicle is the only visible footprint on the street.

Then there was a group of soldiers on the left side of the tower. We walked towards them, but with heavy legs. Deep inside, I wasn't even sure if they would beat us or simply shoo us away.

As per the Hurriyats protest calendar  a week-long protest programme  some evenings had seen signs of life in Lal Chowk, as people rushed towards the city centre for 'distress shopping', mostly for the brides and grooms getting married during the curfew period. However, the hustle and bustle of the market disturbed the government, which imposed stricter restrictions especially on days that the Hurriyat asked people to open shops. Any sort of normalcy on the Hurriyats call is unacceptable to the government. Because, as a police officer told me, if Syed Ali Geelani can impose a curfew, why cant we?

Lal Chowk, has witnessed these bouts of silence for over seven decades now. Silence in Lal Chowk reflects history  the near-silence of New Delhi when it comes to resolving the political dispute in Kashmir.

Much of Srinagar looks the same, but not the south and north of Kashmir, where people protest freely. Almost everyday, incidents of stone-pelting are reported from the region, including Srinagars downtown area, but not near Lal Chowk. Even the Maisuma locality  the stronghold of JKLF chairman of Yasin Malik, who is presently under detention  is silent. The paramilitary forces have closed roads leading towards the area.

On Wednesday, I crossed more than four checkpoints while travelling towards the downtown area of Srinagar, where roads were blocked by barricades and concertina wires. Fatigued soldiers looking nervously at approaching civilians, and without giving them an audience, often shooed them away. They seemed tense and angry.

In the sensitive Nowhatta area, a women peeped out of a gate before venturing out onto the road. We are most vulnerable. Getting out of the house is a difficult. Soldiers dont allow you to come out, and you dont want to get trapped in a stone-pelting incident. Children are the worst sufferers and are confined to one room, she said.
By Nisha Susan

When I was a teenager, my best friend told me the story of her cousin with the long, beautiful hair. She was standing in the yard of their old house in Kerala and combing her hair one morning, when her brother saw her. He stormed into the house and returned with a pair of scissors and hacked her hair off.

This story terrified me and enraged me for years. Whenever said friends male cousin came by, I plotted revenge. All the while I tried to understand what mysterious cultural reasons had made him do it. My Kannadiga friends in Bangalore did tease me and call me Bhadrakali when I ran about with my hair open. Was that it? But then my best friend, her cousin and I were all from a state that was advertised with ladies with long, open hair. So was it an erotic charge, rather than dynamite, that had exploded in that terrible young mans brain that day?

Nowadays, I no longer spend time thinking of cultural reasons for the man who cut his sisters hair. Im content to feel that the desire to police sisters has to be beaten out of some men with long prison sentences. Nothing else can help them. And that the State and its satellite institutions are often the brothers with the sharp pair of scissors.

Last week, Kerala schoolgirl Alsha PS went to the State Child Rights Commission arguing that her school shouldnt force female students into double braids. Shed tried to convince various school bodies that its a pain in the morning, and forces girls to either pick between not bathing or making hair stinky by braiding it while wet. The Commission, miraculously, agreed with Alsha.

Why miraculous? As a woman your hair, along with most of your body, is constantly policed. Your hair is too long. Too short. Too thin. Too bushy. Too curly. Too brown. Too coloured. Too shampooed. Too oily.

In fact, your hair is too much.

As an 11-year-old I used to take my five-year old cousin to get haircuts. I had poker straight hair and she had short, tight curls. We were both exclaimed over, and I was asked each time if my cousins hair was natural and real. Over the years, several cousins have caved to such weird responses to curly hair and done everything from using the straightening iron to the re-bonding gig. Some years ago, when interviewing women television journalists in Delhi about body image pressures, I was told that curly hair was strictly a no-no. Several women had been told explicitly that their entry-level jobs depended on their willingness to get their mess straightened.

In Gayatri Bashis wonderful childrens book Minu and Her Hair (2013), Minu has a big mop of extravagantly messy, curly hair. When she takes her troubles to her grandfather, he makes no attempt to tell her that shes pretty or her hair is pretty. Instead, they think of its immense possibilities  a birds nest, a cow with two horns and any number of other fun things. Certainly more fun than the option of if your hair is straight you will find yourself a prince.

Even after the commission ruled that schoolgirls dont need to wear plaits, Alsha appeared at school in neat double braids. She reportedly said, I want my teachers to say that. I want them to say that we have a choice, and plaiting is not mandatory.

In an interview with The Ladies Finger, Bashi said, In spite of growing up with hair I was self-conscious about, I learnt to embrace it for what it was  quirks and all. Because it's inherently part of who I am. Maybe straightening it would have felt liberating, just for a change.

A few years ago, academic J Devika began one of her delicious diatribes thus: All of Mallu FB world is agog with discussion about a brainless ad for the Indulekha Hair Oil, in which a fiery-looking woman whose dress-style follows the dress conventions of our Malayalee AIDWA Stars, bursts with indignation over the terrible harassment that women with long hair face on buses, how we are all forced to cut off the hair that we have (Ulla mudi) and go about with short hair like men because of this horrible injustice, and finally, how we all ought to grow our hair long (and let it down, possibly) and hit back at such harassers.

The hair oil advertisement in its evil genius tapped into two of our major panics about hair. One, that our hair is thinning. Even women who are strictly against nostalgia cant help a twinge for that one day when we were 16, and our hair was at its thickest and glossiest. Two, that men will use it to inflict pain.

As far as this second panic is concerned, sometimes its that we think somehow our hair (along with our other body parts from liver to big toe) is giving men a signal for violence. Sometimes its that we think (like in the ad) that a man will actually use it to cause pain. Think Im exaggerating? Last week, a friend walking to work on Lal Bagh Road in Bangalore passed a pair of schoolboys. One of them reached out and held her by her hair, slapped her hard in the face, and then ran away laughing.

As a woman your hair, along with most of your body, is constantly policed. Your hair is too long. Too short. Too thin. Too bushy. Too curly. Too brown. Too coloured. Too shampooed. Too oily.

The day after I shaved my head the first time (11 September, 2001), I was asked for obvious reasons whether it had been a political decision. My haircut had been a wee bit political, but it had preceded the towers falling. Woman after woman talks about decisions around her hair in relation to freedom.

Devika wrote in the same piece, I did everything to evade grandmothers seemingly endless combing, plaiting, oiling, washing with shoe-flower paste. When she cut it short, it sent her whole family into mourning and rage. Bashi says, Let's just say there are many autobiographical elements in the book. I did have to struggle with my hair being forcibly combed. It did break a few teeth. Of combs, not peoples! It has also seen its share of being oiled into submission. When I reached college, though, I chopped it all off. That taste of freedom, the wind tickling my scalp, and my head feeling 5 kg lighter  happiness. Incidentally, a recent documentary about black women in London who defy expectations to chemically treat their hair, is also called Hair Freedom.

The young revolutionary Alsha seems to understand this. Even after the commission ruled that schoolgirls dont need to wear plaits, Alsha appeared at school in neat double braids. She reportedly said, I want my teachers to say that. I want them to say that we have a choice, and plaiting is not mandatory.

The Ladies Finger is a leading online feminist magazine.
New Delhi: Delhi High Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking withdrawal of security cover given to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, as the Centre said the state government was taking care of his security.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said since the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stated that they have nothing to do with Thackeray's security, "the question of withdrawal of his security raised by petitioner does not arise".

"In view of the statement made by the Ministry, we cannot entertain this writ petition," the bench said, adding that "it is not a public interest issue which requires interference by this court".

The court refused to hear the plea alleging that Thackeray is provided with 'Y' category security cover by the government which should be withdrawn as he was neither holding a constitutional post, nor was he a lawmaker.

It also refused to issue direction to the Centre to frame guidelines about security cover given to private persons who are "engaged in hate speech or have criminal cases" pending against them.

The bench further said the petitioner can avail other remedies available under the law, if he was not satisfied by the court's order.

The bench passed the order after the counsel for MHA, Saakshi Agrawal, submitted that the security to the MNS chief has been given by the state government and not by the central government.

The petitioner, Mithilesh Kumar Pandey, had alleged in his plea that persons who are involved in hate speeches and have the means to hire private security guards should not be given security cover by the government spending taxpayers' money and a guideline should be framed on the issue.

The plea had sought a direction to the Centre to frame guidelines while referring to the ratio of policemen and civilians in India.
News / National

by Thobekile Zhou

Several army helicopters are hovering around Freedom Square in Harare, the venue of planned opposition political parties demonstration.The situation is said to resemble 'a war zone'.The protests have been given a thumbs by the High Court after police made a spirited bid to block it.The National Electoral Reform Agenda organised the march.Justice Hlekani Mwayera ruled that the demonstration should be conducted peacefully from 12 midday to 4 pm.She ordered the police to maintain peace and barred them from interfering with the demonstrators.When the news of the High Court ruling filtered through in Harare hundreds of people streamed to Freedom Square in readiness to march.Protesters have taken over some roads leading to Harare's central business district.Reports indicate that Zanu PF has mobilised its youths to attack protesters.There are reports of market stall in Copa Cabana being burnt.
Paris: France's highest administrative court will decide on Friday whether to overturn the ban on wearing the full-body burkini swimsuit which has sparked controversy at home and abroad.

The State Council heard arguments Thursday from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group who are seeking to reverse a decision by the southern town of Villeneuve-Loubet to ban the Islamic swimsuit.

The ruling, due at 3 pm (1300 GMT), is likely to set a precedent for around 30 French towns which have banned the burkini, mostly along the sun-drenched southeast coast.

A court in the Riviera resort of Nice upheld the ban this week.

The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate about the wearing of the full-body swimsuit, women's rights and the French state's strictly-guarded secularism.

President Francois Hollande said Thursday that life in France "supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation".

Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a Nice beach as she removed a long-sleeved top.

The office of Nice's mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken.

The police fined her and she left the beach, the officials added.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday condemned any "stigmatisation" of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was "a political sign of religious proselytising".

"We are not at war with Islam... the French republic is welcoming (to Muslims), we are protecting them against discrimination," he told BFMTV.

But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, Education Minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem said the "proliferation" of burkini bans "was not a welcome development".

'No link to terrorism'

Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed.

"In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach," she said, using another term for Islamic State.

But Valls contradicted his minister's claims, saying the bans were necessary to maintain "public order".

The former president, Nicolas Sarkozy, who this week launched his bid to regain the presidency, has described the burkini as a "provocation".

'Necessary ban'

The administrative court in Nice ruled Monday that the Villeneuve-Loubet ban was "necessary" to prevent public disorder after the truck attack in Nice and the murder of a Catholic priest by two jihadists in northern France.

The so-called burkini bans never actually mention the word burkini, although they are aimed at the garment which covers the hair but leaves the face visible and stretches down to the ankles.

The vague wording of the prohibitions has caused confusion.

Apart from the incident in the photographs in Nice, a 34-year-old mother of two told AFP on Tuesday she had been fined on the beach in the resort of Cannes wearing leggings, a tunic and a headscarf.

"I was sitting on a beach with my family. I was wearing a classic headscarf. I had no intention of swimming," said the woman, who gave only her first name, Siam.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan, the first Muslim mayor of a major Western capital, condemned the bans as he visited Paris Thursday.

"I don't think anyone should tell women what they can and can't wear. Full stop," he told the London Evening Standard newspaper.

France firmly separates religion and public life and was the first European country to ban the wearing of the Islamic face veil in public in 2010.
Washington: More than half of respondents in a new poll said they plan to vote for Hillary Clinton  the first time the Democratic presidential candidate has breached that all-important 50 percent threshold.

The poll released on Thursday by Quinnipiac University found the former secretary of state leading Trump 51 to 41 percent in a head to head race.

"We are starting to hear the faint rumblings of a Hillary Clinton landslide as her 10-point lead is further proof that Donald Trump is in a downward spiral as the clock ticks," said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

Support for Clinton falls below 50 percent if third-party candidates are thrown into the equation.

The former first lady gets 45 percent, with Trump polling 38 percent, when Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party contender Jill Stein are added to the mix.

Johnson gets 10 percent and Stein is at 4 percent in the Quinnipiac poll.

Trump's campaign has stumbled in recent weeks after a series of perceived gaffes. Commentators say it has struggled to make the transition from the scrappy party nomination fight to the battle to become US commander in chief.

"Trump's missteps, stumbles and gaffes seem to outweigh Clinton's shaky trust status and perceived shady dealings. Wow, is there any light at the end of this dark and depressing chapter in American politics?" Malloy said.

Meanwhile, Clinton, who is looking to make history as America's first female commander in chief, has hit choppy waters as well amid the continuing fallout over her misbegotten decision to use a private email server for State Department correspondence.

She also has come under scrutiny for allegedly breaching a firewall between her family charity and her role as secretary of state, sparking Republican complaints of special favors granted to donors to the Clinton Foundation.

But despite her self-inflicted wounds, many voters perceive fewer potential drawbacks to a Clinton presidency, and she continues to poll well ahead of her Republican rival.

Quinnipiac's nationwide telephone survey of some 1,500 likely voters, taken from 18 to 24 August, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Mogadishu: Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a popular beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, city authorities said on Friday.

"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.

Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The assailants also threw grenades at the security services who cordoned off the area. One man with a head wound was detained by the authorities which accused him of being the bomber.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.

The Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed via the Telegram messaging service, claiming to have killed "scores" of people.

It said the restaurant was targeted because it was frequented by "apostates" indulging in "obscenity and vice".

The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, seeking to impose an austere Islamic rule on the country.

By Friday morning officials said the attackers had been killed.

All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.

Threat to elections

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try to violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago, Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned that the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.
San Francisco: A California court on Thursday said that a judge who was harshly criticised and subjected to a recall campaign for the leniency of a six-month jail sentence for a former Stanford University swimmer who raped an unconscious woman will no longer hear criminal cases, a move that came at his own request.

Santa Clara County Presiding Judge Rise Pichon said she has granted the request for reassignment of Judge Aaron Persky.

"While I firmly believe in Judge Persky's ability to serve in his current assignment, he has requested to be assigned to the civil division, in which he previously served," Pichon said in a statement. "Judge Persky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment."

The move is not necessarily permanent. The assignment is subject to an annual review and takes effect from 6 September.

Persky ordered the six-month sentence for Brock Turner, a Dayton, Ohio, resident who had been attending Stanford on a swimming scholarship. The judge cited a probation department recommendation and the effect the conviction will have on Turner's life.

Authorities say Turner sexually assaulted the girl while she was passed out near a trash bin.

The case sparked a national debate on college drinking and sexual assault and led to a recall effort against the judge.

Michelle Dauber, the Stanford law professor behind the recall effort, said that while the move from Persky is welcome, the recall attempt will continue, in part because Persky "can still transfer back to hearing criminal cases any time he chooses."

"The issue of his judicial bias in favor of privileged defendants in sex crimes and domestic violence still needs to be addressed by the voters of Santa Clara County," Dauber said in an email. "In our opinion, Judge Persky is biased and should not be on the bench."

Dauber and other organizers have said they will begin collecting signatures in April to qualify the issue for the November 2017 ballot.

Persky had already removed himself from two sex-crimes cases since his June sentencing of the 20-year-old Turner exploded in national media.

On Monday, he formally recused himself from deciding whether to reduce a San Jose plumber's felony child pornography charges to misdemeanors.

That came two months after the district attorney's office removed Persky from a different sexual assault case, saying "we lack confidence" in the judge's ability to decide it impartially.

A jury convicted Turner, a former Olympic hopeful, of sexually assaulting the young woman he met at a campus fraternity party in January 2015 after she passed out behind a trash bin.

The sentence along with the long and much-shared statement the victim read in court made the case a national rallying cry for a reconsideration of how rape is handled by the law.
Opinion / Columnist

Dear Cabinet and Politburo membersCOMRADES, I am following with much amusement stories about a possible coalition between opposition parties in this country in the forlorn hope that they could possibly unseat the great revolutionary party from power.Well, dreaming is still a human right granted by God at the beginning of time, so these people can dream on, but that would not make any difference at all for us because come 2018, we will be romping to victory as per our tradition  there is no doubt or question about that.For as long as the overwhelming majority of the people are on our side, even if all of these parties gang up against us, it will still not make any difference because that would not make them big. It is like ants ganging up together in the hope of looking like an elephant.In the last elections, our party commanded a healthy 65 percent of the votes, which means that all the opposition parties in their various hues and shapes shared the remaining 35 percent. So even if they form a coalition, that would not make their share of the electorate grow beyond what it naturally is. So why should we worry if Morgan, Joice, Dumiso, Simba, Egypt and everyone come together, as if that would affect us in any way?Unlike other parties, ours is a party that is firmly rooted in the people, so all types of winds can come from any direction, but they would not move us an inch, so why should we worry?I notice that the people are getting irritated by Joice's provocative statements and have decided to expose her for the charlatan that she is. Our sages always admonish that those who stay in glasshouses should not throw stones at others  we are no longer responsible for what is being said about her.It is her vaulting ambition that is getting her into all sorts of fertilisers  that is what happens when people do not control their dreaming processes.Being a denizen of cloud cuckoo that she is, every morning when she looks at her face in the mirror, she tells herself she is seeing a presidential face. It is very sad that some people decide to become grave dangers to themselves.Look at the likes of Cde Webster, Cde Nicholas and others  they silently suffered the discipline visited upon them by the party, and remained very loyal to the party so much that the party itself started feeling bad about punishing them harshly.When the people get angry as they are now appearing to be, one cannot expect the party to restrain them from telling the truth as it is.I note with grave disappointment that the West is now trying to arm-twist the directors and shareholders of Afreximbank into withholding the US$200 million that the financial institution has offered to underwrite our bond notes.It has been brought to my attention that a group of people purporting to be Zimbabweans have started collecting signatures to send to the bank along with a petition asking it not to honour its pledge to back our bond notes.And yet at the end of the day the very same people want to march on the streets demanding jobs and other social services, when they are at the forefront of sabotaging that very economy.I now agree that the worst sin one can ever commit is failure to think!These are the very same people who recently petitioned the embassy of a certain Far Eastern country to ban the party's leadership from visiting that country. Naturally, they were ignored. In both these cases, these people are making the wildest of allegations against their government  he-eh human rights, he-eh two million jobs, he-eh El Nino, he-eh democracy!What these people do not know is that they are just wasting their own time.The West has tried all tricks in the book to arm-twist us into submission, but not even one of them has showed remote signs of working.Anyway, I wish them all the best.Kindest RegardsYours SincerelyME AND CZ'S NOTEBOOKUnmaskingThe end is certainly getting nigh, that is if the way our politics is getting dirtier by the day is something to go by.This week, The Sunday Mail decided to "unmask" former vice president Joice Mujuru by carrying a salacious article which said a lot about the lack of character among some of our political leaders.Until this happened, Dr CZ, just like other Zimbos, innocently thought it was only in those Muslim communities, where victims of rape were guilty of being victims of rape. Now we know that this also happens even in this country.In the unlikely event that what the source of the article  that is Cde George Rutanhire  said has an iota of truth to it, then this would be confirmation of what we have all along known, but have been decent enough not to say it openly that most of the women who served the war as chimbwidos were raped by some rogue elements of the freedom fighters.Just show us just one person who would say "No!" to requests of sexual nature from a person wielding an AK47, and then we would not have to show you a person who has dangerous suicidal tendencies! To accuse a rape victim of "loving men too much" is the height of madness.If this is the character of people who make up the leadership of this country, then it should not be a surprise at all that we are head over heels in the mess that we are today as a country.Dr CZ read it somewhere that some Zimbos no longer have any sense of shame at all, and he thought the accusation was unearned and therefore unfair.After reading this, he no longer has any choice, but to agree.With characters like Cde Rutanhire abound all over, one wonders if it is really true that this country actually failed to find a hangman.The most, those of us who still have vestiges of shame left in us, can do in the meantime is to collectively bow our heads in shame and regret the criminal conspiracy of accident of coincidence that resulted in us being Zimbos.ZIMBABWE ELECTIONSZim People First leader and former vice president Joice MujuruLife maths!This one came from a fan of Dr CZ who is based in Nigeria:Check this out. It is very interesting and educative. If: A B C D E F G H I J K LM N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z are equal to: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 Then H+A+R+D+W+O+R+K translates to 8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11= 98 percentK+N+O+W+L+E+D+G+E is 11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96 percentL+O+V+E is 12+15+22+5 = 54 percentL+U+C+K would be 12+21+3+11 = 47 percentNone of them makes 100 percent.Then what makes 100 percent?Is it Money? No! M+O+N+E+Y is 13+15+14+5+25 =72 percentLeadership? No! L+E+A+D+E+R+S+H+I+P is 12+5+1+4+5+18+19+8+9+16 = 97 percent.Every problem has a solution, only if we perhaps change our "ATTITUDE".A+T+T+I+T+U+D+E is 1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100 percent.It is therefore our ATTITUDE towards Life and Work that makes our Life 100 percent successful.Amazing mathematics and that's why I love it because with the right attitude you are able to follow the beautiful advice below:-Stay away from anger it hurts only you!-If you are right then there is no need to get angry,-And if you are wrong then you don't have any right to get angry.-Patience with family is love,-Patience with others is respect.-Patience with self is confidence and patience with God is faith.-Never think hard about the past, it brings tears only-Don't think more about the future, it brings fear-Live this moment with a smile, it brings cheer-Every test in our life makes us bitter or better-Every problem comes to make us or break us,-The choice is ours whether we become victims or victorious.-Beautiful things are not always good, but good things are always beautiful.-Do you know why God created gaps between fingers?-So that someone who is special to you comes and fills those gaps by holding your hand forever.-Happiness keeps you sweet but being sweet brings happiness.Share it with the beautiful people in your life (Dr CZ's fans!).cznotebook@yahoo.co.uk
Opinion / Columnist

EUPHORIA gripped Zimbabwe when firebrand pastor, Evan Mawarire, began ranting and raving, through the #ThisFlag campaign, to express his frustration over the country's deteriorating economic situation.His frustrations resonated well with almost everyone and his support grew as many people believed that "salvation" was finally knocking on the country's doors.From just a mere tweet, what began as a social media pastime, #ThisFlag gathered momentum to incarnate into protests which many believed was the only way Zanu-PF would succumb as Zimbabweans, followed the bandwagon to the "Hatichada" (we are fed up), "Hatichatya" (We are not afraid) mantra.Armed with his mobile phone, a flag and the Bible, Mawarire's story hogged the limelight in both local and international media.But ever since the cleric was involved in a nasty brush with the might of the Zanu-PF government machinery, the euphoria has fizzled out.After his "miraculous" escape from the gallows, having been arrested for inciting violence, he made good his escape as soon as Harare magistrate Vakai Chikwekwe freed him.The charismatic clergyman escaped to South Africa under the guise that he had pre-arranged business commitments.That he is unlikely to return any time soon is now certain after he said so himself.His followers back home, however, feel let down.That he has even gone as far as referring to his fellow Zimbabweans as "haters" in his latest video shot in the United States, seems to point to the fact that he could have completely lost the plot somewhere along the line."You are quick to tell me to come back home, but you can't tell Bob (President Robert Mugabe) to go away," Mawarire chuckled.His move to the Diaspora has, however, been met with mixed feelings, with some Zimbabweans dismissing Mawarire's security fears as mere disguise of his betrayal of the people's trust.Although, Mawarire claims solidarity with suffering Zimbabweans, his recent move to a more comfortable base in the US, where he is reportedly being granted asylum, has set tongues wagging."I keep saying that whether I am in Zimbabwe or not, this will not make us stop. Our power is in unity and faith. Our strength is in numbers, so I encourage you that we should have more movements that are protesting against government," Mawarire insists.Calling for more demonstrations in a volatile country, which he has ironically fled, has left many seeing yet another dummy in Mawarire's calls.An indication of the disgruntlement is the significant drop in the number of comments on Mawarire's Twitter and Facebook handles as his social media support wanes in the wake of his move to the Diaspora.Many long-suffering Zimbabweans now feel that the clergyman has abandoned the struggle.Research analyst with the University of Johannesburg, Admire Mare, said Zimbabwe is desperate for leadership to save it from the current regime, hence gullible whenever a new leader emerges."Zimbabweans are suffering from a crisis of expectations. We are yearning for a Moses and whenever a new leader props up promising heaven on earth, we expect him or her to take us to the Promised Land," said Mare."Most of the time we end up expecting too much and becoming euphoric to the point of ignoring the political and communicative opportunity structures which militates against the attainment of the political objectives," he added.He, however, said Mawarire's life was in danger and, as a political novice, he put his life first."Accusing Mawarire of selling out or absconding is simply expecting too much from a citizen whose role was just to kick-start the protest culture. His actions are therefore understandable in the sense that his campaign was generally leaderless' in the metaphorical sense. His safety and security comes first," Mare said.A political activist, who sent President Mugabe a prison garb before also fleeing the country, Nkosilathi Moyo, said Mawarire needed time to re-strategise, hence his trip to the US."Mawarire was no longer safe in Zimbabwe because no one knows what Zanu-PF was brewing to silence him."Yes he has gone at a time when Zimbabwe needed him most  I totally agree, but sometimes going out for a while to re-strategise, rest and respite is very important in a struggle," said Moyo.  By Nyasha Chingono
Opinion / Columnist

Zanu-PF replicates many of the doctrines that defined the Rhodesia colonial regime by devoting much of its energy to victimize and demobilize the popular constituency that brought the independence of Zimbabwe through personal sacrifices and loss of life. The popular constituency of the ordinary citizenry is deprived of political, social and economic transformation and mobility. Little improvement in the last 36 years has trickled down to the ordinary people to enjoy the fruits of their hard won independence.The so called revolution movement of Zanu-PF has sabotaged the revolution goals of majority rule, human freedom, democratic principles, rule of law and the excise of human rights. The strategy of Zanu-PF of suppressing people's constitutional pursuit for political and economic change by using over played propaganda that portrays advocates for political and economic change as plotting for regime change, undermining the authority of the president, destabilizing peace and unity can no longer hold. Peace and stability cannot be achieved through unfair and unequal relationship with the people; not through a faulty constitution; repressive laws, faulty electoral laws; use of the security service sector such as the army, police, CIO and the prisons to silence freedom of expression and association. The government owned media is used to undermine the popular constituency by suppressing the truth using well known failed and incompetent political communication strategies. The Zimbabwe Zanu-PF mainstream media with all its intents has lost readership and following because of its bias, lack of objectivity and balanced reporting.Zanu-PF is driven by the principles of dictatorship and patronage politics fraught with major incompetence, that of failure to reform. It uses a strait jacket approach; it is rigid; not adaptable to change. Zanu-PF patronage system is premised around politics centralized to a power holder Robert Mugabe who is responsible for distributing material favours to the patronage machinery all of whom are strategically deployed in government ministries, the security services, parastatals, government missions and commissions. Their mandate is to work for the interest of the president not the general populace. In fact the general public is viewed as an adversary to the patronage machinery and therefore the public must be kept in check.The Zanu-PF President Mugabe led government depicts the hallmarks of a dictatorship characterized by propaganda declaring Mugabe as flawless, clean, incorruptible and an earthly God. The dictatorial predisposition of Zanu-PF patronage system is the central strategy of governance rooted in violation of human rights and freedoms, selective application of the law, use of government departments and agencies as private property and a deliberate impoverishing of the general population as a means of controlling people behavior and complianceThe Zanu-PF dictatorship and patronage politics machine is now set to crumble driven from within its patrons and clients caused by a defective political dichotomy of factionalism, corruption, tribalism, nepotism, cronyism, social and economic vandalism and more so by diminishing material resources to pay its clientele within the patronage system. There are growing signs of the collapse of the Zanu-PF rigid system as is always predicted that with time the patronage system will always certainly suffer economic and social diminishing scales of returns. The reason is that the patronage system does not allow for variables. It does not allow for adjustment and readjustment to respond to changing social and economic variables. President Mugabe is a producer of political patronage exchange that is rigid in its mentality and thinking because of his ideology of centralizing power to him. Dictatorship has a limited life span because of its tradition of lack of flexibly. Evidence is that the departure of the powerful patronage holder means a complete breakdown of the whole patronage machinery. It does not have a successor because the dictator is paranoid about loss of power and naming a successor is unsettling for the dictator. The current tractions and chaos around succession within Zanu-PF is the consequence of dictatorship leadership based on the philosophy that a new day does not raise before the fall of the old one.The popularity of Zanu-PF is declining as some of the patronage holders and clients are beginning to seek a change in the system as the realization is that the life span of the patronage system is coming to end. It is without doubt that President Robert Mugabe's days are at twilight in response to the natural dictates of nature and advanced age. The scramble for control of the state resources by aspiring new patronage power holders will naturally attempt to displace the old political patronage machine to set up a completely new set of patronage players and their clients. It is common knowledge the success of a patronage machine is the control of national and state resources to use to buy patronage. The transition will certainly become vicious and ugly. The signs are there for everyone to see. The groups of G40 and Team Lacoste are now attempting to consolidate their positions in readiness to take control of state resources while the naivety of President Mugabe is that he is still loved by people and will live beyond the detects of nature not withstanding that he has become a victim of his own patronage system. The ideology of G40 and Lacoste is that of egoism and self-serving. G40 appears to be attempting to form a new patronage movement to exclude many of the old patrons of the liberation struggle opting for a generation of young patrons while Team Lacoste appears to seek to maintain the ethos of the revolution struggle and aspiring to recycle the old guard who feel that the sacrifices of the liberation struggle will be sacrificed if G40 took charge of the patronage system.The purged and breakaway group of former Vice president Joice Mujuru is transforming and transferring its focus and support for improved service delivery to the ordinary people. Patronage material gains in this group have got to a point where the patronage benefits and privileges have been taken away from them. Their new claim is that patronage material no longer gives them any sense of fulfillment; their new found awareness has been triggered by being purged. They now aspire for non-material benefits such as honest, love, happiness, shared values and personal freedom. People of Zimbabwe now value provision of services and public goods instead of popular politics of patronage. If the Mujuru's group means what it says then they are the winners because their power and focus base is the people.The opposition political parties are now thinking beyond their political goals to embrace a coalition of parties which is a welcome fundamental and realization that the people of Zimbabwe are by nature united very much against the culture of tribal segregation by Zanu-PF. This move by opposition political parties is to counteract the tradition of dictatorship and divisionism which has always been a political trade mark of Zanu-PF. People can easily be united as a nation while acknowledging their diverse ethnic, geographic and political identitiesThe general populace is in essence more powerful than the patronage dictatorial power holder. The ordinary people of Zimbabwe are more aware of their stake in the politics of their country. Zimbabweans have for a long time been subjected to victims of poverty and oppression by the Zanu-PF black oppressor. The Zanu-PF government is known for its arrogance taking people for granted viewing them as too rural, too illiterate, too poor and too ethnic to influence any political transformation. The new reality is that Zanu-PF government can no longer control the flow of information to ordinary people that it has held victims by information control and misinforming. Mugabe and his cabal's weapons to misinform and manipulate information have been taken away. The people power has unfolded by the deployment of the new social media postings, chatting, texting, tweeting, youtube, blogging, facebook and whatsapp. Social media is now the spur for people's revolution, self-expression and street mobilization. Social media has become the avenue for civic engagement and popular participation. It is now used as a tool for a new forum of grassroots journalism and activism, it's in the grapevine; its fast, it is raw and uncensored, it's interesting; within easy reach and cuts across a range of the social divide. The dictator is finding it hard to outdo the social media. People can now circulate information, videos and pictures with amazing speed to spread information about acts of abuse and corruption by the anti-popular constituency and democracy.People have suffered the imposition for poverty and starvation. The people's loss of dignity and self-worthy imposed on them by Zanu-PF's political strategy of subverting the people's confidence and self-esteem. The people are hungry and angry. People are poor and have nothing more to lose. People have nothing and nothing to protect of themselves as human beings. People have lost their dignity and want to reclaim it. The dictator pretends not to see the signs clearly written on the wall. Zanu-PF and its hangers continue unabated to use heavy handedness tactics to stop the people's revolution by abducting, killing and causing injuries to pro-democracy activists and protestors, manipulating the constitution, buying more guns and more guns, recruiting more soldiers, more policeman and more CIOs. A clever dictator needs to be careful how much these thoughtful human-beings carrying guns are used to cause emotional and physical harm against their kith and kin. The solders live with the poor. The CIOs live with the poor. The policemen live with the people. The policemen, soldiers and the CIO are also the poor. The anger is now reaching boiling point. A big volcano is going to erupt. It only needs a spark and no dictator with all its guns can stop the blazing volcano of the people's desire for freedom and better livelihood.The dictator is making more mistakes by using more force to suppress the people's desire towards a people oriented political and social change. A new revolution for a people's independence driven by grassroots activism ( #the Flag/ Tajamuka/Sesijikela/Buya/ #My Zimbabwe/Beat the pot/Woza/ churches) is a reality that cannot be ignored by any thoughtful and reasonable government. Certainly all these people cannot be out of their minds but they can certainly be something wrong with a government failing to take heed to what the people are saying by failing to do the constitutional and right thing to respond to authentic needs of the peopleOther dictators have in the past tried to use the same brute method to stop the people's wishes for change but failed; talk of Tunisia, Egypt, Libya, Northern Mali and Burkina-faso. Those dictators could not stop the wave of people power. Fascist Italian dictator Benito was short and his body stoned by civilians. Manuel Noriga was captured and now serving a long term prison sentence in USA. Saddam Hassain was captured hiding in a muddy foxhole and sentenced to death by firing squad. Mengistu is living in exile in Zimbabwe away from the fun and glitter that he created for himself and used to enjoy in his home land. Mengistu fled his country with 50 family members and aids. This is a reminder that dictatorship is most likely to end in a bad note.It is hard to guess how Zimbabwe dictatorship will end. President Mugabe still has the chance to do the right thing to preserve the future of the country, his legacy and future of his family. Many dictatorships end when the dictator becomes too weak, too sick to continue, suddenly dies or gets ejected by the popular constituency. Unfortunately dictators in many cases get replaced by other dictators.--------------themba mthethwa
WhatsApp has announced that it is tweaking its privacy policy for the first time since it was acquired by Facebook. With changes in policy, businesses can send messages directly to people using the platform.

It will also begin pushing users to share some of their account information with Facebook. WhatsApp will share your phone number with Facebook for better ad targeting and friend recommendations along with improved statistics and spam prevention. However, the service assures that it will still not allow third-party banner ads which will be welcomed by its more than 1 billion users.

WhatsApp said in a blog post,

We want to explore ways for you to communicate with businesses that matter to you too, while still giving you an experience without third-party banner ads and spam.

WhatsApp says by sharing your number with Facebook, it wants to offer services like getting notified by your bank about a potentially fraudulent transaction or being warned about a delayed flight. The service further says your messages, photos, and account information, will be not be shared onto Facebook or any of the Facebook family of apps for others to see.

Users can opt out sharing their WhatsApp account information shared with Facebook to improve your Facebook ads and products experiences. Existing users who accept WhatsApps updated Terms and Privacy Policy will have an additional 30 days to make this choice by going to Settings > Account.

WhatsApp which started as a simple instant messaging app has snowballed into a full fledged service has rolled out several new features such as end-to-end encryption and WhatsApp Calling alongside various other messaging tools like WhatsApp for web and desktop. The company is set to test the new features in the coming months. You can visit WhatsApps FAQ page for further details.

Srivatsan contributed to this post

Source
Around the world, Philip Morris International (PM 3.34%) has a presence in selling tobacco products to dozens of different countries. The company has focused largely on cigarettes through its history both as a division of Altria (MO 1.96%) and as a separate and independent entity, and Philip Morris' access to the Marlboro brand has paid off among loyal customers. Yet more recently, Philip Morris has paid more attention to reduced-risk products, and the tobacco giant's moves to ramp up its tests of the iQOS heat-not-burn tobacco system have paid off with promising results. Moreover, the fact that Philip Morris and Altria have teamed up to share research on the alternative products front points to an even better future for both companies.

What Philip Morris has done with iQOS

Philip Morris International's efforts in the reduced-risk category started long ago, even though they're only just now starting to pay off significantly. In 2013, Philip Morris announced a partnership with Altria under which the two companies shared product licensing, scientific research, and other aspects of their alternative products businesses. Specifically, Altria gave Philip Morris an exclusive license to sell Altria e-vapor products internationally, while Philip Morris gave Altria U.S. rights to sell heated tobacco products. The collaboration also involved taking advantage of improvements for the joint benefit of both companies.

Last year, Philip Morris expanded its relationship with Altria. The new deal broadened the reach of the partnership to include the joint production of future e-cigarette brands, further cementing the idea that products other than traditional cigarettes offer the maximum potential for both companies.

Speeding up the rollout

Philip Morris began iQOS tests in limited markets, but the product has done so well that Philip Morris has accelerated its rollout. Now, the company has rolled out iQOS on a nationwide basis in Japan, where it has quickly picked up market share of 2.7% during the final week of June.

In addition to Japan, the ramp-up in Italy and Switzerland has gained momentum, and Philip Morris is seeing similar early results to what it experienced in the Japanese market. At the same time, Philip Morris has made iQOS available in Monaco, as well as select cities in Germany and Denmark. By the end of 2016, the tobacco giant expects to have launched the product line in roughly 20 different markets.

Perhaps most importantly, Philip Morris has seen favorable trends in terms of cannibalization of its other business. Early on, many investors feared that reduced-risk products like HeatSticks would only serve to lure away traditional smokers, resulting in no net change in customer appeal. Instead, what has happened is that there's been successively less cannibalization of traditional tobacco products and more people coming in either from other brands or directly as their first experience with Philip Morris products.

The biggest problem for Philip Morris with iQOS has been keeping up with demand. The company has had to manage its capacity to produce iQOS HeatSticks closely, as well as the supply of iQOS devices to let customers use the HeatSticks.

What's ahead for Philip Morris?

Some investors believe that the fact that Philip Morris and Altria are collaborating more extensively suggests that they should go a step further and merge back into a single entity. Admittedly, many of the reasons for the original 2008 spinoff have gone away. In the past, international regulation was far less extensive in most parts of the world than what the U.S. imposed, and so the spinoff was intended to give Philip Morris free reign and less potential liability than its U.S. counterpart. Now, though, many countries have followed the U.S. lead in putting further regulation on tobacco, and that makes the advantages for Philip Morris much smaller than they were in the past.

Given the size of the two companies, the chances of a combination are small. However, as long as the partnership continues to bear fruit, then the status quo should deliver solid results for Philip Morris. In addition, given how much potential iQOS has, Philip Morris shareholders might well want to keep all of their profit for themselves. That fact shows just how strong a move it was for Philip Morris to keep building on the partnership and make the most of opportunities that have arisen from it.
This blog covers software patent news and issues with a particular focus on wireless, mobile devices (smartphones, tablet computers, connected cars) as well as select antitrust matters surrounding those devices.
Image source: Zayo Group.

Small up-and-coming companies always face challenges with profitability, and even the interest in cloud computing and network infrastructure that has helped Zayo Group Holdings (NYSE: ZAYO) grow, in its short history as a publicly traded company, hasn't yet filtered down into bottom-line success. Coming into Thursday's fiscal fourth-quarter financial report, Zayo investors wanted to see further signs of growth but were nevertheless patient about the pace at which that growth would materialize. Zayo's results weren't everything that investors had hoped to see, but the company's long-term vision remains intact, and its strategy has led to some short-term successes. Let's look more closely at how Zayo Group did and whether consistent profits are right around the corner.

Zayo posts record net installations, GAAP loss

Zayo Group's fiscal fourth-quarter results were mixed in the eyes of investors. Revenue soared 40% from the year-ago quarter to $507.3 million, which was about $10 million higher than the consensus forecast among those following the stock. The company posted a net loss of $30.9 million, but that figure included one-time items related to debt refinancing and offsetting reductions in provisions for income taxes. Zayo reported a per-share loss of $0.13, but after taking extraordinary items into account, adjusted earnings of $0.01 were more or less in line with what most investors had expected to see.

Taking a closer look at what happened with Zayo during the quarter, company management highlighted several aspects of the business, some of which went well and others of which went poorly. Zayo reported record net installations of $2.4 million, and the company said that it not only increased overall installation activity during the quarter but also kept its churn rates under control. Recurring revenue growth came in at 7% on a pro forma basis, and Zayo celebrated another quarter of revenue and pre-tax operating profit growth. However, net bookings of $6.4 million were less than the company had expected and were down from the year-ago quarter as well as sequentially from the fiscal third quarter. Zayo said that the cancellation of one unusually large order played a role in the net bookings disappointment, but the company added another large project during the quarter to offset that loss.

From a fundamental perspective, Zayo has moved forward aggressively with strategic moves to bolster its business. In April, Zayo bought Texas-based cloud infrastructure services provider Clearview International for $18.3 million in cash, and the integration of its data center assets has increased Zayo's exposure to the key Texas market. At the same time, Zayo made what it called "material progress" on integrating its Allstream acquisition.

CEO and co-founder Dan Caruso was generally pleased with the company's progress. During the conference call following the announcement, Caruso pointed to the high potential of the overall movement toward 5G network technology, saying, "I can't think of one macro trend that doesn't play in favor of having deep, dense fiber networks and a communication infrastructure strategy." That should bode well for the company's overall business.

What's next for Zayo?

The nice thing about Zayo's situation right now is that it has time to move forward at a healthy but measured pace. Thanks to its debt restructuring, Zayo has bought considerable time to consider expansion plans, with its new offering of notes maturing in 2025 allowing for longer-term strategic thinking. It's true that the quarter's GAAP loss was largely due to the immediate impact on Zayo's financial statements that the extinguishment of the restructured debt had. But the long-term impact to Zayo's business prospects should be extremely positive going forward.

Giving some of Zayo's moves a higher profile would be one good way to bolster future growth. The company entered into an agreement with the Denver Public Schools system, connecting 153 sites and two data centers using more than 600 miles of network assets. An even larger school-district network in Texas also helped Zayo identify what could become a growth niche as education requires greater connectivity.

Zayo shareholders didn't seem entirely convinced about the company's future, sending the stock down as much as 3% early Friday following the Thursday afternoon announcement. Given all the competition in cloud computing, Zayo will need to demonstrate its sustainable competitive advantages in order to secure its place among key players in the industry over the long run.

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.

Dan Caplinger has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Zayo Group. 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.
Green Party presidential nominee Dr. Jill Stein, who according to the most recent Quinnipiac University Poll data is at 4%, is continuing her crusade to end fossil fuels by 2030.

The candidate joined the FOX Business Network on Friday to explain her stance on the issue, saying it isnt an easy problem to solve, especially following the disastrous flooding in Louisiana, ongoing wildfires along the West Coast and science predicting a sea level rise of nine feet by 2050.

What the science actually says and the studies and the experts say that if we have the political will, we can convert, Stein said. And its not just a matter of shutting down fossil fuelits a matter of creating the good jobs for the economy of the future thats healthy for us as people and healthy for the planet.

Stein and the Green Partys program, the Green New Deal, features four pillars, the first being The Economic Bill of Rights. According to the Party, this guarantees all U.S. citizens the right to employment through a Full Employment Program.

What were talking about here is a guarantee to a job, with federal government as the employer of last resort, explained Stein. This is actually something that American people support. In poll after poll, the notion that if you want to work and youre ready to work, that you deserve to have a job and that the government should provide that job if the private sector cant provide it.

Stein, a medical doctor, added that switching to more environmentally-friendly energy can help fund jobs.

Fortunately, we save so much money by the health improvements from phasing out fossil fuelsits actually enough to pay for those jobs to ensure the green energy transition, Stein said.

The Green Party presidential nominee also discussed her stance on U.S. foreign policy, which currently is a major topic among other candidates and the American people.

The man who is really the author of this concept of U.S. domination of the Middle East and of Asia has now done a 180 to say that this policy has been catastrophiccost us $6 trillion in Afghanistan and Iraq alone. One million people killed in Iraq alone, not winning us the hearts and minds of the Middle East. We can actually take a much more collegial approach because what weve gotten for this is failed states, mass refugee migrations and in fact worse terrorist threats.

Stein added:

So even at the heart of the establishment that first generated this policy says that we need to start developing principled, collaborative relationships, including with China and Russia. Right now were on the brink of conflict with Russia with 2,000 nuclear weapons on hair-trigger alert. This is an extremely dangerous policy that we and NATO have been plunging headlong into. Its time to call halt and reexamine this.
The mother of a newborn baby girl who allegedly suffered second-degree burns on her foot while at her pediatricians office has started a petition to ban the use of gel packs that caused the girls injury. Mila Martinez, who was 11 days old at the time of her injury, has since recovered, but her mother worries about long-term damage, KXAN reported.

In June, Dana Martinez brought daughter Mila for her two-week screening at Childrens Medical Center in Marble Falls, Texas, KXAN reported. Martinez claims a medical assistant heated a plastic penguin-shaped gel pack in a microwave for 20 seconds to help obtain a blood sampling from Milas foot. Martinez told the news station that as soon as the pack was placed on Milas foot, the baby started crying.

It was only after the assistant had pricked the babys foot for blood that she realized something was wrong, Martinez said.

The doctor came in and said theres something wrong with her foot, I need to look at it, Martinez told KXAN. Thats when I became very alarmed and said Whats wrong with it? She removed the gauze and thats when I discovered she was burned.

Martinez filed a claim with the Texas Medical Board but was disappointed after it ruled the medical center did not violate the standard of care and no investigation will take place, KXAN reported. Shes now petitioning the American Pediatric Association to Stop the use of plastic gel packs being used in pediatricians offices. Her efforts have gained 997 supporters.

Even though it happened to my baby and hasnt happened to others, it shouldnt have happened at all, she told KXAN.


A Georgia father faced with learning how to walk again said he just happened to pick the wrong wave in July while bodysurfing with his daughter. The wave slammed Stephen Frankes forehead into the sand, injuring his spinal cord and leaving him paralyzed, WSBTV reported.

My positioning on the wave just wasnt right, Franke, a father of four, told the news station. [It was] pretty shallow water, so I cut through the water pretty quick and went straight to the sand to my forehead.

A week after the accident, Franke was transferred to the Shepherd Center in Atlanta, Georgia, where he is working on regaining strength in his legs. When he arrived, he could only shrug his shoulders, but now he can wiggle his toes, WSBTV reported.

Unfortunately we do see a lot of these injuries, especially in the summertime, from all parts of the country, Dr. John Lin, of the Shephard Center, told WSBTV. Since hes been here for the last several weeks, he has regained some strength in his left leg to the point that he can kick it out now.

Franke is slated for an October release, and his goal is to walk out of the center.

Its a day by day thing. A different thing fires up every day, Franke told the news station. Im confident Im going to be able to walk.
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An Atlanta-area man is recovering after being severely burned and electrocuted while on the job.

Fox 5 Atlanta reported that doctors are calling 27-year-old Matt Keys recovery a miracle. His coworker, Dusty Harmon, 22, died by electrocution after the two Jasper, Georgia, men touched overhead power lines on Highway 16 on Aug. 15. The men were reportedly working on a sign.

Keys smartwatch recorded his final heartbeat when he was shocked with 14,000 bolts of electricity that is, until bystanders performed CPR to revive him. Medics flew him to Grady Memorial Hospitals burn unit, where he was undergoing treatment as of Thursday.

His heart had stopped and they had him breathing on a ventilator, Connie Strickland, Keys mother, told the news station. He was burned all over his body. His foot looks a science project. It is burned all the way to the bone.

After undergoing surgery, Key is recovering.

Family members have set up a GoFundMe.com page to help Key and his wife, Ashley, who have been married for three years, cover Keys medical expenses. The couple reportedly plans to donate any extra funds to the Grady burn unit to help future patients.
This week a set of photos went viral capturing side-by-side glimpses of a burkini-clad Muslim woman surrounded by officers who then forced her to remove her burkini. The burkini is a swim-suit adaptation named after the most monstrous Islamist garment called a burqa.

Im a conservative, an American, and a Muslim reformer. As a Muslim woman I was disappointed on Friday to see the Frances highest court overturn the burkini ban. For a liberal society, the decision means the protection of free expression. For watchdogs like myself who look to the horizon, we know this sets a second precedent: the acceptance of Islamist culture. Friday there were two wins: the first for a tolerant society and the second for Islamists waging a soft civilization jihad.

The creator of the burkini, Australian-Lebanese designer Aheda Zanetti, said the burkini was designed to give women more freedom. However, these freedoms are taken away from women through oppressive garments such as the burkini. We saw the same thing with hijabs. Hijabs were once an option and now the only Muslim women represented in the media are hijabis. In other words, what Muslim women are being told  and shamed with  is that if youre not covered, youre not Muslim or modest. Its a soft form of slut-shaming that surprisingly few feminists have caught onto. One day its hijabistas and the next day its burkinis, but the message is the same: cover up.

The burkini is a new adaptation of that. Though unintended by the designer, the consequences are the same: if youre not covered, youre inappropriate. And thats what the underbelly of Islamic culture does: it aims to control a womans space, whether it is in the mosque, in the bedroom, in the home, her body, or her voice. Its an abusive cultural conditioning.

The burkini conversation is the latest champion of civilization jihad. A term pulled directly from the Islamist doctrine of the Muslim Brotherhood, civilization jihad looks to conquer and impose Islamic views on non-Islamic states using the system (and the culture) against itself. That culture is tolerance, and Islamists ride that wave. This week that wave crashed upon the beaches of France, a cultural war zone not that different from the Invasion of Normandy.

Supporting the burkini isnt just about modesty, its about a symbolic garment that piggy backs off the burqa  and the burqa is a totem of feminist oppression. As a conservative woman and a Muslim Reformer, support for the burkini that doesnt look deeper than just let them wear what they want, is damaging to our efforts to foster critical thinking within the Muslim world.

This is about a faith that has been hijacked by extremism and is viciously adapting. Accepting the burkini is no different than accepting the burqa. If Muslim women want to dress conservatively at the beach of course they can. However, for many Muslim women token garments like the hijab and the burkini are nothing more than expressions of identity. But Islam and faith is something you carry in your heart; it isnt something you wear. And thats where it needs to stay  in our hearts rather than branded on our bodies.
If theres one common thread running through sizable portions of the American Left and Right these days, its anti-globalization. The opposition takes many forms, from anti-immigration to anti-free-trade agreements, but at its core is the sense that globalization has hurt the American middle class.

Neither side has much patience for economists view that globalization and trade have boosted U.S. exports, created jobs and made an incredible range of miraculous products such as smartphones affordable to almost every American.

A global economy is actually in the interest of the U.S. more than any other country, as our businesses are among the most innovative and efficient in the world.

But after several years of being told by our national leaders that the system is rigged and Americans are not responsible for their own success or failure, the populism of Donald Trump or Sen. Bernie Sanders becomes a better solution than self-reliance and responsibility. In recent weeks, Hillary Clinton has made it clear that trade is important, but that we make trade work for us, not against us, adding that she continues to oppose trade deals like the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Of course, building Trumps wall on the Mexican border or investing $10 billion in Clintons plan to Make it in America wont erase decades of global economic progress. Rather, efforts to push back or stall globalization will do more harm than good to the American middle class in the long run.

Those traditional manufacturing jobs that formed the backbone of the American economy in the latter half of the 20th century are gone. And guess what? Theyre not coming back.

Instead, we want the American workforce to move on to more advanced, highly technical manufacturing jobs that workers in emerging economies are less likely to perform.

Nearly every day, I hear from members of the Consumer Technology Association  the companies powering the global economy into the future  about the dearth of American workers with the necessary education, skills and experience to perform these jobs.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that U.S. companies will require more than 9 million workers performing jobs in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) by 2022, an increase of about 1 million jobs from 2012 levels. But BLS also projects significant unfilled job openings in STEM occupations, such as software developers and computer systems analysts.

Meanwhile, 2 million new workers are entering the labor force each year. But do they have the requisite skills to fill those openings?

In January, the New York Federal Reserve looked at employment data for recent college graduates between 2009 and 2013 and found that 45 percent were working in non-college jobs. In other words, almost half of all recent college graduates are underemployed.

Now tack on an average of $35,000 in student-loan debt that follows each senior after graduation, and suddenly we have a crisis that goes beyond the high cost of college. The answer to Americas manufacturing crisis is found in Americas higher education crisis.

Put another way, if more workers with the type of in-demand skills required by the tech sector emerge from the U.S. education system, then more graduates will have meaningful employment to help pay down their student loans. Yet, as weve seen, theres an imbalance in what Americas higher education system is producing and what Americas employers need.

How to fix that? For starters, we need to rid ourselves of the idea that the only way to obtain a decent job in the U.S. is with a bachelors degree from a four-year institution. This idea is a remnant of the 20th century, when the economy and the skills needed to perform well in it were far less complex than they are today.

Some tech leaders such as Peter Thiel have understood that not everyone needs a four-year college degree. That is why he sponsors the Thiel Fellowship, allowing students to drop out of school to pursue their entrepreneurial dreams.

We need to expand this idea to the higher education system as a whole. Its time we invest in cheaper, more focused options, such as community and online colleges, as well as trade schools, as viable options for any student, not just the poor and working class. The next great computer scientist or engineer may build the next Google despite never having read Hamlet  at least not at $30,000 or more per year.

Reform like this requires sponsorship not only from employers, who need to make it known that they value skills over expensive degrees, but also from our nations leaders.

Clinton, whose technology and innovation policies are admirable, needs to dispense with the talk about trying to make college debt-free and focus on far less expensive, but no less rigorous alternatives to four-year institutions. Her proposal to engage the private sector and nonprofits to train future computer science teachers is a step in the right direction. And lately she has been touting the benefits of vocational training and apprenticeship programs on the campaign trail.

Instead, she and Trump should echo Germanys approach to vocational education, where roughly 60 percent of high school graduates pursue vocational training instead of traditional college. That countrys Federal Institute for Vocational Training and Education provides students with both classroom instruction and on-the-job training, which has earned Germany one of the highest youth-employment rates in the European Union.

The U.S. doesnt need a separate agency, because we already have the institutions  the vast network of community, online and trade schools  not to mention the U.S. Department of Education. The agency could redirect its resources toward a set of policies similar to Germanys commitment to vocational training.

What the U.S. needs is a change in attitude. We need to move on from the 20th-century idea that there was only one path to a good job. Lets instead embrace the new economys demand for skills, skills and more skills.

If we accomplish this, we will once again solidify Americas status as a manufacturing hub  only this time, with a focus on the high-tech innovation and sustainable economic strength and global competitiveness that will make us the envy of the world.
Reversing the ban on the wearing of burkinis -- full-body wet suits worn by Muslim women -- Frances highest court Friday favored personal liberty and restored the right for women to make their own clothing choices. In this case, their beachwear.

France is home to Europe's largest Muslim community and it breathed a sigh of relief with this favorable ruling. In a nation where attacks by ISIS-inspired terrorists over the past 18 months have placed the country on edge many Muslims have felt the brunt of discrimination and were often made to be on the defensive in public life.

Mayors in coastal towns along the French Riviera recently placed a ban on Muslim women wearing modesty-conforming swimwear called burkinis. The mayors claimed that this form of Islamic dress vindicated the viewpoint of Muslim terrorists and religious extremists and thus was antithetical to French norms.

Images of Muslim women being undressed under duress by police on Riviera beaches went viral and inflamed sentiments of religious and secular communities as well as human rights groups worldwide . What next, many asked? Will they ask Catholic nuns to wear revealing swimwear when they took a dip?

In the view of many of Frances Muslims the action of nearly two dozen mayors, vocally supported by leading French politicians, was nothing but a veiled act of anti-Islamic discrimination and Islamophobia that the court rightfully struck down.

Still, the matter might not end here. Anti-Islamic sentiment in Europe is running high and the French government might pursue other avenues to outlaw burkinis as beach clothing just as they outlawed wearing face covering in public.

Muslim womens dress has become one of the more defining aspects of Islamic identity in Europe and the world over. Many devout Muslim women loath that their identities can be reduced to a piece of cloth wrapped on their heads.

In a polarized environment, with Islamophobia at one end and defensiveness by Muslim communities on the other, an open and sensible debate on veiling and other aspects of Muslim life remains controversial.

In terms of Muslim theology there are serious differences of opinion and ambiguity about the standard for womens dress. However, the hijab, head-covering, has become the default norm. Muslim feminists, including the late Moroccan sociologist and writer on Islam, Fatima Mernissi (among many others) have challenged the more conservative perspective.
This is the week that the steady drip, drip, drip of details about Hillary Clintons server turned into a waterfall. This is the week that we finally learned why Mrs. Clinton used a private communications setup, and what it hid. This is the week, in short, that we found out that the infamous server was designed to hide that Mrs. Clinton for three years served as the U.S. Secretary of the Clinton Foundation.

In March this column argued that while Mrs. Clintons mishandling of classified information was important, it missed the bigger point. The Democratic nominee obviously didnt set up her server with the express purpose of exposing national secretsthat was incidental. She set up the server to keep secret the details of the Clintons private lifea life built around an elaborate and sweeping money-raising and self-promoting entity known as the Clinton Foundation.

Had Secretary Clinton kept the foundation at arms length while in officeas obvious ethical standards would have dictatedthere would never have been any need for a private server, or even private email. The vast majority of her electronic communications would have related to her job at the State Department, with maybe that occasional yoga schedule. And those Freedom of Information Act officers would have had little difficultywhen later going through a state.gov emailscreening out the clearly personal before making her records public. This is how it works for everybody else.

Mrs. Clintons problemas we now know from this weeks release of emails from Huma Abedins private Clinton-server accountwas that there was no divide between public and private. Mrs. Clintons State Department and her family foundation were one seamless entityemploying the same people, comparing schedules, mixing foundation donors with State supplicants. This is why she maintained a secret server, and why she deleted 15,000 emails that should have been turned over to the government.

To continue reading Kimberly Strassels column in the Wall Street Journal, click here.
While the zika virus poses worrisome human health concerns, another potential health problem is brewing that threatens both humans and domesticated animals --the importing of foreign dogs for adoption.

Many people are unaware that the U.S. has become something of a favored nation for countries looking to export their rescue dogs due to several reasons.

First, Americans are big-hearted, and when seeking dogs many chose animals made available through rescues.

Second, theres a readymade market here  Americans love canines and own an estimated 80 million dogs.

The vast majority of imported rescue dogs are not tracked in the United States  either upon arrival or after they enter rescue channels.

Lastly, import rules on dogs can be easily flouted, allowing foreign exporters to send us their sick animals.

The vast majority of imported rescue dogs are not tracked in the United States  either upon arrival or after they enter rescue channels. Patti Strand, founder and national director of the National Animal Interest Alliance, a non-profit that studies shelter trends and the importation of rescue dogs, estimates that close to one million rescue dogs are imported annually from regions not known for stellar canine health and safety standards. They include dogs from Puerto Rico, Turkey, several countries in the Middle East and as far away as China and Korea. That compares to about 8 million dogs annually acquired as pets in the U.S.

All of this underscores that without improved oversight of pet rescue organizations, theres no way of definitively identifying how many foreign rescue dogs are put up for adoption here.

These foreign rescues may be well-intentioned, but they are courting disaster.

While it is often a challenge to gather information on an abandoned dog here in the U.S., it is even harder for a dog that originated overseas. Information may be missing, poorly translated or unreliable.

Challenges are especially serious when it comes to health and safety. Animals from other countries are not subject to the health and welfare laws of the U.S. and may arrive carrying serious and infectious canine diseases. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), although importation laws require all dogs to be examined by a licensed veterinarian, foreign paperwork is hard to verify and is commonly invalid or forged.

Likewise, the tracking, health and welfare standards that are required for dogs bred in the United States and sold in pet shops do not apply for pets identified as sourced from rescues.

Scores of puppy mill bills like New Jerseys S. 63/A. 2338 that ban pet stores from sourcing professionally-bred pets in lieu of pets sourced from rescues threaten to expand the problem to epic proportions.

The threat to public health is anything but theoretical. On May 30, 2015, eight dogs rescued in Egypt arrived in New York, all but one bound for U.S. rescues. Within days, a dog sent to Virginia became ill and was diagnosed with rabies.

The discovery necessitated an enormous public health investigation involving four state departments of health, three U.S. agencies, the transporting airline and the Egyptian government. Numerous people were interviewed from the airline, rescue organization and veterinarians office. In the end, 18 people were vaccinated for rabies either due to direct exposure or concern for possible contact. The rabies vaccination certificate for the dog had been forged, according to the CDC.

This is just one case. The CDC reports a significant uptick in public health concerns and incidents of disease in imported dogs that can be passed between animals and humans.

For example, an outbreak last year in the Midwest of canine influenza that sickened more than 1,100 dogs was traced to the importation of foreign animals, very likely a foreign dog or cat.

There are multiple international groups who are rescuing dogs from the meat market in Korea and shipping them into the U.S., and we have sketchy quarantine requirements if any at all, said Dr. Ed Dubovi, director at Cornell Universitys Animal Health Diagnostic Center.

Also at issue is the safety and suitability of foreign rescue dogs as family pets. Sources of dogs that are not socialized or bred to be pets are likely to require special handling and training that typical adopters -- and even rescues --are not equipped to provide.

Without knowledgeable care, these dogs will end up back in a shelter situation.

Opening our doors is having other undesirable effects. Though some imported dogs are taken by legitimate U.S. rescues, others are becoming the product of unregulated, informal markets, including online retail rescues. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Customs and Border Patrol, there have been numerous incidents involving smuggling of underage and sick animals. Substandard foreign breeders are taking advantage of all of these avenues into the U.S. market, rescue or otherwise.

The importation of rescue dogs does nothing to address issues at the source, and it actually encourages irresponsible breeding overseas. It has created an incentive for irresponsible brokers to round up street animals, buy dogs from Asian livestock markets and allegedly breed animals specifically for export to U.S. rescue markets. And because the animals are labelled as rescues, standards appear to be optional.

A pipeline for unrestricted imports of foreign rescue animals undercuts the mission of U.S. rescues, while creating a potential health and safety crisis.

The CDC is exactly correct in its analysis of the problem and its potential risks to Americans.

Considering the public health risk posed by importation of animals for the purposes of placing them in adoptive homes in the United States, and the current oversupply of adoptable animals already in the United States, persons and organizations involved with importing pets for the purposes of adoption should consider reevaluating, and potentially redirecting, their current efforts, the agency wrote.

Plenty of domestic dogs are languishing in shelters and in need of homes. Our duty is to help these dogs first.
Ill never forget the day my son died.

I rushed Tim, out to the carleaving Ruth with the other boysand drove as quickly as I could to the nearest hospital. Halfway there Tim went into cardiac arrest. His sudden asthma attack was taking his life, and we were desperate.

The dark streets of Nairobi were deserted.

All I could see was a lone man, walking in the darkness from a shopping center. I quickly blocked his car with mine, and I demanded that he drive my car to the hospital while I climbed into the back seat and frantically administered CPR on my son.

In a passing moment of hope, Tims heart began beating and he started breathing again. When we reached the hospital, the medical staff began emergency treatment for Tim. Our son was unconscious, but breathing. As Ruth, my oldest son Shane, and some friends began to arrive, we huddled to pray.

When we next saw the doctors, their eyes told us what had happened even before they spoke a word. Tim was gone. He was sixteen years old.

We have never wept as we wept in that moment. In the five years we had lived as missionaries in the Horn of Africa and its surrounding countries, we had experienced heartbreak and stared the evil of terrorism straight in the face; but nothing had prepared us for this.

We had devoted our lives to serving the poor, and yet God had allowed our son to be a casualty of our sacrifice. We couldnt help but ask ourselves: is all of this really worth it?

Later that morning, we sat with our other sons and talked about what had happened. I said, We did not choose this horrible thing that has happened. And I dont know how we are going to live through it. But we are going to make sure that we dont waste Tims death. Somehow, we will do our best to honor God through even this.

I dont even know where those words came from. There was something profoundly supernatural about it. It was as if God was sitting right there with us in our pain.

Knowing Tim didnt want to go back to America for college, but wanted to remain in Africa and become a teacherAfrica was truly his homewe decided to bury Tim at his school in Nairobi.

The funeral was scheduled for the following Saturday.

During that week, our home was filled with people every hour of every day. Neighbors, Tims fellow students, colleagues and friends from our Kenyan church enveloped us in their love and care.

Yet the biggest surprise of the week came on Thursday when Omar appeared at the front door and said to me, I have walked here from Somalia. I had to come to help bury our son, Timothy.

My first encounter with Omar had not been friendly. Omar had joined our humanitarian team a few years back when my family and I had just started working in Somalia. One day, I asked if he thought that it would be safe for me to go to a certain section of the city for a meeting that I needed to attend. Did he think that there would be enough danger that I should cancel my plans?

Omar told me that I should be fine.

I left for the meeting. As I approached my destination, a firefight broke out. I heard gunfire on my right and my left. I ran for my life. When I reached the safety of our compound and reported what had happened, other Somali staff told me that I should never have been in that part of the city alone.

They said, Everyone knows that is one of the most dangerous areas in all of Mogadishu. I was furious. The next time I saw Omar, I accused him of almost getting me killed. I demanded to know why he had lied to me. I demanded to know why he would place me at such risk.

His immediate, indignant response to my charges floored me. He believed that he was giving a complete justification when he said, I dont know you well enough to owe you the truth!

For Omar, relationship earned and elicited truth. Once we understood and honored each others values, we developed one of the deepest friendships I have ever had.

I knew that I could trust Omar with my lifeand I often did. He knew that I cared deeply for him, and I proved that to him on many occasions.

As soon as Omar had received word of Tims death, this dear Muslim friend had started a five-day odyssey. He had walked through minefields, deserts and mountains. He had crossed rivers and national borders. He had hitched rides and he had ridden on a camel and with goats in the back of a truck. He finally arrived at our home hundreds of miles later with only the clothes on his back.

I have never been quite so humbled, and I have never seen such a demonstration of friendship. I couldnt help but wonder if most Christians I knew would make such an effort to mourn with a Muslim family whose heart was as broken as ours?

Omar ended up sitting between Ruth and me at the funeral. We went to Africa to help these dear people. Yet, in our moment of greatest need, they were there for us.

Oh, how I wish, every Christian had a friend like Omar.


In back-to-back interviews with Fox News, Wikileaks founder Julian Assange criticized the U.S. media for "incredible politicization" in its coverage of the presidential election, and vowed there are more shoes to drop before the Nov. 8 vote.

Assange appeared Friday morning on "Fox & Friends," where he said "significant" information would be published on the site regarding Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton, but did not specify what it would be.



"I know you guys would love it if we scooped ourselves on 'Fox & Friends,' but were not going to do that, Assange said from the Ecuadorean embassy in London, where he has lived for nearly five years as he fights extradition to Sweden where he is wanted on charges relating to sexual assault that his supporters say are politically driven.

Assange said information regarding Clinton's health is fair game, and noted that in an email already disclosed by the organization, Clinton refers to her own "cracked head." He said he had information about GOP nominee Donald Trump as well, but indicated it may not be as revelatory as critics might hope.



It is difficult for us to publish more controversial material than what comes out of Donald Trump's mouth every day, Assange said. He also suggested Clinton and other officials have enjoyed a form of "elite immunity."

"Fox & Friends" spoke with Assange hours after Fox News' "The Kelly File" aired an interview, the second in a two-part series of questions and answers with him.

Assange's group was behind a trove of Democratic National Committee emails leaked on the eve of the party's convention revealed a bias against Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' presidential campaign and led to the resignation of chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz.

"I'd like to believe that no media organization would not publish the DNC emails," Assange told Fox News' "The Kelly File". "[But] I think MSNBC wouldn't publish [nor would] The New York Times ... That's sad."

Assange discussed Wikileaks offering a $20,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the killing of DNC staffer Seth Rich, who was shot and killed in Washington early on July 10.

"Why are you so interested in Seth Richs killer?" Kelly asked Assange.

"Were very interested in anything that might be a threat to Wikileaks sources," Assange answered, later adding that Wikileaks had "received a variety of information" about the case. Assange would neither confirm nor deny that Rich was "necessarily connected to our publications."

Assange also accused the Clinton campaign of stoking "a kind of neo-McCarthy hysteria" about Russia's alleged role in the DNC hacking and Moscow's purported links to the Trump campaign.

"The Trump campaign has a lot of things wrong with it," Assange said, "but as far as we can see being Russian agents is not one of them."

On Wednesday, Assange told "The Kelly File" that "absolutely" new information culled from Clinton's emails would be released prior to the November election.

Earlier Thursday, a federal judge ordered the State Department to begin releasing almost 15,000 more emails from Clinton's tenure as secretary of state by Sept. 13. The emails were uncovered by the FBI during their investigation into Clinton's use of a private server.
Even before Bernie Sanders could roll out a new organization to fund progressive candidates and causes, it was beset with high-level drama, including the en masse resignation of eight staffers.

Sanders, I-Vt., promised when he conceded defeat and endorsed Hillary Clinton for president that his dream would live on in a new organization called Our Revolution, which he unveiled in a live webcast Wednesday night.

The roll-out was anti-climactic. The organization was hit with a body blow when the eight staffers resigned before the announcement.

Our Revolution was set up as a tax-exempt 501(c)(4). That designation allows it to raise big donations from anonymous sources -- so called dark money -- something that staffers may have felt clashed with Sanders small donation ethos.

The mass resignation of staffers may also have been related to the hiring of Sanders former campaign manager, Jeff Weaver, to head the new organization.

The New York Times reported that Our Revolution employees accused Weaver of "wasting money on television advertising," instead of targeting young voters online, and charges that he mismanaged campaign funds.

While Sanders set up the group, Weaver stressed that Our Revolution is an organization separate from Sen. Sanders. He does not control or direct it. He is not on the board and not an employee. We are obviously inspired by the progressive vision that Sen Sanders articulated during his historic presidential campaign. But this is an independent organization.

Sanders reputation has taken some other dings. The Vermont GOP has written the Vermont Attorney General asking for an investigation of allegations Sanders exceeded Vermont's $1,500 contribution limit for state senate races.

"Sen. Sanders, who preaches against big money on politics, has used his five-million strong list in order to totally skew a local senate race," said Brady Toensing, vice chair of the Vermont Republican Party. "He ended up inserting a record amount of money into this local race."

The senator and his wife also just made a cash purchase of a $600,000 vacation house on the banks of Lake Champlain, his third home.
Dangerous confrontations between Iranian and American warships in the Persian Gulf are up more than 50 percent in 2016 compared with this time last year, according to a U.S. defense official  despite the highly touted nuclear accord, as well as a recent $1.7 billion U.S. payment to Tehran.

The latest incidents of provocative Iranian behavior flared in the Persian Gulf earlier this week, including one filmed by the U.S. Navy. The video showed four Iranian gunboats from its Revolutionary Guard Corps coming within 300 yards of USS Nitze, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer.

The incident was part of a troubling pattern, according to stats shared with Fox News.

In 2015, there were roughly 30 dangerous interactions between Iranian and U.S. Navy warships in the Persian Gulf, according to the U.S. Navys 5th Fleet. The Iranian vessels acted as the aggressors every time, the Navy says.

Yet already this year, that number is at least 30. Through the first six months alone of 2016, there were 26 dangerous confrontations that U.S. military officials called unsafe and unprofessional.

We are on pace to exceed last years numbers by more than fifty percent, the defense official told Fox News, while saying the confrontations have risen by that much so far.

Overall encounters involving Irans Revolutionary Guard Corps fleet of largely fast-boats also have increased significantly, corresponding to the spike in dangerous interactions.

In the incident captured on video  one of four such incidents this week  the U.S. destroyer fired flares, increased speed and took evasive maneuvers, while the Iranian ships ignored calls on the radio to stop. Cmdr. William Urban, a spokesman for the Navys 5th Fleet, called the actions unsafe and unprofessional.

The next day in a separate incident in the northern Persian Gulf, the USS Squall, a coastal patrol ship, fired three warning shots from its .50 caliber machine gun when one Iranian ship came within 200 yards.

This comes after Iranian gunboats from the IRGC in January seized 10 U.S. Navy sailors after their two patrol craft drifted into Iranian waters near Farsi Island in the Persian Gulf. They were released the following day.

In December, Iranian missile boats fired a burst of unguided rockets near a U.S. Navy aircraft carrier transiting the Strait of Hormuz. The Navy called the act highly provocative at the time.

Together, the incidents have stoked concerns that little has changed with Iran despite the nuclear accord.

Irans behavior hasnt significantly changed as a result of the nuclear agreement, Gen. Joseph Votel told Fox News in Baghdad last month, while Fox News was traveling with the general responsible for American forces in the region.

During a visit to USS New Orleans, a Navy amphibious transport ship going through the Strait of Hormuz, an Iranian missile ship and three other fast-boats shadowed the U.S. warship with Votel and four reporters aboard, including Fox News.

What concerns me is our people dont always have a lot of time to deal with those interactions, Votel said. Its measured in minutes to really have the opportunity to make the right decision.

Meanwhile, the Wall Street Journal first reported that the U.S. paid Iran $400 million in January, as four Americans were being released from the country. The administration denied the money was ransom but conceded it was used as leverage to secure the release. Technically, the money was part of a $1.7 billion payment, apparently to resolve a longstanding financial dispute.

In July, two days before the one-year anniversary of the nuclear agreement, Iran also attempted to launch another ballistic missile in violation of a United Nations resolution. The launch, first reported by Fox News, failed after the missile exploded shortly after take-off according to U.S. defense officials. The missile was based on a North Korean BM-25 Musudan missile, which has a maximum range of nearly 2,500 miles, putting U.S. forces in the Middle East and Israel within reach, officials tell Fox News.

This week, Iranian Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said his warships would continue to confront any U.S. Navy ship near Irans territorial waters.

If an American ship enters Irans maritime region, it will definitely get a warning. We will monitor them and, if they violate our waters, we will confront them, he said according to the Iranian Students News Agency.

Asked to respond to Dehghans comments at a press briefing Thursday, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook said, [W]e certainly hope it doesn't continue, because it serves no purpose other than to raise tensions in an important part of the world; and tensions that we don't seek to have escalated."

Irans defense minister is a former Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps commander who plotted the 1983 the U.S. Marine barracks bombing in Beirut, killing 241 U.S. military personnel.

Earlier this week, the State Department put out a new travel warning to American citizens warning them about the risk of arrest and detention of U.S. citizens by Iran.
The mounting congressional scrutiny of pharmaceutical giant Mylan over its 400 percent price hike for EpiPen has created an awkward situation on Capitol Hill for Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin -- his daughter runs the company at the center of the scandal.

Colleagues on both sides of the aisle, as well as Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, are now slamming Mylan and demanding investigations into why prices were jacked so high on the lifesaving allergy treatment drug.

The uproar over the increase has become a public relations nightmare for Mylan, CEO Heather Bresch and Manchin, who finally broke his silence on the subject Thursday.

I am aware of the questions my colleagues and many parents are asking and frankly I share their concerns about the skyrocketing prices of prescription drugs, Manchin said in a written statement. Today I heard Mylans initial response, and I am sure Mylan will have a more comprehensive and formal response to those questions.

Manchin, a former West Virginia governor who has served in the U.S. Senate since 2010, said he would work with his colleagues and all interested parties to lower the price of prescription drugs and to continue to improve our health care system.

But his comments come days after his colleagues called out his daughters company.

Several senators  including Amy Klobuchar, whose daughter uses an EpiPen  have pressed the Food and Drug Administration for answers and asked if alternatives to the EpiPen are in the works.

Klobuchar also wants the Senate Judiciary Committee to hold a hearing to investigate the enormous increase in the price of EpiPens. The Minnesota senator sent a letter to the Federal Trade Commission to look into whether Mylan violated antitrust laws.

For its part, the company said Thursday it is voluntarily reducing the patient cost of EpiPen through savings cards which will cover up to $300 for a two-pack of EpiPen, but some say its not enough.

Admittedly, Manchin is in a tight spot. In the past, he has taken the lead in going after pharmaceutical companies.

He played a big role in pushing to get controversial painkiller Zohydro ER permanently shelved despite the FDA approving the powerful opiate.

Manchin, whose home state leads the nation in prescription overdoses and abuse, worked with both Republicans and Democratic lawmakers to overturn the approval.

At the time, some questioned his motives, since his campaign to kill Zohydro could benefit his daughters company.

Though the Mylan epi-scandal hits close to home, Klobuchar believes the senior senators connections in Congress wont deter his colleagues from pursuing answers.

I think we have an obligation to the American people to do our job regardless of who is related to who at a company, she told reporters Wednesday. And I have never seen Senator Manchin intervene himself in any of these cases involving this company. Ive never seen that happen. I know him very well.

On Monday, Sens. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, and Mark Warner, D-Va., also sent a letter to Bresch demanding an explanation.

Bresch tried to defend the company's pricing in an interview with CNBC. She seemed to struggle to justify the jump in price but said lowering the price wasnt an option.

Had we reduced the list price, I couldnt ensure that everyone who needs an EpiPen gets one, she said. She argued that much of the $608 price for a two-pack goes to other middle men in the health care consumer chain.

But Grassley said in a statement that the price is still what Medicare and insurers have to pay, regardless of the pledge to offset the cost for some patients.

Another fact not lost on angry customers is that as the price for EpiPens grew, so did Breschs own compensation, which spiked more than 671 percent to $18.9 million last year.

The price hike debate has also made it to the campaign trail.

Clinton called the companys pricing strategy outrageous and a troubling example of a company taking advantage of its consumers.
President Obama, with the stroke of a pen, created the world's largest ocean reserve on Friday off Hawaii, days after designating a massive federal monument in Maine  moves that have angered local lawmakers who accuse the president of disregarding the impact on residents.

Obama used a presidential proclamation to expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument off the coast of Hawaii by over 400,000 square miles. The preserve now stretches 582,578 square miles, the world's largest marine protected area.

"The expansion provides critical protections for more than 7,000 marine species ... [and] will allow scientists to monitor and explore the impacts of climate change on these fragile ecosystems," the White House said in a statement, citing the support of Sen. Brian Schatz and "prominent Native Hawaiian leaders."

But the decision drew sharp criticism from the fishing industry and even fellow Democrats, as it will drastically expand the area where commercial fishing and drilling is banned.

Former Democratic Gov. George Ariyoshi said at a rally last month that it came down to the question of who actually owned the ocean.

The ocean belongs to us, Ariyoshi reportedly said. We ought to be the ones who decide what kind of use to make of the ocean.

Representatives from the fishing industry warn the move will increase prices and imports, The Honolulu Star Advertiser reported. All commercial extraction activities will be prohibited within the area, though non-commercial fishing is allowed by permit.

The regional council that manages U.S. waters in the Pacific Islands said the decision "serves a political legacy" rather than a conservation benefit.

"Closing 60 percent of Hawaii's waters to commercial fishing, when science is telling us that it will not lead to more productive local fisheries, makes no sense," said Edwin Ebiusi Jr., chairman of the Western Pacific Regional Fishery Management Council. "Today is a sad day in the history of Hawaii's fisheries and a negative blow to our local food security."

The Pew Charitable Trusts, which supported the expansion, gave an idea of how big the area truly is, saying more than three Californias could be squeezed into it:

According to the Star Advertiser, the idea was proposed to Obama by Native Hawaiian leaders, who argued the waters in the area contained sharks and large predatory fish that have been overfished in other areas and were in need of protection. The move has also been backed by environmentalists and some scientists.

Other Democrats praised Obamas action, with Sen. Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, calling it one of the most important actions an American president has ever taken for the health of the oceans.

With the announcement, Obama will have created or expanded 26 national monuments. The administration said Obama has protected more acreage through national monument designations than any other president.

Obama will travel to Midway Atoll, within the monument, on Thursday as part of a visit to Hawaii next week. His visit will come after he addresses leaders from the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress.

The monument was first designated by President George W. Bush in 2006.

The announcement came after Obama used his executive authority to create the National Park Services newest national monument at Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine. The new monument was created as part of the 100th anniversary of the creation of the National Park Service.

The White House said the monument will protect 87,500 acres and will bolster the forests resilience against the impact of climate change.

The monument's creation, though, was opposed by state lawmakers and critics who warn it will hinder efforts to rebuild a forest-based economy in the region.

President Obama is once again taking unilateral action against the will of the people, this time the citizens of rural Maine, Republican Gov. Paul LePage said. The Legislature passed a resolution opposing a National Monument in the North Woods, members of Maines Congressional delegation opposed it and local citizens voted against it repeatedly."

The move also was opposed by Sen. Susan Collins and Rep. Bruce Poliquin, both Republicans.

Our local job creatorsnot Washington bureaucratsknow best how to use our working forests and provide proper access for industries to create more jobs including those in the outdoor recreation businesses, like snowmobiling, hunting, rafting, camping and so on, Poliquin said in a statement.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Despite promising the parents of Islamic State hostage victim Kayla Mueller he would donate to a foundation set up in her name, President Obama still has not contributed to the group  17 months later.

ABC News first reported on the presidents unfulfilled pledge, as Kaylas father Carl Mueller told the network about the presidents commitment that day.

He says I will help that foundation. He says you wont know, itll be an anonymous donation, but I will, Carl Mueller recalled, describing the meeting with the president as he consoled the grieving family in March 2015.

Mueller said, Im still waiting for that donation, Mr. President.

The White House confirmed the president has not made the donation  but said he intends to.

"The President as well as senior members of his team have praised the work of Kayla's Hands, which carries on the spirit of service and selflessness that defined Kayla. The President will continue to support the goals of the organization in different ways, including by making a donation, as pledged to the Mueller family," a White House official said in a statement Friday.

Militants captured Kayla Mueller and her boyfriend, Omar Alkhani, in August 2013 after the couple left a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Aleppo, Syria, where he had been hired to fix the facility's internet service. The ISIS fighters beat Alkhani but released him after two months.

U.S. officials confirmed last year Kayla Mueller was killed in captivity. The cause of her death remains murky, though ISIS claimed a Jordanian airstrike killed her  which the White House denies.

Her case stoked a national debate over the lengths to which families should be able to go to pursue the release of loved ones. The Muellers said the administration had threatened them with prosecution if they paid ransom to ISIS.

Obama in 2015 called such threats totally unacceptable. As part of a hostage policy review, Obama clarified that U.S. policy does not prevent families from communicating with hostage-takers.

White House spokesman Ned Price told ABC News the U.S. worked tirelessly to recover Kayla Mueller, as well as the other American hostages held by ISIL in Syria, using every tool at our disposal.

ABC News also aired a dramatic 10-second video showing Kayla Mueller pleading for help shortly after Islamic State fighters kidnapped her in Syria.

The brief clip served as her proof-of-life video.

"My name is Kayla Mueller... I need your help," she was reported as saying in the video. "I've been here too long, and I've been very sick. It's, it's very terrifying here."

Carl Mueller told ABC News he didnt make his comment about Obamas non-donation lightly.

You see the flag at my driveway. Its not something I take lightly, talking about our president that way, but thats what he said, he said.

The Obamas have contributed thousands to other charities. According to the White House statement on their tax returns, they donated over $64,000 in 2015 to 34 different groups, representing about 14.7 percent of their adjusted gross income. The largest reported donation was to the Fisher House Foundation.

Fox News Lesa Jansen and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
As voters consider marijuana-legalization efforts in several states this November, they can expect opposition from the usual pot opponents like law-enforcement groups and anti-drug activists  but some of the most ardent foes come, unexpectedly, from within the marijuana community itself.

Opponents include some in the medical-marijuana industry, concerned about what a wide-open recreational market would mean for their businesses. Advocates for recreational marijuana also fear the latest legalization measures come with so many restrictions that pot smokers might be better off, for now, within the existing medical-marijuana system.

All five states considering legalization this November  Arizona, California, Maine, Massachusetts and Nevada  already allow the medical use of pot.

Perhaps the biggest battlefield is California, where voters will consider Prop 64, funded by Napster founder Sean Parker.

Im on the record totally opposing this law [California Proposition 64] that does not legalize marijuana, said Steve Kubby, an original proponent of the 1996 ballot measure that legalized medical marijuana.

Prop 64 would technically legalize pot, but also impose a 15-percent tax on marijuana sales and empower a new bureau to enforce the regulations and issue licenses. The measure creates what supporters call a seed-to-sale system of tracking and regulating marijuana.

Kubby, who backed an alternate legalization measure that never made it to this years ballot, complained the Prop 64 proposal creates tougher punishments for people who have more than an ounce.

Californias marijuana industry is centered in Humboldt County, the redwood-forested coastal region 200 miles north of San Francisco. Yet a July 12 report in the Humboldt Independent found deep divisions within the California Growers Association, a cannabis growers trade group, over the Adult Use of Marijuana Act. An opinion poll found its members evenly split over Prop 64.

Some growers told the newspaper they feared the initiative would allow big marijuana companies to dominate the entire supply chain. The group reportedly had threatened to oppose the proposition until drafters included temporary limits on cultivation size.

Dale Gieringer says his group, California NORML, backs the initiative but we definitely have reservations. Medical patients are right to be concerned, he said, because it raises taxes on medical dispensary purchases and gives local governments the right to ban them. On the plus side, it reduces felonies.

Diane Goldstein, executive board member for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition (LEAP), touted the proposal. This initiative is the best chance California has to end a failed war on marijuana resulting in the criminalization of almost half a million people in the last decade, she said.

Such wide differences of opinion from within pro-marijuana circles are playing out in other states, also. The Massachusetts measure gives existing medical dispensaries preferential licensing treatment, so a number of existing companies have actively supported the measure.

But Dan Delaney, a Boston lobbyist who has helped medical-marijuana clinics seek licenses and is chairman of Safe Cannabis Massachusetts, opposes the measure. He is particularly opposed to language that limits the ability of local governments to regulate it and said many of the states hardcore pro-marijuana activists have joined with the anti-marijuana activists to oppose the measure. They view it as being crafted by industry folks.

Theres another potential foe that marijuana-legalization supporters might not have expected: the alcohol industry. US News reported in May that an alcohol trade group is funding opposition to the recreational marijuana initiative in Arizona, but that alcohol companies are backing a similar legalization measure in Nevada. A likely reason: The Nevada proposal gives alcohol distributors first crack at the distribution licenses.

The latest polls show legalization ahead in California and split in Massachusetts and Nevada. Its behind in Arizona, but was ahead in Maine in May.

Steven Greenhut is a Sacramento-based journalist.
The latest debate about Donald Trump involves one of journalisms favorite words: flip-flop.

Did he or didnt he?

The media consensus is absolutely positively. The campaign says no way.

Lets put aside semantics for a moment.

During the primaries, cracking down on illegal immigration was Trumps signature issue, symbolized by the wall-that-Mexico-would-pay-for.

The billionaire eventually insisted that he would deport all 11 million people who are in this country illegally, but that the good ones would be able to return.

Trump was pressed repeatedly on this pointfrom whether it was too harsh to whether it was wildly unrealisticand insisted in interviews that a deportation force could accomplish the goal.

Now he has changed his language. Dont take my word for it. Trump says there is a softening of his position.

In a town hall with Sean Hannity, Trump said he would follow the law, implying he would be more aggressive about it.

He then solicited the crowds view:

Number one, we'll say throw out. Number two, we work with them. Ready? Number one.

The crowd cheered.

Number two.

The crowd cheered louder.

Trump seemed pleased, but added: They'll pay back taxes. They have to pay taxes. There's no amnesty as such.

Which means, as numerous commentators have pointed out, his current position is not that different than those of Marco Rubio or Jeb Bush.

But his campaign insists he hasnt really changed his position.

Kellyanne Conway, his new campaign manager, told CNNs Anderson Cooper than the nominees policy is that you dont just look at people and try to harm them or treat them inhumanelyHes not flip-flopping on immigration, and he wants to find a way--

That seems like a flip-flop, Cooper said.

A way to execute on his principles, Anderson, without hurting people.

Spokeswoman Katrina Pierson insisted that there's not a different message. He's using different words to give that message.

But its more than a linguistic shift. Trump has clearly backed away from the idea of deporting 11 million illegal immigrants. He says he wants to start with the criminals, and booting out criminals is the current policy under the Obama administration.

Now every major-party nominee moves one way in a primary and pivots toward the center in a general election. Hillary Clinton was all for the Pacific trade agreement before she changed her tune in her race against Bernie Sanders.

But no candidate wants to be tagged with the F-F label, as John Kerry famously was with I actually voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it. George H.W. Bush didnt break his Read my lips, no new taxes vow until after the election.

So: If you dont like Trump, you say hes flip-flopping. If you like Trump, you say hes evolving.

If you dont like Trump, you say he never really believed any of this and is abandoning the stands that won him such a loyal Republican following. If you like Trump, you say hes showing leadership by consulting with Hispanics and trying to tailor his goals to reality.

What you cannot do is say hes only modifying his language. Because Trump is now taking a new approach to illegal immigration in an effort to do what all candidates want to do: win an election.
Apple appears to be following Samsung into a future of curved displays and foldable phones.

Samsung has set the high-water mark for high-end smartphone designs this year with the curved-screen Galaxy S7 Edge and Galaxy Note7. But Apple appears ready to follow suit in 2017. The reason is simple: the OLED displays used on those phones have surpassed liquid crystal display (LCD) technology  which Apple currently uses.

OLED displays, in addition to certain image quality advantages over LCDs, can be made into flexible and curved screens. The curves not only make for a cool-looking device but allow bigger phablet phones to use display space more efficiently. And OLED displays also can be made into foldable devices.

Apples first curved iPhone

Apple will launch at least one curved iPhone in 2017, according to a report this week in Nikkei, a Japanese business daily. That report highlights Apples reliance on Samsung  its largest competitor in smartphones  as a supplier of these displays. The screens will be supplied exclusively by Samsung, said David Hsieh, Senior Director for Displays at IHS Markit Technology, a marketing research firm, speaking to Nikkei. Other 2017 iPhone models, however, will still use more conventional LCD screens, according to the report.

Hsieh told FoxNews.com in an email that the comments were an estimationaccording to our display research intelligence.

Other analysts contacted by FoxNews.com said that Samsung is setting aside a large chunk of OLED display capacity specifically for Apple, possibly for more models. Samsung will have the capacity to supply flexible [curved] OLED displays for all 2017 iPhones, said Raymond Soneira, a display expert and president at DisplayMate Technologies.

Soneira argues that launching different iPhone lines in 2017  divvied up between LCD and curved OLED tech -- "would be incredibly difficult because of the disparate hardware and software required for the two technologies.

Whatever the case, Samsung should be in a position to supply tens of millions of OLED displays to Apple, according to Barry Young, CEO of the OLED Association, based in Austin, Texas. Samsung will ramp up production for Apple in September of 2017 and by the end of 2017 Samsung will have enough capacity to meet the Apple demand in 2017 when it introduces the "iPhone 8," Young told Foxnews.com in an email.

Young added that Samsung is adding a lot of production  including a separate fab or fabrication facility  for OLED displays that will be dedicated to Apple in 2017.

But Apples exclusive reliance on Samsung may be short-lived, according to Hsieh. Apple may come up with more cutting-edge designs for OLED iPhones in 2018 when other suppliers, including LG Display and Japan Display Inc., could begin to supply OLED panels to Apple. Japan Display Inc. has been a major LCD supplier to Apple and is now trying to shift to OLED displays.

An iPhone that becomes an iPad?

Hsieh also expects Apple to bring out foldable iPhones in 2019, including a 4.7-inch phone that can be turned into an iPad mini, he told Nikkei. A larger model could convert to a full-sized iPad when unfolded, according to Hsieh.

Samsung, at least at the moment, is a leader here too. The electronics giant has been mulling a future smartphone that folds like a cosmetic compact, according to past reports. Another device could unfold into a larger display.

Samsung broached the possibility as far back as 2014, when it teased the concept in a video that featured a foldable phone-like device. One of the concepts shows a compact phone unfolding into a larger display.

Neither Apple nor Samsung responded to a request for comment on this story.
The Internet is no stranger to dresses that go viral  and the latest viral phenomenon documents the dramatic transformation of a black dress that was submerged in the Dead Sea.

Israeli artist Sigalit Landau placed the early twentieth-century-style black gown in the waters of the Dead Sea for two months in 2014. Photographer Yotam From recorded the stunning underwater changes that occurred as salt crystals gradually adhered to the fabric.

The project has been thrust into the spotlight thanks to a series of large color prints showing the dresss remarkable changes, which are on display at London's Marlborough Contemporary gallery through Sept. 3. The dress is a trending topic on Facebook.

A vast salt lake, the Dead Sea is nearly 10 times as salty as the ocean. The popular tourist site, which borders Israel, Jordan and Palestinian territory, has the lowest elevation on Earth, some 1,407 feet below sea level.

Landaus Salt Bride project used a replica of a costume worn by the female character Leah in the Yiddish play The Dybbuk. The play tells the story of a young bride possessed by an evil spirit and subsequently exorcised.

In Landaus Salt Bride series, Leahs black garb is transformed underwater as salt crystals gradually adhere to the fabric, explained Marlborough Contemporary, in a press release. Over time, the seas alchemy transforms the plain garment from a symbol associated with death and madness into the wedding dress it was always intended to be.

Fascinated by salt crystallization, Landau has made the Dead Sea a recurring theme in her work. Over the years, I learnt more and more about this low and strange place, she said, in the press release. Still the magic is there waiting for us: new experiments, ideas and understandings. It is like meeting with a different time system, a different logic, another planet. It looks like snow, like sugar, like deaths embrace; solid tears, like a white surrender to fire and water combined.

Other objects suspended in the Dead Sea by the artist include shoes and a violin. She has also discussed her goal of creating a salt bridge across the Dead Sea connecting Israel and Jordan.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Take off your flip flops and lace up some sturdy walking shoes.

Youll need them to get the most out of a visit to a National Park this Centennial year -- if you dont want to be a windshield tourist." The Parks Service turned 100 Thursday and sites all across are celebrating with larger than life experiences. And youll be missing a lot if you dont take the time to get out of the car-- whether you're visting Great Smoky Mountains National Park, Yellowstone, Glacier or other national parks famous for their scenic roads.

There are literally hundreds of events taking place this month across the country, with free admission at all 412 national parks Aug. 25-28 in an effort to engage new diverse audiences and the next generation.

The National Park Service is encouraging everyone to discuss its Centennial on social media -- #FindYourPark and #EncuentraTuParque. FindYourPark.com can pinpoint events near your home or where you will be vacationing. Fourth grade students can go to the website www.everykidinapark.gov to complete an activity and obtain a free annual entry pass to more than 2,000 federal recreation areas including all national parks. (Hurry! These passes are only good through Aug.31.)

If you haven't checked out a national park in years, head to the nation's capital. On Aug. 27, there will be the Centennial Family Festival on the National Mall in Washington, DC. Check out the Duct Tape Art Exhibit at Mount Rushmore that portrays National Park Service sites and is on display until Sept.30

There are ranger-led hay rides, starry skies programs, historic tours, and canoe paddles. If you can, visit mid-week and during early fall to avoid the biggest crowds. And stay awhile! If the park lodges are filled and you dont want to camp consider Trip Advisor vacation rentals or you can camp, park your RV or rent a cabin at nearby KOA Kampgrounds. At the same time, neighboring resorts like the Teton Mountain Lodge & Spa (near Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks) are offering special deals like the National Parks Explorer with a $100 resort credit, park pass and more, starting at $265 a night.

Here are eight National Park experiences that certainly are worth getting out of the car.

1. Sail down a sand dune at White Sands National Monument in New Mexico, the worlds largest gypsum dune field or Great Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado, the tallest dunes in North America!

2. Measure yourself against a giant Sequoia in Yosemite National Park or Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, in Northern California.

3. Help your kids to become Junior Rangers with age-appropriate activities designed to get them excited about their national park visits. There are also special Junior Archeologist, Historic Preservation, Paleontology, Caving, Night Skies, Wilderness, Underwater, and Underground Railroad Junior Ranger programs. Last year 800,000 kids became junior rangers. Theyll help you see the parks in a new way.

4. Watch the evening bat flight program at Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. Each evening in summer, nearly 400,000 Brazilian (aka Mexican) free-tail bats exit Carlsbad Cavern in search of an insect dinner.

5. Go for a bike ride on some of the 45 miles of carriage roads in Acadia National Park in Maine or along the ocean in Cape Cod National Seashore .

6. Soak in mineral hot springs at Sol Duc Hot Springs Resort within Olympic National Park in Washington state or the Boiling River swimming area in Yellowstone National Park, a kind of natural hot tub of sorts located just downstream from the spot where hot water from the Mammoth Hot Springs meets the colder water of the Gardner River.

7. Time travel back to Revolutionary Days at Boston National Historical Park where you might join a ranger for a guided walk along the Freedom Trail. Relive the most significant battle of the Civil War at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania where living history programs take place every weekend thru October.

8. Climb a lighthouse at Cape Hatteras National Seashore, the nations first national seashore established in 1937 to preserve unspoiled barrier islands along North Carolinas coast.
Disney is reportedly bringing lightsabers to its Star Wars land.

Now it looks like Universal Orlando is trying to bring some real like magic into the muggle world.

NBCUniversal subsidiary Universal City Studios LLC filed a new patent Monday that provides details on an interactive video-game ride involving wands and spells, reports the Orlando Business Journal. While the word Hogwarts isnt mentioned in the documentation, the language does spell out the possibility for a wizard-themed game.

An image from the patent shows a rider, holding what could be a wand, sitting in a mobile vehicle moving through a course that appears set to send and receive signals from various angles. In other words, guests on the attraction could theoretically point toward an object in their path and direct it to move or have some other delightful thing happen if the correct spells were uttered.

According to the Business Journal, the patent states that the ride could involve participants competing against one another, scoring points along the way. To make the ride more age appropriate, it could be set up with scenes of varying degrees of scariness from the popular book and movie franchise.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universals Islands of Adventure first opened in 2010. In 2014, Universal opened a Harry Potter park on the outskirts of Osaka, Japan. The park expanded to Universal Studios Hollywood to much fanfare in April this year.

Dont fail your OWLs. Time for all you muggles to brush up on your spellwork.
Expectant parents Kerry and James Scarpinito were looking forward to a relaxing vacation this month on a Royal Caribbean cruise -- until Zika got in the way.

So instead of having fun on the much-anticipated trip, the couple was forced to cancel their babymoon -- the last vacation before their baby arrives  and have their disappointment exacerbated by the cruise lines hardline stance against full cash refunds.

Royal Caribbean offered the Scarpinitos a voucher for a cruise to be taken in the next two years -- a trip they say they will not take with a baby.

I understand they want you to cruise again, said Kerry Scarpinito, who lives in Staten Island, N.Y. But this is not the way to make me want to go.

The Centers for Disease Control has now warned pregnant women and those trying to become pregnant to avoid travel to Miami-Dade County whenever possible, as well as travel to the Bahamas, other Caribbean islands, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands -- all popular cruise destinations. Port Miami is considered the Cruise Capitol of the World, with nearly 4.9 million cruise passengers this past fiscal year.

The Zika virus, spread by the bite of a mosquito, has been proven to cause devastating birth defects, including microcephaly and other severe fetal brain abnormalities. Researchers are now reporting children whose mothers were infected with Zika while pregnant may face other challenges not immediately evident.

The Scarpinitos had no choice but to cancel.

I know cruises and infants dont mix, said Scarpinito, explaining her reluctance to use the voucher and travel with her child. I feel like they are banking on customers like me not cruising and not using the voucher. I feel like Im being scammed.

The couple, who had used loyalty points to book the trip, wont get those back either. After Scarpinito complained (and FoxNews.com reached out for comment), she was offered the $200-plus that she and her husband had paid for fees and taxes on the trip, but received only a voucher for the $300-plus they paid for a cabin upgrade.

Airlines have been more flexible in the wake of the CDC's unprecedented announcement. JetBlue, on the other hand, provided a full air fare refund immediately. I didnt even need to provide a doctor's note, Scarpinito said.

But cruise vacations are expensive, and big liners are relunctant to implement flexible policies that could hurt the bottom line. Big-ship cruises typically average $100 per day per person, according to CruiseCritic.com.

Generally cruise line cancellation policies are quite strict, leaving little room for refunds, said Colleen McDaniel, Senior Executive Editor of CruiseCritic.com. Given that there are very few pregnant passengers who may be facing this issue, McDaniel thinks cruise lines are likely trying their best, though she was unable to offer insight as to why some people may be encountering difficulties on certain lines.

In the case of the Zika virus, many lines have adjusted their policies to allow for women who are pregnant or planning to become pregnant to cancel their trips," said McDnaiel.

Carnival Cruise Line, which has 25 ships, will issue refunds to pregnant women and their traveling companions on a case-by-case basis, as will other Carnival brands -- including Princess, Costa, Holland America and Fathom. They also may give refunds to those trying to conceive.

We are trying to be flexible and understanding, given the situation, said corporate spokesman Roger Frizzell, adding that thus far, the requests have been pretty mild, with no impact on their brands cruise business to date

Windstar Cruises, which attracts a lot of honeymooners on its sailing yachts, also is evaluating refunds on a case-by-case basis. Hotels are offering refunds, as well. Every hotel in Miami has been gracious about refunds, said Jack Ezon, president of Ovation Vacations, one of New York Citys largest travel agencies.

Airlines are addressing this issue through direct communication with their customers, said Jean Medina, a spokesman for Airlines for America, which represents the airline industry. Delta and Southwest are among those offering refunds.

Royal Caribbean wouldnt comment beyond referencing its Zika policy: Royal Caribbean will assist any pregnant women who do not feel comfortable sailing to countries affected with the Zika virus by providing alternate itinerary options. This may include providing guests with a future cruise credit, valid for two years, so that they may re-schedule their voyage for a later date, with no penalty. 

Norwegian Cruise Lines policy is similar. Nothing is being offered on NCL and Royal Caribbean to those trying to get pregnant, unless they have purchased a cancel anytime travel insurance policy. Those policies typically cost 40 percent more and will cover up to 80 percent of a customers non-refundable deposit, said Daniel Durazo, spokesman for Allianz Global Assistance USA. Fear of contracting Zika is not something that a standard travel insurance policy would cover. The exception would be a female policy holder who becomes pregnant after they purchase their policy and is traveling to an area impacted by Zika, he said.

But if cruise lines, which have not announced plans to alter port routes away from zones affected by Zika, start allowing exceptions for some, others could take advantage of the loosened restrictions.

A few of the behemoth lines feel that if they start refunding some passengers it would open up a can of worms, setting a precedent about opening the door to cash refunds which would hurt their bottom lines since they never give refunds, offered Jack Ezon, whose luxury travel agency Ovation Vacations books many cruises.

Cruise lines always encourage guests to buy insurance for that very reason. The problem is that, even for people who bought insurance, Zika is not covered by most policies."

I do think it will turn young people away from cruising especially since hotels and airlines are almost all cooperating with refunding people in full, Ezon suggested

Since Zika can be transmitted by sexual contact, the CDC also recommends women and their partners preparing to have children avoid travel to areas with Zika -- a directive that has given pause to couples trying to get pregnant. One engaged couple posted on CruiseCritic.com what many likely are thinking  whether to cancel their Caribbean cruise honeymoon as our desire to start a family is our priority.

The CDC has just announced that $6.8 million will be awarded to national public health partners to assist state, tribal, local and territorial jurisdictions with their Zika responses.

But no one is expecting a quick or easy solution.

The cruise lines cant control this situation and neither can I, said Kerry Scarpinito. The message they are sending is that they dont care about their passengers."
A couple wanted in connection with a woman's killing and the kidnapping of her three children have been arrested in Colorado.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department says Joshua Robertson and Brittany Humphrey were arrested Thursday in Pueblo, about 40 miles south of Colorado Springs.

Department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida says the couple was arrested without incident and that a baby with them was safe.

No other details were immediately available.

The couple was wanted in connection with the death of Humphrey's half-sister, Kimberly Harvill. Harvill's body was found with multiple gunshot wounds along a road in a remote area of Los Angeles County on Aug. 14.

The department says the couple kidnapped Harvill's three young children, who were found safe Wednesday in a motel on the outskirts of Albuquerque. The baby the couple had at the time of their arrest is Robertson's.
A man suspected of killing his male and female lovers in 1983 may be living as a woman in Los Angeles, Michigan investigators said Thursday.

John Kelly Gentry Jr. has not been heard from since May 1983, when he sent postcards from Southern California to a friend and his father, Monroe County Sheriff's Det. Jeff Smith told reporters.

Gentry, who would be 63, is the prime suspect in the murder of his girlfriend, 25-year-old Barbara Gerber. She was found stabbed to death at her Summerfield Township, Mich. on April 12, 1983. Her car was stolen and later recovered in Toledo, Ohio.

Six days after Gerber was found dead, investigators also discovered the body of William Veith, 52, in the basement of his rare coin shop in Toledo. Veith's car was also stolen and later found in South Bend, Ind.

Investigators believe that Gentry lived a double life, splitting time between Gerber's and Keith's homes, before killing them when they learned about each other.

On Thursday, Smith said investigators had received information suggesting Gentry had adopted his middle name, Kelly, as an alias and had frequented West Hollywood, a noted LGBT neighborhood in Los Angeles.

"The U.S. Marshals Service received information in the last five years that Gentry was possibly living in California as a woman, that dresses as a woman," said Smith, who added that the information was not a surprise to Gentry's family.

However, Smith said authorities did not know his current whereabouts. The detective also said that Gentry may be dead because his fingerprints, which are in the FBI's database due to a prior criminal record, have not been flagged anywhere else.

"If he's alive he's obviously living somewhat of a law-abiding life," Smith said, "because otherwise the prints should come back a match."

Click for more from the Los Angeles Times.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Donald?

No, its a not the newest book from the hugely popular series of childrens books, but the title of a new academic paper from an Ivy League professor who suggests that presidential candidate Donald Trump has more in common with Lord Voldemort than Abraham Lincoln.

Similarities between Donald Trump and Harry Potters nemesis, Lord Voldemort, have not gone without notice during the 2016 campaign," wrote University of Pennsylvania Political Science Professor Diana Mutz, in her paper for the American Political Science Associations journal PS: Political Science & Politics. Such comparisons could amount to little more than poking fun at a political opponent.

Can Harry Potter defeat Donald Trump? Is his orange wig actually a horcrux that, if captured, could weaken the strength of his electoral base?"  from the study entitled "Harry Potter and the Deathly Donald"

More recently, however, even Trump supporters seem to be buying into the analogy, purchasing Trump posters featuring their candidate in front of an American flag as backdrop, with a quote from the Dark Lord himself: There is no good and evil, there is only power, and those too weak to seek it.

Mutz, uses the unusual comparison to make the main point of her paperthat past empirical studies suggest that works of fiction influence the political beliefs of readers, and that Harry Potter books and movies have shaped attitudes in the 2016 election.

Because Trumps political views are widely viewed as opposed to the values espoused in the Harry Potter series, exposure to the Potter series may play an influential role in influencing how Americans respond to Donald Trump, Mutz wrote.

Absent from the study is how Harry Potter fandom might affect opinions of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton. Mutz polled a sample of about 1,200 Americans and only asked them about their consumption of Harry Potter-related media and their attitudes toward various political issues and Trump.

National and international media praised the paper as a work of academic wizardry.



Could Harry Potter fans be the key to snatching victory away from Donald Trump in the U.S. presidential election in November? asked a July 28 Newsweek article about the study.

The UK newspaper The Independent exclaimed Harry Potter could help stop Donald Trump becoming US president in a recent edition.

Technology blog Gizmodo asked in July, Can Harry Potter Affect This Presidential Election?

Mutz, who did not respond to requests for comment, seems to think so.

Can Harry Potter defeat Donald Trump? Is his orange wig actually a horcrux that, if captured, could weaken the strength of his electoral base?" she wrote in the conclusion of the paper. Just as He-Who-Must-Not-Be- Named gains power from having others refer to him, is Trumps appeal likewise a function of nonstop media fascination and repetition? These questions remain to be answered.

Perhaps most importantly, these findings raise the hope that Harry Potter can stop the Deathly Donald and make America great again in the eyes of the world, just as Harry did by ridding the wizard world of Voldemort.
Social media is defined by Merriam Webster as forms of electronic communication (such as websites) through which people create online communities to share information, ideas, personal messages, etc.

Although this remains true, people, brands and industries are expanding the ways we use social media, incorporating it into daily business activities, employment opportunities and even education.

Perhaps youre planning your next trip and want to find local hotspots. Rather than heading over to TripAdvisor, why not check Instagram geotags? Need a way to spice up your classrooms curriculum -- try Facebook!

From planning your next vacation destination to reporting crimes, check out these ways people, businesses and schools are utilizing social media channels.

More From Entrepreneur.com Try These Marketing Strategies for Your Small Business

To plan a vacation

Colin Anderson | Getty Images

From being disingenuous or too broad, traditional travel sites are losing steam. Yelp lost credibility after it was revealed that the company paid customers to write reviews. Foursquare often has paid promotions from restaurants to advertise their services -- promoting chains and larger restaurants. TripAdvisor gives recommendations that are often too broad to appeal to every person.

So where can you turn to to plan your next vacation? Instagram. Looking at the raw feed of geotagged posts offers a graphic map in real time, according to The New York Times. By checking out a locations tag, you get a realistic glimpse of the culture, tourism, activities, even the weather, from a number of perspectives.

To recruit top talent

Zia Soleil | Getty Images

Many companies employ social media as a resource for recruiting top talent. In the case study,  How Deloitte Uses Social Media, a researcher depicts the reasons why the firm is so successful in recruiting new hires through social media.

By engaging current employees through social media to help generate great content and good buzz, Deloitte is able to attract outsiders to the company and build a solid image online. The company searches for bloggers who already work at Deloitte to write about what they do and how they feel. They also ask employees who utilize Twitter if they can display their tweets on the company's career page.

The company has also launched campaigns amongst employees to support new branding aimed at graduates. For example, Deloitte challenged employees to upload a photo to their Twitter accounts with a hidden Deloitte logo and hashtag it #begineersthier. The person who received the most views won a prize.

Utilizing Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube to communicate with employees and potential recruits, the company has found social media to be a gold mine in bringing attention to its careers page.

To report crimes

PhotoAlto/Sigrid Olsson | Getty Images

Instead of calling 911, why not tweet at your local police force? Its a quick and immediate form of communication.

In Monterrey, Mexico, many people use Twitter to report crimes. For example, they tweet at anonymous crime-focused Twitter accounts such as @balaceramty (based in Monterrey with more than 40,000 followers).

In Jun -- a small Spanish town outside of Granada -- the local government uses Twitter for many things. Residents use the network to report local crimes and city updates. If they see suspicious activity or even a dim streetlight, locals can tweet at government agencies such as the police force @policiajun.

To teach

Hero Images | Getty Images

Amsterdam school 4e Gymnasium found success employing Facebooks timeline feature to engage and teach students about history.

The history class is focused on four subjects: Magellans voyages, 20th century inventions, fashion history from 1950 to the present and the rise and the fall of the Soviet Union. Teachers and students used cover photos as the focal point of the page and the timeline feature as a way to add events relevant to the history lesson.

The teaching method provides visuals to engage students and fosters a virtual environment of open dialogue where classmates share links and join discussions.
A judge who came under fire after sentencing a Stanford swimmer to six months in a sexual assault case requested Thursday to remove himself from handling criminal cases, but efforts to recall him still remain.

Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky requested that he be assigned to civil court and that request was approved, the countys Presiding Judge Rise Pinchon said in a statement.

"While I firmly believe in Judge Persky's ability to serve in his current assignment, he has requested to be assigned to the civil division, in which he previously served," Pichon said. "Judge Persky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment."

According to the Associated Press, the move may not be permanent. The assignment is subject to an annual review and takes effect Sept. 6. Pichon said that another judge's desire to transfer to Palo Alto has made a quick swap with Persky possible. Normally such changes don't happen until a new year.

Persky was ridiculed after ordering the six-month sentence for Brock Turner, a Dayton, Ohio resident who had been attending Stanford on a swimming scholarship. The judge cited a probation department recommendation and the effect the conviction will have on Turners life.

Authorities said Turner sexually assaulted the girl while she was passed out near a dumpster.

The case sparked a national debate on college drinking and sexual assault and led to a recall effort against the judge.

Michelle Dauber, the Stanford law professor behind the recall effort, said that while the move from Persky is welcome, the recall attempt will continue, in part because Persky "can still transfer back to hearing criminal cases any time he chooses."

"The issue of his judicial bias in favor of privileged defendants in sex crimes and domestic violence still needs to be addressed by the voters of Santa Clara County," Dauber said in an email. "In our opinion, Judge Persky is biased and should not be on the bench."

Dauber and other organizers have said they will begin collecting signatures in April to qualify the issue for the November 2017 ballot.

Persky had already departed from two sex-crimes cases since his June sentencing of the 20-year-old Turner exploded in national media.

On Monday he formally recused himself from deciding whether to reduce a San Jose plumber's felony child pornography charges to misdemeanors.

That came two months after the district attorney's office removed Persky from a different sexual assault case, saying "we lack confidence" in the judge's ability to decide it impartially.

In addition to his supervising judge, attorneys who have argued in front of Persky cite his abilities. Santa Clara County deputy public defender Gary Goodman in June called him a "solid and respected judge," while defense attorney Barbara Muller said he's "one of the fairest judges" in the county.

A jury convicted Turner, a former Olympic hopeful, of sexually assaulting the young woman he met at a campus fraternity party in January 2015 after she passed out behind a trash bin.

The sentence along with the long and much-shared statement the victim read in court made the case a national rallying cry for a reconsideration of how rape is handled by the law.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A woman drowned after she dove into a Utah lake to help her 2-year-old son who fell overboard, and then held him atop her chest until he could be rescued, authorities said Thursday.

Chelsey Russell, a 33-year-old Denver lawyer, jumped in after the tot when he fell from a moving houseboat on Lake Powell in San Juan County Tuesday. Neither had on life jackets, Fox 13 in Salt Lake City reports.

It took some time for Russell's brother to stop the houseboat and reach them in a small boat.

The conscious child was rescued from atop the mothers chest, however the mother was unconscious when pulled from the water, according to the San Juan County Sheriffs Office.

Sheriff Rick Eldredge told the Gephardt Daily Thursday the boy began to cry after being saved.

She was still, for whatever reason, able to keep the baby on her chest, whether conscious or unconscious, Eldredge told the paper.

Efforts to revive Russell were unsuccessful.

The child was flown to a hospital and listed in stable condition.

Russell, of Lakewood, Colorado, worked at Welborn, Sullivan, Meck & Tooley, Fox 13 reported Thursday.

Chelsey was an amazing mother, an exceptional legal talent, an extraordinary athlete, a loyal and generous friend, and left us all better for knowing her. She is sorely missed, the law firm said in a statement on its website.

The accident was a reminder to wear proper safety gear, Meri Sias told Fox 13. Sias is the acting chief ranger at the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area.

Boaters on Lake Powell 12 and under are required to wear life jackets. Adults are also encouraged to wear life jackets.
An Oregon school district has discussed reversing its ban on rap music on buses after allegations of racism.

The Oregonian reported Wednesday that Portland Public Schools had ordered its bus drivers to stop playing hip-hop music after it deemed rap inappropriate.

Teri Brady, the senior director of transportation in the district, sent a memo to bus drivers in March ordering them to stop playing religious, rap music or talk show programs. The only acceptable music to play was pop, country and jazz, according to The Oregonian.

The paper reported that a parent, Colleen Ryan-Onken, obtained a copy of the directive and began to send it around to parents this month. Parents outrage over the memo forced the district to walk back on their order.

"We regret the way this was communicated. Our intent is to limit student exposure to religious teachings, profanity and violent lyrics," Portland Public Schools spokeswoman Courtney Westling said in a statement. The transportation department will be revising its guidance to bus drivers shortly to be more inclusive of different genres of music."

According to The Oregonian, Westling said the district had received numerous complaints over the type of music that was being played on buses.

However, Ryan-Onken wasnt having any of it and slammed the district over the order.

"I think it's overtly racist and leaves out two of our major communities in our music choices," she said.

Ryan-Onken told the paper that hip-hop was deemed inappropriate, but Latin-type music wasnt addressed.

"When you outlaw a kind of music that is very indicative of the modern culture of one group of people you're basically saying that they're not welcome," Ryan-Onken said. "Those of us in the district, living in diverse communities in Portland, understand the racial equity stuff going on is entirely for the cameras. There is no real meat behind it."

She also insisted that the directive couldnt have been about the swearing because radio stations edit it that out and she added that country music could be just as offensive as rap music.

The Oregonian noted that Portland, a predominantly white city, has struggled in its relationship with the music genre.

In 2006, Portland police wondered if rap concerts were the cause of shootings, The Portland Mercury reported. Eight years later, police were reviewed after a rap concert was cut short.

Click for more from The Oregonian.

Click for more from Fox 12 Oregon.
A father suspected of abducting his 3-year-old daughter was pulled over by a New York City traffic agent and taken into custody, the New York Post reported Friday.

The child was safe, Pennsylvania State Police said.

An Amber Alert was issued Friday for Ava Byrne, who was last seen around 12:30 a.m. on Vine Street in Nescopeck Borough, Pa., according to the Pennsylvania State Police.

Authorities said at the time they believed the girl was kidnapped by 24-year-old Robert Byrne and could be in great danger.

Ava, who has curly brown hair and hazel eyes, was last seen wearing only her diaper, according to police.

Robert Byrne was described as 5'9" and weighing 215 pounds. He has brown eyes, black hair and was described as driving a silver 2004 Hyundai Elantra with PA registration HKB-4681.

Police told WCBS-TV that the child was taken by Byrne "under circumstances that lead police to believe the child is in imminent danger."

Anyone with information about the abduction should immediately contact the police by calling 911.
A Tennessee police officer was shot and killed Thursday after responding to a domestic disturbance call.

Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp said the officer responded with a Blount County sheriffs deputy to the call. Sheriff James Berrong said when the two arrived, a man came out and shot the officer.

The wounded officer was transported to Tennessee Medical Center where he later died.

Crisp said the other officer fired at the suspect. He wasnt hit and was taken into custody.

Crisp didn't identify the officer, saying some family hadn't yet been notified because theyve been out of town. He said the man had three small children and had been with the department for several years.

According to the Knoxville News Sentinel, the suspect was identified as Brian Keith Stalons, 44, and will likely be charged Friday, the Blount County Sheriffs Office said.

The officers who responded to the call parked their vehicle about 70 yards behind the house where the call originated from, according to the paper. Authorities took the victim, Stalons father, to safety and then positioned themselves behind their vehicle and waited for help to arrive.

Stalons then opened fire from his fathers garage, police said. The Maryville officer was wearing a bullet proof vest, but was shot in the neck. The Blunt County deputy and another arriving officer returned fire before Stalons was taken into custody.

The two Blount County officers were placed on administrative leave with pay, the News Sentinel reported.

The last time a Maryville officer died on duty was in Feb. 1981 when John Michael Callahan II was struck and killed by a drunken driver while riding a patrol motorcycle.

Crisp said the department would lean on each other for support.

"We live in a great place, and we're not immune to tragic events like this," he added. "We're grateful for our city, and this is a sad day for our city. We ask all people to join in our prayers."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Click for more from the Knox News Sentinel.
Ted Esselstyn was a carpenter, an artist and a med-school graduate in 2009 when a friend told him about Urban Hardwoods, a company that reclaimed old or discarded wood and made furniture from it, he checked its website and thats when the lightbulb went on, he says. Urban Hardwoods was in Seattle. Ted, then 35, lived in Connecticut. Trees were everywhere -- 67 percent of his states land mass -- but he found no company in the Northeast that was reclaiming them. He called his brother, Zeb, and told him about his idea.

The Esselstyn brothers are idiosyncratic. Ted had spent 15 years making massive, whimsical pieces for public institutions -- a 30-foot dragon in a childrens library, a pirate ship kids can climb on. Zeb had been in construction, a guide for Outward Bound, a music festival producer, a Hollywood-film-set grunt and more -- but when Ted called, Zeb had just graduated, at 40, from the Columbia School of Journalism. Hed gone to journalism school because he wanted to tell stories, but 2008 was a bad time to graduate with any degree, let alone one in media. So Zeb agreed to help in the new venture, and he moved from New York to Connecticut in 2010.

Related: This Entrepreneur Shows How to Paint a Picture of Success

They called their startup City Bench. The first relationships took time to build: They asked the City of New Haven and Yale University for their discarded trees and got eventual yeses. Zeb noticed that people took pride in the notion of something old becoming new again. They wanted City Bench to succeed. And he realized that the pieces themselves could be a narrative medium. They could say something really powerful, he says. Through park benches and coffee tables, Zeb and Ted and their clients could reveal their personalities and describe what mattered to them. So they became marketers, contacting media outlets about their furniture with a backstory, and together the brothers began shaping the raw lumber they acquired.

Related: The Secret to Marketing to Busy People Who Don't Have Time to Read (Infographic)

None of this was easy. We didnt have any equipment when we started, Zeb says. And even after the brothers secured resources from a kindhearted local arborist, Ted realized that his decades of experience with wood wouldnt help him. Lumber is a living organism that needs to be dried for a year, and it responds to the saw in different ways. Crafting a piece from young maple is a completely different experience, Ted says, from working with mature maple. He had to learn the distinctions on the job, and some of City Benchs early pieces suffered. The wood, he says, humbles you.

Business was slow the first couple of years: Neither Ted nor Zeb drew a salary, because mills, staging areas and shipping costs are expensive. In 2011, they had $100,000 in revenue but fed it all into their company and relied on family members to get by. It was just stringing things together. Neither of us had started a business like this before, Zeb says. But the Esselstyns learned from their mistakes, and the story of City Bench prevailed. The second life of discarded trees, that transmutation of weathered trunk to varnished table, lured an ever-growing number of customers to the company: Clients who wanted a table shaped from the limb of a beech tree they adored, and a big contract with Denver Public Schools to transform a lobby into a place of vitality and whimsy, as Zeb says, with columns of mixed wood, furniture with swooping backs and a graffiti bench.

Related: How History and Adversity Pushed an Entrepreneur to Shark Tank Success

Furniture is ubiquitous and a commodity, but if you have something where the story is embedded in the piece, it can speak a lot louder, Zeb says. In late 2014, the brothers felt like theyd made it when they heard from Newmans Own, which wanted a 20-foot boardroom table cut from a single log, and then a large feature wall for its headquarters in Westport, Conn. Perseverance and belief in their idea got them to these better days. We knew that we had a good idea, Zeb says, and whenever we told people about it, they got excited. Thats what kept us going.

Today City Bench, based in Higganum, Conn., has five to seven full- and part-time employees and finishes 80 to 100 pieces a year for people throughout the Northeast. This year, well probably do something like $500,000 in sales, Zeb says. They all find us through word of mouth.

Good stories, after all, have a tendency to spread far and wide.
A fellow witness to the aftermath of the earthquake Wednesday in central Italy told me it is testimony to the very uncertainty of life.

All you love and work to cultivate: family, friendships, home and a job can be gone in a matter of seconds, without warning or a chance to say good-bye.

It is wrenching to understand that -- to feel it firsthand -- and the realization, once seared into your brain with the help of images of pulverized towns, like Amatrice, will never leave you.

Some people ask, "Why did he die and I survive?"

Some of this would have had to do with luck, no doubt, some with observance of building code.

The path of destruction was patchy. Entire hamlets destroyed with the exception of a few inexplicably intact structures, connected by little stretches of totally normal life, paint a picture of nature's fickle ways.

The death toll as of Thursday evening stood at 250. 215 people were rescued alive.

Three communities -- Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto -- were completely destroyed, together with their medieaval patrimony.

The area is stunning, ringed by mountains, dotted with lakes and set against soft color.

The decimated towns were ones most Americans would leave off an itinerary -- remote and not enough obvious attractions. But learning of their attributes when it is only too late, I understand only now what so many of us have missed.

The mayor of Amatrice, Sergio Pirozzi should have been hosting a "pasta all' amatriciana" festival this weekend, but instead is grieving with friends.

He said he already sees his town rebuilt, adding, "We owe it to the hundreds who died here."

How to go about that, and who will pay, is a question for another day.

The polemics around who cut corners on construction have aleady begun in this bureaucracy-heavy country. But job one is making sure no survivors anywhere are missed.

Already, social media and informal social networks are talking about what to do to help Amatrice and its neighbors.

One appeal has gone out for a proceed of the price paid in restaurants for "pasta al'amatriciana" (which by the way is a popular Italian dish born in Amatrice) to go to help rebuild and recovery.

There has been a declaration that all museum fees in Italy this Sunday will go to the relief effort.

There are the giving, and also those who try to take advantage of a chaotic situation.

Police have had to stop people trying to loot some of the collapsed homes. And there is the odd person seen coyly posing for pictures in the scene of such misery.

Meanwhile, the aftershocks keep coming, which slows down the work of rescue and recovery. And for those who have seen such brutal devastation, and lived through all this, it must be terrifying to feel yourself on unsteady ground again and again.
The Turkish prime minister vows to continue military operations in Syria until there's no "terror" threat to Turkey from the war-torn neighbor.

Friday's remarks by Binali Yildirim follow Turkey's incursion into Syria. Ankara this week sent tanks across the border to help Syrian rebels retake the Islamic State-held town of Jarablus and contain the expansion of Syria's Kurds in an area bordering Turkey.

Yildirim says the Syrian Kurdish militia's goal is to carve out a separate state  a "dream" he insists "they will never achieve."

He says the Turkish cross-border operation would continue until "we ensure 100 percent our border security and the life and property of our people."

Yildirim says Turkish operations in Syria will continue until IS militants "and other terror entities are cleared from the region."
FASTSIGNS Announces Further Global Expansion Plans With Focus On Southeast Asia

Leading Sign, Graphics and Visual Communications Franchisor to Exhibit at Franchise & License Expo Indonesia in Jakarta Sept. 2-4

August 26, 2016 // Franchising.com // CARROLLTON, Texas - FASTSIGNS International, Inc., the leader in signs, graphics and visual communications, announced today it is seeking to expand its global footprint with an emphasis on Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, among other countries in Southeast Asia. To further fuel expansion, the fast-growing brand will exhibit at the Franchise & License Expo Sept. 2-4 in Jakarta, Indonesia and is seeking master franchisees for the region.

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. currently has over 615 centers worldwide in nine countries, but is looking to expand. Due to the ongoing worldwide need for visual communications and digital signage technology, the company expects to open another 45 to 50 centers in 2016 and sign agreements to enter two or more new countries. The company invites candidates to visit the World Franchise Associates (WFA) pavilion at the Jakarta Convention Center to learn more about the benefits of joining the brand.

Global expansion continues to be a part of our franchise development plans, and having the ability to network with over 15,000 attendees at the leading franchise expo in Jakarta could not come at a more opportune time, said Mark Jameson, EVP of Franchise Support and Development, FASTSIGNS International, Inc. While our ongoing training and support is unparalleled, we have also been recognized as a top global franchise by leading business publications. We invite entrepreneurs to learn about the franchise that's leading the next generation of business communication, offering businesses across the world innovative ways to connect with customers in a highly competitive marketplace.

FASTSIGNS will work with World Franchise Associates, a global franchise services company that helped facilitate the master franchise deals in the United Arab Emirates and North Africa. Troy Franklin, World Franchise Associates chief operating officer for Southeast Asia, will lead efforts in identifying qualified candidates to join the franchise.

Its no secret that the business climate across Southeast Asia is proving healthy and fruitful, said Troy Franklin, World Franchise Associates chief operating officer for Southeast Asia. The rapidly expanding markets in Southeast Asia offer huge potential for U.S. based brands, and were excited to help FASTSIGNS International identify qualified candidates interested in joining the ever-growing, award-winning franchise.

The 14th Annual Franchise and License Expo Indonesia brings emerging franchise industry and business brands in a show packed with beneficial networking programs. Franchise and License Expo Indonesia is targeted to give a better understanding of the industry and maximize the participation of its exhibitors as well as visitors.

For information about the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679) or download an eBook that explores the FASTSIGNS franchise opportunity at http://amzn.to/1FrnDJu.

About FASTSIGNS

FASTSIGNS International, Inc. is the largest sign and visual communications franchisor in North America, and is the worldwide franchisor of more than 615 independently owned and operated FASTSIGNS centers in nine countries including the US, Canada, England, Wales, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Grand Cayman, Mexico and Australia (where centers operate as SIGNWAVE).

FASTSIGNS centers provide comprehensive sign and visual graphic solutions to help companies of all sizes and across all industries attract more attention, communicate their message, sell more products, help visitors find their way and extend their branding across all of their customer touch points including decor, events, wearables and marketing materials. Learn more about sign and visual graphic solutions or find a location at fastsigns.com. Follow the brand on Twitter @FASTSIGNS, Facebook at facebook.com/FASTSIGNS or LinkedIn at linkedin.com/company/fastsigns.

Franchise Research Institute has named FASTSIGNS a top sign and graphics franchise and has awarded the company certification as a 2015 World-Class Franchise for four consecutive years. FASTSIGNS was also recognized by USA Today, Military Times magazine, G.I. Jobs magazine and Franchise Business Review as one of the top franchises for military veterans. Most recently, the company was selected as one of 15 national recipients of the 2016 Secretary of Defense Employer Support Freedom Award, the Department of Defenses highest recognition presented to employers for their exemplary support of National Guard and Reserve members. For more information about FASTSIGNS franchise programs, contact Mark Jameson (mark.jameson@fastsigns.com or 214-346-5679) or visit http://www.fastsigns.com/

SOURCE FASTSIGNS

Media Contact:

Sloane Fistel

Account Executive

Fish Consulting, LLC

O: (954) 893-9150

C: (954) 789-0432

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Scooters Coffee Reaches 150 Stores Nationwide Upcoming Grand Openings in Omaha and Atlanta Metro Areas to Celebrate

August 26, 2016 // Franchising.com // Omaha, NE  On pace for consecutive record-breaking years of growth, Scooters Coffee is celebrating its 150-store milestone with its newest drive-thru locations in Omaha at 72nd and Military (4040 N 72nd Street) and in Marietta, GA (2943 Canton Road). The milestone came on the heels of a pivotal week, during which the company opened six stores across Iowa, Nebraska, Texas and Oklahoma. The two newest locations will host a grand opening celebration this week on Friday, August 26, with $1 medium drinks and special giveaways throughout the day.

Just a short amount of time ago, this company was averaging five to six store openings a year. Opening six in just one week is a phenomenal example of how our infrastructure has evolved to support a very rapid pace of growth, stated Rob Streett, President and Chief Operating Officer of Scooters Coffee. We not only amplified our presence in Nebraska, Iowa and Georgia, but also opened our first-ever locations in the Tulsa, Oklahoma market and in the San Antonio metro area. Both markets have a tremendous amount of potential for our brand, and were already seeing impressive sales numbers to reflect this potential.

Now open in 12 states, Scooters Coffee has signed agreements in three additional states throughout the country and will open 40 locations from coast to coast in 2016. Over the next few months, the company boasts a strong grand opening pipeline, which includes its first-ever location in the state of Arizona. In late July, the company opened its first of many forthcoming locations in Florida.

The Marietta location is owned by Jon and Deanna Erwin, owners of the existing location in Roswell, GA (550 W. Crossville Road), who plan to open several more stores in the Atlanta metro area over the next couple of years.

"We chose to franchise with Scooters Coffee because of two things: the amazing people and the impressive track record of the company, stated Deanna. It is rewarding to watch the brand grow and establish the same reputation in the Atlanta metro area.

Despite an ambitious growth plan, the franchise has reinforced its mission to make a positive difference in customers lives with a new system-wide program called Day of Giving. Franchisees who want to impact their communities can select a local cause, schedule a festive day in which 100% of proceeds go to the organization and be reimbursed a percentage of net sales from the Franchise Support Center in Omaha.

It is essential to remain true to our origins as we bring our brand to so many new markets, stated Streett. Our founders, Don and Linda Eckles, established us as the brand that cares: about our employees, customers, local communities and the people worldwide that provide us with our quality product. The Day of Giving initiative represents our promise to remain true to our brands core values.

The Omaha location at 72nd and Military already has plans to participate in the program and will host a Day of Giving on Friday, October 7. 100% of net sales will be donated to the Hope Center for Kids.

Were extremely thankful to the Omaha area for making Scooters Coffee such a national success, stated Tracy Bouwens of Freedom Enterprises, owner of 72nd and Military. The Day of Giving provides us with the chance to profoundly impact the communities that have welcomed us with open arms. Hope Center for Kids is a pillar of the Omaha community, and I cannot wait for our Day of Giving in October!

The Nebraska-based drive-thru coffee company, which roasts and packages all of its 100% shade-grown coffee at its Omaha headquarters, also bakes its hand-crafted pastries from scratch and handles the distribution of supplies to all stores. Scooters is in the midst of increasing its manufacturing and distribution center at headquarters to support the rapid pace of growth.

Its not uncommon to see businesses fall prey to the temptation of aggressive growth and become careless or reckless in expansion efforts, said Todd Graeve, Chief Executive Officer of Scooters Coffee. One of the many ways that were able to manage a robust pace is through constant evaluation of our organization and a proactive approach to the changes and additions needed to support a growing national footprint.

Scooters plans to open 26 additional stores before the end of 2016. It has also recently added depth to its product profile, releasing a new line of Organic Hot and Iced Teas earlier this summer. Currently, Scooters is touting its new Cold Brew and Cream offering, which combines the companys long-time favorite, slow-steeped cold brew, with 100% real cream and one of several innovative flavor options. The company will soon add gluten-free products to its extensive menu of hand-crafted pastries.

About Scooters Coffee

Founded in 1998 by Don and Linda Eckles in Bellevue, Nebraska, Scooters Coffee roasts only the finest coffee beans in the world at its headquarters in Omaha, Nebraska. Scooter's success over 18 years of history is simple: stay committed to the original business principles and company core values. The Scooter's mantra, often recited to franchisees, customers and employees is: "Amazing People, Amazing Drinks...Amazingly Fast! It represents the company's business origins from 1998 and reflects a steady commitment to providing an unforgettable experience to loyal customers.

For more information, visit: scooterscoffee.com, facebook.com/scooterscoffee, or ownascooters.com

SOURCE Scooters Coffee

Media Contact:

Jamie Hamburg

jamie@scooterscoffee.com

Scooter's Coffee

scooterscoffee.com

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'Cocks Not Glocks' Is The Best Pro-Gun Control Protest Ever

Ahhhh Texas... my lovely home state. Theyre at it again down there with a new campus carry law that went into effect on August 1st. But luckily we have Austin, the progressive oasis in the middle of Texas, to keep us in check. University of Texas students in Austin dipped into their sex toy collections on Wednesday to turn the concept of open carry on its head. Thousands of students attended their first day of classes carrying dick shaped objects meant for sexual pleasure. The Cocks Not Glocks event is being called the biggest anti-gun protest in Texas history.

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There is a certain history at UT that makes this anti-gun protest particularly significant. UT is the sight of what many consider to be the first mass shooting in U.S. history. Exactly 50 years before the new campus carry law went into effect in Texas, a sniper shot 43 people (killing 13) from the top of the UT tower. One can easily see the irony of the campus carry law in light of this history. Yet when it comes to dildos, UT, as with the rest of the state, does not allow them to be carried publicly. Somehow open dildo carry is illegal in Texas (even though dildos are harmless) and open gun carry is legal in Texas? Something isnt quite right there. To be clear the campus carry law allows for concealed carry, not open carry on college campuses specifically. Still, college students should be worrying about their homework and finals and not about whether their classmate has a loaded gun in their backpack.

Photos via Cocks Not Glocks/Facebook

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Millennials Would Rather Be Work Martyrs Than Take Vacation, Study Finds

Trending News: Americans Aren't Taking Vacation Days And Millennials Are To Blame

Why Is This Important?

Because millennials are ruining the idea of vacation for everybody.

Long Story Short

Millennials want to show their bosses that they're work martyrs  and to do that they don't take all their vacation time, according to a new survey.

Long Story

South Park's classic song "Blame Canada" should be subbed for "Blame Millennials" considering how much people love to make a punching bag of the generation born between 1980 and 2000. As a member of that generation, I admit it's sometimes hard not to blame us. We avoid sex, we hate America and we're broke AF (mass generalizations, but somehow there are studies to back it up). Millennials are also often blamed for being lazy, but that's an unfair statement, according to a report from Project: Time Off, an organization that aims to change work attitudes and behaviors in the U.S.

Rather than being lazy, Millennials actually love to work. They love it so much that they've been dubbed "work martyrs." According to the report that surveyed 5,600 working Americans, 48% of the millennials who responded said it's a good thing to be seen as a work martyr by the boss, as reported by Travel + Leisure. Only 39% of Gen Xers responded the same and just 32% of Baby Boomers.

And one of the ways millennials think one can become a work martyr is by not taking all their vacation time. Another recent study backed that up by finding that millennials are most likely to shame others for taking a vacation  called "vacation shame."

This hostility towards vacation is having a major impact on the entire American economy. Since 2000, when millennials started entering the workforce, the number of leftover vacation days has started to stack up. By 2015, 55% of working Americans didnt use all of their vacation days amounting to 658 million days of unused personal time off.

WTF millennials!?

While Gen Y apparently values experience over material things, it's a mystery why they're not taking the time off provided to them by law. Maybe it's because they need the money to pay for their expensive NYC and San Francisco apartments or maybe they're saving up for a big trip  who knows. But it's ridiculous.

Vacation and travel allow you to recharge your batteries to do your job better. It's also good for your health and is f*cking fun (just don't do it to save your marriage).

Other countries seem to get it. Sweden has put in shorter work days and France banned after work emails. It's baffling that Americans are still so oblivious to the benefits of time off.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Could bosses do more to convince millennials that vacation time is important?

Disrupt Your Feed

Kick back and drink from a coconut by a beach somewhere  it's good for you.

Drop This Fact

Even though the millennials surveyed wanted to prove to their bosses that they are work martyrs, 86% of them said they don't want to appear that way at home to their family.
Reliable Receptionist Announces The Release Of Reliacall Business VOIP System

Reliable Receptionist of Walnut Creek California introduces ReliaCall, the world's first business VoIP system backed by a live telephone receptionist.

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Walnut Creek, CA, August 25th, 2016 - Reliable Receptionist is pleased to announce the introduction of their proprietary ReliaCall system, the world's first business Voice over IP (VoIP) phone system that is backed by a live telephone receptionist. Globally, businesses are making the switch to VoIP telephone service due to cost savings, strong features, and easy implementation and maintenance.

As the first company to offer an enterprise grade VoIP telephone service with the support of a live telephone receptionist, Reliable Receptionist is excited to improve upon limitations other VoIP systems may have, such as frequent interruptions and poor customer experiences. This will allow clients to enjoy all of the benefits a VoIP has to offer, while still enhancing their professional image, improving customer service, and managing their workload more effectively.

Businesses who choose to utilize the ReliaCall system will receive seamless integration thanks to the receptionists at Reliable Receptionist being configured on the same enterprise grade VoIP phone system. For interested parties, the only requirement to convert to ReliaCall VoIP is a high-speed internet connection. ReliaCall can provide clients with desk phones if needed, or the system may also be compatible with a company's existing telephone infrastructure.

In the words of Victor Mataraso, the Founder and President of Reliable Receptionist, "We are thrilled with the introduction of ReliaCall, and are convinced this is a great system that can really improve upon the performance of VoIP telephone systems. Clients who use this system will allow their callers to feel as though a Receptionist is assisting them right at the front desk."

Reliable Receptionist was built on the idea that a better option should exist for small to mid-sized businesses who don't have the budget necessary to hire a dedicated telephone receptionist, and would prefer not to subject their callers to constant voicemail or anonymous operators. Reliable Receptionist helps companies enhance their professional image, improve customer service, and manage their workload by providing virtual receptionists to answer calls live and effectively function as an extension of any company's staff. For more information, visit their website at http://reliablereceptionist.com/

For more information, please visit http://reliablereceptionist.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Victor Mataraso

Organization: Reliable Receptionist

Phone: 925-627-4200

Release ID: 129608

For more information visit r



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Mold Inspection, Property Restoration Leader Retools with New Website

An established Miami mold removal company has launched a new website aimed at expanding its client base and making it easier for customers across the Eastern U.S. to find them, review their excellent work and schedule a free estimate.

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We recognized that a majority of mold-removal companies put their focus on fixing people's properties, but their websites to market to customers are often in need of dire repairs as well, either because they are boring, ugly, outdated or just not user friendly," said Mr. Mold Be Gone website creator Drew Doggett.

Doggett, a website marketing specialist who owns Phoenix-based Bling Cake Consulting, works closely with business owners across the country to help them build customized websites that help separate them from the competition.

"If you do a simple Google search for the competition, it's obvious that most mold-removal and property-restoration companies are out of their element online. The sites are either outdated or so basic, that no savvy web user would likely stick around long enough to gain value from it," Doggett added.

His handiwork can be found on:

http://mrmoldbegone.com

Doggett said in 2016 with such fierce competition -- especially in the property restoration business -- it's crucial for companies to have a strong online presence to market to potential new customers who likely perform most of their research via the Internet and prefer to conduct business electronically.

"With so much hanging on your online presence, you need to ensure that your website stands out with strong SEO and that it also effectively and efficiently tells your story on how you can help your customers and add value -- or at a minimum, contact you quickly for the next step," he added.

Doggett said with the website launching, he expected Mr. Mold Be Gone's number of removal and restoration projects to double in the first 90 days.

He knows his small-business clients took a major risk getting into business in the first place, and Doggett seeks to devote the same amount of passion and energy in marketing websites to help them get to the next level.

For more information, please visit http://blingcake.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Drew Doggett

Organization: Bling Cake Consulting



Release ID: 129607

For more information visit r



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Fund Independent Projects and Expenditures Online with 'Fund an Idea'

Fund an Idea launches as a crowdfunding resource backed by 30 years of marketing experience. This website provides inventors with a place to advertise and fund their start ups.

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Since its release, 'Fund an Idea', an online crowdfunding resource powered by InventHelp, has been dedicated to communally funding independent projects to get them off the ground. The website works off the recent online phenomena that is crowdfunding. The concept is simple. Ordinary users can view a vast array of projects, products, or business ideas, and choose from ones they find appealing. Then, they have the option to pledge a chosen amount of money toward the production of the product, often in exchange for a reward. These rewards can be anything from acknowledgement and gratitude, to early access to the product or service, to exclusive access to certain products, features, or tools. This symbiotic relationship between producer and consumer allows the producer to fund their project without taking a massive monetary hit, while allowing consumer to vote for the most attractive and successful products with their wallet, gaining rewards and knowing that their money is directly contributing to the production of their favorite products.

Fund an Idea is a website with promise, which is shown by its reputable team and notorious partners. Fund an Idea is led by Matthew Tagliava, the Director of Marketing for InventHelp. He recognized from his work with InventHelp that a large portion of failed inventions lacked traction and ultimately failed due to lack of initial funding. Because of this, he expanded his role in InventHelp to include leading the Fund an Idea team. "Crowdfunding encourages innovation. With the power of crowdfunding, great ideas that would otherwise go unnoticed because of lack of funding or publicity can get noticed and get made into real products," says Tagliava on supporting small inventors in a Huffington Post interview.

The Fund an Idea team is one comprised of marketing professionals, achieved entrepreneurs, crowdfunding experts, and professional staff dedicated to innovation and inventive development. This team is dedicated entirely to the success of their users, ensuring that each product is of a quality worthy of investment and is provided the necessary publicity within the site. This business model sets Fund an Idea apart from other popular crowdfunding sites such as GoFundMe and Kickstarter. This promising business model has attracted successful partners, such their spokesperson, the professional boxer and namesake of the Foreman Grill, George Foreman. "We can assist you in trying to submit your inventions or new product ideas to industry," says Foreman, speaking on Fund an Idea.

By allowing ordinary users to fund their projects through community effort easily online, Fund an Idea invites more innovation from inventors by removing the hassle that comes with reaching initial funding goals. Alleviating this stress allows the inventors to focus wholeheartedly on production and development, meaning that the product goes from production to market significantly faster. Such assistance in development on the end of Fund an Idea means that more new, innovating, and useful products will be available, constantly setting the bar higher and providing better products to consumers

For more information, please visit http://www.fundanidea.com/en

Contact Info:

Name: Matthew Tagliava

Organization: Fund an Idea



Source: http://marketersmedia.com/fund-independent-projects-and-expenditures-online-with-fund-an-idea/129666

Release ID: 129666

For more information visit r



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Discount Mattress In Los Angeles Ready For Next Day Delivery

Buyaffordablemattress.com announces a sale on their premium range of mattresses.

--

Los Angeles-based online mattress store, buyaffordablemattress.com has announced a sale on their premium range products. The e-store has announced discounts of up to 60% available on chiro care and soft Dreamer mattresses. The online store serves Los Angeles and Orange County, California.

"Buyaffordablemattress.com carries a broad range of mattresses- in all sizes and types. Choose from mattresses made from memory foam, innerspring, memory foam gel, chiro care, and more," adds the spokesperson for the store. For customers who're not sure about the type of material that's fit for them, or the size perfect for their requirements, the store has an online buying guide. The company offers free delivery and free returns as well. "Book today and receive your mattress the next day," adds the spokesperson.

All our products are guaranteed to be new and made with quality products." Choose from buyaffordablemattress.com to save time and money. "Customers don't have to travel far, to buy cheap mattresses in Los Angeles, nor worry about price, and quality of the product," he adds.

About Buy Affordable Mattress:

Buyaffordablemattress.com sells discount mattress in Los Angeles and Orange County, California. They sell branded and premium quality mattress at affordable prices.

For more information, please visit https://buyaffordablemattress.com/

Contact Info:

Name: Cristiano Fernandes

Organization: Buy Affordable Mattress

Address: 5156 Hollywood Blvd # B, Los Angeles, CA 90027, USA

Phone: 213-632-9889

Source: http://marketersmedia.com/discount-mattress-in-los-angeles-ready-for-next-day-delivery/129599

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Three more building societies have passed on this months base rate cut to their customers.

The National Counties Building Society, and its subsidiary the Family Building Society, have cut standard variable rates on some of their mortgages by 0.25 per cent.

Meanwhile Mansfield Building Society has also cut its SVR by 0.25 per cent and launched a new discounted rate at 1.90 per cent for loans up to 80 per cent loan-to-value.

Earlier this month the Bank of England cut its base rate for the first time since 2009 following the UKs vote to leave the European Union.

The base rate was cut by half to 0.25 per cent, bringing it to its lowest level for centuries.

From 25 September National Counties Building Societys owner occupier monthly standard variable rate will decrease to 4.54 per cent.

Its residential investment monthly standard variable rate will decrease to 5.29 per cent.

Meanwhile Family Building Societys owner occupier monthly managed mortgage rate will decrease to 4.54 per cent and its owner occupier monthly flexi managed mortgage rate will fall to 4.64 per cent.

Mansfield Building Society is reducing its SVR to 5.34 per cent from 1 September.

Gev Lynott, chief executive of the Mansfield, said: We have considered the likely impact of the lower base rate.

Recognising the importance of maintaining a healthy mortgage market, we want to support both existing homeowners and first time buyers by reducing our mortgage rates.

By reducing our SVR we will lower the cost of borrowing across our broad range of mortgage products, including Shared Ownership, Buy to Let, Let to Buy, Self Build, Shared Equity and our standard residential mortgage range.

Whilst the vast majority of our mortgages are not directly linked to the base rate, we wanted to respond quickly so that both existing and new customers could benefit.

The Mansfields new low fee two-year discounted rate mortgage has a maximum 80 per cent LTV and is available for purchase and remortgage.

It includes a free basic valuation, a 199 application fee and a 300 completion fee. Interest only repayment options are available at up to a maximum of 75 per cent LTV.

A few days after the Bank of Englands announcement Nationwide cut the majority of its fixed rate mortgages by up to 0.20 per cent, having already confirmed it would pass on the full 0.25 per cent base rate reduction to its existing tracker mortgage, base mortgage rate and standard mortgage rate customers.

Virgin Money has also cut selected fixed rates across its range and Accord Buy-to-Let reduced rates across its fixed-rate mortgages following the cut on top of bringing out new remortgage options.
The sun is out  and so are lots of guidance notes on how HM Revenue & Customs will enact George Osbornes legacy of tax crackdowns.

Yes, George Osborne may be yesterdays chancellor but our nations tax office is still having to try and figure out how it can deliver his aims of hitting tax dodgers where it hurts and boosting the countrys coffers.

We have seen rules produced on how salary sacrifice will work . The changes to salary sacrifice are simple to enact. Basically, your clients wont be able to claim tax breaks for certain schemes anymore.

However, the rule changes for non-domiciled individuals prompted lots of chuckles among the FTAdviser team.

It was the examples included in this weeks guidance note on the statutory residence test, introduced in the Finance Act 2013, that raised smiles.

The note attempts to clear up rules around transit days for non-doms flying through the UK.

It gives a scenario where a lawyer, who lives in France but works internationally, lands in London Gatwick at 6.30pm on Tuesday and his onward flight departs from Heathrow at 2pm on Wednesday.

In the first version, he meets a colleague by chance, catches up on non-work related conversation and later uses personal email and social media. Will we see court cases where an individual is asked to defend their Tweet on a stopover in the UK?

His day of arrival in the UK may be treated as a transit day and will not count as a day of presence in the UK for statutory residence test purposes, while his departure day may also count as a qualifying day under the tests deeming rule.

This is because the meeting was not planned and he and his colleague did not talk about work issues. His use of social media at the hotel is deemed by HMRC to be acceptable as it was not used in any way whatsoever for business or work purposes.

However, in the second similar scenario, the lawyer and his colleague discuss a case they are both involved in.

That evening, he contacts his boss on social media to make him aware of the earlier discussion and they exchange some emails on the case.

HMRC states his day of arrival in the UK may not be regarded as a transit day and will be treated as a day spent in the UK for statutory residence test purposes.

If he works in the UK for more than three hours, the day will also count as a UK work day. His departure day may also count as a qualifying day under the tests deeming rule.

How the heck is HM Revenue & Customs going to monitor how you are using the internet?

Will we see court cases where an individual is asked to defend their Tweet on a stopover in the UK about Markets being busy meant they couldnt easily get around the shopping centre rather than being about the state of the FTSE 100?
Story Highlights One in four U.S. adults sought care for back/neck pain last year

35.5 million U.S. adults saw a chiropractor in the past year

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A new Gallup study highlights the extent to which neck and back pain affect American adults, with one in four reporting that they have seen a healthcare professional for significant neck or back pain within the past year and nearly two-thirds (65%) saying they have done so at some point in their lives.

One in Four Adults Sought Care for Significant Neck/Back Pain in the Past 12 Months When was the last time that you had neck or back pain significant enough that you saw a healthcare professional for care? National adults % In the last four weeks 11 In the last 12 months 14 In the last one to five years 18 More than five years ago 21 I have never had neck or back pain that required me to see a healthcare professional 35 Gallup Panel

These findings come from a nationally representative Gallup Panel study of U.S. adults, aged 18 and older, conducted via web and mail from Feb. 8-March 11, 2016. This is the second annual Gallup study commissioned by Palmer College of Chiropractic.

The poll asked all respondents for their impressions of the effectiveness of five treatment options for neck and back pain: physical therapy, chiropractic care, prescription pain medication, back surgery and self-care. Roughly four in 10 U.S. adults (41%) say physical therapy is "very effective," while nearly three in 10 (29%) say the same about chiropractic care. Twenty-two percent describe prescription pain medication as "very effective," and 15% say this about back surgery. U.S. adults view self-care as the least effective option, rated "very effective" by just 9%.

When factoring in those who consider each approach either "somewhat" or "very" effective, majorities of Americans perceive all five types of care -- including self-care -- to be of some value.

Perceived Effectiveness of Different Neck/Back Pain Treatments Physical therapy Chiropractic care Rx pain medication Back surgery Self-care % % % % % Very effective 41 29 22 15 9 Somewhat effective 45 38 54 34 51 Not very effective 6 14 16 14 34 Don't know 8 19 9 36 5 Gallup Panel

Americans are least certain of the effectiveness of back surgery, with 36% saying they "don't know" how effectively it treats significant neck or back pain. Nineteen percent say they "don't know" the effectiveness of chiropractic care -- more than double the percentage who say the same about physical therapy or prescription pain medication. Americans are least likely, at 5%, to say they "don't know" the effectiveness of self-care.

U.S. Adults More Likely to Say Physical Therapy, Chiropractic Care Are Very Safe

All treatment methods for significant neck or back pain come with some risk to a patient's health. In light of this, Gallup asked American adults to assess the safety of each of five medical treatments for neck and back pain: physical therapy, chiropractic care, back surgery, prescription pain medication and over-the-counter pain medications.

Perceived Safety of Different Neck/Back Pain Treatments Physical therapy Chiropractic care Over-the-counter pain medications Rx pain medication Back surgery % % % % % Very safe 68 33 23 12 6 Somewhat safe 28 42 59 55 43 Not very safe 1 9 11 23 29 Not safe at all 0 4 3 8 9 Don't know 3 12 3 3 14 Gallup Panel

Physical therapy receives the highest safety ratings, with 68% of Americans describing it as "very safe." Chiropractic care is next, with 33% of U.S. adults describing it as "very safe," followed by over-the-counter medications (23%), prescription medication (12%) and back surgery (6%). All options except for back surgery are rated at least "somewhat safe" by a majority of Americans. While 49% of Americans rate back surgery as "very" or "somewhat" safe, 37% rate it as unsafe and 14% say they "don't know."

Notably, nearly a third of U.S. adults say prescription pain medication is either "not very safe" (23%) or "not safe at all" (8%), possibly reflecting recent medical attention to the risks of opioid addiction. Less than 15% of Americans rate over-the-counter medications, chiropractic care or physical therapy as unsafe.

Medical Doctor, Chiropractor Preferred If Adults Have Significant Neck/Back Pain

Gallup asked respondents to think about their preferred treatment if they were to experience neck or back pain, assuming availability and costs of each treatment would be the same. Among five specific healthcare providers -- a medical doctor, chiropractor, physical therapist, massage therapist or acupuncturist -- more than half (53%) of U.S. adults say they would most like to see a medical doctor about their neck or back pain. Ranking second, 28% of Americans say they would most like to see a chiropractor, while far fewer would most like to see a massage therapist (7%), a physical therapist (6%) or an acupuncturist (1%).

Medical Doctors, Chiropractors Top Choices for Neck/Back Pain Care Suppose you were experiencing neck or back pain and wanted to see a healthcare provider about it. If you had the opportunity to choose among any of the following healthcare providers and you knew the cost would be the same to you, who would you most like to see about your neck or back pain? "Most like" to see % Medical doctor 53 Chiropractor 28 Massage therapist 7 Physical therapist 6 Acupuncturist 1 Someone else 1 Don't know 3 Gallup Panel

Bottom Line

Neck and back pain affect many U.S. adults' lives -- a majority report having significant enough pain that they saw a healthcare professional for care at some point in their lives, and one-fourth say they sought medical care for this type of pain within the past year. However, Americans' perceptions of the effectiveness and risks associated with treatment methods for neck or back pain are highly varied. Americans are most likely to describe physical therapy as "very safe" and "very effective," followed by chiropractic care, with pain medications and back surgery further behind. A majority of U.S. adults say they would most like to see a medical doctor for significant neck or back pain, while more than one in four would choose to see a chiropractor. Roughly one-fourth of U.S. adults say they have seen a chiropractor in the past five years, with more than half (35.5 million) doing so in the past 12 months.

Read the full report on the second annual study.

Survey Methods

Palmer College of Chiropractic commissioned Gallup to design and conduct an annual, nationally representative study of Americans' perceptions of and experiences with chiropractic care. Chiropractic care can include adjustments of the spine or other joints, physical therapy, heat and ice therapy, and therapeutic massage, among other things.

Results are based on a Gallup Panel web and mail study completed by 7,645 national adults -- 7,023 from web and 622 from mail -- aged 18 and older, conducted Feb. 8-March 11, 2016. The Gallup Panel is a probability-based longitudinal panel of more than 100,000 U.S. adults whom Gallup selects using random-digit-dial phone interviews that cover landline and cellular telephone numbers. Gallup also uses address-based sampling methods to recruit Panel members.

The Gallup Panel is not an opt-in panel, and members do not receive incentives for participating. The sample for this study was weighted to be demographically representative of the U.S. adult population, using 2012 Current Population Survey figures. For results based on this sample, one can say that the maximum margin of sampling error is 1.8 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Margins of error are higher for subsamples. In addition to sampling error, question wording and practical difficulties in conducting surveys can introduce error and bias into the findings of public opinion polls.
This video featuring a host of impressive cosplayers from the recent Starcon convention in Russia makes me think that maybe I should make a visit to the other side of the planet. What have I been doing going to Japan this whole time?

Starcon is a massive multi-genre convention that takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia. This year, the videographers at Beat Down Boogie were on site to capture all the cosplay antics. If you've ever wanted to visit Russia, this is pretty much what it's always like. For more great cosplay, check out Beat Down Boogies video from last years C2E2 convention.
'Spider-Man: Homecoming' Latest, News and Updates: Zendaya Casting for Mary Jane Answered by Stan Lee; Mixed Reactions Flood Web

Marvel's "Spider-Man: Homecoming" is aptly one of the most awaited standalone films of all time. That being said, whoever enters the roster-or is at least rumored to, certainly has a lot of eyes gazing at them.

Such is the case with the proposed casting of young actress Zendaya in "Spider-Man: Homecoming." The actress, rumored to take on the role of Mary Jane Watson, has sparked quite a lot of controversy as of late.

According to Slash Film, the actress' heritage has come in question to many Marvel fans. For those unaware, Mary Jane Watson is one Peter Parker's love interests in the graphic novel, wherein she is depicted as a red-haired white woman. Zendaya, on the other hand, if confirmed to play the part, will be the first to portray the role as a black actress in "Spider-Man: Homecoming."

Naturally, fans of the franchise attest to such for "Spider-Man: Homecoming," but even one of the people behind it has spoken on the matter. As per The Toronto Sun, Stan Lee said that as far as the actress is potentially good-and hearing that Zendaya is, it should not be a concern.

The same statement was delivered by James Gunn, the director of "Guardians of the Galaxy." Gunn said that the character's main attributes should be the determining factors in casting, not entirely the overall physical manifestation.

Apart from "Spider-Man: Homecoming," Marvel can be recalled on making a handful of character choices that strayed off the original. One such example is the first "Daredevil" movie, wherein the late Michael Clarke Duncan played the role of The Kingpin, fast forward to the more recent "Fantastic Four" wherein Michael B. Jordan played Human Torch.

Will Marvel push through with the idea of casting Zendaya for Mary Jane Watson in "Spider-Man: Homecoming?" Keep posted for further news.
The Bold & The Beautiful Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: Bill Blackmails Brook Into Marrying Him, Will She Accept?

"The Bold & The Beautiful" spoilers for Friday will hint that things are getting intense in Forrester Creations. As the family members try to regain control of the situation, Brook gets caught in Bill's web just to give Katie his shares.

Katie & Bill

"The Bold & The Beautiful" will see the family getting more concerned as Eric reunites with Quinn. Spoilers from Celeb Dirty Laundry reveal family members are planning to prevent ramifications of their possible reunion.

"The Bold & The Beautiful" spoilers reveal that Ridge (Thorsten Kaye) will be determined to get the shares from Bill (Don Diamont). Katie (Heather Tom) couldn't convince Bill to give Katie his shares as they finalize their divorce settlement. Bill feels that he already offered more than enough for Katie.

"The Bold & The Beautiful" fans will see Bill determined not to give his shares away. This will prompt Ridge to devise another strategy. He thought of using Brook (Katherine Kelly Lang) to convince her admirer to give away his shares to his ex-wife.

Brooke & Bill

"The Bold & The Beautiful" will see Brooke talking to Bill and things may not go as expected. Spoilers suggest that Bill may sense that Brooke is up to something. Bill may get the upper hand as decides to play along with their scheme.

Katie already warned Ridge and Brooke that Bill can be manipulative. She fears that Brooke may fall prey under her ex-husband's spell and they will both end up together. However, "The Bold & The Beautiful" will see Brooke off to see Bill despite the dubious plans.

In an unexpected move, Bill will propose marriage to her. While Brooke may not warm up to the idea, Bill will talk to her into it. Now fans will be left wondering if she will accept his idea in Friday's episode of "The Bold & The Beautiful."

Do you think Katie will accept Bill's proposal? How would Ridge feel about Bill's offer? "The Bold & The Beautiful" spoilers are suggesting that Ridge may also want Brooke for himself. Let us know how you think by leaving your comments below.
'Criminal Minds' Season 12 Air Date, Spoilers, News & Update: New Series Regulars Will Replace Thomas Gibson? Actor Back To Comedy Shows?

Fans of Thomas Gibson are now wondering how his character, Hotch, will exit in "Criminal Minds" Season 12. After the 54-year-old star's brawl with a producer that leads to his dismissal, CBS and ABC announced that his take off in the TV series will be later revealed.

Two New Series Regulars To Replace Hotch In 'Criminal Minds' Season 12

According to TVLine, "Criminal Minds" Season 12 is set to have two new series regulars in replace of Thomas Gibson's layoff. In fact, one of them is eyeing Hotch's abandoned position as the team leader. However, people behind the police procedural crime drama are keeping mum about giving more details and other information.

It has been said that "Criminal Minds" Season 12 is really on its way to a changeover following the exit of the original cast Shemar Moore. Other stars who are set to grace the upcoming installment are Adam Rodriguez to take the role of Alvez and the returnee Paget Brewster as Prentiss. Fans will also see the newly promote series regular Aisha Tyler as Dr. Tara Lewiss.

Thomas Gibson's Statement & Interest In Comedy Shows

Moreover, Thomas Gibson expressed in his recent statement that he is deeply saddened with his removal in "Criminal Minds" Season 12. "I love Criminal Minds and have put my heart and soul into it for the last 12 years," he said. "I had hoped to see it through to the end, but that won't be possible now."

On the other hand, Thomas Gibson is now eyeing to do a different TV series and this time it will be lighter compared to "Criminal Minds" Season 12. The director now shows his interest to get back in doing comedy shows like he used to. As a matter of fact, he told The Hollywood Reporter that people often told him that they loved to see his funny side once again.

With that, Thomas Gibson entertains the idea and thinks that it might be the best time to show his wit again. He even said that as the laughter is the best medicine, it might cure the distress he feels after being kicked from the long-running series. "Criminal Minds" Season 12 is set to return on Sept. 28 on CBS.
Chase, a kitten rescued from a Louisiana animal shelter by Dakin Humane Society adoption counselor Ashley Loehn, will likely be available for adoption in two weeks, according to a spokeswoman for the Springfield shelter. GAZETTE STAFF/STEPHANIE MURRAY

In this image taken from video, Ashley Loehn, an adoption counselor at Dakin Humane Society, holds one of the 11 kittens she rescued from a Louisiana shelter, Wednesday, at the Springfield shelter. GAZETTE STAFF/STEPHANIE MURRAY

Ashley Loehn, an adoption counselor at Dakin Humane Society, holds one of the 11 kittens she rescued from a Louisiana animal shelter. Gazette Staff/Stephanie Murray

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SPRINGFIELD  Two days, 1,400 miles and 11 kittens  Ashley Loehn became a hero over the weekend.

The animal lover and Dakin Humane Society adoption counselor drove from Louisiana back to Springfield on Sunday and Monday with 11 kittens in tow, providing some much-needed relief to an overcrowded animal shelter.

Acadiana Animal Aid in Carencro, Louisiana, is scrambling to care for hundreds of animals displaced by catastrophic flooding that has ravaged that state in the last two weeks.

And according to Loehn, of Florence, the kitten transfer was the least she could do for the shelter.

Theyre getting animals by the truckload. Its been 60 per day since the flooding began. The numbers are totally crazy, and they were so thankful we could take 11, Loehn said. Its a network. We like to help shelters if we can.

A plea for help

Louisiana is under water. Unprecedented rainfall and catastrophic flooding that began Aug. 11 have left 13 dead and thousands displaced, the New Orleans Advocate reports. Two weeks after the initial rains, an estimated 3,000 people remain in emergency shelters.

The Red Cross deemed the calamity the worst natural disaster in the United States since Hurricane Sandy four years ago, and President Barack Obama has declared at least 20 parishes as disaster areas, according to a CNN report.

With an estimated 140,000 homes affected, animal shelters are experiencing a flood of their own: displaced pets.

Acadiana Animal Aid sent out a plea via email last week that reached the inbox of Karina King, Dakin Humane Societys director of operations. The Louisiana shelter was swamped with animals and needed to pass along healthy animals to other shelters to make room for pets pouring in from the flood.

We received an email from a group connecting shelters outside the flooding to shelters inside the flooding, so people could take the animals, King said. Its something that happens when a big disaster strikes.

When she heard about the plea for help Thursday, Loehn had an idea. She was already planning to fly to Louisiana and drive back with her sister Shalane, a lawyer moving from New Orleans back to Massachusetts. She reached out to King, offering to transport animals during her trip.

For Loehn, the tragedy in Louisiana brings back memories of the 2011 tornado that tore through Springfield. During that disaster, Dakin Humane Society was overwhelmed with animals in need. Staff took to the streets, going out and collecting lost pets. Within a day, neighboring shelters had collected Dakins healthy animals to make room for strays coming in, Loehn said.

Weve been on both sides of the coin, King said. So when we get a chance to help, were glad to do that.

With her offer lingering, Loehn flew to Louisiana the following day. By Friday night, it was decided. Loehn would receive 11 kittens from a volunteer at the shelter, three hours away from her sisters apartment. Loehn drove two hours to meet the volunteer in a supermarket parking lot.

I got a call from Karina, and I figured out how many carriers I could fit in my sisters car. We decided on a humane number of animals I could house in carriers for the journey, Loehn said. It was something I didnt exactly tell my family.

With Shalanes belongings packed away in a U-Haul truck, the women fit five cat carriers in the back seat of the car. Each held a few kittens or cats with enough room for food, water and a litter box. Shalanes two cats were also taking the journey.

We had my sisters two cats and the 11 kittens, Loehn said with a laugh. We had 13 cats and two people in a Toyota Camry.

The women embarked on the 1,400-mile journey through 12 states, trailed by their mother, Susan Loehn, and their uncle Jeff, who was driving the moving truck.

Loehn drove the car full of kittens while her mother and sister took turns between the car and truck, wary of the stench that comes with more than a dozen feline passengers.

The smell was gross. You can imagine the amount of poop 11 kittens generate in a day, Loehn said with a chuckle. I still have to de-smell my sisters car.

After driving for 12 hours, the travelers selected a Virginia hotel at which to spend the night. Loehn told the concierge she had three cats with her and successfully sneaked all 13 cats into the room using three carriers.

The group completed the journey Monday at 9 p.m. Dakin had rooms ready for the wayward kittens, where they are currently undergoing evaluations in quarantine.

According to Loehn, it is unclear when the kittens will be available for adoption. After being quarantined and undergoing health evaluations, they will be spayed or neutered, vaccinated and equipped with microchips before heading to new homes. Interested animal lovers can check the Dakin Humane Society website, Loehn said. Postings are updated in real time.

King estimates the kittens will be available in about two weeks because one has cold symptoms like sneezing and watery eyes. But with 80 cats and kittens available between Dakins locations in Springfield and Leverett, King said there is no need to wait.

People should come on down, King said. We have plenty of local animals that really need homes.

Carmine DiCenso, the executive director at Dakin, applauded Loehns efforts.

Its great we are in a position where we can help animals that far away, DiCenso said. What Ashley did shows the dedication of the staff and volunteers we have at Dakin who would do just about anything to help an animal in need.

A spokesperson for Acadiana Animal Aid was not available Wednesday afternoon. According to a post on the shelters Facebook page, phone lines and the internet were down in that area all day.

After working at the Dakin Humane Society for eight years, Loehns last day will be Sept. 1 because she is moving to Marthas Vineyard.

Im not sure what Ill do for a job yet, but I know Ill have to work with animals, Loehn said. Its funny to think these kittens will probably be adopted out after Im gone.
On Monday, Corvallis resident Peter Erskine could be seen perched on a ledge below the huge front window of the Corvallis-Benton County Public Library.

Erskine was fine-tuning a piece of public art that will use the sun to add splashes of color to the library foyer  and shed light on the issue of climate change. The artist has done similar installations internationally, including Rome and Berlin.

This project is about the beauty and dangers of sunlight, Erskine said after climbing down from his ledge. He listed the positive effects of sun-produced rainbows in his art and photosynthesis in plants but also noted the challenge of global warming.

Weve changed our relationship to the sun, Erskine said. We have put it out of balance.

Erskines piece, the Solar Spectrum Environmental Artwork, will be unveiled at an event Saturday at which he hopes to raise awareness of climate change.

Its such a big thing and were all responsible, he said. People cant comprehend it. Its terrifying. You have the beauty of the rainbow, a symbol of hope and deliverance. We have a great opportunity.

Erskine had his eureka moment last December when he happened to be on the second floor of the library.

I said, Oh, my God, this is a window I can use,  said Erskine, who pitched the idea to library director Carolyn Rawles and other city officials and then went home to South Corvallis to work on models. The City Council in June approved Erskines plan, which includes donating the piece to the city.

This week Erskine was doing his final tinkering of the pattern of about 20 prisms attached to the south-facing window to produce the rainbow effect, which will keep following the sun.

Its something that will change a lot during the year, he said. The spectrum will move around the floor about 40 feet, taking advantage of the shiny tile in the foyer.

In winter a huge spectrum of color will go up on the second floor, he added.

Community activists involved in solar and climate change issues have become engaged in the project and have organized an event (see information box) to accompany the debut.

Its really exciting to see this happen, said Annette Mills, facilitator for the Corvallis Sustainability Coalition and one of the organizers of Saturdays event. There is a need for us to be more energy-efficient. We regard this as an opportunity to raise awareness of the power of the sun."

Erskine estimates the project will have a lifespan of three to five years.

"If the adhesive starts to go, I could replace it," he said. "It's kind of like a long-running exhibition. Creating it in this space is like carving stone. I'm using the library as a studio. That's the great thing about doing it locally."

Although its effects are not yet complete, the installation already is becoming a bit of a tourist attraction. Library patrons watched the work and had "oohs" and "aahs" for the rainbow effect.

As more and more of it gets done, it gets more and more impressive, said Ward 5 Corvallis Councilor Mike Beilstein as he passed through the lobby.
Mediation between Linn-Benton Community College and its part-time faculty will move forward despite protests from the association.

The two sides have been working since last November to negotiate the first contract for the 300-member Part Time Faculty Association. LBCC requested mediation at a bargaining session earlier this month.

Tak Suyama, chairman of negotiations for the Part Time Faculty Association and past president of the association, said his members will have no choice if the college insists on mediation, but they're asking to go back to standard bargaining.

"We are strongly against moving toward mediation at this time," Suyama said. "We have been making progress at the table."

Most importantly, he added, seven articles have yet to be discussed at all: academic freedom, evening and weekend assignments, proportional pay, third party pay, members rights, student complaints and transition to full time.

In a statement to the college, the association wrote: "Because you have refused to engage in discussion at the table about these articles, your request for mediation is premature and inappropriate. In addition, given that your side has not kept its word about discussing these articles, we see that it is highly inappropriate for you to force us to mediation."

Either side in contract negotiations can request mediation after 150 days. The two sides are more than 100 days past that total and the college is looking for a way to move forward, said Dale Stowell, LBCC's executive director of Advancement/Foundation.

In a statement, the college said: "Mediation is a positive and healthy way to reach agreement on topics where we aren't able to agree on our own. After nine months of negotiations, we're still far apart on major issues like pay, even though both sides agree it's an issue that must be addressed. We're going to ask for help. It seems that both sides sometimes look at the same thing and see it in a completely different light. A trained professional from the outside increases our chances to come together to a place where we can agree."
A 23-year-old Corvallis man was sentenced Thursday to five years in prison for sexually abusing a woman after breaking into several residences in March 2015.

Ronald Wesley Vaughan, a former Oregon State University student, pleaded guilty Thursday to first-degree burglary, second-degree sexual abuse and four counts of first-degree criminal trespass in connection with a March 18, 2015, sexual assault report and several break-ins at OSUs Cauthorn Hall and a home on Northwest 23rd Street.

According to previous reports from police, a woman called police to report that a man had entered her home while she was in the shower and that the man got into the shower with her naked, sexually assaulted her and then left. Police said they matched a cellphone found at the scene to Vaughan.

On Thursday, Benton County Circuit Court Judge Matthew Donohue sentenced Vaughan to five years in prison, with no eligibility for early release, and three years post-prison supervision. As part of his sentencing, Vaughan also will be required to register as a sex offender once he is released.

Vaughan has been at the Benton County Jail since his arrest on March 19, 2015. As part of his sentencing, Vaughan was granted credit for time served.

Were really hoping this sentence is something Mr. Vaughan can learn from, assistant district attorney Amie Matusko said before sentencing.

Eugene-based defense attorney Shaun McCrea represented Vaughan. McCrea told Donohue Thursday that Vaughan had no previous criminal history and was an honor student and on the verge of graduating from OSU before his arrest.

What happened was aberrant behavior, McCrea said. He is here accepting responsibility and owning this.

Donohue told Vaughan that he did not find it appropriate to shorten the sentence and noted that Vaughan would not be eligible for alternative incarceration programs.

I believe serving the sentence is important for the people impacted being able to move on, the judge said.
Video surveillance : Cameras to be installed at Bad Godesberg station

Bad Godesberg Federal police have changed their minds and now want to install video cameras in the renovated railway station.

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It has long been discussed whether the train station at Bad Godesberg should be equipped with video cameras or not. Although police were still saying a few weeks ago this would not be recommended, they have now changed their mind. The police have told the General Anzeiger that cameras will be installed once the renovation works are completed. Deutsche Bahn and the police will jointly decide on the number of cameras and their locations.

As previously reported, Deutsche Bahn is extending video technology at railway stations. It and the Federal Ministry of the Interior have developed a ten-year programme: by 2023 video technology at railway stations will be modernised and extended at a cost of Euro 85 million. The federal police decide which stations are chosen and, until now, Bad Godesberg was not on the list.

The change in situation is partly down to the tenacity of the CDU, who were not happy with the refusal of the video camera initiative and broached the subject several times with the head of Bonns railway management. He asked the federal police headquarters to review the situation again, with success. The people of Bad Godesberg will therefore soon be able not only to enjoy a renovated station, but also one kitted out with video cameras.
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Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
bayonel3 at 26-08-2016 01:37 PM (6 years ago) (m)

A pretty woman was on Thursday afternoon disgraced and paraded in the streets of the suburban setting for stealing Ksh.5, 000 from a Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) client.

A pretty woman was on Thursday afternoon disgraced and paraded in the streets of the suburban setting for stealing Ksh.5, 000 from a Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) client. The suspect was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) stealing Ksh.5, 000 from a ladys bag when the client had gone to fill deposit slips a few metres away. Speaking about the incident, KCB Ruiru branch operations manager Moses Mwanza said the woman has been arrested and she is being held at Ruiru Police Station.

The suspect was taken round Ruiru town with a placard written: I am a thief. Mimi ni mwizi. hung on her neck. CCTV footage showed the suspect was part of a three-member female gang. The other two managed to escape and authorities are looking for them.

The suspect was caught on closed-circuit television (CCTV) stealing Ksh.5, 000 from a ladys bag when the client had gone to fill deposit slips a few metres away. Speaking about the incident, KCB Ruiru branch operations manager Moses Mwanza said the woman has been arrested and she is being held at Ruiru Police Station.The suspect was taken round Ruiru town with a placard written:hung on her neck. CCTV footage showed the suspect was part of a three-member female gang. The other two managed to escape and authorities are looking for them.

Post Reply I scour the world wide web to bring you interesting stories from around the globe. +2348055557203 Posted: at 26-08-2016 01:37 PM (6 years ago) | Hero
'Feels Like Home Season 2' offers something real and tangible to think about; takes home a pertinent point - if your intentions are good, there is nothing in life that isn't achievable.
Pentagon Spokesman Hails Liberation of Jarabulus, Condemns Kabul Attack

By Lisa Ferdinando DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2016  The liberation of the northern Syrian city of Jarabulus is another important milestone in efforts to defeat the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, Pentagon Press Secretary Peter Cook told reporters today.

"Syrian opposition forces supported by coalition air power and the Turkish military are now in control of Jarabulus on the Turkey-Syria border," Cook said.

Operations are ongoing to clear pockets of resistance and improvised explosive devices left by ISIL, and the coalition conducted additional airstrikes today in support of the effort, Cook said.

Looking Toward Raqqa

The developments in Jarabulus build on the recent success of the Syrian Democratic Forces in freeing the city of Manbij from ISIL, he said. Jarabulus, which is north of Manbij, had been used as a route for foreign fighters, and now the Manbij-to-Jarabulus route is no longer available to ISIL terrorists, Cook said. The route from Manbij to Raqqa has also been severed as a result of recent operations, he added. "This is a major blow to ISIL," Cook said, adding that the Jarabulus operation in particular is "another significant step forward for the campaign." Partnered forces are focused on the next major objective in Syria, retaking Raqqa, the so-called capital of the self-described ISIL caliphate, he said.

Cook, who reported progress as well in Libya and Iraq, said challenges remain in defeating ISIL, acknowledging that it will not be done "quickly, easily or without cost."

But, he added, "there is no question that on every front today ISIL is under increasing pressure from a global coalition dedicated to its defeat."

Iraq, Libya Successes in Fight

Iraqi security forces have made gains in efforts to retake the city of Qayyarah, south of Mosul, the press secretary said. "Qayyarah is an important objective on the way to the eventual liberation of Mosul," he told reporters, adding that Kurdish peshmerga forces have made key advances in efforts to envelop Mosul.

Meanwhile, in Libya, forces supporting the Government of National Accord continue to "take the fight to ISIL with the help of U.S. air power," he said. The prime minister of the Government of National Accord, Fayez Sarraj, met yesterday with the commander of U.S. Africa Command, Marine Corps Gen. Thomas Waldhauser, and received an update on U.S. support for the counter-ISIL fight in Libya at Africom headquarters in Stuttgart, Germany, Cook said. The parties also discussed a common path forward, he added.

Condolences for Victims of Kabul Attack

Cook expressed condolences to the victims of a terrorist attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, in which gunmen killed at least a dozen people, including students.

"The United States, of course, strongly condemns this attack in which terrorists targeted a university dedicated to helping Afghans prepare themselves and their nation for a brighter future," he said. "On behalf of the secretary and everyone in the Department of Defense, I offer our condolences to the families of the victims killed in this attack, as well as the wounded."

The press secretary thanked the Afghan security forces who responded decisively to this incident, saying they saved lives and prevented an even larger tragedy.

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Innovation, Reform Are Contagious, Vice Chairman Says

By Jim Garamone DoD News, Defense Media Activity

WASHINGTON, Aug. 25, 2016  Innovation and reform are contagious, and military leaders increasingly are seeking ideas and expertise from younger officers, noncommissioned officers and civilian employees to keep the ball rolling in the Defense Department, the vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said today.

At the Center for Strategic and International Studies here, Air Force Gen. Paul J. Selva discussed the state of innovation in the Defense Department with Kathleen Hicks, the director of center's international security program.

He said the ideas of reform and innovation are spreading in the military.

Innovation takes many forms, Selva said. The general reached into history to highlight one example: the National Security Act of 1947 that created DoD, the intelligence community and the National Security Council.

Institutional Reform

"It is an exceptional example of institutional reform -- the process by which institutions realize they have a problem they want to solve and it is not a problem of a tactical or operational nature, but a strategic nature," the vice chairman said. "It is about the relationships inside the agency and reforms about making those agencies more useful to the decision makers who rely on those agencies."

Without the National Security Act, harmonizing the various agencies in the national security community would have been vastly different, Selva said.

Reform and innovation are necessary because of the challenges facing the United States, the general said, putting Russia and China at the head of the list of those challenges. "They are global challenges," he added. "There is very little in our relationship with Russia that doesn't move the global stage almost immediately, and the same is true of China."

The United States must have in place structures and processes to manage the tough decisions that will have to be made, he said.

Iran and North Korea are also challenges, Selva said, the most significant being the nuclear capabilities both counties covet. "Our agreement with Iran staunches that program for a number of years, [which] is a positive development," the general said. "But it is not the end. It is the beginning. It is the beginning of a relationship that might be built on compliance with that plan."

North Korea is a challenge because it is so opaque, he said. "We only know what we know about North Korea because of the bits and pieces that we can collect," he added. "And understanding the trajectory of North Korea is critical to understanding the trajectory of security in the Western Pacific."

Violent Extremism

The challenge of violent extremism also remains a wild card. The vice chairman said he will not put a name on the challenge, "because we have watched violent extremism morph over the past decades in ways we couldn't even dream of."

Inside all these challenges is room for continuing reform in the institutions of the government and department that will help leaders manage and understand the challenges and react quickly to the variables of those challenges, the general said, and innovation also plays a large role.

"Innovation is about tactical, operational and strategic choices within organizations to adopt new ways of doing things," Selva said. "It can make the organization more effective or more efficient, or possibly both."

Innovation in an organization the size of the Defense Department  about 3 million people  is not easy or quick, he acknowledged. But the basics are the same, he said, no matter if the organization is a small startup or a global national defense institution. Innovation is "people who are willing to bring new ideas to the fore, people who are willing to take risks with those new ideas, and people who are willing to fail," the vice chairman said.

Too Hidebound?

Some people believe the U.S. military is too hidebound to be innovative, but they are wrong, Selva said. The idea "is as far from the truth as you can get," he added.

"The military that brought you GPS doesn't innovate?" he asked. "The military that brought you tactical innovation on the battlefield doesn't innovate? The military that brought you the AirLand Battle [strategy] in the 1970s and 1980s, and has continued to refine that capacity almost to a science, doesn't innovate?"

Innovation is accepted in the military, Selva said, but innovators have to convince leaders it is worth it. "We grow up assessing risk," the general said. "It started my first day on active duty."

Selva said he showed up at pilot training and the instructors told him that after 10 instruction hours, he would be soloing. "You don't think there is a bit of risk assessment involved in climbing into a jet airplane with 10 hours of flight time to go fly by yourself without the comfort of an instructor to correct those minor errors that can quickly turn into a catastrophe?" he said.

Risk Assessments

The military hammers risk assessment into its personnel to look at everything they do, because risk can kill people or cause the mission to fail, Selva said, both being unacceptable outcomes. "It's not that we are risk-averse, it is that we are eminently conscious of risk," he said.

The military is constantly looking at where risk is coming from and how to counter it so imaginative competitors can't challenge the United States and erode its advantage, increasing risk to the United States, its allies and its partners. To counter this innovation becomes even more important, Selva said.

"If a young officer comes to me and says, 'I have an idea to make our command and control more efficient and quick,' I'll listen," the general said. "Then my question to him is, 'Are you willing to be wrong?' -- because you have to be willing to test a hypotheses to see if it is right. If it is not, then you know to move on to another proposal. But you have to be willing to be wrong to start."

Commercial industry uses innovation exactly that way, Selva said. "It's fast, but it is iterative," he said. "Failure is acceptable, but repeated failure, maybe not. It moves like a small brush fire, and it fertilizes everything in its path as it thins out the underbrush. People who are successful at it are astronomically successful at it."

DoD's problem is that it treats every bit of innovation like a forest fire, the general said. "We bring out the fire brigades and we try to put it out, because innovation is only good if you are right," he said. "Asking hard questions is only all right if you know the answer. And none of that fosters innovation."

Selva has ordered the fire brigades back to the fire stations and is working with people around the department to foster innovation and to give them the freedom to fail and learn.

"And I am not the only person doing this," he said. "If I was, it would be an innovation insurgency. This is now becoming systemic in the department, where senior leaders are asking young officers and NCOs and civilians for their ideas and their expertise. We are triaging their ideas to find those that will make us more effective on future battlefields. And we are finding them."

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India Promises Substitute for Pellet Guns that Blinded Hundreds of Kashmiri Protestors

By Anjana Pasricha August 25, 2016

India's home minister on a visit to Kashmir said substitutes will soon be found for pellet guns that have blinded or caused severe eye injuries to hundreds of people during the worst protests to have wracked the Himalayan region in six years.

The use of pellet guns by security forces to quell the demonstrations has flooded hospitals with victims and triggered huge anger in Kashmir. Human rights groups, such as Amnesty International, have called for prohibiting their use.

Wrapping up a two-day visit to Kashmir's capital, Srinagar, Minister Rajnath Singh said that a panel looking into the use of pellet-firing guns will submit its report in two or three days.

"It was believed in 2010 that the pellet gun is a non-lethal weapon that causes the least damage. But today we feel the need for an alternate," said Singh. He is visiting the region in a bid to explore a solution to the unrest that has gripped India's only Muslim majority region since the killing of a local militant by security forces last month.

The victims of pellet guns have included a 9-year-old, who was hit as she watched a demonstration through her window.

At a news conference, the Indian minister also appealed to Kashmiris to return to the path of peace, saying that "young people of 17, 18, 15 and 20, should have computers, books and pens in their hands." He then asked, "Who gives them permission to put stones in their hands?"

Young men have been at the forefront of massive anti-India demonstrations, often pelting stones at security forces.

Kashmir's chief minister, Mehbooba Mufti, said a majority of people in the Kashmir Valley favor a peaceful solution to the current unrest and said that the "five per cent" involved in the protests "are using young people as shields to attack camps of security forces."

Tight security

The Indian minister's visit took place amid tight security as much of the region, including the capital, remained shuttered under a curfew.

While Singh said New Delhi is willing to talk to separatist groups, separatist leaders questioned how they could join a dialogue as most have been placed under house arrest.

The volatile situation in Indian Kashmir has also deepened tensions and triggered a sharp war of words between India and Pakistan, whose rivalry is sparked by conflicting claims on the Himalayan territory, which is divided between them.

Pakistan, which has called for "putting an immediate end to the human rights violations against the innocent people" of Kashmir, has twice invited New Delhi for talks on the region in the last 10 days, but India says it will only hold a dialogue on cross-border terrorism.

In its latest answer to Islamabad, Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar virtually rejected the invitation saying in a letter that he was only willing to discuss terrorism emanating from Pakistan's territory, which targets not just India but other countries as well.

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Burundian Panel Set to Submit Findings to Parliament

By Peter Clottey August 25, 2016

A Burundian panel tasked with finding ways to resolve the nation's political and security crisis says it will soon present its findings to parliament, which will include a proposal to remove term limits for the head of state from the constitution.

Analysts say debate on the removal of term limits is likely to begin after the Inter-Burundi Dialogue Commission makes its presentation to lawmakers. President Pierre Nkurunziza is expected to make the final decision on the commission's report after parliament approves it.

Local media quoted Justin Nzoyisaba, chairman of the commission, as saying views his group collected demonstrated that citizens want the term limits provision pulled from the constitution. Such a move would mean "that the president can go for as many terms as he wants if elected by the people," he said.

Presidents are now constitutionally limited to serving two full terms. Opposition groups say Nkurunziza is to blame for the country's crisis for seeking a third successive term in office. The government rejects the accusations.

No surprise seen in findings

Vital Nshirimana, head of Burundi's Forum for Strengthening the Civil Society, said the dialogue commission  a 15-member group with representatives from religious groups, civil society organizations and political parties  was established for the government and did its work for the government, and that its findings were expected.

He said the commission was established after more than 200,000 Burundians fleeing the security and political crisis were forced into neighboring countries, including Rwanda and Tanzania. Those who fled included opposition and civil society leaders who were opposed to Nkurunziza's third term, Nshirimana said.

He said the commission's report sharply contradicted the will of the people.

The commission "has completed its assignment by Nkurunziza to kind of get to say that the people of Burundi want the revision of the constitution, or the amendment of the constitution, and to repeal the Arusha peace agreement core provision. So this is what the commission did, and this is what it was assigned to do," Nshirimana said.

The Arusha agreement ended the country's civil war and created an ethnic power-sharing agreement between the Hutu majority and Tutsi minority.

"People do not want the review of the constitution or the cancellation of the Arusha accord, because they know the importance of the Arusha agreement, which is the most important element of the stability of Burundi for the 10 past years," Nshirimana said. "So this was a fake undertaking that was [done] by Nkurunziza, when he saw that other stakeholders had fled the country. So this is not the picture that people want. This is not the picture that the sponsors of the Arusha agreement want.

"Because now what is [needed is] an external inter-Burundian dialogue that is likely to happen in the future months if the government comes to the table of negotiations," Nshirimana added.

Pressure from other nations

He also called on the international community to put pressure the government in Bujumbura not to undermine the constitution and the Arusha accord. Nshirimana warned that the administration risked worsening the country's peace, stability and territorial integrity if moved ahead with plans to scrap term limits.

But the government has often said it accepts the will of the people. Officials reject assertions that the country is unstable.

"It is a matter for the Burundians to preserve the Arusha peace agreement and the constitution, because if the parliament agrees that this report be taken as an element of which it can adopt as law, then it would agree that Nkurunziza be a dictator or be a king of Burundi or be the president of Burundi forever," Nshirimana said.

"So we appeal [to] the international community, especially the East African community, with which the responsibility of finding a solution to the Burundian crisis lies, to actually stop these processes."

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Joint Statement on Libya by the Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States

Media Note

Office of the Spokesperson

Washington, DC

August 25, 2016



Following is a joint statement on Libya by the governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Begin text:

The Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States welcome the statement of the Presidency Council (PC) of 24 August 2016 and the announcement of its intention to submit a revised list of Government of National Accord (GNA) Ministers to the House of Representatives (HoR). They emphasised the unanimous adoption of UN Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 2259 which endorses the Rome Communique of 13 December 2015 and the Libya Political Agreement to support the GNA as the sole legitimate government of Libya and reject official contact with parallel institutions that claim to be the legitimate authority but are outside the Libya Political Agreement. They recalled the Vienna conference of 16 May 2016 in which the international community expressed unanimous support for Libyan Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj.

The Governments of France, Germany, Italy, Spain, the United Kingdom, and the United States look forward to the prompt transmission of this list to the HoR, and urge the HoR to vote in its entirety, on the revised GNA Cabinet within ten days, as foreseen in the Libyan Political Agreement. Members of the HoR are responsible for taking this next vital step in implementing the Libya Political Agreement, which provides the only means to restore peace and stability in Libya.

We remain committed to providing our full support to the Libyan people, to the PC, and the GNA led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj as they work to restore unity and rebuild Libya. We reiterate our full support for the ongoing work of UNSMIL and UN Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Libya Martin Kobler.



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Aid convoys 'ready' to enter Aleppo; UN envoys await Russia-US talks on truce

25 August 2016  Reporting that the Russian Federation is backing a 48-hour humanitarian pause in and around Aleppo, senior United Nations envoys on the Syrian crisis today said they are "waiting for others on the ground to do the same," and are ready to green light aid convoys to the war-ravaged city once assurances are received.

"We are ready, trucks are ready and they can leave anytime we get that message," UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva, where negotiations on humanitarian aid delivery and a cessation of hostilities are under way.

The taskforces for these two subjects, created by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), have been meeting separately since early this year on a way forward on the crisis. Russia and the United States are the co-chairs of ISSG, which comprises the UN, the Arab League, the European Union and 16 other countries.

In a press stakeout, Mr. de Mistura explained that Russia has already pledged support for the 48-hour pause, and humanitarian convoys are waiting for all the others to "do the same.'

The UN envoy, who has been mediating the intra-Syrian talks, did not comment on the political front, saying that US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are expected to meet tomorrow in Geneva  a meeting that he said will certainly have an impact on the course of ISSG discussions.

"Our focus, at least when we talk about humanitarian access, should be the people, not political posturing by one side or the other, but the people, that is what is guiding us and what will help, of course, anything that happens regarding also the political process," he said.

Also speaking at the stakeout was UN Senior Advisor, Jan Egeland, who outlined the Aleppo emergency response plan's three elements: first, sending two convoys of 20 trucks each that would carry enough food for 80,000 people in eastern Aleppo via the Castello Road, the safest and most direct route.

The second plank is to have simultaneous distributions to western Aleppo, cross-line mostly from Damascus, he said.

The third, he went on, is to use the 48-hour pause to repair the electricity plant in the southern part of Aleppo that serves 1.8 million people and even more importantly, power the pumping of water in the eastern and western parts of the city.

"We have also agreement now from the Russian Federation of the 48 hour pause; we are also waiting it from the other actors on the ground. That has taken more time frankly, than I thought was needed, I thought everybody would help us make it happen," Mr. Egeland said, but he was hopeful that humanitarian convoys "can roll" shortly to help the long-suffering people in Aleppo.

Turning to other places in Syria, Mr. Egeland said it has been 116 days since aid last reached Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya, the besieged areas under the 'Four Towns Agreement.'

"The one glimmer of hope" was that at long last there was an evacuation in the recent week of 40 children and others of great medical needs in Madaya, Fouah and Kafraya.

He urged those behind the Four Towns Agreement, including Iran and Ahrar al-Sham, help get aid to these four areas where "starvation is just around the corner."

He said the only place reached this month via land routes was al-Waer, which is getting its second convoy of the month today. Regarding Deir ez-Zor and Qamishli, these places were reached via air drops and air bridges, respectively.

"But we failed the other besieged areas of Syria and it is heartbreaking really when we have all of the supplies ready," said Mr. Egeland.

The UN estimates that five years on, the conflict has driven 4.8 million refugees to neighbouring countries, hundreds of thousands in Europe, and displaced 6.6 million people inside the Syria against a pre-war population of over 20 million. Well over 200,000 people are believed to have died.

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Remarks by Vice President Biden and President Erdogan of Turkey in Pool Spray

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release

August 25, 2016



Presidential Palace

Ankara, Turkey

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: (In progress) -- thoughtful consideration when I lost my son. It was appreciated very much. We've known each other for a long time.

I came today for multiple reasons. Most of all, Mr. President, to express my personal condolences and the condolences of my country for the brutal, unconscionable attack in Turkey, the very spot where the Islamic State (inaudible.)

The attempted coup went to the heart of who your people are -- principled, courageous and committed. And for a people who have struggled so long to establish a true democracy, this was, from my perspective and the President's perspective, the ultimate affront. So my heart goes out to not just the government, but to the Turkish people.

It's hard to imagine a Turkish fighter jet that would zero in on your parliament, or helicopters, Mr. President, attacking (inaudible), where you and your family were 15 minutes earlier. It's hard to fathom. It's hard for Americans to picture the possibility that a U.S. military helicopter would be (inaudible) when they thought the President was on vacation with his family.

I saw some of the damage myself today, meeting some of the members of your parliament, including the Speaker. I was told, as I came into this magnificent building, that if I were to go out to my left -- or right as I came in -- that I would see a bullet hole in the facade of this building, as well. I can understand, Mr. President, how some of your countrymen would feel that the world didn't respond to the existential crisis your country was facing rapidly enough, or with the appropriate amount of solidarity and compassion and empathy. And that's why, Mr. President -- you've known me for a while -- that's why I wanted to personally be here, and was asked by the President to personally be here to represent, to tell you and all of your colleagues and your countrymen how very, very, very sorry I am, the President is, the American people are for the suffering and loss you have endured.

You gave me an example in our private meeting on -- you said a very friend of yours who named his son after you, he and his son were killed in this coup. This is not something that is distant. It's not something that is always read about in history books. It's personal. It's personal. And I want to make sure -- I want to make unmistakably clear that the United States stands with our ally, Turkey. We support the people of Turkey. And our support is absolute and it is unwavering.

As I said in the press statement earlier today, this attempted coup was an attack on the people of Turkey -- not just the government -- on the people of Turkey and their most cherished values. It was a violent betrayal by a small group of folks who were sworn to defend the very people that they say they care and love.

We've stood with you from the moment it began, Mr. President, and we stand with you now. We are your allies. The American people also stand in awe of the way your countrymen respond to the way you respond personally -- going on the Internet through, my guess is on Facebook -- I'm not sure which vehicle you used -- with a portable -- or with a cellphone, telling your people to rise up, take back the street, do not let these terrorists, which is what they ended up being, steal their patronage, their -- who they are.

And it was amazing as the world watched. They went through the streets. As I said to you earlier, I can't imagine -- they probably had no idea whether another F-16 jet would come flying over; whether all of a sudden as they marched out to make their views known, whether a helicopter would rise up and gun them down. The world saw Turkish patriots, ordinary citizens, who -- literally standing in front of tanks -- standing in front of tanks. To the best of my knowledge -- I don't think I'm incorrect -- some of them actually got run over by those tanks.

As I said, I personally, the President personally, the American people stand in awe of the courage of your people. And we understand, Mr. President, the sensitivities the Turkish people feel about international security. That's why the United States is committed to doing everything we can to help bring justice for all those responsible for this coup attempt while adhering to the rule of law.

As I said -- and I personally, the President personally, the American people stand in awe of the courage of your people. And what we saw, Mr. President, is the sensitivity that the Turkish people feel about their national security. That's why the United States is committed to doing everything we can to help through your justice hold all those responsible for this coup attempt while adhering to the rule of law. As I said earlier, even as we speak, our American experts are on the ground, here in Ankara, meeting with your people, closely coordinating with our Turkish counterparts to evaluate and gather the material with regard to Turkish requests to extradite Gulen, in accordance with our bilateral extradition treaty. We have more lawyers working on this case than any other extradition in recent history. And I've been around a long time, Mr. President. I've been in the Congress for a long time. I was head of the Judiciary Committee. I know of no other case where as much time is being spent to make sure we find enough data to meet a court standing.

I know it's hard -- I don't know -- I suspect it's hard for people to understand that as powerful as my country is, as powerful as Barack Obama is as President, he has no authority under our Constitution to extradite anyone. Only a federal court can do that. Nobody else can do that. If the President were to take this into his own hands, what would happen would be he would be impeached for violating the separation of powers.

And so, Mr. President, it's not that we have any reason -- and your people should know -- any reason to protect Gulen or anyone else who, in fact, may have done something wrong. As a matter of fact, you'll recall, Mr. President, when Gulen sought refuge in America, the Bush administration denied him. He went to court. It was the court that overruled the President of the United States of America allowing him to do this.

So, Mr. President, this case, like all others, is going to have to be assessed by an independent federal court along with evidence backing it up. That's what we're working on together now. And it takes time to work an extradition request, but there should be no doubt that we'll continue to work closely with the Turkish government as this process unfolds.

The people of Turkey have no greater friend than the United States of America. As I said earlier, I want to offer my personal condolences and those of the President to the people of Turkey for not only what they went through in the coup attempt, but shortly after that over 50 people murdered apparently, from what we're told, by ISIS in a suicide bombing -- 28 or 29 young people under the age of 18 were killed. The suffering of your people at the hands of ISIS, at the hands of the PKK in the southeastern part of your country is beyond what any people should have to sustain. The barbarism is horrifying. But neither the Turkish people nor, might I add, Mr. President, the American people -- neither of us ever balk, ever bend, ever yield to terrorist threats or terrorist action.

So, Mr. President, we've always had good conversations. Today was no exception. I look forward to continue to work together with you and your team, and as we find even more ways for our nations to keep expanding our partnership, and jointly taking on this mindless terrorist activity that goes on around the world.

Let me say it for one last time: The American people stand with you. We (inaudible). Barack Obama was one of the first people you called. But I do apologize. I wish I could have been here earlier. I wish I could have been here earlier. But, Mr. President, we admire your people and we admire the way in which you're standing up to all this difficulty.

PRESIDENT ERDOGAN: (As interpreted.) First and foremost, thank you very much. Mr. Vice President, distinguished members of the press, valuable guests, I would like to salute you all with my most heartfelt emotions.

Vice President of the United States of America, Mr. Joe Biden, bestowed upon us the pleasure of hosting him in our country for the second time this year. Of course, this current visit coincided with an extraordinary time during an extraordinary process, which saddens me, actually. I wish that we could have greeted each other under the most normal circumstances instead of what prevailed currently.

I would like to welcome him once again to our capital city, to our country, especially -- the failed coup that took place on the 15th of July, those traitors who are members of the Fethullah Terrorist Organization in armed forces uniform tried to topple the government, but couldn't achieve their objectives thanks to a very different resistance put forth by the people of our nation. And those heinous attempts were repelled by this firm stance assumed by the people of my country that I'm extremely proud of.

In the hands of the Fethullah terrorists, there were F-16 fighter jets. They had helicopters, they had tanks, and they had cannons at their disposals. However, in the hands of my people, in the hands of my citizens, all they had were their flags. And with those flags, they were marching towards the tanks, joining their faith with their hearts. And in a mere period of 12 hours, they have completely repelled this heinous, failed coup.

That's why I would like to take this opportunity to once again extend my gratitude to my people and commemorate our martyrs, and remember our veterans. The number of the martyrs reached 241, as we speak, and the number of the veterans has reached 2,194. I hope and pray that they will be able to recover soon.

From a 15-year-old child to an elderly member of this society around the age of 70 to 75, men and women, they took a firm stance against this attempted coup. This was an articulation of a very extraordinary situation. This was the communication of a very different attitude of our people against these traitors, because democracy could only survive if people of this nation embraced her fully. My people embraced democracy fully so that we can continue our march the way we do.

Our strategic partnership with the United States of America, they date back a long time in history. We have transitioned from a strategic partnership to a model partnership under the office of President Obama. And within the framework of the model partnership that we've enjoyed, we've erected our endeavors on a very different foundation. And with the current visit paid to Turkey by Vice President Biden, we've had the opportunity to discuss this failed coup at every extent possible. And the Vice President had the opportunity to visit in situ the parliament to observe the repercussions of this attempt. And I'm going to submit him some additional documents after this meeting, and he will be able to firsthandedly observe the feelings of the Turkish nation on this individual who is called Fethullah Gulen.

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen, this incident -- which took place on the eve of July the 15th -- and in the aftermath of this failed coup, the resistance of our people flourished in a very different manner. And I believe this failed coup yielded some very positive results at the same time, primarily because of all of the political factions in Turkey, all of the opposition parties, and all of the members of the society reunited. This was a very important opportunity for us all.

Throughout our talks with Vice President Biden, we've stated once again that we are very much committed to fighting against this FETO terrorist organization, and we've discussed what kind of measures we were determined to take. First and foremost, this leader of the FETO terrorist organization needs to be extradited to Turkey as soon as possible. That is the first measure that needs to be taken. There are references made to the verdicts to be issued by courts, and we have previously submitted all of the folders regarding the actions engaged in by these terrorists before July the 15th. And right now, we are amassing certain documents pointing out to their involvement in this failed coup that took place on July the 15th.

But between the United States and Turkey, there is a bilateral extradition treaty. And in light of this extradition treaty, those individuals should be taken into pretrial detention, they should be arrested, and throughout the trial they need to remain in custody. This person, however, is currently managing and directing the terrorist organization where he lives. They are present in more than 170 countries around the world, and they are present through school associations and other sorts of educational institutions. Many individuals were taken into the Pennsylvanian premises, where he resides.

And similarly, he is still providing interviews to media outlets in the United States. Some journalists are being taken into the Pennsylvania residence, and he is still continuing his actions around the world, and he's shaping his actions for the future using these outlets. That's why it is very important for him to be contained through pretrial detention, which is actually part of the bilateral extradition treaty that was signed between our two countries, which we should not ignore. And that is something I especially feel that I need to remind you of. And I'm confident that the United States will take the necessary measures to cater to our expectations in that regard.

Throughout our discussions with Vice President Biden, we've also discussed the developments in Syria and our fight against Daesh, which is a primary issue in our region. Today, certain operations were conducted within Jarabulus in Syria. Jarabulus is about 20 to 30 kilometers away from our border to Syria. It is a province, strategic province, where attacks were directed to our Karkemish district right on the Syrian border. We were heavily disturbed of the attacks that were forwarded to us from that province in Syria. And we couldn't communicate to ourselves in the best manner possible, I assume, and that's why we felt not understood. And so eventually we decided to perform an operation on the province of Jarabulus with the aid of coalition forces who have entered the Jarabulus province, and the members of the Free Syrian Army and the local Jarabulus residents managed to liberate that entire province from Daesh.

All of the public institutions and all of the official headquarters were immediately liberated from the hands of Daesh fighters. And Daesh troops were forced to evict Jarabulus immediately after these operations that we had undertaken. Whether it be PYD, where it be PKK, whether it be YPG, whether it be the HKPC, or whether it be ISIS, all of these organizations are terrorists in our point of view. Al Nusra, al Shabaab -- regardless of their origins -- are terrorist organizations. There is not a good terrorist organization and an evil terrorist organization. We can't make a distinction between them like that. They're all terrorist organizations at the end of the day, and terrorists will be terrorists regardless of our mentalities.

If one terrorist organization is fighting against another terrorist organization, it doesn't help them wash their hands clean out of the actions they have engaged in. A terrorist organization cannot impose a threat on the homeland security of a nation. However, (inaudible) are shattering our hearts into fragments, and we don't want to see those pictures appearing any longer, and we don't want this suffering to continue of the Syrian people anymore. Because we believe that the Syrians should be governed by a person elected depending on their own will.

Syria can no longer be governed by an individual to whom the people of Syria says no. Syria, led by Assad, will never embrace democracy or stability. Assad has been engaging in state terrorism that resulted in the death of 600,000 civilians. Assad is a tyrant. And I know that the United States will become more sensitive towards these developments. And I believe the United States will provide the support that is required out on the field. And I know that Vice President Biden had very extensive talks with our Prime Minister, and I am sure he was engaged in very fruitful talks all throughout the day.

And before I conclude my remarks, I would like to welcome him and thank him once again for being in our capital city, for being in our country. Now we are ready to receive one question from the medias of each countries, and then we will conclude our press statement.

Thank you. First, we will hand the microphone over to our guests. Thank you.

Q Thank you. Mr. Vice President, the U.S. is now flying with Turkey in the Jarabulus offensive. Can you talk a little bit about what that means for U.S.-backed Kurds and the overall operation in Syria against the Islamic State?

And, President Erdogan, U.S. officials have indicated that it could take years to work through your extradition request. You just said that you want this to happen as soon as possible. How is that difference going to affect the relationship going forward?

Thank you.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: In terms of the operation in Jarabulus, we strongly support what the Turkish military has organized and done. We've been flying air cover for them. We have known for some time that Daesh -- ISIL -- is there. And we believe very strongly that the Turkish border must be controlled by Turkey, that there should be no occupation of that border by any group whatsoever, that Syria must be whole and united, not carved into little pieces. And we have been -- we hope to continue to work with Turkey closely on continued operations that will root out Daesh. But we're supportive of the operation. I hope that answers your question.

PRESIDENT ERDOGAN: (As interpreted.) In addition to what Vice President Biden stated, I must say that I fully agree with his questions. If we can correct something in the meanwhile it would be proper. We can't call this an Islamic state. And the Vice President had already corrected the name of this terrorist organization as Daesh, because they should be called Daesh. They should not be associated with Islam. The Islamic State cannot be associated with terrorism. Daesh is a terrorist organization. They are terrorists. Islam is a derivative of the word "peace," or the prefix "peace" stands for Islam, which is a derivative of Islam. A member of the Islamic faith can never engage in these massacres, in this carnage. They wouldn't use 13- or 14-year-old boys as suicide bombers. But however, Daesh is doing that, and they will pay a hefty price in return. Rest assured that that is going to be the case so long as us, looking for peace and yearning for peace, can join their forces and forge a close solidarity.

Q (As interpreted.) I have a question for Vice President Biden. After the September 11 attacks, the United States attached great significance to fighting against terrorism, and sometimes the United States asked for assistance from Turkey. Turkey, without resorting to any bureaucracy or any legal issue, extended a helping hand.

But right now there is a person who is charged with plotting this coup. Your ambassador in Ankara and the chief of general staff believe that Gulen is behind these failed coup attempts. And after these issues, do you think the United States and our administration is lingering things? Do you think the American action will keep on bothering the Turkish public or the conscientious of Turkish public? Because instead of moving on, I think everything is left in the hands of time, and you're just giving it time. How would you comment on this, and how do you think -- or how long do you think Gulen will be allowed to remain in your country and still keep on voicing threats upon our country using media outlets? Thank you.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: It's a simple proposition in America. We are a nation of laws. We are bound by a constitution. And we are sworn to uphold that constitution. The constitution and our laws require for someone to be extradited, that the court in the United States has to conclude with probable cause to be extradited. Not only do we apply that standard as it relates to extradition; we apply that standard every day we do our country.

For example, you've read of three or four terrorist attacks that have recently taken place in my country. The FBI had followed two of these people. One of these people had said that he'd like to see Americans killed. He was a proponent of Daesh. He had sworn to Daesh. Notwithstanding the fact he said that under our law, there was no direct threat against anyone, there was no ability to detain him. He ended up going out and killing people.

We mean what we say when we say we apply the law without exception -- without exception. What we're doing now is we have a team of our lawyers and experts who were here in Ankara yesterday, sitting down with your experts on the judiciary and your prosecutors, saying, give us the data we need in order to be able to bring these to a court of law that will say, yes, we must extradite you.

We have zero interest. What possible interest could the United States have in wanting to protect someone who, in fact, met the standard under our law of being deported? What possible motive could we have? How could that even be thought to be possible? So we are bound by the law. Our judicial system is not only different than Turkey's; it's different from France's, it's different than Germany's. It's different, but it is our system we have abided by for over 225 years. Nothing will change that. How long it will take will depend upon how much evidence is able to be presented.

Thus far, until yesterday, there has been no evidence presented about the coup -- the coup. When you go to an American court, you can't go into a court and say, this is a bad guy, generally. You have to say this is a guy or a woman who committed the following explicit crime. That's what we're working with the President right now to gather the evidence that will establish in a court of law probable cause to believe he may have done this. We are determined -- we are determined to listen to every scrap of evidence that Turkey can provide or that we can find out about.

But again, I say to the people of Turkey: What possible motive could we have to, in fact, harbor a terrorist? Why would we do that? It makes absolutely no sense. None whatsoever. We are bound by the law. The President is bound by the law. The court will decide. As soon as we have enough evidence, it will be present to a court, and the court will then decide. And I cannot speak for a court.

Lastly -- and I'm sorry for the long answer, Mr. President -- but lastly, under our system, the federal court is a co-equal branch -- not subservient to, not underneath, but equal -- equal to the Congress, equal to the President. That's what we call separation of powers. That's our system. We will abide by our system. We will continue to abide by the system. And God willing, there will be enough data and evidence to be able to meet the criteria that you all believe exists. We have no reason to shelter someone who would attack an ally and try to overthrow a democracy. Can you imagine us being happy with another military state? We didn't get on so well with your previous military states. So what motive could we possibly have? None. Except we're bound by the law.

Thank you.

END

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Remarks by Vice President Joe Biden and Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim at a Press Availability

The White House

Office of the Vice President

For Immediate Release

August 25, 2016



Cankaya Palace

Ankara, Turkey

(August 24, 2016)

4:32 P.M. (Local)

THE VICE PRESIDENT: I've been told by the Prime Minister that he'd like me to speak first. I want to thank him for his hospitality and say good afternoon to everyone.

I've been to Turkey many times as a United States senator, going all the way back to the 1970s, as Chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee and as Vice President. But I'm saddened to be back in Turkey today in the sense that I'm saddened that -- of the unconscionable attack that took place in an attempt to bring down Turkish democracy.

What a lot of people around the world also failed to focus on is part of that attempt was also to attempt to assassinate the President and the Prime Minister. This was a fulsome attack on Turkey and its democratic institutions.

So, Mr. Prime Minister, President Obama asked me to come to Turkey today in order to remind the world of the paramount importance that we place on the relationship between our nations as allies, as partners, and as friends.

It is as an ally and a long-term friend of the Turkish people that I'm here today to express in no uncertain terms the continuing, unwavering support of the United States for Turkey in the wake of last month's attempted coup.

As I reiterated to the Prime Minister, we are available and ready to provide any assistance that the Turkish government or Turkish people need -- if any -- as they continue to move forward, as they reassert and strengthen their democracy.

The United States immediately condemned the tragic events on July the 15th. President Obama was one of the first world leaders to speak out in support of the Turkish government, even while the coup was still unfolding. I remember at the time when he and I heard the news, we weren't sure whether it was real or whether it was some concoction made up on the Internet and the Web. I'm serious. It was so startling.

My only regret that the whole world could not have been with me today as I visited your parliament, Mr. Prime Minister. Walls pockmarked with bullet holes. Twisted rebar and pipes and concrete rubble on the floor. Steel beams jutting out of the ceiling. Shattered glass strewn everywhere. As a matter of fact, I walked up to your office. Thank God you were not there. No, thank God you were not there. It is in ruins.

The bombs left behind a shell of what once stood, scarred by the betrayal striking at the heart of Turkish democracy. Had they hit at a slightly different place, even just a few meters away -- whether the jets firing or the helicopters riddling the parliament with gunfire -- had they hit just a few meters away, God only knows how many more lives would have been lost -- including a number of the parliamentarians.

And your insistence that you go back in, your speaker of the parliament's insistence that you assemble in the parliament while the coup was taking place is evidence of your collective courage and determination.

Of course, it's not just the parliament building that was scarred by this betrayal. It was the hearts of the people of Turkey and their most basic sense of security that was put in jeopardy. And they bear the scars, as well -- not just those who were injured and killed, but all the people of Turkey.

But the whole world watched as the President, bravely coming back to the capital, went on the air, as I understand, through a cell phone being recorded and asked the Turkish people to take back their government. They came together in unity to say, no, this will not be allowed to happen here in Turkey. We will defend our democratic institutions. Nothing will take us down.

That resolve was there for the whole world to see. The United States was shocked at the violation of the fundamental democratic principles that both our nations cherish. But we were also awed by the bravery of the Turkish people who literally stood in front of tanks -- some at great personal risk, and some actually run over by those tanks -- to defend your democracy.

As you would say in this region, they were martyrs. We would say they were great heroes and patriots, literally giving their lives for their country.

So on behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I want to once again, Mr. Prime Minister, extend to all the people of Turkey our condolences to the families and loved ones who were injured, but particularly those who lost a loved one. We pay tribute to not only their bravery but their incredible resolve, their incredible commitment to their democracy, to ensuring that their country remains strong, vibrant and resilient, and democratic.

We honor those that made the ultimate sacrifice. And I'm confident -- because I know you -- they will never be forgotten in the annals of Turkish history.

Let me be clear, as clear as I possibly can: I want to ease any speculation, some of which I have heard, as to whether or not the United States had some advance warning, the United States had some foreknowledge, the United States had some complicity. The United States of America did not -- did not -- have any foreknowledge of what befell you on the 15th.

The United States of America, the people of the United States of America abhor what happened, and under no circumstances would support anything remotely approaching the cowardly act of the treasonous members of your military who engaged in this behavior. We did not have prior knowledge. We did not support. We immediately condemned. And we continue, as we did before the coup, to stand shoulder to shoulder with not only the government of Turkey, but with the people of Turkey.

The people of Turkey have no greater friend -- if you'll excuse me for being so self-serving -- have no greater friend than the United States of America. Let me say it again: You have no greater friend than the United States of America.

We've seen that borne out each time we stand together, face down threats to our shared security and our common values. And the United States government is committed to do everything we can to help your government, Mr. Prime Minister, to bring those to justice who are responsible for the coup attempt, while adhering to the rule of law, which is the foundation of both our societies.

Let me say publicly the same thing I said privately to the Prime Minister: Gulen -- Mr. Prime Minister, I understand the intense feeling your government and the people of Turkey have about him. We are cooperating. We are cooperating with Turkish authorities. Our legal experts are working right now with their Turkish counterparts on the production of and the evaluation of material and evidence that needs to be supplied to an American court to meet the requirements under our law and the extradition treaty to extradite Gulen.

And we're going to continue to do so as you continue to bring forward additional information. We have no -- no, no, no interest whatsoever in protecting anyone who has done harm to an ally. None. But we need to meet the legal standard requirement under our law.

I should make clear under American law: No President of the United States has authority to extradite anyone on his own power. That only an American court can do that. Were a President to attempt to do that, it would be an impeachable offense. But we have no reason to do anything other than cooperate with you and take every substantiating fact and make it available to the extend it exists to an American court.

It always takes time, and quite frankly, it's never understood by your people or our people. It's never understood why the wheels of justice move deliberately and slowly. And it's totally understandable why the people of Turkey are angry. But there should be no doubt that we will continue to work closely with the Turkish government as this process unfolds. And if the pain of the attempted coup were not enough for any one nation to have to tolerate, the people of Turkey shortly thereafter continued to suffer unconscionable and barbaric acts of terrorism.

In the most recent attack, ISIL targeted a wedding where more than 50 were killed, including 29 children under the age of 18. It's not only heartbreaking, it's barbaric. It's inhumane. And this is not the first such heinous attack to take place on your soil, either at the hands of ISIL or the PKK.

The PKK has spread destruction in southeast Turkey on at least three occasions, doing major damage, ruining lives and property in an attempt to intimidate. The United States condemns these cowardly acts unequivocally.

And, Mr. Prime Minister, and to your colleagues, no two losses are the same. But we understand. We understand. America has been the victim, as well -- not just 9/11, but recently, this year. We understand. And our hearts go out to you.

So I want to offer not only my condolences to the loved ones of those who were killed and injured in the string of recent terrorist attacks, but I also want to offer my condolences to all of your countrymen who have suffered so much from those who seek to impose their will through violence -- whether it's ISIL or Daesh or the PKK, or any other organization devoted to terror. They will not, they cannot, they must not succeed. Their entire purpose is to undermine everything we believe in. Their entire purpose is to get us to change who we are. We can never and we will never let that happen.

The people of Turkey, like the American people, do not cower in the face of threats or terror. We do not bend. We do not bow. And we are resilient.

That's the other reason why I'm here, Mr. Prime Minister, because we will stand together to defend our nations against those who seek to undermine our democracies of our great elective governments. We continue to fight together against ISIL in Syria and Iraq.

Today, the Prime Minister and I spoke about the progress we've been making to defeat these terrorists. And I thanked him for how quickly Turkey resumed its counter-ISIL operations after the attempted coup. It's an important statement of our unwavering commitment to destroying ISIL as an evil in the world.

Incirlik remains a lynchpin for coalition forces to keep hammering and degrading ISIL in Syria from the air. And our work together to train and equip Syrian opposition forces is increasing the effectiveness of local forces fighting ISIL on the ground. And we continue working toward a permanent political solution to the conflict in Syria.

Mr. Prime Minister, I want to thank you and thank your government for the incredible generosity that you continue to show to more than 3 million refugees -- 3 million refugees who fled the violence and conflict in Syria and Iraq, an enormous burden for your country to shoulder.

We also spoke about how the United States and Turkey can continue to support Cypriot leaders as they work to conclude an agreement this year hopefully that will reunify the island in a bizonal, bicommunal federation. And we discussed the joint effort to support regional energy security.

And finally, Mr. Prime Minister, you and I affirm that the relationship between our people goes far beyond our official bounds. It is built on a strong base of strong family ties and values. It's rooted in a long, long history that underpins both our democracies.

To the people of Turkey, we want to express our admiration -- and I mean this in a literal sense -- our administration for the way you took to the streets and demanded you take back your democracy.

So I want to thank you again, Mr. Prime Minister, for your hospitality. I look forward to continuing to build on the progress we've made here when I meet with President Erdogan a little bit later this afternoon.

Again, thank you for your hospitality and for letting me go first. Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER YILDIRIM: (As interpreted.) Thank you. Distinguished members of the press, we have Mr. Vice President, of the United States of America, Mr. Biden. We are very happy to be welcoming him here in Ankara. So, welcome.

I would like to thank you and your delegation for this visit. We touched upon the bloody coup attempt of the 15th of July, but we also had the opportunity of discussing regional matters. And as you mentioned, the relationship between Turkey and the United States have a very long history, a very deep-rooted history. Therefore, from time to time, there might be incidents which tend to damage this relationship. But on both sides, of course, we should never allow this to happen.

On the 15th of July, we had terrorists in military disguise, which had infiltrated our armed forces, and they tried to orchestrate a coup. But this attempt was defeated thanks to the determined stance of our President, and of course the actions of 79 million Turkish citizens who took ownership of their democracy, who took to the streets and defeated this assault. And on this occasion, I would like to once again honor the memory of our martyrs that sacrificed their own lives in defense of Turkish democracy, and the same goes to all of our martyrs of course that were killed in the fight against terrorist organizations. And I would like to wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

Mr. Biden, as you mentioned, this heinous coup attempt was, in our opinion, orchestrated and instructed by Fethullah Gulen. And as per the treaties that we have between our two countries, the necessary steps should be taken with a view to his extradition to our country. And we have taken the initial step in that process. And you have had very frank remarks for the Turkish people and also for our government, and those comments and remarks are of vital importance for a sound functioning of this process, and we are grateful to you for those remarks.

So having a technical team arriving from the U.S. here in Turkey, and talking to our judges and prosecutors here on the ground, is a clear sign from your side that you're taking this very seriously, that you're attaching great importance to this. Therefore, I would like to once again thank you for being sensitive about the matter.

Our greatest expectation would be that we don't lose any time in conducting these legal processes, and of course the final expectation of our nation is, I believe, clear. This was an attempt against our democracy. And from the United States, which is a friend and an ally, of course, can never welcome this kind of a move. And both President Obama, yourself, and other officials from your administration, you have had many remarks in the days following the coup, and those have been of key importance for us.

The process of extraditing the head of the terrorist organization that was behind the attempted coup, if it can be expedited and accelerated, and if we can have more cooperation in the process, I think the grief and grievances of the Turkish people, of the Turkish nation, will be remedies to a certain degree, and their overall sentiments about the issue will go back to being more positive.

As you rightly mentioned, we have had good cooperation fighting against terrorism, and we had the opportunity today to go over our cooperation. We talked about actions with regard to Daesh, the PKK. And we, of course, underlined the importance of determination in fighting against these terrorist organizations.

So, of course, the situation in Syria is not very bright. Millions of Syrians have had to leave Syria. 500,000 Syrians lost their lives in this civil war, including the young and the elderly. And, of course, people have been displaced. And Turkey opened its doors to more than 3 million people. They are welcome here in this country. We've been sharing everything, all of our means, with them -- and we will continue to do so.

Of course, however, this is not a sustainable situation. Therefore, both the U.S., the Russian Federation, and other players, including Turkey, Iran and other countries of the region, should come together with a very positive attitude and approach to what's been happening. And we have to put an end to what has been going on in Syria and find a solution so that we don't have any more people losing their lives.

And we are particularly sensitive about two points in this. One is preserving the territorial integrity of Syria and not giving any advantages to any ethnic groups, or not allowing the circumstances that would lead to that to come together or to happen. Turkey will never accept a new Kurdish formation along its borders, and we consider this to be a grave threat to our national security. On the other hand, all ethnic groups needs to have the perception that they are being represented in a just and fair administration structure. And we will continue to work towards this end.

When it comes to the Cyprus issue that has been going on for many years, also we are aware of your efforts throughout the years, which are very much appreciated by Turkey. The first time around, we missed the opportunity for a solution in Cyprus. But this time, I think, it is especially important not to miss this chance. And the Greek Cypriot administration should be very careful. It is our recommendation that they do not miss this chance for a solution.

The Turkish Cypriot side has been victimized as a result of embargoes and restrictions. But nonetheless, they have always been in favor of a solution on the island. And this time around, as well, they will be supportive of a solution. No one should have any doubts or hesitations about that matter. But of course, at the end of the day, even if there is an agreement, that will be subject to a referendum. That is one point to bear in mind.

So, Mr. Biden, the relationship between Turkey and the United States will never be disrupted by anything -- not the event or incident of the 15th of July, or anything else. We should not let that happen. And your visit today is a great opportunity to get rid of some of the misunderstandings and also to show that the U.S. administration and the American people are on the side of the Turkish government and the Turkish people, that you have great solidarity with us.

So with that, I would like to extend our gratitude to you, in person, and to your delegation. And it is with these thoughts that I would like to thank once again my dear friend, Mr. Vice President, Mr. Joe Biden, and your friends. Welcome to our country, sir, once again.

Now we will have one question each. So as the host, I can take the first question. Please go ahead.

Q Sir, this morning, an operation was initiated into Syria. Are there any details that you can share with us with regard to this operation? And will the action be targeted towards PYD in the upcoming period? And what kind of a timeframe do you have in mind for the Turkish armed forces to be present in this region?

And also, a question to Vice President Mr. Biden. Sir, as the Prime Minister was saying -- the Prime Minister touched upon Turkey's position with regard to a Kurdish corridor. What's the stance that the U.S. has? How would you assess a Kurdish corridor being formed? Because the U.S. has been known to give some support to PYD and YPG over the recent period. So what is your stance when it comes to the Turkish concerns about the issue? Thank you.

PRIME MINISTER YILDIRIM: (As interpreted.) Dear friends, as you now know, there's been a structure called the Syrian Arab Coalition and they've been focusing on clearing the west of the Euphrates, the area of Manbij, from ISIS. And those operations have now come to an end. But after those operations, you had ISIS elements moving towards the Turkish border, and they started to settle in the Jarabulus area that is just across the Turkish town of Karkemish. And that was followed by PYD movement towards the Afrin region from two different directions.

Therefore, in light of what has been happening, we have acted to protect our border security and also prevent our citizens from losing their lives, and their properties being damaged as a result of mortar and rocket fires. So starting from last night, we started firing into positions in Syria. We also have air forces -- the Turkish air forces participating in the operation. So the elements that were the closest to the border have now been pushed back.

We have a full agreement with the American administration when it comes to what has been going on in terms of the operations, and that is that PYD elements should never come across towards the west of the Euphrates and that they should not engage in any activities west of the river of the Euphrates.

So we had the opportunity of assessing these points in our meeting, as well. And we have once again seen the determination of the U.S. administration about the issues. So elements of PYD or YPG will not have any presence towards the west of the river of Euphrates. And we once again confirmed the sensitivity of the U.S. administration about the issue and we're very grateful to them for that.

So our general take, if you will, with regard to PYD and YPG is that we know for a fact that they are working hand in hand with PKK. It might look like that what they're doing is helping in terms of the fight against Daesh, but the U.S. should know that at the end of the day, you might maybe use a terrorist organization to defeat another one, but what you have in hand at the end of the day is that terrorist organization that you used, or that you benefitted from, and how do you deal with that terrorist organization? That is the question. Therefore, in order not to have a greater threat, I think that would be the right approach with regard to PYD and YPG.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: No corridor, period. No separate entity on the Turkish border. A united Syria. And the Prime Minister explained precisely the arrangement that we have relative to both Jarabulus and the commitment we made with regard to Manbij. We have made it absolutely clear to the elements that were part of the Syrian Democratic Forces, the YPG that participated, that they must move back across the river. They cannot, will not, and under no circumstances get American support if they do not keep that commitment, period.

And so I have a question now. Does anyone have a question for me?

Karen. I'm not sure you even knew you raised your hand. You have a computer in your hand. (Laughter.)

Q Thank you. Mr. Prime Minister, a question for you. Despite what Vice President Biden said about no U.S. participation in the coup, it's certainly been suggested by many people in your government and certainly in the media that, in fact, there was some support, if not direct participation. Are you ready to say now that your government takes what the Vice President has said as the final statement on that matter and say to the American people and to your own people that you do not believe that the United States supported or had anything to do with the coup attempt?

And to Vice President Biden, in all of these statements that have come out since the initial statements in the United States about the coup attempt, certainly from President Obama and others, there's been a mention of concerns about human rights abuses -- possibly human rights abuses -- and adherence to the rule of law and principles of democracy. You didn't raise that in your statements today. Can you tell us why not? Is that because you're not concerned anymore? Is it something you decided you ought to raise in private? Thank you.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: I'll be happy to answer the question but I'll let the Prime Minister answer his first. Or do you want me?

The answer is, look, the fact -- we've discussed this in our meetings today. The Prime Minister, the Foreign Minister, and everyone associated that I met with so far has made it clear they plan on making sure their constitutional principles are adhered to, that the rule of law will prevail. This is a recent occurrence. Remember the confusion after 9/11. Let's give this some time. Let's give them some time.

I believe they mean what they say, and so let's move on. The main purpose of my meeting here today was to show solidarity and, quite frankly, to -- I feel guilty that it took me this long to get here. I feel badly that there wasn't the opportunity to come a day or two or three or five after it occurred. But I am proud to be here, proud to show our solidarity with the Turkish people and the Turkish government. And I've enjoyed our, as they say in the foreign policy field -- which I hate the impression -- we had a frank and thorough conversation. Translated in the neighborhood I come from, we understand one another. We understand one another. And so let's give this some time.

PRIME MINISTER YILDIRIM: (As interpreted.) Thank you. The frank statements of the Vice President are very important for us and for the Turkish nation. I think the Turkish people will take those into account.

What I would like to say is this: The U.S. administration, President Obama, and Mr. Vice President, as well, have clearly and explicitly condemned the coup attempt not just today but before as well. And they made it clear that they see this as an act against democracy. This is the final statement in our eyes. This is what stands in our consideration. There might be different opinions among the people, of course, and those are perceptions and we are here to correct some of those perceptions. And I am sure that the healthy and sound functioning of the processes with regard to the extradition of the head of the terrorist organization will also, in a short amount of time, return or rectify the people's perception back to their normal, positive situation.

Thank you.

VICE PRESIDENT BIDEN: Thank you.

END

5:10 P.M. (Local)

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Raju Kasuri and Smriti Jharia  a married couple accused of visa fraud and defrauding the United States through a Danville company  have pleaded guilty to the charges against them, and have agreed to forfeit more than $20 million.

Kasuri, 44, was the founder and CEO of EcomNets, a local company that he, his wife and four other co-defendants fraudulently applied for more than 900 illegal immigration benefits, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys office of the Eastern District of Virginia.

EcomNets arrived in Danville in 2010 announcing it would bring 160 high-paying jobs and invest $2 million to open a green computer manufacturing facility by the end of the summer.

In April 2012, the company announced it was changing its business plan and would instead open a data storage company requiring far fewer employees.

According to the news release, Kasuri will forfeit more than $20 million in proceeds through his fraud schemes.

Kasuri was charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, three counts of visa fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, three counts on international money laundering, conspiracy to make false statements to the SBA (Small Business Administration) and three counts of false statements to the SBA.

Kasuri and Jharia face up to 30 years in prison. She was charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of conspiracy to make false statements to the SBA; three counts of making false statements to the SBA and one count of unlawful procurement of naturalization.

The four other defendants and charges are:

 Vikrant Jharia, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and one count of visa fraud;

 Sanchita Bhattacharya, charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, two counts of visa fraud and unlawful procurement of naturalization;

 Richa Narang, charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and two counts of visa fraud; and

 Raimondo Piluso, charged with one count of making false statements to the SBA and three counts of making false statements to the SBA.
A Danville parent says two elementary school students spent an hour in the heat after they were left on a Danville Public Schools bus Tuesday morning.

Brittney Turner said her 5-year-old daughter and another 6-year-old student were trapped on a school bus for about an hour in the Danville bus lot on South Boston Road, after the bus driver failed to notice the students and exited the bus.

Turner said she received an automated call around 11 a.m. letting her know her daughter wasnt at school. After calling the school, she received a call back from Director of Transportation Mike Adkins, who said the students were found in the bus by city workers and transported to class.

Turner said she believes the bus driver did not perform her duties checking to make sure no students were still on the bus. After parking the bus at the bus lot, drivers are required to leave their seat, walk to the back of the school bus while checking all seats and then push a button at the rear of the bus.

A video on the bus recorded the event, but school officials said they cannot release it. Turner viewed the video but was not provided a copy.

Director of Safety and Security Dave Cochran said the bus driver followed all procedures on Tuesday after her route.

The driver did follow protocol as recorded by the video camera, Cochran said.

However, Turner said in the video the bus driver doesnt look in any of the seats while walking to the back of the bus. She said the students were bent down in the bus seats, but their book bags were visible. Cochran said the driver was able to view all seats during her walk to the back.

Turner said she hopes no other parents would have to go through her turmoil.

Ten minutes is too long, she said. Five minutes is too long on for a child on school bus.

The students showed no signs of distress or emotional upset at that time, Cochran said in a new release Friday afternoon.
Melvin Eugene Powell  identified as a homicide victim by Danville police  suffered gunshot wounds to his chest, according to the Medical Examiners Office in Roanoke.

Danville police responded to 23 Elizabeth St. on July 31 at 5:14 p.m. and found the 80-year-olds body at the residence.

Tracy Cooper with the Medical Examiners Office in Roanoke said Powells chest had gunshot wounds.

Richard Lance London, 22, was developed by Danville police as the suspect in the homicide.

According to a news release, London fled the scene in a vehicle and was entered into the National Crime Information Center as a wanted person and an armed homicide suspect.

He was seen by police officers in Lake City, South Carolina, driving a Mercury sedan. Police said officers engaged in a brief pursuit of London on the heavily populated U.S 52. London would later stop and exit his vehicle to shoot a handgun at the officers, the news release stated.

Lake City police returned fire and London was shot. He later died at a local hospital.

There are no other suspects in the homicide of Melvin Powell, who had been dating Londons grandmother.
MARTINSVILLE  To commemorate the life of the late Alison Parker, area residents should live life to the fullest and show kindness to others, her parents say.

One year ago Friday, WDBJ 7 journalist Alison Parker and photojournalist Adam Ward were shot and killed on live television while doing a remote segment at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta. Since then, her parents, Barbara and Andy Parker, have become tireless advocates for common sense gun legislation.

This week, their focus is solely on remembering their daughters life. They have spent the past week on the Nantahala River in North Carolina, one of Alisons favorite places.

They paddled the river. They placed a stone marker near the idyllic spot where her ashes were scattered. And they joyfully reminisced with family and friends, including WDBJ 7 anchor Chris Hurst, Alisons boyfriend.

Hurst, they said, is one of their strongest connections to their daughter.

He made his first trip in a kayak down the Nantahala (Tuesday), Andy Parker said. He did great. Hes really embraced the sport.  Its nice to be someplace she loved and be with people she loved.

It was just important for us to come back and be here with her for the week, Barbara Parker said. We had a stone marker made that says Alison Forever. We took it to the place where we sprinkled her ashes, and theres a tree that has these roots growing up through the grass  its a perfect place for this memorial to her. Its right by the rivers edge. It felt right. You paddle by and you feel like youre there with her.

Theres no TV on the Nantahala. The Parkers have no interest in stories that remind people of Alisons death. This week is about celebrating her life.

The best way for readers to celebrate, they agreed, is to live life like Alison did: Embracing each day and showing small acts of kindness to others.

(Hurst) said he was inspired to just live life like it was his last day on earth, because thats what she did, Barbara Parker said. Thats what I hope people do. Never think, Well, someday Ill do this, someday Ill get around to this Live it now, because you dont know whats going to happen.

Recently, Andy Parker said, he went back through the correspondence that they received since Alisons passing. It was a difficult task, but he was struck by how many people wrote to say that Alison had touched their lives.

In one example of many, he said, they received a letter from Richmond Times-Dispatch sportswriter Dylan Garner, who said that while he was a student at James Madison University with Alison, she went out of her way to encourage him to apply for a job at The Breeze, JMUs newspaper. That job led directly to his career with the Times-Dispatch.

Learning about those sorts of acts of kindness has been inspiring, Andy Parker said.

She saw potential in people and encouraged them to be the best that they could be, Barbara Parker added.

Since Alisons death, the Parkers have been in nearly constant motion. They have been interviewed by countless news organizations, attended rallies, and worked tirelessly to advocate for common sense gun legislation.

Because they have been so busy, they agreed, it seems difficult to believe an entire year has passed.

How can it be a year? Barbara Parker said. The thing is she was out of college, she was in a job, and we didnt see her every day. Its almost like having somebody deployed in the military, where you just keep thinking theyre gone for awhile and theyre going to come back. Its not going to happen.  We post all these pictures (of Alison) on Facebook, and at some point, we will have posted all the pictures. There arent going to be more.

She ought to be here, Barbara Parker added. Thats the hardest thing.  I dont think we think about her death, the way she died. We fight against gun violence, but I dont think about that. I think about the fact that I miss her and I miss the things we did. Thats the tough part.

Obviously, the anniversary is going to be difficult, Andy Parker said. But theres not a day that goes by thats not tough.  Theres still a huge void. The new normal is life without her. What we have tried to do gives us a purpose. Were trying to make a difference and save the next person.

Andy Parker said that over the past year, he has seen a change take place. Because of the efforts of the Parkers and other gun legislation advocates  most of whom have lost loved ones to gun violence  Andy Parker believes that guns are a bigger part of the national conversation than they were one year ago.

We have seen change, he said. Were not naive enough to think its going to happen overnight. But its coming. Alison hated to lose, and she got that from me.
BLACKSBURG  Students have just returned to Virginia Tech for fall classes, but just off campus horticulture professor Holly Scoggins is already administering an exam.

Shes not testing students, but a species of plant long gone from Virginia agriculture that may eventually make a comeback: hops.

Were trying to see what varieties might do well for growers in Virginia and extrapolating that to the mid-Atlantic region, Scoggins said.

Scoggins and her team, along with collaborators from several academic departments and Virginia State University, are hoping the grant-funded hops trial yard off Prices Fork Road will give researchers information to help growers choose the most productive varieties and care for them in the most efficient ways.

Scoggins has received $15,900 from the Virginia Agricultural Council and $30,000 from the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services for the project. About $21,000 in additional funds from a U.S. Department of Agriculture grant awarded to Virginia State University will go to Tech to test plants in Blacksburg for optimum nitrogen levels, she said.

Vigorous perennials related to hemp, hops plants grow up to 25 feet in one season. In late summer, the plants produce an acidic flower bud, or cone, that when added to beer imparts a refreshing astringent quality. Hops were a major crop in colonial Virginia, but later shifted to other parts of the country.

Different varieties also can impart the complex flavors favored by craft brewers. Today, 164 craft breweries are operating in Virginia, according to the states Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control, creating an increasing demand for hops from which Virginia growers might be able to profit.

There are challenges to developing an industry here, however. Hops typically do less well in Virginia than in other parts of the country with longer summer days and less humidity. U.S. commercial production is centered in the Pacific Northwest, where Washington state leads with 56 million pounds grown there in 2014, according the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Mid-Atlantic hops yields, even from mature plants, lag far behind the Pacific Northwest. One acre of plants in Oregon produces between 1,000 and 2,000 pounds of dried hops. Meanwhile, the same variety grown in North Carolina yields between 160 and 320 pounds of dried hops, according to research done by North Carolina State University.

There are gaps in knowledge, too. The plants are not widely studied, and there isnt enough information to help growers troubleshoot disease, nutritional deficiencies and the best cultivation techniques, according to Scoggins. For example, researchers suspect that Virginia yields have been lower in part because growers under-fertilize the heavy feeding plants. The fertilizer study is expected to shed light on the best nitrogen rates, she added.

In Virginias warm and humid environment, hops are beset by fungal diseases and pests, such as the European corn borer, which as its name suggests bores up through the stem of the hops bine, damaging the plant.

We didnt even know they were a problem, Scoggins said.

Leafhoppers, Japanese beetles and other insects have been issues for some varieties. Diseases like powdery mildew and some strains of blight have also made appearances, Scoggins said.

Knowing the challenges, she and collaborators from entomology, Virginia Cooperative Extension and other areas can develop recommendations to help growers avoid or minimize problems.

With help from graduate students, this week Scoggins is harvesting at the trial yard, where about a half an acre is planted with about a dozen varieties of hops. The team first must cut down the up to 19-foot-tall hops bines (not vines), and then pick each cone by hand. They meticulously weigh the harvests from each picking. This data will help determine the yields of each cultivar.

Then the team will take their bounty to Brian Wiersema, the pilot plant manager for Techs Department of Food Science and Technology, including a new research brewhouse. Wiersema said he will dry the hops in an oast, or hops drying kiln, to give them a longer shelf life. The kiln can do up to 44 pounds of hops in up to 14 hours. The drying is done gently over low heat to preserve the all-important aromatic oils, Wiersema said.

He plans to use some of the hops in the research brewery, Wiersema said. Beer made at the brewery can only be used for research purposes at this point.

Scoggins said she has been talking to local brewers about the possibility of providing them some hops for their brews, as well.

Samples of the cones are also going to Techs enology laboratory Director Ken Hurley, who will do chemical analyses. He can quantify the levels of bittering agents and aroma compounds, and compare what he finds with what has been published in the literature. Hurley has a lot of samples to run before drawing any conclusions, but so far he said the levels of the oils have been higher than expected for Virginia hops.

Hurleys hypothesis is that Virginia hops produce more flavor and aroma compounds than the same plants grown elsewhere. Last year he received $7,500 from the Virginia Agricultural Council to study this facet of hops. If the evidence bears out his suspicion, it would be a powerful marketing tool for Virginia growers, and likely spur more to branch out to hops.

Its a highly interdisciplinary project, Scoggins said. Even the architecture and design school is in on it. Chip Clark from that school designed the trial yard, which other growers can use as a model for their own operations, she said.

Scoggins said it will take at least three years to determine how well each hops variety will do in Virginias challenging environment.
MARTINSVILLE  Plenty of jobs are available locally, but people must be motivated to work and seek training they need to do the jobs, according to city officials and an economic developer.

During a Martinsville City Council meeting Tuesday night, they estimated that about 1,400 jobs are available in the area.

"We dont have an employment problem. We have a participation problem"  people dont want to be part of the workforce anymore, City Manager Leon Towarnicki told the council. He said he was quoting remarks that he recently heard Patrick Henry Community College (PHCC) President Angeline Godwin make.

Mark Heath, president and chief executive officer of the Martinsville-Henry County Economic Development Corp. (EDC), said the key to filling available jobs is "to motivate people that its better to have a job and go to work" than to rely on government aid to sustain themselves.

Officials repeatedly have said that local firms with jobs available have had trouble finding people qualified to do their jobs.

Heath mentioned film manufacturer Eastman Chemical Co. as an example.

"There are jobs there," he emphasized. "They are hiring."

The Center for Advanced Film Manufacturing (CAFM) was started at the New College Institute (NCI) in 2014 to train employees for jobs at Eastman and other local high-tech manufacturers. Students in the program take 28 credit hours of coursework over two semesters.

Everyone who has successfully completed the program has been offered a job, Heath said. Some have gone to work for companies other than Eastman, he said, mentioning that 80 percent of the skills taught at the CAFM are relevant to various industries.

Financial aid is available to CAFM students, he added, emphasizing that nobody is turned away from the program due to an inability to pay for the instruction.

"Thats how important it (the program) is to our community," Heath said.

But he and others involved in establishing the program are "a little disappointed" at participation so far, he said.

Fifteen people are enrolled for the semester that started Tuesday. Heath said he had hoped to see as many as 40 to 45.

NCI, PHCC and the EDC are among collaborators in the CAFM. Officials with those entities on Wednesday did not have access to, or could not be reached for, statistics showing how many people have completed the program.

However, an earlier Martinsville Bulletin story reported that at the end of its first year, 12 students had completed the program and of those, 11 had been hired at Eastman.

Eastmans human resources manager, Charles Fraley, said in the story that the company eventually wants to make the CAFM its "principal hiring pool."

Heath said he plans to talk with local school division superintendents soon about making younger students, such as those in high school, more aware of the CAFM and career opportunities that its training provides. Older students so far have been targeted, he said.

Martinsville Vice Mayor Jennifer Bowles said high-schoolers interested in the program need to know what courses they need to take in preparation for it.

The EDCs responsibility, Heath said, is to recruit companies paying higher salaries  such as advanced manufacturers  so people will be motivated to pursue jobs provided by the firms and seek training.

When a company pays $9 or $10 an hour, "youre going to have a hard time" convincing people to apply for its jobs, whereas if the firm pays about $15 or more per hour, people are more likely to apply, he said.

The EDC, Martinsville-Henry Countys lead industry recruiting organization, is working with 12 companies that are actively considering locating here and another 11 that have made inquiries about the community, Heath said.

Commonwealth Crossing Business Centre, a new industrial park under development along U.S. 220 south of Ridgeway near the North Carolina line, is helping to generate interest among companies, he indicated.

Two lots there have been made ready for companies, while work still must be done on the other two, Heath said.

He said that while he does not know when a company will decided to locate there, the park is enabling the EDC to talk to companies that otherwise would not have considered coming to the area.

Mickey Powell reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at mickey.powell@martinsvillebulletin.com.
ALTAVISTA  At a legislative breakfast featuring elected representatives for three levels of government, Campbell County Supervisor Stan Goldsmith asked what he should talk about.

Jobs, called a voice from the back near eggs, biscuits and muffins.

Returning jobs to small towns like Altavista and improving economic prospects hampered by declining manufacturing jobs underlined each short speech by local, state and congressional officials representing overlapping districts Wednesday who spoke before the Altavista Area Chamber of Commerce.

While retiring Republican Rep. Robert Hurt said encouraging job growth in his Fifth Congressional District is one of his constituents main concerns, Goldsmith and Altavista Mayor Mike Mattox talked about balancing local budget priorities under economic constraints and building their local economies.

We all rely on each other to be able to do the things we intend to do or were committed to do. When the federal governments not able to make those requirements, the state begins to feel the pinch. When the state is not able to do it, the locality sees the pinch, Goldsmith said in his speech. Theres no place else to go, were the bottom line.

Mattox spoke hopefully about the town's prospects, referencing expected new businesses, plans for improving internet access, adding recreational river access and continuing low tax and water bills. He and Goldsmith hope the county and town can unite moving forward.

At the state level, the biennial budget passed in March is in question after Fiscal Year 2016s revenues fell $266.3 million below the forecast. Legislators expect raises planned for teachers not to come through because of the shortfall.

Well probably have to decrease some funding to some other issues, Del. Matt Fariss, R-Rustburg, told the chamber group.

Hurt, who made one of his last swings through the district hes represented for six years, said the government can best promote business by getting out of the way.

State Sen. Tom Garrett, R-Buckingham, who faces Albemarle County Supervisor Jane Dittmar to replace Hurt, wants to flip over how these layers interact to focus money and decisions locally.

I would advocate as a Republican for growing government at the local and state level and shrinking it at the federal level so we can get back to that period wherein government can be responsive to real needs of the community, Garrett said.

Hurt doesnt expect Congress to advance legislation or remove regulation in the months before his time there is up.

I think its outrageous. When you stop and think about the pressing issues. The idea that Congress works as little as it does has always been a source of tremendous frustration for me, Hurt said in an interview after the meeting.

Congress has two sessions left before a potentially reformed national legislature moves into Washington, D.C. under a new president.

The legislature meets Sept. 6 to 30 before breaking in the final lead-up to Nov. 8, when every congressional seat is up for re-election.

Congress convenes again under the lame duck session after the election, the last opportunity for the Republican-controlled Congress and Democratic President Barack Obama to cooperate.

With two polarized parties, one of which disagrees sharply with the outgoing president, and many members focused on their re-election campaigns, Hurt doesnt expect theyll get much done.

We havent done anything for a month, Hurt said in an interview after the event. Think about that for a second.

Hurt, who also visited Rustburg and Bedford on Wednesday, said his office welcomed his constituents to stop by or ask for help into December.

I think what we all know is Washington has gotten farther and farther from the people it represents, Hurt said in the interview.

The popularity of outsider Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump, who Hurt supports, and Vermont Independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who lost the Democratic nomination to Hillary Clinton, represent an absolute rejection of business as usual in Washington, he said.

I think regardless of who wins the election, I dont think that sentiments going away, Hurt said in the interview. I think that [Trump] certainly will shake things up in Washington in a way I think things need to be shaken.
Dear Advice Goddess: I dress like a tomboy: jeans, T-shirts, hoodies and work boots.

My boyfriend of a year wants me to wear skirts and dresses more often. Nothing trashy. Just not my usual tomboy wear.

This weekend, I wore a sundress to brunch. It made him so happy, and he kept telling me how beautiful I looked. I did feel a little uncomfortable because I'm not used to dressing like that. Some women in my circle are like, "He should accept you as you are. Don't change for a man." Am I giving up some important source of power?  Redressed

Dear Redressed: Your boyfriend's asking you to sometimes wear a dress for him, not hold out your wrist so he can chain you to the pipe in the basement with the six other sister wives.

There are women out there who still see dressing to please a man as some sort of Stockholm syndrome thing  participating in your own (flouncy, spaghetti-strapped) subjugation. So it's possible that those advising you "Don't change for a man!" are just trying to help you be a modern and empowered woman.

Maybe those in your advice coven really do believe they're acting in your best interest. Maybe. Social psychologists Roy Baumeister and Jean Twenge report that it's widely believed that men drive the "cultural suppression of female sexuality"  which could include shaming women for how they dress. However, in reviewing the research, they make a persuasive case that it's primarily women (often without awareness of their motives) who work to "stifle each other's sexuality."

This is right in keeping with research on female competition. While men fight openly  "Bring it! I will ruin you!"  women take a sneakier approach. As female competition researcher Tracy Vaillancourt explains it, women fight for their interests using "indirect aggression," like gossip, mean looks, disparaging remarks and other underhanded tactics to "reduce the mate value of a rival." Underhanded tactics? You know  like suggesting you're selling out womankind if you wear a skirt or winged eyeliner.

In other words, your best interests and these other women's may diverge  though they may not consciously intend to hurt you. As for whether you should throw on a dress from time to time, consider that if you love somebody, you do sweet things for them.

Dear Advice Goddess: I'm a 39-year-old woman dating for the first time since the '90s. I'm doing the online thing, and none of these guys look like their photos! It's incredible. When we meet, they always say, "You look just like your pictures." Isn't that the point?  Frustrated

Dear Frustrated: Guy, in online dating profile: "I'm 55!" Guy's neck, when you meet for coffee: "I was a war hero. In the Peloponnesian War."

Unfortunately, Mr. Peloponnesian Pants On Fire has plenty of company on dating sites. In fact, about a third of the photos people post aren't true to life, according to research by psychologist Jeffrey T. Hancock. Sometimes that's due to Photoshop; sometimes, the photo is less-than-current; and sometimes, along the lines of "every picture tells a story," the story is "This is how I'd look if I were someone else entirely."

That last kind of lie  posting photos of somebody else  is less common than other photographic deceptions, because, as Hancock notes, people have to balance looking good enough to meet with not making somebody stomp angrily away once they do.

The same goes for the other lies people tell. Hancock also finds that 81 percent of people on dating sites are lying about their height, weight and age  but often just a little.

So where you go wrong is in your expectations  expecting online daters to be truthful. As with eBay, a big benefit of dating sites is quantity  instant access to countless prospects. But there's also a big tradeoff: quality.

Going forward, assume everyone on a dating site is lying. Meet prospective partners as soon as possible and as casually as possible. If you're throwing back a $4 latte, as opposed to waiting for the waitress to bring the entree, it's a little easier to make a quick exit from the guy decades older than his picture.

Got a problem? Write Amy Alkon, 171 Pier Ave., #280, Santa Monica, CA 90405, or email AdviceAmy@aol.com.
<p>Groom Mark Restucci, 47, left, reaches out to his bride Amy Campbell, 49, during their wedding party photos just before their wedding at the annual "Star Trek" convention at the Rio hotel and casino August 1, 2014, in Las Vegas. The couple became the first fans ever to recite their vows at the "Star Trek" convention. The wedding reenacted the ceremony in which Riker marries his girlfriend, Deanna Troi, in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/MCT)</p>

SHARE Grace Lee Whitney, seated, who played Yeoman Rand in the original "Star Trek" series, stood in for Amy Campbell's mother during Mark Restucci and Campbell's wedding August 1, 2014 at the annual "Star Trek" convention at the Rio hotel and casino, in Las Vegas. Campbell's mother was not well enough to attend the ceremony. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/MCT) Bridesmaid and legal officiant Vicki Wells wears Vulcan ears August 1, 2014 for Mark Restucci and Amy Campbell's wedding at the annual "Star Trek" convention at the Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas. The couple are the first fans ever to recite their vows at the "Star Trek" convention. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/MCT) "Spock Vegas" processes out following Mark Restucci and Amy Campbell's wedding at the annual "Star Trek" convention at the Rio hotel and casino on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas. They are the first fans ever to recite their vows at the "Star Trek" convention. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/MCT) Randy Jennings, 48, is dressed as a "Borg" during Mark Restucci and Amy Campbell's wedding at the annual "Star Trek" convention at the Rio hotel and casino on August 1, 2014 in Las Vegas. (Francine Orr/Los Angeles Times/MCT)

By John M. Glionna Los Angeles Times (Mct)

LAS VEGAS ? Theirs is a marriage made, if not in heaven exactly, then at least in intergalactic space.

Mark Restucci popped the question last October, dropping to one knee in the style of his hero, Captain James T. Kirk of the starship Enterprise. Amy Campbell said yes. How could she not?

She stood on a life-size mockup of the spaceship's bridge in the original 1960s TV series turned cult phenomenon. There before her was a grown man who had boyishly captured Kirk's swaggering panache, right down to the spiffy form-fitting tunic.

Like "Star Trek" characters of old, she was beaming.

The couple recently became the first fans ever to recite their vows at the annual "Star Trek" convention at the Rio hotel and casino in Las Vegas, where conventioneers exhibited the mannerisms, costumes and trivia of creator Gene Roddenberry's futuristic world, including Spock's Vulcan salute.

Restucci knew that if he was to boldly go where he had been only once before (his first wife loathed "Star Trek") he would have to make the journey with a fellow Trekkie. "I never thought I'd get married again," he said.

The newlyweds cite their fathers for their mutual mania. Campbell watched the show on her dad's lap at age 2. In Restucci's hometown of Boston, his father got him hooked on the show's lore ? the colorful nomenclature and the bond between Kirk, Spock and Dr. Leonard H. "Bones" McCoy. He wore his first Spock tunic at age 10.

"When it comes to Star Trek, I'm a detail guy. I can tell a phaser one from a phaser two," he said. "In real life, I can't recall who was on the news last night."

As a child in Fresno, Calif., Campbell fell in love with, ahem, dreamy Captain Kirk.

While cleaning shelves in her parents' ceramics shop, she finger-drew Kirk's image in the dust. She dreamed of being his daughter and, as she got older, his girlfriend.

"You wanted him to be your captain, didn't you?" Restucci asked over drinks days before their wedding.

"No, honey," Campbell purred, taking his arm. "I've got my own captain now."

As adults, both became addicts of the show's TV spinoffs: "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine," "Star Trek: Enterprise," as well as the big-screen film franchise. He works at a product return center in Phoenix; before the marriage she worked as an executive assistant in Los Angeles. Both began attending annual Trekkie conventions across the West Coast.

Campbell's "Star Trek" fantasies emulate Jadzia Dax, a sexy so-called Trill from "Deep Space Nine." She embodies the show's signature theme: "Live long and prosper." Restucci's favorite character is Commander William Riker, the new Kirk on the Enterprise. But his favorite phrase is old-school "Star Trek," what McCoy frequently said to Kirk: "He's dead, Jim."

A few days before the nuptials, the couple sparred over details as the 47-year-old Restucci detailed the original series premiere, "Where No Man has Gone Before."

"No," interrupted his wife-to-be, two years his senior. "Wasn't it the salt monster episode?"

He shot her a hard look that instantly softened: "Remember? It's where Kirk's friend Gary Mitchell goes through a barrier and gets ESP powers."

The couple met ? where else? ? at a "Star Trek" convention here in 2012. They talked, flirted and he asked her for a bite to eat. She demurred, promising to look for him over the ensuing days.

"Later I thought, ?Am I making a mistake? No, I'll see him again,'" she said.

She didn't. Not that year anyway. But he friended her on Facebook, and that launched a relationship.

At last year's convention, they spotted one another and embraced.

After that, they met for a date in Blythe: He drove in from Phoenix, she from L.A. Back home, they talked for hours on the phone about non-"Star Trek" things: he told her of his first marriage. She talked about her grown son.

Later, he posted their engagement on Facebook, where a friend spotted it and talked to convention organizers.

The organizers offered to host the affair this year in Vegas as part of their scheduled activities. The wedding reenacted the ceremony in which Riker marries his girlfriend, Deanna Troi, in "Star Trek: The Next Generation." Like the character, Campbell wore a pink wedding dress.

Restucci started to explain his costume: "It's a white jacket with white ruffles..."

"Not ruffles," she said. "That sounds like a pirate."

They agreed on this: The ceremony will be non-denominational. "It's more of a Starfleet thing," Campbell said. "?Star Trek' means everything to us. It's why we're together."

Restucci has his own ideas about the show's significance for Trekkie fans.

"People share Roddenberry's hope that humanity will overcome its differences and work together to promote a healthy future." He turned to his bride.

"Right?"

She smiled approvingly: "Tell him what you think."
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By Rashda Khan, Rashda.Khan@gosanangelo.com/@rashda_SAST

Sitting on opposite sides of a table, the city of San Angelo shared some hard truths with its police force at a Meet & Confer meeting Thursday.

The gist of it is there's not enough money to give San Angelo police officers a previously negotiated raise.

Based on a contract between the city and the San Angelo Coalition of Police, the city raised salaries for police officers, sergeants and lieutenants about 5 percent in 2014, bringing them to 88.5 percent of what cities comparative to San Angelo pay their police force; salaries jumped to 91.25 percent in 2015 and were expected to reach about 95 percent in 2016.

During a recent city budget workshop, budget manager Morgan Chegwidden said the pay increases for the police department would cost about $635,960. However, the city has only $322,946 in unallocated funds available. The amount, while not enough to cover the third year of raises or any other pressing needs, has been set aside until council decides what to with the funding.

Moreover, City Council directed Lisa Marley, the city's director of human resources, risk management and civil service, to use that unallocated money to:

Work out an alternative agreement with the police department

Fund any potential increases to the city's health insurance costs this year

And look at some sort of pay raise for all employees.

The city has 685 full-time employees and 165 police officers on the payroll. More than 70 percent of the proposed fiscal year 2016-17 budget's general fund expenditure is earmarked for personnel, consisting of salary and benefits for employees.

"I think we all know there's not enough money to do all that," Marley told the room. "It's a monumental task with that amount of money, and we're looking for any ideas to make that work."

The attending police officers had plenty of questions and ideas. Among those present were representatives of the two local organizations  SACOP and the San Angelo Police Officers Association  as well as representatives of the Combined Law Enforcement Associations of Texas (CLEAT) and Texas Municipal Police Association.

One person asked why the city had not set aside money for the raises from the start because "obviously you know it's something that's coming up." Another suggested the city dip into its general fund to pay for the raises.

Assistant City Manager Michael Dane said the city has always funded core services first, then looked at contracts. Core services include public safety, streets and bridges, water resources, water and sewer and trash service.

Another person asked whether money could be found if the proposed new SAPD headquarters building were to be put on hold. "We work out of cars, we work on the streets, a new building is not a priority for field officers," the officer said during the meeting. "We'd rather have a pay raise."

Dane said that needed to be discussed with Chief Frank Carter and the assistant chiefs, and added "keep the ideas coming."

"We should encourage City Council to meet the terms of the contract, do what it says. That's what our members want," Sgt. Doug Thomas, SACOP president, told city officials.

"We at the department have felt that we have met our obligations under the contract, and we are asking that the city meet theirs," said Sgt. Rick Tinsley, official media spokesperson for the police.

At that point, the city officials reminded the attendees of a clause in the contract. "If we can't meet our funding obligations  and if the police department doesn't confer and agree to that  then the (existing) meet-and-confer document becomes null and void."

Marley also reminded the attendees that an agreement has to be reached by Sept. 20, otherwise the previous agreement becomes null and void. That means police salaries could revert back to 2013 pay levels, and the department would also stand to lose an assistant chief position and other things such as SWAT pay, bilingual pay for Spanish language skills, and part-time officers.

Sgt. Thomas said he will share the information from the meeting with the officers. Once the SACOP membership has voted, he will schedule another meeting with city officials. If an agreement is reached, then it would proceed to council.
Adam Sauceda/Standard-Times

First responders check the debris of a rolled over vehicle on N Bryant between 3rd and 4th streets on Thursday evening.

Shot/Archived: 08.25.16

SHARE Adam Sauceda/Standard-Times Police officers tape off an area under investigation after a driver lost control and rolled her vehicle on Thursday evening N. Bryant between 3rd and 4th streets. Shot/Archived: 08.25.16 Adam Sauceda/Standard-Times First responders check the debris of a rolled over vehicle on N Bryant between 3rd and 4th streets on Thursday evening. Shot/Archived: 08.25.16

A woman is in stable condition at Shannon Medical Center after losing control of a Chevrolet Tahoe, which rolled and struck a light pole Thursday evening.

The single-vehicle crash was called in at 7:02 p.m. at North Bryant Boulevard and West Fourth Street. The driver was ejected from her Tahoe and landed about 30 to 40 feet away, said Officer Cade Solsbery, with the San Angelo Police Department.





Judging by the evidence at the scene it appears she was traveling at a high rate of speed when she lost control and initially slid up onto the curb, which caused her vehicle to roll over through the parking lot here at Julios and come to rest in the outside lane of Bryant northbound, he said.

After hitting the curb and starting to roll, the vehicle then hit the pole and a palm tree and kept rolling through the parking lot, he said.

Traffic was blocked, reducing Bryant to one northbound lane.

Originally she was seen on South Bryant traveling at a high rate of speed, Solsbery said. The officer turned around to do a traffic stop, but based on her driving and how fast she was going the officer determined it would be a greater risk to himself and the public to actually initiate a pursuit.

The officer lost sight of the vehicle, which was traveling above the speed limit  about 65 mph in a 40 mph area  and it wasnt very long after that when crash happened, he said.

Possible charges could be filed later depending on what we gather here at the scene in relation to her speed and her driving. Either reckless driving or unsafe speed, Solsbery said.

Police are investigating whether alcohol was a factor based on information the driver told hospital staff, he said.

Police did not release the name of the driver but said she is about 30. No further information was available.
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The following editorial appeared in Wednesday's Dallas Morning News:

"To think I have had more than 60 years of hard struggle for a little liberty, and then to die without it seems so cruel."  Susan B. Anthony

Susan B. Anthony didn't live to celebrate the biggest moment in her suffrage crusade. She died 14 years before the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote, became law.

That seminal milestone, Aug. 26, 1920, was the culmination of a grueling movement formally launched in 1848 at the nation's first women's rights convention, in Seneca Falls, New York.

Many women of color had to fight on through more decades of injustice, gaining full equality only with the 1965 Voting Rights Act.

Throughout all those punishing campaigns, warriors for equal rights had the audacity to believe that one day a woman would occupy the highest office in the land.

Again, from Anthony: "Our job is not to make young women grateful. It is to make them ungrateful so they keep going. Gratitude never radicalized anybody."

Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton stands on the shoulders of Anthony and her multitudes of sisters, both those who preceded her and those gathering this week to celebrate Women's Equality Day.

The significance of the Clinton candidacy is gargantuan. A woman is at the top of the ticket of a major political party. A woman might sit in the Oval Office come January.

If she breaks that glass ceiling, Clinton  while not a perfect choice  will become a historic figure who brings a different perspective to the job. And, as female executives will attest, she will be held to a different standard than any man who served before her.

President Obama knows better than most that fear of change brings ugly insults and innuendo. He faced "the birther" idiocracy; Clinton hears the "menopausal monster" narrative.

Among the troubling memorabilia at the Republican National Convention was a campaign button that read "KFC Hillary Special: Two fat thighs, two small breasts ... left wing." Others contained far cruder language.

Opponent Donald Trump has done little to tamp down the anti-woman rhetoric. You'll recall that early in his campaign he swept aside tough questions by Fox News' Megyn Kelly as somehow linked to "blood coming out of her ... wherever."

Just last week, Trump named a new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, who has logged many successes in helping Republicans counter the oft-used "war on women" label. Yet just after Conway maintained on Sunday morning news programs that Trump doesn't hurl personal insults, the candidate attacked the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," calling Mika Brzezinski "very insecure" and "a neurotic and not very bright mess."

Julia Gillard, Australia's first woman prime minister, talked recently with The Atlantic's Michelle Cottle about the depressing tone of the U.S. campaign and offered this prudent suggestion: "As soon as the gendered bit starts raising its head, men and women of good will should be saying: 'No. Stop that.'"

Vigorous public debate is one thing; political bigotry is a sleazy other. Let's honor the suffragettes by recognizing the difference.
Most Pensions Falling Behind

A Threat to City Fees?

Pennsylvania Borrows Huge Amount. From Itself.

A new analysis of state public pension plans this week shows that only one in three states are actually on a path to reduce their unfunded liabilities.The report, by the Pew Charitable Trusts , used a new metric called net amortization, which essentially measures whether a pension plans accounting assumptions and payment schedule are holding up over time. Only 15 states are achieving positive amortization, according to Pew. In other words, they're following contribution policies that are sufficient to pay down pension debt. The remaining 35 states are facing negative amortization, or are following contribution policies that allow the funding gap to continue to grow.Based on the measure, the plans in the worst shape are, in order: Kentucky, New Jersey, Illinois, Pennsylvania and California. The report does note that Pennsylvania has committed to large contribution increases and is projected to reach positive amortization by 2018. The top five plans in the best shape are West Virginia, New York, Indiana, South Dakota and Louisiana.This metric gets at the true health of a pension plan better than the annual funding status because it tells us in which direction a pension plan is going. Net amortization supplies the long view, which seems appropriate when talking about a program thats supposed to last for generations.Case in point: 40 states reported decreased unfunded liabilities in 2014 thanks to stronger-than-expected investment returns. This is great news for the short term, But, according to the report, only a small number met the positive amortization benchmark. Investment returns vary widely over time, the report said, and most governments that sponsor pension plans made contributions that were not large enough to reduce debt based on expected long-term rates of return.The measure helps explain why some plans -- such as Houstons or the state of Alabamas -- havent made up ground even though governments have paid their full pension bills.The Minnesota Supreme Court this week ruled that fees St. Paul was charging property owners for street maintenance amounted to a tax and therefore should be subject to the citys constitutional limits on taxing authority.The case was brought by two churches who argued they were asked to pay for a service that benefitted the public, not just the property owner. The fee applied to routine street services including street sweeping, snow plowing, streetlight maintenance and litter pick-up. It affects more than 81,000 St. Paul homes, churches, nonprofits, universities and businesses.St. Pauls city attorney framed the loss as a technical one, telling the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that its not a question of if the city can collect assessments but how it goes about doing so.This case is more than a technical debate. St. Paul is like many cities and counties across the country in that it's seen an increasing share of its budgeted income come from fees rather than taxes in recent decades. Simply put, its easier to raise a fee -- or create a new one -- than it is to raise a tax.Its important to note that this ruling only immediately applies to St. Paul. But it could spark copycat suits in other municipalities. At a minimum, it might give municipalities pause when instituting a new fee -- to consider whether they are actually charging for an individual service or a public good.Earlier this month, the Pennsylvania Treasury Department loaned out $2.5 billion to the states general fund to help it through the next several months. While Pennsylvania is no stranger to such internal borrowing, the amount is the largest transfer yet for the state.By law, the general fund has to pay back the Treasury before the end of the fiscal year (June 2017). The state should have no trouble doing so, thanks to new taxes that should bring in more revenue than in previous years.This months transfer is essentially Pennsylvanias simpler version of a tax anticipation note, which is when governments issue short-term bonds to stay afloat until revenue comes in.It may seem huge but compared to other states, the size of this transfer is pretty run-of-the-mill. According to Moodys Investors Service, the $2.5 billion borrowing equals around 7 percent of Pennsylvania's annual general fund revenues. Recently, Oregon issued a $600 million tax anticipation note equal to 6.5 percent of receipts, and Idaho issued a $500 million tax anticipation note equal to 15 percent of receipts.
The state was holding a record-setting $1 billion general treasury cash surplus when it closed the books on last fiscal year, an extraordinary sum that likely will alter the course of contract negotiations as the state and counties begin a new round of bargaining with Hawaii's public worker unions.Wes Machida, director of the state Department of Budget and Finance, said the estimated $1 billion surplus for the year ending June 30 is the largest he can recall, and said the state was able to accumulate that large cash cushion by restricting state departments' spending even as state tax collections exceeded the official projections."Actual revenue collections have been good, the Hawaii economy is good and we are making sure that we live within our means," Machida said.Gov. David Ige's administration imposed budget restrictions on discretionary spending by state departments ranging from 5 to 10 percent each year thus far, although some of that funding was later released to departments that demonstrated they needed the money, Machida said.The state Council on Revenues, a panel of economists and other experts tasked with developing the official projections of state tax collections, predicted tax collections would increase by 6.1 percent in fiscal year 2016. In fact, overall tax collections increased by 8 percent, Machida said.While the exact amount of the fund balance at the end of fiscal 2016 might vary somewhat, Machida said the $1 billion total "should be in the ballpark."The previous record state surplus was during Gov. Neil Abercrombie's administration, when Abercrombie announced the state had accumulated a "historically unprecedented" $844 million cash balance at the end of fiscal year 2013.The state in recent weeks opened a new round of contract negotiations with the public worker unions, and the $1 billion surplus will profoundly affect that bargaining, said Ted Hong, a Hilo lawyer who was chief negotiator for the state during former Gov. Linda Lingle's administration.All of the state public worker unions from the United Public Workers and the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly to the Hawaii Government Employees Association and the Hawaii State Teachers Association have contracts that expire June 30.Prior administrations often pleaded poverty, saying they simply didn't have enough money to fund significant pay increases for public workers, Hong said. However, with the state sitting on a $1 billion surplus, a significant pay increase for public workers "is a given," he said. "Absolutely, that's a given.""The first, fundamental issue is always whether there's enough money to fund the proposed pay raises," Hong said. "Now that issue here is going to be off the table."Hong suggested the state might use this opportunity to offer pay increases to the unions in exchange for changes in obsolete work rules or other contract provisions, essentially negotiating with the goal of making the public workforce more efficient.In previous negotiations the state and county representatives often would tell the unions that they had little or no money for raises but said they still wanted to bargain for changes in the public workers' contracts to provide for additional workplace flexibility."The unions' response was always, understandably, 'If you can't give our members more money, why should we change anything in the contract?'" Hong said."Some people might look at this from a negative perspective, but actually it's a positive (opportunity) because now they can take that issue of the money off the table and get down into changing some of the archaic language in the contract," he said.HSTA President Corey Rosenlee said Hawaii has a "teaching crisis" because Hawaii teachers are underpaid, which has led to vacancies. At the beginning of this month, the Department of Education reported it had 625 teaching vacancies, and the department was forced to use substitutes to fill the gap at the beginning of the new school year.The budget surplus presents an opportunity to address that problem, Rosenlee said."As any parent can attest to, you've got to invest in your children's future, and in Hawaii, when kids are going without a teacher in classrooms with the roof falling in, and our classes are crowded, this is the time that we need to start investing in our kids," he said."To continually underpay your teachers to the point where we don't have teachers is a tragedy for the state, and so because they have this surplus, they need to start investing in our schools," he added.The HSTA represents 13,500 teachers, and union representatives met with state officials for several hours last week in an early round of face-to-face negotiations.While the large cash balance might look inviting to the state's public worker unions, Machida said some of that money is already committed elsewhere.For example, state lawmakers this year appropriated $200 million that is to be tucked away as cash reserves in the state's "rainy day" or emergency budget reserve fund, a step that will better position the state to weather the next recession. Lawmakers also appropriated an extra $81 million to prepay future retirement health benefits for public workers."There's a lot of commitments that are coming up besides the collective bargaining, and we have to maintain a certain ... balance" in the general treasury, Machida said.He also noted the state Constitution requires that if the general treasury ending balance exceeds 5 percent of general fund revenues for two consecutive years, the state must either transfer funds to the "rainy day" budget reserve fund or provide a refund to state taxpayers.However, state lawmakers at times have met that constitutional requirement by providing state taxpayers with nominal $1 refunds.
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Fewer Americans were displaced from their jobs in recent years, and those who were fared better at regaining employment. Data from the U.S. Department of Labor published Thursday indicate that about 7.4 million workers were displaced between January 2013 and December 2015. Thats down from 9.5 million between 2011-2013, reflecting improving economic conditions. Those who lost jobs also had somewhat better luck at regaining them: 67 percent were reemployed in January, up from 61 percent in the prior survey.Those displaced lose their jobs for a variety of reasons, ranging from facilities being shuttered to job automation or termination of worker shifts. The Labor Department defines displaced workers as those affected by plant closures or moves, elimination of positions or insufficient work availability. Roughly equal numbers of workers lost their jobs for each of these three reasons.Of the major sectors of the economy, those in the construction and professional and business services industries were most successful at rebounding, with 73 percent reporting reemployment in January. Not surprisingly, displaced workers in the hard-hit mining and oil/gas extraction industry recorded the highest rates of unemployment. And those most likely to give up their job searches or retire were found in the wholesale/retail trade, transportation and utilities sectors, where more than one-fifth of displaced workers dropped out of the labor force entirely.Labor Department estimates further suggest 337,000 government workers were displaced between 2013 and 2015, with about 68 percent finding new jobs. An estimated 165,000 were considered long tenured, meaning they had held their positions for at least three years. This group of public sector workers particularly struggled as only about 57 percent had been reemployed as of January, one of the lowest rates for long-tenured displaced workers of any industry.Across demographic groups, men aged 25 to 54 regained employment at slightly higher rates than women, 73 percent to 69 percent. About 68 percent of displaced whites and Hispanics found work, while 63 percent of Asians and only 60 percent of black workers reported being employed. All racial and ethnic groups experienced increases since the last survey was conducted in 2014.The data further depict noticeable differences across regions. For the most part, long-tenured workers suffering job losses in the Western U.S. were most successful at securing new jobs. Between 71 and 75 percent regained employment in the western regions of the country. By comparison, only 53 percent surveyed were working in whats considered the East South Central division: Alabama, Kentucky, Mississippi and Tennessee.This map shows the share of displaced workers who reported being employed in each of the nine regional groups. (The Labor Department does not publish state-level data for displaced workers.)Figures reflect January 2016 employment status for only displaced workers with three or more years of tenureSOURCE: Bureau of Labor StatisticsThose who did manage to find work often took pay cuts. Nearly half (47 percent) of displaced full-time workers reported earnings that were less than their previous job. Only a third of wholesale/retail trade and finance workers who obtained employment matched their prior earnings. An even smaller share -- 27 percent -- of rehired workers in the information industry, which includes software publishing and media-related communications, were able to secure new jobs with equal or better pay.
On Thursday, in the morning, at the Executive Building, Brisbane, His Excellency the Honourable Paul de Jersey AC presided at a meeting of the Executive Council of Queensland.

In the afternoon, at Government House, the Governor and Mrs de Jersey hosted a reception on the occasion of the RAAF Chaplains Branch conference where His Excellency addressed guests.
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GIS  26 August 2016: The Prime Minister, Sir Anerood Jugnauth, is leading a high-level delegation to the sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) which will be held on 27 and 28 August 2016 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre in Nairobi, Kenya.

It is the first time that TICAD, initiated by the Japanese Government since 1993, is being held in Africa with a view to refocus international attention on the importance and urgency of African development issues and promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and development partners .

TICAD contributes to the facilitation and promotion of high-level policy dialogue on issues pertaining to economic growth, trade and investment, sustainable development , human security, peace and stability and government . Being a multilateral partnership, TICAD process also actively promotes South-South and triangular cooperation , in addition to traditional cooperation.

As an international conference on African development, TICAD is co-organised by the United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, African Union Commission and the World Bank. The main objectives are to promote high-level policy dialogue between African leaders and their partners, and to mobilise support for African-owned development initiatives.

The commitments declared in the precedent TICAD in 2013 have been realised in collaboration with Mauritius through the African Business Education Initiative (ABE Initiative). ABE Initiative aims to enable 1 000 young African people from both public and private sectors to foster industrial and economic development, and to encourage more business partnerships between Japan and Africa. Under ABE participants have opportunity to follow master courses at Japanese universities and undergo internship at the associated companies in Japan.

Two officers from the Central Water Authority and the Landslide Management Unit from the Ministry of Public Infrastructure were selected in 2015 under the African Business Education Initiative. Two other participants from Wastewater Management Authority and Board of Investment will be leaving for Japan at the beginning of September 2016.
(TNS) -- The City Council plans to summon Baltimore police to explain why the department did not disclose that it was using a private company to fly surveillance missions and to collect and store footage of wide swaths of the city.Demands for a hearing come as the billionaire Texas philanthropists bankrolling the surveillance program revealed that they have given the initiative $360,000 through two charities  three times more than previously disclosed by the Baltimore Community Foundation, which passed through the initial November gift of $120,000 from Laura and John Arnold.A separate charity, the Police Foundation in Washington, handled an additional $240,000 gift from the Houston couple in April. That group said it will produce an evaluation of the program by the end of next month.Also on Thursday, the Baltimore Community Foundation said it will improve its scrutiny of donations to two Baltimore Police Department funds maintained by the foundation.The Arnolds' initial gift was earmarked for Persistent Surveillance Systems, the company conducting the flights, but top officials at the Community Foundation said they did not realize the money would be used for a secret program. The money came with a notation that it was for the Police Department "to purchase community support program wide area imagery system surveillance for city of Baltimore for Jan. 2016.""We need to engage in further scrutiny," said Thomas E. Wilcox, president of the Baltimore Community Foundation, who said officials did not see "any red flags.""The surprise we all had about what turned out to be a secret surveillance  it came as a surprise to us, and we're sorry about that," Wilcox said.The obscurity of the effort has rankled elected officials.City Council President Bernard C. "Jack" Young , Public Safety Committee Chairman Warren Branch and Vice Chairman Brandon M. Scott will hold a hearing on the matter "as soon as possible," said Lester Davis , a spokesman for Young.The council members say they are not necessarily opposed to the surveillance operation, which has the potential to help document wrongdoing from gun crimes to police misconduct. But they say such monitoring of the public's movements should be discussed by citizens first."When you're dealing with the public's trust, you have to have transparency," Davis said Thursday, adding that police officials now understand the need to make the program public. "Obviously, a mistake was made, and I think they acknowledge that."Meanwhile, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings said he was meeting with Police Commissioner Kevin Davis about the surveillance."He will be providing me with a thorough review of the program," the Baltimore Democrat said. "That this program has been operating for months in secret is concerning. ... We must vet this program with the help of organizations like the ACLU and NAACP Legal Defense Fund to determine if there is a violation of people's constitutional rights."Ohio-based Persistent Surveillance Systems has for months been testing sophisticated surveillance cameras aboard a small Cessna airplane flying high above Baltimore, the Police Department acknowledged this week. The arrangement was kept secret in part because it never appeared before the city's spending board and was paid for through private donations.Unlike high-profile surveillance tactics  such as body cameras worn by police and pole cameras on street corners  the department's use of the surveillance plane was not disclosed publicly. The police did not brief Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, her office said."She was not briefed on the program at its inception," said Anthony McCarthy, a spokesman for Rawlings-Blake. He said the mayor learned of the plane's existence only recently, but would not be more specific. Bloomberg Businessweek was given access to the Persistent Surveillance Systems operation and published an article about it Tuesday.McCarthy declined to say whether Rawlings-Blake learned about the surveillance program from the article.The office of Baltimore State's Attorney Marilyn J. Mosby issued a statement Thursday saying a member of her staff was briefed on the program Aug. 12."As of today, the Baltimore City Police Department further disclosed to us that there are five open and pending cases where this surveillance technology was used," the statement said. "While this technology may be a useful investigative tool and we look forward to learning more about it, we are currently working with the Police Department to determine what information can be utilized at trial."A spokesman for Gov. Larry Hogan said the governor was unaware of the program."The administration was not informed," Douglass Mayer said.By contrast, the Police Department's body camera program was the subject of news conferences, legislation, a task force, a series of public meetings and public procurement process.Davis, the council president's spokesman, said Young was surprised to learn of the surveillance operations."He wants to hear about the program," Davis said. The police will be called to provide a "full accounting of the program, what it's done, and what's going on with it.""We haven't had a public accounting of the program," Davis said. "The chair and the vice chair of the Public Safety Committee will be working to make that happen as soon as possible."Branch said he was scheduling an oversight meeting after conferring with Scott."The commissioner keeps talking about transparency, but every time we turn around, there's something else where we're left on the outside," Branch said. "It's the way this administration has always handled things. They never reach out. You have to pull information out of the administration."Scott said the oversight hearing would focus on the surveillance plane, but also the recent U.S. Justice Department report that found discriminatory policing in Baltimore. He said the hearing would be in September.Justice Department representatives made no mention of the surveillance plane, and federal officials declined to say Thursday whether they knew of the monitoring.In the Justice Department report, investigators said police practices in Baltimore focus "law enforcement actions on low-income, minority communities" and encourage officers to have "unnecessary, adversarial interactions with community members."Persistent Surveillance Systems' flights come on the heels of revelations that the FBI provided aircraft for surveillance flights over Baltimore in the weeks after the rioting of 2015. FBI aircraft made 10 flights and logged more than 36 hours, mostly at night.But the private company's fights over the city have far surpassed the FBI's limited use of aerial surveillance in Baltimore.The company conducted 100 hours of surveillance in January and February and 200 hours of surveillance between June and this month, police said Wednesday. It will continue conducting surveillance for several weeks before the Police Department evaluates its effectiveness and decides whether to continue the program.Jim Bueermann, president of the Police Foundation in Washington, said his nonprofit agreed to facilitate the $240,000 portion of the grant on the condition that it be allowed to evaluate the program.That review, which he said could be completed in as little as a month, will not be a rigorous, scientific study but a "policy analysis" looking at the program's effectiveness for policing and the concerns it raises, including privacy, Bueermann said. It will also include a set of recommendations for other agencies in the country that might be considering such programs, he said."And I have to believe that one of those recommendations is going to be, 'Before you do this, make sure the public knows about it and hold some public meetings," Bueermann said.Police spokesman T.J. Smith said the plane's cameras can record footage of 32 square miles. He compared the program to an expansion of the city's CitiWatch system of street-level cameras.When crime cameras were first installed in Baltimore in 2005 under then-Mayor Martin O'Malley, they numbered fewer than 200 and were largely confined to high-crime areas. The city's network has grown to 696, including cameras at the East Baltimore Development Inc. project and surrounding the Horseshoe Casino.Two years ago, city officials announced that they were expanding their public surveillance network to include private security cameras that could quadruple the number of digital eyes on neighborhoods.Expansions of the CitiWatch system  even those funded through grants and donations  are typically approved in public at the city's Board of Estimates meetings. For instance, in July, when the owner of Alameda Marketplace Shopping Center purchased five cameras for the CitiWatch system and agreed to pay the city $26,250 to add them to the network, it was voted on at a public meeting.The police commissioner said in a statement that CitiWatch cameras have resulted in an average decline in crime of 33 percent in the small areas near each camera. He said an expansion of digital surveillance is needed in a city where there were nearly 1,000 shootings and a record high in homicides last year."At a time when 84 percent of our homicides occur in outdoor public spaces, it seems logical to explore opportunities to capture the brazen killers who don't think twice about gunning down their victims on our streets," Davis said. "Indeed, 43 percent of this year's killing have occurred in 'broad daylight' hours, an apparent gesture of impunity by trigger pullers who expect not to be revealed."The surveillance plane program remains in a testing phase, the police commissioner said."We do not know yet if our examination of this technology will result in a recommendation to permanently pursue it, but promise a robust and inclusive community conversation," Davis said.Police said Thursday that they do not have an estimate for when they will make a final decision on the program.Baltimore Sun reporter Kevin Rector contributed to this article.
(TNS) -- More rural residents are turning to the Orange County Public Library for faster home Internet service.The library launched its pilot Wi-Fi to Go project in March with 50 wireless hotspot devices that library users could check out and take home. The devices, packaged in Chinese takeout boxes, provide unlimited Internet access anywhere cell-phone service is available.Kam Williams of Hillsborough picked up a hotspot Thursday. Hes been using the program for months, he said, and the wait has dropped from about three months to two weeks. He uses the device at home to stream movies, browse the Internet and work on his real estate business.Whats with the Chinese food? a group of ladies asked him outside the library.Im about to go eat some Wi-Fi, Williams joked, as he stopped to explain the program.Social media and word of mouth have increased demand, library director Lucinda Munger said. They added 22 devices this month and could get more. Patrons had put a hold on 23 devices this week.Verizon Wireless charges the county $37 for each device, available at the Hillsborough library and the McDougle Middle School branch in Carrboro. The county budget includes $21,000 for the program.Its always a huge number (in demand), and we expect that to pick up now that school is starting to be back in session, Munger said.The devices can be checked out for three weeks and renewed twice if theres no waiting list. Patrons are surveyed before and after checkout, including about the Internet speeds they experience, the equipment being connected and whether the connection is being used for work, school or personal activities.Its been a lot of fun just to see how this works, and see where the need is and why is there such a need for connectivity throughout the entire county, and how can we do it, and if its possible to do on a sustaining basis, Munger said.While its not a long-term solution, county officials said, the program is giving them time to develop partnerships that might help more residents get online.Many rural residents, if they have access, are limited to digital subscriber lines, or DSL, transmitted over telephone cables. Urban residents, on the other hand, can access broadband service via cable and telephone lines with the future potential for AT&T Uverse with GigaPower and Google Fiber fiber-optic service.Rural areas lack the money and density to attract broadband providers, officials said.Jim Northrup, the countys chief information officer, has become an intermediary between residents with service issues, providers and state officials working on the issue. Theyve also been surveying residents about whats available in their area, if they have Internet access and how its working for them.Theyve seen some success, Northrup said, noting that Time Warner is now working with some rural neighborhoods to provide Internet service. The county and Time Warner also collaborated to bring wireless access to more places, including downtown Hillsborough, community centers, parks and government buildings.Other efforts have stalled, he said, pointing to CenturyLink, which got $500 million in annual Connect America federal grants last year to bring better service to rural communities, including parts of northern and western Orange County. The six-year effort was to start this year, but projects havent been identified yet.Other partnerships are just beginning to address common issues, and theyre working on a potential fiber-optic strategy for county buildings, he said.Everytime theres a carrot offered of Connect America funding or Google Fibers coming, it turns out (to be) a carrot on a stick, and we keep going down this path, Northrup said. We havent seen any of those program that effectively solve the broadband issues in Orange County, so thats one of the reasons were doing the fiber study for county buildings, is to start looking at how we can be a little bit more proactive in the solution.
(TNS) -- Every night, after Marty Kendra's pharmacy in Birdsboro has closed, recently installed technology sends information on two or three dozen of that day's prescriptions from the pharmacy to the government of Pennsylvania.The process is a function of the new state prescription drug monitoring program, or PDMP, whose official debut was announced by Gov. Tom Wolf on Thursday at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.The system collects certain prescription data from all over the state and stores it in a database.A prime goal is to help curtail the heroin and opioid drug crisis in part by preventing addicts from deceiving pharmacists and buying painkillers at multiple drugstores. It also will give doctors more accurate information on patients' past use of medicines."It's a long time coming," said Kendra, owner and pharmacist at Birdsboro Pharmacy. "It is something we have been in need of for years."Wolf, in announcing the startup of the program, pointed out that more than 3,500 Pennsylvanians died last year of drug overdoses."The PDMP allows prescribers and dispensers to query and report information regarding the number of opioids prescribed, and to whom," Wolf said in a statement. "This program enables health care professionals to address potentially fatal drug abuse and provide improved and streamlined care to their patients."The only prescriptions kept in the database are those containing schedule II, III, IV and V controlled substances, as categorized by the federal government. Doctors and pharmacists will be able to query the system as they interact with a patient to see that person's history of controlled substance prescriptions.Schedule II controlled substances include oxycodone, an opioid pain medicine found in the prescription painkillers OxyContin and Percocet, and hydrocodone, found in Vicodin. Diversion of prescription painkillers obtained illegally has helped feed the growing heroin and opioid drug crisis."Fraudulent prescriptions have been a huge problem for us," said Patrick Trainor, a spokesman for the Philadelphia Field Division of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration.The monitoring system, he said, was a "huge positive step" for the state.The new database will be run out of the state Health Department. A smaller-scale predecessor system was run out of the attorney general's office.The law that created the system was enacted in 2014. One initial hesitation of many lawmakers was the potential for incursions into citizens' privacy.At the time, state Rep. Mark Rozzi, D-Muhlenberg Township, said that he did not want an "open book" for officials to scrutinize. On Thursday, Rozzi said the crafting of the system and its implementation have alleviated that concern."For once, I see this as government being proactive to protect its citizens," he said. "If you are not abusing prescription pills, you are fine."
Haas boss Gunther Steiner will not say if Esteban Gutierrez is staying at the new American team for its second season in 2017.

At Spa, Steiner was asked about the fact that, when questioned by reporters, Gutierrez had replied somewhat cryptically that he will definitely still be on the grid next year.

But the Mexican would not say if he was talking about Haas.

"As I've already said, I do not want to participate in spreading rumours," Haas team principal Steiner responded.

"What I will say is that we are calm because we do not have a problem with drivers. The announcement for next year will be done after some time, but what I don't know is whether Esteban has negotiated somewhere else," he added.

Meanwhile, with multiple teams set to try the controversial Halo concept at Spa and beyond, Steiner reported that Haas has no such plans to follow suit.

"No," he answered, "I think we have to solve many other problems and all our resources are aimed at doing that, especially since the introduction of Halo has been postponed for a year."

(GMM)
Sergio Perez has played down suggestions a clash of sponsors could thwart his next move in formula one.

It is believed the on-form Mexican is toying with a move from Force India to Renault for 2017.

Perez is strongly backed by the Mexican billionaire Carlos Sainz, who promotes his Telmex-linked companies in F1.

But it is rumoured Renault could change from yellow to blue for 2017, amid reports linking the French marque with a title sponsorship by Movistar, a major Spanish mobile operator.

Telmex and Movistar are direct competitors, so when asked about a potential clash, Perez said at Spa: "When I moved to McLaren, Vodafone was one of the sponsors but it was not an obstacle.

"There are many companies in the Telmex family, so there will always be a way for sponsors to not be an obstacle," he added.

Perez, however, is refusing to say that he is definitely leaving Force India, and sounded apologetic that he is currently unable to commit.

"The decision is not just mine," he said. "It's not that I want to leave the team -- I've always said I like it here, I feel comfortable and I believe in the future of Force India.

"I do not want to go into contract details, but hopefully after some time, a decision will be taken."

(GMM)
Sebastian Vettel says he remains patient as Ferrari builds back up to winning form.

Before the summer break, Red Bull overtook Ferrari as the second-fastest team behind Mercedes, just as news was confirmed that technical boss James Allison had left.

"We have a lot of good people," Kimi Raikkonen said at Spa. "That's not our problem. We just have to work harder."

Indeed, Ferrari took a new specification of engine to the Belgian grand prix, but Auto Motor und Sport says it will not be actually used until Monza next week.

The Italian team does have a new bodywork package at Spa, though, but F1 pundit Marc Surer doubts it will be enough.

"Ferrari has been developing all year," he told the German broadcaster Sky, "but unfortunately the car hasn't got faster.

"Ferrari and Vettel will only win this year with luck."

Luckily for Ferrari, German Vettel says he is patient.

"In formula one, some changes happen quickly but sometimes things can take longer," he said.

"There were four weeks off but in reality we only had one and a half weeks to respond to Hockenheim," Vettel added.

"What we learned will make a little difference here, but we will see more at the races after that," he said.

(GMM)
Raju Kasuri and Smriti Jharia  a married couple accused of visa fraud and defrauding the United States through a Danville company  have pleaded guilty to the charges against them, and have agreed to forfeit more than $20 million.

Kasuri, 44, was the founder and CEO of EcomNets, a local company that he, his wife and four other co-defendants fraudulently applied for more than 900 illegal immigration benefits, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorneys office of the Eastern District of Virginia.

EcomNets arrived in Danville in 2010 announcing it would bring 160 high-paying jobs and invest $2 million to open a green computer manufacturing facility by the end of the summer.

In April 2012, the company announced it was changing its business plan and would instead open a data storage company requiring far fewer employees.

According to the news release, Kasuri will forfeit more than $20 million in proceeds through his fraud schemes.

EcomNets founder facing charges The gate is closed, the grass is tall and there are no cars in the parking lot at EcomNets in Danvilles Airside Industrial Park.

Kasuri was charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, three counts of visa fraud, three counts of aggravated identity theft, three counts on international money laundering, conspiracy to make false statements to the SBA (Small Business Administration) and three counts of false statements to the SBA.

Kasuri and Jharia face up to 30 years in prison. She was charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of conspiracy to make false statements to the SBA; three counts of making false statements to the SBA and one count of unlawful procurement of naturalization.

The four other defendants and charges are:

 Vikrant Jharia, charged with one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud and one count of visa fraud;

 Sanchita Bhattacharya, charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud, two counts of visa fraud and unlawful procurement of naturalization;

 Richa Narang, charged with conspiracy to commit visa fraud and two counts of visa fraud; and

 Raimondo Piluso, charged with one count of making false statements to the SBA and three counts of making false statements to the SBA.

The co-conspirators face up to 10 years in prison.
GREENSBORO  Its almost the end of vacation season, but that doesnt mean your house is secure.

The Greensboro Police Department plans to canvass four neighborhoods next week to warn residents to secure their homes before the Labor Day weekend, said Susan Danielsen, police spokeswoman.

Officers will be in the Montrose Drive apartments on Monday; in Overland Heights and West Avenue on Tuesday; Hahns Lane on Wednesday; and Turnbridge Apartments, including Carriage Way, on Sept. 4.

All walks will begin at 4 p.m., Danielsen said.

Police advise residents to make their houses and apartments look occupied while they are away.

During the canvasses, officers will hand out crime prevention information and talk about how to protect their houses and apartments, police said.

The neighborhoods selected for the canvass had high burglary rates in 2015, Danielsen said.

Throughout the city, about 31 homes are burglarized each week, police said.

Burglars look for homes that are easy targets, Lt. Don Knott said in a media release. They want to get in houses or apartments quickly and undetected. By making your home look occupied and taking some security measures, you can reduce your chances of being burglarized.

Police also urge residents to install and use strong door and window locks and use an alarm system if possible.

If you are on vacation, stop newspaper and mail delivery and use a timer to turn lights on and off. Make your house look lived in and dont post vacation photos on social media while you are gone.

Authorities also have tips to prevent robbery and home invasion:

Lock your doors even when youre home, and look to see whos knocking before answering your door.

Curtains or blinds should be closed at night, and when you leave the house, let someone know where youre heading and when you expect to return.

Dont walk alone at night and do not hide a key under the doormat or a nearby flowerpot.

Lastly, police urge you to carry your door key in your hand, day or night, when walking to your door. Youre more vulnerable when looking for your keys at the door.

More tips can be found at www.greensboro-nc.gov/.

Police offer a free home security assessment by a community resource officer.
ANKARA, Turkey  Turkey sent more tanks into northern Syria on Thursday and gave Syrian Kurdish forces a week to scale back their presence near the Turkish border, a day after it launched a U.S.-backed cross-border incursion to establish a frontier zone free of the Islamic State group and Kurdish rebels.

Skirmishes broke out between Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, raising the potential for an all-out confrontation between the two American allies that would also jeopardize the fight against the Islamic State group in the volatile area.

Turkey's incursion Wednesday to capture the town of Jarablus was a dramatic escalation of Turkey's role in Syria's war and adds yet another powerhouse force on the ground in an already complicated conflict.

But Ankara's objective went beyond fighting extremists. Turkey is also aiming to contain the expansion by Syria's Kurds, who have used the fight against IS and the chaos of Syria's civil war to seize nearly the entire stretch of territory along Syria's northern border with Turkey.

Above all, Ankara seeks to avoid Kurdish forces linking up their strongholds along the border. The U.S. has backed its NATO ally, sending a stern warning to the Syrian Kurds with whom it has partnered in the fight against IS to stay east of the Euphrates River. The river crosses from Turkey into Syria at Jarablus.

"The U.S. is interested in stopping this from becoming a confrontation between the YPG and Turkey. That would be a huge detriment to the anti-IS campaign," said Chris Kozak, a Syria researcher at the Washington-based Institute of the Study of War, referring to the main U.S.-backed Kurdish faction fighting IS. Turkey accuses the group of links to Kurdish groups waging an insurgency in southeastern Turkey.

Kozak said an open confrontation between Turkey and the Kurds in Syria would undo much of the progress made working with the Kurdish forces against IS in northern Syria. If there are direct clashes, the U.S. would be forced to take sides, he said, and Washington would likely side with its NATO ally, whose air base is used to launch coalition airstrikes against the extremists in Syria and Iraq.

Also, if the Syrian Kurdish forces are distracted in clashes with the Turks and have to shift resources toward front lines with Turkey or with Turkish-backed opposition groups, that "buys (IS) some breathing space," Kozak said.

On Thursday, Turkish officials said Syrian Kurdish forces had started withdrawing east of the Euphrates River. The news was relayed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.

Syrian Kurdish officials contacted by The Associated Press would not confirm or deny that their forces were withdrawing east. Instead, the main Syrian Kurdish faction, the YPG, said its troops had "returned to their bases" after helping liberate the northern Syrian city of Manbij from the Islamic State group earlier this month. Manbij lies west of the Euphrates about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Jarablus, and Ankara has demanded the Kurds hand it over to Syrian rebels and withdraw.

The Kurdish forces' statement said they handed control of the city to a newly-established Manbij Military Council, made up mostly of Arab rebel fighters from the town.

By day break, at least 10 more Turkish tanks crossed into Syria, Turkey's private Dogan news agency reported. An Associated Press journalist saw three armored vehicles cross the border, followed by a heavy construction vehicle. Explosions reverberated across the border, followed by billowing gray smoke.

It remained unclear whether Turkey-backed Syrian rebels would move against IS-held towns or nearby Kurdish-controlled areas, including the town of Manbij.

Turkey's state-run Anadolu agency, reporting from Jarablus, said the Syrian opposition forces were working to secure the town to allow its resident's to return, including defusing explosives inside the town or on roads leading to it. Estimates put the town's population at 25,000.

Turkey's defense minister, Fikri Isik, said Thursday that Turkish forces were securing the area around Jarablus. He said the Turkish-backed operation had two main goals  to secure the Turkish border area and to make sure the Syrian Kurdish forces "are not there."

"It's our right to remain there until" the Ankara-backed Syrian opposition forces take control of the area, Isik said. He said Turkey and the U.S. have agreed that the Syrian Kurdish forces would pull out of the northern area around Jarablus within a week.

"For now, the withdrawal hasn't fully taken place. We are waiting for it and following it," he told the private NTV television station.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led anti-IS coalition, Col. JD Dorrian, said some members of the force that seized control of Manbij went east of the river, but some remained to secure and clear land mines.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurdish forces appeared to be on the move south of the newly captured town of Jarablus, making the potential for all-out confrontation all the more possible overnight. The Kurdish-led group known as the Syria Democratic Forces, or SDF, was advancing south of Jarablus, taking over at least three towns in what appeared to be a push by the Kurdish-led forces to secure Manbij and the river separating it from Jarablus. The advances triggered brief clashes with the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels who had advanced south of Jarablus.

Sharwan Darwish, a spokesperson for the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council, said there were no direct confrontations, only warning shots. A Turkish official said he had no immediate comment on the reported clashes.

Meanwhile, U.N. officials said they had received word from Russia that it supports a 48-hour pause in fighting in and around Syria's largest city so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to its increasingly embattled population.

Jan Egeland, who heads up humanitarian aid in the office of the U.N. Syria envoy, said the U.N. now awaits assurances from two rebel groups and written authorization from President Bashar Assad's government before any aid convoys can go through to Aleppo amid an upsurge in fighting that has left the city nearly surrounded by Russian-backed Syrian troops.

Egeland said Russia backs a three-point U.N. plan that is to involve separate road convoys of aid delivered both from Damascus and across the Turkish border through the critical Castello Road artery into Aleppo.

"We are very hopeful that it will be a very short time until we can roll," Egeland told reporters.
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GREENWICH  Nearly 1,000 new and returning public school teachers were reminded Friday that their work can affect lives.

The impact that you have on kids lasts positively or negatively for the rest of their lives, interim schools Superintendent Sal Corda told the teachers during the districts Convocation. Teachers, he said, were the most powerful people in the Town of Greenwich.

The gathering, held at Greenwich High, included speeches from a cadre of the districts leaders. Among those speaking were Laura Erickson, chairman of the Board of Education; Angela Schmidt and David Walko, co-presidents of the Greenwich Organization of School Adminstrators; Carol Sutton, Greenwich Education Alliance president; Sarah Goldin , Greenwich representative for the Connecticut Teacher of the Year; and GHS Student Body President Joseph Magliocco .

Greenwich High School students Katie Hoffmeister, Lily Nobunaga, Jake Montgomery and Cameron Liflander sang the Star Spangled Banner.

Corda, the mornings keynote speaker, called on teachers to work collectively without fear of failure to pursue the districts vision of a graduate, recalling his own encounter with a student he taught in middle school who contacted him years later to thank him.

Both Corda and Erickson spoke of the districts strategic plan to improve students academic achievement and character.

What attracted me to the district was its strategic plan designed to move students to the next level, said Corda.

Student improvement occurs because of teachers in the classroom, he said. Superintendents, central office staff and principals provide direction and support.

Erickson said the lynchpin of the strategic plan was personalized learning: the districts goal of providing students with choice about how, when, where and how much they learn  within curriculum standards  based on their strengths and motivations.

Magliocco, who will be a senior in the fall, thanked the teachers for their dedication.

In his speech, he explained the difference between success  empowering yourself, and significance  empowering others.

The job of a teacher embodies the definition of significance, said Magliocco, whose mother and aunt have been employed at Greenwich Public Schools. It is my absolute honor to be the first student to say to you this year, thank you.

Speech therapist at Glenville School Meg Presley said Maglioccos gratitude was her favorite part of the convocation.

It brings back why we are here, what we do every day, she said. That they do appreciate our hard work, which is most important.

Goldin, who has attended eight convocations with Greenwich Public Schools, compared teachers mood right before school starts to horses before the Kentucky Derby.

You know the part at the beginning where theyre shoving all the horses in the chute? And theyre rearing and theyre kicking their handlers? said Goldin. Then, they get them in the chute, and there is this moment of stillness before the race starts and the horses are pawing and you can see the whites of their eyes and they are chomping at the bit? Thats what I always feel like during convocation.

Steve Farnum, who teaches seventh and eighth grade science at Eastern Middle School, said the presentations made him feel excited to return to the classroom.

I think that the presenters kept the focus on students and the positive interactions between us, he said. Very motivational.

emunson@hearstmediact.com; @emiliemunson
Sony developed a giant tap-to-pay service in Japan which works with both plastic cards and mobile phones alike. Phones in Japan have had support for FeliCa for years and now it looks like Apple is planning to release an iPhone in Japan which takes advantage of this service. FeliCa works with vending machines, Japans public transit, retail stores, online shopping via an NFC reader, and in large buildings for entering pre-authorized areas.

Bloomberg reports that Apple is looking to cater to the Japanese by offering this service to its customers in Japan seeing as Apple Pay might not appeal to many with Japan being years ahead of the rest of the world in mobile payments and contact-less transactions. What makes FeliCa so successful is its 0.1-second transaction time, making it perfect for the nations fast-paced transit system.

FeliCa's various tap-to-pay applications

Apples plans to launch the new iPhone with FeliCa have not yet been confirmed. In fact, the California-based company wouldnt release the service with the next iPhone at launch. Instead, it would wait until perhaps halfway into the phones life cycle to launch this kind of service. And if the negotiations between Apple and Sony fall through, Apple would wait until the release of the 2017 iPhone to add FeliCa compatibility.

The New York Citys subway system is over a century old so it will be a while before we get something like FeliCa for it. The MTA switched from tokens to flexible magnetic strip cards in 1994. It still works well today, but for arguably the most famous city in the world, our Subway system is outdated and slow compared to Japans.

Source | Via
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For a short while not long ago it looked like Samsung's original Galaxy Tab S line would not ever be receiving updates to Android 6.0 Marshmallow. Thankfully, though, that turned out not to be true. In fact, we've seen the update being pushed to the 10.5-inch LTE Tab S in Germany just yesterday.

And now it's time for its smaller sibling to be on the receiving end of the same new software release. Once again in Germany, the LTE-enabled Galaxy Tab S 8.4 is now getting the Android Marshmallow update too.

Samsung emphasizes a few things in its changelog, such as the fact that you can "exercise greater control over app permissions", see a redesigned app drawer, and take advantage of better battery life through Doze. Additionally, you should expect some unnamed bug fixes and stability improvements to be packed inside the update.

If you own a Galaxy Tab S 8.4 LTE purchased from Germany and haven't yet seen the update notification, you can manually check for the new software by going to Settings > About device > Software update. Hopefully Samsung will release the new OS version for these tablets in many more regions soon.

Source




Haiti - FLASH : 3 people shot dead in the last 48 hours





While the authorities continue to try to convince us that crime is down in the country. That the de facto President assures us that he brought back social Peace and stability and that the National Police of Haiti (PNH) assures us of the establishment of new plans to strengthen security and fight against criminals, the inspector Gary Desrosiers, Deputy Spokesman of the PNH, announces us 3 new assassinations in the last 48 hours.



Wednesday it's a graduating student in medicine, aged 23, identified as Jean Eric Monche that was hit by two deadly bullets in Clercine by armed bandits, while returning from a bank branch.



Thursday morning, Michel Jumel a policeman of 41 years was killed in a van at Delmas 83, by two armed individuals who wanted to rob the passengers and which seized his service weapon before fleeing.



The same day in the afternoon, to the Street of Centre, a man in his forties received 3 balls after being stripped of his goods by two gunmen traveling on motorcycles, who fled after they acted without being worry. According to witnesses, the victim, Shyneider Wilson had come to repair his vehicle and sat in the shade of a tree when the attack took place, he seems that the victim had given everything he had on him under threat, without resistance before being bloodedly murdered.



TB/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping politics...





Funeral of President of the CCIN

"The Chamber of Commerce and Industry North (CCIN) informs that the sung funeral of its President, Nonce Zephir will be sung this Friday, August 26, 2016 in Cap-Haitien Cathedral. A signature register available to the CCIN will serve as condolences. That his soul rests in peace."



Launch of electoral campaigns of the 4 major parties

Friday afternoon, Jovenel Moise presidential candidate under the banner of PHTK party, will proceed to Leogane to the launch of his presidential campaign;



Jude Celestin presidential candidate under the banner of "Alternative League for Progress and the Haitian Emancipation" (LAPEH), will launch his campaign next Wednesday in Arcahaie.



Moise Jean-Charles presidential candidate under the banner of the party "Pitit Dessalin" launch his own Sunday also in Arcahaie;



Finally Maryse Narcisse presidential candidate under the banner "Fanmi Lavalas" states having always been in proximity campaign with the population.



Elections, there is no plan B

Concerning the holding elections on October 9, the de facto President Privert stated "I can not even imagine a Plan B. The risk for the country is too great. We have done everything humanly possible to ensure that on October 9, people go to the polls to elect the legitimate authorities able to cope with economic and social challenges that our country faces," recall that in the last election, there was no plan B, and yet...



Results known more quickly ?

Francois Anick Joseph, the Minister of Interior in order to reduce the time of publication of the results of the next election announced that satellite dishes will soon be installed in the town halls, Delegations and vice delegations to facilitate the transmission of data at the count. For their part, the electoral authorities believes to be able to publish preliminary results 8 days after the election, to prevent speculation and possible socio-political unrest.



Torture between inmates in Petit-Goave

Me Marx Henry Fortunat denounced on Radio Preference FM cases of torture practiced by prisoners at the police stationof Petit-Goave "It is inconceivable that prisoners

ransom and beat other detainees to the police station of the city. It's time that stops," adding Se depi lontan prizonye ap malmennen prizonye parey yo, dapre sa ampil moun di." HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave)



Discussions with public transport unions

Jonas Coffy, the Director General of the Ministry of Social Affairs, announced discussions with the public transport unions, for the determination of the tariffs in transport...



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Published on 2016/08/25 | Source

Actor Kim Hyun-joong and his ex-girlfriend are protesting against the court's decision and they submitted petitions of appeal.

Advertisement

According to the Seoul Central District Court, Choi, who lost the case against Kim Hyun-joong for compensation, appealed to the Court. Kim Hyun-joong did the same.

Previously, the Court dismissed all of Choi's claims of asking Kim to compensate 1.6 billion won for her loss and in turn, he told her to pay him 100 million won.

Kim was happy about this result as this showed that Choi was lying. He is confident that he is going to win again.

Meanwhile, Choi had Kim's child in 2014 but that child was lost due to Kim's abuse according to her. She cancelled the charges after getting settlement from Kim but she sued him again in April last eyar.
Published on 2016/08/26 | Source

Added episode 10 captures for the Korean drama "W" (2016)

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Directed by Jeong Dae-yoon

Written by Song Jae-jeong

Network : MBC

With Lee Jong-suk, Han Hyo-joo, Jung Eugene, Lee Tae-hwan, Park Won-sang, Cha Kwang-soo,...

16 episodes - Wed, Thu 22:00

Synopsis

A mysterious melodrama about a parallel universe which depicts a man and a woman who live in the same Seoul but in different environments.

Broadcast starting date in Korea : 2016/07/20

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OHA applauds PMNM expansion

News Release from OHA

HONOLULU (Aug. 25, 2016) In response to the release made by the White House Press Office to elevate the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) to a monument Co-Trustee and expand the boundaries of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument , the OHA Ka Pouhana/Chief Executive Officer Kamanaopono Crabbe issued the following statement:

OHA applauds President Obamas decision to elevate the voice of Native Hawaiians in the management of the lands and waters in the northwestern Hawaiian Islands. Papahanaumokuakea is critical to Native Hawaiian spiritual wellbeing, and this action by the President helps revive our connection to our kupuna islands and reinforce our understanding of Hawaii as a contiguous spiritual and cultural seascape. (Translation: There is money in this.)

Thanks to the Presidents decision, these resources will be better protected for generations to come.

The elevation of OHA to a Co-Trustee position rightfully places the Native Hawaiian voice at all levels of decision making in the governance of Papahanaumokuakea. (Translation: There are contracts in this.) This has been a ten year effort to achieve this position and this success marks the beginning of a new era of collaboration for the co-managers of the area to fulfill the tremendous responsibility of protecting and caring for this sacred place.

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National Monuments for Fun and ProfitPlease Spill some Oil on Me!

Papahanaumokuakea Trustees Before Obama Announcement: The Monument is administered jointly by three co-trustees (NOAA, USFWS, and the State of Hawaii); the day-to-day management of the Monument is overseen by a 7-member management board comprised of two sub-agencies of each Co-Trustee, plus the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Indian Country Today: Report: Obamas national monument designations bring in $156 million

USCG: Only Natural Resource Trustees designated by the President, a State or Territorial Governor, or a Tribal governing authority may submit natural resource damage (NRD) claims to the National Pollution Funds Center (NPFC).

US Army: Natural Resource Trustee and Natural Resource Injury issues  The Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act (CERCLA), the Oil Pollution Act, and the Clean Water Act (CWA) all contain provisions on natural resource injuries and damages (NRI/NRD). These laws allow natural resource trustees to assess damages to natural resources resulting from a discharge of oil or a release of a hazardous substance covered under CERCLA or the CWA.

EPA: The Role Of Natural Resource Trustees In The Superfund Process  The word fund or funds occurs 20 times in this document.

EPA: Natural Resource Damages: Trustees

Williamson Chang: Akaka Bill--Proposal for Native Hawaiian Trusteeship over NW Hawaiian Islands

Kelii Akina: OHA Violates Trust Responsibility to Native Hawaiians

* * * * *

Fact Sheet: President Obama to Create the Worlds Largest Marine Protected Area

From The White House, August 26, 2016

Secretary of the Interior Jewell and Secretary of Commerce Pritzker also announced that the Departments will soon sign an agreement with Hawaiis Department of Natural Resources and Office of Hawaiian Affairs providing for a greater management role as a trustee in the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. This arrangement has been previously requested by Senator Brian Schatz and Governor Ige.

Full Text: Presidential Proclamation -- Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument Expansion

read  Fact Sheet

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Ige Letter to Obama

August 24, 2016

Based on public input, I appreciate that Senator Schatzs proposal limits the expansion in the current monument southern boundary, to preserve popular fishing grounds for recreational, subsistence and commercial fishers from the main Hawaiian Islands. I understand the proposed boundary eliminates an area representing about 6.5% of the Hawaii commercial longline fleets current catch in pounds; fishing effort can be moved to other locations with some impact in travel time and fuel costs, but no material decrease in annual catch is expected.

A related issue that has emerged from my review is the inter-relationship between the much larger purse-seine fishing industry in the Pacific and the smaller longline fishing industry, and the relative impact on the health of the tuna fisheries and on the Hawaii-based fishing industry. I strongly urge you to direct federal agencies to investigate the equitable balance of the fisheries in international treaty negotiations with regard to economics and fishery sustainability.

As stated in my December 2015 letter to Secretaries Jewell and Pritzker, I request that the Office of Hawaiian Affairs be added as a fourth co-trustee of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. I request as well that the federal-state monument collaborative co-management structure extend to the expansion area.

read  Ige Letter

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Obama Coming to Waikiki Eco Confab to Announce Papahanaumokuakea Expansion

KHON: He is scheduled to arrive here ahead of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress, which starts next week Thursday at the Hawaii Convention Center and Neal S. Blaisdell Center.

The White House announced that he will address leaders from the Pacific Island Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress Wednesday evening.

Then on Thursday, hell fly to Midway Atoll to mark the expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument.

Many other dignitaries will also be flying in. The conference is known to have a lot of protesters, meaning theres a heightened need for security.

The Secret Service will also shut down roads, meaning drivers can expect more traffic delays.

View a full breakdown of closures and traffic modifications during the event here.

read  Papahanaumokuakea

* * * * *

Secretaries Pritzker, Jewell Applaud Presidents Expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

Secretaries Intend to Recognize Hawaii Office of Hawaiian Affairs as Additional Co-Trustee in Management of Worlds Largest Marine Protected Area

News Release from US Department of the Interior, August 26, 2016

WASHINGTON  U.S. Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell today applauded President Obamas action to use his executive authority under the Antiquities Act and expand the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument  making it the largest marine protected area on Earth.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands were originally protected by President Teddy Roosevelt who established the Hawaiian Islands Bird Reservation in 1909. President Franklin D. Roosevelt broadened the protections to all wildlife and formed the Hawaiian Islands National Wildlife Refuge in 1940. And in 2006 President George W. Bush created Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument to protect and preserve the marine waters and their wildlife and historic, cultural and scientific riches. Todays designation will expand the existing Marine National Monument by 442,781 square miles, bringing the total protected area to 582,578 square miles.

The monument expansion comes after significant engagement with the Native Hawaiian community, the fishing industry, and residents of the islands.

Todays historic action ensures the ongoing conservation of this iconic landmark. Throughout this process, weve collaborated with a number of stakeholders, including Native Hawaiians, state and local officials, community leaders, and fishermen, said Secretary Pritzker. The Department is committed to protecting ecosystems like the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument for future generations, and we are working with commercial fishermen to safeguard the continued economic vibrancy of this industry. We are truly indebted to the leadership of Senator Schatz and other local officials in advancing this proposal.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands are home to one of the most diverse and threatened ecosystems on the planet and a sacred place for the Native Hawaiian community, said Secretary Jewell. President Obamas expansion of the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument will permanently protect pristine coral reefs, deep sea marine habitats and important cultural and historic resources for the benefit of current and future generations.

Additionally today, Secretaries Pritzker and Jewell also announced their intent to draft a new agreement making the Office of Hawaiian Affairs (OHA) a co-trustee in managing the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument. In the past 10 years, the Departments have forged a strong partnership with the State of Hawaii in managing the monument, including benefiting greatly from the cultural perspective that OHA has provided. U.S. Senator Schatz, Governor Ige, and others have been vocal in their support for making OHA a co-trustee.

The Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, which is part of the most remote island archipelago on Earth, supports a dynamic reef ecosystem with more than 7,000 marine species, of which approximately one quarter is unique to the Hawaiian Islands. This diverse ecosystem is home to many species of coral, fish, birds, and marine mammals and other flora and fauna, including the endangered Hawaiian monk seal, three endangered whale species, and the endangered leatherback and hawksbill sea turtles.

Its biological and geographic isolation, coupled with singular oceanographic and geological conditions, have produced some of the most unique and diverse ecological communities on the planet. Important geological features of the expansion include more than 75 seamounts, as well as a non-volcanic ridge that extends southwest towards the Johnston Atoll. Together, these features form biodiverse hotspots in the open ocean that provide habitat for deep-sea species, including sponges, other invertebrates, fish and colonies of corals many thousands of years old.

In addition, this area has great cultural significance to the Native Hawaiian community, including creation and settlement stories, and a connection to early Polynesian culture and is used to practice important activities like traditional long-distance voyaging and wayfinding.

In recent years, technological advances have spurred new scientific findings, greatly increasing our understanding of the areas adjacent to the original monument. New satellite technology allows scientists and researchers to see the topography of the seafloor and can track individual animals, such as whales and seals, providing a better understanding of foraging and migration patterns. Ship-based sonar can show not only the relief of the ocean bottom, but also what types of habitat exist in these extremely deep locations. Undersea vehicles venture to the ocean depths and send back video of never-before-seen species. This increased understanding  and appreciation  of deep sea habitats and their role in the larger ocean ecosystem, is the fundamental reason for expanding the boundaries of the original monument.

Additionally, the monument area contains several shipwrecks  including the USS Yorktown and several Japanese vessels  and downed aircraft from the Battle of Midway in World War II, marking a final resting place for the more than 3,000 individuals. This announcement comes in advance of the 75th Anniversary of the Battle of Midway next year.

Commercial fishing and other resource extraction activities, which are currently prohibited in the boundaries of the existing monument, are also prohibited within the expanded monument boundaries. Noncommercial fishing, such as recreational fishing and the removal of fish and other resources for Native Hawaiian cultural practices, is allowed in the expansion area by permit, as is scientific research.

Todays announcement is made by the President under the authority of the Antiquities Act, an authority exercised by 16 presidents starting with President Theodore Roosevelt in 1906 and used to protect treasures such as the Grand Canyon, the Statue of Liberty, and Colorados Canyons of the Ancients. Altogether, President Obama has protected hundreds of millions of acres of public lands and waters  more than any other President  and has preserved sites that help tell the story of significant people and extraordinary events in American history.

* * * * *

Pew Applauds Expansion of Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument

U.S. expands Northwestern Hawaiian Islands reserve, creating world's largest protected area

News Release from Pew Charitable Trusts



HONOLULU, Aug. 26, 2016 -- The Pew Charitable Trusts joins partners in Hawaii and the scientific community in praising today's announcement by President Barack Obama that the United States has expanded the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument, also known as Papahanaumokuakea, to 582,578 square miles (1.5 million square kilometers).

The action creates the largest protected area in the world and expands the original monument by more than 442,760 square miles (1.15 million square kilometers). The area now covered is almost four times as large as California.

Continue Reading

Today's announcement builds on steps taken by six presidentsstarting with Theodore Roosevelt and including three Republicans and three Democratsto conserve the ecosystems and wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 2006, President George W. Bush designated the islands and the surrounding waters a national marine monument, marking the first time a large area of ocean had been set aside for protection in the United States, which has a long history of establishing national parks on land. At the time, Papahanaumokuakea was the largest marine reserve in the world. Subsequently, more than a dozen large-scale highly protected marine reserves have been created around the globe, including nine larger than the original Hawaiian monument.

"Papahanaumokuakea inspired an international movement to safeguard large areas of ocean and create the world's first generation of great parks in the sea," said Joshua S. Reichert, an executive vice president at Pew who oversees strategy for its Global Ocean Legacy project. "By expanding the monument, President Obama has increased protections for one of the most biologically and culturally significant places on the planet."

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) agreed. "Expanding Papahanaumokuakea makes a definitive statement about Hawaii's and the United States' commitment to ocean conservation. By adopting my proposal to expand the monument, President Obama has created a safe zone that will replenish stocks of tuna, promote biodiversity, and fight climate change, and he has given Native Hawaiians a greater voice in managing this precious resource," Schatz said.

"President Obama's declaration is only the beginning. To create continuing success, we will need to work together to maintain and grow the partnerships that made the expansion possible in the first place," the senator added.

Through petitions, public meetings, and other events, Hawaiians expressed strong support for the expansion, particularly the Native community, which proposed the idea to the White House in January. To Native Hawaiians, Papahanaumokuakea is a place of honor, believed to be the root of ancestral connections to the gods and the site to which spirits return after death.

"Papahanaumokuakea is critically important to Native Hawaiian cultureit is our ancestral place, the birthplace of all life," said Sol Kahoohalahala, a seventh-generation Hawaiian from the island of Lanai and a member of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group. "The expanded monument will serve as a conservation, climate, and cultural refuge for my granddaughter and future generations."

Pew's Global Ocean Legacy campaign worked with Native Hawaiians, scientists, elected officials, community leaders, businesses, and the larger environmental community to build support for expansion. The efforts included an in-depth study of the biological and cultural significance of the area, town hall meetings, educational sessions, news conferences, and media interviews. More than 1 million people from Hawaii and beyond signed petitions or wrote letters to the White House and lawmakers. In June, some 1,500 scientists signed a letter to President Obama backing the expansion.

Although much of the region remains to be fully explored, Papahanaumokuakea is home to more than 7,000 species, a quarter of which are endemic, or found nowhere else on Earth; some have only recently been discovered. The area provides habitat for rare species such as threatened green turtles, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, and false killer whales, as well as 14 million seabirds representing 22 species. This year, scientists exploring these waters discovered a new type of ghostlike octopus they nicknamed Casper, as well as three new species of fish.

Some places within the expanded monument show 100 percent endemism at depths of 100 meters. Scientists also have found the world's oldest known living organisma deep-water black coral estimated to be 4,265 years oldwithin the new boundaries. Shipwrecks from the World War II Battle of Midway, including wreckage from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, also are located in the newly protected area.

More ocean has been set aside for protection in the past 18 months than during any other period in history, with announcements of new marine reserves by the governments of the U.S., the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Chile, and Palau. The Global Ocean Legacy campaign has helped safeguard 2.4 million square miles (6.3 million square kilometers) of ocean by working with local communities, governments, scientists, and other stakeholders around the world.

Even with these successes, only about 3 percent of the world's ocean has been set aside with strong protections. Recent science supports conserving at least 30 percent to maintain biodiversity, support fisheries productivity, and safeguard the myriad economic, cultural, and life-supporting benefits of the seas.

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The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org.

Global Ocean Legacy is a partnership established in 2006 to promote the creation of marine reserves in the world's oceans. Current partners include The Pew Charitable Trusts, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Lyda Hill, Oak Foundation, The Robertson Foundation, and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. Learn more at globaloceanlegacy.org.
Its becoming increasingly common for HR departments to have technology as part of their budget, as more companies realise and acknowledge the business benefits and efficiency achieved from effective HR systems Kevin Brooks, Frontier Software

NDING BY HR departments increased by 4% between 2014 and 2015, according to the Bersin by Deloitte 2015 HR Factbook. Between 5% and 8% of this went towards tools and technology. Large companies unsurprisingly spent the most on technology(almost 10% of their HR budget), and this increased spend has fuelled huge market growth in cloud-based HR technologies. The entire HR software market is over US$10bn in size and Bersin by Deloitte says many segments are growing at double-digit rates.Closer to home, Kevin Brooks, national sales and marketing manager at Frontier Software , says companies are starting to realise the value of good HR technology and the benefits this can bring to any organisation. As a result, the investments are increasing  however, many companies are still to actually take the step of actively taking advantage of the full potential of new HR technologies.Whilst the majority of decision-makers have realised the need for new HR technologies, many are still not focusing on how to deploy these solutions, he says.One thing companies are investing in is mobilising key features of the HR function, such as self-service. The demand to be mobile is increasing, and as the workforce is mobilising so does the HR department. This not only saves times for HR personnel but also contributes to staff engagement and a positive employee experience.In the second half of 2015, Information Services Group (ISG) conducted its second annual Industry Trends in Human Resources Technology and Service Delivery Survey. The survey explores the changing landscape of HR technology and service delivery  and therefore provides clues as to where companies are spending. The key findings from this years survey suggest: Enterprises continue to migrate from on-premises Human Resource Management Systems (HRMS) to Software-as-a-Service (SaaS)-based HR technologies; more than 70% of respondents have implemented or plan to implement HR SaaS within the next two years. User experience and usability factors are driving selection criteria and expected benefits for both HR technology and service delivery model decisions. HR organisations are shifting their focus from cost savings to strategic business alignment, process improvement and employee engagement. The market is seeing initial signs that enterprise-level HR decision-making is becoming increasingly data-driven.According to a 2013 survey by member-based advisory firm CEB , CIOs still control about 60% of the average IT budget in a corporation. However, the other 40% is being utilised by a diverse range of internal rogue agents, including marketing, finance, and the new member on the block, HR.Its becoming increasingly common for HR departments to have technology as part of their budget, as more companies realise and acknowledge the business benefits and efficiency achieved from effective HR systems, says Brooks.And while CEB reports that most CIOs are actually OK with this more democratic approach to IT spending, many CHROs still need the go-ahead for technology investment from the CFO.Fortunately, the sell is getting easier.Mobilising key aspects of your HR practices is very much becoming the norm, says Brooks. Increased mobility can enrich the employee experience, which in turn can increase employee engagement and productivity. For employees to be able to access their HR information anywhere at any time is giving them a freedom they havent had in the past. If companies dont acknowledge this they will fall behind very quickly.Frontier Software, for example, has seen increased interest and enquiries for core HR and payroll, workforce management and talent management software.This is not before time: many HR professionals are coping with outmoded and old-fashioned legacy systems, which over time simply will not hit the mark.At some point it will become unworkable, and manual work-arounds will become unmanageable, Brooks says. A review of HR processes can usually help in the decisionmaking process when upgrading or deciding to change their incumbent system.Brooks stresses that despite the temptations, when it comes to new technology HR should not jump into industry trends without establishing alignment to their business needs and readiness to deploy such technology.A good technology or system vendor should be able to uncover the requirements based on your HR strategy and overall company objectives, he says.Further to educating the CFO and other decision-makers about the benefits of new HR systems, the CIO and business analysts need to be involved in the decisions around HR tech investments. The CIO in particular needs to be comfortable that the system can support the companys data security, data hosting and technical requirements.Getting buy-in from your employees is also crucial, says Brooks. By including them in the process they are less likely to resist the change in adopting a new technology or software, which will ultimately drive the success of your new system. A great way to engage your staff in the process is to do an internal survey or pilot group to understand their requirements well before you start speaking to vendors.For those companies that are considering implementing new technology and/or service delivery model changes, there are a few key points to consider from the ISG report:1. Understand the specific ways that HR technology can best support the most critical business processes; create detailed use cases that focus on the organisations key requirements.2. Ask for sandbox testing as a component of technology selection. Buyers need a first-hand experience of interacting with the application and navigating in the tool. Technology providers are adjusting to these demands by having ready-to-configure sandbox environments, detailed user guides and a helpline within the sandbox. Providers unwilling to give open access to clients for testing will find it increasingly challenging to compete.3. Be sure to go beyond functionality to understand the software vendors strategic direction, road map, services and support model.4. In making the HR transformation, be sure to address all parts of the overall service delivery model, including shared service centres, HR knowledge base/HR portals and customer support solutions (eg telephony, chat, case management).5. Pay significant attention to and invest in change management and process redesign. New tools applied to old processes, or tools that arent used by the majority of employees or managers, will not work as intended.6. Develop a business case for change that incorporates the strategic, operational and financial benefits for the organisation.FRONTIER SOFTWAREFrontier Software is a global leader in HR Talent Management and Payroll solutions. Their solution ichris sets the benchmark for functionality and improved employee experience. With support offices in Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, Canberra, Adelaide and Perth and key global locations, Frontier Software is well placed to service their 1,700 clients.
Paid sick leave schemes encourage employees to stay home, even when they are not ill, a US research paper has found.



This research highlights some differences for US employers who, at a federal level, aren't mandated to provide paid sick leave for staff. Rather the individual states have their own regulations on how much paid and unpaid sick leave is required for employees.



For comparison, Australian employers are obligated to provide ten days of sick leave per year for fulltime staff under the National Employment Standards.



The research paper, from the National Bureau of Economic Research in the US, found that employees who have access to paid leave for illness are more likely to stay home and 'play ill'.



Whilst the research found that sick schemes help "significantly decrease" the flu rate by encouraging contagious employees to stay home, it found that this also has a knock-on effect in encouraging absenteeism among workers.



However, a lack of paid leave for sickness can lead employees to spread illness among co-workers  the research found that the absence of a sick leave program often forces contagious employees to go into work, risking infecting their colleagues.



The paper, The Pros and Cons of Sick Pay Schemes, also looked at Germany, which it said has one of the "most generous universal sick leave systems in the world,"  employers are usually mandated to provide 100% sick pay from the first day of absence for up to six weeks.



It found that where sick pay had been reduced from this level, the reduction in those 'playing ill' was larger than the increase in the infectious disease rate.



This suggests that less provision for sick pay could lead to fewer cases of worker absenteeism, without significantly impacting the sick rate among employees.



Related stories:



Workplace stress a greater threat to women: study



Why you shouldn't send sick workers home



Can you make sick employees attend disciplinary meetings over the phone?
lworths movement out of the hardware space  and its subsequent sale of Masters Home Improvement and Home Timber & Hardware  will see HR having to support a total of 7,700 employees during the transition.As Masters is set to cease trading on 11 December 2016, one of the firms main focuses was to assist staff during this time, a Woolworths spokesperson told HC.Woolworths will work hard to find Masters employees jobs within the group or will pay full redundancy where suitable roles are not available, he said.In an interview with The Business, CEO Brad Banducci reiterated his promise to take care of the Masters workers."Every one of those team members will have an opportunity to come and work somewhere else within the Woolworths group," he said. "But even if we have to be slightly over-resourced in the short-term, I think it's incredibly important for us in terms of the culture we want to build in our business."Gerard Dwyer, president of the SDA  the retail workers union  told ABC they were working with Woolworths and its competitors to find new roles for all workers."We've actually already commenced discussions with Masters, with HTH and also with Bunnings."As for the Home business, this will be sold to Metcash. While most branches will continue to operate, two company-owned stores and one distribution centre will be shut down.Woolworths has prepared a detailed transition plan to support staff affected by these closures either relocating them within the group or with a full redundancy package.Woolworths top priority remains to do the right thing by our employees, customers, suppliers and shareholders. We will provide a certain and transparent timetable to all our stakeholders during the exit process, Banducci said on Wednesday (24 August).Since the sale process began, our 7,700 staff in the home improvement businesses have worked extremely hard in an uncertain environment and we sincerely thank them for their commitment.
Glenn A Bruce is the speaker for the regular monthly program sponsored by High Country Writers at the Watauga County Library, Thursday, September 8, 10 a.m. to noon. His topic is: The Importance of Honest Self-Evaluation and Endless Editing. The public is invited.

Glenn Bruce is one of the areas most prolific and productive writers. His screen plays include the movie Kickboxer, as well as episodes of Walker: Texas Ranger, Baywatch, and Assaulted Nuts, and he is an award-winning video writer-director. His short stories, articles and essays have appeared in numerous publications, regionally, nationally and internationally, and he was the final judge for the Brilliant Flash Fiction Fall 2015 Best Flash Fiction writing contest. His play A Mans World has been accepted by the In/Visible Theatre, and he recently optioned his novel Rubric to Luculent Films. Glenn teaches Screenwriting and Acting for the Camera at Appalachian State University.

If that were not enough, he has (at last count) eight published novels and is actively working on three more. His most recent, Dear Me!: or The History of the End of the World as We Knew It, Told As I See It, or More Accurately, Saw It, by Daniel R. Olafson, is a comedic last man on earth tale of the near future. Glenns story, By the River, is a finalist in the Defenestrationism.net contest which people can read and vote through Sept 4. See the website and vote at: http://defenestrationism.net/short-story-contest/fan-voting-for-2016-short-story-contest/

High Country Writers has been energizing writers since 1995! Regular meetings are at the Watauga County Public Library on the second and fourth Thursdays of most months from ten until noon and speakers presentations are co-sponsored with the Library. HCW members present writing skills workshops the first Thursday of the month, and have recently partnered with the Watauga County Arts Council in hosting these workshops. For more information and a current calendar, visit the website: http://highcountrywriters.tripod.com/. Guests are welcome.

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By Jesse Wood

Appalachian Ski Mtn. General Manager Brad Moretz hopes High Country Host will be able to move into the resorts new visitor center on U.S. 321 by the end of next week.

The visitor center is located at the Edmisten Road intersection, which is also the main entrance to Appalachian Ski Mtn, and is across the street from the Reba S. and Grady Moretz, Jr. Bridge that leads to the new Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge.

I think its going to be an elegant entrance in Blowing Rock  no doubt about that. I want people to see the quality of the facilities here and the welcome center will reflect that quality experience we have in the ski area, Moretz said.

On Friday afternoon, Ron Cutlip, a licensed landscape architect, who volunteered his talents on the new Blowing Rock School playground, was on the site  along with other crews  working his magic.

Ron just did a spectacular job with the Blowing Rock School playground. It has to be the most beautiful school playground in North Carolina. I was real impressed by his creativity, Moretz said. Hell do something that will really do an impression on us, I think.

Cutlip said that the mounds, boulders and creative grading being created and installed on the property will replicate the ups and downs of slopes and give you a top of the mountain feeling.

Even though you are right here on 321, Cutlip said, laughing. Its like a sampler of what youll envision [at the top of Appalachian Ski Mtn.].

The visitor center, which is a 1,547-square-foot building, will be open year round with High Country Host operating out half of the space seven days a week from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. from Monday through Saturday and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Sunday.

Because the NCDOT, which owned the property that High Country Host operated on near the old Kmart in Boone, sold the property to a developer, which is reportedly leasing to Starbucks earlier this year, High Country Host had to find a new location.

Candice Cook, marketing director for High Country Host, said that the space is essentially split down the middle with ASM information, merchandise for sale and webcams for view of the resort on one side  and High Country Host on the other side.

We are taking all of our materials with us, so its pretty much the same thing but different location, Cook said. Well run our visitor center the same way we do here by promoting the five counties in the region for the DOT.

Cook added that they are excited to operate near the Blue Ridge Parkway, the Foley Center at Chestnut Ridge and along the busy highway of U.S. 321.

Thats where most of our visitors are coming from anyway, Cook said. Having the Blue Ridge Parkway [nearby] and being on the main highway will really boost our numbers when we move out there.

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By Kesha Williams / ASU News Service

The 27th Annual Walk for Awareness, a silent walk through the Appalachian State University campus to commemorate lives lost to violence, is scheduled to begin at 9 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 30.

This event, which is open to the public, begins at Sanford Mall and ends at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. The Walk for Awareness is part of University Health Wellness and Safety Week which runs from Aug. 29 to Sept. 1.

The walk began in 1989 after the abduction and murder of a university employee. It serves as a reminder to campus and community members that personal safety is important. It also commemorates lives lost to violence, supports victims and survivors of violence and serves as a collective moment of empowerment.

Over the years, the Walk for Awareness has transitioned and has become a university legacy event calling on our community to be violence free, said Judith Haas, associate dean, Office of Dean of Students.

Prior to the walk, the video Why Walk? A Survivors Story will be shown at 8 p.m. in Room 114 of Belk Library and Information Commons. Thereafter, participants will gather at Sanford Mall for a brief ceremony. Before the walk begins, Chancellor Sheri N. Everts and John Weaver, director of Track and Cross Country will speak.

The events featured speaker is Lauren White Marvel, an assistant district attorney for Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Ellen Grulke, the universitys Interpersonal Violence Support and Prevention coordinator, will close the event at the Schaefer Center for the Performing Arts. Music for the event will be provided by Pressley Laton as well as acapella groups Enharmonix and Higher Ground.

About Appalachian Appalachian State University, in North Carolinas Blue Ridge Mountains, prepares students to lead purposeful lives as global citizens who understand and engage their responsibilities in creating a sustainable future for all.

The transformational Appalachian experience promotes a spirit of inclusion that brings people together in inspiring ways to acquire and create knowledge, to grow holistically, to act with passion and determination, and embrace diversity and difference.

As one of 17 campuses in the University of North Carolina system, Appalachian enrolls about 18,000 students, has a low faculty-to-student ratio and offers more than 150 undergraduate and graduate majors.

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Almost 34%[1] of the population is likely to experience an anxiety disorder at some point in their lives,
Tomi Repo, a detective chief inspector at the Hame Police Department, reveals in an interview with Uusi Suomi that a couple of assaults occurred in the small municipality already before the widely-reported brawl between asylum seekers and local residents that broke out outside a reception centre on Tuesday. The brawl, he says, was preceded by the assault of a 15-year-old local resident presumably by a person of foreign background.

Rising tensions between asylum seekers and local residents have kept police officers busy in Forssa, Southern Finland, in recent days.

Law enforcement authorities are currently looking into whether or not the incidents are connected.

A spokesperson for the Hame Police Department reveals in a press release that police officers are also aware of two incidents dating back to 1213 August and 20 August, in which a resident of the reception centre was assaulted. The press release also indicates that an 18-year-old man with no known ties to extremist movements was arrested on suspicion of two counts of assault and one count of menace in the aftermath of the brawl.

Repo admits that tensions between asylum seekers and local residents have escalated rapidly over the past couple of weeks. The relations became more strained towards the end of the summer. I wonder if these assaults are one reason for that, he commented.

Another possible reason for the heightened tensions may be rumours circulating on social media, he adds. Several unverified bits of information are spreading online, exacerbating the division, estimates Repo.

He urges both asylum seekers and local residents to keep a cool head and reveals that police officers have sat down with both sides of the dispute. Fears are currently running high at the reception centre  after all there's small children there as well. They're baffled at how this has happened overnight, he reminds.

Approximately one hundred local residents attended a demonstration accusing the mainstream media and law enforcement authorities of distorting facts and ignoring the concerns of the public in Forssa on Thursday.

This is war, real war, but let's try and keep it verbal, the instigator of the demonstration hollered.

The demonstration was organised by active members of Suomi Ensin (Eng. Finland First), a patriotic movement that has launched a citizens' initiative to hold a referendum to decide whether or not Finland should remain in the European Union, with the objective of relocating the reception centre away from the small municipality. The demonstration ended peacefully, a police spokesperson says in a press release.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
Cash, watches and drugs seized during raids in the south inner city

A 23-year-old "flash cash" criminal who was busted yesterday by gardai investigating the activities of the Kinahan cartel has come to garda attention because of his extremely lavish lifestyle.

Gardai seized an Audi A3 car, 30,000 worth of jewellery, heroin worth 3,000 and 7,000 in cash during raids in the capital's south inner city yesterday morning.

Sources said the primary target of the raids was a young criminal, originally from Crumlin, who has been "flashing the cash" in recent months.

The heroin dealer and his girlfriend were still being held for questioning last night at Kevin Street Garda Station.

Dealers

Gardai recovered the haul at a flat in the Oliver Bond Flats complex during a planned operation that led to four properties being searched.

A watch worth 15,000 that was owned by the "flash cash" suspect was among the 30,000 of jewellery that was seized.

Raids were also carried out at three other locations - flat in the Oliver Bond complex, a flat in nearby Dolphin House and a property at James's Street.

Documentation and drugs paraphernalia were seized in the other properties.

Sources said the man has been "heavily involved" in moving drugs and gathering cash for the cartel in recent months.

He has been in charge of a network of street dealers who have been flooding the south inner city with drugs, particularly heroin.

"He has worked himself up to be a key player. He's happy to show off that he has money and it has been noticed that his kid has been lavished with top-of-the-range gifts," a source said.

"He'll be raging that his watch has been taken from him - its all about bling to him.

"Gardai are aware that he seems to have a lot of money for a young fella living in the flats."

Supt Paul Murray welcomed the south inner city seizure when he spoke at a press conference at Garda HQ.

"There was another success in the south inner city today," he told reporters.

"Some of those groups and the targets being searched, they are at the lower level and we have made arrests.

"Included in those seizures we have diversely recovered a Rolex watch, cocaine and a car, and the background work to those will be dominated by the Criminal Assets Bureau where the assets will be looked at and confiscated if possible.

"The support services such as CAB and other national units will be used.

"It's coming in at the underbelly, so we're targeting different levels and this targets what we treat as further down the chain, what we would consider second and third-degree level criminals, so we're coming in at these groups from all angles."

The arrested 23-year-old has been on the garda radar for involvement in serious crime since he was a teenager.

He has served a number of minor jail sentences and was previously involved in a savage attack on a prison officer.

A thug with multiple previous convictions, he was also involved in a violent incident in a Dublin hospital.

Sources said he has been "doing the running" for notorious Crumlin criminals such as Liam Byrne who answer directly to cartel boss Daniel Kinahan.

"Without the likes of this individual, the cartel would cease to operate," a senior source said.

A week of garda action against the cartel began with the seizure of a sub-machine gun on Monday.

Separately, senior cartel figure Liam Roe was arrested on suspicion of money-laundering offences on Tuesday.

Fines

The 38-year-old, from Drimnagh, spent several hours being questioned at Crumlin Garda Station before being released and then transferred to Mountjoy Prison because of unpaid court fines.

Roe is a suspect in the mass-ive CAB investigation that led to a large amount of jewellery, 29 cars, SUVs and six motorbikes being seized in raids in early March.

More arrests are expected in the CAB investigation in the coming weeks as well as more garda raids.
A senior garda involved in the war on organised crime has said the recent killings in the Hutch-Kinahan feud have been "staggering".

Det Supt Tony Howard, of the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB), said the growing number of killings had raised serious concerns in the force.

He was speaking at a garda press briefing following the seizure of 2m worth of drugs by the DOCB within the space of 72 hours.

"Certainly, when we look at people being murdered in the streets of Dublin as callously as they have been, and the same being repeated in Spain, we are naturally worried," said Det Supt Howard.

He added that gardai are working with their counterparts abroad to tackle serious crime.

alarm

"We would liaise with our colleagues, not just in Ireland and England but also in mainland Europe, with Europol and with Interpol," he said.

"We share a lot of intelligence and information and we help each other.

"The level of violence in a short period of time earlier this year was quite staggering and it certainly set alarm bells ringing."

Det Supt Howard the 2m worth of drugs had been seized during operations across the Dublin region as well as in Co Meath and Co Louth.

Raids were carried out by DOCB members, backed up by local garda and members of the Special Crime Task Force, in Finglas and Castleknock, Bellewstown, Co Meath and Dundalk, Co Louth.

Det Supt Howard also said the seizure of a number of high-grade military weapons - including five assault rifles - so far this year is a "worrying trend".
A man who took anabolic steroids to build muscle died after taking cocaine and falling from the balcony of a third-floor apartment. (stock photo)

A man who took anabolic steroids to build muscle died after taking cocaine and falling from the balcony of a third-floor apartment.

Mark Clooney (31), of Lynn Road, Co Westmeath, died after he became agitated and paranoid, an inquest into his death heard.

He left his home in Mullingar at around 12.30am on April 7 last year and drove to a friend's apartment at Limewood, Northwood, Santry.

Witness David Murphy said Mr Clooney rang him that night "talking gibberish".

"He was talking about some Arab that was after him about money owed. I told him he wasn't making sense," Mr Murphy told Dublin Coroner's Court.

The pair arrived at Mr Murphy's apartment at 2.20am.

"He said he was back on steroids. I told him he had to get off them. He told me they f***ed his head up," said Mr Murphy.

Mr Clooney had a bag of white powder that he "hoovered up his nose" but then started "freaking out".

"He was paranoid, jumping around the balcony, then he climbed over the railing," said Mr Murphy.

He told coroner Dr Myra Cullinane that he and his girlfriend tried to pull him back inside but he pushed them away. The court heard his foot slipped and he fell to the ground.

Mr Clooney's mother, Mary, said his behaviour had changed in recent years. In college, he started body-building and became very health-conscious.

The family were aware he was "taking something" and that it was affecting his mood.

Paranoid

"When he moved back in with us he was different. He was on edge, paranoid, he had got very big," Mrs Clooney said.

He went to counselling and his mood improved, but soon after the family noticed he had changed again.

The cause of death was head injuries due to a fall from a height, according to State Pathologist Prof Marie Cassidy.

Mr Clooney was taking the anabolic steroid nandrolone - used for body building - and had 31.2 micrograms per millilitre in his system, according to the toxicology report.

He had a small amount of cocaine in his system.

"It's not entirely clear the exact manner of Mr Clooney falling to his death," the coroner said, returning an open verdict.
Two criminals found themselves in a major pickle when they were arrested for theft after threatening staff in a McDonald's. Photo: Chris Gardner

Two criminals found themselves in a major pickle when they were arrested for theft after threatening staff in a McDonald's.

The bizarre incident happened at the fast food chain's outlet on the Hebron Roundabout in Kilkenny on Wednesday.

Sources revealed that the pair, who are aged in their 20s, were furious when they were given pickles on the burgers they ordered.

After saying that they had not ordered pickles, the duo allegedly threatened staff - who then called gardai.

When officers arrived at the McDonald's outlet, the argument between the two men and staff was ongoing and the gardai calmed the situation.

Gardai took the details of the two men, who are from Waterford city, and - after making enquiries - it emerged that they were wanted for the theft of a mobile phone from a teenager at the quays in Waterford the previous day.

The duo were then arrested and brought to Kilkenny Garda Station, where they were held for a number of hours.

It is expected that they will appear before a court sitting in the coming days.

Assault

"These gobsh*tes got themselves into a right pickle, there is no doubt about that," a source said last night.

"If they had not being so abusive over pickles in their burgers, they might never have been arrested for the phone theft offence."

Both men are known to gardai for a wide variety of criminal offences including assault, theft and burglary.

While the nature of the men's arrest is comical, the crime of phone theft is one of the most prevalent in Ireland.

Almost 3m worth of mobile phones were stolen between January and March 2015 .

Two out of every five robberies and thefts occur between the hours of 10pm and 4am, with over half happening between Friday and Sunday.

The number of mobile phones reported stolen to gardai fell slightly last year when compared to 2014.
A tanning salon operator has been granted bail after he was charged over a seizure of cocaine at a north Dublin apartment. Stock image

A tanning salon operator has been granted bail after he was charged over a seizure of cocaine at a north Dublin apartment.

Gardai from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and the Serious Crime Task Force supported by local units carried out a search of an apartment at Auburn Park in Castleknock on Monday. A sub-machine gun and ammunition were recovered along with a quantity of cocaine worth more than 300,000.

David Tennyson (37), with an address at Carrigallen Drive in Finglas, Dublin, was arrested at his home on Monday and was then detained at Blanchardstown Garda Station under the Offences Against the State Act.

He was charged and brought before Judge Grainne O'Neill at Dublin District Court yesterday morning.

He faces two charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act for unlawfully possessing cocaine at the apartment at Auburn Park in Castleknock and having it for the purpose of sale or supply.

Det Garda William Armstrong told Judge O'Neill that Mr Tennyson replied "no comment" when the two charges were put to him. Det Garda Armstrong objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the charges. He said the value of the cocaine was in excess of 300,000 and he also said there was a possibility of a "further serious charge".

Mr Tennyson has no prior criminal convictions.

Conditions

Mr Young said his client would abide by bail conditions and his wife would offer to act as an independent surety.

The defence solicitor also asked the court to note there was no evidence that he was a flight risk or would interfere with witnesses.

He said Mr Tennyson was arrested at his home and had been aware gardai wanted to speak with him.

Judge O'Neill granted bail in Mr Tennyson's own bond of 5,000 along with an independent surety of 5,000.

The court ordered him to stay at his current address, have a phone on which he can be contacted by gardai at all times and to sign on daily at his local garda station. Mr Tennyson spoke briefly saying "I understand" after the judge read out his bail terms.

He will face his next hearing on September 1 at Blanchardstown District Court.
Appalachian Mountain Spirits (AMS) distillery in Smyth County will expand over the next three years creating thirteen new jobs in the county over the next three years. The is also committing to source 100% of its corn, barley, and rye from Virginia farmers, according to a written statement from Gov. Terry McAuliffe's office. The Commonwealth is partnering with Smyth County and Appalachian Mountain Spirits through the Governors Agriculture and Forestry Industries Development (AFID) Grant.

Appalachian Mountain Spirits investment is an excellent example of the important role that small businesses play in building the new Virginia economy, McAuliffe said. Their success reflects the strong relationship growers and producers have with manufacturers and small businesses across Virginia, and I congratulate them on their distillery expansion. We will continue to support entrepreneurial agriculture projects that are not only creating jobs, investment, and additional markets for Virginia products, but also enhancing Virginias reputation as a world-class spirts, wine, cider, and craft beer producer.

Governor McAuliffe approved a $50,000 grant from the AFID Fund to assist with the project, which Smyth County is matching with local funds. The AFID Fund is administered by the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS). Over the next three years, Appalachian Mountain Spirits will invest $1.95 million into the expansion of its distillery operation and create 13 new jobs in the county. Through this expansion, Appalachian Mountain Spirits will purchase more than 3 million pounds of Virginia-grown corn, barley, and rye.
37 Australian varsities to participate in education fair

IANS, New Delhi | Published : 25th August, 2016

In order to give Indian students a better opportunity to pursue higher studies at Australian universities, an education fair is being held here by the International Development Program (IDP), a leading placement service.

The fair started on August 21 and will continue till September 8. It has invited 37 Australian universities to provide an opportunity to students to assess their prospects at studying in the southern continent, a statement from the IDP said on Wednesday.

"IDP seeks to provide a platform to aspiring students to come and have a face-to-face interaction with the university representatives and get answers to all their queries related to studying in Australia," said Piyush Kumar, Country Director of IDP India.

"(In all) 37 Australian institutions are participating in the fair. It is a FREE platform for all students to gauge their prospects, apply directly to the institution of their choice and get first-hand information on courses, scholarships etc," Kumar added.

"Australian education has always attracted Indian students for its quality and the availability of post-study work opportunities make it even more attractive. Also 20 out of 39 Australian universities feature in the worlds Top 400 Times Higher Education Rankings," noted Kumar.

Apart from meeting the representatives of these universities, students can also discuss the likelihood of their securing scholarships and fee waivers with them. IDP has advised the students to bring along their educational certificates.

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Ordinary Time - Cicle C

Author: Order of Carmlites | Source: www.ocarm.org

1) Opening prayer

Father of everlasting goodness,

our origin and guide,

be close to us

and hear the prayers of all who praise you.

Forgive our sins and restore us to life.

Keep us safe in your love.

We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit,

one God, for ever and ever. Amen.



2) Gospel Reading  Matthew 25, 1-13

Jesus said to his disciples: Then the Kingdom of Heaven will be like this: Ten wedding attendants took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were sensible: the foolish ones, though they took their lamps, took no oil with them, whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps. The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there was a cry, Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him. Then all those wedding attendants woke up and trimmed their lamps, and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out. But they replied, There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves. They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed. The other attendants arrived later. Lord, Lord, they said, open the door for us. But He replied, In truth I tell you I do not know you. So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.



3) Reflection

 Today is the Feast of Saint Edith Stein who in Carmel took the name of Teresa Benedicta of the Cross. For this reason, the Gospel today narrates the parable of the ten virgins who had to welcome the bridegroom when he arrived to the wedding.

 Matthew 25, 1: The beginning: At that time. The parable begins with these two words: At that time. It is a question of the coming of the Son of Man (cfr. Mt 24, 37). Nobody knows when this day, this time will come, not even the angels in Heaven nor the Son himself, but only the Father (Mt 24, 36). The fortune tellers will not succeed in giving an estimate. The Son of Man will come as a surprise, when people less expect him (Mt 24, 44). It can be today, it can be tomorrow, that is why the last warning of the parable of the ten Virgins is: Keep watch! The ten girls should be prepared for any thing which may happen. When the Nazi Policemen knocked at the door of the Monastery of the Carmelite Sisters of Echt in the Province of Limburgia, in the Netherlands, Edith Stein, Sister Teresa Benedicta of the Cross, was prepared. She took on the Cross and followed the way to martyrdom in the extermination camp out of love for God and for her people. She was one of the prudent virgins of the parable.

 Matthew 25, 1b-4: The ten virgins ready to wait for the bridegroom. The parable begins like this: The Kingdom of Heaven is like this: ten wedding attendants took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. It is a question of the girls who have to accompany the bridegroom to the wedding feast. Because of this, they have to take the lamps with them, to light the way, and also to render the feast more joyful with more light. Five of them were prudent and five were foolish. This difference is seen in the way in which they prepare themselves for the role that they have to carry out. Together with the lighted lamps, the prudent ones had taken some oil in reserve, preparing themselves in this way for anything which could happen. The foolish ones took only the lamps and they did not think to take some oil in reserve with them.

 Matthew 25, 5-7: The unforeseen delay of the arrival of the bridegroom. The bridegroom was late. He had not indicated precisely the hour of his arrival. While waiting the attendants went to sleep. But the lamps continue to burn and use the oil until gradually they turned off. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, there was a cry: Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him! All the attendants woke up, and began to prepare their lamps which were burning out. They had to put in some of the oil they had brought in reserve so that the lamps would not burn out.

 Matthew 25, 8-9: The different reactions before the delay of the bridegroom. It is only now that the foolish attendants become aware that they should have brought some oil in reserve with them. They went to ask the prudent ones: Give us some of your oil, our lamps are going out. The prudent ones could not respond to this request, because at that moment what was important was not for the prudent ones to share their oil with the foolish ones, but that they would be ready to accompany the bridegroom to the place of the feast. For this reason they advised them: You had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves.

 Matthew 25, 10-12: The fate of the prudent attendants and that of the foolish ones. The foolish ones followed the advice of the prudent ones and went to buy some oil. During their brief absence the bridegroom arrived and the prudent ones were able to accompany him and to enter together with him to the wedding feast. But the door was closed behind them. When the others arrived, they knocked at the door and said: Lord, Lord, open the door for us! and they received the response: In truth I tell you, I do not know you.

 Matthew 25, 13: The final recommendation of Jesus for all of us. The story of this parable is very simple and the lesson is evident: So stay awake and watch, because you do not know either the day or the hour. The moral of the story: do not be superficial, look beyond the present moment, and try to discover the call of God even in the smallest things of life, even the oil which may be lacking in the small light or lamp.



4) Personal questions

 Has it happened to you sometimes in your life to think about having oil in reserve for your lamp?

 Do you know the life of Saint Edith Stein, Teresa Benedicta of the Cross?



5) Concluding Prayer

I will bless Yahweh at all times,

his praise continually on my lips.

I will praise Yahweh from my heart;

let the humble hear and rejoice. (Ps 34,1-2)
There is an anonymous saying shared by the global "tramping" community: "Go far, stay long, see deep." Having spent three months during the summer of 2016 tramping from one continent to the next, I can certainly empathize. It began in Siberia, visiting the family of my Russian-born wife, and continued from Spain to Turkey, and places in between, culminating with several weeks spent in Ukraine. Specifically, I was asked to serve as a visiting lecturer in the International Summer School of Semitic Philology, at the National University of Ostroh Academy (well west of Kiev).

My lectures involved the application of historical and critical methods to the study of my area of specialty-the Dead Sea Scrolls. The program is in its infancy, but the students (non-Jewish by-and-large) are of the highest caliber. Moreover, there was a great deal of satisfaction among both participants and faculty, which included visiting Israeli professors as well.

My time in both Ostroh and the nation's capital, Kiev, provided an excellent opportunity to examine first-hand the overall state, indeed the "prognosis" of the Jewish community of Ukraine. As a starting point, I hired a personal guide and took a detailed tour of "Jewish Kiev," to get a physical sense of the community that was, and that which remains. At the very heart of modern Kiev is Poshtova Square, where celebrations are held and national events commemorated. An imposing equestrian statue adorns the center of this central meeting place. The man on horseback is Bogdan Chmielnicki, considered a George Washington-style national liberator of Ukraine, from foreign domination by the Poles in the 17th century. What is not generally known is that in the year 1647 this ferocious equestrian Cossack instigated a peasant revolt, destroying Jewish communities east of the Dnieper River. As the refugees fled across the river to the west, a massacre ensued at Nemirov, along with many other atrocities. Most of the Jews of Kiev were also murdered during the ensuing wave of bloodshed, which took some 100,000 Jewish lives.

Anti-Semitic incitement erupted afresh in 1881, and again in 1905, when a series of pogroms spread across Ukraine and southern Russia. This was particularly relevant to my walking tour of the city, as I passed a statue of the illustrious literary giant, Sholem Aleichem. Having become a successful writer, especially known for his stories of Tevye the Dairyman (later adapted into the Broadway musical "Fiddler on the Roof"), he took up residence in Kiev. It was the pogroms that convinced him to leave Ukraine, just as the fictional Tevye the Dairyman did, making his way to New York and subsequently Geneva, Switzerland.

In the early 20th century ominous currents in the general culture persisted. The infamous Beilis trial of 1913 involved a Jewish brick factory superintendent in Kiev, who was accused of the ritual murder of a child. The Jewish community responded, organizing proto-Zionist movements such as Hibbat Zion and Bilu. The evidence of these movements was also well documented in my walking tour, as I passed a wall plaque in honor of the woman born in this city, who became an ardent Zionist and who later became Israel's fourth prime minister, Golda Meir.

I was of course obliged to visit Babi Yar, where, on Sept. 29 - 30, 1941 the notorious Einsatzagruppen, the mobile "killing squads" of the SS, rounded up 33,771 Jews and slaughtered them. I also witnessed physical artifacts dating from the Nazi occupation at the Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II, situated on an imposing hill overlooking the Dnieper River. Included within a single darkened hall were actual uniforms worm by inmates from the concentration/death camps, and an intact guillotine, used by the Nazis to eliminate "undesirables." Indeed, if one looks carefully, there are telltale signs all over the city, not only of Jewish presence over the centuries, but of what they have suffered, during what has been called "the longest hatred."

Nevertheless, the institute in Ostroh is one of many positive signs in today's Ukraine, shaken as it is in the aftermath of Russia's invasion of Crimea. Notwithstanding the troublesome presence of ultra right wing elements such as the "Svoboda" party, with its open Nazi sympathies, anti-Semitism and anti-Jewish incidents are lower in today's Ukraine than in the past, and lower than in many European nations. In the most recent elections, Svoboda was unable to garner even the 5 percent vote required for a seat in the parliament. The fact remains, however, that lessened persecution and greater tolerance does not necessarily translate to a greater sense of Jewish identity. In fact the reverse may be true, as the desire for socio-economic betterment takes the place of Jewish solidarity in the face of anti-Semitic agitation.

What is the overall picture painted from several weeks' residence in this country? Certainly, there are many positive impressions to be gained from the growth of new Jewish community centers and Hebrew day schools, but it must also be recognized, that while comprising a solid physical infrastructure for the community, these alone are unlikely to rejuvenate a community that is increasingly capable of migrating to proverbially "greener pastures." A Jewish population that used to number in the hundreds of thousands has today shrunk to just over 70,000.

Given these sobering statistics, some may ask whether the Ukrainian Jewish community has a future at all. I was almost prepared to admit it may not-until I encountered the remarkable summer institute in Ostroh. Witnessing the intense level of interest among these young university students made such an impression on me that I must now conclude otherwise. Indeed, if the vision it represents-establishing a Hebrew Studies program in a location where centuries of Jewish civilization and culture have been nearly annihilated-can come to fruition, then one more step may also be taken toward ensuring that Ukraine is again a land that significant numbers of Jews may want to call their home.

Jewish texts needed for The Ostroh Academy

Ken Hanson An inmate's uniform hanging on barbed wire displayed in an exhibit at the Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II.

Dr. Kenneth Hanson is reaching out to form a fledgling partnership between the UCF Judaic Studies Program and the Ostroh Academy.

When I asked the Ukrainian program director what we can do to help, his reply was simple enough: Send books! Hanson stated.

Since his return to Florida he has already begun a modest Jewish book drive, focusing on classic Jewish texts (Mishnah, Talmud, etc.) and scholarly works of any kind pertaining to Judaism and the Hebrew language.

We very much welcome anyone who has such materials to donate, said Hanson. Lets extend a hand to our academic partners in a land where Jewish culture is struggling to be reborn. Lets make a difference!

Donated materials may be sent to the Judaic Studies Program, University of Central Florida, Attn: Dr. Kenneth Hanson, PO Box 161992, Orlando, FL 32816-1992
Andrew Tobin Rabbi Chaim Richman of the Temple Institute standing in front a replica of the ark of the covenant in his group's exhibition in the Old City of Jerusalem, Aug. 11, 2016.

JERUSALEM (JTA)-"It's time to build," reads the tagline of the Temple Institute's latest YouTube video.

The phrase encapsulates the group's controversial mission to rally Jews to reconstruct the Temple that was the heart of their religion until its destruction 2,000 years ago.

Over much of those two millennia, mourning the loss of the Temple and longing for its restoration has been central to Jewish thought and practice. As noted by the professionally produced video-a montage of Jewish wedding footage-the glass stomping that concludes a Jewish wedding is one such practice.

After a groom, played by an actor, does the deed, the glass miraculously reassembles to swelling music and text asks: "How many more glasses need to be broken?" Then the tagline appears.

The video-released this week ahead of the Jewish fast day of Tisha b'Av, which commemorates the Second Temple's destruction in 70 C.E. by the Romans-is part of the Temple Institute's strategy of using the new tools of the internet to bring its ancient message to the masses.

"Our goal is to raise the consciousness of the Jewish people and all humanity toward the central role that the Holy Temple plays in the life of mankind," Rabbi Chaim Richman, the Massachusetts-born co-founder and the international director of the Temple Institute, told JTA. "We're very much focused on getting the message out on all the channels of social media and all the things people are into today. Most of my work is internet related."

Established in 1987, 20 years after Israel conquered the Temple Mount and the Palestinian territories in the Six-Day War, the Temple Institute was one of the first groups to openly advocate the rebuilding of the two temples that once stood on the plaza. Another co-founder is Rabbi Yisrael Ariel, who was among the paratroopers who took the Temple Mount from Jordanian forces in 1967.

The problem for supporters is that the Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem is sacred not only to Jews but to Muslims and Christians, too. The site includes the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa mosque, two of the most significant shrines in Islam. Israel chose to leave it under Muslim control in 1967, and Jewish prayer is prohibited there.

Ever since, even rumors of changes to the "status quo"-let alone provocative calls to build a third Temple in their place-have drawn international Muslim ire and Palestinian violence. Tensions surrounding the Temple Mount played a major role in the first and second Palestinian intifadas, or uprisings, and helped trigger the most recent wave of attacks that started in October.

Some Israelis have always opposed the government's decision not to reclaim the mount. In the 1980s, the Jewish Underground, a Jewish settler terrorist group, plotted to bomb the Dome of the Rock, in part to catalyze the construction of the third Temple in its place. The Shin Bet security agency thwarted the plot.

Richman, who often quotes the great Jewish rationalist Maimonides, said the Temple Institute opposes violence, and works "within the confines of the human condition, halachah and the political reality." Halachah is the Hebrew word for Jewish law.

The Temple Institute focuses on preparing the objects and skills needed for the sacrifice of animals and the esoteric rituals that were carried out by kohanim, or priests, in front of crowds of Jewish pilgrims before the last temple's destruction. All of its work is led by a rabbinical council and based on meticulous analysis of Jewish scripture and academic research.

The group also works to build support for its mission and itself, which is where the internet comes in. After his cable television show that aired in Texas was canceled in 2006, Richman found an audience for his Temple-centric scriptural exegesis online.

These days, his weekly TV and radio shows are among the 914 videos that appear on the Temple Institute's YouTube channel, which has more than 17,000 subscribers and 4.6 million views. The group's Facebook page has more than 186,000 followers, and its Twitter account has more than 6,000 followers. The Temple Institute email newsletter, which you can sign up for on its website, lands in 24,000 inboxes every week.

Tel Aviv-based videographer Yosef Adest produces the higher-budget videos.

Most content is in English to maximize reach, including to the many evangelical Christians who support the group, many through tax-exempt charities in the United States. For many evangelicals, the construction of a third Temple fulfills a prophecy about the second coming of Jesus.

For the past three years, the Temple Institute has launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign ahead of Tisha b'Av, making headlines in the Jewish press. This year's campaign is for a school to train the priests to staff the third Temple. Combined, the campaigns-which run the two months until Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year-have raised less than $150,000. That is a fraction of what the group's assistant director, Yitzchak Reuven, said is an average annual operating budget of around $1.1 million. But fundraising isn't the primary purpose of the campaigns.

"We really work on a shoestring budget, so crowdfunding is important for us," Yitzchak Reuven, the Temple Institute's multimedia director, told JTA. "But the main goal is to be part of the dialogue and get people involved. We're not rehashing something that is 2,000 years old. We're articulating it in a way that people can see that it's contemporary, and just being on social media is part of the message."

Also around Tisha b'Av, The Temple Institute has for the past four years released videos seeking to reframe the day as a time to take action, not mourn the past.

"How is anything going to change if we don't do anything about it? Our thing is to mourn and cry," said Richman. "God gave us the Temple Mount on a silver platter. It would be more honest to say, You know what? I'm not interested.

The Temple Institute's aggressive outreach has helped make it something of an institution in Israel. An exhibition of the group's preparations for the Temple moved in 2013 from a small side street in the Old City to a larger space just outside the Western Wall plaza. Hundreds of thousands of tourists visit each year. The guided audio tour, available in nine languages, culminates with the parting of ornate curtains to reveal a life-size replica of the ark of the covenant.

Nearby, overlooking the Western Wall and the Temple Mount, is a man-sized gold-plated menorah the group built for use in the Temple. It was moved to that prominent location in 2007 in a ceremony attended by then-Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger.

The Israeli government provides some funding to the Temple Institute-though not reliably or significantly, according to its directors-as it does educational and research institutions, and allows women to do their national service as tour guides at its exhibition. One woman is working there now, and three are slated to start next year.

The Temple Institute's growth has coincided with increased mainstream support for Jewish access to the Temple Mount. A large minority of Israelis now oppose the restriction on Jewish prayer on the Temple Mount, according to polls. And leading religious figures, Knesset members and ministers have called for rebuilding the Temple, including Agriculture Minster Uri Ariel of the right-wing nationalist Jewish Home party, who was filmed last year praying on the Temple Mount.

According to Yair Sheleg, a researcher on religion and state at the Israeli Democracy Institute think tank, the Temple Institute has benefited more than it has contributed to the growth of the Temple Mount movement.

"It's surely one of the most important organizations, but the climate doesn't come because of actions of organizations, the climate comes because of much more general social reasons," he told JTA. "The social climate came because many religious Zionists think during the last decade that secular Zionism has failed, and that only religious motivation can maintain the national spirit against Muslim religious motivations."

Even for many religious Jews, actively seeking the rebuilding of a third Temple is not just politically provocative but spiritually suspect.

"The rabbinic model developed after the destruction of the Second Temple is the one that has set the tone for Jews, regardless of denomination, for 2,000 years," Marcie Lenk, a research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute in Jerusalem, wrote in 2014. "The rabbis were responsible for creating the system of Judaism that would survive and thrive without a Temple, though they insisted that the Temple and its destruction should be remembered and commemorated."

Yuval Cherlow, a prominent moderate religious Zionist rabbi, said that while preparing to rebuild the Temple is a good thing, the first step is "re-creating society and yourself."

"The prophets constantly emphasized that the pillars of the Temple are a society that is full of justice, charity and humanity, and without pride," he told JTA. "I really believe that if the temple will be rebuilt in this situation, without those pillars, it will be destroyed again."
(JTA)-In his new film, "Imperium," Daniel Radcliffe plays FBI agent Nate Foster, who goes undercover to take down skinheads planning to set off a dirty bomb.

The film, which opens Friday, is taut and exciting. It is also a movie the former "Harry Potter" star doesn't want his 93-year-old Jewish grandmother to see. (More on that later.)

"Imperium" is loosely based on the experiences of FBI agent Mike German, who spent 16 years with the bureau, a dozen undercover. German co-wrote the screenplay with director Daniel Ragussis.

Both Daniels are on the phone to promote the enterprise, one definitely more tired than the other.

Radcliffe's critically acclaimed, sold out off-Broadway play "Privacy" had closed the night before, followed by an apparently lengthy closing night party. But despite the joking promise that his exhaustion might lead him to reveal something juicy-"You never know what I might say"-Radcliffe stays on message, painting a self-portrait of an intelligent young actor who has survived fame without a semblance of pretense or affectation.

On the face of it, Radcliffe does not seem the obvious choice for the role. For one thing he's a Brit, though you couldn't tell by the mid-American accent he adopts for the film. And for another, he doesn't fit the burly Jason Bourne tough guy image we've come to expect from our movie heroes. But that's exactly what led Ragussis to cast Radcliffe.

"When I first met Michael German, he was so different from the prototype FBI agents," Ragussis said. "He was very intelligent, a soft-spoken guy who studied philosophy in college. I spoke to him and said you're not what I expected.

"He told me being an FBI undercover agent isn't about physical powers but social skills, dealing with people, and once I realized that it enabled me to conceptualize the story and turned me on to an actor like Daniel."

In fact, Radcliffe's relatively small stature-he is listed as being 5-foot-5-only ratchets up the tension as Nate Foster is forced to use intelligence to ingratiate himself within various extremist groups and maintain his cover.

Radcliffe's nuanced performance as an agent with no field experience who has jumped into potentially volatile waters without a life vest almost certainly will win critical raves. His character must do battle not only with the Nazis and Klansmen, but his own superiors, who at a critical juncture want to pull him out, believing he is on the wrong track.

Radcliffe said he "was lucky to have Dan here with me."

"He did an unbelievable amount of research, so I had him to go to as a source," said the actor, who added that he prepared for the film "like any other role." Radcliffe also consulted German, read books and went "online to look at terrifying message boards."

He also shaved his head on screen, wore Nazi regalia and of course offered the Nazi salute. That brings us back to grandma.

Radcliffe said his maternal grandmother-he never knew his granddad-"was an evacuee during the war," taken to the country to stay with people away from Nazi bombers. He recalls her telling him stories "about how our family came to the UK and where we came from."

"We originated in Russia and left because of the pogroms. I don't know if the story is true, but supposedly my great-great-grandfather was on a ship from Russia bound for America. It stopped off in London, and he thought, 'oh, that was quick' and got off. He went to work in a textile factory and married the owner's daughter."

Radcliffe was raised in a very secular environment-"I'm going to be a real disappointment to you," he told a reporter for a Jewish news service-but with a keen awareness of his Jewish background and "what it means to my mom and her mom."

It is the reason he believes "Imperium" will not be appropriate for grandma.

"It may be a little too close to the bone," Radcliffe said. In fact, he thought about her during the filming, "about how odd it is. The strangeness of it struck me a few times."

Radcliffe finds it impossible to define how his Jewish heritage impacts his work.

"I don't think I can separate the various parts of my life," he said. "But the view that was always imparted to me by my mom and [Irish] dad is that the Jewish people and the Irish people were hard workers, that the Jews always punched above their weight class intellectually in terms of their numbers of people. I know that influenced me I suppose on some level, gave me a sense of responsibility to continue that. It's something I thought about. I wouldn't say it's a driving force, but it is an influence."

Considering the film's topic, our conversation inevitably turned to America's gun culture.

"The gun thing is alien to me," Radcliffe said. "But I don't think I was in Virginia"-the film was shot in Hopewell, a small city south of Richmond-"for more than a day before three separate people said, 'hey, you've got to come shoot with us.' I'm up for anything and I had a lovely day, but that's never something I'm going to get used to.

"But the thing that most surprised me is that there is a huge wave of people who are not the slightest bit racist, who are highly intelligent and who love guns. The image that is sometimes portrayed the world over is that the Second Amendment people are sort of crazy, and I haven't found that to be the case."

Another American subject-how we seem to allow young actors a moment of fame and then chew them up-also brought out Radcliffe's positive side. He said he had people around him "who were never going to allow me to become arrogant or obnoxious. But I have to say it's very human to focus on the negative."

Radcliffe then mentions Jodie Foster, Elijah Wood and Toby Maguire as positive role models for American actors.

Like them, Radcliffe has literally grown up in front of us, although to a degree none of them could match: He starred in eight "Harry Potter" films in 11 years, starting at age 11 and finishing at 21. While one of the rules for this interview was no questions about the new "Harry Potter" play and book-Radcliffe had nothing to do with either-the old films were not out of bounds, And, no, there are no regrets.

"There has never been a moment where I wish it hadn't happened, any mistakes I've learned from," he said. "Nobody's life is all rainbows and sunshine. There were moments, but mostly related to being a teenager."

Still, Harry Potter will always be with him. Even today, five years after the last film was released, a writer who shall remain nameless will talk about his granddaughter Samantha, who is a big fan and celebrating a birthday and can Daniel send a photo? Of course, he can-a promise stars make all the time but seldom deliver.

Unless they're Daniel Radcliffe.
An Israeli heavyweight judoka named Or Sasson defeated an Egyptian opponent named Islam El Shehaby Friday in a first-round match at the Rio Olympics. The Egyptian refused to shake his opponents extended hand, earning boos from the crowd. Mr. Sasson went on to win a bronze medal.

If you want the short answer for why the Arab world is sliding into the abyss, look no further than this little incident. It did itself in chiefly through its long-abiding and all-consuming hatred of Israel, and of Jews.

Thats not a point you will find in a long article about the Arab crackup by Scott Anderson in last weekends New York Times Magazine, where hatred of Israel is treated like sand in Arabiaa given of the landscape. Nor is it much mentioned in the wide literature about the legacy of colonialism in the Middle East, or the oil curse, governance gap, democracy deficit, youth bulge, sectarian divide, legitimacy crisis and every other explanation for Arab decline.

Yet the fact remains that over the past 70 years the Arab world got rid of its Jews, some 900,000 people, while holding on to its hatred of them. Over time the result proved fatal: a combination of lost human capital, ruinously expensive wars, misdirected ideological obsessions, and an intellectual life perverted by conspiracy theory and the perpetual search for scapegoats. The Arab worlds problems are a problem of the Arab mind, and the name for that problem is anti-Semitism.

As a historical phenomenon, this is not unique. In a 2005 essay in Commentary, historian Paul Johnson noted that wherever anti-Semitism took hold, social and political decline almost inevitably followed.

Spain expelled its Jews with the Alhambra Decree of 1492. The effect, Johnson noted, was to deprive Spain (and its colonies) of a class already notable for the astute handling of finance. In czarist Russia, anti-Semitic laws led to mass Jewish emigration as well as an immense increase in administrative corruption produced by the system of restrictions. Germany might well have won the race for an atomic bomb if Hitler hadnt sent Albert Einstein, Leo Szilard, Enrico Fermi and Edward Teller into exile in the U.S.

These patterns were replicated in the Arab world. Contrary to myth, the cause was not the creation of the state of Israel. There were bloody anti-Jewish pogroms in Palestine in 1929, Iraq in 1941, and Lebanon in 1945. Nor is it accurate to blame Jerusalem for fueling anti-Semitism by refusing to trade land for peace. Among Egyptians, hatred of Israel barely abated after Menachem Begin relinquished the Sinai to Anwar Sadat. Among Palestinians, anti-Semitism became markedly worse during the years of the Oslo peace process.

In his essay, Johnson called anti-Semitism a highly infectious disease capable of becoming endemic in certain localities and societies, and by no means confined to weak, feeble or commonplace intellects. Anti-Semitism may be irrational, but its potency, he noted, lies in transforming a personal and instinctive irrationalism into a political and systematic one. For the Jew-hater, every crime has the same culprit and every problem has the same solution.

Anti-Semitism makes the world seem easy. In doing so, it condemns the anti-Semite to a permanent darkness.

Today there is no great university in the Arab world, no serious indigenous scientific base, a stunted literary culture. In 2015 the U.S. Patent Office reported 3,804 patents from Israel, as compared with 364 from Saudi Arabia, 56 from the United Arab Emirates, and 30 from Egypt. The mistreatment and expulsion of Jews has served as a template for the persecution and displacement of other religious minorities: Christians, Yazidis, the Baha i.

Hatred of Israel and Jews has also deprived the Arab world of both the resources and the example of its neighbor. Israel quietly supplies water to Jordan, helping to ease the burden of Syrian refugees, and quietly provides surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to Egypt to fight ISIS in the Sinai. But this is largely unknown among Arabs, for whom the only permissible image of Israel is an Israeli soldier in riot gear, abusing a Palestinian.

Successful nations make a point of trying to learn from their neighbors. The Arab world has been taught over generations only to hate theirs.

This may be starting to change. In the past five years the Arab world has been forced to face up to its own failings in ways it cannot easily blame on Israel. The change can be seen in the budding rapprochement between Jerusalem and Cairo, Riyadh and Abu Dhabi, which might yet yield tactical and strategic advantages on both sides, particularly against common enemies such as ISIS and Iran.

Thats not enough. So long as an Arab athlete cant pay his Israeli opponent the courtesy of a handshake, the disease of the Arab mind and the misfortunes of its world will continue. For Israel, this is a pity. For the Arabs, its a calamity. The hater always suffers more than the object of his hatred.
Prof. Noam Weisbrod, director of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR) in the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

Israeli water experts believe by 2050, almost half of the world's population will live in countries with a chronic water shortage.

What's causing the shortfall is population growth, which leads to a greater demand for food, increased pollution and climate instability, according to Prof. Noam Weisbrod, director of the Zuckerberg Institute for Water Research (ZIWR) in the Jacob Blaustein Institute for Desert Research at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

In Israel's Negev Desert, which has long been plagued with water challenges, a team of 80 scientists and 250 graduate students are working on ways to tackle the problem using cutting-edge science in partnership with academics around the world. ZIWR has become the go-to consultant on water emergencies in Colorado and California, and provides long-term assistance around the world including places like Mongolia and Central Asia.

Weisbrod explained that "not everything can be about novel research," it's also about educating a new generation of water experts and scientists, teaching them about the "moral obligation" to leverage a progressive education to help those less fortunate than themselves.

Currently one billion people are living in developing countries facing problems that cannot be solved in the lab. "There is a very bad correlation between water [challenges] and hunger, disease and poverty," Weisbrod said.

Seven years ago, he established a yearlong course called "Rural Water Development" to further educate students working on graduate degrees about such world problems. In the past few years, Weisbrod has brought student groups to villages in rural areas of Ethiopia, Zambia and Uganda. In each locale, the students work with locals and a cadre of NGOs to identify their water sources and test the water quality. They also teach children about hygiene issues and educate people about the aquifer's proper hygienic use. Projects range from drilling wells with local materials to building storage tanks that collect rainwater and installing bio-sand filters to reduce contamination.

"The students research the water challenges of wherever they will be traveling and determine the low-tech solutions they will implement when they get there," Weisbrod said. Then, they spend 10 days "getting their hands dirty" experiencing the "Rural Water Development" course, the only such course of its kind in Israel.

In Ethiopia, the students drilled boreholes to provide drinking water and installed low-tech water pumps. In Zambia, the students analyzed the water quality and installed filters to improve it, including in HIV clinics and at schools. In Uganda, they built a rain catchment system near school bathrooms, allowing children to wash their hands after going to the toilet.

Roi Ram, a second year master's student in the hydrology department, traveled to Uganda in 2015. He said the trip opened his eyes to the "gaps between the situation in those countries and the Western world," which he called unbelievable.

While Feedback from students and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) about his course has been positive, Weisbrod said he understands that no matter how good the class project is "in two weeks, we won't change Africa." The exposure the students receive does have a long-term impact on them as they move into careers in areas including academia, consulting, and government. One student, for example, has established a startup that provided cellular phones for improved communication in Zimbabwe.

Of late, ZIWR has been working on fusing its cutting-edge science with low-tech technologies.

"We are now, just recently checking an option for a project in South Africa where will take water from old mines to develop hydroponics and fish farms," Weisbrod shared. ZIWR is also researching solar panels that can be installed in rural areas for a reasonable price. Other projects have involved decreasing clogging as a result of waste and treating wastewater.

Professor Emeritus Pedro Berliner is another member of the Blaustein team. He has spent the last 25 years working on projects of various capacities for third world countries. He estimates that the university spends as much as a few million dollars per year on these projects, and leverages at least 50 percent of its team of scientists and students.

"The point here is that desertification-the process by which fertile land becomes desert, typically as a result of drought, deforestation or inappropriate agricultural techniques- is a real problem in third world countries," Berliner explained.

His team tackles desertification on two fronts. First, it develops technologies for countries in which there is enough capital to implement sophisticated technologies. Second, it develops technologies for countries lacking in resources, which probably accounts for more than 50 percent of its work.

In African dry land areas, it's not a water shortage problem but an inability to capture water for food and other uses. Taking a technology developed for use in the Negev, Berliner's team established specially prepared plots of land (known as runoff agroforestry), growing trees and crops between them. This technique helps trap flood water, thus allowing for the production of more food. The twigs and stems of the trees can also be used for firewood.

Covering the area between the rows with plastic mulch and using a trickle irrigation system decreases water loss by up to 40 percent.

"The techniques allows us to produce higher yields using the same amount of water or produce the same amount using less water," Berliner said.

Berliner believes the projects are not only Israel's "moral obligation to help others who are not in as privileged position as we are and are in dire need of these techniques to survive," but there are also political considerations. Desertification is one of the leading causes of African migration, including to Israel.

"By helping people in these areas," he said, "we are helping avoid massive migration."
Based in E. Windsor, N.J., the Endowment Fund for School Choice announced it is open for business. Aaron Sears, president of the Endowment Fund, explained that The Endowment Funds goal is to provide every Jewish Day School student with a $10,000/yr voucher. The Endowment Fund is requesting the publics support to make this goal a reality. The vouchers would apply to day school students across the United States.

The Endowment Fund for School Choice is a registered 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. In New York City, Jews have recently overtaken Catholics as the No.1 student body in private school (source: New York State Education Department). On the one hand, its a miracle. On the other hand, the Jewish day schools suffer from a lack of resources. Up until now, there hasnt been a national charity to support Jewish day schools. There is now. Its called The Endowment Fund for School Choice.

Jewish Day School means a school that educates students of the Jewish faith, in K to 12th grade, in a program which includes Jewish-specific areas of study and which has a student body which is overwhelmingly Jewish.

Warren Hyman, VP, explained, The school can offer both in-class and distance learning. Students may be in mainstream and/or special-ed programs. The Jewish Day Schools may be aligned with the traditional (aka Orthodox), conservative, reform movements and/or unaffiliated schools. The stream of Judaism followed by the school is irrelevant.

In 2016, the Endowment Fund was formed by a group of concerned parents who know firsthand the challenges of private schooling affordability.

Sam Braun, VP, proudly explained the Endowment Fund is a 100 percent volunteer-run organization with no paid staff. An extremely low overhead rate means nearly 100 percent of the monies raised can be used for school vouchers.

Devorah Blumberg, VP, explained The Endowment Fund wont be operating schools or devising curriculums. Instead, the Endowment Fund will be operated like a scholarship fund with minimal staff. The vast majority of funds raised and dividends received will either grow the endowment or be used for vouchers.

Anyone interested in assisting should visit the Endowment Funds website at http://www.endowmentfundforschoolchoice.com.
Two years after the fighting between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip, about 70,000 Palestinians have not returned to their homes that were damaged in the fighting. Just 200 homes have been completely rebuilt and the families have returned.

We ask the international community to increase their donations and the countries who pledged billions to respect their pledge, Adnan Abu Husna, spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, UNRWA, told The Media Line. The people of Gaza should not get to the point that they feel they are forgotten.

Abu Hasna said that nearly 140,000 homes were damaged either totally or partially, mostly from Israeli airstrikes. Of those, 9500 were completely demolished, and 5000 were so damaged that people cannot live there. At an international donors conference soon after the fighting ended, UN officials asked for $724 million, but only received $257 million.

Abu Hasna says the UN has helped nearly 70,000 families with some type of financial assistance. While thousands of families were originally housed in UN schools, all of those whose homes were destroyed have either rented new homes, paid for by the UN, or are living with relatives.

The pace of reconstruction has been glacial, partly because Israel accuses the Islamist Hamas, which controls Gaza, of diverting cement and other materials to build weapons and tunnels. Those allegations were strengthened last week, when the Israeli Shin Bet announced charges in two separate cases, against local employees in Gaza allegedly working for Hamas.

In the first case, Israel accused Mohammed al-Halabi, the head of World Vision in Gaza, of diverting more than seven million dollars each year since 2010 to Hamas in Gaza. We condemn any diversion of funds from any humanitarian organization, World Vision International President Kevin Jenkins said in a statement. If any of these allegations are proven to be true, we will take swift and decisive action, although added that the organization had not seen any of the evidence, and suggested the numbers had been exaggerated.

World Visions cumulative operating budget in Gaza for the past ten years, was approximately $22.5 million, which makes the alleged amount of up to $50 million being diverted hard to reconcile, the statement read. The organization suspended its operations in Gaza.

In the second case involving the UN Development Program, Israel charged Wahid Borsch, funneled resources to Hamas to build a naval port for Hamas commandos. UNDP denied any wrongdoing, saying that the rubble in question was transported to its destination according to written instructions from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing of the Palestinian Authority as to where it should be placed.

UNDP officials also questioned the details of the case, saying they had not yet seen the evidence against Borsch.

We are waiting for the proof on all of these things, Dania Darwish, a spokeswoman for UNDP told The Media Line. Wahid is a contractor at UNDP. He does not have any management responsibilities. UNDP has strict processes and guidelines that must be followed.

In any case, even if all of the damaged homes are rebuilt, the economy in Gaza faces growing challenges. A World Bank report found that Gazas unemployment is the highest in the world, and many of Gazas residents are completely dependent on UN food aid.

Although Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, it continues to control what goes into and out of Gaza. Palestinians call it a blockade, while Israel says it has worked to prevent a humanitarian crisis.

Everyone talks about what is going in to Gaza, but we also have to think about what is going out, UNRWA spokesman Chris Gunness told The Media Line. Unless Gaza can export there wont be a viable economy there. There have been no meaningful exports from Gaza since 2007.

A spokesman for Israels Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) said they were unable to provide details of Palestinians exports allowed to leave Gaza.
(Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org)Internet giant Google on Thursday clarified that, contrary to recent reports by a Palestinian group, it had not removed the Palestine label from its maps application.

A statement by the Forum of Palestinian Journalists, posted on its website on Aug. 3, condemned the crime carried out by Google in deleting the name of Palestine. We call on Google to rescind its decision and apologize to the Palestinian people.

The statement, posted on the groups website, stated, The move is designed to falsify history, geography as well as the Palestinian peoples right to their homeland, and [is] a failed attempt to tamper with the memory of Palestinians and Arabs as well as the world.

As Google Maps is one of the worlds largest sources of geographic data, more than 200,000 people heeded the organizations call and signed a petition demanding Google reintroduce the label. The protest sprouted a popular Twitter hashtag as well: #palestineishere.

However, Google maintains it never had a Palestine label on its maps to begin with and the allegations are baseless.
By Katie Beiter

The Media Line

A three-pronged approach to fighting skin cancer in Israel appears to be showing success. Over the past five years, an aggressive campaign predicated upon awareness, identification and research has apparently been responsible for significantly lower skin cancer rates in the Jewish state.

Under the direction of the Israel Cancer Association, newly created skin care apps such as DermaCompare and the development of immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda, the campaign appears to have made noticeable headway in fighting the disease.

We were third in the world in the incidents and mortality after Australia and New Zealand and it was, of course, because we have a lot of people who come from Europe with light skin, Miri Ziv, the Director General of the Israel Cancer Association told The Media Line. In the last five years, Israel dropped to the 20th country with the highest incidents (of skin cancer) and in terms of mortality, we dropped to number 13 for men and number 20 for women.

According to Ziv, the ICA has worked tirelessly for the past half-decade trying to promote a more sun-smart attitude. We disseminated our sun-smart stuff in TV programs and in the media. Every summer we launch the early detection project and we encourage people to avoid sun bathing from 10-4.

Ziv cited the achievement that while melanoma is still rising significantly for most of the world, it has stabilized in Israel.

Of the three prevalent types of skin cancer, the most common is basal cell carcinoma, followed by squamous cell carcinoma. The least common, but deadliest, is melanoma.

The whole key is early detection, Dr. Michael Goldenhersch, a dermatologist in Jerusalem told The Media Line. If you catch (melanoma) early, then it is 100% curable. The whole key to prognosis is the depth of the melanoma itselfthe deeper it is, the worse it is.

Take, track, treat is the slogan for Emerald Medical Applications newest app, DermaCompare, released just six months ago. The app, which is FDA approved, uses air force image processing and big data analytics to track suspicious moles by asking users to take photos of themselves while clad only their underwear and upload to the images to the app.

Our enemy is the mole, Lior Wayn, founder and CEO of DermaCompare told The Media Line. DermaCompare is based on three layers of suspicion. The first is the idea that we can take the measurement of any mole and we can find something suspicious in the first photo. The second is based on the idea that moles have changed and the common practice is to take photos every six or seven months. The third is using machine learning and artificial intelligence to suggest which moles might be suspicious over time.

The app, which is free to download everywhere, has a partnership with physicians in countries like Israel and the United States.

While there are other apps like this available, we are the only app to have two modulesone for the home user and one for the doctorand we are the only app that is doing auto comparison instead of manual comparison, Wayn added.

In some cases, though, precautionary measures and early detection arent enough.

In 2014, the FDA approved a revolutionary antibody drug to treat metastatic melanoma, Keytruda (Pembrolizumab), which was developed jointly by researchers in the U.S. and Israel. Keytruda is an immunological therapy, which means that it helps the immune system destroy the tumor by blocking pathways between immune checkpoints, which cancers use to dodge the bodys immune system. This type of therapy is often more effective than chemotherapy and has revolutionized cancer treatments.

For stage 4 melanoma, a few years ago, it was a death sentence of one-year, Professor Angel Porgador at Ben Gurion University told The Media Line. However, with the combination of immune checkpoint therapy plus targeted chemotherapy, you [now] have nearly a 40% survival rate among patients.

Keytruda has been approved for treating metastatic melanoma and advanced non-small cell lung cancer. On August 6, it was approved to treat recurrent or metastatic head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.

While the rates of skin cancer have dropped dramatically since the early 2000s, the Israel Cancer Association plans to continue raising awareness through their sun-smart campaign in an effort to lower rates even more.

Katie Beiter is a student journalism intern with The Media Line.
MAITLAND-On average, students at the Jewish Academy of Orlando are performing at least two grade levels ahead of their peers nationwide, according to results released from test scores taken in April 2016. The test was administered to second grade and above.

The test scores were taken using the nationally recognized Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS)-commonly known as the "Iowa Assessments." The Iowa Assessment is a nationally standardized achievement test for K-12 students, allowing schools to compare their students' scores to national norms in Reading, Language Arts, Mathematics, Social Studies and Science.

The Iowa Assessments rank the students' scores by grade level equivalents. As a general guide, a score of 7.4 for a 5th grader means the student is testing on an achievement continuum at a level equivalent to a 7th grader in their fourth month, or also reads they are 2 years and 4 months ahead of their current grade level.

"We are always thrilled to see our students' scores, but we are not surprised," says Alan Rusonik, who is beginning his third year of Head of School. "Jewish Academy of Orlando has a history of ranking top in the nation for years," says Rusonik.

The test is used by a large number of private schools and various states to measure grade-level performance. It is often paired with an IQ instrument such as WISC-IV or the CogAT for entrance into gifted and talented programs and National Honor Society.

"We try to challenge every student to the best of their ability. Differentiated learning," Wladis explained, "provides students with instruction, which adjusts learning, projects, homework and classwork to meet the needs of each individual student. Through differentiated learning, teachers increase the speed at which a student covers the material. This could include opportunities for instruction beyond their current grade level to more challenging material."

Teaching to the test is not the practice of the Jewish Academy of Orlando. "We use this test for a variety of reasons. One is to get a glimpse of how our student body is performing against national norms. It is one of many indicators teachers use to gauge how well students have learned benchmarks at each grade level," says Wladis. Rusonik adds, "These tests also allow us to understand where we need to refine and review our curriculum to stay competitive."

To further support Jewish education and your local Jewish day school, to get involved or for any questions, please contact Alan Rusonik, Head of School, at 407-647-0713.
NEW YORK-UN Envoy Laurie Cardoza-Moore has condemned the American Lutheran Church for demanding the U.S. to stop sending aid to Israel until a Palestinian State is established and Jews cease building in the biblical heartland of Judea and Samaria. Cardoza-Moore, who represents the World Council of Independent Christian Churches (WCICC) at the United Nations and is president of Proclaiming Justice to The Nations (PJTN), speaks for over 44 million congregants who know their Bible and perceive the Lutheran Church's actions to be both heretical and based upon its lack of biblical knowledge and anti-Semitic roots.

As a UN Special Envoy, Cardoza-Moore deplored the Lutheran's additional call for America to enable the non-existent Palestinian State to become a member of the United Nations. She went on to reiterate her position that all international aid money to Gaza should immediately cease as long as Hamas is in power, in order to ensure that money isn't funding terrorism, but provides the necessary aid to the impoverished Arabs living in Gaza, Judea and Samaria.

Laurie Cardoza Moore stated, "the Lutheran Church's decision to single out the Jewish State for rebuke is nothing short of anti-Semitic heresy based on its anti-Semitic roots. It would seem that the Lutheran Church has chosen to follow in the path of their founder Martin Luther, who, later in his life, became a vehement anti-Semite and wrote a treatise where he argued that Jewish homes, schools and synagogues be set on fire, their prayer books burned and he also stated, "We are at fault in not slaying them (the Jews)." It appears that Luther's writings were one of the driving forces behind Hitler's justification of slaughtering six million Jews during the Holocaust."

"Clearly the leadership of this church has not read the Bible, which clearly states that God's land covenant with the Jewish people is eternal and irrevocable. There was no Palestinian State in the Bible, only the Kingdom of Israel. Suggesting that Jews cease building homes on their ancient biblical homeland, where 70 percent of biblical history occurred is absurd and anti-Christian. Advocating that the Palestinians become a member of the United Nations without any formal agreement with Israel is tantamount to rewarding terrorism" Cardoza-Moore concluded stating, "this obscene, heretical obsession of siding with the enemies of Israel does not belong in any church. Hardly a week has passed since it became evident that millions raised by Evangelical Christian charities like World Vision to assist the impoverished Arabs in Gaza has been funneled to the Islamist terrorist murderers of Hamas. The Lutheran Church and all God fearing Christians would be better served by boycotting all aid to Gaza as long as Hamas continues to rule over its people with an iron fist, persecute its Christians and invest in terror tunnels and missiles, instead of hospitals, schools and universities."
The summer is winding down and that means its Hadassah time again. Throughout the 2016-2017 season the Orlando Chapter will offer unique programs comprising a variety of subjects relating to women everywhere.

The first meeting of the new season will be held on Tuesday, Sept. 6 at 11:30 a.m. at Congregation Ohev Shalom where Rabbi David Kay will bring his musical stylings to the stage with his one-man show.

Rabbi Kay is an experienced entertainer, having performed in an original rock band, acoustic duo, and as a solo act prior to pursuing the rabbinate. He has appeared regularly in productions at Theater at the J at the Roth JCC, since its revival in October of 2015.

The Orlando Chapter of Hadassah will celebrate women throughout the 2016-2017 season. It will showcase woman who make a difference, whether it be in their homes, neighborhoods, the community or the world. The Orlando Chapter will promote womans health through wellness initiatives as well as offer information about new and innovative treatments for disease. It will feature topics and programs that are of relevance to women.

With this in mind, the upcoming program will feature an afternoon with Iris Pastor, nationally heralded Huffington Post columnist, author, and motivational speaker. Other future programs will highlight a cooking demonstration and lunch with a local chef and restaurateur, and a book discussion with a noted Cuban author. These are but a few of the meaningful and enjoyable events Hadassah has planned for the year this year. Other outstanding events include The Bunny Rosen Heart Health Fashion Show, Annual Awards Luncheon, Donor Luncheon and special presentations honoring Orlando Hadassahs own Women of Valor.

The Orlando Chapter 2016-2018 Calendar Directory will be available at the meeting on Sept. 6. The directories will be distributed to all members attending chapter meetings or functions. The cost of mailing makes it impractical to ship the directories. Should you wish to have your directory mailed, contact our treasurer for shipping and handling fees.

Orlando Hadassah invites the community to attend the luncheon and Rabbi Kays pop music performance on Tuesday, Sept. 6, at Congregation Ohev Shalom. Reservations are required.

Please RSVP to Nancy at nancyg357@yahoo.com or call 407-333-0204.

The couvert is $12.
TEL AVIV-A group of 233 Olim (new immigrants) landed in Tel Aviv on an El Al Boeing 777 chartered by Nefesh B'Nefesh to begin their new lives in Israel, including 75 Lone Soldiers who will become Israeli citizens and volunteer in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). Two of the Lone Soldiers are locals-Roni Weil, daughter of Aaron and Sharon Weil of Maitland, and Ben Brent, son of Rene Brent of Lake Mary and David Brent of Israel. The flight was facilitated in cooperation with Israel's Ministry of Aliyah & Immigrant Absorption, the Jewish Agency for Israel, Keren Kayemeth Le'Israel, JNF-USA and Tzofim-Garin Tzabar.

On this flight, Nefesh B'Nefesh celebrated the Aliyah of its 50,000th newcomer through the organization, which was founded in 2002. Twenty-two year old Rebecca Glanzer from Brooklyn, N.Y., graduated recently from Columbia University with a degree in economics and is hoping to serve in the IDF's Artillery Brigade. "I have been looking forward to making Aliyah and serving as a Lone Soldier in the IDF for so many years, and it is so crazy to me that this dream I had in high school is finally being realized," said Glanzer. "What drew me to Israel was the community and sense of belonging that you cannot find anywhere else in the world. Being the 50,000th person to make Aliyah with Nefesh B'Nefesh only affirms for me that I am part of something bigger, joining the thousands of people who took the opportunity to live a more meaningful and more Jewish life in Israel. I can't believe it's finally happening!"

Of the 75 soon-to-be soldiers, over half are young women. The flight's additional passengers include a diverse mix of people from 22 U.S. states and one Canadian province, including 24 families, 78 children and 10 medical professionals. The ages of the immigrants range from 3.5 weeks to 85 years old.

"This is such an honor for me to join you at this special moment. The moment you have all come home. You are no longer Jews in exile, you are now all Israelis. Each of you, young and old, men and women, have fulfilled the dream of 2000 years, you have made Aliyah," said President of Israel Reuven Rivlin at the ceremony. "I know the decision to make Aliyah is not easy, leaving behind family and friends, looking for work, starting in new schools, learning a new language. There are challenges ahead but we are all here to support you and help you build your new home."

"The State of Israel salutes the young people who chose to leave their comfortable lives in North America in order to make the greatest contribution to the country's national security and its people," said Minister of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption Sofa Landver. "I congratulate them and the other Olim who make Aliyah as a result of the cooperation between the Ministry and our partner in Aliyah, Nefesh B'Nefesh. I'm confident, and I promise, that the Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption will accompany these Olim and take care of them throughout their entire integration process."

"Every single family and individual we bring to Israel who decides to make Aliyah is such a special thing for us as an organization, but when you see so many brave young men and women from North America sacrifice so much and voluntarily leave their families because they feel a yearning desire to serve in the IDF and defend Israel, that's powerful," said Rabbi Yehoshua Fass, founder and executive director of Nefesh B'Nefesh. "Looking back in 2002 when Tony Gelbart and I founded this organization, we couldn't have imagined bringing 50,000 Jews from North America to Israel to fulfill their dreams and the dreams of the Jewish people. And we're not stopping anytime soon."

"We are proud of our partnership with Nefesh B'Nefesh, and every new planeload of North American Olim strengthens and enriches our country. The immigrants arriving from the United States and Canada are coming not out of distress but rather out of excitement to take part in the greatest national project of the Jewish people, said Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Natan Sharansky. We must ensure that the State of Israel remains a place in which every Jew feels at home, a place that ignites Jews' imagination and strengthens their identity and security. I would particularly like to welcome the dozens of young people who are choosing to build their lives in Israel: your success is our success, and your future is our future. Welcome home!"

Orlandoans and soon-to-be Lone Soldiers, Ben Brent and Roni Weil

"The touching stories of the participants are inspiring and encourage us to continue to give them the warm hug that they deserve, these young adults from all over the world come to Israel to serve in the IDF as Lone Soldiers," said Gary Vitkin, CEO of Tzofim Tzabar Olami. "One of the most meaningful accomplishments of "Tzofim- Garin Tzabar" that is in collaboration with The Jewish Agency, Ministry of Aliyah and Immigrant Absorption, the Kibbutz Movement and Nefesh B'Nefesh is the unique dynamic that is formed by the teens is made possible by these organizations and I am happy to see that this success is translated to building a future in Israel".

These Lone Soldiers continue to be an important element of defense for Israel. The Lone Soldiers on this flight will join the over 900 Lone Soldiers from the U.S., and the 3,000 Lone Soldiers from around the world who are currently serving in the IDF. Nefesh B'Nefesh, in cooperation with Friends of the IDF (FIDF), cares for thousands of them through the Lone Soldiers Program, which offers support for all Lone Soldier immigrants during each stage of their service: pre-immigration, pre-recruitment, during active military service, after release from the army, and during adjustment to civilian life.
Jack A. Frisch, PhD, retired professor of anthropology at Wayne State University and SUNY Plattsburgh will help the St. Augustine Jewish Historical Society mark the 451st anniversary of the founding of the first European city in what would become the United States. Professor Frisch will speak at a special event, Thursday, Sept. 8 at 7 p.m. in the Flagler Room of the Old Ponce de Leon Hotel, 74 King Street at Cordova Street on the Flagler College Campus.

The evening will be dedicated to understanding Conversos in the New World, focusing on Jews hiding from the Inquisition among the early Catholics of the Western Hemisphere.

The program is free, all are welcome, no advance arrangements are necessary. Call (904) 829-6481 for best directions.
Despite heat-index temperatures soaring above 100 degrees, 80 hardy New York area residents gathered for the annual Tisha B'Av prayer service at the UN's dramatic Isaiah Peace Wall on Aug. 14.

Behind police barricades draped with a large Israeli flag and dozens of signs expressing prayers for the security of Israel and Jewish communities across the Diaspora, including the threat of the BDS movement, Rabbi Avi Weiss led the Mincha service, as Cantor Irving Ruderman led the prayers and read from a Torah scroll.

Glenn Richter kicked off the afternoon by providing a short history about this event and reminding the crowd of the importance of gatherings such as this. He mentioned that this was the 39th consecutive year that Tisha B'Av services were being held in front of the UN.

Rabbi Weiss stated that one of the changes from last year was that "Jonathan Pollard is out of the Butner federal prison, but still in a state of semi-incarceration here in New York." He led the worshippers in a chant, "We're with you, Jonathan! We're with you, Jonathan!"

Shimon Mercer-Wood, the spokesperson of the New York Israeli Consulate, and the consul for media affairs, spoke about the meaning of Tisha B'Av, stating, "Tisha B'Av is a very bitter time and a time of truth. Perhaps because of that, no place could be better than to mark Tisha B'Av than opposite that building which is the seat of so much falsehood."

Jonathan Grauman, Americans for a Safe Israel's research analyst, detailed to the crowd a myriad of ways they could assist Israel. "Zionism is not a dirty word," he declared. "It is probably the only 'ism' in history that sprang forth from a noble cause and succeeded."

He then suggested to the crowd ways in which those living in America can support Israel from afar, stating, "Learn about Jewish and Israeli history! Be armed with the truth to refute the lies and distortions that Israel haters spew forth. Shop Israel. Sponsor 'Buycott Kiddushes' at your synagogues. Write letters, emails, comments, etc. to challenge the lies in the media. Believe the threats of anti-Semites and Israel haters!"

AFSI's Grauman continued, "We must support the right of Jews to live everywhere in Israel, and that includes all of Yerushalayim and Judea and Samaria, the cradle of Jewish civilization. Jews do not live in illegal settlements. Our Torah is the deed that proves it is Jewish land!"

The Tisha B'Av service was sponsored by Amcha-Coalition for Jewish Concerns, along with Americans for a Safe Israel, and the SSSJ.
If a bomb was thrown at a prominent synagogue in Brooklyn, the media would treat it as front-page news and politicians would rush to condemn the assault.

But watch what happens when Palestinians throw a bomb at a prominent Jewish holy site and synagogue in Israel: editors bury the story, and politicians are focusing their attention elsewhere.

On Aug. 7, a Palestinian terrorist hurled a bomb at the Tomb of Rachel, near Bethlehem. The building contains a synagogue, a study area and, of course, the burial site of one of the Jewish biblical matriarchs.

By some miracle, the bomb failed to explode. But if it had ignited, and worshippers were harmed, how would the world have responded? A one-paragraph news brief in the Washington Post, and perhaps a mumbled condemnation of violence by all sides from a State Department spokesperson. At most!

Many people dont realize but there is actually a full-time U.S. government official whose only job is to monitor and protest against anti-Jewish attacks around the world. The current occupant of the post of Envoy for Combatting Anti-Semitism is Ira Forman, who was Jewish Outreach Director for President Obamas reelection campaign. Before that, Forman spent some fifteen years as executive director of the National Jewish Democratic Council, whose self-described mission is to maximize Jewish support for Democrats at the federal and state levels of government.

Since the Democrats are increasingly perceived in the Jewish community and around the world as pro-Palestinian, and since Forman has such impressive Democrat credentials, it would make a very strong impression if he were to speak out against Palestinian anti-Semitism. In other words, if he were to do his job.

So far, there has been no word from Formans office regarding the Palestinian bomb attack on the Tomb of Rachel.

To judge from Formans job description (on the State Departments web site), he should be the first and loudest voice decrying the attempted bombing. His task is to combat discrimination against or hatred toward Jews, including personal and property attacks; government policies, including judicial/prosecutorial decisions and educational programs on the issue; and press and mass media reports.

Well, I would say that throwing a bomb at a synagogue --whether in Brooklyn or Bethlehemconstitutes a personal and property attack and is evidence of hatred toward Jews. Wouldnt you?

The Tomb of Rachel is a building containing Jews who are praying and studying. They are not settlers. They are not occupying anyone. If you throw a bomb at them, its because you hate Jews.

Doesnt the anti-Semitism envoy get that?

Apparently not. Because looking at his most recent report concerning worldwide anti-Semitism, one gets the sense that his intention is to downplay Palestinian anti-Semitism--and especially, to absolve the Palestinian Authority of any blame.

Amb. Forman drafts the sections on anti-Semitism that appear in the State Departments annual report on human rights around the world. Heres what the 2015 report had to say about the Palestinians:

Rhetoric by some Palestinians and Muslim religious leaders included expressions of anti-Semitism and Holocaust denial. Notice how he attributed the expressions to some nameless Palestinians, not the Palestinian Authority (PA).

Anti-Israel sentiment was widespread and sometimes crossed the line into anti-Semitism in public discourse, including media commentary longing for a world without Israel and glorifying terror attacks on Israelis. No acknowledgement that the media commentary appears in the official PA-controlled media.

Palestinian press and social media widely circulated cartoons encouraging such attacks. No mention of the fact that the cartoons appear in official PA organs, such as the PA daily newspaper and PA websites.

At times the PA failed to condemn incidents of anti-Semitic expression in official PA traditional and social media outlets. The PA is lightly criticized for failing to condemn, not for its active sponsorship of anti-Semitism.

Why does Amb. Forman tread so lightly on the PAs anti-Semitism? The answer seems obvious: if he told the truth, the Obama administration would come under strong pressure to stop giving the PA $500-million every year and to stop trying to give the anti-Semitic PA regime its own independent state.

And so the U.S. Envoy for Combatting Anti-Semitism aims his condemnations elsewhere, letting the most prominent purveyor of contemporary anti-Semitism off the hook. Politics take precedence over truth.

Stephen M. Flatow, an attorney in New Jersey, is the father of Alisa Flatow, who was murdered in an Iranian-sponsored Palestinian terrorist attack in 1995.
Not much of anything. This is a time for watching and waiting. The biggest crap shoot is in the United States. Currently it seems wisest to bet the nickel on Hillary, and a dime or even a quarter that the stay-at-homes will have more votes than any candidate.

If the bet on Hillary wins, we can assume more of the same from the government she will be leading. If Donald wins, all bets are off. Picking his direction defies the odds-makers.

There is a lot going on elsewhere. The Israeli government and its security services should continue investing in intelligence, and snaring the bad guys and girls they identify, but probably not gearing up to anything more active.

The arenas attracting the most attention are busy internally, with the nasties killing one another.

The Islamic State and its wannabees recruits worldwide, and directs the faithful to wreck havoc where they can. In these cases, the reliance on individual actions, linked only vicariously, means that the best defense for individuals is not to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In other words, luck.

European governments are talking about closer monitoring of mosques. The Americans havent gotten their president to express the I(slam) word in connection with the violence, so Americans may have to be more lucky than the rest of us.

Even monitoring mosques may have limited payoff, given the importance of Internet sites in spreading the evil.

Israel may be the most pro-active in dealing with Islamic violence, and coping with the criticism received as a result. Along with the criticism, it also hosts visiting politicians and security professionals, who want to know how Israel does it. Israeli as well as European authorities have confined local Muslims known to be on their way to join Islamic State forces elsewhere, or who have returned home after serving.

Here the idea of a Palestinian State seems to be dead, while it is still among the favorite mantras of diplomats and politicians in the U.S., France, and a few other places.

Realities are murky. The leadership of the Palestinian National Authority has little support in the West Bank, and less in Gaza. It is possible to find those who want to pre-empt, clean out the West Bank and/or Gaza, and end once and for all the Iranian nuclear threat.

1967 was an ideal of preemption, unless you take the view that it led to Israels self-destructive settlements, or the view that it produced the 1973 war with its high casualties,

Its easier to attack than to deal with the unintended consequences.

A small country like Israel has some advantage in maneuverability. Moreover, its been enhanced with conflict among Muslims. Israel deals with the U.S., European powers, Russia, China, India, Jordan, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and who knows who else?

Israels recent headlines have dealt more with the Olympics (two bronze medals for judo), and several cases of tainted food than anything more violent. The companies found at fault, allowing tainted products to enter the markets and not quick in admitting the need to withdraw them, are some of the most prominent, with a local subsidiary of the international giant Unilever among them.

Competing with the Olympics and tainted food is a police investigation into the prime minister. Reports are that it involves his use of funds collected by the American branch of Likud. One can doubt that many Americans are aware that such an organization exists. And those of us who follow allegations about campaign finance violations are hard pressed to express more than a yawn. Were yet to hear that police inquiries into Netanyahu approach the level of taking bribes in exchange for allowing anything in the league of large scale and ugly property developments, of the kind that ended the career of Ehud Olmert.

The mini-Intifada that began in September, and was marked by individual knife attacks, using cars as weapons against people at bus stops, and some drive-by shootings has pretty much disappeared. But there are always signs of fervent Palestinians. Last week a young Palestinian man used a screwdriver to stab a young ultra-Orthodox Jew in the area of the Mount of Olives. Israel cooperates with Palestinian security forces against opponents of the Palestinian political establishment inclined to violence against the wrong kind of Palestinians as well as Jews. We often hear gunshots while having our evening meal on the balcony, or later when on the way to sleep.

Relaxation is relative. You have to know where and when to do it, recognizing that no place is completely safe.

That goes for small towns in America and Europe as well as anywhere in Israel.

Yet it could be a lot worse.

For Jews it has been worse. Our religious friends fasted yesterday in commemoration of the 9th of Av.

Comments welcome, irashark@gmail.com.
(JTA)American Jewish voters have naturally voted for Democratic candidates because it has meant voting to support strong social justice and a strong U.S.-Israel relationship. Hillary Clinton and her vice presidential choice, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, will continue Democratic action on economic and educational opportunities, retirement security and quality, affordable health care, and especially Israels security and Middle East peace.

The Clinton-Kaine ticket promises to build upon a strong tradition of Democratic leadership.

Clinton has deep knowledge of the history of the Middle East and a proven record of engaging with the leaders and peoples of this complex region. She also has a record advocating for U.S.-Israel ties in the Senate and hands-on experience managing the relationship as secretary of state.

What matters in these dangerous times is a mature, deep understanding of the challenges facing Israel as it seeks avenues for peace with security. And what matters are ongoing, real-world ties to the Jewish community in this country and the leadership in Jerusalem. Kaine, who proudly identifies as a strongly pro-Israel Democrat, has demonstrated both throughout his career.

Kaine serves on the Senates Foreign Relations Committee, its subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian affairs, and the Armed Services Committee, positions that give him a leadership role and a comprehensive understanding of fast-changing conditions across the region.

As the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee, I have a front row seat to Kaines thoughtfulness, inquisitiveness and mastery of the complex issues facing the United States, Israel and our allies and partners.

He has had meetings with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, traveled to Israel and visited an Iron Dome battery on the border with Gaza. He has stood up time and again for Israel in Congress, from emergency funding for its successful anti-rocket system to the U.S.-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2015.

Kaine was vocal in condemning the United Nations Human Rights Council for its decision to launch a one-sided investigation into Israels actions during the 2014 conflict in Gaza while ignoring the unprovoked rocket attacks against Israeli civilians by Palestinian terrorists that touched off the conflict.

Kaine knows that protecting Israels security also means ensuring that Israel has a healthy economy. As governor of Virginia, he worked closely with the Israeli Ambassador to the United States at the time, Sallai Meridor, resulting in a 2008 agreement to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Virginia and Israel on private sector industrial research and development. For Israel, the agreement was only the second it had ever entered into with a state government, and both parties have seen tangible benefits.

A nuclear-armed Iran would represent an existential threat to Israel, and Kaine has been a key leader in bipartisan efforts to ensure that Iran never acquires a nuclear weapon. He negotiated the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act that ensured Congress could review the nuclear accord and advocated for a resilient and fully resourced U.S. military so that all options are on the table.

Kaine knows that the threats emanating from Iran are about more than its nuclear program. Irans continued ballistic missile testing and state sponsorship of terrorism are equally troubling and threatening to Israel. He worked on a bill with Sen. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., to extend sanctions on Iran until President Barack Obama and the IAEA can guarantee that Irans nuclear material is for peaceful purposes.

Finally, Kaine understands that support for a safe, secure Jewish state goes far beyond easy slogans and reflexive criticism of its many foes. Farsighted U.S. diplomacy is critical in helping Israel reach its goal of a sustainable, secure peace. Like a strong majority of American Jews, Kaine remains committed to a two-state solution that has been the stated policy of Prime Minister Netanyahu and every recent Israeli government before his, and which is the critical prerequisite to the kind of peace that Israels citizens deserve and want.

Kaine understands that tough talk about Israels security is just thattalkif not built on a foundation of active support for U.S. peacemaking efforts in the troubled region.

Close to home, it was Kaine who held the first Passover seder in the Virginia governors mansion. He has a long record of working closely with Virginias small but active Jewish community.

U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin, a Maryland Democrat, is the ranking member on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
HICKORY  Before starting a new year, Hickory Public Schools (HPS) employees took a moment to reflect on the past during the systems opening convocation held at the Hickory Metro Convention Center on Wednesday morning.

After initial comments from HPS Board of Education Chairman Reginald Hamilton and past president of the HPS Education Foundation Guy Guarino, Hickory Public Schools Teacher of the Year, Erica Greer spoke about the inspiration she gained from her fellow teachers through the years.

Together we have stressed about fitting in all the demands of the school day. Weve cried over struggling students. Weve celebrated our victories. We vented frustrations, Greer said. These women have eternally been sown into the fabric of my life. Weve said it time and time again, were all so completely different but were all of value.

Six HPS alumni stepped up next to share their experiences as students in the school system. They universally thanked all the faculty and staff who were a part of their education.

Robert Locke is a 2008 Hickory High graduate and talked about the life lessons he learned from his time in detention.

Im in the fourth grade. Im sitting in a parent teacher conference and Im making Cs and Ds because Im just not doing any of my homework, Locke said. I explained to them very calmly, I know how to do this stuff I dont see why I need to put it on paper and show you.

He added if you have bosses and they ask you to do something, you cant just tell them, I already know how to do that, dont worry about itso that really lit a light bulb for me.

Locke went on to describe how detention also led him to a love for reading.

To this day whenever Im asked to do something I have no idea how to do, which is more often than I want, I know there is something I can turn to, I can read and learn about, Locke said. Im always appreciative of that.

For Trevor Parks, a 2009 Hickory High graduate, his time with the faculty and staff of the school system are what motivated him to teach youth as well.

Id like to thank all the teachers that taught me for putting up with me tapping my pencils, daydreaming about games I may have had that week, Parks said. I went to Viewmont and Jenkins Elementary School and one of the pivotal moments I had was actually every morning going into Ms. Pat Middletons classroom.

That lady is actually a joy to be around. Shes always in great spirits and it rubbed off on us because we always had fun even though she did get on me for forgetting my colored pencils some times.

Other former HPS students who spoke included: Rosy Ramirez (2007), Diana Nguyen (2011), Stephanie Cook (2001) and Mike Auten (2011).

Hickory Public Schools Principal of the Year Jenny White introduced the keynote speaker for the event, Jane Fernandes, president of Guilford College in Greensboro. Fernandes echoed the sentiment of honoring those who teach. She is the first deaf woman to lead an American college or university.

I believe in the transformative power of education. As educators we are often tempted to help students learn so that they will pass their tests, Fernandes said. But how do we harness the students longing to transform themselves and the world.

She went on to tell the story of a teacher she knew who was most passionate about his career as a teacher, but who struggled through his first year as a science teacher.

He was teaching the curriculum but the students werent really responding, she said.

The teacher thought his students simply werent interested in learning, but it was his parents who reminded him about not giving up so he went back to the classroom after the winter break and simply asked the students what they wanted to learn.

He took all the questions the students had and started to let them learn about those things, Fernandes said. He took them out on field trips. They started some science experiments and pretty soon the students were actually young scientists.

Hickory Public Schools Superintendent Robbie Adell closed the event with closing comments. The first day of school is Monday.
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No writer is an island, at least not online. Built for the generation on the go, a range of social media apps and websites are bringing readers and writers closer, with stories that take a jiffy to publish  and to read.

You can co-write stories, pin it on your homepage, explore millennial-ready genres (text-message tales, anyone?) and literally send hearts to the writer.

An app called Hooked, for instance, lets you read and write stories as text chats. It can be read even on the move, say while youre waiting in line, says New York-based Prerna Gupta, founder of Hooked. Its writing for the mobile generation.

Committed online platforms could be the solution to the many problems writers face, such as stolen content, and editing without consent, says Koral Dasgupta, founder of two-month-old Tell Me Your Stories (#TMYS), a short stories platform.

You can meet offline too.

Lettrs, a community of pen-pals has triggered several meetups in Delhi. Of a 100 letters published in a day, 60 are from Indians, says Sunandini Bansal of Lettrs.

Hit a few buttons and get started, then. Whats your story?

Read: For journal keepers, check out these top 10 diary-keeping websites

If reading a story means shivers down your spine, Hooked is the chat-story app for you. Read one story a day for free, give hearts and contribute to be read globally. (Hooked app)

Tales in text

The story in the illustration, Waiting For You, is just one of 10,000 stories read over 7 million times on one-year-old Hooked, a text-format storytelling app that lets you connect with global readers.

The social app has fantasy, horror, mystery and murder, and the stories show you one text message at a time, and you click for the next. Readers can leave comments or love a story.

US-based writer Audrey Greathouse, writer of Scavenger Hunt says, I joined them when the Hooked team came looking for talent at the Stanford Creative Writing Society. It reminded me of the radio dramas of the early twentieth century and seemed really revolutionary.

Quite popular in the States, Greathouse attributes her popularity to her online presence. Writers tend not to like growing in the public eye the way performance artists have to. Ive worked, learned, and grown a lot with online publishers and reached markets I never would have otherwise seen.

Visit: Hooked is available on iOS and Android

Cant write it all alone? Buddy up to get ideas, co-writers and critique from the writing community on Penana, a Hong Kong-based website. (Penana)

Revise and repeat

Playing on the word pen, Penana lets you write multiple drafts of a story, and get feedback on each. You can also appoint an ideator, co-writer and a beta-reader to help pummel your narrative into shape.

The two-year-old website shows you stories that are trending, new and newly updated. You can be part of different writing groups, select a writing buddy or participate in themed contests such as six-word stories or 1,000-word romance. The top genres here are poetry, romance, fantasy and young adult.

Engineering student Brian Franklin from Tirunelveli says, With Penana, theres always somebody to give you feedback.

Visit: Penana.com; On iOS and Android

Read: Ten things I learnt about writing from Stephen King

In the age of emails, writing traditional letters can be very enriching. Just imagine Ernest Hemingways 6,000 surviving letters to his wife. Lettrs lets you pick a background image, write any genre, pick a stamp and assigns you a PO box too! (Lettrs)

Next-Gen Letters

Ishaan Aditya, a 22-year-old law student, cant get enough of Lettrs  a website that lets you pen letters to real and imaginary people, and tell stories through them.

With an interface similar to Pinterest, each letter is superimposed on a background image and bears a stamp (above). You can like, comment and pin letters onto your fridge or homepage. Oh, and you get a PO Box number too.

Aditya says, I was going through a rough phase last year but when I read stuff on this site, reading became therapeutic. It makes my poetry social-media ready.

Drew Bartkiewicz, Lettrs founder, says, What is most personal is often the most universal. I decided to build a platform in a mobile medium for the next generation of letters.

Visit: Lettrs.com and on Android

Read: Whats The Hemingway Letters Project? 6,000 letters and more...

Telling tales in India has never had one version. No wonder than poet-scholar AK Ramanujan argued for 300 Ramayanas. Hit the StoryWeaver website to find a ready story and image bank to tell enchanting stories for young adults and kids. (StoryWeaver)

One story, many versions

Always wanted to write childrens fiction? NGO Pratham Books set up StoryWeaver a year ago, a website with a ready audience of children, teens, parents and teachers in India.

Many of us have storytellers within us. And many such stories can change the life of a little reader, says Suzanne Singh, chairperson, Pratham Books.

Just like Shakespeare, if other writers stories inspire you (say, by well-known writers like Anushka Ravishankar and Sowmya Rajendran), you can rewrite them without hesitation. Use 2,000 images for stories, or translate them in 47 languages.

Once published, you can see how many have read, downloaded, translated or re-written it.

Hyderabad-based software manager Vani Balaraman, 39, loves to write picture books. I wanted to write about my childhood on Mothers Day, and with the right set of images, I had the story published in just about an hour, she says.

Visit: Storyweaver.org.in

Need some hand-holding by experts? Writers Koral Dasgupta promises a jury, mentors and reviewers to guide you through writing your very first short story. (#TellMeYourStory)

Real encounters

Started by writer Koral Dasgupta, two-month-old #TellMeYourStory publishes stories after they are vetted by a jury of writers, editors and mentors Dasgupta and popular author Tuhin Sinha.

Mostly real-life narratives, tales vary between 200 to 1,500 words. The unique aspect is that writers from various professions can contribute here. Former army officer Saurabh Sinha, and writer of The Ghost of Sundarbani, says, I couldnt have got a better platform. I could immediately see readers comments and connect with them to know more.

Visit: TellMeYourStory.in
Ignoring the Supreme Courts directive on the height of dahi handi and minors participation, the Yadav Mahasabha organised a programme in Begumganj and strung up a matki (earthen pot) at a height of 26 feet from the ground on the occasion of Janmashtmi.

Two people, including a minor, sustained injuries in an attempt to break the pot.

The Supreme Court had ruled that the earthen pot should not be above 20 feet and no minor can participate in the group which breaks the pot.

In the programme organised at Dusshera Maidan on Thursday, Vipin Kumar Kushwaha and Sanju Kumar Kushwaha were trying to break the earthen pot. The group members lost balance and fell on the ground.

Vipin and Sanju were rushed to a civil hospital where the doctor referred Vipin to Bhopal. Condition of Sanju was stated to be stable.

In another Matki Fod competition at Sumer village of Raisen district, Shankar Dayal Sharma, 15, fell and got while seriously injured while trying to break the handi. He was admitted to a civil hospital.

However, no action was taken against the organisers for defying the apex courts order till Thursday evening.

Begumganj SDM DK Singh refused to comment on the matter.
The promos and songs of Ajay Devgns Shivaay have been impressive and fans have been going gaga online. While Ajay Devgn claims the film is based on a real life incident, reports claim that it is actually inspired from 2008 Hollywood film Taken.

Liam Neeson played a CIA operative in the Hollywood flick. His daughter gets kidnapped and the film traces Neesons efforts at rescuing his daughter and bringing the culprits to book.

Read: How threatening is Bollywoods clash of titles?

Read: Shivaay actor Erika Kaar almost made it to Game of Thrones

The DNA report talks about Shivaays storyline which reads similar to Taken. Ajays character is shown as the modern-day Shiva, the destroyer. What AJ deliberately did in the first trailer was to keep the story under wraps. Ajay plays a father to Abigail Eames, who gets abducted. How Ajay destroys everyone who tries to stop him and how he rescues his daughter is what forms the core idea of the film, the tabloid quoted a source as saying.

Hindustan Times could not independently verify the report.

Watch: Ajay Devgn in Shivaay trailer

Talking about the film that marks Ajays return as a director after years, the actor had earlier said, Shivaay is an emotional drama. The idea came from an article on a real-life story, we read. We were moved by the article. This picture is from that thought process. We did not follow it, rather that was our inspiration.

Shivaay, shot in Bulgaria and Uttarakhand, also features Sayyeshaa Saigal and Vir Das. The film will hit cinema screens this Diwali.

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Actor Abhay Deol who featured in the recently released Happy Bhaag Jayegi alongside Diana Penty, says its not important for him to always get a positive feedback from his fans. The 40-year-old actor just wants the audience to react.

Read: I am not a competitive person, says Abhay Deol

Actor Abhay Deol says returning to the screen after a sabbatical has made him perform better. (AMAL KS)

I feel the pressure of delivering something that does not insult a persons intelligence. Whether you like it or not, thats another thing. So I dont try to do that. Its fine for someone to say, the film made me question this topic and I still dont agree with the film, but I am glad that they showed it or I dont agree with the politics of this movie. This is what I aim for. I want people to think, to get provoked or just feel good about the film. I dont expect them to love or like my films, he says.

Read: Happy Bhag Jayegi earns over Rs 10 crore in opening weekend

The actor, who was last seen in the film One By Two in 2014, says these breaks make him love his work more. I like my breaks and it is important for me to take sabbaticals. It feels even sweeter when you are back. One or two years break is fine. I am in a place and profession where I can do that. But I miss being in front of the camera. I love what I do, I dont do it just because it is the means to an end. It feels more precious after you have come back from a break. You are charged up as well, he says.

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A news publication recently reported that Kareena Kapoor Khan had opted out of Rhea Kapoors next production, which also stars the latters sister, Sonam Kapoor, and actor Swara Bhaskar.

The report, however, was untrue. On August 23, the films team released an official statement, which confirmed that Kareena is still very much part of the movie. The statement also revealed that the films shoot will begin in October.

Read: Kareena Kapoor Khan: My mother is my God, cant live without her

Now, in order to prepare for her role, Kareena is set to participate in a workshop. A source says, Kareena will join a workshop in September, which will be conducted for eight to nine days. The tentative dates are September 15 to 24.

Besides Kareena Kapoor Khan, the workshop will also be attended by Sonam Kapoor and Swara Bhaskar. (Hindustan Times)

Besides Kareena, the workshop will also be attended by Sonam and Swara. The three actors will read the script with Rhea, and will practise their dialogues, adds the source.

Read: What maternity break? Im pregnant, not a corpse: Kareena Kapoor Khan

Apparently, Kareena will shoot for the first chunk of the film in October, and will resume shooting for the rest of it in April, after her delivery. Kareena recently wrapped up an ad campaign for a popular hairdressing chain. She has to shoot for two magazine covers before she starts working on her upcoming film. She plays a progressive, modern woman in the movie, adds the source.
If you are still wondering when the biggest Khan of Bollywood, Salman Khan, will ever get married, former Miss Universe and actor Sushmita Sen wants us to believe she knows why hes still a bachelor.

Sush was flummoxed recently during a media interaction in Mumbai when an over-eager reporter asked her why Salman is not married. The reporter asked: We often ask Salman this question but he never answers. Il pose the same question to you.

.Read: I am dying to get married, says Salman

Salman this question but he never answers. Ill pose the same question to you.

The actor then came up with an answer no one expected. You are asking the question to the two people who celebrate singlehood. They are not single because they didnt find someone, they did that by choice.

Watch the video of the media interaction here:

Read: Has Salman fixed his marriage date?

While Salman Khan maintains his silence over the issue, actor Sushmita Sen revealed the reason for his bachelorhood.

Read: Sushmitas letter to her daughter Renee

Salman has maintained for long that he is waiting for his court cases to be cleared before he decides to tie the knot. He has been spotted with Romanian TV actor Iulia Vantur for almost a year now and is said to be dating her. Iulia was even spotted hand-in-hand with Salmans mom at Mumbai airport.

(Viral Bhayani/Hindustan Times)

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Bollywood actor Shahid and Mira Rajput were blessed with a baby girl on Friday evening. Soon after Shahid shared the news, Riteish Deshmukh, Alia Bhatt and several celebs took to Twitter to congratulate the new parents.

Excited that he must be, Shahid made the announcement on Twitter on Friday night:

She has arrived and words fall short to express our happiness. Thank you for all your wishes.  Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) August 26, 2016

Mira was rushed to Hinduja hospital in Khar, Mumbai, on Friday evening where the daughter was born of a normal delivery, DNA reported. The baby is healthy and weighs around 2.8kg.

Buzz is that Shahid, who last featured in the film, Udta Punjab, has taken some time off work for spending it with his wifey dearest.

Bollywood celebs soon took to Twitter to congratulate the new parents and bless the newborn.

Congratulations to both of you & lots of love & good health for the baby girl !!! @shahidkapoor   Anushka Sharma (@AnushkaSharma) August 26, 2016

Huge congratulations to @shahidkapoor and Mira....nothing more precious than a baby girl....lots of love....  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) August 26, 2016

Congratulations @shahidkapoor & Mira on birth of an angel . Welcome to the club my friend. Love & blessings to the little one.  Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) August 26, 2016

Congratulationssssssss to the most amazing couple @shahidkapoor @MiraRajput !!!!! Can't wait to see this beautiful baby girl!!!!  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) August 26, 2016

Congratulations @shahidkapoor and Mira ... It's d world's best feeling and I'm sure u already know how it is.. Lotsa love to the little one  Genelia Deshmukh (@geneliad) August 26, 2016

Congraaaaaats @shahidkapoor !!!! Welcome to d club!!! Love to the little one!!! N super hug to the parents!!!  Manish Paul (@ManishPaul03) August 26, 2016

Congrats my dear @shahidkapoor & the beautiful Mira on the arrival of their little Princess  Loads of love, happiness & more love always  Preity zinta (@realpreityzinta) August 26, 2016

Heartfelt Congratulations 2 Mira n @shahidkapoor .. God bless ur lil Angel.. N any advice u need I'm thrice qualified  Farah Khan (@TheFarahKhan) August 27, 2016

Shahid, 35, and Mira, 22, tied the knot in a ceremony in July 2015. It was just three days back that the actor had shared a picture with Mira on his Instagram account:

Moments A photo posted by Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) on Aug 23, 2016 at 8:32am PDT

Read | Check out parents-to-be Shahid and Miras adorable selfie
Ghaziabad: A 16-year-old boy, a resident of Noida Sector 22, was found dead at a high-rise apartment complex in Vaibhav Khand, Indirapuram, on Wednesday night.

The family of the victim, Varun, held the family of a girl, with whom he allegedly was in a relationship, responsible for his death.

The police have booked the father of the girl, Abhijay Ratan, under Section 302 (murder).

Varuns body was found by a security guard. He told the police that he heard somebody shouting. When he rushed, he found Varun bleeding on the extended roof of the lobby. The guard informed the president of the housing society, Amarpal Vij who called the police. Varun was rushed to a nearby hospital where the doctors declared him dead on arrival.

Varuns father was in Jaipur when the incident took place. Rajesh Srivastava, a friend of Varuns father, said the incident took place around 9 pm on Wednesday when Varun had gone to Aditya Mega City apartments to meet his ex-girlfriend who stays on the 11th floor.

I got a call from Varuns mother at 10.45 pm. She asked me to reach Shanti Gopal Hospital, Ahinsa Khand-2, as his father was in Jaipur. The police were present at the hospital when I reached there. They told me that Varuns body has been sent for postmortem, said Srivastava, who lives in Niti Khand, Indirapuram.

The police said they registered a case after questioning the father of the girl.

It is still unclear whether Varun jumped off the building or he was pushed by somebody., said Atul Kumar Yadav, circle officer, Indirapuram.

Her father told us he was at home when the incident occurred and the boy did not visit their house. He said Varun had been messaging his daughter ever since they broke up, said Yadav.

Sumit Chauhan, one of Varuns classmates, said he was in a relationship with a girl for the past one and half years.

A few weeks ago, she broke up with Varun. When I called him around 7 pm on Wednesday, Varun told me that he was at the girls place. .

Police said Varun had tattooed the name of the girl on his chest and marked it with a blade on his left forearm.

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New Delhi: Vinay Sharma, one of the six convicts facing the death sentence in the December 16 gang rape case, attempted suicide in Delhis Tihar jail on Wednesday night, officers said on Thursday.

Sharma allegedly consumed a heavy dose of anti-depressant medicines before trying to hang himself from an iron grille using a towel in jail number 8 around 9.30pm, sources said.

Sharma was under depression for the last few months and was taking medication, they added.

A Tamil Nadu special policeman, who was on duty near the cell, saw Sharma attempting suicide and raised an alarm. The jawan stopped Sharma and removed the towel he had tied around his neck.

Sharma was rushed to the dispensary within the jail complex by other security personnel who arrived at the scene.

Doctors administered him medicines and he was taken to Deen Dayal Upadhyay hospital for treatment and tests.

His condition was stated to be stable. Doctors said an assessment of his spine and breathing was normal.

Usually in cases of hanging, the spine snaps from the cervical or the neck region. There might be obstruction in the airway too. So, when such a case comes in we first stabilise the spine and then intubate the patient if there is any obstruction, a doctor said on condition of anonymity.

Hospital sources said Sharma would be discharged by evening.

Senior Tihar jail authorities ordered a probe into the incident, sources said. A case of attempt to suicide may be registered against him, said a police officer.

Last year, Sharma told a Delhi court that he was beaten up by his fellow inmates and asked for security, citing a risk to his life.

His lawyer said he was beaten up very badly by five or six inmates jail on August 15 and 16. He said Sharma fears a risk to his life as some inmates openly issued murder threats to him.

In March 2013, Ram Singh, another accused in the gang rape case, was found hanging in his cell at Tihar Jail. Jail authorities claimed he committed suicide. His family members said he was murdered and hanged in his cell.

Six men  one of them a juvenile  have been convicted for the rape and gruesome murder of a paramedic in a moving bus on December 16, 2012.

The torture and subsequent death of the 23-year-old, who along with her friend was on the way home after watching a movie at a south Delhi cinema hall, shook the nation. The crime prompted thousands to come out in protests across the country.

Four convicts  Sharma, Akshay Thakur, Mukesh Singh and Pawan Gupta  were sentenced to death in the case. The juvenile accused was convicted and sentenced to a maximum of three years in a reformation home.

He was released from the observation home in December last year.

(With inputs from Anonna Dutt)
NEW DELHI: The Jawaharlal Nehru University panel that looks into complaints of sexual harassment has been asked to take action in the rape of a 28-year-old research student on campus.

A 28-year-old research student has accused fellow student Anmol Ratan of raping her after offering her a spiked drink in his hostel room.

Ratan, a member of the Left-leaning All India Students Association (AISA), has been expelled from the student outfit. The police have registered an FIR in the matter.

The university administration wrote to the panel  Gender Sensitization Committee against Sexual Harassment (GSCASH)  to initiate action on Monday.

It has come to the notice of the administration that an incident of rape took place in Brahmputra Hostel on August 20, 2016. GSCASH may take due notice and appropriate position, as per the rules. A copy of FIR filed by the victim with Delhi Police is enclosed, the letter to GSCASH read.

A member of the committee, requesting anonymity, said the body will now probe the matter and recommend action against the accused. The rape victim can approach GSCASH. We will look into the incident, the member said.

If found guilty, the accused may lose hostel accommodation or face rustication or expulsion. His degree may be withheld, sources said.

JNU officials said along with the criminal action against the accused, the university administration will also punish the accused, if found guilty.

The JNU students union (JNUSU) has already written to the vice-chancellor, seeking action against Ratan. The university in a statement had said: JNU administration strongly condemns an incident of heinous rape in a campus hostel. It has completely shaken the JNU community and has tarnished the image of the university.

ACCUSED SENT TO 14-DAY JUDICIAL CUSTODY

JNU student Anmol Ratan, accused of raping a 28-year-old fellow student, was remanded to 14 days judicial custody by a Delhi court on Thursday.

A magisterial court at Patiala House courts complex sent Ratan to jail after Delhi Police decided not to seek his custody.

The court also directed jail authorities to provide him proper medical facilities after he submitted that he was suffering from heart ailment.

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LUCKNOW: Educationists have been left scratching their heads for an answer as three prodigious siblings from one Lucknow family continue to set new academic records.

Four-year-old Ananya Verma is the latest from the family of a daily labourer to have hit the headlines on being enrolled in Class 9 of a private school after the district inspector of schools cleared her admission.

Her brother Shailendra was in the news earlier when he graduated in computer science from Lucknow University in 2007 at the age of 14. He passed the examination with 74.93% marks and is now a software engineer in Bengaluru.

Ananyas elder sister Sushma made waves the same year by entering the Limca Book of Records as the countrys youngest matriculate by passing the UP Board Class 10 examinations at the age of seven.

In 2013, she went on to become the youngest science graduate from Lucknow University and then becoming the youngest postgraduate in microbiology from the Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar University (BBAU) in 2015. She reached another milestone by enrolling in a Ph.D course the same year.

Experts are both impressed and baffled by the siblings academic feats.

Their intellectual genius is self evident, says Amrita Dass, a career consultant with the Lucknow-based Institute for Career Development.

But none has much clue as to the reasons behind their academic brilliance. Tej Bahadur, their father, is a daily wage earner. Their mother is illiterate. Experts are puzzled and there is no unanimity about what is behind their academic brilliance.

Some children are quick learners but even for that, some amount of teaching is needed. Its impossible to say what has turned these children into geniuses without a medical and scientific assessment of the brain, says Dr Subrata Sinha, director of the National Brain Research Institute in Manesar.

Dass, who has mentored the two older children, says maximising their potential is the priority, though more in-depth research into what makes them stand out is also required. Till date, there is not much known about the biology of intelligence. In many cases, nothing in the family history of child prodigies explains where they got this extraordinary genius and talent from, she points out.

Dr Amit Kumar, CEO and chief scientific officer of Hyderabad-based BioAxis DNA Research Centre Pvt Ltd feels the clue could lie in their genes. Such a family must be tested for smart genes and they may help to understand associated factors for intelligence other than genetic variations, he explains.

However, Ananya isnt affected by the bewilderment she and her siblings have created. Her favourite pastime is reading books, including the Ramayana and Hanuman Chalisa. She goes to St Meeras School, the same institution that her sister Sushma went to, and already has her principal in awe.

Ananya is much sharper than Sushma. She picks up things very fast. It is a learning experience not just for Ananya but also for teachers who work with her. It is amazing to see the progress she is making with every passing day, says Anita Ratra, the principal.

The BBAU vice-chancellor is equally impressed with Sushma. She is doing remarkably well. She is always eager to learn and we are extremely proud to have her as a research scholar, says RC Sobti. For the records sake, Sushma had secured seventh rank in the University Research Entrance Test to study environmental microbiology.

As experts debate their prodigious talents, their father who has now been rewarded by the BBAU with a job as a sanitation supervisor is convinced that it is all because of Saraswati, the goddess of learning. I am illiterate and cannot guide my children. Whatever they have achieved is through the grace of Ma Saraswati, he gushes.
NEW DELHI: Lawyer Jayashree Wad knew a friend whose relative had a surrogate child. But she was unaware that surrogacy is a huge trade in the country until she read an article in a weekly magazine in 2014.

The report made Wad go back to her books on biology, a subject she graduated in before becoming a lawyer. She dug out details on the flourishing business in India.

After a year-long research, she approached the Supreme Court in 2015 to highlight the pitfalls of the unregulated industry.

It amounts to sale of motherhood, the 78-year-old mother of two lawyer-sons said on Thursday.

I read about how women were exploited by a handful of medical experts who controlled it (surrogacy business), which I thought should be stopped. Surrogate moms are not told about the risks.

Hearing her plea, a top court bench headed by Justice Ranjan Gogoi nudged the government to frame a law.

While the matter was pending before the court and the law was yet to be drafted, the Centre issued notifications that banned import of embryo and disallowed foreigners, NRIs and Overseas Citizens of India (OCI) to opt for surrogate children in India.

Wad undertook the exercise single-handedly. Her family  which has many lawyers  was supportive of the endeavour. However, she was keen on pursuing the cause on her own.

I was free from all my responsibilities and gave all the time I had. The petition prepared was supported by documents running into 525 pages. Citations from other countries were annexed to prove surrogacy was not recognised all over the world and it could lead to problems for children if it remains unchecked here, she said.

She recalled a German couples ordeal in taking two surrogate children back home from India.

The couple fought a frustrating legal battle for two years before their surrogate sons could travel. It happened only after the children went through the inter- country adoption procedure supervised by an Indian agency, the Central Adoption Resource Authority (CARA).

Till then, the kids were stateless because Germany had refused to grant them citizenship and India had turned down requests for their passports.

Wad hoped the new surrogacy bill would be tabled in Parliament during the winter session and it did not meet the fate of drafts prepared in 2010 and 2012. The earlier bills lapsed because they were never finalised and tabled, she said.

The government might take a back seat on the issue, but Wad will not. Ten days ago she filed an application before the Supreme Court seeking to know the status of the bill, probably prompting the government to finalise the bill and getting it approved by the Union cabinet on Wednesday.

Wad, a lawyer for the past 40 years, refused to share her picture for publication, saying its against professional ethics.

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NEW DELHI: Union minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said on Thursday that Muslim participation in government administration is growing speedily under Modi regime.

It was 7% in January 2014, while today it is 9% and by 2017 end it will go upto 11%, Naqvi said at the Minority Youth Sammelan, organised by the Delhi unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The party workers also paid tributes to former education minister Maulana Abul Kalam Azad and former president APJ Abdul Kalam.

Congress gave a regime of loot and scams for 10 years and Delhi, like entire country, voted for clean administration in the country and the Modi government has given a corruption- and- fear free atmosphere in the country. Be it emperor of Saudi Arab or people of Afghanistan, all have decorated PM Modi with their national awards, said Naqvi.

Naqvi said that he will take the benefits of Central government schemes to the doors of minorities by organising Progress Panchayats.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave his Diwali to people of Kashmir, but today we feel sad that youth of Kashmir are being misled. It is time for minorities from all over India to create an atmosphere to make Kashmiri youth aware to stay away from terror elements, he added.
NEW DELHI: A revenue official (patwari) posted at deputy commissioner (revenue) office in southwest Delhi has been arrested by the Anti Corrpution Branch (ACB) for allegedly demanding a bribe of ` 5 lakh from a farmhouse owner.

The patwari, Sanjay Kumar Solanki, was caught red-handed accepting Rs 2 lakh from the complainant by an ACB team on Tuesday. He was booked under sections 7 and 13 of the prevention of corruption (POC) Act, a press statement issued by the ACB said.

ACB chief Mukesh Kumar Meena told HT that the farmhouse owner, Navin Jain, had approached them with a complaint against Solanki.

Jain, who works as a manager in a private company in south Delhis Nehru Place, told ACB that Solanki was demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to handle a complaint against his farmhouse in south Delhi.

An ACB official said that somebody had made a complaint with the DC revenue office about illegal construction and misuse of agricultural land for commercial purposes at the farmhouse.

Solanki was asked to conduct a probe and submit a report.

Jain alleged that Solanki had been frequently visiting his farmhouse and threatening to get it sealed for carrying out illegal construction and misuse of agricultural land. He threatened Jain that he would get the farmhouse demolished by submitting an enquiry report against him, said Meena.

According to Meena, Solanki demanded a bribe to settle the issue and prepare his report in their favour. The bribe amount was later settled at Rs 3.5 lakh and Solanki agreed to take Rs 2 lakh as first instalment from Jains office in Nehru Place on Tuesday.

Jain informed the ACB officials about the deal and a trap was laid by a seven-member team to nab Solanki.

Around 2pm, as Jain handed him Rs 2 lakh, the ACBs raiding team surrounded the car and caught Solanki with the money. Solanki initially pleaded innocence giving excuses. However, he later admitted to his crime when confronted with evidences collected against him, the ACB official said.
GURGAON: A couple was beaten to death and two women, including a minor, were gang-raped by robbers in Dhingeri village of Tauru in Mewat district, 45 kilometres from Gurgaon, on Wednesday night.

Police said five armed robbers barged into the house, took the family hostage and beat them up, including children, with iron rods.

The horrific incident comes less than a month after highway robbers gang-raped a woman and her minor daughter in Dostpur village of Bulandshahr district in UP. The prime accused in the case, Saleem Bawaria, is reportedly a native of Mewat.

Police said the robbers entered the house around midnight. Two men, including the 40-year-old owner of the house, were sleeping outside while seven others were inside. Seven members of the family-- including two women, two minor girls and three other children -- were inside the house, a police officer said.

One of those sleeping inside was the 35-year-old wife of the owner. The other was his sister who lived in the house with her husband, also aged 40, and their four children. A 22-year-old niece of the owners brother-in-law was sleeping inside, the officer said.

The robbers first went inside and tied up the women and children. They came out and attacked the men with iron rods and sticks.

When the men were left in no position to defend their family, the robbers went inside again. They beat up the women and children with sticks and gang-raped a 22-year-old woman and a 15-year-old girl, the officer said.

The 22-year-old victim told police the robbers beat up even the children and asked them for cash and jewellery. They entered the house around midnight and stayed for about three hours. They ransacked the house and took away all the cash and jewellery, the victim told the police.

After looting the house, the robbers locked up the family inside the house and left.

One of the boys managed to free himself and sought help from the neighbours. The villagers reached the house and untied the family, the police officer said. They rushed the injured to a local hospital where the house owner and his wife died.

On the complaint of the 22-year-old gang-rape victim, the police registered an FIR under Section 459 (grievous hurt), 460 (trespass) and 376 D (gang rape) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) and other Sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act (POCSO) and the Arms Act.

Prima facie, it appears a case of rape and murder during robbery. But we are looking at all possibilities and motives, the police said.

Apart from jewellery and cash, the robbers also took away a two-wheeler. The police have formed five teams to nab the culprits. No body has been identified but we are probing all possibilities and motives, said Jaiprakash Yadav, SHO, Tauru police station.

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NEW DELHI: Fresh details of the Scorpene submarines combat management systems were put in the public domain on Thursday, overshadowing the Indian Navys attempts to downplay the data leak that may have implications for the countrys underwater warfare capabilities.

The Australian newspaper  that exposed the leak on Tuesday  uploaded more documents from a leaked cache of 22,400 classified paper from French shipbuilder DCNS, which is helping India build six Scorpene submarines under a 23,562crore ($3.5 billion) deal.

The nine new pages of documents were heavily redacted by the newspaper but provided information on the capabilities of the submarines sonar system and targeting and torpedo systems. The earlier documents had crucial details of the submarines combat capabilities, though redacted.

As with the earlier uploads, the new documents were marked Restricted Scorpene India, which the French government said on Thursday were stolen and not leaked.

The Australian said the leaked data was removed from DCNS by a former sub-contractor in 2011 and taken to a private company in South-east Asia before being passed to a branch of that company in a second Southeast Asian nation.

A disk containing the data filed was then posted in regular mail to a company in Australia, the report said. It added that the leak was not thought to have come from India.

It implied that individuals or firms in three countries, including Australia, had access to the highly classified information on the Scorpene submarines.

The navy, however, said in a statement, The documents that have been posted on the website by an Australian news agency have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out. The statement was issued before the second set of documents was uploaded.

Sources said the navy reached the conclusion by carrying out a preliminary analysis of just three sets of papers out of the 22,400 that were leaked.

Thats a bad statement. I am surprised the navy has jumped to that conclusion by analysing a bunch of papers with some redacted text. A far deeper analysis in required, said strategic affairs expert and retired rear admiral Raja Menon.

Australian journalist Cameron Stewart, who broke the data leak scandal, also disputed the navys claim.

There is confusion in India about the leaked submarine docs. None of the 22,400 docs are redacted, all sensitive figures are there in full (sic), he tweeted.

Throughout the day India mounted a flurry of diplomatic activity and appointed a highlevel panel to evaluate the impact of the data leak.

The Indian Navy has taken up the matter with director general of armament of the French government expressing concern over this incident and has requested the French government to investigate this incident with urgency and share their findings with the Indian side.

It said an internal audit of procedures was underway to rule out any security compromise and added that the matter is being taken up with concerned foreign governments through diplomatic channels to verify the authenticity of the reports.

The defence ministry has formed a high-level committee to carry out a detailed assessment of (the) potential impact of the leak and the navy is taking steps to mitigate any probable security compromise.

The Australian had said the documents could prove an intelligence bonanza for Pakistan and China.

The first Scorpene-class submarines built at Mumbais state-run Mazagon Dock Limited is expected to be inducted early next year.
WASHINGTON: Just two days before the first presidential debate next month, Republican nominee Donald Trump is scheduled to address Hindu American supporters at a rally in New Jersey.

Its the first such outreach to the community, and most possibly the larger cohort of increasingly influential Indian Americans, by the presidential nominee of a major US party ever.

Trump will be with us for nearly four hours, Shalabh Kumar, an Illinois businessman whose year-old outfit Republican Hindu Coalition( RHC) is hosting the event, told Hindustan Times.

The event, titled Humanity united against terror, is scheduled for September 24 at a venue in New Jersey, which has a heavy concentration of Indian Americans, that can seat 17,500 people.

From Kumar s telling, Trump was easily persuaded to do the event when the two met in July, sometime before the Republican party convention in Cleveland he agreed immediately.

He told me India was a great country, he liked Indian people , Kumar said re counting their conversation ,and he said he found Hindus to be peace-loving people.

And with that, Trump was on board.

About 2 million Americans identify themselves as Hindus. And while most of them are of Indian descent, others are from Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, the Caribbean and Afghanistan.

The number of Indian Americans, however, is estimated to be around 3 million  with only a third of them said to be voters. And of them, most vote Democratic, overwhelmingly.

That is despite the fact that the only two Indian Americans ever elected governors Nikki Haley in South Carolina and Bobby Jindal in Louisianawere both Republicans.

While proud of them at least of Haley (Jindal has angered the community for trying to distance himself from it) they have been slow to follow them to the fold.

But GOP is courting them actively, and Hindus. Former Speaker Newt Gingrich is the honorary chairman of RHC, whose inauguration in 2015 was attended by many senior leaders.

But can they find enough Hindu Americans to pack the hall on September 24? Trump does not like empty stands, and his campaign has sought space for 200 TV cameras .Oh there will be plenty of people dont worry, said Kumar, we will be flooded. He may not find room, however, for all the cameras that the campaign expects.

RH Calso plans to parade some Bollywood stars at the show, which was fine with Trump, a one-time owner of beauty pageants  he said Indian people are beautiful.

Amar D Amar, a New Jersey professor who co-founded and heads Indian Americans for Trump 2016, a political action committee, told HT he will be attending too.
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NEW DELHI: The Delhi police crime branch on Wednesday arrested two men involved in a case of abduction and robbery after a brief shoot-out near south Delhis Bhati mines.

Taufiq (24) and Sunny (23) had allegedly abducted a resident of Gujarats Bhuj in December and were wanted in several robbery cases in Mewat. They had a reward of Rs 50,000 on their head.

The police recovered two pistols, cartridges and one motorcycle from them.

The men had called the Bhuj resident to Delhi on the pretext of providing him a car at very low price. They took the man to Palwal to show him the car, where he was abducted, police said.

The men demanded a ransom of ` 5 lakh from his son. They took away Rs 20,000 and his mobile phone. The next day an informer alerted the men that the police may raid the hideout, fearing which they left the man behind and fled the spot, said Ravindra Yadav, joint commissioner (crime).

On Wednesday, the police received information that the criminals will go from Gurgaon to Bhati Mines area to meet their associates, following which a trap was laid.

When the men came on a motorcycle, the police signalled them to stop, but they tried to run away. They both whipped out pistols and Sunny fired two shots at the police. The police fired and managed to overpower both of them, Yadav said.
NEW DELHI: Cong ress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said on Thursday he stood by his remarks that the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, the ruling BJPs ideological mentor, was responsible for Mahatma Gandhis assassination.

I will never stop fighting the hateful & divisive agenda of the RSS. I stand by every single word I said, he tweeted and shared a video in which he blames RSS men for the assassination of the Mahatma.

He made his stand clear as media reports suggested he allegedly retracted his remarks when he told the Supreme Court on Wednesday he didnt blame the RSS as an institution, but some people associated with the Hindu group. An RSS man has filed a defamation case against him for his remarks.

Congress leader Digvijaya Singh tweeted: No U-Turn by Rahul Gandhi on RSS. He stands by what he said.
Two children abandoned by their parents for four days without food and water were rescued from their Samaypur Badli home in outer Delhi last week, police said.

The mother, Rosy, had left home two months ago with her five-year-old son. Their father, Bablu, left on August 15. Officials said 35-year-old Bablu was unemployed and an alcoholic.

Eight-year-old Alka and three-year-old Jyoti were rescued after neighbours called police on August 19. Officials said the sisters, frail due to hunger and thirst, were found on a rickety charpoy in a dingy room. They had maggot infestation on their heads.

The ground floor home -- where the family had been staying on rent for two years -- is near Shiv Mandir in Nepali Colony.

The neighbours got to know something was wrong after stench started spreading. It was difficult to enter the room because of the strong, foul smell. The sisters were nearly dead and their wounds had started to rot, a police official said.

There was no food in the room. There were no windows for air circulation and the hot and humid room was infested with mosquitoes and flies.

The sisters were rushed to the Baba Saheb Ambedkar Hospital in Rohini. Doctors were stunned after seeing the poor condition of the two. The rotting wounds had started impacting their brains. They were put under special treatment for four days. Now their condition is gradually stabilising, he said.

The police have sent a report on the case to the Child Welfare Committee (CWC), which has directed that the two girls should be kept in the hospital till they recover completely before sending them to a rehabilitation centre.
A 36-year-old Air-India airhostess was killed and three others critically injured in a pile-up of three vehicles on the Mahipalpur-Gurgaon road in south Delhi on early Friday morning, police said.

The airhostess, Shakambri Zutshi Dhar, was on her way from her Faridabad home to the airport to report for her flight to Kolkata in her office cab when the accident took place on the Rajokari flyover around 5 am.

Zutshi is survived by a seven-year-old son and her husband, who is suffering from blood cancer. He is undergoing treatment at a private hospital, police said.

The Tata Indigo cab was behind a Toyota Innova that was following a container truck. All the vehicles were speeding, police said.

At the Rajokri flyover near Mahipalpur, the trick driver braked suddenly. The Innova driver lost control and rammed the truck from behind, Nupur Prasad, additional DCP (south), said

The driver of the cab in which the airhostess was travelling on the rear seat crashed into the Innova from behind.

The airhostess was thrown off her seat and the upper body landed on the cabs bonnet after smashing the windscreen. Her head hit the rear portion of the Innova in which two persons were travelling, said a police officer.

A passerby called the police control room. A police team took the airhostess, cab driver AK Desai and the occupants of the Innova to a nearby hospital where she was pronounced dead on admission.

The cab driver had fastened his seat belt, because of which he was saved. Zutshi suffered the maximum impact as she was seated in the middle of the rear seat without a seat belt. Zutshis body was handed over to her family members after autopsy, the officer said.

An FIR under sections 279 (rash driving), 337 (causing grievous hurt) and section 304A (causing death due to negligence) of the IPC was registered at the Vasant Kunj (south) police station.

The driver of the truck was arrested and the vehicles were impounded.

The Tata Indigo in which airhostess Shakambri Zutshi Dhar was travelling.
Deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia on Friday said the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) could not find any irregularity in the Delhi governments expenditure on advertisements.

Sisodia said it would have been better if the central auditor could have considered the expenditure by other state governments on adverts published outside the state.

Sisodia was responding to a calling attention motion in the assembly on the leak of the CAG report on governments ad spend.

The deputy CM said leader of the opposition Vijender Gupta breached the privilege of the House by leaking details of CAG report to the press on Wednesday. The Speaker has referred the matter to the privileges committee.

I received the report at 5:30 pm on Wednesday but the details were revealed by the opposition leader. This is the first time that a special audit of any department was conducted by the CAG. We welcome it but the scope of audit should have been broadened by including other states to make it comparative, said Sisodia.

He said the report was with three persons -- the CAG, the Lieutenant Governor and the finance secretary.

I trust the finance secretary as he gave the report in a sealed envelope. Now, the question is who gave the report to Gupta? Who leaked it to the media? Primarily, this report was supposed to be tabled in the House. Then how did it reach Gupta and the media? Sisodia said.

It is a breach of the privileges. There should be action against Vijender Gupta, he said.

Sisodia said that the report will be tabled and discussed in the assembly.

The total expenditure is only R 74 crore in 2015-16 against R 526 crore as claimed by opposition and media. We thank the CAG for clearing the air. I have requested CAG to audit Delhis health and education department. I have also requested them to audit the expenditure on various schemes by the Modi government, Sisodia said.

Gupta walked out of the house, alleging the he was not being heard. The report pointed out that of the total expenditure of R33.40 crore incurred on publicity campaigns, only R4.69 crores pertain to publications in Delhi and R28.71 crores (85%) were spent on publicity in other states/cities, Gupta had claimed on Wednesday.
A 28-year-old CISF jawan posted at a Delhi Metro station shot himself dead on Friday in a case of alleged suicide, which the police said could be a result of a family dispute over his relationship with a girl he married a few years ago.

The jawan, TC Rathor Alpesh, shot himself with his service pistol around 7.30am inside the CCTV control room of the Mewla Maharajpur metro station on the Violet Line, police said. Alpesh had been posted at the metro station for two years, the police said.

We have recovered a suicide note from his possession, said police officer Rajinder Singh. Though the suicide note written in Hindi is not legible, it seems the deceased had some dispute with his family, Singh said.

Based on the preliminary enquiry, it appears the deceased had some family issue as he had been in love with a girl whom he married a few years ago and has a girl child also, another police official investigating the case said.

Alpesh, a native of Gujarat, had joined the Central Industrial Security Forces Metro security unit in October 2014 and is survived by his wife and a one-year-old daughter.

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Delhi residents may have some respite from frequent call drops with the municipal corporations and mobile service providers coming to an agreement on the fee for installation of mobile towers, sources said.

The agreement paves the way for new towers and regularisation of existing ones. The corporations and the companies had been at war over charges since 2010.

Over 800 illegal mobile towers were sealed last year due to non-payment of fees and violation of building bylaws last year, leading to an increase in weak signals and call drops.

A closed-door meeting was held in June to discuss mobile tower installation charges where municipal officials and representatives of mobile phone companies came to an agreement. The phone companies agreed to pay R2 lakh per mobile tower once in every five years, said a municipal official.

Cellular Operators Authority of India sources confirmed the agreement. The final deal will be submitted before the high court in the first week of September.

Rajan S Mathews, DG, COAI, said in a statement, Were still in the process of negotiating with the MCD. Once the inputs of the telecom industry are taken on board, we would be happy to welcome this development. It would impact over 450 mobile towers in the city positively, which have been sealed. Upon resolution this would have an incremental impact on connectivity in Delhi.

Mobile phone operators had approached the Delhi high court in 2010 against the MCDs decision to change its policy on the establishment of such towers.

Read: Call drops situation to be improved in 3-4 months: Govt

The corporation had hiked the one-time fees paid by operators for each tower from `1 lakh to `5 lakh.

Apart from increasing revenue for the municipal corporations, the agreement comes at a time when mobile phone users are struggling with poor connectivity.

Once the agreement is signed, new phone towers will come up in the city. Also, mobile towers sealed due to lack of permission may be regularised by the corporation after the agreement, said a municipal official.

There are 7,926 official mobile towers under the jurisdiction of the three municipal corporations. Apart from these, officials say there are more than half of the number running without permission.

The total number of mobile towers before trifurcation was 5,252. The number increased exponentially in the past three years, especially near residential areas, said a municipal official.

Technical experts said call drops are a result of an increase in number of dead zones due to either fewer mobile towers in the range or due to hindrance in the signal movement.

Towers have a 5-km range; signals weaken outside this range. The tower would have gone out of range, or you are in a dead zone.

Read: Mobile towers near schools, hospitals to be sealed
Women are slowly cutting through the thicket of conservatism that denies them equality in worship in many places. The Haji Ali mosque is the latest after the Bombay High Court struck down a ban on womens entry into the inner sanctum of the iconic 15th century seafront mausoleum.

Till 2012, women could pray at the tomb of the saint Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari. Pilgrims would enter the room, where the saint is buried at the centre, to touch the grave and offer prayers. In July that year, the shrine authorities suddenly banned women from this area.

Noorjehan Safia Niaz, an activist who focuses on Muslim law and womens rights, challenged the ban in court and won after a four-year trial. But any celebration of the demise of male hegemony over religion might be premature. Women have won support in the courts because there is sound legal ground against discrimination. From Shani-Shingnapur temple and the Sabarimala shrine to now Haji Ali, the judiciary has insisted on them complying with the principle of gender justice and equal spiritual rights. But in the face of traditional gender hierarchies, translating those victories into actual rights has been a challenge.

Read: HC allows womens entry into Haji Ali inner sanctum, trust to appeal verdict

Experience shows that the emotive issues of faith are often resistant to even rebukes from the judiciary. Indeed, court verdicts in matters of faith have been difficult to implement because political parties subvert them. For instance, hundreds of people attending Janmashtami celebrations in Maharashtra defied a Supreme Court order limiting the height of the human pyramids due to safety concerns. Maharashtra Navnirman Sena members formed a 49-foot human pyramid to celebrate the birth of Lord Krishna.

Read: Maharashtra govt favours entry of women in Haji Ali Dargah

Yet, when politicians have shown the will, much progress has been achieved on this front. In April, when the courts ordered that women be allowed into the Shani-Shingnapur temple, large crowds consisting mostly of men, tried to stop them. But the police swung into action and a group of women activists walked into the temple for the first time in 400 years.

In India, roads, railway stations and parks are dotted with illegal shrines. Court efforts to stop the use of public land for religious sites have largely been ignored by political parties. But in 2008, then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modis government oversaw the demolition of dozens of illegal religious structures to comply with a court directive. This brings us to the point that political will is key to ensuring compliance with court verdicts.

In the case of Haji Ali, the Maharashtra government has been asked to provide security to women who want to enter the shrine. We can only hope that chief minister Devendra Fadnavis does not fail them.
Call it the impact of Swacch Bharat campaign or lack of good jobs or rising unemployment among the state youth that around 5.5 lakh applications have been received by Lucknow Municipal Corporation against its advertisement of 3,142 posts of safai workers on contractual basis. It was in September last year when more than 23 lakh people applied against 368 posts of peon in the state secretariat.

LMC officials are surprised over such a huge response by the candidates. Two rooms are full with the applications.

Now, the LMC has to hire a private company for the job of listing of applications after the employees of LMC refused to sort out the applications. It would take around two months to list the applications. The recruitment would be done through direct interview which may take a few months. Municipal commissioner Udairaj Singh says that the eligibility criteria for the post is nothing but robust physique so that he or she can work well.

Read more: PhD holders among 23 lakh applicants for peon jobs in UP

The work of safai workers is done mostly by people of Dhanuk and Valmiki communities. But this time the general category members have outnumbered them, said one of the officials on condition of anonymity.

Going by the sorting trend, till now we have found a large number of applications coming from general category youths. However, final selection would be done after the interview. Besides this, those working with different agencies in various wards of LMC would be given extra weightage in the selection process, said the official. Nagar Swasthya Adhikari Dr PK Singh said, We have opened the recruitment process almost after 10 years, thats why there is a mad rush for contractual posts. LMC is already short of staff with its only 3,255 regular safai workers and 1,500 hired through private agencies.

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Vivek Choudhary, a first-year student at IIM Lucknow, has secured the top rank in the examination of The Institute of Company Secretaries India (ICSI) that declared the results of its executive and professional programme on Thursday.

The company secretaries examination were held in June 2016.

The feeling of seeing the word Pass on the mark sheet is a very big achievement in itself as it is one of the most competitive examinations of the country. I did not expect to get any rank. I was really not bothered to check the rank. For me, becoming a company secretary itself was a huge success, Choudhary said.

The 21-year-old commerce graduate from Kolkatas St Xaviers College said he got the news about his rank from one of his friends who checked the results on the website.

At first, I could not believe him. Then I personally checked the website to confirm, and to my surprise, I was there on the top. The rank glorified it and gave me a very big reason to celebrate, Choudhary, who is from Haryana and has been living in Kolkata for the last 10 years, said.

Read more: Company secretaries (ICSI CS 2016) exam results declared

My first call was to my mother as she has been a constant support and a source of inspiration to me. My parents are my ideals as they have given me guidance at every point of time in my life. Whatever I have achieved today is because of their blessings, he said.

I was really not bothered to check the rank. For me, becoming a company secretary itself was a huge success, Choudhary said. (Handout image)

When asked how difficult the examination was, his reply was immediate. Unlike most professional courses, CS has a very comprehensive syllabus. There are nine subjects, multiple laws and thousands of provisions which sometimes get on your head. But all that is required to ace this challenge is a commitment, hard work, focus and a lot of sacrifices in terms of social media, parties, etc.

He said CAT or CS are different ballgames. CAT tests analytical, qualitative and logical skills while CS deals with applications in various domains of business, like law, taxation, and governance. Both are highly competitive but comparing them is not justified, he said.

For now, he wants to become an investment banker. But that is not my ultimate goal in life. My dream is to contribute towards the development of the society through education. I believe education is the guiding light for improved standards of living. If I am asked to define my ultimate goal concisely, it would be to bring out a revolution in education, he said.

For Choudhary his alma mater, Don Bosco School in Liluah, changed him as a person  from an introvert to a man of values who understands the importance of interpersonal relations. While in Class 9, I developed an interest in commerce as a subject and decided to choose it as my career option, he said.

A finance enthusiast, Choudhary is also pursuing chartered accountancy and chartered secretary courses to shape up his professional and technical knowledge.

A movie buff, Choudhary watches one every weekend and is also associated with Dasnagar Freedom Welfare Foundation, an NGO that helps underprivileged children, for the past one-and-a-half year.

I had taken up the responsibility of garnering sufficient funds for the organisation by actively organising its periodic events and I also taught and mentored five such students, Choudhary, who also loves to play badminton, said.

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Drawing attention to a high dropout rate in upper primary schools, Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam today said schools are facing the biggest crisis in India.

Delivering the first lecture of government think-tank Niti Aayogs Transforming India initiative, he said the worlds second-most populous country also has the biggest gap in talent at the top and unfulfilled potential at bottom.

Speaking on the need for social mobility, Shanmugaratnam said experiments have shown that starting as early as possible in a childs life cycle helps.

Intervention at pre-natal stage are critical, followed up with pre-school opportunities, he said, adding that India has some notable schemes in this regard citing the results of the Integrated Child Development Services and Anganwadis.

Things, he added, can be achieved with village-level interventions -- from reaching out to the mother and the child as early as possible and then schools.

Read more: Girls refuse to go to boys school, decide to drop out

Schools are the biggest crisis in India today and have been for a long time. Schools are the biggest gap between India and East Asia. And it is a crisis that cannot be justified, the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore said.

Reeling off data, Shanmugaratnam said 43% students drop out before finishing upper primary school. There is a shortage of 7,00,000 primary school teachers, only 53% schools have girls toilets and only 74% have access to daily drinking water.

He went on to say this explains that when India took part in OECD PISA study in 2009, it was ranked 73rd out of 74 countries. And this is in a country which has exceptional talent with people who go to IITs and IIMs and lead companies all over the world and are first-rated, he added.

Read more: School principal holds plays to convince dropouts to return

India has the biggest gap, I know and I have spent many years in education... talent at the top and the unfulfilled potential of those in the rest of the society. And these things can be fixed. And it is not by way of ever-increasing budgets, he said.

Highlighting Singapores example, the Deputy Prime Minister said it is not about spending more, but is about organisation and culture.

How do we recruit our teachers, how do we train them, how do we hold the teachers accountable, how do we provide for quality across the system and not just at its most exclusive end? How do we ensure that every school is a good school? he explained.

Shanmugaratnam saw a big challenge in the tertiary (higher) education system, which he said is not unique to India, but all over the world, the US, the UK, China, Europe and Korea.

We are over-producing graduates who go through a general academic education. We have over-academised learning... We are producing students who do not have the skills required in the real world. We have to re-orient our system to focus on the skills required in the real world, he stressed.

On human resource development, Shanmugaratnam said:On human resource development, Shanmugaratnam said: Human capital development is not just what happens in first 12 years or 18 years of our life, it is about what happens to the life. It is about life-long learning. We need to refresh ourselves.

It means developing potential throughout life, having an infrastructure that encourages people to learn, he noted. Shanmugaratnam also underscored a very special role cities play in Reform, Perform and Transform, particularly in a large continental-scale society like India. Because it is cities which are crucibles of both innovation and inclusivity, he reasoned.

Read more: Youre on good wicket, dont take singles: Singapore dy PM to Modi on reforms

It is in cities where you get a working relationship between government, business, ITIs and schools. We have to empower them. Hold them accountable, give them some financial autonomy and hold competition among them. Cities will play a special role in future, he predicted.

Shanmugaratnam endorsed Prime Minister Narendra Modis policy, saying he has rightly emphasised that there is no strong economy and no strong nation without a strong society.

And the social policies and the interaction between the social and economic policies have to be the primary arena for the governments ambition. Social policy at the end of the day is economic policy, he added.

He concluded saying the need of the hour is what the Prime Minister emphasised in his speech. Its not just about budgets, its not just about programmes, it is at the end of the day about a social and political culture..., he added.

Shanmugaratnam underlined the need for enhancing social cohesion and the need to bring various sections of society together.

Making the point that looking long term in developing culture always pays, he said: A culture that focuses on the long term is essential for all that we want to achieve in an inclusive society. Short-termism is an enemy of social mobility.
White is the most visually appealing colour and our celebrities certainly know it. The all white look has become the most in thing and many of our fashion savvy celebs have been seen sporting the suave white-on-white look. This neutral colour scheme is undying and how.

Read: Velvet, the luxurious material is the hottest trend of the season

While the all white suited and booted look can make you look no less than a debonair, you can also make a faux pas if not styled properly. This trend was seen mostly sported by Kanye West. White as a colour is very soothing and it has to be styled right for that immaculate look. White on white looks really nice with athleisure, says designer Narendra Kumar.

Actor Sidharth Malhotra looks dapper in an all white suit

Adding more about the white on white trend, designer Suneet Varma says,White is pristine and it looks good on every skin tone. The ebullience it has further makes the person look more attractive. So the white trend is of course fabulous.

When in doubt you should always pick white. It is the most sublime colour and this white-on-white trend for men gets thumbs up from me because it makes him look uber-sophisticated, says celebrity stylist Amy Patel.

Follow the author @stalkerazzo

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Owing to a surge in the number of dengue and Chickungunya cases, health department officials have recommended that the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) increase fines for allowing water stagnation, by four times, from Rs 500 to Rs 2000.

The health department mooted this proposal after conceding that preventive measures such as mixing eucalyptus oil for killing larvae, releasing gambusia fish in stagnant water for eating mosquito larvae and fumigation

drives have had only a marginal effect in reducing these infections.

A senior health department official said: Once the proposal is implemented, things may improve as people do not mind paying Rs 500 these days. The increase in fine is needed to curb and deter people from letting mosquito breed.

Following incessant rainfall over the past few weeks, several areas in the city are waterlogged and have become breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Twenty-eight cases of dengue were registered in the last two weeks alone, an average of two new cases every day.

Till July 31 not even a single case of Chickungunya was reported to the health department. But private hospitals and practioners are now reporting nearly 50 suspected cases daily, as patients develop high fever, rashes and joint pains- common symptoms of the infection.

As per instructions issued for the prevention of water-borne infections, people have been advised to clean coolers, pots and other utensils and not let water stagnate.

Dengue-causing aedes aegypti mosquitoes breed in stagnant water.

The MCG and health department have also issued more than 150 notices to various establishments after finding mosquito breeding sites in their vicinity. These include construction sites, residences, tyre-shops and swimming pools.

Last year, the city recorded a three-year high in dengue cases, with the district health department registering 459 cases. As many as 375 cases were reported in 2012, 175 in 2013, and 86 in 2014.

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Demi Moore has joined Scarlett Johansson, Kate McKinnon and Jillian Bell in Sony Pictures Rock That Body.

Ilana Glazer and Zoe Kravitz are also starring in the picture, which follows five friends who rent a beach house in Miami for a wild bachelorette weekend, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Lucia Aniello will direct the comedy drama. Paul W Downs and Aniello co-wrote the script of the film.

Moore, whose has worked in movies like Ghost, A Few Good Men, Incident Proposal and recently in Forsaken, will next be seen in human trafficking drama Love Sonia and Blind.

Demi Moore in a still from Ghost.

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After proving his acting prowess in the 2008 blockbuster drama Slumdog Millionaire, Dev Patel has recently released the trailer of his latest outing Lion.

The movie is based on a real life story of Saroo Brierley, who got separated from his family at the age of five, got adopted by an Australian couple and then finds his real parents at the age of 25 using Google Earth.

Watch the trailer:

The recently released trailer shows how the protagonist deals with his adoptive family, the challenges he faces in accepting a new life while trying to connect with faded memories of his real family.

Lion, also featuring Nicole Kidman, David Wenham and Rooney Mara, is adopted from Brierleys non-fiction book A Long Way Home.

Patel will be playing Saroo in the movie, while Nicole Kidman and David Wenham will be seen playing his adopted parents and Rooney Mara will play his girlfriend. The film looks like a proper Oscar bait, high on drama and emotions. This will be Patels second big release this year after The Man Who Knew Infinity.

The high voltage drama film is set to release on November 25.

The film will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival and will also be screened at the London Film Festival.

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A set of 21 audio clips featuring former media baron Peter Mukerjea, his son Rahul Mukerjea and wife Indrani Mukerjea has surfaced, showing how the three discussed the disappearance of Sheena Bora, a 24-year-old who police say was murdered in 2012.

The Central Bureau of Investigation alleges Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and driver Shyamvar Rai strangled Sheena -- Indranis daughter from an earlier relationship -- inside a car in April, 2012. The trio was arrested in August last year, while Peter was arrested in November.

Sheenas skeletal remains were recovered by police from Maharashtras Raigad district -- 110 km from Mumbai -- last year.

Read: Sheena Bora murder: Audio clips reveal how Peter, Indrani misled Rahul

The clips show Rahul in conversation with Indrani and Peter over a period of two weeks, beginning with what appears to be the immediate aftermath of the murder. The recordings were made by Rahul, who was in a relationship with Sheena.

Here are 10 things Peter and Indrani can be heard saying in the audio tapes the CBI has taken into account during its investigation. The quotes are not in any particular order:

1) Peter: As far as I am concerned, what has happened to Sheena is that she has gone on her own accord somewhere and she doesnt want to be in touch with anybody right now.

2) Peter: My suggestion to you (Rahul) and it is only a suggestion advice to you, guidance... if that is what it is leave it alone she will come back when she wants to come back if she hasnt been in touch with anybody and shes gone off and you know wants to be wants to be in wants to be in hiding She wants to go with somebody may be she is with somebody maybe this somebody is an imaginary person I dont know and I dont want to at least. That is her look out. Right. Her choice. Heres the matter as I said we got bigger fish fry you got other things to do wait till the time is right and she will either come back to you or she will not come back to you. (A car honks in the background). Thats it now you you can go turning the whole world upside down. Go right finding out who, where, what, this, that. You might you might some clues and you might find Sheena. Good. Then what happens after that. You will be then you will be satisfied that haa she is okay.

3) Peter: Okay. Now After you done your search and you dont find her because she has covered her trails nicely then what happens? You still you know three weeks later two weeks later one week later whatever period of time later everybody has done all the homework here and still havent been able to find her for whatever reasons where shes gone?... what shes at What happens?

Read: Sheena Bora murder case: CBI says it has submitted tapes in court

4) Peter: Do you hear I will sort this thing We have spoken to someone on call, even Bharti who is head of Mumbai crime branch, he is a senior police officer. He is known to me very well for long time. We called them and he just asked her number. Then we gave him your number and Sheenas number.

5) Peter: You know what Im saying. When I said to you listen, I am assured that she is fine, at that point of time I am not lying to you, I am telling you I assure you that she is fine. But when I start to feel uncomfortable the most, you know may be there is more to this them I am sharing that with you too, saying yes, I am little bit more concerned than I was this time yesterday. So I am, thats why I am talking about both, Indrani and me both, right. We have spoken tojust now.

6) Peter: They know how to track phone lines and phone messagesand find out what is the most recent activity. So I guess let him do his homework now hes got he has been informed he is a friend he is doing it as a friend and he said he is gonna get back to us you know in the next day or so.

7) Indrani: I will tell you that very honestly till now I was not concerned you know okay till morning I said theek hai (its okay) I mean she is run away she is run away but the fact is you know now it has been like you said its been four days at least if someone I am trying to think of somebody she has contacted anybody okay who she would have touched base with. I dont know any I know only two three of her friends you know you know Pranoy, Sanjana, Pranami beyond that I dont know anybody sometimes she mentions work girls and all. Now I have no idea who this Nagpur fellow is all we want to know that if there is anything in Nagpur whatever is her phone located to Nagpur has she gone to Nagpur is she in Nagpur then okay fair enough then we let go whatever you know then we take a call. Then we dont have to go around you know but at least till we dont know I myself didnt want to wait for 24 hours.

8) Indrani: So we have communicated and in the meanwhile we have started the process if you suddenly receive a call dont panic. I mean somebody might just call you to ask you know when was the last time she contacted whatever whatever I mean because she lived with you. So they will call you okay. So dont panic. Now we are also getting a bit concerned. So thats the thing.

9) Indrani: If you have anything you have my number also if there is any need we will come down to Mumbai whatever dont worry we have set the ball rolling we cant go higher than this we have informed the head of the crime branch Probably what we basically want to establish is now for me here the concern is only that I dont know who the hell this guy is from Nagpur. Some guy with a Bentley or whatever I have no clue who he is. Number one. Ok now if

10) Indrani: Anyway so nowall that I want to know is that she is alright and thats itbeyond that you knowI am not going to kind of you know kill myself over this.

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An all-party delegation will visit Kashmir in the first week of September in stepped up efforts by the government to end a wave of violence that claimed the life of another youth in the valley on Friday.

The decision to send the team came a day after Union home minister Rajnath Singh ended a two-day visit to Kashmir, announcing the governments willingness to speak to anybody and promising an alternative to pellet guns which have left hundreds of people with eye injuries.

The exact date of the visit and composition of the delegation will be finalised after consultation with all political parties, said a senior government official who spoke on the condition of anonymity.

While Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to sound her out about the all-party delegations visit, chief minister Mehbooba Mufti might push for release of separatist leaders to enable them to hold rallies, which will allow protestors to vent their anger democratically.

Mufti is understood to have told Singh that the Centre needs to announce confidence-building measures to show its earnestness in resolving the crisis. Mufti is likely to raise the issue in her meeting with Modi in Delhi on Saturday.

Read | Centre wants Jammu and Kashmir govt to crack down on those fuelling unrest

Both the Centre and the state government are hoping that the situation will improve in view of the approaching Eid-ul-Zuha next month.

The thinking in the government is that the visit of leaders of different political parties might help in soothing the nerves and return of normalcy in the Valley as had happened in 2010.

It was on September 20, 2010 that a 39-member all-party delegation visited Kashmir to assess the situation in the wake of violence that claimed more than 120 lives in three months from June. The delegation gave eight suggestions, including appointing a team of interlocutors.

The interlocutors -- journalist Dileep Padgaonkar, academician Radha Kumar and former information commissioner MM Ansari  were appointed in October 2010.

They were tasked to begin a process of sustained uninterrupted dialogue with all sections of people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially with youths and students and all shades of political opinion.

Read | Mehbooba storms out of Kashmir press meet as Rajnath tries to pacify her

In their report submitted to the then union home minister P Chidambaram in October 2011, the interlocutors laid down a road map for the government to address all issues pertaining to the state. Among the recommendations included regional councils for all three regions - Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh - to address local aspirations apart from improving governance with a focus on women and children.

The report, also containing suggestions on financial packages in terms of jobs, rehabilitation of families of victims of violence and reducing the number of troops in civilian areas, is yet to be implemented.

Meanwhile, 19-year-old Shakeel Ahmad Ganai was killed when security forces fired on a group of protesters in Pulwama district.

The death toll since the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani rose to 69 even as the valley remained under for the 49th day.

Pulwama chief medical officer Fayaz Ahmad Shah said more than 20 wounded persons were brought to various hospitals, many of them with pellet injuries.

Ganai, who according to locals was a college student, was hit by bullets in Haal area of the Pulwama district.

Residents said that clashes erupted after people were not allowed to hold a protest prompting the youth to pelt stones on the government forces. The forces retaliated with tear gas shells, pellets and bullets.

Read | Govt will soon propose a substitute to pellet guns, Rajnath says in Srinagar
Myanmar state counsellor and foreign minister Aung San Suu Kyi will visit India in October, her first visit to the country after the democratically-elected government came to power in Myanmar.

Suu Kyi visited China earlier this month. The Myanmar leader will be in India as part of the outreach session with the leaders of Brazil, Russia, China and South Africa at the eighth Brics summit in October in Goa.

The Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (Bimstec), the outreach grouping for the summit, includes Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Myanmar, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Thailand. Formed in 1997, Bimstec aims to promote economic cooperation among South and South-East Asia countries.

This will be Suu Kyis first visit to India after the new government came to power in Myanmar.

Read | Why India needs to cosy up to Myanmars Aung San Suu Kyi

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The Allahabad high court granted immunity from arrest on cow slaughter charges to six family members of Mohammad Ikhlaq, whose mob lynching in Uttar Pradesh last year on suspicions of beef consumption triggered nationwide outrage.

But the court refused relief to Ikhlaqs brother Jan Mohammad, the prime accused in the case. Cow slaughter is banned in Uttar Pradesh with a prison term of up to two years.

An FIR was lodged against the family last month after a government forensic probe said the meat recovered from Ikhlaqs fridge was beef, contradicting an earlier report that said it was mutton.

Read | Dadri lynching: Meat found in Ikhlaqs fridge was beef, says lab

Ikhlaqs neighbours in Bisada village then filed a petition in a local court, alleging that the family had killed a calf last September, and that Jan Mohammad was seen slitting the throat of the animal.

But the 55-year-old Muslim mans family says it is being framed into a false case and they neither consumed beef nor stored cow meat in their house.

The cow slaughter charges have triggered tensions in the area, roughly six months before the state goes to the polls.

A mahapanchayat held in the area in June demanded strict action against the family and justified Ikhaqs murder, saying the family broke the law and insulted Hindu sentiments by killing a calf.

On September 28 last year, a mob lynched Ikhlaq and thrashed his son Danish (22) on the suspicion that they had killed calf and consumed beef. The terrorised family left the village and is living in Delhi, along with Ikhlaqs older son, an air force technician.

The incident sparked nationwide condemnation and a debate on rising intolerance with activists saying hardline Hindu leaders were responsible for ratcheting up communal tensions that led to Ikhlaqs death. They also blamed the Samajwadi Party state government and the BJP-ruled Centre.

Read | Dadri lynching: UP CM Akhilesh questions authenticity of beef report
A group of pregnant women, who were offered meals at an anganwadi centre in a village in Hamirpur as part of a government scheme, refused to consume them as the food was allegedly prepared by a Dalit anganwadi worker.

Reports suggested that the situation reached a point where the food had to be given to stray dogs. Namrata Gupta, local supervisor of the child welfare department, is investigating the incident, which has upset the Dalit population in and around the village. I am looking into the incident. I am trying to convince the villagers that caste discrimination is a social evil, she said.

Shakuntala Srivas, an anganwadi worker posted at one of the two centres in Bikodhar Purais primary school, had cooked tahiri (rice and potato cooked together) for 28 women on Wednesday. She had also arranged curd and fruits. But the women neither refused to eat the tahiri nor accepted the fruits.
Satya Prakash

The Bombay high courts verdict lifting the ban on the entry of women into the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali dargah in Mumbai must be welcomed by all law-abiding and freedom-loving people who advocate equal rights for women.

Its a victory of constitutional principles over religious dogmas that have long been used as a tool to suppress and subjugate women, who constitute half of humanity.

A bench of justice VM Kanade and justice Revati Mohite Dere said women should be permitted to enter the dargah because the ban went against the constitutional provisions that guaranteed them the right to equality, right to non-discrimination, and right to religion.

This comes months after the high court allowed women to enter the sanctum sanctorum of the Shani Shingnapur temple in Maharashtra, putting an end to a 400-year-old custom. A similar case concerning the Sabarimala temple in Kerala is pending before the Supreme Court.

The verdict becomes all the more important because it comes from the same court that passed a regressive verdict in 1951 in the Narasu Appa Mali case, holding that a personal law was not subject to fundamental rights because it was not a law within the meaning of Article 13.

The verdict once again brings to the fore the volatile relationship shared by law and religion in India.

First, the conflict is natural because the space occupied by law today was once completely in the domain of religion. The vice-like grip the Church had over the lives of commoners and kings alike in pre-renaissance Europe is a grim reminder of the tyranny of religion.

However, the Church was not the only one to blame. In many Islamic countries, the role of religion in an individuals life is all-encompassing even now. Religion has been a guiding force in an individuals life in India too. However, during the British rule, the role of religion in public life was curtailed to a great extent as the Raj tried to enforce its own laws.

Second, religious laws have always had an inherent gender bias  be it Catholicism, Hinduism or Islam. But after India adopted a modern constitution on January 26, 1950, guaranteeing a set of basic fundamental rights to all  irrespective of gender  discriminatory religious practices should ideally have ceased to operate.

Third, as society evolves, laws change accordingly. However, religious leaders and institutions have traditionally resisted change. The laws governing Hindus have been amended to a great extent, despite stiff opposition from various Hindu groups and then president Rajendra Prasad.

Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan members celebrate after the Mumbai high court ruled that women can enter the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai on Friday. (PTI)

Read: Haji Ali dargah, Haji Ali womens entry, Haji ali inner sanctorum, Bombay HC

The process of change is still on. The Hindu Succession Act was amended in 2005 to give equal property rights to daughters  both married and unmarried  and bring them on a par with the male members of a joint Hindu family governed by the Mitakshara law. Even in 2014, certain changes were introduced in the personal laws governing Hindus.

Unfortunately, no such reform has taken place in the Muslim Personal Law due to vehement opposition from the community. Even judicial interventions are not welcome. The Shah Bano case (1985) is an example where the Rajiv Gandhi government bowed to the diktats of regressive Muslim leaders and reversed a progressive verdict of the top court that had ordered alimony for a mother of five.

This dargah order has come at a time when many Muslim women have approached the Supreme Court against the arbitrary triple talaq custom and other discriminatory practices  such as gender bias in maintenance and inheritance in their community  invoking their fundamental and non-discrimination. The Muslim Personal Law Board has claimed that the Muslim law is made by God, and the Supreme Court cannot interfere with it.

In the past three decades, the apex court has reminded the government several times of its constitutional obligation of enacting the uniform civil code, ensuring equal rights to all. However, successive governments have adopted a very cautious approach to issues touching upon religious beliefs.

An ideal situation would be where religion operates in the personal sphere and the law governs public space. In case of a conflict, the latter  which is based on the constitutional principles of freedom, equality and democracy  must prevail.

Religion cannot be allowed to be merciless... Faith cannot be used as a dehumanising force. This is what the Supreme Court said in 2014, declaring that Islamic courts have no constitutional basis and Muslims cannot be forced to follow their fatwas.

The Bombay high court verdict holds out hope for all those who look up to courts for protecting their fundamental rights.

Unfortunately, the Supreme Court has dithered on these issues and tried to pass the buck by saying that it was for the government and Parliament to take a call on these issues. In the Krishna Singh-versus-Mathura Ahir case (1980), the top court reiterated the view taken by the Bombay high court in the Narasu Appa Mali case that fundamental rights dont touch upon personal laws. Consequently, there is confusion on the issue even now.

Speaking on the order allowing women to enter the dargah, former Delhi high court judge RS Sodhi said: I congratulate the Bombay HC for catching the bull by the horns. There is no personal law thats superior to the Constitution. Men and woman have equal rights under the Constitution. No personal law can deny them these rights, and any discrimination has to be put down with a firm hand.

The Haji Ali Dargah Trust has said it would challenge the verdict before the Supreme Court. Obviously, the last word on the controversy hasnt been said yet.

(The author is the legal editor of Hindustan Times)
After facing losses year after year due to hailstorms, farmers of Shimla district finally installed two anti-hail guns at Ratnari and Baghi villages  85km from here. Since there is no provision of a government subsidy, farmers paid for the project out of their own pocket.

These guns, also called anti-hail cannons, imported from New Zealand, are expected to protect over a dozen villages from hailstorms. The idea of installing them was conceived in March and a society was formed.

Subsequently, all the formalities for importing the two anti-hail guns  worth Rs 1.20 crore were completed. Last week, farmers received anti-hail cannons and installed them at Baghi and Ratnari. Baghi gram panchayat head Raj Kumar Bhinta said simple science was behind antihail guns and its effectiveness. An anti-hail gun is hassle-free in its use as compared to putting up anti-hail nets, Bhinta told HT.

NEED OF THE HOUR

Every year, hailstorms pound apple crop and cause losses to the farmers. Even after putting up anti-hail nets, which are being promoted by the government, farmers felt that anti-hail guns will have been more effective.

ANTI-HAIL NETS NOT ENOUGH

Ankush Chauhan, an apple grower from Kotkhai, said antihail net was an old remedy that end up damaging trees. Anti-hail nets check the tree growth besides depriving a plant of sunlight, he said, adding that anti-hail nets were traditionally used to save apple trees from hail storm but it required a professional team to install and uninstall.

HOW IT WORKS

An anti-hail cannon is a shock wave generator intended to disrupt the formation of hailstones in the atmosphere in the beginning stage. An explosive charge of acetylene gas and air is fired in the lower chamber of the machine and the resulting energy passes through the neck and develops a shock wave. Shock wave travels at the speed of sound through the cloud formations.

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The Bombay high court struck down on Friday a ban on womens entry into the Haji Ali Dargahs inner sanctum, a landmark verdict in a country where female worshippers are still barred in many religious places.

The court said the ban violated womens fundamental rights and asked the state to ensure protection for female devotees, granting the trust six weeks to implement the order.

A bench of justice VM Kanade and Revati Mohite-Dere said the ban was against Article 14 (equality before law), Article 15 (no discrimination on sex, gender, religion etc) and Article 21 (right to life and liberty) of the Constitution.

The court directed the Haji Ali trust to grant access inside the shrine to women at par with men but the latter indicated it will appeal the verdict in the Supreme Court.

Read: Trupti Desai enters Haji Ali dargah till where women were allowed

The decision came on a petition by a Muslim womens foundation that asked the court to restore the shrines regulations to 2012, when women were allowed into the sanctum sanctorum albeit through separate queues and at restricted timings.

During the last hearing, then advocate general of Maharashtra, Shrihari Aney, had said women have an unfettered right to worship and that no trust or organisation must attempt to infringe upon such a Right.

The trust had justified the ban, arguing the restriction was an integral part of Islam as the Quran says women must not touch the tombs of male saints.

It had also said that by disallowing women from entering the sanctum sanctorum, the trust was saving women from much jostling, overcrowding, unwanted touch and even possible theft.

Fridays verdict is part of a larger campaign for allowing women entry into shrines and strike down what activists say is regressive gender bias among religious leaders.

Earlier this year, activist Trupti Desai and hundreds of women entered the holy Shani Shani temple in Maharashtra.

A case for lifting a similar decades-old ban at Keralas Sabarimala shrine is being heard by the Supreme Court.

Read | How Twitter reacted to HC order on womens entry into Haji Alis inner sanctum

Women aged between 10 and 50 years (women in menstrual age) are not allowed to the famous the Sabarimala Ayyappa temple situated at a hilltop because the deity is a celibate (Naisthik Brahmachari).

The Kerala government and the Travancore Devaswom Board that manages the temple are defending the age-old tradition under challenge on the ground that it violated womens right to equality.

But the top court has come down heavily on the trust, asking if menstruation  a biological phenomenon could be grounds for discrimination.

Do you to mean to say that mensuration is associated with purity of women? You are making distinction based on purity... Now the question is whether the Constitutional principles allow this? the top court asked.

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If little Krishna stole butter as a child, this idol of the mythological lord risks the danger of theft. For, its made of 1,280 kg of gold.

Authorities at Baba Bansidhar temple in Garhwa district are of late extra-careful that the vintage shrine is guarded well. This, after specific reports of bids to rob the shrine of its main deity worth Rs 2,500 crore.

Located in northwest Jharkhands Nagar Utari, the white-spire temple features a four-foot-tall deity of a crowned Krishna standing along with his lover Radha, whose 120-kg statue is made in ashtadhatu that is an alloy of eight metals, including gold.

Legend has it that the principal idol of flute-playing Krishna was dug out from a hill called Shivpahari along the Kanhar river -- now in Uttar Pradesh -- 131 years ago. One of the most revered spots of worship in north India, the temple which has hills near it clocks 10 lakh pilgrims annually.

In 2014, a team of experts from Banaras Hindu Universitys geology department visited the temple and estimated the market value of the Krishna idol to be around Rs 2500 crore.

Ever since, the temple has become vulnerable to attack by criminal and Left ultras. Last year, the Luckhnow AntiTerrorism Squad (ATS) intercepted a telephonic conversation between a top UP-based criminal and leaders of Jharkhands leftwing extremist Tritiya Prastuti Committee (TPC), plotting to attack the temple.

The ATS, which did not reveal the name of the UP criminal, said his plan was to rip the gold idol with gas cutters and take away the booty. The squad alerted Garhwa Police, following which security has been intensified in and around the temple, which is now under digital surveillance.

Prior to the alert, the temple had a security cover of one officer and four constables, Garhwa police superintendent Priyadarshi Alok told HT. After the alert, we made it two officers and eight armed jawans.

Securities personnel deployed at the Baba Bansidhar temple in Garhwa district. (HT Photo)

We have carried out several successful raids at the hideouts of TPC ultras, he said. While we neutralised many of them, the biggest success came when we arrested TPC commander, Chhotu Singh Kherwar. His name featured in the Luckhnow ATS-intercept talk.

Garhwa is strategically located on the borders of four states: Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Hence, the temple is susceptible to attacks by criminals and Left insurgents, who trespass into any of the four neighbouring states.

Descendants of the Nagar Utari Royal family, who manage the temple through a trust, declined to speak on the value of the idol. How can we value God, said chief trustee Anant Pratap Deo, an ex-legislator of the local Bhawnathpur constituency.

He said his great-grandmother, Shivani Kunwar Singh, an austere Krishna devotee, saw the Lord in her dream asking her to bring him to the princely estate from Shivpahari, where he was lying in a cave. My great-grandmother went to the hills with soldiers and elephants, dug out the Krishna idol of gold from the cave and brought him to Utari, he added.

But, he said, the elephant dropped the idol at the entrance of the Utari palace. All efforts to pick up the idol again to install inside the palace failed. Eventually, it was installed at the entrance and thats how the Bansidhar temple came up.

The temple committee and priests are not worried of the threat to their God. No evil eyes of criminal and rebel groups can cause any damage to our God, said chief priest Brajkishore Tiwari. After Mathura and Vrindavan, the God himself chose Utari for his abode.


Even as the government is grappling to contain the primate problem, the rhesus macaque monkeys are back in the centre stage of politics in Himachal Pradesh.

The Communist Party of India (CPI) has demanded that the government export the monkeys as it was unable to cull them, even after permission from the environment ministry.

Communist partys state secretariat member Dr Kuldeep Singh Tanwar, in an open letter to forest minister Thakur Singh Bharmuari, hit out at him for his indecisiveness on culling the monkeys that have forced famers in large areas of state to abandon traditional agriculture .

At a time when the Vidhan Sabhas monsoon session is in progress, the party wants the government to come out with a concrete solution to contain the monkey menace. The party has given many suggestions to the ministers who, instead of finding a solution to the problem, are seeking suggestions from the public, that too after the centre government declared them as vermin in Himachal, Tanwar said.

It was in the end of May that the central government, heeding to the state governments request, allowed killing of monkeys in the 38 tehsils of 10 districts of the state where the farmers were most affected.

The party, in its sarcasmloaded letter, congratulated forest minister Thakur Singh Bharmouari for a accepting that wild animals were destroying crops and causing harm to humans.

Farmer bodies in the state had been raising the issue with both the state as well as central government over the last decade, Tanwar said. At this stage, seeking suggestions from the people on containing the monkey problem is not relevant, he said.

The Left party also hit out at the government for its indecisiveness on curtailing the monkey population.

While requesting the Centre to declare monkeys as vermin, the government must have thought of ways to control and cull them, the letter said.

If not the government, at least the wild life wing of the forest department must have apprised the minister about a strategy, after monkeys were declared vermin, Tanwar said in the letter.

The CPIM suggested that if the government does not have faith in the states wildlife experts, it should learn about animal control from other nations facing the same problem.

The party claimed that of the 151 tehsils, monkeys had destroyed crops in 149. The party also raised questions about the monkey sterlisation program of the state. Monkey sterilisation is only effective if more than 70 % simians are sterlised. Only 40% simians have been sterlised in the last ten years, he said.

Last month, the forest department had sought suggestion from various stake holders, public representatives and social activists on culling monkeys. However, so far, the government is yet to analyse the suggestions.

Kisan Sabha has asked the government to hire former soldiers to shoot down marauding monkeys in the state.

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The Scorpene data leak scandal has left India in a Catch-22 situation.

The government has not indicated its next move  whether it will invoke the confidentiality clause in the Rs 23,562-crore project, revisit the ongoing programme or ask French shipbuilder DCNS to reconfigure the submarine after evaluating the risks from leaked data.

The DCNS can be punished if found guilty of lapses. The non-disclosure clause clearly states that no provision, specification, plan, design, pattern or information related to the contract can be disclosed.

India can claim huge damages if it is established that the leak happened at the French firms end, said admiral Arun Prakash, who was the navy chief when the deal was signed in 2005.

Read | New Scorpene submarine details emerge, navy says leak not serious

However, legal experts caution against invoking the confidentiality clause in a rush.

Contractual remedies are available but the government cant act on impulse. A cost-benefit analysis has to be done. I think it will be best to engage with the French firm to see how the problem can be fixed, said Gopal Subramaniam, a former solicitor general.

In any case, penalties would hardly serve any purpose if the leaked documents have given away sensitive data.

Navy officials and experts said there was no question of reconsidering the project as it was in an advanced stage and any delay would seriously upset the navys plan to scale up its underwater warfare capabilities.

Thats out of questionit will put us behind by several years. And you cant buy submarines of the shelf, said a senior naval officer.

Read | Experts divided on leak of sensitive data on Scorpene submarine

The extent of damage caused is yet to be ascertained though the navy dismissed any threats from the leak after carrying out its initial analysis.

The French firm has dubbed the leak as a serious matter and launched a probe to assess potential damages to its customers and fix responsibility for it. Experts are divided over how damaging the leak of sensitive data could prove to be and whether it could have compromised the platform.

Reconfiguring the submarine to neutralise any possible threat would increase costs and delay. Sources in the shipbuilding industry said changing the characteristics of the platform is not easy.

Strategic affairs expert Commodore C Uday Bhaskar (retd) said, India should review to what degree the characteristics of the boat can be revisited. These are unchartered waters for both the navy and the DCNS.

Read | All about Indian Navys crucial Scorpene submarines
The Supreme Court granted immunity from arrest and police protection to Rajya Sabha member Sasikala Pushpa on Friday after the expelled AIADMK leader alleged a threat to her life.

Sasikala had grabbed headlines last month when she broke down on live television inside Parliament and accused AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa of slapping her. Since then, she has claimed a threat to her life and dignity but the Tamil Nadu police has repeatedly refused to grant her security.

But on Friday, the top court gave her protection for six weeks and said the Tamil Nadu Polices refusal showed there is something more than what meets the eye.

Read: My leader slapped me: Expelled AIADMK MP breaks down in Rajya Sabha

She is an MP and will not run away, the apex court said. Sasikala was facing a criminal case from a former employee but the SC granted her immunity from the arrest.

Sasikala had slapped DMK MP Tiruchi Siva at the Delhi airport, angering Jayalalithaa and triggering her expulsion from the party.

The Rajya Sabha member who shares her name with a close associate of Jayalalithaa  said she was being hounded by the AIADMK.

 Will the government save me?... I am being harassed. I need protection. In Tamil Nadu, I dont have safety, she had told the Rajya Sabha. Where is womens safety in this country?

Read: Expelled AIADMK MP Sasikala, kin booked for harassing domestic helps

Pushpa is one of the few prominent women leaders in the AIADMK and was nominated by the CM to stand for Rajya Sabha elections in 2014 -- the conclusion, many thought, to her meteoric rise through the party ranks.

This is not the first time that the two have been at loggerheads: Jayalalithaa had removed Pushpa from as president of the partys womens wing as well as forced her to step down as deputy leader of the AIADMKs Rajya Sabha party in January.

Rumours indicated her alleged support of a sand mafia tycoon in Thoothukudi and proximity to DMK Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi had vexed Jayalalithaa.

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India is assuming the worst-case scenario on the Scorpene leaks, with defence minister Manohar Parrikar saying they are not a big worry, but admitted that there were a few pockets of concern.

We are going by assumption of the worst-case scenario. I think there is not a big worry because we will be able to put things in right perspective, he said, a day after the ministry formed a high-level committee, headed by a vice admiral, to carry out detailed assessment of potential impact.

India hasnt heard anything from French shipbuilder DCNS yet. Six submarines are being licence-produced in India under a `23,562-crore project.

Parrikar said the documents on The Australian newspapers website did not contain data on the weapons to be deployed on the submarine, but the Australian journalist, who reported the leak, said it would be put out on Monday with sensitive details redacted.

Indias defence minister says leaked data on Scorpene Submarines does not include weapons systems. Wrong. We will release weapons docs Monday, Cameron Stewart, the journalist, tweeted.

The newspaper reported on Tuesday that the documents, running into 22,400 pages, could prove an intelligence bonanza for Pakistan and China.

But Parrikar said the navy has assured him that most of the leak was not of concern. Its unclear on what basis the navy has reached that conclusion as it has not been able to access the massive tranche of documents yet.

India has asked France to probe the leak urgently and share the findings.

We are waiting for the report. Basically, what is on the website is not of big concern. We are assuming, on our own, that this has leaked and we are taking all precautions, Parrikar said.

Asked if the scandal could hit the Rafale deal with France, he said, (How could) you stop using all products from France? Obviously the companies are different, the type of equipment is different and an incident should be punished with whatever contractual punishment is there. It is not intentionally leaked.

Read: India should be worried about the Scorpene data leak case. Heres why
Secret data on Indias Scorpene submarines was accessed by an unknown number of people working for a private company in a Southeast Asian country and even placed on an internet server where it was vulnerable to hacking and interception.

The leaked data, which has forced the Indian Navy to assess the vulnerability of Scorpene submarines ordered from French shipbuilder DCNS under a $3.5 billion deal, is believed to have been removed from the firm in Paris in 2011 by a former French Navy officer, The Australian reported on Friday.

The officer, who worked as a subcontractor for DCNS, and a French colleague took the data to a Southeast Asian country where they were employed by a private company run by a Western businessman. After the two Frenchmen were sacked by the firm, the secret data was sent to the companys head office in Singapore.

The data was also placed on a server on April 18, 2013, and it was dangerously vulnerable to hacking or interception by a foreign intelligence service, the daily reported. It is not known whether the data stayed on this server for a few days or for a year, it added.

The data was also sent by the firm on a disk by regular post to a man in Sydney in April 2013. This man, who was experienced in defence issues, was stunned when he opened the file on his computer and saw the documents detailing the secret capabilities of the Indian submarines, the report said.

Read: India should be worried about the Scorpene data leak case. Heres why

The latest revelations by The Australian are expected to add to concerns in the Indias security establishment about the leak of 22,400 pages of documents detailing the combat capabilities of the Scorpene submarines.

The first of six Scorpenes being built at the state-run Mazagon Docks in Mumbai began sea trials in May. The Scorpenes are expected to become the mainstay of Indias submarine fleet, replacing the ageing Russian-origin Kilo-class vessels and German-designed HDW submarines.

The Australian reported that the French subcontractor who removed the data on the Scorpenes was a former French Navy officer who quit the service in the early 1970s and worked for French defence companies for more than three decades. It added that he broke the law by taking the data to a Southeast Asian country and may face prosecution.

The speculation is that the data on the Scorpene was removed to serve as a reference guide for the former naval officers new job, but it is unclear why anyone would risk breaking the law by taking classified data for such a purpose, the report said.

Read: Scorpene leak not a big worry, but govt assuming the worst: Parrikar

After the French subcontractor and his colleague fell out with the private company in the Southeast Asian country, the firm held on to the data but did not possibly know the significance of the cache of documents.

When the data was sent by disk to the man in Sydney, it was not even encrypted. The man in Sydney transferred it to an encrypted disk and wiped the old disk with special software, grabbed a hammer and smashed it to pieces in his backyard.

The man, who was not identified by The Australian, placed the new encrypted disk in a locked filing cabinet in his office and there it remained for more than two years.

The newspaper described the story behind the leak as more incompetence than espionage  more Austin Powers than James Bond. It added that the man in Sydney, whom it described as a whistleblower, had decided to show the data to The Australian because it amounted to a matter of national security significance to Australia, especially in light of its decision to order 12 submarines from DCSN under a $38-billion contract.

The whistleblower, who plans to surrender the disk to the Australian government on Monday, was quoted as saying: In the wake of the recent future submarine decision (in Australia) this matter went from one of a very serious breach for both France and India to a matter of national security significance to Australia and the US.

The man wants Australia to know that France has already lost control of secret data on Indias new submarines and hopes this will spur the Australian government and DCNS to step up security to ensure Australias submarine project does not suffer the same fate.

Read: Navy requests French govt to investigate Scorpene leak

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The Congress might have started its Uttar Pradesh campaign on an aggressive note and succeeded in creating an initial buzz but the party will have to go the extra mile to bring back its days of glory.

That seems easier said than done. With nearly six months to go for the countrys most keenly watched elections in the key cow-belt state, the Congress might need more than strategist Prashant Kishor to pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat take its tally from a paltry 28 to more than 200 seats to recapture the Lucknow throne after 27 years.

However, this does not appear to have daunted the spirit of party leaders. This time, we are fighting the elections to form the government and not just to increase our tally, Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad said.

The Congress was the dominant political force in Indias most populous state for years but the partys decline started with the emergence of Mandal-Mandir politics in late 1980s. Ousted from power in 1989, the party has been struggling to arrest its falling fortunes ever since.

The rise of Mulayam Singh Yadav and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) saw the Congress dropping to fourth position in the states political map. With its Ram Temple plank, the BJP too emerged as a dominant political force.

The BJPs stupendous performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, in which it won 71 out of the total 80 seats, has given jitters to both the ruling Samajwadi Party and the BSP ahead of the 2017 polls.

While the BJP is banking heavily on upper castes and non-Yadav other backward classes for a repeat of the 2014 performance, the core vote bank of the BSP (Dalits) and the Samajwadi Party (Yadavs) remain intact.

Read: Nothing caste in stone as UP gears up for assembly elections

In the caste-driven politics, the Congress finds itself on the margins and is desperately hoping that its traditional support base of Brahmins and Muslims will return and help in reviving its electoral fortunes.

At the moment, this seems difficult but not impossible.

Traditionalvote bank Congress relies onthis supportbase that formsa sizeableportion of UPsvoter population Dalits: 21% - 22%

21% - 22% Muslims: 18% - 19%

18% - 19% Brahmins: 11% - 12%

Irrespective of tall claims, Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders admit that winning around 50 seats in 2017 polls will be a big achievement and enable the party to play kingmaker in case of a hung verdict.

State Congress leaders are keen on an alliance with the BSP and the aggressive tone and tenor of their partys campaign so far is seen as an attempt to force a rethink in Mayawatis poll strategy. The announcement of former Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit  a Brahmin  as chief ministerial candidate may have been a part of this plan.

Congress leaders also cite her decision to support and save the Harish Rawat government in Uttarakhand and also her help in sending Congress Vivek Tankha to the Rajya Sabha from Madhya Pradesh.

Read: With Sheila, the Congress has raised its stakes in Uttar Pradesh

Political analysts say if the two parties join hands, it will be a winning combination with the potential of decimating its political rivals. A Dalit-Muslim-Brahmin combination has remained unbeatable in the past and will be invincible even in the future, said Prof Badri Narayan of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

But the Congress knows that the final decision rests with Mayawati and much depends on her assessment of the evolving political situation.

Till then, Kishor has to put in more efforts to sustain the buzz he has succeeded in creating around the Congress so far. After Congress president Sonia Gandhis impressive road show in Varanasi on August 2, he had told some party leaders that it was just a preview of his campaign plan.

As part of that plan, rallies, yatras and road shows will be held at regular intervals in the run-up to the polls. The party is also planning to start the ticket distribution process at least two months in advance. If that happens, it will be a departure from the past, when tickets were usually allocated at the last moment.

Read: Congress falls back on yatra campaign in poll-bound UP

The party will also ask all present and former MPs to give names of candidates for at least two assembly segments in their parliamentary constituencies. The idea is to identify 100 seats where the Congress is in a position to put up a good show.

ELECTION ISSUES Corruption, law and order, communal disharmony, cow vigilantism, governance, unemployment, price rise STRENGTHS Top leadership: Soniaand Rahul Gandhi  whotraces his roots to UP

Soniaand Rahul Gandhi  whotraces his roots to UP Inclusiveness: TheCongress does not claimto be the torchbearer ofone particular caste orreligion but tries toaccommodate al

TheCongress does not claimto be the torchbearer ofone particular caste orreligion but tries toaccommodate al Reach: Though small innumber, a Congresscadre exists in everydistrict of the state

WEAKNESSES Divided state leadership

No big faces

Intense factionalis

Weak organisational structure at ground level

Poor public connect of senior leaders

Fields rebels of other parties from seats where it lacks winnable candidates, leading to disillusionment among workers KEY LEADERS Ghulam Nabi Azad (general secretary), SheilaDikshit (chief ministerialcandidate), Raj Babbar(state chief), SanjaySingh (campaigncommittee chief),Pramod Tiwari (coordinationpanel head), SalmanKhurshid, Jitin Prasada,PL Punia, SriprakashJaiswal, Rita BahugunaJoshi and RPN Singh



STRATEGY



Rallies, yatras and road shows at regular intervals. After the second phase of the yatra ends on October 9, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi will start his campaign with a public meetingThe party is planning to start the ticket distribution process at least two months in advance.This will be a departure from the past, when tickets were usually allocated at the last moment



Present and former MPs will be asked to name candidates for at least two assembly segments in their constituencies. The idea is to identify 100 seats where the party can put up a good show

Organisational weakness has been blamed for the Congress poor show in UP in the past but party secretary Prakash Joshi disagrees with it. Unlike the other parties, it is only the Congress that has strong organisational structure on the ground. We have our committees in each block and district with minimum 21 office-bearers and dont see that in other parties, he said.

But it is the voter who is divided on caste and religion lines and the Congress has never done and will never indulge in such politics, said Joshi who assists Azad in UP affairs.

Full coverage: Uttar Pradesh assembly elections

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Battered in last years Bihar polls, All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi is considering a pre-poll tie-up with Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) for next years assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh.

Our partys UP unit is dealing with the matter. It is early days yet and nothing has been decided so far, Owaisi told HT.

The AIMIM leaders go-it-alone misadventure in Bihar had bombed last October with his party candidates losing security deposits in all seats they contested in the Muslim-dominated Seemanchal or bordering districts of the eastern state.

In a hurry to fill up the political space left vacant by the decimation of the Congress in the 2014 general elections, the AIMIMs UP unit had last year indicated that it will contest around 100 of the 403 assembly seats in UP.

Not only has the Hyderabad-based party scaled down its numbers for UP, but is also willing to play a junior partner to any secular formation in order to prevent Muslim/Dalit votes from getting splintered.

Sources said the AIMIM is in the process of identifying winnable Muslim and Dalit seats. Despite opposition by local Muslims, the party had fielded a Dalit candidate, Pradeep Kori, from Bikapur assembly seat in the by-election early this year. Kori stood fourth with 11,857 votes.

Owaisi has ruled out an alliance with the Samajwadi Party (SP), Congress, BJP and Janata Dal (United), but has been silent on the BSP. However, it is unlikely that Mayawati will be interested in having any formal/informal alliance with the AIMIM in the pre-poll scenario. She has already shown her disinclination to a tie-up with the Congress.

UPs Muslim space has been getting increasingly crowded, with most political parties including the SP, Congress, JD(U) and the BSP considering plans to field a large number of minority candidates in order to bring about a Dalit/Muslim polarisation against the BJP. Mayawatis party plans to field approximately 125 Muslim candidates.

Accounting for 18-19% of the states population, Muslims could influence the poll outcome in about 100 seats.

As part of its Muslim-outreach plan, the SP has been negotiating a tie-up with the Quami Ekta Dal  an outfit headed by controversial leader Mukhtar Ansari. As an anti-SP front, nine Muslim outfits recently came together under one platform under the leadership of the Peace Partys Mohammed Ayub.

At this stage, Owaisis choices seem extremely restricted though he has maintained that his party is open for an alliance to fight the upcoming polls. Much depends now on Mayawatis political and electoral calculations.

Owaisi is, however, buoyed by the public response to his two recent public meetings in Uttar Pradesh.
Pakistans continued support for resurgent militant groups hostile to the United States, coupled with warming US military and business relations with India, is sharply diminishing Islamabads strategic importance as an ally to Washington, US military, diplomatic, and intelligence officials and outside experts said.

The United States has cut both military and economic aid to Pakistan sharply in recent years, reflecting mounting frustration among a growing number of officials with the nuclear-armed countrys support for the Taliban in neighbouring Afghanistan.

That frustration has dogged US-Pakistan ties for more than a decade, but has spiked anew as the militant Islamic group has advanced in parts of Afghanistan that US and allied forces once helped to secure, US officials and analysts say.

Were seeing a very definitive and very sharp reorienting of US policy in South Asia away from Afghanistan-Pakistan and more towards India, said Michael Kugelman, a South Asia expert with the Woodrow Wilson Center, a Washington think-tank.

The US relationship with Pakistan has long been a transactional one marked by mutual mistrust, marriages of convenience, and mood swings.

The long-standing US frustration with Pakistans refusal to stop supporting the Taliban, especially within the US military and intelligence community, is now overriding President Barack Obamas administrations desire to avoid renewed military involvement in Afghanistan, as well as concerns that China could capitalise on fraying ties between Washington and Islamabad, the US officials said.

Obama announced last month he would keep US troop levels in Afghanistan at 8,400 through the end of his administration, shelving plans to cut the force in half by year end.

American civilian and military aid to Pakistan, once the third-largest recipient of US foreign assistance, is expected to total less than $1 billion in 2016, down from a recent peak of more than $3.5 billion in 2011, according to US government data. The United States has not appropriated less than $1 billion to Pakistan since at least 2007.

The decrease also comes amid budget constraints and shifting global priorities for the United States, including fighting Islamic State militants, a resurgent Russia and an increasingly assertive China.

In March, Republican Senator Bob Corker, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said he would seek to bar $430 million in US funding for Islamabads purchase of $700 million of Lockheed Martin Corp. F-16 fighter jets.

Earlier this month, secretary of defense Ash Carter refused to authorise $300 million in military reimbursements to Pakistan, citing the limited gains the country has made fighting the militant Haqqani network, which is based in the countrys tribal areas bordering Afghanistan. The approval of such funding has been mostly routine in the past.

Limits of cooperation

The US Congress has yet to authorize hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year. The Pentagon is due to authorize $350 million in military aid for the next fiscal year, and is unlikely to approve it under the Obama administration, a US defence official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity. Congress is no longer willing to fund a state that supports the Afghan Taliban, which is killing American soldiers, said Bruce Riedel, a Brookings Institution expert and former CIA officer who headed Obamas first Afghanistan policy review.

In a stark illustration of the limits of USPakistan cooperation, the United States killed Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour in a drone strike in Pakistans remote Balochistan region in May, without informing Pakistan.

Some US officials still warn of the dangers of allowing relations with Pakistan to deteriorate. In a July 26 opinion piece in the Financial Times, Senator John McCain, chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, argued that the strategic imperative for improved relations between the US and Pakistan is clear - for the safety of American troops and the success of their mission in Afghanistan, for the stability of the region and for the national security of both Pakistan and the US.

A senior Pakistani defence official said the United States will continue to need Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. Authorities in Islamabad have long rejected accusations that Pakistan has provided support and sanctuary to militants operating in Afghanistan.

We have lost over a hundred billion dollars in fighting terrorism, which is more than anything they have given us, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

In any event, the official said, Pakistan can turn to other sources of aid, including China. Last year the two countries launched a plan for energy and infrastructure projects in Pakistan worth $46 billion.

Nevertheless, the US tilt toward India, Pakistans arch-foe, is likely to continue.

US defence companies including Lockheed Martin and Boeing Co. are entering the Indian market, and the country has become the worlds second-largest arms buyer after Saudi Arabia, according to data compiled by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.

Earlier this year, India and the United States agreed in principle to share military logistics, as both sides seek to counter the growing maritime assertiveness of China.
Some people in a village in Jabalpur on Friday carried a womans body for cremation through chest-deep water in a pond, after some upper caste people allegedly refused to let them pass through their field.

TV channels on Friday showed a funeral procession in Behar village of Panagar tehsil of Jabalpur wading through chest-high water, with at least two of them comparing this report with the widely telecast visuals of a tribal man in Odisha having to carry his wifes body on his shoulders after failing to get any conveyance from the hospital where she died.

Some news reports even hinted that members of the weaker community were forced to take the funeral procession through the chest-deep pond water because the dominant community or caste refused to let it pass through their field.

This, the reports said, was an atrocity committed on the weaker community.

The local administration, however, said the villagers created a scene perhaps to highlight a grievance.

After taking note of the TV visuals, Jabalpur district magistrate Mahendra Chandra Chaudhary told reporters he was inquiring into the incident.The mourners were taking for cremation the body of Kantibai, 70, a woman who belonged to Patel community -- an Other Backward Class (OBC) in Madhya Pradesh. She died on Thursday.

Chaudhary later said his inquiry showed that the funeral procession being taken through pond water was clearly a created scene.

He said he found that the thoroughfare to the cremation ground was indeed flooded with 3-4 feet deep water, but other approaches to the cremation ground were clear of water.

WATCH: Locals forced to take out last rites procession through a pond after goons block route in MP's Jabalpurhttps://t.co/aGHRswjXwu  ANI (@ANI_news) August 26, 2016

There is a clearly passable path along a farm that the mourners actually used to carry wood and cowdung cakes to the cremation ground, but they chose the flooded street to carry the body through, Chaudhary said.

And it was quite convenient for someone to shoot the scene and for TV channels to telecast the scene and show it as some kind of atrocity, he added.

IANS learnt after speaking with informed sources in Behar village that the villagers in fact wanted to highlight the long neglected problem of an unpaved street.

So when Kantibai died, they used her funeral procession to make a hard hitting statement -- with help from TV channels.

The sources in the village said they had also lodged a written complaint with the tehsildar of the administration to get the street paved.

While a TV news channel drew parallel with the Odisha tribal carrying his wifes body on his shoulders over 10 km, another highlighted the indignity of a corpse being carried through a dirty pond and blamed it on a sand mafia having blocked the main route leading to the cremation ground.

Meanwhile, Panagar legislator Sushil Tiwari said the administration would soon provide a proper road to the cremation ground.
Womens groups welcomed on Friday the Bombay high courts verdict allowing women entry into the Haji Ali inner sanctum but the landmark decision divided political parties and angered conservative Muslim leaders.

The petitioners in the case said the decision was a victory for Muslim women and that their next fight would be to get the triple talaq practice banned.

The agenda for reform in the community is being set by Muslim women who have strong ideological understanding, said Feroze Mithiborwala of Haji Ali Sab Ke Liye Forum, a group formed to support the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), the petitioners in the case.

Read: HC allows womens entry into Haji Ali inner sanctum, trust to appeal verdict

It has been a really long fight, said Khatoon Shaikh, convener of the Maharashtra unit of BMMA.

But the Samajwadi Party (SP) expressed its displeasure while the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) said it was an issue between the management and the protesting women, and that Islam should not be dragged in it.

The ban was imposed in 2012 by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust citing religious traditions. The trust defended the ban saying that the entry of women in close proximity to the tomb of a male saint is seen as a grievous sin in Islam.

Samajwadi Party state president Abu Azmi said the decision interfered in Muslim personal law. Women are not being disallowed but there is just a certain restriction which is according to Islam. The trust has some powers and have utilised them, said Azmi. He said the verdict would be challenged in the Supreme Court.

The trust had created separate arrangements for women to walk up to a certain point from where they could offer prayers.

The AIMIM has nothing to do with individual decisions taken by the management and even the protests had our party members protesting in their personal capacity. It is a verdict given to a single dargah and hence the management has to decide the next course of action, said Imtiyaz Jaleel, AIMIM legislator.

But conservative leaders flayed the decision, saying the entry of women had become a political game.

There are boundaries for women in Sharia law, people need to know that before interfering. It seems like the court has taken the step without knowing Sharia law, Maulana Sajid Rashidi told ANI.
The NDA government may be upbeat about the pace of reforms in the country, but Singapore deputy PM Tharman Shanmugaratnam seems less than impressed.

Reforms agenda is largely unfinished and pace of reforms have to be stepped up. You are on a good batting wicket but you cant keep on scoring singles, Shanmugaratnam told Prime Minister Narendra Modi at an event in New Delhi on Friday.

His response came after Modi, following the inauguration of a Niti Aayog-sponsored lecture series, sought fresh ideas to take the country forward.

At the event, Modi said his government will seek inputs from eminent people abroad to transform India.

We will draw the best from the knowledge of eminent person who made their nations a better place in the planet, Modi said.

Our next step is to bring ideas from outside. Culturally, Indians have always been receptive to ideas from elsewhere. This is the purpose of transforming India lecture series, he said, welcoming Shanmugaratnam.

The National Democratic Alliance government led by Modi won a landslide victory in the 2014 general elections on the promise of scripting a growth story for India. While the government appears confident about its reforms initiatives, especially after Parliaments nod to the landmark goods and services tax, many experts and opponents are not satisfied with its performance.

During his speech, Shanmugaratnam, a Sri Lankan-origin public policy doyen, said the biggest hurdles for investments in India are its land and labour laws.

Make in India cant be just make in India. It has to be make in India for the world, said Shanmugaratnam.

At the event that saw the launch of the Transforming India lecture series, Modi asked for detail and frank feedback.

The PM asked invitees to suggest names of experts and panellists from inside and outside India. The senior bureaucracy and the entire council of ministers were present.

He told the government of India secretaries to have follow-up discussions with leaders to convert ideas to specific action points.

The PM also had a message of his ministers too. Whenever possible, ministers should also participate in such discussions.

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A wait of over 32 years of raw ordeal for two 1984 anti-Sikh riots victims ended last week when the Madhya Pradesh high court directed the state government to compensate them along with interest on the sum at the rate of 8.5% per annum since 1984. The certified copy of the court order was released on Thursday.

The court ordered the state government to pay Rs 3,77,398 to one liquor shop owner Sharan Singh and Rs 1,04,160 to one saw mill owner Surjeet Singh along with the interest on the sum. In addition, it also imposed a cost of Rs 25,000 each in both the cases, saying that it will be initiating suo-motu contempt against the state if the order is not complied with in a period of 90 days.

Surjeets saw mill was set afire in Snehlata Ganj by hooligans while a mob looted Sharans liquor shop during the violence. Both lodged FIRs with police in this regard but were denied compensation by the state government as their names were not enlisted in Daira Panji (list of riot-affected people) records, created on the recommendations of the Justice Nanavati commission.

The matters came up before the high court in 2001, which five years later passed the orders directing the state government to provide compensation to the victims.

Both Surjeet and Sharan had submitted the court orders along with applications to district magistrate for claiming compensation, but to no avail. They were made to run from pillar to post till today, said their counsel Himanshu Joshi, adding that another writ petition was moved in 2014.

While hearing the matter, Justice SC Sharma of Indore bench of the high court observed that the present case reflects very sorry state of affairs in a democratic set up. It is very unfortunate that on the account of red-tapism, the victims of 1984 anti-Sikh riots are struggling hard before the system to get their compensation due for last 32 years, Justice Sharma observed.

While passing the final order, the court observed: No amount of compensation is going to heal the wounds of riot victims. The scars of violence are very deep on the Sikh community. The right of compensation is only a measure to provide some help to the victims, who have lost their near and dear ones and who have lost their property. And state government is rejecting their claims on frivolous ground that their names do not find place in Daira Panji.
54321

Director: Ragavendra Prasad

Cast: Shabeer, Aarvin GR, Pavithra Gowda, Rohini

Rating: 2/5

The first thoughts that cross my mind as the first frames of Ragavendra Prasads strangely titled film, 54321, flash by are their resemblance to the renowned Austrian director, Michael Hanekes 1997 Cannes competitor, Funny Games. Here, two young men impose themselves on a holidaying, wealthy Austrian family and torture it by forcing the middle-aged couple and their two children to play sadistic games. I know that even some hardcore critics rushed out of the cinema, and a few even puked. Such was the uneasiness that the psychological thriller caused.

Although Prasad has said that his movie was inspired by the Mexican helmer, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritus Babel, made in 2006 (I could not get the connection, though), 54321, is closer in spirit to Funny Games, and like this work, plays on the psyche. Prasads film is about five people, four lifestyles, three murders in two hours and one, revenge. Hence, the title.

Watch the trailer of 54321 here:

Vikram (essayed by Shabeer) and Vinoth (GR Aarvin) are foster brothers. While their parents treat their adopted son, Vinoth, with kindness, their biological boy, Vikram, for some peculiar reason, seems to pass through a rough time, and he grows up psychologically warped up and thirsting for retaliation. Vikram gets his chance many years later -- when the brothers are no longer in touch with each other.

One night, Vikram breaks into the bungalow of Vinoth and his wife, Anjali (Pavithra Gowda) and ties them (including the couples baby girl) up to begin a game of brutality. Vikram orders Vinoth to kill his daughter (she is disguised so her identity is unknown) in return for his wifes life. And the mentally challenged Vikram (he has escaped from a mental asylum) sets into motion a chilling horror by cutting off the womans fingers! Watching all this from behind a fireplace is a thief, who had chosen that night to rob the couple of their money and jewels.

The films plot looks very similar to that of Austrian director Michael Hanekes 1997 Funny Games.

I would say, it is quite a novel plot, which has been messed by a callously written screenplay. Here is one example. During the dark night, there were occasions when the thief or the brothers father (who had also been brought to the house in a gunny bag by the villain) could have easily helped the couple escape. In fact, Vinoth pleads with the thief when he steps out of the fireplace to help them, but he seems all stunned and shocked by what is going on, and unable to do anything. This is the biggest howler -- when disbelief has to be suspended and sent off packing.

There are other holes. Vikrams viciousness is never convincingly explained, though a mention is made about his Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and its link to violent thoughts. And why do his parents treat him as if he were their stepson!

The romance between Anjali and Vinoth appears so forced and quite out of place in a thriller. Is this meant to make the movie commercially viable?

Average performances do not help either to lift 54321 off the ground. A promising plot scarred by a slothful script.

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MECHANIC: RESURRECTION

Direction: Dennis Gansel

Actors: Jason Statham, Jessica Alba

Rating: 1 / 5

The first version of The Mechanic was made back in 1972. Four decades later, a remake of the same name featured Jason Statham in the role originated by Charles Bronson.

In this inferior sequel to the 2011 actioner, Statham once again flexes his muscle as a hit man tasked with pulling off three seemingly impossible assassinations.

Read: Mechanic: Resurrection is a rarity  a sequel to a remake

The retired contract killer is dragged back into the exterminating business following the kidnapping of his newfound girlfriend (Alba).

From the get-go, German-born director Dennis Gansel (The Wave) fails to sustain the tension. The body count resembles a war zone as corpses of henchmen keep piling up. No part of the preposterous narrative is believable for a second.

Even the stubbly charisma and martial arts credentials of Statham cant deflect from the formulaic screenplay and cookie-cutter characterisations.

Watch: Jason Stathan and Jessica Alba discuss the making of the movie

While Alba frolics about in skimpy outfits across international locations ranging from Thailand to Cambodia, the ever-graceful Michelle Yeoh is reduced to cringe-worthy declarations like, Those who are most hurt, heal the fastest. Ugh.

As for the Oscar-winning old-timer Tommy Lee Jones, hes embarrassingly inept as the marksmans potential third victim.

Even the most charitable Jason Statham fan will likely feel aggrieved by this hyper-violent piece of fluff.

Watch: The trailer for Mechanic: Resurrection

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The Bombay high court on Thursday directed the state government to make sufficient arrangements to ensure that the normal life in the city isnt paralysed due to the indefinite strike proposed by the taxi and auto-rickshaw unions from August 29.

Needless to say that the normal life of common man should not be disturbed because of such strikes, said the division bench of Chief Justice Manjula Chellur and Justice MS Sonak while issuing the directive to the state.

The judges also said that there was no doubt that the auto and taxi drivers must take permission from statutory authorities and police department before executing the strike, as it will disturb normal traffic.

The PIL

These observations came in the wake on a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by advocate Pravin Upadhyay, complaining about the proposed strike called by auto and taxis unions on August 29. He pointed out that earlier, auto and black-and-yellow taxis unions had resorted to a similar strike on June 21, demanding a blanket ban on cab aggregators like Uber and Ola and it resulted in disruption of normal life across Mumbai. He further pointed out that violence was also reported on the day and seven drivers were arrested by the police. The lawyer expressed apprehension that Mumbaikars may be compelled to face similar situation and inconvenience starting August 29.

In his PIL, Upadhyay also stated that the Maharashtra Essential Services Maintenance Act (MESMA), 2011, has been enacted by the state to safeguard the interest of public at large and ensure unrestricted essential services, which includes public transport.

Time and again, auto and taxi unions across the city have resorted to strikes for fulfilment of their demands, thus paralysing the city and inconveniencing Mumbaikars by violating the provisions of the 2011 enactment. However, the government is yet to initiate action against the offenders, the PIL added.
Nine companies, mainly startups, have been blacklisted for a year by the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B). These firms are on a list that names 31 firms barred from recruiting IIT students across India.

The decision follows a series of complaints against these firms for making last-minute changes to their original offer during the 2015-16 placement season, delaying the joining date for students and using fake office addresses.

The names of these nine institutes were revealed by IIT-B on Thursday.

A blacklist of 31 companies was drawn up on August 14 by the All India Placement Committee (AIPC), but the names were released after IIT-B revealed on Thursday the nine companies they had banned from campus recruitments.

The convener of the committee, Prof Kaustubha Mohanty, said the exercise is a precaution taken in the interest of students in all 23 IITs.

We have decided now that when we ask a particular company to register with us, we will try to ask for data on their sources of funding, statements of accounts, balance sheets and number of employees, Mohanty said. We used to ask for a lot of details earlier too, but not so stringently.

The banned companies will have to go through intense scrutiny before they are allowed to recruit students again, after the one-year ban.

Around 25 students from IIT-B were affected by the nine banned firms. The institute said it will now be cautious with startups. Several other firms have also been warned. Students look up to their job offers very seriously and to have the offers revoked at the last minute plays with the morale of a student. We shall not tolerate such behaviour, said a member from IIT-Bs placement office.

Startups will be allowed after a good background check, such as whether they have proper funding, and what their growth prospects are. Our aim is to avoid job offers being revoked or delays in joining date in the next placement season, said Dipesh Chauhan, placement manager at IIT-B.

After the decision to ban the firms, there was a meeting at IIT-Kanpur of placement coordinators from all IITs to draw up the blacklist. Sources said it was also decided at this meeting that e-commerce giant Flipkart, along with a few other companies, will not be given the first day slot in the upcoming admission season. Flipkart was one of the companies that delayed appointments by a few months.

Of the nine firms blacklisted by the Mumbai institute, five, including GPSK, Johnson Electric (China), Portea Medical, Peppertap and Cashcare Technologies, were blacklisted for revoking offers. Two companies, LexInnova and IndusInsight, were blacklisted for delaying joining dates. LeGarde Burnett Group has been blacklisted not just for revoking their initial offer, but also because it later came to light they had not even provided proper office addresses. Another start-up, Mera Hunar, was on the list as they had registered with a different name and ended up hiring students for another startup altogether.

We cannot reveal names of all the companies on the list, but individual IITs are revealing names of firms they have decided to blacklist, said a senior AIPC official.

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Deciding to once again play opposition from the treasury benches, the Shiv Sena has severely criticised BJP-led Maharashtra governments draft for an internal security Act, saying it throttles democracy and individual liberty.

In an editorial in the partys mouthpiece, Saamna, the Shiv Sena has slammed the governments move, saying its worse than the Emergency imposed during the Indira Gandhi-reign in 1975.

If the plan goes through, Maharashtra will be ruled by the police instead of being governed by law. People will have to keep going to the police for permissions even for events such as weddings, naming ceremonies, lunches and dinners. People will have to seek the governments permission even to be able to breathe freely. This is worse than the extremism of even the India Gandhi government in 1975, the editorial reads.

The Uddhav Thackeray-led party said every person has the right to personal liberty under Article 21 of the Indian constitution. Any government that seeks to quash this has no right to play politics by installing a grand statue of Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, the Shiv Sena said, taking a dig at the BJPs constant references to the architect of the constitution and credit-taking for speedy clearances for his long-pending memorial at Indu Mills in Dadar.

Experts, activists and opposition parties such as the Congress and the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) too have flayed some of the provisions in the proposed Maharashtra Protection of Internal Security Act, calling them draconian that could turn Maharashtra into a policestate. The draft legislation proposes to set up special security zones in Maharashtras interiors. Here, the police will be given additional powers to tackle threats of terrorism, insurgencies, communalism and caste violence.

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What do Goa, Cochin, Calicut, Mangalore, Karwar and Kumtha have to do with south Mumbai? At Ballard Estate, a walk down six lanes named after these port towns reveals stories of a time Mumbai became the city of dreams.

Its the early 1900s. Mumbai, among the British Rajs busiest ports, sees hundreds of ships carrying goods from the south laying anchor. According to one version of the story, the streets were named after its early settlers  traders from these port towns.

People from the south Indian port cities settled down in the lanes near the port and goods arriving from a city were stored in godowns on particular streets, said noted conservation architect Vikas Dilawary.

Another version of the tale says the streets were named earlier, much before the citys docks came up. Sea trade with south India existed much before the Alexandra, Princes and Victoria docks came up in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, said historian Deepak Rao.

Small ships setting sail from these southern ports would anchor in the jetties lining the shore near Fort Market. This was when the sea extended up to the market, before Ballard Estate was reclaimed in 1914.

Groups of south Indians, mostly Keralites and Tamilians, worked in the docks and lived on Cochin (in pic), Calicut and Kumtha streets. (Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times)

Ships from Cochin anchored at a one jetty, the ones from Goa at another. The jetties disappeared after the larger docks were built, but the streets that came up in their place retained their names, Rao said.

Celebrated editor Samuel T Sheppard, in his book, Bombay Place Names and Street Names, An Excursion into the By-Ways of Bombay City, puts the naming of these streets around 1888.

The book mentions four new roads that came up along the shore to the east of Mint Road in 1888. Carwar Street, Kalicut Street, Kochin Street and Mangalore Street, the book says, drew their names from port towns in south India. Sheppards account also mentions several streets near Masjid Bunder, a few kilometres from Ballard Estate, that were named after places in Maharashtra and the neighbouring Gujarat.

More than a century ago, however, winds of change began blowing into what is today prime real estate, when the Ballard Estate was built between 1908 and 1914. While the neighbourhood got a Victorian makeover, the lanes stayed simple, and its buildings plain. The customs took over some of these buildings, but others remained home for the areas oldest residents. A few small businesses continued to flourish and some of Mumbais best restaurants threw open their doors.

Calicut Streets buildings retain their old-world charm. More than a century ago, the neighbourhood got a Victorian makeover, but these lanes stayed simple, and its buildings plain. (Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times)

HT traced the Mumbaiites who lived through these changes to find fables that only add to the citys rich past.

GM Badami, at 74, is Karwar Streets oldest resident. His father migrated to Mumbai from Tamil Nadu, when he was just 14. A British police inspector would keep a watch over smugglers with a pair of binoculars from a tower near the Waterline police station. The tower doesnt stand any more, neither does the BPT barrack, Badami recalls.

Badami said barring Karwar and Goa streets, the others were mostly occupied by shipping industry offices.

Karwar street had the Waterline police station, some police quarters and our shop that sold shipping equipment. Goa street was mostly occupied by police quarters. A Catholic church came up later and the bell for the church was from our shop, Badami boasted.

The arrival of workers from the south brought to the city cafes and restaurants that served food from their region.

Surendra Shetty, 69, who owns the oldest motor garage in the areaSam Ruston & Company Garage  remembers how groups of south Indians, mostly Keralites and Tamilians, worked in the docks and lived on Cochin, Calicut and Kumtha streets that boasted of hotels serving regional food.

The Kerala hotels served Travancore and Malabari food and were especially popular among the non-vegetarians. The Mangalorean hotels serving vegetarian food and Tamilian hotels serving tiffin were frequented by vegetarians, Shetty said, recalling how ghee and sugar were free in the Udupi hotels and fish fry would be served twice on-demand in the Kerala hotels for the same price.

For 54 years, I had my lunch at Bharat (now Bharat Excellensea). The old Iranian cafe, Cafe Universal, still exists. A Madras cafe was renamed as Harish and the Shimla-Calcutta hotel is now called Travellers Inn, he said.

Goa Street (in pic), Karwar Street and Mangalore Street have since been renamed as Sunderlal Behel Street, Vaju Kotak Marg and Adi Marzban Path, but not much else has changed. (Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times)

Shetty, a resident of Mangalore Street, said his garage repaired horse carriages in the 1920s. It was owned by Mr Sam, a Parsi, and an Englishman named Mr Ruston. After Independence, Ruston went back to England and Sams family migrated to New Zealand. The garage was abandoned for a few years, before my father reopened it as car garage, said Shetty, who has a frame containing three horse shoes adorning the garage wall.

The Calicut street once had burly Pathan money-lenders, but of the 20 families that once lived there, only one is left, residents said. Parsis and Goan Catholics from Goa and Mangalore streets have also migrated abroad or to other parts of the city.

Badami recalls a bustling Ballard estate, where thousands of agents in the customs offices would queue up for clearance certificates, while local youth would double up as guides when a passenger cruise landed.

They would show the European tourists around. But, as the clock struck five, the busy streets would become silent and the entire area, including Ballard Estate, would become a ghost town.

Goa Street, Karwar Street and Mangalore Street have since been renamed as Sunderlal Behel Street, Vaju Kotak Marg and Adi Marzban Path, but not much else has changed.

More than a century ago, the six streets came up to accommodate workers who landed here to make a living. Today, office-goers stream in to the business district from different parts of the city. And the streets, they are testimony to how Mumbai is indeed a city of dreams  built with the dreams of its people.

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MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: Nine companies, mainly startups, have been blacklisted for a year by the Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IIT-B). These firms are on a list that names 31 firms barred from recruiting IIT students across India.

The decision follows a series of complaints against these firms for making last-minute changes to their original offer during the 2015-16 placement season, delaying the joining date for students and using fake office addresses.

The names of these nine institutes were revealed by IIT-B on Thursday.

A blacklist of 31 companies was drawn up on August 14 by the All India Placement Committee (AIPC), but the names were released after IIT-B revealed on Thursday the nine companies they had banned from campus recruitments.

The convener of the committee, Prof Kaustubha Mohanty, said the exercise is a precaution taken in the interest of students in all 23 IITs.

We have decided now that when we ask a particular company to register with us, we will try to ask for data on their sources of funding, statements of accounts, balance sheets and number of employees, Mohanty said. We used to ask for a lot of details earlier too, but not so stringently.

The banned companies will have to go through intense scrutiny before they are allowed to recruit students again, after the one-year ban.

Around 25 students from IIT-B were affected by the nine banned firms. The institute said it will now be cautious with startups. Several other firms have also been warned. Students look up to their job offers very seriously and to have the offers revoked at the last minute plays with the morale of a student. We shall not tolerate such behaviour, said a member from IIT-Bs placement office.

Startups will be allowed after a good background check, such as whether they have proper funding, and what their growth prospects are. Our aim is to avoid job offers being revoked or delays in joining date in the next placement season, said Dipesh Chauhan, placement manager at IIT-B.

After the decision to ban the firms, there was a meeting at IIT-Kanpur of placement coordinators from all IITs to draw up the blacklist. Sources said it was also decided at this meeting that e-commerce giant Flipkart, along with a few other companies, will not be given the first day slot in the upcoming admission season. Flipkart was one of the companies that delayed appointments by a few months.

Of the nine firms blacklisted by the Mumbai institute, five, including GPSK, Johnson Electric (China), Portea Medical, Peppertap and Cashcare Technologies, were blacklisted for revoking offers. Two companies, LexInnova and IndusInsight, were blacklisted for delaying joining dates. LeGarde Burnett Group has been blacklisted not just for revoking their initial offer, but also because it later came to light they had not even provided proper office addresses. Another start-up, Mera Hunar, was on the list as they had registered with a different name and ended up hiring students for another startup altogether.

We cannot reveal names of all the companies on the list, but individual IITs are revealing names of firms they have decided to blacklist, said a senior AIPC official.
The district administration has ordered a probe into the deaths of 12 villagers in the past 15 days due to a mysterious fever in Sarfabad village near Sector 73 in Noida.

The health department has set up a temporary health camp for the villagers who blame contaminated water for the deaths.

More than 100 people are currently suffering from fever in the village. Twelve have died in last 15 days, said Sukhveer Pahlwan, local resident and social activist.

Chief medical officer (CMO), Vijay Deepak Verma, however, said that 15 people have died in last 2 months and they have yet to identify the cause of death of eight people.

Many of the ailments were identified. Some of them died due to hepatitis, one had cancer while another had a cardiac arrest. However, there are unsually high numbers of patients with fever in the village and we are trying to identify the disease. We have set up a health camp, said Dr Verma.

He said the health department is seeking details of the deceased of Sarfabad village from different hospitals and clinics to establish the reason of deaths.

The most recent victim was 22-year-old Gopal who died on August 20 after two days of high fever.

In the morning of August 18, my nephew woke with high fever. We took him to the doctor who gave him medicines but the fever was not cured. On August 20 Gopal breathed his last. It all happened without any warning. We all kept thinking that it must be a simple viral fever but we were wrong, said Suresh Yadav, uncle of the deceased.

The age of the other victims range from 21 years to 72 years and at least five of them were senior citizens.

District magistrate NP Singh has formed a committee to probe the suspicious disease.
The Batala police claimed to have arrested a person on Thursday, who reportedly tried to frame another person in a desecration case to settle personal scores.

In a press conference, Batala SSP Daljinder Singh Dhillon said that on August 24, Sukhwinder Singh of Ludhiana along with representatives of Sikh organisations lodged a complaint with Malleywal police post that Manjeet Singh of Dera Baba Nanak had torn the pages of a gutka on and circulated them among people by putting them in taviz (Amulet).

Subsequently, the police had taken Manjeet into custody and started the case investigations, during which they found that around one and half year back, Sukhwinder had approached Manjeet for going abroad after which Manjeet had introduced him to a Dhariwal-based travel agent who sent Sukhwinder to Kuwait.

However, Sukhwinder did not find a suitable work there and returned within a year.

After coming back, Sukhwinder started compelling Manjeet for returning his money as he played the mediator between him and the agent.

On Manjeet refusal, accused Sukhwinder had threatened him of dire consequences.

The SSP further said that to settle his anguish, Sukhwinder himself tore the pages of the gutka, put them in pendants and later put the pictures of these pendants on social networking sites with pictures of Manjeet.

After completing the process of framing Manjeet, Sukhwinder himself approached representatives of Sikh organisations at Ludhiana and they lodged a complaint with the police.

During interrogation, Sukhwinder confessed to the crime and the police also recovered a mobile phone through which the pictures were uploaded on the sites.

The police has now registered a case under Section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings or any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the IPC against Sukhwinder at Dera Baba Nanak police station.
Lashing out at the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said not only Sucha Singh Chhotepur, all members of the party were minting money in the name of elections. He said there was no place for rejected people in the Akali Dal, so no question of inviting Chhotepur to join the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Video: AAP removes Sucha Singh Chhotepur as Punjab chief over sting

All AAP leaders, including Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh are minting money. Jo paise dega, use hi ticket milegi (the one who pays will get the party ticket), Sukhbir said on the sidelines of a meeting with traders at Nirvana Club in Ludhiana on Friday.

The deputy CM said half of the AAP candidates, who have been allotted tickets, have a criminal background. He also accused partys national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal of a tie-up with radicals in the state for vested interests. The AAP is playing a dangerous game in the state. We have evidence that they have committed to the radical groups, he said.

Dont miss | AAP jaisa koi? Punjab watches drama unfold as outsider faultline exposed

The AAP has struck a deal with hardliners who want to take control of the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee. In return, the radicals will help the AAP win elections. MLA Jarnail Singh, co-convenor of AAPs Punjab unit, even tacitly backed the demands of separatist forces on the foreign soil, he added.

Sukhbir said the AAP should be renamed solid waste management company as they are managing the waste of all other parties. Ludhiana ki safai ka contract bhi AAP ko hi denge (We will give the contract to clean Ludhiana to the AAP), he said, adding that the party leaders resemble a bunch of ragtag leaders.

Meanwhile, in an attempt to woo industrialists ahead of assembly elections, Sukhbir exempted the industrial units from condition of no-objection certificate for grant of new power connections. The issue of release of power connections to industrial units in the mixed land use and residential areas was hanging fire for the past several months despite agitation by affected units.

Also read | Chhotepur sacking: Game over for AAP in Punjab, says SAD

Leaving hundreds of medium, small and tiny industrial units located in the mixed land use pockets in the lurch, Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) had in June taken a about turn on the grant of new connections or extension of existing load without change of land use (CLU) charges or no objection certificate (NOC).

There was widespread resentment among the members of industry against the PSPCL and the state government.
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday said that the political game of AAP was now over in Punjab with the assertions of the beleaguered AAP leader Succha Singh Chhotepur against Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Dont miss | Video: AAP removes Sucha Singh Chhotepur as Punjab chief over sting

SAD general secretary Haracharan Bains described the assertions of Chhotepur as shocking in the extreme that Kejriwal had denigrated the Sikh religious ethos through his utterances.

Chhotepur had made public his conversation with Kejriwal, in which he explained his inability to defend the imprint of broom, the party symbol, along with the image of Golden Temple on the manifesto cover as this would have led to his being summoned by Akal Takht and the possibility of being ex-communcated from the panth.

As per Chhotepur, Kejriwal had uttered aap ko panth se nikaal dete to kya ho jata (So what if they had thrown you out of the Sikh community) after he told the Delhi chief minister about his inability to defend the manifesto cover picture.

Must read | AAP jaisa koi? Punjab watches drama unfold as outsider faultline exposed

Kejriwals secret ambition to become Punjab CM also explains the decision to block entry of Navjot Singh Sidhu into AAP, SAD spokesman and Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badals advisor Harcharan Bains said in a statement here.

The disclosures of Chhotepur has finally and irrevocably vindicated all allegations leveled by other AAP leaders like Jassi Jasraj, Kingra and Pavittar Singh in the past that Kejriwal was instinctively anti-Sikh and that the party was being run by anti Punjab and corrupt gangsters from UP, Bains stated.
It seems disbursal of the compensation provided by Punjab government for the loss of cotton crop and land acquisition in Harsimrat Badals constituency of Mansa is proving to be its Achilles heel.

In both cases, genuine beneficiaries have been deprived of the compensation. Officers have either been charge-sheeted or suspended, proving the corruption allegations in revenue office to be true.

Last year, due to the whitefly attack, farmers suffered huge losses and since then they have been struggling to get compensation promised by state government. Around Rs 30 lakh of compensation amount was distributed among fake beneficiaries and despite suspension of three patwaris, fake beneficiaries have not been booked by district police.

In February, I had written to the-then Budhlada DSP to take action against accused but nothing happened, sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) Kala Ram Kansal, who was recently transferred from Budhlada to Mansa, said.

The SDM said that since the issue had come to light, around Rs 15 lakh of compensation amount has been recovered.

More than 60 beneficiaries who received compensation in the land acquisition of Gobindpura thermal plant have been issued a notice by the district administration after a high court order asked them to return the money running into crore.

In many cases, one of the joint owners of the plot of acquired land was denied compensation due to corrupt revenue officers.

Last year the-then Budhlada SDM Rajesh Tripathi and five other revenue officials were chargesheeted after an inquiry found that fake beneficiaries were given compensation and jobs.

Budhlada subdivision has reportedly been the worst sufferer as far distribution of compensation is concerned, due to SAD MLA Chatan Singh Samao whose supporters allegedly influence most government functionaries.

You will never find such allegations coming from any other sub-division in the district. Supporters of Samao are capable of getting tenders and also transfer officers who dont toe their line, an officer, on the condition of anonymity, said.

Strict action will be taken against fake beneficiaries, deputy commissioner Varinder Kumar Sharma said. I have appointed ADC Sanyam Aggarwal to probe the issue, he added.

SAD LEADERS OPPOSE NOTICE IN LAND ACQUISITION CASE

Babra Singh, a nambardar and a SAD worker from Gobindpura village has been issued notice from the revenue office to return the compensation amount of Rs 1 lakh however he blames the district administration for faulty assessment. We will return the money if our land is returned to us, said the SAD worker.

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Not so long ago Punjab education minister Daljit Singh Cheema was applauded by all and sundry when he pulled up teachers for poor results.

But, for the students of Kaler villages primary school in Faridkot, good results are a distant dream as the school is devoid of even basic necessities.

With the building of their school demolished on May 31 to allow widening of NH -15 (connecting Faridkot to Amritsar), students are being compelled to attend classes in the 40 by 80 foot hall of the village gurdwara.

School in-charge, Paramjit Kaur, said they were forced to take all five classes in a single hall.

Taking classes in the hall is a mere formality as it is not possible to teach more than 80 students in one hall, she added.

PROBLEMS GALORE

Lack of classrooms is not the only problem for students of this makeshift school. They also have to bear with the lack of clean drinking water and toilets, even students and teachers share same toilet.

Parents had decided to put their wards in public schools due to lack of facilities but officials of education department asked teachers not to strike off students names, Kaur said. Safety of students is a serious issue as teachers cant keep a watch on them, she added.

The mid-day meal is being prepared in a temporary shed in unhygienic conditions, she said.

Students are sent home in case of power cuts or a function at the gurdwara, she said.

There will be no classes for three days in the next week as there is a function in gurdwara, she rued.

The panchayat received Rs 57 lakh to buy land and Rs 12 lakh to construct the school building, Kulvir Singh, Kaler panchayat member, said.

At least Rs 1 crore was needed to buy land for the school, Singh said.

The administration wants us to buy land on collector rate but no one will sell his land below the market price, he added.

BLAME GAME

District education officer (DEO) Parminder Singh said he had asked his deputy Dharamvir Singh to look in the matter.

Dharamvir Singh said they had asked the panchayat members to buy land but the members said that it was not possible due to lack of funds.

He added that panchayat department is responsible for buying the land and constructing the building.

With all the departments putting the ball in each others courts, it is the students and teachers who are suffering.
Four people, including the owner of a Kharar hospital, a Bsc (nursing), were held on Friday for carrying out sex determination tests on pregnant women. They have been identified as Sarabjit Kaur, 55, who owns SK Multi Speciality Hospital and Diagnostic Centre in Kharar; Sikander Singh, 55, of Bathinda; Balwinder Singh, 29, of Sirsa; and Gurmeet Kaur, 27, of Moga. Another accused, Meet, who acted as a tout, is absconding.

The arrests were made during a raid at the health facility around 7am. Health officials and cops also recovered `20,000 paid to the hospital for conducting the sex tests. The team sealed the centre and seized the ultrasound machine as well. The accused have been booked under Sections 420 (cheating) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment) of the IPC, besides relevant sections of the Indian Medical Council Act and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act, said Kharar (city) station house officer (SHO) Vijay Kumar,.

The preliminary probe revealed that tout Meet used to operate through his aides Sikander and Balwinder. The duo used to zero in on prospective clients in rural areas of the region and arrange for their transportation to Kharar. The sex test was conducted in the wee hours, when the ultrasonologist was not present at the centre.

The sex determination tests were conducted in the hospital between 5am and 6 am, said Kharar SMO Dr Manraj Singh.

Cops are probing the role of the radiologist, whose room and machine were used to carry out the tests. The radiologist, who lives in Ambala, is at the hospital between 9am and 2 pm. As per the PNDT Act, radiologists must ensure their equipment is not misused to carry out sex tests.
The Parkash Singh Badal governments decision to transfer the probe into the attack on Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader Brigadier Jagdish Gagneja (retd) to the CBI has not only raised questions about the Punjab Polices investigating skills but is also an attempt to limit the political damage after ally BJP expressed displeasure over the delay in cracking the case.

Twenty days after Gagneja was shot in Jalandhar, the police are clueless about his two motorcycle-borne attackers. Failing to make headway despite 10 teams on the job, state police chief Suresh Arora recommended handing over of the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation.

This case has national and international ramifications. Thats why it was decided to hand it over to the CBI, said Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, additional director general of police and director, bureau of investigations. Sources, however, say that the condition of Gagneja, who is admitted at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) in Ludhiana, is deteriorating and this prompted the government to opt for the CBI route as a damage-control exercise.

Gagneja, who was shot thrice in the abdomen near the busy Jyoti Chowk in Jalandhar, is still critical. (HT File Photo)

Read: Chances of RSS leader Gagnejas survival bleak

DEFLECTING POLITICAL IRE

Shifting the onus to the CBI is seen as a bid to pacify the BJP in poll-bound Punjab. Both the RSS and the BJP have been pressuring the Badal government to solve the August 6 case. The BJP has questioned police functioning, while the RSS is upset over law and order.

This is not a happy political decision. The government had no other option. BJP and RSS leaders are upset with the police. Let the CBI crack the case, an Akali leader said on condition of anonymity.

Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla, however, said his party did not demand a CBI probe. The police have done their job. It is a different matter that no one could be arrested, he said.

Read: Jagdish Gagneja: A low-profile, yet powerful RSS leader in Punjab

TARGETED KILLINGS

The bid on Gagnejas life is the latest in a string of high-profile attacks that the state has witnessed, and which remain unsolved. The Punjab Police have been drawing flak over its failure to crack high-profile cases which have cast the shadow over the law and order in the border state. The failure has also underscored the institutional deficiency in the battle-hardened force which had stamped out a violent terrorist movement in the 90s. A growing political interference in the state police functioning is widely seen to be one of the prime reasons for erosion in the professional standards in the force.

Read: Heart of Jalandhar city turns into hotbed of criminals

The sensational murder of Chand Kaur, 85, the matriarch of the Namdhari sect who was shot dead by two motorcycle-borne assailants on April 4 at the sects Bhaini Sahib headquarters near Ludhiana has hit a dead-end.

The shooting during the morning drill at an RSS branch in Ludhiana and unidentified bike-borne assailants killing Punjab Shiv Sena leader Durga Prasad Gupta in Khanna on April 23 also have not led to any arrest. There is a pattern in these targeted killings. It seems the same bike-borne gang is behind them. The modus operandi is similar, a police official associated with the probe said.

Badal blamed a foreign hand for the attack on Gagneja. His deputy and son Sukhbir Singh Badal is sure the criminals will be caught soon. On Wednesday, the government entrusted the probe to the CBI to nab the perpetrators and their anti-national co-conspirators abroad.

Read: CM points to Pak for attack on RSS leader, Sukhbir says will nab culprits soon

UNIMPRESSIVE RECORD

It is not mandatory for the CBI to take up the case. After a notification to transfer the case to the CBI, the Badal government sent a request to the department of personnel and training (DOPT). We issued a notification stating that the state government wants the CBI to investigate this case as it pertains to a socially and politically important person. This case has an international conspiracy angle. The CBI is suited to investigate it, Jagpal Singh Sandhu, the additional chief secretary (home affairs and justice), said.

But the CBIs track record of solving such cases has been unimpressive. The death of Vidhu Jain,11, who was burnt alive on September 30, 2013, in communally sensitive Malerkotla town of Sangrur district is a mystery. After Punjab Police failed to crack the case, the Punjab and Haryana high court handed over the probe to the CBI in November 2014.

Yet another sensitive case being investigated by the CBI is related to the incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib in Bargari last October. The state government transferred the probe to the CBI but it has reached no conclusion.

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At a time when Aam Aadmi Party is expanding its wings in Patiala, the Akali minister Surjit Singh Rakhra on Wednesday tested his popularity by holding a massive rally of Schedule Caste and backward class workers.

Rakhra, who in year 2012 elections, had defeated Patiala royal scion Raninder Singh, presently is not facing any direct challenge, as neither Congress party nor Aam Aadmi Party has put a candidate or constituency in-charge at Samana. Senior Congress leader Lal Singhs son Rajinder Singh is trying to contest election from here as Congress candidate.

In the absence of opponents, Rakhra is consolidating on weaker sections, which have traditionally been a vote bank for Congress.

To further bolster his base, Rakhra called the cabinet minister Gulzar Singh Ranike, who is president of SC Wing of Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD).

Addressing the gathering, Rakhra said that Congress has always considered members of Schedule Caste community as its vote bank and it kept on changing its slogan every five years to mislead them.

He said before 2012 election, a mammoth rally was held at Samana which had laid the foundation for SAD-Bharatiya Janata Party combine to form government for the second time. Todays historic gathering has laid the foundation for hatrick of SAD-BJP government combine, he said.

SAD has done a lot for poor and downtrodden by launching schemes like Atta Dal, Shagun and Mai Bhago Vidya scheme, besides other.

He said Punjab was the only state which was providing 400 units of power free to the scheduled caste families. He said that these measures have helped a lot to the poor and downtrodden.

He said that government has constructed a number of memorials like the one of Valmiki being constructed with a cost of `300 crore in Amritsar. Similarly memorials are also under construction in the name of Guru Ravidass ji, Bhai Jaita ji, Bhagat Namdev ji besides others.
Unidentified persons murdered a retired BSF commandant and injured his wife before fleeing with the officers licensed rifle at Sheehnpur village in Dasuya on Friday.

The deceased has been identified as Narinder Singh, 70. His wife Harbhajan Kaur ,who is undergoing treatment at the Dasuya civil hospital, said the robbers, three in number, entered the house around 1 am. They first hit Narinder with sharp-edged weapons and then attacked his wife. The robbers also tried to strangulate the woman with her gatra (a strip of cloth used to wear kirpan) following which she fell unconscious. When she regained consciousness, she saw the house had been ransacked. The woman raised alarm following which neighbours assembled and informed police.

The ransacked house of Narinder Singh at Sheehnpur village in Dasuya on Friday. (HT Photo)

It appears to be a case of robbery but we are looking into other angles too, said Dasuya assistant superintendent of police Charanjit Singh. Police have registered a case under section 460 (house breaking by night) of the Indian Penal Code against unidentified persons. A manhunt has been launched to nab them, he added.

The deceaseds wife is in a state of shock. We are waiting for her statement to figure out what else, including cash, jewellery, was taken away by robbers, the ASP added. Police have informed couples two daughters and a US- based son about the incident.

Note: He was wrongly identified as a colonel in a previous version of this report.
After his removal as AAPs Punjab convener, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, 65, is just a step short of expulsion from the party that he had joined hoping to resurrect his political career. An original Akali and a baptised Sikh, he was last elected as an independent MLA in 2002, but now finds himself at the crossroads  a turf he is not unfamiliar with in his three-decade political career starting as a village sarpanch.

Read | Chhotepur sacked after he trains guns at Kejriwal

So far, only Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh has warmed up to him, welcoming the old friend to the Congress fold. Amarinder and Chhotepur were Akali ministers in the Surjit Singh Barnala government in the mid-1980s. Both resigned from the cabinet in the aftermath of police entry in the Golden Temple complex in April 1986 when extremists declared Khalistan from the Akal Takht. Given his past, though, it is unlikely that Chhotepur will jump onto the Congress bandwagon.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has praised Chhotepur for his anti-Kejriwal rant, but party chief Sukhbir Singh Badal was quick to rule out the possibility of taking him in. Incidentally, the AAP renegade is son-in-law of former Akali Dal president Mohan Singh Tur.

Must read | List of AAP fall-outs in Punjab: Know the others

That leaves him with the option of floating a splinter faction of the AAP and aligning himself with the fourth front led by AAPs suspended leader and Patiala MP Dr Dharamvira Gandhi, who has lately pitched himself as the pivot of a Punjab-centric conglomerate of breakaway AAP leaders and volunteers. Ideologically, Chhotepur may find himself closer to the Gandhi-led grouping. His politics hinges on his anti-Akali, anti-Congress credentials. To retain that base, he will have to look at an option beyond those two, said a close aide of Chhotepur.

For now, Chhotepurs priority is to gather his flock in the AAP. At Fridays press conference, he was flanked by five of the AAPs 13 parliamentary zone coordinators, from Gurdaspur, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Bathinda and Anandpur Sahib. Also present were sector and circle coordinators from at least 10 districts. He is hoping to emerge as a rallying figure for AAP leaders left disgruntled over ticket allocation. HTC
A few days after Unitech claimed in Supreme Court that it had no money to refund homebuyers, another developer active in Delhi and NCR has told the Supreme Court (SC) it cannot compensate buyers of its Parsvnath Exotica project in Ghaziabad because of financial difficulties.

As many as 70 flat buyers have sought refund for investing in the Parsvnath project and had moved SC in the matter.In May this year, the National Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission (NCDRC) had asked Parsvnath Developers to refund the amount paid by 70 homebuyers in its Parsvnath Exotica project in Ghaziabad with 12% interest for delaying the project.

On August 13, Unitech had informed SC that it was not in a position to refund money to homebuyers who had invested in its projects in Noida and Gurgaon and had not received possession of their flats due to delay in construction. We dont have the money. If we had the money, we would have constructed the flats and given them to the buyers, their lawyer had told the Bench hearing the case. SC, however, did not buy the excuse and ordered Unitech to deposit Rs 15 crore in its registry to be paid as refund to buyers not keen to hold apartments.

SC in July had also asked Unitech to deposit an interim penalty of Rs 5 crore after the company challenged the NCDRC order asking the realty firm to refund the money to three homebuyers in its Noida projects with interest.

In another case involving DB Realty in Mumbai in which 3,500 buyers have been waiting to get possession of their homes despite having paid 90% of the total amount were reportedly told in April this year that the company does not have the funds to complete the project.

The bigger issue here is what happens if more builders claim that they do not have the cash flows to restart stalled projects? Till date, there are around 6,000 projects out of a total of 13,500 that have been delayed in the top eight cities in the country, as per estimates by real estate research firm Liases Foras.

Legal experts are of the opinion that in case a developer fails to pay up or deliberately flouts the court orders, contempt proceedings can be initiated against him. The (Unitech) order sets a precedence. If a developer has promised a project, he had better deliver it. The country is not a banana republic and buyers cannot be taken for a ride. The order also emboldens the RERA Act under which there are stringent rules to deal with violations, says S K Pal, a Supreme Court lawyer.

A builder may not have money to complete the construction for a variety of reasons, (a) he took a bad business call or decision and did not calculate the cost of the project; (b) he over committed or sold cheaper than he should have; or (c) diverted money collected from buyers to other projects or elsewhere or; (d) is yet to receive money from the buyers. Each of such matters would have different consequences.

If the builder has taken a bad decision about his business and erred on cost or sold or promised to sell at an unfeasible price it will undoubtedly lead to loss. However, a builder cannot say that because he has suffered loss, he will not give the buyers what is promised. The buyers would always be free to claim compensation from the sellers in case of breach.

The basic principle of law is if a party breaches a contract he will be bound to pay all losses which arose in the natural course or which the defaulting party knew the non-defaulting party would suffer. The question as to whether the defaulting party can actually pay the compensation is a different matter. If the defaulting party does not have the money, it will be wound up (if its a company) or have to declare insolvency (in case of individuals) for which the consequences are grave. Usually, neither a company nor an individual would allow this to happen unless they are truly not in a position to repay. In case of liquidation, the assets of the company will go to a liquidator and under the supervision and process of court, such assets will be sold and sale proceeds will be distributed in the manner as provided for under the Companies Act, explains Sudip Mullick from Khaitan & Co.

A builder not belonging to an organisation and operating as an individual will suffer insolvency and action will be taken under the Presidency Towns Insolvency Act, 1909, or the Provincial Insolvency Act, 1920 as the case may be.

The buyers claim against the builder is not only limited to the property or compensation in lieu thereof , they can also proceed against the builder under the applicable criminal law in case the builder intentionally defrauded them,says Mullick.

If the builder has diverted money to other projects or elsewhere, the buyers quickest remedy not by way of actual receipt of cost but by way of forcing the builder to settle would be to initiate criminal proceedings, without prejudice to their right to file civil proceedings for recovery of their unit/property. In case the buyer chooses to terminate the agreement then they have to recover the principal amount and compensation, say legal experts.

And what happens if a buyer is left in a state where he cannot recover money from the builder? Legal experts say that buyers take the risk of investing in an under-construction project and that is an individual risk. Buyers have the legal right to recover the amount but if they cannot, that is the consequence of their risk. However, if land and semi constructed buildings belonging to the builder exist then buyers can nvest some more money into the project with other buyers, complete the construction and take possession, they say.

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The worlds largest indoor theme park is set to open its doors in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, next week. The park will feature Marvel-themed thrill rides and a dinosaur park that brings the pre-historic animals back to life in the Middle Eastern desert.

Covering an area that spans over 1.5 million square feet, IMG Worlds of Adventure features four zones  Marvel, Cartoon Network, Lost Valley  Dinosaur Adventure and IMG Boulevard  and can accommodate up to 30,000 visitors a day. Developers claim that they anticipate seeing 4.5 million guests in its first year.

Some of the parks highlights include the thrill-ride Avengers: Battle of Ultron. It is an immersive experience that uses stereoscopic 3D media and explosive special effects to parachute riders into the Marvel universe.

At Lost Valley, which is the parks version of Jurassic World, visitors will walk among 69 moving, breathing dinosaurs built in painstaking detail  scales are hand-sculpted and painted with a thin layer of silicone to lend a lifelike, shiny appearance. In total, it took five years to bring the troop to life including the star of the show, Barosaurus, who towers 16 meters high.

There are 70 life sized prehistoric beasts in the Dinosaur zone. (Twitter)

For an adrenaline rush, visitors can climb aboard The Velociraptor roller coaster which features four loops  the biggest one topping out at 105 feet  and reaches speeds of up to 100 km/hr in 2.5 seconds.

The glittering city of Dubai has become a hotbed of development for theme parks in a bid to boost tourism and diversify its offerings. Another hotly anticipated theme park set to open in October is Motiongate Dubai, which will feature rides and attractions themed after some of Hollywoods most popular film franchises including The Hunger Games, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, Shrek and Ghostbusters. Motiongate Dubai is one of three theme parks from Dubai Parks and Resorts, billed as the regions largest integrated theme park destination.

  #ATM2016     !        . #IMGworlds pic.twitter.com/H7wdMicD2c  IMGworlds (@IMGworlds) April 27, 2016

  #ATM2016     !        . #IMGworlds pic.twitter.com/H7wdMicD2c  IMGworlds (@IMGworlds) April 27, 2016

Along with Legoland Dubai, Motiongate and Bollywood Parks, a Six Flags-branded area is also expected to open in late 2019, with plans to build at least three world record-breaking rides. Six Flags Dubai will feature 27 rides and attractions including six roller coasters, four aerial attractions and a 350-meter River Rapids ride. The US company also revealed this summer that it had entered discussions to open a park in Saudi Arabia. IMG Worlds of Adventure will open its doors on August 31.

Watch:
More than half of respondents in a new poll said they plan to vote for Hillary Clinton -- the first time the Democratic presidential candidate has breached that all-important 50% threshold.

The poll released on Thursday by Quinnipiac University found the former secretary of state leading Trump 51 to 41% in a head to head race.

We are starting to hear the faint rumblings of a Hillary Clinton landslide as her 10-point lead is further proof that Donald Trump is in a downward spiral as the clock ticks, said Tim Malloy, assistant director of the Quinnipiac University Poll.

Support for Clinton falls below 50% if third-party candidates are thrown into the equation.

The former first lady gets 45%, with Trump polling 38%, when Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson and Green Party contender Jill Stein are added to the mix.

Johnson gets 10% and Stein is at 4% in the Quinnipiac poll.

Trumps campaign has stumbled in recent weeks after a series of perceived gaffes. Commentators say it has struggled to make the transition from the scrappy party nomination fight to the battle to become US commander in chief.

Trumps missteps, stumbles and gaffes seem to outweigh Clintons shaky trust status and perceived shady dealings. Wow, is there any light at the end of this dark and depressing chapter in American politics? Malloy said.

Meanwhile, Clinton, who is looking to make history as Americas first female commander in chief, has hit choppy waters as well amid the continuing fallout over her misbegotten decision to use a private email server for State Department correspondence.

She also has come under scrutiny for allegedly breaching a firewall between her family charity and her role as secretary of state, sparking Republican complaints of special favours granted to donors to the Clinton Foundation.

But despite her self-inflicted wounds, many voters perceive fewer potential drawbacks to a Clinton presidency, and she continues to poll well ahead of her Republican rival.

Quinnipiacs nationwide telephone survey of some 1,500 likely voters, taken from August 18 to 24, had a margin of error of plus or minus 2.5 percentage points.
Three people were killed in what Canadian police on Thursday called a homicide that may have involved a crossbow.

Officers arrived at a home in the Toronto suburb of Scarborough and found two people without vital signs. A third person was found with significant injuries and taken to a hospital.

Police said all three people  two men and a woman  were later pronounced dead.

A fourth person, a 35-year-old man, was also injured.

Constable David Hopkinson said all three victims had what appeared to be crossbow wounds and a crossbow was found on the floor nearby. Constable Jennifer Sidhu says there were other things found in the area that could have been used in the incident. She declined to elaborate.

Police said a suspect is in custody but that its very early in the investigation.

Sadiya Haque, who lives nearby, said she was surprised this happened in her usually tranquil neighbourhood, adding that most of the people who live on that street are seniors.

Unlike guns, buying a crossbow does not require a license in Canada.

In December 2010, a man fired a bolt into his fathers back at a Toronto public library branch in another crossbow incident that captured the citys attention. In that case, Zhou Fang then crushed his 52-year-old fathers skull with a hammer.

Fang was initially charged with first-degree murder but the prosecution accepted a plea of second-degree murder after considering that he was the victim of long-term abuse at the hands of his father.

He was sentenced to life in prison in 2012.
"We make war that we may live in peace."

--Aristotle

"I exhort you never to debase the moral currency or to lower the

standard of rectitude, but to try others by the final maxim that

governs your own lives, and to suffer no man and no cause to escape

the undying penalty which history has the power to inflict on wrong."

--Lord Acton

"Liberty is not a means to a higher political end. It is itself the

highest political end...liberty is the only object which benefits all

alike, and provokes no sincere opposition...The danger is not that a

particular class is unfit to govern. Every class is unfit to govern...

Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely."

--Lord Acton

"It is in vain, sir, to extenuate the matter. Gentlemen may cry,

Peace, Peace--but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from

the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the

field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life

so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it,

Almighty God! I know not what course others may take;

but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!"

--Patrick Henry

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine

patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now,

deserves the love and thanks of man and woman. Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we

have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph."

--Thomas Paine

"The way to secure liberty is to place it in the people's hands, that is,

to give them the power at all times to defend it in the legislature and

in the courts of justice"

--John Adams

"Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will

within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I

do not add 'within the limits of the law' because law is often

but the tyrant's will, and always so when it violates the rights

of the individual."

--Thomas Jefferson

"No man has a natural right to commit aggression on the equal rights of

another, and this is all from which the laws ought to restrain hima?the idea

is quite unfounded that on entering into society we give up any natural rights."

--Thomas Jefferson

"An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his

fellow citizens."

--Thomas Jefferson

"The protection of our citizens, the spirit and honor of our country, require

that force should be interposed to a certain degree."

--Thomas Jefferson

"To draw around the whole nation the strength of the General Government

as a barrier against foreign foes... is [one of the] functions of the General Government on which [our citizens] have a right to call."

--Thomas Jefferson

"It is our duty still to endeavor to avoid war; but if it shall actually

take place, no matter by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves. If our house be on fire, without

inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it."

--Thomas Jefferson

"I am ever unwilling that [peace] should be disturbed as long as

the rights and interests of the nations can be preserved. But whensoever hostile aggressions on these

require a resort to war, we must meet our duty and convince the world that we are

just friends and brave enemies."

--Thomas Jefferson

"By nature's law, man is at peace with man till some aggression is

committed, which, by the same law, authorizes one to destroy another as

his enemy."

--Thomas Jefferson

"I have sworn upon the altar of God, eternal hostility against

every form of tyranny over the mind of man."

--Thomas Jefferson

"Our duty to ourselves, to posterity, and to mankind, call on us

by every motive which is sacred or honorable, to watch over the safety of our beloved country

during the troubles which agitate and convulse the residue of the world, and to sacrifice to

that all personal and local considerations."

--Thomas Jefferson

"It is an essential attribute of the jurisdiction of every country

to preserve peace, to punish acts in breach of it, and to restore property taken by force within

its limits."

--Thomas Jefferson

"By nature's law, man is at peace with man till some aggression

is committed, which, by the same law, authorizes one to destroy another

as his enemy."

--Thomas Jefferson

"Peace and friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy,

and I wish we may be permitted to pursue it. But the temper and folly of our enemies may

not leave this in our choice."

--Thomas Jefferson

"We must indeed all hang together, or, most assuredly,

we shall all hang separately."

--Benjamin Franklin

"I believe there are more instances of the abridgement of freedom of the people

by gradual and silent encroachments of those in power than by violent

and sudden usurpations."

--James Madison

"Public sentiment is everything. With public sentiment, nothing can fail; without

it nothing can succeed."

--Abraham Lincoln

"At what point shall we expect the approach of danger? By what means shall we

fortify against it? Shall we expect some transatlantic military giant, to step the Ocean, and crush us at a

blow? Never! All the armies of Europe, Asia and Africa combined, with all the treasure of the earth (our own excepted)

in their military chest; with a Buonaparte for a commander, could not by force, take a drink from the Ohio, or make a

track on the Blue Ridge, in a trial of a thousand years. At what point, then, is the approach of danger to be expected?

I answer, if it ever reach us it must spring up amongst us. It cannot come from abroad. If destruction be our lot,

we must ourselves be its author and finisher. As a nation of freemen, we must live through all time,

or die by suicide."

--Abraham Lincoln

"The probability that we may fall in the struggle ought not to deter us from the

support of a cause we believe to be just; it shall not deter me."

--Abraham Lincoln

"Property is the fruit of labor...property is desirable...is a positive

good in the world. That some should be rich shows that others may become rich, and hence is just encouragement

to industry and enterprise. Let not him who is houseless pull down the house of another; but let him labor

diligently and build one for himself, thus by example assuring that his own shall

be safe from violence when built."

--Abraham Lincoln

"We all declare for liberty; but in using the same word we do not all mean

the same thing. With some the word liberty may mean for each man to do as he pleases with himself, and

the product of his labor; while with others, the same word many mean for some men to do as they please

with other men, and the product of other men's labor. Here are two, not only different, but incompatible

things, called by the same name - liberty. And it follows that each of the things is, by the respective

parties, called by two different and incompatible names -

liberty and tyranny."

--Abraham Lincoln

"If all do not join now to save the good old ship of the Union this voyage

nobody will have a chance to pilot her on another voyage."

--Abraham Lincoln

"It is not the critic who counts, not the man who points

out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better.

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena; whose face is marred by dust

and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again;

who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, and spends himself in a worthy cause;

who, at the best, knows in the end the triumph of high achievement; and who, at worst,

if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with

those cold and timid souls who know neither victory nor defeat."

--Theodore Roosevelt

"Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs,

even though checkered by failure, than to take rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy

much nor suffer much, because they live in the gray twilight that

knows not victory nor defeat."

--Theodore Roosevelt

"The liberty of a democracy is not safe if the people tolerate the growth

of private power to a point where it comes stronger than their democratic

state itself. That, in its essence, is fascism - ownership of government by

an individual, by a group."

--Franklin D. Roosevelt

"War has been waged against us by stealth and deceit and murder.

This nation is peaceful, but fierce when stirred to anger. This conflict was begun on the

timing and terms of others. It will end in a way, and at an hour,

of our choosing."

--George W. Bush

"When the conduct of men is designed to be influenced, persuasion, kind unassuming persuasion, should ever be adopted. It is an old and true maxim that 'a drop of honey catches more flies

than a gallon of gall.' So with men. If you would win a man to your cause, first convince him

that you are his sincere friend. Therein is a drop of honey that catches his heart, which, say

what he will, is the great highroad to his reason, and which, once gained, you will find but little trouble in convincing him of the justice of your cause, if indeed that cause is really

a good one."

--Abraham Lincoln

"To arrive at a just estimate of a renowned man's character one must judge

it by the standards of his time, not ours."

--Mark Twain

"It is with trifles and when he is off guard that a man best

reveals his character."

--Arthur Schopenhauer

"When men speak ill of thee, live

so as nobody may believe them."

--Plato

"He that has light within his own clear breast may sit in the center,

and enjoy bright day: But he that hides a dark soul and foul thoughts benighted walks under the

mid-day sun."

--John Milton

"Character consists of what you do on the third

and fourth tries."

--James A. Michener

"We should be too big to take offense and too noble to

give it."

--Abraham Lincoln

"I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the

content of their character."

--Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

"A man's character is his guardian divinity."

--Heraclitus

"Character develops itself in the stream of life."

--Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe

"Do what you know and perception is converted into character."

--Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Of all the properties which belong to honorable men, not one is so

highly prized as that of character."

--Henry Clay
Bolivian miners kidnapped, tortured and beat to death a deputy minister who tried to negotiate with protesting workers on Thursday, in what the government condemned as a brutal murder.

All signs indicate that our deputy minister, Rodolfo Illanes, has been cowardly and brutally murdered, Interior Minister Carlos Romero told a press conference.

Illanes, who has served as deputy interior minister since March, had gone to a highway blockade in the western highland town of Panduro in an attempt to mediate with miners after days of violent protests.

He was harassed, tortured... he was beaten to death according to the information we have, Defense Minister Reymi Ferreira said. Illanes had earlier told local media by telephone that I am in very good health... safeguarded by peers, so people do not hurt me.

But reports later came in that the 56-year-old former criminal lawyer was dead. We saw the lifeless body of Deputy Minister Illanes, Moises Flores, director of a mining radio station, told a local radio outlet.

President Evo Morales was deeply shaken upon receiving the news, Ferreira said on private television station Red Uno, before breaking down in tears.

He said that authorities were attempting to recover the body, and in a separate statement reported that about 100 to 120 detentions had been made.

The ringleaders who killed Illanes had been identified, he said, adding that the act cannot go unpunished, and must be taken to court. Labeling the killing an unprecedented criminal act, Romero as well called on Bolivias justice system to clear up the murder and establish responsibility.

Miner demonstrations turned violent this week with protestors demanding mining concessions and the right to work for private or foreign companies. Romero said Illanes had been convinced that they could be persuaded and urged into a dialogue with the government... but he was intercepted.

Bolivias attorney general announced that five prosecutors had been sent to Panduro.

Illaness bodyguard escaped the scene after being stripped of his gun, and had been admitted to a clinic in La Paz.

Two workers were shot dead Wednesday in mining protests on Cochabamba roads, according to prosecutors. In clashes over the last three days, approximately 20 police have been injured and two remain captured by miners in the central city of Cochabamba, according to official data.

Bolivias mining cooperatives are allied with the countrys president, and hold positions in the executive and in Congress as senators and deputies. Before the murder, miners had agreed with the government to start negotiating Friday morning at Bolivias vice presidential headquarters, on condition they open up blocked roads.

.
China will prosecute the former head of its statistics bureau, the countrys anti-corruption watchdog said on Friday, accusing him of violations of discipline, including extravagance, abuse of power and selling power for sex.

President Xi Jinping has conducted a sweeping campaign to root out deeply ingrained corruption since assuming office more than three years ago, warning that the problem is so bad it could affect the ruling Communist Partys grip on power.

The crackdown has targeted a broad swathe of high-ranking officials, from members of the military to former judges and various ministry chiefs, as well as numerous bosses of state-owned companies.

Wang Baoan, the former chief of Chinas National Bureau of Statistics, lacked political faith, had frequently stayed at expensive hotels, abused his position to get benefits for relatives, and had accepted gifts, property and bribes, the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI) said.

Wang, 52, also engaged in superstitious activities, exchanged power for sex, and was morally bankrupt, the agency said in a statement on its website.

The CCDI announced the investigation of Wang in January. The latest move expelling him from the party and handing his case over to legal authorities indicates he will face prosecution.

Reuters was not able to reach Wang for comment and it was unclear if he had been able to retain a lawyer. Chinas courts are controlled by the party, and convictions in such cases are generally a foregone conclusion.

Wang was deputy finance minister from 2012 until April 2015, when he took up the post of statistics bureau chief.

A Chinese general has also been arrested for violating party discipline, a Hong Kong newspaper cited two unnamed sources as saying, describing him as one of the most senior incumbent military officials to be targeted in Beijings crackdown on corruption.
Czech police arrested a man Thursday for attempting to drive into the motorcade of visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Prague, they said.

A man in a black Mercedes attempted to join the motorcade as it moved between Prague airport and Czech government headquarters, police spokesperson Jozef Bocan told AFP, adding that the suspect was in police custody and Merkel had not been in danger.

While attempting to join the motorcade, he tried to run down police securing the road, Bocan said, adding that officers had to use firearms to subdue the suspect.

The suspect acted alone. He was not armed, but items found in the car could easily have been used as weapons, particularly some cement cubes, Bocan added.

Merkel held talks Thursday with Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka and President Milos Zeman focused on the future of the European Union after Britains June decision to leave the bloc.

Several hundred protesters, including members of anti-Islam groups, rallied in central Prague against Merkel and her decision to open the EUs doors to refugees and migrants last summer.

A woman holds a banner with caricature of German Chancellor Angela Merkel during a rally in Prague. (AP Photo)
The vice-chairman of South Koreas troubled Lotte Group was found dead on Friday, police said, in an apparent suicide amid a widening corruption probe into the countrys fifth largest business conglomerate.

The body of Lee In-Won was found hanging from a tree near a hiking trail in the eastern town of Yangpyeong.

A four-page letter -- apparently a suicide note -- was found in his car, expressing loyalty to the groups chairman Shin Dong-Bin and denying allegations that the firm had avoided huge sums of tax and created slush funds.

Lee was a key suspect in an alleged tax evasion scam worth hundreds of millions of dollars.

An official probe into the retail and hotel giant widened in June when prosecutors raided the offices of 15 subsidiaries, before issuing summons to a number of executives.

In South Korea, it is not unusual for a high-profile suspect to commit suicide when he is the subject of an investigation.

South Korean hospital officials carry the body of Lee In-Won. (AFP Photo)

In 2003, Chung Mong-Hun, then chairman of the countrys No. 2 conglomerate Hyundai Group, jumped to his death from his office building after being interrogated over the groups secret transfer of $500 million to North Korea to secure business deals.

A year later, an executive of Daewoo business group Nam Sang-Guk jumped off a bridge into the Han River in Seoul after being questioned over corruption allegations.

Last year, businessman Sung Wan-Jong hanged himself, leaving a note suggesting he had offered bribes to powerful elite players including former Prime Minister Lee Wan-Koo.
The death toll from an attack late on Thursday by Islamic militants on a seaside restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu has risen to 10, police said.

The attackers set off a car bomb at the Banadir restaurant at the citys Lido beach before engaging security forces in a fight for several hours.

The casualties comprised six civilians, two members of the security forces and two of the attackers, Ali Abdullahi, a police officer, said on Friday.

Al Qaeda-linked al Shabaab claimed the attack, which ended at around 3:00am local time, police said.

It said the restaurant was targeted because it was frequented by apostates indulging in obscenity and vice.

The group has carried out a series of deadly attacks in Somalia to try to topple the Western-backed government.

In a separate incident in southern Somalia, a roadside bomb planted by al Shabaab militants injured 10 people, police said on Friday, raising the number of wounded from three initially.

One of those wounded in the explosion in Baardhere town in Gedo region was the local district commissioner, police said.

Threat to elections

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try to violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago, Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned that the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia
French mayors are drawing international anger for banning the burkini, an all-encompassing swimsuit worn by a small minority of Muslim women. Here is what the controversy is all about:

WHAT ARE BURKINIS?

Theyre a recent retail invention, not a religious requirement in any country. Around a decade ago an Australian woman of Lebanese origin created a swimsuit for Muslim women designed to permit them to keep their bodies covered while working as lifeguards on Australian beaches. Her design was dubbed the burkini or burqini.

Burkinis cover the head, torso and limbs - much like a wetsuit with a hood. The word conflates the words bikini and burqa, a full-body covering with only a mesh screen for the eyes. Burqas are worn primarily in Afghanistan.

Read: Burkini ban protesters throw beach party at French embassy in London

Burkinis are rarely seen in France, where youre more likely to spot women sunbathing topless. International sales reportedly have soared in response to French efforts to restrict their public display.

WHY BAN THEM?

France is both exceptionally secular and unusually fearful of Islamic extremism following last months truck attack in Nice that killed 86 people and slaying of a Catholic priest during Mass in Normandy, both claimed by the Islamic State group.

While the burkinis defenders have argued that the wearing of the garment has nothing to do with promoting bloodshed, mayors have countered that wearing the outfits could undermine public order by make other beachgoers angry or afraid.

The French, who famously ban baggy mens swim trunks from their pools, also argue that excessively large womens swimwear poses a similar risk to public hygiene.

Read: Disdain in Britain, US for French burkini ban

Prime Minister Manuel Valls says burkinis represent the enslavement of women and puts his opposition in the context of Frances promotion of womens rights worldwide.

But Frances predominant argument is that the burkini violates Frances century-old commitment to promote secularism in public life. The first article of the French constitution enshrines this principle, while polls show French people are among the least religious in the world. France repeatedly has cited this secularist agenda when targeting Muslim practices that are seen to push religion too far into mainstream society.

BACKLASH TO THE BANS

French Muslims say they feel stigmatised by the restrictions, while some police have complained that the new rules are too vague or problematic to be enforced.

Images this week that showed Nice police appearing to instruct a burkini-clad beachgoer to remove her tunic stirred indignation online. Human rights groups petitioned Frances highest administrative authority, the Council of State, which plans to issue its ruling Friday on the burkini bans.

The policy is raising tensions within French President Francois Hollandes leftist government, too.

ITS POLITICS

Critics say the anti-burkini crusade reflects a far right, anti-Muslim agenda that could prove to be a vote-winner in Frances 2017 presidential election.

Many mayors to the fore on the issue are members of former President Nicolas Sarkozys conservative Republicans party. Sarkozy, who is seeking re-election, said Wednesday: We dont imprison women behind fabric.

He linked burkinis to radicalized Islam, a contention that many Muslims regard as baseless and dangerous. But this kind of rhetoric could help Sarkozy win votes from the anti-immigrant National Front party of Marine Le Pen, a presidential contender who has campaigned against what she calls the Islamization of France.

Burkinis pose a dilemma for the French left, a staunch defender of womens rights. The prime minister and womens affairs minister support the bans because they say burkinis oppress women; the education minister and health minister say authorities shouldnt dictate what women wear.

A LESS SECULAR WORLD

Frances stringent secularism is exceptional in the western world, and much of the rest of the world is struggling to understand Frances actions. Protesters rallied Thursday against the French bans in London and Berlin.

Burkinis are sold by major retailers in Britain. Elsewhere in Europe, burkinis are rare but no municipal bans exist.

Not yet anyway. In Belgium, the right-leaning Flemish N-VA party doesnt want burkinis on public beaches, calling it a sign of oppressing women.

THE MUSLIM FASHION

Women in Muslim countries wear a range of swimwear, from bikinis to full-length garments, reflecting their personal tastes and understanding of their faith.

Burkini-style wear has generated debate in Morocco, with its large tourism industry. In Egypt, some resorts, elite clubs and restaurants ban veils entirely and the wearing of burkini-style outfits in swimming pools. Religious conservatives, who have been gaining ground, say such bans perpetuate a colonized mentality by enforcing Western-inspired freedoms and styles.
The Philippines police chief has called on drug users to kill traffickers and burn their homes, escalating President Rodrigo Dutertes deeply controversial crime war that has claimed 2,000 lives.

Why dont you give them a visit, pour gasoline on their homes and set these on fire to register your anger, Ronald dela Rosa said in a speech aired on television Friday.

Theyre all enjoying your money, money that destroyed your brain. You know who the drug lords are. Would you like to kill them? Go ahead. Killing them is allowed because you are the victim.

Dela Rosa was speaking Thursday to several hundred drug users who had surrendered in the central Philippines.

Dela Rosas comments followed Dutertes own controversial directives that have sparked criticism from the United Nations and human rights groups.

Duterte, 71, won May elections in a landslide on a vow to kill tens of thousands of suspected criminals in an unprecedented blitz that would eliminate illegal drugs in six months.

He promised on the campaign trial that 100,000 people would be killed and so many bodies would be dumped in Manila Bay that fish would grow fat from feeding on them.

Days after his election win, Duterte also offered security officials bounties for the bodies of drug dealers.

And when he took office on June 30, Duterte told a crowd in Manila: If you know of any addicts, go ahead and kill them yourself as getting their parents to do it would be too painful.

The UN special rapporteur on summary executions, Agnes Callamard, said such directives amount to incitement to violence and killing, a crime under international law.

However Dela Rosa and Duterte have insisted they are working within the law and their aides have dismissed some of their comments as merely hyperbole meant to scare drug traffickers.

Protesters stage a "die-in" to dramatize the rising number of extra-judicial killings related to Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's "War on Drugs" , in front of the armed forces headquarters in suburban Quezon city northeast of Manila. (AP)

Sad, mad and sorry

After a barrage of bad headlines, Dela Rosa on Friday apologised for his remarks the previous day and described them as due to an emotional outburst.

Yesterday, I said that because I felt so bad. I was in front of those poor people, pushers and users, they looked like zombies. I was so mad, thats why I said that, he told reporters.

Im sorry if I said something unpleasant. Many people are reacting. I am very sorry. I am just a human being who gets mad.

When asked earlier Friday if Duterte supported Dela Rosas call to murder and commit arson, presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella denied that was the police chiefs intent.

There is no such call. Its a passionate statement, Abella said, without elaborating.

Dela Rosa told a Senate inquiry this week that the confirmed number of people to have died in the drug war was 1,946.

He said police had shot dead 756 suspects in self-defence.

He said there were another 1,190 killings under investigation, but they were likely due to drug gangs murdering people who could implicate each other. He also emphasised the crime war had so far been a success.

I admit many are dying but our campaign, now, we have the momentum, he told the Senate.

Many Filipinos continue to support Duterte, accepting his argument that drastic measures are needed to stop the Philippines becoming a narco state.

Child deaths

But criticism has continued to mount, with fears that security forces and hired assassins are roaming out-of-control and killing anyone suspected of being involved in drugs or for other reasons.

The US government on Monday expressed its concern about reports of extrajudicial killings.

Local media have also reported a growing number of children who have been killed in the crossfire.

Human Rights Watch released a statement condemning the death of a five-year-old girl who was shot this week when unknown gunmen reportedly entered her home and tried to kill her grandfather, an alleged drug user, who was wounded.

Dutertes aggressive rhetoric advocating violent, extrajudicial solutions to crime in the Philippines has found willing takers, the US-based groups Asia deputy director, Phelim Kine, said in a statement.

Read | Bleeding men, mutilated corpses: Bodies pile up in Philippine drug war
Against the backdrop of a war of words between India and Pakistan, Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif said on Friday he was looking forward to welcoming the leaders of Saarc states for the regional groupings summit in Islamabad in November.

Finance minister Arun Jaitley skipped a meeting of Saarc finance ministers in Islamabad this week and questions have been raised about Indias participation in the groupings summit to be held during November 9-10.

The Prime Minister of Pakistan has invited the leaders of Saarc Member States to grace the summit with their presence and is looking forward to welcome them at Islamabad, said a statement from Pakistans Foreign Office.

Read | India-Pak tensions to cast shadow over Saarc meet again

Nine observers of Saarc have been invited to the summit. Pakistans foreign secretary Aizaz Chaudhry inaugurated a Saarc Summit Cell on Friday to give impetus to preparations for the meet. Besides working with all stakeholders, the Summit Cell will liaise with the member states and observers for the summit.

The finance ministers decision to skip the meeting in Islamabad came close on the heels of home minister Rajnath Singhs experiences at a meeting of Saarc interior ministers earlier this month, which added to bilateral tensions.

Singh and his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan barely shook hands and traded barbs over the situation in Kashmir. Bilateral ties took another hit after a war of words over the unrest in Kashmir and the rights situation in the Pakistani province of Balochistan.

Pakistan said Modi had crossed a red line by raising the issue of Balochistan in his Independence Day speech. Pakistan also offered talks on Kashmir but India said any dialogue would have to focus on the issue of terrorism.

Read | The utility of Saarc really hangs in the balance
The Philippine government and Communist guerrillas on Friday signed an indefinite ceasefire deal to facilitate peace talks aimed at ending one of Asias longest-running insurgencies.

This is a historic and unprecedented event ... (but) there is still a lot of work to be done ahead, President Rodrigo Dutertes peace adviser, Jesus Dureza, said at a signing ceremony in Norway, which is mediating the talks.

Both sides agreed to implement unilateral, indefinite ceasefires -- something that has never been achieved before in the peace process.

Norwegian Foreign Minister Borge Brende described the agreement as a major breakthrough.

We are on the highway to peace and we are talking of a timeline of maximum 12 months, Silvestre Bello, the Philippine government delegations head of negotiations, told AFP.

The two parties have been meeting in Oslo since Monday, wrapping up their talks with the signing ceremony on Friday.

As a prelude to the negotiations, both sides had agreed to a ceasefire, but the truce commitment by the Communist side was due to end on Saturday.

The two parties also agreed to speed up the peace process, and aim to reach the first substantial agreement on economic and social reforms within six months, a statement from the Norwegian foreign ministry said.

They plan to follow this up with an agreement on political and constitutional reforms, before a final agreement on ending the armed conflict can be signed.

The two delegations agreed to meet again in Oslo on October 8-12.

Good atmosphere

The head of the rebel delegation, Luis Jalandoni, was optimistic about the potential for achieving a lasting peace deal.

We think that the peace talks now can move forward with a good atmosphere and try to move on with the (negotiations on) social and economic reforms, which are vital for addressing the roots of the armed conflict, he told AFP.

The government and the rebels also renewed an agreement that ensures immunity and security for key representatives of the rebels political wing, the National Democratic Front, so that they can take part in the negotiations.

The Communist Party of the Philippines launched a rebellion in 1968 that has so far claimed the lives of 30,000 people, according to official estimates.

Its armed faction, the New Peoples Army (NPA), is now believed to have fewer than 4,000 gunmen, down from a peak of 26,000 in the 1980s, when a bloodless revolt ended the 20-year dictatorship of late president Ferdinand Marcos.

They remain particularly active in rural areas, where they are notorious for extorting money from local businesses. They also regularly attack police and military forces, sometimes targeting them in urban areas.

In 2002, the US State Department designated the Communist Party and the NPA as terrorist organisations.

Forging peace with the rebels has been the elusive goal of Philippine presidents since a 1986 revolution that toppled dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

The force behind the current talks is Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, who took office on June 30 after a landslide election victory.

Hopes for peace deal

On Monday, his government said it hoped to reach a peace accord within a year.

Duterte, who calls himself a Socialist, hails from Mindanao, the impoverished southern third of the Philippines where two rebellions -- Communist and Muslim -- have been most active.

He says ending both insurgencies is vital to his plan to curb poverty. He has even sketched the possibility of forming a coalition government with the rebels.

Duterte reputedly has close links to the Communists and is a former university student of Jose Maria Sison, now aged 77, who established the party.

The two sides hope to breathe new life into the process by discussing the outstanding issues of social and economic reforms, political and constitutional changes, and an end to hostilities.

Previous peace talks have addressed one issue at a time.
A Bengal tiger rescued from what activists have called the worst zoo in the world arrived in South Africa for a new home on Thursday, after living in a small cage in Gaza alongside another tigers stuffed corpse.

The nine-year-old male, known as Laziz, arrived by plane. His handlers said he was in good condition and calm after travelling in a wooden crate.

The Four Paws charity launched a rescue effort at the Khan Younis zoo in Gaza when it discovered that the zoo was displaying the taxidermied corpses of animals that had died from stress, disease and starvation.

After the zoo asked for help, Four Paws on Wednesday removed 15 animals including five monkeys, a porcupine and an emu. Most were destined for an animal sanctuary in Jordan.

Laziz is released into an enclosure at the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary in Bethlehem, South Africa. (AP Photo)

The tiger was taken to the Lionsrock Big Cat Sanctuary, where he took a few groggy steps into his new enclosure, used an old tree trunk as a scratching post and collapsed under a shelter to sleep off the effects of a sedative.

Laziz is in good condition apart from a scratch on one side of his face, which comes from the crate, said Marina Strydom, a veterinarian at Lionsrock, said Thursday.

The facility already holds about 100 big cats that have been rescued from zoos and circuses around the world. The tigers new enclosure is several hectares in size with tree trunks, rocks and makeshift structures to climb.

Laziz, Gaza's last tiger from the Khan Yunis zoo, waits in a cage at the Tambo international airport in Johannesburg. (AFP Photo)

Meals will mostly include donkey meat and cow legs.

Years of conflict, cold winters, longstanding negligence and outbreaks of disease have killed many animals in captivity in Gaza.

Conditions in Gaza, home to 1.8 million people, have steadily deteriorated since Hamas, an Islamic militant group, seized control of the territory in 2007 and prompted an Israeli and Egyptian blockade.

The Gaza zoo's last tiger was one of 15 animals rescued this week. (AFP Photo)

A turtle is fed inside it's enclosure at the New Hope Centre, an animal refuge near Amman, upon their arrival after being evacuated from a zoo dubbed the "world's worst" in the Palestinian Gaza Strip. (AFP Photo)
The Tennessee Valley Authority has asked the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) for a license amendment to allow an extended power uprate (EPU) for the three nuclear power reactors at Brown Ferry Nuclear Plant. This would amend its already-licensed steady-state reactor core levels and allow a power level increase of approximately 20 percent for all three units, according to an environmental group that is opposed.

BEST/MATRR, a Scottsboro-based chapter of Blue Ridge Environmental Defense League, alleges that TVA "has presented analyses that under-predicts the reaction of zirconium and steam that would occur in a loss-of-coolant accident at higher temperatures."

The organization is asking NRC to deny the TVA request since granting it "increases the safety risk to the public and employees. "

The group said, " The request comes despite questions about when and at what temperatures zirconium melting of fuel rod cladding occurs that will cause steam and hydrogen buildup* much as was seen in the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns of 3 reactors in 2011. Actual tests showed that computer models underestimated the temperature levels. BEST/MATRR contends that allowing implementation of this amendment greatly increases the risk of a radioactive accident with a hydrogen explosion and also forces an increase in daily radionuclide venting to the air outside the reactors containment building."

Garry Morgan of BEST/MATRR said, Zircaloy, a zirconium alloy, composes the thin cladding around the fuel rods holding the fissionable uranium. NRC should seek to reduce, not increase, the risk of loss of coolant that will melt the fuel rods leading to meltdown and released radiation.

The extra strain using this high burnup fuel is unnecessary and unacceptable given the safety history of this type of Westinghouse reactors at Browns Ferry.

He said the Mark II Westinghouse reactor "is like the ones at Fukushima that melted down in 2011."
A Sudanese Antonov aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after take off from a base used to bomb rebels in Yemen, the kingdoms aviation regulator said, without reporting injuries.

The propellor-driven An-12 transport plane made an emergency and safe landing on Thursday at Baha airport in southwest Saudi Arabia, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

Baha is about 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of Khamis Mushait, home to the airbase which has been at the forefront of a bombing campaign by a Saudi-led Arab coalition against rebels in neighbouring Yemen.

The plane was en route to the Sudanese capital Khartoum with 10 crew members, the aviation authority said.

It said the Antonov, an aircraft designed in the former Soviet Union, had engine failure and its tyres had burst on landing in Baha, without specifying if it was a civilian or military model of the plane.

Sudan, one of several Arab countries in the coalition, has deployed troops and aircraft against the Yemeni rebels.

Khartoum has regularly used modified Antonovs to bomb insurgents on its own territory.

In April, a Sudanese military Antonov-26 crashed in the countrys restive North Kordofan, killing all five crew members.
The United States has stressed on the need for Pakistan to not differentiate between terror groups based on their agenda or affiliation, asking it to ensure there are no safe havens for terrorists in the country.

We have consistently raised our concerns to the highest level of the government of Pakistan on the need to deny safe haven to extremists, the State Department spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters on Thursday.

We have pressed the Government of Pakistan to follow up on their expressed commitment, their stated commitment, to not discriminate among terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation, she said.

Trudeau drew the attention to what Pakistan Army chief General Raheel Sharif had said that they would not discriminate.

The terrorist attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul is against the best and brightest of Afghanistan and is a sign that we can all do more, she said.

As we have in the past, we encourage the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together, not only in the wake of this attack and to ensure that such attacks dont happen again, but to increase their cooperation countering violent extremism at large, Trudeau said.

Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, in a nearly 10-hour raid.
In a new project with National Geographic, Barack Obama becomes the first sitting US president to project himself into virtual reality  in this case, a 360-degree representation of Yosemite National Park.

The 11-minute VR video , narrated by Obama, is one part paean to the wonders of Americas national parks and one part warning of the threat posed by climate change. Its also a testament to how powerful VR can be when done right.

National Geographic joined Facebooks Oculus Studios and VR specialists Felix & Paul Studios to produce the free video, which came out Thursday to mark the centennial of the National Park Service . Its available on Samsungs Gear VR headset and through Facebooks 360-degree video service. Its coming soon to the Oculus Rift headset.

THE MESSAGE

Although the video advocates visitation and preservation, the experience is mostly an opportunity to marvel at Yosemites natural wonders, from the giant El Capitan rock formation that opens the video to the tall sequoia trees filling Mariposa Grove and the Merced River rushing through Yosemite Valley. You can almost touch the surrounding tall grass; later in the video, it feels as though youre floating in a real canoe.

Crews captured Obamas June visit to the California park with his family. In the video, Obama addresses an audience on climate change, with the 2,424-foot-tall Yosemite Falls as a backdrop. In a more intimate setting, surrounded by trees, Obama speaks with Yosemite Superintendent Don Neubacher on the importance of exposing kids to national parks . The video concludes with Obama urging viewers in a voice-over to take action on the environment in light of threats such as wildfires and melting glaciers.

We hope people emotionally connect to this story, to these environments, and we hope that it elicits within them a desire to visit national parks, said Felix Lajeunesse, the Felix in Felix & Paul. (Paul is his partner, Paul Raphael.)

In this file photo, President Barack Obama speaks by the Sentinel Bridge in the Yosemite Valley, in front of Yosemite Falls, the highest waterfall in the park, at Yosemite National Park, Calif. (AP)

COMING TOGETHER

The Felix & Paul team recorded former President Bill Clintons journeys to Africa in VR last year, but a sitting U.S. president had yet to appear in VR. After all, VR didnt exist beyond labs and small gaming circles before Obama took office.

Oculus was looking for ways to extend VR beyond games and approached the White House to explore an opportunity that wouldnt feel gimmicky, said Colum Slevin, head of experiences for Oculus VR. The White House, in turn, suggested pairing with National Geographic, which was already developing tie-ins to the park service centennial.

Although National Geographic has produced 360-degree video before, this is its first project in full VR, with more immersive, 3-D imagery intended for viewing through special headsets.

This is the next frontier, said Rajiv Mody, National Geographics vice president for social media. The VR technology, he said, can take people to experiences they arent able to necessarily experience on their own.

Nonetheless, the video could be a hard sell, warned Joel Espelien, an analyst with Diffusion Group, which tracks emerging video formats and services. He said many VR viewers are younger and male  not the same audience that would watch a nature show on PBS.

And while the video isnt overtly political, Obamas appearance in an election year could make it seem so, he said. The VR video isnt a traditional documentary, as the producers and the White House worked on the script together.

FEELING INTIMATE

At this juncture, many VR projects feel experimental , as if their producers mainly wanted to play with new filmmaking techniques or showcase the technologys potential. This Yosemite video, though, feels much more like a short nature movie that just happens to be viewable in a 360-degree surroundscape. (It does, of course, also deliver a promotional punch for the park system.)

For instance, the Yosemite project managed to avoid a common VR pitfall that can render landscape shots remote and distant because 360-degree cameras lack zoom. Lajeunesse said the team made sure to juxtapose distant iconic landmarks with nearby grass, trees and other tangible objects, lending perspective to the shot.

Producers also kept the cameras at a constant vantage point from scene to scene  low, at roughly sitting height  based on the assumption that most people would be watching this video sitting down, Raphael said.

But visuals alone arent enough. The emotional connection, a lot of that comes from having the voice of the president being there with you on this journey, Lajeunesse said. It somehow makes those moments in nature feel more personal, feel more intimate.

Without that, he said, it becomes shots  beautiful, but its not a story.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union Cabinet will on Friday review the proposals of the elite group of secretaries for transformative change in various areas of governance.

The NITI Aayog, tasked with making a presentation of salient suggestions, will discuss the action points along with detailed plans about how some of the proposals have been implemented, and how the others can be taken forward, sources told HT.

According to the sources, Modi is also expected to present his views on the performances of various departments so far, and come up with suggestions for improvement. These are likely to set the broad base of the upcoming budget, they added.

It was in January this year when eight groups had presented ideas on accelerated growth, good governance, employment generation, farmer-centric initiatives, education and health, innovative budgeting and effective implementation, Swachh Bharat and Ganga rejuvenation with peoples participation, and energy efficiency and conservation.

Crucial in the follow up presentation will be the status of advancing the Budget and realignment of the financial year, proposed to be moved from April-March to January-December. The progress of flagship programmes such as Swachh Bharat, 24 hours power to all, benefits to be extended to farmers beyond crop insurance and more proposals and initiatives for employment generation, sources added.

Further to be discussed will be new focus areas of quick delivery of the Centres ongoing programmes on agriculture and rural areas.

The idea of the presentation is to give a follow up on the suggestions and focus on peoples involvement and initiatives in sectors of economic growth, health and education on universal access, the sources said.
WASHINGTON: Donald Trump is pivoting for sure.

He has all but dumped his earlier hardline position on 11 million illegal immigrants. He wanted to throw them all out, but now he says they can stay.

Sure, the Republican nominee wont make it easy. They will have to pay back taxes. But gone is talk of a tough immigration policy, with a deportation force thrown in, on which he built his campaign.

No citizenship, Trump said in a TV interview. theyll pay back-taxes, they have to pay taxes, theres no amnesty.

Thats what his party rivals such as Jeb Bush had argued for during the primaries, but got steamrolled by Trumps harsher rhetoric. Bush campaign staff tweeted out reminders on Thursday.

After months of running a freewheeling, indisciplined campaign, Trump has been remarkably on message lately. He has stuck to the written script scrolling down the Teleprompter, resisted the temptation to ad-lib, and reached out to African Americans and Hispanics.

His reversal on immigration is an attempt to mend fences with Hispanics, who account for 17% of the population, and who also form the bulk of the population of illegal immigrants.

He also tried to court African Americans asking them to give him a chance, arguing Democrats, who they have supported for years, have only taken advantage of them.

He called Clinton a bigot... who sees people of colour only as votes.

Clinton hit back shortly, saying, Hes taken a hate movement mainstream, hes brought it into his campaign.

But whatever Trump is doing is working. His poll numbers are improving. Though he still trails her in the Real Clear Politics average of nations polls - by a reduced margin of five points - he is tied with her in a Los Angeles poll.

The Republican nominee, who prides himself in calling the Brexit vote right, was joined by Nigel Farage, the British politician who spearheaded the exit movement.
Bombing enemy positions from aircraft during the Civil War? Thats exactly what one Confederate soldier proposed as a way to overcome a Yankee fort in Florida.

BY BELL I. WILEY

As various historians have observed, the American conflict of 1861-1865 was the last of the old-fashioned and the first of the great modern wars. It was old-fashioned in that men wielding muzzle-loading weapons charged in mass formation with the generals out in front, and between battles opponents fraternized freely, even to the extent of exchanging visits, trading coffee for tobacco, swapping newspapers, swimming together, singing together, drinking together, and gambling together. It was modern in that repeating weapons were introduced to a limited extent on both sides, along with land mines, hand grenades, torpedoes, rockets, and flame throwers. It was also the first war in which a submarine sank an enemy vessel and ironclad warships were engaged in battle. References of Confederates to shooting down moving bushes in the Atlanta Campaign indicate the use of camouflage by Union troops. On September 11, 1862, germ warfare was proposed when R. R. Barrow, a Louisiana planter, wrote to Duncan F. Kenner of the Confederate Congress: I have been surprised that nothing has been done to carry the yellow fever into New Orleans. It could be done so easily by sending a man that had already had the disease to some yellow fever town & there procure fever corpse, wrap the dead body in Blankets & put in a metallic coffin. Bring into N. O. Thus started the fever would soon become an epidemic throughout the city. Evidently nothing came of this suggestion. Barbed wire was not developed until after the Civil War, but a Pennsylvania soldier describing an encounter with Confederates near Winchester in June 1863 stated: It was by a small woods. The Rebs were in there. They had wire around the trees so our men couldnt get near them. They fought like demons. Our cavalry run like forty.

Recently a letter was found in the National Archives which suggested a startling innovation. This letter proposed dropping on Fort Pickens and Federal ships at Pensacola, Florida, bombs containing poisonous gas. The bombs were to be dropped from a Confederate balloon anchored above the fort. The letter, written to Confederate Secretary of War L.P. Walker by Private Isham Walker of the 9th Mississippi Regiment, was accompanied by a sketch giving details of the proposal. Letter and sketch were filed in the Confederate War Department and apparently no attempt was made to implement Private Walkers suggestion of aerial bombardment with poison laden missiles. Records in the National Archives show that Walker was honorably discharged by General Braxton Braggs special order Number 251 of October 3, 1861. Nothing is known of his subsequent career.

Camp Magnolia Near Pensacola, Florida, June 4th /61

Hon. L. P. Walker

Secretary of War

Hon Sir about one month ago the undersigned addressed his Excelency Jefferson Davis, proposeing to donate his Skill and body in an adventure to distroy the fortress Pickens and the fleet adjacent.

I am now informed that I must address you Hon. to get my Scheams propperly noticed, inclosed please find a rough Sketch of my plan for Bombarding Pickins and the fleet from balloon held in equilibum by 4 copper wires anchored as Shown and at an altitude of two miles, drop Poisonous Bombs into the fortress and fleet, which will be more effective than all of our batteries also Shown in the Sketch, the adventure is Practicle, Safe and Sure, endangering no lives in [the] confederate army, and the whole cost only Twelve Hundred Dollars for Balloon, wire, and chimicals, after the reduction of Pickins I offer my cirvices with the Balloon as a araunatic reconnoiter, takeing Photographic positions of U.S.A. the undersigned is a practical Balloonist, also a native of Tennessee and now a citizen of Holly Springs Miss. a private in Company, D, better known as the Jef Davis Rifles Hon Saml Benton Captain 9th Rigment Miss volinteers.

An adventure of this kind would greatly facilitate the opperations of the confederate army, and I desire to be engaged in this branch of the cirvice, with or without any rank as it may please his Excellency the Prisident of C. S. of A. I would most respectfully call your attention to the fact, that Louis Napolion employed my old friend, mon Goodard in his last campaign against AustraGoodard before an attact would asend from the reare of napolions army and Sketch the position of the Austrans and the result was he won every Battle, for the attact upon Pickins I propose to place in the Bombs along with the Power a powerfull Subtile Poison perfectly innocent until ignited but deadly and awfully distructive when fired, Poisoneing the atmosphere for Several rods in every direction produceing the Same effect upon the Surounding air on the Bohon Upas Tree of Africa.

From the Sketch you Hon will readaly See the practibility of Reducing Pickins and the fleets near this camp nearly every day we have a perfect Calm in the evening, and in the morning a gentle breeze from the Redoubt toward Pickins thus favouring my Scheame for gently ascending from near the Redoubt two miles high then Slackening on the land cables until I shall reach the position of rite over Pickins and then drop those deadly Bombs, with more unerring aim than can be had from any morter, they decending with accillerated motion for two miles would pass cleare through any covering on any fortress and when they exploded death would be the cirtin doom of every liveing creature near, I wish to take Pickins and Monroe by this Stratigem I will risk my life in the adventure and if Successfull Save the life of many of my friends and relatives eager to attact Pickins. I could come to Montgomery or Richmond and make the Balloon and get ready for the ascention in Six weeks, I send you a cirtificate of my Standing at Home which you will please mail back to me. I would also most Respectfully inform you that Abe Lincoln has accepted the offer of a Balloonist to take Photographic Observations of the positions of the Confederate Troops in Virginia. I most humbly ask to be engaged by his Excelency to give them a heave over at Pickins and at fort Monroe.

Anxiously awayateing your Reply I Subscribe myself your most Humble Servant

Isham . . Walker

Jeff Davis Rifles

9th Rigment miss Volinteers

Ceare pf Saml Benton

To the Officers and Breathern of the Independent Order of Good Templers.

In Compliance with a resolution passed in Phoenix Lodge No 35 of the I. O. of T. T. at Holly Springs Missi. May 2d 1860, We take great pleasure in recommending to your favoravle Consideration Our worthy brother Prof. I. Walker, Who is an able eloguent & Fearless Lecturer, a gentlemen of Sciantific research and unexceptionable moral character and whose whole sole is enlisted in the cause of Temperance. Prof. W. is about starting on a tour throughout the state of Mississippi as a commissioned D. G. W. C. Templer he having received his commission from the Rev. H. Paine G. W. C. Templer of the Grand Lodge of Mississippi.

In witness whereof we assign our names and affix the Seal of this Lodge May 3d 1860.

E.A. Thomas W.C.T.

Charles L. Brackin, W. S.
They were killed at Franklin, all right,

but its not true that all five were laid out on the same porch.

By Col. Campbell H. Brown

General John B. Hood on November 30, 1864, launched one of his typically ill-considered attacks on the Federal entrenched position at Franklin, Tennessee. Stanley Horn writes: . . . in the last two hours of the day . . . the combat was waged with a maniacal desperation witnessed on no other field of the war. The Confederates suffered a staggering lossfour times as great as that of Pickett at Gettysburg. In no other battle were so many general officers put out of action: for the Confederates, twelve, of whom five were killed outright and one mortally wounded.

Historians have claimed that after the battle the bodies of Major General Patrick R. Cleburne and Brigadier Generals John Adams, states Rights Gist, Hiram B. Granbury, and Otto F. Strahl were brought in from the bloody field and laid out side by side on the small porch of Carnton, ancestral McGavock home.

John R. Peacock of High Point, North Carolina, by sound reasoning and the use of a hitherto unpublished source, now concludes that this widely accepted story is not altogether correct. It is true that there were five bodies on Mrs. John McGavocks porch, and three of them were generals: Cleburne, Granbury, and Strahl. The others were Colonel R. B. Young, General Granburys chief of staff, and Lieutenant John H. Marsh, aide to General Strahl. The five bodies were removed, probably on 1 or 2 December, to Columbia and a day later were interred in Rose Hill Cemetery.

Major General Lucius J. Polk, former adjutant general of Tennessee, was outraged when he heard that the five heroes had been buried in that portion of the cemetery set aside as a potters field for the interment of criminals and indigents. With the aid of Chaplain Charles t. Quintard he had the five officers disinterred and moved to the cemetery of St. Johns Church near his home at Ashwood. Later three were again moved to cemeteries at their homes; but the bodies of Young and Marsh still rest at St. Johns. Brigadier General Arthur H. Manigault, also a casualty of Franklin, was likewise carried to Polks home, Hamilton Place, but he survived.

Brigadier General John Adams, a native of Nashville, had married a girl at Pulaski. Consequently when he fell at Franklin the sorrowing members of his brigade took him in a wagon to Pulaski, where he was buried on December 1. As Mr. Peacock points out, there was scarcely time for a stopover on McGavocks porch en route. Thomas R. Markham, chaplain of Featherstons brigade, averred, however, that Adams, who was killed at the moment of crossing the Federal barricade, was picked up in an ambulance and taken to the McGavock home.

Wiley Howard, body servant to General Gist, gave an account to a biographer of the Gist family in which he says that he searched the field for the body of the general, who he had been told had fallen. He found Gist, who had died at 8:30 p.m. at the brigade field hospital, which had been set up near the home of Judge White (still standing at 724 Fair Street in Franklin). With the help of the brigade surgeon he secured a cedar box as a coffin, which he loaded into an ambulance. He drove to Mrs. Whites front door and begged permission to bury the general in the White family cemetery. Mrs. White had the body brought into her parlor, and summoned a minister who held a funeral attended by officers and men from Georgia and South Carolina troops of Gists brigade. The remains were then buried in the family cemetery. As the army passed back through Franklin after its defeat at Nashville, Wiley or some member of Gists staff disinterred the body and shipped it to Columbia, South Carolina, where it was buried under a big cedar tree (which I remember) in the family plot in Trinity Churchyard, near the State House.

Thus, although in war the bodies of the fallen usually receive only temporary field burial and for various reasons become unknown dead, in this case the dead generals did receive proper care, and their resting places are known today.
The United States, China and Australia will conduct a joint military exercise in September in an effort to ease the maritime tension in South China Sea.

The development came even as Australia and the US joined the calls for China to accept an international arbitration ruling in a case filed by the Philippines in its dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Dubbed as "Exercise Kowari 2016", the three-nation military drill will be conducted in Darwin, Australia on Sept. 1-11.

In a statement at the state-run China Daily, Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, said the move is aimed at sharing readiness to bring the trilateral security relationship forward.

Wu said the drill will involve joint maritime defense actions from among the three nations.

The war exercise will happen amid new tension in South China Sea from among claimant nations.

This after China prevented fishermen from other nations from entering into the rich fishing grounds of the disputed seawaters.

Apart from China, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan and Vietnam also have overlapping claims to the South China Sea, a key shipping lane rich in mineral and marine resources.

@ 2022 HNGN, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Mayor Kelly invited the community to come out and hear about the plan to rezone the Airport Inn from C-2 to UGC so they can turn it into a....well, no one seems to know what. Is it a homeless shelter, a mental health facility, an assisted living home, another "fleabag motel", an apartment complex, all we know for sure is "that is not this" and "this is not that" according to Mayor ... (click for more)
News, events, history, and other mid-week tidbits.

Tuesday, October 25, 4:30  7 p.m.

Orr Area EMS Open House

Brats and burgers will be served. Event includes a new ambulance tour and blood pressure screenings. For more info: 218-780-3798.

Orr Fire Hall

4540 Lake St., Orr

Tuesday, October 25, 12  6 p.m.

Essentia Health Job Fair

Talent recruiters and department managers will be on-site at Essentia Health-Virginia. Candidates from all backgrounds are encouraged to attendnurses, nursing and clinical assistants, surgery technicians, radiology technicians, respiratory therapists, human resource professionals, and those interested in environmental services or nutrition services. Essentia staff will greet candidates, conduct an initial screening and filter them to appropriate hiring managers for interviews. Select candidates will be verbally offered a position before leaving. Candidates are asked to bring a resume, but its not required. Attire is business casual. For more info: www.essentiacareers.org.

901 9th St. N., Virginia
Mizpah Congregation, one of the countrys oldest Reform Jewish houses of worship, is celebrating its 150th year with a benefit concert performed by the Chattanooga Symphony Orchestra conducted by CSO Music Director Emeritus Bob Bernhardt. The concert is Sunday, Oct. 16, at 4 p.m. and will be held in the sanctuary of the Congregations Ochs Memorial Temple, 923 McCallie Ave.

The program will feature selections from Schindlers List and Fiddler on the Roof, as well as traditional Jewish-themed music. Soloists for the evening are Holly Mulcahy, violin; Mela Dailey, soprano; and Michael Samis, cello. We invite the Chattanooga community to join in celebrating this important milestone and to share this wonderful musical afternoon with us, said Henry Schulson, president of the Mizpah Congregation board of directors.



Mizpah, a Reform Jewish congregation, was founded in 1866. The McCallie Avenue building was given by Adolph S. Ochs, publisher of both the Chattanooga Times and the New York Times, in memory of his parents, Julius & Bertha Ochs. It was dedicated in 1928 and designated a Tennessee Historical Preservation Site in 1979. Many Mizpah congregants, notably Ochs granddaughter, Ruth S. Holmberg, have played significant roles in enriching and diversifying the life and culture of Chattanooga.



General sdmission is $75 per person. All donations will benefit education programs and facilities maintenance. Patron tickets bring reserved seats and additional benefits. Purchases may be made by phone at (423) 267-9771 or online at mizpahcongregation.org. For more information about group pricing, call 423-227-1505.



We are proud of our legacy and the commitment of our congregants both to preserving Reform Judaism and to bettering the lives of all people in our City, said Herb Cohn, whose family has been Mizpah members for four generations. We look forward to honoring Mizpahs 150th anniversary with beautiful music that has been an integral part of our religious and secular lives.


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London Hotel Prices Drop by 16% During August

London hotel prices at their lowest since March

Hotel prices have fallen in major cities across the UK this month, according to the trivago Hotel Price Index (tHPI), recorded monthly by hotel search website trivago.co.uk. In comparison to July, London hotel prices have dropped by 16 per cent, from an average of 171 in July to an average of 143 during August. The only exception is Edinburgh, which hosted the International and Fringe festivals this month and subsequently saw a 35 per cent increase in hotel prices, from 150 per night in July to 202 in August.

London hotel prices at their lowest since March

*Percentage difference when the average hotel price during August 2016 is compared to the average price during July 2016.

**Percentage difference when the average hotel price during August 2016 is compared to the average price during August 2015.

As the table above shows, London hotel prices are currently at their lowest since March, at an average of 143 per night. This is a 16 per cent decrease from July and a 15 per cent decrease from August 2015, when a hotel room cost an average of 169 per night.

Other major UK cities follow the same trend in comparison to last month  hotel prices in Manchester are down 17 per cent to an average of 104, Brighton is down by 15 per cent to 112 and Leeds is down by 14 per cent to 86. When compared to the same time last year, prices are still down but the difference is less dramatic  hotel prices in York are down by 8 per cent and Liverpool by 5 per cent. London is the only city with a significant year-on-year decrease in hotel prices.

Edinburgh hotel prices 41% more expensive than London

The annual International and Fringe festivals in Edinburgh have caused hotel prices to rise by 35 per cent, from an average of 150 per night in July to 202 in August. This makes Edinburgh the most expensive city in the UK for a hotel stay this August. Last year, a hotel room cost an average of 207 during August.

Denise Bartlett, Communications UK & Ireland: Following Brexit on 24th June, London hotel prices changed little between June and July, increasing by an average of 10  which is normal for the summer season. In August, however, they have dropped by an average of 28, now reflecting prices which are more in line with the winter months. Due to the huge number of hotels in London, prices usually remain fairly stable  it is very unusual to see such large price differences, both month-on-month and year-on-year. It will be interesting to see if the downward trend continues in September.

Edinburgh has come under fire in the past for failing to provide affordable accommodation during the festival, which spans the majority of August and annually results in largely inflated hotel prices. An overnight stay can often cost double the amount it would during one of the cheaper, winter months.
Outrigger Resorts has appointed hospitality veteran Clyde Min to the new position of area general manager for the two Outrigger beachfront properties: Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort and Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort, while taking direct responsibility for Outrigger Reef Waikiki Beach Resort as its general manager.

Leading with experience, Min will integrate and coordinate the sales, marketing and revenue efforts at Outrigger's beachfront resorts while ensuring operational excellence and consistent attainment of financial, revenue and operational goals.

Min's extensive hospitality experience spans the US and Asia Pacific and includes positions as vice president, asset management for several companies: Pacifica Partners Private, Ltd., based in Singapore, a joint venture between Host Hotels and Resorts in Maryland and the Government Investment Corporation of Singapore; Kingdom Hotel Investments in Singapore for their Asia-Pacific region; and Host Hotels and Resorts in Maryland. Min also held operational management positions at Williamsburg Inn in Virginia, with Walt Disney World in Florida, Marina Mandarin Singapore, Hotel HanaMaui and with Regent International Hotels in Thailand and Fiji. Prior to joining Outrigger, Min was a lecturer at the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

A graduate of the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management with a Bachelor of Business Administration, Min is a Certified Hotel Administrator (CHA) and holds Real Estate, Development, and Hotel Investment as well as General Manager's Program certificates from Cornell University.

Min is on the board of TIM International, Inc., and a member of Hospitality Asset Managers Association USA.
Lil Yachty, whos just 19 years old, has emerged as a lamentable presence in hip-hop for those who prefer their rappers to be classically trained lyricists. Hes had a few squabbles with Ebro, and he even dedicated a song to the HOT 97 host on his latest mixtape, Summer Songs 2, in order to prove that he has more bars than the elder statesmen is willing to admit. Even so, Ebro dismissed For Hot 97 as high-school rap. Yachty also earned the ire of hip-hop purists when an old tweet of his that read Fuck J. Cole was unearthed. He soon explained that he was trolling but also admitted that he doesnt listen to J. Cole. Now hes been quoted as saying something thatll likely be even more divisive.

In a new interview with Billboard, Yachty revealed that he honestly couldnt name five songs from the two rappers who are widely regarded as the best to ever do it: Tupac and The Notorious B.I.G.

Yachty doesnt see his lack of knowledge about the two late greats as an issue. After making the surprising admission, he went on to say, But if Im doing this my way and making all this money, why should I do it how everybody says its supposed to be done?

Just like his detractors, Yachty doesnt consider himself to be a lyricist in the traditional sense. He does, however, deem himself a rapper. Ebro andd like-minded folks likely think it blasphemous that he didnt learn his craft by listening to Ready to Die and All Eyez on Me. But why are they really mad: Is it that hip-hop is changing or is it that they think the barrier to entry (and to subsequent success) is weaker than it has been before?

Lil Yachty
Actor, entertainer and author Randall Franks of Ringgold said he hopes the third book from his Encouragers series will inspire people to make a difference in the lives of others.

Encouragers III: A Guiding Hand, released this month worldwide from Peach Picked Publishing, shares 58 stories of actors, musicians and everyday folks who played a role in Mr. Franks's life.

Mr. Franks, a former NBC and CBS star who is best known as Officer Randy Goode from the TV series In the Heat ofthe Night, starred in three TV series and 15 films including his latest "Broken" with Soren Fulton and Joe Stevens. Musically, he is recognized as an International Bluegrass Music Museum Legend and Independent Country Music Hall of Fame inductee.

Through this wonderful process of writing this book series and seeking to explore the gifts of encouragement shared with me by others, I have tapped over 150 stories of folks who God sent into my path and they were willing and able to realize their role in nudging me forward, he said. This latest volume by far does not finish the list of those who impacted my life or those that God will send my way in future but it does allow me to acknowledge a few who have spent some time with me along the way.

Whether for simply a moment in time, or for an extended period, we are here to make a positive difference in the lives of others. I pray by reading these stories, looking at the photos, or even cooking one of the celebrity recipes, your day might be improved. Possibly this time shared will propel a life towards an uplifting goal through the blessings of your and Gods guiding hand.

The two earlier books in the series are Encouragers I: Finding the Light and Encouragers II: Walking with the Masters.

The third volume highlights performers such as "Star Trek" luminary James Doohanand Grand Ole Opry star Little Jimmy Dickens; American icon Bill Monroe and The Dukes of Hazzard legend Sonny Shroyer; country music masters Harold Bradley and George Jones; bluegrass hall of famer Kenny Baker; In the Heat of the Night star Alan Autry; and heralded gospel music performers Karen Peck, the Watkins Family and Tim Lovelace.

Mr. Franks said guiding hands who share their knowledge, skill, hopes and dreams can bring forth destinies yet undreamed. His book features narratives about and interviews with those who contributed to the direction of his life and career.

He became a country music personality as a youth beginning appearances at major country, folk, bluegrass and gospel events such as Country Music Association Fan Fair, National Folk Festival, National Quartet Convention, National Black Arts Festival and for the Grand Ole Opry. With 24 career albums in four genres, his latest is "Keep 'Em Smilin'" He has performed to over 145 million fans around the world. He is a syndicated newspaper columnist featured across the Southern and Midwestern U.S.

The 448-page book includes over 58 stories and 395 photos including special Moments in Time photos featuring over 125 stars from Dean Cain to Dolly Parton and Jeff Foxworthy to Third Day from Randalls personal collection and 72 celebrity, family and friend recipes.

Encouragers III is available locally at Cottage Treasures, Stuff 4 Less, Uniktings, all in Ringgold, and Sonshine Christian Bookstore in Fort Oglethorpe.

The book is also available for order in the store at http://randallfranks.com/ for $25 including postage and handling, and through book outlets around the world including Amazon.

Like the book series on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/EncouragersbyRandallFranks.

Encouragers III featured stories:



TV and film personalities: Alan Autry, James Best, Dan Biggers, James Doohan, Jeff Foxworthy, Robert Goulet, David Hart, Geoffrey Thorne, Sonny Shroyer, Tonea Stewart and Robert Townsend.

Country and pop music personalities: Harold Bradley, Johnny Carson, Phyllis Cole, Little Jimmy Dickens, George Jones, The Jordanaires, Merle Kilgore, Patty Loveless, Mac Magaha, Doc Tommy Scott, Frankie Scott, Buddy Spicher, Buck Trent and Leona Williams.

Bluegrass artists: Eddie and Martha Adcock, Kenny Baker, Byron Berline, Jerry and Helen Burke, Vassar Clements, Peanut Faircloth, John and Debbie Farley, Otis Head, Bobby Hicks, Barney Miller, Bill Monroe and Tater Tate.

Gospel artists: Albert E. Brumley, Jason Crabb, Ernie Dawson, Lou Wills Hildreth, Tim Lovelace, Karen Peck, Dennis Swanberg, Tim Surrett and the Watkins Family.
Stephen Rea, Jon Hopkins & Noel Gallagher are among the guests

Belfast producer supreme David Holmes has released a sampler of his Late Night Tales mix, which drops on October 21 and includes exclusive tracks that find him collaborating with Ramshackle Crow's Steve Jones, Jon Hopkins and Stephen Rea who help him soundtrack an excerpt from Seamus Heaneys AENEID BOOK VI  Elsewhere Anchises, Jeff Bridges, Keefus Ciancia and BP Fallon who joins him for the tribute paying Henry McCullough.

I walk a lot, Holmer reflects. Its amazing for listening to music: your phone or your emails arent going and youre just in the forest listening to music. Its so intimate. Anyway, I was listening to the KLFs Chill Out album, which still sounds amazing, but it triggered an idea with concrete sounds through travelling and movement. And one of the things I was trying to do was to use this idea not just break up the moods but also as a metaphor for moving through life and arriving in different destinations or arriving at different stages in different parts of your life. Memory, Love, Living, Family, Friendship, Healing, Death and The Afterworld are some of the themes I wanted to explore within this record. Although these strong themes and tracks are personal to me, I also wanted it to be a great listen that was unpredictable yet had a seamless flow - a journey that was personal to me yet to the listener a great compilation of music that they may or may not have heard before. I hope Ive succeeded in the later.

Playing guitar on Henry McCullough is a certain N. Gallagher whose new album Holmes is producing.

I received a phone call from BP Fallon the day before Henry McCulloughs funeral, Holmer explains. "He was heart broken having lost his dear friend and asked could he stay at mine after he returned from the funeral. After I picked him up from the train station he asked me if he returned early enough could we record something. I started working on the music that day and then I had an idea which was to record something about Henry and their relationship. When BP returned that evening I sat him down in front of the microphone and this happened in one take! We both knew we captured a very special moment that couldnt have been created at any other moment - magic.

Of that Jon Hopkins and Stephen Rea hook-up, David adds: "Before Jon became the world famous and respected composer he is today I had the privilege of doing some sessions with him. This is something that we started eight or nine years ago and the original idea was less than 90 seconds long. I always loved the feeling it gave me so I decided to develop it for this album as I felt it fitted into what I was trying to say. The words came last and this extract was shown to me by my friend and one of Belfasts finest actors Lalor Roddy because he thought it had a lot in common with a short film I directed called I AM HERE which deals with family and reconnection in the after world. It comes from a book called AENEID VI which was the last work Seamus Heaney translated before he passed which made it even more special as I consider this to be a very Northern Irish themed album. When I first read it I was stunned by the similarities and wrote a letter to Mick Heaney  Seamus Heaneys - asking for permission. The Heaney Family gave me permission, which I am forever grateful for and the next step was securing the voice of another Northern Irish great, Stephen Rea. A huge thank you to Stephen and the Heaney family for helping me make this happen. It was a perfect way to finish this album. "
Formative album rereleased for 25th anniversary

25 years after Out of Time helped make R.E.M. a household name, the album is getting a special reissue on November 18 via Concord Bicycle.

Fans will have three versions of the album to choose from. The 2-CD Set is a remastering of the original album, bundled with demo versions of every album track and demos for two non-album b-sides, along with a previously unreleased song. The 3-LP Set includes remastered vinyl versions of the original album and the demos. Finally, the 25th Anniversary Deluxe Edition will comprise of 4 discs, featuring the remastered album, demos, recordings from the bands 1991 performance at Mountain Stage. It comes with a Blu-Ray disc with hi-resolution audio and 5.1 Surround Sound versions of Out of Time, the music videos from the album, and the 1991 electronic press kit Time Piece, which includes content such as in-studio footage and exclusive performances.

All versions will include extensive liner notes by Annie Zaleski, featuring interviews from all four band members as well as producers Scott Litt and John Keane.

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Head over to remhq.com if you want to see the full track listing - as well as new merchandise the band has rolled out to celebrate the anniversary.
On Aug. 16, a Houston Chronicle article, De Menil Plans Artist Enclave in Acres Homes, detailed a new plan to build a development of 14 single-family houses for artists in Acres Homes, a historically black neighborhood on the north side of the city. The homes would cost $300,000 to $450,000, far more than the $230,000 median home price in the city in 2016. The development is to be called NoLo Studios. NoLo means "North of the Loop"; it's a common real estate move to invent a name that sounds like a high-rent New York City neighborhood. Though the press is new, it appears from the realtor's blog that the efforts to develop NoLo Studios are not.

Of course, this happens all the time: Developers around the country build new housing with stratospheric pricing in working-class black and brown neighborhoods without engaging in dialogue with the community's residents. In Los Angeles and other cities around the country, there's open debate about gentrification. But that's uncommon here in Houston. And rarer still is a substantive and critical analysis of what is happening. But clearly, NoLo Studios is one small iteration of a larger problem in the city and nationwide.

The development is also an indication of a slow but steady drift away from the more progressive elements of the Menil family's legacy. In Houston, the name "de Menil" is familiar and deeply respected. The name first brings to mind the Menil Collection, the remarkable museum based on John and Dominique de Menil's art collection; and also other projects the couple supported, such as the Rothko Chapel.

NoLo Studios is not a project of the Menil Foundation board, which controls the Menil Collection. But the project consciously evokes the museum and its founders on marketing information and even in the names of its streets. The Menil name and legacy are being touted for private economic benefit at the expense of people John and Dominique de Menil once fought alongside.

What is Acres Homes?

Once the Souths largest unincorporated black community, Acres Homes has a long story of struggle and creation. African-American migrants from rural areas founded the neighborhood during World War I, as many were moving into the city for increased opportunities and to escape racial violence.

It's a neighborhood built from the ground up during horrific years of Ku Klux Klan activity, segregation, police brutality, red-lining, and abuse and neglect from all sectors of local government. A neighborhood established against all odds by a generation with hardly any distance from the stories of plantation enslavement. A neighborhood that fought back  historically and in the present day  in the face of an unjust and unequal burden in terms of health care, crime, police brutality, educational injustice, housing.

Despite this rich and complicated history, the project's developers depict Acres Homes as an empty space: only pretty trees, chickens, horses and lots of room. This is how gentrification (like colonization) begins: by imagining a space as empty and underutilized, dangerous and deficient; by publicly declaring it as such; and then by moving in to take possession of the land for the exclusive use of the new arrivals.

Dave Rossman/Freelance

The effects on black and brown neighborhoods are legion and incontrovertible: Not only are entire communities displaced, but the neighborhood is stripped of its history and disconnected from its past. The history of these communities is erased by a development logic that purports that nothing is actually there; a logic that argues that any development is better than nothing.

In a community that faces so many challenges, where median family income in 2000 was $29,130 and median individual income was $10,954, NoLo Studios would build unaffordable, homes while helping to erase the history of this African-American community, all in the name of a supposed benefit to artists.

One note for anyone looking to move into a neighborhood in Houston that is not historically your own: There's no need to rename the neighborhood. Nationwide, this phenomenon has become a tired cliche. If historically, residents called their neighborhood the East End, lets not call it EaDo. If historically residents called their neighborhood Third Ward or Fourth Ward, lets not call it Midtown. If a neighborhood is called Acres Homes, lets not invent a name like NoLo. Its offensive and wrong. Naming is important, is political, is a way of self-identifying. When a developer renames a neighborhood, it's a kind of violence: an erasure of the community and its history.

In the Chronicle article, Tim White, president of Acres Homes Super Neighborhood, asks, Will they bring in parks? Green space? Things everyone can benefit from? Whats going to come along with it to help lift the community?

This is the perfect question. How can the wealth and reputation of the de Menils be leveraged to create real and positive change in Acres Homes and across Houston? What would this development look like if it had been created in conjunction with the local community and not through their exclusion? What if this intervention were a real collaboration?

Who were John and Dominique de Menil?

The Chronicle article states that Dominique de Menil personified art and high culture here for decades. This is true. The de Menils did move in the upper echelons of high society, because of their extensive wealth amassed through the oil and gas industry. But this is not the whole story. She also personified something NoLo Studios is missing: a commitment to human rights and to the use of a radical imagination and creativity in the face of crisis and conflict.

John and Dominique de Menil worked steadily in favor of human rights and interracial collaboration. Throughout the unrest and uprising of the '60s and '70s, the de Menils found concrete ways to collaborate with Black leaders, activists and organizers.

As current Texas Southern University Art Museum director Alvia Wardlaw and black liberationist Deloyd Parker write in the book Art & Activism: Projects of John and Dominique de Menil, the couple had an impressive ability to work for racial justice across lines of color and class. Beginning in 1960, they funded an impressively early effort to catalogue and to think critically about the presence of people of African descent in art, titled The Image of the Black in Western Art. They supported one of the first racially integrated art shows in 1971, at the De Luxe Theater in Houston's historically African-American Fifth Ward; the exhibition that made art history for its expansiveness and its spirit of radical integration.

The two philanthropists gave substantial funds to Black Panther and Black liberationist groups, such as the SHAPE Community Center in the Third Ward. They also did battle with the city of Houston over the installation of the Barnett Newman obelisk sculpture: They offered to donate it with the stipulation that the city dedicate it to the memory of Martin Luther King, Jr. When the city declined, they installed it in front of the Rothko Chapel.

The NoLo Studios project is so deeply disappointing because it is an utter abandonment of every political and social goal to which the de Menils dedicated their lives. They were both committed progressives and engaged in the oil and gas industry. Their contradictions establish a central paradox of the Houston creative scene: progressive at times, while concomittantly fueled by extractive industries. So this is not just an issue with the details of one small development in one neighborhood on the north side of town. Its about how we move forward, aware of our contradictions, but reaching for a different way of doing things.

To that end, we need to call things by their names. In Houston, we have an unfortunate history of not calling things by their names. Desegregation happened behind closed doors with no dialogue or media attention. Rebellion and uprising like the one that began near Camp Logan in 1917 or at TSU in 1967 or at Moody Park in 1978 are not part of the historical memory of the city, despite critical efforts to redress that by local activists and artists. Police killings of Carl Hampton, Jose Campos Torres, Pedro Oregon, Ida Delaney, or Byron Gillum are not discussed as a key part of the citys history, and are thus relegated to the dustbin. As S.L. Wisenberg wrote recently about the 99th anniversary of the Camp Logan riot, "Its too painful and disconcerting to contemplate that our whole system is still shaped by centuries of slavery and the ideology of white supremacy."

If we are to move forward, we need to have a more rigorous analysis of our own history and of the continued workings of this ideology of white supremacy. This is one thing Dominique de Menil insisted on: If we change how we see and how we listen, if we change our very language, we might be able to change how we think.

What is the Menil Foundation role in all this?

The member of the de Menil family supporting NoLo Studios is John and Dominiques son, architect Francois de Menil, whothough a member of the Menil Foundation boardis not making investments on the board's behalf. We cant insist that the son have the same ideals as his parents, as much as we might like that to be the case. He is an independent person, which is why this is really not about him or even just about NoLo Studios. It is about all of us, including the current Menil Foundation leaders.

Unfortunately, this development dovetails with other decisions by the Foundation that are detrimental for the community. For example: The Menil Foundation owns significant property in the neighborhood around the Menil Collection's main building. The recent decision of the Foundation to demolish the Richmont Square apartments in historically LGBTQ+ Montrose is perhaps one of its most disappointing.

At a moment when affordable housing for artists, LGBTQ+ people, students and low-income people in the Montrose is practically non-existent, the Foundation decided to demolish the hundreds of units at Richmont Square to make way for a larger and more integrated arts campus. This goes against the initial vision of an arts institution that co-exists in harmony with its surrounding neighborhood. Imagine the difference it would have made for the Menil to stand with the community and declare it important for its mission to have a mixed-class community around it.

The challenge of any foundation is to maintain the spirit of its founders in a manner that reflects the changing needs of its times. It is, then, startling to note that the 24-person Menil board is comprised of 23 Anglo/white members. If the board better reflected Houston's diversity, its actions might also better reflect the Menils original interest in building and sustaining community.

The Menil Collection's website, Menil.org, states, The Menil is also marked by the activism and spiritual pursuits of John and Dominique de Menil. What exactly is that mark, though? And how does that mark figure in the contemporary life of the foundation?

So how do we do better?

This project to build an artist enclave in Acres Homes is not happening in a vacuum. The larger battle is about how arts organizations and institutions are slipping away from any larger vision of empowering communities of color and creating cross-class and cross-race alliances.

Lets imagine a different we for a minute, one that includes the Menil Foundation, the de Menil family and all of us invested in continuing the best of the de Menil legacy. We are poised on a precipice, a point of potential catastrophe as massive displacement happens in the Inner Loop, as whole communities are made invisible and undesirable at the same time. We are in dire need of imagination and collectivity.

Vicky Chan - Avoid Obvious

We can be inspired by the collaborative actions of the de Menils in the '60s and '70s in conjunction with Black organizations, activists, and artists. Indeed, I argue, we have to be. We can look to the legacy of people like the de Menils, but even more importantly to the black artists, organizers and thinkers who they learned from: Mickey Leland, Amiri Baraka (LeRoi Jones), Alvia Wardlaw, Carroll Harris Sims, Deloyd Parker, Charles Freeman, John Biggers, Aime Cesaire and more. These individuals have dedicated their lives to providing different models of community development and arts engagement; we have an embarrassment of riches to draw upon as we think about how to move forward.

We have to ask pointed questions: What are we doing to work against the loss of affordable housing? To work for access to education in the most impoverished sectors of our city? What are we doing to use arts and culture to create a more just city for all its residents?

We have to learn how to be radically imaginative.

In 1978, Dominique de Menil wrote a powerful letter to the Menil Foundation, a call to action that is just as relevant today as it was almost 40 years ago. About injustice in the world, she wrote,

It is conceivable to take the attitude: there is nothing we can do about it. Political action is not the role of foundations. Lets keep doing what we do well: buying and promoting art. But does this make sense? If a house is on fire, who wouldnt save the children before the paintings? If the paintings can be saved, thats wonderful, but lets not forget the children. Human beings, people, come first.

The house is already on fire.

John Pluecker is a writer, interpreter, translator and co-founder of the collaborative project Antena. His book of poetry and image, Ford Over, was published by Noemi Press this year, and two translations of contemporary Mexican literature were recently released: Antigona Gonzalez by Sara Uribe, and Sor Juana and Other Monsters by Luis Felipe Fabre.

This essay has been edited and shortened for the Chronicle. It originally appeared in Entropy Magazine.

Bookmark Gray Matters. It's an empty space: only pretty trees, chickens, horses and lots of room.


WASHINGTON - Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump don't agree on much, but Saudi Arabia may be an exception. She has deplored Saudi Arabia's support for "radical schools and mosques around the world that have set too many young people on a path towards extremism." He has called the Saudis "the world's biggest funders of terrorism."

The first U.S. diplomat to serve as envoy to Muslim communities around the world visited 80 countries and concluded that the Saudi influence was destroying tolerant Islamic traditions. "If the Saudis do not cease what they are doing," the official, Farah Pandith, wrote last year, "there must be diplomatic, cultural and economic consequences."

And hardly a week passes without a television pundit or a newspaper columnist blaming Saudi Arabia for jihadi violence. On HBO, Bill Maher calls Saudi teachings "medieval," adding an epithet. In the Washington Post, Fareed Zakaria writes that the Saudis have "created a monster in the world of Islam."

The idea has become a commonplace: that Saudi Arabia's export of the rigid, bigoted, patriarchal, fundamentalist strain of Islam known as Wahhabism has fueled global extremism and contributed to terrorism. As the Islamic State projects its menacing calls for violence into the West, directing or inspiring terrorist attacks in country after country, an old debate over Saudi influence on Islam has taken on new relevance.

Is the world today a more divided, dangerous and violent place because of the cumulative effect of five decades of oil-financed proselytizing from the historical heart of the Muslim world? Or is Saudi Arabia, which has often supported Western-friendly autocrats over Islamists, merely a convenient scapegoat for extremism and terrorism with many complex causes - the United States' own actions among them?

Those questions are deeply contentious, partly because of the contradictory impulses of the Saudi state.

The reach of the Saudis

In the realm of extremist Islam, the Saudis are "both the arsonists and the firefighters," said William McCants, a Brookings Institution scholar. "They promote a very toxic form of Islam that draws sharp lines between a small number of true believers and everyone else, Muslim and non-Muslim," he said, providing ideological fodder for violent jihadis.

Yet at the same time, "they're our partners in counterterrorism," said McCants, one of three dozen academics, government officials and experts on Islam from multiple countries interviewed for this article.

Saudi leaders seek good relations with the West and see jihadi violence as a menace that could endanger their rule, especially now that the Islamic State is staging attacks in the kingdom - 25 in the last eight months, by the government's count. But they are also driven by their rivalry with Iran, and they depend for legitimacy on a clerical establishment dedicated to a reactionary set of beliefs. Those conflicting goals can play out in a bafflingly inconsistent manner.

Thomas Hegghammer, a Norwegian terrorism expert who has advised the U.S. government, said the most important effect of Saudi proselytizing might have been to slow the evolution of Islam, blocking its natural accommodation to a diverse and globalized world. "If there was going to be an Islamic reformation in the 20th century, the Saudis probably prevented it by pumping out literalism," he said.

The reach of the Saudis has been stunning, touching nearly every country with a Muslim population. Support has come from the Saudi government; the royal family; Saudi charities; and Saudi-sponsored organizations including the World Muslim League, the World Assembly of Muslim Youth and the International Islamic Relief Organization, providing the hardware of impressive edifices and the software of preaching and teaching.

But exactly how Saudi influence plays out seems to depend greatly on local conditions.

In parts of Africa and Southeast Asia, for instance, Saudi teachings have shifted the religious culture in a markedly conservative direction, most visibly in the decision of more women to cover their hair or of men to grow beards. Among Muslim immigrant communities in Europe, the Saudi influence seems to be just one factor driving radicalization, and not the most significant. In divided countries like Pakistan and Nigeria, the flood of Saudi money, and the ideology it promotes, have exacerbated divisions over religion that regularly prove lethal.

And for a small minority in many countries, the exclusionary Saudi version of Sunni Islam, with its denigration of Jews and Christians, as well as of Muslims of Shiite, Sufi and other traditions, may have made some people vulnerable to the lure of al-Qaida, the Islamic State and other violent jihadist groups. "There's only so much dehumanizing of the other that you can be exposed to - and exposed to as the word of God - without becoming susceptible to recruitment," said David Andrew Weinberg, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies in Washington who tracks Saudi influence.

Produced Osama bin Laden

Exhibit A may be Saudi Arabia itself, which produced not only Osama bin Laden, but also 15 of the 19 hijackers of Sept. 11, 2001; sent more suicide bombers than any other country to Iraq after the 2003 invasion; and has supplied more foreign fighters to the Islamic State, 2,500, than any country other than Tunisia.

Mehmet Gormez, the senior Islamic cleric in Turkey, said that while he was meeting with Saudi clerics in Riyadh in January, the Saudi authorities had executed 47 people in a single day on terrorism charges, 45 of them Saudi citizens. "I said: 'These people studied Islam for 10 or 15 years in your country. Is there a problem with the educational system?'" Gormez said in an interview.

He argued that Wahhabi teaching was undermining the pluralism, tolerance and openness to science and learning that had long characterized Islam. "Sadly," he said, the changes have taken place "in almost all of the Islamic world."

Small details of Saudi practice can cause outsize trouble. For at least two decades, the kingdom has distributed an English translation of the Quran that in the first surah, or chapter, adds parenthetical references to Jews and Christians in addressing Allah: "those who earned Your Anger (such as the Jews), nor of those who went astray (such as the Christians)."

Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a professor of Islamic studies at George Washington University and the editor in chief of the new Study Quran, an annotated English version, said the additions were "a complete heresy, with no basis in Islamic tradition."

Accordingly, many U.S. officials who have worked to counter extremism and terrorism have formed a dark view of the Saudi effect - even if, given the sensitivity of the relationship, they are often loath to discuss it publicly.

Yet some scholars on Islam and extremism, including experts on radicalization in many countries, push back against the notion that Saudi Arabia bears predominant responsibility for the current wave of extremism and jihadi violence.

They point to multiple sources for the rise and spread of Islamist terrorism, including repressive secular governments in the Middle East, local injustices and divisions, the hijacking of the internet for terrorist propaganda, and U.S. interventions in the Muslim world from the anti-Soviet war in Afghanistan to the invasion of Iraq.

"Americans like to have someone to blame - a person, a political party or country," said Robert Ford, a former U.S. ambassador to Syria and Algeria. "But it's a lot more complicated than that. I'd be careful about blaming the Saudis."

Under greater scrutiny

Whatever the global effects of decades of Saudi proselytizing, it is under greater scrutiny than ever, from outside and inside the kingdom.

Saudi leaders' ideological reform efforts, encompassing textbooks and preaching, amount to a tacit recognition that its religious exports have sometimes backfired.

And the kingdom has stepped up an aggressive public relations campaign in the West, hiring American publicists to counter critical news media reports and fashion a reformist image for Saudi leaders.

But neither the publicists nor their clients can renounce the strain of Islam on which the Saudi state was built, and old habits sometimes prove difficult to suppress. A prominent cleric, Saad bin Nasser al-Shethri, had been stripped of a leadership position by the previous king, Abdullah, for condemning coeducation. King Salman restored al-Shethri to the job last year, not long after the cleric had joined the chorus of official voices criticizing the Islamic State.

But al-Shethri's reasoning for denouncing the Islamic State suggested the difficulty of change. The group was, he said, "more infidel than Jews and Christians."
This presidential election is like no other in history, and it should not be treated like any other. That includes the debates.

Traditionally, presidential debate moderators have been white men over 40. In 2012, all four moderators - Martha Raddatz, Jim Lehrer, Bob Schieffer and Candy Crowley - were white people over 55. It was the first time in 20 years a woman had been chosen to moderate.

This isn't what America looks like. Issues around race, gender, immigration, discrimination and justice are not just talking points - they're a matter of life or death for many. We need moderators who better reflect this reality.

Young adults between 18 and 33 are the most racially diverse generation in American history. Forty-three percent are nonwhite. Large numbers of these young people date outside their race. They believe in a gender spectrum. About 68 percent of those young, non-white people believe government should provide health care for all. Almost half of young people who are black report having had "negative interactions" with police. According to Pew Research Center data, Hispanic voters age 35 or younger will account for almost half (44 percent) of the record 27.3 million Hispanic voters in 2016. That's more than any other racial or ethnic group of voters.

But as The Washington Post reports, young people are also less likely to vote. Could it be because they don't see themselves as important to the electoral process? Could it be because they're not included in the important conversations?

It's no secret that young voters flocked to the Bernie Sanders campaign - in several polls, Americans under 30 showed more support for Sanders than for Trump and Clinton combined.

Why? Because the senator consistently spoke out about issues that truly matter to younger people: Student debt and affordable education, as well as this country's economic disparities and social injustices. A fall 2015 Harvard Institute Of Politics survey found that nearly 6 in 10 college graduates between 18 and 29 consider the American Dream to be "alive." They are hopeful, and they are the future: By 2020, minorities will be the majority. Representation matters. Inclusivity matters.

We owe it to young Americans - the people who have to live in this country in the future - to have a debate that deals with the issues important to them. We need a moderator who will ask about Black Lives Matter. We deserve a moderator who will ask tough questions about immigration.

We are owed a moderator who will question the candidates about Islamophobia, who is not afraid to question the nominees about abortion, about deportations, about paid maternity leave, about LGBTQ discrimination, about student debt.

If America's future is young, brown, queer and female, America owes it to itself to listen to those voices during the presidential debates. Reporters who are gay, women, black, Latino, Asian and Native American should be considered for the moderator roles. And we're not talking about brief cameo appearances by black and brown faces invited to ask uncomfortable questions before being shuttled offstage.

There are plenty of excellent options: not just traditional network anchors like Maria Elena Salinas and Lester Holt, but fresh voices like NBC's Perry Bacon, Buzzfeed's Darren Sands, The Washington Post's Ed O'Keefe and Abby Phillip, Boston Globe's Shira T. Center, Fox News Latino's Bryan Llenas, CNN's M.J. Lee and FUSION's Jorge Rivas.

Who is asking the questions matters: In January, at the Iowa Brown and Black forum, Jorge Ramos asked Hillary Clinton not to use the word "illegals" when speaking of undocumented Americans.

At the same event, Drake University junior Thalia Anguiano asked Clinton, "What does white privilege mean to you?" With race, ethnicity and identity being some of the most talked-about subjects during this election cycle, voicing non-white perspectives is essential. A bonus would be journalists active on social media since, let's face it, that's where young people get their news.

On Nov. 8, the United States will be forever changed. But before we get there, we owe it to this country to make changes in how the candidates are questioned.

The people moderating the debates ought to reflect those of us who will inherit America.

Madrigal, editor-in-chief of FUSION, which says it is a "media brand for a young, diverse and inclusive world," was a senior editor at The Atlantic and a staff writer at Wired. He is author of "Powering the Dream" and a visiting scholar at Berkeley. Stewart is the executive editor of FUSION and was previously deputy editor at Jezebel.com. This commentary first appeared in the Washington Post.
Texas County Memorial Hospital will add another full-time physician in November, hospital board members heard at last weeks monthly meeting.

Dr. Jennifer Groner has signed a contract to work full-time in the Mountain Grove Clinic. She is a board certified family medicine physician with fellowship training in surgical obstetrics. She lives in Lees Summit but will relocate to Texas County.

Dr. Groner will see patients of all ages, and she will provide complete OB care, too, said Wes Murray, TCMH chief executive officer.

Groner will also participate in the on-call rotation at TCMH, providing coverage for hospital inpatients.

Murray said recruiting efforts for a full-time general surgeon are also underway. A site visit is planned with a physician candidate, who along with his wife has ties to Missouri and hope to return to the area to practice after completing his residency program in 2018.

Also, Murray reported that Marvin Colyer, a certified registered nurse anesthetist, will return to TCMH in October to work full-time in the surgery department.

Marvin left here on very good terms several years ago to be closer to his grandchildren in Farmington, Murray said.

The Colyers plan to move back to Texas County for the full-time position.

SLEEP STUDIES

Murray reported that the Sleep Studies Lab in the TCMH Office Annex has increased its appointment availability to four days a week and five days a week in alternating weeks. It features two beds.

Our goal is ultimately to increase the sleep lab hours to a seven day a week operation, but were moving into that gradually, Murray said.

Juan Mella, MD, pulmonologist and sleep studies specialist, oversees the lab.

Dr. Mella is very positive about how we are progressing, and hes doing everything he can to help us get there, Murray said.

RENOVATIONS

Renovations at the TCMH Medical Complex have been underway for several months as TCMH geared up for the arrival of Dr. Cory Offutt and additional midlevel provider help in the TCMH Walk In Clinic. In addition to creating additional exam rooms for patients, the renovation includes creating one common waiting and reception area for both sides of the building.

Renovation work is going strong, Murray said. We are about to open the hallway connecting the two sides of the building.

TCMH officials believe the creation of one reception area will better utilize staff and the flow of patient care in the clinic. Additional clinic rooms are next on the renovation list in the Medical Complex.

GRANT REQUEST

Hospital board members unanimously agreed for Murray to sign a certified resolution as part of a $206,000 grant request from the Delta Regional Authority State Economic Assistance Program.

The grant would be paired with TCMH Healthcare Foundation donations and tax credits to complete the construction portion of the new surgery department. The resolution says that the completion of the project would create five new jobs and retain the 312 full-time-equivalent employees currently at TCMH.

We believe that the completion of the new surgery department and the subsequent renovation to the obstetrics and intensive care departments would definitely help us create five new positions and retain our current full-time staff, Murray said.

If the hospital receives the grant funding, the hospitals maintenance department would be responsible for doing the construction work. Murray indicated that an additional person would be hired to do construction and other maintenance-related work.

According to Murray, a new surgeon would also require a nurse and additional staff members would need to be added to cover the increased work the new surgeon would bring.

TCMH should hear from the Delta Region Authority in September regarding the potential funds.

HEALTH INSPECTION

Home Health of the Ozarks recently underwent a survey by state and federal home health inspectors. An official letter has not been received by the department but at the exit interview only standard level deficiencies were cited.

Overall the surveyors were very pleased with what they found in the department and in the in home visits with patients and staff, said Doretta Todd-Willis, TCMH chief nursing officer.

Todd-Willis said the surveyors were impressed with the compassion of the staff for their patients.

We expect to be able to easily correct deficiencies, Todd-Willis said.

Deficiencies discussed in the exit interview with the surveyors included use of outdated departmental forms that didnt have current agency business hours listed and a staff member not using hand sanitizer in between glove changes.

The TCMH ambulance service has also passed their service inspection  done every five years by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.

The bureau also approved training entity accreditation for the TCMH EMS department. The accreditation allows the department to train basic emergency medical technicians on site for the next five years.

FINANCIAL UPDATE

Linda Pamperien, TCMH chief financial officer, presented the financial report for July which showing an increase in revenues and inpatient volumes. She said inpatient admissions are showing an upward trend compared to last year.

Swing bed utilization was down to only 11 admissions in July. Swing bed patients are hospital inpatients who have been admitted for a skilled nursing stay at the hospital following a recent hospitalization. Swing bed patients come to TCMH to recover from illnesses and surgeries when they are not able to care for themselves at home.

July financials at the hospital showed a positive bottom line of $72,092 at TCMH for the month, improving the negative year-to-date balance to $305,756.17.

Present at the meeting were Murray; Todd-Willis; Pamperien; Joleen Senter Durham, public relations director; Amanda Turpin, quality management director; Dr. Jonathan Beers, chief of the TCMH medical staff; Ron Prenger, Cox-Health representative; and board members, Dr. Jim Perry, OD, Omanez Fockler and Janet Wiseman. Board members Mark Hampton and Russell Gaither were absent.
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Bryan College continues to earn national recognition and acclaim for its online Adult and Graduate Studies program. The latest honor ranks Bryan no. 9 in a list of the 60 Most Affordable Accredited Online Colleges and Universities by GreatValueColleges.net.

This ranking reflects Bryans continued commitment to our online program and the goal to make the program as accessible as possible to working adults, said Rick Taphorn, vice president of Finance and Enrollment. We understand that paying for college can be a daunting task, but our program allows for financial flexibility while providing a top-notch, Christ-centered education.

From the article:

The Adult and Graduate Studies sector of Bryan offers three fully online undergraduate programs: an associate of business; BS in applied psychology, and a BS in business administration. As for the online graduate degree programs, Bryan offers an MA in Christian ministry, an MBA, a master of education, and numerous graduate certificates.

An estimated 95 percent of Bryan students receive financial aid to help fund their education. Many of them also receive merit-based scholarships from outside sources.

This list is for students seeking a well-rounded, affordable Christ-centered education online, said Gabrielle Gibeily, researcher and author, in a news release.
While employers seek ways to attract and retain talent, benefit diversification is top-of-mind for employees. A recent survey conducted by Willis Towers Watson, a global insurance brokerage firm, revealed 92 percent of participants considered voluntary benefits to be an important part of their total compensation package. As the fastest growing segment of the workforce, millennials are shifting not only organizational culture, but also the quality and diversity of employee benefits. More than any other generation, millennials embrace their pets as children; and as a result, they seek holistic benefits packages, which include pet insurance plans. Three main factors are driving the rise in demand for pet insurancethe humanization of pets, the rising cost of veterinary medicine and desire for financial wellness. According to the American Pet Products Association, the pet industry reached $60.28 billion in expenditures in 2015. Our love for pets has grown to the point that today 83 percent of pet owners consider them members of the family, while 65 percent of households in the US include at least one pet. This shifting in attitudes towards our pets has increased the demand for more advanced medical care. Large veterinarian hospitals and specialty clinics provide a range of advanced treatment optionseverything from neurological services to orthopedic surgeryand it comes at a steep price. Enter pet insurance. Pet insurance covers unexpe...
From 1 Jan 2017, operators will have to meet four new conditions, as well as the existing obligations, to secure an approval or renewal.

The new conditions are:

The provision of a feedback channel for workers to report issues related to the housing conditions of the FCD

The provision of a personal locker for each worker

The provision of at least one sick bay in the FCD

Alternatively, the operator can develop a contingency plan to deal with cases of infectious diseases

And the provision of Wi-Fi within the FCD

In a press release, the MOM said that operators would have to provide documentary evidence to show that they have met the conditions before they begin operating, and will be subjected to regular inspections.

Speaking at an FCD seminar on Wednesday, Minister of State for Manpower Teo Ser Luck said, "Foreign workers make important contributions across so many different jobs and capacities in various sectors. It is only right that we ensure they are well taken care of while they work here."



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New Zealand has confirmed it will hand out over $20 million in employee bonuses after it achieved its highest profit to date  an incredible $463 million after tax.The airline revealed that its profit for the year ending June 30 was up 42 per cent, as revenue soared to $5.2 billion  the highest in its 76-year history."I am extremely proud of the airline's achievements, our people and the contribution we make to super charging New Zealand's success, said CEO Christopher Luxon.By way of thanks, a $2,500 bonus would be paid to 8,200 of the airlines 11,300 staff. The remaining employees are those who have incentives tied into their contracts.The government, which owns 52 per cent, will receive a $260m dividend.The good news comes just days after Air New Zealand found itself at the centre of an embarrassing social media storm when workers were captured behaving badly.We hold ourselves to the highest professional standards at Air New Zealand and, in my view, this behaviour frankly doesnt meet that standard, Luxon said at the time.
quo;I felt overwhelmed and didnt want to use up all my energy in one go; it was like stranger danger in my head. I felt uncomfortable.This was a common scenario, said LinkedIns global head of talent Pat Wadors, especially when people asked her to sit at the front in leadership meetings.She stressed however that she didnt feel overwhelmed with the role itself; rather she was displaying the typical traits of an introvert leader.Being an introvert has been interesting to me because thats my energy  I like to read, to be with my family, to spend time with a few close friends. My energy thrives when Im mostly by myself.When Im with my work team and my employees, they see me and think Im extroverted because I give all my energy away. They dont see me at the end of the day when Im by myself and exhausted.One of the key essentials for any introvert leader is to tell people around you exactly who you are so they dont misinterpret anything, Wadors said.For example, if you want to bring the best out of me during a brainstorming session its probably not going to happen  introverts want to have fully formed ideas, not half-baked ideas, before they open their mouths.She eventually learned to navigate her personality and recognise her strengths, weaknesses, communication style and how people perceived her.This eventually led to the development of LinkedIns Quiet Ambassadors program which helps people bring out the best in themselves regardless of personality.Those participating in the pilot program will become advocates for other introverts within the organisation, Wadors said.Theyll be taught how to be an introvert leader or how to manage introverts. Well include extroverts next time round so they can manage introverts and get more from them.Introverts may have a negative image in the workplace, Wadors said, as they can be seen as people who refrain from talking or participating. This is far from the truth, she added.Its getting them to talk in a way that they dont lose energy. Well teach both sides of the coin, so how to get the most out of each other.One of the most powerful tips for success is knowing how to communicate with your whole body without even saying a word, Wadors explained.I actually spent time in a leadership meeting a year ago to test my theory out, she said. All I did was lean in, write notes and nod my head. By the time I walked out my boss said, Great meeting, everyone participated; I know what everyone is thinking.He never knew I didnt say a word. He read my body language; he knew where I was aligned, where I wasnt aligned  just because of how I was behaving. Thats powerful.
s a CV full of multiple roles at various companies suggest an unstable job-hopper or an experienced worker seeking growth?It seems that the difference is just a matter of perception - one which is rapidly changing.As millennials, who are frequently cited as serial job-hoppers, begin to progress into management roles, their tendency towards jumping ship appears to be changing perceptions in the workplace.Whilst HR has traditionally been skeptical of candidates with a history of leaving jobs quickly, new research shows that the stigma around short-term roles is dwindling.Nearly 80% of recruiters in the US are more willing than they were a decade ago to consider executive prospects who stay in a company for less than three years, a survey of recruiters by the Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants for The Wall Street Journal found.As employees increasingly focus on personal growth and look for roles that provide fresh challenges, HR faces a climate of decreasing employee loyalty.And it seems that millennials, who are set to make up 50% of the global workforce by 2020, are holding onto their title as notoriously disloyal to employers.In 2014, workers aged 25 to 34 years old had worked a median of three years for their current employer, findings from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics showed - compared to 5.5 years for all employees 25 and over.Some management theories suggest that employers should take a more direct approach to addressing staff turnover.The Alliance, a book co-written by Reid Hoffman, LinkedIn co-founder, suggests a model of mutual expectations for employer-employee relationships, in which the possibility of the worker leaving is openly discussed.But in recruiting future candidates, it seems employers are becoming less fearful of a history of short-lived roles.The change in attitude among recruiters suggests that hirers increasingly perceive a varied history of roles as a set of diverse experiences that can bring fresh insight; the stigma of the job-hopper may be dying out.
ellington employer which found itself embroiled in a sexual harassment scandal has responded by providing workplace training to tackle the issue.Hospo Gurus  which operates five venues in the capital  sparked outrage on social media after it failed to adequately address sexual harassment complaints made by two patrons.Employees at Vinyl Bar allegedly told the two customers that the unwanted touching they had been subjected to was to be expected because they were in a bar.Bosses later apologised, admitting they had failed the patrons and wider community  now, the company has followed up with compulsory employee training."Sexual harassment is a form of violence experienced by far too many women," said owner Leon Magowan-Wilson. "Those who come forward about it should expect to be taken seriously and be met with a swift, sensitive and competent response.Sexual Abuse Prevention Network facilitated a sexual violence prevention workshop for employees at the organisation earlier this week  the program, Its Our Business is created specifically for hospitality staff and owners.It is great to see Hospo Gurus taking the events that occurred last month seriously. Not just the sexual harassment itself, but also their response to the incident in the following days, said Fiona McNamara, general manager or Sexual Abuse Prevention Network.
Steve Hearn 74 returns to McCallie to serve as vice president for Advancement, overseeing the schools marketing, communications, fundraising, alumni and admission programs while developing strategies to keep McCallie competitive well into the 21st century and beyond.

Mr. Hearn returns to the Ridge from Presbyterian Day School in Memphis where he served for the past 10 years as assistant headmaster for Advancement. Previously he served from 1985-2001 as McCallies director of Admission and as the assistant headmaster for Advancement at Girls Preparatory School from 2001-2006.

"Steve Hearn is one of the country's most effective and respected professionals in the field of advancement and fundraising," Headmaster Lee Burns '87 said. "His expertise, experience, energy and ideas will help McCallie as we seek to gather the support and resources to implement our strategic plan."

Mr. Hearn has been asked to share his expertise in education at the National Association of Independent Schools annual conference, the International Boys Schools annual conference, CASE District III conference and the National Coalition of Girls School conference. He has served on the planning committee for the CASE/NAIS Independent School national conference and has served as a member of the Administrator Services Committee of the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools.

Im thrilled to be back at McCallie, and Im looking forward to working with our alumni, parents and friends in an effort to advance the mission and goals of this wonderful school, Mr. Hearn said.

Mr. Hearn earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from UTC and his Master of Arts degree from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville. He and his wife, Denise, are excited to return to McCallie and help the school grow.
First Nation leaders in northern Ontario say its unacceptable that Health Canada only gave communities two-days notice before a temporary closure of two nursing stations.

Federal officials sent Nishnawbe Aski Nation (NAN) a memo on Tuesday warning an alternative service delivery plan would go into effect within 48 hours.

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A community bulletin on the Facebook group Keewaywin Newz and Stuffz about the staffing situation at the local nursing station. (Credit: Facebook)

But on Thursday, federal health officials told First Nation leaders that arrangements had been made and the affected nursing stations would remain open.

Federal policy dictates that health stations in First Nations and Inuit communities must be staffed with at least two nurses at all times.

So, if a nurse calls in sick or is unable to work, health-related essential services for an entire community can come to a temporary halt.

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Health Canada told The Huffington Post Canada in an email that it regrets any inconvenience the situation may have caused communities, saying implementing an alternate service delivery model is a measure of last resort.

Department spokesman Eric Morrissette cited an insufficient supply of nurses as the cause of the temporary planned closures in the communities of Keewaywin and Summer Beaver.

Health Canada then continued to seek solutions and was able to secure one additional nurse for each community to maintain the necessary complement.

Chief: Health Canada caused unnecessary chaos

Acknowledging Health Canadas continual staffing challenges when it comes to remote communities, Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler called the situation intolerable.

This has caused unnecessary chaos and confusion, leaving our leaders scrambling to ensure the health and safety of their community members, he said.

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Grand Chief Alvin Fiddler of Nishnawbe Aski Nation looks on as a fellow chief answers questions during a press conference in Toronto in February. (Photo: Michelle Siu/The Canadian Press)

There are 49 First Nation communities within NAN territory, making up a population of approximately 45,000. NAN covers 338,000 square kilometres of land.

A copy of the original memo obtained by The Huffington Post Canada notes community members would continue to have access to telemedicine nursing services  but it would have to be through an alternate nursing station.

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Government of Canada memo about temporary nursing station closures.

NAN Deputy Grand Chief Jason Smallboy called the decision to temporarily close the stations  without adequate notice  as one that exacerbates an ongoing health-care crisis gripping the community.

I strongly disagree with Health Canadas reliance on alternative sites for health care access and telemedicine as temporary solutions, Smallboy said.

Both Keewaywin and Summer Beaver are isolated  not connected by road, aside from the wintertime when lakes and rivers freeze over to form ice pathways.

The alternate nursing stations for each First Nation are only accessible by plane.

Angus gobsmacked about memo

NDP MP Charlie Angus responded to the situation, calling it the same old attitude from the federal government on issues facing indigenous people in the north.

Angus called on Health Minister Jane Philpott to focus on addressing the state of indigenous health across the country.

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She's aware of this crisis, she knows the magnitude of the crisis, she knows lives are at stake, he said.

Nishnawbe Aski declared a health emergency in February over urgent and long-standing health issues caused by the inequality of health and health care services.

Elders at the grand opening of Eabametoong First Nations new Kevin C. Sagutcheway Memorial Nursing Station on Oct. 26, 2011.

Last year, a woman in the remote First Nation community of Webequie died after experiencing respiratory distress. The local nursing station had run out of oxygen that may have been able to save her life.

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In the federal auditor generals 2015 report, Michael Ferguson confirmed repeated criticisms made by indigenous leaders and advocates that the quality of health care is sorely inadequate in remote First Nation communities.

We are concerned that the issues we are seeing today may be the symptoms of bigger problems in the future if they are not addressed quickly, he said.

With files from The Canadian Press

Also on HuffPost:
SAGUENAY, Que.  Canadians should be aware that the country could face a future terrorist attack, says Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale.

A report released Thursday on the terrorism threat, included, for the first time formally, the countrys national terrorism threat level. Its medium.

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A terrorist attack could happen, Goodale told The Huffington Post Canada Thursday in Saguenay, Que., where the Liberal caucus is meeting. Its not in the category of likely, but neither is it unlikely. So, it is medium.

The threat assessment is the same as it was in the fall of 2014, he noted.

The main threat to Canada remains violent extremism from lone wolves who are inspired by groups such as Daesh and al-Qaida to carry out attacks, the minister added.

The RCMP said this month that it foiled an attempt by 24-year-old ISIL supporter in Strathroy, Ont. Aaron Driver detonated a bomb in a taxi after he was cornered by police, then was shot dead by the Mounties. The intended target of Driver's thwarted attack remains unclear.

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In October 2014, Canada also faced attacks by lone wolves in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Que., and in Ottawa on Parliament Hill.

Thursdays report also noted that women now account for about one-fifth of extremists from Canada who head overseas.

Its not in the category of likely, but neither is it unlikely. So, it is medium.

In some cases, women have taken their children to conflict zones, the government's latest public report on terrorism said.

While the participation of women in terrorist organizations is not new, there has been an increase in the number of women who have travelled or tried to travel abroad to join the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

The report said it is often unclear what roles are performed by women who join extremist groups.

The most common assumption is that they travel abroad to marry terrorists, it noted, but some women may occupy secondary roles within extremist groups, and in other cases appear to be training and taking part in combat.

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Groups such as Boko Haram in North Africa are using female suicide bombers to cause mass casualties, the report added. Some of these women and girls were likely kidnapped and forced into the attacks, while others may be willing relatives of male fighters who have been killed.''

Extremist travellers with links to Canada

As of the end of 2015, the federal government was aware of approximately 180 people abroad with a link to Canada who were suspected of engaging in terrorism-related activities, the report said. More than half were believed to be in Turkey, Iraq or Syria.

The government was also aware of a further 60 extremist travellers who had returned to Canada.

The report said the phenomenon of extremist travellers  including those abroad, those who return and those prevented from travelling  poses a range of security concerns for Canada.

Returning travellers may have skills, experience and relationships developed abroad that could be used to recruit or inspire individuals in Canada,'' it said. They may also engage in terrorist financing, help others to travel or even plan attacks in Canada.

Also on HuffPost

Trudeaus In Japan, G7 Summit See Gallery
I dont want to be added to the list of LGBT members who have been slaughtered, who have been killed.

Canadians have the freedom to love who we want and the right to live without discrimination from those who think otherwise. But others are not as lucky.

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Meet Tasheka Lavann, a journalist and former Carnival queen who fled her home country of Antigua and Barbuda with her partner because of the homophobia she experienced and the strict laws against same-sex relationships. After years of enduring discrimination, she and her partner decided to leave the life they had behind to come to Canada.

Since their arrival in Toronto, they have found the acceptance they always wanted. "I remember our first time walking on Church Street. Words cannot describe the feeling. Let's just say I found true freedom and happiness, the LGBTQ activist recalls.

Tasheka now has a Youtube channel called Island Lez Talk, where she discusses LGBT issues as a proud woman from Antigua, but also as a new Canadian.

Watch the video to learn more about The Real Tasheka.

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Text above by Abigail Esteireiro

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The family of a man shot and killed by Calgary police are concerned the decision to not lay charges against the officer involved might have been swayed by a biased expert.

Anthony Heffernan, 27, was fatally shot four times in his motel room in 2015.

The Alberta Serious Incident Response Team (ASIRT), an independent government watchdog, conducted an investigation and concluded there were grounds to lay charges against the officer who shot Heffernan.

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However, once ASIRT's recommendation was passed onto the Crown (ACPS), prosecutors recommended no charges be laid.

The Crown's decision was based on the opinion of expert Chris Lawrence, an advisor to the Force Science Research Centre.

Controversial police psychologist

The director of the centre is controversial police shooting expert Bill Lewinski.

Critics of Lewinski say he is "the kind of witness you call in if you want to have the police exonerated," CBC News reported.

Despite experts calling his work "pseudoscience," the psychologist charges $1,000 hourly rate to appear in court. His testimony has helped exonerate dozens of officers who charged in shootings, according to The New York Times.

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The Heffernans are concerned that ACPS chose to reject an expert they had requested in favour of one who might have an agenda.

"When you reject a highly-qualified expert, you don't even go to him ... and then you go to a guy who is at this Force Science Institute. It looks like you're expert shopping," the family's lawyer Tom Engel told CBC News.

Police say concerns are 'ridiculous'

Howard Burns, the head of Calgary's police union, has dismissed accusations the officer involved bears all fault and responsibility with the shooting.

"To say it's murder is ridiculous," he told the Calgary Herald.

The family is planning to sue the Calgary police in hopes the officer involved in the shooting will be forced to testify.

Also on HuffPost:
WPA Pool via Getty Images LONDON, ENGLAND - AUGUST 25: Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge arrives to visit a helpline service run by one of the eight charity partners of Heads Together on August 25, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Arthur Edwards - WPA Pool/Getty Images)

Famous fashion favourites stepped out in an array of outfits this week, and we're here to break it all down for you.

With August almost coming to a close (*tear*), celebs and models are starting to embrace transitional dressing and prepping their wardrobes for fall.

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For her appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live," Kendall Jenner showed hints of autumnal flair by pairing a sunny silk camisole with a black skirt and patent leather ankle boots.

Rita Ora, on the other hand, rocked summer's biggest trend, the off-the-shoulder top, but with a fall twist. The black knit top with a white dress shirt bottom was perfectly paired with cropped black trousers and white pumps.

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Meanwhile, Catherine, the Duchess of Cambridge, is still sticking to her summery looks, and donned a red LK Bennett dress while visiting the YoungMinds Mental Health Charity Helpline. We'd like to think the colour choice is a nod to her upcoming visit to Canada.

Check out the rest of our best dressed picks of the week below, and let us know if you agree with our picks!

Best Dressed: Week Of Aug. 21, 2016 See Gallery
SAGUENAY, Que.  Liberals in Saguenay, Que., where Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his caucus are meeting, say the tide is changing here and that local residents are willing to shed their support for sovereignty in order to board the federal gravy train.

Marc Pettersen, the Liberals' candidate last fall in the nearby riding of Jonquiere, told The Huffington Post Canada Thursday that his region is becoming less and less sovereigntist.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks to supporters during a two-day caucus meeting on Aug. 25, 2016 in Saguenay Que. as MP Denis Lemieux looks on. (Photo: Jacques Boissinot/CP)

"This mentality is starting to change," he said. "We realize that the sovereigntists are so sure of being elected that the money for economic development, they [the governments] don't give it to us," he said.

It's better if an MP isn't sure that he's going to win the next election, he said, because he'll work harder to get something for the riding.

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"But if you're sure you're going to win," he said, "the money is going to be invested elsewhere, in a place where the party isn't sure it can win."

Pettersen, who lost by 339 votes to the NDP, lists off a few examples where the former Parti Quebecois government in the province passed over local firms in favour of other areas where the PQ was hoping to pick up Liberal seats.

'We have a good prime minister'

He noted that two provincial Liberals  including Premier Philippe Couillard  were elected in 2014 in the former sovereigntist fortress, and said the winds are also starting to change at the federal level.

"We have a good prime minister," Pettersen said. In 2019, the Liberals will be re-elected, he said, and people will tell themselves: "We want to join this ship. We don't want to sit on the sidelines."

Pettersen, currently a city councillor, said he is hearing this from his colleagues in municipal politics. "People are realizing that, in Jonquiere, if we had that seat, maybe we would be able to get more things."

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Remi Gagne, the mayor of Riviere-Eternite, a community about an hour's drive away, told HuffPost he used to be an ardent sovereigntist. But no more.

"We want to join this ship. We don't want to sit on the sidelines."

"We need to think about other things. We need Canada to survive, and that's where we are at now. I was a staunch sovereigntist, but today my mentality has shifted."

Gagne thinks the region could turn red federally, and he said this week's visit will help.

"It's rare that our prime minister of Canada comes to visit SaguenayLac-Saint-Jean. The MP must have made some efforts to bring the prime minister in the region," he said, visibly impressed. "Government announcements will come."

Gagne, who is lobbying to get a funicular built so more visitors can visit a Notre-Dame-du-Saguenay statue built in 1881 atop a cliff near his town, said he trusts his new MP, Liberal Denis Lemieux  the first Grit elected here in 15 years  to get the prime minister's attention.

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Remi Gagne, the mayor of Riviere-Eternite, used to be a sovereigntist. (Photo: Althia Raj/HuffPost)

Speaking to approximately 500 invited guests at an event in Chicoutimi, Que., with the prime minister on Thursday evening, Lemieux noted how quickly things are changing in the area.

"I want to remind you that, exactly two years ago, when I was selected as the candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada, you had to hide to be a Liberal in the Saguenay," he said.

The day after he obtained the Liberal party nomination, he said, a local Radio-Canada journalist told him: "We thought you were a smart experienced guy. What were you thinking about when you decided to become candidate for the Liberal Party of Canada? The last election, they got only 2,800 votes. They came in fourth!"

In October, Lemieux won the election by 600 votes, obtaining the support of 13,619 electors.

It was a big jump, from the Grits' 2011 result of 2,852 votes.

'Are there Liberals in the room?'

A happy and relaxed looking Trudeau told the crowd he could think of no better place than the "Kingdom of the Saguenay" for his 181 MPs to caucus outside Ottawa for the first time in his mandate.

He praised Lemieux as a fantastic MP. "He is the perfect example of someone who really has their heart in their riding," Trudeau said, while Lemieux stood beaming on stage by his side, fist on his heart.

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"I've said it for years  what it takes in Ottawa is people who are going to be the voice of their riding in Ottawa and not Ottawa's voice in their riding, and that is exactly what you have with Denis," Trudeau said, while Lemieux, still beaming gave a thumbs up.

Trudeau noted how he came to campaign with his Liberal candidate last year. "It was more difficult back then to recognize Liberals in the Saguenay.

"Are there Liberals in the room?" Trudeau yelled out to a loud resounding 'Yes'.

Serge Simard, the Liberal MLA for the provincial riding of Dubuc. (Photo: Althia Raj/HuffPost)

"Things are changing," said Serge Simard, the Liberal MLA for the provincial riding of Dubuc in the region. Simard was born and bred in the Saguenay and has been elected twice, first in 2008 and again in 2014, after losing to the PQ in 2011.

"People here  identify with the Parti Quebecois," he said, "but every time the PQ is elected nothing happens in the region, because the PQ takes the region for granted."

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With the Internet, Simard said, people  especially young people  want to explore the world. They don't want to be confined to their own community, he said.

"We've evolved, like everywhere else," he said.

Economy top of mind with voters

Residents don't want to talk about sovereignty, he added; they want to talk about economic development and jobs.

"Make work for me so I can have a livelihood, and I can feed my family. I want to be independent. I want to work. People want to work."

Simard also thinks Trudeau's visit to the Saguenay will improve the Liberals' overall fortunes in the region.

"It's like door-knocking. When you go see people, they say: 'I'm so happy you came to see me. Thank you. We have confidence in you.' That's what people want," Simard said. "Going to a region, it's is like going to a home, when you have a big country."

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Jones Memorial United Methodist will host its 41st annual Men's Club Barb-B-Que on Saturday, Sept. 24, from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. The church is at 4131 Ringgold Road; East Ridge, 423 624-6073.



The BBQ is sponsored and organized by the Jones Memorial United Methodist Men's Club

and enlists the help of the entire congregation. The club makes it own Bar-B-Que sauce, homemade cole slaw, baked beans, tea and lemonade.



Officials said, "The funds raised by the Bar-B-Que go to purchase coats for children in need in the elementary schools in East Ridge. We also provide a New Testament in the pocket of each coat. The funds made also go to help youth camps, youth assemblies and other charitable projects for both the church and the community of East Ridge. Our United Methodist Woman have a Bake and Craft Sale with proceeds going toward women's and children's ministries. They provide caps and gloves to go in all the coats. Our children's department and youth are involved and benefit from the proceeds to help finance some of their projects as well."

Over the past 27 years 2,411 coats have been purchased for these children in need totaling

over $58,233.

YOUR CHOICE OF:

Plates of Chicken, Beef, Pork and Stuff Baked Potatoes - $8.00

X-Large Pork or Beef Sandwiches - $5.00

Bulk Bar-B-Que meat by the pound package - $10.00 per pound

Bake and Craft Sale by the United Methodist Women

Eat In or Carry Out

Tom Baugh has been chairman of the Bar-B-Que for 39 years with son, Jeff Baugh joining him

as Co-Chairman 21 years ago. Tom Martin started the Bar-B-Que forty-one years ago by getting men in the church together. The youth go out and sell tickets and deliver to local businesses in East Ridge that Saturday morning. The Children's Department gathers orders... prepares them for delivery.



The JMUMC Men's Club meets once a month on the second Saturday of the month. They cook breakfast together around 6:30 a.m. and serve at 8:00 a.m. with a special speaker and meeting.

Come join us!

www.jmumc.org
Pamela Anderson may have been best known as the ultimate buxom blond bombshell of the '90s, but it turns out her idea of beauty has greatly changed now that she's older (and wiser).

In a recent interview with W Magazine, the 49-year-old Canadian actress revealed she regrets having gotten breast implants.

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"Not that we need to point it out," Anderson told W, while pointing towards her chest.

Pamela Anderson in 1992.

The former "Baywatch" star says these days, her idea of beauty is defined by happiness.

"I know it sounds like a cliche, but happiness has a lot to do with beauty," the 49-year-old Canadian actress told W Magazine. "Calm, peacefulness and not-constant stress are very, very important to feeling beautiful and confident. And that comes across whether you're wearing makeup or not."

And Pam, who stars in the new short film, "Connected," says she's not afraid of aging.

"I actually like aging. I have great older female role models in my life, including my amazing mom, who have glitz, glamour, and all sorts of fun. Getting older isnt the end. I know I have so much to look forward to," she said.

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In some ways, one of prime minister Stephen Harper's top achievements was that he got to be prime minister at all.

When he took over as Canadian Alliance leader in 2002, the biggest political drama at the time surrounded questions of which Liberal cabinet minister would next make it to 24 Sussex Dr. and when.

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Stephen Harper speaks to Canadian Alliance delegates in Edmonton on April 4, 2002. (Photo: Jeff McIntosh/CP)

Who gave him much of a chance?

Harper was a former Reformer from Alberta who spoke plainly. He didn't appear to be much of a people-person in a business all about people. Too right wing, some thought. Too boring. Too unappealing to Quebecers and Ontarians.

Yet, he won. A lot.

He won the battle to unite the right. He won government in 2006. He won a majority in 2011.

And he won the right to sit in the House of Commons seven different times over a span of 18 years.

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Then-Progressive Conservative leader Peter MacKay and Harper announce a merger on Oct. 16, 2003. (Photo: Tom Hanson/CP)

Harper, 57, called it a career Friday, resigning the Calgary Heritage seat he won last October.

Taking stock of his legacy proves tricky. For every triumph, others will focus instead on the controversies linked to this nation's sixth longest-serving leader, including his record on the environment, First Nations, and respect for democratic institutions.

And though the Liberals seek to undo some pieces of the Harper era  from his tough-on-crime agenda to parts of his anti-terrorism legislation  they can't and won't undo them all.

Here are a few of Harper's memorable accomplishments.

Harper speaks at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 29, 2009. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

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Harper was generally seen as a steady hand on the tiller throughout his tenure, and especially during the financial crisis of 2007-2008 and years of fragile recovery.

Canada emerged from the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression better off than many nations and Harper's last budget in 2015 was balanced.

And when it came to austerity and belt-tightening in the wake of deficit spending  he walked his talk. Harper froze MP and senator salaries between 2010-2012, including his prime ministerial salary.

Harper and his wife head to Rideau Hall on Aug. 2, 2015. (Photo: Justin Tang/CP)

Harper also won praise in many circles for a decision that personally cost him plenty.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation estimates that changes he made to the very generous MP pension program in 2012 cost him between $1.8 million and $2.2 million.

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"I don't know too many politicians that would give up millions of dollars and he did," CTF president Aaron Wudrick told The Huffington Post Canada recently.

Harper and former finance minister Jim Flaherty unvil a 5% GST sign at a photo-op in Mississauga, Ontario on Dec. 31, 2007. (Photo: Frank Gunn/CP)

Harper famously reduced the Goods and Services Tax (GST) to five per cent from seven.

Many Conservatives are also proud that he lowered Canada's corporate and small-business tax rate during his tenure.

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Harper greets native leaders after apologizing for residential school abuses on June 11, 2008. (Photo: Tom Hanson/CP)

Harper formally apologized in the House of Commons in 2006 for the head tax imposed on Chinese immigrants between 1885 and 1923.

In 2008, he delivered an emotional, long-awaited apology to First Nations for the horrors of residential schools. His government also established the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Harper addresses a crowd in Victoriaville, Que. on Feb. 12, 2015/ (Photo: Paul Chiasson/CP)

Harper famously recognized that the people of Quebec form a nation within a united Canada  a controversial decision that cost him a cabinet minister early on. Those in Harper's office have credited him with sucking oxygen out of the sovereigntist cause by ending a lot of the federal-provincial squabbling over spending and respecting the provincial government's independence.

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Though the Parti Quebecois formed a minority government from 2012-2014, there was no referendum on separatism under his watch or major constitutional crisis.

Harper attends a meeting on gang violence in Vancouver, B.C. on Freb. 26, 2009. (Photo: Darryl Dyck)

While some key aspects of the Harper's tough-on-crime agenda have already been struck down as unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, his government succeeded in raising the age of sexual consent in 2008 to 16 from 14.

A move intended to protect children from exploitation, the accomplishment marked the first time the age of consent had changed since 1892.

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Harper speaks at the Maternal, Newborn and Child Health Summit in Toronto on May 30, 2014. (Photo: Nathan Denette/CP)

Harper launched the Muskoka Initiative at the G8 summit hosted by Canada in 2010 that committed member nations to spend billions to help reduce the number of mothers and children who die in developing countries each year.

In an address to the United Nations in 2014, Harper said that saving the lives of mothers and children is a "fight we can win."

Harper visits the Western Wall in Jerusalem, Israel on Jan. 21, 2014. (Photo: Sean Kilpatrick/CP)

Harper fans have also lauded his unequivocal support for Israel, which represented a shift from Canada's reputation as a so-called "honest broker" in the Middle East.

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Former Tory foreign affairs minister Maxime Bernier has said Harper's "clear" position on the file was the "most important aspect" of his foreign policy.

Harper walks past Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Russia on Sept. 5, 2013. (Photo: Adrian Wyld/CP)

Harper was among the most vocal opponents of Russian President Vladimir Putin's aggressions in Ukraine. He spearheaded the charge to have Russia booted from the G8 after its annexation of Crimea in 2014.

At a G20 summit, Harper reportedly told the Russian leader: "I guess I'll shake your hand but I have only one thing to say to you: you need to get out of Ukraine."

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He also promoted Arctic sovereignty on his trips to Canada's far north every summer.

Just this week, Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko awarded Harper the Order of Liberty. It's one of Ukraine's highest honours.

With files from Althia Raj, The Canadian Press

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Three years after they met on the SkyTrain, a Vancouver couple tied the knot on it.

Jeff and Nathaly Nairn, 40 of their friends and family, and a band gathered at the StadiumChinatown station for the nuptials. According to Metro Vancouver, the wedding took place on a separate track, so members of the public weren't able to join the celebration.

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It's the first wedding to be officiated on a SkyTrain.

Jeff and Nathaly's story began in 2013, when the two were commuting on Canada Line. He was coming back from a few business meetings in Richmond, B.C., while she was returning from researching a job opportunity.

Each was aware of how hard it was to connect with people in Vancouver.

"Both of us had made a decision that day to make sure that we had a looked around, put the smart phones away and become the change we wanted to see in people in the city," they said in a blog post published by TransLink, the city's transit authority.

Nathaly then realized she had seen Jeff before when she had worked at the Four Seasons Hotel.

All she had to do was move forward with a Hi, I know you." The rest is (public transit) history.

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"We didnt dream of getting married on a train," they say in the post.

"The idea came up in very whimsical fashion, way before our engagement, after encountering a group of people that were going to party on the train to celebrate Halloween. We thought 'Heywouldnt that be fun?' We also thought it would be a lovely way to honour the way we met three years earlier.

Check out more photos of the ceremony in the slideshow below:
Under the watch of Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister Manitoba is on pace to lose 128,000 jobs. (Photo: John Woods/CP)

Seeing is believing. Niagara Falls, the Canadian Rockies and Parliament Hill. I have been fortunate enough to have laid eyes on all of these amazing Canadian landmarks. As such, I have also witnessed firsthand an unspeakable poverty.

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This summer I went to Northern Manitoba, and I saw just how impoverished indigenous peoples living there are. I was floored by what I saw, it reminded me of being back in Afghanistan.

It is proven that the only way to fight poverty is employment, and since my visit Northern Manitoba has been bleeding jobs.

First it was the announcement of the closure of Port of Churchill:

"Canada's only Arctic deep-water port is now closed, leaving workers in Churchill puzzled and any talk of Arctic sovereignty feeling like empty rhetoric." If you want to support the port please sign this petition.

In a community of 600, 60 have lost their jobs with the port's closure. It was the Liberal government that decided to sell the port in 1997 for $11 million, a hindsight warning to running large deficits that seems to have come a year too late. Both the federal and the provincial governments seem content sitting on their hands.

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Then the provincial government served notice that it plans to withdraw from a federal Crown corporation that markets freshwater fish.

Amanda Stevenson, president of WMM Fisheries Co-operative Ltd., called the government's decision "unbelievably exciting."

The Port of Churchil was sold by the Liberals in 1997 for $11 million, resulting in the loss of 60 jobs.

"The economic opportunity for the fishermen in the province being able to sell outside of the monopoly -- I can't overstate it. It's tremendous," she said. "We're talking millions and millions and millions of dollars of sales that are possible now."

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This is the exact sentiment that the farmers had when they dissolved the wheat board. Fisherman in the north are preparing for the worst. This time next year their pickerel will be worth a third of what they were today.

Finally, there is the recent announcement that the paper mill in The Pas will be closing. Six hundred good-paying jobs (300 in the mill and 300 in the bush) in a town of 6,000.

"Manitoba can't do much to save Tolko mill in The Pas, premier says" is an ironic headline considering the huge Conservative majority that the voters of the Pas gave the incoming government. Although an NDP MLA won the riding in The Pas, they overwhelmingly voted Conservative.

As Northern Manitoba hemorrhages jobs, the federal and provincial government seem content arguing on who is to blame.

In both the port and the mill, it has been suggested that ownership should pass to First Nations, but for that to happen the federal government would have to guarantee the loans, something governments in the past have done -- but not a precedent that the current government has shown any willingness to follow.

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As Northern Manitoba hemorrhages jobs, the federal and provincial government seem content arguing on who is to blame and following a policy of complacency.

There is example after example of towns literally losing 10 per cent of their work force overnight. Imagine finding out your Christmas is ruined in August.

While Brian Pallister sits in his ivory tower, towns across the province are losing their biggest employer. Under his watch Manitoba is on pace to lose 128,000 jobs. He has shown in such a short amount of time that the north does not matter to the current government.

This government is a carbon copy of the Harper government. It cares more about business than it does about the people.

The new Liberal government selfies on the left and rules from the right. Apart from pictures in canoes and superficial ceremonies, actual help will not be forthcoming.

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gruizza via Getty Images Attractive blonde woman working on a laptop computer while her barefoot baby plays around. The woman is casually dressed with long blonde hair that is swept back from her face. She looks concentrated and she is probably doing her budget or paying bills. Also, she could be a business woman that works at home. The shot is executed with available natural light, and the copy space has been left. Shallow DOF. Soft focused.

Most Canadians would like to see an end to poverty. What if we told you that one organization, using the existing social benefits system, found a way to get $21 million into the pockets of 9,000 low-income individuals in Winnipeg? This is not Robin Hood and his gang -- it's the Community Financial Counselling Services (CFCS), an organization that helps people living at low income to file their tax returns. They have been doing this important work for 42 years.

The latest federal budget makes an important commitment to low-income Canadians -- to help them complete and file their tax returns. Many might assume this is a way for the government to bring in more revenue. In actual fact, for the large majority of Canadians earning less than $40,000 a year, filing taxes doesn't mean a bill to pay -- it means extra benefits to collect.

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This part of the budget was called Helping Canadians Receive the Tax Benefits They Deserve and promises that the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) will contact low-income individuals who have not filed a return, telling them what benefits they may be entitled to receive.

We often hear about the impact of poverty and income inequality on health, educational outcomes and child and adult well-being. Might encouraging people to file their taxes help people avoid poor outcomes? A look at some examples suggests an answer.

Many Canadians have no idea they would get money back, and they fear being told they have to pay the government for back taxes they cannot afford.

In Sudbury, Ontario, Mary, a single parent with two young children paying $800 a month to rent an apartment works part-time at minimum wage to earn $14,000 a year. By filing her taxes, she can access child benefits, the GST/HST credit, the federal working income tax benefit, the Ontario Trillium Benefit and the Children's Activity Tax Credit. She could more than double her income to $31,845 by filing her taxes -- in other words, not bad -- and this would raise this family above the poverty line.

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Raj, a recently widowed senior in Manitoba, aged 60 and disabled, struggles to live on $7,800 a year in a private apartment. If she files her taxes she could receive a $674 monthly Allowance for the Survivor benefit since her deceased spouse was over 65. This benefit, as well as other federal and provincial refundable tax credits, would raise her annual income to $19,540, bringing her above the poverty line.

And it is not just additional income that filing taxes provides.

In Manitoba and Ontario, filing taxes allows some low-income people to access provincial prescription drug coverage. It also allows people with severe disabilities to receive extra tax credits and retirement savings grants.

So why don't many low-income people file taxes?

Many Canadians have no idea they would get money back, and they fear being told they have to pay the government for back taxes they cannot afford. The CFCS, while accessing $21 million, found the total taxes owed by the 9,000 individuals they saw last year was $169,704. Almost no one owed anything.

Tax filing support is a hugely important anti-poverty and health intervention.

The Canada Revenue Agency supports programs that prepare taxes for low-income Canadians through its Community Volunteer Income Tax Program -- that's a good thing. But these programs mostly operate in tax filing season, when waits are long and demand exceeds supply.

Before 2008, the CRA had more funding, provided more personnel, computers, in-person training and assistance with tax issues to agencies in many inner city areas. Many of these programs were forced to scale back or close when the CRA's funding was cut back.

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Tax-filing services such as these should be reinstated -- and in fact extended -- to provide service to low-income Canadians throughout the year.

Volunteer tax-filing clinics often have trouble dealing with complex tax situations. From our experience, it is difficult to train volunteers to deal with the variety of complex tax situations that arise. Volunteer tax filers need access to knowledgeable tax preparers to assist in these situations. CRA provides a national toll-free line to assist volunteers, but more support is often needed.

Filing taxes is also often held up by individuals who don't have the identification or documentation necessary to access certain benefits to which they may be entitled. The CRA should work with provincial governments to address this issue.

It is time we make sure all low-income Canadians are accessing the benefits Parliament has already agreed they deserve. It is incumbent on the government to make sure everyone is aware of the benefits they are due. The CRA needs to provide strong support to ensure barrier-free tax filing for all those in need.

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Child and Family Benefits Calculator: gives you estimated Child Tax Benefit, GST & Working Income Tax Benefit

Old Age Security payment amounts: includes tables for estimating supplement benefits such as Allowance for the Survivor based on income

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Remember, those that try to destroy your happiness, do so out of jealousy, they are unhappy with their own miserable lives ~ Online meme

The ex-gay movement has been thoroughly discredited with scandal after scandal. Their Muslim counterparts, who identify as being afflicted with same-sex attraction (SSA), have come to concede that people do not choose their sexual orientation and that a cure would be infeasible. However, they wish to perpetuate self-imposed celibacy or sham marriages.

They argue that they won't be bullied into accepting "affirmation," "acceptance," "inclusion" and "diversity." Given such a mindset, LGBT Muslims are better off steering away from those who peddle misery in the name of compassion.

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Freedom of choice is a hallmark of Islam. There is no compulsion in religion, judgment is faced alone and scholars are not taken as lords besides Allah. Indeed, we are accountable for our own understanding of the texts. In contrast, the orthodox scholars and their mentally enslaved minions usurp this freedom by foisting their beliefs on fellow Muslims.

Their arguments on homosexuality eventually rest on mindless subservience to medieval legal manuals and life quenching fear of eternal Hell fire. It is this caustic fear that makes them reject an identity based on sexual orientation and the consensus amongst mainstream psychologists and psychiatrists. It also impels them to associate homosexuality with sexual abuse and view it as a test from Allah.

However, for all their fear-based arguments, Allah creates whatsoever He wills and identity in Islam has been based on innate disposition as in the case of the mukhannathun (effeminates). Moreover, something as beautiful as affection for another cannot arise from something as ugly and painful as sexual abuse.

The "permanent celibacy test" argument is unreasonable as it is being backed up by no reasonable argument except "Allah says so." However, Islamic law does not cause suffering and needless suffering is abth (useless). Moreover, tests are often construed to be heavier for those with stronger faiths. This necessitates the question that when did gay people, often viewed contemptuously, become so exalted so as to be severely tested.

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In instances of the usual tests, poverty, disasters and disease, the calamity is from external sources and is not inflicted from an interpretation of the Qur'an. Homosexuality stands out as the exception. While calamities are beyond control, it is Allah that alleviates their ill effects. As such, the problem with the "permanent celibacy test" argument is that Allah becomes the source of the calamity and not the comforter.

The test argument rests on interpretation. People may interpret calamities as tests, punishments or simply as natural occurrences. They decide whether to impute such meaning or lack thereof. As such, another problem with the "permanent celibacy test" argument is that it rests on the idea of a petty god. The oppression of celibacy is sold as compassion to avoid eternal Hell fire stoked by a deity whose purpose is sole subjugation. Indeed, the late Pakistani philanthropist Abdul Sattar Edhi said, "Beware of those who attribute petty instructions to God."

The orthodox scholars and their minions know that they cannot expect Shia, Ahmadi and Ismaili leaders to interpret the Qur'an in the same fashion. The same holds for LGBT inclusive and affirming Muslims.

The orthodox scholars may narrow down to the phrase "approaching men instead of women" to reject same-sex relationships. However, LGBT-affirming Muslims recognize that the context of inhospitality (15:70), highway robbery and evil deeds in public assemblies (29:29), threats of eviction (7:82) and forcible access to guests (11:79) by Lot's people simply does not apply to vulnerable LGBT Muslim youth.

The self-styled "Muslims afflicted with SSA" should understand that self-imposed subjugation is zulm (oppression) for Islamic teachings reject exaggerated rigidity. Such subjugation leads to jealousy when they see LGBT Muslim youth getting increasingly affirmed and accepted by family, friends and Imams. This causes misery for which they alone are responsible.

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It is convenient to bastardize religion to address one's low self-esteem by wallowing in self-pity. It is also seductive to aggrandize oneself by the narrative of martyrdom through inner struggle. However, addressing low self-esteem and the associated failure at human relationships requires hard work.

In contrast to poster boys seeking affirmation for their constant anguish, those who actually elect celibacy as a choice do so for themselves and lead their lives quietly and with dignity. They do not feel the need to inflict their personal choice on others by roping in vulnerable youth or through sham marriages. Their choice does not rest on a fear-based morality. Nor do they cry out seeking compassion and pity. Rather, like the Christian sisters serving in war-torn countries, they are strong enough to offer compassion to others without expecting others to follow their path.

For the "permanent celibacy test" poster boys, it is about being selfish by drowning in one's own problems and expecting others to drown with them. Indeed, misery loves company. Such people do not recognize that zuhd (asceticism) is an exercise in self-discipline and not imposed on others.

LGBT Muslims are better off steering away from those who peddle oppression as compassion. After all, Islam is not about mindless submission, but about being in a state of sanctuary.
Mohammad Ismail / Reuters Students walk toward a police vehicle after they were rescued from the site of an attack at the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul, Afghanistan August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammad Ismail

As the sun started to set over Kabul on August 24th, insurgents detonated a truck bomb outside the American University of Afghanistan (AUAF), blasting open its walls. In streamed gunmen who proceeded to run through the campus shooting into classrooms as students ran in terror, some jumped from windows, and others watched their professors or fellow students gunned down. Among the victims were an Oxford PhD candidate, a talented musician, a volunteer who taught street children. Sixteen dead, dozens injured, and a campus riddled with bullet holes, blood and broken glass.

The AUAF network is expansive. It's an institution that educates, but also builds community. Its connections spread far throughout Afghanistan. I realized this on Thursday when I saw my Facebook newsfeed filled with posts from AUAF students, former students, teachers, parents, staff and former staff. Students trapped on the campus were posting from their mobiles, while others anxiously pleaded for news of loved ones they could not reach. Messages were furiously swapped throughout the night, sharing updates on the status of friends who had escaped, been rescued, or were still hiding on the campus.

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Nine hours later, the attack was over, the campus cleared of attackers and all remaining students and staff evacuated.

The social media sphere was lit up with reactions. Among many was a tone of hopelessness, an understandable lamenting of the loss of those who were counted on to build the future, bright young minds attacked in the classrooms they had sought out to chase their dreams.

In a country on the precipice, many smart people -- with hopes for themselves and their families -- have been asking: should I remain in such a country? And for many of them, the AUAF attack gave them the answer. It is one more tragedy in a series of tragedies in endless succession, but one that struck close for the many Afghans with ties to the university. Many are responding to the attack by giving up on the idea that there is a peaceful future in Afghanistan.

But amidst the expressions of capitulation, there was also an outpouring of solidarity and declarations of resolve, enabled by the widespread use of social media by Afghan youth, who have an outlet for their voices these days. Less than 24 hours after a harrowing experience, survivors were passionately posting in defense of education, charging the insurgents with attacking AUAF because it symbolized progress.

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Afghanistan's education sector exists in a reality of continuous and deliberate violence directed at it.

A Kabul resident, Latif, wrote: "The barbaric attack on AUAF shows that enemy of Afghanistan is trying to stop us from education but I'm sure they will fail, as Afghans are committed to proceed for development and education. My heart aches for the victims of last night." Another, Weeda, wrote: "We are angered and weep for the loss of our best, but we stand strong in solidarity. You cannot kill us all Taliban."

A 19-year-old survivor, Roman Dehsabzi, in an interview with Radio Free Europe said: "The American University of Afghanistan is one of the country's best universities. That's why the enemies of Afghanistan want to destroy it. But we won't give up our studies, even if there's another attack. We will continue our studies. I'm not afraid."

Another survivor interviewed, Farzana Bakhriary, said: "I will stay strong and I will continue my classes when the university reopens, 100%," she said.

Others wrote moving testimonies of friends and loved ones they had lost. As in every terrorist attack in Kabul, youth made their way to hospitals to donate blood, including a survivor of the same attack.

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As I sifted through the defeatism, and found the resolute and resilient, I was once again face to face with the Afghanistan that holds the key to release itself from its precarious present. There was the defiance of Afghanistan, its trump card. It is at work every day, invisible to much of the world outside, but as steadfast as ever.

In grief, we can find an endless darkness, or, we can find a buttress for unity.

Afghanistan's education sector exists in a reality of continuous and deliberate violence directed at it. Schools, teachers, and students are not accidental casualties; they are intended targets of the insurgents. We should pay attention to why that is.

As so many AUAF students have pointed out, education is under attack for a reason. It is the single greatest threat facing the Taliban, and their vision of a lurid and joyless dystopia.

Militaries come and go, regimes rise and fall. But the social change that comes from education is irreversible. Every teacher capable of inculcating curiosity in a young mind, every individual who persists in questioning, every student who learns new ideas and spreads them to others, is a menace to the Taliban's plans.

The thing about education -- of the kind that is student centred, liberal, secular and modern -- is that at some point its outcomes become self-perpetuating, and no one can control the consequences. The accumulation of knowledge in disparate minds consolidates, and the change is no longer at the level of the individual but in the society.

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Yet what is remarkable is that the system is surviving. Little girls and boys still go to school, teachers still come to work every day, and parents still believe their children will have bright futures if they can access education. I've seen this play out for over a decade, and it is something to see. And for this dogged system to persist, and to grow, we have to heed the messages of defiance, rather than the ones of hopelessness. In grief, we can find an endless darkness, or, we can find a buttress for unity. Now, we need unity.

Today, the university announced its intention to re-open: "As our faculty member Naqib Ahmad Khpulwak, who was killed in this attack, had said, those who care about the future of Afghanistan cannot back down to insurgents and criminals who threaten a future of possibility. Our firm resolve is to move forward."

The victims at AUAF had no power over the events that unfolded there on Thursday. But they do have power over how to respond to those events. They do have power over the future that lies ahead -- that future is not up to the Taliban alone to shape. It cannot be allowed to be. It must be left to the defiant.

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Kohei Hara via Getty Images a woman holding a card with a message, THANKS, written on it.

Canada has a well-deserved reputation as one of the friendliest, most polite countries in the world, and you don't have to look far to see why. Yes, we say "I'm sorry" a lot, but we actually say "Thank you" a lot more -- almost twice as often as "I'm sorry," in fact.

This is just one of the findings in a recent Canadian thank you behaviours survey. And these "thank you's" are not on auto-pilot or polite throw-aways. More than half of Canadians (60 per cent) say "thank you" in a meaningful and sincere way, rather than only 12 per cent who say it without thinking.

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It's easy to say "thank you" out of habit as you charge through one activity to the next in a busy routine, but it's important to ask yourself how do you think that thanks was perceived? Each day I try and make a point to say thanks to my colleagues, employees, husband, children, parents and my barista: steadied with eye contact, underlined with weight of words, emphasized with significance in tone -- no matter how big or small.

Big and small appreciation is what we wanted to highlight the most when we surprised some unsuspecting Canadians as part of the #TDThanksYou program.

Take Linda from Toronto, for example, whose husband has Alzheimer's and relies on her day in and day out. It has been a tough road for her, and so she was surprised with a trip to England to visit her daughter and caregiving support for her husband while she was away. Then there's Crystal from Drayton Valley. When she lost her hair to cancer, whose branch manager also shaved her hair in support? Crystal received a much-needed getaway to Jasper with her family.

Personalization is the key to a meaningful thank you. The majority of Canadians couldn't agree more. Fifty-eight per cent of Canadians say a "thank you" feels most genuine when it's personalized. And we still overwhelmingly prefer a personal "thank you" to a digital one.

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Generationally, there are some differences. Millennials are twice as likely as boomers to say a "thank you" feels genuine when they know they deserve it (50 per cent versus 25 per cent) or when it is accompanied by some sort of gesture such as a gift (21 per cent versus six per cent). Boomers are five times more likely than millennials to thank their neighbours (31 per cent versus six per cent).

And after the thanks is said? "You're welcome" is the most common response to being thanked, but compared to boomers, millennials are more likely to respond "no problem" (45 per cent versus 15 per cent).

Overall, Canadians agree that they are more likely to say "thank you" when offered unsolicited help (41 per cent) than when they receive a compliment (14 per cent) for example. When it comes to who we thank, friends rank top of the list at 60 per cent. Thanking family -- spouses (50 per cent), kids (30 per cent) and parents (29 per cent) -- seem to fall behind.

The Canadian stereotype of politeness is one to wear with pride, but let's set the record straight about our sorry reputation with one of thanks. And ask yourself -- who have you thanked today?

Teri Currie is Group Head Canadian Personal Banking at TD

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The Good Neighbors, Inc. will celebrate its 64th anniversary of the dream that Dr. William "Uncle Bill" and his wife, Maudette Whiteside, had on Saturday.

The mission of the organization is "to provide help to those in need; promoting and strengthening good will and relationships between people; giving advice and comfort to persons of sorrow, affliction and distress; and in general promoting the Golden Rule".



This mission will be exhibited by the Community Service Awards given to both the Avondale Ladies Gill and the Volunteers of the Inner-City Meals on Wheels Program.

These were the groups that helped keep the Whiteside's dream alive, officials said.The keynote speaker will be a long time supporter, the Honorable Judge John McClary of the East Tennessee Circuit Court of Appeals.Several young people from the community will receive the Rooks/Sanders Scholarships named after long time volunteers Eunice Rooks and Evelyn Sanders, who spear headed the efforts to raise the funds. The event is being held at 4 p.m. on Saturday at Tucker Baptist Church, 1115 North Moore Road in Chattanooga.
It was World Mosquito Day on Saturday and while that may not sound like the most exciting day to anyone who isn't an insect lover, it did provide us with the perfect opportunity to debunk some of the myths related to both mosquitoes and the transmission of malaria.

What is World Mosquito Day?

World Mosquito Day is an annual commemoration of the British Doctor Sir Ronald Ross; his discovery in 1987 successfully linked mosquitoes to the transmission of malaria and fueled decades of research into finding a cure for the disease. Fast forward to today and unfortunately we are still fighting the battle against malaria but World Mosquito Day falls on the 20th of August each year, with the idea behind it being to promote safe practice in mosquito prone areas, to generate funds to help with research into cures against mosquito transmitted diseases and to celebrate Dr Ross' groundbreaking discovery.

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What exactly is Malaria?

Malaria is a tropical disease that is spread by mosquitoes. Symptoms usually appear between 7 and 18 days after becoming infected and while it can be fatal if it isn't treated promptly, there are a number of things that you can do to avoid being bitten in the first place.

Fact and Fiction:

First things first though, there are a number of mosquito and malaria myths floating around in the world that definitely need addressing so that you know exactly what you're dealing with!

FICTION: Garlic and marmite will keep mosquitos away

FACT: There is the belief that smelly foods, notably garlic and marmite, will keep the mosquitoes away but there is no scientific evidence to back this up. Instead focus your efforts on applying insect repellant, cover your arms and legs when you're in high risk areas and use mosquito nets at night while you're sleeping.

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FICTION: Mosquitos die after feeding

FACT: Unfortunately this isn't true, the female mosquitoes live on to feed again which is why it's so important to put in place preventative methods.

FICTION: Once you get malaria you will have it for the rest of your life

FACT: Once you've had malaria you are no longer eligible to donate blood but this does not mean that you still have the disease. While it is true that some strains of malaria can remain dormant in your liver, relapses do not often occur and with most strains, once you've received sufficient treatment you will be free from malaria.

Who is at risk from malaria?

No one can be completely immune from malaria but there are certain people who suffer more severely from infection and areas where the disease is more prevalent.

Typically pregnant women, babies, young children and the elderly experience much more severe effects of malaria and pregnant women in particularly are usually advised not to travel within malaria risk areas.

As it stands at the moment malaria is mainly found in the tropical regions of the world, including:

Areas of Africa and Asia

Central and South America

Haiti and the Dominican Republic

Areas in the Middle East

Some Pacific Islands

It's important to be aware of the risks of visiting these areas and you should speak to your GP if you're planning to visit one of these regions but it shouldn't put you off travelling there altogether. If you would like more specific information on certain countries, both the Fit For Travel and National Travel Health Network and Centre websites have in-depth information on precise areas.

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Preventing Malaria:

The first thing that you need to do is to make an appointment with your doctor several weeks before you're due to travel, this will enable you to check whether or not you need to take malaria prevention tablets. If you do, it's important to make sure that you're taking the right tables at the right dose and that you finish the course.

Typically mosquitoes are most active during dusk and dawn, so whenever possible it's advisable to avoid being outdoors during these times. The temperature and the humidity levels during these timeframes are perfect for the blood sucking insects, so avoid spending prolonged periods of time outdoors in the early mornings and late evenings to reduce the number of mosquito bites that you get.

Mosquitoes can't see in colours, instead they see heat patterns. Try to wear light coloured clothing whenever you can, the light will bounce off them and they will therefore absorb less heat, making you less visible to the mozzy's!

When you're heading outdoors try to avoid wearing perfumes and other products that have a floral or sweet smell to them as mosquitoes are attracted to these scents.

Cover your bed with a mosquito net to avoid being bitten while you sleep!

Avoid staying in areas that are located close by to stagnant or still water as these are the perfect breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

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Mosquitoes are attracted to CO2. The heavier you breathe, the more CO2 you expel so try to avoid doing intensive exercise when you're travelling within mosquito prone areas. If that's not possible, try not to exercise during dusk and dawn when mosquitoes are most active.

Finally and perhaps most importantly, insect repellent should become your best friend when you're travelling within mosquito dense areas. It is your best defense against the insects and it's important that you not only apply it in the morning but that you constantly reapply it throughout the day. Where possible find a product with DEET in it because it has proven to be the most effective repellant on the market.

Of course it is impossible to entirely avoid being bitten but as mosquitoes typically only infect 1 in 4 of those that they bite with malaria these preventative methods should greatly reduce your chance of transmitting the disease. However, it is still vital that you make an appointment to see your GP several weeks before you're due to fly out of the country as they will be able to give you direct advice for the specific area that you're travelling to. After that, if you still have questions related to malaria then the NHS website is the best place to head for full medical advice.

By Shannon Clark - Online Journalism Intern

Frontier runs conservation, development, teaching and adventure travel projects in over 50 countries worldwide - so join us and explore the world!

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It's been more than a year since the government floated its plan for a 'truly seven-day NHS' in England. The policy was not only a key selling point in the Conservative Party manifesto, celebrated at every opportunity by health secretary Jeremy Hunt, but also the reason given for why a new junior doctor contract was needed, despite the fact junior doctors already work weekends.

A year on, the health secretary has still failed to answer basic questions, posed by the BMA, about how his ambition will work in practice. How will such a service be funded, or staffed? How will weekday services be protected in an already-stretched NHS? And it's not just medics that want answers. A BMA opinion poll found in June that two-thirds of the public think Mr Hunt has fallen short in explaining the policy.

This week it emerged that there really is no plan, as secret leak documents have shown that senior civil servants trying to deliver the pledge have uncovered 13 major "risks" to it, and no solutions.

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The BMA has always said that patients should receive the same high standard of care seven days a week, but we have also repeatedly raised concerns over the past year about the lack of detail and absence of any plan on how the government intends to deliver this.

To see now, in black and white, that the government has not only ignored these concerns - and those of other leading healthcare organisations - but has also disregarded its own risk assessment's warnings about the lack of staffing and funding needed to deliver further seven-day services, is both alarming and incredibly disappointing.

David Cameron promised a 'truly seven-day NHS' before and after the general election, even going as far as to use the word 'plan' 18 times in one speech. The fact that there is no plan, that the government is yet to set the objectives or assess the impact of expanding seven-day services, only goes to show that this was nothing more than a headline-grabbing soundbite set to win votes rather than improve care for patients. The fact that, a year later there remains no plan shows that this was a conscious omission rather than an incompetent mistake.

This isn't the first time that government has misled the public about seven-day services. The government has previously admitted that the rejected junior doctors' contract must enable employers to roster doctors more affordably - or for less money - across seven days. However the government's own figures show that this will require 4,000 more doctors, 3,000 more nurses and almost 1bn extra

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funding each year. Where will these doctors and nurses come from? How will this be funded?

The government has also misled the public about medical staffing. Two studies in the lancet debunked the minister's claims that "the weekend effect", where he claimed more people die in hospitals at the weekend, is linked to medical staffing levels. They were the latest to join a long line of health professionals and leading experts who challenged the government on its misleading use of figures. The reality is that it is a far more complicated picture than the one the government has tried to portray. Doctors are not standing in the way of improvements to patient care - we simply want it to be evidence based and fully thought through.

And it's our patients who will bear the brunt of the government's deceit. They are already. Patient care is being compromised by staff shortages. The number of people waiting over 18 weeks for elective surgery is up by almost 80 per cent. Major hospitals in England are failing to see almost one in seven accident and emergency patients within four hours. The average waiting time for a GP appointment will soon hit two weeks, and 201 surgeries closed altogether last year.

Emergency medicine, paediatrics and general practice are being compromised by staff shortages and hundreds of doctors are emigrating to work abroad. Figures from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health show there is a chronic shortage of junior doctors in child medicine. They say the contract has been highly damaging with junior doctors leaving the NHS in England to work in Wales, Scotland and NI and this shortage of children's doctors is only going to get worse.

Hospital and community rotas are riddled with vacancies. The rejected junior doctors' contract is set to widen these gaps by disincentivising careers in the NHS, in particular for women, carers and those with disabilities , and devaluing doctors time, especially for those who work more evenings and weekends.

Rather than paint doctors and their contracts as the roadblock to reform, ministers must sit down with junior doctors and negotiate a contract that is properly funded, fit for purpose, good for patients and has the confidence of the profession.

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As a joke my friend sent me the picture below whilst I was scrolling through the depressingly limited search results for modest swimwear.

Credit: NYDaily news

This is not fancy dress. It is a very common practise in China to cover up entirely while enjoying a day at the beach. The piece of material covering the face has been humorously coined as a 'face-kini' and while it may seem ridiculous the 'face-kini' is an acceptable form of attire in China to protect your face from the sun's evil cancer-filled rays.

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My friend and I laughed at the pictures and soon moved on to choosing an outfit that was the least hideous style for me to wear while shark-swimming with my family in Bali. Yep, that's right, a hijabi... swimming with sharks... #livingdangerously #integrating ... with sharks?

As a Muslim, who considers modesty to be a part of her daily fashion choices, the burkini ban has both perplexed and angered me. I won't mention issues that I have seen covered -no pun intended- such as Islamophobia, the saviour complex etc.

I have noticed a lot of people have taken to sharing images of nuns enjoying themselves in full habit at the beach descrying France for its double standards.

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Credit: Guardian UK

Although this is a very pertinent point, it can be explained away by those who wish to because, well, there are no nuns in ISIS. What's that?... You don't understand the link between modest beach wear and Daesh? Me neither, but apparently it's a thing and hence the ban.

But, in all seriousness, I am interested to see how widely the ban is enforced. Photos have circulated on social media of a women being aggressively prompted by armed policemen to remove a long-sleeved top on a beach in Nice this week. I'm curious to see if this will happen to all women in long sleeve attire at the beach or just 'brown', Muslim-looking ladies.

How awesome would it be if Nigella jumped on a plane over to Nice with her black burkini just to test it out?

Credit: Daily Mail

A 32 fine won't dent her income too much but it will help either put to rest, or confirm, the cynical thoughts a lot of the Muslim world are having watching this story unfold.

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Women, who cover on the beach for reasons other than faith, have also come forward to share their disgust at the ban. I spoke to Elspeth, a lady of ginger persuasion, who explained that she and her children are always fully covered at the beach because their skin burns very easily. This is a photo of Elspeth and her baby daughter, both in full-length clothing, enjoying a day at the beach. Her daughter had been wearing a hat which was removed to take the photo.

Credit: Photo owner

Elspeth went on to share that she is descended from Holocaust survivors and said:

Not long ago, my people were labelled dangerous and given yellow stars to wear. It seems the French now want to label Muslim women as dangerous and give them bikinis.

Elspeth explained that now she is aware of burkinis she would consider buying one. The ban, however, has made her question whether she would holiday in France at all. Elspeth and her family are not alone in considering the burkini a valid beach wear choice. Since this story has made the headlines burkini retailers claim their sales have soared!

Ultimately, the ban is not about Muslims or terrorism but yet another example of good ole'-fashioned Orientalism. Zinab Sedira is a French-Algerian artist who has explored the concept of the veil (hijab) in her work. In an article entitled Mapping the Illusive she said that:

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The Muslim woman's body is central to orientalist imagery as a voyeuristic site of Otherness and difference.

This is essentially what the ban is about and it should make every feminist bone in your body seethe with anger: We cover our bodies -> Men don't like the fact that we choose not to show them our bodies -> Men try to force us to uncover.

Whether you agree with the concept of hijab, burkinis, or modest wear in general is beside the point. Every woman should be allowed to consent to reveal or cover her own body. Her choice. Not an armed police guard and not a town Mayor's.

I've seen a few comments complaining that the opposite is true when visiting a Muslim/ Arab country. If you use the search term 'dubai beaches' in Google Images you'll find many examples of pasty-faced holidaymakers in their budgie smugglers and bikinis but don't say I didn't warn you! And I'm talking about Dubai. In the United Arab Emirates. The country next to Saudi Arabia.

Having used the 'S word' I'd be remiss if I did not mention the fact that in some parts of the world modest wear is obligatory. This is something that definitely needs addressing but, as my Nan always says, "two wrongs don't make a right!"

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Should Muslim French nationals or tourists be forced to remove their modest wear just because they would be forced to wear it in another part of the world?

French is not my native tongue but that sounds awfully contradictory to the country's motto emblazoned on public buildings and schools: Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite (translated as Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood).

Credit: Wikipedia

This ban represents the notion that a supposed liberated, forward-thinking, Western country has the right to remove a consenting adult's choice of what to wear.
As told to Hannah Wolff

Recently while working out at a local gym in Germany I heard a guy behind me shouting a wave of racist anti-refugee profanities at a group of teenagers speaking Arabic.

At first I ignored him as did the subjects of his insults. However, when he got up to walk towards them I started getting more uncomfortable. Luckily the teenagers then left and as a response the guy loudly and proudly proclaimed his victory of having scared them away.

That's when my decency as a human being obliged me to turn around and ask muscle guy if this was really necessary to which his response was that it indeed was necessary. When I asked him why he explained that refugees 'have done a lot to him', not clarifying what exactly they have done to him. His girlfriend added wisely that 'at some point refugees just become annoying'. Together they looked like a match made in ignorance heaven, it would almost be heartwarming if their comments weren't so pointless and confusing.

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Even though they didn't seem like the type of people one should start a discussion with, I couldn't resist asking what a big muscular guy like him could possibly fear from a group of skinny teenagers who are half his size. Ignorant and racist people always seem to fear something and this was my chance to actually find out what it is that makes them so scared of people that are different from them.

Unfortunately I never received an answer. I am not sure which part of my question insulted him but it must have triggered something in his brain or muscles because now he started to become aggressive and personal towards me. He gave my t-shirt, which depicted the name of the grammar school I went to with my graduation date, a disgusted look and informed me that he could tell exactly what kind of person I was from my tshirt: a person with a stick up her ass.

I was too confused about his verdict of my personality to actually be upset by what he said. Instead I pointed out to him that he didn't make any sense because apparently he has a problem with me because I am a foreigner with a degree who speaks fluent German but at the same time he also has a problem with those teenagers he scared away because they are foreigners who don't speak German.

In the same breath I added, 'And you know who I have a problem with? I have a problem with people like you who have a problem with everyone and everything.'

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I looked around searching for approval in the faces of the onlookers who have gathered around us but no one said a word whilst they continued to stare at us like a pop up theatre play.

Muscle guy's response was very simple, he told me to 'piss off'. At this point I decided to give up on this fruitless conversation and just went back to my workout all the while trying to ignore his insults that kept flying at me from his corner where he was spread out with his girlfriend and friends.

Eventually though his chants, which mostly consisted of him telling me to piss off became too loud to overhear and I told him I wasn't going to leave and asked him what he was going to do about it. He looked at me in disbelief and started laughing, asking me if I was kidding him.

When I informed him that I wasn't kidding and that he is extremely disrespectful he got up and started walking towards me to scare me off the same way he scared off those teenagers but I told him 'I am not scared of you and your intimidation technique is not working on me.'

As a response he went back to his 'piss off' chants. I started to feel like I am in a bad movie, the only thing missing was our mute audience joining in on those chants.

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Muscle guy didn't have much gravitas to start with but the tiny ounce of respect I had for him as a human being has totally disappeared by now so I got up, walked over to him looked him into his eyes and told him 'Why don you piss off if you have a problem.'

I think I could hear our audience gasp but I might be wrong.

Muscle guy turned around to his girlfriend and workout buddies who were clearly enjoying this exchange and asked them if they could see how I am provoking him, to which they vehemently agreed.

I dryly asked if he was looking for witnesses so he could justify attacking me and indeed, I barely finished my sentence before he started charging towards me and pushing me a couple of times until I nearly fell to the ground.

I started screaming telling him to stop.

Finally, a bystander from the mute audience stepped forward but instead of restraining muscle guy he gently pushed me away telling me to just leave already.

If this situation felt like a bad movie before, it now started to feel like a nightmare.

When I finally caught sight of one of the gym trainers I thought my luck had finally turned and quickly called him over. He slowly walked over and when he saw muscle guy they greeted each other by their nicknames like old buddies.

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Before I even had a chance to explain what has been going on muscle guy quickly told the trainer his version of events which was basically that I provoked him for no reason and him pushing me away from him because I stepped too close to him.

I tried to explain what really happened but the trainer didn't really seem interested. Muscle guy sealed the deal when he ordered that one guy from the mute audience who stepped in earlier to tell the trainer who of us is telling the truth. The testimony of the guy consisted of the simple sentence, 'everything happened as he just described it happened'.

The audience who witnessed the whole incident was still watching and still mute.

Looking at the mute group of people around us my frustration over their cowardeness boiled over and I started yelling at them 'I hope there will never be a war in Germany again because people will then be as messed up to you when you become refugees as you are towards refugees now.'

There was still no reaction from anyone and muscle guy used my meltdown as example to explain that I am crazy.

All of a sudden tiredness and exhaustion overwhelmed me and I just wanted to get away from all these people.

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I made my way towards the exit when another trainer came running up to me asking me to sit down with him and muscle guy to 'talk out' the issue and confront him about his behavior. I was pretty sure this wasn't going to go well but the trainer kept on insisting and against my own judgment I agreed to walk back to muscle guy to confront him once again.

As expected the conversation didn't go well, it ended in muscle guy insulting me in front of the trainer and threatening me to drag me out of the gym by my hair if I didn't shut up and that I was a liar because he would never even touch my disgusting body.

I asked the people around us to finally speak up and tell the truth about what happened. No one did.

'Are you serious?' I asked the crowd and muscle guy, 'I feel like fainting from all of your lies. I need to sit down.'

Once I sat down I tried to regain my strength to finally walk off the gym but muscle guy was at it again, yelling that it makes him aggressive if people do injustice to him.

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'Hold on', I asked him, 'Don't you see the irony of what you just said? You just harassed three young boys which is how the whole situation started and then you attacked a woman who stood up for them but you are the one injustice is being done to? You are not a very clever man. You just insulted me, harassed me and threatened me all at the same time trying to prove your innocence. Don't you see I have enough evidence by now to press charges against you?'

His response was to pace around and brief heavily like a mad and helpless lion in his cage.

'Can I do to you what you did to me?' I asked him.

'Don't you dare touch me.'

'That's interesting. I won't touch you because I respect your private space but unfortunately you didn't give me the same respect.'

I then slowly got up and finally managed to get away without anyone stopping or insulting me.

The next day I filed a complaint with the police and the gym, both complaints didn't lead to anything.

I never received an apology from the gym, instead they made it pretty clear that they don't believe my version of events as I don't have any witnesses. The irony of not having a single witness despite having had a whole crowd watch me like a movie didn't get lost on me.

'German multiculturalism has 'utterly failed', Angela Merkel famously proclaimed, asserting that immigrants don't do enough to integrate into German society.

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The two things you'll miss as a traveller/expat are - family and food. And while you'll meet amazing people and expand your palette, sometimes you just want the tastes and sounds of home. Although I spent the first 22 years of my life 1,000 miles away from New Orleans as a Midwesterner, now that I'm in Edinburgh, I miss being able to easily find mixed cajun spice and roulade sauce in supermarkets to give a kick to a meal. So when I heard that there was a pop up jazz and julep bar with American food up from London, my interest was piqued. Were the juleps going to be sweet and sassy enough? The food going to be spicy enough?

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Kansas Smitty's can normally be found in Hackney but has made a special Fringe appearance this month at the ex-industrial Biscuit Factory in Edinburgh's northern neighbourhood - Leith. The eclectic 8 piece jazz band plays gritty jazz sounds influenced from New York, New Orleans, Paris and Havana. They're back in the Hackney headquarters of Kansas Smitty the last weekend of the Fringe but live bands Sons of Kemet, Samson Sounds and Swindle will be playing in Kansas Smitty's Edinburgh pop up bar from Friday 26th-Sunday 28th August with late night jazz raves. Check out their Fringe schedule here.

While they don't yet have any plans to open an Edinburgh bar, they're enjoying the Fringe atmosphere so pay a visit before it heads south of the border. Before or while you dance all night you can grab some American-inspired food and drink from the onsite Day 'n' Night diner, which serves delicous food until 3 am (most kitchens in Edinburgh stop serving food at 10 pm). The chef, Louis Black-Wilkins, works his magic creating American-inspired comfort food with fresh, locally sourced ingrediants and all between 6-8.50. Order yourself Smitty's Grilled Cheese Sarnie, a mix of smoked cheddar, swiss cheese and pecorino with carmelised onion and truffle. The sweet, smoky and salty tastes were perfectly blended and I'll be dreaming of this when the pop-up bar heads back south to London. True post-fest food blues y'all.

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To make the most of your food and jazz experience, add a julep cocktail. You're in great hands with Kansas Smitty's bar staff, Tory Baxter and Sam Brittan are friendly and knowledgable - the perfect pairing of customer service and artistry - mixing up the bar's bespoke Jim Beam juleps and blending the herbs, honey, berry, chocolate, coffee and/or citrus notes to customise to your preferences. My favourite is the Scarborough Fair Julep - Jim Beam honey, parsley, sage, rosemary, thyme, toasted almond, salted heather honey and mint. The Morning Joe-lep is runner-up with Jim Beam maple, coffee bean, stem ginger, cacao, cardamom and bitter orange marmalade. They're also reasonably priced at 7 each.

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There are also local beers and ciders on tap and with the Edinburgh Gin distillery next door, you can't get any closer to locally sourced than at Kansas Smitty's. If you're a gin fan, try Edinburgh Gin's Raspberry and Elderflower.

If you're looking for something a bit off the well traveled Fringe circuit, make your way down Leith Walk and head to Kansas Smitty's for some evening jazz, juleps and Americana comfort food. The atmosphere is buzzing, the food and drink are delicious and reasonably priced and the customer service is top. Now I gots to head to the gym to pay for my sarnie sins before I head to Miami's South Beach in 6 weeks. #sorrynotsorrysarnie
Anadolu Agency via Getty Images

The heartbreaking tragedy affecting the Syrian people seems to have no end. It is a complex conflict, but the principal responsibility for what is happening rests with President Assad who started the civil war when he turned on his own people because they wanted more freedom. He is now being supported by Russian jets.

The UN estimates that 400,000 people have been killed, with many civilians dying because of Syrian barrel bombs, and millions have been forced to flee their homes. The regime used sarin gas, which is a chemical weapon, in an attack on the Ghouta district in 2013 which killed hundreds - described by the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon as a war crime - and the UN is currently investigating evidence of a toxic gas attack on a rebel-held area of Aleppo earlier this month.

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Civilians continue to be killed and hospitals destroyed in Aleppo and elsewhere by deliberate bombing. Doctors and nurses struggle heroically in underground bunkers as they try to treat the wounded. And all the while, much-needed humanitarian aid is denied to communities living under siege. Only three out of sixteen besieged areas were reached by a humanitarian convoy in July and aid has not been allowed into any of the besieged areas so far in August. 13.5 million Syrians are in desperate need of humanitarian supplies.

There are now two urgent priorities for the United Nations and the world community.

The first is to get relief supplies in to the besieged areas, and the second is to achieve a ceasefire and an end to the bombing of civilians.

The UN envoy Staffan de Mistura has worked tirelessly in trying to achieve both, but he needs more help. There is now a proposal for a 48 hour humanitarian pause which must be implemented, but we have seen ceasefires in the past that have not held.

Back in May, Philip Hammond, the then British Foreign Secretary, said that the International Syria Support Group - an alliance of countries trying to end the conflict - had agreed to a UK proposal for the UN World Food Programme to carry out airdrops of supplies if aid continued to be blocked on the ground. Since then the suffering and the sieges have continued and yet no airdrops have taken place. The UK must ensure that the commitment it claimed to have secured is delivered and that aid gets through.

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The second priority is to bring an end to the Syrian civil war through a ceasefire and negotiations. There have been attempts at peace talks, but progress has been slow and now seems to have stalled. Fresh efforts must therefore be made to ensure a peace process that can deliver an end to hostilities and a political transition. This is a real test for the United Nations and our collective willingness to act to prevent more bloodshed. There must be a greater sense of urgency, not least because the people of Syria want and deserve so much more from an international community that has failed them so far.

A ceasefire would also bring the bombing of civilians to an end, but in the absence of one consideration should be given to the feasibility of a no-fly zone to protect them. As we have always known, this would be very difficult to achieve, but every possibility should be looked at afresh.

A peace agreement in Syria would also help deal with another serious threat to the people of both Syria and Iraq and that is from Daesh.

In the chaos of the Syrian civil war, Daesh was able to thrive and take territory, most notably Raqqa. It then invaded Iraq.

Daesh's cruelty and deliberate use of terror are scarcely believable. It has carried out torture, beheaded aid workers, engaged in mass murder, enslaved women and used sexual violence including systematic rape, imposed its own interpretation of Islam on communities backed up by savage punishments and sponsored indiscriminate bombings and killings of civilians not only in the region, but all over the world.

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Because of the nature of this threat, in November 2015 the United Nations Security Council passed a Resolution calling on member states to take all necessary action to defeat Daesh and to eradicate the safe haven they have established over significant parts of Iraq and Syria. This led the UK Parliament to vote to authorise the RAF to join in international coalition airstrikes against Daesh in Syria, following the decision the previous year to undertake airstrikes against Daesh in Iraq after having been asked to help by the democratically-elected Iraqi government and the Kurds who are both fighting to regain control of their country from Daesh.

Since that Syria vote there has been some confusion about the difference between Parliament's decisions on airstrikes against Daesh and the deliberate bombing of civilians by Presidents Assad and Putin. A small number of people talk about "Bombing Syria" as if the UK was somehow responsible for the terrible scenes in Aleppo. This is, of course, completely untrue. The only people responsible for the horror there are the Syrian government and the Russians.

What the UK is doing, along with other nations, is helping Iraqi and Kurdish forces on the ground. It is action targeted solely and specifically against Daesh and it is being carried out with great precision and skill by the RAF in line with the motion passed by the House of Commons last December which was explicit about 'the importance of seeking to avoid civilian casualties'. Unlike the airstrikes by the Assad regime and the actions of Daesh, which both deliberately target civilians, the UK is ultimately seeking to protect civilians. It is a fundamental distinction.

And it is having an effect. Air strikes are now driving Daesh back. One estimate suggests that in the last 18 months it has lost a quarter of the territory it held. Equipment, command and control sites, supply chains and revenue streams, including oil infrastructure, are all being effectively targeted. The recent liberation of Manbij in Syria from Daesh, which saw the residents celebrating freedom from the brutal oppression they had experienced, is the latest example.

In June this year, a UN inquiry found that Daesh has been committing genocide against the Yazidis and that this amounts to crimes against humanity and war crimes. The House of Commons has voted unanimously to recognise that Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria are suffering this genocide. The motion passed called on the UK Government to make an immediate referral to the UN Security Council with a view to conferring jurisdiction upon the International Criminal Court so that perpetrators can be brought to justice. Government Ministers abstained in the vote, but the will of MPs was clear.

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Four months have now gone by since that parliamentary vote on genocide and yet the Government has failed to use its privileged position as a member of the UN Security Council to table a draft resolution. Government Ministers fear a Russian veto but that is no reason for not flushing it out because President Putin would then have to explain why he had blocked such a referral. When genocide is happening the United Nations has a duty to act.

The deeply troubling events in Syria are a reminder to us all of exactly why we need an effective United Nations that is capable of dealing with threats to international peace and security.

Seen through the eyes of the Syrian people we have failed collectively to do our job thus far.
We need to dispel the myth that a girls first time is remotely enjoyable, a sort of coming of age.

With her eyes screwed shut she searches for the memory I've asked her to recall.

'What do you mean you can't be sure about the first time?' I ask.

I'm exasperated, my anger barely concealed, but I'm not angry at her. I'm furious at something so commonplace my daughter can't pinpoint the exact moment in time it started.

'It's been going on forever' She shrugs but an early memory is around the age of 11 maybe 12 and walking to the shops on an errand. A man whistled at her from a passing van, slowed down and then drove off.

Female harassment is the topic of our conversation, I'm consoling my daughter after listening to her latest experience. It's a common problem for women daily, on our streets, and even underage girls in school uniform are not spared.

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In Germany they have taken drastic steps to intervene in a spate of sexual assaults and harassment of young girls at swimming pools in the Bodensee district in the state of Baden-Wurttemberg. Veronika Wascher-Goggerle, from the Women's and Family representative of the district, is determined to raise awareness over the growing problem and young girls are being issued with temporary stick on tattoos. The tattoos spell out the word NO and feature small angel wings. The hope is these temporary tattoos will act as an incentive for young swimmers to think about the issue.

Germany is not alone in this problem. In July Nottinghamshire Police outlined plans to record misogynistic incidents as hate crimes in a bid to address sexist abuse. Chief Constable Sue Fish claims it will make the county a safer place for women. The force defines misogyny hate crime as: "Incidents against women that are motivated by an attitude of a man towards a woman and includes behaviour targeted towards a woman by men simply because they are a woman."

My daughter recalls a more worrying experience. She was 14 years old, huddled in a bus shelter, out of the rain falling that grey winter's afternoon. Easily identifiable as a schoolgirl, in her blazer and regulation knee length skirt, a few fellow travellers were waiting alongside her. A group of men spilled out of the nearby train station, raucous and laughing. They must have appeared a rowdy bunch for 4pm on a Friday afternoon, perhaps a stag party heading to our local holiday camp and a popular destination for weekend groups.

'Oi Oi love' one of them shouted 'Want to join our party tonight?' Swaying and making their way towards her 'Come on darling, give us a smile' one of them demanded, followed by 'God she's a miserable little cow' when she didn't respond.

She felt embarrassed, uncomfortable and more than a little frightened. She glanced around the strangers waiting in the shelter with her, hoping for some support, but no-one made eye-contact, no-one intervened.

I've lost count of the number of similar incidents my daughters and female friends have shared with me over the years. It's so common I am wondering if we have become completely desensitized to the level of harassment women are exposed to. In learning to shrug it off, not engage, and keep our eyes averted are we allowing the problem to continue unchallenged?

Some women are determined to fight back though. Cat-calling and abuse took a sinister turn when Michelle Barwood, a 36 year old actor, decided to challenge one man on his behaviour. 'I shouted at him to leave me alone in front of other people present on the street. What followed amounted to a verbal assault with him calling me ugly, a bitch, disgusting and his parting shot 'I hope you get raped''

Michelle's experience highlights how easily street harassment can escalate.

'The most telling thing about this exchange was he knew, by the use of those exact words, how predatory his behaviour was. He understood in that moment the terrifying and oppressive power of what he was saying as a man to a woman'.

My daughter is 17 now, she's enjoying the long summer break before she heads back to school and her second year of 'A' level study. Her latest experience of 'casual' harassment is more evidence of this daily reality for numerous girls and women. We are having this discussion whilst I'm looking at the white cropped jeans and pretty pink gingham shirt she's wearing and thinking she looks every inch the epitome of a classic English Rose.

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Regardless of this it didn't stop a man, considerably older than her, walking right up to her and declaring 'I would'.

'I would' to a 17 year old girl in a public place in the middle of a summer's afternoon.

'I would' is not something we should be brushing off, telling our daughters it doesn't mean anything or making light of. Are some men so out of control we have no choice but to resign ourselves to this level of harassment?

Bronte Huskinson, a 19 year old University student and one of Huffington Post's Young Voices , says regular street harassment when she was 15 affected her so badly she became very self-conscious. 'I wouldn't wear anything remotely flattering and covered up my body, on the hottest of summer days, to avoid unwanted attention'. More confident and self-assured as she's got older Bronte says 'I realised crude cat-calling wasn't going to stop but it shouldn't prevent me wearing what I want'.

In expanding the categories of hate crimes to include misogynistic incidents Nottinghamshire Police are acknowledging the breadth and range of harassment women experience every day. Recording this will mean the data can be analysed and the extent of the problem, along with solutions, can be considered. It's a step in the right direction and one we should be urging other forces throughout the UK to pay heed to. In the meantime I'm not only supporting my daughters on ways to cope with incidents of harassment, I'm educating my sons on how to interact and engage with women in a non-threatening and respectful manner.

We have a long way to go to address harassment and abuse of women. Do we really need girls and women to wear 'NO' tattoos before we wake up to the scale of this problem? Maybe we simply need to become more vocal about this, and challenge the status quo.

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An analysis of the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme by "The Independent" newspaper shows that the annual number of pay-outs for veterans experiencing mental disorders has increased by 379% since 2009. In 2009-10 there were 121 pay-outs compared to 580 in 2015-16.

Health professionals believe this represents only a small percentage of the people actually affected. They believe that the increase reflects the fact that veterans of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars are now starting to show symptoms as a result of what they experienced during the conflict. It can take several years before the impact upon a person's mental health becomes fully evident.

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As well as running a Suicide Crisis Centre, I run a Trauma Centre and I recall very vividly the first time I met Dan.

I was just walking out of the general hospital when I noticed a man slumped against the wall outside Accident and Emergency. It was late at night and I went to check whether he needed any help.

He told me that he had been brought to hospital by ambulance after a fall in the town centre. But his experience in A&E hadn't been good. He felt that A&E staff hadn't treated him well and he felt that this was because he had drunk a large amount of alcohol.

A security guard came out while we were talking and said that if he wasn't going to come into A&E then he should leave the premises. This concerned me because he was under the influence of alcohol, was having difficulty standing and had suffered a fall which had required hospital attendance.

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Dan asked the security guard if he had ever served in Afghanistan or Iraq. He said that if he had, he might understand why he was in the situation that he was in now. I told the guard that I did not feel he was safe to leave hospital premises.

The guard went back inside and Dan and I had the opportunity to talk. He told me that he was haunted by nightmares and images of what he had experienced in the wars. He drank to block out these images and to prevent himself from thinking about them. These certainly sounded like possible symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder. It was clear from what he was saying that he was receiving no help from mental health services or addiction services. He had been homeless until recently.

At that point an empathic nurse came out and encouraged him to come back into A&E. However he had told me where he was being housed temporarily, and I was able to check the next day that he was okay.

An NHS spokesperson said that there are plans to improve mental health care for armed forces veterans. This is extremely positive, but it relies on veterans feeling able to seek help. Dan expressed a reluctance to seek medical help. In particular he feared that it would mean that he would need to see a psychiatrist.

Dr Busuttil, the psychiatrist quoted in the article, said that "The biggest problem from Iraq and Afghanistan is a very high rate of alcohol misuse."

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Dan's experience highlights this. He was using alcohol for his symptoms because he couldn't face seeking medical help. Dr Busuttil mentions that stigma can prevent veterans from seeking compensation for mental health issues and I wonder if it also prevents some of them from feeling able to seek help from their doctor. Dan also said that he was mistrustful of medics and psychiatrists. Severe trauma can lead to a profound loss of trust in other people. This means that all of us who come into contact with veterans in Dan's position can have a role to play in helping to rebuild trust. It was fortunate that I came into contact with him in a non-professional capacity, as a stranger with no agenda other than that of wanting to help someone who was clearly either unwell or injured. I think it was easier for him to trust me because he had encountered me under these circumstances. So, while the NHS commitment to putting more money into mental health care for veterans is welcome, I hope that they will consider how to ensure that they reach people like Dan, who may have a profound mistrust of the system and of people in general.

Dan felt more able to consider help from a charitable organisation rather than an NHS service, although that was extremely difficult for him, too.

Everyone who comes into professional contact with people in Dan's position can have a role in helping to rebuild trust, particularly if they encounter them unexpectedly, as I did and as A&E staff did that night. I'm grateful to the empathic nurse who noticed his absence, felt it was important that he was helped, and encouraged him to return to A&E.

"Dan" is not his real name.

More information about the Suicide Crisis Centre and the Trauma Centre can be found on their website: http://www.suicidecrisis.co.uk

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Charities which focus specifically on helping veterans with mental health issues include:-

Combat Stress http://www.combatstress.org.uk
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With over 47,000 sexual offences against children recorded in the UK in 2014-5, it is obvious that we need to reduce the amount of child sexual abuse in the UK. However, contrary to the impression received from the media, the re-offending rates for sexual crimes are surprisingly low. According to UK government figures , In 2012-3, the re-offending rate for theft was 40%. For sexual crime in the same year it was 12.1%, and for a serious violent and or serious sexual crime it was 0.4%. What this indicates is that there is something that is as important as stopping re-offending, i.e. the second and third offence. That is, to stop the first offence.

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The Earlier Sex Offenders Are Helped, The Fewer Victims Are Created

Almost forty per cent of the 288 people who have approached StopSO , The Specialist Treatment Organisation for the Prevention of Sexual Offending, for help in the last 3 years, had not come to the attention of social services or the police. These perpetrators are contacting StopSO asking for therapeutic help, voluntarily, early in their offending journey. The earlier they contact StopSO, the fewer victims are created, and the easier it is for the perpetrator to change their behaviour. Eighty-five per cent of these perpetrators referred themselves, and eight per cent were 'non-offending paedophiles,' who recognise that they have a sexual preference for children but are determined not to act on it, or break the law.

As a Client Described It

A non-offending paedophile, Chris was concerned about his sexual thoughts towards children, but was not sure where to go for help. He has given me permission to write about his story. In his late twenties, he had been living with these thoughts for some ten years. Chris had never touched a child sexually, nor looked at illegal images of children, but he was starting to think about them more and more. He wanted help to ensure that he didn't act out, and not knowing where to turn, he went to see his GP. The GP did not know where to get help for Chris, but he Googled 'sex offender help UK,' and found StopSO who would offer therapy.

Chris told me, "I waited until I was desperate to ask the GP. I was suicidal. He helped me access a therapist at StopSO who knew what they were talking about, and offered supportive therapy. It has made all the difference." Chris found the treatment so helpful that he called BBC Radio 4 programme P.M., to talk about his experience. The link to listen to that 17 minute interview is on the StopSO website or click here. Chris said, "It's such a relief. I do not feel at risk of acting out inappropriately any more. I am very aware of my triggers, and my early warning sign. And if the urges ever come back, I will contact StopSO again."

Paedophiles in Germany

In Germany they have an interesting culture. It is illegal for a therapist to break client confidentiality under any circumstances. This enabled Germany to set up Project Prevention Dunkelfeld. There, paedophiles are offered free therapy and complete confidentiality. Dunkelfeld means 'dark fields', and they were especially interested in attracting perpetrators who were unknown to their criminal justice system. Using a TV publicity campaign, initially sponsored by Volkswagen, they let paedophiles know that help was available without fear of prosecution, even for those who were still committing child abuse. At March 2016, 6,412 people seeking help had contacted the project.

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There Is Not Enough Space to Lock Them All Up

Understandably, most British people want to criminalise all sex offenders. Yet we cannot lock everyone up who commits child abuse. The total prison population in the UK, for all crime, is less than 86,000. There simply isn't space for all the sex offenders. Gavin Thomas, President of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, recognises this. He proposes that some paedophiles who download child abuse images, but do not commit offences involving contact, should go down a 'health route' and be sent for treatment rather than to prison.

How Can We Make It Easier For Sex Offenders To Ask For Help To Stop

The Lucy Faithfull foundation, and StopSO both have evidence that people do come forward asking for help to stop sexually inappropriate behaviour. The question we should be asking is, "How can we make it as socially acceptable, and as easy for people in the UK to come forward and ask for therapeutic help as it is in Germany?" And when perpetrators do come forward, how can we ensure that therapy is available to everyone, even those who cannot afford to pay for themselves?

Juliet Grayson is Chair of StopSO: The Specialist Treatment Organisation for the Prevention of Sexual Offending. She is a UKCP registered psychosexual therapist. In 2016 she published Landscapes of the Heart: The working world of a sex and relationship therapist, published by Jessica Kinsley Publishers.

Follow Juliet @HelpingYouBeYou or
South Korea is fast developing a social enterprise economy that could put it ahead of the rest of Asia, if not the world. I am recently back from giving a keynote talk at the Social Enterprise Leaders Forum 2016 in the city of Gwangju, about one hour south of Seoul by train. The Forum was organised by the Korea Social Enterprise Promotion Agency KoSEA, the government organisation set up to promote and support the social economy sector in Korea. Every year, the first week of July is Korea's Social Economy Week with a range of events taking place across the country including the Forum. This year the British Council were involved in partnership to promote case studies from the UK and elsewhere. KoSEA is backed by Article 20 of the Social Enterprise Promotion Act. The Act, that came in to being in 2007 and further enhanced in 2012 sets out an institutional framework for a social economy in a post credit crunch Asia.

KoSEA supports social enterprise in three ways: developing the market, enhancing self-support through competency and network building and awareness raising of the benefits social enterprise provides communities and society more broadly. One of its aims is to support start-ups in a way similar to that of UnLtd founded in 2000 with a 100m grant to champion social enterprise start-ups in the UK.

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As of 2015 there were 1475 social enterprise companies in Korea that include NPOs and cooperatives comprising a wide and diverse sector ranging across education and healthcare to conservation and the arts, with plans to grow this to over 3000 by 2017. The size of this economy is smaller than the UK where in excess of 70,000 social enterprises contribute 4% to UK GDP. But it is hugely impressive given a starting point of near zero at the turn of the millennium. The same goes for the political support leveraged at the sector. South Korea, the World's 15th largest global economy, is the only country in East Asia to have a legal definition of social enterprise. Moreover, in 2011 the Korean Government opened up funding channels and contract bidding exclusive to the social enterprise sector. And individuals are stepping up - Won-Soon Park, Mayor of Seoul has been a key leader and influence in driving the social economy forwards.

Other innovations are also taking place. This year the Seoul Metropolitan Government commissioned the first ever Social Impact Bond (SIB) in Asia. Based on the SIB launched in 2010 by Social Finance in Peterborough, UK, the Bond aims to improve the independence and life chances of vulnerable young people. SIBs are complex financial instruments and the Korean Government has drawn extensively on the UK's experience in this area. The independent evaluator selected to measure the success of the project in terms of outcomes is Sungkyunkwan University. And this brings us to education. The British Council was closely involved in the Forum and has been championing the UK social enterprise sector, including universities across Asia. This provides opportunities for the UK to work in partnership with Korean Universities with common areas of expertise. In the UK the University of Northampton is recognised as the leading player in social impact and this month (July) was awarded Higher Education Institute of the Year at UnLtd's SEE Change Recognition Awards. Other Korean Universities working in this developing space include Pusan, Yonsei, Hanyang and Hoeso.

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USDA Rural Development State Director Bobby Goode on Fridaiy presented a $105,000 grant to Calhoun Charleston Hiwassee Historical Society.

The expansion will greatly enhance community events at the Historical Society and stimulate the economy of the Charleston area, Mr. Goode said. It will also help preserve and educate citizens and visitors about the rich, historical and cultural traditions of the area.

The Historical Society received a $20,000 Rural Business Development Grant and an $85,000 Community Facilities Grant to assist with constructing an expansion to the existing historical museum. This addition will allow the Historical Society to add additional exhibits and educational classroom space for visitors and school groups.

Bradley County is one of 53 counties in Tennessee designated for support under USDAs StrikeForce for Rural Growth and Opportunity initiative. StrikeForce aims to increase investments in rural communities through intensive outreach and strong partnerships with community leaders, businesses, foundations and other groups that are working to combat persistent poverty.

USDA Rural Development is moving investments to rural America with housing, business and infrastructure loans and grants to create jobs and strengthen rural economies with an emphasis to assist areas of persistent poverty. Since 2009, the agency has assisted more than 1.5 million Tennessee families and businesses in 230 communities in all 95 counties of Tennessee, investing more than $6.6 billion through affordable loans, loan guarantees and grants.

For more information on USDA Rural Development programs available in Southeastern Tennessee contact the Chattanooga Area Office at 756-2239 or visit www.rd.usda.gov/TN.








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These days, creative writing courses are offered by so many universities, publishing houses, newspapers or literary agencies, you can't order a cappuccino without tripping over one or open a newspaper without being invited to go for publishing stardom.

So ubiquitous is their presence and acceptance, we're in serious danger of forgetting that literature has been flourishing and blossoming for hundreds of years without any need of them: from Chaucer to Charles Dickens, from Tolstoy to Tagore, from Rumi to Rowling. Across the world, writers have been producing novels, plays and poems of such distinction, intelligence, subtlety and sophistication that we're bewitched by the beauty of their words, engaged by their stories, challenged by their ideas.

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How is it, that in the twenty-first century, a creative writing course has come to be considered de rigueur for any aspiring author? The idea that creativity - nebulous, indefinable, unknown - can be imparted through lectures and seminars? Goodness gracious me! It's enough to make you wonder how William Shakespeare ever penned a word without the advice of a creative writing tutor, Jane Austen write Pride and Prejudice without having a creative writing degree, or Charlotte Bronte produce Jane Eyre without having studied the dialogue between theory and practice?

So what's really creative about creative writing courses? Their hefty fee of course. Forget PPI, it's the miss-selling of creativity I object to.

Creative writing courses garner thousands of pounds. Universities charge around 9000 a year and even one day courses, can raise impressive amounts of money. Danuta Kean noted in an article for Mslexia magazine that a one-day masterclass by the Guardian newspaper, made approximately 38000. It's the new gold rush folks.

The open secret is this: what creative writing courses really create, are jobs. Jobs for academics and professional writers. I don't begrudge anyone a salary, particularly writers, as it can be pretty difficult to follow your muse and pay the bills. However, it's time for some clear-eyed honesty.

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The writer Hanif Kureishi, himself a professor at Kingston University, teaching on their creative writing course, condemned them as 'a waste of time'. In the same Guardian article novelist and former creative writing teacher Lucy Ellman, described creative writing (courses) as "the biggest con-job in academia" and pointed to the poet August Kleinzahler's comment in the Guardian, that "It's terrible to lie to young people. And that's what it's about."

In the interests of full disclosure, I should here state that I set up the Asian Women Writers' Workshop (later known as the Asian Women Writers' Collective) whose work has been archived by SADAA. So why, you may ask, am I being so critical of creative writing courses? Because workshops are an entirely different beast. They're informal, collaborative, no fees are taken and no academic qualifications are offered.

Historically, writers and artists have been the rebels of society, the outsiders, the interrogators. Defiantly putting life and society under the microscope, showing up its false gods and values, deceits and injustices; examining the human heart; good and evil; performing post mortems on history and convention. Let's not forget that D.H. Lawrence's Lady Chatterley's Lover was the subject of an obscenity trial, and Rushdie's Satanic Verses put him under a fatwa.

Throughout the ages, like other artists, writers have been fiercely independent, toiled at their craft, followed their truth, whether it gave them worldly approval or not - whether it earned them a creative writing degree or not. I wonder if Lady Chatterley's Lover would have made it unscathed through a creative writing course, given the examining, commenting, discussing....; I wonder how distorted, diluted and tamed it would have become.

I'm genuinely filled with dismay by the number of writers flocking to creative writing courses, and ask, what's happened to their defiant confidence and independence? That burning intelligence and passion which produces originality, provokes thought, grips our hearts, points to truth and justice?

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Universities and other creative writing organisers point to their alumni, the writers who've been published, to demonstrate the purpose and success of their courses. Begging the question - out of how many thousands? It's probable those very few writers would have been published anyway.

Literature contributes to the universal pool of knowledge, from which we all partake. Stories aren't 'made-up' stuff. They're as tied to the material and imaginative eco-system of our existence, as our minds and bodies. If literature loses its dissension, its unknown, its instinct, its 'attitude', we'll all be the poorer for it. Let's never forget that literature came before creative writing courses, but creative writing courses may well kill it off.
A dispute between VW and two suppliers halted production at several plants in Germany earlier this week and even though the situation has since been resolved, the car maker would be well advised to learn lessons from what has happened.

Still suffering from the fallout of the emissions scandal, which has led to reduced demand for some of its vehicles in some parts of the world, VW now seems increasingly willing to tread roughshod over its suppliers in a bid to cut costs.

The dispute involved a pair of single-source suppliers of commodity components; CarTrim, which supplies car seats and ES Automobilguss, which supplies gearbox parts. Both suppliers severed their relationships with VW after the company made a unilateral decision to cancel one of their contracts, reducing their revenue potential significantly and invalidating recent capital expenditure commitment.

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Bearing in mind these were single-source suppliers, VW's decision to cancel the contracts was a particularly high-risk course of action. While the decision to single source was probably cost-driven, sourcing low-value stock in this way is short sighted and brings unnecessary risk. The car maker's procurement managers should have foreseen that they might react by cutting off supply and causing a break in production. Failing to predict this response is symptomatic of the autocratic mentality still held by some large manufacturers and the belief that they can dictate their own terms of business.

It is also unusual that VW had not chosen to set up dual-supply contracts for what are essentially high-volume components, which are unlikely to contain any significant intellectual property value. Such contracts are commonly used to protect against breaks in supply and when split, say 80/20, they can still be achieved cost-efficiently.

If advanced manufacturers take one lesson from this week's events, it should be the importance of forming strong strategic relationships with key suppliers. Gone are the days when buyers held all the power in their supply relationships, nowadays such relationships require much closer management and power is balanced more evenly. OEMs need to be realistic about the fact that their suppliers will have invested significant sums in R&D activity in order to develop components to meet their technical brief. Sharing their IP-protected technologies with the customer automatically gives them the right to greater say over the terms of their business relationship.

To minimise the risk of supply chain disputes, OEMs should take care to establish their supplier relationships in the right way from the start. They should start by defining their 'strategic' and 'non-strategic' suppliers and selecting the right sourcing strategy for each. In the case of non-strategic suppliers, a dual-sourcing approach is usually preferable and it will be necessary to negotiate terms of business that address the supplier's concerns openly and fully.

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For VW, it must be hoped that this week's costly lessons are learned and the car maker has realised that it can no longer afford not to change its buyer behaviour.
Is it possible that there's a common approach shared by the world's most successful brands? Grow, published by Jim Stengel in 2011, was an ambitious attempt to find out. Stengel, the ex-CMO of Procter & Gamble, discovered that those brands with a brand purpose or ideal - that is, a rationale beyond the mere profit motive - grew faster than their peers. These findings had a significant impact on the marketing community. Sir Martin Sorrell was 'utterly convinced'. However, is having an ideal really the key to success?

The flaws in Stengel's methodology

Let's begin by recapping Stengel's approach. The project started by selecting the brands with the highest scores from Millward Brown's 50,000-strong database. The star performers were termed the Stengel 50. Stengel then searched for a link between the brands. This was found to be a 'Brand Ideal' - a shared intent by everyone in the business to improve people's lives. Next he looked at the chosen brands' stock value growth between 2000 and 2011. Since the Stengel 50 had grown by 393% compared with a -7% loss for the S&P 500 benchmark, he declared that ideals were driving business success. Ideals supposedly didn't just drive growth, they led to stratospheric success.

At first glance, it's a compelling story. But there are issues with this methodology. Let's begin with the stock market success. Stengel uses the growth of the value of holding companies to prove the success of his chosen brands. This isn't an issue when the brand dominates the holding company. It is a problem, though, when a brand accounts for only a small proportion of its parent company's sales, as it does for 11 out of 50 brands.

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Furthermore, Stengel compares the stock market performance of his brands with the S&P 500. However, the majority of brands he tracks are not listed on this stock exchange. They are on a mix of European and Asian exchanges, as well as US ones. This is an issue when the Shanghai Stock Exchange, which Tsingtao is on, nearly doubled across the monitored period.

However, the fundamental flaw is that Stengel deliberately chose Millward Brown's most successful brands. It's not surprising that the most successful brands had performed well financially in previous years. If they hadn't delivered shareholder returns, they wouldn't be in the top 0.1% of brands. It's a circular piece of logic.

The next flaw is with the definition of a brand ideal. It's so malleable that it can be adapted to fit most brands. A few examples demonstrate this. Below are the ideals defined by Stengel for three of his brands:

Moet & Chandon 'exists to transform occasions into celebrations'.

Mercedes-Benz 'exists to epitomise a life of achievement'.

BlackBerry 'exists to connect people with one another and the content that is most important in their lives, anytime, anywhere'.

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Notice a problem? These ideals are just category descriptors. They could apply to any champagne, luxury brand or handset provider. This isn't just a subjective opinion. My colleague, Aidan O'Callaghan, and I asked 1,000 consumers to match one of six brands to each of these ideals. If the ideals are a genuine fit, you'd expect consumers to recognise his brands. Yet only 21%, 10% and 6% of consumers recognised Moet, Mercedes and Blackberry respectively. This is an issue because Stengel began by selecting a group of over-performing brands. By having such a flexible definition it could be made to fit whichever brands made up the best-performing set.

Another significant flaw is that Stengel did not compare the best-performing companies with under-performing ones. To claim that ideals drive growth, it is necessary to show that successful companies are more likely to abide by a brand ideal than poor performers do.

However, dreadfully performing brands could equally be said to be defined by ideals. Nokia, whose shares declined by 96% could be described as existing 'to connect people with one another and the content that is most important in their lives, anytime, anywhere'. Again, this isn't just our opinion. The consumers we surveyed were 52% more likely to think Nokia fitted this ideal than BlackBerry. If brand ideals can be applied to any company, then they're no predictor of success.

The validity of the argument can be checked by examining the performance of the Stengel 50 since Grow's publication. If an ideal were driving their success then we'd expect over-performance to continue for a few years. We looked at the stock price for each relevant brand from January 2011 to December 2014. We then compared the stock price movement to the relevant benchmark. The results were far less impressive than the 400% improvement originally monitored. The over-performance dropped to a far less substantial 27%. Of the 23 brands monitored, only 12 outperformed their benchmark. This data focuses on the brands that weren't part of much larger holding companies, to make sure it's meaningful.

The size of these flaws suggests that perhaps Stengel subconsciously wanted to show that purpose drove success and then retrofitted an argument. His belief in purpose certainly predates the analysis. He talks about Jif, where he instinctively applied this approach, as one of the proudest moments of his career.

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Could someone else prove the importance of brand purpose?

The arguments, so far, show that Stengel has not proved that ideals drive superior profits. But perhaps the hypothesis is true but not yet adequately articulated? There are two reasons why this is unlikely. The first reason is that the consumers are complex. What works in one context might not work in another. Hunting for a single formula for success is a fool's errand. Rosenzweig wrote in The Halo Effect: "Anyone who claims to have found laws of business physics either understands little about business, little about physics or little about both."

The second reason is that success is not wholly down to a company's own actions. Clayton Christensen explored this in The Innovator's Dilemma. Many well-managed companies fail not for internal reasons, but because of a radical disruption from a new entrant to the market. Think mainframe computers disrupted by PCs. Or video rental stores bankrupted by streaming services. The destruction of these companies was not due to a lack of purpose. If performance is impacted by competitors then success can't be guaranteed by sticking to an internal behaviour like a brand ideal.

So why was Grow so popular?

Perhaps its appeal is the straightforward solution it offers time-pressed managers. Simplicity is more appealing than a realistic, but nuanced, explanation. Who wants to hear about improving the probability of success when a pundit is peddling certainties? Or maybe as marketers we bought into the ideal mythology because we wanted it to be true. As Nate Silver warned in The Signal and the Noise, quoting Julius Caesar: "men may construe things after their fashion/clean from the purpose of the things themselves".
Remember when the media got itself in a mild fluster over the news that Selfridges was due to open a "water-only bar"? The news was met by a fair amount of derision, though it was short-lived; the following day, the same news outlets published retractions and corrections to explain that (as one headline had it) "No, Selfridges is NOT opening a fancy bar that will only serve water." Instead, according to Metro, it will sell "water infusions, cocktails, wines and spirits," with filtered water available for free on request.

But, in a city which has recently seen esoteric pop-ups like Bunyadi (a clothing-optional restaurant) and a one-day-only bar where the bartenders were dogs (called, naturally, Beer D'Alsace-tian) and Shoreditch's infamous Cereal Killer Cafe, would a water-only bar really be that ridiculous?

Should we be drinking water like wine?

The stories around the new pop-up came complete with a quote from Martin Riese, one of around a hundred certified water sommeliers. Justifying Selfridges' decision, Riese stated that "Like wine, one can actually taste the region and depth from which the water comes."

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He has also explained that, like the guidelines which determine the valuation of fine wines such as "label condition", the price of water depends on a number of factors that go beyond what's actually contained in the bottle. Age, limited availability, the design of the packaging and even vintage - the most expensive item on one of Riese's curated menus is a Canadian bottle of 15,000 year old glacier water - all play their part in determining how much a water can sell for.

Water bars across the pond

Sadly for London, and all the tastemakers scouting a world-first consumer opportunity in her, a water bar is not an original concept. Like most pop-ups that open up in the capital, the first one emerged in America.

With his status as a water sommelier, Martin Riese was put in charge of "Los Angeles' most extensive water menu" at the upscale Ray's & Stark restaurant in 2013. His selections included a $12 "taster menu", and a bottle of 90H20 - a brand of water, infused with a mineral blend perfected by Riese himself.

Molecule, which opened in New York City in 2012, took a different approach. The cafe sold the city's tap water back to New Yorkers, having filtered it through a custom-made $25,000 filtering system. The cafe also offers vitamin supplements to be mixed into customers' "water cocktails" - for a surprisingly fair $2.50 plus tax - as well as organic energy bars.

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Facing the end of one's life can be a bewildering and frightening prospect. Having easy access to high quality care to mitigate a person's symptoms and ensuring that the person and their loved ones are fully comforted and prepared is an aspiration that everyone at the end of life should be able to obtain.

Unfortunately however, many people will struggle to get the care that they need as they approach the end of their life. According to Marie Curie, between now and 2020, approximately 250,000 people will die in London.

We need to ensure that everyone who needs end of life care can expect to receive a high level of care that is personalised, coordinated, and sensitive to the needs of those around the patient as they enter their final months, weeks and days.

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One issue we know that affects the quality of end of life care is the place of death, and where a patient may choose to die. Currently, 55 per cent of people in London still die in hospital despite the majority of them indicating that they do not wish to be in a hospital when they are approaching the end of their life. Dying in hospital when you would rather be at home can be extremely distressing and can make a good death much harder to deliver for the patients and their loved ones.

Given that the national average for the percentage of people dying in hospital is 49 per cent, London needs to decrease this percentage to help ensure that people have the choice to spend their final days at a location of their choosing where the feel most comfortable and supported.

Looking at the wider picture, generally, the standard of end of life care in London is inconsistent. While London has the second highest rated Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) in England, Islington, it also has one of the worst performing CCGs for end of life care in England, Newham. Furthermore, only eight CCGs in London scored above the national average for end of life quality indicators.

The variation in quality of end life care delivered in London is unsurprising however, given that only a third of Health and Wellbeing Boards in London specifically address end of life care in their Health and Wellbeing strategies.

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For the greatest city on earth, this is not good enough.

Across London, health inequalities related to end of life care persist. According to Marie Curie, people with a terminal condition other than cancer, elderly people over the age of 85 and single people are more likely to miss out on palliative care.

We also know that quality of care deviates on racial and ethnic lines. For example, people from Black, Asian and minority ethnic communities report a poorer standard of end of life care.

Another persisting problem is that too often, the crucial conversation between doctors and patients informing them that they may be entering the final stages of their life are not happening.

This creates a problematic situation where the patient or their family is not aware that they are entering the final stages of their life. This means that they may have to make necessary arrangements for after they are gone in a rushed manner which could inhibit the comfort of their final days.

There are a number of practical steps that could be taken to improve patient outcomes across London:

CCGs across London should be compelled to ensure that end of life care is specifically addressed in their health and wellbeing strategies. This would be more meaningful than a mere box-ticking exercise. Each reference to end of life care should contain a clear and detailed explanation to specify how the CCG plans to improve access to and quality of care for all of its patients.

CCGs across the capital should not operate in silos. A system should be put in place to ensure that CCGs share best-practice, identifying which components of their procedure works, and which could improve.

There should be a level of accountability placed on CCGs regarding how they deliver end of life care to ensure that it meets NICE's minimum standard.

Regarding what the Mayor of London could do, unfortunately he is limited in his capacity to intervene directly given that his responsibility for health does not involve the provision of NHS.

However, the Mayor should use his position and influence to champion any initiative which highlights the importance of end of life care. In addition, the Mayor should encourage CCGs across London to improve their performance regarding end of life care.

I have seen little evidence to suggest that the Mayor takes the provision of end of life care seriously thus far. It is time for the Mayor to put this issue on the agenda.

As part of his statutory obligation to reduce health inequalities across London, the Mayor should be willing to lead a public health campaign to ensure that Londoners are aware of the care and support that is available to them, should they have a terminal illness.

By its very nature, dealing with end of life is a topic that many feel reticent to confront. However, the consequence of not tackling this issue is that today, many people are still dying in fear, pain and discomfort.

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With an ageing and increasing population, the way in which we deliver a consistently high standard of end of life care is going to be an increasingly important issue. It is up to us to implement the appropriate measures today, to ensure that we are not facing a crisis tomorrow.
It is often said that women become angry when men do not listen. Most of us who have first-hand experience of being women would acknowledge the truth of that statement: we do become angry with people who choose to patronize rather than listen to us - because we are women.

Still more annoying to women is the awareness that society - still - frowns on women's anger. Despite all that is said about equality, society continues to have an issue with strong women - let alone women who are robustly voicing their opinion and their dissent from the status quo.

Anger is seen as shrill, distasteful, or hysterical. It is deemed to undermine our femininity.

What does it mean to be "a bloody difficult woman"?

When Tory Grandee and former Cabinet Minister Ken Clarke referred to Teresa May, as a "bloody difficult woman" just before she was elected Prime Minister of the UK, he was not trying to be offensive. Rather, Mr. Clarke could be the poster boy for the acceptable, patrician face of sexism. He may well give offence - as he did with his controversial comments about date rape in 2011. However, he does not seek to give offence. He simply states his beliefs, in his fundamentally good-natured way, without thought as to how they might be received by people less secure in their social primacy than he is.

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For men like Mr. Clarke, Teresa May is a "bloody difficult woman" because she has her own beliefs, opinions, and values, and she is prepared to uphold them, even at the cost of encountering hostility and conflict. Sexism starts from the premise that women are naturally less entitled than men to voice their beliefs, values, and opinions - especially in mixed company.

A woman who responds to opposition or difficulties, by becoming upset and dissolving in tears is seen as pathetic and child-like. (Tears are not all bad - from a sexist man's point of view - because they point to a woman's emotional inferiority.) On the other hand, a woman who becomes angry is an angry bitch and a ball-biter. Anger and tears may also be explained away - by men - as menstrual issues.

Masculine rationality is widely seen, by the masculine world, as preferable to feminine emotionality. Anger is - allegedly - indicative of a woman's misguided attempt to demand equal rights, equal respect, and equal airtime.

Your right to be loved

The bottom line is that we are culturally trained to think that anger makes us less lovable.

Parents, lovers and the media teach women that in order to be lovable they have to complete a complex and demanding obstacle course. Women have to be consistently well dressed, well groomed, well-mannered, and nice. They have to work their socks off to get as near perfection as they possibly can in every area of their lives before they can rightly lay claim to lovability.

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Anger as a tool

Marianne Williamson said; "It is the attack, not the anger itself, that is destructive." Her words encapsulate the problem a lot of women, and men, have with women's anger in particular. Anger is actually a useful tool, just as a knife is a useful tool, provided we use it in a safe and productive way.

Most commonly, we experience anger when we feel that an injustice of some kind has occurred. That injustice could be societal, or personal. We experience anger when we experience disrespect of something we hold dear, or else a violation of boundaries. Anger is the warning light that tells us something needs to change. What needs to change may be a situation, a relationship we have with another person, or even the way we respond in a given situation.

Anger is always an indication that we need to review the situation, and work out the true dynamic between ourselves and the object, or trigger, of our anger. Once we have done that, we can then work out how to respond productively.

Avoid anger attacks

In interpersonal relationships, attack is never the most productive response to a situation - unless you are a bully who believes in oppressing other people. Anger is an emotion that urges you to ask yourself, "Who, or what needs to change here?" Aggression and attack are substitutes for thinking the problem through, and looking for a fair solution.

Anger gets a bad rap because it is associated with contempt, violence, and intimidation. In reality, contempt, violence, and intimidation belong to the realm of attack. Too often people use anger to justify attack. They say - in one form of words or another - "Because you have annoyed me, I don't have to be responsible for my bad behaviour. What has angered me gives me the right to behave as badly as I please". Since we do not tolerate that kind of rationale in small children, why on earth should we tolerate it in adults?

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We need to change our relationship with anger

The time has come when we all - and women, especially - need to radically rethink anger. Anger is an emotion that carries a tremendous charge of energy. If we choose to separate out attack from anger, we can harness the energy of anger constructively.

It is not good enough to fight shy of anger. People, who do not acknowledge their anger, turn that anger inward. As the - stereotypically - softer and sweeter sex, women are more often guilty of this than men. People who turn anger inward are people who confuse anger with attack and are terrified of the damage that their anger could do to others. So, they turn that anger on themselves instead. Anger turned in can manifest in many ways, including the corrosive internal dialogue of so many women that goes:

"I really don't look good: this part of my body is too big/too small/too unattractive; I'm not good enough/as good as person X, Y, or Z; I'm stupid, and unlovable".

We live in a society that is increasingly obsessed with healthy living and healthy eating. We are advised, in the interests of our health, to cut down on salt, sugar, alcohol, nicotine, and any number of other substances that can damage our bodies. Yet we stifle our anger. We keep it bubbling away inside us. Sooner or later, we inevitably attack. Another symptom of our unhealthy relationship with anger is that we tolerate attacks from others, in the vain hope that doing so will make us more lovable.

Anger teaches you your values and what you stand for

Anger is that voice inside ourselves that urges us to find a better way than merely to settle for the tolerance of injustice. Anger is the voice that we need to notice. That may well require us to review the "models" of anger management (and mismanagement) that we have experienced, especially as children.

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An honest review of our "models" - and notions - of anger management may require us to think more deeply than we habitually do about ourselves, and what really matters to us.

When we dissociate anger from attack, we become more able to connect - safely - with our darker emotions. This is vital not just because anger is a rich source of energy that we can channel into motivation. When we suppress our anger, we become fearful of our feelings, particularly our spontaneous feelings. We end up denying our spontaneous feelings in our desire to keep our darker side well hidden.

Numbing our emotions is, ironically, a strategy that consumes a lot of emotional energy. Inevitably it erodes the connection that human beings most desire, and it reduces our quality of life, turning the whole world monochrome.

The time has come for women to make friends with their anger, and to defeat sexism. Women who respond to the assaults of sexism with the passion of anger - but without attack - raise the level of debate for both sexes. This is the 21st century. The time has come for women to voice their anger, and for everyone to listen.

*****

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Austerity is the central public health issue of our time. For many of us working in the NHS, Corbyn's policies are just common sense.

Like all doctors, I hold myself accountable to a strong set of ethical guidelines. We treat everyone according to their clinical need, regardless of their background, beliefs or political persuasion. For some in the medical profession, that impartiality means that they can sometimes feel uncomfortable speaking out about politics. But for me, speaking out about what is happening to the NHS has become an ethical duty. My advocacy for my patients and for my medical colleagues impels me to do so.

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I have worked in the NHS for the last 8 years. In the course of those eight years I have seen at first-hand how the NHS has been squeezed by austerity and privatisation. As a direct result of government cuts, the majority of NHS Foundation Trusts are in a perilous financial state. This is exacerbated in many cases by the financial millstone of PFI repayment - effectively a method of funneling public money into private pockets.

Acute medical wards, A&Es and GP practices all around the country are in crisis. There is a critical shortage of psychiatric beds, ambulances are delayed at an increasing frequency and NHS staffing levels are worryingly low. Our ability to discharge patients safely from the hospital back into the community is hampered by the inadequate social care available to our elderly and disabled patients. The Health and Social Care Act, passed in 2012, has accelerated the privatization and fragmentation of the NHS and removed the legal responsibility of Government to provide a comprehensive service to the people of England.

For staff, it is not just our ability to care for patients that is being compromised - it's our working conditions. Across the NHS, staff are demoralized and exhausted. The new contracts which Jeremy Hunt is attempting to impose on Junior Doctors are not about creating a seven day service - a task which civil servants believe is impossible without a massive increase in resources. It is about making exhaustion, inhuman working hours, and falling wages the new normal.

Austerity is the central public health issue of our time. It is a policy which is systematically tearing apart the safety net on which many of the most vulnerable in our society rely on. The policies being inflicted on the NHS - not just the work of one government, but the culmination of a political consensus over decades - are killing people. They are nothing less than a form of structural violence.

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But this consensus is gradually being demolished. Over the past decade, a mass movement against austerity has grown and mobilised. Initially, it lacked the ability to translate strikes and marches into political clout, but last year it broke into the mainstream. Wherever you stand on the political spectrum there is no denying the fact that Jeremy Corbyn and the new leadership of the Labour Party have successfully challenged the idea of austerity. No longer can it be presented as an economic necessity - it is a political choice.

Without defeating austerity, and the mixture of ideology, corruption and spinelessness that allowed PFI to happen, we cannot save the NHS. It is for that reason that Jeremy Corbyn is the only leader who I trust as a doctor to not only defend the NHS but to make it the envy of the world. He, and John McDonnell, have stood with Junior Doctors on picket lines and braved the wrath of the press to speak at our rallies. They know what is at stake here.

Now, Jeremy Corbyn has backed up this sentiment with a raft of policies that will take the NHS back into public ownership. Echoing the demands of staff and campaigners, Corbyn and his team have backed the NHS Reinstatement Bill (a private members Bill which would reverse the Health and Social Care Act). They have pledged to end the privatisation of the health service and end PFI. And they will open up training to a new generation of NHS staff - by reinstating student nursing bursaries and abolishing tuition fees with a new National Education Service.

These policies won't just bring the NHS closer to its founding commitments, of being publicly funded, publicly provided, universal and free at the point of use. They will direct money right back into patient care. Without spending billions on PFI debt or wasteful deals with the private sector, NHS Trusts can spend it on beds and staff. Attracting more staff to the profession, with decent pay and working conditions, will enable the NHS to spend less on expensive agency staffing arrangements. And investing in a truly fair and well-resourced social care system - funding it properly and making it an integrated service - will enable hospitals to discharge patients quicker, freeing up beds and saving resources.

Jeremy Corbyn's policies are not "idealistic". They are deeply pragmatic and necessary. In medicine, we are trained to look at evidence. These are basic measures to secure the future of the NHS - and they are backed up by pretty much every piece of academic health research as well as the policies of all NHS trade unions, patient groups and campaigning groups.

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Rights Groups Doubt that Systemic Discrimination against Rohingya Will Be Resolved

As manifested in the United States, race and religion are extremely delicate topics for politicians to explore. And eradicating widespread endemic prejudices against certain racial and religious groups is a notoriously explosive proposition. However, that is exactly what is required in Burma, where a slow-burning genocide against the Rohingya people is becoming an urgent priority for the international community. On Aug. 23 2016 Burma's Nobel Peace Laureate and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi announced the establishment of a 9-member Advisory Commission on Rakhine State, where the Rohingya primarily live, as "a national initiative to resolve protracted issues in the region". This sounds, at first blush, like a promising step -- considering that the peaceful Rohingya were not invited to the Norway peace conference with other ethnic organizations (EAOs).

Burma Task Force welcomes Ms. Suu Kyi's belated response to the persecution of Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State and the conditions of poverty and oppression that instigated it. But we are extremely troubled by signs that this Commission has already been compromised by inclusion of staunch defenders of the previous military regime as well as deniers of mass atrocity crimes. The inclusion of former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan cannot restore the balance to this advisory commission -- especially since Secretary Annan himself has expressed regret at not doing a better job to handle the Rwandan genocide of 1994. We can pray that he will apply the lessons he learned from Rwanda throughout his work on this Commission, but I fear his voice may be drowned out by the extremist Buddhist nationalists who have expressed quite hostile views of the Rohingya. Most importantly, no Rohingya representatives have been included! I am profoundly dismayed by Ms Suu Kyi's failure to appoint a single Rohingya leader to a commission tasked to discuss their fate. What could be more damning?

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While the presence of two Christians on the Commission will hopefully add a breath of fresh interfaith air, two Rakhine members -- namely U Win Mra (Chair of the National Human Rights Commission) and Saw Khin Tint (Chairperson, Rakhine Literature and Culture Association and Vice-Chairperson of the Rakhine Women's Association) have engaged in denial of mass atrocity crimes committed by the extremist Buddhist nationalists. It's easy to doubt the comment one of the newly appointed Commission members, Aye Lwin, made to the Democratic Voice of Burma: "This is very impartial third-party intervention."

An ethnic Rakhine, Win Mra is the chair of the Myanmar Human Rights Commission (MHRC), an organization whose name could not be more misleading. The MHRC officially refuses to accept or utter the name of the Rohingya in blatant disregard for the international norm that any group has the right to self-identify. In fact, established by the previous President and ex-General Thein Sein on whose watch two separate waves of violent pogroms against the Rohingya and other Muslim communities took place, MHRC has been in the fore-front of denying the existence, identity, and history of the Rohingya people.

Mrs Saw Khin Tint is an even more unconscionable choice. A nationally-known Rakhine leader who is on the record condoning the slaughter of all Rohingya as early as December '12, within 2 months of the second wave of organized and state-sanctioned killing and community destruction of the Rohingya people, she gave a speech in which she remarked:

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"Seeing their [non-Rohingya natives of Myanmar] great anger and compassion, and hear them say, 'We just want to go and kill all of those Bengali people with our own hands!' we've now got the advantage of gaining the support of all the national races all over Myanmar on the incidents that we've sacrificed so far." (The bi-lingual English-Burmese transcript of the speech delivered by Saw Khin Tint at the gathering of the Rakhines in Yangon on 22 December 2012.)

"Bengali" is the inflammatory and insulting term extremist Buddhist nationalists use to imply that Rohingya do not belong to Burma, but rather are illegal interlopers from Bangladesh. This false narrative is the prime excuse the genocidaires have been using to facilitate the Rohingya's extermination.

International experts have unequivocally agreed with Burma Task Force's strong designation of the Rohingya persecution as 'genocide' -- including Professor Amartya Sen, Suu Kyi's teacher at Delhi University and a close friend of her late husband Michael Aris. Professor Gregory Stanton, President of the Genocide Watch and past President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, is in accord with this assessment. So are two widely publicized studies by Queen Mary University of London and Yale University Human Rights Law Clinic. It appears that, in the choice of her Commission members, Suu Kyi is far more interested in pleasing the ubiquitous monks than in heeding the warnings of trustworthy international scholars. Peace will not come to Rakhine State, let alone development, if pandering is a higher priority than good policy.

Despite 4 consecutive years of deafening silence, evasion, and dismissal of the concern as "exaggeration", Suu Kyi should not be able to ignore the mounting criticisms from across the worldwide political spectrum -- voices including Pope Francis, the Dalai Lama, George Soros, and Nobel Laureate Shirin Ebadi--alarmed that 150,000 Rohingya Muslims live in concentration camps and other "conditions calculated to bring about their destruction". Nor, fortunately, can she prevent the international community, particularly the United States government, from respecting the group right of the Rohingya to self-identify. In brave opposition to the powerful monks' hate groups, United States Ambassador to Burma Scot Marciel has held to the international norm of self identification & insisted that the Rohingya do exist. Around the globe, World Rohingya Day rallies were held last Friday, 19 August, to demonstrate the Rohingya's positive existence and clear desert for equal rights in their home country.

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China, Pakistan, Afghanistan and India (Photo: oneindia.com)

Afghanistan, also known as the crossroads of civilization dating back centuries, has found itself on a different crossroad in the past few decades. This time around, however, it has been very deadly and destructive for Afghanistan and its inhabitants. Afghanistan's geographical situation in south central Asia as a land locked country is partially responsible for its woes. It can be viewed as a corridor connecting south Asia to central Asia and west Asia to east Asia.

As China to the east and India to the south have emerged as major world powers, their presence and competition for resources greatly affect the region as well. Afghanistan has enormous untapped mineral riches making it attractive to both India and China. Both countries need raw materials for their continued growth and domination.

Nuclear-armed Pakistan, which has fought wars with an economically and militarily stronger India, sees its interests in jeopardy due to increasing Indian influence in Afghanistan. Therefore, Pakistan continues to provide safe havens for and support the Taliban. Their aim is to keep Afghanistan destabilized and thus limit Indian influence. Pakistan also wants to control Afghanistan's future with a friendly government, again, to counter India.

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The animosity between Pakistan and India has created an atmosphere of complete distrust adversely affecting Afghanistan. Any move by either country is deemed suspicious by the other, requiring a response to counter it. This tit for tat policy seems to be spiraling out of control with no end in sight in the near future.

Until the late 1970s, Afghanistan managed to stay out of the regional conflicts by adopting a non-aligned foreign policy. Since Afghanistan was a viable nation state capable of defending itself, Pakistan was not able to destabilize Afghanistan indirectly or directly by proxy. But the Soviet invasion and the subsequent civil war did away with the legitimate government of Afghanistan. It furthermore destroyed the foundation it was built on, paving the way for chaos. Pakistan took advantage of this situation to prop up the Taliban in the 1990s as a proxy to control Afghanistan.

Internal Afghan politics is a major complicating factor also. Weak, dysfunctional and warlord-dominated Afghan governments that the U.S. has supported since 2002 have caused disaffection among some Afghans, which the Taliban and Pakistan exploit. Both Karzai's regime and the current National Unity Government (NUG) are controlled by the warlords. These warlords were responsible for the Afghan civil war in the early 1990s following the Soviet defeat.

NUG, headed by Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, who was forced into a power-sharing arrangement with Abdullah Abdullah as the Chief Executive Officer, was established in September 2014. Its mandate is about to come to an end and there are uncertainties about its future. Ghani and Abdullah never saw eye to eye. The situation between the two men has become so acrimonious that Abdullah recently called Ghani unfit for the president's office. This is not surprising given how precariously NUG came into existence.

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Afghan Pres. Ghani and CEO Abdullah Avoiding Eye Contact (Photo: khaama.com) Mr. Ghani is an ethnic Pashtun, the largest ethnic group in Afghanistan. He had to ally himself with Rasheed Dostom, a notorious Uzbek warlord from the north, to compensate for a shortfall of Pashtun votes. If Afghanistan is divided along ethnic and tribal fault lines and if the Pashtuns are the largest group, why did Ashraf Ghani need Dostom's support? The reason is that many Pashtuns believe that they have been marginalized and that the international community's intervention in Afghanistan conspired with the Northern Alliance against them. The Taliban are mostly Pashtuns. The Northern Alliance is mostly Tajik, but at times is in an uneasy coalition with Uzbeks and Hazaras as well. As a result, a good number of Pashtuns do not participate in the electoral process, which is also grossly flawed. The presidential election of 2014 was mired by accusations of fraud, with both Ghani and Abdullah pointing fingers at each other. Abdullah went so far as to threaten the stability of the government. To prevent a potentially serious situation the US Secretary of State John Kerry repeatedly intervened to bring the warring parties together. The result was the formation of the so called National Unity Government which recognized Mr. Ghani as the president and appointed Mr. Abdullah as the chief executive, a position which does not exist in the country's constitution.

John Kerry with Ghani and Abdullah Celebrating NUG Formation (Photo:alternotizie.org)
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks at a campaign rally in Manchester, New Hampshire, U.S., August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

The political universe is abuzz with news that Donald Trump supposedly flip-flopped on immigration. Trump used to say that undocumented immigrants "have to go." He talked of a deportation force and lauded President Eisenhower's deportation plan called "Operation Wetback." Now, in an interview with Sean Hannity, Trump appears to support a softer policy allowing some of them to stay. This is both a smaller and a bigger change than it appears to be.

First, this is not the major flip-flop many are describing. Trump has spoken before about a "touchback" policy whereby some undocumented immigrants will be allowed back in after they leave. He even picked Governor Mick Pencewho was an early supporter of touchback legalization.

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Second, the "deportation force" idea was always popular with Trump's supporters but less so than "build the wall" - which is now a running chant at his rallies. He hasn't repudiated his support for this wasteful, extravagant, and largely symbolic give away to the immigration enforcement industrial complex. Trump is currently running a campaign ad in four swing states that doubles down on border security.

Third, Trump's actual immigration plan, described by Ann Coulter as the "greatest political document since the Magna Carta," never called for the deportation of all undocumented immigrants. It supports cutting legal immigration and increasing deportations by tripling the size of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, ending sanctuary city policies, targeting criminals, and other policies but never mentions a total removal.

The evidence of Trump's flip-flop is slim so far and, like many of his other statements, difficult to believe. But if he continues to alter his position to the point where he supports legalizing undocumented immigrants then this would actually mark a small change.

If Trump's new seeming support for a partial legalization is an actual change of position then, ironically, he's followed the advice of some of his loudest critics - the editors at National Review. Just this week they wrote that Trump should stop talking about deporting all undocumented immigrants and instead focus on immigration enforcement, slashing legal immigration, and then eventually offering some kind of amnesty for those left - a plan credited to Mark Krikorian of the nativist Center for Immigration Studies. That is exactly what Trump's position appears to be.

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If Trump's flip is real, it's because his anti-immigration position was hurting him in the nationwide polls. His campaign was built on an anti-immigration appeal and it probably won him the primaries. In the general election, he's behind in every swing state and in the nationwide polls. Americans are much more supportive of legal immigration than just a few years ago and they generally support legalization, even Republicans. His signature issue, among other things, is driving him down.

The anti-immigration establishment praised Trump's rise in the GOP primary as evidence that their position was popular, but now they are terrified that Trump will drag their cause down with him. His impending electoral debacle would once and for all show that Know-Nothingism is not a viable strategy to national electoral success. Furthermore, Trump's ugly tone and position on immigration have gutted the intellectual respectability of restrictionism.

Overreacting to the supposed flip-flop, Mark Krikorian gleefully wrote a piece titled "If Trump Loses Now, It's Not Because He Was Too Tough on Immigration," in response to Trump adopting Krikorian's and National Review's position on immigration. Trump is continuing to call for a surge of enforcement and slashed legal immigration through his published immigration plan, campaign ads, and public statements. The remaining differences between Trump's plan and the Krikorian-National Review plan lack any meaningful distinctions.

Trump has apparently gone from embracing the fringes of the nativist movement as expressed in Breitbart to accepting the position of the anti-immigration establishment represented by Krikorian-National Review. The irony here is that Trump dumps Breitbart's position on deportations and adopts the editorial position of the critical National Review so soon after hiring the obsequious Breitbart head Steve Bannon as his campaign chief.

Trump might have altered his position on deportations but if he did he's just adopted the immigration plan of the anti-immigration establishment. That's hardly a shift to a pro-immigration position. Regardless of the spin, Trump is still the anti-immigration dream candidate.
The McCallie School is proud to host Civil Rights pioneer Andrew Young  former congressman, Atlanta Mayor and U.S. Ambassador to United Nations  to speak to the Upper School student body on Tuesday, Aug. 30, to speak to the Upper School student body and later spend time speaking with students in smaller settings.



Ambassador Youngs visit has been made possible by the Mandela Fund, an endowment

founded by alumnus Bob Eager 63 to advance students understanding of what it means to be

an agent of hope, reconciliation and social justice in a community, the nation or the world.

Ambassador Young is a graduate of Howard University and Hartford Theological Seminary, and

he was active in the early years of the Civil Rights movement organizing voterregistration drives

and working closely with Dr.

Martin Luther King Jr. at the Southern Christian LeadershipConference. Ambassador Young was a key strategist and negotiator during civil rightscampaigns that led to the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of1965.In 1972, Ambassador Young became the first African American U.S. Representative elected fromfrom the Deep South since Reconstruction, and in 1977 President Jimmy Carter appointedAmbassador Young served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations. As UN Ambassador,Young negotiated an end to whiteminority rule in Namibia and Zimbabwe and broughtPresident Carters emphasis on human rights to international diplomacy efforts.In 1981, Ambassador Young was elected Mayor of Atlanta, where he served for two terms. Hewas instrumental in bringing the 1996 Olympic Games to Atlanta, and since 2003, he and hiswife, Carolyn McClain Young, have operated the Andrew J. Young Foundation to support andpromote education, health, leadership and human rights in the U.S., Africa, and the Caribbean.Ambassador Young will speak to McCallies Upper School at 10:20 a.m. in the McCallie Chapelbefore visiting several classes and meeting with students. The media is invited to the Chapel forAmbassador Youngs remarks, and a brief media availability will be held afterward withAmbassador Young as well as McCallie students and faculty.and later spend time speaking with students in smaller settings.
About Through Their Voices serial stories:

Moaddamiyeh has been an early hotspot for anti-Assad demonstrations and the following government oppression. The town has endured the siege of the Assad regime since the end of 2012, and it is one of towns hit by chemical weapons in August 2013. Despite all the violence these activists believe in the principle of peaceful. And after five years of Syrian revolution their stories and experiences must be heard, their words reflect their struggles and hopes. Ten stories will be told through their voices.

Children playing in a refugee camp for Syrians in Bekaa Valley. Lebanon 2015. Photo: Grace Kassab

"I'm so confused. All the memories, it's really hard to restore them. Let's see...I was studying Arabic literature at Damascus University. I had lived in Moaddamiyeh for the whole of my life. My house was located on the main road at the entrance of the city. That place where I used to smile, when I'm in the mini-bus coming back home from the university because I'm almost home. But later in 2011, it was a place used to the regime's forces to gather and plan to their raids to arrest the anti-regime demonstrators."

Basma was still a university student at the beginning of 2011. In May of that year, she had to stop going to her classes. But, thanks to the location of her family's house, she had a front-row seat, as the protests unfolded.

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"I wasn't participating in the first demonstrations against Assad's dictatorship. I wasn't prepared, and maybe I didn't have the courage to! But later, I was able to watch from my own window how the regime's forces were dealing with demonstrators. How they were grabbing them by their clothing, and dragging them all over the street. They were hitting them in the worst ways that anybody can imagine. The young men and teenagers were lying on the ground and the officer was stepping on their heads saying, "Do you still want freedom? Here I'm giving you some freedom." If you were there and didn't think about standing with the revolution, I'm sure you have something wrong with you-or you are agreeing on what they were doing!"

As people's anger grew, more and more people joined the demonstrations against Assad's dictatorship. At the same time, the regime grew increasingly brutal, as it attempted to stop the uprisings in Moaddamiyeh and other suburbs of Damascus.

"Once we had a curfew for more than a week and we had Assad's forces all over the streets. They were doing raids all over the town and entering the houses one by one. Our kitchen view was all made of glass and we weren't able to enter the kitchen and get any food out of the fridge during the curfew. It was awful! You just don't even have access to your own food in your own kitchen. Can you imagine that! I tried to enter the kitchen and a soldier shouted at me 'go back or I'll shoot you in the head, bitch!' "

Later, Basama took advantage of her house's location to alert activists and demonstrators of the approach of the regime's forces. That way, they could flee the demonstration area.Basma's brother was asked to join the military in the beginning of 2012. Rather than do so, he fled Syria for Lebanon. Basma's parents and younger siblings visited him in Lebanon two months later. Basma, however, stayed home alone in order to support her peers.

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In 2012, two massacres took place in Moaddamiyeh. Basma witnessed one of these massacres. After that, she fled, leaving behind scenes of blood and bodies in the streets. She joined her family in Lebanon, where she began to suffer from depression and trauma.

"I was in one of the Bekaa Valley towns and I was only 57 KM away from the middle of Damascus. It was hard to be that close to your home but you can't go! I had nothing to do but coping with my new situation. The situation around me was horrible, hundreds of Syrian families who had fled Syria with nothing but their tired souls. I needed to appreciate what at least I had. At least, I wasn't in a tent and my brother was working and we were able to afford a house to rent. The other refugees who were staying in camps were in a bad situation and I needed to do something about that. So I volunteered at one of the charities that was supporting the Syrian refugees in Lebanon."

Basma's work included providing infants in the Bekaa Valley camps with formulas, diapers and blankets. Eventually, however, the workload grew to be too much for her, and she was receiving more and more requests to support new families--including new arrivals, who often needed a place to stay.

"One day, my grandparents came to visit us for few days and I worked all day long on blankets' distribution in the camps, but when I came back home, I couldn't find myself a blanket. The next day, I was telling a friend mine who was another volunteer the story and laughing, so he went and got us couple of blankets. I was really upset, but he insisted, so I took one, and gave the others to the other Syrians in the camp."

After months of volunteer work, Basma needed to get a job in order to help her family. She was hired at one of the relief's NGOs in the Bekaa Valley. The working conditions, however, were bad. One day, the NGO informed her that they had replaced her. Basma felt this was unfair. But she had no means of filing a complaint. She found another job. It was not any better than the first one, but it gave her a chance to spend time with families in the camp.

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"Working closely with the families was precious. I didn't want to sit in an office and be away from the reality. At the same time, I got a scholarship to study the Maria Montessori Education. I was really happy to study that, because I love working with children. That was also something we really needed in the camps, where children are missing a lot. Then I started to teach the kids through what I was learning, I didn't have any tools to support my work. In that camp we had a caravan which was burnt and nobody was using it so I tried to clean it up a little bit and gathered the children there every day. I insisted on doing something for those children. For example I was teaching the children how to count using crushed stones."

There is no playground for the children so they have to improvise. Lebanon 2015. Photo: Grace Kassab

Basma tried to get funding for the project she wanted to implement for the children in the camp implementing the Maria Montessori education system, but she wasn't able to get any positive results. She felt her depression returning.But she completed her work despite the lack of support.

"One day, we got a new donor who wanted to support families monthly. I was very happy, but that didn't last long. The donor requested pictures of the families who are going to receive the monthly support. The pictures sounded to be really humiliating. The donor asked for a picture for the family sitting down, another one in which they are standing up, a third one where they are eating, a fourth one where they are out and a long list of positions and poses for the family. I was really angry and humiliated, but I told the family what the donor asked for. They were really upset, and I stood with them. I told the donor that what he asked for is not acceptable! So, he simply gave the monthly support for another family, who were forced to accept the situation in order to prevent their kids from being starved!"

Basma felt she couldn't handle any more. She decided to go back alone to Syria, leaving her family in Lebanon. Basma returned to Moaddamiyeh, where she is living now under siege. All city crossings have been closed since the beginning of 2016. Still, she does not regret her decision.

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"I came back because I feel that I belong to here! Only people who felt the humiliation and bad circumstances that refugees are going through really appreciate the dignity that you have in such a dangerous and besieged area. I will never regret my decision! It was hard at the beginning, when I came back, to cope with the siege circumstances, but now I'm really stronger. I'm working to start my project using the Maria Montessori education system with the traumatized kids who live here, under the siege. I have something to give, and I came back to give it to these children."
Straight answers on what a real barre class is and is not.

You've heard your friends raving about it. You've seen it all over Instagram. Your incredibly fit co-worker swears by it: the barre workout. People won't stop talking about barre class, and every time it comes up, there seems to be a new studio opening.

So you put on your stretchy pants, you pony up $25 for an hour of tiny pulsing movements and you wonder: Is this for real? How can I tell?

The Mystery Unraveled

The truth is, barre workouts have recently gone mainstream after decades as a niche offering with an almost cult-like following for its ability to deliver transformational results.

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The complex thing about today's world of barre is that at this time, there is no governing body, no single authority that certifies whether certain studios and classes are up to par at the barre, or not.

The industry hasn't caught up with this explosion in popularity. This means no one is moderating or monitoring the dozens of studios that have popped up calling themselves "barre."

No one is double-checking the instructors who are charging top dollar for classes that don't live up to the name. Many a studio has hung mirrors and ballet barres along one wall, mixed some yoga moves with a few deep plies and raised their prices without proper training. That's just not right.

I want to advocate for the real deal. And by "real" I mean authentic barre studios that are practicing in the tradition of the Lotte Berk method -- where barre was born with thought, rigor and a thorough background in movement to inform the practice. By "real" I mean studios that devote time to ensure their instructors are thoroughly trained, knowledgeable and capable of delivering excellence in authentic barre to a wide range of clients. This level of training takes time and certainly can't be taught in just a weekend.

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The Real Deal

I can speak about the barre workout because of my years of experience and rigorous training. I discovered barre many years before it was on everyone's radar and I transformed my passion into an in-depth study, and a fulfilling career. I've taught literally thousands of barre classes and led in-depth 275-hour barre teacher training sessions under the mentorship of Elisabeth Halfpapp and Fred DeVito, the creators of Core Fusion at Exhale, who managed the Lotte Berk method in NYC for decades. Barre aficionados worldwide consider this pair to be the world's foremost living barre experts. Their book, Barre Fitness, dives into more details.

After working under them as a manager, teacher and teacher trainer for several years, I went on to open my own yoga and barre studios and cultivate a very intentional, honed approach to barre, called Barre & Soul. It emphasizes mindfulness and soul -- acknowledging that you are so much more than a body.

Professional German ballerina, Lotte Berk, first created the method we now refer to simply as "barre" and taught a devoted following in London in the '60s and '70s. Berk said barre should be a "a melange of strength-training, dance, orthopedic back exercises, and Hatha yoga all rolled into an intense, hour-long mind-body workout to driving rhythms followed by an inspirational cool down."

She was meticulous about form, function, method, pacing, position, isometric technique and other elements of the method she crafted, refined and taught to her clients. I was trained in the tradition Lotte Berk created, and as a result -- I know well the power of barre and what it can achieve. I know what it is and I know what it's not, and I think it's important for others to be able to tell the difference, too.

So, why does it matter?

These classes are expensive; you deserve to get your money's worth!

Instructors who aren't properly trained might spend several minutes directing students into position. If you're working through 10 positions and transitions between positions take a minute and a half each time, that's almost 15 minutes of your workout that's wasted! A properly trained instructor can move students into the correct position quickly, so they can spend more time actually working muscles, refining their form and getting stronger.

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A real Barre instructor will create safe + effective workouts

True barre instructors understand how to lead workouts that are safe; they can spot a student who is overextending herself or about to injure herself. They can suggest and lead modifications. They understand how to structure a workout in the best, most time-efficient way -- which muscles should be worked, for how long, and in which order.

Instructors who aren't properly trained don't necessarily know enough to prevent student injuries or how to design their classes to help you get the most out of the workout. While any workout is better than no workout -- wouldn't you rather spend your time and money on a real barre class that will get you real results?

A real barre instructor will structure the class so you get an amazing, efficient, complete workout in just an hour. A well-led barre class can burn hundreds of calories both during the workout and at rest due to increased muscle density. It can improve your posture, balance, and mind-body connection.

The more highly trained your instructor is, the better and more effective your class will be. Not surprisingly, someone who only had a weekend of training (and sadly, this is common) will struggle to create classes that are truly efficient or powerful.

How can you tell if your instructor is properly trained?

You've read your instructor's bio + checked out their certification

Most studios include instructor bios on their websites, listing everyone's certifications and training background. A legitimately trained barre instructor will have at least 100 of hours of training before they start leading classes. Preferably their training traces back to the original Lotte Berk Method in some way. You should be able to find this out by doing an internet search for the studio or method in which they've received their training. It is worth noting that a Pilates certification is not a barre certification. Time spent studying or performing ballet also does not a barre instructor make.

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You're getting hands-on adjustments

A properly trained barre instructor will walk the room during class, giving students hands-on adjustments in addition to precise verbal direction to help them correct and continually enhance their form, and never stop challenging and strengthening. This is something instructors hone through hundreds of hours of training and practice.

An instructor can not learn in an abbreviated teacher training session how to correctly and swiftly adjust a seasoned athlete in their 50s, a client in their 20s embarking on their fitness journey for the first time ever, a devoted yogi exploring the difference between yoga and barre after recently having her first child and a barre enthusiast looking to take this challenge deeper than ever -- all in the same room. Fine tunings from your instructor are the difference between results that range from "meh" to mind-blowing.

You're working one muscle group at a time

A true barre workout concentrates on one muscle group at a time, working that group from a challenging starting position and then moving through a high number of tiny, precise movements to the point of fatigue and beyond. Once you've reached that point, you're finished working that muscle group and it's time for a targeted stretch.

If your instructor leads you through a series of exercises that all target the same muscles repeatedly -- quads, glutes, abs, quads, glutes, abs -- chances are, it's not a real barre class.

You're not dancing and this isn't a cardio class

There is nothing wrong with cardio or dance classes. They just aren't what authentic barre classes are about. Despite its origin in the ballet world, barre doesn't incorporate dance or serious, sustained cardio. Barre is about strengthening muscles through isometric-based movements and holds, followed by guided stretches. A real barre class maximizes flexibility as well as your body's endurance and strength. So -- if your instructor is leading you through choreography, you might learn some fun moves, but it's not a real barre class.

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There is no commodity in the world more precious than your time. When you're spending that with your hard-earned money on a barre class, you deserve a fantastic, empowering, strengthening workout where you see real results and transformation. A real barre class will serve you well in the short-term and the long haul -- keeping you coming back for more thanks to a highly trained teacher.

It boils down to expectations, consistency, quality and value. And I acknowledge that everyone has different fitness preferences. You might not be into the whole group fitness scene at all -- and that's perfectly okay. But if you're looking for a genuine, authentic barre class, its important to understand what it looks and feels like.
Firefighters mark out a security cordon around rubble and debris of a destroyed building in the damaged central Italian village of Amatrice on August 26, 2016 two day after a 6.2-magnitude earthquake struck the region killing some 267 people.An increasingly forlorn search for victims of the earthquake that brought carnage to central Italy entered a third day on August 26, 2016 as the confirmed death toll climbed to 267. At least 367 people have been hospitalised with injuries but no one has been pulled alive from the piles of collapsed masonry since August 24, 2016 evening. / AFP / ANDREAS SOLARO (Photo credit should read ANDREAS SOLARO/AFP/Getty Images)

AMATRICE, ITALY -- Yesterday was the first time I saw a dead body. Not just one, but many. They were in bodybags but I could still make out the figure. I could still make out bent limbs and dried blood. The smell reached deep and engrained itself in my nose for hours after I left.

A temporary morgue was set up in town for the families to identify their loved ones. Twelve tents one next to the other holding eight to ten bodies. Many had already been brought out and airlifted to Rieti, a neighboring town, to a more permanent and refrigerated morgue for further inspections.

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A black tarp was the only barrier separating the dead from their families who were waiting in agony for their names to be called out in order for them to identify the corpses. A priest by the name of Padre Savino brought me into the confined area. Out of the 12 tents two of them were the children's tents. The little lifeless bodies waited patiently for their parents to find them.

He explained most of the children had already been taken away. The problem was with two other tents labelled 'unidentified'. He continued by saying the corpses in those tents were unrecognizable to the point that the authorities asked [him] to look at the post mortem photos in the hopes that he could find something to base their identity on. "I knew everyone in this town, when they asked I agreed because I wanted to help as much as possible... yet the feeling I had when seeing those photos was surreal. Faces that weren't faces anymore, bodies that weren't bodies..."

Family members had to walk into every tent, open every bodybag, if lucky, they identified their loved ones relatively quickly. The less lucky had to walk into the 12 tents and open eight to ten bodybags in order to find whoever they were looking for.

I saw a woman come out of the tenth tent with her hands to her face about to collapse. Her son grabbed her just before she hit the floor. He held her to his chest and with one hand he held her head. They cried and looked at each other in desperation. Pope Francis himself called the Bishop of Rieti expressing his closeness to all the victims. The Pope also called upon an outdoors funeral without the caskets, as there are so many bodies and simply not enough space.

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Yesterday evening firefighters were still looking for a family of five stuck under their collapsed home. It felt strange walking passed that house, knowing under there somewhere was a family. I walked around it trying to grasp a picture of how beautiful that house must have been. Yet all I could see were beds hanging from rooms, bathtubs broken in half, hanging from the second floor.

It's the third day after the earthquake and challenges haven't eased. There are too many bodies for the town to handle. The unrecognized bodies are starting to decompose, and the bodycount keeps rising with not enough caskets to hold them. The survivors have just been notified that they will most likely be housed in tents for the foreseeable future. Many of them are elderly, and winter is not far off. There have been frequent aftershocks in the night, this morning and a few during the day as well, causing further damage to buildings still standing.

The town is relying on one bridge for the next few months. If that one collapses too then Amatrice will be isolated. The overall question everyone keeps asking themselves is "what will become of us?"
Image: Viktor Yanukovych. Public Domain

If an American PR whiz had not helped Yanukovych, would Ukraine still be intact?

A British scholar wrote an eye-opening book a decade ago on the tactics that candidates in the former Soviet Union used to win elections.

Andrew Wilson's "Virtual Politics" became an instant classic in the fields of political science and Russian studies.

His premise was that election-campaign managers in the former Soviet Union used an array of tricks far vaster and dirtier than campaign managers in the West to assure client victories.

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A key difference between a campaign manager in the former Soviet Union and the West, he said, was that an easterner had no problem breaking the law to win -- anything to achieve victory.

Vladimir Putin's stooge, Viktor Yanukovych, used many of the dirty and illegal tricks listed in "Virtual Politics" in Ukraine's 2004 presidential election, but lost.

In what I consider a delicious irony, Yanukovych then used American rather than former Soviet campaign tactics to win the presidency in 2010.

The man who gave him the tactics was Paul Manafort, who became Donald Trump's campaign manager this year but fizzled spectacularly when questions arose about Manafort's ties with Ukraine and Russia.

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I was thinking about Manafort's work for Yanukovych the other day, and couldn't help but wonder: If the American hired gun had not helped Yanukovych, would Ukraine still be intact, without the loss of Crimea and without a devastating war in the east?

I'll return to that thought, but first let me discuss just a few of the dozens of dirty tricks for winning elections that Wilson listed in "Virtual Politics" -- because they're so much fun to talk about.

One is to create virtual politicians whose role is only to dilute your opponent's vote.

Let's say you have 45 percent of the vote in pre-election polls for the presidency, but you have a strong opponent with 40 percent. That's too close for comfort.

And let's say you are a conservative and your opponent a liberal.

Your campaign manager finds two people who could pose as liberal politicians, and you secretly put them on your payroll. The two new candidates offer the very same platforms as your main opponent, which means they take votes from that opponent.

In the end, the 40 percent of the vote that your main opponent once had is split among the three liberal candidates, with each having about 13 percent of the vote.

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Diluting your main opponent's vote lets you win the election with ease.

Another way to dilute your main opponent's vote is to pay people with the same name as your opponent to run against him. Let's say your opponent is Igor V. Ivanov. You convince guys named Igor D. Ivanov and Igor S. Ivanov to run, too.

When voters who favor your main opponent enter the voting booth, they see three Igor Ivanov's on the ballot. Confused, many vote for the wrong one -- which is exactly what you want.

Using virtual politicians and same-name candidates to dilute your opponent's vote are dirty, but not illegal. But many campaign tactics in the former Soviet Union are flat-out illegal.

One that Yanukovych used was hiring the same groups of people to take trains or buses on election day to polling places across the country. These mobs, often drinking during their trips, voted every time the trains or buses stopped -- clearly breaking the law.

I won't go in to the other illegal tactics Yanukovych used because it would take up too much space. The bottom line is he got caught stealing the election, a court threw out the results, and Viktor Yushchenko won the new election that the court ordered.

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Since his Ukrainian campaign managers had failed, in the 2010 election Yanukovych turned to Manafort, who employed American-style image-makeover tactics.

Many Ukrainians viewed the twice-imprisoned Yanukovych -- rightfully -- as a poorly educated, crude-talking thug.

Manafort portrayed him as a poor waif who had overcome a difficult childhood as an orphan to make something of himself. This prompted many of those who had once looked down on Yanukovych to feel more sympathetic toward him.

Manafort also worked on Yanukovych's image by putting him in expensive clothes, changing his gangster-looking hairstyle, having tutors work with him on his poor grammar, and convincing him not to lash out at political opponents in threatening, gangsterish ways.

In the end, Manafort's image-polishing worked where Ukrainian "Virtual Politics" tactics had failed.

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Maybe the leaders of other former Soviet countries ought to take a page from Yanukovych's book by hiring Western campaign managers. One candidate for a Western handler might be Serzh Sargsyan, president of Armenia, where the opposition has become more strident due to entrenched corruption and other problems.

The problem in Ukraine was that voters elected to the presidency a guy who looked less like a gangster but still was one, and who stole billions from the taxpayers before being thrown out in 2014.

Putin, incensed at Yanukovych's ouster, retaliated by seizing Crimea. Eastern Ukrainians, angry that non-easterners had ousted a president from their area, began a rebellion that is still tearing the country apart.

I have to wonder: If Manafort hadn't come along to pull the wool over Ukrainians' eyes, and help Yanukovych defeat Yuliya Tymoshenko for the presidency, would Ukraine still have Crimea and peace in the east?

My answer is: There's a good chance it would still be stable.

To me, the supreme irony in what happened in Ukraine is that one hired-gun American was able in a very short period to undo years of U.S. government work to help Ukraine become a viable, independent state.

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By Dr. Sam Agbo

Mother of three Achok Deng woke up suddenly around midnight to rapid gunfire around the Tompin area of Juba, South Sudan's ramshackle capital. This was Friday the 8th of July; her husband, a soldier with the presidential guard, had left for duty the preceding evening. She was confused as to what was happening, what to do and where to go.

South Sudan is widely believed to be on the brink of a renewed civil war, and the gunfire was ominous. She mustered courage and gathered her three children, all younger than four, to quietly slip to her neighbor's house to seek company till the early hours of the morning.

After discussing their plight, the two families decided to try to reach the United Nations compound, just a few hundred meters way. Neither woman could reach her husband because they had no cellphone airtime left. And both secretly feared that their husbands may have been caught up in the conflict, being part of the presidential guard.

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Achok, whose story was relayed to me by her cousin Dr. Jane Juma, finally made it to the UN compound where many other families were taking shelter. But it was unclear how long they would be allowed to stay; and if asked to return home, how she would obtain food and clean water for the family.

Since achieving independence in 2011 from the Khartoum government, South Sudan has seen repeated outbreaks of conflict driven by ethnicity and the struggle for power. The inclusive transitional government of 2015 and the recent reconciliation with one rebel faction have done little to buttress the peace agreement or create an enabling environment for nation building.

In the meantime, the country has spiraled further into disaster. The United States this week pledged a further $138 million in humanitarian aid to South Sudan, but also warned its leaders that they need to fully implement plans for peace or face a U.N. arms embargo and sanctions.

Pregnant woman and newborns are the first to pay the price. South Sudan's Millennium Development Goals (MDG) score card at the end of 2015 showed that death rates for mothers is estimated at 730 per 100,000 live births, almost twice the rates in neighboring Sudan and Kenya. The successive conflicts - when mothers such as Achok are unable to access health care - only retard any progress towards improving these baseline indicators.

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For anyone who has worked in South Sudan, as I have done off and on for more than 15 years with organizations ranging from UNICEF to Save The Children, the news is unbearably grim.

An ongoing cholera outbreak clearly reflects the fragility of the health system. Essential commodities such as drugs are unavailable, medical personnel are thin on the ground and clinics are hard to access. Cholera was confirmed by the Ministry of Health in Juba in July, and thus far 1,160 cases including 23 deaths have been reported nationwide, with the majority reported in Juba County. The incessant rain is exacerbating the situation, undermining sanitation efforts and threatening to further the spread of the disease. Achok has to ensure safe and portable water for her young children which remains a serious challenge.

The threat of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks like pertussis and measles remain very high, with estimated immunization rates of just 31 and 20 percent respectively. The increasing disease burden for common childhood diseases such as malaria, diarrhea and pneumonia is directly attributable to the low coverage of common childhood interventions and the weak status of the health services.

South Sudan's conflict has displaced about a million people who have fled to neighboring states. An estimated more than 4.8 million are people facing chronic food shortages and famine which has led directly to increasing caseloads of malnutrition.

The new U.S. aid, and increased involvement by regional governments, is a good first step toward stabilizing the situation. But for South Sudan to really change course, belligerent parties to the conflict have to commit to peace. A political solution can only work in a true democracy with peace; and having empowered community systems; fully functional basic primary health care services that are appropriate, acceptable, enjoys people's full participation and at their level of development.

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No tribe nor ethnic group can have the interest and well-being of South Sudan more at heart than the peoples of South Sudan. The political leadership need to give back power to the people and let them decide who leads them, as was the case in the during the independence referendum.

For Achok and her children the future remains bleak. She eventually left the U.N. compound, and returned to the uncertainty that is life in South Sudan. Yet she dreams for peace and opportunity a better life and future for her children - if only the country's political leaders would make that possible.
War and terrorism in dozens of Middle East countries from Tunisia to Afghanistan since 2010 is rolling back health care and leaving open paths for new and old diseases to strike down millions and spread to the Western countries, a new study reports.

"Our study shows that the eastern Mediterranean region is going through a crucial health phase. The Arab uprisings and the wars that followed, coupled with ageing and population growth," threaten thousands in the region and worldwide, said the report, which was funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and was published in The Lancet, Wednesday, August 24.

The loss of doctors fleeing their posts, and damage to health centers and hospitals contributed to "deteriorating health conditions for many countries that are threatening ... the region and the rest of the world," the report said.

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Even Middle East countries that had recently made progress providing health care and medicine to their people have seen a crushing loss of skilled medical staff, influx of huge refugee populations and interruption of supplies of food, medicine, vaccinations and cooking gas said Dr. Ali Mokdad of the University of Washington in Seattle, an author of the report.

In an interview, Dr. Mokdad said that tens of thousands are dying each year in Syria, Yemen, Libya and other countries in the region due to the damage to public health infrastructure as well as from malnutrition and lack of preventive care such as vaccinations.

"On the basis of our data, we call for increased investment in health in the region and the end of ongoing conflicts," said the report.

There were important improvements in health in the region since 1990, even despite periodic turmoil, but the outbreak of wars and Arab revolutions since 2010 means that "most gains are going away due to the unrest," said Dr. Mokdad.

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"There has been a lack of funding, a brain drain and health infrastructure has been destroyed in Libya, Yemen and Syria. Normal functioning of the health ministries has been interrupted."

Where hospitals are able to treat people they remain unable to do preventive medicine such as nutritional help and vaccinations.

Death rates are also rising in wealthy Gulf countries from non-communicable diseases such as obesity, high blood pressure, traffic accidents and drug addiction. In poor countries such as Somalia, Sudan and Yemen infectious diseases are often untreated and spreading.

Dr. Mokdad noted that Ebola, MERSA and other diseases have been rapidly spread from the Middle East to Western countries by rapid airplane travel.

"In 10 to 15 hours it can come to us," he said. "Even diseases we had controlled such as Polio will come back. For our own security as U.S. citizens we need to deal with it in the country of origin. Any instability in the region is not good for us."

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Even the mundane lack of cooking gas due to conflict disrupting supplies has forced Afghans and others to revert to cooking with wood or coal indoors, causing millions of deaths from smoke inhalation indoors.

The report covered the years 2010 to 2013 due to the lag time in gathering statistics.

The report also found mental health problems, depression and anxiety related to conflict. This has been widely underreported because of the stigma of not being man enough to handle things.Health is also affected by refugee flows into Lebanon and Jordan that consume lots of medical supplies. And conflict has led to malnutrition as harvesting and exporting fresh vegetables has been interrupted.

The solution is to stop wars, said Dr. Mokdad. He admitted this was above his ability to accomplish.

However, he called for creation of a health road map to rebuild medical infrastructure similar to the Marshall Plan that the United States set up to help Europe recover after World War II.
On August 17th, Donald Trump once again shook up his campaign. While there were early indications that Trump would "soften" his image, these were refuted by the August 19th release of his first general election campaign ad "Two Americas: Immigration". This TV ad stems from the same darkness that fueled Trump's acceptance speech: bigotry and hate.

Trump's ad packs four lies into 30 seconds. It begins with a familiar Trump assertion: "In Hillary Clinton's American the system stays rigged against Americans." (It goes on to proclaim that immigrants are gaming the system.) Politifact notes that Trump has often claimed "the US election system is rigged." It rates these claims totally false ("Pants on Fire"). More specifically, The Dallas Morning News reported that immigration has "slowed sharply" and illegal immigration "is near record lows."

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Trump's next assertion is that "Syrian refugees flood in." According to the New York Times the US plans to accept 10,000 Syrian refugees this year but as of the end of April had only take 1726. While Donald Trump asserts, "there is no system to vet Syrian refugees," Politifact states this is another Trump lie; the process takes one to two years. Most of those accepted have been women and children.

The ad follows with a three-part assertion: "Illegal immigrants convicted of committing crimes get to stay, collecting Social Security benefits, skipping the line." Huffington Post acknowledges that "Some people convicted of crimes considered minor are able to avoid deportation, and others stay because their home countries won't take them back." However, the number of these cases pales in comparison to the deportations - 460,000 in fiscal 2015.

The most controversial part of the Trump ad is the assertion that illegal immigrants get to collect social security benefits. The Washington Post gives this claim "four Pinocchio's" for extreme falsehood. Most undocumented immigrants pay into Social Security but receive no benefits.

The reference that Trump gives for his "illegal immigrants get to collect social security benefits" assertion is an April paper by The Center for Immigration Studies a right-wing anti-immigration organization. MSNBC commentator Rachel Maddow reported:

The Center for Immigration Studies, for example, will distribute essays from Holocaust deniers every now and again... They keep finding themselves digesting and sending around work by white nationalists... You slip back into that really fast when you're circulating arguments like, "the native ethnic stock that founded and built the U.S. is systematically being replaced through massive third world immigration."

That's right. In his first ad, Trump cites a racist organization. That's right. In his first ad, Trump cites a racist organization.

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The ad's fourth assertion is "[Under Hillary Clinton] our border [would be] open." In her web site Clinton calls for a continuation of the Obama border-security, "Hillary will focus resources on detaining and deporting those individuals who pose a violent threat to public safety, and ensure refugees who seek asylum in the U.S. have a fair chance to tell their stories." (Unlike Trump, Clinton is for "comprehensive immigration reform.") Factcheck.org says the Trump ad, "misleads the viewer."

In her August 25th Reno speech, Hillary Clinton addressed Trump's hateful rhetoric. "Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. He is taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican Party." "This is not Republicanism as we have know it. These are race-baiting ideas, anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant ideas, anti-woman -- all key tenets making up an emerging racist ideology known as the 'Alt-Right.'" "We need good debates. But we need to do it in a respectful way, not finger pointing and blaming and stirring up this bigotry and prejudice."
Have you noticed a certain trend in leadership circles? Career advice columns and business consultants are encouraging leaders to "empower" their teams to promote accountability and achievement.

When faced with employees seeking guidance, these five magic little words supposedly lead to breakthroughs: How can I empower you?

Magic words are better left in fairy tales than brought into the workplace. With no action behind it, the idea of "employee empowerment" becomes nothing more than an empty promise. Understandably, it becomes a frustrating loop for all. Employers expect a miraculous transformation -- and employees are left wishing for something far more valuable from their leaders.

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True leaders challenge employees to work to their potential, encourage communication across teams, and eliminate obstacles. Empowerment is part of their DNA -- not something they make happen in an instant.

I know from experience that growing a team is hard work. I also know that most leaders have good intentions and are sincerely trying to help.

But I suspect that in some companies, this notion of empowerment has gone awry. And just like an overly dramatic plotline, it brings unnecessary complexity and confusion where clarity and focus is sorely needed.

Here is why leaders should stop talking about empowering their teams:

Breeds cynicism

Your team does not need power. But they do need you to share the company's overall vision and goals -- and then give them space to do their best work. But if you start espousing empowerment without action to ground your words, it is nothing more than disingenuous corporate jargon. And that breaks down trust.

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Easy cop-out

At some companies, empowerment really means "I give you the power -- now go solve your own problem." ("Oh, and please do not tell me when things go wrong, because I do not want to be tarnished by your failures.") Sarcasm aside, this hollow tactic shifts all responsibility back to your team -- when they need your help. It is classic avoidance.

Skews dynamics

The word "empower" means, literally, to give power to someone else. But the very idea that you can bestow or take away power from others elevates you above your team. This thinking can inflate your ego and impact your ability to unite teams effectively -- and eventually leads to diminished respect.

This may be shocking to many managers, but is not your place to be the hero. Instead, your teams need you to be clear with expectations and make sure they have the space to achieve them -- and to be happy doing it. You are not there to slay the workplace dragon through the wand of empowerment.

Your team already has the power to act or not to. And the more they are able to exercise this autonomy within a supportive and responsive environment, the happier and more motivated your team will be.



In fact, the only person you should be concerned about empowering is yourself -- to be the best leader you can to the team that needs you.

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Start communicating meaningfully -- not with empty "magic" words. Share the strategic vision with your team and explain their role in achieving it. Check in regularly, not just every six months. Spend time talking to them, listening to them, and responding. Encourage them to go after their goals and spur their efforts to do so. Support your technical teams in their planning process. Recognize effort and give credit when it is due.

That is powerful leadership in action.
"This was retail politics, and oil lost," was how Adrienne Alvord of UCS summed up the stunning environmental victory Tuesday in the California legislature, a victory which cemented the state's commitment to a 40% reduction in climate pollution by 2030.

Only a few weeks ago there was a strong consensus that the oil industry, by spending millions of dollars on behalf of a cadre of moderate Democrats in the Assembly, had blocked just such a doubling down on the state's existing 2020 goals. For the oil industry, victory was an existential necessity. Only by holding future climate commitments hostage could the industry hope to get Governor Brown to abandon the state's existing mandate that by 2020 the carbon content of fuels be cut by 10%. As a practical matter, the requirement means roughly 20% of California's more vehicles will be driving on something other than oil - electricity, natural gas or biofuels.

And oil knows it cannot withstand a competitive transportation fuels market. Once California creates such a market, and builds businesses that can produce low carbon fuels at scale, fuels competition will go global, and oil's empire will wither. But it looked like oil had survived to fight another day. Governor Brown had signaled his next move by forming a ballot committee for a (high-risk) initiative for the fall of 2018. But a small group of climate and environmental justice advocates refused to let the Assembly moderates off the hook. Demanding a vote, they re-energized their broad coalition of main-line businesses, EJ advocates, labor, climate greens, the faith community, clean tech and clean fuels businesses, local government and public health advocates.

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Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon told them he would give them a vote once they had the votes - and on Tuesday he pulled the trigger, giving the oil industry, which thought it had won, only 24 hours to regroup. It wasn't enough, and the Assembly passed SB32 by 47 votes, a six vote margin over the 41 needed. The California Nurses Association was heard from, but so was Ebay. Governor Brown and the White House weighed in, but a lone Republican, Assemblywoman Catherine Baker joined them in supporting progress. Wednesday the Senate concurred, and the bill, linked to an environmental justice focused companion bill, went to the Governor for his signature.

Why the victory? Quite simply, retail politics. Clean energy now provides far more stimulus and creates far more jobs than fossil fuels. Clean power is seen by the public as the linch-pin of the state's economic future. Jobs on the ground trump oil industry ads on the screen. It's not accidental that states providing climate leadership are the states with the biggest clean energy sectors - California, Washington, Nevada, Oregon - and Iowa, with its nation leading wind sector and a public utility, Mid-America, that is planning to shortly hit 85% renewables and go on to 100%.

And it's cheaper.

The oil industry is in a state of shock. Their press release bizarrely asserted that Rendon had scheduled the vote to "cover up" the fact that the state's latest auction for carbon emission permits had attracted few buyers - a result oil called "terrible." The auction simply reflected the fact that emitters, uncertain if the law would be extended past 2020, did not know how many permits they needed to buy. The oil industry conceded as much, saying "Today's miserable auction result reflects the market's lack of certainty." But it is revealing that oil called it "terrible" and "miserable" that the cost of carbon permits was low - demonstrating again that what they fear is not that decarbonizing will cost too much and hurt the economy, but that it will prove irresistibly cheap and strand them. Also revealing --- SB32 was written precisely to provide the certainty whose absence the oil industry allegedly deplores!

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(In fact, the legislature is going home next week, and Rendon had to bring the bill up more or less when he did. The short notice was tactical - but hardly conspiratorial.)

Ideological, right-wing opponents of climate progress and clean energy stayed more on message, releasing a poll purporting to show that the public, all the other evidence to the contrary, didn't really favor tougher clean-up of carbon pollution or California climate leadership after all.

Read carefully, however, the poll says something quite different. It confirms that most Californians want to move forward on clean energy and climate, believe that such progress is good for California even if others do not lead, and want action. Even California Republicans are part of this consensus. 62% of California Republican voters think that climate change is either a very serious or somewhat serious threat to the state. Again, of Republicans, 67% expect the changes resulting from global warming to occur in their lifetimes. A majority favor the state's current climate goals, and a plurality favor the longer-term, more ambitious goals just passed.

It is true that, if nudged to believe that after such action, "hundreds of local manufacturing facilities would be shut down and thousands of middle-class jobs would be lost in California" large majorities of Republicans, AND Democrats and Independents, lose their appetite. But if you said to the same sample that ambitious climate progress would mean "continued economic growth, an end to air pollution, cheaper gas, and billions of dollars of new exports for California industries" the supportive numbers among Republicans would probably jump from a plurality to a super-majority. The latter statement is the true one, it turns out - and, more or less, it is what most California voters are experiencing - which explains why, un-manipulated, even Republicans are happy that the state continues to move forward.



But California is not the only arena where oil's long regime is coming to an end. Investors are watching warily as the majors - Chevron, Exxon, BP and Shell have now accumulated an unprecedented $184 billion in debt, fallen far short ($40 billion short in the first half of 2016) of their promised goals of paying their dividends from profits, not borrowing. Shell, Chevron, Exxon and BP have all seen their previous platinum grade credit ratings cut a notch. To placate investors, the majors pledge that they have new (but far from transparent) business plans to someday make money again - if only oil will stay at some magic level. For BP it's $50-55/barrel. Unfortunately, it has not been in that range since 2014.

Many of the independent oil producers, of course, have gone bankrupt. Oil remains stubbornly below $50. Most independent analysts believe that for the oil majors, prices in the $75 range are required to compete with Persian Gulf and other OPEC members in the long term. And those prices, unequivocally, require one thing: a continuation of oil's monopoly in transportation fuel.

California this week called the question. That monopoly is going away. Oil has lost before, but never because the retail politics of its competitors proved more compelling. This was no decisive battle. There may be none, just as there is no moment when the fate of the Roman Empire was sealed.
For those of us who've ever enjoyed our majestic national parks, like standing on the valley floor of Yosemite National Park to gaze up at the natural beauty of the granite cathedral of El Capitan and Half Dome, it's a welcome breath of fresh air to our daily lives in the concrete jungle.

National parks are unique to our great country. Other countries can't say they've accomplished preserving their pristine, natural wonders in the way we have. It was 100 years ago this week on Thursday that the National Park Service was created, and the park service has a plethora of events going on to celebrate their centennial anniversary. That includes free admission this weekend.

There are now 59 major parks out of the 413 parks that span 84 million acres, the newest being Katahdin Woods and Waters National Monument in Maine, which is 87,000 acres donated by the founder of Burt's Bees and designated Wednesday by President Obama.

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In this economic climate, according to CBS News , keeping the parks pristine condition is a struggle, with a $12 billion dollar maintenance back log. Congress has increased the budget this year and entrance fees raised from 307 million visitors also helps.

This weekend though, in honor of the 100th anniversary, you can enjoy the majesty of our natural wonders, like Yellowstone National Park for free.
SouthEast Bank executives from the Ooltewah branch visited with Southern Adventist Universitys president, David C. Smith, PhD, and three of the four students directly impacted by this scholarship gift.

During the lunch award meeting Caitlyn Bartlett was asked by Carolyn Hamilton, vice president for Advancement at Southern, what it meant to have received this scholarship for four years.



It means Ill be graduating this coming May without any loan debt, which means the world to me, Ms. Bartlett said.



SouthEast Bank established a four-year renewable student scholarship at Southern benefiting one new Tennessee freshman on the Collegedale campus annually. The scholarship is of $7,000 per year for a potential $28,000 total scholarship award to the student. The student must maintain 3.0 GPA to receive the funds.

Current students receiving the scholarship are: senior marketing major, Caitlyn Bartlett; junior financial management, Joelle Kanyana; sophomore biology major, Jesse Darwin; and freshman long-term health care administration major, Laurence Chaij.
Here we are at the Outdoor Retailer Show with Sutra the amazing motorized polar bear

I'm back from an amazing Outdoor Retailer Summer Show in Salt Lake City -- invigorated by everyone's Arctic Refuge passion found throughout the Giant Salt Palace and across the street at KEENfest! The best part of the show was the energy building for the We Are The Arctic Campaign, working side by side with our partners and our combined efforts to protect our Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, located in the northernmost corner of the state of Alaska.

Our partner organizations were doing great things at the Outdoor Retailer Show - getting attendees excited about the Arctic Refuge through presentations like OutdoorAfro Rue Mapp's plenary speech about her trip and experience in the Arctic Refuge. And, also like conservation photographer Florian Schulz's presentation, sponsored by Conservation Alliance, that brought the Arctic Refuge to life through both video and photographs - capturing truly wild places and also the essence of the Arctic Refuge. Florian said of a recent trip to Arctic Village, "Why do I do this? For me, it's because my kids will get to see this in the future...My kids were just with me in Arctic Village picking blueberries with the Gwich'in people that live off the land, live off the caribou - it was a very beautiful circle for me, doing this for future generations."

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And, through the amazing energy of 27 participating partners (check out the ad) that gave away We Are The Arctic books and helped us get thousands of signed postcards asking for the strongest possible protections for the Arctic Refuge. Check out Clif Bar's beautiful postcard collection box that they made for the show. They found rocks to carry on the rocks from the photo of the Arctic Refuge on our box!

What's more, KEEN hosted Sutra the motorized polar bear in their outside adult playground also known as KEENfest. Sutra was a super friendly and photogenic Arctic Advocate. Everyone, young and old climbed on top of Sutra and shared their #WeAretheArctic post! All the KEENfest employees helped us hand out books and encouraged everyone to fill out a postcard to President Obama and to be entered into a sweepstakes for a trip to the Refuge. Drum roll: Sarah Yeakel from Keen was our winner! Congrats to Sarah.

More than 4,000 cards were filled out and more than 2,500 books have new homes. Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM) posed by Sutra proudly wearing his Alaska Wilderness League hat!

Truly, the We Are The Arctic Campaign is moving full speed ahead with this momentum gained from our retail partners.

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While at the show, we also spoke to many retailers about joining our letter to President Obama. More than 100 businesses have signed our letter to the president to say - now is the time to protect the Arctic Refuge once and for all!

There are many, many people and organizations that I need to thank for their energy, time and dedication to getting out the word at the show! Top of the list is the "Arctic Braintrust" who have been instrumental throughout this multi-year Arctic campaign: Conservation Alliance, Patagonia, KEEN and our very own Board members Gareth Martin and Steve Barker.
Most Mondays, come the close of business, I head home to my wife and two teenage sons. But two weeks ago at 5pm, I was sitting in the Roanoke, Virginia police precinct, waiting to be fingerprinted, photographed, and charged. My misdemeanor? Trespassing, in formality; civil disobedience, in practice. My cause? The voting rights of people of color and youth.

August 6 marked the fifty-first anniversary of the Voting Rights Act. We observed solemnly this year, though, on account of the three-year-old legal milestone, Shelby County v. Holder. This 2013 Supreme Court decision disastrously undermined the Voting Rights Act's protections against racial discrimination and opened up a floodgate of voter suppression. Suddenly, 1965 did not seem so distant, and we were hurled back to a time when Jim Crow reigned. State after state began creatively enacting voting restrictions that surreptitiously disenfranchised people of color and, even more covertly, youth. Now, instead of celebrating a half-century of equitable enfranchisement, we are about to face the harshest consequences of its absence. We are just over two months away from the first presidential election in fifty years without the full protection of the Voting Rights Act.

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And so, in an ode to our civil rights forbearers, Stephen Green, national director of the NAACP's Youth & College Division, and I joined forces with the Roanoke NAACP and Youth Council to hold a sit-in in the office of Representative Bob Goodlatte. Goodlatte chairs the House Judiciary Committee, which has refused to hold hearings on legislation to combat egregiously discriminatory voting laws enacted post-Shelby. Throughout our six-hour, nonviolent demonstration, the thirty of us - young and old together - called upon Representative Goodlatte to end his three-year pattern of inaction and commit to restoring the Voting Rights Act. Yet, despite our persistent presence, Goodlatte did not concede; Instead, he produced a recycled statement that called the Voting Rights Act "alive and well" as a tool for eradicating any state's discriminatory voting laws. This sort of denial is utterly insulting and wholly insufficient. Our predecessors bled, sweat, and died for the right to vote; We pay respect to their bravery by continuing the tradition of civil disobedience, and we demand that our elected officials honor their sacrifice by restoring the Voting Rights Act.

Representative Goodlatte said that he would lend his support if discrimination could be shown. Thanks to the urging and advocacy of the NAACP, six courts and six states have revealed such discrimination. In the Congressman's home state of Virginia, the U.S. Court Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that North Carolina lawmakers had enacted voting laws with "racially discriminatory intent." Here, sir, is your evidence. The Voting Rights Act is infirm and impaired, not "alive and well."

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We mourn the blows to the efficacy of the Voting Rights Act in the wake of Shelby County v. Holder, but today's story of voter suppression is not the black versus white tale of 1965. Our electorate grows increasingly multi-ethnic and multi-generational every year, and African Americans are not the only ones who have been intentionally disenfranchised. There is a set of victims that our forbearers might not have imagined: youth. Young people are the bruised but invisible faces of today's voter suppression.



"We have to meet our young people eye to eye and let them know that we see their faces and value their votes."





We know the power of the millennial vote because we saw it in action in the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections. Young voters' voices were booming until Shelby v. Holder restrictions systematically silenced them. In North Carolina, the changes were immediate: within weeks of the Supreme Court decision, state lawmakers set to work disenfranchising young voters by shutting down early voting sites on college campuses. Students at Appalachian State University in Watauga County took their case to court and won back their right to an accessible polling place, but other students studying in similarly conservative counties, such as those at the historically black Winston-Salem State University in Forsyth County, have not been so lucky. Increasingly, in states across the nation, polling places are moved off college campuses with a moment's notice, school IDs are no longer honored at the ballot box, and DMVs are conveniently closed just when high school seniors are out of school.

This is nothing less than a generational assault against young voters. This kind of voter suppression is not partisan gamesmanship, but rather the corruption of our democracy.

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We at the NAACP will not stand for this. We are known as the oldest and largest civil rights organization in the United States, but we are just as concerned about the rights of young Americans - a concern that grows daily as we approach November 8. We oppose youth-targeted voter suppression just as fiercely as we do race-driven voter suppression. This year, we at the NAACP celebrate an anniversary of our own: the eightieth year of our Youth & College Division. While our 107-year lifetime sometimes earns us epithets like "geriatric," our long-standing commitment to including the voices of young people protects us from ever becoming archaic. As added insurance, ten percent of our board members are under the age of 25.

But the numbers of young people in our boardroom pale in comparison to the numbers in our nation. In the past four years, 16.5 million youth have turned 18. Come November, one third of 18-29 year olds will be eligible to vote in a presidential election for the first time. That means we have 16.9 million potential new young voters ready to register.
This blog post was originally posted on the White House Blog.

Every day, kids of all ages experience bullying in schools across the country. In the Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) community, this problem is often compounded by cultural, religious, and linguistic barriers that can make it harder for AAPI youth to seek and receive help. Anecdotal evidence has shown that certain AAPI groups - including South Asian, Muslim, Sikh, Micronesian, LGBT, immigrant, and limited English proficient youth - are more likely to be the targets of bullying. And in some areas, bullying of AAPI students can be shockingly common.

Asian-American students targets of bullying: federal report https://t.co/SwuBwzcbGB pic.twitter.com/FsROvkjdY4  NBC Asian America (@NBCAsianAmerica) August 18, 2016

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Identify barriers to reporting bullying and harassment

Understand obstacles to full and equal access to remedial and support resources

Analyze data on bullying and harassment in the AAPI community

Improve the federal government's outreach and resources

The #AAPI Bullying Prevention Task Force is proud to release its report  https://t.co/vW1EZFVKNL #AAPIStrong pic.twitter.com/PZdXRSA3XQ  White House AAPI (@WhiteHouseAAPI) August 12, 2016

Today, during the fifth annual Federal Partners in Bullying Prevention Summit, I'm proud to announce the release of a report highlighting the experiences of AAPI students facing bullying around the country. The Summit will convene federal officials and community members to discuss strategies to combat bullying particularly in high-risk populations, including Muslim, Sikh, and South Asian students.

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Over the last two years, the AAPI Task Force conducted nationwide outreach to students, families, community members, advocacy groups, and community-based organizations. The AAPI Task Force hosted 29 listening sessions across the country, and conducted an informational survey that collected responses from 30 community-based organizations.

The AAPI Task Force worked w/communities nationwide to develop bullying report: https://t.co/vW1EZFVKNL #AAPIStrong pic.twitter.com/2vaPrhmRdO  White House AAPI (@WhiteHouseAAPI) August 18, 2016

Through its outreach, the AAPI Task Force has gained key insights:

Students from all AAPI communities are subjected to bullying and harassment of all types.

AAPI students are bullied by a range of other students, including other AAPI students and students of other backgrounds.

Circumstances of bullying often include, but are not limited to: limited English proficiency, cultural stereotypes, national origin and immigrant generation, and religion and religious attire.

Many AAPI students and parents are not aware of resources and avenues of remediation available at the local, state, and federal levels.
Taiwan long has been one of the globe's most dangerous tripwires. Other than a brief period after World War II, the island has not been ruled by the mainland for more than a century. The 23 million people living on what was once called Formosa have made a nation.

However, the People's Republic of China views Taiwan as part of the PRC. (In turn, the Republic of China once claimed to rule the mainland, but no longer.) Popular consent plays little role in Chinese politics, so it should surprise no one that the desires of the Taiwanese people are irrelevant to Beijing. As the PRC has grown wealthier it has created a military increasingly capable of defeating Taiwan.

At the same time economic ties between the two peoples have grown, along with Taiwanese disquiet at the risk of essentially being swallowed. Despite (or in part because of) China's pressure for unification the Taiwanese population has steadily identified more with Taiwan than the PRC. The election of Tsai Ing-wen of the traditional pro-independence Democratic Progress Party as president in January greatly discomfited Beijing, which recently cut back on official contacts begun during the previous administration.

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As Chinese patience wanes, U.S. policy based on ambiguity grows riskier. Washington's commitment to Taiwan developed out of the World War II alliance with the ROC. President Harry S. Truman even interposed the U.S. fleet between the newly established PRC and ROC remnants which fled to Taiwan. The two Chinas maintained a hostile relationship for decades.

However, Washington loosened its commitment to Taipei with President Richard Nixon's opening to China. President Jimmy Carter furthered the process when the U.S. shifted official recognition to the PRC. Congress passed the Taiwan Relations Act ensuring continued U.S. assistance to Taiwan. But the American military commitment has become steadily less certain. Would the U.S. really risk Los Angeles for Taipei, as one Chinese general famously asked?

Washington officials hope never to have to answer that question, but the recent Taiwanese missile misfire offers a dramatic reminder of the danger of guaranteeing other nations' security. A Taiwanese vessel mistakenly shot an anti-ship missile toward China, destroying a Taiwanese fishing boat, killing the captain and injuring several other crewmen. Beijing took note, calling it "a serious matter."

Taipei has lost some of its moral high ground in criticizing Chinese missile deployments. China is likely to find other ways to use the incident for its advantage. After all, preventing similar mishaps offers a good excuse to press additional measures leading toward unification.

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However, a strike on a Chinese vessel would have been a genuine disaster. While nothing today suggests that the PRC is planning war, at some point Beijing might find a casus belli to be convenient. And then America would be in the middle.

Of course, U.S. officials want to believe that the mere mention of America would be enough to thwart Chinese ambitions. However, history is full of cases when deterrence fails. In some cases the threat simply is not believed: why, for instance, would another nation risk conflict for interests so distant? In other cases a government believes that it has local if not global military superiority and could win quickly, forcing the other party to agree to peace. Yet as Japan learned in World War II, only at great peril does one underestimate America's willingness to go to war, especially if national credibility and honor are believed to be at stake.

Moreover, security guarantees tend to make their recipients more irresponsible. President Chen Shui-bian, the first DPP president, lost few opportunities to poke the great dragon across the strait, feeling secure with the U.S. seemingly on his side. In the event of a crisis his government doubted that Washington really would abandon an ally, even one at fault, knowing the damage that would be done to the former's credibility.

Worse, security guarantees effectively transfer the power to choose war to other states. In 1914 a royal assassination involving Austro-Hungary and Serbia ended up dragging most of the leading powers of Europe and a number of other countries, including the U.S. and Japan, into the horrors of World War I. The alliances acted as transmission belts of war.

Americans must decide just how committed they are to Taiwan's independence, and do so now, rather than in the midst of a crisis. Such as after an errant Taiwanese missile sinks a Chinese ship, followed by an ultimatum from an increasingly well-armed Beijing to Taipei to begin reunification talks.

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Taiwan is a good friend and the Taiwanese people are entitled to decide their own future. Unfortunately, however, the island abides in a bad neighborhood. And it is hard to imagine a greater catastrophe than war between America and the PRC. It would be virtually impossible to justify Washington not only threatening but actually following through on its military threats against China if the latter moved against Taiwan.

In which case the U.S. needs to have a serious conversation with Taipei now, well in advance of the moment when the latter was expecting the American cavalry to arrive in a crisis. Moreover, Washington should consider how to use a plan to back away militarily in seeking a Chinese commitment to an unhurried peaceful resolution of the issue. And to encourage an economically-embattled PRC to trim a military build-up made less necessary without the challenge of facing Taiwan backed by America.

U.S. officials tend to assume that Washington's commitments will never be challenged so long as the nation demonstrates sufficient determination and establishes adequate credibility. But the Taiwanese mishap reminds us of the inevitable unexpected in international relations, and the terrible costs which often result.
By Visvajit Sriramrajan

A few months ago, I did not know much about human rights, but after attending the recent EF Global Student Leaders Summit in the Netherlands, I realized the scope of oppression around the world and that I, too, as a member of the rising youth community, could do something to help.

Near December of last year, my English teacher selected me to travel to The Hague for this exciting travel and educational opportunity. At that time, 'human rights' was nothing more than a concept to me. The term was peppered throughout the media, but never was I able to grasp that it was a topic prevalent enough to merit international conferences.

Of course, reports about murders, bombings, mass shootings and rapes ran on the news incessantly. Horrendous accounts of human trafficking and inhumane torture appeared frequently. Instances of refugees being denied both citizenship and amnesty, and having to smuggle their beloved children across borders as if they were contraband, were heartbreaking. However, trapped in an American bubble, I could easily dismiss these occurrences as yellow journalism. That was one of the biggest mistakes of my life.

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In an unfamiliar auditorium with unfamiliar students, the tension around me was tangible. Nevertheless, there was something captivating about surrounding myself with young leaders from around the globe. A few months prior to the Summit, I applied to be an EF intern, and was speechless upon being told that I would deliver an off-the-cuff reflection after Arun Gandhi, grandson of Mohandas Gandhi. As a speaker, many thoughts ran through my mind. The sheer idea of speaking in front of a crowd of more than 1,300 students was terrifying. Moreover, speaking after the grandson of one of the most influential people in history, without any script, both exhilarated me and tensed me.

However, a moment later, Arun Manilal Gandhi was cordially welcomed onto the stage. Instantly, my fear dissipated and was replaced with intrigue. Thirty seconds through his speech, and it struck me that Arun Gandhi continues to fight for the same human rights that his grandfather marched for over a century ago. At that moment, 'human rights' began to mean something to me. The images the media disseminated became real, and the reflection I delivered turned out to be more genuine than I had ever imagined it would be.

In particular, Arun's grandfather, Mohandas Gandhi, fought against a horrendous caste system. Caste, in a nutshell, divides up the Indian public and determines their worth. This evaluation denies these common people basic human rights. It categorizes and segregates without any basis. Given my family's roots in India, the subject of caste resonated with me in particular. Articles about tacit discrimination taking place in India, from the metro ticket booth to the local tea stand, to even colleges and universities at the national level, baffled me. Such a significant issue was still rampant in the Republic of India, despite decades of combat to end it.

Freedom fighters and political activists, such as Mohandas Gandhi, crusade against injustice, but it is the responsibility of the people to maintain that justice. This is why Mohandas Gandhi's policies did not stand. Society continues to insinuate that flame of corruption and continues to favor those greedy for wealth over those who are kindhearted and grateful for what they have.

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Arun Gandhi told us that society not only confronts an eternal, physical struggle, but also an internal, cognitive struggle. He reminded us that preventing a crime is a temporary ordeal. On the other hand, nurturing a mindset that is brilliant enough to avoid acts of crime before they happen will result in peace. This point spoke volumes to me, but it also perplexed me. Compromise seemed such a modest answer, but why then has it still not been fully implemented in places like India?

However, Arun Gandhi did not deem this mission impossible. In fact, he followed this mindset himself. Amongst his busy schedule, he accommodated time to attend this Summit and speak to the next generation of world leaders. There was a reason for that. He believes in young people.

Not only in India, but all over the world, it is our generation that will continue to overcome bigotry and xenophobia, segregation and discrimination, homophobia and transphobia, caste and reservation, crime and violence, and many more surges against peace that this planet sees. It is our generation that should make sure justice is served with non-violence.



Dr. Arun Gandhi shared his thoughts on human rights with the student attendees of the EF Global Student Leaders Summit in The Hague

Arun Gandhi acts as a reminder to us all that peace can only be achieved through peace, not through violence. We can achieve a state where sexual slavery is nonexistent, and refugees find welcoming homes. We can achieve a state where the color of one's skin, or sexual orientation, does not provoke violence, but instead, initiates peace through understanding.

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We are millennials, and we can change the world. Scratch that, we will change the world.

Visvajit Sriramrajan is a high school junior from Andover, Massachusetts.
As executive director of the National Health Law Program (NHeLP), I am an advocate for the health rights of individuals struggling to live on insufficient incomes and in underserved communities.

As I wrote here last month, Medicaid, a collective effort of the states and federal government to provide health care coverage to low-income individuals, is one of this country's greatest social safety nets. Nearly 70 million people receive their health care through Medicaid. Without it, our nation's inequalities would be even greater. Not surprising, conservative think tanks, such as the Hoover Institution, remain committed to terminating Medicaid and dumping enrollees into the private market because of their dogged belief in competition and unfettered markets. Earlier this month, the Hoover Institution's Scott W. Atlas took to the op-ed pages of The Wall Street Journal to trash Medicaid - an "inferior, low-value health system" -- and peddle more privatization, which is another way of saying that he would eliminate the essential features that make Medicaid effective in meeting the health needs of the population it is designed to serve.

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Most of Atlas' piece was devoted to comparing what the presidential candidates have said about Medicaid, and trumpeting the Republican nominee's stances. But dubbing Medicaid "low-value," is a tired attack, and one far from what evidence tells us. For example, the Kaiser Family Foundation, reporting on findings from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Committee on Consequences of Uninsurance, reveals that over and over again research shows that "people with Medicaid coverage fare much better than their uninsured counterparts on diverse measures of access to care, utilization, and unmet need. A large body of evidence shows that, compared to low-income uninsured children, children enrolled in Medicaid are significantly more likely to have a usual source of care (USOC) and to receive well-child care, and significantly less likely to have unmet or delayed needs for medical care, dental care, and prescription drugs due to costs."

Earlier this month Harvard researchers reported that, two years after Medicaid was expanded pursuant to the Affordable Care Act in Kentucky and Arkansas, low-income adults in both states "received more primary and preventive care, made fewer emergency departments visits, and reported higher quality of care and improved health compared with low-income adults in Texas," which has not expanded Medicaid. The Medicaid expansions in both states, the researchers found, "significantly increased access to primary care, improved affordability of medications, reduced out-of-pocket spending, reduced likelihood of emergency department visits, and increased outpatient visits. Quality of care ratings improved significantly, as did the number of adults reporting excellent health."

And in states like California and Louisiana, where lawmakers have expanded Medicaid, scores are signing up for coverage. Californians are clamoring for that "low-value" health insurance. Since 2014, Kaiser Health News reported in August, nearly 5 million residents enrolled in that state's Medicaid program. Also this month, the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities issued a state-by-state examination of the economic impact of Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), concluding that "in every state, programs assisting low-income Americans lift large numbers of people above the poverty line and provide health coverage to a large share of children."

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Conservatives should note, moreover, that the benefits of providing health insurance to underserved communities go beyond collective goodwill; they help improve economies. As Families USA has reported, expanding Medicaid injects large numbers of federal dollars into the states, growing their economies in numerous ways -- increasing health care jobs and health care coverage gives residents money to pay for other goods and services, boosting states' economies broadly, and saving states because of declining uncompensated care costs. And a recent report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services showed an additional benefit of Medicaid expansion - it lowered the premiums for individuals purchasing insurance in the Marketplace by about 7 percent in those expansion states.

Much more can and should be done to help make all people healthier. Our country should not be a place where only the elite and privileged are able to thrive. So not only should all states expand Medicaid, the federal and state governments must ramp up support of social services for low income individuals and underserved communities. An August 17 report from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that the states spending more on social services, such as supportive housing, nutritional support and case management and outreach programs had more healthy and productive populaces. Also, spending on social services, the report found, "could significantly offset health care costs nationally."
Social Media Week Miami is a 5-day bilingual conference that provides ideas, trends, insights and inspiration to help people and businesses understand how to achieve more in a hyper-connected world. Entering its 3rd year, the growing conference is going deeper on the issues and topics that matter most to today's professionals to stay up-to-date with the latest social, digital and business innovations.

Here are 7 reasons why you simply cannot miss this year's event:

1. Cuba Internet Freedom Conference (CIF). For the first time SMW Miami will host a conference as part of the official agenda. The 2-Day event is loaded with sessions, panels and workshops that aim to provide a collaborative space for people and organizations to discuss and brainstorm ideas to improve Internet access for Cubans on the island. From policy makers, developers and entrepreneurs to nonprofit organizations and celebrities, this is a must attend for anyone interested in Cuba.

2. No B.S. Social Media Week Miami is about relevant, useful, quality content that professionals care about. The content agenda is designed around four (4) content pillars - Business, Marketing and Entrepreneurship; (2) Journalism, Communications and Public Relations; (3) Society and Lifestyle; and (4) Government and Non Profits. Over 45+ sessions packed with seasoned experts sharing their knowledge, insights and actionable advice. Get ready to take your digital knowledge to the next level.

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3. Network with hundreds of like-minded pros. Imagine for a moment having direct access to more than 600 top professionals in digital/marketing/media/technology in one place. That's one of SMW Miami's main benefits for attendees. Yes, it's an invaluable opportunity to network, build relationships, establish partnerships and ultimately do business.

4. Something for everybody. Looking to improve your social media marketing skills? Want to learn how use the latest FB Live feature? Searching for new ways to boost your company's marketing, sales and communications? Concerned about how technology has taken over your home? At SMW Miami there is something for everybody. From keynotes and panels, to masterclasses, workshops and talks with top leaders. Just take a look at the full schedule here.

5. Sessions in English y en Espanol. Social Media Week Miami is the only local conference to feature kick-ass sessions, both in English, Spanish (and Spanglish!). It's a unique experience that makes it already different from all other conferences in the 2nd most entrepreneurial city in the U.S. and "The Capital of Latin America".

6. Unique venue. For a second year Social Media Week Miami returns to the center of "cool" in Miami, Wynwood. Coming from out-of-state or from another country? The area is known as one of the largest open-air street-art installations in the world and inspires unusual collaborations between musicians, artists, graphic designers, commercial brands and all kinds of creative types. The conference takes place at the Miami Ad School, a colorful, creative space itself you will love.

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7. Let's Party! But of course you like to party. Get ready for one of the best SMW Miami closing parties ever at an oasis among skycrapers, Blume Nightclub. The newly renovated nightclub will let you immerse yourself into a fashionable blend of sophisticated design and high-tech elegance to end an awesome week on a high note. (great drinks and food, cool music, raffles and photo booth included)
By Christina Hambleton, Denison University

The Brexit debate in the United Kingdom is only the most recent of a number of threats to the European Union's integrity. Commenters increasingly frame these threats as xenophobia brought on by economic distress, phobic reactions to terrorism, and refugee flows. In the case of the UK, they also frame the threat as a hubristic demand to return to more nationalistically oriented state policies, isolating the UK from its most lucrative trade partners and plunging it into economic and political oblivion. Discontent with the EU is, at any rate, caricaturized as the backward desire to return to the "anarchy" suffered by protectionist and "unreformed" nations without basic respect for international norms (EU and NATO members invoke disrespect for international norms a great deal these days, in light of Russia's expansionism). The EU is a safe, law-governed island in a "lawless world," they claim. However, this rhetorical gambit fails to note that even those at the "heart" of the EU have begun to critique the institution, and that the so-called deviants outside Western-dominated institutions such as the EU are not the only or indeed the principle threat to multilateralism. On this, conservatives and leftists are in agreement: the legalistic orientation of the EU makes it ineffective and oppressive. The symbol of successful, democratic regional and multilateral institutions is the forum, not the court. The EU fails at successful multilateralism for three reasons:

1. Laws per se tackle anarchy in much the same way as a hegemon--they impose it by means of hard and soft power that don't have the capacity to invite consensual, norm-governed behavior.

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The first, and perhaps most important, fact of the European Union's founding is that from its nascent stages subsequent to World War II it was constituted by a coalition of countries with relatively similar interests (presenting a united front against the Soviet Union and achieving post-War recovery) and domestic characters (even Italy had recently converted to a republic). The Copenhagen Criteria, the often selective stringency with which members must adopt EU laws, and the economic policies it adopts reflect nothing so much as the interest of these initial founders in inducing other countries in the region to play by rules that will perpetuate their advantage. In the Brexit discussion we can see that the most realistic proponents are talking about the EU as though it were an exclusive benefits club. They describe it as a rallying point for Western unity, despite the fact that Europe and prospective EU members are far from exclusively Western. Indeed, some commenters argue that Britain needs to stay "in" for all Europeans, because it is one of few countries powerful enough to halt the French and German domination of EU institutions that Brits feel so disadvantaged by. Such criticisms can be heard from the "Inner Six", as well. Wolfgang Schauble, Germany's finance minister, has recently attacked uses of the EU budget that he implies most members signed on for--namely, agricultural and other trade protections and cohesion spending resembling entitlements diverted from the global economy's resources. Instead, Schauble emphasized the need to restructure the budget to deal with real regional problems. As such, for the EU to extend membership to a new state reflects less a desire to create an accommodating legal and economic structure that can address regional challenges and more the desire to leverage an alluring benefits package coercively to induce behavior in accord with present members political and economic goals from other states. This is why the Ukraine crisis began with Russia rejecting moves by Ukrainian President Yanukovych toward Brussels; Russian history is filled with proofs that participating in Western institutions like the EU means becoming the West.

2. The European Union is Insufficiently Democratic.

Even Jurgen Habermas, by all means, one of the most enthusiastic proponents of the EU, has complained that the organization has yet to live up to the 2007 Lisbon Treaty mandating that it operate democratically. Only the EU's least powerful institution, the Parliament, truly enfranchises all members. The real power, Habermas argues, belongs to a "Brussels-based technocracy" that tells members what is good for them and for Europe, largely in accord with the status quo. Its failure to innovate and the disenfranchisement of smaller EU members was put on clearest display during Greece's debt crisis. Greece argued against restrictive "reforms" proposed to it by the EU in favor of reforming Europe's trade system (which was actually penalizing Greece for economic growth) and adopting more left-oriented policies at home. It was lambasted by fellow EU members. Furthermore, little attempt has been made by the EU to empower populations in its territories who direly need voice--namely, stateless populations such as the Roma (routinely and brutally evicted from such nations as France; which has engendered accusations that the Schengen Agreement is an exercise in hypocrisy), Eastern European economic migrants, and more recently, refugees from the Middle East.

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3. The EU is an Ineffective Institution for Representing its Constituents Internationally.

Finally, it is notable that the European Union is supposed to serve as a valuable spokes-agency for the region. It holds a seat at the WTO, the UN, the largely defunct G-8, and the G-20. Yet its policies and members' political fragmentation do not allow the EU or its representatives to constructively engage other actors in the international arena. EU protectionism is alive and well, despite the market reforms it demands of members intraregionally, and the European block has continually thwarted trade negotiations with developing countries due to its damaging agricultural subsidies. Diplomatically, the EU deploys sanctions against "deviant" states largely in accord with traditional Western alliances, and that even this unity tends to crumble in the face of conflicting domestic economic interests. There are also tremendous rifts, likely owing to a lack of overarching regional mechanisms to deal with situations like the refugee crisis or forge common interests, in member states' policies and degrees of hawkishness in theaters such as Syria and Iraq.
By Cesar Buenadicha



Cesar Buenadicha has led programs in social innovation, crowdfunding, social entrepreneurship, micro-franchising, educational loans, and local economic development for the Multilateral Investment Fund. He has a PhD in economics and advanced degrees in law and in economics.

65 million years ago, a dinosaur was eating peacefully--as many generations of dinosaurs had done before--when it noticed a ball of fire in the sky moving toward the Earth. The dinosaur was a bit worried, but as a member of the most successful and longest lasting species of animals back in those times, it didn't think the meteor was a threat to its existence. Meanwhile, a small rat-like animal, one of the first mammals on Earth, ran close to the dinosaur, eating some of its leftovers.



Don Davis, NASA

The Fourth Industrial Revolution, like an unexpected meteor, is unleashing innovation in an exponential manner, using digital tools and human creativity to bring humankind to the verge of an era of unprecedented prosperity. However, this digital revolution is also a fundamental challenge to the traditional structures of modern capitalism, changing the dynamics of companies, employees, and asset building.

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The world's largest taxi firm, Uber, owns no cars. The world's most popular media company, Facebook, creates no content. The world's most valuable retailer, Alibaba, carries no stock. And the world's largest accommodation provider, Airbnb, owns no property. Something big is going on. --Tom Goodwin

Services such as Uber provide unquestionable benefits for many people, who are able to access lower-cost and better-quality services in a more direct and accountable way. However, it is almost guaranteed that millions of workers will be severely affected by the coming changes, which are altering labor markets forever. So, the critical question is, what can all of us--workers or potential workers--expect from this revolution?

There is some hype about the future of jobs (World Economic Forum, Ford, McKinsey, among many), but to clarify the ideas beyond the endless data projections, let's define three categories that are useful in framing how the changes in the economy and labor markets will affect the future of jobs, income, and assets.

The first category is the "Ninjas," a term popularized by Charles Morris in his 2008 book The Two Trillion Dollar Meltdown. A Ninja is a person who has No Income, No Job and No Assets. The global financial crisis produced an increasing number of people caught in the vicious cycle of no income/job/assets, setting the stage for inequality and exclusion. So far, blue-collar jobs have been more affected by the current wave of technological change--spawning discontent in many societies--but more waves are coming and white-collar jobs will soon be hit. Ninjas will mostly be people excluded by the transition underway, because they don't have the right skills or age, or they are located in the wrong place, or they lack a solid digital social network.

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The second category, crucial to understand who we are now and what is at stake, are the "Ojihas": a person with One Job, One main source of Income, and "Heavy" Assets. An average Ojiha probably looks very much like you, with one main employer, one principle source of income, and many personal assets (house, car, personal possessions...) that are accumulating gradually over time. In most advanced countries, full-time jobs are the norm in the labor market, and they support the virtuous cycle that has allowed traditional capitalism to expand.

In parallel with the impact of the meteor in the Cretaceous period, Ojihas are the dinosaurs facing a much faster than expected extinction. Their current overwhelming strength and mastery of the existing ecosystem blinds them from seeing their feet of clay, and the astonishing speed of digital change prevents them from modifying the new digital environment in their favor. Of course, Ojihas will fight back against the change (consider stories from around the world about taxi drivers protesting against Uber), and let's not forget the obvious, that they are people with families who work to earn their bread every day.

The third category, key to visualize the future, is the "Modilals": a person with Multiple Occupations, Diversified Income, and "Light" Assets. Worker with multiple occupations are increasingly common. According to a recent study, more than 53 million Americans are now freelancers, and more important, millennials are freelancing more and are more optimistic about this kind of work. As Zipcar cofounder Robin Chase said: "My father had one job in his lifetime, I will have six jobs in my lifetime, and my children will have six jobs at the same time." Diversifying income means not only multiple occupations, but also taking advantage of new income opportunities that sharing economy models (just think Airbnb) offer to generate additional dollars. Light assets (such as shared cars or shared accommodations) stem from not only the new paradigm of the sharing economy (Rachel Botsman's proposal for "access over ownership") but also from the consumer patterns of millennials and greater concern about responsible use of natural resources.

Like the mammals in the Cretaceous period, Modilals are the species that is meant to conquer and rule the earth, not by being the strongest, but by being the most adaptive to change (Charles Darwin). Modilals are far more adaptive to the needs of the new labor market: multiple occupations means more capacity to learn, connect, and perform alternative tasks; diversified income means more risk tolerance and flexibility; and lighter assets entail new perspectives on sharing vs. owning and on responsible consumption, which make it possible for the Modilals to thrive in this changing environment.

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A digital meteor is coming and it is already visible in the sky, threatening the extinction of the existing labor market. We can predict that in the labor market to come, Ojihas will become increasingly rarer, Modilals will become the norm, and Ninjas will struggle to acquire skills that enable them to convert to Modilals. The near future may appear bleak: fights for a limited amount of specialized few jobs, rising inequality, falling income, a decaying workforce that cannot convert to the new environment, and industries dying or facing a tough conversion.

On the other hand, multiple examples prove that the sharing economy can also be a force for good, can support the "better angels of our nature" by generating trust, creativity, and a collaborative vision of work.

So will the digital meteor bring chaos, prosperity, or both to humankind? Carl Rogers, a knowledgeable expert on human nature, once said, "When I look at the world I'm pessimistic, but when I look at people I am optimistic." When I look at the future of jobs, income, and assets, and think of all the Ojihas and Ninjas who will be affected, many days I am fearful and full of doubts. But when I look at the Modilals, their freedom, happiness, and senses of purpose in what they do, I feel optimistic and full of hope.
By, Siraj Hashmi

Donald Trump is in full desperation mode following his second major staff shake up of his campaign, according to many political insiders.

After being branded by Democrats and his political opponents as a "racist" and a "bigot", Trump has pivoted his message in an attempt to attract black and Latino voters.

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In Dimondale, Michigan last Friday, Trump made his first pitch by railing against Democratic policies emphasizing that things will only get worse under Hillary Clinton.

"Look at how much African American communities are suffering from Democratic control. To those I say the following: What do you have to lose by trying something new like Trump? What do you have to lose?" Trump asked the crowd. "You live in poverty, your schools are no good, you have no jobs, 58 percent of your youth is unemployed. What the hell do you have to lose?"

This new strategy comes in the wake of Trump hiring Stephen Bannon of Breitbart News to be his campaign's chief executive and Kellyanne Conway as his new campaign manager to replace Paul Manafort, who resigned amid speculation of connections to a pro-Putin Ukrainian group.

Despite the new messaging, Trump's support from blacks is hovering around eight percent among registered voters, according to an NBC News/SurveyMonkey poll. He's performing worse with blacks than any other racial demographic. Clinton currently has 87 percent of the black vote, according to the same poll.

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While the new tone may garner some new support, according to Eric Ham, author of "The GOP Civil War: Inside the Battle for the Soul of the Republican Party", Trump needs all the help he can get from racial and ethnic minority voters because he's seeing his support slip elsewhere.

"He's losing every key electorate in this election at this moment," Ham told GVH Live. "He's doing very poorly among white, college educated voters. I think what he is thinking, along with his campaign team, is for every white voter we lose, we need to try to grab more of the minority vote."

College educated white voters is the most contested demographic between Clinton and Trump. Clinton holds a slight edge over Trump, 47 to 46 percent.

In addition to a shift in campaign messaging to black voters, it appears Trump is also pivoting to attract Latino voters. During a town hall this week, Trump admitted to Sean Hannity that he's willing to soften his stance on deporting all 11-12 million undocumented immigrants in the United States. This comes after a year of disparaging Latinos by calling Mexicans criminals and "rapists".

"The way he's actually talking about it now only increases the alienation that both African Americans and Latinos, I think will continue to exhibit during this campaign." Ham explained.

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mental health issues / anxiety & paranoia.

We are ridiculed for being angry

We are pressured to quietly pacify our pain

We are mocked for feeling victimized

We are urged to 'forgive' in the face of incessant wounding

Our hearts hurt. Our souls weep.

And our minds whisper: Stay woke. Still rise.

Imani Michelle Scott

"I asked an African American man: 'where does a black man with a gentle heart go for support?' And he burst into tears." - Ms. Vanessa Jackson

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We have not reached agreement on what to name it, but we don't need to name it to know that it exists.

Dr. Joy DeGruy calls it Post Traumatic Slave Syndrome.

Author and attorney Barbara K. Ratliff refers to it as Battered Race Syndrome, an expression also frequently used by the Reverend Dr. Al Sharpton.

In the book, "Crimes against Humanity in the Land of the Free: Can a Truth and Reconciliation Process heal Racial Conflict in America?" Dr. Trina Brown and Dr. Bentley Wallace call it Collective Neuroticism.

Some call it Emmett-Tillism, referencing psychological reactions to the 1955 brutal murder of 14 year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi.

It was officially labeled: Continuous Traumatic Stress Syndrome by the mental health community in Apartheid-era South Africa.

Ultimately, the label matters far less than the experience. For determinedly, what each marker attempts to verbalize is an appropriate characterization of the trauma-like responses endured by persons of African ancestry as consequences of long-term exposure to state-based tyranny. In the United States, systemic racism and overt injustices along with the near daily police-involved slaughter of unarmed African Americans at the hands of state actors equates to state-based tyranny. Add to that, the violent imagery documenting police killings multiplied by the repeated exoneration of those who kill and it should be apparent how these circumstances combine to evoke Continuous Traumatic Stress.

In my quest to better understand the dynamics of Continuous Traumatic Stress Syndrome, on August 7, 2016, I spoke with three distinguished African American mental health care professionals:

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Dr. Monnica T. Williams, Associate Professor and Clinical Psychologist, University of Connecticut

Ms. Vanessa Jackson, Psychotherapist and Owner, Healing Circles, Inc.

Dr. Matthew Smith, Licensed Psychologist, Atlanta Consulting and Psychological Services, LLC

Below are selected excerpts and paraphrased comments from our discussion, which can be listened to in its entirety at: www.blogtalkradio.com/gumboforthesoul -- select: OnDemand, then "The 411: Conflict Transformation."

************************

"It's totally natural and normal for us to be upset, confused, [and] scared about what's going on in our society and what we're seeing." - Dr. Monnica T. Williams

Q: What does the pain of living in a perpetually racist society feel like to the oppressed?

Typical emotions involve feeling:

Alienated. Angry. Outraged.

Overwhelmed. Confused. Unfairly Treated.

Battered. Abused. Constricted.

Depressed. Traumatized. Grieved.

Anxious. Fearful. Deceived.

Guilt -- about any or all of the above.

Q. How do we know if our responses are unhealthy?

"The concept of 'healthy' in a fundamentally toxic environment? I'm not even sure what that means." - Ms. Vanessa Jackson

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Problematic and unhealthy responses could include:

An inability to be optimistic or function well enough to find joy and happiness.

Hypervigilance.

Sleeplessness and low energy.

Fear of going to work.

Anxiety about interacting with white people.

Internalizing painful emotions.

Withdrawing inward.

A tendency to "stuff anger" (a habit proven to contribute to the higher propensity for hypertension, diabetes, stroke and other illnesses).

Q. Is there a higher expectation of resilience for African Americans than there is for members of other groups?

"Absolutely ... The trauma proposes survivor skills that we absolutely must have and must enlist." - Dr. Matthew Smith

There are racism-related resilience strategies that are passed on to our children for their survival.

The "double-consciousness" coined by Dr. W.E.B. Dubose is a legitimate part of our resilience toolbox.

We must continuously assure our children that they are strong and resourceful enough to overcome a deck stacked against them.

Trauma genes are genetically transmitted from parents to unborn children as survival mechanisms (see The Grady Trauma Project).

Q: Why are we made to feel guilty about being angry?

"I am unapologetically angry ... I don't have a problem with it. I don't feel guilty about it. I am all for 'righteous rage' ..." - Ms. Vanessa Jackson

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Stereotypes of the angry black woman and angry black man are projections that white people put on us to control us and validate their violence against us.

Anger is a survival skill. Sometimes, to survive we draw on anger as a tool.

There is no evidence that black people are angrier than white people or any other group.

We have a right to be angry.

Q. How are our children impacted? How do we support them?

"... Talk to our kids ... [or] they will make up their own stories ... Often, [their] take aways [are]: people like me are being shot and killed and nothing's being done ... I am not a worthwhile person ... I can't count on anybody ... my life is meaningless ..." - Dr. Monnica T. Williams

Our children's mental health is impacted by all aspects of racism in our society.

Young black men may hide emotions under the veil of hypermasculinity.

Our children feel they don't have traditional opportunities to connect, so they do things like joining gangs to have a sense of belonging; this ends up creating more opportunities for trauma.

Parents must "control the narrative" by contextualizing the violence and creating safe zones for children to talk about their feelings.

Q. What are the roles of spirituality and religion in supporting emotional and mental health to deal with the pain of racism?

"The black church is a place where people can get their spiritual nourishment ... and feel good about themselves ... " - Dr. Matthew Smith

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The church in the African American community is a safe haven and pillar of support.

Because many pastors are not licensed mental health care professionals the amount of care they can offer is limited.

Many churches are developing mental health care centers as a part of their offerings.

Q. Why is there a stigma about seeking mental health support in our community? How can we overcome it?

"Society has beat us up so much, you definitely don't want to [go] into someone's office and feel that you are even weaker now by talking about issues that are beating you down or breaking you up." - Dr. Matthew Smith

There is a fear of being perceived as "crazy" in a world where blacks are historically more likely to be forcibly institutionalized and more likely to be overmedicated and diagnosed with a psychotic disorder than non-blacks.

There is the fear of appearing weak in a society that only rewards the strong.

There is a long-standing belief within the dominant community that black people do not have or feel pain

Q. Are there any mental health challenges that whites face as a response to living in our racist society?

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"[Some] white people do feel a lot of guilt about their culture's racist legacy ... they don't know what to do with it because white people are socialized to not talk about being white and the privileges it affords ..." - Dr. Monnica T. Williams

Well-intentioned white people try to work through their guilt. But sometimes the guilt may lead them to do things that are not good for the community or healthy for the person.

A clinic in Washington has just been opened to help white people work through their racial biases.

Q. What types of mental health or emotional challenges are you aware of that African American police officers encounter during these times?

"Can you imagine going to work every day with people who are armed, who you know are racist ... and counting on them to back you up if something happens to you ...?"

- Ms. Vanessa Jackson

Former and current African American officers have spoken about the racism they experience as an officer.

Many feel pressured to maintain the status quo to save their jobs and their lives

Black veterans of war have spoken about the racism they experienced from their comrades; some say it was worse than the trauma they face on the front lines.

Q. What can we do to positively cope?

Allow ourselves to "be human" and to experience the full range of emotions that come with that allowance. Detach from media and external stimuli to periodically reboot. Seek social support from persons who empathize with what we're feeling. Involve ourselves in targeted self-care and pampering moments (e.g., meditation, massages, exercise, and yoga). Link to safe spaces like churches and community groups. Establish and/or participate in peer support movements (e.g., soul and healing circles). Join an activist group whose values and goals align with our own. Give ourselves the "right to pull out" of activism when it becomes overwhelming. Permit ourselves to work through our personal experiences of emotion without judging or timing the process. Allow ourselves "righteous rage" and other emotions to the degree that we don't hurt ourselves or others. Contact a mental health care professional. The Association of Black Psychologists is a good resource for African American practitioners. Encourage the study of mental health; there are far too few African Americans in the mental health field.

To summarize, many African Americans are fully aware that but for the grace of God our father could be the next Eric Garner, our brother could be the next Laquan McDonald, our sister could be the next Sandra Bland ... and we could be any of them. Our angst is only exacerbated when we see the men caught on video assassinating those who look like us and our loved ones not being held accountable by a seeming "injustice" system. It all hurts, very deeply.

I am hopeful that what I have shared through this article and the radio broadcast will offer support to those experiencing grief, hypervigilance, anxiety, and/or other painful emotional responses to the agony of living in a society where black lives too frequently seem not to matter. And for the record, there is no such thing as a "blue life". Police officers are individuals who choose a profession. We who are black do not choose -- because of the innate melanin in our skin, to be hunted, haunted and killed by those in that profession.
Affordable healthcare isn't a myth. In fact, if you look beyond U.S. borders you'll find healthcare systems in other countries that are equally as good -- if not better -- than what you get at home. And you won't have to remortgage your house to stay healthy.



Many of the hospitals in Mexico are owned and run by U.S. hospital chains.

As more and more people are realizing better and faster healthcare is available at a fraction of the cost, a growing number of them are opting to take advantage of what's called medical tourism.

It's not uncommon for these medical tourists to save tens of thousands of dollars -- or even more -- on medical treatments without sacrificing on quality.

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And who doesn't enjoy relaxing and seeing an interesting new part of the world while saving enough money on healthcare to cover the cost of an exciting vacation and still come out ahead financially?

Instead of staying in a small hospital room, you can spend your recovery time in a luxurious Four Seasons Hotel, receive high-quality medical treatment, and still save a small fortune.

Perhaps dental or vision care isn't included in your health plan at home... Maybe you want an elective procedure, like vision surgery or a facelift, that isn't covered...

From Asia to Latin America, read on to find out more about five of the best options available to you as a medical tourist.



Costa Rica has a high ranking healthcare system thanks to large government funding to its health sector.

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Costa Rica

Medical tourism has become big business in Costa Rica. People around the world are realizing the benefits of the country's high-quality, low-cost medical services.

The World Health Organization ranks Costa Rica's healthcare system slightly above that of the U.S. This achievement is the result of a large government investment in the health sector. The influx of foreigners in Costa Rica has also been a big incentive for private hospitals to open and expand their operations.

Tens of thousands of Americans, including many retirees, live in Costa Rica, and more than 700,000 Americans make annual visits. With hundreds of board-certified physicians, surgeons, and dentists practicing in or near the capital city of San Jose, health travel has gained a strong foothold in this nation of more than 4.7 million people. Around 15 percent of international tourists come specifically to take advantage of its medical services, mostly cosmetic surgery and dental care. And the nation is among the top five visited by Americans for medical treatment.

To give you an idea of the savings that can be made by seeking medical procedures in Costa Rica, below is a comparison of procedures and their cost in the U.S. and Costa Rica according to the Medical Tourism Association.

Coronary artery bypass: Costa Rica $31,500, U.S. $88,000

Heart valve replacement: Costa Rica $29,000, U.S. $85,000

Hip replacement: Costa Rica $14,500, U.S. $33,000

Knee replacement: Costa Rica $9,500, U.S. $34,000

Facelift (full): Costa Rica $4,500, U.S. $12,500

Gastric bypass: Costa Rica $11,200, U.S. $18,000



New clinics and hospitals are opening in Colombia to help support the country's medical tourism trade.

Colombia

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If the high quality of Colombia's healthcare system was news to you, you're not alone. But word of the country's excellent, affordable healthcare is getting out. Between 2012 and 2013, medical tourism in Colombia increased by over 60%. In 2013, 50,000 medical tourists pumped an estimated $216 million into the Colombian healthcare system.

For decades, North Americans have come to Cali and Medellin for cosmetic surgery -- a tummy tuck here, a facelift there, and a few implants to round things out.

But today, people come to Colombia for all sorts of complex medical treatments. Eight of Medellin's hospitals ranked among the top 43 in all of Latin America last year. That's according to the prestigious financial publication America Economia, which assembles an annual list of the region's top medical facilities.

In most cases, Americans are able to save 40 percent on healthcare in Colombia, and in many cases, even more.

"I speak from experience when I say I'm impressed by the healthcare in Medellin," says Nancy Kiernan, International Living's Colombia correspondent.

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"My husband and I have lived here for over four years, and we are very satisfied with the city's health and dental-care systems. From something as simple as getting a blood test or your teeth cleaned, to surgery and root canals, healthcare professionals in Medellin provide excellent service," says Nancy.

Thanks to all this excellent care, medical tourism is booming in Medellin.

Each year, more and more foreigners come here for that very reason. It's not hard to see why. MedicalTourism.com does price estimates on various medical procedures. In 2015 the cost of a hip replacement in the U.S. averaged just over $40,000. In Colombia, the same procedure averages only a little over $8,000.

Medellin is committed to making access to care easier for international patients. The San Vicente Fundacion Hospital recently built a second site only two miles from the Rio Negro International Airport. Being only a stone's-throw away from the arrival terminal means that patients have only a five-minute drive to the hospital for their care.

Dentists here provide fantastic care at a fraction of the U.S. cost. A crown in the U.S. will cost you between $1,000 and $3,500. "My English-speaking dentist here will do the same procedure, using state-of-the-art equipment and facilities, for $250 to $480," says Nancy. "Even if you just want to brighten your smile, a one-hour session that includes an ultrasonic cleaning, tooth polishing, and two cycles of whitening gel costs only $150. In the U.S., you'd easily be looking at four times that amount for the same service."

The Colombian government has taken notice and made promoting medical tourism a top priority. New clinics and hospitals are popping up everywhere. Medical tourism travel agencies are working hand-in-hand with medical institutions to provide complete packages that include travel arrangements and medical care.

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Mexico

In Mexico, most doctors and dentists receive at least part of their training in the U.S. (And many U.S. doctors have trained in Mexico, notably in Guadalajara.) Many of them continue to go to the U.S. or Europe for on-going training. Every mid-size to large city in Mexico has at least one good hospital.

Many individual hospitals are excellent. In fact, Mexico's combination of well-trained doctors, modern hospitals, low prices, and proximity to the U.S. has made it a popular medical-tourism destination for U.S. residents. Many Mexican towns along the U.S./Mexico border have thriving dental and medical practices, thanks to their many U.S. patients. And some cities further into Mexico, notably Puerto Vallarta and Merida, have become medical-tourism centers because they offer several excellent hospitals and dental practices in one city.

Several private U.S. hospital chains own and run hospitals in Mexico. Most notably, International Hospital Corporation of Dallas has four hospitals that it operates in Mexico under the CIMA name.

Texas-based Christus Health Systems operates seven hospitals in Mexico under the Christus Muguerza name. In addition, several top-notch, Mexican-owned hospital chains (notably Star Medica and the Los Angeles chain) are popular.

To give you an idea of prices, in San Miguel de Allende a tummy tuck will cost you $6,000 compared to $8,800 in the U.S. A facelift will cost $8,300 in San Miguel...in the U.S. it will cost you $12,500. A dental implant will cost you over $3,000 in the U.S. and the same procedure in Mexico costs just $1,750.



Malaysia receives a huge percentage of the world's medical tourism.

Malaysia

Malaysia has gained fame as a medical-tourism destination because its healthcare is among the world's best -- and cheapest. Malaysia has both public and private healthcare with medical expertise equal to or better than that in most Western countries.

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In Malaysia, medical staff are friendly, professional, and genuinely happy to see you. The majority of the doctors and dentists are trained in the U.S. and the U.K. It's really a country where medical tourism has been taken to the next level.

More affordable air travel, mounting healthcare costs in developed countries, long waiting lists, and an ageing world population have all contributed to a global explosion of medical tourism in the past decade -- and Malaysia is leagues ahead in terms of its world market share.

It's a secret that the rest of Asia has known for a long time. In fact, 80 percent of all medical tourists coming into Malaysia are from its neighboring countries, including Thailand and Singapore -- medical tourism enclaves themselves.

So why are medical tourists flocking to Malaysia? Both Penang and Kuala Lumpur are serviced by airlines from around the world; have a plethora of reasonably-priced hotel rooms; an excellent public transportation system (second to none in the region); and when you arrive in Malaysia most nationalities are given a three-month visa upon arrival. All of which help to make your stay -- in a hotel, hospital or short term let -- easy.

Given Malaysia's reputation for graceful and attentive service, it is not hard to see why Penang and Kuala Lumpur have quickly become the medical tourism hubs of Asia.

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More than 80 percent of all medical tourists in the world traveled to Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore in 2012, with Penang and Kuala Lumpur (in Malaysia) leading the pack.

The cost of hotel rooms and treatment are both far more expensive in Singapore than on the Malaysia island of Penang, making it the most popular place for medical tourism in Southeast Asia.

Malaysian Tourism, which began promoting medical tourism in Malaysia in 2002, is delighted with the progress, but would now like to see more Western tourists booking in for what Asian tourists have been benefitting from for many years.

Some of the most popular treatments available include cosmetic surgery, dental work, and dermatology.

To give you an idea of the cost of just one procedure, a full-face lift in the U.S., including a chin lift (sometimes done separately or not at all), can be as much as $35,000. In Malaysia it's half the price. When you think that you can add on a week of rest and recuperation somewhere, like on the exotic island of Langkawi, in a 5-star hotel, and still save $10,000 on what it would have cost you in the U.S., it's no wonder that Malaysia's medical tourism industry is on the rise.

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Dentist studios are state-of-the art. A checkup costs $9. A filling and a cleaning costs about $32.50. In the U.S. this treatment costs on average $180. To replace a cap on a tooth costs on average $300, while at home this would cost closer to $1,200.

Western accreditation is also a vital component for confidence in undergoing foreign medical treatments, and hospitals in Penang and Kuala Lumpur were among Southeast Asia's first recipients of the United States' prestigious Joint Commission International (JCI) certification, which is seen as the gold standard for healthcare service providers around the world. Now Malaysia has eight JCI-accredited hospitals for medical tourists to book with. Some hospitals in Penang also have entire wings specializing in tourists, and have translators for 22 different languages, including Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish and Russian, as well as a teams of English-speaking staff.



Many of Thailand's doctors are trained overseas, in the U.S. and Europe.

Thailand

Along with being a low-cost and tropical retirement haven, Thailand has long been an international destination for medical tourism. Why? Because healthcare is low cost and excellent quality. In fact, the "Land of Smiles" is ranked among the world's 50 best healthcare systems by the World Health Organization.

In Bangkok and Chiang Mai's private hospitals, you can expect a quality equal to standards in the U.S. There are also some very good private facilities in Hua Hin, Udon Thani, Phuket, Pattaya, and Koh Samui where most primary and secondary medical care problems can be dealt with.

Many doctors undertake specialist training abroad (usually in the U.S. and Europe), and are at least as well qualified as physicians in the West -- often more so. Large private hospitals are also staffed with translators to assist foreigners in communicating with those medical professionals who don't speak English (many of them do speak English, however).

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Costs vary from hospital to hospital and region to region, but many locations have Western-standard private hospitals. Thai hospitals offer very competitive prices for healthcare services. Indeed, costs for medical services in Thailand can be 50 percent to 80 percent less than similar procedures in the U.S.

After 1997 and the Asian financial crisis, local health professionals found themselves with gleaming new hospitals and an abundance of empty beds that they couldn't fill. And so the country started going all out to become a global center for almost all types of cosmetic procedures. Costs are far cheaper than in the West, and many centers offer packages that also include recuperation in a holiday resort.

Obviously, if you are interested in this aspect of medical tourism, it goes without saying that you should be very careful about where you choose to have surgery. Ask lots of questions and request verifiable testimonials. In Thailand, for example, a lot of smaller clinics have jumped on the bandwagon, and the reputations of some are much higher than others.

This article comes to us courtesy of InternationalLiving.com, the world's leading authority on how to live, work, invest, travel, and retire better overseas.

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Medical Tourism Abroad See Gallery

Earlier on Huff/Post50:
It is well-established that yoga contributes to a healthier, longer life. Moving our bodies through specific sequences of poses reduces stress, improves circulation, improves flexibility and strength, and leads to an overall sense of well-being.

Doctor Larry Payne is the leading pioneer of yoga therapy in America. Doctor David Allen is a graduate of UCLA Medical School as well as certified in acupuncture and homeopathy. Both are leading experts in longevity. This November 11-13th Doctors Payne and Allen are teaching Yoga and Longevity at my favorite place on earth, the Esalen Institute.

I spoke with Larry and here's what he had to say about teaching at Esalen:

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And here's what Larry had to say about teaching Yoga and Longevity with David Allen:
This has been a tough week for wolves and those of us who are committed to their recovery. Wildlife officials in Washington state have made the decision to kill the Profanity Peak wolf pack due to repeated depredations since July 8.

This is a point we never wanted to come to. In our vision for wolves, lethal removal would never have to be used. Defenders of Wildlife has been working for decades to help avoid conflicts with wolves, specifically because of the deadly results these conflicts often end up having for them.

When we lose wolves, it is devastating for those who advocate for their recovery, as we have for decades at Defenders. It can be easy to feel that we are losing ground when decisions like this one are made. But as a biologist and president and CEO of Defenders of Wildlife, I want to let you know that as gut-wrenching as this loss is, the work we do every day is creating a safer landscape for wolves.

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The Incredible Return

Gray wolves once roamed freely throughout much of North America, possibly numbering in the hundreds of thousands. But government sponsored programs to hunt, trap and poison wolves almost wiped them off the map in the continental U.S. by the 1930s.



Today the gray wolf is the true "comeback kid." It is slowly but surely returning to some of its former habitat in several states, including Washington, as a result of strong conservation efforts throughout the years - conservation efforts in which Defenders played a major role.

Defenders' Leadership on Wolves

Defenders has been at the forefront of wolf recovery for more than 20 years. We were the first conservation group to introduce the idea of bringing wolves back to Yellowstone. We understood that for wolf recovery to succeed it was vital that we worked with the ranching community. The ranchers of today have never ranched in wolf country so while we look at recovery as a natural restoration of the landscape, ranchers look at it as a new hurdle they have to jump to make a living. This might be hard for some wolf advocates to digest, but the reality is that without the cooperation of ranchers, wolves don't have a chance on the landscape.

Defenders was on the ground supporting the reintroduction: paving the way by working with ranchers through an innovative compensation program for ranchers who experienced depredations. The federal and some state governments now manage and support this same program.

We also put our own staff on the ground to help ranchers and save wolves. We provided resources and technical expertise. Our experts explored coexistence efforts from other countries to bring ranchers the best tools to live with wolves. And it has paid off for the wolves.

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Now, thanks to these cooperative efforts, a large and growing number of ranchers and rural communities are finding ways to successfully coexist with wolves, taking proactive steps to minimize the chance of a conflict - which is a win for them and wolves. The prevailing attitude of ranchers 20 years ago was total opposition to wolves. We were - and still are -- trying to change an entire culture, one that was built on the absence of wolves over the span of decades. Now we hear, "The wolves are here to stay so we have to learn to live with them."

Our approach in the Yellowstone and Northern Rockies region is the best way to secure a real future for wolves in Washington.

Wolf Recovery in the Northwest

Because of our expertise in wolf recovery and coexistence, Defenders of Wildlife has a seat at the table once more, this time on Washington's Wolf Advisory Group (WAG). The WAG is a cross-section of organizations and individuals that work together to provide guidance to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife on how to implement the state's wolf management plan.

Each member of the WAG has different priorities -- ours being wolf recovery. As national leaders in coexistence, Defenders provides recommendations on how the state can handle conflicts between wolves and livestock. Working with the other stakeholders on the WAG, we have been able to negotiate a far better deal for Washington's wolves.

It cannot be overstated how big a difference the new protocols have made for Washington wolves. In just the past two years, the number of livestock producers in Washington that are participating in conflict prevention plans with WDFW has tripled -- a striking indication of how attitudes are changing across the landscape.

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A Brighter Future for Wolves

While the authorized removal of the Profanity Peak wolf pack is a distressing loss to process for all of us, we strongly believe that this tragic situation will not undermine our overall goal of achieving wolf recovery in Washington state.

As the leader of the group that helped bring back wolves to Yellowstone and the Northern Rockies, I know we will be able to recover wolves in Washington and ensure their safe passage on suitable lands where they can rightfully roam freely in the wild.
As someone with a disability myself, and who also knows what it means to parent a child with multiple disabilities, I've become an advocate for my children on so many fronts, including their education. After all, when it comes to disability and inclusion, despite good intentions, many schools don't even know what they don't know. Also, only 61% of students with disabilities get a high school degree -- so it is up to people with disabilities, and their loved ones, to educate and advocate for disability inclusion and success. This is especially true when enabling children with disabilities to have full access to education. While today on average only 1-in-3 working age adults with a disability have a job, studies show that 70% of young people with disabilities can get jobs and careers. But we have to do our part. Here are some tips I've used in the past that may be helpful to you:

1. Know you are not alone. Fully 1-in-5 Americans has a disability. While parenting a child with differences feels lonely at times, seek out other families with similar experiences. Peers can offer good advice, and may become your new best friends. They reside in your local community and online.

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2. Research which schools in your area have real experience and success working with children with disabilities. While all public schools are required to accommodate students with disabilities, some schools may have magnet programs specifically for your child's educational needs. In other cases, you may want to resist when your school district wants to bus your child across town to a school for other kids with disabilities, when accommodations can be easily made at his or her neighborhood school.

Call your local disability groups to see what resources and leads they can offer. Ask other parents of children with disabilities about their experiences with different schools.

Go online to look at the school's website. Does it say they welcome and serve people with disabilities?

3. Write an "all about how to succeed with my child" letter. Yes, you should also prepare a file with your child's Individualize Education Plan (IEP), including suggestions for success from any speech, physical, occupational, mental health or other therapists that works with your child. But don't expect all teachers to be knowledgeable enough to understand some of the technical material. Your letter should be easy to read.

Provide a toolkit for working with your child. Put things into simple language with bullets of information that the school needs to know to make your child's experience safe and successful.

Remember, as a parent, you have unique insights about your child that can help your child's teacher understand his/her strengths and needs. Your candor, experience and advice will be much appreciated. Depending on the age of your child, you may want your child to help write the memo.



4. Request a meeting with your child's teacher and team.

Yes, everyone is busy. However, if you miss out on having a real substantive conversation, you may create a situation that turns your child off to school and learning.

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Additionally, it is not enough to meet with the school principal. You need to sit face-to-face with teacher who will be in the classroom with your child, as well as the school leaders who support that teacher. If appropriate, bring your child's therapists. Depending on the age of your child, you may want to bring them to this meeting.

Before the meeting, you should send your memo about your child to all the meeting participants. Bring copies of it to the meeting as well, and have your "elevator pitch" about your child ready to go. You may want to practice it in front of someone who can offer constructive criticism. It is important to get your points across quickly so they can ask questions. Teachers will really appreciate your efforts, resources and transparency.

Once the teachers learn about your child, the school may want to put an extra aid in the classroom to support your child's needs. Alternatively, they may want to match your child with a different teacher who is more experienced. If so, do your "elevator pitch" and Q&A with that teacher as well. The school may benefit from having your child's occupational or physical therapist meet with them, or join the class for a day, to give the teacher some tips.

5. Ask the teacher and team about their preferred method of communication. Mutual respect and trust are important to all relationships. This includes the relationship you want to cultivate with your child's teacher. That's why it's important to find out which method of communication suits them the best. Many prefer emails.

6. Be fully transparent with your child's team. If your child has tantrums, be sure the staff understands what causes the tantrums, and how to prevent them. If your child needs notification before a transition, or has a tick or expression that they use to indicate he or she is anxious, the team needs to know, so they can best serve your child. This is not the time to worry about privacy - you need to focus on safety and success.



7. Be upbeat. Teachers want proactive parents. A positive relationship with your child's teacher will help your child feel good about school. Before you hit "send," look over emails, making sure they're respectful of the teacher's time and also of their efforts to help your child. It's great for you to ask questions and make suggestions as long as your message conveys your trust that the teacher is performing her job ethically, responsibly and to the best of their ability. You want to be their partner. Remember that a teacher is a person first. Send thank you notes, volunteer, let them know when your child really enjoyed a particular lesson, and try to be considerate of their schedule; teachers have families too.



8. Share your enthusiasm for learning with your child. Talk with your child about they will be learning during the year, and why it is important to you. Let your child know that you have confidence in their ability to master the content, and that you believe it will be a positive part of their life. Reinforce the natural progression of the learning process that occurs over the school year. Learning skills take time and repetition. Encourage your child to be patient, attentive, and positive.

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9. Slow down and take the time to do it right. Transitions are often difficult for children with disabilities. There will be a few bumps in the road. Your child will have a successful year at school in spite of difficulties. As we move into the first few weeks of school, stay calm and positive. Remember to take care of yourself. Know your limitations, and don't be afraid to ask for help. Make sure your child has enough sleep, plenty of time to get up, eat breakfast, and get to school.



10. Familiarize yourself with the other professionals. Make an effort to find out who it is in the school who can be a resource for you and your child. Learn their roles and how best to access their help if you need them. This can include the principal, cleaning and kitchen crew, front office personnel and others who may work with kids with disabilities on a daily basis.
In the movie Judgment at Nuremberg, a Nazi judge has to answer for sacrificing an innocent man to appease the bloodlust of an angry crowd, swearing he had no idea how it would lead to the Holocaust. America must make a similar decision on whether to send a liberal Muslim cleric to his death abroad to appease an authoritarian "ally" in the war against ISIS. Will our policymakers get it right, or will we bow to realpolitik, sacrificing our soul for political power?

At the conclusion of that classic film, Nazi Judge Ernst Janning begs to meet with the head of the Nuremberg Tribunal, Judge Dan Haywood of America. Janning seems like a good guy with good intentions. He admits that he sentenced a Jewish man, Feldenstein, to death, but that was because there was fear and anger. He hoped it would end with the innocent man's death.

"Judge Haywood...the reason I asked you to come," Janning begs in a quivering voice, "those people, those millions of people...I never knew it would come to that. You must believe it, you must believe it." Haywood sternly rebukes him. "Herr Janning, it came to that the first time you sentenced a man to death you knew to be innocent."

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Of course, we believe that we've learned our lesson since World War II. We would never allow that to ever happen again, right? Yet we know that history can repeat itself, often because of human nature, and the desire for expediency over ethics.

Moments after the Turkish military coup failed, "ceremonial" President Recep Tayyip Erdogan ordered tens of thousands of judges, police officers, professors, journalists, administrators, to be fired and arrested many. He demanded the United States extradite aged Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen to Turkey to stand trial, alleging that the longtime resident in America led the coup.

So far, there has not been a shred of untainted evidence that Gulen, who has a historically frosty relationship with the secular Turkish military, could order them around from his remote Pennsylvania home.

Of course, that could change, as Amnesty International has reported on the widespread torture, rape and abuse of detainees from the coup plot. The chances that some people will say what Erdogan wants them to say are similar to the ability one has to be held under water, or endure unspeakable pain.

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Even those in America, who support having closer ties with Erdogan, recognize that the chances of an impartial judiciary giving Gulen a fair trial are nearly impossible. According to former U.S. Ambassador to Turkey James Jeffrey,

"The challenge that Washington faces in Gulen's case is that Turkish authorities have been playing fast and loose with the authority of their court system, undermining the legitimacy of extradition requests. And even if the request is legitimate on paper, U.S. courts and administration officials will have to weigh whether Gulen would truly receive a free trial if he is sent to Turkey. From a policy perspective, the administration would likely be better off swallowing its concerns, sending this case to the courts, and letting the judicial system reach a decision. In this delicate phase of relations with such an important ally, realpolitik must guide the handling of such matters."

If Judge Janning got a second chance, knowing how the Holocaust turn out, do you think he would have ordered Feldenstein's execution? America's leaders are, amazingly enough, in a similar dilemma. Knowing where we stand in history, and the realpolitik concerns that told us to look the other way on Nazi war crimes in order to stand up to the Communists, how will we choose? And if you want a voice, it's time to let those leaders know where you stand.


("The Instrument at Tanglewood" - photograph by the author)

"See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands, your walls are ever before Me." (Isaiah 49:16)



"Why (you ask) should anyone want to be here, when (simply by pressing a button) anyone can be in fifty places at once? How could anyone want to be now, when anyone can go whening all over creation at the twist of a knob?"

It is remarkable that Edward Estlin Cummings (Harvard '15) spoke those words in 1952 - in the second of his Charles Eliot Norton Lectures, in Sanders Theatre - such a long time before the Internet came along and made his biting observations so much more true.

In the immediately previous breath - in that same talk, during his notably ambivalent return to Cambridge - e. e. cummings accused, en masse, the mostly young Harvard audience eating from the palm of his poetic hand, "You haven't the least or feeblest conception of being here, and now, and alone, and yourself."

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I'd say he sold undergraduates, and particularly freshmen, somewhat short there - but I'd also not mistake the corresponding actuality for delight, in the experience of most, or underestimate its terror. Amid the vaunted quest for Self that is College (noting with some irony the tension between the first of those terms and the second's etymology) very few ever wish to be alone and peculiar.

In the Torah this week, on the verge of entry into the Promised Land, our Israelite ancestors are instructed to be unlike the others they will find all around them. And, at the same time, with regard to having a distinctive story and destiny, they are admonished against thinking, "My strength and the might of my own arm have done all this for me." It is the Divine, says Moses to the people, who makes the path of the nation.

We Jews have some considerable and millennia-long training in being unusual, as anyone who has ever experienced being the only Jewish family on a block, or the only Jewish person in a Harvard entryway or suite can attest in personal terms. It may be this predisposes us in some measure to originality. At the same time, as Jews, we have a considerable legacy and ethos of collectivity. "Do not separate yourself from the community" is a strong and frequent Talmudic principle with deep roots - and one need only picture a mass of swaying prayer-shawls, or the concentric circles of a large hora dance to appreciate (for all the upsides of those phenomena) a certain pressure of conformity.

Yesterday evening, out at Tanglewood, I listened rapt and marveling as pianist and musical thinker Jeremy Denk played some twenty-five pieces he had carefully chosen, flowing from Binchois (1400-1460), Ockeghem (1410-1497) and Desprez (1450-1521) to Schoenberg (1874-1951), Stockhausen (1928-2007), and Philip Glass (b. 1937). Denk played each of the two halves of the night's program - Machaut to Bach, and then, after an intermission, Mozart to Ligeti - without breaks for applause between the selections, so that the whole was like a series of variations, a grand opus, linked not by a common theme but by a persistent and propulsive question: "Having been there, what can happen next?"

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In the program notes, Denk analogized this aural sightseeing tour, so to speak, ('whening,' as Cummings might say, through centuries of Western music) to an exercise in time-lapse photography. But, somewhat contrarily, perhaps the most remarkable thing about the breathtaking experience for the listener was a notable absence of choppiness from frame to frame, or, put positively, a beautiful continuity - and that, of course, had to do with all of the pieces being every bit Denk, as much as they were so many different epochs and composers. Denk himself seemed to affirm the wholeness, and the his-ness of the whole, musically, by ending the sequence with a re-playing of the 14th century piece with which it began. (This is what we get, I suppose, like a 'gift with purchase,' from Denk's having spent a recent stretch of months in large part with Bach's Goldberg Variations, as those who know that work - of Aria, 30 pieces, and Aria again - will understand.)

In the New Yorker a few years ago, Denk wrote about idolizing one of his virtuosic teachers, and of falling into imitation of that pianist's playing of Beethoven's "Eroica" Variations, and then being scathingly upbraided by that teacher, "You need to learn the difference between character and caricature."

"The room went silent, absorbing this elegant, lacerating remark," writes Denk. "It got worse. Variation after variation, he demonstrated how I had converted high humor into low slapstick. In a manner that I now recognize as distinctively European, he seemed to blame me for my enthusiasm for his own ideas. People patted me on the back outside afterward, hugged me, as if I had been the victim of an assault. I was stunned."

It was a key moment in Denk's becoming virtuosic in his own right.

All of this is to say that it is possible to take part in and to be part of a history and a tradition and a legacy and a somewhat prescribed potpourri - which is also to say, even in a college such as Harvard - while yet being and becoming one's own self. (It is even possible to do while ascribing the glory of it to the Divine.) But it's not easy. It is not something I can promise glibly or truly every one of you will do. And I think it requires - so I warn you - something of an artist's courage. If you are going to do it that way (your way, and discovering what that is) - even if you have, as I hope you will, the best of friends - you will sometimes be by yourself.

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"There's the artist's responsibility; and the most awful responsibility on earth," as Cummings said in his Norton 'nonlecture,' as he called it. "If you can take it, take it. If you can't, cheer up and go about other people's business; and do (or undo) till you drop."
Lt. Josh Seefried is a close friend of mine. Yesterday, a military judge declared his innocence after an exhaustive examination of the case in a four-day trial.

For over four years, I've watched Josh as the U.S. Air Force has strung out this case with no evidence. The entire case was summed up in an audio recording of his accuser that was played in open court. I paraphrase, "It was just a drunk mistake and I'm going to take responsibility and use it as a learning point." Indeed, drunken hook ups happen. Most of us have been there, whether gay or straight.

Josh's innocence was obvious even to casual observers of the case. And it was a no-brainer to legal observers. Yet, my friend who did so much to advance LGBT equality within the military was badly treated by the Air Force he is sworn to serve. Without going into all the details of the case, you should understand a few things.

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The military equivalent of a grand jury is called an Article 32. Instead of an actual grand jury, there is an "Investigating Officer" who is a senior legal officer. The purpose of the Article 32 is to review all evidence presented to determine if probable cause exists. That is the lowest standard of proof in our civilian legal system as well.

In Josh's first Article 32, the Investigating Officer recommended against a court martial, which is the equivalent of a civilian indictment. Because the judge ruled that General Burke acted improperly in denying immunity to a witness, a second Article 32 was ordered. The Investigating Officer concluded a second time, and even more strongly, that a court martial was not warranted.

This is where it gets political. The Investigation Officer's recommendation goes to the "convening authority", in this case Major General Darryl W. Burke, Commander of the Air Force District of Washington. It is up to General Burke's sole discretion to accept the recommendation of the Investigating Officer or to pursue whatever other course of action he deems necessary.

This has been a point of contention among sexual assault advocates. Many have said that sexual assault has been swept under the rug by "convening authorities" failing to pursue courts martial when sexual assault has occurred. What has happened to Josh has been the opposite. The Article 32s had deemed that court martial was never warranted; yet General Burke chose to go forward anyway.

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Skipping over other details and getting right to trial, I have been here from start to finish. Every witness called by the prosecution prompted questions of why they were even called as witnesses. Not a single witness, including the accuser, offered any credible evidence to prove the charges against Lt. Seefried. As the government concluded its presentation to the Court, I couldn't help but wonder if they had even reached the low threshold of probable cause, much less proving the charges beyond the shadow of a doubt.

It's worth stipulating that I'm not a lawyer, nor an expert on the military. Needless to say, I'm certainly not an expert on military law. This makes what I have witnessed and my personal conclusions all the more remarkable. Defense lawyers usually try to poke holes in the prosecution's case, raising possibilities that cast doubt on the charges. However, the prosecutors in this instance were the ones raising mere possibilities, getting nowhere near the burden of proof.

On its face, it seems as though Josh received unfair treatment from the Air Force. I won't extend this criticism to the counsel that presented this case. They were doing their jobs and had been handed a very challenging case. Yet they did it professionally and represented the government as well as they could.

Instead, senior Air Force officers and, potentially, political appointees within the Air Force should be asking themselves what there is to learn from this case. During the early days of the case, I had a conversation with a source at the Pentagon and it seemed to me that a pre-judgment had occurred. If this were the case, and it influenced the chain of command, it would be a violation of military law. It's hard to prove and has rarely been done, but cases like Josh's cause others to wonder why it was forced to move ahead and potentially lessen confidence in the Air Force to fairly apply justice.

At the end of the day, Josh has been found innocent. That is something to celebrate, but it did come at a high cost. Not only has his career in the Air Force been destroyed, but it has taken a significant toll on his personal life. In addition, the government has wasted significant resources pursuing this case. If you consider Josh's education at the US Air Force Academy, the lack of work productivity due to his clearance having been revoked, the Air Force's unwillingness to let him separate and pursue other employment, the cost of salaries of the prosecution, the cost of defense counsel, the cost for witnesses to travel and be housed for hearings and trial, the cost of expert witnesses and potentially more cost that I am not considering, it is pretty astronomical.

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Thankfully, Josh has had a great group of friends to help him through this. Not everyone is so lucky. There is an incredibly high rate of suicide among military members accused of sexual assault, whether innocent or guilty. This underscores the need for senior military officials and political appointees to continue to seek ways to improve the pursuit of justice.
Late last year, nearly 200 nations came together in Paris to reach a critical global climate agreement. The Paris climate agreement demonstrated that the international community can come together and successfully tackle a grave environmental problem of global scope.

It is now time for the international community to act on another grave global problem - the increasing degradation of the world's oceans.

Most people don't realize that managing almost two thirds of the globe's oceans requires international cooperation. This area of international waters is known as the "high seas." The high seas cover nearly half the surface of the planet and support fisheries and other resources of enormous importance to humanity.

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This global commons is out of sight and out of mind, and we have collectively proven to be poor stewards of it. Declining fish stocks, rampant pollution, massive gyres of plastic waste, and species of whales and other sea life facing serious threats, are proof of our neglect.

Our dismal record of stewardship is in part due to the outdated international legal regime governing activities in oceans beyond our national borders. The high seas lack basic modern management tools the U.S. and other countries have deployed in our own waters for many decades. They include fully protected "marine parks," where we allow ocean life to thrive, undisturbed by industrial fishing, mining and other industrial activity. And uniform rules on how to assess and manage human activities in the ocean to prevent significant damage. Tools like these can go far to making our beleaguered seas more resilient.

Next week, the United Nations will resume negotiating a new treaty aimed at overhauling the antiquated high seas legal regime. Key issues under discussion include the scope of the new treaty and the timing of negotiations. Some nations prefer the status quo, with few restrictions on activities in international waters. They will likely try to stall the process, or exempt key big industries like fishing.

We can't let them succeed.

The climate agreement reached in Paris last December will start to bend the curve of a trajectory that was heading us toward climate disaster.

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We can bend the curve heading toward disaster for our oceans as well. But we need collective international action to forge a strong agreement that requires large scale fully protected marine reserves, assessment and management of damaging human activities, and other modern management tools to address the increasing depletion, pollution and degradation of our ocean.

The oceans, and all of us, depend on the success of this endeavor. There isn't a moment to lose.
Male and female equality concept stock vector

On a day like today in 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was enacted and American women gained the right to vote. This was the culmination of a civil rights movement that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the world's first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York.

After 72 years of campaigning, women had achieved suffrage in the United States. To celebrate, today is Women's Equality Day, a commemoration that was put forth in 1971 by Rep. Bella Abzug, former congresswoman and champion of women's rights.

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Now that you're caught up with the basics, let's get back to 2016. Certainly those 72 years of campaigning served as practice for this year's historic elections given that, for the first time, a woman is the presidential candidate of a major party of this country.

Well, guess our work here is done. Glass ceiling shattered! Look ma, we made it!

One can dream. Although women surpass men in the proportion and number of voters across the nation, big numbers at the ballot box hasn't yet manifested in equal representation in government. According to the most recent study by StatusofWomenData.org, as of March 2015, women held just 104 of 535 (19.4 percent) of seats in U.S. Congress, 1,786 of 7,383 (24.2 percent) of seats in the nation's state legislatures, and 78 of 317 (24.6 percent) statewide elective executive offices.

And the pay gap, oh, the pay gap. The pay gap is real. In 2013, the median annual earnings for millennial women working full-time, year-round were $30,000, compared with $35,000 for their male counterparts, resulting in an earnings ratio of 85.7 percent. (StatusofWomenData.org)

And that's just the beginning. From violence to institutionalized sexism, the battle for paid family leave to the fight for reproductive rights, women are perennially disenfranchised.

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And I don't know about you, but -perhaps due to its bizarre nature- this election has lacked nuance and made it difficult to find intersectionality among the issues. Either I'm a millennial, or a woman, or a Latina, which means I singularly care about college debt, the wage gap, or immigration. Our ability to vote as full human beings has been been grossly discounted and our views have been missing from the airwaves.

To get some perspective, I caught up with two awesome millennial Latinas, Cristina Lopez, staff at Media Matters for America and Melissa Macaya, producer at CNN en Espanol, who are killing it in the media. Here's a glimpse of what they've gleaned from this election cycle:

Q: What is the biggest obstacle to women's equality in the U.S.?

Cristina: Because the obstacles to equality are structural and ingrained in otherwise innocuous ordinary daily situations, it's hard to point exclusively to one. I think violence against women, ranging from street or workplace harassment to the lethal violence that plagues many transgender women, is perhaps the most perceivable obstacle, and one that media could help in tackling.

Melissa: Work and family balance. I grew up surrounded by strong professional women that always told me I could do and be whoever I wanted to be. As I have entered the professional world and met successful career women, I've realized that having both a career and a family is difficult. Professional environments have become more accommodating, providing child care and allowing some of their employees to work from home, but more needs to be done.

[To echo Melissa's qualms, an Ernst & Young study finds that millennial women in particular are so serious about finding work-life balance, they're willing to relocate to find it.]

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Q: What issues that you care about have been overlooked in this election?

Melissa: This has been a fascinating election to cover. As a Latina journalist who produces coverage about Latin America for a Spanish-speaking audience, I feel that the region has largely been ignored during both national and local election events. The candidates have not voiced the concerns of our CNN en Espanol audience, which is found in both Latin America and the United States, who want to know how each candidate plans to interact with the region if elected president. The concerns of Hispanic young people have also barely been discussed. When discussing the Hispanic population, the candidates primarily have remained focused on immigration. For young Hispanics, topics such as college affordability and the economy are of huge importance.

Cristina: This might sound like an idealist's letter to Santa, but since we're on the topic of equality and since I scrutinize political coverage of the media daily, I definitely believe media could do more to discuss issues of police brutality and the abuse of power against minorities. Other items down the laundry list include surveillance/privacy issues, climate change, and money in politics. In any case, it's worth demanding that media, Spanish and English-language, put these discussions on the table and introduce them in political debates.

Q: How does being Latina (Hispanic, Latin-American, etc.) influence your choices at the ballot box? Or does it?

Cristina: In my role observing the media -- including election coverage -- it's been interesting to notice how more than ever in my time living in the U.S., Hispanic, Latinx or Latin American identities, have become such an important element in political media coverage, either because of the effervescent electoral empowerment of the Hispanic community or because of the terrifying inflammatory rhetoric found in some corners of the campaign trail. As a non-citizen, I can't go to the ballot box, which is something I use to encourage friends around me to not take their right to vote for granted, as with their vote they're representing a larger demographic than they might be aware!

Melissa: As an individual who was born and raised in Venezuela and is also an American, my cultural identity impacts the way I view the importance of the election. I value democracy and the right to vote because in my home country democratic institutions have continually weakened. When covering the election and also making an individual choice, the policies of each candidate regarding Latin America and Hispanics are of great importance to me because I am very much connected to both the region and the community.

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Melissa and Cristina represent a sliver of the spectrum of interests that concern our demographic. And as we elevate millennial's varied voices we'll increasingly remind those in power that we're the most diverse generation in this country's history.

As I reflect on Women's Equality Day and look back at what the trailblazers before us have accomplished, I am filled with gratitude to be living in a time and in a place where the odds of achieving equality for women are ever in our favor.
A UChicago Alum Tells Us Why Trigger Warnings And Safe Spaces Matter

By Chicagoist_Guest in News on Aug 26, 2016 5:50PM



University of Chicago / Facebook

By Cassandra Walker

This week, the University of Chicagos administration gave its incoming undergraduate class a taste of hypocrisy.

In a letter to new students, Dean of Students John (Jay) Ellison states that the university does not condone intellectual safe spaces and that they do not support trigger warnings. (Trigger Warning: This article mentions sexual assault and UChicagos past mistreatment of students. This is how trigger warnings worktheyre a kind of heads-up, not a form of censorship. More on that in a minute.) In practice, safe spaces and trigger warnings help people. They can foster respect and meaningful dialogue.

As a graduate of the University of Chicago who is a queer woman of color, I find this letter disgusting, but sadly not surprising. The university is under federal investigation over claims it violated Title IX, has had a speaker openly insult and mock a trans student, and has seen The University of Chicago Police Department arrest a black student under questionable circumstances in the library, among other issues. It boggles the mind that this institutions administration cant seem to conceive of people who have experienced trauma existingor why it does those people a disservice to condemn the practices of providing a trigger warning or safe space.

Although the university's stance is hypocritical and perplexing, its not shocking or newit already jives with my experience as a recent student and the experiences of many other students on campus. As a woman who has experienced sexual assault, I was denied help and services by the universitys own student counseling center while a student. As a black student, I have watched the university largely ignore its police departments racial biases. As a person who struggled with mental health, Ive seen the administration force students into long hospitalizations and leaves of absence from school. As a queer student, Ive sat through class discussions that ignored or openly demeaned my and my friends' identities. I am, however, saddened and angry nonetheless, because the tone-deaf declarations in this letter actually jeopardize student safety.

Theres a backlash against a perceived culture of political correctness, and part of the problem is that people do not understand what intellectual safe spaces and trigger warnings are supposed to be. (That, or they simply dont care about their fellow human beings.) So let me explain what I am defending here: I am defending basic human decency. I am defending the idea that if we wish to be a functioning, forward-thinking society, we have to at least demonstrate some empathy for other people. Thats what trigger warnings dothey are no different than letting parents know that a movie or music contains violent and sexual content. That music and those movies are still released, they just wont be played in certain places; people have the ability to decide for themselves how much caution they need to exercise when and if they engage with that media.

Why is it wrong for a sexual assault survivor to want to know whether the class they might take will contain graphic discussion or depictions of rape? Why doesnt that person deserve the ability to decide whether it is too soon in their healing process for them to engage academically with that material? Epilepsy warnings for strobe lights, allergy warnings on food packaging, high voltage signs on electric fencesthese are all trigger warnings. They warn that something might cause a reaction for some people because we understand that people are different and should be informed about potential risks.

And informed consent is good ethics; just ask the University of Chicagos Institutional Review Board. They will reject your study if you dont inform people of risks, even if the risk sounds minor, i.e. a risk of feeling slightly cold, or a risk of eye strain. So why would the university want to fight against protecting the minds of students as well?

This week I started working toward my Masters of Social Work at the University of Illinois at Chicago. In my first class, my professor stated that she wants our classroom to be a safe space to explore complex and even triggering topics. She presented some rules to make that possiblerules that said we should assume good intentions from our classmates and think before we attack or say something vitriolic. Not a single rule suggested that students shouldnt talk about hard things. But the rules did say we could take a moment away from class if a conversation triggers us. They also said we could share, or not share, that experience with the professor or class as we saw fit.

These rules make that class feel comfortable. They make me want to have open discourse even if I disagree with my cohort or professor. They create just the kind of intellectual safe space where we can feel ready to dig into uncomfortable, tough subjects. They let us know that malicious intent is not OK, but that personal biases, thoughtful dissent and mistakes will be met with understanding, compassion and respectful dialogue.

That is what an intellectual safe space is supposed to do. This is what a trigger warning is. That is what the University of Chicagos deans of students are saying they dont condone. They are not saying that they want to fix safe spaces that have turned to censorshipor even that this is necessarily a problem at the University of Chicago. Though the Dean of Students claims the university values diversity, inclusion, and mutual respect when recruiting students and donors. This letter shows the administration's willingness to wash their hands of responsibility for creating an environment where the life of the mind is actually protected. This is not good for students or academic discourse.



Cassandra Walker is a masters of social work student at the University of Illinois at Chicago and a 2013 graduate of the University of Chicago.
Podcasting remains an ever-amazing medium. In all of my years of listening to terrestrial radio, I've never listened to a broadcast out of South Africa. But this week I enjoyed Lesser Known Somebodies, an interview show hosted by Johannesburg-based comedian Simmi Areff. Currently on a self-imposed "sabbatical" from performing, Areff nonetheless seems quite plugged in when it comes to the local scene, especially as he trades quips, barbs and chat with fellow comic Alfred Adriaan.

It's fascinating to hear about South Africa's swiftly growing comedy landscape, which really only sprang up following the collapse of Apartheid. (Case in point, it spawned the host and guest's contemporary Trevor Noah, host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show.)

Adriaan is a former marketing executive who transitioned into doing comedy in his late 20's (he's 34 now) and he explains that his swift rise in the Joburg scene is largely a result of his applying his marketing savvy to his own career. "It's all about creating as many touchpoints as you can to reach the largest audience," he explains.

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The two debate the pros and cons of the local Comics' Choice Awards (Areff is decidedly against, while Areff believes they can help a fledgling career.) And they struggle with finding a balance between doing club dates and what seems to be an amazingly brisk "corporate comedy" business.

I really enjoyed this glimpse into how a scene I'm very familiar with in the US operates half a world away.

  

We Got This

Epi78: Clean Slate III with Wil Wheaton

Most weeks that We Got This drops, co-hosts Hal Lublin and Mark Gagliardi (both alumni of The Thrilling Adventure Hour) cover the two or more sides of a single topic, such as Best Utensil: Fork or Spoon? They examine the topic from as many angles as they can and then make a declaration, which then stands as the definitive answer for "the people of Earth."

Every 25 episodes or so, however, they gather together a bunch of listener-suggested topics that are deemed unworthy of an entire episode and settle them in a rapidfire approach, declaring each to be "Asked and answered!"

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For their latest go-round, they've invited Wil Wheaton to join them, which is fairly ausicious considering this summer marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Stand By Me, the Rob Reiner-directed film that brought Wheaton to our attention. (Since then, of course, he's appeared in other films, not to mention TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Big Bang Theory, playing himself.)

We Got This is always a lively interchange but Wheaton's enthusiasm amps this installment of the show to a high level of excitability, whether the topic is about theme park etiquette or deciding which is better: bison or buffalo.

  

Podcasts I'm also listening to this week: Road Stories -- Bill Devlin; and ThunderTaco Soundcast -- Episode 1: Sex, Thighs & Hallway Tacos!

  
Parents, please take the time to find out how your child's school will protect them while they are in their care. All too often we hear in the news about a child sexual abuse scandal, a child who was left on a bus or a child who was lost as they simply walked out of the school due to a lack of supervision. You can't take for granted that all schools have adequate policies in place. Ask about them, ask for copies of them, and go over them, when appropriate, with your child.

Here are a few policies that The New York Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children recommends that parents find out about:

 Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Policies and Procedures: The school should have several measures in place to protect your child. There should be a designated child abuse liaison (or some similar title) who is responsible for arranging training staff on identification and reporting procedures, scheduling personal safety training for the children and coordinating reports of alleged abuse and neglect when they need to be reported. There should be TWO different types of protocols, one that is followed if the parent/guardian is the alleged perpetrator of the abuse or neglect and one that is followed if a teacher, administrator or other school personnel are suspected of abuse. Find out when the school held the last training for all staff on reporting child abuse or neglect.

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 Background Checks on School Personnel: Find out how school personnel are cleared before they are allowed to work with your child. Ask about how they screen for past incidents of child abuse, drug screening procedures and criminal background checks. It's also helpful to know the types of licenses and certifications that are held by the staff. Similarly, you also want to make sure that all volunteers and contracted services personnel, such as the bus driver, have gone through background checks too.

 Bullying Prevention Policy. Be informed. Learn about your school's policy towards bullying. New York State has the "Dignity for All Students Act" (2012) that protects children from harm on school property or at a school function. Find out who you can speak to if your child is bullied. It's also helpful to write down the details regarding the incident(s), as this record can be helpful to school administrators or the police. If it's cyber-bullying, keep copies of all messages or postings. Commit to making bullying stop. Work closely with your school administrators, other parents and if needed, local law enforcement if the bullying persists or escalates. Get help for your child to deal with the stresses of bullying. Speak with a school counselor to get support for your child. The National Crime Prevention Council offers some additional parent tips.

 Emergency Notification System: Emergencies usually come without much warning. Between fires, natural disasters and tragic school shootings, it's critical for a parent to know how their child will be protected if these situations occur while they are on the school grounds. Ask about the security coverage at the school. Who takes charge during an emergency? Have all school personnel received training? Find out how you will be alerted if there is an emergency at the school or an emergency with your child. It's also a good to ask about the frequency of practicing fire drills and other safety drills. The National Education Association has a school crisis guide with helpful planning strategies.

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 Medical Emergency/First Aid: Find out what happens if your child is injured or has a medical emergency such as an asthma attack, concussion, or allergic reaction while at school. Is there a school nurse or another medical provider onsite? Who in the school is trained in CPR? How are medications that a child needs to take during the school day monitored? If 911 needs to be called, will the child be accompanied to the hospital?

 Security: Inquire as to the overall security measures in place, such as cameras, security guards and how visitors are screened. Find out what measures are in place to prohibit intruders from gaining access to your child. I'd also recommend asking about how weapons are handled if they are discovered in the course of the school day. The National School Safety and Security Services suggests 10 things that parents can do to assess their child's safety at school.

 Transportation: Make sure that you understand the school's plan for transportation. Getting your precious child back and forth to school each day requires several attentive adults to make sure that they get safely from the bus to the school and then back again. Learn the route that your child will travel and information on the bus driver. Visit the bus stop with your child and make sure they know which bus to take to get to school and find out how they find the bus when they leave the school. If your child is walking "head up, phone down" is the way to go. The National Safety Council has good tips at this link.

Knowledge is power, and you'll rest easier if you find out about these topics before the school year starts. If the school has a website, visit it, some of this information may be online. For more information about rules and policies, go to your local Board of Education website. Here is the link for NYC's Board of Education.
Recently, the Obama administration transferred 15 men who were held without charge for over a decade from the Guantanamo prison to the United Arab Emirates. Last week's transfer is the largest single transfer of detainees under President Obama, bringing the detainee population to 61 - the lowest point since he took office. Of the remaining men, only 10 have been charged with crimes in the military commissions system, 20 have been unanimously cleared for transfer by all U.S. national security and intelligence agencies, and 31 are awaiting clearance. While it may be important to keep tally of the detainees in each category in order to tailor solutions to a politically entrenched problem (of our own making), we should not lose sight of the lives behind the numbers and the consequences of detaining individuals without charge or trial for over a decade.

Infamously labeled by the Bush administration as the "worst of the worst," most of the men and boys imprisoned at Guantanamo were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. They were not picked up on a battlefield, but rather turned over to U.S. forces for substantial bounties. Others were -- or continue to be -- held based on unreliable evidence obtained by torture, coercion or unsubstantiated accusations by other detainees who were rewarded for doing so. Although there are some detainees who have been charged with serious crimes, including those alleged to have committed the September 11th attacks, others were at most low-level al Qaeda figures -- drivers, cooks and bookkeepers.

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Even when an inter-agency team of U.S. government national security experts determines that a detainee does not pose a threat to U.S. national security interests, some detainees continue to be held simply because of their nationality, not dangerousness. Lee Wolosky, U.S. State Department envoy to close Guantanamo, recently stated that prisoners at Guantanamo are not more dangerous than other detainees, just "more Yemeni." Indeed, 60% of Guantanamo detainees who have been cleared for transfer are Yemeni but because Congress banned transfers to Yemen due to the country's instability, the U.S. must find third countries to receive these men, since Congress has also blocked any detainee from being transferred to the United States for any purpose.

Since President Obama took office, Congress has placed onerous restrictions on transferring detainees from Guantanamo. As a result, the vast majority of those who continue to be imprisoned at Guantanamo are being held without charge or trial, most for over a decade. There are serious U.S. national security and economic costs of doing so, but there are also serious physical and psychological costs for the individuals imprisoned there without charge.

The severe, prolonged and harmful health and mental health problems that results from indefinite detention can constitute cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment. The harmful psychological effects of indefinite detention include severe and chronic anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and enduring personality changes. These severe disorders arise because the indefinitely detained prisoner realizes that nothing he does matters and that there is no way to end, foreshorten or even know the duration of his incarceration.

These effects are exacerbated in detainees who have been traumatized or tortured prior to commencement of indefinite detention. It's now common knowledge that the United States, as President Obama phrased it, "tortured some folks." Whether in Iraq, Afghanistan, black sites, or Guantanamo, individuals in U.S. custody were subjected to torture and ill-treatment.

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Congress should work with the President - rather than try to obstruct his efforts to close the detention facility at Guantanamo Bay and end indefinite detention. The President must continue to direct his administration to transfer the 20 already cleared detainees and provide the remaining 31 detainees administrative reviews to determine if they can be transferred.
Language is power.

One space where the world is experiencing a seismic power shift is in the family and the gender roles that shape it. But the way we talk about this change out loud lags painfully behind.

Even the world's greatest orator, President Barack Obama has focused on galvanizing a new American narrative around gender and parenthood most recently in a historic "Feminist Manifesto" in Glamour Magazine.

"We need to keep changing the attitude that raises our girls to be demure and our boys to be assertive, that criticizes our daughters for speaking out and our sons for shedding a tear. We need to keep changing the attitude that punishes women for their sexuality and rewards men for theirs.

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We need to keep changing the attitude that teaches men to feel threatened by the presence and success of women.

We need to keep changing the attitude that congratulates men for changing a diaper, stigmatizes full-time dads, and penalizes working mothers".

The connotations of "he" stifle the progress needed to advance one of the most important support systems for empowering both genders: paternity leave.

To best empower our daughters, we need to empower their Dads!

Anders Frostenson is a Swedish tech and thought leader committed to marrying passion and pragmatism, language and legislation, when it comes to parental leave and gender parity in the workplace.

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His company Doberman has a company slogan of "We Love Parents", and boasts one of the most inclusive, egalitarian and transparent startup cultures in the industry.

In addition to successfully exporting his business from Sweden to the United States in 2012, he's also committed to exporting Swedish values around gender equality to New York City where he's launched a new, thriving Doberman office.

Sweden is rated as having one of the narrowest gender gaps in the world by the World Economic Forum and is currently being led by the first-ever self-proclaimed "feminist government."

Forty years ago Sweden became the first country in the world to introduce a gender-neutral paid parental-leave allowance. It performs by guaranteeing paid leave of 90% of wages for 180 days per child, and parents can divide these 180 days between each other how they desire. Today virtually 90% of Swedish fathers take paternity leave. Fathers helping out at home has helped women rise at work too, benefiting both genders and their happy kids at home.

I think we've reached a tipping point in America. If we want to continue being the most innovative, exciting nation in the world- a breeding ground for entrepreneurs and a magnet for creators- we need to give both men and women, kids and families, the support to achieve a sustainable and meaningful state of success.

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As an American mother who lived in Sweden with a young child, I cannot underscore how much the inclusive family culture positively affected my husband and myself. We often say how proud and thankful we are to have been able to "raise our daughter Swedish", and to have become "Swedish" ourselves in the way we divide our roles at home.

I have Sweden, coupled with my husband's generous heart, to thank for the partner I have today: one that's incredibly hands-on at home with our daughter and tirelessly supportive of my work, travel and professional evolution.

Anders' resilient voice amplified in this interview is an inspiration for us all on how to prototype our lives for work-life harmony from words to deeds.

Natalia Brzezinski: How have you been able to manage the work-life puzzle? Did you take leave off with your children?

Anders Frostenson: When our first daughter was born 15 years ago, we were young and fresh parents and sort of just winged it. We puzzled the pieces as they came along. When our son was born, 11 years ago, we could see the patterns and work together to change routines and roles to be more fair. It didn't get easier to make all ends meet, but definitely more clear. When our youngest was born, 8 years ago, we had learned to both embrace the chaos that comes with a large family and to choose what really matters to us and focus on that. When the kids were smaller, I used to get up at 7am every Sunday morning to go for a 3-hour run. You can't sleep in and take the long work out.

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You choose. My wife has a motto that I have learned to appreciate as a key perspective on happiness: Always consider the yes. Always start discussing with the honest intent to solve each other's needs and to make it happen. It usually works with some flexibility and an open mind.

My wife's father fell ill at the end of last year. The doctors estimated that he had 3-6 months left to live. Me moving to Sweden at the time was not an option. And for her not to be with him during that process was not an option either. So we just had to solve it. We decided that she should move to Sweden for 6 months and take our youngest daughter with her. And I stayed in New York with the two other kids. It was extremely challenging for all of us. I had to juggle running a design company and take care of two kids alone. We had to break up the family for 6 months. But between my wife, myself and my job we had a completely open dialogue and the three parties were committed to make the sacrifices to make it happen.

The team around me leaned in and could take over some of my responsibilities, and I got some extra support with logistically running the household. My father in law eventually passed away, surrounded by his family. Both my wife and I almost burned out during those 6 months. But now that we are reunited it seems impossible to imagine that we could have done it any other way. This difficult time has made me extremely respectful for all single parents out there. It has also made me convinced that there has to be a framework for companies to deal with situations when the work - life puzzle becomes that complex.

There is always a way, but for only the employee to have the responsibility to solve it, it just doesn't make sense. Maybe it's not a political issue yet, but more a cultural one. What kind of company do you want to be, when times get tough?

Why is parental leave so important?

From a health perspective it's the most important phase in the lives of both parents and kids. Not being able to be with your child because of work is destructive for both.

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From a business perspective, it's crucial to invest in the company key asset-- the

people. It will build the culture, which ultimately helps you keep talent and grow the organization in a sustainable manner.

From a political perspective, it's really the key driver towards overall gender equality, not the result of it.

You've turned your passion into action by launching the Parental Leave Pledge in New York City, tell us about this?

It is a movement initiated by Ustwo, a fellow design firm here in New York (headquartered in the United Kingdom). All the members promise to provide a minimum of 3 months paid leave, 3 months medical coverage, 6 months job security and a commitment to make available and communicate the policy openly online.

What are the short and long-term goals of PPL?

We start out within the US creative Industry and hope to draw a dividing line for companies to cross with us. Either you're one of those companies that value this policy or youre simply not. And soon, it will be an important differentiator for your company's success.

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The long-term goal is to expand and influence the political evolution of this issue to help more people to live healthy lives with their kids.

Do you ever feel a stigma in America against fathers that take time off with their children to the point where some people even ridicule it or question the masculinity of fathers who take paternity leave?

Sometimes. But I disregard it as a remnant of a business world that is fading away. I voice that opinion and it always leads to a healthy discussion. I'm a walking provocation for some people and I can use that stir things up.

The stigma exists in countries like Sweden as well. But as soon as you scratch the surface of it, you notice that people really don't believe it. It's more old jargon. It will change.

When Trump said that "real men don't do diapers" I just laughed.

I read it and began to scroll through reactions on Twitter and saw someone respond to him saying 'Really Trump? But you spray tan your whole face orange everyday?' It's just so ridiculous.

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The U.S. is the only advanced economy that doesn't mandate paid sick or family leave in the world, You've successful launched your company in New York, why do you think America is behind?

Bertolt Brecht said "Grub first, then ethics". The last 100 years in America has seen some of the most progressive and forward thinking in the history of the world. But the some of the social aspects has lagged behind. So in a way, America is like looking 50 years into the future and 50 years into the past at the same time.

My personal experience of moving here to start a business and raise a family at the same time mirrors that Brecht quote well. It was easier to start a company from the ground up and make it successful then navigating the public school system. I got a lot of support and hurrah's as a founder, and at the same time my wife felt isolated and expected to take the care of the family so I could work. That is how the system is designed.



How has the debate around parental leave different in the United States versus Europe?

The debate in countries like Sweden is around focused issues like how to get a 50/50 gender equality distribution of parental leave. In the US the debate is around if and how to get started.

So the debates are on two very different maturity timelines. I'm sure that the US debate will evolve quickly as more people demand it as a basic right at work.

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Many business leaders say that parental leave is a "good idea in spirit" but how do you make it work functionally in especially small startups that can't lose employees for such long periods of time?



Think about it this way; if your business can't provide a good parental leave policy, then you have to look at your business model. Just as if you can't afford to manufacture your product, you need to redesign so you can.

In the everyday operations, you need very proactive planning. The difficult situations that occur are often reactive. Like "Crap, we need to replace him or her next month!"

But if you can nurture a trust-based culture that allows employees to be open with parenthood early on, then you will at least have time to plan. There has to be a dialogue, especially in a startup where everyone is in it together.

And the financial math is actually not very hard. It costs more to search, hire and onboard new people then it does to help your existing coworkers take their leave and come back to work.

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Do you think parental leave really leads to better productivity in companies?

Yes absolutely. Parents come back to work with a life experience that fuels creativity and productivity. With my first kid, I went in as a boy and came back a man.

Also, having the security of parental leave will enable more trustful relationships between employees and leadership. This leads to a more courageous staff.

What has been your greatest challenge as a working father?

My greatest challenge has always been honesty to myself.

When the pressure is on from work it's hard to be honest and not make the immediate situation your priority every time. Your kids and your family are the long-term plan.

As a working parent, you need to constantly level both short term and long term.

If I prioritize a meeting and miss my daughter's graduation, what is the short- versus the long-term price.

As a founder coming to New York with a very strong company culture from our headquarters, we had the opportunity to establish work-life balance as a cornerstone from the start. So there has never been an issue at the office.

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Nevertheless, it has been hard at times. We are a family of five and everyone has their respective wishes and needs that can perhaps not always be fulfilled, but can always be respected. So it's a constant discussion and negotiation.

Sometimes I'm so exhausted that my empathy suffers and I make bad calls. And that's ok, it can't be honky dory every day, as long as you can say "I'm sorry, I screwed up".

The problem is when it's not seen as a screw-up and becomes the norm.



What can Americans learn from Sweden? And what can Sweden learn from America?

When we came to New York, our kids were uncomfortable standing up for themselves and their opinions. Today my daughter compliments a complete stranger on the subway: "Hey, love your shoes!"

As Swedes, we can learn a lot from the dynamics of how people express and connect with each other here on a street level. There is an encouragement from early on that your voice matters so you better learn how to use it.

Also, I see so many great examples in America of how diversity and multiculturalism really drive innovation. In a way, urban America is like Venice or Florence during the peak of the renaissance. It has that magnetism. People come from all corners of the world to get things done and innovate. And when they meet magic happens.

If Leonardo Da Vinci were alive today, he would move to New York.

Sweden is a small and homogenous country with a long tradition of collaboration. It's the perfect sandbox. You can be more socially experimental and quickly understand if something sticks with the people or not. It's a shorter road from idea to implementation. Americans can look at Sweden as a prototyping blueprint.

How do you raise your children to exhibit equality and openness toward gender roles?

Share the chores that come with family life as evenly as you can in front of the kids. Both parents should cook, do laundry, clean the house, change diapers, read the bedtime stories. We're not perfect but we try.

My wife fixes most of the broken appliances at home. I came home one day and she had fixed the washing machine. When I asked her how, she just said it's all on YouTube.

We also encourage our kids to cross gender roles by playing or expressing interest in experimentation around their identity.

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My daughter is a teenager, and I find it so interesting how she and her friends use the word "they" instead of "him" or "her". I learn so much from the new generation who is growing up embracing more fluid gender norms. It's so inspiring as a father to immerse myself in her world, a world that would be traditionally closed to a "male father figure" but which my daughter includes me in to in beautiful ways.

Do you think family leave and work-life balance questions should be addressed by private sector, by government or both?

It's interesting because in the US it seems more focused on private companies taking the lead, while in Europe it has been a public sector focus.

I can appreciate that it spins out of the private sector in America because it becomes more of a business insight and less of a rule that has to be implemented from above. At the same time, the government needs to pick up on the momentum and ultimately lead the bigger change for true gender equality. That worked for us in Sweden, we did not just change.

We needed a little kick in the butt to get started. Most do.

What advice to have for young fathers who "want to have it all"?

There is no time for the kids. You have to make time. Demand it at work, demand it at home. Make it your mission to be living proof that it is possible to have a career and a family. Then you will be part of this change and you'll have something to tell your grandchildren about.
Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen



Myanmar President Htin Kyaw begins a four-day trip to India beginning August 27. This is the president's first State visit to India and will be accompanied by his wife, Daw Su Su Lwin, several key ministers and senior officials.



President Kyaw comes to India at the invitation of the Indian President, Pranab Mukherjee, who will be hosting a banquet in honor of the visiting leader and his delegation.



During his visit, President Kyaw will have official engagements in New Delhi and also visit places of historical and cultural importance. The visit is expected to strengthen and expand ties between the two countries.



The visit comes four days after External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj paid a one-day visit to the Southeast Asian nation on August 22. It was India's first high-level visit to the neighboring country since the National League for Democracy (NLD) came to power.



During the visit, leaders of the Myanmar government told Swaraj that they would not allow any insurgent group to use Myanmar's territory against India. In return, Swaraj offered all possible help to the new Myanmar government.



Swaraj's visit happened just days after the Indian Army had an encounter with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-Khaplang (NSCN-K) militants along the India-Myanmar border. There were reports that the Indian army crossed over to Myanmar territory to pursue the militants but it was denied by New Delhi.



President Kyaw's visit is important for the Indian leadership to engage in substantive talks on cross-border security issue and others.



The timing of the visit is good for both New Delhi and Nay Pyi Taw as the NLD government currently engages in holding talks with several ethnic armed groups of the country.



One major goal of President Kyaw's government is to end decades of armed conflicts in Myanmar, which is considered the longest in the world, by holding the 21st Panglong Conference starting August 31.



Though the NSCN-K is currently not engaged in talks with the Myanmar government, the Modi government could use this visit to talk about the group.



President Kyaw's visit also comes five days after Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar's state counselor and de-facto leader, paid a four-day visit to China, a traditional rival of India.



During the visit, the two countries signed agreements on economic and technological cooperation, among others, that will result in the building of two new hospitals and a strategic bridge in Kunlong, 32 kilometers from the Chinese border in northeastern Myanmar.



Another important issue of bilateral talk was on trade and investment. China is Myanmar's largest trading partner with total two-way trade amounting to $15.6 billion in 2015. In an effort to improve bilateral ties, Myanmar has agreed to review the several dam projects invested by China, including the $3.6 billion Myitsone dam, and find a mutually agreeable solution.



The Chinese leadership assured the state counselor that Beijing would continue to play a constructive role in promoting a peaceful settlement to the decades-old armed conflicts in Myanmar.



In light of these developments, India, which is the world's largest democracy, should seize the opportunity of President Kyaw's visit to strengthen and enhance bilateral relations.



Besides the cross-border security issue, the three areas where India needs to focus are the education sector, institution-building and people-to-people relations.



First, the Indian government has taken initiatives such as the establishment of Language Laboratories and Resource Centre, the Myanmar Institute of Information Technology, and the Agricultural Research and Educational Centre, and the enhancement of the India-Myanmar Centre for Enhancement of IT Skills.



But few students from Myanmar, if any, attend Indian universities. The Indian government and educational institutions across India should do more to attract students from Myanmar, perhaps by offering scholarships or through exchange programs. Additionally, civil society organizations and the private sector should offer vocational trainings for short-term results.



Second is institution building which can be done in a number of ways. For example, the Indian government should invite Myanmar politicians who are new to democracy to give them first-hand experience as to how democracy works in a diverse and pluralistic society.



Myanmar politicians should be allowed to observe parliamentary proceedings, or attend courses offered by Indian universities and think-tanks on the theory and practice of democracy and federalism.



Third is improving people-to-people relations. Not only do India and Myanmar have a shared border but the two countries are also home to millions of people from the same ethnic community, separated during the creation of India and Myanmar in 1947 and 1948 respectively. Examples are the Kachin, the Kuki, the Naga and the Shan, who live side by side along the India-Myanmar border.



Moreover, the two countries share about 1624-kilometre boundary in four Northeast Indian states - Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland. But despite this geographical proximity, cross-border contacts among the ordinary people are relatively insignificant. During Prime Minister Modi's visit to Myanmar in 2014, India agreed to build 71 bridges along the roads used by Indian buses.



Bus service between Imphal and Mandalay, a distance of about 580 kilometers, was originally planned to start in 2012-2013 but Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh launched it only on December 9, 2015 as a trial run, which has not been resumed since then.



Similarly, the first flight service between Myanmar and Manipur was introduced in November 2013, but the service was not continued because of immigration and other issues. Though weekly direct Air India flights on the Delhi-Gaya-Yangon route and Golden Myanma charter flights to India were launched in November 2014, the connectivity between the two countries still remain very poor.



Reliable road links, bus and train services, the introduction of visa-on-arrival facilities at the border, regular flights and the improvement of people-to-people relations are some key areas the Indian government should prioritize for the success of its Act East Policy.



Dr. Nehginpao Kipgen is Assistant Professor and Executive Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies, Jindal School of International Affairs, O.P. Jindal Global University. His writings (books and articles) have been widely published in over 30 countries in five continents - Asia, Africa, Australia, Europe, and North America.
Apple has recently invest $1 billion in Chinese ride sharing app Didi. Because Didi has also invested in Lyft in the US Apple has in fact invested in Ubers competition at home and abroad. (Photo by Jaap Arriens/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

BEIJING -- I spent my first 32 years in China, followed by two years in Boston. I keep hearing people say how rapidly the country has been changing, and I used to say the same to my foreign friends. But I didn't truly realize it until after I returned home earlier this year. I can barely remember the days I spent here. This is all because of smartphones and mobile applications tailored to Chinese needs.

When I found out my toothpaste was used up in the evening, I clicked China's online retailer JD.com's mobile app. Finding the item, I clicked "instant check out." Yes, Americans are familiar with this, especially through Amazon.com. But what is vastly different is that the next morning, before I woke up, a brand new box of Colgate had arrived at my door. By contrast, it took Amazon two weeks to ship a pillow, so I had to use a travel cushion for the first fortnight I lived in the U.S.

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At an IKEA shop in my hometown Hangzhou -- which, by the way, is the headquarters of the world's largest online marketplace, Alibaba, my 63-year-old mother had to teach me how to pay my bill with Alipay, a mobile payment app made by Alibaba. "Open the app, let them scan your QR code," she said. "No, no, not this one. The other button!" Last time I checked, she wasn't even using data on her iPhone.

My time in the U.S. was like stepping backward in time.

Although it took some time, I am now in the habit of ordering my favorite fried buns delivered via a mobile app called Ele.me, which is literally translated as "Are You Hungry." Less than 30 minutes after I order, neatly arranged buns arrive hot -- and it's even cheaper than eating in, thanks to massive discounts offered by companies that are crazy about winning customers.

In the past two years, mobile internet has transformed the lives of millions of Chinese. Technological advancement, low labor costs and attention to detail are among factors that have contributed to the phenomenon. Since taking office, Chinese President Xi Jinping has been promoting his ideology of the "Chinese dream," in which he called on young people to "dare to dream." With the help of homegrown technology companies, Chinese people are living a fast, stress-free and affordable Chinese dream from the palms of their hands.

Now, thinking about my time in the U.S., it was like stepping backward in time.

A closed sign is seen at an Uber office in Hong Kong on Aug. 12, 2015. (REUTERS/Tyrone Siu)

When I first arrived in the U.S., I felt instantly shocked to find that many people are still using text messages as a way of communication. Back home, even my 84-year-old grandmother is on WeChat (yes, she has a smartphone, just like many Chinese grandmas). WeChat is a mobile phone instant messenger app provided by Tencent, which recently surpassed Alibaba as China's most valuable technology company.

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WeChat combines some of the functionalities of WhatsApp, Twitter, Facebook, Uber, Yelp, Venmo, Google Maps, Tinder, Expedia ... the list goes on. It is unbelievable to realize that Tencent started out less than 20 years ago with one product, OICQ, which was clearly a copycat of the Israeli instant messaging tool ICQ. WeChat now boasts almost 800 million active users as of the end of June, more than twice the U.S. population.

Chinese companies, which have long been playing catch-up with their U.S. counterparts, are now leading the way.

A typical day of a Chinese middle-class person living in Beijing goes is like this: wake up, get dressed, book a car on ride-hailing software Didi Chuxing. Before lunch time comes, order a light, healthy meal on the food delivery service Meituan. While enjoying lunch, do some mobile phone shopping on e-commerce site Taobao. After work, meet friends at a restaurant which offers discounts to users of Dianping, a food review and discount app. When you get home, your room has already been cleaned by a maid booked online, and your masseur -- arranged by an app 58.com -- is on the way. No cash or credit card is needed. Everything is settled on mobile phone payment apps.

Perhaps no other event demonstrates better the competitiveness of Chinese mobile internet service companies than the recent acquisition of Uber China by its Chinese competitor, Didi.

Earlier this month, Didi announced that it is taking over Uber's China unit and forming a new company; the two decided to end a fierce war after competing head-on for years. Many observers see the move as Uber waving a white flag in China.

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A staff is showing the new palmprint recognition technology developed by Alibabas Ant Financial. (Zhang Peng/LightRocket via Getty)

Why are Chinese companies, which have long been playing catch-up with their U.S. counterparts, now leading the way?

Over the years, the engine of China's economic growth has slowly but surely shifted from export and investment to domestic consumption. Millions of burgeoning middle-class Chinese are calling for an upgraded lifestyle. Having delicious food is not good enough -- they want healthy meals. And who would go to department stores if online shopping offers lower prices, guaranteed refunds and quicker delivery?

Local companies are better at taking care of the needs of Chinese customers. Sometimes, they even create demand. On Nov. 11, 2015, Chinese buyers spent more than 91.2 billion yuan ($14.2 billion) on Alibaba's online shopping carnival, "Single's Day" (the date, 11/11, symbolizes singles). This didn't exist until recently. Online retailers essentially created a Black Friday for Chinese buyers.

In short, the market is too big to ignore. Spoiled by Chinese tech companies, Chinese consumers are becoming increasingly particular and difficult to please, which in turn forces companies to fiercely compete to constantly improve quality and price of services.

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U.S. Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton delivers remarks at a gathering of law enforcement leaders at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, U.S., August 18, 2016. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson

She is smarter, more experienced, and better prepared than any person to ever run for president. She has a history of nearly 50 years of public service. She is also the first person who when sworn in as president is married to a former president who has spent his post-presidential years legally raising huge amounts money for his Foundation and traveling the world helping millions of people.



According to most recent polling the public seems ready to elect Hillary, perceived flaws and all, while the media appears to be having a really hard time with that. They willingly buy into any attack on Hillary, without proof of its accuracy; and evading their responsibility to write and talk about the issues that make a real difference in people's lives.

Clearly they are confounded by Donald Trump, also a different kind of candidate. One who lies with every utterance, shows his biases openly, plays to people's fears, and is a sexist, racist, bully lacking both the knowledge and temperament to be President. The majority of the public finds Trump untenable yet the media willingly gives him all kinds of passes; from not pressing him to release his taxes to questioning his lack of understanding of our Constitution. It appears they want to keep this a contest thinking it will keep people reading and watching them.

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We have been reduced to getting 'news' which is actually rumor and innuendo. Andrea Mitchell repeats Donald Trump's totally unsubstantiated attacks on Hillary's health as if they are fact. Then suggests when someone calls her on it, that since other reporters on her network said it was unsubstantiated she is in the clear.

The FBI said there is no evidence of a crime with regard to her emails after reviewing all including the additional 15,000 emails they recovered from her server. The media on the other hand reports on these new emails as if no one in government saw them.

The media is beyond mentioning no other person running for president has ever been asked to open up their private emails for the nation to peruse. The millions deleted by Karl Rove during the Bush presidency, which no one investigated or tried to recover, long forgotten. There appears to be no interest in the emails from previous secretaries of State which have never been made public or apparently even retrieved by the State Department.

Yes, Hillary and Bill Clinton are different. First because no public officials have ever had the kind of scrutiny they have had or been attacked as viciously for so long. Then no former president has ever set up a Foundation like the Clinton Foundation accomplishing the good works the Foundation has for millions around the world. Lest we forget the Foundation has received a clean bill of health from a number of charity watchdogs.

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Then no-one alive today remembers a time when the person losing a Party's hard-fought Presidential primary was asked by the winner who defeated her to assume what many consider the most important role in his administration.

The latest attack on Hillary comes from the Associated Press trying to make a direct connection between the meetings Clinton held as Secretary of State and donations to the foundation. They focus on 184 meetings. They include meetings with Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel and Bill and Melinda Gates as if they had to donate money to meet with the Secretary. Then they bury the sentence in the column that should actually have been the headline, "The meetings between the Democratic presidential nominee and foundation donors do not appear to violate legal agreements Clinton and former president Bill Clinton signed before she joined the State Department in 2009." The New York Times jumped on the story and they also take to listing names. But when talking about a supposed deal somewhere deep in the column admit "There was no evidence that Mrs. Clinton had exerted influence over the deal." The New York Times reporters continue their attacks on Hillary and their stories taken in totality amount to zero.



In fact the foreign dignitaries, rich people, corporations and foundations who happened to donate to the foundation and wanted to meet with Hillary had actual international business ideas or issues they wanted to discuss all of which were appropriate for State Department discussion. One example mentioned in the AP story happened in June of 2011 "Clinton met with Nancy Mahon of MAC AIDS, the charitable arm of MAC Cosmetics, which is owned by Estee Lauder. The meeting occurred before an announcement about a State Department partnership with MAC AIDS to raise money to finance AIDS education and prevention. The MAC AIDS fund donated between $5 million and $10 million to the Clinton Foundation and several million more in commitments to programs through the Clinton Global Initiative." Obviously the intent of including this in the story was to show a connection to the Foundation. But it is clear that connection is irrelevant to the international charity work they did in partnership with the State Department. They didn't get anything rather they gave more money and it wasn't to the Clintons but rather the money went to help people in need around the world.

Ignored in this continuing effort to discredit everything Clinton, is what Gary Bass, founder and former director or OMB Watch, originally formed as a government accountability organization, said "it was only after Clinton left the State Department, that the National Archives issued a recommendation that government employees should avoid conducting official business on personal emails (though they noted there might be extenuating circumstances such as an emergency that require it). Additionally, in 2014, President Barack Obama signed changes to the Federal Records Act that explicitly said federal officials can only use personal email addresses if they also copy or send the emails to their official account. Because these rules weren't in effect when Clinton was in office, "she was in compliance with the laws and regulations at the time." That corresponds to what the State Department and the FBI have said.

Now Hillary Clinton has apologized for using a private server. She learned from that and clearly won't do it again. But it has not been shown anywhere at any time that what passed across her server either hurt an individual or the nation.

What gets lost by the media in their rush to attack Hillary, using every Republican scattershot, is before she began her campaign she was honored by Republicans and Democrats, national and international leaders including John McCain all praising the work she did at State. She has an incomparable history of service to people. When she is serving people, whether in elected or appointed office, or simply as a private citizen, just not when running for office, people remember and admire that history. In 2015 American's voted her most admired woman in the world for the 20th time.

Maybe it's time out of fairness amid the attacks on her by the media, people like Andrea Mitchell, mention her history. Maybe some of the story they tell about Hillary includes her fifty years of service. On a recent front page the Washington Post attacks Clinton again for raising money from the wealthy. Well maybe if the true story of Hillary's life were told by the media she wouldn't have to raise the fortunes needed to pay the cost of the media ads, which pay the salaries of those writers and talking heads, to get her story out.

Hillary will win despite the media just going along and repeating Trump's attempt to portray her as this dark person only out for herself. The American people are smarter than that and understand there is absolutely no comparison between her and Donald Trump.

Hillary in a brilliant and pointed speech in Reno, Nevada correctly said, "Donald Trump is building a campaign on prejudice and paranoia." People understand that and know Hillary as president will help keep the world safer; abide by our Constitution; and work to make sure every person has an equal opportunity to succeed and reach their full potential. Isn't that what we want from our president?
Staying in the collaborative field

The meeting room is much too small for the almost 45 people. It is hot, the tiled floor does not help much, and the ordinary plastic chairs are not particularly comfortable. Little wind is coming through the open door that leads to the street. The occasional car driving past worsens the acoustics in the room.

Down the hill is the sea, the vast Atlantic Ocean of Salvador de Bahia in Brazil. However, its delightful invitation to a swim is ignored.

Despite the almost unbearable heat, the group concentrates on a written document that is projected onto the wall. Step by step we work through it - we're all hoping that this very diverse group will finally agree on one single document.

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Completing this document forms an important milestone for an ambitious project. People have been meeting, in various constellations, for some time now in an attempt to reach an agreed on document. In addition, different versions of the document have already been under discussion for months and each version has been the cause of much conflicts and threats.

Much rests on this document as it could lay the foundation for continued collaboration between highly diverse international actors. And now, finally, we are about to bring it all together - if only we could all agree.

A moment of truth...

I stand in front of the group and I do not know which way this will go - will the group break apart, or will our common hope for change hold it all together?

At the same time, over the years my confidence has grown in the group's ability to re-establish common ground continuously - against all odds, and despite political, economic and cultural differences.

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I have also come to believe that our shared commitment to sustainability - once it outgrew the usual scepticism and doubts - has a resilience which is able to survive all crises.

This resilience emerges from a deeper desire which lies latent in even the most critical person - a desire to contribute to the common good.

In this group, specifically, I also repeatedly encounter the subtle and silent presence of our collective responsibility. While resilience emerges from a need to contribute to the common good, collective responsibility seems to arise whenever a joint move into our future is at stake.

My confidence is rewarded. Despite all the vested interests, the lingering mistrust, the occasional doubt, we eventually reach an agreement. When my last call for proposals for change is met with nothing but silence I know...we have arrived.

Everybody knows. The relief erupts in spontaneous applause. And in this moment we honour each other; we have achieved the almost impossible.

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And we proved that it is possible to tend the common.

Meaning flows when we collectively responding to sustainability

What started as a challenging initiative, (the Common Code for the Coffee Community (http://www.4c-coffeeassociation.org/), today involves a wide range of people - from coffee growers, across the continents, to coffee roasters, from workers' unions to government officials. Together, each and every person involved has taken an important step towards more sustainable growing, trading and production of coffee on the world market.

Here is a growing community of people who had voluntarily decided to join a movement of sustainable business practices. The community consists of company representatives; leaders of coffee cooperatives; coffee farmers; researchers; civil society activists; presidents of coffee federations; lawyers, and sustainability managers. Under normal business circumstances these people would not usually communicate or even get to know each other. Yet, the initiative for more sustainable coffee production drew people together whose lives and worldviews differed in the extreme.

So how did this diverse group manage to work together?

One of the participants summarized: "There was an atmosphere of commitment that made it impossible to misbehave. Although you might feel the need to defend your position, you would still always stay in the collaborative field. You knew that we were all in this global learning process together, yet, nothing is fixed, we have to learn as we go".

Shining a light towards our shared future

What spark is needed to engender a commitment to a strenuous international learning process with an ambitious goal and unclear outcomes?

The Common Code for the Coffee Community initiative showed me that our initial intention is the spark which rekindles a latent desire. While our initial intention doesn't lay doubts to rest, it does create a resonance with newly emerging possibilities. And as our desire and resonance are nourished, inspired and revived, it keeps longing for more...growing towards more.

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As the marriage between desire and resonance grows, the energy changes, people become more present, more open. They are more willing to cooperate while respecting one another's differences.

Have you had similar experiences in sustainability initiatives?

What was your initial intention and how did you manage to stay, or not stay, in the collaborative field?

What are you willing to say YES to?

We would love to hear your comments and learn from them.
Nadeem Farooq Paracha, or NFP as he is popularly known is perhaps Pakistan's most popular and yet controversial English language journalist. I started to follow him in 1995-96 and over the years, my opinion about him has oscillated a lot. At one time I used to think of him a left wing lunatic who was obsessed about the way 1960s transformed USA and thought that same thing could happen to Pakistan if music industry could reorient itself to producing "social" kind of songs.

But over the years, he has evolved a lot and so have I. I have transformed from a delusional hyperbolic "nationalist" and today I consider myself a center to left person, whereas NFP has also fused his idealism with a healthy dose of realism! Today in my opinion he is someone whose heart is in the right place but at the same time he understands the ground realities.

So when his book titled as "End of the Past" came out I hurriedly ordered it. Generally we often get disappointed when expectations are extremely high but in this case I am much relieved that this endeavor of his has not led to any disappointment.

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His book is a must read for all those who want to understand as to when and how Pakistan descended into current state of affairs. What makes this book different is that Nadeem has actually used both first person as well as objective point of view and this style of narration has illustrated the way events and the political decisions actually impacted the society at the individual level.

The central focus is on the way Pakistan started to transform from a relatively moderate and pluralistic society to an extremist and intolerant one. Although today's headlines about Pakistan often create the impression that the country from its inception has always been like that, but according to Nadeem, things were different in 1960s and 1970s. Pakistan of those decades was relatively tolerant and although religion was a dominant aspect back then also but the religious thought of those days was more moderate and accommodating of personal freedoms and minorities.

In fact Nadeem explicitly mentions that Pakistan' genesis was ethnic as appeal to Muslims for a separate homeland was made on those grounds. Islam was in fact used as a rallying tactic and nothing else. Pakistan was visualized as country for Muslims and not as a Sharia state.

Then what happened? Why Pakistan over the decades transformed into a different kind of society? Nadeem has interesting answers regarding this puzzle. First, some of the leaders who were instrumental in Pakistan movement could not wriggle themselves out of the movement mode and continued their practice of projecting Islam as a rallying call in places like Khyber Pukhtunkhawa (a Pashtun majority province) as the Pashtun nationalists had initially refused to join Pakistan. The idea was to use Islam for to subdue ethnolinguistic tendencies by projecting Islam as the common unifying cause. The same tactic was also used to tackle with the growing Bengali resentment after the government imposed Urdu as a national language.

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Ironically the forces which had actually opposed creation of Pakistan-religious parties like Jamat Islami, now became the vanguards of this Islamic thrust. Gradually Pakistan started to tread on the path of Islamization which really accelerated in 1970s particularly after the breakup of Pakistan.

In 1971, Bhutto a populist leader took over after the breakup of Pakistan on a socialist manifesto but after first two years , he also veered towards Islamic direction and actually introduced several Islamic clauses in the 1973 constitution. Moreover, in order to appease the religious hardliners, Bhutto government also made important changes in the education curriculum to bring it in line with Islamic ideology.

What was happening at the governmental level was also supplemented by important developments in the Pakistani society. According to Nadeem, the labor migration to the gulf countries in 1970s provides another clue as to why Pakistan started to descent into extremism. Those countries were cash rich due to oil but at the same time needed labor, both skilled and unskilled and Pakistan became one of the important sources for meeting this gap. However this migration also resulted in promoting the Wahabi ideology in Pakistan as it was the dominant ideology in those countries and Pakistani workers, often hailing from middle and lower middleclass became indoctrinated.

A major portion of the book deals with the dictatorship of General Zia which is arguably the worst part of Pakistan's history particularly with respect to Islamic radicalization. This was also the time when Nadeem was himself becoming more politically awakened and started to get involved in student politics. He has narrated his experiences in that regard great detail, particularly his association with PSF ( student wing of then left leaning Pakistan Peoples Party). This part of the book is actually the best because the effect of macro level developments are traced on the society at the individual level. Nadeem has given example of several of his friends and relatives, who gradually transformed as the government continued its Islamization drive.

Nadeem has also covered taboo subjects like sex, drugs and alcohol in the society and his point of view is thought provoking and refreshingly different from normal psuedo moralistic nonsense perpetuated in the media.

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One glaring shortcoming of the book is the absence of evaluation of military in Pakistan. Although Nadeem has lambasted Zia ( who ruled Pakistan as Martial Law administrator) but has avoided critisizing military as an institution. This does come as a surprise given the omnipotent role military has performed and continues to perform in Pakistan.
The contaminated water in Flint mobilized a nation, sparked visits from National leaders, and brought in donations and supplies from all over. The outrage had a focus - corroded pipes.

What happens then, when the method of contamination is unknown? Or when it is basically your whole outdoor environment? When soil samples and blood tests from an entire area of over 6,000 current residents who have been exposed to lead and arsenic levels come back well over what the EPA considers an Emergency clean-up?

Consider this:

How does a nation begin to assist the thousands of families being displaced, given a 90-day notice to vacate not just their homes, but their schools? What is the plan from the Mayor, the Governor, FEMA, the EPA on how to reach and test those who lived in the Calumet Area of Northwest Indiana over the past three decades? Where is the medical community - knowing the exposure to arsenic and lead especially on the young and those who are pregnant? Where is the plan? The tweet? The headline? The town hall?

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The answer itself is a toxic mix of finger pointing, changing deadlines, paperwork, vouchers (for some), cleaning of Units (for some) and warnings to stay off the grass, the mulch, and basically don't touch anything that has touched the ground.

This is the region. Northwest Indiana. Often the scapegoat for jokes - yet for many of us there is no place we would rather live. It is home. And to be from the Region means you are ingrained with the sense to take care of your own. Mostly because if you wait for your Governor or State Legislature to act more will be sickened and precious time will be lost (As of this writing our Governor and VP candidate hasn't uttered a word about Region and the Lead Crisis. Neither have the candidates for Governor.)

And enter the people of the Region - the activists, BLM, clergy, local journalists and those who have been vocal for Human Rights. Nurses United have come to help. There are many informative blogs and updates, consider Great Lakes BioRegionalism, or the Northwest Indiana Byline Podcasts.

While we wait and hope, that eventually our State and nation will turn attention to this major crisis, individuals are taking up collections for packing supplies, boxes, tape, moving supplies to assist our neighbors in relocating. Town halls and organizational meetings have been held, most without the leadership from the Mayor or Governor. Information is given, but implementing the suggestions will take much more assistance. We need help.

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The situation did not happen overnight. Two Lead Smelter plants operated in East Chicago until the seventies and DuPont Chemicals operated a plant which manufactured a pesticide containing arsenic. After these closed, a housing complex and a school - Carrie Gosch elementary - were built on approximately 50 acres of the 400-acre Superfund site. Despite concerns and testing - EPA reports from 2010 cited the dangers - the residents, including over 600 children, were never warned of serious dangers. Until now.

The immediate need is to relocate the residents, to help clean the homes of those who wait, and to get people tested. The effects of these toxins will last a lifetime, and have affected the residents already. There is a need to find out who knew what and when and why they chose not to act. The warning signs have been there for decades. Health disparity among persons of color, or low income, or inner city are major factors in the Region. Could there be other causes for the health concerns?

Indiana is 4th in Infant Mortality. From 2009-2013, statistics from the Indiana State Board of Health cite the four counties of the Region, those bordering Lake Michigan, to have some of the highest levels for infant mortality of all 92 counties. Mindful the toxins are deep in the soil, and these plants were along the Lake. Lake, Porter, LaPorte and St. Joseph County all rely on Lake Michigan Water.

Looking at Counties, two of the Lake Michigan border counties are the worst for Infant Mortality among Black infants.

Narrowing it down further, Lake county, specifically zip code 46312 (which is East Chicago and the Calumet Area), has the worst Infant Mortality Rate among Black Infants. Porter County and LaPorte Counties have zip codes in the top 4 highest Infant Mortality for White Infants.

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Is there a connection between the contaminated soil and the waters of Lake Michigan to Indiana's high infant mortality? Other sources point to this possibility. Perhaps this latest crisis will prompt a study. Then again, perhaps the EPA and ISDH already DID study this and, like the report on the lead/arsenic levels, the results are on a desk in someone's office. As were the results from the EPA.
A Controversial Redistricting Measure Will Not Be Up For A Vote This Year

By Stephen Gossett in News on Aug 26, 2016 4:52PM

Voters will not see a referendum on the ballot in November that, if passed, would have changed the way legislative boundaries are drawn in Illinois. The state Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that such a ballot initiative is unconstitutional.

The proposal would have created a new 11-person board of commissioners to determine political maps rather than members of the General Assembly. The decision upheld a previous Cook County judges ruling from July. The Supreme Court ruled against the referendum in a 4-3 decision.

The ruling was issued just one day prior to the states ballot-finalization deadline.

Gov. Bruce Rauner, a vocal proponent of the measure, said in a statement on Thursday that the decision does nothing to change peoples views of how the system is rigged and corrupt.

The governor said that the current process favors politically biased, geographically warped political borders:

Legislative districts should represent people based upon the community where they live. Politicians should not pick their voters by drawing spaghetti-like district lines with the sole intent of keeping one party in power regardless of how the people vote.

But the court decided that the proposal did not meet the granular structural and procedural requirements for a constitutional change. The intent demonstrated by both the plain constitutional language and this courts prior case law imposes clear restrictions on the scope of permissible ballot initiatives, Justice Thomas Kilbride wrote in his majority opinion.

An advocacy group for the proposal was funded in large part by major Rauner donors such as investing magnate Sam Zell and billionaire businessman Lester Crown. The opposition was headed up by a union-backed group called the Peoples Map, which filed the lawsuit. They argued that the proposal would hurt minority representation in state office. The complainant attorney has previously represented House Speaker Michael Madigan, the Washington Post points out.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a round table with the Republican Leadership Initiative at Trump Tower in the Manhattan borough of New York, U.S., August 25, 2016. REUTERS/Carlo Allegri

White American evangelicals have overwhelmingly thrown their electoral lot in with Donald Trump which seems irrational, hypocritical, and just plain weird. More than three-quarters of them in the latest poll. This is a guy who has had three wives, gloried in his genital exploits outside of marriage, does not pray to God for forgiveness and cannot name his favorite book in the Bible. He doesn't go to church.

The only faith he has is in himself. The man identifies with his money before all else. In the ground rules for the Comedy Central Roast back in 2011, there was only one joke that Trump declared off limits: that he wasn't as wealthy as he said he was. Comedians were allowed to take shots at his wife, his hair, having sex with his models. But all were forbidden from touching his money: that was sacred. Trump's rapacious business dealings, the legions of vulnerable immigrant workers who have received substandard wages or were just never paid, bespeak a man who is the opposite of the Biblical owner of the vineyard who pays the last the same as the first. That he is a camel who will not get through the eye of the needle doesn't seem to matter to the evangelical public.

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Trump is a player, not a prayer.

Part of their approval is precisely because he is a sinner. He is like them: Evangelical marriages are more likely to fail; their children are more sexually active than others. They have more unplanned pregnancies and more abortions.

That Trump is the evangelicals' man not only requires explanation, it is the explanation, providing the key to understand the logic of his campaign. He has fashioned a secular outworking of religious forms.

Trump's is not a liberal or a progressive campaign based on the democratic assemblage of groups and the redistribution of wealth. It is not a conservative campaign based on getting the government out of the way of free individual choices to exchange and to move oneself or one's money to the jobs and places where you can get the best return. It neither celebrates democracy nor the market. Trump rather imagines his constituents as a beleaguered us who have faith that they will be saved by a powerful, supremely willfull you: Donald Trump.

That power is condensed in his sneering, shouting, unrehearsed and uncontrollable voice, in his fabulous and flashy money, in his fecundating phallus, in his fists ready to take on the disruptors, in his guns ready to take out the enemies. It is manifest in his refusal to advertise: He does not need to be spoken for; he does not need to seduce. People will come to him, the real man. He is not a messager; he is the message, an angry will to be great again. Drawn from the rural and ex-urban workers who have not thrived in the new global America, his supporters feel that absence of greatness is as much about them as it is about their country. They have been left-behind.

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Trump is treated as an embodiment of a pure power. He does not advertise trying to convince his voters. He offers himself to be chosen, as an act of faith in his personhood. He offers them a chance, at last, to be themselves, to stand behind a champion who will reflect and defend them, who will make the best deal on their behalf. He offers them salvation.

At the convention, the crowds did not chant "Yes, we can." They rather shouted "Yes, you will." The campaign is organized around his person, not around core ideas or policy proposals. And like an evangelical service, his campaign is about feelings more than ideas: the feeling of humiliation, the feeling of threat, the feeling of imminent, even apocalyptic danger, that enemies outside and inside are coming to take us over and tear us apart, and the feelings of fierce determination and anger that that they will not get away with it: the Muslims and the Mexicans on the one side, and the multinational corporations, the big banks and the corporate media on the other. Both cross our boundaries at will, taking advantage of our open-heartedness, our liberal sympathies, our naive belief in the mystery of the invisible hand and objective information, stealing our jobs, bringing violence, crime and rape to our people, rigging our elections. As a body politic we have become a pussy.

Hillary is cast as their handmaiden, on the one side an avatar of globalism which is taking our country down, a woman in a pantsuit who has allied with global capital and the money of foreign nations who feed the coffers of the Clinton Foundation, and on the other, of the women, the minority poor, the migrants who feed off American largesse. The emasculations cumulate. She is an agent of those who keep American from being able to stand up for ourselves. If you are keyed into the plot-line of Left Behind, the best selling drama on the tribulations before the coming of Christ, Hillary stands in as a female anti-Christ announcing the end times. A large percentage of the evangelical voters are voting for Trump because they are against Clinton. This is not just sexism; it is an affirmation of political patriarchalism, of a powerful father who fornicates with whom he likes, not a mother who endures a President husband who allows a lowly intern to phlate him in the Oval Office. For them Hillary is not a woman, she is a she-devil.

The primacy of feeling over policy or ideology makes Trump not an analogue of mainline Protestants, where creed is all, but more a Pentecostal or a Baptist, where it is what you feel, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in your person, your sense of conviction of the possibility of redemption and salvation that are key. It is, above all, about sacred rage. The mainline Protestants are not his fans. Donald Trump makes you feel things. He lays out that there are enemies, who they are, and how we must come together through Him to confront and defeat them.

Trump is about his power, its apotheosis, the intention to do right by the Americans. That power, like divine power, is above and beyond the law. It is manifest in his public declarations that he would like to punch his adversaries in the face, in his willingness to break the law to use torture to keep America safe, in the threat that opponents feel in the presence of his supporters, in racist epithets and condemnations of whole groups as enemies who should be expelled or disbarred. It is about the deal, the man who makes decisions unconstrained by anybody or anything, decisions without recourse, the man who can say: You're fired. This is the man who will set the rules aside to do the right thing, to get the best deal, to make his mark. Such a man acts like a god, who can make life and take life away regulated only by his will.
If you're a female navigating the complexities of global swimwear -- or clothing in general -- this summer; I feel you (as much as my privileged-male-patriarchal-status will let me feel, that is). This week, Nice joined the growing list of French cities to ban the Burkini on its beaches. Cross over onto the shores of the Middle East, and good luck using this bewildering guide to help you navigate the complexities of beach wardrobe do's and don'ts. Meanwhile on Danish beaches, you can wear pretty much whatever, or nothing what-so-ever you please. Those hippies.

This made me ponder a hypothetical: If beach loving women from another galaxy ever came to visit our wonderfully confused planet, how (on Earth!) would they know what to pack: the one piece, two piece, or just skip the beach altogether? The correct answer depends on where their flying saucers land; as Earth sensitivities on such matters tend to be a fickle thing. Throughout history, we, the patriarchal body politic have waged social and political battles fired up by such sensitivities -- and too often the ground-zero upon which these battles are fought is the woman's body.

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For the past thousands of years we, the patriarchy, have prescribed rules for women on what they can and cannot wear, say, and do. We have seized the right to determine what is appropriate, and what is not appropriate. What is too much, or what is too little. What is morally permissible; and what will cast them into the fiery pits of hell. Despite our chivalrous fronts, we tend to mold social norms to parameters that suit our comfort-levels, at the expense of theirs.

We, the patriarchy, like to think we are looking out for women: For the religious-patriarch we are protecting you from eternal damnation itself; for the practical-patriarch, we are shielding you from the sexual deviants lurking in the bushes; for the secular-patriarch, we are vigilant against wardrobe malfunctions and nipple slips in defense of greater public sensitivities; and for the progressive-patriarch, we are freeing you from the backwardness and oppression of too much clothing.

By the way, our obsession with such matters has *absolutely nothing* to do with our own insecurities, be they cultural, religious, political, or sexual. Zero. Zilch. Nada. We Swear it...Pinky swear it.

I mean to think, that the banning of the Burkini on French beaches has anything to do with French attitudes towards marginalized immigrant communities or Islam is just plain absurd. Or to think that Saudi Arabia forces its women into conservative abayas because they have social and cultural issues with the female rights and visibility is simply a crack-pot conspiracy of the highest order. Whether women are forced to take off their Burkini, or forced into the abaya, it's always in the name of greater social good (and always the expense of personal choice). In some twisted way, this double-think makes sense in our minds -- the opinionated and authoritative minds of the patriarchy.

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And so, in continuation of this age-old tradition of patriarchal pontification on the subject, I, endowed by nature as a man of authority-wielding-opinions (and with the credible experience of having four sisters, a mother, and a handful of friends of the opposite sex) have come up with what I'm calling the The Definitive List of Things Women Should and Should Not Wear.

(Take note, any one, or any nation looking to impose prescriptions on the matter).

Here it goes:

1. It's none of my damn business.

2. It's none of your damn business.

And there we have it, The Definitive List of Things Women Should and Should Not Wear.

Good day.

--
(Ron English Opening night at Corey Helford. Image courtesy of Brandi Milne).

Saturday, August 27th in DTLA, Corey Helford Gallery celebrates their 10 year anniversary. That's not only a huge benchmark for any gallery these days, but in Hollywood terms, it's a record. Over the years, hundreds of artistic careers have debuted, and memorable moments are signficant, whether they be the goth cowgirls at Ron English's show, or D*Face's exquisite homage to L.A. in his "Going Nowhere Fast" solo show.



(Art by D*Face. Courtesy of Jaime Rojo)

Here, a mere few of the hundreds of artists, discuss their favorite experiences and comment on what makes Corey Helford a seminal force in the L.A. gallery landscape.



What's your most memorable Corey Helford experience (or exhibition)...as an artist represented or going to another's show?

Michael Mararian: Even though I've had a few solo shows with them as well group shows, I believe the most stunning achievement on their part was the Bristol England Museum show.



(Bristol Museum Show. L to R: Joshua Petker, Michael Mararian, Natalia Fabia, Shag, Lola Gil, Adam Wallacavage, Sarah Folkman, Buffmonster, Kukula, Sylvia JI, Gary Baseman, David Stoupakis, unidentified, Brandi Milne. Image courtesy of Michael Mararian)

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And I'm sure I'm not the only one who will say that. Being able to travel out there and spend the weekend getting to know - and in most cases, meet - for the first time, so many artists that I've only known virtually through social media was pretty thrilling.

(Ray Caesar's work, "Keepsake." Courtesy of Corey Helford Gallery)

Ray Caesar: Jan (Corey) and Bruce (Helford) put a lot of effort into the shows I have had at the gallery, such arranging Dante Nuno to create a cake of one of my pieces or surprising me with a quintet of musicians playing violins and cellos at an opening that brought me to tears.

Travis Lampe: By far the most memorable exhibition for me was the 5th anniversary show. I wasn't in the show, but I came out for an artist party and got to hang out with a bunch of swell artists. Also, I met Camille Rose Garcia, which was pretty much the best thing ever!



(Brandi Milne's "Candy is Forever," courtesy of Corey Helford Gallery)

Brandi Milne: My solo show "Before I Hide Away" in 2012, (in the original Culver City space) is really a special memory for me. Opening night was a crazy whirlwind - such amazing positivity about the work and such support from everyone who came, I was absolutely beaming. After the gallery had closed for the night, Jan (Corey) and I stood up on the loft and looked out over the show (complete with an installation of a night sky with twinkle lights that hung on the walls above the exhibition). Reflecting at that moment on all the hard work, and memorable moments leading up to that point in time, to be there then - that was a dream realized - it filled me with so much gratitude and joy and I will keep that with me forever.

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(Marion Peck's "La La La." On display as of August 27th. Image courtesy of the gallery.)

Marion Peck: One of the most memorable shows from the old space was Gary Baseman's "La Noche de la Fusion" show in 2009. In the new space, I really liked Ron English's show. He was able to fill the vast and varied spaces of the gallery with an amazing variety of imaginative art.

Do you have a favorite Corey Helford artist?

Wallacavage: Yes I do, but can't pick a favorite. I have too many friends there.



(Chris Anthony's "Belinda of the 99," courtesy of Corey Helford Gallery)

Mararian: I have always liked Chris Anthony's work right from the beginning mostly because of his technique and eye for composition but also because it's photography-based which the gallery doesn't have many artists doing that-so I really appreciate that. A close second is Victor Castillo's work - he is a newer addition with them but I really like his hallucinatory yet whimsical vision. Honestly there so many outstanding artists I could keep going.

Peck: I'm really looking forward to the Natalia Fabia/Brandi Milne/Liz McGrath show coming up. Those are three powerfully talented ladies.



(A work from Camille Rose Garcia's recent show, "Phantasmacabre." Image courtesy of the gallery)

Lampe: Camille! ...If I have to choose.

Milne:: Corey Helford Gallery has housed so many great artists since the beginning and I'm so happy to have shown amongst some of my favorites - Camille Rose Garcia, Natalia Fabia, Sylvia Ji, Luke Chueh, Liz McGrath, Korin Faught to name a few. I look forward to continuing showing with them and more as well as unveiling my next big body of work in the new space next summer.

Why do you think the gallery is a pivotal force in the LA art scene?

Wallacavage: They throw the best parties!!



(Artist Luke Chueh. Image courtesy of Brandi Milne)



(Artist Natalia Fabia at Corey Helford's SCOPE/Miami dinner. Image courtesy of Adam Wallacavage)

Mararian: I think the canon of artists they represent stretches from both ends of the new contemporary art scene spectrum allowing something for all their collectors to enjoy.

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A sweeping reform proposal that made global headlines has evolved into a more modest pilot, designed to generate rigorous evidence



By Susannah Hares, executive director of Ark's Education Partnerships Group, a UK non-profit advising the Liberian government on the design of the Partnership Schools for Liberia program. And Justin Sandefur, @JustinSandefur, senior fellow at the Center for Global Development, and a principal investigator on the external evaluation of the Partnership Schools for Liberia program.

Liberia's public schools are failing. After years of civil war followed by the 2014 Ebola epidemic, the Ministry of Education does not have the capacity to run the national school system. Teachers often aren't paid, and as a result, often don't show up. Many students don't either. More than 60% of school-aged children in Liberia aren't in school, placing Liberia in the lowest percentile of net enrollment rates in the world.

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Not that going to school is a guarantee of much. Among adult women who reached fifth grade in Liberia, only 1 in 5 can read a single sentence. It's hard to tell parents to keep their kids in school when they're unlikely to even learn to read.

Something needs to change.

A radical proposal and a rocky reception

Against that backdrop, Liberia made international headlines earlier this year when the Ministry of Education announced a radical proposal to convert its failing primary schools into American-style charter schools.

These charter schools would be free, with no selective admissions, and staffed by qualified, unionized teachers on the government payroll.

The plan became a media sensation. "Liberia outsources entire education system to a private American firm," was the headline in South Africa's Mail and Guardian. The UN's Special Rapporteur for the right to education declared Liberia's plan "completely unacceptable" and "a blatant violation of Liberia's international obligations under the right to education." Legally, that's highly dubious, but his comments reflected a growing tide of opinion.

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So, over the next six months, the Ministry of Education went back to the drawing board and took counsel from local and international partners. What has emerged is a much more robust, and more modest plan, with stronger foundations for the future.

Beyond the sensationalist headlines, the Ministry responded to a variety of domestic concerns, which had a very different tenor. Rather than opposing the charter school plan, many local stakeholders wanted to be part of the programme. Local education operators wanted to be involved, senators were eager to see more counties included, and aid donors working in Liberia wanted to see a serious evaluation before committing to any funding to current or future plans.

"Partnership Schools for Liberia" will start with fewer schools but more partners

The program that launches in September will start small, with 90 schools in the 2016/17 academic year. That's still an ambitious plan for a poor country with limited bandwidth in the public sector. But it gives the Ministry a chance to see what works, to keep closer oversight of the process and to iterate the policy before making any decisions about the future of the program.

While Partnership Schools will be smaller (in terms of schools) it will also be bigger (in terms of the number of players involved). No one organisation is getting monopoly rights over Liberia's primary schools. This is a key lesson from similar models in other countries: the benefit of building a government regulated "market" of high performing school operators, who strive to raise educational standards by learning from and competing with each other to achieve better outcomes. So, after an open and competitive bidding process led by Education Minister George Werner and his team, the Liberian government has selected seven organizations to run its new charter schools -- in addition to its original agreement with Bridge International Academies -- including leading Liberian educational institutions like Stella Maris Polytechnic; large international non-profits like BRAC with a reputation for scaling up fast in hard-to-reach places; and private school chains like Rising Academies with experience running schools in neighboring Sierra Leone.



Putting public accountability into a public-private partnership

The public side of a public-private partnership is just as important as the private side. These are public schools and, ultimately, the Ministry of Education needs the capacity to act as the duty bearer for education: responsible for all decisions to commission, scale and indeed terminate operator contracts.



To help inform those decisions, Minister Werner requested partners to commission a rigorous external evaluation of the pilot. This was commissioned via an open tender and an independent selection committee, including USAID, UNICEF, the Ministry and expert advisors, with Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA) selected as the winning bidder. The evaluation will provide a rigorous, independent measure of the effectiveness, equity and sustainability of the Partnership Schools in delivering quality education to Liberian children. It is a randomized control trial, which will help ensure that differences between charter and regular government schools reflect the true impact of the program rather than any pre-existing differences. (See an FAQ document on the evaluation here.)



The evaluation will study the impact of the Partnership Schools program across a number of dimensions, including enrolment, attendance, learning outcomes, equity and parent perception and engagement. Evidence generated from the study is intended to inform the Ministry's and donors' policy decisions to continue or scale up the charter school model. It'll also contribute to the international debate about the design and role of charter school-like policies in education systems.



Beyond the RCT, the Ministry's broader task is to ensure that the school operators are provided with the conditions they need to deliver, while being held accountable by government for the measurable results that they achieve for children.



When the status quo is unacceptable, experimentation is an obligation

Charter schools remain controversial, even in rich countries like the U.S. where they are already widespread. Regardless of how you feel about charters in general though, one thing seems clear: in Liberia, the status quo is simply unacceptable. Tina Rosenberg put this eloquently in the New York Times a few months ago:

I've sent my children to New York City public elementary and middle schools that are not academically selective. Our elementary school has been active in the anti-charter movement.

Liberia is different. The project should have been envisioned sooner, and the process should have been fairer. But if experimentation is justified anywhere, it's there. It's hard to look at Liberia's educational system and say: Do nothing new.

When classes open in September, Liberia is going to try something new. It will be an experiment, and like any good experiment, it should be judged on the empirical data it produces -- data on whether these schools deliver better learning for Liberian children, both boys and girls, urban and rural. Until then, stay tuned.

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India has seen a rise in incidents of racism by its citizens against foreign nationals, especially Africans, in recent times. As a country with the largest diaspora communities, India needs to be particularly worried by this development.

The country is home to a significant migrant population, most of it from the neighbouring countries in South Asia. In 2010, there were 5.4 million foreign-born people in the country. The number of Africans in India is estimated to be about 40 000, of whom 25 000 are students.

Yet, these small numbers are significant for the growing relations between India and Africa. The Indian government has been announcing scholarships, grants and credit lines for Africa against the backdrop of the India-Africa Forum summits. In spite of these efforts to woo Africa, the government is in denial about racist attacks against Africans in India.

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In the wake of the recent attacks on Africans in India, the official denial that such acts are racist hampers efforts to tackle the problem. This, plus the fact that the perpetrators are hardly ever brought to book is a major cause for their recurrence.

India and Africa matter to each other

The government positioning stands in contrast to the historic relations between India and Africa founded on the tenets of anti-racism and anti-colonialism. Moreover, the government's stand risks jeopardising India's growing relations with Africa in the fields of trade, technology and human resource development. India's trade with Africa has grown from $1 billion in 1990-1991 to $71 billion in 2014-2015.

Despite this, stereotyping of Africa is common. African countries are often insidiously used as a metaphor for under-development. And Africans in India are associated with labels such as "debased" as well as "drug-peddling and prostitution". These stereotypes are constructs of economic hierarchy coloured in racist hues.

Crime and prejudice in India

Racial violence has its parallels in other forms of violence in India. The prejudice runs across multiple channels from caste, region, religion to gender. Sporadic violence against "vulnerable" groups - including black people, white women, Indian women, minorities and the lower castes - is commonplace. The foreigner thus gets caught up in the social hierarchies of the country.

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This was apparent in the mob attack against African students in the Delhi metro in 2014 by a crowd chanting nationalist slogans. The ostensible reason for the attack was that the African males had misbehaved towards an Indian woman, even though the police have no register of such a complaint.

The recent attack on a young Tanzanian woman student in Bangalore allegedly happened under the watch of a police constable who did nothing to stop it. She was stripped by a mob that sought justice for a road accident in which a Sudanese national's car ran over a local woman.

Government response

The Indian government is largely in denial when it comes to racism. Refusing to acknowledge the racism and projecting the incidents as simply cases of urban violence means they are unlikely to prick at the conscience of Indian society, as they should.

The government was recently spurred into action but only after African diplomats reacted to the murder of MK Oliver, a Congolese student in May 2016. The Indian Minister of State (External Affairs) personally met members of the African communities and strong police action against the culprits was assured.

And the Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs have launched a series of racism sensitisation programmes in neighbourhoods where most African citizens reside.

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This is a step forward, but more needs to be done. Racism and racist violence are not limited to Indians who live in close proximity to African citizens.

What needs to be done

India's Ministry of External Affairs and the Ministry of Home Affairs need to make a concerted effort to sensitise the police and the public about how racism contradicts India's past and present ideals.

One way to do that is to inform Indians about how Indians and people of Indian origin are able to live peacefully and prosper in Africa and other parts of the world.

In addition, the Ministry of External Affairs should have a department dedicated to addressing breaches of human rights against foreigners in the country. And appropriate and corrective laws should be passed and enforced to combat acts of racism.

NGOS also have a role to play. Those working in human rights need to speak out against discrimination and racist violence and provide legal support to the victims. They could also lead community awareness programmes against racism, drawing on experiences from other countries.

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AAP/K Fayaz Ahmad).

As most Africans in India are students, the Ministry of Human Resources needs to drive campaigns against racism on campuses. Educational institutions in India should be told about the importance of scholarship programmes for Africans. Efforts should also be made to educate Indian students about Africa.

African students should be given appropriate lodging and boarding facilities in and around the campus or in the vicinity of other students' residences instead of being confined to a few "African" neighbourhoods. Such geographical demarcations increase the risk of alienation and stigmatisation.

States must step in

There is a role for governments too. Unlike colonial relations of exploitation, the tenets of South-South Co-operation emphasise mutual respect.

Indian ministries and the media should not restrict themselves to running headlines on the millions of dollars India allocates to Africa.

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The fact that Africa contributes to growing the Indian economy should also be given attention. For example, lines of credit benefit India by creating markets for private and public Indian companies. This is because they come with the condition that 75% of goods and services are sourced from India.

The private sector, given its considerable interests in Africa, also needs to take a lead in showing the continent's worth to India. Such efforts are important in dismantling fallacious notions of hierarchy and superiority, which the booming Indian economy seems to bring.

And African countries must push for equality as the building block of co-operation. Anti-racism should be reiterated at the commencement of the India-Africa summits and should be set to stone in the form of appropriate treaties.
Assume you are single, and are accused of committing sexual assault during a weekend celebrating with a group of friends in New York City. You return to work, and your employer, a government contractor, tells you, that as a result of the accusation, your work-essential security clearance has been pulled. You must report to your job every day, but since you have no clearance, you will receive no meaningful assignments, and must just sit at your desk. You were slated for a promotion, but it is held up by your employer pending results of the grand jury investigation and possible trial. They also hold up any pay increase. Because your employer paid for your specialized undergraduate education, and you are contractually obligated to work for them for 6 years, you cannot quit and move on.

Some months later, a grand jury is convened and hears evidence. Your lawyer asks the District Attorney to provide immunity to a witness who can provide testimony that will exculpate you. The District Attorney denies the request. Even without that evidence, the grand jury concludes there is not enough evidence to warrant a trial. This is reported to the District Attorney. He rejects this grand jury recommendation. Your lawyer goes to court making a motion that the witness be given immunity. This motion is granted. After another significant delay, the same grand jury holds another hearing, considering this new important evidence, and for second time recommends the case not go to trial. The District Attorney, with no explanation, again disregards their recommendation and orders his prosecutors to proceed with a criminal trial against you.

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This District attorney gets to select your jury. In order for you to be found guilty, only 3 of the 5 jurors must agree on the verdict. If you are convicted, you could go to prison for 10 years.

You now face a trial that will be ugly and embarrassing, a public display of highly intimate sexual details about the night in question. Your trial does not start until over 4 years after you are accused. Are you getting a fair shake? Is this justice?



United States Air Force 1st Lt. Josh Seefried

Tragically, this is not a theoretical scenario. It is the reality faced by Air Force 1st Lt Josh Seefried, a 2009 Air Force Academy graduate. He is a cost analyst for the Air Force, stationed at a military base in the Washington, D.C area. This assignment requires a security clearance.

Seefried is also gay. He was the co-founder of an organization known as OutServe. This group of LGBT actively serving military members was critical in providing highly essential information and data used to accomplish repeal of the law previously known as "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" ("DADT"). Due to his leadership role at OutServe, and the publicity he and the organization received after repeal was implemented, he is arguably a public person. Because of the important role he played in the repeal of DADT, Seefried likely has enemies within the military and without.



Another gay officer, a Marine 1st Lt, accused Seefried of sexual assault during the annual Fleet Week in New York City in 2012. The Marine claimed Seefried committed this assault after a day of drinking and partying with a group of gay officers. He contends that same evening, Seefried, without his consent, touched him, performed oral sex on him, and also may have penetrated his anus. Seefried denies these allegations.

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Because of where Seefried is stationed, he falls under the legal jurisdiction of the Air Force District of Washington ("AFDW"). The Commander of AFDA is Major General Darryl W. Burke. As such, in the military justice system, Burke has immense legal power as the Convening Authority. An analogy could be drawn between Burke's authority and that of a civilian district attorney.

Burke was the one who ordered an Article 32 Hearing. An Air Force officer, a member of the Judge Advocate Corps("JAG") who is an experienced lawyer, usually conducts this hearing. He is mandated to conduct a comprehensive evaluation, considering all the evidence and taking testimony. This is much like a grand jury proceeding. Under the military system, a written report is prepared making a recommendation to the Convening Authority, stating whether there is sufficient probable cause to prosecute the accused. In Seefried's case, a highly respected JAG Air Force Colonel conducted the Article 32 Hearing. During this hearing, Seefried's attorney requested the Convening Authority grant immunity to a co-accused to allow him to provide exculpatory testimony. General Burke declined. After the first report was submitted recommending no court martial, General Burke rejected the conclusion. Seefried's lawyer, made a motion before the military judge to grant his co-accused immunity. The motion was granted, and a second Article 32 was ordered. The same Colonel conducted the second hearing. Considering new evidence from the now immunized co-accused, that arguably exculpated Seefried, the second report was submitted even more strongly recommending no trial. Why did General Burke again overrule this recommendation of this highly experienced lawyer and order 1st Lt Seefried to proceed to General Court Martial?

Shortly after he was charged, Seefried's Secret clearance was pulled. Because of the nature of his assignment, dealing with highly sensitive information, he could no longer carry out his duties. Rather than find him a position not requiring a clearance, his commander ordered him to report to work every day and sit at his desk. Because he could not function, his annual Officer Performance Report suffered tremendously.

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Seefried had been selected for promoted from 1st Lt to Captain. Inexplicably, the Air Force held up his promotion and withheld the pay that accompanies this elevation in rank.

Until his General Court Martial began on August 22, 2016, this was the professional "life" of Lt Seefried. Regardless of the outcome of that trial, Lt Seefried's promising military career has been destroyed. As a result of mere allegations, he has lost 4 years of his professional life, not to mention the respect of both superiors and subordinates and the psychological trauma he has suffered by this ordeal

All of these consequences stem from General Burke's decision to proceed against Seefried after recommendations by the Article Hearing officer not to go to trial, not once, but twice. Is this right? Is this justice?

Sexual assault in the military is endemic. It is a very serious offense that must be unequivocally addressed and dealt with. The way Lt. Seefried's case has been handled by the Convening Authority, does not accomplish this end. General Burke is not alone. The history of the past several years shows that in sexual assault cases, Air Force Convening Authorities typically reject any recommendation not to go to trial. Rather than exercising their prosecutorial discretion, these Generals take the easy road, trying all cases alleging sexual assault. Is this not an assumption of guilty until proven innocent and punishment before trial? Does that not fly in the face of the core principal of our criminal justice system?

By effectively ruining the career of the accused, even before he has had his day in court, the course of action pursued against Seefried has been completely counterproductive. It detracts from confidence all service members must have in the military justice system. This saga is not just a personal tragedy for Lt. Seefried, but diminishes the reputation of the United States Air Force and is an insult to every American's sense of justice and fair play.
The night the Dallas officers were killed I told my daughter that I felt as I did the night Martin Luther King, Jr., was shot. I was that emotional. I was that fearful.

Fearful for my country. Fearful for my family. Fearful for my daughter who is marrying a white man. I wondered what would happen next.

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And my daughter felt it, too.

A nation on the brink.

The social unrest, combined with the political unrest, is pushing us to that brink. My grandmother used to say that if we didn't understand history, then we would repeat it. My friends, there cannot be a repeat. The reality is that there are Americans who wish we could go back. These individuals want to revisit a time when people of color were not included in society. But our country, the United States of America, was founded on a constitution where "all men were created equal, one nation under God."

If we really want to move beyond this mess we are in today, we must dig the poison out of our country. We can't allow it to continue to grow. Fester. Silently spread.

It is up to you and I. To move to action. To go deep. To cut out the poison. To rid ourselves of bias and hate.

The poison of hate. The poison of those not willing to love. Those not willing to accept each other. Those who aren't interested in admitting that white privilege is real. Those who aren't willing to truly understanding how different the journey is for a white person versus a black person. Or to accept that slavery was a reality. That racism and all -isms still exist.

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The poison is us. The poison is bias. The bias causes us not to see the beauty in each other only the bad. The bias blocks empathy. It blocks curiosity. It robs us of the opportunity to connect as humans.

If people could open their hearts to understand that blacks are not asking for a handout. We simply want the opportunity to achieve the same level of success as anyone else. We want to be included. We want to belong. We want to believe our constitution included black people.

If white people would become curious they would find out that we don't want you to say that we are so "articulate." It is not a compliment - it is a put-down. It's as if you are surprised that a black person could possibly demonstrate command of the English language.

And please stop assuming that one black person can speak for the entire black population. It seems difficult for people to understand that #blacklivesmatter is not saying that only black lives matter. It is saying ALL lives matter, including black lives. For the last two hundred years in North America it has been the perception of black people that our lives don't matter.

I will admit that we as blacks need to be more open.

We were taught by God-fearing and loving parents who didn't want to see us lynched. Because of that, we were taught not to trust white people. Whites - especially in the South - were taught (if you are a baby boomer) not to associate with black people. This is a general statement so please take it with a grain of salt but most baby boomer white people were taught by their parents that black people were bad people. Baby boomer blacks were taught by their parents and grandparents who suffered death at the hands of white men not to trust white people. That's the truth! Why don't we all dare to touch our truth.



Equality is nothing to be feared.

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Just as we lovingly treat our young children's scraped knees, cuts or burns, bringing the dirt to the surface by washing and disinfecting, carefully rubbing antibiotic ointment to treat the infection - the poison. Then placing a bandage, not to temporarily cover or hide the injury, but to protect and heal it. We kiss it and send them on their way.

Our children come to us with tears in their eyes. Trusting us to make it better. Trusting us to care of it.

That is our country today. Waiting for someone else to take care of the injuries, the poison. It's not right. WE are that someone. We, every citizen in the United States of America, represent the solution to the challenge.

But how do we get rid of this poison? It seems so deep, too overwhelming, too far gone.

But it's not. How easy it could be if we'd just get started. Today. Taking the step, no matter the outcome. No matter how much we might fear starting the conversation. Maybe the fear is one of rejection, maybe it is one of facing the truth of our past, fear about insulting someone else, or maybe it is just fear of difference.

We need to start the conversations and keep them going. As Christians, we are called to be the light. To introduce others. To walk across the room. To meet people where they are. To speak truth in love...not hate.

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As Philip Kennicot communicated in his Washington Post article, "After a month of violence, take a deep breath and listen," :

We are all responsible for our own rhetoric. Angry rhetoric is cumulative in its volatility and can inspire mentally ill people to violence. It is essential to examine our own rhetoric for its incendiary power. When possible, it is a good idea to humbly encourage our friends to examine their own rhetoric for its power to incite violence. Telling other people, especially strangers, how they should speak, what they should or should not say, or demanding that they say things as a ritual submission to your worldview will only alienate them. Listening is better than speaking and speaking is better than shouting. No one ever wins an argument on television.

Each one reaches one. Each one teaches one. Each one lifts one.

Huffington Post contributor, Deborah Plummer, shared in her July 10, 2016, article entitled, "Black and Blue Lives Matter: Turning Us and Them into We", THEY and THEM needs to become US and WE.

WE all have a heart. WE all know love. WE all know pain. WE all bleed red blood. And WE all want our families to experience success.

There's only one race - the human race. US.

So why do we hate? Why do we place labels on each other? Do yourself a favor and check out this powerful video, I Am Not Black, You Are NOT White. Not only are the words powerful, but the education and understanding of how labels for races were created is astounding.

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And something happens after each tragedy. Have you noticed?

We go through these periods of heightened emotional responses as we did after 9/11, after Ferguson, after the Dallas police shootings. And then the cameras go off. Some other political figure or terrorist event takes the media's attention. And we're right back to where we were. Lulled back into sense of comfort as a country. We accept the wrong that we know in our hearts is not right.

We scab over. And the poison just continues to spread and multiply under the surface.

No more.

We have to challenges ourselves to do more. And if you think you don't, you're kidding yourself. We don't even know each other across our differences. We don't speak to truth to power. When do we reach across the aisle? We don't understand - or even care to understand - other people's journeys because we think it doesn't affect us.

We're wrong.

We are a part of the problem. We have to take a risk. It is time to move from aspiration to action. To finally start the healing. If not for our generation, then for the sake of the generations to come. I want my grandchildren to believe in the power of diversity. I want them to be accepted for who they are. I want them to have the chance to achieve their dreams. I don't want skin color to be the blocker.

It's up to every one of us to move to action. To have the courageous conversation and do something that may scare us and make us nervous, just because we have not done it before. Stop talking about it and start doing it. We all learn in the doing.

What's the more to do?

No more going back to our segregated neighborhoods and closing the garage door. Speak to your neighbors who don't look like you. Become curious about their cultures. Accept that your way is not the only way. Believe that we are all God's children and are created equally. Honor our country's foundation of democracy. Study history. Accept that white Europeans came to America and killed Native American Indians.

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If we don't keep this conversation going, it will die. And with it, our country will die. Our children and grandchildren's country.

So what action do we take today? Right now? I issue you - I issue all of US - a 30-day challenge:

Top Ten Steps to Connect Across Differences:

1.Determine your beginning position on awareness for discrimination. (Do you acknowledge that discriminatory practices exist, or are you in denial?)

2.Explore your own historical roots, beliefs and values. (Acknowledge your worldview. Are you using stereotypes? Are assumptions causing you to miss out on connecting with others?)

3.Be willing to acknowledge that your way is not the only way. Avoid the "defensive position" it's us against them. (Become curious and intentional about understanding the viewpoint and perspective of others. Acknowledge that your culture is one of many great cultures.)

4.Respect the values and beliefs of cultures other than your own. (Get intentional about gaining real life experiences "immersion learning."

5.Become "comfortable being uncomfortable" in learning how to adapt to other cultures.

6.Acknowledge and learn from differences.

7.Ask more questions instead of making more statements.

8.Look at how you spend time away from work. Build personal friendships with people from other cultures where you can create your own "safe" environment for learning.

9.Model the behavior of a leader who has zero tolerance for discrimination, bias, unequal treatment.

10. Teach others, engage in courageous conversations (this will build your convictions, skills and emotional investment).

Step out in a spirit of love. To begin the healing. To leave a legacy of love, not hate. The cameras may be gone, but the challenge of connecting across differences remains.

You have a choice to make. Will you be a part of the problem or a part of the solution? History is waiting!
While hiking on a trail near my home in Colorado last month, I met up with a 57 year old man who recognized me from the Donor Sibling Registry and identified himself as a "donor baby". This got me thinking about all the "donor babies" out there who are close to, or already at grandparent age.

The utilization of "donated" gametes has taken decades to be publicly talked about as an accepted methodology for achieving pregnancy. Today, the number of families using "donated" (no one is really donating anything, as all gametes are sold and then bought) sperm or eggs have skyrocketed. The Donor Sibling Registry (DSR) members: donors, parents and donor offspring, are now at more than 51,400. No one can know for sure what percentage of total worldwide offspring are members of the DSR, as no such records are kept.



The majority of donor offspring posted on the DSR are under the age of 18. However, the DSR does include many donor conceived members born more than 50, 60 and even more than 70 years ago. The oldest donor conceived DSR member was born in 1943, back when the use of donor sperm was a secretive and often shameful procedure. Parents were advised to never tell anyone, not even their own child. It was common for parents to be told to go home and have sex so that they could always think that the husband just might be the biological father of the child. Family secrets do have a way of being dispelled though: deathbed confessions, found paperwork, chatty relatives, and now as commercial DNA testing becomes more popular, many are now shocked to discover the secret that their parents had kept for decades.

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While we strongly recommend that everyone posts on the site, many DSR members never add their postings, so here are some very conservative numbers about older offspring ages:



3 offspring in their 70's

42 offspring in their 60's

72 offspring in their 50's

204 offspring in their 40's



The recommended secrecy was often rooted in the fact that it was not uncommon for doctors to inseminate patients with their own sperm, even into the 1980's. During this time, the patients were mostly women married to infertile husbands. These doctors were secretly (the couples were oftentimes told it was a "medical student in the other room") inseminating their patients for decades. Sometimes it was a lab worker in the facility, and in one known case, it was the doctor's weekend handyman who donated for three decades after having his own children in the decade before he even started donating.

Having a decades-wide spread between half siblings is not uncommon. Donor conceived person Barry Stevens, now in his 60's, reports that he has located half siblings born between 1944-1972. Four decades of offspring, all sharing the same biological father: their mother's doctor.





Donor conceived person Bill Cordray reports, "My father (my mother's gynecologist) was born on the last day of 1907. His oldest son was born in Feb. 1937. I am the oldest DI adult, born in July 1945 and my youngest new DI brother was born in May 1966." He goes on to say that he knows of, "...two or three others who were born a year or so earlier than 1945." Bill notes older donor conceived people that were known about back in the 1980's, "According to what [author Annette Baran] told me, there was one DI adult in her small study who was 68 at the time she wrote Lethal Secrets in 1987."

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Many conferences that I see still address sperm donation, and even egg donation, (which has now been around for more than 30 years), as "new" reproductive technologies. So while many of the issues surrounding the ethics of the reproductive medicine industry are new to the public eye, these methodologies have been around for a long time. These are not "new" discussions to us, the stakeholders: parents, donors and offspring. As times goes on, we'll certainly continue to hear more from the resulting children as more of them become old enough to contribute valuable public input regarding the very industry that helped to create them.

And finally, it should be recognized that it's not just the donor conceived people who are becoming grandparents, it's also the donors, many of who donated back when they were in college.

This donor had the opportunity to meet his first grandchild on the same day that he met his biological daughter for the very first time. Since then, he's been able to welcome his second grandchild into the world, becoming an important figure in the lives of his child and grandchildren.

The more than 13,500 donor-offspring and half-sibling relationships formed on the DSR have become multilayered over time, and can span generations. This number will continue to grow and these relationships will continue to enrich the lives of both donors and the donor conceived, so long as transparency and disclosure continue on as a common goal. Ending the promise of anonymity to both donors and prospective parents would further "color in" the missing pieces of genetic histories, and bring emotional health and even physical peace of mind, wellness, and above all, happiness to the deserving donors and donor conceived people.
Weapons seized by French police are displayed at the police headquarters of Creteil on June 12, 2015 after a gun-trafficking ring was dismantled. AFP PHOTO / STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN (Photo credit should read STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN/AFP/Getty Images)

As I have written recently, the $70 billion-per year global arms trade doesn't get nearly enough coverage given its size, scope and devastating consequences. But a new report by the London-based charity Action on Armed Violence (AOAV) offers an important exception to that rule.

The AOAV report, followed by an excellent recent piece on the subject by the New York Times, underscores the dangers of runaway arms trafficking, much of which has been facilitated and financed by the U.S. government with little attention to where these weapons end up. As a result, U.S.-supplied weapons are now in the hands of groups like ISIS and the Taliban, as well as with jihadist groups in Libya and Syria. It is a disgraceful record that reveals the troubling underside of the U.S. role as the world's leading arms supplier.

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AOAV found that the Pentagon had issued contracts worth $40 billion for arms, ammunition, and related equipment since 2001. The contracts included at least $2.6 billion in assistance to Iraq and Afghanistan, resulting in the transfer of over 1.45 million guns. Neither the public nor the press had been aware of the scale of the transfers to Iraq and Afghanistan before AOAV's study, since only 3% of them were reported in the Pentagon's daily contract listings.

AOAV's executive director Iain Overton was taken aback by the sheer size of the contracts his group uncovered:

"We did not anticipate . . . finding so much money having been spent by the Department of Defence on small arms, ammunition and attachments. We are not talking aircraft carriers here; $40 billion is a huge amount of issued contracts just for guns, attachments and ammo, even over 14 years of warfare."

As Overton further noted, even more troubling than the size of the transfers is the lack of transparency and accountability by the Pentagon in reporting such contracts, and the fact that the U.S. government is not sure where many of the guns sent into war zones have ended up.

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C.J. Chivers has elaborated on the issues raised by AOVA's report in a recent piece in the New York Times magazine. In recent years, Chivers has written some of the best pieces on the twisted path taken by U.S. arms transfers supplied to Iraq and Afghanistan. He has also done a book on the history of the ubiquitous AK-47 rifle. So his take on this issue carries particular weight.

Chivers estimates that the Pentagon has lost track of hundreds of thousands of guns in Iraq and Afghanistan. As noted above, many of these weapons have ended up with U.S. adversaries like ISIS and the Taliban. One GAO report found that the Pentagon could not say where 110,000 AK-47 rifles and 80,000 pistols it had supplied to Iraqi security forces had ended up. And the GAO report was issued in 2007, years before Iraqi forces abandoned untold quantities of arms, ammunition and military vehicles in their fight against ISIS. Chivers has pointed out the stunning fact that the potential diversions documented by the GAO alone added up to "more than one firearm for every member of the entire American military force in Iraq at any time during the war."



U.S.-supplied rifles are now a staple of arms bazaars in Iraq, and have even been offered up for sale on Facebook. In response to Chivers' reporting on the issue, Facebook has shut down some of the arms trafficking sites that are offering U.S. guns for sale in Libya, Iraq, Syria, and Yemen, but closing them all has proven difficult.

How did this happen? Part of the answer appears to be that the Pentagon just didn't care. As Pentagon spokesman Mark Wright told Chivers, with considerable understatement, "speed was essential in getting those nations' security forces armed, equipped and trained to meet these extreme challenges. As a result, lapses in accountability of some of the weapons transferred occurred." Wright claims that DoD has since cleaned up its act, but it is not clear whether these purported efforts have made a difference.

The other, and perhaps more intractable reason for the weapons losses is that the U.S. has supplied these guns to allies who are too often corrupt and unreliable. Members of U.S.-supplied Syrian opposition groups and soldiers in the Iraqi and Afghan security forces have either sold their U.S.-supplied weapons or, in the case of Syria in particular, switched sides, to the benefit of ISIS and the Taliban. And poor morale driven in part by the sectarianism and corruption that have characterized Iraqi security forces has led to the abandonment of U.S.-purchased weapons on the field of battle.

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Unfortunately, the cases of Iraq and Afghanistan are not unique. A recent GAO report on U.S. efforts to track equipment it has provided to Egypt as part of its annual $1.3 billion military aid package uncovered serious flaws. Among the report's findings were that the State Department conducted only a dozen end-use checks designed to verify the locations of U.S.-supplied weapons in Egypt between 2011 and 2015, and that "the Egyptian government's incomplete and slow responses to some inquiries limited U.S. efforts to verify the use and security of certain equipment, including NVD's [night vision devices] and riot-control items." The GAO also noted that the State Department has yet to establish specific procedures for vetting the location and use of equipment provided to Egyptian security forces, in part due to "the lower priority assigned to Egypt than to other countries." To add insult to injury, Egyptian officials refused to even meet with U.S. officials to discuss whether the government in Cairo understands and is committed to abiding by the Leahy Law, U.S. legislation that prohibits assistance to military or police units that commit gross violations of human rights The lax oversight of military aid to Egypt is inexcusable given the volume of U.S. weaponry supplied to Egyptian security forces, the abysmal human rights record of the current Egyptian government, and the risk of theft or diversion of equipment to terrorist organizations operating in the country.

On the human rights front, independent organizations like the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) have asserted that the repression under President Sisi is worse even than what occurred in the Mubarak era or during the brief rule of the Muslim Brotherhood. The organization has called for the withholding of a portion of U.S. aid to Egypt until the current government's record on human rights and the monitoring of the end-use of U.S.-supplied equipment improves.

Most troubling of all are the cases where the U.S. government knows that its weaponry is being used to devastating effect and is continuing to facilitate those actions. This is the case with respect to the current Saudi-led bombing campaign in Yemen, which has killed thousands of civilians while targeting hospitals, schools, marketplaces, and critical civilian infrastructure. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have asserted that the Saudi actions may constitute war crimes. Key members of Congress like Senator Chris Murphy (D-CT) and Rep. Ted Lieu (D-CA) are seeking to stop or delay a recently announced tank deal with Saudi Arabia that will help replace U.S.-supplied tanks destroyed in the Yemen war. Rep. Lieu and Rep. Ted Yoho (R-FL) are circulating a letter citing the devastating consequences of Saudi Arabia's U.S.-backed war and calling for a delay in the tank deal to allow Congress to have a full debate on the sale; as of this writing the letter had garnered 46 signatories. In the wake of a recent Saudi bombing of a Doctors Without Borders hospital in Yemen, Sen. Murphy has noted that the steady U.S. supply of bombs and other military equipment means that "there is a U.S. imprint on every civilian death in Yemen." Stopping the latest U.S. arms deal to Saudi Arabia would be an important first step in bringing runaway U.S. arms trading under control.
By Rebecca Shaevitz

In third grade, my curious eye helped me catch a seemingly innocent, but unsettling dichotomy. All the black girls were in the step class. All the white girls were in ballet or tap. My desire to join the step class further exacerbated my confusion over this self-segregation. But I also recognized a line that I wasn't supposed to cross. It was the first time I recognized my desire to understand complexities in my world as an innate part of my identity.

Since third grade, I've embraced opportunities to engage with varying perspectives and to understand difference in my world. In ninth grade I travelled with my temple youth group to Selma, Alabama for three days to learn about the Civil Rights Movement. We met with Joanne Bland, a civil rights activist and the youngest person to march on Bloody Sunday in 1965. We marched with Joanne across the Edmund Pettus Bridge and as we reflected on the events of such a monumental day, she told us her story. She ended by saying, "As a human being, it is your responsibility to fix the world's problems. Each of you must make a difference." I pondered what I would have done had I been there; I hope I'd have marched alongside Joanne but I have no real way of knowing.

After these events, I once again found myself considering my place and whether or not I could be proud of my actions. I became aware that just as my New York City liberal upbringing has shaped me, those who have differing perspectives from my own were also shaped by their cultures. I grew weary of the anti-conservative rhetoric that permeated my academic environment. While I agreed with my peers' social views, the condemnation of the other side made me feel as if I was denying myself the opportunity to understand other people. I had no expectation of assuming the perspectives of the "other" but I hoped to comprehend how their experiences had shaped them. Joanne had asked each of us to make a difference. The difference I would make, I decided, was to bridge a gap between my life and the lives of people from backgrounds far different from my own.

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My desire to connect with the "other" motivated me to travel to the South this summer on Etgar 36, an educational program which brings Jewish students to activists on all sides of major social and political issues. Discussing abortion or gun control with a Pro-Life activist or an NRA representative was difficult because these individuals were so removed from my own understanding of these issues. However, this distance made my determination to understand the other person and the other perspective much stronger. As my self awareness grew, so did my discomfort at my limited experiences. It was difficult to look inwards and realize that just as the "other" struggles to understand me, my own experiences or lack thereof can be roadblocks to understanding them. However, while I didn't see eye to eye with the activists, I walked away having pushed myself to engage them.

I will continue to uncover my own prejudices in the hopes of building bridges with those who are removed from my reality. My curiosity provides both a lens through which to view myself and a basis for forming relationships with others. My desire to understand the complexities of my world began in third grade at a time when I didn't have the vocabulary to address my confusion. Today, with the help of Joanne's message, I know that the differences I face can be overcome with an open mind and a willingness to ask difficult questions.

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Watch Kanye West Perform On A Flying Stage Suspended Above The Crowd

By Stephen Gossett in Arts & Entertainment on Aug 26, 2016 3:44PM

When Kanye West returns to Chicago to perform two dates in October for his Life of Pablo tour, concertgoers will probably have to do some neck craning to go along with their jaw dropping.

Never one to skimp on stagecraft, the Chicago (not Northbrook) native unveiled an absolutely bonkers live setupeven for himat Thursday nights tour kickoff in Indianapolis: a massive flying stage suspended directly above the crowd. At points, the stage even appears to dip out of balance, with one side lower than the other. But it looks like Kanye is secured with some kind of chain-harness rig to keep things safe. Good call, that one.

It was enough to give us Motley Crue flashbacks, in the best possible way.

New York Times music critic Jon Caramanica and West fashion guru Virgil Abloh were among those on hand to capture footage of the spectacle.

A video posted by joncaramanica (@joncaramanica) on Aug 25, 2016 at 7:07pm PDT

A video posted by @virgilabloh on Aug 25, 2016 at 7:22pm PDT



As for the music, it looks like West didn't disappoint there, either. As Pitchfork pointed out, the set featured plenty of Pablo cuts but also several older faves, including "Father Stretch My Hands Pt. 1," "All Day" and "Cant Tell Me Nothing."
Hutchinson Zoo confirms avian flu in geese in its bird rehab center

The virus was in geese being treated at the center. One animal was euthanized. The zoo's exhibit birds are being isolated indoors to protect them.
Featuring the image of a bridge, supplemented with the imprint of a traditional Chinese seal, the logo of the upcoming G20 summit was born in an abandoned cement plant in the suburb of the host city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province.

Eight years ago, these deserted plants were turned into a cultural and creative industry park and Yuan Youmin of the China Academy of Art in Hangzhou moved his design studio there.

In 2007, Hangzhou began to dream of becoming a cultural and creative center. Nine years on and creative industries represent some 22 percent of local GDP.

Born in 1971 in Anhui Province, Yuan first came to Hangzhou as a high school graduate. "At that time, the West Lake impressed me most with its arched bridges looming from the mizzle," he said.

Hangzhou's bridges were praised by Italian traveler Marco Polo in the 13th century who called Hangzhou with its 12,000 bridges a city built on water.

"Some have asked me which bridge inspired the logo. Well, I should say that it is a bridge of the spiritual level," Yuan said. The logo combines openness, inclusiveness, understanding and communication. Bridges connect people and places in many different ways, "just as the G20 brings East and West together in dialogue," he said.

The bridge is composed of 20 lines, and the arch of the bridge forms a circle with its reflection. "The 20 lines represents the 20 members of the group, and the round arch implies that it is a round table meeting in which all are equal."

The red seal of the characters of "China" besides the bridge is not only a symbol of culture, but also carries the meaning of promise, as seals represent contractual relationships, he said.

"We want to present Chinese elements in a poetic, natural and concise way," Yuan added.

After the release of the logo on December 1, 2015, the design team spent another three months making a set of handbooks detailing the various manifestations of the logo on different objects and occasions.

Yuan said, graphic design in China has been growing from simple copying of Western styles 30 years ago to exploring distinctive Chinese motifs.

"Hopefully our G20 logo can heighten public awareness of graphic design," he said. "A good design is a carrier of culture, boasting both utility and beauty."
Former Staffer Offers A Rare Look Inside Apple Music

Former Apple Music employee Sean Glass offers a rare look inside the secretive world of Apple, and weighs in on the industry realities behind streaming exclusives and why they can be good for artists, but are generally not especially beneficial to major labels.

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Guest post by former Apple Music employee Sean Glass from Medium

Frank Oceans album is out, what do you think? Who got that zine? Mine is sitting unopened, framed on my wall right now. In addition to what we already knew about it, this album will be historic for an unexpected reason. It will be, allegedly, Universals final exclusive. Having been deeply involved in all of this, I have lots of feelings. I have been at Apple since before launch, but I left recently, so while I still cant talk about details, I can share my opinions on these issues that are already public knowledge. I have no loyalties here, Im no longer employed, I have no horse in this race. But I fully support Apple as the leader and only relevant party.

Summary:

1. Im not in favor of exclusives, Im in favor of the work and value Apple is putting into music right now

2. Exclusives are easily and cheaply accessible, often free

3. Fan complaining about exclusives refuse to spend $10 per month on music. Otherwise, its the major labels complaining.

4. Exclusives provide incredible, unprecedented value for artists + fans

5. Exclusives provide little value to major labels

6. Exclusives at Apple come from one guy working directly with artists, and putting invaluable creative energy into every release.

7. Apple is the only company doing this, so this is not a fight against exclusives, this is a fight against Apple.

8. Exclusives are not the problem, major labels owning the streaming services and all of their playlist functionality is. Indies are powerless.

9. When majors own everything, we all lose because music sounds the same.

Conceptually, limiting the spread of music is bad. No brainer.

Would it be really cool if Apple did all this awesome stuff without requiring exclusives? Sure, I also want Frank Ocean to release two albums in two days to make up for the wait (oh, right, that happened). But thats not realistic. And the end result is more value to the artist and consumer, which I consider a good thing.

Contrary to what you read, theres no scary Apple board room conspiracy where corporate is plotting to take over creativity via artist exclusives. Theres one guy who is behind ALL of these campaigns  and he is light years ahead of everyone else. He works intimately with each artist as a creative peer, and develops an amazing plan, this is no simple land grab. He works closer with the artists than labels do.

Hes building a club, or a community as we like to say. Everyone is invited, at a very low cost. If youre in, you are not complaining about exclusives. Those complaining about exclusives are not participating which means refusing to pay $10 a month for music, so why are we letting them get airtime?

Why are we backing up Spotify here in contrast? They have never invested in artists content, and are now renegotiating their rates to pay artists LESS than they already were. Apple is paying higher royalties, and investing tens of millions in content that artists could never create without them. I hate to even mention Tidal, but the simple comparison here is that Tidal is a reductive strategy, withholding the music from anyone who does not subscribe to something unrelated to the consumption of the music, and providing zero added value. Apple always pairs exclusives with some exciting added content. Its like startup economics, youre either leveraging equity or cash. Tidal is giving artists equity, but that does not get passed to the fan. Apple is giving artists cash, which gets translated to content, and delivered back to the fan.

Go backwards and examine every single Apple Music exclusive thats come out. Each has been paired with an amazing campaign, full of content and experiences that just simply would not have happened without Apples involvement. Frank Oceans rollout was historic  two albums, a film, a livestream, a pop-up, a zine, etc. Drake, you got sooooo muchHotline Bling video, OVO Sound Radio, etc. The 1975, had a fully produced concert film on a rooftop in DTLA, and tons of access to the artist in Beats1 interviews. Dre and Straight Outta Compton was a wild experience last summer, constant content and excitement. There was a feature length Taylor Swift documentary. Khaled. What a time to be alive. #WATTBA There are many smaller, developing artists working on these as well, notably the Anderson Paak documentary, without any exclusives even. There were TONS of music videos that I cant go into detail about, but just would not have existed without Apples involvement. These arent situations where Apple was just paying for things. Theres intimate creative involvement from the Apple side, down to actually directing videos.

Labels are rarely involved.

I think thats where were missing whats really going on. When Frank Ocean puts out a 17 song mood piece without any singles or songs that anyone besides Frank Ocean fans will listen to, itll dominate for a few weeks on release (because 17 tracks count more on streaming than a typical 12 track album), and then go away from the charts, and the label loses. Frank Ocean and his management will make lots of money on any number of things he chooses to do. Hell also make more on the payment for exclusivity than hed likely make on royalties overall. Look at Kanye as the example. He didnt care how many streams he got from TLOP, because hes doing millions $$$ a day in merch and touring, which the label only partially participates in. The album is a brand building exercise for most of these artists now. I dont think Beyonce makes her money on Lemonade the LP, but in everything else surrounding it. These exclusives also affect less than 1% of the music out there.

Theres a much, much, much, much, much, much, much worse problem out there, the same people are behind it, and its affecting 100% of the music out there. Major labels own the playlists. Indies simply do not have access like they do. Check what happened with Ministry of Sound. One of the strongest indies ever sold to Sony because MoS could not monetize playlists the way they do compilations, and they could not break artists outside of the UK. Indie artists charting on Spotify are all anomalies. Sure, it happens, but it happens pretty randomly when a song gets hot. Its not like the indie label has the promotional power to manufacture a campaign to get that artist playlisted and charting. At the same time, every single release on certain major labels charts on Spotify because its placed directly into the playlists that first give the boost on the debut, and then become feeder for all of the other playlists. Its not just about the one big playlist, its about the 5000 UGC (user generated content, playlists) that come afterwards. Spotify says 6090% of total plays come from those UGC playlists. Spotify works such that the major label dominated playlists are the gatekeepers to the UGC playlists. Sure, there are exceptions, there are playlisters that actually just chart what they feel like, but the majority chart stuff from Universal, Sony and Warner. Indies are powerless. Theyre left to leverage better A&R to hope they snag something great before the majors do.

There are solutions to all of this, but nobody in power wants them. Maybe Ill write a part two on the solutions, but for now, I recommend enjoying the best content out there, which happens to come from Apple exclusives, educating yourselves on exactly how these services work, and supporting artists you love. The internet is a democratic tool, and were stripping ourselves of our rights by asking people to do everything for us. Demand more from your services, and demand variety. And next time you see a really, really bad pop stars new single written by 16 people on the top of New Music Friday, dont add it to your personal playlist.

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Bluestem Amphitheater Builds Idyllic Artist Village Of Tiny Houses

In Moorhead, Minnesota, the Bluestem Amphitheater recently created a quaint and specifically artist tailored village out of tiny houses in which it houses the multiple performers which pass through the region.

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Guest post by Taylor Mims of touring industry new site Amplify

Bluestem Amphitheater for the Arts in Moorhead, Minn. is using tiny houses to create a serene artist village for their performers. The Trollwood Performing Arts Schools amphitheater was in need of appropriate accommodations for its talent since Jade Presents began working with the 3,000-seat space.

We started doing events at the amphitheater in 2009 and it became apparent that our temporary solutions over the years were just not what I desired, Jade Nielsen, President of Jade Presents, told Amplify. As a promoter, I always look at my job as having two clients. One is the artist and the other is the patron.

The artist village is made up of two 500-sq.-ft. tiny houses that have the look and feel of small cabins. Adjoining them to the building for management and production staff is a large deck with hand-made Adirondack chairs, hammocks and fire pits. The deck faces the Red River and overlooks vast greenery and a retaining pond.

Ive toured a number of times and theres nothing better to me than getting off of the road, getting off of a bus into a space that has a real sense of calm, Nielsen said. So when you get off a bus prior to a set and need some down time its really the place where you can do it. Youre not in the thick of your regular dressing room spaces.

The idea of using tiny homes came to Nielsen from hearing about other venues that use old homes or refurbished cabins for their artist quarters. Bluestem previously utilized industrial spaces below the amphitheater where room was limited. Nielsen explained, they were under the stage with concrete floors and steel ceilings, very challenging to warm up and make them feel welcoming. The new facilities can be separated into four private dressing rooms, giving artists and their company the ability to spread out comfortably.

Bluestem has been using the artist village since June 17 when Brandi Carlile played the amphitheater and have received rave reviews about the space. Artists have taken advantage of the patio grills and cooked themselves or brought in chefs instead of opting for typical catering. There is over a half mile before the next structure, so artists and their teams have space to walk, ride bikes or if they have a dog on tour, it can roam the grounds.

We dont want them to feel rushed after the show if they just want to sit back and enjoy a fire pit with their road family. Its our way of saying thanks for playing in Moorhead and we want you to come back, Nielsen said.

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How Piracy Altered Music Discovery & Licensed Services Pushed It Forward

Bas Grasmayer takes a look back at the multitude of different tech platforms (many of them a haven for piracy) which have allowed us to access music over the years, and how they have helped shaped the current emphasis on music discovery.

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Guest Post by Bas Grasmayer on Synchblog

As we continue our 'Projecting Trends' series, digital strategist Bas Grasmayer takes a look into the history of online music discovery, and what the present tells us about the future.

It seems that every other consumer-facing music startup wants to help people discover new music. Platforms like Spotify or Pandora also have a strong interest in connecting people to great music, because time spent on service equals ad revenue.

IRC

The online chat protocol IRC let people set up servers and channels to discuss any topic. Some people used it to set up channels with bots that would serve files to users on request. Messenger bots are actually quite old school and were one of the first ways, after Usenet, in which people were pirating music online. Theyd join a channel, check in on the announced new files available every now and then, and would then send a message to a bot to retrieve the file they wanted. After messaging the bot, the bot would send the file to the user.

The discovery mechanism was basically sitting in a channel and seeing what new files were available. Passive like radio. Often there would also be a bot that you could query to find specific files or get a list of everything available.

Napster

Then came Napster. The service represents a pivotal moment for the music industry. The startup showed how the internets promise of free flows of information could be applied to music. Despite its reputation as a pirate service, they had believers inside the music industry too, with BMG investing in Napster. It failed to go legit on time and become a subscription-service, but not before changing the way we discover music.

Napster made music less scarce. It was easier to use than IRC bots and Usenet, so more people engaged in it. For this first generation of file sharing service, the search box became the key to music discovery. Type a phrase, see what comes out and pick what you want. Or, in terms of discovery, pick the tracks you dont know yet.

Suddenly you had access to, what seemed like, all the music in the world. Since searching for a song would also give you cover versions and remixes, it helped artists like Weird Al Yankovic reach new audiences, and helped upcoming artists in remix-heavy genres like dance and hiphop make a name for themselves.

Soulseek

The next big upgrade for pirate services and music discovery was Soulseek. Instead of letting users download single songs, it would let users download entire folders. There were chatrooms based on music tastes. Independent artists would use these chatrooms to promote their music. You could make wishlists of content, so if something was unavailable, you could easily grab it at a later time (remember: it all depended on users being online). You could save queries, so you could return to them later and see if theres anything new.

Perhaps most importantly, you were able to browse other users directly, searching through their folders. If you were a kid in Austria, interested in underground hiphop, but having no way to get those CDs in your own country, suddenly you would be able to interact with people from the US and browse through their entire underground hiphop music archives.

In other words, Soulseek made the music discovery process much more social and added a new behaviour: social browsing as a music discovery mechanism.



Private Torrent Trackers

The rise of torrent technology changed the piracy landscape. Torrents were much more efficient to the end user than peer-to-peer transfers. Torrents chop files up in small packages and transfer them from multiple users, sometimes hundreds or thousands. A problem for early peer-to-peer networks was that if the user youre downloading from went offline, you would no longer be able to download.

Private trackers often focus on a particular style, genre or set of sub-genres. It creates social communities akin to the IRC or Soulseek chatrooms mentioned earlier. Because everything happens through a centralized tracker, the platform knows exactly how much users are sharing and taking, seeding and leeching. There are lively forum discussions about music where it promptly displays peoples upload / download ratio. This is a form of social currency, a status symbol.

If you share a lot, youll be able to download more. Often these trackers penalize people who have poor ratios, for instance by revoking their right to download more music until they improve their ratio. All in all, the discovery process is a combination of all the aforementioned dynamics, but with more of a communitarian focus.

An important difference is that torrents made it easy to download LOTS of music. Either by just hitting the download button on all the albums, or by adding the RSS feed to your torrent client, so that it would automatically download everything as soon as it hits the service. Its a good tactic to make sure youre one of the first downloaders, meaning youll upload it to more users than the downloaders who come later. Feed subscriptions were often reserved for high ratio users.

Now comes the important implication: this behaviour means that hard drives would get filled with more good music than users could possibly listen to. This over-abundance created a new problem. One that pirate services couldnt tackle on their own.

Last.fm

A landscape where lots of people have music on their hard drives, often mostly pirated, and more than someone would be able to reasonably enjoy. Listening to everything once is doable, twice is a challenge, three times would be near-impossible.

Last.fm set out to make use of this fact by creating a scrobbler that would automatically track what songs people are listening to and save this information to their service. Through this data grab, it could understand that listeners of a certain artist were also likely to listen to a particular other artist. It became the first widely used music recommendation engine. Compared to music services nowadays, Last.fm was highly social, creating discussion groups, pages for user profiles, artist profiles, genres and communities spawning around tags.

Its aim was to make it easier for users to find relevant music. You could tune into a personalized radio stream, as well as radio streams where you would pick a tag or artist as a departure point. It was great for artists in smaller genres who had trouble getting their name out. Suddenly they started getting themselves found through algorithms.

It was an important step forward for music services and though people could stream directly from the service, much of the user behaviour around acquiring music didnt change.

Pandora

It was Pandora that took things a step further. Last.fms strategy was to tap into existing user behaviour and build something on top of what users were already doing: listening to music with WinAmp or Windows Media Player. Pandora gave users a new place to listen to music. It didnt brand itself as a social music service  it branded itself as personalized radio that learns from your tastes.

Pandora and Last.fm played important roles in the dawn of personalized internet radio. Radio that is interactive, and learns from your tastes. Instead of making users do all the work, they were truly music services: making the lives of their users easier and improving their discovery process.

Spotify

In the late 2000s, Spotify introduced a new element to the music discovery landscape. Playlists. Playlists were not new, but being able to easily share playlists with friends, and having them able to listen to it immediately without having to download the music, was game-changing.

Spotify created an API to let developers access data and functionality of the service. It spawned a landscape of music apps. Early playlist curators faced a problem though. How could they share their playlists beyond their personal social graph? Spotify made improvements, like showing playlists in search results, but the most important player at the time was ShareMyPlaylists.

ShareMyPlaylists was a place to share and discover new playlists. It seemed to have been hacked together with blogging software, and at first it wasnt all that great, but it thrived because it was the most important (and at one point the only) place where community members could easily dig into curation. It later rebranded to Playlists.net and was acquired by Warner in 2014.

SoundCloud

Another music startup with Swedish roots popularized a different discovery mechanism at the same time. It let users sign up, upload their music, and follow other artists. Basically: follow a bunch of artists youre interested in and never miss a new upload. Timed comments allowed for the community to leave feedback on each others tracks, as well as a way to discover people with interesting perspectives. This focus on community and direct-to-artist subscriptions turned SoundCloud into the popular platform it is today.

It also had the tag system popularized by Last.fm, letting users browse through tags. Another feature seen in previous services, groups, let users gather music based around certain criteria. The latter was made redundant recently.

Shazam

Then multiple things happened: our mobiles became more powerful. They started to be always-online, and music recognition algorithms started getting accurate. Shazam built a massive database to be able to recognize music that people would send in by holding their phones microphone up while a song was playing. A new way to discover music was born. Hear a track, identify it, and then purchase it on iTunes.

Shazam is important, because it made perfect use of converging trends to create something new. Not just a new app, but a new music behaviour, a new way of discovering music.

Beats Music

Before Apple Music, there was Beats Music. While the service itself was not that revolutionary in terms of creating new ways to discover music, it had one feature with tremendous importance. It was called The Sentence.

It allowed you to describe a situation and then it would spawn a stream for you. Instead of playing off of related artists, or through genres, the product people showed a great insight into current day music listening attitudes. Weve gone from an aesthetic orientation to music, to a utilitarian orientation. As Brazilian consumer researcher Thiago R. Pinto recently put it: "Music for new generations is not about reflecting their unique personas, but a mirror of the activity he or she is performing."

Spotify reloaded

Spotify kept pursuing its playlist strategy, but decided to decrease the dependence on the human factor by acquiring music data company The Echo Nest. Now, its algorithms create weekly playlists for all its users: Discover Weekly and Release Radar.

As pointed out previously, it marks an important direction for Spotify which will influence the online music economy. The person behind this new functionality is Matt Ogle, who was one of the product people for Last.fm until 2010. In a way, these playlists are a hybrid of the Spotify model and the personalized radio model established by Last.fm and Pandora. Its what else Spotify is doing thats important for the future.

Below every playlist, youll find a recommended songs section. Spotify is carefully employing its algorithms to guide user behaviour and to help users get a better experience out of the service. Its this algorithm-driven innovation which will be behind the next generation of music discovery.

Breaking artists

Two notable examples of algorithms being used to predict which artists are about to make breakthroughs are Pandoras new charts and Shazams Future Hits chart. Both look at their data sets and when they see a trend displaying a surge, they add the information to the charts. Back in May, Shazam predicted this summers hits. How do you think they did?

More innovation

The key to next generation of music discovery is comprised of three vectors:

music as a utility;

real-world context, with mobile devices as the key;

and guiding user behaviour through algorithms.

There have been great advances in machine learning in recent years, so the latter has some extra weight.

The reason why I started with pirate services is to highlight what they innovated and how it made a lasting impact on the services we now use every day. Luckily, most innovation has moved to licensed services nowadays, because its just much easier to attain licences on decent terms than 15-20 years ago. With the rise of good legal services, the appeal of piracy has shrunk.

Streaming exclusives are a threat to this fragile status quo. The marketing messages of music streaming services often mention having your music "all in one place" (Apple Music) or "all the music you'll ever need" (Spotify). This gives users the feeling that theyre already paying their music access tax and will not hesitate to pirate an album released as an exclusive. They might be wrong, but exclusives are a danger to sustainability.

If the status quo is broken and piracy makes a big comeback, expect more innovation to happen in the unlicensed domain, creating new behaviours and methods for music discovery.

However it plays out, expect the next few years to bring new discovery methods which understand the user and the context of the situation that theyre in.



Our 'Projecting Trends' series is created by digital strategist Bas Grasmayer, who runs the MUSIC x TECH x FUTURE digital strategy agency and newsletter.

Subscribe to our Synchtank Weekly to receive all of our blog posts via email, plus key industry news, and details of our podcast episodes and free webinars.

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At just 29, MHBTs Adam Sammons has already racked up an impressive array of industry recognitions. In addition to being named one of Insurance Business Americas 2016 Young Guns, the Dallas-area producer won the Young Agent of the Year award from both the Independent Insurance Agents of Dallas and the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas.Sammons, who came into insurance after spending two years working at a nonprofit post-college, has more than earned his keep at Marsh & McLennan Agency MHBT. He was instrumental in developing MHBTs nonprofit vertical, taking it from a mostly church-based practice to a multi-faceted venture servicing YMCA associations, foster care and summer camps, among others.He also helped win MHBT its largest piece of business in 2014  a group of 325 churches written on one master policy.But Sammons isnt just a successful young producer. Hes also an advocate for millennials in insurance, doing much to dispel the industrys poor reputation among young people and to support career development among Dallas young professionals.Sammons started this work right off the bat, at MHBT.When I started at MHBT, I was hired along with six or seven other young folks as a producer in your typical sink-or-swim office, he told Insurance Business America. There was no formal training, and about half of us stayed while the other half washed out. We decided together that if were going to be successful in bringing young people in, we need them to have a better onboarding process  a mentor thats in their corner advocating for their success.And so the MHBT Young Guns program was born. Every two weeks, new hires at the company meet together to discuss new business, do dry runs on presentations for new prospects and participate in key training programs. The company has even hired two, full-time regional trainers to administer that onboarding.Since its development, the program has been instrumental in attracting young college graduates to MHBT.Whenever I speak with young folks at colleges or in other settings, one of the first things they ask about is training, Sammons said. Im so glad we can say were able to make sure theyre equipped to succeed, to bring out the most in them.Sammons expanded his work outside of MHBT shortly afterward, assisting in the founding of Young Risk Professionals of Texas, a group for risk and insurance employees to network and learn from one another. He also serves as the chair of the Young Agents Advisory Council for the Independent Insurance Agents of Texas and as chair of the associate board for the Insurance Industry Charitable Foundation.If theres one thing hes learned in his involvement with other young professionals, its that both the industry and millennials get a bad rap.I hate how people put millennials in a box, saying we want to change the world but dont have the drive or the work ethic to actually do it, Sammons said. Millennials are looking for careers that allow them to give back, and insurance should be number one on their list. Its a people business, one where relationships still matter more than anything.He continues to fight on both fronts for that understanding, and that effort  fortunately  is already paying off.Weve brought on so many young people at MHBT, he said. Its been amazing to see.
The Department of Homeland Security is investigating a cyber attack on a Saturday Night Live star.A recent cyber breach of comedian Leslie Jones personal website exposed nude photos and personal documents, according to an Associated Press report. Its the latest in a pattern of harassment against the actress, who was the victim of a campaign of racist harassment on Twitter last month.The hackers who broke into Jones website replaced its content with nude photos, an image of her drivers license and passport, and racist videos, the AP reported. The website was taken offline Wednesday after the hack was exposed.Homeland Securitys Immigration and Customs Enforcement division said Thirday that its looking into the breach. ICE Public Affairs Officer Rachel Yong Yow told USA Today that the agency couldnt release any further information on an active investigation.After last months barrage of Twitter attacks, Jones called on the site to do more to prevent harassment, according to the AP. Several users were banned as a result.Shes done all the right things, Brendesha Tynes, a cyberbullying and social media expert from the University of Southern California, told the AP. You report, you block  shes done all those things.But celebrities are frequent targets of online harassment and hackers. In 2012, a site posted personal information on several celebrities, including Jay Z, Beyonce, and Ashton Kutcher, according to USA Today. the information included credit reports, Social Security numbers and financial information.
Just hours after securing a new endorsement deal, embattled US Olympic insurer Ryan Lochte was formally charged by Brazilian police with filing a false robbery report during the Rio de Janerio Olympics this month.It may be the fastest insurance payout ever, if Pine Bros Softish Throat Drops which inked the deal with Locthe  had celebrity endorsement or reputational risk coverage.Lochte is certainly persona non grata in the wake of the incident, in which he claimed to have been robbed at gunpoint with three other members of the US Olympic Team. In reality, Lochte and others vandalized a gas station, urinated on the premises and then paid for the damages when confronted by armed guards. Lochte then recounted the experience to reporters while drunk.The 12-time Olympic medal winner quickly lost sponsorship deals with nearly all of his partners, including high profile names like Speedo and Ralph Lauren.The incident was a striking example of the exposure that can occur when a company hires a well-known athlete or celebrity to endorse their product. While the association increases brand awareness and raises public opinion, it can also generate huge financial loss if the endorser misbehaves.In this age of social media and instant news, reports of indiscretions by celebrities or high-profile athletes can spread worldwide instantly with swift, adverse implications for products or brands associated with the individual, said Jeremy Johnson, chief executive with Lexington Insurance.Lexington last year introduced Celebrity Product RecallResponse to deal with the fallout. The standalone policy is triggered by significant media coverage of the endorsers actual or alleged criminal act, or other conduct deemed distasteful. With limits of up to $5 million, it covers the costs of removing promotion and marketing materials as well as the recall of products bearing the endorsers name or image.Related Stories:

The risk of a Ryan Lochte  how your client could sink on celebrity scandal
The Ministry of Education issued a warning for students advising them to watch out for financial scams on its official website on Wednesday.

The Ministry cautioned that, when organizations or persons offer financial aid to students, they will not ask them to conduct interactive operations on an ATM or online. If they do, students should first consult with teachers and local educational authorities, and students should never transfer money without first checking.

The warning comes as a university student died of a heart attack after falling victim to a scam in east China's Shandong province.

The 18-year-old student Xu Yuyu was about to attend university but died after being swindled out of 9,900 yuan (1,500 U.S dollars) which she planned to use for her tuition fees.

According to media reports, Xu Yuyu's mother received a phone call on August 18 from someone claiming to be from the education authority and in charge of giving out scholarships. The person asked if she had a child about to attend university and she passed the phone to her daughter.

In the phone call, Xu Yuyu was told to transfer her tuition fees to the scammer's account within the same day, and that only by doing so would she receive the 2,600 yuan scholarship plus the original tuition fee deposited to her account.

However, shortly after making the payment, Xu discovered it was a scam as she discovered the scammer's phone number had been disconnected.

Xu felt very ashamed and went home and cried hard to her mother, according to media reports.

The report said she later went to the police station with her father to report the scam and on the way home she fell seriously ill and fainted.

Her parents took her to the hospital that night and then three days later she died of a heart attack.

The university where the student was about to enroll, Nanjing University of Posts And Telecommunications, states that besides sending out a letter of admission, no one at the university had contacted Xu and offered her a scholarship.

The university's publicity officer Xu Lei said university staff are required to keep students' personal information confidential in accordance with university regulations and professional ethics.

She said the scammers called the girl's mother and how they obtained her phone number is still unknown.

Xu also said that along with letters of admission, the university also includes warnings against scams.

Media outlets revealed Xu came from an underprivileged family, and her family had to work hard to save the money for her tuition fees.

Xu's case is not unique.

A sophomore from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality is also reported to have been swindled out of 6,100 yuan (around 916 U.S dolars) on Wednesday by a text message asking her to change her flight ticket on an ATM. The text message claimed to be from the airlines she was about to take.

The cases have put telecommunication fraud and personal information leaks under the spotlight.

It is reported that the number that called Xu's mother begins with 171, a phone number usually ambiguous with regards to real name and address and mainly run by virtual operators.

Such numbers have become the favorite of telecommunication fraudsters, warned the police authority.

To cope with rampant telecommunication fraud, suggestions are being made to revise the legislation against such crimes. Telecom operators are also being prompted to strengthen virtual operator regulations and step up efforts in implement a legal-name phone number system.

Many classmates of Xu also said that they had received similar phone calls, triggering many to wonder, who leaked the students' information and how many students have fallen prey to such fraudsters?

A recent court decision ruled that 6 people were sentenced to prison for illegally obtaining and peddling over 2 million students' and their parents' information in Beijing, according to CCTV reports.

Apart from sending advertising text messages to these victims, the group also peddled the information online as cheap as half a fen (0.0015 U.S. dollar) for one piece.

Personal information leaks, rife in our life, aids swindlers in spotting their prey. Such leaks threaten people's property and safety in numerous ways. Harsher punishment against information leaks is also being advised.
In the wake of the devastating floods in Baton Rouge, Louisiana (which left 13 dead and 60,000 homes damaged or destroyed), the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has funded $2.9 million through its public assistance program. According to the White House , more than 25,000 National Flood Insurance policyholders have submitted claims for flood loss, and FEMA has issued $11 million in advanced payments to National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) policyholders in the state.The scale and severity of the floods has prompted homeowners in other states to call local insurance brokers to inquire about flood insurance. Kim Hinton, an agent at McMahon and Hadder Insurance in Pensacola, Florida, recently reported an increase in the number of people calling her and inquiring about flood insurance."I've had several people calling saying 'Hey I know I said I didn't want [flood insurance] to begin with, but let's go back and re-look at that and see what we can do,'" Hinton said. "Between that, and of course, the last couple of years, the floods that we've had here have also gotten people to where they realize the importance to having that flood insurance coverage."Hinton warns that as tropical wave Invest 99 inches closer to Southwest Florida, insurance policies likely wont be issued because of the 30-day waiting period. However, she points out that there are new programs on the private market that have shorter waiting periods, and its good to check private insurers to see whats available to purchase.The rise in flood insurance claims isnt limited to natural disasters. "The crazy thing is we've been seeing more flood insurance claims from rain storms and regular storms outside of hurricane season, so it's not something just to think about during hurricane season," Hinton noted.Hinton also recommends checking the National Flood Insurance website for detailed policy costs and coverage.
North Adams Schools Set Opening Day 2019

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.  Elementary and high school students in the North Adams Public Schools in Grades K-8, along with Drury students newly transferring from another school, will begin school on Tuesday, Sept. 3, 2019. On Wednesday, Sept. 4, all students in kindergarten through Grade 12 will attend school.

Both days are full days of school. Breakfast and lunch will be served at all schools starting on Tuesday, Sept. 3, and one breakfast and lunch will be provided free of charge daily. Additional meals may be purchased for a fee. Contact Cory Nicholas, food service director, at 413-776-1631 or cnicholas@napsk12.org with any questions.

Lunch menus are also posted here.

Cancellations are listed on television on Channels 6, 10, and 13, and broadcast on the radio at WBEC FM 95.9, WUPE FM 100.1 and AM 1110, WNAW AM 1230, WBRK AM 1340 and FM 101.7. They are also posted on the district's website www.napsk12.org as well as on www.iberkshires.com and www.facebook.com/NAPSK12 and on Twitter at @TheNorthAdamsPS. Additionally, families are contacted via School Messenger.

The district encourages families to provide a second number for School Messenger in the event of an unscheduled early release. On early release days, elementary schools are dismissed at 11:30 a.m. and students at the high school are released at 11 a.m.

All schools will be open 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Aug. 27, to conduct school business, including the registration of new students.

Make sure your childs school has your current telephone number(s) on file as well as an e-mail address. You may contact Nancy Rauscher at nrauscher@napsk12.org or at 413-776-1458 to update information or to provide a second contact number. The school calendar is posted on the district website.
The Alert Hose Co #1 of Adams won three awards in the Bennington Battle Day Parade.

Berkshires Beat: Adams Alert Hose Brings Home Awards

Trio of honors: The Alert Hose Co #1 of Adams attended the Bennington Battle Days parade on Aug. 14, in which members pulled their infamous parade cart, which was built in 1885.

The department is well known for wearing their Prince Albert- style buff and white uniforms. This rare uniform style has been preserved by the company as a memorial to its predecessors and is worn proudly with distinction by the alerts today.



The Alerts proudly took home three new trophies: the Vermont State Firefighters Association's "Best Appearing Antique Hand Drawn Equipment-Out of State," the Vermont State Firefighters Association's "Best Appearing Marching Unit, With or Without Antique Apparatus-Out of State" and lastly the Bennington Battle Day 2016 "Oldest Hand-Drawn Antique Equipment, Fire-Related."





Learn to swim: The Dalton Community Recreation Association has begun registration for Fall/Winter Session I Swimming Lessons. Lessons run from Sept. 6-Nov. 12 (10 weeks). A current CRA Jr. Membership ($40) is required and everyone must wear a swim cap.



The Dalton CRA offers a full range of swimming lessons including: Parent-Toddler (6 months to 3 years, parent needs to be in the pool with toddler); Pre-School (3-5 years, not in Kindergarten); Beginners (5 years and up); Beginners Deep End (5 years and up - no bubble); Advanced Beginners, Intermediate Swimmer and Advanced Swimmer. Cost for lessons is $60 plus Membership, Monday classes are nine weeks at $54 plus membership. Parent Toddler lessons are $30 (plus membership). Adult Learn-to-Swim class is also offered. Cost is $6 per class and a CRA Membership is not required.



Register at the Dalton CRA. For more information and class schedule, call the CRA at 684-0260 or go online.





Rural outreach grant: The VT-NH Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure has awarded a $20,000 grant to the Southwestern Vermont Health Care Foundation for support of the Breast Health Rural Outreach Program. The program is a cooperation between the Southwestern Vermont Regional Cancer Center and the Womens Imaging Center at Southwestern Vermont Medical Center and supports early detection by offering free or reduced-price screening or diagnostic mammograms for those without insurance or with high deductibles, especially those who do not qualify for other assistance programs.



Screening mammograms detect cancer when it is most treatable, up to two years before a patient or physician can feel a lump. Early detection relates to greater cure rates. American College of Radiology recommends annual screening mammography beginning at age 40. Those interested in learning more about their eligibility to receive grant funding for their mammogram should contact Rebecca Hewson-Steller at 802-440-4244.





STEM selection: The Boys & Girls Club of the Berkshires has been selected by Boys & Girls Clubs of America to receive materials and resources to participate in the DIY STEM program. DIY STEM is a hands-on, activity-based Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) curriculum which connects youth to science themes they encounter in everyday life. Special attention is paid to teaching participants the connections between scientific theory and the practical application of scientific principles.



DIY STEM currently includes five modules: Energy and Electricity, Engineering Design, Food Chemistry, Aeronautics, and Robotics. Programming will consist of at least six 60-minute sessions and will serve a minimum of 60 club members.


'Indignation': A Fine Sadness

If you need a very literate affirmation that life can sometimes be brutal, sad, mocking, unfair and heartrending, then director/screenwriter James Schamus' diligent adaptation of Philip Roth's "Indignation" awaits you at the Bijou. You can't help but be mesmerized by the searing, incisive realities Roth mines in his chronicle of a Jewish young man's experiences, circa early 1950s, at a small college in Ohio. The messages, either blatant or frighteningly violent in their subtlety, are delivered with righteous indignation, suggesting a modern addendum to the Greek tragedies.



If you're familiar with the Pulitzer Prize-winning author's body of work, you'll find the theme familiar. There's a touch of "Goodbye Columbus," a few building blocks from "Portnoy's Complaint," and some smatterings of the racial injustice he deliberated in "The Human Stain." It's unapologetically intense stuff, a muckraking that specializes in artistically dissecting man's inhumanity to man. The divulgences are often horrible, almost too much to bear. But when it works, the ideas are delivered with a literary perception almost equal to the catastrophe depicted.



But if you dig deep, read between the bon mots and imbue the screenplay's circumstances with the innate optimism exclusive to our species, you are likely to root for the protagonist's chances of beating the fates. Gosh knows he probably deserves it. Logan Lerman's Marcus Messner is an awfully nice kid. Smart, rather handsome and a good soul, he wants to be a lawyer. Raised in Newark, New Jersey, the son of a butcher, he chooses conservative Winesburg College both for its reputation and for the distance it will afford from a background he finds stultifying.



His dad, Max (Danny Burstein), who could compete for airspace with any of today's helicopter parents, has of late evinced signs of becoming unhinged. To the chagrin of both Marcus and his mom, Esther (Linda Emond), Max's outbursts about the dangers lurking at life's every turn have become overbearing. Alas, Mom can't escape, but the deferment from getting killed in Korea that college offers Marcus is also his brass ring of salvation. Of course, in good ironic form, he will inevitably wind up forced to defend the very culture he has attempted to flee.



Shortly after being unsurprised that he's been placed in a room with two other Jewish students and solicited by the Jewish fraternity as if he were being rescued, in good Rothian form, quicker than you can say Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe, he becomes enamored of a Gentile co-ed. She is the lovely, blonde and blue-eyed Olivia Hutton, credibly portrayed by Sarah Gadon. Naturally, there's more to this daughter of well-to-do, divorced Ohio parents, than meets the eye. But for now, she has never met anyone like this deeply intense young man.


'Sausage Party": Food Orgy

Contemplating "Sausage Party," an R-rated, animated food orgy in more ways than one, I'm reminded of what a fellow journalist once opined at a block party: "You know what's wrong with you film critics? You see so many movies that when you chance upon something different, you just go crazy."



Thus, I'm proud to report that while the very bawdy, irreverent, sometimes hilarious and ultimately overcooked "Sausage Party" is certainly different, I'm managing to contain myself. While featuring some fine writing and direction from a gaggle of popular, Hollywood humorists, perhaps it's the cartoon venue that inspires some of the deleterious juvenility. In any case, that, and the limitations of just how far one can take an anthropomorphic parody keep the movie from overriding my internal judgment meter. I am no crazier than I was before I saw this film.



But beware, dear reader, whether DAR member in good standing, lefty cosmopolitan, inhibited biddy or free-thinking debaucher who hasn't been right since Al Goldstein's "Screw" (magazine) halted publication, know that "Sausage Party" may cross your line of good taste. Perhaps inspired by, and harking back to Ralph Bakshi's X-rated "Fritz the Cat" (1972), based on Robert Crumb's era-defining comic strip, there is a dual-edged dynamic that promotes its naughtiness. Cartoon characters talking lasciviously is both funny and, well, a bit unseemly.



Now that these warnings both on the label and on the accompanying sheet of precautions have been duly noted, and I'm fairly confident that some poor, unwitting viewer won't be abashed to the point of utter madness by this modern, cinema version of the French postcard, on to the plot. A cast of terrifically voiced groceries live a charmed life at Shopwell's supermarket, flirting, exchanging store gossip and kibitzing with the glib abandon of food with a far off "use by" date. From soup to nuts, their joviality is promoted by the knowledge that The Great Beyond awaits.



In other words, though there's not a milk bottle or a can of beans who could tell you what it's like, they've no doubt that there's an afterlife. But when a jar of honey mustard rejected by its purchaser is returned to the shelves, having thus bitten the forbidden fruit he tells what he's seen. Nothing is ever quite the same at Shopwell's. Doubt pervades. It's just too unthinkable to imagine and recalls Charlton Heston's horror after his discovery in "Soylent Green" (1973).



Of course the mustard's contention must be investigated, and what better searcher of truth in this matter than an all-American hot dog? Excellently verbalized by Seth Rogen, he is appropriately named Frank. Oh, they refer to him as a sausage, but he's doubtless the frankfurter sub-species, and probably a pork-beef blend, skinless, 8-to-a-pound, if I'm interpreting the artist's brushstrokes correctly. But what it doesn't say on the package's required FDA nutrition info is that Frank is an exceptional example of his brand, the wiener version of a Columbus or a Marco Polo.




iciHaiti - Suriname : Haiti commemorates the abolition of the slave trade





Alex Jospitre, the Consulate General of the Republic of Haiti in Suriname commemorated earlier this week the "International Day of Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition" with Surinamese Officials.



The Consul Alex Jospitre accompanied by Vice Consul Rosario Alexandre and the Consular Agent Christian Petit-Frere hailed the memory of our heroes in his remarks for the circumstances on the Square Kwakoe, while stressing the impact of this revolution throughout the world.



While recalling that the struggle must continue against the new forms of slavery today, the Consul took the opportunity to praise the work of Iwan Winjngaarde, President of the African Federation, to whom he handed a gift on behalf of the Consulate General of Haiti in appreciation.



With Ambassador Henk Herrenberg, representative of the President of the Republic of Suriname and Iwan Winjngaarde, the Consul Jospitre accompanied by his colleagues, respectfully laid wreaths of flowers at the foot of the Kwakoe statue and reiterated the continued support of the Consulate to the African Federation of Suriname.



IH/ S/ iciHaiti


















On July 8 Indian security forces killed armed activist Burhan Wani for his involvement in militancy in Indian Kashmir. The killing instantly transformed him into a popular hero. And it also triggered violence on a scale that has not been witnessed in the troubled Himalayan region for several years.

The popularity can be gauged by the fact that Wani's death was mourned a vast scale. According to a local journalist, about 200,000 people attended his funeral. Since then, the people have been up in arms. Hundreds, even thousands, have protested despite curfews and the heavy presence of the Indian army and other law enforcing agencies.

Pakistan's foreign office has claimed that at least 80 protestors have been killed, with over 120 blinded by pellet guns and 6,000 injured in clashes with security forces.

India has blamed Pakistan for the unrest, but the ground situation shows that this time the agitation is due to indigenous reasons, which has been confirmed by local politicians and media reports. For example, former chief minister of Kashmir and pro-Indian leader Omar Abdullah blamed the government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the trouble.

There is a huge disconnect between the grievances of the people and policy of the government. India claims that Kashmir is an integral part of its territory. For many Kashmiris, this means India is just interested in the region and not in its people, as Indian leaders have rarely expressed genuine warmth toward the people of Kashmir. It has been demonstrated by a lack of desire in successive governments to integrate the people into India.

This has created a sense of alienation in the people of Kashmir, especially the youth who are at the forefront of the current protests. Wani is their hero, since he stood against India and was killed for his defiance. The unrest shows that it is a decisive time for Kashmir, and India needs to find an out of box solution. Increasing security forces and replacing pellet guns with pepper spray won't solve the problem. India's failure in Kashmir is Pakistan's success. Indian weakness has been exposed, as it has nothing to offer the people and just accuses Pakistan for "cross-border terrorism." It would be naive to think that Pakistan is innocent, but the fact is that it is not responsible for everything. By saying that militants are responsible for everything in Kashmir, India has greatly exaggerated the group's involvement in militancy. Indian leaders should realize that by giving credit to the militants for the unrest, they are indirectly strengthening them.

Pakistan has pushed for plebiscite in Kashmir to let the people of Kashmir decide their fate. It was the right given to them by the UN Security Council through its resolutions in 1948-49. Islamabad is also trying to highlight the violation of human rights due to the brutal use of force by the Indian security forces. Diplomatically, it is trying to corner India by extending an invitation for talks on Kashmir.

The trouble in Kashmir is at the center of the tension between Pakistan and India, each controlling a part of Kashmir while wanting the whole region. They have already fought at least two wars over the region since their independence from Britain in 1947. A limited war called the Kargil conflict in 1999 raised the real danger of a nuclear exchange, but the U.S. stepped in to prevent serious conflict.

It shows that the role of the international community can go a long way in reducing the miseries of the Kashmiris and creating peace in South Asia. Lately, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has expressed willingness to use good faith if he was invited by both Pakistan and India to play a role.

I am highlighting the role of world because so far both India and Pakistan have not shown enough maturity to deal with the issue. Let us hope they will grow and hold meaningful talks on Kashmir.

Sajjad Malik is a columnist with China.org.cn. For more information please visit:

http://china.org.cn/opinion/SajjadMalik.htm

Opinion articles reflect the views of their authors, not necessarily those of China.org.cn.
 Flash

Bolivia's attorney general said Thursday that he could not confirm or rule out reports saying that Deputy Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes had been beaten to death by striking mineworkers.

"At this moment we cannot confirm whether he (Illanes) is kidnapped and still alive or is possibly dead," Ramiro Guerrero told a press conference in the southeastern city of Sucre.

Illanes left on Thursday for Panduro, about 180 km from the capital of La Paz, to negotiate with miners demanding changes to laws about the suspension of their protests. He was kidnapped by them.

Guerrero said he had sent prosecutors to investigate the kidnapping and obtain information from the police.

Moise Flores, a reporter from radio station Fedecomin, said he had seen the body of the 56-year-old deputy minister in a hill near Panduro.

A government source said several ministers had met but could not confirm whether a minister would speak to the press at the moment.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia began what it said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions, the right to work for private companies and greater union representation.

Interior Minister Carlos Romero said deals between mining cooperatives and private sector companies are not allowed by the Constitution, and claimed that the real objective of the protests is "blackmail."

Protests by the miners have turned violent since Aug. 10, when the miners took police officers hostage, torturing them and stealing their equipment before releasing them the next day.

Two workers were killed Wednesday after being shot by police, and the government said 17 police officers had been wounded.
Q1. Why does jordan need a program with the IMF?

Over the last few years, Jordan has managed to maintain macroeconomic stability and undertake significant policy adjustment against a difficult external environment, rising socio-economic tensions, high vulnerabilities, and the hosting of a large number of Syrian refugees. In this very difficult context, the authoritieswith the support of the IMF under a Stand-By Arrangement that expired in August 2015 made progress in the energy sector (specially the replacement of fuel subsidies by cash transfers for the poor) and succeeded in restoring an adequate level of central bank reserves.

Despite that, Jordan still faces considerable challenges. Economic growth remains below potential, unemployment is high, particularly for youth and women, the refugee crisis is weighing on the economy and public finances, gross public debt is high (about 94 percent of GDP) and the regional outlook remains challenging.

To tackle these challenges, the authorities have adopted a new medium-term program to enhance conditions for more inclusive growth. In particular, reforms will be implemented in several areas to improve competitiveness, job prospects, notably for women and young people, and foster equity, fairness, and good governance. The IMF will support the authorities program implementation. The IMF financing will help maintain an adequate level of international reserves, support the exchange rate regime, finance imports like fuel and foodstuff, and it will encourage other donors to provide concessional loans and grants. In terms of policies, IMF will share its expertise to help implement Jordans Vision 2025.
Imperial Valley News Center

Grants to Foster More Secure Online Access to Online Government and Health Care Services

Gaithersburg, Maryland - The U.S. Commerce Departments National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) has awarded six pilot grants totaling more than $15 million to foster more secure access to online services provided by states and health care providers.

The grants support the goals of the National Strategy for Trusted Identities in Cyberspace (NSTIC), which seeks to improve online identity for individuals and organizations. Through a series of NSTIC pilot grants initiated in 2012, NIST has supported the development of trusted identities that are privacy-enhancing, secure and resilient, interoperable, cost-effective and easy-to-use.

These grants are playing an important role in creating options for proving identity online and ensuring the privacy and security of our personal data, said Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology and NIST Director Willie E. May.

Five of the projects seek to streamline and secure online access to state and local government services. A sixth project, awarded through a partnership with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT, will aim to deliver trusted identities in health care.

Our goal is to foster innovation that can make critical services more convenient and trustworthy for consumers while strengthening online security, said Mike Garcia, acting director of the NSTIC National Program Office.

The awardees will pilot different types of online credentials that will allow users to prove their identity using federated credentials, which means they can be used for multiple systems. For example, a patient could use a single federated credential to access online portals for multiple doctors offices, or a resident could use one credential to access state services and consumer websites.

The recipients of the 2016 pilot grant awards are:

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, California): $999,836 The Single Federated Identity Login EHR (Single FILE) project aims to improve quality of care by simplifying patient transition from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, an acute-care setting, to post-acute care settings by offering patients and health care providers easier access to information.

Florida Department of Revenue, Child Support Program (Tallahassee, Florida): $3,550,978

The Florida Department of Revenue, Child Support Program Trusted Identities in Cyberspace Pilot aims to increase the number of online services available to customers, provide convenience through a single login identity, and improve security by offering customers device registration options.

Gemalto, Inc. (Austin, Texas): $2,022,102

The Interoperable, Trusted Ecosystem for Digital Driver Licenses and ID Cards on Mobile Devices for U.S. Jurisdictions project aims to improve the way people conveniently and securely present and prove their identities to business and government entities by offering a digital drivers license, accessible via a mobile application, in Colorado, Idaho, Maryland and Washington, D.C.

ID.me, Inc. (McLean, Virginia): $3,750,000

With the city of Austin, Texas, ID.me and other participants intend to develop a city-level blueprint for increased trust among participants in the sharing economy. In the state of Maine, ID.me will implement a federated ID model to increase citizen access to benefits.

Ohio Department of Administrative Services (Columbus, Ohio): $2,967,993

Through its Enterprise Identity, Authentication and Fraud Project, the state will implement a range of identity-related capabilities, including multifactor authentication, to strengthen identity proofing for three state-provided services.

Yubico Inc. (Palo Alto, California): $2,273,125

The Universal 2nd Factor Authentication for Government Services project will focus on enabling secure online access to educational resources for students in Wisconsin and to state services for residents of Colorado.

The state government projects will receive funding for up to three years and the health care pilot project will run for 18 months. Follow the progress of these and other NSTIC efforts through the NSTIC website and blog, NSTIC Notes, and on Twitter at @NSTICNPO.

As a non-regulatory agency of the U.S. Department of Commerce, NIST promotes U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing measurement science, standards and technology in ways that enhance economic security and improve our quality of life. To learn more about NIST, visit www.nist.gov
California Rendering Industry Advisory Board vacancies

Sacramento, California - The California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA) Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch (MPES) announces two vacancies on the Rendering Industry Advisory Board (RIAB). RIAB makes recommendations to CDFAs Secretary on all matters pertaining to the MPES Rendering Program, including:

 Adoption, modification, and repeal of regulations and procedures

 Procedures for employment, training, supervision, and compensation of inspectors and other personnel

 Rate and collection of license fees and penalties

 Acquisition and use of equipment

 Posting and noticing changes in bylaws, general procedures, or orders

 All matters pertaining to Food and Agricultural Code Division 9, Part 3, Chapter 5, including, but not limited to, the inspection and enforcement program, annual budget, necessary fees to provide adequate services, and regulations required to accomplish the purposes of the chapter

The vacancies are for industry members and the term is for 36 months. Applicants must be affiliated with a licensed renderer, collection center, dead animal haulers, or registered transporter of inedible kitchen grease. Members of the board receive no compensation but are entitled to reimbursement for transportation to and from meetings and for per diem expenses for lodging, meals, and incidental expenses.

Individuals interested in being considered for RIAB appointment should send a resume by September 16, 2016 to the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety Branch, 1220 N Street, Sacramento, California 95814, Attention: Dr. Doug Hepper.

For additional information, visit the MPES web page at: http://www.cdfa.ca.gov/ahfss/mpes/index.html or contact: Dr. Doug Hepper, Branch Chief, Meat, Poultry and Egg Safety at (916) 900-5004, by fax at (916) 900-5334, or by e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
FTC Requires ON Semiconductor Corporation to Divest Its Ignition IGBT Semiconductor Business as a Condition of Acquiring Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc.

Washington, DC - ON Semiconductor Corporation has agreed to sell its Ignition IGBT business in order to settle FTC charges that its proposed $2.4 billion acquisition of Fairchild Semiconductor International, Inc. is anticompetitive.

According to the complaint, the merged company would have a combined share of over 60 percent in the worldwide market for Insulated-Gate Bipolar Transistors specifically designed and calibrated for automotive ignition systems, or Ignition IGBTs. Without a divestiture, it is likely that the proposed merger would substantially lessen competition in the worldwide market for Ignition IGBTs, resulting in higher prices and reduced innovation.

Ignition IGBTs are semiconductors that function as solid-state electronic switches in the ignition systems of automotive internal combustion engines. They have to meet the demanding performance requirements and harsh environment of an automotive ignition system.

Phoenix-based ON and Fairchild, headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, both develop, manufacture, and market a wide range of semiconductors. They are each others closest competitors for Ignition IGBTs sold to automotive suppliers, who then incorporate Ignition IGBTs into the ignition systems that they sell to automakers.

The proposed consent order, preserves competition by requiring ON to divest its Ignition IGBT business to Chicago-based manufacturer Littelfuse, Inc. within 10 days of the close of the transaction. The divestiture will include design files and intellectual property that Littelfuse needs to manufacture ONs Ignition IGBTs. ON must also facilitate the transfer of its customer relationships to Littelfuse, and supply Ignition IGBTs for Littlefuse to sell to customers while Littelfuse sets up its manufacturing operations.

Further details about the consent agreement  which includes an asset maintenance order and allows the Commission to appoint a monitor  are set forth in the analysis to aid public comment for this matter.

The Commission vote to issue the complaint and accept the proposed consent order for public comment was 3-0. The FTC will publish the consent agreement package in the Federal Register shortly. The agreement will be subject to public comment for 30 days, beginning today and continuing through September 26, 2016, after which the Commission will decide whether to make the proposed consent order final. Comments can be filed electronically or in paper form by following the instructions in the Supplementary Information section of the Federal Register notice.
United States Announces Additional Humanitarian Aid for Yemen

Washington, DC - U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry announced today nearly $189 million in additional humanitarian assistance in response to the crisis in Yemen, bringing the total U.S. humanitarian assistance for Yemen to more than $327 million in fiscal year 2016. The contribution will help meet urgent humanitarian needs of the most vulnerable people in the Middle East's poorest and most food insecure country, as well as Yemeni refugees in neighboring countries.

Specifically, the new fundingwhich will be provided through UN and non-governmental partnersincludes additional food and nutrition assistance to help those suffering from moderate to severe malnutrition, emergency health care, hygiene kits, psychosocial support, and access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The United States is also providing critical support to improve the capacity of Hudaydah Port to receive humanitarian and commercial supplies. In addition, this new funding will provide critical protection, shelter, and other assistance for Yemeni refugees in the Horn of Africa.

Since the conflict broke out in March 2015, more than 3.1 million Yemenis have been displaced and more than 80 percent of the countryor 21 million peopleare in need of humanitarian assistance. The USAID-funded Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) estimates that between seven to 10 million people in Yemen are currently in need of emergency food assistance.

The United States has mobilized a robust humanitarian response to the crisis in Yemen despite the complex and insecure operating environment. The United States remains committed to relieving the suffering of the Yemeni people and others displaced by conflict through the provision of humanitarian aid, as well as continued support for peace talks to ultimately end the conflict in Yemen.
Citius, Altius, Fortius: Announcing 6 new pilot projects

Washington, DC - As the sun was setting on the thirtieth modern Olympiad in London, NIST was preparing to announce our very first set of NSTIC pilot projects. As the flame goes out in Rio, were setting new records. In our largest pilot announcement to date, today NIST is proud to add six new projects to our ranks and bring the total number of projects to 24.

Its a tricky needle to thread for government to successfully catalyze a marketplace of solutions without government creating the solutions itself. At NIST, we try to keep the model simple. We believe the governments role in seeding this market is to help overcome the initial barriers to a successful market and, as the landscape evolves, break through barriers that hold specific parts of the market back.

In 2012, adoption of trusted identities that aligned with the NSTIC vision werent even a blip on the familiar s-shaped technology adoption curve. We truly took an ecosystem approach: its not about a single killer app or any given shiny solution, its about creating the network effects by which all natural ecosystems support each other and by which we believe we can change the race-to-the-bottom history of identity, authentication, and the protection of personal information that, despite tremendous efforts by many, was all too common pre-NSTIC.

Today, that ecosystem is alive, well, and rapidly expanding. Our pilots family includes 24 projects and more than 150 total partners across 26 states and D.C. These projects have impacted more than 5.9 million individuals, and that impact is growing faster than ever beforea critical indication that the market is making a critical climb up that s-shaped curve. But the numbers run deeper than that. These solutions have impacted a dozen sectors, creating technology, business, and policy linkages that are mutually supportive and global in nature. Its not just about the number of nodes but the strength of their bonds.

And, like any healthy ecosystem, its growing on its own. The variety of initiatives and solutions filling the marketplace outside the NSTIC program demonstrates just as strongly that the economic model is catching on.

As the fundamental economic proposition has changed, so too has the narrative. As just one example, adoption of multi-factor solutions is well out of the innovators and early adoptersand by some measures quite a way through the early majority as well. In 2015, 39% of consumers used two-factor authentication. Most individuals know that digital identity matters, even if fewer yet understand what to do about it. We know that 54% of consumers were not confident that the security of their personal data was protected on the internet in 2015, and 77% would be interested in an alternative to usernames and passwords to protect their security.

The success of a fundamental shift in the availability of multi-factor solutions in the marketplace has allowed us to turn to investing in solutions for other specific challenges in targeted areas where we believe (1) we can get the best marginal benefit for each taxpayer dollar and (2) we believe the model of these projects can serve as a positive feedback loop to advance two critical sectors that individuals rely on daily.

In this years targeted approach to driving innovation in digital identity, were pleased to announce six new projects ready to rise to the challenge of making more secure, privacy-enhancing, interoperable, and usable solutions for everyday identity hurdles. Weve awarded five projects to streamline and secure online access to state and local government services while were awarding a sixth through a partnership with HHSs Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT to deliver trusted identities in healthcare. In these two important domains, we see the potential for innovation to make critical services more convenient and trustworthy for the consumer while strengthening online service providers security.

With that lengthy preamble out of the way, Id like to introduce you to the six newest members of our family:

Florida Department of Revenue, Child Support Program (Tallahassee, Fla.: $3,550,978)

The Florida Department of Revenue aims to improve identity processes for online access to several Child Support Program applications. The new registration and authentication process will: increase the number of online services available to customers, provide convenience through a single login identity, and improve security by offering customers device registration options. The solution will allow the Child Support Program to increase the efficiency and effectiveness of our services while meeting customer expectations and the growing desire to conduct business more efficiently and effectively through online interactions with government agencies.

Yubico, Inc. (Palo Alto, Calif.: $2,273,125)

Yubico will focus on enabling secure online access to educational resources for students in Wisconsin and to state services for residents of Colorado. In both states, Yubico will deploy FIDO Alliance Universal 2nd Factor-based YubiKeys and use OpenID Connect to develop an identity toolkit  with the goal of making the solution as simple to use and deploy as possible.

State of Ohio, Department of Administrative Services (Columbus, Ohio: $2,967,993)

The State of Ohio Department of Administrative Services will implement a range of identity-related capabilities including multi-factor authentication to stronger identity proofing, for three state services. These services include enterprise e-licensing, online filing and payments for businesses in the state, and tax-related transactions with the Ohio Department of Taxation.

Gemalto, Inc. (Austin, Tex.: $2,022,102)

Gemalto will work with departments of motor vehicles to issue digital driver licenses to residents of Idaho, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Colorado. Gemalto aims to improve the way people conveniently and securely present and prove their identities to business and government entities by offering a digital drivers license, accessible via a mobile application. The benefits for citizens and relying parties is to be able to present and authenticate a trusted government-issued digital identity via mobile platforms that will facilitate and automate many applications that rely on the physical presentation of identity documents today.

ID.me, Inc. (McLean, Va.: $3,750,000)

ID.me will work with the City of Austin, Texas, to develop a city level blueprint for increased trust between participants in the sharing economy. The goal of the pilot is to demonstrate a viable model for strong authentication that is acceptable to key stakeholders in the sharing economy and replicable in other municipalities. With the State of Maine, ID.me will implement a federated identity model for applications to increase citizen access to benefits and to demonstrate interoperable credentials at the federal and state level.

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center (Los Angeles, Calif.: $999,836)

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center will implement a federated identity, single sign on, multi-factor authentication solution across distinct healthcare systems for patients and providers. The solution aims to simplify patient transition from Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, an acute-care setting, to post-acute care settings, such as California Rehabilitation Institute. Patients and providers will have a single credential on a portal with the purpose of giving them easier access to information to improve quality of care.

We expect each of these projects will make tangible differences in the everyday lives of millions more individuals by providing solutions that simultaneously improve the privacy, security, and convenience of those who use them through more convenient, interoperable, and user-centric approaches. And that they will provide a model for others to continue the remarkable gains of the last five years in pursuit of the NSTIC vision. We cant wait for the great work that lies ahead.

While we warmly welcome aboard these organizations and their partners to the NSTIC pilots family, we acknowledge the journey ahead. It takes a steady eye down a long road to see through to the goal. We will continue analyzing ongoing challenges and market impediments, and will shift investments toward the prickliest of problems in identity. As we set our sights on the future, heres to more innovation in the Identity EcosystemCitius, Altius, Fortius, and on to the next Olympiad!
Uruguay's Independence Day

Washington, DC - Secretary of State John Kerry: "On behalf of President Obama and the people of the United States, I congratulate the people of Uruguay as you celebrate the 191st anniversary of your nations independence on August 25.

"The United States places a high value on its enduring friendship with Uruguay, a friendship based on the many interests and values we share, including a mutual commitment to democracy, human rights, social justice, and peace. Together, we have worked steadily to build prosperity, increase trade, promote region wide economic growth, and equip our young people with the knowledge and skills they will need to compete successfully in the 21st century.

"The United States is also pleased to recognize Uruguays many contributions to UN peacekeeping operations and its service as a member of the UN Security Council for the 2016-17 term. We know that your country can be counted on to support international stability and to uphold the rule of law.

"On this special occasion, I wish all of you a feliz dia de la independencia and a safe and rewarding year to come."
Watch: Man's Fire Stunt Goes Horribly Wrong, Beard Up in Flames
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Street Feast founder Dom Cools-Lartigue teamed up with renowned street artist Ben Eine and Havana Club for a series of events inspired by the bold colours, sounds and tastes of Cuba.

(Press image)

Inspired by Cools-Lartigue's recent trip to Havana  where he met with chefs and sampled local markets for inspiration  he worked with celebrated chef Marcus Bean to create a menu that takes in Cubano tacos, shredded beef tostones and seabass ceviche. Diner's can expect five courses and cocktails that have been paired specifically with each dish.

Dom Cools-Lartigue says: I feel blessed to have been able to experience a taste of the real Cuba. The way locals celebrate their food culture there is truly special and cant wait to bring that to life back in London for everybody visiting Casa Havana.

Having also recently visited Havana, Eine met with local artists from a range of backgrounds, from film poster producers to graphic designers, bringing his experiences into his own artwork, which is being auctioned to raise money for Shelter.

(Ben Eine)

(Ben Eine)

Havana was everything I expected and a lot more, he says. The city is alive with colour and energy, and there are some insanely talented artists showcasing their art publicly. Its going to be amazing to bring a little of that to everyone back in London.

Visitors could also check out a virtual reality experience that took them around the streets of Soho. Taking inspiration from all aspects of Cuban culture, the short narrative delves into a local resident's life, round off (of course) with another cocktail.

The Auction of Ben Eine for Havana Club Rum, The Unexpected finishes 26 August - bid here
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About three months ago, we introduced you to a creepy trailer for The Woods, a new horror film from director Adam Wingard who we branded the genre's "saviour."

Wingard then went to reveal that his new film is, in fact, a secret sequel to seminal horror The Blair Witch Project (1999).

A trailer for the new film - simply titled Blair Witch - debuted at San Diego Comic-Con last month providing a chilling connection to the seminal found-footage horror film released in 1999.

Now, an extended fresh look has surfaced and, as you may no doubt expect, it's not for the faint-hearted.

The original saw characters named Heather, Joshua and Michael venture into Burkittsville woods in Maryland to investigate the mystery of the Blair Witch. This film's group of characters return to the same location led by Heather's brother who wants to discover what happened to his sister all those years ago.

Wingard - director of The Guest and Netflix's upcoming live-action version of Death Note - has himself described Blair Witch as his first 'full on "shit your pants" horror film". You can find out whether or not that's the case when it's released in the UK on 16 September.
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Roald Dahl books haven't proved the easiest material to adapt to cinema screens over the years despite many being loved by audiences.

One success both critically and commercially was James and the Giant Peach, Henry Selick's 1996 stop-motion film starring Joanna Lumley, Miriam Margolyes and Simon Callow.

Disney has now deemed that film worthy of a reboot and is reportedly lining up Sam Mendes to direct in his first gig since stepping down as director of the James Bond franchise.

The live-action project - said to be in the very early stages of development - is being written by Nick Hornby (Wild); the classic story follows a young orphan who travels to New York with human-like bugs he finds living in a peach.

American Beauty director Mendes oversaw two Bond films - Skyfall in 2010 and last year's Spectre; it is currently unknown whether Daniel Craig will return as the British spy.

Having found success with its live-action versions of classic fairytales over the past few years - Maleficent, Cinderella and Jon Favreau's The Jungle Book - the House of Mouse have multiple more in the works, including Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid and Dumbo from the mind of Tim Burton.

 Beauty And The Beast - Trailer

There is no word on a planned release date for James and the Giant Peach.
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There were many reasons why Stranger Things became an unprecedented hit for Netflix, one of them being its loving homage to films of the 70s and 80s.

Fortunately, the planned follow-up - which is yet to be officially confirmed - will continue in the same vein with creators The Duffer Brothers knowing full well the direction they want to go in.

Season 2, Matt and Ross Dufffer told IGN, will be set in 1984 - a year on from events of the first eight episodes.

They elaborated: 1984 was a f**king amazing year, especially the movies that came out in the summer of 1984 - it was just a great year for pop culture... so we're trying, hopefully, to capture a little bit of the magic of those films. Something like Temple of Doom - I actually really love Temple of Doom, I love that it gets a little darker and weirder from Raiders... it messed up a lot of kids, and I love that about that film - that it really traumatised some children. Not saying that we want to traumatise children, just that we want to get a little darker and weirder

The Duffer Brothers stated they'll have "a license to go a little weirder" and expressed their excitement over the potential addition of "more VFX to play around with."

Netflix CEO Reed Hastings recently stated the streaming service would be "dumb not to" commission a second season; unsurprising considering it was recently confirmed to be its third biggest original property.

Stranger Things stars Winona Ryder as the mother of missing child Will Byers whose disappearance triggers a series of extraordinary mysteries in Hawkins, Indiana. David Harbour and Matthew Modine co-star as do child actors Millie Bobby Brown - as the mysterious Eleven - and Finn Wolfhard who'll next be seen in a big-screen version of Stephen King's It.
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It all began with one text message. It ended with perhaps the most dramatic iPhone spyware ever found.

That text message  promising its recipient that a link included in it would reveal details about torture in prisons in the United Arab Emirates  was suspicious and unusual. But it made sense that it was arriving on the phone of Ahmed Mansoor, a human rights activist.

Still, Mr Mansoor wasnt convinced. He sent the message to Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog  and began a process that would expose a piece of spying software so powerful that Apple had to update every iPhone in the world to stop it from causing any more damage.

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. 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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

What Mr Mansoor had been sent was a link that would have allowed a piece of powerful eavesdropping software  apparently made by a secretive Israeli spying firm  to make its way onto his phone.

Instead, by alerting security experts, Mr Mansoor helped Apple patch up what might have been one of the most insidious hacks that have ever been found for the iPhone. It allowed people to easily take control of a phone  and opened up the world of those mysterious people that were looking for that control.

Two reports issued Thursday, one by Lookout, a San Francisco mobile security company, and another by Citizen Lab, based at the University of Toronto's Munk School of Global Affairs, outlined how the program could completely compromise a device at the tap of a finger. If Mansoor had touched the link, he would have given his hackers free reign to eavesdrop on calls, harvest messages, activate his camera and drain the phone's trove of personal data.

Apple Inc. issued a fix for the vulnerabilities Thursday, just ahead of the reports' release, working at a blistering pace for which the Cupertino, California-based company was widely praised.

Recommended Read more iOS bug could let hackers into any phone with just one tap

Arie van Deursen, a professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said the reports were disturbing. Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski described the malicious program targeting Mansoor as a "serious piece of spyware."

A soft-spoken man who dresses in traditional white robes, Mansoor has repeatedly drawn the ire of authorities in the United Arab Emirates, calling for a free press and democratic freedoms. He is one of the country's few human rights defenders with an international profile, close links to foreign media and a network of sources. Mansoor's work has, at various times, cost him his job, his passport and even his liberty.

Online, Mansoor repeatedly found himself in the crosshairs of electronic eavesdropping operations. Even before the first rogue text message pinged across his phone on Aug. 10, Mansoor already had weathered attacks from two separate brands of commercial spyware.

When he shared the suspicious text with Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak, they realized he'd been targeted by a third.

Citizen Lab and Lookout both fingered a secretive Israeli firm, NSO Group, as the author of the spyware. Citizen Lab said that past targeting of Mansoor by the United Arab Emirates' government suggested that it was likely behind the latest hacking attempt as well.

Executives at the company declined to comment, and a visit to NSO's address in Herzliya showed that the firm had recently vacated its old headquarters  a move recent enough that the building still bore its logo.

 What is Apple's strategy?

In a statement released Thursday, which stopped short of acknowledging that the spyware was its own, the NSO Group said its mission was to provide "authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime."

The company said it couldn't comment on specific cases.

Marczak said he and fellow-researcher John Scott-Railton turned to Lookout for help to pick apart the malicious program, a process which Murray compared to "defusing a bomb."

"It is amazing the level they've gone through to avoid detection," Murray said of the software's makers. "They have a hair-trigger self-destruct."

Working over a two-week period, the researchers found that Mansoor had been targeted by an unusually sophisticated piece of software which some have valued at $1 million. He told AP he was amused by the idea that so much money was being poured into watching him.

"If you would give me probably 10 percent of that I would write the report about myself for you!"

The apparent discovery of Israeli-made spyware being used to target a dissident in the United Arab Emirates raises awkward questions for both countries. The use of Israeli technology to police its own citizens is an uncomfortable strategy for an Arab country with no formal diplomatic ties to the Jewish state. And Israeli complicity in a cyberattack on an Arab dissident would seem to run counter to the country's self-description as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East.

There are awkward questions, too, for Francisco Partners, the private equity firm which owns the NSO Group. Francisco is only an hour's drive from the headquarters of Apple, whose products the cybersecurity firm is accused of hacking.

Messages left with Francisco partners' offices in London and San Francisco went unreturned. Israeli and Emirati authorities did not return calls seeking comment.

Attorney Eitay Mack, who advocates for more transparency in Israeli arms exports, said his country's sales of surveillance software are not closely policed.

He also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated warmer ties with Arab Gulf states.

"Israel is looking for allies," Mack said. "And when Israel finds allies, it does not ask too many questions."

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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Personal growth is the growth industry of our age. Its guiding principle is that personality is plastic and pliable, a skill set you can learn and change. Dale Carnegies children populate the mind-body-spirit shelves of bookshops: How to Talk to Anyone, Goodbye to Shy, Make Yourself Unforgettable, How to Light Up a Room and Make People Like You. They trade in stories of recovering shy people who have transformed themselves from depressed solitaries into social butterflies, the psychological equivalent of those slimmers of the year who pose delightedly inside their old and now outsized pair of trousers.

The shyness institutes use phrases like social fitness classes, which make working on your personality sound like going to the gym. In this positive-thinking mode, shyness always has to be busted or conquered. But if I have learned one thing from exploring the lives of shy people, it is that our personalities do not do these kinds of handbrake turns. All the people I wrote about in my book were as shy at the end of their lives as at the start of them. They found ways to hide it, channel it, finesse it or work round it, but it never went away. And I suspect that, if I reach a grand old age, I will simply find more ways to adapt to my shyness, just as a stammerer learns to avoid certain words.

Dale Carnegie, author

In her 1959 book The Days End, the nurse Pamela Bright wrote about working on the Middlesex Hospital cancer ward. She noted that her patients died in the same manner in which they had lived: aggressive, shy, fussy, humorous, grateful, weary, talkative and assertive, they all had their word to say and then departed. The egocentric were high-maintenance to the end, the theatrical orated their last words con brio, and the unassertive expired quietly in the small hours, not wishing to cause bother. Of course, it makes no sense to cling to your shyness when your life is nearly over and what anyone thinks of you is immaterial. But since when did shyness make any rational sense? If you were rational, youd have cured your shyness earlier, when it might have done you some good.

I have come to think of my own shyness as an unyielding reality and the best strategy, I have realised, is Zen acceptance. If I just accede to my shyness as an obdurate fact, like having sticky-out ears or crooked teeth, I can live with it. I have decided, as the software developers say, that being shy is a feature, not a bug. I now just assume that after any conversation with a stranger I will come away feeling slightly defeated. In the manner of those signs they used to have in shops warning people off asking for credit, I should probably wear a badge that says, Please do not expect sparkling conversation, as its failure to materialise may offend.

If I stop berating myself, the symptoms are relieved and I can start paying more attention to the world and to others. Shyness feeds on itself, so if you dont think about it, it may not get better but it doesnt get worse. I do my best to struggle against it while learning to live with it, to be neither ashamed of it nor secretly proud of it. And so the war against my own shyness has ended in an uneasy truce.

As hostilities are suspended, at least I can say that I managed to body-swerve the fate of the hikikomori, those Japanese teenagers addicted to computer games, who hide their shame in their bedrooms. No one needs to leave my meals on a tray by my door or hire a surrogate sibling to coax me out of the house. I no longer think of myself as giving off some invisible, people-repelling pheromone. I am occasionally seen walking round in public spaces in daylight, and in the evenings I can be taken to parties and left on my own without anyone fearing I will do a tearful flit. If someone knocks on my office door, I answer it (most of the time); if the phone rings, I pick it up (usually).

In other words, I can rustle up a passable impression of a normal person because I know it is part of the deal, the levy we pay on being alive, even if it sometimes feels I have to scrape together every penny of emotional effort to pay it. And, like a reformed smoker, I long to nip outside for a few furtive drags of the precious drug of solitude.

Do you not think that shyness can be a gift to us? a friend said to me, by giving us a slanted outlook, a special way of seeing the world? I demurred then, but I am coming round to her way of thinking. Shyness is unwanted most of the time. But a gift it still is, its attendant feelings of apartness granting us hard-won insights we cannot now imagine living without.

In a beautiful essay, On Being Ill, Virginia Woolf writes about how the experience of illness can shatter that illusion of a world so shaped that it echoes every groan, of human beings so tied together by common needs and fears that a twitch at one wrist jerks another. When we are ill, we become deserters from the army of the upright and look on that army as fighting a brave but futile cause. The otherness of being ill, its enforcement of stillness and isolation, makes us see that we are all, finally, on our own in this world.

And yet illness, Woolf suggests, also opens up undiscovered countries, new fields of awareness that can be as creative as they are chastening. They remind us that our lives are built on sand and that in the end nothing matters. People trapped in the impenetrable bubble of grief often say the same thing  and shyness offers us a low-intensity but longer-lasting version of this state of feeling lifted out of the swim of social life, looking askance at a world that seems baffling and strange.

It is true that the sense of alienation this brings may turn us slightly mad. But being behind that distorted wall also lets us look at the social world from the outside in. And that is a gift  as long as we keep a grip on reality by scaling the wall occasionally, and joining in once again with the make-believe of the army of the upright.

British modernist author Virginia Woolf (Getty) (Getty Images)

Collectively, though, we still cannot make up our minds about shyness. Some see it as a form of rudeness or conceit, others as a sign of sensitivity and sagacity in the insincere soup of social life. I have come to feel that it has little meaning other than itself. It is so dirt-common that no especially disagreeable or virtuous human attributes can be extrapolated from it. It cohabits with egotism and self-pity as readily as with modesty and thoughtfulness. Shyness is just there, another piece in the intricate jigsaw of human diversity, and all that studying it has taught me is what I knew already: human behaviour is endlessly rich and odd.

In her book The Scars of Evolution Elaine Morgan argues that many parts of the human body are merely accidental residues of the weird, purposeless process of evolution. That kink in the lumbar region of the spine that allows us to stand up, for example, is an evolutionary bodge, which means that our vertebrae are unable to take too much strain without slipping out of place. And so a choice made by a few of our ape-like ancestors about four million years ago, to stop moving on all fours and stand erect, accounts for todays most common reason for being off work: lower back pain. In a phenomenon that evolutionary biologists call maladaptive behaviour, traits that evolved to allow an animal to thrive in one situation may not work in another.

Natural selection rarely alights on the perfect solution. It just eliminates the unworkable, and ends up with billions of different solutions to the problem of being alive. Perhaps that is all shyness is: just one of those billions of solutions. No one, and certainly not me, would call it an optimal solution. But it is a solution, part of what the nature writer Richard Mabey nicely calls the redundant embroidery of existence. And rather like lower-back pain, which eases with time but is prone to recur, shyness can ebb and flow, afflicting us without warning like sciatica.

Without shyness I suppose people might be happier, in the same way that they might be happier without back twinges. But perhaps the world would also be a little blander, less creative and less interesting. Nature may be a mess, but it has an ingenious capacity for making the best of a bad job. Evolutions incremental tinkerings do improve things. The lower vertebrae of our backs, for instance, have grown gradually bigger over millennia to sustain better the weight they have to bear.

If, as Morgan puts it, the first few million years of bipedalism were the worst, then the same could be said for shyness: after living with it for so long, we should have learned to rub along with and even make use of it. And just as the natural world needs unlovely things such as peat bogs and earthworm colonies to maintain its equilibrium, so perhaps the world needs the shy too  and the bold, and all shades in between  to make up the delicately balanced ecosystem of human behaviour.

Life is a matter of negotiation and adjustment to conditions  rather than destroying competitors in pursuit of that much misconstrued Darwinian ideal, the survival of the fittest  and I prefer to see shyness like this. We are shy because we know we are different from other living things. And because humans also carry around with us this rare cargo of self-consciousness, we are uniquely aware that, for all our need for intimacy, we face the world alone. The human brain is the most complex object in the known universe, the journey from one brain to another is the most difficult we will ever make, and every attempt at conversation is a gamble, with no guarantee we will be understood or even heard. Given these unbending realities, isnt a little shyness forgivable?

I have fought all my life the sense that being shy is a personal affliction that has left me viewing life from its edges. This feeling was early acquired and now seems hard-wired, for no amount of mature reflection seems entirely to rid me of it. But at least I now see in my more lucid moments that it is an illusion. Not only is shyness essentially human, it may even be the master key that unlocks our understanding of those sociable creatures, homo sapiens, lumbered with this strange capacity for turning in and reflecting on themselves. Shyness isnt what alienates me from the rest of herd-loving humankind; its the common thread that links me to them.

This is an edited extract from Shrinking Violets: A Field Guide to Shyness by Joe Moran (Profile Books, 14.99 hardback and ebook), published on 1 September
The Philippine government has summoned China's ambassador to the Philippines, Zhao Jianhua to explain over drug trafficking network that Philippines claim is based in China.

According to Philippine Foreign Affairs Secretary Perfecto Yasay during a Senate hearing on Wednesday, the Philippines will send an official communication to Beijing to "pursue this in a more aggressive note."

However, China's ambassador has already denied the allegation during his meeting with Yasay.

"(The ambassador) said that this is not true and I told him these reports are based on intelligence information, they have been validated so far as we are concerned, so I wanted a clarification from him," Yasay said.

But according to a report, China is ready to help in arresting the suspected Chinese drug peddlers. The Chinese ambassador has even sought information from Filipino officials and is calling on both countries to sign an anti-drug pact.

Earlier on Tuesday, the Philippines Chief of police has informed the Senate during a senate hearing that China, Taiwan and Hong Kong were the hubs of illegal drug trade.

The Philippines has been intensifying its campaign on illegal drugs ever since the Rodrigo Duterte, nicknames as "the Punisher" became the President.

Duterte has promised to crash down people involved in drug trades in the country.
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Theres a certain irony in the US criticising the EU for behaving as a supranational tax policeman given the way that banks and businessmen have both fallen afoul of the US behaving as a supranational fraud and sanctions cop.

I have no sympathy with the majority of those collared by the long arm of the US law as a result of this. Given the weakness that, say, the UK authorities can sometimes show in the face of white-collar crimes and misdemeanours, the aggressive stance of the US can sometimes be rather useful.

Recommended Read more US condemns EU over plan to demand millions from Apple in unpaid taxes

However, it does mean that the US is throwing stones from a glass house when it levels the same accusation at the EU over tax. And just as with the US fraud cops, if the EU is indeed behaving as a suprantional tax watchdog, then more power to it.

The background to this is the EU's probe into the Double Irish and the Dutch Sandwich and their various offshoots and derivatives, used by multinationals to shift profits from higher to lower tax jurisdictions within the EU.

The US is unhappy that most of the companies in the EUs crosshairs are headquartered in America. Apple, Starbucks and Amazon being the most often mentioned, but the Italian headquartered Fiat has been under the cosh as well.

The Americans are worried that Apple, for example, could get stung with a $19bn (14.4bn) bill for back taxes as a result of its alleged sweetheart deal with Ireland. Both parties deny it is anything of the sort, but the EU is unconvinced and you can see why when tax rates of 2 per cent have been bandied around.

Now if that $19bn figure  calculated by investment bank JPMorgan  is correct and is demanded, the Americans claim that Apple could potentially offset it against its US tax bill. They characterise this as a vast wealth transfer from Uncle Sam to bad old Brussels. They go on to speculate that others could then follow the EUs lead and have threatened retaliation.

Is it worth worth noting at this point that presidential and congressional elections are fast approaching and that Democrat Hillary Clinton faces a bellicose nationalist in the form of Donald Trump?

Going into bat, or should that be stepping up the plate, for great US companies under attack from the whinging big government socialist milksops in Brussels could easily be seen as an attempt by the Democrat administration of President Obama to look every bit as tough as the Donald.

You dont need to worry, Main Street, USA, the current Pres is battling for US interests and if the next one is Hillary shell do the same!

Biggest business scandals in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Biggest business scandals in pictures Biggest business scandals in pictures Volkswagen emissions scandal VW admitted to rigging its US emission tests so that diesel-powered cars would looks like they were emitting less nitrous oxide, which can damage the ozone layer and contribute to respiratory diseases. Around 11 million cars worldwide were affected. Getty Biggest business scandals in pictures Martin Shkreli and Turing Pharmaceuticals Martin Shkreli became known as the most hated man in the world after his drug company, Turing, increased the price of a 62-year-old drug that treated HIV patients by 5,000% to $750 a pill. He was charged with illegally taking stock from Retrophin, a biotechnology firm he started in 2011, and using it pay off debts from unrelated business dealings. Shkreli, who maintains he is innocent, and says there is little evidence of fraud because his investors didn't lose money. 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Meanwhile Apple has upwards of $200bn stashed offshore where the US authorities cant get their hands on it. You see, the US is losing out from Apples aggressive approach to tax planning just as much as the EU is. Perhaps more so. Regardless, the citizens of both jurisdictions suffer when multinational companies avoid paying dues that could be used to build roads, bridges, schools, and so on.

The truly patriotic approach on the part of both sides would be for them to put their heads together with the aim of finding a way to make multinationals pay because, ultimately, Apple is no more American than Fiat is Italian. They and their peers are loyal not to any country or to any trading bloc but to their multinational shareholders and executives. They will put their interests before any supposed national interests every day of the week and twice on Thursday.

So you go ahead and wrap yourselves in your flags, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew and competition commissioner Margrethe Vestager, if thats what you want to do.

But after youve done that, how about you go out and do the patriotic thing and work together to ensure that both your respective peoples benefit from the tax revenues that are rightfully theirs. You know it makes sense.
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Amber Heard and Johnny Depps acrimonious divorce continued on Thursday as the actress called for Depp to double his charity payout after it emerged he was making payments directly to the organisations.

Heard, 30, and Depp, 52, reached a settlement in their divorce on 16 August ahead of a court appearance in Los Angeles, in what was supposed to bring an end to a tumultuous three months. In her divorce filing, Heard claimed Depp had been verbally and physically abusive towards her throughout their 15-month marriage. Depp denied these allegations and in a joint statement reached after their settlement they said there was never any intent of physical or emotional harm.

Recommended Read more Four of the most expensive celebrity divorces

Our relationship was intensely passionate and at times volatile, but always bound by love, their statement continued. Neither party has made false accusations for financial gain.

The pair agreed to a $7million settlement, of which Heard said she would donate the entire amount to two charities. Her chosen charities were the domestic violence branch of the American Civil Liberties Union and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles.

But proceedings began to play out in public again on Thursday when Depp released a statement saying the first instalments had been paid to the charities by him, instead of being passed through Heard, in the name of Amber Heard.

Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Show all 10 1 /10 Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Jennifer Lawrence: $46,000,000 Getty Images Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Melissa McCarthy $33,000,000 Getty Images Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Scarlett Johansson $25,000,000 AFP/Getty Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Jennifer Aniston $21,000,000 Getty Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Fan Bingbing $17,000,000 Getty images Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Charlize Theron $16,500,000 Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Amy Adams $13,500,000 Getty Images Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Julia Roberts $12,000,000 Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Mila Kunis $11,000,000 Getty Forbes highest paid actresses 2016 Deepika Padukone $10,000,000 Getty Images

Heard's lawyers responded in a statement asking that Depp honour the full $7m payout he agreed by donating double that amount.

Amber Heard appreciates Johnny Depp's novel interest in supporting two of her favourite charities, the ACLU (American Civil Liberties Union) for domestic violence and the Children's Hospital of Los Angeles. This is great and unexpected news.

However, if Johnny wishes to change the settlement agreement, we must insist that he honour the full amount by donating $14m dollars to charity, which, after accounting for his tax deduction, is equal to his $7m payment obligation to Amber.

We would also insist that the full amount be paid immediately and not drawn out over many years.

Anything less would be a transparent attempt by Johnny's counsel, Laura Wasser and Patti Glaser, to reduce their client's true payment by half under the guise of new-found concern for charities that he has never previously supported.

Depps lawyers said in a statement: Following Amber Heard's announcement that her divorce settlement was to be divided equally and gifted to Children's Hospital of Los Angeles and the American Civil Liberties Union, two exceptionally deserving and important charities, Johnny Depp has sent the first of multiple instalments of those monies to each charity in the name of Amber Heard, which when completed will honour the full amount of Ms Heard's pledge.

Ms Heard's generosity in giving to these wonderful causes is deeply respected.
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Frances Bean Cobains estranged husband is reportedly requesting $25,000 (18,000) a month in spousal support as the pair attempt to reach a divorce settlement.

Isaiah Silva, 31, has requested spousal support after claiming the daughter of Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, 24, had agreed to pay private school tuition fees for his child from a previous relationship, according to court documents obtained by People Magazine.

Silva, a musician, said he put his career on hold during their two-year marriage.

Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Show all 15 1 /15 Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Cobain was known at school as the intelligent student with a Snoopy lunchbox Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain began playing drums in his school band but his music director remembered him as pretty average talent-wise Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Cobain reportedly told a schoolmate aged 14 that he would become a rich and famous rock star before killing himself and going out in a blaze of glory like Jimi Hendrix Steve Double Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Nirvana flip some birds on a photoshoot Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain, here seen crowd-surfing at a Vancouver gig, got the name for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' from a woman's deodorant brand which came in 'Rose', 'Baby Powder' and 'California' Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain spelled his name in a variety of ways at different stages: Curt Cobain, Kurdt Kobain, Kurdt Kobane... Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain pulls a rock star move with his guitar on stage at Vancouver's Commodore Ballroom. Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain's favourite movie ever was Matt Dillon's drama 'Over the Edge' Steve Double Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain, here on stage with Nirvana preparing to smash his guitar, cited The Beatles and The Melvins as his two favourite bands Steve Double Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain, here seen playing with Nirvana at Reading Festival, was no stranger to suicide. Several took place within his own family and aged 13 he found a corpse hanging from a tree outside his school Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain crouches in a corner at the Beehives Records Nevermind release Charles Peterson Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana The welcome sign for Aberdeen, Washington, where Kurt Cobain is from now reads 'Welcome to Aberdeen, come as you are' Steve Double Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Cobain always spelled his band's name in capital letters: NIRVANA Steve Double Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain was reportedly listening to REM's Automatic for the People when he took his own life at his home in Washington Steve Double Exhibition marks 20th anniversary of Kurt Cobain's death Kurt Cobain and Nirvana Kurt Cobain wears a t-shirt reading 'Hi, how are you' for this photoshoot with Nirvana Steve Double

Frances filed for divorce in March, citing unreconcilable differences. There is reportedly no pre-nup agreement in place.

In her filing at a Los Angeles Superior Court, she asked that Silva should not be entitled to financial gain from her fathers estate, which is estimated to be worth $450 million.

A report by E!News said Frances was open to paying and receiving spousal support. Frances and Silva do not have children together.

A representative for Francis did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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A judge in South Africa has rejected prosecutors' application to appeal against the prison sentence handed to Oscar Pistorius.

Pistorius, 29, received a six-year prison sentence in July following a successful appeal by the state to upgrade his original conviction of culpable homicide to murder.

The Paralympic athlete shot Ms Steenkamp, a law graduate and model, four times through a locked bathroom door in his home on Valentines Day in 2013.

Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate Show all 5 1 /5 Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate v2pistorius1.jpg South African Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius and Reeva Steenkamp AP Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate Reeva-Steenkamp-FHM-model,-.jpg Reeva Steenkamp, girlfriend of Oscar Pistorius GETTY IMAGES Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate fhm.jpg Reeva Steenkamp appeared in FHM FHM Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate Reeva.Steenkamp.jpg Reeva Steenkamp Getty Images Reeva Steenkamp: Model and law graduate Reeva.Steenkamp.cooking.jpg Reeva Steenkamp Getty Images

State prosecutor Gerrie Nel branded his sentence shockingly lenient. He had sought 15 years, the prescribed minimum for murder under South African law.

Judge Thokozile Masipa, who sentenced Pistorius for manslaughter and determined his sentence for murder, dismissed the states application to appeal today.

Barrie Roux, for the defence, argued the state had dragged the case out for too long and claimed there was prejudice against the accused from their side.

This trial and this process has been exhausted beyond any conceivable exhaustive process.

In her sentencing remarks, Judge Masipa said she decided against enforcing the prescribed 15-year minimum prison sentence because the mitigating factors of the case, such as that he was on his stumps when he shot Ms Steenkamp, outweighed the aggravating factors.

The six-year sentence was met by an outcry from womens rights groups and members of the Women's League of the ruling African National Congress (ANCWL) branded her an embarrassment to the justice system.

After the verdict was delivered, Pistorius sister Aimee thanked Judge Masipa for highlighting her belief that the killing was not an act of gender-based violence when sentencing him.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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The Queen has made a personal donation to the relief fund for victims of the devastating earthquake in central Italy.

Queen Elizabeth gave money to the British Red Cross, a charity she is a patron of.

A spokesperson for Buckingham Palace did not comment on how much she had donated to the fund.

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after having been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers carry an injured man among damaged homes after a strong heathquake hit Amatrice on August 24, 2016 AFP/Getty Images Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A general view following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, is seen in this August 24, 2016 handout picture provided by Italy's Fire Fighters REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers and people walk along a road following an earthquake in Accumuli di Rieti, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy People survey the devastation in the town of Amatrice Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy The earthquake hit the border of three regions, and the USGS measured an additional seven significant tremors in its aftermath Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures A mother embraces her son in Amatrice, central Italy, central Italy, 24 August 2016, following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Residents look in collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures An injured woman is carried by rescuers amid the rubble of collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016, EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Resident survey the rubble in Amatrice, central Italy, on 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Collapsed buildings in Pescara del Tronto, in the Marche region of central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA

The Italian Red Cross is helping to co-ordinate rescue efforts in areas worst hit by the 6.2 magnitude quake which has killed at least 260, injured 400 and destroyed buildings and homes. The earthquake and damage, one of Italys worst ever natural disasters, has led the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi to declare a state of emergency.

More than 200 have been rescued since work began to free those trapped under the rubble. Mr Renzi has announced 42million in funds will be dedicated to reconstruction efforts in towns and tax breaks for residents living in areas where towns have been razed to the ground.

Additional reporting by the Press Association
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Ruby Rose has responded to criticism she received for supporting the Poverty is Sexist campaign.

On Thursday, the Orange is the New Black actress tweeted that Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had responded and agreed with a letter she signed asking for recognition of the global link between poverty and gender inequality.

After posting Mr Trudeaus response on Twitter and Instagram, Rose sparked debate with some users commenting and disagreeing with her stance.

This is such bullsh*t lmao poverty is sexist youre all really running out of ideas to falsely oppress yourself with, one user wrote. This is the kind of post that makes me think 3rd wave feminism is cancer. Poverty isn't sexit. It's not even a sentient being," said another. "How can poverty be sexist. Poverty is a word. It's not a person and doesn't have emotions or thought," one more said. Another user suggested: "Erm what? Sexist towards who? Men?".

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.

A debate then ensued on the picture against people who supported Rose and the campaign leading the Australian native to address the matter in her subsequent post.

The 30-year-old urged her followers to research into the topic and said: Poverty, in my humble opinion, is racist, poverty is unfair to those with disabilities and the elderly but this particular letter is about how poverty is sexist.

Not only world wide but, in this case, we speak about the countries where women and young girls cannot even get access to an education or the rights some of us take for granted, she said.

The letter was sent to world leaders on International Women's Day by the charity One which was co-founded by Bono. It called on them to tackle gender equality across the world which in turn can send more girls to school and raise their employment prospects. The letter also noted how disease and ill health can disproportionately affect women citing that 74 per cent of new HIV infections among adolescents in Africa are in women and how many countries still have laws discriminating against women.

Nowhere on earth do women have as many opportunities as men, the letter said. Last year, you signed up to end extreme poverty, and because poverty is sexist, you promised to tackle the gender inequality that keeps people poor.

A number of high-profile women and men in addition to Rose signed the letter including Emma Watson, Mark Zuckerberg, Shonda Rhimes, Jennifer Lopez and Colin Farrell.

In his response, Mr Trudeau said he wholeheartedly agreed poverty is sexist and labelled the link between gender inequality and extreme poverty indisputable.

Please know that your call has been heard and that the Government of Canada is taking action, Mr Trudeau wrote.
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Sarah Jessica Parker has ended her relationship with a pharmaceutical manufacturer after they hiked up the prices of EpiPens by more than 500 per cent.

Mylan has come under fire after its latest increase of the list price of its epinephrine auto-injector, a life-saving device more commonly known as the EpiPen, was revealed to be $608 (460.15). The EpiPen is used as an emergency treatment for people with severe allergies.

The price has steadily increased since the company acquired the EpiPen in 2007 when the cost for two epi-pens was $93.88 (75.68).

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.

Parker, whose son has a severe nut allergy, condemned them in a strongly-worded letter shared to her Instagram. The Sex and the City actress also said she has ended her relationship with the company after previously featuring in a campaign for the company to raise awareness about anaphylaxis.

Im left disappointed, saddened and deeply concerned by Mylans actions. I do not condone this decision and I have ended my relationship with Mylan as a direct result of it.

I hope they will seriously consider the outpouring of voices of those millions of people who are dependent on their device and take swift action to lower the cost to be more affordable for whom it is a life-saving necessity.

Parker, Broderick and James in 2013 (Getty)

Parker discussed her 13-year-old son James peanut allergy in May saying she and her husband Matthew Broderick learned of his condition after he had anaphylactic shock as a child after eating some Chinese food.

The 51-year-old joins the White House, Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders who have all condemned the hike.

While Mylan is yet to respond to Parkers criticism directly, the companys CEO Heather Bresch said no-one is more frustrated than me in response to the backlash and partly attributed the price hike to the US healthcare crisis saying the system is broken.

She told CNBC lowering the price of the drug was not an option and the company only received $274 out of the $608 price with the remaining amount being divided between insurers, pharmacies, prescription benefit managers and distributors.

In a press release issued on Thursday the company also announced they will increase the amount of their financial assistance programme from $100 to $300 for people unable to afford the EpiPens as well as doubling the eligibility amount for the programme.

The drug-hike is being likened to the saga involving the most hated man in America or pharma bro, Martin Shkreli. Last year Shkreli was CEO of Turing pharmaceuticals who increased the price of a HIV drug by more than 5,000 per cent. The controversial entrepreneur has been actively commenting on and defending Mylan amid the controversy on Twitter in recent days.

A representative for Mylan did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Additional reporting by Associated Press.
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Former Alaska governor Sarah Palin has warned Donald Trump of massive disappointment if he does not follow through with his promise to deport the 11 million undocumented immigrants currently living in the US.

Recommended Read more Trump and Clinton accuse each other of bigotry and racism

Mr Trump launched his campaign with a hardline stance on immigration  with particular focus on undocumented Mexicans  and has called for mass deportations throughout his campaign.

But he recently walked back his stance and has suggested a softening in his immigration position in a Fox News town hall with Sean Hannity. Mr Trump proposed that the good ones  law-abiding undocumented immigrants  can stay in the US if they pay back-taxes.

If Mr Trump were to go down a path of wishy-washy positions taken on things that the core foundation of his support has so appreciated, and that is respecting our Constitution and respecting law and order in America, then yeah, there would be massive disappointment, Ms Palin told the Wall Street Journal on Friday.

 Donald Trump's plan to deport 11 million undocumented immigrants still 'to be determined'

She added: Parts of that message we heard in the last week are clearly not consistent with the stringent position and message that supporters have received all along.

Ms Palin said that the merit of undocumented immigrants should not be whether or not they are a good person or a bad person, but how sustainable it is to incentivize illegal immigrants to come over our borders.

Ms Palin rose to prominence among Tea Party conservatives after her vice presidential run in 2008. After her resignation from the Alaska governorship the following year, Ms Palin has become the de facto voice of so-called political outsiders, with a reality show and a position as commentator on Fox News. She was one of the first prominent Republicans to endorse the New York City real estate tycoon.

In the past week, Mr Trump has appeared to soften some of his rhetoric on immigration to the dismay of some of his most vocal anti-immigrant supporters.

Right-wing author Ann Coulter, who just published her latest book In Trump We Trust, took offence to Mr Trumps shift on immigration.

It sounds as if some campaign consultant has slipped into his campaign, she told Mr Hannity on Thursday, and I dont think he should have been hiring Rubios speechwriter for his interview with you giving all these ridiculous talking points for amnesty."
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Three men are accused of allegedly conspiring to sell horsemeat as beef.

They are charged with fraud for seeking to sell goods which contained a mix of beef and horsemeat.

Ulrik Nielsen, aged 57 from Denmark, Alex Ostler-Beech, aged 43 from Hull, and Andronicos Sideras, aged 54 from Southgate, will all appear at the City of London Magistrates Court.

The charges against them come after an investigation by the City of London police which looked into an alleged plan to sell the tampered meat in 2012.

A complex international criminal investigation by the City of London police which the Food Standards Agency and Crown Prosecution service teamed up with law enforcement agencies across Europe to reach the charge.

Smugglers hide drugs in food Show all 11 1 /11 Smugglers hide drugs in food Smugglers hide drugs in food Methamphetamine in chocolate bar This July 2012 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows methamphetamine disguised as a chocolate candy bar in Los Angeles. Officials said a California man tried to smuggle more than 4 pounds of methamphetamine out of the country disguised as 45 individually wrapped chocolate bars at Los Angeles International Airport. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine in coffee This October 2015 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows a packet of cocaine hidden in a bag of ground coffee in Miami. Three bags of roasted, ground coffee arriving at Miami International Airport in a package from Guatemala in October were actually filled with more than 3 pounds of heroin, customs officials said. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine in powdered milk This November 2014 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows bags of powdered dairy product that contained cocaine in New York. A woman arriving at Kennedy International Airport in New York from Guyana was found with six bags of milk and custard powder that were filled with cocaine. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine in custard powder This November 2014 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows bags, marked as holding powdered dairy products, that hold cocaine in New York. A woman arriving at Kennedy International Airport in New York from Guyana was found with six bags of milk and custard powder that were filled with cocaine. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine in various foods This October 2015 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows an array of food products concealing cocaine in Newark, N.J. A U.S. citizen arriving from Peru at Newark Liberty International Airport in October had an assortment of food in his luggage that customs officials found also included 10 pounds of cocaine. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine in vanilla wafers This April 2015 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows vanilla wafers filled with cocaine in Houston. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine in vanilla wafers A Guatemalan citizen arrived at George Bush Intercontinental Airport from Guatemala City in April with packages of vanilla wafers. But when customs officials opened them up, they said they found they were filled with cocaine instead of cream filling. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Liquid cocaine in rum bottles This December 2014 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows rum bottles filled with liquid cocaine in New York. A man arriving from Guyana at Kennedy International Airport in New York was found to be carrying the bottles that customs officials said were filled with 18 pounds worth of liquid cocaine. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine paste in chocolate syrup This February 2012 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows plastic packets of chocolate syrup and salad dressing concealing cocaine paste in Los Angeles. A mother and daughter traveling from Spain were carrying bags of condiments that customs officials at Los Angeles International Airport decided felt unusually thick. They opened it up to find a plastic bag with cocaine paste placed inside, and then found another syrup packet in their checked-in luggage that contained more cocaine paste. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Opium in cinnamon packets This June 2012 photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection shows packets of opium covered in cinnamon hidden inside a rice cooker in Los Angeles. Officials found the rice cooker stuffed with 3 pounds' worth of black opium, which had been coated in cinnamon and wrapped in plastic, being transported by a man arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from Iran. AP Smugglers hide drugs in food Cocaine in frozen meat This undated photo provided by U.S. Customs and Border Protection in October 2015 shows a block of cocaine concealed in a package of frozen meat in New York. A man arrived at Kennedy International Airport from Trinidad with three large packages of frozen meat in his suitcase. AP

Mr Ostler-Beech was first arrested in July 2013, while Mr Nielsen was interviewed under caution in Hull. Another 52-year-old man was released with no futher action.

The charges come after Peter Boddy, a 65-year-old slaughterhouse employer in Yorkshire, was fined 8,000 for failing to abide by EU meat rules.

Controversy over horsemeat being passed off as beef was first exposed in January 2013, when horse DNA was found in frozen burgers in several British and Irish supermarkets including Tesco, Aldi, Lidl, Iceland and Dunnes Stores.
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An 11-year-boy is believed to have become Britains youngest rapist after admitting abusing his nine-year-old sister.

The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was caught after pictures of the two attacks on his sibling were found on his mobile phone.

The attacks are understood to have taken place at their home in Plymouth earlier this year, with the boy believed to have ejaculated on at least one occasion.

He was handed a 12-month intensive referral order - meaning he will work with counsellors and youth workers to change his behaviour - at Bodmin Magistrates Court in Cornwall after admitting to two counts of rape at an earlier hearing.

He will also be supervised while using the internet and will have to sign the sex offenders register for two years.

The boy, who now lives in Cornwall, was supported in the dock by his mother and foster mother.

District Judge Diane Baker said the ejaculation was an aggravating factor and if he had been older he would have received a prison sentence, the Daily Mail reported.

She said: Ive read all about you. I know a lot about what has happened in your life and your mums life in the past and the difficulties you faced and the confusion you face now about how you wish to lead your life.

But what you did was so serious and so damaging to your little sister.

She was nine years old - she does not understand about those things and you hurt her so seriously. That will last with her for the whole of her life.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 13 September 2022 Crowds cheer as King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort arrive for a visit to Hillsborough Castle Getty UK news in pictures 12 September 2022 Crowds line the Royal Mile, Edinburgh, as King Charles III joins a procession from the Palace of Holyroodhouse to St Giles Cathedral following the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II Katielee Arrowsmith/SWNS UK news in pictures 11 September 2022 Members of the Public pay their respects as the hearse carrying the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II, draped in the Royal Standard of Scotland, is driven through Ballater AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 10 September 2022 Britain's Prince William, Prince of Wales, Britain's Catherine, Princess of Wales, Britain's Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, Britain's Meghan, Duchess of Sussex, wave at well-wishers on the Long walk at Windsor Castle AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 9 September 2022 King Charles III and Camilla, Queen Consort wave after viewing floral tributes to the late Queen Elizabeth II outside Buckingham Palace Getty UK news in pictures 8 September 2022 A screen commemorating Britain's Queen Elizabeth II in Piccadilly Circus, London Britain EPA UK news in pictures 7 September 2022 Police officers stand guard after Animal Rebellion activists threw paint on the walls and road outside the Houses of Parliament in protest, in London, Britain Reuters UK news in pictures 6 September 2022 Queen Elizabeth II welcomes Liz Truss during an audience at Balmoral, Scotland, where she invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA

If you were older, Im telling you now you would be serving a sentence of detention - thats like prison. But you were only 11.

Justice Baker told him she understood it would be difficult for him not to see his brothers and sisters but it was necessary that he would be separated from them until it was safe.

Speaking afterwards, the boy's mother told the court she was happy he was getting the support he needed.

He agreed that he would work to make sure it never happened again and was willing "to go back to school to make friends".
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The three Britons killed in the earthquake that devastated central Italy have been named as a married couple and a 14-year-old boy.

Maria and William Henniker-Gotley, from south London, and Marcos Burnett, 14, died after the 6.2 magnitude quake struck in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

A joint statement from their families paid tribute to the "tireless work of the Italian rescue workers and hospital staff" and expressed their gratitude for the love and support they have received from Italians.

The earthquake levelled three small towns and has left at least 250 people dead.

 Italy earthquake: Rescuers continue search for survivors

A state of emergency has been declared in the areas affected and aftershocks have continued to strike, including one of a preliminary magnitude of 4.7 on Friday morning.

It is believed Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley owned a property in Sommati, a village about 1.3 miles from Amatrice.

Their two children, believed to be aged 12 and 14, survived but their condition is unknown.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, said: It's terrible news, so awful. I knew them all very well.

They were lovely. They were a lovely family. It's very hard to take in.

They were very warm and friendly, extremely good neighbours. It's just so awful to think of their children.

She added: I think Maria's father came from the village and was possibly born there. When he was ill - he has since died - they bought a house there and they go out every summer.

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after having been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers carry an injured man among damaged homes after a strong heathquake hit Amatrice on August 24, 2016 AFP/Getty Images Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A general view following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, is seen in this August 24, 2016 handout picture provided by Italy's Fire Fighters REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers and people walk along a road following an earthquake in Accumuli di Rieti, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy People survey the devastation in the town of Amatrice Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy The earthquake hit the border of three regions, and the USGS measured an additional seven significant tremors in its aftermath Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures A mother embraces her son in Amatrice, central Italy, central Italy, 24 August 2016, following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Residents look in collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures An injured woman is carried by rescuers amid the rubble of collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016, EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Resident survey the rubble in Amatrice, central Italy, on 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Collapsed buildings in Pescara del Tronto, in the Marche region of central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA

Another neighbour, who also did not want to be named, said: They were just absolutely lovely people. He was an entrepreneur and she was finance director for Children & The Arts.

Marcos is understood to be the teenage son of another family who were staying with the couple.

His parents, Anne-Louise and Simon Burnett, are thought to be in hospital and their daughter also survived. Her condition is unknown.

The mother and father had initially been taken to separate hospitals 40 miles (60km) from each other, where the woman was being treated for facial fractures and the man was being treated for a broken leg.

Rieti Hospital director Pasquale Carducci said: The British woman was brought here by rescue workers on Wednesday while her husband was taken to L'Aquila.

When we discovered he was there, we decided they would be happier together, so we decided to reunite them.

Since the man was less badly hurt, it was easier to bring him to her. We hope that they can be a support to each other.

The latest aftershock hit the region at 6.28am local time on Friday. The US Geological Survey said it had a preliminary magnitude of 4.7.

Italy's national geological institute put the magnitude at 4.8. It was preceded by more than a dozen weaker aftershocks overnight and followed by another nine in the subsequent hour.

The quake zone has experienced more than 500 aftershocks, some measuring 5.1, in the two days since the original pre-dawn quake on Wednesday.

The 6.3 magnitude earthquake has been followed up by about 1,000 aftershocks, one of which registered 4.7 this morning. Rescue teams have less hope of finding survivors now. (Associated Press)

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said on Thursday that a number of Britons had been affected by the earthquake.

He said extra staff had been sent to the region to help provide support to affected Britons, while the Government has offered any assistance that we can to the Italian authorities.

He said: My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people and everyone affected by the terrible earthquake that struck central Italy.

The British Government has offered any assistance that we can to help with the recovery effort and I have spoken with Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni to express my condolences personally.

As the scale of the disaster has become clearer, we now know that a number of British nationals have been affected.

British embassy staff are in the region providing consular support, and we have deployed additional staff to support this effort.

Firefighters and rescue crews using sniffer dogs have been working in teams around the hardest-hit areas of the country.

We will work relentlessly until the last person is found, and make sure no-one is trapped, said Lorenzo Botti, a rescue team spokesman.

Press Association
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A police officer has been strongly criticised on social media after posting a selfie which appeared to belittle a woman's suicide attempt.

Sergeant Harry Tangye tweeted a picture of himself with a long tailback of cars in the background, explaining that "someone threatening to jump off bridge" had caused the delay in Somerset.

He captioned the photo: "Sorry guys and girls, someone threatening to jump off bridge, but now off and traffic moving."

The picture of himself in the shot and apparent aportioning of blame to a suicidal person sparked a backlash on Twitter.

He has since apologised, saying: "Apologies for any offence. None meant." Many commentators on social media also expressed their support and appreciation for the difficulty of his job.

"Harry ... this was an excellent use of social media for public information. Keep up the good work," said Twitter user Brendan Brookshaw.

A 25-year-old young woman was negotiating with the police for hours after appearing to be about to jump from an M5 motorway bridge. Avon and Somerset Police talked to her while a tailback of cars 19 miles long gathered below.

She is reportedly safe and well but has been arrested on suspicion of causing a public nuisance.

The incident saw delays between junction 26 and 27 near Wellington in Somerset.
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Article 50, the untested protocol for leaving the European Union, could be triggered early in 2017, Iain Duncan Smith has said.

The former work and pensions secretary, who was a prominent voice in the campaign to leave the EU, revealed he had spoken to those at the top of the government and was certain these senior figures, including the Prime Minister Theresa May, are very clear that they need to get on with triggering Article 50 as soon as possible.

His intervention comes after reports, earlier this month, suggested that ministers were in discussion over a delay in triggering the two-year process of leaving the bloc. It was suggested Ms May could push back the timetable because her new Brexit and International Trade departments will not be ready in time for negotiations in early 2017.

But, Mr Duncan Smith said: I have spoken to them and I am definitely certain that these characters - David Davis, Liam Fox, Boris Johnson and the Prime Minister - are very clear that they need to get on with triggering Article 50 as soon as possible, early in the new year. When they do that we will be bound on a course that Britain will leave and I believe they are all very positive about the outcome that will entail. We will be out and we will do incredibly well.

Mr Duncan Smith, a former leader of the Conservative party, also suggested on BBCs Radio 4 Today programme that Britain could rely on World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules to trade with the EU following Brexit.

He added that European countries including Germany are eager to negotiate a trade agreement with the UK. He said: "I think we would like to have, and I think it would be in the interests of the European Union even more than it might be for the UK, to maintain a trading relationship with the UK.

"Bearing in mind that we will anyway have access to the marketplace under WTO rules, so the question really is - do we want more preferential arrangements than that?" Asked if he would be happy with WTO rules, he said: "I'm saying that's the extent of where you could be and you'd still get access to the marketplace.

 What is Article 50?

"I've already made it clear that my personal view is we should not seek to remain a member of the customs union nor necessarily remain a full member of the single market, because that would entail putting yourself yet again under the rule of European law.

"And that was one of the key areas that the British public voted for in the process of taking back control."

If Britain fails to negotiate a separate deal after the two-year period allowed under the terms of Article 50 then trade with the EU will revert to WTO rules. Mr Duncan Smith said: "Actually, if you look across the European Union, many of those countries now are quite desperate to sort out the relationship with the UK.

"For example, Germany is going through quite a difficult period right now, their manufacturers are deeply worried about what will happen afterwards, and they want to find a way to make sure that they don't end up having tariff barriers imposed on them as they export.

"That, of course, is possible to arrange even under the WTO process.

"What they want is, and we want, the bottom line is tariff-free access to the market and for them to do the same for us."
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British politicians divisive, anti-immigrant and xenophobic rhetoric during the EU referendum campaign fuelled a surge in hate crimes immediately following the vote, a United Nations body has said.

BBC News reports that the UNs Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination said it was seriously concerned that British politicians whipped up hatred and then failed to condemn racist abuse during the campaign.

Immediately following the referendum hate crimes surged by 42 per cent in England and Wales, with a total of 3,076 incidents recorded across the country between 16 and 30 June.

Many areas that voted strongly for Leave also posted even higher results, police figures obtained by The Independent showed.

"The committee remains concerned that despite the recent increase in the reporting of hate crimes, the problem of underreporting persists, and the gap between reported cases and successful prosecution remains significant, the report added.

As a result, a large number of racist hate crimes seem to go unpunished.

The reports authors are also concerned about negative portrayal of ethnic minority communities, immigrants, asylum-seekers and refugees in British media.

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

They also raised concerns about the possible repeal of the Human Rights Act, a policy confirmed by Justice Secretary Liz Truss earlier this week.

Ukip leader Nigel Farage was widely criticised for unveiling a poster with pictures of Syrian refugees alongside the caption the breaking point.

He was also criticised for saying the referendum campaign had been won without a shot being fired  despite the shooting of Labour MP Jo Cox.
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Europe should begin planning to enhance the military role of the European Union with the creation of a common army, according to Hungarys right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Mr Orban, a staunch critic of the blocs migration policies, said that security on the continent should be a priority for Europe as he called on Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, to begin talks on the controversial issue.

"We should list the issue of security as a priority, and we should start setting up a common European army," Mr Orban said.

The fresh call for an EU common army came as Angela Merkel, the German Chancellor, met with the Prime Ministers of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia ahead of an EU summit planned next month to discuss Britains exit from the union. Ms Merkel said during the gathering of five countries that the vote for Brexit exposed the need for better communication with the bloc.

It is "important to listen to each other in different formats," Merkel said.

She added: Because Britain's exit is not just any event  it is a deep break in the European Union's history of integration, and so it is important to find a careful answer."

Bohuslav Sobotka, the Prime Minister of the Czech Republic, according to the Local.de, added that we should also begin a discussion about creating a common European army.

At present EU member countries work together on a range of military matters but the bloc does not have its own military capabilities. An EU army would also need the unanimous approval from all member states, making the prospect unlikely. The former British ambassador to Washington, Christopher Meyer, has previously claimed that pigs will fly before the EU creates an army.

During the referendum campaign the former Prime Minister David Cameron made it clear he did not support the creation of a so-called EU army. Defence minister Earl Howe said shortly before the historic vote to leave the EU: The Prime Minister has been clear that the UK will never be part of a European Army. We have consistently said that we will oppose any measures which would undermine member states' competence for their own military forces, or lead to competition and duplication with NATO, which is the cornerstone of our defence.
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Hillary Clinton has launched a scathing attack on Nigel Farage, linking him to a rising tide of hardline, right-wing nationalism and accusing him of being a Vladimir Putin-style extremist.

Ms Clintons attack on the former leader of the UK Independence Party (Ukip) comes after he shared a platform with Donald Trump, the Republican candidate for US President, in Jacksonville, Mississippi, on Thursday.

Mr Farage, who was introduced as the man who orchestrated Brexit by Mr Trump, had said he would not vote for the Democratic presidential hopeful even if he was paid to do so.

Recommended Read more The Trump and Farage show proves they cannot be trusted with power

But responding to his comments at a rally in Nevada, Ms Clinton accused the former Ukip chief of having stoked anti-immigrant sentiments during the European Union referendum campaign. Mr Farage was widely condemned at the time for appearing in front of a Breaking Point poster showing a vast queue of refugees stretching into the distance.

Just yesterday one of Britains most prominent right-wing leaders, a man named Nigel Farage, who stoked anti-immigrant sentiments to win the referendum to have Britain leave the European Union, campaigned with Donald Trump in Mississippi, Ms Clinton said.

Farage has called for a bar on the children of legal immigrants from public schools and health services, has said women are  and I quote  worth less than men and supports scrapping laws that prevent employers from discriminating based on race.

Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Show all 15 1 /15 Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Andrew Harnik/AP Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Darren McCollester/Getty Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Mary Schwalm/Reuters Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Brian Snyder/Reuters Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Brian Snyder/Reuters Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Brian Snyder/Reuters Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Brian Snyder/Reuters Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Brian Snyder/Reuters Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Andrew Harnik/AP Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Andrew Harnik/AP Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Darren McCollester/Getty Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Andrew Harnik/AP Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Andrew Harnik/AP Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Andrew Harnik/AP Bernie Sanders campaigns with Hillary Clinton Andrew Harnik/AP

That's who Donald Trump wants by his side when he is addressing an audience of American voters.

Ms Clinton also used her speech to declare that Mr Farage was part of a wider movement, adding: The grand godfather of this global brand of extreme nationalism is Russian President Vladmir Putin. In fact, Farage regularly appears on Russian propaganda programmes.

But Mr Farage, who told supporters of Mr Trump he would not vote for Ms Clinton if he was paid, told Breitbart London her comments showed she was running scared. He added: Her attacks on me are completely baseless. She sounds rather like Bob Geldof and cant accept Brexit.

Perhaps Mrs Clinton should spend more time speaking to normal, working people in her country than trying to attack me using dodgy half-quotes.
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Labours annual conference in Liverpool is set to go ahead after the party found a company to provide security at the event.

There were fears the meeting could be cancelled because of difficulties finding a partner to operate the event.

Labour is boycotting its usual security partner G4S because of their operations in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Another firm that could have provided the security, ShowSec, is engaged in an industrial dispute with GMB, one of Labours affiliated trade unions and biggest donors.

GMB activists had threatened to picket the conference were ShowSec given the contract.

A last-ditch plea from the party to G4S was embarrassingly rejected.

Iain McNicol, Labours general secretary, said security would be provided by the OCS Group.

I am happy to announce we have agreed that OCS Group, the existing provider of security services at ACC Liverpool, will deliver security for the Labour Party Conference, he said.

We look forward to working together on what will be an excellent event.

Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Show all 8 1 /8 Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith clash at a leadership hustings in Gateshead, where Mr Smith was scarcely able to answer a question without being booed by Mr Corbyns supporters PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy himself admitted he was seven out of 10 in terms of his faith in the European Union. He said it, said Mr Smith during his second live debate with Jeremy Corbyn Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Ballot papers are currently due to be sent out on 22 August and returned a month later, with the result being announced at a special Labour conference on 24 September Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn supporters cheer and wave placards as the Labour Leader addresses thousands of supporters in in Liverpool, England Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour Party leadership candidate Owen Smith poses for a picture with supporters during a picnic for young members in London Fields, Hackney in London Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith The Labour leader has a spring in his step at a leadership rally in Sunderland Screenshot Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contender Owen Smith delivers a speech at the Open University in Milton Keynes, where he promised to reverse Conservative cuts set to leave millions of low paid workers thousands of pounds a year worse off PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has urged Owen Smith to distance himself from those saying they want to split the Labour party Getty

The resolution to the conference issue will likely be welcomed as rare good news within Labour, which has been wracked by intense infighting in recent days.

Conflict escalated to the highest level at the tail-end of this week after the partys general secretary publicly hit out at John McDonnell in a row over the expulsion of party members.

John, just to clarify you say party officials. Decisions are made by elected NEC members, and not party staff, he said in a tweet directed at the shadow chancellor.

Jeremy Corbyn on Friday evening however piled extra pressure on Mr McNichol.

Im very concerned that some people seem to have been unfairly removed from the ability to vote in this election," he said.

A number of people have contacted me as a result of that, and we have sent the names in that were concerned about to the general secretary.

Weve asked that they check this carefully to make sure that everyone eligible to vote is able to vote in this election. We want a fair and open election.

Mr McDonnell on Thursday said he would write to Mr McNicol after it emerged that Ronnie Draper, general secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, had been suspended from the party.

Mr Draper, who has been a party member for more than 40 years, was suspended over unspecified tweets he had made.

The expulsion is one of thousands and comes after Mr McNicol declared zero tolerance on abuse during the leadership election.
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Labours general secretary has publicly hit out at John McDonnell in a row over the expulsion of party members.

The shadow chancellor had claimed that Labour officials were trying to undermine Jeremy Corbyns chances in the ongoing leadership election by targeting his supporters for expulsion.

But Iain McNicol has now publicly hit out at Mr McDonnell, arguing that the ultimate decision lay with the partys elected ruling national executive committee.

John, just to clarify you say party officials. Decisions are made by elected NEC members, and not party staff, he said in a tweet directed at Mr McDonnell.

Mr McDonnell on Thursday said he would write to Mr McNicol after it emerged that Ronnie Draper, general secretary of the Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, had been suspended from the party.

Mr Draper, who has been a party member for more than 40 years, was suspended over unspecified tweets he had made.

The expulsion is one of thousands and comes after Mr McNicol declared zero tolerance on abuse during the leadership election.

The decision by Labour Party officials to suspend the Bakers Union leader, Ronnie Draper, from the party and deny him a vote in Labours leadership election over unidentified social media posts is shocking and appears to be part of a clear pattern of double standards, Mr McDonnell had said.

While Ronnie, a supporter of Jeremy Corbyn, has been denied his say in Labours election, no action is being taken over the Labour peer, Lord Sainsbury, who has given more than 2m to support the Liberal Democrats.

Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Show all 8 1 /8 Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith clash at a leadership hustings in Gateshead, where Mr Smith was scarcely able to answer a question without being booed by Mr Corbyns supporters PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy himself admitted he was seven out of 10 in terms of his faith in the European Union. He said it, said Mr Smith during his second live debate with Jeremy Corbyn Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Ballot papers are currently due to be sent out on 22 August and returned a month later, with the result being announced at a special Labour conference on 24 September Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn supporters cheer and wave placards as the Labour Leader addresses thousands of supporters in in Liverpool, England Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour Party leadership candidate Owen Smith poses for a picture with supporters during a picnic for young members in London Fields, Hackney in London Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith The Labour leader has a spring in his step at a leadership rally in Sunderland Screenshot Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contender Owen Smith delivers a speech at the Open University in Milton Keynes, where he promised to reverse Conservative cuts set to leave millions of low paid workers thousands of pounds a year worse off PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has urged Owen Smith to distance himself from those saying they want to split the Labour party Getty

Labour Party members will not accept what appears to be a rigged purge of Jeremy Corbyn supporters. The conduct of this election must be fair and even-handed.

I am writing to Labours general secretary, Iain McNicol, to demand that members and supporters who are suspended or lose their voting rights are given clear information about why action has been taken and a timely opportunity to challenge the decision.

The row comes after the suspension from the party of a former adviser to Labour MP Stella Creasy. Jonny Chambers was accused of making tweets in support of the Conservatives  he says he was only expressing an opinion about the candidates in the Tory leadership contest.
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Jeremy Corbyn has expressed concern that some of his supporters have been "unfairly" barred from voting in the upcoming Labour leadership election.

The party leader handed a list of excluded names to party officials, asking for a "fair and open election" with everyone eligible able to vote.

Included in those barred from voting was a leading Corbyn supporter, Bakers' union leader Ronnie Draper.

Mr Corbyn said: "I am very concerned that some people seem to have been unfairly removed from the ability to vote in this election.

"A number of people have contacted me as a result of that and we have sent in the names that we are concerned about to the general secretary and asked him to ensure the party checks into this carefully to make sure everyone who is eligible to vote is able to vote in this election.

"We want a fair and open election."

Mr Draper, a prominent supporter of Mr Corbyn and a Labour member for 40 years, said he was "disgusted and in shock" after receiving a letter saying he was suspended pending a hearing, a move which will prevent him voting in the leadership election.

His BFAWU union, which has almost 20,000 members in the food industry, is backing Mr Corbyn in the leadership contest against Owen Smith.

Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Show all 8 1 /8 Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn and Owen Smith clash at a leadership hustings in Gateshead, where Mr Smith was scarcely able to answer a question without being booed by Mr Corbyns supporters PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy himself admitted he was seven out of 10 in terms of his faith in the European Union. He said it, said Mr Smith during his second live debate with Jeremy Corbyn Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Ballot papers are currently due to be sent out on 22 August and returned a month later, with the result being announced at a special Labour conference on 24 September Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Jeremy Corbyn supporters cheer and wave placards as the Labour Leader addresses thousands of supporters in in Liverpool, England Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour Party leadership candidate Owen Smith poses for a picture with supporters during a picnic for young members in London Fields, Hackney in London Getty Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith The Labour leader has a spring in his step at a leadership rally in Sunderland Screenshot Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Labour leadership contender Owen Smith delivers a speech at the Open University in Milton Keynes, where he promised to reverse Conservative cuts set to leave millions of low paid workers thousands of pounds a year worse off PA Labour leadership contest: Jeremy Corbyn vs Owen Smith Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell has urged Owen Smith to distance himself from those saying they want to split the Labour party Getty

Mr Draper added: "I have not been given the opportunity to refute any allegations, or a date for any hearing

"I believe this flies in the face of natural justice. I intend to challenge my suspension robustly and am currently taking legal advice."

Shadow Chancellor John McDonnell, who is chairing Mr Corbyn's bid to be re-elected as Labour leader, warned party officials against "what appears to be a rigged purge of Jeremy Corbyn supporters".

A number of other Labour Party members said they have also been suspended, with one saying four people with a combined membership of 163 years have received letters.
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The Government is bringing forward a raft of measures to boost tourism, as a weak pound makes trips to Britain cheaper for foreigners.

Brits summer holidays became more expensive across the board following the Brexit vote, as the pound fell from $1.49 on referendum day to lows of $1.28 in July and August.

As a result the cost of a beer in New York City bar went from 3.98 to 4.65 overnight for British visitors  with similar rises for all other expenses like hotels, museums, and some flights.

Similar cost increases for UK holidaymakers happened overnight across most countries, including the eurozone.

But though visitors from Britain took a hit from the weakening currency, foreigners are expected to benefit from the Leave vote as Britain slides closer towards the bargain basement bin of holiday destinations.

The Government on Friday announced a deregulation drive in an attempt to capitalise on Britains potential a tourist destination, in the hope that tourism business can benefit.

Regulatory changes set to be introduced include allowing B&Bs to serve some alcohol and allowing their owners to give guests a lift from train stations to their accommodation.

A flexible apprentice scheme for seasonal workers such as those in the hospitality industry will allow businesses to train staff over 18 months rather than 12.

The Government has also announced a series of new single-booking fix rail itineraries to encourage visitors to travel around the country.

The package is partly designed to encourage tourists to venture outside London (Getty Images)

The measures are included in a new Tourism Action Plan published by the Government.

The Government has also announced which projects will get part of the 40 million Discover England fund to encourage tourists to travel beyond London.

Prime Minister Theresa May said the Brexit vote created real opportunities for growth in the tourism sector.

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

Tourism is vitally important to the UK and the sector goes from strength to strength. Our stunning scenery, centuries-old monuments and cultural traditions continue to draw visitors from both home and abroad, she said.

The British peoples decision to leave the European Union creates real opportunities for growth and we will work in close partnership with the tourism industry, to ensure it continues to thrive as negotiations on the UKs exit progress.

We are making it easier for visitors to travel beyond London and experience all of the world-class attractions the UK has to offer, to make sure the benefits of this thriving industry are felt by the many and not the few.

We will make sure Britain is even more attractive, accessible and welcoming to visitors.

Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport Karen Bradley said:

With world-class museums, fantastic heritage sites and stunning countryside the UK has a lot to offer tourists - from both home and abroad.

Through the Discover England Fund and working with the industry, I look forward to helping further strengthen tourism outside of London to ensure that growth from the sector is enjoyed right across the country.
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Egyptian police are using Grindr and other dating apps to find and arrest members of the country's LGBT community, reports suggest.

Officers have allegedly utilised the gay dating app to pinpoint the location of people suspected of being LGBT.

According to an unnamed source from the Egyptian LGBT community, police have used the app to get within a "few hundred metres" of their targets, according to the Jerusalem Post.

The source told Egyptian lifestyle magazine, Cairo Scene: "It is possible to tell a user's position within a few hundred metres, and many users include personal pictures, making them easily identifiable to cops.

"It baffles me how easily people are willing to share such personal information in a country like Egypt. It is beyond stupid.

"I would advise anyone to be careful when dating online."

While homosexuality is not illegal in Egypt, authorities have continued to arrest members of the LGBT community under a "debauchery law".

Activists have claimed the vague guidelines set out in the law allow police to arrest and secure convictions of LGBT people.

 LGBT traffic lights

In April, 11 men were given a total of 101 years in prison for a number of 'debauchery' offences, Gay Egypt reported.

The Independent has contacted Grindr for a comment.
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Bolivias deputy interior minister has been killed after being kidnapped by striking miners, the country's government said.

Rodolfo Illanes visited the workers in La Paz state to open a dialogue, according to reports, when he was kidnapped along with his bodyguard.

About 100 people have been arrested in response. Industrial action by miners in the country descended into violence this week as two protesters died and police officers were injured.

Officials said Mr Illanes was taken hostage by the miners on Thursday morning. At midday, the deputy minister tweeted: My health is fine, my family can be calm. There are reports that he had heart problems.

However, defence minister Reymi Ferreira said he died at about 6pm that evening. There were reports he had been tortured. It is believed Mr Illanes' bodyguard escaped and is recovering in hospital.

In an emotional broadcast, Mr Ferreira told local television Mr Illanes was savagely beaten to death.

He added: This crime will not go unpunished. Authorities are investigating ... around 100 people have been arrested.

Prosecutor Edwin Blanco said on Friday that an autopsy showed that Mr Illanes died from trauma to the brain and thorax.

President Evo Morales called the death a "a political conspiracy" at a news conference on Friday. Calling for three days of official mourning, he criticised the cowardly attitude of the protesters and insisted that his government had always been open to negotiation.

Miners blocked a road (AIZAR RALDES/AFP/Getty) (AIZAR RALDES/AFP/Getty Images)

A riot policeman throws tear gas during clashes with the miners (AIZAR RALDESAIZAR RALDES/AFP/Getty) (AIZAR RALDESAIZAR RALDES/AFP/Getty Images)

Protests by miners in Bolivia demanding changes to laws turned violent this week after a highway 80 miles south of La Paz was blockaded.

Two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded during the disputes, photos of which showed miners using sling shots and tear gas being deployed by police.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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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. 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Bolivia's informal or artisan miners number about 100,000 and work in self-managed cooperatives. They want to be able to associate with private companies, which is prohibited. The government argues that if they associate with multinational companies they would cease to be cooperatives.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of President Evo Morales, went on an indefinite protest after negotiations over the mining legislation failed.
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The Bolivian deputy interior minister has been kidnapped and beaten to death by striking miners, government officials said on Friday. Rodolfo Illanes, 56, had been dispatched to negotiate with the miners outside the countrys capital, La Paz, but was seized on Thursday. While being held, he spoke to a Bolivian radio station, telling them the miners were demanding the government negotiate new legislation with them to secure his release.

According to Reuters, however, Mr Illaness body was found early on Friday morning, wrapped in a blanket by the side of a highway connecting La Paz to the city of Oruro. He had died of repeated blows to the head. Bolivian interior minister Carlos Romero said all indications were that he had died as the result of a cowardly and brutal murder.

Tensions between the government of President Evo Morales and the countrys miners spilled into violence this week when negotiations broke down following a weeks-long strike. The National Federation of Mining Co-operatives of Bolivia said it would begin an indefinite protest.

The country has some 100,000 independent miners working in self-managed cooperatives, but the demonstrators are demanding the right to work for private companies, broader union representations, a loosening of environmental restrictions and other concessions.

On Wednesday, two protesters were reportedly shot dead by police. The miners had blockaded a highway in Panduro around 100 miles from La Paz, though the blockade was lifted on Friday after Mr Illaness death.

Speaking on national television, the countrys defence minister Reymi Ferreira became emotional, saying Mr Morales was profoundly affected by the killing. More than 100 people had been arrested, he added, insisting: This crime will not go unpunished.

Mr Morales, himself a former farmer, nationalised Bolivias mines when he assumed power in 2006, rerouting the profits to anti-poverty efforts. But the labour unions who originally considered him an ally have since become sceptical amid claims of government corruption.

Announcing a three-day period of mourning on Friday, Mr Morales said: Our natural resources belong to the people, which is why I call brother Illanes a hero in the defense of our natural resources.
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An elderly couple who have been married for 62 years have been forced to separate and live in different care homes.

Wolfram Gottschalk, 83, and his wife, Anita, 81, got married in 1954 in Dusseldorf, Germany, before moving to Canada in search of a better life.

The couple from Surrey, British Columbia, have to live in separate care homes as there are none close by that can accommodate them both.

Whenever the pair get a chance to visit each other they both burst into tears, CBC reported.

Granddaughter Ashley Kaila Baryik took to Facebook to appeal to anyone who can help.

After 62 years together in marriage they have been separated for 8 months due to backlogs and delays by our health care system, whom have the power to have my grandpa moved to the same care facility as my grandmother," she said.

They deserve this! Financially, physically and emotionally exhausted, me and my family are begging for your help my friends.

She added that her grandfather sat by the window hoping his wife was coming while calling out her nickname, "little mouse", according to the Daily Mail.

Love and sex news: in pictures Show all 31 1 /31 Love and sex news: in pictures Love and sex news: in pictures What makes a perfect penis? Scientists have now answered one of these great unknowns. According to a new study, general cosmetic appearance is the most important penile aspect when it comes to what women value down there. This is swiftly followed by the appearance of pubic hair, penile skin, and girth. Length comes in at number six, with the look of the scrotum trailing closely behind. The least important facet of the phallus, say the scientists, is the position and shape of meatus, the vertical slit at the opening of the urethra. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures Half of divorcees had doubts on their wedding day Over half of divorcees considered abandoning their husband or wife-to-be at the altar on their wedding day, a new study has revealed. On top of likely worrying about wedding favours and making sure guests behave on their big day, 49 per cent of divorcees admitted they were unsure before the ceremony that their marriage would last. Some 15 per cent of divorcees polled said they were so wracked with doubt that they felt physically sick in the run up to their wedding. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Students who marry after studying the same subject Picking a university subject is already difficult enough for young people. But heres an extra piece of data to weigh on your decision: you may be picking a life partner as well. Dan Kopf of the blog, Priceonomics, analysed US Census data and found that the percentage of Americans who marry someone within their own major is actually fairly high. About half of Americans are married, according to the 2012 American Community Survey (part of the Census). And about 28 per cent of married couples over the age of 22 both graduated from college. (The survey didnt recognise same-sex marriages for the 2012 data, but it will for 2013 onwards, says Kopf). Sean Gallup/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures How much sex we have (and how much we'd like) As a nation, we dont have as much sex as we would like, a survey has (somewhat unsurprisingly) confirmed. In a poll of 1523 people by YouGov, 64 per cent of Britons said they would wish to have sex at least a few times a month. The same sample said that only 38 per cent had sex at least a few times a month. In addition, 10 per cent said they wished to have sex every day, a goal which only 1 per cent admitted reaching. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The new female condom Picture an internal condom. The chances are youre thinking of something which resembles a carrier bag. However, this could all be about to change with the new VA w.o.w. Condom Feminine. 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Missionary, which is sometimes scoffed at the most boring position, was favoured by a fifth of the 1,000 people surveyed by high street sex shop Ann Summers, seeing it come in as third under "woman on top". Caiaimage/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Who's most likely to cheat? Men and women who are economically dependent on their spouses are more likely to cheat, a new study has revealed. Researchers have found that men who are solely financially dependent are more like to cheat than women, at 15 per cent and 5 per cent respectively. Men who are rely on their wives may cheat because they are undergoing a masculinity threat by not being the primary breadwinner as is culturally expected, said study author Christin L. Munsch, a UConn assistant professor of sociology. Eye Candy/REX Love and sex news: in pictures Jailed for loud sex noises A woman who breached a court order barring her from causing nuisance by making "loud sex noises" was sent to jail. Gemma Wale, of Small Heath, Birmingham, was given a two-week prison sentence after a civil court judge concluded that she had breached the order by "screaming and shouting whilst having sex" at a "level of noise" which annoyed a neighbour. Rex Features Love and sex news: in pictures Photo of wedding guest proposing to girlfriend in front of bride and groom goes viral When the staggering amount time, money, and effort that goes into to planning a wedding is considered, it seems pretty obvious that all guests have is to do is turn up with some gifts, and not upstage the couple. But this fact seems to have escaped one man, whose grinning face has gone viral after he decided to propose to his girlfriend in front of the bride and grooms top table. The photo, which has been viewed over 1.4 million times on Reddit, shows a boyfriend perched on one knee in front of his crying girlfriend. Joe Raedle/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sexual fantasies The results of a sex survey are busting the myth that Britons are sexually repressed, by revealing how the majority of women have lived out their sexual fantasies. As many as 81 per cent of women and 77 per cent of men have shared and acted out fantasies with a partner  with having sex in public topping the list of turn-ons. The study also laid bare the influence of TV and film on our desires, with three-quarters of couples saying they had inspired them. Meanwhile, a further three quarters of women and over half of men have played out a fantasy theyd found in a book. LEO RAMIREZ/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures The world's sexiest nationalities Irish men are the worlds sexiest, according to a survey of thousands of jet-setting women. In a poll of 66,000 of single American women who use MissTravel.com, as many as 8,000 said that Irish men are the sexiest. Around half of the females who took said they were turned on by Irish men said their accent influenced their choice, according to the Irish Times. ANDREW COWIE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = happiness? Couples were asked to double the amount of sex they had each week over a three month period by researchers at the Carnegie Mellon University, who compared them to couples who had their normal amount of sex. Their findings, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior, went against advice given by the average self-help book  having more sex doesnt automatically make a person happier. Instead, couples who were instructed to have more sex reported a decrease in happiness levels. Mood Board/Rex Love and sex news: in pictures Most sexually satisfied countries It is often considered the most amorous nation on the planet, but France doesn't even feature in a new list of the most sexually satisfied countries. According to a Durex global survey of 26,000 people, aged 16 and older, across 26 countries, only 44 per cent of people are fully satisfied with their sex lives. In the wake of these results, AlterNet has compiled a list of the 12 most sexually satisfied countries, with Switzerland, Spain and Italy topping the list. INDRANIL MUKHERJEE/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Sex o'clock They say women are from Venus and men are from Mars  but a new sex survey suggests that members of the opposite sex seem to operate in different time zones too. While women like to get steamy between 11:21pm on average, men are more likely to be turned on at the rather inconvenient time of 7:54am. These times fall into the broader timeslots of 11pm and 2am for women, and 6am and 9am for men. PIERRE ANDRIEU/AFP/Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures More sex = more money People who have more sex are likely to earn more, new research claims. The research, partly conducted from the responses of 7,500 people, found employees who have sex two or three times a week earn 4.5 per cent more than colleagues who do not. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures The effects of watching porn Contrary to suggestion that porn desensitises viewers to sex, a study has found that it doesn't "negatively impact sexual functioning" and in fact boosts couples' sexual attraction to one another. In research published in the Journal of Sexual Medicine, scientists at the University of California tested the effects of visual sexual stimuli on men in relationships, finding that it "is unlikely to negatively impact sexual functioning, given that responses actually were stronger in those who viewed more VSS." Rex Love and sex news: in pictures 'I have herpes' A woman diagnosed with herpes at the age of 20 has written an emotional essay about living with the common condition to fight the stigma surrounding it. Ella Dawson, now 22, said she had never had unprotected sex and thought she wasn't the sort of person STDs happened to when the symptoms first appeared during her time at university in the US. She wrote that the diagnosis initially felt like a punishment for her values and relationships and worried her that telling boyfriends would ruin her love life. Ella Dawson Love and sex news: in pictures More sleep, better sex A new study could have a simple answer to enhancing your sex life  just get a good nights sleep (if you are a woman at least). A study conducted by a team at the University of Michigan Sleep and Circadian Research Laboratory found women who get an extra hour of sleep at night reported higher levels of sexual desire and were more likely to have sex with their partners. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Swipe right A woman has detailed her experiences of a week of always swiping right on Tinder. By opening the floodgates, as Ms Caster describes it, she receives scores of messages from different men  and not all are terrible. Love and sex news: in pictures The most adulterous town in the UK Ever wondered what the neighbours are up to? Well if you live in Beeston, Nottinghamshire, then the answer is probably... having an affair. The bustling East Midlands town has been granted the dubious honour of being the UK's top spot for infidelity  with a total of 941 affairs reportedly taking place right now. According to The Official Infidelity Index 2015, which was released this week, 2.54 per cent of the towns population are currently seeing someone they shouldn't. REX FEATURES Love and sex news: in pictures Average penis size revealed Scientists have measured more than 15,000 mens penises in an effort to find out what size is normal. Researchers at Kings College London and a London NHS trust said they hoped the review would help address the concern that some men have about their penis size and aid people suffering from anxiety and distress. They revealed that the average flaccid penis is 3.6ins (9.16cm) long, or 5.2ins (13.24cm) when stretched, and 3.7ins (9.31cm) in circumference. Erect penises are 5.1ins (13.12cm) long on average and 4.5ins (11.66cm) in girth. Rex Love and sex news: in pictures One true love Men fall in love more times in their life than women, according to a new survey. 2,000 adults were asked about relationships, and discovered that more than half of men say they've loved more than one person their lifetime. For women, it's markedly fewer, with only 45 per cent saying they've had multiple loves. Love and sex news: in pictures Dating site for 'beautiful people only' A self-proclaimed elite dating website has removed around 3,000 members because they were "letting themselves go". BeautifulPeople.com describes itself as the largest internet dating community exclusively for the beautiful and puts peoples photographs to a members vote to decide if they are allowed in. But administrators have now shown that the rigorous 48-hour selection period is not a permanent pass by taking thousands of profiles down, mainly because of weight gain and graceless ageing. Love and sex news: in pictures Sex is a 'miracle cure' Regular exercise  including sex, walking and dancing  are miracle cures staring us in the face and could dramatically cut our risk of cancer, dementia, heart disease and diabetes, leading doctors have said. In a new review of existing evidence which reveals the full extent of benefits that can be accrued from exercise, the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges said the improvement in health and savings to the NHS could be incalculable. Susannah Ireland Love and sex news: in pictures Pornhub searches by age of user Pornhubs prolific Insights blog fires out many reports of sociological interest, none more so than its latest on age, which lays bare different age groups' sexual proclivities. Looking at the most popular searches among 18-24s, there are several familial terms including 'step mom', 'milf', 'mom' and 'step sister', a trend that seems to die out somewhat in users' 30s. By 65, 'massage' becomes the top term, while 'granny' perhaps unsurprisingly also hits the top ten. PlaceIt/Just Another IKEA Catalog Love and sex news: in pictures Mature sex Research into the sexual lives of more than 7,000 men and women between the ages of 50 and 90 in England reveals that half of men and almost a third of women aged 70 and over were still sexually active, with around a third of these sexually active older people having sexual intercourse twice a month or more. Around two-thirds of men and over half of women thought good sexual relations were essential to the maintenance of a long-term relationship or being sexually active was physically and psychologically beneficial to older people. Getty Creative Love and sex news: in pictures The secret to an eighty year marriage Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 42 per cent of marriages in England and Wales end in divorce, and the average British marriage which ends in divorce lasts 11 years and six months. Helen and Maurice Kaye, now aged 101 and 102, have been married for 80 years, and say the secret is: I think its important to have patience and tolerance. You're two entirely different people who suddenly live together, which can't be easy. But if you love each other, you get over the difficulties. Love and sex news: in pictures Valentine's Day porn Pornhub saw a (slight) drop in traffic on Valentine's Day as people focused on pleasuring their partners rather than themselves. Everywhere, it is, except for London. Overall UK traffic dipped 3 per cent across the UK, with Plymouth and Oxford seeing the biggest drops of 11 per cent and 10 per cent respectively. In fact every major city spent less time watching porn bar London, the Pornhub audience for which grew by 2 per cent. Getty Love and sex news: in pictures 1 in 10 men paying for sex A tenth of British men have admitted to paying for sex, according to a new study. Professionals aged 25 to 34 who binge drink and take drugs were found to be the most likely to have used the services of prostitutes, based on findings from a study of 6,108 men. Around 11 per cent of subjects, in the study published in the Sexually Transmitted Infections journal, have ever paid for sex in their lifetime and four per cent admitted to doing so in the last five years. Getty Images Love and sex news: in pictures Questions that determine if you're in love The existence of love and its nature is something that has troubled philosophers for centuries, but a pair of scientists believe they have a set of questions that yield "clear empirical evidence" of it, or at least whether your relationship will end in divorce. They are: 'How happy are you in your marriage relative to how happy you would be if you weren't in the marriage?' and 'How do you think your spouse answered that question?' Columbia

Mr Gottschalk has been recently diagnosed with cancer and also suffers from dementia. Family members are worried about his condition worsening before the situation is resolved.

A spokeswoman for Fraser Health Authority, which manages care homes in the area, said it had been working to reunite the couple.

"We certainly understand how heart breaking this is for the family," spokeswoman Tasleem Juma told CTV News. "Its upsetting for us as well."
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The 19-year-old teenager accused of killing a Florida couple and biting off piece of one victims face has regained consciousness after 11 days in the hospital.

Austin Harrouff was conscious when he was taken to a West Palm Beach hospital, where he underwent surgery for undisclosed injuries. He was listed in critical but stable condition while he was on a breathing tube and unconscious.

Despite his consciousness, deputies said, Mr Harrouff is still unable to give police a statement about the night of the alleged attack. It remains unclear whether or not he is still intubated.

Martin County Sheriffs deputies apprehended Mr Harrouff on 15 August in Jupiter, Florida. He allegedly beat 53-year-old Michelle Mischon to death before stabbing and killing her husband, 59-year-old John Stevens II  who face he is accused of mauling.

Sheriff William Snyder speculated that the suspect was high on hallucinogenic drugs bath salts or flakka. Investigators are still waiting for results from further drug tests to confirm.

 Father of face-biting attacker speaks on Dr Phil

Investigators still have yet to determine a motive for the killings.

Mr Harrouffs parents say their son, a student at Florida State University, was having dinner with them at a restaurant four miles from the scene.

According to his father, Wade Harrouff, the suspect had left the restaurant and attempted to drink cooking oil at his mothers home nearby. Mina, the mother, brought him back from her house to the restaurant before an argument ensued and Mr Harrouff stormed out once more.

In an upcoming appearance on Dr Phil, the elder Mr Harrouff doubted that his sons behaviour may have had more to do with undiagnosed mental illness rather than drugs.

I know its not flakka-induced, he said in the interview, set to air 7 September. The weird behaviour is coming from schizophrenia in my family.

He added: This is the biggest nightmare I could ever dream of. Im deeply sorry for what my son did to those people.
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The governor of Maine has run into more controversy after he left an explicit voicemail for a democrat lawmaker, asking him to prove the accusations that he was a racist.

Paul LePage left the message for state representative Drew Gattine, according to the Portland Press Herald.

The uncensored audio clip contains several explicit and derogatory phrases.

The Republican governor is known for not mincing his words.

The governors voicemail was left in response to Mr Gattines reportedly calling the governor a racist to local media, though Mr Gattine has denied this.

Mr LePage insisted he was not a racist, despite making comments this week that drug dealers are 90 plus per cent black and Hispanic people.

"Mr Gattine, this is governor Paul Richard LePage," the audio recording said.

"I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you [expletive]. I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that I'm a racist. I've spent my life helping black people and you little [expletive], socialist [expletive]. You  I need you to  just friggin'. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you."

Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Show all 14 1 /14 Donald Trump's most controversial quotes Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Isis: "Some of the candidates, they went in and didnt know the air conditioner didnt work and sweated like dogs, and they didnt know the room was too big because they didnt have anybody there. How are they going to beat ISIS?" Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On immigration: "I will build a great wall  and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me and Ill build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Free Trade: "Free trade is terrible. Free trade can be wonderful if you have smart people. But we have stupid people." PAUL J. RICHARDS | AFP | Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Mexicans: "When Mexico sends its people, theyre not sending their best. Theyre sending people that have lots of problems. Theyre bringing drugs. Theyre bringing crime. Theyre rapists." Getty Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On China: "I just sold an apartment for $15 million to somebody from China. Am I supposed to dislike them?... I love China. The biggest bank in the world is from China. You know where their United States headquarters is located? In this building, in Trump Tower." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On work: "If you're interested in 'balancing' work and pleasure, stop trying to balance them. Instead make your work more pleasurable." AP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On success: "What separates the winners from the losers is how a person reacts to each new twist of fate." Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On life: "Everything in life is luck." AFP Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On ambition: "You have to think anyway, so why not think big?" Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On his opponents: "Bush is totally in favour of Common Core. I don't see how he can possibly get the nomination. He's weak on immigration. He's in favour of Common Core. How the hell can you vote for this guy? You just can't do it." Reuters Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Obamacare: "You have to be hit by a tractor, literally, a tractor, to use it, because the deductibles are so high. It's virtually useless. And remember the $5 billion web site?... I have so many web sites, I have them all over the place. I hire people, they do a web site. It costs me $3." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On Barack Obama: "Obama is going to be out playing golf. He might be on one of my courses. I would invite him. I have the best courses in the world. I have one right next to the White House." PA Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On himself: "Love him or hate him, Trump is a man who is certain about what he wants and sets out to get it, no holds barred. Women find his power almost as much of a turn-on as his money." Getty Images Donald Trump's most controversial quotes On America: "The American Dream is dead. But if I get elected president I will bring it back bigger and better and stronger than ever before and we will make America great again." GETTY

On the same day, he challenged Mr Gattine to a dual and called him a "snot-nosed little runt" and threatened to point a gun "right between his eyes".

The governor apologised for the voicemail on Friday, but said being called a racist was "the absolute worst, most vile thing you can call a person".

He supported Ted Cruz during the state primary but later became a strong Donald Trump supporter. Mr Trumps campaign recently hired his daughter, Lauren LePage, to work on the election.

In January, Mr LePage said that "95 percent of Maine is white" and that black men come to the state to impregnate white women and deal drugs.

In August, he then defended those comments and said he had since kept a record of everyone who was arrested for drug dealing in the state to prove they are mostly black men.

"The fact of the matter is that people from New York and Connecticut are coming to Maine and they are killing our citizens. Thats a fact," he said at a town hall meeting.

In 2013 he reportedly said at a private event that President Barack Obama "hates white people".
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Braving the scorching heat of the Texas sun, one father makes a daily border crossing from Mexico with his two children, just so they can receive a good education.

Jose Luis Dominguez, 32, says that the school in the border town of McAllen are much better than those offered in his Mexican town.

I bring them to school every day, he told KENS5. We cross the border so they can have a better education, because schooling is better here than in Mexico.

Mr Dominguez said he has taken the mile-long walk with his kids, Luis, 7, and Kayla, 8, for two years. They attend a school across the street from his job at a Texas fast food restaurant.

It is not uncommon for Mexican families who live in border towns to take their children to US schools  all they need is proof of a physical address in the US.

Much of the focus placed on Mexico centres on the drug violence that plagues the country, especially along the boundary with the US.

And for Mr Dominguez, the safety of his children is top priority.

Its ugly across the border, he said. Kids are being abducted. Its better here [in the US], safer, knowing that nothing will happen.

Border crossings have been the topic of debate throughout the US presidential election. Donald Trump launched his campaign on the promise of building a wall between the 1,900-mile border with Mexico. While he has apparently said he would "soften" his approach to immigration from Mexico in recent days, he has talked about the overwhelming dangers of traffic from Mexico throughout his campaign.

Mr Dominguez, however, simply wants to give his children a proper  and safe  education.
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A US mother has been arrested after her 10-year-old daughter was allegedly drugged, raped and murdered by her boyfriend and his cousin.

Michelle Martens, her boyfriend Fabian Gonzales and his cousin Jessica Kelley have been arrested over the death of Victoria Martens, whose body was found wrapped in a burning blanket in a bathtub at her home in Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Local police said they found the girls dismembered cadaver when they answered a disturbance call relating to the Martens' residence on Wednesday.

They later concluded that Victoria had been injected with methamphetamines before being raped, strangled and stabbed.

Michelle Martens reportedly told the arresting officers that Gonzales had injected Victoria with meth to calm her before raping her while Kelley held her hand over the girl's mouth, later stabbing her in the stomach as Gonzales choked the child.

The trio are then alleged to have conspired to dispose of the body and have been charged with child abuse resulting in death, kidnap and tampering with evidence while Gonzales and Kelley face an additional charge of criminal sexual penetration of a minor.

Albuquerque police chief, Gorden Eden Jr, described the murder as the most gruesome act of evil I have ever seen in my career.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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He said it showed a complete disregard for human life.

Tributes have poured in for the little girl, who was described as well-liked and friendly and who had been expecting to celebrate her birthday with a party that afternoon.

A makeshift shrine with flowers, balloons and stuffed animals was set up in Victorias honour next to a tree outside her apartment complex.

One resident, Johnny Madrid, said he often saw the girl at the local swimming pool with his daughter and said she had been excited about the start of the forthcoming school year.

Recommended Read more French mother who held child down as he was raped is handed 20 year sentence

Christine Zamora, who taught the girl gymnastics every Saturday, said she was shocked by her death and that she had always come to class happy.

She said:"She was incredibly social. It's just so tragic."

Bail has been set at $1m (757,000) each for Martens and Gonzales, who did not speak during the hearing on Thursday.

Their public defenders declined to comment on the allegations but local news channel KOAT showed footage of Gonzales denying hurting Victoria when quizzed by reporters as he was escorted to prison.

New Mexico Governor Susana Martinez says what happened to the little girl "is unspeakable and justice should come down like a hammer" on whoever is responsible.

Additional reporting by AP
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President Barack Obama has created the largest protected area on Earth, expanding a national marine monument in the Pacific Ocean around Hawaii to 582,578 square miles: more than twice the size of France and some 50 times greater than the land area of the Aloha State.

Under the US Antiquities Act, Mr Obama has now used his executive authority to create or expand 26 national monuments, protecting almost 550 million acres of existing federal land and water, at least twice as much as any other president in US history.

Recommended Read more Stonewall Inn named first national monument for LGBTQ rights

The new monument quadruples the size of an existing monument established in the area by President George W Bush in 2006, expanding it to the far western boundary of US territorial waters. The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands, a 1,200-mile-long archipelago almost 300 miles northwest of Oahu  the island that includes the states capital, Honolulu  will now sit within a protected area that stretches 50 nautical miles from their shores in every direction.

The archipelago, whose marine habitats are home to more than 7,000 species, has received increasing levels of protection from seven different US presidents going back to Theodore Roosevelt, who signed the Antiquities Act in 1906.

The Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Marine National Monument created by President Bush a decade ago has since been renamed the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, in honour of the Hawaiian gods Papahanaumoku and Wakea. In 2010, UNESCO designated the area a world heritage site to recognise its significance in native Hawaiian culture.

Meanwhile, scientists and environmentalists have pointed to the threats posed to the regions vast biological diversity by climate change and seabed mining. The archipelago contains the worlds largest seabird gathering site, frequented by 22 species and some 14 million birds in total. Beneath the waves, researchers have identified a 4,500-year-old black coral as the worlds oldest living creature.

Matt Rand, director of the Pew Charitable Trusts Global Ocean Legacy program, told the Washington Post that the protected archipelago offers a glimpse of what our planet was like before the impacts of human activity, and it is critical that we preserve places in this way, both as a window to the past and for future generations.

Like the old monument, the expanded monument bans new mining and commercial fishing, to the concern of some local fishing groups. Recreational fishing and scientific research will be allowed with permits, as will the removal of fish or other resources for native Hawaiian cultural purposes.

Mr Obama, who has made climate change and conservation a central theme of his second presidential term, said in his official proclamation that it was in the public interest to preserve the marine environment.

The president is expected to travel to Hawaii, his home state, next week, where he will address the Pacific Islands Conference of Leaders and the IUCN World Conservation Congress in Honolulu, before visiting the Midway Atoll, part of the existing monument.
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Tourists flock to Hawaii every year to swim among spinner dolphins, a rare chance to get a glimpse of these incredible and intelligent animals up close.

But authorities have proposed to ban the activity, saying that snorkelers are disturbing their daytime habits of relaxing, playing and even swimming when they are asleep, causing a departure from natural behavioural patterns that support the animals health and fitness.

The National Marine Fisheries Service of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has proposed that people cannot swim within 50 yards of the dolphins.

The new rules would affect tour groups that approach the animals by boat, before people jump in the water and swim towards them.

We think by identifying 50 yards as the minimum distance that there still can be a viable tourist industry in Hawaii, said Ann Garrett, an assistant regional administrator for protected resources for the National Marine Fisheries Service, as reported by the New York Times.

Tour operators disagree that swimming with the animals impacts on their ability to breed or to feed at night.

Melainah Yee, owner of Sunlight On Water in Kailua-Kona, was one of the first tour guides to take groups out on the water 20 years ago, along with her husband, Michael Yee.

Her company guides a group of between 20 and 22 people every morning for a four-hour tour, and how long they swim in the water depends how quickly they scout dolphins.

"The main two things that we share with our guests is no aggressive swimming - we put our arms are by our sides or behind our backs - and we kick with our fins," she told The Independent.

"It depends what the dolphin does, but we dont want to swim at them, we want to swim with them. We dont try to touch them or cause them any harm."

Authorities first brought up the 50-yard proposal in 2006, and have re-introduced it a decade later, she said.

Members of the public have 60 days to comment on the rule, which will probably be decided within a year.

The Marine Mammal Protection Act already forbids people from harassing dolphins, but the 50-yard rule is new, and applies to coastal area within two miles of the Hawaiian islands.

Ms Yee said that spinner dolphins are a smaller breed and it would be "almost impossible" to see them, let alone swim with them, from 50 yards away.

"The people who come out with us want to experience the dolphins free in the ocean," she said. "Theyre not being coerced in any way, and the interaction is 100 per cent up to them."
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The Stanford rape case judge has recused himself from criminal court following a massive backlash against his so-called lenient sentencing of a student who sexually assaulted a woman behind a dumpster.

Aaron Persky sentenced white Stanford athlete Brock Turner in June to six months in jail and three years of probation after he was convicted on three counts of sexual assault against an intoxicated and unconscious woman.

The case to recall the Californian judge by November 2017 attracted over two million names on petitions as well as support from senators, retired judges and even vice president Joe Biden.

But Michele Dauber, the Stanford law professor leading the recall movement, wrote on social media that Mr Persky could still give light sentences to sex and domestic violence offenders in the civil courts.

She added that the recall movement, which has raised more than $90,000, would continue as judges rotate courts annually and he could return to criminal court when he chooses.

We dont need a judge who is biased in favour of sexual harassment perpetrators and abusers in civil court either, she said.

Mr Persky was later found out to have given shorter sentences to other convicted sex offenders. He could not be reached for comment.

 Ted Poe calls for sentence to be overturned and judge to be removed in Stanford case

One example was four days in jail last year for Robert James Chain, a man who was found to possess hundreds of indecent images of children. Chain spent one night behind bars as he had earned credit from previous jail time.

Mr Persky also handed down a sentence of weekend jail for 12 weeks to Cisco Systems engineer Tony Chiang for aggravated battery against his then-fiance, who was repeatedly punched in the face until she was rescued by a neighbour who reportedly heard her screaming. The sentencing was delivered on the same day as Turner.

Despite sentencing Turner to six months in jail - he is due to be released in September - judge Persky sentenced a Latino man, 32-year-old Raul Ramirez, to three years in prison for sexually assaulting his female roommate.

Turner blamed a party culture of binge drinking for the assault and Mr Persky asked him to attend drug and alcohol treatment.

Stanford University banned hard alcohol at campus parties this week, claiming that it can lead to high-risk behaviour.

The survivor who was assaulted by Turner, Jane Doe, read out a powerful victim statement in court before the sentencing, which quickly went viral and became one of the biggest court cases of the year.

Your damage was concrete; stripped of titles, degrees, enrollment, she read out in court.

My damage was internal, unseen, I carry it with me. You took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence, my own voice, until today.
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Texas top prosecutor has filed a lawsuit that would allow physicians to deny performing gender reassignment surgeries on transgender patients based on their religious beliefs.

In a 79-page suit filed this week, Attorney General Ken Paxton challenged rules put forth by the US Department of Health and Human Services that prohibit gender identity discrimination by health care providers.

The suit is the latest in the top Texas officials crusade against anti-discrimination rules related to transgender people. On Monday, a federal judge in Texas blocked federal guidelines from the Obama administration that called for US public schools to allow students use bathrooms that align with their gender identity.

Mr Paxtons latest suit, filed on behalf of the Catholic hospital network Franciscan Alliance, claims that federal regulations implemented in May would force doctors to perform gender transition surgeries on children.

The suit argues that the HHS rule is in violation of the Religious Restoration Act because it forces medical organisations with religious affiliations to violate their religious beliefs or face cuts in funding.

The Regulation not only forces healthcare professionals to violate their medical judgment, it also forces them to violate their deeply held religious beliefs, the lawsuit says. Tragically, the Regulation would force them to violate those religious beliefs and perform harmful medical transition procedures or else suffer massive financial liability.

The federal rule does not offer a blanket exemption for religious organisations because those rights were covered by existing religious freedom laws.

Mr Paxton took particular offence to the meaning of the term sex as used in new federal regulations. In a statement about the lawsuit, he accused the Obama administration of trying to redefine the law so that the term sex means ones internal sense of gender which may be male, female, neither, or combination of male and female.

But the President does not have the power to rewrite law, he said.

Transgender rights advocates criticised Mr Paxton for continuing to discriminate against the transgender community while wasting time and money on numerous lawsuits to roll back non-discrimination protections.

Attorney General Ken Paxton continues his assault on the very existence of an estimated 1.4 million Americans who are transgender, said Chuck Smith, CEO of Equality Texas. Paxton is now seeking to deny transgender people access to competent medical care. 

The attorney general needs to stop this assault against an already marginalised population and stop wasting taxpayer money.
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Stephen Bannon, the newly appointed Chief Executive Officer of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, was once charged with physically abusing one of his wives, it has been reported.

The legal case, unearthed and reported by the Politico website, revolved around claims that an altercation between Mr Bannon and his then wife in 1996 became violent when he pulled at her neck and wrist. The argument was allegedly about their finances.

Mr Bannon, who allegedly also smashed a telephone when his wife attempted to call the police, was charged in Santa Monica, where the couple were living, with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and dissuading a witness.

According to the records, the case was eventually dismissed when Mr Bannons ex-wife - they subsequently divorced - failed to show up for a court hearing. He had pleaded not guilty to the charges against him.

Mr Bannon, 62, joined the Trump campaign nearly two weeks ago after arranging to take a leave of absence from his job running the ultra-conservative news website Breitbart.

Hiring someone known as a relentless and noisy rabble-rouser for the far right was already a risky proposition for Mr Trump who has spent the last days trying to soften the tone of his campaign to appeal to those voters with particular reasons to be suspicious of him.

Among the constituencies Mr Trump has consistently polled poorly with is women, including many who would normally describe themselves as Republican. It will not help if the perception takes hold that he has picked a person once charged with domestic battery as his top aide.

Questions were also being raised yesterday about where Mr Bannon resides. He is registered to vote in Florida, a key swing state in the election, but the home he lists as his address is empty and slated for demolition, the Guardian reported on Friday. Registering to vote in Florida while not actually living there could be a violation of the state's election laws.

I have emptied the property, Luis Guevara, the owner of the house, which is in the Coconut Grove section of Miami, told the newspaper. Nobody lives there  we are going to make a construction there.

Mr Bannons ex-wife, with whom he had twin girls, filed to dissolve their marriage five months after the alleged abuse in Santa Monica. In a police report she said that her husband also became physical during arguments on three of four previous occasions.

A spokeswoman for Mr Bannon suggested the case was ancient history. The bottom line is he has a great relationship with the twins, he has a great relationship with the ex-wife, he still supports them, Alexandra Preate told Politico.

The woman, who is not named by the website, was Mr Bannons second wife. They had been married seven month when the incident occurred.

In the beginning of their relationship, she said they [had] 3 or 4 argument that became physical and they had been going to counseling. There has not been any physical abuse in their arguments for about the past 4 years. [REDACTED] said they have been arguing a lot, but no violence, the police report, obtained by Politico, stated.
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Paul Wolfowitz, the former deputy secretary of defense under George W Bush, says that he might have to vote for Hillary Clinton to become the next president.

Mr Wolfowitz, who served the Bush administration from 2001-2005, told Der Spiegel that Republican nominee Donald Trump represents a security risk for the country and that his praise for Russian President Vladimir and Saddam Hussein is disturbing.

The only way you can be comfortable about Trump's foreign policy is to think he doesn't really mean anything he says. That's a pretty uncomfortable place to be in, he told the German newspaper. Our security depends on having good relationships with our allies. Trump mainly shows contempt for them.

Agreeing with the 50 former Republican security officials who have called Trump "dangerous," Wolfowitz ultimately admitted that he has no choice but to vote for Clinton.

I wish there were somebody I could be comfortable voting for, he continued. I might have to vote for Hillary Clinton, even though I have big reservations about her.

Wolfowitz served as deputy secretary leading up to and during the Iraq war, a regime Trump has been highly critical of since it began. Clinton, on the other hand. voted for the war, a point that has been widely criticized by her opponents.
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A mother has died after falling 35-feet from a zip line platform at an activity centre as she attempted to cross the feat off her bucket list.

Tina Werner was visiting the Go Ape course in Lums Pond State Park in Delaware when she reportedly disconnected herself from safety harnasses and fell, authorities said.

The 59-year-old was treated at the scene before being rushed to hospital, where she was pronounced dead, NBC Philadelphia reported.

Tina Werners daughter Melissa Slater took to Facebook to pay tribute to her mother.

Full of love and adventure, I am thankful to be her daughter. My mum died completing her bucket list, zip lining in Newark, she said.

It is still unknown how Ms Werner came to fall from the platform and the accident is still under investigation, 6ABC reported.

Dan DAgostino, Managing Director of Go Ape USA, said: We are very saddened by the events from yesterday at our Lums Pond State Park location and feel deeply for the family and friends.

As well as carrying out our own thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident, we have already begun working with external agencies including the Delaware State Police.

Having completed her training on how to remain attached to the safety system, the participant proceeded onto the course and progressed to the final platform of Site 4, towards the end of the activity, where she fell from the platform to the ground.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. 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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. 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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. 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Participant witnesses have stated that, at the time of the accident, the participant had unfortunately disconnected from the safety system.

We confirm that a full inspection of the course, with particular focus on the last platform at Site 4, has been undertaken and all of the course and associated safety equipment was and remains in sound operational condition. Nothing was broken or unserviceable.

Our course at Lums Pond is currently closed to guests as a mark of respect.
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A man has been charged with the murder of two women with mental disabilities whose corpses were allegedly sold to be used in ghost weddings.

Police in the Shaanxi province in China have charged a man and two supposed accomplices, after a body of a woman was apparently found in their car.

When questioned, they were said to have admitted to transporting the corpse for a ghost marriage, the Irish Times reported.

The men had allegedly earlier promised the dead woman's family that they would find her a husband. Instead, they are accused of injecting her with sedatives, killing her.

Police believe the same man may have also murdered another woman.

The ancient ritual of ghost weddings has been practiced for 3,000 years and provides spouses for those who die unmarried, so they are not alone in the afterlife.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

The most important part of the ceremony is digging up the bones of the bride and putting them inside the groom's grave.

Demand for ghost weddings has continued to rise despite efforts by authorities in Beijing to clamp down on the superstition, according to The Telegraph.
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North Korea celebrated its Military First holiday and the recent success of its ballistic missile testing with mass dances and a series of outdoor concerts in Pyongyang.

State television broadcasts and newspaper front pages hailed the submarine-launched missile, which represented a giant leap in North Korean military technology.

In response, traditional mass dancing demonstrations were held across the country, the biggest taking place in the capital's Kim Il-sung Square.

Mass dances are often held in Pyongyang after military 'successes' (Getty)

Mass dancing is a common form of celebration in North Korea during state festivities and birthdays.

Such spectacles are rarely spontaneous and usually staged and tend to take place in front of important political monuments. After the country successfully tested a hydrogen bomb in January, footage showed young women dressed in elaborate gowns dancing around a stone statue.

The Military First holiday celebrates the anniversary of the Songun policy introduced by Kim Jong-uns father, Kim Jong-il, in 1960, which gave primacy to the North Korean army in state politics and funding.

After the successful Pyukguksong missile test, Kim Jong-un was shown hugging officials on an observation deck. State media quoted him as calling the event the success of all successes.

Despite the parties taking place across the country, the atmosphere in Pyongyang was still tense. Throughout the celebrations, military convoys travelled through the capital.

Recently, North Korean television has aired more military footage than usual. Clips showing soldiers marching chest-deep through mud and across ice-covered lakes, apparently in preparation for conflict, have been broadcast across the country.

The national holiday arrives amid increased tensions between North and South Korea. The South is currently carrying out its annual Ulchi Freedom Guardian military exercises with the US south of the neutral Demilitarised Zone.

Rumours that these exercises include training for an invasion of the North have sparked particular alarm in Pyongyang.

They are not military exercises, but war preparations to invade our country, said Kim Kyong-ik, a 44-year-old Pyongyang resident.

Our country is getting more prosperous and they dont like that, so they are stepping up their moves to stifle us.

North Korea has warned it will turn Seoul and Washington into a heap of ashes through a Korean-style pre-emptive strike if they show any hint of aggression toward the Norths territory.

Inside the daily life in North Korea Show all 19 1 /19 Inside the daily life in North Korea Inside the daily life in North Korea People reading a newspaper at the metro station Inside the daily life in North Korea Thoughts of the leaders on the tram. They have about a dozen of these on every tram, all with different thoughts Inside the daily life in North Korea Young people training for a big upcoming festival Inside the daily life in North Korea People at the Pyongyang's annual marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea Many stars on one of the trolleys in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea An intimidating poster in a primary school in North Korea. Inside the daily life in North Korea Solar panels installed on a street lamp. Inside the daily life in North Korea A poster on the window next to one of the venues we visited in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Kids playing football next to the Arch of Triumph. After a while tourists were allowed to join, so some of us did Inside the daily life in North Korea Class in an educational center in Pyongyang (where people over 17 years old can attend any classes they choose after school, for free) Inside the daily life in North Korea People waving at me during the Pyongyang marathon Inside the daily life in North Korea People having a great time dancing at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea A metro driver in a metro station in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea Fireworks to mark the birthday of the Eternal President Kim Il Sung on our last night in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea My wonderful tour guide at a public park Inside the daily life in North Korea One of the parks in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea A person rowing some boats for the day at a river in Pyongyang Inside the daily life in North Korea The National War Museum Inside the daily life in North Korea Public park in Pyongyang

US State Department spokeswoman Elizabeth Trudeau urged North Korea to refrain from actions and rhetoric that further raise tensions in the region.
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Frances highest administrative court has ruled that burkini bans being enforced on the countrys beaches are illegal and a violation of fundamental liberties.

The State Council (Conseil dEtat) was specifically examining laws brought in by the commune of Villeneuve-Loubet but its verdict sets a legal precedent for France.

In their ruling, three senior judges said the ban has dealt a serious and clearly illegal blow to fundamental liberties such as the freedom of movement, freedom of conscience and personal liberty.

They found that no evidence produced in favour of the prohibition proved a risk to public order was being caused by the outfits worn by some people to go swimming.

 French court to review burkini ban

The ruling was closely watched in France and around the world, after photos of armed police surrounding a Muslim woman as she removed her top on a beach in Nice sparked outrage this week.

A tribunal in the coastal city previously ruled a burkini ban in the commune of Villeneuve-Loubet was necessary, appropriate and proportionate to prevent public disorder.

Conservative Mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet, Lionnel Luca claimed after the that rampant Islamisation is progressing in our country and with the ruling to suspend his town's ban on burkinis at public beaches they've gained a small additional step.

Far from calming, this decision can only heighten passions and tensions, with the risk of trouble we wanted to avoid, he said.

Mr Luca, also an MP, said that now only a law can now stop troubles since mayors cannot do so. He suggested he would take action when Parliament returns from its summer leave  but did not say what kind of law he would seek.

The original ban was challenged by the Human Rights League (LDH) and Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), who took the case to the State Council.

In a statement, the LDH welcomed the verdict but said it will not resolve the ridiculous debate that has made France the laughing stock of the world.

What is at stake here is the division of the men and women who live in France by their origin and religion, activists said. We reject this vision of France.

The CCIF greeted the State Councils verdict with great relief, condemning mayors imposing the bans for damaging national cohesion.

This victory has a strong symbolic resonance that will put an end to the onslaught of stigmatising and Draconian political statements, the group added.

In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Jenny Dawkins, a curate from All Saints Church in Peckham, at an anti-burkini ban protest at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Somayia Khan's six-year-old daughter at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Friends Rebecca (L) and Hannah (R) at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans Reuters In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London People participate in a 'Wear what you want beach party' protest outside of the French Embassy in London EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London A protester holds a sign which reads "Are you Burkini Beach Body Ready?" as she lies on a beach towel outside the French Embassy in London on August 25, 2016, AFP/Getty Images

Patrice Spinosi, a lawyer representing the claimants, told reporters that the decision should set a precedent and that other local authorities should conform to it.

The ruling has suspended the anti-burkini law in Villeneuve-Loubet but the mayor of Sisco, in northern Corsica, said he would not lift his own ban.

Ange-Pierre Vivoni brought in the rule after a fight on a beach originally thought to have been sparked by the swimwear, which covers the body and hair.

Here the tension is very, very, very strong and I won't withdraw it, he told BFMTV.

But Mr Vivoni has conceded he does not know whether a woman involved in the dispute between a group of sunbathers of North African origin and local residents was actually wearing a burkini.

At least 30 cities, resorts and communes have implemented bans on modest swimwear this summer and many more are believed to be considering the same move.

None of the vaguely-worded by-laws have specifically mentioned burkinis  a slang term describing a range of modest swimsuits covering the hair and body  but several officials have made it clear that Muslim clothing is being specifically targeted.

In Cannes, which was the first city to announce the prohibition, the mayor specifically alluded to the recent attacks by Isis supporters in Nice and Normandy.

The photograph of a woman forced to remove her clothing was met with outrage (Vantage)

The bans have since spread, sparking fierce debate about Frances secular values, womens rights and religious freedom.

Front National (FN) leader Marine Le Pen said the overturning of the ban on burkinis in Villeneuve-Loubet is not surprising but the battle is not over.

The right-wing leader said that MPs must vote as quickly as possible on an extension of the 2004 law that banned Muslim headscarves and other ostentatious religious symbols in classrooms to include all public spaces.

Ms Le Pen, who is running for president in the 2017 race, wrote in a statement that: The burkini would obviously be part of it.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is seeking the conservative nomination for the 2017 race, also said he would bring in a nationwide burkini ban if elected to his former post.

Allies of Mr Sarkozy said that they would propose a draft law that would allow mayors to ban burkinis. We need a law, Nice deputy mayor Christian Estrosi said on Twitter.

Since conservatives do not have a majority in parliament and such a bill would have no chance of being adopted, Mr Estrosi suggested that Socialist Prime Minister Manuel Valls, who himself backed the bans, come up with a draft law.

Critics have compared the enforcement of the ban to repression in Saudi Arabia and Iran, arguing that governing womens clothing is a violation of human rights in any context.

Some rights groups have said the new laws amount to the collective punishment of Muslims following the terror attacks and amid friction over immigration and the refugee crisis.

Meanwhile, terror analysts have warned that the dispute will fuel jihadist propaganda as groups like Isis attempt to portray France and other Western countries as at war with Muslims.

According to a survey by Ifpop, 64 per cent of French people are in favour of the burkini bans, while 30 per cent described themselves as indifferent and only 6 per cent of respondents were opposed.

 7 uncomfortable truths about the burkini ban

French politicians remain divided. Manuel Valls, the Prime Minister, said the garments represented the enslavement of women and were not compatible with French values but the Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo condemned hysteria on the issue and called for more social cohesion.

The UN has supported the court's decision witrh spokesman Stephane Dujarric stating: "We welcome the decision by the court. I think our opinion was expressed fairly clearly the other day on the need for people's personal dignity and person to be respected."

Welcoming the State Councils ruling, Amnesty International said a line had been drawn in the sand.

John Dalhuisen, the groups Europe director, said: French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women.

These bans do nothing to increase public safety but do a lot to promote public humiliation.
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The former French President has vowed to impose a nationwide ban on burkinis if he is re-elected into the post next year.

Nicolas Sarkozy controversially labelled the swimwear, worn by some Muslim women to cover the hair and face, a provocation earlier this week.

While launching his campaign to succeed Francois Hollande in next years election, he put the issue of French identity front and centre.

I refuse to let the burkini impose itself in French beaches and swimming pools...there must be a law to ban it throughout the Republic's territory, he said to applause.

 French court to review burkini ban

Our identity is under threat when we accept an immigration policy that makes no sense.

In an interview last week, Mr Sarkozy declared wearing a burkini to be a political act, militant, a provocation.

More than a dozen French cities and communes have banned the swimwear in a trend started by the Riviera city of Cannes.

Frances highest administrative court is examining the legality of the by-laws, which have been brought in individually with varying wording alluding to clothing respectful to morality and secular principles.

Some bans have alluded to a threat to public order, while other mayors have specifically put them in the context of terror attacks, extremism and fear.

Mr Sarkozy, who served as French President from 2007 to 2012, is campaigning to be the conservative candidate for next years elections.

In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Jenny Dawkins, a curate from All Saints Church in Peckham, at an anti-burkini ban protest at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Somayia Khan's six-year-old daughter at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Friends Rebecca (L) and Hannah (R) at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans Reuters In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London People participate in a 'Wear what you want beach party' protest outside of the French Embassy in London EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London A protester holds a sign which reads "Are you Burkini Beach Body Ready?" as she lies on a beach towel outside the French Embassy in London on August 25, 2016, AFP/Getty Images

Thousands of supporters waving French flags chanted Nicolas! Nicolas! and applauded as he gave a speech in Chateaurenard on Thursday evening.

"I want to be the president who guarantees the safety of France and of every French person," he said, alluding to Isis-inspired terror attacks that have killed 230 people in France since January 2015.

Responding to criticism from the current Prime Minister, Manuel Valls, Mr Sarkozy said: "The French people are not fascist because they consider there are security problemsin my speech there is no fear, there is no hatred, there is just common sense."

The politician is angling to gain votes from the far-right Front National (FN) for his Les Republicains party.

For months Mr Sarkozy lagged in opinion polls behind Alain Juppe, a more centrist former Prime Minister who is his main rival for the November primaries that will choose a conservative candidate for the election.

But his popularity has risen after the Isis-inspired attacks in Nice and Normandy.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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Norway must follow the lead of a number of French towns and ban the burkini, according to a senior politician in the countrys right-wing Progress Party (FrP).

The FrPs third deputy, Aina Stenersen, claims the full-body swimsuits worn by some Muslim women are a symbol of radical Islam. The Progress Party is in the process of formulating a new party manifesto, and the burkini ban is expected to be included.

The ban has come under criticism from many both inside and outside France those who think it is intolerant. The Mayor of London Sadiq Khan said: I dont think anyone should tell women what they can and cant wear.

Campaigners also held a beach party outside Londons French embassy to protest what they called the ludicrous ban.

In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Jenny Dawkins, a curate from All Saints Church in Peckham, at an anti-burkini ban protest at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Somayia Khan's six-year-old daughter at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Friends Rebecca (L) and Hannah (R) at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans Reuters In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London People participate in a 'Wear what you want beach party' protest outside of the French Embassy in London EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London A protester holds a sign which reads "Are you Burkini Beach Body Ready?" as she lies on a beach towel outside the French Embassy in London on August 25, 2016, AFP/Getty Images

However, Ms Stenerson told Aftenposten: Burkinis certainly should not be allowed on beaches in Norway.

She claims a number of French towns were correct to introduce a ban.

The prohibition of burkinis in France was introduced as a reaction to the terrorist attack in Nice. I think its great that the police are following it up.

 Sarkozy calls for nationwide burkini ban

The FrP does, however, believe the fine faced by those who wear burkinis in France is too lenient. Ms Stenersen intends to double the charge to around 500 kroner, which is equivalent to 57.

The Progress Party holds 29 of the 169 seats in the Norwegian Stortinget, but is in a ruling coalition with the Conservative Party.

Ms Stenersen maintained her party is very concerned about integration. Therefore, we believe that in some instances, we must implement bans if it concerns things that inhibit integration.

We are, for example, for private schools, but in Oslo, we still said no to the establishment of a Muslim school.

Diane James, the favourite to be the next Ukip leader, however, has refused to start criticising the French.

In France, a legal challenge to the burqini ban has been launched, with the countrys highest administrative court set to rule on it.
New Xulon Book Helps Christians to Have a Better Understanding of What it Really Means to be a Christian in Today's World Caridad Rivera pens a much-needed resource book to help all Christians  new or advanced level  to grow in their daily walk with the Lord



"... I believe that a Christian that knows the Word of God and lives the Word on God will be a better servant for the Lord" -- Author Caridad Rivera



Contact: Caridad Rivera, 917-246-4739 days, 718-872-5672 evenings, caridadrivera992001@yahoo.com; bilingual-ministry.com



BROOKLYN, N.Y., Aug. 26, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Caridad Rivera's new book, THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN, ($12.99, paperback, 9781498425049; $6.99, e-book, 9781498425056) is for everyone looking to know more about the Christian lifestyle. She encourages all readers to have a closer walk with the Lord and to see that being a Christian is much more than just sitting on a bench and listening to a sermon. This book is ideal for a new Christian serving God for the first time or a practicing Christian who may be struggling with their beliefs. She answers many important questions including: What are the struggles Christians may face? How can one live a life pleasing unto God in the mist of adversities? Is it really necessary to pray? Whose job is it to prepare the Christian for the coming of Christ? Why is it necessary for Christians to have the Fruit of the Spirit? Anyone who has ever contemplated these or other Christian-related questions is encouraged to read this book.



"I hope that with this book my readers will understand why it is important to make a stand as Christians whether you are an advanced or new Christian," states the author. "Also to understand why leading a Christian lifestyle from head to toe is pleasing unto God. Why? Because I believe that a Christian that knows the Word of God and lives the Word on God will be a better servant for the Lord."



When Caridad Rivera first came to Christ there were so many things she couldn't understand. She often found it hard to serve the Lord because she did not know what was expected of her. At times she even felt discouraged. As she began to hunger for the Lord, she was afraid to pick up any books that were confusing. She was looking for a book that would explain what it is to be a Christian in simple words. As she began to grow in the Lord, she started to think of all those people that struggled with the same issues. One day she decided to write this book about the life of a Christian. Her hopes is that it will serve to build strong solid foundations in new Christians and those already serving Christ, Caridad is currently a leader at her local Christian church, John 3:16 in Brooklyn, New York. She handles the bilingual services.



Xulon Press, a division of Salem Media Group, is the world's largest Christian self-publisher, with more than 15,000 titles published to date. Retailers may order THE LIFE OF A CHRISTIAN through Ingram Book Company and/or Spring Arbor Book Distributors. The book is available online through xulonpress.com/bookstore, amazon.com, and barnesandnoble.com.

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Scores of cats have gone missing in a town in Austria while others have returned home with unexplained injuries.

Authorities in the southern town of Frauenkirchen said they were investigating the suspected cat-nappings of 52 animals.

Residents are concerned some of the animals could be being tortured, and there are fears the missing cats have been killed.

Recommended Read more Cat lost in Belfast 18 months ago found roaming around Liverpool

Vets said the injured animals had suffered broken limbs that were "were from a blow, rather than from fighting or a car," The Local reported.

Others had injuries consistent with traps and another was found covered in cuts.

Otto Bierbaum, head of animal rescue in the Burgenland district, told local media: I was first called by Frauenkirchen residents registering their missing pets at the beginning of the year. In the past months the messages have piled up.

Its mad that one individual can intimidate an entire village. The alleged perpetrator should be known and be sentenced before for aggravated assault.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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After posting to social media about the issue, he received further messages about other missing cats.

Burgenlandische Animal Rescue has informed the police and an investigation was ongoing.
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Strong aftershocks damaged two key access roads into earthquake-struck Amatrice on Friday, threatening to isolate the tiny hilltop town as hopes dimmed that firefighters would find any more survivors from the earthquake that killed at least 278 people.

Some crumbled buildings in Amatrice cracked even further after the biggest aftershock of Friday morning struck., one of more than 1,000 that have hit the area since Wednesday's quake. The US Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8.

The shaking ground also damaged a key access bridge to Amatrice, forcing emergency crews to close it. Mayor Sergio Pirozzi said he was working with authorities to find an alternative bypass also to another damaged bridge.

We hope to God it works because otherwise with the damaged stretch of road, we are without any connection to the main roads and "we have to make sure Amatrice does not become isolated, or risk further help being unable to get through, he said.

Even before the roads were shut down, traffic into and out of Amatrice was horribly congested with emergency vehicles bringing hundreds of rescue crews up to Amatrice each day and dump trucks carrying tons of concrete, rocks and metal down the single-lane roads.

Multiple ambulances were also bringing the dead to an airport hangar in the provincial capital of Rieti, where four big white refrigerated trucks created a makeshift morgue to which relatives came in a steady stream Friday.

Three Britons were among those killed in the disaster. A 14-year-old boy on holiday with his parents and a married couple from south London.

A joint statement from their families issued by the Foreign Office on Friday said: It is with sadness that we can confirm the deaths of Maria, 51, and Will, 55, Henniker-Gotley and Marcos Burnett, 14, in the earthquake in Amatrice, Italy on August 24.

Their families have paid tribute to the tireless work of the Italian rescue workers and hospital staff and expressed their gratitude for the love and support they have received from the Italian people. Their thoughts and prayers are with all those affected by the earthquake.

Marcos Burnett, 14, was on holiday with his parents (AFP/Getty) (AFP)

It is believed Mr and Mrs Henniker-Gotley owned a property in Sommati, a village about 1.3 miles (2km) from Amatrice.Their two children, believed to be aged 12 and 14, survived but their condition is unknown.

A neighbour, who did not want to be named, told the Press Association: They were lovely. They were a lovely family. It's very hard to take in.

They were very warm and friendly, extremely good neighbours. It's just so awful to think of their children.

Marcos and his family were staying with the Henniker-Gotleys. His parents, Anne-Louise and Simon Burnett, were both taken to hospital and their daughter also survived. Her condition is unknown.

The Henniker-Gotleys were described as 'warm and friendly' by a neighbour (PA)

The civil protection department in Rome said on Friday that 388 people were being treated for injuries in hospitals, and 40 of them were in critical condition. An estimated 2,500 people were left homeless by the most deadly quake in Italy since 2009.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency and authorised 50 million (43m) for immediate quake relief. The Italian government also declared Saturday a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by President Sergio Mattarella.

The first funeral of a victim was held in Rome on Friday, for Marco Santarelli, the 28-year-old son of a senior state official, who died in the family's holiday home in Amatrice.

I cannot find the words to describe the grief of a father who outlives his own children. Perhaps there are no words, Marco's father, Filippo Santarelli, told Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after having been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers carry an injured man among damaged homes after a strong heathquake hit Amatrice on August 24, 2016 AFP/Getty Images Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A general view following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, is seen in this August 24, 2016 handout picture provided by Italy's Fire Fighters REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers and people walk along a road following an earthquake in Accumuli di Rieti, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy People survey the devastation in the town of Amatrice Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy The earthquake hit the border of three regions, and the USGS measured an additional seven significant tremors in its aftermath Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures A mother embraces her son in Amatrice, central Italy, central Italy, 24 August 2016, following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Residents look in collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures An injured woman is carried by rescuers amid the rubble of collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016, EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Resident survey the rubble in Amatrice, central Italy, on 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Collapsed buildings in Pescara del Tronto, in the Marche region of central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA

A funeral service for six other victims, including an 8-year-old boy and two girls aged 14 and 15, was due to be held in their hometown of Pomezia, south of Rome, late on Friday.

Rescue efforts continued on Friday, but nearly two days had passed since the last person was extracted alive from the rubble. While Mr Renzi hailed the fact that more than 215 people had been rescued after the quake, authorities reported a steadily rising death toll of at least least 278

Civil protection operations chief Immacolata Postiglione still insisted Friday that the rescue effort hadn't yet switched to a recovery mission. Rescue workers have noted that a person was pulled out alive 72 hours (three days) after the 2009 earthquake in the Italian town of L'Aquila.

I confirm, once again as we have from the start, that the units that are doing the searches and rescues, including with dogs looking for other people trapped in the rubble, are absolutely fully active, she said.

On the ground, crews still hoped to find all those unaccounted for, though the number is still uncertain given the large number of visitors for summer holidays and an annual food festival.

There is still hope to find survivors under the rubble, even in these hours, Walter Milan, a mountain rescue worker, said . But he conceded: Certainly, it will be very unlikely.

 Drone footage reveals extent of Italy earthquake damage

The vast majority of the dead were found in leveled Amatrice, the medieval hilltop town famous for its bacon and tomato pasta sauce. The other dead hailed from nearby Accumoli and Arcquarta del Tronto.

Hardly a single building was left unscathed in Amatrice, which was last year voted one of the most beautiful old towns in Italy.

Amatrice will have to be razed to the ground, said Mayor Pirozzi, who urged youngsters not to leave the area, saying that would mean the end of their community.

No night can last so long that the sun never rises again. I am convinced that Amatrice will rise again. We owe it to the people who died here.

Flags will fly at half-staff Saturday on all public offices and a state funeral will be celebrated by a bishop in a gym in Ascoli Piceno for the victims of nearby Arquata del Tronto. To date, 49 of the dead have come from the tiny town and its hamlet Pescara del Tronto.

Across the area, thousands have been forced to abandon their homes, either because they were destroyed or they were determined to be too unsafe. Overnight some 2,100 slept in tent camps, nearly 1,000 more than the first night after Wednesday's quake, in a sign that a significant number had found nowhere else to go.

I have no idea what I'm going to do now, because I had renovated the house two years ago, survivor Umberto Palaferri said, showing a photo of his collapsed home on his phone. It was all new and now I don't know what to do. I'm 76 and don't know if I can rebuild it.

Associated Press and Reuters
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The Italian prime minister has declared a state of emergency following the devastating earthquake which has now claimed more than 260 lives.

Matteo Renzi authorised special measures and millions of euros of funding for the areas close to Rome devastated by the tremors and waves of about 1,000 aftershocks.

In one of the worst natural disasters in the country's history, the death toll has now reached 267 people, with at least 365 others injured.

About 215 people have been rescued since emergency teams began work following the 6.2 magnitude quake which hit on 24 August in towns about 140km (85 miles) east of Rome.

Now Mr Renzi has signed off 50 million of crisis funds for the affected areas, as well as offered to cancel taxes for residents.

"We must think of the reconstruction. We have a moral commitment with the men and women of those communities," he said, according to Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

"We have a duty to those communities that they remain community. We owe it to the history of those towns that they must have a future and not remain just a memory."

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi (AP)

Nearly 1,000 aftershocks have rocked the seismic area of Italy's central Apennine Mountains in the two days since the original quake. The biggest aftershock struck with a strength of 4.7, according to the US Geological Service.

Crumbled buildings suffered yet more cracks when the aftershock hit. Since the last person pulled alive from the rubble was found one-and-a-half days ago, ongoing rescue teams say they have less hope of finding anyone alive now.

Three Britons are among the dead from the initial earthquake, including two adults who owned an apartment in the village of Sommati, just outside the badly-affected town of Amatrice. The pair reportedly left behind two children. The teenage son of a family staying with the couple was also killed.

Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Show all 15 1 /15 Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after having been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is carried away after been rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A man is rescued alive from the ruins following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers work following an earthquake that hit Amatrice, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers carry an injured man among damaged homes after a strong heathquake hit Amatrice on August 24, 2016 AFP/Getty Images Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy A general view following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy, is seen in this August 24, 2016 handout picture provided by Italy's Fire Fighters REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy Rescuers and people walk along a road following an earthquake in Accumuli di Rieti, central Italy, August 24, 2016 REUTERS Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy People survey the devastation in the town of Amatrice Reuters Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Major earthquake hits Italy The earthquake hit the border of three regions, and the USGS measured an additional seven significant tremors in its aftermath Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures A mother embraces her son in Amatrice, central Italy, central Italy, 24 August 2016, following a 6.2 magnitude earthquake EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Residents look in collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures An injured woman is carried by rescuers amid the rubble of collapsed buildings in Amatrice, central Italy, 24 August 2016, EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Resident survey the rubble in Amatrice, central Italy, on 24 August 2016 EPA Magnitude 6.2 earthquake hits Italy - in pictures Collapsed buildings in Pescara del Tronto, in the Marche region of central Italy, 24 August 2016 EPA

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said other Britons affected by the earthquake would receive assistance from Foreign Office staff sent out to the crisis.

Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe. The earthquake caused damage in three regions - Umbria, Lazio and Marche - and was felt as far away as the southern Italian port city of Naples.

Amatrice, which was voted one of Italy's most beautiful historic towns last year, was shown in aerial photographs to be mostly flattened.

A collective project called Italian Homes will also seek to build residencies in future which will be safe in the event of other earthquakes, said Mr Renzi.

Additional reporting from Associated Press
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Gunmen have attacked a charity-funded boat rescuing refugees in the Mediterranean Sea, shooting at international aid workers before boarding the vessel.

The Bourbon Argos, which is operated by Doctors Without Borders (MSF), was patrolling around 24 nautical miles north of the Libyan coast when a speedboat approached.

Those on board failed to identify themselves or answer radio contact, then opened fire from around 500 metres away as rescue workers sought refuge in a designated safe area.

The armed men then boarded the Bourbon Argos and searched the vessel, which had no refugees on board at the time, for almost an hour.

A doctor carries a child as refugees disembark from the Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF) vessel at Pozzallo's harbour in Sicily, Italy (Reuters)

MSF said they did not steal or remove anything and left minimal damage, although staff emerged to find bullet holes in the ship.

Although we dont know the identity of the attackers or their motivation, our initial assessment of the facts shows that they were professional and well-trained, said Stefano Argenziano, MSFs operations co-ordinator.

This was a serious and worrying attack, with shooting toward our boat which could have put our staff in acute physical danger.

The attack on 17 August was believed to be the first of its kind in the refugee crisis, where several naval and humanitarian ships are patrolling the Mediterranean and Aegean seas in efforts to prevent boat disasters that have killed more than 3,000 asylum seekers so far this year.

 Desperate journeys: Rescued at sea, refugees detail abuse in Libya

The main launching point is the north-western coast of Libya, where instability and lawlessness since the countrys civil war has enabled smuggling gangs to set up a ruthless and profitable trade.

Libya's fragile government is struggling to stop warring militias battling for territory after years of chaos and prevent the spread of Isis, which has recently been driven out of the city of Sirte with the aid of British and American special forces and air strikes.

The so-called Islamic State is considered an unlikely culprit for the attack on the Bourbon Argos, which is a more probable target for gangs looking to extort refugees on board.

The Central Mediterranean has become the deadliest sea crossing in the world, with traffickers frequently forcing untrained migrants to sail unseaworthy and overcrowded vessels towards Italy.

Refugee crisis - in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugee crisis - in pictures A child looks through the fence at the Moria detention camp for migrants and refugees at the island of Lesbos on May 24, 2016. AFP/Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Ahmad Zarour, 32, from Syria, reacts after his rescue by MOAS (Migrant Offshore Aid Station) while attempting to reach the Greek island of Agathonisi, Dodecanese, southeastern Agean Sea Refugee crisis - in pictures Syrian migrants holding life vests gather onto a pebble beach in the Yesil liman district of Canakkale, northwestern Turkey, after being stopped by Turkish police in their attempt to reach the Greek island of Lesbos on 29 January 2016. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees flash the 'V for victory' sign during a demonstration as they block the Greek-Macedonian border Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants have been braving sub zero temperatures as they cross the border from Macedonia into Serbia. Refugee crisis - in pictures A sinking boat is seen behind a Turkish gendarme off the coast of Canakkale's Bademli district on January 30, 2016. At least 33 migrants drowned on January 30 when their boat sank in the Aegean Sea while trying to cross from Turkey to Greece. Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A general view of a shelter for migrants inside a hangar of the former Tempelhof airport in Berlin, Germany Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees protest behind a fence against restrictions limiting passage at the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Since last week, Macedonia has restricted passage to northern Europe to only Syrians, Iraqis and Afghans who are considered war refugees. All other nationalities are deemed economic migrants and told to turn back. Macedonia has finished building a fence on its frontier with Greece becoming the latest country in Europe to build a border barrier aimed at checking the flow of refugees Refugee crisis - in pictures A father and his child wait after being caught by Turkish gendarme on 27 January 2016 at Canakkale's Kucukkuyu district Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants make hand signals as they arrive into the southern Spanish port of Malaga on 27 January, 2016 after an inflatable boat carrying 55 Africans, seven of them women and six chidren, was rescued by the Spanish coast guard off the Spanish coast. Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee holds two children as dozens arrive on an overcrowded boat on the Greek island of Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures A child, covered by emergency blankets, reacts as she arrives, with other refugees and migrants, on the Greek island of Lesbos, At least five migrants including three children, died after four boats sank between Turkey and Greece, as rescue workers searched the sea for dozens more, the Greek coastguard said Refugee crisis - in pictures Migrants wait under outside the Moria registration camp on the Lesbos. Over 400,000 people have landed on Greek islands from neighbouring Turkey since the beginning of the year Refugee crisis - in pictures The bodies of Christian refugees are buried separately from Muslim refugees at the Agios Panteleimonas cemetery in Mytilene, Lesbos Refugee crisis - in pictures Macedonian police officers control a crowd of refugees as they prepare to enter a camp after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A refugee tries to force the entry to a camp as Macedonian police officers control a crowd after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees are seen aboard a Turkish fishing boat as they arrive on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing a part of the Aegean Sea from the Turkish coast to Lesbos Reuters Refugee crisis - in pictures An elderly woman sings a lullaby to baby on a beach after arriving with other refugees on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A man collapses as refugees make land from an overloaded rubber dinghy after crossing the Aegean see from Turkey, at the island of Lesbos EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures A girl reacts as refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees make a show of hands as they queue after crossing the Greek border into Macedonia near Gevgelija Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures People help a wheelchair user board a train with others, heading towards Serbia, at the transit camp for refugees near the southern Macedonian town of Gevgelija AP Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees board a train, after crossing the Greek-Macedonian border, near Gevgelija. Macedonia is a key transit country in the Balkans migration route into the EU, with thousands of asylum seekers - many of them from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and Somalia - entering the country every day Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures An aerial picture shows the "New Jungle" refugee camp where some 3,500 people live while they attempt to enter Britain, near the port of Calais, northern France Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures A Syrian girl reacts as she helped by a volunteer upon her arrival from Turkey on the Greek island of Lesbos, after having crossed the Aegean Sea EPA Refugee crisis - in pictures Refugees arrive by boat on the Greek island of Lesbos after crossing the Aegean sea from Turkey Getty Images Refugee crisis - in pictures Beds ready for use for migrants and refugees are prepared at a processing center on January 27, 2016 in Passau, Germany. The flow of migrants arriving in Passau has dropped to between 500 and 1,000 per day, down significantly from last November, when in the same region up to 6,000 migrants were arriving daily.

MSF said it would not withdraw three ships carrying its teams in the region and vowed to continue its work to save people fleeing armed conflict, persecution and extreme poverty.

The charities SOS Mediterranee and Migrant Offshore Aid Station are also carrying on their search and rescue missions, having prepared for the possibility of attacks at sea.

Mr Argenziano hit out at the inadequate response to the crisis by the EU, reiterating calls for safe and legal routes to Europe for those seeking safety.

With the number of deaths continuing to dramatically increase and the deteriorating situation in Libya, we continue to consider the European focus on deterrence and security dangerously myopic and completely inadequate to respond to this crisis, he added.

Britain is among the countries supporting the EUs anti-smuggling Operation Sofia mission and is training Libyan coastguards and naval personnel in an attempt to stem the number of boats being launched from the countrys shores.


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A refugee who was interning on a project to help other asylum seekers in Germany has been fired after one day in the post because she refused to take off her headscarf.

The mayor of Luckenwalde, Elisabeth Herzog-von der Heide, said the womans hijab violated principles of neutrality at the town hall, where crucifixes and other religious symbols are also banned.

The Islamic headscarf is a means of expressing a religious worldview, she added on Wednesday, according to a translation by The Local.

Headscarves are currently a hot topic of debate in Germany, where women have been banned from wearing them in schools and courtrooms (Reuters)

The 48-year-old Palestinian woman was due to work on an initiative called Perspectives for Refugees for six weeks but was told to leave after one day.

Local reports said she was told to remove her hijab, which covers only the hair and neck, but refused to take it off in the presence of men.

Officials said the decision meant a suitable working environment could not be offered and that the woman could not fulfil the role.

But the decision provoked outrage in Germany, with state parliament member Sven Petke saying it had no legal basis.

Luckenwalde council appeared to back down on Friday, with Der Speigel reporting that the Palestinian woman would be allowed to act as an interpreter for the local housing authority in the state of Brandenburg instead.

Members of the far-right Alternative for Germany (AfD) party had praised the initial decision, which followed numerous controversies over the wearing of headscarves in public office.

Refugees settle in Germany Show all 12 1 /12 Refugees settle in Germany Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, plays with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, in the one room they and Mohamed's wife Laloosh call home at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany A refugee child Amnat Musayeva points to a star with her photo and name that decorates the door to her classroom as teacher Martina Fischer looks on at the local kindergarten Amnat and her siblings attend on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The children live with their family at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian asylum-applicant Mohamed Ali Hussein (R), 19, and fellow applicant Autur, from Latvia, load benches onto a truckbed while performing community service, for which they receive a small allowance, in Wilhelmsaue village on October 9, 2015 near Letschin, Germany. Mohamed and Autur live at an asylum-applicants' shelter in nearby Vossberg village. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Ali Hussein ((L), 19, and his cousin Sinjar Hussein, 34, sweep leaves at a cemetery in Gieshof village, for which they receive a small allowance, near Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat, a refugee from Syria, looks among donated clothing in the basement of the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to Mohamed, his wife Laloosh and their daughter Ranim as residents' laundry dries behind in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. The Zayats arrived approximately two months ago after trekking through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans and are now waiting for local authorities to process their asylum application, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asya Sugaipova (L), Mohza Mukayeva and Khadra Zhukova prepare food in the communal kitchen at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Efrah Abdullahi Ahmed looks down from the communal kitchen window at her daughter Sumaya, 10, who had just returned from school, at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is their home in Vossberg Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Asylum-applicants, including Syrians Mohamed Ali Hussein (C-R, in black jacket) and Fadi Almasalmeh (C), return from grocery shopping with other refugees to the asylum-applicants' shelter that is their home in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Mohamed Zayat (2nd from L), a refugee from Syria, smokes a cigarette after shopping for groceries with his daughter Ranim, who is nearly 3, and fellow-Syrian refugees Mohamed Ali Hussein (C) and Fadi Almasalmeh (L) at a local supermarket on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. All of them live at an asylum-seekers' shelter in nearby Vossberg village and are waiting for local authorities to process their asylum applications, after which they will be allowed to live independently and settle elsewhere in Germany 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Kurdish Syrian refugees Leila, 9, carries her sister Avin, 1, in the backyard at the asylum-seekers' shelter that is home to them and their family in Vossberg village in Letschin Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany Somali refugees and husband and wife Said Ahmed Gure (R) and Ayaan Gure pose with their infant son Muzammili, who was born in Germany, in the room they share at an asylum-seekers' shelter in Vossberg village on October 9, 2015 in Letschin, Germany. Approximately 60 asylum-seekers, mostly from Syria, Chechnya and Somalia, live at the Vossberg shelter, which is run by the Arbeiter-Samariter Bund (ASB) charity, and are waiting for authorities to process their application for asylum 2015 Getty Images Refugees settle in Germany Germany German Chancellor Angela Merkel pauses for a selfie with a refugee after she visited the AWO Refugium Askanierring shelter for refugees in Berlin Getty Images

Two influential German legal associations have also been calling for them to be banned for judges and lawyers to uphold neutrality in court.

Thomas de Maiziere, the interior minister, also said he would be in favour of prohibiting headscarves for women in the public sector, including universities, schools, the civil service and judiciary.

German politicians continue to debate the possibility of a France-style burqa ban but critics say the controversial law would violate the right to religious freedom enshrined in the countrys constitution.

The right-wing CDU and CSU parties are currently drafting proposals to forbid full-face veils in certain public spaces as part of anti-extremism policy.

Chancellor Angela Merkel also inferred she would support the move, saying that a completely covered woman has almost no chance of integrating herself in Germany.

Opposition parties have criticised a prospective ban, saying it is a distraction from the real issues of integration and radicalisation, and is alienating Muslims and spreading hate.

There have already been several controversial cases in schools, where uniform rules may be drawn up by each state and many have regulations for teachers.

In 2014 the Bundestag decreed that there is no right in public spaces to be protected from religious influences on account of the country's secular constitution, shortly after the European Court of Human Rights confirmed it was legal for France to ban full-body veils.


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At least 11 people have been killed and scores wounded in a lorry bomb targeting a police checkpoint and headquarters in south-eastern Turkey.

The blast struck a guard post just 50 metres from the headquarters in Cizre, near the Syrian border, on Friday morning in the latest of a spate of similar attacks blamed on Kurdish militant groups.

The governor of Srnak province said at least 11 people were dead and 78 wounded, although there were fears the death toll could rise as recovery work continued.

Television footage showed much of the three-storey building reduced to burning rubble, sending huge plumes of smoke rising into the air.

Rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) claimed the attack. In a statement on the website of the PKKs military wing, the militant group said the Cizre attack was in retaliation to jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's isolation on his prison island off Istanbul.

Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim vowed to destroy" what he called "terrorists. His deputy, Numan Kurtulmus, said on Twitter that Isis, the PKK and the Syrian Kurdish YPG militia were all attacking Turkey to take advantage of last month's coup attempt.

No terrorist organisation can take the Turkish Republic hostage, Mr Yildirim said in Istanbul. We will give these scoundrels every response they deserve.

This attack, which comes at a time when Turkey is engaged in an intense struggle against terrorist organizations both within and outside its borders, only serves to increase our determination as a country and a nation, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Isis has also launched a series of bombings and assassinations in the period, but has more frequently targeted tourists and landmarks in Istanbul and Ankara, compared to the insurgents focus on the government and security services.

The Turkish interior minister, Efkan Ala, accused the PKK of attacking a convoy carrying the main opposition party leader, Kemal Kilicdaroglu on Thursday.

The PKK was also suspected of being behind a spate of bombings in recent weeks, claiming responsibility for a blast that killed three officers at Elazig police headquarters on 18 August.

Turkey car bomb Elazig 2

Cizre has been the subject of several curfews by Turkish authorities fighting the PKK, with the UN demanding investigations into reports of civilians including women and children being deliberately shot.

There are also allegations that more than 100 people were burned to death while sheltering in basements in Cizre in February.

More than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed in the conflict since last summer, according to the state-run Anadolu Agency, while human rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed amid a crackdown by the armed forces.

They are among at least 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, who have died since the rebels took up arms in 1984.

Amnesty International has condemned the series of reckless and brutal attacks.

Those responsible for these crimes show contempt for the right to life and must be brought to justice, said Andrew Gardner, the rights groups Turkey researcher.

It comes amid continuing international alarm over the governments response to a failed coup to oust President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

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

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said more than 40,000 people had been detained since the attempt on 15 July and about half have been formally arrested pending charges.

Those arrested include journalists and academics accused of supporting the Gulen movement, which authorities blame for the coup, and thousands of public sector workers have been suspended or sacked.

Michael Horowitz, a senior analyst at the Levantine Group, told The Independent PKK attacks had increased in both number and sophistication since the failed coup, which saw thousands of army personnel discharged.

Among the senior officers removed from their posts was General Adem Huduti, an alleged coup leader and the commander of Turkeys Second Army  the division in charge of south-eastern Turkey and the borders with Iraq, Syria and Iran.

The PKK is taking advantage of the weakening of the army to increase its campaign of attacks, Mr Horowitz said.

The PKK may see the aftermath of the coup as an unprecedented opportunity to put pressure on Erdogans government, and force him to resume negotiations.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan views Kurdish militias fighting Isis in Syria as an extension of the group, labelling groups backed by the US-led coalition terrorists.

Turkey has launched a major operation in the neighbouring country in recent days, sending tanks, special forces and allied Free Syrian Army rebels into Jarablus to drive back the so-called Islamic State.

But the offensive threatens to bring them into conflict with the US-supported Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF)  an alliance of mostly Kurdish opposition groups who have driven Isis out of swathes of north-eastern Syria.

Additional reporting by Reuters
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The Turkish ground incursion into northern Syria was planned for more than two years but was delayed by alleged plotters in the failed coup earlier this year, it has been claimed.

Operation Euphrates Shield was launched to support Syrian rebels to retake the town of Jarablus, close to the Turkish border. It was the first Turkish ground intervention in the Syrian conflict and targeted both Isis and Syrian-Kurdish rebels backed by the US.

Now, an official has claimed the operation was delayed for two years while various far reaching geopolitical events played out in Turkey and Syria.

Recommended Read more Turkish tanks cross Syrian border in huge battle against Isis

Influential personnel within the military, believed to be involved with the failed coup in July delayed the operation with excuses, the source told AFP news agency. In particular, one senior officer, Brigadier General Semih Terzi, was given as an example. Brig Gen Terzi was shot dead on the night of the coup.

Other officers implicated in the coup held senior positions in Turkeys volatile southern region. General Adem Huduti was commander of Turkey's Second Army - the division in charge of south-eastern Turkey and the borders with Iraq, Syria and Iran  but removed from his post after the failed putsch.

In addition, Turkey wanted to avoid escalating international tensions after a Russian fighter plane was shot down by a Turkish F16 in November 2015. Russian forces have been present in Syria since last year, allied with the government of Bashar al-Assad.

The Kremlin saw the downing of the Russian plane, which resulted in the death of a pilot, as an extreme provocation and relations between the two countries deteriorated rapidly.

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

Turkey halted air patrols over Syria after the incident, which meant the military was unable to give air cover to any ground operations in the country. "It became practically impossible to implement our plans due to a lack of air cover," the source told AFP.

However, in June, Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan apologised for the incident, in a bid to repair the relationship with the Kremlin. Russia has been wary of other international forces becoming involved in the Syrian conflict but relations between the two countries improved and the "the ground incursion could practically go forward," according to the source.

Also, the US doubted the ability of Syrian forces to recapture the town, the source said, adding: "Their basic argument was that the number of moderate rebels was simply not enough to perform the task of liberating Jarabulus and other parts of northern Syria."

In March, Turkish officials had passed Washington a list of 1,800 moderate fighters who would participate in the operation, saying 600 more fighters would be available. Around 2,000 rebel fighters actually participated in the attack, according to Al Jazeera.
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More Turkish tanks were seen rolling into Syria this morning as an operation to drive Isis and Kurdish rebel groups back from border regions entered its third day.

The offensive, codenamed Euphrates Shield, started as an effort to push the so-called Islamic State out of the Syrian city of Jarablus but officials have been vocal about the twin aim to oust Kurdish militias the government views as terrorists.

Turkey is backing a coalition of militias allied to the Free Syrian Army supported by its tanks, armed forces and international air strikes to wage the campaign.

 Turkish-backed rebels secure Jarablus in northeastern Syria

But there was unease over Islamist elements of the alliance, including the Nour al-Din al-Zenki movement, whose fighters decapitated a child on video in Aleppo last month.

Speaking on Friday morning, the Turkish Prime Minister reaffirmed the commitment to remove both Isis and Kurdish groups from border regions.

We intend to cleanse our borders of all terrorist organisations, particularly Daesh, Binali Yldrm said.

This operation will continue until we are sure that no threat to Turkey remains.

More than a thousand Turkish-backed fighters advanced into the deserted city of Jarablus on Wednesday to no resistance after an apparent Isis withdrawal and have since occupied several surrounding villages.

Turkish-backed gather on the outskirts of Jarablus, Syria, ahead of an offensive on 24 August 2016 (Reuters)

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), an alliance of mostly Kurdish rebel groups supported by the US-led coalition, have been battling to drive Isis militants out of the region for months under the cover of international air strike.

But they withdrew from some areas on Thursday as part of a deal confirmed by the American Vice President, Joe Biden, to assuage Turkey.

He said the SDF would lose American support if they did not cross back over the Euphrates River to remain on its eastern side within a week.

The Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) withdrew from the city of Manbij on Thursday, handing control over to the local military council, but the status of other members of the SDF was unclear.

Colonel John Dorrian, the spokesperson for the US-led coalition, said: The main element of SDF Manbij liberation force has gone east - some forces remain to finish clearing and IED removal as planned.

Several clashes have been reported, with Turkish-backed forces shelling the YPG south of Jarablus on Thursday and Kurdish media reporting the alleged use of chemical weapons by FSA rebels near Manbij.

In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Show all 9 1 /9 In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks driving to the Syrian-Turkish border town of Jarabulus yesterday AFP/Getty In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish-backed gather on the outskirts of Jarabulus, Syria, ahead of an offensive on 24 August 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks make their way towards the Syrian border town of Jarabulus, Syria August 24, 2016 Reuters In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish soldiers return from Syria to Turkey with tanks after a military operation at the Syrian border as part of their offensive against the Islamic State (IS) militant group in Syria, Karkamis district of Gaziantep, Turkey, 25 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish army tanks and Turkey-backed Syrian opposition forces move toward the Syrian border as pictured from Karkamis, Turkey, AP In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Turkish tanks on their way to the Turkish-Syria border during an operation against Isis on 24 August 2016 EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria Syrian opposition fighters being transported during preparations to enter Jarabulus in Karkamis, Turkey, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria An air strike hitting Isis-controlled territory near Jarabulus, near the Turkish border, on 24 August 2016. EPA In pictures: Turkey launches operation in Syria A Turkish army tank and an armoured vehicle stationed near the border with Syria. Turkish media reports say Turkish artillery has launched new strikes at Isis targets across the border AP

A statement was released from Operation Eurphrates Shields official social media accounts denying reports of civilian casualties and condemning false news and fake images being spread by members of terrorist organisations.

Members of Turkish-backed Syrian Turkmen Brigades fighting in the offensive said they would no push through Isis territory towards the town own Marea, 60 miles south-west of Jarablus.

Colonel Ahmad Osman, head of the Sultan Murad group, told Reuters he expected the advance to take several weeks or even months.

Asked whether he was willing to fight US-backed rebels, he said: We are currently planning not to confront them, but if we have to confront them, we will.

The SDF had previously advanced to within a mile of Jarablus after driving Isis out of swathes of northern Syria in recent months, including the key city of Manbij.

But Turkey has been alarmed by the alliances success, enabling Kurdish groups to control of land stretching almost the entire length of the Syrian border.

Despite being regarded as valuable allies of the US-led coalition, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has called the fighters terrorists and linked them with the separatist PKK group, which is fighting an insurgency in south-eastern Turkey.

SDF fighters in the advance on Manbij (AFP/Getty)

Whether it's Daesh (Isis) or the YPG, they are all terrorist organisations, he said on Wednesday.

A terrorist organisation fighting another terrorist organisation doesn't make it innocent.

A Turkish official said the ground incursion had been in the works for more than two years but was delayed by American reservations, resistance from some Turkish commanders, and a stand-off with Russia that made air cover impossible.

But relations have now thawed, several of the commanders have been removed from their posts in purges and the US has given its cautious approval.

It is Turkey's first major military operation since a failed coup last month that caused thousands of members of its armed forces to be discharged amid international concern over wide-ranging purges.

It came four days after a suicide bombing blamed on Isis killed 54 people at a wedding in the south-eastern city of Gaziantep.

Operations hope to cut off Isis supply lines and smuggling channels for its lucrative trade in oil and looted artefacts, as well as the routes used by foreign fighters to enter the so-called Islamic State.

Syria's foreign ministry condemned what it said was a breach of its sovereignty and accused Ankara of launching the incursion to replace Isis with other terrorist groups.
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The killing spree in Munich last month by an 18-year-old student caused shockwaves in Germany. There is now a breakthrough in the case with the arrest of the man who allegedly supplied the gun used to take the lives of nine people. The unfolding saga has provided disturbing insight into how the underground web  the dark net  was used to plan the murders and how it can be used to carry out future attacks.

It was a stroke of luck that led detectives to a 31-year-old unemployed salesman in the town of Marburg who had allegedly procured the Glock 17 pistol for Ali David Sonboly, the young German-Iranian gunman. They had been looking at two different attempts to use the dark net to obtain weapons, one by a 62-year-old accountant, the other a 17-year-schoolboy  illicit transactions which in themselves illustrate the growing reach of the supposedly secret internet forum.

A sting operation was set up and it was while this was under way that the gun seller allegedly incriminated himself over the Munich massacre. He is said to have told undercover officers about handing over the Glock and 350 rounds of ammunition to Sonboly in two meetings: one on 20 May, the other on 18 July, four days before the shooting.

The deaths resulting from that purchase was one of five acts of killing in Europe over 12 days, claimed by Isis. These have heightened fears of jihadist terror and added to recriminations over the Wests apparent inability to deal with the threat, as well as the supposed security threat posed by the waves of Muslim refugees coming to the Continent.

Despite claims and counter-claims, no Islamist terrorist motive has emerged for Sonbolys attack. He had written what has been described as a manifesto of murder after studying the actions of Anders Breivik, the Norwegian neo-nazi who killed 77 people five years ago. Sonboly had suffered psychological problems and had been regularly bullied in school, factors which the authorities say may have triggered his rampage.

It can be revealed that last December, seven months before he carried out the murders, Sonboly, using the name Mauracher, had placed a seven-line message requesting a Glock 17 pistol and 250 rounds of ammunition, for which he offered 2,500. He eventually ended up paying almost 2,000 more for them.

Allied Western security agencies have been kept informed by the Germans about the inquiry which followed, the information augmenting concern about the use of illicit internet sites by terrorists and violent criminals. Following the suicide bombings in Brussels last March, the French interior minister, Bernard Cazeneuve had called for greater control of sites which are not indexed by traditional search engines and which run a large amount of data issued by criminal organisations including jihadists Those who attack us use the dark net and encrypted messaging to get access to weapons to hit us.

Sonboly used the encryption system PGP, making his purchase with Bitcoins. There is a strong possibility that he bought a second weapon which has not been found. Police are looking at claims that he was seen with another gun and his internet searches had also included requests for .45 calibre ammunition, not needed for a 9mm Glock.

The dark net is used for a range of highly-illegal purchases including drugs, child pornography and arms. Those using it need to be adept at navigating its complex avenues while ensuring anonymity. Sonboly was not considered to have technical expertise and German police say they do not know how he acquired the necessary skills. Neither can they explain how the teenager, whose sole income was a paper round, was able to get 4,350 for the pistol and ammunition. There are indications that he bought the Bitcoins last year when the price for the crypto-currency was much lower, showing further pre-planning and a degree of financial acumen.

Asked in the days following the Munich killings how Sonboly was able to use the underground market, Robert Heimberger, the head of the Bavaria forces criminal investigations branch responded: I dont know, I cant get on the dark net myself, but I am noticing that many teenagers are actually able to get on it.

Robert Emerson, a British security analyst, said: If teenagers can get on it, then so can many others involved in terrorism and organised crime. When guns are supplied to terrorists and robbers, there is always a chance that it can be traced, networks dismantled. But there are serious obstacles if the deal is done through the dark net because the raison detre for that market is secrecy. It is also an international market and goods can be shipped anywhere, this is why we are likely to see increasing use of it by terrorists and criminals.

 Germany eyes tighter gun control after Munich attack

The Glock 17 Sonboly used had a certification mark from Slovakia. It had, at one stage, been decommissioned and used as a theatre prop. It was then reactivated before being sold to him. The Kalashnikov AK-47s used in the Charlie Hebdo murders in Paris in January last year were also decommissioned and then converted back to fire live ammunition. The purchase however was not through the dark net and the supply chain was traced back to a shop, once again in Slovakia, in the west of the country.

Despite the difficulties posed by the underground web market, British and German security agencies had successfully carried out a joint operation to uncover firearms trafficking involving the dark net. Two years ago Alexander Mullings, a career criminal, used a mobile phone from his cell in Wandsworth prison to order Skorpion sub-machine guns from Germany. The supplier, who had been active in the underground internet market, turned out to be a student at the Bavarian city of Schweinfurt.

The German government maintains it has tight gun control laws. However, in the aftermath of the shooting, interior minister Thomas de Maiziere stated that further regulations may be brought in and that in Europe, we want to make further progress with a common weapons policy. First we have to determine how the Munich perpetrator procured a weapon, then we have to look very carefully at where to make legal changes, he said.

Unlike Germany, private ownership of handguns is banned in Britain. Mark Mastaglio, a Fellow of the Chartered Society of Forensic Sciences in London and a ballistic advisor to the UN, said: The UK has the gold standard when it comes to deactivating guns. A lot of work has been done to get a common EU policy on this although I am not sure how we are left after Brexit. But, of course, the problem remains that although the laws are very strict in the UK, that is not the case in some places elsewhere and the dark net is something which affects all. That is a problem.
Novel-like New Testament Created for Teens Who Don't Read the Bible Contact: Amber Cassady, Group Publishing, 970-292-4689, Acassady@group.com



LOVELAND, Colo., Aug. 26, 2016 /Christian Newswire/ -- Group Publishing will release Pierced: The New Testament, a fresh approach to Scripture-reading for teenagers and young adults, on September 1, 2016.



According to a recent study by Pew Research Center, 80% of 18- to 29-year-olds are reading more than older generations. In fact, seventy-one percent of these young adults read a book in the past year. While reading is popular among younger Americans, Bible readership is down.



In fact, only 7% of teens are "Bible engaged" and 45% of teens are either "Bible neutral" or "Bible skeptics," according to a 6-year Barna study produced in partnership with American Bible Society.



"That's because we've often treated Bible-reading like an intimidating chore," explains Rick Lawrence, General Editor of Pierced, "not an invitation into an epic adventure."



Pierced serves as an open door for teenagers to no longer avoid Scripture. This New Testament narrative immerses readers into the greater story of Jesus through an intentionally simple yet personal design.



Contextualized for youth from Biblica's The Books of the Bible, which strips away centuries of added formatting included in most modern Bibles, Pierced reads more like a novel than a textbook. Complicated chapter and verse numbers or footnotes are replaced with artwork, and real-life "margin notes" and highlights, from teenagers from all over the world.



"By combining the actual notes of ten teens into one Bible, we give the reader an opportunity to journey through the story of Jesus with his or her peers," shares Veronica Preston, Interior Design and Production Artist of Pierced. "It allows them to know that they are not alone; wrestling through God's Word with othersfeeling free to be vulnerable in the process."



Pierced is written in New International Version translation, and is likely to be widely purchased by youth leaders, parents, grandparents, and other mentors as a gift for the teenagers and young adults in their influence.



Pierced is available now for pre-order on Amazon.com and will be released on Group.com and sold by other Christian retailers beginning September 1, 2016.

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Today judges in France will rule on the legality of the burkini ban which has been enforced across 26 towns on the grounds that the full body covering on the beach is not "an outfit respecting good morals and secularism". As someone who works full-time to promote political secularism (in France, "laicite") in the UK and internationally, as chief executive of the British Humanist Associtaiton, to see what is now happening in France defended in these terms is deeply troubling. Secularism? Not my secularism.

It is not the secularism of many French people either. The great French scholar of secularism Jean Bauberot has always spoken of secularism as having three parts: everybody has freedom of conscience and thought and is free to change; their beliefs and manifest their beliefs within the limits of public order; there is no state discrimination against people on the grounds of their religion or non-religious worldview and everyone receives equal treatment on these grounds; religious institutions are separate from the institutions of the state and there is no domination of the political sphere by religious institutions.

Clearly, the forcing of women out of their chosen clothes in public is not compatible with the freedom of choice that secularism is meant to protect. So why is it happening? It is happening because the present debate is not really about secularism at all. It is about Muslims and about electoral politics.

 Sarkozy calls for nationwide burkini ban

The man who epitomises this truth is Nicolas Sarkozy. Criticising the burkini, he claimed in one television interview that "we dont imprison women behind fabric" and has been vaunted as a defender of laicite. Rewind to 2008 and he was openly challenging the values of secularism during a fawning visit by the Pope saying that "a person who believes is a person who hopes, and it's in the interests of the Republic that there be many women and men who nourish hope." Earlier in that same year he addressed Saudi Arabia's Shura Council (a council of 150 government-appointed advisors to the king), in a speech widely criticised by French secularists. Sarkozy is a Catholic, using secularism as a pretext to demonise Muslims and win over far-right voters in his bid to be president of the Republic. Lets not confuse political point-scoring with a strong commitment to laicite.

There are at least two broad churches when it comes to philosophical conceptions of secularism. The first is the one the British Humanist Association endorses: a secular state is one that is connected with neither religion nor belief (which entails a strict separation between religion and state institutions), and policy should not be decided on the basis of either. Everyone is free to believe whatever they wish, and discrimination, both direct and indirect, on the basis of religion or belief (as well as other characteristics) ought not to be permitted by law.

Additionally, not only should people be permitted to believe what they wish, but manifestations of such belief should be entirely legally acceptable, with very few exceptions. For instance, it is permissible to ban the of covering ones face in court, as it is justified on perfectly reasonable grounds, namely that seeing a person's facial expression is crucial to the ability of the jury, magistrates, and any other relevant persons to determine (as far as is possible) whether or not the person being questioned is being honest when giving their testimony.

Such an interpretation implies that all ought to have equal access to public services regardless of their religion or belief. It also implies that in the UK, the right of Bishops to sit in the House of Lords ought to be removed, and that extra benefits granted to religious institutions, including "faith" schools, ought to be removed, too.

However, it isnt just about non-discrimination, it is about inclusivity in national ceremonies such as Remembrance Day, and including the study of non-religious worldviews in schools. In other words, it is about equal respect, human rights, and a safe public space where all have the right to participate.

The implications of this ban are clear  choose between what one sincerely believes is required by ones religious beliefs, being excluded from public spaces or face being forced to remove your clothing in public, or risk a fine. Importantly, this disproportionately affects Muslim women compared to non-Muslims and men. Therefore, the ban is incongruous with at least one of the arguments used in support of banning the burqa and burkini, namely that such garments make women "less free", and are "misogynistic" and used as a means of control by men of Muslim women.

In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Show all 10 1 /10 In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Jenny Dawkins, a curate from All Saints Church in Peckham, at an anti-burkini ban protest at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans PA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Somayia Khan's six-year-old daughter at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Friends Rebecca (L) and Hannah (R) at a protest against burkini bans at the French Embassy in London on 25 August Lizzie Dearden In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans Reuters In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London Demonstrators stage a beach party outside the French Embassy, in Knightsbridge, London, in protest against burkini bans AFP/Getty Images In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London People participate in a 'Wear what you want beach party' protest outside of the French Embassy in London EPA In pictures: Protest against burkini bans in London A protester holds a sign which reads "Are you Burkini Beach Body Ready?" as she lies on a beach towel outside the French Embassy in London on August 25, 2016, AFP/Getty Images

Those in favour of the ban clearly fail to see the overt hypocrisy contained in these laws: "we must force you to dress a certain way in order to prevent you being forced to dress a certain way", which is frankly, absurd. And while we may find the recent religiously motivated attacks perpetrated in France appalling, and feel a deep sense of sorrow and solidarity with the French people, the sensible response to the fear, anger, or even hatred of Islam in the wake of such attacks is not to demonise and punish innocent Muslims.

Women should be free to wear bikinis in Iran and Saudi Arabia and burkinis in Europe. Saudi Arabia and Iran dont even pretend to be free countries but France especially  where the modern idea of secularism was forged  has a duty to be exemplary in its approach. Today the Court has an opportunity to reclaim that status for the Republic.

Andrew Copson is chief executive of the British Humanist Association
Peter Barry, to the left of Margaret Thatcher, at Anglo-Irish talks at Chequers

Former Tanaiste Peter Barry has been remembered as a key player in Anglo-Irish relations during one of the most difficult periods of the Troubles following his death at the age of 88.

The businessman from Cork, who built the Barry's Tea brand into a household name, forged a successful political career spanning decades.

From a political dynasty started by his father, the former Lord Mayor of Cork was first elected a TD (MP) in 1969. He went on to become deputy leader of his Fine Gael party.

Until he retired from national politics in 1997 he served in a number of senior government positions including the education, transport and environment portfolios.

But it was in his role as Foreign Affairs Minister in the years leading up to the Anglo-Irish Agreement - credited with being a stepping stone to the Good Friday Agreement - that he is best remembered.

President Michael D Higgins said Mr Barry was also renowned by all who knew him for his great courtesy.

"His view of Irish history was a long one and he brought all that wisdom to bear in his contributions to achieving the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985," he said.

"As a person he was immensely popular across all parties and, of course, he had a deep commitment to Cork city and its heritage.

"Peter Barry, in his non-political life, gained enormous respect internationally through his work in the family business.

"He will be deeply missed."

Taoiseach and Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny said his former party colleague leaves an extraordinary legacy.

"Throughout his long and distinguished political career, Peter gave outstanding service to his country and to his native city," he said.

"In particular, his central and pivotal role in negotiating the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985 helped to create the foundations on which the peace process in Northern Ireland was built.

"In the coming days we will reflect on and salute Peter Barry's extraordinary legacy, but today, our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved family at the loss of their father.

"We also remember at this time Peter's late wife Margaret who was such a support to him throughout his career."

Mr Barry died peacefully in his native city on Friday morning surrounded by his family. He had four sons and two daughters, including sitting Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune.
Ardagh Group says it's now well positioned to hit earnings of 1.4bn by next year. In the six months to the end of June, the company made a pre-tax profit of 5m, and a loss after tax of 22m.

On a call with analysts, Ardagh chairman Paul Coulson said his packaging group expects 1.33bn proforma of earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization for this year.

In a review of its performance in the three months to the end of June, Ardagh said revenue was 1.281bn, down 2pc at actual exchange rates but at constant currencies, in line with the same period in 2015.

Net debt was 7.36bn at the end of June, boosted by 3.9bn of bonds issued in May to finance the acquisition of a Metal Beverage business from Ball Corporation and Rexam that completed on 30 June 2016.

Income from the new assets is not captured by the latest quarterly results.

These show revenue in Ardagh's Glass Packaging unit was 800mn in the quarter, 2pc lower than the same period last year - reflecting currency moves.

In Metal Packaging, the company's other main division, sales were 481m in the second quarter. Second quarter operating cash flow of 184m increased by 40m, up 28pc, the company said.

Cash and available liquidity at 30 June was 819m.
Talks have begun between the US and Irish governments about updating certain elements of the Double Tax treaty between the two countries.

The existing treaty was signed in 1997 and a Protocol to the treaty was signed in 1999.

The Department of Finance and the Revenue Commissioners are calling for public submissions from interested parties on the updated US Model Tax Treaty from an Irish perspective.

Fianna Fail Finance spokesman Michael McGrath said the Department must ensure that any new tax treaty with the United States does not limit Irelands ability to attract foreign direct investment.

Its right that we seek to update the Double Taxation Treaty with the US, as the world of finance has grown considerably more complex since it was signed in 1997, he said.

We must, however, ensure that we remain as open as possible to Foreign Direct Investment from US Multinationals. They are a source of significant employment in Ireland, and provide considerable tax receipts to the Exchequer every year.

It comes just a day after the US Treasury published a paper into the state aid investigations being carried out by the European Commission into US companies, including Apple, is inconsistent with international norms and undermines the global tax system.

It said potentially demanding back taxes from the companies concerned would set an undesirable precedent for tax authorities in other countries.

Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes said selective bias was driving the Commissions probes.

There has been a real propensity from the Commission in recent years to go after large US multinationals based in Europe due to their tax structure, he said.
Funds that track stock indicies will be forced to buy 1bn of CRH shares if the Irish stock re-enters the EuroStoxx 50 of the Eurozone's leading shares next week as is now widely expected, according to analysts at Cantor Fitzgerald.

With a market capitalisation of more than 24bn CRH is now comfortably Ireland's biggest stock market-listed company - having been briefly overtaken by Ryanair when both companies were valued at around 17bn in February.

CRH's recent share rise, including a 2.275pc increase to 29.711 a share yesterday, means it is likely to be added to the EuroStoxx 50 index of the biggest Euro-area listed companies, when the index is updated on August 31.

Yesterday, CRH reported earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) of 1.120bn for the first six months of the year - beating forecasts. Sales soared by 35pc to 12.7bn in the first six months of the year - reflecting the impact of acquisitions and organic growth, in particular at its American units.

Profit before tax increased by 344m to 407m and the company upped its dividend to 18.8c.

CRH chief executive Albert Manifold said the firm had a "very satisfactory" start to 2016, and indicated a return to deal-making next year, saying the business could spend 1.5bn to 2bn on takeovers and stay within budget plans.

Full-year EBITDA is now forecast by the company to top 3bn.

Analysts said the results were positive. Albert Manifold said the group will push out into developing markets, including India, China and the Philippines where it already operates in "a measured way".

CRH is on "the right side of history", he said, including having 90pc of its business being in the US and Europe when those growing markets are under supplied with housing and infrastructure

Cantor Fitzgerald's analyst Colin Farley tipped CRH as a new additions to the EuroStoxx50 Index.

If confirmed, index trackers would need to buy 1bn of CRH stock in order to balance their portfolios in line with the index, he said.
Independent News & Media (INM) has reported a profit before tax of 18.5m for the six months to the end of June 2016.

The companys cash balance at the end of June was 62.4m.

The first half figures show overall revenues grew by 2.7pc in the period to reach 162m.

Despite a challenging trading environment, the group performed well in the first half of 2016, with profit before tax growth of 22.5pc to 18.5m. However, underlying operating profit growth of 3.1pc better reflects the challenges the industry and INM face, said chief executive officer Robert Pitt.

Directors said they are not proposing to make a dividend payment in 2016.

The companys growing cash pile is earmarked for investment back into the business, including targeted acquisitions of digital business seen as enhancing INMs future growth prospects.

Expand Close Robert Pitt, chief executive at Independent News & Media. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook

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Whatsapp Robert Pitt, chief executive at Independent News & Media. Photo: Frank McGrath

The publisher of market leading titles including independent.ie, the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent reported increases in revenues, profits, margins and assets for the period.

The cash balance rose even after the impact of the weaker sterling and the use of funds for deals to buy Northern Ireland based publisher Greer Publications and the 50pc stake in CarsIreland.ie not already owned by the business.

Profits were bolstered by growth in digital advertising revenue which was up 23.4pc at the end of June compared to a year earlier, as well as a 2.2m cut in interest costs following repayment of INMs former debts, and a significant decrease in operating costs.

Digital advertising revenue helped offset a 7.8pc decline in print advertising and the ongoing decline in print circulation.

Shares in INM closed unchanged yesterday at 14 cents each, ahead of the results.

The increase in profits reflects a drop in borrowing costs and strong growth in both digital advertising and INMs distribution business in particular, the company said.

Operating costs fell significantly in the period, due to the closure of printing operations in Belfast, integration of print and digital newsrooms and the wind down of GrabOne, a coupon and discounts business.

After a strong first half the pace of growth in INMs Newspread distribution business is expected to slow in the second half of the year, because the comparison period in the second half of 2015 already included new contract signings with clients including The Irish Times.
Pre-tax profits at pharmaceutical firm Clonmel Healthcare more than doubled to 18.5m last year.

New accounts show that the Co Tipperary-based firm enjoyed the massive increase in pre-tax profits largely as a result of receiving dividends of 12m from a subsidiary.

Revenues fell from 47.38m to 41.62m in the 12 months to the end of December last.

The principal activity of the is the sale and marketing of pharmaceutical products.

The directors state that they are satisfied with the year-end financial position.

The firm increased its Irish business last year with sales here increasing from 22.76m to 24.9m while its export business decreased sharply, from 24.6m to 16.7m.

Numbers employed remained static at 46: 24 in sales, nine in r&d, seven in distribution and six in administration. Staff costs increased from 3.4m to 4.2m. The firm's operating profits fell from 9m to 6.9m.

The report states: "The company is committed to an ongoing programme of research and development so as to maintain and improve its competitive position."

Clonmel Healthcare is a subsidiary of German-based Stadaa, a pharmaceutical manufacturing and marketing company which employs over 270 staff across two locations.

The Irish business has a manufacturing plant in Clonmel and a sales and marketing office in Dublin. Pay to directors last year increased to 490,639.

The profit takes account of non-cash depreciation costs of 1.93m and 279,993 in amortisation of intangible fixed assets while the firm's R&D expenses last year totalled 938,500.
A sale of the 'Racing Post' newspaper to London-based Exponent Private Equity has been cleared by competition authorities in Ireland.

Shareholders in the current 'Racing Post' owner, Stradbrook Acquisitions, are thought to include Alan Byrne, chief executive of the 'Racing Post'.

Stradbrook Acquisitions took control of the business when it bought back the title's 180m of debt from the special liquidators of IBRC. It was one of the relatively small number of cases where company debt was auctioned off in isolation rather than as part of a large portfolio - meaning the business' own backers were in a position to bid. The debt was then swapped for shares in the company.

A sale to Exponent's Fence Bidco Limited has now been cleared by the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission.

Meanwhile, a planned sale of Limerick's Barrington's Hospital to the country's biggest private hospital chain has moved a step closer.

The proposed acquisition by Bon Secours Health System Limited of sole control of Limerick's Barrington's Hospital was notified to the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission on Wednesday.

That starts a formal process to approve the sale.

Barrington's was set up by consultant surgeon Paul O'Byrne on the site of the former Barrington's general hospital in Limerick more than two decades ago.

Bon Secours, controlled by the Cork-based Bons Secours order of nuns, is the largest private health care provider in the country.

It operates five hospitals in Cork, Dublin, Galway and Tralee and the Mount Desert Care Village, Co Clare, many of them long established.
A major English firm is at the early bidding stage for a huge portfolio of windfarms in the North and the Republic - worth as much as 590m (690m).

It's understood the company is in talks to take over all or part of Gaelectric's windfarms on the island.

Earlier this year it was revealed that as many as 20 expressions of interest had been received for Gaelectric's windfarm portfolio, which is likely to have an equity value of between 250m (197m) and 350m (276m). Gaelectric did not wish to comment.

Any proceeds would be used to further develop Gaelectric's other renewable energy assets and projects, which include energy storage, solar and bioenergy, as well as energy trading.

Earlier this year, the firm opened a 12 megawatt windfarm at Monnaboy in Co Derry.

Gaelectric previously set a target of having 400 megawatts of working windfarms by 2017.

It is understood that parties from the Far East were among those interested in the windfarms, which were also being eyed by European investors.

The company initiated a possible sales process earlier this year, hiring investment bank Rothschild to tease out potential buyers.

Gaelectric has offices in Belfast, Dublin, Manchester and Chicago. The firm, whose chief executive is Brendan McGrath, was founded in 2004 and owns 13 windfarms in Northern Ireland and nine in the Republic.

It was reported that the sale of the cross-border windfarm portfolio had come under pressure amid Brexit uncertainty.

According to one report, sources close to potential bidders of the portfolio had said issues around the volatility of the pound were impacting price.

At the start of this month, one of Gaelectric's biggest renewable energy projects, in Larne, was awarded 8.28m (7m) of European funding.

The 300m Larne project - the UK's first compressed air energy storage scheme - involves air being stored in engineered salt caverns under high pressure on the Antrim coast before being releasing to drive turbines and create power for the grid.

The EU money will pay for environmental impact assessments, planning and design, it said.

The system could generate up to 330mW of electricity - enough to sustain thousands of homes - for up to six hours and the EU said it will contribute to energy security in the UK and Ireland.

Speaking at the time, Brendan McGrath said: "Larne and Northern Ireland will become the blueprint for CAES (Compressed Air Energy Storage) and the integration of renewable energy sources across the rest of the United Kingdom and Europe."
Here are the main business stories from this morning's papers:

Irish Independent

* The future of the former Burlington Hotel in Dublin 4 as a four-star hotel and conference venue is set to be secured following the entry of German asset manager DekaBank into exclusive talks with its owners, the US private equity giant, Blackstone.

Acquired by Blackstone for 67m in 2012, the Ballsbridge hotel, which now trades as the DoubleTree by Hilton, is expected to sell for around 180m once a deal is concluded.

* A major English firm is at the early bidding stage for a huge portfolio of windfarms in the North and the Republic - worth as much as 590m (690m).

It's understood the company is in talks to take over all or part of Gaelectric's windfarms on the island.

* Talks have begun between the US and Irish governments about updating certain elements of the Double Tax treaty between the two countries.

The existing treaty was signed in 1997 and a Protocol to the treaty was signed in 1999.

The Irish Times

* The Irish motoring industry has been hit by the departure of Gibraltar-based insurer Zenith Insurance.

The company is leaving the Irish market due to its loss-making nature and soaring costs.

* Ulster Bank has made an application to the Central Bank to allow it make a payment to its parent company, the Royal Bank of Scotland, using some of its excess capital.

According to a report in The Irish Times, the payment would the first since it received a 15bn bailout in 2008 as the bank looks to develop a regular stream of payments to RBS.

* Building materials group CRH is tipping its earnings to exceed 3bn for the first time in its history and has also brought about a return to growth in shareholder payouts.

Ireland's largest company increased its dividend b 1.6c to 18.6c as it reported its interim results yesterday.

Irish Examiner

* Ebay has laid the blame at the feet of PayPal for its departure from Dundalk, saying its former sister company has asked it to leave the building they share.

The online auction site said in a statement that PayPal had served its notice for the building.

* The Dublin production company behind the TV phenomenon 'Operation Transformation' has recorded profits of over 500,000 over the past two years.

Vision Independent Productions, co-owned by TV producer Philip Kampff boosted its accumulated profits by 48,096 to 427,092 last year.

* Profits at Irish mobile tech firm Zamano fell to 794,000 during the first half of the year, however sales at the company soared by 80pc.

Revenue at the firm increased to 18.75m during the period, a significant improvement on the 10.4m in sales it posted during the same period last year.
Irish-listed mobile tech company Zamano had 7.4m in cash at the end of June as the firm prepares to ramp up its acquisition programme.

Zamano will look to acquire businesses in the mobile advertising, social, and billing areas, after being encouraged to go out and spend in a strategic review in June.

It is understood the company could move for as many as two different bolt-on acquisitions by the end of October.

Elsewhere sales at the company increased by 80.2pc in the first six months of the year to 18.74m. However, gross profit slipped to 2.33m, down 9.7pc.

The fall-off in profits is down to a mix of the company operating in lower-yield markets and spending big on advertising and marketing during the period. The firm expects this to lead to far better earnings in the second half of the year.

Zamano acting chairman Colin Tucker said trading at the company was "somewhat mixed" during the first six months of 2016.

"Our ambition to achieve this strategic repositioning will run in tandem with adapting and optimising our existing business lines," he said.

"In addition, we will continue to focus on delivering strategic acquisitions and we hope to make significant progress in this regard during the second half of the current financial year."

Sales in the Irish market were hit by a near 30pc decline, down to 1.18m. Zamano blamed the drop on a change in its Irish product mix with a number of offerings being discontinued. It said overall market conditions remained challenging.
Earnings at plastics and environmental services operator One51 more than doubled to 27.2m during the first half of this year.

The spike in earnings was largely attributable to the "transformative" acquisition of North American firm IPL, which it bought in July 2015.

The firm reported strong growth in both its plastics and ClearCirle Environmental divisions. Revenue increased by 51pc to 214.2m during the period.

One51 chief executive Alan Walsh praised the firm's integration of IPL.

"That business, which has performed ahead of expectation since acquisition, delivered very strong results during the first half of the year. UK earnings were adversely affected by the fall in the value of sterling in the wake of Brexit.

"Other potential impacts of Brexit are difficult to assess currently but should become clearer in the second half of the year. The second half of the year has started satisfactorily across all divisions with a number of significant capital investment projects undertaken in the first half of the year now coming into production," Mr Walsh said.
The crisis-hit motor insurance market has suffered a new blow after an insurance company said it would stop writing new business here.

Zenith Insurance, the largest Gibraltar-based motor insurer in Ireland, has decided to pull out of the motor market over soaring claims costs and losses for insurers.

Across the market premiums have shot up by 70pc in the past three years, and are up almost 40pc in the past 12 months.

One of the agents used by Zenith, Galway-based Bump Insurance, confirmed Zenith was pulling out of the market.

"We wish to advise that Zenith Insurance plc, part of the Markerstudy Group, has decided to cease writing motor business in Ireland through all of its Irish managing general agents.

"In respect of Bump Insurance, this means that no more policies will be written by us on behalf of this particular insurer from February 2017 onwards."

The notice posted by Bump on behalf of Zenith blames an increasing regulatory burden and the uncertain legislative environment for the decision by Zenith to get out of the market. It also blamed what it called "a lack of engagement with us by Irish industry bodies".

Risk

Zenith is thought to have built up a 5pc market share here through agents such as Bump, Footprint Underwriting and Prestige Underwriting Services.

Zenith used these underwriting agencies. They operate between brokers and insurance companies, with the insurance company ultimately taking the risk for policies.

Zenith is understood to have written around 50m worth of premiums here.

Broker Jonathan Hehir of CoverInAClick.ie said Zenith would close to new business in February.

But it will remain open for new business between now and then.

"For those unfamiliar with the motor insurance market, it's hard to understand a provider leaving a market where the prices and potential margins have doubled in many cases.

"We believe that the Setanta decision, which makes each insurer liable for the debts of their competitors, was a big factor in Zenith's decision to exit the market."

Zenith group underwriting director Gary Humphreys said in a statement: "We continually monitor performance and rates in all areas of our business and respond accordingly. We are not completely withdrawing from the Irish market."

It is understood it will retain a small motorbike insurance business here.

It is less than two months since another Gibraltar-based company, Enterprise Insurance, collapsed, leaving 14,000 drivers scrambling to get alternative cover.
As Germany gears up for this years Oktoberfest in Munich, the latest economic data makes for sobering reading. Photo: AFP/Getty Images

The German economy has fallen into a "summer slump", with business confidence in the country dropping sharply, signalling the Brexit vote could be having an impact.

It comes just days after the so-called flash Purchasing Managers Index for the Eurozone suggested the bloc's economy may have shrugged off the effect of the poll.

The gauge from influential German think tank Ifo stated that there had been a "clear worsening" of the business climate, with its index dropping from 108.3 points in July to 106.2 points in August.

"Both the current business situation and the expectations for the next six months were assessed more poorly by the companies than in the previous month," said Clemens Fuest, Ifo Institute president. "The German economy has fallen into a summer slump."

It comes as industry figures show that retail sales in the UK were the strongest in six months in August, boosted in part by the summer.

But the Confederation of British Industry, which produced the data, said sales volumes look set to be broadly flat over the coming month.

Its retail sales volume index rose to +9, its highest since February, from -14 in July.

Anna Leach, CBI's head of economic analysis and surveys, said the summer had brought shoppers out on to the high street, but cautioned that firms do expect sales growth to ease next month.

"While the fall in sterling has boosted visitor numbers to the UK, it is likely to push up the price of imported goods over time which will mean households will be more likely to rein back spending on non-essentials," Ms Leach said.

A separate index measuring corporate expectations in Europe's biggest economy over a six-month horizon fell to 100.1.

This was the lowest since October 2014, suggesting many firms expect economic headwinds.

"Brexit had a stronger effect now," Ifo economist Klaus Wohlrabe told Reuters, adding that business expectations deteriorated the most in sectors with relatively strong ties to the British market, such as chemicals and cars.

A sector breakdown showed that the weaker headline figure was driven by deteriorated sentiment in manufacturing, wholesaling and retailing.

(Additional reporting Reuters)
As you enter The Icon Walk in Temple Bar, there is a sign saying 'this area celebrates the oddballs, crackpots and geniuses' of Irish culture.

The two movies Terry McMahon has written and directed indicate he is a man who has elements of all three, so it makes sense that the filmmaker would find a home there.

Artwork relating to both his films, Charlie Casanova and Patrick's Day, will be unveiled at a public ceremony in the Temple Bar walkway this Saturday at 1pm.

It wasn't long ago that McMahon was sleeping beneath the stars, rather than being compared to them.

The Mullingar native came to Dublin as a 15-year-old and immediately ended up living on the streets.

After 18 months of what McMahon calls a 'ghost' like existence, he became desperate for a way out of this situation.

I was homeless for about a year and a half and born out of that, was a desperation to do something that stopped you feeling like a ghost in your own life.

The only thing I knew I could do with no education, no secondary qualifications and no college education was to pick up a pencil and a piece of paper and have the capacity to put a couple of words together followed by a full-stop, he told Independent.ie.

He escaped the circle of homelessness and rented a bedsit for 11 pounds per week. It was there that a love for film was nurtured.

There was a 24-hour video store and they had this extraordinary deal where for next to nothing you could rent out movies as long as they were back by 8am so I used to watch five movies a night and it was the greatest education I've ever had.

If this education was in solitude, the creation of McMahon's first movie could not have been more collaborative.

A late night Facebook status led to a group of like minded and some non-like minded individuals coming together to create a movie.

Video of the Day

I put (a status) up on Facebook (which said): Intend making low budget feature  Charlie Casanova. Need cast, crew, equipment and a lot of balls. Any takers?

I felt like a moron... I reached across to delete it and somebody popped up."

That status led to a movie which was picked up by Studio Canal and became the first Irish film to compete at the prestigious SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas.

It also won the 'Best First Feature' award at the Galway Film Fleadh.

However, the film wasn't universally lauded. Many hated the film, with one Guardian critic even calling it 'embarrassing' and 'almost unwatchable.'

Patrick's Day, McMahon's second movie which was released three years later, was universally praised.

He even won the Best Script for a Film award at the IFTAs.

McMahon recognises the differences in reaction, but refuses to get carried away with either.

He said: "It's interesting to find yourself in a place where you have the crap kicked out of you in public and you experience what it's like to be lauded in public. Then you realise you can't be swayed by either."

Although appreciative of the honour, his attitude is similarly grounded when it comes to this latest event.

"The bizarre combination of having images on the wall of films you've been lucky enough to be a part of, where people are lying in the same sleeping bag you may have been lying in 20 years ago is simultaneously absurd, obscene and heartbreaking," he said.

Nonetheless, from that lonely sleeping bag to having his films placed alongside the likes of The Field, The Quiet Man and The Dead is certainly something worth celebrating.

Who knows, it may even inspire the next generation of oddballs, crackpots or geniuses.
Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin, said the national seminary in Maynooth 'needs to change' Photo: Steve Humphreys

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin has said the Catholic Church in Ireland needs to introduce better admission standards for trainee priests to attract the right candidates for priesthood.

Acknowledging that the national seminary in Maynooth "has to change", Dr Martin, who is a trustee of the college, told RTE's 'Morning Ireland': "Maynooth is not to be condemned but it is not to be canonised either."

He said there was a "recognition of the problems" facing Maynooth among the trustees and that the seminary has to change, "not just because of current allegations but because of the fact that we are living in a different world".

Referring to the trustees' statement on Wednesday outlining a series of changes on seminary formation, the Archbishop said there was a need for new ways of identifying, screening and training candidates.

His comments were welcomed by Dominican priest Fr Gerard Dunne, a former vocations director who saw a recovery of priest numbers within his order during the years he was in his role.

Speaking to the Irish Independent, Fr Dunne said Dr Martin was seeking to bring about "a standardisation of admissions procedures" across all dioceses.

"In my experience, this process has been haphazard in the past. Different dioceses in Ireland employ different assessment methods - some are rigorous, others not so," the Cork-based friar said.

He added that every candidate for the seminary should have "a lengthy period of discernment with a vocations director" of at least one year, as well as experience of parish life and visits to the seminary.

Archbishop Martin also said yesterday much of the preparation for the priesthood in the future would take place outside the seminary walls, within the realities of the lives people live.
A SECOND man charged over a 190,000 cannabis seizure in Dublin has been granted bail.

Gardai from the Organised Crime Bureau Unit seized cannabis in Finglas in north Dublin on Wednesday and two men were arrested.

Paul Goddard (56), with an address at Cloonlara Road, Finglas, appeared at Dublin District Court on Friday charged with unlawful possession of the cannabis and possessing it with intent to supply at the Clearwater Shopping Centre.

Garda Redmond OLeary told Judge Miriam Walsh that Mr Goddard, who was dressed in a grey top, jeans and runners, was arrested on Aug. 24. The court also heard a van was seized.

Mr Goddard was later charged at Blanchardstown Garda Station and after the caution he replied nothing to say.

Gda O'Leary objected to bail citing seriousness of charge but said he would agreed to it if conditions were imposed. Mr Goddard was granted 2,000 bail, ordered to sign on twice a week at Finglas Garda Station and to surrender his passport. He will face his next hearing on Sept. 16 next.

On Thursday co-accused, Derek Naylor (45) with an address at Dunmanus Road in Cabra, Dublin 7 was also granted bail at his court appearance.

He is also charged with unlawful possession of the cannabis and possessing it with intent to supply, contrary to the Misuse of Drugs Act.

Garda Ivor Scully had told the district court that there was no objection to bail on condition that Mr Naylor signs on three days a week at Cabra garda station. Bail was set in his own bond of 2,000 and he was ordered to appear again on Oct. 20 next.
The 37-year-old was charged and brought to appear before Judge Grainne O'Neill at Dublin District Court yesterday (stock photo)

A tanning salon operator has been granted bail after he was charged over a seizure of cocaine at a north Dublin apartment.

Gardai from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau including the Serious Crime Task Force supported by local units carried out a search of an apartment at Auburn Park in Castleknock on Monday.

David Tennyson (37), with an address at Carrigallen Drive in Finglas, Dublin, was arrested at his home on Monday and then detained at Blanchardstown Garda Station under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

He was charged and brought to appear before Judge Grainne O'Neill at Dublin District Court yesterday.

Serious

He faces two charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act for unlawfully possessing cocaine at the apartment at Auburn Park and having it for the purpose of sale or supply.

However, Det Garda William Armstrong told Judge Grainne O'Neill that there was a possibility of another serious charge being brought.

He said Mr Tennyson replied "no comment" when the two charges were put to him. Det Garda Armstrong objected to bail, citing the seriousness of the charges.

He said the value of the cocaine was in excess of 300,000 and that there was a possibility of a "further serious charge".

Det Garda Armstrong agreed with defence solicitor Richard Young that Mr Tennyson had no prior criminal convictions, and gardai were satisfied that he lived at his given address.

Mr Young said his client would abide by bail conditions and his wife would offer to act as an independent surety.

The defence solicitor also asked the court to note there was no evidence that he was a flight risk or would interfere with witnesses.

Judge O'Neill said the allegations were serious, but he was entitled to the presumption of innocence. She granted bail in Mr Tennyson's own bond of 5,000, along with an independent surety of 5,000.

The court ordered him to reside at his current address, carry a phone on which he can be contacted by gardai at all times and to sign on daily at his local garda station.

Mr Tennyson spoke briefly to say "I understand" after the judge read out his bail terms. He will face his next hearing on September 1 at Blanchardstown District Court.
FORMER Tanaiste Peter Barry has passed away following a short illness.

Mr Barry, who celebrated his 88th birthday this month, been hailed as the greatest leader that Fine Gael never had.

Expand Close Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher prior to the Anglo Irish summit meeting at Chequers in 1984. Also present from left to right, ministers Peter Barry, Douglas Hurd, Dick Spring and Geoffrey Howe. Photo: Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp Taoiseach Garret FitzGerald with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher prior to the Anglo Irish summit meeting at Chequers in 1984. Also present from left to right, ministers Peter Barry, Douglas Hurd, Dick Spring and Geoffrey Howe. Photo: Getty Images

Tributes to the former Tanaiste have flooded in from across the business, political and sporting worlds in Ireland.

Mr Barry, who has central to the success of the Barrys Tea brand passed away peacefully in Cork this morning.

He was a TD between 1969 and 1997, serving at different times as minister for environment, education, transport and foreign affairs.

Between January and March 1987 he served as Tanaiste to Garret Fitzgerald.

Expand Close Peter Barry (left) with the Minister for Health and Environment John Boland and David Moloney, Fine Gael director of elections at Fine Gael news conference in the Westbury Hotel. Picture: Tom Burke / Facebook

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Whatsapp Peter Barry (left) with the Minister for Health and Environment John Boland and David Moloney, Fine Gael director of elections at Fine Gael news conference in the Westbury Hotel. Picture: Tom Burke

Announcing his passing this morning, Taoiseach Enda Kenny said: Throughout his long and distinguished political career, Peter gave outstanding service to his country and to his native city.

In particular, his central and pivotal role in negotiating the Anglo Irish Agreement in 1985 helped to create the foundations on which the peace process in Northern Ireland was built.

Mr Kenny said that in the coming days people will reflect on and salute Mr Barrys extraordinary legacy.

We also remember at this time Peter's late wife Margaret who was such a support to him throughout his career, the Taoiseach said.

Mr Barry had four sons and two daughters, including sitting Fine Gael MEP Deirdre Clune.

A former Lord Mayor of Cork, he served as a TD on Leeside for 28 years and also helped oversee the expansion of his family business, Barrys Tea, into one of Irelands best known consumer brands.

Mr Barry was also famous for describing himself in the Dail register throughout his lengthy career as a tea taster rather than a businessman.

A key architect of the Anglo Irish Agreement in 1985, Mr Barry was also a staunch supporter of Dr Garret Fitzgeralds famous Constitutional crusade in the 1980s.

Mr Barry famously took part in the race race to succeed Dr Garret Fitzgerald in 1987 but was defeated by Alan Dukes, and he retired from national politics in 1997.

The father of six was succeeded by his daughter, Deirdre Clune, in his old Cork South Central Constituency.

Ms Clune is now an Ireland South MEP for Fine Gael. Uniquely, three generations of the Barry family served as Lords Mayor of Cork.

In 2010, Mr Barry received the highest accolade his native city could bestow, the Freedom of Cork.

At the time, then Cork Lord Mayor and now European Affairs Minister, Dara Murphy, insisted that the Freedom award was long overdue to Peter Barry in recognition of his lifetime of work for his native city.

Mr Barry had served as Corks Lord Mayor in 1970  a role he was deeply proud of given that his own father, Anthony Barry, had served

as Corks Lord Mayor in 1961.

The Barry family political dynasty began with Anthony Barry who was first elected to the Dail for Cork Borough in 1954.

After his retirement from politics, his Cork seat was successful won back by his son, Peter Barry, in 1969.

Whereas his father had lost a Dail election, Peter Barry established himself as a dominant force in Cork politics for Fine Gael in the 1970s and 1980s, being returned at every election he contested over three decades.

His political nous was deeply appreciated within Fine Gael as the party struggled as times to counter the enormous popularity in the south west of Jack Lynch for Fianna Fail.

Over the course of his career, Mr Barrys political and business skills saw him hold a number of senior portfolios for Fine Gael including education, transport, environment, labour, industry & commerce and finally foreign affairs.

It is for the latter that he is best remembered.

Mr Barry served in the Cabinet of Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave before being appointed to the Department of Foreign Affairs by Dr Garret Fitzgerald in 1982 at a critical juncture in Anglo-Irish relations.

Together with Dr Fitzgerald and then Labour leader Dick Spring, the three men helped hammer out the Anglo Irish Agreement with British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher between 1982 and 1985.

The agreement, now widely considered to be the cornerstone for the current peace deal in Northern Ireland, was achieved despite one of the most violent periods in Anglo-Irish relations including an IRA attempt to assassinate Mrs Thatcher as she attended a Conservative Party conference in Brighton.

Many within Fine Gael favoured Mr Barry taking the leadership after Dr Fitzgerald signalled his resignation in 1987.

However, despite having served as deputy leader of Fine Gael between 1979-1987 and from 1989-1993, Mr Barry was content to play a senior role in front bench politics under first Alan Dukes and then John Bruton.

In retirement, Mr Barry maintained a relatively low profile.

He socialised within his lifelong and close-knit circle of friends in Cork and indulged his love of travel and the arts.

Sri Lanka was one of his favourite destinations and he often recommended its famous tea growing terraces to Irish holidaymakers.

Friends described him as a private man who was very modest in his tastes. The former Tanaiste was very proud of the fact the family business was built up by his grandfather, the son of a north Cork blacksmith, thanks to his renowned ability to 'taste' and blend tea.

Mr Barry was also noted in Cork for having always insisted on using a Ford car as his personal vehicle while he was a TD because the marque was based on Leeside.

Despite ranking as one of the wealthiest men in the Dail, Mr Barry only drove a Mercedes as his personal car after his retirement.

The former Tanaiste preferred to remain out of the limelight in retirement though he hit the headlines a decade ago when it emerged he had personally purchased the Gen. Michael Collins/Kitty Kiernan letters so they could be displayed in Cork Library and not be lost to an overseas buyer.

Obituary by John Downing

PETER Barry, who has died aged 88, will be widely remembered for his trenchant and successful work in advancing peace in Northern Ireland.

The veteran Fine Gael politician and businessman is also recalled by some in his own party as the best leader they never had. His poor campaign for the party leadership in spring 1987, after the departure of the iconic Garret FitzGerald, helped the much younger candidate, Alan Dukes, to win.

He is also credited with driving Barrys Tea, a tea importation and blending business, taking it from a small provincial firm founded by his grandfather at the turn of the last century, and based in Cork, to an iconic national household name. For many years he chaired the firm and was also part of the exclusive local club known colloquially as the Cork merchant princes.

Educated at Christian Brothers College, Cork, he was often described as a tea-tester by profession. He followed his father, Anthony Barry, into the tea business and also into local and Dail politics with both of them serving as Lord Mayor of Cork and local TD.

The family political and business tradition has continued with his daughter, Deirdre Clune, being elected as a TD and Senator and currently serving as a Euro MEP. The tea business also continues to thrive led by many of his close family.

Peter Barry was first elected to Dail Eireann in June 1969 and he continued to serve until his retirement from national politics in 1997, when his daughter, Deirdre Clune, was elected to Cork South Central. His ability and political clout were identified early on, when he was appointed Transport and Power Minister by Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave in 1973, after Fine Gael-Labour took power as a National Coalition.

Thereafter, he remained a strong party figure and frequent government minister for almost quarter of a century. He was Environment Minister in Garret FitzGeralds first, and short-lived government in 1981/82, but his real legacy came in his next appointment.

When FitzGerald headed a more stable coalition with Labour, over the years 1982-87, Peter Barry combined the roles as deputy party leader and Foreign Affairs Minister, also taking on the role of Tanaiste for a brief period at the end of the government term. He took a very strident role in ground-breaking negotiations on the future of Northern Ireland, articulating a strong nationalist voice in difficult talks.

Signed by the Dublin and London government leaders on November 15, 1985, the so-called Anglo Irish Agreement delivered a first, which later proved to be one of the corner-stones of the break-through 1998 Good Friday Agreement. This was the first time that a London government, on that occasion headed by hard-line Conservative, Margaret Thatcher, formally conceded that Dublin had a role in the affairs of Northern Ireland and the treaty was registered with the United Nations.

This was viewed by many supporters as Peter Barrys signal contribution to Irish politics. On a personal level he was known as someone who often avoided publicity and along with his wife, Margaret OMullane, he had four sons and two daughters.
Former Taoiseach Brian Cowen was fond of using the phrase 'going forward' Photo: PA News

The war against gobbledygook has been intensified.

Lawyers, public and civil servants and businesspeople that use meaningless language and jargon have been warned that they are failing to be understood by ordinary people.

They are being encouraged to use simpler language.

Or to put that in gobbledygook: A key objective, going forward, is to enhance the drive to foster and promote the progressive use of English, as part of the agenda to tackle overly-complex phraseology, in line with pledges to strengthen and deepen dialogue with the public.

Nonsense like that is not understood by large numbers of people, according to the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA), set up to encourage the use of plain English.

It conducted a survey which found half of adults have difficulty understanding official documents, with most in favour of greater use of plain English in Government and business documents.

More than one third (35pc) of people also said that they found information from the public service and from the Government challenging.

Now NALA is encouraging grater use of easily understood documents by announcing details of its 2016 Plain English Awards.

The awards, sponsored by law firm Mason Hayes & Curran, aim to reward organisations that communicate clearly and to offer free plain English training to those who don't.

NALA is in favour of following the lead of Britain's civil service which has banned the use of the sort of jargon that has kept comedy writers from 'Yes Minister' to the 'Thick of It' in gags for years.

Phrases like "going forward", so beloved by former Taoiseach Brian Cowen, have been banned by the UK civil service.

Its language experts argue that people who use the phase are unlikely to be giving travel directions.

Abstract

Other phases banned include "deliver". Pizzas and post are delivered, the style guide for Britain's civil servants points out, not abstract concepts like improvements or priorities.

Officials can no longer "drive" anything out (unless it is cattle) or "foster" (unless it is children).

NALA said that many people here find jargon, especially technical and legal jargon, difficult to understand. The awards are free for businesses and organisations to enter online at www.nala.ie/plain-english-awards

The closing date is November 15.
A row has broken out over the school transport scheme little more than a week before thousands of pupils return to their classrooms.

Independent Minister John Halligan has been accused by Fianna Fail's Thomas Byrne of breaking a Dail promise to parents that there won't be cuts to services, a claim he has denied.

Mr Byrne said public representatives across the country are being "inundated with queries from worried parents who say their children have lost their concessionary place on school buses."

Though the national scale of the issue is unknown, the Meath East TD said he was aware of many cases, including at least a dozen families in the Stamullen area, who have been told their children won't have a place on the bus. His colleague, Galway East's Anne Rabbitt, said 15 children in her constituency are in the same situation and parents are "tearing their hair out".

Bus Eireann provides the service. A spokeswoman said the availability of concessionary tickets may vary each year and cannot be guaranteed for the duration of a child's education. She said there has been "no change in the rules" this year.

In total 113,000 children avail of school transport in rural areas, with some 22,000 traveling on a concessionary basis at an overall cost of 175m.

Random

Concessionary passengers are those who are accommodated on buses if there are spare seats once all "eligible" students get their place. They are allocated tickets at random and pay for their passage.

Mr Byrne accused Mr Halligan of breaking a pledge that such students will not lose their seats this term and of not establishing a cross-party committee to deal with the issue during July and August. Mr Halligan told the Dail in June that he has been "inundated" with school transport requests from applicants. He told Mr Byrne at the time: "I give the Deputy a guarantee that no student will lose a seat on the school bus during this term."

Last night Mr Halligan denied he broke this pledge. He said there are marginal increases or decreases in available places every year due to route changes and that concessionary transport "cannot be guaranteed from one year to the next".

"Rather what I did commit to was that no child would lose a place as a result of a planned programme of rationalisation and I have held to this commitment." He also denied that he said the cross-party group would meet over the summer and that the plan is for it to meet at the start of September. Mr Halligan told the Irish Independent he sympathises with families where children have lost concessionary seats. He said guaranteeing every child seeking concessionary school transport a seat on a bus would require "substantially more money". He asked: "Where do we get that from? Do we take it out of another part of the education budget?"
Motorists can breathe a sigh of relief as a dispute which threatened the use of free-flow toll tags for some of Ireland's roads has been resolved.

Transport Minister Shane Ross welcomed the successful renewal of eFlow arrangements with the Celtic Roads Group.

This outcome means that eFlow toll tags will continue to be accepted at toll points on the M1 near Drogheda, the M7/M8 near Portlaoise and the N25 Waterford City Bypass after 31 August.

The dispute between Celtic Roads Group, which operates three tolled roads, and Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), which owns the tag provider eFlow, looked set to result in drivers being unable to use their free-flow tags at three particular tolls.

Motorists would have been forced to stop and pay at toll booths instead of using the express lane.

Both groups had failed to reach an agreement on a new contract to cover the cost of processing toll payments before a resolution was made on Friday afternoon.

The contractual arrangements relating to toll tag interoperability are entirely matters for TII and are commercially sensitive," Minister Ross said.

"It was the case that unless agreement was reached, with effect from 31st August eFlow's tags would no longer be accepted at toll points on M1 near Drogheda, M7/M8 near Portlaoise and the N25 Waterford City Bypass. Tags from other providers at those toll points were not affected.

Negotiations between eFlow and Celtic Roads Groups have been ongoing for some time and I am pleased to say that a satisfactory agreement has now been reached between the parties.

"This is good news for road users and it means eFlow tags will continue to be recognised at all toll points across the country. 

He added: Toll tag interoperability in practical terms means that a toll tag issued by one operator is recognised by all toll operators and this is a major benefit to motorists.

"The good news is that from 31 August, eFlow tags will continue to be accepted at CRG toll plazas. Motorists who have changed their tag from eFlow to another operator are not affected. There is no cost associated with switching tag providers and all toll tag providers charge a monthly fee."

Celtic Road Groups also released a statement this evening, which reads: "CRG is pleased to confirm that it has reached an agreement with TII/eFlow to retain their service at the CRG plazas at the M1 south of Drogheda, M7/M8 south of Portlaoise and the N25 west of the Thomas Francis Meagher Bridge.

"CRG is very pleased to inform all drivers that they will continue to experience normal service at our plazas without the disruption that was feared."

There are currently 11 tolled roads in Ireland.
Patients in Meath, Kilkenny and Leitrim have much less choice of GP than people in Galway, Westmeath and Waterford, according to a new census.

While there are 68 GPs per 100,000 population in Galway, the rate is only half as high in Leitrim.

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The stark imbalance was unveiled in a workforce survey carried out by the Medical Council, the doctors' regulatory body yesterday.

It comes amid increasing concern about the workload faced by doctors in various areas of the profession and the risks of burnout.

Medical Council President Freddie Wood, a retired cardiac surgeon, said the number of doctors supported by its health committee has risen.

Last year, 51 doctors were assisted by its health committee, mostly for mental health difficulties. Another 23 received help for substance abuse.

"It unreasonable to think that doctors are any different to the general public. At any one time in life, up to one third of people can have psychological or psychiatric problems," he said.

The profession was dominated by men who adopted the "stiff upper lip" approach to stress. But international studies show a high risk of suicide among doctors and dentists.

Doctors who are working in anaesthesia have been cited in studies as having a higher suicide risk.

He recognised the need for more "pastoral" support for doctors early on and faced criticism for proposing it.

But the demand is now being recognised.

The Council findings highlighted the growing ranks of women among the medical profession which will have implications for healthcare delivery due to the numbers with requirements for flexible working hours.

Commenting on the striking trend, Medical Council chief executive Bill Prasifka said: "The majority of those on the register between the ages of 30-44 are female; however, from 44 years and on, the number of females on the register begins to decrease.

"Some 40pc of female trainees - or tomorrow's specialists - want to work less than full-time and this definitely poses some questions for the health sector and all of those involved in the future planning of Ireland's healthcare service."

The watchdog's annual report said the number of doctors registered here, 20,473, is at a record high. But there remains a serious shortage of consultants in different specialties with hospitals finding it difficult to fill vacancies.

The exit rate - doctors who left the register, including many who went to work abroad - went up to 6.4pc from 5.6pc in 2014.

Ireland remains hugely reliant on foreign doctors, with nearly four in 10 medics working here from abroad.

The highest ranks of doctors who qualified abroad are from Pakistan, Sudan, the UK, South Africa and Romania.

They are mostly working in obstetrics, emergency medicine and surgery.

Complaints against doctors rose to 369 in 2015, up from 308 the previous year.

Most were made by the general public and 25 by other health professionals.

Just two complaints about doctors were made by the HSE.

Prof Wood criticised the low rate of complaints by the HSE.

He pointed out that employers in other countries account for around a quarter of referrals.

The number of complaints about poor communication by doctors rose by 40pc.

Other allegations related to poor professional skills, failure to treat patients with dignity, diagnosis, clinical investigations and inadequate follow-up care.

Seven complained about a doctor's language skills and three related to personal relationships with patients.

Most of the 452 doctors complained about were Irish medical graduates and 317 were men.

Around one in 10 complaints goes on to a full fitness-to-practise hearing involving the doctor. There were 35 fitness-to-practise inquiries into serious allegations against doctors during the year, half of which were held in public.

Five doctors were struck off.
During the height of the Celtic Tiger era, Kevin Sharkey was selling his paintings to celebrities such as Kate Moss and Whitney Houston.

More recently he was sleeping in a tent in the Dublin mountains because he had nowhere else to go.

Now Sharkey is set to continue his remarkable journey, by running for the Irish presidency.

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Speaking on Today FM's Matt Cooper The Last Word, Sharkey declared his plan to put his name forward in two years when the race opens.

He said: "In the midst of (homelessness), something struck me and it is this: I would like some day to be president of Ireland and I intend to put my name forward in two years time for the presidential race."

When asked what would make him a stand out candidate, Sharkey added: "I think I would be a very good president, because I've experienced life from many different approaches.

"My understanding of being Irish isn't just down to skin colour, but is down to me travelling the world and seeing the effectiveness of communication."

The artist, who had galleries in Paris, Venice and Ibiza, also told the show that he is no longer homeless and now has a 'nice home near the sea.'

It remains to be seen whether he'll be swapping that home for a large estate in Phoenix Park.
A man who left Ireland as a child 65 years ago was reunited with his family through a chance song request on a napkin.

Speaking to the Ryan Tubridy Show on RTE Radio 1 on Friday, a Limerick man explained how he brought a family together after 47 years apart.

Ger Hanrahan, who is now a postman in Limerick, told the show he had been playing a concert in the US in 1992 when he decided to speak to a member of the audience after the show about his song request.

We kept on getting these requests that were written on serviettes and I turned to our banjo player, Ronan and I said Ronan, were going to have to get rid of half of these, theres no way well get through this amount of requests.

So we ditched half of them down behind the stage and picked one up then and I read it and it said Will you guys please play Sean South from Garryowen because I came from the Pike area in Limerick.

And I said God, this is strange because I came from the Pike and Ronan, our banjo player, is only up the road from the Pike.

So I asked the people that sent up that request would they identify themselves to the band. So he did, so we went down to speak to him afterwards and what unfurled after that was just an amazing story.

Ger went to speak to the audience member later and he told him his name was Michael Forrestal and that he had left Ireland in 1951 following the death of his mother.

Ger explained: His mam had died young and he had a brother and two sisters. His brother was allowed stay at home because he was a year or two older. So he was sent to Brooklyn in New York to be reared by his aunt in 1951. He was ten years of age.

From 1951 to 1992 the only contact he had at home was that he got a note to say his beloved brother Jack had died in an accident in a meat factory in Limerick which was known as Shaws or Clover Meats.

Other than that he had absolutely no contact at all with Ireland, good, bad or indifferent  nothing.

Ger then returned to Ireland and one day while out at a local bar with some friends, he discovered people in the area knew Michael but by his nickname, Brophy.

So they told me about him and he had quite a number of friends around my area where I live and the one thing they loved about him as a child was that he had absolutely sensational handwriting, and they loved him that if they wanted to mitch from school that they could always get Brophy to write the letter from the supposed mother saying that little Johnny was sick or something and that was it, Ger told the shows presenter Ryan Tubridy.

Ger explained that when he was returning to the US again his friend Breda gave him a photo to give to Michael of him and his brother taken the day before he was sent away to the US in the 1950s.

So I contacted Michael and his lovely wife Barbara and went to dinner with them and I said Michael, youve left a bit of a mark at home. Although its so long ago, theres so many people that remember you and his wifes eyes basically lit up.

He said Ger, the one big I regret I have, you know my brother Jack died? Well I dont have a photograph of my brother Jack and I put my hand in my inside pocket and said Well now you do. And he started bawling crying. 

Eventually Michaels family sent him back to Ireland again and while there he created the photo, with the only person missing being his brother Jack.

When he came home then his wife Barbara asked me if Id stay with her outside the bar because there was a long corridor into the bar and he was going back to meet his childhood friends and she wanted him to do it on his own.

And it was just an overwhelming experience. It overwhelmed him in the sense that so many were saying do you remember me?

The following day then I brought him down to the school, the classroom where he sat. I brought him to St. Johns Cathedral where he made his First Communion before he was sent off to America. And the whole thing was very, very surreal.

Ger said Breda later managed to track down Michaels two sisters who were living in Coventry in the UK by that time.

He explained: Now Michael not only had never been back in Ireland before but he was never in England in his life. So he was here for three days and went off to Coventry with his wife and he went then to see his two younger sisters that he hadnt seen in 47 years.

It was meant to happen, he added.

He explained: There was something like 160 or 170 serviettes piled up at the side of the stage. They could have ended up on the ground like any other slip of a request. But this one came up and it resonated with us, me and the other two lads from the band.

Ever since those years Breda and a lot of friends and Michael email one another and Michaels nephews have been over to stay in his house in New Jersey, Michaels kids have been in Coventry to meet their aunts and it was the reuniting of a family that Michael thought was only a dream, that he never had a family, and it just blew him away.
The crowd taking part in a march of solidarity with the Maughan family Photo: Damien Eagers

More than 100 people yesterday joined in a march of solidarity with the Maughan family, who are seeking justice for their missing son William, in the face of vile intimidation.

Helen and Joe Maughan have vowed not to back down in the face of a campaign against them, which they believe is being undertaken by the gang responsible for William's disappearance in April.

After they spoke out and sought further information on the case, the grave of another of their sons was desecrated.

Michael Maughan (30) had died of meningitis in April 2008. His final resting place had been dug up in an act of intimidation, though the perpetrators did not reach the coffin.

Yesterday the family and the Tallaght community marched from the Maughan family home in Cushlawn Park to the grave at Bohernabreena Cemetery.

"We are not going to back down, why should we back down," his mother said.

When the group arrived at the grave, there was a minute's silence. Balloons coloured white and yellow where then released.
home World Cuba continues to confiscate and demolish churches

Violations of religious freedom in Cuba had increased between January and July 2016, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW). The religious freedom advocacy group documented a total of 1,606 cases of violations that included demolition and destruction of Church buildings, destruction of Church property, arbitrary detention and seizure of property of religious leaders.

The report by CSW noted that there are over 1,000 illegal Protestant churches that are still under the threat of confiscation. CSW stated that the strategy of the government before a church demolition is to block the main roads surrounding the church. Pastors and their family members are then be dragged out of bed very early in the morning to detain them for the duration of the demolition.

The report pointed to a case on Jan. 8 when 40 Church members were detained to prevent protests. Another case mentioned was an incident on Feb. 5 in Santiago de Cuba when state security agents detained 40 Church leaders and community members in a local school. Bulldozers were used afterwards to destroy the churches. The demolition in Santiago also destroyed the pastor's family home, according to the report.

CSW made recommendations to the government of Cuba as well as the United States and the European Union in an effort to stop violations of religious freedom. The organization called on the E.U. to urge Cuban officials to legalize all churches and requested the U.S. to raise violations of freedom of religion with Cuba "at every opportunity."

In particular, the group called on Cuba to reform Legal Decree 322, a law meant to regulate private property. CSW reported that it was a tactic used by the government to confiscate church property.

CBN reported in March that Cuba's crackdown against political dissidents had only increased since President Barack Obama normalized relations with the country in 2014.

Dr. Jaime Suchlicki, director of Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the Miami College of Arts and Sciences, told CBN that President Raul Castro fears that openness with the U.S. might embolden dissidents. Suchlicki said that Castro's need to maintain control will most likely overpower the need to improve the state of human rights in Cuba.
A closer eye will be kept on how trainee priests in Maynooth spend their time from now on in the wake of the 'gay culture' revelations at the seminary.

A stricter regime is being introduced in the wake of the 'Grindr' gay dating app scandal at the college.

All trainee priests will now be required to eat evening meals in the college rather than being allowed to dine wherever they choose, the Irish Independent has learned. The seminarians will also be required to attend evening rosary at 9pm, which has not been obligatory until now.

The seminary council of senior staff will now eat both breakfast and dinner with the seminarians in the historic Pugin Hall, rather than in the Professors' Refectory. The tighter controls are part of a suite of measures announced on Wednesday by the trustees of Maynooth, which included a review of "appropriate use of the internet and social media" by the 50 or so trainee priests and their staff.

Archbishop of Dublin Diarmuid Martin withdrew his seminarians from Maynooth following allegations that students were using the gay dating app. Now the country's most senior bishops have admitted concerns about an "unhealthy atmosphere" there.
Irish women have put in requests for the full body swimsuit known as the burkini, according to its inventor.

It doesnt necessarily have to be only for Muslim women, it could be for many other women, Aheda Zanetti told RTE's Morning Ireland.

In fact, theres been a high demand in my emails from Ireland from women who have got fair skin that dont want to expose their skin to all these high sun UV rays.

"Its actually protecting them against skin cancer or from future issues, so its not just for Muslim women its for women in general that just want to be either modest or protective."

Concern is growing as Muslim women in France are being forced to disrobe if they wear burkinis, as a number of beaches in the country have enforced a ban on the full body swimwear.

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A decision over whether to uphold the ban will be reached this afternoon by Frances Highest Administrative court, the State Council.

Zanetti believes that the burkini should not be linked with Islamic extremism as her intention when she invented the swimwear was to give people the freedom of choice.

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Former French president Nicolas Sarkozy has called for a full burkini ban in France as he warned that immigrants, minorities and the Left were threatening to destroy French identity.

Zanetti told RTE that she doesn't "understand how hes labelled it as such a negative product when it was supposed to give you the freedom of choice.

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It doesnt symbolise any Islamic term or Islamic type of dress, it doesnt even symbolise that a Muslim wearer would wear it."
A 13-year-old boy has died from his injuries following a motorbike accident on the north coast.

Two helicopters were sent to the incident at the motocross track at Bellarena near Limavady yesterday afternoon. A HM Coastguard helicopter from Prestwick and an Irish Coastguard chopper from Sligo attended the scene, as did the PSNI.

The injured child was flown to Altnagelvin Area Hospital for emergency treatment but died in hospital on Friday.

CPR was administered at the scene, but the seriousness of the boy's injuries meant he required urgent hospital treatment.

A post on the Coleraine Coastguard Facebook page on Thursday said: Coleraine Coastguard Rescue Team was tasked to prepare a landing site at Bellarena, following a report of a serious bike incident.

The Coastguard Team assisted NIAS Paramedics and PSNI Officers, already on scene, with emergency first aid for a 13-year old boy.

A landing site was prepared for the Irish Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue 118 which airlifted the injured teenager to Altnagelvin Hospital.

UK Coastguard Helicopter Rescue 999 was also tasked.

Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council said: "Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council was notified yesterday afternoon of a serious accident involving a young person at a Motocross premises in Magilligan. Officers from the Council attended the scene immediately and investigations into the circumstances of the accident are ongoing."

The PSNI said they investigating a sudden death on behalf of the coroner in relation to an incident.

Separately, a helicopter was also summoned to Banagher Forest near Dungiven yesterday, where a man had to be flown to Altnagelvin after he fractured his leg in a remote marshy area of the scenic forest.

Rescue teams were unable to reach the injured man to offer treatment and requested emergency airborne support, which was supplied by the coastguard helicopter operating out of Prestwick in Scotland.

The victim was last night receiving treatment in Altnagelvin, where his condition was described as serious, but not life-threatening.

A third rescue drama took place at Portrush, when the Irish Coastguard helicopter flew from Altnagelvin to take part in a sea search for a missing swimmer near the famous white rocks.

Fortunately, the swimmer involved was quickly located and the rescue operation was wound down.
A TEENAGE boy whose father's grave was recently desecrated has sung a poignant tribute to his late dad at the burial site.

The grave of 30-year-old Michael 'Bobby' Maughan - who passed away from meningitis in April 2008 - was vandalised last week.

It is understood that three men entered Bohernabreena Cemetery, Tallaght in the early hours of Wednesday morning and started digging up Bobby's grave.

The incident occurred just a day after Michaels father Joe appealed for information to find the remains of his son Willie who gardai believe was murdered.

Expand Expand Previous Next Close Helen Maughan beside the desecrated grave of her son Michael at Boharnabreena Cemetry today. Pic: Colin O'Riordan Maughan family members beside the desecrated grave of Michael at Boharnabreena Cemetry today. Photo: Colin O'Riordan / Facebook

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Michael's teenage son Martin launched into a stirring rendition of 'The Night Visiting Song' on Thursday night as a crowd of over 100 people ended their solidarity march from the family home in Cushlawn Park.

The 20 minute walk was carried out as the Maughan family vowed not to back down to "threats and intimidation" from the gang they believe are responsible for both Willie's disappearance and the desecration of Bobby's grave.

William 'Willie' Maughan (34) and his Latvian girlfriend Anna Varslavane (21) were last seen in April 2015 in Co Meath. They are believed to have been murdered by a specific gang.

"The march was organised by the local county council and we had a garda escort from the house to the cemetery," Senator Lynn Ruane told independent.ie.

"When we reached the graveside, friends, family and neighbours held a minute's silence for Bobby - and for Willie and Anna.

"Then Martin launched into his beautiful tribute to his dad."
The family of Pat Hickey have said they are "gravely concerned" about the conditions of Pat Hickey's arrest and detention in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and have requested a meeting with ministers and Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

The family of the 71-year-old, who has temporarily stood down as president of the Olympics Council of Ireland, said they are calling on the Minister of Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan and Minister of Sport Shane Ross to intervene in the situation urgently. They have also requested a meeting with Taoiseach Enda Kenny.

In a statement issued by the Hickeys' family solicitor, Anne Marie James, the family described as "extremely worrying" the issues surrounding his arrest and detention.

"This arrest and detention occurred over seven days ago and still no charges have been brought, nor has an appropriate venue for a bail application been made available to Pat Hickey," they wrote.

The family said they also hope to meet with Taoiseach Enda Kenny TD when he returns from holidays.

A spokesperson for Taoiseach Enda Kenny told Independent.ie he had no comment to make on the statement, beyond pointing out that Mr Hickey is receiving consular assistance as necessary.

Meanwhile, Minister of Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan has replied to the family statement, saying he will meet with the Hickey family and arrangements for the meeting will be made in the coming days.

However, the statement added: "The Department cannot however provide legal advice or interfere in any way in the judicial processes in another country".

And a spokesperson for Minister Shane Ross told Independent.ie: The Minister has received correspondence from representatives of the Hickey family which will be considered in due course.

"First and foremost, Department of Foreign Affairs continues to provide consular assistance to two Irish citizens detained in Rio. Any requests for assistance from Irish nationals abroad would be best facilitated through the recognised channels.

Concerns

The family statement lists five elements of the situation of which they have concern:

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The "manner in which Pat Hickey was arrested"

His "detention in a high security prison without charge"

The "effects of such detention on Pat Hickeys health"

The "pre-trial disclosure of what is purported to be evidence to the media without any right of a reply (which is leading and imbalanced reporting)"

Pat Hickeys "right to a fair hearing, given the prejudicial way in which he has been treated to date"

They have now requested an "urgent" meeting with the Minister for Foreign Affairs Charlie Flanagan TD and the Minister for Sport Shane Ross TD and they have also requested contact with the Brazilian ambassador Alfonso Jose Cardoso.

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They continued: "The Hickey family is gravely concerned about the effect this degrading and humiliating ordeal has had on their father and grandfather and how it continues to affect his physical and mental health.

"He has a serious heart condition and they are extremely anxious that he would be immediately released on bail and given the opportunity to respond to the accusations.

"They also, as a priority, want to get him home to Ireland as they have increasing concerns about his safety."

They added: "It was entirely inappropriate and unacceptable for a 71-year-old Irish citizen be taken from his bedroom, arrested and walked in a state of undress before a pre-arranged camera crew, after which film and still shots were released to the global media."

Pat Hickey is currently being held in a section of the notorious Brazilian prison, Bangu.

The 71-year-old has been detained since last Friday.

Mr Hickey is being investigated under Brazilian law for alleged ticket touting, running a cartel and illicit marketing.

Review

Athletes and their families have been invited to make submissions to an accountancy firm appointed to conduct an independent review of the Rio ticketing scandal.

The Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) has announced this evening that it appointed accountancy firm Grant Thornton to conduct this review.

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In a statement, released to the media, the OCI confirmed that the results of this review will be given to Judge Carroll Moran to consider as part of his State inquiry deliberations into the issue.

According to the terms of reference the Grant Thornton Forensic Services team will review the "policies, procedures, processes and practices" adopted by the OCI surrounding ticketing for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

The team will also examine all accreditations allocated by the committee and the implementation of policies and procedures surrounding the event.

The statement confirms that it will examine the procurement process that saw the OCI first opt for THG as its Authorised Ticket Reseller (ATR) and second Pro10. It will examine the way that the tickets were distributed including any resale as part of hospitality packages.

The statement goes on to the say that the reviewers will closely examine all details surrounding Pro10's appointment as ATR for Rio 2016.

As part of the Grant Thornton review, submissions will be invited from athletes and their families on their experience of ticketing allocation and availability arrangements for Rio 2016.
The future of the Universal Social Charge (USC) is set to be one of the most fraught issues to be probed by TDs who will have just weeks to provide recommendations for Budget 2017.

The Dail's new cross-party Budgetary Oversight Committee will meet at the start of September with little more than a month to prepare a report for Finance Minister Michael Noonan - and already there are stark differences over the USC.

A row erupted over the hated tax that nets 4bn a year after the emergence of a briefing by Finance Department officials outlining options for scrapping the USC, as promised by Fine Gael over a number of years.

One option includes raising property tax by 600pc, while among the measures in another is adding 18c to a litre of petrol and diesel.

Sinn Fein's Pearse Doherty, a Budgetary committee member, has claimed that the briefing shows that Finance Department officials are very much opposed to Government proposals to phase out the USC.

He said moves to end the USC were "reckless" and argued that its revenue should be used to tackle the housing crisis and provide proper health services.

Fine Gael TD Noel Rock branded Mr Doherty's comments on the USC as "disingenuous nonsense" and a spokesman for Mr Noonan pointed out that the Government never intended abolishing the USC in one go".

The Finance spokesman added that "there is absolutely no intention to increase property tax in the forthcoming Budget".

Fianna Fail's Michael McGrath, another committee member, said the "drastic options" in the finance briefing are based on an immediate abolition of the USC, "which, of course, is not what any party has planned". His party want to see it phased out for those earning less than 80,000.

Budgetary oversight committee chairman John Paul Phelan, of Fine Gael, said he "wouldn't like to pre-empt" whether or not it's possible for TDs to find a consensus on the USC.

However, he added: "In the past, agreements have often been found in Irish politics in places where people thought agreements could never be found". He conceded there will be discord among the committee's TDs, saying he'd be "disappointed if there wasn't robust debate".

Mr Phelan said he is "concerned" that the members would have little more than a month to prepare their report, but said that "this year's process was always going to be a more truncated effort than the normal process".

It had its first meeting at the end of July and will reassemble in the first week of September.

Another committee member, Green Party leader Eamon Ryan, also remarked that the timescale for the committee's work this year is "remarkably tight".

He said "this Budget has to be the start of a very different process", adding that it would end the traditional process where "the Minister for Finance rocks up with his briefcase on Budget day and announces everything for the first time".
Some of the items seized by gardai in raids in Dublin include 7,000 in cash, drugs and a 30,000 worth of jewellery, including a Rolex watch

A 23-year-old criminal arrested yesterday by gardai investigating the activities of the Kinahan cartel came to Garda attention because of his lavish lifestyle.

Gardai seized an Audi A3 car, 30,000 worth of jewellery including a Rolex watch, 7,000 in cash and drugs worth 3,000 during raids in the capital's south inner city yesterday morning.

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Sources said the primary target of the raids was a young criminal, originally from Crumlin, who has been "flashing the cash" in recent months.

The heroin dealer and his girlfriend were still being held for questioning last night at Kevin Street Garda Station.

Gardai recovered the haul at a flat in the Oliver Bond Flats complex during a planned operation that led to four properties being searched. A watch worth 15,000 that was owned by the suspect was among the 30,000 of jewellery that was seized.

Raids were also carried out at three other locations and documentation and paraphernalia were seized in the other properties.

Sources said the man has been "heavily involved" in moving drugs and gathering cash for the cartel in recent months.

He has been in charge of a network of street dealers who have been flooding the south inner city with drugs, particularly heroin.

Targets

Supt Paul Murray welcomed the seizure when he spoke at a press conference at Garda HQ.

"There was another success in the south inner city today," he told reporters.

"Some of those groups and the targets being searched, they are at the lower level and we have made arrests.

"Included in those seizures we have diversely recovered a Rolex watch, cocaine and a car, and the background work to those will be dominated by the Criminal Assets Bureau where the assets will be looked at and confiscated if possible.

"The support services such as CAB and other national units will be used.

"It's coming in at the underbelly, so we're targeting different levels and this targets what we treat as further down the chain, what we would consider second and third-degree level criminals, so we're coming in at these groups from all angles."

The arrested 23-year-old has been on the Garda radar for involvement in serious crime since he was a teenager.

He has served a number of minor jail sentences and was previously involved in a savage attack on a prison officer.

The individual has multiple previous convictions, he was also involved in a violent incident in a Dublin hospital.

Sources said he has been "doing the running" for notorious Crumlin criminals such as Liam Byrne, who answers directly to cartel boss Daniel Kinahan.

A week of Garda action against the cartel began with the seizure of a sub-machine gun on Monday.

Separately, senior cartel figure Liam Roe was arrested on suspicion of money-laundering offences on Tuesday.

The 38-year-old, from Drimnagh, spent several hours being questioned at Crumlin Garda Station before being released and then transferred to Mountjoy Prison because of unpaid court fines.

Roe is a suspect in the mass-ive CAB investigation that led to a large amount of jewellery, 29 cars, SUVs and six motorbikes being seized in raids in early March. More arrests are expected in the CAB investigation in the coming weeks as well as more Garda raids.
THE family of missing William Maughan has vowed not to back down in the face of threats and intimidation.

"We are not going to back down, why should we back down," his mother Helen 'Nell' Maughan said defiantly at a solidarity march for the family this evening.

They spoke out this week against the gang they suspect murdered their 34-year-old son and his girlfriend Anna Varslavane (21).

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The following day they discovered the grave of another of their sons desecrated.

Michael Maughan (30) had died of meningitis in April 2008.

His grave had been dug up in an act of intimidation, though the perpetrators did not reach the coffin.

More than 100 friends and neighbours from Tallaght marched from the family home in Cushlawn Park to the Bohernabreena Cemetery this evening in a show of defiance against the thugs.

They carried white and yellow balloons, symbolising peace and justice.

Joe Maughan, the father of the two boys, said he would not be intimidated.

He urged anyone with information "do the right thing" and contact the gardai.

William Maughan and Anna Varslavane were last seen alive on Tuesday April 14 in the Gormanston area of Co Meath.
home World Egyptian Coptic Christians concerned about amendments to bill on restoration of churches

The Coptic Orthodox Church criticized the Egyptian cabinet regarding the amendments made to a bill about the restoration and building of churches in Egypt.

According to Ahram Online, the bill had previously been approved by the Evangelicals, Orthodox and Catholics. The Orthodox Church, however, released an official statement on Aug. 18 stating that it was "surprised by unacceptable amendments" and "impractical additions" made by the government to the draft of the bill.

The statement did not specifically mention the actual amendments but it claimed that these will "pose a threat to Egyptian national unity due to the twists and obstacles that such amendments hold."

The Evangelical Church also issued a statement calling on the government to take the concerns of the Egyptian churches into consideration. Coordinating Group on Citizenship and Civil Forces, a human rights advocacy group composed of intellectuals and Coptic activists, said that Church representatives were being "pressured" to accept a bill that would "lead to the return of crisis."

Ahram Online reported that a leaked copy of the pre-amendment bill imposed a four-month deadline for local governors to respond to requests for building churches. The Free Egyptians Party proposed a bill that would automatically approve requests for buildings if the governor does not respond within four months.

MP Alaa Abed, the head of the Free Egyptian Party, told Ahram Online that the goal of both bills is to regulate the building and renovation process. Abed asserted that 90 percent of churches had violations.

"We want a state of law and order, and we aim through our bill to see an improved relationship between churches and state apparatuses," he said.

The amendments to the bill may not be the only problem for Coptic Christians when they start building churches. In July, World Watch Monitor reported an attack on eight Christian homes after rumors were spread about building a new church in Saft el-Khirsa. According to witnesses, stores and homes of Coptic Christians were pelted with stones by a crowd shouting, "We don't want a church," and "No god but Allah, Christians the enemies of Allah."
If you're feeling fatigued with your regular chicken or beef fajita supper, consider fish. Typically, a fajita is strips of meat grilled or sauteed, while a taco can be in a soft or hard shell filled with meat and cold veggies. I consider these bad boys tacos, because I've paired the battered fish with a lovely, speedy salsa and a spicy Sriracha mayo.

I recently picked up a pack of ready-battered lemon sole goujons from a good supermarket, and put them to great use in the middle of a busy week. I had my five-year-old goddaughter with me for supper and, after our ritual of watching 'Frozen' together (which is still fresh after the 87th viewing), I baked the frozen goujons in the oven and served them up wrapped in a soft tortilla stuffed with salsa. Thumbs up were given all around.

This week, I'm sharing my simple salsa recipe, which you can add a bit of chilli pepper to if you're feeling hot. I like my salsa pretty mild, especially when paired with the Sriracha mayo. I love the Thai Sriracha sauce, but if you're looking to keep things on a Mexican theme, just replace it with your favourite hot sauce. I'm a big fan of Mic's Chilli Inferno hot sauces, which are made in Wicklow.

My goddaughter has a very adventurous palate for someone her age, so I can't guarantee that this will go down as well with the younger folks in your life, but it certainly worked for her as a fun alternative to fish fingers.

For me, the key was the quality of the goujons.

You could, of course, make your own battered fish fingers by coating firm, white fish with flour, beaten eggs and breadcrumbs, and indeed that would make a fun post-'Frozen' viewing activity for you and the little pal in your life.

Fish finger tacos

Serves 2

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS

220g pack of lemon sole goujons

For the salsa

1 tomato

1 tablespoon of finely chopped red onion

Tablespoon of freshly chopped coriander

Half a lime

Salt

Pepper

For the spicy mayo

3 tablespoons of mayonnaise

1 tablespoon of Sriracha sauce

To serve

4 soft corn tortillas

Ripe avocado

METHOD

1. Heat your oven to 220c/200c/gas mark 7. Place the goujons on a baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or following the pack instructions.

2. Meanwhile, make your tomato salsa by finely dicing the tomatoes and placing in a bowl. Add the finely diced red onion, the freshly chopped coriander and squeeze in the juice of half a lime. Add a generous pinch of salt and pepper and mix well. Give it a taste and add a little more lime or salt and pepper, as you see fit.

3. Make your spicy mayo by mixing together the mayonnaise and the hot sauce.

4. When the fish goujons are almost ready, wrap your soft tortillas in tin foil and add them to the oven for the last couple of minutes of the fish cooking, or until the tortillas are heated through but not burnt or crispy.

5. Serve the fish on the tortillas with some tomato salsa, more fresh coriander and a dollop of the spicy mayo. Add a few lime wedges on the side for additional squeezing.

This week's storecupboard essential:

Good quality fish fingers: As a rule, fresh is best but if you're in a pickle and want a fish fix on tap, keep a few packets of good quality fish fingers or goujons in the freezer. I found my lemon sole goujons in Marks & Spencer and found them to be crisp and tasty.
It can now take up to five months or over to proceed from sale agreed to closure. Photo: Aidan Crawley/Bloomberg

Joe and Mary Bloggs have been on the home hunting trail for seven months. The couple were outbid on one house after another with high competition in their chosen location. But with four weeks to go before the expiry of their latest mortgage approval, they finally managed to become the preferred bidders on a nice semi.

Having gone "sale agreed" they got their solicitor on the case to ensure a speedy conveyancing process. But four months later the sale had still not closed. In the intervening period another couple, the Blaggs, called into the vendor. They want a house in the area and furnished a much higher offer. The vendors were tempted and went back to the the Bloggs to ask them to match it. They couldn't.

The vendors rejected the Bloggs' offer and went with the higher price. No contracts have been signed so everything is legal. The Bloggs have been gazumped and must now go back to their bank and reapply for new approval and hit the home hunting trail all over again. The story is typical of that experienced by so many home hunters in the current market.

For decades before and until the property crash occurred, the average time incurred in Ireland from sale agreed to sale completed was four weeks. Today, according to the Irish Professional Auctioneers and Valuers, that can take up to 22 weeks, or five and a half months. Even those agents who work in areas where property is most sought and fought after are finding slowdowns, albeit of a less serious nature.

Conor Gallagher of Gallagher Quigley in Dublin's Clontarf says three months from sale agreed to closure is normal.

"We still have a lot of what I would call "debt contaminated" property about. Anything that involves selling property for banks or receivers is likely to be drawn out longer by the difficulties involved in the paperwork," says Gallagher.

And consider too that the closure estimates above only includes sales which have actually reached fruition. Numerous deals which spin out over months end up falling through - like the Bloggs' efforts to purchase their preferred property. In the opinion of Pat Davitt of the Irish Professional Auctioneers and Valuers (IPAV) who has been campaigning to rein in sales processing periods, around one in five sales of residential properties (20pc) falls through. Up to 2007, he estimates the failure rate was as low as 5pc. Last year the IPAV launched a new initiative that sees its members encourage and guide vendors to compile all relevant documents at an earlier stage in the sale process.

Davitt adds: "The whole system has been complicated with the addition of new regulations and stipulations."

Since the property crash, the rash of factors which now apply treacle to the wheels include:

1. New regulations and taxes which must now be documented and verified by solicitors at point of sale. Since the crash we have introduced a residential property tax (RPT) for which receipts must be located and provided. If there are no receipts available then the vendors must apply to a process to reissue them which can take three weeks. Before the property tax we had its precursor, (LPT), for which receipts must also be provided. We also introduced energy savings ratings and so each house sold must now have a BER cert verified.

2. The banks themselves. They have been transformed from flagrant flingers of credit to abject sticklers for details and compliances.

For example, since the crash they require full-proof of settlement in matters of right of way, planning and septic tanks certification before handing over mortgage cash. Previously, for decades, they would have accepted written undertaking to address the issues going forward.

The banks are also sticklers as vendors of stressed properties which have debts attached. Although the crash happened a decade ago, many stressed properties are only now coming to market. Departed or hostile former owners create paper trail issues which are difficult to iron out.

3. Staff cutbacks all over mean it has become difficult to secure a "sit down" consultation with planners while overworked staff in stamp duty and land registry are having a hard time keeping up with the workload. Banks and offices of solicitors have also cut staff who are more thinly spread. Mary Halligan of O'Connor Property Consultants says conveyancing firms "always seem to have too much work on." She says house sales can take six months to process.

4. Outmoded practices. Ireland's process is still paper-based, although Government promised a year ago to bring in online conveyancing within two and a half years. Little progress seems to have been made. Meantime, many solicitors continue to insist on corresponding by posted letters.

With no end in sight, those hitting the home hunting trail today should keep in mind that the road is going to be a long one.
A "nightmare" drunk has been jailed for six months after his abusive behaviour to flight crew and passengers led to a plane being diverted.

Joshua Strickland, 21, of York, threatened to assault a number of people during a Jet2.com flight from Leeds Bradford Airport to Cyprus on July 13.

When the plane returned to the UK to land in Manchester, Strickland was heard to say: "If they are doing this I might as well knock someone out."

The painter and decorator, who failed a "love rat" lie detector test on ITV's The Jeremy Kyle Show last year, was first spoken to by Jet2 crew for talking loudly when the plane was on the tarmac.

Following take-off shortly after 10.30am, Strickland put his face close up to an air stewardess and said: "I want a f***ing drink."

Manchester Crown Court heard he turned his attentions to a Cypriot family sitting nearby and told them: "You had better not be talking about me or I will knock you out."

He went on to say: "Speak English, talk English."

Strickland, whose eyes were glazed and was slurring his words, told another passenger: "Shut up or I will smack you."

Elizabeth Evans, prosecuting, said a seat was found at the back of the plane for Strickland and he was physically restrained in his seat, partly by his friends.

However, he broke free at one point after pretending to go to the toilet and ran down the aisle towards the Cypriot family.

Concerned crew members informed the flight captain of Strickland's "volatile, abusive and unpredictable" behaviour and the decision was made to turn back over the North Sea and land at Manchester Airport.

The prosecutor said the defendant repeatedly tried to get out of his seat as the plane descended and friends attempted to cover his mouth.

She said: "He was described as kicking out at and punching his head rest and was heard to say 'if they are doing this I might as well knock someone out'."

Strickland, of Lucas Avenue, was arrested when the plane landed and the flight was further delayed until a new crew arrived.

He pleaded guilty at an earlier hearing to being drunk on an aircraft.

Huw Edwards, defending, said his client was "remorseful".

Mr Edwards said: "He has asked me to pass on his apologies to those who had to experience what was at least an extremely unpleasant, and at most a frightening, experience which resulted from his frankly awful behaviour."

Strickland had 11 previous convictions for 20 offences, including a most recent offence of battery in 2014 in which he received a community order.

He was said to have had a "troubled upbringing" and has mental health problems together with a history of alcohol and substance misuse.

Mr Edwards said Strickland was finally willing to address his depression.

Sentencing, Judge Eliot Knopf said: "There is no question this must have been every passenger and crew's nightmare.

"You were particularly unpleasant and aggressive because of your obsession with the Cypriot family, for whatever reason.

"It has been said on a number of occasions in recent years where people appear before court for sentences of this nature, they must expect condign punishment. Not just being punished for what they did but so that the message goes out they will receive a strict sentence."

Strickland was banned for life by Jet2 last month.

The firm applied for 10,350 compensation from Strickland but the judge pointed out that the defendant was unemployed and on benefits.

Jet2 said Strickland had consumed his own alcohol illicitly on the Larnaca-bound flight.

The company's managing director, Phil Ward, said: "We are thrilled with the decision by Manchester Crown Court today. Joshua Strickland's violent outburst was absolutely unacceptable and caused a lot of distress plus significant delays for our customers.

"Our customers, many of whom are families, should be able to look forward to an enjoyable flight experience with us and we will not let a disruptive few spoil this.

"We will take whatever action necessary to stamp it out. Passengers should be in no doubt that the consequences of abusive and unruly behaviour onboard aircraft do lead to custodial and financial penalties."

Jet2 said its Onboard Together initiative commits the airline to a zero tolerance stance against disruptive passenger behaviour, including banning the sale of alcohol onboard all flights before 8am.

So far more than 500 passengers have been refused travel and more than 60 of those have been given lifetime bans, added the firm.
The trustees of Maynooth - the 17 most-senior Catholic bishops - agreed this week to work on a new policy to protect whistle-blowers at the national seminary. It comes after a wave of allegations, many of them anonymous, of homosexual relationships between seminarians.

Further allegations were made that the college authorities did not treat such allegations with sufficient gravity. Critics of the college quickly seized on the controversy as evidence of a corrupt underbelly, while defenders of Maynooth rounded on the detractors and insisted that anonymous allegations should be treated with contempt.

Now, there are broadly two reasons why people make anonymous allegations: either they are bitterly spiteful, or they are petrified about the consequences of raising their concerns. A coherent policy that protects people who raise legitimate concerns is a must for every institution.

But, whistle-blowing aside, perhaps, in time, the bishops' pledge to review what sort of training would-be priests should undertake in 21st Century Ireland will prove more important. What emerges could kickstart an authentic reform and renewal of Irish Catholicism.

Necessity is said to be the mother of invention. And so it was when seminaries to train priests began to spring up all over counter-reformation Europe. It was an attempt by the Papacy to address the fact that many parish priests were woefully uneducated and ill-equipped to deal with the complex pastoral needs of their flock. In the new dispensation, seminaries would act as training grounds for future priests and guarantee a uniformity of approach. Their success was phenomenal and soon almost every diocese in continental Europe had its own seminary.

Industrious bishops added to this web what would became known as junior seminaries, where boys as young as 10 considering the life-encompassing commitment of priesthood would go to be prepared for entering the senior seminary.

As well as ensuring uniformity in terms of theological outlook, liturgical tastes and clerical dominance of the Church, these seminaries provoked fierce loyalty in the students they formed.

In Ireland, it created an unrivalled old boys' network. But also a petty snobbery that now beggars belief. Maynooth-trained clerics thought themselves superior to priests who studied at seminaries in Carlow, Thurles, Waterford, Wexford or Kilkenny. At the same time, men trained in Rome took particular delight in looking down on what they described as "domestically trained" clergy from the colleges at home.

It also bred a nostalgia that can manifest itself in clinging on to institutions long after they have outlived their usefulness.

The world has changed and the way that Irish priests are educated needs to change to meet the needs of the modern world. Pope Francis - that great herald of Church reform - recently observed that Catholicism is not living in an era of change, but a change of era. He's right, of course, and perhaps nowhere is this more keenly felt than in Ireland.

Nostalgia is one of the characteristics of Catholicism Irish-style, and there is plenty of nostalgia about Maynooth. Which is why Archbishop Diarmuid Martin (pictured) was roundly criticised by the Association of Catholic Priests (ACP) for making public his concerns about the seminary there. His fellow bishops were quickly forced into backing the college. But many of the trustees have privately been advocating the need for reform for quite some time.

Seminaries were a great idea in the 17th and 18th Centuries. But, the idea of training young men for the challenge of ministry in an environment more akin to a boarding school than a thriving parish in the 21st Century is just not credible. Seminarians do undertake pastoral work, but this is often only an hour or two a week. A more realistic approach would be to place student priests in smaller groups in parish settings, shadowing priests of proven depth and ability. This apprenticeship model - alongside the necessary theological and philosophical studies in a university - would give seminarians a greater sense of ministry at the coal face. It would also guard a culture of gossip that permeates too many seminaries. Maynooth today is a shadow of its former self. When St John Paul II visited the seminary in 1979, the college chapel was thronged with men soon-to-be-ordained. At the time, the seminarians lived surrounding two gothic quadrangles - first years even had to share a room, so great were the numbers. Now, almost 40 years later, there are just 41 resident seminarians in Maynooth and the seminary has retreated in to a small corner of the vast campus it shares with Maynooth University.

Some are predicting that the college is in terminal decline. It's a far cry from the 1930s when Fr Neil Kevin, a priest who both studied and worked in the seminary, wrote in almost mythical terms about his alma mater when he said that "this Maynooth that we have inherited will be passed on until the end of time with a certainty as great as governs the work of human hands".

Perhaps he's right, maybe Maynooth will continue to the end of time. But right now, I wouldn't put a bet on it.
Saint Patrick's Seminary in Maynooth is not to be condemned, but it is not to be canonised either, according to Archbishop Diarmuid Martin, speaking on RTE. If this was an endorsement, it was less than whole-hearted. He also said that the seminary would have to change not just because of allegations, but because we are "living in a different world".

After bishops admitted to having concerns at the "unhealthy atmosphere" at the seminary, Archbishop Martin tried to draw a line under the controversy. Unfortunately, his comments are unlikely to put matters to rest.

The church has endured a relentless barrage of criticism for elevating its interests and reputation above the needs of its followers. It has been charged with being aloof, arrogant and out of step. It has further been attacked for failing to confront weaknesses and for retreating into its shell.

It therefore has a responsibility to be open and transparent. Maynooth's board of trustees have said they will review social media policies and procedures for handling whistleblowers following allegations of trainee priests using dating apps. This came after Dr Martin's stated intention to send seminarians from his archdiocese to Rome, instead of the national seminary, due to his worries over "strange goings-on" in St Patrick's.

He cut a lonely figure when he first voiced his concerns, the silence from other bishops was deafening. So has there finally been a meeting of minds on Maynooth?

He feels that new times require new institutions. The sad truth is that some of these "institutions" have failed in their responsibilities. They have become associated with secrecy and power. What is required is new trust, and new openness. Referring to the bishops' statement, Dr Martin said: "It's an announcement, but it has to be followed and implemented as you go along . . ." Traditionally, the church had "shepherds and a flock". What many feel is missing is a meaningful and shared sense of inclusivity and direction.

Lost for words when it comes to plain speaking

For far too long in the quest for clarity, the battle between man and gibberish has been lost to officialdom. Law, medicine, the civil service, the worlds of finance and governance all fight to the death to render every syllable devoid of meaning to shield themselves from responsibility, and shroud the public in a fog of bewilderment.

But help is at hand in the name of plain-speaking simpler language and common understanding.

The National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) is declaring war on nonsense to simplify and clarify documents through its 2016 Plain English Awards. More than 60 years ago, British civil servant Sir Ernest Gowers fired the first salvo to restore sanity to official language. When he launched his 'Plain Words' book in 1948, his iron rule was: "Be short, be simple and be human." Of course, it is an uphill struggle.

Metaphors are mangled with abandon. In the UK, there was Nick Clegg's celebrated: "You cannot balance the books on the backs of the poor." All those who have had their heads melted with words like 'modalities', 'restructuring', 'rightsizing', 'brain-storming' and 'blue-sky thinking' may breathe again.

It is to be hoped that the need to inform will once more take precedence over the need to impress. But the necessity of avoiding ambiguity, to be clear and concise, can not be overstated. If you doubt it, consider this gem of advice from the UK Department of Health to young mothers: "If a baby does not thrive on raw milk, boil it."
I headed for Fergusons Bar in Gyles Quay for a fundraising night for the North Louth Hospice which was being hosted by local musicians The Crawleys along with special guests Stewart Agnew, Sinead McNally and Henry Mac & the McCollums.

There was a huge crowd there for the night and it was being recorded for a DVD release this week and is available from the bar priced 20.

I was only in the door when I met up with Lyndsay and Ciaran Crawley from Gyles Quay who told me they were delighted to be able to help out with the fund raiser and assured me it was going to be an epic night. They were joined by pub owner Niall Ferguson who told me they were always delighted to have the Crawleys in action there.

I wasn't too long in the door when I had the pleasure of talking to Edel Nordon from Mullaharlin Road who was enjoying the company of Valerie and Jim Black from Glenwood and Geraldine McCrystal from Gyles Quay who told me it was already a really great night.

Not too far away I then got talking to Michelle Murphy from Jenkinstown who was with Catherine White from Upper Jenkinstown and husbands Diarmuid and Damian. Michelle she and Catherine were taken out, they did their best to make the best of it saying 'when you're out, you're out and you don't care'.

I then caught up with three sisters out for the night and they included Linda Connor from Lordship, Barbara Rice from Jenkinstown and Karen Morris from Cooley who were there with Linda's daughter Aine and Mark Dorian from Darver, Barbara's husband Tom who told me they were all going to have a wild and crazy for a great cause.

After this I met up with brother and sister Declan and Bronagh Keenan who were with Grainne and Gerard Smith all from Gyles Quay who were having a mad time and assured me once the Crawleys were in action it had to be an excellent night.

Making my way through the crowds I then got talking to Michelle Kirk from Carlingford who was with Geraldine McGrane from Riverstown who told me they were only there to see the Crawleys and were sure it was going to be an epic night for certain.

Not too long later I met up with Lorraine and Martin Finnegan from Jenkinstown who were up for a night of fun with Irene and Derek McBride from Jenkinstown who were there to support such a good cause and they got to see the Crawleys too!

Next I caught up with my old friend Darren Murphy from Railway Village who was with Cormac Crawley from Gyles Quay and Jim Holland from Railway Village who were looking forward to a great night and wanted to wish the organisers all the best.

I then headed over for a chat with Brendan O'Brien from Lower Point Road with his sister Jennifer O'Brien from Ballagan, Bridie O'Brien from Mullaghboy, Carol and Brendan Gallagher from Bellurgan who were there to make it a great night.

Meanwhile over at an adjacent table I then got talking to Martine Mulligan, Jackie Hawkins and Noreen Owens all from Belfast who were up for making the best of the night.

Yes, I must be stalking her at the moment, I then met Rosemary Coleman from The Loakers, Catriona Joyce from Castletown Road and Sue O'Loughlin from Dublin who weren't drinking and were looking forward to an excellent night for a great cause. It was the after party I was more interested!

Next I headed over for a chat with Fergus and Sharon Coburn from Kilcurry who were looking forward to the fundraiser, especially since the Crawleys were in action.

Finally, I met up with Margie Sloan and Teresa McShane from Belfast who were in great form and were on for making a great contribution to the night along with everyone else there.
Riverdance composer and producer Bill Whelan joins Zoe Conway and John McIntyre for their final performance in the series of summer afternoon concerts in the Heritage Centre, Carlingford on Sunday August 28.

The Grammy winning composer has worked as a producer with the likes of U2, Van Morrison and Kate Bush, has played with traditional groups including Planxty and composed soundtracks for films including Lamb, Some Mother's Son and Dancing at Lughnasa.

He is best known for his composition 'Riverdance' which was composed as the interval performance for the 1994 Eurovision Contest, The single Riverdance spent 18 weeks at No. 1 in the Irish charts and was a Top Ten hit in the UK. Riverdance The Show was first performed at the Point Theatre in Dublin in 1995 and since then it been seen by millions around the world.
Sarah Daly and Declan Breathnach TD at the official opening of the 'Into the Blue' exhibition at Verling Fine Art, Murphy's Lane, Blackrock

Paul Casey at the official opening of the 'Into the Blue' exhibition at Verling Fine Art, Murphy's Lane, Blackrock

Cllr. Mark Dearey (left), Cathaoirleach of Dundalk Municipal District, with Sarah Daly and Francis Verling at the official opening of the 'Into the Blue' exhibition at Verling Fine Art, Murphy's Lane, Blackrock

John, Mary and Anne Horan at the 'Into the Blue' exhibition at Verling Fine Art, Murphy's Lane, Blackrock

There's still time for art lovers to catch the 'Into The Blue' pop-up exhibition at Verling Fine Art, Murphy's Lane, Blackrock, as it continues until Sunday August 28.

The impressive exhibition of fine art, ceramics and glass was officially opened by Cllr Mark Dearey, Cathaoirleach, Dundalk Municipal District, who praised the quality and variety of art on show.

'We were delighted with the turnout,' said Sarah Daly, who with Francis Verling, organised the exhibition featuring the work of nineteen artists.

Local artists as well as a number from northern Ireland and further afield are exhibiting paintings, jewellery, ceramics, and glass.

Local artists including Patricia Murphy, Leanne Mullen, Garrett Mallon, Declan Honan, Nanette Ledwith, Sarah McEvoy and John Horan, are joined by artists from Northern Ireland such as Adam Frew, Catherine Keenan, Rebecca Killen, Valerie Giannandrea, Keith Sheppard, Malcolm Murchison, Helen Faulkner, Sasha McVey, Andrew Cooke, Limerick artists Tom Prendergast and Walter Verling HRHA, and American glass artist Scott Benefield.

'Some of these artists wouldn't get the opportunity to exhibit their work very often so it was great to be able to give them the chance to be seen by a wider audience,' continued Sarah.

The exhibition was timed to coincide with Blackrock's traditional big day out, August 15 which always brings an influx of visitors to the seaside village.

'We've been really busy throughout the week as the good weather brought a steady throughput of people,' said Sarah.

'There were lots of people coming in to see the work and there were also very healthy sales as well.'

She described the works on view as being 'very accessible with something for everyone,' with prices ranging from 15 or 20 for small ceramic pieces to 1,800 for larger work.

This is the second exhibition hosted by Verling Fine Art and Sarah confirmed that they are so happy with the response that they hope to hold another pop-up exhibition in the venue at Christmas time or earlier.

'We are really happy with the response and it shows that there is a demand for contemporary art work.

The exhibition continues until Sunday August 28 and is open daily from 10am to 5pm, or by appointment, phone 086 1792568.
home Tech LG V20 release date, specs rumors: Leaked photos released ahead of Sept. 6 launch

There are only a few days left before the much-anticipated unveiling of the LG V20 in the first week of September. However, alleged renders of the upcoming device have kept on surfacing on the internet since the news broke that LG was planning to release the successor of LG V10 this year.

Just recently, some photos of the supposed final look of LG V20 were leaked online. The source of the leaked images is none other than the well-known tech analyst and leaker, Evan Blass. He took on Twitter to post the photos of the LG V20, days ahead of the official launching on the smartphone on Sept. 6.

As reported by International Business Times, the latest leaked images from Blass look to be more official than the earlier photos posted. The new leaks show the front and back appearance of the LG V20. A secondary display can be seen on top or just below the earpiece, which is similar to the secondary display feature of the LG V10. The purpose of this secondary screen is to show the recent notifications and other extras such as network connectivity status. It may not be surprising for some people that LG will retain this feature for the LG V20 as it was one of the most well-received features of LG V10.

The most surprising detail in the latest leaked render for LG V20 is the new bottom bezel design sported by the smartphone. This is quite different from the previous leaks as the bottom bezel appears to be extended all the way down to give way for the LG logo. This may confirm that the LG V20 will not have the same removable bottom bezel like that of the LG G5 device.

Meanwhile, GSM Arena reported that the LG V20 may have the same back appearance as the LG G5. It is said to be equipped with a dual camera setup, further supporting the similarity. Other specs rumored to be featured by LG V20 are the 5.7-inch QHD display, Snapdragon 820 chipset and 4 GB RAM. The most celebrated new feature of the upcoming LG smartphone is the 32-bit Hi-Fi Quad DAC that will greatly improve the device's audio system. The LG V20 is expected to be the first smartphone in the world to be shipped with pre-installed Android 7.0 Nougat OS.
A wide range of County Louth charities benefited from the 10,210.97 court poor box fund in 2015.

New figures from the Courts Service revealed that the fund, which is made up from donations throughout the year at Dundalk district court, was used to benefit sixteen different good causes.

The largest sum was awarded to the County Louth Drug Outreach and Counselling group the biggest benefactors with 2,500, with Dundalk Simon Community receiving a 1,370 donation.

Also receiving funds were: The Asthma Society of Ireland (100), County Louth Drug Outreach & Counselling (2,500), Drogheda Homeless Aid Association (60), Drogheda St Vincent de Paul Conference (300), Dundalk Simon Community (1370), and the Garda Benevolent Trust Fund which was awarded 200.97,

A further 410 went to Garda John Brady, for the Juvenile Liason Office, the Muirhevnamor Community Youth Project (560), the North Louth Hospice (550), Rape Crisis Centre North East (1,060), Sgt Eugene Collins (700 for Senior Citizens Christmas party sponsored by Dundalk Community Policing Unit), and St Therese's Special Olympics Club which received 200.

St Vincent de Paul (Drogheda) was awarded 200, with St Vincent de Paul (Dundalk - St Malachy's) receiving 1,000, and the Alzheimer Society of Ireland 500.
Students coming to Dundalk Institute of Technology are facing an accommodation crisis as landlords are renting more and more properties to employees at multinational companies.

And in a bid to alleviate the problems faced by students who want to live in Dundalk, the college's students' union have asked those with spare rooms to consider renting to students.

In addition, the Union of Students in Ireland (USI) are to flyer 100,000 homes across Ireland, including in Dundalk, in an effort to secure accommodation for as many students as possible.

DkITSU vice president Paddy Duffy told the Argus that advertisements placed in the local media had yielded a lot of inquiries from people around Dundalk who have spare rooms to rent.

He said: 'The provision of digs have been a lot better since we put out the word, but we need to get the forms we've sent out back to ensure that places are ready for the start of the academic year.

'However, the availability of rented houses has been really poor; we are down a lot of houses this year, though, as I say, digs are starting to make a come back'.

Mr Duffy said that over the course of his own five years at the Dundalk IT, 'the availability of accommodation for students has been getting worse and worse'.

He said: 'There used to be a lot on offer but the increase in the numbers of people coming to Dundalk for work, especially for the multinationals, is taking accommodation options away from students'.

USI President, Annie Hoey, told the Argus that she was aware of PayPal and eBay professionals coming to Dundalk and eating into the already squeezed rental market.

She said the same type of issue had arisen in Maynooth, which, along with Dundalk, had been included in the government's plan for student accommodation, announced earlier this summer as part of the housing strategy.

And she said that while the long term solution is the construction of student-specific accommodation, but more rented rooms could help in the short term.

In addition, there is a severe shortage of purpose-built student properties, with around 200 rooms in Dundalk.

Mr Duffy said there was a lot of benefits to renting to DkIT students, not least the ability to earn up to 12,000 a year in rent tax free.

He said students living in digs were 'respectful because it is a family home' and it is 'good for people who may live on their own or who have grown-up children who live away to know there is someone else in the house'.

Mr Duffy added: 'The best bit is that you get to chose who you want to live with you while earning money from the extra space in your home'. He urged anyone who has a registration form to return it as soon as possible.

For more information on the process and to request a registration form, contact Paddy Duffy at 042 9370393 or 085 2781451 or email: vicepresident@dkitsu.ie.
The 9% vat rate on hospitality has been vital to rejuvenating the sector along the border, directly creating 831 new jobs over the last few years, according to a new report.

The report by the Restaurants Association of Ireland (RAI) entitled '9% VAT - Food, Tourism and Jobs' assessed the impact of the introduction of the new VAT rate in July 2011, when it was reduced from 13.5% to 9% for tourism related services and goods.

Adrian Cummins, RAI Chief Executive said maintaining the lower rate was vital, particularly after the vote by the UK to leave the European Union

'Given the uncertainty around Brexit there are no certainties, but the risks to Irish tourism from a sharp slowdown in the UK economy and weaker sterling are clear.'

'Against this background of intense uncertainty for the Irish economy in general and the Accommodation and Food Services sector in particular, it would not make sense to increase the VAT rate applying to the sector, given the extra vulnerability that has arisen from the Brexit vote.'

The report, which highlighted how the lower rate has benefitted the sector showed that along with the 831 jobs directly created in Louth, there were 382 indirectly created. The job creation also resulted in 16.6 million social welfare savings from employment in the hospitality industry.
Geraldine and Eimear Johnston at St. Vincent's Secondary School after Eimear collected her Leaving Certificate Results at the School

Eilis Harlin (left), Dara Conway and Michelle Halpenny checking over their Leaving Certificate Results at St. Vincent's Secondary School

Dundalk Leaving Cert students celebrated another bumper year as results day 2016 saw hundreds of pupils awarded their certificate.

At St. Vincent's School, there were joyous scenes after students nervously opened their envelopes.

Gathered with friends, family and teachers, they anxiously totted up points, squealing with delight as the final number proved they achieved what they needed, and in many cases much more.

'It's been an incredible year,' said principal Deirdre Matthews.

'We have 32 students who achieved over 500 points, and ten over 550.. a bumper year.'

She said that exam papers this year had proved tough, with 'predictability' from past papers proving more and more difficult.

Despite the challenges, St. Vincent's top student Aine Kelly celebrated an impressive 590 points, which she hopes has secured her a place to study medicine.

Another top student was Keziah D'Arcy from Haggardstown who scored 565 points.

Celebrating with parents Mags and Owen at the school gates, she also hopes to pursue a career in medicine.

It was a happy result too for Orla Brennan, from Blackrock, who admitted some last minute nerves!

'I think I didn't really believe the morning was here until I saw the school. But I'm happy with what I got,' saic Orla who hopes to pursue her studies at Trinity College.

There were more smiles for Eilish Martin, from Blackrock and Michelle Halpenny, Ardee, after they opened the results envelope.

Eilish added that she hopes to study primary teaching, while Michelle was assessing her options as the points race began.

At Dundalk Grammar School, students there gradually filtered in to collect their results.

'Overall, it's been a very good year,' said outgoing principal Cyril Drury.

'We've had a lot of very high points awarded, and students who will be very happy with their achievements.'

He said that despite concerns nationally about pass rates in Mathematics, Grammar Students had responded positively to 'Project Maths' initiative which had encouraged more and more young people to develop a flair for the subject.

With concerns also raised about an increase in points for many of the popular subjects, he added that students shouldn't be concerned, as there were a wide range of options available.

At O'Fiaich College there were celebrations too as students looked to the next stage of their education after Leaving Cert.

'Student's have performed very well in this year's leaving Cert,' said principal Padraig McGovern.

He added that careers advice was essential for all students as they assessed what their next step would be.

'Everyone of our students has something they can use, something they can bring to their future,' said Mr. McGovern.

He added that for students who didn't achieve the points they needed this year, the option to take up a PLC course and secure the college place they wanted next year was feasible.
A 25-year-old Dundalk man has been charged in connection with what Gardai have described as a 'completely unprovoked, racially motivated attack' on a Nigerian man during which, it is alleged, the victim was beaten a number of times and threatened with a knife.

Martin Smith, from Aisling Park, was, Gardai alleged, one of three men involved in the attack on the 49-year-old man as he was walking at the Castletown Road last Tuesday night. He has been charged with assault causing harm.

During a bail application at the vacation sitting at Dundalk District Court, it was alleged that Smith called the alleged victim 'a black bastard' after asking him the time. It is the State's case that the victim was' punched in the head' and 'ran for his life' before he fell and was attacked for a second time by the three men.

Garda Stephen Byrne claimed the victim escaped a second time, but was caught again by the trio and attacked once more before a 'good Samaritan, a witness' pulled the men off the victim. It is alleged that one of the attackers, not Smith, had a knife and hit the victim in the head with it.

Gda. Byrne claimed the witness was shown CCTV taken from close to the scene, which was, they say, 'very good quality'. The Garda said: 'This was racially motivated and totally unprovoked in any way, shape or form'.

He revealed that the two others alleged to have been involved have been identified from the footage and are 'being actively sought by Gardai'.

He was objecting to bail on a number of grounds, including the seriousness of the alleged offence. Gda. Byrne said the alleged victim received an incision to his head after one of the assailants, not Smith, 'stabbed him in the head'.

Gda. Byrne said the alleged victim is recovering and investigators are awaiting medical reports, though the man needed stitched and 'suffered bruising and other injuries'. He said he believed the case would not be dealt with at district court level and would end up being sent forward to the circuit court.

In addition, Gda. Byrne said, there were concerns that Smith would 'commit further serious offences' if granted bail.

Solicitor Niall Lavery said his client has no history of taking bench warrants and added that the 'very earliest' the case would be listed before the circuit court was October, adding that contested cases would not get a trial date to next year because of 'the considerable delay in the locality'.

Mr Lavery said his brother, Peter, also a solicitor, had attended at Dundalk Garda station the previous day to view the CCTV that was being relied upon to charge Smith and was unable to view it.

Gda. Byrne said this was correct, but the USB memory stick would not work on the PC in the room they were in. He said the CCTV is available for the solicitors to view.

Mr Lavery said it was his understanding that the incident had not been captured on CCTV.

Gda. Byrne said this was correct, and added that the witness 'saw the incident taking place beside his car and when he saw the CCTV from the area, he identified the man who he says attacked the victim'.

According to Gda. Byrne, the witness 'was not able to identify the man by name, but he was identified by the witness as the person involved and the Gardai identified him (Smith).

Mr Lavery said this was hearsay evidence and the charge against his client remains no more than an allegation. He said, and Gda. Byrne confirmed, that no knife has been recovered and the person alleged to have had the knife has not yet been arrested.

Mr Lavery said the only evidence against his client remains the CCTV which the solicitors have not been shown. He said Smith's innocence 'must be respected by the court' and the alleged evidence was 'not enough to stop the granting of bail'.

Judge William Hamill refused to grant bail and adjourned the case to Cloverhill District Court on August 25. He ordered that Mr Lavery be facilitated in viewing the CCTV 'as soon as possible'.
Dundalk solicitor Sean T O'Reilly last week travelled to Columbia where he is again leading the Irish delegation at this year's international delegation to Columbia where he will spend ten days meeting lawyers, human rights activists and community groups who live and work under threat in the South American country.

Earlier this month, Sean attended the launch of the judges' report into 2014 Columbia Caravana, which investigates, records and acts as a witness to crimes, abuse, harassment and killings of lawyers and human rights defenders in Colombia, which was held in Dublin and chaired by the Sunday Times journalist John Mooney.

Former Tanaiste Eamon Gilmore, who is the EU Rapporteur in Columbia, spoke of the hopes for future peace and development and the EU's role in attempting to facilitate and support this.

Sean is again leading the Irish delegation on this year's international delegation to Colombia, which left Ireland last week.

He said: 'It's a great honour to lead Irish lawyers and again we are the second biggest international contingent to travel to Colombia.

'It is all the more interesting this year given the recent ceasefire between the FARC and government forces there. This year, we are travelling to Cali on the Pacific coast of Columbia where we will be meeting community leaders, trade unionists and lawyers. And while the city is beautiful, we understand there is a lot of lawlessness there and a lot of harassment of community leaders and lawyers, including killings.

'One of the major differences this year is the ceasefire between the FARC (guerillas) and the government. There have been many false dawns on this front before and the peace process here wouldn't have the same choreography as the one in Ireland, with some vested interests in Columbia actually opposed to it'.

The group will help to gather testimony from those who are suffering harassment because of their work in Columbia and add to this year's judges' report 'so that people can see what's really happening here'.

Sean said: 'From the official point of view, there is no harassment, no-one is being killed and there's an attitude of 'there's nothing to see here'.

'But it is believed that lawyers may be under even greater threat now because of the massive 'development' going on in rural areas of the country where multinationals, including those from Europe, are putting pressure on local communities to sell their land so they can grow crops on a massive scale, or use the land for mining activities.

'We want these companies, many of which are headquartered in Europe, to ensure they apply the same standards in Columbia to their land acquisition and development as they have to in Europe. There are trade agreements between the EU and Columbia and it is hoped that lawyers can use these to their benefit so companies will adhere to the same guidelines around development that are applicable in the EU'.
Three people have appeared in court charged in connection with a major drugs seizure outside Dundalk last weekend.

Heroin with an estimated street value 210,000 was seized by Gardai after a car and a truck were stopped shortly after 3pm last Saturday as part of investigations conducted by Gardai and the PSNI.

It is alleged that 1.5 kilos of heroin were found in the car.

Martin Murphy (41) with an address at Cuirt Droim Art, Carrickmacross, Viktoras Aksinavicius (24) with addresses in Newry and Carrickmascross, and Auerliya Aleksejeva (30) of no fixed abode appeared before a special sitting of Drogheda District Court on charged in connection with the seizure.

All three re charged with unlawful possession of a controlled drug and having drugs for sale or supply on August 20.

Detective Garda Brian McDermott from the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau told Judge William Hamill he arrested Murphy on the N1 Northbound at 3.25pm and charged him.

The detective said he would have objections to bail because of the seriousness of the charge, the fact that the accused had an address in Northern Ireland and holds a Northern driving licence and travels north regularly for work.

However, Murphy's solicitor said he currently resides with his girlfriend in Carrickmacross and the address in Northern Ireland is an old one. She said his mother Bernadette Martin, an agency nurse, was in a position to provide 10,000 as surety.

She said Murphy was using a work van when he was arrested and it was very likely that employment would be terminated following his arrest. Garda Marguerite Reilly said she arrested Auerliya Aleksejeva near the Ballymac Roundabout.

Garda Reilly said she had concerns about bail as Aleksejeva had failed to give Gardai a valid address.

However, Aleksejeva's solicitor said the accused was in a relationship with Viktoras Aksinavicius and his mother had said they could both reside with her. She said her partner's mother and stepfather may be able to provide surety of 10,000.

The court heard that while Aksinavicius gave an address in Monaghan he has been living outside the jurisdiction at an address in Newry for the past month.

Judge Hamill said that having regard to the evidence and the objections to bail given he was refusing bail to Aksinavicius and remanded the defendant in custody to appear before Cloverhill Court on August 26th.

He remanded Auerliya Aleksejeva and Martin Murphy in custody with consent to bail with strict bail conditions including independent sureity of 15,000, that they surrender their passports, sign on daily at Carrick Garda Station and provide gardai with a mobile phone number.

Aleksejeva is to appear at Dundalk District Court on August 25 while Martin will appear before Cloverhill on August 26.
The search to find Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) is underway.

With a 2 million investment fund available, the enterprise initiative from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland run by the 31 Local Enterprise Offices around the country, supports young entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and direct financial investments.

With an available IBYE investment fund of 50,000 each, every Local Enterprise Office will award six investments to three category winners and three runners-up at county level. These are Best Start-Up, Best Established Business and Best Business Idea.

To enter, young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 inclusive are being asked to visit the IBYE website at www.ibye.ie, to submit their entry online. The closing date for entries is Friday, October 14 and there is no entry fee.

Further information and details are also available from the local Local Enterprise Offices.
Revelations by the HSE that there is no primary care psychology service to the under 18 population in the Dublin North catchment area, have been described by a local TD as 'scandalous'.

Reacting to the admission, Deputy Louise O'Reilly (SF) said it was 'deeply worrying' that in an area as populated, and which is seeing such massive growth, as Dublin North that there is no primary care psychologist available.

Deputy O'Reilly has been advised that a business case to recruit psychologists to address this deficit has been submitted by the Chief Officer to the National Primary Care Division.

'This should be a priority and the Minister needs to ensure that the resources are there. The establishment of the National Taskforce on Youth Mental Health was welcome, but where there are practical and real steps to be taken now, this should happen."'

Deputy O'Reilly said: 'In the last number of weeks the Minister of State with responsibility for Mental Health launched a National Taskforce on Youth Mental Health, a supposed community-led taskforce to take action to improve the mental health and well-being of children and young people in Ireland.

'However, the reality that there are young people without access to a primary care psychology service undermines the good will and intent of any taskforce set up.

'The HSE themselves have noted that this creates difficulties in relation to the ability to discharge to a more appropriate service when a young person is no longer in need of Child and Adolescent Mental Health Services .'

She said primary care and mental health are supposed to be major were of this Government's priorities but it is 'very clear that the intent and the actions are diametrically opposed at this current time'.

She added that many of the current problems in our mental health services particularly for young people were due to the failure to implement large sections of the reforms recommended by a Vision for Change over 10 years ago.

'This includes reforms such as increasing the number of child and adolescents mental health teams and in-patient beds, 24 hour crisis support and better access to primary care counselling services.

'All of these measures would go a long way to improving the situation for young people experiencing mental health difficulties today.'
home World Pastors in Sudan charged of lying about Christian persecution, could face death penalty

Two pastors in Sudan faced the death penalty as prosecutors charged them with seven alleged crimes, including lying about Christian persecution.

The trial for Rev. Hassan Abdelrahim Tawor and the Rev. Kwa Shamaal, members of the Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), started Sunday as prosecutors charged the two pastors of seven crimes, according to Morning Star News.

Christian Worldwide Solidarity (CSW) cited the charges that include execution of a criminal agreement (Article 21 of the Sudanese Criminal Code); waging war against the state (Article 51); espionage (Article 53); calling for opposition to the public authority by violence or criminal force (Article 63); exciting hatred between classes (Article 64); propagation of false news article (Article 66); and entry and photograph of military areas and equipment (Article 57). The violations of Articles 51 and 53 both merit death penalty.

"These innocent men now face the possibility of a death sentence on evidence that would not justify an arrest, let alone a conviction, given its paucity," said CSW's Chief Executive Mervyn Thomas.

The trial also involves Abdulmonem Abdumawla, a Muslim graduate from Darfur who raised a fund for his friend's medical treatment, Ali Omer. Omer sustained severe burns after joining a student protest at Quran Karim University in Omdurman last year. Rev. Tawor donated money, which didn't sit well with the Sudanese government.

National Intelligence and Security Services (NISS) reportedly targeted Darfuri students after a senior member of the National Congress Party (NCP) died in April last year.

CSW denounced the charged against Rev. Tawor and Abdumawla for "seeking to assist with medical expenses" and against Rev. Shamaal for "being a Christian and a friend of Reverend Abduraheem."

Rev. Tut Kony of the South Sudan Presbyterian Evangelical Church said even the arrest of two of their Presbyterian pastors in December 2014 and January 2015, respectively "is not something new for our church"

"Almost all pastors have gone to jail under the government of Sudan," Rev. Kony told the Presbyterian Church (USA). "This is their habit to pull down the church. We are not surprised. This is the way they deal with the church."
Residents have been affected by odours emanating from the Swords Waste Water Treatment Plant

A serious odour issue emanating from Swords Water Treatment Plant is having a detrimental effect on residents in nearby estates forcing them to keep their windows closed.

In recent weeks, residents in Gartan Drive have had to endure strong smells coming from the water treatment plant beside them.

According to Independent Councillor Justin Sinnott, who was contacted by concerned residents, the odour problem has been occurring for several weeks.

'Every now and then the odour becomes too much for local residents in Gartan Court, New Court and The Estuary estates, so much so that they can't even leave their windows open the smell is so strong,' said Cllr Sinnott.

'It's impacting on their quality of life and the valuation of their properties,' he said.

When contacted by the Fingal Independent, a spokesperson for Irish Water said the odour is caused due to the cleaning down of the treatment streams.

'In terms of the smell, if the weather is very warm or if there is a wind around, the odour can be quite strong when the cleaning of the treatment streams takes place.

'We hope to finish the cleaning treatment in a week or two and the slug has to be removed from the treatment streams.

'We apologise to the local residents as it is unfortunate but this cleaning only happens within five to ten years.'

Irish Water further confirmed 'daily inspections are carried out at the plant to ensure that it is operating correctly.

The odour control system at the plant consists of five mechanically operated odour control units and 14 passive odour control units on site. The activated carbon media in these units was replaced approximately two months ago. T

his media in these units has been recommended to be changed on an annual basis. A specific operating procedure is in place when the media in these odour control units are being changed.

This includes that the weather conditions including wind direction and wind speed are assessed before any work is carried out to change the media. These steps help to mitigate any odour issues in the area.'

Irish Water is investing 22 million to upgrade the Swords Waste water Treatment Plant.

Work on the upgrade is expected to be completed in the last quarter of this year.

This project is vital to address to provide future capacity at the plant and to ensure the plant will have sufficient waste water treatment capacity to support the continued economic and population growth in Swords.

Any complaints/concerns should be addressed to Irish Water at 1890 278278.
Two people were taken to hospital after an apparent gas cylinder explosion on a caravan site near Donabate.

The incident occurred shortly before 9.30pm last Tuesday night, August 16. It is understood the explosion came from a gas bottle on the site.

Emergency services attended the incident on the Donabate peninsula and took two people to hospital where they underwent treatment.

The pair were taken to Beaumont Hospital by ambulance.

Dublin Fire Brigade attended the incident and an investigation is underway into how it occurred.
Arklow Enterprise Town is taking place in St. Mary's College, Arklow on Friday, September 30 and Saturday, October 1, 2016.

Enterprise Town is a free event and represents a fantastic opportunity to showcase local businesses, clubs and societies as well as our local schools to potential new customers or new members.

The official Enterprise Town launch will take place on Thursday, September 1 in Arklow Library, Main Street, Arklow between 6.30 p.m. - 7.30 p.m. Please feel free to come along to the launch event for more information on the event and some refreshments on the night.

To be part of this fantastic initiative to network and profile, please contact your local Bank of Ireland branch, call Bank of Ireland Arklow on 07662 30619 or e-mail: derek.tobin@boi.com or paulaa.carroll@boi.com to be added to the participants listing.
Friends of the Murrough will celebrate Heritage Week by organising a walk on Sunday, August 28, named the Pat Kavanagh Broadlough Memorial Loop Walk.

The late Pat Kavanagh, who was a councillor for Wicklow, died suddenly last year. She was passionate about the Murrough and worked diligently to preserve this aspect of our heritage. Friends of the Murrough are pleased to take this opportunity to acknowledge and remember her as they lead a walk along this lovely stretch of coastline and explore the tidal lake with its rare bird and plant species.

Participants should meet at the Murrough car park at 2.30 p.m., beside the skate park that Pat helped bring to fruition. Pat was also an educator and children are particularly welcomed. This entire walk is not suitable for those with limited mobility, but the coastline is easily accessible and suitable for buggies. The walk will last for a couple of hours.

The increasing popularity of National Heritage Week reflects a shift in public levels of awareness and involvement in heritage at local level. Until recently heritage was seen as the exclusive responsibility of the state but the rise in the number of locally based events are all testament to Irish communities taking responsibility for their local heritage.
Four generations at the Hollywood Fair. Kate Nolan, Marie Healy, Annie Boche and Bernie Nolan

The picturesque village of Hollywood took a step back in time to the pre-1950s as the annual fair took place over three days featuring everything from sheep sales to a Guinness World Record attempt.

Many in attendance embraced the spirit of the occasion and dressed in eye-catching pre-1950s attire.

Things got under way on Thursday night in the GAA centre with an enjoyable ceili and set-dancing session.

On Friday evening, a production called 'Face the Short Kick-Out', written and performed by Blessington's Richard Lynch, took place in the Hollywood Community Centre.

This was followed by traditional music and singing in the Ceilidh House in the village later that same night.

Bishop Eamonn Walsh con-celebrated an old-style Latin mass in St Kevin's Church along with local clergy.

The congregation, most of whom were wearing clothes dating back before the 1950s, made their way to the service by pony and trap, vintage vehicles or simply by foot.

After Mass a slow-bicycle race was followed by a re-enactment of the 1916 executions at Kilmainham Gaol.

On Sunday, there was Guinness World Record attempt for the largest number of people, Men, Women and Children, wearing flat-caps at a single event. Participants are still waiting to find out if they are actual record breakers.

The renowned Lisdoonvarna match-maker Willie Daly attended the Fair on Sunday. Another major attraction was the sheep show, featuring competitions for the various categories which attracted some intense local interest.

And of course there was the usual exhibitions of traditional crafts such as blacksmithing, stonecutting, threshing, thatching, wood-turning and butter making.

The indoor handicrafts displayed included spinning, knitting and sewing. Among the items on display were vintage cars and farm machinery.

The festival finale featured a live performance by 'Feedback' which was enjoyed by all.
Dead Minke whale washes up on Shankill Beach at the end of Quinns Road

A dead whale washed up on the beach at Shankill last Friday morning.

The mammal had been seen off the coast at Greystones and Bray, before finally beaching in Shankill.

Dublin Coast Guard issued a small craft warning as the animal floated in waters off Killiney and Shankill on Friday.

Crowds of people made their way to Shankill to see the unusual sight. However the local authority sealed off the area and warned people to stay clear of the dead whale.

Padraig Whooley, sightings officer with the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, said that they know the whale was already dead before it landed on the beach because it was lying belly up. It appeared to be moving around to an extent because it was partly still in sea water.

According to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group, distinctive slices on the side and upper body of the whale suggest that the propeller of a ship may have killed it.

While this is the most likely cause of death, it is also possible that the damage may have been caused post mortem.

They said that the whale may have been forced inland due to windy conditions on Friday.

The group identified the mammal as a juvenile fin whale. At 10.9 meters it is too large to be a minke whale.

An adult fin whale can reach up to 25 metres. This is a rare record of what they said is the 'planet's second largest animal' on the east coast of Ireland.

This is only the third recorded stranding of this species on the east coast.

IWDG said that they have been calling for post mortem on unusual stranded sealife such as this.

However they said that this is unlikely. 'Necropsies on large whales on beaches is extremely difficult logistically and usually do not reveal the cause of death.'

As numbers of whales in Irish waters increase, more of them are expected to be seen washing up on beaches, according to the IWDG.

The whale was later washed back out to sea.
Wrestling champion Finn Balor was forced to relinquish his WWE Universal title due to injury less than 24 hours after taking it at SummerSlam against Seth Rollins.

Charnwood native Finn Balor, otherwise known as Fergal Devitt, became the inaugural WWE Universal Champion on Sunday night in New York. Now he faces surgery and a recovery time of up to six months.

The Bray man sustained the injury to his right shoulder when he absorbed a running powerbomb to the barricade at the hands of his opponent. 'He hit the wall during the match, dislocated his shoulder and was able to put it back in himself in a split second,' said ringside physician Dr Chris Robinson.

A true champion and made of tough stuff, Balor went on to finish the match. A subsequent MRI yielded results showing a 'possible labrum tear'.

The wrestler appeared with his belt on Monday night Raw to relinquish the title and hand it over, his arm in a sling. 'Rest assured that when I am healthy and when I am well and when I am fit, I will be back. And this title is the first thing that I'm coming for,' he told the crowd during the announcement.

Prior to the show, Raw General Manager Mick Foley tweeted that he and Commissioner Stephanie McMahon would accept the forfeiture.

Fans have been calling for the move which caused the injury to be made illegal in wrestling.

This setback followed a stunning performance by Balor in taking the title, painted up as the 'Demon King' and with his family to witness the great victory. He was the first man in WWE history to win a world title in his first pay per view event, just a month into his promotion to the main roster.

Just five years ago, Fergal Devitt performed to a full house in Wolfe Tone Youth Club alongside a host of other Irish wrestlers.

Even then he was a superstar, both in Japan and in wrestling circles on home soil.
The latest search to find Ireland's Best Young Entrepreneur (IBYE) is getting under way in County Wicklow this week, through the Local Enterprise Office Wicklow.

With a 2million investment fund available, including a 50,000 investment fund for Wicklow winners, the enterprise initiative from the Department of Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and Enterprise Ireland attracted 1,400 applications across the country last year and supported over 450 young entrepreneurs through training, mentoring and direct financial assistance.

The Wicklow arm of the initiative is co-ordinated by Wicklow Local Enterprise Office and begins with a nationwide competition across three categories at county level: Best Idea, Best Start-Up Business and Best Established Business. Successful applicants will be invited to 'Entrepreneur Bootcamps' in November, to help them develop their business and new venture ideas.

With an investment fund of 50,000, Local Enterprise Office Wicklow will award six investment prizes to three category winners and three runners-up, before the Regional Finals early next year.

The local winners in the Best Start-Up and Best Established Business categories will receive 15,000 each and the two runners-up will each receive 5,000.

The Best Business Idea winner locally will receive an investment prize of 7,000 and the runner-up will receive 3,000.

Sheelagh Daly, Head of Enterprise with Local Enterprise Office Wicklow explained said that the investment fund for the Wicklow winners is very important.

'The 50,000 investment fund for County Wicklow winners is a very important part of the competition and will help more young entrepreneurs to grow their businesses and create more jobs here locally. Other business supports, such as management training, networking and one-to-one mentoring are also at the heart of the IBYE competition.

'Four-hundred-and-fifty young entrepreneurs benefitted from these business supports last year, so the rewards are there for participants, as well as for the winners. Taking part in IBYE will help Ireland's young entrepreneurs to move their businesses to the next level, whatever stage their business is at,' she said.

The competition is now in its third year and last year's local winners were Ross Lawless, Calt Dynamics in the Best Business Idea category; Michael Carney, Raindrop Drinks in the Best Start-Up Business category and James Keogh, Rathwood in the Best Established Business category. The county's Best Young Entrepreneur for 2015 was James Keogh, Rathwood.

To enter, young entrepreneurs between the ages of 18 and 35 in County Wicklow are being asked to visit the competition website at www.ibye.ie, to submit their entry online.

The closing date to enter is Friday, October 14, and there is no entry fee.
Niamh Holland and Alfie at the Sharpshill, All About Animals Day

Andrea Driver, Harry and Nicola Lawlor at the Sharpshill, All About Animals Day

Harry and Isoblee O'Brien with Lucy at the Sharpshill, All About Animals Day

Oisin and Colette Walsh with Meg at the Sharpshill, All About Animals Day

A pup looking for a home at the Sharpshill, All About Animals Day

Sarah and Luke Kemp at the Sharpshill, All About Animals Day

Oisin and Enan Kearney at the Sharpshill, All About Animals Day

Alan Smale (centre) presents the Kathy Smale award to James Beattie Doyle and Wolfgang Von Teichman who saved 13 kittens abandoned in Carrick wood when they were out mountain biking at the Sharpshill All About Animals Day

Wicklow SPCA presented their first ever one-day workshop highlighting the importance of animal welfare at Sharpeshill Animal Sanctuary on Sunday.

The day included guest speakers from Dublin Zoo and the Irish Seal Sanctuary, as well as presentations on how to best look after your pet's well-being.

A highlight of the day was the presentation of the Kathy Smale Memorial Act of Kindness Award to James Beattie Doyle and Wolfgang Teichman. The pair were out mountain biking in Carrick Wood when they came across and rescued 13 kittens that had been left abandoned and defenceless to fend for themselves.

Gerry Creighton from Dublin Zoo spoke about their elephant breeding programme, while representatives from the Irish Seal Sanctuary explained the best practise if you come across seal pups or injured seals.

Mairead Berkley of Avondale Veterinarians touched upon just how important it is to have your pet chipped.

Nicola Lawlor of Doogywood Grooming in Kilmacanogue gave a demonstration on dog grooming, while dog show judge Pat Conroy was able to explain what exactly judges are looking for when adjudicating a show.

Past Animal Welfare Officer and Vet with the Department of Agriculture, Pat Byrne, discussed the positive implications of animal welfare on the farming community and animals in our care.
Intimate photos of Leslie Jones were posted online by the hackers (Invision/AP)

US authorities have launched an investigation into the hacking of Ghostbusters star Leslie Jones' website after intimate photos of the actress were posted online.

The Department of Homeland Security said it was looking into the breach, which saw the comedienne's personal information including her driving licence and passport published on the site.

An image of the dead gorilla Harambe also appeared in an apparent racist insult, along with personal photos of Jones posing with stars including Rihanna, Kanye West and Kim Kardashian West.

A spokesman for Immigration and Customs Enforcement, part of Homeland Security, said: " The investigation is currently ongoing. In order to protect the integrity of the case, no further details are available at this time."

Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton voiced her support for Jones, writing on Twitter: "No one deserves this - least of all someone who brings us so much joy. I'm with you."

Several celebrities including pop star Katy Perry, actress Patricia Arquette and Girls star Lena Dunham also defended the Saturday Night Live star, who quit Twitter last month after she was subjected to a barrage of racist abuse.

Perry tweeted: "Do not give your eyeballs to this racist, hate-filled, misogynoir crime. I StandWithLeslie."

Jones, 48, has not commented about the incident on social media.

The American actress, who was part of the all-woman line-up in this year's remake of Ghostbusters, called on Twitter to take more action against online trolls last month.

After sharing a string of racist tweets she had been sent, Jones tweeted: "I'm not stupid to not know racism exists. And I know it will probably live on way after me. But we have to make people take responsibility."

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A Twitter spokesman said at the time that abusive behaviour was "not permitted" on the site and the company relied on people reporting abuse.
Comedian Frankie Boyle has called for TV channels to be given quotas to ensure ethnic diversity because they are failing to implement it themselves.

Boyle said executives are good at bemoaning the problem but ineffective at bringing about change.

He told the Edinburgh international TV festival: "P eople who don't make television talk about how the channels like to tick boxes with ethnic diversity, or how they want female-led sitcoms but that doesn't seem to be true to me. Often when they get those shows they either get rid of them or they go 'well that box is ticked for a long time'.

"I just think they should just have quotas because they have been trying to do it for years.

"You see it at TV festivals when they bring out quite senior people from the BBC or channels who say it's terrible and you say, 'Well you are the f****** creative head of the BBC, just do it!' They are good at shrugging and have proved they can't do it.

"There should be quotas across the board and they should be forced to do it, it shouldn't be some young black comedian's job to make sure the BBC have representation, it should be the BBC's job."

Speaking during a panel in which he interviewed Catastrophe star and creator Sharon Horgan, he said he believed British comedy had moved to a safer place than before.

He said: "W e have a lot of gentle sitcoms and cross dressing and not that much challenging stuff. I don't know if that is because of economic crash and now we have a Prime Minister who didn't get elected but stepped out of a haunted mirror and we want something safer.

"After the crash Michael McIntyre became the biggest comedian in the country, maybe because we're trying to shut it out."

However, Horgan said she was optimistic about the future, touting the increase in places for people to find comedy.

Video of the Day

"With streaming like Netflix and Amazon (which shows Catastrophe in the US), it's not about pleasing a network but just making good stuff, performer/writer-driven stuff and it is getting back to authorship and people telling their own stories."
Poldark and its star Aidan Turner will returning for a new series (BBC/PA)

Fans of Poldark and The Fall were begged not to give away spoilers as they were given a first look at the highly-anticipated returning series at the Edinburgh International TV Festival.

The crowd whooped and cheered as they were shown the first episode of the second series at Poldark, which picks up hot on the heels of the devastating cliffhanger from April 2015, when Ross Poldark was arrested for murder and plundering a shipwreck and his wife Demelza was left alone on the Cornish cliff-top.

In the new series Ross faces capital crimes while he and Demelza are still dealing with the death of their daughter, Julia.

While the first episode takes on a dark tone, there is still much for fans of star Aidan Turner's shirtless scything scene in the first series to enjoy.

New characters are introduced in the second outing of Winston Graham's 18th-century saga, including Midsomer Murders star John Nettles as Ray Penvenen and Gabriella Wilde as his niece Caroline.

W1A star Hugh Skinner stars as Unwin Trevaunance, a prospective MP who hoping to marry the wealthy heiress.

New characters are also introduced in the first episode of the third series of serial killer drama The Fall, with Wallander star Krister Henriksson and Coupling actor Richard Coyle joining the cast.

Before the screening, one of the show's executive producers implored the audience not to reveal anything on social media, saying: "This is a treat, we don't want to spoil it."

At the end of last series, Jamie Dornan's serial killer Paul Spector appeared close to death in the arms of Gillian Anderson's troubled detective Stella Gibson after he was shot while in police custody.

The Fall will return to BBC Two this autumn while Poldark returns to BBC One on September 4.
State prosecutor Gerrie Nel looks down as Judge Thokozile Masipa reads her verdict during an appeal hearing brought by prosecutors against the six-year jail term handed to Oscar Pistorius for the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in Johannesburg, South Africa, August 26, 2016

A South African judge will not grant permission to state prosecutors to appeal Oscar Pistorius' six-year murder sentence, saying their petition had no reasonable prospects of success.

Judge Thokozile Masipa Masipa had sentenced the Paralympic gold medallist in July for murdering his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013, but the prosecution had said the decision was too lenient.

Expand Close Judge Thokozile Masipa reads her verdict during an appeal hearing brought by prosecutors against the six-year jail term handed to Oscar Pistorius / Facebook

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Whatsapp Judge Thokozile Masipa reads her verdict during an appeal hearing brought by prosecutors against the six-year jail term handed to Oscar Pistorius

Pistorius' defence had earlier argued the state was prejudiced and had dragged the case on for too long

"I'm not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success on appeal or that another court may find differently," she said in her ruling.

"For that reason, I grant the following order: The application for leave to appeal is dismissed with costs."

Pistorius did not attend Friday's hearing. Prosecutor Gerrie Nel, who had sought 15 years for Pistorius for the murder conviction, told Reuters he could not comment.

Expand Close Oscar Pistorius in July 2016 in court for an earlier hearing / Facebook

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It was not immediately clear whether the state would now directly petition the Supreme Court of Appeal.

Nel has said Pistorius had not shown any remorse and had yet to explain why he fired the fatal shots.

Women's rights groups say Pistorius has received preferential treatment compared to non-whites and those without his wealth or international celebrity status. His backers say he did not intend to kill Steenkamp.

Pistorius, who had the lower part of his legs amputated when he was a baby, says he fired four shots into the toilet door at his luxury Pretoria home in the mistaken belief that an intruder was hiding behind it.

His defence has argued that his disability and mental stress that occurred in the aftermath of the killing should be considered as mitigating circumstances.
Former UK Independence Party leader Nigel Farage appeared on stage at a rally with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump in Jackson, Mississippi, and said that if he were a US citizen, he "wouldn't vote for Hillary Clinton if you paid me."

On Wednesday night, Farage urged Trump's supporters to get out and vote "against the establishment" and spoke of the UK's decision to leave the EU as a positive example.

"They told us that our economy would fall off a cliff . . . and David Cameron - then our prime minister, but no longer - told us we might even get World War Three," Farage said.

"We saw the polling industry do everything they could to demoralise our campaign. On the day of the election itself, they put us 10 points behind. But actually, they were all wrong."

Introducing Farage, Trump likened Brexit to the upcoming presidential vote in the US.

Independence

"On June 23, the people of Britain voted to declare their independence - which is what we're looking to do also, folks - from their international government, which hasn't worked," Trump said.

"They voted to break away from rules, by large corporations and media executives who believe in a world without borders. They voted to reclaim control over immigration, the economy and over their government. Working people and the great people of the UK took control of their destiny."

Farage has long seen parallels between his insurgent campaign to get Britain out of the EU and the Tea Party wing of the Republican Party. After his side's surprise win in the June 23 referendum on Brexit, Farage sees Trump delivering a similar victory in the US, and he said he wanted to talk about the lessons from his fight.

Read more: Hillary Clinton blasts Nigel Farage for Trump rally attack

"With our well-aimed stone, like David, we've hit that big Goliath and we've knocked him over," Farage told the SuperTalk Mississippi radio network, adding that "the circumstances, the similarities, the parallels" with Trump are "uncanny".

Mississippi is a solidly Republican-voting southern state in presidential elections, and Democrat Hillary Clinton is not expected to be competitive there in November.

"The polls do not know what is going to happen," Farage said. He said Trump was right to be focusing on immigration, which drove the vote for Brexit.

"It was the key, it was the absolute key. Firstly it's about numbers - I mean, our population was 55 million in 1990. It's now 65 million, and they're the ones we know about! Trump is the candidate with whom things will change."

Read more: 'She's a bigot': Trump and Clinton get personal in vicious attacks on migrant policies

Trump supported the UK leaving the EU, even as the US government was taking the other side. He's since cited the issue as an example of how his judgment and political instincts are better than Clinton's.

"Crooked Hillary Clinton got Brexit wrong," he tweeted June 26. "I said Leave will win. She has no sense of markets and such bad judgment. Only a question of time."

Hint

Farage said the fact Trump lacked support from mainstream politicians on his own side need not be a problem. "The vast majority of our members of parliament supported staying in the European Union," he said. "The fact the Bushes, the fact the establishment are not backing the party's nominee, doesn't necessarily have to matter."

The former UKIP leader insisted, "as a foreign politician" he isn't going to tell Americans how to vote. But he did offer a hint: "I would not vote for Hillary, even if you paid me."

Farage stepped down as head of UKIP after the Brexit referendum. The party is currently electing a successor.
Three men have been charged in China following the murder of two women with mental disabilities whose corpses were to be sold for use in "ghost weddings"

Three men have been charged in China following the murder of two women with mental disabilities whose corpses were to be sold for use in "ghost weddings".

One of the men posed as a matchmaker for the women, but instead he killed them with an injection of drugs before taking them on a journey of hundreds of miles to face a grim burial.

'Ghost weddings' date back almost 3,000 years, and involve elderly bachelors being given 'brides' to be buried with when they die.

There were reports of a village in northern China earlier this year where 15 corpses had been stolen from their burial sites for use in the ancient ritual.

Families in rural China consider it bad luck for a single man to pass into the afterlife without a female companion at his side.

Superstitions

Despite efforts by Beijing to clamp down on superstitions, demand is said to be increasing for female corpses.

The three men, who police said were called Ma, Tang and An, sold one of the women's corpses for 35,000 yuan (4,600).

The men, who are all from China's northwest Gansu province, were stopped by police in April when they were driving the body of a dead woman to Shaanxi for the ghost wedding.

Ma confessed that he told the woman that they would find her a groom before injecting her with powerful sedatives, which caused her to die.

He killed a woman in similar circumstances in February and sold the body in Shaanxi.

He is now facing murder charges, while his two accomplices are facing charges relating to human trafficking and concealing the murder. The black market in selling human remains is believed to have grown in recent years as China's economic boom has seen the rural wealthy pay large sums to meet the needs of their deceased loved ones.

State media have previously said corpses of younger women can fetch up to 12,000. ( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
An Australian mother has described wrestling a kangaroo after it attacked her two-year-old daughter outside their home in Queensland.

Alerted by the scream of her six-year-old son, Argie Abejaron said she rushed outside to find the marsupial attacking her little girl, Mileah, on the ground.

"When I heard my son screaming, I dropped everything, ran outside, and saw Mileah on the ground," Ms Abejaron told the Fraser Coast Chronicle.

"The kangaroo was about the same size as me, and I thought I could take it on. But it was really strong.

"I kicked and wrestled the kangaroo, it tried to grab me but I didn't have anything it could hold on to."

Ms Abejaron was lucky to escape with just bruises and scratches after the animal pushed her to the ground.

When a shout from her neighbour distracted the kangaroo, Ms Abejaron managed to grab Mileah and pull her away to safety.

Mileah was rushed to Hervey Bay Hospital, where she received 17 stitches, the newspaper reported.

"One side of her face is scraped and across her body, she just has razor like marks. There are some marks on her neck too," Ms Abejaron said, adding the scars would likely remain for life.

Mileah's father Chad said she was returning to her normal self, except for her view of kangaroos.

"Kangaroos were Mileah's favourite animal, but not anymore," her father said.

"She now says, naughty kangaroo."

A wildlife ranger who visited the area after the attack counted 93 kangaroos around the house.

Now, Mr Abejaron wants something to be done to ensure this doesn't happen again.

"Something needs to be done; there are a lot of kangaroos there," he said. "We don't want any of them killed, but there is the possibility of having them relocated."

There have been a number of kangaroo attacks in Australia this year.

In May, two cyclists were attacked by an overpowering kangaroo in South Australia, while in Melbourne that month a motorist was driving in the dark when a kangaroo attacked his car.
A Czech woman who spent nearly a month alone in a warden's hut on a remote New Zealand hiking track after her male partner was killed in a fall spoke of her harrowing ordeal on Friday.

Pavlina Pizova said she heard Ondrej Petr's last breath and spent two freezing nights beside the body before leaving to find shelter at a hut at Lake Mackenzie on the country's South Island.

"As you can imagine the last month was very harrowing for me," a pale and emotional Pizova told a news conference at Queenstown's police station.

The pair had become disorientated when heavy snow covered markers on the hiking track before her partner fell to his death.

"The conditions were extreme," she said. "During this time I got extremely cold, exhausted and my feet were frozen".

Pizova said she made a few attempts to leave the hut in the past month but exhaustion and avalanches on the trail convinced her it was safer to wait and hope for rescue.

"Pavlina made the right decision to stay put and wait to be rescued," said Inspector Olaf Jensen of the district police.

She was only found because a consul for the Czech Republic, Vladka Kennett, spotted "a random Facebook post" from fraught relatives in the Czech Republic and informed the authorities.

Pizova expressed her gratitude to the New Zealand Land Search and Rescue, local police and the Department of Conservation for their efforts.

Pizova urged travelers intending to trek through the New Zealand mountains to be informed of the extreme winter weather conditions prior to starting their journey.

"I'm aware we made a few mistakes - not leaving our intentions with somebody, not carrying a personal locator beacon and underestimating the winter conditions," said Pizova.

A coroner's inquiry is underway into Petr's death. Television New Zealand reported he was 27 years old.
Mia Ayliffe-chung died after being stabbed at a backpackers' hostel in Australia (Tommy Martin/PA)

A British backpacker has spoken of his devastation and heartbreak after being caught up in an attack in Australia which ended with his friend being fatally stabbed.

Chris Porter, from Kent, has been discharged from hospital after reportedly damaging both ankles when he jumped from a second-storey window to flee the knifeman.

Mia Ayliffe-Chung, 21, from Wirksworth, Derbyshire, was killed in the attack at the Shelley's Backpackers accommodation in the Home Hill area of Queensland on Tuesday night.

A 30-year-old British man, named by police as Tom Jackson, was admitted to hospital with critical head injuries, while a 46-year-old local man suffered non-life threatening injuries.

In a Facebook posting, Mr Porter said: "I'm truly devastated and heartbroken about what has happened and I'm still in shock.

"Never thought I'd be heading back through that airport without Mia. I'd appreciate if everyone just gave me some time to myself for a while and I will get through all my inbox gradually."

Smail Ayad, 29, has been charged with one count of murder, two counts of attempted murder, one count of serious animal cruelty and 12 counts of serious assault.

Police are investigating reports that the Frenchman had an unrequited romantic interest or an "obsession" with Miss Ayliffe-Chung.

Superintendent Ray Rohweder, of Queensland Police, also said there was an indication that Ayad had taken cannabis on Tuesday evening.

Police have confirmed he shouted "Allahu Akbar" during the attack but said there is no indication that radicalisation or political motives were involved.

Mr Rohweder said there were a "number of concerns in relation to both officer and public safety" after the suspect allegedly attacked a number of officers.

The 12 serious assaults he has been charged with are in relation to 12 separate police officers. Ayad has had access to legal representation and the French consulate and has declined to be interviewed.

A post-mortem examination found Miss Ayliffe-Chung died from multiple stab wounds.

Her mother, Rosie Ayliffe, paid tribute to her, saying she was an "amazing young woman with an adventurous spirit".
At the 2016 IPCPR Trade Show, PDR Cigars launched an all-new line known as El Trovador. For this line, Master Blender Abe Flores was inspired from a couple of sources  his background as a musician (Flores played bass) and a recent visit to Cuba.

While visiting Cuba, Flores saw an old vintage cigar band with the name Trovador. The name Trovador translates to Troubadour. While a Troubadour is a French minstrel, it is also the name of the legendary night club in Los Angeles. Flores thought it would be a good name for a cigar and after returning home and running a trademark check, he went with the name.

For El Trovador, Flores went with very classic style packaging and banding. He recently told us on the Stogie Geeks Show that he wanted the cigar to stand on its own.

El Trovador consists of an Ecuadorian Rosado wrapper over a double binder (Nicaragua and Corojo) and fillers from Nicaragua. The cigar is released in four sizes with each packaged in 24 count boxes.

At a glance, here is a look at El Trovador:

Blend Profile

Wrapper: Ecuadorian Rosado

Binder: (Double): Nicaragua, Corojo

Filler: Nicaragua (2 parts Ligero, 1 1/2 parts Viso)

Country of Origin: Dominican Republic (PDR Cigars)

Vitolas Available

Petit Robusto: 4 1/2 x 50

Robusto: 5 x 52

Corona Gorda: 6 x 46

Gran Toro: 6 x 54
Nicolas Sarkozy, former head of the Les Republicains political party and a former French president, attends his first political rally since declaring his intention to run in 2017 for president, in Chateaurenard, France, August 25, 2016

Nicolas Sarkozy, former head of the Les Republicains political party and a former French president, attends his first political rally since declaring his intention to run in 2017 for president, in Chateaurenard, France, August 25, 2016

Nicolas Sarkozy, the former French president, called for a full burkini ban in France on Thursday night as he warned that immigrants, minorities and the Left were threatening to destroy French identity.

In the first big speech of his campaign to win back the office he lost in 2012, Mr Sarkozy stole many ideas of the far-Right Front National, promising to reclaim France for the French.

I refuse to let the burkini impose itself at French beaches and swimming pools ... there must be a law to ban it throughout the Republics territory, he said to thunderous applause during a speech in Provence, a stronghold of the Front National.

Mr Sarkozy went on to demand that all minorities and immigrants speak French and promised  for example  that he would never accept a France where men and women had separate timetables at public swimming baths.

Where is the authority when it is the minorities who govern? Never before has so much been ceded to them, said the 61-year-old who declared his candidacy on Monday.

I will be the president that re-establishes the authority of the state, he said, promising to protect the French and insisting it was not fascist to be concerned about security.

In a speech filled with conservative political red meat, Mr Sarkozy also promised to institute compulsory military service for dropouts who were not employed or in full-time education at the age of 18.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
A body is carried away by rescuers following an earthquake in Amatrice Photo: REUTERS / Ciro De Luca

Giulia Rinaldi was sleeping peacefully in her bedroom with her young sister Giorgia in the hillside village of Pescara del Tronto when their world came crashing down.

As the walls and ceiling shook and started to crack in the early hours of Wednesday morning, neither eight-year-old Giulia nor her four-year-old sister had time to rush out of the house into the night.

Expand Close A survivor, his face covered in dust, walks away from the rubble after being reunited with his dogs Photo: REUTERS/Remo Casilli / Facebook

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Whatsapp A survivor, his face covered in dust, walks away from the rubble after being reunited with his dogs Photo: REUTERS/Remo Casilli

Caught in the village worst hit by central Italy's 6.2 magnitude earthquake and with no adult to help them as masonry crashed down, Giulia threw herself on top of her sister, wrapping her in her arms.

They remained trapped like that for 16 hours.

The selfless act allowed Giorgia to escape unscathed. But it would be the last thing that Giulia ever did.

Her aunt, Francesca Sirianni (34) said: "The firemen told us that when they found them, Giulia was lying on top of her little sister and had given her life to protect her." One rescue worker said the pair were "locked in an embrace".

Expand Close A policewoman cries after looking at some of the damage in the village of Amatrice Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images / Facebook

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Whatsapp A policewoman cries after looking at some of the damage in the village of Amatrice Photo: Carl Court/Getty Images

Ms Sirianni said the girls' parents could do nothing when disaster struck. "Their father, Fabio, managed to pull out my cousin with her husband.

"But as he did so, he saw his daughters' little legs trapped inside their room and he was convinced they had both died."

Ms Sirianni spoke from an area beneath the village where rescue workers were erecting large blue tents to accommodate homeless survivors.

The recovery of Giorgia was a moment of elation in a grim 24 hours for exhausted rescue workers still searching in the faint hope of finding more survivors. The death toll from the earthquake across central Italy reached at least 250 yesterday and could rise further.

Angelo Moroni, a fire brigade commander, said: "It was a moment of great joy. To pull Giorgia out we had to dig with our bare hands."

He added: "I hope that Giorgia doesn't remember much of this - in fact I hope she forgets everything."

Ms Sirianni said that in hospital Giorgia asked after her grandmother, her parents, but not her sister. "I am sure that unconsciously she knows her sister is dead but is too traumatised to talk about it," she said.

The parents and their surviving daughter are recovering in hospital. The father badly broke his leg, while the mother broke several ribs and suffered internal injuries.

Sobbing, Ms Sirianni, said: "I have lost so many people - friends, cousins, second cousins. Pescara no longer exists. It has gone.

"How can we conceive of going back to a village that has become a cemetery? Can you imagine going past one house after another saying: here one friend died, here a relative was killed? I, for one, cannot."

Worst affected by the quake were the tiny towns of Amatrice and Accumoli near Rieti, 100km north-east of Rome, and Pescara del Tronto, 25km further to the east.

Houses have been cleaved in two, offering glimpses into the intimacy of people's lives - shelves full of books, cupboards containing clothes, and dust-covered kitchens. A small plot of vines has been wrecked by masonry.

Aftershocks rocked the village yesterday, terrifying survivors and rescue workers.

In the nearby village of Accumoli, tearful locals sat on plastic chairs outside their homes, now too dangerous to enter. "There's nothing left, there's nothing left," one woman screamed.

There have been nearly 500 aftershocks since the initial quake. Despite the danger, rescue workers continued to comb through mounds of rubble and twisted metal.

"We worked all through the night and we won't stop until we are sure there is no one else left to find," said fireman Danilo Dionisi (48). "We're still hoping to pull someone out alive."

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Syrian soldiers are seen at the entrance of Daraya, a blockaded Damascus suburb (AP)

Syrian rebels and civilians have started leaving a ravaged and long-besieged suburb of Damascus as part of a deal struck with the government.

The first bus with rebels and their families emerged from inside Daraya on Friday, surrounded by armed Syrian army troops.

Under the agreement, the rebels will be allowed safe passage to the rebel-held northern province of Idlib, while the civilians will be taken to a shelter south of Daraya.

Daraya's rebels struck the deal late on Thursday, after four years of gruelling bombardment and a crippling siege by government forces that left the sprawling suburb south west of the capital in ruins.

The United Nations called for the protection of people being evacuated from the suburb and said their departure must be voluntary.

A statement issued by the office of the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said the UN was not consulted or involved in the negotiation of the deal reached between rebel factions and government forces in Daraya.

Under the terms of the agreement, some 700 gunmen and 4,000 civilians are to evacuate the suburb.

The statement said "the world is watching".

It described the situation in Daraya as "extremely grave" and said it was "tragic" that repeated appeals to lift the siege of Daraya had never been heeded.
A cleaner wears a mask to protect himself from the hazy weather in Singapore (AP)

Office workers wear masks to protect themselves from the hazy weather in Singapore (AP)

Six Indonesian provinces have declared states of emergency as forest fires blanketed a swathe of South East Asia in a smoky haze.

Singapore's air quality deteriorated to unhealthy levels on Friday as winds blew smoke from fires on Sumatra, where millions of people are already affected by haze, across the city-state and into southern Malaysia.

The number of hotspots detected in Sumatra and Borneo by weather satellites has increased in the past month, though they are below levels last year when massive fires in Indonesia caused a regional crisis.

Singapore's three-hour air pollution index was at 157 by late afternoon, after peaking at 215. Its environment agency does not give a health warning with the limited duration index, but on a 24-hour basis it says levels above 100 are unhealthy and above 200 very unhealthy.

"The smell of smoke woke me up. I thought something was burning outside," said Singaporean copywriter Lim Jia Ying, who put on a mask for her commute to work.

"I'm having a cough and it's getting worse. Luckily, I found a face mask at home," she said.

Indonesia's Disaster Mitigation Agency said six provinces which have a combined population of more than 23 million people have declared emergencies, allowing firefighting measures to go into full effect, including aerial water drops.

The haze is an annual problem for South East Asia, but last year's fires were the worst since 1997, straining relations between Indonesia and its neighbours. About 261,000 hectares (644,931 acres) burned, causing billions of pounds in economic losses for Indonesia.

Many of the fires are deliberately set by agricultural conglomerates and small-time farmers to clear forests and peatland for plantations.

National police chief Tito Karnavian said that 85 people have been arrested this year for starting fires.

About 2,800 hectares (6,918 acres) have burned so far this year, according to Indonesia's Forestry Ministry.

Indonesia's Supreme Court rejected an appeal by palm oil company Kallista Alam, which was ordered to pay compensation of 366 billion rupiah (21 million) for burning peatlands, according to a decision published this month on the court's website.

AP
Judge Thokozile Masipa reads her verdict during the state appeal hearing at the High Court in Johannesburg, South Africa (AP)

A South African judge has dismissed an appeal by prosecutors for a harsher sentence against Oscar Pistorius, who was found guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend in 2013.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said the state's appeal to extend the six-year sentence against the 29-year-old double amputee Olympic sprinter had a limited prospect of success.

"I am not persuaded that there are reasonable prospects of success for an appeal," she said in the South Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg.

Pistorius shot Reeva Steenkamp, 29, in the early hours of February 14.

He claimed he thought she was an intruder. The state charged that he shot her in anger after an argument.

Pistorius was found guilty of murder and sentenced by Judge Masipa to six years in prison.

The sentence was "shockingly light" and the judge should have used a 15-year minimum as a starting point as Ms Steenkamp had suffered a "horrendous death", said prosecutor Gerrie Nel.

Pistorius never offered an acceptable explanation for having fired four shots through the toilet door, he said.

The fact that Pistorius fired four shots using hollow point bullets that are designed to inflict maximum damage meant the possibility of death was more likely and should have been an aggravating factor, said Mr Nel.

The state may appeal against Judge Masipa's decision at the Supreme Court of Appeals in the city of Bloemfontein, but is yet to indicate whether it will do so.

AP
Turkey sent tanks across the Syrian border this week to help Syrian rebels retake a key Islamic State-held town (AP)

A Kurdish suicide bomber has rammed an explosives-laden truck into a checkpoint near a police station in south-east Turkey, killing at least 11 officers and wounding 78 other people, the prime minister said.

The attack struck the checkpoint 50 metres from a main police station near the town of Cizre, in the mainly Kurdish Sirnak province that borders Syria.

Television footage showed black smoke rising from the mangled truck and the three-storey police station gutted from the powerful explosion.

Rebels linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party, or PKK, claimed the attack - the latest in a string of bombings by the group targeting police or military vehicles and facilities.

Prime minister Binali Yildirim vowed to "destroy the terrorists".

"No terrorist organisation can take the Turkish Republic hostage," he told reporters in Istanbul. "We will give these scoundrels every response they deserve."

"This attack, which comes at a time when Turkey is engaged in an intense struggle against terrorist organisations both within and outside its borders, only serves to increase our determination as a country and a nation," President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said.

Turkey has sent tanks across the Syrian border following weeks of deadly attacks by the PKK and the Islamic State group. The operation aims to help Syrian rebels retake Jarablus, a key IS-held border town, and to contain the expansion of Syrian Kurdish militia who are linked to the PKK.

Heightened PKK attacks inside Turkey could prompt Turkey to take bolder moves against the Syrian Kurds. On Thursday, the state-run Anadolu Agency reported that Turkish artillery fired at Syrian Kurdish fighters who were advancing north towards Jarablus despite Turkish warnings for them to retreat.

In a statement on the website of the PKK's military wing, the militant group said the Cizre attack was in retaliation for jailed PKK leader Abdullah Ocalan's "isolation" on his prison island off Istanbul. The rebel leader has been denied visits since April 2015, as a peace process between the PKK and the government began to falter.

Violence between the PKK and the security forces resumed last year, after the collapse of the two-year peace process in July. Hundreds of security force members, militants and even civilians have been killed since.

At the same time, Turkey has been afflicted by deadly attacks blamed on IS militants, including a suicide bombing at a Kurdish wedding in south-east Turkey last week that killed 54 people and an attack on Istanbul's main airport in June that killed 44 people.

According to the Sirnak governor's office, three of those wounded in Friday's attack were civilians.

Cizre was placed under 24-hour curfew for several weeks earlier this year as the security forces launched operations to root out Kurdish militants.

Since hostilities with the PKK resumed last summer, more than 600 Turkish security personnel and thousands of PKK militants have been killed, according to the Anadolu Agency. Human rights groups say hundreds of civilians have also been killed.

The PKK is considered a terror organisation by Turkey and its allies. Some 40,000 people have been killed since the conflict started in 1984.

The attacks on police come as the country is still reeling from a violent coup attempt on July 15 that killed at least 270 people. The government has blamed the failed coup on the supporters of US-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen and has embarked on a sweeping crackdown on his followers.

On Thursday, Kurdish rebels opened fire at security forces protecting a convoy carrying Turkey's main opposition party leader Kemal Kilicdaroglu in the north east, killing a soldier and wounding two others, officials said.

The rebel statement on Friday said the target of the attack was Turkey's security forces, not Mr Kilicdaroglu.

AP
Police in Brazil were told Pat Hickey was the big chief of ticketing for the Olympic Council of Ireland (OCI) during a meeting with two executives on Thursday night.

Chef de Mission Kevin Kilty and CEO Stephen Martin spoke to police in Rio for four and a half hours on Thursday.

Their colleague Honorary General Secretary Dermot Henihan, met with police on Tuesday.

Ronaldo Oliveira, head of specialised operations units with the Civil police, told reporters after the meeting that the men are witnesses, not suspects.

Expand Close Kevin Kilty and Stephen Martin in Rio after meeting with police. Picture Steve Humphreys / Facebook

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He said that police continue to hold their passports but the men will most likely see them returned in the coming days.

Mr Oliveira said: "The two testimonies were very good; they fully collaborated with the investigations. We will continue the investigations, and forensics. Investigators are very happy with the testimonies given today. Soon, we will have more actions. They were here as witnesses, important witnesses.

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"They collaborated and confirmed the participation of Patrick Hickey as the big chief of this operation. All practices are determined by him. We were able to put together the jigsaw and well soon have more actions.

He said police are going to intensify investigations.

Tomorrow we will be joining together forensics. Weve already activated the money laundering arm. Interpol has already been activated."

Asked when he will return the men's passports Mr Oliveira said: "We are going to put together other evidence and emails. Then we will decide whether to solicit the return of their passports. At this point, there is a good chance they will be returned.

He continued: "There is not enough evidence to indict them so it is likely they will get their passports but I cant guarantee it."

Asked if they can leave the country Mr Oliveira said: "None of the three have authorisation to leave the country at the moment. We dont have the intention to keep their passports.

Expand Close Stephen Martin, chief executive of the Olympic Council of Ireland, and Kevin Kilty, OCI chef de mission Photo: Steve Humphreys / Facebook

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Whatsapp Stephen Martin, chief executive of the Olympic Council of Ireland, and Kevin Kilty, OCI chef de mission Photo: Steve Humphreys

Both men arrived at the station shortly after 1.30pm (5.30pm GMT) dressed in Team Ireland tracksuits.

Mr Kilty told reporters before arriving "we are here to cooperate" before entering the Cidade de Policia (Police City) in northern Rio.

Police were looking to speak with them about alleged ticket touting at the Rio Olympics.

Former OCI president Pat Hickey (71) has been detained at Gericino penitentiary - known locally as Bangu prison - in West Rio since last Friday.

Expand Close Stephen Martin Olympic Council of Ireland Chief Ececutive (right) and Kevin Kilty OCI Chef de Mission (left) arriving to give a deposition at Police City in Rio de Janeiro. Pic Steve Humphreys / Facebook

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He has been formally accused under Brazilian law of ticket touting, running a cartel and illicit marketing.

Mr Kilty and Mr Martin left the station shortly after 6.15pm (10.15pmGMT) with Mr Kilty telling reporters: "We are happy to have cooperated."

On Sunday police executed a warrant for the seizure of passports belonging to Mr Kilty and Mr Martin and that of their fellow board member Honorary General Secretary Dermot Henihan.

Warrants were also issued for the seizure of passports belonging to FAI chief executive and OCI vice president John Delaney, acting OCI president Willie O'Brien and personal assistant Linda O'Reilly. But they were not in Brazil at the time of the court order.

Officers were keen to ask Mr Kilty why he had 228 unused tickets in his room when they executed a warrant last Sunday.

Asked about this discovery Mr Oliveira said: "All the facts from todays testimony will be checked out with other data and all of this will be passed to press at a press conference. They are focusing with the judiciary to verify the facts. Possibly pass to press afterwards

"They [Mr Kilty and Mr Martin] are witnesses. Neither of them were indicted.

Speaking to the Irish Independent on Monday Mr Kilty denied having any knowledge of the alleged ticketing scam.

He revealed that the raid on Sunday was as out of the blue for us as it was for anyone else.

I'm just absolutely shocked and amazed. This is unprecedented, it was the last thing I would ever have expected.

We are here to cooperate. We will fully cooperate with the police, we have nothing to hide. We are here to do a job, we have always been here to do a job.

All I can do is speak honestly and that's what I intend to do.
Angela Merkel is in Warsaw for talks with four central European leaders about the shape of the EU after Britain leaves (AP)

German chancellor Angela Merkel said Britain's decision to leave the European Union has exposed the need for better communication within the bloc as it faces security and economic challenges.

Mrs Merkel spoke in Warsaw ahead of talks with the leaders of four central European nations about the future of the EU after Britain leaves.

The leaders will also discuss migrants, humanitarian aid for them and how to strengthen the economy.

Mrs Merkel was meeting the prime ministers of Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia ahead of an EU summit planned in Bratislava, Slovakia, next month - without Britain - that is to discuss issues stemming from Britain's vote to leave the group.

It is "important to listen to each other in different formats", Mrs Merkel said.

"Because Britain's exit is not just any event - it is a deep break in the European Union's history of integration, and so it is important to find a careful answer."

She praised the initiative to hold the forthcoming summit in Bratislava, saying that almost always holding meetings in Brussels "perhaps has something to do with us sometimes lacking a bit in closeness to life and to a feeling for what makes Europe".

Other leaders said Europe needs better security and protection of its borders and insisted on the idea of a European army and border guarding force.

The four nations have been critical of many EU policies, including ones pressing for nations to accept many more migrants.

They are also pushing for changes that would give individual EU members more leeway to decide their course, saying the EU's rigid policies have led to the British departure.

EU authorities, meanwhile, are scrutinising Poland's rule of law.

AP
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's government used chemical weapons in attacks on civilians, the United Nations has confirmed in a report.

In its clearest apportioning of blame to date, the UN and the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) has concluded after a year of investigation that the regime used chlorine gas on its own population.

The report identified two incidents in which the Assad regime unleashed the gas in Idlib province on April 21, 2014, and March 16, 2015.

At least three children died and hundreds were admitted to hospital with breathing problems and burns after the attacks.

While chlorine is not banned under the Chemical Weapons Convention, its use as a weapon against civilians is.

In September 2013, Syria accepted a Russian proposal to relinquish its chemical weapons stockpile and join the convention.

That averted a US military strike in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack that killed hundreds in the Damascus suburb of Ghouta the previous month.

Assad allowed in OPCW inspectors and handed over what was declared to be the last of the toxic material in June 2014.

Since then the government has been accused of using chemical agents in dozens of attacks, most of which have not been independently investigated.

Ned Price, US National Security Council spokesman, said: "It is now impossible to deny that the Syrian regime has repeatedly used industrial chlorine as a weapon against its own people."

The United States will seek accountability at the UN and the OPCW and has placed "a high priority" on targeting the Isil militant group's chemical weapons capabilities, Mr Price said.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, France's foreign minister, called the use of such chemicals an "abomination" and urged the UN to respond.

The Security Council passed a resolution that pledged to evoke Chapter 7 of the UN Charter, which authorises military force and sanctions, if chemical weapons were transferred to or used in Syria.

The Council is scheduled to discuss the report on August 30, but whether it will take any action remains to be seen.

Russia, one of Assad's chief allies in the war and a veto-holding member of the Council, will almost certainly block any proposal of sanctions.

The 'Daily Telegraph' newspaper, alongside Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a chemical weapons expert and former army officer, tested soil samples in 2014 from villages in Idlib province that suffered gas attacks. It tested positive for chlorine and ammonia.

The findings were sent to the UK's Foreign Office and shared with former prime minister David Cameron.

"At last we have the unequivocal evidence of these chemical attacks and at last the UN have felt they can attribute blame to Assad and Isil," Mr Bretton-Gordon said. "In this new determined spirit by the UN, I hope the UNSC will take demonstrative action when it discusses the findings on Tuesday.

"For starters, a helicopter no-fly-zone over civilian areas will stop chemical weapons and napalm use immediately, and will also stop the indiscriminate high explosive barrels bombs which have killed 100s of thousands of innocent civilians."

Assad's visit to the International Criminal Court and sanctions are secondary but important."( Daily Telegraph, London)

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2022]
Jessica Jin, leader of the protests called Cocks not Glocks, is seen at a protest against a state law that allows for guns in classrooms at college campuses, in Austin, Texas, U.S. August 24, 2016. , in Austin, Texas, U.S. August 24, 2016

Hundreds of University of Texas students waved sex toys at a campus rally during the first day of classes, protesting a new state law that allows concealed handguns in college classrooms, buildings and dorms.

Organisers said the sex toys were used on Wednesday to mock what they consider an absurd notion that guns should be allowed in academic settings. The law took effect on August 1.

Expand Close A University of Texas student attends a protest against a state law that allows for guns in classrooms at college campuses, in Austin, Texas, U.S. August 24, 2016 / Facebook

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Whatsapp A University of Texas student attends a protest against a state law that allows for guns in classrooms at college campuses, in Austin, Texas, U.S. August 24, 2016

Students and faculty at the Austin campus fiercely opposed allowing licence holders aged 21 and older to carry their concealed handguns to class. One prominent dean left the school after the law passed in 2015. Several faculty members attended the rally.

Organisers said they distributed more than 4,500 free sex toys.

We have crazy laws here but this is by far the craziest, that you cant bring a dildo on to campus legally but you can bring your gun. Were just trying to fight absurdity with absurdity, Rosie Zander, a 20-year-old history student, told the Guardian.

We wanted something fun that people could really engage in. Because its hard to get involved in the political process at our age, people our age dont tend to vote or get involved, and this is so easy.

"Strap a dildo on and youre showing the Texas legislature this is not a decision we wanted.

The protest came two days after a US district judge denied a motion from three University of Texas professors who wanted to ban guns in their classroom.

The professors had argued academic freedom could be chilled under the so-called "campus carry" law backed by the state's Republican political leaders.

But US District Judge Lee Yeakel said the professors had "failed to establish a substantial likelihood of ultimate success on the merits of their asserted claims," and denied a motion for an injunction to ban guns.

"It appears to the court that neither the Texas Legislature nor the (university's) Board of Regents has overstepped its legitimate power to determine where a licensed individual may carry a concealed handgun in an academic setting," Mr Yeakel said.

Republican lawmakers said campus carry could help prevent a mass shooting.

"There is simply no legal justification to deny licensed, law-abiding citizens on campus the same measure of personal protection they are entitled to elsewhere in Texas," Attorney General Ken Paxton, a Republican, said.

The Texas campus carry law took effect as the University of Texas held a memorial to mark the 50th anniversary of one of the deadliest US gun incidents on a college campus.

On August 1 1966, student Charles Whitman killed 16 people in a rampage, firing from a perch atop the clock tower at the University of Texas at Austin, the state's flagship public university.

Texas has allowed concealed carry since 1995 but had kept college campuses gun-free until this year.
The same man who claimed that God sent natural disasters to punish gay people has been accused of smuggling approval for "gay conversion therapy" on to the Republican national agenda.

Tony Perkins, president of the conservative campaign group the Family Research Council, has never made his loathing of homosexuality a secret and once claimed that paedophilia was a "homosexual problem".

Now LGBT campaigners accuse him of smuggling his agenda on to the Republican manifesto by committing candidates to a programme that allows parents to choose whatever treatment they wish for their children despite conversion therapy - viewed by conservatives as a "cure" for homosexuality - being banned in five states.

Mr Perkins, along with other conservatives, made his move during the Republican National Convention in Ohio last month, where he read out a proposal to allow parents to send their young children to conversion therapy.

As reported by the Daily Beast, the proposal ran into objections from Anne Dickerson, a Republican platform committee member from New York.

She described the anti-gay agenda at the RNC was "provocative" and "outrageous".

"Stop repelling gays, for Gods sake. I mean honestly, paragraph after paragraph, so I must object to this and I hope I am supported," she said.

After the RNC members reportedly huddled together to discuss the issue, the proposal was watered down and passed under the new wording.

As it stands, the provision reads: "We support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children."

Shannon Price Minter, legal director of the National Centre for Lesbian Rights, said the new wording of the "watered down provision fooled no-one.

"Weve ended up with a provision that doesnt explicitly mention conversion therapy but everyone knows thats the intent, and the folks behind it were really promoting conversion therapy," he told The Independent.

"Its the most anti-LGBT Republican agenda weve ever had," he added.

Gay conversion therapy is illegal for minors in the states of LIST but the practice is legal in the rest of the country.

There is no written record of the RNC event, according to the Daily Beast.

Mr Perkins insisted to the publication that he did not discuss or want to include any mention of conversion therapy, and said any reports to portray otherwise were "misleading".

His church recently received a $100,000 donation from Donald Trump after the Louisiana flooding.

On the Family Research Councils website, homosexuality is described as "unnatural" and "dangerous to society". 
Food lovers and chefs in Italy and beyond are urging restaurants to serve up more pasta all'amatriciana in a move to support the quake-hit home town of the hearty dish.

The rustic food, made of tomato sauce with pork jowl and topped with pecorino cheese, comes from Amatrice, which was destroyed by this week's earthquake, and the idea is for some of the proceeds to go to help the devastated areas rebuild.

Residents in the medieval hilltop town had been preparing to host an annual food festival this weekend dedicated to the dish.

Instead, they will be burying the many dead men, women and children killed before dawn on Wednesday in the violent quake.

Altogether three towns were devastated, with 267 people killed, 207 of them in Amatrice.

Now some food lovers hope that they can at least harness the symbol of the devastated town that lost the most for a good cause.

Italian food blogger and graphic designer Paolo Campana launched an appeal on Wednesday, saying on Facebook: "We have to move fast."

"Pasta all'amatriciana is a symbol," he said. "So I decided to use this symbol to help."

He has asked restaurants to put the dish on their menus and donate two euro (1.70) per meal sold directly to the Italian Red Cross, which is participating in relief efforts in the affected areas in the Apennine mountain region of central Italy. One euro would be donated by the customer and one by the restaurant.

He said he knows it is not a lot, but that if many people take part it could make a real difference.

Since his appeal, other voluntary initiatives have been cropping up in Italy, even in regions where the dish is not typically eaten. The effort has also gone international.

British celebrity chef Jamie Oliver said on Facebook that he and 700 chefs at his Jamie's Italian UK restaurants, an international chain, will be serving up pasta all'amatriciana and donating 2 per dish sold to help the rescue effort in Italy.

Oliver told his Instagram followers that "this could really make a difference", and that money will go to firefighters, camps, food, clothing and medical assistance.

"I think we can easily make thousands and thousands of pounds to help," Oliver said.

Carlo Petrini, founder of Slow Food International, which promotes traditional cooking with sustainable ingredients, has also called on restaurateurs worldwide "to put the symbolic dish of this devastated town on their menus".

The effort is also generating interest on social media under the hashtag #virtualsagra.

The heart of the yearly pasta festival, called a sagra, was the local Hotel Roma, which had a restaurant which served up the dish.

Now the hotel is in ruins, with several people killed under its rubble.

"Let's hope that it (Amatrice) will be reborn again," Luca Palombini, the assistant chef at Hotel Roma, said, speaking from the San Salvatore Hospital in L'Aquila, where he was recovering from a broken foot.

"Amatriciana will be even better, the spaghetti all'amatriciana. I hope it will be reborn and that we will move forward, even better than before."

AP
In this frame-grab taken from Nasa Television, a SpaceX Dragon capsule, right, separates from a robotic arm of the ISS (Nasa via AP)

A SpaceX Dragon capsule has returned to Earth with scientific gifts from the International Space Station (ISS).

Nasa astronaut Kate Rubins waved goodbye as the Dragon slowly flew away on Friday morning.

Six hours later, the spacecraft parachuted into the Pacific, just off Mexico's Baja California coast.

It is loaded with 3,000 pounds of research and equipment, including 12 mice that flew up on the Dragon as part of a genetic study.

"Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed," SpaceX reported via Twitter.

Ms Rubins and Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi used the big robot arm to release the capsule.

Mission Control thanked the astronauts for their efforts, then added: "To the Dragon recovery team, fair winds and following seas."

The Dragon delivered a new docking port last month that will be used in another year or two by SpaceX and Boeing, which are developing crew capsules for Nasa.

With its shuttles five years retired, the space agency has turned over orbital deliveries of both cargo and astronauts to private companies, in order to focus on Mars exploration.

In the meantime, Nasa astronauts travel in Russian capsules to the space station.

SpaceX is the only space station shipper capable of returning items for analysis back to Earth, which is why the Dragon is so important to Nasa.

Everyone else's cargo ships are filled with rubbish at mission's end and burn up on re-entry.

AP
Two nuns who worked as nurses and helped the poor in rural Mississippi were found slain in their home amid signs of a break-in and that their car was stolen.

The nuns were identified as Sister Margaret Held and Sister Paula Merrill. The women were found when they did not report to work at a nearby hospital.

Give a dog a bad name

A Nigerian man is being charged for provoking people and "breach of peace" by naming his dog after President Muhammadu Buhari and painting the name twice on the pet, police said.

"The man bought a dog, named it Buhari, wrote Buhari on both sides of the dog and paraded it in front of people from the north," a police spokesman said.

Sex-toy gun protest

To protest a new state law that makes the carrying of concealed handguns legal in college classrooms, students at the University of Texas openly displayed sex toys, an act considered illegal under local indecency laws.

"We are fighting absurdity with absurdity," said Jessica Jin, leader of the protest called 'C**ks Not Glocks: Campus (Dildo) Carry', where hundreds of sex toys were given away at the rally that coincided with a return to classes at the university's flagship campus.

Pizza drone delivery

A New Zealand pizza chain aims to become the world's first company to offer a commercial drone delivery service - a milestone in the once unthinkable quest to save time and money with an airborne supply chain, dispensing with people.

Companies including Amazon and Google, or Alphabet Inc as it is now known, have plans to make deliveries by drone, and aviation authorities in the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand have been relaxing rules to allow air deliveries.

Dangerous dentures

An elderly Frenchman is in a serious condition in hospital after his false teeth were reportedly stuck in his throat for six days.

The Dunkirk Hospital said it was investigating how its personnel handled the treatment of 85-year-old Roland Marissael.

'La Voix du Nord' newspaper reported that medical staff at the Dunkirk Hospital and Cambrai Hospital Centre thought that the man was suffering from lung problems or dementia and failed to check his throat.
Dia de los Muertos: What to know about the celebration of life
SHARE "The Gatekeeper" by Kathryn Smith of Anderson is scheduled to be published Sept. 6. Kathryn Smith holds a copy of her new book "The Gatekeeper" at her home in Anderson. Kathryn Smith holds a copy of her new book "The Gatekeeper" at her home in Anderson. Kathryn Smith of Anderson, author of "The Gatekeeper," keeps many books and photos about President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, including a "knickknack" from Eleanor Roosevelt's desk. Smith spent three years putting together the book about Marguerite Alice "Missy" LeHand, an aide to Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

By Paul Hyde, Greenville News

Kathryn Smith loves to write about history's unsung heroines.

In "The Gatekeeper," Smith tells the story of Marguerite Alice "Missy" LeHand, Franklin Delano Roosevelt's longtime private secretary and one of the most powerful behind-the-scenes women of her time.

Smith, an Anderson resident and former longtime journalist with the Anderson Independent Mail, traces the life of LeHand from her working-class roots to FDR's inner White House circle.

LeHand, who served as FDR's secretary for 20 years, never forgot her humble beginnings. Sometimes acting as a de facto chief of staff in the White House, LeHand always kept the patrician FDR "grounded" in the common concerns of struggling Americans, Smith said.

She became an influential voice in the New Deal and the creation of Social Security.

FDR, for his part, often said that LeHand was "my conscience." He frequently spent his evenings with LeHand, and at least one of the president's children suggested that FDR and LeHand were romantic involved. Smith, however, casts doubt on that rumor.

Surprisingly little has been written about LeHand, who died at the early age of 47 in 1944. She plays a supporting role in the thousands of biographies about FDR, but she's never been the subject of a full-length biography  until now.

Smith is also the former director of the Cancer Association of Anderson and the author of "A Necessary War," an oral history of World War II told by living veterans and civilians.

"The Gatekeeper," to be published Sept. 6, is already garnering considerable attention. Historian Geoffrey C. Ward said the biography is "a vivid, much-needed life of one of the least-known but most consequential figures in FDR's immediate circle."

Smith is about to embark on a book tour that will take her to New York and Washington, D.C., and many other stops in between. She'll discuss her book in Anderson on Sept. 13 (4-7:30 p.m., Anderson County Museum) and in Greenville on Oct. 30 (4-5:30 p.m., M. Judson Books).

I recently caught up with Smith at her home office in Anderson.

Paul Hyde: How did you first become interested in Missy LeHand?

Kathryn Smith: I'm a Southerner and my grandfather was a "Yellow Dog Democrat." During the worst of the Depression, he was a young father with two children. He and my grandmother had a tough couple of years but when FDR was elected, things turned around for them. He just revered FDR. So I've always had an abiding interest in FDR. In the last few years as I read more about FDR, this woman was just always there and the authors would say something like 'Missy LeHand knew him better than anyone else but she died when she was 47.' I thought I'd like to read a biography about her but I found out that one didn't exist, that no one had even written a dissertation about her. She was only referred to in other books. So in 2013, I decided to dig in and see what really happened.

Hyde: Why do you call LeHand "The Gatekeeper"?

Smith: She was the gatekeeper outside of the Oval Office. She was the person you had to get past to get to FDR. Officially, she was FDR's private secretary, the first woman to be a private secretary to a president. FDR didn't have a chief of staff. He had four secretaries, a political secretary, press secretary, appointments secretary and Missy, who did everything else. There was no higher office in the White House than secretary to the president. She had the only office adjoining FDR's, the backdoor entrance to the White House. If someone had difficulty getting an appointment with FDR, she could bring them in through the back door. There was a lot of power there.

Hyde: Was LeHand particularly adept at keeping FDR focused on the concerns of ordinary Americans?

Smith: Missy was from a very working-class background. Her family had really struggled. Her father was an alcoholic. She never lost her connection with the little people, the forgotten man. It's true that Missy loved the perks that came with working in the White House. She had evening gowns and nice jewelry and loved that scene  she was named one of the best-dressed women in Washington  but it was said she never forgot about the ordinary Americans and kept FDR grounded in that way. FDR really felt comfortable hanging out with people from the working class. The people from the "One Percent" hated him. They considered him a traitor to his class.

Hyde: You write that LeHand was in charge of corresponding with Americans who wrote to the president.

Smith: She had a huge staff of about 50 people. FDR got 50,000 letters a week and every letter was answered. So she had all these people working for her, typing these letters.

Hyde: Is it true that LeHand was a bigger influence on FDR than even his wife, Eleanor?

Smith: I think she was because I think Eleanor irritated FDR more than influenced him. She was so far to the left of most people and she didn't have a good grasp of what was practical. Many of his advisers found Eleanor irritating. Missy was much more tactful and she had a better grasp of what was possible. She spent far more time with FDR than Eleanor did. Their marriage was very unhappy. Missy also would sit with FDR in his private study in the evening. That's when he liked to talk about what had happened during the day. She was just there to be his sounding board and make suggestions. But it's hard to find her fingerprints on things that happened. She was very proud of the fact that she didn't take notes and didn't keep a diary. She wasn't going to write an expose when she got out of office as everyone else did. She didn't try to take credit for things.

Hyde: You say that LeHand often took on traditional First Lady roles.

Smith: Missy was the backup as White House hostess so Eleanor could go off on her travels. Eleanor had a lot of causes she was involved in, and she became FDR's eyes, ears and legs when he couldn't get around so well. The agreement was that whenever Eleanor was gone, Missy would do all the stuff the First Lady would do: preside over dinner, serve tea, order the groceries or manage the staff. Eleanor was gone so often that her Secret Service name was "Rover." She would leave Missy in charge to do what she wasn't doing herself.

Hyde: One of Roosevelt's sons suggested that there was a romantic relationship between FDR and LeHand.

Smith: It's one of these questions that keep coming up. People tend to get her mixed up with Eleanor's secretary, Lucy Rutherfurd, with whom he had an affair. FDR and Missy were very devoted to each other. We have no reason to think they were lovers but the truth is that we don't know. They were both very discrete. There was a lot of innuendo in her lifetime and there still is today. Most of it is the work of FDR's black sheep son Elliott who wrote a book in 1973 saying that he saw her sitting in his father's lap in a nightgown on their father's houseboat in Florida. All of the other children said it was not true. That horrible movie "Hyde Park on the Hudson" made it look like she and his cousin Daisy were competing mistresses. But we just don't know.

Hyde: Are the rumors of an affair grossly unfair?

Smith: Yes, she's being portrayed usually as a pathetic lovelorn secretary or an in-house mistress. It's denying her the respect, authority and power she had in real life. She was considered one of the most powerful people in Washington.

Hyde: But FDR and LeHand were very close, if not romantically so?

Smith: I think you can see that in what happened after she fell ill. She had a massive stroke in 1941. He paid all of her medical bills and brought in the best specialists in the country to help. He also named a ship after her. He put her in his will, so that she would split the income of his estate with Eleanor so her medical bills would be paid if he died before her. He paid for her funeral and to this day the Roosevelt family pays for the upkeep of her grave in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Hyde: In what other ways did LeHand influence FDR?

Smith: She pushed for certain appointments to the Supreme Court. She was a big fan of Felix Frankfurter, who FDR appointed in 1939. A lot of people in FDR's administration were fighting turf battles and she was good at ironing out differences. I would never suggest she was a policy wonk who came up with programs and ideas. But influence can also extend to getting things implemented. FDR was a notorious procrastinator and Missy was a genius at tactfully pushing him along. Sometimes she could be a real taskmaster, insisting he stay up late to finish a speech he was supposed to write, for example. She was part of his speech-writing team. If you've got a room full of advisers who are idea people, you won't get anywhere without gifted facilitators. She was a gifted facilitator.

Hyde: Did she play an important role in the creation of the New Deal?

Smith: She introduced FDR to the man who became his lobbyist on Capitol Hill, Tommy Corcoran. Missy slipped him into the White House to play the accordion for FDR after dinner one night. FDR loved that sort of singing around the piano in the evening. Then Tommy started showing up at Missy's office and telling her what's going on and what's the gossip on the street. So Tommy and his housemate Ben Cohen began drafting New Deal legislation and lobbying for the Social Security Act. Tommy was considered an extremely effective lobbyist.

Hyde: Did LeHand ever marry?

Smith: I think she was married to her job. She had a boyfriend during the entire time she was in the White House. He was the ambassador to the Soviet Union and later ambassador to France, William Christian Bullitt. He would come home for long stretches of time and he'd take her out, romancing her. They wrote long, affectionate letters to each other. But there was no indication that they ever talked about marriage. After Paris fell to the Nazis, he returned home and apparently he demanded more of her time than she felt she could give, so she broke it off.

Hyde: LeHand died early, at age 47.

Smith: She had rheumatic heart fever when she was a teenager and it damaged her heart valve. Over time, your heart valve would get narrower and narrower, so it was real common for people who had had rheumatic heart fever to die in their 30s or 40s. It all happened 40 years too soon. Today, she could have received treatment and lived a long life.

Follow Paul Hyde on Facebook and Twitter: @PaulHyde7.
This week marks the 10th anniversary of Hurricane Sandy, a Category 3 storm which formed on October 22, 2012 and caused $70 billion in damage in roughly two weeks as it moved from the Caribbean to Canada, $11 million of which came from its impact in Rhode Island. Do you believe Rhode Island is more or less prepared to handle a large storm in the decade since Hurricane Sandy? Let us know in this week's poll question below.

You voted:
By Pritesh Samuel

India presents a complex economic, regulatory, and legal landscape for doing business. A companys successful navigation of the Indian business landscape is closely linked to the risk management and mitigation strategy that that the company undertakes.

Companies must also be aware of corporate laws, which are governed by the Companies Act, 2013, as well as several others legal Acts that depend on the industry, such as The Banking Regulation Act. The Companies Act discusses laws related to mergers and acquisitions, board room decision making, party transactions, corporate social responsibility, and shareholding.

Aspects of the Companies Act

Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A): M&As are governed by the Companies Act, 2013, and while they may be instigated by mutual consent, they are mainly court driven. The approval of the High Court is highly desirable, while the action should be approved by three-fourths of the shareholders. Provision for tax allowances for mergers or de-mergers between two business identities is allocated under the Indian Income Tax Act, 1961. To qualify for the allocation, these mergers or de-mergers are required to fulfill the requirements related to section 2 (19AA) and section 2(1B) of the Income Tax Act as per the pertinent state of affairs. Several foreign enterprises, including BNP Paribas, Emerson Process Management, and International Paper Company, have acquired Indian companies to gain access to new markets.

Boardrooms: A listed company must have at least one director who has been a resident of India for a minimum of 182 days during the preceding calendar year, and must also have at least one woman director on their board. The duties of the director are also defined in the Companies Act. Companies subject to certain conditions must also have independent directors; a nominated director cannot be considered independent. In addition, at least seven days are required to call a board meeting. Certain decisions like approval of financial statements, diversion of businesses, and approval of mergers and takeovers may only be done at a meeting of the board rather than be delegated. In addition, some decisions such as approval of financial statements and mergers cannot be done via video conference.

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR): A company that has a net worth of at least US$ 74,917,650 (Rs 5 billion), a turnover of at least US$ 149,835,300 (Rs 10 billion), or a net profit of at least US$ 749,289 (Rs 50 million) during any financial year, is required to constitute a Corporate Social Responsibility Committee with three or more directors to establish and oversee the companys general policy and specific corporate social responsibility activities. At least two percent of the average net profits every financial year must be spent on CSR activities. However, the law does not state any sanctions for non-compliance with the obligation to spend the two percent as long as there are valid reasons for it; the board may be required to explain their reasons. Activities for any political parties will not be considered as a CSR activity, while only CSR activities in India will be considered for a CSR expenditure. Initiatives that can be undertaken to fulfil CSR obligations include eradicating hunger, poverty, and malnutrition, promoting preventive healthcare, promoting education and gender equality, setting up homes for women, orphans, and senior citizens, measures to reduce inequalities faced by socially and economically backward groups, minorities, and women, among several others; preference should be given to local areas and where the company operates.

Shareholders: The maximum number of shareholders in a private company is 200. While shareholders can be foreigners, their identity and address must be validated by an Indian consulate of the country they belong to. They have rights to appoint directors, vote in general meetings, inspect statutory registers and minutes books, receive copies of financial statements, and initiate winding up of the company. Minority shareholders have certain statutory rights, including requisition of a general meeting, approach of courts to cancel variation of rights, and approach the company law board in instances of oppression and mismanagement. Minority shareholders can also initiate a class action suit in certain circumstances. Resolution can be passed by a simple majority. Voting can be done by a show of hands, by a poll, by electronic means, or through a postal ballot.

RELATED: Two Years into the Modi Government  How are Things Shaping up for India?

Recent Changes

The Companies Act, 2013 was further amended with changes coming into effect on April 1, 2014. Some of the changes include:

No minimum paid-up share capital for incorporating private and public companies.

A common company seal is optional. Instead, documents that require a seal can be signed by two directors or one director and a company secretary.

No declaration on the commencement of business is required to be sent to the Registrar of Companies, thereby reducing the number of company filings.

Key Takeaways

Companies that plan on, or already are doing business in, India must ensure that they are up to date with the latest regulations relevant to their business scope. While the Indian government is keen to make it easier to do business, as reflected in the aforementioned amendments to the Companies Act, more will need to be done. Finance Minister Arun Jaitley has acknowledged that the micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) sector has not received enough attention, even though they form the backbone of the economy. Jaitley has proposed reforms, which are currently being considered by the Parliament. As with most reforms in India, companies must be in India for the long run to reap benefits and fully unlock the countrys potential.



About Us Asia Briefing Ltd. is a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates. Dezan Shira is a specialist foreign direct investment practice, providing corporate establishment, business advisory, tax advisory and compliance, accounting, payroll, due diligence and financial review services to multinationals investing in China, Hong Kong, India, Vietnam, Singapore and the rest of ASEAN. For further information, please email india@dezshira.com or visit www.dezshira.com. Stay up to date with the latest business and investment trends in Asia by subscribing to our complimentary update service featuring news, commentary and regulatory insight.





Managing Your Accounting and Bookkeeping in India

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we spotlight three issues that financial management teams for India should monitor. Firstly, we examine the new Indian Accounting Standards (Ind-AS) system, which is expected to be a boon for foreign companies in India. We then highlight common filing dates for most companies with operations in India, and lastly examine procedures and regulations for remitting profits from India.

Using Indias Free Trade & Double Tax Agreements

In this issue of India Briefing magazine, we take a look at the bilateral and multilateral trade agreements that India currently has in place and highlight the deals that are still in negotiation. We analyze the countrys double tax agreements, and conclude by discussing how foreign businesses can establish a presence in Singapore to access both the Indian and ASEAN markets.

Passage to India: Selling to Indias Consumer Market In this issue of India Briefing magazine, we outline the fundamentals of Indias import policies and procedures, as well as provide an introduction to engaging in direct and indirect export, acquiring an Indian company, selling to the government and establishing a local presence in the form of a liaison office, branch office, or wholly owned subsidiary. We conclude by taking a closer look at the strategic potential of joint ventures and the advantages they can provide companies at all stages of market entry and expansion.
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The Camp of the Sacred Stones near the Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation grows in numbers daily with supporters on the camping grounds. Photo by Latoya Lonelodge



Growing support, unity and community healing on Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation

By Latoya LonelodgeCheyenne & Arapaho Tribal Tribune Staff Reporter

There was a time when Rosa Parks said no, when Martin Luther King stood up for the civil rights movement and when others alike took a stand for what they believed in. In this moment in history, Tribal members from different cultures, nations and locations came together to join forces in support of the Dakota Access Pipeline dispute.

On the reservation of Standing Rock Sioux there were over 2,000 people with one thing in common: stop the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline. The Dakota Access Pipeline is a pipeline that is planned to connect the Bakken and Three Forks areas in North Dakota to pipelines in Illinois.

The DAPL will run through the Missouri river, the main source of water supply. The Standing Rock Sioux reservation was the first to take a stand against the construction. They believed the DAPL would sooner or later burst, causing massive leakage of oil and ultimately damaging water.

When one nation is in need of help, all nations will rise together to defend what is most vital to future generations. People, native and non-native alike, gathered specifically for the purpose of defending their water. As the support system of the Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation grew, hearts were igniting with fire as people found knowledge and purpose in defending their water as they stood side by side.

Tribal flags from various nations are united on the protesting grounds at the Camp of the Sacred Stones near the Standing Rock Sioux Indian reservation. Photo by Latoya Lonelodge



For me, it feels good, it feels good in my heart to see everybody come together, going around and getting to know everybody and their first name, where theyre from, sharing stories and its stories that keep us together as Native people. Stories is what keeps us alive and stories will always go down in history, its good that were all here from different nations and were all telling each other stories and were relying on the message that everybodys here for a reason and were here to protect the water that gives life to this whole continent and world. Thats what Im here for, said Dean Dedman, with the Hunkpapa Tribe from the South Dakota side of Standing Rock.

The Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma contributed their support in the fight against the DAPL with Standing Rock Sioux Nation by sending 400 lbs. of buffalo meat and 150 cases of water. Cheyenne and Arapaho Governor Eddie Hamilton and Lt. Governor Cornell Sankey also issued an official letter of support to the Standing Rock Sioux pledging the tribes support.

On Saturday, Aug. 20 the protest grounds were alive with the sounds of drums, singing, cheering and praying. Although temperatures were rising during the day people did not stop contributing help; constantly giving assistance with food, water and donations of any kind to help support protesters of the DAPL.

Tribal youth members from the Cheyenne Sioux River participated, taking a stand for what they believe in, by doing the one thing they loved most  running. They ran continuously on foot from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Jasilyn Charger, a runner from Eagle Butte, Cheyenne River Sioux, led the crowd with empowering chants that night. Tribal members joined together and cheered proudly, We run for our brothers and our sisters, we run for our people, we run for water, for life.

A message -- Mni Wiconi or Water is Life -- a system protecting the sacredness of the Lakota drinking water, left on the gates of the protesting site. Photo by Latoya Lonelodge



Over 2,000 people were reported on the campsite, with numbers growing to an estimated 5,000. Everyone was fed day and night. Tribal members with diverse cultural backgrounds united and committed their time and effort to be a part of this historical moment.

We brought water, medical supplies, and tarps, just about anything that had to do with camping. Our reason for that is because of the water, the river. What I had felt several weeks ago when I saw what was happening here, it really moved me and I found that it was so important, especially when everybody began to gather and I realized we needed to be there. We needed to go and support the people, Renee Sans Souci, with the Omaha Nation in Nebraska said.

There were over sixty-three different tribes represented on the Standing Rock Sioux reservation. Unity is what brought various tribes together for the sake of protecting their sacred lands and most importantly, the water.

The main outcome is to see our people come together this way on behalf of the water. Without water none of us can live and we need to have that water for the future generations. Here we are. I think all of us who have that calling to protect the water, the women who are here, the men who are here, the youth who are here, the elders who are here, were all here on behalf of this river, Sans Souci said.

Editor in Chief Rosemary Stephens can be reached at rmstephens@c-a-tribes.org

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Sorrow and frustration surrounds brutal death of Indian child

Family believes tribal child custody court needs to be changedBy Richie RichardsNative Sun News Staff Writer

PINE RIDGE  The family of Kylen T. Shangreaux , 2, whose lifeless body was found battered and bruised in Porcupine on July 28, would like to see changes in the way child custody cases are handled in tribal court.

According to an August 11 press release from the U.S. Attorneys Office of South Dakota , Kylens birth-mother, Katrina Shangreaux , has been arrested and charged with First Degree Murder, Felony Child Abuse-Aggravated Battery of an Infant and Felony Child Abuse & Neglect.

Shangreaux appeared and pled not guilty in federal court on August 10 in Rapid City. The press release states, The charges relate to Shangreaux inflicting blunt trauma to a child, causing his death. She is currently being held in the Pennington County Jail.

Kylen T. Shangreaux enjoys Easter egg hunting. Photo courtesy Angela Shangreaux

Before Kylen was born, his birth-mother had told her maternal aunt, Gloria No Neck , that she did not want the unborn boy. Upon birth on Nov. 19, 2013, Kylen left Regional Hospital in the care and custody of No Neck.

Auntie, I wanna give you my baby. I dont want him. At the time, I was working at Porcupine School and didnt know if I could get leave to take a newborn baby home. But she promised me they would sign over the parental rights, but they never did, No Neck told Native Sun News.

No Neck and her husband maintained custody until Kylen was approximately 14 months old. This time period was hard on the family as James and Katrina were constantly taking Kylen without permission and coming over to visit him while they were high or drunk, according to No Neck.

Finally, Katrina and James regained custody from Gloria, but not without a fight.

They made up all these lies about us. We did fight for him. She was the bio-mom so there was nothing we could do. That was messed up that the judge (Judge Dominique Alan Fenton) didnt even listen to our side, she told NSN.

It was not until Kylen was nearly 1  years old, that Katrina Shangreaux filed for and gained custody of Kylen through tribal court. James (Kylens father) and Katrina lived with James parents in Pine Ridge with Kylen. At this time, Angela Shangreaux (Kylens aunt) noticed the young boy was withdrawn and possibly in mourning and missing the only parent he knew up until that point, Gloria No Neck.

Katrina was really not that involved, she was a non-participating parent while living at my parents house. She stayed up in her room the whole time. She did not cook, bathe, play with, or even change Kylens diapers, Angela Shangreaux said in an interview with Native Sun News. James did everything for those kids. He (Kylen) just looked really unhappy with her.

Read the rest of the story on the all-new Native Sun News website: Sorrow and frustration surrounds brutal death of Indian child

(Contact Richie Richards at staffwriter@nsweekly.com)

Copyright permission Native Sun News

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Outgoing RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan is a popular figure across various sections in the country, there is no doubt on that. But is he that big, that you celebrate his legacy? A Bengaluru startup definitely think so.

BCCL

Zzungry, a food startup in the city has introduced limited edition of Ulundu kozhukattai and Kova kozhukattai as a tribute to Rajan.

The dishes, which are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 150 will be available on the menu from 26 August to 2 September. Rajans current three-year term ends on 4 September.

Ulundu kozhukattai is a delectable savoury rice flour dumpling stuffed with medium spicy mixture of urad dal, tempered with curry leaves and spices, steamed and served with chutney.

Southindianfood.in/representative image

The dish is inspired from the cuisine of Madhya Pradesh where Rajan was born.

The other dish Kova kozhukattai is a sweet rice flour dumpling stuffed with a cardamom flavoured mixture of khoya with dry fruits, simmered in rose-flavoured milk, that is served as a dessert.

sailajakitchen/representative image

The sweet dish is inspired from the cuisine of Tamil Nadu, the state to which he belongs.
After Google, it is social media giant Facebook, which is looking to hook up with Indian Railways to provide Wi-Fi across railway stations. RK Bahuguna, chairman of Indian Railways' communications arm RailTel, said the company will start talks with Facebook for expanding its Wi-Fi coverage not only to railway stations but to villages in the vicinity as well.

AP/representative image

"Facebook India has approached us for the Wi-Fi initiative. We will engage with the company for the expansion of our internet access programme across railways stations to cover villages in the vicinity," Bahuguna told ET.

Also Read: Facebook To Come With New WiFi Service For India After The Massive Free Basics Fail

Facebook declined to comment on ET's query on the matter. RailTel has a readily available optic fibre- based network across some 4,000 railway stations in the country. The state run company is currently rolling out Railwire-branded WiFi hotspots in partnership with Internet search major Google and aims to connect at least 100 railway stations with data network by the year end.

cloudfront/representative image

But unlike the existing Google-backed plan, RailTel wants to take the Internet to smaller rail stops, making it available to neighbouring villages via additional access points. Under the Google-RailTel Internet programme, nearly 2 million people access free Wi-Fi every month across 21 railway stations.

YouTube/representative image

"Through this (Facebook) initiative, we will be able to offer data services up to a 10-km radius from a connected rail stop, which however can further be increased by up to 25 km via additional access points," Bahuguna said.

RailTel is capable of providing the passive infrastructure that includes optical fibre, local-area network (LAN) and power supply for the WiFi system within station premises in addition to internet backhaul of 1Gbps at each station.

indiatvnews/representative image

Mark Zuckerberg-headed Facebook recently concluded a pilot across 125 rural locations after purchasing bandwidth from state-run Bharat Sanchar Nigam (BSNL), and is currently in talks with various Internet service firms for Express Wi-Fi expansion in the country.

RailTel is also an Internet service provider and holds a category-A licence for it. According to Bahuguna, providing Wi-Fi service is not viable for RailTel, but with support from the Universal Service Obligation (USO) fund, it can extend the programme to as many as 40,000 villages surrounding 4,000 Internet-ready railway stations across the country.
In Madhya Pradesh's happy hunting ground for diamond diggers, where global mining giant Rio Tinto wrapped up exploration after a decade, a poor man from Panna district hit the jackpot, just 100 km away from its Chhatarpur project. Devidayal Reydas, 22, a poor labourer stumbled upon a 3.39 carat raw diamond and deposited it at the Panna office that holds an auction thrice a year.

mining.com/ Representative Image

"This diamond is worth Rs 10 lakh. We will auction it in the next session and the money would be e-credited to Reydas's account after deduction of 11% royalty on cost," said Ratnesh Dixit, Panna's diamond officer.

Dixit's office has received nearly 100 carat diamonds from 700 shallow mines this year.

Panna draws diamond prospectors, who dream of striking it rich overnight. It is estimated that diamonds worth crores are smuggled out of the state to foreign countries via Gujarat and the local administration has done little to end the illegal trade. Other lucky ones, who found diamonds and hogged headlines in recent years, include a woman vegetable vendor and an autorickshaw driver.

TOI

In 2013, a 15-carat gem found by Mahendra Dixit in the Badgadi mine was auctioned for Rs 14.85 lakh.

In 2009, vegetable vendor Pyari Bai's fate changed when she found an 11.40 carat gem-quality diamond from Janakpur Uthali diamond mine. Her diamond fetched Rs 11.40 lakh in an auction on October 23, 2009. She had received Rs 9.86 lakh after deducting royalty and income tax.

In 2007, a 15-carat diamond valued at Rs 40 lakh was found by a stone quarry worker at Panna's Bhutiyai diamond mine. Shyamlal, who lives in this district headquarters, is entitled to receive an amount equivalent to 90% of gem's value and the remainder will be deposited in the government treasury.
33-year-old Sunita (name changed) is three-and-a half months pregnant. Her husband is a farmer, who moved to Delhi seven years ago after taking a single bigha of land on rent to farm. Once he had found a landlord, he found himself a house on rent in Madanpur Khadar, South Delhi's resettlement colony for slum dwellers, and brought Sunita and their son to Delhi from the village.

In their third year in the city, Sunita was bearing the couple's second child when her husband fell gravely ill. He was unable to tend to his crops and despite whatever help they could muster, the couple suffered losses over the next months. Debts began to mount and Sunita's husband was still not well enough to work.

A family friend, who lives in near Uttam Nagar - a slum cluster in the western part of the city, suggested being a surrogate mother.

Representational image/BCCL

"I refused at first. I didn't want anyone else's child in me and I didn't understand what they would do to me," Sunita tells Indiatimes. "She explained the process to me a few times and said it was for my own good, that my children and my husband would not have to suffer. I was still reluctant. Then one day, she brought her friend to my home. The landlord had been harrassing us that morning for the rent. My family friend paid him and told me to return the money when I got something. The other woman then told me that she had carried two children for other people and explained how it works. One of the children belonged to a foreigner."

ALSO READ: India Set To Regulate Surrogacy For Parents, No Surrogate Kids For Live-Ins And Homosexual Couples

After the birth of her daughter, Sunita immediately set out to find her family friend and the other woman. She discovered that the husband of the other woman worked at a well-known IVF clinic. She was casually taken in for a visit to a 'free post-natal examination' for the well-being of new mothers.

Two weeks later, she was discreetly called for by the clinic.

Representational image/BCCL

Sunita was given a list of instructions that she would have to follow to qualify for surrogacy. She was explained that there was no sex involved. Her husband was also assured that she would be taken care of by the best doctors at the clinic with round-the-clock monitoring if she conceived.

The couple was promised Rs 10,000 for a surrogacy.

In the past three years, Sunita has given birth thrice, including her own daughter. She says that the first pregnancy went so smoothly that she did not waste time for the second, or third. She is currently carrying her third surrogate child, this time from a different IVF clinic based in central Delhi.

ALSO READ: Celebs Have Made Surrogacy A Hobby, Says Sushma Swaraj!

Representational image/BCCL

"When I was eager to have a second child, another surrogate at the IVF clinic caught up with me after I had left," Sunita says. "She asked me why I needed the money and when I told her of our family and the problems, she said that the clinic would not let me have another child for a year. When I confided that I could not wait that long as my son had started going to school and husband was not going to be able to make enough for the four of us, she told me to meet her at another clinic in Daryganj. She charged me a commission but I got to have another child."

ALSO READ: SC Tells Govt To Push For Ban On Commercial Surrogacy

The sudden added income had changed the way her family saw life. Her husband still went to the farm. The neighbours were initially told tat she was off to visit her family, as Sunita stayed indoors but soon, they called on Sunita's mother-in-law to come and attend to the housework and deal with neighbours.

While carrying her second surrogate child, another woman from her neighbourhood asked her to help. Her family was in debt as well. Sunita recommended her to the clinic in Daryaganj and got a commission.

BCCL

"When we had started, I was told very clearly that we are not allowed to talk about what we do with people. I don't understand. I have vitamin supplements, the doctors examine me regularly and care for my health throughout the pregnancy. In case of any problems, we are given all help. Why can't I do this and save my family?" Sunita asks. "My son has been studying in an English-medium school, how can I ask him to leave that?"

When we ask her about the long-term effects on her health with such frequent births, she responded, "Do you think I would not be carrying children for my husband if I was not doing this?" She added that her friends - other surrogates - think that this is a passing phase and that everything will return to normal in some time.

Her son is now 5 and her daughter is 2.
Hardening its stance further, India has once again virtually rejected Pakistan's latest invitation for talks on Kashmir, saying it is willing to discuss cross-border terrorism which was its "core concern".

BCCL

Replying to his Pakistani counterpart Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry's fresh invitation of August 19 to visit Islamabad by the end of this month to discuss Kashmir dispute, Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar said in a letter he was willing to discuss terrorism emanating from Pakistan's territory which was India's core concern.

PTI

Jaishankar's letter was handed over by Indian High Commissioner Gautam Bambawale to Chaudhry yesterday. The reply again stressed on the need for earliest possible vacation of Islamabad's illegal occupation of Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir, they added.

Chaudhry's August 19 letter, second in the last 10 days, invited Jaishankar to visit "Islamabad by the end of this month to discuss the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, with a view to finding a fair and just solution, as per the United Nations Security Council resolutions and aspirations" of the people of the state. He had first written to Mr Jaishankar on August 15 for talks on Kashmir.

BCCL

Pakistan has also called for "putting an immediate end to the human rights violations against the innocent people" of Jammu and Kashmir and for providing medical facilities to the injured, "including the permission for doctors and paramedics to travel."

The sharp exchange of words comes amid strain in bilateral ties between the two nations over the continuing unrest in Kashmir with Islamabad issuing provoking statements on the turmoil following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani last month.
The Haji Ali Shrine in Mumbai has been offering peace and hope to souls from the city for years. The shrine's management decided to shut the doors to women in 2012 stating the presence of women so close to a male's grave is not acceptable in Islam.

But the Mumbai HC has passed a judgement in favour of the gates to be reopened to them again. Trupti Desai, an activist who has led a similar movement in the Shani Shingnapur temple, welcomed the verdict and called it historic. Read more

1. Chilli-Based PAVA Shell Will Replace Pellet Guns In Kashmir

Faced with severe criticism over the use of pellet guns which has caused over a hundred eye related injuries, the government is planning to end the use of the controversial weapon. According to reports, the government has zeroed-in on PAVA shells, a chilli-based non-lethal munition.

The PAVA shells, aka Pelargonic Acid Vanillylamide or Nonivamide is an organic compound found characteristically in natural chilli pepper, which is capable of temporarily incapacitating the targets and render them immobile for several minutes. Read more

2. A Bengaluru Startup Is Offering Tribute To Outgoing RBI Governor Raghuram Rajan With Two Special Dishes

Zzungry, a food startup in the city has introduced limited edition of Ulundu kozhukattai and Kova kozhukattai as a tribute to Rajan. The dishes, which are priced between Rs 100 and Rs 150 will be available on the menu from 26 August to 2 September. Rajans current three-year term ends on 4 September.

Ulundu kozhukattai is a delectable savoury rice flour dumpling stuffed with medium spicy mixture of urad dal, tempered with curry leaves and spices, steamed and served with chutney. Read more

3. Side Effect Of Kashmir Violence, State's Economy Suffers A Loss Of Rs 6,400 Crores

The ongoing violent protests and shutdowns are taking a toll on the economy of Jammu and Kashmir. With the violence being played out on the streets, shops, business establishments, private offices and petrol pumps have remained shut since July.

The prolonged shutdowns have left a huge dent in the economy, "Kashmir is suffering losses of about Rs 135 crore daily. This estimates to over Rs 6,400 crore so far," Mohammad Yaseen Khan, president Kashmir Traders and Manufacturers Federation said. Read more

4. In Odisha, Body Of A Woman Broken At The Hip, Transported On Bamboo Pole Because There Was No Ambulance

The body of an 80-year-old woman was broken at hip by hospital workers, to transport it as there was no ambulance in this case too. The woman, Salamani Barik, from Balasore was run over by a train near Soro railway station.

Even though the Railway Police was informed, they reached the hospital almost 12 hours later and the body had to be taken to the Balasore district hospital for post-mortem. Read more

After Google, it is social media giant Facebook, which is looking to hook up with Indian Railways to provide Wi-Fi across railway stations. RK Bahuguna, chairman of Indian Railways' communications arm RailTel, said the company will start talks with Facebook for expanding its Wi-Fi coverage not only to railway stations but to villages in the vicinity as well.

"Facebook India has approached us for the Wi-Fi initiative. We will engage with the company for the expansion of our internet access programme across railways stations to cover villages in the vicinity," Bahuguna said. Read more
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The 32-year-old international, who has also been a member of CS Sedan Ardennes, Hertha BSC, Blackburn Rovers, Anzhi Makhachkala and Queens Park Rangers in the past, has already reached a verbal agreement with the administration of the greek club and
12 policemen have been arrested in different places of Lagos by the states police command for one case of misconduct or the other.

Lagos State Commissioner of Police, Fatai Owoseni, revealed this while speaking during a press briefing held at the Police Command headquarters, Ikeja.

Owoseni said the arrested officers would be investigated before any sanction.

He said the Inspector General of police, Ibrahim Idris, has warned that all policemen should comport themselves in a civilised manner and project the image of the Nigeria Police Force.

Owoseni also briefed the press on incidents in which oil wells were discovered in some homes in Lagos.

SEE: 12 Houses Shut As Police Discovers Illegal Oil Wells In Lagos

He said that on Wednesday morning, officials of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), Police, Directorate of State Security (DSS) and some other sister agencies were at the scene to engage in the supervision and monitoring of the process of emptying the 12 oil wells discovered at Abeokuta Street, in Ilasamja.

Owoseni said, We are at the point of emptying all the oil wells.

Adding, It is for the NNPC experts to test the quality of the product and also test the quality of the soil. We also want to know the source of the AGO and how it entered inside the wells. Most people have vacated the area because of fire outbreak.

He also appealed to Lagos residents to inform the police of vandals.
All the indications are that our deputy minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly assassinated, Carlos Romero, the minister of government, said late on Thursday in comments quoted by the Reuters news agency.

He said that the 56-year-old had gone to talk to protesters earlier on Thursday in Panduro, around 160km from the capital, La Paz, but was intercepted and kidnapped by striking miners.

The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said.

Local media also reported Illanes death, citing a radio station director who claimed he saw his body.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions with less stringent environmental rules, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

Protests turned violent this week after two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what they said was an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Morales nationalised Bolivias resources sector after taking power in 2006, initially winning plaudits for ploughing the profits into welfare programmes and boosting development.

However, his government has been dogged by accusations of cronyism and authoritarianism in recent years, and even the unions who were once his core support have become disillusioned with him as falling prices have limited spending.

Source: Agencies
The Presidency has described as laughable, attempts to link President Muhammadu Buhari to the arrest and prosecution of Joachim Iroko, a 41 year old trader in Ogun State.

Mr. Iroko was arrested by the Ogun Police Command for naming his dog Buhari.

He was first arrested on August 14 by officers attached to the Sango Otta Division after receiving complaints from a neighbor, who said the name Iroko gave his dog was offensive.

According to the complainant, Salihu Umar, the Buhari name Mr. Iroko gave his dog was the same as his fathers name.

He was subsequently arrested by the police and detained before he was finally charged with a one-count of attempted breach of public peace on August 22. He pleaded not guilty.

Bolaji Ojikutu, the Chief Magistrate in charge of the case, remanded Mr. Iroko in prison custody pending fulfilment of his N50,000 bail.

Mr. Iroko finally met his bail conditions on Wednesday after receiving about N90,000 through fundraising appeal coordinated by a human rights lawyer, Inibehe Effiong and was released around noon on Thursday.

In all, Mr. Iroko spent 11 days in detention  three in prison custody and eight in a police cell in Sango Otta, Ogun.

The incident drew flaks for the Presidency from a cross-section of Nigerians, who expressed fears that Nigeria was fast becoming a police state with citizens rights to freedom of expression threatened under the Buhari administration.

But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said late Thursday that condemning Buhari for failing to call the police to order on the matter was a display of ignorance of the type of person he is.

He enjoys cartoons and likes sharing them. The ones he enjoys the most are those that caricature him, Mr. Shehu said in a short reaction posted on his Twitter handle. People should listen to the real story behind this dog incident and to not waste precious time seeking the hand of the President in a laughable incident!

Mr. Shehus comment was the first time the Buhari administration would comment on the development.

The President must be having a good laugh over this whole thing, his spokesman added.
President Muhammadu Buhari today met behind closed doors with the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Mr. GodwinEmefiele, in what is believed to be as a result of the criticism of the present government economy policy by both Emir Sanusi and Prof. Charles Soludo.

It was said that the CBN boss would use the opportunity of the meeting with the President to get approval to reply Sanusi and Soludo appropriately.

Emir Sanusi, had on Wednesday, criticized the present administration, warning that the Buhari-led administration might end up like the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathans administration if it failed to retrace its steps on some policies.

Read also;
The Presidency on Thursday said President Muhammadu Buhari will attend the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI) in Nairobi, Kenya from August 27-28, 2016.

The summit, co-organised by the Government of Japan, the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa, the United Nations Development Programme, the African Union and the World Bank, will focus on promoting structural economic transformation through diversification and industrialisation; promoting resilient health system for quality life and promoting social stability for shared prosperity.

During the conference, the Nigerian leader will participate in plenary sessions on TICAD in alignment with African Development, the Dialogue with the Private Sector as well as the Global Launch of the Second Africa Human Development Report.

He will also hold a bilateral meeting with the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe.

The Presidency said no fewer than 35 other African leaders are expected at the two-day high-level summit, which will also be attended by leading private sector companies from Japan.

This is the first time TICAD is holding in Africa since its inception in 1993.

Nigeria has played a prominent role at the forum aimed at forging international partnerships for Africas transformation and prosperity through economic growth, agriculture and social stability.
Former Abia State Governor, Chief Orji Uzor Kalu, has urged Nigerians to exercise more patience with President Muhammadu Buhari as he strives to tackle the countrys economic crisis.

This is just as he expressed confidence in the presidents capabilities to turn around the fortunes of Africas largest economy, despite the current challenges.

Mr. Kalu also expressed confidence in Buharis proposed agenda for national reformation, saying it would be beneficial to all citizens.

On how to overcome the economic hardship in the land, the eminent businessman described Nigerians as innovators, globalisation-savvy businessmen and women, farmers, manufacturers and politicians, saying they remain determined to succeed in an ever-competitive global marketplace.

According to him: In fact, Nigerians succeed everywhere, it seems, except at home.

Though he admitted that the country was grappling with some economic, ethnic, religious and political challenges, the former governor believed there would be light at the end of the tunnel, especially when everyone gives the needed support to the president.

Yes, we have challenges to overcome; those that are frustratingly inherent in our current public system. We remain reliant on the same specific energy resources that are bountiful in some regions and scarce in others, creating an imbalance that perpetuates regional, ethnic, religious and political tensions.
The Democratic Peoples Congress (DPC) has warned against giving President Muhammadu Buhari emergency powers to tackle economic issues, saying it would lead to tyranny and autocracy.

This is just as it called for the immediate sack of the Minister of Finance, Kemi Adeosun and the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, claiming that they are clueless on effective strategies to revamp the economy.

The party made the call in a statement issued yesterday by its national chairman, Reverend Olusegun Peters.

According to Peters, since Buhari did not seek for extra powers to crush the Boko Haram insurgency in the North-east, he does not need such powers to revamp the economy.

These are exactly the economic issues Nigerians voted President Buhari to effectively tackle with the executive powers conferred on him in the 1999 constitution as amended, he said.
Indications that the All Progressives Congress, APC, is going into the September 10, 2016 governorship election in Edo State as a united force came to the fore yesterday when the Deputy Governor, Dr. Pius Odubu, campaigned for the partys flag bearer, Godwin Obaseki, in Orhionmwon Local Government Area of the state.

Dr. Odubu contested and lost the APC governorship primaries to Mr. Obaseki.

However, all the rancor that trailed the outcome of the primaries was left in the past as the deputy governor assured people of the local government area that the agenda of the APC governorship candidate is to create prosperity for the state.

Odubu, who spoke at the APC ward campaign at in Ugoniyekorhiomwon, said if elected as governor, Obaseki will not fall short of the peoples expectations as he has worked with the government in developing the communities in the state.

He also urged the people to ignore the political gimmicks of the PDP as they are up to no good, assuring the people of Orhionmwon that APC leaders in the area will ensure that Obasekis promises are brought to bear in the lives of everyone.

Obaseki who is coming to take over from our governor, comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said he will provide stable electricity for you. He was able to do roads, he will fix the light. What you people will do is that since he is working for us, the vote in this entire area should all go to the APC. If you vote for the APC we will be with you to ensure they fulfill on their promises.

The road in this area is the longest in Edo State, in those days it was not like this. Oshiomhole has worked, Obaseki that is coming will work more than him.

You should not allow the PDP to tell you what they are not capable of, we (APC) are in this town and we will develop the area to the fullest, he said.

Speaking shortly before the ward to ward campaign of the APC in Orhionmwon, the Enogie of Ugoniyekeorhiomwon, His Royal Highness Chief Edugie Ogierhiakhi Ogiugo, in company of the Enogie of Ugboko, HRH Solomon Ewemade and other top palace Chiefs, urged Obaseki to follow suit the development Governor Adams Oshiomhole has done for the entire state.

HRH Ogiugo commended Oshiomhole for a job well done and prayed for him and the APC candidate.

On his part, Obaseki promised to decongest the high traffic in the city by opening up new towns through infrastructural development and establishment of industries that will give every community in the state a sense of belonging.

The APC flag bearer, who sought the support of the traditional institution in the provision of security, disclosed that investors are ready to come and invest in various parts of the State.

He said, The next state we are on to now is going to be of different challenges and that is why I have come here to solicit your support. The next phase is where we now begin to use the roads and schools to our development. We will post more teachers to our schools so that we can provide quality education but more importantly we need to expand the economy of our state and bring back our population.

We have oil and gas around here it is now time to build new towns around us, he stated.

On his part, Governor Oshiomhole said the state government will immediately commence the reconstruction of dilapidated structures in two primary schools in the Local Government Area, namely, Adanako Primary School, Ugo and Idumogo Primary School, Urhonigbe, in continuation of the state policy of upgrading educational facilities for optimum teaching and learning.

Speaking at the APC governorship campaign rally at Adanako Primary School, Ugo, Governor Oshiomhole said, my farewell gift to this Ugo, before I leave offtice, even before the election day, is I will reconstruct this dilapidated school building and put red roof. As for the already completed one, we will supply furniture by next week. Our children must sit comfortably on good chairs so that they wont need to wash their school uniform every day. If the classroom and the floor are clean, school uniform wont be dirty every day.

He said, The work that is yet to be done is much. As we speak, we are working at Iguododo Pimary School and many other places. In Orhionmwon, I think we have done about 25 schools. We worked in every ward. We have shown you our candidate. He has been working with us for the past eight years in this government. He knows what we have done and what we have not done. Godwin is your son. He knows how we have been working, and so, he must continue to do the work.

At the APC rally at Idumogo Primary School, the Governor said, Let me tell you what I mean by continuity and consolidation. We say this one so that people will not forget. Now, we are going to pull down this roof and raise the walls and put red roof, so that on the whole of this place, there is no more evidence of PDP. I will start it and Godwin will finish it. That is what we mean by continuity: continuity of red roofs, continuity of good roads, continuity of tap water and continuity of providing jobs for the youths and support for women.

According to Oshiomhole, The other one is that rubber plantation that has already been given to a new investor who will rebuild it, and we have given them additional land. I have already signed the certificate of occupancy so that they can return back to work. When it is working, youths will be employed and even women will be cooking for factory workers and money will circulate.

Oshiomhole said, If I am the Okakuo of Urhonigbe, and they dont have light, that will be shameful. That is why I said since the Okakuo of Urhonigbe is the Governor, my people must get light. So, I have told the Okaevbo that Edo State Government will pay the twenty million naira for the electricity bill owed by Urhonigbe community. I have told the Okakuo of Urhomehe that we will talk to BEDC so that when we pay that money, they will restore light to Urhonigbe. (NAN)
40 year old Chinakwe Joachim Iroko who was arrested and arraigned for naming his dog Buhari, says his stay at the Ibara prison in Ogun state was a golden moment for him. He fulfilled his bail condition yesterday and was released from prison custody

I am so happy. It is a joy to me. I have missed my family; that was most painful. Prison is a place to experience in ones life. It is like a rehabilitation home: you learn many things there and there are many people you may not have the opportunity to talk to. But in prison, you will sit down with them and discuss.

There are many things you take for granted, but when you go to prison you know there is law. The only thing I am regretting about my coming to prison is the intimidation from the Hausa community. Going to prison is a golden moment for me. he told Vanguard

According to him, he has two other dogs he named after US President Barack Obama

I have Obama, Joe Explaining why he named his dog Buhari, he said: As a matter of fact, they misunderstood me. I have three dogs: one bears Obama, one bears Joe, an abbreviation of my name. The third is named Buhari. I named these dogs after my role models. My late dog was named after Nelson Mandela. I dont just give any name to my dogs. I give reputable names to my dogs. It is love I have for Buhari; he is my role model. Buhari is not the President of the North. He is the President of Nigeria. I see no reason why Northerners should intimidate me: Nigeria is one. I see no reason why they will be intimidating me. It is my right to name my dog any name. Thank God, I have regained my freedom. The most painful thing is the way they treated my dog. I am not happy that they killed my dog, while I was in detention. It is my dog, it is my pet. I love my dogs. They have no right to kill my dog. Nigerians should know that there are other dogs in other areas that bear Jack as name. Why is Buhari so special. It is a name that has been existing for several years.

Source: Vanguard
Governor of Cross River State, Prof. Ben Ayade, yesterday said though he belongs to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, he works harder than most All Progressives Congress governors in projecting the image of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Ayade said he ended politics soon after the 2015 general elections that ushered him into office and wished that other elected governors would tow the same path for the betterment of the common man.

I am in love with the style and ability of President Muhammadu Buhari as leader of Nigerians. He does not see himself as a party leader but as father of the country.

His efforts at streamlining the countrys resources, as well as tackling corruption drew me closer to him. Besides, he has shown me love even though I am of the PDP. He gives utmost and prompt attention to my requests, the governor disclosed.

Mr. Ayade said he was now desperate to make a difference as a governor of Cross River State, and that he would spend the next one year commissioning projects.
Police have rescued two young sisters, 8-year-old Himanshi and 3-year-old Deepali, from a small house in North-west Delhi, India after they were abandoned by their parents for being girls. They had been locked up inside their home for days before neighbours alerted Delhi Police.

When the house was broken into, the two sisters were found starved and lying on a broken cot holding each others hand. Himanshi had deep wounds on her head and Police personnel who went to rescue them noticed worms coming out of the injuries.

The house was stinking, full of flies, mosquitoes and had no ventilation. The children who could barely survive were quickly rushed to Bhim Rao Ambedkar Hospital, Rohini, where they are under doctors observation.

Police investigation revealed that their parents 35-year-old Bunty and his wife, Rajni have three children. Besides the girls, they also have 5-year-old son.For past some time, Bunty was jobless and had taken to drinking. The family barely met both ends. Frustrated over financial difficulties, Rajni left the home with her only son leaving behind her two daughters at the mercy of drunkard and jobless husband. Bunty didnt work, instead, cursed the two girls for having born to him. He could not give the girls food. Finally, on 15th August, when the entire country was celebrating attainment of freedom from British rule, he locked the two little girls to die of starvation and went away. Already starved for two-three days, Himanshi and Deepali were in extremely bad condition when the landlord and the neighbours sought help from police on 19th August. After the girls were rescued, the police found out they had a grandmother. They searched for her and found her in an old age home. The 80-year-old woman however revealed that she was driven out of home by Bunty a few years ago. She wandered for some time on streets before she found shelter at the care home. However, although the condition of the girls were explained to her, she refused to take care of them. Although their parents have not been found, the Delhi Child Welfare Committee, have agreed to send the girls to a rehabilitation centre.

Source: Vanguard
Vanguard

Leaders and traditional rulers from the Niger Delta region, yesterday, listed the cessation of hostilities by the military around the region, reopening of the Maritime University and release of individuals arrested on trumped up charges, among others as conditions for the return to lasting peace in the region.

Punch

The Presidency has said the Federal Government has not given up on the Chibok girls.

Thisday

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Sports, Senator Obinna Ogba, said the committee might probe the roles of the Minister of Sport, Solomon Dalung and the Nigeria Olympics Committee (NOC) in the abysmal performance of Nigerias team at the just concluded Olympics 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The Sun

The campaign convoy of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) candidate in Edo, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, was reportedly attacked at Jattu, near Auchi, in Etsako west local government by suspected APC youths who destroyed two vehicles in the process.

Guardian

Parents of abducted Chibok girls yesterday asked President Muhammadu Buhari to rescue them or resign.

Daily Trust

A chieftain of the PDP, Rufai Ahmed Alkali, has said that he has put experience of the botched Port Harcourt convention of the party behind him.

The Nation

President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday was in a closed meeting with the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

Leadership

In his commitment towards ensuring that the Nigerian child grows up healthy to attain her full potentials in life, the president Muhammadu Buhari led administration has improved funding for nutrition.

Tribune

LAGOS State governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, has said the Federal Government has a critical role to play in unbundling the potentials of each of the federating units, as a way of addressing the fundamental structural challenges undermining sustainable and inclusive economic growth in the states of the federation.

New Telegraph

Less than five months after the invasion and killing of scores of people of Ukpabi-Nimbo community in Uzo-Uwani Local Government Area of Enugu State by suspected Fulani herdsmen, another community in the state, Ndiagu Atakwu- Akagbeugwu in Nkanu West Local Government Area, was invaded early hours of yesterday by suspected herdsmen.
North Korea celebrated its Military First holiday and the recent success of its ballistic missile testing with mass dances and a series of outdoor concerts in Pyongyang.

The Military First holiday celebrates the anniversary of the Songun policy introduced by Kim Jong-uns father, Kim Jong-il, in 1960, which gave primacy to the North Korean army in state politics and funding.

State television broadcasts and newspaper front pages hailed the submarine-launched missile, which represented a giant leap in North Korean military technology.

In response, traditional mass dancing demonstrations were held across the country, the biggest taking place in the capitals Kim Il-sung Square.
A governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State, Mr. Rotimi Akeredolu (SAN), on Friday denied a claim by a fellow aspirant that he was imposed on the then Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) as its candidate in the state governorship election held in 2012.

Mr. Tunji Abayomi, an aspirant on the platform of the APC, had in an open letter he wrote to a national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, alleged that the latter unfairly and unjustly tilted the scale of fairness against all other competitors by selecting Akeredolu as the ACNs flag bearer.

Mr. Akeredolu, a former National President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, was the ACN candidate in the 2012 poll, in which he came third behind the incumbent, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, who was then of the Labour Party and Olusola Oke, then of the Peoples Democratic Party, who placed second.

Abayomi was reacting to widespread speculation that Mr. Tinubu had anointed one of the aspirants  Segun Abraham  as his preferred candidate ahead of the August 31 governorship primary of the APC.

At least 23 aspirants will participate in the exercise scheduled to take place in Akure, the Ondo State capital.

The governorship election takes place in the state on November 26.

Speaking to reporters in Akure, Akeredolu said, How I emerged as the governorship candidate of ACN in 2012 in Ondo State was not an issue of imposition because all aspirants of the party then submitted themselves to a process.

At meetings, all aspirants told the party leadership that we were all prepared to abide by whoever they chose as candidate. The party, ACN, did not conduct any primary.

We had the leadership of the party who sat and used democratic process to choose who became the candidate.

The leadership was not about Senator Bola Tinubu and Chief Bisi Akande alone, but we had governors and other leaders of the party.

It was a collective decision of the leadership of the party then and nobody imposed me as the ACN candidate in the 2012 governorship election in Ondo State.

(NAN)
According to reports in the UK, Charles Patter flew a 1,000-mile round trip just to pick up a bottle of his favourite whiskey.

The keen amateur pilot took off from a flying club in Grimsby, Lincolnshire, and touched down at Wick John OGroats Airport in a four-seater Socata TB10.

Charles, 67, collected his favourite drink, an Old Pulteney 12-year-old, from the distillery, then headed back home.

He amazed staff at the Pulteney Distillery in Wick, when they learned the sole purpose of his mission was to buy a 33 bottle.

Charles, from Newark, East Midlands, had a trouble-free flight in his Socata TB10, reporting clear skies and smooth conditions all the way.

He was treated to a tour of the Inver House-run plant before selecting a bottle of its produce which he stowed in the hold of his plane before taking to the skies for the return flight, arriving back in time to serve up a dram for pre-dinner drinks.

Charles has been a member of North Coates Flying Club for more than 10 years after developing a passion for flying following his retirement.
An assassination attempt on the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel has been foiled by police in the Czech capital of Prague. Merkel was visiting Prague to meet with Prime minister Bohuslav Sobotka as part of her meeting with members of the EU to discuss a new agenda upon Britains exit.

An armed man driving a Mercedes reportedly tried to join Merkels motorcade as officials said the unidentified man has been now been detained.

Czech officials disclosed;

He is suspected of attempting to cause a crime  specifically an attempt to use violence against an official.

Thanks to the professional actions of officers, Angela Merkels life was not in danger.

The incident is currently being investigated by Prague detectives.
18 year old Kaleb Amponsah was today, Friday August 26th, sentenced to 22 years in prison at the Old Bailey for the murder of a 27-year-old Nigerian man, after stabbing him to death in broad daylight in an east London park.

Amponsah, of Robertson Road, Newham, was found guilty on Thursday 28 July, at the Old Bailey of killing Ade Afariogun by stabbing him in the stomach in front of the victims friends.

On Friday 29 January, the victim was in Plaistow Park with three female friends. Whilst there, they noticed Amponsah ride his bike past the group on several occasions and stare aggressively at the victim.

Shortly before 13.15hrs, just as the victim was leaving the park, Amponsah pulled up his bike in front of him and started an argument with him. A scuffle followed during which the two exchanged punches. The victims friend attempted to intervene by pulling Amponsah away; but he produced a large knife from his waistband, stabbing the victim in his stomach twice. So brutal was the attack, that the victim received a 12cm injury to his abdomen.

He was rushed to Royal London Hospital, but despite the best efforts of medical staff, he died during the early hours of Monday 1 February.

Immediately after the incident, Amponsah fled from the scene, leaving the victim bleeding on the ground. In his haste he left behind his bike and mobile phone. This proved vital in the investigation as detectives were able to retrieve his DNA from both.

After leaving the park, Amponsah called a friend and went straight to his address a few streets away from the murder scene. There he stayed for less than 20 minutes before getting a taxi to a street near his home address. He returned to his home for a brief period, changing his clothes in the process.

He then took a second taxi from a nearby location to a friend who lived locally, where he spent the remainder of the afternoon. On 5 February 2016, Amponsah was arrested at his home address. Searches at the property revealed the clothing worn by the killer, and a large knife concealed within his mattress in his bedroom. Detective Sergeant Perry Benton said:

Five months after the original charge, Amponsah admitted being responsible for the fatal stabbing but claimed he had acted in self-defence after the victim attacked him. Thankfully the jury saw through this unlikely scenario, recognising this for the needless and cold-blooded murder it was. The park where this took place is well used by a wide range of borough residents and the local community should feel reassured that this type of attack is an extremely rare occurrence. Ade was in the park with friends when he was killed for reasons that we have been unable to ascertain. He was well loved by his family and friends, who miss him very much.

Three other males arrested in connection with the incident aged 16 and 17 years were released with no further action.

Source: Metropolitan Police UK
On this day in 2015;President Muhammadu Buhari accused past administrations of allowing the infrastructure in the oil sector to collapse to enable their cronies steal by importing refined products.

The President, who made the accusation while speaking at a meeting with the Chairman and members of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RMAFC, lamented the current situation in which Nigeria is forced to spend billions of Naira annually on alleged subsidies for petroleum products.

Also on this day in 2015;Fourteen persons, including 11 women from the same family, in Dan Gunu village, perished in a boat mishap in River Sarkin Pawa, Niger State.

And on this day in 2013;Former governor of Delta State Emmanuel Uduaghan, said, that guild editors would be held responsible should Nigeria break up.

Consequently, he charged the editors to be mindful of the kind of reports they churned out for public consumption..
The Acting Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Mr. Ibrahim Magu, has reiterated the commissions resolve in ensuring that proper investigation is carried out before suspects are arrested and detained in its facilities.

Magu said this while taking journalists on an inspection tour of the commissions facilities on Thursday in Abuja.

The tour was organised by the EFCC to debunk reports that the commission tortures suspects in its custody.

Magu dispelled this speculation, saying the EFCC has no reason to torture suspects in its detention facilities.

He said the tour had become necessary to correct negative public perception of the EFCC and its operations.

He added that contrary to public perception, the commission would not pick on any person until proper investigation and background check were carried out.

We do not torture people as it is being speculated, we do proper check on people before inviting them over, he said.
A former deputy national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Bode George has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State of attempting to mess up the Yoruba race.

George, who was one of the national chairmanship aspirants from Lagos State during the botched August 17 national convention of the PDP in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, said the governor was trying to dictate to the Yoruba on their choice of leadership.

He was reacting to the alleged plan by Mr. Wike to impose Jimi Agbaje as PDP national chairman during the botched convention.

According to him, events that played out in Port Harcourt had vindicated the embattled factional national chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, who has often accused PDP governors, especially Wike and Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, of attempting to hijack the party for their own selfish ends.

Now you can see that Sheriff is a saint. All he has been complaining about, he was right, Mr. George said.

Shedding light on why he said the Rivers governor was trying to ridicule the Yoruba race, the PDP chieftain said the South-West zonal chapter had adopted him (George) as its candidate for the national chairmanship position but that Wike and his cohorts were trying to interfere with the decision of the zone.

If a zone cannot recommend him (Agbaje), who the hell are you people (in apparent reference to Wike and co.) to decide he is the one you want? We didnt interfere with them bringing [Uche] Secondus or the South-East bringing their own candidate, he fumed.

Mr. Geroge vowed that We would save this party, would do everything that is possible to salvage this party. The South-west had already endorsed somebody, you refused to take that, you were manipulating people, jumping all around. If we had done that when we were building the party, many of them would never have ended up being governors. If you are a governor, you must show a high pitch of responsibility, respectability and civility.

Still seething with anger from the planned imposition of Agbaje, who was the PDP candidate during the last general election in Lagos, Chief George said For Gods sake, you are messing up with the Yoruba people. They are saying, This is what we want and you are saying, this is the one you would pick for us. And they are taking a man who is yet to get his political teeth in Yoruba land in the PDP to make him the national chairman. It is an insult to the Yoruba people and we will never allow it, very disgraceful, very thoughtless. What do you think we are in Yoruba land? And nobody goes to the Villa (Presidency) without winning the South-west with 6.5m registered voters. I am happy that it (convention) was postponed. Like I said, it is a divine intervention.
An Abuja-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yahya Al-Yolawi, has advised intending pilgrims to settle their debts and leave their wills behind before travelling to Saudi Arabia.

Al-yolawi, who is the Chief Imam of Area 10 Mosque made the call while delivering Jummaat sermon title: Essential tips for Hajj Preparations on Friday in Abuja.

An intending pilgrim should settle his debts and leave behind him a clear record as well as writing all his wills or what he intends to pass to his family, he said.

According to the cleric, the need to leave a will behind is because the journey to Holy land may be the final journey for a pilgrim.

He explained that hajj was a unique and extra ordinary journey in the life time of all pilgrims, adding that it was an invitation from Allah to the most famous acts of worship.

The cleric said that journey to hajj required high level of patience as it was always accompanied with difficulties, fatigue, physical and social abnormalities as well as intolerance from other pilgrims.

One should not allow Shaitan (devil) to hijack him and spoil his hajj out of ignorance or annoyance, he said.

Al-Yolawi said that there was need for pilgrims to fulfil all the hajj requirements and avoid all things that would nullify his hajj rites with a view to getting all the spiritual benefits of pilgrimage.

This emphasises on the importance of piety as first ingredient of ones journey to Mecca, which means to maintain good relationship with your Lord by devoting yourself to obey him.

The intention behind ones journey to hajj must be for the sake of Allah alone as whoever performs any act of worship in order to please people or gain popularity has spoilt his action.

Prophets Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: learn your rituals from me, for I do not know whether I would be performing Hajj after this Hajj of mine, (Muslim Hadith no 1297).

Al-Yolawi admonished pilgrims to ensure that their sources of finance and other materials things were clean and legitimate because Allah accepts only that which is pure.

He also warned pilgrims against snapping pictures for whatever purpose while observing hajj rite, saying that such action could contradict pilgrims sincerity of performing hajj for the sake of Allah.

Similarly, the cleric said that women doing their monthly menstruations should be in a state of Ihram when they pass the Miqat, adding that they should shower and do Talbiyah like everyone else.

Al-Yolawi, therefore, prayed to Allah, the most high to continue to protect Islam and safeguard Nigerian pilgrims as they take-off peacefully to Saudi Arabia.

May the Lord accept their Hajj, prayers, grant their supplications and bring them back to us safely and peacefully, he said. (NAN)
New "unlimited data" plans from T-Mobile and Sprint seem at first blush to be a win-win for customers, but not only could subscribers ultimately wind up paying more for less, the plans clearly violate net neutrality principles. The FCC, meanwhile, has taken a glacial pace in reviewing these and similar offerings from mobile carriers.

CEO John Legere promised that the T-Mobile One plan unveiled last week will "turn the wireless industry on its head." It also seems to turn back the clock on the open internet.

[ 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. ]

The plan does away with tiered data caps and offers customers unlimited data. Great! Except by "unlimited" the company actually means 26GB, after which data speeds are throttled, and video streams are downgraded to 480p by default.

Sprint subsequently unveiled its Unlimited Freedom data plan, which goes even further by reducing bandwidth for video, gaming, and music.

T-Mobile's Binge On program, introduced last year, also reduced video quality from 1,080p to 480p; in return, streaming from participating services like Netflix and Hulu didn't count against customers' data caps. This zero-rating scheme was questioned by net neutrality advocates at the time and has been the subject of an ongoing -- and inconclusive -- review by the FCC. (Countries like India, Japan, and The Netherlands have already banned zero rating as anticompetitive.)

However, T-Mobile customers who wanted better video definition could opt out of Binge On whenever desired, whereas T-Mobile One downgrades all video streaming by default.

But fear not: T-Mobile customers who want to view video in high definition can still have that experience -- by paying $25 more per month per line. In other words, T-Mobile One subscribers pay a $25 fee for the privilege of turning off Binge On.

"From what we've read thus far it seems like T-Mobile's new plan to charge its customers extra to not throttle video runs directly afoul of the principle of net neutrality," Electronic Frontier Foundation senior staff technologist Jeremy Gillula told Daily Dot.

T-Mobile's new plan will also cost more if you want to tether your phone to another device. T-Mobile One limits tethering to 2G (128Kbps) speeds by default; tethering speeds that are actually usable will cost customers an additional $15 per month for up to 5GB.

So much for "unlimited." At least Sprint's new plan includes a tethering allowance of 5GB.

"Limiting the speed of tethered traffic and throttling video are both practices that violate the FCC's rule against throttling and the principle of net neutrality," Electronic Frontier Foundation Staff Attorney Kit Walsh said in a statement to WirelessWeek.

While the "no throttling" rule allows for "reasonable network management," Walsh told WirelessWeek the fact that T-Mobile is charging customers to avoid throttling "demonstrates that the limitations are being put in place not out of technical need, but for business reasons."

Net neutrality advocates have repeatedly warned that allowing carriers to fiddle with service quality sets a horrible precedent. After all, what's to stop them from charging more for unthrottled access to other types of data? TechDirt warns:

Folks with even the faintest tea leaf reading ability should be able to envision one possible future where all broadband access is fragmented and fractured ... [with] users paying more or less for varying qualities of different content and services. This was the sort of thing net neutrality rules were designed to help us avoid.... Groups like the EFF (quite correctly) worry T-Mobile is happily chipping away at the very foundation of an open internet ... to thunderous public applause.

Perhaps not so thunderous anymore. While T-Mobile has had impressive success with previous Un-carrier initiatives, T-Mobile One may be a tougher sell -- especially to existing customers. Less-than-thrilled subscribers have taken to Reddit to vent their displeasure with the "evil" and "disgraceful" new plan. "This sucks, plain and simple. There's no positive here. This just sucks," SilverIdaten commented.

Meanwhile, in the Twitterverse, Droid Life tweeted, "T-Mobile introduced a pretty bad unlimited' plan today." And DreamHost's vice president for cloud and development Jonathan LaCour said: "Up until the introduction of #TMobileONE, I've been a huge advocate for @TMobile to friends and family. No longer. Awful, hostile shift."

This was probably not the reaction Legere had in mind when he gushed that "we're going to completely rethink the customer experience."

Perhaps now that the bloom is coming off Un-carrier innovation, the FCC will have more of an incentive to push back on schemes that "tap dance over, under and around" net neutrality rules.
Rains in the Plains, Dow soars Sidwell Strategies - 17 minutes ago 1st winter wheat ratings Monday; consider carbon for cash flow during drought

Open Enrollment 101: Make the Most of Your Benefits Young & The Invested - Sat Oct 29, 6:00AM CDT The 2022 open enrollment season will be a difficult one as workers have to factor in persistently high inflation while they choose their coverage. These tips can help you maximize your benefits.

Hogs Rebound into Weekend Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Lean hog futures ended the Friday round with 32 to 97 cent gains to fade the triple digit losses from Thursday. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was $90.54 in the PM update, down by $1.15. The... HEZ22 : 86.100s (+1.15%) HEJ23 : 92.700s (+0.62%) KMZ22 : 96.125s (+0.37%)

Cotton Falls Triple Digits Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT December cotton ended the day locked limit lower on the 3c loss. The March contract worked back off the limit for the bell, but still went home down by 274 points. For the week, Dec cotton closed 702 points... CTZ22 : 72.11s (-3.99%) CTH23 : 72.07s (-3.66%) CTK23 : 72.30s (-2.99%)

Cattle Market Fades on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Live cattle futures ended the weeks last trade day down by 35 cents to $1.02 with soon to expire October down the most. Cash trade picked up later in the week with some Friday catch up sales mostly... LEV22 : 150.375s (-0.68%) LEZ22 : 153.000s (-0.28%) LEG23 : 156.325s (-0.33%) GFX22 : 177.875s (-0.14%) GFF23 : 180.375s (-0.04%)

Loss for Friday Wheat Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Wheat futures faded on Friday with the front month contracts going home 6 1/4 to 9 1/4 cents lower in SRW. For the December contract that completed the week with a 21 1/2 cent loss. KC futures closed down... ZWZ22 : 829-2s (-1.10%) ZWH23 : 849-0s (-1.05%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.6281 (-1.18%) KEZ22 : 925-0s (-0.78%) KEPAWS.CM : 8.8324 (-0.81%) MWZ22 : 945-0s (-0.58%)

Corn Closes Red on Friday Barchart - Fri Oct 28, 4:39PM CDT Front month corn futures settled the Friday session with fractional to 1 1/2 cent losses. The December contract saw a tight 7 1/2 cent range from -6 cents to +1 1/2 cents on the day. It was also down for... ZCZ22 : 680-6s (-0.22%) ZCPAUS.CM : 6.7193 (-0.15%) ZCH23 : 686-6s (-0.15%) ZCK23 : 686-2s (unch)
London-based billionaire Len Blavatnik has been giving away quite a bit of money in recent years. Armed with a degree from Moscow State University and two degrees from Ivy League institutions, Blavatnik made sharp investments in post-Soviet aluminum and energy companies and earned a fortune. He's the founder and chairman of Access Industries, and Forbes currently pegs the 59 year old's net worth at $15.7 billion.

Blavatnik's wealth is a big deal, and why we've kept a close eye on the international billionaire and his growing giving. I recently wrote about the Blavatnik Family Foundation's leading gift of $25 million to Carnegie Hall, where Blavatnik serves as a trustee. He and his wife Emily also support the arts and other causes through a charitable vehicle called the Provident Foundation.

Related: Why This International Billionaire Should be Watched in the Arts

From what we can track, though, Blavatnik's largest sums in recent years have gone toward institutions of higher learning. In 2010, Blavatnik committed 75 million to establish the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford. In 2013, he gave gifts of $50 million and $10 million to Harvard and Yale respectively. Two years ago, meanwhile, Blavatnik gave $20 million gift to Tel Aviv University (TAU).

Blavatnik has shown a particular interest in bankrolling scientific research at colleges and universities. Back in 2007, the Blavatnik Family Foundation established the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, awarded through the New York Academy of Sciences, to recognize innovative accomplishments that have an impact on life sciences, physical sciences, mathematics and engineering. These awards have supported researchers at institutions like UC Berkeley, Yale, Harvard and MIT.

Away from these awards, Blavatnik's big gift to Tel Aviv University established the Blavatnik Initiative, a multi-year program committed to the advancement of interdisciplinary scientific research, discovery, and development. His gift to Harvard, meanwhile, bankrolled an initiative aimed at accelerating biomedical research. While Blavatnik studied at Moscow State University, Columbia and Harvard, his higher education philanthropy has not exclusively focused on his alma maters.

The most recent news is that the billionaire is once again supporting Yale University. The Blavatnik Family Foundation has given $10 million to Yale to support the Blavatnik Fund for Innovation at Yale, designed to "bridge the gap between life sciences research and business and to accelerate the commercialization of groundbreaking, investigator-initiated discoveries." The funds will also establish the the Blavatnik Fellows Program, which aims to foster scientific entrepreneurship.

It's worth mentioning that Blavatnik's past $10 million in 2013 supported Yale immunobiologists Ruslan Medzhitov and Richard Flavell and their pioneering studies on inflammation and chronic disease. Medzhitov holds a PhD from Moscow State University, where Blavatnik also graduated. What's more, in 2007, Medzhitov was a Blavatnik regional award winner for his contributions to immunology.

On some level, then, Blavatnik has been long aware and impressed with the scientific research being done at Yale. And while critics of big gifts to wealthy universities, like Malcolm Gladwell, have lately been getting more vociferous, often making great points about inequity in higher education, it's important to analyze such gifts individually. Some of the biggest donations to elite universities go to fund the kind of scientific research that most people agree we need more ofbut which government agencies are less able to support amid budget cutbacks.

Top schools like Yale and Harvard are routinely depicted as bastions of privilege, and there's plenty of truth to that. But they are also key incubators of ideas and discoveries in science, medicine and other fields, and eight- or nine-figure gifts to such institutions often make a lot of sense, just like it makes sense for government research agencies to funnel billions in taxpayer dollars to these places. As Blavatnik put it, Yale exemplifies the remarkable pace of growth and discovery in the life sciences... the Blavatnik Innovation Fund will help Yale attract entrepreneurial partners to quicken the discovery-to-market pipeline and to nurture future leaders in scientific entrepreneurism."

The bigger picture, here, is that like it or not, donors such as Len Blavatnik are becoming ever more important to the future of science, especially within higher education.

Related: Should We Worry That More Big Gifts Are Flowing to Top Universities? Yes and No
If you live in Chicago, its been impossible to flip on the news lately and not hear another devastating report about violence somewhere in the city, with the homicide rate spiking in recent years. Local foundations arent blind to this mounting crisis, but addressing issues of violence through philanthropy is often easier said than done. While this problem can weigh intensely on ordinary peopleespecially in certain urban neighborhoods during the hot summer monthsfunders often appear unable to do much about it, especially in an immediate way. Philanthropy is far better at, say, backing programs to help teenagers graduate high school than making sure that those same kids don't get murdered this weekend.

So we were struck by the recent creation of a new funders collaborative, the Chicago Fund for Safe and Peaceful Communities, that really is focused on reducing violence in the city right now. The fund, backed by familiar philanthropic heavy hitters in Chicago, aims to "support immediate intervention by organizations that are proactively working to keep our neighborhoods safe over the Labor Day holiday weekend and through the beginning of the school year."

A few broad points of context, here, before looking more closely at how the fund will operate.

First, there are a few currents at work, both nationally and locally, that may help explain where this collaboration came from. Nationally, there's been a lot of attention lately to issues of both race and gun violence. Earlier this summer, over two dozen funders signed a full page ad in the New York Times and other papers saying that were dedicated to finding solutions and that there were "reasons for hope" at a moment of considerable anguish. You can see why Chicago funders might put their heads together to take some concrete actions along similar lines to generate hope in their own community.

Related: Mixed Messengers? On Foundations as Moral Cheerleaders for America

Locally, it's hard to overstate the degree to which spiking violence and murder has preoccupied Chicagoans, from the mayor downward, including local community leaders and parents. It makes sense that the city's top funders would want to be responsive hereand all the more so, after MacArthur, a member of this collaborative, was zinged in May by black community leader Phillip Jackson, who charged that the foundation was ignoring the needs of African Americans. Jackson wrote:

Chicago is MacArthur Foundation's home. Chicago is also ground zero for violence and murder in the United States. As one of the wealthiest foundations in the world, MacArthur ought to be at the forefront of reducing Chicago's violence and murders.

In June, community activists demonstrated outside of MacArthur's headquarters, with signs that said things like, "MacArthur should help Chicago or leave Chicago," and "No more violence, no more killing."

While the foundation responded that it had, indeed, invested heavily in its home city to the tune of over $1 billion since 1979, this new anti-violence fund suggests that Jackson's comments may have really struck a chord with both Mac and other funders.

Meanwhile, as we've observed, another member of this collaborationthe Chicago Community Trusthas lately worked with a new intensity to address the economic and racial inequities in Chicoago and to listen to community input.

Related: If "Everything Happens at Parties," This Funder Is on the Right Track

One last bit of context here: This new effort is yet another example of a funder collaboration coming to the rescue when traditional grantmaking approaches fall short. Increasingly, it seems funders are teaming up to tackle the toughest problems.

So now, the details of the new fund. Here's the full list of funders involved:

Chicago Community Trust

Joyce Foundation

John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation

Robert R. McCormick Foundation

Polk Bros. Foundation

Woods Fund Chicago

There are some grant opportunities immediately available through this fund. Overall, theres $300,000 in this fund, and the new grants range from $1,000 to $10,000 each. All grants are awarded to local community nonprofits in Chicago and fund causes that promote community cohesion, foster constructive relationships between police and community residents, and help reduce violence.

Whats interesting about this new fund and its grant opportunity is the urgency. This isnt the type of situation where foundations sit back and wait for nonprofits to chip away at a program over the course of a few years. The deadline to apply for this grant opportunity is September 30, and all activities must be completed by October 31. Theres a youth-focused angle with this funds initial push and an effort to start off the 2016-2017 school year violence-free. Labor Day weekend is one of the deadliest times in the city, so there are some excellent reasons for this urgency.

The timing might be quick, but this is no quick fix or one-time funding effort. Each of these funders already has a longstanding commitment to the issue of violence in Chicago, and this is merely an extension of each of those. What future rounds of funding through this collaborative may look like is yet to be seen.

Below are some of the types of things that the new anti-violence fund is looking to support. As you can see, there are some really casual activities here, but sometimes the most grassroots efforts are the ones that finally get through to unreachable populations.

Educational events

Group or youth activities

Resident leader stipends

Recreational activities

Festivals

Performances

Picnics

Block-level activities

Rental of venues and supplies

You can view the full application guidelines on the Chicago Community Trust website. Local community leaders will review the applications, and grant decisions are being made on a rolling basis. Senior program officer Deborah Bennett from the Polk Brothers Foundation is chairing that advisory council, and shes joined by representatives from Joyce, McCormick, MacArthur, Woods, the Prim Lawrence Group, and the Adler University Institute on Public Safety and Social Justice.
Self-storage properties are constantly changing hands, and Inside Self-Storage is regularly notified of these market transactions. Many are covered in detail on the ISS website and available for viewing on the Real Estate topics page. Following are additional acquisitions and sales that werent covered independently due to missing information such as buyer, seller, sale price or other relevant details.

7th Street and Dunlap Self Storage in Phoenix was sold. Built in 2007, the five-story facility at 533 E. Dunlap Ave. comprises 69,910 net rentable square feet of storage space in 706 units. Though the total was undisclosed, the property fetched a record-breaking price within the market, according to a press release from Marcus & Millichap, the real estate firm that brokered the deal. Michael Mele and Sean Delaney, senior directors for the firms National Self-Storage Group, and Devin Beasley, associate, represented the buyer and seller in the transaction.

38th Street Mini Storage in Tulsa, Okla., was sold. The property at 7711 E. 38th St. comprises 36,150 rentable square feet of storage space in 354 units. It was constructed in 1960. Mele and Trey Hammond, an investment specialists in the Marcus & Millichap Tulsa office, represented the buyer and the seller, a limited-liability company.

Blue Angel Store-N-More in Pensacola, Fla., was sold to an out-of-state investor for $2.5 million. The property at 6161 N. Blue Angel Parkway comprises 30,875 square feet in 284 units. The transaction was brokered by Bill Barnhill and Stuart P. LaGroue Sr. of Omega Properties Inc., both of whom serve as broker affiliates for the Argus Self Storage Sales Network in Alabama, the Florida Panhandle, Louisiana and Mississippi.

Freedom Storage in Powells Point, N.C., was sold to a Virginia-based investor with a portfolio of rural self-storage facilities. Opened in 2002, the property at 136 Freedom Ave. contains more than 175 units. The buyer and the seller, a local investor, were represented in the transaction by Stuart Wade of The Nicholson Cos., whos the Argus broker affiliate for Maryland and Virginia.

Hartsville Mini Storage, a seven-building facility in Hartsville, S.C., was sold to a limited-liability company, which was formed specifically to acquire the property, according to a press release from Midcoast Properties Inc., the real estate company that brokered the transaction. The facility sits on 14 acres and includes about 96,000 square feet of storage space in more than 700 units. It also has room for expansion. Midcoast President Dale C. Eisenman represented the seller.

Jernigan Capital Inc. purchased a multi-story facility in Johns Creek, Ga., for $8.8 million. The facility includes 745 units. The investment was made through Storage Lenders I LLC, the companys joint-venture partnership with Heitman Capital Management.

Kingwood Storage in Kingwood, Texas, was sold to a limited-liability company. The property at 1964 Northpark was built in 1985 and includes 254 storage units. Dave Knobler, senior associate, and Justin Miller, vice president of investments, in the Marcus & Millichap Houston office represented the buyer and the seller, a private investor.

Longhorn Road Self Storage and Samuell Boulevard Self Storage in Texas, were sold. The former, at 131 Longhorn Road in Saginaw, was built in 1984 and contains 330 units. The latter, at 3940 Samuell Blvd. in Mesquite, was built in 1984 and contains 551 units. Brandon Karr, Danny Cunningham and Nicholas Ling in the Marcus & Millichap Austin and Fort Worth offices represented the buyer and the seller, both limited-liability companies.

Mini Storage Depot in Walled Lake, Mich., was sold for $11.3 million to U-Store Investment Fund LLC, a Michigan-based owner. The property at 46550 W. Pontiac Trail features 15 buildings comprising 111,050 square feet of storage space in 900 units. Built in 2004, it also includes 108 vehicle-parking spaces. Brett Hatcher, vice president of investments in the Marcus & Millichap Columbus, Ohio, office represented the buyer and seller in the transaction.

Public Storage, a self-storage real estate investment trust, purchased Chatham Parkway Self Storage in Savannah, Ga. The property comprises 100,350 net rentable square feet of storage space in 858 units. Bill Bellomy, John Arnold and Michael Johnson of Bellomy & Co. represented the buyer and the seller, a local company.

Snow Road Self Storage, a two-property portfolio in Mobile, Ala., was sold to an out-of-state investor. The properties at 475 Snow Road and 899 Snow Road N. comprise 64,187 rentable square feet in 449 units, which includes outside vehicle parking. Barnhill and LaGroue brokered the transaction.

The Storage Station in Sellersburg, Ind., was sold. The property at 7022 Charlestown Road sits on approximately 8.11 acres. It comprises 107,995 net rentable square feet of storage space in 434 units as well as 40 vehicle-parking spaces. It was built in 2000 and expanded in 2005. Jay J. Crotty, managing partner, and Ryan Clark, senior vice president, of SkyView Advisors represented the seller, Wildcat Project LLC.

"The Storage Station property presented a tremendous growth opportunity, within the growing Southern Indiana market. The offering received strong interest from any of the country's largest self-storage buyers, Clark said.

Argus is a Denver-based network of real estate brokers who specialize in storage properties. Formed in 1994, the company has 36 broker affiliates covering nearly 40 markets.

With offices in Austin, Houston and Lubbock, Texas, Bellomy & Co. focuses on the sale of self-storage, industrial, office and retail properties nationwide.

Jernigan Capital is a commercial real estate finance company that provides financing to private developers, operators and owners of self-storage facilities. The company offers financing for acquisition, ground-up construction, major redevelopment or refinancing.

Founded in 1971, Marcus & Millichap is a commercial-property investment firm with more than 1,500 investment professionals in offices throughout Canada and the United States. The firm closed more than 8,700 transactions in 2015 with a value of approximately $37.8 billion.

Midcoast Properties offers brokerage services to self-storage owners and investors in the Carolinas and Georgia.

Based in Glendale, Calif., Public Storage has interests in 2,310 self-storage facilities in 38 states, with approximately 151 million net rentable square feet. Operating under the Shurgard brand name, the company also has 218 facilities in seven European countries, with approximately 12 million net rentable square feet.

SkyView is a boutique firm specializing in self-storage acquisition, development, facility expansion and renovation, refinancing, and sales. Based in Tampa, Fla., the firm also has offices in Cleveland and Milwaukee.
This content is from: Opinion

Cryptos descent into hell, rather than sending institutional investors straight for the exits, has triggered a hunt for the next big bet.(Part of the crypto column series.)
Its being described as a very typical case of insurance fraud in Vietnam but cutting off two limbs in order to claim an insurance payout would be seen as extreme by most people.Vietnamese woman Ly Thi N originally claimed to have been hit by a train, but now she has reportedly admitted to having paid a friend $2,880 to sever her limbs, according to bbc.com.Police say the 30-year-old, whose business is said to be struggling, paid to have her foot and part of her arm cut off in order to trigger a claim of more than $150,000 from her insurance company.A supposed bystander, Doan Van D, the same person who did the cutting, had called an ambulance after finding the injured woman on a Hanoi railroad.Pictures published by the Peoples Police Newspaper of Vietnam showed the woman three months later with her wounds healed.The unusual case has led to heated discussion on social media in Vietnam.Facebook user Ly Phan posted: A very typical case of insurance fraud. The kind of joke that only happens in Vietnam.Lost 50 million, 1 hand, 1 leg, and now you are at risk to go to jail. No benefit at all.While some users decried the woman for such a dangerous move, others questioned how desperate she must have been.She may be going bankrupt or urgently need money to do something like that. It is never easy to cheat insurance companies, Thanh Phuong Qyunh Le said.Another, Hoa Nguyen, said sympathetically: How destitute must a person be to do such a thing?Police have reportedly dropped the criminal investigation against both suspects, a local newspaper reported.Le Van Luan, of the Hanoi Bar Association, told the BBC that it would be difficult to find the appropriate law to charge the pair with under the penal code.We need a new article for this kind of fraud, he said. Her self-harm is horrible and extremely rare.
Costly health insurance extras, such as dental, optical, massage, and other complementary therapies, are often forgotten and left unused by as many as two in three Australians with health insurance policies, it has been reported.A survey commissioned by Aussie comparison site finder.com.au has found that 68% of policyholders dont keep tabs of how much money their health insurance policy were for claiming on extras, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.According to the survey, almost three in four policyholders over the age of 55 couldnt say what their extras allowance was; while 46% of policyholders aged 18 to 35 keep track of the extras they use.Bessie Hassan, finder.com.au spokesperson said recent industry findings suggested that some 8.3 million Australians may not be getting the value of the money they spent on extras."That's a lot of money pocketed by insurers because Australians aren't keeping tabs on what they're entitled to," Hassan told SMH.The survey revealed that in NSW, 65 per cent of people didnt keep track of their extras at all. While 437 of NSW policyholders surveyed said they used their extras an average of 3.44 times since January, The Sydney Morning Herald reported.The survey also found that Australian men were less likely to keep track of extras than women. Men also used fewer extras, with an average of fewer than three times since January, compared to an average of 3.55 times in women."At this rate, consumers are likely to barely come out in front," Hassan said.The report cited an analysis by consumer group Choice which found that on average, just $370 was paid out in extras benefits to individuals in 2013-14. The group also found that consumers who opted out of their extras saved up to 45% in fees. The Choice analysis was published before the governments 5.6% increase in health insurance premiums in July.The analysis also suggested that Bupa and Medibank Private policyholders could save from 30% to 45% by dropping extras, though savings varied between states and territories, according to the report.The SMH report said latest figures from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority ( APRA ) showed that in FY15, private health fund members received less back from the record $22 billion in premiums they paid. APRA data also showed that while private health funds raised premium revenues by 6.4% and profit before tax by 8.9% in FY16, payouts to members rose only by 5.3%.The Consumer Health Forum of Australia said the latest findings reflect the urgent need for the federal government to conduct its planned review of the industry as soon as possible, SMH reported.
Brokers looking to develop their business in the cyber insurance market need to focus on educating themselves and clients as the insurance industry continues grapple with the booming cyber market.Kevin Kalinich, global cyber risk practice leader for Aon Risk Solutions told Insurance Business that brokers looking to develop there cyber offering need to educate clients using facts from the market.Cyber exposures and solutions are not one size fits all so it behoves brokers to become educated and educate their clients depending upon specific industries and size and geographies, Kalinich said.If the brokers try and say here is the answer to all of your questions, that wont work and you will lose credibility.I think the role of the broker can be to aggregate as many objective facts and provide intellectual capital to clients to educate them on what the potential losses are that could affect their financial statement.Kalinich, who is in Australia as part of the Cyber Risk Symposiums currently being held across the country by Aon, DLA Piper and Symantec, said that a credible broker, would to focus on education rather than trying to convince clients of the benefits of cyber cover.I think the more that we can use fact-based intellectual capital, that to me would resonate more with the clients than just trying to convince them of something, Kalinich continued.The cyber market has branched out from technology focused companies, Kalinich said, but tech companies still have an important role to play in the market.In 2016 every company, in every industry relies on technology and information assets so what we are doing is leveraging off of the core technology companies to provide education and information to the rest of the industries of what the technology and information asset issues are.With mandatory breach notification laws on the horizon Kalinich said that this legislative change could have a drastic impact on the uptake of the insurance cover in Australia.We know that there have been a lot of incidents in Australia, never disclosed, because they dont want to lose their brand and reputation, Kalinich continued.We know that there have been other losses from business interruption and again they dont want to disclose these because of brand and reputation. They are afraid that people wont use them any more.Well have the mandatory data breach disclosure law and then well have a major incident. That will happen and it will be bigger than the census bureau. It will be a loss. Then the companies will be forced by management, by the directors and officers, to address that because it can affect their bottom line and the directors are liable if they dont address it.
State public health officials say preventable medical errors reported by full-service Massachusetts hospitals jumped 60 percent last year, but attributed the rise in large part to a problem at a single hospital.

The Department of Public Health says hospitals disclosed 1,313 errors that harmed or threatened patients in 2015, including 26 cases when the wrong surgery or procedure was performed. The Boston Globe reports there were 51 instances when a medication error seriously injured or killed a patient and 446 cases of contaminated drugs, devices, or biologics.

The last category rose largely because Baystate Medical Center in Springfield, Mass., notified hundreds of patients they were potentially exposed to infection after state inspectors found crowded and unsanitary conditions in the inpatient dialysis unit. The state counted each one as a serious reportable event.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Massachusetts Medical Professional Liability
For investors and bankers wanting to know more about whos behind Anbang Insurance Group, Chinas second-largest life insurer, plans for a Hong Kong IPO next year should provide some answers.

Anbangs relentless pursuit of overseas deals, rapid financing and opaque shareholding structure have raised questions about its deal-making prowess. In April, it aborted an eye-catching $14 billion bid for Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide.

For a company boasting about $300 billion in assets, including New Yorks Waldorf Astoria hotel, Anbangs chairman Wu Xiaohui and top executives maintain a low profile. Company directors rarely appear in public or give media interviews.

That operational secrecy and limited financial disclosures has deterred some foreign banks from taking on Anbang as a client, with some bank compliance departments feeling they couldnt satisfy strict know-your-client tests on the group, said people with direct knowledge of the matter.

That may change as plans take shape for an insurance IPO that some bankers reckon could raise $5-$7 billion.

Under Hong Kong listing rules, Anbang will have to disclose information on its shareholding structure, subsidiaries and changes in its financial position for recent years  a process made more complicated by an acquisitions spree estimated at as much as $15 billion as it chased higher yielding assets.

Listing companies also have to detail how they plan to use the IPO funds, and are held accountable to that.

Investors will be keen to read the risk factor section of any listing document, laying out managements view of the business and its future strategy, bankers and analysts said.

If youre dealing with whats effectively a financial conglomerate involved in all sorts of things including investing in hotels, financial disclosure could be actually quite important and require a fair amount of work from banks and accountants, said Philippe Espinasse, a former banker at UBS and Nomura.

In response to Reuters queries for this article, Anbang said its overseas acquisitions have been examined and approved by various regulators. Anbang has engaged in and has fully complied with all corporate governance and internal compliance procedures to work with a broad range of top-tier financial advisors, it said.

Joining In

Bankers and investors will also be keen to find out more about Anbangs leadership and ownership.

The chairman, 49-year-old Wu, is married to a granddaughter of Chinese patriarch Deng Xiaoping, while Levin Zhu, the son of former premier Zhu Rongji and founder of China Investment Capital Corp, the countrys largest domestic investment bank, has also been an Anbang director.

Founded as an auto insurer in 2004, Anbang has grown to be Chinas No. 2 life insurer, with 10 percent market share and premium income of $34 billion.

It has invited a dozen investment banks, including nine foreign banks, to make IPO pitches, people familiar with the matter said.

Confident that Hong Kongs listing rules will force Anbang to disclose information previously kept under wraps  and lured by a potential $200 million in IPO fees  more foreign banks are also interested in joining the deal, one of the knowledgeable individuals said.

Only four foreign firms  Evercore Partners, Deutsche Bank , BNP Paribas and UBS  have advised Anbang on M&A deals, earning just over $20 million in fees, according to a Thomson Reuters review and Freeman & Co estimates, though another source said Bank of America, Credit Suisse, Goldman Sachs, Nomura Holdings and PJT Partners have also worked with Anbang.

For deal-starved investment banks, the acquisitive Anbang could prove a valuable client as IPO funds could give it the firepower for more deals, the people said.

If somebody says they dont want to be on this deal, they would be lying, said one Hong Kong-based equity capital banker, whose firm was invited to pitch for the IPO, adding that compliance officers would find a reason to justify being on the deal.

If this was a $100 million or $500 million deal, sure, you can think of many reasons why it wouldnt make sense to be involved.

($1 = 6.6535 Chinese yuan renminbi) (Reporting by Denny Thomas and Elzio Barreto, with additional reporting by Julie Zhu and Fiona Lau at IFR; editing by Ian Geoghegan)

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Topics China
Big financial groups in London are losing faith in a quick fix to get access to the European Union after Britain leaves the bloc and are instead drawing up contingency plans to avoid becoming hostage to Brussels politics.

In the aftermath of Britains vote to leave the EU, legal experts said banks, insurers and asset managers in London using so-called EU passports allowing them to sell services across the bloc should keep their access because regulations in Britain would be equivalent to those within the trading zone.

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson also said in July he expected financial firms in the country to retain rights to sell within the EU, given the desire of European firms to have reciprocal access to London.

But many in the City of London, Europes biggest financial center, are having second thoughts about relying on such an equivalency fix as it will be Brussels not Britain that decides whether the rules are the same.

Having equivalent rules is a condition for market access and Britain would almost certainly comply on Day One of Brexit, simply because it would have been enforcing EU-wide financial services regulations up to that point.

But what worries financial firms is that equivalence could, in theory, be withdrawn by Brussels at a months notice, which is an element of risk some are not prepared to shoulder.

There is not a very clear structure for how equivalence is granted, and its likely to be at best a highly politicized environment, said Mark Hemsley, chief executive officer of Bats Europe, the regions biggest share trading platform.

While on the face of it equivalence appears to be a very attractive route because it implies very little work, when you get down to the first level of detail there are unanswered questions, he told Reuters in an interview.

Watertight Access

European heavyweights Germany and France have played down hopes of an easy deal to keep Londons financial hub intact and Frankfurt, Paris, Dublin, Luxembourg, Milan and Amsterdam are all vying to woo UK-based firms that need watertight EU access.

Hemsley said barring a clear signal that Britain would have full access to the single European market, Bats would start work on a second base next year, with Dublin being one of the more attractive locations in the EU.

The EU passporting arrangements have been central to Bats success. Founded in 2005 in the United States, Bats first took on the main U.S. exchanges before expanding to Europe in 2008.

Centered in London with an EU passport, allowing unhindered trade across the bloc, Bats Europe has been able to snatch large chunks of share trading from centuries-old national European stock exchanges to become the market leader.

Other firms such as British insurers Admiral Group and Beazley Plc have also said they may shift some operations to Dublin, or elsewhere in the EU to have guaranteed passporting rights following Brexit.

U.S. banking giants Goldman Sachs and Bank of America both rely on EU passports for their London-based European operations and have said they may restructure some businesses when Britain leaves.

The passport so cherished by financial firms throughout the European Union is granted under a law known as the Markets in Financial Services Directive, or MiFID.

An updated version called MiFID II that comes in on January 2018 includes an equivalence provision for firms in countries outside the bloc that want to do business with EU customers.

MiFID II is critical because of the need for continuity in global securities trading, but equivalence on its own is unworkable, the head of regulation at a foreign bank in London said, referring to the lack of guarantees that equivalence would be maintained.

High Risk Strategy

The EUs executive, the European Commission, is the body that decides if the financial rules in a country outside the EU are equivalent, and allow market access.

As Britain would almost certainly leave the EU after MiFID II came into force it should be compliant initially. But if the EU amended MiFID later, that would force Britain to make similar changes, or risk having equivalence withdrawn.

There is no set timeline for equivalence decisions and they not only cover countries but every firm wanting recognition from Brussels to trade across the bloc.

That is not a very satisfactory environment. They can just switch you off, Hemsley at Bats Europe said.

Besides the lack of guarantees, it could also take time for Brussels to make a ruling, adding another layer of uncertainty and risk. For example, it took Brussels about four years to decide that a U.S. rule for clearing derivatives was equivalent, and allow European banks to continue using U.S. clearing houses.

It would be difficult to make long-term business decisions in the hope that the UKs laws and regulations will be deemed equivalent to EU rules, Vishal Vedi, banking and capital markets Brexit lead partner at Deloitte, said.

So, placing sole reliance on equivalence is a high risk strategy.

Bankers say the MiFID II equivalence regime could be a stop-gap from when Britain leaves the EU until new trading terms with the bloc come in.

The head of regulation at the foreign bank said there could be a bilateral arrangement that includes the equivalence regime, plus an overlay to address issues such as the short notice period for withdrawal and future changes in EU regulation.

Its a choice between being some sort of rule-taker or having some sort of bespoke arrangement, and that probably wont be MiFID II on its own, the banker said.

Hard Brexit Risks

EU leaders have said that as a matter of principle, Britain would only get complete access to the single market if it in turn allowed EU citizens to work there, a condition many Brexit backers oppose.

Deloittes Vedi said this was why many banks were planning for the World Trade Organization (WTO), or hard-Brexit, scenario which assumes Britain gets no preferential treatment and will rely on the WTOs global system of trade tariffs.

That is the scenario involving most change compared to the current set up. Then they can always peel back from there, Vedi said.

For now, the contingency plans are just that. For Britain to leave the European Union, the government has to trigger Article 50 of the EU Treaty to start two years of divorce negotiations. British Prime Minister Theresa May has said that will not happen before the end of this year.

But when Article 50 is triggered, financial firms based in London with business in Europe will have to make a decision, Vedi said.

For Hemsley at Bats Europe, that would probably mean applying for an EU passport from a country such as Ireland, to avoid the regulatory uncertainty that the equivalence regime, bilateral deals or the WTO approach would all hold.

He expects others to follow suit.

(Editing by David Clarke)

Topics USA Legislation Europe London
A wave of severe storms produced at least a dozen tornadoes in Indiana and Ohio earlier this week, damaging homes and businesses but causing no serious injuries, authorities said as crews worked to restore power and remove fallen trees.

The National Weather Service said an EF3 tornado hit the south side of Kokomo, Ind., packing winds of up to 165 mph. That tornado toppled a Starbucks coffee shop and damaged numerous homes and businesses in the city about 40 miles north of Indianapolis. But Howard County Sheriff Steve Rogers said the 10 to 15 Kokomo residents who were hurt suffered only minor injuries.

Kokomo Mayor Greg Goodnight on Aug. 25 said that about 220 people stayed overnight in a temporary shelter. Police were restricting access to storm-damaged neighborhoods, saying residents must show identification to gain access.

The areas that have been hit the hardest, were asking people to stay away unless they absolutely have to be in those areas, Goodnight said at a news conference, adding that hes relieved no one was killed or seriously injured.

Tornadoes were also spotted across the border in northwest Ohio. Emergency Management Agency spokesman Jay Carey said damage was reported in Defiance, Henry, Paulding and Van Wert counties and that one person was reportedly hurt. The worst damage appeared to be at a mobile home park in Defiance, and roads around the site were blocked late on Aug. 24.

Weather service crews were still assessing the scope of the storms in Indiana, but a spokesman for the state Department of Homeland Security, John Erickson, said at least 12 tornadoes were confirmed in eight northern and central counties.

Several struck central Indianas Howard County, where utility companies reported at least 15,000 homes and businesses remained without electricity Thursday morning. Goodnight said utility crews from elsewhere in the state were traveling to the city to help restore power and clean up storm debris.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, the Republican vice presidential candidate, returned home Wednesday evening after campaigning in North Carolina. He was scheduled to tour Howard and Montgomery counties and possibly other areas Thursday to assess the damage.

At the Park Place Apartments in Kokomo, maintenance technician Mitchell Carlson described the post-storm scene as a madhouse. He said the complex has 16 buildings and probably eight of them dont have a roof. Falling tree limbs and air conditioners damaged 20 to 30 cars, he said.

Howard County Commissioner Paul Wyman said the area was also slammed by a tornado in 2013 and will bounce back once again. That tornado injured nearly three dozen people.

Associated Press writer Rick Callahan and Tom Davies contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Catastrophe Natural Disasters Windstorm Ohio Homeowners Indiana
Initial estimates from Louisianas Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness indicate that more than 60,000 homes have been damaged in the 20 parishes impacted in the extensive precipitation-induced flooding in southern Louisiana over the previous two weeks, according to catastrophe modeling firm AIR Worldwide.

The record rainfall event in south central Louisiana Aug. 8  15 resulted in major property damage, significant business interruption and 13 deaths.

In Livingstone Parish, which received more than 31 inches of rain in some areas, 75 percent of homes are reportedly a total loss.

A preliminary analysis for the nine parishes within the Baton Rouge metropolitan area issued by the local Chamber of Commerce (BRAC) on August 19 indicates that the capital regions area of flood impact covers more than 1,000 square miles. This area alone contains 110,000 homes, 31 percent of which are located in areas identified as having been flooded.

The total value of properties in these flood affected areas is estimated by BRAC to be $20.7 billion; 66 percent of them were owner-occupied, 22 percent were rented and 9 percent were vacant. The flood-affected area also contains an estimated 7,364 businesses, 21 percent of the capital regions total, together employing 73,907 individuals.

The historic flooding in and around Baton Rouge and other areas is a combination of several factors including riverine (on-floodplain) flooding, backwater in tributaries due to high flood stages in main rivers, and significant local flash flooding (off-floodplain) caused by intense rainfall, flatter terrain, and limited drainage capacity that was further exacerbated by backwater effects. Many of the areas that flooded were outside the 100-year floodplain and were not considered at high risk, said Dr. Hemant Chowdhary, principal scientist at AIR Worldwide.

Residential flood insurance is typically offered to homeowners through the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP).

FEMA estimates that 42 percent of homes in high-risk areas of Louisiana have flood insurance, but that in low and moderate-risk zones only 12.5 percent or so of homes do. Across Baton Rouge as a whole, no more than 15 percent of all homes have flood insurance, and in the other hard-hit location, Lafayette, the rate is 14 percent. In some areas, penetration is much lower.

According to Louisiana Insurance Commissioner Jim Donelon, the total number of policies in Louisiana rose to 490,000 in response to the devastation that followed Hurricane Katrina, but has since decreased to 450,000.

The experience of Hurricane Katrina revealed that commercial insurers did not always have good information about their exposure to flood and estimates of total industrywide insured flood values remain hard to obtain, according to AIR.

Impacts to the insurance industry will become clearer as floodwaters recede and assessments can be conducted.

More than 110,000 people have already registered with FEMA for federal disaster aid. At least $20 million has been distributed in advanced payments to NFIP policyholders so far and the number of claims being submitted is climbing rapidly.

For residents without flood insurance, short-term relief for immediate needs is available from FEMA, but the most available under the Assistance to Individuals and Households program is just $33,000, and few will be eligible for this maximum payout. At least $55 million to help survivors with temporary rental assistance, essential home repairs, and other serious disaster-related needs has already been approved.

Source: AIR Worldwide

Topics Louisiana Flood Homeowners
Mobile homes will fill front yards across southern Louisiana again, just like after Hurricane Katrina, as federal authorities bring in temporary housing for thousands of people displaced by catastrophic flooding.

These houses, though, will be on blocks and strapped down  not on wheels like the travel trailers of a decade ago.

As he announced the disaster housing plans, Gov. John Bel Edwards described a shelter at home program as the more desirable option. Homeowners will be able to receive grants of up to $15,000 aimed at making houses habitable quickly so people can live inside while doing more extensive repairs.

Thats where our people want to be. They want their kids back going to their schools. They want to live in their neighborhoods, their communities. And they want to attend their church, the Democratic governor said.

Registration for the program begins Aug. 29, but the grants can only help homeowners with less catastrophic damage. Those with more severe destruction will have access to mobile homes not unlike the trailers used for Katrina victims.

Edwards underscored that this is not the preferred option, but he drew a contrast to the old Federal Emergency Management Agency travel trailers used a decade ago. He said the mobile homes meet higher regulatory standards, are already owned by FEMA and are manufactured by one company rather than the myriad vendors that built the travel trailers.

These are not the same as FEMA trailers that have been used in the past, Edwards said. He added: Hopefully, they will hold up better and offer a safer place for people to live.

The much-maligned travel trailer that dotted front yards and miles of vacant property in south Louisiana and Mississippi became a symbol of everything that had gone wrong with the federal disaster response to the destructive 2005 hurricane. Families were crammed into tiny trailers that drew health worries after toxic levels of formaldehyde were found.

It wasnt immediately clear when the first mobile homes would be set up or how many people would need them, but the governor said he met a man with a flood-damaged home in East Baton Rouge Parish who said his property already had been measured and inspected by FEMA to determine if it would be suitable for one of the units.

Its going to ramp up over the next several days, said Gerard Stolar, FEMAs regional director.

The manufactured housing units will be available for people who dont live in a designated flood plain to set up in their yards as they repair houses. For those in a flood zone, the mobile homes will have to be set up at trailer parks or other commercial property still being identified.

Described as the worst disaster since Superstorm Sandy in 2012, a storm that started Aug. 12 dumped as much as 2 feet of rain over two days in some areas and was blamed for 13 deaths. Edwards estimated the flooding damaged more than 100,000 homes. About 2,600 people remained in shelters, and more than 119,000 households have registered for federal aid.

Thousands of south Louisiana residents remain stuck in shelters, living in hotels or staying in the spare bedrooms of family and friends after the flooding.

Entire neighborhoods were inundated with water, making homes uninhabitable, filled with mildewed carpets and warped cabinets. People have spent days gutting houses, stripping out furniture, walls and flooring. But some houses could take days or weeks to dry out _ and repairs could take even longer.

Denham Springs Mayor Gerard Landry said he would appreciate the FEMA mobile homes in his city, where he estimates 90 percent of the homes were damaged in the flooding. Landry said it will be crucial to get these mobile homes in place before schools begin to reopen.

If we can put a family in some sort of a housing facility in their yard, at least it would give the children some sense of normalcy, he said. Im looking for every option where we can keep everybody here, keep our community together as much as we possibly can.

Associated Press writer Mike Kunzelman in Denham Springs, La., contributed to this report.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Louisiana Flood Homeowners
As thousands of south Louisiana flood victims apply for disaster assistance, residents of two Mississippi communities have been told they are not eligible for assistance.

Mississippi Emergency Management Agency spokes tells The Natchez Democrat the damage in Crosby and Centreville wasnt enough to meet the criteria for a federal declaration of disaster.

Crosby Mayor William Hall said he is disappointed that the community isnt eligible, but he is not giving up.

Flynn said MEMA and the state are working on several available options to help Crosby residents.

He said the state will also use leftover funds from the Hurricane Katrina Cottage Sales program to help buy building supplies to repair houses in Amite and Wilkinson counties. Flynn says about $250,000 will be used.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Mississippi
Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin is maintaining a state of emergency for eight West Virginia counties devastated by floods in June.

On Monday, Tomblin announced the extension until Sept. 21 for eight of the 12 counties that have been under a state of emergency. The declaration was scheduled to expire Monday, two months after floods killed 23 people and destroyed homes, businesses and infrastructure.

The state of emergency continues for Clay, Fayette, Greenbrier, Kanawha, Nicholas, Roane, Summers and Webster counties.

The emergency declaration expires Monday evening for Jackson, Lincoln, Monroe and Pocahontas counties.

Tomblin extended the state of emergency last month to ensure all available state resources are provided to rebuild homes, businesses and communities.

At one point, 44 of West Virginias 55 counties were under a state of emergency.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Flood Virginia
The Department of Financial Services Division of Investigative and Forensic Services (DIFS) announced the arrest of a Fort Lauderdale woman after she attempted to fraudulently collect workers compensation payments following an alleged on-the-job injury.

Sheyla Veronica White claimed that a sprinkler head fell from the ceiling, bounced off her desk, and struck her in the head. Her employer, Cinque Terre Energy Partners, LLC promptly filed a compensation claim related to the alleged injury. Video surveillance footage later proved a different series of events surrounding the alleged injury.

Cinque Terres insurance company, AmTrust North America, grew suspicious of Whites claim and referred the incident to the Division of Investigative and Forensic Services for review and possible investigation. As part of their subsequent investigation, DIFS detectives requested video footage from Cinque Terres security cameras, which confirmed AmTrusts suspicions that the claim was fraudulent.

The video clearly shows a piece of a sprinkler head falling onto Whites desk, but it does not bounce and strike her in the head as she alleged. Instead, the video shows White picking up the broken item, looking around to ensure she was alone in the room, and then striking herself in the head with the item. Watch video here.

White was arrested and transported to the Broward County Jail. She faces two counts of workers compensation fraud, and faces up to five years in prison if convicted. White was previously arrested in 2010 for stealing students personal identification information while working as a teacher at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek.

White was using the named Sheyla Diaz at that time, and she was sentenced to six months house arrest for that offense. This case will be prosecuted by the Office of Assistant State Attorney Sean Wydner,17th Judicial Circuit.

Topics Florida Workers' Compensation
California lawmakers voted to extend the states landmark climate change law  the most aggressive in the nation  by another 10 years, resisting fierce opposition from oil companies and other business interests to keep the program alive at least through 2030.

Democratic Gov. Jerry Brown, a strong advocate of the states climate initiatives, has said hell sign the bill when it comes to his desk.

The move keeps alive the legal framework that underpins Californias wide-ranging efforts to fight climate change, from a tax on pollution to zero-emission vehicle mandates and restrictions on the carbon content of gasoline and diesel fuel.

We can wean ourselves from a fossil fuel 20th Century to a renewably fueled 21st Century, which is where we all know we need to get if were going to have a planet on which to live in the decades ahead, said Sen. Mark Leno, D-San Francisco.

SB32 passed in the Senate on a 25-13 vote, a day after it won crucial support from business-minded Democratic lawmakers in the state Assembly with encouragement from the White House.

In 2006, California set an ambitious goal to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions to 1990 levels by 2020, when the initial effort would end. SB32 sets a new goal to reduce emissions 40 percent below 1990 levels by 2030. It is tied to the fate of another bill, AB197, to provide greater legislative oversight of the appointed Air Resources Board, which is responsible for executing the law. The Assembly approved that bill on Aug. 24, sending it to Brown.

Democratic lawmakers celebrated the victory, saying it ensures California will continue to be a pioneer in the global fight against climate change.

Passage of the bill is a major victory for Brown, who has traveled the world promoting Californias climate change programs and staked his legacy on his ability to reduce the amount of greenhouse gas emissions.

In its journey through the Legislature, the bill got just one Republican vote, from a lawmaker who represents a strongly Democratic district in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Republicans contend the law has raised prices for consumers without making a substantial dent in the volume of global climate emissions. Higher energy prices are particularly harmful in the inland Central Valley, where summers are hotter and winters colder than in the coastal cities where Democrats dominate, said Sen. Andy Vidak, R-Hanford.

Its shameful when coastal elites have no sympathy for the middle class and the working poor who do not live on the coast, Vidak said.

Still, passage of the bill would not settle the legal or economic uncertainty surround the states highest profile carbon-reduction effort, a tax on carbon known as cap-and-trade, which requires polluters to buy permits to emit greenhouse gases.

The program is being challenged in court by the California Chamber of Commerce, which argues its a tax that should have been approved by two-thirds of the lawmakers in each legislative chamber. Its lawsuit is pending in a state appeals court.

After consistently selling out, generating billions of dollars in revenue for the state, Californias last two permit actions have sputtered. State officials said Tuesday that just over a third of the available permits were sold in an auction last week.

The expiring global warming law has hung in the balance as Brown and the Legislature approved a budget this year and negotiated Democratic priorities. The Brown administration and other Democrats lowered expectations that SB32 would find enough support earlier this month. While the Senate approved an even more ambitious extension last year, moderate Democrats in the Assembly balked.

As Brown and his allies scrambled to round up support, several moderate Democrats who previously refused to support the legislation said they received calls from Jerry Abramson, deputy assistant to the president and White House director of intergovernmental affairs, urging them to support it.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics California Legislation Climate Change
Washington Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has fined Regence BlueShield and Asuris Northwest Health $750,000 for violating insurance regulations related to consumer access.

The fine is for violations that occurred between January 2010 and June 2011. Kreidler says that the companies have worked to resolve the issues and have agreed to pay the fine in full by Sept. 22, 2016. The money will be deposited into the states general fund.

The issues Kreidlers office found during a multiyear examination include: mishandled consumer complaints; misplaced records of complaints; delayed payments to medical providers for consumers claims; and the use of uncertified Spanish-language translations in documents that resulted in inaccurate or unclear information for consumers.

Regence BlueShield bought Asuris in 1994 and both companies are owned by Cambia Health Solutions. Jennifer Morgan, a spokeswoman for both Regence and Cambia, said that the companies were disappointed with the size of the fine, and noted that the issues were resolved four years ago.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Washington
The California Department of Transportation has settled a wrongful death lawsuit brought by the parents of a 24-year-old woman who was killed by a drunk driver while working on a nighttime paving project.

Attorneys for both sides told the Fresno Bee that Caltrans did not admit liability as part of the settlement. The agency did pay the parents of Regan Johnson $850,000 for her July 2012 death while working on Highway 99 in Fresno.

Bill and Malan Johnson sued Caltrans for negligence and failure to provide a safe work area for their daughter. Caltrans attorney Steven McQuillan says the agency argues that driver Alyssa Villanueva was solely responsible for Regan Johnsons death.

Villanueva, now 30, pleaded guilty in 2014 and was sentenced to more than 17 years in prison.

Copyright 2022 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Topics Lawsuits Training Development Construction
Chinas State Administration of Taxation (SAT) and a local tax authority have released three tax audit cases on cross-border service provisions to Chinese entities. The cases should make businesses aware of the SATs enhanced efforts in PE administration this year. However, these efforts are not completely unexpected. An article written by KPMG for International Tax Review in December 2015, alerted businesses to this fact.

This new article examines the recent tax audit cases, the rules being applied by the tax authorities and the criteria used to determine whether a foreign companys services to China create a Chinese permanent establishment (PE) for tax purposes. It intends to help foreign businesses reduce the related tax exposures in China.

What is cross-border service provision?

Although there is no official definition of cross-border service provision in Chinas tax regime, its generally accepted that cross-border service provision means a foreign company that provides its service in China to meet the demands or requirement of its clients in China for a certain period, which means this activity is not permanent and continuous. For example, a foreign oil field service provider registered in the US provides technical service to a Chinese oil company by sending its technical employees to China to provide on-site technical supervision for a certain period and the Chinese oil company pays the service fees to this oilfield service provider. Generally, the service provider is responsible for the expenses relating to its employee working in China for a specified time.

The audit cases  a summary

Case 1

On July 23 2016, a branch of the Qingdao tax bureau, in Chinas eastern Shandong province, announced that they noticed a foreign company sent their technician to its joint venture in China to provide technical instruction from June 2005 to February 2016.

Although every technician came to China for a period of less than 183 days and their wages and costs were paid for by the foreign company  rather than the joint venture in China  the branch of the tax bureau assessed the foreign company has having a PE in China, requiring it to pay the related taxes. The tax charge in this case was relatively small.

Case 2

On August 1 2016, the SAT released a case study on another similar PE issue.

In the case study, a joint venture in China was mainly engaged in designing, developing, manufacturing and selling a vehicle, and providing related parts and after-sales services to customers. Its parent company, which was registered outside China, sent many of its employees to this joint venture to provide technical instruction and after-sales service in China from November 2011 to December 2014. Just like Case 1, every employee stayed in China for no more than 183 days (26 weeks) and they were paid by the foreign parent company, rather than the Chinese entity. The Beijing local tax bureau, which was the authority in charge of this Chinese joint venture, said this arrangement had triggered a PE in China for the parent company.

As such, it assessed the businesss tax liability and said it owed about $3.6 million in taxes and interest. The interest charged for late payments accounted for about $0.9 million of the total amount.

Case 3

Two days later, on August 3 2016, the SAT released another PE case, which was very similar to the above two cases.

In this instance, a local tax bureau located in the city of Nanjing, capital of Chinas eastern Jiangsu province, noticed that one of its taxpayers had made a payment of 22 million ($25 million) to a foreign related party (Company A) for technical services as of January 2015. The taxpayer explained to the Chinese tax bureau that the service fee was for their project in Nanjing, for which Company A had sent its engineers and project staff to provide technical support and project management.

The assessing officer at the local tax bureau then worked with their counterpart at the state tax bureau of Nanjing to evaluate if this arrangement had triggered a PE issue. They reviewed all related documents and noticed a statement in Chinese, which stated that the foreign service provider would allocate personnel to the Chinese entity. In addition, the costs associated with the remuneration of these employees will be borne by the foreign service provider. This led to tax officials setting up several consultations with staff at the Chinese taxpaying entity and on-site investigations being carried out. Tax officials finally obtained key evidence, proving that the arrangement had constituted a PE in China for Company A.

In the end, the taxpayers accepted the assessment and settled the applicable taxes, including individual income tax (IIT), amounting to about $4.8 million.

Regulations and rules

So, what is the regulation basis for tax bureaus to levy the taxes in these cases?

Generally, the applicable double taxation agreement (DTA) between China and the country, in which the foreign company resides, should be referred to first. In most DTAs, Article 5 defines PE and Article 7 defines the business profit.

Secondly, circular Guoshuifa [2010] No. 75 provides the departmental interpretation notes (DIN) on the DTA between China and Singapore (China-Singapore DTA), and it is applicable to all DTAs that have similar provisions to those of the China-Singapore DTA. Both taxpayers and tax officials refer to this circular. However, the SAT Public Notice [2013] No. 19 deserves equal attention because it provides more detailed instructions on employee secondment arrangements.

Under Article 5 of the China-Singapore DTA, it describes a PE as follows:

1. For the purposes of this Agreement, the term "permanent establishment" means a fixed place of business through which the business of an enterprise is wholly or partly carried on.



3. The term "permanent establishment" likewise encompasses:

a) a building site, a construction, assembly or installation project or supervisory activities in connection therewith, but only where such site, project or activities continue for a period of more than 6 months;

b) the furnishing of services, including consultancy services, by an enterprise through employees or other personnel engaged by the enterprise for such purpose, but only if such activities of that nature continue (for the same or a connected project) within a Contracting State for a period or periods aggregating more than 6 months within any twelve-month period.

The three cases referred to above are covered by point (b) of the DTA extract, i.e. service PE. Chinas circular Guoshuifa [2010] No. 75 provides a very detailed interpretation of this provision. The key points from this circular that were applied in the three cases include:

Service, which refers to the professional services including engineering, technical, management, designing, training, consulting, etc. Circular No. 75 also provides the most popular situations as illustrations for clarification and the three cases fall under these examples; and

Connected project Circular 75 sets the following criteria to determine whether several projects are connected:

Whether the projects are covered by a single master contract;

Where the projects are covered by different contracts, whether the contracts were concluded with the same person or with related persons, and whether the execution of one project is a prerequisite to the execution of another project;

Whether the different projects are in the same nature; and

Whether the projects are implemented by the same personnel.

In light of this, it is easy to conclude that tax officials referred to the definition of connected project to assess the tax liability is cases 1 and 2 above.

Secondment arrangements

SAT Public Notice [2013] No. 19 further clarifies the secondment arrangements from the technical and practical perspective to help taxpayers and tax officials to assess the nature of the arrangement, i.e. PE or not PE.

Secondment arrangements are typically used when an employee (or group of employees) is temporarily assigned to work in a different location or for another organisation. Circular No. 19 gives the overriding principle that the foreign service provider (the home entity) will be deemed as a PE for the service provision in China if the home entity:

Fully or partially bears the responsibilities and risks of the secondees work; and

Normally evaluates and assess the secondees performance.

This circular also provides five additional factors that have to be considered when applying the above overriding principle:

Whether the service recipient settles payments, such as service or management fees, with the home entity;

Whether the payment to the home entity is more than the payroll related payment to secondees on behalf by home entity;

Whether the home entity doesnt fully pay the amounts received from the services recipient to the secondees, but instead retains a certain amount as a profit;

Whether the China individual income tax (IIT) has been fully paid on the wages paid to the secondees when the cost is borne by the foreign related entity; and

Whether the foreign related entity determines the number, qualification, payroll standards and working location of the secondees.

It seems that the tax official on Case 3 mainly referred to this circular when assessing the tax liability.

Although there have been several regulations on PE as above, new guidance on PE administration is necessary from the SAT to provide more consolidated and clear instructions for taxpayers and all levels of tax authorities in China. With such guidance, the tax disputes in cross-border transactions should be reduced. However, when such guidance will be published is yet unknown.

Tax implications of service PE in China

Three major taxes should be considered for PEs in China:

VAT;

Corporate income tax (CIT); and

IIT.

VAT

SAT Public Notice [2016]No. 29 on consolidating business tax with VAT states that the service provision within China is subject to VAT, while service provisions in China can refer to service providers within China or service recipients in China. Either way, all these services are subject to 6% VAT in China.

As such, all three cases referred to above had already paid the applicable VAT when the service was provided and therefore there was no dispute on VAT for the three cases.

CIT

According to the Corporate Income Tax Law (CIT Law), non-tax resident enterprises, which have an establishment or a place in China, must pay CIT on income that is derived by an establishment or place in China when the income is sourced from within China. It should be noted that CIT is also payable on income that is derived from sources outside China but is connected with establishments or places in China.

Generally, the CIT should paid on an actual base or deemed profit basis at the tax rate of 25%, according to Circular Guoshuifa [2010] No. 19. The deemed profit rates vary for different service types as below:

Service type Deemed profit rates Construction projects, design and consulting 15%-30% Management services 30%-50% Other services or operations 15% minimum

However, it should be noted that the relevant tax authority has the right to adopt higher deemed profit rates than those stated above if there is obvious evidence that such services actually produce a significantly higher profit than others.

IIT

Once a PE is triggered, the IIT is applicable for expatriates working for the Chinese PE when their income is sourced from China from the first day they arrived in the country. All of the three cases required the Chinese PE to pay the IIT for expatriates in China for provided services, accounting for a large amount of the total tax payment. The IIT Law and implementation rules provide more details.

In a word, PE has a very critical definition in the tax world because it will decide the tax jurisdiction of a businesss profit.

Before the OECDs BEPS initiative, many countries started to take measures to implement measures against base erosion and profit shifting to strengthen their tax administration and ensure their own tax jurisdiction is not be weakened.

Therefore, it is necessary for taxpayers to plan ahead when the business units request any cross-border transactions. Early actions should be taken to effectively manage tax exposures in China.

By Maggie Zhuang, tax manager at Chevron China Energy Company

This article refereed to the following sources:

1. Secondment or service  the SAT of China gives its answers by PWC China (May 2013)

2. Tax implications of a Service Permanent Establishment by China Briefing (May 2013)

3. Checklist of hot China tax issues for MNE in 2016 by ITR (December 2015)
Oltre 26 milioni di americani hanno gia votato anticipatamente per le elezioni presidenziali che vedono in gara, in un testa-a-testa Donald Trump e Hillary Clinton. Si tratta di circa il doppio di quanti usarono learly voting (voto anticipato) una settimana prima delle presidenziali del 2012. A molti lentourage di Trump ha chiesto di rivotare in considerazione delle ultime rivelazioni sullex First Lady

Grazia di Clinton a Rich, file Fbi su web

LFbi ha infatti pubblicato via Twitter i documenti dellinchiesta sulla grazia concessa dallallora presidente Clinton (nellultimo giorno del suo mandato, il 20/1/2001) al finanziere Usa, Marc Rich, morto in Svizzera nel 2013, accusato di 60 reati, tra cui frode, evasione di 48 mln di tasse e traffico di petrolio con lIran. Rischiava 300 anni di carcere. I file sono stati diffusi a 7 giorni dalle elezioni e dopo la bufera scatenata dallannuncio dellFbi sullapertura di una nuova indagine sulle email della candidata Hillary Clinton.

Fbi: carte grazia Clinton note per legge

LFbi ha pero difeso la propria decisione di pubblicare a una settimana dalle presidenziali le carte di una inchiesta  archiviata  sulla controversa grazia concessa da Bill Clinton nel 2001 a un finanziere amico, Marc Rich, scappato in Svizzera per sfuggire alle accuse di evasione fiscale. Per procedura standard  spiega lFbi  questi materiali diventano disponibili per la diffusione e sono postati automaticamente ed elettronicamente nella sala di lettura pubblica dellFbi nel rispetto della legge e delle procedure

Evocato limpeachment per Hillary

Evocato anche lo spettro di una messa in stato di accusa per Hillary se fosse eletta alla Casa Bianca. Lo ha fatto il senatore repubblicano Ron Johnson, presidente della Commissione per la Sicurezza nazionale e per gli Affari governativi. Johnson ha detto al Beloit Daily News che Hillary ha deliberatamente aggirato la legge usando un server privato per trattare affari pubblici quando era Segretario di Stato. Il senatore ha accusato la candidata dem di aver intenzionalmente nascosto e distrutto materiale riguardante la difesa nazionale.

Hacker, NYT: nessun legame Trump-Putin

E Trump oggi ha piu di un motivo per sorridere. Non solo le nuove accuse alla rivale, non solo i sondaggi lo vedono in crescita, ma lFbi non ha trovato finora alcun legame diretto tra il candidato repubblicano alla Casa Bianca Trump e il governo russo.

Secondo i servizi Usa, gli attacchi di hacker contro i democratici sono volti a minare le elezioni presidenziali piu che a favorire Trump. Lo scrive il NYT, citando fonti investigative. Queste rivelazioni, se confermate, sconfesserebbero le convinzioni dei democratici sui legami Trump-Putin.
What Is a Social Impact Bond (SIB)?

A social impact bond (SIB) is a contract with the public sector or governing authority, whereby it pays for better social outcomes in certain areas and passes on part of the savings achieved to investors. A social impact bond is not a bond, per se, since repayment and return on investment (ROI) are contingent upon the achievement of desired social outcomes. If the objectives are not achieved, investors receive neither a return nor repayment of principal. SIBs derive their name from the fact that their investors are typically those who are interested in not just the financial return on their investment, but also in its social impact.

Key Takeaways A social impact bond (SIB) is a contract with the public sector or governing authority, whereby it pays for better social outcomes in certain areas and passes on part of the savings achieved to investors.

A social impact bond is not a bond, per se, since repayment and return on investment (ROI) are contingent upon the achievement of desired social outcomes.

Investing in social impact bonds has risen in recent years as a way for investors to give back to the community, as well as a way for companies to expand their social responsibility.

Understanding Social Impact Bonds (SIBs)

Social impact bonds tend to be risky investments, as they are entirely dependent upon the success of the social outcome. Unlike normal bonds, social impact bonds are not affected by variables such as interest rate risk, reinvestment risk, or market risk. However, they are still subject to default and inflation risk. It can be hard to determine the success of social impact bonds, as they are based on social impact, which is often harder to quantify and measure. There are many more variables than regular bonds, which are comparatively easy to measure because they are based on hard data. For this reason, it's hard for social impact bonds to get government funding.

The first social impact bond was issued in 2010 by Social Finance Ltd. So far, social impact bonds have only been issued by the public sector, but in theory, private sector organizations can also issue them. The trend of investing in the social environment and society has risen in recent years and has become a way for investors to give back to the community, as well as a way for companies to expand their social responsibility. It's a way to increase community involvement and awareness of social issues. Most social impact bonds seek environmental, social, and governance (ESG) ends.

A Social Impact Bond in Practice

In 2010, Peterborough Prison in the United Kingdom issued one of the first social impact bonds anywhere in the world. The bond raised 5 million pounds from 17 social investors to fund a pilot project to reduce re-offending rates of short-term prisoners. The relapse, or re-conviction, rates of prisoners released from Peterborough were to be compared with the relapse rates of a control group of prisoners over six years. If Peterborough's re-conviction rates were at least 7.5% below the rates of the control group, investors would receive an increasing return that is directly proportional to the difference in relapse rates between the two groups and is capped at 13% annually over eight years.

In 2017, the Ministry of Justice announced that the Peterborough Social Impact Bond was successful. Compared to a control group, it had reduced repeat offenses by short-sentenced offenders by 9%, surpassing the bond's target of 7.5%. As a result, investors received a return of just about 3% a year.
In 2020, the United States provided foreign aid of various kinds to over a hundred countries in the world.

For American taxpayers, the cost of foreign aid amounted to $43.5 billion in 2020 and $43 billion in 2019. Foreign aid is not the only kind of foreign assistance, but it might be the most controversial. Some of the different types of foreign aid include bilateral aid, military aid, multilateral aid and humanitarian assistance.

Key Takeaways Governments of developed countries often engage in investment and assistance to less developed countries, to the tune of several billions of dollars each year.

This assistance is intended to promote global economic and political stability, to encourage growth and development, and to protect allies around the world.

This aid typically takes the form of foreign direct investment (FDI), humanitarian aid, and foreign trade incentives.

Types of Foreign Development Assistance

There are three primary forms of international aid, as well as various sub-types. The first primary type is private foreign direct investment (FDI) from multinational or transnational corporations. These are typically equity holdings of foreign assets by non-residents of the recipient country. For example, American companies may engage in FDI by buying a controlling interest in a Nigerian company. FDI reached a peak of approximately $3 trillion globally in 2007 and has since declined for several geopolitical and macroeconomic reasons. Global FDI peaked back up to $2.75 trillion in 2016, fell to $1 trillion in 2018, and rose $1.7 trillion by the end of 2019.

The second primary type is what people normally think of when they hear the term "foreign aid." These are official development tools designed and funded by government agencies or international nonprofits to combat the problems associated with poverty. Humanitarian efforts spearheaded by governments are almost exclusively done by wealthier nations that are also members of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Each year, OECD countries spend between $100 billion and $150 billion in foreign aid, with 2020 rising to a record $161.2 billion in response to the COVID-19 crisis in developing countries.

The third primary type, foreign trade, is much larger and much less intentional. By all accounts, openness to foreign trade is the single leading indicator for developmental progress among poor countries, perhaps because free-trade policies tend to go hand-in-hand with economic freedom and political stability. An excellent breakdown of this relationship can be seen in the Index of Economic Freedom provided by The Heritage Foundation.

Disbursements vs. Aid Received

One of the most critical issues in the foreign-aid conversation is disbursement. Most disbursements are measured in terms of money given, such as how many dollars were donated or how many low-interest loans were extended. Many foreign-aid bureaucracies define success on the basis of nominal monetary disbursements. Critics counter that dollars of funding do not always translate to effective assistance, so measuring simply in money terms is insufficient.

Foreign-aid disbursements face many hurdles, including local corruption and alternative domestic agendas. A 2015 report from the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute found that billions in aid to Afghanistan had been wasted or stolen by "kleptocrats," who used the money to suppress entrepreneurs and even to purchase expensive villas.

Bilateral Aid

Bilateral aid is the dominant type of state-run aid. Bilateral aid occurs when one government directly transfers money or other assets to a recipient country. On the surface, American bilateral aid programs are designed to spread economic growth, development and democracy. In reality, many are given strategically as diplomatic tools or handsome contracts to well-connected businesses.

Most problematic bilateral aid disbursements are simple, direct cash transfers. Such foreign aid to Africa has been "an unmitigated economic, political, and humanitarian disaster," as written by Zambian-born economist and World Bank consultant Dambisa Moyo in her book Dead Aid: Why Aid Is Not Working and How There Is a Better Way to Help Africa. Foreign governments are often corrupt and use foreign aid money to bolster their military control or to create propaganda-style education programs.

Military Aid

Military aid can be considered a type of bilateral aid, with one twist. It normally requires one nation to either purchase arms or sign defense contracts directly with the United States. In some cases, the federal government purchases the arms and uses the military to transport them to the recipient country. The country that receives the most military aid from the United States, and the most aid in general, is Israel. For fiscal year 2020, the American government bankrolled the Israeli military to the tune of $3.3 billion.

Multilateral Aid

Multilateral aid is like bilateral aid, except it is provided by many governments instead of one. A single international organization, such as the World Bank, often pools funds from various contributing nations and executes the delivery of the aid. Multilateral assistance is a small part of the U.S. Agency for International Development's foreign aid programs. Governments might shy away from multilateral aid because it is more challenging to make strategic decisions when several other donors are involved.

Humanitarian Assistance

Humanitarian assistance can be thought of as a targeted and shorter-term version of bilateral aid. For example, humanitarian aid from wealthy nations poured into the coastal regions in South Asia after a 9.0 magnitude earthquake triggered a tsunami in the Indian Ocean, killing more than 200,000 people. Because it tends to be higher-profile than other types of aid, humanitarian efforts receive more private funding than most other types of aid.
Learn how much you need to retire comfortably, and how to prepare for the "unexpected." Plan for everything from living expenses, to healthcare, to planning that trip you've always wanted to take.

Letter from The Editor

Our relationship with money has changed.



The pandemic accelerated a lot of those changes, but many of the forces were already set in motion over a decade ago. Investing apps and platforms, zero-commission trading, a historic bull market for stocks coming out of the Great Financial Crisis followed by record-breaking inflation, the emergence of cryptocurrencies, and the evolution of financial planning are just some of the forces that have reshaped the way we think, use, plan, save, and invest our money.

Our notions about retirement have changed, as well.

Younger generations are less likely to work at the same company their entire careers, collect a pension, and ease their way out of the workforce at the age of 65. We are living longer, and we need to be able to afford the lives we want to live when we stop working. For most people, retirement is not their end of work, but the end of being able to depend on a regular paycheck with benefits and a 401(k) match, if we were lucky enough to get one.

While over half of working adults in the U.S. are invested in the stock market, the average 401(k) balance for baby boomers and Generation X is only around $161,000 according to Fidelity. With the cost of living rising higher every year, and questions about the staying power of Social Security, the numbers just don't add up for most people nearing retirement.

There is no magic bullet solution to these problems. There are, however, some fundamental practices and approaches that younger adults and those approaching retirement, can focus on:

Financial awareness: Do you really know what it costs to be you?

Investing appropriately for your age: Are you too risky, or not risky enough, or well-balanced?

Balanced portfolio: Is the 60/40 portfolio still the answer, given the shake-out in the stock market?

Saving and budgeting in a world of rising prices: Inflation is not a bug in the systemit's a feature that we need to accept and incorporate into our personal budgets.

Planning and caring for yourself or family members: The cost of care keeps rising, but few are prepared for those bills when they come due.

Estate planning: If you can and want to pass along your savings to charity or the next generation, are your affairs in order?

Investopedia's special issue on retirement is our first foray into magazine publishing. We are honored to have been a go-to resource for millions of readers for the past 23 years, but we, like you, realize that the game has changed in retirement planning and investing. Therefore, we have dedicated those pages to laying out those changes and offering solutions that can help you change with the times.

Pick up your copy at your nearest retailer or buy now online. We hope you enjoy the issue and learn from it. The first step in financial awareness is to educate yourself, so let those pages help you get on the right path.


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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.

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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.

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Notre Dames new Education Center at Kylemore Abbey, in Connemara, County Galway, has been officially opened by Provost Thomas Burish.

The Notre Dame Center at Kylemores mission is to cultivate academic excellence, facilitate faith formation and carry out community outreach. The center aims to create a wide range of academic programs  conferences, short undergraduate and interdisciplinary courses, master classes, artist residencies, retreats and much more.

As part of the opening ceremony a blessing and dedication was carried out by Father Timothy Scully, CSC. President of the High Court of Ireland, Justice Peter Kelly and Mother Abbess Maire Hickey were also added to the universitys Roll of Honor at an honorary degree conferral ceremony.

Notre Dame has historically maintained strong links with Ireland. Situated close to the Wild Atlantic Way, Kylemore Abbey is based in Connemara near the west coast of Ireland which boasts spectacular scenery and an abundance of history and culture. The abbey is on a peaceful lakeside setting located among the Connemara mountains in an ideal location that allows for peace, meditation and learning.

Over one hundred senior academics and management from Notre Dame were in attendance along with invited guests including businessman Martin Naughton, his wife Carmel, members of the Naughton family. Other local and national dignitaries, including the American Ambassador to Ireland Kevin OMalley and Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers, were also present.

The Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Enda Kenny, while unable to attend, sent a video message expressing his admiration for the work of both the University of Notre Dame and the Benedictine Community, the order of Irish nuns who bought the abbey after they were forced to flee Ieper in Belgium during WWI.

During the video the taoiseach said that this new center symbolizes the bonds and shared history between Ireland and the United States. The Taoiseach quoted Irish poet, and recipient of the 1995 Nobel Prize in Literature, Seamus Heaney, who once said, I have begun to think of life as a series of ripples widening out from the original center. Kenny added, Both the University of Notre Dame and Kylemore Abbey are sending out ripples far and wide, drawing people to a shared center  a place of solemnity which fosters a vibrant educational, intellectual and spiritual atmosphere  a true center of excellence.

Speaking after the ceremony Provost Tom Burish said: The University of Notre Dame has enjoyed a long and highly valued partnership with Ireland in many areas. Today we are officially dedicating a new space, St. Joseph's Hall, at Kylemore Abbey, that will extend the partnership to the beautiful and culturally rich western regions of Ireland. Our programs will benefit students and faculty from Notre Dame and Ireland, and will continue the spiritually rich traditions started by the Benedictine Sisters, to whom we are most grateful."

When asked about his inclusion of the Roll of Honor Justice Peter Kelly said, It is a signal honor to be conferred with an honorary doctorate by Notre Dame University on this historic occasion. I greatly appreciate it and wish this new and exciting cooperative venture between the university and the Benedictine nuns every success.

Mother Maire added, The partnership with the University of Notre Dame will strengthen our foundations in Kylemore and the West of Ireland, and, at the same time, open up Notre Dames global network of communication and mission for the spirit of St. Benedict. We are all deeply honored by the conferral of the honorary doctorate on a member of the community. The opportunity of cooperation with Notre Dame is a huge blessing for all who are involved with us in our work here.

Over the past 11 months, 35 local workers renovated a wing of Kylemore Abbey to cater for the living and classroom requirements of visiting students. There are now five locals employed in the center, which last week became the home for 100 visiting Notre Dame students.

As part of an immersive community engagement program the ND students spent a day painting and decorating local community centers and halls in the neighboring villages of Leenane and Letterfrack. Also, as part of the 'Inside Track' program, they helped to tidy and clean the nearby Church of Ireland cemetery in Letterfrack.

The Notre Dame Center at Kylemore Abbeys programs will combine the scholarly rigor of Notre Dame with the Benedictine tradition of spirituality. World-renowned scholars will also be invited to teach Notre Dame and Irish students in a spirit of collaboration and partnership with other colleges.
While the 2016 presidential election will be remembered for the reality that the GOP lost the Hispanic vote for at least a generation and the black vote likely forever by picking Donald Trump as its standard bearer, it will also be the election where the Democrats say goodbye to the Scots-Irish vote.

It will be the end of almost two centuries of ties that bind, but there is little doubt that Trump will sweep the Scots-Irish vote this election and the Democrats will fare worse than ever with them.

Guns, God and immigration are among Trumps main selling points which play right into the conservative mindset of the South.

From the time of Andrew Jackson in the early 19th century, the Scots-Irish had followed the Democratic Party.

They found their hero in Jackson, founder of the party, a North Carolina native who was born just two years after his family arrived in the New World from County Antrim.

The Scots Irish were descended from Ulster planters who had been sent to Ireland from Scotland for the plantation of Ulster in 1609. Many struggled in the harsh environment of Ulster and with the Catholic hatred of those who had taken their lands.

America was opening up at the time and some 250,000 Scots-Irish planters and workers took the opportunity to reach the New World.

Most arrived in Pennsylvania but later spread down through the Shenandoah Valley and all over the unpopulated south. Many took to the backwoods and became known as Hillbillies after their love for King William, who won the Battle of the Boyne.

Read more: Where have all the Scots Irish gone? Numbers way down

Jackson and his mostly Scots-Irish army famously defeated the British at the battle of New Orleans in 1812, and the Scots-Irish supported him all the way to the White House. The Democrats and Scots-Irish seemed forever bound.

Even tighter ties resulted when the Civil War erupted. It was a Republican president, Abraham Lincoln, who prosecuted the war, making it even clearer that the Democrats who opposed a war over the issue of slavery and states rights were the natural party of the Scots-Irish.

Democrats then were for the store owner, the logger, the small business. Then in times of hardship there were the Roosevelt New Deal policies that kept many Scots-Irish from starving.

The great split began in the 1960s with the JFK/Lyndon Johnson Civil Rights laws which saw southerners deeply impacted by the leftward move of the party.

Along came Richard Nixon to further feed the trend of conservative Scots-Irish moving away, and the South suddenly saw long-time Democratic senators like Strom Thurmond begin changing parties.

As The Washington Post recently reported, Today, the Scots-Irish form the cultural core of the white, Southern Republican vote that is being heavily courted by GOP presidential front-runner Donald Trump  and energized by anger at the government and support for conservative stances on guns, abortion and immigration.

Even though Bill Clinton managed to win their vote, he was likely the last Democratic president who ever will. Its my culture, former Virginia senator Jim Webb told the Post.

Few key Democrats seem even to know that the Scots-Irish exist, as this culture is so .... individualistic that it will never overtly form into one of the many interest groups that dominate Democratic Party politics, Webb wrote. The Republicans understand them.

Trump will win them over in huge numbers it seems certain, and the Democrats will likely bid farewell to a core group that once stood by them. Such is American politics in 2016.
Supervalu is next up with its French sale which begins on September 1, while Lidls French sale will begin on September 12 and will include some top-end Bordeaux.

I havent heard from them yet but Id be surprised if Dunnes Stores and Tesco do not also have a sale in the offing as, I suspect, will OBriens.

The tradition of the autumn wine sale was first borrowed from France by Superquinn, which had a relationship with the Casino/Geant chain and would piggyback on their buying power.

SuperValu has continued this sale tradition and has over 100 French wines on sale including 20 new wines, a few of which I recommend below.

Wines I didnt have room for include two Cremant de Loire sparkling wines  a rose and a white  which are selling at two for 20 rather than 20 each.

The wines are good rather than outstanding but they are excellent value.

Most French regions produce a Cremant (eg, Alsace, Bourgogne, Limoux) and are worth watching for in the upcoming sales from the other operators.

While Cremant sparklers never really approach Champagne in complexity they are always good value and have full power bottle-conditioned fizz.

If you do find your Cremant a little dry dont forget you can add a dash of Creme de Cassis, Creme de Mur (blackberries) or even Grand Marnier to make a Kir Royale.

Incidentally, prosecco doesnt really work for Kir Royale as it just isnt fizzy enough.

What prosecco at its best does have is fresh peachy charms (partly as a result of the fact that the aromas of the grape are preserved thanks to it being tank rather than bottle-fermented).

My other selections this week are also from France and include a floral fragrant dessert wine that will work well with cheese or new season peaches (white ones for preference) plus an outrageously fashionable rose made (or rather endorsed) by some people that might sound familiar.

BEST VALUE UNDER 15

Chateau la Baronnerie 2010, Cotes de Bordeaux Blaye, France  10

Stockist: Supervalu

This was probably the best of the red Bordeaux I tasted from the Supervalu sale and is from the great 2010 vintage, probably the best in the region since 2005.

This is a good example of merlot rich mature Bordeaux, and while it still has a couple of years left in it I wouldnt keep it too long. Savoury and soft with fleshy plum fruits.

HR, Hommage du Rhone, Vinsobres, Rhone, France  10

Stockist: Supervalu

Vinsobres is in the Southern Rhone (almost in Provence) and this is the second wine from the appellation that I have mentioned this month.

Good fleshy fruit, young and vibrant, with lots of crunchy black fruit character and well worth its price.

Bastide Miraflors 2014, Cotes de Roussillon, France  6 for 60

Stockist: Supervalu

This is a case deal containing two wines from the Roussillon region both based on Grenache and Syrah.

Light fruity style, very drinkable with soft black fruits  plums and cherries. The second wine is called Tesselae which has a little more structure and a light spicy texture.

BEST VALUE OVER 15

Domaine La Fage Grain de Vigne, Muscat de Rivesaltes 2015, 500ml  19.99

Stockists: 1601, World Wide Wines, Mortons Galway, Vintry, Sweeneys.

Muscat de Rivesaltes can age for decades (Ive tasted intriguing versions over 50 years old) but this has youth on its side.

Aromas of honeysuckle and fresh white peaches with some lovely light candied fruit on the palate and just enough acidity. Note, the picture is of the 75cl bottle.

Miraval Cotes de Provence Rose, France  28.99

Stockists: World Wide Wines, Donnybrook Fair, Terroirs, Jus de Vine, Mitchells, Bradleys, selected independents

From a village that is 100% organic (the first in France apparently) and made by the Perrin family of Chateau de Beaucastel fame.

Miraval is a joint venture with Brad and Angelina Jolie. A little overpriced but doesnt disappoint with fragrant creamy red fruit and a crisp fresh tangy finish.

Baron de Badassiere, Pays dOc, France  15.99

Stockists: World Wide Wines, World Wide Wines, Martins, Wine Online, Jus de Vine, Mitchells, Bradleys, selected independents

As his name suggests the original Baron was a bit of a bad boy, rumoured to be the illegitimate son of Louis XV.

Made by a New Zealander for Liberty Wines, this is a fragrant Viognier with light white peach, almonds and honeysuckle, with a touch of floral decadence and a crisp finish.
Amy Schumer has been putting smiles on people's faces in Dublin and it is hours before she hits the stage with her comedy magic.

A waitress at the Cellar bar in Dublin put up a post on Instagram to say thank you to the Schumer lady and her friend who demolished four main courses as well as leaving a $100 dollar tip!
Peter Barry, former Tanaiste, Minister and Deputy leader of Fine Gael has passed away.

Mr Barry, aged 88, is said to have passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family.

The former Fine Gael deputy leader served as a TD for Cork for almost 30 years, and held many cabinet roles including Minister for Transport, Education and the Environment.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that Peter gave "outstanding service" to his country and to his native city.

He was also a major shareholder in the family business, Barry's Tea, and his daughter Deirdre Clune is a Fine Gael MEP.

In a statement Mr Kenny also said: "His central and pivotal role in negotiating the Anglo Irish Agreement in 1985 helped to create the foundations on which the peace process in Northern Ireland was built."

The Taoiseach said "our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved family at the loss of their father."

President Michael D Higgins said Mr Barry will be remembered by all who knew him for his great courtesy.

"His view of Irish history was a long one and he brought all that wisdom to bear in his contributions to achieving the Anglo-Irish Agreement of 1985," he said.

"As a person he was immensely popular across all parties and, of course, he had a deep commitment to Cork city and its heritage.

"Peter Barry, in his non-political life, gained enormous respect internationally through his work in the family business.

"He will be deeply missed."

Former Fine Gael leader Alan Dukes says he was a very considerate man.

Tanaister Frances Fitzgerald said: I am deeply saddened to learn of the death of my former colleague Peter Barry. As a TD, Minister and Tanaiste, Peter served his country with distinction, dignity and integrity. I express my condolences to his family."

Former Taoiseach John Bruton also offered words of tribute for the passing of Peter Barry.

"The characteristics of Peter Barry that are most marked in my mind, as I learn the sad news of his death, are those of loyalty, Public Service and respect for others. He was very good company. He was politically very effective.

At crucial moments, when Fine Gael faced difficulties in Government or in opposition. It was interventions by Peter Barry that calmed the situation and enabled the party to find the right path for itself and for the country."

Sad to hear of the passing of Peter Barry today #RIP pic.twitter.com/vOoX0BwA8B  KEN TOBIN #WashYourHands (@KENNYTCORK) August 26, 2016

Saddened to hear of the passing of Peter Barry. Grew up around the corner from him, he was a gentleman. RIP  Jonathan Healy (@jonathanhealy) August 26, 2016
Transport Minister Shane Ross is being urged to intervene in a dispute which is set to impact thousands of motorists.

From next Wednesday, drivers using eFlow tags will not be able to automatically travel through three tolling booths around Ireland and will have to stop to pay the toll instead.
A South African judge has dismissed an appeal by prosecutors for a harsher sentence against Oscar Pistorius, who was found guilty of murder for killing his girlfriend in 2013.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said that the state's appeal to extend the six-year sentence against the 29-year-old double amputee Olympic sprinter had a limited prospect of success.
The treatment plant at Lough Guitane, a mountain lake near will provide 51m litres of treated water per day to residents in Tralee, Killarney, Castleisland, and Castlemaine, in addition to an extensive rural area across the county as well as the countys tourist industry.

It is is part of a 30m Irish Water investment in the central Kerry scheme to supply more than 60,000 people, and the largest contract awarded by Irish Water this year, a ceremony to mark the construction was told.
Pilots have reported flash blindness, glare, and even being distracted at critical stages of flight due to the interference.

The IAA said the safety of an aircraft could be affected by having a laser pointed at it, especially if it was at a critical phase, such as landing or take-off. Thankfully, most reported laser incidents in Ireland were found to have a low safety impact.

The activity is not exclusive to Ireland and occurs worldwide, and other countries have been told to take initiatives appropriate to their airports and operations.

The IAA pointed out that the State Airports (Shannon Group) Act 2014 prohibits the dazzling of aircraft and makes laser attacks an offence. Where appropriate, details of the laser incidents reported to the authority are forwarded to the gardai.

Since the legislation was introduced, there has been a significant decrease in the number of laser incidents reported by Irish pilots in Irish airspace to Irish Air Traffic Control. There were 153 laser incidents in 2014 and 134 last year. It is likely that the number of such incidents will have fallen again by the year end.

However, Britains aviation regulator wants people found carrying powerful laser pointers to be arrested, even if they are not using them.

Chief executive of the UKs Civil Aviation Authority (CAA), Andrew Haines, said new legislation was needed to cut the number of laser attacks on aircraft.

He believes it is a tougher issue to solve than near misses involving drones because it is a deliberate attempt to cause harm.

In Britain, under the existing Air Navigation Order 2009, it is an offence to act in a manner likely to endanger an aircraft. However, it is difficult to prosecute people under this law because of the requirement to find the person undertaking the task and... demonstrate intent.

There is a lesser offence of shining a light at an aircraft, but the CAA boss called for the law to be strengthened so anyone found carrying a laser pointer can be arrested.

In an interview, Mr Haines said the authority and Balpa, the pilots trade union wanted the mere possession of high-powered lasers by individuals not licensed for them to be made a criminal offence.

The British government has insisted it is looking to make changes to control the sale and use of laser pens as soon as possible.

CAA figures show there were 1,439 laser attacks on aircraft in the UK last year - equivalent to almost four per day.

Heathrow airport was the most common location with 121 incidents, followed by Birmingham Airport (94) and Manchester airport (93). September was the worst month for attacks with 91, narrowly ahead of August when there were 88.

In July, two men who shone a laser pen into the cockpit of a police helicopter during a search for a missing person were jailed in Britain. The pilot was forced to take evasive action and call off the search.

A Virgin Atlantic flight was forced to return to Heathrow in February when the co-pilot reported feeling unwell after a laser was directed at the plane shortly after take-off.

Just nine days later, a British Airways service from Amsterdam was affected when a beam was aimed at the aircraft as it headed towards the west London hub.
The head of Rios civil police fraud unit, Ricardo Barboza de Souza, made the claim yesterday after confirming his force has sought help from Interpol.

Speaking in Brazil, Mr de Souza said he believed the alleged financial trail could be followed with the support of international police forces and that it is one avenue Rio authorities are now seeking to examine.

He said the claims are based on evidence compiled by his force, which has been investigating the issue since 2014, and that the allegations need to be properly checked.

We will have to co-operate with Interpol and other organisations to find out where the money went. We have evidence. We have contracts, testimonies. We have bank transfers.

The comment has raised fresh questions over the scale of the alleged ticket touting scandal. However, all parties involved in the affair have at all times insisted they are completely innocent of any wrongdoing.

Meanwhile, in a separate development, the company which won the contract to resell the OCIs Rio Olympics tickets has said there is nothing untoward in news it registered a website in Brazil before winning the licence.

Reports yesterday said Michael Glynn, a director of the Dublin-based Pro10 firm  which was incorporated on May 20, 2015, by KMEPRO Ltd, which was only founded on April 28, 2015  registered www.Pro10Rio2016.com in its name on September 3, 2015.

This was before the company was awarded the contract to resell tickets that November.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a Pro10 spokesperson said the move was simply a standard step taken by any company as part of planned contract awards.

Pro10 registered the domain name to ensure they could secure it as this was a natural preparatory step in case Pro10s application for Irish ATR [authorised ticket reseller] was successful, he said.
The organisation launched the campaign claiming the Government needed to target the funds which were making profits thanks to weak laws and loopholes.

Recent figures issued by the Central Bank showed up to 47,000 Irish homes are now owned by vulture funds, and Focus Ireland has used that data to estimate the likely number of such properties around the country.

One example was for Cork. Focus Ireland director of advocacy Mike Allen said: If you look at the CSO data on the permanent housing units in each county and do a proportional breakdown, we estimate that there are 5,344 vulture fund-owned homes in Cork.

"That worrying figure shows exactly how the vultures have extended their reach into communities across the country.

Focus Ireland estimates that more than 13,000 properties in Dublin are owned by vulture funds, while more than 2,500 properties in Galway may be owned by such funds.

It said its vulture shock campaign was being launched as the Central Bank indicated that it was not satisfied with the approach taken by the Department of Finance to the regulation of the funds. It also said there was a heightened risk of more evictions unless the issue was tackled.

Focus Ireland is calling for Government action to stop more vulture funds swooping on Ireland for the easy profits to be made by exploiting tax loopholes and weak legislation, Mike Allen said.

This serious threat to Irish homes first hit the headlines this year when a vulture fund bought an apartment complex in Tyrrelstown [in Co Dublin] and tried to evict the tenants. It is shocking to realise that whether you own or rent, vultures could swoop on your home in this way.

Those behind the campaign are urging government action in a number of areas, spearheaded by three key elements: limiting the sale of residential debt to international funds and closure of tax loopholes to ensure that vulture funds pay proper tax; removing the sale of property as grounds for termination of a tenancy under the Residential Tenancies Act  as is the norm in many other countries; and strengthening the code of conduct on mortgage arrears and include buy-to-let owners and tenants.

In light of new figures published earlier this week which showed more than 2,000 children now homeless in Dublin and soaring rental prices which have now outstripped the peaks seen in the Celtic Tiger years, others have also asked that sale of property not be permitted as a reason for people being asked to leave a property.

The Programme for Partnership Government contains a commitment to provide greater protection for mortgage holders and tenants and SMEs whose loans have been transferred to non-regulated entities (vulture funds).

Mike Allen said it was totally unacceptable that the State was not providing proper protection to mortgage holders and vulnerable families and individuals in buy-to-let properties.
The theirishrevolution.ie website is a joint initiative which has been revisiting the history of the Easter Rising and chronicling the commemorations.

The Cork Spy Files is the latest project in that collaboration and will be launched in print and online for the first time on Monday.

The files contain details of all alleged spies known to have been killed by the IRA in Co Cork during the Irish Revolution (1919-21), with 78 suspected civilian spies killed by the IRA in Cork during the War of Independence.

Over a third of such killings by the IRA across the whole of Ireland took place in Cork and the new research rebuts the previously exaggerated extent of sectarian violence in Cork during the battle for independence.

The research was carried out by Dr Andy Bielenberg, UCC School of History and leading Irish-American scholar, Professor Emeritus James Donnelly Jr.

"Our central purpose is to serve the needs of accurate, transparent, and meaningful history by placing every one of these deaths as fully and clearly as possible in the specific and local context of the War of Independence in County Cork, said Prof Donnelly.

"In the aftermath of the conflict, there were perhaps justifiable reasons to suppress information about these killings for the benefit of all directly concerned (especially both the victims families and the killers), who were often neighbours," said Dr Bielenberg.

Today, meticulous research into all available historical evidence has made it possible to establish the truth about the events.

Commenting on the project, the Irish Examiner's executive editor, Dolan O'Hagan, paid tribute to UCC's ongoing commitment to the project.

"The Cork Spy Files make truly compelling reading and are testament to the brilliant research being done at UCC. We are delighted to play our part in bringing that research to the wider audience it deserves."

A special feature in Mondays Irish Examiner will introduce the Cork Spy Files in depth, and they will be released to the public in full at theirishrevolution.ie/cork-spy-files.
There are several myths around trials. One myth is if you get the trial treatment you dont get the standard treatment at the same time. This is not true, Dr Kelly told the Irish Examiner.

Another myth is around side effects but these trial drugs are at a very late stage of development or often they are already approved in another cancer setting, she added.

Last nights event Decoding Cancer  Are Patients on Clinical Trials Guinea Pigs?, was organised by the Irish Cancer Society with Cancer Trials Ireland. Since 1996, Cancer Trials Ireland has seen about 15,000 people go through trials.

Last year alone, there were 154 cancer trials completed or ongoing in Ireland, which involved the participation of 6,000 patients. Dr Kelly said cancer patients have been surveyed about opinions on trials in the past.

In the Mater we asked cancer patients that were coming in about accessing trials. The response was overwhelmingly positive but they felt they were a last resort, this couldnt be further from the truth, she said. In another study, patients were asked about participating in a second trial.

We carried out a survey in the Mater with some cancer patients and of those who had been on a trial previously, 95% said they would do it again, said Dr Kelly.

The consultant said from an economic point of view, Cancer Trials Ireland got 3m in State funding and this saves the HSE 6.5m in drug spending. Dr Kelly said the mission of Cancer Trials Ireland was to open up as many high-quality trials here as possible.

Head of research at the Irish Cancer Society, Robert OConnor, said the amount of people participating in trials here has increased significantly.

Over the past 10 years the number of patients participating in cancer trials in Ireland has doubled and the number of trials opened has tripled, Dr OConnor said.

He echoed the sentiment of Dr Kelly, regarding the myths around trials and the need to dispel them.

But many have fears about being involved in research themselves and to many cancer patients clinical trials are not seen as an option that is open to them, even though their circumstances may make them a suitable candidate to be involved, Dr OConnor said. n

For more information contact researchevents@irishcancer.ie
This added demand will have to be dealt with before any tax cuts or spending rises can be considered, senior Government sources have said.

This means that the total additional spending to be announced in Octobers budget will have to top 1.7bn, rather than the 600m previously stated by the Government.

The news comes as the Government denounced Sinn Fein claims that it would need to increase property tax by 600% were it to scrap the Universal Social Charge this year.

Yesterday, the Department of Finance said the paper on which the claims were made by Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty predated the Programme for Partnership Government agreed by Fine Gael and Independent TDs.

A Department of Finance spokesman said there were no plans to abolish the USC overnight.

It is understood that central to Mr Donohoes plan is ensuring funding will be in place to ensure adequate numbers of teachers, nurses and other frontline staff.

Population increases, as well our ageing population, means there is a yearly increase in demand for schools, hospitals, childcare, and transport, and Mr Donohoe has to find the additional 1bn in order to stand still, it is understood.

Sinn Fein finance spokesman Pearse Doherty

We need more doctors, nurses and teachers simply to stay apace with demand, driven by our expanding population, a senior Government source told the Irish Examiner.

This is before any additional spending or tax cuts are looked at. We reckon at this stage that demand will cost 1bn.

Mr Donohoe has made it clear to fellow ministers and his officials that demands for additional spending will have to be evidence-based.

However, he has made it clear he has some scope to deal with requests if it can be proved they will help address the demand for frontline services for young children and elderly people in particular.

Despite the uncertainty caused by Junes Brexit vote, Mr Donohoe is confident the amount of so-called fiscal space or additional spending will remain unaffected this year. But it has been confirmed that Government spending will increase by 1.7bn or 3% in the budget.

The fiscal projections show an increase of just over 1.7bn, or 3%, in the gross voted expenditure amount for 2017, according to documents.

In the order of 1bn is available to provide additional expenditure increases and taxation reductions, the documents state. This amount is what remains after providing for key demographic pressures, the Lansdowne Road agreement, capital plans and other pre-committed policies.

Allowance is made for specific key nondiscretionary drivers of expenditure such as projected expenditure pressures in Health, Education and Social Protection arising from demographics and the additional pay costs arising from the Lansdowne Road agreement with public service unions.

It is expected that, despite any unforeseen economic shocks, total Government spending will increase by 6.75bn by 2021 to 67.6bn.

Labours finance spokeswoman, Joan Burton, said she is very concerned that funding to deal with the additional pressures is lagging behind demand.

Labours finance spokeswoman Joan Burton

Fianna Fail said the Government must prioritise the provision of services ahead of tax cuts, which it says the country cannot yet afford.

The partys finance spokesman in the Seanad, Gerry Horkan, said cutting taxes while we are borrowing doesnt make sense.

People will argue that there is room to cut taxes, whereas simply there isnt, said Mr Horkan. We are still borrowing significant sums so any money should be directed first into better schools, better hospitals and better roads.
Fred Muwema claimed that he was defamed in postings made by a blogger called TVO, who accuses him of accepting a 900m Uganda shillings (237,000) bribe. He said that Facebook has a duty to ensure it is removed as publisher of the material.

Mr Muwema strongly denies the bribe claim and also denies another claim  that he was involved in

a break-in in at his own office.

His injunction application was brought in Dublin because Ireland is Facebooks headquarters for its service outside the US and Canada.

Facebook denied that it has a duty to remove the material, particularly in circumstances where much of it is available across the internet by simply Googling Muwema and bribe.

It had agreed to provide the lawyers with any details it holds in relation to the identities and location of the persons who operate the TVO Facebook page.

In his judgment, Mr Justice Donald Binchy said that he was dismissing the application for various orders sought by Mr Muwema.

The orders sought, including one compelling Facebook to take down the page, can only be granted in circumstances where it is clear the defendant had no defence that is likely to succeed.

However, the judge said Facebook has a defence to the claim of innocent publication as provided for in section 27 of the 2009 Defamation Act.

Mr Justice Binchy said that the action should also be refused because it would serve no useful purpose. During the hearing evidence was given to the court that the same and other damaging allegations about Mr Muwema had appeared on other websites and publications.

Lawyers for Mr Muwema had argued the injunction would not affect Facebooks freedom of expression, and had been brought to preserve his reputation.

He needed a court order because despite the bringing of legal proceedings, the blogger had posted more defamatory material.

Material was on other parts of the internet because Mr Muwema had to give a interviews to a Ugandan media denying the allegations. He had no choice but to bring the proceedings, he said.
It follows the shooting dead by Kinahan gunmen of Dublin father Trevor ONeill in a case of mistaken identity in Spain last week.

It brought the murder toll to at least eight  seven at the hands of the cartel.

Gardai have conducted two operations against the outfit this week, aimed at different levels of the network.

Detectives seized up to 15,000 in cash, 30,000 worth of jewellery, a 15,000 watch and an Audi A3 in raids yesterday morning in Dublins south inner city.

These raids were part of an ongoing operation targeting middle and lower-ranking members of the Kinahan cartel in Dublin. A man and a woman were arrested.

Last Monday, gardai seized a submachine gun and around 4kg of cocaine at a house in Castleknock, north Dublin.

Detective Superintendent Tony Howard of the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DCOB) said he was very concerned that semi-automatic and military grade weapons were available to criminals.

He said his bureau alone had confiscated up to five assault rifles and one submachine gun so far this year, along with 14 other firearms, mainly handguns.

He said people were being murdered callously on the streets of Dublin and Spain as part of the Kinahan-Hutch feud.

The level of violence in such as short period of time is quite staggering, he said yesterday.

Det Supt Howard was speaking at a briefing highlighting five separate garda operations targeting organised crime.

Items from one of the operations, conducted yesterday morning in Bellewstown, Co Meath, were put on display.

The DOCB, along with local units, raided a drugs factory and recovered 70,000 in cash and drugs worth 500,000, as well as mixing agents and drug paraphernalia. Two men were arrested.

At the same time, gardai from the Dublin South Central Division and the Special Crime Task Force, set up in the summer to combat the Kinahan-Hutch gangs, raided three premises in the south inner city.

As well as up to 15,000 in cash, a Rolex watch worth 15,000 and various jewellery worth 30,000, gardai recovered a small amount of heroin and documentation.

These documents are going to be examined by the Criminal Assets Bureau.

The operation was co-ordinated by Detective Superintendent Peter OBoyle.

The raid is part of Operation Thistle and represents the fourth swoop on south inner city gangs which comprise the middle and lower ranks of the Kinahan cartel here.

Last June, 1.4m worth of heroin was seized, and one man arrested, while in May some 300,000 of drugs were confiscated.

These followed an operation in March in which 10 homes were raided and 50,000 in cash and 20,000 worth of jewellery were seized.

In a separate operation in March, gardai in neighbouring Crumlin and Drimnagh seized some 1m worth of assets in high-profile raids on members of the upper ranks of the Kinahan cartel.

Det Supt Howard also mentioned an unrelated operation in Finglas, north Dublin, on Wednesday night, in which they recovered over 30kg of cannabis, with a street value of 190,000. Two men were arrested.

And in an operation at the weekend, the DOCB recovered 1.5kg of heroin in Louth and arrested three men.
The denial was issued after Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty obtained an internal Department of Finance briefing document outlining the potential move and a series of other measures if USC is removed in a single budget.

The file, received under the Freedom of Information Act, states that in the event of the new Government choosing to remove USC completely in one budget, it would have to consider hiking property tax by 600% in order to balance the books.

The report also suggested increasing commercial property stamp duty by 1.75%; stamp duty by 3%; raise capital gains tax to 38%; and increase capital acquisitions tax from 33% to 43%.

In addition, it has also suggested alternatives such as increasing the price of petrol and diesel by 18c per litre; the price of a pint by 1.50c; the re-introduction of a 13.5% VAT rate for the tourism sector; and a 5% hike on childrens shoes.

Outlining the scale of the situation, Mr Doherty, SFs finance spokesperson, said it is clear the promise to remove USC was only made to win the recent general election and it would be reckless to do so now, adding: It simply doesnt add up.

However, in separate statements responding to the claim, the Department of Finance and Fine Gael TD Noel Rock denied the Government has any intention of removing USC in one budget as outlined by the document.

The tax paper released under this FOI request predates the Programme for Government. The paper is not relevant in the present context, a department spokesperson said.

The Government never intended abolishing in USC in one go. The plan is to phase out the USC. This policy has been ongoing now for the last two budgets where we began this phasing out process. There is absolutely no intention to increase property tax in the forthcoming budget.

Sinn Fein TD Pearse Doherty

Dublin North West TD Noel Rock was similarly critical, describing the claims as disingenuous nonsense, as they are based on suggestions USC will be scrapped in one budget instead of over a staggered period of time.

What is being proposed is the gradual phasing out of the hated USC on lower and middle-income earners over the course of five years.

This will not involve invoking any of the hypothetical taxes raised by Pearse Doherty, as the economy will have improved sufficiently by then to find the funding elsewhere.

The reality is that the economy has improved by record numbers under Fine Gael, and we will use these hard-earned gains to reduce the burden of the hated USC.

Sinn Fein, meanwhile, have no plan, and instead base their soundbites on misleading hypotheticals: shame on them, he said.

Dublin North West TD Noel Rock

There are ongoing concerns among economists over whether the complete removal of USC can be achieved by the end of the decade as promised.

This is because of the potential hollowing out of the countrys tax intake such a move may cause, and the fact it remains unclear what impact the recent Brexit vote in Britain will have on the Irish economy.
Local solicitor Simone Kamenetz made the call as she lodged a second bail request for the 71-year-old OCI president, who is at the centre of multi-million euro ticket-touting scandal claims.

Speaking to reporters in Rio yesterday, Ms Kamenetz said her client has done nothing wrong so he cannot understand why he is there.

Stressing he will not be a flight risk because Brazilian police have his passports  a standard passport and a frequent flyer business document  Ms Kamenetz said her client is struggling in prison and doesnt have an appetite.

She added that Mr Hickey told his wife to return to Ireland in recent days as she would have faced a 30-day wait to see him in jail.

Under Brazilian rules, people placed in prison who are over the age of 80 and have health conditions can be transferred to domiciliary jail  in effect house arrest  based on their circumstances, with some people of younger age also benefiting from the rule.

Any request by Mr Hickeys lawyers for him to be transferred to house arrest can only take place after a fresh bail application is lodged and goes through the system from the beginning.

This is because an initial bail request lodged last week has already been rejected.

Speaking on RTEs Liveline programme yesterday, Rio police commissioner Aloysio Falcao said he is not opposed to the decision to potentially transfer Mr Hickey to house arrest.

However, he said the move is up to the judge but Mr Hickey must not be allowed to leave Brazil while the inquiry continues for between one and three months.

Mr Falcao said the Brazilian system is not unfair and that he was going to talk to the judge yesterday.

However, asked about whether Mr Hickey will eventually be charged, Mr Falcao said the case is complicated and that investigations will not conclude for between one and three months, adding: I dont know how it works in Ireland but we have to make sure that people dont run away from the country, otherwise its going to be impossible to inquire them.

Mr Falcaos Liveline interview caused considerable debate online yesterday after presenter Joe Duffy repeatedly questioned the police commissioner over the decision to video Mr Hickeys arrest and to place him in a notorious prison.

Meanwhile, Rio police have also said they want to speak to Transport Minister Shane Ross, the Irish government, and police about Irelands own non-statutory inquiry into the scandal launched this week.

Mr Falcao said he wants to make contact with Mr Ross to share information at the centre of the investigations which remain focussed on alleged ticket-touting.
The party said it was due to hold a meeting in Parnells GAA club in Coolock Village, at which it would call for a repeal of the Eighth Amendment, which gives a right to life to the unborn.

However, Dublin city councillor John Lyons said the GAA club cancelled the meeting some four hours before it was due to take place, and claimed the club said it had received complaints.
Mr Barry, who as foreign affairs minister played a key role in negotiating the 1985 Anglo Irish Agreement, and who spearheaded the expansion of his familys Barrys Tea business empire to become one of Irelands top brands, died yesterday, surrounded by his family, in Marymount Hospice in Cork after a short illness.

He was 88.

He was predeceased by his wife Margaret, and is survived by his children, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune, Tony, Fiona, Donagh, Conor, and Peter.

Widely regarded as the best leader Fine Gael never had, Mr Barry was hailed yesterday for his immense commitment and contribution to Irish political and economic life, particularly during a turbulent period in Anglo-Irish relations in the mid-1980s.

President Michael D Higgins said Mr Barrys view of Irish history was a long one.

He brought all that wisdom to bear in his contributions to achieving the Anglo Irish Agreement of 1985, he said.

Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that Mr Barry gave outstanding service to his country and to his native city during a long and distinguished political career.

In particular, his central and pivotal role in negotiating the Anglo Irish Agreement helped to create the foundations on which the peace process in Northern Ireland was built, he said.

In the coming days we will reflect on and salute his extraordinary legacy, but today our thoughts and prayers are with his beloved family.

Statement by President Michael D. Higgins on the death of Peter Barry:https://t.co/7UYWaJLQ6d (pic: RTE) pic.twitter.com/Xdwksd2JDa  President of Ireland (@PresidentIRL) August 26, 2016

Born in 1928, Mr Barry followed his father, Anthony, into politics and became a TD for Cork South Central in 1969.

He was deputy leader of Fine Gael from 1979 to 1987, and 1989-93. He held several cabinet positions before being appointed minister for foreign affairs in 1982. He regarded the negotiation of the signing of the Anglo-Irish Agreement as the highlight of his political career.

The figurehead of one of Irelands great political dynasties, he, like his father before him, was elected Lord Mayor of Cork in 1970, and he took immense pride in 2005 when his daughter, Ireland South MEP Deirdre Clune, become the third generation of the family to hold the chain of office.

Following his retirement from politics in 1997, he indulged his passions for travel and art, and was made a Freeman of Cork in 2010.

His remains lie in repose at Temple Hill Funeral Home in Cork from 2pm today before removal at 4pm to St Michaels Church in Blackrock. Burial follows 11.30am Requiem Mass on Monday.
A total of 20,473 doctors registered with the Medical Council of Ireland in 2015. That is an increase of 7.5% from 2014. In 2008, when the Medical Council began to look at these figures, 17,741 doctors were on the register.

Some 37.9% of the doctors who registered last year trained in other countries. However, the number increases for specific specialties. Some 57.8% of doctors working in the area of obstetrics and gynaecology in 2015 trained abroad, while the figure was 55.9% in the area of emergency medicine.

Compared with other countries, Ireland has one of the highest numbers of foreign-trained doctors in the workforce, coming in fourth out of the 26 OECD countries.

The number of Irish medical school graduates aged under 30 leaving the register  most often to work abroad increased  in 2015 to 6.4%, up from 5.5% in 2014.

One in five trainee doctors told the Medical Council they do not intend to practice medicine in Ireland. Of these, 32% plan to work in Britain, while 24% plan to work in Canada. Some 18% plan to go to Australia, while 12% plan to work in the US. New Zealand is the preferred destination for 6%.

The research found that older trainees, aged between 35 and 39, are most likely to leave, while younger trainees, aged 20 to 24 are most likely to remain in the country.

The Medical Council received 369 complaints against doctors in 2015, an increase of 19%. Some 151 of these complaints related to communication.

Bill Prasifka, CEO of the Medical Council, said

the increase in the number of complaints is in line with increased activity in the profession: Our annual report, as a whole, is pointing to increased activity levels across the entire work of the council.

Mr Prasifka pointed to the Medical Councils increased capacity in 2015 to register doctors: Theres been a huge amount of investment in our processes, and its coming through in the work were doing.

The number of women in the profession stood at 41.1% in 2015, just slightly down from 41.2% in 2014. About half of women said they wish to work part-time, while an overwhelming majority of men wanted to remain working full-time in their careers.

Simon OHare, a researcher for one of the reports launched yesterday at the Medical Councils headquarters in Dublin, said the body needs to figure out how it can support women and help them remain in the profession, even on a part-time basis.

The number of general practitioners varied widely among the counties. Galway, had the highest density of GPs, with 68 per 100,000 people. Cork, Waterford, Limerick, and Westmeath each had 61 GPs per 100,000. Dublin had 55, while Leitrim, with only 34 GPs per 100,000 people, had the fewest.

Vital statistics

 369 complaints received about doctors;

 20% of trainee doctors do not intend to practice here,

 Galway has highest proportion of GPs, while Leitrim has the fewest;

 51% of new entrants to the register were under 30.
Providing support for doctors is key to preventing suicide and keeping doctors within the profession, argued president of the Medical Council, Freddie Wood. Offering help is also key to ensuring that doctors provide consistent, quality care to the public.

Throughout last year, 51 doctors were supported by the Medical Councils Health Committee, which assists doctors in continuing to practise during illness, provided there is no risk to patient safety. This compared with 43 doctors in 2014. The most common reasons for doctors seeking support were addiction and mental issues.

Losing doctors to suicide is a huge loss to the profession and Irish society, and costs millions of euro, Prof Wood said yesterday.

Its unreasonable to think doctors are different than the general population, said Prof Wood.

At any one time in life, up to one third of people have psychological or psychiatric difficulty. Up till recently, it was expected  probably because the profession was predominately male-orientated  that you had a stiff upper lip and you didnt talk to anybody. As a consequence, the suicide rate in the medical profession, as well as the dental profession, are among the highest.

Losing doctors from the register because of poorly treated or untreated mental health issues, is a huge economic loss to the country.

I use the term pastoral support when I initially became president two and a half years ago, and I got a lot of criticism from my professional colleagues, who said we dont need it, but in fact we do.

When doctors are experiencing difficulties, theyre less likely to perform consistently, said Prof Wood  and that has a negative effect on patient care: So its not just about the profession, its about the knock-on effect on the public.

Along with support for doctors, complaints against members of the profession were also discussed at the event, which took place at the Medical Councils headquarters in Dublin.

The Medical Council received 369 complaints against doctors in 2015, an increase of nearly 20% on 2014.

News: 6

Editorial: 12
In statements, Facebook, Google and Twitter, told the Irish Examiner they have speedy measures in place to take down extremist material and have co-operated with relevant authorities.

The internet giants, which have their European headquarters in Ireland, provided witness evidence to the House of Commons Home Affairs Committee.

In its report of radicalisation, published on Wednesday, the parliamentarians accused the corporations of consciously failing to stop extremists and terrorists using their sites.

It said Facebook, Twitter and YouTube (owned by Google) had become the vehicle of choice in spreading propaganda and the recruiting platforms for terrorism. It said the corporations, which earned billions of euro in income, were passing the buck and hiding behind their supra-national legal status to avoid taking full responsibility.

In response to the report, Facebook UK director of policy, Simon Milner, said: As I made clear in my evidence session, terrorists and the support of terrorist activity are not allowed on Facebook and we deal swiftly and robustly with reports of terrorism-related content.

He said in the rare instances that they identify accounts or material as terrorist they also look for, and remove, relevant associated accounts and content.

Online extremism can only be tackled with a strong partnership between policymakers, civil society, academia and companies, Milner said. He said Facebook have been working with experts for years on this.

A Google statement quoted a YouTube spokesman, who said: We take our role in combatting the spread of extremist material very seriously. We remove content that incites violence, terminate accounts run by terrorist organisations and response to legal requests to remove content that breaks UK law.

It said they are working with government and law-enforcement authorities. A statement from Twitter said it has suspended 235,000 accounts since last February for violating its policies related to the promotion of terrorism, bringing the total since mid-2015 to 360,000.

As noted by numerous third parties, our efforts continue to drive meaningful results, including a significant shift in this type of activity off of Twitter, it said.
Gardai from the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau including the Serious Crime Task Force supported by local units carried out a search of an apartment at Auburn Park in Castleknock, on Monday. A submachine gun and ammunition were recovered, and a quantity of cocaine worth more than 300,000.

David Tennyson, aged 37, of Carrigallen Drive in Finglas, Dublin, was arrested at his home on Monday and was then detained at Blanchardstown Garda Station under the provisions of Section 30 of the Offences Against the State Act.

He was charged and brought to appear before Judge Grainne ONeill at Dublin District Court yesterday.

He faces two charges under the Misuse of Drugs Act for unlawfully possessing cocaine at the apartment at Auburn Park in Castleknock and having it for the purpose of sale or supply.

However, Det Garda William Armstrong told Judge ONeill that there was a possibility of another serious charge being brought.

He said Mr Tennyson replied no comment when the two charges were put to him. Det Garda Armstrong objected to bail citing the seriousness of the charges. He said the value of the cocaine was in excess of 300,000, and he also said there was a possibility of a further serious charge.

Det Garda Armstrong agreed with defence solicitor Richard Young that Mr Tennyson had no prior criminal convictions and gardai were satisfied that he lived at his given address.

Mr Young said his client would abide by bail conditions and his wife would offer to act as an independent surety.

The defence solicitor also asked the court to note there was no evidence that he was a flight risk or would interfere with witnesses.

Judge ONeill said the allegations are serious but he is entitled to the presumption of innocence. She granted bail in Mr Tennysons own bond of 5,000 along with an independent surety of 5,000.

The court ordered him to reside at his current address, have a phone on which he can be contacted by gardai at all times, and to sign on daily at his local garda station.

He has already surrendered his passport and the judge agreed to Det Gardas Armstrong request to impose an other condition that he would not apply for new travel documents or leave the jurisdiction.

Mr Tennyson spoke briefly, saying I understand, after the judge read out his bail terms.
THERES lots to love about summer, but hot weather, humidity, and holiday activities can take their toll on our bodies, resulting in parched skin, frazzled locks and flaky nails.

By the time back-to-school season rolls around, were in need of some serious damage-control measures.

The good news is that with the right products and a bit of attention, youll be back in tip-top condition in no time.

THE AFTERBURN EFFECT

When you get burned after spending too much time in the sun, its always best to address it right away by seeking out ingredients with anti-inflammatory properties, like aloe-vera, says Dr Ronald Moy, founder of DNA Renewal, which harnesses DNA repair enzymes, the bodys natural defence against UV, pollution, and ageing.

Applying DNA Renewal, a product like our Restoring Mask, is extremely helpful immediately after sun exposure to prevent deep DNA damage caused by UV radiation, while continual use also helps restore radiance, minimise wrinkles and reduce brown spots.

If youve managed to avoid sunburn but your skin is still feeling a bit on the lacklustre side, supplementing your skincare routine with a serum could be the answer.

A resurfacing product, like the new Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Serum, will get to work fast revealing a new, fresher complexion by nibbling away at any dead skin cells, reducing the appearance of pores, as well as evening out the skins overall texture, advises Noella Gabriel, co-founder and creator of Elemis Therapies.

For a natural moisture boost, try the affordable Weleda Pomegranate Firming Face Serum which provides a gentle, protective shield against the elements.

* DNA Renewal Skin Restoring Mask, 57.75 ( www.CultBeauty.co.uk free p&p)

* DNA Renewal Intensive Renewal, 90.10 ( www.CultBeauty.co.uk free p&p)

* Elemis Dynamic Resurfacing Serum, 102.45 ( www.lookfantastic.com free p&p)

* Weleda Pomegranate Firming Face Serum, 39.99 ( www.boots.ie )

DETOX YOUR LOCKS

Whether you favour beach or pool, its unlikely youve been wearing a swimming cap with your bikini this summer, so chances are your hair has felt the ravaging effects of sun, salt water and chlorine.

To counteract those effects, check out the Ojon hair care range.

Using Ojon oil from the rainforests of Central America, this natural products helps to restores shine and body to damaged tresses.

To maintain that moisture, look for a repairing conditioner and a serum if youve got split ends.

* Ojon Damage Reverse Restorative Hair Treatment Plus, 43

* Ojon Full Detox Detoxifying Shampoo 250ml, 27 ( www.boots.ie )

* Bumble and Bumble Mending Conditioner 250ml, 35.50

* Lee Stafford Breaking Hair Split Ends Serum, 12.99 ( www.boots.ie )

SAVE OUR SOLES

Wearing thin-soled, unsupportive shoes creates stresses on the foot that increases the creation of hard skin.

"Also, wearing mules or sling-backs can create a slapping of the feet onto the shoes, that again, creates callus and dry, hard skin, explains expert podiatrist Emma Supple, who advises using Flexitol Heel Balm twice a day, rather than harsh cheese grater-style files, which can exacerbate the problem.

And if one too many gel manicures or dips in the sea have left you with flaky fingernails.

Oil every day! says celebrity manicurist Michelle Class.

By using cuticle oil daily, you will help to stop flaking, brittleness and flexibility by hydrating them.

For really gnarly nails, Class recommends booking an IBX treatment: This two-step process uses UV light to fuse together the layers of the nail plate. It works wonders, instantly plumping and strengthening nails.

* Nails Inc. Vitamin E Cuticle Oil Pen, 16 ( www.debenhams.ie )

* IBX Strengthening and Repairing Treatment, 20 available at nail salons nationwide

* Flexitol Heel Balm, 7.99 ( www.Boots.ie )

SMOOTHE YOUR BODY

If youre peeling or have noticed more dry patches than usual, theres nothing more effective than a daily slathering or two of body lotion, so why not make your post-shower ritual all the more appealing with something gorgeously scented?

New from Jo Malone, Cologne Intense Body Cremes are fomulated with uber-moisturising samphire extract and come in four striking scents, including the heady Velvet Rose & Oud.

Following the success of its bestselling frangipani Monoi oil, Elemis has launched a Sweet Orchid variety, which smells like a tropical island holiday in a bottle.

Swiss brand Ananne has recently debuted a citrus-fragranced shea butter and moringa seed oil-packed Sericum Body Lotion.

* Jo Malone Cologne Velvet Rose & Oud Body Creme, 80 ( www.jbrownthomas.com ) n Elemis Sweet Orchid Monoi Body Oil, 30.45 ( www.lookfantastic.com free p&p)

* Ananne Sericum Body Lotion, 33.70 ( www.ananne.co.uk plus p&p)
The Derranes

MAKE-UP artist and hair stylist to the stars Roisin Derrane might not be doing the job she loves today if it wasnt for her older sisters advice. That older sister just happens to be broadcasting powerhouse and RTE Today show host, Maura Derrane.

I used to do hair and make-up for my sisters when we were going to discos growing up, says Roisin, who grew up in a creative and talented family on the Aran Islands with her three sisters.

After studying fine art in college, Roisin recalls her sister telling her straight what she should do next  use her talent to be a top make-up artist.

Maura said it one day. I dont remember the words but it was very direct  which is what Maura is like. I said, but there are no jobs, where will I live? Her straight-talking sister was adamant: There are jobs out there, now go get one.

Maura Derrane lives up to her straight talking reputation. She is razor sharp and refreshingly frank.

To be honest, she paddles her own canoe without me, she says, rejecting her sisters recollection of the way things went. She opened the doors for herself because she was so good at what she did.

Now a sought-after for her work in fashion, TV and film (including season six of Game of Thrones, Roisin has become Mauras go-to for hair and make-up.

I can always call upon her to do my make-up now, she jokes. But seriously, I rely on someone like Roisin to make me look good.

Working together on TV sets or shoots often involve long days, but Roisin says the pair works together well. We understand each other  we always get on with the stylists, theres a lot of chatting

She admits it wasnt always the way. We killed each other when we were young. She had lots of friends and I always wanted to hang out with them but she probably didnt want me around because it was uncool.

Maura describes the working relationship very differently.

Were always fighting to be honest, she says matter of factly. Shell say we dont, but Ill tell you the truth. Shes very bossy to me when shes doing my make-up. Shes almost abusive!

Shell tell me move your head and then Ill say That eyeliners not straight. Sometimes Ill try and pull rank with her and say I hired you! Im the presenter! And shes like I dont care, shut up!

And yet, despite the classic older/younger sister tussles, the two perfectionists clearly appreciate each others strengths.

She has really helped me out in the industry, shes opened so many doors, says Roisin. I love doing Mauras make-up, she has really cool features. She looks like Vivien Leigh, shes got that old-school look.

On the set of the Today show shes very concerned if people are nervous. Its really cute. I meet people all the time who say your sister was really sound to me. Shes got great empathy, and I never saw that before. Shes much more a people person than I am.

As for Maura, she admires her sisters work ethic. Shed do anything for anyone. Shes a lot more generous than I am.

After working together for years now, is there a golden rule to getting along with family? Dont retreat back to the way you were growing up. You have to be aware of that. I dont see her as my sister when Im working with her. I see her the same way I see an actor, or a model or a celeb, says Roisin.

Maura has the last word: You have to try and hold your tongue. We kill each other and then are best friends five minutes later.

"Were not diplomatic people. Try and treat your family the way youd treat another professional, thats the only thing Id say.

Today returns to RTE in September.

Make up by Roisin Derrane using Clarins autumn collection.

www.facebook.com/RoisinDerrane

MakeUp: 087 2805073.

Hair by Peter Mark, Galway.

The Crowleys

Alison Crowley, 31, and her sister Sinead, 35, have been in business together for just under a year.

Former PR and marketing whizz Alison was living the fast life in Dublin, and then London, but gave it up to move home to Cork.

Her older sister Sinead, had been working in a big four accounting practice for 12 years. After 10 years in Dublin, she says she was ready for a change too.

I have always loved food  eating it, cooking it, talking about it and Ive been very motivated throughout my career to have my own business, says Alison.

Once she relocated back to Ireland, she signed up for a three month cookery course at the renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School in the hopes of turning her love of food into a career.

Travelling the world and working on yachts as a chef was my original plan, she says, but a serendipitous meeting changed everything.

I bumped into the previous owner of The Cinnamon Cottage one day. We used to always stop by there on the way home from school when we were young and it was such an emporium of amazing food.

"I was offered the role of pastry chef and jumped at it without a second thought.

For Sinead it was a case of right place, right time for her and her sister.

Two years later the stars aligned and the previous owners decided they wanted to retire and they put the business on the market. We jumped at the opportunity, she explains.

Today Alison acts as head chef/director at Cinnamon Cottage, while fellow director Sinead, who has the familys numbers gene, is the accountant.

Sineads husband Patrick, the people person of the gang, takes charge of front of house.

Both sisters independently state that working together has been positive.

For Alison, the fear that the business could ruin their relationship has proved unfounded.

As we were so close before, I thought working together as well might be too much, when in fact its been the best year ever. What seemed like a battle a year ago was definitely made easier knowing there was family in the trenches with you.

Obviously there is more to running a business than just making delicious food. When it came to the facts and figures, Sinead is my numerical rock.

Sinead says her sister is her best friend as well as her business partner.

Working together in your own business is a lifestyle choice.

There are long hours but when you are around each other it doesnt feel like work. We share the highs and the lows and can say anything to each other.

Both sisters agree open communication, be it casual chats or their monthly meetings are key to running the business and staying in tune with each other.

However, they are conscious of blurring the lines between work and home life.

Sinead says: Working together means sometimes when we shouldnt be talking work we do. Like out at a party, wedding or even Christmas dinner. We try our best to curtail that.

After making such big changes in their lives and teaming up, both sisters sound incredibly driven and excited about the future.

For Alison, that chance encounter with her old boss changed everything for the better.

I would never have thought two years later that it would be a family business Hopefully for generations to come.

The McGinns

But what happens if you add another sister to the mix? Thats the way the three fashion-forward McGinn sisters work.

And with eight years working together under their belt, theyve learned a lot about each other since setting up Opsh  a big, bright and brilliantly user friendly online shopping website for women. Their goal may be global domination, but they started small.

We started a fashion site together called What Will I Wear Today? says 30-year-old head of marketing, Sarah.

It was done part-time, just for our love of creating and running it.

Then, four years ago the McGinn Sisters went big.

Grace McGinn, 25 is head of product for Opsh. She says after the success of their blog, they knew that had something special.

We had experience with our blog, and wanted to develop a commercial model we could scale, she explains.

For Opsh CEO Jennie, 32, three is the magic number.

The reason we have worked together for so long and grown the business, and ourselves as business-leaders, is because we have such different skill-sets. We have a blend of technical, strategic thinking and creative/communication skills which is a very potent combination when fully realised.

Her sister Grace agrees: Yes  weve a trifecta of pragmatic, creative and relationship skills.

There must be downsides though? Every business has its disagreements and conflicts, our strengths lie in how quickly we discuss, decide and get over these barriers says Sarah.

Jennie says: The challenge is that we have forsaken our relationship as sisters at times; the business often comes first, but on the other hand, she cant imagine being in business with anybody else.

Its fantastic  I trust them implicitly. We have each others backs  its a bond you cant replicate anywhere else.

Is there any magic trick they have learned working together? Grace and Jennie agree  you have to share the wins.

Grace says: Remember to take the time to celebrate together  usually the first thing to be forgotten as family. Going for a drink on a Friday after a good week in work helps you to appreciate being a team together.

Or as Jennie puts it commiserate together so you can celebrate together.

The Jollys

Both Brenda Jolly and her sister Pattigail OConnell are 40+ florists working together in the picture perfect seaside town of Kinsale. They started their own business, Daisy Chain, in 2000.

Back then they both had young children. Brenda had relocated from Aberdeen with her seven-month-old baby and wanted some time out of the house.

Pattigail wanted more time at home with her four-year-old son Jordy  splitting one job meant they got the best of both worlds.

After 16 years, the creative sisters still havent had a falling out.

Were on the same page when it comes to work and life. There are five girls in our family and we were all reared to be workers. We got all our fighting out of the way when we were teenagers, says Brenda.

Pattigail says working with her sister is easy.

We have the same style. Youve known each other forever and can be honest with each other.

For Brenda, knowing each other so well is a bonus too.

We can read each other and work really well together. My husband works offshore so shes a brilliant sounding board when it comes to rearing my kids.

Both sisters admit that they rarely have a day off or go for lunch together but they refuse to do downsides.

Both speak highly of each other. Pattigail says her sister is a fantastical story teller. The glass is always half full and she wants everything and everybody to be happy.

As for their secret recipe for not falling out after 16 years?

Trust each others judgment and never leave anyone in the s***.

The Cronins

Well I dont lie  it is hard but I love it. Not only are we sisters but we are twin sisters. We have a very strong bond and are very close. When we fight we are like cats and dogs crazy.

Thats how 34 year-old co-owner and head chef of The Square Table Restaurant in Blarney, Martina Cronin describes working with her twin sister Tricia.

Together, they set up their restaurant in April 2014.

We always wanted to run our own restaurant from as far back as working as teenagers in our local hotel. Once I turned 30 I knew it was now or never, says Tricia.

Martina talks like a chef. She thrives in an organised environment, loves pressure and has exacting standards for herself and those around her. By her own admission, she can be uptight.

I try and maintain a high standard at all times but sometimes I go a little extreme. I have low tolerance for substandard work, she says.

Her sister, whose warmth and friendliness make her great front of house, exists in a state of organised chaos behind closed doors.

I always leave all administrative work to the last minute. I secretly believe I love the anxiety it leads to. I can have zero tolerance at times and when I rarely lose it I really do roar and Martina usually gets the blunt of it.

Being twins amplifies the heat in the kitchen too.

To be honest I love working with Martina most of the time but sometimes it can be difficult, says Tricia.

Although we are twins we are also individuals with similar but different personality traits and characteristics. Anyone who has worked in hospitality knows that there is always some form of conflict with front of house staff and kitchen staff. So yes, under pressure you can only imagine the fireworks in the kitchen when twin sisters go head to head.

For both Martina and Tricia, trusting each other is the backbone of their business.

My sister is one of the best chefs in Cork. She has an amazing palate and knowledge of food. I can trust her 110% and never question any dish that leaves the kitchen, says Tricia.

Despite their different approaches, and the occasional clash, Martina says nothing can break the bond you have with a sister.

There is, what she calls a complete trust between sisters, and as for the arguments: We soon get over the fights and its like nothing ever happened,
BREXIT means Brexit, Britains new prime minister, Theresa May, has declared.

So it must: the wishes of the electorate, expressed by however narrow a margin, must be respected, even though referendums have no place in Britains unwritten constitution, which is based, sensibly, on representative parliamentary democracy.

Former Prime Minister David Cameron, who called the referendum to quell a rebellion in his Conservative Party, miscalculated so badly that his government failed even to plan for a vote to leave the European Union.

Two months later, the fog is beginning to clear, and a way out of the Brexit maze can be discerned.

Brexit, it turns out, is not Bruicide. The referendums outcome has had little effect on the wider global landscape, and the impact on EU institutions is just another crisis to be managed, not the existential implosion that London-centric British newspapers imagine.

May is in no hurry to act; nor is German chancellor Angela Merkel (though, facing re-election next year, the increasingly desperate French President Francois Hollande says that he is).

May, who is as tight-lipped as Cameron was an open (if empty) book, has already created the institutional skeleton of a political strategy.

Her government has created a department of international trade, which will be responsible for drawing up trade arrangements with the EU and the rest of the world (the European Commission had previously handled such arrangements).

Another new department, the so-called Brexit ministry, will handle political, judicial, and constitutional negotiations.

The creation of these new departments has reduced the once-proud British Foreign Office to something of a thinktank on international affairs, responsible for maintaining Britains public and trading relations around the world until things settle down again.

Mays approach has been to clasp the anti-European viper to her bosom, awarding the new trade department to a leading Brexiteer, Liam Fox, and appointing another, David Davis, as Brexit minister (officially, Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union).

The new foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, too, was a leader of the Leave campaign.

The idea is that the three men, who never spelled out (or probably didnt know) the consequences of Brexit during the campaign, now have to carry the can.

There is the added satisfaction that all three have different ideas about Brexit, and that none of them likes the others.

Once parameters for the negotiations are established next year, May will launch the withdrawal process by invoking Article 50 of the Treaty of Lisbon.

Two years of negotiations (longer if the EU agrees) will follow.

The three Brexiteers, after fighting one another like rats in a sack, will have had to come up with a package.

By then, the next general election will not be far off, providing a second stamp of approval for Brexit.

That, at least, is the formal plan. But politics is, among other things, the art of managing the unexpected, which May and her advisers cannot have overlooked.

The House of Commons almost certainly will be required to approve the application under Article 50.

A few principled Conservative pro-EU MPs may vote against it, endangering the governments slim majority, though the great majority will respect the electorates wishes.

The House of Lords will almost certainly vote no, but can only delay.

But, even assuming that Article 50 is triggered smoothly, the negotiations will be much rougher.

Fox may find it easy to secure good terms with the friendly dominions  Canada, Australasia, some African countries, and so on. But his talks with India will be trickier, and extremely difficult with China (though not with Russia, which is eager to make mischief for the EU).

Foreign secretary, Boris Johnson,

Between them, these countries account for around a third of Britains trade. The United States is likely to be hard-nosed in trade negotiations with the UK, but benign, placing Britain in the middle of the queue, rather than at the back, as President Barack Obama threatened.

The remaining half of Britains trade, which is with the EU, will depend on what May, Davis, and Fox can secure.

May has voiced distaste for off-the-shelf arrangements, but something like Norways arrangement with the European Economic Area (EEA), with a few bespoke differences, seems likely to be Britains best option  access to the single market, but no participation in political and judicial institutions.

A key point is that EEA status provides for an emergency brake (of the type the EU denied to Cameron in February) on the free movement of people.

As the Norwegian EEA Agreement puts it, if serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties of a sectoral or regional nature liable to persist are arising, limits on free movement may be applied.

With EEA status, Britain could retain sovereignty (actually loss of influence in EU decision-making) and control of its borders, two key (and much distorted) promises made by Leave campaigners.

But Britain would still have to conform to all those niggling EU (and indeed US and World Trade Organization) regulatory standards.

And if Britain wants to entice multinationals as a springboard to the European market, it will have to conform to EU rules on competition and other matters.

Otherwise, under WTO arrangements (favored by Fox), it would face European tariffs and lose investment.

Once an agreement with the EU is reached, it will be up to May to get it through Parliament.

This will create opportunities for obstruction and delay from the anti-Brexit majority there, at a time when a slowdown  a direct result of the Brexit vote  will be sapping the governments popularity.

This is why a second Brexit vote on the agreed terms of departure (favored by Johnson) should take place.

Do you endorse them, May will ask voters, or do you want to stay? In the cold shower of reality, the vote may turn out to be different, as it was in Ireland and Denmark the morning after their EU referendums.

Then again, if the Labour Party continues to tear itself apart and Mays current popularity holds up, she could call an early election.

Whatever she says now, British prime ministers often seek their own mandate, as Harold Macmillan did when he came to power following Anthony Edens resignation in 1957, and as Harold Wilson did in 1966 after receiving a wafer-thin majority in 1964.

If she got it, her room for maneuver in the Brexit process would be greatly enlarged.

Robert Harvey, a former member of the House of Commons foreign affairs committee, is the author of Global Disorder and A Few Bloody Noses: The Realities and Mythologies of the American Revolution. www.project-syndicate.org
CLARE lives in Cork, with her partner and three children under 10, one of whom has an intellectual disability.

In recent years her elderly parents have needed more and more care and support.

She calls in to see them most days, makes meals for them that they can reheat in the evenings, and juggles a part-time job in the local chemists.

Her parents receive a home care package of four hours per week, spread over five days, and because of her caring responsibilities for her son with an intellectual disability, she often cant visit at weekends.

Shes happy to provide this care for her family, but shes feeling really overwhelmed.

Her dad is due to be released from hospital  he slipped and injured himself when Clare wasnt in the house.

Clare has been told all that can be offered is an extra two hours home care support each week, and shes worried about how she can provide care for the rest of the week.

It has been suggested that the local private nursing home could accommodate both her parents immediately.

Both her parents have expressed strong views about wishing to continue to live at home.

What would you do in this situation?

Unfortunately, its a situation that increasing numbers face on a daily basis.

There are, according to Census 2011, nearly 200,000 family carers in Ireland  people who provide care and support to a family member in their own home.

This army of family carers provides nearly 4bn worth of care every year, ensuring that the wishes of their family members to remain at home are respected.

To do so, they and those they care for need more help.

Home care is a key aspect of this help, and whilst many families have access to it, it is not enough. Not nearly enough.

Despite the increase in the ageing population (whom home care primarily targets), it is crystal clear that funding for the scheme is not increasing in tandem.

The level of publically provided home care was reduced by more than 10% during the crash  though, to be fair, the HSE has restored the nominal level of provision in recent years. But this only tells part of the story.

There has been a 25% increase in the population of those aged 65 and over during this period.

Home care provision needs to increase by at least 4% per year, merely to keep pace with demographic demands.

We understand that the much-alluded to extra 40m for home care this year will merely enable the HSE to deliver the level of home care services provided in 2015 and maybe a small bit more.

Our research suggests a deficit in home care of approximately 1.6m hours in 2016.

Government policy commits to supporting people to stay within their community for as long as possible.

However there is clear inflexibility in the system, whereby patients have been left in an acute bed for months on end, costing thousands per week, because a home care package costing one tenth of this is not available in the community sector due to lack of funds.

In Clares case above, she would need to provide care to her mum, and visit her dad in hospital most days.

How does she continue to juggle work, her relationship, care for her children?

How long until the family reaches breaking point?

At the launch of the Alzheimers Society of Ireland pre-budget submission was Helen McEntee, minister of state for mental health and older people, Senator Colette Kelleher, CEO of Alzheimers Ireland, and Helen Rochford Brennan who was diagnosed with younger onset Alzheimers and is a leading spokesperson on dementia. Comments from Ms McEntee suggest there is some political will to placing access to home care on a statutory footing. Picture: Orla Murray

Earlier this month we heard of a 92-year-old woman who had been in hospital, despite being medically ready for discharge, for more than 300 days  at a cost of more than 280,000, when the approved home care package would have cost 16,000 in the same timeframe.

For others, and for family carers who provide full-time care in the home, the scant hours within a home care package may be the only time they can get out to do those little tasks that we all take for granted  paying bills, having coffee with a friend, buying groceries  but they make a huge difference.

With the much debated Fair Deal scheme, there is a statutory entitlement to long-term residential care.

But most of us dont want to live in a nursing home, we want to continue to live at home, with the support of family, for as long as possible.

Family carers want to provide that care.

Home care support is one of the keys to be able to do so, along with family care, and yet there is no entitlement to this support.

We, along with an increasing number of not-for-profit organisations working in the area are together calling for an increase in home care funding to address this clear deficit.

We in Care Alliance are also calling for access to home care to be placed on a statutory footing to enable people to receive the full complement of required home care  currently you can be assessed as having a need for 15 hours of home care, for example, yet receive only two  or none.

Comments from Minister of State Helen McEntee in recent weeks on this matter in this paper, together with a proposed private members bill on the topic from Deputy Willie ODea, indicate some level of political will to make this a reality.

But for now, Clare must find a way to care for her parents  without enough support  jeopardising her own health, her relationships and her job to do so.

Zoe Hughes is policy and research officer, Care Alliance Ireland
THEY came for Bill but left with Hillary.

San Francisco philanthropist Susie Tompkins Buell says the first time she was in the same room with Hillary Clinton was at a Bay Area fundraiser for Bill Clinton, in the early 1990s.

Hillary was there to deliver the introduction for her husband, and Buell was instantly smitten  but not by the candidate.

I remember thinking, She is going to run for president someday  it should be her, Buell, the founder of Esprit clothing, recalls.

It wasnt that I was turned off by him, I was just so attracted to her. I could feel her dedication.

Philanthropist Swanee Hunt, who spends much of the money she inherited from her Texas oilfield magnate father, a conservative, on progressive causes and candidates, has a similar memory.

In October 1992, she organized a fundraiser in Denver called Serious Women, Serious Issues and Serious Money, aiming to raise $1m for Bill Clintons presidential campaign. Hillary was one of the key speakers.

I sat there in the audience listening to Hillary talking about the economy, and I thought, Holy Toledo, how can someone stand up there with no notes and sound like the head of the World Bank or Federal Reserve?

Later, Hillary called to thank Hunt for her contribution, Hunt recalls. I said, Oh, actually it isnt for him, its for you.

Judith Hope, who was New York state Democratic chairwoman at the time, first realised Clintons potential at a Manhattan womens leadership luncheon in 1996. I looked at the women in the room, and I saw that she absolutely captivated them with her intelligence and her humour. She just had it altogether. And I thought to myself, This woman would make a terrific candidate.

Buell and Hunt went on to become top Hillary Clinton donors, and Hope helped launch and organise her 2000 Senate campaign  her first foray into electoral politics. The three now belong to a small circle  all women, all around her age  who have road-tripped with her and slumber-partied with her, quaffed martinis with her, cried with her, and laughed at the sarcastic jokes she never shares in public.

Theyve been the recipients of her emailed snippets of poetry and flattered by her keen memory for their ideas and input. And they have been waiting and planning and spending for years to put her in the White House.

For the past 40 years, Hillary Clinton has surrounded herself with deeply loyal women  political pros, many of them a little younger than her  and they often seem to have been selected for their diversity  black, brown, Latino, Muslim, Jewish  as much as their gender and brains.

Among the closest longtime female politicos are ad guru Mandy Grunwald, lawyer Cheryl Mills, former chief of staff Maggie Williams and aide Huma Abedin.

Maggie Williams, the director of the Institute of Politics at Harvard

In addition to the swarm of strategists and pollsters constantly calibrating her look and message, Hillary relies for advice  and unconditional love and money  on a kitchen cabinet of close friends who idolise her, who believe she is a force for moral good in American politics, and who dearly want to see a female president.

Here is a generation of women who truly believed that in their lifetime they would never see a woman elected president, says Debbie Walsh, head of Rutgers Universitys Center for American Women and Politics.

Like their candidate, most came of age in the 1960s. Leaf through their yearbooks and wedding albums and you find bell-bottoms, long hair and granny glasses  the same look Hilary rocked at Wellesley.

Flip forward a few pages and there they are in shoulder pads, often the only woman in sight at the law firm

or corporate office. They started getting jobs before 1980, when more women identified as housewives than as workers, and were part of the social revolution that has led to women now making up almost 50% of the American workforce.

Huma Abedin who is the vice chairwoman ofHillary Clintons 2016 campaign for president.

Many in the Clinton circle were, like her, firsts. A close high school buddy was the flight attendant who led the fight against airline gender discrimination. Another was the first in her business school.

Some made their own fortunes, some inherited money or married rich, but all started writing big cheques at a time  not that long ago  when men handled that dirty business.

Clintons top female donors now rank among the 150 most generous givers  who are still mostly male  to Clinton super PACs. That is a mark of dubious distinction in the era of Citizens United , but a milestone in the rise of female political power.

If they were men, they might be called kingmakers. Reporters would have encountered them in hotel lobby bars, tossing back scotch as they tried to spin the media.

But these queenmakers drink herbal tea (and the occasional martini) and pepper their talk with New Age-isms like our journey and the goddess of light.

We are the wind beneath her wings, says Buell, a graduate of the very 60s, very New Age Esalen Institute, in Big Sur, California.

We will do anything for her, and she knows it.

Cheryl Mills (above), who is on the Board of Directors of the Clinton Foundation

HILLARY Clinton has been a prominent part of the national scene since 1991, but her political career only kicked off in 1999, in New York, where a clique of women were eager to take a humiliated first lady with great ambitions and put her in the US Senate. In the course of that transformation, Clinton headed the first major campaign launched, fuelled and steered by women.

After meeting Hillary in 1996, Judith Hope had been hoping she would move to New York and make a run at one of that states Senate seats. Hope knew something about firsts  she had been elected the first female town supervisor of East Hampton, New York, and then the first female chairwoman of the state Democratic Party. She wanted Clinton to become the first woman elected to statewide office in New York.

Many women come to New York city and live its Sex and the City side in their 20s and 30s. Hillary arrived in Gotham on the other side of 50, and the kind of gossip that kept her up involved cabinet members and congressmen, not Manolo Blahniks.

She was internationally famous, a bright policy-wonk whod spent her adult life in Arkansas and DC. And she had spent the previous eight years in the East Wing, in an increasingly defensive crouch, fending off attacks on everything from her botched push for healthcare reform to her ever-changing hairstyles.

She had also just endured the humiliations of a faithful wife to a serially unfaithful president. What many New York women saw when they looked at Hillary Clinton was a woman who still sometimes slipped into the syrupy, Southern-fried accent shed picked up in Little Rock, standing by a man they would have turfed long ago. Now they were being asked to crown her a senator.

Hope accompanied Clinton on her first statewide listening tour and was encouraged. Upstate women  grandmothers with granddaughters, working women, mothers  poured into town squares from Oswego to Cooperstown to meet the first lady.

But suburban and city women were not so starstruck. To my great surprise, there was a lot of resistance, Hope says. They just didnt like her, and they didnt know why.

Hope and a few fervent Clinton fans in New York City began hosting meetings in apartments and townhouses for other women  to answer questions and concerns about their candidate.

The message they were delivering was Let me tell you about the Hillary I know, Hope recalls. Let me tell you how she drove through a rainstorm to my husbands funeral, or how she helped me when my child was sick. This woman has committed so many acts of kindness in her life to friends and strangers. People are stunned when they hear these things, because she doesnt communicate it. She keeps that side of her closed off.

Philanthropist Jill Iscol was among those who opened her living room for the political version of a book club and also went evangelising to other homes. It was very difficult, she recalls.

Women who were not behind her were drinking the [opposition] Kool-Aid. We would go in, and they would have dug up ugly info. These are smart Upper West Side women, and they thought they were so informed Everybody was bombarded with falsehoods. We tried to change minds, and we did.

Iscol had met the Clintons on Marthas Vineyard in the early 1990s and commenced what she calls a journey by writing her first very large check to the Democratic National Committee in 1994  when it was still unusual for women to do that.

She and her husband have since donated millions more. She says she was obsessed with Hillary from the start. The work she did over time was so inspirational that it motivated me.

Iscol ticks off the examples  a home instruction programnme for parents of pre-schoolers in Arkansas; going door to door in 1973 in New Bedford, Massachusetts, for the Childrens Defense Fund; registering disabled children who were being kept out of the public schools, work that led to the Americans with Disabilities Act; her leadership on global womens rights at the 1995 World Conference on Women, in Beijing.

I thought, I might not be able to do what she can, but I can do what I can.

Those living room sessions paid off. Exit polls showed 60% of women voted for Clinton in the 2000 Senate election. It was an unexpected result  she had been polling poorly with white and suburban women throughout the campaign  and big news.

To female politicos, that campaign  mounted by women and aimed at women to elect a woman  represented a new kind of politics, the kind that theyd been seeking for years.

It was a flat organisation: You didnt need to go up through any kind of campaign hierarchy, says Ann Lewis, Clintons Senate campaign senior adviser.

And it was title-less, which is also very different from most campaigns. And third, it was based on mutual communication, with more back and forth, more Heres what we think what do you think? 

Swanee Hunt a lecturer at Harvard and a key ally of Hillary Clinton

In her runs for the Senate and the presidency, Clinton has needed pallets of money, and she has always managed to rake it in  over the past 20 years, she has collected enough to finance the government of a middle-sized African nation for a few years.

Men have been the biggest givers by far, but her 2016 campaign has set a record in female political fundraising: As of June, she had raised a higher percentage of her campaign funds from women than any major party presidential candidate in recent history, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. And the total amount of money from women is higher for her than for any other candidate this year.

Her female donors cannot approach the wallet wallop of the major financiers of American politics, men like Haim Saban, Sheldon Adelson or the Koch brothers. But they have one thing in common with those mega-donors: They are single-issue donors. Their goal is to elect more women.

Boston philanthropist Barbara Lee has donated $1.1m to Clintons 2016 campaign, making her its third most generous female donor. Back when Hillary was considering her Senate run in New York, Lee was already pouring money into the White House Project, designed to encourage women to run for office. She urged Clinton to run for the Senate and has gone on to donate to all her campaigns.

THE appeal to womens purses began in New York. Hope and Lewis and other early Clinton supporters buzzed through the Manhattan and Westchester County living room circuits and slowly coaxed out wealthy New York women who had never before been political donors.

It was unusual for a woman alone to write a check for 50 grand back then, recalls Iscol, who now serves as co-chair of the Ready for Hillary national finance council. Some of the early Hillary donors, like designer Lisa Perry and art collector Ann Tenenbaum, were married to Wall Street millionaires.

Others, like retired broker Margo Alexander (one of 24 women in a Harvard Business School class of 800 students in 1970), had made their own fortunes. Perry and Alexander soon joined Iscol as members of Hillarys inner circle and have hosted some of her biggest fundraisers. The motive, again, was Hillary and beyond.

In 1998, when I first became interested in politics, the breakdown in the Senate was 91 men and nine women, Perry says.

I just didnt understand how it was possible that a large group of men was making very crucial decisions about womens bodies.

When she met Clinton in 1998, she was, she says, completely enamoured. Ellen Malcolm, the political activist who founded Emilys List in 1985 to encourage women to donate more money to elect female candidates, says Clintons presidential nomination is the culmination of decades of work.

Women went from bake sales to making history in every election cycle, she says. We are seeing this incredible outpouring of support from women. Many of those people have been doing the most difficult task, which is writing that first political check. They will write more once you get them over that first hurdle.

Buell has spent $15m on the Clintons and their causes, according to the Los Angeles Times. She says she doesnt want an official job in a Clinton administration but believes Hillary will surround herself with women if elected  something shed consider another important achievement.

I dont think she will pack the Oval Office with women to make a point, Buell says. But she knows some great women. I dont want to say she goes out of her way to find women, but she does. I know in my business Id rather work with women.

Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, holds hands with Esprit clothing co-founder, Susie Tompkins Buell, right, at a fundraising luncheon in San Francisco.

A week after the 2016 Democratic Convention in Philadelphia, four of Hillary Clintons oldest and closest pals, who along with Clinton are all from the Class of 1965 at a high school in Park Ridge, Illinois, agreed to meet a reporter for lunch at Petros Restaurant in downtown Chicago.

The leader of this pack of lifelong Clinton intimates, Betsy Ebeling, works for the state of Illinois in enforcing LGBT human rights and thus is more involved in politics than the others. As an Illinois delegate to the convention, she was given the job of declaring Illinoiss votes, making the nomination of her childhood buddy official.

Ebeling has taken to calling Hillary Gertie, a nickname they invented after laughing about how former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich mistakenly called Ebeling Nancy and told her he thought your friend  Hillary  was great.

Other high school pals at the lunch were Kathy Burgess, the former airline attendant, who is now a child support collection officer; Bonnie Klehr, an artist and jewelry designer; and businesswoman Ann Drake.

Each woman is 70 or about to get there. As girls growing up in the Eisenhower-era utopia of white, suburban Chicago, they scampered in and out of each others houses, knew each others mothers and fathers and siblings, and mocked each others prom dates. Eventually, they attended each others weddings and parents funerals.

For years, they have been getting together for a girls weekend at a remote cabin in Indiana one of them owns, and theyve grown used to Secret Service agents lurking just beyond the campfire, in the woods. They are planning to convene in New York City with their old pal on election night.

They dont talk politics when they are with Hill. They do spend a lot of time laughing about silly stuff, like the time their mothers signed them up for piano lessons from a strange neighbor who kept taxidermied Pomeranians  her deceased pets  in a glass case in her house, while her living pet under the piano nipped at the feet of the children. That was the beginning and the end of our musical education, Ebeling says.

Throughout Clintons years in public life, the Park Ridge pals have privately supplied their famous friend with hometown updates and giggles. The US state departments public email dump of tens of thousands of pieces of then-secretary of state Clintons private and professional correspondence  obtained via a conservative legal watchdogs lawsuit  includes dozens of emails with Ebeling.

She corresponded frequently and casually with Clinton, sending jokes, local news and sometimes intimate praise. (Hair, jewelry, sweet look. Very natural, read one from January 2013.)

Unlike many of the emails from friends and acquaintances, Ebelings dont include the usual requests for favors, photo ops for third parties, sometimes more. In turn, Clinton sometimes vented with her. When Hasidic Jews in Israel erased her from a photograph published in a newspaper in 2011, she fired off a mention of it to Ebeling, among others, under the heading Unbelievable.

Ad executive Mandy Grunwald is one of the women who Clinton goes to for political advice.

Although they came of age in the 1960s, their decade was not the psychedelic one represented by rock bands like the Grateful Dead; it was the sock hop and the prom queen mourned in the song American Pie.

They were good girls deeply involved in student government and in decorating the gym for high school dances. They did their homework on time and got good grades, and they all remember Hillary Rodham standing out as the most organised kid in homeroom. She was the one who always asked the teacher to repeat and explain instructions, because she wanted to get it right.

Back then, they say, no one would have predicted that Hill would run for president. Their ambitions were muted. Listings for womens jobs were still on a separate page in the classified ads section, and only certain careers were seen as fitting. If you hesitated, they sent you to nursing school, says Ebeling.

When she was about 22, Burgess was given a book called How to Be Assertive, Not Aggressive. She says she forgot about it until she noticed commenters criticizing Clinton for shouting during a rally earlier this year.

In high school, they didnt sit around plotting to topple the patriarchy. That they would get married was absolutely assumed, but after that, maybe they would work. But by the 1980s, their friend, now the first lady of Arkansas (and a working lawyer), had become a symbol to many in the country  and to them too.

She is a presence in their lives in many ways. Burgess named her first-born daughter after Hillary. Klehr sometimes sees necklaces she designed and gave Hillary around the candidates neck in TV appearances. In return, the high school pals offer unconditional friendship. She knows we always have her back, says Klehr.

FOR her inner circle, Clintons official nomination as the Democratic presidential candidate this summer was an emotional event. There they were in Philadelphia, wiping away tears and talking about  what else?  love.

The word was emblazoned on official merchandise at the convention and uttered in almost every speech. It might have looked like a calculated contrast to the hate-fest the Republicans had put on during their convention in Cleveland, but it reflects something authentically Hillary: Earlier this year, she granted a remarkable interview to a young reporter from BuzzFeed in which she encapsulated her political theme as I am talking about love and kindness.

She admitted that she stopped talking about that stuff publicly when she got savaged for calling for such things as a politics of meaning early in her tenure as first lady, but she said it remained her theme  in private, with the girls.

I think that there are life experiences and, you know when I talk about this stuff, I talk about this with my friends, my girlfriends, right? she told BuzzFeed.

I mean, we have these conversations. We trade quotes. We trade books. We trade ideas. And its totally normal for us. Weve gone through so much together: deaths, divorce, illness and good things like grandchildren. So people in those settings, its very natural to have these kinds of conversations, right? And its just not in the public discourse very much - so now whether what I am trying to do will have any impact or not, we will see.

In Philadelphia, temporarily the City of Sisterly Love, some of the girlfriends who trade books with her and talk about this stuff reconnected. Some of them received notes or emails with quotes from her favourite poets, including Mary Oliver.

Buell says she was certain Clinton masterminded the theme of the convention. She was very open to the love that she wanted to project, Buell says. I think she made sure that was communicated.

The inner circle is convinced Clinton really is all about love and kindness, and gloss over or ignore things that obsess the detractors: Benghazi, the emails, the Iraq War vote, the Goldman Sachs speeches, the occasional position flip-flops.

Their Hillary is devoted to helping women, children and the poor but is also the best of friends  one who never forgets when someones mom or kid is sick, shows up for weddings and funerals, and invites them inside the White House or even, maybe, to that party with George Clooney.

The queenmakers dont understand why Clinton hasnt ignited the passions of younger women.

Huma Abedin speaks into the ear of Democratic presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton .

Like her high school pals, who see the 14-year-old Hill when they look at the presidential candidate, her more recently minted friends, sisters in arms from New York, also see the fighter for women and children, the global feminist who has historically linked womens and human rights - and not the woman who has amassed, with her husband, a fortune of $50 million and has been ensconced in the global elite for decades.

They are baffled that many young women dont realise that Hillary Clinton is a revolutionary. Her circle knows her as a living link to an era of oppression and humiliation, but to younger women  accustomed to outnumbering men in college and to working alongside them, taking for granted access to abortion on demand and, yes, to having a woman run for president  shes just another wealthy, white member of the establishment.

But the women inside the Clinton bunker are certain thats wrong and believe this election could be the triumph of feminisms second wave. Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail may look like yet another grandmother in a pantsuit, but they still see her as she was back at Wellesley, fired up and fighting an establishment to which they now all, for better or worse, belong.

At the moment, with her poll numbers nudging higher every time Donald Trump launches another fact-challenged broadside, Clintons inner circle is warily optimistic.

But they expect an ugly three months leading up to Election Day. Says one of them, You dont overthrow 5,000 years of patriarchy without a fight.
The proposed Citizens Assembly is looking increasingly like nobodys child. Apart from Taoiseach Enda Kenny, its difficult to find anyone summoning up what might pass for genuine enthusiasm for the body which is due to tackle the thorniest issue in Irish society.

The search will shortly be on for a representative sample of 99 members of the public who are willing to venture into the torment and heartache that is the abortion issue in Ireland. Perhaps there are scores of responsible and enthusiastic citizens out there who have just been waiting for this opportunity, but that seems somehow unlikely.

The Government has awarded the tender to Red C polling company to find those amongst us who wish to be involved in this potentially very important gathering.

The clock is ticking as its due to commence in October, and somewhat worryingly there isnt even a secretariat in place. According to the Department of the Taoiseach in the absence of one they are working on the preparations.

This will not a randomly chosen 99 people. The Taoiseach has said there will be diversity with respect to age, gender and location among those chosen.

That is logical and sensible, but it is also curious as to how is it going to work in practice. Both sides have their own concerns  will there be a pre-dominance of strong Catholics with an anti choice position, or a possible majority of militant pro-choicers who would want abortion clinics opened on our high streets.

It was a polling company that chose the participants for the previous Constitutional Convention. While that dealt with the then thorny issue of same sex marriage, it was actually a far less contentious issue than abortion.

Obviously these polling companies have methods for choosing people  hopefully from all walks of life  but how much transparency will there be in the selection process?

Indeed how much transparency can there be allowed in terms of the privacy of the citizens involved? How can that elusive balance be achieved with a sort of random selection? Yet how can it not be done that way either?

This is one issue where you are almost guaranteed that the chance of finding someone with a neutral attitude is non existent.

Reading the tenders relating to the Assembly the plan appears to be that it will be held for up to 10 weekends  all day Saturday and until mid afternoon on Sunday - averaging one a month, beginning in October.

The eighth amendment of the Constitution is not the only issue on the agenda, although it will be the first to be considered. Others are fixed-term parliaments, dealing with an aging population, the manner in which referenda are held and tackling climate change.

That last one has stumped some of the finest minds on the planet but it will likely seem a walk in the park compared to sorting out the termination of pregnancy in Ireland issue.

Health Minister Simon Harris puts his best face on when discussing the Assembly. He called this week for an informed, inclusive, mature and respectful debate on abortion.

However if I was a citizen asked to partake I reckon one of the first questions I might ask myself would be around the necessarily public nature of the Assembly.

Another one of those Government tenders relates to the live streaming of the event. I

d wonder about the possibility of being targeted, in this instance given their form over the years, by the pro-life movement.

Early on in the Constitutional Convention there was a discussion lead by the chairman Tom Arnold on whether the names of those participating should be released.

It was agreed they would release the names of the 66 participants and their county of origin.

We dont know what will happen this time around but if a name was published on the Assembly website and the county in which a person resides, would it not be relatively easy to find out where that person lived too?

Some might consider this paranoia but others, myself included, would consider it a sensible consideration.

What would the chance be, you could further wonder, of there being protests outside whatever hotel is chosen as a venue, with chanting and lots of placard-wielding as participants went inside.

Might footage of these end up on the RTE 6 oclock news on a Saturday night or on Youtube? Would you be spotted by your neighbours? Would that bother you?

Would you find it a comfort to know that the Constitutional Convention laid down a rule that any group who attempted to lobby a member outside of the Convention would be precluded from being involved in it.

Having dealt with all of that, if you were approached, you might then consider what will happen the presumably good work that yourself and your fellow 98 assembly members had undertaken, under the stewardship of Judge Mary Laffoy.

The Assembly has a 12-month deadline to complete all its work and submit its reports.

There is a widespread assumption, rightly or wrongly, that the Assembly will recommend a referendum to remove the 8th Amendment from the Constitution.

As an Assembly member you would need to consider that after all your considerations it is the intention of the government to send the Assembly proposals to an all-party Oireachtas committee.

That Committee will come to its own conclusions.

The Assembly has been dismissed by both sides but since were stuck with it, it would be great if it became part of a positive process on abortion.

The Assembly could learn a lot from its predecessor which took what is described as a deliberative approach.

Once gathered together people were divided into small groups of up to 8 people with each table having a trained facilitator who took notes.

There were others walking around the room monitoring the conversations and how they were progressing.

Every citizen member received the same information, heard from the same experts and were lobbied by all sides.

Members were surveyed regularly as to their opinion on what they had heard or been told. Throughout there were satisfaction ratings in the high 90s.

This approach proved a very effective way to deal with the gay marriage referendum issue, which had many complexities and considerations.

On a Sunday morning, after a weekend discussing a particular issue, there would be a ballot paper on that issue, on which each member would vote. Then at 1pm on Sunday it would be announced what had been agreed.

Prof David Farrell was research director of the Convention, working in a voluntary capacity. He points out that out of 8 topics there were a total of 40 subsequent recommendations, including many of the changes we are seeing now in Dail reform such as a directly elected Ceann Comhairle.

Unlike so many others his gut instinct on the new Assembly is positive. He says there is plenty of experience from the previous conventions to show how something like this can be done successfully.

But first they will have to find the Assembly members willing to serve.
PETER Barry never led his country or his party but he was in the vanguard of the politicians who brought peace to the island of Ireland.

He was the true blue Fine Gaeler who harboured instincts on the national question that were usually the preserve of Fianna Fail. Among Corks merchant princes, he was king, yet he wore his success in business and inherited wealth lightly, always more conscious of his obligations than entitlement. For many who encountered him though, he was just a decent man who did his best to make a difference, using the competence, charm, and not a little steel when required.

Barry was born in 1928 into a Cork business family which was by then already successful. The Barrys Tea Company had been founded by his grandfather James J Barry, who opened his first grocer shop in 1901. By the time Peter was born his father Tony had expanded the tea business greatly after he came out of the army where he had served during the Civil War.

In 1960, while still a young man, Peter brought the business to another level by importing tea from East Africa, which went down a treat with the tea-mad Irish.

Just as business was in the family DNA, so too was politics.

His father Tony had served as election agent for WT Cosgrave in the 1920s when the latter stood in the Cork borough and continued to do so for nigh on 20 years.

Tony Barry himself was elected to the Dail in 1954 and served there and in the Seanad until losing his seat in 1965.

The pinnacle of his political career came in 1961 when he served as Lord Mayor of Cork, and in time the chain of that office would be worn by both his son and grand-daughter Deirdre Clune.

Peter Barry with his daughter and current MEP Deirdre Clune and former Fine Gael TD Lucinda Creighton after he received the Freedom of the City of Cork on June 12, 2010. Picture: Denis Scannell

With such a background, it was inevitable that Peter Barry would enter politics and this he did in 1969 when he was elected for Cork South Central. His election came soon after the outbreak of troubles in the North with the brutal state and unionist reaction to the campaign for civil rights among Catholics.

Soon after he was elected he drove to Derry and knocked on the door of John Hume unannounced and told the SDLP leader who he was.

I told him that a lot of people down south who didnt know anything about the North were making fiery speeches but I wanted to meet people who were affected by it, he said in an interview last year.

So he took me around Derry and then he gave me an introduction to people in Belfast. I heard first-hand what nationalists had to put up with. I described it later as the nightmare of the nationalists, and it was true. They had an awful time.

Barrys instinctive empathy with Northern nationalists was highly unusual for a figure from such a deep-rooted Fine Gael family. This was Fianna Fail territory, but unlike his kindred spirits in the Soldiers of Destiny at the time, Barry did not feel compelled to wear his nationalism like a badge.

Four years after his election, Fine Gael entered government in a coalition with the Labour party.

Barry was appointed as minister for transport and power by the new Taoiseach Liam Cosgrave, son of WT Cosgrave whom Peters father had served so faithfully.

He was competent rather than outstanding as a minister and he enjoyed the chance to make a change.

Second from left Peter Barry opens the Cork Butter Exchange Prize Brass and Reed Band new instrument fund, with from left, Denis ORegan, Michael Hurley, and Denis ODriscoll on June 12, 1970. Picture: Staff

It was great fun, he told Vincent Power for the latters book Voices Of Cork.

The thing I liked best were the files marked secret. Thats what it means being a cabinet minister. Thats where the power is. Youre making decisions in Cabinet which affect this country and the lives of the people maybe for a long time to come. Its a heavy responsibility and a great privilege.

Towards the end of that administration he was switched to the education portfolio until the 1977 general election which saw Fianna Fail swept into power under Jack Lynch.

Cosgrave resigned as party leader leaving the field open to a straight choice between Barry and Garret FitzGerald.

Barry sought counsel within the party and ultimately came to the conclusion that FitzGerald enjoyed more grassroots support, if not the majority of the parliamentary party.

Under those circumstances, he felt it best to step back and allow the other man lead.

His second stint at the cabinet came as environment minister in the short-lived coalition government of 1981-82. Then, when the coalition returned to power in late 1982, FitzGerald gave him the choice of portfolio.

I said Id love to take foreign affairs if it included the North, he later reflected.

Through the following years of the New Ireland Forum he forged a friendship with the British foreign secretary Geoffrey Howe whom Barry described as a decent man who harboured no anti-Irish prejudice. The relationship and trust built up by the two men helped smooth passage towards the Anglo-Irish Agreement.

Peter Barry, Dick Spring, and Tom King witness Garret Fitzgerald and Margaret Thatcher signing the Anglo-Irish Agreement in 1985

He harboured more constitutional republican instincts than most Fine Gaelers, which led to some suspicion within his party, and heightened that of the unionists towards him as minister for foreign affairs. Notwithstanding that position, all involved in those negotiations say that he was a vital cog in the system, as much, if not more so, than his taoiseach, FitzGerald.

On the day that the agreement was signed in Hillsborough, the ceremony was actually held up because Barry and Howe had gone missing. Fergus Finlay, who was present on the day as adviser to tanaiste Dick Spring, recalled in his memoirs Snakes and Ladders what unfolded once the two men showed up.

Mrs Thatcher sniffed and set about straightening the foreign secretarys jacket. Then, noticing a speck of dandruff on Peter Barrys lapel she reached to flick it off. The foreign minister from Cork, a direct political descendent from Michael Collins recoiled in horror, and Mrs Thatcher had the good sense to let him flick his own lapel.

For some unionists his role in an agreement which saw the Republic take a role in the affairs of the North made him a figure of hate. Security at his Cork home was installed round the clock. Word was put about that packets of Barrys Tea were poisoned. His wife, Margaret, got abusive phonecalls.

Peter Barry and his wife Margaret attending the removal of Hugh Coveney, former Fine Gael minister and father of current Housing Minister Simon Coveney, in 1998. Picture: Dan Linehan

Barry found the security invasive and felt it wasnt necessary, but he was left with little choice by the security services. The bad times passed and life got on as normal, but his central role in the Anglo-Irish Agreement, which laid the foundations for the Peace Process, remains the shining light of his legacy.

Despite the agreement, Fine Gael was roundly defeated in the 1987 election, losing 19 of its 70 seats and ceding power to a minority Fianna Fail government. FitzGerald resigned as leader and for the first time in its history Fine Gael embarked on a genuine leadership election  all the previous leaders had been unanimously elected after discussions and horse trading.

Barry would say later that FitzGerald stepped down too soon. There were three candidates to succeed him, Alan Dukes, John Bruton and Barry. The Corkman was the early favourite, but in the nature of these things there were straws in the wind in the final few days that things might not go that way.

From left: John Bruton, Alan Dukes, and Peter Barry at the Rochestown Park Hotel in Cork on February 28, 1998, to celebrate Mr Barrys retirement from politics. Picture: Micheal McSweeney / Provision

Dukes won by a reputed large majority, beating Bruton into second place and Barry trailing a distant third. The actual result was never made known, a strategy that seems amazing by todays standards.

Barry admitted he was shook and disappointed at the defeat, as he tore up the acceptance speech that had been prepared for him by Bill OHerlihy. But true to the man he actually stopped off on his way home to Cork to put in an appearance at Dukes victory party in Kildare.

Id see that it was things I did and said to people in the intervening 15 years that lost me votes, he said later. I think Alan probably worked harder on them than I did, although thats not the only reason. Hes a highly attractive personality , with lots of energy. He remained on the backbenches for the remainder of his career until the 1997 general election, when he handed the baton on to his daughter Deirdre Clune, who duly got elected.

The party did come calling in 1990, asking him to go forward for the presidency, but he declined. He later said he felt he wasnt suited to the role, but his standing was such that he would have been in with a shout had he gone forward.

He made few enemies in his career, but one of the criticisms thrown his way was that he didnt concentrate enough on his constituency in the 1980s, during the darkest days of recession, when big employers like Ford and Dunlops folded their tents. Perhaps, but he would have thought a reputation for giving too much attention to national politics rather than constituency matters wais one to be valued rather than scorned.

Peter Barry was awarded the Freedom of Cork in 2010. His daughter Deirdre Clune, one of the six Barry children, carries the political torch for the family as an MEP for the South Constituency. Peters wife Margaret predeceased him in January 2013.

Asked once how he would like to be remembered, he said he would be happy if people said he was a reasonably good human being who did his best. The reply was typical of the man, modest, devoid of pretension and acutely aware of the good hand he had been dealt in life.
COLUMBUS  The Class of 2016 at Columbus High School had the lowest composite ACT score in the last five years.

This year's graduates had a composite score of 18.9 on the college-entrance exam, a drop of almost a point from the previous years 19.8 and three points lower than the Class of 2012, which recorded a composite score of 21.9. The 2016 score at CHS was also lower than the state average of 21.4.

This isnt where we want to be. We are going to strive to do better and make adjustments and grow, said CHS Principal Steve Woodside.

For the past four years, the local school has been part of a pilot program that requires all juniors to take the ACT exam, which Woodside said impacted the overall scores because more students are tested, even those who may not attend college.

The pilot program was an experiment to determine if statewide standardized tests currently given to juniors should be replaced by the ACT exam. A law has been passed by the state Legislature requiring a college admissions exam replace those statewide tests. Both the ACT and SAT have submitted proposals.

Woodside said the change will allow schools to focus more on helping students prepare for one test.

The program, which involved seven other schools, also tracked whether more students went on to college after taking the ACT. Woodside said there has been a 3 percent growth in the number of Columbus High students enrolling in two- and four-year institutions since the pilot started.

Overall, 290 students at CHS took the ACT in the 2015-16 school year, measuring skills in English, math, reading and science. Each of the sub-scores in those areas at CHS went down from 2015, except for math, which held steady at 19.1.

Woodside said he was disappointed in the scores for English, which dropped from 19.5 in 2015 to 18.1 this year, and reading, which dipped a point from 19.8 last year.

The goal at CHS is for students to attain a composite score of 22. That typically happened students took the ACT two or more times, Woodside said.

The composite score at Lakeview High School also dropped, going from a 22.4 last year to 21.8 this year.

We did have some very high individual scores, which we are happy with. However, there were some scores that were lower than we would have liked, which brought down the average composite score, said Principal Steve Borer.

One area in particular that Borer said he would like to see improve is reading. That score went from 23.2 the previous year to 21.1.

We plan to (have) teachers review the data and review multiple sources of data to determine what we may need to do to improve the reading sub-score, he said.

Other sub-scores held steady compared to last year, with English at 21.5, math at 22.1 and science at 22.4.

Of the 55 students in the Lakeview Class of 2016, 37 took the ACT.

Scotus Central Catholic had a composite score of 25.5, the second-highest score in school history following the 25.9 achieved by the 2015 graduating class.

The school has stressed the importance of taking suggested core preparation that includes four or more years of English and three or more years of math, social studies and natural science. Of the 60 students who took the ACT, 57 were also part of the core or more preparation. Those students had a composite score of 25.7. The three students who didnt take part in the core preparation scored an average of 21.3.

Sub-scores for Scotus were 25.4 in English, 25.8 in math, 24.9 in reading and 25.6 in science.

Statewide, student performance on the ACT was slightly worse than in 2015. But the drop is nowhere close to the plunge the state could see in the future.

The statewide average composite score for the Class of 2016 was 21.4, down from 21.5 the previous year.

Nebraska Commissioner of Education Matt Blomstedt attributed the dip to "natural variability."

The state could see larger drops after the Nebraska Department of Education moves forward on lawmakers' plan to replace the existing 11th-grade accountability tests with either the SAT or ACT for all high school juniors beginning this school year. Blomstedt said he'd recommend which test he prefers to the State Board of Education next week.

The ACT organization's report says that when states increase the number of test-takers, they bring in students who aren't as prepared for college.

In 2015 and 2016, 88 percent of Nebraska high school graduates took the ACT.

The amount of students who graduated high school in 2016 and took the ACT reached an all-time high at nearly 2.1 million  close to two-thirds of the country's students.

The average ACT score is also down this year nationally, from 21 to 20.8. The ACT organization attributes the drop to a significant increase in the number and percentage of U.S. students who took the exam.

Less than one-tenth of 1 percent of students who take the college entrance exam achieves a 36, the highest score possible. The University of Nebraska-Lincoln wants first-time freshmen to obtain an ACT score of at least 20.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Some crumbled buildings in Amatrice cracked even further after the biggest aftershock struck yesterday at 6.28am local time. The US Geological Service said it had a magnitude of 4.7, while the Italian geophysics institute measured it at 4.8.

The shaking ground also damaged one key access bridge to Amatrice, forcing emergency crews to close it.

Mayor Sergio Pirozzi said he is working with authorities to find an alternative bypass to another damaged bridge.

We hope to God it works because otherwise, with the damaged stretch of road, we are without any connection to the main roads, he said.

Even before the roads were shut down, traffic into and out of Amatrice was horribly congested with emergency vehicles bringing hundreds of rescue crews up to Amatrice and dump trucks carrying tons of concrete, rocks, and metal down the single-lane roads.

The aftershock was preceded by more than 50 overnight and was followed by another nine in the next hour  part of the nearly 1,000 aftershocks that have rocked Italys central Apennine Mountains since the original 6.2 magnitude quake early on Wednesday.

Premier Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency and authorised 50m for immediate quake relief.

The Italian government also declared today a day of national mourning and scheduled a state funeral to be attended by president Sergio Mattarella.

Waiter Andrea Orsini serves pasta allamatriciana. Restaurants are being urged to put the dish on their menus with a 2 donation going to the Italian Red Cross for each dish sold. Picture: Gregorio Borgia/AP

Rescue efforts continued through Thursday night and into yesterday, but more than a day and a half had passed since the last person was extracted alive from the rubble.

While Mr Renzi hailed the fact that 215 people had been rescued after the quake, authorities reported a steadily rising death toll that had hit 267 by yesterday morning.

Civil protection operations chief Immacolata Postiglione still insisted yesterday that the rescue effort had not yet switched to a recovery mission.

Rescue workers noted that a person was pulled out alive 72 hours after the 2009 earthquake in the Italian town of LAquila.

I confirm, once again as we have from the start, that the units that are doing the searches and rescues, including with dogs looking for other people trapped in the rubble, are absolutely fully active, said Ms Postiglione.

On the ground, authorities were still struggling to account for all the missing, since that number is uncertain given the large number of visitors for summer holidays and an annual food festival.

There is still hope to find survivors under the rubble, even in these hours, said Walter Milan, a mountain rescue worker. However, he conceded: Certainly, it will be very unlikely.

A woman sits in the courtyard of the Don Minozzi convent in Amatrice, central Italy. Picture: Roberto Salomone/ANSA via AP

The vast majority of the dead were found in levelled Amatrice, the medieval hilltop town famous for its bacon and tomato pasta sauce.

The other dead hailed from nearby Accumoli and Arquata del Tronto.

Flags will fly at half-mast today on all public offices and a state funeral will be celebrated by a bishop in a gym in Ascoli Piceno for the victims of nearby Arquata del Tronto  to date, 49 of the dead have come from the tiny town and its hamlet Pescara del Tronto.

The first private funerals were scheduled for yesterday, including one in Pomezia, south of Rome, celebrated by one of Pope Francis closest collaborators, Bishop Marcello Semeraro.

Across the area, thousands have been forced to abandon their homes, either because they were destroyed or they were deemed to be too unsafe.

Overnight, some 2,100 people slept in tent camps, nearly 1,000 more than the first night after Wednesdays quake, in a sign that a significant number had found nowhere else to go.

I have no idea what Im going to do now, because I had renovated the house two years ago, survivor Umberto Palaferri said, showing a photo of his collapsed home on his phone. It was all new and now I dont know what to do. Im 76 and dont know if I can rebuild it.

Meanwhile, food lovers and chefs in Italy and beyond are urging restaurants to serve up more pasta allamatriciana in a move to support the quake-hit home town of the hearty dish.

The rustic food, made of tomato sauce with pork jowl and topped with pecorino cheese, comes from Amatrice. The idea is for some of the proceeds to go to help the devastated areas rebuild.

Italian food blogger and graphic designer Paolo Campana launched an appeal on Wednesday, saying on Facebook: We have to move fast.

Pasta allamatriciana is a symbol, he said. So I decided to use this symbol to help.

He has asked restaurants to put the dish on their menus and donate 2 per meal sold directly to the Italian Red Cross, which is participating in relief efforts in the affected areas in the region.
Images of uniformed police appearing to require a woman to take off her tunic, and media accounts of similar incidents, have elicited shock and anger this week.

Some fear burkini bans in several French towns are worsening religious tensions. The bans, based on the strict application of secularism policies, have exposed division within the government.

Prime minister Manuel Valls told BFM television that burkinis represent the enslavement of women and reiterated his support for mayors who have banned them.

However, education minister Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, a feminist with North African roots, said that while she does not like the burkini, bans of the garment are politically driven and are unleashing racist sentiment.

My dream of society is a society where women are free and proud of their bodies, she said on Europe-1 radio. But with tensions in France high after a series of deadly Islamic extremist attacks, she added: We shouldnt add oil to the fire by banning burkinis.

Critics of the local decrees have said the orders are too vague, prompting local police officials to fine even women wearing the traditional Islamic headscarf and the hijab, but not burkinis.

Mr Valls, while stressing his opposition to the burkini, urged police to implement the bans fairly and respectfully.

Two human rights groups, arguing that the bans are discriminatory, have appealed to the Council of State to overturn the measures.

The council held a hearing in the case yesterday and is expected to rule within 48 hours. The ruling specifically concerns a ban in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the decision will be binding and set legal precedent.

The Human Rights League and the Collective Against Islamophobia in France say the mayors decree violates basic freedoms of dress and religious expression.

The Villeneuve-Loubet order bars from local beaches any people whose garments do not respect the principles of secularism, health and safety rules, and good moral standards. Like other local decrees, the Villeneuve-Loubet ban does not explicitly mention the word burkini.
Under the historic agreement to end one of the worlds longest conflicts, the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (Farc) will lay down arms and reintegrate into civilian life.

More than 220,000 people were killed in the conflict, tens of thousands disappeared, and millions fled their homes because of the violence.

The accord, which was reached after almost four years of talks in Cuba, sparked celebrations in parks and bars in the Colombian capital, Bogota. It will go to a vote on October 2.

Today I can say from the bottom of my heart that I have fulfilled the mandate that you gave me, said president Juan Manuel Santos, 65, who was re-elected in 2014 on the promise of a peace deal.

Colombians: The decision is in your hands. Never before have our citizens had within their reach the key to their future, he said in a televised address.

Most opinion polls suggest Colombians will back the deal but Mr Santos, who has staked his legacy on peace, will face fierce opposition from powerful sectors of the country who believe the only solution is to finish the Farc militarily.

The deal is opposed by two former Colombian presidents, including popular right-wing hardliner Alvaro Uribe. In Bogota, several hundred people gathered around a giant screen in the rain to listen to the announcement, waving Colombian flags and banners.

Im so happy. It was time to end the war, said Margarita Nieto, a 28-year-old accountant. I know what is coming will be hard, but together we can cope.

Others are more sceptical about the terms of the agreement, especially the participation of Farc rebels in politics and the fact they will not serve jail time for crimes committed during the war.

Under the deal, Farc will have non-voting representation in Congress until 2018 and can participate in elections. From then on, the 7,000 former rebels will have to win votes like any other political party, said Mr Santos.

The final text of the deal will be sent to Colombias Congress on Thursday and will be available on the internet and social media, he said.
Colombias government and Marxist Farc rebels have reached a final peace deal to end a five-decade war. Under the historic agreement to end one of the worlds longest conflicts, Farc soldiers will lay down arms and reintegrate into civilian life.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Gilmore said the decision will ultimately rest with the people of Colombia, with a referendum expected to be held in October.

Six million people have been displaced and 220,000 people have been killed in this decades-long conflict, he said. This is a very historic agreement. I have been involved since November. But the conflict is over and Farc will move to being a political outfit.

Mr Gilmore said the EU will provide 575m in financial aid to help the transition to peace in the country and that Ireland was one of the first countries to support the setting up of the trust fund.

The former Labour leader said there is a lot of work to be done in selling the agreement as it includes a lot of concessions. Mr Gilmore added that the international community would support the implementation of the agreement.

Foreign Affairs Minister Charlie Flanagan welcomed the historic signature of a peace agreement, which was reached in Havana, Cuba.

I acknowledge that, notwithstanding this new agreement, there is a challenging road ahead, he said.

Ireland will continue to offer support to Colombia in the implementation of this important peace agreement, recognising that faithful implementation is critical to the success of any peace agreement.
Aileen Amurao, a relative of the fisherman and tourism officer for Puerto Princesa city on western Palawan island, said the man gave her the pearl last month for safekeeping because he was moving to a new place.

Ms Amurao said the pearl, which weighs 34kg and is 67cm long and 30cm wide, was sitting on a bench in her home for weeks until she found time to check the internet, and she was shocked to learn that it could be the worlds biggest.

The fisherman, his father and brothers found the irregular-shaped pearl inside a giant clam which stuck to their boats anchor when they sought refuge from a squall on a reef, Ms Amurao said.

The family hid the pearl in a bag under a bed, rubbing it with their hands before going out to sea in the belief it would bring them luck, she said.

The fisherman did not want to be identified.

Ms Amurao said she, the fisherman, and his family decided to hand the pearl over to the citys mayor, who had it displayed in a glass case in Puerto Princesas city hall to attract tourists.

The fisherman will receive a still-unspecified financial reward from the local government, Ms Amurao said, adding that he never intended to sell it.

Experts from the University of the Philippines have expressed interest in inspecting the pearl, but she said no date has been set for their visit.

It would not be the first time giant pearls have been found off Palawan.

A 9kg specimen, called Pearl of the King, was found in Palawan in 1939, and is on display at a hotel in the central island resort of Boracay.

Local media have reported that fishermen had recovered other huge pearls in the province, including one reportedly weighing 24.75kg.

Guinness World Records lists a 718.50-carat baroque abalone pearl as the biggest of its kind, measuring 14cm in length, 8cm, wide, and 4cm thick.
The ruling by the Council of State specifically concerns a ban on the Muslim garment in the Riviera town of Villeneuve-Loubet, but the binding decision is expected to impact on all the 30 or so French resort municipalities that have issued similar decrees.

The bans grew increasingly controversial as images circulated online of some Muslim women being ordered to remove body- concealing garments on French Riviera beaches.

Lawyers for a human rights group and a Muslim collective challenged the legality of the ban, saying the orders infringe basic freedoms and that mayors have overstepped their powers by telling women what to wear on beaches.

Mayors had cited multiple reasons for the bans, including security after a string of Islamic extremist attacks, risk to public order, and Frances strict rules on secularism in public life.

The Council of State ruled that: The emotion and concerns arising from the terrorist attacks, notably the one perpetrated in Nice on July 14, cannot suffice to justify in law the contested prohibition measure.

It ruled that the mayor of Villeneuve-Loubet overstepped his powers by enacting measures that are not justified by proven risks of disruptions to public order nor, moreover, on reasons of hygiene or decency.

The contested decree has thus brought a serious and manifestly illegal infringement on basic freedoms such as freedom to come and go, freedom of conscience and personal freedom, the ruling reads.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi, representing the Human Rights League, told reporters in Paris that women who have already received fines can protest against them based on yesterdays decision.

It is a decision that is meant to set legal precedent, he said. Today all the ordinances taken should conform to the decision of the Council of State.

Logically, the mayors should withdraw these ordinances. If not, legal actions could be taken.

But the mayor of the Corsican town of Sisco said he would not lift the ban he imposed after a clash on a beach on August 13.

Here the tension is very, very, very high and I wont withdraw it, Ange-Pierre Vivoni said on BFM-TV.

He said he does not know whether a woman was actually wearing a burkini the day a clash occurred that set a group of Corsican sunbathers of North African origin against villagers from Sisco. It took days to untangle the events leading to the violence that many immediately assumed was over a burkini sighting.

The bans have become a symbol of tensions around the place of Islam in secular France. Many officials, including prime minister Manuel Valls, have argued burkinis oppress women.

But critics say the bans were feeding a racist political agenda as campaigning for next years French presidential elections began.

UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said: We welcome the decision by the court. I think our opinion was expressed fairly clearly the other day on the need for peoples personal dignity and person to be respected.

Former president Nicolas Sarkozy, who announced this week that he is seeking the conservative nomination for the presidential race, said on Thursday that he wants a law banning the burkini on the entire territory of the republic.

National Front leader Marine Le Pen said the overturning of the ban was not surprising but the battle was not over.
Only infertile couples who have been married for at least five years could seek a surrogate, who must be a close relative, foreign minister Sushma Swaraj said.

There will be a complete ban on commercial surrogacy. Childless couples, who are medically unfit to have children, can take help from a close relative, in what is an altruistic surrogacy, Ms Swaraj said at a news conference in New Delhi.

The bill does not say which relatives are close enough to be considered as potential surrogates.

The proposed law will soon be introduced in parliament, where the governing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party commands a majority in the lower house.

Gay couples, single parents and foreigners would not be allowed to hire Indian women as surrogates under the proposed law, which would have to be passed by both houses of parliament to become law.

Over the past few years, India has become a popular destination for people wanting to have children using surrogate mothers, partly because its doctors and clinics broker the service at relatively low cost.

But many of the women are paid a pittance of the money that is paid to clinics by anxious couples yearning to have a child.

Ms Swaraj cited past cases where a couple took home one child from a twin birth or a couple left a disabled baby with the surrogate.

The law would stop such unethical practices, she said.

In 2001, India legalised commercial surrogacy, in which a surrogate mother can carry anothers genetic child through a process of in-vitro fertilisation and embryo transfer for a payment.

Although there are no official figures available, a 2012 UN report counted around 3,000 fertility clinics in India.

Indias surrogacy business was estimated at around $1 billion dollars (886.5m) a year an growing, but it had few regulations governing it.

In November, the government had instructed Indian embassies not to grant visas to foreigners who planned to come to India to engage a surrogate mother.

The home ministry said a child born through surrogacy to foreigners would not be allowed to leave the country.
The Paisley Park tours will be managed by the company that runs Elvis Presleys Graceland estate.

Bremer Trust said millions of Prince fans will get the chance to tour the 65,000 sq ft complex in the Minneapolis suburb of Chanhassen, where Prince, 57, collapsed and died of an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl in April.
Burma ANP Objects to Issuing of Pink Card to Muslim Woman

Col. Htein Lin (standing), Arakan States security and border affairs minister, talks with Kyaw Zaw Oo, an ANP member of regional parliament representing Sittwes Constituency (2) (sitting, center) in a public meeting on Wednesday in the Arakan State capital. Also pictured are Aye Nu Sein, a lawyer and the ANP vice chairperson (right) and Htun Aung Thein (left) an ANP regional lawmaker for Buthidaung Township. / Kyaw Zaw Oo / Facebook

RANGOON  Arakan National Party lawmakers have raised objections to a Muslim woman in Arakan States Buthidaung Township being issued full citizenship earlier this monthan act which they say was carried out against existing regulations.

Kyaw Zaw Oo, an ANP regional parliamentarian, said that his claim that the womans citizenship status was granted wrongfully is backed by the head of the immigration department, Win Lwin, and the Arakan State security border affairs minister Col. Htein Lin, a statement which The Irrawaddy could not confirm at the time of publication.

On Wednesday, four ANP representatives and the state governing body held a public meeting to discuss the objection of Buthidaung Townships Buddhist Arakanese residents to the national verification committees recommendation for 31 of the townships Muslim residents to be granted citizenship.

Burmas 1982 Citizenship Law allows for three levels of citizenship with diminishing rights: full, naturalized and associate. Of the 31 individuals who applied under the category of Bengali, in Buthidaung Township, it was reported that two or three of the applicants obtained full citizenship and the rest were recommended for naturalized citizenship.

After anti-Muslim violence spread throughout Arakan State in 2012 and 2013, an Action Plan for the region was introduced under the administration of ex-President Thein Sein in 2014. Included was a citizenship verification drive aimed at stateless Muslims in Arakan Statesome of whom have other ethnic affiliations, such as the Kaman, an officially recognized group.

Those self-identifying as ethnic Rohingya were required to register as Bengali in their applicationan assertion that they are migrants with origins in Bangladesh, rather than Burmaor not be considered for citizenship.

Kyaw Zaw Oo, the ANP MP, said that in Wednesdays discussion, Col. Htein Linthe minister for border affairs and securityand Win Lwin of the Arakan State immigration department openly debated the issuing of a pink card to the Buthidaung Township woman in question, a gesture indicating the granting of full citizenship.

The provision of the pink card was traced to her parents status as holders of tri-fold cards, the officials said. These documents were issued starting in 1958 and originally entitled holders to equal rights as other Burmese citizens, until the 1982 Citizenship Law re-defined citizenship eligibility along ethnic lines.

Kyaw Zaw Oo claims that there are two short sentences on the tri-fold card stating that it must not be regarded as identification for citizenship; by issuing a pink card, or full citizenship, to the woman in question, he said, the government would be legally recognizing the now-defunct tri-fold cards as a basis for the citizenship of its bearers.

So, why should they give a pink card to her? he said, describing the officials action as daring to contravene the law.

Many of the applications for citizenship by Muslims in the area are based on possession of tri-fold cards.

According to Aye Nu Sein, the vice chairperson of ANP who participated in Wednesdays meeting, security and border affairs minister Htein Lin promised the ANP representatives that the government would adhere to existing laws, but he remained vague on whether they would terminate the township level committees recommendations for citizenship in the case of the group of 29 of the 31 Muslim residents in question, as the ANP has demanded.

On Aug. 17, around 400 Arakanese Buddhist residents of Buthidaung Township gathered at the Aye Zedi monastery to denounce government officials and launch a poster campaign in response to the recent citizenship recommendations. For sale signs were placed in front of their homes and businesses, suggesting that they would leave the township if ineligible Bengalis started being recognized as citizens, which they say has led to a rise in crime and disputes over land.
Burma Human Rights Activist Denied Bail in Arakan State

Khine Myo Htun faces charges for accusing the Burma Army of committing war crimes in Arakan State. / ERI

RANGOON  A court in the Arakan State capital of Sittwe has denied a bail request from prominent human rights and environmental activist Khine Myo Htun, who was arrested last month and faces charges for accusing the Burma Army of committing war crimes in the state.

Khine Myo Htun, deputy-spokesperson for the Arakan Liberation Party (ALP), was arrested on July 25 in Sittwe on charges of sedition and incitement under sections 505(b) and 505(c) of Burmas Penal Code.

In April, the ALP incited controversy when it accused the Burma Army of violating the Geneva Conventions by targeting civilians for forced portering and torture.

The charges against Khine Myo Htun were filed by Lt-Col Tin Naing Tun from the Sittwe-based Regional Operations Command of the Burma Army on May 5.

The Arakan Liberation Army, the military wing of the ALP, was one of eight non-state ethnic armed groups that signed the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) last October with the former government.

Oo Kyaw Thein, the defendants lawyer, told The Irrawaddy they requested bail because arresting Khine Myo Htun was the same as punishing him before the court had made a decision regarding the case.

He added that Khine Myo Htun was a representative from one of the NCA-signatory groups who attended the Union Peace Conference under the previous administration.

The court has said the case is related to the stability of the state and that the accused has failed to appear at two previous court hearings. Oo Kyaw Thein said his client was traveling at that time, prior to his arrest.

United States based advocacy organization Earth Rights International (ERI) called for all charges against Khine Myo Htun to be dropped on Friday.

The use of Sections 505 (b) and (c) and the targeting of only Khine Myo Htun demonstrates a clear attempt to silence human rights advocacy and deter activists from exposing ongoing violations, Ka Hsaw Wa, executive director of ERI, stated in a press release.

He added that the investigation that needs to happen is one that looks into allegations that the army has committed abuses against civilians in Arakan State.

The activist is currently detained at a prison in Sittwe. His next court hearing is on September 2. If he is found guilty, he could face up to two years imprisonment and a fine.
LINCOLN  The prison where inmates attacked and injured nine staff members Wednesday evening needs a bigger staffing boost than any other Nebraska prison.

A six-person review team reached that conclusion following a yearlong study of staffing at Nebraska prisons, which ended this summer, the Lincoln Journal Star has learned.

Across the Nebraska Department of Correctional Services, the review team requested 138 new full-time custody positions  an $11 million to $14 million expense  for an agency that is already struggling to fill existing vacancies.

Nearly a third of that figure, 44 positions, would be for additional custody staff at the Lincoln Correctional Center, according to a summary of the review team's findings.

"While adding employees does not necessarily increase safety, a strong visible command and control of the facility has the ability to improve officer and inmate safety," the summary reads.

Late Thursday, Gov. Pete Ricketts told lawmakers he would consider raising salaries for corrections workers and making other changes to address retention if union leaders agreed to renegotiate their contract.

"We will be seeking additional flexibility to reward and retain job performers, increase base salaries, and provide alternative shifts," the governor said in a letter to legislative leaders.

Ricketts said he reached out to Mike Marvin, executive director of the state employee union, to immediately begin labor negotiations for corrections staff, independent of other state workers.

Lincoln Correctional Center was fully staffed at the time of Wednesday's incident, but a spokeswoman said some corrections officers were working overtime due to vacancies.

Rescue workers swarmed the medium/maximum security prison near Pioneers Park in Lincoln on Wednesday after a group of inmates refused to leave an isolated yard on the prison grounds and return to their cells shortly after 6 p.m., said prison spokeswoman Tammy Kluver. One inmate hit a staffer and others followed, assaulting several corrections officers and caseworkers before being restrained.

Nine staff members were taken to the hospital, treated and released overnight.

On Thursday, Corrections Director Scott Frakes said the incident "cannot be attributed to crowding or staffing levels."

"Inmates made the choice to harm staff," he said in a statement.

But key state lawmakers said violence at Nebraska's prisons appears to be getting worse.

"My overall concern is that it's escalating," said Sen. Les Seiler of Hastings, who heads the Legislature's Judiciary Committee along with a special committee investigating problems within the state Corrections Department.

Members of the special committee will quiz Frakes about staffing issues Wednesday during a public hearing.

About a dozen inmates involved in the incident had been identified by early Thursday, Kluver said. They were placed in a segregated area, and the prison was locked down.

Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol were reviewing video footage of the incident and working to determine if other inmates were involved, Kluver said. She confirmed they were looking into whether an inmate triggered the incident because he was upset about being transferred to another prison.

No injuries to inmates were reported.

Over the weekend, an inmate wrapped his arms around a staffer's neck at Lincoln Correctional Center, causing injury. The previous weekend, staff there used pepper spray to subdue an inmate after he began punching a caseworker in the head.

And earlier this month, an inmate at the Nebraska State Penitentiary punched a corrections officer in the face and then hit two other officers who intervened. That incident, on Aug. 9, came a week after a tower guard at the penitentiary fired a warning shot to disperse inmates who had converged on staff and refused to leave the yard.

Lincoln Correctional Center is designed to hold 308 adult male inmates, but on Wednesday night it had 506 in custody.

The Corrections Department's latest update in June listed 252 unfilled positions across the prison system.

Fred Britten, who replaced former Warden Mario Peart at Lincoln Correctional Center after two convicted sex offenders escaped from the prison in June, complimented staff on their handling of Wednesday's incident and called violence against them "unacceptable."

Frakes said the Corrections Department is doing everything it can to prevent assaults on staff.

"We are thankful the staff members were released from the hospital and able to go home last night," he said.
Burma Massive Highway Project Displaces Karen Communities: Rights Groups

Border Guard Force groups monitor a section of the Asian Highway in July 2015. / Kyaw Kha / The Irrawaddy) / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  A major highway project that will serve as a trade link between Burma and Thailand has been displacing local communities who live along the route in Karen State, southeastern Burma, say human rights organizations.

The Asian Highway project also connects the greater Mekong sub-regions east-west economic corridor, and is leading to increased militarization and the risk of armed conflict, said three ethnic Karen organizations that conducted a study in the region.

In press conference on Friday in Rangoon, Saw Alex Htoo, deputy director of the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), said that the areas in Karen State most affected by the project are villages in Kawkareik and Thinganyinaung regions.

Rushing business projects and investments in conflict-torn areas that are partially controlled by several different militias leads to human rights abuses. When they [militias] fight to gain control in certain places, villagers have to flee. We are concerned about safety for civilians, said Saw Alex Htoo.

According to a statement published on Friday, more than 1,000 local villagers were forced to flee their homes because of armed conflict in the area in July of last year. Sporadic clashes between ethnic Karen armed groups and Burma Army-backed militias were also reported, contributing to instability in the region.

Local villagers who live along the highway route are subject to the whims of the Ministry of Construction, and have been displaced and coerced into accepting unfair compensation for the loss of their lands, said the statement.

Naw Eh Thaw of Karen Human Rights Group (KHRG) said at the press conference that many of the 1,000 displaced villagers who fled in July 2015 still could not return home due to the risk of landmines and continued instability.

Villagers, including children, are the most vulnerable people when fighting breaks out. They have to flee to the jungle. There are landmines, too. We learned that they [militias] planted more landmines. So I want to raise questions for the safety of civilians, said Naw Eh Thaw.

Groups who partially control sections of the Asian Highway in Karen State include the Burma Army, the Border Guard Force (BGF) and ethnic armed organizations such as the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), Karen National Union (KNU), and another smaller Karen breakaway group known as KNU/KNLA Peace Council. Groups often collect taxes and toll fees in their controlled territories.

Mann Thein Zaw of THWEE Community Development Network said, We villagers have been suffering from conflict as we live in areas controlled by many different militias. So we want stakeholders to ensure that they will address the suffering of local people.

Rights groups said that the Asian Highway project linking Kawkareik and Thinganyinaung has been completed and a new road connecting Kawkareik and Eindu region will now be expanded. The Asian Highway projects are financed by the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and Thailands Neighboring Countries Economic Development Cooperation Agency (NEDA).

The rights groups also said that the ADB and NEDA disregard international safeguard standards, causing highly destructive environmental and social impacts.

They called on the ADB and the Burmese government to properly consult with local communities and address their grievances before starting the expansion project from Kawkareik to Eindu.

In its report, titled Beautiful Word, Ugly Actions: The Asian Highway in Karen State, the rights groups reveal how various development actors and financiers contribute to massive infrastructure plans that lead to human rights violations such as forced displacement, and little or no compensation to affected communities.

It is highly irresponsible for the ADB to finance and endorse a development project in an area where land rights are not clearly defined, and where armed clashes are liable to break out at any time, according to the statement.

They also called on the Burmese government, its Ministry of Construction, and the ADB to halt the dispossession of peoples lands and suspend construction activities in an active conflict zone.
Burma Mon Groups Pledge to Block Coal Power Plant

Ethnic Mon leaders are pictured on stage at the three-day Mon National Conference in Taung Pauk, Karen State / Ah Hr / Facebook

One of the resolutions which came out of the three-day Mon National Conference has been to stand against the use of a coal power plant by a cement company in Mon States Kyaikmayaw Township.

Mawlamyine Cement Limited (MCL) has moved forward with plans to power a cement factory with coal, despite objections from local ethnic Mon in the area concerned with pollution and the degradation of water sources.

Held in the Taung Pauk area of Karen State, 446 representatives from civil society, political parties, and the New Mon State Party (NMSP) attended the eighth Mon National Conference from Aug. 22-24. The main issue of discussion was that of federalism, in preparation for the Union Peace Conference beginning on Aug. 31, which the NMSP is slated to attend.

We intended to form one voice from this three-day meeting. This will show how we have unity, and our ideas will support upcoming 21st Century Panglong conference, which intends to build a federal system in the country, said Nai Win Hla, an executive member of the NMSP, on the groups preparation for the peace conference.

Yet the issue of the coal plant also took precedence at the event, as representatives promised to collectively oppose the action by MCL. Rights activists expressed concern about the effect of coal power on the local community, and said that MCL should find another way to power their cement factory.

We will not stop their job, or their transport of cement, said Nai Win Hla. We will block their transportation of coal. We know how they transport their coalthey use ships.

The MCL factory is a subsidiary of the Siam Cement Group, based in Thailand, and is expected to produce 1.8 million tonnes of cement annually. It is located near the Zami River, which serves as a source of water for at least five villages nearby.
Business Bagan Tourist Interest Bumps After Quake

Foreign tourist navigate the debris at Bagan, a day after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake hit central Burma. (Photos: JPaing / The Irrawaddy) / JPaing / The Irrawaddy

RANGOON  Damage to almost 200 historic pagodas and temples in Bagan, after a 6.8 magnitude earthquake struck central Burma on Wednesday evening, has not dampened tourist interest in the ruins of the ancient Burmese capital.

Quite the opposite: Burmese tour operators say inquiries about Bagan tours have shot up since the earthquake, and fears of mass cancellations have not materialized, despite government orders to restrict entry to some of Bagans most iconic sites, due to damage.

The earthquake struck at 5:04 p.m. on Wednesday, 25 kilometers west of Chauk in Magwe Division, at a depth of 84 kilometers. It was felt across Burma, and in neighboring countries. The Bagan Archaeological Department has cited damage to 187 pagodas and temples, including iconic favorites Sulamani, Ananda, Htilominlo, Myazedi, Shwesandaw, Lawkananda and Dhamma Yazaka, and the murals at Ananda Oakkyaung.

After the earthquake, we were worried about the old temples in Bagan, and concerned about the impact on tourismbut, amazingly, weve received many inquiries from tourists about Bagan tours, said Aung Myat Kyaw, vice chairman of the Myanmar Tourism Federation.

We can promote voluntary tourism in Bagan later, since many tourists are interested in visiting damaged areas, he said.

The temples of Bagan, dating from between the 9th and 13th centurieswhen the Kingdom of Pagan ruled over much of lowland Burmaand numbering several thousand, are considered Burmas biggest tourist draw. Some 80 percent of foreign tourists in Burma visit Bagan, industry observers have said.

Daw Sabei Aung, managing director of the Nature Dreams tour company, said they had received many inquiries from tour-seekers who had learned of the damaged temples.

I dont worry for the tourism industry after the earthquake. Bagan is even more popular right now, and there have been no cancellations of bookings from clients, she said.

She said that tour agencies could arrange alternate tour plans for Bagan, to account for the restricted access to some of Bagans most famous temples.

We wont get inside the compounds of the damaged temples, but we have opportunities for photo stops outside, alongside other sightseeing approaches, she said.

On Thursday, State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi sent notice to officials in the Bagan archaeological zone not to rush the restoration of the damaged pagodas, and to seek technical assistance from Unesco. A team from Unesco is currently doing a damage survey, and has expressed concern over premature efforts to clear debris.

A state run newspaper on Friday quoted Culture and Religious Affairs Minister U Aung Ko saying that restoring Bagans most iconic temples was the governments top priority.

It is a great source of merit to have the chance to repair and renovate Burmas cultural heritage damaged by the earthquake, the minister said.

Figures from the Ministry of Hotels and Tourism put tourist arrivals in Burma at 4.68 million in 2015, with 5.5 million expected over 2016. However, these figures count all international arrivals as tourists, and count day-crossings of land borders without overnight stays as arrivals, in contravention of international norms.
Ethnic Issues Peace and Reconciliation Call For New Ways of Looking Back

Children attend class at a school in Rangoon. Whose history are they learning? / JPaing / The Irrawaddy

Burma has moved one step in the right direction, towards federalism. This has been the result of mutual commitment by the government and ethnic armed groups, as part of the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement signed in October last year. The form of federalism to be adopted, and the processes of establishing it, presents a likely agenda for political dialogue between the government, the military, ethnic armed groups and political parties, which is a crucial part of the peace and national reconciliation process.

But where does history fit into this process?

The question is important for two reasons. The first relates to the possibility that political dialogue could address the countrys seventy-year-old armed conflict. This conflict resulted from the countrys colonial and postcolonial histories. Against this legacy, certain historical narrativescoded by postcolonial winnershave institutionalized the erasure of ethnic minorities autonomous histories, so as to legitimate the subordination, exclusion and oppression of minorities call for federalism and equality.

Secondly, at this important moment, when there is a rare political opening to address the conflict through dialogue among multiple actors, Rangoon Universitys undergraduate history program attracted no new students for the 2016-2017 academic year.

While Rangoon University is not the only university that hosts a history department, it is the largest university in the country and its history department has monopolized historical knowledge production for half a century. That the history department has received no new students reflects a perception, not about history itself, but about historians and history educationand their significance as agents of change.

This triggered the Rangoon-based Myanmar Cultural Research Society to organize an event on Aug. 20, involving various academic historians from Rangoon University, writers and students. Participants highlighted various practices under past regimes that undermined history educations reputation.

One major outcome of half a century of government intervention in history writing was a negative reputation for the History Departments own history, for serving regimes with state-friendly historical narratives. While many academics were unhappy, the politicized history departmentwith sometimes state-friendly department headscould not resist state seduction, perpetuating nationalistic historical narratives written from the dominant, central, urban and Burman points of view.

Homogenized and ethno-centric historical narratives, institutionalized at the university echelon of historical knowledge production, have paved the way for popular history writing that further eliminates minorities own autonomous and dignified histories, as well as national historyor historieslooked at from non-dominant points of view.

A topic of discussion at the Myanmar Cultural Research Society event was the reliability of existing (popular) historical knowledge. While historians highlighted that history is a matter of debate and of certain points of view, they also suggested that the content of history be addressed so as to fix known errors that have so far been politically untouchable. They also suggested changes in the methodologies used in both teaching and inquiry.

These suggestions should be supported, both domestically and internationally, and by the government and public alike. For, addressing the countrys armed conflict and realizing reconciliation require resetting the way the military and the people understand historymost importantly regarding the relationship between territory and people.

As a human geographer, I see history in terms of geographic processes, and the historical struggle over power as a struggle over territory. For power is exercised within specific territories. The power to govern people within specific territories requires that territorial boundaries be constantly redefined, as well as the relationship between people and territories.

The federalism, self-determination and autonomy that minority groups have been fighting for (however lacking in agreement over meaning and substance), and the sovereignty and unity that the military has been propounding, are narratives of struggle over territory.

On the one hand, the military claims all territories within postcolonial state boundaries as national territories that should be under the central governments complete control, if the nation is to exercise its national sovereignty, however bogus the concept may be. On the other hand, minority groups see the lands known today as ethnic states as ancestral lands, over which they lost autonomy to colonizing Burmese regimes.

Regardless of the on-and-off independence of these ethnic territories prior to British invasion, and regardless of, for example, the existence of powerful Mon and Arakanese kingdoms that waxed and waned through time, the dominant historical narratives of Burma deny their autonomous histories.

The official national history of Burma starts with a First Burma established by King Anawratha, proceeding to Second Burma and then Third Burma, as if these were the only historical kingdoms of Burma and were continuously extensive and powerful up till the British invasion. The histories of others are subsumed into that of generalized subordinates and rebels who betrayed the rational and mighty Burmese kings, only to be crushed brutally to maintain peace.

The problem does not end there. Minorities ownership of ancestral land, however one defines it, goes unrecognized as well. A good example is the national anthem, which states, We love the land because it is the heritage of our forefathers. The question is, who is we, and whose land and forefathers are being referred to?

Because the national anthem sees the nation from the majority perspective, it leads those considered the dominant group to assume they own all pieces of the imagined national territory. To them, the land from the northern top to the southern tip is unconditionally theirs and not minorities distinctive ancestral land. In this sense, the national anthem is an ecstasy of deception for minorities, requiring creative historical inquiry.

In short, a combination of dominant historical narratives and the national anthem effectively deny autonomous histories and the ancestral land rights of minority groups. Because of this, when minority groups call for self-determination in certain territories in the context of debates over federalism, those from the dominate position cannot understand why these minorities should want our forefathers land to themselves.

But how is this discussion relevant to the peace process and national reconciliation?

It is relevant because a big chunk of the peace and national reconciliation process is about federalism, with varying forms and degrees of self-determination, which cannot be detached from the question of struggle over territories. This requires creative historical investigation into the geographic imagining of nation, territory and politics.

Current national historical narratives do not work. Known errors only make the problem worse by subordinating minority peoples, discrediting their claims to ancestral land rights, and denying their histories of relative autonomy from the dominant group.

Apart from the conceptual dimension, practical problems arise from not investing in new approaches to historical research, narratives and teaching. That is, when dominant and minority groups engage in dialogue about federalism, peace and reconciliation, the lenses through which the past is viewed will not be the same.

Supposed national heroes, such as King Anawratha, are not minority peoples heroesnor even the late Gen Aung San. Neither is Bagan a proud historical reference point for minorities. Rather, the First Burma (Bagan), Second Burma (Taungoo) and Third Burma (Konbaung) are understood to have destroyed minority peoples kingdoms. Forcing minorities to express pride in these figures and kingdoms only adds salt to unhealed wounds.

But when past regimes uttered such historical narratives, minorities saw it in terms of a drive to deny them equal rights and control their lands, in the name of perpetuating national sovereignty. It was understood as business-as-usual from the junta.

However, in the new political context of the peace process, where the possibility of national reconciliation is contingent on trust developing between dominant and minority groups, the reiteration of national narratives by civilians from dominant groups only causes minorities to identify their attitude with that of the junta.

The problematic reality is that civilians, even those from the establishment, might be uttering these narratives innocently, with an intention to mutually establish a peaceful federal union. Nonetheless, national history, as the only available tool for imagining the past, traps them in false convictions, causing at best embarrassment with minority groups.

To sum up, national reconciliation requires recognizing the diverse pasts of minority groupsautonomous histories that are as dignified as that of the dominant group. Regardless of bloody histories, in which groups mutually violated each other, seeing each others histories through more dignified, diversity-friendly and humanistic lenses is called for. As the current national narrative does not allow for this, new historical approaches are urgently needed.

This is where academic historians can, and should, play an important part in seeking new methodologies for critical research, teaching and the dissemination of historical knowledge to decision makers and the public. This is how those who study the past can contribute to todays work on peace and reconciliation.

There is a saying that one should shoulder a sword while talking about history (and religion) because debating history only ends up in conflict; some want to avoid historical questions in order to escape complicated debates. But any attempt to fix historically contingent problems by ignoring history, and most importantly the way those problems are narrated, would be a waste of time.

Dr. Sai Latt received his Ph.D. in Human Geography from Simon Fraser University in Canada. He is a Research Associate at the York Center for Asian Research at York University in Toronto. His research covers violence, securitization and displacement.
Burma On the Border in Mae Sot

Once a haven for political dissidents, Mae Sot continues to host large numbers of Burmese migrant workers, visitors and merchants. / JPaing / The Irrawaddy

The Thai border town of Mae Sot has been a haven for Burmas political dissidents and exiles for over two decades. Since Burma began undergoing a democratic transition in 2010, an increasing number of individuals politically exiled to Mae Sot have cautiously returned to their motherland. The towns Burmese community continues to host visitors, merchants, and, largely, migrant workersof whom there are an estimated 3 million from Burma in Thailand, seeking work and educational opportunities that remain difficult to come by particularly in rural parts of their homeland. Although they are not recognized as refugees, of this population, an untold number have also been displaced by Burmas ongoing conflict.

Meanwhile, the Thai government is taking measures to set up a special economic zone in Mae Sotdubbed the western exit economic hub of Thailand. So far, a highway is under construction between Takthe capital of Tak Districtand Mae Sot. Another highway linking Myawaddy and Kawkareik in Burmas Karen State has already been constructed. Plans are also underway to build a second friendship bridge connecting the two countries.
Hello! My name is Andy Jones-Wilkins and I have UTMB envy and, sadly, I am not too proud to admit it. Each year at this time my heart aches for Chamonix and the incredible spectacle of the Ultra-Tour de Mont-Blanc. And this year, for some reason, the longing seems especially acute.

A few years back I was able to quell my anxiety and talk myself out of this envy when the race was altered due to bad weather and various issues conspired to make it seem like it was not such a great thing. But, alas, those were only cheap attempts at avoiding the reality of the situation, I really, really want to run this race and I am immensely jealous of those lucky souls who get to.

The rise of social media, of course, hasnt helped the cause as each year the stories and images coming out of France every August are nothing short of incredible. There just seems to be something truly magical about this event and, quite frankly, I feel more and more left out. I am like that one kid in the class who didnt get invited to the best party of the year.

Of course, its not like I dont enjoy my fair share of ultrarunning debauchery. After all, every year I attend Western States and Hardrock and get to savor the gluttony that accompanies these events. And, over the years, I have found myself in the midst of some of the greatest ultra experiences a guy can have. So, what the heck am I complaining about?

And then, of course, the obvious question: If you want to run UTMB so much, why not just go there?

Well, I guess its just an example of wanting what you cant have. You see, given my line of work, late August is just an impossible time for me to travel to Europe. As a career school person, this time of year is filled with meetings, planning, events, and beginnings. In truth, until I retire (or somehow figure out a way to finagle a sabbatical) going to UTMB just cant happen. As such, I am left to wallow here on the home front while the rest of the ultra world revels in one of ultrarunnings greatest spectacles.

So, to all of you over there in France this week, run a few miles for me and savor the opportunity to enjoy one of the worlds most amazing places. If youre running the race, endeavor to leave it all out there. If youre there as a crew or a spectator, enjoy the ride. And know, that back here stateside, one of ultrarunnings biggest fans, is sitting on his phone enviously wishing he was there.

Bottoms up!

AJWs Beer of the Week

One of the most successful American men at UTMB over the years has been Montanas Mike Foote. As such, it is only fitting that this weeks Beer of the Week comes from Footys home state. Kettle House Brewing Company in Missoula, Montant makes an outstanding Scotch Ale called Cold Smoke. While more fitting for a cold winters day, Cold Smoke is a great accompaniment to any runners post run arsenal of recovery beverages.

Call for Comments (from Bryon)
2016 Telecommunications Trends: More Choices, Less Lock-In

Comcast has been using the open source OpenStack cloud platform for four years. Light Readings Mari Silbey compiled some stats of its use:

Comcast has used to the platform to traffic 1 petabyte of data across 34 national data centers and has experienced a 400 percent year-over-year growth in demand for its Elastic Cloud service. Comcast has also contributed 73,000 lines of code to the project and runs it on 1 million virtual CPU cores.

OpenStack, like software-defined networks (SDNs), aims to create more programmable and flexible networks. Comcast uses it for its X1 video service, its residential email platform and to move network telemetry, Silbey wrote.

CenturyLink, Education Networks Suing Idaho

CenturyLink Communications LLC and Education Networks of America are suing Idaho for $37 million for non-payment of work they claimed was done on a failed $60 million statewide broadband project. The project, which launched in 2008, was an attempt to link all the schools across the state.

The filings seem to be countersuits. They were filed, according to the Associated Press story in the Salt Lake Tribune, after the states attorney general sent letters to the two companies asking for a return of monies already paid.

Both companies say that they were not at fault for the contract being voided and want payment for their work. Taxpayers have spent $29 million on the project; the state wanted to settle outstanding claims for $8 million.

Microwave Market Features Four Leaders, Three Challengers

Microwave equipment is an old standby for the telecommunications industry. Other techniques have been adopted to perform the same task, but microwave remains a mainstay of the telecom providers arsenal.

IHS Markit released research describing the state of the market. Commentary points to mobile backhaul connectivity for mobile operations as a key driver. Ericsson, Huawei, NEC and Nokia are among the top seven producers for microwave equipment. Aviat Networks, Ceragon and SIAE were identified as challengers.

The strengths of the various players vary, according to IHS Markit:

Among the leaders, Ericsson ranked first in market presence and fourth in market momentum; Huawei placed first in momentum and third in presence; NEC ranked second in both presence and momentum; and Nokia was fourth in presence and fifth in momentum.

Keeping Data Safe

The most important thing a company owns is its data. Having it stolen is the biggest fear in the age of mobility in general, and Bring Your Own Device (BYOD) in particular.

Organizations can take steps, however, to mitigate this threat and limit possible damage. A study by Biscom found that 25 percent of employees leaving their jobs take some data with them.

Francis suggests that clear corporate policies on data and information handling be set, rules be put into employee agreements, the issue be a part of employee training, and the company develop a good understanding of how to deal with attacks. He also counsels organizations to encourage employees to report suspicious activities, train workers on best practices, limit access to sensitive data to those who need it, and create and practice response plans.

Google Fiber at Odds with Comcast, AT&T in Nashville

Some acrimonious back and forth is going on in Nashville. FierceTelecom reports on a claim by AT&T that Google Fiber often provides it with incorrect information about where it wants its lines attached. AT&T claims that this could lead to damage of its facilities.

The fight is over how lines are moved and ultimately positioned on shared poles as Google Fiber builds out its infrastructure. Under existing make-ready rules, Google Fiber is required to advise Nashville Electric Services (NES) of the need to move cables on poles and where they should be set. NES then contacts AT&T and Comcast, who do the work, the story says.

The president of AT&T Tennessee told the site that Google Fiber is providing them with incorrect information. It is unclear from the story whether the misinformation is technical or rooted in the competitive relationship between Google Fiber and the two other companies.

The situation may change, however. An ordinance under consideration would empower Google Fiber to do the pole work itself.

Carl Weinschenk covers telecom for IT Business Edge. He writes about wireless technology, disaster recovery/business continuity, cellular services, the Internet of Things, machine-to-machine communications and other emerging technologies and platforms. He also covers net neutrality and related regulatory issues. Weinschenk has written about the phone companies, cable operators and related companies for decades and is senior editor of Broadband Technology Report. He can be reached at [email protected] and via twitter at @DailyMusicBrk.

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It is very evident that the new and upcoming iPhone of Apple is not going to be as popular as it was with the other previous models. This is primarily due to the iPhone 7's lack of drastic changes and revolutionary new features.

However, Apple is not entirely doomed, as in 2017, it will release to the public the iPhone 8 which will surely be a big hit thanks to the jaw-dropping improvements and upgrades that it will feature for the first time. Nikkei reports that Apple will release three different iPhone model variants by the autumn of 2017, most probably after the next generation iPhone SE release.

It is most likely that the iPhone 8 and iPhone 8 Plus will follow its signature feature of having a 4.7 inch and a 5.5-inch screen respectively. However, the third model will be a Pro one - the iPhone 8s Pro, will be like Samsung's S7 Edge and Note 7 that have a curve edged screen.

iPhone 8 Specs

Credit Suisse analysts forecast that the release of the iPhone 8 will be a momentous one as it will mark the 10 year anniversary of the iPhone in 2017. It will also feature radical new designs such as an OLED touch screen, new features on its haptic feedback system, wireless charging and a host of other major design and software improvements that will include the processor and its camera.

It makes perfect sense that Apple will risk it all up for this year's iPhone 7, to pave the way for the greater glory of 2018's grandeur entrance of the iPhone 8. Apple is known for revolutionizing the tech industry. Will they still live up to this reputation? Only time will tell (and of course the sales), if the iPhone 8 will be an instant hit.
China is currently taking on one of the most ambitious projects that its nation has ever done before, and that is developing a new Martian rover. It is currently one of the latest milestones of the country's space program.

China is aiming to send people back to Mars, but it is not that much about competing for head to head with NASA. Their main objective is to prove that aliens do exist on Mars.

Chinese Efforts To Find Alien Life In Mars By 2020

One of the main driving force of Chinese culture is their undying perseverance. The China National Space Administration is on a quest to prove this inherent Chinese nature of "perseverance" with this current space program.

Official reports even claim that the country will send the Martian rover to the red planet by 2020. Despite the lack of technology to travel at light speed or through laser beaming technology, its mission is not just to collect rocks, but to prove that aliens are living in Mark.

The Chinese nation wanted to echo through the sands of time and be known as the first to make contact with aliens.

China Enters The New Space Race

The United States, Russia, and China are three of the best nations that have space programs globally. Their race to space in previous years was proven to be more on the idea of "bragging rights".

In a positive note, the world has now evolved in this latest decade and that bragging rights are now considered as an obsolete ideology. Most people don't believe that aliens do exist, but China is very eager and confident to find it by themselves in their Mars mission in 2020.

In years past, NASA was the favorite when it comes to reaching Mars. But now, the odds have changed, and China is clearly becoming the better bet.

Chinese Space Mission To The Moon

Mars is not the only destination that China wanted to go to. The confident space program of China also wanted to go the moon and also prove that alien life is there or perhaps, have been there.
IFA 2016 is the biggest consumer electronics trade show for the latest gadgets and gizmos in the world, and It's no surprise that the best upcoming smart watches will launch at the famed event.

IFA has been known to be the platform for major product launches ever year, this year the biggest tech companies and brands were invited to showcase their latest innovations and flagships in the heart of Europe. Samsung, Sony, Apple, LG and many other sought after brands will be there in the largest consumer electronics tradeshow in Berlin.

2016 is continuing the trend of smart watches, and we managed to put together a list of the top 5 upcoming smart watches that are rumored to launch at IFA 2016 in Berlin.

Samsung Gear S3

The Note 7 has already been launched, but that doesn't mean Samsung won't be attending the largest electronics trade show in the world. The tech giant is attending, and they aren't coming empty handed. In fact, Forbes reports that Samsung will be launching the Gear S2 smartwatch successor.

Samsung Gear S3 is rumored to make its debut at IFA, and based on leaked images - the Gear S3 smartwatch shows a fluted bezel and a metal bracelet. This upcoming smart watch will be running on a Tizen operating system. Although nothing has been confirmed, the launch is likely to happen.

Asus ZenWatch 3

One of the upcoming smart watches in 2016 is the Asus ZenWatch3, and a filing from the FCC confirmed its existence. Although the listing did not reveal the specs, there have been rumors circulating in the tech world that the ZenWatch 3 will move away from the regular square design of the android wear watches.

Sources also suggest that the ZenWatch will be equipped with Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g/n (2.4GHz) and a stainless steel back along with a 5V 2A (10 watt) charger in the box.

Gucci And Will.I.Am Smartband

Whatever Gucci is doing today - they sure are not just trying to rock the fashion world, but it seems they are already penetrating the tech world as well. As Gucci announced their collaboration with will.i.am at Baselworld 2015, their team up was able produce the first ever fashion smartband.

The fashionable smartband will be equipped with a heart rate monitor, front facing camera, temperature sensor and it will also be able to make incoming and outgoing calls, texts, as well as emails. While no pricing information has been provided yet, you may know more on its launching at IFA.

Sony Wena

It is confirmed that Sony will not be missing the world's largest consumer trade show in Berlin. While the Sony Wena smartwatch went on sale in Japan in March 2016, it will still make an appearnace at IFA 2016 to reintroduce its features. The upcoming smartwatch is a lot different from all the wearables we've seen, it may look like a traditional analogue watch but it has a metal bracelet integrated with smart features.

The Sony Wena is able to deliver customizable notifications and monitor activity through a range of sensors. Although these specs aren't confirmed yet, more information will be released at IFA.

Apple Watch 2

Last but not the least, the Apple Watch 2 made it to our list of the best upcoming smart watches in 2016. Unlike its previous version, the Apple Watch 2 is rumored to have improved wireless capabilities, a built-in GPS, better water resistance and possibly a front facing video camera. While it will still maintain the same look and design as the original, everything else is new from materials to its features.

The Apple Watch 2 was supposed to make an appearance at an event last March 2016, but there were no signs of the Apple Watch successor. It looks like it is more likely to show up and launch at IFA this year.
Nokia is expected to have a major comeback to the smartphone industry in the last part of 2016. Nokia partnered with HMD Global, a manufacturer based in Finland, in hopes of producing a series of Nokia smartphones and tablets until the next decade.

After those incidents, leaks surfaced out of the internet and easily became the trend of gossips and rumors. Today, the two Nokia smartphones have been publicly presented in Geekbench, which shows the specs that are doubted by some.

Specs Of The New Nokia Android Phone

The Nokia phone which features an Android OS is named as the Nokia 5320 on Geekbench. It features a quad-core processor and a hefty 2GB of RAM.

It is a turnoff to know that it runs on a very outdated Android 4.4.4 KitKat OS. The other phone is called as the Nokia RM-1490 and have a 500MHz AMD A8-5545M processor running in also a decent 2GB of RAM.

This will be enough to help in running standard apps as well as office apps. However, gaming is not that much of a good thing for these phones.

An Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean operating system is the one responsible for running this phone. Also, a 5.2-inch and 5.5-inch displays having a 2K resolution are most likely to happen with the two upcoming Nokia Android phones.

Features Of The New Nokia Android Phone

The speculated Nokia smartphones are also said to run on a Snapdragon 820 chipset, along with the Z-Launcher System UI that takes inspiration from the latest Android OS, the Android 7.0 Nougat. This surely helps in giving justice to the other low-end specs that the Nokia 5320 will have.

Nokia has proven to have not entirely faded in the limelight, as it now builds its former glory and pursues a greater plan by teaming up with Android once and for all, and leaving up its pride.
Despite brand criticisms, the iPhone 6s has proven itself worthy of its price and fame.

The Galaxy Note 7 on the other hand, although quite a strong contender to most flagships, seems like a weak rival when it comes to speed tests.

GSMarena reports that the iPhone 6S won over Galaxy Note 7 on a recently conducted speed test. Note 7 didn't even put up a fight.

Apple iPhone 6S vs Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Speed Test

In the recently conducted test, app after app was opened on both devices. Then, the apps were allowed to load before they were closed to proceed to the next one.

The test aims to determine how much time the phones take in loading the app. It also aims to determine how well the phones do in retaining the apps after a bunch has been loaded.

During the first apps, both phones remain fast and smooth. But as the test carries on, the Note 7 lagged continuously while the iPhone 6S still gets the job done without any delay.

Disappointingly for Android fans, the Galaxy Note 7 wasn't able to beat the iPhone 6S in the speed test. In fact, it took the 6S less time to open and close all the apps twice than for the Note 7 to finish the same set of apps once.

iPhone 6S vs Galaxy Note 7 Specs



It's quite a shocker that the old iPhone model beats the new Note 7 at a simple speed test. Specs-wise, the Galaxy model is pretty much ahead of the iPhone 6S in most angles.

6S uses a dual core 1.84 GHz Twister processor while the Note 7 uses octa core 4x2.3 GHz Mongoose & 4x1.6 GHz Cortex-A53. 6S comes with 2 GB RAM while the Note 7 comes with 4 GB RAM

Final Verdict

The Galaxy Note 7, as powerful as it is, cannot beat the iPhone 6 speed-wise. Being the representation of the current 'best' Android, it's a bit disappointing that the phone cannot meet expectations. Using GSMarena's words, if a powerful phone such as the Galaxy Note 7 cannot run the apps well enough, then no other Android phone can.
The 2016 IFA, which will be held in Berlin, is scheduled to take place in just a few short weeks. Plenty of tech manufacturers are expected to arrive in order to showcase and launch new products. In particular scrutiny now is the Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10, which might just give the iPad Air a run for its money.

Another Android Tablet?

As Slash Gear points out, there are plenty of tech companies that have retracted their efforts to break into the Android tablet market. However, Lenovo has not given up, as illustrated by the impressive Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10.

Specs Review

The Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 is not expected to be a premium tablet. In fact, it falls in the higher mid-range spectrum, although it will have some high-end specs thrown in as well.

A Qualcomm Snapdragon 650 processor is expected to power the device, which will run on 3GB of RAM. While some smartphones boast more powerful specifications, the Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 does have a QHD screen that has a 2560 x 1600 pixel density. It also houses a powerful 9300mAh battery. Because the device is relatively small, the battery will reportedly last for 18 hours.

The device will have 32GB of internal memory, a 13 megapixel rear camera and a 5 megapixel front camera. It will also sport a USB Type C port and will come preinstalled with Android 6.0 Marshmallow.

Design Review

According to Android Headlines, the Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 will measure just 4.7mm at its thinnest point and will sport a 10 inch screen. The device will weigh just 683 grams

Price Range

The Lenovo Yoga Tab 3 Plus 10 is expected to be priced at around US$390 to US$450, depending on whether the user simply wants a unit that connect to Wi-Fi, or have its own LTE connectivity.
Rumors have recently been going on that stars Dwayne Johnson and Vin Diesel are not in good terms while shooting on set.

Dwayne Johnson AKA the Rock from WWE fame and Vin Diesel's name has been dragged in the headlines in recent weeks. It was reported that the two burly movie stars had some sort of professional falling out. But this real life animosity between the "Fast 8" co-stars may turn out to not be real at all.

The feud started when Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson posted some cryptic messages on his Instagram page which labels one of his male "Fast 8" co-stars in a really unflattering light. Calling the then mystery man with rather some vulgar and insulting words. The following days a lot of rumors surfaced that the recipient of those insults is none other than Vin Diesel.

Since The Rock is a known stand up guy in the movie industry some people have speculated that this could be just a promotion to WWE's Wrestlemania that will take place in Orlando on April 7, 2017, which is suspiciously a date very near to the release of Fast 8.

According to Life Style Magazine, an insider told them that although Johnson and Vin Diesel really had a misunderstanding on the set of the movie, the feud was overblown to create a media stunt to form a match between the two for Wrestlemania 33 to promote the Fast 8 movie.

"They are playing a huge prank, and it's all for publicity," the insider revealed. The insider further details that it was Johnson himself who convinced Vin to intensify their beef so that they can help further promote the film.



If this is all true, then Vin Diesel was just smelling what The Rock is cooking. And it is beginning to smell like a wonderful Wrestlemania in 2017.
On Thursday, August 25, Apple published a new patent application that suggests the high-tech company will incorporate anti-theft technology in its future iPhones.

Future iPhones Will Collect Thief's Biometric Data

According to Apple's new patent application, the company is interested to implement in its future iPhones an anti-theft measure that will capture covertly both a fingerprint and a photo of a phone thief. Some version of the technology presented in the patent application might go into future iPads and iPhones.

The Verge reports that Apple's patent application imagines a system that will capture biometric data of the person holding the iPhone when a "trigger condition" is present. Among the trigger conditions could be the detection of an unauthorized user attempting to bypass the iPhone's security features or an unauthorized access coming from a third-party device.

This biometric information may include one or more images of the current iPhone user, one or more fingerprints, audio of the environment, video of the current user, forensic interface use information and more, according to details provided by the patent abstract. According to Apple Insider, the unauthorized user's data could be sent to a remote server for further analysis or stored locally on the device. The stored biometric information may used then for identification of the unauthorized user.

Legal Issues Involved In Capturing Biometric Data

There are some technical and legal issues challenging Apple's idea. Capturing a phone thief's biometric data like fingerprints and photos raises some privacy and legal red flags. Even if it is a feature designed for consumers protection, covertly capturing and storing biometric information could tarnish Apple's reputation with regards to user privacy.

Apple used to brag about its decision to not store any unencrypted information. Apple CEO Tim Cook has routinely used the company's record on privacy to present in a favorable light Apple hardware and software. The company did not take any steps back on the user privacy issues even when confronted with FBI investigations. Such an anti-theft system might be unprecedented.

From a technical perspective, Apple's TouchID fingerprint-reading technology implemented in iPhones today requires that users hold down their finger in a variety of angles and numerous times to accurately capture the print. If the company plans to introduce such an anti-theft system future versions of Apple's fingerprint scanners and Touch ID will need to be able to collect fingerprints in a more efficient manner.
There have been efforts in Congress to approve what's called a "startup visa," which would be given to entrepreneurs who commit to certain levels of investment and job growth. But as with other immigration bills, it's gotten nowhere.

In the absence of congressional action, President Barack Obama's administration Friday said it will create a startup visa-like program, and said it can do so without congressional approval.

Entrepreneurs who can deliver a startup plan backed by significant investment can be "paroled" -- an immigration term -- to live and work in the United States, said White House officials.

The U.S. believes as many as 3,000 people may take advantage of this program, called the International Entrepreneur Rule.

"While there is no substitute for legislation, the administration is taking administrative action, where possible and consistent with current law, to fix our broken immigration system," said Tom Kalil, deputy director for technology and innovation at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, in a press briefing today describing the proposal.

The Department of Homeland Security has authority to extend immigration parole -- a way to remain in the U.S. without a work visa or permanent residency -- on a case-by-case basis for either humanitarian reasons or for "significant public benefit."

The White House argues that foreign entrepreneurs offer significant public benefit, if they meet certain investment and job creation goals.

This parole status will be available for up to five years and can be revoked at any time by the DHS secretary. After that period, officials said the person would be able to move from parole status to permanent residency or to some other type of visa.

To get parole status, the entrepreneur will have to demonstrate "significant investment of capital" -- at least $345,000 from "certain qualified" U.S. investors with a track record of successful investments, or $100,000 from certain federal, state or local government entities.

The startup will also have to demonstrate compelling evidence of the startup entity's substantial potential for rapid growth and job creation.

The administration doesn't have a lot of time to act. Over the next few months it will publish the rules, open them up for a 45-day public comment period, and finalize the rule by the end of year, a timetable that brings it within weeks of Obama's last day in office.
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By Juan Cole | (Informed Comment) |  

Iraqi military forces have taken the strategic town of al-Qayarah near the major city of Mosul from Daesh (ISIS, ISIL). Mosul is the last major city in the hands of the apocalyptic, brutal cult as it has lost almost all the territory it took in 2014.

Al-Qayarah is 60 km from Mosul. Gen. Riyadh Jalal Tawfiq, commander of Iraqi land forces, told France24, we have established domination over the city from every side and have expeditiously cleared out pockets within it. He added, Military engineers are currently clearing the town of improvised explosive devices.

The counter-terrorism units of the Iraqi army led the charge as they began their assault on al-Qayyarah on Wednesday.

Prime Minister Haydar al-Abadi welcomed the victory, calling it an important step toward the liberation of Mosul. He looked forward to the day when Mosul would be rescued from the criminal gangs now terrorizing its population and would be returned to the bosom of the Iraqi nation.

The air above al-Qayarah turned black as Daesh saboteurs set fire to its oil wells.

Al-Quds al-Arabi reports that in the wake of the Iraqi militarys rapid advance into al-Qayarah and the beginning of the assault on Mosul itself, a source inside Mosul maintains that Daesh fighters took the unusual step of sending hundreds of their family members, as well as widows and orphans of those Daesh guerrillas killed at al-Qayyarah, out of the city with fake i.d.s. Most of these family members made it to al-Raqqa in eastern Syria over secret routes, or to Kirkuk, Salahudddin Province or even slipped in among the refugees headed for the Iraqi capital, Baghdad.

Aljazeera reports that as the Mosul campaign gears up there is increasing tension between the Kurdish Peshmerga and the Iraqi army.

One source of tension was a communique issued by the Kurdistan Regional Governments ministry of Peshmerga, which said that the Peshmerga would not obey orders from the Iraqi defense establishment.

PM al-Abadi ruffled feathers recently when he said that the Peshmerga would not be permitted to enter Mosul city.

Iraqi Kurdistan began with three Kurdish-majority provinces (Iraq had 18 provinces), but in summer of 2014, it unilaterally annexed the more mixed province of Kirkuk, subjecting its Arab and Turkmen populations. Kurdish nationalists have expressed a desire for Mosul, and it is controversial among Arab populations to have Kurdish fighters lead the charge.

Meanwhile, Rudaw is reporting that Usama al-Nujayfi, a prominent Mosul politician, is heading to Turkey for consultations at the end of this month. Sunni politicians are restive about their future place in Iraq once Daesh is rolled up as a territorial force.



Related video added by Juan Cole

EuroNews: Iraq forces retake key town south of Mosul
VANCOUVER, BRITISH COLUMBIA--(Marketwired - Aug. 26, 2016) -

NOT FOR DISTRIBUTION TO U.S. NEWS WIRE SERVICES OR FOR DISSEMINATION IN THE U.S.

NV Gold Corporation (TSX VENTURE:NVX) (the "Company") announced today that it is increasing its non-brokered private placement of units of the Company originally announced on August 11, 2016 due to over-subscriptions. The Company now proposes to raise gross proceeds of a maximum of CDN$550,000 and a minimum of CDN$350,000 (the "Placement"). The Placement is being undertaken to satisfy the terms of the Company's proposed obligation to raise CDN$350,000 under its proposed acquisition of the Nevada assets of Redstar Gold Corp. ("Redstar") originally announced on August 2, 2016.

The Placement is an offering of up to 2,750,000 units (the "Units") at CDN$0.20 per Unit. Each Unit consists of one Share and one-half of one Warrant exercisable at CDN$0.40 per share for two years from issue of the Units. The expiry date of each whole Warrant is subject to acceleration such that, should the volume weighted average price of the common shares of the Company exceed CDN$0.60 for ten consecutive trading days, the Company may notify the holder in writing that the Warrants will expire 20 trading days from receipt of such notice unless exercised by the holder before such date.

Closing of the Placement is conditional on a minimum of CDN$350,000 being raised in the offering, the closing of the acquisition of Redstar's Nevada assets as contemplated by the LOI described in the August 2, 2016 news release and acceptance of the TSX Venture Exchange. The proceeds of the Placement will be used by the Company for review of the AngloGold Ashanti database it proposes to acquire, for mining claims maintenance costs of the Nevada properties it proposes to acquire, preliminary exploration on certain of the Nevada properties it proposes to acquire, exploration at its Surselva property and for general working capital. John Watson, CEO of the Company has confirmed he will subscribe to a lead order of the Placement for up to CDN$100,000.

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 it proposes to acquire from Redstar, which contains a vast treasury of field knowledge spanning decades of research and exploration, combined with the eleven (11) gold projects it proposes to acquire from Redstar, to uncover opportunities for lease or joint venture in the Great Basin region that have been overlooked.

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 Redstar's Nevada assets and the terms of such acquisition, the proposed raising of up to CDN$500,000 and the proposed uses of such funds, the potential to uncover opportunities for lease or joint venture in the Great Basin region 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.
The Brazilian Senate began [press release, in Portuguese] the impeachment trial of President Dilma Rousseff on Thursday. The suspended president is scheduled to testify on Monday and has been reported [NPR report] to be increasingly isolated. Brazilian Vice President Michel Temer would become the countrys president through 2018 in the event that 54 senators vote to impeach Rousseff. The media, political insiders, and supporters of the embattled president predict [WP report] that she will be removed from office next week.

Brazils political establishment has been in turmoil as many powerful politicians have been brought to the center of embarrassing corruption investigation and trials. Earlier this month, the Senate of Brazil officially indicted [JURIST report] President Dilma Rousseff, marking the beginning of an impeachment trial against the embattled president. Also earlier this month, a Brazilian senate committee voted [JURIST report] 14-5 to continue impeachment proceedings against the suspended president who is charged with failing to comply with tax and budget laws on the issues of additional credit decrees. Last month, a Brazilian judge announced [JURIST report] that former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva will stand trial for obstruction of justice. In June, the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights reported [JURIST report] that Brazil must place more emphasis on remedying and preventing business-related human right violations.
The Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia- Peoples Army reached a peace agreement [text, in Spanish, PDF] on Wednesday. The agreement [press release, in Spanish] in Havana, Cuba ends an over 50 year conflict between the FARC rebels (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias de Colombia- Ejercito del Pueblo, FARC-EP) and the government. The conflict claimed [CNN report] over 220,000 people and displaced countless others. FARC rebels will have to hand over their weapons to United Nations (UN) monitors and issues regarding land reform, the drug trade, repatriation of victims families and bringing those suspected of human rights abuses to justice will be addressed. The Colombian people will have to decide on October 2, 2016, whether to vote [NPR report] for or against the agreement.

The peace agreement ends more than half a decade of conflict in the South American country. In June, the Colombian government and FARC signed [JURIST report] a ceasefire as the revolutionary forces transition to a peaceful political party. In January, the UN Security Council unanimously approved [JURIST report] a resolution authorizing the creation of a political peace mission in Colombia to monitor the disarmament between the Colombian government and FARC rebels. In November, Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos pardoned [JURIST report] 30 former guerrilla soldiers in jail for non-violent and minor crimes. The agreement will address land rights and in November, Amnesty International (AI) said [JURIST report] the Colombian government should prioritize the rights of indigenous and Afro-descendant communities above corporate interests. In September, FARC and the Colombian government reached [JURIST report] an agreement regarding punishing civil rights abuses, a move commended by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.
The legal branch of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) [official website] published a report [official report] yesterday that was the fifth in a series detailing the findings of investigations into the 2014 Gaza war. The report released the results of these investigations in regards to seven cases of violence during the war. The seventh case was the matter of an IDF airstrike aimed at a motorbike who exited off of a roundabout and passed in front of a United Nations Relief and Works Agency school. The attack occurred as the motorbike passed the schools gate and resulted in the deaths of multiple civilians. After reviewing the factual situation, the Military Advocate General Corps. concluded that the actions and targeting practices of the IDF airmen were in accord with domestic and international law.

The violence in the ongoing Israel-Palestinian conflict [HRW backgrounder] has created contentious legal and human rights situations. Last month, Amnesty International (AI) called upon Palestinian and Israeli officials [JURIST report] in a report to properly address human rights violations committed by their forces. The UN Committee Against Torture (CAT), a body of independent experts, released closing remarks [JURIST report] to its fifty-seventh session in May, expressing concern about the use of excessive force by Israeli forces against Palestinians. An Israeli court in April convicted [JURIST report] Yosef Haim for the 2014 murder of a Palestinian teenager that led to the 50-day war in Gaza. UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories Makarim Wibisono [official profile] resigned [JURIST report] from his position in January, saying that Israel has not granted him access to the Occupied Palestinian Territory after repeated requests.
The UN High Commissioner for human rights, Zeid Raad Al Hussein [official profile], on Thursday called on the international community [press release] to establish an independent international body for conducting comprehensive investigations of human rights violations in Yemen. This call comes in the wake of a report released earlier today which highlighted various allegations of serious human rights violations and abuses committed by all sides in the Yemen conflict. The report further highlighted the impact of the war on civilian lives and health, and the countrys infrastructure. Among other things, the report lists various examples of attacks in residential areas, marketplaces, medical and educational facilities, sniper attacks against civilians, recruitment and use of children in hostilities. The report also noted the inability of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) [official website] to identify the existence of any potential military objective in many of the documented military attacks. In reaching out for support for establishing the new body, Al Hussein stated: [Civilians in Yemen] continue to suffer, absent any form of accountability and justice, while those responsible for the violations and abuses against them enjoy impunity . The international community has a legal and moral duty to take urgent steps to alleviate the appalling levels of human despair.

The rapidly deteriorating situation in Yemen has sparked significant international concern. According to the report identified above, there have been 3,799 civilian deaths and 6,711 injuries to date since March 2015 in Yemen. The civilian death estimate was at only 2,800 in January [JURIST report], which would mean that approximately 1,000 more have died in as little as eight months. The report further indicates that an approximate 7.6 million people, including three million women and children, are currently suffering from malnutrition and at least three million people have been displaced from their homes. The OHCHR condemned [JURIST report] a string of rocket and mortar attacks against residential areas and markets in Taizz, Yemen, from June 3 to June 8. In March UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon warned [JURIST report] that the use of cluster bombs by the Saudi-led coalition against neighborhoods in Yemen may amount to a war crime. In January the UN World Food Programme [official website] appealed to all the parties involved in the Yemen conflict to allow the safe passage of food [JURIST report] to the city of Taiz. In October Amnesty International [advocacy website] called for [JURIST report] an independent investigation into possible war crimes surrounding the destruction of a hospital run by Doctors Without Borders in Yemen.
United Nations (UN) [official website] Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon submitted a report [official press release] issued together with the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons [official website] yesterday detailing an in-depth investigation into chemical warfare used by ISIS and President Assad in Syria. While the report is still confidential, Ki-Moon stated [press release] that he is looking forward to the publication of the report around August 30th. While the use of chemical weapons in warfare is prohibited under international laws of warfare, the UN has suspected Syria of using such weapons for years [JURIST report], even though Syria formally agreed to dispose of their chemical weapons in 2014 [JURIST report].

The conflict in Syria [BBC backgrounder] has continued for five years in a civil war based around the legitimacy of President Bashar al-Assad [BBC reports]. Earlier this month, Amnesty International said that a suspected chlorine gas attack in Aleppo could amount to a war crime [JURIST report]. The BBC reported that the Syrian government is suspected of using a chlorine gas attack in Aleppo, killing several and injuring many more. Last month Human Rights Watch [advocacy website] reported [JURIST report] cluster bombs have been targeted at civilians and rebels in Northern Syria. Last month UN human rights experts called for the immediate protection [JURIST report] of thousands of Syrian civilians. In May Amnesty International [advocacy website] reported that armed opposition groups in Syria are committing war crimes around the Sheikh Maqsoud district of Aleppo city. Earlier that month top UN official Stephen OBrien called for the immediate investigation of recent airstrikes in Syria, which may amount to war crimes for intentionally targeting civilians [JURIST report].
Vice President Joe Biden stated at a press conference in Sweden on Thursday that he hopes and expects [Reuters report] that the Guantanamo Bay prison will be closed before President Barack Obama leaves office. The Vice Presidents remarks come a day after White House Press Secretary Josh Earnest reiterated the presidents intentions [press briefing] to shut down the Guantanamo facility. According to Earnest, there are currently 61 detainees confined at the facility, and

[t]here is a rigorous process of evaluating the individual cases, and this process is conducted by a review board where there are representatives of a variety of national intelligence and national security agencies who consider these individual cases  At this point, only 20 of the 61 who are currently there have been approved for transfer.

Earnest clarified that only those who have been cleared for transfer will be moved to another facility. The Obama administration has been attempting to shut Guantanamo down since coming to power in 2009, but has thus far faced severe opposition from a Republican-controlled Congress.

Last week, the US Department of Defense (DOD) [official website] announced the transfer [JURIST report] of 15 Guantanamo detainees to the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Twelve of the detainees were from Yemen, and the other three were from Afghanistan. Six of the detainees had been approved for release since 2009 while the others were cleared for release more recently. The question of shutting Guantanamo down has been one of great controversy. Also last week, a US Senator released a Pentagon Report [JURIST report] detailing the profiles of those currently detained in and recently released from the Guantanamo Bay detention center. Senator Kelly Ayotte (R-NH) concluded that closing the facility would not be in the US best interests and would pose a safety risk. White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough told Fox News in January that US President Barack Obama intends to fulfill [JURIST report] his promise to close the Guantanamo detention facility before leaving officea promise renewed by the Obama administration on Monday. Last November the US Senate passed [JURIST report] the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016 (NDAA), which prohibits Guantanamo detainees from being transferred into the US. Obama signed the bill into law, despite the fact that it could delay his plan to close the prison. The NDAA comes after the DOD said [JURIST report] they were sending teams to review three Colorado prisons as part of Obamas efforts to close the facility in October. The Guantanamo Review Task Force was created in response to a 2009 presidential executive order [text, PDF] to review the status of all detainees. In September White House Spokesperson Josh Earnest said Obama was considering a wide array of options [JURIST report] for closing the prison.
Volkswagens row with two of its suppliers for the past week or so concerned a relatively small dispute with component manufacturers, but its rapid escalation to a major stand-off was still deemed sufficiently serious to attract the attention of the Economics Ministry in Berlin.

Apart from what the spat could do to the quasi-sacred image of Made in Germany should the 28,000 or so workers affected at VWs six German plants have gone to short-time working, either the regional or Federal government would have been forced to step in to make up some part of the salary shortfall.

But the issue also fell under the microscope of Germanys Association of Supply Chain Management, Procurement and Logistics (BME), which says the bitter argument between Volkswagen and two of its suppliers had the potential for substantial, subsequent effects.

The flames of the near week-long dust-up  which resulted in significant disruption at six major Volkswagen plants in Germany  were eventually doused (23 August)  but the BME is raising concerns surrounding the impact on Germanys car industry following the automakers already highly-publicised travails with its emissions testing.

The dispute of Volkswagen with two suppliers could become, after the exhaust gas affair, another big load test for the automobile industry in Germany, said BME CEO, Christoph Feldmann, in comments sent to just-auto from its headquarters in Frankfurt.

The subsequent effects for the whole value added chain are substantial already today. The example of VW appears [shows] once more how important a far-sighted and above all well-structured risk management is in purchase, supply chain and logistics.

The issue involving component manufacturers, ES Automobil Guss and CarTrim, subsidiaries of Prevent Group, was serious enough to affect up to 28,000 workers at Volkswagen sites across Germany in Emden, Zwickau, Kassel, Salzgitter and Braunschweig.

But is it Prevent? The latter was widely reported as being the owner of ES and CarTrim but multiple calls to their headquarters in Germany  or is it Bosnia?  I rang Sarajevo many times too  just threw a curtain of uncertainty over the ownership structure  particularly when I was contacted out of the blue by Eastern Horizon Group which now claimed ownership of ES and CarTrim and who issued a joint and extremely brief statement from themselves and VW.

The content of the agreement has not been disclosed, noted Eastern Horizon with startling brevity, before adding equally pithily: The suppliers take deliveries to Volkswagen shortly and production in VW continues accordingly.

Why the cloak and dagger moving in the shadows? What is the issue with clarifying the ownership situation? Its fair to say none of the above companies  as well as Volkswagen  was exactly willing to chat about developments  they appear to have taken a monastic vow of silence in order to smooth over parts supply at what is clearly a critical time for the automaker as it grapples with the US Courts surrounding its emissions testing and possible compensation.

Multiple calls and emails to Volkswagen also failed to elicit so much as a murmur back. Its obviously extraordinarily tough for Wolfsburg at the moment and they could have done with this latest spat like a hole in the head, but it threw up a fair amount of muttering about the automaker pushing its suppliers so hard, pips were starting to squeak and components makers were fighting back.

Or are they? Into the vacuum of non-information stepped a whole ton of speculation as supposed compensation, stand-offs and possible short-time working all swirled, all the time while the Regional Land in Lower Saxony, replete with its Prime Minister and Economics Minister occupying two supervisory board seats, anxiously cast on eye on its huge employer.

Its natural Volkswagen would turn a forensic eye to its own supply chain, but it appears the pressure applied this time has tripped a fuse, which who knows, had been ready to blow for some time.

Volkswagen has to tread a fine line between extracting the maximum value from its component makers, but also ensuring its delicate just-in-time processes are not hamstrung by companies piqued at ever-more onerous terms.

And despite being relatively small suppliers, those in this situation clearly exerted huge influence on VWs chain, with the BME chief reiterating what has become a common theme in how major companies deal with breaks in the just-in-time philosophy of manufacturing, namely the vital nature of spreading the load rather than relying on individual suppliers.

It depends on him [OEM purchaser] decisively whether the existing suppliers network is attached fine-meshed enough to be able to react immediately with a sudden failure, added Feldmann.

Otherwise, like in case of VW, the danger [is] on making itself too dependent from the economic efficiency of single supplier.

Though all companies would have to make purchases cost-optimised, cooperation should still occur confidently and valued along the whole process chain.

The 60-year old BME has 9,200 members, both individual and corporate, with purchasing volume totalling EUR1.25tn, with the sheer power of that body of companies, illustrated by the fact the supplier association estimates the total to be around half Germanys GDP.

The country has remained relatively robust during the teeth of the last recession  the most severe in a generation  with the BME noting its seasonally adjusted Markit/BME Germany Manufacturing Purchasing Managers Index (PMI)  a single-figure snapshot of the performance of the manufacturing economy  posted above 50  a no-change mark for the twentieth successive month in July  signaling continued growth in Germanys goods-producing sector.

Meanwhile, suppliers delivery times lengthened at the slowest pace in three months during July.

Volkswagens disagreement with its suppliers  who remain resolutely determined to stay in the shadows  may be regarded as a relatively small storm in a teacup but its indicative of a not-exactly happy ship at the moment.

Its August and many in the industry are casting longing last looks at the beach before heading home, in the northern hemisphere at least, to groaning autumn in-trays.

Could it be regarded as a test case in which Wolfsburg is firing the first of several shots across supplier bows pour encourager les autres?

Its impossible to say and in the dearth of hard facts, there will be many theories, but perhaps this is as good a time as any for Volkswagen to endure its latest ordeal by fire out of the intense spotlight to which it would normally be subjected and dip its elbow in the supplier waters.
The Great Donald Trump Pivot is still very much in progress.

Who knows where his position on illegal immigration is going.

If he does anymore specials with Sean Hannity, hes liable to replace his signature border wall idea with a big open gate in El Paso manned by volunteers from Welcome Wagon.

Whats the next late-August surprise going to be?

That hes fired Kellyanne Conway and Steve Bannon and replaced them with James Carville? That hes offered the secretary of state job in advance to Khizr Khan?

Someone had better put a suicide watch on poor Ann Coulter. Her book In Trump We Trustcame out Wednesday  two weeks too late.

Trump is pivoting, changing, evolving, selling out  whatever you want to call it. Its long overdue.

Weve been saying here all along he had to change the way his campaign was being run, but that even if he didnt do it, all Republicans needed to fully support him.

It may be too late for the New & Improved Trump and the GOP.

He has only two months to retrieve the millions of conservative Republican faithful who have been disgusted or embarrassed by the original Trump.

Meanwhile, I think Ive figured out one reason why so many conservatives in the GOP arent publicly supporting him.

Its kind of like guilt by association, only with Trump its shame or discomfort by association.

Trump is being subjected to a double standard in the media and in the political arena that hurts him and helps Hillary Clinton.

Someone can endorse Lying Hillary and they are not seen as a liar.

Someone can say theyre going to vote for Crooked Hillary and theyre not seen as a criminal.

Someone can say they voted twice for President Bill Clinton and theyre not thought of as a sexual predator.

Hillary and Bill are career liars and crooks, in office and out, whove recently become quarter-billionaires by globalizing the concept of good old-fashioned political graft.

But no one who says they support Hillary for president is splashed with thirty years of the Clintons dirty bathwater.

With Trump, its different. Anyone who endorses him, or merely says theyll vote for him, is automatically labeled a racist or a misogynist.

Thats why people like Paul Ryan and so many congressmen running for reelection senators are so scared of Trump.

They endorse him halfheartedly or not at all because they dont want to be thrown into the same bathtub with him.

The mainstream liberal media are a big part of the problem, as usual.

They make sure a vote for Trump is seen as a vote for racism, yet they would never dream of saying that a vote for Hillary is a vote for lying or influence peddling.

Republicans at all levels have to understand that endorsing Trump or voting for him doesnt make you a racist or a woman-hater  neither of which describes the real-life Donald Trump, by the way.

Lots of people  including lots of blacks and Latinos  are going to vote for Trump but will never tell their neighbors. So will lots of conservatives who say they hate Trump.

Heck, my dad voted for Gerald Ford in 1976 and didnt even tell Nancy. He didnt want to sleep on the couch.

Its up to Trump to add a few gallons of chlorine to his bathwater so conservatives who arent Ann Coulter dont mind bathing in it, which, figuratively, is what hes trying to do now with his Great Pivot.

Its up to Ryan and the other party leaders to give Trump their full support as we head for November.

Michael Reagan is the son of President Ronald Reagan and a political consultant. Email him at Reagan@caglecartoons.com.
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Superintendent Stacy Stevens started things off Thursday evening during the West County Board of Educations regular meeting with an update on some recent troubles the district is having with telephone wires.

We have a fiber issue on one of the poles, he said. We run fiber from the high school over to here  Between wind and some trees, theres been damage to the fiber  and weve had a hard time getting someone to come and trim up the trees for us.

Stevens further explained that the district basically rents space on poles owned by Ameren Missouri and the companys regulations are hindering the district from getting the issue resolved. The cost involved is another factor, although Stevens said its possible the cost will be covered by the districts insurance policy.

Weather permitting, he said he expects the repairs to be completed within about another week.

Stevens also updated board members on detours stemming from road construction that are affecting bus routes.

Its been a good start to the school year overall, he said. Weve had very few issues transportation-wise  The bridge still isnt open on Davis Crossing Road and theyre getting ready to start work on BB and (Highway) 8  So BBs going to go to one lane with a (pilot) vehicle, so well see how it goes.

Stevens announced that the Missouri Department of Natural Resources grant the district was hoping to be awarded for funding to help purchase a new school bus fell through.

We found out we didnt get the bus grant. Out of about 37 (applicants), I think we were 24th. So, if 23 (school districts) decline it, its ours, he said jokingly.

Stevens had informed the board at last months meeting of the pending grant application and the eventual and unavoidable need for a new bus.

At some point in this school year, were probably gonna need to look at purchasing a new bus, he said, adding that hed prefer to wait because its possible there will be another chance to acquire grant funding later in the school year.

In his presentation on the high school, Principal Eric Moyers gave the board a breakdown of the first weeks attendance numbers as well as a brief report on the beginning of the new year at his building.

It was one of the best turnouts weve had for an open house at the high school, he said. The school years started out really well.

Moyers also announced that for the third year in a row, the high school was recognized by Newsweek magazine as one of Americas Top High Schools in the category of Beating the Odds.

According to Newsweeks official website, the Beating the Odds list identifies high schools that do an excellent job of preparing their students for college while also overcoming the obstacles posed by students at an economic disadvantage.

Were very proud of that, said Stevens. The Beating the Odds category, to me, is important because were doing it with fewer resources  And Im proud of our kids for the things theyre achieving.

Taking his turn, Principal Kevin Coffman gave a report on the first week at the middle school. Like the high school, the middle schools open house was well attended.

We had a great turnout for open house, he said. The best weve ever had. Every one of my eighth grade students showed up to pick up their packet except one  One of the things that we did different this year, we had our fall pictures taken at open house night  Its a great start to the year.

Principal Todd Watson reported that the elementary schools open house also went very well.

We had almost 100 percent attendance at the open house, he said. The classrooms were all decorated up and were just warm and inviting. The students were excited to get back.

Prior to the event, his staff cleaned out some storage space and found a large quantity of T-shirts and books.

At the open house, we also had a little back-to-school bash, said Watson. We had refreshments and gave away a lot of books  we had some old classroom and library books  we gave hundreds of books away and about 500 T-shirts from old field days and things. We found them in closets and decided to give them away rather than throw them away. By the end of the night, every one of them was gone.

In her report, Director of Special Services Sheri Price gave a breakdown of attendance figures from the first week of school for the various programs under her direction.

Weve been extremely busy, she said, adding that the Parents as Teachers program had a table set up at the St. Francois County Back-to-School Fair held last month.

Shes been setting up a booth the past few years there, said Price, to promote our program and be a part of that event.

Next up, Stevens gave board members a brief summary of the transportation and facilities reports. Notably, he pointed out the stellar safety record of the districts bus crew.

They safely transport our kids, he said. We had no student injuries again last year.

The buses themselves also received high marks for safety.

We scored a hundred percent for the sixth year in a row on our inspections, said Stevens. And so we get the fleet excellence award again.

The rigorous annual front-to-back inspections are carried out on every bus in every school districts fleet by the Motor Vehicle Inspection division of the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Districts that earn an approval rating of 90 percent or higher on all buses in the fleet are granted the distinction of Total Fleet Excellence.

Also during the meeting, the board voted to approve the tax rate for the 2016-2017 school year as recommended by Stevens. The total levy, including funds for general revenue, debt service, the teachers fund and capital projects, was set at $4.05.

After a brief discussion, board members agreed to set Octobers regular meeting for Oct. 18. The meeting was scheduled two days earlier than normal because two board members and will be attending a conference.

Regarding capital projects, Stevens reported that the project to repaint the outside doors of the high school will begin soon. Mike and Patty Wallace, the artists who painted the designs on the walls of the districts buildings, will be doing the work.

In addition, the Wallaces will be designing and painting an area on a wall of the high school gymnasium that identifies the communities served by the West County School District.

Stevens also gave an update on pending work on the districts ballfields, including options for fencing, watering and the type of surface, such as sod versus dirt or other alternatives. Board members voted to approve some aspects of the project after a lengthy discussion.

Toward the end of the meeting, Stevens and Coffman reported on a lingering issue at the new middle school. Certain areas of the building are showing signs of damage from humidity, which are proving to be a challenge to resolve. Coffman said that although the warranty on the building expires in January 2017, Brockmiller Construction company has extended the warranty regarding this issue through next summer to ensure it is satisfactorily resolved.
DEAR ABBY: My friend "Virginia" and I have known each other for 11 years. Five years ago she went into renal failure and was on dialysis for three years. It was hard on her and she needed a kidney transplant. Her three healthy siblings refused to be tested as a possible match.

Virginia is on the young side, and she was in such a bad way I agreed to be tested. After several procedures it was determined I was a "close enough" match, so we decided to go for it. She was scared to death right before the surgery. I convinced her that even though things might be rough for a while, she would be glad she went through with it.

It has been 18 months now, and I have not seen or heard from Virginia since the day after the surgery. I called her a few times to make sure she was doing well. She never returned my calls and has completely dropped out of my life. She lives only four blocks away, so I know things are going OK for her. I figured I'd give her some space, but that space has turned into forever. I haven't heard from her family either. They visited Virginia at the hospital, but didn't stop in to see me just three rooms away.

How could I have been so wrong about someone I knew for so long? My husband says Virginia is an idiot and I should let it go. My therapist says I'll have to "adjust to the injustice." I would have donated to a complete stranger without hesitation. But Virginia wasn't a stranger. I never expected to lose my friend along with my kidney. Can you please help me handle this? -- BLINDSIDED IN NEW YORK

DEAR BLINDSIDED: I can see why you are hurt by the abrupt change in your friend's behavior, and believe me, I empathize. The knee-jerk reaction of someone who hasn't been through this would be to say what unfeeling and ungrateful people Virginia and her family are, because you literally saved her life.

However, it may help you to better understand what has happened if you consider that while you saved Virginia's life, sometimes the burden of gratitude is more than someone can bear. For whatever reason, she may carry some guilt about owing you as much as she does, which is why she can no longer interact with you.

As to her family, that none of her siblings were willing to be tested as possible matches for her speaks volumes about them and the quality of their relationships, so stop feeling slighted. Listen to your therapist because she/he has given you some practical advice.

DEAR ABBY: Why is it that when women visit, they'll take their handbag and put it on the kitchen counter, the kitchen table or on the dining room table? Their handbags have been on as many floors as my shoes. Don't they think about what they're doing?

Please let your readers know this is not a good idea. If someone needs to put a handbag down, it should be placed on the floor, where it most likely was previously. -- GROSSED OUT IN THE EAST

DEAR GROSSED OUT: I think the answer to your question is that the majority of women who carry purses DON'T think about this, just absentmindedly place them on the floor, a table, counter or chair.

However, for individuals who are concerned about the transfer of germs, there is a solution. There are portable hooks they can carry with them that rest on a table or desk so the purse can be suspended if it has a handle. I have seen them advertised on the internet, and they are inexpensive.

DEAR ABBY: "Hiding My Smile in New Jersey" (Feb. 28) was embarrassed by the condition of her teeth, which she had neglected for years. Your advice to her/him was excellent, but I'd like to add one more suggestion:

Schools of dentistry often have programs in which care is offered to lower-income patients under a reduced-fee structure, based on the client's income. Care is provided by dental students under close supervision by their board-certified dental professors. Students participate as assistants in procedures prior to being allowed to perform these procedures. In the latter case, the senior dentist serves as the assistant (and guide). -- PATRICIA IN KENTUCKY

DEAR PATRICIA: Thank you for offering that suggestion, one that was echoed by many readers who wrote to lend support to "Hiding." Some of them also advised looking into a company that provides credit to finance medical and dental work. Usually it's a no-interest loan for a certain period, which allows patients to pay over time without having to wait for their care. The dental care provider may be able to recommend one.

DEAR ABBY: I have a problem with my two younger sisters. Neither one can have children. I have three.

Recently, one of my sisters turned my sweetest daughter against me by telling her I had "abandoned her" when I moved to Ohio with my oldest son and divorced their father. Not true! I left my daughter with my sister so she could experience raising a teenager since she couldn't have a child of her own.

After telling my daughter I had abandoned her, my sister advised her to tell me she never wanted to talk to me again. My heart is broken. My daughter is very sweet and gullible. She has taken her aunt's side and says she wants nothing to do with me. This is driving me crazy. Please tell me what to do. -- HEARTBROKEN IN THE MIDWEST

DEAR HEARTBROKEN: If your daughter is a minor, demand that she return to you immediately. Do it through a lawyer, if necessary, because what your sister is doing is a form of parental alienation. If your daughter is an adult, then ask your other two children to talk to their sister and set her straight.

DEAR ABBY: When a couple is on an airplane in a section with three seats (window, middle, aisle) and a male stranger has the window seat, should the woman sit in the middle seat beside the male stranger, or in the aisle seat exposed to all passengers walking by? -- TRAVELER IN VANCOUVER, B.C.

DEAR TRAVELER: When someone makes an airline reservation, a particular seat is usually assigned and the airline expects the passenger to sit there unless the crew is notified and approves the change. There are many variables regarding why a person would want an aisle seat. Among them would be access to the bathroom, a person's size or a desire for more personal space. If sitting in the middle seat in close proximity to a man you don't know would bother you, mention it to one of the cabin crew and request a change, or just switch seats with your travel companion.
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LINCOLN  State corrections officials say they need 138 additional full-time security officers to meet the safety requirements of state prisons, according to a draft of a much-anticipated analysis of staffing needs.

The draft report, obtained by The World-Herald on Thursday, says the increase in staffing would cost in the neighborhood of $11 million to $14 million a year. The report comes as an investigation continues into the latest attacks on corrections officers  attacks that many link with chronic shortages of manpower.

Nine staffers at the Lincoln Correctional Center were taken to a hospital Wednesday night after they were assaulted during a disturbance that occurred when at least a dozen prison inmates refused to return to their cells from a yard .

An indication of the seriousness of the incident: Gov. Pete Ricketts postponed an appearance in Lexington on Thursday to visit with the injured employees in Lincoln and consult with State Corrections Director Scott Frakes.

Late Thursday evening, following those meetings, Ricketts released a letter that he sent to members of the Legislature, offering to begin immediate negotiations on a contract for prison staff. Ricketts said in his letter that he believes problems plaguing the prison need to be addressed within the context of union negotiations and that those should be done now, independent of contract talks with the broader state staff. If the union agrees to the negotiations, Ricketts said he would be willing to increase base salaries, reward top performers and examine scheduling.

Mike Marvin, who heads the state employees union that represents corrections officers, said the union has offered many times over the past several months to negotiate steps to improve working conditions but had not received a positive response from the Governors Office until now. He added that negotiations for a new state employees contract are scheduled to begin on Sept. 1.

Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol were at the prison Thursday as they continued to probe what sparked the violence.

None of the injured prison staffers required overnight hospitalization, but one needed staples to close a cut on her head. Lincoln Fire Department scanner traffic reported that two of the officers were rendered unconscious at some point.

State lawmakers expressed concern about a spate of recent assaults and blamed several years of neglect in staffing the department and a failure to add cells to address overcrowding.

Were almost coming to a state of emergency when it comes to staffing issues at Corrections, said State Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha, who sits on a special prison oversight committee. Unfortunately, it seems like its getting worse instead of getting better.

State Sen. Colby Coash, who has several prisons in his west Lincoln district, said senators are losing patience with the Corrections Department and its assurances that staff shortages will be addressed in next years budget requests and in upcoming labor negotiations.

How many more people need to get hurt before the administration realizes that this is more urgent? Coash asked. The timeline for action needs to be shorter. It needs to be immediate.

High turnover, large numbers of job vacancies and regular requirements that corrections officers work overtime  including back-to-back eight-hour shifts  have been longtime problems at state prisons.

The problems have contributed to low morale among corrections workers. Some say they have also contributed to a rise in assaults on corrections officers because, with smaller crews to supervise them, inmates are allowed less time for recreation, social clubs and programs, and they react by becoming angry and disruptive.

Frakes on Thursday rejected the notion that staffing problems contributed to the latest incident, though he has often said its been difficult to fill job vacancies in Nebraska because of labor shortages here and other factors.

This incident cannot be attributed to crowding or staffing levels. Inmates made the choice to harm staff, Frakes said in a press release.

Staff safety is a priority for our team, he added. We are doing everything we can to prevent these events. We are thankful the staff members were released from the hospital and able to go home last night.

The prison was fully staffed at the time of the disturbance, but some of the corrections officers on duty were working overtime. Corrections officials could not say how many were working overtime shifts on Thursday, but in January, the department reported that such staffers worked an average of 16 hours of overtime each week.

Frakes will get a chance to comment on staffing at 10 a.m. Wednesday, when the Legislatures special investigative committee looking into problems in the Corrections Department has scheduled a public hearing.

Although the recent prison violence in Lincoln will be discussed, the initial purpose of the meeting was to discuss the staffing analysis, data that state lawmakers have sought since Frakes was hired 18 months ago.

The director has said he wanted a thorough analysis. It is the first such staffing study since 2008, when Nebraskas 10 prisons held about 800 fewer inmates  enough to fill another large prison.

Previous statistics have already raised questions about whether prison staffing has kept up with a 19 percent increase in inmates over the past decade. Over the same period, authorized protective services staff  corrections officers, corporals, sergeants and caseworkers  has risen only 4 percent.

The new draft report on staffing was headed up by a six-member committee  five corrections staff members and one federal surplus property manager  and involved visits to the 10 state prisons in Nebraska.

It concluded that likely the worst staffing problem involved the transport of inmates to other prisons and to court appearances and medical checkups. When staff are required for such transports, that creates shortages for assigned duties and increases overtime expenses, the report said.

Incident management, such as the reaction to Wednesdays disturbance at the Lincoln prison and to the riot last year at the Tecumseh State Prison that ended with two inmates dead and more than $2 million in damage, also was cited as a concern.

The draft report stated: While adding employees does not necessarily increase safety, a strong visible command and control of the facility has the ability to improve officer and inmate safety.

The report concluded that every prison in the state needed at least a couple of extra corrections officers or corporals, but that systemwide, 138 additional full-time equivalent (FTEs) protective services staffers were needed. Thats about a 10 percent increase in current security staffing.

The highest-need facility was the Lincoln Correctional Center, which was the site of Wednesdays disturbance, two other assaults on corrections staff this month and the escape of two inmates in June. It needs 44 more FTEs, the report said.

When the Corrections Department was asked for comment, spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith said 44 FTEs translates into only about eight additional posts because each post is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each post involves three eight-hour shifts, and Smith said 5.2 FTEs are required for each post, because of the need to cover days off and other leave.

She deferred other comment until later, including an explanation of why the Lincoln prison might need more staffers than other prisons.

The Lincoln Correctional Center is not among the states largest prisons, with a design capacity of 308. Nor is it one of the most overcrowded, with 506 inmates on Thursday, or about 63 percent above capacity. It holds both maximum- and medium-security inmates and is the site of the departments special ward for mentally ill inmates.

State senators involved in probing problems at the Corrections Department said they were glad that the analysis was finally completed after months of asking, How much staff does the department really need?

Im personally happy that theyre identifying that number. Now we need to see if we can support that, and make that happen, said Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha.

The state is facing a budget shortfall estimated at more than $550 million over the next three years, but Krist said corrections staffing must be a priority.

Coash said he regularly hears frustration from front-line staff that administrative vacancies are filled before security jobs.

Mello, who like Coash is leaving the Legislature because of term limits, said the Corrections Department has between 125 and 150 job vacancies in security jobs at any one time, and he wonders how the department is going to fill them while also hiring an additional 138 officers.

Were going to have a very candid dialogue on Wednesday, Mello said. The patience that a lot of senators have given in the last few months has started to wane in light of staff assault after staff assault and the prison escape (in June).

Coash said there seems to be a vicious circle of staffing problems in the state prison system: Because of poor pay, turnover is high and much overtime is required; that leads to an inexperienced and overworked staff; inmates recognize that and test the officers, who arent as well equipped to deal with it; the result is more incidents and more turnover.

The system as a whole is really struggling, Coash said. Incidents like this only make it worse. If I just spent two hours in a hospital, my wife would say, Youre resigning tomorrow. 

Smith said that Wednesdays incident started about 6 p.m., when one inmate struck a staff member, then other inmates began assaulting other staff members in the area.

Pepper spray was used to disperse the inmates. Some spray might have hit staffers, officials said.

The departments riot squad was called, but the incident was under control before that squad arrived about 7 p.m.

Warden Fred Britten said the prisons administration would resume normal operations as soon as it is appropriate.

Violence against NDCS staff members is unacceptable. I am proud of the way staff responded to contain and resolve the situation, he said.
MANHATTAN, Kann.  Nebraska, Kansas and Colorado established an agreement this week in the longstanding conflict over water from the Republican River basin, as the Republican River Compact Administration signed two resolutions, according to a press release from Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Representatives from the three states have been meeting monthly for more than two years to change the approach and improve how they manage interstate water matters. This effort has created a new focus on transparency and certainty as all three states work to serve their water users, according to the press release. The intent of these resolutions is to replace the need for annual reviews and instead provide long-term surety to water users.

"Signing these resolutions shows the commitment from all three states to engage in open and transparent dialogue for the past two years," said Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback. "This long-term agreement will ultimately improve water management for water users in Kansas as well as Nebraska and Colorado."

The resolutions signed this week will provide flexibility and greater certainty to all water users in the region, while remaining consistent with the terms of the Republican River Compact and the Final Settlement Stipulation of 2002. The three states have been involved in various litigation and arbitrations for the past 15 years over administration of water in the Republican River basin, and this agreement is a significant and positive step forward, with the next steps focusing on working with the basins water users to implement these agreements.

"We are proud to be part of this historic agreement," said Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper. "For the first time since signing the Compact, the three states have worked together to resolve their issues without litigation and have brought certainty to the water users in the basin. This is how we do our best work in Colorado and defines our approach to addressing our water challenges  cooperation and collaboration."

It has been a priority of the states to collaborate on interstate water matters to ensure each states water users are protected while also maintaining a positive working relationship between the compacting states.

"These resolutions represent a long-term strategy for representing each state and ultimately improving water management for water users in all three states," said Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts.

The Republican River basin begins in the plains of eastern Colorado and flows through northwest Kansas and southern Nebraska, ultimately returning to Kansas.

The Republican River Compact was negotiated during the early 1940s with participation by the states of Colorado, Kansas and Nebraska and a representative of the president of the United States. The Compact was formally signed in 1942. Its purposes are to provide for equitable division of such waters, remove all causes of controversy, promote interstate comity, promote joint action by the states and the United States in the efficient use of water and the control of destructive floods, and provide for the most efficient use of waters in the Republican River basin.

The state official in each of the three states who is charged with administering water law serves on the Republican River Compact Administration.
Women were told, Dont get pregnant. Not now. Maybe not for two years. This was the advice women in a number of South American countries were given by their governments when the connection was established between the Zika virus and microcephaly, a serious birth defect that can result in seizures and developmental delays. But details on how they were supposed to accomplish this in countries with limited access to contraception and strict abortion restrictions werent provided.

Now Zika has been locally transmitted in the continental United States. The Centers for Disease Control issued a similar warning, saying women and men who visit affected areas, including Miami, should wait at least eight weeks before trying to get pregnant.

Perhaps the CDC hasnt considered what these recommendations mean to people in Florida  a state that received a grade of F from NARAL Pro-Choice America for restricting access to reproductive health care. In fact, 73 percent of Floridas counties have no abortion clinic. Florida has also failed to expand its Medicaid program, leaving many uninsured women with no access to contraception.

How is a woman with no access to family planning supposed to keep herself from getting pregnant for eight weeks? Oh right, abstinence. Were talking about Florida, after all, where schools are required to teach abstinence in sex education classes but there is no requirement to include information about contraception.

We are already witnessing the perfect storm of mosquitoes, virus and lack of access to reproductive health care. In Brazil, before the Zika outbreak, the country averaged 157 registered cases of microcephaly per year. Between Oct. 22, 2015, and July 23, 2016, there were 1,749 confirmed cases.

Its impossible to predict exactly how Zika transmission will play out in the United States, but we have some good clues  and theyre alarming.

The CDC considers areas that have had outbreaks of chikungunya and dengue  viruses transmitted by the same mosquitoes that spread Zika  to be at high risk of a Zika outbreak. In the continental United States, those areas are Florida and Texas. Texas, like Florida, got a grade of F on NARALs reproductive rights report. The state also restricts low-income and young womens access to abortion and has failed to adopt a federally financed Medicaid expansion.

Unfortunately, the problem doesnt end with Texas and Florida. Of the 25 states within the range of the two mosquitoes that spread the Zika virus, according to CDC maps, 18 received Fs from NARAL Pro-Choice America on their reproductive rights status. Thirteen do not require contraception to be discussed in sex ed classes, and 17 have state sex ed guidelines that stress abstinence.

Now that the United States is facing its own battle with Zika, more attention will be paid to what it means to not have access to contraception, and safe, legal abortions. The bottom line is Zika will come and go, the need for strong protection of womens reproductive rights will not.

Alice Pettway is a poet and writer whose work has appeared in more than 30 print and online journals. Currently, she lives and writes in Bogota, Colombia.
Hungarian Interior Minister Sandor Pinter, center, listens to his Serbian counterpart Nebojsa Stefanovic, right, during a press conference in Hajdukovo, Serbia, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Officials say Hungary's police could join the Serbian troops patrolling the Balkan country's border with Macedonia or Bulgaria to help curb the influx of migrants trying to reach the European Union. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Michelle Ekure



Its no news that Nigeria has one of the highest rates of unemployment in the world and this is majorly blamed on the Nigerian government for not providing enough job opportunities for its citizens.

However, some smart youths are not waiting on the government to provide them jobs, neither are they waiting on a who-knows-who to connect them with job opportunities. They are thinking out of the box and making money with their skills.

One of such people who have gone out of their ways to create employment opportunities for themselves and consequently for others, is Michelle Ekure.

Some of Michelles products

Michelle studied International Law and diplomacy in the University of Benin Edo state, but after years of job hunting and working for someone who does not pay his workers, she decided to make take her fate in her own hands. She learnt the art of shoe making, and now has six people working under her.

My inspiration is from God, I never knew I would be a shoemaker. I

graduated from the University six years ago, after which I looked for

for job, but to know avail, she said in an interview with Lukmon of

Wazobia Global Times USA. At

sometimes I got employed by a company in Lagos, but the boss was owing

too much so I left. On how it started, there is this other company I buy

sandals in Lagos and resell. They sell nice shoes, so one day I thought

to myself that I can tell this people to make sandals for me with my

label, so I approached them and they said yes. That was how I got my

first set of shoes. Then a friend introduced me to a guy that makes

shoes. I watch him make shoes one day and I was amazed then I asked him

to teach me and he did. Micheles makes around 50 pairs of shoes a week has this advice for young ladies still looking for jobs: I always tell people I come in contact with that are looking for job to

start something, anything you are good at can bring money to you or

just learn a trade. Michelle A pair of shoes made by Michelle

Another of Michelles products

Thats not all, earlier this month, Michelle organised a free training session for those interested in the shoe making business.

Michelle and her students

And then the best part, very recently, an online US

store contacted Michelle and expressed their eagerness to put up her

products on their website for sales at very good rates.

Also, last night, Michelle won her first award and posted it on her Facebook page saying:

About last night, this is my first award from delta state heritage. I want thank God for all he has done me, i am so grateful. thank you guys i love you all.
Thank you for reading!

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The Kilkenny Photographic Society will hold its 33rd annual exhibition at MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre, Hebron Road, Kilkenny during the Kilkenny Arts Festival from August 5 to 14.

The exhibition opening times are Monday to Wednesday 10am-6pm, Thursday and Friday 10am-9pm, Sat 10am to 6pm, Sunday 12am-6pm. The exhibition will take place in the unit beside Quigleys, located in the Workhouse Square event space. The exhibition will be officially launched by Kilkennys newly elected Mayor of the city, Patrick ONeill on Friday at 7.00pm. Light refreshments will be served and

our annual Photographer Of The Year competition award ceremony will also take place.

This years exhibition will show the diverse range of styles and creativity of our

members and the visitor will see a wide diversity of images from flora to fauna, local landmarks in all seasons, travel, landscapes, seascapes and much more in-

cluding both traditional and newer digital art forms. Also on display will be our win-

ning prints from competitions during 2015 & 2016 seasons. The Exhibition is intended to appeal to a wide audience, members of the public, schools and organisations, as well as tourists and people with an interest in the arts, culture and especially photography.

Kilkenny Photographic Society was established in 1983, by a small group of friends after attending night classes. The aim of the society is to serve its members by encouraging development of photographic skills through education, exhibitions and friendship with others who share a love of photography.

and to share our talents with individuals and organi-

sations in our community. This years exhibition will see over 50 members of all ages

and levels of ability participating. The exhibition reflects the hard work and dedica-

tion of the society members and we are delighted that many of our new members

who have joined this year are featuring for the first time in our annual Exhibition.

For further details about the exhibition and Kilkenny Photographic Society events

please visit:

www.kilkennyphoto.net

www.facebook.com/kilkennyphoto/

Exhibition Information:

Title: Kilkenny Photographic Society 33rd Annual Photography Exhibition 2016.

Exhibition dates: 05- Aug-16 To 14-Aug-16.

Address: MacDonagh Junction Shopping Centre, WorkHouse Event Space, Hebron

Road, Kilkenny City.

Opening Times: Mon-Wed 10am-6pm, Thur-Fri 10am-9pm, Sat 10am-6pm, Sun

12am-6pm.

Admission: Free.
Time is running out for employers to overhaul their compensation programs in order to comply with the Department of Labors change in overtime rules.

SIGN UP FOR WEBINAR: How Employers Can Adjust to New Overtime Rule

Starting December 1, only workers who earn at least $47,476 a year are exempt from receiving overtime pay under the Fair Labor Standards Act. Thats about double the current threshold of $23,660. The aim is to allow more workers to qualify for time-and-a-half pay for putting in more than 40 hours a week.

For the first time, the salary threshold will be indexed and adjusted every three years. The next update will be January 1, 2020, when the new threshold is expected to top $51,000.

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The rule will affect the exempt status of a wide variety of positions in virtually every industry, but especially retail, nonprofits, hospitality & leisure, and colleges and universities. Employers must either increase the salaries of currently exempt employees or reclassify them as hourly wage earners eligible for overtime.

Employers have three months to identify the positions that may be subject to the salary threshold increase and to figure out how operations would be affected by reclassification. Theyll need to determine how much lead time is necessary for payroll/ timekeeping departments or vendors to make changes, and decide whether training on timekeeping practices and management of newly reclassified nonexempt workers is necessary.

The November 8 presidential and congressional elections are unlikely to affect the rule. Even if Republicans keep control of the Senate, theyll have a tough time getting the 60 votes needed to modify the rule. If a modification did, somehow, clear Congress, Democrat Hillary Clinton would veto the change if she were president. Republican Donald Trump would seem more amenable to changing the rule but might be reluctant to alienate his blue-collar supporters.

SIGN UP FOR WEBINAR: How Employers Can Adjust to New Overtime Rule
(Kitco News) - Aug 26  Smart investors seek to "buy low and sell high." That's a given of course. In the precious metals world, it is important to consider "relative value" as well. What does that mean? Let's compare gold and platinum prices over the long-term. Figure 1 at the bottom shows that after spending about a decade at a premium (or higher price point), platinum now shows over a $200 discount to gold.

The case for buying precious metals is clear. Gold, and precious metals, are considered a major asset class just like stocks and bonds. Most importantly for long-term investors, gold typically shows a negative correlation to stocks and that is significant for effective portfolio diversification. If one asset class is falling, it benefits your portfolio to own another asset that will rise during that time.

As global central banks continue to search for new ways to juice the sluggish advanced economies, the precious metals sector continues to gain in value. Central banks are continuing to print paper (fiat) money, in hopes of stimulating economic growth. Traditional monetary policy has reached its limits.

Ben may have saved the day, what about the future? The global financial crisis of 2008 unleashed bold, unconventional and unprecedented moves by then Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke. His actions may have well prevented the United States from slipping into another Great Depression.

Well, the Great Recession turned to recovery. But, we all know what that sub-par recovery looks like.

Now what: The central bankers experiment with negative interest rates, quantitative easing and discuss the potential for helicopter money.

In the meantime, debt loads both at the individual and government level, weigh on real growth. Should American consumers be encouraged to spend down their savings, or buy on credit in order to fuel economic growth? Who does that really help in the long run?

The gold/platinum spread chart reveals that platinum currently trades at a discount. A one ounce Platinum American Eagle is offered at $1,181.00 right now versus a one ounce Gold American Eagle at $1,393.00.

Bottom line: Diversification is a good concept not only among stocks, bonds and metals but within the metals sector itself. Are platinum coins part of your precious metal strategy?

By Kira Brecht, Kitco.com

Follow @KitcoNewsNOW
(Kitco News) - Writing a commentary ahead of Yellens speech may prove a wasted expenditure of energy but the market is hanging on her expected comments. Any suggestion that she has turned hawkish may create a significant impulse leg to the downside --an opportunity that bulls are hoping for. We believe that any sell-off on perceived hawkishness from the Fed should be viewed as an opportunity to buy. Global central banks, including the Fed, will continue to pump funds into the system, until politicians step up with fiscal measures -- a scenario, that at best, is one year out. Expect volatility right up to Yellens comments and then a sharp reaction. A dovish posture should take gold back to the values we saw on Monday.

What you missed on this week's For Pete's Sake show:

By Peter Hug, Kitco Metals Global Trading Director; phug@kitco.com
Aug 26 (Reuters) - New York-based developer Thor Equities has sold the historic Phelan building in San Francisco for $375 million to a member of the prominent Hotung family with deep roots in Hong Kong, sources said.

A limited liability company, The Phelan Building LLC, has purchased the 11-story landmark at 760 Market Street, according to a source who spoke on condition of anonymity.

Chinese investors pumped $17 billion into U.S. commercial property in the first five months of this year, on pace to surpass the record $21.4 billion in 2015, Cushman & Wakefield said. Half of the investment this year has been in office buildings and majority of the remainder in hotels, C&W said.

Cushman & Wakefield represented the buyer.

Thor Equities through one of its two urban property funds purchased the building in 2008 for $130 million and spent $40 million renovating the site by creating wide-open floor space from the small offices that jewelers had occupied.

The time was right to sell the building, said Thor Equities chief executive Joseph Sitt in a statement.

Office tenants at the building include online credit site Credit Karma and Medium, an online publishing platform founded by Twitter co-founder Evan Williams.

The triangular-shaped building is reminiscent of the Flatiron building in New York and was built after the original structure was destroyed by the fire in the 1906 earthquake.

(Reporting by Herbert Lash; Editing by Alistair Bell and Clive McKeef)
Oil eased on Friday, on course for its largest weekly decline in a month after the Saudi energy minister watered down expectations that the world's largest producers might agree next month to limit their output.

Brent crude futures LCOc1 were down 6 cents at $49.61 per barrel by 1339 GMT, having recovered from a session low at $49.12. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude CLc1 nudged into positive territory, up 9 cents at $47.42 a barrel.

Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih told Reuters late on Thursday: "We don't believe any significant intervention in the market is necessary other than to allow the forces of supply and demand to do the work for us."

He said the "market is moving in the right direction" already.

Members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum, which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria from Sept. 26-28.

The Saudi minister's comments dampened expectations of a meaningful intervention into the market, which has been dogged by oversupply for more than two years.

The price of crude oil has fallen more than 3 percent so far this week, putting it on course for its largest one-week slide in a month.

"This week has clearly been a tug of war between fundamentals and this continued 'verbal intervention' that we've seen from various OPEC members," Saxo Bank senior manager Ole Hansen said.

"All in all, it's left the market relatively close to the $50 mark, which in my opinion is probably as much as OPEC can ask for at this point."

Iran said on Friday that it would cooperate with other producers to stabilise oil markets, but added that it expected others to respect its individual rights.

Many observers interpreted that as Tehran saying it would continue to try to regain market share by raising output after the lifting of sanctions against it last January.

"I do not expect the OPEC meeting in September to agree any freeze or affect the oil market in any significant way. This is because it appears key OPEC members remain more concerned about market share," said Oystein Berentsen, managing director for crude at oil trading firm Strong Petroleum in Singapore.

Analysts at Commerzbank also expressed doubt that any agreement might materialise next month.

"Capping production at this level would hardly reduce supply in any case, especially since other leading OPEC producers such as Iraq are producing at or near record levels," the bank's commodity team said in a note.

"And countries like Libya and Nigeria, which are producing significantly below their potential due to unscheduled outages, are hardly likely to sign up to any voluntary restriction of production."

(Additional reporting by Henning Gloystein and Sarah Plattes in Singapore; Editing by Dale Hudson and Jason Neely)
By Christopher Dunagan, Special to the Kitsap Sun

TACOMA  Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club has been given 90 days to apply for a land-use permit to avoid a contempt-of-court ruling by a judge in Pierce County Superior Court.

Attorneys for the club and for Kitsap County appeared Friday before Judge Susan Serko, who declined to shut down the club's operations, as county attorneys had requested. The judge stated clearly, however, that she would not tolerate ongoing delays.

The club missed a 180-day deadline set by Serko's ruling in February, when she laid down conditions for the club to continue operations at its shooting range on Seabeck Highway. The Washington State Court of Appeals has since stayed some of those conditions, but the requirements related to alleged land-use violations were not appealed.

Brooks Foster, the club's attorney, told the judge that the club has done its best to meet the deadline for submitting its application for a "site development activity permit." But the club's insurance company, which has paid the club's legal costs in its lawsuit with the county, has so far declined to pay for work needed to complete the application.

The club simply does not have the financial resources on its own to pay the $158,000 it would take for site analysis, plans and other documents needed to submit a complete application, according to Foster. He said he is negotiating with the insurer, Northland Insurance Company, and will take the company to court, if necessary, to obtain coverage.

"One of the questions I have," said Serko, "is why did the club not come to the court and say this is impossible, that 180 days is too short. Why not come back to the court and say you need more time."

Foster said he advised the county's attorneys of his efforts to get Northland to commit to payment, and he asked the county attorneys to hold off on a warrant of abatement  which he thought was the county's next move. Foster said he was completely surprised by the county's contempt-of-court motion.

Christy Palmer, attorney for the county, said an abatement action is an "extreme remedy" that could require county money to remove shooting bays constructed without permits and to restore damaged wetlands. A lien could be placed on the property to recover the costs, but there is little assurance that the costs could be recovered.

Foster argued that a contempt-of-court citation is not appropriate because the club does not have the ability to perform as required by the February court order. He said the club would be willing to provide regular progress reports on efforts to get the insurance company to pay.

Serko said it appears the club wants her to "throw up my hands " and recognize that the club cannot comply with her order.

"I am not going to involve myself in a third-party insurance case," she said, adding that she would give the club 90 days to file the required permit. "If it is not done, the court would be inclined, frankly, to find contempt at that time."

In the meantime, if the county chooses to move forward with abatement of improper land-use activities on the property, that would be appropriate, Serko said.

Serko has long been involved in the lawsuit filed by Kitsap County against Kitsap Rifle and Revolver Club, a case in which the judge found that the shooting range was a public nuisance because bullets could leave the range and endanger surrounding neighbors and because increased noise from the range disturbed area residents.

The alleged land-use violations, including clearing and grading without permits, resulted in her original ruling that the club had violated its nonconforming use ("grandfathered") status. She ordered that the range be shut down until it obtains a conditional use permit.

While the Court of Appeals agreed with the nuisance finding, it found that Serko went too far in shutting down the range. Her February revision to comply with the Court of Appeals findings is now under appeal, but the requirement to obtain land-use permits for work done years ago remains in effect.

Meanwhile, the county has informed the club that another deadline has been missed, this one involving a permit required of all shooting ranges in unincorporated Kitsap County. Judge Jay Roof of Kitsap County Superior Court had issued an injunction halting operations at the gun range when the club failed to apply for the permit, then he lifted the injunction when the club filed for the permit under protest.

The county responded to the club's application with a request for more information. Marcus Carter, executive officer of KRRC, said he believed, based on a letter accompanying the county's request, that there was no specific deadline for the club to provide the requested information.

County code states that such an application expires 90 days after the application is submitted unless it is renewed, according to county officials.

Palmer said the club could refile the application, but she declined to say what action the county might take under the ordinance that allows shooting ranges to operate only when they have an approved operating permit.
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By Nathan Pilling, Nathan.Pilling@kitsapsun.com

BAINBRIDGE ISLAND  Bainbridge Island has agreed to a settlement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission related to "material misstatements" made by the city in the sale of municipal securities.

According to the SEC, the city failed to disclose required information about financial filings in 2011 and 2013 bond offerings. The violations were reported by the city to the SEC.

According to the SEC, as part of a settlement, the city has agreed to establish policies, procedures and training about its disclosure obligations. The City Council voted to adopt a policy in response to the settlement at its Tuesday meeting.

The parties settled the actions "without admitting or denying the findings," according to the SEC.
Ridgetop Middle School eighth-grader Chloe Vigil (right), 13, leads a team-building exercise called the straw challenge as she mentors sixth-graders during an orientation Thursday at the school. The students are (from left) Kimberly Warrington, Natalia Redd and Heather Jones, all age 11.

LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN

SHARE Ridgetop Middle School eighth-grader Chloe Vigil (left), 13, introduces sixth-graders on a school tour to math teacher Steve Detweiler during an orientation for sixth-graders Thursday at the school. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN Ridgetop Middle School sixth-grader Abigail Gesell, 11, laughs during a name recognition game during an orientation for sixth-graders Thursday at the school. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN Ridgetop Middle School eighth-grader Chloe Vigil (green shirt) explains the classrooms to sixth-graders on a school tour during an orientation Thursday at the school. LARRY STEAGALL / KITSAP SUN

By Christina Henry of the Kitsap Sun

SILVERDALE  Tyler Gonser bounced off the bleachers, twirling once before landing on the floor of the gym Thursday at Ridgetop Middle School at the school's Raider Rush, an orientation for incoming sixth-graders.

Tyler, who had wandered in search of help with his name tag, rejoined the small group to which he was assigned, just as they headed down the hall to a classroom for some getting-to-know-you activities.

This year's sixth-graders in Central Kitsap School District are trailblazers. They're the first to move up to middle school, completing a transformation the district began in 2014, when ninth-graders moved up to high school. The junior highs were converted to middle schools in 2015.

Orientations for sixth-graders starting at Fairview Middle School, Central Kitsap Middle School and Klahowya Secondary School will take place over the next week. Incoming seventh-graders also will visit their schools. The orientations are hosted by eighth-grade volunteers through a program called "Where Everyone Belongs," a widely used middle school transition program.

Ridgetop Principal Rusty Willson said the sneak peek of the school will ensure that sixth-graders know at least one or two upperclassmen who can guide and befriend them as they adjust.

The crowd of sixth-graders buzzed with excitement, as the warm breath of late summer flowed through the open door of the gym. Children on the cusp of leaving childhood behind, they're developmentally better suited to middle school, Willson said.

"I would say sixth-graders are the coolest kids in the world," Willson said. "They're the biggest fish in the littlest pond at elementary school. You always knew they needed to be at the next level."

The vast majority of schools nationwide have moved to a 6-8 middle school, 9-12 high school format, according to district officials. South Kitsap School District is phasing in the middle school, four-year high school model beginning this fall.

The move to middle school is no small thing.

"We probably had four parents in tears," Wilson said.

The dozen students of which Tyler was a part broke the ice with "the straw challenge." Eighth-grade leaders April Nidoy and Chloe Vigil told them to hold a straw in one hand and cross their arms so the person next to them could balance the straw with a pointer finger. The circle of students connected by straws tried to sit down, stand up and rotate the circle 360 degrees. Straws dropped amid laughter and complaints.

"Oh, gosh, this is impossible," one of the students said.

Next came several variations on the name game. Students holding a paper "ball" when the leaders called "gotcha" had to name all the people in the group.

Kim Warrington and Abigail Gesell, best friends from Silver Ridge Elementary, stood next to each other until the group got "scrambled" by leaders.

The eighth-grade mentors, in green "Where Everyone Belongs" T-shirts, were fighting a tide of chitchat. Two girls discussed where they have their braces adjusted. Tyler and another boy whose first name also is Tyler struck up a conversation.

The bottomless social appetite and boundless enthusiasm of sixth-graders was on full display. Even kids who never met until this day found lots to talk about: movies, dead pets, Wild Waves and sky diving.

Kim named the Tylers "Thing One and Thing Two."

Asked what she thought about the move to middle school, Kim said, "I'm kind of scared."

That's a feeling shared by many. But along with that is anticipation.

"I think it's fun and exciting, because it's a new adventure, and we're the first to do it," Abigail said.

Out in the hallway, the group joined streams of babbling sixth-graders and their eighth-grader mentors. April and Chloe, anxiously herding their group, tried to explain the way the cafeteria line works, but they hardly could be heard above the din.

April seemed a little doubtful about the wisdom of bringing sixth-graders up. She remembers being more reserved at that age.

On the way down the hall, Kim broke into "the Egyptian walk," a name tag stuck to her right shoe.

Who knows, in a couple of years, maybe she'll be the one in the green T-shirt, welcoming another crop of incoming sixth-graders.
Seattle resident Sally Schreder and husband Fritz hike at Hurricane Ridge in Olympic National Park on June 7, 2015.



(MEEGAN M. REID / KITSAP SUN)





By Associated Press

The U.S. National Park Service is celebrating 100 years of managing some of the nation's most well-known parks, monuments and historic places.

The agency's reach stretches coast to coast, from Acadia on the Atlantic to the Channel Islands in the Pacific. There's the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial in Washington, D.C., and the Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania.

As the national parks system attracts greater numbers of visitors each year, the agency is facing key challenges ahead. One is a backlog of repairs that total nearly $12 billion. The other is reaching out to minority communities, who studies show don't go to the parks, and getting them to visit  and care about preserving  America's parks.

Centennial events scheduled for Aug. 25, 2016, include free mule-drawn boat rides at C&O Canal National Historical Park in Maryland, creation of a giant, living version of the park service emblem in Washington, D.C., a naturalization ceremony on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon and an outdoor concert at Yellowstone National Park.

National parks across the country are offering free admission, birthday cake, ranger talks and other special events to mark the anniversary.

Here are some recent stories we've written about Olympic National Park:

 At 75, Olympic National Park has grown amid push-pull of forces (April 13, 2015)

 Olympic National Park has a "wild" future ahead (June 30, 2013)

 Olympic National Park: 10 ways to experience its diversity (May 28, 2016)
The restoration of the Motel 6 in West Bremerton continues this week, more than a year after a gas explosion leveled the eastern portion of the motel just off Kitsap Way.

JOSH FARLEY / KITSAP SUN

By Josh Farley of the Kitsap Sun

BREMERTON  Kitsap County prosecutors have declined to file a criminal charge against a man police say caused a gas explosion a year ago at Motel 6 in West Bremerton.

The man, 32 at the time of the explosion, admitted to authorities that he'd stepped on a natural gas line Aug. 18, 2015, while helping his stepdaughter climb out a window at the motel. He'd heard a hissing sound as they left, which investigators say was likely the beginnings of a gas buildup that ultimately ignited.

The explosion destroyed the eastern side of the motel and critically injured a Cascade Natural Gas technician who was attempting to fix the leak. It also blew back several emergency responders who suffered injuries.

An investigation that involved Bremerton police and fire department investigators, in conjunction with the federal Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, concluded an assault charge was justified because the man knew the pipe had snapped and failed to notify anyone.

Kitsap County Chief Deputy Prosecutor Chad Enright said his office reviewed the case and even consulted with attorneys outside the office. But prosecutors ultimately felt they could not prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt before a jury.

In their legal research, prosecutors came upon another Kitsap case: The one against a Belfair man charged with assault when a boy at his home took one of his guns to Armin Jahr Elementary School in Bremerton in February 2012. The gun discharged in the boy's backpack and critically injured an 8-year-old girl. Prosecutors had charged third-degree assault in that case, too, but a state appeals court held that the suspect's conduct must involve the "immediate physical impetus of harm," Enright said, and the charge was ultimately dismissed.

In the Motel 6 explosion, Enright said the gas ignited by an unknown source about 30 minutes after the leak was caused.

"We are therefore unable to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect's conduct was the 'immediate physical impetus' that caused the explosion and injuries to the victims of the Bremerton Motel 6 explosion," Enright said in an email.

The intensity of the explosion led emergency responders to believe there would be a number of casualties at the time. In what has been described as miraculous, no one was killed. The worst injured, Larry Jennings of Cascade Natural Gas, told the Kitsap Sun he was fortunate to be alive.

The motel is in the process of rebuilding. Tonya Hinds, the motel clerk who pulled a fire alarm as the smell of gas spread, said the property is on track for a fall opening. Much of the building had to be gutted due to the explosion and subsequent mold that grew in the absence of power and heat to the building.

"It was an epic undertaking," she said.
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Myra Howrey, president, League of Women Voters of Kitsap

Nearly a century of engaging voters

August 26th marks the 96th anniversary of the constitutional amendment that granted women the right to vote. The nonpartisan League of Women Voters  founded the same year women achieved this right  celebrates Women's Equality Day by remembering the historic achievement of the 19th amendment and looking forward to greater civic participation in our communities.

We encourage all members of our community to engage in healthy debate of current issues, whether it is in support of a candidate or a ballot initiative. Respectful disagreement on an issue between citizens is the best way to teach our young people about civic engagement. Let's teach them well during this election season.

The League of Women Voters of Kitsap, with a 53-year history, believes that an engaged and informed citizenry can and does lead to civic improvement at all levels of government. Women's Equality Day is a celebration of such a basic part of our democratic process  the right to vote  and the opportunities to channel that power into real and lasting change. Only 35 percent of those eligible to vote in the primary election contests chose to vote. What a disservice to those who chose to run for an office; what a disservice to our system of government.

For information on the League of Women Voters of Kitsap's October forums for candidates in the general election or to learn how to become a member of League, visit www.lwvwa.org/kitsap. Become an informed voter, and then vote.
The Auckland Ratepayers Alliance has said:

The Auckland Ratepayers Alliance has released the list of candidates who have signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge, which prevents those candidates from voting for any measures which increase the total average burden of rates, levies, and other compulsory Council charges, more than 2% per annum. To date, 25 candidates have agreed to sign the pledge. Those who have agreed to keep levy or rate hikes under 2% include all Communities and Residents candidates, and four mayoral candidates. Although Auckland Future candidates have confirmed that they will not be signing our pledge, they insist that their own pledge achieves the same outcomes. Albany candidate Lisa Whyte said their pledge is complementary to yours and that they are committed to the same values. Whilst disappointed Auckland Future candidates are not signing, we anticipate them holding fast to their assurances that they will limit annual rates increases to an average of no more than 2% and honour their own pledge. We are delighted with the response from Council candidates. The 25 candidates that have signed the Ratepayer Protection Pledge alongside Auckland Futures 10 candidates is more than enough to fill the Council with candidates who have agreed to reset Auckland Councils culture of waste and high rates.

So Aucklanders, you have the ability to control your own destiny. Simply only vote for the 35 candidates who have pledged not to increase rates beyond 2%, and your rates wont increase by more than 2%. No more 10% rates increases. But if you vote for other candidates, well dont be surprised when you get walloped with larger and larger rates increases.

List of candidates who are on board: Mayoral Mark Thomas

John Palino

Stan Martin

Binh Thanh Nguyen Councillors Albany Ward John Watson

Wayne Walker Albert-Eden-Roskill Christine Fletcher

Benjamin Lee

Greg McKeown

Bridgette Sullivan-Taylor Howick Dick Quax

Sharon Stewart

Ian Colin Ireland North Shore Grant Gillon

John Hill Orakei Desley Simpson Rodney Greg Sayers

Steven Garner

Holly Southernwood Waitakere John Riddell

David Rankin Waitemata and Gulf Mike Lee

Bill Ralston

Rob Thomas Whau

Anne Degia-Pala

Duncan MacDonald

As I understand it both Victoria Crone and Auckland Future candidates also have policy to not support rates increases of more than 2%, so they are also worth supporting.

So for Mayor you have four candidates who have signed the pledge (John Palino, Mark Thomas and two others) plus Victoria Crone has a policy of a maximum 2% average also and Phil Goff a policy of 2.5% maximum.

In some wards there are more candidates who have signed the pledge (or have a policy the same) than positions so to choose between them look at their other policies and track record.

But again if you want a Council that will not see ratepayers at a bottomless pit, then vote for candidates who are prepared to specify their maximum rates increase theyll vote for.

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Stuff reports:

Its now over to councils to decide whether shops can open on Easter Sunday after controversial legislation passed into law amidst heated debate. That is despite public calls from New Zealand sporting greats David Tua and Michael Jones for Pacific MPs to oppose the change. Tua flew to Wellington to speak to media shortly before the final vote, flanked by Labours Pacific MPs. I think Easter Sunday needs to be protected. As a young boy growing up in South Auckland Easter Sunday, you looked forward to it  to spending it with your family, you go to church, and you have a good lunch, Tua said. Nationals Pacific MPs needed to be courageous and defy their party and vote down the law change for our families, the boxer said. Last week rugby great Michael Jones  a devout Christian who has links to the National Party  also went public with a similar call. However, all National Party members voted for the Shop Trading Hours Amendment Bill, which will allow councils to pass bylaws to allow trading on Easter Sunday and passed its third and final reading by 62 to 59 personal votes today.

Great to see Parliament vote for slightly saner shop trading hours.

The current law is a farce. Queenstown and Taupo could open but not Rotorua and Wanaka. How can anyone defend the status quo? You either need all areas to be open, none to be open or have a procedure (which we now have) where each area can decide for itself.

It is also worth noting that many shops already can legally open on Easter Sunday anyway. Dairies, service stations, souvenir shops, duty free shops, fast food outlets, public transport terminal stores, and pharmacies can all open.

The new law also explicitly states no employee can be forced to work on Easter Sunday, and can refuse without having to give a reason. This protects employees far more than the current law where employees who did work in one of the exempted category or exempted areas could be forced to work.

So it is a small step towards a saner shop trading hour regime.

What will be interesting now is to see what each territorial authority decides. I am sure areas such as Wanaka and Rotorua (who have wanted this for a long time) will decide to allow Easter Sunday trading. What will Wellington decide? Tauranga?

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The Taxpayers Union have rung warning bells:

Revenue Minister Michael Woodhouses proposed amendment to the Tax Administration Act, allowing tax law to be changed by Order in Council, is a constitutional disgrace, says Jordan Williams, a former constitutional lawyer and current Executive Director of the Taxpayers Union. The concerns are backed by tax expert, and former head of policy at the Inland Revenue, Robin Oliver.

Mr Oliver says, The proposed law change allows the government to suspend and overrule provisions of the Tax Administration Act. This sounds as if it is about forms and processes. But in fact, that Act sets out most taxpayers rights such as the right to secrecy and the right to have your arguments considered and dealt with fairly. It also imposes up to five years in prison for the criminal offence of evasion. It seems astonishing that Parliament would delegate to the government the ability to overrule and suspend such vital legislation. A more considered approach is called for.
SHARE Bill Ailor, judge, Knox County Circuit Court Division II

By Jamie Satterfield of the Knoxville News Sentinel

With two courts concluding a Knox County judge not yet sworn into office had no authority to fire his predecessor's judicial assistant, the Tennessee Supreme Court wants to use the case to test the employment status of such assistants statewide.

The high court this week agreed to hear an appeal by Knox County Circuit Court Judge Bill Ailor of a ruling  made by a fellow state judge and then affirmed by an appellate court  that stripped him of judicial immunity in a lawsuit filed by judicial assistant Judith Moore-Pennoyer.

But the Supreme Court isn't interested in whether Ailor was officially a judge at the time of Moore-Pennoyer's firing. Instead, the high court is asking both sides to weigh in on whether Moore-Pennoyer  and judicial assistants in general  are "at-will employees" who can be fired at anytime for any reason.

The court is also seeking to address whether judicial assistants' jobs are directly tied to the judge who hired them and must lose their jobs when the hiring judge loses or gives up the bench. The court did not elaborate further in its order.

Tennessee is what's known as an at-will employment state in which private employers can fire anyone without cause with only a handful of legal exceptions, such as discrimination. State employees enjoy some civil-service protection, including an appeals process. But the issue in Ailor's case had nothing to do with Moore-Pennoyer's employment classification but whether he had authority to hire or fire anyone at the time the assistant was terminated.

Ailor fired Moore-Pennoyer, who had for years served Judge Harold Wimberly, in August 2014. Ailor, a Republican, defeated the veteran Democratic judge in an upset victory in the August 2014 election. He fired Moore-Pennoyer without apparent cause a week after the election and before he was set to be sworn into office on Sept. 1. Attorney David Dunaway sued Ailor on behalf of the judicial assistant, who was a state employee.

The Tennessee Attorney General's Office filed on behalf of Ailor a motion to dismiss the lawsuit, contending judges are immune from lawsuits over employment decisions  and most everything else arising from their duties. Senior Judge Jon Kerry Blackwood, who has since retired, ruled Ailor was not yet a judge when he fired Moore-Pennoyer and was entitled to neither judicial immunity or a state-provided attorney.

Ailor appealed. The Tennessee Court of Appeals sided with Moore-Pennoyer.

"(Ailor) posits that it is the election, not the induction ceremony, that bestows upon the elected individual the rights to the office that he or she will assume," that opinion stated. "The Constitution provides that Judge Wimberly's term was not subject to expiration until his successor was elected and qualified. Further, Judge Ailor's term could not begin until Sept. 1, 2014, unless specifically provided by the Legislature."

Moore-Pennoyer, who was a state employee, spent 18 years of her 24-year career as a judicial assistant working for Wimberly.

Dunaway alleges in the lawsuit Ailor fired her without the authority to do so and because he wanted someone younger and free of health conditions. Moore-Pennoyer has multiple sclerosis. The lawsuit stated she had no history of excessive absences from work despite her illness and had always received good evaluations.
By Kristi L. Nelson and Gerald Witt of the Knoxville News Sentinel

MARYVILLE  The man accused of killing a police officer had planned to 'ambush' officers and blamed police for ruining his life, authorities said Friday.

"It was our speculation that it was definitely an ambush that had been set up," Blount County Sheriff James Berrong said at a news conference.

Brian Keith Stalans, 44, faces charges that include criminal homicide and could range up to capital murder in the death of Maryville Police Department Officer Kenny Moats, 32. He remained in jail Friday night with bond set at $1.5 million and was set to appear Monday afternoon in Blount County General Sessions Court.

Authorities said Stalans shot Moats in the neck Thursday when Moats and a Blount County Sheriff's Office deputy went to Stalan's home on Alcoa Trail near Kerrway Lane where Stalans was arguing with his father.

The bullet struck Moats just above his bullet-resistant vest, the sheriff said. He died at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Moats' partner and another deputy involved in the shoot-out remain on administrative leave with pay. Authorities haven't given their names.

The sheriff said officers executing a search warrant at Stalans' home found in the basement a letter "blaming the Blount County Sheriff's Office and family members for his misfortunes," as well as a "makeshift barricade that would protect him while he fired and also a place to rest his arm while he fired."

Berrong wouldn't give further details about the letter.

Moats, a nine-year veteran of the Maryville Police Department, and his partner were answering the second domestic violence call of the day at Stalans' address. Deputies responded to the first call at the home where Stalans lived with his father around 10:45 a.m.

"The father did not want to place charges against his son  and we had no reason we could take him into custody," the sheriff said.

Stalans had no record of any criminal charges in Blount County, Berrong said, although the sheriff said he had "a long history of violent tendencies" and had an active order of protection against him on file in Sullivan County, where he previously lived, along with a record of an incident there involving a weapon.

Records show Blount County deputies responded to Stalans' home on March 23 for an earlier domestic argument but made no arrest.

Deputies had no probable cause to take Stalans into custody either time, the sheriff said.

"Each incident is judged on its own merits," he said. "While we'd like to turn back the clock and erase this, officers have to make decisions within the guidelines of the law, and they did that."

Stalans' girlfriend and father told police Stalans fired a round of bullets into the girlfriend's Alcoa home around 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Berrong said the girlfriend didn't realize Stalans had fired into the home, where she lived with a child younger than 5. But because Stalans was "agitated," the sheriff said, the girlfriend went from her home to the nearby Alcoa Police Department and then called Stalans' father to tell him Stalans "was coming to harm him."

Berrong said Stalans' father called E-911 around 4 p.m. and told a dispatcher that Stalans had a weapon. Dispatchers relayed that warning to Moats and his partner, assigned to the 5th Judicial District Drug Task Force, who were nearby and volunteered to answer the call, he said. Another unit had initially been dispatched.

The officers arrived, parked at another home about 70 yards behind Stalans' house and moved the father to safety, then took cover behind their vehicle waiting for help to arrive while watching the house. Stalans went to the basement garage and opened fire on the officers with five shots from his .45-caliber pistol, the sheriff said. One of those shots struck Moats in the neck, he said.

Moats' partner returned fire twice, the sheriff said, and another deputy arrived and fired five shots. Stalans ultimately gave himself up.

Berrong said Stalans' father had taken his guns and "secured them in the attic," but after the morning domestic call, Stalans broke into the attic, "retrieved" the pistol, cut the lock off and "went to a local business and bought ammunition." He said police found no other weapon in the garage.

A neighbor heard the gun battle from a few houses away.

"I heard 'Boom, boom, boom,' then a five-second silence, 'Boom, boom, boom,' and then another 'Boom, boom' loud, loud," Wanda Malone said.

Malone, who lives two doors down from Stalans' home, went outside to her neighbor's house, next door to the shooting scene, where she saw the deputies struggling to save Moats.

"The police hollered, "Stay back." ... We could see that policeman lying in that ditch," Malone said. "They were working over him and saying, 'Kenny, don't leave us. Kenny, don't leave us.' "

Neighbors said Stalans had been firing his guns all day.

"He was walking around, shooting in the ground or in the air or in the bushes," said Malone's grandson, Austin. "Then he'd turn around and shoot into the trees."

He said Stalans didn't seem agitated or upset at the time.

"No expression of anger or nothing," he said.

Stalans had been flagged by police as dangerous, based on the orders of protection in Sullivan County, the sheriff said. Details from the orders  one obtained by his ex-wife and another by his daughter  describe a man with potential mental illness, suicidal thoughts and a history of physical abuse toward his family. Rebecca Stalans, mother of his three daughters, also said he had many guns.

In a 2013 petition for an order of protection, she said the two had been married 17 years.

"Brian has had a history of psychological issues and has many guns and swords," she wrote. "I am concerned for my daughters, my life and his life."

Stalans' LinkedIn profile lists him as an Eagle Scout who served in the Air Force from 1990-1994, with an honorable discharge. He worked as a truck driver from 2008-2010, when he was injured in a crash, and later worked as a tech support agent.

Posts on travelerschapel.com, a ministry to truckers and other long-distance travelers, indicate Stalans blamed the crash for mental problems that followed, including short-term memory loss, night terrors and flashbacks.

Knoxville police cruisers escorted the ambulance carrying Moats on the drive to the hospital Thursday afternoon along Alcoa Highway. Dozens of cruisers escorted his body back to Maryville on Friday, carried in a white hearse surrounded by motorcycles.

Officers lined Broadway Avenue in silence as the motorcade passed, red and blue lights flashing. Some embraced. Some wept.

Moats, a father of three, joined the police department in February 2007 and had served as a drug enforcement agent since May. He was a "stellar" officer and was named as a Readers' Choice Police Officer by the Maryville Daily Times newspaper in 2011, according to Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp.

Since January, Moats also had served as president of the local Fraternal Order of Police Bud Allison Memorial Lodge No. 9.

"We are humbled by the outpouring of love and support from the community and beyond," Crisp said in a statement. "We will forever be grateful for the care our community has shown the family of Officer Moats and the law enforcement community.

"We know this tragedy will bring our community closer together, and that will be a lasting legacy of Officer Moats. We just ask that our community continue to pray for the family of Officer Moats and for the men and women in uniform as we go through this trying time."

The last time a Maryville police officer was killed on duty was on Feb. 21, 1981, when John Michael Callahan II was struck by a drunk driver while riding his patrol motorcycle on Merritt Road. Moats' death made him the 76th officer nationwide to fall in the line of duty so far this year, according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
By Megan Boehnke of the Knoxville News Sentinel

The longtime Knox County Schools human resources director who retired last month did so after agreeing to a $75,000 severance package and signing a nondisclosure agreement, records show.

A review of her personnel file also showed that Kathy Sims, made human resources director in 2004 by then-Superintendent Charles Q. Lindsey, had no previous human resources background. Sims had most recently been an elementary school principal at Hardin Valley.

But by the time she submitted her retirement notice in July, Sims was managing human resources for 8,200 employees in what the National Center for Education Statistics says is the 69th-largest school district in the country. She was earning an annual salary of approximately $115,000.

Her personnel file included no performance evaluations for her 12 years as the human resources director. Schools spokeswoman Abbey Harris said Friday the only performance records that exist are two "strategic compensation plans" signed by former Schools Superintendent Jim McIntyre. Both had minimal notes by McIntyre, but outlined job criteria Sims was expected to meet.

In a 10-page document, signed by both Sims and Interim Schools Superintendent Buzz Thomas on July 22, Sims would be paid $40,000 one week after signing the agreement. She would then receive two months' pay totaling $8,666 while she continues to serve until Sept. 30 in a consulting role. Another $5,000 in severance is to be paid by March 1, and another $20,000 by Oct. 7, 2017. Her insurance plan will end on Sept. 30.

By signing the document, Sims agreed not to disparage the district and not to disclose "the terms of the agreement, and the negotiations leading to the agreement." She also agreed not to sue the district.

"Dr. Sims has been an extremely dedicated and respected leader in the school system for many years. Obviously Dr. Sims did not wish for her tenure to end but is well-satisfied with the agreement," said her attorney, Jeffrey Hagood, adding that he was constrained from commenting further because of the nondisclosure.

Thomas said he, too, could not comment.

"It's one of those things where everyone promises not to say anything," Thomas said. "I'm sure they would like to say a lot, and we would like to say a lot, but it's better not to."

In an open letter to the community shortly after stepping into his new interim role, Thomas named human resources as one of three areas that have "experienced significant problems" and needs improvement, along with public information and transportation.

In July, Director of Public Affairs Melissa Tindell accused Thomas of encouraging her "to seek employment opportunities outside of the Knox County Schools" and told her she was viewed as a "McIntyre defender" and "therefore, not viewed favorably by some newly elected board members that will take office in September." Tindell resigned July 15 and has joined Christian Academy of Knoxville as director of communications.

The human resources job opening was posted on the district's website from July 29 to Aug. 12, and Thomas said on Tuesday he had already interviewed two candidates this week and planned to interview a third.

Thomas said he also hopes to find a candidate with extensive human resources training, including a graduate degree in the field. Human resources "is its own field," he said.

Tony Norman, a recently elected board member who will be sworn into office next month, and an outspoken critic of McIntyre, agreed he'd like to see more industry experience in the next human resources administrator.

"Going forward here, it'd be a great idea to have someone with HR experience. Wouldn't that be amazing?" he said. "I don't have any comment on (Sims) leaving, but certainly I hope we can find some people who have some considerable HR experience, especially given we have 8,500 employees, or whatever it is.

"We have to have some very knowledgeable people in that position."

Before her promotion, Sims had served as principal of Hardin Valley Elementary. She had a doctorate in education, but had not worked in human resources before.

"We did a full posting, and those who were interested applied for the job," said Lindsey, who promoted Sims while he was superintendent in 2004. "After we looked at that, and did the interviews, we felt like she was the most qualified of the candidates we interviewed."

Lindsey said when he headed other school systems in Summerville, S.C., and Clarksville-Montgomery County, Tenn., the human resources directors at the time were former principals. He called promoting former principals as human resources directors "a proven route."

"It's not unusual for someone who has been an accomplished principal to make their way into central office," he said. "Most of the events in the school system happen at the school level  it's a teacher situation, it's a principal situation, it's a bus driver situation, it's aides, it's work personnel. So a (former) principal brings to that job naturally an understanding of how those events work."

Metro Nashville Public Schools recently decided not to renew the contract for its human resources director, who was also a former educator, a spokesman said. A job description for her replacement was not immediately available.

Kelly Coash-Johnson, the executive director of the American Association of School Personnel Administrators, also said it wasn't unusual for districts to hire former educators and train them to be human resources administrators. In the South, however, she said it seems more human resources administrators come from the private sector.

"Twice a year we do a (training) boot camp and 80 percent of the attendees are principals who are aspiring for that job of HR or have recently been promoted to HR," she said. "The reason they are principals versus someone else in the district is because principals usually have some experience in the hiring, in the discipline and the paperwork involved  That's why they are sometimes equipped to move into and handle HR."

When it comes to his search, Thomas said he hopes to revamp the office. Thomas wants to provide more training for principals on documenting low-performing teachers and more carefully screen potential candidates so principals are provided with only the top applicants for open jobs.

He said he also wants to be better at recruiting and attracting top talent. He pointed to Austin, Texas, as a place where teachers are recruited like athletes, and the district promotes the community as a great place to live and work.

"You ask me what I'm looking for in a human resources department?" he said. "I'm looking for that kind of aggressive recruitment."

Thomas said the recent personnel moves are part of his push to make Knox County Schools the best in the South.
SHARE Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett, right, presents a surprise proclamation honoring Purple Heart recipient Gerald Clark, left, at a reception marking the 58th anniversary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart at the Sherrill Hills Retirement Community on Friday Aug. 26, 2016. (J. Miles Cary/Special to the News Sentinel) The Volunteer State Veterans Honor Guard presents the Colors at a reception marking the 58th anniversary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, at the Sherrill Hills Retirement Community on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. Mayor Tim Burchett presented a surprise proclamation in honor of Purple Heart recipient Gerald Clark. (J. Miles Cary/Special to the News Sentinel) Owen Haddock, a member of the Military Order of the World Wars, takes a photo of the display honoring Purple Heart recipients at a reception marking the 58th anniversary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, at Sherrill Hills Retirement Community on Friday, Aug. 26, 2016. (J. Miles Cary/Special to the News Sentinel) Robert "Buzz" Buswell, Knox County Director Veterans & Senior Services, also a Purple Heart Recipient talks at a reception marking the 58th anniversary of the Military Order of the Purple Heart, Friday Aug. 26, 2016. The reception was held at the Sherrill Hills Retirement Community. (J. Miles Cary/Special to the News Sentinel) Related Photos Photos: Tennessee Purple Heart recipient honored with surprise proclamation from Knox County mayor

By Jay Miller, Special to the News Sentinel

KNOXVILLE  It is often said life is full of surprises.

For Gerald Clark, an army veteran and Purple Heart recipient, the saying holds true, even at age 91.

Today Clark was honored with a surprise proclamation from Knox County Mayor Tim Burchett during a ceremony commemorating the 58th anniversary of the chartering of the Purple Heart. During the proclamation, Burchett officially declared Aug. 26 "Gerald Clark Day" in Knox County.

More than 100 residents and members of the public gathered at Sherrill Hills Retirement Community in West Knoxville to honor Purple Heart recipients, veterans, and Clark, specifically.

"This was a huge surprise," said Clark. "I was expecting Sherrill Hills to have a commemoration of the Purple Heart and I was not expecting this. I was blown away with it, to tell the truth."

Clark's military career began when he was 16, according to Robert "Buzz" Buswell, director of veteran and senior services for Knox County.

"He wasn't active duty, he was a machinist plumber's helper in Newport News shipyard," Buswell said. "When he was 18 he enlisted in the Army and he told everybody he saw it as an adventure."

That adventure led Clark to Europe and eventually to "The Battle of the Bulge" in 1944. He fought with the 75th Infantry Division, which famously helped halt a major German offensive in 1945.

Burchett said he wanted to do something special for Clark, not just for his service in World War II, but for his ongoing service to veterans and the community at large. He said too often veterans are not recognized for their efforts.

"The guy lost his leg defending our country and these veterans often have to go begging," he said. "To me it's just disgusting."

Members of Clark's family were in attendance for the ceremony. Clark's Daughter, Karen Orr, said she found out about the proclamation approximately one week before Friday's ceremony.

"It's just a wonderful tribute to my father and veterans everywhere," said Orr. "He is truly a hero and is my father. He is wonderful in both categories."

Clark and his wife, Bea, were married shortly after he returned from Europe. They met in their teens in Del Rio, Tenn. and have been together for more than 70 years. According to Bea, today was the best day of his life.

"I think he is still in a state of shock," She said.

Clark was not the only Purple Heart recipient at the ceremony. Todd Shaw, the Tennessee State Commander for the Military Order of Purple Heart and a veteran of the Iraq War, said people like Clark are the reason others continue to join the military.

"The guys who did it before us are the reason we serve," he said. "I'd just like to thank him for my freedom and let him know that what he did not go unnoticed."

When asked how he would celebrate Gerald Clark Day in 2017, Clark said jokingly that he did not expect to be around.

"I turned 91 this month," he said. "According to science and medical science and so on, I shouldn't be there. But I sure do feel well and I am enjoying it."

His wife and daughter said they expect to gather to celebrate the occasion with Gerald and other family members on Aug. 26, 2017.
Little Eliza Andrews had pluck and a plan. On a hot, sunny day last month along the Rideau Canal in Ottawa, Canada, 7-year-old Eliza set up a lemonade stand to help hydrate cyclists and joggers and make a little coin. Business was good until a woman  let's call her Nancy the Narc  stopped and said do-gooding Eliza was "not allowed" to be where she was, doing what she was doing.

Then a cop came. Rolled up in a flak jacket. Eliza's dad, according to CBC News, said the dude was nice enough but the SWAT-style attire was a might intimidating. You no doubt know what happened next  Eliza the Entrepreneur was shut down, learning a cold, hard lesson on that hot, sunny day.

Government rules. She had no permit.

The long arm of the law against lemonade stands extends beyond Canada, eh? Last summer, comedian Jerry Seinfeld helped his kid, Julian, set up a lemonade stand to raise money for charity in tony East Hampton, New York. A meddling neighbor  let's call her Rhonda the Rat  rolled on the kids and comedian. Cops came.

Again, no permit. Again, government rules.

So we come to Knoxville. To the hundreds of entrepreneurs who have pluck and a plan to open their homes to overnight rentals via Airbnb or VRBO or any number of other websites which allow property owners to make some money in the sharing economy.

Mayor Madeline Rogero's administration says they are simply seeking to "level the playing field" by finding a way to tax these small business folks at the same rate they tax the national and multinational corporations that rent rooms by the night in hotels.

The Hiltons and the Marriotts, no doubt, appreciate the protection.

Rogero's folks say they will "protect neighborhoods first," and this is needed.

Overnight rentals have, more than once, been turned into meth labs and brothels, so some sort of regulation is necessary.

But that "home is the castle" thing, where the king and/or queen can do whatever they damn well please within the confines of their own walls, is breached a bit by any law or levy.

Enforcement is an issue. Owners and addresses are not readily available to city hall snoops. So, just in time, interestingly named Ulrik Binzer has formed Host Compliance, a company which, for a fee, will out owners by providing cities with the names and addresses of homeowners who rent through Airbnb et al.

Binzer told the Wall Street Journal, "What we're trying to get through is a transition from the Wild West to something that's a sustainable business."

Good thing. Without government rules, mom and pop might disrupt and bust the hotel industry and turn Sequoyah Hills into Tombstone.

Meanwhile, Seinfeld's son learned no good deed goes unregulated. Little Eliza made $52 in two hours meeting a need, supplying what customers demanded. Her takeaway?

"I felt sad because I like selling lemonade," Eliza told CBC. "It was really fun and there were lots of customers."

No matter. Government rules.
Hog hunting permits for Big South Fork and Obed go on sale Saturday, September 3

AUGUST 26, 2016 at 9:21 a.m.



ONEIDA, TN  The Big South Fork National River and Recreation Area and the Obed Wild and Scenic River are two of only a few National Park Service units legislated to allow hunting within their boundaries. Wild hogs may be hunted from September 24, 2016, through February 28, 2017, in Tennessee and from September 3, 2016, through February 28, 2017, in Kentucky. A permit is required to hunt hogs during these seasons and may be purchased at one of the visitor centers or online at www.nps.gov/biso/planyourvisit/hog-hunting.htm or www.nps.gov/obed/planyourvisit/permits.htm. Permits go on sale starting Saturday, September 3. The permit costs $5.00 and is good for both Big South Fork and Obed Wild and Scenic River; those who purchase the permit will be requested to participate in a survey later. A valid hunting license is required to purchase the permit. Dogs may not be used to hunt hogs.



For further information, contact the Bandy Creek Visitor Center at (423) 286-7275 or the Obed Wild and Scenic River Visitor Center at (423) 346-6294.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park celebrates National Park Service Centennial

AUGUST 25, 2016 at 11:57 p.m.

By Jeaneane Payne







More than 300 national park employees and dignitaries attended a celebration of the 100th birthday of the National Park Service. Image by Jeaneane Payne.





Great Smoky Mountains National Park celebrated the 100th birthday of the National Park Service today during a special Founders Day Lunch Event for employees, partners, and community leaders. The lunch was hosted by the Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Council, Friends of the Smokies, and Great Smoky Mountains Association. Over 340 employees who dedicate themselves daily to preserving and protecting Great Smoky Mountains National Park were recognized at the event.



On August 25, 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed the act that created the National Park Service to conserve the scenery and the natural and historic objects and the wild life therein and to provide for the enjoyment of the same in such manner and by such means as will leave them unimpaired for future generations. The celebration of that moment began in early 2015 when the National Park Service began encouraging people to Find Your Park. Great Smoky Mountains National Park has carried the Find Your Park Theme throughout the year by initiating special park centennial programs and participating in over 70 community events which have provided an opportunity for people of all backgrounds to discover and share their own unique connections to our nations natural landscapes, vibrant culture, and rich history.



Dignitaries attending included US Senator Lamar Alexander (TN), US Congressman Phil Roe (TN), US Congressman Donald Norcross (NJ), Park Superintendent Cassius Cash, National Parks Conservation Association Regional Director, Don Barger, Smoky Mountain Tourism Development Chairman, Leon Downey along with current and former National Park Service employees.



Park Headquarters Lawn in Gatlinburg was filled with hundreds of park employees, dignitaries, and some people who used to live inside the park. Live bluegrass music and a luncheon for park employees were part of the celebration.



Were celebrating the 100th anniversary of the National Park Service here in the Great Smoky Mountains by encouraging people to participate in several programs," said Park Superintendent Cassius Cash. "One of those programs is to get people to hike 100 miles throughout the park this year. More than 450 people have completed that hike, thus far. "



The communities of Tennessee, North Carolina and the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians have worked together to make tourism in the national park a success.



More than 312 million people have visited our national parks last year, said Superintendent Cash. That is more than the NBA, NFL, NHL, NASCAR, and Disney put together, and we did it on the budget of Austin, Texas.



Senator Lamar Alexander recalled memories of his childhood in the park. I remember as a 15 year old boy my dad dropping me and two of my friends off at Newfound Gap the day after Christmas. He said Ill see you in Gatlinburg this afternoon. So me and my buddies made it to Gatlinburg by afternoon in two feet of snow.



Congressman Donald Norcross said his mother was born in Laurel Valley near Townsend, grew up in the area, and graduated from Gatlinburg High School.



Also in attendance at the celebration were former Governor Don Sundquist and former park superintendents Dale Ditmanson and Randy Pope.

Published August 25, 2016


















Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin gets into a car at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul, Sunday, after returning from Japan. Shin, who left the country several days before the prosecution began an investigation into the group early this month, said he will fully cooperate with prosecutors. / Yonhap



Shin Dong-bin says he will fully cooperate with prosecution



By Lee Hyo-sik



Embattled Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin returned home Sunday, following a month-long overseas trip. He expressed regrets for causing concern over a host of allegations ranging from the creation of a slush fund to inter-subsidiary dealings and tax evasion.



Shin, who is expected to be summoned by the prosecution, said he will fully cooperate with prosecutors.



"I am sorry for causing grave concerns," Shin told reporters at Gimpo International Airport in western Seoul, upon returning from Japan. "I will fully cooperate with the prosecution."



The chairman also said he is not worried about his older brother Dong-joo's attempts to take away control of Korea's fifth-largest conglomerate from him.

He refused to comment on the health of his ailing father and group founder Kyuk-ho.



On June 7, three days before hundreds of investigators raided Lotte Group headquarters, offices of group affiliates and the chairman's residence, Shin left the country for Mexico where he attended the annual meeting of the International Ski Federation.



He then went to the United States to take part in a ground breaking ceremony for Lotte Chemical's joint plant with U.S. chemical firm Axiall.




By Choi Sung-jin



Since the political opposition won a majority in the April general election, it has actively pushed for raising corporate tax rates as a means of rectifying economic inequity between businesses and workers.



The Korea Institute of Public Finance, a government think tank, gave an item-by-item rebuttal of the opposition parties' attempt at a forum Thursday.



"The former Lee Myung-bak administration's lowering of corporate tax rates should not be the target of public criticism as if it were tax cuts for the rich,'" the institute said in its report. "Korea may have to pay far higher prices than expected, such as the erosion of its growth potential, if the nation pushes ahead with the increase of corporate taxes."



As a result of comparing the corporate taxes of countries with similar economic size and structure to Korea's, the nation's corporate tax rate is rather high, the report said.



The maximum corporate tax rates of countries with per capita gross domestic product ranging between $20,000 and $40,000 was 22 percent, on average -- the same as Korea, whose per capita GDP was about $27,000 last year, the report said.



Also, the average maximum corporate tax rates with their exports accounting for 45-60 percent of GDP was 20 percent, lower than Korea, which relies on exports for 52 percent of its GDP.



"Countries that heavily depend on exports for GDP growth tend to keep their corporate tax rates at a lower level because high tax rates weaken their businesses' international competitiveness," the state think tank said.



The KIPF report said that since the global financial crisis most member nations of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) have lowered corporate taxes. Since 2008, 18 OECD member countries have lowered corporate tax rates while six nations have raised their rates, it said, noting that Japan in particular has cut rates by 9.6 percentage points over the past eight years.



The report also cautioned against the adverse effects possible tax hikes could have on the national economy, including further falls in investment in plant and equipment, which in turn will reduce the nation's potential growth rate in the mid to long run.



"The negative effects corporate tax hikes have on businesses' capital spending are quite clear," it said. "The increase of corporate taxes, if it comes amid the overall slump of corporate investment, is feared to deteriorate the already languid business environment."



Based on an empirical analysis, the report said business owners will shoulder 40 percent of financial burdens from corporate tax hikes, with 30-35 percent falling on workers and the other 25-30 percent on landowners.



"If Korea must increase taxes to raise financial resources for welfare and other government spending, the nation has to raise income tax, consumption tax and corporate tax, and exactly in that order," the think tank said. "While the revenue shares of income and consumption taxes here are far lower than those of major economies, the revenue from corporate tax remains high."



In the 2000s, the portion of income tax revenue against GDP stood at 3.6 percent, less than half of the OECD's average of 8.8 percent, and that of consumption tax was 8.5 percent, compared with OECD's 11.1 percent. On the other hand, the share of corporate tax revenue was 3.6 percent, higher than the OECD average of 3.3 percent, the report said.



But an official at the main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea disagreed with the state-run think tank.



"Amid the lack of aggregate demand, where households cannot spend money because of zero growth in their disposable income, the government should take steps to stir up demand by funneling massive corporate wealth to households," he said. "The raising of corporate tax rates can be the symbolic first step toward increasing household income."




Students who participated in this year's Hanwha Science Challenge contest give a presentation at the company R&D facility in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Thursday. / Courtesy of Hanwha Group



By Jhoo Dong-chan

Hanwha Group held a finalists contest on Thursday and an award ceremony on Friday for its Hanwha Science Challenge, a contest helping young people develop and strengthen their knowledge and creativity in science. The finalists contest took place in the Hanwha R&D Center in Gapyeong, Gyeonggi Province, while the award ceremony was held in the Hanwha Life 63 Building in Yeouido, southwestern Seoul.

The award ceremony was attended by 220 people, including the students and their teachers from 30 high schools, college professors and heads of Hanwha Group affiliates.

"We are honored by the students' participation in this year's Hanwha Science Chellenge," Hanwha Chemical CEO Kim Chang-bum said during the ceremonies.

"We hope more budding scientists will compete in our contest."

Now in its sixth year, the science competition is a part of the group's Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in education to find and inspire future scientists. It is also sponsored by the Korea Foundation for the Advancement of Science & Creativity, the Ministry of Education, and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning. This year's theme was "Save the Earth."

This year, a total of 1,430 students making up 715 teams from 275 schools across the country entered the contest. After competing in two rounds, 30 teams made it to the final.

Since the contest was first established in 2011, a total of 8,200 students from 4,122 teams have participated. The grand prize-winning team received 40 million won while two gold and two silver medalist teams received 20 million won and 10 million won each, respectively.

In January, last year's ten prize winners from five teams went to Europe to visit the world's largest particle physics laboratory CERN and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich, which has produced 21 Nobel Prize winners including Albert Einstein.
By Park Jae-hyuk



The Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (MAFRA) said Friday that four kimchi companies in Gangwon Province have signed a deal with Wanda Group to export 100 tons of the side dish to its department stores in China. The agreement with one of China's largest conglomerates was signed Wednesday and is worth 405 million won ($404,000). The first shipment of seven tons was sent Friday and others will continue through the end of the year.



This is the first large-scale kimchi export to China since 2010 when Beijing blocked them after it strengthened sanitary guidelines.



The guidelines demanded the number of coliform bacillus in kimchi be fewer than 30 per 100 grams, the same as Chinese traditional pickle "pao cai."



But Korean kimchi was unable to meet the requirement because it was made with raw vegetables and the guidelines considered lactobacillus in fermented kimchi as coliform bacillus.



Only a small amount of boiled and fried kimchi could be exported to China, with the guidelines working as a non-tariff barrier.



Previous shipments resumed after Seoul and Beijing agreed at a summit in October last year to ease the regulation. But only 31 tons, worth $121,000, had been exported as of July this year.



"Korean kimchi sold in China is nine times more expensive than Chinese kimchi," said the MAFRA official. "But Chinese consumers cannot distinguish the taste between premium kimchi produced in Korea and Chinese factory-made kimchi."



The official said the government will promote the excellence of Korean kimchi to expand exports by 500 tons next year.



"Korean kimchi is made with better sun-dried salt, cabbage and red pepper powder," the official said. "We will broadcast a documentary covering the excellence of Korean kimchi on China Central Television (CCTV) in November. Also, we will advertise Korean kimchi on Chinese television and offer Korean cooking classes in China."




By Jhoo Dong-chan

Hanjin Shipping will likely go into court receivership as the Korea Development Bank (KDB) and other creditors remain unwilling to extend more funds to the ailing shipping firm, according to analysts, Friday.



This comes as creditors continue to reject Hanjin's self-rescue plans, calling on the firm to make more sacrifices in exchange for much-needed cash. They are even urging Hanjin Group Chiarman Cho Yang-ho to offer his personal assets for sale.



But a Hanjin Group official said the plan presented to creditors Thursday was its best offer.



"We have nothing to offer any more in aiding Hanjin Shipping," he said. "We don't even plan to submit a follow-up self-rescue plan."



On Thursday, Hanjin Group offered 550 billion won ($494 million) in the plan but KBD and other creditors reportedly rejected it.



"It is very disappointing," a KDB official said during a media briefing, Friday. "We and other creditors expected some progressive developments in the self-rescue plan submitted on Thursday.













"The self-rescue plan says the group will first input 400 billion won through a capital increase by issuing new stock, and will offer an additional 100 billion won if there is a shortage. Considering its remaining loans, it is necessary for creditors to fund the shipping company with around 600 billion won by the end of this year."



The nation's largest shipping line has loans of up to 1.2 trillion won that are set to mature next year.



Hanjin Group has requested further financing from creditors while offering to supply the shipper with 400 billion won through capital increases.



However, creditors have refused the offer, wanting "at least 700 billion won" to consider such a request. If the group offers below 700 billion won, creditors have said the shipper will go into court receivership.



A finance insider said court receivership is likely.



"Creditors seemed to expect at least 600 billion won in the self-rescue plan," he said. "If the group now has no room to finance its beleaguered shipping affiliate, court receivership will be inevitable."



Shares of Hanjin Shipping were up Thursday over expectations the company might be able to stay afloat with the plan submitted to creditors. But after the plan's reported rejection, the shares nosedived nearly 12 percent Friday.



In a bid to secure liquidity, 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 also under the Hanjin Group. It sold a bulk carrier to H-Line Shipping for 14 billion won and 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 267.7 billion won.
By Yoon Ja-young



Consumers say businesses should pay more for electricity, amid complaints over the country's progressive electricity billing system for households.



But businesses say that they are already shouldering much of the costs and further rises will damage their competitive edge.



Korea's power rate for businesses is low compared with most major economies. According to 2014 data, the charge for industrial use is about 19 percent cheaper than the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) average.



Cheap electricity is a crucial factor for corporate investment and has helped attract some foreign companies to invest in Korea. Global IT companies, for instance, have been building data centers here, citing low electricity rates as one attraction.



But the Korea Federation for Environmental Movements (KFEM) says power charges for businesses are too low.



"The electricity for industrial and commercial purposes takes 80 percent of total electricity consumption," KFEM said. "It's because the rates are too cheap. Instead of easing the progressive billing system for households, the government should normalize electricity rates for businesses first."



It said a hike should be accompanied by measures to cut consumption, such as supporting low-energy construction and solar-energy panel adoption by industries.



But the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI), which represents conglomerates, says power is not cheap.



The state-run electricity company, KEPCO, sells one-kilowatt hour (kWh) of electricity for 107.41 won for industrial use, 123.69 won for households and 130.46 won for commercial use. This has led to complaints that industries are enjoying cheap electricity.



However, the FKI said the electricity production cost is low for industrial use. Because KEPCO can send high-voltage electricity directly to the factories, there is little loss of power during transmission. And the facility investment and maintenance cost are also low compared with electricity for households. As a result, it costs about 22 won less a kWh for KEPCO to produce electricity for industries compared with power for households, according to FKI.



It also said charges have already increased a lot.



"Through the 15 electricity rate hikes since 2000, the rates were raised by, on average, 15.3 percent for households," FKI said. "However, the rates for industrial use soared by 84.2 percent. Most of the rate hike was shouldered by businesses."



"The electricity for industries is the core production factor that creates value. There is no country in the world that applies progressive rating for businesses. If adopted, it will have a negative effect on the economy by pressuring facility investment in the manufacturing sector where the economy of scale is crucial."



Energy Justice Action, a local NGO, meanwhile, said the government has been easing the burden on industries by cutting rates for weekends and at night. "The government should examine the whole rating system," it said.



KFEM said it opposes electricity rate cuts, even for households.



"If the electricity rate is lowered, the consumers who have the capability to pay charges and room to cut electricity consumption will choose to consume more," KFEM said.



"Instead of cutting rates, the government should support the low-income households who can't afford air-conditioning."




Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, speaks at the 2016 Asia Cruise Forum Jeju held on the country's southern island, Friday. / Yonhap



By Yoon Ja-young

Korea will strengthen infrastructure for cruises, nurturing Jeju as the top port in East Asia for cruise ships, the vice minister of oceans and fisheries said Friday.

"Asia is seeing significant expansion of the cruise market following rapid economic growth. Tourists on cruise ships in the region snowballed to 2.1 million last year from 430,000 in 2008, and it is expected to surpass 5 million in 2020," said Yoon Hak-bae, vice minister at the Ministry of Oceans and Fisheries, at the 2016 Asia Cruise Forum Jeju.

The forum, which aims at contributing to the growth of the industry and bolstering partnerships, is being participated in by around 1,300 experts in the global cruise industry.

The vice minister said that Jeju is growing to be a global port for cruise ships, with 1.5 million tourists expected to stop over at the country's southern island next year.

"The government will nurture Jeju to become the biggest port of call for cruise ships in East Asia, further developing infrastructure here," he said.

Jan Swartz, president of Princess Cruises, said Jeju is a key spot for Asian cruises which are growing rapidly. It is one of the biggest cruises companies in the world, operating six mammoth cruise ships in the Mediterranean and northern Europe.

She added that the company plans to run the Majestic Princess, its 140,000 ton cruise ship, on Asian cruises beginning next year.

Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said the Asian cruise industry should seek qualitative growth. He suggested a regulation-free zone for the Asian cruise industry, by making CIQ systems of each country compatible with each other.

"For mutual prosperity, it is time we need to discuss how to narrow the cultural and systematic gap. The CIQ systems that differ according to each country is working as a barrier for travelers, causing inconvenience," the governor said.

He suggested introducing a "One-Pass Card" or regulation-free zones to tackle the compatibility problem.

Zinan Liu, chairman of Royal Caribbean International, also said Asia is a big market, with 204 cruise destinations in 17 countries. He said Jeju is playing an important role as the key port of call in the region, along with Singapore.
By Kim Jae-kyoung





Suh Jeong-in, Korean Ambassador to ASEAN

SINGAPORE  A growing number of global companies have modified their ASEAN strategies to strengthen their footholds in the region, with the creation of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) changing the market landscape, according to Suh Jeong-in, the Korean ambassador to ASEAN.

He expects that once ASEAN or The Association of Southeast Asian Nations becomes more integrated, production models and market strategy will be gradually transformed.

"I strongly believe that the ASEAN business community must prepare a regional strategic plan to cover the ASEAN market," Suh said in a recent interview.

"The business community needs to keep in mind that a country-based approach will more likely lead to more competition. And eventually, this will lead to a loss in market share."

To adapt to market changes, he pointed out that several big companies have already adopted new strategies to get the upper hand in the 10-member economic bloc.

U.S.-headquartered multinational consumer goods manufacturer P&G is a case in point.

"P&G has already implemented regional sales marketing for one of its main products, shampoo," he said.

He explained that P&G has divided the ASEAN market into three groups based on income, not on country  in large cities, small- and mid-sized cities, and rural areas  and introduced three different brands tailored for each market segment.

For example, the firm sells Pantene Premium for high-end customers in top cities across ASEAN, Rejoice shampoo for middle-income households in small- and mid-sized cities and another sold in disposable bag in rural areas.

"This is based on their regional marketing strategy of the income threshold of consumers across ASEAN rather than different countries," he said.

Another example is what the Japanese camera manufacturer, Nikon, is doing at a special economic zone in Savannakhet, a city in western Laos.

"Nikon cameras used to be manufactured mainly in Thailand. Since 2014, however, Nikon has diversified its production base by opening a factory in Savannakhet to take over part of Thailand production. Seamless logistic movements and lower trade barriers made this possible," he said.

Lastly, the ASEAN expert focused on a strategy in Indonesia adopted by Lotte Mart, the retail arm of Korea's conglomerate Lotte Group.

"This retailer has sold various private-label goods supplied by various Indonesian manufacturers based on OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer)," he said.

"I think this company may look for more suppliers not only from Indonesia, but also from other ASEAN member states," he added. "This can be seen as a strategy targeting the whole of ASEAN, not just one country."

These ASEAN-wide strategies in his view can be also utilized by micro small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), which are the backbone of the ASEAN economy.

"If those firms are able to formulate their own ASEAN regional strategy, the AEC will provide a great opportunity for them to move up to middle-level sized businesses, and middle-level sized businesses could advance to the level of big corporations," he said.

The AEC, launched at the end of last year, is an agreement among 10 ASEAN member nations to create a single market with a free flow of goods, capital and skilled labor in the region by 2025.

AEC integration means that all barriers, including those on trade and investment, will be removed, and there will be more cohesion in the ASEAN region.

"Korean firms should try to see both the forest and the trees and to take a think regional, act local strategy to find an optimal place for a regional production base to cover the entire ASEAN market," Suh said.

The ambassador called for ASEAN member nations to make concerted efforts to coordinate policies in a balanced manner.

"If ASEAN wishes to become a real driving force for the global economy, the member states should continue their endeavours of harmonising national policies with the regional ones under AEC Blueprint 2025," he said.
By Lee Kyung-min

The prosecution has imposed travel bans on Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin and his father, group founder Shin Kyuk-ho, as its investigation widens into the fifth-largest conglomerate's alleged corruption.

The travel bans and the following questioning of them are likely to accelerate the prosecution's investigation into various allegations surrounding the group, including embezzlement, breach of trust, creation of slush funds and illicit inter-affiliate deals.

Investigators at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office said Friday a number of key executives at the group and its affiliates have been banned from leaving the country, including the chairman and the founder.

Prosecutors earlier raided their homes and offices but exempted the two from the travel ban. Speculation is that the ban this time indicates prosecutors secured evidence to prove their allegations.

The prosecution will summon the two for questioning sometime between late July and early August.














By Park Si-soo



Lotte Group Vice Chairman Lee In-won, widely known as the group's No. 2 man and the closest aide to Chairman Shin Dong-bin, was found dead on a walking trail in Gyeonggi Province in an apparent suicide, police said Friday morning.

Lee, 69, was found hanging from a tree on the walking trail in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, at 7:10 a.m., with his belongings, including his ID card, in his pocket. A suicide note was found in a car parked nearby, police said.

He was supposed to appear at the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office at 9 a.m. to be questioned over allegations that group founder Shin Kyuk-ho and Chairman Shin Dong-bin have amassed massive slush funds and committed other crimes. The two have been banned from leaving the country since early July.

In the note, Lee called the chairman a "good person" and wrote he "feels sorry for leaving early." He said "there are no slush funds in Lotte." Police did not elaborate.
By Lee Kyung-min

A meeting scheduled between Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon and Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra was cancelled, Friday, after the latter was suspended from duty while on his way here due to corruption allegations.

According to the Seoul Metropolitan Government (SMG), Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha ordered the suspension late Thursday and this now prevents Paribatra from conducting any official business as a public official.

Paribatra arrived here at 8:10 p.m., Thursday, to attend events organized by the SMG on the occasion of 10th anniversary of the sisterhood relationship between Seoul and Bangkok. Seoul City officials, who went to Incheon International Airport to greet him, heard from Bangkok City officials that the Thai government suspended him from office right after his departure.

Despite the suspension, the two-day "Bangkok Day in Seoul" event will be held as planned in Cheonggye Plaza, downtown Seoul, Saturday and Sunday. But some official events where the Bangkok governor was scheduled to attend will be cancelled, and the planned meeting with Park, Friday, also did not take place, according to the SMG.

"We did not call off the weekend events as it is not a mayoral level event, but a city government organized one. Thai nationals staying here and Koreans will be able to enjoy the Thai food festival, performances by Thai performers and Muay Thai matches," an SMG official said.

Earlier last month, the SMG held a "Seoul Week" event in Bangkok, providing K-pop concerts and traditional Korean music performances.
A preparatory meeting of senior officials will be held in Lima this week ahead of the summit gathering of the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the foreign ministry said Friday.

A Korean delegation led by Lee Tae-ho, deputy foreign minister for economic affairs, will attend the senior-level meeting set from Saturday to Sunday in the capital of Peru, the ministry said.

This year's APEC meeting of member countries' heads of state is slated for November in the South American country under the motto "Quality Growth Human Development."

This week's preparatory meeting will delve into cooperative subjects, including joint research on the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific, a road map for improving service industry competitiveness, as well as a vision for APEC after the 2020 Bogor Goals are reached.

The Bogor Goals are a set of free trade and investment targets in the Asia Pacific agreed upon in 1994.

"Korea is pushing to have a framework adopted on education, employment and venture businesses for APEC young adults in a bid to contribute to human resource development, one of the items on this year's APEC summit agenda," the ministry said. (Yonhap)
Officers from the Yangpyeong Police Station inspect a sedan that belonged to Lotte Group Vice Chairman Lee In-won, who was found hanged from a tree near a trail in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, Friday, hours before facing questioning by the prosecution over corruption allegations surrounding the group. The inset photo is of Lee.

/ Korea Times photo by Bae Woo-han



Vice chairman found dead, denies slush fund creation in suicide note



By Jung Min-ho

Lotte Group Vice Chairman Lee In-won was found dead Friday, the day when he was to face questioning by the prosecution about a slush fund and other corruption allegations involving top executives at the conglomerate.

The suspected suicide of the top lieutenant of Lotte Group Chairman Shin Dong-bin is expected to derail the prosecution's investigation into key figures within the nation's fifth-largest group.

Lee, the No. 2 man in the group, was found hanged from a tree in Yangpyeong, Gyeonggi Province, at 7:10 a.m., according to police.

He was scheduled to attend the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office to be questioned about the group's alleged creation of a 30 billion won ($27 million) slush fund.

Investigators suspected that he was one of the key figures behind the fund, which they believe was spent on illegally lobbying politicians.

Lee was the chief of Lotte's policy department that supervised overall affairs within the group. For prosecutors, he was the key man to figure out whether the group founder Shin Kyuk-ho and Chairman Shin were directly involved in creating the slush fund, and other illegal activities such as embezzlement and tax evasion.












Whoever wins, the ultimate winner will be Moon



By Kim Hyo-jin





Moon Jae-in

The main opposition Minjoo Party of Korea (MPK) will elect a new leader and the eight members of its decision-making Supreme Council in a national convention today.



Whatever the results, Moon Jae-in, the party's former chairman and a potential presidential candidate, is expected to be the "ultimate winner" because he is affiliated with most of the contenders.



This is why analysts view today's event as a stepping stone for Moon's bid to be a candidate in next year's presidential race.



The contenders for party leadership are Rep. Choo Mi-ae, a five-term lawmaker; Kim Sang-gon, a former education superintendent of Gyeonggi Province; and Rep. Lee Jong-kul, a former party floor leader. All of them have close ties to Moon.



While Choo is backed by the mainstream Moon followers, Kim is supported by the lawmakers who follow the legacy of the late President Roh Moo-hyun.



Whoever takes power, it will pave the way for Moon's presidential candidacy, according to party officials. Kim served on the party's reform committee under Moon's leadership, last year.



Also, those affiliated with Moon are expected to take at least four Supreme Council member post, Saturday.



The party wrapped up its regional elections, Sunday, selecting the heads of each regional bureau. Moon followers took most of the head posts.



According to the party's regulations, they will select five Supreme Council members  the seats allocated to five provinces including Seoul and Jeju, Gwangwon, Chungcheong, Jeolla, Gyeongsang  among themselves, today.



Except for Jeolla, competitors are all Moon followers, party officials said.



Some party members expressed concerns about the possibility of Moon's followers taking a grip on the new leadership in preparations for the presidential race.



They worry that Moon's monopoly in the primary race could fail to attract the attention of voters. They are also concerned about the strong leftist image of the mainstream Moon followers.



"If one faction takes tight control of the party, it will deter the possibility of the party expanding the scope of its support base," Rep. Kim Chong-in, the party's interim leader, said in a radio interview, Friday.



Kim stressed that attracting centrist or center-right voters is the key to winning the presidential election. As part of these efforts, he maintains that the party remains unambiguous in its official position on the government's plan to deploy the U.S. Terminal High Altitude Area Defense battery here.



Still, other members view favorably that Moon followers are taking control of the party.



"It will prevent unnecessary factional feuds in the run-up to the presidential race. This way, the party could be guided with a strong focus in working for Moon's presidential campaign," a lawmaker said.
By Kim Hyo-jin



A North Korean diplomat based in Russia defected last month to an unknown country, according to media reports, Friday.



The diplomat worked as a trade representative for North Korea in its consular office in Vladivostok. His whereabouts and detailed route of defection have yet to be identified.



He reportedly defected with his family sometime in July, around the same time that high-profile North Korean diplomat Thae Yong-ho defected to Seoul from London.



The national Intelligence Service refused to clarify if he came to South Korea or not.



The diplomat is known to be a higher-level official than Kim Chol-song, the third secretary and trade representative of the North Korean mission who also defected from St. Petersburg in July.













Local sources said that a joint inspection team from North Korea's security and trade departments was sent to Vladivostok following the defection.



The team began a full-scale inspection of North Korea missions in Vladivostok, Russia, and China's Changchun, Shenyang and Dandong, according to the sources.



Following a series of defections, Pyongyang has canceled plans to send company delegates to Yanji in China near its border for a trade fair slated to begin Sunday, they said.



The recent defections followed the U.N. Security Council imposing tougher sanctions on Pyongyang for its nuclear test in January and long-range rocket launch the following month. These have stirred anxiety among the North Korean elite working overseas, according to North Korea experts.
Korea has resumed exporting its traditional side dish kimchi to China after a hiatus of nearly six years as the Beijing government eased its regulations on the pickled food, the agriculture ministry here said Friday.

Four local kimchi companies held a ceremony in Wonju, southeast of Seoul, on Wednesday to celebrate the resumption of kimchi exports, following business deals with their Chinese buyers, according to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.

The first batch of kimchi, 7 tons in total, arrived in a Chinese port on Friday and will hit Chinese shelves later this month, the ministry added.

South Korea's kimchi exports had been blocked for nearly six years since China strengthened its inspection standards for pickled foods around 2010.

The guidelines required all fermented foods to restrict the level of coliform bacteria in them, virtually working as a trade barrier to kimchi imports from South Korea.

Due to the sanitary restriction, only boiled kimchi could have been shipped to China, with the total value standing at $16,000 in 2014 and $101,000 in 2015, while $84 million and $73 million worth of South Korean kimchi were sold overseas in 2014 and 2015, respectively.

Following the Seoul-Beijing summit meeting in October last year, however, China eased its quarantine rules and opened its doors to South Korean kimchi.

The agriculture ministry expected some 100 tons of kimchi, worth 450 million won ($404,000), to be exported to China by the end of the year and 500 tons in 2017. (Yonhap)
The Seoul metropolitan government on Friday called off a meeting with the governor of Bangkok after Thailand's military government took measures to suspend him from his post on allegations of corruption and misuse of city funds, municipal officials said.

Sukhumbhand Paribatra arrived in Seoul on Thursday to take part in the Day of Bangkok event to mark the 10th anniversary of the two capitals'sister city relationship.

The order suspending Sukhumbhand came after he boarded a flight bound for Seoul that day. Officials from the Seoul regional government learned the news of his suspension from Bangkok officials at Incheon airport, west of Seoul, as they waited for the governor to arrive.

Seoul also called off some of the events in which Sukhumbhand was supposed to participate, but decided to conduct the anniversary activities scheduled for Saturday and Sunday in Seoul. It remains to be seen whether the governor of Bangkok will attend them.

"We will hold the celebrations as planned as they are between the two cities, not between the two city leaders," an official at the Seoul metropolitan government said. (Yonhap)
South Korean victims who were sexually enslaved by Japanese troops during its colonial occupation period (1910-45) protested against the government's decision to give them money that will be provided by Japan.

On Thursday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the government will provide 100 million won ($90,000) to surviving victims who were forced to serve in military brothels and 20 million won to family members of victims who have already died.

The money will be offered once Tokyo transfers the 1 billion yen ($9.96 million) it has committed to provide in the landmark deal to settle the long-running diplomatic feud in December.

Following the announcement, two victims -- Kim Bok-dong and Kil Won-ok -- held a press conference at a shelter of the victims, in western Seoul, to protest the decision.

"People who ask, 'Why don't you just accept the money?' are those who do not know the pain (suffered by the victims)," Kim told reporters.












A senior foreign ministry official will visit three Latin American countries to seek cooperation against North Korea's nuclear and missile provocations, the ministry said Friday.

Lim Sung-nam, a vice foreign minister, will embark on the three-nation trip on Friday that will take him to Chile, Argentina and Colombia. The trip will run through Wednesday, according to the ministry.

He is to meet his counterparts and other officials from the countries. The main topics will be on the North's continued missile provocations including Wednesday's test-firing of a submarine-launched ballistic missile that triggered global condemnation.

The official also plans to urge them to maintain their cooperation in enforcing relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions against the North, the ministry said. (Yonhap)
By Yi Whan-woo

Japan is stepping up its demand to remove a girl statute symbolizing its wartime sexual slavery after approving a plan to offer 1 billion yen ($9.9 million) to assist Korean victims, sources said Friday.

The provision of the money is in line with an agreement reached between the two countries, Dec. 28, to settle disputes over Tokyo's wartime sexual slavery. Japanese officials say it is now Seoul's turn to show commitment to the deal by removing the statue across the street from the Japanese Embassy in Seoul, the sources said.

For Japan, the removal of the statue has been considered a key issue in implementing the deal because it has irked many conservatives there.

They also claimed Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se promised to consult with related parties to settle conflicts about the statue "in a relevant manner" during the Dec. 28 agreement made with Japanese Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida.

Seoul has maintained that it cannot meddle in the issue over the statue because it was erected by civic activists and belongs to them.

"The ball is now in Korea's court and it will solely depend on Seoul's effort whether the agreement can be kept," a senior Japanese official was quoted as saying by Kyodo News.
North Korea's military has raised its alert posture to its highest level in response to an annual joint military drill between Seoul and Washington, a government source here said Friday.

The North ordered its military on the highest special alert early this week as the allies kicked off their annual military exercise on Monday aimed at countering Pyongyang's potential aggression, according to the source.

This year's alert level was one notch higher than that issued during last year's joint military drill, indicating that North Korea is highly sensitive to the drill.

North Korea has long denounced the military drill as a rehearsal for invasion, but Seoul and Washington said that the exercise is defensive in nature.

North Korea threatened Monday to make a "preemptive nuclear strike" on South Korea and the U.S. in response to the allies' exercise which involves some 75,000 troops including about 25,000 from the U.S. side.

The source said that North Korea is also intensifying its military drills at front-line areas.

North Korea fired off a submarine-launched ballistic missile on Wednesday in an apparent protest against the Seoul-Washington military drill.

The North's leader Kim Jong-un hailed the latest missile launch as the "greatest success," claiming that his country has full capability to carry out nuclear attacks.

The missile flew about 500 kilometers toward Japan, marking the longest flight by such a missile and raising concerns about the technical advances in the North's missile program. (Yonhap)
By Kim Min-seo

"People are always telling me to eat I don't like eating; they force me. Last time I threw it upyesterday as soon as I'd eaten they gave me an injection to put me to sleep. Sister, I don't like injections, I really don't like them please let me out. I don't like being here." When I came to that passage in the Man Booker International Prize winning book, The Vegetarian by Han Kang, I began to view the book as a cultural criticism of Korean society.

Initially, I was curious about the protagonist, Yeong-hye's reason for refusing to eat meat and eventually giving up eating. I was disappointed when the author never provided the reason throughout the book other than Yeong-hye's simple assertion, "I had a dream." But when I pondered Yeong-hye's statement, "I don't like eating," I realized that I have no right to know further.

Perhaps, my curiosity was an excuse for my desire to intrude into Yeong-hye's life by knowing her private world. Whatever the reason, she decided not to eat meat. Do I have any right to question why? When her father forced her to eat meat, she cuts herself to send a message, "This is none of your business!" But when Yeong-hye's father, insisted, "Listen to what your father's telling you and eat," I thought he violated his daughter's rights. There, I felt it poignantly depicted the dark side of Korean culture which has been dominated by the Confucian idea of filial authority.

Besides, the herd mentality of Korea forces an individual to abandon one's identity and jump on the band wagon. The UK newspaper the Daily Mail reported, "South Korea's growing obsession with plastic surgery became apparent when pictures of a group of aspiring beauty queens posted online prompted claims that cosmetic procedures have left all the contestants looking the same.

" In such an environment, people are coerced to discard what they believe or where they stand, and blindly follow the herd. What if we take the less traveled road? Are we able to survive? Han Kang illustrated her point through Yeong-hye by using meat as the symbol of social expectation.

When family members, doctors and nurses tried to feed Yeong-hye, they did it out of their concern or carried out their given duties. In the process, they all forgot the fact that it is the violation of personal conviction or decision. To Yeong-hye, nevertheless, they are all another form of social expectation being repressively rammed down her throat. Later, Yeong-hye resisted eating at all, but what happened to her? Perhaps Han Kang wished the readers to know that the social expectations that bound us are also what are keeping us alive.

Kim Min-seo is a senior student at Forest Ridge High School in Bellevue, Washington State, and a staff writer for the school newspaper. Write to kminseo9797@gmail.com.
Korea's elementary and secondary schools have been lacking in globalization efforts. A couple of recent cases shows that Korean adolescents may get more chances to learn about the merits of diversity and embrace multiculturalism in their formative years.



The Seoul City education office announced last week that it will pursue the establishment of "international elementary schools," offering Chinese immersion programs at schools located in parts of Seoul with a growing Chinese-speaking population. The education office has chosen Youngil Elementary School in Guro and Daedong Elementary School in Yeongdeungpo to try out the Chinese immersion program. These two schools offer regular classes and extra-curricular activities in both Korean and Chinese. The education office is aiming to establish the two schools as international elementary schools by 2018.



Whether this plan will become a reality is uncertain. Currently, the law governing the establishment of elementary and secondary schools does not allow an international educational curriculum at elementary schools. So a legislative revision will be necessary to establish an international elementary school. At the middle school level, there are four international schools.

The need for international elementary schools is highlighted when considering the growing number of foreign, particularly Chinese, students. Latest statistics show that multicultural children account for 2.2 percent of all elementary school students in Korea, marking the first time for the percentage to exceed 2 percent. The presence of multicultural children will continue to grow in Korean schools as the latest survey showed 8.3 percent of all marriages were interethnic. But Koreans are still reluctant to embrace these people as one of us. Many multicultural children suffer from discrimination and often fall behind in school because of language problems.



The Seoul education office's attempt to foster international elementary schools should gain more support from the central government as a good way to globalize Korean children in an age of multiculturalism.



In another case of global education, 50 Chinese students from one high school in Beijing recently gained media attention by transferring to several high schools in Seoul. This is the first time for such a large number of students from a single overseas high school to transfer to Korea. This has been made possible because foreign language high schools in Seoul such as Daewon Foreign Language High School have a special admission program for foreign students. More high schools need to engage in such international exchange programs for a more culturally diverse education. This is crucial to raising the quality of Korean public schools.




Delay shows Korea's backwardness in developing future industries



Seoul has put off a decision on Google's request for permission to use government-supplied mapping data. The decision on the U.S. search engine giant's request was to be made by Wednesday, but the government has extended a review and delayed the decision until Nov. 23.



The prolonged review shows the dilemma Seoul faces over whether to choose industry over security. Various ministries, such as the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning, and the National Intelligence Service, were not able to reach a consensus during a meeting at the National Geographic Information Institute. Korea's National Security Law, which was drafted more than 50 years ago, prohibits the government from sharing such map data with other countries.



From an objective viewpoint, the practical decision in the age of the Fourth Industrial Revolution is to approve Google's request and pave the way for a full-fledged Google mapping service that is readily available in other countries and is being used as a pivotal technology in future industries, such as self-driving vehicles and the Internet of Things, among others. It is self-contradictory for the government to be encouraging local businesses to become global leaders in future industries while banning universally used technologies such as Google Map services.



Korea is already falling behind other countries in readiness for the Fourth Industrial Revolution. A protracted delay on Google's mapping data request will be seen by the world as an example of Korea's backwardness in developing future growth engines. It is unwise for the government to take such a long time to come to a conclusion on this issue. Google has been after detailed mapping data for a full-fledged mapping service for almost 10 years. In 2010, Google's request for map data was denied by the government and the U.S. company renewed its request in June.



The slow decision-making process is one of the reasons for Korea being a laggard in technological innovations. Koreans are not able to play the augmented reality (AR) game sensation Pokemon Go here. Hyundai Motor teamed with Google to roll out the world's first car with the Android Auto system last year, but the system is not available in Korea, although it has been commercialized in 30 countries and used by 40 carmakers in over 100 models. These are just some examples of outdated regulations hampering Korea's future growth despite being one of the world's most-wired countries.



Given the grave security situation in Korea, a country that is still technically at war with North Korea, it is understandable for the government to be cautious about sharing mapping information with other countries through foreign companies. But the concern over Google's map data that it will hamper our security interests is excessive, considering that the data of sensitive facilities such as Cheong Wa Dae is already widely available in other commercial satellite images and on overseas websites.



During the coming weeks, the seven ministries involved should come to a swift conclusion on the Google issue, with a future-oriented outlook to promote relevant industries. At the same time, the government should prepare a meticulous plan to extract a compromise from Google on lingering differences such as national security. Google should comply with the government's conditions, such as blurring classified information facilities on its mapping service, given Korea's unique geopolitical situation. This is a practice that is being carried out by local IT companies such as Naver and Kakao in their mapping services.



Another point of contention is that Google wants to store the mapping data on multiple overseas servers, which is seen by many Koreans and local competitors as a tax-evading scheme. Google should fully address all responsibility that comes with doing business and making profits in Korea.




USG Boral CEO Frederic de Rougemont, fifth from left, USG Boral Korea CEO Susan Yeom, center, and the company's executives and its clients shovel dirt during a groundbreaking ceremony for a building to expand production capacity at its plasterboard plant in Dangjin, South Chungcheong Province, Friday. / Courtesy of USG Boral Korea



Company aims for leadership in premium, eco-friendly plasterboard market



By Lee Min-hyung

DANGJIN, South Chungcheong Province  USG Boral has expanded its production capacity for plasterboard, solidifying its position to meet growing demand for premium, eco-friendly building materials in Korea.

USG Boral Korea, the local subsidiary of the U.S.-based plasterboard manufacturer, held a groundbreaking ceremony Friday for a building to expand its annual manufacturing capacity by 43 percent at its production facilities here.

The extension will increase production of plasterboard by 30 million square meters to its existing 70 million square meters, the company said. USG Boral expects the extension to take between 18 months and 24 months before it goes into full operation.

"Plasterboards are very important as a critical component for buildings," USG Boral CEO Frederic de Rougemont said, celebrating the extension of the manufacturing capacity with a group of some 150 industry insiders. He cited low carbon emissions, recyclability and light-weight as the core competency of the firm's plasterboard products.

"The decision to invest here shows our confidence in the Korean market, coming largely from our continuous growth in the plasterboard business," the USG executive said. "The Korean market is very advanced in Asia and I strongly believe that together with our customers we can develop innovative solutions that will help construction companies build better buildings."

He stressed that the investment is in line with its group-wide strategy to put priority on manufacturing technology and innovation.

"I believe innovation in technology is absolutely key in contributing to the progress and success of the industry," he said. "Indeed, USG Boral is investing a lot in innovation, and the future for plasterboards is very bright. This is why we decided to build this manufacturing facility here."

The decision came amid growing customer sentiment for more eco-friendly, premium building materials both in business-to-business (B2B) sectors and residential homes here.

In particular, more and more customers opt for premium building materials for various reasons  including social atmosphere for environmentally-friendly products and energy efficiency.



USG Boral steadily growing in Korea

USG Boral  along with KCC  is the nation's top-tier manufacturer for plasterboard products for ceilings and walls. The company tapped into the Korean market in 1998 by taking over two local manufacturing facilities in the nation's southeastern cities of Ulsan and Yeosu.

As business boomed, the company established its first plasterboard manufacturing line in Dangjin in 2002. It has since expanded its business by building a second production line there in 2009.

USG Boral, a joint venture of USG Corporation in the U.S. and Boral Limited founded in Australia, has been one of the industry-leading manufacturers and suppliers of building materials specializing in gypsum board-based wall and ceiling lining systems. The company has a strong foothold especially in Asia, Australasia and the Middle East.

The company is also famous for mineral fiber ceiling systems, metal frames, joint compounds and eco-friendly and energy-efficient panels for construction.

The company hopes the expanded production capacity will serve as a key potential revenue source in Korea. Although no official data has been unveiled about the exact value of the local plasterboard market, the company expects the market to grow at a slow yet steady pace each year.

The company attributed its growth to a recent government policy shift under which the nation mandated construction firms build walls with built-in flexibility. Plasterboard has since gained strong popularity as an optimum material for walls and ceilings.

USG Boral's plasterboard products received six eco-friendly certifications from government organizations.

The company identifies Korea as a key revenue source, as the nation's construction industry is shifting its focus into high-rise, westernized buildings. For this reason, light-weight plasterboards are gaining popularity with local construction firms, according to USG Boral Korea. The company reported 240 billion won ($215 million) in sales last year.

The company also cited an improvement in living standards here as another key contributor for its growth, as this will increase demands for more stable and sustainable buildings.

For quality management, more than half of its sales workforce here consists of those with construction engineering experience. The company explained this is essential to offer more tailor-made products for various customers.
VIXXs Leo & Ravi Talks About Their 'Fantasy' Comeback For Dazed & Confused Koreas September 2016 Issue

On August 24th, Dazed & Confused Korea magazine released several pictorials of VIXX LR (Leo and Ravi). The dynamic and masculine image of VIXX is known to manifest on stage whilst staying intact as the the members posed for the photo shoot. 1-1 1 Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 6.48.38 PM Leo and Ravi also sat down with the magazine after the photo shoot and discussed about their latest comeback album and leading song Fantasy. The duo were respective as they talked about the groups progression and development, they shared,We think people can see VIXXs color in this song more than before. It feels like a second turning point for us. Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 6.50.38 PM Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 6.51.24 PM Screen Shot 2016-08-25 at 6.51.02 PM VIXXs Leo and Ravis candid and genuine interview, as well as their mesmerizing photo shoot will officially be released through Dazed & Confused Koreas September 2016 edition. So be sure to grab a copy when it becomes available!
A Greene County jury this week found a state prison inmate from Springfield to be a sexually violent predator. The verdict means Sterling Mitchell, 70, is committed to the Department of Mental Health until he is found safe to be at large.

The Missouri Attorney General's Office presented evidence in the trial that Mitchell, a diagnosed pedophile, has an extensive history of sodomizing and molesting pre-pubescent girls dating to the 1950s.

He was not caught for the first time until 1990, when, at age 44, he sodomized two girls, ages 5 and 7. Mitchell told police back then that he thought the children were mature enough to give permission and that he was educating them.

After serving a prison sentence and participating in sex-offender treatment, he was caught again in 2003 for sodomizing a pre-teen girl over a three-year span. He received a 15-year prison sentence after pleading guilty in September 2003, so he was getting close to being at the end of his sentence.

The Attorney General's Office says Mitchell said, if he is released into the community again, he wants to volunteer to work with children. The jury found that he has a mental abnormality and is more likely than not to commit an offense again.

The purpose of the sexually violent predator law is to keep our streets safer, Attorney General Chris Koster said. Sterling Mitchell is a dangerous man who has harmed numerous children, and he must be kept where he cannot harm any others.
A man from Mountain Home pleaded guilty on Thursday for the murders of a couple from Midway last fall. Zach Grayham, 23, received two concurrent 25-year prison terms for second-degree murder and a concurrent 20-year sentence for first-degree aggravated burglary; hell have to serve at least 14 years before being eligible for parole.

Investigators say Grayham and two others broke into the home of Donald Rice, 75, and LaDonna Rice, 71, on Nov. 7, 2015. After killing and robbing them, they set their home on fire and drove away in their truck, which was found burned several miles from the home. The Rices bodies were found in the rubble of their burned home. Investigators say the burglars stole a large-screen TV and other personal property.

Mikayla Mynk of Gassville pleaded guilty on Aug. 10 to aggravated burglary and theft. Prosecutors dropped charges of capital murder, arson and a second count of theft as part of her plea bargain. Mynk received two concurrent 20-year prison sentences.

Nicholas Roos received a life prison sentence without chance of parole for capital murder, arson, aggravated robbery and other crimes. A judge recently rejected Roos motion to withdraw his guilty plea in May after he claimed a month later that the plea was coerced and he did not receive effective legal counsel. Investigators believe Roos shot the Rices and is the one who set their house and truck on fire.
The French State Council, the countrys supreme court, this afternoon has ruled that the ban in Villeneuve-Loubet cannot be enforced legally.

The court said the ban seriously, and clearly illegally, breached the fundamental freedoms to come and go, the freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.

The ban spread to more than a dozen coastal towns following horrific Islamic State terror attacks in Nice and Normandy last month.



A spokesperson for the League of Human Rights said the ban was a serious and illegal attack on numerous fundamental rights.

Lawyer Patrice Spinosi told the State Councils judges: France is afraid, but the law must not give in to this fear. The law has however been suspended.

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The price of LITRO gas cylinders would be further reduced in the first week of November in accordance with the

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The SLFP does not condone the continuation of the Emergency Regulations (The Public Security Ordinance) more than a day necessary

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PRESS RELEASE

Chairman of the Eurasian Economic Union Pays a Visit to Beijing

Aug. 25, 2016 (EIRNS)Tigran Sarsyan, chairman of the Eurasian Economic Board (of the Eurasian Economic Union, or EAEU), is now in Beijing to discuss the prospects for cooperation between China and the EAEU. Sarsyan was previously the Prime Minister of Armenia and, in that post, had built close relations between Armenia and China. China is presently in negotiations with the EAEU over trade relations, an important element in establishing the collaboration between the EAEU and the Silk Road Economic Belt. Sarsyan said that while he knew negotiations were ongoing, he felt his visit would help in moving them "at a faster pace." Chinese Vice Premier Zhang Guoli said excessive changes are occurring in the world as the global recovery is happening very slowly, and that "under those circumstances the Chinese leadership attaches huge significance to cooperation with EAEU."

"China establishes friendly relations with all the members of the EAEU," Zhang said.

Sarsyan replied,

"I know that you personally supervise the Chinese initiatives and the new Silk Road development project, collaboration with which is one of the priority directions of EAEUs development strategy."

Sarsyan said that the EAEU supports Chinas approach of creating an economic architecture exempt from a political component.

Armenia also intends to participate in the Silk Road Economic Belt, and Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was in Beijing in March to sign an agreement on the creation of a North-South corridor through Armenia to the Caucusus.
PRESS RELEASE

Schiller Institute Representative Addresses London Conference to Support Yemeni People

Aug. 26, 2016 (EIRNS)Civil Rights groups from Yemen and British anti-war activists organized the first major international conference about Yemen since the Saudi-launched war there in London on Aug. 21-22. The aim of the event was to break the international silence about the genocidal nature of the war on Yemen in the Western world. The major focus was on the barbaric assault on the Yemeni population by the Saudis, who are being aided by the British and American governments.

Among those invited to address the conference was Ulf Sandmark from the Schiller Institute. Sandmark was the only speaker to move beyond the expose of the horrors of the war, to proposals for integrating Yemen into the global economic development in process with the BRICS nations. The Institute spokesman included a report on the activity in Yemen of the Committee for Coordination with the BRICS, and showed a video of the address by Coordination Committee leader Fouad al-Ghaffari to the Schiller Institutes recent conference in Berlin. His speech was well received.

Other speakers laid out in graphic detail, including videos, the destruction of food and water sources, schools and hospitals, and other vital infrastructure which has put more than 20 million Yemenis (nearly the whole population) at risk of starvation and death. Included as well was graphic representation of the targeted destruction of the several thousand-year-old cultural heritage of Yemen, and the Wahhabite ideology which the Saudi government uses to justify it.
With Scandinavian crime fiction all the rage and enormous attention paid to writers like Jo Nesbo, Stieg Larsson and Henning Mankell, its almost, well, criminal, that Norways Karin Fossum isnt better known.

Translated into dozens of languages and winner of the Glass Key Award for best Nordic crime novel, Fossums exceptional qualities are on view in her new novel, Hell Fire, the 12th to feature the inexorable Inspector Konrad Sejer, an investigator par excellence.

A brooding, fatalistic, truly disturbing book, Hell Fire starts, no surprise here, with the discovery of a corpse. Two corpses to be exact, in a dilapidated trailer parked in a field between the hamlets of Geirastadir and Haugane.

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Young single mother Bonnie Hayden and her 5-year-old son, Simon, have been savagely killed by someone with a knife. Planned, but still a bit chaotic is how Sejer describes the attack to his investigative team. This didnt happen in the heat of the moment; this was intentional.

Hell Fire goes back and forth between the present, with Sejer methodically talking to people and tracking down leads, to six months in the past, when Bonnie and Simon were still alive and never in their wildest moments thinking that their story would figure in a crime narrative.

Bonnie is a home-care worker, and the variety of cases she is assigned offers readers, as Scandinavian crime writers as far back as Maj Sjowall and Per Wahloo (creators of the landmark Martin Beck series) have done, windows into the nature of society.

By all indications Bonnie was a genuinely good person (kindness itself, according to a friend) who did all she could for her clients. And her son was an adorable tot who never quite got used to his mother having to put him in day care to go to work.

Fossum not only switches back and forth in time, she also introduces us to another single mother and the son she lives with. That would be Thomasine Mass Malthe and her 21-year-old son Eddie, a young man with an undefined personality disorder obsessed with tracking down his absent father, something his mother is dead-set against.

Though figuring out who killed Bonnie and Simon is very much on Inspector Sejers mind, it is not necessarily the top concern of author Fossum, a master of creating disturbances in the minds of her readers.

Fossums books are invariably involving novels simply masquerading as crime fiction, literary works with murder on their minds. For her, the great question is not who did the crime but why was it done. To Fossum, human relationships, the endlessly complexities of individual psyches, are the great mystery to be pondered.

A writer whose first published works were volumes of poetry, Fossum has the pared-back style to make this happen. Her tone is exact and unflinching, the bitter enemy of anything extraneous or false. Here, for example, is an example of Sejers stream of consciousness thinking when he discovers a key clue:

Who did it belong to? A furious or raving lunatic, a man who had been wronged in some way, a man whose head was full of revenge or delusions. A man who perhaps heard voices, a man who was out of his head on something. A man who was full of demons and fiends, a man who might not even be able to explain to himself, let alone to anyone else, why he did what he did. A man who drove a red car and had left a footprint on the worn linoleum floor and then fled through the woods.

Because Fossum is the kind of writer she is, what grips readers is the enormous amount of emotion she works up as we get closer and closer to reliving the murderous event in question. Like her best book, The Indian Bride " (shortlisted for the CWA Gold Dagger in 2000), Hell Fire is close to heartbreaking, and there are not many novels, thrillers or otherwise, you can say that about.

Turan is The Times film critic.

::

Hell Fire

Karin Fossum, translated from the Norwegian by Karl Dixon

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt: 272 pp., $24
Four of the nations largest airlines were fined by the Federal Aviation Administration for giving passengers inaccurate information about how much compensation they should get for being kicked off an overbooked flight or having their luggage lost or damaged.

Alaska Airlines was fined $40,000; American Airlines was fined $45,000; Southwest Airlines was fined $40,000; and United Airlines was fined $35,000. All four were ordered to stop such violations.

Under Department of Transportation rules, passengers who are involuntarily bumped off an overbooked domestic flight must be offered an alternative flight that arrives no later than an hour after the original flight.

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If the airline puts a bumped passenger on a flight that arrives between one and two hours after the original flights scheduled landing, the carrier must compensate the passenger 200% of the cost of the original fare, up to $675.

If the airline puts the bumped traveler on a flight that arrives more than two hours after the original arrival time, the airline must pay 400% of the cost of the ticket, up to $1,350.

Those dollar amounts were increased slightly last year, but DOT investigators said the airlines still were handing out pamphlets to passengers showing lower compensation amounts. In some cases, the airlines couldnt produce information telling passengers how much they were entitled to collect.

The top payout a carrier must give each passenger whose luggage has been lost or damaged was raised last year to $3,500 from $3,400, but DOT investigators said the carriers were giving passengers notices that said the payout was less than $3,500.

In consent agreement documents provided by the DOT, all four airlines said they take passenger compensation rules seriously but agreed to pay the fines to settle the allegations.

We are committed to ensuring that air travelers know the rules and have accurate information about compensation when they are bumped from flights and for lost, damaged or delayed baggage, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement.

hugo.martin@latimes.com

To read more about the travel and tourism industries, follow @hugomartin on Twitter.
Pharmaceutical heavyweight Mylan, the latest poster child for drug-industry greed, finally stuck up for itself Thursday. It argued that the system, not avarice, was to blame for the company jacking up the price of EpiPens, a common (and life-saving) allergy remedy, by over 400%.

Look, no ones more frustrated than me, Mylan Chief Executive Heather Bresch declared on CNBC.

Actually, millions of people  those with chronic medical conditions or other illnesses  are more frustrated than her.

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Despite Mylans offer Thursday of discount coupons for some EpiPen users, the only system at work here is a cash-fat industry routinely preying on sick people. Its a system that the drug industry will do whatevers necessary to protect.

Of roughly $250 million raised for and against 17 ballot measures coming before California voters in November, more than a quarter of that amount  about $70 million  has been contributed by deep-pocketed drug companies to defeat the states Drug Price Relief Act.

Contributions aimed at killing the initiative are on track to be the most raised involving a single ballot measure since 2001, the earliest year for which online data are available, according to MapLight, a nonpartisan organization that tracks money in politics.

The Drug Price Relief Act would make prescription drugs more affordable for people in Medi-Cal and other state programs by requiring that California pay no more than whats paid for the same drugs by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. It would, in other words, protect state taxpayers from being ripped off.

Industry donations to crush the Drug Price Relief Act will top $100 million by the election, Im quite certain of it, said Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation and a leading backer of the state measure, also known as Proposition 61. They see this as the apocalypse for their business model.

The drug industry already has succeeded in eviscerating Senate Bill 1010, legislation in Sacramento that would have required pharmaceutical companies to detail the costs of producing medicine and explain any price increases. The bills author, state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), pulled it from consideration last week after industry lobbyists succeeded in watering it down with business-friendly provisions.

What good is a life-saving drug if you cant get it?  Michael Weinstein, president of the AIDS Healthcare Foundation

 The EpiPen, an important item for people with severe food allergies, has gotten a lot more expensive.

Mylans money-grubbing approach to EpiPens is only the latest example of a drug company mercilessly putting the squeeze on patients.

EpiPens are a decades-old way of delivering epinephrine, a hormone that counters the potentially fatal effects of severe allergic reactions to things such as bee stings and peanuts. Theres about a dollars worth of epinephrine in each EpiPen, to which Mylan acquired the rights in 2007 and proceeded to steadily impose double-digit price hikes.

But dont forget Gilead Sciences charging $1,000 a pill for its hepatitis C drug Sovaldi. Or Turing Pharmaceuticals, which purchased rights to a well-established parasite drug used by AIDS and cancer patients and promptly raised the price by 5,000%.

A recent Reuters investigation found that prices for four of the nations top 10 drugs have more than doubled since 2011, with the remaining six jumping in price by at least 50%.

Its like being held hostage, Weinstein told me. The publics hatred of this industry is an incredible thing. They create life-saving drugs, but, because of their greed, people cant afford them. What good is a life-saving drug if you cant get it?

The Drug Price Relief Act aims to protect California taxpayers by using purchases by the VA as a yardstick by which state agencies can measure if theyre getting a reasonable deal.

It probably would make more sense if Medicare, with more than 55 million beneficiaries, served in that federal capacity rather than the VA. But Big Pharma, abetted by the industrys Republican cronies, has consistently blocked efforts to allow Medicare to negotiate drug prices. The VA has no such constraint.

The drug industry, ambitiously, is positioning itself as a defender of California consumers. For example, industry representatives have warned that if the prices charged to state agencies were as low as what the VA pays, some drug companies might stop doing business with the likes of Medi-Cal, the prison system and the California Public Employees Retirement System, making certain meds unavailable.

The industry has serious concerns about this poorly written measure because of the negative impact it will have on Californians, said Pricilla VanderVeer, a spokeswoman for Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group.

I asked Kathy Fairbanks, a spokeswoman for the No on 61 Campaign, if shed characterize sky-high drug prices as a problem for patients. No, she said, thats not how shed put it.

Its an issue, how about that? Fairbanks allowed.

Healthcare and healthcare costs are top of mind for a lot of people, she said. However, Proposition 61 isnt the answer.

I asked Fairbanks if she was taking any prescription meds.

No, Fairbanks answered. Are you?

I told her that, as a person with Type 1 diabetes, Ive watched helplessly as the price of insulin has tripled since 2002.

Oh, Fairbanks replied.

Oh indeed.

No ones saying drug companies shouldnt recover the costs of developing and marketing drugs, or that the industry shouldnt enjoy reasonable profit for its efforts.

But what Mylan and other maestros of greed show us is that this is an industry that fleeces the most vulnerable members of society, and rewards itself handsomely for its morally dubious behavior. From 2007 to 2015, Mylans CEO  daughter of Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia  saw her total compensation soar from $2.5 million to $19 million, according to regulatory filings.

The Drug Price Relief Act wouldnt force pharmaceutical companies out of business. It simply would provide a mechanism for state programs to pay something closer to fair prices for medication.

The fact that the drug industry is willing to spend as much as $100 million to keep that from happening tells you all you need to know.

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.

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A high-dollar transaction in the South Bay and a quiet celebrity sale in Hollywood Hills West were among the priciest real estate deals closed in Greater L.A. in early August.

Heres a look at the most expensive home sales recorded from July 31 through Aug. 13.

$10 million  Palos Verdes Estates

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In the 600 block of Via del Monte, an ocean-view home changed hands in one of the priciest deals for the area this year.

The 6,000-square-foot home in the Malaga Cove area came to market in June for $10.588 million and sold for $588,000 less than the asking price. The sale is the second-highest amount paid for a single-family home in the area this year, property records show. Two months ago, an oceanfront property on Rosita Place sold for $11.95 million.

Fronted by a circular driveway, the house features beamed ceilings, an oversized chefs kitchen and a three-stop elevator. Walls of glass center on views extending up toward Malibu.

Larissa Rubijevsky of Re/Max Estate properties was the listing agent. Richard Haynes of Manhattan Pacific Realty represented the buyer.

$9.9 million  Hollywood Hills West

Comedian and talk show host Ellen DeGeneres has sold a ranch-style house on Zorada Drive for $9.9 million in a deal completed off market.

If this sale sounds familiar, thats because it has happened before. DeGeneres previously sold the same house in 2007 to Milgard Manufacturing scion Allison Milgard for $10 million, only to buy it back seven years later for $8.75 million.

The midcentury home, built in 1950 and later redesigned by architecture firm Marmol Radziner, has five bedrooms and three bathrooms in nearly 4,000 square feet of living space. Panoramic canyon and city views form the backdrop for a swimming pool, a fire pit, lawns and mature trees.

As for the new owner, property records obtained by The Times show that tax records for the property will be mailed to the Granite Springs, N.Y., address of Stonewall Farm, a horse farm owned by Calvin Klein Inc. co-founder Barry Schwartz.

$7.25 million  Hollywood Hills West

A newly built home in Hollywood Hills West sold to a blind trust with a London-based tax address for $700,000 less than the asking price of $7.95 million.

Perched along a hillside, the multilevel contemporary takes in dramatic views extending from the downtown cityscape to the coastline.

Polished interiors of more than 5,600 square feet include a chefs kitchen with lacquered-wood cabinetry, formal living and dining rooms, five bedrooms and 5.25 bathrooms. A lower-level lounge holds a wet bar and a walk-in wine wall.

Outdoors, an infinity-edge swimming pool extends toward the skyline.

Steven Dubin and Ernie Carswell of Teles Properties were the listing agents. Eric Lavey of the Agency represented the buyer.

$6.75 million  Brentwood

Film editor and visual effects artist Dominik Bauch, whose credits include X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Book of Eli, paid $245,000 less than the asking price for a traditional-style home on Saltare Avenue.

Completed this year, the three-story house sits on slightly more than a quarter of an acre and is fronted by a circular driveway.

The 7,600 square feet of interiors features such amenities as a library, a home theater, a wine cellar and an elevator. The master suite, one of six bedrooms and seven bathrooms, is complete with a fireplace, a bar, two walk-in closets and a balcony overlooking the grounds.

Damoon Songhorian of Keller Williams Realty and Dev Tailor of Westside Estate Agency were the listing agents.

Carl Gambino, also with Westside Estate Agency, represented the buyer.

$6.575 million  Malibu

Canadian writer-producer Peter Lenkov bought an oceanfront home on Pacific Coast Highway for $375,000 less than the asking price of $6.95 million.

Lenkov has film and television credits that include the 1993 action film Demolition Man as well as CSI: NY and Hawaii Five-O. He is an executive producer for the upcoming MacGyver TV reboot.

Found on a sandy section of La Costa Beach, the two-bedroom beach house has been updated with white-painted beams, wood accents and floor-to-ceiling walls of glass. A free-flowing kitchen area and living room open to a beach-facing patio.

Two bedrooms and 2.5 bathrooms are within the two-story home.

Eytan Levin and Matthew Hurley of 4 Malibu Real Estate were the listing agents. Michael Eisenberg of Keller Williams Beverly Hills represented the buyer.

neal.leitereg@latimes.com

Twitter: @NJLeitereg

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One thread running through conductor Bramwell Toveys program with the Los Angeles Philharmonic on Thursday night was how composers working in the film industry sometimes suffer from lack of recognition as serious composers.

Bernard Herrmann biographer Steven C. Smith called it his demon. Leonard Bernstein lamented that audiences would always know him for West Side Story rather than for more profound works, like his Symphony No. 1 Jeremiah. And the late James Horners mentor, Paul Chihara, said in a phone interview before the concert that Jamie always wanted to become a classical composer.

Horner, the composer whose 1998 Oscar-winning Titanic score and song My Heart Will Go On made up the bestselling soundtrack of all time, got his wish Thursday. The centerpiece for Toveys Hollywood Bowl concert was the U.S. premiere of Pas de Deux, Horners major new double concerto.

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Horner is also known for such scores as Legends of the Fall, Braveheart, A Beautiful Mind and Avatar. An audience member at the Bowl cited Horners 1992 score for the comedic caper film Sneakers as a favorite.

Commissioned by the young Norwegian duo of violinist Mari Samuelsen and her brother, cellist Hakon Samuelsen, who were making their Philharmonic debuts, Pas de Deux marks Horners penultimate concert work. Horner died at 61 when the small plane he was piloting in June 2015 crashed in northern Ventura County.

The Bowl concert became a celebration of the legacy of four great masters, with Pas de Deux joined by selections from three classic film scores: Herrmanns Scene dAmour from Vertigo, Bernsteins Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront and George Gershwins Shall We Dance: Finale and Coda.

All four works showed, as Tovey said by email before the concert, the extraordinary way each composer straddled the so-called movie music/concert music divide.

Horner doubtless would have been thrilled to see how enthusiastically the Bowl audience received Pas de Deux, which was given a spellbinding rendition by Tovey, the Samuelsens and the L.A. Phil. Performed live, the nearly half-hour and continuous three-movement score came off as even more moving than the Norwegian duos account with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic led by Vasily Petrenko on their 2015 debut disc for Mercury Classics.

Personal, lyrical and emotionally involving, Pas de Deux is not, as Tovey pointed out in his opening remarks, pictorial in a soundtrack-ready way. Alternately dreamy, poetic and bracing, the score was a kind of musical depiction of one of Horners passions. It always seems to be flying, Tovey told the audience. Airborne.

It certainly was a gorgeously rhapsodic ride. Unlike Brahms famous double concerto, the violin and cello in Horners piece dont challenge the orchestra or, for that matter, each other in a combative dialogue. Instead, the composer ingeniously weaves their rich, glowing sonorities into the sumptuous orchestral fabric. Seeing a performance helped, because Mari and Hakons quiet cadenzas conveyed intimate dances, pas de deux, for the two solo instruments. Their physical movements and intensity of concentration became part of the dance.

Effective minimalist figures added touches of color in the strings and piano, and the horns conveyed an elegiac quality. At times, the score felt like an elegy to Horner himself. (Incidentally, Horners final concert piece, Collage, an ethereal concerto for four horns, is due from Mercury Classics in the fall.)

Is it any wonder why composers working in the film industry turn to the concert hall? Herrmann called composing his 1941 Symphony a Roman holiday.

Even Gershwin, whose Rhapsody in Blue is a perennial in the concert hall, had to deal with the studio staff orchestrators of his era. He discovered, as biographer Edward Jablonski noted, that even Fred Astaire had more say in the orchestration of one of his best scores, Shall We Dance, than Gershwin did.

Before beginning Bernsteins powerful Symphonic Suite from On the Waterfront, Tovey noted it was the composers birthday (he would have been 98), an observation that gave his powerful account an extra poignancy. The fine solo contributions included Dan Higgins on alto sax and Denis Bouriakov on flute.

Raynor Carroll gave a brief but memorable turn on xylophone. (Carroll, who joined the L.A. Phil in 1983, is retiring as principal percussionist. His final performances with the orchestra are on Sept. 2 and 3 in John Williams: Maestro of the Movies, conducted by Williams and David Newman.)

The concert Thursday began with an exquisitely lovelorn rendering of Herrmanns Scene dAmour from Vertigo, all sighing strings.

Tovey, a first-rate Gershwin pianist, transformed the Phil into a big band for that composers Shall We Dance: Finale and Coda. He joked that people think the five saxophonists employed for the upbeat score are there for musical reasons, but its just social, eliciting a faux look of consternation from Higgins. The performance was, as Astaire might have said, swell.

Follow The Times arts team @culturemonster.

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Some private art collections are about the drama of the architecture. Others, the sheer accumulation of works. Glenstone, the private museum founded by collectors Mitchell and Emily Rales in Potomac, Md., is all about the arrival.

Two-lane roads wind through patches of farmland and well-manicured acreage studded with McMansions to arrive at Glenstone. The site (which also includes the Rales private home) occupies 200 acres of land amid undulating countryside north of the Potomac River.

On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I made the 40-minute drive to see Glenstone, which first opened its doors to the public in 2006. The collection consists of a mix of outdoor sculpture and installation, as well as a 9,000-square-foot gallery stocked with rotating exhibitions.

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And its all pretty awe-inducing.

A 223-foot-long ribbon-like steel work by Richard Serra hugs the contours of a hillside within view of a pond. A flowering sculpture by Jeff Koons, Split-Rocker, stands on a mound overlooking area manses. Crouching, spider-like, on a bed of gravel, is Tony Smiths sculpture, Smug, from 1973/2005, an aluminum lattice that evokes his related work, Smoke, on view at LACMA.

A short hike travels down to the banks of a creek, where three stone cottages built by the British-born sculptor Andy Goldsworthy each contain an installation crafted from clay. The one called Boulder consists of a giant clay sphere that must surely have the dimensions of a dinosaur egg. (Think: big.) These are a highlight.

Glenstone is an alluring place. The art is arranged in such a way as to let both landscape and visitor breathe. The docents, who lead the guided tours, are personable and knowledgeable. The setting couldnt be more pastoral.

But its a blue chip dude-fest. All of the outdoor installations are by high-profile men: Serra, Koons, Goldsworthy, Smith, Ellsworth Kelly (represented by a rare monumental sculpture) and Felix Gonzalez-Torres (a pair of marble reflecting pools).

Likewise, the rotating exhibition currently features the work of minimalist Fred Sandback, who was best known for working with colored yarn in mind-bendy ways. (Far more subtle than the outdoor works, it makes for an intriguing show.)

Sylvester, 2001, by Richard Serra, greets visitors to Glenstone in a courtyard before the principle gallery building. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

In the distance, Contour 290, by Richard Serra. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

Glenstone is in the midst of expanding its campus so it can show more works from the collection. In addition to the current Charles Gwathmey-designed temporary gallery space, it is adding a new museum by Thomas Phifer and Partners that will add 50,000 square feet of indoor exhibition space. (Estimated completion date: Late 2017 or early 2018.)

One hopes this rising museum will feature a greater variety of artists and works. But as it stands, the building will greet visitors with more testosterone art: Next to the pavilion will be a new piece by land artist Michael Heizer, of LACMA boulder fame. (His aggressive installation techniques at Glenstone are spectacularly chronicled by Dana Goodyear in the New Yorker this month.)

Glenstone, in other words, sticks to a familiar roster of male art stars  collection as shopping list. (Serra, Heizer and Koons are all represented by the Gagosian Gallery; Kelly and Smith by Matthew Marks.) Its a line-up that couldnt be more safe or predictable.

In this way, Glenstone couldnt be more of its setting: Tony, status-conscious Potomac. And while its a lovely place to visit, I wouldnt want to live there.

Tony Smiths Smug, one of a series of lattice sculptures that includes Smoke, which currently stands at LACMA. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

Split-Rocker, 2000, by Jeff Koons, made with hundreds of flowering plants, is a crowd-pleaser. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

A path along a creek leads to three stone houses crafted by British-born sculptor Andy Goldsworthy. Each of the so-called Clay Houses features a work in clay. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

The first of the Clay Houses contains the piece Boulder, a giant sphere crafted entirely out of unfired clay. It will decompose over time. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

A detail from Holes, one of the Clay Houses by Andy Goldsworthy. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

A pair of reflecting pools by Felix Gonzalez-Torres at Glenstone. Ellsworth Kellys untitled tower can be seen in the distance. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

More to come: The collection is currently adding a new museum building that will feature an additional 50,000 square feet of gallery space. (Carolina A. Miranda / Los Angeles Times )

Fred Sandback: Light, Space, Facts

Where: Glenstone, 12002 Glen Rd., Potomac, Md.

When: Through December; appointment required

Info: glenstone.org

Get the Essential Arts & Culture newsletter delivered to your inbox  written by me! 

Find me on Twitter @cmonstah.
The months-long campaign by SAG-AFTRA against NBCUniversal to unionize Spanish-language performers on Telemundo is heating up on the TV screen.

In its latest push, the labor union aired a 30-second commercial on Thursday that called for parity in pay between English-language and Spanish-language talent at the networks parent company, NBCUniversal. It aired on Spanish-language stations in Los Angeles, New York and Miami.

SAG-AFTRAs goal is to ensure all talent, regardless of their race, ethnicity or language, have fair wages and certain protections, the union said in a statement. As a leading voice for the Hispanic American community, this should be Telemundos priority as well.

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The call for action centers on actors in scripted dramatic programming, primarily telenovelas. The labor union claims there is a double-standard that exists between Spanish-language talent and English-language talent hired under the same parent corporation. Telemundo pays Spanish-speaking performers less than half of their English-speaking counterparts at NBC, the union says.

SAG-AFTRA also contends that Telemundo does not provide health benefits and other basic protections provided to English-speaking performers at NBC.

Telemundo is not under contract with SAG-AFTRA. Its sister company NBC, however, has long been a union signatory.

In a statement, Telemundo said the Miami-based company supports our employees right to join and not join a union, and that they should be able to conduct a secret ballot election to decide whether to join SAG-AFTRA.

We remain committed to making Telemundo a great place to work for our employees and will continue to invest in them to ensure their salaries and working conditions are competitive, the company said.

The Thursday ad, which is also available in English and Spanish on the unions website, said: Its time to end this double standard and demand fair treatment for all performers  not just those who speak English.

Telemundo and Comcast, which owns NBCUniversal, refused to air the commercial during the networks live broadcast of its awards show, Premios Tu Mundo, saying it did not not pass their legal standards for advertisements.

Telemundos decision to censor 30 seconds of truthful commentary about its working conditions shows just how averse it is to having a transparent discussion about its refusal to fairly compensate Spanish-speaking performers, the union said.

yvonne.villarreal@latimes.com

Twitter: @villarrealy
To support Hillary Clinton is to support our Global Governance Crowd and their Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority, WTO, NAFTA, GATT, CAFTA, and the TPP deal ___ all used to circumvent America First trade policies, while fattening the fortunes of Hillary Clintons international corporate giant donors who have no allegiance to America or any nation.

See: Chelsea Clinton Will Stay on Board at the Clinton Foundation August 25, 2016In recent months we have seen numerous reports how the Clinton family has fattened its personal fortune using a charitable organization in a pay to play operation giving its donors access to decision makers in our Executive branch of government in return for contributions, many of which are craftily disguised as speaking fees.Among these speaking fees it was reported thatSEE: $153 million in Bill and Hillary Clinton speaking fees, documented The vast majority of these speaking fees are paid by our Global Governance Crowd but this is in addition to foreign dignitaries, some representing the interests of oppressive Islamic controlled countries.And now we learn, even after the foundation has been exposed as a money laundering operation, Hillary Clinton will not close this cash cow down. What we are told is Bill Clinton would resign from the Clinton Foundation board if Hillary is elected, and he would not give a paid speech for the entirety of her presidency.But that leaves Chelsea Clinton, a darling of our global governance crowd, who will take over the reins of this money laundering operation. To view the names of some of the players in this crowd see Council on Foreign Relations Membership Roster , click on CWell, isn't this a surprise? Chelsea Clinton and Bill Clinton appear on the roster of this global governance crowd.JWK
A settlement ending the bitter battle over media mogul Sumner Redstones mental competency and the future of Viacom Inc. received the blessing of a Massachusetts judge on Friday  but only after an intervention to mend a rift within the famously fractious Redstone family.

Rather than quickly signing off on the corporate settlement involving Viacom, Massachusetts Probate Judge George Phelan prodded lawyers in an effort to protect the interests of Keryn Redstone, a granddaughter of the ailing 93-year-old media mogul.

Keryn Redstone, 34, is one of five beneficiaries of Sumner Redstones trust that holds the controlling stock in two media companies, Viacom and CBS Corp. Sumner Redstone created the trust more than a decade ago with the intention of leaving his valuable shares to his five grandchildren.

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The trust was designed to treat his grandchildren equally  but a squabble broke out as to whether that would happen.

Keryn Redstone has been on the opposite side of several disputes with her powerful aunt, Shari Redstone, who will eventually oversee the trust with six other trustees.

Shari Redstone has three children; her youngest son also has been designated as an eventual trustee. Her brother Brent (Sumner Redstones only son) has two daughters: Keryn and Lauren.

Keryn Redstones Los Angeles lawyer, Pierce ODonnell, had argued that tensions within the Redstone family had already put Keryn Redstone at a disadvantage.

This spring, a planned gift of $6 million to Keryn Redstone was abruptly cut out of Sumner Redstones personal estate plan. Keryn Redstone has said that her attempts to visit her grandfather at his Beverly Park mansion were likewise rebuffed. She said she last saw Sumner Redstone on Valentines Day.

Sumner Redstones lawyer, Robert Klieger, suggested a resolution to provide legal assurances that Keryn Redstone would be treated equally in any trust distributions  and that she be allowed to visit her grandfather.

During an afternoon recess, Klieger, ODonnell and other attorneys hammered out a deal to clarify a section of the trust to make sure that Keryn Redstone would be on an equal footing with her sister and Shari Redstones children, according to Mike Lawrence, a spokesman for Sumner Redstone.

The mogul also agreed to meet with his granddaughter, a visit that is expected to take place in the next few weeks at Redstones home near Beverly Hills, Lawrence said.

I am so grateful to Judge George Phelan for providing me the opportunity to see my beloved grandfather. I am overjoyed that we will soon be reunited, Keryn Redstone said in a statement distributed late Friday.

Since February, Shari has isolated him and controlled every aspect of his life, she said. I look forward to being able to tell my grandfather how much I have missed him and how much I love him.

As part of Fridays agreement, Keryn Redstone withdrew her objections to the settlement reached in the Viacom boardroom showdown.

Sumner Redstone had previously expressed displeasure with Keryn Redstone because of her friendship with his former companion, Manuela Herzer, who brought the lawsuit that spun the extended legal battle into motion last November. ODonnell also represents Herzer.

The judge emphasized that he would like to see a reunion between Redstone and his granddaughter  and soon.

I dont want the human element to get lost in that Sumner Redstone might not have much time left on this Earth, Phelan said.

The complicated Redstone family dynamics caused a bit of tension for a crowd of lawyers, including those representing former Viacom Chief Executive Philippe Dauman and Viacom board member George Abrams.

On Friday, nearly two dozen attorneys showed up in the Massachusetts courtroom with hopes that they would quickly win the judges approval of a stipulation that the high-profile legal battle between Viacom and the Redstone family had been amicably resolved.

Dauman and Abrams were unceremoniously dumped on May 20 as trustees of Sumner Redstones trust after decades of service to the mogul. Late last week, Dauman and Abrams agreed to a settlement with Sumner and Shari Redstone with the goal of putting their high-profile clash behind them because it was becoming a drain on Viacom.

As part of the settlement, Dauman and Abrams agreed to drop their claims and resign as members of the Sumner Redstone trust. Dauman also stepped down as Viacom CEO.

But the approval of the Viacom settlement hit a speed bump this week.

Keryn Redstone, who also was a party to the dispute, wasnt part of the settlement negotiations  nor had she consented to the deal on the table. ODonnell, her attorney, at one point during Fridays hearing suggested that Daumans and Abrams case should go to trial to resolve lingering questions over whether Sumner Redstone is mentally competent.

Phelan, the judge, also wondered aloud several times about Redstones competency. The judge wanted to know why Dauman and Abrams  who had strenuously argued that Sumner Redstone was incompetent and under the undue influence of Shari Redstone  had suddenly abandoned their claims.

Shari Redstones attorney, on behalf of her client, also hailed the outcome of Fridays hearing, which appears to finally bring an end to months of disputes among the various warring factions.

I am very pleased for the Redstone family, Elizabeth B. Burnett, Shari Redstones longtime attorney, said in a statement.

The plaintiffs claims filed against Sumner and Shari have been dismissed, the settlement agreement is firmly in place, and Sumners decisions have been honored in all respects. This result benefits Viacom, National Amusements and all of the beneficiaries of Sumners trust, Burnett said.

meg.james@latimes.com

@MegJamesLAT

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UPDATES:

6:32 p.m. This article was updated to include comments from Keryn Redstone and Elizabeth Burnett, Shari Redstones attorney.

This article was first published at 2 p.m.
Is a repressive 19th century drama from a newbie director the most radical movie of the season?

Ever since his Lady Macbeth  a 19th century re-imagining of a Russian novella about an arranged marriage  became one of the conversation pieces at the Toronto International Film Festival, director William Oldroyd has found himself having an unusual conversation.

Filmgoers whove seen his movie and expected (or apparently dont know much about) William Shakespeare have been wondering what happened to Duncan, Banquo and the rest of the gang.

I know it sounds funny, but Ive had people come up and say to me, This isnt anything like the play,  Oldroyd recalled in an interview. And I have to pause and think about what to say. I mean, its not an adaptation of the [Shostakovich] opera either. Its not really anything traditional.

The director isnt kidding.

This is already shaping up as a film year of a particular trend: complex female characters reacting provocatively to sexual repression and assault. Movies such as Elle, with Isabelle Huppert, and Una, with Rooney Mara, both confound simple victim narratives in ways that are honest or dangerous, depending on your point of view.

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Just like the 1972 Charles Bronson vehicle The Mechanic and the 2011 Jason Statham-starring remake, the best scenes in Mechanic: Resurrection contain almost no dialogue. When the sequel is really clicking, it becomes action cinema in its purest visual form: just one buff, taciturn dude doing major damage to his enemies.

But those scenes constitute only about half of Mechanic: Resurrection. For the rest of the movies running time, Statham makes moony-eyes at costar Jessica Alba and tries to convince the viewer  unconvincingly  that his movies plot matters.

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Once again, Statham plays Arthur Bishop, a highly skilled assassin specializing in making cold-blooded murders look accidental. After an interminable setup, director Dennis Gansel and his writers get around to the main plot of Mechanic: Resurrection, which involves Bishop completing three impossible jobs to save the life of his new girlfriend, Gina (played by Alba).

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Theres too much explanation in this film, and too many generically sleazy crime bosses (played by the likes of Sam Hazeldine and Tommy Lee Jones). Its also a bummer that this Mechanic wastes Hong Kong action legend Michelle Yeoh in what amounts to a glorified cameo. (If shed been Bishops girlfriend, this would have been a much better picture.)

Still, every 10 minutes or so  when Bishop has to scale a skyscraper or blow up a submarine or hop onto a moving hang-glider  this movie is actually a kick. When it comes out on home video, fast-forward to the stunts. You wont miss a thing.

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Mechanic: Resurrection

MPAA rating: R, for violence throughout and language

Running time: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Playing: In general release
When Andrew Ahn came out as gay, he was told by his Korean father that gay Koreans didnt exist; that being gay was an American concept and he was only gay because he was Korean American. That statement left Ahn feeling fractured, like your Korean identity and your gay identity cant live in the same place, he said. But with his first feature film Spa Night, opening Friday at West Hollywoods Sundance Sunset, hes rejecting that notion head-on.

In many ways, what I was trying to do with Spa Night is to create something that felt both queer and Korean at the same time, he said. To create a culture that was really about this intersection.

Spa Night follows the coming of age of David, a first-generation Korean American attempting to live out his parents dreams of him attending USC -- if he can get those SAT scores up. When his parents are forced to close their restaurant because of low business, he picks up a part-time job at a spa in Koreatown. While working there, he discovers the not-so-secret world of hookups happening in the saunas of the mens-only establishment, and he eventually has one of his own.

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Ahn, 30, who wrote and directed the film, came to the idea for the script a few years ago when a friend told him about a hot hookup with a guy at a spa. His first thought: sacrilegious, he said, because spas are a very traditional, almost sacred place in Korean culture. Ahn remembers going to the spa with his dad near the end of every year to cleanse their minds, bodies and spirits before the new year, a ritualistic family bonding event.

It was so tied into my sense of my Korean identity; to find out it was being used for gay cruising, it came as a complete surprise, he said. And in some way maybe it shouldnt have because I know anywhere you have naked men theres going to be some sort of homoerotic tension.

The spa, Ahn said, always forced him to confront his Korean-ness, because Im naked, and its me and my Korean body. In that space, he never felt American, rather super Korean. But as he was developing the character of David, played by Joe Seo, he realized that the spa was forcing this character to be both [Korean and gay] in a way hes uncomfortable being, he said.

That process is trying to find an authentic life: How do you live as a whole human as opposed to [having] those two parts sectioned off.

 Actor Joe Seo and director Andrew Ahn discuss what inspired the new film Spa Night.

But considering the taboo nature of LGBT identity in some Asian communities, Ahn ran into issues casting his movie, which features an entirely Asian cast and is mostly in Korean with English subtitles. (A number of Koreatown spas also refused to be used as shooting locations after hearing the films plot.) He admits he was scared that Seo wouldnt take the part. Another actor who had auditioned was told by his mother that if he took the part, she would send him back to Korea to live and hide out there because the Korean American community would be so [angry] with him. Additionally, a woman who auditioned for the role of the mother said that she couldnt do the movie because her husband, a pastor, wouldnt approve.

Seo however did take the part, with very little hesitation -- but he did ask his parents and pastor.

They said, If you think you can do it, go for it, Seo said. (He was recognized with the coveted breakthrough and outstanding performance awards at Sundance and Outfest, respectively, earlier this year.)

Seo was also interested in the role in hopes that Spa Night will start and continue a positive conversation in Asian communities about embracing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender folk.

Its time to discuss this and I think its important for [LGBT Asians] to watch a movie like this because they might feel alone, or might not have that courage to come out, he said. All we want to do is give people that push, that encouragement, and tell them you are human, you are loved. [The Asian community] needs to express love to all kinds of people, not just those you think are normal or righteous.

Ahn plans to continue creating work with queer Koreans at the center, not only because the LGBT film genre is largely void of people of color. To put a spin on the title of a popular book addressing the invisibility of black women, All the Women Are White, All the Blacks Are Men, in film, all the gays are white, all the men are straight.

The next step is to talk about intersectionality because its not just enough anymore to talk about being gay, he said. Its about talking about how that intersects with our race, class, religion. Theres so many of these additional identities that color how were queer. The queer genre has to grow, and it is.

As for other places of growth in the industry, both Ahn and Seo look forward to conversations about whitewashing Asian roles and stories  like Scarlett Johansson playing Motoko Kusanagi in 2017s Ghost in the Shell  and the lack of diversity in Hollywood ending, as focus shifts to highlighting the diverse work that is being done.

I really hope that we can stop talking about Matt Damon and The Great Wall and talk about Joe Seo and Spa Night, Ahn said. I hope this movie is part of a wave that shows we can make films that have an entirely person-of-color cast and it can do well in theaters and people can connect to it, even if theyre not Korean or queer.

And while most mainstream Asian American film and television is comedy, like Fresh Off the Boat, Dr. Ken or last years Ktown Cowboys, Spa Night is pushing back on this model minority myth, Ahn said.

I wanted to show that Asian American content can be dramatic too, he said. There just has to be more.

Get your life! Follow me on Twitter: @TrevellAnderson.
Turn off your mind and relax and float through musician and visual artist Vinyl Williams wild new interactive video for Feedback Delicates.

Taken from his just-dropped new record, Brunei, the clip from the artist born Lionel Williams, is a trip and allows viewers to explore an entire digital landscape that Williams imagined especially for the track. (Feel free to pause here to expand the video and explore.)

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Williams has been making music under his Vinyl moniker since 2010, issuing three sonically singular albums and a few striking EPs that rumble like high-bias cassettes and sound like they were recorded in fish tanks. In a great way.

The artists backstory is notable. He is the grandson of Oscar-winning film composer John Williams. As his media notes explain of the artist, who studied at CalArts: As a result of experiencing religious and cultural dissonance growing up in the state of Utah, Williams reacts by creating dream worlds of religious and cultural harmony. Its through his art, he projects himself beyond metaphysical dream worlds with ancient mystical symbols, Utopian architecture and exotic locales enveloped in a rippling haze of psychedelia.

The marriage of video and song in Feedback Delicates is just as notable and suggests a future in which listeners strapped into virtual reality gear not only will be able to listen to a song, but will inhabit it, revel within singular aural and visual feasts that, like great songs, can shift depending on perspective, spirit or how hard youre dancing. Williams voice warbles and wanders as computer-born landscapes rush by and the songs structure meanders.

The artist performs Friday at Non Plus Ultra  which he runs. Brunei, which was released by Company Records (Chaz Bundick of Toro y Mois imprint), is available through all the major streaming services.

Theres a lot of terrible music out there. For tips on the stuff thats not, follow Randall Roberts on Twitter: @liledit
Like Star Trek, I turn 50 this year. But thats not my only connection to the original television series. Star Trek inspired me to become a scientist, convincing me at an early age that science and the advancement of human knowledge could make the world a better place.

Like many people my age, I was transfixed by the futurism of Star Trek and the adventures of the Starship Enterprise. Part of the appeal was the action and exotic science-fiction elements: giant space amoeba, time-travel, cloaking devices  even shape-shifting alien salt-vampires. (Like I said, Im a lifelong fan.)

But part of what makes Star Trek so compelling has been a consistent commitment to a set of pro-social values. If an advanced alien species sets up some sort of bizarre test where the only way the crew could survive was by acting in some barbaric or murderous fashion, you could be darn sure that they would choose to die rather than betray their values, and they would make their stand exceedingly clear in a moral lecture to said advanced alien race.

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Coupled with that unshakable moral commitment was an unsinkable optimism: In the Star Trek universe, all problems are solvable. Some predicaments were short-term, with plot-advancing solutions that relied on the ingenuity and competence of the crew. Other dilemmas were long-term, such as the Cold War-like hostilities between humanoid aliens the Klingons and the Romulans, but the show made clear that one day those same enemies would become our friends.

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I wanted to be part of that world, one where the best intentions mattered and scientific knowledge was more important than military power. But then math happened, as it does to many of us. As a high school student I thought my struggles with math meant I couldnt do science, and so I sought a different way to make a difference. I became a Marine, which ended up being a profoundly good experience for me.

But life takes strange turns, and at age 41 I enrolled in a doctoral program at Carnegie Mellon University. I found that scientists dont just count things  they describe them as well. I found that software could do a lot of the heavy math-lifting. And I found that there were places like the Rand Corp., a research institution where scientists work in teams to do their part to make the world a safer, healthier, more just place for everyone  a description that sounds like something members of Star Treks United Federation of Planets would recognize.

After I joined Rand in 2013, I was pleased and surprised to learn that I now shared another connection with Star Trek, because a Rand employee had been involved with the show years before the first episode aired on Sept. 8, 1966.

I wanted to be part of that world, one where the best intentions mattered and scientific knowledge was more important than military power.

Rand researcher Harvey Lynn had served as a consultant to series creator Gene Roddenberry, brainstorming technical issues and contributing insights that helped shape such Star Trek signatures as the Enterprises computer (he suggested that it talk, in a womans voice), the sickbay (he suggested outfitting the beds with electrical pickups that monitor the body) and the transporter used for teleportation, series star William Shatner later recalled.

Gene wanted authenticity and Harvey helped deliver it, Shatner wrote in Im Working on That, a 2002 book about the link between Star Trek scientific fact and fiction. An Air Force colonel who knew Lynn to be a creative scientific thinker had connected the series creator with the researcher, who consulted for Star Trek as a private citizen, not as part of a Rand project a fact noted in the FAQs on Rands website.

Full Coverage: Boldly celebrating 50 years of Star Treks television, movies and more 

The back-and-forth documented in letters between Roddenberry and Lynn is serious, respectful and occasionally playful, much like the give-and-take between my researcher colleagues. After thanking Lynn for his detailed comments, Roddenberry wrote in 1964: Any point you feel strongly about, please feel free to continue arguing.

Star Trek and Rand also share a values connection because both are fundamentally about trying to improve the world. Star Trek makes the case that technological advancement, the accumulation of knowledge and our perfectibility and maturation as social beings can work together to ensure a better future. Rands policy research aims to accomplish a similar goal by producing and synthesizing knowledge in an attempt to solve persistent problems around the globe. I think the 10-year-old me would be happy with my small role in this scientific galaxy.

William Marcellino is a social and behavioral scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan Rand Corp. and a professor at the Pardee Rand Graduate School.
Sexy sells  especially to Millennials  and so Gucci is refreshing its fragrance master brand Gucci Guilty with steamy new advertising.

Starring Jared Leto along with models Julia Hafstrom and Vera Van Erp, the film campaign was shot by Glen Luchford in a baroque Venetian palazzo. It unfurls as a series of dreamy flashbacks as the trio explores each other and their environs in a highly sensual  and sexual  fashion over the span of one night.

The creative thinking and the campaign are very much in the territory of Alessandro, said Gucci president and chief executive officer Marco Bizzarri, referring to the fashion labels creative director Alessandro Michele, who started in the post in January 2015.

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The executive said he spies a huge potential that is still untapped for the Italian brands fragrance business. We have to develop properly and coherently the product category.

Introduced in 2010, Gucci Guilty targets a young, social-networking consumer. Its original provocative ad starring Evan Rachel Wood and Chris Evans helped catapult the womens and mens scents into the top-five rankings in most markets where they were launched.

It was very impactful advertising, asserted Luis Miguel Gonzalez Sebastiani, global director of Gucci Beauty at Procter & Gamble, Guccis fragrance licensee. We were bringing a concept which was extremely relevant for the audience at the time  for the younger audience  which was a bit of sex on display, trying to break some of the taboos of society at the time.

Today, Gucci Guilty remains for Gucci its biggest fragrance seller with the widest geographic reach. Its key markets are the U.S., Asia, the U.K., global travel retail and the Middle East, where it ranks in the top 10 to 15.

Most recently Gucci Bamboo was introduced, which brought new users to the portfolio, according to Gonzalez Sebastiani. Since its launch, Gucci Guilty has not had new advertising, just refreshers using edits of the materials with the same actors.

A decision was taken to parlay the changes Michele and Bizzarri were making to Gucci on the fashion side to the fragrance realm. In tandem, consumers had evolved.

If you walk along the street, in any city or metropolis of the world, you realize theres a kind of marvelous anarchy that characterizes youth, but also people of all ages, stated Michele, who orchestrated the campaign, opting to set it in Venice, home to the oldest carnival and scene of pleasure-seeking in Europe during the 18th century.

Gonzalez Sebastiani characterized Millennials, people aged 18 to 34, as nonconformists.

They are ready to break conventions. They want to express their individuality, and when they indulge in any type of pleasure, they dont do it with guilt, he said. The campaign focuses on emancipated sexuality.

Executives at P&G, including Chris Simmons, its art director, worked with Michele and his creative team on the spot, which industry sources estimate cost $6 million to conceive.

Given its Millennial target, digital is the main vector for the Gucci Guilty campaign. The Instagram hashtag #GuiltyNotGuilty was created for it. And during the spots shooting in December, Leto commandeered Guccis Snapchat, posting videos and photos of what was happening behind the scenes.

That got spread around the world, instantly, Gonzalez Sebastiani said. We had more than 400 million impressions.

The campaign will break worldwide in September, with the first teasing slated on social networks for the end of August. The film ad, coming in various lengths, will appear online as well as on TV and in movie theaters.

This is not just an advertising campaign, its a movement. And in order for us to create this movement and maintain an ongoing conversation, we have a lot of material that were planning to continue revealing as the campaign develops in the next years, Gonzalez Sebastiani said.

It is estimated that the new Gucci Guilty ad could directly touch more than 30 percent of fragrance consumers and spur high-double-digit sales growth for the Gucci Guilty franchise in its core markets.

The campaign will also have a sizable in-store presence.

Now its time to reignite the pillar, Gonzalez Sebastiani said.

For Leto, working on Gucci Guiltys movie was an exceptional experience.

I am friends with Alessandro, he said, following the Gucci mens ready-to-wear show in Milan in June. This was like shooting a little film with friends.

Leto called Venice a magical place thats transporting. Its a city that really shouldnt exist, a city on water. So the place in and of itself is a bit of a dream. [The filming] felt like it belonged in Venice. It stoked our imagination, and it was a really fun and creative project.

Leto described Snapchat as a unique way to share your work and parts of your life with other people. There is something about the ephemerality of the application that allows you to be a little less precious, a little more spontaneous about what you choose to share and how you share it. So I really like that.

He was about to head to Japan to shoot a film called The Outsider, and was working on finishing his fifth album.

Its going to be good, he said. Its going to be great.
NEW YORK  Sarah Jessica Parkers new fragrance, Stash SJP, has put an edge on the celebrity fragrance game.

She called the new eau de parfum Lovelys naughty, subversive sibling, and her secret during an interview with WWD last month in her showroom for the SJP by Sarah Jessica Parker footwear brand in the Flatiron District here. She partnered with George Malkemus, chief executive officer of Manolo Blahnik USA, to launch her footwear collection two years ago, almost a decade after she introduced her first fragrance, Lovely, in 2005.

Its like street, its like contraband. Its the cheese thats not pasteurized, she said, holding up the bottle of Stash, which looks more like an old-fashioned, 100-ml. bottle of spirits than an eau de parfum.

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For however lovely Lovely is  Parkers most well-known scent that came out 11 years ago  Stash is anything but. Its sexier and raw, according to the actress, who is gearing up for the premiere of HBOs Divorce in October, her first TV role since the last episode of Sex & the City aired in 2004.

The amber color of the juice evokes the feel of whiskey, and the ripped black gaffer tape label  which mimics a piece of electrical tape  was strategically slapped on on an angle. Its packaged in a black box inside a black grosgain bag and a satin black-and-gold rimmed cap is wrapped in twisted black twine. Its edgier than anything shes ever done and while not billed as genderless, she called it fragrance for the human being.

Stashs concept and idea predates that of Lovely, the first scent she created with Coty Inc., her licensee at the time, and International Flavors and Fragrances. She created Covet in 2007 and SJP NYC in 2009 with Coty before taking a seven-year hiatus from the beauty space. At the end of 2014, the license for Parkers fragrances was taken over by Lovely Distribution Co., created specifically for Parkers fragrance license. She continued to work with IFF to bring Stash to fruition.

Parker said when she ventured into fragrance, the idea of an actor developing a scent wasnt a common affair. However, the past decade or so has seen the rise  and subsequent decline, according to sales figures and retailers  of the celebrity fragrance. The celebrity trend has been replaced by an influx of niche and indie brands, which are quickly creeping into many retailers bestselling scents.

This could be an asset to Parker, who said she was unable to bring Stash to market more than a decade ago because she was told it wasnt commercial enough. Its this lack of commerciality, though, that could make this the perfect scent for a celebrity to launch right now, she maintains. In addition to Parkers fans, the fragrance will likely appeal to a more niche audience because of its bottle inspired by apothecary glass, a juice that she likens to good rum and black packaging.

Teri Siegel, a global marketing consultant who works with Lovely Distribution Co., said the team went into the project knowing the current perception of celebrity fragrance.

Its not that we went into this blind. We knew the marketplace; we knew whats going on with retailers. We went into this knowing that that was ahead of us. We also looked at the trends, [and knew] that we had to be disruptive, we needed to do things in a nonformulaic style, Siegel said. Thats why one may actually say this looks, feels and certainly smells almost more like a niche type of fragrance.

Its not niche because the U.S. retail partner at launch is Ulta Beauty, Siegel noted, but the team worked to make sure that every element veered away from celebrity fragrance territory. Ulta will carry the fragrance exclusively in the U.S. for a year in all of its doors doors starting on Aug. 28 and online at ulta.com (the chain will have more than 970 stores by the end of the year). It will also be sold on Parkers sjpbeauty.com site.

I always said that Lovely was a polite fragrance; she was welcome everywhere. I would say this is a sibling that wont be excluded from events, but its a far more unpredictable personality, Parker continued. I still love Lovely and Im nostalgic about it, but this is the fragrance Im wearing every day. Im not messing around or having affairs with other fragrances.

While Lovely has top notes of mandarin, bergamot, rosewood and lavender, Stashs are grapefruit zest, black pepper and sage. The latter is decidedly less feminine than its predecessor, with middle notes of cedarwood atlas, patchouli, ginger lily and pistachio and a base of olibanum, massoia wood, vetiver and musk.

I dont know if you have an affinity for body odor, but on some people its amazing, she said with a laugh. Part of it, too, is the warmth of a body and how do you capture heat? [Or] how do you capture [the scent of] a sweater that has been worn by somebody thats absorbed musk or patchouli?

She said the words that came to mind when creating Stash were body odor, church and leather. Its inspired by a handful of mens fragrances Parker would wear, often rife with vetivers and frankincense, also known as olibanum and one of the base notes of Stash.

Another factor that differentiates Stash from previous fragrance projects is social media and the speed at which the digital space allows one to launch product, especially when the person launching it has millions of followers. This is the biggest change since the introduction of Lovely, which took place seven years before Instagram came into existence and during Facebooks earliest days.

Like any celebrity with a massive following whos launched product using social media from Victoria Beckham to Kylie Jenner, Parker can rely less on traditional and more on new media with Stash. She will personally reveal the bottle on her Instagram account today, where she has 2.7 million followers @sarahjessicaparker. Shes already been teasing the reveal to generate buzz, including a post on Wednesday that read: Precious, personal, my secret, come and find it. Friday. X, SJ.

The marketing strategy for launch does account for print and TV advertising  ads will appear in the October and November books of Marie Claire, InStyle and Cosmpolitan and TV spots will air in Australia  but the bulk of promotional efforts are digital, according to Parker.

But like any business, developing and bringing fragrance to market doesnt come without its challenges.

Parker compared these obstacles  she called the fragrance industry a revolving door  to those of footwear, which are more forgiving.

The shoe category is not without complexity and intense competition, but it doesnt feel quite as fleeting. The moment to achieve triumph is more forgiving. You have more time to sort it out, she explained, saying when Lovely launched more than a decade ago, she had to seek out real estate with retail partners.

Now Ulta is bringing us in. Instead of us fighting, there is a sense of ownership. They are taking more control of it; they have a whole plan and are anchoring this, she said of the partnership.

The eau de parfum comes in three sizes: 30 ml., 50 ml. and 100 ml., which retail for $50, $75 and $85, respectively, as well as a $25 rollerball and $50 elixir oil that can used for hair and body.

Globally, the scent will be available in Boots, Debenhams and Superdrug in the U.K. and My Chemist in Australia. Industry sources project that Stash can do $25 million in retail sales during its first year.

Andre Frankel, managing director of Lovely Distribution Co., isnt worried about celebrity fragrances bad rap, either.

The firm believes Stash deviates from the typical celebrity fragrance formula because of Parkers commitment to the development of it, from concept to out-of-the-box promotions such as a global street-art campaign. Street art started appearing around New York earlier in August, with nearly 100 sidewalks in New York City and Los Angeles tagged with #ComeandFindIt in chalk art. Parker teased the street art on her Instagram account, too, which will lead to the reveal of the bottle this morning.

For Frankel, the proof was Stash being picked up by U.K.-based retailer Debenhams, which he said no longer launches or sells many celebrity fragrances. While they still carry ones that were previously bought, the retailer isnt looking to add more celebrity scents, with the exception of Parkers.

Tara Simon, senior vice president of prestige merchandising at Ulta, shares a similar view of celebrity fragrances. She confirmed that Ulta doesnt have a long list of celebrity brands were working with. Its also not something were really looking for.

She pointed to Ariana Grande as an exception at Ulta  both of her fragrances have exceeded expectations saleswise  and shes confident Stash will fall into the same category.

She [Parker] isnt just lending her name to this. This is a real passion project for her. I look at her like shes a brand founder, like Jamie [Kern Lima] from It Cosmetics, Simon said, adding: It feels artisanal to us, even though most artisanal brands are a collection of scents or superluxe. This feels luxe and chic, but its attainable and she wanted that. She intentionally made that decision.
On any given Saturday morning, they gather on the beach off Hurricane Street in Marina del Rey to practice the ancient discipline of yoga.

The class begins and ends with meditation to the sounds of crashing surf, the occasional flyover by a Los Angeles County sheriffs helicopter and beachgoers looking on.

Bunok Kravitz, a.k.a. the Yoga Bunny, leads the free class, open to anyone who wants to join in.

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My goal is to ultimately offer free classes everywhere I go so that those who may not have the means  [still] have access to a yoga and meditation practice under the guidance of an instructor, she says.

Why?

Why? Because thats what my heart tells me to do.

What also makes this class unique is that its now in its third decade, which means it could be the single longest running yoga class in L.A.s wellness circles  if anyone bothered to keep tabs on such things.

The class begins and ends with meditation to the sounds of surf crashing against the shore, the occasional flyby of a sheriffs helicopter and beachgoers looking on. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times )

According to class legend, Kravitz is only the fourth instructor to teach it. Some had feared that the class would simply dissolve after the previous instructor died in 2009.

But Bunok stepped in.

I was then honored to carry on this legacy and... keep the class alive, she said.

The class attracts an eclectic group of people with diverse abilities from all over the world. In any given week, about 50 students attend.

Bunok Kravitz (a.k.a. the Yoga Bunny) leads the free class, which at times has grown to over 50 students. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times )

The people that have attended the class over the years have come and gone, said Penny Akashi, who has been taking the class for over 16 years, but the constant has been the like-mindedness of the group and the wonderful growing community that has been created.

Unlike a traditional yoga studio, there is plenty of space to stretch out.

Pro tip: Most bring a blanket or sheet to cover the sand, then place their yoga mat on top.

Unlike a yoga room, there is plenty of space to stretch out on the beach. The classes are geared toward those who enjoy the outdoors and dont mind a little sand. (Barbara Davidson / Los Angeles Times )

Classes are held at 9:30 a.m. during summer, and at 10 a.m. during winter. You can find more details at Kravitzs website, TheYogaBunny.com

health@latimes.com

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The Night Of: In the Aug. 25 Calendar section, an article about actor Bill Camp, costar of the HBOseries The Night Of, referred to a potential murder suspect in the series as the victims father-in-law. The character is the victims stepfather.

If you believe that we have made an error, or you have questions about The Times journalistic standards and practices, you may contact Deirdre Edgar, readers representative, by email at readers.representative@latimes.com, by phone at (877) 554-4000, by fax at (213) 237-3535 or by mail at 202 W. 1st St., Los Angeles, CA 90012. The readers representative office is online at latimes.com/readersrep.
The top law enforcement official in New Hampshire, a state ravaged by the opioid epidemic, accused the manufacturer of OxyContin on Friday of stonewalling demands for information the company collects about suspected criminal trafficking of its painkiller.

They are just refusing to turn over documents, state Atty. Gen. Joseph Foster said of drugmaker Purdue Pharma in an interview. On one hand, they tell us they have nothing to hide and they are doing everything appropriately, but then why are they fighting so hard not to turn over this information?

After a Times investigation last month exposed the extensive evidence Purdues internal security team gathers, and in many cases, does not share with law enforcement, state lawyers sent a subpoena directing the company to turn over any records related to New Hampshire. The Times found that the companys confidential files include field reports, witness statements, prescribing data and surveillance photos on doctors and pharmacists across the nation suspected of catering to addicts and drug dealers.

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In refusing to comply with the New Hampshire subpoena, Purdue cited longstanding objections to the states use of a private law firm in an ongoing investigation of the company and other opioid makers.

In court documents, company lawyers have said Purdue is willing to provide records to the attorney general and his lawyers, but on the condition they not share them with the private attorneys, who they have suggested have a financial incentive to wrest multimillion-dollar judgments from the company in civil suits.

The Attorney General has repeatedly refused to accept the information weve offered to provide, the company said in a statement.

James Boffetti, the senior assistant attorney general negotiating with Purdue, said he had agreed to limit access to the materials to government lawyers and investigators unless there was court approval of the use of private lawyers. But, he said, the company still declined. The conversations were very frustrating, he said, arguing that the information the state sought could help police identify criminal activity and stop prescription drugs from getting into the wrong hands.

Its just a knee-jerk response that doesnt look at the bigger issue of public safety and harm, Boffetti said.

New Hampshire, with a population of 1.3 million, has one of the nations highest rates of opioid prescribing and addiction, according to public health officials. Many addicted to painkillers have transitioned to abusing heroin, which is cheaper than pills, and overdoses and deaths have skyrocketed in recent years. A state report this summer called the opioid problem one of the most significant public health crises in the states history. There were 666 emergency room visits for opioid-related causes last month and, on average, nine people fatally overdose on drugs each week, according to state figures.

Government officials are fighting the crisis on many fronts, from outfitting police officers with naloxone, an anti-overdose drug, to starting new educational programs that begin warning children in kindergarten about the dangers of drugs. Foster said that after he took office in 2013, he was struck by the number of pills seized in raids on rural drug rings and decided to launch an investigation into whether fraudulent marketing of the drugs was contributing to their abuse.

The state has just a handful of attorneys to handle all consumer protection cases  from mortgage fraud to charity scams  and those lawyers are so busy that they rely on volunteers to take complaints. Foster decided to get outside help in the opioid investigation from a Washington, D.C., law firm, Cohen Milstein Sellers & Toll, that was already assisting the city of Chicago and two California counties sue drugmakers over the costs of the epidemic.

With the firms help, the attorney generals office subpoenaed records from Purdue and four other drug companies related to the marketing of painkillers. But the companies fought the subpoenas, with their lawyers arguing that Cohen Milstein had prejudged the merits of the investigation and was unduly influenced by the huge financial incentives in a contingency arrangement that gave the firm 27% of a monetary judgment.

The companies repeatedly said they would produce the documents  potentially millions of pages  if they werent shared with the outside lawyers. The attorney generals office saw this as an empty offer.

We dont have the technical tools to process huge volumes of discovery or the lawyers you would need to review it, Boffetti said. They knew that.

Courts have ruled that public agencies may use outside lawyers on a contingency basis as long as there are safeguards to ensure government officials remain in charge of the cases. Still, corporations have continued challenging their role. In New Hampshire, the legal wrangling over the private lawyers has gone on for a year. This spring, the state replaced the contingency agreement with the law firm with a flat-fee arrangement and decided to focus its investigation, at least initially, solely on Purdue. A Superior Court judge ruled earlier this month that the arrangement is permissible, but Purdue is currently appealing to the state Supreme Court.

David Vicinanzo, an attorney for Purdue, said in a statement that the states hiring of an outside firm raised a very serious issue about whether it is proper for government enforcement powers to be privatized to outside counsel with a special financial interest.

In July, The Times reported on the cache of evidence Purdue has about suspected criminal activity, using as an example an L.A. drug ring that the company did not report to authorities for years. The ring sent 1.1 million pills onto the black market. State lawyers in New Hampshire quickly sent a subpoena to Purdue.

If we have those kind of things in our state, we would like to be able to take action on them, Foster said.

Lawyers for Purdue filed a motion this month asking a judge to throw out the subpoena on several grounds, including the involvement of Cohen Milstein.

Citing The Times report, Foster and District of Columbia Atty. Gen. Karl Racine also asked the Drug Enforcement Administration last week to reduce national production quotas for oxycodone, the active ingredient in OxyContin, by a quarter. Under federal law, the DEA sets the amount of a controlled substance a manufacturer is allowed to produce.

It makes little sense to entrust a manufacturer, such as Purdue, with an authorization to produce, and profit from, a narcotic drug when, seemingly, it is not meeting its legal obligations to report abuse, they wrote.

A DEA spokeswoman said the agency appreciates their concern on this vital subject. We take the quota-setting process very seriously and strive to provide for the countrys legitimate needs while also preventing the diversion of these potentially harmful medications.

Purdue declined to comment on the letter.

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More than $3 million destined for Mexico was found in two cars Tuesday, the largest cash seizure ever made by U.S. Border Patrol agents in San Diego County, authorities said Friday.

Two men  one an American and the other a Mexican  were arrested on suspicion of smuggling U.S. currency in their vehicles.

It was quite a significant seizure, said Border Patrol spokesman Mark Endicott. Stacks of crisp $100, $20, $10 and $1 bills were confiscated.

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According to Endicott, an agent followed a Kia Forte off Interstate 15 to West Country Club Lane about 1:45 p.m. Tuesday and pulled the driver over. The agent suspected the Kia was being driven in tandem with a Volkswagen Passat that sped off, Endicott said.

Agents found $33,880 inside eight vacuum-sealed bundles in the Kias center console. The driver, a 53-year-old American, was arrested.

Endicott said agents fanned out looking for the Passat and found it abandoned on a residential street. The suspected driver, a 41-year-old Mexican man, was found hiding in some brush. Inside the trunk of the car were eight cardboard boxes containing $3,018,000 in cash.

The two suspects were turned over to Homeland Security.

This amount of money represents the largest currency seizure ever in San Diego sector, chief Patrol Agent Richard A. Barlow said in a statement. The hard work and perseverance demonstrated by the involved agents was essential for this outcome.

pauline.repard@sduniontribune.com

Repard writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune

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Racing from her last class of the day at Cal State Long Beach, Shellv Candler had about an hour to get to Wilmington. Her mother was trying to save her a bed at the Doors of Hope Womens Shelter, but curfew was 6:45 sharp.

The college students commute by bus and train was stressful. But she and her mother had been through worse. The foreclosure of the family home. Evictions. Relatives who could give them shelter for only so long. Some nights, with nowhere to go, theyd ridden the bus until daylight. Once theyd slept in a hospital morgue.

Six classes from graduating, Candler persevered.

There were times I thought about dropping out, she said. But going to school was my escape  to be able to take all that anger, frustration, sadness, disappointment, to take all of that and put it into something as proactive as my education. This is my chance to be able to do something with my life.

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1 / 12 Cal State Long Beach student Shellv Candler, 28, in back, helps her mother, Genice Candler-Brown, 60, find mystery books at the Long Beach Public Library in July. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 12 Cal State Long Beach student Shellv Candler receives direction from Valerie Kelsey, assistant director, Center for Scholarship Information and Financial Literacy, where Candler works before attending class. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 12 Shellv Candler gets ready for another day as her mother, Genice Candler-Brown rests in the living room of their transitional housing in Long Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 12 Shellv Candler prays over her breakfast with her mother, Genice Candler-Brown, in the living room of their transitional home in Long Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 12 Shellv Candler, left, shares a light moment with Carmen Taylor, vice president for student services at Cal State Long Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 6 / 12 Shellv Candler, right, gets a hug from Zion Smith, assistant dean of students at Cal State Long Beach. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 12 Shellv Candler attends world history class. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 12 Shellv Candler does homework at the Long Beach Public Library. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 12 Shellv Candler does homework at the Long Beach Public Library. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 12 Shellv Candler walks toward her campus job as administrative assistant. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 12 Shellv Candler gets a paper plate from under the bunk bed where she and her mother, Genice Candler-Brown, in background, sleep in transitional housing. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 12 Shellv Candler takes the first of two buses on her trip to the university, where she is studying history. (Genaro Molina / Los Angeles Times)

Cal State, the nations largest public university system, has embarked on an unprecedented effort to identify and count its many students who, like Candler, quietly juggle classes, multiple jobs and the anxiety of figuring out where to sleep at night  those who dutifully show up at classes but then curl up in their cars, shower at the gym and shuffle between couches and motels.

The goal, said Cal State Chancellor Timothy P. White, is to build momentum to provide the necessary support and change policy  both on campus and in the state Legislature.

Neither data nor social services exist at the higher education level in the way they do for students in kindergarten through high school, which frankly, limits the attention thats paid to the issue, said Barbara Duffield of the National Assn. for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth.

The only official clue to the number of homeless college students in the country is the 56,588 who identified as such on their federal financial aid applications  a number that advocates say understates the problem.

Cal States initial findings  based on focus groups, student surveys and interviews with faculty and staff  led university officials to estimate that as many as 1 in 10 of the systems 475,000 students lacked fixed, steady places to sleep at night.

Are so many students really homeless? Perhaps not, by a strict definition  but, said Eric Rice, who teaches social work at USC and has studied homeless youth for 14 years, we have this very severe idea of homelessness, which is that its a schizophrenic adult whos lying in essentially a nest of dirty clothes and shopping bags. The issue is just much more nuanced.

Because Cal State is relatively inexpensive  about $5,500 a year, less than most rents in L.A.  some students choose to spend their limited resources on tuition over housing because thats a way to get ahead, he said.

The research conducted by Rashida Crutchfield, who led the initial phase of the Cal State study, illuminated why many students go unnoticed: Ashamed, they dont seek help, or they dont see themselves as homeless because theyre not literally living on the street. Some speak out about their circumstances only when theyre about to flunk or drop out or have nowhere else to turn.

The reasons for their troubles vary  violence at home, mishandled financial aid forms, confusing bureaucracy, said Crutchfield, who teaches social work on the Long Beach campus.

Gabe Rosales parents kicked him out two days before he started at Cal State Long Beach, after years of fights over his bisexuality. A friend took him in, and he shopped for groceries, cleaned  anything to express his gratitude.

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Half my brain was battling schoolwork. The other half of my brain was like, your parents dont love you and youre sleeping on a cot, Rosales said. He searched Google for answers but I just didnt know what to look for, I didnt even know where to begin.

He eventually found an assistant dean who showed him how to file for independent status on financial aid forms and get a loan. His high school credentials  class president, choir leader  helped him land a job as president of the Residence Hall Assn., which includes a shared room and $300 stipend for the upcoming school year. To pay tuition and everything else, he took two additional jobs, working in a campus office and as a summer camp counselor.

Fearful that this newfound stability could falter, the 18-year-old doesnt go out, rations his meals and treats his responsibilities with gravitas.

I have stable housing for the next year, but thats only a year, he said. I dont know where Im going to live a year from now.

Some people dismiss the woes of the starving college student or say the problem is wasteful spending on alcohol and lattes, Crutchfield said. Sometimes people ask me, are these students getting financial counseling? And I say: Well yeah, we can offer them financial counseling, if you can offer financial counseling on how to make $100 last 30 days. 

It can become this domino effect if we dont catch it and find a way to help.  Duan Jackson

In the next phase of the study, she said, her team will find and interview many more students after sending out thousands of surveys to all 23 schools.

The findings ultimately will help Cal State launch intervention support programs on every campus, Crutchfield said. Eleven  including Long Beach  offer some sort of support, such as food pantries or emergency housing. Others have a long way to go.

A number of higher-education bills have also been moving through the California legislature, including one to designate homeless point persons on state campuses and another to keep some dorms open when classes are out of session.

At Long Beach, academic advising director Duan Jackson  once a neighbor of Candlers  remembers the day Candler came into her office and confided that she and her mom would lose their apartment if she didnt drop out and get a full-time job. Holding back tears, Jackson started spinning through all the campus contacts shed made in 26 years, hoping someone knew how to help.

Her calls and emails led her to Carol Menard Fulthorp, assistant dean of students, whose team had put together a budding emergency support program. They gave Candler a temporary dorm room to get through finals. Students meal donations were loaded onto her dining card. Menard gave Candler an office job.

The Student Emergency Intervention and Wellness Program, running on donations and a campus grant, so far has helped 137 students, including Candler and Rosales. The initiative also has gotten nine students jobs and recently added a food pantry and hotel vouchers.

It can become this domino effect if we dont catch it and find a way to help, Jackson said of the kind of struggle she saw Candler go through.

Candler and her mother now stay in a transitional home in north Long Beach, which they found after their time was up at the shelter. The two cram into a room smaller than most walk-in closets. She sleeps on the top bunk for $250, her mother on the bottom for $300. A third roommate lives an arms width away.

Candler squeezes in three jobs between classes to support herself and her mother, whos been out of work since she had surgery to replace a femur with a metal rod and was put on disability because of an adrenal gland hemorrhage.

The bills add up. The beds eat up one whole paycheck, and $187 a month in food stamps stretches only so far. Then theres about $4,000 a semester for tuition and books, and doctor visits that Candler insists on attending so she understands which medicines to give her mother. Not to mention phone bills and the Wi-Fi, which Candler finally sprung for because her late commutes home from the library worried her mother.

See the most-read stories this hour 

When it gets too overwhelming, she thinks about how much easier it would be to make ends meet if she dropped out and got a full-time job.

You are not giving that up, this is your dream, her mother says, reminding her of her journey from community college to Long Beach, where she is studying to be a history teacher.

Mom, she says,  you need to be taken care of.

One recent morning, Candler helped her mother out of the bottom bunk, selected an outfit from one of five storage bags stacked in the corner, then took two buses to get to campus, where she clocked a full morning of work before heading to her three-hour history class  an intensive summer course that counts toward both her major and the teaching credential program.

Im this close to graduating, she said. Im not going to let anything stop me.

Follow me on Twitter @RosannaXia for more higher education news.

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Prosecutors said this week they will seek a murder charge against a suspected drunken driver accused of plowing into a pedestrian in June and then driving for a mile with his body wedged in her car.

The new charge was hailed by more than a dozen anti-illegal immigration activists who attended a hearing Thursday for 29-year-old Esteysi Stacy Sanchez, who authorities have indicated may be in the country illegally.

Sanchez already had been charged with felony DUI, gross vehicular manslaughter and driving without a license, and has pleaded not guilty. Prosecutor Bob Bruce declined to say Thursday why he added the murder charge.

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Police say Sanchez was driving east on Mission Avenue in Oceanside around 6:20 a.m. on June 27 when her car jumped the sidewalk and struck a homeless man, 69-year-old Jack Ray Tenhulzen.

The impact sent the victim through the cars front windshield and into the passenger seat. Authorities say the female driver kept going for nearly a mile before ditching the vehicle. Witnesses said they watched as she got out of the car and stumbled down the street.

Sanchez was arrested a short time later after her boyfriend called police to report the incident. At her arraignment in June, prosecutors said that two hours after the crash, Sanchezs blood alcohol level was about 0.18, or more than twice the legal limit.

The gruesome nature of the case made headlines, but interest in it increased after it was revealed that Sanchez was driving without a license and is suspected of being an undocumented immigrant.

Over the past year, illegal immigration has landed at the center of a national conversation, fueled in part by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trumps vow to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexican border.

After Thursdays hearing, protesters headed outside the Vista courthouse with hand-held signs decrying illegal immigration and banners depicting photos of people they said were killed by undocumented immigrants. Most of the protesters wore T-shirts with the same photos.

This was something we had to stand up about, said Jeff Schwilk, who organized the gathering.

Schwilk, long-known for his leadership in the regional Minuteman movement, formed a group called San Diegans for Secure Borders in 2013.

Also joining Thursdays protest was Oceanside resident Brenda Sparks, whose son was fatally injured in a 2011 collision in Yucaipa when an undocumented immigrant crashed into his motorcycle.

Sparks  a member of the Remembrance Project, which advocates for families of people killed by an unauthorized immigrants  shared the stage with Trump in April at a rally in Orange County. She and other families had met with him in July 2015 to talk about illegal immigration.

I ask people to stand with the American people against illegals, Sparks said outside the courthouse Thursday. She later said Sanchez needs to go back to where she comes from  and out of my country.

Fatal drunken-driving cases usually are charged as manslaughter, and when murder charges are added, its often because the defendant has a prior drunken-driving conviction  but thats not the case with Sanchez.

To prove second-degree murder, prosecutors must show that the defendant had a conscious disregard for life.

More details in the case should be revealed during Sanchezs preliminary hearing, set for Oct. 26. She remains jailed in lieu of $1.5-million bail and faces a potential sentence of 15 years to life in prison if convicted.

Anti-illegal immigration activists often argue that jails are crowded with undocumented immigrants, but its difficult to track how many people arrested each year in San Diego County may be here illegally. Since late 2014, federal authorities no longer put an automatic immigration hold on such arrestees, but instead ask jails to notify them only when a suspected undocumented immigrant is convicted of specific crimes.

According to the county Sheriffs Department, which manages the regions jails, at any given time, roughly 3% to 4% of the jail population is under such a notification request from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. This week, that number hovered around 214 people.

Figueroa writes for the San Diego Union-Tribune.

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A man who shot at Huntington Beach police officers, hitting one officer in the badge, led police on a high-speed chase through three counties before dying in a fiery crash in the Cajon Pass, authorities said.

Just after midnight Friday, Huntington Beach police responded to a domestic violence call at a home near Bushard Street and Yorktown Avenue. As two officers in two separate cars were pulling up, a man was getting into his vehicle to leave the residence, said Officer Jennifer Marlatt, a spokeswoman for the Huntington Beach Police Department.

The officers followed the man, who made a U-turn, drove toward the officers and started firing at them from his vehicle, Marlatt said.

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A bullet ricocheted off the police badge worn by one of the officers, who was treated at a hospital and released Friday morning. He was in good condition, Marlatt said.

The other officer returned fire, and the man, whose name has not been released, kept driving, initiating the pursuit.

He drove through Costa Mesa and Santa Ana, then got onto the freeways, leading California Highway Patrol officers through Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

For reasons that are still under investigation, the man drove off the Cleghorn Road offramp on the northbound 15 Freeway, said CHP Officer Steve Carapia.

The driver veered to the right and went down into an embankment, where his white Nissan Altima burst into flames, Carapia said. The car was consumed by the fire, and the man died. He was the cars only occupant, authorities said.

The crash happened in an area affected by the Blue Cut wildfire, and there were burned spots all around, Carapia said. Firefighters responded quickly to keep the fire from spreading and extinguished the fire.

The Cleghorn offramp on the northbound 15 Freeway was closed Friday morning, as was one lane of the freeway, Carapia said. The offramp would likely be closed for several hours, he said.

This investigation is complex, he said. There are many agencies involved, so its going to be a while. Its going to last through the afternoon.

The Huntington Beach Police Department declined to release details about the gunman or the domestic violence call.

The investigation into the officer-involved shooting, as well as the pursuit and the domestic violence incident, would be handled by the Orange County Sheriffs Department, Marlatt said.

hailey.branson@latimes.com

Twitter: @haileybranson

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A federal appeals court decided by a 2-1 vote Friday that Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped as a child and held by a parolee for 18 years, cannot hold federal parole officials liable for failing to supervise her abductor.

Phillip Garrido, a parolee with a terrible history of drug-fueled sexual violence, committed unspeakable crimes against Jaycee Dugard for 18 years, U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge John B. Owens wrote. State and federal authorities missed many opportunities to stop these tragic events.

Dugard received a $20-million settlement from California and sued the federal government for similar compensation.

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While our hearts are with Ms. Dugard, the law is not, Owens, an appointee of President Obama based in San Diego, wrote for the majority.

The panel said federal law and its intersection with California law prevented her from being compensated for the incompetence of the parole office that was supposedly supervising Garrido.

Garrido was on federal parole when he and his wife kidnapped Dugard near her home in South Lake Tahoe. She was 11.

He held her captive, sometimes in chains, in a backyard shed and repeatedly raped and drugged her. She gave birth to two of his children during the ordeal. The three were discovered and freed in August 2009.

Despite documentation that Garrido became sexually violent when on drugs, a federal parole officer in charge of monitoring his testing failed to report 70 drug-related parole violations, the court said.

Fridays decision was based on the Federal Tort Claims Act and previous California cases.

The majority said state courts have limited the liability of private criminal rehabilitation centers, and that those limitations apply equally to federal parole authorities.

Limiting liability here, for officials involved in the release and rehabilitation of criminal offenders, is consistent with Californias policies encouraging criminal rehabilitation for public and private parties alike, Owens wrote.

California law imposes a legal duty to control others only if there is a specifically identifiable and foreseeable victim, the majority said.

The decision upheld a lower courts ruling.

Judge William E. Smith, a Rhode Island district jurist filling in on the 9th Circuit, dissented.

He said the majority wrongly relied on cases involving private centers and should have followed a different line of rulings that imposed legal duties on some parties to warn of dangerous individuals.

Imposing liability would increase the likelihood that officers will perform their duties, which in turn would increase the support for alternative rehabilitation programs, Smith wrote.

The Legislature approved the $20-million settlement after Dugard filed a claim  a precursor to a lawsuit  against the state. Though state corrections officials typically enjoy legal immunity in cases such as Dugards, according to an analysis of the settlement, hers had a unique and tragic character, including missed opportunities to identify Ms. Dugard during her captivity.

Circuit was not immediately available for comment.

Jonathan Steinsapir, Dugards appellate lawyer, said he would ask the 9th Circuit to reconsider the case. While California had stepped up and awarded Dugard and her family a settlement, the lawyer said, the federal government acted as if it had played no role in Dugards grim history.

The 9th Circuit panel initially had issued its ruling in March, but the majority opinion was less than three pages and not slated for publication as a precedent. Steinsapir had requested a full-blown, certified decision, which produced Fridays filing.

Garrido was under federal parole supervision for eight years and under state control as a convicted rapist for 10 years.

Californias inspector general investigated the states role in monitoring Garrido and found huge lapses. For example, in 2008, a California agent had discovered one of Dugards daughters in his home and simply accepted his explanation that she was his niece.

Dugard, who has written two memoirs about her captivity and its aftermath, lives in Northern California with her daughters.

Working on this case  you really see the triumph of the human spirit in her and the love a mother has for her child, Steinsapir said.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolan

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2:55 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional information.

12:50 p.m.: This article has been updated with additional details of the ruling.

This article was originally published at 11:20 a.m.
A man and a woman wanted for questioning in the slaying of the womans sister and the kidnapping of her three children were arrested Thursday in Colorado, Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department officials said.

The children were allegedly kidnapped by the dead womans sister, Brittany Humphrey, 22, and Humphreys boyfriend, Joshua Robertson, 27, who are considered persons of interest in the killing of Kimberly Harvill, according to the Sheriffs Department.

Robertson and Humphrey were found in Pueblo, Colo., about 100 miles south of Denver.

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Officers from the Pueblo Police Department were conducting an unrelated investigation at a motel about noon when they found Humphrey and a 1-year-old girl, the Sheriffs Department said in a statement Thursday evening.

Robertson was located about two blocks from the motel, the statement said.

Both suspects were taken into custody without incident.

The girl, identified as Madisyn Harper, was unharmed and is in the custody of authorities in Pueblo. L.A. County Sheriffs Homicide Lt. Joe Mendoza said the investigation determined she is the daughter of a woman who is incarcerated in Madera County.

The woman told authorities she gave Robertson permission to care for the child. She later filed a report of a missing person at risk, Mendoza said.

Harvills three missing children were safely located Wednesday by authorities at a motel in New Mexico. Their mother was found dead along a road in rural Los Angeles County earlier this month.

Authorities believe that Humphrey and Robertson took the children sometime either before or after Harvill was killed.

Immediately after the murder or sometime shortly after, it is suspicious that they did not come forward to law enforcement and instead fled, Mendoza said.

The children were left in the care of a Good Samaritan at a hotel on the outskirts of Albuquerque, sheriffs officials said in a statement.

The children are Joslynn Watkins, 2; Brayden Watkins, 3; and Rylee Watkins, 5. Their father is believed to be deceased, and the children will be placed in the care of the Department of Children and Family Services. Authorities were arranging their return to California, sheriffs officials said.

Harvill was found dead Aug. 14 along Gorman Post Road in Lebec, close to Los Angeles Countys border with Kern County.

A motorist who was taking a rest during a long drive spotted the slain woman lying in roadside brush. She had multiple upper-body gunshot wounds and head trauma, which led authorities to conclude she had been killed.

Detectives determined that Harvill and the kidnapping suspects formerly lived in Fresno but were staying in Lebec in the days before the slaying.

They were known to go from motel to motel, Mendoza said.

Times staff writers Erica Evans and Doug Smith contributed to this report.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

matt.hamilton@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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6:25 p.m.: This post was updated with additional details about the couples arrest and the child found with them.

This article was originally published at 4:35 p.m.
The Los Angeles City Council on Friday approved an emergency motion directing the city attorneys office to draft an ordinance that would ban the manufacture and sale of a synthetic drug that may be linked to dozens of overdoses in downtowns skid row.

The motion, submitted by council members Mitchell Englander and Jose Huizar, asks the city attorney to work with police and fire officials to write the ordinance and to work on strategies to crack down on manufacturers and dealers of the synthetic drug spice.

Those who make the drug are taking advantage of those most vulnerable in society, Englander said. Its wreaking havoc in our communities.

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In the past week, more than 50 people on skid row have been hospitalized, many suspected of ingesting the synthetic drug.

1 / 5 Paramedics and police officers respond to Los Angeles skid row, where multiple people fell ill on Friday, Aug. 19, 2016. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 2 / 5 Paramedics and LAPD officers transport a man from Los Angeles skid row to the hospital after he became ill Friday. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 3 / 5 Police officers and paramedics care for a sick man in Los Angeles skid row area Friday. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 4 / 5 LAPD officers tend to a sick person in Los Angeles skid row neighborhood Friday. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times) 5 / 5 Officers wait for paramedics while responding to reports of people sickened in the skid row neighborhood on Friday. (Patrick T. Fallon / For The Times)

LAPD Capt. Don Graham described the scene as chaos last Friday when dozens of people collapsed on skid row and had to be taken to hospitals.

Graham said 85% of the arrests for dealing spice have been near 5th and San Pedro streets, where the overdose episodes occurred.

The insidiousness of this drug is the price point  $1 for two joints for an average high of six hours, Graham said.

San Diego leaders recently enacted an ordinance banning the sale and manufacture of synthetic drugs like spice. The San Diego ordinance focuses more on the intoxicating effects than the chemical compounds that make up the drug, which can change on a weekly basis, officials said.

In the past week, officials in L.A. have been working to warn people about the drug, which can produce effects similar to those of marijuana but is actually a different plant material sprayed with a psychoactive chemical. Health experts say smoking spice is risky because its impossible to know whats in each batch of the drug.

Spice, or K2, has been available on skid row for years, with several people on San Pedro Street peddling it every day, advocates say. Spice joints go for a dollar or less, making them an appealing fix for addicts  and a challenge for those trying to tamp down sales.

Community groups began handing out fliers on skid row this week, warning of the dangers of spice. The health department also alerted doctors to watch out for patients with extreme anxiety, vomiting or other possible effects of the drug.

In April, 15 people in skid row were hospitalized after consuming the drug. LAPD officials said most victims simply collapsed on sidewalks, though none died.

ben.poston@latimes.com

Follow @bposton on Twitter.
Los Angeles is being sued by a nonprofit that sought records tied to former City Councilman Tom LaBonge, only to be told that there was nothing to turn over.

The First Amendment Coalition, a group that advocates for open government, argues that the records must have existed at some point  and were either wrongfully withheld or illegally destroyed. The lawsuit accuses the city of violating the California Public Records Act and improperly trashing records.

Peter Scheer, executive director of the group, said they wanted to show government personnel that they cant just toss documents into the wastebasket that, as public records, belong to the public.

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The legal battle is the latest turn in a longstanding controversy over the fate of documents kept by LaBonge and his staffers.

City records indicate LaBonge staffers requested that more than 100 boxes be destroyed when he left office last year.

Dozens of those boxes were later recovered and made public earlier this year by his successor, Councilman David Ryu, who allowed reporters and residents to leaf through salvaged documents that included planning files and letters from LaBonge constituents. But many more of the boxes were not found.

The episode raised questions about whether L.A. has been complying with state law, which generally allows city governments to destroy some records if lawmakers and the city attorney approve, but not if the documents are unduplicated and less than 2 years old. Attorneys have also brought up the missing boxes in court cases against the city, arguing that records important to their lawsuits could have been destroyed.

Frank Mateljan, a spokesman for City Atty. Mike Feuer, said Friday that their office was reviewing the legal complaint and declined to comment further.

LaBonge said he was unaware of the First Amendment Coalition suit and denied that any public records had been destroyed. In the past, the former councilman has argued that any important documents would be available in other city departments and said that no one had told him to save anything.

Earlier this year, the First Amendment Coalition sought emails, letters and other communications sent to or from LaBonge in 2014 regarding three topics: the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, the California Film Commission and a proposed development in Sherman Oaks.

The group sent its records request to City Council President Herb Wesson, whose office responded in March that it had no documents to provide. Wesson spokesman Vanessa Rodriguez, who had not yet seen the lawsuit Thursday, said their office had reached out to the city attorneys office for details.

emily.alpert@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter at @LATimesEmily

UPDATES:

Aug. 26, 2 p.m.: This article has been updated with a statement from a city attorneys office spokesman.

This article was originally posted on Aug. 25. at 6:25 p.m.
A sulfur tank at a large oil refinery in Carson ruptured and caught fire Friday afternoon, prompting officials to order people in the area to shelter in place.

The lid of the 1-ton tank at the sprawling Tesoro refinery blew off about 1 p.m., said Inspector Gustavo Medina of the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The sulfur in the tank dissipated, but insulation material caught fire, sending a plume of smoke over the facility, Medina said.

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No injuries were reported, but sheriffs officials ordered anyone within a quarter of a mile of the refinery to shelter in place as a precaution. They also shut down Alameda Street between 223rd Street and Sepulveda Boulevard as emergency personnel responded to the scene.

By 7:30 p.m., the order to remain indoors had been lifted and the street reopened, according to a statement released by Tesoro. In the statement, the company clarified that the plume that rose from the tank had been steam instead of smoke.

The cause of the eruption and the fire is under investigation, Medina added.

A spokesman for Tesoro said an incident response team at the refinery was monitoring the air quality at the site. No harmful levels of toxins had been detected, the spokesman said.

Tesoros Los Angeles refinery is the largest on the West Coast and is capable of processing 380,000 barrels of oil a day, according to the companys website. The facility receives crude oil from California deposits as well as Alaska, West Africa and elsewhere and manufactures it into gasoline, jet fuel and other products.

joel.rubin@latimes.com

Follow @joelrubin on Twitter

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UPDATES:

7:58 p.m.: This article was updated with the shelter in place order being lifted.

This article was originally published at 4:10 p.m.
LEBANON  Linn County will partner with the city of Lebanon to upgrade Russell Drive and a portion of River Road and then transfer the property to the city, the Linn County Board of Commissioners agreed Tuesday.

The transfer will include portions of Willow and Taylor streets, according to Roadmaster Darrin Lane.

Lane said the project is part of Lebanons development of a new water treatment plant.

Russell Drive was actually a county road at one time and the city grew up around it, Lane said. The portion of the road at Highway 20 between Les Schwab and the auto parts store already belongs to the city of Lebanon.

The commissioners approved spending up to $1.25 million on the project.

Lane said the time is right to complete this transaction.

From Primrose east is still county road, Lane said. Weve been discussing potential improvements with the city and developers for some time.

Lane said that although it seems like a lot of money, Its a fair deal. The road needs to be improved and to have proper gutters and sidewalks.

Ron Whitlatch, Lebanon engineering services director, said this week that utility work is already underway on Russell Drive and River Road and the public will have to use a detour route if traveling in the area.

Whitlatch said the city intends to have all utilities installed up to the west intersection of Mountain River Drive and Russell Road prior to the first day of school.

Russell Drive will only be open to through traffic from Hwy 20 to Franklin Street.

Due to the narrow detour route, school buses will be flagged through the construction zone headed to and from the school.

It will take approximately two to three additional weeks for Russell Drive to be open to through traffic from Highway 20 to the west intersection of Mountain River Drive, Whitlatch said. The overall project is still on track to be complete in early 2017.
When paramedics arrived at downtowns skid row last Friday in response to a 911 call, they found dozens of people who looked as if theyd overdosed. Many were on the ground, passed out.

Ambulances and police cars flooded the area. Firefighters closed roads and set up a temporary command station at 5th and San Pedro streets to triage patients. The sickest people were lifted onto gurneys.

Im walking down the street  it looks like a war zone, said Georgia Berkovich, who works at the Midnight Mission, a block from the intersection.

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Thirty-eight people were transported to the hospital, many suspected of ingesting the synthetic drug spice.

On Monday, it happened again.

Another 911 call, another command station. This time, 14 people were sent to the hospital, their symptoms also thought to be linked to spice.

Now officials are scrambling to warn people about the drug, which can produce effects similar to those of marijuana but is actually a different plant material sprayed with a psychoactive chemical. Health experts say smoking spice is risky because its impossible to know whats in each batch.

Spice has been available on skid row for years, with several people on San Pedro Street peddling it every day, advocates say. Spice joints go for a dollar or less, making them an appealing fix for addicts  and a challenge for those trying to tamp down sales, said skid row activist General Jeff Page.

Anybody can panhandle to get a dollar, Page said. Spice is the cheapest high, the cheapest buzz you can get in skid row.

There was also an outbreak in April, when 15 people on skid row were hospitalized after consuming spice.

Spice, also known as K2, is a synthetic cannabinoid -- called that because it affects the same brain receptors as tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC, the active ingredient in marijuana.

Though spice is often sold as fake weed, it can have much more powerful effects, including heart attacks, hallucinations and seizures, said Dr. Gary Tsai, medical director and science officer for the L.A. County Department of Public Healths Office of Substance Abuse Prevention and Control.

And spice can be fatal, he said.

Thats one of the reasons were trying to educate the community about the very real risks, he said, adding that none of the recent cases resulted in death.

Community groups began handing out fliers on skid row this week, warning of the dangers of spice. The health department also alerted doctors to watch out for patients with extreme anxiety, vomiting or other possible effects of the drug.

Firefighters, paramedics and police responded Aug. 22 to reports of multiple people on skid row suffering from symptoms that may have been drug-related. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)

Many who live on skid row didnt want to be quoted about the availability of the drug. But those who did talk said there are overdoses all the time on skid row and they werent convinced the recent spate was due to spice. They added that spice was too cheap to give up.

Los Angeles city and county officials, local law enforcement agencies and skid row community workers met Wednesday to discuss the outbreak and possible interventions, said city spokeswoman Connie Llanos.

At the meeting, officials distributed a map of substance abuse providers in the skid row area and discussed creating a resource guide to show skid row residents where to find medical attention if they or their friends get sick, Llanos said. The meeting was the first of many aimed at improving crisis response on skid row, she said.

Kevin Michael Key, a community organizer with United Coalition East  which co-hosted Wednesdays meeting with L.A. Mayor Eric Garcettis office  said its imperative that people on skid row begin spreading the word among themselves. Nothing will change, unless you involve the people who are out on the streets, he said.

Staff at the Midnight Mission and other community organizations are trying to tell as many people as possible not to smoke spice, Berkovich said. But she knows that could have an unintended effect.

When people hear about a possible bad batch, they sometimes think, It must be strong, it must be good. I want to get that because its going to last longer, she said. So its actually an attraction.

Cutting synthetic drugs with more dangerous substances is increasingly common as drugs dealers try to increase profits, said Tim Massino, special agent for the Drug Enforcement Agency in Los Angeles. More than a dozen people died in April in Sacramento from ingesting what they thought was the opiate Norco but was laced with deadly fentanyl.

Officials are unsure whether the spice that recently sent people to the hospital was tainted.

LAPD Capt. Donald Graham said officers are trying to determine the source of this batch and have sent several samples to a crime lab for analysis.

Typically, the chemicals for manufacturing spice come from China to the U.S., where they are processed and packaged, officials said.

Health officials warn that even uncontaminated spice is a hazard, because its impossible to know whats in it.

Good batch, bad batch  theyre all horrible, Massino said.

Good batch, bad batch  theyre all horrible.  Tim Massino, special agent, Drug Enforcement Agency

Spice first showed up in the U.S. in 2009, and there were no laws at the time that made it illegal. As lawmakers have banned many of the chemical compounds commonly used to make spice, drug makers have sought out new, similar chemicals that arent technically illegal  making every batch different.

Even at hospitals, doctors dont know which chemicals to look for and cant always confirm through urine samples or drug screens that a patient ingested spice.

Thats also made it difficult to regulate sales of the drug, said Kevin Murray, head of the nonprofit Weingart Center, which provides homeless services on skid row. Police cant usually tell whether spice being sold is illegal, because they dont know the chemical origin of a particular batch.

Murray said that using spice is particularly problematic for people on skid row who are on probation. Spice could lead to behavior that could get them arrested and sent back to jail, he said.

Its had a much broader effect than just the overdoses, he said.

soumya.karlamangla@latimes.com

Twitter: @skarlamangla

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When a migrant farmworker was shot dead by police last year on the streets of this small town in eastern Washington, it widened the political fissures in the agricultural community.

It also caught the attention of the U.S. Department of Justice, which now says the shooting death of Antonio Zambrano-Montes should stand as a blueprint for how far police departments across America still have to go to learn better ways of heading off potentially lethal confrontations.

In an 83-page report on the Feb. 10, 2015 shooting of the 35-year-old orchard worker, the federal government concluded that the incident underscores the urgent need for additional training and more diverse police forces. In the case of Pasco, Wash., the report said police in the small city also need training on how to deal with the mentally ill.

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Its a small victory, Benjamin Crump, one of the attorneys representing Zambrano-Montes family, said. The findings, made public Monday, support some of the claims made in a lawsuit brought by the family against the city of Pasco, three officers and the police chief.

Pasco, a city of 68,000 surrounded by orchards and farmlands at the confluence of the Columbia and Snake rivers, is 55% Latino, though its police force doesnt reflect that. Of the 79 officers in the department, 14 are Latino and only one is female. This month, the city responded to an ACLU lawsuit by conceding that the citys at-large system for electing council members violates the federal Voting Rights Act and effectively prevents minorities from winning office. Reforms were promised.

Zambrano-Montes death exacerbated tensions in the city, leading to street protests and a push for a public coroners inquest, a long-delayed hearing that likely wont unfold until fall.

A Mexican immigrant who was in the country illegally, Zambrano-Montes had a history of mental illness and was high on methamphetamine when he began throwing rocks at police officers from the street. The subsequent scene of him being chased by three officers along a busy street was videotaped by several passersby.

The farmworker was apparently wounded by one of five shots fired at him while he ran. When he stopped, turned, and held out his hands in what Crumb contends was a gesture of surrender, three officers fired a dozen rounds from close range, striking him five times. The DOJ report was not critical of the officers decision to fire, other than to say the outcome showed a need for improved training and hiring methods.

A February review by the American Civil Liberties Union had a more critical take, calling the departments practices woefully outdated.

Pasco police policies, it found, do not provide guidance about de-escalation nor adequate details to guide officers on when and how to decrease the use of force. Such guidelines are essential to avoid officers responding based on impulse, anger or adrenaline.

Pasco Police Chief Bob Metzger says his department has already made important changes, including hiring more bilingual officers and improving training procedures. He and other city officials said they would like to implement other changes and move on from the Zambrano-Montes shooting. But obstacles remain, including the inquest and the lawsuit brought by Zambrano-Montes mother, father, wife and two children.

Crump, a Florida attorney who is co-counsel with Seattle attorney Charles Herrmann, said the lack of training, supervision, discipline, the need for sensitivity training  thats all confirmed in this [DOJ report] and the earlier reviews.

The suit offers a narrative for how the midday incident played out:

The first officer on the scene was Adrian Alaniz, who reported that Zambrano-Montes appeared to be high on drugs and was clutching a rock in each hand.

Drop the rocks! the officer ordered.

Instead, Zambrano-Montes responded by shuffling towards Alaniz, who spoke only rudimentary Spanish. No, no, matame, matame, he said to the officer. No, no, kill me, kill me. He said the same thing several times.

The suit contends than rather than let the situation cool down, Alaniz and then other arriving officers took aggressive steps, eventually firing a Taser.

Zambrano-Montes, seemingly unaffected, threw another rock. At least two of the three officers  Alaniz, Ryan Flanagan and Adam Wright  fired as the man tossed another rock, the suit claims.

One bullet struck Zambrano-Montes arm and lodged in his chest as he turned and ran, the suit alleges. Flanagan fired three shots as Zambrano-Montes ran across a busy intersection, one of the slugs hitting a soda machine at a nearby gas station.

After trotting several yards bleeding from the wound in his right arm and the bullet in his chest, he turned to surrender while raising both his hands, the suit says.

The three officers, at close range, standing abreast, fired 12 more rounds, one bullet hitting Zambrano-Montes jaw and severing his carotid artery. The officers then handcuffed him, attorneys claim in the suit.

After reviewing the case, and separate from its report, the DOJ said it would not charge any of the officers for their actions. The local Franklin County prosecutors office reached the same conclusion.

Spokanes U.S. Atty. Michael C. Ormsby said the evidence was insufficient to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the officers acted with the requisite criminal intent, that is, willfully with a bad purpose to violate the law.

The lawsuit is likely to go to trial in 2017.

Anderson is a special correspondent
His campaign is over, yet Bernie Sanders says that the movement he helped create  one that ignited a youthful, liberal following during the Democratic primary  will press onward.

And this week, the Vermont senator sought to help it press ahead with the launch of Our Revolution, a political organization that will raise money and dole it out to candidates in lockstep with Sanders ideals.

We changed the conversation regarding the possibilities of our country, Sanders said of his campaign against Hillary Clinton, the Democratic nominee. We redefined what the vision and the future of our country should be.

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Yet the groups launch has been a bit bumpy.

Several key staffers initially involved in the group resigned in recent days after Sanders announced that Jeff Weaver, a longtime aide to Sanders who served as his campaign manager, would oversee it.

Weaver, whose style can at times be combative, had set up the group as a 501(c)(4), which allows it to receive unlimited contributions from anonymous donors  a move, said a person close to the group who is not authorized to speak publicly, that led to the resignations because it contrasts with ideals Sanders preached on the campaign trail.

Throughout the primary Sanders railed against big money in politics. That message, coupled with pledges to address income inequality, fueled his grass-roots following.

In a speech Wednesday night from Burlington, Vt., Sanders did not mention the groups status as a 501(c)(4), but stressed that his populist message would endure.

He noted that his campaign helped push forward a progressive platform at the Democratic National Convention last month. The platform calls for a $15-per-hour federal minimum wage, expansion of Social Security and setting a price on greenhouse gas emissions.

If anyone thinks that that document and what is in that platform is simply going to be resting on a shelf somewhere accumulating dust, they are very mistaken, Sanders said. We are going to bring that platform alive and make it the blueprint for moving the Democrats forward.

Sanders, who formally endorsed Clinton last month, plans to stump for her in several battleground states this fall.

He has also endorsed the campaigns of down-ticket candidates in a host of states, who have embraced his calls for free college tuition and raising the federal minimum wage, now at $7.25.

Among those candidates is Tim Canova, who is challenging Debbie Wasserman Schultz, former chairwoman of the Democratic National Committee, in an Aug. 30 primary for the South Florida congressional seat shes held since 2013.

Sanders battled with Wasserman Schultz throughout the primary, saying she was tipping the scales for Clinton by, among other things, offering a limited number of debates. Wasserman Schultz resigned last month after internal emails made public by the website WikiLeaks confirmed bias by some DNC officials in favor of Clinton.

kurtis.lee@latimes.com

Twitter: @kurtisalee

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Trump doctor stands by astonishingly excellent bill of health for GOP nominee

The physician who said Donald Trump would be the healthiest person ever elected president in a widely mocked medical assessment said that he had only minutes to write the report and that hed chosen his words poorly but stood by his words about the GOP nominees health.

I get rushed and I get anxious when I get rushed. So I try to get four or five lines down as fast as possible so that they would be happy, Dr. Harold Bornstein, Trumps physician for more than three decades, told NBC News. In the rush, I think some of those words didnt come out exactly the way they were meant.

The interview occurred as Trump and his supporters are increasingly raising conspiracy theories about the health of Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton to question her fitness for office.

But Bornsteins report, released in December, raised eyebrows then because it veered so dramatically from the detail and tenor of medical reports traditionally made public about presidential candidates and presidents.

Such documents are typically dry recitations of medical history, statistics such as height and weight, cholesterol and blood pressure findings and record of prescription drug use.

Bornsteins short letter about Trump included bits of this information but its language was mocked. He labeled the nominees lab results, in Trump-ian language, as astonishingly excellent without actually saying what they were. The letter also declared that if he won the White House, Trump would be the healthiest person ever elected to the post.

Bornstein told NBC he rushed to write the letter as a limo driver from the Trump campaign waited. But he stood by his assessment of Trumps health.

His health is excellent, particularly his mental health. He thinks hes the best, which works out just fine, said Bornstein, who is board-certified in gastroenterology and internal medicine and is affiliated with Lenox Hill Hospital. I think he would be fit because, I think his brain is turned on 24 hours a day.
Trumps new campaign chief arrested for domestic violence in 1996, according to reports

Stephen Bannon, the newly minted chief of Donald Trumps presidential campaign, was arrested on domestic violence charges two decades ago, according to a report in the New York Post.

A fight between Bannon and his then-wife occurred on New Years Day 1996 after an argument over finances, according to the Post and other published reports. Police in Santa Monica responded to the couples house and found Bannons wife with bruising on her neck and wrist, the reports said.

Bannon, who has taken a leave as the head of Breitbart News to become the Trump campaigns chief executive officer, was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and dissuading a witness, according to the reports. The charges were dropped when Bannons wife did not appear in court, they said, and the couple, parents of twin infants, divorced the following year.

The bottom line is he has a great relationship with the twins, he has a great relationship with the ex-wife, he still supports them, Alexandra Preate, Bannons spokeswoman, told Politico.

Bannon was brought on to lead Trumps White House effort last week after turmoil in the campaign.

The investment-banker-turned-Hollywood-producer has no experience leading a political campaign, but he is known for his pugilistic style and his conservative news organization has long been pro-Trump.
In the latest in a recent series of controversies over prescription drug prices, Mylan Pharmaceuticals has come under well-deserved fire for jacking up the price of a package of EpiPens  devices that deliver an emergency shot of epinephrine to someone suffering a potentially fatal allergic reaction  550% since acquiring the right to sell the devices in 2007, from $94 to $608. That may seem modest in comparison to the more than 5,000% increase that Turing Pharmaceuticals quickly imposed on Daraprim, an anti-malarial drug also used by HIV patients, or the more than 3,000% increase that Valeant has extracted for Syprine, a blood-cleaning agent. But given the life-saving nature of EpiPens, their widespread use and Mylans effective monopoly, the companys profiteering is outrageous.

After lawmakers and consumer groups howled in protest, Mylan announced that it will increase the discounts offered to low- and moderate-income buyers  a move that will nevertheless leave the price three times as high as it was in 2007, and provide no relief to the taxpayers who foot the bill for government-purchased EpiPens. The company offered no defense for its decision to raise prices repeatedly despite making no improvements to the product. Instead, it had the hubris to blame Obamacare and insurance companies for the proliferation of policies with higher deductibles, which force many consumers to cover the full cost of the devices. In other words, imposing giant and unneeded drug price hikes was perfectly fine until consumers noticed.

(Drug makers and their allies have also taken to blaming pharmacies and prescription drug benefit managers such as Express Scripts for not passing along the discounts they negotiate with manufacturers. But the middlemen arent the instigators of huge price hikes  the drug companies are.)

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Huge price increases should be sending an irresistible invitation to entrepreneurial companies to come in with a competing product.

Consumers can hardly rely on public outrage to keep prices in check. Instead, they need more competition from generic drug makers, especially on medicines that could spell the difference between life and death. Like Daraprim and Syprine, epinephrine is available in a generic form. At present, however, theres no generic version of the EpiPen injector for sale in the U.S.

Part of the answer is to make it harder for the Mylans of the world to keep rivals out of their market. The company twice struck deals with would-be competitors to delay them from seeking approval for generic versions of the EpiPen, and later petitioned the FDA to hold off an EpiPen alternative on the grounds that it didnt use the same safety mechanisms, and so could be confusing to users in an emergency situation.

Another part is to reduce the time and money required to bring a generic version of a drug or device to market, albeit without compromising safety. The Food and Drug Administration gives priority to applicants proposing the first generic version of a drug, but not later ones. The agency should be looking for ways to draw generic competitors into markets with runaway prices; as it is, the FDA pays no attention to how much drugs cost.

Meanwhile, consolidation among drug manufacturers is reducing the number of potential competitors, as well as the incentive to compete. That raises a harder question for policymakers: If market forces cant produce vigorous competition, what can government do to restrain price hikes without distorting the market and reducing drug supplies?

Among other steps, Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has proposed capping insured consumers monthly out-of-pocket costs for prescriptions, as California has done. The potential drawback there is higher premiums, although if done right, such an approach simply allows consumers to spread out over 12 months a bill they would otherwise have to pay all at once.

Both Clinton and Republican nominee Donald Trump also want to let consumers buy prescription drugs from sellers in other countries, where prices often are considerably lower than they are in the United States. For example, a single EpiPen costs about $100 in Canada, a third of the U.S. price. But inviting online sellers to supply controlled substances across the border is fraught with risk to safety and drug supplies, as the candidates acknowledge. One promising alternative would be to make it easier for foreign drug makers to sell here the products theyve won approval for in other countries.

Healthcare reformers are pushing insurers and government health programs to tie payments for drugs based on the value they provide to a patient and the healthcare system as a whole. That shift could generate competition between different drugs, rather than just different manufacturers of the same compound. Granted, its a tricky exercise. Through Medicare and Medicaid, however, federal and state governments have started to explore how to do so with several types of treatment, including physician-administered prescription drugs. Those efforts could prove crucial in the struggle to slow the growth in healthcare costs.

Some critics of the pharmaceutical industry have called for more dramatic  and potentially more disruptive  steps, including government price controls and taxes on windfall profits. Before lawmakers even consider going that far, however, they should do more to bring market forces to bear on drug monopolists. Huge price increases should be sending an irresistible invitation to entrepreneurial companies to come in with a competing product. Especially when it comes to generic drugs, the door should be wide open.

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The city of Hesperia, in its zeal to prevent crime in rental properties, enacted two housing ordinances of dubious constitutionality. The crime-free rental housing ordinance, which went into effect this year, compels landlords to run criminal background checks on all prospective tenants and to start eviction proceedings against any tenant arrested on or near the premises  even if the legal matter has not been resolved or charges were never brought. Thats ludicrous; an arrest is not a finding of guilt.

The second ordinance, adopted in 2007, forbids two or more people who are on probation from living in the same house. Thats unacceptable as well. No city should adopt a blanket discriminatory rule against people who have served their time in jail or prison and are now seeking to reenter society.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed suit and then requested a preliminary injunction to stop the citys enforcement of the laws against its clients, which include the nonprofit Victor Valley Family Resource Center, pending the outcome of the lawsuit. The center offers housing and services to people on probation who are at risk of becoming homeless; it rents three properties in Hesperia. But even after U.S. District Judge Andre Birotte Jr. granted the injunction in July, the ACLU says, the city continued placing phone calls and sending multiple letters to the owners of the properties demanding tens of thousands of dollars in fees from citations and enforcement costs by the end of this month in connection with the enjoined laws. The city also pressed the landlords to say whether they were evicting the tenants  which landlords had initiated but halted after the injunction was issued.

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The city brazenly admitted in court papers that code enforcement officials had, indeed, communicated with the landlords of the properties to see how the eviction process was going at each property. (Note to the city: See paragraph above. Youre not supposed to be moving forward on this.) Among the issues the city said needed clarification: Did the injunction mean the code enforcement personnel couldnt enforce citations handed out prior to the filing of the injunction?

Thats right. It does. And Birotte said as much: Clearly, enforcement of past citations for violations of the Ordinances is action to enforce the Ordinances.

The court injunction is straightforward  and the city should follow it. City officials may not contact the landlords about paying fees for citations related to these ordinances. They must stop all enforcement of these ordinances against the plaintiffs.

Or the city could go one step further and settle the lawsuit, striking these unconstitutional and discriminatory laws off its books altogether. That would be the fair thing to do.

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At a time when Democrats and their party are, by virtually every index, moving left, a powerful center-right pressure group within the liberal universe has nonetheless sprung up. Funded by billionaires and arrayed against unions, it is increasingly contesting for power in city halls and statehouses where Democrats already govern.

Thats not how the charter school lobby is customarily described, Ill allow, but its most certainly what its become.

Next year, the progressive mayors of Americas two largest and overwhelmingly Democratic cities  New Yorks Bill de Blasio and Los Angeles Eric Garcetti  will each stand for reelection. So far, the only visible challenger to Garcettis bid is Steve Barr, founder of the Green Dot charter schools. In New York, de Blasios critics have suggested that Success Academy Charter Chief Executive Eva Moskowitz would be the candidate most likely to depose the mayor, though Moskowitz has denied any interest in running.

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This abrupt elevation (or self-elevation) of todays charter school entrepreneurs into tomorrows civic leaders may seem surprising, but its part of a larger pattern.

In California, political action committees funded by charter school backers have become among the largest donors to centrist Democratic state legislators who not only favor expanding charters at the expense of school districts, but also have blocked some of Gov. Jerry Browns more liberal initiatives.

In New Yorks upcoming primary, such longtime charter supporters as Wal-Mart heiress Alice Walton have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to a PAC seeking to unseat several Democratic legislators whove defended the role and budget of traditional public schools.

In future decades, historians will have to grapple with how charter schools became the cause celebre of centrist billionaires  from Walton to Bloomberg to Broad  in an age of plutocracy. The historians shouldnt dismiss the good intentions behind the billionaires impulse: the desire to provide students growing up in poverty with the best education possible. But neither should they dismiss their self-exculpation in singling out the deficiencies, both real and exaggerated, of public education as the central reason for the evisceration of the middle class.

In their mix of good intentions and self-serving blindness, the billionaire education reformers have much in common with ... their Gilded Age predecessors.

If Wal-Mart, the corporation from which Walton derives her wealth, hadnt compelled its suppliers to make their products abroad to reduce the price of their goods, more public school students parents might have the kind of stable employment and adequate incomes that foster learning-friendly upbringings. Despite the fact that our traditional ladders of mobility  decent blue-collar and service sector jobs, unions, cross-class marriages  have largely collapsed, seemingly sentient billionaires insist that teachers and their unions are the main obstacles blocking young peoples escape from poverty.

The poor, or their tribunes, dont necessarily agree. In the past couple of weeks, both the Movement for Black Lives (50 organizations active in the Black Lives Matter movement) and the NAACP passed resolutions declaring that charter schools increase segregation and leave school districts with both fewer resources and a more challenging student body. While many in minority communities dispute these views, theres clearly some real skepticism about the merits of charterizing education among the very people it purports to help.

Thats one reason the Steve Barrs and Eva Moskowitzes arent likely to be supplanting their mayors next year. But the charter advocates dont need to win the high-visibility offices to prevail. By spending sufficiently to shift the composition of Democratic caucuses in legislatures, city councils or school boards to the right, they can undermine public education. Whether they mean to or not, by backing more conservative Democrats, they can also impede unrelated progressive initiatives for greater environmental protections and worker rights. And by making Democratic elected officials even more dependent on the mega-donations of the 1%, they make campaign finance reform all the harder to win.

In their mix of good intentions and self-serving blindness, the billionaire education reformers have much in common with some of the upper-class progressives of a century ago, another time of great wealth and pervasive poverty. Some of those progressives, in the tradition of Jane Addams, genuinely sought to diminish the economys structural inequities, but others focused more on the presumed moral deficiencies and lack of discipline of the poor. Whatever the merits of charters, the very rich who see them as the great equalizer are no closer to the mark than their Gilded Age predecessors who preached temperance as the answer to squalor.

Harold Meyerson is executive editor of the American Prospect. He is a contributing writer to Opinion.

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A grand jury has decided there will be no criminal charges related to the January 21 collision that took the life of logging truck driver Neil Nightingale.

The crash, which happened on Highway 20 east of Sweet Home, involved two semi trucks and a 2003 Subaru Legacy. Truck driver Robert Gene Mayfield, 54, was critically injured and was the subject of the criminal investigation.

The grand jury considered information from Oregon State Police reports that determined Mayfield, traveling west, had crossed the center turn lane and entered Nightingale's eastbound lane, colliding head-on with the 2011 Kenworth log truck. Linn County Senior district Attorney George Eder said 19 witnesses gave testimony to the grand jury.

Nightingale, 39, died of his injuries eight days later, and Mayfield, who was behind the wheel of the second truck, endured multiple surgeries after sustaining critical injuries.

The driver of the Subaru was not injured.
To the editor: Peter McPhersons article on college student debt was an exercise in blaming the victim. His educational background should have taught him better than to effectively blame students for dropping out with high debt loads. (How to measure success in higher ed? Not just how many students attend, but how many graduate, Opinion, Aug. 22)

McPherson received his bachelors degree from the college he would eventually lead, Michigan State University. Did McPherson fail to remember that his education at MSU was virtually free? Even if he had failed to graduate, he would not have been saddled with debt.

Land-grant universities began in 1862 as a cooperative venture financed by both the state and federal governments to fund major public universities that would educate qualified students in every new generation for the benefit of all Americans. Over the last few decades, public funding of these schools has dried up. Students now cover this shortfall with crippling tuition and fees.

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McPherson seems not to appreciate the financial burdens currently imposed on public college students.

Terrence R. Dunn, Bakersfield

..

To the editor: McPherson claims that college-educated workers are more productive. But there is no evidence that finishing a degree makes one more productive. Employers give the more productive jobs to graduates simply because that is the easiest way of selecting applicants. And smarter people are more likely to finish their degrees.

The education system is thus acting simply as a very expensive filter. And it is a process that is continually escalating, as people seek more and more degrees not to change themselves, but to keep one step ahead of the competition.

The waste of our national resources is staggering.

Rory Johnston, Hollywood

..

To the editor: Most public and nonprofit universities experience fairly high graduation rates because they are selective in whom they admit and offer remedial services to those students who may be deficient in an area or two but otherwise have a reasonably good chance of success.

Because of their different mission, community colleges typically have an open admission policy and unfortunately will experience a higher dropout rate. They also offer associate degree and certificate programs leading to good careers that dont require a bachelors degree. Students who complete a two-year program shouldnt be considered unsuccessful.

The real problem is with for-profit schools that prey on those who dont possess the necessary qualifications for admission to a regionally accredited institution or who cannot get into a community college certificate program. These students are set up for failure from Day One. Theyll flounder about until they drop out or graduate with a worthless degree.

They probably make up a significant portion of those who began a course of study but didnt finish it.

Frank King, Coronado

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Donald Trump has said many crazy things, some quite entertaining, many wildly fantastical and incendiary. Now he may have outdone himself with his charge that Hillary Clinton is a bigot.

Even people who oppose Clinton and loathe her political views  maybe even those who believe that she is corrupt and think she should be locked up  would have a hard time agreeing that she is a bigot. Perhaps Trump does not know what the word actually means. Given his record and the company he keeps, he should.

Back in the early 1970s, around the same time a young Clinton was going undercover in Alabama to expose discrimination against black children in segregated academies, a young Trump and his father were sued by the Nixon Justice Department for blatant discrimination against blacks in Trump-owned rental housing. In a CNN interview Thursday, Trump misrepresented the nature of that suit and how it was settled. He claimed that the resolution of the case proved there had been no wrongdoing. The record, however, shows that the Trumps were required to take remedial actions and were later sued again when they failed to follow through.

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1 / 51 la-1491523602-y7ephyarj1-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 51 la-1491368625-0bgh58ihw8-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los angeles Times) 6 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 51 Trump inspires millions to take to the streets -- to oppose him. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 51 Cartoon caption contest winner at the DENT conference in Sun Valley, Idaho: Jon Duval, executive director of the Ketchum Community Development Corporation. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 51 Old radicals and big media descend on Selma (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 51 Horsey imagined the creation of the Ann Coulter phenomenon in this cartoon from 2007. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 51 This David Horsey drawing is a reconfiguration of a cartoon he first published in 2006. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 51 Donald Sterling, owner of the L.A. Clippers, should give Cliven Bundy a call. After Sterling loses his NBA franchise and the deadbeat Nevada rancher loses his cattle, the two old racists will both need a buddy. Maybe they can team up together and open an all-white rodeo. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 51 Besides sending a chill up the spine of the international community, Vladimir Putin has accomplished one other thing by seizing Crimea and threatening the rest of Ukraine: Putin has brought back the bear. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 51 The right-wing insurrection at the Bundy ranch in Bunkerville, Nev., has taken another weird turn with new revelations about the family history of Cliven Bundy. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 51 David Horsey / Los Angeles Times (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times)

Trump bends reality to put himself in a better light on a near daily basis, so it is no surprise when he revises his own history. His charge that Clinton is a bigot is yet another attempt to twist facts after being stung by allegations that he is empowering real bigots.

Clinton made that charge in a very public way in Reno on Thursday, giving a speech in which she said Trump has delivered power in the Republican Party over to a radical fringe. She noted that Trumps new campaign CEO, Steve Bannon, comes from Breitbart News, an online entity that is the mouthpiece of the so-called alt-right that includes overtly racist elements.

Theres always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, a lot of it arising from racial resentment, Clinton said. But its never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it and giving it a national megaphone until now.

Clintons sharp-elbowed speech follows on the heels of a new anti-Trump campaign ad that features video of several white supremacists enthusiastically giving him their endorsement. Trump could have responded in many ways to this onslaught, but he chose to take the approach of a 5-year-old who has been called a name and simply shouts the same name back  Im not a bigot, youre a bigot!

It is no surprise that Trump is annoyed. The contention that he is allied with racists undercuts his newly launched effort to reach out to non-white voters. In a speech this week given to a mostly white audience, Trump pleaded for blacks and Latinos to give him a chance. What do you have to lose?

Trump knows what he has to lose: an election. His support is abysmal among African Americans and Latinos, worse than any past Republican presidential nominee. According to polls, most of those people think he is a racist. There are simply not enough angry white voters to make up for his deficit with the minority electorate. And, with Clinton playing the race card, he needed to respond if he wants to preserve any hope of shifting perceptions his way.

But calling Hillary a bigot? Thats a tactic that assumes blacks and Latinos do not know what a real bigot is. Bad assumption, Mr. Trump. They know. They know too well.

David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter

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Innocent? Dont talk to the police.
Donald Trumps effort to overcome his deep unpopularity among female voters was dealt a setback Friday as decades-old domestic violence allegations surfaced against Stephen K. Bannon, the controversial new chief executive of his campaign.

In January 1996, according to a police report, Bannon grabbed his wifes wrist and neck, then smashed a phone when she tried to call 911 from their Santa Monica home. Police photographed red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck, the report said.

Years earlier, three or four other arguments also became physical, Bannons wife, Mary Louise Piccard, told police. The couple divorced soon after the 1996 altercation.

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Bannon was charged with misdemeanor domestic violence, battery and witness intimidation, and the Los Angeles Municipal Court issued a domestic violence protective order against him, according to a statement Santa Monica city officials issued Friday. Bannon pleaded not guilty, records show.

The case was dismissed when Piccard did not show up for trial in August 1996, according to the statement. Politico and the New York Post first reported on the case Thursday.

Details of the case emerged just hours after Trumps Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton, faulted him for hiring Bannon last week in the latest shake-up of his campaigns high command.

Clinton portrayed Bannon as a right-wing extremist who promoted racist, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-women ideas as chairman of the Breitbart News Network website.

Bannon, 62, took a leave from Breitbart last week to serve as CEO of the Republican presidential nominees campaign. The Trump campaign did not respond to inquiries about the police report.

Alexandra Preate, Bannons spokeswoman at Breitbart, declined to comment on the specific allegations, apart from noting that the charges were dismissed.

He has a great relationship with his ex-wife, she said.

The abuse allegations against Bannon surfaced as Clinton and her allies have been highlighting Trumps history of making derogatory remarks about women. Clinton led Trump among female voters 58-35% in a Washington Post/ABC News poll at the beginning of August, and 60% of those polled overall said they saw Trump as biased against both women and minorities,

In March, police filed a battery charge against a previous Trump campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, after he yanked and bruised the arm of Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields at a Trump event in Florida. Prosecutors declined to prosecute the case.

If Trump had vetted Bannon before hiring him, his ex-wifes accusations should have been disqualifying, said Katie Packer, who was deputy campaign manager for Mitt Romneys 2012 presidential campaign and led an effort to block Trump from getting the GOP nomination.

Given the questions that women already have about how Trump views women and how he has treated women historically, elevating someone like this to such a high position only reinforces the idea that Trump doesnt respect and value women, Packer said.

Charlie Black, a Republican strategist who has informally advised the Trump campaign, said the allegations against Bannon fell into a gray area because the charges were dropped. But of course its an issue, he added, because hes in a position of CEO of the campaign.

Piccard, who was Bannons second wife, did not respond to a phone message seeking comment.

She and Bannon, a former investment banker, were married in April 1995, three days before their twin daughters were born. Shortly before 9 a.m. on New Years Day 1996, police received a 911 call from their home in Santa Monica, but the line went dead. The police report gave this account:

An officer went to the front door and was greeted by Piccard, who appeared very upset. She burst into tears and took several minutes to calm down.

Bannon had slept on the living-room couch the night before, and he got upset in the morning when Piccard made noise while feeding the twin babies. When Bannon started to leave, she asked for a credit card for groceries, but he refused and went to his car, Piccard told police.

She followed him outside, told him she wanted a divorce and said he should move out. He laughed at her and told him he would never leave, according to Piccard. She said she spat at him when he was sitting in the drivers seat of his car.

He pulled her down, as if he was trying to pull [her] into the car, over the door, the report said. Bannon grabbed her neck, pulling her toward the car again, and she struck him in the face and ran back into the house. She told Bannon she was dialing 911, and he jumped over her and the twins to grab the phone.

Once he got the phone, he threw it across the room, the report said. After this, Mr. Bannon left the house.

Piccard, whose name was blacked out in the police report, found the phone in several pieces and could not use it.

She complained of soreness to her neck, the officer wrote in the police report. I saw red marks on her left wrist and the right side of her neck.

Court papers in the divorce and child custody proceedings show Bannon was living primarily in Tucson at the time, to work on Biosphere 2, a desert refuge enclosed in a glass dome for research.

Piccard won custody of the twins in the divorce. During Bannons visit with the babies about nine months after the incident, in September 1996, he spanked one of them, Piccard wrote in child custody court papers. The twins were 17 months old at the time.

I restrained him and told him that it was not acceptable to hit our daughter (he believes in corporal punishment), Piccard wrote. Bannon screamed at me and stormed out of the house.

In March 1997, Piccard wrote that she only wanted to restrict Bannons visits with the children to neutral sites because he has been verbally abusive to me in front of the girls and I do not feel safe meeting him elsewhere.

michael.finnegan@latimes.com

Twitter: @finneganLAT

Hillary Clinton is exploring the outer limits of fundraising like no presidential nominee ever has

Donald Trumps shifting talk on immigration shows his struggle to reach beyond his core supporters

Can Donald Trump really round up and deport 11 million people?

UPDATES:

5:55 p.m.: This article was updated with a statement from Santa Monica officials detailing the charges against Bannon.

This article was originally published at 4 p.m.
Race has been a constant  if not always explicit  subtext for the entirety of this highly charged presidential campaign, thanks in no small part to the rhetoric of Donald Trump.

This week the issue burst forth: angry, raw, front and center.

Good afternoon, Im Mark Z. Barabak, filling in for Washington Bureau chief David Lauter. Welcome to the Friday edition of our Essential Politics newsletter, in which we look back at the events of the past week in the presidential contest and highlight some particularly insightful stories.

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In Reno, the battleground portion of a battleground state, Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton delivered an extraordinary speech accusing Trump of fomenting racial hatred and turning the Republican Party into a haven for white nationalism.

Theres always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, a lot of it arising from racial resentment, Clinton said. But its never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it and giving it a national megaphone until now.

Trump fired back on multiple fronts.

Hillary Clintons short speech is pandering to the worst instincts in our society, the candidate said on Twitter. She should be ashamed of herself.

Speaking later in a CNN interview, Trump accused Clinton of being a bigot.

She is selling [black voters] down the tubes because shes not doing anything for those communities, he said. She talks a good game. But she doesnt do anything.

Even before Clinton leveled her attack, Trump had undertaken a notable shift in tone, urging African Americans to abandon their longstanding allegiance to the Democratic Party while painting a dire  and, to many, misleading and highly offensive  portrait of black life in America.

But as Noah Bierman and Michael Finnegan pointed out, Trumps summons to black voters  which he has been delivering to virtually all-white audiences  may be less about rallying African American support than convincing white voters he is not racist and thus make them feel better about supporting the Manhattan business mogul.

IMMIGRATION STRUGGLES

Much of Trumps week was occupied sprawling all over the place on the immigration issue.

The promise of building a wall along the Mexico border  to be paid for by the Mexican government  and deporting millions of people in the country illegally have been at the heart of Trumps campaign since he very first entered the contest.

But in a series of appearances he offered various conflicting statements on whether he intended to soften his stance on forced deportations and supporting a pathway to legal status for people in the country illegally. A planned speech on immigration, which would have allowed Trump to clarify his thinking, was postponed.

Will Trumps zigzagging hurt him politically? Lisa Mascaro found no clear consensus.

More practically, would it be possible for the federal government to actually round up and deport 11 million people, given the go-ahead? Brian Bennett explored that question and found it would be difficult and extremely costly: in the range of $300 billion.

DESERT STORM

There is no love lost between Trump and the partys 2008 presidential nominee, Arizona Sen. John McCain.

In one of the earliest jaw-dropping moments of his campaign, Trump belittled McCain and the more than five years he spent as a prisoner of war in Vietnam. McCain chose to turn the proverbial cheek, but now finds himself in the toughest reelection fight of his long and storied career, in part because of his willingness to forgive if not forget.

The five-term senator is caught in a vise between his Trump-backing Republican primary opponent and a Democrat rival eager to take him on in November. The GOP primary is Tuesday.

MONEY MONEY MONEY

Hillary Clinton and her allies spent much of the week defending her actions as secretary of State and the access that was granted donors to the Clinton Foundation, the nonprofit, do-gooder organization founded by her husband, former President Bill Clinton. Editorial cartoonist David Horsey, putting pen to paper, suggests legalities aside, the episode just plain looks bad.

Clinton, meantime, devoted the bulk of her week to a blitz of fundraising  including a run through California  which, Evan Halper reported, left even some of her staunch supporters a bit unsettled.

WHAT WERE READING

Our daily USC Dornsife/Los Angeles Times tracking poll has been at variance with most other election surveys of the Clinton-Trump contest, owing in part to its different methodology. Polling maven Nate Silver weighed in on the disparity on his FiveThirtyEight website. The latest tracking numbers can be found at the top of the politics page.

TRUMP! TRUMP! CLINTON! CLINTON!

Cant get enough of the Republican and Democratic nominees? Here and here are everything you ever wanted to know, and more.

LOGISTICS

If you like this newsletter, tell your friends and family to sign up. Its free! Did someone forward this to you? You can sign up here for your very own copy, delivered straight to your email in-box. Dont wait!

That wraps up this weeks summary. My colleague Christina Bellantoni will be back Monday with the weekday edition of Essential Politics. Until then, keep track of all the developments in the 2016 campaign with our Trail Guide, on our Politics page and on Twitter @latimespolitics.

Comments, suggestions, news tips? Send them along to politics@latimes.com.

Have a swell weekend.
All blood donated in the U.S. should be screened for Zika to prevent the virus from spreading through transfusions, the Food and Drug Administration said Friday.

The new guidance should be implemented immediately in states and territories where the virus is already being spread by mosquitoes, and it should be phased in over the next four to 12 weeks in the rest of the country.

The recommendation for testing the entire blood supply will help ensure that safe blood is available for all individuals who might need transfusion, Dr. Peter Marks, director of the FDAs Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in a statement.

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Zika is spreading rapidly throughout the Americas, with 50 countries and territories now dealing with active outbreaks.

As of Wednesday, 8,746 people in Puerto Rico have been infected with the virus locally, along with dozens of additional cases of local transmission in the U.S. Virgin Islands and American Samoa, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

 Zika is a mosquito-borne illness that has spread through dozens of countries in Latin America, the Caribbean, and now the United States.

Florida is the only U.S. state with Zika infections that cant be linked to travel. As of Wednesday, 29 people there have been diagnosed with laboratory-confirmed infections, the CDC says.

The Zika virus is spread by mosquitoes through their bites. Once infected, a person can spread it to another through sexual contact. Most notably, an infected pregnant woman can pass the virus to her unborn child, putting the baby at risk for microcephaly and other brain-related birth defects.

Donor blood can be another important source of Zika transmission. During a Zika outbreak in French Polynesia in 2013 and 2014, nearly 3% of blood samples from people with no sign of infection were found to contain the virus, which could have been spread to others through routine infusions.

And in Puerto Rico, where screening has been recommended since February, nearly 1% of blood samples from donors with no symptoms of Zika turned up positive for the virus, according to the FDA.

Screening potential donors before they give blood is unreliable, since four out of five infected people never develop any outward sign of infection. Among those who do, most have vague symptoms like fever, headaches or joint or muscle pain.

To get around this problem, the FDAs new guidance calls for testing all donated blood using a so-called nucleic acid test. These tests search for specific genetic sequences in certain viruses, such as HIV or hepatitis. Versions that look for Zika are still undergoing final FDA review.

If any blood is found to be infected, any other blood given by the same donor in the past 120 days should be quarantined, according to the new guidelines. If some of that blood has already been used to treat another patient, the recipients doctor should be notified.

If no screening test is available, blood collection agencies can purify blood platelets or plasma using one of the FDAs approved methods. In the future, if a pathogen reduction technology becomes available for red blood cells or for whole blood, these methods could be used instead of a nucleic acid test, the FDA said.

Although theres no longer any need to ask potential donors about their recent travel to regions affected by Zika, any prospective blood donor who says they have been infected with Zika should be asked to wait until their symptoms have resolved or for 120 days, whichever is longer, the FDA said.

The new guidance applies immediately in Florida and in territories with at least one case of a locally acquired infection. All blood collection should be put on hold until the new procedures can be implemented, the FDA advises.

Blood collection agencies in states that have reported travel-related Zika infections or that are close to areas where mosquitoes are known to have the virus should implement the guidelines within the next four weeks. These include Alabama, Arizona, California, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, South Carolina and Texas.

Facilities in all other states should be following the new guidelines within the next 12 weeks, the FDA says.

karen.kaplan@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @LATkarenkaplan and like Los Angeles Times Science & Health on Facebook.

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A state coalition of county education officials has awarded its highest honor to Laguna Beachs Thurston Middle School.

The California Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports Coalition selected Thurston as a Platinum school, one of 15 in the state.

PBIS is a framework that helps students succeed not only academically but behaviorally as well based on positive reinforcement.

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That is not to say that under PBIS guidelines there are no consequences for rule violations.

Interventions can be tailored for groups or individual students who exhibit at-risk behavior, according to a news the release.

In the past, schools have been kind of guilty of disciplining kids (in) a punishment-type mode, Jon Best, director of student services for the Redlands Unified School District, told The Sun newspaper earlier this year. PBIS is a shift in the way schools and districts have, for ages, handled disciplinary matters. We cant expect a child to change how they behave unless we provide them a model for what good behavior looks like.

And that involves encouragement.

At Thurston, officials expect students to be SMART  an acronym for solving problems, making great decisions, achieving, respecting and being there and ready, according to the news release.

Students who demonstrate commendable behavior or achievement earn SMART cards, which can be traded for various rewards such as passes that take them to the front of the lunch line.

Also at Thurston, voluntary meetings of teachers and classified staff such as instructional aides, school psychologists and counselors are held every six weeks. Teachers may share classroom management tips, while aides could provide advice on modeling appropriate behavior during lunch.

Thurston has incorporated PBIS principles for 12 years, said Salberg, who is entering her sixth year as principal.

Weve gotten better and stronger each and every year, Salberg said. The more united we are, the better environment it creates for everybody.

Thurston gets students involved as well. Once a month student leadership teams, such as the Associated Student Body, organize activities that encourage kindness. These could include writing inspiring messages in chalk on the ground.

This is the first year that the state coalition, established in 2011, has recognized schools for their efforts in the social and emotional realms.

Its a lot of work to implement PBIS, said Michael Lombardo, the coalitions lead coordinator. We wanted to acknowledge the hard work schools put into it.

This work also involves partnering with parents.

Regarding the recognition of the school, a subcommittee of county and local education administrators reviewed applications from schools and selected the honorees, Lombardo said.

To achieve Platinum status, schools must satisfy eligibility requirements, including having no more than 80% to 90% of students with one or zero discipline referrals and 5% or less of students sent home for disciplinary reasons, the coalitions website said.

The coalition also selected 41 schools for gold status, 173 for silver and 279 for bronze.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce
Police said Friday that they have arrested a suspect in the killing of a man whose body was found at an Irvine construction site last year.

Jacob Michael Margo, 21, of Santa Ana was taken into custody Thursday on suspicion of murder, Irvine Police Department spokeswoman Farrah Emami said. Margo was booked into Orange County Jail with bail set at $1 million.

Detectives began investigating the homicide on the morning of June 5 after a group of workers arrived at the construction site near Wolf Trail and Orchard Hills and discovered a body later identified as Octavio Jesus Alcala, 19, of Santa Ana.

The victim was located face-down in a remote, graded construction area that did not have any buildings, according to the Police Departments announcement.

Police said they served multiple search warrants in an extensive investigation before arresting Margo, but officials declined to release more details because the investigation is continuing. Authorities have not said how Alcala died.

Its unclear whether Margo and Alcala knew each other.

In 2012, Margo pleaded guilty to felony possession of stolen property and was sentenced to three years probation and 270 days in jail, court records show.
A dump truck with a red painted sign reading Dump Swun now, kids deserve better sat in the parking lot outside the Newport-Mesa Unified School District board meeting Tuesday evening as parents, teachers and students told district trustees of their frustration with the Swun Math program and urged the board to adopt an alternative curriculum.

Before they spoke, John Drake, the districts director of curriculum and instruction, said the district already was considering a pilot program using different math materials that could start in January. Ideally, he said, a recommendation on which program to use going forward could be given to the board by the end of April.

But parents and teachers said they believe it can be done faster.

District elementary schools began using Swun Math in 2013, and teachers and parents say materials for the curriculum contain typos and other errors.

Newport-Mesa trustees approved an agreement in June with the Cypress-based company to use the curriculum again this school year, though parents urged trustees to look at other options.

Swun Math did not immediately respond to a request for comment Thursday.

But last year, program director Carrie Mitchell told the Daily Pilot that when the company finds errors, it posts the corrected material on its website. She added that a 2014 article posted on TheAtlantic.com described Swun Math as a widely praised program.

This summer, a team of Newport-Mesa parents, teachers and students researched alternative math programs used by other Orange County school districts.

According to team member Erica Roberts, a parent at Mariners Elementary School in Newport Beach, the group supports Go Math!, published by Boston-based Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Go Math! is one of several programs on a list adopted by the state Board of Education.

Swun Math is not on the list, but a local education agency can use instructional materials that arent adopted by the state board as long as the materials pass review by a majority of teachers in that subject area, according to the California Department of Education website.

Parents who lined up Tuesday to address the Newport-Mesa board aired several grievances about Swun Math.

Some said they spent hundreds of dollars on math tutors for their children because the students didnt understand Swun Math. Others said their children think theyre bad at math because they werent grasping the Swun program.

The curriculum has always been the problem, said Peter Boyd, who has children attending Newport Heights Elementary School. We have phenomenal teachers in this community. Theyre using a faulty tool to instruct our children.

Janet Phillips, a teacher at Mariners Elementary, told the board that she has spent the past three years dedicating professional and personal time to making Swun Math work.

Last year, the district requested that a panel of 11 teachers perform what administrators called edits to the materials to fix mistakes.

Roberts said it would make sense for Newport-Mesas kindergartners through sixth-graders to use Go Math! since it has been vetted for the districts seventh- and eighth-graders.

Kudos to the board for making this positive change in upper grades, Roberts told the trustees. And now all we are simply asking you to do is have that same courtesy with the same program by the same curriculum writer for kinder through six. Have continuity.

Referring to the pilot program Drake described, Newport-Mesa spokeswoman Annette Franco said Thursday that the district is working to develop a timeline and to further refine the process, which is aligned with the state Board of Education guidelines for piloted textbooks and instructional materials.

This will include teacher committees to collaborate and essentially guide the direction of any future math programs, Franco said. We have an obligation to successfully prepare students for the changing [educational] environment, which includes significant changes in how we teach and learn mathematics.

Retired teacher Laurie Smith said that after consulting with experienced teachers who have been on math curriculum review committees, she drew up a proposal for the district in which a teacher committee could complete a review of a new elementary school math curriculum by Nov. 1, seek board approval by mid-November and have materials distributed to schools the week of Dec. 19.

The Fullerton School District piloted the Go Math! program last year and will fully implement it in its 17 elementary schools this year.

Sung Chi, the districts program coordinator of educational services, said it took Fullerton eight to 10 weeks to pilot Go Math! and another program, California Math by McGraw-Hill, in the elementary schools and for staff to determine which program to recommend.

I heard a lot of positive feedback about Go Math!, Chi said. But I heard positive feedback with the other program as well.

Go Math! is a mixture of traditional computational problems and word problems, Chi said.

Its really about having students understand math through real-life situations, he said, but also by using calculations.
According to an article that appeared in the Daily Pilot July 30, Voters to have say in possible merger, Mesa Water District board members voted on July 28 to seek public input on the idea of merging with the Costa Mesa Sanitary District  voting to place an advisory measure on Novembers ballot . Mesa board members apparently reached this decision after a study showed combining the two agencies could result in substantial savings for ratepayers.

The study commissioned by Mesa Water District, Optimal Governance Structure Study, was discussed by the Costa Mesa Sanitary District board of directors on July 28. On July 29, the CMSD board responded to the study in a letter to Mesa Water board members. Included with the letter was a memorandum prepared by CMSD Treasurer Marc Davis. The memorandum contained Daviss analysis of the study. The letter and the memorandum are posted on the CMSD website at cmsd.gov.

In their letter, the CMSD Board noted that Mr. Davis found flaws and incorrect information in the study. Davis noted that an assumption [of the study] is that the new combined service area would remain unchanged. The CMSD currently provides services to an area that is similar, though not identical, to the Mesa Water service area. Mesa Water, therefore, does not provide water service to all the ratepayers in the CMSD. It is also the case that the CMSD does not provide waste water and solid waste services to all ratepayers in Mesa Water. If the service area of a combined agency remains unchanged, there would be a special district that would not provide all services to its constituents. It makes more sense to have the service area of a combined agency serve the same constituents.

As noted by Davis, This would involve bringing the city of Newport Beach, the County of Orange, and the Irvine Ranch Water District to the table to discuss service areas. This would be a more difficult process, but it would be the right thing to do.

Davis also discussed the section of the study that deals with annual savings that could be realized by a combined agency. He noted that the study indicated that in addition to a one-time savings, savings of $1 million per year would be possible. He also noted that in order to determine the annual savings the study assumes that the CMSD will issue debt in the future to fund capital improvements. What is the basis for this assumption, when, as Davis indicated, the CMSD has never issued debt to fund capital improvement in its 72 years of existence?

Last year, the CMSD initiated a new curbside program which provided ratepayers with an additional cart for organics only. This program is good for the environment, is on track to be in compliance with the state mandate, and it was provided at no additional cost to ratepayers.

The CMSD manages its operations according to fiscally conservative principles, such as those that benefit current CMSD ratepayers. Isnt the path toward saving money not borrowing money in the first place?

As discussed above, and as noted by Davis, the study contains flaws and incorrect information. Voters should not be expected to make an informed decision about a merger that is based on flaws and incorrect information. This is not consistent with the idea of good government, and as such, it is inadvisable for this measure to be placed on the November ballot.

Shirley Frobes

Costa Mesa

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Banning Ranch is a property rights issue

I write in support of the July 2016 development plan proposed by the current owners of Newport Banning Ranch. In this plan, 80% of the land will be dedicated open space, and the entire site will be cleaned up and remediated at no taxpayer expense, all on a defined schedule. The Newport Beach City Council approved an earlier plan in 2012 and remanded the matter to the California Coastal Commission.

The currently proposed plan has met with opposition by a well-meaning segment of the population.However, these opponents have offered no viable alternative plan or schedule. The property rights that protect me and all citizens, including those opposed to the current Banning Ranch plan, also protect the property rights of the current owner. To deny the current owners their property rights is to invite the future denial of the property rights of anyone.

In 2012, the Newport Beach City Council approved development plans for Newport Banning Ranch. Opponents have had at least since then to raise money to allow purchase of the land from the current owner, I am not aware that they have raised adequate funds to support a viable purchase offer, much less the significant funds adequate to clean-up and remediate the site.

Without Coastal Commission approval of the generous plan offered by the current owners, it is likely that the Newport Banning Ranch will remain an oilfield closed to the public for the foreseeable future. I have toured this gem of potentially publicly accessible space and am anxious for the day when it is cleaned up and opened to the public.

I urge the commission to approve the current plan.

Thomas R. Damiani

Newport Beach

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This is the last chance to save Banning Ranch

If you are concerned about the new development in Newport Beach, Huntington Beach and Costa Mesa that has been proposed or already adopted and built, you might like to focus your attention on what might be termed the last frontier in Orange County. On Sept. 7, the Coastal Commission will most likely seal the fate of Orange Countys last and largest piece of undeveloped coastal property: Banning Ranch.

There are a number of reasons why this property should not be developed: greatly increased traffic and pollution, existing drought conditions, the environmental concerns of disposing of 2.8 million cubic yards of toxic soil due to the more than 500 oil wells which were operating on the property at one time, ecological concerns of preserving precious coastal sage scrub, vernal pools, and the almost 100 species of birds and other precious wildlife found there, not to mention the preservation of local Native American burial grounds.

When Newport Beach amended the citys General Plan in 2006, the voters intent was to make Banning Ranch a permanent open space their No. 1 priority. If acquisition of the land as open space was not possible, owners could pursue development. There was not enough time to acquire the land as open space because developers filed their project plan with the city within two weeks.

Lets hope that the California Coastal Commission sets the record right and disallows any development on the historical Banning Ranch Property. Come early to Newport Beach Civic Center on Sept. 7 to attend the hearing, which is scheduled to start at 9 a.m., and show your support for maintaining the preservation of this last frontier.

For more information, please visit banningranchconservancy.org.

Suzanne Forster and Lynn Lorenz

Newport Beach

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Costa Mesa can learn from Apple CEO

Heres a switch. The CEO of the worlds most valuable and profitable company says, in effect, a business should be run more like the city that Costa Mesa used to be just six years ago.

Tim Cook, Apple Inc. chief executive officer, in a recent Los Angeles Times interview, described his business strategy. Its logical to conclude that if Cooks strategy were employed going forward as a governing strategy in Costa Mesa, it would return our city government to what it was before the current City Council majority took control six years ago.

Here are Cooks words:

I think of a traditional CEO as being divorced from customers. A lot of consumer company CEOs  theyre not really interacting with consumers. I also think that the traditional CEO believes his or her job is the profit and loss, is the revenue statement, the income and expense, the balance sheet. Those are important, but I dont think theyre all thats important. Theres an incredible responsibility to the employees of the company, to the communities and the countries that the company operates in, to people who assemble its products, to developers, to the whole ecosystem of the company.

He also told The Times:

And so I have a maybe nontraditional view there. I get criticized for it some, I recognize. But Ive never wanted to be the stereotypical CEO. I dont think Id be very good at it, honestly. And I dont think for Apple that would in the long run be good for the company. If you care about long-term shareholder return, all of these other things are really critical.

I can imagine Cooks strategy translated into local government terms: Theres an incredible responsibility to the employees of the city, to the community that the government operates in, to people who support city operations, to the whole ecosystem of the city.

Had Costa Mesas government of the past six years been based on Cooks business strategy, things might have been much different. The city might not have arbitrarily issued layoff notices to half its workforce. Experienced, loyal employees might not have fled to other cities and been replaced by expensive consultants.

Further, the citys leaders might not have sued their own police association. The debt for pensions might have prudently been reduced. And, not least, the citys customers (the taxpaying voters) might have been listened to and not been criticized and insulted in public from the dais.

Id be willing to bet that if Apples business had been run like our mayors business, Apple would not have become the worlds most valuable company.

Instead, its likely Apple would now be bankrupt.

Tom Egan

Costa Mesa
Trumpeter and composer Daniel Rosenboom is probably not going to land a record deal with a major jazz label anytime soon. Thats a shame.

In these days of constricted jazz-related record industry numbers, the labels that still traffic in jazz consider the sales potential and audience demographics of their signees very carefully. Though a musical visionary (he fronts four bands and maintains several other ongoing musical projects), Rosenboom often operates in uncharted musical territory.

Along with several musical compatriots like guitarist Jake Vossler, Rosenboom is interested in many forms and styles of music not readily associated with the traditional definition of jazz. Jake and I grew up with jazz, the 34-year old trumpeter specifies, but we play anything. The best music comes when you find people you want to make music with. What we play is a synthesis of our histories as players and listeners  we bring those histories to the bandstand and we want to be able to access any part of our knowledge.

For Rosenboom (Im not Jewish; its a Dutch name...), that means the classical trumpet literature and the late 20th-century composers like Shostakovich and Stockhausen, heavy metal rock, rhythmic counterpoint and minimalist electronica, Slavic rave-ups, the higher metrics of fusion and brass chamber music  all wedded with scores and improvisational opportunities. As a whole, it would hardly figure into a present-day corporate marketing plan.

Burning Ghosts, Rosenbooms experimental metal jazz quartet with Vossler, acoustic bassist Richard Giddens and drummer Aaron McLendon, headlines Sundays Open Gate Theatre concert in Eagle Rock. In an example of asymmetrical booking, medieval vocal specialist Argenta Walther opens for the often-torrential Ghosts outfit.

Its no surprise that the pan-stylistic approach of Rosenboom and his colleagues flourished at Cal Arts. Teachers like trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, reedman Vinny Golia and guitarist Miroslav Tadic were all influential to him. Daniels a virtuoso trumpeter, Golia contends, whos coming to improvisation from the classical world. But at the same time, Leo was his first trumpet teacher, and Miroslav taught the students in his age group to play those half-beat Balkan meters without thinking. And, he adds, Cal Arts turns out instrumentalists to compose.

Rosenboom contends that the idea was central to the Cal Arts ethos, though not mandated. All of us in Burning Ghosts were there, playing many kinds of music. The influences simmer sometimes: You may only take West African drumming for a semester but it affects how you think about time ever after.

The trumpet studies with Smith began in the sixth grade in Valencia. Leos lessons were half technical and half playing-from-the-heart, Rosenboom says. It was all about sound, melody and fearlessness. Wed improvise, but he also taught me the second movement of the Haydn Trumpet Concerto.

Daniels also very aware of the Hollywood studio trumpeters, Golia points out, like Malcolm McNabb. He did all the rising trumpet parts for the Jerry Goldsmith movie scores. You know, he adds, Leo had Daniel play the trumpet leads in one of his own pieces at REDCAT downtown so Leo could conduct  now thats an endorsement!

As for the heavy metal content in Burning Ghosts, MetalJazz.coms Greg Burk has some observations: Some of Dans music has a level of energy similar to that of Jimi Hendrix  that overdriven guitar sound and free jamming that kick-started Cream, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and generations of metal  from Metallica to Slayer to Morbid Angel.

He also loves the 1970s jazz-rock of Miles Davis, Burk continues. Miles hired loud, wild guitarists like John McLaughlin and Pete Cosey in an attempt to cop a Hendrix vibe. When Rosenboom taps Jake Vosslers extreme axe, he follows in a similar tradition. But Daniel doesnt want to inspire people to drink blood or burn churches  he wants listeners to release emotion.

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What: Daniel Rosenbooms Burning Ghosts, Argenta Walther

Where: Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock

When: Sunday, September 4, 7 p.m.

Admission: $10

Contact: (626) 795-4989, www.cfaer.org

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KIRK SILSBEE writers about jazz and culture for Marquee.
Ward Roberts was a small-town kid from Peru, Indiana, who came to Hollywood to be a celluloid hero. Sixteen years later, hes not quite the toast of Tinseltown, but hes got some clout in the far eastern corner of the San Fernando Valley. Roberts, a Glendale resident, directed the short film, Pro-Ana, screening at the AMC Burbank 16 on Sept. 10 as part of the Burbank International Film Festival.

Its the latest of many accolades the films received on the global festival circuit, but the directors just happy this ones close to home. When I got word we were in, I was happy, because its close enough that I might actually be able to get over there, says Roberts, 37.

Pro-Ana, conceived, written by and starring Shawn Kathryn Kane, is an unsettling glimpse into the world of body dysmorphia and the subculture that encourages and enables eating disorders. Kane says she decided to write about the issue after a friend started a social media campaign highlighting support for recovery from eating disorders. The campaign also uncovered some unseemly factors that perpetuate the cycle. I wanted the story to be about a young woman who wanted to get better, she says.

For Kane, the issue is personal: For me, it was an ugliness. When I look in the mirror I see an unattractive person, and I have to work on that. The problems can be magnified when you work in a business where looks can be currency. Theres a healthy way to approach or absorb the feedback you get from your advertisements or your directors, she says. Your core has to be strong without internalizing it.

Roberts, who admitted to having issues with alcohol in the past, was a neophyte with the heaviness of the material. This is totally outside my wheelhouse, Roberts says. I dont usually dabble in the truly dramatic realm. But I was drawn in by the power of the story. I was horrified and repulsed but also fascinated.

He had previously worked with Kane on a comedy pilot called Apocalypse Wow! 'Pro-Ana was 180 degrees from that in tone and sensibility. But when youre directing an independent short film, you roll with the punches. Its just a matter of how many days in a row I dont have time or money. My approach has always been, all you have to do is tell the story. My priority is to get the actor as many takes as that actor needs. Everything else is icing on the cake.

The curve thrown at Roberts was a brand-new script, delivered by Kane one day before the two-day shoot was scheduled in June 2015. Originally, the film was to focus on a typical Al-Anon-type support group.

It was well done but it was a traditional approach to the disorder world, Roberts says. I thought we could make it really strong. Wed just had to avoid the melodrama. Then Kane flipped the script. Literally. The focus changed to a Pro-Ana group, which focused on the power of the disorder.

This was clearly the way to go, he adds. Really different and really fascinating. Shawn had such a clear vision. Im there to serve her vision. Im the objective set of eyes that can reassure Shawn that her vision is intact. Even if it came together 24 hours before.

Roberts own vision has always tended to be double. He maintained an interest in both acting and directing from an early age. His dad gave him a camera at age 5. He was doing Public Access TV in his hometown in high school.

He realizes that a singular focus might have pushed him off the fringes, but hes OK with it. Ive just accepted my fate, daring to be somebody who wants to do it all, he says. If I could do just one, I could get some momentum, but when I look back, 16 years in, I wouldnt have done anything different, even though its taken longer.

And now hes on to something different altogether. Roberts is in the early stages of producing and directing a documentary about legendary pop music composer Cole Porter. We are blood relations in the same small town in Indiana, he says. In the last few years Ive gotten really interested in the music. He is one of the top-10 songwriters in pop music history and I just wanted to bring the spotlight to him personally.

With Pro-Ana, Roberts and Kane have already shined a very big spotlight on body dysmorphia. As far as theyre concerned, every new screening is a way to reach one more person in need of help.

Theres so much isolation and shame and guilt with disordered eating and body dysmorphia, Kane says. One in five women struggle with this. One in 10 men. They think theyre alone. Theyre not. They need to be allowed to deal with their issues without shame. People need to be able to talk about it and get help quickly. From that side its important for the film to keep going.

--

What: Burbank International Film Festival (including the short Pro-Ana)

When: Sept. 7 through 11

Where: Burbank AMC 16, 125 E Palm Ave., Burbank

More info: www.burbankfilmfest.org

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ERIK HIMMELSBACH-WEINSTEIN is a Los Angeles writer and producer.
A 37-year-old man convicted of killing his ex-boyfriend, a Glendale resident, to collect on his $2.5-million life insurance policy was sentenced Thursday to life in state prison without the possibility of parole, officials said.

In June, a jury found Hovanes John Maskovian guilty of first-degree murder and attempted kidnapping in connection with the 2013 beating and fatal shooting of 33-year-old Joshua West.

Jurors also found true the special-circumstance allegations of lying in wait, murder for financial gain and murder during an attempted kidnapping.

Maskovians younger brother, Hachik Kriss Maskovian, 31, was found guilty by a separate jury of the same charges, while a third man, Nazaret Nick Bayamdzhyan, 22, is awaiting trial, according to the Los Angeles County district attorneys office.

The younger Maskovian is slated to be sentenced today. .

On April 24, 2013, the brothers used a story about acquiring a cellphone to lure West to Sun Valley, where he was brutally beaten, stabbed, bitten, run over by a car and shot once through his heart. Wests body, with slash wounds on his throat, a bite mark on his arm and a broken right leg, was dumped on a Sun Valley road.

Hovanes Maskovian and West dated for about seven years, according to Wests sister. After they broke up in December 2012, just months before the murder, they continued to live together in their Glendale apartment out of convenience, said Wests father, Joseph DeRobbio.

Investigators later found out that Hovanes Maskovian called a State Farm insurance agent the day before the murder to ask about his and Wests insurance policies. The agent returned his call the next day and let him know their policies were OK.

--

Alene Tchekmedyian, alene.tchekmedyian@latimes.com

Twitter: @atchek
Sheriffs officials confirmed last week that a vehicle discovered Aug. 23 down a 500-foot embankment off the Angeles Crest Highway is connected to 47-year-old Kimberly Blum, a La Canada High School graduate and Sunland resident who went missing on June 5, 2014.

Blum was last seen at around 4 p.m. that day at the La Crescenta home of her sister Jennifer Franklin, where the pair were planning an eighth-grade graduation party for Franklins daughter, the Glendale News-Press reported at the time of the disappearance.

Although empty pill containers bearing Blums name were found days later by a maintenance worker in the Angeles National Forest, no other physical evidence had been found until earlier a week ago.

On the day of the vehicles discovery, a Caltrans employee was working out near Angeles Crest Highway Mile Marker 41.69, about 16 miles north of La Canada Flintridge, when he saw skid marks leading off the side of the road, Lt. Randy Tuinstra, watch commander for the Crescenta Valley Sheriffs Station, confirmed Aug. 24.

Deputies responded to the location and learned an SUV was located at the bottom of a 500-foot embankment in the vicinity of the skid marks, according to a news release issued last Thursday by the Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department.

Montrose Search and Rescue inspected the vehicle, which appeared to have been abandoned for a long time. A check of the vehicle returned information indicating it was connected to Blum, who was said to be driving a silver Honda CRV when she went missing.

In a second search of the incident area, search-and-rescue personnel discovered human skeletal remains near the vehicle. Employees from the Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner-Coroner responded with homicide detectives to collect the remains and conduct a thorough search of the area, according to the news release.

In their investigation, it was determined that the skid marks reported by the Caltrans worker were caused by a recent unrelated traffic collision, and not the Honda CRV.

The identity of the victim has yet to be confirmed, according to coroners spokesman Ed Winter, who said the departments Special Operations Response Team initially recovered a jawbone from the scene and discovered additional skeletal remains in a later search.

Were trying to get them identified so we can notify the next of kin, Winter said Monday, adding that exam results from a dentologist and anthropologist were still pending but could be ready by the end of this week.

Meanwhile, those who knew her and supported her family during the two-year search turned out to Kimberly Blums still active Facebook page with messages for the missing woman and her family.

Barbara Hodgson, a public relations representative who worked with Blums mother, Rosalie Blum, and investigating detectives with the Los Angeles Police Department after the disappearance said Friday shed learned of the vehicle discovery the previous night after receiving an email from Rosalie Blum.

We were all hopeful, she said, describing Kimberly Blum as an intelligent, lively woman. We were all hoping that shed taken off and gone to Paris.

Hodgson called Rosalie Blum as a tireless advocate, not only for the discovery of her own daughter, but for parents of missing children everywhere.

She really is a champion  she did everything she possibly could to find her daughter, Hodgson said Friday.

With a positive identification of the remains still pending, Rosalie Blum did not return calls seeking comment.

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Sara Cardine, sara.cardine@latimes.com

Twitter: @SaraCardine
Glendale students made gains over last year in math and English language arts on the states standardized exam, according to the latest data released by state officials on Wednesday.

Across Glendale, roughly 13,500 students in third through eighth grades as well as 11th grade took tests using computers last spring.

Results show that 62% of those tested met or exceeded the standard in English, a four-point increase over last year, while 52% achieved the same in mathematics, a three-point gain compared to 2015.

The higher scores across Glendales 30 schools should be welcome news for teachers, who have been working to shift to a new, more rigorous curriculum, said Kelly King, assistant superintendent of Glendale Unified.

As a district, Glendale Unified also reported higher marks than the state and Los Angeles County averages in both math and English, anywhere from 13 to 17 points higher.

I hope they see these results and celebrate. This is a strong indication theyre on the right track, King said of Glendales teachers. I want them to realize, Look how amazing Glendale is. Its because of their hard work.

Unlike past multiple-choice, pencil-and-paper exams, this computerized exam, known as the California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress, adjusts to each students knowledge level.

If a student answers a question correctly, theyre prompted with a more difficult question. If a student answers a question incorrectly, theyre given an easier one.

On the math portion, students were tested on problem solving, data analysis, mathematical rules and reasoning. On the language portion, they were challenged on reading comprehension, writing, listening and research.

Results show there were some achievement gaps among the districts four high schools, where juniors took the exam.

While 80% of students tested at Clark Magnet High School met or exceeded the math standard, only 35% of students tested at Glendale High achieved the same.

King said Clarks focus on math and science since it was established as a magnet school in the late 1990s contributed to its high score.

To some degree, King said, the test more closely matches the math philosophy and program at Clark, while teachers and administrators at the non-magnet high schools are working to make that shift in math.

Clarks success also gives school officials more fuel in our fire to meet their goals across all Glendale schools, King said. We need to learn from our successes and examine the areas we succeed in and why.

Elsewhere, 41% of students tested at Hoover High met or exceeded the math standard compared to 62% who did the same at Crescenta Valley High School.

When it came to the English portion of the exam, 92% of juniors tested at Clark Magnet met or exceeded that standard, compared to 84% at Crescenta Valley High School.

Meanwhile, 69% of students tested at Hoover High met or exceeded the English standard and 53% of Glendale High juniors achieved the same.

While King said the scores, overall, are a testament to teachers hard work, she also pointed to room for more improvement.

If we can celebrate how far above we are from the state and the county [averages], the students who have not yet met the standards, we have a responsibility to meet their needs, King said.

State Supt. Tom Torlakson expressed optimism in the higher marks achieved, overall, across the state compared to last year.

Of course, theres more work to do, but our system has momentum, Torlakson said in a statement. I am confident that business, political and community leaders will join parents and educators to help continue supporting increased standards and resources for schools.

--

Kelly Corrigan, kelly.corrigan@latimes.com

Twitter: @kellymcorrigan
Venturing out of our Foothills and into the big city, I attended LACO @ the Movies: An evening of Disney Silly Symphonies, held at the historic Orpheum Theatre movie palace on West Broadway in downtown L.A.

More than 1,200 people turned out to experience this fun night of film and live music performed by the musicians of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra.

Chip McLean, senior vice president/general manager of Disney Concerts told those assembled, We are immensely proud to be associated with the world-class Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra in featuring a celebration of Disneys Silly Symphonies. The Silly Symphony series of animated shorts was born out of music itself with the concept of fashioning storytelling around musical scores. These shorts were produced by Walt Disney Productions from 1929 to 1939.

The films were projected without sound, and the orchestra, seated on the immense stage, played the film scores live.

The delightful shorts shown were The Skeleton Dance, 1929; Flowers and Trees, 1932; Three Little Pigs, 1933; The Country Cousin, 1936; The Old Mill, 1937; The Ugly Duckling, 1939; and Music Land, 1935.

There was a slight hitch at the beginning of the program because the musicians video became unplugged. After some electronic tweaks here and there, the program began again to enthusiastic applause.

The timeless fairy tales and fantastical scenarios with music that raced ahead at full speed evoked just about every emotion, perfectly showcasing the interplay of music and film.

The audience, comprised of adults and kids, seemed to love the short films and were amazed by the percussion miracles such as bird tweets bells, and horns. There was much laughter that rippled through the theater.

Another musical wonder was the thundering sound of the Mighty Wurlitzer organ that was installed in 1928 to accompany the silent pictures that were shown after vaudeville went out of fashion. This is one of a few surviving theater Wurlitzer organs in the country. (La Canadans can take some pride in knowing the 4/37 Wurlitzer that survives at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood was housed for many years at the Lanterman estate on Encinas Drive, now known to us as Lanterman House museum. Frank Lanterman installed it there in the early 1960s. After his death it changed hands and was eventually installed at the El Capitan.)

Scott Harrison, executive director of the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, welcomed the guests to the event at the Orpheum that ended the LACO season. Tonight we are celebrating the inextricable link between great films and great music as illustrated by classic Walt Disney animation alongside the world-class musicians of L.A. Chamber Orchestra, he said. He went on to thank actor Dustin Hoffman, a steadfast advocate of LACOs film presentation for 16 seasons, as well as our creative partners at Disney Music Group, Dave Bossert and former LACO board president Ed Nowak, who have made tonights collaboration possible.

For me it was a thrill just to walk into the theaters Beaux Arts decor. It is an absolute gem and has been artfully restored after a $3-million makeover by current owner Steve Needleman.

The marble clad walls, fabulous chandeliers and plush furnishings hearken to days gone by. The theater opened in 1926 and it was a popular venue for burlesque queen Sally Rand, the Marx Brothers, Will Rogers, Judy Garland, comedian Jack Benny, as well as jazz greats Lena Horne, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. It had its day during the rock n roll era, featuring Little Richard, Aretha Franklin and Stevie Wonder. Currently it is a venue for live concerts, movie premieres and location shoots.

Movie theater architect G. Albert Lansburg designed the theater. He also designed the Wiltern Theatre, El Capitan Theatre and the interior of the Shrine Auditorium.

--

JANE NAPIER NEELY covers the La Canada social scene. Email her at jnvalleysun@aol.com with news of your special event.
The radio crackled.

Linus Guardian Escandor II knew what was coming. The station, AM 594 kHz, would report a summary execution. He would squeeze into a pickup truck with four other photojournalists, speed through Manila to some rain-slicked slum or dark alley and arrive while the bodies still lay in the streets.

Their hands would likely be tied, their faces wrapped in tape, blood flowing from bullet wounds in their heads and chests.

For more than a month, the scene has played out every night  often twice a night, sometimes more. But on this Thursday morning at 2 a.m., it hadnt yet  so Escandor, a 37-year-old freelance photographer, sat in the press room at Manilas police headquarters with about a dozen other photojournalists, the TV on mute, just listening to the radio crackle.

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In the morning, if you shoot dead people, its gory, but at night its almost beautiful, he said, clicking through photos on his laptop. You can hide the blood, because of the shadows. Its psychedelic, the colors.

If you shoot dead people, its gory, but at night its almost beautiful. You can hide the blood, because of the shadows. Its psychedelic, the colors.

1 / 14 L.A. Times 2 / 14 Two dead bodies lie on the pavement after a police operation against alleged drug dealers in Manila on Aug. 10. After President Rodrigo Duterte declared war against crime and the illegal drug trade, more than 400 suspected drug pushers have been killed and 600,000 suspects have voluntarily surrendered. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 3 / 14 Jennilyn Olayres cradles the dead body of her husband, Michael Siaron, an alleged drug pusher. He was killed by unidentified gunmen in Pasay City south of Manila. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 4 / 14 Forensic officers examine a crime scene where two alleged motorcycle-riding drug pushers were killed in a shootout with police operatives in Las Pinas, south of Manila on July 22. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 5 / 14 Two female victims of summary execution -- believed to be suspected drug pushers -- were killed outside a park in Manila on July 21. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 6 / 14 Two alleged drug pushers were killed after a buy-bust operation in the Tondo District of Manila on July 21. One victim was an ex-cop who allegedly fired first at the arresting officers. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 7 / 14 A law enforcement official shows the bullets and a handgun found at a crime scene in Manila. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 8 / 14 A victim of summary execution has packing tape wrapped over his head and a sign on his chest I am a Druglord (Chinese) along a bridge in the Tondo District of Manila, on July 28. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 9 / 14 Family members mourn the death of a suspected drug pusher gunned down by police operatives during a buy-bust operation in Manila on Aug. 3. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 10 / 14 A victim of a summary execution with his head wrapped in duct tape is found on the pavement in Makati on Aug. 3. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 11 / 14 Children of a Ricardo de Lemon, 36, who was killed, sleep beside the coffin during a wake in Manila. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 12 / 14 Roman Catholic devotees light candles at the Redemptorist Church in Paranaque, south of Manila. A permanent sign was installed, calling for an end to extra-judicial killings. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 13 / 14 Manila homicide detectives examine the dead body of an armed suspect killed during shootout with police operatives. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times) 14 / 14 A drug suspect was killed in a shootout with policemen during a buy-bust operation inside his home in the slum of Tondo in Manila on July 3. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times)

When Escandor began working the graveyard shift in 2014, he mainly covered fires and car accidents. Then, this June, Rodrigo Duterte came to power as president of the Philippines. Duterte, a tough-talking, 71-year-old former mayor of the southern city of Davao, had campaigned on promises to eradicate the countrys drug problem within six months.

He vowed to let nothing stand in his way  not his opposition, not human rights, not due process.

Please feel free to call us, the police, or do it yourself if you have the gun  you have my support, he said on June 6, in a nationally televised address. Shoot [the drug dealer] and Ill give you a medal.

Since Duterte was inaugurated on June 30, the bodies have been piling up. About 1,900 people have been killed, according to local media, the vast majority of them poor. Among them, more than half were executed by vigilantes, often gunmen on motorcycles. The rest were killed by police.

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And thus Escandor, a bald, bright-eyed man with a muted intensity, found himself on the execution beat. This was a historic moment, he thought. Illegal drugs, particularly the methamphetamine shabu, have been endemic in the Philippines for years, and Dutertes efforts to stamp them out have proved enormously popular  he enjoys a 91% approval rating, the polling organization Pulse found in July. Yet critics have warned of a breakdown in social order; without due process, they say, the country could sink into a mire of unaccountable killings.

So Escandor and his colleagues have spent every night chasing The Shot  something powerful enough to shine a light on the crackdowns human cost. Something that could change the conversation.

Suddenly, somebody turned up the radio, until voices roared out of a static haze. Theres one, Escandor said  two bodies on a nearby highway. The journalists gathered their equipment, ran out into the rain, jumped into their pickup trucks and sped into the night.

Shoot [the drug dealer] and Ill give you a medal.  Rodrigo Duterte

A law enforcement official shows the bullets and a handgun found at a crime scene in Manila. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times)

The evening had begun at 9:20 p.m., with a group dinner of tapsilog  a Filipino dish of beef jerky, egg, and rice  and a failed attempt at photographing a recently slain local official, who lay in an autopsy room surrounded by family, police keeping watch outside.

Just after midnight, they decided to visit a wake. A Manila Bulletin newspaper employee drove them in a company pickup truck. They passed stray dogs, drunk teenagers and emaciated men sleeping beneath highway on-ramps, and stopped near an alley between two crumbling low-rises, where white lights shone from a trio of canopy tents.

Beneath one, Ricardo de Lemon, 36, lay in a white open casket, his face thick with funeral makeup. A few feet away, his wife, Gima Ros de Lemon, 29, sat receiving guests.

We have seven children, she said. Behind her, a throng of men huddled over a coin-tossing game, betting stacks of cash.

Ricardo drove a jeepney, she said  a clunky stretched jeep that serves as the countrys most popular form of public transport. On Aug. 6, nearing the end of a long shift, she sat with him in the vehicles front seat; behind them, a lone passenger was obscured by shadows. He wore a black cap and a black jacket with a white shirt underneath.

That passenger had a gun with a silencer, she recalled.

Children of a Ricardo de Lemon, 36, who was killed, sleep beside the coffin during a wake in Manila. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times)

The man fired and missed. Then he fired a few more rounds, hitting Ricardo twice. I saw the man pointing the gun at me, and I closed my eyes, she said. I said to myself, Lord, please take care of my children.

Then, a shock  her husband mustered some strength and threw her out of the vehicle. The man fired again; the bullet hit Ricardo and Ricardo died.

De Lemon produced a folder stuffed with photographs, court documents and medical records. Ricardo never did drugs, she said. In early 2015, though, he spent 19 days in prison on robbery charges. There, police beat him, and later, freed on bail, he sued them for abuse. A court agreed to hear his case in September.

That case was likely the reason for the assassination, she said.

De Lemon laid down her stack of papers and picked up her infant daughter. The men continued gambling, silent except for the clinking of coins.

On July 23, Escandor and his colleagues were covering a summary execution when they got wind of a nearby incident, so they drove to the scene, and what they found there shocked them.

A young woman sat on the pavement, cradling the body of her dead husband, bathed in the light of television cameras. The words drug pusher adorned a cardboard sign at their feet. Tell my papa to come here, she wailed, according to Escandor. Help us.

We were all silent, stunned, Escandor recalled. Because it was the first time we felt that kind of emotion.

Jennilyn Olayres cradles the dead body of her husband, Michael Siaron, an alleged drug pusher. He was killed by unidentified gunmen in Pasay City south of Manila. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times)

This, he thought, might be The Shot. One of those rare images so heartbreaking, so raw, that it could turn the tide of public opinion  like the Napalm Girl photo in 1972, which came to represent the horrors of the Vietnam War, or the 1993 image of a vulture stalking a starving toddler in Sudan, which directed a flood of international attention toward the war-torn country.

They dubbed it The Pieta, after a 1499 sculpture by Michelangelo, depicting the Virgin Mary cradling her son Jesus dead body. The following day, the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the Philippines widely read broadsheet newspaper, ran the photo  taken by Raffy Lerma, a staff photographer  on its front page. Beneath it read the headline: Church: Thou Shalt Not Kill.

But the outrage never came. On July 25, Duterte, in his first State of the Nation address, accused the newspaper of doing dramatics, and his supporters rallied on social media. They called the photograph yellow journalism and suggested that the journalists were bankrolled by the presidents enemies  perhaps even the drug lords themselves.

This was unprecedented, Vincent Go, a local photographer for the Hong Kong-based Union of Catholic Asian News, said during a lull in the evening. The other photojournalists nodded.

Its like a gang thing  theyre trying to discredit the media, said Lerma, the Philippine Inquirer photographer.

I dont feel safe, Ezra Acayan, 22, a freelancer for an international news agency, said later, in an unguarded moment. Anytime motorcyclists pull up alongside my car, wearing full face helmets, I always think theyre going to assassinate me or something.

He went quiet for a moment, then laughed. I always try to remember if somebody wants me dead.

This time, they drove fast. They drove past shuttered storefronts, a trash-strewn canal, a faded Duterte for President campaign poster hanging from a telephone pole. About 10 minutes later, the car slowed.

See that traffic? Escandor said, peering out at a line of trucks. Thats because of the bodies.

Manila homicide detectives examine the dead body of an armed suspect killed during shootout with police operatives. (Linus Guardian Escandor II / For The Times)

The photographers stepped out into a torrential downpour and weaved through the trucks to a roadblock, eerie in the glare of red and blue police lights.

They were tough to make out at first: a young man, perhaps a teenager, curled up lifeless by the concrete divider; and about 50 feet away, another person  an older man with a wispy mustache  sprawled on the pavement barefoot, his head matted in blood. Escandor raised his camera.

Dutertes war on drugs claimed 21 victims that day, Aug. 11, according to the Philippine Inquirers Kill List, an online resource on the campaigns death toll. Among them, 14 were killed by police and at least six by unknown hit men.

The Inquirer listed the men on the highway as unidentified suspect #203 and #204  alleged robbers  killed in police shootout.

Before long, the police moved the bodies onto stretchers, and the journalists continued to snap photos as their blood washed away with the rain.

jonathan.kaiman@latimes.com

Follow me on Twitter @JRKaiman

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Never lose track of the load.

It was drilled into everybody who worked for Carlos Charlie Cuevas. His drivers, lookouts, stash house operators, dispatchers -- they all knew. When a shipment was on the move, a pair of eyes had to move with it. Cuevas had just sent a crew of seven men to the border crossing at Calexico, Calif. The load they were tracking was cocaine, concealed in a custom-made compartment inside a blue 2003 Honda Accord.

The car was still on the Mexican side in a 10-lane crush of vehicles inching toward the U.S. Customs and Border Protection inspection station. Amputee beggars worked the queue, along with men in broad-brimmed hats peddling trinkets, tamales and churros.

A lookout watching from a car in a nearby lane reported on the loads progress. Cuevas, juggling cellphones, demanded constant updates. If something went wrong, his boss in Sinaloa, Mexico, would want answers.

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The Accord reached the line of inspection booths, and a lookout on the U.S. side picked up the surveillance. He was Roberto Daniel Lopez, an Iraq War veteran, standing near the Welcome to Calexico sign.

It was the usual plan: After clearing customs, the driver would head for Los Angeles, shadowed by a third lookout waiting in a car on South Imperial Avenue.

But on this hot summer evening, things were not going according to plan. Lopez called his supervisor to report a complication: The Accord was being directed to a secondary inspection area for a closer look. Drug-sniffing dogs were circling.

Cuevas rarely talked directly to his lookouts or drivers. But after being briefed by the supervisor, he made an exception. He called Lopez.

Whats happening? he asked.

The dogs are going crazy, Lopez replied.

Dots on a map

Cuevas worked for the Sinaloa cartel, Mexicos most powerful organized crime group. He was in the transportation side of the business. Drugs were brought from Sinaloa state to Mexicali, Mexico, in bus tires. Cuevas job was to move the goods across the border and deliver them to distributors in the Los Angeles area, about 200 miles away.

The flow was unceasing, and he employed about 40 drivers, lookouts and coordinators to keep pace.

The canines circling the load car that evening in August 2006 were the least of his problems. Eight agents from a Drug Enforcement Administration task force had converged on the border. Not even U.S. customs inspectors knew they were there. The agents had been following Cuevas and tapping his phones for months.

Because he was a key link between U.S. and Mexican drug distributors, his phone chatter was an intelligence gusher. Each call exposed another contact, whose phone was then tapped as well. The new contacts called other associates, leading to more taps. Soon the agents had sketched a vast, connect-the-dots map of the distribution network.

Its branches spanned the U.S. and were believed to lead back to Mexicos drug-trafficking heartland, to Victor Emilio Cazares, said to be a top lieutenant of Joaquin Chapo Guzman, the most wanted trafficker in the world. From his mansion outside Culiacan, Cazares allegedly oversaw the network of smugglers, distributors, truckers, pilots and stash house operators.

Other DEA investigations had targeted Mexican cartels, but this one, dubbed Operation Imperial Emperor, was providing the most complete picture of how drugs moved from Sinaloa to U.S. streets.

DEA officials were in no hurry to wrap it up. In fact, they were holding off on arrests so they could continue to study the supply chain and identify new suspects.

Imperial Emperor would eventually result in hundreds of arrests, the seizure of tens of millions of dollars in drugs and money, and the indictment of Cazares.

It would also reveal a disheartening truth: The cartels U.S. distribution system was bigger and more resilient than anyone had imagined, a spider web connecting dozens of cities, constantly regenerating and expanding.

The guy next door

As a U.S. Marine in Fallouja, Iraq, Lopez had dodged mortar fire, navigated roads mined with explosives and received a commendation for leadership. Back home in El Centro, he couldnt even get work reading meters for the local irrigation district.

But Lopez, who had two children to support, knew another industry was always hiring.

One of the Sinaloa cartels main pipelines runs through the antiquated U.S. port of entry at Calexico, a favorite of smugglers. The inspection station sits almost directly on the border, without the usual buffer zone of several hundred feet, so inspectors have difficulty examining cars in the approach lanes. Drug-sniffing dogs wilt in summer heat that can reach 115 degrees.

Californias southeastern corner, a region of desert dunes and agricultural fields with the highest unemployment rate in the state, offered fertile ground for cartel recruiting.

Smugglers were your next-door neighbor, the guy ringing you up at Wal-Mart, the big tipper at Applebees, the old friend at your high school reunion.

Lopez was friends with a man named Sergio Kaiser, who had married into his family. Kaiser said he owned a body shop, but his tastes seemed too flamboyant for that. He was building a house with a grand staircase modeled on the mansion in the movie Scarface.

In reality, Kaiser was Cuevas top lieutenant, and he told Lopez he could help him with his money troubles. There were several possibilities.

For a nights work driving a load car from Mexicali to Los Angeles, a driver shared $5,000 with his recruiter and got to keep the car.

Another entry-level position was as a lookout. One kind of lookout followed the load car from the stash house in Mexicali to the border. Another stood watch at the port of entry and reported when the car had cleared customs. Yet another tailed the load car up the freeway to Los Angeles.

Lopez accepted Kaisers offer. Being a lookout was harmless, he figured: Just stand there and watch a car cross the border. [He] didnt say it involved drugs, but I knew, Lopez said. I thought, Whats the big deal?'

Tricks of the trade

Cuevas owned a large tract home in Calexico and drove a late-model BMW 323. A gold chain dangled from his thick neck. Married with two children, he enjoyed the cliched perks of a smugglers life. He went through several mistresses, treating them to breast-enhancement surgeries and trips to Disneyland and San Francisco.

He would ride his pricey sand rail in the Baja California dunes, and he always picked up the tab at restaurants or on wild weekends across the border in Mexicali.

At Emmanuels barber shop, Cuevas would jump the line to get his fade haircut, then pay for everybody elses trim. He took care of friends hospital bills and lent people money, no strings attached.

When you think of drug cartels, you think violence, guns, killing, Lopez said in an interview. This guy was nothing like that.

He didnt carry weapons or surround himself with enforcers. Constantly juggling phones and buying packaging materials from Costco, he seemed more stressed out than intimidating. Cuevas had a stutter, and it worsened when his boss Cazares called from Sinaloa. He took antacids to calm an anxious stomach.

To get drugs across the border, he deployed a fleet of SUVs and cars with custom-made hidden compartments. He favored Volkswagen Jettas and Chevrolet Avalanches. Both were manufactured in Mexico, and the DEA believes cartel operatives were able to study the designs to identify voids where drugs could be concealed.

Cuevas sent the cars to a mechanic in Compton who outfitted the compartments with elaborate trapdoors. The jobs took two weeks and the mechanic charged as much as $6,500, but it was worth it. Only a complicated series of actions could spring the doors open.

One front-bumper nook could be accessed only by connecting a jumper cable from the positive battery post to the front screw of a headlight. The jolt of electricity would cause the license plate to fall off, revealing the trapdoor.

Cuevas picked his drivers with great care, rejecting people with visible tattoos or serious criminal records and sending those he hired on dry runs to test their nerves. He kept the Calexico border crossing under constant watch, focusing on the mobile X-ray machine that could see inside vehicles. It was used sparingly, and the moment inspectors drove it away, his crew went to work.

Over the years, his cars consistently eluded detection.

I was great at it. I had never lost a car in the border, Cuevas said. Dogs never hit it or nothing.

In mid-2006, however, he seemed to lose his touch.

In June, authorities had followed one of his drivers to Cudahy, near Los Angeles, and seized 163 pounds of cocaine from a stash house.

A month later, police outside El Centro stopped his best driver, a hot dog vendor from Mexicali, and found $799,000 in a hidden compartment.

Cuevas had to make the cartel whole, either in cash or by working the debt off by supervising shipments without receiving his cut. Hundreds of pounds of cocaine, meanwhile, continued to pour in every week from Sinaloa, and he was under intense pressure to keep the goods moving.

Now, on this August evening, a customs inspector had pulled his load car, the Accord, into the secondary inspection area.

Dude, I think your guy got busted, Lopez told Cuevas over the phone. Theyve got him in handcuffs.

Behind the dashboard and in a rear-quarter panel of the Honda, inspectors found 99 pounds of cocaine. The driver was arrested. Everybody else scattered. Lopez drove home, unconcerned. He had spent only 15 minutes at the border crossing and never got near the drugs.

Cuevas ordered his crew to dump their cellphones, in case anyone had been listening in. At the DEAs bunker-like surveillance post in nearby Imperial, the wiretap chatter went silent.

DEA agents had not expected a bust and were not happy about it. The agents had planned to let the driver cross the border and then follow him to his Los Angeles connection. Now they would have to regroup.

Waiting in the dark

Two days later, the agents sat in a van down the street from Cuevas two-story home in Calexico, waiting for the lights to dim. Cuevas neighbors in the subdivision of red-tile-roofed tract homes included firefighters, Department of Homeland Security officers and state prison guards.

After months of tailing Cuevas, the agents knew he favored Bud Light beer, burgers at Rallys and tacos at Jack in the Box.

They once pushed the cocaine-filled car of one of his drivers to a gasoline station after the man ran out of fuel on Interstate 5. The driver never suspected that the good Samaritans were helping so they could continue tailing him to his destination.

After midnight outside Cuevas home, the agents started digging through his garbage cans. They were searching for a notepad, a receipt, a business card, anything with a phone number on it.

There was enough evidence to arrest Cuevas. But the goal was to expand the investigation, and that required resuming the phone surveillance. Agents hoped Cuevas had thrown away the numbers of some -- even one -- of the 30 new cellphones he had just distributed to his crew.

Sifting through trash was always a filthy chore, especially so in this case. Cuevas was the father of a newborn. The agents were elbow-deep in dirty diapers.

Finally, they pulled something from the muck. It was a piece of spiral notebook paper with numbers scrawled on it. Phone numbers.

richard.marosi@latimes.com

MORE: The players | Evidence, wiretaps and testimony | How the drug pipeline worked

Read Part Two: The trafficker and the psychic

Read Part Three: Clear skies and cocaine

Part Four: Showdown in Sinaloa

About this story

For several years, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration put the distribution side of Mexicos Sinaloa cartel under a microscope. This series describes the detailed picture that emerged of how the cartel moves drugs into Southern California and across the United States. Times staff writer Richard Marosi reviewed hundreds of pages of records, including DEA investigative reports, probable-cause affidavits, and transcripts of court testimony and phone surveillance. He also interviewed DEA agents, prosecutors and local law enforcement officers serving on DEA-led task forces, as well as two cartel operatives convicted in the investigation.
BEIJING  Torture, deliberate starvation and other abuses carried out by North Korean authorities -- possibly on the orders of supreme leader Kim Jong Un himself -- constitute crimes against humanity and should be referred to an international court or tribunal for prosecution, United Nations investigators said Monday.

These crimes against humanity entail extermination, murder, enslavement, torture, imprisonment, rape, forced abortions and other sexual violence, persecution on political, religious, racial and gender grounds, the forcible transfer of populations, the enforced disappearance of persons and the inhumane act of knowingly causing prolonged starvation, said a 400-page report unveiled in Geneva by the U.N. Commission of Inquiry on Human Rights in North Korea.

It added that the gravity, scale and nature of the violations in the totalitarian state over several decades do not have any parallel in the contemporary world.

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READ: U.N. findings on Human Rights in North Korea

However, the chair of the panel established by the U.N. Human Rights Council in March 2013, retired Australian chief justice Michael Kirby, said the findings reminded him of the extensive horrors committed by Nazi Germany and other Axis powers and fully revealed only at the end of World War II.

I hope the international community will be moved by the detail in this report, which included information from hundreds of witnesses, Kirby said. Too many times in this building, there are reports and no action.

Although the report catalogs systematic abuses that have long been reported by human rights activists, defectors, foreign media outlets and foreign governments, the comprehensive nature of the report by a U.N.-appointed panel itself was unprecedented.

The document called for urgent action by the international community, including referral to the International Criminal Court in the Hague. Alternatively, it noted that the U.N. Security Council has the power to set up a special tribunal for North Korea.

However, many observers believe any attempt to take such action would be blocked by China, North Koreas neighbor and closest ally and a veto-wielding permanent member of the Security Council. The report chastised China for forcibly repatriating some North Korean refugees and for denying some 20,000 children born to North Korean women in China the ability to register for health and educational services.

The U.N. Human Rights Council is to consider the panels recommendations at a meeting next month.

North Korea, in a statement provided to news agencies in Geneva, rejected the panels findings. We will continue to strongly respond to the end to any attempt of regime-change and pressure under the pretext of human rights protection, it said, Reuters reported.

Wu Haitao, Chinas ambassador to the U.N. office in Geneva, said in a letter to the commission that the country did not support the establishment of the panel in the first place. He also reiterated Chinas position that North Koreans who enter China do it for economic reasons and are not refugees, noting that some have committed crimes including theft, robbery and illegal harvesting in China.

The report estimated that 80,000 to 120,000 people remain in four large political prison camps in North Korea and noted that in late 2013 there appeared to be a spike in the number of politically motivated public executions.

The investigators did note that market forces and technological developments were starting to bring transformative socioeconomic changes to the country, challenging traditional methods of social stratification and control.

As part of the report, the panel published a three-page letter that it sent to Kim, alleging that the abuses were perpetrated by state security officials, the army, the judiciary, the Ministry of Security and the Workers Party.

It is open to inference that the officials are, in some instances, acting under your personal control, Kirby said.

The report did not list by name any particular officials that panelists believed should be held responsible, although it said it had a database of potential suspects.

The letter to Kim also drew attention to the principles of international criminal law, under which military commanders and civilian superiors can be held responsible for failing to prevent and stop crimes against humanity committed by people under their effective control.

Kenneth Roth, executive director at the New York-based Human Rights Watch, said he hoped the report would open the eyes of the U.N. Security Council, which he said had focused only on the nuclear threat posed by Pyongyang and overlooked the crimes of North Korean leaders who have overseen a brutal system of gulags, public executions, disappearances and mass starvation.

A U.S. State Department spokeswoman, Marie Harf, welcomed the report, saying that it clearly and unequivocally documents the brutal reality of [North Koreas] human rights abuses.

We continue to work actively with our partners and with international organizations to raise awareness of and address the deplorable human rights conditions in North Korea, she added.

julie.makinen@latimes.com

Twitter: @JulieMakLAT
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

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PPP polled Utah and found Mr. Trumpanzee to be extremely unpopular but still viewed as the lesser of two evils by a plurality of Utahans. 61% of the voters have a neative impression of him; pretty devastating-- except that 72% have a negative impression of Hillary. If the election were held today Trump would win the state's 4 electoral votes with 39% to Hillary's 24%, Gary Johnson's 12%, Evan McMullin's 9% and Jill Stein's 1%.

The DSCC, led by the virulently anti-trans assholes Chuck Schumer and Jon Tester, has refused to even acknowledge that Misty Snow, a progressive woman who won the state's Democratic nomination against a typical conservative Democrat they were pushing. Mike Lee is beating her in the Senate general election 51-21%. If you want to help her get her name ID up, please consider contributing to her campaign here

But what interested me about the Utah poll wasn't the horse race in either contest-- I expected nothing different-- but the attitudes expressed by Utah's severely brainwashed partisan voters, who, apparently, are only superficially brainwashed or, perhaps, in a conflicted state about their brainwashing. Tom Jensen of PPP makes several points about how the respondents are looking at the salient issues around 2016 politics:

Utah might be one of the most conservative states in the country, but we still find that voters there side with Democrats on a variety of key issues:





 81% of voters in the state support background checks on all gun purchases, to only 13% who oppose them. That includes support from 90% of Democrats, 79% of independents, and 78% of Republicans.





 78% of voters in the state support barring those on the Terror Watch List from buying guns, to only 12% who are opposed to that. There's support from 84% of Democrats, 78% of Republicans, and 73% of independents for closing the terror gap.





 65% of voters in the state think the Senate should move forward with hearings on Merrick Garland's nomination to the Supreme Court, to only 16% who are opposed to them. 87% of Democrats, 67% of independents, and 57% of Republicans support hearings for Garland.





 65% of voters in the state think there should be an independent commission for redistricting, to only 15% who think legislators should draw their own district lines. 78% of independents, 73% of Democrats, and 55% of Republicans support independent redistricting.





 64% of voters in the state support legalizing medical marijuana, to only 24% opposed to it. That includes support from 86% of Democrats, 71% of independents, and 53% of Republicans.





 61% of voters in the state support increasing the minimum wage to at least $10 an hour, including 86% of Democrats, 61% of independents, and 52% of Republicans.




The company that loaned a new charter school up to $100,000 for startup costs has the same address as a nursing home owned by developer Abe Atiyeh.

The Innovative Arts Academy Charter School is scheduled to open Sept. 6 at 330 Howertown Rd. in Catasauqua. (Sara K. Satullo | For lehighvalleylive.com)

Innovative Arts Academy Charter School in Catasauqua released loan documents Friday that identify the lender as Charter Solutions LLC, a limited liability corporation at 1177 Sixth St. in Whitehall Township -- the same address as Atiyeh's Whitehall Manor.

Atiyeh also is the fledgling school's landlord at 330 Howertown Road in Catasauqua.

The loan documents provide the latest link yet between Atiyeh and the charter school amid a swirling controversy about who's responsible for a mystery mailer that promoted the charter school and denigrated Liberty High School.

The mailer sparked outrage in the Bethlehem Area School District last weekend and a promised investigation by the Pennsylvania Auditor General's Office. The mailed postcard was neither authorized nor sent with the knowledge of charter school leaders, they have said.

They also disavowed any connection with two full-page newspaper advertisements that promoted the charter school for grades six through 12.

The mailer depicts a photo of a troubled teen and references the 2015 drug arrest of a 17-year-old Liberty High student found with more than $3,000 in drugs in his backpack. It reprints a Morning Call headline after the arrest and asks "Why worry about this type of student at school? Come visit Arts Academy Charter School. Now enrolling grades 6-12."

Charter school CEO Loraine Petrillo resigned this week and raised concerns about "unethical" practices and Atiyeh's involvement with the school and its board. Atiyeh, who earlier in the week hung up on a reporter, has refused to discuss the matter.

On Thursday, Bethlehem Area School District Superintendent Joseph Roy said Petrillo had told him Atiyeh had loaned $75,000 so far to the school.

That was bolstered on Friday when charter school attorney Daniel Fennick said $75,000 of a $100,000 loan had been advanced by Charter Solutions.

"You will see that Mr. Atiyeh is not the creditor, but, in my opinion, that really doesn't matter," Fennick said in an email releasing the loan documents, which don't name Atiyeh.

Fennick suggested in his email that a lender's shareholders weren't as important to the borrower as other aspects of the loan, such as the terms.

"Would you inquire as to the names of the shareholders of GMAC?" he said. "I bet the last time you took out a loan, you didn't make that inquiry. Why not? Because it doesn't matter. What matters are the terms."

Earlier Friday, Fennick announced the school was set to open as planned on Sept. 6 and had hired an interim CEO, Steve Gabryluk.

The charter school has more than 300 students enrolled and will specialize in preparing students for careers in graphic design, journalism, culinary arts and fashion design, officials said.

Jim Deegan may be reached at jdeegan@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @jim_deegan. Find lehighvalleylive on Facebook.
A stretch of Freemansburg Avenue remains shut down following a crash Thursday morning at the intersection with Second Street in Bethlehem Township.

However, 437 PPL customers who lost power after the crash have been restored.

Freemansburg is closed in both directions between Willow Park Road and Washington Street as crews work to clear debris. Traffic is being diverted from Freemansburg Avenue to Willow Park Road and from Freemansburg Avenue to Washington Street. Linden Street also remains closed between Third Street and Willow Park Road.

Bethlehem Township Police Sgt. Richard Blake and fire officials said the crash involved a female driver in a sport-utility vehicle that took down a power pole before crashing into a tree. The vehicle then burst into flames, police said.

It happened about 9 a.m. Of the 437 customers, power was restored to 300 customers by 10:45 a.m. and the remaining customers by 3:20 p.m., said Pat Lester, a PPL spokesman.

Those affected lived mostly within the neighborhoods of Second, Third, Fourth and Fifth streets, Lester said.

The driver, who appeared to be wearing blue medical scrubs, managed to escape from the SUV as it caught fire. It wasn't immediately clear what led the driver to lose control.

Blake said the crash remains under investigation and no one was hurt.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
A Bethlehem man will spend more than two years in state prison for molesting two young girls.

Derek Rivera was sentenced Friday to two years and four months to 10 years in state prison by Northampton County Judge Anthony Beltrami.

The 28-year-old Bethlehem man sneaked into one girl's bedroom and molested her repeatedly from June 2010 to June 2012 when she was ages 11 and 12.

He molested another girl under 13 between February 2010 until May 2011. He was interrupted when the girl's mother came home during that offense, court papers say.

Rivera pleaded guilty to two counts of indecent assault.

Rivera's great-grandmother Aurela Rivera and defense attorney Phil Lauer argued in vain for leniency.

Lauer said Rivera is intelligent but suffers from personality disorder, severe depression and self loathing. That's what fueled his string of misdemeanor convictions prior to his sex offenses.

"I don't think this is someone who's going to be before you again," Lauer said.

Aurela Rivera said she raised Derek from when he was three days old. She said he's no trouble around his nieces and nephews, "loves kids" and "teaches them how to sit and behave."

"I know what I raised," she said.

Derek Rivera said the death of his 34-year-old brother just days ago was a sobering reminder to clean up his act.

"I'd like to apologize to everyone," Derek Rivera said. "I've learned to control a lot of things. Pretty much I'm just ready to get this over with."

The judge justified the long prison sentence saying a pre-sentence investigation determined Rivera has pedophilic disorder. He is likely to reoffend and has an extremely guarded prognosis to be able to live crime-free outside prison, according to the evaluation.

Rivera earned a GED during his past year in county prison and wants to enroll in community college when he's released. He'll have to register his address with authorities under Pennsylvania's version of Megan's Law.

The judge said Rivera was convicted of a drug offense in 2006, disorderly conduct in 2008, simple assault and terroristic threats in 2011, and providing a false ID to law enforcement in 2013.

He was on parole for the 2011 offenses when he was charged with the sex offenses.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
Bethlehem Township police say a vehicle defect caused a crash Thursday morning into a utility pole and tree before a sport-utility vehicle erupted into flames.

Clifton White, 25, of the 300 block of North Eleventh Street, was headed west on Freemansburg Avenue when he lost control at the intersection with Second Street, township police Cpl. Shaun Powell said.

Neither White nor a passenger, 19-year-old Kayla Jewett, of Easton, was injured, police said.

Upon crashing into the utility pole, it snapped in half and knocked out power for several hours in nearby neighborhoods. PPL restored power to all 437 customers by 3:20 p.m. Thursday.

Freemansburg Avenue was closed in both directions between Willow Park Road and Washington Street as crews work to clear debris. The road was reopened late Thursday.

Powell said investigators determined a mechanical defect in the steering mechanism led to the accident.

No charges were filed in the crash.

Pamela Sroka-Holzmann may be reached at pholzmann@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on Twitter @pamholzmann. Find lehighvalleylive.com on Facebook.
The Easton Area School District is just days away from a new grade alignment and some major changes to its instructional programs.

Superintendent John Reinhart said the changes will help both the children and the district's taxpayers.

Fifth-graders will move from Easton Area Middle School back to the districts' seven elementary schools when school starts Monday.

Moving the fifth grade out of the middle school will make room there for the children who attend Paxionsa Elementary. That school will be vacant this year to allow $17 million in renovations.

Moving the kids out will allow work to be completed more quickly and will save the district $5 million, Reinhart said.

The district changed its elementary school boundary lines, which means new bus routes.

"Parents can expect that there will be delays in many routes during the first few days of school as drivers work through the new routes with children on board," he said in a news release.

Once the Paxinosa children return to their school, the district can move Easton Area Academy students into the middle school and sell the academy building.

Other highlights for school year 2016-17 are:

A new

The

New report cards and a

Teachers have been working without a contract since June 30. Negotiations are ongoing.

The school district invited former Louisiana State Teacher of the Year and PBS Online Teacher Debbie Silver to address teachers at a convocation program to start the year.

She encouraged teachers to be resilient and creative while engaging all learners in diverse classrooms.

Rudy Miller may be reached at rmiller@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow him on Twitter @RudyMillerLV. Find Easton area news on Facebook.
The move aims to launch more Vietnamese products on the Thai market.

Chairman of TCC Holding, the owner of Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam, Charoen Sirivadhanabhakdi has created a storm by announcing a planned merger between his company and Thailand's Big C.

Mega Market Vietnam, the new name of Metro Vietnam since July this year, is planning to penetrate the Thai market using Vietnams strong wholesale network and Metros 19 wholesale centers.

The Thai billionaire plans to merge Metro Vietnam with Big C Thailand. Photo from Reuters

Berli Jucker, under TCC Holding, completed the acquisition of Metro Cash & Carry Vietnam in January 2016 for 655 million (nearly $740 million). After eight months under new management, TCC reported that the Thai company has shipped more than 100 tons of dragon fruit to Big C Thailand.

The Bangkok based corporation has also stepped up agricultural projects by supporting farmers. TCC said that it is scouting for suppliers of other farm products including avocados, star-apples and sweet potatoes.

Thailands second richest entrepreneur Sirivadhanabhakdi said Vietnam is still his favorite investment destination thanks to its industrious labor force, supportive government and valuable water resources for agricultural development.

In May 2016 TCC acquired a 25 percent stake in Big C Thailand from Central Group to take ownership of the retail chain after buying Metro Vietnam from Germanys Metro Group.

Big C Thailand's parent company Berli Jucker expects to reach annual sales of THB100 billion ($3 billion) in 2016.

Related news

> Metro Vietnam acquisition by Thai retail giant under scrutiny

> Thai retail giant Big C coughs up $22 mln in tax arrears

> Thai Central Group denies rumors that Chinese own Big C Vietnam
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The ringleader of a multi-million pound scam to provide Virgin Media's TV service for free has been jailed for six years.

Mahesh Tailor (51) was so successful at running the fraud that when police raided his home, they found a 250,000 in cash.

Tailor, of Hollies Way, Thurnby, ran circuit board manufacturing company Tailor Made Circuits, in Pinfold Road, Thurmaston. He found a way to circumnavigate the encryption of cable television channels supplied by Virgin Media using illicit set top boxes.

Martin Hurst, prosecuting, said Tailor imported thousands of set-top boxes from the China and Korea and sold them for 80 each or more.

He contacted potential customers via internet forums and had his own website for selling the boxes.

Tailor also sold the boxes in bulk to other businesses around the country.

Mr Hurst said Tailor organised people around the country to assist in setting up the network so the service was available nationally.

It was set up to communicate with servers overseas which then allowed owners of the set top boxes in England to receive the channels via the internet without paying a subscription to Virgin Media.

He said: "Tailor and his employees installed licenced software on the set top boxes to activate them.

"He installed, either personally or through agents or co-defendants servers in seven homes around the UK, four in Leicester, one in Coventry, one in Bristol and one in Bolton.

"They were identified over time by Virgin who installed their own receivers to watch pay TV without paying and set about identifying the server addresses.

"The loss to Virgin was in the many millions of pounds.

"The profit to Tailor was so great that on arrest he was in possession at home of 250,000 in uncounted cash; uncounted because he didn't have the time to count it, in cash because that's the way he preferred to deal and at home because the bank had refused to take any more cash from him until he explained where it was coming from.

"The prosecution limits the benefit to Mahesh Tailor at one million pounds, as agreed in writing on the day of his guilty plea."

During the investigation Leicestershire Police recovered a container with 5,000 set-top boxes inside, and it was believed that Tailor had already sold multiple similar consignments.

Virgin Media has previously estimated the scams caused a potential loss of 26 million in revenue, which was disputed by Tailor's counsel.

Tailor and five other men all pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud Richard Branson's company out of revenue from television subscription services, between February 2008 and April 2012.

Judge Robert Brown said: "This was a significant fraud committed over a significant period of time.

"It had the potential to deliver enormous profit to you, Mahesh Tailor, and cause significant loss to Virgin Media.

"You took the leading role in this conspiracy and caused others to be involved."

The men were sentenced at Leicester Crown Court today.

Jagdish Vegad (56), of Arbour Road, off Melton Road, Leicester, was an employee of Tailor. His job included fixing boxes that did not work.

He was jailed for 14 months.

Mark Weighill (36), of Dunbar Road, Coalville, who bought boxes from Tailor and sold them on, was given an eight month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with 150 hours of unpaid work.

Nicholas Beck (46), who had a server installed in his home, in Bloomfield Road, Aylestone, Leicester, was jailed for 13 months.

Jitesh Racicchandra (44), of Knowle Road, Bristol, had two servers installed and was in possession of "extensive hacking material". He was jailed for 18 months.

Andrew Wren (56), of Hinckley Road, Coventry, who also sold on some of the boxes, was given a 10 month jail sentence, suspended for two years, with 150 hours of unpaid work.

Sailesh Mehta, mitigating for Tailor, said the defendant's business was legitimately established and many customers were household names.

He said: "Only a small part of his business was the subject of this conspiracy."

Two other defendants are to be sentenced at a later date.

Tailor has yet to face an inquiry into his assets in a proceeds of crime confiscation hearing.

Det Con Amrat Bhagwan, who investigated the case, was commended by Judge Brown for his excellent work on the complex inquiry since 2011; called Operation Gazette.

After the case, DC Bhagwan said: "Officers were deployed at various locations across the country and the network was taken down, rendering the boxes useless.

"The boxes were imported from the Far East and documentation showed Tailor claimed they were satellite receivers and even paid importation tax on them.

"He did everything in his power to stop himself appearing on the radar.

A Virgin Media spokesperson said: "Fraud costs our customers, our business and the creative industries millions of pounds and we thank the Leicestershire Police for bringing this network of criminals to justice."

Advice

Virgin Media says on its website: "The sale, purchase and possession of illicit devices that have no legitimate use other than to by-pass a protected signal such as Virgin Media's is unequivocally illegal. Where the company is aware of theft of the broadcast signal we will not hesitate to follow all legal avenues to take action.

"Furthermore, from a technical point of view, we constantly deploy electronic counter-measures to impede the use of illegal boxes.

"Virgin Media reserves the right to prosecute offenders to the fullest extent of the law. We have an anti-piracy team dedicated to fighting piracy on our network in addition to monitoring the sale and use of unauthorised devices on online and offline markets."

To report any of these activities, email Virgin Media confidentially: reportTVpiracy@virginmedia.co.uk
Laois college students must not forget safety when it comes to comes to finding a place to live.

OFTEC, the organisation that represents the domestic heating and cooking industry in Ireland, urged all students not to cut corners and ignore potential safety issues in student accommodation.

Before signing on the dotted line and committing to 12 month lease, OFTEC is advising students to asking the landlord some simple questions to highlight common pitfalls:

 Check the electrics and appliances With rented residential accommodation it is the Landlord's responsibility to ensure that the electrical installation and appliances provided by the landlord are safe when the tenancy begins and are in proper working order throughout the tenancy.

 Look for damp  it is possible to hide damp patches with a few coats of paint, but if your house smells musty or you see evidence of mould, find out how the landlord is planning to fix the problem in the long term as mould has several health risks including respiratory problems and headaches

 Raise the alarm  It is the landlords duty to provide fire and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as fire extinguishers, but the tenants should always test alarms on a regular basis. Carbon monoxide is potentially lethal as it has no smell, taste or colour. Without a working alarm, it is impossible to identify carbon monoxide leaks. It is also your landlords responsibility for providing you with a fire escape.

 Furniture and fittings  Ask the landlord for a list of everything that is included and make note of any damage that is there before you move it. Check any beds, sofas and chairs are in good condition.

 Heating requirements - does your house have oil or gas fired central heating? At the minute oil is cheaper than ever, so that means low fuel bills. The Health & Safety Executive recommend that all boilers should be serviced annually and tenants looking at an oil-fired property should ask for a certificate  an OFTEC CD/12 Landlord Oil Installation Check which is carried out by a an OFTEC registered technician will give you peace of mind. If the property has a gas boiler it must be checked by a Gas Safe technician. Boilers that are well maintained will save you money in the long run by being more energy efficient

 Note fire escapes  This important particularly for apartment blocks but make sure they are secure from the outside to prevent unwanted visitors.

 Secure your home  burglars target student areas because of lax security. Ask your landlord to fit key operating locks on the windows and five lever deadlocks on external doors

David Blevings, OFTEC Ireland Manager said: If anything goes wrong after you have already signed the contract and moved into your accommodation, report it to the landlord immediately to get the issue resolved.

Landlords have legal responsibilities towards their tenants, who are paying significant amounts of money to experience the independence student housing can bring, and its vital that they meet the required standard to ensure the safety of those in the house, he said.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan has offered his condolences on the death of former Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Peter Barry.

It is with great sadness that I learnt of the passing of former Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Peter Barry this morning.

I have known Peter Barry and his family all my life.

Peter served for many years in the Dail with my late father, Oliver, and they both served in Cabinet together.

 I, too, had the privilege of serving with Peter as a TD in Dail Eireann for several years.

His deep commitment to public service and his humble and warm demeanour were admired by all.

 A man of great capability, he was also a successful businessman and a very proud Cork man.

Peter will forever be remembered with respect and gratitude for the crucial role he played in negotiating the Anglo Irish Agreement nearly 31 years ago.

This seminal Agreement formed the basis of the Peace Process in Northern Ireland and laid the foundations that ultimately led to the signing of the Good Friday Agreement 13 years later.

Following the signing of the Agreement, Peter played a key role in engendering confidence within the Nationalist community in Northern Ireland and achieving the support necessary for the Anglo Irish Agreement to reach its full potential.

This was in keeping with his lifelong commitment to constitutional nationalism. More than any other politician of his era, Peter achieved real credibility and trust within the nationalist community and he did this through regular engagement on the ground in the North.

In November 2015 on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the Anglo-Irish Agreement, Peters pivotal role in bringing about and implementing that Agreement was acknowledged by the current Taoiseach and members of his family were present at Iveagh House at a special lecture to mark the significant anniversary of that landmark Agreement.

Peter also played a key role in European Affairs and served as Foreign Minister during Irelands Presidency of the EU in 1984 during which key progress was made on the accession of Spain and Portugal to the Union.

He also was instrumental in enhancing the Governments outreach to the Irish community in Britain, at a time when this community often felt isolated and neglected.

Prior to my appointment, Peter was the last Fine Gael Minister for Foreign Affairs and I have always been inspired by his tremendous dedication in office, in particular his commitment to Northern Ireland and to the European Union.

I was honoured to host Peter and former Taoiseach and Minister for External Affairs Liam Cosgrave at Iveagh House shortly after my appointment as Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade to hear their personal reflections on their periods at the helm in Iveagh House.

On that occasion, Peter, as ever, spoke with humility, sincerity and passion about his time as Foreign Minister. He continued to take an active interest in politics and its capacity of improve peoples lives, even when in poor health in recent years.

I wish to extend my deepest sympathies to Peters family and, in particular, to his children: Deirdre, Tony, Fiona, Donagh, Conor and Peter and to their families; and to acknowledge the immense contribution of the Barry family to public life in Ireland over successive generations.

Peter has left behind a legacy that will be long remembered and admired. My thoughts are with his family and friends at this very sad time, and to whom I offer my deepest condolences.

Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.
The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Charlie Flanagan has responded to calls from the family of Pat Hickey for the Minister and Government to intervene in issues surrounding his detention in Rio de Janeiro.

In a statement issued this afternoon, the Hickey family called on Minister Flanagan and Minister for Sport, Shane Ross to intervene urgently in addressing "extremely worrying" issues surrounding his arrest and detention and the effect it is having on his health.

The family said they were "gravely concerned about the effect this degrading and humiliating ordeal has had on their father and grandfather and how it continues to affect his physical and mental health.

Minister Flanagan responded, saying:

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade provides consular care to Irish citizens who have been arrested or detained overseas.

We are currently assisting two Irish citizens detained in Rio de Janeiro.

In general it is Department policy not to comment in detail publicly on individual consular cases, of which there have been almost 1,500 already this year.

Any Irish citizen who requests or avails of consular assistance is entitled to privacy and confidentiality.

However, I wish to make certain points in response to todays statement from the Hickey family.

The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing ongoing consular assistance to Mr. Hickey through the Irish Embassy and Consulate in Brazil.

My officials are in ongoing contact with the family of this citizen and with legal representative acting on his behalf.

Senior officials of the Department met with Mr Hickeys Dublin-based solicitors on Wednesday, 24 August, and discussed the familys concerns in detail, and explained the Departments approach to this consular case.

In general terms, the Departments focus in cases of arrest or detention of Irish citizens overseas is on a number of specific issues including ensuring that the citizen has access to legal representation, that the citizen is not being discriminated against on the grounds of nationality, and that the host authorities are fulfilling their responsibilities in ensuring the welfare and wellbeing of our detained citizen.

In this context my officials are in ongoing contact with the Brazilian authorities.

The Department cannot however provide legal advice or interfere in any way in the judicial processes in another country.

I have agreed to meet with the Hickey family and arrangements will be made for this meeting to take place in the coming days.

 In the meantime, my Department is continuing to monitor developments in this consular case closely and is continuing to provide all appropriate consular advice and assistance to Mr. Hickey and his family.
No more than Irelands Olympians in Rio de Janeiro, Leitrim athletes had their fair share of glory and heartbreak at the HSE National Community Games Finals in Athlone.

Manorhamiltons Ella McDaid won a bronze medal in the U13 Hurdles while Senan Kelly, son of Glencar/Manorhamiltons Dominic, took home a fourth place medal in the U8 60m B Final.

But there was heartbreak in what is often termed as Ireland's Mini-Olympics for Carrick-on-Shannons Mixed U13 relay of Sean Brennan, Sophie McCabe, Lauren Reynolds and Toyosi Fagbo who were denied a medal by just six thousands of a second in one of the closest near misses imaginable.

There were also a host of final appearances for Leitrims athletes in all age groups as the county continues to punch well above its weight.

Ella McDaid won a bronze in a highly competitive U14 Hurdles despite being underage next year and her Area team-mate Diarmuid Giblin also reached the Boys Final with a strong performance.

Manors Senan Kelly won a fourth place medal in the U8 80m B Final, a great achievement for a young runner while Roscommons Luke Charles, who runs with Carrick-on-Shannon AC, reached the 80m Final.

Lukes brother Oliver also reached the U14 100m Final where he pipped his Leitrim clubmate Toyosi Fagbo for the fourth qualifying place in the semi-final while his clubmate Ellis Conway, again lining out for Roscommon, won a fourth place medal in the U16 200m.

There were also 100m Final appearances for Kinloughs Ruairi McGloin who underlined his talent with a strong showing in the U12 Final while Mohills Alannah McGuinness put in an excellent performance to reach the U16 Final despite having another year in the age group.

Carricks Diarmuid OConnell fought his way to the U10 200m Final with a strong display while Ballinamore Areas Ellie ORourke reached the U14 800m Final but found the going tough in the final.

There were plenty of near misses as well - Ballinamore's Louis Quinn finished fifth in his U60m semi-final and was desperately unlucky not to qualify for the final while Carrick-on-Shannon's U12 relay team of Dhani Keane, Daniel Martin, Ben Finn and Gerard Murtagh finished fifth in their semi-final to just miss out on a place in the Final.

Ballinamore's U10 Mixed relay team also put in a good display to reach their semi-finals on a rain soaked Saturday while Carrick AC's Cian Casey had the misfortune to fall during his U10 Hurdles semi-final on Sunday.

Patrick Charles, running for Roscommon, qualified from his 100m heats in the U12 event while there were good performances in the field events from Kinlough's Rebecca Carolan.

That concludes the Community Games season for another year, a very successful one for Leitrim.
Mohill residents are being treated as second class citizens with the town regularly left without water due to a mains pipe bursting on a continuous basis.

The issues have been ongoing for years according to Cllr Enda Stenson but it has become outrageous with the pipe bursting every second day at the moment.

The pipe on the main road R202 is in a bad condition, it is old and needs to be replaced, but the excuse of a lack of funding has been offered to the townspeople who have to suffer without water a few times a week.

Last week, Mohill held its Summer Festival and they endured three days of little to no water in the town. Cllr Stenson said this not only affected residents and businesses but visitors to the town.

He said Leitrim County Council fixed a bad burst last Thursday and by Saturday there was another burst - the day before Mohill show, people needed water and they were without, he commented.

Cllr Stenson said it is a major issue, affecting businesses and homeowners on a regular basis. He said the people of Mohill are being treated as second class citizens.

He said over the past twelve months that have been over 20 major breakages in the Mohill Eslin area.

He acknowledged there are issues around the county with frequent leakages and burst pipes, but he feels Mohill is the most regularly hit.

Cllr Stenson has been in regular contact with engineers from Leitrim County Council and said they have been inundated with complaints but they can do nothing, it is up to Irish Water.

He said the council has contacted Irish Water on several occasions to inform them a new pipe is needed but have not got a response.

Cllr Stenson said the council has been trying to fix the issues, but it is no sooner fixed than it is burst again. Last week a burst pipe destroyed roadworks.

The independent Councillor pointed out the council workers are not being blamed and workers are out to fix issues in all weather and at all times of day. He said the issue is beyond fixing and needs funding for a new pipe.

Cllr Stenson noted there are ongoing issues with Irish Water but stated the majority of people in Leitrim are law abiding and had paid their bills, they want a proper water supply.

The affected pipe and lack of water is affecting the whole town and the surrounding housing estates.

When contacted by the paper, Irish Water said they are aware of the problem and they are preparing a contract to replace this pipeline.

They stated, It is expected to tender this contract in Q4 of this year and have a contractor on site early in 2017.

Leitrim County Council workers are employed as contractors to fix issues by Irish Water.
Despite holding a monopoly on the market, Vietnam Railways has been derailed by air transport.

Budget airlines have quickly gained a market share in Vietnam in recent years, leading to a sharp decline in the number of passengers traveling by train.

Vietnam Railways said its revenue halved in 2015 from the previous year due to weakening passenger demand.

The state monopoly's revenue fell to VND2.6 trillion ($119 million) in the 2015 fiscal year, according to a company statement.

Trains carried just 4.5 percent of all inland passengers in 2015, said CEO Vu Ta Tung, adding that passenger numbers have been falling for the past few years.

Tung said that budget airlines are rapidly increasing their market share in Vietnam with annual growth of 15-20 percent, leading to a sharp decline in the number of passengers traveling by train.

Official statistics show that the number of passengers on domestic flights increased 1.5 times to 20.7 million in 2015 from 14 million in 2010.

The number of passengers who used trains in 2015 was estimated at 11.2 million, the lowest figure since the peak of 12.2 million in 2011.

The railway operators net profit for 2015, however, remained roughly the same as the previous year at VND39.7 billion, as the state-run company has taken advantage of its position to expand its services from passenger and freight transportation to logistics and distribution.

Vietnam Railways also managed to cut its operating costs to VND359 billion in 2015 from VND917 billion in 2014.

The corporation continued to experience a slowdown in the first six months of 2016, with a 13 percent drop in revenue on-year, partly due to the collapse of the Ghenh Bridge.

The Ghenh Railway Bridge, a main railway link between the north and south, was shut for three months for repairs after an 800-ton barge hit and seriously damaged the 100-year-old bridge on March 20.

The Ministry of Transport has agreed to fund Vietnam Railways with VND11 trillion from 2016-2020 in an effort to boost transport capacity.

According to the development plan, Vietnam Railways will invest VND12.2 trillion on infrastructure and VND4.14 trillion on new trains over the next four years.

Related news:

>Vietnam to upgrade overstretched airport in Ho Chi Minh City

>Vietnam looks to expedite work on giant airport project

>Vietnam's north-south railway artery reopens after bridge collapse
The follow up mammography screening service which was due to commence in Sligo University Hospital next month has been delayed until November.

Fine Gael Deputy Tony McLoughlin came under fire last week by the Save Our Cancer Services group when members were once again referred to hospital in Galway for follow up mammography after being promised by the TD that the service would be available in Sligo for September.

Deputy McLoughlin, however, has since clarified that all information he previously declared was confirmed by the Minister for Health and Saolta hospital group.

McLoughlin showed the Leitrim Observer documents to prove that Action Cancer had originally indicated to the HSE that it would be available to start the follow up service in September or October in Sligo University Hospital.

However, as advised by Dr. Mary Hynes, Deputy Director of the National Cancer Control Program, the company ran into some small difficulties registering its highly qualified UK staff with CORU, the body which regulates health and social care professionals in the interests of patient safety here in Ireland.

They have since indicated that this will only hold things up by one month longer than anticipated and it should be ready to go on 14th November or once accreditation is granted.

Deputy McLoughlin said there is clear progress and this follow up service will be returning to Sligo University Hospital.

He stated, I have fought a very long fight to have this service returned to Sligo ever since I was elected in 2011. I did so on behalf of these committed women from the Save our Cancer Services Sligo group.

There is not another T.D. or elected representative in this county that has done more or lobbied and fought as hard as I have on this particular issue, despite many now becoming vocal on the issue, who had been Oireachtas members of the party which took them away in the first place.

I led this fight from the very start and I am very glad to stand over my work to date on this issue and to say that this service will be returning this year.

Meanwhile, Martin Kenny Sinn Fein TD, has described the suggestion that the HSE will provide a mobile mammography service at Sligo Hospital for 10 days per year as an insult to cancer patients in the North West.

Deputy Kenny said, It is unbelievable how the HSE could even contemplate this as being an adequate service for breast cancer patients. It is a disgraceful response to the Sligo Cancer Campaigns call for the restoration of mammography service in Sligo University Hospital.
The decision of some French towns (it is not a decision of Frances national government) to ban head-to-toe Burkini swimsuits is clearly a mistake. A free society is one in which people can decide for themselves what they want to wear.

The justification offered by the Mayor or Nice that after terrorist attacks by people who say they are Muslims, Islamic dresses causes people fear and should be banned is wrong. If every wrong-doing resulted in interference in the basic freedom of entirely innocent people, who happen to share a religion or other characteristic with the wrong-doer, none of us would have very much freedom left.

A lot of people in France disagree with the Burkini bans and human rights groups have been challenging these order in court. Today, the matter was listed in the Conseil DEtat, the highest court in France for human rights cases.

Technically, the bans only apply to swimmers rather than people walking or laying on the beach. This prompted a judge to sardonically ask did you issue the fine in the water?

Lawyers pointed out that the principle of a secular republic may require the religion to be kept out of state schools (as it is in America) but not the beach, which is a public space  although presumably one maintained by the state.

3PM: The court has overturned the ban. This is interim relief until a final order is made. In England that would mean there is a chance for further argument before the final order. Colleagues with knowledge of French law may be able to assist with information on the process.

* Antony Hook was #2 on the South East European list in 2014, is the English Party's representative on the Federal Executive and produces this sites EU Referendum Roundup.
Who should own the railways? Both contenders for the Labour leadership, Owen Smith and Jeremy Corbyn, believe it should be the public sector. They point to rising ticket prices., widespread industrial action and a lack of seating (or so Corbyn claims.) as evidence that privatisation has failed. The public seem to agree, with 62% now in favour of renationalisation. But is it worth it?

It certainly wouldnt be progressive. Households in the highest real income bracket make up 43% of yearly rail journeys, with those in the lowest income bracket making up only 10% of journeys. Nationalisation would mean that low-earners who very rarely use the train would be funding through their taxes reduced ticket prices and the maintenance of rail travel for the highest earners in the country. Such large amounts of public sector finances would be far better spent on services which low earners need most.

Nor would nationalisation eradicate large scale industrial disputes. Look no further than across the Channel: in the run up to Euro 2016 the French railways endured huge strikes. Even under a Socialist government the railways were not immune from clashes with the unions.

But perhaps the best reason to continue private management of the railways is the successful track record of rail privatisation. Since taken out of public ownership passenger numbers have doubled to 4.5 million per day, with Waterloo station in London recently becoming the first European transport terminal to handle 200 million passengers in a year.. Passenger satisfaction is the second highest in the EU, ahead of France, Germany and Italy which all feature nationalised railways. In 2013 the European Railway Agency reported that the UK had the safest railways in Europe. Passengers in the UK will even be able to enjoy the comfort of double beds and en suites on the Caledonian sleeper trains, while in France sleeper trains are being axed due to high costs.

Instead of burdening the taxpayer with the role of train operation we should advocate providing Network Rail with the tools it needs to improve journeys. This includes electrification of lines, update of current tracks and opening new tracks.

* Eddie from Edinburgh is a Lib Dem member from Edinburgh whose identity is known to the LDV team
FINE Gael members in Limerick city hope the long-running saga which has prevented the party replacing Maria Byrne on the council is nearing an end.

A meeting of party members from across the city on Monday night saw a vote passed which would allow the selection convention go-ahead  and crucially allow all members registered to have a vote.

Metropolitan mayor Michael Hourigan says the decks have been cleared, and he hopes the selection convention to replace Senator Byrne on the council will take place before October.

However, disquiet still remains among some members of the party, many of whom are upset that although all members of the city branches were invited to Monday nights meeting at the South Court Hotel, members in Patrickswell were not.

The official line is that Patrickswell is not in the current Limerick City Dail constituency area.

However, it is in the area of City West, and publican Fergus Kilcoyne from Patrickswell is set to face Elenora Hogan of the South Circular Road for the vacant council seat.

The delay to filling the seat has been caused after he lodged a complaint with Fine Gael headquarters over serious irregularities in the addresses of some members in the James Reidy branch, which is the largest in Limerick.

He called for it to be stripped of its voting rights for a year.

Cllr Hourigan said that a full and frank discussion was held at the meeting, and many of these issues were dealt with.

It is only right and proper we had that meeting to address these issues. But now we can go forward and we can replace Maria Byrne on the council, hopefully by October, he said.

The focus switches to FG headquarters, who will set a date for the convention  which was cancelled at the last minute in June on foot of Mr Kilcoynes complaint.
A POPULAR Limerick city pub is to close its doors in its current form for the last time on Monday.

Last orders will be called at Tom & Jerrys pub in Lower Glentworth Street after 20 years of trading.

It is understood the proprietor Ger Purcell failed to reach an agreement with the landlord in terms of continuing to lease the premises.

It may continue as a pub under new management.

In a Facebook post, Mr Purcell said: After 20 years, its the end of an era. I and all the staff of Tom & Jerrys would love to see some familiar faces over the weekend for one last toast.

He added: "Its a shame. I am devastated by it, but there is little I can really do.

Mr Purcell  who was putting in place plans for a 20th birthday party celebration for later this summer  also thanked the charity groups which have held events in his pub, and supported the business.

His pub was a starting point for the recent Down Syndrome Ireland cycle between Limerick and Kilkee, which raised 11,000.

The impending closure also means Limericks poets are also once again on the move only weeks after leaving the White House pub, which is closed for renovations.

Tom McCarthy, who hosts the poetry readings, said from this Wednesday, the group will hold the event in Brendan OBriens pub on Roches Street.

"It is sad because the lads in Tom and Jerrys were exceptional to us. It all fell into place straight away. They were very good to us when we needed a place to meet at short notice, he said.
THE economic value of trade at Foynes and Limerick ports is worth 1.9 billion - equivalent to 1% of Irelands total GDP, a new report has revealed.

The report, commissioned by W2 Consulting for the Shannon Foynes Port Company (SFPC), predicts that capital spending by SFPC and its customers in the five years up to 2019 will reach 277m and support 3,372 jobs in the region.

SFPC chief executive Pat Keating said the companys focus was to attract investment by businesses that require modern and efficient deep water port facilities.Theres much to do to achieve this but our task is assisted by the fact that we have deep waters unrivalled in a national context and of significance internationally, he said.

However, Mr Keating added that having adequate infrastructure in place to improve connectivity to the port would be essential to achieving this aim.

Essential for the realisation of this potential is the delivery of new Limerick to Foynes road upgrade scheme, which is included in the Governments Capital Investment Plan, he said.

The other key project is the regeneration of the disused Limerick to Foynes rail link and a major feasibility study is being advanced in relation to that.

Local TD and Minister for State Patrick ODonovan reiterated the Governments commitment to the new Limerick - Foynes road.

This Governments commitment in relation to this road is clear: its in the national capital programme, he said.

Mr ODonovan welcomed the publication of the report which, he said, reaffirmed the key role that the estuary and SFPC plays in the national economy.

It will, no doubt, catch some people by surprise as the scale of that contribution was largely unknown until now, except to the port authority itself. Shannon Foynes Port Company is one of few companies that is now outpacing growth achieved at the height of the economic boom, with very substantial benefit to the region and nation, he said.

SFPC chairman Michael Collins pointed out that the companys masterplan aimed to double its trade by 2041, in the process driving significant jobs growth in the region.

I would be disappointed is in three or fours time we didnt deliver something that would be a game-changer for Foynes, he said.
"The Asia-Pacific region is ageing at a faster rate than any other region in the world."

Asia's population is ageing faster than anywhere in the world, a study said Thursday, warning the swelling ranks of the elderly will cost the region $20 trillion in healthcare by 2030, according to the Singapore-based Asia Pacific Risk Center (APRC).

Yearly spending on caring for the elderly is expected to reach $2.5 billion, five times the cost in 2015, the study said.

"The Asia-Pacific region is ageing at a faster rate than any other region in the world," said APRC executive director Wolfram Hedrich.

Surging growth in Asia over the past few decades prompted an baby boom in many Asia-Pacific countries, creating a large and cheap labor force that in turn boosted productivity and incomes.

But that trend is now reversing as the baby-boomers age, leaving the young to look after them either by staying at home or paying for their care.

"Many Asia-Pacific countries are transiting from a period when they reaped a 'demographic dividend' to one where they face the prospect of paying a 'demographic tax'," the study said.

By 2030, there will be 511 million elderly people in the region, out of 3.8 billion, according to the study.

Japan will become the first "ultra-aged" country, with elderly people accounting for 28 percent of its population, while a fifth of people in Hong Kong, South Korea and Taiwan will be 65.

The APRC warned governments would need to invest heavily to care for their ageing populations, warning current levels are "unsustainable" as medical costs are growing faster than the economy in many countries.

Asia's ageing rate is "an unprecedented challenge," said the study, which covered 14 Asia-Pacific markets.

"The problem is big, it's very urgent," said Hedrich, adding that finding solutions will be complex.

"What we want to achieve with this report is to act as a broad call of action for governments, individuals, insurers, healthcare professionals and organisations to start acting now."

Related news:

> Population growth forces HCMC to go on 5,000-strong recruitment drive

> Vietnam may be missing out on golden population: UNDP

> Youth unemployment swelling worldwide: ILO
You're mad. You're not talking to someone without a US visa because I might just pull up on you - Nkechi Blessing Sunday fires back at Nina after she called her out over her post
Aug 25, 2016, 11 PM

Albert Sabin, a leader in the fight against polio, was honored on an 87 stamp issued in 2006.

By Michael Baadke

Albert Sabin, one of two scientists most closely associated with the near-eradication of polio in the world, was born Aug. 26, 1906, in Bialystok, Poland (then part of the Russian Empire). Sabin came to the United States in 1921 with his family, and earned his medical degree at the New York University College of Medicine in 1931.

Initially on the staff of the Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research, Sabin joined the Childrens Hospital Research Foundation in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1939, where his studies of the polio viruses led to the development of an effective oral vaccine. Early tests of the vaccine were conducted in the Soviet Union, and in the 1960s the Sabin oral vaccine replaced the killed virus injectable vaccine developed by Jonas Salk and approved in 1955.

Sabin received the National Medal of Science in 1970, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 1986.

In his later years, Sabin was a consultant to the U.S. National Cancer Institute, and a research professor at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Albert Sabin died March 3, 1993. An 87 definitive stamp honoring him was issued March 8, 2006, in the Distinguished Americans series (Scott 3435).
Apr 29, 2021, 7 PM

In spite of Royal Mails efforts, some counterfeits of the gold Machins look very much like the real stamps. This one successfully passed through the post. All counterfeits lack the phosphorescent afterglow of the two side bands. The visible bands are sim

Great Britains first-class and 26-penny gold Machins were issued in se-tenant (side-by-side) format in this pane from the September 1997 prestige booklet commemorating the 75th anniversary of the BBC. The gold color was used to celebrate the queens gold

These color wheels, printed in the selvage of the Walsall first-class gold stamps to allow the printer to check the color registration, show the slight difference of the two shades of gold ink needed to print these nondenominated first-class definitives

The revised Machin designs for Great Britains Pricing in Proportion postal rates are shown in this pane from the June 2007 prestige booklet honoring the 40th anniversary of the Machin definitives introduced in 1967. The label in the center pictures Rowla

The security features added to Machins in 2009 can be seen in this photograph. The four notched U-shaped slits prevent the stamp from being removed from an envelope after use. The iridescent ROYAL MAIL overprint was intended to be hard to replicate.

These photographically cropped images of Great Britains Machin definitive stamps from stamp booklets with cylinder numbers show that Harrison and Sons (left) used only one color cylinder to print gold Machins while Walsall Security Printers needed two (r

By Larry Rosenblum

Gold is an unusual color for a stamp, but Great Britains Royal Mail used it twice for its Queen Elizabeth II Machin definitive stamps to celebrate two golden occasions.

In 1997, the Machins used for first-class mail were issued in a gold color to celebrate the golden wedding anniversary of the queen and Prince Philip.

The first-class rate at the time was 26 pence, so both denominated and nondenominated first-class stamps were issued in gold from April to November.

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After that, the 26p and first-class Machin stamps returned to their previous flame color.

Gold stamps were reintroduced in 2002 as part of the celebrations of the golden jubilee (50th anniversary) of the queens accession to the throne. By this time, Royal Mail no longer issued denominated stamps for first-class mail, so only the nondenominated first-class stamp was issued in gold.

Royal Mail then decided that the gold color would remain in use because gold conveyed the idea of excellence.

The gold Machins were replaced 10 years later with diamond blue stamps to honor the queens diamond jubilee.

First-class stamps are widely used in Great Britain, so even though the 1997 stamps were in use for only eight months, two printers produced them in two formats.

The first gold stamps were issued on the queens birthday, April 21, 1997.

Harrison and Sons, which had recently been purchased by De La Rue, printed the 26p in sheets and the nondenominated first-class stamps in booklets of 10. Walsall Security Printers printed the first-class stamps in sheets and booklets of 10.

Although both printers produced the gold stamps using gravure, Harrison and Sons was able to achieve the desired result with a single color cylinder. Walsall required two similar colors to get the right shade and appearance.

Booklets from both printers shown nearby display the cylinders used.

The difference between the two Walsall cylinders is more easily seen in the color wheel markings in the selvage of the first-class sheet stamps.

By the time gold stamps returned in June 2002, Royal Mail had converted all its booklets to self-adhesive stamps. The House of Questa, which had also been purchased by De La Rue, produced booklets of six, and Walsall produced booklets of six and 12. Joh. Enschede of the Netherlands printed self-adhesive business sheets of 100 and water-activated vertical coils.

Gold sheet stamps were not issued until June 2003. These were printed by De La Rue with water-activated gum.

In 2006, Royal Mail instituted a new set of postal rates for domestic mail called Pricing in Proportion.

The cost to mail an item would now take into account its size as well as weight. This led to the introduction of a class of mail called large letters. Any envelope exceeding about 10 inches in length, 7 inches in width, one-fifth inch thick, or 3.5 ounces in weight would require more postage.

At the time of introduction, a first-class standard letter cost 32p, and a large letter cost 44p.

To pay for this new large-letter rate, Royal Mail decided on a larger stamp (in horizontal format) with a larger service indicator (1st) at the upper left and the word Large at lower left. The Machin head was slightly reduced in size.

In order to be consistent, Royal Mail modified the regular Machin stamp, now used for standard letters, to include a large service indicator as well.

That change to the smaller stamp created a problem. Customers thought the large numeral meant that the stamp would pay for large letters.

Less than a year later, the smaller stamp with the large numeral was discontinued and replaced with the original Machin design. The stamp for large letters remained, and that format is still in use today.

Another big change came in 2009, by which time almost all definitive stamps were produced as self-adhesives. Royal Mail added several new security features.

The photograph nearby, taken at an angle, shows the four notched, U-shaped slits that make the stamps difficult to remove from the envelope after they have passed through the mail.

Also visible is the iridescent overprint that consists of wavy lines of the text ROYAL MAIL. The pattern is different over the queens head. Most stamps have two codes in the overprint: a single letter indicating the source of the stamp and two digits to indicate the year the stamp was printed.

In the image shown nearby, you might be able to see the letter S in the upper right, signifying that the stamp came from a booklet of six, and the two digits 10 to the left of the queens forehead. This overprint was intended to be difficult to reproduce.

The gold Machin has the dubious distinction of being the first Machin to be widely counterfeited. This was probably just bad timing  printing and processing technology had advanced enough so that it was easy to create reasonable facsimiles. Some counterfeits are easy to spot, but others are quite good.

In the image slider above is a photograph of a counterfeit gold Machin that successfully passed through the mail. The elliptical perforations, U-shaped slits and the iridescent overprint are all very realistic. The only characteristic that fakers cannot imitate is the phosphorescent afterglow of the two vertical bands at the sides of the stamp.

Chemicals that create an afterglow are carefully controlled, so counterfeiters simulate the bands with a varnish, but there is no phosphorescent reaction. This provides an easy method for collectors to identify these counterfeits.

The gold Machins went through several changes during their 10-year second life, making them an interesting part of this ever-evolving series.
Tourists and locals will soon be able to get connected at the heart of the capital.

Hanoi is installing wi-fi transmitters around Hoan Kiem Lake so that foreign tourists and local residents can get online, the Vietnam News Agency reported.

The city has already installed two of the 21 planned wi-fi stations, and plans to have them connected by September 1 to coincide with plans to pedestrianize streets around the lake over the weekends.

Once the wi-fi network is up, users will be able to access the internet for up to 30 minutes. For a longer connection, users will have to log out of the network and log in again.

Chairman of Hanois Peoples Committee Nguyen Duc Chung said at a meeting on August 4 that Hanoi will install public wi-fi hotpots around the city to help citizens keep up to date with traffic across the capital. To start with, Hanoi will install wi-fi transmitters at tourist attractions and popular spaces.

The citys largest bus operator, Transerco, is working to install wi-fi devices on 200 buses after providing free wi-fi on its shuttle buses running from Hanoi Station to Noi Bai International Airport.

Hanoi isnt the first city to be covered with free wi-fi. Tourist cities like Hoi An, Hue and Da Nang in the central region and Hai Phong and Ha Long in the north have been wireless since 2012.

Related news:

> Hanoi to roll out free, city-wide wi-fi

> Get connected with free Wi-Fi on Hanoi bus routes

> Saigon gets connected with free wi-fi across the city
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The crash site where a jet trainer aircraft went down just several minutes after takeoff in Phu Yen Province. Photo by LTPB

A Czechoslovakia-era training aircraft crashes into a paddy field with two people on board.

A jet training aircraft crashed into a paddy field on the fringes of the central province of Phu Yen on Friday, reportedly killing one pilot and critically injuring one passer-by on the ground.

The Czechoslovakia-era Aero L-39 Albatros, which was on a training flight, went down just several minutes after takeoff at 8:45 a.m., Hoang Van Tra, the mayor of Phu Yen Province, said.

The sole pilot on board, Pham Duc Trung, died in the crash, Tra said; Trung was 22. The jet, operated by Vietnam Air Force's Regiment 910 in Phu Yen, crashed in Hoa Thanh Commune in Dong Hoa District. The jet's front section was damaged but the fuselage remained intact.

According to eyewitnesses, the jet crashed on National Highway 1 before plunging into the field.

Police and ambulances were seen arriving at the scene. The crash site has been cordoned off pending further investigations.

Military aircraft crash kills 1 in central Vietnam: official Military aircraft crash kills 1 in central Vietnam

The L-39 was designed during the 1960s as a replacement for the Aero L-29 Delfin as a principal training aircraft. In 2007, during a training exercise, another L-39 also crashed off the coast in the central province of Ninh Thuan, killing two pilots on board.

The safety record of Vietnams civilian aviation sector is generally good, but over the past years there have been several incidents involving military aircraft.

Last June, Vietnam's Air Defense suffered a double loss in one week. On June 14, an Su-30MK2 Vietnamese fighter crashed off the central province of Nghe An. Only one of thw two pilots made it out alive. Two days later, a CASA-212-40 with nine people on board went missing while searching for the Su-30MK2.

In January 2015, four people were killed when a Vietnamese military helicopter, a UH-1 and known as a Huey, crashed minutes after it set off from Ho Chi Minh City, an army official told AFP.

In July 2014, 19 people died and two others were injured when a Russian-made Mi-171 chopper crashed in Hanoi during a training exercise.

In 2008, five Vietnamese air force officers were killed when their twin-engine light transport aircraft crashed on the outskirts of Hanoi, according to AFP.

Related news:

> Vietnam Defense Ministry confirms all crew members dead in CASA plane crash

> More CASA debris, crew member belongings recovered

> Only one body from crashed CASA plane yet to be found
The lives of fishermen in Vietnamese central provinces have been severely affected by the environmental disaster. Photo by VnExpress/Hoang Toa

Vietnam's government received the first $250 million in July but has yet to distribute the funds.

Vietnam is expecting to receive later this month the second half of a compensation settlement from Formosa Steel Ha Tinh worth a total of $500 million dollars in wake of the environmental disaster the Taiwanese company caused along the countrys central coast in April.

Formosa hit the headlines for causing one of the biggest environmental disasters in Vietnamese history, killing tons of fish across four coastal provinces. The companys test-run led to the discharge of toxic substances into the sea, including phenol, cyanide and iron hydroxide.

Formosa has officially apologized to the Vietnamese people and promised to pay $500 million in compensation to make up for the damage. The firm also promised to compensate local people for economic losses, help them find new jobs and subsidize clean-up activities.

Deputy Finance Minister Nguyen Huu Chi confirmed that the first half of the $500 million package pledged by the Vietnam unit of Taiwanese conglomerate Formosa Plastics Group was received by the State Treasury in July, and the remaining $250 million will be transferred on August 28.

According to Chi, among the four central provinces hit by the disaster, which killed hundreds of tons of fish, only Thua Thien-Hue has submitted a plan for remedial support. Ha Tinh Province, which was at the center of the incident and the worst-hit, has yet to do so, along with Quang Tri and Quang Binh.

Chi said the distribution of the compensation package will begin once all the provinces have submitted their reconstruction plans and damage assessments.

Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc has asked the Vietnam Fatherland Front  the organization that will oversee the distribution process  to prioritize the money for fishermen and local citizens.

On July 29, Environment Minister Tran Hong Ha confirmed that Formosa had transferred $250 million in compensation to the Vietnamese government.

The government is expected to distribute the first $250 million to affected localities where authorities will be responsible for allocating the funds.

Related news:

> Formosa's toxic disaster: are fish safe to eat now in central Vietnam?

> Formosa pays Vietnam first $250 mln fish death compensation

> Vietnam province launches criminal probe into Formosa-related waste burial


Vietnam is grappling to generate enough energy to power the economy.

Vietnams electricity consumption has grown twice as fast as the countrys economic growth rate.

The average energy consumption in Vietnam grew 13 percent from 2006-2010, and by about 11 percent from 2011-2015, said Le Tuan Phong, deputy head of the General Directorate of Energy. The country is on the path towards powering itself by 2030, Phong said.

The countrys power production is expected to grow at an annual rate of 14 percent between 2015 and 2030.

Fossil fuels still dominate Vietnamese energy consumption. According to the World Bank, over 66.2 percent of the countrys energy comes from fossil fuels.

Vietnams annual coal output is currently about 40 million tons, official statistics show.

Coal has taken over from hydro power as the leading source of electricity in Vietnam, which has recently become a net coal importer.

In response to fast growing demand for power, Vietnam is building more coal-fired thermal plants and buying electricity from neighboring China as part of measures to avoid outages.

Vietnam, however, is faced with a two-fold energy challenge. The country has to generate enough energy for economic growth and for millions of people who still lack access to energy services, while gradually shifting towards clean, low-carbon energy, said Tran Dinh Thien, head of the Vietnam Economic Institute.

Vietnams economic growth still relies heavily on the exploitation of natural resources and relatively low-tech production. Industries such as cement and steel use a colossal amount of energy, said Thien, adding that only 2 percent of local businesses are high-tech driven.

The Vietnamese government should change the country's economic structure and prioritize energy-saving industries, Thien suggested.

Half of Vietnamese households use solar energy

Along with the need to decrease the reliance on fossil fuels, the country needs to build an energy sector more focused on renewable energy, particularly solar energy.

To put Vietnam on a path to a clean energy economy, the government plans to cut coal consumption by 30 percent by 2030.

The government has also opened up its renewable energy sector to foreign investors, allowing them to invest in power generation. Official statistics show that in 2013, foreign investments in energy through the Build  Operate  Transfer model accounted for 6 percent of total installed capacity.

The country is also restructuring its power sector by breaking up its retail power monopoly EVN to develop a competitive retail power market by 2030.

Vietnam is aiming to generate enough energy to power almost every home by 2020 and increase residential solar power usage to 50 percent of households nationwide by 2050.

Related News:

>Vietnam to quicken share sales in EVN in push for wholesale power market by 2017

>Foreign investors lay eyes on Vietnams renewable energy sector

>Vietnam coal exports crash 75pct amid global energy market collapse
People's reactions to getting stung by a bee or wasp can range from a feeling bit of pain to a suffering a deadly allergy reaction  and now a recent report of one man's case highlights a particularly rare complication of a sting: having a stroke.

The 44-year-old Ohio man was working at a construction site when he was stung by a wasp on his leg, according to the report. Initially, the man developed a rash and hives. But about an hour later, the man displayed several telltale signs of a stroke  difficulty speaking, paralysis on one side of his body and a facial "droop"  and was rushed to the hospital.

A stroke occurs when a part of a person's brain is starved of blood, typically because of a blood clot or a leaky blood vessel. [7 Things That May Raise Your Risk of Stroke]

Dr. Michael DeGeorgia, who treated the man, told Live Science that he had never before seen a case where a stroke was caused by a wasp sting. DeGeorgia is the director of the Neurocritical Care Center at University Hospitals Case Medical Center in Ohio.

There are several other reports, however, of patients who had strokes after being stung by a bee or a wasp, said DeGeorgia, who was the senior author of the case report, published in August in the Journal of Emergency Medicine. (Bees and wasps are both part of an category of insects called hymenopterans, which also includes ants and sawflies.) In most of the cases where a bee sting led to a stroke, however, the patients received multiple stings, the researchers wrote in their report.

There are several mechanisms through which a wasp sting could lead to a stroke, according to the report.

First, because wasp venom contains a number of compounds that cause a person's blood vessels to constrict, it's possible that a sting could cause blood vessels in the brain to constrict enough that a stroke occurs. In addition, some of the compounds in wasp venom are "prothrombotic," meaning they can cause blood to clot, which could also trigger a stroke, according to the report.

Wasp stings may also lead to a type of irregular heart beat called atrial fibrillation, according to the report. People with atrial fibrillation are at increased risk of stroke because the condition causes blood to pool in the heart. This makes clots more likely to form, which travel up to the brain and cause a stroke.

Finally, severe allergic reactions can cause a person's blood pressure to drop, according to the report. When a person has very low blood pressure, also called hypotension, not enough blood flows to the blood vessels in the brain and this can lead to a stroke, DeGeorgia said. To picture what's going on, DeGeorgia said, imagine a sprinkler in the front yard. If you turn off the water, the flow slows to a trickle and then nothing, he said. That's how low blood pressure causes a stroke, he said.

(High blood pressure also increases a person's risk for stroke, because it can cause a person's arteries to narrow and makes blood clots more likely, DeGeorgia added.)

In the man's case, the doctors believe that the first mechanism  the blood vessel-constricting compounds in the wasp venom  is what lead to his stroke.

When the doctors did brain scans on the man, they found that blood vessels in his brain were constricted, DeGeorgia said. They didn't find a blood clot, but that could be because the clot broke up before they were able to do the brain scans, he added.

It's possible that the man also had an irregular heart beat that could've contributing to the clotting, but the doctors didn't catch it, DeGeorgia said. Irregular heart beats can come and go, he said.

Still, it isn't clear why a single wasp sting caused the man's stroke, DeGeorgia said. It seems that in most cases, a person needs to get a lot of wasp venom for a stroke to occur, he said. The man may have just been especially sensitive to the venom, he said. [Here's a Giant List of the Strangest Medical Cases We've Covered]

And although there aren't any specific risk factors that would make a stroke more likely after a wasp sting, in people who already have risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, perhaps an insect sting could tip them over the edge, DeGeorgia said. In the man's case, however, he didn't have any of the obvious risk factors, he noted.

Strokes aren't caused by just one thing, DeGeorgia told Live Science. "It's a confluence of things," he said. On a certain day, a person's blood may clot just a little more, and his or her arteries are just a little more narrowed, for example, he said.

The man was treated with the "standard stroke treatment," a drug called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, DeGeorgia said. The drug works by dissolving blood clots and improving blood flow.

The patient recovered and is doing well, DeGeorgia said. However, he now carries an EpiPen in case he gets stung again, he said. EpiPens deliver a dose of epinephrine to the body, which can raise a person's blood pressure if it drops too low.

Originally published on Live Science.
The discovery of a potentially Earth-like planet around Proxima Centauri, the star closest to our sun, has ignited interest in whether the alien world could support life  and if so, how humans might one day launch a space probe to the newfound planet.

Though the planet, dubbed Proxima b, is the closest alien world that has been discovered so far, it is still located 4.2 light-years away, which is equivalent to about 25 trillion miles. As such, there's still some technological distance to make up if humanity wants to see the newly discovered alien world up close.

Getting to another star will require something a lot faster than chemical rockets. The so-called Breakthrough Starshot project, unveiled in April by billionaire investor Yuri Milner and renowned physicist Stephen Hawking, proposes using a laser to push a tiny, wafer-size spaceship to some fraction of the speed of light, and letting it sail off on a ballistic path to a nearby star  in this case, Alpha Centauri, which is located about 4.3 light-years away from Earth. [8 Most Intriguing Earth-Like Planets]

The tiny probe would reach about 20 percent of the speed of light, allowing it to get to Alpha Centauri (or strictly speaking, the small companion star Proxima Centauri) in about 21 years, according to Breakthrough Starshot officials. Compare this to the fastest spaceships humans have ever launched: Voyagers 1 and 2, which travel at about 38,600 miles per hour (62,000 km/h) and 36,000 miles per hour (58,000 km/h), respectively, and the New Horizons probe, which zooms through space at 36,400 miles per hour (58,600 km/h). If any of these spacecraft were headed toward the Alpha Centauri system from Earth, they would arrive at Proxima Centauri in about 78,000 years, give or take a century.

Breakthrough Starshot

In a paper titled "A Roadmap to Interstellar Flight," Philip Lubin, a professor of cosmology at the University of California, Santa Barbara, outlines the technological pathways that may be opened to build something like the Breakthrough Starshot probe. Much of the work, he said in the study, published in April in the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, has to be in developing better laser technologies.

This artists impression shows the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, our closest star. The double star Alpha Centauri AB is also visible in the image. (Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser)

For example, the kind of laser the spaceship would use is called a phased array. Phased arrays are used in radar  it's why modern navy ships don't have big rotating antennas. Instead of generating the signal with a single big antenna, these arrays use many small antennas and adjust the phase of the signal so that the waves are all in sync. [Video: Proxima Centauri's Alien Planet Closer Than You Think  With Right Spacecraft]

"In radars it is quite common," Lubin told Live Science. "On ships, that's a well-understood and mature technology. The real trick is short wavelengths, about 1 micron. It's a different technological base." (One micron is one-millionth of a meter, and is in the near-infrared part of the spectrum.

Phased-array lasers have been built in the lab, but nothing on the scale you'd need for a Breakthrough Starshot project, Lubin said. And scale is important; as a general rule, the size of the array has to get larger, the farther you want your beam to go and stay focused on a small area.

The other issue is laser power and efficiency. "We'd much rather work at 0.5 microns, but that technology doesn't exist," Lubin said. On the other hand, ytterbium lasers at about 1.06 microns are available, and might be developed further.

Lubin uses the 1-micron wavelength as a baseline because if the laser is ground-based, it will penetrate through the atmosphere more easily. Longer wavelengths would require more power to punch through the air, as would some shorter ones, which would also be blocked by passing clouds or other atmospheric effects, he said. It's possible to put the array in orbit, but that would add to the expense of the project, he added.

The other issue is how long you can run a powerful laser. The kind of lasers being developed by the military to shoot down missiles, or even the ones that have been proposed to defend against asteroids, make very short pulses  on the order of tiny fractions of a second, Lubin said. The same is true of the ultra-powerful lasers used in fusion energy experiments. A starship-powering laser would likely need to run for at least a couple of minutes. This technology hasn't been developed yet.

The Daedalus spacecraft's spherical tanks contain the fuel pellets for the nuclear fusion engine. (Image credit: Adrian Mann)

Alternative methods

In addition to the Breakthrough Starshot initiative, other ideas have been proposed for interstellar travel. In the 1970s, the first proposals for a fusion-powered spacecraft, called Project Daedalus, were floated by the British Interplanetary Society. Daedalus would have involved a spacecraft with two stages, both driven by fusion rockets, that could reach about 12 percent of the speed of light to travel to a nearby star. Later, the Icarus Project, from the Icarus Foundation (funded by the British Interplanetary Society and the Tau Zero Foundation) proposed a "Son of Daedalus" project, a study to improve parts of the older Deadalus design. In the 1980s, a team from the U.S. Naval Academy wrote the Project Longshot study, which posited a spaceship that would reach Alpha Centauri in 100 years. [Warped Physics: 10 Effects of Faster-Than-Light Travel]

But Lubin said fusion power is probably not the best option. "You get only 1 percent conversion between the mass of the active fuel and the exhaust," he said. In other words, the energy in the fuel doesn't get converted to a lot of velocity. On top of that the spacecraft would still have to carry fuel, adding to its overall mass. Another big challenge: nobody has figured out how to build a fusion reactor yet, which makes Project Daedalus impractical for the time being. "Daedalus is a nonstarter," Lubin said.

Ion engines, like those used on NASA's Dawn spacecraft, which launched in 2007 to study two of the largest objects in the main asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, can provide high exhaust velocities and accelerate spacecraft for a long time. But, ion engines still aren't powerful enough to take space probes to Alpha Centauri in less than millennia, Lubin said. And again, the spacecraft would have to carry too much fuel.

Another idea for powerful rockets was the foundation for the Orion project, which proposed using nuclear bombs to propel spaceships into orbit. "That was really for getting to orbit and around the solar system," Lubin said. "It wouldn't be fast enough [to travel to Proxima Centauri]."

Nuclear-powered rocket designs provide a lot of thrust, but they are massive, and they still don't get around the problem of having to take a lot of fuel with you, he added.

Sci-fi vs. fact

Antimatter refers to sub-atomic particles that have properties opposite normal sub-atomic particles. (Image credit: Katie Bertsche)

The only option that creates enough energy is antimatter, Lubin said, but this introduces two other problems: One is simply controlling the reaction and exhaust, because matter and antimatter create energy by annihilating one another and generating energy as photons and charged particles. Only the charged particles can be directed to produce thrust, but they aren't a big portion of the annihilation products.

The other problem is that producing antimatter and then storing it is difficult. To make even a few atoms of antimatter requires sophisticated facilities like those at CERN, which operates the world's largest particle accelerators, among them the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, Switzerland. At CERN, researchers managed to trap a few hundred atoms of anti-hydrogen for 16 minutes, according to a paper published in June 2011 in the journal Nature Physics (opens in new tab).

Antimatter occurs naturally in the Earth's upper atmosphere in small amounts, near gas giants such as Jupiter, and it's used in PET scans, but ways to retrieve it have not yet been developed.

This leaves directed energy  that is, lasers  as the best bet, Lubin said. This method doesn't require taking fuel along, as it effectively gets left on Earth or in Earth orbit. The laser-based technology is almost sophisticated enough to make interstellar travel a reality, though it will still take decades to develop, Lubin said.

And the big downside? You can't stop the ship, since the laser engine powering it is back on Earth. This means that engineers might have to develop some hybrid system  possibly involving a laser onboard the probe  that could slow it down, but that would increase the mass of the spacecraft. "I have been talking about this for years," Lubin said. "I really wish someone could solve this problem."

Original article on Live Science.
This artists impression shows the planet Proxima b orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, our closest star. The double star Alpha Centauri AB is also visible in the image.

The discovery of a potentially Earth-like planet in the habitable zone of our closest star, Proxima Centauri, raises one of the greatest mysteries of science: Is there life beyond our world  and if so, could the Proxima system be a place to find it?

"The big questions are, how much is it like our Earth, and does it have life? Those are the questions that everyone wants to know," said Seth Shostak, a senior astronomer at the SETI Institute, which is dedicated to the search for life in the universe. "Is there anybody there? And to answer that question is not easy."

Shostak told Live Science that the first indications of even a potential for life on the newly discovered planet, dubbed Proxima b, would likely come from spectroscopic analysis of the alien world  that is, if astronomers can ever directly observe Proxima b. [8 Most Intriguing Earth-Like Planets]

"So far, no one has seen it  they've measured a very slight wobble, about the speed at which you walk ... that tells you there's a planet there, and tells you something about its mass, but it doesn't tell you anything about the conditions on the planet," Shostak said.

A single pixel-size image of the planet from an Earth-based or space telescope would be enough to glean valuable insights about the planet, he added, such as if it has an atmosphere or oceans, and if the atmosphere includes gases that could be the result of living metabolisms in an alien biosphere.

"Just as a 1-pixel dot, that's all you need  because if you have light hitting 1 pixel, you take that light and you put it through a prism, essentially, and you look for oxygen or methane, or something else that would tell you that there's something biological going on there," Shostak said.

But he added that these efforts aren't likely to happen anytime soon, because existing telescopes don't have such capabilities yet.

"I think people will undoubtedly make an effort, but it's going to be very, very hard," Shostak said.

Under extremes

If Proxima b is confirmed in orbit around our nearest star, conditions on the planet are certain to be very different from conditions here on Earth, said planetary scientist Athena Coustenis, director of research for the National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS) of France at the Meudon Paris Observatory, and chair of the European Science Foundation's space exploration committee.

"It's not the same kind of star as we have in our own solar system, so that has a few implications  and most of them are negative [for life], although there are some positive implications," Coustenis told Live Science.

She said the main problem is that Proxima Centauri is a red dwarf star, which means it is much smaller and dimmer than our sun. As such, the "habitable zone" around Proxima Centauri, the just-right area around a star where liquid water could exist on a planet's surface, is much closer to the star than Earth is to the sun.

Astronomers have discovered an Earth-like planet, named Proxima b, orbiting the red dwarf star Proxima Centauri, the closest star to the solar system, as seen in this artists impression. (Image credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser)

This likely means that Proxima b is tidally locked, with one side always facing the star, Coustenis said. "So on one side, you will have high temperatures, and on the other side it is very cold," she added. "And the question is: Can it maintain an atmosphere?"

Red dwarf stars also go through periods with strong solar flares and magnetic storm activity that could scorch any planets in close orbits and make the evolution of life very difficult, she said. [Video: Proxima Centauri's Alien Planet Closer Than You Think  With Right Spacecraft]

"I think it would have to be a different kind of life than we have on our own planet, because it would need to emerge and to develop under very different conditions," Coustenis said.

She thinks the best chances for life in the Proxima system may be on the moons of Proxima b, if there are any, because these moons would not be tidally locked to the star.

"Hypothetically, if I could get there, I would drill, which is what we are doing currently on Mars, and it's also what we are planning to do with space missions currently being developed for icy moons," Coustenis said. "I would look under the surface, because I think the conditions at surface level around a red dwarf are really complicated for the planet to develop life."

Voyage to the stars

But if signs of life are discovered in the Proxima system, what could we do about it? Could humans ever send a probe to the planet?

Shostak said it would take a conventional spacecraft traveling at around 36,000 miles per hour (58,000 km/h)  the speed of the New Horizons probe that launched in 2006 on a mission to Pluto and the Kuiper Belt  around 75,000 years to reach the Proxima Centauri system. "And by that point, your funding is gone, I think," he added. [Warped Physics: 10 Effects of Faster-Than-Light Travel]

Even though Proxima is the closest star to Earth, it is still 4.2 light-years away, which is equivalent to about 25 trillion miles. While this may seem like an unthinkable distance, it may not be entirely out of reach, said Ian Crawford, a professor of Earth and Planetary Science at Birkbeck College in London in the United Kingdom.

Crawford told Live Science there could be some possibilities for space travel at higher speeds, at least for robotic spacecraft; although he is an advocate of human space exploration, Crawford concedes that the distances and durations involved with interstellar travel make a human voyage unfeasible.

Nuclear-fusion rockets have been proposed as one way to travel to other star systems. One such concept design, known as Project Daedalus, would emit a stream of small hydrogen bombs that detonate behind the ship, propelling it forward.

Crawford said Project Daedalus was designed to reach 12 percent of the speed of light, which means a voyage from Earth to Proxima Centauri would take about 40 years.

But he added that the technological capacity required for such a spacecraft is far beyond anything available today, and the cost of development would be immense. Such a mission might be possible over a time scale of around 100 years, he said.

Another possibility could be to use solar sails, such as the tiny laser-powered LightSail spacecraft proposed earlier this year by the Breakthrough Starshot project.

But Crawford said that idea also presents serious technical challenges, such as finding a way for the cellphone-size probes to transmit data back over the enormous distance to Earth.

Howdy, neighbors

If scientists are able to find proof of alien life on Proxima b, and they are able to send a spacecraft to the planet, what would it mean for humanity on Earth? [Greetings, Earthlings! 8 Ways Aliens Could Contact Us]

"I think the implications of finding an independent origin of life anywhere in the universe would be very important," Crawford said. "This is why we're sending space probes to Mars and studying the outer moons of our own solar system."

And finding proof of life elsewhere in the universe would have ripple effects that reach far beyond the scientific community, he added.

"Beyond the merely scientific implications, there are a lot of social implications from the new perspective that the discovery of life around another star would give to our place in the universe," Crawford said. "At the moment, it's just a question, and we don't have the answer to it  when and if we get an answer to it, I think that will be quite profound."

For one, it would demonstrate that the emergence of life is not a miracle unique to Earth, Shostak said.

"I think that from the philosophical point of view  set aside all the biology and other scientific implications  the philosophical import would be very substantial: sort of like being in Europe in 1492 and learning of the existence of a New World," Shostak said.

Coustenis added that any discovery of life in the universe  even if it's evidence of past life  would be "mind-blowing."

"It would turn around all kinds of scientific models and put everything into perspective in a very different way," she said. "Whether life is found in the solar system or outside it, to me it's the same thing. And either a positive or negative result would have huge implications for what we understand about the emergence of life."

Original article on Live Science.
An ancient tablet recently unearthed in Tuscany has revealed its first secret: the engraved name of a goddess linked to fertility.

The 500-pound (227 kilograms) stone slab, or stele, was unearthed earlier this year at Poggio Colla, a sixth century B.C. site built by the Etruscans. The stele bears a long inscription in a language that has not been used for 2,500 years, project archaeologist Gregory Warden, a professor emeritus at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, told Live Science in April.

Now, translation is underway and archaeologists have discovered that the tablet references the goddess Uni. [Photos: The Tomb of an Etruscan Prince]

"We can at this point affirm that this discovery is one of the most important Etruscan discoveries of the last few decades," Warden said in a statement. "It's a discovery that will provide not only valuable information about the nature of sacred practices at Poggio Colla, but also fundamental data for understanding the concepts and rituals of the Etruscans, as well as their writing and perhaps their language."

Mother goddess?

Uni was an important goddess linked to fertility. Previously, the most famous find at Poggio Colla was a piece of ceramic depicting a woman squatting to give birth, perhaps suggesting that a fertility cult worshiped at the site, according to Warden.

The 500-pound stele, partly cleaned, bears the name of the Etruscan fertility goddess Uni and the head of the Etruscan pantheon, Tina. (Image credit: The 500-pound stele, partly cleaned, bears the name of the Etruscan fertility goddess Uni and the head of the Etruscan pantheon, Tina. )

The Etruscans were a heavily religious society that started around 700 B.C. in modern-day northern and eastern Italy. They flourished until they were absorbed by Rome, a gradual process that took place between 500 B.C. and 100 B.C.

There are at least 120 characters on the Poggio Colla stele, making it the longest Etruscan inscription ever found on stone and among the longest three sacred texts ever discovered, researchers will report in a yet-unpublished article in the journal Etruscan Studies. The inscription might express the laws of the sanctuary, Warden said, perhaps outlining the ceremonies that took place there. Archaeologists have deciphered another word on the tablet, "Tina," which refers to the head god of the Etruscan Pantheon (much like Zeus for the Greeks).

Striking find

Archaeologists have been digging at Poggio Colla for 21 years, and found the slab at the very end of the most recent field season at the site. It's about 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide (1.2 by 0.6 meters) and made of sandstone. Because the stone is scuffed and chipped, researchers are painstakingly cleaning it in order to translate the words. Etruscans left behind few texts because they mostly wrote on linen or erasable wax tablets. Understanding Etruscan religious belief and ritual is important because as the civilization was engulfed by Rome, it influenced Roman culture and belief.

Most previously discovered texts are short inscriptions on graves, according to Warden. One linen book written in the Etruscan language was found on an Egyptian mummy  recycled as wrappings. Otherwise, researchers know little about Etruscan religious rituals, other than that they were polytheistic.

Though the stele is still being cleaned and studied, a hologram projection of it will be displayed in Florence on Aug. 27 as researchers announce the translations they've made so far.

Original article on Live Science.
Rumor has it that Chinese toys contain carcinogens, prompting a neighborhood to revive a 50-year-old handicraft.

While International Children's Day falls on June 1, the Vietnamese equivalent falls on the 15th day of the 8th month of the lunar calendar, a day when the moon is at its brightest.

Arguably the second most important festival in Vietnam after the Lunar New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival used to be a time when people gazed at the moon wishing for bountiful harvests and more babies. Today, it's also known as Children's Festival, bringing families together for a fun night out under the moon, weather permitting.

As the name suggests, the night is dedicated to children and can satisfy even those with the sweetest tooth. No, they're not indulging in chocolate; it's mooncakes and exotic fruits like pomelo, followed by parades in a night lit by lanterns.

Legend has it that there was once a man named Cuoi who was given a sacred banyan tree which leaves could make one immortal. It was forbidden to water the tree with anything impure. But one day, Cuoi's wife Hang Nga accidentally peed on the tree, which then shot up to the moon together with Cuoi who was desperate to pull it back to earth.

Since then, parades of children carry lanterns, often star shaped, to show Cuoi the way back home during the Mid-Autumn Festival.

Today on Lac Long Quan Street in Saigon's District 11, you can still find a neighborhood of migrants from the north who make these traditional lanterns. Phu Binh, as the neighborhood is known, has been around for 50 years. The mid-1990s was its heyday with lanterns shipped as far as Singapore, Taiwan and Korea. But things changed at the turn of the century, when people started opting for electric Chinese lanterns.

The road leading into Phu Binh Village used to be empty at Mid-Autumn Festival, and only a handful of families clung to their traditional craft.

But over the last few years, widespread rumors about Chinese toys containing carcinogens have drawn customers back to traditional lanterns, reviving lantern-making in the Saigon neighborhood.

Nguyen Manh Tung, a senior artist with over 30 years of experience, said that leading up to the Mid-Autumn Festival three years ago, he made a mere 100 lanterns per day. However, this year he has received bulk orders so the craftsman has put his entire family to work.

Three generations of my family have stuck to this profession. See-through paper and vivid colors are two key features of Phu Binh lanterns," Tung said.

Aged 17, Nguyen Huu Phuc from Phu Lam High School has been painting lanterns every year for six years. It's not just to support his family, Phuc said, but also to help preserve Vietnamese heritage.

One craftsman told VnExpress that making a lantern requires a lot of time and effort. The craftsmen have to transport bamboo from the southern province of Binh Phuoc to Saigon, cut them into thin spokes and bend them into the desired shape.

Every detail of the lantern is painted carefully.

Final products are hung from the ceiling to dry.

An average lantern is sold to wholesale markets for VND14,000 ($0.6), while a 1.5 meter-long star sells for VND120,000 ($5.4)

Thu, a lantern maker, is happy to be busy again but she also can't help but worry. "Production costs are rising but we are forced to keep the same price in order to compete with the mass-made alternatives.

Each lantern, on average, brings in VND7,000 ($0.3) after production costs.

In addition to traditional styles, each year craftsmen create new models inspired by popular characters like Doraemon or Hello Kitty to attract children.



Photos by VnExpress/Phuong Dong

More Vietnamese traditions and customs:

> Vietnamese burn private jets, fancy cars and villas for their ancestors

> Strange religious practices during Vietnam's 'Halloween month'

> Families feast on bizarre menu to kill belly pests
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By Long Island News & PR Published: August 26 2016

Steven Englebright (D-East Setauket) awarded the 2016 Legislator of the Year for his work on climate action, protecting children from toxic chemicals, and much more.

Long Island, NY - August 25, 2016 - EPL/Environmental Advocates released the 2016 Environmental Scorecard today, the only report card that tracks all 213 state legislators voting records on environmental legislation. The data shows that despite enormous challenges  particularly due to climate change  Long Islands senators earned many of the lowest scores in the state.

By comparison, several Assemblymembers earned strong scores, with Steven Englebright (D-East Setauket) being awarded the 2016 Legislator of the Year for his work on climate action, protecting children from toxic chemicals, and much more.

The dubious Oil Slick Award was bestowed upon Senator Simcha Felder (D-Brooklyn), who sought passage of legislation that would have prevented communities statewide from taking action to reduce plastic bag waste.

Senate

Just one of the nine senators representing Long Island  Senator Todd Kaminsky (D-Rockville Centre)  earned more than 70 points out of a possible 100. Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan (R-Smithtown) continued one of the most extreme anti-environmental records in the Legislature, failing for the 8th time in a row with just 57 points.

In addition to voting for bad legislation, Flanagan, who has questioned whether climate change is real, followed the Dean Skelos playbook by siding with polluters and blocking climate action legislation (S.8005) supported by a bipartisan majority of his colleagues from ever receiving a vote.

First term Senator Tom Croci (R-Hauppauge) earned the second lowest score among all 63 colleagues with just 52 points, while Long Islands other new senator, Michael Venditto (R-Massapequa), also failed, earning just 57 points.

Peter Iwanowicz, executive director of EPL/Environmental Advocates said, The anti-environmental and anti-climate rhetoric we see being driven by Donald Trumps presidential candidacy, unfortunately, has traction with many of Long Islands own state senators. It defies logic that a region so harmed by climate change is represented by climate-deniers and those who continually place industry profit over public interest. 2017 has to be the year for climate action, and we need to start seeing some real leadership from Long Islands senators to make that happen.

Assembly

Assemblyman Englebright set the bar in the Legislature, along with Assemblywoman Michelle Schimel (D-Great Neck), earning the highest scores among all of their colleagues with 95 points.

Iwanowicz said, Steve Englebright took on big polluters and their legislative allies, some of whom incredulously claimed that climate action would lead to the end of people, and worked with legislators in both houses and on both sides of the aisle to do what is best for our state, which is to act. Long Islanders need more state legislators like Steve Englebright.

Michael Fitzpatrick (R-Smithtown) earned the lowest score in the region with just 30 points, significantly underperforming all of the other Republican assemblymembers from Long Island. Anthony Palumbo (R-Riverhead) is the only member of the delegation to earn an incomplete as the result of too many missed votes, while Joseph Saladino (R-Massapequa Park), who was previously recognized by EPL/Environmental Advocates for his environmental stewardship, saw his score drop to 76 points, in part due to flip-flopping his vote to oppose climate action.

The EPL/Environmental Advocates 2016 Environmental Scorecard is the first and only record of New York State lawmakers votes on legislation that will affect the environment. The guide has been produced and distributed statewide for more than 40 years. For the complete Scorecard, visit www.eplscorecard.org.
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

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Educating girls is one of the most powerful instruments for reducing poverty and inequality. Nonetheless, some 62 million girls who should be attending school, arent.

There are many reasons why girls are kept out of school. Sometimes the girls family or community believe that she is more useful if she takes care of daily chores, such as fetching wood or water, or caring for her younger siblings. Sometimes the family has little money for school supplies and sends only the boys to school. Sometimes the girl herself has heard too often that girls arent smart enough or deserving enough to go to school, and takes this false message to heart. And in some cases, local norms forbid girls studying with male teachers, so if there are no female teachers, the girls are not allowed to attend school.

That is the case in many parts of Afghanistan. Typically, girls are only allowed to attend classes taught by women. And in Afghanistan, there is a distinct lack of female teachers.

That is why Let Girls Learn, a U.S. government-led initiative aiming to address the many challenges that prevent adolescent girls from attaining a quality education, is expanding its program in Afghanistan.

In July, the U.S. Agency for International Development, or USAID, formed a partnership with the United Kingdom's Department for International Development, or DFID, to support a program that helps develop more female teachers in Afghanistan. USAID committed $25 million to help establish a teacher apprenticeship program for girls in grades 9 through 12.

The idea is to begin preparing them to teach while they are still studying, and once they have graduated from school, move them directly into careers as teachers. In this way, they can help educate the next generation of Afghan girls.

Educating and empowering girls is one of the core components of our effort to end extreme poverty and promote resilient, democratic societies with healthy, well-educated citizens. USAID and DFID are working together to help teenage girls in Afghanistan train as teachers, so they can go on to teach future generations of girls, and build a cycle of education that will raise all of Afghanistan.
At least fifteen Darfuri individuals were detained and nine are still in detention without charge in Nierteti in Central Darfur. The United States is gravely concerned about the government of Sudan's incarceration of these people and immediately expressed its concern about the reported detentions to senior Sudanese officials. The United States calls on the government of Sudan to immediately release all those detained.

The detentions followed a visit by U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan and South Sudan Donald Booth to Sudan's North and Central Darfur states, as well as internally displaced persons camps at Sortoni and Nierteti in the Jebel Marra region of Darfur in late July. Many others who were not detained were nonetheless questioned by security officials about the nature of their contact with the Special Envoy.

These actions are particularly unfortunate as they undercut the government of Sudan's initially granting permission for the Special Envoy's fact-finding visit and allowing him to travel to areas and speak with individuals of his choosing. Such firsthand knowledge is important to shaping future U.S. engagement with the government of Sudan and opposition groups and leaders regarding Darfur.

As Sudan seeks to pursue an inclusive national political dialogue, the Sudanese people need to be free to voice their opinions. The United States urges the government of Sudan to respect its citizens' rights to freedoms of expression, peaceful assembly and association, including by the press. These are vital elements for an environment conducive to a national dialogue.
ELKO -- Ready, set, relay! Returning for its second year, the Indian Relay Race will be at the Elko County Fair Friday, Saturday and Sunday with more races.

If we didnt have the support of the community, this event wouldnt be able to improve yearly, said Dallas Smales, thanking the businesses, including Barrick Gold Corp., and individuals who have supported the event.

Smales told the Free Press last years success and amount of spectators aided in the relay races being brought back.

The event will begin with the Chief Race Friday, the Ladies Race on Saturday, and the Legends Race and Calcutta rounds off the event Sunday. The latter two are new to the lineup.

The Legends Race is for those 40 and over, with racers including James Tone of Idaho.

Della Jackson, of Fort Hall, Idaho, and the winner of the 2015 Ladies Race, will ride this year as well.

A focal point in presenting these horse races is for the enjoyment of others and to showcase to the community the Shoshone culture and traditional ways.

In keeping with tradition but adding a twist, Aries Rattling Leaf will perform the National Anthem in Shoshone. The announcer of the 2016 races is Warren Spang from Fort Washakie, Wyoming.

These horse races are a long-standing Native American tradition dating back hundreds of years. It originated when Chief Washakie of the Shoshone nation wanted to send messages to other to other tribes, according to council members at Fort Washakie.

Teams of seven compete against one another. There is a rider, a mugger, two holders and three horses. The race begins with one rider on one horse. The pair races around the track and the rider then switches and repeats. This routine is done with all three horses and without the use of saddles.

The teams will more than likely come onto the track mounted. Last year, they had a standing start, said Smales.

The races are set up much like what is done in Fort Hall, she said.

The Fort Hall Indian Relay Association will have its next races from Sept. 4 - 10 at the Eastern Idaho State Fair in Blackfoot, according to the Shoshone-Bannock website.

This year teams are coming from different states, including Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Montana, Wyoming and Washington. The teams in the 2015 races were all from Idaho.

Twelve teams is the cap the Indian Relay Race is hoping for by its Aug. 25 deadline.

The Indian, Chief and Ladies races are $300 to enter and the Legends Race is $100. Cumulatively the purses are $12,500: the Indian Relay has an added purse of $10,000, the Chief and Ladies races have purses of $1,000 each, and the Legends Race is at $500.

Purse amounts depend on donations. It could increase, said Smales.

For lodging and race information, contact Brandon Reynolds at 397-1882, Smales at 934-6322 or Alice Tybo at 340-3876.

The Gold Country Inn & Casino and the Red Lion Hotel & Casino are offering accommodations at reduced rates for racers.
As Sahab, al Qaedas propaganda arm, released the third episode of Ayman al Zawahiris Brief Messages to a Victorious Ummah series on Aug. 25. The latest installment is subtitled Fear Allah in Iraq. The al Qaeda leader clearly expects the Islamic State to continue to lose ground, arguing that the Sunnis of Iraq should reorganize themselves for a protracted guerrilla war to defeat the neo-Safavid [Iranian]-Crusader occupation of their regions as they did before.

Zawahiri critiques the Islamic States approach to waging jihad in Iraq in his brief message, which is just over four minutes long. His arguments further highlight how al Qaeda and the Islamic State have evolved very different strategies for waging jihad. Whereas al Qaeda wants to be viewed as a popular revolutionary force, serving the interests of Muslims, the Islamic State deliberately markets itself as a top-down authoritarian regime that seeks to overtly impose its will on the populace. Al Qaeda and the Islamic State share the same long-term goal, as they both want to resurrect an Islamic caliphate. But they diverge on the steps that should be taken to achieve this goal.

Al Qaedas senior leaders think that the Islamic States methodology for waging jihad alienates the Muslim population and therefore makes it easier for the Sunni jihadists enemies to defeat them.

Zawahiri lays out a way forward for the jihadists in Iraq should the Islamic States caliphate continue to crumble.

Zawahiri says the jihadists in Iraq must review their prior experiences to save them from the mistakes that led to their separation from the Muslim community. These mistakes caused the jihadists to fall into the abyss of extremism and takfir (the practice of declaring other Muslims to be nonbelievers). They are also guilty of the spilling forbidden [Muslim] blood, Zawahiri says, and this path only serves the proxies of America.

In a telling passage, Zawahiri calls on our brethren, the heroes of Islam, the mujahideen of the Levant to assist their brethren in Iraq in reorganizing themselves.

Zawahiri famously sought to keep Al Nusrah Front in Syria, which was recently rebranded as Jabhat Fath al Sham (JFS, or Conquest of the Levant Front), separate from Baghdadis Islamic State. Zawahiri ruled that Baghdadis organization should be confined to Iraq, but the Islamic State refused to comply with his order.

Zawahiri now says the battle is one, with the Levant being an extension of Iraq and Iraq serving as the depth of the Levant.

That is, Zawahiri wants the jihadists in Iraq to follow the same strategy employed by al Qaeda in Syria. Under Zawahiris guidance, the group formerly known as Al Nusrah deeply embedded itself within the anti-Assad opposition and cultivated roots within the Syrian society.

Al Qaedas senior leadership publicly approved of Al Nusrah Fronts recent rebranding as JFS. This rebranding was spun as a clear break between Al Nusrah and al Qaeda. But Zawahiris own deputy, Abu Khayr al Masri, blessed the move shortly beforehand.

There is no hint in Zawahiris message that he feels betrayed by the jihadists in Syria. On the contrary, he wants the jihadists in Iraq to follow their model. When Zawahiri asks the mujahideen of the Levant to help their brethren in Iraq, he is clearly referring to JFS and others who have been following al Qaedas strategy.

The al Qaeda master further connects the jihad in Iraq to Syria by pointing out that Iranian-backed militias and mercenaries fight in both countries. Zawahiri says this is because Iran and its allies seek to annihilate Sunnis across the Middle East. He claims that Sunnis are being tortured and slaughtered in Iraq under the pretext of fighting Baghdadis Islamic State, but the supposed real reason for this can be found in the Irans expansionist goals. Zawahiri claims that the Iranians and the Americans have reached an accord that will allow a Crusader-Iranian-Alawite coalition (meaning an alliance of Western, Iranian and Assad regime forces) to swallow the whole region.

Even as Zawahiri rails against Iran, however, some of al Qaedas most senior leaders are stationed inside the country today.

All three episodes of Zawahiris Brief Messages to a Victorious Ummah series have been released this month. As Sahab has suffered production delays over the past two years, but the current pace of releases indicates that the official media shop for al Qaedas senior leadership is able to regularly churn out content once again. In the first episode of the new series, Zawahiri blasted the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood. In the second, he called on Muslims to support the Afghan Taliban and reject the Islamic States upstart presence in Afghanistan.

Thomas Joscelyn is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Senior Editor for 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.
With long haul travel on the rise, holidaymakers are being urged to take precautions to prevent bites in order to protect themselves from mosquito-borne diseases such as malaria, dengue and Zika when they travel.

The Bug Off! campaign is run by arctec at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine. Among those backing the 2016 campaign are former Olympian, Dame Kelly Holmes, and British explorer and presenter of Walking the Americas, Levison Wood.

A 2015 survey of 200 people at Heathrow airport, carried out by arctec, revealed that 74% of travellers head to tropical destinations without seeking health advice.

60% of those surveyed said they did not use an insect repellent when travelling, with only one in ten claiming they know how to apply it properly - putting themselves at risk of diseases. 35% of people said they wouldn't use insect repellent on children and an additional 30% admitted they never bother to read the instructions if they do decide to apply it.

The annual Bug Off! campaign aims to raise awareness of the issues and educate the public about how best to protect against mosquito-borne diseases. The 2016 campaign includes a spoof of the infamous 'Are you beach body ready?' advert from 2015, with the Bug Off! team encouraging British travellers to get 'Bug Body Ready' for their trips abroad.

Dr James Logan, Associate Professor of Medical Entomology and Director of arctec at the School, said: ""Everyone should travel the world, it's an amazing place, but the key is to do it safely. Almost a third of travellers (31%) are unaware of the risks posed by mosquitoes on their holiday, and our aim is to save lives by creating a loud buzz around the importance of staying safe when travelling abroad. Get your packing list right. Cover up with long sleeves and trousers, preferably treated with an insecticide, and always take the correct repellent."

Dame Kelly Holmes said: "I've been very privileged as an athlete to travel the world and compete, but now I'm retired it gives me time to actually discover new places, which I love. But I'm a person who definitely attracts bugs - I get covered in bites - I learnt the hard way when I did Mission Survive with Bear Grylls." Dame Kelly made sure she was bug body ready by packing her repellent when she travelled to Rio to support Team GB this summer.

To protect yourself from bites, Dr Logan and colleagues advise:

Getting advice from your GP or travel health clinic prior to travelling

Using the right insect repellent - if you are going to a high risk tropical area, make sure the ingredient list includes one of the following: DEET (20-50%) or PMD. Alternatives for lower risk areas are Picaridin or IR3535

Covering up with long-sleeve tees and light weight trousers, preferably treated with insecticide

To address the lack of health advice sought in advance of holiday travel, the arctec team held a pop-up travel clinic in collaboration with MASTA's travel health nurses at Heathrow's terminal two this month, providing deckchair consultations to holidaymakers jetting off abroad.

The campaign will continue into the autumn with further pop up clinics at busy travel hubs. Arctec scientists will also be visiting local schools and linking them with schools in Tanzania, Colombia, Brazil and South Africa, so that children in different countries can share their experiences.

The 2016 Bug Off! campaign is run by arctec in association with Craghoppers.

Related links

Visit the Bug Off! website for lots of tips before you travel, and join the conversation on twitter using #BugBodyReady and by following @BugOff_2016

Related courses
ELKO  The California Trail Heritage Alliance (formerly the California Trail Center Foundation) recently received a $5,000 contribution from the California-Nevada Chapter of the Oregon California Trail Association for the Library Fund established for the benefit of the Western Emigrant Trails Collection, housed at the BLMs California Trail Interpretive Center.

The donation was comprised of donations from many individual members of the California Nevada Chapter of OCTA. Chapter President Mark Wilson presented the check during opening festivities at the recent Oregon California Trail Association Convention in Fort Hall, Idaho.

Helen Hankins, president of the California Trail Heritage Alliance, was on hand to receive the check. Hankins said the Alliance is very appreciative of the generosity of the California-Nevada OCTA Chapter members. The funds, she said, will be used to enhance and promote the establishment of a library for this important collection for the community and for researchers and scholars.

The Alliance is working with OCTA and the BLM to plan a future home for the Western Emigrant Trails Collection and to make some of that collection available digitally. For more information, contact Helen Hankins at ctcf1849@gmail.com.
Luton is a large town, borough and unitary authority area of Bedfordshire. Luton and its near neighbours, Dunstable and Houghton Regis, form the Luton/Dunstable Urban Area with a population of about 258,000. Luton is home to Championship team Luton Town Football Club, London Luton Airport and The University of Bedfordshire. You can find us on Facebook and Twitter. For all the latest news from Luton sign up to our newsletter here.
Many garments were rended and much hair torn last week over a report in Bloomberg that the next version of the Apple Watch would not arrived with cellular networking.

Setting aside some of the questions about the reporting of that story and Apples development timelines, allow me to share with you my nuanced, carefully considered, and thoughtful reaction to that news: meh.

Look, I get it: the ability to have your Apple Watch connected no matter where you are and let it function untethered from your iPhone seems like a nice addition. And Im sure Apple will get there some day, but there are a few reasons why I think this is much ado about nothing.

Power hungry

Lets start with the engineering challenges. A cellular radio takes up a few things that the Apple Watch is already precious short on: space and power.

In terms of space, the Apple Watch is already a marvel of engineering. Look at all the stuff thats crammed into it: an integrated computer with processor, RAM, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios, sensors, flash memory, NFC, gyrometer and accelerometer, plus the Taptic Engine, battery, speaker, microphone, and so on. Theres not a micrometer of space wasted. But if theres one thing we know about Apples philosophy, its that you can always aim to make devices thinner and lighter.

Apple

But throwing in a cellular radio means sacrificing space somewhereespecially if you want to make a thinner device already. The biggest thing in the Apple Watch? The batterywhich youre going to need to power said cellular radio. This is engineering, not magic: a trade-off needs to be made somewhere.

Speaking of the battery, Apples already admitted that it was perhaps a bit too conservative when it came to power management in watchOS 1 and is ready to sacrifice a bit of that in favor of better performance in watchOS 3. But a cellular radio is a power hogjust look at how much longer your iPhone battery lasts in airplane mode.

Could Apple do some clever power management here, such as only activating the cellular radio when youre out of range of your iPhone and not by any Wi-Fi networks? Sure, and Im certain that when the time comes they will. But that leads into my next point.

The Apple Watch stands alone

I know a lot of people whove forgone their Macs for an iPad. And I know people who travel with only an iPhone, especially for shorter trips. But I dont know anybody whos ready to venture out for any more than the shortest trip with their Apple Watch alone. (I accidentally left my phone at home when I went to pick up food from the Thai restaurant around the corner last night, and that was about as far as Id want to go.)

Even were the Apple Watch to have cellular networking, I dont think that would change the calculus too much, just because of the watchs design. First of all, the screen size: its not bad for reading some text messages, but have you ever scrolled through a long email on that display? Its not exactly a pleasant reading experience.

Likewise, replying to messages. Dictation is pretty good, but its time-consuming, and editing it is a pain. In iOS 10 youll have the option to scribble answers with your finger, one letter at a time, but its not a particularly fun way to craft a lengthy missive either. How long do you really want to spend holding up your wrist and tapping on it?

Its going to take some bigger revolutions in displays and input methods before the Apple Watch is ready to be your only computer. Cellular networking is only one very small piece of the puzzle.

All about priorities

Will the Apple Watch get cellular networking eventually? Sure. But when Apples working on a device, its always a matter of prioritiesand right now there are things that are higher up on the list.

Of all the rumors for hardware additions, the one that seems to crop up most frequently is GPS. Given the many fitness applications, that seems plausible, since it would let you leave your phone at home while still plotting your running routes. It does however raise a couple of questions for me, not least of which that most of Apples GPS-enabled devices have historically used a system called Assisted GPS, which takes advantage of cell tower information to help with location. GPS alone can take upwards of 30 seconds to lock on; thats why when you open Maps, Find My Friends, or another location-based app, you see a big circle before you see the precise dot of your location. And, of course, GPS can be power hungry too.

New features aside, Id imagine much of what Apples looking to get out of the Apple Watch 2 is a more polished experience, better performance, a longer lasting battery, and perhaps a thinner case, though I wouldnt bet on it. I wouldnt be shocked if the company also attempted to beef up the devices water resistance to something closer to waterproof.

In the end, the next Apple Watch will be about refinement, no less so than the iPhone 3G or the iPad 2. Cellular networking? Well, thats just a distraction.
Counsel at Red Lobster, Atlassian and two other companies say its hard to register descriptive terms, but that it can be worth the slog in some cases
The Spanish Patent and Trade Mark Office (SPTO) and the Spanish Association for the Defence of Trade marks (ANDEMA) in collaboration with the Leading Brands of Spain Forum (FMRE) and the Chamber of Commerce of Spain have analysed the impact of industrial property rights in our exports, with regard to the internationalisation of companies, the Spanish economy and employment.

The study "The triangle of a successful business: innovation, trade marks and exports", developed by a group of researchers from the University of Alicante, concluded that IP is of high relevance when it comes to export: 76% of the total exports in Spain, worth around 261,314 million, were supported by Spanish companies that are committed to the protection of their IP assets. Three of every four Spanish companies that become international and open new markets use industrial property as a positioning tool in their targeted markets.

The study found that 75.04% of Spanish exports, with a total value of 257,790 million, come from companies that protect their trade marks as a differentiating intangible asset. These results show the positive effects of trade marks on export activities: companies with trade marks in their portfolio export 30 times more than companies that only have patents or designs.

In addition, 32.05% of total Spanish exports, which reached a value of 110,092 million, are linked to Spanish export companies with patents, utility models or industrial designs in force within their IP portfolios.

Talking about employment and, according to this report, a total of 4,144,000 jobs are derived from the export activity of companies with industrial property assets included in this survey, that is the 73.84% of the total employment generated by Spanish exports.

Further, as to the main industrial sectors, the manufacturing industry plays a key role; its exports related to IP assets are 130,410 million, that is 80.74% of the total export in this area. This is followed by the transport and tourism sector and commerce, repair of motor vehicles and motorcycles area, in which the exports due to trade marks exceed 40,000 million each.

The results of this report point out the outstanding significance in numbers of protecting innovation through IP rights, its interaction with exports and its contribution to the Spanish economy. Trade mark registration, in particular, maximises product differentiation and it enhances recognition in international markets, establishing a direct link with consumers, being crucial for growing at an accelerated pace in Spain.

Isabel Cortes

PONS IPGlorieta Ruben Dario, 428010  Madrid SpainTel: +34 917007600Fax: +34 913086103clientes@pons.eswww.ponsip.com
Nowadays, it is common for two or more companies to collaborate in developing certain projects for their common benefit. With the increasing number of companies entering into collaborative innovation, there is more joint ownership of intellectual property in Indonesia. Joint ownership of IP rights often occurs when two or more parties collaborate on a certain project. Each party in the project will then own a certain portion of the work product. The prevailing laws in Indonesia provide no specific guideline with regard to joint ownership of IP rights. Therefore, unless agreed otherwise, each joint owner will own an equal portion of the jointly owned IP rights.

While the prevailing laws allow joint ownership of intellectual property, there are some risks. Any action taken with regard to jointly owned IP rights, such as giving a licence to a third party, taking action against unauthorised use, and disposal of the IP rights, requires a joint decision by all owners.

The Trade Mark Law does not allow ownership of similar trade marks in the names of different parties. If a trade mark application/registration is jointly owned by two or more parties, each co-owner will be considered as a different party from the joint owners. Therefore, any prior trade mark application/registration owned by the joint owners will likely be cited against similar new trade marks which are filed by each individual owner. Similarly, if each individual owner has a prior trade mark application/registration, any subsequent trade mark application in the name of the joint owners which incorporates a similar element to the prior trade mark application/registration will likely be rejected due to its similarities with the prior trade mark application/registration. As letters of consent and co-existence agreements are not acceptable to overcome citation during the trade mark examination process, the subsequent trade mark application is not likely to be granted registration.

Given the above, it is advisable to avoid jointly owned IP rights. In the case of trade marks, you may choose not to obtain registration of a trade mark in the name of the joint owners which incorporates the house mark of each individual owner. Should the parties opt to own the IP rights jointly, to avoid any conflict, it is essential to make written arrangements in relation to ownership of IP rights before commencement of any work. As an alternative to joint ownership of IP rights, an arrangement which may be considered is that one party owns all the IP rights and grants a licence to the other party/ies. Compliance with the newly regulated IP rights licensing recordal must also be considered to validate the use of such rights.

Daru

Lukiantono Gayatri Putri

Utami

Hadiputranto, Hadinoto & PartnersThe Indonesia Stock Exchange Building, Tower II, 21st FloorSudirman Central Business DistrictJl. Jendral Sudirman Kav 52-53Jakarta 12190, IndonesiaTel: +62 21 2960 8888Fax: +62 21 2960 8999www.hhp.co.id
Bald Mountain Mine south of the Ruby Mountains has started expansion work now that the U.S. Bureau of Land Management has approved an alternate plan that mitigates concerns about mule deer migration, including a major cut in the acreage that can be disturbed.

The plan also eases concerns about sage grouse habitat, wild horses and views from the Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Water also was one of those considerations, said Jill Moore, Bristlecone Field Office manager for the Ely BLM district.

The chosen alternative will disturb 3,097 acres, compared with the original proposal for an expansion that would disturb 7,097 acres.

Thats a 56 percent reduction in proposed disturbance, said Stephanie Trujillo, assistant field manager for the Ely BLM Districts Bristlecone Field Office. A lot of it is environmental impact reduction.

The reduction in acreage includes dropping 2,169 acres permitted but never disturbed for earlier projects.

Although it was the BLMs decision to go with the Western Redbird Modification Alternative, the mine owner at the time, Barrick Gold Corp., offered that alternative, and new owner Kinross Gold Corp. agreed to the proposal. Kinross acquired Bald Mountain gold-mining operations in January 2016.

Barrick actually proposed it, and we picked it up where Barrick left it, said Randy Burggraff, general manager of the Bald Mountain operations. Were very excited about the BLM decision. It allows for increased exploration activities and mine expansion, and gives us flexibility for future growth.

He said work started last week on the new Redbird open pit in the north area, and this will be an 18-month pit, as agreed in the alternative with mule deer in mind.

Mule deer were very front and center, he said.

The mule deer also will benefit from the mines agreement to backfill Redbird when the gold mining is over, as well as the backfilling of other small pits that the deer can then travel over. The mine agreed to remove heavy snow for a winter migration trail and take down old fences, as well as cut holes in berms (high piles of dirt) for pathways.

We will enhance other areas with concurrent reclamation to maintain the corridor, Burggraff said. Grass grows pretty good at Bald Mountain where there is more moisture than lower ground, he said.

Wildlife corridor

Bald Mountains original expansion proposal filed in 2011 that called for the larger footprint of land disturbance raised the hackles of the Coalition for Nevada Wildlife, which objected to the original proposed migration corridor. The objections caught Barricks attention. A white paper the coalition president, Larry Johnson of Reno, wrote against the original plan accused Barrick of planning a convoluted pathway between pits and stockpiles for the deer.

Barrick did a really magnificent job of redoing mines plans and schedules, Johnson said this week. Barrick wanted to listen and provide the best level of mitigation.

He said the company agreed to the 18-month limit on Redbird, agreed to move equipment lay-down yards, remove fencing, stockpile soil to reclaim the pit and meet the winter migration concerns.

We can all do the right thing, Johnson said.

The Ruby Mountain herd of mule deer is the largest in the state, making up 22 to 24 percent of Nevadas entire deer population. The Nevada Department of Wildlife estimated in the BLMs final environmental impact statement on the Bald Mountain project that as many as 16,000 deer may move through the Bald Mountain area and continue south at least as far as the Little Antelope Summit area near U.S. Highway 50.

NDOWs focus on the Bald Mountain expansion centered on mule deer migration and on sage grouse.

Our job is to do as much as we can for wildlife, said Joe Doucette, regional outdoor education coordinator for NDOW.

He said NDOW didnt get everything it wanted but most of what it wanted, such as enhancement of winter range for the mule deer and the winter work the mine agreed to do.

Doucette said NDOW will increase monitoring of the mule deer with collaring and on-the-ground monitoring. Collars that he estimated cost $500 to $1,000 include GPS tracking. Dozens of deer may be collared, and many were collared earlier to prepare for the EIS on Bald Mountain.

Burggdoff said he had just signed a purchase order for collars and testing of deer for NDOW.

The BLM record of decision issued earlier this month also requires noise reduction at the mine during sage grouse mating season in the vicinity of the birds habitat, Doucette said.

Were in the business to make money, but Kinross very much wants to be environmental stewards, Burggdoff said. During the permitting process, we were able to satisfy all of BLMs concerns, took into consideration the publics concerns that were put forward during the public comment period and made many modifications to our plans to ensure we reduced our impact.

He also said in the past couple of years Bald Mountain has reclaimed hundreds of acres to aid mule deer migration.

The northern area of the mine expansion plan is the area that received the most comments and concern, but Bald Mountain also has plans for its southern area that includes the former Alligator Ridge and Yankee mining sites.

We hope to mine there in the next two or three years, Burggdoff said.

More exploration

The BLM permit opens the Vantage Complex, as Bald Mountain calls the area to the south that will include the main Vantage open pit and up to eight smaller pits.

The north area focuses on the Saga and Duke pits

Burggdoff said that with the expansion, Kinross expects to substantially increase the current 1.1 million-ounce gold reserve estimate and extend mine life.

The Bald Mountain land package is largely under explored, and weve doubled our exploration budget this year to $9 million  indicative of our confidence in upside potential, he said.

Bald Mountain Mine has 510 employees, and Burggdoff said the expansion extends 500 to 550 jobs years into the future. The expansion will mean work for contractors, too, since there will be a leach pad and carbon facility for gold extraction at the Vantage site.

The mine employs workers from Ely, Eureka, Elko and Spring Creek. The mines main office and shop are roughly 70 miles south of Elko.

The middle area of Bald Mountain is undeveloped land to be explored. Barrick is a 50-50 partner with Kinross on the middle area.

The BLM issued the record of decision for Bald Mountain last week to allow the mine to expand existing facilities and build new facilities.

Moore said the cooperating agencies for the EIS included NDOW, the State of Nevada Sagebrush Ecosystem Program, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Eureka and White Pine counties. BLM also kept the area Native American tribes informed, she said.
On January 31, 2014, a Mexican applicant, Grupo Bimbo, filed an EUTM application for the three-dimensional mark shown.

The application covered goods in classes 5, 29 and 30. By decision of April 25 2014, the examiner refused the application for all goods based on Article 7, paragraph 1 (b), of Regulation 207/2009. On June 25 2014 the applicant filed an appeal with EUIPO against the examiner's decision under Articles 58 to 64 of the Regulation No 207/2009.

By decision of March 2 2015, the First Board of Appeal of the EUIPO dismissed the appeal on the ground that the mark was devoid of distinctive character under Article 7, paragraph 1 b) of Regulation No 207/2009 for all goods. The Board of Appeal considered that the mark was not fundamentally different from certain basic shapes of the products. Instead, the mark was believed to be a variant of the basic shapes or to have a utilitarian function.

The applicant considered, in essence, that his mark, for which registration was requested for bars of chocolate-covered marshmallow, was sufficiently distinctive because of the rounded lateral lines that give these bars the form of four circles with a wavy profile. By refusing registration of the mark, the Board of Appeal violated Article 7, paragraph 1 b) of Regulation No 207/2009

The Court dismissed the appeal. The application for a 3D EUTM of a bar with four circles was dismissed for lack of distinctive character. The application contained a bar of chocolate-covered marshmallows. The simple fact that it was a variant of a conventional form did not give the 3D shape distinctive character.

Specifically, the Court considered that when a three-dimensional mark is constituted by the shape of the product for which registration is sought, the mere fact that that shape is a 'variant' of a common shape of that type of product is not sufficient to establish that the mark is not devoid of distinctive character under Article 7, paragraph 1 b) of Regulation no 207/2009.

It is always advisable to check whether the average consumer of that product, who is reasonably well informed, observant and circumspect, can easily distinguish the product concerned from similar products without conducting an analysis.

This decision appears to be in line with previous case law on this subject. Even so, if an applicant considers filing for 3D protection for the shape of the product itself, the shape must not only deviate from conventional forms but also be able to function as a sign to indicate the commercial origin of the product.

Noelle Wolfs

V.O.Johan de Wittlaan 72517 JR The HagueThe NetherlandsTel: +31 70 416 67 11Fax: +31 70 416 67 99info@vo.euwww.vo.eu
A tribal man in Odisha's Kalahandi district carried the body of his wife on shoulders as the hospital authorities of Bhawanipatna denied an ambulance for him. Manji along with his 12-year-old daughter carried his wife Amang Devi's body on his shoulders nearly 12 km to his home. The 42-year-old woman who was suffering from tuberculosis died early on Wednesday morning.

Though Manji explained his helplessness, he did not get any help from the hospital authorities. Thus he wrapped his wife's body in some old sheets from hospital and started walking to his village. The shocking incident occurred in a state where the Naveen Patnaik government launched the 'Mahaparayana scheme', offering free transportation of bodies from government hospitals to the residence of the deceased.

The incident came into light after some reporters spotted him carrying the body and alerted the officials. Later the District Collector arranged an ambulance for them. When asked about the incident, the Collector made it clear that the family will be provided with an assistance under the 'Harichandra Yojana' and the Red Cross Fund.
Kochi: The High Court on last day postponed the hearing of the petition submitted by the managements of self-financing colleges against the government decision to take over medical seats to Friday.

The division bench comprising Justice PR Ramachandra Menon and Justice Anil K Narendran withdrew from the case by pointing that Justice Anil had appeared for the private medical colleges when he practiced as an advocate earlier. Thus the case will be considered by another bench on Friday.
Aug. 25

Jason J. Bearce Jr., 21, of Twin Falls, Idaho, was arrested at U.S. Highway 93 for the arrest of a fugitive felon from another state. No bail listed.

Katrina L. Brooks, 29, of Elko was arrested at 3920 E. Idaho St. for violation of probation or condition of suspension. No bail listed.

Cynthia L. Carlson, 36, of Carlin was arrested at Ninth and Chestnut streets in Carlin for a resident operating a vehicle without Nevada vehicle registration, driving with a suspended drivers license, operating a vehicle with expired registration or plates, and failure to possess or surrender a certificate of registration. Bail: $1,725

Joshua A. Davis, 21, of Spring Creek was arrested at the Elko County Jail for child abuse or neglect. Bail: $100,000

Kenneth C. Harn, 47, of Wells was arrested at Sixth Street and Ruby Avenue in Wells for failure to appear on a traffic citation. Bail: $1,155

Jason K. Ingram, 43, of Spanish Springs was arrested at 775 W. Silver St. for failure to appear after bail for a misdemeanor. Bail: $1,975

Randall H. Jennings Jr., 43, of Kimberly, Idaho, was arrested at 1220 U.S. Highway 93 for failure to appear after bail for a misdemeanor. Bail: $900

Juan L. Martinez, 19, of Elko was arrested at North Fifth Street for a minor purchasing or consuming an alcoholic beverage on premises where sold and a mental health hold. Bail: $352

Debora L. Szczawinski, 56, of Elko was arrested at the Elko County Jail for failure to appear after bail for a misdemeanor. No bail listed.

Derek R. Wyatt, 32, of Spring Creek for 232 S. 10th St. for grand larceny and a parole and probation hold. Bail: $10,000
Australian defence officials warned French naval contractor DCNS to beef up security in Australia, where it is preparing to build a A$50 billion ($38.13 billion) fleet of submarines, in the wake of a massive data leak, a government spokesman said on Friday.



DCNS was left reeling after more than 22,000 pages outlining details relating to submarines it is building for India were published in The Australian newspaper earlier this week, sparking concerns about its ability to protect sensitive data.



A senior Australian defence official, acting on orders from Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne, warned DCNS that the government was deeply concerned by the implications of the leak, a spokesman for the minister told Reuters.



DCNS is locked in exclusive negotiations with Australia to build a fleet of 12 next-generation submarines after seeing off its rivals, Germany's Thyssenkrup AG and a Japanese government-backed consortium of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Kawasaki Heavy Industries.



DCNS said earlier this week that the leak, which covered details of the Scorpene-class model and not the vessel currently being designed for the Australian fleet, bore the hallmarks of "economic warfare" carried out by frustrated competitors.



TKMS Australia, the German shipbuilder's local subsidiary, declined to respond to the accusation. Mitsubishi Heavy Industry also said that it had no comment.



A senior industry source who was involved in the Australian submarine bidding called the allegation an "extraordinary" attempt to deflect attention from DCNS' security shortcomings.



"Clearly there's been a massive leak. And for the French to seek to blame either the Japanese or the Germans under some banner of 'economic warfare' is hysterical," he told Reuters.



The French victory in one of the world's most valuable defence contracts was a major blow to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's push to develop defence export capabilities as part of a more muscular security agenda.



Australian Defence Minister Marise Payne visited Tokyo this week to meet with her Japanese counterpart, Tomomi Inada, in the first such visit since the contract was awarded.



DCNS and TKMS are currently locked in another competition for a lucrative contract to replace Norway's fleet of aging Ula-class submarines. The European shipbuilders, the world's biggest suppliers of conventional submarines, regularly lock horns.

By Matt Siegel
The Danish Maritime Authority's buoy tender POUL LWENRN will be alongside in Korsr in connection with the Maritime Cultural Days. The vessel will be open to visitors throughout Saturday, 27 August.



Safety of navigation is at the centre of the Maritime Cultural Days, and you can experience a variety of aspects of safety at sea if you visit the large buoy tender. On board the vessel will also be representatives of the SejlSikkert (safe navigation) campaign, which the Danish Pleasure Craft Safety Board is a part of.



The vessel will be open on Saturday, 27 August, from 10:00 to 17:00  the vessel will be alongside at the Service and Maintenance Centre on Sbatteriet 2 in Korsr.



- We will place some buoyage equipment on the deck of POUL LWENRN such as a mooring stone and mooring chain. In addition, we will make a small display of lights so that the visitors can see the equipment used for working with the buoys, says Manag-er of Operations Martin Balle from the Danish Maritime Authority.



It will also be possible to study the life cycle of a light buoy  from the time that it is transported from its position as a worn-out light buoy to the Service and Maintenance Centre for production and clearing before being positioned again. A representative from the Service and Maintenance Centre in Korsr will also be present to elaborate on the issues of buoy production and light engineering.



On the bridge of POUL LWENRN, you can see the navigation equipment that is used for navigating the vessel as well as for positioning aids to navigation.



SejlSikkert will also have a stand on deck where you can get good advice about how to make you voyage safe. Here, you can have your inflatable life-jacket checked and see whether it is still in good shape and works.



It will also be possible to see the SejlSikkert App, by means of which you can keep updated on important traffic information, including any navigational obstacles and any defective aids to navigation.



Facts about POUL LWENRN

 The overall length of the vessel is approx. 49 metres

 The overall width of the vessel is approx. 11 metres

 The vessel has a draft of 3.10 metres

 Maximum speed: 12 knots

 The crane has a maximum coverage of 13 metres and is capable of lifting 10 tonnes

 The chain winch is capable of pulling 30 tonnes at a speed of 10 m/s


The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs of India, chaired by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval for waiver of penal interest on Government of India (GOI) loans availed of by Cochin Port Trust (CPT) to the tune of Rs 897.23 crore (USD 134 million), providing some financial breathing space for the port.

The Cochin Port Trust availed loans for various developmental activities from Govt. of India amounting between1936-37 to 1994-95. Non-repayment of these loans has attracted penal interest to the tune of Rs. 914.80 crore. The Port could not repay the loans since the projected revenue from the capital investment done was not sufficient to cover the interest component.

The move comes in the backdrop of a series of steps taken by Cochin Port.

The Cochin Port has undertaken a series of remedial measures to improve its financial conditions, apart from the measures ordered by Government of India, such as ban on recruitments, stoppage of vehicle purchases and the like, measures adopted by the Port include steps unprecedented in other Major Ports, like freezing of Variable DA for all employees and Dearness Relief for pensioners, stoppage of HBA, conveyance advance, and LTC, stoppage of overtime posting for non-operating areas, reduction of uniform allowance to single set basis, and deferment of Leave Encashment.

With these recent initiatives taken by the Cochin Port, several income streams, long awaited by the Port, are now beginning to bear fruit and this would improve the financial status of the Port in future and its ability to repay in future.
From the very beginning, the M/S Viking Grace  delivered in January 2013  was an environmental milestone.

The vessel attracted global attention as an environmental pioneer by being the first large passenger vessel to run on liquefied natural gas (LNG).

Now, three and a half years later, one thousand bunkerings (fuellings) have been performed in partnership with the Swedish company AGA Gas AB.

One thousand bunkerings via the M/S Seagas: The M/S Seagas, which was specially built for ship-to-ship refuelling, has performed its 1,000th LNG bunkering of the Viking Grace since that vessel was placed in service in January 2013.

The Seagas supplies the Viking Grace with about 60 tonnes of LNG while the vessel is docked in the morning at Stadsgarden in central Stockholm. The Seagas is the first vessel of its kind in the world and is classified according to the same regulations as for ocean-going LNG tankers.

Viking Lines wish was for bunkering to occur as quickly as possible, with no interruptions, with assured deliveries and without affecting cargo handling on the quay. With its safe LNG bunker solution using the Seagas, AGA could meet Viking Lines needs. The safety aspect was also extremely important in this context.

We are really pleased about having used LNG to fuel the M/S Viking Grace, says Jan Hanses, President and CEO of Viking Line Abp. Both the technical solution developed by AGA and the vessels operation have outperformed expectations, and it is gratifying to note the major benefits for the workplace along with the environmental gains that running on LNG provides.
The Dutch shipping company family Switijnk has contracted C-Job Naval Architects to develop a Rotor Sail-equipped design to meet their specific loading and sailing profile. The contract follows the substantial media attention for the 4,500 DWT Flettner Freighter (the FF4500) which C-Job Naval Architects developed as part of the European Union Interreg project SAIL.



Taking the project name of FF8000, the design will be for a dry cargo ship with 8,000 ton deadweight. Although based on the existing FF4500 design, the new design will include numerous modifications.



Norsepower, the Finnish company that markets Flettner rotors (also known as Rotor Sails) is also involved in the initial stages of the innovative ship. The company has performed accurate estimates of the FF8000s sailing profile based on the positive test results from the existing car carrier MS Estraden. Director Stefan Switijnk says: Sustainable development is part of our future-proof philosophy as a family business.



Despite the current low price of oil, Switijnk values the importance of thinking ahead and being innovative. Moreover, the company wants to leave the world in a decent state for the next generation. Unlike the FF4500, alternative fuel options are being examined for the FF8000. Switijnk: Although still fossil-based, LNG could be a link in the current energy transition to more sustainable energy sources. We are also considering other alternatives such as biofuels. By selecting Rotor Sails, the family will lead the way in the next phase of the transport industry.



The Flettner Freighter is a 131-meter long vessel design for an 8,000 DWT dry cargo ship. Together with a specially designed hull, Rotor Sails form a sustainable concept by which energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions are reduced. This form of Hybrid Wind Assisted Shipping consists of vertical rotating cylinders that convert crosswinds into forward thrust by means of the Magnus effect.



It is the first time in which the combination of modern Rotor Sails, a C-Job optimized hull and alternative fuels has been applied to the commercial shipping market. The design can therefore be classified as very sustainable. Switijnk is currently focusing its attention on finding partners to develop and finance this innovative ship. The company currently has two other ships in service.



C-Job Naval Architects, known for other innovative ships such as the hybrid CNG-Electric ferry Texelstroom and the LNG-powered TSHD Bonny River for DEME, is currently putting the finishing touches to the FF8000 design. Jelle Grijpstra, Business Manager at C-Job comments: We often find that a design really comes to life through a 3D design, which we always use in the Concept Design phase. This way, even non-technical people get an idea of what the ship will look like. It really sparks peoples interest and makes for a convincing design.
ABS announced the publication of The ABS Guide for Certification of Offshore Access Gangways. The new Guide addresses certification for safety systems used for walk to work (W2W) crew transfers.



As advanced crew transfer options become the norm in the offshore oil and gas industry, more and more companies want to benefit from W2W vessels and are looking to ABS for safety guidance, says ABS Chief Technology Officer, Howard Fireman. Our new guide provides the information the industry needs to execute safe personnel transfers.



Offshore access gangways with motion compensation systems are deployed and connected to the fixed or floating platform, maintaining the connection via telescoping features that provide a flat, inclined walking surface between the offshore support vessel and the delivery point. When sea conditions become challenging, the motion compensation systems used include sensing devices that compensate for heave, pitch and roll motions enabling the end of the gangway to remain geostationary relative to the platform, creating a safe and stable walkway.



The Guide provides requirements for offshore access gangway system certification, including structural strength, machinery systems, contingency management, system recovery and redundancy, safety and communications, and regulatory requirements. These requirements apply to both active and passive motion compensated systems.



In addition to the Guide, ABS offers a provision for offshore access gangway systems to be qualified as ABS Type Approved products.
VTTI, the storage unit of world's largest oil trader Vitol, has suspended operations at its terminal in southern Malaysia following an oil spill, two industry sources said on Friday.



An accident with coastal tanker Trident Star caused the oil spill on Wednesday, they said.



The terminal at port of Tanjong Pelepas in Johor has a total storage capacity of 1.155 million cubic metres. It handles gasoline, jet fuel, gasoil, fuel oil and biofuels.



Reporting by Florence Tan
Actions by Iranian vessels in several encounters with U.S. warships in the Gulf this week are cause for concern and increase risks of miscalculation, the White House said on Friday.

The intentions of the Iranian vessels in the incidents is not clear, White House spokesman Josh Earnest said in a news briefing, but the behavior is unacceptable and "in a compressed space like the Strait of Hormuz it increases the risk associated with possible miscalculations."

(Reporting by Ayesha Rascoe; Writing by Mohammad Zargham)
Norway-based owner and operator of floating LNG import terminals, Hoegh LNG reported a second quarter profit after tax of US$3.5 million, down from $6.3 million in the first quarter 2016.

The companys profit after tax was also down in comparison to the corresponding quarter in 2015 when it reached $6 million.

Analysts are calling the result a "marginal miss" on the numbers. The LNG carrier stalled a little in the second quarter of the year with a lower result, while an extra vessel pushed the operating result a little notch upward, maintain analysts.

Richard Tyrrell, Chief Executive Officer and Chief Financial Officer stated: "During the second quarter, Hoegh LNG Partners generated strong cash flows that were consistent with expectations after factoring in contractual protections in the form of indemnities and warranties that offset the cost of previously disclosed maintenance to the Hoegh Gallant."

"Our FSRUs continued to perform according to their multi-year contracts, generating stable fixed-fee revenues. Hoegh LNG Partners declared a cash distribution of $0.4125 per unit for the second quarter of 2016, which is unchanged from the previous quarter and represents a 22% increase since the initial public offering," he added.

Richard said: "We expect to have the opportunity to acquire the Hoegh Grace once it goes on contract later this year and to be in a position to increase the distribution further. As LNG production and liquefaction continue to expand at a rapid pace, we are confident that our FSRUs will remain the preferred method of connecting new markets to global LNG trade. Our dropdown pipeline of state-of-the-art, purpose-built FSRUs, combined with Hoegh's leadership in the sector, position us well to continue benefitting from these long-term trends."

The company looks forward to the start of an LNG project in Colombia, which is expected to boost operations.

Hoegh is moving forward with its plans to add another floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) to its fleet. The floating LNG giant has a fleet of eight FSRUs, with two of them still being constructed at South Koreas Hyundai Heavy Industries.
China's Shenzhen port is set to to adopt requirements for ships at berth requiring to burn marine fuel with sulfur content not exceeding 0.5 percent starting October this year, according to Huatai Insurance Agency & Consultant Service.

The move follows that of other ports in the Yantze River Delta such as Shanghai, Ningbo-Zhoushan, Suzhou and Nantong, which have been limiting emissions as part of a local emission control area (ECA) since April 2016.

As the world 3rd largest port for containers, the problem of vessel emission pollution is quite serious in Shenzhen.

Based on preliminary data, the vessels at Shenzhen Port consumed about 200,000 ton of heavy oil in 2014 that emitted about 1,408 ton of PM2.5, 16,153 ton of NOX and 13,472 ton of SO2, which accounts for about 11.6%, 12.4% and 65.5% respectively of the total emissions in Shenzhen.

Container vessels contribute most to emissions, accounting for 74% of total vessel emissions. The air quality simulation analysis shows that vessel emissions raise the annual average SO2 and NO2 concentration in Shenzhen by 4g/m3 and 8g/m3 respectively.

By the end of July, 23 shipping companies with a total of 185 container vessels have committed to using low-sulfur fuel when at berth. They are subsidized 11 million RMB. Shenzhen Port now has 10 berths equipped with shore power facilities, the one that has the most berths with share power facilities nationwide.
Rickmers Holding AG and E.R. Capital Holding have jointly decided not to pursue the merger of their ship management activities.

For many years the companies have worked together in ship insurance and ship brokerage. These partnerships are to be intensified and extended to other ship management activities. Both companies keep the content of the merger discussions in confidence.

Rickmers Holding AG will continue to pursue its strategy, particularly in respect of expanding the fleet under third-party management. Additionally, processes are to be optimised, structures streamlined and profitability increased. Ignace Van Meenen, CEO of the Rickmers Group, explained the objective: We aim to continue establishing and expanding customer relationships in an ongoing and focused way. Currently, we have no plans to merge with other companies. However, if strategic options arise, we will give careful consideration to them.
Reviewing the companys financial and operating results for the first half year ended 30 June 2016, on 23 August 2016, the Executive Board of PAO Sovcomflot (SCF Group) noted that despite a tanker market downturn, the company was able to demonstrate strong performance and strengthen its financial position while continuing to enhance its industrial projects portfolio in accordance with its Development Strategy.



H1 2016 Highlights:



USD millions H1 2016 H1 2015 %



Gross revenue (Freight and hire) 680.2 749.5 -9.2

EBITDA* 385.8 393.5 -1.9

Net profit 165.9 216.3 -23.3





* Successful issue of USD 750 million, 5.375 per cent coupon, seven-year term unsecured Eurobonds;

* USD 260 million long-term loan agreement signed with VTB Bank in June;

* Five new vessels launched: pioneering 172,600 m3 capacity ice breaking LNG carrier (Arc7 ice class) for Yamal LNG project (January), three new Arctic shuttle tankers for Novy Port project (February, April, June), and a new ice-breaking supply vessel to serve Sakhalin 2 project (June).



Commenting on the Groups performance Sergey Frank, President and CEO of PAO Sovcomflot, said, From January to July, there was a notable downswing in the global tanker market, with spot rates in certain market segments dropping by one third year-on-year, which has affected the financial performance of the entire industry.



Analysts foresaw this downturn, so, as part of its Development Strategy, Sovcomflot has focused its efforts on diversifying its business by beefing up its portfolio of long-term industrial projects with a fixed high rate of return. Participation in projects such as Sakhalin-1, Sakhalin-2, Varandey, Prirazlomnoye, Novy Port, and Yamal LNG will guarantee a reliable source of constant income for Sovcomflot even in times of market uncertainty and ensure the stable employment of a significant proportion of our fleet. As of 31 July 2016, future contracted revenue stood at USD 8.2 billion.



Nikolay Kolesnikov, Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer, added, Despite the tanker market downturn which has seen rates decline by 30% in some market segments, Sovcomflots net profit adjusted for non-operating revenues decreased by only 5.8 per cent. This matches the Groups performance dynamics during 1H2016. Sovcomflot was able to enhance its debt repayment profile significantly following a highly successful unsecured USD 750 million Eurobond issue. The funds raised were used to refinance the Groups debut Eurobonds issued in 2010.



The success of the Eurobond issue gave Moodys sufficient grounds to upgrade the Groups corporate rating from Ba2 to Ba1. Together with a new long-term loan agreement signed with VTB Bank, the amount of external debt financing raised by Sovcomflot during 1H2016 exceeded USD 1 billion, and SCFs contracted shipbuilding programme is now fully financed.



H1 2016 financial highlights



At the annual general meeting of PAO Sovcomflot, on 30 June 2016, it was agreed to pay a dividend of RUB 3.04 per share, amounting to a payment of RUB 5.972 billion (USD 92.2 million) and this was paid on 11 July. (2015: RUB 0.57 per share totalling RUB 1.126 billion (USD 20.5 million).



In June 2016, the Group raised USD 750 million of capital through the issue of new, seven-year term, unsecured Eurobonds. The bonds have a coupon of 5.375 per cent and the proceeds have been used to re-finance the Groups debut unsecured bonds issued in 2010.



This transaction substantially improves the Groups debt repayment profile. This was seen by the three main rating agencies as a credit positive event with, for example, Moodys upgrading the Groups corporate rating from Ba2 to Ba1.



The successful Eurobond issue was followed by a USD 260 million, 13-year loan agreement with VTB Bank. This agreement provides financing for the construction of the prototype Arctic LNG tanker for the Yamal LNG project.



Business segment highlights



Crude Oil Transportation



Time charter equivalent (TCE)** revenues in the first half (H1) ended 30 June 2016 were USD 266.2 million (H1 2015: USD 280.5 million).



Oil Products Transportation



Time charter equivalent (TCE) revenues in the first half (H1) ended 30 June 2016 were USD 105.7 million (H1 2015: USD 126.6 million).



Gas Transportation



Time charter equivalent (TCE) revenues in the first half (H1) ended 30 June 2016 were USD 72.6 million, a notable increase on the previous first half period (H1 2015: USD 63.6 million).



Offshore Development Services



Time charter equivalent (TCE) revenues in the first half (H1) ended 30 June 2016 were USD 115.1 million (H1 2015: USD 114.4 million).



Others



Time charter equivalent (TCE) revenues in the first half (H1) ended 30 June 2016 were USD 16.9 million (H1 2015: USD 32.5 million).


India has began multiple investigations to determine the extent of damage caused by the reported massive leak of secret data detailing the combat and stealth capabilities of the Indian Navys soon-to-be-inducted Scorpene submarines.

The government thinks that the leak of the detailed plans for the stealth submarines of the Indian Navy, built by the French military manufacturer DCNS (in which the French government has majority stakes), is a matter of serious concern.

'The Australian' newspaper on Thursday uploaded a fresh tranche of leaked documents relating to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines which are being built in India by French firm DCNS.

DCNS is helping India build six Scorpene submarines under a Rs 23,562-crore ($3.5 billion) deal.

More than 22,000 pages of information relating to Scorpene submarines were made public by The Australian newspaper.

France and India played down the security risk posed by leaked data that a source told Reuters was probably stolen by a French former employee and that has raised concerns over a $38 billion contract with Australia.

The navy, however, said in a statement, The documents that have been posted on the website by an Australian news agency have been examined and do not pose any security compromise as the vital parameters have been blacked out. The statement was issued before the second set of documents was uploaded.

It is not a leak, it is theft, a source said. We have not found any DCNS negligence, but we have identified some dishonesty by an individual.

India is not the only one affected by the confidentiality breach. The Scorpene, made by French firm, DCNS, is currently being used by Malaysia and Chile, and Brazil is also due to deploy the sub in 2018.

In 2002, Mazagon Docks Limited (MDL), Mumbai, was identified as the yard to construct the French-designed Scorpene submarines under Project 75 after successful completion of negotiations with the French company DCNS.

The $ 3.5 bn-deal was eventually signed in 2005 under which DCNS would transfer technology and train personnel at MDL to construct the submarines. The agreement also included the training of Indian Navy personnel in operating and maintaining these submarines.
The IMFs Internal Audit Reveals Its Incompetence and Massive Rule Breaking

To understand the sordid tale of the IMF, we need to look back at Greece. We think of Greece as the epicenter of the eurozone debt crisis, but it had company.

As the Feds initial QE program pushed US stocks higher, Greeces growing budget deficit led credit agencies to downgrade its sovereign debt rating in late 2009. So, the government cut spending but not by enough.

Prime Minister George Papandreou formally asked for, and received, a bailout from a Troika consisting of the EU, ECB, and IMF.

It soon became clear that Greece's heavy debt load would require harsh measures. The question then became how to distribute the pain.

The IMF shouldnt bail out Greece in the first place

A normal bankruptcy proceeding results in some kind of balanced plan. Creditors take a haircut while the debtor gives up assets and/or income.

In Greeces case, the creditors were large European banks that were not predisposed to writing down their asset values. Through the EU and ECB, they pushed for Greece to cut spending and sell state-owned assets to raise cash.

The Greeks were not enthusiastic about austerity. The population wanted its benefits, and the oligarchs didnt want to reform.

Europe didnt want a banking crisis but also didnt want to pony up enough money to really rescue Greece.

A long standoff ensued.

IMF rules say the organization is not supposed to make a loan unless the borrower has a reasonable prospect of repaying it. It has routinely demanded harsh conditions in exchange for aiding smaller African, Asian, and Latin American countries.

These conditions for getting the money all but guaranteed continued crisis in the countries that were subjected to them.

So why was the IMF reluctant to apply similar measures to Greece?

Fear of contagion led the IMF to break its own rules

Thanks to the IEO report (internal audit), we know that IMF officials sneaked a major rule change into the plan presented to the IMF board. It allowed an exemption from normal credit standards in cases where there was risk of systemic contagion.

I dont doubt they were worried about contagion. Their action came on the heels of the Lehman Brothers bankruptcy and 20082009 financial crisis.

There was concern that anything done for Greece would set a precedent for far larger Spain and Italy. The markets knew that and were watching closely.

The fear that contagion would result if the IMF played by its usual rules was not irrational.

On the other hand, rules exist for a reason. Propping up banks that make bad loans is not part of the IMFs remit. Nor is it the IMFs mission to prop up governments that will not make reasonable economic reforms.

Arguably, the whole Greek affair was not the IMFs business. Greece was a member of the European Union. The EU should have taken responsibility. The IMF should have offered nothing but advice and best wishes. But thats not what happened.

More mistakes amid internal turmoil

Around this time, Christine Lagardes predecessor, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, was arrested in New York. He was charged with sexual assault of a hotel maid.

Whatever happened, it seems the IMF managing director had more than Greece on his mind. He stepped down in May 2011, and Lagarde took his place a few weeks later.

So in addition to being involved where it shouldnt and breaking its own rules, the IMF was embroiled in internal turmoil while nations teetered on the edge.

The stress showed up in disastrously wrong growth forecasts used to justify the eurozone bailouts.

The thin black line that scrapes the bottom of the following chart is actual Greek GDP.

The other lines are forecasts the IMF made during periodic reviews. By the fifth review, they were closer to reality but were still tracking far above actual GDP.

The IMF wanted to set off a crisis to achieve its goals

It gets worse. It seems that as late as this year, IMF technocrats were actively plotting how to create another European crisis to further their goals.

In April, Wikileaks released the transcript of an IMF teleconference. The conversation occurred on March 19, 2016, and included the two IMF officials responsible for Greece, Paul Thomsen and Delia Velkouleskou.

Heres the interesting part.

THOMSEN: What is going to bring it all to a decision point? In the past there has been only one time when the decision has been made and then that was when they were about to run out of money seriously and to default. Right?

VELCULESCU: Right!

THOMSEN: And possibly this is what is going to happen again. In that case, it drags on until July, and clearly the Europeans are not going to have any discussions for a month before the Brexit, and so, at some stage they will want to take a break and then they want to start again after the European referendum.

THOMSEN: But that is not an event. That is not going to cause them to That discussion can go on for a long time. And they are just leading them down the road why are they leading them down the road? Because they are not close to the event, whatever it is.

VELCULESCU: I agree that we need an event, but I dont know what that will be.

The event they are wishing for is something that will put Greece in default and force Europe, particularly Germany, to agree to IMF demands.

They see the upcoming Brexit vote as an opportunity since Britain and others will be looking away from Greece. They also think the event will jar the Greek parliament into agreement.

We dont know if the hoped-for event would have done the trick. The leak was just weeks before the Brexit vote.

At least, the IMF showed that it understood the situation. Their goal was to force Greek and EU negotiators into a compromise that had eluded everyone for years.

On the other hand, they were willing to set off a whole new crisis in order to accomplish this. In which case, they might have cured the disease but killed the patient.

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How Extreme Oversold Markets Can Be Profitable

The trading week was starting to look as though it was going to end without any excitement. Wow, did that ever change on Friday!

On Wednesday Aug 24th, the stock market sold off to a level which I consider to be an extreme oversold condition for the week. While I do have several criteria as to why and how I come to the conclusion, the chart and indicator below show me when the market is oversold and ready for a bounce.

The green shaded areas on the bar chart are oversold extremes. Wed, Aug 24th the SP500 closed at this extreme. The following day the market struggled to find support but eventually did with the big pop in price on Friday.

You will also notice the red line indicator near the top of the chart. This is a little volume ratio I use to help confirm when the market is getting overbought and profits should be taken.

Second Oversold Confirming Indicator  Price Spike

Not only was the market oversold based on my proprietary indicator above, but the market also flashed us a post-market price spike. I have talked about these many times before and how its the market giving us insight into where the computers are likely to run the market or at least try to run the market in the next 48 hours. In less than two days the spike was filled for us to pocket another winning momentum trade.

Extreme Markets Conclusion:

In short, as traders we need to trade what see not think. It is easy to have market bias, meaning you want it to go in one direction and you favor your thinking and analysis that way. If you can completely avoid doing this, you will be highly profitable as a trader.

I see this time and time again, when the market gets oversold/overbought, or flashes us a price spike just before some news event. Its tough trading in front of pending news, but 80% of the time these moves play out just as expected.

The last big FED talk, gold flashed spike up a day before the news and it played out in a big way. This week both the SPY and GLD spiked up a day before and both reached their spike targets Friday big fast profits. I will post the gold spike on my blog this weekend.

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Chris Vermeulen

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.

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MARTINSVILLE  For the 66th year, Santa Claus still we be coming to town for the Christmas Parade -- but this time with new elves behind the scenes.

Kathy Lawson, the powerhouse behind the parade for at least 25 years, has promised that she would help the parades new sponsors, Star News, through the transition.

Star News Corporation is taking over the reins of the Martinsville-Henry County Christmas Parade and, according to Devin Pendleton of Star News (also the Artistic Director for the Patriot Players), the company aims to keep it going strong in the future.

The parade will be held at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 19, in uptown Martinsville, with a rain date of 4 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 20. The theme will be A Red, White & Blue Christmas!

The patriotic theme is very appropriate because there is so much political unrest in our country that its nice that we recognize patriotism, Lawson said.

The Martinsville-Henry County Christmas Parade is an uptown tradition and a source of pride for our community, said Charles Roark of Star News. We must keep it strong!  Our main goal is to promote local business and organizations while ensuring a fun, safe and well-organized annual Christmas parade that will engage our community members and future leaders for many years to come.

Because the parade now is being run by a business instead of a non-profit entity, it faces higher charges and in return must charge higher fees, Pendleton said. The entry fee for religious, non-profit and civic entries will be $25, as opposed to $15 in previous years; and for businesses, the fee will be $50, up from the previous $25. The entry fee per vehicle for car clubs will be $25; the cost for professional float entries will be $550; and vendors will have to pay $25. There is no fee for schools, colleges, school homecoming courts, Junior Miss or Miss Martinsville-Henry County.

Yes, its an increase, Pendleton said, but trust us that were going to make this a sustainable parade. I dont want next year for this to change hands again.  If next year we find we can go down on the price, Id rather go down, but we wont go up.

The new organizers are working on a plan to give out awards at the night of the parade instead of later, he said.

A big kickoff ceremony before the parade start time at 5 also is in the works, Pendleton said. It will include local dignitaries and a ribbon-cutting.

The new sponsors changed a lot of the rules this year to fit more in line with our needs, Pendleton said. That mostly took the form of clarifying existing rules to address questions people have had in the past.

For one, participants still will not be allowed to dress as Santa Claus or carry Santa Claus dolls or figures so as not to detract from Santa and Mrs. Claus when they come through the parade in the final float. However, the rules clarify that people are allowed to wear Santa hats.

Also, the revamped rules give more clear answers on judging and on the day-of-parade logistics, he said.

For about a quarter of a century, Lawson and a committee of six others -- her husband, Ralph, Susan Turner and her sister Robin Oakes, Darla and Jimmy Crigger and W.C. Fowlkes  ran the parade as the Martinsville-Henry County Parade Association. There also have been a few other volunteers, including Jeannie and Timmy Lawson (no relation to Kathy and Ralph).

After so many years, Kathy Lawson said, were ready to hand the baton over to somebody else. Star News and Devin wanted it, and the Chamber decided its something they didnt want to do.

The Martinsville-Henry County Chamber of Commerce and Martinsville Uptown Revitalization Association (MURA) helped with the parade committee last year to help lighten the load on the volunteer group.

Lawson said her committee of seven also will help during the day of the parade.

Chamber President Amanda Witt stated in the release, The Chamber assisted with the parade last year during the transition period and are very supportive of the event and the new organizers. Charles and his team do this in several localities, have seen much success and we are confident that Martinsville-Henry County will experience the same.

Pendleton said Star News oversees the Christmas Parade in Reidsville, North Carolina.

Ive been working with them to get them up and running, and theyre taking the ball and running with it, Lawson said.

Be patient during the transition, Pendleton said. Were learning, because this is the first parade weve produced for Martinsville. Anytime you can improve an already great thing is even better.

For parade information, planners prefer to be emailed at mhcparade@yahoo.com, Pendleton said. If people wish to call, they may call the dedicated parade line at 734-3529 and leave a message. The address is P.O. Box 5146, Martinsville, Va., 24115.

To download an entry form, visit the Chamber website at www.martinsville.com. Entries are due by Tuesday, Nov. 1. Any entries postmarked after that date will incur a $25 late fee.

Holly Kozelsky reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. She can be reached at holly.kozelsky@martinsvillebulletin.com
COLLINSVILLE  A man charged with embezzling $45,000 waived his preliminary hearing in Henry County General District Court Thursday, and the charge now goes to Circuit Court.

Howard Todd Huff, 48, of 200 St. Johns Circle, Martinsville, allegedly embezzled $45,000 belonging to Scott Lentz of Edgewater, Maryland.

A criminal complaint by Investigator B.T. Whitlock of the Henry County Sheriffs Office alleged the following:

Whitlock spoke with Lentz on Nov. 30, 2015, at the sheriffs office. Lentz said that on Sept. 25, 2015, he sent to HTH Family Trust, which Howard Todd Huff owns, a wire transfer in the amount of $45,000.

 The transfer was sent in an agreement made between Mr. Lentz and Mr. Howard to purchase property located at 406 Forest Street in Martinsville, the criminal complaint says. In the promissory note, it lists Mr. Huff as the borrower and Mr. Lentz as the lender.

The promissory note lists the amount of the loan is $45,000. The term of the loan is four months or 120 days, with payoff to be made on or before Jan. 22.

The return on investment on this loan is $5,000.

 This loan will be secured by the 1st deed of trust on the property located at 406 Forest Street, Martinsville . Scott Lentz will be listed as loss payee on the home owners policy. This loan may be prepared at any time with the full $5,000 due at payoff. Title (to) this property will be held in the name of HTH Family Trust, Howard T. Huff, trustee, the criminal complaint says.

Huff and Lentz signed and dated the agreement on Sept. 24, 2015.

 This wire transfer was sent from PNC Bank from Mr. Lentzs debit account to Carter Bank and Trust at 128 Paul Street, Collinsville  under HTH Family Trust. This is in Henry County, the criminal complaint says.

According to Lentz, he lent the money to Huff to purchase the property under the understanding the property still was for sale. A few days passed and Lentz called Huff to check on the transaction. Several text messages also were exchanged over this, because of Lentz living in Maryland.

Mr. Huff was unable to obtain the residence. In one text, Mr. Lentz told Mr. Huff he just wanted his money back or whatever money he had left over back, the complaint says.

According to Lentz, he tried calling Huff several times, but Huff would not talk with him. On Nov. 29, 2015, Lentz came down from Maryland and went to Huffs house. Lentz alleged Hunt would not come to the door, but when Lent went to the back of the house, he could see Huff in the house.

Lentz alleged that once Huff saw him, Huff ran out of the house, called police and had him removed from the property.

 Mr. Lentz advised he has worked with Mr. Huff in the past and had no problems, the criminal complaint says.

Whitlock stated in the criminal complaint that on Jan. 27 he obtained and served a search warrant to Carter Bank and Trust in regards to HTH Family Trust, which Howard Huffs name is on. According to the records obtained from that search warrant, it shows the $45,000 was wire transferred from Scott Lentz to Howard Huff and that Howard Huff has taken out all of the $45,000 except $194.21. The property located at 406 Forest Street was never obtained, the criminal complaint says. A court document dated April 9, 2016, listed Huff as employed as a mortgage banker at CMS Mortgage Solutions.

Paul Collins reports for the Martinsville Bulletin and can be reached at paul.collins@martinsvillebulletin.com.
MARTINSVILLE  A local man has received permission to install a fence intended to keep neighbors from seeing vehicles stored on his business property in the eastern part of the city.

With little discussion, the Martinsville Board of Zoning Appeals (BZA) voted unanimously on Thursday to grant Sammy Wright the zoning ordinance variance that he requested for his property at 925 Boden St.

Most of the discussion about his request arose during a public hearing held last week. The hearing was continued until Thursday so board members could visit the neighborhood and see how the variance would affect it.

In July, Martinsville City Council rezoned the property from residential to commercial so Wright can use it for overflow parking at his adjacent business, Church Street Auto, plus to exit the business and access an adjoining lot.

Wright then sought a variance allowing a reduction in a buffer  the fence  required between the side yards of a residential lot and a commercial lot. Specifically, he sought to install the fence 1-2 feet from the line separating his property and 923 Boden St. instead of 7  feet as allowed by the ordinance.

Last week, Wright said he plans to install a solid metal fence that will provide total obscurity of the vehicles. It is intended to replace a fence that already exists, but he wants it to be a little closer to his building.

The current fence, which can be seen through, is on Virginia Martins property at 923 Boden.

Thats your fence, BZA Chairman B. Page Brockenbrough told Martin on Thursday, mentioning that the city installed it. Youd be able to take down your fence.

But you can still leave the fence up if thats what you want to do, he said.

If that fence remains, Wright will be responsible for mowing between the two fences, Brockenbrough added.

Martin agreed to allow Wright to put up the new fence two feet from their property line, as per his variance request.

She has 10 days to appeal the BZAs decision. If she does not appeal, Wright then can start installing the fence, according to city Zoning Enforcement Specialist Tonya Rumley.

This was a complicated case due to various technicalities, city Zoning Administrator and Community Planner Susan McCulloch said after the meeting.

Brockenbrough mentioned, for example, that we couldnt find the iron pin that marks the property line and which they wanted to see.

In the end, though, it seemed to work out for both of them, McCulloch said of Wright and Martin, in that a decision was reached that they both can live with.

The BZA currently is comprised of three members  Brockenbrough, India Brown and Richard Howell. Two seats on the board are vacant.

Wrights case was the first in which Brown and Howell was involved. They took their seats during last weeks meeting.

Convening only when needed, the BZA does not have a regular meeting schedule.

Mickey Powell reports for the Martinsville Bulletin. He can be reached at .
Readers have posted dozens of comments following our article last week on horse deaths at Madeleine Pickens Mustang Monument, and Nature Notes columnist Larry Hyslops article on damage done to a spring by wild horses.

These articles and all of the comments can be read at elkodaily.com. Also, check future editions of the Elko Daily Free Press for our coverage on the National Wild Horse and Burro Advisory Committee meeting scheduled Sept. 8-9 in Elko.



Anyone who has visited the Mustang Monument property knows the level of care the horses receive there is extraordinary.

It is highly irresponsible for the DEPT of Ag or any state official to be finger pointing or making suggestions about my responsibility for care of the horses until an investigation is completed. But maybe we shouldnt be surprised, given the history of the ranchers approach to horses.

What we know for sure is a vile and horrible criminal act has occurred on private property that has cost the lives of many horses. Lets see if anyone is interested in getting to the bottom of that. Since when has the State of NV accepted the fact that criminals and outlaws can trespass on private property and commit acts that are certainly felonies.

We welcome an investigation. Lets make sure we are looking for the right thing.

 Madeleine Pickens

If youre going to accept responsibility for living things, then youd damned well better be responsible. It is reprehensible that these animals died of thirst that way, and it could only have happened if Ms. Pickens and/or her staff didnt bother checking on them. If I were to guess, the people who did this were misguided do-gooders who thought a bunch of horses from nowhere near there would be able to find water elsewhere somehow if the fences were cut and their water shut off. Run free, mustang!! Or die, which anybody who knows anything at all about horses would have known would happen.

 Sue Kennedy

I cant help but notice that, just weeks before the Wild Horse and Burro Program Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet in Elko, anti-mustang articles like this one appear and anti-mustang criminality (Pickens sanctuary vandalized and horses killed) occur. Could it be merely a coincidence?

There is no overpopulation. In fact, per the guidelines of BLMs own geneticist, 83% of the herds suffer from arbitrary management levels (AMLs) set below minimum-viable population (MVP). Low AMLs enable BLM to claim an excess in herds whose numbers, even if they were over AML, would still not reach MVP. So being over AML is meaningless as well as misleading. But the low AMLs, combined with falsified, biologically impossible herd-growth estimates, give BLM an excuse to scapegoat those few wild horses for the range-damage done by the millions of livestock that overgraze the public lands.

Further, just because livestock allotments are officially rested does not mean they actually are. In Nevada, permittees have defied BLMs authority to rest certain allotments due to drought. The ranchers went ahead and put cattle out on the range anyway. But instead of penalizing the scofflaws, BLM pandered to them, waiving fines and allowing the illegal grazing to continue. Even when BLM tries to enforce the rules, politics block those efforts. For instance, a particularly-rebellious permittee openly grazed his cattle beyond the authorized season, running up nearly $30,000 in fines for repeated and ongoing willful trespass. But one of his US Senators asked BLMs Director to reduce the charge to simple trespass  which he did  and to lower the fine  which he also did  to $6,000.

It should additionally be noted that the monthly grazing unit  the AUM  was originally set per an animal-weight-equivalent of 1,000 pounds. However, Bloomberg News reports that the average weight of beef-cattle has increased to 1,385 pounds  38 percent above the AUM. Yet, cattle are assessed per AUM as if they weighed 385 lbs. less. Wild horses, in contrast, average 700 to 900 pounds, but are assessed per AUM as if they weighed 100 to 300 lbs. more.

 Marybeth Devlin

The claim that horse numbers are not overpopulated is based upon the decision by geneticists that some herds are too small to remain vigorous without transferring horses between herds to maintain hybrid vigor. The position of horse advocacy groups, then, is that any herd is too small if it cannot resist the negative impacts of inbreeding. Any conclusion based upon this single factor completely fails to consider the needs of other wild species inhabiting the range. Horse advocates insist on large herds, no matter what their impact on the wildlife with which they compete. Some even go so far as to offer pseudo-ecological justification for their position, claiming that horses benefit, rather than adversely impact, the ecosystem.

It is claimed, for example, that horses help to break ice during the winter time, allowing smaller animals access to water that might otherwise remain frozen over. This ignores the fact that native species are perfectly well adapted to nibbling ice and snow in order to get water during the cold months. In fact, their period of water stress is during the summer, and especially when facing horses as primary competitors for this precious resource. In Mesa Verde National Park, for example, horses have been documented driving animals as large as elk away from water holes when they are most vulnerable. It is not uncommon for a herd of horses to monopolize a water hole to the exclusion of any other large mammal.

It is also suggested that horses benefit the ecosystem by helping to spread seeds. The truth is, native plant species do not need such help. In fact, they have done just fine for millennia spreading their own seed without the assistance of the horse. It is only recently, with the introduction of livestock and horses, that native plants have been in decline, and this is due primarily to overgrazing and the invasion of exotic weeds such as thistle and cheat grass which are so effectively spread by the horse while advocates blindly cheer them on.

 Stewart Lands
With Jeremy Corbyn on course to win another landslide victory in the contest for the Labour leadership, the Party Establishment are preparing the ground for a split. Rob Sewell, editor of Socialist Appeal, looks back at the Labour split of 1931 to analyse the important lessons of Labour's history for today's tumultuous events.

Political realignments do not happen often in British politics...But the space may be opening up for a new, pro-European, economically liberal and socially compassionate alternative to pinched nationalism and hard-left socialism.

The Financial Times (30/6/16) I would be lying if I said it would be easy to stay in a party led by Mr Corbyn where people like me are so unwelcome.

Jess Phillips, Labour MP (The Financial Times, 7/8/16) We are teetering on the edge of a precipice here. The Party could be split. The Party that has been here for 116 years as the greatest source of social and economic justice could be bust apart and disappear. Owen Smith, Labour MP (The Guardian, 5/8/18)

Not surprisingly, discussions about splits and political realignments have become very popular in recent months. With the appointment of Theresa May as Tory leader, the deep-seated divisions within the Tory party have been papered over, at least for the time being. Now all eyes are centred on the divisions and civil war within the Labour Party.

The Corbyn revolution

Photo: Socialist Appeal (UK)The rise of Jeremy Corbyn came as an almighty shock to the British Establishment. It was never supposed to happen. So what went wrong?

Under the Blair years, the Party became infested with right-wing careerists and the Partys working-class base was bureaucratically shunted aside. However, the crisis of capitalism has turned everything on its head - not only in Britain, but in the United States, across Europe, and internationally. Everything has been put into the melting pot as millions of people search for a way out of the crisis.

This was the background for the unexpected victory of Jeremy Corbyn as Labour leader, which has unleashed an almighty battle within the Party. Today, the right wing, with the full support of the ruling class, is hell-bent on discrediting, then ousting Corbyn, and re-establishing their apparently God-given right to have control of the Party. This struggle is not a secondary struggle, but represents a fight to the finish.

The reason for the ferocity is that this is a fight for the future of the Labour Party. Up until now, the British ruling class has exercised control over the Party through its right-wing leaders. It seemed to be in permanently safe hands. Tony Blair was their arch representative. His aim on behalf of the Establishment was to destroy the Labour Party and create a Tory Party Mark II. Despite all their efforts, however, the New Labour architects of Blair, Mandelson, et al. never quite succeeded in breaking the Partys links with the organised working class.

Today, the grip of the right wing has been shattered by hundreds of thousands of Corbyn supporters joining the Party. For decades, anger and frustration had been building up within society, and this pressure was seeking an outlet. Corbyn became a political reflection of - a lightning rod for - this anger.

The ruling class was aghast at his victory. The scale of Jeremy Corbyns victory in the Labour partys leadership election is a political earthquake, stated a gob-smacked Martin Wolf in the Financial Times of last year. Britains Labour Party is neither Greeces Syriza nor Spains Podemos. It has been in power for just less than 40% of the time since 1945. (20/9/15)

How could such a thing happen? It was utterly intolerable to the Labour Establishment and the ruling class! They could never accept this left takeover and swore to destroy Corbyn and his revolution. If this meant a split, then so be it. Lord Mandelson openly admitted the existence of two Labour Parties that were (and are) in conflict. Frank Field, the right-wing Labour MP for Birkenhead, advocated that the Party appoint two leaders: one in Parliament (the real leader), and the other outside, thereby removing Corbyn as leader. The leadership challenger, Owen Smith - another Kinnock - wanted Corbyn to resign as leader and become Party President instead!

Open split?

The support for deselection of MPs amongst Labours ranks has hastened talk of a split in the Party. It is so intense that the right wing dominated PLP are openly talking about making a unilateral declaration of independence and announcing themselves as the party. They are even contemplating legal action to keep Labour in the title. Such an act would constitute an open split, as was seen in 1931 and 1982.

Lord Owen, a member of the Gang of Four who split from Labour to form the SDP (Social Democratic Party) in the early 1980s, has even suggested a timeline for a new split: For at least two years, fight like hell, I would say. I wouldnt contemplate a new party until the end of 2017. Lady Shirley Williams, another Gang of Four member, supported him saying, eventually there will be a new party of the centre left.

It is no shock to hear that leading Labour MPs have been in close discussions with leading Tories and Liberal Democrats about a possible political realignment. These careerists can see the writing on the wall. As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together.

Events are moving extremely fast and processes are already coming to a head. Of course, plans to split the Labour Party are not new. The ruling class has encouraged splits whenever there has been a danger of the right losing control of the Labour Party, as in 1931 with the formation of the National Government and in 1981 with the formation of the SDP. Such splits were used to sabotage the Labour Party, preparing the way for a National or Tory government. Of course, there are many differences between now and then, but the direction of travel is the same.

The rot of careerism; the stink of Blairism

The main difference between then and now is that the Parliamentary Labour Party is even more rotten, corrupted and dominated by right-wing careerists.

Under Neil Kinnock and Tony Blair, the tops of the Party became increasingly stocked with lawyers, solicitors and so-called professionals, wholeheartedly committed to the wonders of the market. There is nothing wrong with capitalism with a social conscience or a human face, said Lord Mandelson, a Labour man keen on becoming filthy rich. I want a situation more like the Democrats and the Republicans in the US, explained the war criminal, Tony Blair.

You could not put a cigarette paper between the bulk of Labour MPs and the Tories. This growing together went much further than even the Butskellism of the 1950s. The current breed of right-wing Labour MPs speak, dress and behave exactly the same as the Tories.

As one MP said, quoted in the Independent on Sunday back in 1995 after Blair became leader, Tony [Blair] is surrounding himself with people who are clever, able, upper-middle-class and arrogant, and who do not respect the Labour Party. Nothing whatsoever has changed for these people since then. In fact, they have only ever treated the Party as a vehicle for their careers.

The degeneration of the Parliamentary Labour Party has gone far. It means that whereas in the past a right-wing split was a relatively minor affair, as in 1931, a future split would see a large proportion of the PLP cross the floor. The fact that 172 of them voted for a motion of no confidence in Corbyn - the democratically elected leader - shows their true loyalty. More than 60 resigned from the Shadow Cabinet in a coup to force him out.

A big majority of such careerists are likely to split away as soon as they have their marching orders from big business. The memory of Ramsay MacDonald's betrayal of the 1931 government is etched in blood on the Party's memory, explained The Financial Times (23/4/16).

The split in 1931 constituted one of the greatest betrayals in Labour history, when Ramsay MacDonald, the Labour Prime Minister, stabbed the Party in the back and joined the Tories and Liberals to form a National Government. For him, Country came before Party. MacDonald stood for the national interest  the national interest being of course the interests of big business.

Then as now, there are those in the Party leadership who will jump ship when the time comes. It is better to deselect them now before they jump.

The same types carried out the great betrayal of 1931. Then, facing certain opposition to cuts and austerity in the Labour Cabinet, Prime Minister MacDonald, Chancellor Philip Snowden, Lord Privy Seal J.H. Thomas and Lord Sankey resigned and crossed the floor to join the National Government. Now, 66 Labour MPs have voted with the Tories over the bombing of Syria and 140 of them over Trident renewal.

Crisis and slump

Of course, the right-wing Labour politicians are always subject to flattery by the ruling class for their statesman-like behaviour.

Mr Snowden, with rare though belated courage, has shown that he at least knows where that duty lies, and, whatever the attitude of the rest of his Party, the public will never grudge him any assistance which he may need in carrying through his difficult task, declared the London Times in early 1931.

Then as now, capitalism was experiencing a deep world slump. In 1929, just over one million were unemployed, but this had risen to 2,700,000, 22% of the insured workers, in the summer of 1931. Production had declined 8% below that of 1913. The growing budget deficit threatened to force Britain off the gold standard. The government was informed that loans could be secured from the bankers, but only with massive cuts in public spending.

The Parliamentary sponsored May Committee recommended that economies amounting to 96 million should be made, the majority of which should be in the form of cuts to unemployment benefits and the imposition of a means test system.

Labour Ministers such as MacDonald, Snowden, Henderson, Thomas and Graham made a counter proposal of some 56 million in cuts, which the majority of the Cabinet actually accepted. A minority still opposed them, who MacDonald accused of taking the easy path of irresponsibility.

But it was from outside the Cabinet that the biggest opposition to the cuts was seen. The TUC registered its firm opposition to the cuts. Nothing, wrote MacDonald, gives me greater regret than to disagree with old industrial friends, but I really personally find it absolutely impossible to overlook dreadful realities, as I am afraid you are doing.

The opposition of the TUC also stiffened the opposition inside the Labour Cabinet. Such opposition forced MacDonalds hand. He fully understood that this would lead to a breach.

By this time, MacDonald and the leaders of the Tory and Liberal parties were in constant touch with the Palace. In a strictly constitutional capacity he [the King] has rendered a signal service to his people, noted The Times. George V met with Baldwin, the Tory leader, and Sir Herbert Samuel, the Liberal leader, to discuss the national interest.

Sir Herbert cynically informed the King:

In view of the fact that the necessary economies would prove most unpalatable to the working classes, it would be to the general interest if they could be imposed by a Labour Government. The best solution would be if Mr Ramsay MacDonald, either with his present, or with a reconstituted Labour Cabinet, could propose the economies required. If he failed to secure the support of a sufficient number of his colleagues, then the best alternative would be a National Government composed of members of the three parties. It would be preferable that Mr MacDonald should remain Prime Minister in such a National Government.

So the authority of MacDonald as former Labour Prime Minister would be used to enact the austerity. MacDonald graciously accepted this role. With the Labour Cabinet partially divided, the creation of a National Government was seen as the only viable option. After its formation, Snowden boasted to MacDonald that tomorrow every Duchess in London will be wanting to kiss me.

The ruling class were also extremely delighted with the outcome. A strong national government had been formed. All concerned are to be warmly congratulated on this result, commented The Times.

MacDonalds former Labour colleagues were stunned by the speed of events. Arthur Henderson, secretary of the Party, claimed that they had all agreed with the need for sacrifices and a balanced budget but had been thereafter kept in the dark.

When the split came, some right-wingers like Henderson and J.R. Clynes did not follow MacDonald but remained behind in the Party to prevent it falling into the wrong hands, given that the betrayal would inevitably radicalise the movement.

There is a third danger ahead, wrote the Times, but it is a danger to the nation rather than to the Government. Broadly speaking, the whole of the Socialist Party will be reconsolidated in Opposition - with this enormous difference, that they will have lost the guidance of leaders few indeed in numbers but the ripest of all in practical experience of affairs...The Labour Party...will now be definitely controlled by its more prejudiced and ignorant elements. (26/8/31).

MacDonald then called a panic General Election towards the end of August 1931, resulting in a landslide victory for the National Government  which gained 554 seats and 70% of the vote. The Labour Party, given the split, lost heavily at the polls, gaining only 52 seats and 6.5 million votes.

Kick out the traitors

While the Labour leaders were regrettably saddened over this great loss to the Labour Movement, the angry rank and file  the ignorant elements - forced the National Executive to expel MacDonald and others from the Party as traitors.

The revulsion from MacDonaldism caused the Party to lean rather too far towards a catastrophic view, observed Clement Attlee, Deputy Leader of the PLP.

Photo: Socialist Appeal (UK)The attitude of the rank and file of the Party seems to me to be extremely dangerous at the moment wrote Stafford Cripps, who felt the ground moving under his feet. There is a strong tendency to discard the realities of the situation, he added.

In other words, the Partys rank and file reacted to the betrayal with disgust and a rejection of gradualism. As a result, Labours Annual Conference, cleansed of MacDonald and the other riff-raff, shifted decisively to the left and proclaimed that the main objective of the Labour Party is the establishment of socialism.

At Leicester, wrote Hugh Dalton, a future Labour Chancellor, the floor several times ran away with the platform.

On the whole, wrote a disorientated Beatrice Webb, I rejoice in the crisis as I think it will clear the issue and purify the Party.

The Independent Labour Party (a key affiliate of the Labour Party) at its 1932 Easter Conference stated that the class struggle which is the dynamic force in social change is nearing its decisive moment...there is no time now for slow processes of gradual change. The imperative need is for Socialism now. However, within a few months, the ILP took the decision to disaffiliate from Labour.

The Labour Party continued, however, to shift further to the left. In 1932, Harold Laski, a reformist theoretician, asked whether evolutionary socialism (had) deceived itself in believing that it can establish itself by peaceful means within the ambit of the capitalist system.

Another leading figure, Stafford Cripps, in a pamphlet entitled Can Socialism Come by Constitutional Means? warned that the ruling class will go to almost any length to defeat Parliamentary actions if the issue is the direct issue as to the continuance of their financial and political control. He then went on to advocate emergency powers for a Labour Government to tackle the crisis.

Calls for socialism

The Labour Party Conference passed a resolution, without dissent that: the common ownership of the means of production and distribution is the only means by which the producers by hand and brain will be able to secure the full fruits of their industry.

Another resolution demanded that:

Socialist legislation must be immediately promulgated, and that the Party shall stand or fall in the House of Commons on the principles in which it has faith. Let us lay down in some such resolution as this the unshakeable mandate that they (the Labour Government) are to introduce at once, before attempting remedial measures of any other kind, great socialist measures, or some general measure empowering them to nationalise the key industries of the country.

Arthur Henderson, the Party chairman, was almost howled down by the delegates when he opposed the resolution for tying the hands of the leadership. He was so disgruntled at the general atmosphere of the Conference that he told me on the last morning that he had decided to resign the Leadership, explained Hugh Dalton.

The right wing, although on the defensive, were determined to keep their hold on policy. A secret City group was established behind the backs of the Party, as a direct link to big business. Early in 1932 I took some part in encouraging the formation of a small group of City people to advise the Party on questions of which they had practical knowledge, explained Dalton. The membership, and even the existence, of this group was kept for some time a very close secret...Its secret name is XYZ.

This shows the clear role of the right wing within the Labour Party. It was through such individuals  overt and covert - that the ruling class exercised control.

Today, while a split away of the Blairite members of the PLP could initially hinder or even prevent a Corbyn-led Labour victory in a general election, it will propel the Party far to the left.

Failure of reformism

Following 1931, Attlee and Cripps put out a warning in a memorandum against the adoption of gradual half-measures:

So long as Capitalism holds the power and the control, so long will it use every weapon to retain it...The result of failure of a Labour Government will be the immediate splitting of the Labour Party into fragments, to the great and permanent advantage of the perpetration of the capitalist regime. From these fragments will probably be built up amongst others a strong revolutionary party and the eventual issue will be fought out between that party and Capitalism.

The betrayal and shipwreck of the Labour Government of 1929-31 was the result of its attempt, in the middle of a slump, to manage the capitalist system. It exposed the failure of reformism.

The key lesson from this debacle, especially in a period of deep crisis, is that it is not the task of the Labour Party to rescue capitalism but to do away with it.

That is why the Marxists are consistently campaigning for a bold socialist programme to put an end to this system of dole queues and hardship. Very shortly, such a message will find a colossal echo in the movement of the working class.

The Labour Party was founded to represent the working class in Parliament. Under the impact of the Russian Revolution, it adopted a socialist aim, which was abandoned and ignored by the right wing. Instead, they have used their positions  right up to the present - to further their careers and defend capitalism. It is time such representatives were booted out and replaced with genuine class fighters.

For the advanced sections of workers and the youth, the experience of 1931 contains vital lessons for the future. In the fight to support Corbyn, we must urgently cleanse the Party of careerists and Tory carpetbaggers and commit the Labour movement to immediately implement socialist policies to end this crisis-prone system. In this struggle, the Marxist tendency will play a leading role.

Source: Socialist Appeal (Britain)
Sheila Siener, Julie Mabile

Sheila Siener, 58, center, gets help from friends and family including her sister Julie Mabile, 51, left, to clean out her flood damaged home in St. Amant, La., Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016. Louisiana continues to dig itself out from devastating floods, with search parties going door to door looking for survivors. (AP Photo/Max Becherer)

(AP Photo/Max Becherer)

SPRINGFIELD -- Big Y World Class Markets is working with the American Red Cross to raise money for those affected by the devastating floods in Louisiana.

Customers and employees will have the opportunity to donate to American Red Cross disaster relief at all Big Y locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut starting Saturday and running through Sept. 11.

The funds raised will support people in communities affected by the Louisiana floods.

Mario Bruno, CEO of the American Red Cross Connecticut and Rhode Island Region, said in a news release, "We have sent 1,900 incredible volunteers, including many from Connecticut, to provide aid to those displaced by the devastating floods in Louisiana. Now more than ever, we need our friends and neighbors to help us continue our work. We thank Big Y's customers and employees for supporting our efforts in Louisiana."

Big Y, its customers and employees have worked together to provide disaster relief over the last 10 years. Past relief campaigns include the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, Hurricane Katrina and earthquakes in Japan, Haiti and Nepal, according to a news release. The 10-plus-year partnership has raised more than $445,000 to support both international and domestic disasters.

On its website, the American Red Cross estimates that its Louisiana flood response this summer will cost in excess of $30 million.

The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters, according to its news release. For more information, visit redcross.org or follow @RedCross on Twitter.
Elko wouldnt be here if not for mining and the railroad, but the bedrock of northeastern Nevada is the family ranch.

The hardy pioneers who settled here to plant crops and raise livestock spread throughout the county, their ranch properties forming a lattice around which communities sprang up. Our recent articles by correspondent Adella Harding described some of the challenges that descendants of these families face to keep their ranches going.

We were surprised to see that Elko County ranches are not only surviving but thriving, with property valuations increasing by an impressive 50 percent over the past decade. And while many large ranches are now in the hands of corporations including mines, there is still a strong legacy of family ownership.

When you think about Elko County ranches you have to think big. Sure, the largest private ranches are located in Texas, but most of them are fragmented and lack the availability of public grazing land. Dwarfing them all is the Winecup Gamble  a solid block of nearly one million acres of private and federal ranch land in northeastern Elko County.

The Winecup is one of those ranches that was too big for a single family to manage. Started in 1868 by John Sparks, who went on to become Nevadas 10th governor, it was later purchased by Utah Construction Land and Cattle Company and even later by actor Jimmy Stewart.

When former Reebok owner Paul Fireman put the ranch up for sale six years ago he was asking $50 million. This year it is back on the market for $77 million  increasing in value along the lines of other ranches in the county.

Ranch owners who spoke with Harding mentioned the pressures they face in keeping their properties in the family. Some of the forces act from within  such as sibling battles or lack of interest from descendants to maintain the rural lifestyle  while others are exterior. Among these are the increase in federal regulations and pressure from environmental/conservation groups.

A year ago the federal government designated much of northern Elko County as priority sage grouse habitat, bringing a host of new restrictions that have impacted mining exploration.

We have yet to see any crippling impact on ranching from the sage grouse restrictions, but groups like Western Watersheds Project in Idaho are relentless in their efforts to eliminate grazing on public lands. Their director wrote a letter to the editor after reading our series to encourage ranch owners to sell out, claiming there are plenty of conservation dollars out there waiting to take land out of private ownership and return it to the wild.

We encourage Elko County ranchers to do just the opposite, and maintain our regions proud heritage of large family ranches. They are still the backbone of smaller communities scattered around the county, and this would be a much lonelier place without them.

It was comforting to learn earlier this month that we are not alone in this perspective. Three top officials from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service  the agency responsible for determining threats to species nationwide  took the unusual step of writing a commentary in support of public lands ranching as a tool in maintaining habitat on public land.

Their carefully worded statement acknowledged the damage that can be done by overgrazing, yet affirmed that proper grazing can achieve healthy outcomes. The trio said we are aware of many examples of ranchers grazing livestock in a manner that keeps the sagebrush ecosystem healthy for both wildlife and people.

Thats a pretty strong endorsement of the role ranchers can play in the ongoing war over public land use. We think it speaks favorably of the chances for Elko Countys family ranch industry to keep increasing in value in the decades ahead.
Spfld Parade Honorees_ Darwin Cruz_2.jpg

Darwin Cruz, of Holyoke, has been selected as this year's Springfield Puerto Rican Parade Cultural Ambassador. (Photo by Giovanni Negron/ Springfield Puerto Rican Parade)

Editor's note: This is the fourth in a series profiling the honorees of the 2016 Springfield Puerto Rican Parade, which takes place Sept. 18. The third story profiled civil service ambassador Officer Ivan Rosas.

SPRINGFIELD -- Darwin "Jerry" Cruz is a man who sees art and poetry in all of life's situations.

"I live it, I feel it and I love to share it with others," said Cruz, a poet and performer who lives in Holyoke.

On September 18, Cruz will march down Main Street in Springfield as the Cultural Ambassador for the 2016 Springfield Puerto Rican Parade.

Cruz is a beloved member of the community recognized for his work as a teller of folkloric stories, a poet, an actor and even a clown for parties. He has also played one of the Three Kings in many of the cultural functions in Springfield and Holyoke.

"It's in my blood. My grandfather was a poet and all of the family members on my father's side are involved in the arts whether its poetry, theater, music or dance," he said.

Born and raised in Puerto Rico, Cruz has loved poetry ever since he was a child attending Catholic school in a small village on the island.

"I've been writing poetry since I was in kindergarten. I always used to memorize the poems we learned in school. When I was younger I didn't like to recite poetry. For me it was more about living the poetry I read, loving it and appreciating it," he said.

Cruz has lived in Holyoke for 14 years and loves sharing all of the folkloric stories he was taught on the island.

"My passion is Afro-Caribbean poetry and story telling," he said. "I always say no matter whether you were born in Puerto Rico or here in the United States I think it's important to embrace your history and cultural traditions."

Cruz was with a client planning a party where he would play the clown when he got the call about being selected as the cultural ambassador.

"I started to tear up because I felt so happy. I love what I do and my passion is serving the community. I learn from them, but I can also offer them all that I know about our culture," he said.

His wife, Brenda Samaris Rosario, and their two children, will attend the parade to cheer him on.

"I's going to be such an incredible day and I feel blessed to be a part of it," he said.
Each week, MassLive showcases pets available for adoption at shelters at rescue organizations in Western Massachusetts.

With the participation of the shelters listed below, many animals should be able to find a permanent home.

We also provide some pet-related news items that we hope you will enjoy.



Mutts & Mimosas event to benefit animals at Dakin Humane Society

This is Black, a Terrier, American Pit Bull mix available for adoption at the Dakin Humane Society in Springfield. Donations from the Mutts & Mimosas event will benefit animals like him. (Photo courtesy of Dakin Humane Society website)

The Republican Newsroom

WHATELY  Join Dakin Humane Society at the scenic Quonquont Farm & Orchard for an opportunity to socialize, eat brunch and help animals in need.

Mutts & Mimosas brings together humans and canines for an indoor/outdoor, fun-filled day of food, drinks, and of course dogs, organizers said.

Festivities will include a gourmet catered brunch by Seth Mias, a gourmet dog meal (optional), a Make-your-own mimosa bar, live music and a raffle and silent auction.

Organizers encourage people to bring their dogs to the event.



All proceeds will provide shelter, medical care, spay/neuter services, and behavioral rehabilitation for the animals in Dakin's care.

The event will be held Sunday Sept. 25 from 11a .m. to 2 p.m. at Quonquont Farm, 9 North St.

Tickets are $50. Meals for pets are an additional $10.

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WESTERN MASSACHUSETTS SHELTERS:

Dakin Pioneer Valley Humane Society

Address: 163 Montague Road, Leverett

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 548-9898

Website: www.dpvhs.org

Address: 171 Union St., Springfield

Hours: Tuesday-Sunday, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-4000

Website: www.dpvhs.org



Thomas J. O'Connor Animal Control and Adoption Center

Address: 627 Cottage St., Springfield

Hours: Monday, Tuesday, Saturday, noon-4 p.m.; Thursday, noon-7 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 781-1484

Website: tjoconnoradoptioncenter.com

Westfield Homeless Cat Project

Address: 1124 East Mountain Road, Westfield

Hours: Adoption clinics, Thursday, 5-7 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Website: http://www.whcp.petfinder.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/westfieldhomelesscatprojectadoptions



Westfield Regional Animal Shelter

Address: 178 Apremont Way, Westfield

Hours: Monday-Friday, noon-5 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 564-3129

Website: http://www.petfinder.com/shelters/ma70.html

Franklin County Sheriff's Office Regional Dog Shelter and Adoption Center

Address: 10 Sandy Lane, Turners Falls

Hours: Monday-Thursday, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 9 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 676-9182

Website: http://fcrdogkennel.org/contact.html

Polverari/Southwick Animal Control Facility

Address: 11 Depot St., Southwick

Hours: Monday-Friday, 8 a.m.-1 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 569-5348, ext. 649

Website: http://southwickpolice.com/chief-david-a-ricardis-welcome/animal-control/

Berkshire Humane Society

Address: 214 Barker Road, Pittsfield

Hours: Tuesday-Saturday, 10:00 a.m.-4 p.m.; Thursday, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m., Sunday, 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 447-7878

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/

Purradise Feline Adoption

Address: 301 Stockbridge Road, Great Barrington

Hours: Monday and Tuesday: Closed; Wednesday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Thursday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.; Friday,10 a.m. - 4 p.m.; Saturday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.; Sunday, noon-4 p.m.

Telephone: (413) 717-4244

Website: http://berkshirehumane.org/contact-us/

Greyhound Options, Inc.

Address: 43 Sygiel Rd., Ware, MA. 01082

Telephone: 413-967-9088

Website: greyhoundadoptions.org


"Contractors that illegally cut corners at the expense of their workers should not benefit from taxpayer-funded federal contracts," Labor Secretary Thomas Perez said in a statement.

Despite objections from industry groups, starting Oct. 25 federal contractors must list all labor violations  even minor ones  incurred by them or their subcontractors on their federal contracts for the previous three years.

Fourteen areas need to be covered, including "wage and hour, safety and health, collective bargaining, family and medical leave, and civil rights protections."

The Obama administration finalized a rule Wednesday requiring firms to report past labor law violations to qualify for contracts with the federal government.

President Obama signed the final rule for the Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces executive order, which he issued two years ago.

By Dave Boyer  The Washington Times

Full Story: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/aug/24/obama-orders-blacklisting-regulation-contractors/
The Montana Department of Commerce works with statewide and local partners, private industry and small businesses to enhance and sustain economic prosperity in Montana. - Montana Is On The Move
Extensive media coverage of the rapes and sexual assaults committed at this Julys Sanfermines fiestas in Pamplona have prompted Spains regional and local authorities to announce they will be increasing security at similar events held throughout the country during the summer months in a bid to protect women.

There have been a series of protest marches in cities holding fiestas over the last month in response to the sexual assaults in Pamplona during the world-famous Sanfermines bull-running events, which included a gang rape. Many local authorities have announced measures that include awareness campaigns, self-defense courses for women, as well as drafting in extra police officers.

Vitoria, San Sebastian and Bilbao also announced measures to curb sexual harassment during their annual fiestas earlier this month

The town council of Bunol, in Valencia, where the annual Tomatina tomato-throwing fiesta will be held next week, attracting some 22,000 people, says that around 600 police officers and civil guards will be helping local police. Among them will be undercover officers. The town of some 10,000 people sees its population swell on August 31, with around 60% of revelers coming from abroad.

The experts agree that huge events such as the Tomatina or Sanfermines, with thousands of people packed into small towns where they drink and take drugs, increase the likelihood of sexual assaults against women. Its really a question of statistics, says forensic psychologist Timamfaya Hernandez: The context makes it more likely, and there is also the idea that anything goes at these kinds of mass events, she says, adding that alcohol and narcotics play a large part: They make people much less inhibited.

She says that women are also more likely to lower their guard: Not that women are responsible for being attacked, but they are simply more vulnerable and there are more men out there likely to assault them.

At the same time as introducing measures to protect women during fiestas, the experts say that more needs to be done to instill the values of equality in children at school. That said, Pilar Martin Najera, a public prosecutor who focuses on gender-specific violence cases, believes that society increasingly rejects men who are violent toward women. We see greater social rejection, she says. It is clear that there is greater awareness, adds Javier Elzo, a sociologist at the University of Deusto.

Bunols local council has said it will be taking a zero-tolerance approach during the Tomatina, and has prepared special measures against gender violence, male abuse and any type of violence against other vulnerable groups. We cannot allow local fiestas to be used to breach other peoples rights, it says in a statement, warning that anybody found to be involved in any kind of sexual harassment will be detained and brought before the courts.

The three main cities of the Basque Country, Vitoria, San Sebastian and Bilbao, have also announced measures to curb sexual harassment during their annual fiestas this month.

At the same time as introducing measures to protect women during fiestas, the experts say that more needs to be done to instill the values of equality in children at school

In Vitoria, the city council has organized awareness courses for shops, bars, and residents. During its fiestas, held during the first week of August, stands and information points were set up for women, while emergency numbers were made available in bars and throughout the city. Despite the measures, a young woman was attacked in an underpass.

In San Sebastian and Bilbao, residents and shop owners joined a campaign under the slogan: Insisting is harassment, and harassment is an attack.

In Bilbao, trams and buses carried banners with the slogan, while some 14,000 cards with the number of the local police and emergency services were handed out. A further 700,000 paper napkins with the same information were also distributed in bars and restaurants.

In Mallorcas main city of Palma, the authorities launched a campaign under the slogan Palma, free of sexual assaults during its fiestas, which, aside from aiming to raise awareness, also includes self-defense workshops. Posters have been plastered throughout the city.

Meanwhile, in Andalusia, for the upcoming Cascamorras fiestas in the small town of Baza, in Granada province, which attracts some 15,000 people, the authorities have launched an awareness campaign under the slogan No means no. Enjoy the night and respect others.

We have assessed how many people will be here, and with so much alcohol there is always a risk, says Bazas equality councilor Mariana Palma. The attacks in San Sebastian have increased awareness, she adds. That said, at the recent Feria de Malaga, held in a huge events area outside the city, there were no extra measures in evidence to protect women.

With information from: Pedro Gorospe, Javier Martin-Arroyo, Lucia Bohorquez and Maria Josep Serra.

English version by Nick Lyne.
With just four days to go before Spains interim Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appears before Congress to persuade it to support him in forming a government, Ciudadanos, the only party openly prepared to support him, has issued Rajoys Popular Party with a 48-hour ultimatum to conclude negotiations begun this week and reach agreement.

We want to say yes to Mariano Rajoy, but he needs to give us reasons for doing so, said Juan Carlos Girauta, the emerging center-right partys spokesman on Thursday, adding that time was running out.

The discussions are taking place after the PP agreed to a six-point plan laid out by Ciudadanos as a condition to them lending their support for Rajoy in the investiture debate.

The Socialist Party is already assuming Rajoy will fail to garner enough support in Congress at a first vote on August 31

The PP won the most votes at the two recent inconclusive general elections (in December and June), but fell well short of the majority needed to form a government. As things stand, even with the support of Ciudadanos, Rajoy will not win the first investiture vote next week, at which an absolute majority of 176 seats is needed. Securing abstentions in the second round would allow him to win thanks to a simple majority of yes votes.

But four days into talks between Ciudadanos and the PP, there is still little sign of a formal agreement. On Thursday, the PP called for calm, saying that there were up to one hundred measures it was about to agree on a definitive wording.

Girauta accused the PP of failing to meet Ciudadanos demands regarding social policy, or to present Senate reforms, changes to the judicial system or streamlining countrys many layers of government.

Riveras party is demanding specifics when it comes to their social spending action plan, which includes measures such as a supplement for those on low salaries, a plan to combat child poverty, increased paternity and maternity leave, and greater education for children under the age of three.

As things stand, even with the support of Ciudadanos, Rajoy will not win the first investiture vote next week

We still dont have any numbers and no institutional reforms. This forces us to give the talks a further 48 hours. If in that time we havent signed this agreement, then sadly, were not going to be able to give our support, he said.

Speaking later on Thursday, Fernando Martinez-Maillo, the PPs organizational deputy secretary, said he was not aware of Ciudadanos ultimatum. He pointed out that the two parties were not negotiating a government, but an investiture pact, and advised Ciudadanos to be patient. This is just the normal push and shove of all negotiations, he added.

Meanwhile, Spains Socialist Party (PSOE) insists it will not review its decision not to support Rajoy in the investiture debate, opting instead to wait until October, after two key regional elections in Galicia and the Basque Country, when its federal committee will meet.

Over the course of the year, Rajoy has sought to pressure Sanchez, accusing the PSOE of responsibility for the ongoing political impasse. But Sanchezs hands are tied: the decision not to support Rajoys investiture was taken by the Socialist Partys federal committee earlier this summer.

The Socialist Party is already assuming that Rajoy will fail to garner enough support in Congress at a first vote on August 31. In which case Rajoy could either try again in October, depending on the results of the regional elections, or Spaniards will again go to the polls, which the current electoral timetable would schedule for December 25.

In a bid to avoid this extraordinary turn of events, which would be unprecedented in Spains democratic history, the Socialists are planning to table a reform that would halve the duration of the election campaign, bringing polling day forward.

English version by Nick Lyne.
These are the responsibility of the editor and convey the newspaper's view on current affairs-both domestic and international

Juan Manuel Santos announces the end of taks with the FARC. HANDOUT (REUTERS)

On Wednesday, Latin America experienced a truly historic moment with the announcement that talks between the Colombian government and the leftist rebels of the FARC had successfully concluded, bringing to an end a 52-year civil war  the longest in the Western hemisphere  that has left at least 220,000 people dead, with another 45,000 missing and up to five million displaced. The end of this tragedy is an unqualified success both for Colombia and the international community, which has accompanied the process begun four years ago with the signing of an agreement that laid out the basis for talks that officially began on September 4, 2012.

Credit lies first and foremost with Colombias President Juan Manuel Santos, who, in his capacity as defense minister, delivered one of the toughest blows to the FARC when troops staged a spectacular jungle rescue of presidential candidate Ingrid Betancourt in 2008.

The Colombian government will have to explain in detail just what has been agreed in Havana

After taking office in 2010, President Santos committed himself to a peaceful, negotiated settlement to what seemed like an irresoluble situation. His decision brought him into conflict with many influential and powerful people in Colombia, among them his predecessor, Manuel Uribe. His initial strategy to continue fighting the FARC at home as though talks were not underway in Havana, and to negotiate in the Cuban capital as though there were no conflict underway in Colombia, proved to be correct. Furthermore, Santos has succeeded in keeping the international community involved in the talks at all times, making it clear that achieving peace is a collective effort involving all democracies.

Credit should also go to the FARCs leaders, who have finally accepted that there was no way they could win their armed campaign and that the best way forward was to accept joining the democratic process, even if this meant laying down their arms. Over the last four years there have been setbacks, and both sides should be praised for not throwing in the towel and sticking with the only serious and lasting effort to reach peace in Colombia so far.

The end of this tragedy is an unqualified success both for Colombia and the international community

Needless to say, the agreement is not to everybodys satisfaction, and many in Colombia consider that it doesnt go far enough. As the governments chief negotiator Humberto de la Calle noted earlier this week when the end to talks was announced: We would all probably have liked more, but the agreement we have reached is viable, it is the best agreement we could have reached.

The Colombian electorate will need to bear these words in mind when they vote in September in a referendum on the peace deal. Before then, however, the government will have to explain in detail just what has been agreed in Havana.

Dialogue has achieved the seemingly impossible. We must thank Colombia for this, and hope that reconciliation will now help the country turn a page on one of the darkest chapters in its history and allow it to look to a peaceful future.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Interior Minister Rodolfo Illanes. EFE

More information Un viceministro boliviano, linchado durante un secuestro por mineros

Bolivias deputy interior minister, Rodolfo Illanes, was beaten to death on Thursday by striking mineworkers who had kidnapped him after he attempted to negotiate with them at a roadblock they had staged, which was cutting off the countrys main highway.

The incident took place at Panduro, some 185 kilometers from the capital, La Paz, after Illanes was kidnapped on Thursday morning. During the day, police attempted to clear the roadblock, and in one incident, shot and killed a 26-year-old miner, named as Ruben Aparaya. There were reports police killed another miner in Cochabamba province during another standoff.

At this present time, all the indications are that our Deputy Minister Rodolfo Illanes has been brutally and cowardly murdered, Minister of Government Carlos Romero said on television and radio. Authorities later said around 100 people had been arrested over the incident.

The cooperative mining system has been accused of enriching a tiny minority that exploits other miners, paying starvation wages

He said Illanes had gone to talk to protesters earlier on Thursday but was intercepted and kidnapped by striking miners.

The government was trying to recover his body, Romero said.

Illanes assistant, Freddy Bobarin, had escaped and was being treated in a hospital in La Paz, Romero explained, adding that around 100 people had been arrested in connection with the killing.

Protests by miners in Bolivia demanding changes to laws turned violent earlier this week after a highway was blockaded. Two workers were killed on Wednesday after shots were fired by police. The government said 17 police officers had been wounded.

The National Federation of Mining Cooperatives of Bolivia, once strong allies of leftist President Evo Morales, began what they said would be an indefinite protest after negotiations over mining legislation failed.

Protesters have been demanding more mining concessions with less-stringent environmental rules, the right to work for private companies, and greater union representation.

Illanes made several telephone calls over the course of the day to the government calling on it to send a delegation to talk with the miners. After police moved in to try to clear the roadblock, no more was heard from him. Once the police had succeeded in their operation, a journalist reported seeing a badly beaten body tied against a lamppost.

Around 100 people have been arrested in connection with the killing

Bobarin told police that the situation had been tense but had only turned violent when miners learned that a colleague had been killed.

The government was due to sit down to talk with the workers, but the meeting was delayed after the minister was kidnapped.

Bolivias long-running social unrest appeared to have been largely overcome under the leadership of Morales, who took office in 2006. But the collapse in commodity prices over the last year has plunged the economy into decline. Mining has been one of the worst-affected sectors.

The vast majority of miners in Bolivia, one of South Americas poorest countries, work in cooperatives, scraping a living producing silver, tin and zinc. There are few foreign-owned mining firms, unlike in neighboring Peru and Chile. Instead, most miners, around 100,000, work in so-called survival mines run as cooperatives made up of groups of independent miners who extract small quantities of minerals from otherwise abandoned mine shafts.

Bolivian mining cooperatives account for about 35% of the countrys mining output. They are tax-exempt organizations and pay royalties at lower rates than mining companies.

However, the cooperative mining system has been accused of enriching a tiny minority that exploits other miners, paying starvation wages.

In 2014, Bolivia approved a new mining law, which denies cooperatives the right to partner with private companies, whether domestic or foreign. Bolivians, however, can now form mixed business enterprises with or through the state mining agency, Comibol.

English version by Nick Lyne.
Chicken will be the best-positioned protein due to its low price position in times of pressure on consumer spending power but rises in production costs and the long-term impact of COVID-19 threaten to disrupt the sector, according to Rabobank.
More information Enough cruelty

There are over 300 Spanish cities that lock calves in a bullring during local fiestas for residents to amuse themselves goading, prodding, and ultimately killing the animal, according to Spanish animal rights political party PACMA.

In the latest video released by the group documenting this kind of celebration, a calf is seen dying at the hands of inhabitants of the town Valmojado, in the province of Toledo. The PACMA members who recorded the video describe it as one of the cruelest theyve seen.

Young little calves that barely even have horns, no bigger than a mastiff, were attacked, stabbed, run through, and finished off by the residents, the party says.

The Valmojado local government, however, has released a statement defending its residents against the insults they have received in the wake of the video, insisting that the calves form part of a serious tradition of the community.

PACMA has organized a protest in Madrid on September 10 to denounce all of Spains bullfighting festivals. Were reclaiming the date of the Toro de la Vega, says the party spokesperson, in reference to a bull-hunting festival held in the town of Tordesillas that dates back to medieval times. Its symbolic for us.

English version by Allison Light.
by Josh Engroff , Op-Ed Contributor, August 26, 2016

This post was originally published in an earlier edition of Online Spin.

The future has arrived  its just not evenly distributed yet -- science-fiction writer William Gibson

If you ever get the chance to see Erin Yogasundram present, you should. Erin is the 24-year-old CEO and founder of Shop Jeen, a playground for Gen Z and young Millennials to explore, share, shop, experiment, interact, learn & discover, and she is rewriting the future of fashion retail. For Erin, product, sales, social marketing, customer service, branded content and customer service arent separate things, bolted together across departments and agencies; they are one thing, organically inseparable.

She has the hustle and positive energy of a true entrepreneur. As an 11-year-old on Manhattans Upper East Side, Erin would hang out by the doors of The Late Show with David Letterman, solicit autographs from celebrities, then quickly sell them on eBay. She started Shop Jeen from her dorm room at the age of 20.

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Erin combines the skills of fashion curator, cultural linguist, and psychologist. She talks to her customers like personal friends, and they love her for it. Millions of dollars in sales and a huge Instagram fan base later, half a million people think think Erin is totally bae AF. The importance of TV for gaining this kind of reach and engagement? None at all.

The point isnt that every brand should start talking like a 22-year-old. The point is we that we live in a culture that increasingly values personalization and authenticity and scale in all communications, whether with friends or brands. And its pretty much all happening in social.

The are two (intertwined) reasons for this. The first is cultural: Gen Z was not alive during, nor conditioned by, the era dominated by linear media (the time that ad execs of a certain age refer to as The Golden Age). That reality -- of few channel options, pervasive :30 second spots, brands talking at people rather than with them, media devices that were huge but dumb -- isnt their reality. So why should they give a shit about it now?

The other reason is technology. If you squint your eyes a little, the world in 2016 looks a bit like a sci-fi movie. What do we see? Well

 For the first time in history, every human on the planet has or wants a pocket supercomputer. Often called a smartphone, this device is really just a magic portal into a galaxy of infinite options for communicating, entertaining, consuming and creating content,, buying things, returning things (after you realize those jeans arent really going to fit, cmon let's be real), and getting work done (if you must).

 We also see continent-size populations communicating with each other at a rate of 60 billion messages per day. And that number includes Messenger and WhatsApp.

 We see artificial intelligence that can beat humans at the hardest game ever invented by humans, Go. (What will the hardest game that AI invents for us be? The Matrix?)

 We see bots, bots, bots in every place where at least 100 million people are gathered, Facebook, Slack, Telegram, Kik. This is the real birth of what Chris Messina calls conversational commerce.

 We see people not only talking to bots (Siri) and trusting them with their money (Amazon Echo), but also trusting them with their emotions. We rational adults might not be fooled, but many children actually believe that Siri and Alexa are real and would be sad if they died (thankfully neither can be killed by normal means, only by corporate parents).

In other words, a brand doesnt need to be Shop Jeen in order to bring a high level of personalization and authenticity into its interactions with consumers. During F8 last week, Facebook basically rolled out the red carpet to make this process as easy as possible for brands: Come on in, this is where your consumers are.

Increased authenticity and personalization will change the shape of advertising, I think.

Advertising done poorly has always felt like a dislocation, a wedge between us and our desired experience. And so we skip it, switch it, block it, or opt out of the whole environment altogether and find shelter in Netflix and Telegram.

Great advertising, however, is an experience in itself, interesting or useful in its own right. These days, great advertising contains the same attributes we value highly in human communication: authenticity, integrity, intelligence, empathy, humor. Thus, as great advertising gets closer to The Real Thing, it starts to become it. Still commercial yes, but shorn of the unhelpful baggage accrued during earlier eras of advertising.

Conversation is one of the simplest, yet most personal, forms of communication between two individuals. As brands adopt chat and conversation as new modes of consumer interaction, advertising itself will change, and for the better.

The future has arrived. Its just not evenly distributed yet.
CNBC, Friday, August 26, 2016 4:36 AM

The State Department has been ordered to release any emails sent between Hillary Clinton and the White House from the week of the 2012 attack in Benghazi, Libya, by September 13th. The judge's order came after the FBI recovered a disc with almost 15,000 emails on it that was not present during their previous inquiry.

Read the whole story at CNBC 
by Thom Forbes @tforbes, August 26, 2016

Volkswagen and its 650 U.S. dealers announced they had reached a settlement at a hearing in federal court in San Francisco yesterday without disclosing the amount. Sources told several media outlets it comes to to $1.2 billion.

That amount is for compensation for the reduction in value of VW dealerships and additional payments for vehicles that could not be sold, two sources briefed on the agreement tell Reuters David Shepardson. VW has also agreed to continue to make certain incentive payments to dealers, they said.

That figure, on top of whatever Volkswagen will end up spending to buy back unsold and unfixable diesels from the dealers, would work out to an average of $1.85 million per dealer  although the amounts will vary, depending on the size of the dealership and other factors, writes Neal E. Boudette for the New York Times.

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The case stems from the manufacturer's 2015 admission that 11 million Volkswagen clean diesel vehicles worldwide had software designed to get around emissions tests. American VW dealers are prohibited by U.S. regulators from selling the cars, a ban that has lasted almost a year, reports Jacob Bogage for the Washington Post. As a result, the dealers filed suit against VW, seeking to recover lost revenue.

U.S. District Judge Charles Breyer, who gave the parties until the end of September to submit a final proposal, must approve the settlement outlined yesterday.

We believe this agreement in principle with Volkswagen dealers is a very important step in our commitment to making things right for all our stakeholders in the United States, Hinrich J. Woebcken, CEO of Volkswagens North American operations, said in a statement.

The dealer settlement means VW has agreed to spend at least $16.5 billion in total in the United States to address emissions issues, but by no means is out of the woods. Volkswagen still faces billions of dollars in potential civil and potential criminal U.S. fines for violating emissions laws, as well as a potential costly buy-back of vehicles equipped with 3.0 liter diesel engines, Reuters Shepardson points out.

Volkswagen previously reached an agreement with attorneys for car owners. That deal calls for it to spend up to $10 billion buying back or repairing about 475,000 vehicles involved in the scandal and paying VW owners an additional $5,100 to $10,000 each, Charles Fleming reminds us in the Los Angeles Times. The settlement with car owners also includes $2.7 billion for unspecified environmental mitigation and an additional $2 billion to promote zero-emissions vehicles.

Meanwhile, an attorney for Volkswagen told Judge Breyer that most of Volkswagens diesel-powered vehicles on U.S. roads cant be retrofitted to fully comply with air-pollution regulations, though its larger vehicles likely can, Sara Randazzo, Aruna Viswanatha and William Boston report for the Wall Street Journal.

He also told the court that Volkswagen is close to offering regulators a fix for the larger vehicles, which he said have better emissions controls than the about 475,000 2-liter vehicles covered by a $15 billion settlement reached in June.

Owners of 2-liter vehicles such as Jettas and Passats will receive compensation and have a choice between selling back their cars or accepting a repair, according to the WSJ report. Volkswagen likely will recall the vehicles with 3-liter engines vehicles  including SUVs, Porsches and Audis, which could increase its costs.

Meanwhile, with Volkswagen's sales falling, and not just since the current crisis, dealers have been hurting, Sonari Glinton writes for NPR.

The dealers are VW's front line in this matter, Kelley Blue Book analyst Rebecca Lindland tells Glinton in an email. Not only do they represent the company to the owners, they're also impacted financially since they're hamstrung on what products they can sell.

Without a settlement, many dealers would go under.

VW dealers have actually been one of the significantly aggrieved parties throughout all this mess, in addition to Volkswagen owners, writes Stef Schrader for Jalopnik. They didnt really know that the cars were cheating on emissions, and when the company fessed up to its deception, it was the dealers that suffered as customers stayed away in droves. It didnt help that they lost about 20% of their sales in diesel models alone, either.

They obviously are hoping to stick around to see Volkswagen CEO Matthias Muller deliver on the four-point Together strategy to transform the company and establish an innovative culture over the next 10 years, as he outlined in a press conference June.

It will certainly be a revealing decade. And by 2026, we should all have a better idea of whos really in the drivers seat.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, August 26, 2016

Facebook refuses to remain stagnant and allow Google and Microsoft to excel at artificial intelligence (AI), so it is working on applying machine vision image technology to video, where objects are moving, interacting and continually changing.

Engineers in the Facebook AI Research (FAIR) group call the technique "real-time classification," which they believe can help people search for relevant and important Live videos on Facebook. The technology will have the ability to detect scenes, objects, and actions that could one day allow individuals to search and find real-time narration.

The ability to search for and identify moving images and audio in videos will allow for more precise ad targeting.

The project uses the source code for three of its image machine vision algorithms that Facebook recently made open and accessible to all in hopes of spurring rapid adoption.

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Computer vision technology makes it easier to search for specific images without an explicit tag on each photo, according to Facebook. Those with vision loss can understand the image in the photos that friends share because the technology will tell them through audio, regardless of the caption posted alongside the image.

The AI behind the technology identifies and tags photos and helps read the content of images to visually impaired users who are visiting the site. The three new algorithms driving the social network's advanced are called DeepMask and SharpMask, which have enabled Facebook AI Research (FAIR) machine vision technology to detect and precisely delineate each object in an image, as well as MultiPathNet, which label each object. Those three algorithms, along with the related research papers, are now available.

The algorithms find patterns in the pixels to identify objects. The image is encoded as numbers representing color values for each pixel. Trained neural networks with millions of parameters programmatically identify the objects based on defined rule-based systems. It learns from each image seen.

Very simply put, DeepMask identifies the objects and "blobs," SharpMask refines and generates a sharper mask of the image that more accurately defines the object's boundaries. Then MultiPathNet more accurately identifies the objects defined by each.
by Sarah Mahoney @mahoney_sarah, August 26, 2016

Ulta Beauty has once again blown most other retailers away with its quarterly results, posting second-quarter sales above expectations.

That news comes as further evidence that beauty shoppers are more interested in niche and value brands, and less interested in department stores. As both JC Penney and Kohls look for new ways to lure the lipstick crowd, it means much tougher times for high-end department store brands, like Estee Lauder.

At Ulta, based in Bolingbrook, Illinois, net sales soared 21.9% to $1.07 billion -- up from $877 million in the same period of last year. That amounts to a 14.4% gain on a same-store basis. Sales were strong by every metric, including transactions and basket size, and sales in its salons, which climbed 14.3%. E-commerce sales jumped 54.9%. And net income grew 21.3% to $90 million, compared to $74.2 million in the year-ago period.

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The rise of Ulta and category pioneer Sephora, owned by luxury heavyweight LVMH, continue to stick it to conventional department stores. Last week, Estee Lauder lowered its profit forecast, projecting gloomier times in department stores. (Macys, which the Wall Street Journal says contributes 9% of Lauders revenues, just announced another round of store closures.)

Department stores have fought to hang on to beauty customers with mixed results. JC Penney, which has long used its Sephora stores to woo these women, has stepped up its expansion. In remarks for its Analyst Day presentations last week, JC Penney executives describe it as one of the biggest advantages over the competition, giving the chain a 5% share of the prestige cosmetics business. And it says it will be adding Clinique, one of Lauders biggest brands, in September.

Macys is hoping to court new beauty bucks with the acquisition and expansion of Bluemercury. And in a report in the Dallas Morning News, Kohls says it has completed the beauty departments in all 1,100 of its stores, a few years ahead of schedule in its long-term turnaround strategy.

Deutsche Bank analyst Bill Schmitz, while still rating Lauder a buy, outlines some of the problems in his latest note: While the industry is growing nicely overall, there are still looming questions around the cost and ability of the company to capture the incremental growth, especially in the U.S., he writes, with niche brands gaining. Over the last five years, five of the top eight prestige beauty manufacturers in the U.S. have lost share  as the industry democratizes and more inclusive channels like eCommerce and specialty/multi formats take market share.

Euromonitor says that in 2015, about 27% of all color cosmetics in the U.S. were sold at department stores. And while the Internet is a fast-growing channel, it still accounts for just 10% of all U.S. cosmetic sales and 9% of fragrances.
by Steve McClellan @mp_mcclellan, August 26, 2016



Omnicom GroupsTBWA\Chiat\Day has been named Global B2B Agency of Record for tech giant Intel Corp. The assignment followed a three-month pitch. MRM/McCann, part of Interpublic Group, was the incumbent.

The company spends close to $100 million annually marketing to its B2B audience.

TBWA\C\D is tasked with developing an integrated global campaign platform aimed at senior business and IT decision makers around the world.

The scope of work includes creative and strategic duties in a shared effort between its Los Angeles and New York offices. Those offices will work with TBWA teams in other key client markets, including London, Japan, Greater China and Dusseldorf.

The business will be led out of the agencys Los Angeles office. Sibling agency Doremus will take point on lead generation activity on the account.

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Our company strategy is about powering the billions of smart, connected computing devices across the globe, stated Kathy Garchow, Intel director of business marketing strategy. Our work with TBWA\Chiat\Day will help us better connect how our technology enables our business customers to achieve their success.

Intel is transforming from a PC-centric company to one that powers the cloud and a multitude of smart, connected devices. While the company powers most of the worlds PCs, its data center and Internet of Things (IoT) businesses are the companys primary growth engines. These growth businesses delivered $2.2 billion in revenue growth last year, and made up 40% of revenue and the majority of operating profit.

TBWA\Chiat\Day LA President Erin Riley stated: We look forward to working alongside our TBWA teams around the world to build an integrated brand platform that taps into culture and resonates with modern business customers.
by Laurie Sullivan @lauriesullivan, August 26, 2016

Plans by the European Union may have search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo paying publishers to list parts of articles in search query results under a new copyright rule.

The European Commission could propose that national legislation be allowed to require news publishers to claim compensation from Internet companies, such as search engine and content distributors, according to a document originally published by Statewatch. The draft document is copy of the commission's "impact assessment" for the promised overhaul to copyright measures.

Despite the growing success of online advertising last year, which Warcs annual report estimates rose 71.3%, outperforming the overall market at just 7.5%, the increase of digital publisher revenue has not made up for the decline of print.

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The draft copy admits that freely-available content remains crucial as it attracts advertising revenue, but the majority of news content available online, including social media news feeds on sites like Facebook, continues to provide challenges for publishers.

Although the visibility of news brings more visitors and advertising to publisher sites, it could take away just as much as it gives.

A recent study suggests 66 % of visits to newspapers' Web sites in France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom consist of referral traffic channeled by other online services to the publisher's site, the total value of which has been estimated to be 746 million, according to the document.

On the other hand, 47% of consumers browse and read news on these Web sites without clicking on links to access the entire article in the newspaper page, which erodes advertising revenue from the newspaper web pages.

One report suggests online platforms like Facebook and Google will "suck" 450 million out of the U.K. news industry during the next decade and new EC reform will aim to help protect publishers from bleeding revenue.
by Wendy Davis @wendyndavis, August 26, 2016

Twitter has been hit with a potential class-action lawsuit over an app that lets people "invest" in other users' profiles.

The complaint, filed by Jason Parker in U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California, accuses Twitter and the app developer, Hey, of violating a 2015 Alabama law giving people the right to control the commercial use of their identities.

Parker's allegations center on the app "Famous: The Celebrity Twitter," which he says is a new version of the controversial app called "Stolen."

Stolen let people use virtual currency to "buy" and "sell" Twitter users' profiles. That app was removed from the Apple store in January, after a lawmaker argued it enabled bullying and harassment.

The following month, the same developer released "Famous: The Celebrity Twitter."

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Parker alleges that the new app is substantially the same as Stolen, except for some minor differences -- including that it allows people to "invest" in profiles, as opposed to "buying" them.

"The app still displays real life Twitter users, including their full names and photographs, without their consent and players still collect these real life people from the apps marketplace using virtual currency," the petition alleges. "The app continues to misappropriate the full names and pictures of tens of thousands of real people without their consent just as it did before."

Parker, who is seeking class-action status, is seeking to hold Twitter responsible on the theory that it makes information about its users available to Hey through the application programming interface.

"Hey relies exclusively on Twitter to supply it with names and photographs to fill the Apps inventory of real people," the complaint alleges. "Had Twitter revoked Heys access to its API, the only people that would have been available for players to collect would be those that voluntarily downloaded and joined the app themselves."

It's not clear that Parker will be able to proceed against the microblogging service, given that a provision of the federal Communications Decency Act -- Section 230 -- generally protects Web platforms for activity by users, although there are exceptions.

If that law applies to Parker's allegations, Twitter has a strong argument that the lawsuit should be dismissed, Santa Clara University professor Eric Goldman tells MediaPost. "If Section 230 applies, this is an easy case for Twitter," he says.

Twitter declined to comment.
The Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI) is close to shelving an initiative by President Enrique Pena Nieto to amend the Mexican Constitution and legalize same-sex marriage. PRI congressional leaders who control the Chamber of Deputies and the Senate have made it clear that the proposal is not a priority for them. Some observers say this move is a sign of their surrender before the more conservative sectors of the Mexican Catholic Church, which have carried out a fierce crusade against a measure that would see same sex couples able to marry legally in all 32 states .

Enrique Pena Nieto and Senator Emilio Gamboa Notimex

More information La Iglesia vence al PRI en su pulso por los matrimonios igualitarios

When Congress convenes for a new session on September 1, the presidents proposal will start its countdown toward oblivion. The prospects, so far, are not good. Cesar Camacho, former PRI president and leader of the Chamber of Deputies, was the first to say that the measure would only be looked at after the group had dealt with an enormous, almost endless, extensive list of issues. Emilio Gamboa, a veteran politician and Senate majority leader, did not paint an auspicious future for the proposal. My impression is that it is not a priority issue today in the country and it is not an issue that Mexican society is pushing forward, he said this week.

Activist groups, however, remain hopeful. They have not made a decision as a parliamentary group, says Lol Lin Castaneda, the first lesbian to get married in Mexico in 2010 and one the women writing the first constitution of Mexico City. Castaneda says there is a vibrant debate between progressives and conservatives within PRI. The activist lawyer has asked for a meeting with PRIs new president, Enrique Ochoa, who took office in July, promising modernization and self-critique. Minority groups want to push the new PRI president to take a stronger stance on the issue. As a party they have a responsibility to justice and to the Constitution.

The bishops are using the weakness of the current administration to push forward their agenda Bernardo Barranco, Sociologist

Others say the government is evidently capitulating to the Church. The bishops are using the weakness of the current administration to push forward their agenda, says Bernardo Barranco, an expert on religious issues. The sociologist says the laicism of the state is in play at a moment when the president is facing one of the lowest popular ratings on record and fighting opposition groups on several fronts. Ultraconservative sectors are striking and putting him in a very uncomfortable position.

Besides their rejection of same-sex marriage, conservatives demand that the government remove all lessons on gender from textbooks used in preschools and primary schools. Catholic conservatives say such teachings promote homosexuality. The Church has also urged its members to join in marches to be held in several cities from September 10 to September 24 to make their voices heard. This call to action is an important test to measure the Churchs muscle, Barranco says. Excluding gatherings to welcome Pope Francis, the last big religious march took place in Mexico City 30 years ago. More than 160,000 people filled Zocalo square to protest against abortion rights.

They are calling for nationwide marches to protect something that is not even at risk, says Lol Kin Castaneda. No one loses his right when the same privilege is extended to other groups, she explains. The activist attorney says far-right conservatives have carried out a campaign of misinformation, resorting to insults, attacks and assaults against the LGBT community.

Opposition at the state level is coming from individuals across the political spectrum

Meanwhile, the government has endorsed the religious marches. LGBT organizations criticize its feeble efforts when it comes to maintaining the separation of Church and state enshrined in Article 130 of the Mexican Constitution. The article provided measures that reduced the influence of the Catholic Church, favoring secularization as a political tool to promote peaceful coexistence after religious conflicts pitted Church against state. Article 130, however, led to the Cristero Rebellion that left 250,000 people dead.

Today marriage equality has led to a vigorous debate in Mexican society. Ten states currently allow civil unions for same sex couples. Twenty-two provinces are opposed to changing state laws even after the Mexican Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of same-sex marriages. And the opposition at the state level is coming from individuals across the political spectrum, from the left-leaning Party of the Democratic Revolution to the conservative National Action Party (PAN).

English version by Dyane Jean Francois.
Scientists from the University of Missouri find exposing mice prenatally to chemicals used in fracking may harm the fertility of female mice, suggesting that damaging reproductive health outcomes might also be likely in humans. Share on Pinterest Exposure to fracking chemicals may cause mice to have lower levels of reproductive hormones. Hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, is a technique designed to recover gas and oil from shale rock. The process involves drilling down into the earth and directing a high-pressure water mixture  of water, sand, and chemicals  into the rock to release the gas inside. The term fracking refers to how the rock is fractured apart by the high-pressure mixture. Researchers say that the new study, published in the Endocrine Societys journal Endocrinology, is the first study to find a link between exposure to fracking chemicals and adverse reproductive and developmental repercussions in female mice. Previous research has found that fracking chemicals are endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs)  that is, they cause adverse health effects by interfering with hormones in the body. The bodys hormones  the chemical messengers that regulate respiration, reproduction, metabolism, growth, and other biological functions  are mimicked or blocked by EDCs. EDCs are found in products such as food, toys, and cosmetics, as well as throughout the environment.

Previous studies linked EDCs with reproductive disorders According to the Endocrine Societys 2015 Scientific Statement, more than 1,300 studies have linked EDCs to severe health conditions that include male and female reproductive disorders, obesity, diabetes, immune and thyroid disorders, osteoporosis, Parkinsons disease, hormone-related cancers, and neurological disorders. Industry-reported data reveal that oil and gas wells fracked across the United States between 2005-2015 used at least 5 billion pounds of hydrochloric acid, and 1.2 billion pounds of petroleum distillates, which causes throat, lung, and eye irritation, dizziness and nausea and can be composed of toxic and cancer-causing agents. They also found in that period that 445 million pounds of methanol was used, which is suspected of causing birth defects. A recent study by Yale University evaluated available data on 1,021 chemicals used in fracking and concluded that 157 of them  chemicals such as arsenic, benzene, cadmium, lead, formaldehyde, chlorine, and mercury  were associated with either developmental or reproductive toxicity. Mice were exposed to 23 chemicals commonly used in fracking and gas and oil development to observe the effect they have on the main hormones. The 23 oil and gas chemicals were mixed by scientists in four different concentrations, ranging from those found in drinking water and groundwater, to levels found in industry wastewater. The chemical mixtures were given to pregnant mice in their drinking water on day 11 of pregnancy until they gave birth.
The link between sleep problems and suicidal thoughts and behaviours is made starkly clear in new research from The University of Manchester, published in the BMJ Open.

In this study, conducted by researchers from the University's School of Health Sciences alongside the University of Oxford, 18 participants were interviewed about the role sleep problems have on suicidal tendencies.

Three inter-related pathways to suicidal thoughts were identified arising from sleep problems. The first was that being awake at night heightened the risks of suicidal thoughts and attempts, which in part was seen as a consequence of the lack of help or resources available at night.

Secondly, the research found that a prolonged failure to achieve a good night's sleep made life harder for respondents, adding to depression, as well as increasing negative thinking, attention difficulties and inactivity.

Finally, respondents said sleep acted as an alternative to suicide, providing an escape from their problems. However, the desire to use sleep as an avoidance tactic led to increased day time sleeping which in turn caused disturbed sleeping patterns - reinforcing the first two pathways.

Donna Littlewood, lead author of the study, said the research has implications for service providers, such as health care specialist and social services.

"Our research underscores the importance of restoring healthy sleep in relation to coping with mental health problems, suicidal thoughts and behaviours.

"Additionally, night time service provision should be a key consideration within suicide prevention strategies, given that this study shows that those who are awake in the night are at an increased risk of suicide."

Article: Understanding the role of sleep in suicide risk: qualitative interview study, Donna L Littlewood, Patricia Gooding, Simon D Kyle, Daniel Pratt, Sarah Peters, BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012113, published online 22 August 2016.
University of Hawai'i Cancer Center researchers discovered new genetic markers associated with a fast rate of nicotine metabolism, which potentially leads smokers to smoke more, thereby, increasing their risk for lung cancer.

Dr. Loic Le Marchand, a professor and leading epidemiologist in the UH Cancer Center's Epidemiology Program, and his colleagues, identified differences in the CYP2A6 gene that are associated with a high rate of nicotine metabolism. Smokers who have these CYP2A6 markers may smoke more cigarettes and/or inhale a greater amount of nicotine per cigarette than smokers who metabolize nicotine less rapidly, in order to maintain stable levels of nicotine in the blood.

"Smokers adjust the way they smoke to satisfy their craving for nicotine. Nicotine is the highly addictive component in cigarettes that makes people want to smoke. Smokers with the genetic markers we discovered, smoke more extensively in order to keep their nicotine levels high and achieve the desired effects of nicotine in the brain," said Dr. Le Marchand.

"This new finding could identify smokers who are at greater risk for lung cancer. The knowledge of these markers will help doctors and public health leaders improve strategies for cancer prevention, a major focus of research at the UH Cancer Center. In addition, application of this research may improve the survival and quality of life of lung cancer patients, since continued use of tobacco products after diagnosis is known to correlate with poor outcomes," said Dr. Randall F. Holcombe, incoming director of the UH Cancer Center.

Smoking exposes individuals to tobacco-derived carcinogens. The increased exposure that occurs in individuals with the specific genetic markers leads to an increased risk for lung cancer, according to the study.

The Multiethnic Cohort Study

Le Marchand's findings published in Cancer Research used data from the UH Cancer Center's Multiethnic Cohort Study (MEC) and an international consortium of lung cancer genetic studies. Smokers are about 25 times more likely to develop lung cancer in their lifetime compared to non-smokers (Hawaii Tumor Registry). Smokers identified as being at high risk for the disease could be offered regular screenings by low-dose CT scans.

Le Marchand collaborated with University of Minnesota and University of Southern California researchers to evaluate nicotine metabolism among 2,239 smokers participating in the MEC Study.

"We were able to translate differences in lung cancer risk that we first observed among Hawai'i's ethnic groups into information that has implications for the occurrence and prevention of a common and very deadly cancer."

Lung Cancer in Hawai'i

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in Hawai'i, with 776 new cases and 526 deaths every year. The five-year survival rate for lung cancer remains very low at 18 percent (Hawaii Tumor Registry).

Article: Novel Association of Genetic Markers Affecting CYP2A6 activity and Lung Cancer Risk, Yesha M. Patel, Sungshim L. Park, Younghun Han, Lynne R. Wilkens, Heike Bickeboller, Albert Rosenberger, Neil Caporaso, Maria Teresa Landi, Irene Bruske, Angela Risch, Yongyue Wei, David C. Christiani, Paul Brennan, Richard S. Houlston, James McKay, John McLaughlin, Rayjean J Hung, Sharon E. Murphy, Daniel O Stram, Christopher I. Amos, Loic Le Marchand, Cancer Research, doi: 10.1158/0008-5472.CAN-16-0446, published August 2016.
Researchers study whether two new drugs can reduce or eliminate protein linked to Alzheimer's.

Researchers from the Banner Alzheimer's Institute (BAI) today announced they have begun enrolling the first participants in a multi-site study to determine whether two investigational anti-amyloid compounds - an active immunotherapy and an oral medication - can prevent or delay the emergence of symptoms of Alzheimer's in people identified by genetic markers as being at particularly high risk for developing the disease at older ages.

The five-year Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative (API) Generation Study will involve more than 1,300 cognitively healthy older adults, ages 60 to 75, who are at high risk of developing symptoms of Alzheimer's because they inherited two copies of the e4 type of the apolipoprotein (APOE) gene - one from each parent. Roughly one in four people carry a single copy of the e4 type of the APOE gene, which is strongly linked to late-onset Alzheimer's, and about two percent of the world's population carries two copies.

"Enrolling the first participants into the Generation Study marks a major milestone for the trial and for Alzheimer's prevention research in general," said Pierre N. Tariot, MD, one of the API leaders and director of BAI, a division of Banner Health, one of the largest nonprofit healthcare systems in the United States. "By studying this high-risk population, we hope to assess each treatment's potential to preserve memory and thinking as well as their effects on biological measures of the disease."

The study is sponsored by Novartis, a Swiss pharmaceutical company, and Amgen, a biotechnology company based in Thousand Oaks, CA, in collaboration with BAI, with funding from the National Institute on Aging, part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as the Alzheimer's Association, FBRI, GHR Foundation and Banner Alzheimer's Foundation.

The Generation Study is part of the API, an international collaborative led by BAI to accelerate the evaluation of promising treatments. It will enroll at about 90 sites across North America, Europe and Australia, including BAI's headquarters in Phoenix. Since some participants in the study will not yet have brain amyloid deposits at the time they are enrolled, the study can address whether treating before or after this event occurs may be more advantageous.

Study participants will receive either the active immunotherapy (CAD106) developed by Novartis, or the oral medication (CNP520), subject to regulatory approval, developed by Novartis, in collaboration with Amgen, or a placebo. The two drugs will be tested separately and are intended to stop the accumulation of amyloid.

In addition to testing these two investigational treatments in individuals at especially high risk for Alzheimer's, the Generation Study is among the API efforts intended to help find faster ways to test the range of promising treatments in other individuals who, based on their genetic background or biological features, are at increased risk for Alzheimer's, and to provide a public resource of data and biological samples to advance scientific research against this disease.

"We are excited to extend our approach to the evaluation of prevention therapies to individuals at the highest known risk for developing the common form of Alzheimer's that strikes at older ages," said Eric M. Reiman, MD, the other API leader and executive director of BAI. "And, we are excited about the chance to work with our collaborators from Novartis and Amgen, our academic colleagues, and our valued research participants in the effort to find effective prevention therapies as soon as possible."

The API Generation Study is the first to incorporate genetic testing and counseling into the study screening process. Participants will be required to learn whether they carry none, one or two copies of the e4 type of the APOE gene. Only those who learn they have two copies will be invited to participate in the study. The API Generation Study will be providing genetic counseling in person, by phone or through video-conferencing.

"We understand that learning one's genetic risk for Alzheimer's disease may be emotionally impactful," said Jessica Langbaum, PhD, principal scientist at BAI, associate director of API, and principal investigator of GeneMatch. "To support study participants, we will provide them access to trained professionals who specialize in helping people better understand the results of genetic testing."

Participants will be recruited via multiple venues, including the Alzheimer's Prevention Registry's GeneMatch program (www.endalznow.org/GeneMatch). GeneMatch is a first-of-its-kind program designed to identify a large group of people interested in volunteering for Alzheimer's research studies, based in part on their APOE genetic information.

The API Generation Study is an important complement to the ongoing API Autosomal Dominant Alzheimer's Disease (ADAD) trial in Colombia, South America, which focuses on cognitively unimpaired members of extended families affected by a rare genetic mutation that makes carriers virtually certain to develop Alzheimer's symptoms by their 40s or 50s.

Alzheimer's is a debilitating and incurable disease that is estimated to affect as many as 5.1 million Americans age 65 and older, and more than 46 million people worldwide.

For more information on the API Generation Study visit www.generationstudy.com.
General appearance: Is the child restless or irritable, or lethargic or unconscious?

Breathing: Is it normal or deep?

Skin pinch: After a pinch, does skin - snap right back or respond slowly, or very slowly?

Tears: Does the child produce a normal volume, less than normal or none at all

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Marked thirst

Dry Skin, mouth and mucous membranes

Sunken eyes

No tears while crying

Child extremely sleepy or irritable

Dry and shrivelled skin with loss of elasticity; does not bounce back when pinched

Very less or no urine at all; urine extremely dark coloured

Sunken fontanels in infants

Low blood pressure

Rapid and thready pulse

Occasionally delirium or coma

Fever

Seizures due to electrolyte imbalances

Shock due to decreased blood volume

Renal failure

Coma and death

Results of the Dhaka 2014 Study

The aim of the studyThey zeroed in onthat a nurse or doctor couldto make an accurate diagnosis. These included -This(after the capital of Bangladesh) stands forThe usual described symptoms of severe dehydration include -Rapid and shallow breathingSome of these can be fatal -Swelling of brainWhen analyzed to see how predictive they were of dehydration severity, the tool scored well. On an overall measure of accuracy called AUC, which ranges from 0 to 1, thefor severe dehydration. The score'sfor severe dehydration.This study also retrospectivelyand found that the results correlated perfectly with percent volume loss.It is now theand, the World Health Organization's Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI) guidelines.Dr Levineby testing its predictive value with an entirely new population of 496 patients.This study was carried out, not just the ones from whom it was derived in the 2014 study.Nurses employed both the DHAKA score and IMCI algorithm when new patients arrived.On a statisticalwhere 0.5 is no better than chance and 1 is perfect,This is thewhere most diarrheal epidemics occur.Also, the DHAKA study is theanywhere, with over 1200 children studied including both the derivation and validation studies.Dr Levine plans to return again to Dhaka in the spring of 2016. That is the time of the year when the scourge of cholera attacks Bangladesh every year.This time, he plans to test it in rural clinics of Bangladesh. He plans to determine if the DHAKA scoring is simple enough to use in the rural clinics where there isn't the same degree of training and experience as at the center in Dhaka.If the study proves successful, Dr Levineand high on caseloads.Source: Medindia


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An asthma attack leads to lung infection , tiredness and cough and it is not surprising that asthma is a leading medical cause of absenteeism of children from school and adults from work. The attack can be seasonal when the pollen count is high in the atmosphere. An attack of asthma leads to breathing difficulties and the attack can be acute when it lasts for a short period or chronic when it lasts for days. The attack can also be mild or severe and a life threatening one.

The conservative estimates are that about 300 million people are suffering from the condition worldwide. In India, there are approx.40 million who have the disease and the number is rising everyday. In recent decade there has been a global increase in the burden of the disease among both children and adults. This maybe due to westernization of lifestyles and increasing atmospheric pollution. By 2025 there are likely to be 400 million asthma sufferers worldwide. The more worrying aspect of the disease is that it accounts for about 1 in every 250 deaths worldwide and 90% of these deaths are preventable. Most deaths are due to delay in seeking help and sub-optimal long-term treatment strategies due to the lack of education and awareness about the disease.

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"Among the Diseases whereby the Region of the breath is wont to be infested, if you regard their tyranny and cruelty, an Asthma (which is sometimes by reason of a peculiar symptom denominated likewise an Orthopnoea) doth not deserve the last place; for there is scarce any thing more sharp and terrible than the fits there of Breathing, whereby we chiefly live, is very much hindered by the assault of this disease, and is in danger, or runs the risk of being quite taken away." -Thomas Willis, 1674
The following are some of this week's reports from the MEMRI Jihad and Terrorism Threat Monitor (JTTM) Project, which translates and analyzes content from sources monitored around the clock, among them the most important jihadi websites and blogs. (To view these reports in full, you must be a paying member of the JTTM; for membership information, send an email to [email protected] with "Membership" in the subject line.)

Note to media and government: For a full copy of these reports, send an email with the title of the report in the subject line to [email protected]. Please include your name, title, and organization in your email.

EXCLUSIVE: Al-Zawahiri Exhorts Muslims To Unite Under Banner Of Islamic Emirate In Afghanistan, Renounce Al-Baghdadi

On August 21, 2016, Al-Qaeda released via its official media wing, Al-Sahab, a six-minute video titled "Do Not Be Divided." The video is part 2 of the "Brief Messages to a Victorious Nation" series, in which Al-Qaeda leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri addresses the Muslim nation. In this installation, Al-Zawahiri calls on all Muslims, especially those in Afghanistan, to rally around the proven leadership of the Islamic Emirate in Afghanistan, which, he says, has been bravely confronting the Crusaders and America for years.

EXCLUSIVE: Al-Qaeda Leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri Calls On Iraqi Muslims To Unite And Wage A Guerilla Campaign To Rid Iraq Of Shi'ite-Crusader Occupation

On August 25, 2016, the official Al-Qaeda media body Al-Sahab published a 4-minute video in which the group's leader, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, calls on Sunni Muslims in Iraq to unite the ranks and launch a lengthy guerilla campaign to expel the Shi'ite-Crusader occupation from their country. According to Al-Zawahiri, there is currently an Iranian-Shi'ite-Crusader campaign being carried out against Iraq's Sunnis under the pretext of fighting "the Ibrahim Al-Badri group" - a pejorative reference to ISIS and its leader Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi. However, Al-Zawahiri alleges that the true goal of this campaign is to exterminate the Sunni population. He argued that the events in Syria were not merely a localized problem, but rather a tragedy for all Muslims. He called on the mujahideen in Syria to assist their comrades in Iraq and reorganize, as their campaign is a joint one.

EXCLUSIVE: West Virginia Convert, ISIS Sympathizer, Active On Google Plus

A father of three from West Virginia and convert to Islam, appears to subtly voice support for the Islamic State (ISIS) on his Google plus account. He states that he works in West Virginia, but no further details are provided concerning his profession. He has posted videos by pro-ISIS Australian cleric Musa Cerantonio, and by the pro-ISIS London-based preacher Abu Haleema. Cerantonio was arrested in May 2016 for attempting to join the Islamic State. Additionally, he posts sermons by late Yemeni American AQAP cleric Anwar Al-'Awlaki, and images promoting jihad as well.

EXCLUSIVE: On Facebook, Tampa Convert Voices Support For ISIS, Converses With American Jihadi In Syria

A Tampa, Florida man on Facebook, has voiced his support for ISIS and is part of a large pro-ISIS clique on the social media platform. He is forthcoming with about his tumultuous personal life.

EXCLUSIVE: On Facebook, American Recruiter For ISIS Provides Updates From Syria; His Recent Recruits Include An American

A Facebook user, who says that he is an American fighter with the Islamic State (ISIS) in Deir Al-Zour, Syria, includes little personal information, he arrived in Syria in 2012. He states that the London-based extremist clerics Anjem Choudary - who was recently convicted of supporting ISIS and Abu Baraa were both instrumental in his radicalization when he was still in the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Rachid Kassim, French ISIS Operative And Executioner Active On Telegram - Threatens And Incites Terror

Rachid Kassim, aka Ibn Qassim, is an ISIS operative who administers a Telegram channel. Kassim's online activity had a direct role in inciting ISIS supporters to carry out attacks in France.

EXCLUSIVE: ISIS In Al-Khair Province Calls On Muslims To Attack West, Russia, Including Civilians, By Every Possible Means

On August 20, the Islamic State (ISIS) in Al-Khair (the Deir Al-Zor area on the Syria-Iraq border) posted a 19-minute video calling to take revenge on the West and on Russia for the damage their airstrikes are causing in Syria.

Issue 10 Of ISIS French-Language Magazine 'Dar Al-Islam' - Overview

On August 20, 2016, the Islamic state (ISIS) published the tenth issue of its French-language magazine Dar Al-Islam. The 58-page issue, titled "Game Over," celebrates the wave of recent terror attacks in the West and especially in France, depicting ISIS as victorious and France as fighting a losing battle. The following is an overview of the issue, which was released by ISIS's media wing Al-Hayat and was distributed through official ISIS outlets on several social media platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Telegram.

Advice For 'Lone Wolves' On ISIS-Affiliated Telegram Channel: Poison The 'Infidels' Food, Air And Water, Spread Panic By Posting False Alarms

A message posted August 21, 2016 on a pro-ISIS Telegram channel, includes a series of suggestions for "lone wolves" on targeting "infidels," including by poisoning them, causing road accidents and delivering false warnings to create panic.

In Response To Twitter's Crackdown On Extremist Accounts, Pro-ISIS Hacking Group Alleges It Hacked 5,000 Accounts On The Platform

On August 22, 2016, a pro-Islamic State (ISIS) hacking group, claimed that it had hacked 5,000 new Twitter accounts in addition to the 5,000 that it previously claimed to have hacked.

ISIS Releases New Song In Uyghur Titled 'Religion Of Ibrahim'

On August 22, 2016, the Islamic State (ISIS) Al-Hayat media center, which is responsible for media production in non-Arabic languages, distributed on its Telegram channel a new Islamic chant in the Uyghur language, titled "Religion of Ibrahim."

Brazilian ISIS Supporters Active On Twitter

A handful of Brazilian ISIS supporters have surfaced on Twitter, some of whom appear to use their real names. Some of the locations in Brazil mentioned by the supporters include Alenquer, Carmo de Minas, Blumenau, and Santa Catarina.

Jabhat Fath Al-Sham (JFS) Fighters Follow Twitter Account Of Syrian Volunteers Providing Intercepted Information On Airstrikes, Drones

On both Twitter and Telegram, a service, which describes itself on Telegram as "a service provided by volunteers which hopes to provide the people of Syria with valuable information in order to keep up-to-date and safe," notifies its followers of airstrikes or drones in Syria.

TIP Promotes Upcoming Video Documenting 'Great' Battle Of Aleppo, Releases Aerial Photos Of Battlefield

On August 21, 2016, the Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic Party of Turkestan (TIP), which comprises mostly Uyghur fighters, released a promotional clip for an upcoming video release documenting the battle for the besieged city of Aleppo. The group also released two drone-shot aerial images of bombarded areas that it said were military targets.
You have got to hand it to Remo Dsouza.

With A Flying Jatt, the director of FALTU, ABCD and ABCD 2 (all of which are acronyms, by the way), gets an upgrade of sorts - a decent budget, a potential superhero franchise, and the opportunity to go wild with every genre trope imaginable. And thats not necessarily a bad thing. A desi superhero film not weighed down by intense backstories (like in the Krrish films), and instead revelling in its Bollywoodness could be a fun watch. Add to the mix: Tiger Shroff - an actor whose natural flair for action (so essential to the genre) makes him the ideal candidate for the lead role - and you have a potential winner on hands.

And in quite a few parts, I found myself enjoying A Flying Jatt. In which other superhero film would you get a Punjabi mummy (Amrita Singh - a better, upgraded version of Kirron Kher) mouthing words like, Mera beta superhero ban gaya? Only in a Hindi movie would characters react so nonchalantly to a discovery so startling and treat it as comic relief, and thats part of whatever little charm A Flying Jatt exudes.

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An enjoyable pre-interval montage has the superheros Bebe (Singh) and brother Rohit (Gaurav Pandey, not bad) freak out on discovering his newfound abilities, encouraging him to fly and stabbing him to test how quickly he heals. In one of the films genuinely funny scenes, the background music hits a dramatic high note when Aman (Shroff) aka Flying Jatt strikes a pose in a costume made up of elements borrowed from Sikhism (among the films many overt references to the religion), and Bebes eyes well up. In the next moment, unexpectedly, the boy plops himself on a bed, switching the TV on. What the hell are you doing? the mother demands. Dont you have, like, the world to save? Distraught, Aman ventures out in the middle of the night looking for criminal activity in places like Chandigarhs Sector 5 (too posh a locality, Bebe admonishes him later), and fails miserably. Its all kinda silly, but Singh and Shroff make it work.

The Punju Mother of a Bumbling Superhero plot line, sadly, isnt the only one that emerges out of this 150+ minutes long movie. Theres also the romantic angle, which essentially involves Jacqueline Fernandez desperately trying to come across as cute, but unintentionally seeming like Sridevi in Sadma. Fernandez, however, also gets the films best dialogue in a scene where, while lamenting to God that the man shes in love with is set to marry Shraddha Kapoor (playing herself, and yet quite terrible), Fernandez says she cant believe that usse Shakti Kapoor ki beti se pyaar ho gaya. So unexpectedly depreciative the line is, it brings the house down.

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Then theres Kay Kay Menon as the bad guy yet again. Menon seems to have become his own archetype, parodying his own past performances in films like ABCD and Singh is Bling, in both of which he played a comic villain in. Menons mid-life crisis, clearly, has gotten out of hand.

Theres also the super-villain to counter FJ - a monster of a man called Raaka, who thrives on waste. Played by Nathan Jones (Rictus Erectus in Mad Max: Fury Road), the villain brings back (fond?) memories of watching The Undertaker squaring up against Akshay Kumar in Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi. At one point, I really wished Jones stopped sounding like Thanos suffering from a severe bout of laryngitis, and repeated The Undertakers iconic Mujhse panga! line from the Kumar film. There are other gems instead, like Jones telling Menon, You give me your waste, and I will give you my best.

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But all of it ceases to matter when FJ and Raaka fly into outer space, resulting in a fight-to-the-finish on another planet. This is why, as I mentioned right on top, you have to hand it to Remo. Not only because he ends the film with a quote - Everything has an alternative, except Mother Earth - attributed to himself, but also for coming up with a finale so outrageously moronic and so innovatively stupid (along with screenplay writer Tushar Hiranandani). Forget the science for a wee bit; never has that been an impediment for desi fantasy films. But the very idea that a mainstream film, the marketing campaign of which involved people making videos of them dancing to Beat Pe Booty, would dare to pit its hero and villain atop - wait for it - a satellite at one point, is laudable, to say the least.

And yet, as the music blared and FJ beat Raaka to pulp in outer space, the only thought that kept running through my mind was: Could Sandra Bullock be floating around somewhere nearby?
NBG appoints temporary administration to Azerbaijani bank

The National Bank of Georgia (NBG) is appointing a temporary administration at the Caucasus Development Bank Georgian branch following the bankruptcy of its headquarters in Azerbaijan.The NBG explained the best way to ease the challenges currently facing the Azerbaijani bank was to send a banking expert from Georgia to oversee operations in Azerbaijan.Despite the Azerbaijani banks bankruptcy, NBG assured the public there were no problems facing theGeorgia branch of the bank.The Caucasus Development Bank, with assets amounting to 0.14 percent of the total banking assets of Georgia, continues to serve its clients, stated NBG today.Capital and liquidity levels of the bank are quite high and, if needed, the temporary administration can fully meet the requirements of creditors, including depositors, said NBG.Hereby, we would like to state that the Georgian banking sector is healthy, regulated in compliance with the best international practice and all decisions of the NBG aim at the sustainable and stable development of the banking sector, the Bank added.This week, two Azerbaijani banks - the Caucasus Development Bank and AtraBank  were declared bankrupt. The licenses of both banks were revoked by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) in January 2016, announced Azerbaijan Deposit Insurance Fund (ADIF).ADIF, which has been appointed the liquidator of the two banks, said the decision on the banks bankruptcy was made recently by the Baku Administrative-Economical Court No 1.The CBA revoked the two banks licenses on January 27, 2016. At the time the CBA said the two banks licenses were revoked because their total capitals did not correspond to the minimum requirement of 50 million Manats (almost $31 million USD). The banks also could not fulfill its obligations to creditors, CBA explained.The Caucasus Development Bank started operating in 1999, while it launched in Georgia and opened a branch in Tbilisi in 2013.
N. KOTZIAS: I thank my colleague Nikola Poposki very much. It is a great honor to be invited to address the diplomats of this friendly northern country. When I came to Skopje from Luxembourg last year, my colleagues in the EU Council of Foreign Ministers didnt believe me and asked, nonplussed, You are going to Skopje, you are going to talk with Nikola Poposki? It seemed totally strange and curious to them. Today it is seen as something normal. When I first talked about confidence-building measures (CBMs), many saw it as something exotic, something that would never happen. And it seemed even more exotic to my colleagues at the EU Council of Foreign Ministers when I vetoed the proposals for sanctions on the country that is hosting me today. What I want to say is that, in just over a year, since I first came, and in the intervening time, during which my colleague and I have held many meetings, the relations between Greece and this friendly northern country have changed. Relations have opened up between our Ministries; between other Ministries; our societies; our economic relations are developing, we have agreed on confidence-building measures, contacts between universities, including the University of Piraeus, where I taught. We have effective cooperation  despite the initial problems  on dealing with the refugee problem.



We help each other as much as possible, as was the case with the recent disasters here. I want to express, once again, my profound sadness at the pain experienced by your country, and I want to express my solidarity with the Italian people, who lost over 250 souls in yesterdays earthquake.



Our cooperation has proceeded to new sectors. I think that the cooperation of the four Balkan countries is very important; cooperation begun by our two countries, together with Bulgaria and Albania. This cooperation, between two EU countries and two countries that are candidates for EU membership, will continue in late October, in Thessaloniki, while our plans include a joint visit to Mount Athos, an important spiritual cradle of one of the major religions in our region.



In parallel, we agreed to construct an interconnector pipeline for carrying oil and, in the future, natural gas. This pipeline will run from the port of Thessaloniki to your country. Also of paramount importance is the upgrading of the rail line linking Florina and Monastiri.



More generally, the interconnectors between our two countries and the infrastructure are under development. My colleague and friend Nikola and I agreed to make our cooperation in the sectors of finance and funding systematic, while we are considering the joint undertaking of projects co-funded by the European Union. To this end, and to optimize the relevant coordination of our actions, our Alternate Ministers will meet in the near future.



Our colleagues who are responsible for interior civil order and the Police have developed very stable cooperation; this is also the case in the sector of civil protection. Moreover, the sectors and directorates that deal with European issues, our Diplomatic Academies at our Ministry have begun to develop cooperation  and the sector of cultural cooperation is also very, very important to me.



In any case, despite the problems that exist from the past, I think that what characterizes our relationship is cooperation and the effort toward mutual understanding of the manner in which each side thinks and of each sides needs. And we include this in the wider framework of Southeast Europe. I believe that the cooperation of the four states, which I mentioned earlier, shows that your country, dear Nikola, our country, the two bordering countries of Albania and Bulgaria are a factor for stability in the region  and this stability also impacts the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East. Within a triangle of instability, which I described during my first visit, running from Syria to Libya and Ukraine, our countries  despite any problems we have in given sectors, domestically  constitute a beacon of stability, and our cooperation contributes to this stabilitys becoming a dynamo.



I want to express my gratitude once again for the kind invitation that honors me today. I am pleased that the weather is beautiful  and I therefore take credit for bringing it with me from Athens  and I hope that we further deepen our relations, to the benefit of our citizens, the citizens of the whole region, the stability and security of Europe. I think the conversation the two of us had about the future of Europe  and this will also be the subject of the discussion I will have with your diplomats  shows the need for our region to be more active, more coordinated, better organized for the issues that are to be raised in the future.



Once again, I thank you very much.




UBLY  Haili Gusa, of the Ubly FCCLA Chapter, joined more than 8,500 FCCLA student leaders, members and advisers at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California, to participate in this summers FCCLA National Leadership Conference.

Gusa received gold at the State Leadership Conference in April, and earned the opportunity to compete at the national level in the advocacy competition.

The conference provided Gusa with opportunities to come together for energizing learning while listening to inspiring speakers, expanding leadership skills, sharpening talents and exploring career pathways.

The theme of this years conference was Empowered, which inspired attendees to make the right choices and commit themselves to making a positive impact within their families, schools, FCCLA and communities. Gusa also attended the Leadership Academy and several leadership workshops (entrepreneurship, interviewing, networking, etc.).

Gusa participated in one of 30 family and consumer sciences related competitive events offered at national conference, including STAR (Students Taking Action with Recognition) events and the FCCLA/LifeSmarts Knowledge Bowl. These events support foundational, leadership and workplace skills in areas such as advocacy, culinary arts, and entrepreneurship. Competing with over 4,500 STAR event participants in San Diego, Gusa achieved gold in the advocacy competition in which she was advocating for the rights of the unborn.

My main project goal was to get permission to start a prolife school club, write letters to legislators, and make a list of ways people can get involved as an abortion abolitionist, Gusa said. Completing this advocacy project helped me in many areas of my life. I had to learn to take initiative, talk to administration, get in contact with the public, research law and policy, create a portfolio, and it helped me in the career of human services.

Gusa went to San Diego with her mother, Jeanne Gusa. The two visited the San Diego Zoo, Coronado Island, and toured San Diegos Historic Gaslamp Quarter to eat and window-shop.

Haili Gusa, who runs cross country and track for Ubly, ran in the RUN4RED 5K and took third in the girls division.
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.
A Green Beret killed by an improvised explosive device Tuesday was patrolling with an Afghan special forces team moving on foot against the Taliban, the chief U.S. military spokesman in Kabul said Thursday.

Army Staff Sgt. Matthew V. Thompson was on a NATO advisory mission on the outskirts of embattled Lashkar Gah.

Thompson, 28, of Irvine, California, was assigned to Company "A," 3rd Battalion, 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne), based at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. He was in an advisory role under NATO's Resolute Support mission, but his death came in what was described as combat.

In a video briefing from Kabul to the Pentagon, Army Brig. Gen. Charles Cleveland referred to statements in May by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter on how non-combat missions can quickly turn into combat in Afghanistan and elsewhere.

"These are non-combat missions," Cleveland said, but Afghanistan is inherently dangerous and troops assigned forward as advisers can often "find themselves in combat situations."

A second U.S. soldier was wounded by the IED blast that killed Thompson and six Afghans. "He's still here in Afghanistan, still receiving treatment. He is stable," Cleveland said of the wounded soldier, without describing his injuries further.

U.S. troops acting as advisers also moved forward with Afghan Ministry of Interior forces in response to the militant attack on the American University in Kabul on Wednesday that killed at least 16 and wounded dozens, Cleveland said.

However, the U.S. advisers were not believed to have entered the campus where two gunmen shot bystanders after a suicide car attack on the front gate, he said.

Cleveland disputed local and international media reports that the university attack and the threat to Lashkar Gah in southeastern Helmand province are only the latest incidents in a deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan.

Cleveland acknowledged that the Afghan National Defense Security Forces are taking casualties at a pace that exceeds that of 2015, when more than 20,000 were killed or wounded in what was the worst year for them since U.S. troops first entered Afghanistan in late 2001.

"For many militaries, that would break their backs," Cleveland said of the Afghan casualty rate, but the Afghan forces continue to make progress despite the attack on the university, Taliban advances in Helmand and northern Kunduz, and the presence in eastern Afghanistan's Nangarhar province of the ISIS offshoot called Islamic State-Khorasan province, he said.

"Overall, we believe the ANDSF is performing better this year than last year. We believe generally they are on a positive trajectory," Cleveland said.

"I don't want to sound like I'm understating the Taliban," Cleveland said, but "we don't believe the situation is as dire as portrayed in the press" in Helmand. "They have had some local successes. Overall, we do not believe Lashkar Gah is about to fall."

Thompson's death was the second U.S. combat death in Afghanistan this year. Both occurred in Helmand province. In January, Army Special Forces Staff Sgt. Matthew Q. McClintock was killed in a firefight alongside Afghan commandos in Helmand's Marjah district.

Cleveland said he could not provide much detail on the circumstances of Thompson's death since it was under investigation, but he sought to put the incident in the context of the various coalition missions in Afghanistan.

Thompson accompanied the Afghan special forces team as an adviser under NATO's Resolute Support mission against the Taliban.

The U.S. backs Resolute Support while also carrying out the separate Freedom's Sentinel counter-terror mission aimed at al-Qaida and now ISIS, Cleveland said. Both Resolute Support and Freedom's Sentinel come under the command of Army Gen. John Nicholson.

The mission Thompson was involved in required going "outside the wire," Cleveland said, estimating that about 80 percent of the operations conducted by Afghan special forces are done independently of NATO's Resolute Support mission.

Of the remaining 20 percent, about half are what Cleveland called "enabled operations," involving U.S. troops in advisory roles but "they don't go outside the wire."

The last 10 percent involve U.S. troops "accompanying Afghan forces as they move toward an objective -- that's what Thompson was doing" when the IED went off, Cleveland said.

"We do have authorities as required to go outside the wire," he said. "Our role in that is not to participate" in taking an objective or engaging directly with the Taliban.

"We don't go on the objective. What they do is they stop at the last safe location. That's what we've been doing last 18 months and what we'll continue to do," Cleveland said.

He estimated that, "On average, we probably have somebody out every night or every other night, some place in the country," accompanying Afghan forces as they move forward on a mission.

President Barack Obama's recent decision to keep at least 8,400 U.S. troops in Afghanistan through next year, rather than drawing down to 5,500 as originally planned, will enable the U.S. to continue sending troops forward with Afghan special forces, Cleveland said.

Despite his repeated claims of progress by the Afghan forces against the Taliban in Helmand, Cleveland earlier this week announced that an "expeditionary package" of about 100 additional troops was being sent to Lashkar Gah to shore up a "police zone" in the provincial capital.

Thompson was already in the area and was not part of the additional 100 troops, he said.

Cleveland said the U.S. has a total of about 700 troops in Helmand, most of them based at Camp Shorab in central Helmand near the Afghan army's 215th Corps.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The Pentagon has awarded up to $40 billion worth of small arms and ammunition contracts as part of an effort to arm Iraqi and Afghan security forces, but can account for only a fraction of battle rifles, sniper rifles, machine guns and pistols it purchased, an independent report finds.

The London-based charity Action on Armed Violence said it spent almost a year analyzing 412 small arms-related contracts issued by the U.S. Defense Department -- deals that, if fulfilled, are potentially worth $40.1 billion.

More than half the total value -- $24.6 billion across 183 contracts -- is for ammunition and upgrades to production facilities, according to the report. For example, the single largest contract listed was for ammo and modernizing the contractor-operated Lake City Army Ammunition Plant in Missouri, a deal potentially valued at $8.5 billion alone.

Slightly more than a quarter of the total value-- $11.2 billion across 100 contracts -- is for accessories such as sniper scopes, rifle grips and tripods.

Notably, the smallest piece of the total value -- $4.2 billion across 129 contracts -- is for actual guns, namely small arms with calibers up to 30mm.

Of the total value, the Federal Procurement Database System, or FPDS, shows that about $20 billion was spent by September 2015. That works out to $13 billion on ammunition and upgrades to ammunition factories, $4 billion on small arms attachments and $3 billion on small arms, the report states.

The charity claims that the U.S. government gave about 1.5 million guns to Iraq and Afghanistan as part of $2.2 billion worth of small arms-related contracts, but "only 3 percent of these weapon purchases were detailed on the daily DoD contract publications."

The organization argues its analysis of these small arms contracts offer "insight into the lack of transparency surrounding small arms bought by the US government and given to Iraq and Afghanistan -- many of which the US government has lost track of."

Iain Overton, Action on Armed Violence's Director of Investigations, said his organization launched the analysis of these contracts after a Freedom of Information request to the Defense Department for details on AK-47 sales to Iraq and Afghanistan was returned completely redacted.

A team of researchers at the group spent almost a year analyzing every contract published by the the Pentagon between Sept. 11, 2001, and Sept. 10, 2015.

"We did not anticipate, though, finding so much money having been spent by the Department of Defense on small arms, ammunition and attachments. We are not talking aircraft carriers here; $40 billion is a huge amount of issued contracts just for guns, attachments and ammo, even over 14 years of warfare," Overton said in the report.

"More importantly, our findings raise concerns about the DoD's own transparency and accountability when it comes to issuing contracts. It highlights the fact that significant numbers of small arms, for instance, are sent to foreign governments but are never publicly recorded by the DoD publicly," he said.

"We know by looking at other US government records, that at least 1,452,910 small arms have been sent to Iraq and Afghanistan in the last 14 years. The DoD contract database appears to list as little as 3% of these. We also know the US government has acknowledged they don't know where many of these weapons now are," he said.

Mark Wright, a spokesman at the Pentagon, didn't dispute the thrust of the report. After the U.S. deployed troops to Afghanistan in 2001 and to Iraq in 2003, officials moved quickly to field arms to locally allied forces, he said.

"For context, it is important to note the circumstances surrounding initial efforts to provide stability to Iraq and Afghanistan during the early years of the wars," he said. "The new governments of those nations started their existence already locked in a brutal fight with terrorists, former regime personnel, and other hostile elements.

"Speed was essential in getting those nations' security forces armed, equipped, and trained to meet these extreme challenges," Wright added. "As a result, lapses in accountability of some of the weapons transferred occurred."

The report's overview of published defense contracts provides a detailed breakdown of the small arms transactions:

$1,954,462,485 worth of contracts for battle rifles that included M4 and M4A1 carbines, M16, M16A3 and M16A4 rifles and the FN Special Operations Forces Combat Assault Rifle.

$203,667,929 worth of contracts for AK-47s and $96,629,334 worth of contracts for M110, M24, XM2010, MK11 and MK13 sniper rifles.

$1,550,000,459 worth of contracts for M249, M240B, M240L, MK48, MK46, M60, M60E4 and M2 machine guns.

$496,078,034 for pistols/handguns such as the Beretta M9 used by the U.S. military.

While the Pentagon published $799,793,122 worth of contracts for foreign military assistance, the figure is likely a low estimate of the actual amount spent because the department "routinely fails" to make public these types of records, according to the report.

"For instance, the Pentagon published contracts for small arms, attachments and munitions purchases for Iraq and Afghanistan that if fulfilled totalled just $277,795,299 ($97,330,069 for Iraq and $180,465,230 for Afghanistan)," it states.

To come up with more accurate figures, the organization said it analyzed numerous U.S. government and independent sources, including defense contracts; Federal Procurement Database System contracts; Overseas Contingency Operation reports; Inspector General reports; Government Accountability Office reports and think tank studies.

In March, the organization offered the Pentagon the opportunity to provide its own data on the weapons sent to Iraq and Afghanistan. In August, the department sent the group two charts that accounted for the small arms sent to Afghanistan between 2004 and 2016, and to Iraq between 2005 and 2016.

The Defense Department figures show about 719,000 small arms were sent to Iraq and Afghanistan during those periods, compared to the organization's findings of 1.5 million small arms over a slightly longer time frame, the report states.

"This only accounts for 48% of the total small arms supplied by the US government found in open source government reports," the group said. "Such shortfalls highlight the lack of accountability, transparency and joined up data that exists at the very heart of the US government's weapon procurement and distribution systems."

Wright acknowledged the number provided to the group didn't take into account other sources of small arms.

He said the Pentagon's "figure of some 730,000 weapons provided through the Defense Security Cooperation Agency does not include the approximately 355,000 non-FMS acquired weaponry that [Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq] reported in the GAO report, 'DOD Cannot Ensure That U.S.-Funded Equipment Has Reached Iraqi Security Forces' from July 2007."

If those numbers are added to the original foreign military sales numbers, "we have a total of about 1.1 million weapons that DoD either provided or assisted in providing to Iraq and Afghanistan," he said. "This does not include any weapons that were donated directly to Iraq and Afghanistan by other nations, or any weapons purchased directly by Iraq and Afghanistan without U.S. assistance.

"It is very important to note that today, the department tracks the origin, shipping and in-country distribution of all weapons provided through [Foreign Military Sales] to Afghanistan and Iraq," Wright said. "DoD representatives in Afghanistan and Iraq inventory each weapon as it arrives in country and record the distribution of the weapon to the foreign partner nation."

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
The suicide of a 76-year-old former Navy man in the parking lot of a New York VA hospital where he was allegedly denied care has raised new questions about the federal agency, and his family and friends hope his death won't be in vain. Peter A. Kaisen, 76, of Islip, shot and killed himself outside the Northport Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where he had been a patient.

"He went there for help with depression," said Thomas Farley, a friend of Kaisen's for 40 years. "That was his last hope, and he didn't get any help." "Maybe he can be used as an example to make things better," said Farley, who spoke on behalf of the family. "Maybe we can save someone else's life." "That way, he would not have died in vain," he said.

Kaisen served in the U.S. Navy from 1958 to 1962, working on the USS Denebola, a ship that delivered refrigerated items and equipment to ships in the fleet, his friend said. According to Farley, Kaisen was severely injured in a car accident while working as an officer for the Long Beach Police Department in the late 60's. After that, he was disabled, Farley said, and "had been on constant medication since." The Suffolk County Police Department declined to comment on Kaisen's death. The FBI confirmed to FoxNews.com on Thursday that the agency had investigated the death because it occurred on federal property, but said there was nothing criminal involved. An online obituary in Kaisen's name describes him as a "devoted husband, beloved father, grandfather, cherished friend and brother." Two sources connected to the hospital told the New York Times that Kaisen was upset he was unable to see an emergency-room physician for reasons related to his mental health. "He went to the E.R. and was denied service," one of the people, who currently works at the hospital, told the Times. "And then he went to his car and shot himself." "Someone dropped the ball," the worker, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told the paper. "They should not have turned him away." The hospital, meanwhile, reportedly said there was no indication Kaisen showed up at the E.R. prior to the incident. Hospital spokesman Christopher Goodman told the paper that "the employees here at Northport feel this loss deeply and extend their thoughts and prayers to all those impacted by this tragedy." Rep. Lee Zeldin, R-N.Y., who is on the House Committee on Veterans Affairs and whose district is near the hospital, was trying to confirm the details of Kaisen's death, according to a spokeswoman.

The federal agency has been under fire for more than two years, following a stunning national review that revealed widespread corruption at facilities across the nation -- from rejected medical claims to delays in treatment and cover-ups by high-level officials. The review, by the Inspector General, was triggered when a whistle-blower revealed that as many as 40 veterans died waiting for as long as 21 months for care at a Phoenix facility. The whistle-blower claimed  and the review confirmed -- that officials cooked the books to hide the wait times and deaths so hospital executives could qualify for bonuses. Doctors and whistle-blowers from other VA hospitals came forward, citing long wait times and similar bookkeeping. A yearlong investigation by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., suggested that the number of veterans who died awaiting care or treatment over the past decade could top 1,000. Secretary Eric Shinseki resigned in May 2014 and was replaced by current VA Secretary Robert McDonald.

Farley described Kaisen as a devoted father and grandfather who never stopped caring for friends and family. "I'm a Vietnam vet -- disabled from Agent Orange -- and he was always looking out for me. He was such a faithful guy," Farley said. "He was such a big advocate for veterans and that's what makes it's so sad," he said.
"Don't tell them anything. There's nothing they can do about it, and hearing about problems at home will stress them out and distract them."

"Tell them everything, just like you would if they were home. They'll feel lied to if you don't, and married couples are supposed to endure together these burdens together."

These are the most dominant schools of thought for couples when one is away from home for an extended period of time. I can speak only to the military experience, but military spouses definitely get told not to overshare.

Personally, I'm a tell-it-all person. I wouldn't be in the writing-things-for-the-world-to-read profession if keeping things to myself was my strong suit. It's just not in my nature.

I'm perfectly capable of keeping a real secret, but I've never kept anything, good or bad, from my husband. Not when he's home, not when he's gone, not on a boat, not with a goat.

I do not like secrets. I do not like them, Sam I Am.

There have been plenty of things that have happened while my husband was gone that he couldn't do one thing about. Everything from the house flooding to a kid in the hospital to all the little work dramas and stresses. Some people would say I shouldn't have burdened him with all that information, but (to quote Al Jarreau -- sorry/not sorry for the ear worm) we're in this love together, even when we're not together.

But I get the other viewpoint too. I think this is a relationship-by-relationship issue. What works for one couple may not work for another. On every deployment and every other trip, my husband has been able to call me nearly every day, often twice or more a day, and we Skype or Facetime too. If I held things back, I'd very quickly run out of things to say.

Plus, because we talk so much, I'm able to update him on the outcomes of all the problems. He spends very little time wondering and worrying. And, as an individual, my husband wouldn't like thinking that I was keeping secrets from him -- even humdrum daily life drama secrets. He wants to know every detail.

Finally, my husband is deployed a lot. And when he's not deployed, he's often traveling. If I didn't keep him posted on what was happening in our life at home, he would miss everything.

He wants to know about the little dramas our kids have with other kids on the school bus. He wants to know when my work isn't going well. He wants to have a proverbial seat at the dinner table, even -- and especially -- when he can't have an actual seat there.

But if he had had only one deployment, or had only the occasional work trip, or wasn't able to call home daily for updates, would we handle it differently? Probably.

Telling everything or not telling everything aren't the only options, though. Others find success in taking a hybrid approach -- telling some, but not all.

Someone who follows this philosophy might tell her spouse about the ER visit and the cast on Junior's arm, but not tell about the ongoing fight with the electric company over mistakes on the bill.

The rationale for this approach is that the Must-Do spouse probably can't help with the electric company fight, but will want to know about his child's injury. (And the kid is likely to show Dad the cast the next time they FaceTime anyway.)

Or the same idea but different priorities: Tell him about the electric bill because you just need to vent, but don't tell him about the ER visit because you don't want him to think that you're a bad parent or that the kids are at risk.

Likely, you already have an idea of which approach will work best for you. Maybe you've already settled into a habit that works.

The only wrong approach is one on which you both don't agree. If the Must-Do spouse wants to know everything that's happening and you hold things back, especially big things, you're going to have problems when the Must-Do gets home and finds out about all the secrets.

And if the Must-Do spouse feels overwhelmed by the daily dramas at home, both the big ones and the small ones, but you keep unloading everything on him or her, it won't be long until the calls start coming less frequently and troubles start brewing.

So talk about it. Find an approach that works best for both of you, and then try to respect that.

And never be afraid to revisit that method if and when it doesn't seem to be working anymore.

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STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. - Three new stamping presses at Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Sterling Stamping Plant will increase the facility's production capacity by some 75,000 stampings a day.

It's part of a $166 million investment at the 51-year-old site in Metro Detroit, where parts are stamped from sheet metal and sent to FCA's production plants throughout North America.

FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne said Friday the plant will supply a new Jeep Wrangler model. The company had previously been outsourcing that work.

On an annual basis, the new presses will increase Sterling Stamping's capacity by about 30 percent to 82 million stampings a year. The last new press was installed in 2000 at the plant, which employs about 2,300 people.

Installing the new press was celebrated by company and union officials as another milestone in the FCA's turn-around since the dark days of 2009, when what was then Chrysler Group faced bankruptcy and an altogether uncertain future.

"It was a very frightening time," plant manager Lance Schwartz said, adding that the SSP powered down completely as the automaker's future was being sorted out. "I'll never forget the look on people's faces, as we stepped out the door into the unknown," he said.

Since 2009, when Chrysler's survival was narrowly ensured through a government bailout and merger with Fiat SpA, about $8.3 billion has been invested in U.S. manufacturing operations, of which about $3.5 billion has been spent in Michigan.

Marchionne said Friday the company has also added more than 25,000 jobs in the U.S. during that time.

There is still some uncertainty in Sterling Heights, however. In April, the company announced it was indefinitely laying off more than 1,300 workers at its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant as it reduced the site from two shifts to one, beginning July 5.

The layoffs coincided with FCA winding down production of the Dodge Dart and the Chrysler 200, the latter of which has been built at SHAP.

Then, last month, the company announced plans to invest $1.48 billion at SHAP, where it will build the next-generation Ram 1500. The plant will be dedicated to the growth of the Ram brand, FCA said.

The Ram 1500 is currently built at FCA's Warren Truck Assembly, about 10 miles away from SHAP. That site is being retooled to build the Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, Automotive News reports.

Marchionne has made it no secret that FCA plans to focus production on more-profitable trucks and SUVs in the U.S.

UAW Vice President Norwood Jewell told reporters after Friday's that the UAW has been in talks with FCA to mitigate, "maybe in its entirety," the layoffs. Some workers could choose to stay laid off, others may be relocated to another facility.

"We're doing everything we can to try not to have anybody negatively impacted by what will be a long-term positive," Jewell said. "We're looking at more people working at FCA, here in the Detroit area in the future, than we have when we left negotiations."
AUCKLAND, NEW ZEALAND -- First there was ordering pizza through an emoji. Then there was a car that keeps your pizza warm while it was being delivered. Now there's the pizza-delivery drone.

The largest international Domino's franchise company, Domino's Pizza Enterprise Limited announced this week the first commercial pizza-delivery drone approved in the world.

The Domino's delivery drone will begin test flights in New Zealand later this year

The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in New Zealand approved a trial period for store-to-door drone deliveries from a selected Domino's New Zealand location starting later this year, following daylight savings.

The Domino's franchise partnered with drone-delivery company Flirtey to create the drone capable of delivering pizza right to a customer's doorstep.

"With the increased number of deliveries we make each year, we were faced with the challenge of ensuring our delivery times continue to decrease and that we strive to offer our customers new and progressive ways of ordering from us," said Domino's Group CEO Don Meij in a press release.

Last year, the Ann Arbor-based pizza chain launched the DXP a car that is equipped with a warming oven designed to keep pizza warm while it was being delivered. Earlier this year, the company unveiled a delivery robot in Australia.

New Zealand was chosen for the drone program because of the country's favorable laws toward commercial drone-delivery service.

The trail runs will give the company important feedback and data on how to properly institute the delivery service into everyday use. It will also allow the company to learn more the dimensions needed to carry larger orders, weight carrying capabilities and distance calculations.

The goal is for drone delivery to be fully integrated into the company's other delivery options including online ordering.

"What drones allow us to do is to extend that delivery area by removing barriers such as traffic and access, as well as offering a much faster, safer delivery option, which means we can deliver further afield than we currently do to our rural customers while reaching our urban customers in a much more efficient time," Meij said.

While the service is not likely in the United States for some time because of strict drone laws, Domino's is looking into bringing the service to Australia, Belgium, France, The Netherlands, Japan and Germany.
Dumpster_1.jpg

Downtown residents have been throwing their trash outside of a DDA-owned dumpster enclosure in the Pearl Street lot.

(Photo courtesy of Cobinaba and Clara Suma )

YPSILANTI, MI - The Ypsilanti Downtown Development Authority has what it hopes is a solution to a dispute over fees for the use of its dumpsters.

DDA-owned downtown dumpsters used to be free for local businesses, but the DDA can no longer afford that program. It now requires business owners using its dumpsters to cover the $22,000 annual, or $1,875 monthly, cost.

Large downtown property owners, including Karen Maurer and Stewart Beal, contend they were asked to shoulder a disproportionate amount of that cost, and have refused to buy into the program.

While the two sides work out the issues, some people have been throwing garbage bags outside the dumpsters' enclosures. The DDA changed the access code to the enclosure after it implemented the new fee schedule, so those who don't pay can no longer access the dumpster.

The Ypsilanti Police Department said it's processing charges against a man who allegedly used a sledgehammer to break through the dumpster enclosure.

Despite those issues, DDA Board Chair Mark Teachout he is optimistic that the dispute with the landlords will soon be resolved and the program otherwise is working.

"It's been working out well, but it's going to take a little bit of time to get it to the point where everyone is working together to solve all the problems," he said.

The DDA proposed charging monthly rates of $25 per residential unit, $125 per restaurant, and $50 for non-restaurant businesses. So far, 23 businesses have signed on and pay a total of $975 per month.

Following protest from Beal and Maurer, the DDA kept the fee structure the same, but put in place an appeal process that allows those who own a building with five or more units to negotiate a price with the DDA.

"That sounds fine, but until I see it work in practice - my final judgment be withheld until that time," Beal said. "But I'm encouraged that the DDA is still working on it."

Maurer could not be reached for comment.

Beal and Maurer contend they are being charged twice because they pay the citywide 2.8-mill trash-collection tax.

However, businesses in Michigan typically pay twice for collection if they require the use a dumpster - once for public residential service and once for private commercial service. The Ypsilanti DDA is the only DDA in the state to cover commercial garbage costs.

While the city offers its own trash collection service, it's separate from the DDA's commercial service. City collection, which covers several cans that are put on the side of the road, is limited. Taxpayers do not pay for business's bulk commercial trash collection.

But Beal and Maurer also say the DDA is asking them to pay more than what it would cost if they installed their own dumpsters. Because of limited space downtown, the city won't allow Maurer and Beal to do so.

Beal noted that a building he and Maurer co-manage would cost $11,700 per year. That alone would cover over half of the DDA's $22,000 annual cost, and Maurer owns several other large downtown buildings. Thus, if nothing changed, the DDA would be profiting from garbage collection.

Maurer previously told The Ann Arbor News she is able to legally fit all her tenants' garbage into curbside cans.

The commercial garbage issue has been discussed by the DDA for five years, but, last year, the DDA lost around $60,000 in tax revenue that is now captured by the city. The city and DDA's budgets and management are mostly independent of one another.
Myanmar is busy enacting legislation it hopes will help put international investors at ease. But passing laws is not the same as building the institutions and expertise necessary to enforce them, and the legal sector will need to work hard to provide a stable environment for foreign investment, experts have said.





The country has put in place several key pieces of modern legal architecture recently, including a new arbitration law passed in January. That law replaced legislation more than half a century old and provides the legal basis for Myanmar courts to enforce arbitral decisions awarded in other countries.

Most of the commercial contracts involving foreign investors specify the use of arbitration if any dispute arises, said Daw Ainzali Kyaw Soe, president of the International Arbitration Club Myanmar. The contracts also specify which countrys governing law will be applied during arbitration and in which country the arbitration will take place, she added.

Arbitration between parties from two different countries  for example a US investor and a Myanmar partner  typically takes place in a neutral third country. For firms operating in Myanmar this is usually Singapore, but until Myanmars new arbitration act foreign firms had little confidence that they would be able to enforce foreign arbitral awards in a Myanmar court.

The new act should remove interference from local courts, and give companies looking to invest in Myanmar more confidence, said Abhinav Bhushan, director for South Asia at the International Court of Arbitration.

Foreign investors will want to deal with a seat [jurisdiction] which is absolutely neutral, and it is important for Myanmar to come out as a good seat for international arbitration, he said.

But in order to enjoy the benefits of a strong arbitration system Myanmar needs a body of well-trained arbitration practitioners, Robert S Pe, a partner at Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher in Hong Kong said in a speech to a group of junior Myanmar lawyers last week.

The bigger issue is how you implement the law [that has been passed], said Mr Pe. Obviously one of the key characteristics is that judicial interference in arbitration should be minimal, and that the judges should support arbitration [decisions].





Under Myanmars 1944 Arbitration Law, judicial interference was common and considered normal, he said, while a stronger framework for arbitration will rely on members of the judiciary having a sufficient level of expertise and experience.

The law is only as good as the body enforcing it, he said.

Mr Pe thinks Myanmar needs to seriously consider establishing a commercial court staffed by judges with expertise in commercial matters. Commercial courts typically handle business disputes under simplified procedures, which helps avoid a business case being stuck in the general court system.

One thing the foreign investors look for when they are choosing to invest in a country is whether it has a good commercial court, Mr Pe said.

No such court exists in Myanmar, though they are common throughout the region, said Edwin Vanderbruggen, a partner at Yangon-based law firm VDB Loi. The difficulty creating one in Myanmar would be finding the resources to staff it, he said.

Pyithu Hluttaw representative U Myint Lwin (NLD; Puzuntaung), said that all Myanmar has at present is a mediation centre at the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI). But efforts to change this are under way.

UMFCCI has a task force committee for arbitration, and we are trying to set up an independent arbitration centre, he said, adding that this would be a step toward a commercial court.

Weve sent a proposal to the government [for an independent arbitration centre] but that will require negotiation.

Myanmar is also making efforts to create a new generation of qualified arbitration lawyers.

Mr Pes address kicked off a two day training workshop for junior lawyers, which covered all aspects of international arbitration, specifically in the context of Myanmars new arbitration act, said Daw Ainzali Kyaw Soe.

She said the new law should ensure minimal court interference in foreign arbitral awards, although local arbitration is another matter. Daw Ainzali Kyaw Soe said it could take five or 10 years before arbitration disputes can be conducted successfully in Myanmar courts.

In the meantime [building] a strong legal framework and educating the judges is vital, she said.
The Chin State government welcomes local and foreign investment into hydropower production, according to Salai Isaac Khen, state minister for development, electricity and industry.





As a priority, officials will survey the rivers to find the most suitable locations for large-scale hydropower projects and will report their findings to the Union government, he said.

The state government has the power to award small- and medium-sized power projects, but any dam with the potential to generate more than 30 megawatts must be approved at Union level. Salai Isaac Khen said the Chin government is in discussions with three foreign companies, which are carrying out feasibility studies.

Specifically we are considering whether it will be suitable to build a medium-sized hydropower station on the Manipur River in Tonzang township, or if more stations can be built along the Kaladan River. We are taking suggestions from consultants about this, he said.

He was unwilling to give details about companies that have submitted proposals. To assuage local concerns that hydro projects will destroy the environment, investors will be asked to complete full environmental and social impact assessments, he said.

The state needs more power to meet the Union governments national electrification goal of 50 percent by 2020, 75pc by 2025 and 100 percent access by 2030, he added.

Only 30pc of Chin State has access to electricity, which is mostly concentrated in Falam, Hakha and Htantlang townships. Kanpetlet township will have electricity access before the end of 2016, while Mindat township will have power before April 2017.

There are nine townships in the state, but only five will have access to 24-hour electricity before the end of this financial year, said Salai Isaac Khen.





At the moment we are improving access to electricity in Matupi, Hakha and Mindat townships, by building a small hydropower station, he said. It will not be connected with the national grid.

He said he will ask the govnerment to extend the national grid in the coming year from Kyauktaw to Tiddim, and through Paletwa, Kalay and Pankhin using the 2017-18 financial year budget, because Chin State electricity coverage is relatively low.

The state could also benefit from three large-scale hydro projects, which have yet to be built, and were previously thought to be located in neighboring regions, said Salai Isaac Khen.

If approved, a dam on the Manipur River in Falam township would have an estimated capacity of 380MW, while two projects on the Laymyo River would have a capacity of 600MW and 90MW, he said.

The Rakhine government previously said the Laymyo dams would be built within its territory, so to settle the dispute, officials from both states reportedly carried out a field inspection on July 14. They found the sites were both in Chin State, according to Salai Isaac Khen, with the first proposed dam 20 miles, and the second 12 miles, from the border.

The site for the Manipur River project was previously marked on government maps as being 2.5 miles from upper Kabani Bridge in Kalay township, Sagaing Region, according to Lian Kop Cin, the retired deputy director of the Department of Hydropower Implementation. In fact, if approved, the project would be built 25 miles from the bridge in Chin States Falam township, he said.

Despite both being in Chin, the Manipur River project is registered in Kalay township, Sagaing Region and Laymyo 1 and 2 in Rakhine States Mrauk-U. The Chin government has reported the mistake, according to Salai Isaac Khen. He said he hoped the projects would power his state.

I do not want to comment, because the authority to approve large projects lies with the Union government, but it is best if the companies that invest into and operate these projects take serious care not to cause social or environmental damage, he said.

Translation by Win Thaw Tar and Thiri Min Htun
After its first 100 days, what does the government intend to do, and how much has it already done?





There has been plenty of criticism, both at home and abroad. While observers seem willing to give the still-new administration time to overcome the decades-long legacy of corruption, repression and mismanagement by the former military regime, there is also a feeling that the National League for Democracy had plenty of time to plan for office, and its overwhelming majority in both houses of parliament, coupled with its great popularity in the country and the support it receives from overseas should have translated into more effective, immediate action, even at this early stage.

The media have established a list of important issues where President U Htin Kyaws administration might be expected to make its mark: the future of China-backed projects, agriculture and land rights, government-military relations, issues in Rakhine State, the drug trade, cleaning up the jade industry, rebooting the stalled peace process, health sector reform, central bank growth and deficit, fighting corruption and graft.

But where U Thein Seins Union Solidarity and Development Party government lacked the confidence of the people, its National League for Democracy successor could be facing the opposite problem of unrealistic expectations, and popular impatience.

The NLD-backed government is already credited with releasing political prisoners as well as students and others awaiting trial for alleged offences arising from their opposition to the National Education Law. The instruction to civil servants not to accept gifts worth more than K25,000 (US$20) is also seen as a step toward fighting corruption. On the other hand, the new administration seems to have fumbled initial attempts to cut down on betel consumption, and is being blamed for lapses in electricity supply.

The announcement of the 100-day campaign should have been a chance to evaluate the progress made by the government in meeting set goals. However, success in that effort is far from clear, observers say.

Ko May Aye, a leader of the 88 Generation Student Group, said, I understand that the NLD will need more than a few weeks to solve problems that have developed over the past 50 years. But they did have time to set forth clear policies. Perhaps they have delayed doing so because of the need to build good relations with the Tatmadaw. But this delay is not good for the country.





U Soe Tun, deputy chair of the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry (UMFCCI), said he had seen no economic improvement so far, adding that most business owners did not care about the 100-day initiative, but they do want to see clear policies implemented in every sector over the next five years.

I dont understand the delay. In most democracies, the winning party announces its policies before the election, he said. What are they going to do about energy, banking and automobiles? Where should we invest? We dont know yet.

Given Daw Aung San Suu Kyis background as a democracy icon, perhaps the most telling criticism has been over the governments human rights record, particularly in Rakhine State. Both local and international human rights advocates have been demanding action.

The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Alternative ASEAN Network on Burma have released a joint statement criticising the government for failing to make an impact on human rights during its first few months in office.

The two organisations called on the government to establish a national human rights agenda and immediately address key issues of concern such as constitutional and legislative reform, ratification of core international human rights treaties, releasing political prisoners, abandoning anti-Rohingya policies and restrictions, cracking down on anti-Muslim violence and hate speech, removing military impunity for human rights violations, advancing womens rights, protecting freedom of opinion and expression, and working closely with the UN rights monitoring office.

Voxpop: 100 days later: What has changed?

Despite a promise from President U Htin Kyaw made during his first Union address to revise the constitution, no action has been taken to do so. Speaker U Win Myint told the media in May that the government can begin to address constitutional reform only after national peace and reconciliation are achieved.

Parliament has abolished the 1975 State Protection Act. But some repressive laws used to arbitrarily detain or prosecute activists, human rights advocates, and members of ethnic and religious minorities are still in force. The Peaceful Assembly and Demonstration Law, the Ward and Village Tract Administration Law and the four so-called race and religion protection laws have been criticised by external observers who have called for their abolition.

The Legal Affairs and Special Issues Commission led by former Speaker Thura U Shwe Mann was set up to revise existing legislation and propose abolition or revision. Doubt surrounds its performance so far, however.

Weve reviewed 397 existing laws. But it might complicate matters to say which laws we are recommending to be abolished or revised, said commission member U Zaw Myint Pe, adding that the responsibility for such changes lay with the relevant ministry.

Changes to the Peaceful Assembly Law, and the Ward and Village Tract Administration Law, and the race and religion legislation cannot be made without the permission of the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is under the control of military Commander-in-Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. U Zaw Myint Pe said he was not authorised to say whether or not the review commission had received instructions from the government to review any of these laws.

Vice chair of the Human Rights Commission U Sit Myaing said the commission had received fewer letters of complaint than under the previous government, but the commission had not changed its working methods.

We used to receive about 300 complaints a month, but now we only get about 100, mostly related to land-grabs, he said. We continue to work as normal, and the new government supports us just as the last government did.

U Sit Myaing said the commission still faced difficulties in investigating complaints about Tatmadaw-related cases that had occurred in conflict zones because of security problems.

However, the commission has conducted human rights awareness training for high-ranking military officers in Nay Pyi Taw, Kalaw, Bahtoo and Thandaunggyi. Thats new. We werent able to do that under the previous government, he said.

Recently, the Shan Human Rights Foundation Burma presented the government with evidence, including maps, photos and witness testimony, and demanded action against soldiers accused of killing seven villagers in Mong Yaw, Shan State, in June. The government also came under pressure to take action following the outbreaks of mob violence against the Muslim community in Lone Khin, Bago Region. Nobody has been arrested.

Nor has much progress been visible in Rakhine State, despite attempts to recognise the status of the Muslim minority there.

Declining to comment on Rakhine State, U Sit Myaing said the commission was encouraging the government to sign more international human rights conventions and launch more awareness campaigns.

U Kyaw Min, chair of the Democracy and Human Rights Party and an elected MP in the suppressed 1990 election, questioned whether the NLD and its leader were really concerned about human rights.

Because of the lack of rule of law in this state, the rights of the Muslim community have been violated even more than under the last government. Their lands have been occupied by civil servants. We expected much from the NLD government, but have received nothing, he said.

Referring to the governments attempt to rename self-identifying Rohingya as the Muslim community in Rakhine State, U Kyaw Min said, We dont much care about the terminology as long as we get equal rights.

For their part, ethnic Rakhine communities have accused the NLD of promoting disunity with the term Buddhists in Rakhine State. Rakhine National Party MP Daw Khin Saw Wai said, The government has done nothing for us in the first 100 days. We understand that no government can do much in so short a time. But they cannot build a true democracy by creating disunity among ethnic minorities.

Both sides say the government should negotiate with key leaders of both communities.

If the government wants a solution, they should ask leaders like Dr Aye Maung and influential Muslim leaders to discuss with them how to solve the problems, said U Kyaw Min. We wont refuse to negotiate within the framework of the law, as we respect the rule of law, said Daw Khin Saw Wai.

One big step forward would be ending armed conflict. The government has taken steps to launch the 21st-century Panglong Conference to open discussions with ethnic leaders, even as fighting continues in Shan, Kachin and Rakine states.

Colonel Sai La, a spokesperson for the Restoration Council of Shan State, said, We recognise that the government has made efforts toward peace, by announcing that it would invite armed ethnic groups to participate in the peace process and in the political dialogue. This represents a good chance.

Aware of the mounting criticism, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has asked the international community to give her government more time, and NLD MPs insist they are doing their best to meet peoples needs.

We did make some progress in the 100 days, said NLD MP Daw Khin San Hlaing.

Compared to the last government, when she was also an MP, government officials are more willing to cooperate with MPs on regional development projects, she said. This is an important change for us. We cant work successfully in our constituencies without government cooperation, she said.

She asked people to be patient. We cant do anything without the support of the people. We promised we would do our best for the people and the country, she added.
It's time to stop pretending that an extra K500 "foreigner surcharge" is killing Yangon's expats - or even that it's even unjust.





Are you salty because you had to hand over K500 more than a Myanmar person would to get a cab this morning? Feel free to cry me the goddamn Nile, but try and at least spare a thought for the tens of thousands of Yangon women whose financial circumstances compelled them to catch one of the clapped-out mobile grope dens passing for public buses in this city. Did you leave your UN pass at home and wind up paying double the local cover charge at Shwedagon? Dont let me stop you from drafting that chest-beating Facebook post: Im sure the millions of Buddhists in this country who will never in their lifetimes have the means to even cast their eyes upon Myanmars most famous cultural artefact stand with you in solidarity.

I dont presume to know your financial circumstances, fellow foreigner. I know the guys running adolescent market strategy for Philip Morris are pulling in a fatter brown envelope at the end of each month than the shiny-pants-wearing spivs that somehow blagged their way into advertising gigs without finishing high school. But I also know that, chances are, your assessment of your own prosperity is gauged in comparison to the other foreigners living here or your friends back home, rather than the five-year-old kid popping a squat between two cars outside your office because the orange dumpster she sleeps behind isnt hooked up to the city plumbing.

On its own, making a show of complaining about expense here is a supremely crass act. Maybe youve had a lean few months and the pile of banknotes in your sock drawer has shrunk to a perilously low level; maybe its going to be a long time before you get enough coin together to go and see the family and friends you left behind. That sucks for you, but at one point in the past you still had the ability to fly across the ocean and set yourself up here, an act of radical freedom that most people in this country will never have the opportunity to exercise. You will, on average, live 15 years longer than most of the people you encounter here every day. If it all gets a little too difficult, your mum can probably wire you money for a return fare.

But complaining about dual-pricing  and it still just absolutely blows my mind that people actually do this  is beyond the pale of common decency. Implicit in these complaints is the assumption that somehow a tiered pricing system violates some sacred rule of fairness, at the same time eliding a global system of entrenched privilege that allows foreigners to live like aristocrats in someone elses country. Yeah, youre earning half as much as you would doing equivalent work back home, assuming theres a job for you back home. Youre also paying half as much income tax, even in the often-unlikely event your employer has actually registered you with the Internal Revenue Department, and youre paying a fraction of the cost for food, beer and almost all necessities of day-to-day life.

In the informal economy, the things youre getting milked for are way too small to sweat. Paying an extra K1000 to take a cab uptown is nothing. Most likely, the guy driving the cab lives in Thaketa or Hlaing Tharyar: After the commute, daily rental from the car owner, and hours idling in traffic, hes lucky to take home more than a garment worker on an overtime swing. The woman selling curry at the street-side market stall was up at four in the morning to trishaw halfway across town to the wholesalers  maybe she even had to go to that gruesome chicken market in Mingalar Taung Nyunt (the smell of which will haunt anyone whos passed it by until the day they die). Give them your damn money.

For housing, sure, you have to pay a premium  albeit nowhere near as bad as during the height of the boom in late 2014. As a result, you benefit from a system where most landlords give preference to foreign tenants and have collectively let them colonise the best real estate in town, which is why you cant throw a stick in Yawmingyi without hitting a mediocre Japanese restaurant or a cake shop. You also live in a country that doesnt trust its citizens to stay out of their own homes overnight  consider it insurance for the midnight doorknocks from the General Administration Department goons that youll likely never have to deal with.

The laws of supply and demand will make their debut in Myanmars tourism industry one day in the not-too-distant future. For now, even though the same half a dozen crap airlines are running near-empty flights across the country each day, ticket prices arent going to come down. Its still going to cost way more to stay in some pre-fab concrete bungalow built on a dengue-ridden swamp that was stolen from villagers than your average palatial resort in Phuket. But thats the product of monopolies that were deliberately created to benefit regime hangers-on, and continues to exist because officials are in denial about the industry being completely moribund. Paying more than a local person would for travel and hotels is not sustaining this state of affairs; its barely a drop in the bucket.





All said and done, you still have the luxury to vote with your wallet. For just about everyone else here, their wallets are empty. If you cant maintain the perspective needed to appreciate the wealth of material privilege that you enjoy relative to your neighbours  and believe me, I know its hard  at least have the decency to keep your mouth shut.

Something on your mind? Talk it out this Weekend! Write to us at [email protected]
Daw Than Shwe is lying in the Intensive Care Unit with an oxygen tube in her nose. Doctors and nurses are cleaning the pressure sore on her thigh. The old lady, thought to be about 90 years old, bears the pain stoically, because Aye Kyaw told her to.





We dont know who Aye Kyaw is, says the nurse. When she doesnt want to eat or rest, we tell her Aye Kyaw wants her to, and then she does it.

Than Shwe, not her real name, is something of a VIP at the Hsee Zar Yeik Home for Helpless Chronically Sick Elderly People in Yangons East Dagon township. The youngest of the 200 patients is aged about 70, and all are sick and helpless, says deputy chair Daw Khin Ma Ma.

Our VIPs are the people who are found abandoned on the street, she said. Than Shwe, so named because she was brought in on a Friday, was found near a rubbish dump at Thingangyun Market, emaciated and shaking, scarred with rat bites. She cant speak and is receiving 24-hour treatment. Nobody knows her true name, age or address.

She clearly feels a strong attachment to Aye Kyaw, who may be a child or a grandchild. But we dont really know, said Daw Khin Ma Ma.

The number of elderly people abandoned, in markets, railway stations, near old peoples homes or hospitals, or rubbish dumps, has been increasing now for many years.

But this has been the worst year, with one old person a day being found on average, said the administrative officer in charge of Thanlyins Thabawa meditation centre.





The centre accepts any patient, whatever their religion, nationality, age or state of health.

Almost 2700 people, including monks and more than 800 helpless old people, are being taken care of at the centre, which is recognised, but not supported, by the government. The centre authorities are awaiting official certification.

This is not an old peoples home, but a centre for meditation. We take in anyone who needs care in accordance with the Buddhist doctrine of taya or Buddhist teachings, said Daw Khin San Oo.

Daw Tin Hla, brought to the centre by her daughter, is 81 years old and blind, but looks cheerful. She has been there for three years, often bedridden, a devout Buddhist. In all that time, her daughter has never visited her and does not support her. Daw Tin Hla does not blame her.

My daughter has a hard life. I know she would like to take care of me. I have no right to complain. The main thing is to meditate and earn merit for my next life. I decided to take refuge in the shadow of the Buddha because Im old. But everybody has their own story, said Daw Tin Hla.

Some of the old people who live here bore traces of violence when they were found. Their children are unable to care for them because their health, their disability, their poverty or their mental condition will not permit it. Some of the elderly patients have outlived all their other family members.

Some of the old people were too strict or difficult for their children and their spouses. Some are housekeepers who cannot work any more. Some are paralysed.

Children send their parents here because they go travelling and theres nobody else to look after them. Sometimes the children continue to support their aged parents living here, and sometimes they dont. Rich families send their elderly members because they dont want to do chores for them, said one worker at the centre.

According to the Department of Social Welfare, the government supports 76 homes for the elderly, accommodating almost 2600 old people throughout the country. Other homes are run and funded by volunteers without government support. Where it does offer support, the government pays K11,250 per person per year at the first level, K34,500 at the second level, K214,500 at the third level.

According to UNFPA, the UN Population Fund, there are some 5 million people aged over 60 in Myanmar, or 9 percent of the total population. That proportion is four times what it was 60 years ago because of the rise in life expectancy. The UN predicts that old people will be 15pc of the countrys population by 2030 and 25pc by 2050.

MP Daw Shwe Shwe Sein Lat (NLD; Bago 3) told the Amyotha Hluttaw on August 11 that Myanmar had the lowest levels of social care in ASEAN.

U San San Aye, deputy director general of the social welfare department, said parliament was now discussing a bill for a national strategy, based on the Myanmar National Social Protection Strategic Plan (2014). The cradle-to-grave plan for catering to social needs would provide for an K18,000 social pension for people over 65 years old who have no other income, with provision for caring for people up to the age of 100. The department is also conducting a census of elderly people.

He said, Many homes look after elderly people with charitable assistance. But changes in the economic and social system have eroded the traditional Myanmar practice of caring for the elderly in the household.

Daw Khin Ma Ma of the Hsee Zar Yeik Home, said, This problem is growing all the time, and it affects our countrys reputation. I hope parliament will change the law soon to improve the situation.

Translation by San Layy, Khant Lin Oo and Emoon
The new chair of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, U Than Htay, said on August 24 that he will try his best to lead the party to victory in the 2020 general election.





Our party must try to achieve our aims in the 2020 election, U Than Htay said at the conclusion of a three-day party convention in Nay Pyi Taw that saw former president U Thein Sein unexpectedly step down as chair.

U Thein Sein will still hold a position within the USDP as its patron. U Than Htay was selected to succeed U Thein Sein in a vote by the partys central committee on August 23.

On the last day of the convention, U Than Htay said winning and losing were natural aspects of participation in politics, and that the USDP can expect to win in the future despite its poor showing in the 2015 election.

Our long-term aim is to win elections, and we will stand for people who approve of our policies and want the truth, he said.

U Than Htay said that to win in 2020, he was willing to change party personnel but he would not change the partys policies.

Other leadership changes that occurred during this weeks convention including the selection of U Myat Hein as deputy chair, U Thet Naing Win as general secretary, U Khine Yee as chair of discipline committee and U Soe

Naing as chair of examining party procedures. In total, 28 personnel changes were made at the leadership level.





When a partys leaders cannot perform, we must peacefully replace them with qualified people. Now it is our turn to perform. In the future, we will have to turn our duties over to the young generation, U Than Htay said.

The USDP currently claims 5 million members nationwide.

Translation by Khine Thazin Han
As preparations continue for the 21st-century Panglong Conference next week, some members of civil society organisations complain that they have been left on the outside looking in.





The five-day Panglong Conference, to be convened in Nay Pyi Taw on August 31, does not include a formal role for CSOs, with the groups being told they are welcome to submit letters to the meet-ups participants.

Although the government has indicated an intention to organise a forum allowing CSOs to present their opinions and suggestions, that event will not likely take place concurrently with the Panglong Conference and instead will convene after the peace talks, according to Daw May Sabe Phyu of the Alliance for Gender Inclusion in the Peace Process, who cited insufficient time to prepare.

CSOs are allowed to submit letters to this conference. However, we are not allowed to discuss. It will take time to have a forum, she said.

A spokesperson for the Karen Environmental and Social Action Network (KESAN), Ko Alex, said the forum, when it is eventually held, should include not only Yangon-based CSOs but also their ethnic counterparts, some of which operate from bases outside the commercial capital.

Only three topics  economic issues, social issues, and land and natural resources management  out of the five outlined in the framework for political dialogue being used at the Panglong Conference will be up for discussion at the CSO forum. Security and politics will be left off the table.

Local CSOs have expressed interest in discussing all five topics, but the government has not yet issued a response on the matter.

In arguing for the additional topics inclusion, U Thwin Lwin Aung, director of the Genuine Peoples Servants group, said the needs of Myanmars population and the difficulties many are facing relate directly to politics and security.





The nationwide forum is likely to come in September. So the information obtained from it will be put forward at the second conference, he said, referring to the governments stated commitment to convene national peace dialogues similar to the Panglong Conference every six months. But we dont only want to send out the facts. We would like to be present as representatives and discuss it, he said.

Echoing U Thwin Lwin Aung, Ko Alex of KESAN explained that politics, land and natural resources management, and the allocation of governing authority were all intertwined  particularly in ethnic regions  and thus could not be discussed in isolation from one another.

There will be long-term concerns if discussion regarding politics is done without any representatives or organisations that actually represent the people, he told The Myanmar Times.

Ko Alex further argued that security as a topic did not apply only to national security issues, and included the aspects of basic day-to-day livelihood security that many CSOs work to ensure.

Inclusivity concerns have been a consistent refrain in the lead-up to the Panglong Conference.

One area in which the National League for Democracy administration has earned plaudits is in its inclusion of ethnic armed groups that did not sign the so-called nationwide ceasefire agreement with the NLDs predecessor government. Then-president U Thein Sein accorded the non-signatories only observer status for the Union Peace Conference his outgoing government held in January.

On the other hand, the 88 Generation Peace and Open Society, which was invited to the January conference and Octobers NCA signing ceremony, has not yet received an invitation to next weeks gathering, Ko Mya Aye, a member of the organisation, told The Myanmar Times on August 24.

But Daw Dwe Bu, a member of the team organising the CSO forum, played down the issue of exclusion, saying CSOs need not worry since the Panglong Conference will be short on substance.

This will just be the opening, she said. There is no particular topic to discuss so there wont be any discussion yet.
President U Htin Kyaw travelled to Bagan with five ministers yesterday in the wake of the 6.8-magnitude earthquake that struck near Magwe Regions Chauk township on August 24.





The president told Bagan authorities that people should not enter the pagodas, 187 of which were damaged by the temblor, citing safety concerns. He added that the pagodas should not be renovated using modern materials.

He urged the relevant ministries to renovate them as soon as possible, diverging from the views of the state counsellor and architectural experts, who said they should be renovated carefully. But U Htin Kyaw echoed their calls for repairs to be done with technical support from the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

UNESCO, China and India have all offered support, he said, joining many international countries and organisations who have pledged to help.

The Chinese embassy in Yangon said it would send rescue teams in an August 24 press release.

We believe that under the strong leadership of the Myanmar government and with the solidarity of Myanmar people, the damage of the natural disaster will be reduced to its minimum scale, the statement said.

The United Nations also released a statement yesterday, noting that it is ready to provide support. The United States embassy in Yangon expressed its deepest condolences for those who were killed or injured in the quake.





Three people were killed and five injured, the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement said.

Four of the injuries occurred in Mandalay Regions Pakokku township. The fifth, a Spanish woman visiting Nyaung-U township near Bagan, was transferred to Mandalay Hospital, said the ministrys director general U Ko Ko Naing.

Regional MP U Myint Sein (NLD; Nyaung-U 2) said that nearly 200 police and 250 troops were securing Bagan and the surrounding region.

Security must remain here because we are worried that we will lose parts of pagodas or temples, he said.

He was also concerned that pieces of damaged pagodas will be mixed.

In addition to the structures damaged in Bagan, 20 pagodas were damaged and a house collapsed in Magwe Region, according to The Myanmar Times Nay Aung.

Additional reporting by Kyi Kyi Swe
Members of the United Nationalities Federal Council have committed to attending the 21st-century Panglong Conference scheduled to convene on August 31, according to a statement released by the ethnic bloc at the conclusion of a two-day emergency meeting in Chiang Mai, Thailand.





General Sai Htoo, a senior member of the Shan State Progressive Party, which is a member of the ethnic armed alliance representing seven groups at the Panglong Conference, confirmed the UNFC members attendance.

It is currently estimated that 24 members of the Kachin Independence Organisation and 22 of our members will attend the Panglong Conference. We will attend [collectively] under the name UNFC, he said, but could not provide a total headcount for the UNFC contingent.

The UNFC Delegation for Political Negotiation held a meeting with government peace negotiators last week to reassess the framework for political dialogue, but participants were unable to complete the review. Sources involved said framework review meetings would continue beyond the five-day Panglong Conference.

A pair of major sticking points between the two sides has arisen, on the political dialogues decision-making mechanism and the form that representation at the talks would take. The government wants representation to consist of seven parties  the government, parliament, the Tatmadaw, ethnic armed organisations, political parties, appropriate individuals and ethnic representatives.

The UNFC is pushing to streamline the arrangement down to just three parties  ethnic armed groups, political parties and the government, the latter grouping the military and civilian branches of government together.

Total representation of the Panglong Conference is expected to consist of about 1800 attendees, of which ethnic armed organisations will have 200 seats reserved, an increase from 150 at Januarys Union Peace Conference to accommodate the inclusion of non-signatories to the nationwide ceasefire agreement.





UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is due to attend the meeting, and the chairs of all 92 officially registered political parties will be invited to the opening ceremony on August 31.

Two powerful ethnic armed groups along the China-Myanmar border that are not UNFC members, the United Wa State Army (UWSA) and the National Democratic Alliance Army (NDAA), have also pledged to attend.

Still uncertain is the participation of three groups  the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army, the Taang National Liberation Army and the Arakan Army  that were involved in an alliance in Shan State last year after the MNDAA launched an assault on Laukkai town in the Kokang region. The conflict between the trio and the Tatmadaw has proved a stumbling block to their participation.

The groups last week announced their willingness to join the Panglong Conference, but official consent from the government and the Tatmadaw has not yet been issued.
With less than one week to go until ethnic armed groups from around the country descend on the capital for the 21st-century Panglong Conference, Nay Pyi Taw police say they intend to request that attendees not bring weapons with them.





Well send request letters in advance to the ethnic groups which have not yet abandoned weapons [requesting them] not to bring weapons to the conference. And, for security, we will examine [attendees] with machines at the hotels where the delegates will stay, he said.

Police sources say beefing up security ahead of the summit should be made a priority, as ethnic armed groups that are not signatories to the nationwide ceasefire agreement (NCA) will be in attendance.

Three of the key holdout groups  the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Arakan Army (AA)  have signalled their intention to attend. All three had previously rejected the stipulation that they must lay down arms in order to attend. It is not clear yet what resolution was reached on the subject.

Security operations in Nay Pyi Taw have yet to get under way. Special precautions are not yet being taken at prominent locations, and the conference venue itself, the Myanmar International Convention Centre 2 (MICC-2), is not the subject of any special orders.

Currently, there have been other meetings and events held at MICC-2. So, we have not been able to start any preparation works for the Panglong Conference, Nay Pyi Taw City Development Committee deputy director U Tin Tun Aung told The Myanmar Times on August 23.

We have not been ordered to tighten up security for the Panglong Conference, said Police Lieutenant Min Si Thu of police branch 19, currently tasked with providing security for the convention centre site. Were now serving our normal duties at MICC-2.

Police Colonel Zaw Khin Aung told The Myanmar Times that 50 percent of his command would be guarding MICC-2, while the other half would be on general security duties around Nay Pyi Taw. He said the hotels at which delegates attending the conference stay will also be under police guard.





This stands in stark contrast to the major security operation mounted for a peace meeting in January under the previous Union Solidarity and Development government. About 10,000 security forces were assigned to Nay Pyi Taw for the event.

The MICC-2 site has a capacity of 2000 people. About 750 are expected to attend the Panglong Conference, Presidents Office deputy director general U Zaw Htay said, adding that a higher, indeterminate number was expected for the opening ceremony.

Translation by Win Thaw Tar
Factory owners are circulating a blacklist of about 85 workers associated with trade union activity and the organisation of industrial action, workers representatives say. Known activists are finding it increasingly difficult to find employment even as employers are ordered to rehire workers dismissed for union-related activity.





Former union chair Ko Kyaw Kyaw Myint said, Ive applied for jobs at more than 70 garment factories in every industrial zone in Shwe Pyi Thar, Hlaing Tharyar and Mingaladon townships over the past eight months. None will give me a job. Even if they offered me a job at the interview, they would later withdraw the offer without explanation.

Ko Kyaw Kyaw Myint and five of his members were dismissed last year by the Han Jen garment factory in Shwe Pyi Thar township when they raised questions about salaries after minimum daily wage legislation came into force. The six led more than 1000 workers in a protest, camping outside the factory for several days in support of demands to rehire the union leaders and reinstate the bonuses and allowances the management abolished when the minimum-wage law came in.

Although the Yangon Region labour arbitration council ruled that five of the union leaders must be rehired with compensation, Ko Kyaw Kyaw Tun was not among them.

Ive applied for every job that matched my experience, but I havent got any of them yet. I believe its because of the blacklist. Thats unfair, because Ive done nothing wrong. The labour department should protect us because were registered with the ministry as legal union members, he told The Myanmar Times.

He said Han Jen also fired his brother, Ko Ye Ko Tun, disobeying an arbitration council instruction to rehire him.

My brothers gone back home. Im driving a motorbike taxi and sending back money to my family, said Ko Kyaw Kyaw Myint.





Workers representatives at the Hla Won Htet Tha garment factory in the Shwe Lin Ban industrial zone said last week that factory owners had distributed among employers a list of 85 names of protest leaders.

When our workers apply at other garment factories, factory officials check their names against the list they got from Hla Won Htet Tha, said Ma Zin Mar Swe, a workers representative at the factory.

The workers concerned had called two protest marches when the owners closed the factory on June 25, leaving wages unpaid. They received partial compensation after reporting the closure to labour officials, who are now planning to sue Hla Won Htet Tha management for failing to respect the contract.

Ko Sai Yu Maung, an activist with Action Labour Rights, said he was transferred and fired by a bakery in Hlaing Tharyar township for trying to organise a union. Id been fired with compensation from my previous job for trying to organise. Then all the other factories in the same industry that I applied to turned me down without giving a reason, he said.

A township labour official warned me that I would be blacklisted if I kept supporting labour rights. I havent been able to work for a long time. I was on the point of going to work overseas when Action Labour Rights gave me a job.

Ma Thandar Moe, a union leader at the Asia Rose garment factory, said she and six other union leaders were forced to resign even though the arbitration council obliged the factory to rehire them.

Asia Rose laid off 240 workers, including the seven union leaders, after the K3600 minimum wage came into force. The council ordered management to re-employ them, with compensation.

Workers and union leaders said factory owners were falsely portraying them as troublemakers out to ruin their business. Action Labour Rights director Ko Thurein Aung said factory owners had set out to break the unions from 2012 to 2014. Some owners still refuse to comply with the arbitration councils orders and rules. Nevertheless, he noted improvements.

Overseas investors are improving labour relations at the factories theyre involved with, running training courses for workers and management to improve relations. Things have improved compared to a few years ago, he said.

U Myo Aung, permanent secretary for the Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, said they want workers to pursue their grievances according to the labour laws and to use conciliation mechanisms to resolve labour disputes. He said some workers were staging marches and protests without reporting their disputes or applying the rules and orders of arbitration councils. In doing so, they were stopping other workers taking employment and harming rights and benefits, and thus reducing their own employment chances.

Were reviewing the laws to take action against employers who disobey the councils rules. Fines of K1 million dont affect employers in breach of council rulings, he said.

U Aung Win, deputy chair of the Myanmar Garment Manufacturers Association, said foreign investment levels had fallen in the face of competition from other countries, reducing development opportunities for local businesses.

The climate is very difficult for industrial concerns. They have to pay so much tax, and the situation of the garment industry is turning negative, he said, blaming worker protests.

We dont want to rehire workers who organise strikes in support of their demands, he said, calling on both sides to try to understand each others circumstances better. Without citing examples, he claimed that Taiwanese and South Korean investors had been driven to suicide by the decline of their businesses.

When people see a protest, they think the workers are right and the employers are wrong. The media never report when management is in the right, he said.

But U Maung Maung Win, an employers representative on the central arbitration council, acknowledged that most disputes before the councils concerned cases of management refusal to accept council edicts, or accepting fines rather than rehiring dismissed activists. Workers were blacklisted for organising protests in support of their demands rather than applying the legal mechanisms.

He said another reason employers refused to obey arbitration councils was that they could live with the fines imposed, suggesting that the law would be stronger if rogue owners faced possible imprisonment.

Most disputes are caused by employers who break the law. Workers dont want to protest. But if their grievances are genuine, they have to, he said, adding that workers denied re-employment should report such cases to the labour ministry.

However, he added, there were faults on the workers side too.

U Maung Maung, chair of the Confederation of Trade Unions of Myanmar (CTUM), said he had discussed such issues with the employers organisation, the Union of Myanmar Federation of Chambers of Commerce and Industry, calling on the federation to urge its members to comply with the law.

Employers should not abuse the weakness of the laws. Disobeying the councils rules is also breaking the law, and offenders can be reported to the International Labour Organization. This could affect the international exposure of those companies, he said.

The CTUM wanted to be a good partner and to enjoy good relations with all employers, he said, adding that management should regard workers and union members as their partners.

International buyers wont want to deal with factories that keep firing workers for union activism, he said. Unions are not the enemies of employers.
A newspaper published by the former ruling party of ex-generals has claimed that crime has sharply risen under the democratically elected government of Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, and that her efforts to impose rule of law have failed.





The Union Daily, a little-read publication owned by the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), said in an editorial on August 22 that organised crimes, rapes and robberies have become rampant across the country.

The new government efforts for the rule of law over the past few months have come to nothing, and the kind of crimes that indicate a state of anarchy and were not seen under the previous government have been breaking out, the piece claimed about the National League for Democracys first four months in office.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has repeatedly said that establishing rule of law is a key goal of her NLD government. Past decades of military rule were marked by widespread impunity, corruption and rights abuses.

The article referred to the brutal murder on August 20 of a former police officer and his wife and two children at their home in Yangons Mingaladon township, as an example of how heinous crimes have become in recent months.

The piece published by the USDP  which was vanquished at the polls during the general election last year  made no mention of the fact that the Ministry of Home Affairs, which enforces rule of law, remains under direct control of the military.

When contacted by Myanmar Now about the article, U Nyunt Tin, a former upper house MP for the USDP and a retired ambassador, said he agreed with the editorial, claiming that the NLD government had granted amnesties that released dangerous criminals onto the streets.





I dont feel secure any more as these crimes are breaking out. These are not uncommon in other countries, but police should patrol more in the suburbs of the town, as more crimes usually take place there, he said.

Police Colonel Zaw Win Aung, a national commander of the police force, said, however, there were no figures to back up the claims by the USDP.

I would surely say no, if you ask me if there are more crimes under the new government, he told Myanmar Now.

U Kyaw Nanda (NLD; Kyeemyindaing 1), an MP in the Yangon Region parliament, did not acknowledge the USDPs claims, but said Myanmar police suffer from a lack of funding and resources, which limits their ability to improve safety and rule of law.

We need to increase the support and materials, he said.

The Minister of Home Affairs announced in parliament on August 17 that it plans to double the size of the police force to roughly 166,000 officers in the coming years.

 Republished with permission from Myanmar Now
On July 24, the Myanmar-language state newspaper The Mirror published an interesting editorial about the suspended and controversial Myitsone mega-hydropower project (US$3.6 billion) in Kachin State.





The well-argued editorial, referring to an article that recently appeared in Frontier Myanmar weekly magazine, describes four options Myanmar has for tackling the highly sensitive project.

The first choice is to totally reject the project by simply giving back US$800 million in compensation to the winning contractor, the Chinese investors. The second choice is all about earning $500 million annually by allowing the project to go ahead. The third is to not make any concrete decision by paying $50 million annually in an interest-rate compensation format as long as it is suspended.

Those three options are already well known, the article argues. The fourth choice is more interesting. It refers to a recently published research paper on the Myitsone project titled Improving Hydropower Outcomes Through System-Scale Planning: An Example from Myanmar.

System-scale planning is designed to take a much broader and more holistic approach to analysing hydropower projects. The editorial suggests that all hydropower projects with China should be scrutinised using system-scale planning. In the end, however, the editorial suggests that the Myitsone project should be ended permanently, but that the two countries should seek other hydropower opportunities in a collaborative effort.

If interpreted correctly, it means the new government would like to see a more holistic approach for this proposed project and other potential hydropower plants before moving forward. During her official visit to China last week, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi clearly stated her take on how the dam issue should be resolved: It is up to recommendations made by the recently formed 20-member hydropower investigation commission led by deputy house Speaker U T Khun Myat. He is a member of the Union Solidarity and Development Party, which, until recently, was chaired by former president U Thein Sein.

The main task for the commission is to assess the potential environmental and social effects of any proposed projects on the Ayeyarwady River and weigh those against the benefits and potential losses to the wider economy. Moving forward, a key question arises: How holistic can the new approach be, particularly addressing the Myitsone case? In other words, what must be considered?





First, in the eyes of the Myanmar public, the Myitsone is not just a normal hydropower project. It feels more political. Look at the natural gas resource extraction and pipeline projects in Rakhine State. Myanmar people can see the huge natural gas pipelines that run in front of their homes in tens of thousands of villages, but they do not have rights to have access to that energy, nor do they receive any tangible benefits from the sale of the energy. In many places, villagers have been forced from their homes, without compensation, for these projects. The people know who made these decisions and why. But U Thein Seins government had to suspend the Myitsone project, citing the peoples will and public pressure.

Second, despite the fact that the people successfully halted this project, information about it remains very limited on all fronts. Nobody can answer basic questions, such as what the actual Myitsone project looks like, how many dams are planned for the site, what the exact impacts will be, and to what extent those impacts could be mitigated and by what measures.

Of course, there has been much reporting on the project, but nobody can give the people answers to these important questions. It is more like spreading rumours.

It has been reported that some local companies were involved as brokers for the project. Even State Counsellor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi has been unsure of the details of the project: I have not read the Myitsone project contract yet, she said a few months ago.

The message to the people is clear: You do not deserve the important information, let alone holistic consultation. Without readily available concrete information, a holistic consultation is in doubt.

Third, the Myitsone project is also about culture. In general, Myanmar people are more likely to view the area of the Myitsone project as a cultural heritage site rather than an economic location, regardless of the economic benefits. It is also viewed as the auspicious start of the Myanmar peoples lifeblood  the Ayeyarwady River  the dearest river in the nation. It is symbolic of Myanmars existence. Many feel that damaging the Myitsone area is like damaging their own hearts.

This does not necessarily mean that economic projects cannot be implemented in this culturally sensitive location; many large dams across the globe are built with specific mitigation measures to remedy the negative consequences of their existence.

Fourth, the Myitsone project is all about democracy. It is obvious that the Myanmar public wanted to participate in the decision-making process. Accordingly, this is a time for the decision makers to take into account the publics voices. Perhaps a reliable public opinion poll on the project would be a good source of information.

All of this is to say that the Myitsone project should be decided based on holistic and realistic consultations with the Myanmar people. They deserve accurate information. They deserve to participate in the decision-making process. All relevant stakeholders should be aware of this and should also consider a fifth choice for the Myitsone dams future: the will of the people.

Aung Tun works as a consultant in local governance, conflict resolutions and ethnic politics in Myanmar.
Close

With only a couple of weeks to go before Samsung will presumably unveil its new Galaxy Tab S3, the device's supposed specifications and pricing information have been leaked.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 At IFA 2016

According to GSM Arena, the South Korean company reportedly confirmed the news claiming that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 will arrive in early September, in the nick of time for this year's IFA (Independent Financial Advisers) commencement. The event will run from Sept. 2 to 7 at the Berlin ExpoCenter City, Germany.

It is said that the eagerly anticipated Galaxy Tab S3 will coincide with the launching of the Galaxy Note 7. The latter is slated to hit the store shelves in the United Kingdom on Sept. 02, a few weeks after it was released in Australia and North America on Aug. 19.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Display

While nothing has been confirmed yet, speculations are rife that the back cover of the upcoming Galaxy Tab S3 will be different from its predecessor. According to Ray Arena, the latest device may incorporate a premium Sandstone finish, which gives users a superior hold on the gadget.

Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 Rumored Specifications

1. 8-inch AMOLED display

2. 1.8GHzQualcomm Snapdragon 652 processor

3. 3GB RAM

4. Android 6.0 Marshmallow

5. 32GB internal memory

6. External memory can expand up to 128GB via micro SD

7. 8-megapixel rear camera, 2-megapixel front camera; and

8. 4000 mAh battery

With respect to its value, Tech Radar predicted that the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3 might cost around $399 - depending on its storage versions.

For more news and updates for the Samsung Galaxy Tab S3, be sure to stay tuned with us.

 Copyright 2020 Mobile & Apps, All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Child movie star Abraham Attah has started donating the 10,000 pairs of Toms footwears he grabbed international headlines with at the 2016 Academy Awards.

The actor, who wore a pair of velvet Toms to the 88th Oscars in February this year, speaking to Ryan Seacrest of E! revealed that the shoe brand will donate 10,000 pairs of the shoes to Ghanaians.

Mr Attah kicked off the donation of the footwear after a press launch at the Gold Coast Restaurant in Airport West in Accra Thursday.

I want to say Thank You to Toms for giving me this opportunity to give out 10,000 shoes to give to the needy in Ghana, he said.

He kicked off the donation at his former school, Ashiaman Primary and JSS where he donated 30 boxes of the footwear to his former school mates. He also donated 30 boxes of the Toms to the Ashiaman community.

Mr Attahs team, in collaboration with Bright Future Organization, would be in charge of distributing the footwears to the various charity organisations and institutions including Bujumbura Refugee Camp.

At the press briefing to kick off the donation was attended by some cast members from Beast of No Nation including Ama K. Abebrese, 'Striker' and 'Justice'.

Bernice Dapaah, a representative of Bright Future Generation, an NGO who represents Toms in Ghana was also in attendance.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | Fostina Sarfo
Highlife musician Sly Collins has advised his colleagues to make good use of the opportunity they have as musicians to advertise themselves and market their businesses.

It is not just about being a musician, you need to use your position to make business contacts and advance yourself, he said.

The highlife musician disclosed that ever since he joined the music industry in 1979, he has been able to utilise the opportunities in the industry to market himself and his companies.

I do not see life as a joke and I work very hard to make it. I make good use of the opportunity I have as a musician to advertise myself as well as my businesses. It is not just about being a musician, you need to use your position to make business contacts and advance yourself, he explained.

In an interview with BEATWAVES, Sly said, My mission is to use music to preach peace and unity among the people in the society. I have been a patriotic musician for the past 30 years, using music as a tool to preach peace and unity among the people.

He revealed that he joined the music industry Nigeria in 1979 after he was fully motivated to start music by Nigerian musicians when he was in Nigeria and was convinced to join various bands till he decided to form his own band, Gold Fingers, in 1991.

Whilst in Nigeria, Sly mentioned that he performed on a number of music platforms in Nigeria with a number of international musicians, including Ghanaian musicians such as Kofi Sammy, Alex Konadu, Captain Newman, Dave Menson, The Blue Diamond Band, among others.

Music is my life and has been part of me from childhood. Look, even when I am performing to a live band, I can actually detect when the sound is not right or when an instrumentalist goes off-beat, he revealed.

The legendary highlife musician who was born in the Ashanti Region but grew up in Nigeria where he mostly stayed with his mentor, Fela, can be described as an accomplished musician and a business man by all standards.

Aside music, he manages three companies in Ghana with branches in some parts of Africa and Europe.

I manage three companies in Ghana, Jia Sheng GH Limited, Solaqua Company Limited and Ghana Direct Limited. I am also the founder and executive director of the Obiba Foundation, he told BEATWAVES.

The musician hinted that he returned to Ghana in 1994 and released his first album titled 'Don't Forget Your Culture', followed by 'Yeboa Ghana' album released in 1998.

In 2000 under Universal Records, Sly released his third album 'Odo Fantastic' and 2004 released 'Total Unity' under OJEZ Music, a Nigeria-based record label.

Sly Collins revealed that when he realised that music was some years ago not lucrative, he travelled outside the country to search for investors to support his construction firm in Ghana and Nigeria.

According to him, when things were getting better for him, he released his fifth album with a peace song in 2008, then in 2012 another album with another a peace song titled 'Peace Election' for the 2012 election on which he featured all the presidential candidates in the song's music video.

1n 2015, Sly released another album titled 'Voice of Reason' which featured stars like Sherifa Gunu, Atinka, Kodzi and Sudha Parkeler from India.

By George Clifford Owusu
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Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African judge on Friday rejected the state's appeal seeking a longer sentence for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius who is serving a six-year term for killing his girlfriend three years ago.

Judge Thokozile Masipa said in the High Court in Johannesburg that she was not persuaded there was a "reasonable prospect of success on appeal".

"I grant the following order: the application for leave to appeal against the sentence is dismissed with costs," said Masipa.
Mogadishu (AFP) - Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a spokesman for the city authorities said on Friday.

"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.

Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.

By Friday morning officials said the attackers had been killed.

All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

Somalian soldiers guard an ambulance transporting a wounded alleged Shebaab rebel at Daru shifa hospital in the capital Mogadishu

"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.
Johannesburg (AFP) - South African prosecutors were in court on Friday pushing for a longer sentence for Oscar Pistorius for murdering his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp, saying his six-year term was "disturbingly inappropriate".

"The sentence of six years is shockingly lenient and disturbingly inappropriate," prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued in court, as the state sought permission to appeal the sentence handed to the athlete last month.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

At his sentencing in July, High Court judge Thokozile Masipa listed mitigating factors for giving him less than half the minimum 15-year term for murder, including the athlete's claim he believed he was shooting an intruder.

"I'm of the view that a long term of imprisonment will not serve justice," Masipa said.

But Nel argued that the six-year sentence was flawed and that it should be appealed.

Judge Masipa must now decide whether or not to allow the prosecution to appeal to the Supreme Court.

She was also the judge who had originally convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter.

But an appeals court upgraded his conviction to murder in December.

Pistorius's defence said it was an "insult" to suggest that the court's sentencing had been flawed and that it was time the case came to a close.

"Enough is enough. What does the state want?" defence lawyer Barry Roux said.

"This process has been exhausted beyond the point of exhaustion," he added, accusing the prosecution of sending Pistorius "like a ping pong ball between courts".

Pistorius, who pleaded not guilty at his trial in 2014, has always denied killing Steenkamp in a rage, saying he was trying to protect her.

The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius -- known as the Blade Runner -- became the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 games.
A South African judge on Friday rejected an appeal by the state against a six-year jail sentence for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius. By Marco Longari (POOL/AFP/File)

26.08.2016 LISTEN

Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African judge on Friday rejected an appeal by the state against a six-year jail sentence for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius who murdered his girlfriend in 2013.

Prosecutors had protested against the length of term -- which is less than half the minimum for murder in South Africa -- as "shockingly lenient".

Here is a timeline of events that followed the shooting of Reeva Steenkamp on Valentine's Day in 2013.

- 2013 -

February 14: Police arrest the double-amputee Olympic and Paralympic sprinter for killing Steenkamp, a 29-year-old model, who was shot four times at his Pretoria home.

Oscar Pistorius of South Africa celebrates after winning the final of the men's 200 metre T44 classification event at the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games

February 15: Pistorius bursts into tears as he is charged, denying murder "in the strongest terms".

February 19: Pistorius claims in an affidavit he mistook Steenkamp for an intruder. He fired through a locked bathroom door in what prosecutors term "premeditated" murder.

February 21: Global sportswear manufacturer Nike suspends its sponsorship contract with the athlete.

February 22: Pistorius is granted bail.

- 2014 -

March 3: The trial opens in Pretoria before an army of journalists from around the world, with the testimony of a neighbour who tells the court she heard "terrible screams" from a woman. Ten days later, Pistorius vomits when a picture of Steenkamp's body is flashed on the court's television screens.

April 7-15: Pistorius takes the stand and begins with a tearful apology to Steenkamp's family. This is followed by five days of often intense cross-examination, marked by bouts of tears and breaks in the session. Pistorius steadfastly denies any intention to kill Steenkamp.

Reeva Steenkamp was shot dead on valentine's Day in 2013

June 30: After a six-week break, a panel of three psychiatrists and a psychologist conclude that Pistorius does not suffer from mental illness.

September 12: Judge Thokozile Masipa finds Pistorius guilty of culpable homicide or manslaughter.

October 21: The judge sentences him to a maximum of five years in jail. He is immediately taken to Pretoria prison.

- 2015 -

October 20: Pistorius is allowed out of prison after just one year to spend the remainder of his sentence under house arrest.

December 3: The Supreme Court of Appeal convicts him of murder, saying his testimony was "vacillating and untruthful".

December 8: Pistorius is released on bail pending sentencing, and remains under house arrest.

- 2016 -

March 2: Pistorius, now 29, loses his final bid to appeal his murder conviction.

July 6: He is sentenced to six years in jail for murder, but prosecutors later appeal.

August 14: South African media reports say Pistorius is put on 24-hour suicide watch.

August 26: Masipa, the same judge who issued the six-year term, rejects the state appeal for a longer sentence.
West Ham United without injured Andre Ayew and star man Dimitri Payet were upset at home by Romanian outfit, Astra Giurgiu to shatter their ambition of advancing to the group phase of the UEFA Europa League.

The Hammers, who needed a scoreless draw, after earning a 1-1 draw in Romania last week, were short of ideas, without their their star men Ayew, Payet and Andy Caroll, as they allowed their less fancied opponents to breach their defence line with and walked away with a 1-0 victory.

The goal that separated the two sides was scored on the stroke of half-time from the boot of Felipe Teixeira.

West Ham, following the half-time break, threw more men upfront in search of a goal. But their effort was in vain, as the Romanians defended gallantly to protect their goal line and ended up eliminating West Ham in the presence of their home fans.
Mogadishu (AFP) - Shabaab jihadists attacked a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces, an AFP correspondent said.

Sporadic shots could still be heard coming from the scene several hours after the attack began, the correspondent said, with at least one of the gunmen still thought to be holed up inside the restaurant.

It was not immediately clear if there were any casualties.

The Al-Qaeda-linked Shabaab group claimed responsibility for the attack through the website of their Andalus radio station.

The Banadir Beach Restaurant near Lido beach is a popular eatery frequented by young people and Somali officials.

As in other recent Shabaab attacks, the violence began with the militants setting off a nearby car bomb before storming the building and engaging in a gunfight with security forces.

From their position inside the restaurant, the attackers also lobbed several grenades at the security services who cordoned off the area, the correspondent said.

Somali authorities said the car bomb had failed to fully detonate and they escorted local reporters to a nearby hospital where they presented a wounded man, with his head bandaged, as the bomber.

The Somali national news agency Sonna said some 20 people had been able to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight with the help of security forces.

It was unclear however how many, if any, customers and staff members remained trapped inside as the siege stretched into the night.

The Shabaab group is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in the capital Mogadishu.

It was forced out of the capital by African Union soldiers five years ago but continues to launch regular attacks including in recent months on restaurants, hotels and military bases.

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing some 20 people.

The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.
The New Patriotic Party (NPP) is blaming the governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) for the recent skirmishes within its rank and file.

At a news conference held at the party's headquarters in Accra, acting General Secretary of NPP, John Boadu, said evidence gathered points to the NDC as the sponsor and orchestrator of the bad press the party received over the last two years.

Much of the problems in the New Patriotic Party were orchestrated, sponsored and fueled by the ruling party. Have you all noted that since 2016 the report of NPP on NPP have all stopped? This is so because the party took decisive measures to tackle those things, he said.

Political activities in the country have peaked as Ghanaians prepare for the December 7 polls.

Both the NDC and NPP have been at each others throat in a bid to win the media war and also to win the hearts and minds of the electorate.

At a rally in the Northern Region, John Mahama, the flagbearer of the NDC who is also the president, told party supporters a vote for the NPP presidential candidate, is vote for a dictator and they must desist from that.

According to him, the NPP has become undemocratic under Mr Akufo-Addo with dissenting views silenced or shown the exit.

But the NPP said many of the chaos that happened in the party early last year were sponsored by the government.

Speaking to the issue on Joy FM's Top Story programme Thursday, Mr Boadu warned of possible bloodbath if the government continuously use the national security personnel to forment trouble within the NPP.

Mr Boadu said the glee with which the President talks about the NPP on his campaign trails is evident enough that he had a hand in what happened in the NPP.

Already he has started with the focus of his recent campaign speeches, these attacks on the NPP and a deliberate dragging of the party's image in the mud has followed a clear pattern in the last year, he complained. Our worry is that the plot is getting bigger and more deadly.

Mr Boadu said the democracy of the country stands to be severely damaged if focus is not brought to utterances of elements with the NDC.

Coordinator of NDC 2016 Campaign, Kofi Adams, has described the NPP claims as baseless. He said the NPP has kept the police busier than armed robbers have over the period.

The NPP has been quick to refer to the suspension of Kofi Adams by the NDC to justify why it had to suspend its own chairman and general secretary but Kofi Adams said the NPP cannot make such comparisons.

My car was never smashed at party headquarters, acid was never poured on anybody in NDC and machetes used on any member of the NDC, all these happened in the NPP, he said.

These he said are significantly different from what happened in the NDC which resulted in his suspension.

-myjoyonline
Rabat (AFP) - Beachside trysts, a three-tonne drug bust and a dodgy attempted land deal: the scandals facing Morocco's ruling Islamist party are piling up ahead of crucial parliamentary elections, leading some supporters to cry foul.

The Justice and Development Party (PJD), which has led a coalition governing the North African kingdom since late 2011, finds itself in a fight for re-election in October's vote as opponents take advantage of the rumours dogging the group.

Last week two vice presidents of the PJD's religious wing were suspended after the couple, both in their 60s, were found in a "sexual position" on a beach south of Rabat and arrested, local media reported.

It was, according to the Le360 news site considered close to circles in Morocco's royal court, "the cherry on the cake" of scandals involving the Islamists.

While the party itself is keeping a low profile, its backers accuse opponents in parliament and the media of conjuring a slur campaign to damage PJD credibility.

"It is an old practice to defame and discredit the other (party) in the fight for power," historian Maati Monbij told AFP.

"Some people at the heart of the state worry about the PJD coming first in elections."

The Islamist Justice and Development Party (PJD) remains popular in Morocco despite limited success in tackling corruption, and is credited with lowering the budget deficit

Following years in opposition, the party found itself the head of a coalition in 2011 tasked with guiding Morocco through a turbulent period that saw other North African states convulsed by the Arab Spring uprisings.

That vote followed concessions from King Mohammed VI, the scion of a monarchy that has ruled the country for 350 years.

A new constitution curbed some, but not all, of the king's near-absolute powers as autocratic regimes fell in Tunisia, Egypt and Libya.

Now, as a new election looms, the mounting controversy around the PJD provides a fillip for its rivals, most notably the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM).

- String of accusations -

The list of accusations against the PJD is long and varied.

Last year, a woman filed a sexual harassment case against a PJD candidate near Marrakesh. A party member was arrested last month in the southwest of the country in possession of three tonnes of cannabis.

And a PJD governor is accused of using his political influence to try to force through the sale of 200 hectares (500 acres) of southeastern farmland.

The latest furore caused by the in flagrante arrest of Omar Benhammad, 63, and Fatima Nejjar, 62, is all the more damaging to a party that extols Islamic moral behaviour.

Some social media users in Morocco have revelled in the case, posting videos of Nejjar in full Islamic headdress exhorting female students not to give in to "temptation and vice".

Morocco's new constitution has curbed some, but not all, of King Mohammed VI's near-absolute powers

Their case is a "tough lesson" for "a movement that calls people who go to festivals scoundrels, those who go out at night lewd, and that say men and women who mix will go to hell," the Al Ahdath daily wrote.

"Do as I say not as I do," said a glib Huffington Post Morocco piece.

Akhir Saa, a newspaper close to the rival PAM party, went further, claiming that successive scandals were a "big blow for political Islam represented by the PJD."

- 'Scheming and backstabbing' -

The PJD remains popular in the conservative country, despite limited success in tackling corruption, and is credited with lowering the budget deficit.

Supporters accuse the media and parties reportedly close to royal court circles of seeking to influence October's vote with negative PJD coverage.

Cleric Ahmed Raissouni, who is close to the PJD, denounced what he called "police machinations".

"The source of this aggression against the party today is made up of what I call the deep state," according to PJD lawmaker Abdelaziz Aftati.

Sociologist Mohammed Ennaji used Facebook to criticise what he termed "scheming and backstabbing" against the Islamists.

But others feel that the long charge sheet against the PJD exposes the double-standard governing the behaviour of Morocco's Islamist elite.

Huffington Post Morocco criticised what it called the party's "obsession and neurosis" over personal relationships, calling the beach affair a sign of its own "hypocrisy and frustrations".
Union Savings and Loans company Limited has attained a banking status, changing its name to Omni Bank Limited.

The company which was issued with a provisional banking license early this year has completed moves to fully operate as a universal bank in Ghana.

Speaking at Transition Engagement ceremony with clients of the bank, the Managing Director, Mr. Philip Mensah told Citi Business News Omni Bank will now overcome limitations such as operating forex accounts, while it expands activities in the Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) sector.

This transition means that we will be able to overcome two of our biggest challenges. The first challenge is forex. Currently as Savings and Loans Company we are not able to directly do foreign currency transaction. As a bank we will be able to this, he said.

He stated that the banking status will also allow Omni Bank customers to transfer money abroad and receive funds at lower cost, unlike was previously through a third party account.

Customers can walk into our banking halls and open this account. The other important change is that we are able to go to the clearing house directly, he added.

By this, Mr. Mensah explained that Omni bank will have the ability to clear cheques of its clients faster at lower cost.

Touching on the success achieved in serving the SME sector, Mr. Mensah assured that the new status will empower the bank to make more investments into the sector which is currently one of its major client base.

We are coming into the market with two exciting messages; the first message is the free bank account for all. No COT, absolutely free. We are still SME focused and will serve clients in the SME sector, he said.

He added that the bank will also provide an opportunity for customers to transfer funds via mobile money to their bank accounts and vice versa.

He stated that currently the bank has a capital asset of over 140million cedis, targeting over 3 billion cedis in 2020.

We have grown our capital from 4 million cedis to over 140 million in the short period. Just three years ago, we were at the bottom but now we are number one, he said.



By: Lawrence Segbefia/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Mr. Marcel Winter explained PCA ruling to locals and international visitors (Photo: VNA)

Pham Hong Thai, a representative from the organizing board of the meeting, highlighted the significance of the ruling on July 12th, stressing that it rejected Chinas claims of historical rights for natural resources within the so called nine-dash line in the East Sea.



A statement in English and Czech was issued, applauding the PCA ruling and supporting the peaceful settlement of disputes on the basis of international law. It called on involved nations to respect and obey the ruling, and the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, asking China to immediately stop its militarization of the sea which raises tensions and threatens the safety of fishermen in the East Sea.



On this occasion, the organizing board also delivered leaflets in Czech and English, explained to locals and international visitors about the PCA ruling with the key speech given by Mr. Marcel Winter, a Czech friend of the Vietnamese community.



Mr. Winter said that he participated in the meeting in order to back Vietnams effort to protect its sovereignty over the sea and islands, appreciated Vietnams guideline of peacefully resolving disputes in the East Sea on the basis of international law and believed that this will bring good results.



China has to abide by the PCA ruling as well as international law, he stressed.



Many locals and international visitors joined hands to express solidarity with Vietnam. They and the organizing board released blue balloons in the sky to pray for peace./.
Today, Friday, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn and Salifu Masee, infamously referred to as the Montie Three will be released from prison after President John Mahama remitted their four-month prison sentence.

The Montie three were imprisoned in July for criminal contempt of court after they threatened the lives of Supreme Court Justices on a live Montie FM radio programme.

After their incarceration, two petitions were started and signed by top government officials and thousands of sympathisers in an attempt to compel President Mahama to exercise his prerogative of mercy powers per Article 72 of the constitution.

President Mahama eventually exercised this power on Monday, August 22 following consultations with the Council of State.

A statement signed by the Minister of Communications on Monday, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, said that the President had taken the decision to pardon the three on compassionate grounds given the remorse they had demonstrated.

Montie 3 counsel grateful to Mahama

One of the lawyers for the three, Eduji Tamakloe said of their impending release to Citi News, We are excited at the prospect of their coming. The expectations are very high we are so thankful to the President and the good people of Ghana for the remission of their wrongs.

It is a feeling of excitement and also sober reflection. Right from the time GBA issued their statement to the time we went to the courts, they have always demonstrated that apology and remorse and have taken steps to retract and apologise to the entire Judiciary, Lawyer Tamakloe added.

Pardon rendered Judiciary 'toothless'

The President's decision to pardon the three has however been met with scathing criticism with the general sentiment being President Mahama has endorsed the conduct of the three and undermined the Judiciary.

PPP flagbearer, Dr. Paa Kwesi Nduom signing the counter-free Montie 3 petiton

The Progressive People's Party, which started a counter petition to keep the trio in Jail, described the President as weak for bowing to the pressure to pardon the three and said this decision was in bad faith and will remain a scar on our democratic credentials.

The PPP also held that, By exercising his powers per article 72 to pardon the three contemnors, the President has rendered the judicial services toothless and ineffective.

Mahama didnt act in the interest of the State

Minority Spokesperson on Constitutional, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Joe Osei-Owusu, also said the pardon smacked of partisan activism.

Rather than being a statesman, he has behaved like a party activist, Mr. Osei-Owusu has stated while also describing the whole process leading up to the pardon as a ruse.

Mr. Osei-Owusu, also a lawyer, acknowledged President Mahama had every right to exercise his prerogative of mercy per the constitution, but in this particular instance, he insisted that the President had not acted in the interest of the state.

Arguments in favor of pardon

The Montie three's pardon came one of Ghanas most respected lawyers and a former Attorney General, Martin Amidu, asserted that the procedure used in jailing the three was unconstitutional .

Martin Amidu

The former AG also argued that, there was nothing wrong with calls for the President to exercise his prerogative power of mercy, in the case of the jailed Montie FM trio.

Debate over pardon needless  NDC

The General Secretary of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Johnson Asiedu Nketia has however said any debate over the pardoning of the Montie 3 was needless and misplaced as the President had acted within the remit of his powers.

Mr. Asiedu Nketia also held that, the President needn't provide justification of his decision to pardon the Montie 3, despite the criticisms coming from political parties and the general public.

Montie 3 pardoned to attack NPP

The spokesperson for Nana Akufo-Addo, the flagbearer of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Mustapha Hamid, suggested that President Mahama might have pardoned the Montie FM contemnors to resume their insult attacks on the opposition candidate.

Once they [Montie trio] are incarcerated, he [Mahama] is the one now leading the insult attack. He wants them out so they can come and take over from him so he can rest. They have said they were working on his behalf so now that they are not there, he's had to take up the insults himself. That's the reason he's [pardoned them], Mustapha Hamid said.



By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana
A radio host with Accra-based Montie FM, and two panelists who were found guild for scandalizing the court and sentenced to four months in prison each are expected to be released from Nsawam Prison, Friday.

Safifu Maase, the host, Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn will be released from prison following a remission of their sentences by President John Mahama.

Lawyer for the trio, Edudzi Tamakloe, told Joy News Friday he expects his clients to walk free early this morning. He revealed the relevant processes to facilitate their release have been completed.

President Mahama remitted their sentences on Monday August 22, a move that received mixed reaction.

Some commentators saw the remission as a slap in the face of the Judiciary, while others said the President has only exercised his prerogative of mercy under Ariticle 72 of the Constitution.

A statement signed by the Communications Minister Dr Omane Boamah said the decision was taken on the advice of the Council of State and was on compassionate grounds..

Background

The three had threatened to rape the Chief Justice Georgina Theodora Wood and kill other judges who sat on a case brought against the Electoral Commission.

By presiding over the case, the three said the judges wanted to foment trouble in the country and that if the 2016 elections turned violent they knew the homes of judges and finish them.

Their comments were roundly condemned by all and were later hauled before the judges to answer why they should not be held liable for contempt.

The three, together with the Directors of the radio station and the owner pleaded guilty to the charges of contempt and were duly sentenced on July 27, 2016.

Apart from the four-month jail term, the three were each slapped with GH10,000 cedis fine. Three of the Directors also had to pay GH10,000 each whilst the owner was slapped with GH30,000 cedis.

Petition

Shortly after they were sentenced there was a groundswell of petitions, mostly from party supporters, ministers of state and the contemnors themselves begging for pardon.

One of the lawyers for the contemnors, George Loh said the sentence was harsh and pleaded with the president to activate his powers of mercy under Article 72 of the Constitution.

The petitions were signed in haste and presented to the president, who in an unusual fashion, announced a handing over ceremony of the petition to the Council of State for advice.

Just days after the petitions were handed to the Cecilia Johnson led Council of State, a decision has been taken; an advice has been given to the president and the contemnors are to be set free.

The statement from the presidency read:

"The President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama has, in consultation with the Council of State and in exercise of his constitutional powers under Article 72 of the Constitution, remitted the remaining prison sentence imposed on three persons: Salifu Maase (alias Mugabe), Alistair Nelson and Ako Gunn who were sentenced to 4 months imprisonment and a fine of 10,000.00 each for contempt of court. The remission is effective 26th August 2016.

A vigil was also held for the three

The three were sentenced on 27th July 2016 and have served part of the prison sentences imposed on them. They have also paid the GH10,000.00 fines.

The decision of His Excellency the President to remit their sentences on compassionate grounds follows a petition submitted to him by the contemnors appealing to the President to exercise his prerogative of mercy even as they continue to express deep remorse and regret for the unacceptable statements they made against the Judiciary.

His Excellency, President Mahama takes this opportunity to remind all Ghanaians of the need to respect the institutions of State and exercise freedom of speech responsibly mindful of the need to preserve peace and national unity," the statement said

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
Preparation for the Sixth Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD-VI) began today with a Senior Officials Meeting (SOM) at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi, Kenya. This is the first time since its inception in 1993 that TICAD is being held in Africa and the TICAD VI Summit demonstrates the continents ownership of the TICAD process.

The meeting was opened in the presence of high-level officials from Africa and Japan, and other TICAD co-organizers including United Nations Office of the Special Advisor on Africa (UNOSAA), United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and World Bank (WB). Representatives of invited countries, International Organizations and Civil Society Organizations were also in attendance.

During his opening speech, H.E. Mr. Cherif Mahamat Zene, Chairperson of the Permanent Representative Committees (PRC) and Ambassador of Chad to Ethiopia and to the African Union (Chair of the African Union), thanked the Governments of Japan and Kenya together with all the co-organizers for the efforts made in planning and holding the TICAD VI Summit. He acknowledged that in addition to strengthening Africa-Japan partnership, the TICAD process over the years has achieved noteworthy continental goals. To keep the momentum going, the Chairperson of the PRC underscored the need for the Senior Officials to work collectively and focus attention on the strategic approaches for developing the implementation plan of the identified priority areas of cooperation.

On his part, H.E. Mr. Erastus Mwencha, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), during opening remarks, expressed his appreciation to Japan, the government and people of Kenya and all co-organizers for successfully organizing TICAD-VI Summit, which will be held from 27 to 28 August 2016. The Deputy Chairperson pointed out that TICAD process lies within the purview of Agenda 2063 and underscored that the Senior Officials Meeting will not just revisit previous decisions and their implementation, but will also cover additional priorities in prepararatio for the meeting of the Ministers scheduled to take place on 26 August 2016.

Representing the Host country, H.E. Ambassador Monica K. Juma, Principal Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Kenya, acknowledged TICAD as a forum that has been able to promote synergy between Africa, Japan, and the international community in a candid and heart to heart manner that promotes a sense of equality and mutual benefit.

TICAD-VI Summit, will discuss three thematic priority areas identified to complement the Yokohama Action Plan as adopted by the TICAD V Summit held in, Japan in 2013. These areas are: Promoting structural economic transformation through economic diversification and industrialization; Promoting resilient health system for quality of life; and Promoting social stability for shared prosperity.

All the African Heads of State and Government of Japan as well as other dignitaries will be expected to participate in the TICAD VI Summit.
Friends,

I'm not talking about William Shakespeare's drama. I'm talking about the cliche of furor about Angle Bishop Obinim. It's about the trouble or excitement, his hidden secrets, controversial arrest and the unfolding drama! Thats not the most important thing to do to fix the problems at the moment- No Bueno! In other words, we are unnecessarily creating a buzz for something unimportant! Hello?

Why?

First; the so called self-acclaimed men of God have been parading and soliciting for followers in our streets for decades now, probably since we declared self-rule! I can guarantee you; Bishop Obinim is not alone in this phony healing business! There are numerous other fake Pastors or Religious Charlatans out there swindling thousands of vulnerable Ghanaians on a daily basis. You can only uproot this nuisance by darning and enforcing the existing laws, or by enacting new laws to align with our current pickles if necessary.

Second; obviously, Bishop Obinim is not someone who is much loved by Ghanaians apart from his loyal church members. Due to his past controversial remarks and self- acclaimed "spiritual healing powers" coupled with his extreme penchant and love of money, and the bling-bling lifestyle, it's highly probable he was plotted, trapped or even scammed as well, and now in big, trouble.

As one of the most popular, but controversial and men of God in Ghana, there is a rumor going round that the ruling NDC government orchestrated his arrest just to divert the state resource and public attention from the controversial amnesty granted to the Montie trio. If this allegation if true, then it goes to support the fact that currently, law and order in Ghana, is parallel to our constitution and rule of law. There is so much indiscipline in the system that; each and every one does what pleases him or her! If that argument holds, then why single out Bishop Obinim? Can we call this hate arrest?

Heres the deal: Arresting and humiliating Bishop Obinim is a good thing, but that is not going to solve anything - nothing about the current religious scams spree and get rich or die while trying attitude! In fact, the reverse is true. His notoriety and the most cherished bling- bling lifestyle by the youth who mostly love that lifestyle might even encourage those who also want to live that dream.

Of course, Bishop Obinim" is under arrest right now! Regardless of the outcome, that's a good sign and a good start provided it was not orchestrated to shut down the public outcry about the Montie trio tale as alleged! However, in the next few days, we would also want to hear from our lawmakers (MPs) getting their acts together, fixing, patching, and strengthening our existing religious laws of the land, and directing the executive arm of government to enforce those laws.

To be honest with you, the "fast and furious" spread of these Religious Charlatans and their nefarious activities is becoming too unbearable on "the good people of Ghana". Unfortunately, I can go to Ghana right now, get a plot of land by a major road side, put up some "creepy crap palm leaves hut", and call myself Archbishop Apostle Evangelist Nanasei, and that's it! I'll just be ripping-off the vulnerable religious Ghanaians as if there's no tomorrow! That's the problem right there! And guess what? Nobody will even question my authority, mandate or certificate of operation.

Fellow Ghanaians, we cannot continue to solve our problems on ad hoc basis. That's not how you solve a major problem! That's one of the biggest challenge we face in Sub Saharan African countries! Lack of long-term planning in almost everything we do is what's leading to our Dance in circles development fiasco! Sometimes, itss very, very disheartening to see our leadership sitting aloof on some of these little things far relatively easier to solve as if they have no clue about whats going on! It makes you wonder: "What a hell are they thinking?"

Please let's take this opportunity, put pressure on our leadership to do their jobs! First of all, what are the Lawmakers elected for? To make laws, right? Please, folks, let's learn from our past mistakes, learn from those who have done it before, do some little thinking here and there, and believe that; Yes! We can!!! I know we can do it! We just have to give it a try! As for this one, its NOT about technology, so, please, let's get it done and right! The "yen tie obiaa (we will not heed any advice) attitude or thinking is called arrogance. That's not going to help us now or in the near future! It will not! I can guarantee you that!

Finally, until we make an uptight efforts and consistently work hard to uproot completely the root cause of the proliferation of these crazy religious charlatans from the system, trust me, arresting and humiliating Angel Bishop Obinim alone won't even put a stop sign on this quick & easy money making business, let alone to fright those who are yearning to rip-off Ghanaians with vulnerable religious faiths. Until then, remember, its always going to be: Much Ado About Nothing!

Thank you!

P. Osei-Adjei

( [email protected] )
26.08.2016 LISTEN

The direct impact of the health of a people on their productivity, hence their wealth, cannot be overemphasized. Proffer Aid International Foundation (PAIF) is an European based not-for-profit organization with operations in Ghana dedicated to addressing health problems within the Ghanaian community.

Thus, PAIF and University of Ghana Nursing Students will bring medical professionals to provide medical care to the people of Gomoa District. There is therefore the need for leaders to prioritize the health of the people and support the project.

Gomoa Medical Care is a project initiative of PAIF that seeks to address the health issues in Gomoa West through awareness of preventive health practices, provision of medical screening and therapeutics. The project seeks to provide medical care to the populace of the Gomoa West Districts. More than 500 people will benefit from the project.

In an interview with a representative of the PAIF Team, Miss Nina Quansah noted that as part of our mission of contributing to health care assess and education in the Country, PAIF will extend its medical humanitarian services to the Gomoa District dubbed Gomoa Medical Care.

Gomoa west District just like many other districts in the Country, have their prevailing health problems and predisposing factors of those health problems. According to the District Director of health service about 50 per cent of the Outpatient cases such as malaria, respiratory infection, skin diseases, pregnancy related complications, anaemia and hypertension are the most diseases being reported.

Gomoa West is one of the districts in the Central Region with a population of about 50,000. Dominate economic activities in the district are fishing, farming, mining and quarrying. Some of these activities have a contributing factor to the health of the people.

Mr. Eric Agyei Mensah, President of the University of Ghana Nursing Students Association, said the objective of the programme is to pay back to society what they (students) have benefitted from it. The programme, is to provide medical care, preventive health education check and advice on High Blood pressure, screen for Diabetes Mellitus, screen for and advice on Obesity, Screen for visual acuity and Defects, Screen for syphilis and other STIs for the populace in the Gomoa Dago and the rest of the communities. He said the students and volunteers will counsel communities on healthy lifestyles before the screening.

We need a collective effort in dealing with the health issues in the country. Corporate bodies, Media, Religious institutions and individuals have a role of coming together to improve the quality of health in our country. Lets all join the race to save lives
Ghana's Stabilization Fund appears to be providing the impetus for government to continuously borrow from international and domestic sources in recent times.

Finance Minister Seth Terkper said the focus on the Stabilization Fund was part of the diversified strategy by government to address its economic management glitches.

If I have a very high fiscal deficit, and the risk that gas supplies and power supplies are going to lead to a likely shortfall in my revenues and therefore I will not meet my fiscal targets, the focus shifts to the Stabilization Fund because the Stabilization Fund is the one that supports the budget, Mr Terkper told journalists in Accra at a press conference.

He continued: If I have a policy to cap the Stabilization Fund, and I am reducing that deficit and the risk associated with high deficits are going down but my debt remains the one thing which investors and other things are concerned about as we ourselves as Ghanaians say, we don't want to go back to HIPC, what do you do? Your policies should be dynamic. So you use the cap policy direction to manage debt. It's not a matter of not paying to stabilization. No, you are looking at your indices. That is why we have that diversified strategy and the law allows that kind of flexibility.

Payment

He said government took $250 million off and it was at that point that it decided to cap the Stabilization Fund and use it for debt management.

And today, we were able to take off $33 million of the bond. And in fact it's a major factor in our decision because we have over $100 million currently in the Sinking Fund. Last year, when we did the bond with the World Bank, we still had $233 million in that account because it is also meant for refinancing. Once again, we were putting emphasis on using the World Bank money to refinance our domestic debt.

Target

He furthermore stated: What we are doing is the same with the $250 million: we did not get in the bridge financing, we are now taking the $100 million, plus $150 million on the $230 million, and if you add the two you have the exact $250 million which gives you the wherewithal to say that I can take half of the 2017 bond from my own resources and from my own strategies.

And this is why the emphasis should shift towards the Sinking Fund and if with TEN Field, again God willing, things go well, we will increase the Stabilization Fund, and by definition the Sinking Fund to $300 million and $350, you are closer to your $500 million.

By Samuel Boadi

[email protected]
26.08.2016 LISTEN

President John Mahama appears to have snubbed his lawyer who secured victory for him during the disputed presidential election in 2012 where the Supreme Court affirmed him as validly elected.

The lawyer, Tony Lithur, had cautioned President Mahama against granting remission to the three National Democratic Congress (NDC) activists  now known as Montie 3  convicted for contempt by the Supreme Court.

Interestingly, while the lawyer was advising the president against exercising the prerogative of mercy, Mr Lithur's wife, Nana Oye Lithur, Minister of Women, Children and Social Protection, was pushing for the release of the jailed Montie FM programme host and two panelists by signing a petition urging the president to free the NDC activists.

Nana Oye, a lawyer, was not the only woman in the Mahama administration who wanted the convicts  who threatened to slaughter judges as well as 'rape' the Chief Justice  released, but also Education Minister, Prof Jane Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang (former Vice Chancellor of the University of Cape Coast) and Valerie Sawyerr, a lawyer and former deputy Chief of Staff.

President Mahama shocked many people on Monday when he defied all odds and granted the remission which Mr. Lithur had warned was going to feed into the perception that the NDC is still anti-judiciary.

Immediately the three  Salifu Maase aka Mugabe who hosts Montie FM's afternoon political programme called 'Pampaso,' Alistair Tairo Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn (the panelists)  were jailed, Mr. Lithur wrote that even though there was a feeling of anger among many NDC supporters, the president should not take the action to feed into the perception that the NDC does not like the judiciary.



NDC Stigma

I wish to add that as a party there is already a stigma in our history of the murder of judges under our watch. We should avoid the deepening of any perception that we are against the judiciary in such fundamental way that translates into threat of physical harm, the lawyer reportedly made the comment on one of the NDC social media platforms.

The feeling of anger and disgust at the sentencing of our friends by the Supreme Court is very understandable. I agree with you that whatever the wrongs the accused persons may have committed the sentencing, while it should serve as a measure of deterrent, should also have taken into consideration the constitutional requirements of freedom of speech and press freedom.

In addition I think the judiciary should have borne in mind the perception that may be created of high-handed and judicial tyranny by the method of redress it had chosen and the severity of the sentences, notwithstanding the real and palpable remorse publicly shown by the accused persons, Mr Lithur remarked.



Grant Of Remission

Mr Tony Lithur continued, However, the answer in my very humble view, is not the resort to executive intervention by the grant of pardon. Let us step back for a moment. What will be the effect or, at least, the perception of the grant of pardon?

The lawyer said if the president granted the pardon, it would constitute a direct undermining of the judiciary in a manner that is unprecedented in recent times.



Public Support

He said as the NDC awaits the commencement of a new legal year so that the review process could be filed, the party should be seen to stating publicly what our views are about the sentences, choosing moderate language and still showing respect to the judiciary. After all, when it came to the crunch in 2013, it is this same body that held the balance. Let that body not see NDC as the enemy. Lets accept its verdict while we take formal steps to take a second bite at the cherry.

By William Yaw Owusu
BISHOP DR. Prince Hampel, founder and leader of Liberty Global Christian Church, has cautioned the Electoral Commission (EC) against doing things that could favour a particular political party during the December 7 elections.

He stressed the need for the EC not to be bias and strictly abide by the ethics that underlie its work so that all the stakeholders in the elections, notably the political parties, would not have any cause to complain after the results of the polls have been declared.

Bishop Hampel said the peaceful atmosphere in the country should jealously be upheld by all and sundry so as to pave way for effective development to take place for the people to benefit from.

The bishop, who is the President of Minister Manna International (MMI), stated that the neutrality of the electoral body is very important as it will help boost the confidence that the people have in it (EC).

Speaking in an interview with DAILY GUIDE, the man of God, who had travelled to 62 countries across the globe within 52 years, described Ghana as the star of Africa in a sermon.

He stated that Ghana, after gaining independence in 1957, had become an inspiration to most African countries, leading to their attainment of independence. He stressed that Ghana should also be the leader of true democratic practice in Africa.



Vote Buying

Bishop Dr. Hampel, also President of the Prince Hampel's World Outreach, warned Ghanaians against being influenced with money or any luxurious gifts by politicians in exchange for their votes.

He admonished the electorate to reject every tempting offer, especially money, which politicians would try to use to buy their conscience before the Election Day, urging the people to vote wisely for the right leader to transform the country.

The minister of the gospel, who is also leader of the Wisdom for Winning (WFW), stated that the little amount that politicians would offer in exchange for the people's votes could not sustain the recipients for four years.

When you give your vote, you are mortgaging your life for someone for four years, so don't think about what you eat today, but rather think about the interest of your motherland Ghana, as you cast your ballot, he advised.



Insults

Bishop Dr. Hampel, whose immense popularity stretches across the globe, described politics of insults as very dangerous, which has the potential of sparking anger and causing chaos. He therefore, called for an immediate end to that weird political sub-culture.

The founder and leader of the Liberty Global Christian Church, which has branches in the UK, US, Germany, Canada and Ghana, charged politicians to campaign on issues so that the electorate can make the right choice during voting time.

FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
Constitutional lawyer Ace Ankomah has stated that the Supreme Court did not erred in the contempt case against the Montie 3, disagreeing with respected lawyers such Professor Stephen Kwaku Asare aka Kwaku Azar.

The Montie 3, Salifu Maase aka Mugabe, host of Montie FM's 'Pampaso' political programme and two panelists Godwin Ako-Gunn and Alistair Nelson, were each sentenced to four-months' imprisonment by the Supreme Court.

The convicts made disparaging comments about some Supreme Court judges who heard an election related case.

Even though Prof Asare and others insist the court does not have the power to do so, Mr Ankomah, who is a senior Partner at Bentsi-Enchill, Letsa and Ankomah Chambers, said the court made no mistake.

Speaking at a symposium in organized by the Forum for Media Accountability and Democratic Governance (FOMADEG) in collaboration with Occupy Ghana, Lawyer Ankomah said Common Law procedure talks about committal without application which those who criticize the court's decision fail to recognize.

Nothing in rule one: rule one deals with the fact that a party does not bring an application or in other case the Attorney General] affects the power of the court to make an order on its own motion [suo moto] against a person to show cause why the person should not be committed for contempt of courtand so Ghana law recognizes that the court itself has the power: the court has that power.

He also denied claims that contempt can only be commenced by the Attorney-General, saying that's not true.

In a case titled Ackah versus Adjei Acheampong 2005, the same Supreme Court judges said that in respect of Common law contempt of court, it is not an Article 898 power vested in the Attorney General; so the Attorney General even if he comes under this circumstances is not trying an offence. The Attorney General is coming in almost as a civil party in Common Law proceeding called quasi proceeding.

He made reference to the good old English Supreme Court Lord Dening, who in one of his rulings he admitted that contempt 'it is never confined to conduct which a judge saw with his own eyes. It covers all contempt for which a judge of his own can punish a man on the spot, this is an extraordinary power, it should be used rarely where the case is very clear.'

Explaining further, the respected lawyer said, Speaking for myself, I do not see the wisdom in maintaining scandalizing the court in Ghana.

He however stressed the need to review the Common Law on contempt to clearly state its parameters like the way the English have done and not to keep it as open as it's pin the resent state where it gives some form of arbitrariness to the apex court of the law (Supreme Court) in the exercise of its powers.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu
Bishop Daniel Obinim's arrest and matters arising thereof have exposed our failings in the manner we handle suspects. There is so much unnecessary excitement to please their bosses by the police when such occurrences come their way that we are at a loss for words to describe the near state of emergencies they create.

The water cannons and baton charges originated from the way the Obinim matter was handled. What we thought was an ordinary assault case and alleged fraud, an outrageous amount being at the centre, should not have ignited so much fire and security theatricals.

Obinim's story follows in the heels of others recorded in recent times when two pharmaceutical companies were targeted for destruction. These have left a scar on law enforcement and governance in the country. In the eyes of first-timers to the country, we have fallen short of civility.

Bishop Obinim reported himself to the police after making negative headlines on his infamous assault of two persons said to be his wards. His turning up at the police station followed an impression created that he was avoiding the police; he was seemingly declared wanted. What followed has been so nasty that it provided the media with sufficient fodder to make front page stories for many days and still counting.

Every Ghanaian should be concerned about what befell the founder of the Godsway International Church because anybody could suffer a similar fate in the hands of the police.

Handcuffing a suspect in the manner the gentleman was, leaves much to be desired. As if that was not enough, an orchestrated plan was hatched to have the image of the humiliating posture carried by the major newspapers in the country.

It is not for us to discuss the merits or otherwise of the charges leveled against the man. That is beyond our remit, more so since the matter is before a court of competent jurisdiction. Suffice it to point out that we are appalled at the spectacular breach of decency, more so this would not be the last time if nothing is done to pull the brakes over it.

What panned out suggested that the law enforcement authorities had deemed the suspect guilty already for which he deserved what befell him.

Most of the cases which engender so much noise in the media end up with the suspects being let off the hook, charges subtly dropped with no apologies rendered the victims of the unnecessary high-handedness.

We doubt if we are growing as a nation. A country where the dignity of the individual citizen can be so trampled whimsically is not worth dying for.

We need a paradigm shift in the way we enforce the law. Such unnecessary fanfare in the face of yet-to- be-tried cases is crude and unfortunate in a country which is so noisy about a so-called progress in human rights.
The end of justice is to produce and preserve the happiness of the social and political community (Aristotle).

The whole nation seems to be discussing just one thing, the remission granted the Montie 3 gunsels by President Mahama. Right thinking members of the Ghanaian society believe that the action of the President is repugnant, contrary to good conscience, a slap in the face of the judiciary, an assurance to the NDC hoodlums that they can go ahead and insult and threaten the lives of innocent citizens of this country and get away with it as long as Mahama remains the President of this country. Mahama is ready to sink this country if that will please a handful of ignoble, uncultured, undomesticated young men, trained by their parents to be disrespectful to the elderly in the society for no apparent reason other than the fact that they are working for President Mahama.

These hotheaded fanatics, reckless in their conduct, acerbic towards people they have not even ever met, acrid in their language and unyielding to the pains and agonies of their victims who have done them no wrong ever, took pleasures in destroying well- meaning innocent people of all social, political and economic strata without any consideration towards the feelings of those people. The medium used to propagate these crude insults, is owned by the NDC, their top people including lawyers like Nana Ato Dadzie and President Mahama himself, obviously listen to the station. They saw everything good in what the miscreants and seemingly drug induced hoodlums were doing to their victims, but never cautioned them. But when they got to their apex and the law caught up with them, sympathies from those who relished the nonsense from these orphans who grew up on the streets, took over the air waves.

Yes, I say they are orphans who grew up on the streets because no sensible Ghanaian parent would tolerate a child, no matter how errant he might be, in their chosen path of using, misusing and abusing the microphone in their communications to the society. If in the jungle era, the supporters, children and sympathizers of those individuals; these young men of unstable minds with unwholesome verbiage had denigrated with careless and reckless relish had decided to pay them back, it is not the airwaves that would have been polluted but some blood would have flowed as well.

And because what they did was pleasing to President Mahama, and without apologies from him on behalf of his paid infidels to the Supreme Court and the individuals who had suffered unprovoked verbal attacks from his hirelings, he releases them using a constitutional provision that has been challenged by other legal minds. President Mahama's desperation in the face of losing the coming elections is driving him to please his foot-soldiers even as they breach the laws of the country.

That desperation, having been crystalized by the rejection of majority of the people of this country on his much touted achievements, as he moves around, has jolted him into engaging in the very acts the Montie 3 were recruited to do on the air waves. With no concrete message to support his claims of having achieved so much, he has resorted to insults on the person of his main opponent, Nana Addo Danquah Akufo Addo. Indeed, Mahama has changed lives and transformed lives, the poor have become poorer, the average person has changed to poor, the middle class is descending, vibrant businesses have transformed into surviving entities. Life has become meaningless to the majority. Change and transformation in the negative sense.

Nana Akufo Addo was in the Western Region, the Chiefs and the people put before him their major concerns, good roads into their communities, and because Mahama thinks he has done all the roads in the region, he says Nana Addo was sleeping when on political tour in the region. I was in my town Dixcove in the Ahanta West District last weekend during the final celebration of the Kundum festival by the Chiefs and people of the Lower Dixcove traditional area. The guest of honour was President Mahama. The major request from the Omanhene of Lower Dixcove traditional area was the poor state of roads in the District and made special appeal for the Cape-Three Points road as well as the Princesstown road.

If Nana Addo had gone there, and the Chiefs had made the same request to him, and he on his part had assured them of fixing those roads, am sure Mahama would have said Nana Addo was sleeping when he went to the District. That is how desperate Mahama is in the face of his unprecedented failure as the leader of this country.

President Mahama tours his own home region, the Northern Region where the world would have expected him to tell the people what he has done to improve their lives; he just took the place of the Montie 3 and insulted Nana Akufo Addo, calling him a dictator. Mahama is a historian and if indeed he took his history lessons well and has followed the political history of this country very well, he could not have described Nana Addo as a dictator. Is President Mahama himself not a product of unmitigated dictator?

Mahama and his cohorts are so worried because the NPP used its constitution and party structures to suspend officers of the party whose actions and inactions were suspected to have been transmitting live party discussions to the NDC, officers who had made up their mind to ensure that the NPP never saw any peace internally. The NPP never had any secrets as a political party. Now that Mahama is no longer getting information from the party, he is worried. If addressing institutional indiscipline in a political party, using the laws and structures of the party to deal with errant members constitutes dictatorship, then we accept Nana Addo as such. Ruffians are no longer recruited to besiege the party's head office to create problems. His people were and are still waiting to hear why SADA failed. The teeming youth want to know what job opportunities are available to them and the closed SHS want to know when Mahama will give them money to go to school.

They want to hear what he has done to alleviate the outrageous poverty levels in the three northern regions, his home constituency Bole- Bamboi, has 79% of the people below the poverty line. Mahama does not address those issues but call Nana Addo a dictator. No organization or institution the world over will meet its stated goals if discipline is not enforced, that is exactly what the NPP did. So Prof. Atta-Mills was a dictator when Dr. Josiah Aryeh was suspended in 2004 without even meeting a disciplinary committee. Kofi Adams was suspended and even prevented from contesting as a parliamentary candidate in 2012, that was Mahama's dictatorship.

The NDC, since 1992, has seen three political parties emerging out of it, the National Reform Party of Goosie Tanoh, the Ghana Freedom Party of Dr. Obed Asamoah and the National Democratic Party of the former First Lady, Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings. All of them came out of dictatorship of who? Dr. Kwesi Botwe was nearly lynched at Legon in 2004, Mr Kofi Asante was manhandled such that he resigned from the party and Parliament. Dictatorship? Frances Essiam, Bede Ziedeng, Kyeretwie Poku, Mejie Barnor and the rest were pushed out of the party through dictatorial tendencies in the NDC. Mahama is blind to them.

President Mahama is traversing his region in a helicopter when ground distances are reasonably short; he can't use the roads he claimed he has built all over the country including the three northern regions. This country, in the state it finds itself today, will be better off with a dictator who is not corrupt, very competent and efficient than a corrupt spineless incompetent leader who is drowned in extended thievery of national resources with glee. A President who shamelessly takes a Ford Expedition from a foreign contractor is worse than a so-called dictator who will manage our resources for our collective good.

Daavi, offer me three tots.

[email protected]
Accra, Aug. 25, GNA - Trading at the Ghana Stock Market session ended with transactions recorded in 12 equities with six price changes.

As a result the benchmark Ghana Stock Exchange composite index rose by 0.08 per cent to close at 1,806.4 points.

The GSE Financial Stock Index also inched up by 0.1 per cent to close at 1,693.5 points, market analysis paper made available to the Ghana News Agency in Accra said.

Nordea Capital is an investment bank licensed by the Securities and Exchange Commission which offers a comprehensive range of services in asset management, research and strategy, corporate finance and private equity to institutional, corporate and private clients.

The gainers were led by Produce Buying Company Ltd which added a quarter (+25 per cent) to its value to close at GHa 0.05 per share, whiles GCB edged 2.1 per cent to close at GHa 3.45 per share.

Stanchart bounced back to gain 0.1 per cent to close at GHa 14.23 per share. The laggards were Mechanical Lloyd which declined 5.9 per cent to close at GHa 0.16 per share, followed by HFC which lost 5.3 per cent to close at GHa 0.71 per share.

GOIL trimmed 0.7 per cent to close at GHa 1.37 per share.

According to the report, volume traded was 65,992 shares which were valued at GHa 108,128.74.

GNA
Real police work started in the then Gold Coast; now Ghana, in the year 1921. Before that time the executive and judicial powers were in the hands of local chiefs and headsmen who employed unpaid messengers to do the work of the police.

In 1871, when Great Britain had full control of the colony, it became necessary to provide a strong force. To this end, Captain Glover conscripted a force of 700 Hausa men from Northern Nigeria to take part in the Ashanti wars on behalf of the British and in 1876, this body of men formed the Gold Coast constabulary. The Gold Police Force, now Ghana Police Service was formed in 1894, with 400 out of the 700 men who formed the Gold Coast Constabulary.

Since the inception of police service, it has never existed in any illegality since there were several ordinances backing its creation until 1992 when Ghana was ushered into constitutional rule.

Article 200(1) clearly states that there shall be a police service of Ghana and no other police service. In the spirit of the constitution, there should be one police service for all Ghanaians and that is what we have now. The constitution again gave the police service a legal mandate to maintain law and order by emphasizing on the traditional role of the police drawn from previous ordinances. Just as the constitution says, the sovereignty of Ghana resides in the people, the existence of the police is a constitutional delegation drawn from the people of Ghana to empower the police service to enforce law and order to make Ghanaian society safer.

The police has been given the power not to work for themselves. For that matter it is expected that the police, in the exercise of discharging their duties, do so within the confines of the constitution. Anything outside the constitution is null and void.

Article 200(2) says clearly that no person or authority shall raise any police service except by or under the authority of an act of parliament. This provision defeats the argument proposed by some learned people recently that the police service should be privatized for it to be efficient. It is only the parliament of the republic of Ghana that has the constitutional mandate through its Act to create another police service or to privatize it.

Iis essential to know that the police service belongs to class of services providers known as essential services whose functions are key to the stability of the Republic of Ghana. Any attempt to privatize the police service will only put profit maximization above the collective interests of the ordinary Ghanaian and that will be very disastrous for our common good.

Article 200(3) defines the mandate of the police. The police service shall be equipped and be maintained to perform its traditional role of maintaining law and order as stated by the constitution. Before the police service discharges its mandate of maintaining law and order, it must be equipped and be maintained.

The question has always been whose duty it is to maintain the police service to carry out its mandate of maintaining law and order considering how corporate bodies and individuals are making donations to the police lately? Some have argued that corporate bodies and individuals sharing the responsibility with the government of maintaining and equipping the police to discharge their duties effectively has the tendency of putting the police in a dilemma in the long run as far as crime combat and law enforcement is concerned. Others have argued otherwise. In a subsequent piece we will explore these two schools of thought in detail.

Article 90(1a) declares the police service as a public service and article 202(1) declares the Inspector-General of Police as the head of the police service to be appointed by the president in consultation with council of state.

From the above interpretations based on the constitutional provisions, one can clearly see that the police service is a service for Ghanaians which exists in the collective interest of all Ghanaians. Every Ghanaian has a stake in the police which must be protected. Every Ghanaian has a share of trust and confidence placed in the police by virtue of being a Ghanaian and for that matter he or she must ensure that his trust and confidence is protected. That is why it is said in the police that every caller is a potential ally. The police are to discharge their duties without discrimination against all manner of persons. The doors of the police service should be open to all Ghanaians at all times.

Currently the police service as it is has the following objectives which guides it in performance of its constitutional duties:

1. Protection of life and property

2. Prevention and detection of crime

3. Apprehension and prosecution of offenders

4. Preservation of peace and good order

5. The due enforcement of all laws and regulations with which it is directly charged.

These objectives have been operationalized for effective policing and the safety of the society. These objectives were drawn from the constitutional mandate bestowed on the police service by the 1992 constitution of Ghana in order to ensure that law and order is maintained constantly.

Currently Regulation 1 of the Police Service Regulations 2012(C.76) clearly depicts the structure of the police service. It is a public service with security operations hence some classifieds and operational tactics will always remain secret.

The police service exist because of Ghanaians and not by itself. It draws its authority from the people of Ghana. The police can only be successful in crime combat as well as law enforcement if there is a mutual partnership between the police and the society. There is should be a formation of company of trust and confidence where both the police and society will be shareholders. The general Ghanaian public must trust that the police service can save their lives and properties as stated in its objectives. It is when the police has proved itself to manage the trust of the the general public creditably, that is when they will automatically put their confidence in the police. A police service that doesnt have the trust and confidence of the population breads lawlessness and creates a society where only the strong survives.

We currently have a police service which seems to have a strained relationship with the general public with which it draws its mandatory power. In reality, the civil Ghanaian population has a role to ensure that there is a better police service for us all. The society to a large extent must police the police to ensure that there is a balance but not abuse in its functions. Society must be alive and responsive to react to the inefficiencies and negligence of the police in the course of discharging their duties.

We have failed not as a police service but as a country considering the happenings in the police where there seems to be an increased trend of police involvement in heinous crimes. Our safety is threatened, our trust seem to have broken and our confidence is waning because we have all been part and parcel of where we are being driven to. We have failed to police the police and that is the beginning of our woes.

The police service is not for any individual, not even for men and women in police uniform since they will leave the police service someday after their terms of contract have come to an end. However the police service will stay for generation to generation and our collective interest and not that of any individual is what is at stake.

Article 191(a&b) which provides immunity for public officers including the police from victimization and dismissal is a dead clause buried deep in the belly of the constitution. Anybody who resist the demands of the powers that be in the police is victimized. That is why we seem to have a police service which is currently breeding criminals. We are under constitutional rule but the authority of the law is in hands of some powerful people who determine how the laws should be applied based on their interests.

For now it appears there is competitive bidding and tendering of personal interests of the powerful taking over our collective interests. It is up to you and I to deal with it. If we have a situation where politicians openly promise their followers to vote for them so that in return, they have them employed in the police service, then the Ghanaian with a conscience must be worried.

May God bless the police service and all those who are serving in the police with commitment, dedication and sacrifice.

It is in the collective interest of all Ghanaians including us the police.

Ahanta Apemenyimheneba Kwofie III

[email protected]

#Ahantadiaries2016_08_25
Beleaguered man of God Bishop Daniel Obinim has said God has blessed him with abundant material wealth.

I have more than 20 houses given to me by Jesus Christ. I had about eight Range Rover cars which I gifted to my pastors. I had five Infinity SUVs and three Chryslers which I also gifted to my pastors because my car is AUTOBIOGRAPHY, meaning the cars brain power is superior to that of a human being. If you cross that car, it stops automatically, and its door is not slammed, it shuts by itself. It is also bulletproof, the founder of the International Gods Way Church who was recently arrested for allegedly defrauding one Bismark Kusi of GHS11.6million as well as for flogging two teenage lovers in church, said in an interview.

Bishop Obinim also said God Himself may soon declare him (Obinim) as God too.

According to him, the next spiritual gift for Almighty God to confer on him after having made him an angel, will be to make him God too.

I saw Jesus Christ in my dreams, who said: Collect this angelic gift. So, if Im faithful to Jesus Christ, maybe the next spiritual gift He will confer on me will be a replica of what happened in Exodus Chapter 7 in the Bible where God told Moses: Now Ive made you God, so whatever you say is final. But now God has not made me God. Maybe the next time God will say: Obinim, now Ive made you a god, you can even conjure up money, he told Joy News.

Meanwhile, Bishop Obinim has said he will teach those accusing him of involvement in an alleged GHS11.6 million fraud case, a big lesson.

He pronounced curses on his accuser, Bismark Kusi, indicating that the gentleman and his family shall never know peace on earth.

He said he would thoroughly deal with all persons who falsely accused him as their actions had made a mockery of him as well as his father Jesus Christ.

The Bible says: Touch not my anointed. To those who contracted my accuser to disgrace me, I leave all of you to Jesus Christ in heaven. That Bismark Kusi who accused me, his family and those who appeared as witnesses, I will deal with them spiritually; my father Jesus Christ who you disgraced will never allow you to have peace. You will see what will happen to you, he threatened.

Bishop Obinim disclosed this when he addressed a gathering of church members in his house on Thursday, 25 August to state his side of the story.

According to him, he had never seen or interacted with his accuser prior to his invitation to the CID headquarters.

Bishop Obinim disclosed that Mr Kusi narrated to the police that he had handed him the said amount in a Ghana Must Go jute bag at the clergymans office at Tema during a counselling session.

But Bishop Obinim emphatically stated that he did not conduct counselling sessions in his office but rather at the church, a fact he said confirmed his position that the story had been fabricated to tarnish his image.

He said he met me at Tema in an office but I have never even conducted counselling sessions in office before, he added.

He continued: His end is near, he should go and ask all the people who have accused me falsely. Today, they even beg before they are able to get food to eat.

Hundreds of jubilant members of the church had trooped to the house of Bishop Obinim to welcome him after he was granted bail.

Some of the congregants who were praising God and hailing his release decided to roll on the floor as others sang to signify that the Angel has arrived.

His arrival was broadcast live on OBTV, owned by the bishop on Thursday August 25.

Bishop Obinim was granted bail after two nights in police cells. Apart from the fraud allegation against him, Bishop Obinim is also facing physical and verbal assault charges for flogging two teen lovers in church.
Illegal miners have destroyed large swathes of cocoa farms in Bepotenten and Gyamang, two farming communities in the Amansie Central District in the Ashanti Region. The level of devastation has resulted in some residents abandoning their farming activities and relocating their families to other communities to prevent them from falling into the open gullies dug by the illegal miners.

A Chinese woman, identified as Madam Asia Huang, is said to be the lead operator, working with some Ghanaian collaborators.Opinion leaders in the two communities claimed that Madam Huang often encroached on their lands with the alleged backing of some armed police and military personnel.ClaimsSome residents alleged that the Regional Security Council (REGSEC) ordered the release of some excavators and a Toyota pickup confiscated by people of the communities and the regional security liaison officer.A copy of the letter directing the release of the excavators, which was seen by the Daily Graphic, was dated August 16, 2016.

The letter, which was signed by the Regional Co-ordinating Director, Mr Kofi Dwumor-Asubonteng, stated that I have instructions from the Ashanti REGSEC to order the release of four excavators and one Toyota pickup seized and being kept at Finaso barrier in the Obuasi Municipality to the owner, Madam Asia Huang.

The equipment of the Chinese were seized while the miners were illegally mining close to River Offin, near Manso Tanokrom.

Release

Explaining why the tractors were released to the woman, the Deputy Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Andy Osei Okrah, said although the regional security liaison officer undertook the operations in collaboration with a police team, it was without the knowledge of the REGSEG and so it was illegal.

He explained that the REGSEC knew nothing about the activities of Madam Huang and indicated that the authorities were now investigating her activities.

Situation

The situation has led to fear and tension among the farmers.

During a visit to the two communities by this reporter, it was observed that many acres of farmland, especially cocoa farms, had been destroyed through illegal mining activities.

Large dugouts have also been abandoned and streams that served as sources of water for the people have been blocked.

Some armed military personnel were also seen providing protection for mining businesses, which according to the local people, belongs to the powerful Chinese woman.

Concerns

According to the Odikro of Bepotenten, Opanin George Anane, the community had been overwhelmed by illegal mining operations, a situation which had forced them to walk long distances to get potable water.

Opanin Anane added that roads they had constructed through communal labour had also been destroyed by the heavy earth-moving equipment of the illegal miners.

He said appeals to the district and regional administrations to save the situation from further deterioration had yielded no results until recently when some security agencies went in to seize the huge excavators.

The chief said it was after that action that Madam Huang sent some people to inform the affected farmers that she would like to dialogue with the community.

Casualties

For her part, a former Assembly Member for Bepotenten, Madam Janet Addei-Gyimah, said within the last three years, six children had died as a result of falling into the abandoned pits created by the miners.


A former Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Albert Kan-Dapaah, has said sanction regimes in the new Public Financial Management Law are not stringent enough to deter people from robbing the state.

The law, when assented to by the president, will regulate the financial management of the public sector to address weaknesses and promote discipline, transparency, and accountability of public funds.

But speaking at a national forum on Open Governance organised by the Ghana Integrity Initiative, Mr Kan-Dapaah said the new law was no different from existing laws in the country.

There is no clear automatic correction mechanism to control deviations. In countries that have the law, there is always an automatic correction mechanism The sanctions regime is not deterrent enough, it gives custodial sentence of not less than two years and not more than five years, so if I steal $20 million to go in for only two or five years, I will come back early enough to come and spend the money, so I dont think its frightening enough, he stated.

Again there is no independent fiscal policy council. In Nigeria, for instance, we have an independent fiscal policy council with powers to challenge the government and we have it in Brazil. Over all, I can only say without passing judgment that so far as transparency and accountability are concerned, I think the new law is no better than the existing practices we have today.
The presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party (NPP), Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, is expected to arrive in the Upper East region Friday for a campaign tour of six constituencies considered the strongholds of the ruling National Democratic Congress (NDC).

The constituencies include Bolgatanga Central, Chiana-Paga, Bongo, Nabdam, Bawku Central and Garu. The flagbearer, according to the partys communications directorate in the region, will tour the rest of the regions fifteen constituencies during the second phase of his campaign later in the year.

Party supporters already are in high spirits, like the infectious joy on the eve of a festival, as they await his arrival all over the place. Partys souvenirs, which had been dormant for some time, have bounced back from commercial hibernation on full display in front of the partys offices and everywhere as multilingual jingles hype the impending tour on radio airwaves at random intervals across the region.

His visit is a double-edged sword in the sense that he will attend the funeral of Colonel George Minyila at Navrongo on Saturday. He will tour only six constituencies: Bolgatanga Central, Chiana-Paga, Nabdam, Bawku Central, Garu and Bongo. On Sunday, he will address separate rallies at Chiana-Paga, Nabdam and at the Jubilee Park in Bolgatanga.

"Key among his messages of hope at the rallies will be the one district one factory project. We have heard people saying it is not doable. We have brought out policies; people say they are not doable; but somewhere along the line they have made a U-turn and they are copying them, Edmund Awuni, Head of the partys Communications Team, told Starr News.

The presidential candidate, who is also scheduled to address the Upper East Regional House of Chiefs Sunday, is expected to end his tour of the region Monday with rallies in Bawku, Garu and Bongo after paying courtesy calls on traditional authorities in the areas.

*NPPs performance in NDCs strongholds in 2008

The NPP, since 1992, has never represented Bolgatanga in Ghanas Parliament. Nana Akufo-Addo obtained 13,554 (27.28%) votes as against 30,941 (62.27%) votes polled by the NDCs John Evans Atta Mills in Bolgatanga at the 2008 elections. He attracted 9,889 (33.52%) votes whilst Mills got 17,686 (59.95%) in Bongo.

At Chiana-Paga, Nana garnered 8,270 (30.87%) votes with Mills gaining 14,887 (55.58%) votes. The elections at Nabdam saw Akufo-Addo poll 4,655 (42.18%) votes against Mills 5,501 (49.84%) ballots. Bawku Central gave Nana 19,933 (50.49%) votes and Mills 18,943 (47.99%). Nana attracted 12,564 (37.53%) at Garu-Tempane with Mills securing 19,477 (58.18%) of the valid votes cast.

The 2008 runoff gave Nana 15,498 (30.24%) votes in Bolgatanga, 10,047 (34.26%) in Bongo, 8,355 (30.88%) in Chiana-Paga, 4,105 (38.56%) in Nabdam, 18,540 (43.79%) in Bawku Central and 11,881 (35.52%) in Garu-Tempane. Mills won the runoff with 35,746 (69.76%) votes in Bolgatanga, 19,276 (65.74%) in Bongo, 18,698 (69.12%) in Chiana-Paga, 6,541 (61.44%) in Nabdam, 23,800 (56.21%) in Bawku Central and 21,572 (64.48%) in Garu-Tempane.

Performance in NDCs strongholds in 2012

The results of the 2012 presidential election portray the elephant as losing grounds in the same six strongholds where the umbrella has been strongly pitched since 1992.

Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo got 11,027 (22.62%) votes in Bolgatanga Central against President John Dramani Mahamas 35,142 (72.09%). Bongo gave Nana 9,414 (26.16%) and Mahama 23,185 (64.42%). The NPP attracted 6,659 (18.98%) ballots in Chiana-Paga whilst the NDC obtained 25,815 (73.59%) votes.

At Nabdam, Nana gathered 4,719 (36. 47%) votes with Mahama polling 7,533 (58.21%) votes. The election in Bawku Central saw the NPP gaining 17,974 (40.17%) votes and the NDC 24,707 (55.22%) ballots. The NPP polled 6,509 (31.15%) votes at Garu and the NDC 12,779 (61.16%).

NPP targets 10 seats in Upper East in 2016

The NPP won four parliamentary seats in 2008 at Navrongo Central, Bawku Central, Chiana-Paga and Binduri.

It lost all four seats in 2012 but surprisingly conquered twin strongholds of the NDC- Talensi and Nabdam- capturing the seats the same year for the first time since 1992. A by-election held in Talensi in 2015 after the legislator, Robert Mosore Doameng, voluntarily opted out of parliament for palace, saw the NDC recapture the seat.

The NDC now controls 13 of the 15 seats in the region, with the NPP holding one in Nabdam and the Peoples National Convention (PNC) occupying one in the Builsa South Constituency.

Mr. Awuni told Starr News Thursday the NPP was determined to win at least 10 seats at the 2016 polls.

Since 1992, the NDC has enjoyed popularity or the massive support of the region. But the question one would ask is what has been the reward to the region coming from the NDC as they have ruled for 20 years. What has been the benefit? The region is regretting somehow. We have been interacting with people.

We dont think some seats are supposed to be colonised. Any seat can be taken by any political party. We know some seats would be very difficult to grab. But with confidence I can say we are winning at least 10 seats in Upper East, Mr. Awuni affirmed.

Nana may visit late Adams family

It is not clear for now if the presidential candidate will visit the family of the partys late Upper East Regional Chairman, Adams Mahama, in Bolgatanga during his tour of the region.

Asked if it the flagbearer intended to call in on the family, Mr. Awuni said it was not part of the itinerary but added the presidential candidate might decide to pay a visit to the relations of the departed philanthropist.

It is not part of the itinerary. You know the last time he came, he visited the family, during the burial ceremony. Beyond that, he visits the family in Accra. He calls them and they interact. So, it is not that they have cut links. You remember we made a promise that we would make sure that Adams family, the children, get the same proper education that they would deserve if the man were there. Nana has been in touch with the family. And if he comes and decides to visit them, it is not a problem, Mr. Awuni stated.
Ignatius N.A Awinibuno

26.08.2016 LISTEN

President of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS), Ignatius N.A Awinibuno, has expressed worry and frustration at the lack of attention and neglect by government and its stakeholders towards the practice of laboratory activities in Ghana.

In light of this neglect, the association has embarked on a nationwide strike in order to put pressure on government to launch and implement the National Health Laboratory Policy, National Accreditation Policy and National Health Laboratory Strategic Plan which have all been signed by the then Minister of Health (MoH), Hanny-Sherry Ayittey, in 2013.

According to the association, the strike is to ensure that the signed policies will be launched and implemented to ensure accessible, affordable, accurate, reliable and safe medical laboratory practices in Ghana.

There have been numerous instances where people have died needlessly and silently due to misdiagnosis and faulty equipment. We have also had reports of perfectly healthy persons being diagnosed with diabetes only to later find out that are not diabetic. Issues of this nature carry legal implications and undermine the work of professionals, he revealed.

The issue of misdiagnosis, he said, is largely due to unlicensed and unqualified personnel being posted to the laboratory and to a logistical extent, the use of outmoded and faulty diagnostic equipment and the lack of reagents to facilitate laboratory tests.

He disclosed that there are laboratory staff who studied Chemical Engineering and wildlife officers who do not possess the requisite skills to practise medical laboratory science but have been posted to the laboratory. The policy when launched and implemented will determine who is qualified to work in the lab and also put in place quality control measures.

On several occasions, we have made reports to the Ministry of Health to stop posting unqualified people but the postings are more politically guided than professionally required, he lamented.

Mr Awinibuno pointed out that the GAMLS is a professional programme made up of a defined multi-disciplinary body of knowledgeable people, and those who aspire to be part of this body must subject themselves to the requisite training and skill prescribed by the Allied Health Professions Council and the ACT 857-2013 and any other council under the laws of Ghana.

He called on government to quickly heed to their call and truncate the posting of unqualified persons in order to sanitise the service.

BY Ernest Pappoe
Societe Generale Ghana has signed a $50 million Credit Facility agreement with the Government of Ghana to finance the rehabilitation of the Ghana Government Missions abroad.

A press release issued by the company yesterday in Accra said Societe Generale Ghana was happy to support the rehabilitation of Ghana's Missions abroad with $50 million.

The signing of this Credit Facility Agreement has come at an opportune time to support the Ghana Government to address some of the challenges faced by the Ghana Foreign Missions. It is Societe Generale Ghana's desire to partner Ghana in the socio-economic development of the country and to strengthen the already cordial business relations that has existed for many years between the Societe Generale Group, Societe Generale Ghana and the Government of Ghana.

Societe Generale Ghana has more than 11,000 business customers and 216,000 Retail Customers. As a subsidiary of Societe Generale Group present in 19 African countries, the bank offers universal banking services to its clients and the opportunity to directly transact business in the sub-regional and African market.

Societe Generale Ghana and the Societe Generale Group have financed various Government of Ghana projects to the tune of $600 million between 2009 and 2016.

Some of the projects Societe Generale has financed totally or as a participating bank in a syndication include the Aboadze Thermal Plant; Fire Tenders for the Ministry of Interior; Steel Bridges for the Ministry of Roads & Highways; E-Government Project for the Ministry of Communication; 2 GRIDCo Transmission Projects; the Accra Streets Asphalting; the Kwame Nkrumah and Kasoa Interchanges and the Ghana Cocobod Cocoa Syndication since 1997 to date.

The bank, with over 40 branches, is listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and is a member of the Ghana Club 100 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

A business desk report
Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African judge on Friday rejected the state's appeal seeking a longer jail sentence for Paralympian Oscar Pistorius, who is serving a six-year term for killing his girlfriend three years ago.

Thokozile Masipa -- the same judge who imposed the sentence last month -- said in the High Court in Johannesburg that she was not persuaded there was a "reasonable prospect of success on appeal".

"The application for leave to appeal against the sentence is dismissed with costs," she said.

The prosecution had been pushing for a longer sentence against the fallen 29-year-old sprint star over the 2013 murder of Reeva Steenkamp.

"The sentence of six years is shockingly lenient and disturbingly inappropriate," prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued in court.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

At his sentencing in July, Masipa listed mitigating factors for ordering Pistorius to serve less than half the minimum 15-year term for murder, including the athlete's claim he believed he was shooting an intruder.

"I'm of the view that a long term of imprisonment will not serve justice," Masipa said then.

- 'Enough is enough' -

But Nel argued that the six-year sentence was flawed and that it should be appealed.

"Another court may find that this court misdirected itself," said Nel.

Oscar Pistorius (right) shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013

Masipa was also the judge who had originally convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter, in 2014.

An appeals court upgraded his conviction to murder in December last year.

Pistorius's defence said it was an "insult" to suggest that the court's sentencing had been flawed and that it was time the case came to a close.

"Enough is enough. What does the state want?" defence lawyer Barry Roux said.

"This process has been exhausted beyond the point of exhaustion," he added, accusing the prosecution of sending Pistorius "like a ping pong ball between courts".

Pistorius, who pleaded not guilty at his high-profile trial, has always denied killing 29-year-old Steenkamp in a rage, saying he was trying to protect her.

South African media reports earlier this month said that Pistorius had been put on suicide watch following mysterious wrist injuries.

The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius -- known as the Blade Runner -- became the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 Games.
Collins Dauda and John Alexander Ackon appealing to the angry market women to exercise restraint

Speculations that the Tafo Market which is currently under construction was about to be commissioned on Tuesday afternoon led to a spontaneous demonstration by traders in the hitherto peaceful area.

Local Government Minister, Collins Dauda traveled to the site to inspect the project, but unknown to him rumours spread that he was about to inaugurate the market.

The angry traders started singing war songs to protest against the decision even before the minister and his entourage, including Ashanti Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon could alight from their cars.

Nana Afia Serwah, the Queenmother of Tafo Market Traders, who led the demonstrators, disclosed that the market was too small to accommodate the traders and therefore called for its expansion.

The chief of Tafo, Nana Agyen Frimpong, who heard about the reports, led his elders to the market to assess the situation.

Collins Dauda said he traveled to the site to assess the level of work and also ascertain the challenges of the traders.

He stated that the concerns of the traders had been noted, stressing that he would make sure that all traders that were ejected from the place before construction started are given stores and sheds in the new market.

Collins Dauda also said he had ordered contractors working on three ongoing market projects at Tafo, Atonsu and Asawase to construct additional stores so that every trader would get a store upon completion to ensure peace.

The minister visited the Oti Engineered Landfill Site, the Atonsu, Asawase and Tafo markets, which are being constructed with funds from the Alliance Franciese de Developments (AFD) from France.

He said he was highly impressed with the professional work at the Tafo Market by the Acheamfuor Group of Companies owned by Dr. Kwabena Baah and Atonsu Market by De-Geons Investment, owned by George Asamoah.

Collins Dauda stressed the need for the city authorities to collaborate with the contractors and traditional leaders to ensure that more lands are made available to construct stores to accommodate many traders.

The minister, who was accompanied by his deputy Emmanuel Agyekum, Michael B. Ataogye, Metro Coordinating Director, Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and Francis Dodovi, called for the construction of police posts and creche in the three markets.

From I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
Accra - 23rd August, 2016: Airtel, the Smartphone Network and Ghanas best Data and Internet Service Provider has announced a whopping 200% discount on calls for Hajj Pilgrims to Saudi Arabia and their families to enable them stay connected during this special period.

The offer, which is open to all new and existing customers also comes with up to 100 minutes of free incoming calls to Ghana with subscribers roaming either on Zain or STC Saudi Arabia whilst in Mecca.

Speaking to offer, Theresa Adade, Senior Manager in charge of International Roaming said We developed this special package for our customers on the pilgrimage to the Holy Land. We want to ensure that they stay connected with friends and family throughout the Hajj period. This package offers Pilgrims 200% discount on all calls to Ghana as well as up to 10 free calls to Ghana over a 30 day period.

In addition to this, family and friends of Pilgrims can make up to 10 free calls to Saudi Arabia and enjoy amazing discounts on voice, data and SMS over a 30 day period. To subscribe, customers should simply recharge with GHC 50 or GHC 100, dial *151# and select the Hajj offer. A GHC 100 recharge gives customers up to 100 free minutes incoming calls valid for 30 days. To find out more, customers should contact our call center on 100.

Airtel has the best roaming services in Ghana at the most competitive rates offering customers the best value and unrivalled convenience as they travel. Our partnership with renowned partners across the world including with Thuraya, enables us to seamlessly take care of all your Communication, Collaborative and Connectivity worries so you can focus on maximizing your trips. She concluded.

According to the Smartphone Network, customers who do not subscribe to the Hajj offer can still enjoy 200% discounts on calls and SMS from Ghana to Saudi Arabia and vice versa throughout the Hajj period.

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers. In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 359 million customers across its operations at the end of July 2016. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com

About Airtel in Africa

Airtel is driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to all. Airtel has 17 operations in Africa: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia. Airtel International is a Bharti Airtel company. For more information, please visit www.airtel.com, or like the Airtel Ghana Facebook page via www.facebook.com/airtelgh or follow us on Twitter via the handle @airtelghana.
Accra  24th August, 2016: Airtel Ghana through its Evolve with STEM initiative has given 100 pupils selected from STEM clubs in the Ablekuma circuit practical exposure to the application of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) in the workplace through an educational tour of Seven-UP Beverages Company (SBC).

The pupils from the Mataheko Cluster of Schools, where the company has been undertaking monthly mentoring sessions and established STEM Clubs, were taken on a three sixty degrees tour of the SBC factory covering the entire production, packaging and bottling process of the companys products  Pepsi Cola, Mirinda and Seven-Up.

Food chemists and engineers of SBC explained to the pupils the production process and how STEM is applied in the preparation and packaging of their favourite drinks. Starting from the filtration process to purifyING the water that is used in the production through to the science behind topping up with carbon dioxide during packaging to preserve the freshness of the drinks.

Explaining the rationale behind the tours, Richard Ahiagble, Head of Corporate Communications at Airtel said This educational tour, the first among many, is to expose STEM Club members to the practical application of STEM and to give these youngsters the opportunity to connect the dots between what they learn in the classroom and how these are practically applied in the real world.

Over the last few months, our focus has been to inspire belief and transform mindsets of pupils within the catchment schools through monthly mentoring sessions, science fairs and experiential activities. Now that they are on vacation, we are taking them on these tours to further expand their worldview and shape their thinking.

As a business committed to investing and supporting education in Ghana through our CSR initiatives, Evolve with STEM is Airtel Ghanas way of contributing towards shaping the minds of the next generation of leaders and empowering young people to fully realise their potentials.

Our gratitude goes to Mr. Atul Mohod, CEO of SBC and his team for hosting our youngsters and giving them an incredible experience and to the parents and teachers of the Mataheko Cluster of Schools who have supported this initiative since we launched it in December 2015. He concluded.

Over hundred pupils and teachers from three schools within the Ablekuma Circuit signed up in June this year to join STEM Clubs set up by Airtel Ghana under the companys Evolve with STEM initiative. [Read more here ]

The company, which is renowned for its contribution to education in Ghana, is currently carrying out a campaign on social media dubbed STEM Champions campaign. The platform is promoting people and organisations that are using STEM to solve local problems as living proof of what STEM education can do to leapfrog development on the continent.

The Evolve with STEM initiative has impacted some 2,000 young minds since its inception in December 2015. Airtel Ghana has received several awards in CSR including Best CSR Company for Education at the Ghana CSR Excellence Awards 2015.

About Bharti Airtel

Bharti Airtel Limited is a leading global telecommunications company with operations in 18 countries across Asia and Africa. Headquartered in New Delhi, India, the company ranks amongst the top 3 mobile service providers globally in terms of subscribers.

In India, the company's product offerings include 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services, mobile commerce, fixed line services, high speed DSL broadband, IPTV, DTH, enterprise services including national & international long distance services to carriers. In the rest of the geographies, it offers 2G, 3G and 4G wireless services and mobile commerce. Bharti Airtel had over 358 million customers across its operations at the end of June 2016. To know more please visit, www.airtel.com

About Airtel in Africa

Airtel is driven by the vision of providing affordable and innovative mobile services to all. Airtel has 17 operations in Africa: Burkina Faso, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Republic of the Congo, Gabon, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda and Zambia.

Airtel International is a Bharti Airtel company. For more information, please visit www.airtel.com, or like the Airtel Ghana Facebook page via www.facebook.com/airtelgh or follow us on Twitter via the handle @airtelghana.
The New Patriotic Party's promise of reviving the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) which they claimed is collapsing has been described as vague.

The description according to policy think tank, IMANI Ghana is because the party has failed to state in specific terms how they came by that conclusion that the scheme was collapsing.

Speaking at an event to launch a special report on analysis of campaign promises made by the various political parties in Accra on Thursday, Hubert Nii-Aponsah, Deputy Head at IMANI in charge of Political and Economic Affairs said the NPP current position on the NHIS issue cannot be assessed.

Under social policy, [the NPP made] 3 promises, [which has one] one semi-quantifiable. This is one of the vague ones we found and there are several of them. They promised to revive collapsed NHIS. Again we need some clarifications. In what ways has the NPP found the NHIS to have collapsed? What have you seen what have you identified? What do you mean by the revival, in terms of the specific steps that you want to take to ensure that you resurrect it from the dead, so to say.

NPP communicators including its flagbearer, Nana Akufo-Addo have on several platforms accused the Mahama-led government of collapsing what they say is the once vibrant NHIS established by the erstwhile Kufuor administration.

They complained that government has starved the scheme of funds thus crippling the health sector.

But President Mahama while on the campaign trail rejected the claim by the NPP and said the scheme has instead become very strong .

Our political opponents say NHIS has collapsed. NHIS in 2008 saw 9 million outpatient visitations to hospitals. Last year, 2015, the NHIS has grown in outpatients visitations from 9 million to 29 million. How can that be a scheme that has collapsed? In 2008, the total amount of money that was paid to facilities for providing treatments to NHIA [National Health Insurance Authority] patients was GHc183 million. Last year, 2015, the total amount of money that was paid by NHIA to facilities across the country for treatments given to NHIA cardholders was more than GHc1 billion. How can that be a scheme that has collapsed?



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
26.08.2016 LISTEN

Mrs Felicia Mekpoi Bortey, Greater Accra Women Organiser for the National Democratic Congress (NDC) has called on all constituencies women executives of the party from across the region, to join in the campaign trail because their input was valuable to the cause of the NDC.

"I may, however, have to call on my dear sisters in the party leadership and membership to consider seriously supporting campaign trail and our parliamentary candidates in their constituencies, especially where the NDC has no sitting MP she said.

Madam Bortey who is also member of the regional elections campaign task forces of the NDC, said the involvement of all constituency women leaders and supporters, is the key, saying that, "they have responsibility to work hard to renew the mandate of President John Mahama and the NDC or failure to do so will be a betrayal of the people who held the party up and gave it a life."

The Greater Accra regional women leader of NDC made the call in an interview with The Enquirer during the inauguration of the regional election task forces in Accra on Thursday August 25..

She told the paper, she is being encouraged and motivated by the level of development ongoing in the region and across the country by the President ,John Dramani Mahama and the NDC government, and that with such level of vision for the nation, no one in the party should sit on the fence in the upcoming general elections.

" I am encouraged by the development so far, that is why I am also encouraging our constituency women and supporters not to be left out in this crucial election campaign, because, when I move around Accra, I see development going on, I see schools, hospital, asphalts roads and streets builds overnight, I see several projects and programmes ongoing in the region and am touched and proud of what I am seeing." .

"So with all these and what the party has in stock for the next four years, it is obvious, Ghana will be certainly transformed and lives change when the NDC is retain in power. We have to work hard and as the regional women organiser, I am challenging our women to double their pace in organising and canvassing votes in their respective communities, " Mrs Bortey stated.

She reiterated the region resolved to gain 60 per cent votes with a margin of over 300,000 and 1.5 million votes against the 52 per cent of little over 100,000 margin and 1.1 million votes in the 2012 general elections.

She further charged the constituency women organizers to pay attention to the people concerns, urging them to have regular meeting with, identifiable groups like traders, hairdressers association, seamstress, market women association and residents association and explain the NDC government policies to them.

Mrs Bortey also urged party members to keep the channels of communication open in order that they could work hand in hand to re-ignite the enthusiasm to restore our party to its rightful position of respect and value in our society.

She noted that every member of the party need to get involved and not continue to sit idle when just a few people in the name of being executives of the party to lead te campaign.

"Our campaign machinery cannot fly without your involvement. We have witnessed our campaigns in the past and can say without fear or favour that your absence on the trail is not a good development," she urged the women wing.

The regional women organiser however, enjoined the former constituency executives to strengthen their front and constitute themselves into a formidable group or organisation so they can offer valuable advice and input to the partys progress.
We are all familiar with the stereotype of the young entrepreneur; technology whizz kids with all the latest mobile devices and the ability to multitask as they type hundreds of words a minute. Sages Walk With Me report (http://APO.af/YnHEo3), - which examines the key characteristics, attitudes and behaviours of young entrepreneurs around the world  confirms that there is plenty of truth in this picture of how young people work and interact with technology.

Whats more, our research in Nigeria and 15 other countries shows that we are just at the beginning of a major shift in how businesses are run as the young entrepreneurs make their presence felt. Mobile technology has already made us all much more productive and helped companies of all sizes to reduce costs and become more efficient, but most young entrepreneurs see plenty of opportunities to do even much more with the tools and apps available at their disposal.

Some of the most interesting local findings on Nigerian young entrepreneurs include:

96% say that they still feel the same excitement about their business as they did when they first started it

44% say they will start over 5 businesses in their lifetime

42% say they would have still been able to run their business with the technology available 20 years ago

38% say they socialise with their team once a month

29% say that work comes before life

16% say that they get out of bed in the morning because they want to make a difference in the world and do some social good

Mobile devices are the platform of choice for todays entrepreneur and, as you might expect from a generation that has been mobile literate from an extremely young age, a large proportion place huge emphasis on technology and are keen to be at the forefront of new trends. Young Nigerians are mobile-first people, so thats no surprise at all.

Dion Chang, founder of Flux Trends has done a lot of work with organisations in South Africa that are looking to change the way they operate to better accommodate millennial entrepreneurs. The changes can seem daunting to big corporates, he says, because in many ways the new social values of this generation mean throwing out practices weve relied on for decades  a 9 to 5 work day, and the traditional desk work space, for example.

Oiling the wheels of a smooth business

More than a third of young entrepreneurs (38% in Nigeria) say the technology they use is the most important element when it comes to the smooth running of their business; they couldnt prosper without it. 42% say they could probably not have run their business with the technology available 20 years ago. Thats an incredible stat: far from destroying jobs through automation, technology is inspiring young people to create businesses that could not have existed in the past.

When it comes to networking and new business, nearly 70% of Nigerian respondents say that they use technology rather than a face-to-face approach. Some 39% say that they depend on technology to succeed, while 44% say technology is invaluable in helping them market their business. These are numbers that would no doubt increase if we had to repeat this survey in five years time. Put simply, were seeing technology being woven into the very fabric of todays businesses.

Its also interesting to note how confident Nigerians are about their mastery of technology. About 80% of young entrepreneurs in Nigeria claim that despite technology constantly evolving, they do not worry about whether they will be able to keep up. Most Nigerians (80%) also say they do not worry about whether they will be able to afford the latest technology.

Will your desk be defunct?

Looking to the future, in the next ten years, 33% of Nigerians surveyed believe that technology will make the concept of your desk defunct and that, in future, everyone will work remotely and flexibly, via a mobile device. Additionally, 45% agreed the workplace will have more virtual staff, working remotely and flexibly, while 23% said that they will save money on office space and overheads.

Its intriguing to hear how young entrepreneurs are already transforming their businesses with technology, and how they expect to see the landscape keep evolving in the years to come. What we hear very clearly from our research is that young entrepreneurs in Nigeria and the rest of the world greatly value flexibility and want to have freedom over when, where and how they work, as well as with who.

For them, technology is not only a means to boosting efficiency and productivity; it is also a way to achieve the flexibility and work-life balance that they value so much. The future is mobile and we at Sage are giving our customers the power to control their businesses from the palm of their hand and embrace the future of mobility and whats to come.

Entrepreneurs who understand the giving economy

Sages research showed that millennial entrepreneurs are far more focused on creating businesses that give back to local communities and the world. At the recent Sage Summit in Chicago, the largest event for Small & Medium Businesses in the world, Zooey Deschanel and Gwyneth Paltrow spoke about the Giving Economy and the idea that todays consumer want more than products that will better their lives  they want to support companies that are socially conscious.

For big, established companies, this is also an important insight into how they can inspire their employees as well as their customers by having a positive influence on the community they serve.

By Magnus Nmonwu, Regional Director for Sage (www.Sage.com) in West Africa
The prerogative of mercy granted by the President was uncalled for and untimely The Muntie 3 were removed from prison on the basis that they are members of the NDC , and their actions were to the benefit of the NDC . The President had been under pressure to pardon the Muntie 3 after petitions presented to him , endorsed by Ministers , Party Officials and some members of his party the NDC . Before the pardon, some members of the NDC had also threatened not to vote for the party unless the trio are released .

The President made the decision on partisan grounds and used it to rubbish the judiciary . John Mahama has proven that when one works or speaks for the NDC and rubbishes other parties , he will use the constitution to set them free if they are found guilty of an offence .

And again determined to do anything to please the governing NDC . It therefore gives an indication that whatever insults the Muntie 3 were insulting respected Ghanaians , they knew that whatever happens , they will be guided or pardon by the President . Impunity has been given a boost by the President ' s act , and certainly a stab in the back of the judiciary . This is bias , amateur and childish decision on the part of the President . He has open the door gate for insults in the country .

Acting within the remit of powers conferred upon the President is just not the issue . Constitutional power and discretion exercised on the basis of discrimination cannot be right.John Mahama is short sighted and do not care about the immediate and future repercussions of his actions , and without looking at the interest of the state . NDC supporters now have the licence to insult and use abusive words , because they know they will be pardoned even if they are disciplined . This proves that the President is not governing the country in the interest of everybody but favouring the NDC .

If Ghanaians make the mistake to vote for John Mahama , the country will go into chaos , because he has nothing to offer and will run this country down . All the cars and money President John Mahama is dishing out to Chiefs , Outboard motors being given out to fishermen , branded Chinese cloths and Aluminium pans being given to women , and again with the help of the EC , will not safe John Mahama leaving the Flagstaff House . Ghanaians must bury his political ambitions . Change is coming .

Alex Tuffour

Communication Director

NPP Germany .
The Montie FM host and two panelists who have just been released from prison have vowed not to repeat the appalling comments that landed them in jail.

Speaking on behalf of Alistair Nelson and Godwin Ako Gunn  the panelists  Salifu Maase, the host, apologised for scandalizing the court during a political talk show on the Accra-based local language radio station, Montie FM.

Never again, never again, never again. We have learnt our lessons, Salifu Maase declared during a short ceremony at the forecourt of Radio Gold at Laterbiokoshie to celebrate their release.

President John Mahama remitted the four months' prison sentence of the trio who were jailed for scandalising the court.

The host of the pro governing National Democratic Congress (NDC) radio station and the two panelists were found guilty of contempt and sentenced to four months' imprisonment.

However, barely a month after being in jailed, the sentence of the three was remitted.

A statement signed by the Communications Minister Dr Omane Boamah said the decision was taken in consultation with the Council of State and was on compassionate grounds, a claim that earned widespread condemnation.

Speaking to a group of party supporters after their release Friday, Salifu Maase said he and his co-contemnors were sincerely sorry and wished to convey their sincere apology to the Chief Justice, Georgina Wood in particular and the entire Judiciary for the scandalous comments against them.

They had threatened to rape and harm the Chief Justice for what they claimed was her oversight of bias towards the Electoral Commission in a ruling on a dispute over the electoral roll.

Ghanaians were right to condemn us, he said.

Salifu Maase also urged all Ghanaians to take a cue from their ordeal and uphold the highest standards during radio discussions.

He thanked President John Mahama, the Council of State and the ruling party and its supporters for working to ensure the remission of their four months jail term.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]
The host of the Pampaso show on Accra-based radio station Montie FM, Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe has expressed his appreciation to President Mahama for remitting his 4-month prison sentence.

Mugabe and two others panelists on his show, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn, were released from prison on Friday following the remission of their sentences after they were convicted of contempt and jailed by the Supreme Court.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank the President, John Mahama for graciously exercising his constitutional powers under Article 72 in our favour in remitting the remaining custodial sentence imposed on us recently, he said while addressing his supporters who had gathered at the premises of the station to welcome the trio back from prison

We would like to thank the Council of State profusely for their role in our release he added.

The trio had expressed their regret for the comments they made on the Accra-based radio station and called on the President to bear in mind the embarrassment their conduct and incarceration has caused their loved ones, in his consideration of the petition and reverse the harsh and excessive sentence.

They expressed their gratitude to God for keeping them safe during their incarceration and taking care of their loved ones as well.

We give praise and thanks to the Almighty for keeping us safe during our imprisonment and given our wives and families strength to cope in the situation we found ourselves in, Mugabe said

Montie 3 with their lawyers

The three, who were incarcerated in July, had served one month out of the four-month sentences handed to them by the apex court.

Montie 3 lawyer grateful to Mahama

Edudzi Tamakloe had earlier expressed his gratitude to President Mahama ahead of the release of the three.

Speaking to Citi News he said, We are excited at the prospect of their coming. The expectations are very high we are so thankful to the President and the good people of Ghana for the remission of their wrongs.

It is a feeling of excitement and also sober reflection. Right from the time GBA issued their statement to the time we went to the courts, they have always demonstrated that apology and remorse and have taken steps to retract and apologise to the entire Judiciary, he added.

Pressure on Mahama to free Montie 3

The president had been under pressure to pardon the three, after two separate petitions were presented to him, endorsed by some Ministers of State and senior members of his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

Education Minister, Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, deputy Education Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hanna Tetteh all endorsed the petition.

Other Ministers including Trade Minister, Ekow Spio Garbrah and Transport Minister, Fiifi Kwetey have visited the trio in jail.



By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana
26.08.2016 LISTEN

From Sebastian R. Freiku, Kumasi

LONDON-BASED GHANAIAN and world renowned Minister of God, Bishop Dr. Prince Hampel, has called on Ghanaians to seek for peace by praying for and working towards peaceful elections in December.

The General Overseer and Founder of the worldwide Liberty Global Christian Church said as the star and gateway of Africa that inspired almost all the Black continent with her attainment of independence, Ghanaians should set up another positive standard in choosing a President and Parliamentarians to represent the electorate of the entire 275 constituencies in the country.

Bishop Hampel, who is also the President of Prince Hampel World Outreach, Ministers Manner International and Wisdom for Winning, said the Ghanaian electorate should put Ghana first instead of making a political party their priority.

According to him, it would be worth dying for Ghana and not for a particular political party and urged the people to use the wisdom of God to guide them to vote wisely in that split of time of not more than five seconds used in voting at the polls.

The Minister of God who expressed grave concern during a media encounter in Kumasi on Wednesday said it was not worthwhile for voters to mortgage their lives to politicians by selling their conscience for pittance.

He said a voter's right to vote is his power to determine who handles his life for the four year term the politician directs affairs for which reason Bishop Hampel advised against voters allowing themselves to be influenced with money. Don't sell your birthright, he cautioned.

The Bishop described the December polls as crucial for the fact while the ruling government wanted to cling onto power and remain in office, the main opposition party and its flagbearer want to make the most of the third time bid and assume power.

In the circumstance, Bishop Hampel, 70, with 52 years experience up his sleeves in the preaching ministry in 62 countries, warned Ghanaians to disregard instant benefits of monetary influence and think of the future and vote wisely with a clear and clean mind and conscience in the December polls.
President John Dramani Mahama has left Accra for Nairobi, Kenya, to attend the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).

This is the first time the conference is taking place in Africa, and according to President Mahama, hes looking forward to both the bilateral discussions at the political level, and discussions on boosting the private sectors role in the continents growth agenda.

Heads of State will take part in a special high-level engagement with the continents private sector and their counterparts from Japan, and also discuss the promotion of structural economic transformation through economic diversification and industrialisation.

Ahead of the conference opening on Saturday, President Mahama will hold talks with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, later today and also grant audience to the Executive Director of The Global Fund.

President Mahama is expected back home on Monday August 29.
The Minister for Trade and Industry, Ekwow Spio-Garbrah, has revealed plans by the government to set up a Trade Centre in Turkey in order to market Ghanaian-made products in the country. Spio-Garbrah, made these comments at the opening of the inaugural Turkish Fair in Accra on Wednesday.

He expressed his optimism that the trade relationship between Ghana and Turkey would grow exponentially in coming years.

He also urged Turkish companies to partner directly with Ghanaian businesses anot have have to rely on middlemen to market the local products in the country.

We want this relationship to grow to a point where Turkish companies can establish steel and cement making plants, furniture companies, cocoa processing, gold and jewelery making factories here in Ghana, he said.

The Turkish Ambassador to Ghana, Nesrin Bayazit, said that by the end of the year Ghana would become Turkey's second largest trade partner in Africa.

She had earlier stated that stated that trade between the two countries has seen a massive increase and is expected to exceed $1 billion by 2020.

According to her, statistics from the first six months of this year show that trade between Ghana and Turkey was already at $300 million, just $100 million less than the total for 2015. These figures are enough evidence that the target of $1 billion will be surpassed by that time, she said.

The fair is expected to serve as a platform for investors and entrepreneurs to meet and discuss investment opportunities in the two countries.

The event saw about 50 different Turkish products on display and participants got a chance to sample some of them.

They included included perfumes, wet wipe machines, household equipment and clothing.

The President of the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Nana Dr Appiagyei Dankawoso that the country had an enabling wnvironment for investors from all over the world to thrive in.

Ghana has favourable investment opportunities that allow investors to enjoy tax exemptions and also repatriate their profits in full, he said.

The Vice President of the Istanbul Chamber of Commerce, Dursun Topcu, said that he hoped the fair would promote trade between his country and the ones on the African continent.

We are not just here to engage in trade that would benefit only one side. We want trade between us to be mutually beneficial and one that will forge partnerships among businesses in the two countries, he noted.

Also at the fair were the Minister for Lands and Natural Resources, Nii Osah Mills; a top Ghanaian diplomat in Turkey, Alhaji Ibrahim; the Executive Chairman of the State Enterprises Commission (SEC), Dr Camynta Baezie, and some traditional leaders.

By: citifmonline.com/Ghana
Accra, GHANA  Robert P. Jackson, the U.S. Ambassador to Ghana, reiterated the U.S. commitment to support Ghanas efforts to hold credible and nonviolent 2016 Presidential elections at an event today celebrating the launch of the Electoral Commissions new communications strategy.

This strategy, supported by the U.S. government through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), increases the transparency and effectiveness of the Electoral Commission. Strategy tools include training journalists and polling officials, using social media, and developing a new SMS election platform.

I would like to take this opportunity to emphasize the United States support for fair, free, and peaceful elections in Ghana, said Ambassador Jackson at the event. We are working toward these goals with a wide range of partners.

Other activities the U.S. government is supporting to promote these goals are:

Enhancing the transparency and credibility of the Electoral Commission through training and technical support;

Supporting the Ghana Center for Democratic Development, an independent, nonpartisan Ghanaian non-profit organization, to study election reforms, provide civic education, encourage voter participation, and oversee a comprehensive domestic election observation program;

Supporting the United Nations Development Program to provide training on peace messaging for the National and Regional Peace Councils, the media, traditional and religious leaders, the judiciary, the police, womens organizations, and youth and civil society organizations; and to host a national-level dialogue with key political actors;

Partnering with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding to establish early warning and response systems to mitigate electoral violence;

Providing grants to Ghanaian NGOs, civil society organizations, and community-based organizations that promote more inclusive and peaceful elections;

Training youth leaders on digital solutions to address issues such as voter apathy, election violence, and lower participation by women;

Training journalists on responsible election reporting;

Deploying U.S. Embassy election observers throughout Ghana on Election Day.

In total, the United States is spending more than $5.7 million to support Ghanas 2016 Presidential Elections.
26.08.2016 LISTEN

From Richard Owusu-Akyaw, Obuasi

The Queen mother of New Edubiase in the Adansi South district of the Ashanti region, Nana Akua Dwum II, has urged men not to bite the nipple whilst sucking their wives' breast.

According to her, the best way to go about it is for men to use their tongues to lick the nipples and not the teeth.

The Queen mother complained that some men do not know how to suck the breast at all and that they (men) should not allow their teeth to touch the breast.

Speaking at an AngloGold Ashanti (AGA) sponsored cancer awareness programme in Obuasi recently, the Edubiase Queen Mother, whose comment was met with uncontrollable laughter, urged men to use their tongues in a steady up and down movement around the nipple.

Nana Dwum II declared: There will be war should men be barred from sucking breasts. We would be prosecuted one after the other if it comes to that.

Still at her educating best, Nana Dwum, however, made a clear distinction between men who are 'really exceptionally good at breast sucking compared to those men who use their teeth.

She cautioned women to be careful with men who use their teeth whilst sucking the breast, to avoid being hurt or injured. l will plead with you (women) to give him your tongue if you realise he is about to reach orgasm, she advised, adding

when you sense your man is going wayward take away your breast and give him your mouth. When he bites it, you also bite his, so that both of you will fast the following day.

The light skinned queen mother, who wore a sleek 'kente' clothe with a golden head gear, pleaded with women to direct the men as to how best they (women) want it when the men are about to suck the breasts  else just engage him with the tongue so that any bite would not have any serious repercussions on the breast.

Nana Dwum also urged women to always do intermittent self-breast checkup at the hospital and called on AGA to organize such programs in all the traditional areas in the Adansi state and beyond.

Nana Amoanimaa Dede II, the Queen mother of Adansi Traditional Area, advised women to give their breasts priority attention to reduce the high fatality rate from cancer.

Nana Amoanimaa Dede II also corroborated the position of her New Edubiase counterpart that some men do not know how to suck the breast at all.

She appealed to male doctors to teach the men how to suck the breast, since that deficiency is attributed to improper way of sucking the breast.

It will not be out of place to hit your man hard to let him know it hurts, if he bites the nipples whilst sucking. 
26.08.2016 LISTEN

By Bernice Bessey

A large number of police personnel, including dog-pulling soldiers, deployed to the courts yesterday in anticipation of Bishop Daniel Obinim's appearance were left stranded, when it was discovered later that the 'Man of God' had been granted bail by the top police hierarchy.

Under the command of ACP Maame Asieduwa Addo Dankwa, the police went to the court premises early to ensure that nothing untoward happens, judging from the way church members of Obinim misbehaved, whilst their idol was in police custody on Wednesday.

The police were later joined by a large number of journalists who were eager to cover the arrival of the controversial bishop, who claimed at a point in time that he could turn himself into a snake or tiger.

With the clock gradually ticking without the bishop appearing in court, each car or vehicle that arrived in the court premises attracted the attention of the journalists, with the hope that Bishop Daniel Obinim was in it.

After waiting for hours unend without the appearance of Obinim, who now answers to 'Angel', ACP Maame Asieduwa Addo Dankwa, based on information received from the headquarters of the police, decided to disperse her men and women.

In the police service, we act on instruction. We had an instruction to be here and we have had instruction to disperse the men and women, which is exactly what I have done. Their (police) presence here is no longer required and that is why I have asked them to disperse, ACP Maame Asieduwa Addo Dankwa told the journalists, when she was approached to find out why they were dispersing.

Bishop Obinim was arrested on Tuesday after he reported himself to the Tema Domestic Violence and Support Unit (DOVSU) of the Ghana Police for flogging two teenagers in his church.

After he was cautioned and discharged by DOVSU, he was whisked away to Accra on allegation that he had defrauded a complainant of an amount of GH11.6 million.

His counsel, Samuel Atta Akyea, did everything possible to secure bail for him on Wednesday, but was not successful until yesterday, when the police themselves decided to grant him bail.
26.08.2016 LISTEN

Workers of Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) have threatened to plunge the country into total darkness on Friday, should government fail to back down on its resolve to privatise the company.

Mr Novihoho Stephen, ECG Senior Staff Union Chairman of the Volta Region, at a demonstration in Ho on Wednesday said the protest would continue to coincide with the launch of the Private Sector Participation and if by Friday government has not rescinded its decision, we will give the country total blackout.

He said the ECG could do the work as demanded and had sent a white paper to stop the concession, but it looks as if government wants to go ahead with the launch. We would also black you out until we hear something from government, he said.

Mr Novihoho said government's indebtedness to ECG is what is collapsing the Company and not inefficiency. He said privatising the Company would not only increase the high rate of utility bill but also lay off many workers.

The Chairman added that the privatisation of the Ghana Water Company Limited and Ghana Telecom saw the laying off of many workers and that ECG would not allow that.

Local chapters of Public Utility Workers Union in ECG have begun series of demonstrations in district and regional offices of the Company to force government to reject plans of privatising of the Company.

The workers are calling on government to review the terms of the second compact of the Millennium Challenge Corporation under, which ECG would be given out to a private investor under a concessional arrangement of 25 years.

GNA


26.08.2016 LISTEN

From Ernest Best Anane, Kumasi

THE MINISTER of Local Government and Rural Development, Alhaji Collins Dauda, together with his deputy, Kwadwo Agyekum and the Ashanti Regional Minister, John Alexander Ackon have inspected progress of work on re-development projects at the satellite markets in the Kumasi Metropolis. The three ministers also inspected work on the new landfill sites.

The Local Government Minister noted the benefits of markets to the people in the metropolis, hence the decongestion of the old markets and thus eliminate fire outbreaks and avoid losses.

He said it became appropriate for the government to engage ADF to re-develop the markets with an amount of 44.5 million Euros to build and modernise them to enhance profitability of traders.

The Minister expressed gratitude to the contractors working at all the three satellites markets in the metropolis at Atonsu, Asawase and Old Tafo.

Mr. Dauda disclosed that the Local Government ministry, the Regional Coordinating Council and the KMA would team-up to address some of the concerns raised by the traders about their numbers and occupation on completion of the projects and the provision of adequate stalls, creche and a police post at the markets.

He indicated that the ministry would seek permission from the land owners if there is an additional land space for additional facilities to meet the demand of all registered and non-registered traders.

Mr. John Alexander Ackon, the Ashanti regional minister, said the visit to the site by the Local Government Minister was appropriate, as the ministry is part of the components of the contracts.

He said the progress of work at the sites by the contractors was commendable, and assured the traders of additional stores and stalls for the traders.

Mr. John Gorkeh-Miah, the Metropolitan Waste management Director, also assured the ministers that, the two new landfill sites could last for ten years if the facility is managed well.

In a related development, the GNA reports that Regional Ministers have been tasked to highlight government's achievements by the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) as the country approaches the 2016 general election.

Mr Ato Sarpong, the Deputy Minister of Communication, said this is the surest way to push the electorate to make informed choices and vote to retain the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government in the December 7 polls.

Addressing the Government for the People forum in Sunyani, the Deputy Communication Minister said the current administration has chalked significant and unprecedented successes and needed additional four years to consolidate the gains it had made.

Mr Sarpong said President John Dramani Mahama has invested hugely in several sectors including education, road, health, agriculture and other relevant sectors of the economy, adding that 13,000 new housing facilities are in the process of completion.

He said though the energy sector challenges seemed insurmountable, the government had worked out modalities to add 5,000 megawatts of power to the national grid.

Mr Sarpong said the economy has seen a sharp turnaround, an indication that the living conditions of majority of Ghanaians would be improved by the end of 2016.

He said until the MMDAs took the responsibility to propagate the government's achievements, its detractors would continue to throw dust into the eyes of the electorate to make the government unpopular.

Mr Sarpong said multi-party democracy required transparency and grassroots participation in decision-making, hence the need for the forum to create the opportunity the government to account to the people.

Mr Eric Opoku, the Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, said people in the region and Ghanaians in general would be ungrateful if they failed to retain the ruling NDC government in power.

He said the region had benefited immensely from the national cake and urged the electorate not to disappoint the NDC in the general election.

Nana Owusu Sakyi III, the Paramount Chief of Bassa Traditional Area, lauded the government for the level of development in the region and asked the electorate to vote on merit in the Election 2016.
Consumers are denied service at various offices of the Electricity of Company of Ghana (ECG) as a strike by workers of the company enters its third day.

The aggrieved workers began a sit-down strike on Wednesday, August 24 to protest a planned privatization of the power distribution company.

Government's $500 million indebtedness which constitutes between 60-70 percent of all ECGs debts has been identified by the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) as a cause of the company's financial struggles.

Despite its high indebtedness to the company, government has insisted the privatization of the ECG will improve efficiency after persistent public dissatisfaction about the quality of service.

Related: Prepare for a possible ECG privatisation - Prez Mahama

Think tank group, IMANI Centre for Policy and Education, has led calls for privatization of at least 50 percent of the power distribution company.

The group said privatisation would bring about competition in the sector which will, in turn, bring about efficient service.

Related: Privatize more than 50% of ECG  IMANI Boss

But workers of the Company have vehemently opposed this move, fearing it might cause them to lose their jobs after at least five years of the concession.

They believe the privatization is part of a set of conditionalities given government by the United States' Millennium Challenge Corporation.

Some workers at the Koforidua office of ECG

After series of demonstrations, the workers threatened to plunge the nation into darkness on Friday, August 26 as part of their protest.

Some consumers who visited ECG office at Avenor, in Accra were left unattended to while the workers demonstrated outside the premises.

"I have come all the way from Abeka to purchase prepaid credit and I saw them demonstrating outside. I was so surprised and I did not know they were on strike...they have not said anything to me yet and it is frustrating," a dissatisfied consumer told Joy News.

Joy News' correspondents across the regions reported similar incidents at the various regional offices.

One of the workers who spoke with Joy News' Central Regional correspondent, Richard Kojo Nyarko said "This should be the concern of all Ghanaians and not ECG workers alone. I am not fighting for myself alone. Ghanaians should rise up and say no to this move."

Meanwhile, government has expressed shock at the action taken by the workers.

Related: Jinapor accuses ECG workers of breach of trust

Deputy Minister for Power John Jinapor said the grievances of the ECG workers was addressed during a meeting between leaders of the workers' union and the ministry.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com | AA
Workers at the Atuabo Gas Processing plant of the Ghana Gas Company Limited, protesting against their poor working conditions have vowed not to rescind their decision until their issues are addressed.

The workers who form the local union of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers' Union today (Friday), demonstrated against what they say is a failure by the management of Ghana National Gas company limited to provide them good working conditions despite the high risk nature of their job.

We are demonstrating against the systems that we find ourselves in; issues bordering on learning and development, remuneration of the ordinary employee of Ghana Gas as well as things that we need to work with. Whenever the engineers are undertaking any particular exercise at the plant, you go there and the only language they communicate in is Chinese. So we ask ourselves, how can we learn from these guys if they are communicating only in Chinese? Chairman of the workers' union, Richard Alamu told Citi Business News.

Some of the demonstrating workers

Citi Business News however understands today's demonstration was met with the presence of heavy security personnel who denied the aggrieved workers entry into the Atuabo gas processing facility.

Richard Alamu however says they will not be discouraged by the development.

He explained that the inability by the management to grant them their request is due to the lack of funds which is attributed to the debts owed Ghana Gas Company Limited by Volta River Authority (VRA).

Our company keeps saying that it's because of VRA's indebtedness that is why they are not able to really do the sort of financial commitment that they ought to. We are not demanding much.

What we are saying is that the systems here ought to work. Management has to come down; they should make sure that the priority of the ordinary employee of Ghana Gas is taken care of, he stressed.

Strike is illegal

Meanwhile the Ghana National Gas Company Limited has described the demonstration by its workers as illegal.

Communications and Corporate Affairs Manager of the Company, Alfred Obgarmey tells Citi Business News the company has already engaged the mother union of the petroleum workers on the concerns of the workers.

Unfortunately for them, we advised them against it and the move will be that they are exposing the mother union to ridicule in the presence of the ministerial meeting that happened, Mr. Ogbarmey remarked.

He however explains that any decision on the fate of the demonstrating workers will have to be determined by the top management.

I cannot say specifically what decision management will take on the agitating workers but whatever action will be decided by the CEO and the top management and I cannot even anticipate what they have in mind.

But I will expect that the management to take stringent decision because to allow this conduct to go unpunished, could be disastrous as well, Alfred Ogbarmey added.



By: Jessica Ayorkor Aryee/Obrempong Yaw Amopofo/Pius Amihere Eduku/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana
Warri (Nigeria) (AFP) - The Niger Delta Avengers on Saturday claimed responsibility for the destruction of a major oil pipeline in southern Nigeria, breaking a ceasefire the militant group had declared a month ago.

In a statement, NDA spokesman Mudoch Agbinibo said the group attacked the Bonny pipeline in Rivers State on Friday as "a wake up call", expressing frustration with the negotiations the militants have been holding with authorities.

Agbinibo said the NDA was "still in favour of the dialogue" but accused the government of creating "shameful scenes obtainable in Nollywood acts", a reference to Nigeria's huge film industry, accusing authorities of intimidation and blackmail.

"There has been no progress and no breakthrough," he said.

The Shell Petroleum Development Company (SPDC), which operates the pipeline, said the damage was being investigated.

"I can't categorically tell you if it was an attack," a company source told AFP, adding that a statement would be issued following an investigation.

The NDA, active in the restive Niger Delta since the start of the year, announced on August 19 that it was laying down its weapons and resuming talks with the government.

Targeting oil giants including Shell, Exxon and Chevron, it had hammered the Nigerian economy with months of attacks on vital oil and gas infrastructure, reducing output by a third at a time when global prices are already punishingly low.

The NDA is seeking a fairer distribution of the oil revenues that make up 70 percent of state's income and has vowed to fight for development in the Delta where many people remain desperately poor despite the huge wealth of local natural resources.

A week before the ceasefire announcement, the NDA threatened to unilaterally declare independence from Nigeria.

In August the army launched "Operation Crocodile Smile" in the oil hub of Warri in a bid to re-take control of the region from a proliferation of militant groups.

As well as large-scale sabotage, the army is also battling illegal refinery operations and frequent kidnappings.

Nigerian army spokesman Sani Usman said Saturday that suspected militants on speed boats had launched a deadly attack against troops at Efut Esighi in Cross River State.

"A soldier was killed in action while two soldiers were missing in action," Usman said, attributing the attack to a group close to the NDA, the Bakassi Strike Force.

Two militants were killed as troops struck back, the army said.

Nigerian oil production has sunk from 2.1 million barrels a day in the first quarter to 1.7 million barrels in the face of repeated militant attacks.

Ratings agency Standard and Poor's cut Nigeria's credit worthiness last week, saying the drop in production and a restrictive foreign exchange regime were hurting the country's prospects.
26.08.2016 LISTEN

By Erica Apeatua Addo, GNA

Tarkwa (W/R), Aug. 25, GNA - Vincent Kofi Amoah Kwakye, 36, unemployed, has been remanded into prison custody by a Tarkwa circuit court for allegedly stealing GH43,833.00.

The accused, who pleaded not guilty to the charge of stealing, will re-appear on September 13, for further hearing.

Detective Chief Inspector Oscar Amponsah told the court that the complainant, Napoleon Tandoh, a businessman and director of EI- Glory Enterprise at Tarkwa in 2009 engaged the accused person as his errand boy.

He said in the early part of 2015, due to the trust the complainant had in the accused person, he made him the manager of his general goods and building materials store.

The Prosecution said in December 2015, the complainant informed the accused to prepare the store for stocktaking and upon hearing that the stocktaking process was due the accused person abandoned his post and went into hiding.

Detective Amponsah said it was realised that Kwakye, who had then planned to travel to the United States of America had stolen GH43,833.00 from the company.

He said the matter was reported to the police and Kwakye was arrested on August 18.

GNA
26.08.2016 LISTEN

By Edmund Quaynor, GNA

Koforidua, Aug 26, GNA - Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have made voluntary blood donation in support of the Koforidua Regional Hospital.

Mr. Kwaku Appiah Boateng, President of the Koforidua District branch of the Church, said providing service and caring for the needs of the community was a way of spreading the gospel.

That, he said, explained why they had consistently over the past three years visited to give blood to the facility - to save lives.

They would continue to work for and 'uphold our common humanity', he added.

The congregation had earlier spent in excess of four hours cleaning up the regional hospital alongside two other facilities - Tafo and Suhum Government Hospitals.

It formed part of the 'All Africa Service Project of the Church' under which the members across the continent are expected to offer community service in areas where they live, in August, of every year.

GNA
By George-Ramsey Benamba, GNA

Chereponi (N/R), Aug. 26, GNA - President John Dramani Mahama has announced that his administration would not engage in anything to undermine and compromise the peace and unity the country is enjoying.

He said Ghanaians are well informed and would vote for their Presidential and Parliamentary candidates based on their performance and not on their ability to engage in activities that could destabilize the people.

President Mahama, who was interacting with Fame Jaminja Gomina Malba, Paramount Chief of Chereponi, as part of his four-day campaign tour of the Northern Region, called for peace before, during and after the December polls.

He said Ghana could pride herself with a peaceful democratic state if the political campaign temperature was lowered for the electorate to make informed decisions in the general election.

President Mahama said his administration in the last four years had excelled in the areas of health, water, education and economic stability and needed another opportunity to accomplish all the projects that were under construction.

He said government had also signed some agreements to establish a Ceramics factory and revamp the Aboso Glass factory.

Fame Malba commended President Mahama for extending electricity and small water projects to many communities in the Chereponi District.

He, however, appealed to President Mahama to appoint a Minister from the Chereponi Traditional Area should he win the December polls.

GNA
26.08.2016 LISTEN

By Prosper K. Kuorsoh, GNA

Wa, Aug. 26, GNA - The Institute of Social Research and Development (ISRAD), Ghana has said the 0.5 per cent funds from the District Response Initiative (DRI) be channeled through the Ghana Health Service (GHS) for the prevention of malaria.

The Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) per the guidelines for the utilization of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF) for 2016 fiscal year are required to use half per cent (0.5%) of the DRI for the prevention of malaria.

Mr Issah Hassan Mubarack, the Regional Coordinator of ISRAD, during a media orientation in Wa, said it is their belief that such funds if channeled through the GHS would be better and effectively used for malaria prevention in the various districts.

He said it was for this reason coupled with the waning donor support that ISRAD initiated the 'Advocacy for Malaria Stoppage (ARMS)' project to advocate for the judicious use of government funds in the fight against malaria.

He said the project would select five persons in six districts of every region of Ghana to advocate for the release of such funds to the GHS.

Mr Abdul-Wahid Dawono, Upper West Regional Deputy Health Promotion Officer, commended ISRAD for the initiative and said it was in line with the five key areas of health promotion.

Mr Salifu Regwan, the Project Officer, called for effective media partnership to ensure the effective implementation of the ARMS Project.

GNA
By Josephine Nyarkoh, GNA

Kumasi, Aug 26, GNA - A retired Police Commissioner, has called for decisive action to purge the police service of undesirable characters creating image problems for the service.

Mr. Kwasi Nkansah, who is the President of the National Association of Retired Police Officers (NARPO), said there should be no room for any acts of indiscipline and criminality.

His call comes on the heels of the reported involvement of two police officers in a robbery attack on a GCB Bank bullion van at Ekye-Amanfrom in the Afram Plains South that left one person killed and a policeman escorting the vehicle, injured.

Barely a week after that despicable incident, another two officers were caught in car snatching.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Kumasi, he described these recent happenings as tasteless and worrying.

Mr. Nkansah said everything should be done to stop the few bad nuts from tarnishing the reputation of the service through their criminal conduct.

He reminded serving officers to get right with the law to sustain public confidence and trust.

He also appealed to the senior officers to continue to inspire and assist their subordinates to uphold high moral values.

GNA
By Edmund Quaynor, GNA

Koforidua, Aug 26, GNA - Christian women have been asked to glorify their achievements and inspired by these to continue to strive for excellence in everything they do.

The Right Reverend Francis Benjamin Quashie, Anglican Bishop of Koforidua, said they should refuse to be held back by challenges.

He was opening the 14th biennial conference of the Anglican Women's Fellowship, in Koforidua.

The Rt. Rev Quashie encouraged the Fellowship to work together with other organizations within the church to give hope to the society.

They should help to deepen the faith and trust of the people in God.

He said it was important that none of the various organizations regarded themselves as autonomous, adding that, they supported each other to grow the church.

The Deputy Eastern Regional Minister, Mr. Joseph Tetteh-Angmor, urged the church to lead efforts at protecting the peace, unity and stability of the nation.

It should help all to smooth over their differences and accept to live in harmony.

He used the occasion to rally women to put themselves up for election to leadership positions to influence decisions affecting them and their children.

Mrs. Matilda Caroline Selby, National President of the Fellowship, said they were determined to work hard and with passion to spread the gospel and bring salvation to more people.

Baafour Nyatekyi Tutu Boateng, Krontihene of the New Juaben Traditional Area, expressed concern about strange Bible teachings, preventing women from holding leadership positions in some churches.

He said space must be created for them to take their appropriate place in the church.

GNA
By Laudia Sawer

Tema, Aug 26, GNA - Workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) in Tema have debunked assertions that they were fighting against the planned concession of the Company due to selfish reasons.

They replied their critics on Friday when they gathered at the Tema South District Office to climax their three days, three hours daily sit down strike and demonstration activity.

Mr Frank Adjetey Badu, National Secretary of the Junior Staff Union, said they were rather fighting for the ordinary Ghanaian as the planned concession if allowed would be unfavourable to all.

Mr Badu added that the workers were Ghanaians before becoming workers and that their relatives and friends as well as themselves would continue to consume electricity even if they stopped working at the ECG.

According to him, a similar concession was done in Uganda and other countries which has brought untold hardship on the people.

He questioned why government would not pay all its debts to the Company now to enable them provide better services to the people but was prepared to pay the debts over five years to the Company which would takeover.

He also wondered what would happen to the payment of the power being consumed by government currently, "will it be added to the current debt and paid within the agreed five years?".

Mr Badu assured workers that leadership of the Union would continue to resist the said concession.

He also called for some sensitization programme for workers on their fate after the concession.

The Junior Union Secretary said workers were aware of no retrenchment plans for the first five years of the takeover but have no clue of what would happen after those years.

The workers drawn from the Tema South District, Tema North District, Nungua District and Tema Regional Office clad in red apparel danced their hearts out as they ended the first phase of series of planned actions to resist government's plan to concede assets of the ECG to a private company for 25 years.

GNA
Johannesburg (AFP) - A South African judge on Friday rejected an appeal by state prosecutors against Oscar Pistorius's "shockingly lenient" six-year jail sentence for murdering his girlfriend.

Thokozile Masipa -- the same judge who imposed the punishment on the Paralympic athlete last month -- said she was not persuaded there was a "reasonable prospect of success on appeal".

"The application for leave to appeal against the sentence is dismissed with costs," she said in the High Court in Johannesburg.

Prosecutors had been pushing for a tougher sentence against the fallen 29-year-old double-amputee sprint star over the murder of his girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in 2013.

They now have the option of directly petitioning the Supreme Court of Appeal to ask it to extend the term -- which is less than half the minimum 15-year sentence for murder in South Africa.

Masipa presided over Pistorius's lengthy trial in the glare of the world's media, and South African law empowers the trial judge to grant or reject applications to appeal their own judgements.

"The sentence of six years is shockingly lenient and disturbingly inappropriate," prosecutor Gerrie Nel argued in court.

Pistorius shot Steenkamp, a model and law graduate, in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013, saying he mistook her for a burglar when he fired four times through the door of his bedroom toilet.

At his sentencing in July, Masipa listed mitigating factors, including the athlete's claim he believed he was shooting an intruder.

The prosecution on Friday again questioned Pistorius's failure to testify during the sentencing hearings, saying it raised the question of whether he had shown remorse.

Oscar Pistorius (right) shot girlfriend Reeva Steenkamp in the early hours of Valentine's Day in 2013

Nel also said the punishment had "resulted in an injustice and had the potential to bring the administration of justice into disrepute".

He described it as flawed and that "another court may find that this court misdirected itself".

Pistorius is serving his sentence at Kgosi Mampuru II prison in the capital Pretoria.

- 'Enough is enough' -

Masipa had also originally convicted Pistorius of the lesser charge of culpable homicide, the equivalent of manslaughter, in 2014.

But an appeals court upgraded his conviction to murder in December last year.

Pistorius's defence said it was an "insult" to suggest that the court's sentencing had been flawed and that it was time the case came to a close.

"Enough is enough. What does the state want?" defence lawyer Barry Roux said.

"This case has been exhausted beyond a point of any conceivable exhaustion," he added, accusing the prosecution of sending Pistorius "like a ping pong ball between courts."

However, the prosecution still has recourse to a higher court.

"Any party who has to apply to the trial judge for permission to appeal and is unsuccessful, the option is open for them to petition the Supreme Court of Appeal," said Stephan Terblanche, a law professor at the University of South Africa.

Terblanche said the Supreme Court would study the grounds of appeal and those opposing the appeal, and make a decision without conducting a hearing.

Pistorius, who pleaded not guilty at his high-profile trial, has always denied killing 29-year-old Steenkamp in a rage, saying he was trying to protect her.

South African media reports earlier this month said the athlete had been put on suicide watch following mysterious wrist injuries.

He said he sustained the injuries after falling from his bed and his family denied that he had tried to kill himself.

The year before he killed Steenkamp, Pistorius -- known as the Blade Runner -- became the first double-amputee to race at Olympic level when he appeared at the London 2012 Games.

The Steenkamp and Pistorius families could not be reached for immediate comment.
Harare (AFP) - Riots erupted in Zimbabwe's capital Harare Friday after police fired tear gas and beat protesters who responded by throwing stones in the latest of a string of tense demonstrations.

The violence came a day after a High Court judge had ordered police "not to interfere (with), obstruct or stop the march".

Dozens of police blocked off the site of an opposition rally to demand electoral reforms before 2018 when 92-year-old President Robert Mugabe, who has ruled the southern African country for decades, will seek re-election.

AFP correspondents saw armed police firing tear gas and water cannon at protesters gathered on the fringes of the central business district who were waiting for the march to start.

Demonstrators then began throwing stones at police while some set tyres ablaze and others pulled down the sign for a street named after Mugabe.

Some people caught up in the melee, including children going to a nearby agricultural show, ran for shelter in the magistrate's court while riot police pursued the demonstrators and threatened journalists covering the rally.

The usually-bustling pavements were clear of street hawkers and some shops were shut, with rocks, sticks and burning tyres strewn across the streets.

Dozens of police blocked off the site of an opposition rally to demand electoral reforms in Harare

Opposition protesters also clashed with supporters of the ruling ZANU-PF party who had refused to clear their street stalls.

ZANU-PF youths hurled stones at the opposition activists but were overpowered and their stalls were set on fire.

- 'Very deep anger' -

The march was organised by 18 opposition parties including the Movement for Democratic Change led by Morgan Tsvangirai and the Zimbabwe People First formed this year by former vice president Joice Mujuru.

Opposition leaders gave a news conference where they condemned the brutal repression of the protest and vowed to increase pressure on Mugabe's regime.

"If that was meant to cow us from demonstrating, I want to say we are going to do the same next week Friday," former Mugabe ally and ex-cabinet minister Didymus Mutasa told reporters.

A man lies on the ground after receiving tear gas during clashes between Zimbabwe's opposition supporters and riot police in Harare on August 26, 2016

Protests "will continue until the day we vote," said Mutasa, a former top member of ZANU-PF who is now a senior member of Mujuru's party.

"We have had enough of ZANU-PF misrule."

Tsvangirai said the public would not be easily calmed.

"The people's anger is very deep. The people's desperation is very deep," he said.

"Today's brutal suppression of the people will not stop them from exercising their rights."

- Government losing control -

Tsvangirai said the regime was in its "sunset hour", warning that efforts to suppress the protests would backfire.

"Citizens are like a spring: the more they are suppressed, the greater the rebound," he said.

Charles Laurie, an analyst with Verisk Maplecroft in London, agreed that the government was on the verge of losing control.

A steet vendor tries to collect his tomatoes in the streets as Zimbabwe's opposition supporters clash with riot police during a protest for electoral reforms on August 26, 2016 in Harare

"The government is nearing a tipping point in its ability to control a population long used to violence and hardship, and who now have little to lose in putting themselves at risk in forcing political concessions," he told AFP.

"If the current anti-government momentum continues, we can expect the imposition of martial law and further draconian steps to re-assert government control."

Thursday's court order was issued a day after police violently put down another march by opposition youths, firing tear gas and water cannon and beating them as they staged a protest against police brutality.

Police had tried to "discourage" Friday's march, saying the anticipated crowd of around 150,000 would disrupt business and traffic.

Foreign diplomatic missions based in Harare called on the authorities to ensure that basic human rights and freedoms are respected during policing.

- 'Violence unacceptable' -

Demonstrators in Harare began throwing stones at police while some set tyres ablaze and others pulled down the sign for a street named after Mugabe

The Australian embassy issued a statement expressing concern over the recent unrest, saying the use of violence was "not acceptable under any circumstance."

And the Canadian embassy also said it was "increasingly concerned with reports of violence and human rights violations in response to public protest."

Friday's march was to demand free and fair elections. The last elections in 2013 were won by Mugabe in a vote the opposition said was rigged.

Top officials have suggested the protests were "Western-sponsored" and aimed at seeking "regime change".

Zimbabwe has seen a mounting tide of violent protests in recent weeks, with demonstrators demanding the resignation of Mugabe, who has been in power since 1980.

Under his rule, there has been an economic collapse that has caused food and cash shortages, with the country battling to pay public servants.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) has revised some rules for the currency market, permitting foreign debt to be used as capital for Ukrainian companies and relaxing the purchase of foreign currency to pay for medical treatment of individuals abroad.

According to a Thursday posting on the NBU's website, the amendments are made to resolution No. 342 dated June 7, 2016.

"The NBU Board has decided to expand the list of exceptions. The board permitted reducing terms for returning a loan or a credit in foreign currency by resident clients who are not banks to nonresidents when the debt is being rescheduled and claims on the principal of the loan or the credit are accrued as an extra contribution of nonresident in the charter capital of resident," the NBU said.

The central bank believes that the decision will help cut Ukraine's foreign private debt without outflow of foreign currency outside Ukraine and without creating an additional pressure on the currency market.

"Ukrainian business would be able to increase capital thanks to early repaid currency liabilities to nonresidents," the NBU said.

The NBU recalled that today residents can pay credits and loan in foreign currency under the agreements with nonresidents no early than the term outlined in the agreements. The exceptions for this requirement are cases when early repaid funds are sent to additionally capitalize the borrower bank or the liabilities are rescheduled thanks to new loans and when the creditor is an international financial institution or a foreign export-credit agency.

According to the amendments, information about transactions on the purchase of foreign currency to pay for treatment of individuals abroad will be included in the register without providing relevant documents to the NBU.

The bank will be able to buy foreign currency for its clients for these purposes next day after the day when hryvnias were sent to the account to buy foreign currency and, if the bank has own free foreign currency, on the day when clients submit a transfer order to the bank.

Supervision over ending stocks on accounts of resident clients (apart from individuals) during purchase of foreign currency has been improved.

"Until now the NBU checked this information on the date of receiving information about this transaction in the relevant register. The banks will now check this information on the date of purchase of foreign currency," the central bank said.

The regulator also amended a procedure for receiving credits and loans in foreign currency by residents from nonresidents and providing loans in foreign currency by residents to nonresidents (resolution No. 270 dated June 17, 2004).

"The Board toughened responsibility of banks for checking and analyzing documents (information) during the registration and servicing of credit and loan agreements that imply the execution of liabilities in foreign currency to nonresidents, including the revealing of signs of risky financial transactions," the NBU said.

The list of grounds for refusal to register and annul the registration of credit and loan agreements by the NBU was also expanded.

The amendments are outlined in NBU resolution No. 275 dated August 23, 2016. They will take effect on September 1, 2016. The amendments to resolution No. 342 will be in effect until the document expires  until September 14, 2016 inclusively.
The Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department announced today (August 26) that in view of a notification from the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) about outbreaks of highly pathogenic H5N1 avian influenza in Togo, it has banned the import of poultry meat and products (including poultry eggs) from the country with immediate effect to protect public health in Hong Kong.

A CFS spokesman said Hong Kong has not established any protocol with Togo for imports of poultry meat and eggs. There is no import of such commodities from Togo.

"The CFS has contacted the Togo authorities over the issue and will closely monitor information issued by the OIE on avian influenza outbreaks in the country. Appropriate action will be taken in response to the development of the situation," the spokesman said.
24th August 2016, Accra- Strategic Communications Africa Limited (Stratcomm Africa) has maintained its position as one of the top 100 companies in Ghana. This was revealed at the Ghana Club 100 Awards where the organization was once again listed among Ghanas high performing businesses.

The 2016 Ghana Club 100 Awards ceremony was held at the Kempinski Hotel with the President of the Republic, H.E John Dramani Mahama in attendance. Top level executives of companies in Ghana participated in the event. Some of the companies awarded as members of the club 100 included Newmont Ghana, Total, Ghana Oil and Ecobank.

Stratcomm Africa has maintained industry lead in the Ghana for the past 22 years. The total communications agency has been recognized with several awards both nationally and internationally for its outstanding work in communication as well as business delivery and growth.

CEO of Stratcomm Africa, Ms. Esther A. N. Cobbah, who received the award on behalf of the company, expressed delight at the achievement. At Stratcomm Africa, the pursuit of excellence is central to our professional delivery and that is the Stratcomm Africa difference. She congratulated the Stratcomm Africa team for continuing to strive to maintain superior quality of professional delivery. She added, we should continue to pursue excellence in the firm belief that we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us.
26.08.2016 LISTEN

Using the structures of the party to deal with the problems of the party is what we have to do. So I am asking everybody to respect that even senior members of the party like the redoubtable Kennedy Agyapong, I am pleading with himI want to assure you that I am focused on the main goal, which is to win the election of 2016 (Akufo-Addo).

Some of their leaders have come out to say that they will never condemn him, and Im not surprised and beginning to agree with Kennedys statements he made years back that NPP are fools. If not, they would have condemned him. He said they are fools and the fools said they will not condemn his foolish act, it tells you the caliber of people in NPP. The fools in NPP will not condemn Kennedy Agyapong (Divine Nkrumah).

Every day the bucket a-go a well; one day the bottom a-go drop out (Bob MarleyI Shot Sheriff).

NPPS KATAKYIE KWAME OPOKU AGYEMANG ON KENNEDY AGYAPONG

In the lead up to the NPP National Conference in Tamale, Ken accused the then National Chairman and Secretary, Jake Obetsebi-Lamptey and Sir John of thievery. The sad thing is that, Ken never provided evidence to support his allegation.

Though, Ghana is governed by laws and citizens are expected not to take the law into their own hands, the same Ken Agyapong supported the physical attacks on Kwabena Agyepong and Afoko at the party headquarters last year. This was after the duo, in conjunction with NEC, had tried to bring innovation to the party headquarters.

Also, the insults Ken Agyapong has rained on former prez, John Agyekum Kufuor, Mr. Kwadwo Mpiani, Otumfuo, and Hon. Richard Anane cannot be recounted, yet, Ken's lifetime experience and age come nowhere near any of the aforementioned personalities.

Not quite long ago, Ken Agyepong was on national television calling every single member of the party as a "stupid fool" and that, all members lack home sense. But, this is a party that has no mean a person than Nana Akufo-Addo as its Flagbearer.

Seriously, when people chased Afoko and Kwabena out of the Upper East Region a couple of months ago, this so-called sensible Ken Agyapong praised the organisers for that barbaric act.

After that, Ken was on his Oman FM accusing ex-prez Kufuor, Mpiani, Afoko, and Kwabena of masterminding the untimely and unfortunate death of the late U/E Regional Chairman. How could any party member call former president Kufuor, a "murderer", but Ken had the effrontery to do that without shame.

Just recently, this same man disrespected the Flagbearer, Nana Addo by doing what he does best, insulting some fine brains in the party, when the Flagbearer had called for ceasefire.

Where has our outmoded professor of political science and a trained lawyer been all this while? To wit, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, is Kennedy Agyapong not an NDC mole planted in the NPP?

OUR FINAL THOUGHTS

Like the fake blind man that he is, Prof. Oquaye totally ignores the lumbering logs in his own canthi while lamenting the anorexic toothpicks in others.

And, like the proverbial ostrich which buries its head deep in the sand of partisan politics and meritocratic elitism, Prof. Oquaye quickly forgets his exposed rear has become a laughing stock and a troubling trend as part of the cynosure of public scrutiny.

What is probably lost on him, Prof. Oquaye, as well is the notion that Akufo-Addo looks more like the doting parents of Apartheid, President Mahama more like the nymphomaniacal concubine of Apartheid.

One, President Mahama, is a fallen angel, the other Akufo-Addo is a rising-risen yet fumbling, wobbling fallen angel. Prof. Oquaye is more like the spiritual godmother of these fallen angels.

Then again President Mahama looks more like a chameleonic magician, Akufo-Addo more like a Frankenstein fraud.

Yet both President Mahama and Akufo-Addo are also potential liabilities and wasteful extravagancies.

And though President Mahama is a failed national leader, Akufo-Addo is not the answer.

One is not too sure where the redeeming qualities of these national figures are.

Akufo-Addo is not the expected savior-prophet of progressive transformation, neither is incumbent President Mahama.

It is as though all the expected saviors and prophets of economics are already dead and gone for good, forever.

Never to return.

That black star is forever lost in the thick cloudy expanse of strategic and tactical comparative-advantage terms.

Prof. Oquaye inhabits the periphery of this abandoned antiquated political geography.

Interestingly, the mans entire political existence has revolved around the ideological pillar of intellectual accismus until this remarkable point in our modern history, thanks to the larger vision of the worlds Africas Man of the Millennium whose rich legacy and redoubtable personality continue to give him emotional migraines and sleepless nights from time to time, when he took on the incompetent NDC.

Further, he, together with the leadership of the NPP including acting General Secretary John Boadu, should put an immediate stop to the poor handling of the partys internal crises by conveniently shifting culpability to and blaming its intelligence liability on external source, the NDC. It makes their party and its leadership look weak, incompetent, clueless and unfit for the Flagstaff House. As a matter of fact, doing so actually gives more ammunition to the NDC to do the political campaign and aspirations of Akufo-Addo in. Thus the blame game should cease at this point.

In the final analysis, Prof. Oquaye has yet to come to terms with the fact that the blame-shifting NPP under Akufo-Addo is even far less incompetent, hence his lame attempts to explain away the paralyzing incompetence of the post-Kufuor leadership of the NPP with his inexcusable tangential verbal attacks upon the NDC. Both political parties are just as clueless and useless.

This Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye, a structural illogic of his own political thinking, is an intellectual dinosaur and dodo bird, and as it is also brain-dead, extinct, a political coffin.

His generation is the reason Ghana is in such cacotopic conditions today.

Maybe, just maybe, he is doing all that lachrymose praise-singing because he wants a place for himself and his lawyer-son in a potential Akufo-Addo government.

His tendency to cry, cry and weep at a funeral when there is no funeral, where there no one is actually dead, where there is no corpse, when it is his own intellectual and political funeral he is crying, crying and weeping at. Some elements within the NDC fraternity are equally guilty of this too!

Such spineless political animals, political animals lost in their own depressing chiaroscuros of emotional obscurity! Such empty-barrel serpentine dodo birds with sharp political teeth, with their NDC-looking cat eyes!

Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye should do something about his ethnocentric party, a well-known blame-shifting political organization some of whose misguided members incinerate or cremate living internal political opponents in acid-baths and then blame it on everybody but themselves.

Oh yes, an inglorious boneless hypocrite of a clueless political animal is Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye!

Oh yes, Paul Afoko, Sammy Crabbe, Kwabena Agyapong, and Afari Gyan worked against the political aspirations of Akufo-Addo in both the 2008 and 2012 presidential elections!

Oh yes, what about the possible role of Kennedy Agyapongs rhetorical indiscretions in Akufo-Addos defeats on two different occasions?

Oh yes, has Prof. Oquaye ever considered the fact that Kennedy Agyapong could be an NDC mole?

Oh yes, why are Akufo-Addo and the leadership of the NPP, including political patriarch Prof. Oquaye, afraid of firebrand male chauvinist Kennedy Agyapong?

Oh yes, this NDC-looking man called Prof. Oquaye is none other than a paralyzing confusion of cause and effect, even as he behaves, acts, speaks and carries himself just like one of those infamous Sam Okudzeto NDC illiterates.

CONCLUSION

Oh yes, talking about NDC moles in the NPP we may as well do well to remind our old-school political junkie Prof. Oquaye the following great words by the legendary Bob Marley (Who the Cap Fit):

Man to man is so unjust, children

You don't know who to trust

Your worst enemy could be your best friend

And your best friend your worst enemy

Some will eat and drink with you

Then behind them su-su 'pon you

Only your friend know your secrets

So only he could reveal it

Some will hate you, pretend they love you now

Then behind they try to eliminate you

Hypocrites and parasites

Will come up and take a bite

And if your night should turn to day

A lot of people would run away

Oh yes, Prof. Aaron Mike Oquaye should furnish us with rather commonsense anecdotes or forensic evidence for his grandiose daydreaming special effects and stop reading from his dated exotic grimoires which are none other his clean shaven hydra- or medusa-head grimoires, for, when everything is said and done, as they, he himself could potentially be one of those very slick hands behind the carefully orchestrated leakages within the NPP.

And we dare not put such political machinations past him because he is a Baptist cleric. Just take a closer look at Bishop Obinim, Rev. Dr. Prophet Isaac Owusu Bempah, Pastor Kumchacha, Prophet Badu Kobi, Odifour Kwabena Tawiahthe list is endlessall fake political theologians.

Thus, Akufo-Addo and the NPP should closely monitor Prof. Oquaye, Kennedy Agyapong

People are smarter these days!

TO ALL OUR POLITICIANS: GREAT LESSONS FROM BOB MARLEYS AMBUSH IN THE NIGHT

See them fighting for power

But they know not the hour

So they bribing with their guns, spare parts and money

Trying to belittle our integrity now

They say what we know

Is just what they teach us

And we're so ignorant

'Cause every time they can reach us

Through political strategy

They keep us hungry

And when you gonna get some food

Your brother got to be your enemy, well

Well, what we know

Is not what they tell us

We're not ignorant, I mean it

And they just cannot touch us

Through the powers of the most I

We keep on surfacing

Through the powers of the most I

We keep on surviving yeah

This concludes the three-part series.

REFERENCES

Ghanaweb. Prof. Oquaye Claims NDC Has Moles In NPP. August 17, 2016.

Ghanaweb. I Did Not Say All Northerners Are Cattle FarmersUrsula Owusu. December 4, 2012.

Ghanaweb. Only Misguided Idiots Insult WomenUrsula. August 10, 2016.

Ghanaweb. Nana Begs Kennedy Agyapong To Shut Up. September 10, 2016.

Ghanaweb. The Fools In NPP Will Not Condemn AgyapongPPP Organizer.July 1, 2016.

Katakyie Kwame Opoku Agyemang. Call Hon. Ken. Agyapong To Order; He's Our Bane To Victory. Ghanaweb. September 14, 2015.

Ghanaweb. NDC Masterminded Troubles In NPPJohn Boadu. August 26, 2016.
Government has been charged to as a matter of urgency address issues of under-development in communities where mining, as well as oil and gas activities, are taking place.

This, according to the External Affairs Director of Vodafone, Gayheart Mensah, is critical in ensuring that residents are not unduly deprived of the economic benefits of the natural resources.

Although oil has yielded over $3 billion since production begun about 5 years ago, industry watchers are worried the economic impact leaves much to be desired.

Mr Mensah is one of those who believe more needs to do to address the situation.

Speaking with JOY BUSINESS at a graduation ceremony for some journalists and industry players after a six-month training programme in oil and gas organized by the centre and sponsored by Oxfam.

In all, 22 out of 25 media practitioners and other participants were awarded certificates.

Mr Mensah noted that paying attention to the infrastructure issues of such communities will be of immense benefit to the entire country as well as well as the oil and gas industry.

The extension in road networks have not been commensurate with the expansion of activities in the oil and gas sector and all stakeholders should help in resolving this," he noted.

He lauded the Centre for following through with the initiative and challenged other institutions to support in the capacity building drive.

The Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) Media Fellowship in Oil and Gas is a programme aimed at empowering media practitioners in the country to understand oil and gas policies and the operations of oil companies. This is to enable practitioners properly report and disseminate information to the world about the industry.

Speaking at the ceremony, Executive Director of ACEP, Dr Mohammed Amin Adam called on media practitioners to regularly undertake investigations in the industry to enhance good governance.

The media must help bring data in the industry which are usually so complex and technical to the understanding of the people, but as we know, this cannot be done without the media personnel themselves well trained to do this. This is why ACEP in partnership with our partner Oxfam initiated the programme," he said.

He believes that the training is important because the media is an important bridge between policy makers and the citizens.

Deputy Executive Director of ACEP Ben Boakye said the media has a vital role to play in ensuring the country derives the maximum benefit from this resource.

Oil, he reiterated can become a blessing or a curse to nations that have them depending on its management. Monitoring the governance space to ensure transparency and accountability in the area of contracts awarded as well as beneficial ownership, he added.

Dr Adam questioned the revenues that are coming in, how are we managing it? What goes into the selection of projects in the sector and how are they being funded? Do citizens have the opportunity to even make input into the projects?

"All these are issues that need to be interrogated and thats why we thought that if we can train journalists, dissemination of information and sharing of capacity could be accelerated to help bridge the capacity gap in the media," he said.

Consular at the Norwegian Embassy challenged Ghana to draw useful lessons from Norways Oil for Development Programme which has been in operation for over 4 decades to enable it to derive the benefits from the sector.

The programme according to him provides a lot of information on oil exploration, development, production, revenue sharing, taxation, among others related to the oil and gas sector developed in the North Sea Basin of the country which the country can tap into for desired benefits.

Oxfam Country Director, Sebastian Tia pledged the support for future programmes saying it is highly critical for capacity building.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com | Kuuku Abban | Joy Business
The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, ICU, has declared its support for workers of state owned power company, ECG who are resisting government moves hand the company to a private investor for 25 years.

The ICU argues that the move will not inure to the benefit of Ghanaians and the industry.

The Public Utilities Workers' Union (PUWU), on Wednesday declared a three-day nationwide demonstration to protest the privatization of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).

The exercise which enters its third day today [Friday] will have all offices of ECG across the country, closed for to three hours.

Government has subsequently warned of punitive measures if the workers do not call off the exercise.

But commenting on this development, General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, Solomon Kotei expressed the union's full support for PUWU.

ICU is in full support of this. We had been talking about the meltdown of the economy; we have been talking about general issues that affect the ordinary worker so this is one of major part of it so we are fully behind it and we support the action of PUWU.

He however called on government to take a second look at deal.

Sale of the ECG has come up time without number and I recall in 2015 May Day, the president said there were no intentions to sell ECG and in 2016 May Day at Wa the president again said that they have no intentions to sell ECG. So if they chamber had gone ahead and have concluded transaction of the sale of the business and now they are saying that new people are taking over in terms of human resource, debt recovery and so on is a big worry to labour and everybody in this country. Because there are certain national assets that should not be left into private hands and that is what is happening. So the PUWU action is an action that must be supported by every tom dick and harry in this country.

He said with the kind of comment that they have made so far and the kind of threat elements, it means we are getting into a confrontational stage which is not the best for all of us.

You said you won't sell, now you are selling, the terms and conditions under which you are dolling out this particular transaction, Ghanaians need to know and this is what PUWU is saying government should stay away from or explain to us.

Continue demonstrating

The Minority Spokesperson on Energy, K.T. Hammond is calling on the Public Utilities Workers Union, PUWU not to relent on their efforts to salvage the ECG, from being handed to a private investor.

He argued that if ECG is sold, then the workers are allowing government to sell their birth right.

Government hasn't paid the monies that ECG is due. Give them the money that you owe and they will run ECG to the satisfaction to everybody. ECG boys should demonstrate for their rights, they should go on the streets, do whatever it is for the government to sit up, they cannot be sanctioned. They are just performing their constitutional right by demonstrating to government about what they are not happy with; they cannot be threatened with such, he added.



By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana

Follow @AlloteyGodwin
President John Dramani Mahama shocked the nation on Monday by ordering an early release of the three men convicted for scandalising the Supreme Court.

Before this decree was announced, opposition political parties organised a demonstration dubbed: Times are Hard in Tamale in the Northern region.

The demonstration coincided with the Presidents visit to the three Northern Regions.

Also, the police withdrew their personnel from Donkorkrom where some unrest erupted over the weekend.

Related: Withdrawal of police personnel from Donkorkrom unlawful  Lawyer

Police PRO Superintendent Cephas Arthur gave an excuse that there was no shelter for the personnel after some irate residents set the barracks ablaze . But lawyers said the withdrawal was unlawful.

The Montie squad

On Tuesday, the President was panned by a large section of the public for the remission of the prison sentence of three of his supporters, Salifu Maase, Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Nelson.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) said the release was a bad precedent. Some people suggested that the act was a constitutional lawlessness and a complete disrespect to the judiciary.

But Communications Minister Dr Omane Boama insisted the President still had reverence for the judiciary.

A lawyer with the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Nana Ato Dadzie said the President had exercised his executive power by freeing the three.

Head Pastor of International Gods Way Church, Bishop Daniel Obinim turned himself in but was arrested by the police for an alleged fraud.

Some of his indignant followers besieged the Nima Police Station but the pastor spent the night in police cells.

Some Obinim followers at the Nima police station

Related: Read: The letter that caused Obinims arrest

On Wednesday, lawyer for the embattled pastor, Atta Akyea said the arrest of his client was a diversionary tactic from the Montie 3 remission.

Also, the President while addressing some NDC faithful in the Northern, asked Ghanaians not to risk voting a divided New Patriotic Party presided over by a dictator, Nana Akufo-Addo into office.

President Mahama pictured in striped polo shirt

And workers of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) declared a three-day sit-down strike to protest the impending concession of the company.

On Thursday, controversial pastor Daniel Obinim was granted bail after spending two nights in police cells. He said the fraud allegation was false.

Bishop Obinim walking out of Nima police station

Also after an assessment to find out if the policies by political parties were measurable and attainable , policy think tank IMANI Ghana described many campaign promises as empty and without substance.

The NPP after questioning the basis for IMANI's assessment , accused the NDC of orchestrating internal wrangling in NPP.

Related: IMANI's promises assessment criteria flawed- NPP

Then on Friday, as was expected, Montie FM presenter, Salifu Maase, and two panelists Godwin Ako Gunn and Alistair Nelson were freed.

The three and one of their lawyers, Eduzdi Tamakloe posed for a photograph after their release

Related: Pomp, festival greet Montie 3 release as 'Mugabe' thanks Mahama for grace

At a welcome rally, the three thanked President Mahama, sympathizers and said they had learned their lessons from the experience.

Story by Ghana| Myjoyonline.com | Akosua Asiedua Akuffo | [email protected]
By Morkporkpor Anku, GNA

Accra, Aug. 27, GNA - Ibrahim Oppong Kwarteng, a Broadcast Journalist with the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation, is among 22 Ghanaians awarded Chevening Scholarship to pursue a one-year post-graduate studies in the United Kingdom.

Others are Rebecca Kwei of Graphic Communications Group Limited, Theodore Fiamegu, Naa Ayeleysu Quaynor-Mettle, Cornelius Otoo, Annie Flora Mills, Jennifer Asare, Mary Agoriwo, Joseph Aduku, Bright Oduro and Enoch Quaye.

They would pursue their Master's Programme in different disciplines.

The Chevening Scholarship Programme provides a unique opportunity for future leaders, influential and decision-makers from all over the world to develop professionally, academically and to network extensively to build lasting positive relationship with the UK.

Mr Jon Benjamin, the British High Commissioner to Ghana, speaking at the farewell reception for the scholars, said the programme had witnessed an increased in Ghanaian participation.

He said Ghana was 10th on the list of the 20 member countries with the highest application for the 2016/17 cycle.

He said the scholarship programme was funded by the Foreign and Commonwealth office, together with partner organisations.

The High Commissioner said Chevening was an important element in the Britain's public diplomacy effort towards helping to send professionals who had already displayed outstanding leadership talents, to study in the UK.

Mr Benjamin said the Ghana Alumni group could boast of the likes of Benjamin Kumbour-Minister of Defence, Augustina Mills -Senior Manager at PriceWater House Coopers, Bernard Avle - Citi Fm and Dr Charity Binka- a Lecturer at GIMPA.

'We are pleased to award and bid farewell to 22 future leaders, who will soon form part of this influential and highly regarded network,' he added.

He expressed the hope that upon their return, they would rise to the position of leadership across different influential sectors of the Ghana economy.

Professor Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, the Minister of Education, commended the British Government and the Commonwealth office for the opportunity to empower the future leaders of the country.

She said Ghana had a good and vigorous educational system and would continue to produce highly qualified scholars to feed the scheme.

She advised the scholars to conduct themselves with dignity and learn from others to continue to build their portfolio for the national development.

Mr Kwarteng told the GNA that the award was an opportunity to develop themselves and return to contribute to national development.

He said through journalistic practice, he wished to continue to support innocent persons who were convicted through advocacy.

He said going to study an Master of Arts in International Journalism at the Brunel University would further put him on the international pedestal.

'It is a dream come through and words cannot express the way l feel,' he added.

He advised his colleague to also take up the opportunity to apply for the programme because it would broaden their horizons.

GNA
By Joyce Danso, GNA

Accra, Aug. 26, GNA - A Highway robber, Mohammed Abubakar, who robbed occupants of a VIP Joean Bus on the Accra-Kumasi Highway on November 15, last year, has been sentenced to 18 years imprisonment by an Accra Circuit Court, on Friday.

Abubakar, aka Karim Burger, a Niger illegal Miner, pleaded guilty to the charge of conspiracy to commit crime to wit robbery and robbery.

He prayed the court to have mercy on him.

His accomplices, Osman Omoro aka Maanu, and Abubakar Aliu, aka Mallam Laiya, both cattle farmers, pleaded not guilty and the court remanded them into custody to reappear on September 9.

Before handing the sentence, Mr Eric Delanyo Alifo, acting as friend of the court, prayed the court that the accused person had not wasted the Court's time and he was a first offender.

The trial Judge, Mr Aboagye Tandoh, said he had taken into consideration the convicts plea for mitigation.

However, the conduct of the convict on the day of the incident traumatized the occupants of the Bus and, therefore, sentenced him on the charge of robbery.

In the case of the conspiracy charge, it deferred the sentence to the end of the trial.

Prosecuting Deputy Superintendent of Police Abraham Annor said the complainant was the driver in charge of VIP Joean passenger bus, with registration number GN 8047-13.

Abubakar, the prosecution said, was into illegal mining at Dunkwa-On-Offin and Kyebi. Omoro and Aliu are cattle farmers based at Kpaikpai near Nkroranza, and Chiraa near in Sunyani, respectively.

The Prosecution said on November 15, last year, the complainant's bus loaded with more than 40 passengers, set off from the VIP Terminal in Accra for Kumasi.

At about 16:30 hours, the accused persons together with four or five others, most of them wielding weapons including an AK 47 assault rifle and pump action guns, and with their faces partially covered with handkerchiefs mounted a robbery operation on the Accra - Kumasi Highway, the Prosecutor said.

DSP Annor said the accused persons and their accomplices at large, took positions at a high rump spot at new Jejeti, where vehicles were bound to slow down and attacked occupants of various commercial and private vehicles of their properties and money.

The complainant and passengers were caught up in the attack.

The Prosecution said the Police at Anyinam received a distress call from a traveller, who managed to escape and moved swiftly to the scene.

The robbers on seeing the Police run into the bush and started firing to keep the Police away.

In an exchange for fire, Mohammed Abubakar, sustained gunshot injuries in the process and was abandoned in the bush by his accomplices.

On November 19, last year, Mohammed Abubakar in severe pain, crawled from the bush to the roadside to seek assistance to be sent to the Hospital and he was arrested.

He named the king pin and outlined how they planned and executed the crime. In the cause of investigations Omaro and Aliu were arrested in different robbery case and they confessed their involvement as members of the Jejeti gang robbery.

GNA
By Stephen Asante, GNA

Kumasi, Aug 26, GNA - Ghanaian businesses have been asked to make deliberate effort to become more abreast of global trade policies to take advantage of them to grow.

Mr. Fredrick Alipui, Policy Advisor to the Trade and Industry Ministry, said they should be conversant with the Economic Partnership Agreement (EPA), African Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA), Economic Community of West Africa States (ECOWAS) Trade Liberalization Scheme and the ECOWAS External Tariff and their relevance to trade.

He was speaking at a day's stakeholders' meeting held in Kumasi to build the capacity of the local industries to explore opportunities to expand their operations.

The programme was organized by the Ghana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (GCCI) and was part of its 'Business network session', a project designed to bring efficiency into the business value chain.

It was held under the theme 'Promoting Ghana's domestic trade and industry for the ECOWAS market'.

Mr. Alipui, who is also the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the Chamber, underlined the need for the local businesses to adopt best practices and said that was vital to penetrate the international market.

He said, it was refreshing, the considerable improvement of the economic performance of the continent over the past 15 years and said the momentum should be sustained.

A recent Africa competitiveness report of the World Economic Forum, said Africa's economic performance had improved.

After two decades of negative per capita growth, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth, has averaged five per cent per year.

Mr. Alipui, however indicated that, despite the significant achievement, the region's participation in the global trade and investment flows remained relatively low compared with other continents.

It was to help change the trend that GCCI was increasing its engagement with members to expose them to the dynamics of the global trade for their own benefit.

Nana Appiagyei Dankawoso, President of the Chamber, said the National Export Development Programme developed by MoTI was meant to empower the local industries - for a vibrant private sector.

The goal, he said, was to turn the nation into an export-driven economy, delivering high levels of productivity and decent jobs on a scale significant to achieving equitable socio-economic development.

Nana Dankawoso appealed to the government to make private sector growth an urgent priority. GNA
By Belinda Ayamgha, GNA

Accra, Aug. 26, GNA - Dr Adriaan de Jager, Country Director of the Netherlands Development Organisation (SNV) says in order to engineer development communities, it was important for actors to move from paper and policy documents to real action.

He said: 'Development requires more than paper, it requires more than policy documents, it requires more than just speaking out nice intentions during workshops and conferences. It requires action.'

Speaking at the launch SNV's Voice for Change Partnership (V4CP) Programme in Accra, Dr de Jager expressed the need for stakeholders to take action together on implementing the project to the benefit of the larger society.

He said civil society organisations has been instrumental in inducing change on important issues by raising their voices on issues such as the working conditions of textile industry workers in Bangladesh and food safety issues in the west and in China, as well as in various areas in Ghana.

Ghana, he noted also has a number of developmental challenges that the programme seeks to address issues in the areas of food security, women cooking under harmful circumstances, lack of access to clean water and sanitation services as well as untapped opportunities in off-grid energy sources, among others.

"The challenges require change, either at the policy level with institution of rules and regulations or at the private sector level as well as from development organisations themselves."

He noted that the principle of the V4CP's advocacy would be based on discussion with evidence and not on confrontation and called on stakeholders to collaborate in the implementation of the programme.

Mr Eric Banye, Project Coordinator of the V4CP programme said the five-year programme, which would be implemented in partnership with the International Food Policy Research Institute, funded by the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

It aims at strengthening CSOs to advocate an enabling environment for government and businesses to provide good and affordable services for low-income segments in the society.

The programme covers three main areas: Water, Sanitation and Hygiene; which seeks to increase access sustainable and affordable sanitation services, Food and Nutrition security to create ensure the creation of an enabling environment by government and private sector for access to sufficient, affordable and nutritious food and energy.

It would use three main pillars: capacity building, evidence gathering and implementation to address issues in these sectors and to empower CSOs, influence agenda-setting and enhance government and private sector accountability.

Mr Thierry van Helden, First Secretary of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands said his country is reinventing its relationship with Ghana from a development relationship to one focused on trade, thus the focus on mutually beneficial areas such as health, agriculture and energy.

He noted that the programme would run from 2016 to 2020 with a global annual budget of 185 million Euros.

He expressed the need for government, CSOs, private and knowledge organisations to collaborate in order to grow the economy.

Dr Ben Nyamadi, CEO of the Ghana Irrigation Development Authority, who launched the programme on behalf of the Minister of Food and Agriculture, lauded SNV and EKN for the programme, which he said was essential for holding duty bearers to account.

He said it is important to explore the use of off-grid electrification for productive use, such as for irrigating farmland and other activities along the value chain of food production.

Stakeholder at the launch, including CSOs, and the Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies lauded the project and expressed the need for all parties to work together to implement the project in order to achieve the outcomes.

GNA
Head of Luhansk civil and military administration Yuriy Harbuz has said Chinese investors are interested in launching photovoltaic (PV) panel production in the region.

"Recently I had investors from China under the industry development program. We are looking for an option to organize PV panel production here," he said in an interview with the Uriadovy Kurier publication.

He said that the region has skilled staff and industrial sites where they can work.

He also said that there is demand on PV panels in the region.
Sampson Adu-Poku, GNA

Kumasi, Aug 26, GNA - A former national officer of the United Front Party (UFP), Mr. Kwaku Antwi Owusu, has announced his decision to contest the coming presidential election as an independent candidate.

He said he was the right man to unite and lead the nation to prosperity.

Ghana, he claimed, was facing leadership crisis and required a strong, selfless and disciplined leader, who would put the common good above any other consideration and interest.

He told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) that it was time voters looked beyond the two main political parties, which had governed throughout the fourth republic and went in for a candidate not aligned to either of them.

The wisdom in this, he said, was that such a person would have the free hand to operate and be saved the pressure by party foot soldiers.

Mr. Owusu, who is the Executive Director of Ako Verde International, an NGO, promised to form an all-inclusive government - to competently tackle the economic challenges.

He said education and agriculture would be made the key priority on his government's development agenda.

He indicated that he was in for serious business and not to seek attention, saying, he had toured all constituencies across the country and was amazed at the enthusiastic support of the people.

Mr. Owusu was a former Ashanti Regional Chairman of the UFP and later, elected the flagbearer of the party at its national congress held at Cape Coast to replace Mr. Akwasi Addai, alias 'Odike', who it had sacked.

There was drama when he attempted to file his nomination to contest the presidential polls as the ousted Mr. Addai had gone before him to give out his filled out forms to the Electoral Commission (EC) before he could present his.

GNA
The Operations Unit of Stanbic Bank has donated a Neonatal Phototherapy Machine to the Ridge Hospital.

This is part of the activities streamlined to mark the celebration of OPS Week, the Operations Unit undertook this initiative to help fight against neonatal jaundice.

Neonatal jaundice, common among babies less than a month old, is the yellowing of the white portion of the eye or skin. If not given immediate attention, neonatal jaundice can lead to cerebral palsy, a condition that permanently affects childrens movement, muscle coordination and balance.

One way of treating neonatal jaundice is phototherapy, where the baby is put under blue light which helps to break down the bilirubin and clear the jaundice. In the past six months, the Neonatal Unit at Ridge has had to treat over one hundred babies with neonatal jaundice. The Unit, however, has only four Neonatal Phototherapy Machines, two of which do not function properly and thus take longer in treating the babies.

Head of Neonatal Department for Child Health at the Ridge Hospital, Dr. Hillary Andoh, said, Neonatal Phototherapy machine donated by Stanbic will ease the load on the machines they have so far.

Ridge is a referral center so we treat a lot of referral cases in addition to the babies delivered here, DrAndoh said. Sometimes we are forced to refer some of the Jaundice cases to Korle-Bu and 37 Military Hospital. With this new machine, we will be able to treat and discharge the babies faster and admit more babies.No jaundiced newborn requiring phototherapy should die from the condition, as it is curable".

For his part, Prince Anderson of the Operations Unit of Stanbic Bank, said staff of the unit identified this life saving initiative, contributed towards it and the Bank supported them to buy the machine by doubling the amount they had raised.

We found out that a lot of hospitals in Ghana need Neonatal Phototherapy Machines to treat the many babies born with signs of jaundice, he said.A number of our staff are parents, some of whose children have once had this condition, and so they understood the importance of contributing to buy this machine.

Also, Director of Ridge Hospital, Dr. Thomas Ninson Anabah, commended the Operations Unit for contributing towards the improvement of Ghanas health care delivery system.

Meanwhile, Stanbic Banks OPS Week is celebrated annually to foster team work and unity as well as devise ways of improving in productivity.

Every year, staff of the Operations Unit of Stanbic Bank crown the OPS Week celebration with a CSR initiative.

Some of the projects undertaken over the years include painting of the Childrens Block of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and donations to various orphanages in the country. These projects are in line with the Banks commitment to supporting society in the areas of health, education, sports, agriculture, environment and poverty relief.

Story by Ghana/Myjoyonline.com
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business Tata Motors Q1 numbers in line; buy on declines, say experts Parag Thakkar of HDFC Securities said Tata Motors is one of the cheapest largecap stocks in India. Stock is a buy opportunity on any declines.
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Public joint-stock company Azovobschemash (Mariupol, Donetsk region), the flagship company of the leader of Ukrainian heavy engineering Azovmash Group, will ship 3,000 wagons to Iran, the Ukrainian Embassy in Iran has reported.

The cost of the agreement signed with the help of the embassy exceeded EUR 100 million.

"This is only a first agreement to supply Azovobschemash's products to Iran. The total need of Iranian state-run companies Pars Wagon and Kors Wagon exceeds 35,000 wagons, gondola cars and tank wagons. Thus, the total potential of Azovobschemash's cooperation with Iranian enterprises is over EUR 1 billion," the embassy said.

Early August Ukrainian Ambassador to Iran Serhiy Burdyliak said in an interview with Iranian Tasnim news agency that Azovmash and Kriukov Car Building Works (KCBW) are holding talks with Pars Wagon and Kors Wagon on creation of joint ventures to work in Iran.

On July 13, 2016, Ukraine's Infrastructure Ministry and Infrastructure Ministry and Roads and Urban Development Ministry of Iran signed a memorandum of understanding.

Iran has invited Ukraine to build 1,000 kilometers of railroad tracks in Iran and participate in projects worth $10 billion provided by Teheran for modernization of railway infrastructure and development of intermodal transportation.
Weve been focused on gold all week, here at Money Morning.

Jim Rickards latest book, The New Case for Gold, is now available. And weve spent all week banging on about it.

Enough is enough you say?

Well, I disagree.

In my near decade long experience in the markets, Ive been constantly surprised by the number of people that dont consider gold important. Ive met many people over the years that dont give the shiny metal a second thought.

Ive had every dismissive line thrown at me about why investors should stay away from gold. Things like, its pays no yield, it doesnt do anything, and, smart people know thats not where the money is made.

Heres a personal favourite, from a long time ago. In explaining the place gold should have in the monetary system at a dinner party one night, a very wealthy expat South African investor told me, its just like apartheid darling, weve moved on from that.

Im not going to tackle smug remarks today. Jim goes through these  and more  in his first chapter in The New Case for Gold. Then he gets onto the real reasons why you should have gold, and why the governments need to return to a gold standard.

But all this gold talk has led to some interesting subscriber questions. The one that caught my interest though, is the possibility of the Australian government activating a dormant policy to confiscate personal gold holdings.

As I explained yesterday, there are no statistics on gold ownership in Australia. Theres guesstimates, and thats pretty much it.

The closest I can get are some vague numbers from the Perth Mint.

In 2016 Perth Mint claimed it stored around $2.5 billion in allocated and unallocated gold. And more than three quarters of the mints customers chose unallocated gold. This could be because unallocated storage is cheaper. Of that, over half of those customers are located in North America.

A much older statistic, from 2008, says over 45% of all Perth Mint gold stores belong to international customers.

Unlike India and China  as I explained yesterday  Australians arent a population that hoards gold.

However you feel about Aussies lack of gold holdings, it does make it pretty much pointless for the government to raid Aussies personal gold holdings. Because, clearly, we dont even bother with it.

But there is one dormant clause that could see the Aussie government walk away with more gold than any other country in the world.

The Law That Lets Governments Come After Your Gold

Australian gold mines pumped out 285 tonnes in 2015 financial year. Although thats nothing compared to the 462 tonnes of gold from China during the same period.

This makes the mines a perfect target.

All of this is laid out in Part IV of the Banking Act 1959.

The Reserve Bank of Australia have the ability to set the price of gold at any time.

Which means the RBA could tell the mines what they are going to pay for the gold, and set whatever price they like. A topic Jim has discussed in detail in Strategic Intelligence.

Once this is in place, the next step is to nationalise the mines, leaving any gold dug up property of the RBA.

And in those two moves, the Aussie government would completely control the gold market in Australia.

One interesting clause though, is Section 47. Apparently wrought gold is not included in the any gold confiscation plan. The loose legal language implies that jewellery and gold ornaments are exempt from any wealth stealing.

The loophole means that the government may take bullion and coin, but not the chain around your neck.

Also, this act only refers to gold, and not silver.

Now, these laws are currently suspended.

In truth, theyre probably forgotten, as well. Theres no imminent danger of the pollies in Canberra dusting off the good ole banking act from six decades ago. But its important to remember, that yep, these laws are in place. And theres no need for public discussion about it.

If youre worried about the government coming after your bullion stash one day, theres a far more tempting pot for them.

Before I started writing today, I asked Paul Engeman, the director of Ainslie Bullion, what he thought of this dangerous legislation. As he explained to me in an email, I need not worry:

Like many archaic pieces of our constitution we do still have confiscation of gold provisions, harking back to days when our currency was actually backed by gold. Whilst this is real it needs to be looked at in the context of today. Gold bullion still makes up a relatively small part of Australias invested wealth. On the other hand we have over $2 trillion sitting in super funds now, an amount that would pay off our national debt many times over. The enactment of any confiscation provision is both draconian and comes at the expense of serious political capital. If a government of the day is that desperate for cash, logic would dictate they will go for the biggest and easiest win. There are plenty of precedents already in the world where governments have taken superannuation or pension funds. For a government to mandate the large institutional and industry super funds into, say, a national infrastructure fund and pay a dividend on tolls etc is a very real threat. Gold bullion goes in the too hard basket for confiscation.

Paul makes an excellent point. Why would the government ask you to hand in your physical gold? Given the return they would get, its just not worth ityet.

Best wishes,

Shae Russell,

Editor, Strategic Intelligence

From the Port Phillip Publishing Library

Special Report: Central banks are losing control. Their efforts to prop up asset markets are failing. Were now entering the endgame. What will the endgame look like? What are the short and long term investment implications? And how can you navigate this period of hyper central banking interventionand emerge from the other side with a healthy portfolio? Vern Gowdie is one of the few minds in Australia with clear answers to these questions[more]
The chronicle of a life split between urban Manhattan and rural Montana.
France has suspended its horrible burkini ban and we can all breathe a little easier. Especially anyone who just wants to wear a burkini.

The ban on wearking burkinis in the French town of Villeneuve-Loubet has now been suspended by the French Court of State. The Court found that the ban seriously and clearly illegally breached fundamental freedoms to come and go, freedom of beliefs and individual freedom.

So far the suspension is just for one town out of around thirty which imposed the ban, but is thought to be very likely to set the ball rolling and get all the bans suspended.

The world has been appalled at the clearly Islamophobic nature of the ban, while sagely pointing out that nuns, men in wetsuits and waterproofed British holiday-makers are still apparently allowed to go about their beachly business without offending anyone or being coerced into modest attire.

In a BBC news report, French correspondents say that the majority of the burkini bans are now likely to be overturned. Amnesty International director John Dalhuisen said that the bans do nothing to increase public safety but do a lot to promote public humiliation.

Heres to a world where women can go and chill on a beach without being forced to either remove or apply clothing by anyone carrying a gun. Heres to a world like that.

Main photo: http://www.muslimtravelers.com
The United States District Court for the Central District of California suspended a decision made by the court in 2015 to collect outlays of Boeing Corporation from Ukrainian and Russian founders of the Sea Launch international consortium.

Boeing paid the bills of the consortium during its bankruptcy procedure in 2009. The sides have resumed talks to look for an optimal decision to pay off debts to the U.S. partner under the project, a source close to the talks at Pivdenmash (Dnipro) has told Interfax-Ukraine.

The source said that during the consultations held between Boeing and Russia's Rocket and Space Corporation Energia after the court decision was made, the sides made arrangements to suspend the legal procedures to collect the debt for an indefinite period or freeze assets of Energia, or companies affiliated with it, located in the United States. .

The source said that under a petition filed by representatives of Ukraine to provide for equal conditions of paying the debt for all the parties, in July 2016 the same court decided to suspend the debt collection for an indefinite period for Ukraine's Pivdenmash and Pivdenne Design Bureau.

"According to court ruling DKT N1030 dated July 22, 2016, the debt collection schedule approved earlier has been annulled," the source said.

The source could not specify the approximate sum of loss Ukrainian founders of the Sea Launch consortium could face if the court reinstates the suspended procedure.

The source said that representatives of the participants of the court proceedings had resumed consultations.

As reported, in September 2015, the United States District Court for the Central District of California satisfied an action filed by Boeing seeking $356 million in reimbursement from Sea Launch partners, including Ukraine's Pivdenmash.
In response to concerns among local business owners, the Morgan Hill City Council at its Aug. 24 meeting declined to accelerate the statewide minimum wage increase that the legislature approved earlier this year.

Chamber of Commerce President John Horner applauded the councils decision on behalf of his organizations members.

As a chamber, our view is that the most important area the community can further improve upon is relevant job training, particularly to address the acute need for middle skills employees, Horner wrote in an email to chamber members Aug. 25. We have local companies struggling to hire for jobs already paying $15/hr to $30/hr and we have local people struggling to live on less than those amounts. Directing our energies towards closing that gap is an area where government, businesses and educational providers can and must improve our efforts and results.

Even before the state passed a law in April that will increase Californias minimum wage in annual increments to $15 per hour in 2022, Bay Area cities and countiesincluding Morgan Hillhave been studying proposals to raise the hourly pay rate higher and faster than that.

The council began discussing the possibility of a local minimum wage several months ago. For much of that time, city officials have awaited a consultant study on the impact of a regional minimum wage on Santa Clara County, funded by the City of San Jose. That report was completed in May.

In June, the board of the Cities Association of Santa Clara County recommended a regional approach that would raise the minimum wage in larger annual increments to $16.13 per hour by 2022. The boards rationale for the accelerated increase is the cost of living rises faster in the South Bay than it does in other areas of California.

The current state and local minimum wage is $10 per hour.

No cities in Santa Clara County have yet adopted the association boards regional, accelerated recommendation, according to Economic Development Coordinator John Lang.

The discussion came back to the council Aug. 24, so the elected body could consider adopting a minimum wage modeled after the Cities Associations recommendation. After hearing from the Morgan Hill business community, and while commiserating the fact the discussion turned into a one-sided argument in which the employees who rely on a minimum wage are seldom heard, the council decided to let the state approach reign locally.

At the Wednesday meeting, business owners and their representatives warned that the higher and faster the minimum wage rises, the more likely they would be to lay off employees or increase costs.

Sean Rositano of Morgan Hill-based Gryphon Financial was one of several business people who told the council that Morgan Hill should not be lumped into the South Bay region with cities such as San Jose and Palo Alto, where high-tech jobs and higher prices dominate the market. Gryphon Financial pays many of its employees a starting wage of $12 per hour, plus health benefits.

Dont give in to being San Jose, where there are only high-end jobs and service jobs, Rositano said. Lets keep providing mid-level jobs. We want to be an employer in Morgan Hill as long as we can, so we urge you not to accelerate the minimum wage.

Other business owners who spoke at the Aug. 24 council meeting said raising prices paid by the consumer is not the best way to recover increased costs in Morgan Hill, where customers are not as affluent as they are in other parts of the region.

The chamber of commerce presented data it collected from its more than 500 members, indicating that local businesses are increasingly worried about the rising costs of labor. Of the 78 chamber members who responded to a survey on the topic, 63 percent said they would lay off employees if the city or region accelerated the statewide minimum wage increase.

As a result, the chamber as an organization opposed the Cities Associations proposal. Although Morgan Hill clearly is part of Silicon Valley, our economic model and demographics are significantly different than other Silicon Valley cities such as Palo Alto or Sunnyvale, reads a letter to the council from chamber officials.

After the discussion, Mayor Pro Temp Rich Constantine lightly chided the bosses and owners who spoke against the regional proposal for not considering how lower-income residents might benefit from a higher minimum wage. He noted in the last 100 years, the federal minimum wage has risen only $9.84. A few years ago, a decision by the City of San Jose to raise its minimum wage to $10 per hour was preceded by the same threats regarding layoffs and business closures; but those fears never materialized.

We need to start thinking about the people (who) make the minimum wage and what they go through, and how we as a society can help them, Constantine said. When people have more money in their pocket, they spend more money. And when people spend more money, your businesses make more money.

Councilwoman Marilyn Librers said she is against accelerating the minimum wage increase because of its possible impact on the owners. We need to encourage small businesses to come to Morgan Hill, be profitable and stay in Morgan Hill, Librers said. Lets stay with what the state is doing. We are not the Peninsula. We are Silicon Valley, but we are a small town and we want to maintain that small town feel.
Whether scores are up or down, good or bad, API or CAASPP, local school leaders have not put too much stock into state standardized test results in recent years.

This year was no different.

The latest California Assessment of Student Performance and Progress (CAASPP) results were released Aug. 24, and Morgan Hill Unified School District showed modest improvement overall in English Language Arts and mathematics.

On one hand, local school officials called the improved results encouraging. On the other, they believe it to be only one way to gauge student achievement. Mostly, they use the data to help better individualize instruction for students in each of the subgroups while looking to reduce the omnipresent achievement gap.

In ELA, district students increased two percentage points from 50 to 52 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards. The remaining 48 percent were categorized as either approaching or not meeting those state standards.

In mathematics, the same students improved by one percentage point from 40 to 41 percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards. That means nearly 60 percent (59 to be exact) of local students failed to reach the state threshold.

MHUSD brass quickly sent out a press release Aug. 25 announcing the growth in state results in both subject areas, but at the same time short-selling its significance in the grand scheme of student education.

Although this is just one of many measures for our district plan, we are very encouraged by the results, MHUSD Superintendent Steve Betando is quoted in that release.

As a district, we will always work harder and make improvements from year to year, and these results indicate that we are on the right track, he continued. As such, we will continue to use the feedback from this test to better serve our students academically.

This is the second year of the new statewide student assessments since the California education community did away with the old Standardized Testing and Reporting (STAR) program.

CAASPP includes a number of assessments, but the most widely given are the Smarter Balanced Summative Assessments, which evaluate student progress on the California standards in Mathematics and English Language Arts/Literacy, often referred to as the Common Core.

The CAASPP tests for English Language Arts/Literacy and mathematics were given to students in grades three through eight and grade eleven. (Ninth and 10th graders are not given the CAASPP exams) They consist of two parts. First, there is an adaptive test taken on a computer that gives students different follow-up questions based on their answers, thereby providing a more refined picture of a students abilities. Second, there is a performance task that challenges students to apply their knowledge and skills to real-world problems. The two parts measure depth of understanding, writing, research and problem-solving skills.

Breaking down the data

This year, the California Department of Educations DataQuest system allows visitors to compare statistics by grade level as well as by year from the baseline 2015 results to the most recent 2016 scores.

In ELA, MHUSD high school juniors (11th grade) were the most competent with 67 percent meeting or exceeding standards with sixth graders at 56 percent and fifth graders at 55 percent. On the flip side, more than half of the districts third, fourth, seventh and eighth graders tested did not meet the state standards in that subject.

In math, local third graders performed the best overall with 58 percent meeting or exceeding state standards. However, none of the six other grade levels eclipsed 50 percent of competency in that subject.

Comparing the same students from one grade level to the next was a new key function of the state system. For example, MHUSD third graders were 43 percent at or above state ELA standards in 2015 and improved to 45 percent as fourth graders in 2016. In math, however, those same 2015 scores dropped from 46 percent at or above to 38 percent at or above state standards in 2016. Or in the case of 2015 results for sixth graders to seventh graders in 2016, those students went up 3 percent in math but down 5 percent in ELA.

It is also clear that growth of student cohorts moving from grade to grade across two testing years indicates strong educational programs at all 12 schools, according to the MHUSDs press release. This information is invaluable to the district as it moves forward in planning, specifically in regards to the Local Control Accountability Plan.

MHUSD performed better than its neighboring district to the south and against the overall state percentages. In Gilroy, 49 percent district-wide met or exceeded state ELA standards while 40 percent met or exceeded state math standards. Statewide, 49 percent met or exceeded ELA state standards while 37 percent met or exceeded math state standards.

However, the same could not be said when compared to the rest of the county. In Santa Clara County, 62 percent met or exceeded ELA state standards while 55 percent met or exceeded math standards.

Mixed results for individual schools, groups

A breakdown of MHUSDs two comprehensive high schools show strong scores in English but room for improvement in mathematics. At Sobrato HS, 73 percent of 11th graders met or exceeded state ELA standards while 47 percent met or exceeded state math standards. At Live Oak HS, 68 percent of 11th graders met or exceeded state ELA standards while 24 percent met or exceeded state math standards.

Test results were less impressive at the districts continuation high school, which deals with the most at-risk students and provides an alternative form of education. At Central, only 16 percent of 11th graders met or exceeded state ELA standards while just 18 percent met or exceeded state math standards.

In the districts response to varying test scores, they wrote: Parent education level remains the most influential predictor of student achievement, across the district, with graduate degree parents having students with ten times the rate of meeting or exceeding standards as parents who did not graduate high school.

Always the elephant in the standardized testing room is the achievement gap, the discrepancy between Caucasian/White student achievement to that of their Hispanic/Latino classmates. This is a nationwide issue and one education leaders everywhere are keen on fixing. MHUSD is not unique in having an achievement gap in 2016.

District-wide, Hispanic students recorded 36 percent meeting or exceeding state ELA standards and 26 percent meeting or exceeding state math standards. As for their White counterparts, those students registered 69 percent meeting or exceeding in ELA and 58 percent doing the same in math.

Although ethnic achievement gaps among students persist, the data is better illustrating high correlations to parent education level, socioeconomic status, and English language fluency levels, according to Glen Webb, the districts Director of Curriculum and Instruction in his lengthy explanation. Our purpose is to isolate the educational program to best meet the individual needs of each student. These results help to validate ongoing parent engagement efforts that are helping students to overcome this obstacle and are increasing their proficiency level achievement. Our current plan addresses those very issues.

Webb is expected to provide an in-depth breakdown of the districts CAASPP scores at a future school board meeting. The next regularly scheduled session is 6 p.m. Sept. 6 inside district headquarters at 15600 Concord Circle.
Anthony Tether, former head of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (2001-2009) has become a consultant to Ukraine's state-owned defense conglomerate Ukroboronprom.

A memorandum on cooperation between Ukroboronprom and the director of the American company Tony Tether & Associates was signed in the presence of journalists on Friday in Kyiv.

Tether, the first foreign consultant of Ukroboronprom, will give advice on issues relating to the development of Ukraine's military industrial complex and sale of Ukrainian weaponry on international markets.

Tether noted the importance of creating synergy between the U.S. and Ukraine in the defense sector, as well as economic stabilization and the further development of comprehensive bilateral Ukrainian-American cooperation.

"I think that this will allow us to add 2 plus 2 and get the answer 5," Tether said.

The new foreign consultant of Ukroboronprom also said that he plans over the next six months to study the development process of new weapons in Ukraine and the functioning of Ukraine's military industrial complex.

"I must understand you culture," he said.

Ukroboronprom in 2015 announced plans to bring its production up to NATO standards by 2018. In an agreement with the alliance, Ukraine also will joint the NATO system of weapons procurement. In June Ukroboronprom's enterprises launched the trial introduction of NATO technical standards in the development, production, modernization and repair of weapons and military hardware according to the AQAP-2000 standard.
PGO: Kaskiv has INTERPOL Red Notice, measures to extradite him being taken

Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) has said that INTERPOL has issued Red Notice against former head of the State Agency for Investment and National Projects Management of Ukraine Vladyslav Kaskiv and law enforcement agencies are taking measures to extradite him to Ukraine.

"On August 1, 2016, INTERPOL General Secretariat published a Red Notice to arrest and extradite that former head of the State Agency for Investment and National Projects Management of Ukraine Kaskiv under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misappropriation, embezzlement or conversion of property by abuse of official post committed in respect of an especially gross amount, or by an organized group) and Part 2 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (forgery in office)," the PGO press service reported.

The press service said, referring to a report of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau in Panama that on August 18, 2016 Kaskiv was detained on the border with Costa Rica when he did not get a permit to enter the country on August 17, 2016.

"On August 19, 2016, under a request of the main investigation department of Ukrainian PGO Pechersky district court in Kyiv decided to arrest Kaskiv," the press service said.

The press service posted a copy of the court ruling.

At present, Ukrainian PGO is taking all required measures to extradite Kaskiv sticking to the provision of the extradition agreement signed by Ukraine and Panama in 2003.
The UK economy expanded at a faster pace than previously thought in the three months prior to the Brexit vote, the Office for National Statistics has revealed.

Gross domestic product grew 0.6% in the three months to the end of June after rising 0.4% in the first quarter of the year. This was the 14th consecutive quarter of positive growth since the first three months of 2013. On a yearly basis, GDP rose 2.2%.

Nancy Curtin, chief investment officer at Close Brothers Asset Management said that while the figures were an improvement on the first quarter, growth in the British economy was subdued as businesses put spending decisions on hold ahead of the EU membership referendum.

With the post-referendum picture not yet clear cut, investors will be watching economic data more closely than ever in the coming months. However, better than expected July retail and jobs data suggests that the Brexit bogeyman isnt quite as scary as once thought, with consumer spending robust, and lower sterling supporting exports and industrial production, she said. But, its by no means a completely positive picture. Services PMIs provide less encouraging reading, suggesting a more mixed economic outlook. Curtin joined other commentators in expressing the view that it was simply too soon to draw conclusions about the real impact of Brexit. Jonathan Chitty, investment analyst at Brown Shipley said that the latest figures put output now around 8% higher than the pre-financial crisis peak. It is important to note, however, that the reading covers the three months to June 30, and as such provides us with little colour on how the UK is performing post-referendum, he said. In short, the UK was open for business in the second quarter, but whether this continues later in the year remains to be seen. On the production side, services output advanced 0.5% and industrial production gained 2.1% as previously estimated in the second quarter. Meanwhile, construction output dropped 0.7% instead of 0.4% fall published previously. The expenditure-side breakdown of GDP showed that household expenditure climbed 0.9%, while government spending fell 0.2%. Another report from ONS showed that the index of services climbed 2.4% in June from the previous year. The largest contribution to total growth came from business services and finance, which contributed 1.1 percentage points. What Should We Expect Next? Ana Thaker, Market Economist at PhillipCapital UK said that all eyes would be on the next set of economic data, and expected weakness to come in the form of a slowdown in business investment. Markets are particularly sensitive at the moment, and are likely to remain so until Article 50 is invoked and we begin the official Brexit process, so poor GDP data will weigh heavily on sterling if weaker than expected despite positive signs elsewhere in the economy, she said.
Two plaintiffs are seeking millions of dollars in damages after a project they invested in went belly up.Two individuals, Arlene McDowell and Saverio Aversa have brought a class action suit against Fortress Real Capital, Fortress Real Developments, Centro Mortgages, FFM Capital, FSCO and a number of other entities and individuals, including Fortress president Jawad Rathore.The plaintiffs are seeking general damages in the amount of $25 million; exemplary, punitive and aggravated damages of $2.5 million; accounting of all funds paid to the defendants by the plaintiffs, as well as funds paid by the development to the defendants; and that the defendants give up all profits made, among others, according to a statement of claim issued earlier this month.The development in question is the Mady Collier Centre in Barrie, which was recently featured by the Toronto Star after having run into financial trouble.According to that Star report, hundreds of individuals invested $16.9 million into a syndicated mortgage for the project. They were promised 8% yearly returns and it was a secure investment registered as a mortgage against the property.The development eventually filed for bankruptcy protection and, in May, the investors claims against the property were subjugated, according to the Star report.According to the claim, investors are provided with an inflated current value for the real estate investment [and] the values are not arrived at through formal appraisals.It also claims investors are neither told the true value of the property nor that being behind the lender or project under development in terms of payback priority is a risky, unsecure position to be in.Centro, which is also named in the suit along with Fortress, is alleged to have sold the mortgages to investors and that many investors never met with Centro.To read the full statement of claim, click here
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is checking information about the possible illicit enrichment ex-Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin.

According to a response of NABU to the request of MP from Petro Poroshenko Bloc Mustafa Nayyem asking to check the possible unlawful enrichment of Shokin published by the Ukrayinska Pravda online publication, the bureau said that the information is being checked.

NABU will notify Nayyem about the results of the check in the law-prescribed terms.

As reported, on April 3, 2016, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that he signed a decree to dismiss Shokin from the post of Prosecutor General.

On May 12, 2016, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada approved the decree to appoint Yuriy Lutsenko Prosecutor General with 264 supporting votes.

In July 2016, journalists of the Skhemy TV program alleged that Shokin had a rich common-law wife who owned some elite property. This information is not contained in the former prosecutor general's declaration.

Shokin said on the television station 112 Ukraina TV said that he does not have a common-law wife and he is an eligible bachelor for 12 years. Shokin said that he has no relation to the elite property mentioned in the Skhemy program. He believes that the investigation by Skhemy was ordered by someone.
Spooky sites Fall is the season of holiday spectacle in Moorpark. In December, of course, Pinedale Road transforms into Candy Cane Lane and dazzles visitors with Santa splendor. But for those who...

Local hula group inspires global connections When the pandemic ushered everyone indoors, Moorpark resident and longtime dancer Lisa Rauschenberger decided to get people back outsidesocially distanced, of course. She began to hold weekly hula lessons at...

Teens face high stakes in the Oval Office A press room befitting Americas commander in chief was set up inside the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. Journalists and others gathered inside. Ladies and gentlemen, I need you all...
Two out of three agreements between public joint-stock company Ukrgazvydobuvannia and two firms participated in the 'Onyschenko gas case' (Nadra Geocenter LLC and KhAS Firm LLC) have been annulled, and five defendants in this 'gas case' signed plea bargains, the press service of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has reported.

"As of late August two out three agreements on joint investment and production operations between public joint-stock company Ukrgazvydobuvannia and two firms participated in the so-called ''Onyschenko gas deal' - Nadra Geocenter LLC and KhAS Firm LLC  were annulled thanks to the ctive work of NABU detectives and SAP [Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine] prosecutors. According to the agreements, natural gas at fake auctions was sold at low prices to intermediaries, who resold it to industrial consumers at market prices," the press service of NABU reported on Thursday.

Thanks to effective work of NABU detectives and SAP prosecutors, give defendants in the 'Onyschenko gas case' pleaded guilty and signed a plea bargain with investigators. Among them are director of Lvivska Universalna exchange, director of the Center commodity exchange and a broker of one of the exchanges that organized fake auctions to sell gas in favor of firms under control of MP Oleksandr Onyschenko. The curator and a person responsible for the creation of shell companies, who were involved in rechanneling of funds received from the resale of gas, also signed the plea bargains.

NABU Director Artem Sytnyk said that the NABU's task is not only to solve a crime, punish persons guilty in committing it and eliminated the corrupt schemes, but also to return seized funds to the state. The perfect example of work of the newly created anti-corruption agencies  NABU and SAP  is revealing and destroying the so-called 'Onyschenko gas scam', he said.

He said that NABU is trying to actively use the modern plea bargain tool in those cases where Ukrainian law permits to do this.

On June 15, the NABU and SAP exposed organizers of a scheme to steal money from natural gas production and sales under cooperation contracts with Ukrgazvydobuvannia, which resulted in around UAH 3 billion in damage to the state. On July 5, Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada agreed to the prosecution, apprehension and arrest of its member Onyschenko, the chief suspect in the scam.

On July 27, Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko signed a notice of suspicion to Onyschenko who had left Ukraine, having taken advantage of his parliamentary immunity. On July 29, Onyschenko said he was in London, applying for a residence permit and asking for political asylum from the British authorities.

A total of 12 suspects have been detained in the case. The pretrial investigation is underway.
Much like natural gas and crude oil pipelines can be common carrier pipelines, a recently extended saltwater pipeline is bringing the concept to the Permian Basin.

We call it a commercial saltwater pipeline, said B.G. Clark, president of Water Midstream Partners LLC. The nomenclature relates to commercial salt water disposal wells with water coming from multiple operators.

Water Midstream, which is based in both Midland and Dallas, recently completed a southern extension to its Midland County commercial pipeline system, connecting new oil and gas wells inside and adjacent to the city of Midland to its salt water disposal well on State Highway 158 north of the Nadine and Tom Craddick Highway.

The system now extends south of County road 60 and west of State Highway 158, making the pipeline system 9.5 miles in length and adding to more than 45 miles of operator-owned pipelines connecting to Water Midstreams Midland County SWD. The extension will create direct pipeline connections for saltwater disposal for more than 100 existing and planned wells.

Its more efficient for the operators and for companies like ourselves, Clark said in a phone interview from his Dallas office. For pipelines, the cost is the same whether its a 4-inch or 8-inch pipeline. Theres a lot of fixed costs. If you put more water into a single pipeline, its more efficient for us to move that water, and we can lower the costs to operators by spreading the costs to more operators.

Another benefit is that it removes water-hauling trucks from the road, Clark added, estimating the new extension will eliminate as many as 300 daily trips by water hauling trucks.

His company is bringing to the Permian Basin a business model used in Louisiana.

For generations, there have been private saltwater wells supporting a single lease, whether 640 acres or 6,000 acres, or one or two saltwater disposal wells for that lease. We support multiple leases.

Water Midstreams pipeline has six operators tied in, including three who have tied into the new extension. The pipeline has a capacity of 40,000 barrels a day.

We dont move 40,000 barrels every day, but as wells come on line, that is peak volume. We can handle peak volume related to flowback with zero trucked flowback. Its all going into our pipeline, Clark said.

He forecasts that his company will see its volume almost triple if all wells being drilled come online. The company currently operates systems in Midland, Martin, Dawson and Howard counties that incorporate more than 95 miles of pipeline with disposal capacity of more than 120,000 barrels per day serving 18 operators.

Right now were focused on the Midland Basin, but were looking at fairly tremendous growth in both the Midland and Delaware basins. With activity coming back in drilling, we could double our business again in 2017, he said.

The company is looking at expanding three existing systems and developing at least three new systems that are regional in scope. By that he means serving more than a single lease and reaching out to customers across multiple miles in multiple directions.

Our approach to development of our pipeline has been improvements for individual exploration and production companies. Weve created a more efficient means of transporting and disposing of water, which is one of the largest costs in operating a well, he said.

Clark said his father, a water hauler in New Mexico, would tell me water will be the most single important aspect of the oil and gas industry and Id just roll my eyes. I dont know if he had a vision, but it is.
The Texas economy ranks 21st in the nation, according to Governing magazine, which used economic data from 2014 to 2016 to create an index.

Thats a pretty middling performance for an economy once labeled the Texas Miracle because of how quickly it added jobs following the Great Recession of 2008.

It turns out that all of that growth was tied to the oil and gas industry, which has taken a nosedive over the last two years.

The top five economies, according to the magazine, were Massachusetts, Oregon, Delaware, Colorado and California. Those are all blue states, which will surely infuriate Texas conservatives who will still angrily point out that Chief Executive magazine still ranks Texas, and four red states, as the best places to do business.

The radically different perspectives are not mutually exclusive, by the way, since one ranks economic performance as it affects the population, and the other ranks the places where corporate profits grow the fastest.

Governings index was developed by looking at the current state unemployment rate; the improvement in the state unemployment rate over the past year; the per capita state GDP in 2015; the percent change in real state GDP between 2014 and 2015; the percent change in state personal income per capita, from the third quarter of 2015 to the first quarter of 2016; and the percentage growth in year-to-date increases in jobs for 2016.

The drop of oil prices from their lofty $107-a-barrel perch put a serious dent in Texas GDP and unemployment rate, which ticked up last month. In April, I explained how the Texas Miracle should have been called the shale oil miracle, because thats what drove economic growth, not political genius.

To better deal with shifting oil prices, Texas needs to diversify its economy further in ways that benefit the whole state, not just executives and oil workers. That requires having a well-educated workforce with diverse skills that can serve many industries.

Unfortunately, were not doing a very good job of educating our children in public schools, with only 20 percent of children graduating high school with the skills necessary to get a job or to attend college without taking remedial classes.

Thats because Texas ranks 43rd in the nation in per-student spending, according to another data set assembled by Governing. More money wouldnt solve all the problems, but ranking near the bottom isnt going to bring about major improvements, either.

For most of Texas history, the state has relied on commodities for economic growth, starting with timber and cotton, and over the years moving to cattle, oil and gas.

If the state wants long-term, sustainable economic growth that wont swing with unstable commodity prices, we need skilled knowledge workers and makers. And that starts with better public schools producing the kinds of workers companies want.
AUSTIN, Texas (AP)  An inscription honoring the Confederacy has been removed from public display at the University of Texas in Austin.

The Austin American-Statesman (http://atxne.ws/2bRgdmO ) reports the stone panels were removed last month from the South Mall.
San Antonio Express-News

TULSA, Okla. (AP)  A suspect in a Texas murder has been arrested while passing through Tulsa on a passenger bus.

Authorities say 18-year-old Eric Cavazos was taken into custody Thursday at a downtown bus station by members of the Northern Oklahoma Violent Crimes Task Force.
Panamanian authorities could arrest former head of the State Agency for Investment and National Projects Management of Ukraine Vladyslav Kaskiv, Deputy Prosecutor General Yevhen Yenin has said.

"An unexpected problem could appear in the extradition of Kaskiv to Ukraine  he could be jailed in Panama before serving time in a Ukrainian jail. I will not disclose the details because of the secrecy of the investigation," he wrote on his Facebook page late on Thursday.
The U.S. is concerned about the ongoing surprise check of combat preparedness in the Russian Armed Forces and expects Moscow to meet its arms control and transparency obligations to the neighbors, the Pentagon said.

The U.S. Department of Defense has seen reports about the beginning of surprise drills by the Russian military; it hopes that Russia will meet all obligations and keep all promises in regard to arms control and confidence building agreements and thereby will give relevant guarantees to its neighbors and will be transparent about the scope and nature of that activity, Pentagon spokesperson Michelle Baldanza told Interfax on Thursday.

A surprise check of combat preparedness often precedes large-scale military exercises in Russia, Baldanza said, adding that the Pentagon was closely monitoring the situation with due account of the upcoming Caucasus 2016 drills.

The Pentagon is profoundly concerned about the escalation of violence in eastern Ukraine and the proximity of Russian military units to Ukraine, considering Russia's direct involvement in the Donbas conflict, Baldanza said.

It is also known to Pentagon that Russia used military exercises to conceal deployment of weapons to Ukraine, she said.

The United States has repeatedly urged Russia to take steps towards de-escalation of regional tensions, in particular, by means of full and constructive involvement in negotiations on the comprehensive implementation of the Minsk agreements, she said.
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Ukrainian army positions in Donbas came under 48 attacks in the past 24 hours, the army operation press center said on Facebook on Friday morning.

"For instance, 18 attacks were observed in the Donetsk sector, 21 in the Mariupol sector, and nine in the Luhansk sector," the report said.

Approximately 170 heavy artillery shots were fired in the Donetsk sector. Ukrainian positions near Avdiyivka thrice came under attack of 152mm and 122mm self-propelled artillery weapons, and 152mm guns were fired on Arkhanhelske. Mortar, grenade launcher and machinegun attacks continued on the contact line between Avdiyivka and the northern outskirts of Horlivka. An unmanned aerial vehicle was seen flying over Ukrainian positions near the Avdiyivka industrial zone. Infantry combat vehicles were engaged in attacks near Luhanske and Kirove.

In the Mariupol sector, grenade launchers, large-caliber machineguns and small arms were used in Maryinka, Shyrokyne and Vodiane, and 82mm mortars were fired in Maryinka and Hnutove. Ukrainian fortifications in Pavlopil and Novomykhailivka were shelled by 120mm mortars. Armored vehicles were seen near Maryinka.

The truce was complied with in the daytime in the Luhansk sector. Automatic mounted grenade launchers were fired in Novooleksandrivka, large-caliber machineguns were used in Troitske, and the use of small arms was observed near Novozvanivka and Zolote. Mortars and grenade launchers attacked Ukrainian positions in Stanitsa Luhanska, and infantry combat vehicles were used twice.
Mykolaiv's central district court has ordered the detention of three members of the National Police of Ukraine assigned to the Kryve Ozero district office in Mykolaiv region. The men were involved in the murder of a resident of Kryve Ozero, according to the Internet news portal Prestupnosti.NET.

According to the report, at approximately 04:00 p.m. the court began deliberating the pretrial confinement of the first policeman Oleksandr Prychypoida.

During the session, Prychypoida related his version of the events. Around 6.0 p.m. the court remanded him to pretrial custody for one month, until September 25, without bail.

The second suspect, policeman Mykola Khomenko, also testified, saying police handcuffed the deceased resident of Kryve Ozero, Oleksandr Zuckerman, after he had been shot. He added that another suspect, policeman Denys Liakhvatsky, beat the Zuckerman with a truncheon after he had been shot.

The third suspect, Liakhvatsky, refused to testify, complaining of poor health. He was also remanded to pretrial custody without bail for one month.

Liakhvatsky said he agreed with charges pursuant to Article 65 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (exceeding official authority), but categorically disagreed with charges pursuant to Article 115 (premeditated murder), which he vehemently denied.

At approximately 8.50 p.m. the court ordered Liakhvatsky arrested for two months, until October 23.

As earlier reported, on August 24 in Mykolaiv Region's office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine (PGO) said it was investigating the death of a local resident in Kryve Ozero by local police when he was detained by policemen, who used physical force and 'special means' to make the arrest.

The prosecutor's office said, "About 200 local residents gathered outside the police and local PGO office around this time."

Circumstances of the incident became known later. Police responded to a hooliganism complaint involving a drunken man, whom they detained and handcuffed. Another police squad arrived and began beating the detainee. Medical forensic experts noted bruises incurred from the beating, but later said that he died as a result of shots fired from a traumatic pistol. Four bullets were recovered from the victim's body.

Local media made amateur video recordings showing a group of aggressive men attempting to reach the policemen, who were being hurriedly escorted from the Kryve Ozero police station by another group of police officers. Local residents were able to reach and strike at least one of the detained policemen. After the detained policemen were bundled into a holding vehicle, local residents attempted to flip it over.

The deputy prosecutor general of Mykolaiv region Stepan Bozhylo during a briefing on August 25 said that the PGO office of Mykolaiv region had opened a criminal investigation involving three policemen of Kryve Ozero's national police department involved in the scandalous death of a resident of Kryve Ozero. Charges included "premeditated murder" and "exceeding official authority."

Bozhylo said the three men were notified that they were suspected of committing crimes according to Article 3, Paragraph 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. One of them was charged with committing premeditated murder, pursuant to Article 115, Part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
It is in Ofori-Atta's own interest ...
One Ukrainian serviceman killed, another 2 wounded in Donbas in past 24 hours

One Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and another two have been wounded in the area of fighting in eastern Ukraine in the past 24 hours, Ukrainian presidential administration spokesman Andriy Lysenko said.

"One Ukrainian serviceman has been killed and another two have been wounded as a result of fighting in the past 24 hours," he said at a press briefing in Kyiv on Friday.

The heaviest fighting was recorded in the Avdiyivka industrial zone, he said.

"Intense strikes on the part of the adversary continued non-stop for ten hours both at daytime and nighttime," Lysenko said.

Militant forces used artillery weapons of different calibers and systems, a circumstance which suggests the simultaneous presence of several batteries near the frontline, he said.

"The number of ammunition launched from heavy weapons exceeds 100," Lysenko said.

Militant units once again fired 152mm artillery weapons on the rear area, he said.

"This time, it was the village of Arkhanhelske of the Yasynuvata district [20 kilometers from the frontline]," Lysenko said, adding that over 100 projectiles had been launched in two series of strikes before dawn.

Strikes were also recorded in the village of Luhanske, near the town of Horlivka and at the Peski-Opytne section of the frontline, where mortars and armed hardware were also used.

A total of 18 instances of shelling, including 10 strikes from heavy weapons, have been recorded in the Donetsk region in the past 24 hours, Lysenko said.

Two nighttime strikes took place in Stanytsia Luhanska in the Luhansk region. The militants used armored vehicles during the first strike, and a mortar during the second attack.

Militant forces were traditionally most active in the Popasna district, where the ceasefire was violated at several sectors of the frontline, Lysenko said.

"Unlike previous days, heavy weapons were used this time. The adversary has conducted a total of nine strikes, including one mortar strike, in the Luhansk region in the past 24 hours," he said.

Intense fighting continues at the northernmost point and in the south of the Mariupol region - in the Maryinka district and at the Pavlopil-Shyrokyne section of the frontline, he said.

"The adversary is actively using mortars in both areas, mainly at nighttime. Ukrainian armed forces are returning fire. It is Maryinka [including a local checkpoint] and the neighboring areas that saw the largest number of the enemy's strikes. The enemy conducted 21 strikes, among them five mortar strikes, in the Mariupol region yesterday," Lysenko said.
Hetch Hetchy Reservoir View Photos

Groveland, CA  The Mountain Tunnel, which spans 19 miles in Tuolumne County, will be shut down for an unprecedented two months starting around January.

The San Francisco Public Utilities will be making long needed repairs and improvements to the tunnel that helps transport water from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir to the Bay Area. SFPUC Spokesperson Charles Shaheen says, Our Mountain Tunnel has been delivering water from the Hetch Hetchy system since about 1925. Its been operating pretty much continuously since then, and so we are taking it out of service early next year for about 60 days to conduct some inspections and do some maintenance and repair work on the tunnel.

During that stretch of time, the SFPUC will rely on water from its reservoirs situated in the Bay Area. It will be a notable shift as roughly 85% of San Franciscos water comes from Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The water is also used by some other utilities, such as the Groveland Community Services District.

Shaheen adds, Similar to the Bay Area where we have other reservoirs and storage supplies, Groveland too has storage. They will be tapping into the storage during the shutoff. They also have a filtration system so they could also tap into Pine Mountain Lake.

The Mountain Tunnel stretches from Kirkwood Powerhouse to Priest Reservoir.
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Law enforcers have detained Acting Rector of the National Aviation University (NAU) Volodymyr Kharchenko when he was accepting a bribe, Head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) Vasyl Hrytsak told Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko.

"Just now, the SBU chief has reported to the president about the detention of acting rector of the National Aviation University when he was taking a bribe of EUR 170,000. The operation was carried out jointly with NABU (the National Anti-Corruption Bureau) and the Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office," the press secretary of the Ukrainian president, Svyatoslav Tsegolko, wrote in his Facebook page on Friday afternoon.

The SBU press center reported that the acting rector demanded EUR 170,000 through a lawyer, who acted as an intermediary, from a professor. The official demanded this money for approving the appointment of this professor to a position at the university, the press center said.

Both the acting rector and the mediator were detained in their office after receiving UAH 100,000 as part of the bribe.

Meanwhile, thee NABU reported that the acting rector of the NAU received through an intermediary a bribe of UAH 3 million (EUR 100,000) for signing an order for the reinstatement in the NAU of one of its professors. All in all, he "demanded UAH 5 million and additional $50,000 for not making any obstacles to the reinstatement by a court ruling of former employees of the University and the signing of the orders for their appointment."

The NABU said that they were working on charging the culprits under part 3 of Article 368 (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of undue advantage by an official).
HART -- John Merris, accountant with the Amarillo firm Dosher, Pickens & Francis, presented the annual financial report to the Hart City Council at its Aug. 15 meeting. Present were Mayor Eliazar Castillo and council members Vickie Ethridge, Johnny Carrasco, Mary Reyna and Ezekiel Barron.

Merris had high praise for City Secretary Marsela Marin, who handles the finances for Hart. He said her work is getting better each day, and that the city is in good shape financially. He also complemented the mayor and council as being the most active among smaller Panhandle cities.

The audit covers the period from May 1, 2015, through April 30, 2016.

Merris reported that General Fund expenditures were up about $60,000 from the previous year due to seal-coating of some streets. Property tax revenues are up approximately $15,000 because of increases in property valuations. The tax rate was about 3 percent less because of the valuation increase.

He described Harts tax rate as pretty low. The Texas Constitutional tax rate for operations and debt service is $1.50 per $100 of assessed valuation. Harts tax rate for the 2015 year was $0.454 per $100, which means the city has a tax margin of $1.046 per $100 and could raise $251,060 in additional revenue from the 2015 assessed valuation of $24,001,910 before that limit is reached.

Real and personal property values are assessed for the period of Jan. 1 through Dec. 31. Taxes are levied Oct. 1 of the current year, and collected Oct. 1 to June 30 of the following year. Payments received after Feb. 1 are considered late and subject to penalty and interest. Taxes become delinquent July 1 of the following year.

Merris said there are four inactive employees or their beneficiaries receiving benefits from the Harts retirement plan. The city provides pension benefits for its four full-time employees, other than firemen (who are volunteer), through a nontraditional, joint contributory hybrid defined benefit plan in the statewide Texas Municipal Retirement System. There is, according to the audit, one employee entitled to but not yet receiving benefits.

Employees are vested after seven years; their contribution to their retirement is 5 percent, and the city contributes 2.77 percent. As of Dec. 31, 2015, the citys net liability was $49,726. Merris said Hart doesnt want to see the liability increase, based on market fluctuations.

The cost of the audit was $13,900.

Also discussed was the grapple truck, which isnt usable because of a faulty transmission. Castillo suggested a rebuilt transmission. No action was taken. Because the truck isnt working, the Transfer Station is closed. Public Utility Superintendent Adrian Rosas wasnt present. He is, according to City Hall, getting quotes for the truck repairs to present to the council in September.
Aug. 26, 1946: Two more physicians have been added to the staff at Plainview Sanitarium & Clinic, Karl Zinn, M.D., whose practice includes eye, ear, nose and throat and fitting of glasses, and George K. Swartz, M.D., whose practice is limited to mental and nervous diseases.

--Willie C. Austin of Plainview and Frank Grossman of Kress, both WWII veterans, were among purchases of surplus new and used farm and construction machinery from the War Assets Administration. Austin was awarded a portable air compressor for $2.75. Grossman received a portable air compressor for $42.75 and Caterpillar crawler tractor for $999.

--Pvt. Wilbur K. Loyd of Plainview has completed basic training at Fort Bliss. He is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W.L. Loyd.

Aug. 26, 1956: Charles M. Lofdahl, M.D., has joined the staff of the Plainview Hospital and Clinic Foundation as head of the Orthopedic Department.

--Under-capacity wiring is the ascribed cause of a fire which damaged the residence of Mr. and Mrs. T.E. Lutrick early Sunday morning. The residence is in the Lakeview community.

--J.D. Watts, who farms east of Plainview, was awarded $250 for the first bale of cotton ginned with one of the 10 gins contributing to the prize. The Paymaster 54-B was processed at Eeds Gin at 3:45 p.m. Thursday. Other participating gins are Finney Gin, Hale County Gin, Lider Gin, Plainview Co-op Gin, Service Gin, J.M. Tindall Gin, West Side Gin, Six Point Gin and Edmonson Co-op Gin.

Aug. 26, 1966: An explosion caused by accumulated natural gas on Monday at the Church of God in Christ left one dead and 55 injured. About 200 people were worshipping in the building in the 1500 block of North Austin when the blast occurred. The pastor, Rev. Edgar N. Givens, was among the injured.

--Van Bonneau of Dodson is evangelist for a week-long revival which began Sunday at the West Side Church of Christ in Lockney.

--Beulah Duensing, 2514 Fisher, has received word that Mrs. Gordon Lang, former Plainview resident, died Aug. 17 at Glen Flora, Texas. She is remembered as the former Miss Lou Beth King, who during the early 1920s taught English at Plainview High School.

Aug. 26, 1986: Executive board members of the Plainview Co-op Compress, Inc., which held its 33rd annual stockholders meeting this week, include Elton Cantwell, Silverton, director; Martin Shure, Plainview, director; Bill Cagle, Plainview manager; Dolan Fennell, Springlake, president; Don Hegi, Petersburg, vice president; and Charles Huffman, Lockney, director.

--Three former officials of the now-defunct Plainview Savings and Loan were arraigned in Lubbock federal court Friday on fraud charges. Donald W. Harmon and wife, Wanda C. Harmon, who bought the firm in 1981, were re-indicted in a loan fraud case alleging they made false statements and misapplied more than $460,000. A co-defendant, Dallas developer Stephen S. Bud McGinnis, is accused of falsifying a $520,000 escrow deposit and perjury in connection with a sworn statement.

--Central Plains Regional Hospital Employee of the Month for August is Nancy Veazey, administrative secretary. She worked at E.O. Nichols Hospital for almost five years before moving to CPRH in February 1985. Her husband, Larry, is pastor of Glad Tidings Assembly of God.

Compiled by Doug McDonough
Dr. William Petit Jr. is knocking on doors and talking to residents as he campaigns for the 22nd House District.



We need to balance the budget and restructure business to make Connecticut more attractive to businesses, the Republican said.



He says the main complaint hes heard from the public has been about the economy.



The retired endocrinologist is running on the slogan, Petit for a Better Connecticut.



Its time for a change, he said. Hopefully I can be part of it.



Petit, who survived a 2007 home invasion that claimed the lives of his wife and daughters, is well known in the district. He heads the Petit Family Foundation which funds community scholarships and grants.



The 59-year-old is challenging Democrat Elizabeth Boukus, who has held the seat since 1994. He says Boukus has been a friend of the family for over 40 years.



I think well both be very polite and kind to each other, Petit said about his opponent.



Boukus could not be reached for comment. Her campaign manager and Democratic Town Chairwoman Rosemary Morante commented on the race.



Betty is a very strong state representative who has dedicated herself to Plainville and the district, she said.



Boukus spoke to The Record-Journal in May about her upcoming campaign.



Ill handle whatever comes forward and Im sure therell be a great deal of publicity, she said.



This will be Petits first time running for public office. He has experienced local politics through his parents who served on the Town Council and Library Board.



He says his parents have served as his biggest inspiration.



I saw from them that the best politics are local, he said. People know the issues and Im a big believer of a lot of local control.



Petits campaign will focus on keeping small businesses in the state to create a stronger economy. He believes the less government the better and that heavy taxes and regulations can weigh down business opportunities.



So the question to ask is whether those taxes and fees are more of a nuisance for business and get in the way of people doing business, he said.



At a local level, Petit says he is happy with the community. Its at the state level he sees a problem.



We need an economy where younger people dont feel like they need to move South, he said. They need a good job here.



Changes cant happen, he says, without a shift first in the House and Senate.



Realistically for it to happen I think the Republicans need to gain control of at least the House or the Senate, preferably the House and the Senate, so we would have a little more balanced government with a Democratic governor, said Petit.



In the next few months, Petit plans on attending town events and talking more with the public. He will be at the hot air balloon fest this weekend and the towns pumpkin fest, he said.



We have to make some significant changes, he said, and I havent seen that being done in the past 20 years.






On Tuesday, August 30, at 10.30, the Interfax-Ukraine News Agency's press center will host a press conference on the Second International Congress of Plastic Surgeons under the auspices of International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS) entitled "Latest Trends and Innovations in World of Plastic Surgery. Unique Online Operation as Part of Live Surgery Project," which will be held in Kyiv on September 2-3. The participants will include National Secretary of the ISAPS Pavlo Denyschuk, MD, and surgeon, president of the Ukrainian Association of Plastic, Reconstructive and Aesthetic Surgeons Vasyl Pinchuk, MD (8/5a Reitarska Street). Accreditation by phone: (067) 770 0757, (050) 800 5903, uart.vision@gmail.com (Oksana Shevchenko).
The new owner of San Franciscos Curran Theatre may reopen it in January, or perhaps a few months earlier. But whenever it happens, a new state law will keep the alcohol flowing.

Legislation by Assemblyman David Chiu, D-San Francisco, signed Thursday by Gov. Jerry Brown, fills a gap in the law that could have left the theater without a liquor license.
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Just five months after receiving a $1 million donation to back efforts to build a UC Berkeley international research complex in Richmond, Chancellor Nicholas Dirks said the project has been indefinitely suspended.

Dirks blamed ongoing budget challenges for the collapse of the UC Berkeley Global Campus project despite more than two years of debate, community meetings, planning and fundraising already invested in the effort.

Additionally, Dirks resignation  announced last week amid concerns over his handling of a $150 million budget crisis and sexual harassment complaints  means the Richmond project will lose its biggest champion when he departs next year. There was little indication from the campus on Friday that it will be revived.

University spokesman Roqua Montez said that with the project on hold, the University will ... continue to explore options for the site that reflect new priorities for the campus around enrollment growth and housing in the near future.

The plan to develop the property was approved by the UC Regents in 2014, and included developing 5.4 million square feet of building space on university land along the Richmond shoreline.

The global campus was more than anything else an idea that Chancellor Dirks was pushing, said Richmond Mayor Tom Butt, who supported the project. It was something he wanted to be his key accomplishment during his administration.

The university described the 134-acre project as a development similar to UC San Franciscos Mission Bay site, forming a research and action hub, with undergraduate and graduate-level programs focused on global governance, ethics, political economy, cultural and international relations and practical engagement.

Dirks announced the suspension of the project Thursday night to university staff and those participating in the projects task force, the Richmond Community Working Group.

It came just five months after the Koret Foundation gave the university a $1 million planning grant to help shape the research agenda for the project.

Building on a long history of support, the Koret Foundation is honored to fund this planning grant at a pivotal time in the formation of the Berkeley Global Campus, Michael Boskin, president of the San Francisco-based philanthropic foundation, said in March. By creating a hub of scientific innovation, this partnership has the potential to shape the next generation of medicine, benefiting the health of humankind for decades to come.

The university will keep the money.

The Koret grant is for research and planning with UCSF on global and public health issues, Montez said. The grant was not to do any actual construction, so the research and planning will go on as planned since it was not dependent on new facilities.

Officials from the foundation did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dirks had pushed the project even as he battled loud criticism of his leadership. In 2015, the university paid $200,000 in consulting fees to improve the chancellors strategic profile nationally and internationally.

Chancellor Dirks decided that the firms services were needed based on his assessment that the university would benefit if he were to have expanded access to and engagement with philanthropists around the world in order to increase philanthropic support for Berkeley, according to a university statement.

Butt said the fundraising efforts for the Global Campus had yet to yield significant contributions.

The longer this went without happening the more frustrating this became, he said.

In fact, the project had its own share of controversy prior to the abrupt discontinuation Thursday.

Last year, Dirks named former UC Berkeley Vice Chancellor Graham Fleming to help lead the effort  after the administrator had resigned amid sexual harassment allegations. Fleming, who was on sabbatical, was paid a $20,000 stipend and international travel expenses to be the Global Campus ambassador  compensation in addition to his annual $276,500 salary.

In March, University of California President Janet Napolitano ordered Dirks to remove Fleming from all administrative posts.

In Richmond, the project was also controversial, with community groups and students demanding the university agree to conditions regarding job opportunities, housing and other benefits to residents and local businesses. The lack of an agreement resulted in protests, including incidents at the chancellors residence on campus in 2015.

This is the second time plans have fallen through for the site. A plan to expand the Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory on the land fell through in 2013 after the lab lost out on federal funding.

While we are deeply disappointed about the announced suspension of the UC Berkeley Global Campus in Richmond, we will continue to work with the city, the UC system, our national labs, and the state to pursue every opportunity to develop this valuable site for the benefit of our residents and the community, said Rep. Mark DeSaulnier, D-Concord.

Butt said he believes there is still significant opportunity for Richmond in the development of the shoreline property.

I think there are still great opportunities here, he said. I think Richmonds involvement has to change. Richmond has to be seen as a productive partner.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
A judge in Austin has declared a 2013 law that made it illegal for Texas craft brewers to sell territorial rights to distribute their beers is unconstitutional.

The ruling says the government had no compelling state interest in restricting the ability of brewers to be paid for their distribution rights.
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A Santa Clara County judge denied a request to move a high-profile murder trial out of the county on Thursday after attorneys for the man accused of abducting and killing missing South Bay teenager Sierra LaMar argued he would not receive a fair trial.

Judge Vanessa A. Zecher ruled that the trial of Antolin Garcia-Torres would remain in Santa Clara County, rejecting the defense teams fears that it could not find an impartial jury. Zecher made the decision following expert testimony and oral arguments from the defense that began last week.
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A routine security check of businesses Thursday night in Cordelia led police to two men in a car full of stolen property, drugs and homemade explosives, officials said.

The discovery prompted a response from the Napa County Sheriffs Department bomb squad, which disposed of the explosives, police said.
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A year ago the Paramour hit San Antonio's bar scene providing the city with a premier, rooftop, upscale cocktail bar.

On Thursday the bar hosted an anniversary bash to die for.

RELATED: The Well a sprawling new venue with something for everyone

The 8,000-square-foot Paramour, which sits atop the Phipps Building at 102 9th St., offers stunning views of downtown.

The unique craft cocktails are made from rare hard to find liquors and the atmosphere is just brilliant.

Here is a look at the Paramour's one-year birthday party.
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SAN ANTONIO  From Stone Oak to the Medical Center, it was a busy week for health inspectors, who spotted unsettling violations like moldy food, roaches of varying life cycles and Pantene hair gel where it shouldnt be during random inspections.

A total of 41 restaurants made this weeks list, and the roundup includes San Antonio staples, taco houses and fast food joints.

To make the Express-News' list of dirtiest restaurants, an establishment must earn a score of 89 or below  or anything less than an "A"  during a random city inspection.

Prominent restaurants include Blanco Cafe #1 at 1720 Blanco Road and Adelita Tamales and Tortilla Factory at 1130 Fresno St., which were both spotted with evidence of pests in the establishment.

Insects were also present at The Players at 4000 IH 35 N., where an inspector found live roaches of varying life cycles in the kitchen, as well as rodent droppings in the storage room.

On the bizarre citations side, Pantene "Classic Style Gel" was found stored near Splenda packets at the Hon Machi Sushi and Tepanyaki Restaurant at 1321 N. Loop 1604, and a partially eaten plate of food was spotted in the food preparation area at Arirang Restaurant at 2154 Austin Hwy.

Get all the highlights from this week's dirtiest restaurant list in the slideshow above.

RELATED: San Antonio restaurant inspections: The worst reports from last week

The San Antonio Express-News examines hundreds of restaurant inspections each week conducted by the San Antonio Food and Environmental Health Services division to bring you the eateries with scores of 89 or below.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system, where "100" is a perfect score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each are assigned a demerit score of 3, 2 or 1 points, according to the health division.

Scores and demerits listed are only representative of the state of the restaurant at the time of inspection and are surveyed at random.

rsalinas@mysa.com

Twitter: @RebeccaLSalinas
Albany

A judge in Rensselaer County has thrown out a union's challenge to a pair of programs started by Gov. Andrew Cuomo, the Empire and Excelsior Service fellowships, that recruit young professionals and recent college graduates to work at high-level jobs in state government for a two-year period.

The program is similar to internships in the Legislature, but with young entrants employed in the various state agencies where they help carry out priority projects and develop legislation supported by the governor.

The program has drawn criticism from state employee unions, primarily the Public Employees Federation, that claim the fellows were circumventing the competitive civil service process in which exams are taken for higher-level jobs in the state bureaucracy.

In a lawsuit, PEF and the AFL-CIO cited those complaints and alleged the program was unfairly benefiting younger workers, noting that current state or legislative employees couldn't apply.

This month, Rensselaer County State Supreme Court Justice Richard McNally Jr. dismissed the suit, saying that because the fellowships are for two years they couldn't be viewed as interfering with the civil service system designed for career state workers.

The state maintained that the fellowships were training programs and noted that fewer than 15 participants took part at any given time. Shortly after the program started, however, the Cuomo administration went to the state Civil Service Commission to seek approval to boost the number of slots  first to 110, then 230  for the fellows in various agencies.

No matter, McNally wrote in his decision, to alter a state-approved job classification, the state would have had to make a policy that was "wholly arbitrary or without a rational basis."

"The initiative was a temporary twenty-four month program and the Civil Service Commission correctly determined that a competitive exam would be impractical," McNally added.

It wasn't immediately known if PEF would appeal the decision.

rkarlin@timesunion.com  518-454-5758  @RickKarlinTU
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The states Technical High School system is accused in a federal complaint filed this week of consistently discriminating against students with disabilities by denying them admission.

The complaint cites 10 examples statewide of students who tried to gain admission into one of the systems 17 schools in the spring of 2016. Among them were students who applied to Bullard Havens Technical High School in Bridgeport and Platt Tech in Milford.

In one case, according to the complaint, a 15-year old student who recently finished Waltersville School in Bridgeport  and who had a disability but also all As and Bs on her report card  was asked during an admissions interview at Platt Tech why she was putting all her eggs in one basket.

It was clear to the mom, the complaint said, that a decision not to admit the student had already been made.

In another case, a 14-year-old from High Horizons Magnet school on the autism spectrum was told by Bullard Havens, after being admitted, that the school could not provide an appropriate program for the students needs. That came despite assurances from High Horizons staff that the student was on grade level.

And in a third case, a Waltersville 13-year-old with a attention deficit disorder was told after gaining admission to Bullard Havens that the students need for full-time program modifications precludes participation in the program.

This is a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, as well as state laws and regulations, Kathryn Meyer, an attorney with the Center for Childrens Advocacy said.

The center joined with Greater Hartford Legal Assistance to lodge the complaint with the U.S. Department of Educations Office of Civil Rights on August 24, 2016.

They want the office to review the cases of all students with disabilities who were denied admission for the current school year and determine if discrimination occurred.

State technical school officials, as well as representatives of the state Department of Education that oversees the system, could not be reached for comment on Thursday.

Meyer said the technical school system imposes additional criteria for students with disabilities, predetermines whether they will be accepted and illegally refuses to admit students if they need reasonable modifications and accommodations to the curriculum.

Students are routinely told during interviews that modification to the curriculum, pace of instruction, and scheduling will not be made, Meyer said.

A blanket refusal to consider these modification violates (the law), Meyer said.

In 2014-15, according to the state Department of Education website, 965 or 8.9 percent of students in the technical high school system had disabilities, compared to 13 percent statewide.
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HARTFORD  As the state battles an Oklahoma Indian tribe in court over the operation of its high-interest loan program, a second legal front has opened up over the alleged destruction of social media posts by the former top lawyer for the Department of Banking.

The legal wrangling opens a new area of law in the internet age, where regulators will have to determine when work-related social media posts become part of the public record.

During a 90-minute session Friday before a state Freedom of Information Commission hearing officer, lawyers for the tribal chairman and its two businesses charged that Bruce H. Adams  now chief legal counsel for Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman  used social media posts to make disparaging comments on the tribal claims, then destroyed the posts in an alleged cover-up when attempts were made to obtain them under state open-records law.

These are very serious allegations, said Jeffrey J. White, an attorney for the Otoe-Missouria Tribe of Red Rock, Okla.

He charged that the social media posts made by Adams via Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn  including attempts to gather public opposition to the tribes short-term, high-interest loan companies Clear Creek Lending and Great Plains Lending  were systematically destroyed.

Private accounts

The issue of whether the social media posts are public records, however, will be heard late next month, said Lisa F. Siegel, the FOIC hearing officer. She agreed that a team led by Assistant Attorney General Matthew Budzik needs more time to prepare to fight the charges that Adams, who briefly served as acting banking commissioner before transferring to Wymans office, inapprropriately destroyed posts.

White has requested civil penalties in the case, which, while against the Department of Banking, could expand to include Adams himself as an eventual target.

In our mind, the department really sidestepped their responsibility, White said, stressing that just because the remarks were made on Adams private social media accounts, the fact that they are departmental in nature makes them public documents that have to be retained under public-records laws.

Just imagine the public reaction if CT purposefully set up an Internet payday lender to violate tribal lending laws, Adams wrote on a Sept. 9, 2015, Facebook post that was saved before its deletion and is now part of the evidence in the case against the department.

We are concerned that what was requested was not produced, said White, representing Robert Morrin, an attorney for the Otoe-Missourias tribal chairman and its two lending firms. He said that within a few days of Morrins initial request for emails and social posts, Adams removed several of them from his social media presence.

Defining work-related

Budzik said there was no evidence that Adams posts were made with state devices. He said that the emerging area of law needs to be explored.

We obviously cannot produce documents that disappeared, Budzik said. Among the evidence presented by the tribal plaintiffs are screen grabs of social media posts that the Department of Banking failed to provide when presented with the Freedom of Information Act requests.

Daniel J. Klau, a Hartford-based attorney who is expert in First Amendment cases, said Friday that the case hinges on the Freedom of Information Commission deciding what constitutes a work-related post that is subject to public disclosure.

The question is, to what extent does the Freedom of Information Act apply to private social media accounts and whether you are conducting business using those forms of media? said Klau, who did not attend the hearing. When it relates to professional work, does that post become a public record?

I think theres a good argument that, yes, it is, Klau said. Just because you say something on a private account doesnt automatically take it out of the realm of a public record. I know there are retention requirements under the law and that if a public record is destroyed, it would be a problem under the law.

A Superior Court judge is expected to rule in early September on the nearly two-year-old battle between the Otoe-Missouria Tribe and the state over the high-interest loans that led to a $700,000 fine against the lenders.

While Connecticut limits such loans to 12 percent, Great Lakes Lending and Clear Creek Lending made the small, short-term loans at nearly 449 percent, resulting in consumer complaints from urban areas where most of the loans originate.
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Albany

While tensions are strained between communities and law enforcement across the nation, Albany police Chief Brendan Cox is aiming to build and strengthen community-police relations by moving recruit training in-house.

"From day one, our officers are going to understand community policing and they're going to understand our philosophy. There's no 'us versus them.' That can't be," Cox said. "We have to work together."

This couples with efforts from the city police department to improve relationships, most recently hosting pop-up cookouts throughout the city and connecting with community leaders for training purposes.

For years, the Albany department has sent recruits to the Zone 5 Police Academy in Schenectady, a regional training academy that serves 65 agencies. However, it doesn't allow for local forces to implement training specific to the community that new recruits soon will be serving.

"The training cannot be specific to the conditions that prevail for the jurisdictions," said Rob Worden, associate professor of criminal justice at University at Albany. He said the switch would allow Albany to tailor the training to the department's specific expectations and priorities. "They can better ensure officers are apprised of the expectations for work in Albany. It's one more step down the road to implementing community policing here."

Cox said Albany spends $16,500 annually for two six-month training academies at Zone 5, but it also sends instructors and counselors to the classes, which the cost doesn't reflect.

Zone 5 Director Rocco Fragomeni issued a statement to the Times Union expressing disappointment that Albany police have left, but recognized it's something officials have been talking about for some time.

"Our pool of excellent  and unpaid  instructors come from the 65 member agencies. We believe the various types of training Zone 5 offers is an excellent value for our member agencies and very cost effective," Fragonmeni said. "The vast majority of police agencies in the state use a regional academy instead of doing their own because it's much more financially viable to do so."

Cox said he expects Albany to save between $100,000 to $150,000 in overtime, human resources and straight-time costs with the training done in-house.

Deputy Chief Robert Sears said the department currently has five full-time officers assigned to training along with a sergeant and a lieutenant. Experts on specific topics also will be brought in, he said.

"It fits right into what they're trying to do," Sears said. "This will go to their core mission perfectly and it really doesn't draw upon the rest of the department too much."

The Syracuse Police Department has done academy training in-house for years, shifting to a focus on community policing, which Sgt. Rick Helterline said has improved communication and ensured good relations.

"We can't really do our jobs without the help from the community," he said. "We want them to know that because their eyes and ears are right out there."

Sparked by the tensions across the nation between communities and local law enforcement, a federal report from the President's Task Force on 21st Century Policing in May last year stressed the importance of community policing.

Albany has had its own share of conflict with the death of Donald "Dante" Ivy after an Albany police used a Taser to subdue him. More recently, an officer was charged on Aug. 17 after he allegedly grabbed and slammed a teenage girl to the ground during a police call at St. Anne Institute.

Cox said the training could help reduce these incidents by giving officers the tools to know how to interact with people with mental illness, to know who in the community may be able to help and to understand how people's experiences as children affect how they react to situations later on.

Community policing is not without its challenges.

"It's challenging internally to get everyone on board and well-prepared, but it's also challenging externally," Worden said, adding community members also must get on board. "They have a part to play, and it's not a part that many communities are accustomed to playing. It's a two-way street."

Troy Kennedy, a community activist and staff member at LaSalle School in Albany, said he's seen the changes the police department has been making, and he is working with the department when it comes to training on recognizing childhood trauma and its impact.

"To sum it up, they're definitely moving in the right direction. I like Chief Cox's leadership," he said. "There is room for improvement. There are roads that he needs to connect with. Get community people in there."

The need for the community connection is paramount to law enforcement doing their jobs, Cox said. As the in-house training moves forward  its first class is expected in October  he said police will bring community leaders into the training and will also have recruits interacting with residents.

Community members are "going to start having engagement with our officers from the moment they're hired," Cox said. "We are one community here, and we need to make sure we understand that from day one."

afries@timesunion.com  518-454-5353  @mandy_fries
ROXBURY  Police in Ohio say that a Connecticut man mistakenly threatened the Roxbury Elementary School in Solon, Ohio, when he meant to threaten schools in Connecticut.

According to Fox 8 in Cleveland, its believed that the man was looking for the phone number to schools in Connecticut, so he could direct threats their way, but called Roxbury Elementary School in Solon, Ohio, instead.

But, according to a letter sent to Region 12 families by Superintendent Patricia Cosentino, there was never any threat to schools in Region 12, including the Booth Free School, which is in Roxbury.

According to the Solon Police Department, it is believed that the individual, when looking for the phone number to the Roxbury Schools in Connecticut, mistakenly obtained the number for and called Roxbury Elementary in Solon. Consequently, there was at no time any real threat to students at Roxbury Elementary in Solon.

Region 12 Board of Education members, who met in Shepaug Valley High School Monday, said the reports  and the SPD press release  caused some concern in the community.

Superintendent Cosentino told board members Monday that she didnt hear anything about the threats until they were reported by the press, but she plans on finding out what happened

Cosentino did some more digging Tuesday, and discovered that the initial SPD press release was about a school in Stamford, Connecticut, said a letter the superintendent sent to Region 12 families. There were never any threats to schools in Roxbury, Connecticut.

I was informed that on August 18, 2016, a man from Stamford, CT made a threatening call to Roxbury School in Ohio. The police believe the call was intended for Roxbury School in Stamford, CT. At this time it is being investigated by the Stamford Police, the letter said. We were never in danger.

blytton@hearstmediact.com
Malta

A Mechanicville man was charged with raping a teenage girl, Saratoga County Sheriff's said.

Jared Brockbank, 25, of Knabner Road was arrested Aug. 22 after a girl under age 17 showed up to a hospital and claimed he assaulted her, deputies said. An investigation show Brockbank knew the teen and was engaged in a sexual relationship with her.

The investigation is continuing and more charges are likely.

Brockbank was arraigned in the Town of Malta Court and sent to Saratoga County jail on $5,000 bail.

 Wendy Liberatore
Red Cross volunteers head to Louisiana

Two Capital Region volunteers left Friday to drive an American Red Cross emergency response vehicle to Baton Rouge, La., to support ongoing disaster relief efforts following the devastating floods from nearly two weeks ago, the relief agency said.

More than 90 Red Cross response vehicles are fanning through flood-affected neighborhoods in Louisiana, while Red Cross workers are also responding to tornadoes in Indiana and Ohio, as well as numerous wildfires out west.

In addition, volunteers are on standby as the American Red Cross of Northeastern New York monitors weather and needs for emergency relief ahead of a tropical storm in South Carolina.

Tropical Storm Gaston was moving northwestward Friday in the Atlantic with no change in strength, the Associated Press reported.

The storm's maximum sustained winds early Friday were near 65 mph. The U.S. National Hurricane Center said strengthening is forecast during the next two days and Gaston could re-strengthen to a hurricane overnight or on Saturday.

 Staff report
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DANBURY  Gina Poulin got into almost every college she applied for during the past year, but Western Connecticut State University was the only institution to give her the acceptance letter in person.

We were really surprised when Gina was called down to the office one day at her high school to meet with a Western representative to tell her she got accepted, said the students mother, Carolyn Poulin, from Prospect. Everyone has been so welcoming. Its been a wonderful experience.

Its that personal approach, part of an increased customer-service effort, that Western officials credit for helping increase enrollment at the school this year. After five years of steadily declining enrollment, this year marks the first year-over-year increase.

Our admissions department really focused on a lot of face-to-face recruiting throughout the state and concentrated on improving our customer-service efforts, said Paul Steinmetz, director of community relations. We are making it very personal.

Enrollment at the university, he said, has fallen from a high of more than 6,500 students in 2010 to the 5,550 students enrolled as of Friday - a decline of more than 15 percent. But this years incoming class of 1,536 represents 15 percent increase over the 1,334 incoming students last year.

Strong enrollment is critical to a school like Western, Steinmetz noted, because nearly 65 percent of the schools funding comes from tuition. Recent enrollment declines have forced the school to use $2 million annually of its emergency reserves to balance its budget.

The demographic trends in Connecticut is that there are going to be fewer high school students in the state in the next 15 years, and we cant ignore that, Steinmetz said. Fortunately for us, Danbury High School is one of the few high schools in the state increasing enrollment and we are taking full advantage of that.

As part of the effort to increase enrollment, the states Board of Regents is looking at a proposal that would allow residents of adjoining New York state counties to pay in-state tuition. Steinmetz said it makes sense, given that Danbury is a border community.

Schools can usually draw a circle around the area they can draw from, but ours cuts off at the state line, he said.

Meanwhile, amid a gaggle of people carrying pillows, microwave ovens and mini-refrigerators, families moving students into school dorms Friday said they appreciated the renewed effort by Western to improve the moving-in experience.

The school was really supportive throughout the process, said Lisa Sparacino of Manorville, N.Y., whose son, Chris is attending the school this fall.

David Velez, an RA at Fairfield Hall and a senior pursing a justice and law degree, was helping with the move-in Friday. He said the process had gone more smoothly than in past years.

The staff is very experienced and every year we reflect on what weve learned from previous years to make changes, he said.

This year, for example, staffers walked new students to their dorm rooms and submitted requests for any needed maintenance.

Its helped to cut down on some of the confusion, Velez said. This is the biggest incoming class weve had in some time. The admissions department has really been doing a great job.

And while the changes may make the transition a little easier for students and their families, it still doesnt take away from the emotional roller-coaster of sending your child to college.

Im really going to miss Gina, said Carolyn Poulin. She is the youngest and the last one to leave the nest. For years shes been like my translator when it comes to computers and shopping.

Its nice that the school isnt to far away from home, added Gina, 17. But its nice that its not too close either.
Lifeguards know a little secret that saves lives. When a rip current is pulling you out to sea, stop fighting it and just swim parellel to beach. Soon, the current will shift and you'll reach the beach without exhausting yourself or drowning.

That's the lesson in the way drug maker Mylan NV CEO Heather Bresch has handled the outrage toward her company's pricing of the EpiPen, the quick dose of epinephrine used so frequently now by people to stop allergic reactions. Rather than swim against the current criticism, she is slowly, but purposefully, swimming along, hoping to change the narrative.

First, the background. Back in 2007, when Mylan acquired the rights to the EpiPen, a constant companion of parents with children with nut allergies or those who are allergic to bug bites, the cost was about $94, according to data from Elsevier Clinical Solutions. Nine years later, it's above $600.

Unsurprisingly, that thrust Mylan into the public rogue's gallery of "greedy" drug makers like Turing Pharmaceuticals and Valeant Pharmaceuticals who have been accused of jacking up drug prices, which keep important, life-saving treatments out of the hands of patients who need it. Profits over people, as the slogan goes.

The truth, as is often the case, is not that simple. Bresch, in an interview with CNBC, pointed out that the list price for a drug doesn't reflect what goes back to the manufacturer. As anyone who has ever sold a product knows, the end price needs to take distribution and other factors into consideration. In the case of a drug, there are additional layers that touch the product and add cost: wholesalers, distrubutors. pharmacy-benefit companies, retail pharmacies, etc. EpiPens, and Bresch says, the $608 price tag brings in $274 to Mylan. The rest goes to all the middlemen, she says.

In fact, rather than wanting to raise prices, Bresch says she wishes she could lower the cost, but she can't without risking the profits needed to keep EpiPens on the market. "No one's more frustrated than me," she told CNBC. "Everybody should be frustrated."

Related: Out For Blood: Theranos Orchestrates Bold PR Coup in the Face of Damning Allegations

So, rather than fight the mob, Mylan's crisis response has been to pick up its own torch and pitchfork and join it. That's smart, since it is difficult to fight the popular opinion that all companies -- and drugmakers in particular -- are more about profitability than patient outcomes. It isn't surprising that most of the loudest criticism has come from the Democratic side of the aisle in Congress and from Hillary Clinton on the campaign trail. (EpiPen spokeswoman Sarah Jessica Parker has also distanced herself, but I'm not sure whether that is a plus or minus, or even matters at all.) To most of these critics, capitalism has replaced Freemasons and Jesuits as the convenient villains behind every problem or conspiracy.

Mylan's spin to populism can't last unless it pivots effectively to target more villains. Pointing out the hypocricy of government at large, and Congressional critics in particular, has to be part of any plausible crisis response. Obamacare plans have higher deductibles and lower drug benefits. Those plans have played a role in our understanding of -- and sting from -- drug prices.

Related: Why Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes Should Be Banned

Recall that pharmaceutical companies chose not to fight Obamacare in 2009 under a deal where it could have more latitude with prices. While Obamacare in theory provided coverage to millions of people who couldn't get insurance under the old system, it also made the out-of-pocket costs higher. People with private insurance (otherwise known as those folks who liked their doctors and were actually allowed to keep them) are paying the copays they've always paid for EpiPens. Many people with private insurance don't even blink about the actual price of drugs unless they aren't covered. Taking the fight to one of the causes -- the lawmakers who are heaping criticism on the company right now -- might seem risky, but, in a political season where no one trusts politicians, it helps Mylan and Bresch reshape the narrative. (Bresch, incidentally, is the daughter of one of these potential targets, West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin.)

Riskier still, but just as necessary, is to point out how Mylan is in this position because the regulatory structure for drug pricing gives the company an unfair competitve advantage and keeps prices high. Nothing brings prices down like free-market competition, but the Food & Drug Administration has blocked or slowed most competitors to the EpiPen. I'm sure Mylan is quite happy to have the competition, but prices are a function of markets, and monopolies have a way of screwing consumers. Mylan should message to the world that it wants free-market, entrepreneurial competition to help battle the structural inefficiencies in the market and regulatory structure to bring down prices for consumers.

Related: 3 Takeaways From the Demise of Theranos Founder Elizabeth Holmes

Mylan and Bresch no doubt will continue to have some explaining to do, but Bresch's initial response -- a straightforward interview on a major business channel that acknowledged and supported the heart of the very criticism it faced -- is the best way to shift the narrative from the easy meme of greedy capitalist to advocate for real structural change. Changing the narrative is the first step to any effective crisis response, and there are enough bad guys to go around when it comes to the costs in our health care system. Bresch should double down on that approach and start leading the national conversation more, rather than drowning in politcally charged criticism. That would be the best prescription for Mylan, its shareholders, its patients and the American capitalist economy.

Related:

Amid EpiPen Furor, a CEO Shows How Not to Swim Against the Tide

Swimming Through Crisis: The Stats Behind Lochte's Apology

Scared for Your Reputation? The Crime Is Seldom as Serious as the Cover Up.



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'New York Now' looks at Mario Cuomo

This week's episode of "New York Now," the award-winning co-production of WMHT and the Times Union, features Matt Ryan's look back at the 1982 gubernatorial race that brought Mario Cuomo to statewide power  with his young campaign manager and son by his side.

The program features interviews with primary witnesses to the Democratic primary between Cuomo and then-New York City Mayor Ed Koch and material from the upcoming feature-length documentary "Gov. Mario Cuomo: Poetry and Prose."

"New York Now" airs on WMHT Ch. 17 at 7:30 p.m. Friday and 11:30 p.m. Sunday.

Governor opens State Fair, touts upgrades

SYRACUSE  The New York State Fair has opened its 12-day run, with Gov. Andrew Cuomo on hand to tout $50 million in upgrades.

The makeover includes a new main gate, a larger midway and a new camping area for RVs.

 Associated Press

Judge grants Silver bail pending appeal

A federal judge has granted former Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver bail pending an appeal of his corruption conviction, according to reports late Thursday afternoon.

The ruling marks the second victory for a former top-level New York politician convicted of corruption in the post-Bob McDonnell decision legal world.

Reuters reported that Judge Valerie Caproni ruled that Silver raised a "substantial question" as to whether she instructed the jury properly in light of the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to overturn former Virginia Gov. McDonnell's corruption conviction.

That decision came down months after Silver's conviction at the end of November.

Newsday reported that Silver still must begin making monthly payments on the hefty fine leveled against him at sentencing earlier this year.

Caproni earlier on Thursday had ruled that Silver, who was convicted on corruption charges last year, would not have to report to prison until at least Oct. 27 if she denied his motion seeking bail pending appeal and he then appealed that decision to a higher court.

The Thursday afternoon ruling comes nearly nine months after Silver's conviction and more than a year and a half after he was first charged with corruption-related offenses and forced to step down.

Silver was sentenced to 12 years in prison in May. He must pay roughly $7 million in fines and forfeitures.

- Matthew Hamilton
Illustration: Liu Rui/GT

Last weekend in Paris, thousands of members of the Chinese community in France, supported by other French citizens, demonstrated against the murder of Chinese dress designer Zhang Chaoling. Zhang's death followed a savage beating in a robbery in the French town of Aubervilliers on Paris's outskirts. The murder and demonstration naturally attracted great attention in China.

Slogans on the Paris demonstration included "The Chinese community is dying in silence" on T-shirts splashed with red to indicate bloodstains. The demonstration demanded "Safety for All." Many other members of the Chinese community in Paris reported attacks. The media stated 105 of the 666 robberies in Aubervilliers this year were of Chinese people.

The mayor of Aubervilliers, Meriem Derkaoui, participated in the demonstration, demanding police reinforcements be deployed.

This is not the first time that the Chinese community in France had to demonstrate against attacks. In 2010 and 2011, thousands of members of the Chinese community marched in the Paris district of Belleville to protest against escalating attacks on them. What is therefore taking place and what conclusions can be drawn?

First, it is necessary to be clear these attacks were not a rise of sentiment in France specifically aimed against Chinese people. Racist violence, both criminal and political, is rising in Europe. The chief target depends on the country. In Britain the main ongoing targets are Muslims and Jews, but following the Brexit referendum Poles were attacked. In Germany, the main target is Muslims. In Italy, racism is strongly directly against Roma people.

However, in no European country has the main national xenophobic target been the Chinese. The concentration of attacks on Chinese people in Aubervilliers was due to the specific local situation of a several thousand strong Chinese community in the area. This, however, does not lessen the threat such attacks constitute to the Chinese or any other community.

The underlying cause of the increasing racism is prolonged economic stagnation in Europe and the Western economies in general. In the last eight years, EU's GDP grew an average of only 0.4 percent a year, accompanied by cuts in social expenditure and high unemployment. In France, unemployment among young people is 25 percent. The accompaniment of this by a serious undermining of the West European welfare states feeds racism, xenophobia and crime.

This trend caught some in China by surprise due to failure to accurately understand the social dynamics in Western countries. Many in China thought the European welfare state was undesirable because it was a "soft option." But the European welfare state was a rational choice bringing real measurable advantages to its population.

European life expectancy is strikingly higher than the US. Life expectancy is the best indicator of overall social conditions. Although the US has a higher per capita GDP than Europe, life expectancy in all major European countries is significantly higher than the US. US life expectancy is 79 compared to 81 in Germany, 82 in Italy and France, and 83 in Spain. Europe had much lower violent crime. The US murder rate per head of the population is three times as high as France, over four times as high as Germany, and almost five times as high as Italy.

The undermining of the relative safety of the welfare state strengthens racist and xenophobic European parties, such as Marine Le Pen's Front National in France, while encouraging indiscriminate violent racist attacks. The Chinese community in France is not the main target of racism and xenophobia, but cannot escape its consequences.

Chinese communities in a number of European countries such as France have usually not been active in protest movements against racism in general. This partially reflects the fact that the Chinese communities were more prosperous than some other ethnic communities and had a tradition of owning restaurants and shops. But racists and xenophobes, who invariably intermingle with criminals, are not interested in whether communities are politically passive but merely in whether they are recognizable.

Chinese communities in Europe are a relatively small proportion of the population. It will be increasingly important to coordinate activity with other forces fighting against European racists and xenophobes.

I contacted the Deputy Mayor of Aubervilliers Fethi Chouder when writing this article. His message was simple: "Chinese people are very important in our city ... Economically, socially and culturally! They have the right to be protected and to live in peace, like other ones!"

The author is a senior fellow at the Chongyang Institute for Financial Studies, Renmin University of China. [email protected]
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NORWALK  In the 26 years that Skip Dailey has owned his boat, he has always dreamed of taking an extended excursion beyond his mooring in Norwalk.

On July 9, that dream came true as Dailey, a native of Darien, took a leave of absence from his job as a computer systems analyst in the maritime industry and set off on a nearly 1,100-mile trip on his 47-foot boat, The Idler.

This boat, a Kenner Swanee, is made in Arkansas and is designed for inland waterways, so this is a trip that Ive always wanted to make, Dailey said. I headed over to Larchmont, then Hells Gate and then the Battery over to the Hudson, up to Buffalo, then to Lake Erie, then back.

The boat, with its fiberglass hull and wood accents, travels up to 10 knots, and has many of the comforts of home.

Theres a pilot berth in the center, a berth forward and a galley, he said. Theres air conditioning when Im docked. I will say though, I didnt bring a lot of provisions. I had most of my meals along the way.

Part of the trip was a family excursion, with up to six passengers, and much of the trip was solo. He visited friends in Syracuse and Buffalo and enjoyed the sights along the way. Those sights included New York City, West Point, and Cuyahoga Lake.

It was nice to have time to myself, but it was good all the way around, Dailey said. I wound up seeing friends I hadnt seen in a long time.

He said that seas were reasonably calm and weather was favorable with the exception of some rough weather at his back during his return.

I havent calculated how much fuel Ive used yet, Dailey said.

Dailey returned to Norwalk on Wednesday and said he would take a trip like this again in a minute.

Im not sure where Id like to go next, it all depends on my getting another long leave of absence from work, he said.

llake@hearstmediact.com
As a bill named in memory of his 6-year-old son heads to Gov. Jerry Brown, Tim Sears looks at his familys foray into Sacramento politics with mixed emotions.

Im both happy and proud of the amount of progress weve made, and I think this bill will really help, said Sears, whose son Caleb died last year after surgery to remove a tooth. But at the same time  how many more kids have to die before we change the practice?

Sears, who lives in Albany, and his family believe that Caleb died from anesthesia administered during dental surgery, and they have been advocating all year for a bill to address the issue. Theyre fueled by a desire to prevent other families from experiencing their pain. Yet as theyve gone through the lengthy process of crafting and negotiating legislation, the Bay Area family has confronted a surprisingly powerful interest group: dentists.

Groups representing dentists and oral surgeons spend huge sums on lobbying in Sacramento and donating to lawmakers. They successfully blocked many changes the Sears family hoped to make, arguing that they were the wrong way to respond to a rare tragedy. The family initially wanted a law that would require two anesthesia providers during oral surgery  one to operate and another who specializes in anesthesia.

Dental lobbyists resisted, saying that could prevent some patients from getting care.

The family scaled back its ambitions and negotiated many versions of the bill before it was sent to the governor this week with the support of the dental lobby. The final version doesnt go as far as the Sears family had hoped, but it improves data collection, gives parents more information before their children undergo dental surgery, and lays the groundwork for more substantial changes in the future.

Stay tuned, said its author, Assemblyman Tony Thurmond, D-Richmond. We are going to keep pushing.

His Assembly Bill 2235 has three main components. It gets at the states spotty collection of data about dental deaths by requiring dentists to complete a new form when a patient dies. It requires a study, now under way, to assess how Californias dental anesthesia regulations stack up to those in other states. And it requires that parents whose children are undergoing dental surgery be notified that anesthesia is administered in different ways in different settings.

Oral surgeons are the only medical professionals allowed to both administer anesthesia and perform surgery. Those duties are separated in hospitals, where an anesthesia provider monitors a patients response to sedation while the surgeon operates. The Sears family believes that the oral surgery model  with a single practitioner performing two complicated medical tasks  was a key factor in Calebs death. This is not the first time state regulators have been alerted to concerns about dental anesthesia.

In 2012, Southern California dentist Michael Mashni wrote state officials several letters requesting information about deaths from dental anesthesia so we can prevent them in the future. His requests were denied.

In 2003, a panel recommended that the Dental Board of California create a committee to review deaths and injuries from anesthesia and make safety recommendations. Although the board confirmed it could find no record that such a committee was ever formed, spokeswoman Joyia Emard said it takes the issue seriously and has monitored dental anesthesia and sedation in other ways over the years.

There is no more time to waste, Anna Kaplan, a doctor who is Calebs aunt, told the dental board this month.

Another doctor, representing the California branch of the American Academy of Pediatrics, asked the board to put a moratorium on the practice of allowing oral surgeons to also administer anesthesia. But the California Dental Association said dental anesthesia deaths, while rare, happen in a variety of settings, including incidents with a separate anesthesiologist present, said a statement from spokeswoman Alicia Malaby.

Oral surgeons argue that there is no evidence of a widespread problem.

We estimate that the risk of a pediatric death in (an oral surgeons) office is less than 1 in a million, Leonard Tyko, president of the Oral and Facial Surgeons of California, said in a recent presentation to the dental board. Wholesale changes to our  model are not supported by any data and are therefore unwarranted.

But the states data on the issue is incomplete  a fact state regulators acknowledged in a recent draft report to the dental board. Records showed that between 2010 and 2015, nine children died and 45 were hospitalized as a result of dental care in California. But the report says the boards staff could not review other cases because files were not able to be located, or were purged pursuant to the boards records retention schedule.

Nor does the report include a 3-year-old child who died in July after dental surgery in San Ramon. An investigation of that death is under way.

CALmatters is a nonprofit journalism venture dedicated to exploring state policy and politics. For more stories by Laurel Rosenhall, go to www.calmatters.org/newsanalysis.
Another high-level round of talks between leading Chinese and Japanese officials has taken place this week.

This time, Chinese Premier Li Keqiang has met with the head of Japan's National Security Council.

In meeting with Shotaro Yachi, Li Keqiang says while ties between China and Japan remain fragile, there is momentum toward improvement.

Yachi has also met with Chinese State Councillor Yang Jiechi as part of his trip to Beijing, with Yang stressing the need for Japan to play a "constructive role" at the forthcoming G20 Summit in Hangzhou.

The head of Japan's National Security Council has told the Chinese side that Prime Minister Shinzo Abe is willing to work with China toward putting on a successful summit Hangzhou.
Washington

Donald Trump defeated 16 rivals in the Republican primaries by being the most anti-immigrant of them all, promising to build a giant wall on the border and deport millions. He labeled opponents like Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio as weak and amnesty-loving, and his extreme rhetoric pushed the entire immigration debate to the right.

But suddenly, Trump is sounding like some of the people he defeated. In an appearance on Fox News Channel's "Hannity" show Wednesday, Trump discussed how tough it is to break up families for deportation, suggesting that maybe upstanding people who've been in this country for years should be allowed to stay if they pay back taxes and insisting, just as Bush and Rubio were repeatedly forced to do, that such actions would not amount to "amnesty."

"Everywhere I go I get the same reaction. They want toughness. They want firmness. They want to obey the law," Trump said. "But they feel that throwing them out as a whole family when they've been here for a long time, it's a tough thing."

Trump's exact meaning was murky. And it was unclear if he was unveiling a new stance or simply trying out new rhetoric to appeal to a general election audience as he lags Democrat Hillary Clinton in polls 11 weeks before the election. His new campaign manager, Kellyanne Conway, insisted on CNN Thursday that "nothing has changed in terms of the policies."

And Trump seemed to backtrack yet again less than 24 hours later, saying on CNN's "Anderson Cooper 360" Thursday evening that he would not grant any legal status to immigrants here illegally unless they leave the United States first, something that would be burdensome and impractical when applied to millions of people. "There is no path to legalization unless they leave the country and come back," he said.

Still, Trump's new language seemed to reveal an awareness that his unyielding stance against immigrants is unlikely to get him to the White House, with Latinos voting in growing numbers in key states.

"He's learned painfully, belatedly, that what stirs up a large part of the Republican primary electorate is not what wins general elections," said John Rowe, a GOP donor and former CEO of Exelon, who's planning to vote for libertarian Gary Johnson. "You cannot win without women, Asians, Latinos, African-Americans."

In an interview Thursday on ABC, Bush called Trump's positioning "abhorrent," saying: "I can only say that whatever his views are this morning, they might change this afternoon, and they were different than they were last night, and they'll be different tomorrow."

Clinton, speaking on CNN, dismissed Trump's shifting language as "a desperate effort to try to land somewhere that isn't as devastating to his campaign as his comments and his positions have been up until now."

There were signs that Trump risked angering hard-core supporters who helped him win the nomination. Conservative commentator Ann Coulter, who published a book called "In Trump We Trust," reacted with angry tweets to Trump's comments on Fox, including remarking sardonically "Well, if it's 'hard,' then never mind."

GOP Rep. Steve King of Iowa, a leading immigration hardliner, said that "I have some concerns at this point" over Trump's stances.

The upside for Trump was not immediately apparent. Immigrant advocates argued he would gain no ground with Hispanics by giving lip-service to limited pro-immigrant measures while still insisting on the need for a border wall. Advocates speculated that Trump's goal was to woo independent voters who might support him but are turned off by his harsher stances.

"Look, when you launch your campaign saying Mexican immigrants are rapists, drug dealers and murderers, I don't know there's a lot you can say to recover," said Democratic Rep. Luis Gutierrez of Illinois.

After beginning his campaign asserting that Mexican immigrants "are rapists," Trump built an image as the one candidate who would expel immigrants in the country illegally, pledging a "deportation force" to send all 11 million home.
Chinese Premier Li Keqiang(R) meets with visiting secretariat head of Japan's National Security Council Shotaro Yachi in Beijing, capital of China, Aug. 25, 2016. (Xinhua/Zhang Duo)

BEIJING, Aug. 25 -- Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Thursday urged China and Japan to make joint efforts to push bilateral relations back to a normal track.

Li told visiting secretariat head of Japan's National Security Council Shotaro Yachi that the two countries should accumulate positive factors and reduce negative elements in bilateral ties.

Both sides should adhere to the four political documents reached by the two countries in 1972, 1978, 1998 and 2008, said the premier.

The China-Japan relationship is still very fragile although there is a momentum of improvement, according to Li.

In the meeting, Yachi read Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's letter to Li. Abe said that Japan is ready to work with China to forge a stable relationship that can benefit both sides.

Japan expects a successful G20 summit and is willing to enhance cooperation with China in this regard, Abe said in the letter. Abe will attend the summit to be held on Sept. 4-5 in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Li called on both sides to properly deal with new and old issues between the two countries, steadily push forward exchanges and cooperation, and maintain the positive momentum of bilateral ties.

He hoped Japan will really adopt a correct understanding of China and fulfil the commitment to taking China's development as its opportunity.

The two countries should also jointly safeguard peace and stability in surrounding sea areas, according to Li.

Japan wants to strengthen high-level contact and communication with China, Yachi said, adding the country is also willing to work with China to control their differences in the East China Sea.

Earlier in the day, Yachi and Chinese State Councilor Yang Jiechi co-chaired the third China-Japan high-level political dialogue.

Yang called on Japan to "play a constructive role" in the G20 Hangzhou summit.

As the world's second and third largest economies, cooperation to ensure the success of the summit is in the interests of all parties, said Yang.

The improvement of China-Japan ties has been continuously disturbed by various problems, especially the issues related to East China Sea and South China Sea, which is in the interests of neither side, he said.

Yang hoped the two sides could continue to abide by the principles defined in the four political documents and the four-point principled agreement reached between the two sides.

The four-point principled agreement was reached by Yang and Yachi on the sidelines of the APECmeeting in November 2014 in Beijing.

Japan attaches great importance to the significance of the four political documents and the four-point principled agreement, Yachi said.
This year will be remembered for some positive reasons in the history of Chinas landmark accomplishments including her impressive performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics that ended last week. That was one of the boldest and influential ways the country could interact with the world on a much lighter note, outside the tricky terrains of international diplomacy and economic tussles.

Earlier in the year and in reference to China and the Caribbean relationship, President Xi Jinping had dubbed 2016 the China-Latin America and the Caribbean Year of Cultural Exchange with the goal of promoting greater understanding among the people of China, the Caribbean and Latin America. To implement this intention, Beijing recently hosted the Latin America and Caribbean Music, Film and Art Exhibition Series organized in collaboration with the Ministry of Culture and the Embassies of the Bahamas, Jamaica, Grenada, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, Guyana and Suriname.

This year also bears witness to Chinas presidency of the G20 Heads of State Summit slated to take place between September 4 and 5 in the countrys eastern province of Zhejiangs capital city, Hangzhou.

Recent media reports highlight that China is dedicated to bolstering economic growth through its steadfast commitment to multilateralism. In keeping with this mandate, China has not only been working closely with the Global North, but has become a reliable development partner for many countries of the Global South.

Chinas concerted implementation of the economic and industrialization plan of Africa by President Xis pledged $60 billion special fund during the 2015 Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), further attests to his countrys commitment to partnering with the developing world. And concerning the G20 Summit, China had revealed at the 100 days countdown to the meeting that she would convince the body of the worlds 20 largest economies to have as its target the development of about 123 poor countries. According to Foreign Minister, Wang Yi, at a media event in Beijing, there would be no peace in the world until poverty in those countries is defeated.

Leading up to the Summit in September, several Ministerial meetings have held involving the G20 Ministers of Tourism, Energy, Agriculture, Trade and Finance. In May, China and the World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) hosted the First World Conference on Tourism for Development with the overarching goal of reviewing the role of the industry in achieving the much discussed Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This inaugural conference coincided with Chinas National Tourism Day and the G20 Tourism Ministers Meeting themed Sustainable Tourism  An Effective Tool for Inclusive Development.

In his address, Secretary-General of the UNWTO, Taleb Rifai remarked that the tourism industry is not only the fastest growing but one of the most relevant socio-economic sectors of our times. Accounting for 10% of the worlds GDP, 6% of global trade and one in 11 jobs  Tourism fosters economic growth, promotes inclusive development and encourages environmental preservation. Moreover, tourism can help us build a more tolerant and peaceful society through the millions of encounters that take place every day around the world.

By 2030, the UNWTO expects the movement of approximately 1.8 billion tourists. During last years series of G20 meetings, Rifai acknowledged that tourism is particularly critical for developing countries as this industry serves as one of the main sources of wealth generation. Forty-nine Less Developed Countries (LDCs) collectively earned $18biillon from international tourism in 2013 alone.

In recent years, Chinese investors have become more aware of the market potential in the Caribbean Basin. Companies like China Harbour Engineering Company, Jiuquan Iron and Steel Group Company Ltd. (JISCO) and SINOPEC are among some of the top investors in the Caribbean. What the region needs now, are airline companies that are willing to invest in direct routes from major cities in China to key Caribbean capitals like Kingston, Nassau, Havana, St. Georges, Bridgetown, Port of Spain, Georgetown and Paramaribo.

Several Caribbean governments recognize the importance of the tourism sector for many of our islands. As such Chinese nationals can travel to Jamaica, the Bahamas and Grenada without a visa for the first 30 days. These governments have indicated their willingness to work with Chinese investors and the relevant industry leaders to make the Caribbean a destination of choice.

In Jamaica for instance, its always the latest delight to dine at Usain Bolts Restaurant called Tracks and Records or plan a visit to the Bob Marley Museumthe birthplace of Reggae. Then visitors may hop over to the Bahamas magical kingdom of Atlantis; go scuba diving or swim with the dolphins in the pristine aqua marine waters that are particularly characteristic of the Bahamas.

As Don Cornish, Tourism Director at the Embassy of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas notes, the Caribbean is very keen on engaging Chinas market.

The Chinese visitor, invariably, is one of the highest spenders in the world, they are the kind of customers we want to have, because they reserve money for gifts for family and friends while identifying luxury goods that are available in a destination. These may be tax or duty free and could be a bargain basement in the country they visit. As such they will accumulate those goods in much greater quantities and at a greater cost than the American or the North American visitor.

As the G20 summit edges closer we implore decision makers to place the tourism sector higher on the agenda and that China as an old ally, will think to include the Caribbean in its effort to support the concerns of poorer countries. Exploring sustainable tourism is in the best interest of both developed and developing countries. We can only hope that China will take an active role in voicing these concerns and leading the charge on behalf of its smaller, but no less important developing partners.

Cann is Jamaican and a PhD scholar of the Chinese government scholarship program at Communication University of China, Beijing ([email protected])
Visitors to San Antonio's Spanish missions can now say they are visiting two National Park Service sites at once.

The San Antonio Missions National Historical Park, along with former senator Kay Bailey Hutchison and Judge Nelson Wolff, unveiled signs this week that designate the missions as part of El Camino Real de los Tejas National Historical Trail, according to the park's Facebook page.
Former President Bill Clinton was in Monte Vista Thursday evening for a fund-raising event for the Democratic presidential campaign of his wife, Hillary Clinton.

The former president waved at the media as he entered the home of businessman Henry R. Munoz III, the national finance committee chair for the Democratic National Committee.
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Though school is back in session, August and September in Texas still features perfect weather for Gulf Coast getaways, but beware, as one little creature could turn your beach outing into a literal pain.

Padre Island National Seashore recently posted to their Facebook page photos of jellies that visitors to the island can expect to find.

RELATED: Canadian teen catches 'legendary' pink-nosed, 10-foot sturgeon

Touting that the "mystery of the clear orbs" has been solved, the group explained that the small, clear balls of jelly that have been seen along the shore are juvenile comb jellies.

They said the jellies are harmless to humans and do not sting. But they added an ominous warning along with their post.

You see comb jellies are a prime food source for another kind of jelly, the sea nettle.

The sea nettle is a danger to humans and cause very painful stings that can last up to an hour, and sometimes longer, the post reported. Sea nettles are clear with brown strips and have a more traditional jelly fish shape.

The group says no sea nettles have been spotted yet over the past week, but that they are probably on their way in search of food.

Padre Island National Seashore runs a first aid station in the Malaquite Visitor Center where visitors can get treatment for jelly fish stings. The center is open from 9 a.m.-5 p.m., daily.
The second suspect accused in a fatal shooting in early August was arrested Thursday afternoon just east of downtown.

Juan Mendez, 22, faces a charge of murder in the shooting death of Brandon Pizana, 29, who was found dead inside an apartment Aug. 2 in the 200 block of Montrose Lane, according to the San Antonio Police Department.
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SAN ANTONIO  The chairman of the University of the Incarnate Words governing board announced Friday that controversial statements by longtime President Louis Agnese Jr. cannot be condoned, and the board will discuss the matter next week while Agnese is on 90-day medical leave.

Since becoming president in 1985, Dr. Agneses tireless work with the Sisters of Charity of the Incarnate Word, the board of trustees, the entire campus community, alumni and philanthropists has transformed the university in size, scope, endowment and academic standing, board chairman Charles Lutz said in a written statement released Friday.

MORE: Leaked letter accuses UIW President Louis Agnese of making offensive comments at school event

Today, UIW is one of the pre-eminent Catholic universities in the United States, and Dr. Agneses innovative leadership has been vital in that achievement. His contributions have been immeasurable, Lutz wrote.

However, recent comments by Dr. Agnese are not consistent with the traditions and values of the university and cannot be condoned, he added.

Its unclear which comments Lutz is referring to, but the announcement comes after an anonymous letter was sent to school officials complaining that Agnese made inappropriate comments at an Aug. 15 campus function. Days later on Aug. 18, the board placed Agnese on 90-day medical leave against his wishes for sporadic uncharacteristic behavior and comments, and Lutz apologized to anyone who was offended.

That same day, Agnese threatened to sue the pants off Lutz if he didnt retract his statement. Agnese told the San Antonio Express-News there wasnt anything medically wrong with him.

MORE: UIW puts president on 90-day medical leave after 'uncharacteristic' behavior, issues apology

The anonymous complaint from very concerned students said Agnese spoke to a group of physical-therapy students, faculty members and administrators at an Aug. 15 luncheon where he launched into a series of inappropriate, off-color jokes.

Agnese singled out an African American student who wasnt wearing the school colors of Cardinal red. Well, youre lucky youre black so you are in a way wearing Cardinal black, he reportedly told her.

RELATED: UIW president Agnese backs off legal threat against school

Agnese went on to ask if there were any Native American students in the group, according to the complaint, and he said their Indian-red skin color would also count as wearing Cardinal red.

Agnese also reportedly quipped how Mormons were taking over the computer graphics and design school. And when he asked another student where he was from and the student answered Dallas, Agnese was quoted as saying, No, where is your family originally from? Youre Indian, right?

According to the complaint, Agnese made another student stand up, said she wasnt good enough to get into any other program because of her poor test scores, and noted how lucky she was to be accepted to UIW.

RELATED: Highest paid college presidents in the country

Agnese told the Express-News he made the comments but denied they were offensive. Regarding the student with poor test scores, Agnese said he had also praised her for overcoming her challenges and excelling at UIW.

Now she has the highest test score of anybody in the program, Agnese said.

Agnese said he suspects a faculty member, not a student, is behind the complaint. Members of UIWs Faculty Senate, a group of 32 professors who act as a liaison with the school administration, voted unanimously this week to support the three-month medical leave for Agnese, saying the safety of the university community must be considered during this uncertain time.

jtedesco@express-news.net
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At what age can children be trusted to be left alone at home? That answer varies by state (and by the child), but a Maryland mom found out that in the state of Delaware, ages 8 and 9 is not old enough.

Susan Terrillion, 55, was arrested last week for the grievous crime of leaving her 8- and 9-year-old kids alone at their vacation rental in Rehoboth Beach, Del., while she went out to pick up food, according to a report by the News Journal.

Police were called to the rental by a neighbor, who reported that the kids were home alone. The neighbor saw the kids when their dogs ran into the road in front of his car. This (extremely) helpful neighbor helped wrangle the dogs when he learned the kids were alone.

Then he called the local police.

When Terrillion returned 45 minutes later she was arrested and charged with two misdemeanor counts of endangering the welfare of her children, police stated. The children and the dogs were not injured.

Terrillion was released on $500 unsecured bail and no further details were released on the case.

The comments section of the story was flooded with outrage ... over the mother's arrest. Plenty of people on Facebook chimed in with stories of being latchkey kids at that age to "When I was 7, I rode public transportation to school and walked home."

Others not-so-kindly told the "Good Samaritan" to mind their own business.

As parenting website Scary Mommy points out, there is no federal law that governs over what age children can legally be left at home alone. States determine that age on their own and the standards vary wildly from either no age limit to 14 years old being the age of choice.

For the state of Delaware, there is no minimum age restriction, but the state's website does say it will investigate reports of children 12 and under who are left alone.

If this case is as straightforward as it sounds, what's the lesson learned here? We're not sure either, but maybe next time, bring the kids along for the ride to pick up food.

Or, order delivery if you have nosy neighbors. Just a thought.
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AUSTIN -- Travis County Republican Chairman Robert Morrow, an outspoken and controversial conspiracy theorist who showed up at a Donald Trump rally in a jester's suit to underscore his opposition to the New York tycoon, got the boot Thursday.

In a statement, state Republican Chairman Tom Mechler of Amarillo said Morrow, 52, became ineligible after he filed to become a write-in candidate for president.

"In accordance with state law, upon filing as a write-in candidate for President of the United States on August 19th, 2016, Robert Morrow became ineligible to hold the office of Travis County Republican Chair," Mechler said in a statement.

" There is absolutely no place for rhetoric as distasteful as Mr. Morrow's in the Republican Party of Texas. We are excited to move forward with the Travis County GOP and the new incoming Chair as soon as an election is held to fill the position."

Morrow could not immediately be reached for comment. But in a statement to reporters, he said he did not believe the party had the authority to remove him.

Party officials said they expected that county executive vice chairman David Duncan would replace Morrow on Friday, with the title of acting chairman.

Travis County Republican leaders had been looking for a way to oust Morrow since he was elected in the March 1 primary, in a victory that shocked party leaders. He unseated James Dickey in a little-watched down-ballot race, and quickly made international headlines for his vulgar, pornographic and profane social media history and accusations about elected officials ranging from Bill and HIllary Clinton to former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

At Trump rallies in Austin on Tuesday, Morrow showed up in a jester suit carrying a sign accusing Trump of being a child rapist. An the Travis County Exposition Center where Trump was to speak, Morrow was escorted away by police before Trump arrived.
A Chinese fleet participates in the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) multinational naval exercises with U.S. warships in west Pacific Ocean, June 20, 2016. [Photo: Xinhua]

A series of joint military exercises among Chinese, Russian, U.S. and Australian troops is getting underway.

Spokesperosn Wu Qian says Chinese ground forces are teaming up with US and Australian troops for training sessions in Australia's rugged northern regions.

"Based on our agreement with the U.S. and Australian defense departments, China, the US and Australia are holding the joint 'Exercise Kowari 2016' that includes field survival training in Darwin, Australia from Aug. 24 to Sept. 11."

On top of this, the Chinese Defense Ministry says Chinese and Australian ground forces will also conduct their own, separate exercies - dubbed "Panda-Kangaroo 2016" from September 14th to the 23rd.

Those exercies, which will take place near Sydney, Australia, will include canoeing and downhill climbing drills.

The Chinese side says both sessions in Australia will be a good opportunity for Chinese ground forces to interact with their counterparts from Australia and the United States, and will also improve their overall training.

Meanwhile, the Defense Ministry's Wu Qian says preparation work is also underway for a planned joint naval exercise with Russia.

"China and Russia have held their third round of negotiation over the 'Joint Sea 2016' maritime exercise in Zhanjiang City from Aug. 16 to 21, exchanging views on the exercise plan and arrangements for communication and logistic supports. They have reached wide consensus and have also inspected the relevant sites and facilities to be involved in the exercises. "

An exact date as to when the joint naval exercises with the Russian navy have not been laid out.
I was a newspaper boy at 11 years old, selling my local newspaper. When I was 15, I sold all the available New York papers  eight  in front of the Yonkers railroad station. In between train stops, I would read the OP-ED page from each newspaper. Many of these papers gave both views on a pressing political issue side by side. I received a very good education on politics that help form my political beliefs that I held throughout my life.

The one major thing that I learned was, never become a Democrat.

Today, we dont have a Free Press, as envisioned by our Founding Fathers. For decades, the mass media has been in the pocket of the Democrats and Democrat presidents, especially President Obama. The press has been also covering up, big time for Crooked Hillary and President Obama on their lies to the American people. It has become so obvious, but Americans are fast asleep or too lazy to think for themselves.

The Norwalk Hour under the old owners were too liberal and one-sided, but at least they published most of my letters.

With the new owners, I see mostly ultra left OP-ED articles and trashing Mr. Trump. In a recent article by Dan Roberti, he accused Mr. Trump of being a racist. This coming from a Clinton operative of zero credibility. He and his fellow Democrats have been practicing racism for decades. Its like the pot calling the frying pan black.

Anyone who would vote for Crooked Hillary has no morals at all. Since Travel Gate, Bimbo Gate and many other gates, including Bengazi, e-mail scandal and the Clinton Foundation money laundering operation, how can anyone of good conscience vote for Crooked Hillary? I and all my extended family certainly will not.

Our country is on its way of other failed nations in history. Obama has done a job on our country under his two terms that we will never recover. The media will bear most of the blame for not properly informing the American people about the true intentions of President Obama.

Waters World, shown on FOX, proves that most of our young and many older people are so ignorant of history and world affairs.

I am now 91-years-old and served in the U.S. Navy during WWII in the South Pacific and participated in the Peaceful Invasion of Japan. My generation is mostly gone and would never have people like Hillary, Bill, Obama and others of their ilk get anywhere near running for public office, let alone being elected.

They are thieves, liars and have destroyed our country.

Louis John Medico Sr. is a resident of Wilton.
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump this week asked African-Americans what the hell do you have to lose in imploring them to vote for him.

His arrogance in presenting the question reminded me of that scene in the 1978 film The Deer Hunter, when a sadistic prison camp guard during the Vietnam War demands that an American soldier, played brilliantly by Christopher Walken, play Russian roulette with a loaded pistol. What the hell did the soldier have to lose? He was likely going to die from torture, disease or starvation anyway.

Thanks, but no thanks, Donald. Many in the African-American community are suffering, but they have a better chance of survival with someone who hasnt left a bullet in the chamber for them.

Theres nothing in Trumps record as a businessman or his current proposals as a presidential candidate to suggest he has spent much time thinking about how he can help Americas black and brown citizens.

Trump likes to talk about all the African-American employees he has, but they are hard to find among his corporate executives. In fact, in 11 seasons of his TV series The Apprentice, only one African-American ever won: Randal Pinkett in 2005. Black comedian Arsenio Hall in 2012 also won in one of the three seasons of Celebrity Apprentice. But the rest of the darker aspirants to be Trumps man, or woman, were always fired.

Trumps flippancy in trying to recruit black voters is yet another example of him treating his presidential run like a game show. His calculated moves to advance to the next level suggest someone well versed in the art of legerdemain. He blinks nary an eye in telling one audience he wants to be more sensitive to the plight of immigrant families while declaring to another group that he will pick up the pace set by President Obama in deporting undocumented immigrants who entered the country illegally. And oh yeah, hes still going to build that wall on Americas southern border and make Mexico pay for it.

Trump asked African-American voters to try something new without revealing exactly what that entails. With his record of stiffing people  including tradesmen who did work at his bankrupt Atlantic City casino and never got paid  Trump has some nerve asking anyone to believe he will come through for them. And thats too bad, because poverty-stricken minority communities that were already reeling before the recession could use a champion.

As Trump pointed out, too many of their schools are bad, unemployment is common, and theres too much crime. But as Jesse Jackson said of Trump, Most African-Americans consider him a bigot.

Polls suggest maybe 1 percent of African-Americans will vote for Trump. That figure wont improve with former Republican presidential candidate Dr. Ben Carson and conservative pundit Armstrong Williams serving as Trumps surrogates to pump up his credibility among blacks.

Neither of them is held in high regard in the African-American community. If the Republicans want to do better with minority voters they are going to have to do the hard work it takes at the grassroots level to persuade community leaders, pastors, and parents that they will deliver on promises that the Democrats havent kept.

Sen. Bernie Sanders pointed out Clintons vulnerability with blacks by noting her support for policies during her husbands administration that may have hurt poor African-American neighborhoods more than they helped. Sanders focused on the mandatory minimum sentences in Bill Clintons 1994 crime bill, which resulted in disproportionate numbers of blacks and Hispanics, mostly men, being taken from their families and sent to prison for nonviolent drug crimes. But Sanders usually left out that he voted for that bill as a member of the House.

The Clintons also could be criticized for the 1996 welfare reform act. It has reduced the number of Americans receiving cash assistance from the government from 13 million to 3 million, but ending welfare as we knew it never provided enough good jobs and child-care assistance to truly give the working poor a better life. The 2008 recession dried up more jobs, which has only made life in poor communities in cities like Philadelphia even worse.

Trump isnt going to fix any of that. Rather than address mandatory sentences or the atrocities that birthed the Black Lives Matter movement, he wants to make America even more of a police state.

Asked by Bill OReilly on his Fox News show how Chicago police could lower that citys rising homicide rate, Trump responded: How? By being very much tougher than they are right now; theyre right now not tough. He then said he came to that opinion after talking to a couple of very top police, which prompted the Chicago Police Department to issue a statement that said: No one in the senior command at CPD has ever met with Donald Trump or a member of his campaign.

Maybe the cops who spoke to Trump didnt want it known that they talked to him. Or maybe Trump made up the story. With him you just dont know. His stories, like his positions, can change depending on the audience.

What the hell do people have to lose by believing in Trump? Too much.

Harold Jackson is the editorial page editor for the Philadelphia Inquirer. Email: hjackson@phillynews.com.
Gunman fires at police during chase in Henan

A screenshot shows police deploy drones to search for criminals in Xinxiang, central Chinas Henan province, on August 24, 2016. [Screenshot: people.cn]

A police car was reportedly attacked by a gunman during a chase in Xinxiang, central China's Henan Province, on August 24, Beijing Times reports.

According to the police, the perpetrators, who drove a black plateless KIA K5, rushed through a checkpoint, and their car later rolled into a ditch during the chase.

The people in the car immediately abandoned their car and started running towards a corn field nearby, during which one of them fired a gun at the police.

A witness saw at least 30 police officers securing the scene and warning villagers to stay inside, adding that officers with police dogs and drones were also seen searching around the corn field.

No one was reported hurt during the incident.

Police searched the car and found crowbars, hammers and pliers, which were suspected to be tools used in criminal activities.

The car owner has since been identified as a woman named Yang Xia, whose husband and son both have criminal records.

A police source said three suspects have already been seized, with one still at large.
STAMFORD  A city man who owns a limousine company was arrested Wednesday after not paying for eight cell phones worth more than $6,000 from a store in the mall, police said.

Employees of the AT&T store in the Stamford Towne Center called police on May 20 to report the theft of the phones.

The employees told officers Mario Blas, 40, of Meadowpark Avenue, came into the store two days earlier to open several business accounts for his limousine company, which he said he ran from Duke Drive, according to police.

Blas returned the next day and told a different clerk he was picking up eight Samsung Edge cell phones that he paid $6,360 for the previous day, police said.

The clerk did not confirm his story and gave Blas the phones, according to his arrest affidavit.

The manager realized the mistake and contacted Blas, who said he would return to the store, according to the affidavit. However, Blas never returned to the store and the manager was not able to reach him again, police said.

Police went to the Duke Drive address, but the residents said Blas had moved out about eight years ago, the affidavit said.

An arrest warrant was completed in June, charging Blas with third-degree larceny.

Blas was arrested on Wednesday when he was pulled over in Greenwich, where police discovered the outstanding warrant.

Blas was arraigned Thursday at the Stamford courthouse and is being held in lieu of a $6,360 cash court appearance bond.

No pleas were made on his file on Thursday.

Editor's Note: An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated Mario Blas did not own the limousine company.

jnickerson@scni.com
RENO  In a harsh, biting speech Thursday, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton charged that Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia and is helping a radical fringe of hate groups take over the Republican Party.

The GOP presidential candidate is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters, Clinton said in a speech at Truckee Meadows Community College. If he doesnt respect all Americans, he cant serve all Americans.

Even before Clinton spoke, Trump was hitting back.

Clinton paints decent Americans as racists, Trump said at a campaign event Thursday in New Hampshire. Clinton isnt just attacking me, shes attacking all of the decent people of all backgrounds  doesnt matter  of all backgrounds who support this incredible, once-in-a-lifetime movement.

He later tweeted his review of Clintons 30-minute Reno address: Hillary Clintons short speech is pandering to the worst instincts in our society. She should be ashamed of herself!

Clinton didnt shy away from painting many of Trumps backers  and his campaign staff  as bigots longing for a time long past.

She ridiculed Trumps new campaign director, Stephen Bannon, for his leadership of the conservative Breitbart.com website, and pointed to headlines on the site like Would You Rather Your Child Have Feminism or Cancer? and Hoist It High and Proud: The Confederate Flag Proclaims a Glorious Heritage.

Clinton also slammed the website for its connection with the alt-right, which she painted as an emerging racist ideology.

The alt-right, made up in good part of the white male audience Trump has been courting since he entered the race for president, views itself as the new voice of the true conservatives, an alternative to what adherents see as the unsuccessful, politically correct stances of both progressives and traditional GOP conservatives.

But groups on the left and the right see a far more ominous message behind the alt-rights call for the new national direction, a regular feature of Trumps campaign speeches.

Writing in April for the Southern Poverty Law Centers Hatewatch column, Stephen Piggott called the alt-right a loose set of far-right ideologies at the core of which is a belief that white identity is under attack through policies prioritizing multiculturalism, political correctness and social justice.

On the other side, conservative publications like the National Review, already part of the never Trump crowd, warn of what they call the alt-rights racism and moral rot.

For Clinton, Thursdays sortie against the alt-right crowd was aimed less at Trumps true-believer faithful than at the Republicans and independents still on the political fence, disinclined to get behind the former first lady but uneasy about Trump and the company he keeps.

When Trump suggested in a speech last week that black voters should back him because, What the hell do you have to lose? it was widely seen as less about grabbing support from a heavily Democratic  and strongly anti-Trump  minority group than about trying to show college-educated Republicans, who have been moving toward Clinton, that he was no bigot.

Clintons none-too-veiled response Thursday: Oh yes you are.

Clintons speech was something almost never heard in American politics, especially in a presidential race. Slamming an opponent as someone with a long history of racial discrimination, who promoted the racist lie that President Obama isnt really an American citizen, who retweets white supremacists online and whose campaign has been a steady stream of bigotry isnt what Americans are used to hearing from someone who seeks to be their countrys leader.

Its the highest level of rhetoric, and I dont speak that way, said Naomi Duerr, a Reno city councilwoman. But in this case, people need to know exactly who Donald Trump is and what he represents.

There was less concern from the enthusiastic Clinton supporters in the crowd. The Democrats speech may have been hard-hitting, said Wendell Newman of Reno, but it was exactly the response needed to what has been going on.

For Clinton, whose campaign staff had been touting Thursdays speech for days, it was a dramatic response to what she said were very different political times.

Theres always been a paranoid fringe in our politics, steeped in racial resentment, she said. But its never had the nominee of a major party stoking it, encouraging it and giving it a national megaphone. Until now.

Republican officials argued that Clintons attack on Trumps alt-right supporters was little more than a ploy to move media attention away from the clamor over her use of a private email system during her years as secretary of state and new concerns about the access wealthy donors to the charitable Clinton Foundation may have had with the State Department.

Hillary Clintons had a bad week, and her visit to Nevada is an attempt to distract people from her record, said Sara Sendek, a Republican National Committee spokeswoman in Nevada. Shes facing a lot of problems.

For many of the people there for Clintons speech, though, Thursday was a typical day of partisan political activity, no less and, just as important, no more.

As the slow-moving line of Clinton supporters waiting to get into the speech wound its way through the campus, about a dozen Trump backers stood on a lawn, waving hand-printed signs and chanting, Hill, no, Were not with her and Pay to play, thats the Clinton way.

The back-and-forth was mostly respectful and good-natured, said John Ryan of Reno, a former student and one of the organizers.

Wed shout out Emails! and theyd yell back, Taxes! Ryan said, a reference to Trumps refusal to release his tax returns.

Everyone was pretty relaxed, he said. After all, were all Americans here.

The mellow feeling didnt extend to all of Trumps supporters. At the freeway off-ramp leading to the campus, a parked white van sported a huge sign: Trump the bitch.

John Wildermuth is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jwildermuth@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jfwildermuth
1 Kashmir protests: A young man was killed and dozens of other civilians were wounded Friday when Indian government forces fired bullets and shotguns to quell new protests against Indian rule in the disputed Himalayan region of Kashmir. Clashes erupted in over a dozen places, including in the main city of Srinagar, between rock-throwing protesters and troops, who fired live ammunition, shotguns and tear gas. A strict curfew, a series of communication blackouts and a tightening crackdown have failed to stop some of Kashmirs largest protests against Indian rule in recent years, triggered by the killing of a popular rebel commander on July 8.

2 Brazil political crisis: A trial against Brazils President Dilma Rousseff turned into a yelling match and was temporarily suspended Friday after the head of the Senate declared stupidity is endless and sharply criticized a colleague who had questioned the bodys moral authority. Rousseff is accused of breaking fiscal rules in her management of the federal budget. She denies wrongdoing and argues that her enemies are carrying out a coup detat. At the same time, federal investigators said they would seek corruption charges against former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, accusing him of illegally benefiting from about $750,000 in improvements paid for by a construction company at a beachfront apartment. Da Silva, 70, and his lawyers have argued that he did not acquire the apartment.
JOHANNESBURG, Aug 25 (People's Daily Online)  At the opening of the Nation Brand Forum on Wednesday in Johannesburg, South Africas Minister of Communications Faith Muthambi said, South Africa has a good story to tell. So lets come up with a branding that enhances our standing before the community of nations.

Brand South Africa hosted its inaugural Nation Brand Forum to bring together business, government, and civil society to discuss how South Africans can help build a strong and cohesive nation brand.

At this Forum we must identify our strengths to anchor a common approach that will be used to showcase and celebrate the assets of South Africa when promoting the country as an attractive place to visit, to do business with, and to study in. said Muthambi.

The Forum was attended by representatives of government, business, and civil society -- the three main pillars of the South African nation brand. Participants openly expressed their opinions on the economy, society, culture, and tourism in the breakaway sessions, aiming to anchor a common approach on how to position South Africa as a globally competitive nation in a cohesive and consistent manner.

According to Anholts Nation Brand Index 2015, South Africa ranks 38 of the 50 countries assessed. Although the nation has dropped one place  from 37 in 2014 to 38 in 2015, it has improved in the categories of people and tourism, and held steady in the categories of exports and governance.
(file photo.)

Between a previous miscarriage and the discovery of a malignant tumor in her kidney, one Chinese woman in northwestern China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region encountered more than her fair share of bad luck over the past few years. However, in the end, her story is a heart-warming one.

According to a report by thepaper.cn, the woman was found to have a malignant tumor in her kidney during her fourth month of pregnancy in December 2015. She headed to Shanghai No. 1 Peoples Hospital for treatment, only to be warned that pregnancy leads to higher hormone levels, which would cause the tumor grow larger at a more rapid speed.

As is the common practice for those diagnosed with cancer within the first 24 weeks of pregnancy, the woman's doctor suggested that she abort the baby. However, after already having been through a miscarriage of twins, the mom-to-be insisted on continuing the pregnancy.

By the late stages of her pregnancy, the tumor had grown to be 30 centimeters in diameter at its widest part, pressing against the womans pelvis, pancreas and spleen and causing her severe pain. As the tumor kept growing, the woman was forced to schedule an earlier delivery through a Caesarean section in the 34th week of her pregnancy. Fortunately, the operation went smoothly and she delivered a healthy baby.

Just two weeks after giving birth, the new mother returned to the hospital for a surgery to remove the tumor at Shanghai No. 1 Peoples Hospital. She had the operation on Aug. 17. Despite being somewhat unstable hormonally and in a weak condition from the birth, the operation was successful. The woman is currently in a stable condition.
BERKELEY, Calif.  Apparently, taxing sugary soft drinks can make people less likely to drink them. At least thats what researchers found when analyzing residents of low-income areas in Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco, Calif., four months after Berkeleys soda tax went into effect, the New York Times reports.

Published this week in The American Journal of Public Health, self-reported drinking of sugared soda dropped by 21% in Berkeleys low-income communities, but jumped 4% in Oakland and San Francisco. Berkeley residents also said they were consuming more water.

This study seems to support research from Mexicoits national soda tax went into effect in 2014showing sales of sugared beverages decreased by around 17% in poor neighborhoods. But overall, in May, a report found that soft drink sales have surged in Mexico.

At least in one city, we have found evidence that a sugar-sweetened beverage tax reduced consumption in disadvantaged communities, said Jennifer Falbe with the University of California at Berkeleys School of Public Health and one of the papers authors.

However, the soda industry noted that the survey had problems with its methodology. The authors of this street survey acknowledge that it had a number of flaws, and there is no indication that the tax had or will have a measurable impact on public health, said William Dermody, vice president for policy at the American Beverage Association.

Philadelphia recently approved a soda tax. Meanwhile, other countries are considering their own soda tax, including Australia and the United Kingdom.
Suits join the hoodies with blockchain push, the FT informed us on Tuesday, adding, on Wednesday, in case we missed it, pretty much the same article again: Big banks push forward with blockchain technology, From the first one:

The latest example of big banks organising themselves to exploit the potential of blockchain technology came this week with the announcement that four big lenders have teamed up to develop a utility settlement coin  a new form of digital cash. The four banks  UBS, Santander, Deutsche Bank and BNY Mellon, which are working with UK broker ICAP and developer Clearmatics Technologies  stress that they are not creating a new cryptocurrency.  The aim is to speed up clearing and settlement in financial markets by allowing institutions to pay for securities, such as bonds and equities, without waiting for traditional money transfers to be completed in the so-called delivery-versus-payment process. By switching clearing and settlement of financial markets on to a distributed ledger, the banks hope to do away with much of their costly back office operations that process trades and keep records up to date. Quicker settlement should also free up capital that banks hold against trading risk. Hyder Jaffrey, head of fintech innovation at UBS, says: Every bank, exchange and clearing house, we all have our own sets of the same data, which get out of sync and have to be updated and reconciled. The distributed ledger is the first technology which could implement a shared golden copy of that data, says Mr Jaffrey. If you have that breakthrough you can really see how that would be revolutionary in the financial world.

Yet the banks dont seem to be using blockchains key feature at all:

Some sceptics reckon the banks are missing the point. This is banks talking to each other and the point of blockchain is to establish consensus in the presence of potentially untrusted actors, as with bitcoin, on the internet, says Dave Birch, of payments consultancy Consult Hyperion. Its a sorry state of affairs, that technology is not going to fix, if the banks dont trust each other.

There are also doubts about whether blockchain technology can actually do the thing the banks want it to do:

The project, however, still faces many challenges. One is transaction speed. Bitcoin is often criticised for being unable to scale up because its blockchain can handle only about seven transactions a second, as opposed to, say, the 24,000 a second that Visa can. Any solution from the banks will have to be fast and capable of processing heavy loads.

So whos made the massive software design breakthrough necessary to get the banks interested? A clue comes from a quick look at the web site of the consortiums technology partner Clearmatics Technologies:

Clearmatics is based on the Ethereum Virtual Machine, specialized for financial and fiduciary computations, and it uses a new consensus protocol designed to achieve finality of settlement and eligibility as a Designated Settlement System.

Ethereum last hit the headlines just a couple of months ago, in connection with the DAO hack, in which $50Mn of the $150Mn raised by the DAO a month earlier suddenly went for a walk, with assistance from some hackers and a not-so-smart Ethereum smart contract. So that little misadventure is hardly Ethereums fault: Ethereum was just the infrastructure of the DAO, not the guiding mind behind the DAO dumb contracts. The real questions are still: is Ethereum any good for the banks? Whats the new technology?

This new consensus protocol seems to be Proof of Stake:

In this new algorithm, agreement within the blockchain would be measured not on the basis of how much computing power agrees with the current state, but instead on the basis of how much digital currency agrees with the current state. The owners of this digital currency hold a financial stake in the success of the blockchain that tracks it, which is where we get the name for the algorithm.

Proof of stake allows implementation of an idea called sharding (explained in brutal but still incomplete detail here by Ethereums founder, Vitalik Buterin, section Solutions, pp 21-30):

the bulk of the [blockchains] state is in fact distributed between the different nodes in the network, with each node only holding a small number of shards of the state.  Of course, the whole point of sharding is to move away from the everyone processes everything paradigm, and split up the validation responsibility among many nodes. With naive proof of work, doing that securely is difficult: proof of work as implemented in Bitcoin is a completely anonymousconsensus algorithm, and so if any one shard is secured by only a small portion of the total hashpower, an attacker can direct all of their hashpower towards attacking that shard, thereby potentially disrupting the blockchain with less than 1% of the hashpower of the entire network. This changes, however, with proof of stakethe participants in the consensus process do have some kind of identity, even if its just the pseudonymous cryptographic identity of an address, and so we can solve the targeted attack problem with random sampling schemesmaking it impossible for attackers to specifically target any particular transaction or any particular shard.

With that, and one or two more tweaks, the scalability issues will be banished:

The long term goal for Ethereum 2.0 and 3.0 is for the protocol to quite literally be able to maintain a blockchain capable of processing VISA-scale transaction levels, or even several orders of magnitude higher, using a network consisting of nothing but a sufficiently large set of users running nodes on consumer laptops.

Well, maybe; as recently as this February, a paper summarising the state of the art in blockchain scaling had this to say about sharding:

Such schemes, however, can incur substantial overhead when cross-shard coordination is required in a Byzantine setting, so sharding protocols for blockchains are an open area of research.

Its now August, so either the state of the art is advancing lickety-split, or there are still one or two loose ends in Mr Buterins scheme; the problem of duplicates, perhaps, not explicitly addressed in Mr Buterins paper, but just as relevant to Ethereum as it is to Bitcoin:

Bitcoin solves the double spend problem with double entry accounting, and it ensures the integrity of the accounting system by guaranteeing that all transactions are globally unique and partially ordered. A new transaction must not be a duplicate of a transaction in any prior block, nor may it be a duplicate of a transaction already in the current block. For this to work somehow we must to look at every pair of transactions to determine that all transactions are unique. This point seems frequently misunderstood, as you can see in this quote from one of the many Bitcoin scalability white papers and which is representative of the general trend: The problem of simultaneously achieving the best of both worlds: having only a small portion of consensus participants explicitly participate in validating each transaction, but have the entire weight of the network implicitly stand behind each one, has proven surprisingly hard. Well, no. If we want to provide a guarantee of each transaction being globally unique then we must inspect every transaction. Theres nothing implicit about this. And if we weaken this guarantee (such as only ensuring that transaction are locally unique) then we break Bitcoin.

The consortium promises to have a commercial-grade blockchain system by 2018. Thatll be a mighty impressive achievement, if it happens. If it doesnt, theres plenty of money riding on it, and on many other competing schemes too, so itll be a mighty impressive bust.

Over to our sceptic again (I particularly recommend the perpetual motion link):

A lot of smart people have been working on the Byzantine problem (which blockchain is a partial solution to) for over 20 years and its well understood. We know the shape of what is possible, and current focus is on incremental improvement and niche applications where we can relax a constraint. If you want the guarantees of consistency provided by blockchain then ultimately everything must pass through a single consensus processes. This is not a programming thing, its the laws of physics. Weve known this for nearly a couple of decades, but unfortunately folk keep proposing perpetual motion machines. We can easily do a lot better than Bitcoins few transactions per second, but the only parameters we have to play with are dwell time, block size and the strength of the consistency guarantee. Assuming that some smart person is just going to walk in and solve this problem is hubris. Blockchain performance might always suck, but thats not a problem The sweet spot for blockchain  and distributed ledgers  is low volume, high-value exchanges. Theres a lot of interesting problems to solve in this space, from tracking diamond provenance through contract attestation and so on. Its just that the pie in the sky, blockchain-taking-over-the- entire-financial-system predictions are likely wrong.

The final word goes to Reuters, hinting at what this UBS blockchain initiative is really all about:

The practical use and implementation possibilities of central bank digital currency is rightly becoming a hot topic in the financial service industry, Deutsche Bank Global Transaction Banking Chief Digital Officer Edward Budd said. It raises questions, and possibilities, over a fundamental market structure principle: who can have access to central bank money and how, he said.

More on that in another post, I hope.
Yves here. Although readers are no doubt familiar with the general story, that newspapers, and in particular, news rooms, have taken a huge hit in the Internet era, its useful to see long-term data on the trend and implications. Curiously, this account fails to mention the most deadly development: that classified advertising, rather than display ads, represented half of most newspapers ad revenues, and Craigslist did that in.

Another issue I rarely see acknowledged for why readers are not willing to pay much for online versions versus print isnt just that online news outlets are competing with free site that provide headline news, such as CNN and BBC. A secondary but still important issue is that even in the era of tablets, online media has not come up with anything remotely approaching the efficiency of scanning stories in a print paper. I only buy physical newspapers when flying, and every time I do, I see and read stories there that I never would have found online. While I regret missing them, the fact is I would not read them if I got a print subscription until I did my typical daily gym stint, on the treadmill, which means a good 20 hours or so after they appeared (buried but nevertheless there) online. So for me, they would still make for useful background but wind up being not on the critical path for blogging and thus fall by the wayside.

By Charles Angelucci, Assistant Professor, Finance and Economics Division, Columbia Business School and Julia Cage, Assistant Professor in Economics, Sciences Po; CEPR Research Fellow. Originally published at VoxEU

Advertisers are deserting newspapers. Using the impact of television advertising on print media in 1968, this column argues that a reduction in advertising revenues will reduce the quality of newspapers. Ultimately, this may result in a less well-informed public.

The year 2015 was perhaps the worst for the newspaper industry since the recession. According to the Pew Research Center (2016), in the US total advertising revenues (print and digital) among publicly traded companies declined by nearly 8%.

In a recent paper (Angelucci and Cage 2016), we investigate the consequences of the collapse in advertising revenues on newspaper pricing and quality choices. These choices are important because they help determine how well-informed individuals are. This in turn influences voter turnout, political accountability, and social norms (Ferraz and Finan 2008, Jensen and Oster 2009, Gentzkow, Shapiro and Sinkinson 2011).

Specifically, we analyse the consequences of a decline in the advertisers willingness to pay for newspaper readers attention triggered by the arrival of new advertising platforms. In 2015 Google and Facebook had captured almost two-thirds of the $60 billion online advertising market. This shift in advertising revenues toward social media has contributed to a collapse in newspaper advertising revenues.

To investigate the impact of these shocks, we built a simple model in which a newspaper sells content to readers, and also sells reader attention to advertisers. We show that a decrease in the advertisers willingness to pay for reader attention induces the newspaper to decrease the quality of its content. Advertisers lower willingness to pay for newspaper readers leads to less subsidisation of readers through low prices, which creates upward pressure on reader prices, it also leads to less subsidisation of quality (which also serves to attract readers). Whenever readers are sufficiently sensitive to quality, a decline in advertising revenues leads to a decrease in subscription prices to compensate readers for lower quality. We also show that a decrease in advertisers willingness to pay increases the newspapers incentive to price discriminate between readers: in addition to decreasing its subscription price, the newspaper increases its newsstand price.

Clearly, a number of factors determine newspapers pricing and quality choices, including costs, consumer preferences, and market structure. In addition, the rise of the internet brought about numerous far-reaching changes in terms of competition and consumer habits. According to the Reuters Institute Digital News Report (2016), for example, half of consumers report using social media as a source of news each week. As a result, establishing empirically the causal relationship between advertisers lower willingness to pay for newspaper readers, and newspapers pricing and quality choices, is difficult.

There is a precedent for this: the impact of TV advertising on newspaper business models. We built a dataset of French newspapers between 1960 and 1974 and perform a difference-in-differences analysis of the introduction of advertising on French television in 1968. This led to an exogenous shock that exclusively shifted newspapers reliance on advertising revenues.

We made the assumption that advertising revenues had affected national daily newspapers more severely than local daily newspapers. Looking at the advertisements broadcast on television at the time, and those published in newspapers, supports this assumption. National newspapers relied to a greater extent on advertisements for brands whose owners may also wish to advertise on television. More advertisements in local newspapers were local in nature. To illustrate the magnitude of the shock, national newspaper advertising revenues decreased after the introduction of advertising on television even though the total French advertising market expanded between 1967 and 1974. In contrast, local newspaper advertising revenues increased during the same period (Figure 1).

Figure 1 Advertising revenues by media outlets, 1967 and 1974

The introduction of advertising on television led to a 17% decrease in the advertising revenues of national newspapers compared to local newspapers. This drop in advertising revenues led to a 12% decrease in the price ratio, defined as the average subscription price divided by the newsstand price, entirely driven by a decrease in the price charged to subscribers. National newspapers used 11% fewer journalists compared to local newspapers, and the surface of national newspapers dedicated to news (the newshole) decreased by 7%. Assuming these statistics measure quality, we can conclude that national newspapers reacted to lower advertising revenues by decreasing the quality of their content. Overall, these changes in price and content lead to a 22% increase in the share of subscribers among all readers.

We believe our findings have implications for 21st-century news media. Many media outlets are still experimenting to discover optimal pricing policy. Our model suggests the logic behind using subscriptions as a means to price discriminate between readers should also exist online. Since 2010, an increasing number of online media have abandoned exclusively advertiser-financed models to introduce paywalls, and a large number have chosen to offer subscribers unlimited access to their content while charging a high price to the readers who purchase only individual stories. We also find that, in recent years, the ratio of the average subscription price divided by the newsstand price has decreased (Figure 2).

Figure 2 Average annual price ratio for seven US newspapers, 2008-2014

Our analysis highlights that a decrease in advertisers willingness to pay for news readers  whatever its causes  lowers media outlets incentives to invest in quality. As advertising revenues have dropped, so too have the number of newspaper journalists in the US (Figure 3). If advertising revenues continue to decline, the quality of information at the media outlet level may decrease too. This risk is made stronger by a recent growth in ad-blocking technologies (Reuters Institute Digital News Report, 2016).

Figure 3 Newspaper advertising revenues (in dollars) and number of journalists in the United States, 1980-2015

If advertising is no longer going to subsidise newspaper quality, future research should investigate the value of possible policy interventions.

See original post for references
Chinese overseas spending is growing by double digits. This is a problem that needs our attention. To change the situation, we not only need tariff reductions and good-quality domestic products, we also need the government to get involved a high level, said Wang Jianlin, chairman of the Dalian Wanda Group. Wang made the remarks on Aug. 25 at the 10th Wanda Group Annual Commercial Convention.

Wang, the richest man in China, quoted official statistics in his speech, noting that Chinese outbound travel spending amounted to 2.5 trillion yuan, even without the inclusion of expenses for medical treatments and sports. Wang pointed out three important characteristics of Chinese overseas spending: ongoing two-digit growth; overseas shopping, which includes everything from luxuries to daily articles; and emerging consumer sectors, such as overseas physical examinations and medical treatment.

Wang also disclosed that one district government in Seoul, South Korea actually invited him to invest in plastic surgery hospitals for Chinese women by providing cheap land. However, Wang refused, since such an investment would push even more Chinese to consume abroad.

When discussing the reasons behind overseas spending, Wang surmised that price is the most major determinant, followed by quality and brand. He insisted that there are issues in the current pricing system, caused partially by tariffs. Chinese consumers are plagued by concerns over the quality of products in China, so they prefer to buy more secure commodities in foreign countries. The popularity of e-commerce without direct contact makes the situation even worse. In addition, some consumers shopping for luxuries enjoy the feeling that they are buying something they cannot access at home.

Wang proposed three measures to reduce overseas spending. First, professional studies on overseas spending are an urgent priority, such as surveys on market volume, targeted consumers and the impacts on China. Second, the government needs to regulate the market from a high level. For instance, Wang believes that companies intentionally drive up the price of luxury goods in China. Third, Wang hopes to see a media campaign for Chinese products, and for counterfeit and shoddy products to be minimized through stricter quality standards.
By Dylan White

dylan.white@iconicnews.ie

The relationship between the Tipperary and Kilkenny players and supporters has become healthy in recent years, opines former All-Ireland hurling champions John Leahy and Richie Power (snr).

Ahead of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final between Tipperary and Kilkenny on September 4, the two decorated stars of the past voice the importance of hurling to both counties and their supporters.

Both counties have passionate supporters, people are in better form when Tipperary are winning and there is a buzz around the county, suggests Mullinahones John Leahy.

John Leahy says the rivalry between the two counties has blossomed over the years. I know families living on the border with jerseys cut in half and sewn together. Lots of the players are in contact with each other through social media, play on the same college team, live together and go to each others weddings.

The relationship between Tipperary and Kilkenny players is healthy today. We didnt know the opposition players in my time and we didnt socialise with each other. The passion and desire to win has always been there, but the bitterness and hatred has certainly gone.

The week of September 4th we will have Callan people in Mullinahone and vice versa, and the banter will be great. That special camaraderie is something that we need to mind, the three time All-Ireland winner with Tipperary continues.

Richie Power (snr), who won All-Ireland medals with Kilkenny at minor, under 21 and senior grades, says the rivalry is great for both the players and the fans.

Nowadays the rivalry between the two counties is healthy and there is great respect between the counties as a result of what they have produced on the field, the Carrickshock man notes.

Take for example when my son Richie retired last year with a knee injury; Babs Keating was one of the first people to ring and see how he was recovering which really highlights the great friendship between the counties.

Richie Power (snr) recalls swapping jerseys with John Leahy after the 1991 All-Ireland final between the sides.

I congratulated John with my jersey after the 1991 All-Ireland final, and years later when John came to manage Carrickshock I presented him with his jersey and got back mine. He was a tremendous hurler and is very well respected in Kilkenny, he adds.

John Leahy says it was a great occasion exchanging jerseys all those years later when he went to manage the Kilkenny club in 2008, adding that it highlights what GAA is all about.
On Sunday last the local members of the Third Tipperary Brigade Old IRA Commemoration Committee unveiled a plaque in honour of Thomas Clarke signatory of the Proclamation in Clogheen.

This was as part of its commemoration of the centenary of 1916.

Tom Clarkes mother, Mary Palmer was a native of Clogheen and the plaque is situated on her familys ancestral home on the Main Street.

In spite of inclement weather and many other attractions the event was attended by a large crowd. The ceremony was graced by the presence of a colour party and guard of honour drawn from the Organisation of National Ex-servicemen and Women and the UN Veterans Association. The Master of Ceremonies was Michael Moroney, a prominent member of the Commemoration Committee who hailed from Drangan originally.

The Commemoration plaque was formally unveiled by Cllr. Siobhan Ambrose,Chairperson of Tipperry CountyCouncil.

A beautiful laurel wreath was laid by Corporal Richie McGrath, a member of the Irish Defence Forces from the 1st Brigade Transfer Company, Collins Barracks. Thomas Quirke recited a decade of the Rosary in Irish. The 1916 Proclamation was movingly read by Commdt. Eamonn Cahill, 3rd Infantry Battalion, Kilkenny Barracks. Kevin O'Reilly, Secretary of the Third Tipperary Brigade Old IRA Commemoration Committee delivered an interesting and informative oration in honour of Tom Clarke, the first President of the Irish Republic.

In a similar vein Thomas Quirke read a selection from the last writings of Patrick Pearse, followed by a minute's silence for Clarke and his comrades and also another man associated with Clogheen, Fr. Nicholas Sheehy who was martyred in Clonmel 250 years ago. The piper then played a lament. Proceedings ended with Amhran na bhFiann.

Tom Clarke was the first signatory on the Proclamation of the Republic a century ago. He was an unconquered and unconquerable Fenian, totally dedicated to the struggle for Irelands freedom for which he sacrificed everything  including his life. The people of Clogheen can be justifiably proud of their association with him.
A special celebration was held recently to mark the 50th anniversary of the vocation of a Cashel woman.

Sister Mary Kennedy was surrounded by family, cousins and friends at the Bru Boru centre on a moving occasion for the Kennedy family.

Fr.Christy O Dwyer ,PP Cashel celebrated mass and up to eighty people attended a reception on the day.

Mary Kennedy was born in Cashel in 1946, the third child of Dinny and Mary Kate (ODwyer) both from Doon Co. Limerick.

She was educated at the Presentation Convent School from the beginning up to Leaving Cert. Mary was involved with the Legion of Mary from the Summer of 1958, under the leadership of Fr. Robert Bradshaw, the Chaplain to the Convent. Mary credits her vocations origins to this time. She was also involved with Muintir na Tire from its beginnings in Cashel around 1961, and with the Civil Defense for about a year.

Having completed her Leaving Cert, Mary entered the Sisters of St. Francis of Philadelphia on the 15t of August, 1963 in Mallow, Co. Cork. That order was founded by the 4th Bishop of Philadelphia, St. John Neumann, CSSR, a gifted linguist who was fluent in Irish and attended the Irish Immigrants in the coal regions of Pennsylvania. Mount Alvernia, the Convent in Mallow was mostly a recruiting station and life was tough there for the young postulants. After five months there, Mary and three other companions were put on a plane to the States, arriving in Boston on January 19, 1964 and connecting with a flight to Philadelphia. Within a week of arriving, Mary began her university studies, and her formal training first as a postulant, and then entered the Novitiate on August 12, 1964 and was given the new name of Sister Denis Mary. Two years of Novitiate followed as well as a year in the Juniorate for studies at the Motherhouse: Our Lady of Angels Convent in Aston, PA.

In August of 1967, Mary was missioned to Blessed Sacrament School in Trenton, NJ as a First grade Teacher. Mary continued in the teaching Ministry for twenty years, as a teacher and a principal and worked mostly in New Jersey, with six years also in Massachusets where she felt called to go to the Missions. It took five years to discern that call, but in July of 1987, Mary was released to begin preparations for the Missions. She spent a year in Puerto Rico, working in a school setting, learning to speak a bit in Spanish and then in September of 1988, she was sent to Guatemala for Language School. While there she received word that she was going to be missioned there, so she should check out ministry possibilities. The Diocese of El Quiche, under the leadership of Bishop Julio Cabrera Ovalle welcomed Mary and another Sister from her Community, Moira Frawley (A Clare Woman) to the Diocese in August of 1989. Their ministry was to sow seeds of hope in an area devastated by guerrilla warfare: home visits, catechesis, working and training Ministers of the Sick and Elderly, working with Community Leaders and Womens groups in the outlying villages were among the tasks that needed to be done. After almost six years in Guatemala, Mary returned to her native Cashel, sent by her Congregation to care for her Mother who was greatly incapacitated. She stayed on for another two years after her Mother passed away to care for her Father.

On her return to the States she found everything to be very different, so she requested time to adjust and worked at the Motherhouse for a year and a half in their Spiritual Centre. After that, she was ready to go out and find a ministry where she could use her language skills, as well as all the other skills she had acquired over the years. She spent the next six years working with the Immigrant Community in Delaware County, assisting them with advocacy work, providing an ESL Program to assist with language acquisition and whatever needed to be done. In 2006, she returned to Ireland for a sabbatical and went to Dalgan Park, near Navan for Renewal. She also spent almost six weeks on Inis Oir trying to recover some of her Irish lost over the years. Back in the States, she took a position with Catholic Social Services attending to the mostly Mexican Community in Norristown and now in South Philadelphia, where her order began. Marys work now has taken a new turn working mostly with people who need healing, teaching them strategies for dealing with hurts in their lives, anger management and stress reduction. She feels very passionate about what she does, and feels, that this is what she was born to do.
CRRC has established the first railway plant in South Asia. This is the first time that a Chinese transit equipment company has used Indian manufacturing locally.

CRRC-Pioneer (India) Electric Company, jointly established by Chinas CRRC Yongji Electric Company and Indias Pioneer Trading Company, started operations in the Haliyana Bawo Industrial Park on August 20. The industrial park is located between New Delhi and Mumbai. China Railway made the announcement yesterday. China Industrial Economy News believes that the combination of the China-brand and Indian manufacturing is a new model for Chinas high-speed rail export strategy.

The company will primarily be used to produce and maintain electric rail machinery, but will also provide technical support for Indias railways, as well as electric drive systems for oil drilling, wind power generation, and mining equipment. India is second only to China in terms of population size. Indias largest seaport and western city, the city of Mumbai, is the countrys most populated area, and one of the most populous cities in the world. Railway is a key means of transportation in India, so the market has great potential. Through the joint venture, the advantages of Chinas advanced rail technology coupled with the advantages of Pioneers market resources and expansion, Indias rail industry will receive better after-sales services and technical support, and the venture will double the size of this new economic growth point.
(Xinhua) 15:46, August 26, 2016

HANGZHOU, Aug. 26 -- A civil rescue team from China arrived at the quake-affected areas in Italy Thursday evening and has started rescue work there, official sources here said.

The Rescue Team of Ram Union, from east China's Zhejiang Province sent three people to join quick relief in Italy, the provincial civil affairs department said.

A magnitude 6 earthquake devastated several mountainous towns in central Italy early Wednesday, killing at least 250 people.

Xu Lijun, director of the Rescue Team of Ram Union, said the three rescuers have received professional training and have participated in international rescue work several times. They have taken life detectors and medical equipment with them.

The Italy branch of the rescue team sent 16 team members to join the rescue, including two doctors. They also bought relief goods for quake victims.

This is the fifth time that the Zhejiang branch of the Rescue Team of Ram Union have joined in rescue work overseas, including in Nepal, Pakistan and Ecuador.

Established in May 2009, it has also provided assistance during the Wenchuan earthquake in China's Sichuan Province, the Yushu earthquake in Qinghai Province and the Ludian earthquake in Yunnan Province.
The NATO Deputy Secretary General, Ambassador Alexander Vershbow will visit Romania on Monday 29 August 2016.

During this visit, Ambassador Vershbow will participate to the Annual meeting of Romanian Diplomacy.

He will also meet with the President of Romania, Mr. Klaus Iohannis, and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Lazar Comanescu well as other senior officials.

Media Advisory

12h45 - Joint Press Conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs (JW Marriot Bucharest Grand Hotel)

Follow us on Twitter (@NATOPress and @NATOdsg)
A 21-year-old young woman who was a victim of disfigurement five years ago courageously faced the public eye, recently posting a series of glamor photographs on the internet.[Photo/china.org.cn]

A 21-year-old young woman who was a victim of disfigurement five years ago courageously faced the public eye, recently posting a series of glamor photographs on the internet.

In her photos, her scars are still shocking although they cannot dim her elegant figure.

In September, 2011, Zhou Yan's classmate Tao Rukun suddenly covered her in lighter fluid and lit her on fire as a means of revenge for relationship issues. She suffered burns on over 30 percent of her body and lost one year in a case that was labeled as "princeling of government official disfigures young girl."

The assailant was sentenced to 12 years in prison in 2012 but Zhou's compensation of 1.8 million yuan (US$270,000) didn't arrive until recently.

She decided to walk back into the limelight after realizing that hiding from the public should not be her solution through her life, although previously she had suffered endless antipathy from pedestrians and also when she tried to find work.

"I live inside an unfamiliar body. I continue to live as if I were still a 16-year-old, unable to face the 21-year-old me. I am still the same romantic girl expecting an orange-flavored rain. I often want to cry but can at most sob. Daybreak will soon arrive and everything will be alright," she wrote in her microblog.

Had it not been for the assault, Zhou would have been recommended for admission to a university exempted of her exams and she would be finishing up her junior year. "People get married early here. I may have already been a mother," Zhou said.

Zhou still desires love and marriage. "I won't lose hope to love or stop trusting in love. The right person will come, although my chance is slim and I am at most an imperfect bride," she said.
Quality of life in Venezuela reaching new low point

Deny, deny, deny

(NaturalNews) The misery continues for Venezuelans, as they suffer tremendously under the Bolivarian variation of socialism that was imposed on the country by Hugo Chavez. Rather than admit the failure of this system, which has brought the oil-rich nation to the brink of collapse, Chavez's successor, Nicolas Maduro, is instead launching a war on what he claims is "anxiety."Of course people are going to be anxious when they live in a country ravaged by riots, malnutrition, starvation, vigilante lynchings involving petty thieves and food truck hijackings. However, the country apparently thinks it has some sort of image to maintain, so the National Superintendency of Fair Prices has decided to start fining bakeries for allowing lines to stretch outside their front doors. The body's head, William Contreras, says that the lines are not related to an actual shortage of bread, but are instead some sort of political strategy aimed at generating anxiety.In fact, he says that the raw materials to make bread are indeed available, completely ignoring the fact that bakeries do not actually have the means to process wheat and turn it into the flour that they need to bake the bread. This type of poor logic is constantly being used by the government to keep denying that the problems they are facing are a direct result of their disastrous socialist economic policy.Contreras was even quoted byas saying that these long lines were the result of "clear political intentions" designed to destabilize the economy and hurt the people's morale  never mind the fact that the economy is already completely destabilized, and morale in the country has hit an all-time low.Just how bad have things gotten in Venezuela? Health organizations report that people are dying unnecessarily because they are unable to get the medicine they need, and medical suppliers have been cutting off shipments. Protestors clash with police on a regular basis, and violence and murders are soaring as people become increasingly desperate. To make matters worse, the power grid is on the verge of collapse Waiting lists for sterilizations are reaching previously unseen numbers as women are willing to do anything to avoid bringing new life into this sad situation, despite the fact that the majority of them are Roman Catholic. After all, hungry Venezuelans have been killing and eating animals at the zoo in Caracas just to survive . A rare black stallion was recently killed and eaten at the zoo, and sheep and pigs have also been turned into dinner by people who don't have a supply of survival food and can't find food anywhere else. At least 50 animals have died of starvation in the zoo.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon recently announced that the country was experiencing a serious crisis, saying: "Basic goods and services such as food, water, health care and clothes aren't available."The government, however, continues to deny there is a problem, with the country's ambassador to the UN asking where Ban Ki-moon got his information. The answer, of course, is from what he witnessed personally on a visit to the country. How can they continue to insist nothing is wrong? It's apparently all part of their PR strategy. Fining bakeries over long lines is just the latest step; security guards have been banning people from taking photos of empty shelves in grocery stores for quite some time now.Despite all this hunger and desperation, the government somehow found more than $400,000 to spend on a week-long celebration of Fidel Castro's 90th birthday. It's no wonder, then, that four out of every five Venezuelans would like to see Maduro removed from office. The opposition calling for his removal from office plans to hold a major rally in Caracas on September 1.
(NaturalNews) The American government has already laid the groundwork for tyranny to step in. Citizens have remained silent as the current administration has systematically created pathways for total government takeover across the board. Say what you will, but we as a nation have given Congress carte blanche, and all three branches of the federal government have gone essentially unchecked by the American people. Our government,, has gone down a very dark path  one that will lead to the upheaval of the Constitution and the implementation of a tyrannical oligarchy or dictatorship.One of the first signs of trouble came on March 16, 2012, when President Obama issued an executive order that was entitled, "National Defense Resources Preparedness." While it may sound innocuous, the order actually gives the President alone the authority to take over all resources within the nation (industry, labor and even food )  so long as it is done "to promote the national defense." A select few government agencies have also been given the power to seize and take control over these resources. As reported by Mike Adams:So, President Obama has granted himself and his cronies the ability to take over all things related to food, healthcare, transportation, water and "all other materials"  which basically means anything else they might decide they want. This order gives the U.S. government the right to take your crops, your seeds, your livestock and your supplies, and claim that it is all in the name of "national defense."Of course, the usurpation of resources (and the American people's inevitable denial of access to those resources) is not the only way in which our current administration has shown their hand. The true colors of our current government and its potential successors are also readily seen in many other ways.For example, in 2013, the Department of Homeland Security was set to purchase 1.6 billion rounds of ammunition  an amount that would supply the Army with enough bullets for 22 years of war. That amount of bullets would also sustain the DHS itself forover 100 years. A portion of those bullets are specialized sniper rounds. Some of the bullets purchased are also hollow point rounds, which have been internationally banned from use in war. So, what exactly is the DHS preparing for? They can't use those bullets in war, and stockpiling a century's worth of bullets for training seemsexcessive.The war against free speech is also of great concern. When members of Congress pressured the IRS into investigating conservative 501(c)4 groups, they also became a shining example of what our government is willing to do to stifle opposing views.even obtained a draft inspector general's audit which showed that the agency's use of "tea party" as a key word to draw excessive scrutiny of tax-exempt status applicants dated all the way back to 2010. Whether or not you are a conservative is irrelevant; targeting groups who foster different beliefs to your own is against everything America stands for.The silencing of dissenting opinions has continued to grow over the last few years. The administration has actually managed to get the American people to censor themselves and each other, which is easily evidenced by the banning of Milo Yiannopoulos from Twitter, and the banning of Ben Shapiro from DePaul University.Mass censorship, the armament of government agencies and the acquisition of resources by the federal government are all signs that a collapse is coming, and that our government plans on taking advantage of it.
Ending the war on medical marijuana?

War on Drugs still trumps science

(NaturalNews) A federal court has ruled that the Department of Justice (DOJ) is not permitted to use any of its money to prosecute people who are in compliance with state medical marijuana laws "If the federal government prosecutes such individuals, it has prevented the state from giving practical effect to its law," wrote Judge Diarmuid O'Scannlain of the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.Twenty-five states allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes, while another four states plus the District of Columbia permit it for medical and recreational use. Citizens of another nine states will vote in November on whether to legalize recreational marijuana use.Yet, although the majority of states now allow regulated use of marijuana, the federal government has regularly carried out raids against people who are simply growing, selling or using medical marijuana in compliance with the laws of their states.In 2014, Congress passed a budget rule prohibiting the DOJ from using its funds to prevent states "from implementing their own state laws that authorize the use, distribution, possession, or cultivation of medical marijuana." The passage of this rule had no influence on the DOJ's practices, however.Now the Ninth Circuit has ruled that if the DOJ uses its budget to carry out any enforcement action against people who are following state medical marijuana laws, the department will have violated the congressional order.This means that any DOJ action taken against legal production, sale or use of medical marijuana following the passage of the congressional rule was illegal. Following the court's decision, five people currently facing charges in San Francisco federal court filed to have their charges dismissed.The defendants are facing federal charges for allegedly operating marijuana stores and growing operations that are legal under California law."This could be the beginning of the end of the federal war on medical marijuana," said San Francisco attorney Marc Zilversmit, who is representing one of the defendants.But O'Scannlain warned that the court's ruling stems only from a specific congressional rule. Thus, it only applies to people following state medical marijuana laws, not to people violating the law or participating in an illegal recreational marijuana business. O'Scannlain also warned that if Congress ever chooses to issue a different rule, people currently engaged in legal medical marijuana businesses might again be vulnerable."Congress could restore funding tomorrow, a year from now, or four years from now," he wrote, "and the government could then prosecute individuals who committed offenses while the government lacked funding."The ruling came only a week after the federal Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) issued a decision upholding the highly restrictive Schedule I classification of marijuana.To be classified as a Schedule I controlled substance, a drug should have "no currently accepted medical use," "a high potential for abuse" and be impossible to use safely under medical supervision. Thus, lethal and addictive prescription painkillers  which kill more people each year than illegal street drugs  fall in the less tightly regulated Schedule II category. Alcohol and tobacco, which are known to be far more addictive and deadly than marijuana, are not regulated as controlled substances at all.DEA chief Chuck Rosenberg said that the agency relied on an FDA conclusion that there is "no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States." This flies in the face of a large body of scientific data on the medical benefits of cannabis and its compounds.Indeed, a recent National Institutes of Health review of FDA studies concluded that "based on evidence currently available the Schedule I classification is not tenable; it is not accurate that cannabis has no medical value, or that information on safety is lacking."The majority of U.S. residents support marijuana legalization.
The European Southern Observatory (ESO) found clear evidence that there is a habitable planet orbiting the star Proxima Centauri near Earth. The planet is larger than Earth and also has a temperature suitable for liquid water to exist.

Proxima Centauri is approaching and then receding Earth at about 5 km/h within a period of 11.2 days. #PaleRedDot https://t.co/AfgMm6b2ZD  ESO (@ESO) August 24, 2016

Proxima Centauri is a dwarf red star, also known as the pale red dot. It has been the center of ESO's habitable planet hunt to find another potentially habitable planet outside the Solar System.

Proxima Centauri can be found near Earth at about four light-years away from the Solar System. It is located in the constellation of Centaurus. Astronomers using ESO telescopes and other facilities worldwide confirmed that they have found clear evidence that there is a planet orbiting the nearest star system to Earth. The new planet is called Proxima b and it is considered a potentially habitable planet since it is believed to have a suitable temperature to hold liquid water.

Based on the research, astronomers say that the rocky Proxima b completes an 11-day orbit around its star. But the most significant part of the study is that the scientists believe that Proxima b could be the next potential "abode" to cater to life outside the Solar System.

Earlier this month, rumors circulated suggesting that a habitable planet was already found, citing an unknown source. But ESO did not confirm nor deny the rumors until the finding was about to be published in the journal Nature on Aug. 25.

To achieve this milestone, ESO used the HARPS spectrograph on the ESO telescope at La Silla in Chile to observe Proxima Centauri. Their observations were supported by various telescopes from different parts of the world. Aside from that, Guillem Anglada-Escude of the Queen Mary University of London led the Pale Red Dot campaign to search for evidence of orbiting planets in the region.

The Pale Red Dot campaign was established to see if there are other Earth-like planets orbiting around the nearest star system. The team of astronomers was apprehensive to conclude at first, but the evidence is clear. "I kept checking the consistency of the signal every single day during the 60 nights of the Pale Red Dot campaign," Guillem Anglada-Escude said in a press release by ESO. "The first 10 were promising, the first 20 were consistent with expectations, and at 30 days the result was pretty much definitive, so we started drafting the paper," Anglada-Escude added.

First hints of a planet around Proxima Centauri were not convincing but now #PaleRedDot has found solid proof https://t.co/K7WfCmSMX4  ESO (@ESO) August 24, 2016

Based on their findings, the habitable planet is 1.3 times bigger compared to the mass of Earth and it orbits at about 7 million kilometers from its star with only five percent of the Earth-Sun distance. Proxima Centauri is fainter than the Sun putting Proxima b into a habitable zone despite its close orbit to the star.

In 2013, the first hints on finding a habitable planet were discovered. From then on Anglada-Escude and ESO worked hard to find more definitive evidence to conclude that a potentially habitable planet orbits the nearest star outside the Solar System.

Continued studies are being conducted with regard to Proxima b's climate, water content, and radiation level. In the meantime, the conditions within Proxima b also made it the foremost candidate in the search for life outside the Earth.
A study reveals that the world's last mass extinction happened because of global warming. This mass extinction, called the Great Dying Event, saw the demise of 96 percent of marine species and 70 percent of terrestrial life.

Jochen Knies, a researcher at CAGE who conducted the study in the Arctic, said the cause of this mass extinction is an "explosive event of volcanic eruptions" that happened in Siberia. He also said that amounts of volatiles such as carbon dioxides and methane were emitted by several eruptions that lasted for a million years. This emission made our planet "unbearably hot" during that time, Heritage Daily reports.

The Great Dying Event happened 252 million years ago, and it took nine million years after for life on Earth to recover from the catastrophe. The new study found clues in the Arctic and can now reveal why it took such a long time for recovery.

"What used to be the northwestern continental margin of the super continent Pangaea is now Canadian High Arctic. There we found evidence in geological records for a significant nutrient gap during this period. This means that global oceans were severely poor in nutrients such as nitrogen," Knies said via Science Daily.

During the Great Dying, the oceans' temperature (thermoclines) and nutrients (nutricline) suffered greatly because of high temperatures. Oceans are not a single body of water. There are actually layers and boundaries that are based on thermoclines and nutriclines. Both thermoclines and nutriclines deepened, ceasing the upwelling of nutrients from the bottom of the oceans. As a result, marine algae productivity decreased, crumbiling down the base of the food chain.

Only around six to seven million years after the extinction did the oceans started cooling off. The boundaries that prevented nutrients from going up to the surface were weakened. This paved way for the nutrients to return to the surface and sustain life again.

The study also proves how global warming can affect marine ecosystems in the long haul. The Great Dying Event or Permian-Triassic mass extinction has reset evolution. After this event, dinosaurs came but they also died out due to another mass extinction. The study notes that it's possible that humanity is facing another impending mass extinction due to human activity.
A crusader-era hand grenade was turned over to Israel Antiquities Authority Express (IAA). The hand grenade, together with other metal artifacts, was recovered from the sea in Israel found by the late Marcel Mazliah.

According to Fox News, some of the fascinating archaeological finds that were brought to IAA were a toggle pin, a head of a knife and a hand grenade. There were also two mortars, two pestles and candlestick fragments that, according to IAA curator Ayala Lester, dates back to the 11th Century Fatimid period.

"The items were apparently manufactured in Syria and were brought to Israel," she said, in a statement. "The finds are evidence of the metal trade that was conducted during this period."

Mazliah was a worker at the Hadera power plant in Northern Israel. On how he got these artifacts, his family said that Mazliah found the artifacts while at sea as he used to work in a seaside power plant, Haaretz reported. Recently, Mazliah's family decided to present the artifacts to the Israel Antiquities Authority.

It is possible that most of the items that Mazliah found came from sunked ships. The oldest of the artificats are the toggle pin and head of a knife, which are suspected to be from the Middle Bronze some 3,500 years ago.

But perhaps, the most intriguing of them all is the decorated hand grenade, which is possibly used during the time of the Crusaders as it is the most common weapon used in Israel during those times. Experts said that grenades were also used as a present in the 12th and 13th century Ayyubid period and in 13th to 16th century Mamluk era.

This particular metal hand grenade is "gorgeously embossed" compared to modern grenades that is decorated with just serial numbers. Despite the fact that grenades were used as weapons or to diffuse burning flammable liquid, some experts believed that the "so-called" ancient grenades such as what Mazliah found were used as perfume containers instead of weapons.

The video posted below is from IAA's official YouTube channel, showing Mazliah's amazing finds including the hand grenade.
Smoke clouds appear to have an impact on climate change. Yet, there isn't enough data to support this - until now. NASA is sending out an aircraft over Africa to study smoke clouds and its effect on climate change.

Several months in a year, a layer of smoke drifts over the coast of Namibia. This dark haze and low lying clouds are said to influence global warming - either moderating or boosting its effects, over Africa. With a campaign cleared with NASA and the ObseRvations of Aerosols above CLouds and their IntEractionS (ORACLES), an aircraft from the space agency will be sent to study the effects of the smoke clouds.

The ORACLES mission will not only observe the effects of smoke clouds, but also measure the particles in the air and how it interacts with clouds which in turn changes their ability to warm or cool the planet.

"This is the perfect natural laboratory to study aerosol-cloud interactions, which are some of the largest uncertainties in the prediction of future climate," said Jens Redemann, ORACLES principal investigator at NASA's Ames Research Center.

The research planes will start flight into the smoke clouds by August 29. It will take off every other day from Namibia's Walvis Bay. Plans to return have already been set for 2017 and 2018. Mission leaders are already eager to start the studies on the cloud and haze effects, which according to Redemann "constitute the largest uncertainties in our models of future climate-that's no exaggeration."

"Human activities currently are estimated to be responsible for perhaps half of all the aerosol particles in the atmosphere," explained Robert Wood, ORACLES deputy principal investigator and cloud scientist at the University of Washington in Seattle. "Smoke particles both reflect sunlight back to space, thus cooling the Earth, and absorb sunlight, which has the opposite effect of warming the Earth. When aerosols encounter clouds, they also change the properties of the clouds they are ingested into."

ORACLES, a collaborative research effort, involves over a hundred scientists from NASA's five centers, two national laboratories, five African research institutions, and 10 universities in the United States.
Alert! Human-caused climate change started longer than we initially thought. According to a new study, this alarming phenomenon dates back in the 1830s during the industrial era.

The study published in the journal Nature says that paleoclimate records in the past five centuries (500 years) indicate that the constant warming in the tropics and Northern Hemisphere began in the 1830s.

What's the cause, you say? The researchers points the blame to the start of the industrial era, where there was a significant increase of greenhouse gases emitted to the atmosphere.

"It was an extraordinary finding," said Nerilie Abram, lead author and professor from the ANU Research School of Earth Sciences and ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate System Science, in a press release from EurekAlert. "It was one of those moments where science really surprised us. But the results were clear. The climate warming we are witnessing today started about 180 years ago."

The research involve the collaboration of 25 scientists from the U.S., Europe, Asia and Australia, who created and studied reconstructions of climate change in past 500 years to create a timeline and pinpoint where climate change began.

The team analyzed climate information of oceans and continents as well as thousands of years of climate model simulations. They also studied volcanic activity in the 1800s but found that this only contributed a small part to the onset of climate change compared to human activity.

This new discovery breaks the previous assumption in the scientific community that anthropogenic climate change only happened in the 20th century because climate change data before the 1900s was hard to find.

Actually finding that humans had a measureable impact on the climate in the mid 19th century was somewhat of a surprise, Abram said via Washington Post. Its a finding that, no matter which way we tested, we kept coming up with that same answer.
U.S. President Barack Obama announced Friday his plans of expanding the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument in Hawaii, making it the world's largest marine reserve.

According to a report from Reuters, Obama is planning to expand Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, quadrupling its size to 582,500 square miles by using his executive authority under the 1906 Antiquities Act. This move is Obama's final push to fight climate change before he steps down of office on January.

Created in 2006 by former U.S. President George W. Bush, the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument originally measures 140,000 square miles.

It is home to a plethora of endangered species as well as the world's healthiest coral reefs. Some of the species found in the monument are blue whale, sea turtles, short-tailed abatrosses and the rare Hawaiian monk seals.

"The best science shows that the ocean can recover, if you allow it to. As daunting as the problem of climate change is, and as troubling as the situation is with respect to our oceans, they show remarkable resilience, if you give them a chance," Senator Brian Schatz told Reuters.

National Geographic notes that the local government also supports Obama's move. Hawaii Governer David Ige says that the expansion of the marine reserve strikes the right balance at this time for the waters surrounding the Hawaiian Islands, and it can be a model for sustainability in the other oceans of planet Earth."

Currently, Obama, who was born in Hawaii, also prohibited commercial fishing and deep-sea mining within 200 miles of the marine reserve's exclusive economic zone (EEZ). But recreational fishing and scientific research will be allowed but will be required to have a permit.

The oceans are the untold story when it comes to climate change, and we have to feel a sense of urgency when it comes to protecting the ocean that sustains us, Schatz told Washington Post.
Breakthrough Starshot may still be in its early stages, but its future is already looking bright.

The latest discovery of a new planet orbiting Proxima Centauri, which is located in the Alpha Centauri star system - the destination of Breakthrough Starshot's exploration initiatives - has given the project a new focus.

Early in August, an anonymous research already hinted at the existence of an Earth-like exoplanet orbiting Proxima Centauri's habitable zone discovered by the European Southern Observatory (ESO). According to the study, which was published in the German weekly magazine called Der Spiegel, the planet could possibly hold liquid water on its surface and is only 4.25 light-years away from Earth.

On Wednesday, ESO confirmed the existence of this exoplanet, which is now called Proxima b. According to scientists, Proxima b is 1.3 times bigger than Earth, and it orbits its star at a distance of about 7 million kilometers, which is about 5 percent of the distance of Earth from the Sun.

"The discovery... provides an obvious target for a flyby mission," Avi Loeb, a physicist at Harvard University and chair of the Starshot mission advisory committee, told Business Insider.

"A spacecraft equipped with a camera and various filters could take color images of the planet and infer whether it is green (harboring life as we know it), blue (with water oceans on its surface) or just brown (dry rock)."

Breakthrough Starshot is a million-dollar research and engineering program led by billionaire Yuri Milner, renowned physicist Stephen Hawking and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg. It aims to demonstrate the capabilities of light beams to propel a gram-scale spacecraft or "nanocraft" to 20 percent the speed of light.

The destination of the fly-by mission is the Alpha Centauri, which is the second-closest star system to Earth and the trinary that includes Proxima Centauri (together with Alpha Centauri A and B).

According to Loeb, the powerful lasers or beamers have the potential to launch hundreds of nanocrafts per year.

"This will allow us to send a fleet of probes towards Proxima that could relay the images taken back to Earth more easily (from one spacecraft to the next along the line of sight to Proxima)," Loeb said.

"The curiosity to know more about the planet (most importantly whether it hosts life) will give the Starshot initiative a sense of urgency."

Loeb and his team of scientists are currently working on the challenges the crafts would face on its journey to the stars, including the potential damage from interstellar gas and dust. According to Loeb, other board members are hoping to speed up the timeline to explore Proxima b.

"The lifetime of Proxima is several trillion years, almost a thousand times longer than the remaining lifetime of the sun," Loeb said.

"Hence, a habitable rocky planet around Proxima would be the most natural location to where our civilization could aspire to move after the Sun will die, 5 billion years from now."
Image taken on Feb. 17, 2016 shows Dr. Juan Garcia, director of the Center for Parasitological Studies and Vectors (CEPAVE) of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of La Plata National University, holding a bottle with Aedes aegypti mosquitoes sheltered for study at one of the Centre laboratories, in La Plata city, Argentina. [Photo: Xinhua/Martin Zabala]

The Hong Kong authorities have reported the city's first Zika virus infection.

The patient was said to be a 38-year-old female who had travelled to a Caribbean island, before complaining of pain in the joints and red eyes.

Leung Ting-hung, head of the Centre for Health Protection.

"Initial investigations show that the patient had traveled to the island of St Barthelemy in the Caribbean Sea from August 6th to the 20th. She remembered that she was bitten by a mosquito."

The woman underwent a blood and urine test at an outpatient clinic at a private hospital on Tuesday.

Test results released on Thursday showed she had Zika virus.

She is being treated under quarantine in a stable condition.

None of her fellow travellers have shown any Zika symptoms.

Doctors say Zika can cause birth defects if mothers become infected during pregnancy.

It is commonly transmitted through a bite from an infected mosquito, and recent reports have confirmed it's also capable of leaping from person to person through sexual transmission.
China officially joins the race to the Red Planet with the recent unveiling of its Mars probe and rover, which will be launched in 2020.

The Chinese National Space Administration (CNSA) unveiled images of its first Martian probe on Aug. 23, and officially started the global naming and logo contest for the probe and the rover.

"The challenges we face are unprecedented," Ye Peijian, a leading aerospace expert in China and consultant for the program, said in a report by NDTV.

The Mars mission will be launched in 2020, a time when Earth and Mars are closest to each other in 26 months. It will be propelled on a Long March-5 carrier rocket, which is the main carrier for China's future space missions. It plans to take off from the Wenchang Launch Center in the Hainan province in southern China, and reach the Red Planet within seven months.

The Martian probe is composed of three parts: an orbiter, which will relay communications between Earth and Mars, and survey the two Martian moons; a lander, which will deploy airbag cushions and parachutes for a safe landing on Mars; and a rover equipped with spectrometers and other instruments, which will examine the Martian surface and make new discoveries about weather and geology.

Chief designer Zhang Rongquiao said in a report in PopSci that because of the 40-minute delay in Mars-to-Earth transmissions, the rover will be operating autonomously during observations on the Red Planet's geology, weather, ice distribution and magnetic field. Zhang said that it would also be challenging to secure enough battery capacity to sustain shortages in solar energy collection due to Mars' climate and atmosphere.

In 2011, China's attempt to send a probe in a Russian spacecraft failed shortly after launch when it was declared lost. China is also the third country to successfully land a rover on the Moon, and would then become the fifth country to orbit Mars, following the U.S., Russia, Europe and India.

Just recently, China has completed the construction of the world's largest radio telescope, as well as launched one of its most powerful space rockets, the Long March-7, which will power future space missions.
A six-month old puppy nearly died after accidentally swallowing a steak knife. Good things he was saved by the hands of the veterinarian specialists at an Australian clinic.

According to reports, the owners initially thought Lexi, the Staffordshire bull terrier, just had an upset stomach, until the poor pup started throwing up. But after sending the puppy for an X-Ray at their local vet, Dr. Margaret Scimone from Parramatta Vets were shocked to find a 20-centimeter knife in her stomach. They immediately sent Lexi at the Animal Referral Hospital to undergo a painstaking surgery.

"I've never seen anything like it." Dr. Jody Braddock, a specialist at the clinic who led the surgery of Lexi told United Press International."We knew that Lexi's best chance for survival would be to remove the knife as soon as possible before it could cause more damage."

"But to do that required a team effort with my veterinary technicians, guiding the endoscope with its camera in such a way that we could see the serrated edge and the tip of the knife and prevent it from cutting Lexi's tissue as it was slowly and gently inched out with forceps," she added.

Telegraph notes that the vets spent 45 minutes carefully removing the blade out of Lexi's stomach and back at the pup's esophagus. Meanwhile, veterinary dentist Dr. Christine Hawke said in a Facebook post that Lexi's orthodontic issue might have pushed the accident.

"The dog has a sore mouth because their teeth push into their gums...and to stop the pain, they'll often bite on something hard," Hawke said.

Lexi was kept in intensive care for three days to ensure her safety and full recovery. Recent report from CBS8 said Lexi has already made a full recovery and she can already eat without pain, and her wounds were not infected.
Detectives and family members of a 4-year-old boy shot and killed in Altadena appealed for the public's help Thursday in identifying whoever is responsible for the child's death.

Salvador Esparza III of Monrovia was pronounced dead at a hospital after he was shot about 10:40 p.m. on July 5 at 384 W. Figueroa Drive. The kindergarten-bound boy had been visiting family friends when he was wounded, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

A 27-year-old man was also wounded in the shooting, officials said.

"If anybody knows any information regarding this, please, please, please don't be scared to talk," the boy's mother, Coral Salvador, said. "Please just talk to the detectives, talk to somebody about it. I really want justice for my son."

At the time of the shooting, sheriff's Lt. John Corina said a person of interest had gotten into a heated alcohol-fueled argument in the street with the live-in boyfriend of the mother of the slain boy an hour or two before the shooting.

The boyfriend and his brother were the shooter's intended targets, sheriff's Lt. John Corina said.

"It's never easy when you see a child lose his life and it's never easy for anybody and of course he's not the intended target, not the intended victim in this," Corina said. "You know a bullet has no name so it just ends up striking a child who just happened to be on the porch."

Both victims were visiting the home and several other young children were asleep inside when the gunfire broke out, Corina said.

A gunman walked up to the home, located just east of the Foothill (210) Freeway, and fired at least 13 rounds, striking the victims as they sat on a porch, according to the sheriff's department.

Both were taken to Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena, where the boy was pronounced dead, said coroner's Assistant Chief Ed Winter.

The man, who deputies described as a family friend not related to the child, was hospitalized with non-life-threatening injuries, according to the sheriff's department.

The gunman, who Corina said is possibly a gang member who lives in the neighborhood, got into a dark car and fled the scene. The attack was initially described as a drive-by shooting but investigators later determined the gunman walked toward the victims from the direction of Olive Avenue.

The victim's mother and other family members are expected to join sheriff's investigators at Thursday's 11 a.m. news conference at the crime scene.

A $20,000 reward was offered for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of whoever is responsible for the boy's death.

Anyone with information about the shooting was urged to contact the sheriff's department at (323) 890-5500 or, anonymously, Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
A father with a past conviction for child abuse on his 4-year-old daughter was charged with murder on Friday after his six-week-old baby girl died earlier in the day.

Matthew Zabala, 32, who listed his job as a manager of a gas station in Cupertino several years ago, was taken into custody on Tuesday, after the Santa Clara County's Office said the baby was violently beaten three days before. Sgt. James Jensen said the baby died on Friday at 12:54 a.m.

Zabala was booked into Santa Clara County Main Jail and bail has been set at $1 million. Prosecutors, who are calling the infant "Baby Mila," had requested no bail be set for Zabala.

Deputies responded to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center in San Jose shortly before 3:30 p.m. Tuesday on a report of possible child abuse, Jensen said. Investigators learned that the girl was taken by ambulance to the medical center on Sunday for a life-threatening condition, Jensen said. Once the baby reached the hospital, doctors saw she was suffering from cardiac arrest and many broken bones.

"Doctors conducted X-rays," Jensen said. "They learned there was 14 different fractures throughout her body, including her skull."

That discovery prompted detectives to descend on a home in the first block of Boston Avenue north of West San Carlos Street in unincorporated San Jose, where they interviewed the child's biological parents and collected evidence, Jensen said. Zabala, who listed on Facebook that he attended Gilroy High School, posted a happy picture on July 7 at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose of a pregnant woman. "We are here, ready to meet our little girl," his post said. Other posts show him on what appear to be family vacations with two other young children. Police reports indicate he also has a daughter and a son.

Zabala was convicted of abusing his older daughter.

Court records show that Zabala was charged in 2009 with two counts of child abuse on his 4-year-old daughter in December 2008 after Santa Clara County social worker Bruce Fitts alerted police about some bruises, records show. The couple had been living in Sunnyvale at the time. Zabala told his girlfriend that their daughter fell off the bed, but a pediatrician later found her injuries to be "inconsistent" with Zabala's story, court records show.

Zabala had told police that the girl had cried "bloody murder" after she fell off the bed. Her crying caused his 10-month-old son to cry too, Zabala told police.

A CAT-scan revealed cranial bleeding and bruising in several parts of her body, but the girl was released from the hospital the next day.

At the time, the girlfriend, a legal secretary in Palo Alto, said she had no reason to believe Zabala would have hurt their daughter, and told authorities he yelled at the children sometimes, but would never inflict corporal punishment. She told police that she had never personally "observed Zabala in a violent manner."

But in a separate Sunnyvale Department of Safety report, the family doctor told police that the girlfriend told him "she had a suspicion" that her daughter may have been "physically abused."

The girlfriend also told police that Zabala had been dating another woman younger than 18, when they got together, who reported that Zabala hit her once during a fight, the Sunnyvale police report shows.

Police noted at the time that the 4-year-old appeared happy and well-behaved, police wrote, while also observing Zabala kiss his daughter, prompting her to "bounce up and down in happiness." The girl also told police that she fell out of the bed, and the social worker ultimately recommended the girl stay with her parents and "did not believe there was an immediate need to remove the children from the house."

A check with the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation said that Zabala has never been in the state prison system, at least under his current name or birth date provided.

Despite being sentenced to a four-year prison sentence, which the Mercury News reported, Jensen said that Zabala served his sentence in county jail. That discrepancy was not immediately explained.

The Sheriff's Office and the Valley Medical Foundation are raising funds for the baby's funeral. Anything extra will be donated to the VMC Foundation to benefit the Neo Natal Intensive Care Unit. To make a donation, click here.
A federal appeals court ruled 2-1 on Friday that Jaycee Dugard, who was kidnapped from South Lake Tahoe and held in Antioch by a parolee for 18 years, cannot hold federal parole officers liable for failing to supervise her captor.

The ruling was made seven years to the day she was rescued  Aug. 26, 2009. The U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals had already ruled on the case in March, but Friday's decision was an expanded version of their original opinion. Friday's opinion now becomes a legal precedent.

Dugard had argued, unsuccessfully, that federal parole officers failed to do their jobs well before Phillip Garrido snatched her away from her family in 1991 in South Lake Tahoe, and that the government was responsible.

But the appeals court said holding the government responsible would lead to endless liability for those federal agents who have dangerous people in their care and supervision.

Phillip Garrido, a parolee with a terrible history of drug-fueled sexual violence, committed unspeakable crimes against Jaycee Dugard for 18 years, U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals Judge John B. Owens wrote in a 44-page decision, first filed in San Francisco. State and federal authorities missed many opportunities to stop these tragic events.

But he added, While our hearts are with Ms. Dugard, the law is not.

The Pasadena-based panel said federal law and its intersection with California law prevented Dugard for being compensated for the incompetence of the parole office that was supposedly supervising Garrido.

Chief District Judge William Smith dissented, saying his colleagues were misrepresenting California tort law.

One of Dugard's attorneys, Jonathan Steinsapir, said his office was "disappointed" with the ruling and he planned to ask the entire 9th Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear the case.

Since being freed, Dugard became an author, a national speaker and the founder of the JAYC Foundation to help those who have been abused or traumatized.

Garrido held Dugard captive, sometimes in chains, in a backyard shed in Antioch and repeatedly raped and drugged her. She gave birth to two of his children during the ordeal. The three were discovered while visiting UC Berkeley and freed in August 2009.

Garrido and his wife, Nancy Garrido, pleaded guilty in 2011 to kidnapping and sexual assault. On June 2 of that year, Garrido was sentenced to 431 years to life imprisonment; Nancy Garrido received 36 years to life.

Dugard received a $20-million settlement from California and sued the federal government for similar compensation.

The Associated Press contributed to that report.
A California judge has requested he no longer handle criminal cases amid the fallout over the light sentence he gave to a former Stanford University swimmer who sexually assaulted an intoxicated woman.

Santa Clara County Judge Aaron Persky is the target of a recall campaign that started in June, when he sentenced former Stanford swimmer Brock Turner to six months in jail for sexually assaulting an intoxicated woman who passed out behind a trash bin after a fraternity party.

Santa Clara County Superior Court Presiding Judge Rise Jones Pichon issued the following statement Thursday:

"While I firmly believe in Judge Persky's ability to serve in his current assignment, he has requested to be assigned to the civil division, in which he previously served. Judge Persky believes the change will aid the public and the court by reducing the distractions that threaten to interfere with his ability to effectively discharge the duties of his current criminal assignment.

A reassignment is possible due to the request of another judge to relocate to Palo Alto. Although the Presiding Judge normally implements assignment changes in January of each year, when two judges simply want to swap assignments for which they are both eminently qualified, there is no reason to delay implementation of a change they both desire."

The assignment is subject to an annual review and takes effect Sept. 6. NBC Bay Area is attempting to reach Persky for comment.

Earlier this week, Persky recused himself from a key decision in another sex crime case. And on Wednesday, a woman's advocacy group rallied in front of a state building in San Francisco to add pressure to unseating Persky.

Michelle Dauber, the Stanford law professor behind the recall effort, said that while the move from Persky is welcome, the recall attempt will continue, in part because Persky "can still transfer back to hearing criminal cases any time he chooses."

"The issue of his judicial bias in favor of privileged defendants in sex crimes and domestic violence still needs to be addressed by the voters of Santa Clara County," Dauber said in an email. "In our opinion, Judge Persky is biased and should not be on the bench."

Prosecutors sought a six-year sentence in Turner's case, but Persky followed a recommendation by the county probation department to sentence him to six months in prison. Turner could have faced up to 14 years in prison.

The 23-year-old victim read an impassioned statement at the sentencing hearing. She described the assault in graphic detail and said her "independence, natural joy, gentleness, and steady lifestyle I had been enjoying became distorted beyond recognition."

Hundreds of thousands rallied to her cause in online petitions decrying Persky's sentence, and her statement was even read on the floor in Capitol Hill, so it could be entered into the congressional record.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Dean Green supports Donald Trump partly because of the GOP presidential nominee's tough, deport-them-all stance on illegal immigration. But the 57-year-old Republican paused as he complained about U.S. immigration policy and acknowledged that deporting all 11 million people in the U.S. illegally would separate families.

"I don't want to break up families," Green said.

It has been 30 years since the country embarked on an immigration overhaul, and the ambivalence of voters like Green is one reason why. Polls often show that majorities favor letting people illegally in the U.S. stay and also back tougher laws to deport them.

"The electorate is conflicted and that's a fundamental problem," said Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster. "This is such an emotional issue that reason and facts have very little to do with how people stand."

Trump is now either caught up in, or trying to exploit, that contradiction as he considers "softening" his controversial immigration stance. He won the GOP primaries on the strength of an aggressive immigration policy, calling for the immediate deportation of the estimated 11 million people in the U.S. illegally and construction of a Mexican border wall. But as he trails in the polls and struggles to overcome record lows with minority voters, he has sounded a softer tone.

"To take a person who's been here 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, it's so tough," Trump told a Fox News town hall, quoting what some "really strong" supporters had said to him. He even polled the audience on whether to allow some people in the country illegally to stay, a key part of President Barack Obama and Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton's agendas.

Todd Schulte, president of FWD.us, which advocates for an immigration overhaul that would let people in the country illegally remain here while increasing border security, said that Trump's words mean little until he commits to a real policy change. But just the fact that the candidate has to utter them is telling, he said.

"Opposition is not just toxic with Latinos and Asians and African-Americans, but with white voters," Schulte said.

A Pew survey released Thursday found 24 percent of the public favoring toughening border security first and 29 percent letting people stay in the country. Forty-five percent called for both. Trump's proposed wall is opposed by 61 percent of the country but backed by 78 percent of his supporters.

Views of immigrants have shifted over time, but remain conflicted, said Mark Lopez of Pew. In the early 1990s, two-thirds of Americans surveyed by Pew characterized immigrants as a burden on society, but now nearly two-thirds see them as a benefit. Lopez noted that happened as large numbers of immigrants settled in the U.S. and had children. However, a Pew survey last year found 50 percent of Americans believe immigrants make the economy worse compared to 28 percent who believe they make it better. (The survey did find majorities think immigrants improve food and music.)

Immigration has created complications for both parties. During the Democratic primary, as she courted groups that favor a softer stance on immigration, Clinton had to disavow her prior opposition to providing driver's licenses for people here illegally and also her support for deporting Central American children who flooded the border in 2014.

But the Democrat's contradictions are dwarfed by those in the GOP. During the GOP primary Trump slammed rivals like former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Ohio Gov. John Kasich for backing "amnesty"  letting people here illegally remain. But in exit polls in 20 primary states, 53 percent of Republican voters supported letting those immigrants stay, even as Trump won the primaries.

Ayres recalled a focus group in the Deep South during which conservative voters complained about illegal immigrants. One man said he wanted them to pay taxes, work and learn English. Ayres told the man that was precisely the bipartisan proposal that had passed the Senate in 2013 and was being held up in the Republican-controlled House. "But that's amnesty," the man responded. "I don't support that."

"That's when I turned around and cracked my head against the wall," Ayres said.

Roy Beck, president of Numbers USA, which pushes for less immigration, sees Trump's shift through that prism. "Trump is much more like an average American than he is like a politician," said Beck, whose group still downgraded Trump in its voter guide this week. "He's thinking about these things, people are talking to him and he's reflecting that."

Mark Krikorian of the Center for Immigration Studies, which also advocates for less immigration, doesn't think the Republican nominee should be cut any slack. Trump has changed his position on many issues, but immigration is the one that launched his candidacy, he said.

"Without the immigration issue, the words 'President Trump' would still be a 'Simpsons' joke,' " Krikorian said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

Trend:

Armenias armed forces have 13 times violated the ceasefire on the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops over the past 24 hours, said Azerbaijans Defense Ministry Aug. 26.

The Armenian armed forces stationed on nameless heights of Ijevan, Krasnoselsk districts and in the Aygepar village of the Berd district of Armenia opened fire at the Azerbaijani positions located on nameless heights of the Gazakh, Tovuz and Gadabay districts.

Positions of the Azerbaijani army also underwent fire from the Armenian positions located near occupied Sarijali village of Azerbaijans Aghdam district, Horadiz, Gorgan and Garakhanbayli villages of the Fizuli district, as well as from the positions located on nameless heights of the Goranboy district.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Chicago Public Schools teachers will be heading to work on Monday, but talks of a potential strike are ongoing and sources say the teachers union is eyeing a date in October.

With students arriving Sept. 6 for the first day of school, teachers will have a week of preparing for the new school year.

Teachers have been working without a contract for more than a year and if no agreement is reached the union is discussing a strike date of Oct. 17, or sooner, according to sources close to the decision. The Chicago Teachers Union House of Delegates has not yet voted on the strike date, but will meet Sept. 7 with setting a strike date on the agenda.

Some union members want the teachers to walk off the job on the first day of school, however, the mid-October date allows teachers to receive two pay checks as the new school year begins.

The CTU's recent newsletter says, CTU members are so angry that many have said theyre ready to strike now before school is set to open.

But it adds With a few weeks and a few paychecks under our belts, the Union will be strong, united and ready for whatever the Board may bring.

One of the other factors in waiting until October, members of the union tell NBC 5, is teachers must re-enroll in late September to receive healthcare benefits. They want to wait for any walk out to take place until after theyve done that.

Union leaders have to file a 10-day strike notice with the State Labor Board once the official date is agreed upon.

The latest contract proposal called for the union to phase in the acceptance of paying their own 7 percent pension payments. CTU President Karen Lewis says teachers will strike if the pension payment is imposed on them.
E-commerce giant Amazon is planning to open a brick-and-mortar bookstore in Chicago, according to the Chicago Tribune.

The store will be located at 3443 N. Southport Ave in the city's Lake View neighborhood, the former location of the now-shuttered Mystic Celt bar and restaurant, the Tribune reports.

"We are excited to be bringing Amazon Books to Southport in Chicago," a spokesperson told the Tribune Thursday.

The store is scheduled to open next year, according to the Tribune.

Amazon's first bookstore opened in Seattle last fall.
Massive freight trains roll past Cody and Samantha Battaglias home in suburban Bartlett every day. But its not the rumbling sound of trains that bothers them. The couple says overgrown trees and fallen branches on the railroads property have damaged their backyard fence.

Trees that are closer to the tracks further off of my property that have fallen down are causing the rest of this (brush) thats closer to my property (to) push in to the fence, said Cody Battaglia.

Battaglia said the brush was pushing his fence so severely that he had to prop it up with bricks and boards. He said he needs to keep the fence upright so his pet dachshunds dont escape the backyard. He also wants to keep pesky critters from entering his backyard.

I want my yard. My dogs need my yard, Battaglia said.

Battaglia said he called Canadian National Railway last year to see if they could remove excess brush and address his damaged fence.

There was never really, like, well help you or we wont, Battaglia said. It was just, we got to take a look at some things and we just really never got anywhere with them.

Meanwhile, a tree service quoted Battaglia $1,200 to trim the trees hanging over and around his fence. But that wouldnt solve the root of the problem, according to Battaglia.

They could not cut anything down thats not on our property, Battaglia said.

Another company quoted the Battaglias $3,000 to install a new fence.

We just had a newborn baby, Battaglia said. I dont have the time or the money to do something.

But several weeks after NBC 5 Responds contacted Canadian National regarding the couples concerns, the railroad company arranged for a tree trimming crew to clear the brush around the fence.

Im happy that they finally got rid of the trees, Battaglia later texted NBC 5 Responds. They did not dispose of any shrubs or trunks. It is not pushing the fence anymore, though.

The trimming saved Battaglia more than $1,000, had he paid for a professional to do it. Battaglia also said Canadian National is paying to have his fence reconnected at the end.

A spokesperson for Canadian National said the company is pleased that the issue is being resolved.

The Illinois Commerce Commission urges homeowners who live next to railroads to contact the claims department of the railroad involved and file a claim if there is ever any damage to property. If this proves unsuccessful, homeowners can also contact the USDOT Federal Railroad Administration, according to the Illinois Department of Insurance.
In a central Indiana city where trees were sheared off at their stumps by one of several tornadoes in the region, residents began the hard work Thursday of cleaning up destroyed or damaged homes and businesses.

The EF3 tornado that swept through the south side of Kokomo, Indiana, on Wednesday afternoon packing winds as high as 152 mph toppled a Starbucks coffee shop and tore apart numerous homes. One of them belonged to 45-year-old Mark Martinez, who was out picking up his daughter from school and returned to find everything but the bedrooms on one side of his house destroyed.

Indiana Gov. Mike Pence hugged and chatted with residents in a neighborhood where the damage seemed to skip some homes altogether. Pence credited quick thinking and early warnings of the approaching storm for the lack of serious injuries; Howard County Sheriff Steve Rogers said only 10 to 15 residents in the city 40 miles north of Indianapolis had minor injuries.

"It's a miracle and it's a testament to good common sense," Pence said.

Cheryl Swyers said she huddled in a hallway closet with her 2-year-old granddaughter as the tornado struck.

"It sounded like it lasted forever, but I'm sure it wasn't," Swyers said. "The house shook. You could hear things flying around outside."

Her house was spared from major damage. But the tornado demolished most of the home across the street belonging to Martinez, who left to pick up his daughter from school minutes before the tornado tore through.

When they returned, his daughter was distraught because their dog was still inside the rubble of the home. After some digging, Martinez found the dog alive.

Martinez said he hadn't mentally processed the events.

"It's crazy," was all he could muster.

The Kokomo tornado was one of several that swept through central and northern Indiana and northwest Ohio on Wednesday.

In Ohio, damage was reported in four counties, including Van Wert County, where officials said at least two tornadoes touched down about 2 miles apart, tearing roofs off homes and flattening barns. A tornado warning also briefly stopped a KISS concert Wednesday night in Toledo, Ohio, though no twisters touched down in that city.

As of Thursday afternoon, the National Weather Service had confirmed that at least seven tornadoes hit Indiana during Wednesday's outbreak, five of them in central Indiana and two others in northeastern Indiana. But surveys were continuing and the storm tally was expected to rise, said Mike Ryan, a weather service meteorologist in Indianapolis.

Some houses and farm buildings were damaged by storms in rural areas near Fort Wayne, Indiana, and the Montgomery County community of Mace, about 35 miles northwest of Indianapolis.

About 220 people stayed overnight in a temporary shelter in Kokomo, Mayor Greg Goodnight said Thursday. Police were restricting access to storm-damaged neighborhoods, saying residents must show identification to gain access.

Utility companies reported about 25,000 homes and businesses in the Kokomo area lost electricity from the storm, though power was restored to more than half by Thursday afternoon.

Heidi Otiker lives on a block that was hit Wednesday, as well as by a tornado in November 2013.

"It could have been far worse. God has a master plan. I believe this all happens for a reason. It sucks at the moment. Our houses and our material things can be replaced," she said. "But this time, no fatalities, no injuries, and we are all still here."
After months of promising to revamp the Chicago agency that investigates police misconduct, Mayor Rahm Emanuel made a brief and reportedly contentious appearance in front of Chicago aldermen Thursday to detail the coming changes.

But lawmakers said even after the briefing, there are still no definitive answers on what's to come for the Independent Police Review Authority.

"There's going to be an independent group, a citizen's group, that will oversee the situations and events that happen as it relates to the police use of force," Emanuel said at a separate event Thursday.

Following the release of the video showing a Chicago police officer shooting 17-year-old Laquan McDonald 16 times, the fallout at the Chicago Police Department has been stunning. Multiple hearings have documented problems - the IPRA had too few investigators, and rarely punished police misconduct.

But while Thursday's three hour, closed-door meeting gave aldermen an outline of what Emanuel envisions for a new police investigative agency, they said afterwards that they were still looking for details.

"There are changes to what IPRA's authority is, there's changes to a whole host of things - the problem is, we dont know all of the specifics," 45th Ward Alderman John Arena added.

"I think when we see the draft ordinance, well know more," 32nd Ward Alderman Scott Waguespack said.

Emanuel announced a plan to dismantle the IPRA in May, promising to make changes including the addition of more civilians and a bigger budget, all in an effort to rebuild trust with the community.

"Theyre giving us bullet points but we havent seen the language," said 22nd Ward Alderman Ricardo Munoz. "Theyre promising the language by Monday, were hoping to see it then."

City attorney Steve Patton handled most of the briefing Thursday, which was described as contentious, and Emanuel reportedly attended the meeting for less than five minutes.
Bonnie Liltz, the chronically ill Schaumburg mother sentenced to four years in prison for the death of her severely disabled daughter, has been released pending an appellate review of her sentencing.

Liltz's deteriorating health has been a cause of concern since she was placed behind bars earlier this year and her attorney, Tom Glasgow, cited that as the reason he asked that Liltz be released on bond during the review of her sentence.

In his motion, Glasgow wrote, "The court abused its discretion in sentencing Liltz to prison." He charged Thursday, "The Courts comments strongly suggest that it never considered probation" though the statute allows for it.

The appellate court agreed to allow Liltz out on bond Thursday and she could walk free as early as Thursday evening, officials said.

"I'm just shocked," Liltz said as her attorney told her the news.

"I was absolutely pleased," Glasgow said Thursday. "In the twenty plus years that Ive been practicing law I have never either seen as a prosecutor or as a defense attorney an appellate bond be granted. I was quite pleased.

Liltz was transported to downstate Lincoln Correctional Center in June to serve her four-year sentence for involuntary manslaughter for killing her daughter during a botched murder-suicide. One day later, her lawyer was back in court filing a motion to free her.

In his filing, Glasgow argued Liltz's health had radically deteriorated while she was initially held at County Jail, noting that her weight had dropped to just 92 pounds. The Illinois prison system, he wrote, is not equipped to deal with her litany of medical issues stemming from ovarian cancer in her youth and radical gastric issues now.

From the beginning, this has been a most unusual case.

Liltz, severely ill, thought she was dying one night in May of 2015. Fearing that her 28-year-old daughter Courtney, who she adopted at the age of 5, would be sent to a state institution, Liltz gave her a number of medications before taking several herself in hopes that they would both overdose. Courtney died, and Liltz survived.

Initially charged with first-degree murder, even the prosecution agreed the charge should be downgraded and that probation, not prison, was in order.

Defense attorney Glasgow at the time said, "I think the state looked at the facts in this case, ended up coming to a just result."

But Cook County Circuit Court Judge Joel Greenblatt strongly disagreed, sentencing Lilitz to four years in prison, saying, "The choice you made that night was not an act of love. It was a crime."

"She has lived a very challenging life," Glasgow said Thursday. "She has been dealt a very poor hand by God."

"I think its in the best interest of justice that she is released and she is able to get that care and the state did not object," he added.
Dr. William Petit, the sole survivor of the home invasion in Cheshire, Connecticut, opened up during an exclusive interview with NBC's "Today" show about the decision to run for the state House of Representatives and about moving forward after the tragedy that took his family nine years ago.

Petits wife, Jennifer Hawke Petit, and their two daughters, Hayley and Michaela, were killed during a night of horrors in their home in July 2007. Dealing with the survivors guilt will be part of Petits life forever, he said when asked.

Its packaged up and compartmentalized a little bit, he said. Its sort of like on the top shelf in the closet in a small box and occasionally it comes out and you open the box and have a terrible night or a couple of terrible hours, or a terrible weekend, or whatever the case might be.

And then you come to grips and talk to your wife, and you talk to your son, and you talk to your family and your friends and you wrap it up again and you put it back in the closet knowing its probably never going to be gone, Petit said.

He said the time after the murders was difficult. He was made president of the Petit Family Foundation, which was set up to honor the memory of Jennifer, Hayley and Michaela, but getting out of bed was difficult.

I would basically would be in bed the entire day, then get up, come to the meeting and then, you know, go back to bed, he said.

It was through that foundation that he met Christine Paluf and they married in 2012. Their little boy, William, will be 3 in November.

Petit, who now lives in Plainville, is running as a Republican.

He has been an outspoken supporter of the death penalty and was critical of the state Supreme Courts decision to abolish it. But he said his personal tragedy was not the impetus for running.

You know, some people still stop and say, I know where you stand. Youre for the death penalty. And I say, Well, you know, Im not really running on the death penalty," he said. "So whats important to people is the quality of life, the economy, their jobs, their childrens futures.

During an interview with NBC Connecticut last month, the retired endocrinologist said he wants to see state spending reined in. He said he agrees with the layoffs issued by Gov. Dannel Malloy because benefits like health insurance and pensions have gotten out of control.

The seat Petit is running for is now held by Betty Boukus, a Democrat, who has been in office for more than 20 years.
A political sign swiper is on the loose in Canton.

The suspect was caught on a security camera stealing a Donald Trump sign off a homeowner's front lawn.

Campaign officials said it's a recent trend with the presidential candidates.

"I do feel violated, actually," homeowner, Chris Mastroianni tells NBC Connecticut.

Mastroianni is happy he installed surveillance cameras at his Canton home, he said.

"I could see the black Prius going up and down the street several times. He looks like he's casing out my house or waiting for the opportunity to move in. Then you can see the Prius back into the driveway," Mastroianni said.

Then, the mysterious man makes his move.

"Grabs the sign, shuffles back int the car and takes off," Mastroianni said. "(It's) Kind of humorous, but also disturbing that someone is creeping around the property that late at night."

Last week, Mastroianni said a woman paid a visit to his home after he replaced his original Trump sign.

"There's a female that walked in my driveway at 2:40 in the morning, pulls out a stapler and staples a Bernie picture to the sign," he added.

Mastroianni called Canton Police and they said they are on the case.

Chief Chris Arciero said so far, this is their only stolen campaign sign, but they're working to find those responsible.

"It's inappropriate and we'll take the appropriate enforcement action if we find out who did it," Arciero told NBC Connecticut. "Anywhere from an infraction to an arrest depends on circumstances and why person stole the sign."

Over in Watertown, the chair of the Republican Town Committee said they're warning residents they've had 80 Trump signs stolen since April.

Chris said he'll keep replacing them if need be.

"I am offended because society is preaching a lot of tolerance, tolerance of everyone and of everything and i can't have my own political view on my front yard?" he added.
Connecticut Department of Transportation officials and Gov. Dannel Malloy announced Friday the major construction project on I-84 in Waterbury should be finished sooner than originally planned because of the mild winter and a dedicated construction team.

Construction crews Friday morning continued the rock excavation clearing the way for I-84s new alignment through Waterbury.

You could fill the Yale bowl to the height of 55 feet with the rock that weve already moved, Malloy said of the projects progress.

A year and a half after breaking ground, DOT officials said the project covering the 2.7 mile stretch of highway is 10 months ahead of schedule.

I guess they are ahead of schedule which is good news, said David Shea of Waterbury, but when is it going to end?

What are the commutes like during all this construction? NBC Connecticut asked Lauren Lombardo, who drives from Meriden to Waterbury for work.

In the morning its slow, she said. But in the afternoon its just dead-stopped and takes me a little while to get here so I have to give myself some extra time.

The project is getting rid of the interstates S-curve shape and widening the road to add shoulders and a third travel lane in each direction.

Once the three lanes come its going to be a nice smooth ride, Lombardo said.

The improvements to the highway are paving the way for economic development, Waterbury Mayor Neil OLeary said.

The interest in the property and the undeveloped property on the east side of Waterbury has gone up tremendously since this project actually got the shovels in the ground, he said.

By summer 2019, a year earlier than expected, Gov. Malloy said the work should be finished and there will be three flowing lanes of traffic in both directions.

"This is a blueprint project for how we are going to be doing things in the future using new construction methods, new monitoring methods," Malloy said.

For weekly updates on the construction project, visit the website.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

Trend:

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev congratulated his Moldovan counterpart Nicolae Timofti on the occasion of Independence Day.

On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my heartfelt congratulations to you and the people of your country on the occasion of the national holiday of Moldova  Independence Day, President Aliyev said.

I believe that friendly relations and cooperation between Azerbaijan and Moldova will continue developing and expanding in the best interests of our countries and people, the president said.

On this remarkable day, I wish you robust health, successes in your activities, and the friendly people of Moldova peace and prosperity, the president added.
The wife of a New Britain pastor is speaking out exclusively to NBC Connecticut after she was shot last week outside of her church.

New Britain Police said around 8 p.m. last Friday, shots were fired behind Angela Semidey's husband's Arch Street Church: Iglesia Cristiana El Sigue Siendo Dios.

At that time, Semidey was conducting a bible study class in the back of the church.

"I had all the children outside, trying to push them inside so that none of them would be hurt putting them inside. I was the last one that went inside and so I felt something that hit me in the area above my hips," said Semidey, in Spanish to NBC Connecticut.

Semidey took the bullet for her husband and it went through the back of her right hip and out through her thigh.

But her quick thinking also saved a little boy standing in front of her.

The power from the bullet... if it were a little boy he wouldnt have made it. Definitely not, she said in tears.

Angela said she did not realize she had been shot because of the adrenaline rush of getting the children to safety.

She noticed the bullet when she sat on the church pew.

Her fellow church members and husband, Pastor Arthur Semidey helped her stop the bleeding and called police for help.

Semidey was taken to the hospital Friday and was released Saturday. She has since been recovering at home with her loved-ones.

Now, walking has become an issue. She has to use a cane and a walker to get by. Even walking from the living room to the kitchen - second of a walk - takes several minutes and is strenuous for Angela.

Since the shooting, police have been searching for at least one armed male suspect.

Police believe the shooting was between two groups that know each other. If you have any information, call New Britain Police.
Police said they are investigating the 911 call made when a Chinese food delivery woman was murdered in Waterbury.

"Telecommunicator Nicole Scarino has been placed on administrative leave from her civilian position pending the outcome of a police internal affairs investigation regarding her conduct during a 911 call that involved a murder," Waterbury police said on Thursday.

Helena Vargas, who delivered food for a Chinese restaurant, was killed and her male coworker was injured during a robbery on Linden Street Tuesday night

Four people attacked and robbed the victims, leaving the 59-year-old woman with a gunshot wound in her neck, according to police.

Days after the murder, residents have been signing a petition to get the Waterbury "dispatcher" fired because of how she handled the 911 call with Vargas' coworker.

The petition said that the Scarino , who police said is a complaint clerk, not a dispatcher, "grossly" misunderstood the caller's "linguistic inabilities while under the duress of a life and death matter."

During the phone call, it appears that the caller is struggling to communicate in English to Scarino.

The following is a portion of the recording:

Clerk: 70 Linden Street? Seven, zero Linden Street?

Driver: No, no, no 70. Number 70.

Clerk: 70 is seven, zero, thats what 70 is, seven and a zero

Driver: Yeah, yeah, right away. They rob me and they shot the girl with me.

Clerk: What happened?

The call ends when officers arrive and Scarino is heard saying, I dont care what youre driving I want to know what the people who shot the lady are driving. Oh, they got behind the house. They came from behind the house? The officers are there. You might as well talk to them now. Thank you.
Mayor Neil OLeary is speaking out after the governor of Maine placed blame on Waterbury for bringing drugs into his state.

"We need to find solutions to problems and not be pointing fingers and name calling," OLeary said Friday. "And thats what saddens me, a governor would stoop to that level."

During a town hall Wednesday night, this is how Governor Paul LePage of Maine addressed the drug epidemic:

"I don't ask them to come to Maine and sell their poison but they come," Gov. LePage said. "And I will tell you that ninety plus percent of those pictures in my book and it's a three ring binder are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut the Bronx and Brooklyn."

OLeary would not go so far as to call the comments racist, but he said Governor LePages statement is no way to tackle a serious issue hurting communities across the region.

"To talk about a drug epidemic in terms of race is never a good idea because its just not right," he told NBC Connecticut.

OLeary said the ongoing drug crisis right now is worse than anything he saw during his 32 years in law enforcement.

"There is a significant heroin epidemic going on in the United States of America right now and its taking peoples lives every single day," OLeary said.

ALCU of Connecticut interim executive director David McGuire issued a statement to NBC Connecticut.

"We applaud our sister affiliate, the American Civil Liberties Union of Maine, for speaking out against racism and seeking to get to the bottom of whether racial profilingor profiling of Connecticut residentsis happening in Maine."

Instead of blaming certain cities and minorities, Mayor OLeary said elected officials and law enforcement from across New England should work together on cutting off the supply of potentially deadly drugs.

"Wed be happy to do that," he said. "But were certainly not going to get caught into any racial derogatory commentary any further."

OLeary pointed out three recent overdose victims in his city were all white.
West Haven Police arrested three men in their 20's for attempting to steal wheels from a Honda on Savin Avenue early Thursday morning.

"Hopefully, were putting a dent in the spree that took place," WHPD Sgt. Dave Tammaro said of a recent rash in car thefts and break-ins, specifically targeting cars made by Honda.

Home surveillance video obtained by police shows thieves taking advantage of unlocked cars, Tammaro said.

"If the doors are locked, theyre moving on to a different vehicle," he said. "If the doors are unlocked, theyre going to go right full through and see whatever they get."

Police stress that not leaving valuables in plain sight is another tip to become less of a target.

"I have an alarm system," said Mia Kendall, who drives a Honda. "But I make sure that it looks as uninteresting as possible. Theres nothing in any of the seat compartments, nothing, its all hidden."

West Haven Police are reactivating a program to help Honda owners take an extra step to protect their vehicles. The department has purchased steering wheel locks designed for Honda cars made between 1994 and 2006 to give out to residents for free.

"So basically the lock would go on like this on each arm of the steering wheel," Tammaro said, demonstrating how the locks work.

"If somebody was actually to start the car, theyre still going have to get this off to drive."

West Haven residents can stop by the police department during the day, with their vehicle registration, to pick one up.

"Any mechanical device can be defeated," Tammaro said. "Its just another step they have to take to get it off and hopefully that buys enough time for the police officer to get there."
Four-year-old Jackson Scherlen didn't have his father at his side on the first day of pre-K in Texas this week. But he did have about 20 of his father's brothers and sisters from the Amarillo Police Department to give him a hug and wish him the best.

Officer Justin Scherlen never missed the first day of school for his four children, according to the Amarillo Independent School District, but he died recently from complications of an on-duty vehicle crash that took place last year.

He left behind his children and wife, Jessica, and to help fill the void as the kids when back to school, nearly two dozen of his fellow officers escorted them to school on their first day, the school district said.

Jackson hugged and high fived every one of the officers before going to class at at Coronado Elementary School.

"You have fun, OK? Be good," says one officer, as seen in video of the goodbye.

"See you, bud. Have a good day at school," says another.

The group posed for photos outside the school as well, preserving a bittersweet memory for the Scherlen family and their larger family at Amarillo PD.

"As a police department we feel like we're a family. We're around each other so much that we get to know each other, we get to know each others families that we feel that close, Officer Jeb Hilton told NBC affiliate KAMR in Amarillo.

The station reports that two of Scherlen's other children, a fourth and a second grader, were also escorted to school Monday, before the officers returned to take Jackson to his pre-Kindergarten class.
The boyfriend of a missing Richardson woman is now wanted for her murder.

Richardson police issued an arrest warrant for Luis Manuel Rodriguez. Police believe he may have killed 25-year-old Camelia Perez-Hernandez.

"We are looking for Mr. Rodriguez. We do believe that he would likely know where she is at, and if any foul play has taken place it's likely at the hands of Mr. Rodriguez," said Richardson Police Sgt. Kevin Perlick.

Hernandez worked as a real estate agent in Plano. Her family reported her missing July 12.

Her family says they last spoke with her July 11 while she was exercising near her Richardson apartment. The only signs of her ever since, they say, are a pair of pink shorts and a workout mat belonging to Hernandez. They were found near her apartment.



"Where is she? What happened to her?" said Camelia's mother Vicenta Hernandez on the one-month anniversary of the disappearance. "There are a thousand questions that I have."

Police say the only person to hear from Rodriguez since the disappearance is his employer, when Rodriguez called to say "thank you" for the job, police explained.



The call traced back to a phone number in Mexico, where police say Rodriguez may have fled.

Anyone with information about the case is asked to contact Richardson police.
When the Ramos family moved to Plano two years ago they, like many people, bought new appliances for their new home. But when they couldn't stop the loud noises coming from the refrigerator they called NBC 5 Responds for help.

For this family, having a reliable fridge is a must.

"I have three young kids, so you can imagine we go through a heck of a lot of milk."

Jason Ramos purchased his Samsung fridge two years ago. It did the job for the first year and a half, but shortly after disturbing noises marked the beginning of a frustrating battle.

The inside was warm and the food was spoiled, so Ramos called in a repairman to take a closer look.

"He knew exactly what to do. He did it. He replaced some pieces and parts and got it working again," Ramos said.

But shortly after the refrigerator began to make noises again.

"A clicking. Just a click, click, click," Ramos recalled.

His problems returned. He decided to contact Samsung and after several phone calls a technician finally showed up to fix the fridge.

"We were happy until we started hearing noises again from the refrigerator. So we reached back out to Samsung and that's when it became more of a battle."

He said he couldn't get answers and still had a faulty appliance.

"Days turned into weeks and weeks turned into months," Ramos said. "So then we decided to reach out to NBC."

NBC 5 Responds reached out to Samsung directly and within days of our call they were working on Ramos' problem.

"They reached out to us and finally agreed that we will take care of the refrigerator. We understand and we're sorry you had to go through this," Samsung said.

Samsung offered Ramos the option to receive a check or a credit at Best Buy. He chose the credit, went into Best Buy and picked out a brand new fridge worth $2,499.99.

And he stuck with the Samsung brand.

"Simply because, you know what, at the end of the day, they stood by their product. They offered us a replacement and they were good to their word," Ramos said.
A charter plane pilot was abruptly grounded Thursday at a Michigan airport after police discovered he was allegedly too drunk to fly, NBC News reported.

The captain of the plane notified the Cherry Capital Airport tower in Traverse City that there was something wrong with his co-pilot as he prepared to land.

When police arrived, the co-pilot was at the controls and preparing to take off for Bedford, Massachusetts, with a dozen passengers on board.

The co-pilot, who was not named, was fired from Talon Air. Police said he was arrested after registering a blood alcohol content of .30  four times the legal limit for driving a car.
An employee at Andy's Smoke Shop in Hillcrest has been arrested for selling the synthetic drug spice after the store was caught in violation of a City ordinance and a recent cease and desist order, San Diego Police (SDPD) said.

The City of San Diego ordinance, considered the toughest of its kind in the state of California, bans the sale, manufacture, possession and distribution of spice and related drugs.

Spice, or K2, is a chemical mixture sprayed on to a plant substance that users can then smoke or ingest to achieve a similar effect to marijuana. It is sold under a variety of names, according to the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Employees at Andys Smoke Shop, located at 550 University Avenue, were first found to have sold the drug earlier this year. The city issued a cease and desist notice after the first violation.

When the owners of the store met with a City Attorney representative in May 2016, the owners agreed to permanently stop selling spice.

Approximately month later, on June 14, the City of San Diego enacted a new ordinance banning the possession and sales of synthetic drugs, including spice.

The owners were notified of the ordinance, but on June 28, they were served with a court order prohibiting spice sales from the store.

Several months later, in August, narcotic detectives learned the illegal drug was still being sold at the smoke shop.

After obtaining a search warrant, detectives searched the property and recovered approximately two pounds of spice in bulk quantity and packaged for sale. The drug can lead to medical emergencies such as seizures, comas and hallucinations.

Store employee Ossam Shaba, 55, was arrested for violating a court order and possession for sales of synthetic drugs, police said. Authorities said they found the drugs on Shaba, in his car and inside the store. He was booked into jail; the City Attorneys office will prosecute the case.

NBC 7 spoke to several people at businesses near Andy's Smoke Shop who said they are hoping that after Thursday's incident, the drug and transient culture in the area will change.

Matthew Lowe works at a restaurant close by and told NBC 7 that his tip jar was looted, ice cream had been stolen and his facade defiled by intoxicated individuals passing by.

You see the people around here that are under the influence spice, it just gives it a bad look, Lowe said. If they can't get [spice] in the neighborhood, then they're not going to be around here."

Kassidy Recendiz runs the spa next door.

It's definitely very sad. We don't want to see people dying or getting sick, we already have enough drugs out there that are not good for people, she said.

Meanwhile, an employee from Andy's Smoke Shop was left to clean up after detectives searched through the store on Thursday.

Samir Kazkorkis told NBC 7 that the store does not sell spice and that it was unfairly targeted.

But police said the store had been selling the synthetic drug after it had been banned.

Those who violate the drug ordinance face criminal and civil penalties up to and including six months in jail, a $1,000 fine, or three years probation and a $2,500 fine, depending on the circumstances of the violation.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

Trend:

The British Council and PASHA Bank are pleased to announce a call for applications among the journalists of Azerbaijan for the Business Journalism Project. This is a unique project aimed at strengthening professional competencies and skills of national media through a special training programme tailored to the needs of the selected journalists.

The programme will be implemented in cooperation with the Thomson Foundation which is one of the Europes biggest media organisations empowering thousands of journalists worldwide to generate and sustain a diverse media and working in over 100 countries towards encouraging the highest ethical and practical standards in media.

The project activities will include design and provision of special media course to ten selected participants and a study tour for the successful journalists (selected based on attendance results and successful completion of the local training sessions) to the UK involving visits to well-known newspapers, magazines and other media establishments and meetings with leading journalists. Our ambition is to have a leading group of journalists setting an example of fair and quality reporting in the country and notably contributing to raising the standards of business reporting in Azerbaijan.

Eligible participants must:

Have at least 2 years of working experience in journalism

be working for a national broadcast, print, electronic periodical or online media;

be available for the training courses for an extended period of time which includes:

three training sessions in Baku ((five full days of each training session) in November 2016, January and February 2017)

UK Study Tour (March, 2017)

Selection process will include the following stages:

Application form and essays

Interviews with shortlisted candidates to attend local training sessions

Selection for the UK Study Tour (after local training sessions)

All interested applicants should download an application form from the British Councils www.britishcouncil.az website and email with CV to [email protected] not later than the 30 September 2016.

Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for an interview.

Background information about the programme: PASHA Bank, the British Council and the Thomson Foundation have delivered a benchmark media training project in Azerbaijan over the last five years. Since the start of the project in May 2011, the British Council successfully organised and managed training programme for the leading Azerbaijani journalists covering business topics in the media with final study visit to London and Cardiff, UK. The training course was delivered by experienced trainers from the Thomson Foundation. The project activities included design and provision of up to 15 days of special media course and a study tour of the journalists to the UK involving visits and placements at well-known newspapers, magazines and other media establishments, and meetings with leading British journalists.

For more information about the project please contact:

Nigar Nasrullayeva

Education Programmes Officer

British Council | 8th floor, The Landmark III, 96 Nizami street | Baku AZ1010| Azerbaijan

T +994 12 497 1593 | F + 994 12 498 9236

British Council in the UKs leading international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. It operates in 109 countries worldwide. The British Council builds relationship and understanding between people in Britain and other countries to increase trust between the nations and appreciation of the UKs ideas and achievements overseas.

British Council is committed to equal opportunity policy.
A man and the younger sister of a woman found dead in northern Los Angeles County were arrested Thursday in Colorado, as detectives continued to investigate the motive for the slaying and the subsequent kidnapping of the victim's children.

The three young children of 26-year-old Kimberly Harvill of Fresno, whose body was found two weeks ago, were found safe Wednesday in a motel outside Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the care of a good Samaritan who notified local law enforcement, according to the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department.

Their alleged kidnappers, Harvill's 22-year-old sister, Brittany Humphrey, and her friend, 27-year-old Joshua Robertson, were arrested in Pueblo, Colorado, according to Deputy Grace Medrano of the Sheriff's Information Bureau.

Robertson's 1 1/2-year-old daughter, Madisyn Harper, was located at a motel along with Humphrey by Pueblo police officers conducting an unrelated investigation, Medrano said. The child, who had reportedly been handed over to Robertson by her mother before she went to jail, was unharmed and is now in the custody of local authorities in Pueblo.

Robertson was located about two blocks from the hotel and both he and Humphrey were taken into custody without incident, according to Medrano.

Humphrey and Robertson were wanted in connection with the kidnappings of the children and for questioning in connection with their mother's slaying, authorities said.

Harvill's body was found Aug. 14 in some brush by a motorist traveling along Gorman Post Road, north of State Route 138. She had been shot in the upper body, the sheriff's department reported.

The sheriff's department was working with the Department of Children and Family Services to arrange for the safe return of Harvill's children -- Joslynn Watkins, 2, Brayden Watkins, 3, and Rylee Watkins, 5 -- to California.

Robertson has a criminal history, is on post-release community supervision and has a previous arrest for possession of a firearm, according to the sheriff's department.
The reward in a nearly six-year-old case has been increased to $50,000 Tuesday, aiming to find the person who murdered a preschooler in unincorporated Altadena in 2016.

Salvador Esparza III of Monrovia was shot in the head July 5, 2016, around 10:40 p.m. as he stood on the porch at 384 W. Figueroa Drive.

The boy, on the verge of heading to kindergarten, was visiting family friends, the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department said.

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Salvador died at Huntington Memorial Hospital later that evening.

The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors approved a motion by Supervisor Kathryn Barger Tuesday.

This innocent preschooler was robbed of his potential and future. Ive doubled the reward amount from $25,000 to $50,000 with the hope that it will lead to the arrest of the perpetrator of this terrible crime. Justice for the Esparza family must be served," Barger said.

A 27-year-old man was also found on the porch with gunshot wounds, deputies said.

A couple other young children were asleep in the home when the gunfire broke out, authorities said.

Sheriff's officials said at the time that the gunman walked up to the home and fired at least 13 rounds, striking the the child and the man as they sat on a porch.

Investigators believe the family was not the intended target of the shooting and it was gang related.

Any bit of information related to this shooting is helpful and can be the missing link to solving this murder. We protect the identity of all individuals who provide tips, so please dont hesitate to contact us. We wont rest until the person responsible for this senseless murder is arrested," LASD Sergeant Dominick Recchia said.

A $20,000 reward was previously offered for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

Anyone with information about the shooting investigation is asked to contact the sheriff's department at (323) 890-5500 or, anonymously, Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-TIPS.
A man was charged with grand theft and other counts Friday for allegedly scamming multiple people with fraudulent Disneyland tickets this year, according to the Los Angeles District County Attorneys Office.

Brian Anderton, 43, of Pasadena is charged with five counts including grand theft of personal property, and petty theft, officials said.

Anderton is accused of advertising Disneyland tickets for sale on Craigslist, and of stealing over $2,400 from five people between January and August of this year, according to the District Attorneys Office.

Victims learned their tickets had been part of a scam when they arrived at Disneyland and were told their tickets were invalid, prosecutors said.

Andertons arraignment was expected to take place Friday afternoon in Department 30 of the Foltz Criminal Justice Center, according to the Los Angeles District Attorneys Office. His bail was recommended at $59,000, and he faces a maximum sentence of five years in state prison if he is convicted as charged.
More that a dozen alleged gang members were arrested in connection with 5,000 residential burglaries across five Southern California counties, authorities said Friday.

"Operation Money Bags" spanned more than three years and culminated early Friday morning with raids at 28 locations, most in South Los Angeles, according to the Torrance Police Department. The raids included more than 400 officers from 18 agencies including the FBI.

Police said the gang members targeted Friday may have been involved in as many as 125 to 150 crimes each. Gang-related sentencing laws could add years to their sentences, Sgt. Paul Kranke told the Daily Breeze.

"We have so far 13 arrests today," Kranke told the Daily Breeze early Friday. "We recovered seven firearms and various amounts of narcotics and U.S. currency."

Kranke said no problems occurred while authorities served the search warrants, and that no force was needed.

Authorities targeted locations they believed were connected to members of the East Coast Crips gang that police believe are responsible for home burglaries in Torrance, and other cities in the South Bay area. The members were also linked to burglaries in Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.

Investigators said the gang leaders developed an organized burglary plan, under which burglars would set out with a goal of finding $5,000 and a gun, and at times would do so four or five days a week.

Two arrests were also made earlier in the week, police said. Additional arrests were made during the multiyear investigation, some of which were made on other charges.

Police said they have linked over 53 gang members to the burglaries.

"We were looking for ways to solve our residential burglary problem," Kranke said. "This is our long-term plan we came up with."

Police officers believe a sharp increase in residential burglaries started when efforts to relieve overcrowded prisons also prompted shorter sentences for nonviolent crime offenders, reported the Daily Breeze. Due to this so-called prison "realignment" that started five years ago, also known as Assembly Bill 109, burglars are able to return to the streets sooner and are able to commit additional crimes.

"It wasn't uncommon for us to make an arrest on an individual, that had just been arrested the week before for the same thing and he was already out," Kranke said. "And that's when it gets frustrating."

Investigators also believe the gang members may have contributed in a recent uptick in burglaries of homes on the Palos Verdes Peninsula.

Torrance police first noticed an increase in burglaries in 2012. After some arrests, police administrators had the departments gang unit join the burglary investigations team after they found that many thieves were also East Coast Crips gang members.

Gang leaders targeted specific neighborhoods in the suburbs, and would avoid drawing attention to themselves by dressing professionally, and by renting high-end cars, reported the Daily Breeze. Burglars would use "white-pages" apps on their cell phones so they could call homes and check if residents were home, and would check the names of residents on the streets they were targeting.

Members would also look for shoes on porches, which they believed signified homes belonging to Asian families, who they thought kept money in their homes, police said.

While some burglars kept stolen goods and others sold what they stole, some took to social media to post pictures of themselves with stolen money  even posting recordings of when they committed the crime, police said.

Although the posts became a recruiting tool for new gang members, detectives and investigators used the posts to connect the individual burglaries to the larger group, since the social media posts showed the burglaries benefited the East Coast Crips specifically. By proving that connection, police may be able to keep the burglars in prison longer.

"They are going to be sentenced and assigned to state prison as opposed to being in a revolving door," one of the officers told the Daily Breeze.

Gang enhancement charges are often used in murder prosecutions in which a crime was committed for a gang's benefit. The District Attorneys Office approved expanding gang enhancement charges to include burglaries.

In addition to search warrants served Friday, authorities searched 50 inmates' prison cells across the state, who they believe may have helped direct burglaries from prison with illegal cell phones, or may have been benefiting from proceeds delivered to them from the burglaries.

Police also believe the gang members are responsible for burglaries committed in Alameda County in the Bay area, and in Washington and Colorado, sometimes only because members travelled to those areas.

Police said they were still looking for a few people linked to the crimes.
The Los Angeles City Council adopted an emergency motion Friday asking the city attorney to prepare an ordinance that would ban synthetic drugs like spice, recently blamed for an outbreak in which more than 50 people in Skid Row were sickened.

Councilman Mitch Englander proposed the ban, saying the city needs to do something about an extremely low-cost drug that is "wreaking havoc in our communities," especially among "those most vulnerable in society."

The council approved an emergency motion by Englander that asks the City Attorney to write an ordinance barring the sale, distribution, manufacture and possession of "novel synthetic drugs and novel psychoactive drugs" in Los Angeles, potentially modeling if after one adopted in San Diego last month.

Spice is believed to be linked to incidents on Monday, when more than 20 people became ill on Skid Row, and last Friday, when nearly 50 people were sickened. The latest rash of overdoses follows an incident in April, when about 10 people were sickened within a 24-hour span in the area of San Pedro and Fifth streets.

Englander's motion also calls on Gov. Jerry Brown to support restrictions that would close some loopholes in existing laws prohibiting synthetic drugs.

While state and federal laws currently ban the substances often used to create spice and many other synthetic drugs, manufacturers are changing their recipes "to get around those laws," Englander said.

Councilman Jose Huizar, who's district includes Skid Row, said that they are asking the city attorney to close these kinds of "loopholes in our own local laws," but he also cautioned that the city should be "approaching this as a health issue, and not necessarily a law enforcement one."

"We want to make sure that people on Skid Row, who are already facing desperate situations, that the victims are not further penalized as we approach this," he said.

City officials will also look into how other cities "have partnered with federal law enforcement to look at the supply chain, and to focus on the manufacturers, so that we are coordinating in a much better fashion, so we stop the supply chain where we need to," Huizar said.

Police and fire department officials have been scrambling to get a handle on the popularity of spice, which has been especially attractive to the homeless residents of Skid Row because of their low cost.

Los Angeles Police Department Captain Don Graham told the City Council today that "the insidiousness of this particular drug is the price point -- $1 for two joints for an average high of six hours -- by far the cheapest option for a mind altering situation."

Officers have been doing outreach to Skid Row residents about the dangers of spice, but "the way to make people safe from a spice overdose is to bring them home," Graham said. "If you have a loved one on skid row and you where to find them, bring them home."

Los Angeles Fire Department Chief Deputy Joseph Castro said that since the initial outbreak in April, the fire department has treated "85 patients in probably a two square block area."

"That is indeed a crisis," he said, adding that it is "only going to get worse, and it's absolutely plausible in the foreseeable future to have a similar incident with 300, 400 or 500 patients."

Graham said that while Skid Row is "no stranger to overdoses," it escalated to an unprecedented level on Friday, when a command post needed to be set up to deal with the flood of calls.

Dealers have come out with more dangerous batches spice potentially to stay ahead of existing laws, but also due to the diminishing effectiveness of the drugs after frequent use, Graham said.

"Unfortunately, what our intelligence has discovered on the street is that people who have been on spice for a very long time develop a resistance to that, and so their high is less effective," he said.

Dealers have resorted to adding household chemicals such as Raid bug spray, break fluid and Febreze freshening chemicals to the drugs in order to maintain the drug's effectiveness, Graham said.

The Department of Public Health said the synthetic cannabinoid drug can cause severe side effects, including altered mental status, loss of consciousness, extreme anxiety, agitation, high blood pressure, heart arrhythmias, nausea/vomiting, seizures and death.

Other street names for the drug include Sexy Monkey, Black Mamba and Twilight, according to DPH.

Spice and other synthetic cannabinoids are created by spraying psychoactive chemicals onto plant material, which is then smoked or ingested.
Maine Gov. Paul LePage issued a partial apology on Friday after unleashing an obscene tirade on a state legislator, leaving him an expletive-laden and threatening message and telling reporters he wished it were 1825 so he could point a gun "right between his eyes."

"When someone calls me a racist, I take it very seriously," LePage said. "It made me enormously angry when a TV reporter asked me for my reaction about [Rep. Drew] Gattine calling me a racist. It is the absolute worst, most vile thing you can call a person. So I called Gattine and used the worst word I could think of. I apologize for that to the people of Maine, but I make no apology for trying to end the drug epidemic that is ravaging our state."

LePage said that he didn't know Gattine from "a hole in the wall" until Thursday.

Gattine, a Westbrook Democrat, told The Associated Press that LePage sounded unhinged in the Thursday morning voicemail. The governor, known for his bombastic comments, told Gattine that he wanted to talk to him about allegedly calling the governor a racist. Gattine has denied calling LePage a racist.

"I want you to prove that I'm a racist," LePage said in the voicemail, adding that he had spent his life helping black people and calling Gattine a vulgar name related to oral sex. "I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you."

The governor left the message on Thursday morning, after a reporter asked him to respond to critics who have called him racist. LePage asked the reporter who'd called him racist, and while the journalist mentioned he had talked with Gattine, he didnt say that Gattine specifically called LePage racist, The Portland Press Herald reported.

After leaving the voicemail, LePage later invited reporters to the governor's mansion, where he confirmed that he had left the message and said he wished he and Gattine could face off in a duel.

"When a snot-nosed little guy from Westbrook calls me a racist, now I'd like him to come up here because, tell you right now, I wish it were 1825," LePage said, according to the Portland Press Herald. "And we would have a duel, that's how angry I am, and I would not put my gun in the air, I guarantee you, I would not be (Alexander) Hamilton. I would point it right between his eyes because he is a snot-nosed little runt and he has not done a damn thing since he's been in this Legislature to help move the state forward."

In a statement Friday, LePage clarified his comments about "going after" Gattine, saying, "I meant I would do everything I could to see that he and his agenda is defeated politically."

The remark about shooting Gattine between the eyes, he said, was just a reference to how political opponents like Andrew Jackson used to call each other out in the 1820s.

"Obviously, it is illegal today; it was simply a metaphor and I meant no physical harm to Gattine," LePage said.

LePage was accused of making racially insensitive comments at a town hall in North Berwick on Wednesday, where he said photos he's collected in a binder of drug dealers arrested in the state showed that 90 percent of them "are black and Hispanic people from Waterbury, Connecticut; the Bronx; and Brooklyn."

Police said they have already received a citizen complaint about the voicemail. It's unclear if there will be an investigation.

House and Senate Democrats and the Maine Democratic Party on Friday questioned LePage's capacity to lead. LePage's office didn't immediately comment.

Assistant House Majority Leader Sara Gideon said, "the behavior that he is exhibiting shows that he is not fit to govern the state at this time."

She added that there will be increased police protection surrounding Rep. Gattine and his family following the threatening message.

Gattine said he wasn't concerned about his safety, but called the voicemail a distraction and the latest of LePage's personal vendettas against lawmakers. Gattine, who is running for re-election, has clashed with the governor on how to address welfare reform, drug addiction and eligibility for developmental disabilities programs.

The Press Herald, Maine's largest newspaper and a frequent LePage target, posted an editorial online Friday apologizing on behalf of the state for electing LePage.

"Dear America: Maine here," the piece starts. "Please forgive us - we made a terrible mistake. We managed to elect and re-elect a governor who is unfit for high office."

The second-term governor has repeatedly drawn attention for his blunt remarks. He said on the campaign trail that he'd tell President Barack Obama to "go to hell," and then soon after he was elected to his first term he told the Portland chapter of the NAACP to "kiss my butt."

Earlier this year, he drew criticism for comments about out-of-state drug dealers impregnating "young white" girls. LePage later apologized and said he meant to say "Maine" girls, not "white" girls.

Days later, a group of Maine lawmakers sought to impeach the governor over allegations he abused his power by pressuring a charter school into rescinding a job offer to the state's Democratic House Speaker.

He has also previously likened the IRS to the Gestapo, called protesters "idiots" and said a political foe liked to "give it to the people without Vaseline."

Just this week he called Khizr Khan, whose son was killed while protecting other soldiers in Iraq, a "con artist" for criticizing Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

LePage has compared his style to that of Trump, whom he supports.

"I was Donald Trump before Donald Trump became popular, so I think I should support him since we're one of the same cloth," he told radio show host Howie Carr in February.
The Obama administration has once again refused Florida Gov. Rick Scott's request to declare a federal state of emergency because of algae blooms on the St. Lucie River.

The Orlando Sentinel reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Thursday rejected Scott's appeal of the decision.

Scott earlier this month accused the federal government of failing to maintain and repair the Herbert Hoover Dike that surrounds Lake Okeechobee. He says that if the dike were stronger, less polluted water would need to be released into the river.

Most of the algae are gone after Lake Okeechobee discharges decreased.

FEMA denied the initial request last month, saying the state hasn't shown it can't handle the problem on its own.

FEMA spokesman Rafael Lemaitre says Scott cannot appeal the decision again.
Despite positive news earlier this week about the "Zika Zone" shrinking in the Wynwood area, officials in the countys other transmission area are still holding their breath that the worst has already taken place.

Miami Beach city officials took part in a roundtable discussion with Governor Rick Scott and others Friday morning, discussing the strategy at both the state and local level to fight the spread of the mosquito-borne disease.

In recent days, Miami Beach Mayor Phillip Levine had been critical of the communication between the city and the state, while Scott has maintained that everything is going smoothly as the fight continues.

Also Friday, the Food and Drug Administration announced it wants all U.S. blood banks to start screening for Zika virus, a major expansion intended to protect the nation's blood supply from the mosquito-borne disease.

The new advisory means all U.S. states and territories will need to begin testing blood donations for Zika. Previously, the requirement was limited to areas with active Zika transmission, such as Puerto Rico and two Florida counties.

Blood banks already test donations for HIV, hepatitis, West Nile virus and other blood-borne viruses.

Last month, the FDA told blood centers in Miami and Fort Lauderdale to immediately stop collecting donations until they could begin screening each unit of blood for Zika. The order followed now-confirmed reports of local Zika transmission - the first in the continental U.S.

Thursday, Scott announced that he would visit Washington D.C. on September 6th in an effort to push for more funding from Congress, which is currently at odds with the Obama administration over passing a bill that would provide money to the state.

The announcement last week of five non-travel cases found in the city has officials concerned about the tourism industry that funds Miami Beach. A hotel manager told NBC 6 Friday that almost two dozen cancellations along had taken place within a 24 hour period, with all of them citing the disease as the reason.
A Miami federal judge has refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed by New York Giants lineman Jason Pierre-Paul against ESPN over disclosure of his medical records from a 2015 fireworks accident.

Pierre-Paul attorney John Lukacs said Judge Marcia Cooke issued her ruling Thursday after a hearing on ESPN's motion to dismiss. The case is set for an August 2017 trial.

Pierre-Paul was hospitalized in Miami after the Fourth of July accident, which caused serious injury to his right hand. The lawsuit claims ESPN and a network reporter violated his privacy and Florida medical confidentiality laws by posting the records on social media.

The network argued the records merely bolstered a news report. An ESPN spokeswoman did not return a call seeking comment.

Pierre-Paul is listed as the Giants' starting left defensive end.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

Ukraines Infrastructure Ministry is taking measures to reduce tariffs for freight traffic on the China-Ukraine-European Union route as a part of the Silk Road project, said the Ukrainian ministry in a message.

The corresponding agreement was reached by Ukraine and China after negotiations between governmental delegations and signing of a protocol of the subcommission on trade and economic cooperation.

The Ministry of Infrastructure noted the importance of Chinese companies participation in freight traffic via Chernomorsk port through the territory of countries participating in the Silk Road: Georgia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan, said the message.

As a part of the joint initiative on the Silk Road Economic Belts creation, Ukraine is taking measures to optimize and reduce tariffs on multimodal transportation on the China-Ukraine-European Union route.

Ukraine and China agreed to use mechanisms of public-private partnership for infrastructure projects in Ukraine.

The Chinese side proposed to use funds of the Silk Road Fund for such projects financing.

Earlier, Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Georgia and Ukraine signed a protocol on competitive, preferential tariffs for freight traffic via the Trans-Caspian international transportation route  Silk Road.

The test container train on the route Ukraine-Georgia-Azerbaijan-Kazakhstan-China (through the Caspian and Black Seas) departed Jan.15 from Illichivsk port and arrived in China Jan. 31. This route includes ferry crossings through the Black and Caspian Seas (Illichivsk-Batumi, and further Alat-Aktau ports).
A woman accused of killing her Miami Police officer boyfriend was found guilty Friday.

Tiniko Thompson, 48, was charged with second-degree murder for the 2014 shooting death of Officer Carl Patrick inside his Pembroke Pines home.

Closing arguments were heard Friday before jury deliberations began. The deliberations lasted just two hours before the jury found Thompson guilty.

There were hugs of comfort, prayers and tears of relief from Patrick's family after the verdict was read.

"A great relief for Lucille, Carl's mom," prosecutor Shari Tate said. " I'm wearing a pin on the inside of my jacket that says 'believe' that she gave me to hold on to for her and we wanted to get justice for her and to let Carl rest in peace."

Prosecutors said it all began when Thompson lied about being pregnant with Patrick's child.

"She took the one thing that she thought would keep all those lies intact. Because if Carl's dead, she can still cover up. She can get away with it," Tate said in her closing.

The defense admitted there was a fight, but said it was over credit card debt.

"They want you to believe that Carl Patrick, as educated as he was and a veteran of the police department don't know a pregnant woman when he sees one. That's inconceivable," defense attorney Roderick Vereen said. "He knew. He either knew and was in on it or he's the most inexperienced man when it comes to a pregnant woman I've ever seen in my life."

In a previous "Stand Your Ground" hearing, Thompson had confessed to the shooting but now claims it was self-defense.

"He's mad and he pulls a gun. But once you pull that gun and you point it at someone whether you're a police officer or not, when you're not in the line of duty, that's an aggravated assault," Vereen said.

But prosecutors say evidence shows Patrick could have survived the wound to his arm. In the 48 hours after the shooting, prosecutors said Thompson came back to the home five times while his body lay on the floor.

"You leave but and not only do you leave him there to die you leave them there to bleed out and do nothing," Tate said.

Thompson now faces up to life in prison.

"We just lost one of our finest, one of our heroes, Carl Patrick, and today justice was served," said Craig McQueen, a retired assistant chief with the Miami Police Department. "So two families are affected by this, of course the Patrick family that justice has been served, but also the Thompson family. They're gonna lose their loved one as well so it's not a celebrating, it's more of a relief for the police officers."
Residents of a Coconut Grove building beset by deplorable conditions are now fearing they may become homeless.

Mold growing on air conditioning wall units and garbage piled up for weeks, this is how residents live inside 3410 Hibiscus Street.

"It's deplorable," tenant Willie Ruth Hutchins said.

Roaches sit in standing water, while mosquitoes feast on trash overflowing into a back porch. Tenant Renescha Coats said she knew the living conditions were bad, however, the big concern came when a demolition notice was posted on her door without warning from her landlord.

"We're paying you rent, you could've at least told us 'look, they're coming to demolish the building, you guys gotta start finding somewhere to go,'" Coats said.

Coats and her family went to city commissioner Ken Russell for help. After visiting every property owned by the same landlords along Grand Avenue, Russell says he knew he had to take legal action.

"This horrified me to really walk into someone's apartment and not be able to breathe because of the mold in the air," Russell said.

Per Florida records, the building and at least 10 others in West Coconut Grove are owned by Julio Marrero, Orlando Benitez Jr. and Phillip Muskat.

"We immediately filed a lawsuit against this landlord to either bring these places up to speed or help with the relocation of every resident," Russell said.

Eddy Leal represents one of the owners, Orlando Benitez Jr. He said Marrero handles the properties.

"We do not control, we are a minority shareholder. We do not deal with the day to day management of the corporation," Leal said.

Julio Marrero released a statement that says in part:

"This started with a stockholders dispute that's gone on since 2010 when Mr. Benitez became a rogue stockholder and attacked the same companies he is a stockholder, officer, and director of. Because of this litigation, the company has no money to repair the properties."

With many of the properties up for sale and one slated for demolition, most tenants say they have no where to go. Rent at the Hibiscus Street apartments is $400 a month.

"They don't really care about us because they would've informed us about what was going on. They would've made repairs to stop what's going on," tenant Rolando Wright said.

"The thought you can now have a big sale and kick everyone out and that's all that has to happen, no way," Russell said. "We are absolutely injecting ourselves as a city in the middle of this."
Make you a bet: Youll think twice before ever cozying up to a stranger on a plane after 90 minutes with The Layover, a taut and twisty psychological thriller from Leslye Headland having its world premiere at Second Stage.

Shellie (Annie Parisse) and Dex (Adam Rothenberg) are seated beside one another on a delayed, eventually canceled Thanksgiving-week flight from Chicago to New York. Their dialogue in the first minutes of Headlands mostly enthralling drama is flirty, fresh and provocative.

Shellie rebuffs his initial advances, but eventually warms to Dex, telling him shes a professor of American Crime Fiction. Sexy! Dex, an engineer returning from Yemen, where he has been building an island for a sheikalso sexy!answers honestly when Shellie asks his relationship status: Hes got a fiancee, he wants to want to marry.

The chemistry between these two is so genuine, we hope theyll end up in a hotel room when snow shuts the airport, and so they do. Everything that comes after, though, is more Patricia Highsmiththe writer known for The Talented Mr. Ripley, invoked here in both dialogue and narrativethan the rom-com that initially seems on tap.

Credit for pulling that off goes to two strong leads, and of course the writer, known for the play and 2012 film Bachelorette (The Layover reunites her with director Trip Cullman).

Headland understands a basic fact about relationships: there can be a false electricity when we meet someone, because that person is a blank slate we get to shade in. Actual love, she seems to be reminding us with The Layover, comes well after illusions are shattered, and messy truths are exposed.

All this? It's why one-night stands exist, right?

Parisse, the one-time Law & Order DA who was so memorable in Clybourne Park, is just swell here, charming her way into Dexs world with a confidence and humor that calls to mind Tina Fey. Later, she offers a stunning display of emotional simplism.

As Dex, Rothenberg (the BBCs Ripper Street) possesses a just-barely detectable element of aggressiveness, but is for the most part increasingly endearing: self-aware, self-supporting and hella goofy ... this fella sets a romantic mood by breaking out his Jambox and cranking up the Hall & Oates. You can go for that, right?

Supporting players include Quincy Dunn-Baker, in multiple parts as a drug-dealing louse and a hilarious private investigator; and John Procaccino, as the father of one protagonist, a man whose past behavior helps partly explain the present behavior of his offspring.

The Layover takes a bit long getting to its payoff, a problem that might be resolved by trimming back some detail on the secondary characters. By and large, its a sophisticated, sad story about how well we can intimately know someone. One wonders if Headland, whose own wedding is at hand, was exorcising demons.

Without spoiling the outcome, I left 2ST grappling with questions about whether I was a terrible misogynistIm convinced thats just one of the admirably executed elements Headland was going for here.

The Layover, through Sept. 22 at Second Stages Tony Kiser Theatre, 305 W. 43rd St. Tickets: $79-$125. Visit 2st.com or call 212-246-4422.

Follow Robert Kahn on Twitter@RobertKahn
A 3-year-old girl who was taken from her Pennsylvania home early Friday amid threats from the girl's father was found safe in Manhattan when a traffic agent spotted his vehicle, police say.

Ava Byrne was taken by her father, 24-year-old Robert Byrne, from their home in Nescopeck, a small borough about 10 miles outside Wilkes-Barre, shortly after midnight, according to local newspaper The Citizens Voice.

Byrne told the girl's mother, 29-year-old Morgan Barela, that voices in his head were telling him that Barela and the kids were in danger, Barela told The Citizens Voice. When she was asked who was after them, Byrne said he didn't know and that the voices said they'd be safer at Barela's mother's house.

The two got into an fight, and "the last thing he said was he's gonna shoot me, my kids and himself. And then he took off with our daughter," Barela told the newspaper in an interview posted to the paper's website.

He broke her phone on his way out shortly after midnight, said Barela, who is eight months pregnant.

It's not clear why Byrne headed to New York. A New York City traffic enforcement agent was directing traffic on 34th Street and 10th Avenue Friday morning when a driver pulled up to him and asked if he'd gotten an Amber alert on his cellphone.

The traffic agent, MG Ali, said he did, he later told reporters. The driver told him, "The car is right behind the truck."

Ali went to see the car and verified it was the one listed on the Amber alert. He went to the driver in the wanted vehicle and told him to pull over.

"The guy complies and pulls over," Ali recounted. "He didn't ask any questions."

Just as Ali notified his base and NYPD, two NYPD officers, who were also responding to a 911 call regarding the Amber alert, pulled up. Ali flagged them down and pointed them in the direction of the vehicle. When they walked over, the driver had gotten out and was walking away with the child in his arms.

The officers stopped the suspect, and as other police units showed up, "we were able to remove the child very willingly," said NYPD officer Sean Mooney. The suspect was then placed in handcuffs.

Mooney said the girl appeared to be healthy, and was wearing a T-shirt and shorts. She was taken to Bellevue Hospital as a precaution.

The suspect didn't have much to say, according to the officers.

"He was hesitant when we asked who the child was," but didn't offer much else, said Mooney.

Byrne said nothing as he was led from the police station in handcuffs Friday night. He's expected to be extradited back to Pennsylvania Saturday. It's not clear if he has an attorney.

Barela was seen leaving the station with Ava. She told reporters, "I'm happy and I just want to go home and spend time with my daughter."
Flights from Westchester County Airport to Miami International Airport will take off in December, a Westchester County spokesperson told NBC 4 New York.

American Airlines plans to run two non-stop flights to Miami daily, the spokesperson said.

We view it as very positive for a lot of reasons. Its more service to more locations in newer, more fuel efficient, less noisy planes and its still working within the constraints weve had at the airport," Ned McCormack, spokesman for County Executive Rob Astorino told The Journal News. "This is the kind of balanced growth we like.

The paper also reported that the flights will depart Westchester at 7 a.m. and 1:59 p.m. daily.
What to Know Construction at LaGuardia Airport, along with bad weather and broken traffic lights, created a traffic nightmare earlier this week

Officials are apologetic and say the delays are "unacceptable"

But taxi dispatchers predict construction will continue to delay traffic

A nightmare traffic jam at LaGuardia Airport earlier this week still has travelers fuming.

"It was so bad. I've never seen it so bad in my years here," said Delroy Smith, a taxi dispatcher at the Queens airport.

LaGuardia Airport Redesign Renderings

The traffic jam Sunday and Monday brought the airport's roadways to a standstill, forcing travelers to sit in the mess for hours.

Construction on a new 3,000-space parking garage -- the first of the new $4 billion terminal at LaGuardia -- led to detours at 94th Street, the first exit from the airport that has you head toward Manhattan. The project supervisor told NBC 4 New York that on Monday, traffic light problems fouled up the exit that day.

Combined with huge flights delays due to bad weather, the construction and light problem created a perfect storm. Gothamist reports the traffic was so bad that some people simply bailed out of their cars and taxis near the Grand Central Parkway off-ramp and began walking to the terminals.

The construction team, LaGuardia Gateway Partners, said in a statement, "We are aware of the stress this is causing, realize it is untenable, and apologize to passengers."

Gov. Andrew Cuomo's office added, "These delays are unacceptable, and we are directing LGP and the Port Authority to come up with a plan to minimize undue and unsafe impacts on travelers."

On Thursday, though grumbling from travelers continued, there were signs of improvement. By moving the taxi line east of Terminal B, cabs can now take passengers into the city without having to linger at the airport.

Also, according to the construction project manager, the detour that was jamming up vehicles Sunday has been fixed. And air traffic gets a lot lighter in September, which should reduce road traffic.

Indeed, an NBC 4 test drive from Citi Field took only five minutes Thursday afternoon, compared to 45 minutes Sunday night.

Vice President Joe Biden is commending a plan to renovate LaGuardia Airport, which he once likened to a Third World country. Andrew Siff reports.

The Port Authority has been tweeting from its @NY_NJairports account daily about construction advisories and say travelers should check for updates before heading to the airport. At a minimum, passengers should check in two hours before their flight departure.

It also encourages travelers to share taxis, take public transportation like the Q70 Limited MTA bus (which goes nonstop to and from the Jackson Heights-Roosevelt Avenue subway), and to meet drivers picking them up at the P7 Lot using the free blue shuttle bus.

It was during a 2014 speech about the nation's crumbling infrastructure that Vice President Joe Biden, a Democrat, said that if a blindfolded man were brought to LaGuardia he would think he was in "some Third World country."

Biden later joined New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo, also a Democrat, for last June's ceremonial groundbreaking for the $4 billion LaGuardia upgrade.

The new 1.3 million-square-foot central terminal with 35 gates, a new parking garage and connection to trains and subways is scheduled for completion by 2022.

The new main terminal will be moved 600 feet from the footprint of the existing facility to give planes more acreage at the cramped airport.
What to Know A 2-year-old New Jersey boy was beaten to death by his mother's boyfriend, prosecutors say

The man was apparently angry over the groceries the child's mother bought, and the boy became upset when the man pushed his mother

That's when the man turned his anger toward the boy and told him to put up his fists and fight like a man, then punched him, prosecutors say

Prosecutors say a New Jersey man accused of fatally beating his girlfriend's toddler son told the boy to "put up his hands" to fight while the couple argued over groceries.

Zachary Tricoche, of Pennsauken, was arraigned Tuesday on murder charges but didn't enter a plea. His bail was set at $1 million cash.

Camden County prosecutors say the beating occurred Saturday night at a Pennsauken home. They said Tricoche and the woman started arguing because he didn't like the groceries she bought.

Authorities say the boy became upset when Tricoche pushed his mother. He then allegedly punched the 30-pound boy twice in the torso and the child hit his head on the wall, knocking him out.

Tricoche then struck the boy again while telling him to put his hands up and fight like a grown man, prosecutors allege.

The boy's mother called 911, and emergency responders found him unresponsive at the home. He was pronounced dead at Cooper University Hospital.

Prosecutors say the boy, Jamil "JB" Baskerville Jr., died from blunt force abdominal trauma. Authorities said JB suffered injuries including severe blunt-force trauma to his organs and torso area, along with internal bleeding.

Tricoche told the judge he had a public defender, but the lawyer wasn't with him at the arraignment.

The judge set bail for Tricoche at $1 million.

Neighbors told NBC10 in Philadelphia the family moved in only a month ago and mostly kept to themselves.

"It breaks my heart," said Mabel Stevenson. "I can't even imagine what the parent, the family, feel like."
Two congressmen are calling for an investigation into the apparent suicide of a former Navy gunner on the grounds of a veterans' hospital in New York.

Peter Kaisen, of Islip, was found dead of a gunshot wound Sunday in a parking lot at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Northport. He was 76.

His wife, Joan Kaisen, tells Newsday her husband suffered from severe back pain caused by an auto accident in the 1960s when he was a police officer.

U.S. Reps. Peter King, a Republican, and Steve Israel, a Democrat, sent a letter Thursday to the heads of the FBI and the Department of Veterans Affairs asking for a "transparent" investigation into the death.

Kaisen's wife says doctors recently told him they couldn't do more to alleviate the pain.
Baku, Azerbaijan, August 26

By Azad Hasanli  Trend:

The Winemakers Association will be established in Azerbaijan, the Azerbaijan Export and Investment Promotion Foundation (AZPROMO) said Aug. 26.

According to the message, the decision was made at a meeting between AZPROMO management and the representatives of local companies engaged in the wine production and sale.

The activity, aimed at promoting local wine export, as well as the offers of the companies, operating in this field, were discussed at the meeting, the message said.

Some 444,000 decalitres of wine were produced in Azerbaijan in January-July 2016, which is 21.8 percent less than in the same period of 2015. As of August 1, there are 844,300 decalitres of wine in the warehouses of local wineries.
A deal between rebels and Syrias army was reached Thursday to evacuate all residents and insurgents from the Damascus suburb of Daraya, according to a rebel leader, NBC News reported.

The countrys army has surrounded rebels and civilians, blocking food deliveries since 2012, and regularly bombing the area.

It was one of the first places to see peaceful protests against President Bashar Assads rule, and fought off attempts to retake it by government fires as the conflict escalated into civil war.

The evacuation would start Friday and last for two or three days, according to the head of the biggest rebel groups in Daraya. The deal would end one of the longest stand-offs in the five-year history.
A South Jersey boy with big dreams of becoming a police officer showed just how big his heart was Wednesday.

William Evertz, Jr., 5, saved his allowance for seven months in order to earn enough cash to buy a Power Wheels police cruiser. But instead of treating himself at the toy store, he decided to spend his hard-earned chore money to show his appreciation to local law enforcement.

Williams mother Tara Evertz told NBC10 her son has loved police officers since he was 2 years old. The future officer decided he wanted to have a kindness day to treat officers to a healthy lunch after watching a YouTube video about a homeless person.

Next thing you know it was, I want to help the kids and I want to help the police, said Evertz.

William also told his mother he wanted police officers to get rest so that they could protect the community.

Wearing a blue police shirt, William walked into a Subway store Wednesday and bought lunch for the Winslow Township Police Department. Along with his mother and grandmother, William took the food and balloons to the department's headquarters where they were greeted outside by a police car, the police chief and keys to the station.

Winslow Township Police made William an honorary officer and presented the first grader with his own badges and police car stickers.

Williams acts of kindness won't end at the police station. He also plans on donating clothes, school supplies and toys to a local domestic violence shelter, food and supplies to a local animal shelter and $25 to a less fortunate family to help them with daycare expenses.

It just shows the type of parents he has raising him, said Winslow Township Police Chief George Smith. Teaching him the right things in life that normal parents should do with their children.

For his generosity William received a special ride home from a police car with the lights and sirens blaring.

I am so proud of him, Evertz said. I think all of us as a family are very proud of him and hes just inspiring.
The woman who died after a 35-foot fall from a zip line course in Bear Wednesday afternoon disconnected herself from safety measures, according to a statement from the company that runs the course, released as Delaware State Police investigators searched for more information Thursday.

Tina Werner of Felton, Del., was visiting the Go Ape Zip Line & Treetop Adventure Wednesday when she fell from a platform while waiting to descend on a zip line, state troopers said.

Go Ape employees administered first aid in an attempt to save Werner's life before paramedics rushed the 59-year-old woman to Christiana Hospital, where she later died from her injuries.

Ken Hedrich

Werner was trying out the zip line as part of her bucket list, NBC10's Tim Furlong reported. The company that runs the course says she appeared to disconnect herself from a safety system before falling.'

Police said in a news release late Thursday that an autopsy found Werner died from "multiple blunt force trauma by way of an accident."

Go Ape released a statement Thursday that said the company has safely served more than 6 million customers, is "deeply saddened" by Werner's death and is cooperating with external investigators.

The statement says Werner underwent safety training on staying attached to the safety system and had proceeded to the final platform in Site 4 in the 3,166-foot-long course before falling.

"Participant witnesses have stated that at the time of the accident the participant had unfortunately disconnected herself from the safety system," the statement said.

NBC10

"We confirm that a full inspection of the course, with particular focus on the last platform at Site 4, has been undertaken and all of the course and associated safety equipment was and remains in sound operational condition. Nothing was broken or unserviceable," Go Ape said.

Werner's daughter, Melissa Slater, described her mom as "super fun," and "adventurous." After traveling to Venice, Italy and taking a hot-air balloon ride, Werner had told her daughter Tuesday that riding the zip line was next.

"She was finishing her bucket list," said Werner's daughter, Melissa Slater.

The Lums Pond course remained closed Thursday out of respect.
A 3-year-old girl from Luzerne County who Pennsylvania State Police issued an Amber Alert for Friday was found in New York City and is safely in the custody of authorities.

Wearing only a diaper, brown-haired Ava Byrne, 3, was taken from from a property on Vine Street in Nescopeck Borough -- about 10 miles from Wilkes Barre -- around 12:30 a.m., police said.

She was allegedly taken by Robert Byrne, 24, who stands around 5-foot, 9-inches tall and weighs around 215 pounds, state police said.

Byrne was found about 2 p.m. in New York City, police said.
Two of Montgomery County's seven affordable housing complexes are in the midst of complete makeovers, with construction at Crest Manor in Willow Grove already underway and work at North Hills in Glenside slated to begin next year.

For roughly $17 million each, the 50-unit North Hills and the 40-unit Crest Manor -- built in the 1950s and 1960s, respectively -- are getting complete upgrades.

At Crest Manor, where construction began in June, the frames of the existing twin-style houses are all that will remain. The interior and exterior of each house is being torn down and rebuilt. Completion is expected by the end of 2017. At North Hills, the attached low-rise housing units will be torn down and rebuilt in phases. Construction there is expected to begin sometime next year.

Both housing complexes are in dire need of makeovers, Montgomery County Housing Authority executive director Joel Johnson said in an interview Friday.

"Both sites were very obsolete on many levels," Johnson said. "That's what led us to this larger campaign."

The expensive overhauls are the largest projects for the housing agency since the redevelopment of the MCHA's other "general occupancy" development, Bright Hope in Pottstown, in the 1990s.

The amount of county taxpayer dollars going to the projects is about $1 million of the $34 million. One of the region's largest affordable housing developers, Pennrose Properties, was chosen through a public bidding process to handle both projects, Johnson said.

Pennrose is taking on the bulk of the cost through bonds and federal tax credits.

In return, Pennrose will lease the land from the MCHA and own and operate the housing sites through a public-private partnership with the housing agency, Johnson said.

"That is a departure from what's happened previously," he said. "The housing authority (has previously) owned the land, housing, and operations.

But, he added, "it's the typical format for this type of effort. It's been done many times across Pennsylvania and hundreds of times across the country."

Philadelphia-based Pennrose has developed more than 15,000 affordable housing units in its 45-year history. The company's top two executives, Richard Barnhart and Mark Dambly, are politically active through a political action committee called Race Street PAC.

The PAC gives to politicians and local political organizations from both major parties throughout the Philadelphia region. And Montgomery County commissioners have long been recipients of the PAC's donations.

Since 2010, five current and former commissioners have received campaign donations, with current Commissioner and Attorney General candidate Josh Shapiro the biggest beneficiary.

He has received four separate donations, totaling $3,250, to his own political action committee, Friends of Josh Shapiro. More substantially, Shapiro and fellow Democratic Commissioner Val Arkoosh received a $5,000 donation last year to their joint re-election committee. Additionally, Shapiro and former Commissioner Leslie Richards were given $1,000 for their joint re-election committee.

Former Commissioners Joe Hoeffel ($2,500), Jim Matthews ($1,000), and Richards ($1,500) have received individual contributions as well.

Despite its name, the housing authority is not a county agency. Almost all of its $35 million annual budget comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD), with some revenue coming from tenants' rent.

But its five-member board of trustees are appointed by the county commissioners.

In addition to the authority's three general occupancy sites, there are also four senior and disabled high-rise developments. In total, the MCHA oversees 615 units.

It also runs an affordable housing voucher program. This year, Johnson said the MCHA issued 2,400 vouchers to low-income households, which are spread out across nearly every borough and township in the county.

The voucher program makes up $24 million of the $35 million budget, said Johnson, who took over as executive director in 2007 after working as deputy director at the county Redevelopment Authority.

But the roughly 3,000 vouchers and authority-owned units fill only a fraction of the overall need for affordable housing in Montgomery County.

In 2015, the MCHA announced it would accept new applications for the voucher program waiting list for the first time in almost a decade. During the eight-day submission period last November, more than 15,000 applicants registered, Johnson said.

Of that overwhelming amount, 1,000 were chosen for the new waiting list through a lottery.

There are 3,000 applicants currently on the waiting list for the 615 county-owned units.

"There is a tremendous need and I would suggest that the 15,000 and the 3,000 is only a small piece of the need," Johnson said. "I'm not an economist and so not in the best position to respond to the macro issue of this, but I would say that Montgomery County is by no means unique in terms of the need. The households we serve have a $14,000-15,000 average income. Couple that would average rent in Montgomery County, and it doesn't match up."
A chemical leak inside a warehouse in Philadelphia's Kensington neighborhood Thursday night prompted the closure of a block and investigation by hazmat crews and police.

The Philadelphia Fire Department responded to a call of leaking chemicals at the facility at G and E. Venango streets around 7 p.m.

The chemical was identified as Divinylbenzene, an aromatic chemical used in plastic production.

A acrid odor similar to the smell of fuel hung in the air near the building into Friday morning.

Philadelphia Police Chief Inspector Scott Small said the substance was leeching out of a large tank inside the building. He said there are concerns that the substance could catch fire and cause the tank to explode. Small said it could take up to three days to secure the leak. [[391368511, C]]

The 3600 block of G Street was shut down as a precaution. A shelter-in-place was initially issued for the area, but was lifted around 9:30 p.m.

Philadelphia Emergency Management Director Samantha Phillips tweeted that residents should take the order seriously. "Avoid the area until further notice. Potentially dangerous situation," she wrote in a tweet.

Take this message seriously. Avoid the area until further notice. Potentially dangerous condition. https://t.co/jHyCl1YCB0  Samantha Phillips (@SamPhillipsPHL) August 26, 2016

The warehouse is located among a number of industrial buildings, but there are a few row homes and a day care nearby. People could be seen going in and out of buildings int he area as crews continued to work at the warehouse Friday morning.
A witness testified Thursday that District Attorney Bonnie Dumanis left campaign contribution envelopes with a wealthy billionaire from Mexico after a meet and greet at the businessmans Coronado home in December 2011.

The witnesses was pressed on her alleged involvement in shuttling envelopes full of cash between a luxury car dealership and a former San Diego police detective.

Prosecutors say Jose Susumo Azano Matsura wanted to buy influence so he could transform San Diegos waterfront into a Miami West with more nightlife and high-rise condos.

Dumanis testified Wednesday she believed the billionaire businessman was a United States Citizen.

Today, a prosecutor read prior Grand Jury testimony to witness Elizabeth Lugo about Dumanis allegedly leaving a handful of campaign envelopes with Azano. Lugo testified Dumanis fundraiser, Kelli Maruccia, returned with a large box of empty campaign envelopes, after the handful Dumanis allegedly left, ran out.

Lugo, a cousin to the billionaires wife, repeatedly testified Thursday that she did not recall the prior testimony she gave to the Grand Jury.

I do not recall, she said repeatedly. I dont remember being asked about that.

Lugo said she also did not recall testifying about her role shuttling a box of envelopes full of cash between luxury car dealer Marc Chase and former San Diego police detective Ernie Encinas.

Both Chase and Encinas have pleaded guilty to their involvement.

Azano is accused of illegally trying to influence local campaigns by compensating campaign donors with cash.

Foreign nationals are not allowed to donate to local campaigns.

Azanos defense attorney said his client wasnt privy to what Encinas was up to with the envelopes full of cash.

Ernie Encinas is the individual who had an interest in developing his security business, including with nightclubs and strip clubs and getting those businesses to serve alcohol later at night, Defense Attorney Michael Wynee said outside the federal courthouse Wednesday. That was his alternative agenda and his alternative motive.

The defense called businessman Manuel Rodriguez, who testified he has been close friends with Azano for more than 20 years. Rodriguez testified Azano wanted to move to Miami, not create a Miami-like development along San Diegos bay front.

On cross examination, a prosecutor switched gears a bit proposing the idea was to develop Chula Vistas bay front, based on a meeting between former San Diego Mayor Bob Filner, Azano and a Middle East businessman at Azanos Coronado home. As mayor of San Diego, not Chula Vista, Filner did not have jurisdiction over Chula Vistas bay front, which includes several hundred acres of federal wetlands, and a San Diego Gas & Electric substation.

The federal trial is expected to wrap up Friday or early next week when the case will be handed over to a jury for a ruling.
In a heartwrenching moment in court, a woman who was sexually assaulted by a San Diego dental assistant told her attacker he has "ruined" her for life.

"Something like this doesnt just go away. It lingers and it eats at you every single day, everywhere you go," the victim, who will not be identified, said in a downtown San Diego courtroom Friday. "This has ruined me  physically, mentally, emotionally."

The woman was speaking to El Cajon resident and former dental assistant Luis Ramos, 36, who pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting more than a dozen female patients while they were under anesthesia at the dental office where he worked.

A judge handed down the maximum sentence to Ramos Friday: 15 years in prison, and said the defendant remains "a danger to society."

Ramos pleaded guilty to the charges of sexual assault three months ago, during his preliminary hearing.

He was arrested on Feb. 4, two weeks after he allegedly touched a 17-year-old patient while she underwent a dental procedure at the Park Boulevard Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery Office in University Heights, where Ramos worked.

An attorney for that victim, identified only as Jane Doe, read a letter from the teenager in court Friday, as physically appearing at the sentencing was too difficult for her.

The molestation has scarred my life, Jane Does letter read. Fear; I suffer with nightmares of Ramos coming to my house, coming into my room. I fear that Ramos might hurt my family. I have to spend many nights sleeping with my mother so she can comfort me from my terrifying dreams.

The girls letter asked the judge to impose the maximum sentence or more, given how many victims have been hurt by Ramos.

According to investigators, Ramos sexually assaulted a total of 13 victims at the dental practice between January 2015 and January 2016. One of those victims was in a wheelchair, the San Diego District Attorneys office said.

The victims ages ranged between 17 and 63, with most being younger patients who were assaulted while getting their wisdom teeth extracted.

All of the crimes took place while the women were under anesthesia. Ramos was tasked with cleaning up the area after the dental procedure, which is when investigators said the assaults occurred.

Prosecutors said Ramos admitted to inappropriately touching nine women, sexually penetrating one victim and trying to do the same to another woman. With his guilty plea, Ramos also admitted to three misdemeanor counts of sexual battery.

Most of the sex crimes were captured on security cameras installed at the dental practice. The owner of the practice, Dr. Steven Podstreleny, said the cameras were installed at the business in 2009 in an effort at transparency and to provide patients with an extra layer of protection.

In an interview soon after Ramos' arrest in February, Podstreleny told NBC 7 the case came as a shock to Ramos' co-workers. He said "trust was violated" when Ramos committed the crimes.

Investigators with the San Diego Police Department combed through more than 500 hours of those surveillance videos from the recovery room where the assaults took place.

In court on Friday, another attorney read an impact statement on behalf of three more of Ramos victims, who talked about the videos and called Ramos a serial predator who planned his assaults on unconscious women in vulnerable positions.

He preyed on women who couldnt defend themselves, the groups statement read. Ramos knew what he was doing. He had his sexual assault routine down to a science.

The groups statement said that  as seen in the footage of the crimes  Ramos often positioned his back to the security camera to try to hide his actions. When he was arrested, the groups statement said Ramos called a co-worker and asked that co-worker to destroy the videos.

Those are the actions of a calculated predator, the groups statement continued.

The victims said they now suffer from a range of medical issues due to the assaults, including depression and anxiety. They also have a difficult time going to the dentist or doctor, as they feel they can no longer trust medical providers.

The victims also said they have trouble sleeping. One of Ramos victims now has to sleep in a locked room in her home, separate from her husband.

The anonymous victim who spoke in person at the sentencing hearing said she also suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from her assault.

I was not only taken advantage of on camera  I was also taken to another location off camera where the assault continued, she said, speaking through tears. There are mysteries that I have to live without knowing for the rest of my life, and some that I have to try to forget.

As the woman talked, Ramos looked down, sighed and also appeared to be choked up.

I am disgusted to be sitting in a room with such a perverted, distorted, sick person, his victim added. The feeling of disgust, shame, anger and sadness never seem to go away.

The victim said she is newly married and couldnt even enjoy her recent wedding day without thinking of Ramos. She said he has caused her agony and struggles that no punishment can ever fix.

I hope and pray that you never see the light of day again. That you suffer what youve put so many of us through and that you wish that you were never born, she said to him.

Ramos attorney said that up until the assaults, Ramos  a former U.S. military service member  had lived a law-abiding life.

The attorney said Ramos was abusing alcohol and addicted to methamphetamine at the time of the sex crimes, which led him to do horrible things.

It caused him to make terrible decisions and ruin lives, his attorney said.

She said Ramos is remorseful and embarrassed, and cant believe what he did because, in her words, He was out of his mind on methamphetamine.

The attorney said Ramos feels sorry for his victims. She asked the judge for lenience so her client could be rehabilitated through a long term drug program.

After his victims spoke, Ramos also addressed the court.

I feel deeply sorry and ashamed for my actions and behavior. Theres not a day that goes by that I dont think about this. I regret my decisions, he said, adding that he was addicted to drugs.

I lost control, lost who I was as a person. I was weakened. I could not make appropriate decisions, said Ramos. I know that I deserve punishment.

He said he now spends his days reflecting on his actions and hopes time can heal his victims and help transform him into a better man. He also asked the judge for a chance at rehabilitation.

In the end, in addition to his 15-year prison sentence, the judge denied probation for Ramos. He also questioned Ramos decision to get married and have a baby after his arrest, calling that a "selfish" act that potentially added more victims of assault to his roster.

The judge said Ramos was in a position of trust and called his crimes callous and planned and said the videos prove it all.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.25



By Aygun Badalova, Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend:



Iran and Azerbaijan are in talks over oil swap for further supply of Azerbaijani crude to the world market, Irans Ambassador to Azerbaijan Mohsen Pak Ayeen told Trend August 25.



In 2010, Iran stopped oil swaps with Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan.



Under oil swap agreements, which started in 1997 and were in place for over 12 years, Iran received crude oil of Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in the Neka port and delivered an equal volume to the clients of the same countries in Persian Gulf.



Pak Ayeen also said that Iran and Azerbaijan continue negotiations on increasing the volumes of gas swaps. 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.



Touching upon the Iranian gas export to Europe, the ambassador said that currently the country is studying the issues of the required infrastructure, transit cost and transit route.



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.
New details revealed on Thursday show that a suspect in an deputy-involved shooting in Poway did not fire his weapon, but did point his gun at a deputy.

Deputies feared 38-year old Trenton Lohman would harm citizens, leading them to open fire at him, according to the San Diego County Sheriffs Department (SDSO).

The incident began on Aug. 18, when deputies responded to reports of suspicious activity in the parking lot of an auto repair shop on Poway Road.

When the first initial deputy showed up, he was confronted by Lohman. Mr. Lohman produced a handgun and pointed it at the deputy, said SDSO Lt. Kenn Nelson. The deputy fearing for his life and safety, fired multiple rounds.

Lohman had then attempted to leave in his own vehicle but was blocked by several deputies arriving on scene. He then got into a deputys patrol car and drove off, leading police on a pursuit through Poway.

During the pursuit, Lohman got out of the patrol car and carjacked a person at gunpoint at the intersection of Espola and Poway roads. He had driven approximately 100 yards in the SUV when four deputies fired at him.

They knew he was armed, said Nelson, speaking of the deputies involved in the incident. They knew he already pointed a gun at deputies, they knew he pointed a gun at a citizen and carjacked him. So, they were fearful if he go away, he would do other violent acts towards citizens of Poway and San Diego.

Lohman was shot in the upper body and the SUV veered off the road and down into a ravine. He was found dead inside the vehicle.

According to SDSO, deputies found another gun, a hatchet, ammunition and knives inside the hijacked SUV.

Lohman had been on parole from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation when he was shot.

People who knew him had told NBC 7 that he had been attempting to turn his life around and they dont know what went wrong.
An off-duty sheriff's deputy fled a potential attack on the popular Washington and Old Dominion Trail in Virginia on Thursday, a little more than a week after two men assaulted and tried to sexually assault a woman nearby.

The sheriff's deputy was taking her morning run on the trail about 6:30 a.m. Thursday when she saw a man with a box cutter heading toward her, the Leesburg Police Department said.

The deputy recognized [the weapon], turned and ran, and the suspect fled in the opposite direction," Lt. Jeff Dube said. "There was no physical contact between the suspect and the victim, and the victim was able to get away and call in and report it.

The incident between Valley View Avenue and South King Street, which police called an attempted assault, follows the assault and attempted sexual assault of a woman walking on the trail on Aug. 17.

The woman told police she was walking about 8:30 p.m. Aug. 17 just east of Sterling Boulevard when two men emerged from a wooded area. They "pulled at her and her clothing before physically assaulting her," the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said in a statement.

The men fled when a cyclist passed, police said.

Investigators do not believe the two incidents are connected, and are seeking three men. Police released a sketch of the man seen with the box cutter. Anyone with information is asked to call police.

People who use the trail are advised to stay alert, carry a cellphone, avoid wearing earphones, let someone know where you are and avoid the area after dark.

More police will patrol the area.
A former military lawyer convicted of torturing a Virginia couple during a home invasion was sentenced Friday to two life terms plus 98 years.

A jury had recommended that sentence in June after Andrew Schmuhl was convicted of breaking into the McLean home of lawyer Leo Fisher and his wife, Sue Duncan, and holding them captive for three hours as he shot, stabbed and tased them.

Prosecutors argued the attack was an act of revenge against Fisher, who had fired Schmuhl's wife, Alecia, from his law firm weeks earlier.

Prosecutors had asked jurors to recommend five life terms but said in June they were satisfied with the jury's recommendation.

Fisher said in court that the brutal attack left both him and his wife with permanent scars and impairments.

"I've never been a person who hated before, and I hate now," he said.

Duncan has constant nightmares about someone trying to kill her, her husband said.

"I just don't want this guy and his wife, these two monsters, to ever do this to anyone else again," Fisher told jurors.

Schmuhl's attorney and parents asked jurors for leniency. The lawyer argued Schmuhl was so overly medicated for back problems and other health issues that he did not know what he was doing as he tortured Fisher and Duncan.

Schmuhl's mother apologized, speaking directly to the victims.

"Your tragedy is our tragedy as well. On behalf of our family, my apologies," she said.

Fisher and Duncan got up and left the courtroom.

Alecia Schmuhl will be tried next month for her alleged role in the attack.

"We await Alecia Schmuhl's trial in September and a similarly just result," Fisher said in his statement in June.
A Bowie, Maryland, man is charged with scaling a security barrier at the White House.

According to court filings, 22-year-old Ryan Cain is accused of deliberately climbing over a barrier marked Restricted Area Do Not Enter.

In those same court filings, investigators said Cain claimed he had come to the White House to collect his money after hearing his name on a popular Washington, D.C., radio station.

A police report said Cain was stopped and questioned by Secret Service just before 7 a.m. Wednesday while walking along Pennsylvania Avenue.

Shortly after, Cain returned and breached the secure barrier, according to the police report.

He pleaded not guilty to unlawful entry in D.C. Superior Court Thursday. He is scheduled to appear in court Sept. 28.

Requests for comment from Cain's defense attorney were not immediately returned.
Though the weather is still hot enough to go swimming, many public school students across the country are staring at the summer sun through a classroom window.

Many schools have done away with the tradition of beginning classes after the Labor Day weekend. While many classes are already in full swing, some schools are already looking ahead to next year and debating whether to begin fall classes even earlier.

There are more than 13,000 school districts across the country, all of which have their own rules for determining the academic calendar. But pushing fall start dates forward is usually driven by an effort to improve academic performance, by giving teachers and students more time to prepare before end of the year exams in the spring.

Montgomery County Public Schools in Maryland is currently considering a proposal to shift its scheduled summer up and end the break earlier in August. If approved in November, the 2017-2018 school year will begin on Aug. 21, two weeks before Labor Day and a week sooner than its 2016 start date.

Derek Turner, the Montgomery County spokesperson, said the proposal has received mixed reaction from the community and that more than 1,000 people have submitted feedback online, with some parents concerned about an earlier fall start date conflicting with summer camp end dates.

The county proposes that moving up the calendar will give teachers an additional week of instruction before end of the year assessments like national Advanced Placement exams.

Turner said the beginning of the school year can lend itself to increased productivity in the classroom.

"As we get further in the year students get more and more distracted," Turner said. "So the earlier we startthe better off we are."

Rebecca Kaye, the policy and governance adviser for Atlanta Public Schools, said having an early August start date allows the Atlanta school system to include breaks more frequently throughout the 180 class days.

The longer you go in school with no breaks we have more student discipline incidents, Kaye said. I think thats a combination of kids having more conflict and emotional stuff built up as well as teachers having more anxiety.

Atlanta Public Schools has one of the earliest fall start dates in the country, starting their 2016-2017 school year on Aug. 3. Kaye said classes will begin next year on Aug. 1.

"What we saw when we mapped it out was that [incidents of student discipline] would increase, increase, increase, increase, and then we would have a break and it would drop," she said. "That's why we try not to go too long without people having a break to let off some steam and come back refreshed."

Kaye said Atlantas early August start date allows the first instructional semester to end by winter break at the end of December, so high school students don't have to spend the holiday break studying for exams.

Pedro Noguera, a professor of education at New York University, said an earlier fall start date does not have any direct effect on student learning.

"The research shows that 180 school days across the year in different ways doesn't necessarily make a difference for kids," Kaye said. "It's about how you use the time and quality instruction."
Police in Augusta, Maine, have arrested a 65-year-old accused of exposing himself to children last week.

David Smith of Wayne allegedly exposed himself near the East Side Boat Landing Park, according to necn affiliate WCSH.

Witnesses in the area gave officers information to help them track Smith.

He was arrested Thursday and charged with Indecent Conduct.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.23



By Aygun Badalova - Trend:



Ukraine and Iran are considering the possibilities to supply Iranian oil to Ukrainian and European oil refineries, the source in Ukraines ministry of energy and coal industry told Trend.



Currently the ministry together with the Iranian side considers the possibility to supply Iranian oil to Ukrainian, as well as Central and Eastern European oil refineries, the source said.



The source didnt provide any details of on the talks or on the possible supply route.



Earlier, PJSC Ukrtransnafta, an operator of Ukraines oil transportation system, said it offered Iran to use the companys oil transportation infrastructure to transit oil to the Central and Eastern European markets.



Talks on the issue have been held during the meeting of Ukrtransnaftas head Nikolai Gavrilenko with Irans oil minister Bijan Zanganeh in Tehran.



Irans oil export has already reached 2.74 million barrels per day (mbpd) in July. The Islamic Republic exported 2.1 million barrels of crude oil per day in July.



About 25 percent of Irans crude oil export goes to Europe, while Asian markets share 75 percent of Irans crude oil exports.



Tehran eyes to export 63 percent of its crude oil to Asian markets and the remaining to European and other consumers.
A Fall River, Massachusetts, man who attacked his pregnant girlfriend and a neighbor with a hammer last summer will serve at least 10 years behind bars for the crime.

Twenty-four-year-old Mario Ramos pleaded guilty to several charges stemming from the violent July 2015 assault on Tuesday in Fall River Superior Court. He was immediately sentenced to a term of 10 to 12 years in state prison.

Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn called the attack "another example of pure inhumane brutality."

On the night of the assault, police were called to a housing complex where Ramos attempted to strangle his girlfriend. She fled to a neighbor's home, where Ramos struck her numerous times with a hammer.

Ramos was also charged in an attack involving a hammer in Puerto Rico in 2011.
A manhole cover exploded Thursday night in Providence, Rhode Island, leaving most of the city's mall and surrounding areas without power, according to necn affiliate WJAR.

Providence Fire responded around 8:15 p.m. to reports of the explosion.

An employee told WJAR that Macy's and Nordstrom were the only stores at the Providence Place Mall with power.

Fire officials say four people were freed after being trapped in elevators. Authorities said everyone was able to make it out of the mall safely.

While the mall has a backup generator, authorities say it did not kick in.

National Grid told WJAR around 10 p.m. that power had been restored to all but 300 of its customers.
David Langteine has a special bond with dogs. In 2012, his dog Lilly was credited with saving Langteine's mom's life after she passed out on some train tracks.

"I remember when I was going through a very tough time and my dog's injuries,' Langteine said Thursday.

Langteine is a Boston police officer, and early Thursday he responded to a Dorchester street after a woman and another man's dog were shot.

The 18-year-old woman was rushed to the hospital. She is expected to be okay.

At the scene, Langteine heard about the wounded dog. Not knowing how far animal control was from the scene, Langteine helped the dog's owner load the dog into the back of a police car and rushed it to an animal hospital.

One problem, Fellony's owner couldn't afford the medical bill.

"We all agreed to split the cost and put down a credit card to get him the medical attention that he needed," Langteine said.

The three Boston Police officers agreed to pay Fellony's bill.

"It is just a natural human response to somebody in need with their family and dogs are family," Langteine said.

Fellony is expected to survive but isn't out of the woods yet. Langteine and his fellow officers are raising money on Facebook.

You can get more information here: https://www.facebook.com/LillyTheHeroPitBull/

"The way I look at it, that dog put itself in front of its owner and took a bullet for him," Langteine said.
A Massachusetts man who illegally shipped gun parts around the world has been sentenced to nearly three years in federal prison.

Prosecutors say between November 2010 and March 2012 60-year-old David Maricola sent more than $100,000 worth of components for assault rifles, handguns and machine guns that ended up in 20 countries, including France, Indonesia, Thailand, Australia and Germany.

They said parts shipped by Maricola were used in two gang shootings in Finland, one of which was fatal.

The Southbridge man was sentenced Wednesday after pleading guilty in April to 32 charges, including conspiracy, exporting gun components, making false statements on customs forms and money laundering.

Prosecutors say Maricola mislabeled customs forms when shipping the parts to say that they were for replica guns or were "aluminum sculptures."
18-year-old Landon Callahan has come a long way over the past few years - battling anxiety and depression, even attempting suicide, before realizing he was much happier transitioning from a female to a male.

Landon said, "My school, I was the first student to transition so they weren't really aware of the right practices to go by."

But with transgender rights becoming more prominently discussed, some schools are taking a proactive approach to helping students transition more easily.

In the Franklin school district, a letter went home to parents this week explaining, One of our students has socially transitioned from a boy to a girl. Social transitioning means that this student will now be living as a girl and referred to by her preferred name and with female pronouns. She lives as a girl at home, in school, and in our community.

The letter went on to give advice to parents on how to talk with their children about this.

Something Landon's mother said could be very helpful.

Elyse Callahan said, "I do find that kids in general are a lot more open to it, so it's the parents who tend to get a little stuck on how to talk to their kids."

Parents we spoke to were surprised but mostly receptive to the letter.

Parent Jay Hardin said, "It's a touchy subject but it's part of the world that we live in, so kudos to the school for being proactive."

"We didn't grow up where it was okay to be gay, or it was okay to be anything like that so it's a little tougher now," said parent Sandy Stawarz.

"I think it's a good thing recognizing that there's kids like that out there," said parent Jack Medeiros, "and hopefully that helps a kid to transition."

The Callahans say while it should be a personal decision of how to deal with making a transition public, this is a step in the right direction.

Landon said, "I think that it would have been helpful for me and take some pressure off me if they had already been at least a little bit more aware of some of the best practices."
Fire officials in Otis, Maine, say two people escaped a massive fire that engulfed a home Friday morning.

According to necn affiliate WCSH, the fire broke out around 3 a.m. at a home on West Shore Road.

Multiple fire departments from other communities responded to the scene.

The home, garage and car are completely damaged.
A New Hampshire mother has pleaded guilty for her role in her teenage daughter's death.

17-year-old Eve Tarmey died last year after overdosing on Fentanyl, a powerful painkiller.

For many, the punishment does not fit the crime even as her attorney says his client deserves some sympathy.

"She is in mourning for her daughter," Defense Attorney James O'Rourke Jr. said.

42-year-old Jazzmyn Rood pleaded guilty to misleading police investigating the case of her daughter's death.

Tarmey overdosed in a room at a Rochester, New Hampshire motel last October. Rood was in the bathroom when her boyfriend, 41-year-old Mark Ross, gave Tarmey what she thought was heroin.

Ross and another woman are serving 20 years for providing the drugs.

"We didn't have evidence that she was actively involved in the distribution that night that resulted in the death of Miss Tarmey and had she been it would have been a different case, different charges," Federal Prosecutor Donald Feith said.

Prosecutors will recommend a sentence of 30 months.

"I would just say that I hope that the public has some empathy for her and her being a mother & losing her child," O'Rourke said.

Some of Tarmey's family, including her grandmother and father, were in court.

Rood is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 1.
Maine Governor Paul LePage left a voicemail filled with expletives, obscenities, and threats on Maine Democratic Representative Drew Gattine's phone prompting New Englanders to react on both sides of the issue.

The voicemail featured LePage telling Gattine he wished he could point a gun "right between his eyes" as well as calling the representative other obscenities.

Assistant House Majority Leader Sara Gideon spoke along with Rep. Gattine on Friday and said, "the behavior that he is exhibiting shows that he is not fit to govern the state at this time."

Many New Englanders agreed with Gideon such as Linda Fonseca Myles who commented on the necn Facebook page "this man needs to be removed from office and arrested immediately."

Diana DeNapoli agreed and added, "this man is out and out a psycho!"

Jean Stanley posted, "he is such an embarrassment to the State of Maine."

However, others believed LePage was justified in his actions.

According to the Portland Press Herald, LePage left the voicemail Thursday night after he was asked by a reporter to respond to critics who had called him racist earlier in the day.

LePage asked who specifically and the reporter mentioned he had talked with Gattine, however, he didnt specifically say Gattine was responsible for the comment.

Vanessa Ridings said, "my take was not a threat, he's after the guy to get to the bottom of him calling him a racist."

Another viewer, Teri De Simone agreed and said, "he is no racist and is sick of the left saying that."

There is no word on whether police will investigate the incident further.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.26



By Aygun Badalova - Trend:



The US Energy Information Administration (EIA) expects OPEC members net oil export revenue to fall to $341 billion in 2016 before rising to $427 billion in 2017.



OPEC members' net oil export revenue has fallen as crude oil prices have declined. The monthly average Brent spot price dropped from $112 per barrel in June 2014 to $38 per barrel in December 2015, EIA said in a report August 26.



OPEC members earned $404 billion in net oil export revenues in 2015, according to the EIAs estimates. These earnings represent a 46 percent decline from $753 billion earned in 2014.



Petroleum exports by OPEC members accounted for between five percent (Indonesia) to 99 percent (Iraq) of total export revenues in 2015, the EIA said.



Generally, countries with sizeable financial assets, such as the Persian Gulf States (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates), are affected to a lesser degree than other oil-producing countries, such as Iraq, Nigeria, and Venezuela, that do not have large financial reserves, according to the report.



EIA also noted that although declining crude oil prices have been the main driver behind lower OPEC revenue since mid-2014, unplanned production outages among some OPEC members have also contributed to lower export earnings.



OPEC increased oil production by 46,400 barrels per day to 33.11 million bpd in July as compared to June, according to cartels latest report.



Crude oil output increased mostly from Iraq (by 74,800 bpd to 4.32 million bpd), while production in Nigeria showed the largest drop (by 41,300 bpd to 1.51 million bpd).



Saudi Arabias oil output increased by 30,100 bpd to almost 10.48 million barrels per day in July.
State police are investigating a report of a man trying to lure a girl into his van in north eastern Connecticut on Thursday afternoon.

The incident happened in Baltic just before 1:30 p.m.

Police said they received a 911 call at 1:22 p.m. Thursday about the possible attempted abduction of a 10-year-old girl on River Street after a man in a white utility van attempted to coerce the girl into the vehicle, police said.

The girl did not get into the van and instead ran to the closest house, according to police

Her family members said the man tried to entice the girl with candy, cash and video games.

"He told her that your parents had asked me to pick you up, so get in my van. So she froze. Then he said he had games for her he has money and to get in the van," the girl's aunt, Elizabeth Heart, said.

"He told her that your parents had asked me to pick you up, so get in my van. So she froze. Then he said he had games for her he has money and to get in the van," the girl's aunt, Elizabeth Heart, said.

The vehicle might have been a Ford E350 with a utility rack and the driver appeared to be in his 40s and has a tattoo on his left forearm.

He was wearing a gray tattered shirt and black shoes and sped off when the child ran, police said.

State police said they received another report around half an hour later about a similar incident in the Wauregan section of Plainfield, but Plainfield police said there is no active investigation.

A girl got nervous about a white utility van driving behind her, so she called her mom and her mother called police. Officers then went out and stopped some cars, but there is no active investigation into that report.

The Sprague Resident State Troopers Office is investigating the Baltic case and anyone with information is asked to call 860-822-3000, extension 207.
Authorities are investigating the deaths of a man and a woman found Friday outside a Massachusetts home as an apparent murder-suicide.

The community of Ashby is in shock after police found the two deceased people after 1:30 p.m. on the front lawn of a house on Watatic Mountain Road.

Neighbor Wayne Stacy says he knew the couple for years.

"We used to go up there for parties," he said. "I can't say nothing bad about them. And I wouldn't if I could."

Massachusetts State Police detectives responded to the scene alongside local authorities. Police initially said they were not seeking any suspects. The Middlesex County District Attorney's Office says the incident is believed to have been a murder-suicide, and that there is no threat to public safety.

The identities of the deceased are being withheld pending notification to next of kin.
A reward is being offered by Massachusetts' State Fire Marshal for information leading to the suspects behind the explosion of a newspaper box for an LGBT newspaper in Salem earlier this week.

The person whose tip leads to an arrest will be eligible for a $5,000 reward.

Anyone with information about this arson, which happened in the early morning hours on Tuesday, is asked to call the state arson hotline at 1-800-682-9229 or Salem police at (978) 744-0171 ext. 179.

Salem police say seven people were caught on surveillance video placing a device inside the newspaper box, and the explosion was heard up to a mile away.
Three new breweries are set to open on the South Coast of Massachusetts.

According to Boston Magazine, Moby Dick Brewing Company and an unnamed brewery will open in New Bedford and Troy City Brewing Company will open in Fall River.

Moby Dick Brewing Company will be located at 52 Union Street in New Bedofrd.

Previously, the building was used for "short-term political operations."

The brewery will serve their own craft beer that will be brewed on site.

In addition, the brewpub will have an outdoor seating area, a pub menu, brewery retail for sale, and a 10-barrel brewery operation guests will be able to see behind the bar.

The company hopes to open the 100-person restaurant by March 2017.

The second brewery, which is currently unnamed, will open on 791 Purchase Street.

Boston Magazine reports that the new brewery will have their own beers as well as live music.

Three New Bedford natives are teaming up to open the brewery and hope to announce a name and launch a website within the next few weeks.

Troy City Brewing Company will open in Fall River's South End.

The company launched a Kickstarter page in August to raise money to help start the brewery.

According to the brewery's Facebook Page, their goal is "to bring Fall River local brewed beer."

Boston Magazine reports the founder, Keith Carvalho, has been sharing his Troy City beer at various festivals and was searching for a location to sell his beer.

He plans to self-distribute the beer to local bars and restaurants in Fall River and expand from there.

Carvalho hopes to open the brewery by August 2017.
Republican Gov. Paul LePage left an obscene tirade on the voicemail of a Democratic lawmaker who criticized his remark that 90 percent of the drug dealers arrested in the state are black and Hispanic. He also told reporters he wished it were 1825 so he could challenge the lawmaker to a duel and point a gun between his eyes. LePage later said that was a metaphor and he meant no physical harm.

Here's a look at other controversial remarks made by the two-term governor:

___

September 2010

As a candidate for governor, LePage told a group of fishermen during a discussion of federal regulations that he wouldn't be afraid to tell President Barack Obama to "go to hell." He later said he regretted the words but didn't back down on criticism of the administration.

___

January 2011

After the Portland NAACP chapter felt slighted when LePage declined invitations to attend Martin Luther King Jr. Day events, a reporter asked LePage about it. He answered: "Tell them to kiss my butt." LePage ended up attended a breakfast honoring the slain civil rights leader in Waterville, as he had in the past, and he skipped events in Maine's largest city.

___

February 2011

LePage dismissed the dangers of bisphenol-A, a chemical additive used in some plastic bottles, by saying the worst that could happen was "some women may have little beards." LePage later said he was joking.

___

December 2011

LePage used a barnyard epithet when he was asked about a meeting he had with three unemployed workers and a lawmaker. When a reporter asked him for his thoughts about the meeting, LePage used the expletive, then repeated it slowly.

___

April 2012

At a town hall meeting, LePage was asked about state fees. LePage's response: "The problem is, Middle management of the state is about as corrupt as can be."

___

July 2012

In a radio address, LePage assailed a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that upheld the health care overhaul law, saying Americans had no choice but to buy health insurance or "pay the new Gestapo - the IRS." He later said he didn't mean to offend the Jewish community or minimize the Holocaust.

___

June 2013

Expressing his frustration over the state budget, LePage used a vulgar phrase to describe a Democratic opponent, saying the lawmaker "claims to be for the people, but he's the first one to give it to the people without providing Vaseline."

___

June 2015

LePage joked about shooting a political cartoonist to the cartoonists' son at a youth leadership program. A newspaper official said it wasn't funny, especially after the killing of cartoonists at Charlie Hebdo in Paris.

___

January 2016

LePage said during a town hall meeting that drug dealers with the names "D-Money, Smoothie, Shifty" come to Maine from New York City and Connecticut, sell their drugs and then "half the time they impregnate a young white girl before they leave." LePage later apologized, saying he meant to say "Maine women" instead of white women.

Later that month, LePage said he wanted to use the guillotine to execute drug dealers publicly. The governor's office said the remark during a radio interview was just a joke to illustrate his support for tougher penalties for drug crimes. In the interview, LePage laughed when he talked about using the guillotine to chop off the heads of drug traffickers.

___

February 2016

LePage was accused of racial insensitivity over a joke about a Chinese investor's name. The man's first name is Chiu - pronounced "choo." When LePage mentioned him at a business breakfast, he pronounced the man's name with an emphatic fake sneeze. The governor's office later said the two have an "excellent relationship."

___

April 2016

At the Republican Party convention, LePage said that it's hard to understand workers from Bulgaria and that workers from India are "the worst ones." He made his remarks while criticizing a proposal to increase Maine's minimum wage. He described Indians as "lovely people, but you've got to have an interpreter."
A former New Hampshire state trooper caught on video beating a man who led officers on a two-state car chase was given a deferred jail sentence Thursday after pleading guilty to three simple assault charges, and the victim's family says it's not enough.

Then-trooper Andrew Monaco was arrested in July on charges stemming from his use of force in the arrest of Richard Simone Jr. on May 11, following a 50-mile pursuit from Holden, Massachusetts, to Nashua, New Hampshire. Video captured by a TV news helicopter shows Simone stepping out of his pickup truck, kneeling and placing his hands on the ground as officers assault him.

Assistant Attorney General Susan Morrell said Monaco punched and kneed Simone 12 times in 20 seconds. But Morrell said a deferred and suspended 12-month sentence was appropriate given Monaco's instant remorse and willingness to take responsibility.

A statement from Simone's family released late Thursday reads, "With this plea, the Attorney General not only fails to accomplish justice, but fails to grasp why the actions of Troopers Monaco and Flynn sparked immediate and universal condemnation."

It adds, "Trooper Monaco betrayed the public's trust, live on network television, when he beat Richie. And, by failing to hold him accountable for his actions, the Attorney General betrays that same trust again."

Monaco told a supervisor at the scene he knew his actions were wrong; he resigned from the police force a few days after his arrest. As part of his sentence, the 32-year-old Monaco agreed to perform community service, receive anger management counseling and never work in law enforcement again.

Joseph Flynn, 32, of the Massachusetts State Police, also faces charges in the case. A pre-trial conference is set for October.

Monaco was a state trooper for four years. In a brief statement Thursday, he apologized to his fellow officers and the public, but not to Simone. He said he could not explain why he behaved in a way he had always promised himself he would not.
A Virginia couple has pled guilty to H-1B fraud charges in a scheme that made them millions, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Thursday.

A married couple -- Raju Kosuri, 44, and Smriti Jharia, 45 -- created a visa-for-sale system involving some 900 H-1B visa petitions over a multi-year period, according to the U.S. attorney in the Eastern District of Virginia.

Court records detail an elaborate operation that required a series of fictions to pull off.

Through a series of shell companies that purported to provide IT staffing and services to corporate clients, the defendants H-1B visa petitions on behalf of workers. These workers had to pay the visa fees, legal and administrative costs -- as much as $4,000 -- in violation of the visa program's rules.

When the H-1B visa workers were not on a job they were "benched" -- not paid, a practice not allowed under the program's requirements. Foreign workers are required to be paid continuously regardless of employment by an end client.

"These rules are designed to protect foreign workers from predation by American employers, to guarantee them a salary during the period of their visa eligibility, and to provide working conditions for foreign workers which will not adversely affect the working conditions of similarly employed U.S. workers," said the government, in court records.

When the visa-holding workers complained "about the difficulty of trying to live in the U.S. without income" they were told they were "nothing more than hourly consultants."

The H-1B visa workers were told to "falsify their resumes" to deceive immigration authorities about their employment history.

To explain how phony process worked, the government cited a visa petition submitted on behalf of a person identified as only "A.G.," which claimed he would be working as a computer systems analyst for a particular company. But the supporting letter was actually written by one of the defendants in the scheme.

The guilty plea includes admitting to charges of conspiracy to defraud the United States and visa fraud, among others. As part of the case, Kosuri agreed to forfeit proceeds from the venture -- in the amount of $20.9 million.

The couple will face sentencing at a later date, a DOJ spokesperson said. The attorney representing the defendants declined to comment.

Kosuri and Jharia were indicted by a grand jury, along with four others, in April. At that time, the U.S. said they faced up to a maximum of 30 years in prison.

RELATED VIDEO:

This story, "Fake resumes, jobs, lead to real guilty plea in H-1B fraud case" was originally published by Computerworld .
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26



By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:



Kazakhstan started construction of Low Enriched Uranium (LEU) bank, Novosti-Kazakhstan quoted deputy head of Kazakhs Energy Ministrys Atomic Committee Timur Zhantikin as saying.



Kazakhstan and the IAEA signed an agreement to set up the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium bank in Oskemen, Eastern Kazakhstan in August 2015.



Zhantikin noted that the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium bank will be located in a separate building at the Ulba Metallurgical Plant. The bank will be launched in the second half of 2017, he said.



According to the IAEA, Low Enriched Uranium bank in Kazakhstan will be a physical reserve of up to 90 tons of low enriched uranium, sufficient to run a 1,000 MWe light-water reactor.



Such a reactor can power a big city for three years. The plant has been handling and storing nuclear material, including LEU, safely and securely for more than 60 years.



The establishment and operation of the IAEA Low Enriched Uranium Bank is fully funded through $150 million of voluntary contributions from the Nuclear Threat Initiative, the United States, the European Union, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Norway and Kazakhstan.

Edited by SI

Follow the author on Twitter:@E_Kosolapova
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, August 26

By Demir Azizov Trend:

Abdulaziz Kamilov, Uzbek foreign minister, received Yuri Sterk, ambassador, head of the EU delegation, who is completing his diplomatic mission in the country, the Uzbek foreign ministry said Aug. 26.

During the meeting the sides exchanged views on the priorities for the development of the Uzbekistan-EU cooperation, as well as in the Uzbekistan-EU format and as part of the EU and Central Asia: Strategy for a New Partnership.

Kamilov appreciated Sterks contribution to the strengthening of mutually beneficial relations between Uzbekistan and the EU.

Sterk expressed gratitude for the favorable conditions created for his successful activity in Uzbekistan.

Uzbekistan and the EU signed the agreement "On partnership and cooperation" in 1996. The EU diplomatic office in Uzbekistan opened in 2012.
Jubilant community welcomes gold medalist home

OLYMPIC gold medalist Chris Mears received a hero's welcome when he returned home to Burghfield Common yesterday.

Mears and his diving partner Jack Laugher made history by becoming the first British divers to win an Olympic gold medal.

Former Willink School pupil Mears signed autographs and posed for photos with fans.

Burghfield residents have quite literally painted the village gold to mark Mears' homecoming from Rio.

They have created a giant gold medal made from cardboard which people have been writing congratulatory messages on and this was presented to Mears as a gift yesterday.

Mears also admired and posed for pictures with the replica gold post box outside the post office on Recreation Road.
Kelly Love is leaving WJAR NBC 10 in Providence, Rhode Island, New England One has learned.

"The last three years have been absolutley the best of my life" Kelly said on her Facebook page.

"I got married, I had a baby, ate some of the best food, drank some of the best wine, and met some of the most incredible people I'll ever know. Its bittersweet for me to leave here though. My NBC10 family has been wonderful, and the station itself is a testament to the people I work with every day. I've laughed so hard, for so many mornings from that weather center, and I'm truly thankful" she said.

"As most of you know, I moved a long way to come here and invade your state with my southern roots, and I'm so thankful you've accepted me... even if I don't love 78.1 inches of snow in one month. ;-) But, I'm headed home now. Its time for me to get back to those roots and I am thrilled to have the opportunity. Keep up with me on social media! I'll always be here!" she ended.

Kelly Love joined WJAR in September 2013 as the morning and noon meteorologist.

She came to WJAR from WTVM ABC 9 in Columbus, Georgia where she also worked as the morning and noon meteorologist.

She's also worked as the weekend weather anchor at WDAM ABC/NBC 7 in Hattiesburg, Mississippi; a weather anchor/reporter/producer at WNEG 32 in Toccoa, Georgia; and a weather producer at WSB ABC 2 in Atlanta. She also interned at WRDW CBS 12 in Augusta, Georgia.

A native of Athens, Georgia, Kelly is a graduate of Mississippi State University where she studied atmospheric sciences. She also graduated from The University of Georgia where she studied broadcast news and mass communications.

Kelly has not said where she is headed next. Her last day at WJAR is August 30.

Follow Kelly Love on Social Media
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 25



By Emil Ilgar  Trend:

Iran has arrested a citizen of Greece over the oil embezzlement case, national Iran newspaper reported on Aug. 25.

The report didn't reveal the name of the man, but said that Iranian government handed over 8 tankers with crude oil to the mentioned persoon without signing a legal agreement. The deal was done during the time of active sanctions on Iran.

The newspaper said that after Hassan Rouhani became Iran's president, the government started pursing the case, and managed to return five tankers.

"However, the mentioned businessman has already sold three tankers himself and misappropriated the money. The amount of damage for Iran from this embezzlement is estimated at $100 million," the report said.

Iran Newspaper added that Iranian government recently encouraged the mentioned businessman to travel to Iran and arrested him as soon as he arrived in the Imam Khomeini airport.

The report didn't explain how Iran managed to return five tankers.

Iran started selling oil through dealers to bypass the sanctions, imposed by US and EU on the country over its ambitious nuclear activities in 2012.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.26

By Dalga Khatinoglu - Trend:

Iran supports any action by oil producers aimed at market balance, but Iran has the right to continue reviving its share on the international oil markets, the country's Oil Minister Bijan Namdar Zanganeh said Aug.26.

"When the glut in the market started, Iran's output and exports were roughly at 2.7 million barrels per day (mb/d), and those who disrupted the market balance with increasing their output should take responsibility and cut the production," Shana quoted him as saying.

Iran was producing more than 3.8 mb/d during the pre-sanctions era in 2011, of which 2.2 mb/d was being exported.

The sanctions on Iran were eliminated in January 2016 and the country's output has increased to 3.65 mb/d since then, and the export has surpassed 2 mb/d.

Iran President Hassan Rouhani said on Aug.24 that Iran's oil output has reached 3.85 mb/d, but it is unclear how much Iran wants to increase its output exactly.

Iranian Deputy Oil Minister Amir Hossein Zamaninia told Trend on Aug. 9 that Irans oil output is currently 3.7 mb/d and will reach the pre-sanction level within the next six months.

Zamaninia did not reveal Irans oil output by the next six months, but said that Iran has a specific share in OPEC and will produce at that level.

Based on Zamaninias comments and the current OPEC daily production of 33.4 mb/d, Iran will probably be ready to produce 4 mb/d of oil.

Zanganeh said that Iran expects the other producers to recognize Tehran's right to revive its share in the global oil market.

It's statement came a day after his announcement that he will take part in a meeting of OPEC and some non-OPEC producers in Algeria, aimed to discuss oil freeze and a common action to support the oil prices.

"I will participate in International Energy Forum (IEF), which will be held in Algeria," he told Shana news agency Aug.25.

OPEC members will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum (IEF), which groups producers and consumers, in Algeria on Sept. 26-28.

It is expected that the talks on oil production freeze will be held between OPEC and non-OPEC countries.
Tehran, Iran, August 26

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

SUNIR (Iran Power & Water Equipment and Services Export Company) held negotiations over projects worth some $20 billion, following the implementaton of the JCPOA.

The company is today seeking new markets in North America, as well as Asian, African, and even European countries, thanks to the JCPOA, the companys CEO Bahman Salehi told IRNA news agency August 26.

Launching in 1994, SUNIR has carried out projects worth $2 billion, working with over 200 contractors.

The company has come 9th in ranking among the worlds companies active in building electricity distribution infrastructure.
Tehran, August 26

By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:

Tehran has stressed the need for Turkey, now working on the Syrian crisis in parallel with the Islamic Republic, to stay coordinated and avoid unilateral moves.

Any fight against terrorist groups on the Syrian soil should be coordinated with the countrys central government, Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahraq Qassemi said, ISNA news agency reported August 26.

Turkey has recently started to work alongside Iran and Russia regarding the Syrian crisis.

Tehran and Moscow recognize Bashar al-Assad as the legal government of Syria and call on fighting the terrorists and then deciding on a new, democratic government for the crisis-torn Arab country.

Turkey recently launched attacks on the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) positions in Syria by deploying forces on ground.

More than 80 ISIS targets were attacked in the first hours of "Operation Euphrates Shield" early August 24, officials said, as Turkish armor and warplanes targeted a key IS-held town across its border with Syria.

Any attack in the Syrian land should respect the countrys sovereignty and territorial integrity, the Iranian diplomat stressed.

Tehran claims it has avoided on-ground operations in Syria, dispatching only what it calls advisors to help the Assad army with brainpower.

A joint operations room of Iran and Russia recently decided that Russian bombers use the Nojeh airbase in western Iran to take off for attacks on terrorists in Syria. The first wave of such attacks was a success, killing 150 terrorists. Iran and Russia said the air raids may be repeated in the future if mutual consent exists.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Interests of a number of countries clash in Syria and it increasingly complicates the solution of the crisis in the country. The continuation of the crisis, in turn, creates more obstacles for its settlement.

Today, the main task of Syrias President Bashar al-Assad is to stay in power by any means and important support is provided for him.

Russias support is related to the fact that Moscow doesnt want to lose its bases in Syria. These bases are the 720th Logistics Support Point of Russian Navy in Syrias Tartus city and an aviation group of Russian Air Force stationed at the Khmeimim airbase in the southeast of Syrias Latakia city.

As for Iran, it is obvious that Syria has always been a main corridor to provide Hezbollah with arms against Israel. However, if earlier the Sunni rule in Iraq stood between Iran and Syria, after the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, who was an enemy of Iran, Tehran has acquired the perfect chance to expand its interests in the Arab world.

Syria has been a training camp for almost all anti-Israeli groups for many years.

As for ethnic Kurds in Syria, they almost had no civil rights even during the countrys President Hafez al-Assads term. As a result of military clashes and a growing number of terrorists, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad decided to attract ethnic Kurds by promising to provide them with autonomy in case of the crisis settlement.

But as it is known there are no friends in politics but only interests.

As a result of the ongoing military conflict, the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) are the main unofficial allies of the US in Syria today, actually fighting solely for their own interests, namely pro-US interests to seize a plot of Syrian land.

As for the Free Syrian Army, which is the main ally of Turkey, the situation is not so smooth.

The Free Syrian Armys main problem is that there is no clear line between resistance and politics. Today the Free Syrian Army is one of the vulnerable and unorganized groups in Syria. Almost all, including the Syrian government forces, Hezbollah, YPG and PYD, as well as those fighting for the Caliphate are against the Free Syrian Army.

There is also Jabhat al-Nusra (a Sunni Islamist militia group), which announced its dissolution, the IS militants as well as armed looters on the territory of Syria.

It is worth noting that there are a number of international coalitions for the fight against the IS in Syria.

But for some reason participation of the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition led by Saudi Arabia has been never mentioned.

In February 2016, the Turkish Armed Forces took part in the military drills of the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition.

If one carefully reviews the list of countries included in the coalition, one can notice that the list doesnt include either Iraq or Syria which suffer from terrorism. Iran, which is a member of the anti-terrorism coalition with Russia, Iraq and Syria, isnt on the list, either. This once again confirms the fact that the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition is largely of political nature.

There is no doubt that the Islamic anti-terrorism coalition will not join the Turkish military operations in Syria.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26



Trend:



Approaching its 25th anniversary, Armenia remains as one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union, said human rights activist Armine Sahakyan in her article published by The Huffington Post.



It should be a time for joy. But like many Armenians I will be thinking about what might have been, about the opportunities lost, said the author.



Corruption is rampant, and theres a huge gap between the rich and poor, said Sahakyan.



The governments pension reform program of 2013 didnt help our strapped pensioners, said the author in her article. It simply made working peoples paychecks smaller by forcing them to make mandatory pension-system contributions.



The change led to street demonstrations, as did the governments approval of transit-fee increases in 2013 and electricity-price increases in 2015, according to the article.



During the Soviet era, all of Armenias brightest students could gain entry to a top university, said Sahakyan adding that currently, mediocre students can enter an elite university by paying bribes.



Money also talks in health care, said the author. If you need an operation or extensive treatment, youd better have bribe money. Otherwise, you may not last long.



One of the major reasons why Armenia has been unable to do better since independence is that it is independent in name only, reads the article. In reality, it is still a Russian colony.



Armenia had a great chance to reduce its economic dependence on Russia when, in the fall of 2013, it was ready to sign an association agreement with the European Union, said the author.



Russian President Vladimir Putin, who has been trying to recreate the Soviet Union, summoned Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to the Kremlin for talks, she added.



Shortly after the discussion ended, Sargsyan announced that Armenia would be joining the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Community instead of the EU, said Sahakyan. The announcement was greeted with street demonstrations in Armenia  to no avail.
Three people were killed in an attack involving a crossbow in Toronto's east end on Thursday and a man was taken into custody, a police spokesman said, Reuters reported.

Police also evacuated a building in Toronto's downtown core later in the day due to a suspicious package in an incident related to the crossbow deaths, Detective Mike Carbone told a news conference. He gave no details on how it was related or what the package contained.

In the initial incident, police responding to a call about a stabbing found three people who appeared to have been injured by crossbow bolts, said another police spokesman David Hopkinson. The two men and a woman were pronounced dead.

"We don't have any idea with regards to why this may have happened," said Hopkinson.

CTV News, citing emergency services, said two other people were seriously injured.

An undentified man, 35, was taken into custody, police said.

Television footage showed police tape surrounding part of a residential street in Scarborough, a suburban area east of the city's downtown area.

In 2010, a man shot his father in the back with a crossbow in a Toronto public library before smashing his skull with a hammer. Zhou Fang, who had suffered domestic abuse, was convicted of a lesser charge of second-degree murder.
Danish Princess Marie attended the international food summit ' Better Food For More People ' opening ceremony and gala dinner at Copenhagen City Hall on August 25, 2016 in Denmark. The purpose of the summit is to start an international dialogue on how to unleash the full potential of gastronomy to ensure better food for more people.
What if one blood test could screen for more than 50 types of cancer?
An A-Mazing Place

Just a little over a week remains to visit Escobar Farms vast, intricate corn maze, open to the public through Nov. 6. The traditional, family-owned dairy farm, located in the...

Proposal Unveiled for Buildings at Eastons Beach

Eastons Beach may soon look very different. A preliminary proposal to overhaul the beach and its facilities, including the carousel, snack bar and rotunda buildings, was unveiled at a public...

McKee, Kalus State Positions in Newport

In a pair of meet-and-greet sessions at Innovate Newport sponsored by the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce, Gov. Dan McKee and challenger Ashley Kalus spoke on workforce housing, job creation...

Newport Council Considers New Property Tax Rates

The Newport City Council held a workshop on Oct. 25 that carried over to Oct. 26 in which it considered adopting new property tax classifications. (The discussion on Oct. 26...
Top White House officials met on Thursday with Democratic and Republican presidential campaign representatives to discuss preparations for transferring power to whomever wins the Nov. 8 election, a White House spokeswoman said, Reuters reported.

The meeting was led by Denis McDonough, President Barack Obama's chief of staff, and included Ken Salazar, the former Interior Secretary who is leading the transition team for Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, and New Jersey Governor Chris Christie, who is the transition chair for Republican candidate Donald Trump, the White House said.
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Reporter

Noelle McGee is a Danville-based reporter at The News-Gazette. Her email is nmcgee@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@n_mcgee).
Reporter/Columnist

Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth).
NOTICE: This Consumer Medicine Information (CMI) is intended for persons living in Australia.

Letrozole film-coated tablets Consumer Medicine Information

WHAT IS IN THIS LEAFLET This leaflet answers some common questions about Letrozole Sandoz. It does not contain all the available information. It does not take the place of talking to your doctor or pharmacist. The information in this leaflet was last updated on the date listed on the final page. More recent information on the medicine may be available. You should ensure that you speak to your pharmacist or doctor to obtain the most current information on the medicine. You can also download the current leaflet from www.novartis.com Those updates may contain important information about the medicine and its use of which you should be aware. All medicines have risks and benefits. Your doctor has weighed the risks of you taking this medicine against the benefits they expect it will have for you. If you have any concerns about taking this medicine, ask your doctor or pharmacist. Keep this leaflet with the medicine. You may need to read it again.

WHAT LETROZOLE SANDOZ IS USED FOR This medicine is used to treat breast cancer in women who are post-menopausal, that is women who no longer have periods, either naturally due to their age or after surgery or chemotherapy. Letrozole Sandoz is available in tablets containing 2.5 mg of the active ingredient letrozole. Letrozole belongs to a family of medicines called aromatase inhibitors. They are also called "antioestrogens" because they act by reducing the production of oestrogen in your body. Oestrogen stimulates the growth of certain types of breast cancer. These cancers are called "oestrogen-dependent". Reducing the production of oestrogen may help to keep the cancer from growing. This may be the first time you are taking an "antioestrogen" such as Letrozole Sandoz or you may have taken another "antioestrogen" such as tamoxifen in the past. Ask your doctor if you have any questions about why this medicine has been prescribed for you. Your doctor may have prescribed it for another reason. This medicine is not addictive. This medicine is available only with a doctor's prescription.

BEFORE YOU TAKE LETROZOLE SANDOZ

When you must not take it Do not take this medicine if you have an allergy to: Letrozole, the active ingredient, or to any of the other ingredient(s) listed at the end of this leaflet under Product Description. Some of the symptoms of an allergic reaction may include: shortness of breath wheezing or difficulty breathing swelling of the face, lips, tongue or other parts of the body rash, itching or hives on the skin. Do not take this medicine if you are still having periods. This medicine is only used in women who are no longer having periods. If you recently became postmenopausal or if you are perimenopausal, you should discuss with your doctor about the necessity of contraception as you might have the potential to become pregnant. Do not take this medicine if you are pregnant or breast feeding. It may affect your developing baby if you take it during pregnancy or breast feeding. Your doctor will discuss with you the potential risks of taking Letrozole Sandoz during pregnancy. There are reports of abnormalities in babies born to mothers who took Letrozole Sandoz during pregnancy. Do not take this medicine after the expiry date printed on the pack or if the packaging is torn or shows signs of tampering. If it has expired or is damaged, return it to your pharmacist for disposal. If you are not sure whether you should start taking this medicine, talk to your doctor.

Before you start to take it Tell your doctor if you have severe kidney or liver disease. Your doctor may want to take special precautions while you are taking this medicine. Tell your doctor if you have a history of osteoporosis or bone fractures. Your level of hormones may be checked by your doctor before you take Letrozole Sandoz to ensure you have gone through the menopause (cessation of periods). Tell your doctor if you are allergic to any other medicines, foods, preservatives or dyes. Your doctor will want to know if you are prone to allergies. If you have not told your doctor about any of these things, tell him/her before you start taking Letrozole Sandoz.

Taking other medicines Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any other medicines, including any that you get without a prescription from your pharmacy, supermarket or health food shop. Other medicines may be affected by Letrozole Sandoz or they may affect how well it works. Your doctor or pharmacist can tell you what to do when taking Letrozole Sandoz with other medicines. This includes in particular: tamoxifen other anti-estrogens or estrogen-containing therapies. These substances may diminish the action of Letrozole Sandoz. Women of child-bearing potential and male patients If you still until recently had menstrual periods, you should discuss with your doctor about the necessity of effective contraception as you might have the potential to become pregnant. Ask your doctor about options of effective birth control. Letrozole Sandoz may reduce fertility in male patients.

HOW TO TAKE LETROZOLE SANDOZ Follow the directions given to you by your doctor or pharmacist carefully. They may differ from the information contained in this leaflet. If you do not understand the instructions, ask your doctor or pharmacist for help.

How much to take The usual dose is one Letrozole Sandoz tablet daily.

How to take it Swallow the tablets with a glass of water or other liquid. If your stomach is upset after taking your medicine, try taking it with a meal or after a snack.

When to take Letrozole Sandoz Take your medicine at about the same time each day. Taking it at the same time each day will have the best effect. It will also help you remember when to take it.

How long to take Letrozole Sandoz Your doctor will check your progress to make sure the medicine is working and will decide how long your treatment should continue. If you are unsure, talk to your doctor.

If you forget to take it If it is almost time for your next dose (e.g. within 2 or 3 hours), skip the dose you missed and take your next dose when you are meant to. Otherwise, take your dose as soon as you remember, and continue to take it as you would normally. Do not take a double dose to make up for the dose that you missed. This may increase the chance of you getting an unwanted side effect. If you are not sure what to do, ask your doctor or pharmacist. If you have trouble remembering to take your medicine, ask your pharmacist for some hints.

If you take too much (overdose) Immediately telephone your doctor or the Poisons Information Centre (telephone Australia 13 11 26) for advice, or go to Accident and Emergency at the nearest hospital, if you think that you or anyone else may have taken too much Letrozole Sandoz. Do this even if there are no signs of discomfort or poisoning. Keep the telephone numbers for these places handy. You may need urgent medical attention.

WHILE YOU ARE TAKING LETROZOLE SANDOZ

Things you must do If you become pregnant while taking Letrozole Sandoz, tell your doctor immediately. You should not take this medicine while you are pregnant. Follow your doctor's instructions carefully. If you do not follow your doctor's instructions, your treatment may not help or you may have unwanted side effects. Be sure to keep all of your doctor's appointments so that your progress can be checked. Your doctor may want you to have blood tests from time to time to check on your progress and detect any unwanted side effects. Your doctor may also decide to monitor your bone health as this medicine may cause thinning or wasting of your bones (osteoporosis). If you are about to be started on any new medicine, remind your doctor and pharmacist that you are taking Letrozole Sandoz. Tell any other doctor, dentist or pharmacist who treats you that you are taking Letrozole Sandoz.

Things you must not do Do not take Letrozole Sandoz to treat any other complaints unless your doctor tells you to. Do not give your medicine to anyone else, even if they have the same condition as you.

Things to be careful of Be careful driving, operating machinery or doing jobs that require you to be alert while you are taking Letrozole Sandoz until you know how it affects you. This medicine may cause dizziness or tiredness in some people. If you have any of these symptoms, do not drive or do anything else that could be dangerous.

SIDE EFFECTS Tell your doctor or pharmacist as soon as possible if you do not feel well while you are taking Letrozole Sandoz. It may have unwanted side effects in some people in addition to its beneficial effects. All medicines can have side effects. Sometimes they are serious, most of the time they are not. You may need medical attention if you get some of the side effects. Do not be alarmed by the following lists of side effects. You may not experience any of them. Ask your doctor or pharmacist to answer any questions you may have. If any of the following happen, tell your doctor immediately or go to Accident and Emergency at your nearest hospital: signs that blood clots may have formed, such as sudden severe headache, sudden loss of coordination, blurred vision or sudden loss of vision, slurred speech, numbness or tingling in an arm or leg, painful swelling in the calves or thighs, chest pain, difficulty breathing, coughing blood, rapid heartbeat, bluish skin discolouration, fainting constant "flu-like" symptoms (chills, fever, sore throat, sores in mouth, swollen glands, tiredness or lack of energy) that could be a sign of blood problems swelling mainly of the face and throat (signs of allergic reaction) weakness or paralysis of limbs or face, difficulty speaking (signs of stroke) crushing chest pain or sudden arm or leg (foot) pain (signs of a heart attack) Swelling and redness along a vein which is extremely tender, possibly painful to touch (signs of thrombophlebitis). The above side effects may be serious. You may need urgent medical attention or hospitalisation. Tell your doctor straight away if you experience any of the following: yellow skin and eyes, nausea, loss of appetite, dark coloured urine (signs of hepatitis) rash, red skin, blistering of the lips, eyes or mouth, skin peeling, fever (signs of skin disorder) blurred vision (sign of cataract) swelling of the feet, ankles or other parts of the body due to fluid build-up (sign of odema) Tell your doctor if you notice any of the following side effects and they worry you: skin rash, itching or dry skin pain in the muscles, joints or bones; joint stiffness, arthritis, back pain high level of cholesterol vaginal spotting or bleeding whitish, thick vaginal discharge, vaginal dryness headache fever tiredness, sleepiness, weakness or dizziness, vertigo difficulty sleeping numbness or tingling in hands or feet mood changes such as anxiety, nervousness, irritability and depression (sad mood) drowsiness forgetfulness blurred vision or eye irritation stomach upset, nausea (feeling sick) or vomiting, indigestion, pain in the abdomen constipation diarrhoea dry mouth, sore mouth, mouth ulcers and cold sores thirst, change in sense of taste, dry mouth dry mucous membranes of the mouth, nose, vagina breast pain hot flushes increased sweating appetite changes increase or decrease in weight hair thinning urgent need to urinate (pass water) pain or burning sensation when urinating, which may be a sign of an infection pain or burning sensation in the hands or wrist (carpal tunnel syndrome) fast or irregular heartbeat, palpitations, high blood pressure (hypertension) thinning of bones (osteoporosis), bone fractures cough trigger finger, a condition in which your finger or thumb catches in a bent position dark coloured urine yellowish eyes and/or skin (jaundice) Tell your doctor or pharmacist if you notice anything else that is making you feel unwell. Other side effects not listed above may also occur in some people. Some of these can only be found by laboratory testing.

AFTER TAKING LETROZOLE SANDOZ

Storage Keep your medicine in the original container until it is time to take them. Store the tablets in a cool dry place where the temperature stays below 30C (room temperature). Do not store Letrozole Sandoz or any other medicine in the bathroom or any other place that is hot or steamy. Do not leave the tablets on a window sill or in the car. Heat and dampness can destroy some medicines. Letrozole Sandoz will keep well if it is cool and dry. Keep it where children cannot reach it. A locked cupboard at least one-and-a-half metres above the ground is a good place to store medicines.

Disposal If your doctor tells you to stop taking this medicine or the expiry date has passed, ask your pharmacist what to do with any medicine that is left over.

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION

What it looks like Letrozole Sandoz 2.5 mg: dark yellow, round, film-coated tablet, marked CG on one side and FV on the other; supplied in blister packs in a cardboard carton of 30 tablets.

Ingredients Active ingredients: Letrozole Sandoz 2.5mg - 2.5mg letrozole. Inactive ingredients: silica - colloidal anhydrous microcrystalline cellulose lactose monohydrate magnesium stearate starch-maize sodium starch glycollate hypromellose iron oxide yellow macrogol 8000 purified talc titanium dioxide. This medicine does not contain sucrose, gluten, tartrazine or any other azo dyes. Letrozole Sandoz contains lactose, galactose, milk, sulfites, sugars and ethanol.

Sponsor Novartis Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty Limited ABN 18 004 244 160 54 Waterloo Road Macquarie Park NSW 2113 Australia Tel: 1 800 671 203 Website: www.novartis.com.au
A simple, hand-held breath testing device that detects deadly ketones has been developed by University of Sydney researchers. The device could mean an end to finger-prick blood tests for diabetes patients.

Electrical and information engineers created the device that measures ketones  chemicals produced in our liver when other forms of energy called energy substrates are not available, such as glucose. For type 1 diabetes patients, elevated ketone levels can be life-threatening.

Associate Professor Xiaoke Yi, a nanophotonics expert whose specialist research involves photonic signal processing and sensing, led the development team that included University of Sydney postgraduate student Adrian Wu.

The Professor said the research was in part motivated by a colleagues diabetes condition.

Monitoring and controlling blood sugar levels are a crucial daily mission for every person managing diabetes. It is a painful and costly experience for my colleague, said Professor Yi.

Unfortunately, current monitoring methods are invasive and need to be done many times daily. Sometimes these tests can be low in efficiency, and inconvenient to do.

Our current prototype has three parts  an air sampling bag, a sensor head, and a signal processing unit. We are working on putting these three components together in a compact form to make a device similar to an alcohol breath testing device.

Key features of our technology are that it is needle-free, risk-free and pain-free. It is also fast and has high accuracy in detection, Associate Professor Yi said.

The 2015 International Diabetes Federations Diabetes Atlas reported one in 11 adults have diabetes, or the equivalent of 415 million worldwide. The Federation has also estimated that this number will keep growing, reaching as many as 642 million by 2040.

Two-thirds of these diabetic patients will live in low to middle-income countries the report said.

It is critical that we continue to develop this low cost monitoring unit, Associate Professor Yi said.

Diabetic specialist Professor Stephen Twigg, Medical Head of Endocrinology Research Laboratories, Royal Prince Alfred Hospital, supported the engineers in conducting a small-scale study at the Universitys Charles Perkins Centre. Results showed the sensing technique was two times more sensitive than the existing finger prick approach.

Professor Twigg said: As a clinician and a scientist I was excited by the prototype. I am always looking for improved methods of healthcare management for my patients.

We need cross-disciplines collaborations  in this case, engineering, science and medicine  to create technologies that help keep people healthy and prevent hospital admissions.

We do know if we can help people to monitor their ketone levels we can prevent hospital admissions.

When ketones rise to unsafe levels, a person with type 1 or juvenile diabetes is at risk of a dangerous condition called diabetic ketoacidosis.

Then the body will start to produce ketones as an alternative energy force and the brain and other tissues start to use the ketones. The problem is, in some case, the levels can be life-threatening.

The engineers have been able to overcome a fundamental problem and present a unique cost-effective and sensitive technology to detect breath ketone without any interference from drinking wine.

An additional clinical study trialling the device on diabetes patients is planned for the coming months.

The team aims to reduce the size of their prototype to fit comfortably into a handbag or pocket, meaning diabetes patients will be able to test the state of their health anytime and anywhere.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

Trend:

10:52 (GMT+4) The number of people killed in the massive earthquake that shook central Italy on Aug. 24 rose to 267 on Aug. 26 and nearly 400 injured people were in hospitals, the Civil Protection department said, Reuters reported.

It said aftershocks were continuing in the area. More than 900 aftershocks have been registered since the quake struck, 57 of them since midnight.

20:15 (GMT+4) The death toll from a devastating earthquake in central Italy climbed to at least 250 on Aug. 24 and could rise further with rescue teams working for a second day to try to find survivors under the rubble of flattened towns, Reuters reported.

08:38 (GMT+4) At least 247 people died in Italy as a result of earthquake, RIA Novosti reported.

01:50 (GMT+4) Italy's civil protection agency says death toll in earthquake rises to 159, Reuters reported.

21:29 (GMT+4) Italian Premier Matteo Renzi says the death toll from the quake that hit central Italy has risen to 120, AP reported.

20:33 (GMT+4) At least 84 people were killed in a powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake that hit central Italy, and the death toll is expected to rise, local media report. Several cities and towns have been severely damaged or reduced to rubble, officials said.

17:15 (GMT+4) At least 63 people died after a strong earthquake struck central Italy, causing widespread devastation in local towns, ANSA agency reported.

13:55 (GMT+4) At least 37 people died in Italy as a result of earthquake, Reuters reported.

12:02 (GMT+4) At least 100 people are considered missing in the Italian town of Pescara del Tronto after the recent earthquake, RaiNews24 television reported.

11:39 (GMT+4) According to the latest information, at least 14 people died in Italy as a result of a powerful earthquake in the central part of the country on Aug. 23 night, the countrys media reported Aug. 24.

A strong earthquake struck central Italy in the early hours of Wednesday, causing buildings to collapse "with reports of victims" and sending panicked residents fleeing into the streets of numerous towns and cities, Reuters reported.

The U.S. Geological Survey said it was a 6.2 magnitude quake that hit near the town of Norcia, in the region of Umbria, at 3.36 a.m. (0136 GMT).

The mayor of the small town of Amatrice reported extensive damage. "Half the town is gone," Sergio Pirozzi told RAI state television. "There are people under the rubble... There's been a landslide and a bridge might collapse."

Italy's civil protection agency said the earthquake was "severe". Fire Department spokesman Luca Cari said: "There have been reports of victims in the quake zone, but he did not have any precise details.

The worst hit towns were believed to be Accumoli, Amatrice, Posta and Arquata del Tronto, Cari told Reuters, adding that helicopters would be sent up at first light to assess the damage.

"It was so strong. It seemed the bed was walking across the room by itself with us on it," Lina Mercantini of Ceselli, Umbria, told Reuters.

Olga Urbani, in the nearby town of Scheggino, said: "Dear God it was awful. The walls creaked and all the books fell off the shelves."

Residents of Rome, some 170 km (105 miles) from the registered epicenter, were woken by the quake, which rattled furniture and swayed lights in most of central Italy.

A 5.5 magnitude aftershock hit the same region an hour after the initial quake.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's spokesman said on Twitter that the government was in touch with the country's civil protection agency and following the situation closely.

The last major earthquake to hit Italy struck the central city of L'Aquila in 2009, killing more than 300 people.

A refuge on the Gran Sasso mountain, a popular area for hikers and climbers, said on its Facebook page that a large piece of rock had collapsed in Wednesday's quake.
In 1963, Irish surgeon Denis Parson Burkitt airmailed samples of an unusual jaw tumor found in Ugandan children to his colleague, Anthony Epstein, at Middlesex Hospital in London. Epstein, an expert in chicken viruses and an early adopter of the electron microscope, cultured the tissue and took a look. What he found has become known as Epstein-Barr virus, the cause of mononucleosis, the "kissing cold", and also, it turns out, an ingredient of the jaw tumor in which it was originally found, now known as Burkitt's lymphoma.

"Just imagine the process of shipping tissue samples from Uganda to England in the early 1960s!" says Rosemary Rochford, PhD, investigator at the University of Colorado Cancer Center, professor in the CU School of Medicine Department of Immunology and Microbiology, and author of a new study in the journal Current Opinions in Virology exploring the modern contribution of viruses to cancer in sub-Saharan Africa.

The study asks a simple question: in a melting pot of viruses and cancer, do viruses happen to ride along with cancers or do viruses actually cause the disease? In the case of Epstein-Barr virus and Burkitt's lymphoma, the question is complicated by the fact that, "everyone has the virus," says Rochford. "So why do some people get cancer while others do not?"

Rochford centers her research in Kisumu, Kenya, a port city of just over 400,000 on the northeast corner of Lake Victoria. In addition to a near universal rate of infection with Epstein-Barr virus and an unusually high rate of Burkitt's lymphoma, Kisumu is the land of malaria. A recent study found that 28 percent of Kisumu adults were infected by the malaria parasite and in rural areas - the same areas that produce the most cases of Burkitt's lymphoma - the chance of getting malaria is much higher.

"We want to know why these kids get this cancer. Because Burkitt's lymphoma is prevalent in areas with a lot of malaria, we thought maybe it could be associated with malaria infection. But everybody gets malaria, too, so there's still no answer," Rochford says.

Here is a clue: In Kisumu and many countries in sub-Saharan Africa, malaria infection occurs year round. Studies by Rochford and others suggest that the children born to women who have malaria during pregnancy are even more predisposed to develop Burkitt's lymphoma.

"What we think happens is that the risk for these children begins during pregnancy. Usually for most people, the virus is quiet. You never even know you have it. But when you get malaria, the virus reactivates and infects more cells. When mothers get malaria during pregnancy, these malaria-infected cells shed more virus and infants get infected earlier in life. Because they're infected so early, their immune systems don't manage the virus the way they should. It's not just the fact of exposure to Epstein-Barr virus, but the timing of it that matters. These kids with prenatal exposure due to the secondary pressure of malaria are the ones with increased risk," Rochford says.

One answer to the challenge of virus-associated cancers in Africa would be better and more prevalent use of vaccines. "But because the conditions that allow these viruses to cause cancer aren't necessarily present to the same extent in the United States, we tend to forget about the problem in Africa," Rochford says.

She points out that the story of Burkitt's lymphoma is similar to the story of other virus-associated cancers, including cervical cancer caused by the human papilloma virus (HPV) and Kaposi's sarcoma caused by the human herpesvirus 8 (HHV8). In fact, in Kisumu, Kaposi's sarcoma is the most common cancer in men and cervical cancer is the most common cancer in adult women.

"In some parts of Africa, the majority of cancers are caused by infectious agents," the article writes.

Not so in the United States, where the cancer risk of viruses is far smaller than the risks associated with tobacco and alcohol. In Rochford's opinion, the fact that few of the cancers that challenge the U.S. population are caused by viruses allows us to overlook and under-research the cancers that are caused by viruses, despite the fact that research has the real potential to offer inroads against some of these virus-associated cancers.

Rochford's ongoing efforts include an initiative in partnership with the Kenyan government to establish a tumor registry like that in the United States to collect data on the prevalence and distribution of virus-associated cancers in Kenya.

"Really, we don't know the burden of cancers that are caused by infectious agents in sub-Saharan Africa because of limited cancer registry data," Rochford says. "What we do know is that treatment is difficult in a resource-poor country, but prevention with vaccines and awareness is a very realistic strategy."
Using a new, lightning-fast camera paired with an electron microscope, Columbia University Medical Center scientists have captured images of one of the smallest proteins in our cells to be "seen" with a microscope.

The protein - called STRA6 - sits in the membrane of our cells and is responsible for transporting vitamin A into the cell interior. Vitamin A is essential to all mammals and is particularly important in making the light receptors in our eyes, and in the placenta and fetus where it's critical for normal development.

Images of the protein - which revealed several unusual features --- were published in the August 26 issue of the journal Science, by structural biologist Filippo Mancia, PhD, assistant professor of physiology and cellular biophysics, who lead a team of other scientists including Wayne Hendrickson, Larry Shapiro, Joachim Frank and Bill Blaner at Columbia University Medical Center, Loredana Quadro at Rutgers University, Chiara Manzini at George Washington University and David Weber at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.

Until the new study, the way STRA6 transports vitamin A into the cell had been a mystery. Most transporters interact directly with the substances they transport. But STRA6 only interacts with Vitamin A via an intermediary protein that carries the greasy vitamin A in the bloodstream. Revealing the structure of STRA6 may not only give the researchers insight into Vitamin A transport, but also clues about how other related transporters may work.

A new type of camera technology was a key element to getting the images of STRA6. When paired with an electron microscope - the camera allows biologists to see tiny, never-seen-before structural details of the inner machinery of our cells.

"We can now get near atomic resolution because the new camera is much faster and allows us to take a movie of the molecules," says Oliver Clarke, PhD, an associate research scientist in the Hendrickson lab at Columbia University Medical Center. "Even under the electron microscope, the molecules are moving around by a tiny amount, but when you take a picture of something moving, it comes out blurry. With such a movie, we can align the frames of the movie to generate a sharper image."

Imaging the molecule also depended on painstaking biochemical procedures, developed by Yunting Chen, PhD, and associate research scientist in the Mancia lab, to generate large quantities of the protein and separate them from the cell's other components. "It's a very delicate protein, and we had to mimic its environment to keep it from getting out of shape," she says. Those efforts took about two years to perfect.

The researchers used approximately 70,000 individual pictures of STRA6 to generate a 3-dimensional map of the protein, which was used to construct an atomic model accurate to the smallest detail.

The images and model reveal STRA6 is "a bit of a freak," says Dr. Clarke. Even more surprising was the fact that STRA6 does not work alone, but is instead tightly associated with another protein, calmodulin, which plays a key role in calcium signaling.

Although Vitamin A moves through STRA6 to enter the cell, there is no channel in STRA6 like most transporters. Instead, vitamin A enters the top of STRA6, but then appears poised to exit through a side window that opens directly into the cell membrane, not the cell interior.

Though this needs to be verified, the mechanism may be a way to protect cells from too much vitamin A. "Vitamin A is actually somewhat toxic," says Dr. Mancia. "Trapping vitamin A inside the membrane may keep control of the amount inside the cell."

The new model of STRA6 advances the understanding of a critical cellular function and may help researchers understand how other, still mysterious cellular components, work.
Almost four out of five Australians (78%) report that they look for information about medicines on the internet, according to a new 2016 survey released during Be Medicinewise Week (22-28 August).

Three out of five people (58%) admitted they will sometimes or always look up information about health conditions on the internet to avoid going to see a health professionalwith this number increasing to almost four in five people (79%) in the younger age category of 18-34 year olds.

This compares to only 1 in 3 people who said in a 2012 NPS MedicineWise survey that they were likely to search the internet for information about their symptoms before they visited their doctor.

NPS MedicineWise spokesperson and pharmacist Aine Heaney says that finding good medicines information is important, and that being medicinewise means asking questions, asking the right people, and knowing how to source reliable information.

Having the right information will help you to get the most out of your medicinesand to make better health choices for you and those you care for, says Ms Heaney.

If you or a loved one become ill, are prescribed a medicine or are referred for a medical test, its natural to want to know more about the condition or treatment. However, while it is always a good idea to equip yourself with health-related information, it is important to be aware that not all health information you access on the internet will be accurate or reliable. Some might be full of medical jargon and not have plain language statements to explain the information clearly.

You need to be able to assess the reliability of information found on the internet, and understand limitations of what internet can tell you.

Take charge of your health and your medicines, and work with your health professionals, such as a doctor, nurse or pharmacist, to better understand your health and any medicines, tests and treatments you might need, says Ms Heaney.

In addition to your regular health professional, there are services available like NPS Medicines Line (1300 633 424) where you can phone to seek individual medicines information from a health professional, and the weekly Pharmacist Hour on the NPS MedicineWise Facebook page.

Of course, the health professionals that care for you are a reliable source of health information, but you may not always be able to talk to them. This means you need to play an active role in your health by knowing where to find information about health conditions, medicines, tests and treatments, she says.

NPS MedicineWise and Better Health Channel are good places to start when seeking medicines information online because they are independent and credible websites designed to support you to find information on health conditions and medicines, and are free from commercial advertising or corporate sponsorship.

Consumer Medicines Information (CMI) leaflets are available for all prescription medicines and many non-prescription medicines. The leaflets explain how the medicine works, as well as giving practical advice on how and when to take it, common side effects and potential interactions with other medicines.

CMIs are available on websites such as NPS MedicineWise or the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), or you can ask your pharmacist to print it out for you.

CMIs are a good tool to use as a starting point for understanding your medicine, but if the leaflet for your medicine raises more questions than it gives answers, make sure you speak with a health professional to help put that information into context for you and your situation, says Ms Heaney.

The survey also showed that one in five Australians (20%) said they would use Facebook to try to find answers to questions they have about medicines.

"Everyone has a unique story about how medicines work, and there is plenty of moral support to be found on social media and online forums, but one person's experience won't necessarily be the same as yours, says Ms Heaney.

The final decision about what medicine to take should lie with you and your prescriber or other health professional, using personalised advice for your situation.

Source: http://www.nps.org.au/
Medical device sleep apnoea and snoring disorder company Oventus Medical Ltd. releases its first 4E. The company has established a platform for accelerated growth following a successful IPO raising $12 million and is reporting encouraging early revenue.

Oventus is focused on developing and producing oral appliances to treat obstructive sleep apnoea and snoring, especially in people who cannot be, or are not effectively treated with existing devices or therapies.

CEO Neil Anderson said:

The Companys devices are 3D printed and feature a unique airway that channels air to the back of the throat, bypassing oral obstructions that cause sleep apnoea and snoring. We have established state of the art systems and processes that will drive growth for the company going forward.

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Oventus has reported early revenues of $540,164 for the 12 months to June 30, 2016 and achieved significant milestones which are driving the company forward.

The company received clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its first generation device, the O 2 VentTM Mono, and has made an application for its second generation titratable device, the O 2 VentTM T.

Oventus launched the O 2 VentTM T in Australia and enrolled the first patient in a 40 patient clinical trial of the device. The trial will produce data around the comfort, safety and efficacy of the O 2 VentTM T, as well as the comfort and efficacy of the inclusion of an airway into an oral appliance. Oventus has a unique position with a patent protected device in the growing sleep disorder market.

A Scientific Advisory Committee of sleep, dentistry and ear, nose and throat experts has been established in Australia to advise on clinical trial design for Oventus current and future products.

Clinical Director and founder Dr Chris Hart said:

We believe obstructive sleep apnoea is a serious medical condition that requires a multidisciplinary approach to treatment. We look forward to working with the committee so that our devices achieve maximum patient benefit.

Oventus has also established a 3D titanium printing facility at CSIRO in Melbourne and a production operation in Brisbane for polymer inserts and packaging.

The company is also making significant progress driving awareness for its products with attendance at Sleep 2016, a joint meeting of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. There was considerable interest among attendees of Oventus technology and its potential to treat obstructive sleep apnoea.
Researchers at Barrow Neurological Institute have traced the roots of humane medical practices to a pioneering French physician who treated people with deformities as humans instead of "monsters," as they were commonly called.

The physician, Andre Feil, established practices that have become health care norms more than a century later. Feil wrote a 1919 medical school thesis on cervical abnormalities defying long-held opinions about people with "monstrous" deformities -- that their conditions resulted from moral failure or supernatural causes. Feil and his mentor, Maurice Klippel, described patients with congenital fusion of cervical vertebrae, a rare condition now known as "Klippel-Feil syndrome."

"This was a real revolution in terms of thinking about these patients," said Dr. Mark C. Preul of Barrow, who oversaw the research paper published in the July issue of the Journal of Neurosurgery. "They come in to see you, and they've got problems -- and they may be horrific problems to look at -- but it doesn't matter. They're human.

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"That's really the ultimate message of Feil's thesis," said Barrow's Dr. Preul. "You treat everybody who comes to you with dignity and honor, and you do the utmost that you can when you're treating them." Barrow is part of Dignity Health's St. Joseph Hospital and Medical Center in Phoenix, Ariz.

Barrow researchers discovered Feil's thesis, which they described as "a medical gem," at the University of Paris, Dr. Preul said. The city was at the vanguard of advances in neurology and psychology in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

"In addition to practicing the science of medicine, (Feil) highlighted the importance of humanism to medicine, and we have inherited his legacy for care and consideration for those we might term 'handicapped,' " Barrow Dr. Evgenii Belykh wrote in the paper. "Although his name is not often encountered in the annals of history, there is no denying that Feil played a critical role in attempting to change a sociocultural mind-set rooted in ignorance and fear."

Dr. Preul said modern-day reminders of Feil's groundbreaking work are common; one example is the public's view of disabled people, including military veterans.

"One example is that the Olympics used to show what we would call normal athletes," Dr. Preul said. "But I've noticed advertisements for Paralympic athletes. These people are fantastic physical specimens. There's some real thought and advanced scientific efforts about how we can help these people achieve a normal integration into society again. This attitude just didn't start yesterday, but our ability to provide it technologically has been lacking. This is a long time in coming."

Source: St. Joseph's Hospital and Medical Center
Scientists have identified a new "multicomponent" virus -- one containing different segments of genetic material in separate particles -- that can infect animals, according to research published today in the journal Cell Host & Microbe.

This new pathogen, called Guaico Culex virus (GCXV), was isolated from several species of mosquitoes in Central and South America. GCXV does not appear to infect mammals, according to first author Jason Ladner, Ph.D., of the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID). However, the team also isolated a related virus -- called Jingmen tick virus, or JMTV -- from a nonhuman primate. Further analysis demonstrates that both GCXV and JMTV belong to a highly diverse and newly discovered group of viruses called the Jingmenvirus group.

Taken together, the research suggests that the host range of this virus group is quite diverse--and highlights the potential relevance of these viruses to animal and human health.

"Animal viruses typically have all genome segments packaged together into a single viral particle, so only one of those particles is needed to infect a host cell," Ladner explained. "But in a multicomponent virus, the genome is divided into multiple pieces, with each one packaged separately into a viral particle. At least one particle of each type is required for cell infection."

Several plant pathogens have this type of organization, but the study published today is the first to describe a multicomponent virus that infects animals.

Working with collaborators including the University of Texas Medical Branch and the New York State Department of Health, the USAMRIID team extracted and sequenced virus from mosquitoes collected around the world. The newly discovered virus is named for the Guaico region of Trinidad, where the mosquitoes that contained it were first found.

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In collaboration with a group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the USAMRIID investigators also found the first evidence of a Jingmenvirus in the blood of a nonhuman primate, in this case a red colobus monkey living in Kibale National Park, Uganda. The animal showed no signs of disease when the sample was taken, so it is not known whether the virus had a pathogenic effect.

Jingmenviruses were first described in 2014 and are related to flaviviruses -- a large family of viruses that includes human pathogens such as yellow fever, West Nile and Japanese encephalitis viruses.

"One area we are focused on is the identification and characterization of novel viruses," said the paper's senior author Gustavo Palacios, Ph.D., who directs USAMRIID's Center for Genome Sciences. "This study allowed us to utilize all our tools--and even though this virus does not appear to affect mammals, we are continuing to refine those tools so we can be better prepared for the next outbreak of disease that could have an impact on human health."

While it is difficult to predict, experts believe that the infectious viruses most likely to emerge next in humans are those already affecting other mammals, particularly nonhuman primates.

Source: US Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases
As we age, our arteries gradually become less flexible, making it harder for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. This hardening of the arteries occurs faster in people with high blood pressure and increases the risk for heart problems. Using a new mouse model, researchers have found that stiffer arteries can also negatively affect memory and other critical brain processes.

The new research may eventually reveal how arterial stiffness leads to Alzheimer's and other diseases involving dementia. The work will be presented at the American Physiological Society's Inflammation, Immunity and Cardiovascular Disease conference.

"Although the relationship between arterial stiffness and dementia has been hinted in human studies, the mechanisms by which arterial stiffness affects brain functions remain poorly understood," said study co-author M. Florencia Iulita, PhD, Herbert H. Jasper Postdoctoral Fellow in Neurosciences at the University of Montreal, Canada. "This is partly due to the lack of good animal models that are specific for this condition."

To better study arterial stiffness, the researchers modeled the condition in mice by applying calcium chloride to one of the mouse's carotid arteries. This treatment makes the artery stiff without increasing the animal's blood pressure or decreasing the blood volume through the carotids, which can themselves damage the brain. With the new animal model, the researchers could study the direct effects of arterial stiffness on the brain's function and health.

When the mice with stiffened carotids were presented with a task requiring memory, they showed slower learning and remembered less than the healthy mice. The brain vessels of the mice with arterial stiffness were also less responsive to stimuli that normally increase cerebral blood flow when required, suggesting that the brains of these mice might not be getting adequate blood supply to function properly.

The researchers also observed higher levels of amyloid-beta peptides in the brains of mice with arterial stiffness. Amyloid-beta peptides tend to clump together and are found in high amounts in the brains of people with Alzheimer's disease.

"Our study provides evidence that arterial stiffness negatively affects vital brain processes," said study coauthor Helene Girouard, PhD, associate professor at University of Montreal. "A better understanding of the mechanisms by which arterial stiffness affects brain functions and leads to dementia could allow us to identify new targets for therapeutics that might prevent or delay Alzheimer's disease in the elderly and hypertensive individuals. Our new animal model will also allow us to test whether drugs that correct arterial stiffness can protect the brain."

Source: American Physiological Society (APS)
While calcium's importance for our bones and teeth is well known, its role in neuronsin particular, its effects on processes such as learning and memoryhas been less well defined.

In a new study published in the journal Cell Reports, scientists from the Florida campus of The Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) offer new insights how calcium in mitochondriathe powerhouse of all cellscan impact the development of the brain and adult cognition.

In particular, the team showed in fruit flies, a widely used model system, that blocking a channel that brings calcium to the mitochondria, called "mitochondrial calcium uniporter," causes memory impairment but does not alter learning capacity.

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"When we knocked down the activity of the uniporter, we found that flies have a deficit memory," said Ron Davis, chair of the TSRI's Department of Neuroscience. "Intact uniporter function is necessary for full and complete memory in the adult fly. What surprised us is that they were still able to learnalbeit with a fleeting memory. But we thought they wouldn't be able to learn at all."

The mitochondrial calcium uniporter protein, first identified in 2011, allows calcium ions to move from the cell's interior into mitochondrialike coal moving through a shoot into a furnace room. It is regulated by other proteins known as MICU1, MICU2 and EMRE. Davis noted that human patients with mutations in MICU1 can exhibit learning disabilities.

"The new study's conclusion is that mitochondrial calcium entry during development is necessary to establish the neuronal competency for supporting adult memory," said TSRI Research Associate Ilaria Drago, the first author of the study.

Drago noted the team found evidence that inhibiting mitochondrial calcium uniporter function led to a decrease in the content of synaptic vesicles (miniscule sacs within the cell where various neurotransmitters are stored) and an increase in the length of axons (the slender filaments of neurons).

While these structural problems were clearly observed, she added, what they mean in terms of neuronal development remains tantalizingly unclear.

"The discovery of a developmental role for the mitochondrial calcium uniporter complex in regulating memory in adult flies is especially intriguing and deserves more exploration," said Davis
News18  Blogs  India

Follow Vajpayee Doctrine in True Sense and Spirit

A net-covered bunker during a curfew in Srinagar. Image for representation. (File photo: AFP)

Home Minister Rajnath Singh's Mission Kashmir, which followed Prime Minister Modi's 'Kashmir is a political problem' remark, had nicely set the stage for dialogue. But as luck would have it, the visit ended up as a major disappointment and piled more hurt in the Valley.



Rajnath's mission - the second in the last one month - rather than finding solutions to check street rage, sadly dithered from the real 'political problem' that Prime Minister Modi had set out to fix.



Modi had, in a major departure from BJP's known stand, called Kashmir a political problem and said he was saddened at the loss of life there. Against this backdrop, it was expected that Rajnath Singh would succeed in breaking the current logjam. Tragically it did not.



Singh's visit has now thrown up more questions than solve the teething issues that confront governments at the state and Centre as they look at the unrest spanning over seven weeks.



Few here believed Singhs visit would be groundbreaking; a complex issue like Kashmir understandably takes time to sort out. However there were enough indications that it would at least open the doors for negotiations with moderate separatists - who being pro-talks unlike the SAS Geelani's faction, hold the key to the vexed problem.



Within the separatists, the doves  who have held five rounds of parleys with New Delhi from 2002 - are keen to have a political process but want the Centre to announce some concessions before they come on stage. Like an immediate stop to the police killings and crackdown on pro-freedom demonstrators. And pulling out the additional forces including BSF, who made a comeback on valley streets after 12 years, to contain the current unrest.



Governments in New Delhi and J&K should understand that for the first time in last three decades, the separatists are not in charge and it is the young boys who are leading the uprising that is far more dangerous in aggression and spread. The Mirwaiz Umar faction of doves is under tremendous pressure from the streets not to engage in a `photo-up or tokenism but eke out from New Delhi a solution which is honourable and palatable to Kashmiris. The new age street protesters will not desist from prolonging the unrest till something `achievable is extracted and for this very manner the separatists are not ready to jump in for talks till some CBMs are initiated.



The anger on the streets is so much that the Mirwaiz faction is unlikely to sell the proposed replacement of pellet guns by PAVA shells as crowd control measures or visit by all-party delegation to valley as a CBM. Meaning, the moderates would perhaps need more time and assurances to come for negotiations if at all the Centre is looking at that option.



It is here that Track Two interlocution works well. Whenever the Valley is in fire and wounded, the government always falls back on a set of people who enjoy clout in the moderate Hurriyat. These people have been adept in doing the spade work for donkey's years to get the separatists to the table. Whether that process is on or not, it is incumbent upon the Centre  which seems serious to defuse the current crisis this time around  to create the right atmospherics for the doves to join the peace process.



The onus now flatly falls on the two senior-most members of the government, the Prime Minister and Home Minister. Both seem to be focussed in addressing the problem given that they have spoken on the issue more than once.



The Centre needs to be magnanimous in its approach and use the current strife to engage with its `own people who are angry and alienated and have taken to the streets to voice their frustration. It needs to lend an ear to peoples grievances and find a resolution without losing focus and time.



Talking of time, had Rajnath chosen to utilise the 36 hours he was in Srinagar a bit differently than meeting the "all-agreeing" mainstream parties and some "insignificant" parties, he would have broken some ice or instilled a reasonable degree of confidence amongst the aggrieved parties. Or least won goodwill by showing that Centre cares for Kashmiris.



He could have gone to a hospital and met the injured who have their lost eyesight - partially or permanently. Or families who have lost their kin in the agitation. Rajnath could have shared the grief of the family of 25-year-old Riyaz Ahmad, a bank teller, who was shot by security forces while returning home on his two-wheeler at Chattabal- barely seven km from the Chemashahi guest house where he was lodged.



That was opportunity lost.



Both sides sticking to their guns won't help bring calm on the streets. The two have to walk the talk. Knowing the predicament and times the separatists live in, the Centre should take the first step, and try and engage them within the contours of the Insaniyat doctrine of Vajpayee.



Also, New Delhi needs to be consistent with its words and approach on Kashmir. Some voices within the government suggesting talks would be under the ambit of the Constitution puts off the separatists who would have liked to engage under the Insanyat line.



A statement from Dr Jitendra Singh, minister in Prime Ministers office, did come as a spoiler on day one of Rajnaths Srinagar visit. When he was here essentially on an outreach programme. The MoS said there was no need to engage with 'people who advocated the breaking up of the country'. The statement did not go well with the people who read it as an"intransigent and dithering approach from the Centre.



For bringing a perceptible calm in the valley which has seen killings, injuries and people getting blinded, it is important for New Delhi to have a consistent stand. Rushing in more troops and offering talks  means the signals are unclear. For lasting peace which will come only through a dialogue of engagement, the Modi government needs to follow Vajpayee doctrine in true sense and spirit.
Mumbai: The 50-share NSE Nifty started off September series on a positive note, holding the 8600 level on support from banks and Tata Group stocks. The index was up 22.15 points at 8614.35 and the 30-share BSE Sensex gained 65.57 points at 27901.48.



Tata Motors was the biggest gainer, up 1.5 percent ahead of quarterly earnings later today.



The Indian rupee opened marginally higher at 67.02 per dollar on Friday versus previous close of 67.05. Ashutosh Khajuria of Federal Bank, "We see no major trigger for the currency movement.



The Fed has maintained the status quo in Thursday's speech. We expect the rupee to remain rangebound."



Dollar slipped marginally as some investors squared positions before the annual global central bankers' gathering in Jackson Hole, wyoming, where Federal Reserve Chair Janet Yellen may offer new guidance on US monetary policy.














Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

Trend:

Russias Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and the US Secretary of State John Kerry are holding negotiations at the President Wilson Hotel in Geneva (Switzerland), RIA Novosti reports.

The main topic of discussions is the coordination between Russian and the US in the fight against terrorists in Syria, says the report.

Syrian agenda also includes humanitarian situation around Syrias Aleppo, the maintenance of the ceasefire and the mending of political process. It is not excluded that Turkeys operations in the area of the Turkish-Syrian border will also be touched upon.

Moreover, the parties will discuss the situation in Ukraine and issues on the bilateral agenda.
The Bombay High Court on Friday allowed women to enter the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali dargah. The HC said women should be permitted in the dargah along with men and asked the Maharashtra government should ensure their safety.



The HC also said that the ban imposed on women is contrary to the fundamental rights of a person as provided in Constitution.



A PIL in the case was filed in court by Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Soman of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan.

Calling the judgement historic, Zakia said, "Our right as per the Quran and the Constitution has been restored."



The petitioners had argued that women were allowed entry in the Dargah before 2012.







The Maharashtra government had also earlier told the court that the Haji Ali Dargah trust cannot ban the entry of women from the shrine's inner sanctum. The Maharashtra government had said that offering prayers should be open to both men and women, asserting that the ban by the Haji Ali trust cannot override the right to equality.



A spokesperson for the trust said they will appeal against the ruling in the Supreme Court.



The trust in June 2012 had barred women's entry on the grounds that in Islam women are not allowed to touch the tombs of male saints and it was a "sin" for them to enter the area where the grave is located.


A Pakistani shoemaker has landed himself in jail after he boasted to the media that he was going to send Peshawari sandals made from deers skin to Bollywood superstar Shahrukh Khan. According to reports, a cousin of Shahrukh who lives Peshawar went to shoemaker Jahangir Khan last Friday and asked him to make two pairs of Peshawari sandals for the actor.



"Apparently Jahangir Khan is a big fan of Shahrukh and decided to send the Bollywood star a special gift, Peshawari sandals made out of deer skin, from his side," a local police official said.



"Soon after the news spread, the wildlife department officials contacted us and filed a complaint. We had to go and pick up Jahangir who is now behind bars," he said. A wildlife official in Peshawar said that the probe is on to confirm whether deer skin was used by Jahangir in making sandals.



"If he has used deer skin than he will face fine and prosecution as under wildlife laws," the official said.



Shahrukh Khan has a huge fan-following in Pakistan.
Delhi University has asked police to identify printers facilitating the posters for the upcoming student union elections and take action against them. As per Lyngdoh committee recommendations, the candidates in student union polls can only campaign using handmade posters and not printed ones. However, walls full of such posters in DU's North Campus is a common sight every year.



"Delhi Police has been requested to identify printers who have been printing posters for DUSU elections and take action against those printers. Police will impound the cars running in groups with posters pasted on the cars," said DS Rawat, Chief Election Commissioner for DUSU polls.



DUSU is the representative body of the students from most colleges and faculties. Apart from DUSU, which is an umbrella council, each college also has its own students' union for which they hold separate elections. The elections for the student body are scheduled for September 9 and the students' wings of various political parties have intensified their campaign.



Last year, the DUSU polls were swept by BJP-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) trouncing Congress' National Students' Union of India (NSUI) and AAP's youth wing Chhatra Yuva Sangharsh Samiti (CYSS) to bag all four positions.



The university has also asked the Municipal Corporations of Delhi to take strict action against those indulging in defacement of public property ahead of DUSU polls.
Bengaluru: A 370MW gas-based power plant is coming up in North Bengalurus Yelahanka  a Karnataka government project that could meet the increasing power demands of the city. The residents, however, are resisting it, citing potential environmental and health hazards due to the plants proximity to apartment complexes, schools, two lakes and defence installations in and around Yelahanka.



The project sits on the same site where a diesel power plant sat for two decades. Environmental violation cases had forced the latters shutdown in 2013.



In June this year, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had laid the foundation stone for the Karnataka Power Corporation Limiteds latest project, which is expected to be ready by March 2018.



According to an online petition filed by residents  that has over 800 signatures  the project is less than 300 metres away from apartment complexes, with over 5,000 families and villages in the vicinity. The site is flanked by the Yelahanka and Puttenhalli lakes on either sides.



Suresh Mittal, a senior citizen and a resident of Heritage Estate apartments said, I am a retired person. I shifted from the main city to Yelahanka thinking itd be cleaner and less noisy. The power plant is going to emit pollutants and there will be noise next door.



The site was declared an industrial zone more than two decades ago, at a time when Yelahanka was considered a distant suburb, away from the city. We have taken all the NOCs for the plant. It is in a secure place, Karnataka Energy Minister D K Shivakumar told CNN-News18 in a telephonic interview. It is our own land. We will not harm the lakes, he said.

Though the project has got the nod from authorities including the State Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA), the petition, addressed to the National Green Tribunal chairman, says the Karnataka Power Corporation Limited (KPCL) misused the approvals, and that it needs an urgent review.



There are over 3 lakh people staying around this 25-acre plot. Even if it is an industrial zone, the government must acknowledge the fact that there are senior citizens and several schools nearby, Balasundaram Athreya, one of the online petitioners, said.



The petitioners plan to formally approach the Chennai bench of the National Green Tribunal soon.
The Allahabad High Court has stayed the arrest of five family members of Mohd Akhlaq, who was beaten to death by a mob in Dadri, in connection with a case registered against them for allegedly slaughtering a cow and consuming its meat.



A division bench comprising Justices Ramesh Sinha and P C Tripathi, however, refused to grant relief to Akhlaq's brother Jaan Mohammed, who was among the six persons named in the FIR lodged following a direction issued to the effect last month by a Surajpur district court.



The bench observed that Jaan Mohammed "could have been involved in the alleged act alongside his deceased brother". Others named in the FIR, but whose arrests were stayed, are Akhlaq's son Danish, mother Asghari, wife Ikraman, daughter Shaista and sister-in-law Sona. Danish had sustained critical injuries while his father was beaten to death by a mob which had barged into their house on the intervening night of September 28-29 last year suspecting them of having consumed beef.



Passing the order, the court disposed of the petition filed by Jaan Mohammed and others who had challenged the FIR alleging that they had been "falsely implicated". The lower court had order filing of the FIR on the complaint of Surajpal Singh and other residents of Bisada village in Dadri tehsil who had prayed for booking Akhlaq's family under the cow slaughter act, citing a forensic report which had stated that the meat found inside their house was "of cow or its progeny".
Bhubaneshwar: A day after visuals of a man carrying the body of his dead wife on his shoulders in Odisha created a furore, another report from Balasore district in the state showed hospital workers break the bones of a dead woman to stuff it into a plastic bag before it is carried out of the hospital.



Salamani Barik, a 76-year-old woman, lay for hours at a community health centre in the town of Soro after she was run over by a train. The body was moved to a hospital 30 km away as the Community Health Centre had no post-mortem facilities.



The Odisha Human Rights Commission has now sought an explanation from Balasore district authorities.







Although the Government Railway Police (GRP) was informed, its personnel reached the hospital only in the evening, almost 12 hours later.



The delay led to rigor mortis, making it difficult for the workers to tie the body. So they broke the body at the hip, wrapped it in an old sheet, tied it to a bamboo pole, and carried it to the railway station, which is about 2 km away. The body was then taken to Balasore by train.



Behara's son, Rabindra Barik, said he was shocked when he heard about the way his mothers body was treated.



"They could have been a little more human. I initially thought of filing a case against the policemen. But who would act on our complaint," he said.



Odisha Human Rights Commission chairperson B K Mishra on Thursday issued notice to the Inspector General, GRP, and Balasore District Collector, asking them to order a probe into the incident and submit a report within four weeks.
Delhi: He had gone there to make a living, to fund my education. My father had asked me to study well; he wanted me to become an officer, a sobbing Sehajpreet recalls every last detail of the phone conversation she had with her father. Away in Saudi Arabia, Bhupinder Singh kept a close track on his daughters studies, and wanted her to become a government officer. He had gone to the Middle East on the lookout for a job.



A resident of Goindwal Sahib in the Tarn Taran district of Punjab, Bhupinder had gone to Dammam to work as a driver two months ago. On July 28, his elder brother Baljinder received a phone call saying Bhupinder had died of a heart attack. The Singh family had knocked on every door to get back his mortal remains. It finally took some political intervention to bring Bhupinder home in a coffin.



My brother had gone there to work because of unemployment here. We had sent papers to Ludhiana, approached the government; but the government is of no use. No one helped us, until Bhagwant Mann spoke to people in Delhi, says Baljinder.



We die every day. Those who are left behind perish every single day. Until we see the remains, we do not believe the person is no more, Bhupinders cousin Harbinder says.



Almost four months have passed but Punjab still awaits the mortal remains of their near and dear ones, who perished in the Middle East. While Bhupinders family got a closure, there are several others for whom the wait continues.



For Charanjeet Kaur  a 60-year-old resident of Ludhianas Rurka Kalan  the tears have not stopped in four months. She regrets the moment of maternal weakness, when she gave in to her son, Davinder Mangats plan of going to Riyadh to work as a driver. In one and a half years, Davinder sent home Rs 70,000, which the family used to settle their debts.



On April 25, 28-year-old Davinder died in Riyadh. The bereaved family sent emails to the External Affairs Ministry to bring back his mortal remains, but got no reply. His employer, too, did not respond.



Nobody helps the poor, Charanjeet says.



We approached everyone, sent petitions. No one helped, her husband says.



Davinder was to return home in November for his wedding. Today, a mother who would have welcomed home her son, just wants him to make his final journey home in a shroud.
Bengaluru: The ongoing demolition drive in Bengaluru has rendered thousands of middle-class people homeless but it turns out that the city corporation is using an outdated map to identify buildings as illegal.



Residents point out the government is using a 1908 map of Bengaluru as the point of reference for the demolition drive. They say this map is too old and makes no sense in todays Bengaluru, as it was a small city with a tiny population of less than five lakh a century ago. They demand a more recent and accurate map.



A top minister in the Siddaramaiah government admitted that the demolition is being done unscientifically, and based on an old map.



You cant use such maps in 21st century. A century ago, the city was not even five per cent of what it is today. Like all other cities in the world, Bengaluru has also been built on agricultural and waste land. What was a lake or a stream a century ago disappeared much before these structures came up. How can the BBMP use such an outdated map to identify illegal structures? They should use a recent map, the minister told CNN-News18 without coming on record.



Criticising the manner in which demolition was carried out, former Information Technology secretary to state government Vivek Kulkarni wrote: "Bengaluru is higher than sea level and water flows from one lake to another through the canals. The city municipal officials demolished thousands of houses, citing encroachment of lakes and connecting canals. While doing so they relied on a 1908 British map of the city. Citizens are aghast and the tales of destruction are heart breaking. Since Bengaluru lakes were well connected via canals, water used to drain easily.



"However, houses blocked the old drainage system, causing roads to flood and people to suffer for weeks. The state decided to demolish all unauthorised constructions. Since the new buildings have been built haphazardly, the municipal authorities had to take an old 1908 British map to locate the original boundaries of the lakes and canals. The city does not have new maps. Land records are in a mess and cannot be trusted. Successive governments have encouraged the corrupt municipal officials."



Chief Minister Siddaramaiah ordered the demolition of all illegal structures built on stormwater drains, called Raja Kaluves, after a heavy rain last July flooded many parts of the city. The city corporation Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Pallike (BBMP) has been tearing down the buildings with help from Bengaluru Metropolitan Task Force (BMTF).



Several houses have been pulled down and others have been partially demolished depending on the extent of encroachment. Some tales of destruction are heart-breaking with people losing what they have built over their life-time.



A 100 years ago, Bengaluru had over a thousand small and big lakes which came down to 600 in the early 1970s and to less than 100 in recent years. During the IT boom over the last 20 years, the real estate sector encroached upon hundreds of lakes and turned them into expansive commercial lands.



Mayor BN Manjunath Reddy, however, claims the demolition was being done scientifically and systematically. We are taking all precautions before demolishing the illegal structures. We are not harassing genuine people. Only the verified maps are being used, he said.



BBMP Commissioner Manjunath Prasad also defends the maps being used by BBMP. My focus and priority is to clear the encroachments on the low-lying areas. The only thing that delayed our drive was lack of surveyors to mark encroachments and nothing else, he said.



News18 spoke to several MLAs and ministers from Bengaluru city about the ongoing demolition drive and the controversy over old maps. Almost all of them expressed unhappiness over the manner in which it is being done.



A six-time Congress MLA and a senior minister who did not wish to be named said, Demolition is affecting only common people. I dont support this. In less than 20 months we are going to face the Assembly elections, if the demolition does not stop we will be doomed.



But Siddaramaiah is unrelenting. He has made it clear that demolition will not stop and it should be completed in the next four months.




Varanasi: Flooding has created havoc in Varanasi, the Lok Sabha constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi who has deputed a party MP to provide help and relief to the victims.



Lakhs of people have taken shelter in relief camps which suffer from shortage of food and drinking water. Cattle are the worst affected and the district administration is making all efforts to arrange feed for them.



The ghats of the temple city have been submerged and the cremation at two places has slowed down. It has also made the performance of rituals for the dead costlier as unavailability of dry wood has shot up its prices.



The Prime Minister, who has expressed concern over the flood situation in his constituency, has deputed MPC R Patil to reach the victims and provide them the required relief.



Patil, who is camping in the town, has set a target of reaching at least 10,000 flood victims in a day and provide them with all the essential relief items besides ensuring food packets are delivered to them timely.



Modi's Parliamentary office in Ravindrapuri colony is open round-the-clock and a helpline number has been issued for the flood-hit people, where nearly 200-300 complaints are being received everyday, said Patil.



"All efforts are being made to solve the complainants' problems and NDRF is being informed to reach the affected areas where people need their help," he said.



Patil said along with the district administration, the BJP members too are reaching the flood victims and ensuring all kind of help for them.



BJP has hired 21 additional boats for the flood-hit people who are facing difficulty due to non-availability of boats in their affected areas, the MP said.



He said food packets, blankets, candles, potato, onions, rice and other items are being distributed among the victims.



Patil said most of weavers have been affected and efforts are being made to extend all sorts of help to them.



Members of the 'Rashtriya Bunkar Action Committee', an organisation of weavers,today came to the parliamentary office and have demanded relief items, he said, adding their leader was handed over 1,000 food packets. Blankets and other essential items are also being distributed among them.



Patil said BJP, with a team of doctors, will also be holding medical camps in the affected areas.



"Though the district administration is making all efforts to shift people from their submerged villages to the relief camps, few villages are awaiting government help," he said.
Mumbai: His first collection showcase back in the 1990s earned him the title Guru of Minimalism and later on he pioneered the concept of "resort wear" and "eco-friendly" garments in Indian fashion. After over two decades in the fashion industry, designer Wendell Rodricks has said goodbye to the runway and handed over his label to his prodigy Schulen Fernandes.



His collection at the opening day of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016 on Wednesday was his last runway presentation and he very proudly handed over his hat to Fernandes on the ramp itself.



Rodricks said: "It's an emotional day for me as from now on, she will represent me. Schulen was working with me since she passed out from college, she was my student."



"I think it's very essential that every designer plans to move. No point reaching at the crisis stage and then decide who is going to take over your label.... Because we don't want the label to die when the designer goes... So we want to actually put somebody in place. Schulen is the one for me."



Looking proud and confident, the Padma Shri awardee also pointed that there are many designers who have handed over their business to family members. But for him, Fernandes was the right choice.



"Some of them (designers) are older than me and they had in a way passed on their businesses and brands to their family members. Like Ritu Kumar did that with her son, but we didn't want to do it that way," Rodricks said.



"We wanted to give it to someone who knows our philosophy and Schulen knows it very well. She knows what my philosophy is, so it was an easy transition for me to leave the label with her because I know I am leaving it in trusted hands," he added.



So was the LFW stage actually his last fashion runway presentation?



"Yes, technically. Now you will see me as Wendell Rodricks for books and my museum (in Goa) from October," he said, and added that he will keep sharing his creative ideas whenever the brand needs him.



"Fashion is there and I will keep the passion for fashion very much alive in my head. If I get any ideas, I will share it with her (Schulen). I will still go to the studio and do one or two sample fits... To enjoy," he shared.



At the fashion gala, Rodricks along with Fernandes showcased a collection titled Trapezoid. The fabrics used in the collection were primarily linen, paper silk, silk crepe, malkha cotton, stripe chanderi silk dyed mul and more handloom ones.



The designer showcased sheer layering, distorted sleeves, structured pintucks, tulip pants and lots of other free-flowing outfits.



Fernandes for Wendell Rodricks also addressed the lack of a uniform sizing standard in India and launched a size chart at the fashion gala, which is taking place at St. Regis here.



"There is no size chart in the country. We are supposed to be the biggest, youngest economy and consumer in the next five to 10 years and we don't have a standard chart," said Rodricks.



"Every designer comes with different size chart... There is too much of confusion for clients, buyers or for the retailer... So that needed to be sorted out. Models also said that you should have model size chart as that will help fashion students who are doing clothes for models. They needed this chart very badly, so next time we will put out a model chart as well," he added.



The size chart is available at the ongoing fashion gala for anyone to grab a copy.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

Trend:

Hopes of finding more survivors faded on Aug. 26 three days after a powerful earthquake hit central Italy, with the death toll rising to 267 and the rescue operation in some of the stricken areas called off, Reuters reported Aug. 26.

Sniffer dogs and emergency crews continued to scour piles of rubble in Amatrice, a picturesque town popular with tourists which was leveled by Wednesday's quake and where 207 bodies have been retrieved so far.

But in nearby villages, such as Pescara del Tronto, rescuers pulled out after all the missing had been accounted for.

Italy plans to hold a state funeral for around 40 of the victims on Saturday, which will be held in the nearby city of Ascoli Piceno.

A day of national mourning was announced, with flags due to fly at half mast around the country for the dead, who include a number of foreigners.

The civil protection department in Rome said nearly 400 people were being treated for injuries in hospitals, 40 of them in critical condition. An estimated 2,500 people were left homeless by the most deadly quake in Italy since 2009.

Survivors with nowhere else to go are sleeping in neat rows of blue tents set up by emergency services close to their flattened communities.

"It was quite a tough night because you have a significant change in temperature here. During the day, it is very, very hot and at night it is very, very cold," said Anna Maria Ciuccarelli of Arquata del Tronto.

"There are still aftershocks preceded by booms and, for those of us who have just lived through an earthquake, it has a great effect, particularly psychologically," she said.

More than 920 aftershocks have hit the area since the original 6.2 magnitude quake struck early Wednesday.

"We have removed the last bodies that we knew about," said Paolo Cortelli, a member of the Alpine Rescue national service who helped to recover about 30 bodies from Pescara del Tronto.

"We don't know, and we might never know, if the number of missing that we knew about actually corresponds to the people who were actually under the rubble."

The foreigners who died in the disaster included six Romanians, a Spanish woman, a Canadian and an Albanian. The British embassy in Rome declined to comment on reports that three Britons, including a 14-year-old boy had died.

The area is popular with holidaymakers and local authorities were struggling to pin down how many visitors were present when the quake hit. The Romanian Foreign Ministry said 17 Romanians were still missing.

Italy has a large Romanian community, and some of the victims were resident in the country.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the region, allowing the government to release an immediate 50 million euros ($56 million) for the relief work.

He has promised to rebuild the shattered homes and said he would also renew efforts to bolster Italy's flimsy defenses against earthquakes that regularly batter the country.

Most of the buildings in the area were built hundreds of years ago, long before any anti-seismic building norms were introduced, helping to explain the widespread destruction.

Cultural Minister Dario Franceschini said all 293 culturally important sites, many of them churches, had either collapsed or been seriously damaged.

Italy sits on two fault lines, making it one of the most seismically active countries in Europe. Almost 30 people died in earthquakes in northern Italy in 2012 while more than 300 died in the L'Aquila disaster.
Bollywood is ready with to take flight with a sikh superhero this week with A Flying Jatt. Directed by choreographer turned director Remo D'Souza the film stars Tiger Shroff as a man blessed with superpowers but no motive.



How a lost boy next door becomes a flying jatt saving himself and the world is what the film is all about. It also stars Jacqueline Fernandez, Amrita Singh, Kay Kay Menon and Mad Max: Fury Road fame Hollywood actor Nathan Jones.



Will the film have some story weight? Will it be another no brainers hit? Will Tiger Shroff's magic work again on audience? Sameeksha from News18 is inside the theater to find out.





10:22 AM: #AFlyingJatt: #KayKayMenon is back playing baddie for little kids.



10:23 AM: #AFlyingJatt: Environment issues are being addressed, interesting. An environmental education class for kids. Interesting.



10:26 AM: #AFlyingJatt : Either dance or martial arts @iTIGERSHROFF has created his genres clearly. Also #AmritaSingh is funny till now.



10:38 AM: #AFlyingJatt: The film is all about #TigerShroff's existential crisis. We know how you feel #Tiger.



10:43 AM: #AFlyingJatt: God knows what is happening here! Dear actors, please act!



10:51 AM:#AFlyingJatt : Why did #NathanJones do this film? Why would someone do this to himself? WHY-O-WHY!



11:04 AM: #AFlyingJatt: The film is so silly overall that it is funny in parts.



11:08 AM: #AFlyingJatt : Mother designing superhero costume for her blessed son. This happens only in India.



11:16 AM: #AFlyingJatt: Andddd a proper ripoff of Quicksilver scene from #XMenApocalypse.



11:34 AM: #AFlyingJatt: It's not just #NathanJones who is toxic, the entire film is.



11:38 AM: #AFlyingJatt: "I need a better costume than him", yahan bhi competition.



11:51 AM:#AFlyingJatt: A love song in middle of a life threatening fight. Waah



12:09 PM: #AFlyingJatt: A not so relevant love story has taken the center stage now. Stretched beyond repair.



12:12 PM: #AFlyingJatt: All things said, @iTIGERSHROFF is a vision while dancing. What moves!



12:26 PM: #AFlyingJatt: Raka is a superhuman. Raka gives motive to aimless superhero. Raka eats pollution. Be like Raka.



12:41 PM: #AFlyingJatt: Religion is the fuel of this story.



12:45 PM:#AFlyingJatt: If Raka gets energy from 'kachra' shouldn't he be more powerful in space? #SpaceKachra #65yearskakachra



12:46 PM: #AFlyingJatt: Oo #RemoDSouza is smart. He has touched upon Space pollution as well. Nice environmental lessons.



12:49 PM: #AFlyingJatt: Do hell with pollution, religion is the answer to everything. Visarjan people take note.



12:51 PM: #AFlyingJatt: The film has a really nice message but a #ChhotaBheem episode would've done a better job.



12:56 PM: #AFlyingJatt: The film has its own 2 points. Well, be environment friendly and Tiger Shroff still can't act.






She has arrived and words fall short to express our happiness. Thank you for all your wishes.  Shahid Kapoor (@shahidkapoor) August 26, 2016

Huge congratulations to @shahidkapoor and Mira....nothing more precious than a baby girl....lots of love....  Karan Johar (@karanjohar) August 26, 2016

Congratulationssssssss to the most amazing couple @shahidkapoor @MiraRajput !!!!! Can't wait to see this beautiful baby girl!!!!  Alia Bhatt (@aliaa08) August 26, 2016

Congratulations @shahidkapoor & Mira on birth of an angel . Welcome to the club my friend. Love & blessings to the little one.  Riteish Deshmukh (@Riteishd) August 26, 2016

Congratulations @shahidkapoor and Mira ... It's d world's best feeling and I'm sure u already know how it is.. Lotsa love to the little one  Genelia Deshmukh (@geneliad) August 26, 2016

Congraaaaaats @shahidkapoor !!!! Welcome to d club!!! Love to the little one!!! N super hug to the parents!!!  Manish Paul (@ManishPaul03) August 26, 2016

Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Rajput on Friday welcomed their first child, a daughter, with utmost joy.The little one was born on 26 August evening at around 7:56 pm, reported Times of India Mira was rushed to Hinduja Hospital on Thursday evening and since then there have been speculations about the arrival of the baby. Both mother and baby are said to be fine.An elated Shahid announced the birth of his daughter on Twitter.Celebrities took to Twitter to congratulate the new parents.The couple got married in New Delhi in July 2015. This is their first child.
CNN News18's Marya Shakil speaks to Congress leader Captain Amarinder Singh about the families in Punjab who have been waiting for around four months for the mortal remains of their loved ones who died in Saudi Arabia.



CNN News18: I have been travelling across Punjab, have been to several districts. The sense one gets after speaking to these families that we spoke to in the last 2 days, is that they have knocked at all possible doors perhaps to get the bodies of their loved ones who died under various circumstances in Saudi Arabia or UAE but the politicians have failed them.



Captain Amarinder Singh: Call over the middle east is happening and its failed them in the sense that Punjab is going down the drain, there are no jobs for them. And these poor boys have to reach out to other countries to go and find jobs. The way they have been treated in Saudi or UAE or Iraq or Iran or wherever they have been is absolutely tragic. And if the government of India can reach out to bring in families who are stuck in Saudi Arabia or elsewhere, why not the dead bodies. The least the government of India can do is to bring the bodies back home and give it to their parents for last rites.







CNN News18: Do you think the situation has worsened in the last 10 years in particular which has led to mass exodus of these young boys of Punjab?



Captain Amarinder Singh: Absolutely yes it is as things are getting from bad to worse, industries moved out of Punjab. Textile industry moved out to Ahmedabad that has gone to Rajasthan, Bicycle industry all moved out from here to Jharkhand. Everyone's moving out there are no job creations avenue left at all. And this is Why drugs are going up and people who want to make some future for themselves they are moving abroad. And they are going in the ferries carried by these unscrupulous travel agents and many of them just drown and die and you don't even know about them. 2 boys died couple of months ago while crossing and their boat capsized. So this is that they are desperate to find jobs. And when they go and they find jobs and if something happened to them, then the government turns its back.



CNN News18: What can the Congress do necessarily in these circumstances because you have an Akali government here which in a way is not cooperating or helping these families to get bodies of their loved ones back?



Captain Amarinder Singh: Why not. Because the BJP is part of them. And the Akalies are part of BJP in Delhi. Why aren't they able to get these bodies back. Every MLA knows who has died in which village. Then why cant they do something about it? Its just their couldn't careless attitude both in Delhi and Punjab.
Islamabad: Pakistan "regretted" India's virtual rejection of its proposal for talks on Kashmir even as it briefed the ambassadors of the P-5 and European Union

countries about the situation in yet another attempt to internationalize the issue. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs, Sartaj Aziz, briefed the Ambassadors of the Permanent Members of the UN Security Council- China, France, Russia, the UK, the US and the European Union, about the alleged "killings and serious human rights violations" being committed in Kashmir,said a Foreign Office statement.



While regretting "the refusal from the Indian side" to hold talks on Kashmir, Aziz also briefed the ambassadors over the exchange of letters between Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry and his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar. Pakistan's move came after India hardened its stance further and once again virtually rejected Pakistan's latest invitation for talks on Kashmir, saying it is willing to discuss cross-border terrorism which was its "core concern".



Replying to his Pakistani counterpart Chaudhry's fresh invitation of August 19 to visit Islamabad by the end of this month to discuss Kashmir dispute, Jaishankar had said in a letter he was willing to discuss terrorism emanating from Pakistan's territory which was India's core concern.



At his meeting with the ambassadors, Aziz "deplored the lethal use of force by the Indian forces against the innocent Kashmiri people and conveyed serious concerns over the bloodshed" in Kashmir which has taken a "toll of more than 80 innocent Kasmiris since July 8, 2016, and inflicted injuries on more than 7,000 people," the Foreign Office statement said.



Aziz stated that the international community, especially the permanent members of the UN Security Council and the European Union have an important role to uphold the principles of human rights and international humanitarian law. He urged them to fulfil their commitments to the people of Jammu and Kashmir under the UN Security Council resolutions. "The Adviser said that Pakistan welcomes the UN Secretary General's offer and would be ready to engage in a dialogue to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute," the statement said. "The P-5 and EU Ambassadors stressed the need to resolve the issue peacefully.



They also acknowledged the importance of dialogue to address this long standing issue and the prevailing grave situation," it said. The war of words between the two nations comes amid a strain in bilateral ties over the continuing unrest in Kashmir with Islamabad issuing provoking statements on the turmoil following the killing of Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani last month.



Wani was hailed as a martyr by Pakistan, which also tried to internationalize the Kashmir issue with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and the country's foreign office writing to a host of countries besides the United Nations, while India has been maintaining that Pakistan-sponsored terrorism in the Valley is the root cause of the turbulence.
Raises for state employees, teachers and other public workers remain a priority for Gov. Terry McAuliffe and General Assembly leaders, but they say pay increases may not be possible in a two-year state budget with a projected $1.48 billion revenue shortfall.

The shortfall that began in the last fiscal year already has resulted in $125 million planned for raises on Dec. 1 being diverted to help defray a projected $843 million shortfall in this fiscal year.

The remaining $221 million budgeted for public employee pay increases in the budgets second year also is imperiled in the face of an additional projected shortfall of $632.7 million, legislators say.

Its going to be very difficult, House Majority Leader M. Kirkland Cox, R-Colonial Heights, said Friday after McAuliffe addressed the assemblys money committees.

House Appropriations Chairman S. Chris Jones, R-Suffolk, called the possibility of pay increases for state employees very problematic in the fiscal year that will begin July 1, 2017, and end June 30, 2018.

But the top lobbyist for state employees remains hopeful that if tax revenues recover  as they did two years ago, when a $2.4 billion shortfall was projected  state workers and other public employees will be at the front of the line.

The thing thats encouraging is, its still a priority, R. Ronald Jordan, executive director of the Virginia Governmental Employees Association, said Friday.

Salaries for state employees  more than 105,000 full-time and 22,000 part-time  lag the private market by more than 23 percent and overshadow a new push by House Speaker William J. Howell, R-Stafford, to move the state away from traditional pension benefits for its workers.

But raises in the two-year budget were tied directly to revenues in the last fiscal year, which fell short by about $279 million.

Pay increases are still on our mind and a high priority, Secretary of Finance Richard D. Ric Brown told members of the Senate Finance and House Appropriations and Finance committees.

Advocates for teachers were dismayed by the retreat on a teacher salary increase, which McAuliffe had proposed in the second year of the budget and the assembly had moved to Dec. 1 of the first year.

Virginia Education Association President Jim Livingston said teacher salaries are $7,200 below the national average and the states funding of K-12 has declined 12 percent since 2009.

Our states leaders have consistently let children down, and thats why an unexpected dip in tax collections is causing the state to roll back its commitment to public schools even further, Livingston said in a statement on Friday.

But K-12 education is McAuliffes biggest priority in the budget. He and the assembly agreed to include more than $900 million in new funding to update the states share of public education costs and give school systems more flexibility in spending money allocated through Virginia Lottery proceeds. Public education accounts for 29 percent of the budget and most of the $8.6 billion the state had expected to send to local governments this year.

When cuts are made, the one thing we want to protect is our education, the governor told the committees in a speech that lasted just less than a half-hour.

McAuliffe said the state has the option of using about $378.2 million from its revenue stabilization, or rainy day, fund in the first year, which combined with the deferred raises would leave about $340 million in spending cuts for the budget year that ends June 30.

House leaders had estimated the potential first-year withdrawal from the fund at up to $420 million. First, however, the state is scheduled to make a $605 million deposit to the fund that was included in the budget.

The governor didnt address another potential withdrawal in the second year of the budget, but Appropriations Director Robert P. Vaughn estimated the state could tap an additional $210 million which, combined with $221 million in deferred pay increases, would leave a hole of about $200 million to close with spending cuts.

State agencies will be asked shortly to identify spending cuts in their budgets, as the administration works to determine how to close the immediate shortfall by early October and begin preparing budget amendments for the governor to propose in December.

McAuliffe said after his speech that compensation for state employees is a top concern for all of us but said its too soon to make any promises about restoring raises in the second year of the budget.

These decisions are always tough, he said.

The states options also are limited by lagging growth in payroll income tax collections because of lower wages, as well as the threat of additional cuts in federal spending under sequestration when a two-year congressional budget deal expires in October 2017, during the second year of the state budget.

The revised revenue estimates I report to you today have been further reduced to reflect the belief that the trend toward lower-paying jobs will continue in the short term, as well as our concern about next Octobers sequestration trigger, the governor said.

Income tax collections withheld from payroll account for about two-thirds of state general fund revenues. In the last fiscal year they grew by 2.4 percent, not the 4.1 percent in the forecast on which the budget was based.

The new forecast, produced in consultation with the Joint Advisory Board of Economists and the Governors Advisory Council on Revenue Estimates, lowers the expectation for revenue growth from 3.2 percent this year to 1.7 percent  a $564.4 million swing.

In the second year, the new forecast drops from 3.9 percent to 3.6 percent, for an additional reduction of $632.7 million.

Still, Republicans expressed skepticism about the revised projection in the second year. I dont think the job-growth numbers are as rosy as the governor would foresee, Del. Jimmie Massie, R-Henrico, told Brown.

Other Republicans sought to tie sluggish wages and income tax collections to Democratic policies, particularly the Affordable Care Act, which they said has prompted employers to reduce hours to part time so they dont have to provide health insurance to workers.

They dismissed McAuliffes renewed call for Medicaid expansion, which he said would bring billions of dollars in federal money into the budget to relieve the state general fund. He needs to take that off the table, Cox said.

McAuliffe also urged legislators to lobby Congress, as he has, to pass the Marketplace Fairness Act. He said the proposed law would generate up to $300 million in revenues for transportation in Virginia by allowing the state to tax internet sales, as his Republican predecessor, Gov. Bob McDonnell, proposed as part of transportation funding legislation in 2013.

Senate Majority Leader Thomas K. Norment Jr., R-James City, expressed surprise at lagging sales tax revenues. Their growth forecast dropped from 4 percent to 2.6 percent, a loss of $118.6 million.

To me, a greater concern (than income tax collections) is that sales taxes are down and people are spending less, said Norment, a champion of the tourism industry that dominates his Williamsburg-area district.

The governor acknowledged the growth in part-time jobs, as well as the substitution of younger, lower-paid workers for retiring veteran employees, but he blamed uncertainty over the national economy.

The fiscal year 2016 wage and revenue figures underscore the large number of temporary employees in the workforce, a likely sign that our businesses are still looking for assurances that our national recovery is sustainable, he said.

The new forecast lowers the expected growth rate for payroll withholding from 4 percent to 3 percent this year, a half-percentage point lower than originally proposed, reducing available revenues by $312.6 million. The additional reduction reflected the opinion of business leaders and legislators on the governors advisory council that the state should be cautious.

It would have cost an additional $700 million if the council had adopted the most pessimistic scenario, Brown told the committees.

We would call that ugly back home, Jones replied.
At least several people with hepatitis A, plus many who have been vaccinated, are in the process of suing Tropical Smoothie Cafe, a food chain that served frozen strawberries from Egypt that caused an outbreak of at least 28 cases of the liver disease in Virginia.

Law firms in Seattle, Wash., and Washington, D.C., are in the process of filing multiple lawsuits against Tropical Smoothie Cafe on behalf of customers inflicted with hepatitis A, as well as a class-action lawsuit on behalf of people who got vaccines after consuming frozen strawberries from Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

I think this thing can grow, Attorney William D. Marler of Marler Clark LLP said of the lawsuits Thursday. In fact, I just got an email from someone (in Virginia) who said Im lying in the hospital bed with hepatitis A.

Weve been contacted by five people who are hepatitis A positive, and a dozen or so people got shots to try to prevent getting sick, which they may or may not prevent illnesses by doing so, Marler said. Who knows how big its going to get, because you dont really know how long the product has been in circulation.

The plaintiffs are being represented by Marler, of Marler Clark LLP in Seattle; and Salvatore J. Zambri and Christopher J. Regan, of Regan Zambri & Long PLLC, in Washington, D.C.

Marler said Thursday afternoon that two lawsuits were in the process of being filed with Richmond Circuit Court. Zambri provided the Richmond Times-Dispatch with copies of those lawsuits.

One lawsuit, which names Constantinos A. Raptis, of Olney, Md., as the plaintiff, states that Raptis had consumed multiple smoothies from a Tropical Smoothie Cafe restaurant in Purcellville in early August.

He started becoming ill on or about Aug. 12, with HAV symptoms that included achiness and headaches, and eventually started to suffer nausea, stomach and chest pain, and dark-colored urine, a copy of the lawsuit states. He was ultimately hospitalized with HAV from Aug. 19 through Aug. 22. He continues to suffer from the complications of HAV.

The lawsuit, which demands a trial by jury, seeks $100,000 for Raptis.

In part, the lawsuit alleges that Tropical Smoothie breached its duty to use reasonable care in the selection, supervision and monitoring of its employees, suppliers or other subcontractors.

The amount of money that will be sought in other cases involving people who contracted hepatitis A will vary, Marler said.

Marler, whose firm specializes in cases involving food poisoning, said more individual lawsuits will be filed on behalf of those who have contracted hepatitis A. In addition, more defendants will be added to the class-action lawsuit that is also pending and currently names a Yorktown woman as a plaintiff.

In the class-action lawsuit, no dollar amount is specified. Instead, the lawsuit requests that a jury weigh the damages to the plaintiffs, which could include wage loss; medical and medical-related expenses; travel and travel-related expenses; emotional distress; fear of harm and humiliation; physical pain; physical injury; and all other damages as would be anticipated to arise under the circumstances.

A spokeswoman for the Virginia Department of Health said Thursday afternoon that the agency had confirmed that 28 people in Virginia have contracted hepatitis A from Tropical Smoothie Cafe. The confirmed cases had grown by five compared with a day prior.

The confirmed cases could continue to rise as those with the liver disease continue to come forward, considering that symptoms of hepatitis A generally take 15 to 50 days to emerge.

Symptoms include yellowing of the skin or eyes, fever and nausea. Exposure occurs through direct contact with another person who has the infection or by consuming contaminated food or drink.

The World Health Organization says almost everyone fully recovers from hepatitis A, which is an inflammation of the liver caused by a virus.

The state Health Department confirmed that all Egypt-based strawberries had been pulled from the 96 Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in Virginia no later than Aug. 8 or Aug. 9. There are more than 20 locations in the Richmond area and more than 500 across the country.

Customers who drank smoothies with strawberries in July or early August could be at risk of hepatitis A, though anyone who had the frozen strawberries after Aug. 9 is believed to be safe, according to Health Department officials. Its unclear when the contaminated strawberries were first served by Tropical Smoothie Cafe.

The Health Department is still investigating whether the contaminated frozen strawberries might have been served at any other restaurant chains in Virginia, though no such links to other restaurants have been confirmed.

Marler said his law firm is looking into the timeline of when Tropical Smoothie Cafe was first notified of tainted strawberries; when the company threw out all of the strawberries; and when the company notified the public of the problem.

Weve got to figure that out, Marler said, adding that theres about a two-week window in which vaccines will generally defeat hepatitis A. Thats why its important to get information out quickly.

You would hope that if they knew the berries were tainted, they would have let the public know, Marler said.

Media relations representatives for Tropical Smoothie Cafe have been operating a hotline in which they have directed reporters to previously released statements.

In one statement, the company stated that not all of its strawberries came from Egypt. And in a video posted on YouTube, the CEO of the company apologized and said the company immediately pulled the strawberries from restaurants after the Health Department provided notification of a problem with the strawberries on Aug. 5.

The Health Department believes that the vast majority of the frozen strawberries consumed in July and August were not contaminated, but people who consumed strawberries from Tropical Smoothie Cafe anytime in the weeks leading up to Aug. 9 should be alert for symptoms of hepatitis A and immediately seek medical care if any symptoms emerge.

Marler said in a phone interview Thursday that berries produced in North America tend to be very safe, but importing berries from Egypt generally would present a greater risk.

Hepatitis is endemic in the Southern Hemisphere countries. Its basically in the water supplies. ... But in North America, Europe and Japan, our water supply is pretty decent. So we dont get hepatitis A, Marler said.

Since its a fairly rare problem in the U.S., Marler said few Americans get vaccines for hepatitis A, unless theyre planning to travel to certain countries where its more prominent.

Now the food is traveling to us, he said.

The latest list of confirmed cases of the liver disease in Virginia include five cases in the Central region, which includes Richmond and surrounding localities; 10 in the Northern region; five in the Northwest region; and eight in the Eastern region.

The Health Department would not specify exactly which of the Tropical Smoothie Cafe locations in Virginia served contaminated strawberries this summer. However, the department is considering all 96 locations in Virginia as potential sources of contamination.

Egypts Ministry of Agriculture has launched an investigation into the tainted strawberries, according to a statement from Ginger Nikole Vaughan, a representative of the Marler Clark law firm.

The statement continues: A ministry spokesman says that media reports sparked the inquiry and that Egypt has not received any official request from any U.S. government agency.
The Turkish Army is responding to PYD attacks with artillery fire as it tries to gain new ground, despite U.S assurances that PYD units were moving to the east bank of the Euphrates River, Anadolu agency reported.

The PYD -- the Syrian affiliate of the terrorist PKK -- has been enlarging its dominance west of the Euphrates River since late December and reinforcing its presence in the region using the fight against Daesh as a pretext.

The group has enlarged its borders through the northern parts of Syria's city of Manbij -- located in the northwestern Aleppo province -- after it "freed" the district of Daesh with the support of Arab fighters and U.S airstrikes earlier this month.

Speaking on condition of anonymity due to security concerns, opposition and security sources north of Manbij told Anadolu Agency that the Turkish Army had warned the PYD during Operation Euphrates Shield to retreat to the Sajur River, which originates in Turkey and flows into the Euphrates in Syria.

In spite of these warnings, the group resisted retreating, but had to return to the Sajur River after the Turkish Armed Forces shelled the area.

As the Free Syrian Army advanced in Jarabulus and Daesh started retreating from the area, the PYD soon went on the attack.

The PYD later recaptured the villages of Amarinah, Magara and Balaban and two hills north of Manbij after it advanced north of the Sajuh River again Wednesday.

The Turkish Armed Forces found PYD members using the "Syrian Democratic Forces" label and shelled Amarinah at 6:00 p.m. local time (1500GMT) on Friday.

Security sources, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to fears for their safety, said PYD fighters would not be allowed to advance in the area and the operation would continue until the group retreated.

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry had told Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu in a telephone call Thursday morning that PYD units were moving to the east of the river.

- SDF camouflage

The PKK terrorist group's Syrian affiliate PYD had gathered the groups close to it under the name Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF).

The Syrian Arab Coalition (which includes Jaysh al-Thuwwar, the Burkan al-Firat Operations Center, Al-Sanadid Forces, and Brigade Groups of Al-Jazeera), along with the Assyrian Military Council, also joined the SDF. The administration and majority of the group were still held by the PYD.

After the SDF was founded, the U.S. bolstered its support for the PYD.

With a desire to form a PYD-controlled strip in northern Syria along the Turkish border, the PYD then targeted areas west of the Euphrates River with U.S. help.

The PYD is aiming to sever the geographical ties between Turkey and Syria using this strip, set to be completed after capturing the area between Jarabulus and Azaz after the capture of Manbij.

The group, under the SDF name, has been enlarging its area of influence since December 2015 on the pretext of fighting Daesh.
Hawk Claus spreads Christmas cheer in DC's Grifter Got Run Over By a Reindeer first look

Take a look at two stories from the DC holiday special including the titular chapter and a Hawkwoman and Hawkman tale
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

A temporary ban has been introduced in Turkey on media reports about the terror attack committed in the Sirnak province, Anadolu Agency reported Aug. 26.

This decision was made by the countrys Cabinet of Ministers.

An explosion occurred in Turkeys southeastern province of Sirnak on Aug. 26, as a result of which nine people have been killed and more than 60 have been injured.

The PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorist organization stands behind the explosion, according to preliminary data.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

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Bahamas celebration

After welcoming guests in six different languages, much to their delight, Davis addressed the celebration on Honouring Our Peoples Excellence.

You will no doubt agree that at Rio 2016 the world is doing well, the region is doing brilliantly and The Bahamas is golden. Congratulations Shaunae! She was of course referring to Shaunae Miller who threw herself over the finish line to secure Olympic gold in the womens 400m race in Rio.

Earlier though, Davis remembered TT s former Prime Minister Patrick Manning. Noting that The Bahamas independence day is actually July 10, Davis stated it would not have worked to have the celebration soon after the July 2 passing of Manning, or in close proximity of his funeral on July 9.

Describing Manning as a great statesman she said: It appeared to me that the 37th Meeting of Caricom Heads, which I attended, was cradled in death by the very man who gave it so much life, as if in one last memorable orchestration of his indubitable passion for the region. Though official letters were sent and there was a condolence book in Georgetown, I am minded one more time, on behalf of the beneficiaries of The Bahamas, to salute Patrick Augustus Mervyn Manning and wish his family well. Davis lauded Caribbean Airlines (CAL) for putting on three weekly flights to and from Bahamas with a stop in Jamaica for fuel. She said: My passion to close the geographic gap between TT and the Bahamas grew, in anticipation of reliable and sustainable airlift between our two countries. Through a successful collaboration with CAL, a direct flight between POS and NAS has been in operation for three short of a year! This is being hailed as a distinct achievement for boosting integration through airlift! Toasts were then made to the people of TT and The Bahamas.
My son did not kill Cyon

The woman who requested anonymity, visited Newsdays office yesterday to clear his name, as her entire family is in fear for their lives. The little boy was killed in La Romaine last Friday night while in the company of his cousin on their way to purchase hot dogs. Since Cyons death, persons, she said, have been pointing fingers in his direction. The 35 year-old-man works as a PH driver and is the father of three.

He lost an eye in a vehicular accident a few years ago and, although he has an impairment, the worried mother said her son continues to ply his private car for hire to support his family.

She told Newsday, As a Christian, I believe in the truth regardless of how it may sound. My son is not a saint, but on that night, he did not shoot anyone. She said her own investigations revealed that he was the one who was shot at when a car approached the bar where he was patron and the occupants of the vehicle fired several shots at him. He was liming with some vendors outside the bar. She continued, He was almost knocked down by a passing vehicle when he was running from bullets. I will not let anyone get away with such drastic lie. She said the community believes it is her son who did it.

According to the woman, there are those who know who sent their boys to assassinate her son and instead end up killing the young boy. She said the killers now want her son dead because he knows who did it. She further claimed that in the early hours of Sunday morning while her son was on his way to Princes Town to visit a friend, occupants in two vehicles opened fire on him and tried to run him off the road. The incident, she said, was reported to the Princes Town Police Station. I told him you get away Friday you get away Sunday, dont feel is luck, it is our prayers that keeping you. Saying that she has never encouraged her son in wrongdoing, the woman admitted that he used to peddle drugs but quit following the accident in which he lost his eye.

He cant see to run from police so good so he came out of that, but he continues to hang out with the wrong people, she added.

I dont like his lifestyle as it is not the life we are living. He was a victim on Friday night and now it is affecting the entire family. She moved out of La Romaine a few years ago and has seen the community in which she grew up now riddled with crime which she said is being fuelled by greed
Cabinet approves $1M help for fishermen

Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley made the announcement in response to questions from reporters at the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, Port-of-Spain.

Supporting statements made earlier in the briefing by Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharat on the matter, Rowley said, Today, the Cabinet instructed the Minister of Finance to allocate and find $1 million to allow, without prejudice, assistance to those persons who have lost their livelihood as a result of what is happening in that particular area. He added, It is not compensation, it is assistance. Explaining that liability must be addressed before issues of compensation can be discussed, Rowley said Cabinet has instructed State oil company Petrotrin to identify any and all responsibilities which it may have with respect to oil leak, oil spill in the area. He said should it be determined that Petrotrins activities would have caused any outcome, there are legal liabilities which Petrotrin must discharge and that is where the compensation comes in. The Prime Minister recalled that it was first believed the dead fish were dumped but later tests on other dead fish in the area have been inconclusive.

Rowley said while he has not seen the documentation himself, he was told there appears to be some connection between some of those dead fish and hydrocarbon operations at Petrotrin. Recalling there were concerns about fish in south-west Trinidad being affected by a substance used to deal with an oil spill during the reign of the former Peoples Partnership government, Rowley said, Petrotrin is the only agency that would be called to account if there is in fact oil leak or pollution of hydrocarbons in the Gulf that way. The Prime Minister said Cabinet decided to provide assistance to the affected fishermen because it was clear some consumers would not be purchasing fish from this area. However, he said none of the relevant State agencies have found anything to suggest that fish caught in the Gulf of Paria was not safe to eat. I eat fish. I am very happy eating fish, Rowley added.

Rambharat said Planning Minister Camille Robinson-Regis has directed the Environmental Management Authority to send samples of the affected fish and soil to a laboratory overseas for testing. He said his ministry will be reviewing arrangements relating to fish trawler operations in TT, including the dumping of fish. As someone who was raised in a fishing village, Rambharat said this was a matter which deeply concerned him.
Rowley wants better results on crime

Addressing the post-Cabinet news conference at the Office of the Prime Minister in St Clair, Portof- Spain, Rowley said, Nobody in this country is comfortable seeing a nine-year-old (child) being gunned down in TT because criminals have taken action resulting in that kind of outcome. Noting the decisions to commit crimes remain with the individuals who commit them, the Prime Minister said the perpetrators of many crimes are known to many people and encouraged by others.

He told those people, If you are encouraging crime in your family or your neighbourhood, desist. He also said there are avenues whereby people with information on crime can provide that information safely and anonymously. On the response to crime in the country, Rowley said there was tremendous room for improvement. He declared, We want better results. Rowley said because the NSC is functioning, it discovered that for several months before the Peoples National Movement (PNM) assumed office last September, the facial recognition system at Piarco International Airport has been deliberately sabotaged. He said this created a situation where persons coming through Piarco Airport, law-abiding and possibly criminals, could not be identified for reasons best known to some (persons). The Prime Minister said the situation was being rectified.

He said because the NSC is working, it has been able to address a gaping hole in the criminal justice system regarding witness statements, by having people have their testimonies taped. Explaining that Cabinet and the Government will not overstep their authority with respect to the functioning of any independent body in TT, Rowley said the same people who are now calling on him to take charge of crime would be the first to cry political interference if Government was perceived to be micromanaging in places where it should not.

On Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessars call for non-partisan talks on crime, Rowley said, I will receive her in the same way that she received me when she was prime minister. He added, I hope there are suggestions that we can all agree on and if there is anything the Government can do to improve the situation, we have no problem with that. However, Rowley rejected Persad- Bissessars call for him to assume the role of National Security Minister. Regarding the Cabinets composition, Rowley stated, I will listen to advice but it is not every piece of advice that I will take. He also said the hemispheric defence ministers meeting to be held in TT in October was agreed to in February 2014 by the Persad-Bissessar administration. His Government, he said, managed to reduce the original bill for the conference from $16.5 million to $9 million.

Rowley said he has not seen the video of young men with high-powered firearms. He said that was being looked into by the Strategic Services Agency (SSA).

However, he disclosed, What I have seen is a picture of me hugging up a woman. Reporters laughed as Rowley quipped, I want you all to know ... do not waste any time with that ... its not me. Expressing optimism the Police Service will root out unsavoury elements within its ranks and a permanent Police Commissioner would soon be appointed, Rowley said the type of arms and ammunition being recovered by the police show there is a market for them in TT. He explained this is why Government is actively taking steps to bolster the countrys maritime security and collaborating with its international partners.

Minister in the Ministry of the Attorney General and Legal Affairs Stuart Young said National Security Minister Edmund Dillon meets weekly with the heads of various national security agencies, including the police. Young also said there are regular meetings with the commanders of police divisions, which the Downtown Owners and Merchants Association has called for.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Twenty members of the Islamic State (aka IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) terrorist organization have been detained in Turkish province of Konya during a special operation, Anadolu agency reported Aug. 26.

All detainees are citizens of Turkey. Searches are currently underway at their homes.

On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircraft launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.

Earlier, it was reported that Turkish tanks entered Syria. Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) is the most active terrorist group in Syria.

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Union in move to buy steel plant

President of the union, Christopher Henry, said yesterday the buyers would be shareholders, not owners, in the plant and it would make a wider range of products than were being manufactured under the ArcelorMittal management.

Henry said world steel prices have begun to rise slightly and there are at least three potential investors who are interested in buying the plant.

Henry said when the plan is fully developed, the union intends to meet with Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to outline it. The SWUTT leader said that during a private meeting with Rowley about two months ago, the Prime Minister had asked that the union meet with him again when the plan was further advanced. Henry said Rowley had given the undertaking to support and champion the unions efforts if he was convinced its plan was workable.

So long as it is workable and we have a workable proposal, Henry said, adding that he believed it was viable because it would not involve any cost to the Government and it would diversify the steel industry because the union and its potential partner(s) wanted to make about four additional products to what were being made by ArcelorMittal, which would obviously mean more employment in the country and in the manufacturing sector. He said they were also planning to try to break into the Caricom and Latin American markets, which ArcelorMittal never attempted since it was focused on exporting its production to Europe.

Henry added that the membership of the union is eagerly looking forward to the restart of the plant because most of them are still unemployed and never received pension or severance benefits from ArcelorMittal, compounding their financial difficulties because no money coming in. Most of these people who are over 50 or close to 50 cannot get jobs because they are too old and most of them are over-qualified and all that  that is what we are getting out there.

He said once a prospective employer discovered that the worker was coming from ArcelorMittal they would offer lower salaries than the norm for any job for which they were considered. If the job paying 10,000, they are offering five.

Henry said the union was doing all it could to assist its members, going on food drives and giving out hampers as well as collecting used schoolbooks to help those with school-aged children. He said there were also professionals providing counselling to those workers who needed it and lawyers giving legal advice free of charge. So were trying to work it as best as we can.

Meanwhile, the ArcelorMittal liquidator, attorney Christopher Kelshall, said he had managed to sell all the company properties which had been offered for sale but the liquidation was far from completed because he still had the task of selling the steel plant. He said he is currently concentrating on disposing of perishables in the plant, anything with a shelf life.

In addition to selling the plant, Kelshall said I have 200 cases in the courts one way or the other and until they are resolved, the liquidation is not finished.

Those cases relate to issues with the workers as well as commercial issues. Kelshall said there has been interest expressed in purchasing the plant, but how much of it is genuine I wont know for a while but yes, there is some interest and I believe there is genuine interest in it.

He said Mittal people had declared at the creditors meeting that the company owed US$280 million while its assets were worth US$70 million. He said this meant there was a significant deficit and I am obliged to get the best that I can for the creditors.
Cyons killer will pay, says relative at funeral

Pastor John Young was delivering the sermon at Cyons funeral service at Guides Funeral Home, Coffee Street, San Fernando yesterday.

Cyon, of Byron Street, La Romaine, a pupil of the La Romaine RC School, was shot dead while he was walking along the Southern Main Road, La Romaine, a short distance from his home on Friday last. Paul was accompanying a young relative to purchase hot dogs at a nearby businessplace.

Reports are that, upon reaching a service station along the Southern Main Road, several gunshots rang out. Cyon and his relative turned around and started to run but Cyon collapsed. He was rushed to the San Fernando General Hospital in a police vehicle, but doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.

Young said that in todays society, a human life has no value.

Cyon died on Friday night and it was business as usual, Young said. Everyone kept on doing what they were doing. Why do we harbour and encourage a few miscreants because of the love of money? he asked.

Young said he does not know why the child was killed, but he knew that the person responsible for his death was heartless. You saw a crowd of people and shoot, that is idiotic and to then walk away. So many people are now grieving because of your foolishness. Plans are underway for a police post to be placed in La Romaine.

Young said the intervention by government officials and police officers would not deter criminal activity in the area and that only God could change the hearts of people.

Cyons grandfather, Clyde Francis, said the person who murdered the child will pay.

As he spoke, mourners cheered on in agreement. Pauls cousin Nyoka Daniel broke down in tears, Why why why an innocent child? Daniel had to be consoled as spoke, her piercing screams echoed throughout the church walls.

Their neighbour Police Constable, Francelia Jackson, called on members of the community to come together to live in peace.

Let us just love each other. We need each other so let us be strong as a community, an emotional Jackson said. Delivering the eulogy, Cyons cousin Sarah Charles recalled that he had a love for sports.

She described him as full of joy and kindness.

He was the fastest runner in his school and could have been a national sportsman of Trinidad and Tobago, she said. Pauls mother Safiya Williams and grandmother Janet Charles cried loudly as they viewed his body. They both kissed him farewell. Paul was cremated at the Guides Crematorium.
Lightning cuts power in Woodbrook

Newsday understands the incident occurred around 3.10 pm and affected residents and businesses in the area.

TTEC Corporate Communi c a t ions Manager Annabelle Brasnell said Calcutta Street, Colville Street and Roberts Street were among the areas affected by a fierce lightning strike on one of TTECs feeders. Brasnell told Newsday, A service team was sent out as soon as the outage was reported and the electricity supply was expected to be restored before nightfall.
Tourism is priority for TT

Ramkhelawan made the statement on Wednesday at a Quality in Tourism stakeholder forum hosted by the Tourism Development Company (TDC) at Cara Suites Hotel in Claxton Bay.

The forum brought together various industry stakeholders to speak about the important role that quality assurance in the industry plays in attracting visitors from around the world to Trinidad and Tobago.

We want visitors to our shores to have confidence in what our islands offer...to spread the word about how great Trinidad and Tobago is, said Ramkhelawan who spoke on behalf of Minister of Tourism, Shamfa Cudjoe who, she said, was absent due to unforeseen circumstances.

She said this cannot happen unless the quality of the countrys tourism products and services are standardised and improved.

Leading the way towards this improvement would be the Quality Cluster of Programs which involves the Trinidad and Tobago Tourism Industry Certification (TTTIC), Small Tourism Enterprises Project (STEP), STAR (Service. Training.

Attitude. Respect ), Environmental Conservation, and Visitor Safety and Security programs.

According to Ramkhelawan, over 500 industry operators are in line to receive certification from the TTTIC.

This certification is granted to industry operators such as hotel owners, taxi drivers, tour guides and motor vehicle rental owners who meet the TDCs standards of quality. According to the Tourism Ministrys website, operators who receive certification are fully endorsed by the TDC and THA, and the TTTIC logo is an effective marketing tool and an official assurance to visitors that the certified tourism practitioner has been inspected and satisfies all the requirements of the National Standard. The National Standard for Tourism was developed by the Trinidad and Tobago Bureau of Standards and through conversations with stakeholders.

Governments approach to improving Trinidad and Tobagos tourism product is holistic Ramkhelawan said.

Attendees were also addressed by TDCs Quality Cluster Project leaders on ways in which their industry could build competitiveness in a global market.

Also in attendance were representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Trinidad and Tobago Transport Association, the Bureau of Standards, the Merikin Heritage Foundation and Nature Seekers, among others.
Two-day non-stop walk to highlight social issues

He said times are hard and social workers cannot afford to fool people.

Recalling some of his life experiences, he said, You have to know how to fight for things legally, you have to find ways of getting around the obstacles. Daniel was delivering the feature address, on Wednesday, to participants at a seminar at the auditorium of the Port of Spain City Hall, Knox Street, Port of Spain.

The seminar was organised by the Trinidad and Tobago Association of Social Workers as part of a series of activities being held this month to highlight The Role of the Social Worker in the 21st Century with special emphasis on professional responsibility and strategies to advocate and mitigate the social impact of economic decline on vulnerable groups in society. He will stage a non-stop weekend Awareness Walk around the Queens Park Savannah to raise awareness about a number of social issues.

The walk will begin at 2:30 pm tomorrow from the Brian Lara Promenade opposite the Central Bank, then to Frederick Street and up to the savannah where he will walk until Sunday. Daniel, who is from Canada, is known for highlighting social issues in somewhat unorthodox ways such as dancing and walking.

He once earned international fame for walking for eight consecutive days in New York, challenging the Guinness World Record for the longest walk. The conference was intended to explore new strategies for social workers who provide services at state agencies, universities and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) throughout Trinidad and Tobago.

Daniel urged the audience to check all information they received, saying that it may not be what it seems to be. He said they should not take things at face value.

Go. You are a social worker.

Get the real reason. He also spoke about bullying in the schools, and said that he had once done a dance for a student who was being bullied. He said he decided to do the dance to honour students who were being bullied and were suffering in silence. He said that when he did the dance, the victims came to realise that they had someone on their side and were no longer alone.

The seminar participants also got together in groups for a consultation aimed at completing a policy document on promoting professionalisation of social work in this country. Vice President of the Association, Sharon Francis-Gaines, said the document produced from the consultation would be sent to Cabinet for review and we may be able to action this a little faster than the actual bill or the actual legislation. She said the association was seeking to develop a co-ordinated approach to social work in the country. So a client comes to the area and meets with a social worker.

That social worker will be able to assess the needs of the client and access the resources needed by the client so you would not have five different social workers from five different agencies working with this one client. She said the association invited Daniel to this country because of his expertise in such issues as mitigating the social impact of economic decline on vulnerable groups in society. We recognise that our country is going through an economic decline and this will impact client service, families and children as well as communities.

And if the case of our countrys economic decline is going to be addressed, we have to be ready to think out of the box. She said that with the economic decline the country is experiencing, they are finding that social workers are spread very thinly. So if we have a co-ordinated approach, then we will have proper case management in terms of the number of social workers to the numbers of cases assigned to them. She said that in Trinidad and Tobago there are social workers handling as many as a thousand clients and this is against professional practice
Boy Shows

Why 'Adventure'

Really Is His

Middle Name
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

If the European Union (EU) doesnt agree to cancel visa regime with Turkey, the union will have serious problems with illegal migrants, TRT Haber news channel quoted Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim as saying.

Yildirim said that the EU must understand the situation with migrants.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said earlier that if the EU doesnt cancel visa regime with Turkey in mid-October, Ankara wont be able to receive illegal migrants from the EU.

Heads of states and governments of the EU member countries agreed a joint plan with Turkey in mid-March to fight the migration crisis. It envisages, in particular, the return to Turkey of illegal migrants arrived in Greece from Turkeys territory, and receiving legal migrants-Syrians by the EU from Turkey on a one-for-one basis.

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(Newser)  While cops in France crack down on burkinis, police forces in two other countries have decided to embrace the hijab. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police have decided to allow female officers to wear a hijab while on duty in a bid to encourage diversity among the Mounties, the Independent reports. Police officers in Scotland were already allowed to wear the hijab, but only with approval from senior officers, the Telegraph reports. The headscarf has now been made an official part of the uniform.

"Like many other employers, especially in the public sector, we are working towards ensuring our service is representative of the communities we serve," Scottish Chief Constable Phil Gormley said in a statement. In Canada, officials say they hope the shift in uniform policy will encourage more Muslim women to join the Mounties, the AP reports. They note that hijabs were already allowed by police in Toronto, as well as by forces in Sweden, Norway, and London, which added the hijab to the uniform in 2001. (Read more hijabs stories.)
(Newser)  You can forgive friends of the Erdal family if they skip the next dinner invitation. After four members of the family in northern Turkey suffered food poisoning severe enough to land them in a hospital for a week, they decided to throw a "gratitude dinner" to celebrate their recovery. Two dozen attendees fell ill from ... you guessed it. "Food poisoning became our nightmare," patriarch Alattin Erdal tells the Hurriyet Daily News. The Erdals had sacrificed an animal (the type was not disclosed) to thank God for their recovery and served it to their friends.

"We dont get it," Erdal says. "First we were poisoned and then sacrificed an animal for God as a sign of gratitude for gaining our health back," only to have 25 people end up at a hospital in Tekirdag province, with four in intensive care, per Hurriyet. The Erdals were initially sickened after a meal cooked by matriarch Asiye Erdal, who now she says she'll be more careful in the kitchen. (Read more food poisoning stories.)
(Newser)  The AP has tracked down the nun seen in an iconic photo of this week's devastating earthquake in central Italy. Marjana Lleshi, 35, says she thought she would die when the Amatrice convent she was sleeping in collapsed early Wednesday, killing three other nuns and four of the elderly women they cared for and leaving her trapped. She says she texted "adieu" to friends and family in her native Albaniaand then texted them to say she was alive after she was pulled from the rubble by a young man who helped one of the elderly women at the convent. She says she still hopes to travel to Rome next week for the canonization of Mother Teresa, another Albanian nun.

A 4.7-magnitude aftershock, the strongest of hundreds since early Wednesday, hit the area early Friday, hindering rescue operations but causing no additional reports of deaths or injuries. Italy has declared a state of emergency in the quake-ravaged region, where the death toll has now hit 267, CNN reports. The emergency measures include canceling taxes in the towns of Amatrice, Accumoli, Arquata del Tronto, and Pescara del Tronto, reports the Guardian, which notes that as the dust settles, Italians are beginning to ask why the death toll is so high in an area long known to be earthquake-prone. (Read more Italy stories.)
(Newser)  A 33-year-old woman who jumped into Lake Powell managed to save her 2-year-old son before drowning, KSL reports. The toddler fell from a moving houseboat on Tuesday afternoon during a cruise with his family near the Halls Crossing area of the lake in Utah. Chelsea Russell, 33, jumped in after her son and managed to hold him above water until he could be rescued. But it was too late for the Lakewood, Colo., mother, who was unresponsive when she was pulled from the water, authorities say. Neither was wearing a life jacket, though they are required for boaters who are 12 and under. It is unclear how long the pair were in the water. The San Juan County Sheriffs office says the houseboat traveled a "significant distance" from the two before being shut off.

Russells brother untied a smaller boat that was being towed behind the houseboat. "The conscious child was rescued from atop the mothers chest," says the sheriff's office. But Russell was unconscious and efforts to revive her failed. The boy was flown to a hospital in Flagstaff, Ariz., and was reported in stable condition, the Denver Post reports. Russell is the sixth person to die this year in the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. The acting chief ranger says failure to wear life jackets is "a common denominator in more than 120 fatalities at Lake Powell in the last decades. All boaters on Lake Powell are encouraged to wear life jackets." (This mom was paralyzed while saving her girls.)
(Newser)  Cops in Omaha believe a suspect they arrested at Eppley Airfield Thursday night was on some very strong drugs, and it's not hard to see why: After parking his truck outside the airport's perimeter and screaming that people were trying to kill him, the man scaled a barbed-wire fence, stripped down to his boxers, got into a pickup truck, and drove into the nose gear of a plane as officers pursued him, the Omaha World-Herald reports. No passengers on the Southwest plane, which had just begun boarding, were hurt, but a pilot sustained a minor knee injury.

Police say the suspect was taken into custody, and there is no sign of links to extremism, reports Reuters. He was treated at a hospital and will be charged with felony destruction of property and vehicle theft. Police say the FBI has been notified of the incident and the NTSB will be conducting its own investigation, NBC reports. The investigation will likely look into, among other things, how the man was able to make off with the Southwest Airlines pickup truck, which he found unlocked and with its engine running outside airlines offices. (Read more Nebraska stories.)
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug.26



By Aygun Badalova - Trend:



Ex-Pentagon advisor Michael Rubin believes that Ankara's military operations in Syria may lead to activization of ISIS in Turkey.



"The question is whether Turkey is really focused on ISIS, or whether it's real target will be the YPG (People's Protection Units), Rubin, who is currently a scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), told Trend.



He noted that Turkey's commitment to fight ISIS has always been a political question that only President Recep Tayyip Erdogan can determine.



In the past, Turkey has said it would fight ISIS but its commitment was short-lived, according to Rubin.



It's a lot easier to get into Syria than to leave it. If Turkey really does strike at ISIS, then ISIS may strike back at Turks inside Turkey, he added.



Commenting on the possibility of higher migration from Syria and more ISIS terrorist attacks in Europe as a result of Turkeys operations, Rubin said that Syria has become so bad, that it may not make much of a difference.



On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircraft launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.



The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.



Earlier, it was reported that Turkish tanks entered Syria. Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.



Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) is the most active terrorist group in Syria.
(Newser)  France's tussle with the burkini was just dealt a strong blow by the country's top administrative court, which on Friday overturned one resort town's ban against the full-body beachwear, the AP reports. The ruling from the Council of State comes during a summer of high-profile cases along the French Riviera in which Cannes and more than two dozen other municipalities have forbidden Muslim women to don the specialized swimsuits. In the words of the Cannes mayor, the burkini is a "symbol of Islamic extremism" that doesn't respect "good morals and secularism" in a country that's been hard hit by militant attacks in recent months. But the director of Amnesty International's European office disagrees with this tactic, noting "these bans do nothing to increase public safety, but do a lot to promote public humiliation," per the BBC.

The Council of State heard arguments from lawyers for two human rights groups who noted that mayors in the towns that have nixed the burkinis don't have the right to tell women what to wear. Protests in support of the burkini have been taking place around the world, per CNN, including a "wear what you want beach party" Thursday held on a DIY "beach" outside the French Embassy in London. Although Friday's decision refers specifically to the town of Villeneuve-Loubet, it's expected to set a legal precedent for other resorts that have issued the same mandate. At least one mayorin Corsicais already saying he'll continue to enforce the ban, despite the court's ruling, the BBC reports. (What the inventor of the burkini has to say about all of this.)
(Newser)  Israel Stinson, 2, had a bad asthma attack on April 1, went into cardiac arrest, and was declared brain-dead at UC Davis Medical Center. Nearly five months of legal battling ensued, as the California toddler's parentswho did not agree with the prognosisfought to keep him on life support. The fight ended abruptly Thursday, after what the Sacramento Bee calls a "surprise ruling" by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge that the boy be removed from life support. He stopped breathing almost immediately. "He's gone," Israel's mom Jonee Fonseca tells the Bee. At the beginning of the saga, she and Israel's dad, Nate Stinson, initially had Israel transferred from Davis to Kaiser Permanente in Roseville; that hospital also determined he was brain-dead, the Washington Post reports.

They refused to sign a California death certificate issued by Kaiser, started a GoFundMe campaign, and filed an injunction to stop Kaiser from removing him from the ventilator. All the while, they posted videos and updates for their supporters and got pro bono support from lawyers. A federal judge rejected the injunction in May, so Israel's parents took him to Guatemala, where, according to his parents, an electroencephalogram showed brain activity. Children's Hospital in Los Angeles then accepted Israel, and he was brought there about two weeks agobut doctors at Children's agreed he was brain-dead and sought to take him off life support. Israel's parents were granted a temporary restraining order, but the hospital successfully appealed. (The family of Jahi McMath is in a similar fight.)
(Newser)  Is Mylan CEO Heather Bresch the next Martin Shkreli? Based on public reaction to the bloated costs of her company's EpiPen, the 671% pay raise she's reaped as those costs rose, and the recently publicized fact that her dad is a US Senator, the initial answer may seem to be "yes." But the woman the New York Times calls America's "new pharmaceutical villain" refutes comparisons to the roundly reviled Shkreli, noting to the paper that Mylan's price spikes aren't in the "same hemisphere" as that of Shkreli's Daraprim and freely admitting hers is a for-profit business. "I am not hiding from that," she says. And some note she has, to an extent, helped bring about positive change in the industry: The director of the Knowledge Ecology International NGO, for example, says Bresch helped his group fight TPP provisions that would have made it more difficult for people overseas to obtain certain drugs.

The admittedly brash Bresch says high EpiPen prices are necessary to pay back the company for the expensive investment it's made in the device. She adds that the health insurance industry is also to blame, calling its raising of fees that consumers have to foot "unconscionable." But the Times notes other questionable items swirling around Breschincluding her receiving a since-rescinded MBA from West Virginia University without earning it, as well as Mylan's 2014 tax-sheltering move to the Netherlands. And some are calling her hypocritical, considering she was recently elected to head the board of directors of the Generic Pharmaceutical Association, whose mission is to help patients gain access to affordable, high-quality meds, per a release. "It's like talking out of both sides of your mouth," a generic drug advocate notes to the Times of the increasingly monopolistic practices of companies like Mylan. (We don't know how Sarah Jessica Parker feels about Bresch, but we know how she feels about Mylan.)
(Newser)  The Guardian did a little digging and discovered Stephen Bannon, Donald Trump's new campaign CEO, may be guilty of a bit of felony voter fraud. The Atlantic calls this "particularly embarrassing" because Bannon is currently in charge of a presidential campaign that has been warning of voter fraud and a rigged election. Records show Bannon was, possibly as recently as today, registered to vote at a house in Florida's Miami-Dade County. Strangely, the house is vacant, and its owner says it's slated to be demolished. Neighbors say no one has lived there for months. Bannon used to rent the house for his ex-wife to use but never lived there. He was formerly registered at another house in Miami-Dade County that he rented for his ex-wife but where he never lived.

Florida law says voters must be legal residents in the county where they're registered to vote. Purposefully lying on voter registration is a felony punishable by up to five years in prison. Bannon owns no propertyat least in his own namein Miami-Dade County and may either live in property he owns in California or at the DC headquarters of Breitbart, which he co-founded. A Trump campaign spokesperson would only say that "Bannon has moved to another location in Florida." The New York Daily News reports that Bannon has now moved his voter registration to a home owned by a Breitbart writer in Florida's Sarasota County. It's unclear if he lives there. (Read more Stephen Bannon stories.)
Microsoft, the tech giant famous for its operating system came up with apologies after the release of Windows 10 anniversary update that was done on August 2, 2016.

According to Thurrott, Microsoft after releasing the Windows 10 anniversary update caused errors in the webcams of users. The consumers of this new update got annoyed with disabled web cameras. Microsoft's major change with support for cameras in its new Windows 10 anniversary update is causing serious effects on enterprises and users. Users, who use Skype and other apps for live video calling, are in great anger as these apps are not interesting without the Webcams. The problems occur after installing an update; Windows no longer allow USB Webcams to use MJPEG or H.264 encoded streams except for YUY2 encoding. Microsoft apologies for failing to tell users about an important change in Windows that has broken many USB-connected Webcams.

As per CBC, the anniversary Windows 10 update was enabled to have new features for Corona digital assistant and support for hand written and hand drawn with a digital stylus. But, the update ended up with the disabled Webcams.

Microsoft said in an official statement emailed to CBC News Monday afternoon, "We are aware of a situation where support of some apps that use compressed MJPG and H.264 streams for webcams have some incompatibilities with the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. We are currently rolling out a fix that should go public shortly."

According to Zdnet, the Microsoft representative has apologized for the issues in Windows 10 anniversary update and promises better documentations in future.

Mike M from Windows camera team wrote on company's Windows dev forums: "We wanted to prevent applications from unknowingly degrading the user experience due to a platform change,"

"So yes, MJPEG and H.264 being decoded / filtered out is the result of a set of features we needed to implement, and this behavior was planned, designed, tested, and flighted out to our partners and Windows Insiders around the end of January of this year,"

"We worked with partners to make sure their applications continued to function throughout this change, but we have done a poor job communicating this change out to you guys. We dropped the ball on that front, so I'd like to offer my apologies to you all," he added.

Windows 10 anniversary update consumers need to wait for the promise made by Microsoft.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

Trend:

15:06 (GMT+4) The number of casualties as a result of the terror attack in Turkeys Sirnak province has reached 11, Milliyet newspaper reported Aug. 26.

Currently, the number of those injured has reached 70, and four of them are in serious condition, according to the newspaper.

Turkeys Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said that the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorist organization stands behind the terror attack.

The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has continued for over 25 years and has claimed more than 40,000 lives.

The UN and the European Union list the PKK as a terrorist organization.

11:12 (GMT+4) The number of those killed as a result of the terror attack in Turkeys Sirnak province has reached 9 and 64 people have been injured, Hurriyet newspaper reported.

It is not excluded that these figures will rise, according to the newspaper.

Turkish authorities have not yet confirmed the number of dead and wounded.

10:13 (GMT+4) As a result of the terror attack committed near a police station, three policemen have been killed and two passers have been injured, Ozgur newspaper reported.

The building of the police station has been badly damaged.

09:28 (GMT+4) An explosion occurred near a police station in the southeastern Turkish province of Sirnak, Anadolu Agency reported Aug. 26.

There are injured people, according to preliminary data.

It was also reported that the PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party) terrorist organization stands behind the explosion.
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Fairbanks, AK (99707)

Today

Some sun this morning with increasing clouds this afternoon. High 16F. Winds light and variable..

Tonight

Partly cloudy skies early will give way to cloudy skies late. Low 1F. Winds light and variable.
Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The Turkish province of Hatay has come under rocket fire from the Syrian Armed Forces, the Milliyet newspaper reported Aug. 26.

Three Turkish servicemen were wounded as the result of shelling of Turkeys territory, according to the newspaper.

It is also reported that Turkeys territory took fire from the Syrian city of Latakia.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
The Daily News-Miner encourages residents to make themselves heard through the Opinion pages. Readers' letters and columns also appear online at newsminer.com. Contact the editor with questions at letters@newsminer.com or call 459-7574.
Mumbai:

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said the state government plans to transform 1,000 villages with the help of corporate sector, and the civil over the next few years.

He said corporate sector is already working with the government in various sectors through the CSR and we thought of using their resources, knowledge, technology and planning and implementation skills.

He said the corporate sectors expertise would be used to set up an institutional mechanism to amalgamate work done by different companies in different areas to transform 1000 villages in collaboration with the state government.

He was addressing reporters here after his meeting with industrialists Ratan Tata, Anand Mahindra and Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan.

Fadnavis said currently, scattered efforts are being made by the corporate sector which will now be consolidated and villages will be transformed within a specific time frame.

He added that 50 per cent of the villages will be chosen by partnering agencies where some work is currently underway and the remaining would be those villages that score low on the Human Development Index.

Rajashree Birla (of Aditya Birla Group) has already shown her intent of taking 300 villages (out of 1000) to develop them. Similarly, we have got tremendous response from others as well, he said, adding the government is looking at working on at least 100 villages by October 2.

He further said no programme will be forced upon villages and the Gram Sabhas would decide the kind of work required by their respective villages and the government will only assist them.

Fadnavis said the government intends to build a sustainable development model under which initiatives would be taken to improve indicators like health and education in each village.

For every village, aspects like education, health, water conservation and skill development will be covered. We do not have a package. We will only provide what a specific village needs, he said.

The existing schemes will be converged and this initiative will only complement their work and lacunae will be filled, he said.

Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata who was also present at the press briefing said it has been a great realisation for the government to develop rural hinterland.

While we have industrialised cities, rural communities have not received the same attention. This initiative is a forward looking move which will make hinterlands a profit making part of the nation, he said.

Chairman and Managing Director of Mahindra Group Anand Mahindra said, What excites us is the clear purpose of convergence, clear intent of private sector collaboration and the CMs passion. If this works, it will be a prototype for the nation.

Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan said, For someone like me involved in several campaigns, this initiative seems to be a convergence of all of them. I feel awareness and communication is an important element. If my face and voice can create an awareness, I will be most happy.
Washington:

In the wake of the brutal attack on American Universty in Kabul, the United States has stressed on the need for Pakistan to not differentiate between terror groups based on their agenda or affiliation, asking it to ensure there are no safe havens for terrorists in the country.

We have consistently raised our concerns to the highest level of the government of Pakistan on the need to deny safe haven to extremists, the State Department Spokesperson Elizabeth Trudeau told reporters yesterday.



We have pressed the Government of Pakistan to follow up on their expressed commitment, their stated commitment, to not discriminate among terror groups regardless of their agenda or affiliation, she said.



Trudeau drew the attention to what Pakistan Army Chief General Raheel Sharif had said that they would not discriminate.



The terrorist attack on the American University of Afghanistan in Kabul is against the best and brightest of Afghanistan and is a sign that we can all do more, she said.



As we have in the past, we encourage the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan to work together, not only in the wake of this attack and to ensure that such attacks dont happen again, but to increase their cooperation countering violent extremism at large, Trudeau said.



Sixteen people were killed after militants stormed the American University of Afghanistan on Wednesday evening, in a nearly 10-hour raid.

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Washington:

Hillary Clinton will paint her White House rival Donald Trump as the candidate of the far right today, claiming "a radical fringe" has taken over the Republican Party.After releasing a hard-hitting ad that tethered Trump to the Ku Klux Klan, Clinton will use a speech in Reno, Nevada to argue he has brought racism to the political mainstream.

From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia, Clinton will say, according to excerpts released by her campaign.Hes taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over one of Americas two major political parties.

As Trump strives to temper his hardline anti-immigrant message in a bid to halt collapsing poll numbers, Clintons campaign has been at pains to remind voters of the New York tycoons more controversial views.

Trump has in the past described Mexicans as rapists and drug dealers, and vowed to round up illegal immigrants and build a wall on the southern borderfor which he would make Mexico pay.

In New Hampshire today, Trump trashed Clintons claims about him and his supporters.She paints decent Americans as racists, he said to angry jeers. Clinton has accused decent Americans who support this campaign, your campaign, of being racists, which we are not he said to angry jeers from the crowd.

Its a tired, disgusting argument. Trump also accused Clinton of being behind a vast criminal enterprise run out of the State Department, suggesting that she had sold valuable access to those who donated to her familys Clinton Foundation.

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New Delhi:

Two youths have been arrested for allegedly beating to death a mechanic in a fit of rage over a tiff during purchasing of golgappas in northwest Delhis Bhalswa Dairy area earlier this month, police said today.

Police had on August 4 found Irfan lying unconscious at Kachchi Gali, near Singhaniya Glass godown in Bhalswa. He was rushed to a hospital where he was declared brought dead, said Vijay Singh, DCP (north west).

Preliminary inquiry revealed that Irfan, who lived in Rajiv Nagar, was dumped there by two unidentified motorcyclists. Further probe led the investigators to Swaroop Nagar police station area where a quarrel was reported between two groups of motorcyclists on the issue of purchasing of golgappas on that day, he said.

On scanning the CCTV footage of the area, police identified the accused as Sunil Kumar (21) and arrested him from his home in Bhalswa area. On his information the other accused, Lucky (21), was arrested from Jahangirpuri area yesterday, the DCP said.

During interrogation, the accused admitted to beating Irfan to death over a tiff while buying the snack, in a fit of rage, he added.

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Nigeria:

When the Islamic State group appointed Abu Musab al-Barnawi as the head of Boko Haram early in August, few people even recognised his name.



But to close observers of Nigerian jihadi affairs, Barnawis promotion from relatively unknown spokesman to leader came as no surprise.



After all, many experts say that Barnawi, born Habib Yusuf, is the 22-year-old son of Boko Harams founder Mohammed Yusuf.



Barnawis appointment by IS has deepened a rift with longtime chief Abubakar Shekau, who later released a video insisting he was in charge and vowing to fight on.



Nigerias military claimed on Tuesday that Shekau had been wounded in an air strike on Boko Harams forest stronghold but this has yet to be confirmed.



Yusuf senior died in police custody following a 2009 military crackdown on the sect in the northeastern city of Maiduguri that spurred the group to take up arms against the Nigerian government.



Abu Musab al-Barnawi is the son of late Mohammed Yusuf, tweeted Ahmad Salkida, a Nigerian journalist who specialises in covering the insurgency.



He is the first surviving son, confirmed Fulan Nasrullah, a conflict researcher based in Nigeria, also in a Twitter post.



Shekau himself had taken Barnawi under his wing when he was still a teenager, and gave him a new Arabic name meaning the man from Borno.



Barnawi was like a younger brother or son to Shekau, Nasrullah said, describing him as one of the chiefs two trusted right hand men.



The teenager could not have had a more fearsome mentor.



Shekau instructed him in the art of war as he transformed Boko Haram from a strict Islamic sect into a jihadist movement that laid waste to swathes of territory in the northeast.



Since 2009, the group has killed an estimated 20,000 people, prompted 2.6 million to flee their homes, and kidnapped thousands of people, including hundreds of schoolgirls from Chibok in the northern state of Borno.



Barnawi made his first public appearance in a January 2015 video claiming responsibility for a Boko Haram attack in the northeastern town of Baga, where many civilians were massacred.



The first signs of a rift appeared after Shekau pledged allegiance to IS in March that year and changed Boko Harams name to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

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Panaji:

Congress today attacked AAP saying the party should first prove itself in Delhi and fulfill the tall promises it has made there, before thinking to make a political foray into Goa.

AAP is yet to prove itself in Delhi, where they formed the government with complete majority. Now, they are dreaming of Goa. Let them first prove to the people of Delhi before even thinking of coming to Goa, Congress member and Leader of Opposition in Assembly, Pratapsinh Rane, told reporters here.

Rane, former chief minister of Goa, also said Congress is not scared of AAP and its campaign in the state for 2017 Assembly poll.

Let Kejriwal first take care of the people in Delhi, where he made tall promises to come to power. In Goa, too, he has started a similar game plan. However, the people of Goa very well know the situation in Delhi, Rane said.

On AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwals recent statement that Congress would be wiped out from Goa in the 2017 polls, Rane said it is difficult to shake the base of the oldest political party in the state by a novice political front.

I admit that our party is not perfect, it has flaws... but it is so in case of all the political parties, he said. Goa Pradesh Congress Committee (GPCC) chief Luizinho Faleiro, who was also present, said AAP should first prove itself then only it can sell the dreams in Goa.

During his Goa visit on Sunday, Kejriwal had said Congress would not be able to win even a single seat in the 40-member House in the next elections.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Head of Ihlas, a large Turkish holding company, Cahit Paksoy, has been arrested, the Hurriyet newspaper reported Aug. 26.

Paksoy has been arrested in connection with rendering financial support to the movement of Fethullah Gulen, according to the newspaper. Gulen is accused of being involved in the organization of the July 15 military coup attempt in Turkey.

It is reported that eighteen employees of another large Turkish holding company, AKFA Holding, have been also arrested alongside with Paksoy.
Mumbai:

In a significant judgement, the Bombay High Court today lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah here, saying it contravenes the fundamental rights of a person.

The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The ban imposed on women from entering the Haji Ali dargah is contrary to Articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the dargah on par with men, a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere said.

Under the said Articles, a person is guaranteed equality before law and has the fundamental right to practice any religion he or she wants. They prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion, gender and so on, and provide freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

The bench allowed a PIL filed by two women, Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz, challenging the ban on womens entry in the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah.

The state government and the Haji Ali Dargah Trust will have to take proper steps to ensure safety and security of women entering the dargah, the court said.

The high court had in June this year reserved its verdict on the petition.

The PIL states that gender justice is inherent in Quran and the decision contravenes the Hadith, which proves that there is no prohibition on women visiting graves.

The Maharashtra government had earlier told the court that women should be barred from entering the inner sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah only if it is so enshrined in the Quran.

The ban on womens entry cannot be justified if it is on the basis of an experts interpretation of the Quran, the then Maharashtra Advocate General Shrihari Aney had argued.

The dargah trust had defended its stand saying that it is referred in Quran that allowing women close proximity to the dargah of a male saint is a grievous sin.

Advocate Shoaib Memon, appearing for the trust had earlier said, Women are not allowed inside mosques in Saudi Arabia. They are given a separate place to pray. We (trust) have not barred women. It is simply regulated for their safety. The trust not only administers the dargah but also manages the affairs of religion.
Patna:

RJD chief Lalu Prasad has come in for sharp criticism from opposition leaders for his Ganga at ones doorstep remark while taking stock of the flood situation on the outskirts of the state capital two days ago.

While talking to flood victims, Lalu had on August 23 said they (people) were lucky to have the Ganga coming to their doorstep as not everybody gets Gangajal in his home.

He had also said that the floods in Bihar was caused by the sudden release of water by BJP-ruled states.

Taking strong exception to Lalus statement, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said he has made fun of the flood victims by making such statement.

On one hand the state government has failed in carrying out relief and rescue operations for flood affected people and on the other hand, Lalu Prasad is making fun of the flood victims by his insensitive statement, Sushil said.

This is being done to deflect peoples attention from relief and rescue operations, he said.

Replying to Lalus remark on water released by BJP-ruled states, the BJP leader said the flood was caused by the release of 11 lakh cusecs of water from Indrapuri barrage and Lalu should know that the barrage was in Bihar and not in any BJP-ruled state.

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan expressed surprise over Lalus statement saying it rubbed salt on the wounds of flood victims.

I am surprised to hear such statement. If you cannot provide relief to the flood victims, then at least refrain from mocking them, Paswan said after visiting the flood affected areas in the state.

He said the Centre would make foodgrains available to Bihar in adequate quantity if the state government makes a demand in this regard.

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi too criticised the RJD supremos statement, saying People affected by floods in the state are dying in the absence of grains. Neither people nor cattle are getting food and Lalu is joking.

The current round of floods in Bihar has taken a heavy toll so far as 37 people have been killed and 31.33 lakh people were affected in 12 districts of the state.

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New Delhi:

Facing heat from AAP dispensation over rising cases of dengue and chikungunya in the national capital, the BJP-ruled civic bodies have pressed in more field workers for vector-borne disease control and reaching out to schools, markets and resident societies to raise awareness.

Delhi Health Minister Satyendra Jain had recently said in the Assembly that all the three municipal corporations have primary responsibility to take preventive measures to control these diseases while the city government has curative responsibility.

At AIIMS laboratories which get blood samples from Delhi and other parts of the country, 362 samples have tested positive for chikungunya from July to August 20.

On the other hand, at least 311 cases of dengue have been reported in the national capital till August 20 and the deadly disease has claimed four lives this season.

Several AAP legislators in the Assembly on Tuesday had accused the three BJP-controlled civic bodies of making the citys sanitation facilities a mess which they claimed was the major factor behind the spike in cases of vector-borne diseases.

The municipal corporations, however, have claimed that only 20 cases of chikungunya have been reported till August 20.

North Delhi Mayor Sanjeev Nayyar said the scare of dengue is not as much as it was last year but NDMC is taking all preventive measures.

We have already distributed 1.2 lakh impregnated mosquito nets (laced with special chemical) to people. Our DBCs (dengue breeding checkers) are regularly inspecting households and other places for checking mosquito-breeding, he said.

East Delhi Standing Committee Chairman Jitender Chaudhary said a proposal has been mooted to include nala beldars, workers who clean small nullahs before monsoon, in the DBC team, to address the shortage of manpower in this area.

Chikungunya is not a notifiable disease, which means, its cases may not be reported to the government. And health experts say, that it could be one of the reasons why there is a discrepancy in the cases reported at hospitals and those by the municipal corporations.

We have 710 DBCs and they conduct inspections regularly of coolers and rooftop water tanks in households. For chikungunya and dengue, we are doing regular awareness programmes, especially in schools, and move is to include private, aided schools in the list. Besides, we are planning to hold discussions with RWAs and marketing associations about this, he said.

Out of the total dengue cases reported this season in the national capital, nearly 192 were recorded in the first three weeks of August.
Ankara:

Eight Turkish police officers were killed and 45 people injured today when a car bomb blamed on Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) militants exploded outside a police building in the southeast of the country.

The bomb attack caused immense damage to the headquarters of the special anti-riot police force in Cizre, with television pictures showing a thick plume of black smoke heading into the sky.

Eight police officers were killed and 45 more people wounded, two of them seriously, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported, quoting the local governorate.

Television quoted the health ministry as saying 12 ambulances and two helicopters had been sent to the scene.

Early pictures showed that the police building had been completely gutted by the power of the blast, reduced to a shell surrounded by a pile of rubble.

Adjacent buildings sustained severe damage and some were still on fire, television pictures showed.

Anadolu said the bomb had gone off 50 metres away from the building at a control post. It said the blast had been carried out by the PKK.

Security forces closed the main road to Cizre from the provincial capital of Sirnak to the north after the attack, Anadolu added.

The Turkish security forces have been hit by near daily attacks by the PKK since a two-and-a-half year ceasefire collapsed in 2015, leaving hundreds of police officers and soldiers dead.

The PKK has kept up its assaults in the last weeks after the unsuccessful July 15 coup by rogue elements in the military aimed at unseating President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The latest attack comes two days after Turkish forces launched an unprecedented offensive in neighbouring Syria which the authorities say is aimed both at jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

Turkey yesterday shelled the Kurdish militia fighters in Syria, saying they were failing to observe a deal with the US to stop advancing in jihadist-held territory.

Ankara sees the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its Peoples Protection Units (YPG) militia as terror groups bent on carving out an autonomous region in Syria and acting as the Syrian branch of the PKK.

The government has vowed to press on with the campaign to eradicate the PKK from eastern Turkey after a purge in the army for those responsible for carrying out the coup.

Over 40,000 people have been killed since the PKK first took up arms in 1984 with the aim of carving out an independent state for Turkeys Kurdish minority. It is proscribed as a terrorist group by Turkey, the European Union and the United States.

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New Delhi:

In a significant judgement, the Bombay High Court today lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah here, saying it contravenes the fundamental rights of a person.

1.Bombay HC lifts ban on women's entry in the inner sanctum of Haji Ali dargarh

The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

2. Caught on video: Man beaten to death after fight over Golgappas in Delhi, 2 accused arrested

Two youths have been arrested for allegedly beating to death a mechanic in a fit of rage over a tiff during purchasing of golgappas in northwest Delhis Bhalswa Dairy area earlier this month, police said today.

3. Fresh Scorpene data leaked: Australian newspaper uploads fresh documents related to underwater warfare system of Scorpene

Australias The Australian newspaper today uploaded a fresh tranche of leaked documents relating to information about operating instructions of underwater warfare system of the six Scorpene submarines which are being built in India by French firm DCNS.

4.Sheena Bora murder case: New audio clips reveal how Peter Mukerjea, Indrani misled Rahul; CBI includes tapes in probe

Fresh tapes emerged on Thursday uncovering the conversations among Indrani Mukherjea, Peter Mukerjea and Rahul Mukerjea. The taped conversations allegedly indicate that there was an attempt to cover up the Sheena Bora murder case.

5. Bollywood stars Shahrukh Khan, Akshay Kumar among top 10 highest paid actors; Salman ranked at 14th, Amitabh 18th

King Khan does it again! Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is ranked 8th on the Forbes list of 20 of the Worlds Highest Paid Actors 2016, while Akshay Kumar is at 10th, Salman Khan at 14th and Amitabh Bachchan is placed at 18th on the list.

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New Delhi:

Delhi High Court today refused to entertain a plea seeking withdrawal of security cover given to Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) chief Raj Thackeray, as the Centre said the state government was taking care of his security.

A bench of Chief Justice G Rohini and Justice Sangita Dhingra Sehgal said since the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has stated that they have nothing to do with Thackerays security, the question of withdrawal of his security raised by petitioner does not arise.

In view of the statement made by the Ministry, we cannot entertain this writ petition, the bench said, adding that it is not a public interest issue which requires interference by this court.

The court refused to hear the plea alleging that Thackeray is provided with Y category security cover by the government which should be withdrawn as he was neither holding a constitutional post, nor was he a lawmaker.

It also refused to issue direction to the Centre to frame guidelines about security cover given to private persons who are engaged in hate speech or have criminal cases pending against them.

The bench further said the petitioner can avail other remedies available under the law, if he was not satisfied by the courts order.

The bench passed the order after the counsel for MHA, Saakshi Agrawal, submitted that the security to the MNS chief has been given by the state government and not by the central government.

The petitioner, Mithilesh Kumar Pandey, had alleged in his plea that persons who are involved in hate speeches and have the means to hire private security guards should not be given security cover by the government spending taxpayers money and a guideline should be framed on the issue.

The plea had sought a direction to the Centre to frame guidelines while referring to the ratio of policemen and civilians in India.
Pune:

Elated after the Bombay High Court verdict allowing womens entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, members of city-based Bhumata Ranragini Brigade have decided to visit the shrine this weekend.

The brigade was led by Trupti Desai, who has been spearheading the fight for gender equality in all places of worship.

We welcome the decision of the High Court. It is a tight slap on the faces of those who put a ban on womens entry into the Dargah. Its a big victory of women power, said Desai celebrating the verdict with her group outside her office here.



This is a landmark decision. The right that women are entitled to get, the right that has been given to women in the Constitution that were somewhere taken away from us. The ban was on entry of women in the mazar (area) of the Haji Ali dargah.



We have been fighting against the secondary status given to women...patriarch mentality, this dadagiri (high-handedness) attitude of the (shrine) Trust that we will not allow women...This (the verdict) is a victory of movement of Bhumata Ranragini brigade, she added.



The women group led by Desai will visit the shrine in the heart of Mumbai on August 28.



Though the high court has stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court, we will go on August 28 till the point where women are allowed and will seek blessings, she told reporters here.



Desai had led a high-profile campaign in April this year to break the bar on women at the core area of the Dargah, but was stopped short of entering the shrine at the last minute amid resistance by activists of outfits opposed to the move.



However, in May she offered prayers at the Dargah but skipped venturing into the inner chamber of the shrine where women were not allowed.



The womens rights activist, whose previous campaigns were centred around Hindu temples, had then maintained that her agitation for right to equality for women at places of worship is not linked to any religion.



Bibi Khatoon, another social activist and member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) - a Muslim womens rights group, which had fought the ban, too rejoiced the verdict and said, Firstly, I would like to thank the High Court judge, Kanade Sir. All these women who have been fighting for this right for sometime now had taken a back seat fearing what society will say...but then let the society say what they want to...but what we want do, we will do.

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Panaji:

The state government has given a go ahead to the police department to set up a detention facility at erstwhile Aguada prison for accommodating foreigners found in the conflict with law in Goa.

"Goa government has agreed to give a part of Aguada jail, which is vacant now, to be converted into a detention centre," Deputy Inspector General of Police, Vimal Gupta told PTI on Friday.

The police department had proposed to set up such facility which can accommodate up to minimum 30 people, who can be kept there until their deportation formalities are completed.

"Several foreigners are found loitering in the state without valid documents, but they are left on their own in the absence of detention centre. Several of them are out on bail, waiting for their case before the court to be decided," the DIG said. He said there are some locals who are "professionals" in giving sureties to the foreigners when they are left on the bail, which is a "clear cut nexus".

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New Delhi:

A Muslim woman, who was divorced by her husband through a phone call from Dubai, has challenged the Muslim practices of polygamy, triple talaq (talaq-e-bidat) and nikah halala, leading the Supreme Court to seek response from the Centre on her plea on Friday.



Talaq-e-bidat is a Muslim man divorcing his wife by pronouncing more than one talaq in a single tuhr (the period between two menstruations), or in a tuhr after coitus, or pronouncing an irrevocable instantaneous divorce at one go (unilateral triple-talaq).



Nikah halala refers to the marriage of a woman with another man who subsequently divorces her so that her previous husband can remarry her.



While dealing with the plea of the 26-year-old woman from Kolkata whose husband divorced her by saying talaq thrice over telephone from Dubai, a bench comprising Chief Justice T S Thakur and Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, issued notice to Ministry of Minority Affairs and others.



The court tagged the petition, filed through advocate V K Biju, with a bunch of other pleas which are scheduled to come up for hearing on September 6.



Petitioner Ishrat Jahan has sought a declaration from the court that Section 2 of Muslim Personal Law (Shariat) Application Act, 1937 was unconstitutional as it violated fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14 (equality), 15 (non-discrimination), 21 (life) and 25 (religion) of the Constitution in so far as it seeks to recognise and validate talaq-e-bidat (triple talaq) as a valid form of divorce.



My husband and his relatives are constantly attempting to drive me out of my matrimonial home, Jahan said, adding that her four children were also forcibly taken away from her.



The petitioner does not have any support as her parents are residing in Bihar. She is surviving with her sisters help. The police are also not making any effort to trace her children, the petition said while seeking urgent directions from the court for her and her childrens protection.

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New Delhi:

As a debate raged over sensitivity of leaked Scorpene data, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday played down the leak, saying it is anot a big worrya as weapon system details were not included. The remark has been challenged by the publisher who asserted these will be made public on Monday.

Hours later, Cameron Stewart, the journalist who broke the story regarding the leak of 22,000 pages of arestricteda data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai under licence from DCNS, said those also have been leaked.



aIndiaas defence minister says leaked data on Scorpene Submarines does not include weapons systems. Wrong. We will release weapons docs Monday,a he tweeted.



aWhen I say we will release a leaked document on Scorpene weapons systems, they will of course be redacted by us of sensitive information.a

When I say we will release a leaked document on Scorpene weapons systems, they will of course be redacted by us of sensitive information. a cameron stewart (@camstewarttheoz) August 26, 2016

India's defence minister is wrong to say leaked Scorpene docs do not include weapons info. will release (self-censored) weapons doc Monday. a cameron stewart (@camstewarttheoz) August 26, 2016

During the Scorpene leaks story The Australian has not and will not to place on web any document that would harm India's national security a cameron stewart (@camstewarttheoz) August 26, 2016

However, the Minister while noting that he is speaking on the basis of Navyas briefing to him, said there are afew pockets of concernsa because the ministry is assuming the worst case scenario.



He also made it clear that the leak of documents on Scorpene submarines will not have any impact on any deal being worked out with the French including the Rafale fighter jet contract.



The Defence Minister said that the leaked documents put on the web of aThe Australiana newspaper does not include details of any of the weaponry systems of the Scorpene as has been reported in the media. Parrikar said that the Navy has assured him that most of the leaked documents are not of concern.



aWeapon system agreements are with weapon manufacturers and they are separate agreements. Secondly, all submarines have so far not done the sea trials. Therefore the most important signature (movement of the submarine) does not form part of the documents.



aThe most important aspect is that we do our integration through our technical capability,a he said.



The remarks by the Minister came even as Defence Ministry sources played down the leak saying it does not compromise national security as the documents were old and did not contain details of weapon system.



The minister also said that Scorpene submarine has not even fully completed the sea trials, which is important to understand how it will work under water.The Indian Navy has taken up Scorpene document leak matter with French Directorate General of Armament.



aWe are waiting for the report. Basically, what is on the website is not of big concern. We are assuming, on our own, that this has leaked and we are taking all precautionsa, he told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organised by defence website bharatshakti.in.



aWhat I am given to understand is that there are few pockets of concern assuming that what is claimed to have been leaked has leaked actually.



aWe are going by assumption of the worst case scenario. I think there is not big worry because we will be able out put things in right perspectivea, Parrikar added.A



Asked by a journalist whether the Rafale deal would be affected because of the leak, the minister, who was puzzled by the query, shot back questioning whether one can stop using French products just because a leak has happened in another company.



aYou stop using all products from France? Obviously, the companies are different, the type of equipment is different and an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there. It is not intentionally leaked,a Parrikar said.



While media reports from France have said that the documents were astolena by a former DCNS employee, India has not received anything in writing.



More than 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked, ringing alarm bells in the security establishment.



The combat capability of the Scorpene submarines being built at Mazagon dock at a cost of over USD 3.5 billion under licence from French firm went public when the Australian newspaper put the details on the website.



Asked whether the Ministry has got in touch with the newspaper for the set of documents, he said, aWhy should I? I am assuming that everything has leaked.a



When asked if the DCNS should have informed India about the leak which is said to have happened in 2011, Parrikar said the government will wait for an official reply from the firm.



aOne aspect is security which is a top priority for us. A We have a team in place. They are going into the details assuming that the leak has taken place.



aThe second aspect is the contractual obligation and proper information. That we have asked and are waiting for a reply from them. Let the reply come,a he said.



Asked how concerned or how alarmed was he, the minister said, aIf you ask me, I have always expressed my concern until a solution has been found. But the navy has assured me that most of the concerns, like I told you for example, the arms... A we have different contract as far as arms and ammunition are concerned.



aIn 2011 and 2014 we have developed our own document, with the help of which we have... whereas there are many modifications which have been done,a he said.



Parrikar stressed that India does its own integration. aSo all these aspects makes lot of concerns in much lower potential or category. They (navy) have assured me that probably they we will be able to address most of concerns,a he said.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan discussed a military operation in Syria during a telephone conversation, Turkish Haber7 newspaper reported Aug. 26.

According to the newspaper, the details of the telephone conversation are not disclosed.

Fikri Isik, Turkish national defense minister, said earlier that Russia and the US have been informed about Turkeys military operations in Syria.

On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircraft launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city.

The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.

Earlier, it was reported that Turkish tanks entered Syria. Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) is the most active terrorist group in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Paris:

Frances highest administrative court suspended a controversial ban on the burkini by a French Riviera town after it was challenged by rights groups.

In a judgement expected to lead to bans being overturned in around 30 towns, the State Council ruled the measure was a serious and clearly illegal violation of fundamental freedoms.

The court said local authorities could only introduce measures restricting individual freedoms if wearing the Islamic swimsuit on beaches represented a proven risk to public order.

The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, a resort on the Cote dAzur between Nice and Cannes.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) hailed the ruling as a victory for common sense.

Police have fined Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the popular tourist resorts of Nice and Cannes, sparking controversy in France and abroad.

The mayor of one town in Corsica said he would keep his ban in place in defiance of the ruling.

The bans have triggered a fierce debate about womens rights and the French states strictly-guarded secularism.

Amnesty International said the decision had drawn an important line in the sand.

French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women, Amnestys Europe director John Dalhuisen said.

These bans do nothing to increase public safety but do a lot to promote public humiliation.

CFCM Secretary General Abdallah Zekri said: This victory for common sense will help to take the tension out of a situation which has become very tense for our Muslim compatriots, especially women.

The State Council heard arguments from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group (CCIF).

A court in Nice had upheld the Villeneuve-Loubet ban this week.

Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a beach in Nice.

The mayors office denied the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls yesterday condemned any stigmatisation of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was a political sign of religious proselytising.

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Visakhapatnam:

Police on Friday arrested notorious ganja smuggler Appilisetti Ramana and seized 120kg of the contraband near here. The accused was apprehended at Bena Bhupala Patnam in the district when he was transporting the contraband, police said, adding that 120 kg of dry ganja was seized from him.



Ramana (48), who had earned crores of rupees in the illegal drug trade, had purchased land in and around Bena Bhupala Patnam, police said.



He was arrested on several occasions for smuggling. In 2008, he was sent to prison for a year by Visakhapatnam Rural police under the AP Prevention of Dangerous Activities of Drug Offenders Act, 1986 but he went back to the drug trade after being released, police said, adding that he supplied the contraband to Hyderabad, Vijayawada and Visakhapatnam.



Kothakota police station Inspector H Malleswara Rao said after the arrest, they raided the house of Ramana and seized land documents and a few other items.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, Aug. 26

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:



Ground military operation in Syria allowed Turkey to get back into the political process of Syrian conflict's resolution, French General and expert on security and defense policy Jean-Claude Allard told Trend.



Allard, who is also a senior research fellow at The French Institute for International and Strategic Affairs (IRIS) believes that the current military operation is directed not so much against the "Islamic State" terrorist organization (IS, ISIS or Daesh), but mostly against YPG (People's Protection Units) and Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD).



ISIS is not, and for sure, will never be the issue that Turkey is in Syria for. Turkey tries to prevent a reinforcement of the idea of a Kurds independent State by way of a possible alliance between Turkish and Syrian Kurds, Allard said.



On Aug. 24 morning, the Turkish Air Force with the support of the coalition aircraft launched an operation to liberate the city of Jarabulus from the IS militants in northern Syria, near Aleppo city. The operation was carried out under the name Shield of the Euphrates.



The expert noted that YPG and PYD were supported by the US, but vice-president of the US Joe Biden during his visit to Turkey this week summoned them to cross back Euphrates river.



Moreover, Russia has allowed Turkey to conduct those air and ground operations in Syria, he said. As an answer, Turkey has recognized that Syrian President Bashar Assad removal is not urgent and imperative.



"What is important is the fact that Russia and US have given their blessing to the Turkish military action and refrain Kurds' ambitions," Allard noted.



It means that Turkey, despite lacking cooperation in the fight against the IS, is back in the political process of Syrian conflict resolution, said the french general.



But this resolution is yet to be expected, he believes.



Allard noted that YPG and PYD slashed back by their allies, means a possible decrease of their members, who are willing to fight.



However he noted that YPG and PYD were the only proxies on the ground that made the American way of fighting look effective, and Turkish army will never be used against IS with same vigor.



The French general believes that the only effective action Turkey should conduct to effectively fight the IS is to strengthen control over the smuggling roads on the border with Syria.



Speaking about influence of the situation in Syria on the migration crisis in Europe, Allard noted that this crisis is due not just because of factors rooted in the long civil war in Iraq and Syria, but also because of inability of the European countries to define and apply a migration policy.



According to the expert, that wrong migration policy was present long before 2011 and the Middle East chaos, and it favored multiple roads of migration from Libya, Morocco and etc. coming from multiple parts of the world, for multiple reasons (political, economic, European welfare, social help, ).



The Syrian migration is the result of two reasons, according to Allard. According to him, people took advantage of the situation and this, in turn, led to lack of control, giving the IS the opportunity to cross European borders.



Allard added that the Turkish government favored migration as means to develop its anti-European policy.



Allard also noted that a notable lot of those having committed attacks in Europe, including France, Belgium, Germany, are citizens of these countries, educated in opposition to European civilization.



These people, according to Allard, are addicted to violence, and are ready to listen to any calls for murdering European citizens.



So, ISIS just has to call for hate and hundreds are ready to answer, the expert said.



Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has so far claimed over 500,000 lives. Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS, ISIL, ISIS or Daesh) is the most active terrorist group in Syria.

Edited by SI
China plans to lead in artificial intelligence race. (Photo : Getty Images)

China is not only going head-to-head with Western tech companies but is gearing up for quicker development in the hottest area of modern technology: artificial intelligence.



In a report from The Wall Street Journal, experts noted how investors in the Middle Kingdom are focusing on getting ahead in the artificial intelligence race.



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Even though news headlines highlight business acquisitions made by the Chinese, several business experts believe that the Asian business-minded population is aiming for something bigger aside from conquering existing business models.



China in the AI Race



Talking to the WSJ, former Microsoft and Google executive Kai-Fu Lee revealed that China is preparing to become the fastest developer of artificial intelligence.



"China is poised to be a leader in AI because of its great reserve in AI talent, excellent engineering education, and massive market for AI adoption," Lee explained.



Lee is now the chief executive of Sinovation Ventures, formerly known as China's Innovation Works.



For over three years, he and his company have invested as much as $100 million in 25 startup companies both in the U.S. and China that are related to artificial intelligence.



Among the top AI-related projects China is looking into include search engine optimization with voice recognition features as well as driverless cars that make use of artificial intelligence to run, competing head-on with Google.



"Google's driverless technology leads the world, and autonomous driving is the operating system of cars. If we don't stand up to [the] challenge, we may have to use American technology [again] in the future," Didi founder and Chief Executive Cheng Wei stated.



According to him, the first half of the Internet age which include introducing connecting people via computers has come to an end.



"The second half is about artificial intelligence," he added.



Current AI-Related Projects



Aside from the business sector, China's military force is also looking into the application of artificial intelligence in their field.



In a Reuters report last week, China Aerospace and Industry Corp.'s Wang Changqing revealed their plan to adopt AI-powered cruise missiles for the military.



"We plan to adopt a 'plug and play' approach in the development of new cruise missiles, which will enable our military commanders to tailor-make missiles in accordance with combat conditions," Wang said.



According to Wang, artificial intelligence will allow cruise missiles to become automated which would mean that military commanders would be able to focus on other tasks after firing them.



"They will allow commanders to control them in real time manner, or to use a fire-and-forget mode, or even to add more tasks to in-flight missiles," he said.






The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor where much of Chinese-funded infrastructure and energy projects are being put up. (Photo : Twitter)

Chinese companies are now in a race to get a controlling stake in a Pakistani utility firm China gears up for more investment in the country.



State-backed companies Shanghai Electric Power and China Southern Power are among the half-dozen firms vying for the $1.5-billion sale of K-Electric KELA KA, Bloomberg reported. The sales price represents a 66 percent controlling share of the company owned by Dubai-based Abraaj Group, who initiated the bidding.



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The Pakistani government owns 24 percent of the company, but government officials said that they are not planning to sell their shares.



If successful, K-Electric, which is Pakistan's largest electric company and serves around 2.2 million customers in Karachi, would be Shanghai Electric Power's biggest overseas acquisition to date. In 2014, the company got a $399 million stake in Maltese utility provider Enermalta.



Shanghai-based Golden Concord Holdings is also among the bidders, along with several Pakistani and other foreign companies.



However, K-Electric and Abraaj clarified that there is still no final word on the offering. According to a K-Electric spokesperson, they have yet to be notified of any acquisition.



The sale is considered as the biggest acquisition offer that Pakistan has offered in ten years and comes at a time when the country is vigorously trying to attract more Chinese investments to reinvigorate its economy, Reuters reported. While mergers and acquisitions have grown in the last five years, foreign investors are still wary of the country's security and stability.



For China, the acquisition serves as another entry into the fledgling Pakistani market. In 2015, China has announced more than $46 billion worth of infrastructure and energy projects for the South Asian country.



Pakistan is seen as an important component in Chinese President Xi Jinping's ambitious "One Belt, One Road", which aims to open new trade routes across Asia. The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) serves as the main mover for Chinese funding pouring into Pakistan.


Russia Planning to Field Defense-Evading Hypersonic Missiles by 2020

(NationalSecurity.news) Though China and the United States are also rushing to develop hypersonic vehicles and missiles that are capable of evading conventional missile defenses, it appears as though Russia might be the first nation to actually deploy them.

As reported by the Washington Free Beacon, Moscow is planning to field revolutionary hypersonic missiles by 2020, a Russian defense industry leader said.

Boris Obnosov, director of the Tactical Missiles Corp., which is run by the government, told a Russian news agency the new missile would be able to penetrate advanced missile defense technologies and thus represents a major step forward in military technology.

Its obvious that with such speedswhen missiles will be capable of flying through the atmosphere at speeds of seven to 12 times the speed of sound, all [air] defense systems will be weakened considerably, Obnosov told the Rambler News Service last week.

The revelation comes as Navy Adm. Cecil Haney, commander of U.S. Strategic Command, said in July that the hypersonic missile threat was increasing.

Hyper-glide vehicle research and development are also challenging our planning calculus, Haney told a conference on missile defense in Huntsville, Alabama. The ability to find, fix, and track and hold  these types of capabilities are becoming increasingly more difficult. Hyper-glide vehicle technology can complicate our sensing and our defensive approaches.

He added that the U.S. military must think about it and look at it in different ways so that, again, we are maximizing [missile defense] sensing to be able to understand what exactly is it going at so we can then look at how do we take it out.

The WFB noted that a missile defense expert with Lockheed Martin said earlier this month that the Defense Department is examining ways to shoot down maneuvering hypersonic missiles. Some options being considered are an extended range version of the Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense, or THAAD-ER, as well as high-powered lasers that could down missiles before they reached hypersonic speeds of Mach 5 and higher.

The comments by Obnosov are some of the first public statements referring the secret Russian hypersonic missile program. The government has shielded most of the details of the program that has been in development now for a number of years.

In addition to the Russians, China is also working to develop hypersonic missile/strike vehicles and has conducted several tests of the DF-ZF high-speed glider.

The Pentagon is also said to be developing hypersonic missiles and space vehicles, but the WFB reported that those programs are said to be funded at lower levels than similar programs in Russia and China.

That said, Obnosov said Russias funding for its program should be higher.

The development of hypersonic technology can be a catalyst for development of the entire industry, the entire national economy as they used to say, he said, comparing the development of hypersonics to the launch of the first satellite in 1957. Hypersonic-speed vehicles also could have commercial applications.

Such vehicles could reach speeds of between Mach 6 and 7, maxing out at about 5,300 mph, said Obsonov.

The technology is a challenge, however, due to the heat created by high-speed travel through the atmosphere. In addition, hypersonic missiles are difficult to control.

More:

(c) 2016 USA Features Media.

Submit a correction >>
The road to depopulation: climate change activists suggest carbon tax on newborns

When the lie becomes big enough  and sufficient amounts of big money are there to support it  a whole lot of folks get big careers from pushing that big lie.

Propaganda trickles down from on high, similar to a scene from the 1956 film version of 1984, George Orwells classic dystopian look at a precisely controlled society where poor men, like the beleaguered Winston, must control his suspicions and participate in the recreation of history. Think about pre-programmed Common Core computers in kindergarten classes while observing Winston sending lies down the newspaper shoot, creating a new future while burning the past.

Its our children and our grandchildren that are being indoctrinated with this big lie, which began to be codified at a Stockholm, Sweden United Nations conference discussing the human environment in June, 1972. But, as reported by The Washington Times, if its up to Travis Reider, mankind wont be having as many children, or grandchildren.

Reider says procreating less is an imperative, because we have to protect them from the ravages of global warming and reduce emissions. Reider gets big bucks touting these doctrines at John Hopkins University where he is the assistant director at the Berman Institute of Bioethics. Reiter is suggesting punitive measures to assure a lower birthrate, like taxes on newborns.

Is this a slippery slope? Ponder a one-child system similar to the methodology once enforced in China. In Reiders interview on NPR.org, he even proclaimed that the only thing that could save us from global warming/climate change is to cut down global fertility by at least 50%. As history repeats its eugenic past, we see these ideas are coming from the same places  big bucks and the ivory tower men and women who play god.

Do you remember the first Earth Day? It took place two years before the U.N. Stockholm meeting. As the years rolled on, we didnt see much emphasis on cleaning up PCBs, DDT, banning substances like depleted uranium, stopping genetic engineering, forcing Union Carbide to clean up after the Bhopal, India disaster or trawling all that plastic out of the Pacific Ocean. No, its all about climate change now. They blame it on that marvelous carbon molecule. Never mind that carbon is fundamental in photosynthesis and life itself. The proponents of climate change, in the guise of carbon control, want to control life  and your reproductive systems are supposed to shut down.

There may not be another younger generation who will understand that their outbound breath is not destroying the earth, and the rhetoric about climate change is really about totalitarian control of all energy and life. History shows us that people who comprehend big lies get mocked and ridiculed, and eventually eliminated for not acquiescing. This carbon climate change debate is one of the biggest lies ever concocted in the last generation, along with saying that genetically engineered food is perfectly safe. Getting your own organic and heirloom seeds and growing your own food is more important than ever  as is doing the research and having the courage to expose these big lies.

John Coleman is a meteorologist, scientist and founder of the Weather Channel. Hes also an octogenarian. This means his generation wasnt inundated with GMOs or global warming propaganda. When Coleman studied meteorological science at his university, he was taught to critically think. One thing he doesnt mention in this particular video is the potential link between chemtrails and HAARP to the California drought. But he knocks down the global warming argument with a two-by-four and reveals little known historical seeds that established todays pervasive scientific dictatorship that is now telling you not to have children.

Sources:

YouTube.com

Legal.un.org

WashingtonTimes.com

NPR.org

EarthdayEnvirolink,org

TheAtlantic.com

Science.NaturalNews.com

YouTube.com

Submit a correction >>
RIDGEFIELD  For the second straight year, the school district has had to hire teachers not included in its budget to accommodate a summer influx of students that made some classes larger than expected.

The new teachers, said Superintendent Karen Baldwin, are needed to keep class sizes within district guidelines in fourth grade at Farmingville School and in second grade at Ridgebury School.

Baldwin also said she is keeping a watchful eye on kindergarten at Veterans Park, which she said is at capacity and would be over if more students enroll.

Weve seen numerous swings in demographics and its possible we will see more, Baldwin said at a recent Board of Education meeting.

As of the Aug. 22 meeting, enrollment will be 55 students higher in 2016-17 than the district anticipated when it crafted its budget last May. That still represents a drop of 36 students than the previous year, continuing a multi-year trend of declining enrollment.

Ridgefield, like many districts in the Danbury area, has been in the midst of a substantial enrollment decline that has led some to consider closing schools. The declining student population forced New Milford to close an elementary school two years ago, and similar discussions have been held in Newtown.

According to the most recent report for Ridgefield, school enrollment is expected to decline for the next five years, but might begin increasing in 2021.

Last year, a late bump in enrollment of about 20 students forced the the district to hire three extra teachers, straining the budget. In response, Baldwin enacted a district-wide spending freeze to offset the added expense.

To guard against a repeat of that issue, the Board of Education proposed including money for three contingency teaching positions in its initial budget last year. But under pressure from some residents and the Board of Finance to reduce the districts requested spending increase of more than 6 percent, those positions were cut.

School Board member Karen Sulzinsky said that the Board of Finance had signaled a willingness to give the district a special appropriation if it needed to hire more teachers, and urged Baldwin to pursue that funding.

I think it would be wise to keep them abreast, since there was a shift in thinking from the Board of Finance, Sulzinsky said. They are hires that we should collaborate with the Board of Finance on so we dont get to the end of the year and have a real difficulty because we spent money thats not in the budget.

On Friday, Board of Finance Chairman Dave Ulmer said the board was amenable to that, but only if there were a number of factors pushing the school boards budget higher. He noted that even with the new hires from 2015-16, the district had still returned a surplus to the towns coffers.

It would have to be a series of needs that requires them go over budget, Ulmer said. They had a similar circumstance last year and came in with a nice surplus.

Baldwin said she planned to approach the finance panel once school begins and the final enrollment picture becomes clearer. She also noted that the district is not required to report its enrollment to the state until Oct. 1.

Well get an accurate display of what our enrollment looks like grades K-12 and then I will update them, Baldwin said.

awolff@newstimes.com; 203-731-3333; @awolffster
Surgeons operate on a patient for organ transplant. (Photo : Getty Images)

The debate on the organ harvesting issue in China is heating up as The Transplantation Society (TTS) holds its biennial convention of transplant surgeons in Hong Kong.



The issue of organ harvesting among convicts particularly those lined up the death row continues to plague China as several human rights advocates reveal that forced organ extraction remains rampant in the Middle Kingdom.



Advertisement

Falun Gong



According to the New Glasgow News, Falun Gong practitioners are holding demonstrations in Hong Kong to call for a stop in the forced organ extraction among political prisoners in China.



Falun Gong is a special self-cultivation practice in the Buddhist system that is more intense in the sense that it requires cultivators to "have extremely high character and a great underlying base."



According to the New York Times, this Buddhist practice has been outlawed in China in 1999, resulting to its practitioners being banned or imprisoned in the country.



In the report, NY Times correspondent Didi Kirsten Tatlow shared her experience in Hong Kong after interviewing a woman from Falun Gong.



According to Tatlow, she was shooed by a middle-aged woman from an opposite demonstration conducted by a group who call themselves the Anti-Cult Association.



"Go away! You're no good!" the woman from the group shouted after finding out that the journalist interviewed a member of the Falun Gong.



The Falun Gong adherent told Tatlow that after their practice was dubbed as a cult, many of those imprisoned were blood typed and kept behind bars to serve as secret sources for organs.



Their Mistake



While the Falun Gong may be onto something when they protested the forced organ extractions, a human rights lawyer believe that they cannot do much even if they hold public demonstrations since they have already lost their credibility as a Buddhist group.



"The Falun Gong community, they don't read the reports. They don't talk the human rights language, and they're disorganized. Everybody does what they want," said David Matas who wrote a book about the issue titled "Bloody Harvest."



Reports revealed that there are about 100,000 transplants conducted every year from executed prisoners in China.



However, former deputy health minister Huang Jiefu who is now tasked to overhaul the organ donation system in the country strongly denies this, calling it a "wild speculation."



Even so, Falun Gong adherents continue to make their position known on the issue as they call onto Canadians to help stop the "bloody harvest" in China.






The following excerpt is from Karen Tiber Lelands book The Brand Mapping Strategy. Buy it now from Amazon | Barnes & Noble | iTunes

For many of us, the most common way we express our personal brand is through its intellectual properties. We communicate our brands using specific language that conveys how we see ourselves, others and our relationship to the world around us. While there are countless ways to do this, the following four actions are critical to tuning up your personal brands intellectual expression.

1. Brand Sound Bites. Weve all experienced that conversation where we had less than 30 seconds to make our case. In todays limited character world, the need for an ultra-pithy presentation of our brand is essential. This brand at a glance functions as a cheat sheet to deliver your brands bottom line quickly, efficiently and with maximum impact. It should include the following:

Stats and specifics. These are the statistics and specific examples that demonstrate the competency and results of your brand. Theyre the proof of your personal, team or business brand effectiveness.

These are the statistics and specific examples that demonstrate the competency and results of your brand. Theyre the proof of your personal, team or business brand effectiveness. Trends. You can show your brands relevance to whats happening in the marketplace by showing knowledge of the leading trends in your field -- and how youre at the forefront of them.

You can show your brands relevance to whats happening in the marketplace by showing knowledge of the leading trends in your field -- and how youre at the forefront of them. Hot tips and how-tos. One or two timely and helpful pieces of advice can go a long way toward establishing the credibility of your brand. The tips dont have to be world shattering, just useful.

One or two timely and helpful pieces of advice can go a long way toward establishing the credibility of your brand. The tips dont have to be world shattering, just useful. Points of view and informed insights. Brand thought and industry leaders have strong points of view about their areas of expertise and arent shy to share them. Taking a stand for what you truly believe in -- even if its not popular or typical -- can set your brand apart. In addition, being able to offer well-thought-out, fact-backed insights lends polish to the professionalism of your brand.

2. Branded Biography. While your profile picture, logo or other visuals may make the first impression when a visitor lands on your website or social media, its your biography that often inspires them to dig deeper.

Poorly written About sections on your website, too-short summaries on LinkedIn, and sketchy bio sections on Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest can stop an inquiring employer or potential customer in their tracks. On the other hand, a well-written and branded biography can be a pathway to new business and expanded career opportunities.

These days, the branded biography often replaces the classic resume, since it goes beyond a boring list of your past positions and instead gives others a feel for your personal brand -- backed up by your achievements and accolades. To get to a branded biography, do the following.

Show, dont tell. In other words, dont just make a pronouncement about how great you are -- demonstrate it by providing the details that lead the reader to that conclusion themselves. For example:

Instead of writing Im a creative entrepreneur, say Ive founded and sold three startups in the tech space and hold five patents.

Instead of writing I have a passion for building high-performance teams, say While I was CIO of company X, my team streamlined IT to achieve a 30 percent overall reduction in technical support time.

The key to showing is to give specific examples of what you have done, lay out facts and figures, provide numbers and quantify what you can do in order to tell your story.

Be bold without bragging (or lying). Your bio is the one place where it pays to be bold, rather than understate your achievements. Notice I said be bold, not lie, exaggerate or mislead. Likewise, you dont want your bio to include the sum total of everything youve ever done. In other words, skip the debate team award you received in the sixth grade. The key is to select the specifics that speak to your audience.

Here are the types of information I ask my clients to include to tell the story of who they are in the most accurate detail possible:

Books or articles youve written

Speeches youve given and for what organizations

Radio, TV or print media interviews youve given

Relevant degrees, awards or honors you possess

Relevant projects youve been involved with

Length of time youve been in business or doing your work

Name-recognition clients you can mention

National or international credentials or experience you possess

Positions youve held

Boards youve been a member of

Volunteer activities and charities you support

Special relevant skills, talents or abilities you possess

3. Social Media Profiles. One advantage to having a well-branded bio is that it can function as the source document for creating social media profiles that give your site visitors an immediate feel for your personal brand. I think of these profiles as a Brand at a Glance. There are three things to consider when crafting a bio for your social media profiles.

Make your characters count. One personal branding best practice is to take advantage of all the space provided for your social media bio on each site:

LinkedIn has a 120-character limit for the professional headline and a 2,000-character limit for the summary.

Twitter and Pinterest each enforce a 160-character limit for a bio.

Instagram has a 150-character limit.

Facebooks About You section allows for multiple paragraphs of information.

Once you know the prescribed limits youre dealing with, you can use one of the many free services on the web, such as Charcounter, to enter your text and check your counts.

Use all the branding real estate provided. Using the space provided to its greatest branding advantage is a factor you need to take advantage of. On LinkedIn, for example, the professional headline space (located just under your name) is prime personal-branding real estate. Too often people write only their job title and miss the opportunity to create a mini-narrative of their personal brand.

Since space restrictions dont give you enough room for full sentences, aim for the big ideas of who you are, major brand points and keywords. Keep in mind that each social media site offers a slightly different way to take advantage of the profile space, so adapt as necessary, but maintain a consistent message across all your social media platforms.

Here are a few LinkedIn headline examples:

Kevin Laytons headline simply read: CEO at Data-Dynamix Inc. To better brand him and take advantage of the maximum space available, it was changed to: CEO at Data-Dynamix Inc., Digital Marketing Strategist, Driving Revenue, Maximizing Business Value, Inc. 5000 Winner.

Virginia Saputos previous headline was a two-word description saying Cheese Queen. Instead a mini-bio was crafted to read Cheese Sommelier, What Cheese Website, Expert World Cheeses, Inspirational Cheese & Wine Pairings, Author.

Kate Yeagers headline featured a nondescript Writer and Host. Post headline revision, it now reads: Writer, Host & MC in the Tech, Travel, Food, & Entertainment Space, Lifestyle Tech, Gaming, Apps & Celebrity Interviews.

These changes, while small, elevated these personal brands. In a world where 74 percent of all internet users use social media, you can count on your profiles being checked out on a regular basis. Be ready to show your personal brand best when they are.

4. Content Creation. Your branded bio, social media profiles and brand sound bites may form the foundation for the intellectual expression of your personal brand, but the graduate-school level of cerebral connection is the content you create.

Content is the personal brand capital that keeps giving long after youve put it out into the world. Four of the best content-creation tactics for the intellectual expression of a personal brand are:

Blogging

Podcasting

Videocasting

Writing a book

Related:



Copyright 2016 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved
VANCOUVER, Aug. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - Fireswirl Technologies Inc. (TSXV: FSW), "the Company", today announced its financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016. All figures are quoted in Canadian dollars. Financial statements and accompanying MD&A are available on SEDAR.

Financial Highlights for Q2:

On February 29, 2016 , The Company entered into a purchase and sale agreement, pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell its controlling interest in XCXD to the non-controlling shareholders of XCXD in consideration for an aggregate of 6,057,673 common shares of the Company held by the purchasers and cash in the amount of RMB5,000,000 in exchange for a full settlement of XCXD's outstanding indebtedness to the Company and its subsidiaries. On April 5, 2016 , an amendment to the purchase and sale agreement was signed to extend the closing date of sale of all of XCXD's equity interest held by the Company to December 31, 2016 . The assets and liabilities of XCXD have been classified as held for sale as at June 30, 2016 . The operational results of XCXD have been presented as a discontinued operation for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 .



The sale of XCXD is consistent with the Company's strategic plan for its future development. XCXD has not generated significant operating profit since it was acquired in October 2009 . Management has decided to divert its focus from XCXD and is working on identifying and developing other suitable business for the Company.





, The Company entered into a purchase and sale agreement, pursuant to which the Company agreed to sell its controlling interest in XCXD to the non-controlling shareholders of XCXD in consideration for an aggregate of 6,057,673 common shares of the Company held by the purchasers and cash in the amount of in exchange for a full settlement of XCXD's outstanding indebtedness to the Company and its subsidiaries. On , an amendment to the purchase and sale agreement was signed to extend the closing date of sale of all of XCXD's equity interest held by the Company to . The assets and liabilities of XCXD have been classified as held for sale as at . The operational results of XCXD have been presented as a discontinued operation for the three and six months ended . The sale of XCXD is consistent with the Company's strategic plan for its future development. XCXD has not generated significant operating profit since it was acquired in . Management has decided to divert its focus from XCXD and is working on identifying and developing other suitable business for the Company. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 , total operating revenue from continuing operations was $156,449 and $245,339 , respectively compared to $Nil and $365,689 for the same period in 2015. Net loss from continuing operations was $471,104 and $878,340 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 , respectively compared to a net loss of $304,828 and a net income of $1,810,196 for the same period in 2015. The net income for the six months ended June 30, 2015 was a result from the gain recognized on the sale of the Shenzhen e-commerce platform in an amount of $2,950,385 . If the gain from the disposition of the Shenzhen e-Commerce Platform was excluded, the Company would have had a net loss of $1,140,189 for the six months ended June 30, 2015 .





, total operating revenue from continuing operations was and , respectively compared to $Nil and for the same period in 2015. Net loss from continuing operations was and for the three and six months ended , respectively compared to a net loss of and a net income of for the same period in 2015. The net income for the six months ended was a result from the gain recognized on the sale of the e-commerce platform in an amount of . If the gain from the disposition of the e-Commerce Platform was excluded, the Company would have had a net loss of for the six months ended . For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 , the Company had a net loss from continuing operations attributable to shareholders of the Company of $471,104 and $878,340 , respectively compared to a net loss of $304,828 and a net income of $1,810,196 for the same period in 2015.





, the Company had a net loss from continuing operations attributable to shareholders of the Company of and , respectively compared to a net loss of and a net income of for the same period in 2015. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 , the Company had a net loss from discontinued operations of $699,703 and $1,189,053 , respectively compared to a net loss of $135,441 and a net income of $157,318 for the same period in 2015.





, the Company had a net loss from discontinued operations of and , respectively compared to a net loss of and a net income of for the same period in 2015. For the three and six months ended June 30, 2016 , the Company had a total loss attributable to shareholders of the Company of $686,155 and $1,472,866 , respectively compared to a net loss of $372,549 and a net income of $1,888,856 for the same period in 2015.

"We continue to evaluate new strategic opportunities in creating shareholder value." Stated Lawrence Ng, CEO, "The management team with the full support of the Board is confident in our business strategy and are excited for the opportunities that lie ahead.

About Fireswirl

Fireswirl Technologies Inc. (TSXV: FSW) is focused on creating transactional revenue by engineering electronic and mobile commerce solutions for content providers. The Company's technology has broad applications for solutions requiring multiple payment interfaces, multicurrency and multi-language capabilities. Our solutions can be adapted to any industry seeking high volume or micro-payment solutions involving a wide base of users through internet or wireless applications.

The TSX Venture Exchange has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or the accuracy of this release. This news release contains certain forward-looking statements that reflect the current views and/or expectations of Fireswirl Technologies Inc. with respect to its performance, business and future events. Investors are cautioned that all forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties including, without limitation, those relating to changes in the market, potential downturns in economic conditions, foreign exchange fluctuations, general demand, competition and our ability to implement our business plans and strategies in a timely manner or at all. These risks, as well as others, could cause actual results and events to vary significantly. Fireswirl Technologies Inc. does not undertake any obligations to release publicly any revisions for updating any voluntary forward-looking statements.

SOURCE Fireswirl Technologies Inc.

For further information: Further information can be found on the company at: www.fireswirl.com or contact: Fireswirl Technologies Inc., Ji Yoon, Interim CFO, Telephone: 604.216.7304, Fax: 604.677.6613, Email: [email protected], Website: www.fireswirl.com
WELLAND, ON, Aug. 26, 2016 /CNW/ - GE (NYSE:GE) Premier Kathleen Wynne and the Honourable Chrystia Freeland, Federal Minister of International Trade, joined GE global executives and representatives from Welland and the Niagara Region in a groundbreaking ceremony celebrating the start of construction for GE's multi-modal "Brilliant Factory" in Canada. The facility is expected to create 220 jobs with operations commencing in early 2018. The first phase of the investment is $165M US.

This firstof-its-kind facility in Canada will combine decades of experience building innovative industrial machines with cutting-edge data science and analytics expertise to enhance efficiency and streamline production. The facility will initially manufacture GE Power's reciprocating gas engines, components for compression, mechanical drive, and power generation, and manufacture components for GE transportation diesel engines. The multi-modal design enables future production expansion for other GE global businesses including Power, Oil & Gas, and Transportation.

Welland's close proximity to the US border, availability of skilled labour and education facilities were important considerations in the location of the factory. Architectural and design companies selected by GE for the project include HH Angus, B+H Architects, CSO Architects, Lea Consulting and Thorton Tomasetti. PCL Construction is the general contractor.

Quotes:

Elyse Allan, President and CEO, GE Canada

"Export Development Canada's (EDC) commitment to building global business activities and the outstanding support offered by the Ontario government, Niagara Region, and City strongly influenced our decision to build the factory in Welland. I look forward to continuing our outstanding collaboration to create jobs and economic growth."

John Rice, Vice-Chairman and President GGO, GE

"The City of Welland becomes an important link in our global integrated network and the new future that we have charted for GE with the convergence of industrial and digital. Canada has all the essential ingredients to succeed in this new digital industrial reality. The flexibility of the Economic Development Corporation (EDC) and other export credit agencies, combined with GE's global manufacturing capabilities allows us to replace EXIM financing and compete effectively for global tenders. Canada is a key partner to GE as we seek to meet the needs of our customers in 180 countries around the world."

Heiner Markhoff, President and CEO GE Water and Distributed Power Business

"Today is a significant day for GE in Canada and for GE's Distributed Power business. Today, we're breaking the ground on which we will grow our reciprocating engines business for decades to come. At the greenfield plant in Welland GE is planning to invest 165 million US dollars. Here, we will run three-dimensional machining simulations for CNC programs, gain real-time analytics to better understand the operating conditions of a machine or a test cell, install lights-out machining, and combine all with advanced lean manufacturing practices."

Premier Kathleen Wynne

"Ontario is a smart choice for companies looking to grow their business and create good jobs. With this investment in Welland, GE has cast a vote of confidence in Ontario's culture of innovation, highly skilled workers and dynamic business climate."

Honourable Chrystia Freeland Federal Minister of International Trade

"When companies like GE establish or expand their businesses in Canada, they are contributing to our progressive trade strategy, and creating good, middle class jobs. I'm delighted to be here to see shovels in the ground for this important, job-creating investment  and to thank GE for its continued investment in Canada."

Benoit Daignault, President and CEO, Export Development Canada

"Today's ceremony underscores how EDC's support for GE around the world can pay dividends at home, and directly benefit Canada. Our ongoing and strong relationship with GE means we're ideally positioned to introduce Canadian companies into their global supply chain."





Frank Campion, Mayor of Welland

"I am proud of our new and valued association with General Electric and look forward to working with this global industrial leader as they construct and operate their new 450,000 sq. ft. brilliant factory in Welland. Our development team, with strong support from City council, was able to work co-operatively with other levels of government and the GE group to achieve a mutually beneficial result which will have a substantial positive impact on our community today and far into the future."

Alan Caslin, Chair Niagara Region

"GE's significant investment in the Niagara region closely aligns with Regional Council's actions to foster an environment for economic prosperity. By waiving industrial development charges and providing incentives through our Gateway Economic Zone, our Council supports GE's continued success as they create new high-skilled jobs for Niagara residents and growth opportunities for local supply chain partners."

About GE

GE (NYSE: GE) is the world's Digital Industrial Company, transforming industry with software-defined machines and solutions that are connected, responsive and predictive. GE is organized around a global exchange of knowledge, the "GE Store," through which each business shares and accesses the same technology, markets, structure and intellect. Each invention further fuels innovation and application across our industrial sectors. With people, services, technology and scale, GE delivers better outcomes for customers by speaking the language of industry. www.ge.com



About GE's Distributed Power Business

GE's Distributed Power business is a leading provider of engines, power equipment and services focused on power generation and gas compression at or near the point of use. Distributed Power offers a diverse product portfolio that includes highly efficient, fuel- flexible, industrial gas engines generating 200 kW to 10 MW each of power for numerous industries globally. In addition, the business provides life cycle support for more than 36,000 gas engines worldwide to help you meet your business challenges and success metrics  anywhere and anytime. Backed by our authorized service providers in more than 170 countries, GE's global service network connects with you locally for rapid response to your service needs. GE's Distributed Power business is head quartered in Jenbach, Austria.

SOURCE General Electric Canada Inc.

For further information: Media Contacts: Rahim Ladha, GE Canada, [email protected], 647-281-7073; Susanne Reichelt, GE Distributed Power, [email protected], +43 664 80833 2382
TORONTO, Aug. 25, 2016 /CNW/ - A new deal between Colleges Ontario and McDonald's threatens the quality of business education in Ontario, and sets a chilling precedent for outsourcing public education to private corporations.

"Sadly, the biggest losers in all of this are the students," said OPSEU President Warren (Smokey) Thomas. "They are the ones whose degrees will be cheapened in the eyes of employers, and the ones who will miss out on the high-quality education delivered by faculty members at our public colleges.

"But this is dangerous for the wider public too. We place our faith in our public education system to prepare tomorrow's leaders for their responsibilities. Do we really want our future business leaders taking Ethics 101 from the Hamburglar?"

The deal announced this week will let McDonald's employees who have taken in-house training programs go directly into the final year of a two-year business diploma. As a result, students will only receive half of their education from the college their diploma is from.

This raises serious concerns for those responsible for educating students. "This hands control of a significant number of college credits over to a private corporation with questionable business practices, including tax-avoidance schemes, anti-union tactics, and a reliance on a precarious low-wage workforce," noted RM Kennedy, Chair of OPSEU's College Academic Workers Divisional Executive. "It removes those courses from the oversight of the academics at each college who are trained to properly assess the knowledge and skills needed for the certification. It lets McDonald's, rather than our colleges, decide what business leaders should know."

"Deb Matthews, as Minister of Advanced Education, should be ashamed to have put her support behind this attack on our public education system," added Thomas. "Our public colleges have the lowest per-student funding in Canada. Colleges need the provincial government to invest in them, not outsource their work.

"The next generation deserves better than the McJobs and McDegrees this misguided scheme offers."

SOURCE Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU)

For further information: Craig Ashbourne, A/Communications Officer, OPSEU, 226-821-1725
TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2016 /CNW/ - Pivot Technology Solutions, Inc. ("Pivot" or the "Company") (TSX-V: PTG), today publishes its results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016.

Financial Highlights Q2 2016

Revenues of $373.7 million , up 4.4% compared to Q2 2015, attributable primarily to strong product sales. Product sales of $331.1 million , up 5.4% compared to Q2 2015. Service revenues down 2.2% to $39.9 million compared to Q2 2015.

, up 4.4% compared to Q2 2015, attributable primarily to strong product sales. Gross profit up $1.3 million , or 2.9%, to $46.6 million from the same period in the prior year.

, or 2.9%, to from the same period in the prior year. Gross margin for the quarter was 12.5%, down slightly from 12.7% in Q2 2015.

Adjusted EBITDA* came in at $9.1 million , down 8.0% from Q2 2015.

, down 8.0% from Q2 2015. Excluding changes in non-cash working capital balances, the Company generated $5.6 million in cash from operating activities, as compared to $5.9 million for the same period last year.

in cash from operating activities, as compared to $5.9 million for the same period last year. As previously announced, the Company was informed by Austin Ribbon & Computer Supplies that it intended to terminate its distribution, licensing and administrative services agreements with Pivot, effective August 31 , 2016. In relation to the anticipated decrease in future revenue and gross profit related to this entity, the Company conducted an interim impairment test. Accordingly, Pivot recorded a non-cash impairment charge of $3.8 million .

Q2 Operational Highlights & Events Subsequent to the Quarter

The Company announced Board and Management changes. Kevin Shank has taken over as CEO from Warren Barnes , who remains affiliated with the Company as a Board member and consultant, effective May 1 , 2016. Mr. Shank was also elected to the Board of Directors.

has taken over as CEO from , who remains affiliated with the Company as a Board member and consultant, effective , 2016. Mr. Shank was also elected to the Board of Directors. Mr. Wade Dawe was elected as a new member to Pivot's Board of Directors at the Company's Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders.

was elected as a new member to Pivot's Board of Directors at the Company's Annual and Special Meeting of Shareholders. The Company appointed Brian Kyle , former CFO of Teranet and TSX listed DH Corporation as its new CFO.

, former CFO of Teranet and TSX listed DH Corporation as its new CFO. The Company announced that its Board of Directors has approved, under its dividend policy, a quarterly cash dividend on the common shares of the Company in the amount of CAD $0.01 per common share (CAD $0.04 per share annualized), payable on September 15, 2016, to holders of record at the close of business on August 31, 2016.

Financial Highlights H1 2016

Revenues of $706.5 million , up 8.0% compared to H1 2015, attributable primarily to strong product sales. Product sales of $622.9 million , up 9.3% compared to H1 2015. Service revenues relatively stable, down 0.2%, or $0.2 million , to $79.2 million compared to H1 2015.

, up 8.0% compared to H1 2015, attributable primarily to strong product sales. Gross profit up $7.1 million , or 9.2%, to $84.6 million from the same period in the prior year.

, or 9.2%, to from the same period in the prior year. Gross margin for the six months ended June 30, 2016 was 12.0%, up slightly from 11.8% in H1 2015.

was 12.0%, up slightly from 11.8% in H1 2015. Adjusted EBITDA* came in at $10.6 million , down 5.8% from H1 2015.

, down 5.8% from H1 2015. Excluding changes in non-cash working capital balances, the Company generated $6.5 million in cash from operating activities, as compared to $7.1 million for the same period last year.

Management Commentary

"Our earlier investments in our sales organization helped deliver positive growth for our core IT infrastructure products and solutions business during the quarter." stated Kevin Shank, CEO of Pivot. During this same timeframe, the investments made in driving professional and product related services didn't yield that same growth, thus our services business was relatively flat for the quarter. We will continue to invest in product and professional services as part of our core business, as these services are very important in securing new product sales and preserving gross margin. Volumes in this area are subject to some volatility, based on the infrastructure we're selling to our customers in any given quarter."

He continued, "With that said, we are now beginning to invest in leadership, capabilities, tools, and capacity to build and deliver an expanded suite of managed service offerings. We believe this segment represents a very significant growth opportunity for the Company in the future, in particular among our strong and growing existing customer base. While this transition will take time, we believe that the higher-margin, recurring-revenue nature of managed services should drive sustainable growth of profitability as this segment of our business grows."

"We are more positive with how our expense base is trending in Q2 versus Q1. Additionally, we are shifting our investment to more closely align with our strategy, investing in, and allocating resources to those areas where we anticipate being able to drive profitable, sustainable growth into the future. Going into Q3, while too early to make projections on revenue and profitability, we are witnessing a business climate in line with historically typical market activity."

Q2 2016 Financial Review

Revenues came in at $373.7 million, up $15.8 million, or 4.4% from Q2 2015. Revenue growth was attributable predominantly to increased product sales, which came in at $331.1 million, up $17.0 million, or 5.4% over Q2 of 2015.

The net increases in product sales over the prior year quarter was due primarily to major customers, with a growth of $22.0 million, which more than offset a $5.0 million fall in product sales to non-major customers. While the Company did sell less to non-major accounts overall during the quarter, this was predominantly due to the Texas market, where Pivot is experiencing a cautious investment climate related to depressed oil prices. Outside of Texas, the business climate continued to be healthy, and the Company achieved growth in its non-major accounts also, as Pivot continues to deepen existing relationships and engage with new customers.

A modest fall was recorded for the Company's services business, which saw revenues 2.2% behind last year's comparable period at $39.9 million. However, quarter over quarter First Call and maintenance contract revenue increased $0.2 million, offset by a decline in professional and project related services revenues of $1.1 million.

Gross profit of $46.6 million was up 2.9%, or $1.3 million, from Q2 2015. Gross profit margin of 12.5% was down slightly from 12.7% in Q2 2015 due to a higher contribution from sales to major customers, which carry a lower margin.

The Company recorded adjusted EBITDA* for Q2 2016 of $9.1 million, down 8.0%, or $0.8 million, from Q2 2015, as the increase in gross profit was offset by higher operating expenses, due primarily to investments in infrastructure to help drive and carry growth, as well as a non-cash charge related to the Company's stock option plan.

Selling and administrative expenses for Q2 2016 increased by 6.0%, or $2.1 million, to $37.5 million, as compared to Q2 2015 due to the reasons referenced above.

On June 1, 2016, the Company was informed by Austin Ribbon & Computer Supplies that it intended to terminate its distribution, licensing and administrative services agreements with Pivot. The termination of the agreements indicates the business unit will experience significant decreases in expected future revenues and gross profit. As such, the Company reviewed its business forecast and performed an interim impairment test. The Company concluded that the recoverable amount based on the value in use impairment test was less than the carrying amount, and accordingly recorded an impairment charge of $3.8 million, consisting of a write off of goodwill of $1.3 million and a reduction of other intangibles of $2.5 million during the three month period ended June 30, 2016. Total gross sales reported by Pivot in respect of Austin Ribbon were approximately $23.1 million for the three month period ending June 30, 2016, and $47.2 million year to date. Austin Ribbon's sales efforts were concentrated in the state of Texas, serving both public and private organizations.

Excluding changes in non-cash working capital balances, the Company generated $5.6 million in cash from operating activities, as compared to $5.9 million for the same period last year. As at June 30, 2016, total cash on hand was $18.9 million, up from $8.0 million as at December 31, 2015.

Cash used in investing activities decreased by $0.2 million compared to the same period in the prior year. The decrease is due primarily to a reduction in capital expenditures, as substantial investments were made in the comparable prior year period due to costs incurred for a new, state of the art warehouse and integration center.

H1 2016 Financial Overview

Revenues for the six months ended June 30, 2016 increased by $52.2 million, or 8.0%, to $706.5 million, as compared to the same period last year.

Compared to the same period in the prior year, product sales increased by 9.3%, or $53.1 million, to $622.9 million, driven both by non-major customer growth of $26.7 million and major customer growth of $26.4 million.

Service revenue remained relatively stable, decreasing marginally by 0.2%, or $0.2 million, on a year over year basis to $79.2 million, as compared to H1 2015. For the period, a $1.4 million fall in professional services and staffing revenue was offset to a large extent by a $1.2 million increase in First Call and maintenance contract revenues. Service revenues accounted for 11.2% of total revenue, down from 12.1% in 2015.

Revenue growth and a slight increase in gross profit margin to 12.0% from 11.8% last year, resulted in gross profit of $84.6 million, up by 9.2%, or $7.1 million compared to the same period in the previous year.

Adjusted EBITDA* for H1 2016 fell by $0.7 million, or 5.8% to $10.6 million, attributable to investments made in the organization to drive and carry growth going forward.

Excluding changes in non-cash working capital balances, the Company generated $6.5 million in cash from operating activities, as compared to $7.1 million for the same period last year, attributable to higher operating expense related to investments in people to drive and carry growth going forward.

Normal fluctuations in revenue performance, which are commonplace in the industry, drive significant movements in working capital, in particular with regards to accounts receivable, inventory and accounts payable. Consequently, movements in working capital balances are largely volume related, however, the Company focuses on driving improvement in its business processes to optimize the use of its secured borrowing facilities and effectively manage working capital. As such, the Company uses the average undrawn availability on existing, secured credit facilities as a key measure of liquidity, which for the first six months of fiscal 2016 stood at $59.5 million, as compared to $25.4 million for the comparable period in 2015.

Conference Call

DATE:

Friday, August 26, 2016





TIME:

11:00 a.m. ET





DIAL IN NUMBER:

+1 647-427-7450



+1 888-231-8191





TAPED REPLAY:

416-849-0833 or 1-855-859-2056



Available from August 26, 2016 14:00 ET to September 9, 2016 23:59 ET



Reference number: 62629856







Subsequently, a recording of the call will be posted on the Company's website: www.pivotts.com.

About Pivot Technology Solutions, Inc.

Together with its portfolio companies and partners, Pivot delivers solutions that enable organizations to design, build, implement and maintain computing and communication infrastructure that addresses their unique business needs. Pivot's approach supports improvement of business performance, helps organizations reduce capital and operating expenses, and accelerates the delivery of new products and services to end-customers. With over 2,000 customers, many of whom are Fortune 1000 companies, Pivot extends its value added solutions to help organizations of all sizes improve operating efficiency, reduce complexity and enhance service delivery through virtualization and cloud computing. Pivot enables businesses to extend their enterprise through mobility solutions to better connect business partners and customers. Pivot has offices throughout North America and can be found online at www.pivotts.com.

Forward Looking Statements

This news release contains statements that, to the extent they are not recitations of historical fact, may constitute "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements include statements regarding the payment of a quarterly cash dividend on September 15, 2016, growth opportunities, sustainable growth and growth of profitability, expansion of Pivot's services business, continued innovation, capitalizing on opportunities in the higher-margin managed services segment, continued execution on Pivot's verticalization strategy, and the assumptions underlying any of the foregoing. Pivot uses words such as "may", "would", "could", "will", "likely", "expect", "believe", "intend", "anticipate" and similar expressions to identify forward-looking statements. Any such forward-looking statements are based on assumptions and analyses made by Pivot in light of its experience and its perception of historical trends, current conditions and expected future developments, including the assumption that opportunities identified by Pivot may lead to expansion of its services and cross-selling opportunities across the business, continued innovation by Pivot that the general business climate will not deteriorate, that the Company will be in a financial position to pay a dividend on September 15, 2016 and in subsequent periods, that such payment will be permitted under the Company's credit facilities, as well as other factors Pivot believes are appropriate under the relevant circumstances. However, whether actual results and developments will conform to Pivot's expectations and predictions is subject to any number of risks, assumptions and uncertainties. Many factors could cause Pivot's actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements contained in this news release. These factors include, without limitation: uncertainty in the global economic environment; delays in the purchasing decisions of Pivot's customers; the competition Pivot faces in its industry and/or marketplace; the possibility of technical, logistical or planning issues in connection with the deployment of Pivot's products or services; the possibility that Pivot will not be able to further align its support functions with the selling and delivery arms of the business; uncertainty with respect to the ability of the Company to pay a quarterly dividend under its credit facilities; the possibility that Pivot will be unable to capitalize on opportunities it has identified in the manner and timeframe anticipated, and the possibility that Pivot will not be able to successful in sustaining growth or growing its profitability. The "forward-looking statements" contained herein speak only as of the date of this press release and, unless required by applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise such information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

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.

Pivot Technology Solutions, Inc.

SELECTED FINANCIAL INFORMATION

Full financial statements and related Management Discussion and Analysis can be found on SEDAR and the Company's website www.pivotts.com

All figures are in US $'000s



Three months ended

June 30,

Six months ended

June 30,

(unaudited)

(unaudited)

2016 2015

2016 2015











Revenues 373,708 357,882

706,495 654,255 Cost of sales 327,072 312,580

621,856 576,757 Gross profit 46,636 45,302

84,639 77,498 Selling and administrative expenses 37,513 35,382

74,065 66,269 Adjusted EBITDA* 9,123 9,920

10,574 11,229

Depreciation and amortization 2,979 3,200

5,858 6,285

Transaction costs 164 125

355 142

Interest expense 1,147 1,831

2,185 3,668

Impairment 3,838 -

3,838 -

Change in fair value of liabilities 22 113

705 838

Other (income) expense (430) 112

1,013 113 Income (loss) before income taxes 1,403 4,539

(3,380) 183 Provision for income taxes 1,618 1,876

590 627 Net and comprehensive income (loss) (215) 2,663

(3,970) (444)



*Non-IFRS Financial Measures

The Company internally measures its performance and results of initiatives through a number of measures that are not recognized under IFRS and may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies.

*Adjusted EBITDA

In the Company's financial reporting, adjusted EBITDA is a non-IFRS measure which is defined as gross profit less selling and administrative expenses, and corresponds to income before income taxes, depreciation and amortization, transaction costs, interest expense, change in fair value of liabilities and other income or expense. Management believes this is an important indicator as adjusted EBITDA excludes items that are either non-cash expenses, items that cannot be influenced by management in the short term, and items that do not impact core operating performance, demonstrating the Company's ability to generate liquidity through operating cash flow to fund working capital needs, service outstanding debt and fund future capital expenditures. Adjusted EBITDA is also used by investors and analysts for the purposes of valuing an issuer. The intent of adjusted EBITDA is to provide additional useful information to investors and analysts and is also used by management as an internal performance measurement. Adjusted EBITDA is not a recognized measure under IFRS, has no standardized meaning and is therefore unlikely to be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. Readers are cautioned that this term should not be construed as an alternative to net income determined in accordance with IFRS.

The following provides a reconciliation of adjusted EBITDA* to loss before income taxes:



Three months ended

June 30,

Six months ended

June 30,

(unaudited)

(unaudited)

2016 2015

2016 2015











Income (loss) before income taxes 1,403 4,539

(3,380) 183

Impairment 3,838 -

3,838 -

Depreciation and amortization 2,979 3,200

5,858 6,285

Transaction costs 164 125

355 142

Interest expense 1,147 1,831

2,185 3,668

Change in fair value of liabilities 22 113

705 838

Other (income) expense (430) 112

1,013 113 Adjusted EBITDA* 9,123 9,920

10,574 11,229













SOURCE Pivot Technology Solutions, Inc.

For further information: Marc Lakmaaker, National Equicom, [email protected], Tel: 416 848 1397; Kevin Shank, President, [email protected]; Andrew Bentley, Pivot Technology Solutions, [email protected], Tel: 647 788 2034
Former Executive Accused of Embezzling $31 Million in China Settles Case in New Zealand

Police escort an economic crime suspect accused of misusing public money at Pudong Airport in Shanghai. (Photo : Getty Images)

New Zealand authorities said on Tuesday, Aug. 23, that a former pharmaceutical executive accused of misusing money in China has settled the case in New Zealand following the payment of $31 million, Seattle Times reported.



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According to the report, the settlement is the largest ever made in New Zealand and the first for cases perpetrated in China.



The police said in a statement that William Yan settled the case but did not acknowledge any liability.



Simon Lance, one of Yan's lawyers based in Auckland, said in an email that his client "does not accept that he is guilty of embezzling money in China."



Another lawyer, Marc Corlett, said in a statement that the settlement was a "commercial compromise" made in order to recover Yan's seized assets and allow him to "return his focus to his business activities in New Zealand and elsewhere."



Yan's homes, luxury cars which included a Porsche and a Maserati, as well as stock from his wife and two associates were previously seized by authorities.



According to police, the seized items will be returned to Yan and the others after the return of the $31 million (43 million New Zealand dollars), which will be divided between the Chinese and New Zealand governments.



The New Zealand government did not say whether or not Yan will be extradited to China. The Chinese embassy in Wellington did not respond for comments.



Critics, however, question why no case has been filed against Yan and why New Zealand has yielded to China's demands.



New Zealand Prime Minister John Key said that it would be up to the police, who handled the investigations, to determine whether it is better to settle a case or pursue charges.



But Winston Peters, an opposition lawmaker, said that the handling of the case is embarrassing for the country. "You know, we're dancing on a pinhead for China in so many areas," he said.



Yan, who was listed under the name Yan Yonming, is ranked number 5 in the list of 100 most wanted economic fugitives issued by China last year, as part of their operation called Sky Net.



Chinese police were seeking Yan in the city of Tonghua, where he last worked as chairman of a pharmaceutical company, the Tonghua Golden Horse Group. Yan has three different passport numbers and three national identification numbers. He is also using the name Liu Yangming.



New Zealand is one of three popular destinations for Chinese economic fugitives, who number between 11 and 20 in the country. The other countries are Canada and the U.S.


Humanitarian crisis deteriorates, sustainable peace elusive, according to World Vision

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Aug. 26, 2016 /CNW/ - South Sudan continues to be threatened by violence, mass internal displacement and extreme food insecurity one year after it signed a peace deal to end 20-months of conflict, according to World Vision.

International funding needs to increase in order to properly address the ongoing crisis in South Sudan as humanitarian operations continue to be hampered by a major funding shortfall, with the current appeal only funded at 41%, according to the international development agency.

HOPE FOR THE FUTURE

Despite recent challenges, great work is being done by the international community to help the world's most vulnerable people. World Vision continues to provide life-saving assistance to vulnerable children and families in South Sudan. Since 2015 the international aid organisation has reached 1.3 million South Sudanese, half of which are children. As one of the first emergency responders to the July conflict, World Vision reached thousands by providing relief items such as blankets, sleeping mats, high energy biscuits and treatment for malnourished children. Canadians can help provide emergency assistance to South Sudan through World Vision's Raw Hope program.

QUOTES

Perry Mansfield, Director of World Vision South Sudan

"Even before the violence broke out in July, South Sudan was already facing wide-spread food insecurity and malnutrition with a risk of famine growing in several parts of the country. As always, it is children who suffer most."

"The South Sudanese have great potential to improve their own lives. However, for this to happen, peace is the basic requirement and it is important for all stakeholders to support and contribute efforts towards a more peaceful environment from which individuals and communities can build trust and reconciliation in South Sudan."

"The people of South Sudan have shown great resilience in the midst of very difficult times and I am sure that with sustained peace, they are able to rise above the challenges they are facing."

Michael Messenger, President of World Vision Canada:

"When I visited South Sudan last year, it was amazing to experience the very real hope people had for peace. This was contrasted to my shock at how many children were living in the margins and how many families are food insecure. As South Sudan marks a year since the last peace agreement, the situation remains fragile with the potential for deterioration - urgent and sustained help is still needed. We can't let this become a forgotten crisis. I urge Canada to put a greater priority on fragile countries like South Sudan so that not only life-saving assistance is ensured but also community transformation that leads to lasting peace."

Johnson, UN Protection of Civilian site resident:

"Life at the PoC is safer, but it is not good. There is no place to go and, as a South Sudanese, I live in constant fear of getting killed. I can't move freely and the situation in the country is deteriorating on all levels."

QUICK FACTS

4.8 million South Sudanese will face severe food shortages in the coming months, up from 4.3 million in April. This is the highest level of hunger since the conflict started in South Sudan two-and-a-half-years ago.

two-and-a-half-years ago. 10,000+ civilians have been killed since December 2013 ,

, 2.5 million displaced people, up from 2.2 million last year

100,000+ children treated for malnutrition in 2016, up 40% year over year, and up 150% since 2014

Inflation rate of 600% following renewed conflict in July, up from 300%

RESOURCES

Photos of World Vision's emergency response in South Sudan: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/cfanouoyc0vj3oe/AABAO6czVExXOeVtQNBbs8k7a?dl=0

B-roll footage can be provided on request

World Vision is a relief, development, and advocacy organization working to create lasting change in the lives of children, families, and communities to overcome poverty and injustice. Inspired by our Christian values, World Vision is dedicated to working with the world's most vulnerable people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. Visit our News Centre at worldvision.ca

SOURCE World Vision Canada

Image with caption: "Eight-year-old Choul Baping says he is scared that new fighting will break out and that for him peace in South Sudan means safety. CREDIT: Steph Glinski/World Vision (CNW Group/World Vision Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20160826_C6522_PHOTO_EN_760459.jpg

For further information: For interviews contact: Chelsea MacLachlan: 647-447-4334 or [email protected]
OTTAWA, Aug. 26, 2016 /CNW/ - The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement to mark the 25th anniversary of Canada's re-establishment of diplomatic relations with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania:

"On this day  25 years ago  Canada re-established diplomatic ties with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, after the three Baltic states declared independence from the Soviet Union.

"Since then, our countries have enjoyed a dynamic and friendly relationship, rooted in the shared values of democracy and freedom, and our partnership in the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.

"Canada never recognized the Soviet Union's occupation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and always supported their struggle to restore independence during decades of Soviet occupation.

"Canada looks forward to further strengthening its relations with Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, and working with them on bilateral and regional issues, including support for Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity. This includes Canada's recent commitment to lead a robust multinational NATO battlegroup in Latvia, as part of NATO's enhanced Forward Presence in Eastern Europe. We will continue working closely with our NATO Allies  including those in the Baltics  to ensure our citizens can continue to live in safety and security.

"On behalf of the Government of Canada, Sophie and I invite all Canadians to reflect on the tremendous contributions of Canadians of Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian descent to our national fabric, and offer our best wishes to everyone celebrating today."

This document is also available at http://pm.gc.ca

SOURCE Prime Minister's Office

For further information: PMO Media Relations: 613-957-5555
A Russia-India joint venture is entering the final stages of work on a hypersonic missile. Russians have announced creation of special fuel for hypersonic vehicles and missiles, as well as the creation of an oxygen-free engine for the PAK FA fighter jet. Maxim Kuzyuk, CEO of the Aviation Equipment Holding (part of the state corporation Rostec), believes that the PAK FA engine can start without oxygen. When creating the PAK FA, we were set the task of developing an oxygen-free starting system. Plasma ignition systems are installed in the main combustion chamber and the afterburner. This innovation is integrated into the nozzle with the plasma system  inside it, simultaneously with the admission of kerosene, a plasma arc is created, said Kuzyuk. He underlined that this is a unique system, with no analogues anywhere in the word.

An Oxygen free system reduces weight, because there is no need to install special oxygen equipment on the plane itself, thus making unnecessary the deployment of corresponding terrestrial infrastructure. During the Aero India-2015, Sudhir Mishra, Head of BrahMos Aerospace Ltd, announced that the development of a hypersonic missile would take from eight to ten years. This will be the first hypersonic missile in the world, he added. BrahMos is a joint Russia-India project. Starting in 1998, the BrahMos was based on the Yakhont missile (export version of the P-800 Oniks missile), and has been developing missile weapons for the needs of the Indian Army.

Boris Obnosov, general director of the Tactical Missile Systems Corporation said In my estimation, the first hypersonic products [Russian hypersonic missile] should appear  in this decade  before 2020. He said the russian hypersonic missile would have speeds of up to six to eight Mach. Achieving higher speeds is a long term perspective, Obnosov told journalists at the Airshow China-2014 space exhibition.

He noted that hypersonic missiles will be air-launched at first, using the carrier aircrafts initial velocity to reach the speeds necessary to run a ramjet engine.

China is working on the Wu-14 hypersonic missile.

The United States is also working on hypersonic missiles.

SOURCES  Sputnik News, RBTH
Boris Obnosov, director of the state-run Tactical Missiles Corp, told the Russian Rambler news Service that the new hypersonic missile will be capable of penetrating advanced missile defenses and represents a revolutionary advance in military technology.

Its obvious that with such speedswhen missiles will be capable of flying through the atmosphere at speeds of seven to 12 times the speed of sound, all [air] defense systems will be weakened considerably, Obnosov told the Rambler News Service this week.

The missile will be developed in Russia and fly at a speed of 6-7 times the speed of sound.

In 2014, Boris Obnosova also made the same claim.

In my estimation, the first hypersonic products [Russian hypersonic missile] should appear  in this decade  before 2020. He said the russian hypersonic missile would have speeds of up to six to eight Mach. Achieving higher speeds is a long term perspective, Obnosov told journalists at the Airshow China-2014 space exhibition.

The hypersonic missiles will be air-launched at first, using the carrier aircrafts initial velocity to reach the speeds necessary to run a ramjet engine.

Russias 3M22 Zircon hypersonic cruise missile is expected to enter into production in 2018. The new weaponwhich is capable of speeds of around Mach 5.0-Mach 6.0is currently in testing.

The Mach 6-8 hypersonic missile version sounds like it would be an upgrade of the short range 3M22 Zircon missile.

Zircon missile mockup

The 3M22 Zircon hypersonic missile-which is a component of the 3K22 Zircon system-will be incorporated into the nuclear-powered Project 11442 Orlan -class battle cruiser Pyotr Veliky When it completes its overhaul in late 2022. Sister ship Admiral Nakhimov -which is currently being modernized-will likely be the first Russian warship equipped with the new missile When it returns to service in 2018.

The new missiles would replace the two battle cruisers 390-mile range P-700 Granit supersonic anti-ship missile armament. Zircon while the range will likely be shorter-about 250 miles-its sheer speed will make it extremely kettle to intercept with current missile defense technology.

The Zircon is a domestic version. The Brahmos is an export version that is being developed with India. Brahmos lags the Zircon in capability.

Brahmos missile

American officials have said current missile defenses are limited to the 30 Ground-Based Midcourse Defense interceptors deployed at Ft. Greely, Alaska, and Vandenberg Air Force Base, California.

The system includes sensors and fire control elements around the world to counter a limited missile strike from North Korea or, in the future, Iran.

The 30 interceptors are not sufficient to counter large salvos of long-range missileseither ballistic or maneuvering hypersonicfrom Russia or China.

SOURCES- Rambler News Service, Freebeacon, National Interest,
China Shaanxi Tobacco Industry Company Donates Money To Help Impoverished Freshmen (Photo : Getty Images)

Scams abound in the online and offline world, whether it is a simple ruse such as inflated ticket prices to a celebritys fan meet to an elaborate one involving majority of an institutions employees such as the recent Plant-a-Bullet scheme in Manila International Airport.



A recent victim of a phone scam in China is an 18-year-old girl from Linyi, Shandong Province, accepted to the Nanjing University of Posts and Telecommunications. On Sunday, Xu Yuyu had a cardiac arrest and died after she found out that she was swindled of her entire tuition fee, reported China Daily.



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With her 568 points on the college entrance exam, the university admitted her. She got a phone call from the university on Aug. 18, which is why Xus family did not question when she received another phone call the next day from an unknown person. The call told Xu she would receive 2,600 yuan student funding, but she needs to wire 9,900 yuan as activation fee into the bank account of the caller.



When the university-bound freshman noticed the promised 2,600 yuan did not appear in her student account, Xu concluded she was the victim of a scam, devastating her too much that on the way home after she and her family reported what happened to the police, and she lost consciousness.



Doctors tried to revive Xu but failed. Although she was healthy prior to the scam, Xu was declared dead, saddened by the recent turn of events. Li Ziyun, Xus mother, blamed the scammer for killing her daughter who saved whatever little she had for her university education, only for it to be lost in an instant.



While Linyi Police is investigating the incident, they also warned incoming university students to be wary of phone scams which had an upsurge.



In the U.S., Seattletimes reported that up to 90 Chinese students enrolled at the University of Washington may have lost tuition money totaling $1 million. A scammer, also a Chinese student in the university, apparently offered them 5 percent cut on the $11,340 summer tuition, or $600, through the social media app WeChat.



The scam unraveled in July when a New York detective contacted the university about stolen credit card numbers used to pay summer tuition. The scammer had access to the student account because she asked for their university ID and password which the gullible students gave her.






The Presidential Amnesty Office on Friday said 22 beneficiaries of its foreign education programme had graduated as Aircraft Maintenance E...

ex-Niger Delta militants

The Presidential Amnesty Office on Friday said 22 beneficiaries of its foreign education programme had graduated as Aircraft Maintenance Engineers and had returned to the country.The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta, Brig.-Gen. Paul Boroh, disclosed this during a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.He said the beneficiaries were trained at the Royal Jordanian Air Academy and were equipped with EASA licence on return, adding that without the licence, they would not be useful in the aviation industry.Boroh, who doubles as the Coordinator of Presidential Amnesty Programme, said the licence made the beneficiaries certified aircraft maintenance professionals needed in modern airline operation.Worldwide aircraft maintenance business is enormous, and expanding with the passage of time, Boroh told NAN.Approximately 500, 000 passenger and cargo aircrafts are currently in service worldwide.Moreover, about four million smaller private aircrafts are being used for business or pleasure. Thus, aviation is an ever-expanding field with modernization of equipment on new aircraft.Therefore, the requirements of aircraft engineers and aircraft mechanics to work on a permanent basis as an employee of an airline will always rise with ever increasing expansion of aviation industry.
In the wake of Rio 'robbery' fiasco, Brazilian authorities have now charged 12-time Olympic medalist US swimming star Ryan Lochte, 32, with making a false statement. Police investigation revealed that Lochte and 3 other US swimmers James Feigen, Gunnar Bentz and Jack Conger lied about being robbed at gunpoint when they were returning by taxi from a club in Rio.Turns out, they actually vandalized a gas station and urinated on the walls outside and were asked to pay for it.According to Rio Police, Lochte was charged with the crime of falsely reporting a crime and authorities have recommended the courts to issue a summons for him to be questioned. If convicted, Lochte could face between one to six months in jail, although the judge could choose to levy a fine instead."Once he is summoned, whether he turns up or not, the penalty is the same: one to six months' prison. If he is summoned and does not turn up to the hearing, the trial will go ahead in the accused's absence until the final sentence is given."However, Lochte can opt to send a lawyer and does not need to appear in court. The charge is not an extraditable offense and he can't be forced to return to Brazil by American courts.
President Muhammadu Buhari has asked traditional rulers to assist his government in moving the nation forward by advising him.

President Muhammadu Buhari has asked traditional rulers to assist his government in moving the nation forward by advising him.He, however, urged them to always put such advice meant for him in writing.The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi III, disclosed this to State House correspondents shortly after meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Thursday.Adeyemi, who said he visited the President to endorse a memorandum which he had earlier sent, said Buhari listened with rapt attention and sent him to other traditional rulers in his domain.The President listened attentively and he has asked me to pass the information to other traditional rulers in my domain to assist the government by giving advice because he is a good listener but that such advice should be put in writing so that he can then relate it to the problems affecting Nigeria, he said.The traditional ruler said he advised the President on the various problems facing the country such as the violence being perpetrated by the Niger Delta Avengers and the Boko Haram insurgency, among others.He also expressed delight at the recent visit of the United States Secretary of State, Mr. John Kerry, to the country.He said, As a Nigerian and one of the topmost traditional rulers in the country, over the time, I sent a memorandum to the President which he acknowledged and he asked me to come and endorse those things I have written.I think it is time for me to use the proper channel to reach the President for suggestions and advice. Where he deserves commendation, I should also do that, especially as it concerns the multi-dimensional problems Nigeria is facing; the Avengers and the bombing of oil installations, MEND, Boko Haram insurgency in the North-East.One major diplomatic point the President scored recently was the visit of the US Secretary of State, John Kerry. America does not usually send top officers for such visits if they have not used certain parameters to gauge the countrys performance.I have met with the President and offered some suggestions. We are losing huge resources to the activities of the Niger Delta Avengers. Coming close to that is the infiltration of Lagos by militants, especially in Ikorodu, where in the last three weeks, 10 landlords were massacred.The Federal Government has since sent forces there to wipe them out. Normalcy has since returned to Ikorodu and Arepo areas. If they had successfully spread their activities to the South-West, there would have been more destruction. Lagos is the economic heartbeat of the nation.
The Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN) yesterday berated the United States (US) Secretary of States, Mr. John Kerry over his visit t...

The Christian Association of Nigerian (CAN) yesterday berated the United States (US) Secretary of States, Mr. John Kerry over his visit to the country. It alleged that the visit was discriminatory, personal and divisive. CAN alleged that the visit was targeted to sustain the persecution of Christians.Kerrys two-day visit has attracted condemnation from Christian leaders who question his sincerity.During the visit, Kerry visited the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar III, met with the 19 northern governors, three of whom are Christians. At the Presidential Villa, where he was hosted by President Muhammadu Buhari, Kerry met with select northern governors, which also irked critics on the selection process of his hosts.CAN President Rev. Supo Ayokunle told reporters that Kerrys action meant lack of respect to the heterogeneous nature of the country. He accused the American official of favouring a section of the country and Muslims to the detriment of the Christian community.According to Ayokunle, the attitude and disposition of the U.S. Secretary of State and the discrimination he adopted during the visit supports accusations that the President Barack Obamas administration, alongside Kerry and other strategic U.S. politicians in the Obamas government openly supported the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2015 general elections, which produced the Buhari presidency.
Parents protesting the failure of the Federal Government to rescue over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect in Chibok in 2014 ...

Parents protesting the failure of the Federal Government to rescue over 200 schoolgirls abducted by the Boko Haram sect in Chibok in 2014 have asked President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately rescue the girls from captivity or resign.The parents, who joined the #BringBackOurGirls coalition on Thursday for another protest march to the Presidential Villa, were again stopped by armed policemen.A representative of the parents, Rev. Enoch Mark, accused the Federal Government of not doing enough to rescue the girls, saying the government should negotiate for their release.Mark, whose two daughters were among the 219 schoolgirls abducted by Boko Haram, said he suffered a stroke while worrying about his daughters.He insisted that Buhari must negotiate with Boko Haram for the release of the schoolgirls.He said, We cast our votes for Buhari because he promised to rescue our girls. Now, the parents are asking you, Mr. President, to meet the insurgents and make a decision.Either use the military force or go for negotiation; some countries are ready to give you a helping hand. What are you waiting for? Are you not interested in bringing back our girls?We have intelligence agencies in Nigeria; there is nothing in this country that they dont know. Why didnt you give them orders to bring back our girls?Are you not a General? You know what is happening and you know where our daughters are. Buhari, if you feel that you are incapable of rescuing the girls, step down now and give it (power) to someone else. We have many intelligent persons in the country who can handle this situation. You cannot tell us that you dont know where the girls are.Mark, who uses a walking stick, accused the Federal Government of not communicating with the parents of the abducted girls.He cited the Malaysian governments handling of the Malaysian MH370 air crash, noting that the government regularly communicated with the families of the crash victims during the incident.For two months now, I have not been able to sleep; I had stroke while thinking of my two daughters. General Buhari, had your daughters been among these girls, how will you feel? How will you feel with your daughter in enemies hands? You are responsible for the rescue of these girls. You are responsible for my daughters safety.When the Malaysian plane crashed, the Malaysian government was in touch with the families of the victims, but you are not talking to Chibok girls parents, he added.The aggrieved father said Buhari did not empathise with the Chibok parents when they visited him at the Presidential Villa in January.You intimidated us; you said you were frustrated, you were not happy with us. Are we not Nigerians? If Buhari feels he does not know (the girls location), let him step down and hand over to someone else, Mark added.The Co-convener, BBOG, Oby Ezekwesili, who read a statement on behalf of the group, said the members would march to the Presidential Villa again in 72 hours if there was no positive response from the Federal Government.The group noted the attack on Shawa Village in the Askira Uba Local Government Area of Borno State and acknowledged the courage and gallantry of the soldiers in the frontlines, including the Multinational Joint Task Force and the Civilian JTF, and urged them to remain resilient in the face of attacks.The BBOG called for an investigation into the handling of salaries and emoluments of troops, saying complaints about their poor feeding and allowances were unacceptable.It challenged the government to demonstrate the political will to rescue the girls by taking a definite action on the issue.It said, Reports from a former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, after a meeting with Mr. President suggest that the Federal Governments position remains a lack of credible intelligence.Coming over seven months since our engagement with Mr. President on January 14, and considering the lack of feedback on rescue efforts, this strengthens the position that there has been no focused, coherent and consistent operation to rescue our girls.Having submitted four cogent reasons why it could not be said that there is a lack of credible intelligence during our meeting in January, and three further reasons just three days ago, the discussion must shift from credible intelligence to political will to decide on a line of action.The BBOG said the claim by the military that it had fatally injured Boko Haram leader, Abubakar Shekau, made it the fourth time that the security forces had announced that they had killed the terrorist.Also, the Chibok community, in a statement by its spokesman, Dr Manasseh Allen, reiterated its calls for negotiation with Boko Haram for the release of the girls.It said the escape of one of the girls, Amina Ali, in May 2016 had bridged the gap of absence of intelligence and called on the government and its agencies to live up to their duties.Meanwhile, the United Kingdom pledged to do whatever it could to assist in finding the girls.The UK High Commissioner to Nigeria, Paul Arkwright, said this when the BBOG members met with him in Abuja.He said, UK stands in solidarity with the Chibok people; the girls are global citizens; so, we will do whatever we can to partner the Nigerian government to help find the girls.Attempts to speak with the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, proved abortive as his phone rang out.He had yet to reply to a text message sent to his mobile phone as of press time.Buhari has not given up on Chibok girlsThe Presidency on Thursday said the Federal Government has not given up on the Chibok girls.It said Buharis heart was with the girls and their parents.The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said this in an interview with one of our correspondents.He said efforts to find the abducted girls would continue.The presidential spokesman said, The Presidents heart is with the Chibok girls and their parents. He understands their feelings.The government has not given up on the missing girls. Efforts to find them will continue.So far, the countrys gallant and re-energised military has taken back more than 20,000 citizens held hostage by the terrorists.In the last couple of days, the Nigerian Air Force carried out a successful raid in which 300 terrorists were killed. The leader of the terrorists, Shekau, was injured.Boko Haram, which killed above 20,000 citizens is on the retreat. Governments efforts to end terrorism and brigandage all over the country will continue.
Chijoke Eze, a 24-year-old man, has been caught for trying to deposit fake currency in Bank.





Chijoke Eze, a 24-year-old man, has been caught for trying to deposit fake currency in Bank.He was on Friday brought before an Ebute Meta Chief Magistrates Court in Lagos for being in possession of fake Naira currency and trying to deposit it in his bank account.The accused, whose address was not supplied, is standing trial on a two-count charge of conspiracy and possession of fake currency. When the charges were read out to the accused, he pleaded innocence.The Prosecutor, Insp. Cousin Adams, told the court that the offences were committed at one of the new generation banks on Aug. 23, at about 1.00p.m., in Ebute Meta.He said that the accused was found in possession of fake Naira currency amounting to N100, 000 when he was about to pay it into the bank. The offences, Adams noted, contravened Sections 328 and 409 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State, 2011.The Magistrate, Mrs Helen Omisore, granted him bail in the sum of N50, 000 with two sureties in like sum. She adjourned further hearing in the case till Sept. 14, for mentioning.
The Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, today, accepted that former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clar...





The Movement for Emancipation of the Niger Delta, MEND, today, accepted that former Federal Commissioner for Information, Chief Edwin Clark, should head the pan Niger Delta group that will dialogue with the Federal Government.The group conveyed its readiness to disband its Aaron Team 2, headed by Odein Ajumogobia and work with Chief Clark.Secretary of Aaron Team 2, Timipa Okponipere, who conveyed MENDs position to the elder statesman in Warri, however, gave some conditions.Chief Clark, who commended MEND for accepting the outcome of the meeting of Niger Delta monarchs, leaders and stakeholders , last Friday, in Warri, said that leaders of the region would appraise its request.But be rest assured that we are together, he added.Chief Clark and other leaders, who were with him during the visit of the Aaron Team delegation, denounced the Ijaw leaders, who, Thursday, met with the Minister of State for Petroleum, Dr Ibe Kachikwu, without authorisation from other ethnic nationalities.He denied sending them on the misadventure.
Former Abia state Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu has joined thousands of Nigerians to weigh in on the arrest and arraignment of Joe Chinakwe for...





Former Abia state Governor, Orji Uzor Kalu has joined thousands of Nigerians to weigh in on the arrest and arraignment of Joe Chinakwe for naming his dog 'Buhari'.Read Kalu's lengthy piece on the issue :A CASE FOR COMMON SENSEI just arrived the United States of America from the United Kingdom and trying to locate where I kept my keys and later see how I can get some rest after the long trip. Everything sorted out, refreshed, I have to relax on the internet to keep myself abreast of the goings on in the world, especially my dear country, Nigeria, before delving into the few concerns that took me out of Nigeria.I dare say with the advent of the social media, take it or leave it; it has in a way given credence to democracy in the country to continue to flourish beyond imagination; now people can express themselves, either on personal matters or matters that affect them through policies of the government. And there can be no better times than this when the country is grappling with recession and the government is doing everything round the clock to bring the economy right on track and begin to bring back that lost smiles and hope on the faces of dejected, and atimes, disappointed and frustrated Nigerians, notably the Nigerian youth who are in dire need to see change in their lives.The beauty of the social media platform is the protection and assurance of the screen and the use of fictitious identity where issues can be raised or issues criticised without the fear of intimidation from any areas.I am a regular visitor to the various social media, especially Facebook and Whatsapp. You cannot be older than this trend in the twenty-first century if one really wants to keep in touch with latest happenings. Some of these happenings could really be brash and gossipy without any truth to them, so one has to be careful in the kind of information that is allowed to filter into the brain because without this caution wrong and hasty decision could be reached.On Facebook and Whatsapp, as I am scrolling through my phone, the most provocative trending is the thirty year old young man who has been remanded in prison custody for failure to meet his bail terms that include the payment of a fifty thousand naira fee for giving his dog a name. To me, this should be a laugh for all Nigerians to ease off the present tension everywhere in the country.I am not a lawyer, but there are issues, to my understanding, that should not be brought to the attention of the law, instead, it should be dealt with amicably between the parties involved with caution by the police therefore not giving it the national attention whoever is involved wants to generate.Or, still, the judge, if I am speaking the minds of many who do not take themselves too seriously or see life as a war to be won or lost, would have thrown the case out of his court for lacking a standing in jurisdiction.While still scrolling and enjoying the story-forgive me for this, because the only thing I see in the story is the fun it is generating inside of me right now- the question in my mind is, is the presidency aware that a thirty year old Nigerian is in custody because he is accused of trying to upset public peace and because he cannot afford to meet his bail terms when arrested by the Nigeria Police force and charged to court?I can authoritatively say the presidency is not aware of this huge joke at a time when its hands are full with both political and economic crises and the issues of the Nigerian youth it is bent on addressing since it came into power in two-thousand-and-fifteen.Another question in my mind while the laughter inside of me continues to grow is, would the young man had been shown the road to the court if he had bought a one-million-naira shirt and gave it whatever name? Perhaps no. A dog is chosen instead of some expensive and adorable ornaments.It boils down to the way we treat animals in the country, especially one that has been acclaimed to be human friendly. Elsewhere, will there be a court case if a name is given to a particular animal? I do not think so; nobody would have thought it as something to have sleepless night and good time over. And, moreover, the dog on the screen of my phone happens to be so adorable and beautiful worthy to be domesticated.The young man has said the reason he gave that particular name-which is not narrowed down to any particularity- to the dog is because of his love for it, whereas others think otherwise, which now becomes a case between the young man having a good and intelligent lawyer to argue his case, which again may just be impossible in a situation where legal aids do not come easy and definitely beyond one who cannot cough out fifty thousand naira.On Whatsapp, comments have been agog. Some say the young man has erred. Others say he has no respect for the elderly. And yet others bring cultures and tradition into the argument while the young man languishes in cell.Not any of these commentators ones gave a thought to one of the characteristics of democracy, which is the fundamental human rights of the individual where freedom of expression can only be negotiated on the table of intentional assault, in this case, which the young man has said is not his intention.The name is as a result of his mentorship interest and the love for the person that is supposedly involved.One of the commentators had said, as a father, what ones reaction would be if a child had walked up to him and say, Father, I just bought this dog and I have given it the name, Arochukwu? if Arochukwu happens to be the sons fathers name.I will not only respond to the child as a father, but as a leader, too. First, I will have a good laugh that my child did not go to the market to buy a Tortoise and name it after me-we know the connotation of Tortoises in the Nigerian folklores- and secondly, I will tell that child that he should make sure he gives the dog a good training so that it can be responsible to all concerned. And, thirdly, I will pat the childs head and tell him to go inside and study while I go about my duties as a father and a leader deliberating on serious issues and not on trivia that will take nobody anywhere rather than downing some good and fun creativity because it is all a matter of common sense without a particular issue of note.
An armed robbery suspect, Ikechukwu Daniel, also known as Ike, has disclosed that his gang hatched a plan to kidnap businessman, Femi Oted...

Otedola

An armed robbery suspect, Ikechukwu Daniel, also known as Ike, has disclosed that his gang hatched a plan to kidnap businessman, Femi Otedola, but the plot was foiled by the police.He also confessed that his gang, which was linked to the abduction of Senator Iyabo Anisholowo, operated with military uniforms and hijacked three trailers on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.Ike was arrested sometimes in June at Festac Town in Lagos while negotiating the ransom of a victim kidnapped in Ibadan.His disclosure emerged following Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris directive to the Force Intelligence Response Team (IRT) to arrest anyone linked to the kidnap of Senator Anisulowo.Within a few days of receiving the instruction, the IRT operatives arrested one Mohammed Babuga, and he owned up to the fact that he and one Mamman masterminded the kidnap.He confessed that he and Mamman robbed some people in Kwara State, along Kaduna road.They dispossessed innocent motorists of their belongings. During an argument with Mamman, however, Babuga said that he slapped the other for disrespect towards him as gang leader and the carelessness that put the police on their trail.Mamman, he said, got angry and went away to form his own gang of kidnappers with Boyi, Abubakar, Alayidi and Ike as members. Led by one Mohammed, the gang operated with three rifles, an AK 47, AK 49 and a pump action gun.Mammans gang confessed to have carried out six kidnapping raids: two in Ibadan, two in Ilorin and two in Kebbi State, and various ransoms were collected. The Kebbi State operation fetched the gang N6 million, while it got N26.1 million from the Ilorin and Ibadan cases.
Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has said that some Niger Delta militant groups had reached out to him in their efforts at interfacing...

Nobel Laureate, Prof Wole Soyinka, has said that some Niger Delta militant groups had reached out to him in their efforts at interfacing with the Federal Government on the current militancy in the region, pleading with the government to genuinely listen to the agitators.This came as traditional rulers from the region listed the cessation of hostilities by the military, reopening of Maritime University and release of individuals detained, among others, as conditions for enduring peace. Noble Lareate, Playwriter and Poet, Prof Wole Soyika Soyinka also said he had passed on the message of what was happening in the region to some international figures in London, but emphasised that no international interventionist group had been formed on the matter.Briefing newsmen, yesterday, in Lagos at an event convened to update the nation about the activities of Wole Soyinka Foundation, Soyinka debunked reports where he was credited to have said that an international interventionist group had agreed to meet President Muhammadu Buhari on the crisis. Soyinka, who demanded accurate reportage of the issue, given its sensitive nature, disclosed that the Cedars Institute, Notre Dame University, Lebanon, and the Wole Soyinka Foundation would partner on a programme designed to promote cultural dialogue.He, however, said the programme, entitled The Sail Project, was an intensive course for international students, adding that it would assist in bridging the social, racial and cultural gaps inherent in human relations.He said: I wish to make an appeal to the government to respond positively to the outreach from the militant groups. That is the request which has been made by some of the groups. At the moment, they feel that the government of President Buhari is not seriously responding to them. And I will make a personal appeal to the government to respond positively and let us see where it ends. But I am not part of any international group, I was approached personally and I have been responding personally to some of these groups just as I did when President Jonathan was in power and MEND was the umbrella group of the insurgents.So, I make that appeal once more to the government to please respond to the efforts of these militant groups to arrive at a holistic and comprehensive solution. When I was ambushed at the villa the other day, I did say that I would answer questions on my visit to the Villa at a press conference that I had already planned, which is this one as a matter of fact. What I have to say is that today is not the day I will talk about that visitation and the real reason is this, I had a meeting with the House of Lords in London.The meeting was not about the main subject that took me to Aso Rock which, among other things, is the problem we have in the Delta. But I used that opportunity to meet a certain number of international figures, parliamentarians, royal heads to pass on a message internationally to prospective interveners in what is happening in the Delta at the request of some of the militant groups.That meeting was reported in the media and it was badly distorted. Let me make a plea, it is bad enough distorting whatever happens on certain subjects. But on an issue like the insurgency in Nigeria, the Delta, in particular, we have very delicate grounds and the media has a huge role to play in that.
Animals At Beijing Badaling Safari World (Photo : Getty Images)

Visitors at the Badaling Wildlife Park are to blame for the death of a woman killed by a tiger. Investigation of the incident pointed to a woman named Zhao as the one who did not follow the park guidelines not to leave their car.



Because Zhao went out of their car at the passenger side to change seats with her husband, Lu, right after she left the car, park rangers blew their horns to warn her to immediately return to the vehicle. But she did not heed the instruction and was about to enter the drivers side when the tiger pounced on Zhao and dragged her to its lair, reported What's on Weibo.



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Seeing what happened, Zhou, the mother, and Lu ran after the tiger to rescue Zhao. Zhou tried to hit the tiger that took her daughter, but a second tiger bit Zhou on the back. A third tiger came and also attacked Zhou. Park rangers ordered Lu to return to his car and leave the scene immediately.



With the help of other car drivers, the park ranger restrained 10 tigers and led them back into cages and the tiger habitat within 14 minutes. After about 15 minutes, they checked Zhou and found she no longer had a pulse. Zhao was still alive, but her face was badly wounded.



The rangers rushed the women to the hospital, and Zhou was officially declared dead, while Zhao was treated. Since the incident on July 23, Zhao has been discharged from the hospital.



Shanghaiist noted that park visitors were reminded several times not to leave their cars at all, plus there are signs all over the place reminding visitors to stay inside their vehicles always. Although the investigation found the park was not at fault, the probe report said the Beijing park need to improve its emergency training and find more innovative ways to remind tourist to obey rules for their safety.



While the victims believe the investigation was biased toward reducing the parks liability, according to a person close to the victims family, the park, nevertheless is negotiating with them for compensation. Chinese netizens were divided on the issue.



Some believe it should be the park which should ask to be paid because it was forced to close and lost income when the attack happened. Other say the only compensation the visitors deserve is to refund their entrance ticket.






The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) North is trying to return 86 prisoners of war (POW) to Khartoum, but claims the Sudan government...

The Sudan Peoples Liberation Army (SPLA) North is trying to return 86 prisoners of war (POW) to Khartoum, but claims the Sudan government is not making it easy.Al Jazeeras Callum Macrae met the POWs while filming The War The World Forgot, a People & Power investigation about Sudanese president Omar Al Bashirs five-year war against his own citizens in the Nuba Mountains of South Kordofan.Macrae described the encounter, which took place at a secret location in the Nuba Mountains, as one of the most extraordinary experiences of my life.This was not a typical POW camp; there were no fences, no watch-towers, and the prisoners, some of whom had been held there for four years, were very clear that they had not been mistreated. Indeed the relationship between the prisoners and their guards appeared to be one of mutual respect  almost friendly. But there was no escape for them nonetheless. The only way out would be across hostile country and over a very dangerous frontline.The rebel SPLA North had offered to return the prisoners to Khartoum, in an arrangement facilitated by the Red Cross. That process was due to start in June this year and the first group of 12 were taken to an airstrip in Kauda.As Private Babeker Ahmed, one of the 12, told Macrae, We are sure we will go to Khartoum. And the political leaders and the military leaders say to us, You are the lucky people. You are the first group to go to Khartoum, OK. Your miserable days will be finished, OK. You will go back to freedom. You will go back to see your family.But then the 12 were told there was a problem and the flight would be delayed. The SPLA North claims Khartoum had blocked the transfer.The next day we are ready to go and they say we are sorry, but the problem is not finished yet, said Ahmed. The dream was destroyed. It was so, so bad for us. Many people in this group  the young boys - is believing. Their hearts are broken. What can we do?The prisoners told Macrae that, although their life was very basic, they were free to organise their own time, to pray as they wished and to cook for themselves. The food is very simple, just grain, but that is no different to what the women and children eat here anyway because of the war.The SPLA North claimed Khartoum won't acknowledge the prisoners, partly because theyve told their families theyre dead and partly because they take so few prisoners themselves.A spokesperson for the Sudanese government dismissed the claims as fabricated allegations. The Red Cross confirmed that a transfer of detainees scheduled for June had been postponed but did not attribute responsibility.The prisoners most senior officer, Brigadier General Refaut Abdalla Ahmad, said he has been detained since 13 May 2013. The government of Khartoum says that it has no Brigadier called Refaut Abdalla here, who was captured. I am not here. That is what they have said.He refused to criticize Khartoum. No, I am a military man. I am ordinary; the government know what he do. I accept anything done with me.But he had a message for the international community. We need help. We want to go from here to our home, to our families, to our parents. The international community  we call on you. We are here. We need to be free. Where are you? Thank you.
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, has disclosed that the commission fears nobody except God.





The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission EFCC, has disclosed that the commission fears nobody except God.Appalled by criticisms that a detainee, Desmond Nunugwo died in their custody, yesterday, the EFCC threw open its holding facilities to journalists for assessment and that the commission fear nobody except God.Apparently to prove its innocence in the death of Nunugwu, the Chairman of the commission, Ibrahim Magu, flanked by some of his media managers, conducted journalist round the facilities located in its Idiagbon House by is headquarters in Wuse 2, Abuja.Facilities shown to journalists were the interrogation room, medical and toilet facilities as well as the cells where detainees are kept pending investigations and prosecution.Magu boasted that EFCCs detention facility was among the best in the country and asked journalists to take a tour of other holding facilities in the country and compare with those of the commission so as to determine his claim.Without boasting, we can say that we have one of the best detention facilities in the country and we do so with purpose because those being kept in our custody are merely being temporarily kept pending interrogation and prosecution.We have no intention to keep any detainee under an inhuman condition. That is why we have provided everything that is necessary to provide comfort for those kept in our facilities, Magu said.Magu, who defended the actions of the commission so far, said that every of its action was done in the overall interest of the nation and not to boost any individuals ego.Let me make it very clear that we are driven by nothing but national interest in all that we do and we will continue to work for the interest of this country.We will continue to investigate and prosecute those who commit financial and economic crimes against this country. We fear nobody except God in the discharge of our national assignment, the chairman said.The invitation of journalists to view the detention rooms, the first of its kind in the history of the EFCC, revealed the conditions under which the detainees are kept and how they conduct their lives while in solitude.All of the detainees are provided by 8 inches mattresses strewn on the floor with some of them being paired in a room while as many as four are kept in larger spaces.Findings also show that all the males share about 6 toilets and similar bathrooms while the female also share their facilities. A small room serves as a mosque for Muslims.The Head of the EFCC Medical Department, Dr. Haliru, who also conducted journalists round its medical facilities, said that relevant drugs are administered to inmates based on the medical reports of each person being brought into detention.We first of all take the vital statistics and conduct relevant tests to determine the medical needs of each detainee before assigning them to their cells. We also provide free of charge the prescribed drugs to the detainees so that they dont suffer any deprivation as a result of being detained.We encourage them to come with their prescribed drugs and if they run out of them, we secure for them.We give them free medical attention,Haliru said. The death of the protocol officer in EFCC cell has sparked outrage within and outside Nigeria, prompting adverse media commentary, which the EFCC has strongly objected to.Nunugwo, a former Chief Protocol Officer with the Ministry of Defence, was arrested by some officers of the Intelligence and Special Operations Section (ISOS) of the EFCC on June 9 at about 5.30pm for defrauding one Oleh Nnana Kalu of N63.6 million.His untimely has death triggered accusations and petitions to the Attorney-General of the Federation, the National Assembly and Amnesty International calling for probe.The wife of the deceased, Susanne, suspects a foul play in her husbands death and has already petitioned the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigeria Police Force, Amnesty International and other civil society groups to probe the death.However the EFCC has said that the man died naturally barely two hours after being taken into detention over fraud related petition.The EFCC in the early hours of June 10, 2016 released an official statement through its spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, announcing the tragic incident, while also informing that the matter had been formally reported to the Nigeria Police which is the relevant agency to investigate matters such as the unfortunate death of Citizen Nunugwo.While the nation awaits the outcome of the Police investigation which should include the autopsy report, the family of the deceased suspect appears to have lost their patience with the Police investigation and is pre-empting its outcome with all manner of insinuations.
The Executive Director in charge of Public Sector at First Bank, Mallam Dauda Lawal, has revealed what he told the Economic and Financial ...

The Executive Director in charge of Public Sector at First Bank, Mallam Dauda Lawal, has revealed what he told the Economic and Financial Crime Commission when he was detained sometimes ago.Lawal, in a statement in Abuja on Wednesday, said that he was actually questioned about his relationship with a former Minister of Petroleum Resources, Mrs.Diezani Alison-Madueke.He said it was true that his name has featured prominently in the EFCC investigations of Mrs.Deziani Allison-Madueke, the former Minister of Petroleum Resources under the government of President Goodluck Jonathan.Lawal also said he was questioned by the EFCC over his alleged role or complicity in the alleged $25m acquisition of the Le Meridien Hotel in Port Harcourt.He, however, denied the allegation that the former minister channelled the funds for the purchase of the property through him.Lawal said,This allegation is malicious and without substance in any material particular. It must be stated clearly that Lawal is completely oblivious of the ownership status of the said hotel neither is he directly or remotely aware of any transaction involving the former Minister on this hotel.He said the allegation must have been fuelled by his close association with Allison-Madueke, which is based purely on professional pursuits.He added,As the Executive Director in charge of Public sector of the bank, it is incumbent on him to build the necessary bridges to attract all the benefits the bank can muster from the financial operations of the public sector.For the purpose of emphasis, MallamLawalDauda has never been a conduit for movement of illicit funds neither has he been involved in the purchase of any hotel either here or elsewhere. This much was told to the EFCC during his interrogation.He added that,The former minister, given the influence she wielded within the government and operations in the oil sector was certainly an asset to any corporate Organisation, especially the banks.All the banks in Nigeria and abroad actively sought to have banking relationships with her because she sat atop a sector which is the prime revenue spinner for the country. It is to Mr.Lawals credit that the First Bank group participated actively in offering financial services to the oil industry under Madueke.
Details of the specific electoral offences committed by top Nigerian politicians and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commi...





Details of the specific electoral offences committed by top Nigerian politicians and officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and why the National Human Rights Commission recommended both criminal and administrative sanctions against the culprits, have emerged.A full report of the 284-page report exclusively obtained by Vanguard, showed that most of the political actors were indicted for using thugs to disrupt the 2007 and 2011 polls while top INEC officials were reprimanded for aiding and abetting the corrupt politicians to get into office by cheating during the polls.The report clearly showed that while top INEC officials added underserved votes for preferred politicians, others denied aggrieved candidates access to electoral materials to be able to challenge their opponents all in a bid for them to achieve predetermined outcome for their anointed candidates.In the case of Professor Maurice Iwu, the former National Chairman of the INEC, the report has recommended that an administrative punishment be meted out to him for not making relevant electoral materials available to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to challenge the declaration of late President Umaru YarAdua as President in 2007.Iwu was indicted in the judgment delivered by Justice Niki Toby, who noted that it was wrong for INEC to have denied Atiku access to relevant materials on the excuse that doing so would delay the speedy determination of the case, thereby denying the former Vice president fair hearing.Justice Niki Toby recommended that Iwu should be made to answer 27 questions on why he prevented Atiku from getting fair hearing on the altar of speedy determination of the YarAdua case.Atiku had challenged the emergence of YarAdua as the president and approached the Appeal Court to set aside the declaration based on observed anomalies but was prevented from getting the required support from the INEC, a development the Supreme Court frowned at.Toby said in his final judgment: Courts of law cannot sacrifice the constitutional principle of fair hearing on the altar of speedy hearing of cases when the content of speedy hearing is not in consonance with fair hearing in the sense of availing the parties, as in the instant appeal, the right to administer interrogatories.A party that is entitled to interrogatories and is denied that right, is denied the right to fair hearing. In the instant case, the appeal court was wrong in rejecting the application by Atiku to administer interrogatories on the ground that it would impede speedy trial of the case.Accordinly, I am of the firm view that Prof Maurice Iwu should answer the 27 questions posed for determination, the judge ruled.IN another controversial decision taken by the INEC in respect of the governorship tussle between Alhaji Muhammadu Maigari Dingyadi and former Governor Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko, the NHRC report descended heavily on INEC as being irresponsible and willing to do the bidding of certain politicians to pervert the course of justice.It recommended that the officials of INEC who perpetrated the miscarriage of justice in Sokoto must be produced and punished by the commission.It said, The officers of INEC have in this case portrayed the commission as an irresponsible organisation which is ready to perpetrate illegality and scuttle the nascent democracy for whatever reason best known to them.It is very clear from the circumstances of this case that the INEC was working with gloves in hand with some political parties in Sokoto to pervert the cause of justice. The electorates are taken for granted and this is very unfortunate, the Supreme Court ruled.In another case, the report asked the Inspector General of Police to produce a riot policeman, who shot and killed three persons on the Election Day at Ward 6 and 7 in Ogume in Delta State during House of Representative election between Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai and another in 2011.The policeman, whose name was not listed in the report, according to the Executive Secretary of the NHRC, Prof Bem Angwe, are to be fished out by the IGP for prosecution for killing innocent Nigerians instead of protecting them on the election day.Prof Angwe said that the commission was ready to go all out to ensure that the recommendations of the report supported by international development agencies like Ford Foundation, DfID and OSIWA, was fully implemented to reduce the incidence of electoral malpractices in future polls.Most of the offences, which are criminal in nature, are being referred to the Attorney General of the Federation for prosecution while the administrative ones are to be handled by the INEC and other agencies of the administration.
nuTonomy Self-Driving Taxi (Photo : Twitter)

Self-driving taxis hit Singapore's streets on August 25, Thursday in the first stage of the robot taxi project to reduce the number of vehicles on Singapore's crowded roads. The new program is the world's first taxi service that features autonomous vehicles (AV) and allows customers to hail a cab by using their smartphones to get a free ride. Google has racked up over 1.5 million miles testing driverless cars but startup nuTonomy claims its Renault and Mitsubishi vehicles will feature the world's first AV rides offered to the public.



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The new service will begin with six cars. nuTonomy plans to expand the program to a dozen cars by the end of this year. Modified Renault Zoe and Mitsubishi i-MiEV electric vehicles (EV) will be used for the program.



Each vehicle is equipped with a detection system that works like radar. Two cameras on the car's dashboard also scan the road for objects to avoid, and pick up traffic lights, according to RT.



The Singaporean startup hopes to have a full fleet of robot taxis by 2018. It also plans to expand the business model to other major cities around the world.



At first the startup's program will cover a 2.5-square mile (6.5-square km) area and be limited to certain locations. Riders who use the service must also receive an invitation from nuTonomy to get their free taxi rides.



The cars will have a human driver who can take over the wheel in emergency situations. Meanwhile, a researcher will sit in the back seat to monitor the smart car's computers.



Doug Parker is nuTonomy's chief operating officer. He told AP that the robotic taxis could slash the 900,000 cars on Singapore's roads by one-third.



However, public transportation workers including taxi drivers are concerned that the AVs could boost the unemployment rate and hurt the national economy. The self-driving taxis can reduce traffic, pollution, and accidents. They could also affect the livelihood of millions of cab drivers around the world.



In related news, Uber recently announced its self-driving pilot program that will include a fleet of 100 AVs in Pittsburgh by the end of this month, according to The Australian Financial Review. The Steel City gets 41 inches (104 cm) of yearly snowfall and has over 400 bridges, which will create many challenges during the road tests.



Human test subjects will use smartphones to summon the driverless cars.



Here's the top self-driving cars of 2016:






USAF F-15C Eagles (Photo : USAF)

The United States will deploy U.S. Air Force Boeing F-15C Eagle fighter jets to help protect the Republic of Bulgaria, a NATO member, in what might be the first in a series of moves to bolster that country's defenses against Russian aggression.



The patrols involving F-15C Eagles will begin Sept. 9 and were announced Aug. 24. NATO said the patrols will last for a week as part of wider measures to reassure NATO member nations in Eastern Europe.



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"The US Air Force and the Bulgarian Air Force will jointly conduct air policing to protect Bulgarian airspace starting on 9 September 2016," said a NATO statement. "Two US F-15 fighter jets will join Bulgaria's MIG-29s for a week on this mission."



The USAF F-15 air superiority fighters will fly alongside Bulgarian Air Force (Bulgarski Voenno Vazdushni Sili or BuAF) MiG-29 "Fulcrum" air superiority fighters in these combat patrols.



NATO said this first air policing deployment of USAF F-15Cs to Bulgaria takes place at the request of the Bulgarian government. The F-15Cs and MiG-29s will scramble in response to military and civilian aircraft that do not follow international flight regulations, or approach NATO airspace without proper clearance.



NATO Deputy Secretary General Alexander Vershbow said the mission is a demonstration of solidarity and support for Bulgaria. Joint policing measures are intended to ensure protection for NATO allies who don't have sufficient air defense assets in their own militaries.



The USAF has stepped up its deployments to Eastern Europe after the breakdown of political relations between the West and Russia over the actions of President Vladimir Putin in Ukraine.



The United States has rotated number of what it calls "Theater Security Packages" (TSPs through Europe since the TSPs first arrived in early 2015. These TSPs have typically been made up of F-15C fighters or Fairchild-Republic A-10 Thunderbolt II ground attack aircraft.



Bulgaria and the United States signed a Defense Cooperation Agreement in 2006 providing for military bases and training camps of the U.S. Army in Bulgaria as part of the Pentagon's restructuring plan.



Bulgaria became a NATO member in March 2004.


Man-made Climate Change has been going on for 180 years

Australian National University researcher Associate Professor Nerilie Abram. (Photo : Stuart Hay, ANU)

Anthropogenic climate change isn't a 20th century or 21st century phenomenon but has been around for the past 180 years.



An international research project found warming began during the early stages of the Industrial Revolution and is first detectable in the Arctic and tropical oceans around the 1830s, much earlier than scientists had expected, said Associate Professor Nerilie Abram from The Australian National University (ANU) and lead project researcher.



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"It was one of those moments where science really surprised us. But the results were clear. The climate warming we are witnessing today started about 180 years ago," said Abram.



"It was an extraordinary finding."



The new findings have important implications for assessing the extent humans have caused the climate to move away from its pre-industrial state. It will also help scientists understand the future impact of greenhouse gas emissions on the climate.



Abram noted that in the tropical oceans and the Arctic in particular, 180 years of warming has already caused the average climate to emerge above the range of variability that was normal in the centuries prior to the Industrial Revolution.



Abram said anthropogenic climate change was generally talked about as a 20th century phenomenon because direct measurements of climate are rare before the 1900s. The team, however, studied detailed reconstructions of climate spanning the past 500 years to identify when the current sustained warming trend really began.



Scientists examined natural records of climate variations across the world's oceans and continents. These included climate histories preserved in corals, cave decorations, tree rings and ice cores.



The research team also analyzed thousands of years of climate model simulations, including experiments used for the latest report by the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), to determine what caused the early warming.



The data and simulations pinpointed the early onset of warming to around the 1830s, and found the early warming was attributed to rising greenhouse gas levels.



Humans only caused small increases in the level of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere during the 1800s, said co-researcher Dr. Helen McGregor, from the University of Wollongong's School of Earth and Environmental Sciences.



"But the early onset of warming detected in this study indicates the Earth's climate did respond in a rapid and measureable way to even the small increase in carbon emissions during the start of the Industrial Age," said Dr. McGregor.



The researchers also studied major volcanic eruptions in the early 1800s and found they were only a minor factor in the early onset of climate warming.



Abram said the earliest signs of greenhouse-induced warming developed during the 1830s in the Arctic and in tropical oceans, followed soon after by Europe, Asia and North America.



Climate warming appears to have been delayed in the Antarctic, possibly due to the way ocean circulation is pushing warming waters to the North and away from the frozen continent.



The research, published in Nature, involved 25 scientists from across Australia, the United States, Europe and Asia, working together as part of the international Past Global Changes 2000 year (PAGES 2K) Consortium.


FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP)  Survivors of Hurricane Ian face a long emotional road to recover from one of the most damaging storms to hit the U.S. mainland. For those who lost everything to disaster, the anguish can be crushing to return home to find so much gone. Grief can run the gamut from frequent tears to utter despair. The Lee County medical examiner says two men in their 70s even took their own lives a day apart after viewing their losses. Experts say suicides climb after disasters and more funding for mental health should be provided as climate change makes storms and fires more frequent and devastating.
The federal government plans to pour $125 million into the fight against a mysterious disease that has ravaged corals in Florida and much of the Caribbean, and now poses a dire threat to the treasured reefs off the Louisiana and Texas coasts.
WASHINGTON (AP)  The House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol has issued a subpoena to Donald Trump. The nine-member panel sent a letter to the former president's lawyers on Friday, demanding his testimony under oath by mid-November and outlining a series of corresponding documents. The decision by lawmakers to exercise their subpoena power comes a week after the committee made its final case against the former president, who they say is the "central cause" of the multi-part effort to overturn the results of the 2020 election. It remains unclear how Trump and his legal team will respond to the subpoena, if at all.
Today

Thunderstorms likely. Rainfall will be locally heavy at times. Potential for severe thunderstorms. High 77F. Winds S at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 100%. 1 to 2 inches of rain expected.

Tonight

Some clouds. Low 62F. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.

Tomorrow

Partly cloudy. High 74F. Winds WSW at 5 to 10 mph.
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The dead sharks that washed ashore on a Damietta beach on Thursday are from a species that doesn't attack humans, the chief of a governmental committee tasked to look into the incident has said.

Egyptian Environment Minister Khaled Fahmy had earlier ordered the beach where the incident occurred, in the northern town of New Damietta, to be closed until it was inspected by a specialised team, and swimming in the area was banned.

The committee--formed by the country's environment ministry and included members from the Egyptian Environmental Affairs Agency (EEAA)--inspected the area on Thursday afternoon.

Committee chief Mohamed Salem Abdel-Rahman said that the beach was safe, and that there was no reason for the beach to remain closed.

The committee didn't reveal which shark species it had identified.

In June, Egypt imposed a temporary ban on sport fishing and offshore swimming near the popular Red Sea destination of Ain Sokhna, where a shark attack took place. Officials at the time said the attack was likely caused by a combination of fishing and swimming in the same spot.

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Egypt's government has quashed reports of a forthcoming reshuffle that came in the wake of the supply minister's resignation on Thursday, saying that only the ministry will be affected.

Egypt's Minister of Supply Khaled Hanafi resigned Thursday amid a high-profile corruption case involving probe into whether millions of dollars allotted to subsidising farmers were misappropriated.

"No propositions have been made to carry out ministerial reshuffle at other ministries," cabinet spokesman Hossam Qaweesh said Thursday on CBC television channel.

"Only a reshuffle at the supply ministry is on the table," he said.

Prosecutors are currently probing whether reports of a bumper wheat crop may be the result of foul play, Qaweesh said, adding that no accusations have yet been levelled at the outgoing minister.

Minister of Trade and Industry Tarek Kabil has been tasked with managing the supply ministry until a new minister is named.

"Experience has proven that being in authority is no longer a picnic or a (source of) booty," resigned minister Hanafi said as he announced his resignation on state television.

Countering accusations against him that included using EGP 7 million in state funds to maintain a residency at a five-star Cairo hotel, Hanafi said he has been the victim of a "mafia."

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Egypt's general traffic authority says is planning to make traffic police officers wear body cameras "soon" to document their activities while on duty.

The new move is aimed at "regulating the conduct of traffic officers and maintaining discipline, "Adel Zaky, the head of the interior ministry's General Traffic Department, told Al-Ahram newspaper.

A video camera mounted on an officer's uniform would provide an accurate account of encounters with civilians, Zaky told Al-Ahram in comments published Friday.

The idea has been raised amid recurring incidents of fights between traffic cops and civilians.

"The secret surveillance cameras will...record all conversations taking place in such incidents," said Zaky.

Egypt is notorious for its lax traffic regulations and high death toll from road accidents.

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VALPARAISO  A 28-year-old South Haven man already facing a charge of child molesting, appeared in court Friday on 12 new counts of possessing child pornography.

Phillip Kress showed no reaction, but others in the courtroom winced as the new charges were read by Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa.

The charges refer to various videos and images, Deputy Prosecutor Cheryl Polarek told the court.

Kress pleaded not guilty to the new charges and a trial was scheduled for Feb. 6.

There already is an Oct. 10 trial scheduled on the initial count of child molesting.

Kress is accused in that initial case of molesting a then-5-year-old girl between July 1, 2014, and Feb. 21, 2015, using a sex toy, according to court documents.

The girl reportedly told family members about the abuse even though Kress told her not to tell anyone or he would be really mad.

A former girlfriend reportedly told police that Kress had pornography on his computer, but that it was locked up, according case records. She said she caught him watching it on several occasions, but he would close it immediately.

Among the items police seized from Kress home were a computer and a hard drive, according to records.
VALPARAISO  A 27-year-old Kouts man was sentenced Friday to 7 1/2 years behind bars after pleading guilty to three felony counts stemming from accusations of filming himself having sex with an unconscious Portage woman, who later died.

Chaz McIntosh showed no emotion as Porter Superior Court Judge Bill Alexa accepted the plea deals agreed-to sentence.

McIntosh was told he will have to register as a sex offender and comply with all the rules upon his release. He already has served 634 days behind bars, the judge said.

McIntosh pleaded guilty to three felony counts of sexual battery.

The case was filed after police discovered the video on McIntoshs phone while investigating the death of Elizabeth Oswald, who was found just before noon Nov. 30, 2014, unresponsive and not breathing on the floor in the 2700 block of Virginia Park Drive in Valparaiso.

Police said Oswald was still breathing in the video, yet was found dead within six hours of the sexual assault.

At one point, I viewed E.O. (Elizabeth Oswald) face down in a pillow having severe difficulty breathing, Valparaiso police Detective Sgt. Jeff Balon said as part of the charging information.

It was then that McIntosh turned her head by pulling her hair to the side, allowing her to breathe better, he wrote.

McIntosh reportedly told police he was involved in a three-year relationship with Oswald, which was rocky at times. He claimed the two frequently engaged in kinky sex, yet admitted he did not have consent to have sex with her the day she died and performed the act while she was unconscious.

Porter County Coroner Chuck Harris said Oswald died of the toxic effects of methadone, blunt force injuries to her head and other blunt force injuries. No charges have been filed in connection with her death.
HAMMOND  Residents attending the first of two hearings on fair housing in the city raised the need for better schools and public transportation.

The meetings to discuss Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing are a new requirement for communities receiving community development block grant money from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. A second public hearing will be held a 1 p.m. Thursday in the Hammond Public Library community room, 564 State St.

By Oct. 4, the city has to submit to HUD an assessment of fair housing, which details what factors impede fair housing choice in the city and what actions the city will undertake to address these impediments. A draft plan is expected to be ready by next week that people can comment on prior to it being finalized.

On Tuesday, Bill Kubal, a principal with Usona Development, presented data from HUD looking at various trends in Hammond and the Region.

On the plus side, Kubal noted Hammond has a more diverse and less segregated population than the overall Region and minority groups are not having problems finding places to live in the city. The overall Region, for purposes of the study, stretches all the way into Kenosha County, Wisconsin, and includes Cook County and eight other counties in Illinois, along with four counties in Indiana.

One section of Hammond has been designated a racially/ethnically concentrated area and the city will need to show how it will provide greater opportunity in that area. The area is bounded by the state line on the west, Calumet Avenue on the east, the Grand Calumet River on the north and Ogden/Douglas to the south. It contains the downtown core of the city and contains three affordable housing developments.

The population in this largely commercial neighborhood has decreased by 31 percent from 1990 to 2010 and the number of single-family homes has decreased by almost 50 percent.

John R. Petruszak, executive director of the South Suburban Housing Center, said the citys concentration of public and assisted housing there reveals patterns of poverty and racial/ethnic segregation.

Petruszaks group, which provides fair housing enforcement services in Lake County, is recommending all new or redeveloped multi-family affordable housing be scattered in small developments throughout the city outside the two areas where they are concentrated now.

The HUD data also showed residents have higher transportation costs than the rest of the Region and some people at the meeting complained about the relative lack of public bus service in Hammond.

In addition, based on fourth-grade state test scores, the quality of Hammond schools was seen as much lower than the rest of the Region.

I think it is clear from the data that education is a huge problem in Hammond, Linda Kalwinski said to members of the Hammond Human Relations Committee who were hosting the hearing.

Gary resident Kelli Dudley criticized the city for turning over the Hammond Transit assets to the Regional Development Authority in 2010 and not doing anything to restore the service when the RDA discontinued operating the system. She implied officials knew this would adversely impact minorities. She also questioned how people without vehicles were going to get to the South Shore line if the extension is built.

There were also concerns raised at the meeting about a lack of programs to help senior citizens stay in their homes, the need for more options for people with disabilities and the need for funding to help people correct code violations.

The city has pointed to various programs it has put in place to increase home ownership and help families, including its Hammond Homebound program, a disability ramp program and a child care assistance program.
EAST CHICAGO  Work to clean up lead and arsenic in the eastern part of the citys Calumet neighborhood is expected to move forward as the EPA re-examines its remediation plan at the West Calumet Housing Complex, an official said.

The news about the eastern area came a day before the state announced Thursday it is providing $200,000 to the East Chicago Housing Authority and East Chicago Health Department to help families currently living in the complex.

Soil test results the Environmental Protection Agency released to the city May 24 show alarming levels of lead and arsenic at the complex.

The U.S. Department of Justice reached a $26 million agreement in a fall 2014 consent decree with Atlantic Richfield and DuPont for a cleanup in two of three zones in the Calumet neighborhood, which is part of a U.S. EPA Superfund site.

The plan called for removing soil down to 2 feet and replacing it with clean soil, but EPA has put excavation plans at the West Calumet Housing Complex  which is in zone 1  on hold as the city, its housing authority and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development work to relocate 1,000 residents there by Nov. 30. Zone 1 also includes Carrie Gosch Elementary School, which the School City of East Chicago has closed.

The EPA has dubbed the eastern part of the Calumet neighborhood zone 3. The consent decree does not address zone 2, though soil testing also is underway there.

For zone 3, we expect the remedy selected in the 2012 Record of Decision to be implemented without delay pursuant to the 2014 consent decree, said Wyn Hornbuckle, a spokesman for the Department of Justice.

Zone 3 is bounded by the Elgin & Joliet Railway Line to the west, Parrish Avenue to the east, East Chicago Avenue to the north and 149th Place to the south.

The EPA said it will begin informing residents in zone 3 of soil test results starting this week and follow up by sending letters.

EPA is re-examining the 2012 remedial plan for portions of zone 1 in light of new developments, Hornbuckle said. EPA is waiting on the city, the East Chicago Housing Authority and HUD for input on future land use.

EPA has put down mulch to control the spread of contaminated soil at the complex, and is offering to deep-clean residents units to remove any contaminated soil or dust that may have migrated inside. Lead concentrations in dust at more than half of the units tested as of late week exceeded the EPAs hazard level for cleaning, EPA said.

According to a news release, HUDs Midwest regional office and Indianapolis field office contacted the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority on Aug. 3  the same day the East Chicago Housing Authority held a public hearing on its plan to demolish the West Calumet Complex.

Lead testing, relocation

The Indiana Department of Health is providing $100,000 to the East Chicago Health Department to help fund a public health nurse and public health educator to help with lead testing and education efforts, according to a news release.

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority board of directors voted Thursday to allocate $100,000 to the East Chicago Housing Authority to help West Calumet residents with the financial burden of immediate relocation.

The Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority also is working with the East Chicago Housing Authority to ensure residents find housing in the East Chicago area, the release said.

Residents and local property owners were encouraged to use the IndianaHousingNow.org website to search and post available rental units.

As many as 586 properties in zone 2 will be tested, if residents sign a consent agreement, EPA said. Zone 2 is bounded by East Chicago Avenue to the north, 151st Street to the south, McCook Avenue to the west, and the Elgin & Joliet and Eastern Railway to the east and includes a segment just north of Gosch Elementary and west of McCook.

Hornbuckle said the sampling in zone 2 is part of the EPAs work to design a remediation plan for that area.

The 2014 consent decree does not address zone 2, and it has not yet been determined who will ultimately pay for the remedial work in that zone, he said.

The Indiana attorney generals office, which represents the Indiana Department of Environmental Management, said the 2014 consent decree remains in effect.

EPA, IDEM and East Chicago are working to facilitate the funds and resources to clean up the areas of excessive contamination that have since been identified, Attorney General Greg Zoeller said in a written statement.

Though disagreements may exist as to how to proceed, the health and safety of the East Chicago residents must be of the utmost priority, Zoeller said.
In February of this year, Lowell hired its first town manager. Jeffrey Sheridan came to the town with an extensive resume that includes more than 20 years of experience in various government positions throughout Indiana, and he recently shared the reasoning behind the hire, and how it fits into the direction Lowell is taking.

Why a Town Manager?

Thats really a better question for the Town Council, Sheridan says. But, based on the interviews and my first four months on the job, Id say they have much they want to accomplish and were not making the progress they hoped for.

A town manager is a full-time professional dedicated to implementing the policies, priorities and projects of the community. Sheridan believes its important for residents to understand his role in the town government.

Many people compare a town manager to a mayor, he explains. But a better and more realistic comparison is a school superintendent. The school board establishes the policy of the district, and the superintendent implements those policies and manages the school on a daily basis. So the reality is that the town council sets the direction for the town. My job is to implement the goals they set for Lowell.

The council felt the need for a full time manager to move projects forward. With an eye on the present as well as the future, they hired Sheridan.

Lowells Vision

In order to effectively implement the towns vision, it is critical that Sheridan has a thorough understanding of what the council wants. While that sounds straightforward, the implementation can be tricky.

The vision is to grow the community in a smart, planned way, he explains. We want to maintain the small town charm and unique characteristics that make Lowell so special. We understand that many folks dont want change; they just want it to stay as it was when they grew up or moved here.

But, maintaining the status quo is really the most difficult goal for a town, he adds. Communities are either growing or declining. If you are declining, it is very difficult to reverse that trend.

Sheridan explains that two-thirds of rural Indiana communities are declining in population.

Lowell is growing, he says. Our population has been increasing for the last several years. Weve already issued more building permits this year than we did all of last year. The key is to plan for and properly manage the growth.

Another component of smart growth is diversity.

We need to improve the diversity of our tax base, Sheridan says. Currently, approximately 80 percent of our Net Assessed Value (NAV) is residential. We need to attract more commercial and industrial development.

One possibility Sheridan and the town council have discussed is the development of an industrial park.

Current Projects

We have several projects already underway or in the planning stages, Sheridan says.

Among the projects are:

 Construction of a one million gallon water tower to upgrade the water utility. Lowell uses an average of 750,000 gallons a day, but only has two tanks that hold 400,000 gallons each. The tower will provide adequate storage for the near future and improve water service and pressure.

 The design of a major upgrade to the walkability of the community. That includes a large portion of State Road 2 getting new sidewalks on both sides. Construction is expected to begin in the spring of 2017. The town obtained grant funding for 80 percent of the cost of this approximately two million dollar project.

 Aunt Millies new bakery is under construction and is expected to be operational sometime next year. The bakery will bring 100 new jobs and a state-of-the-art food processing facility. It will also bring a multi-state distribution operation into what was a shuttered plastic injection molding facility.

 Lowell recently applied for more than two million dollars in street and road projects through the INDOT Community Crossings grant program. The program is a dollar for dollar matching grant with the maximum award of one million dollars. The goal is to maximize the additional, one-time funding from the state in order to achieve the most bang for their buck.

 The town recently formed a Parks Advisory Board with the goal of evaluating community Parks and Recreation resources and planning for additions and improvements. The first step was to apply for funds to help the first major trail project, which would connect Freedom Park to downtown Lowell.

Long Term

For the long term, Sheridan wants to focus on fiscal sustainability.

Fiscal sustainability is critical to our growth, he says. Second, as a part of diversifying the tax base, we need to develop an industrial park.

The third long-term plan addresses the quality of life in Lowell.

Quality of life projects keep a community competitive for retaining and attracting residents, he says. This includes things like bike and walking trails, superior parks amenities, and other attractions that bring young families to town.

Sheridan believes that these three long-term plans go hand in hand.

Companies will want to locate where the town is well managed, where there is an

adequate, well-educated work force who wants to live there, he says. The ability to attract business is critical to our sustained growth.

To that end, Sheridan will focus on three areas that need improvement; diversifying the tax base, properly planning for the impacts of continued growth, and continuing to invest in upgrading and maintaining town infrastructure.

Lowell has a lot going for it, he says. We are in a great location, with access to several major highways. We have a strong sense of community, and we have great schools. We also have a vibrant and historic downtown commercial district thats on the National Register of Historic Places.

Our future looks really bright.
Community leaders and activists rallied against violence Thursday after a transgender woman was attacked in Queens last week.



They gathered to support the victim, 28-year-old Gaby Diaz. Police say she was attacked by a man with a hammer on the morning of August 17 after yelling, "This is what you get for being gay."



They say the man got out of his gray Toyota 4-Runner and approached Diaz from behind as she was walking on 67th Street near 41st Avenue.

Diaz says she has been living in fear ever since the attack.



"Im nervous, and at the same time, Im afraid the attacker might try to find me again," she said through an interpreter. "Im feeling very anxious because of what happened, although Im very grateful to all the people who have come here to show their support."



Local activists say in Queens alone, there have been 10 reported attacks against transgender people this year.

Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
Police have released a new sketch of a suspect in the shooting death of a woman in Manhattan over the weekend.

Investigators say the man depicted above was involved in a shooting at West 144th Street and Lenox Ave in Harlem late Saturday night.

Odessa Simms, 61, was struck in the neck by a stray bullet while she was playing cards with friends outside. Police say she was not the intended target.



Investigators are offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

Anyone with information on the case should contact the Crime Stoppers hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS, or text CRIMES and then enter TIP577, or visit www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.
Egypt's military said it has foiled an attempted attack Friday on a military outpost in North Sinai, where it is battling an Islamist insurgency.

Four militants were killed when forces opened fire on militants attempting to attack the outpost in Rafah, the army said in a statement.

Hundreds of security personnel have been killed by Islamist militants in North Sinai since the 2013 overthrow of Islamist president Mohamed Morsi. The army has carried out several campaigns to crush insurgents and cut their supply lines.

Earlier this month, the Egyptian army said it had killed the chief of the country's most lethal militant group, Ansar Beit Al-Maqdis, during an anti-insurgency operation in North Sinai.

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A man is facing charges for allegedly attacking his mother with a knife at an assisted living facility in Queens.



Sources tell NY1 47-year-old Michael Berger slashed his 72-year-old mother in the neck before slashing his own at the Scheuer House of Bayside on 26th Avenue just after noon Friday.

Berger, who's listed in critical condition, is being charged with attempted murder, assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Police recovered a kitchen knife they believe was used in the attack.


The shoo-in for No. 1 on Billboards next album chart is Frank Oceans Blonde, which has charmed critics and enthralled fans who had waited four years since his last record.

But the release of the album last weekend, through an exclusive deal with Apple, has also roiled the industry, bringing to the surface long-simmering tensions that record companies have with streaming music services, and sometimes even with their own artists.

Within days of the albums release, a series of revelations about Mr. Ocean and Blonde  whose cover art spells it Blond  emerged that portray a business deeply in flux. Mr. Ocean, it seemed, was no longer signed to Def Jam, his record company, when Blonde was released. He had apparently fulfilled his contractual agreement with the label with the release of a separate visual album the day before Blonde came out  a move that cut Def Jam and its corporate parent, the giant Universal Music Group, out of the profits for one of the years most-anticipated albums.

At the same time, Universals management decided to clamp down on the growing practice of releasing new music through exclusive deals with digital outlets like Apple Music and Tidal, a move that reasserted the labels control over the music its artists produce but also risked alienating top performers who benefit from such promotions.
Not that long ago, Volkswagen dealerships were among the hottest properties in the retail auto business.

The German brand was growing rapidly, and an ambitious goal of tripling sales in the United States to more than 800,000 cars a year seemed within reach, helped by increasingly popular diesel models and a new plant in Chattanooga, Tenn. With the future looking bright, buyers as recently as 2014 typically paid premiums of $3 million to $4 million to acquire Volkswagen franchises in the United States.

But the diesel scandal that erupted almost a year ago, setting off a plunge in Volkswagen sales, changed all that. Some dealers who tried to sell their franchises in the last year found their dealerships were worth little more than the value of the land they stood on and their inventory of cars and spare parts, according to brokers involved in dealership sales.

Now help is on the way.

On Thursday, Volkswagen told a federal judge it had reached a basic agreement to compensate its 650 dealers in the United States for the troubles they have suffered.
For example, Felidia, in Midtown, will donate $5 for every plate of chitarra allamatriciana to the Italian Red Cross for the next year: 243 East 58th Street, 212-758-1479, felidia-nyc.com.

At Barbetta Restaurant on the theater districts restaurant row, 10 percent of all sales for the next two months will go to the Italian Red Cross, through the Italian Consulate. (The restaurant serves pasta allamatriciana.): 321 West 46th Street, 212-246-9171, barbettarestaurant.com.
Two Long Island congressmen sent a letter to the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Veterans Affairs Department on Thursday asking them to conduct a thorough inquiry into the suicide of a veteran outside the Northport Veterans Medical Center on Long Island.

The veteran, Peter A. Kaisen, 76, of Islip, shot himself on the Northport campus on Sunday. Two people connected to the hospital who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss his death said that Mr. Kaisen had been turned away from the hospitals emergency room before he killed himself.

A spokesman for the hospital said on Wednesday that there was no indication that Mr. Kaisen had been at the emergency room. It is unclear if any official record was made of a visit by Mr. Kaisen.

Image Representatives Steve Israel, left, a Democrat, and Peter T. King, a Republican.

Representatives Peter T. King, a Republican, and Steve Israel, a Democrat, sent a letter to James B. Comey, the F.B.I. director, and Robert McDonald, the secretary of veterans affairs, calling on the agencies to investigate Mr. Kaisens death in a transparent manner to assure veterans that mental health problems can and will be addressed at V.A. medical centers.
The bulletins are known around the New York Police Department as personnel orders, a register of the comings and goings across the sprawling agency, with its 36,000 uniformed members and thousands more civilian employees.

The rundown includes changes in duty, promotions, retirements and deaths, as well as information on disciplinary actions taken against officers. It was sent out almost every day, posted in precinct station houses and around Police Headquarters, including in the upstairs offices of the departments arm dedicated to public information. There, for decades, journalists had been able to peruse the pages on a clipboard and report the contents.

But in recent months, no new pages were put on the clipboard. And on Thursday, police officials said the orders were no longer available to journalists, noting that the department realized this year that the practice  which had been around so long that many officials could not recall when it began  was in violation of state civil law.

Critics challenged the departments interpretation of the law and said the decision was troubling because it limited the publics access to information about whether police officials were holding officers accountable for wrongdoing.
In a search on the federal Bureau of Prisons website, the names of two familiar New Yorkers  Sheldon Silver and Dean G. Skelos  now appear.

Both were once powerful state lawmakers. Then they were convicted on corruption charges. Now they are listed with prisoner registration numbers: Mr. Silver is 71915-054; Mr. Skelos is 72196-054.

But for each mans entry, the federal website also adds: Not in B.O.P. custody. And based on a court ruling on Thursday, neither man is now required to report to the authorities anytime soon as the convictions are appealed, a process that could take more than a year.

Ever since they were found guilty last year in separate trials, Mr. Silver, 72, a Manhattan Democrat who was speaker of the State Assembly, and Mr. Skelos, 68, a Long Island Republican who served as the State Senate majority leader, have moved aggressively to stave off the day that they had to begin serving their prison sentences and pay the imposed fines.
The Turkish military incursion into Syria that started Wednesday with American air support is about as good an illustration as there is of the exasperating complexity of Washingtons foreign affairs.

The stated purpose of the offensive is to clear Islamic State militants from one of their last remaining strongholds and supply lines on the Syrian-Turkish border. That goal, and getting Turkey more involved in the fight against the Islamic State, is obviously in Americas interest. But it also adds more complications.

A major Turkish priority through much of the Syrian conflict has been to keep Syrian Kurds away from its borders for fear that they will bolster Kurdish insurgents in Turkey. So in addition to pushing the Islamic State, also known as ISIS and ISIL, back from its borders, Turkeys drive to clear the militants from the border town of Jarabulus is intended to prevent Syrian Kurds, who are Americas most reliable allies in Syria, from moving into the town.

The competing goals in Syria are only one source of tension that has driven Turkish-American relations to a new low. The growing authoritarianism of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has aroused considerable unease in Washington and other Western capitals, as has his far-reaching crackdown on political foes after the failed coup last month. Washingtons slow response to Turkeys demand for the extradition of Fethullah Gulen, a Turkish cleric, who now lives in Pennsylvania and is regarded by Ankara as the mastermind of the plot, has only heightened anti-American feelings in Turkey.
WASHINGTON  One might wonder how a country that recently survived a bloody coup attempt and multiple terrorist attacks could embark on a military incursion into a neighboring country. Yet this is exactly what Turkey has done.

In the early hours of Wednesday, Turkey sent tanks and warplanes across the border into Syria in a coordinated campaign with Western-backed Syrian opposition fighters to capture the town of Jarabulus, one of the Islamic States last strongholds on the Turkish border, which the Foreign Ministry had recently vowed to cleanse of the militant group.

But the operation seems to be aimed more at containing the territorial ambitions of the Syrian Kurds, which Turkey sees as its primary enemy in Syria.

Turkey views the Syrian Kurdish militia, the Peoples Protection Units, or Y.P.G., as an extension of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers Party, a militant group that has been at war with the Turkish state for decades. Its true that there are close ties between the groups. But its also true that in recent years, the Y.P.G. has become Washingtons most effective ally fighting against the Islamic State on the ground in Syria.
Donald Trump has taken a strange turn lately. O.K., he has taken a lot of strange turns  thats what happens when you nominate a short-attention-span candidate who knows nothing about policy and refuses to sit still for more than three minutes. But never mind what passes for Trumpian policy ideas. Whats odd is the shift in what the problem is supposed to be.

When the Trump campaign started, it was, at least nominally, about economics. Foreigners are stealing your jobs, the candidate declared, both through unfair trade and by coming here as immigrants. And he would make America great again with punitive tariffs and mass deportations.

But the story changed at the Republican convention. There was remarkably little economic discussion on display; there wasnt even much economic demagogy. Instead, the focus was all on law and order, on saving the nation from what the candidate described as a terrifying crime wave.

That theme has continued in recent weeks, with Mr. Trumps outreach to minority voters. His notion of a pitch to these voters is to tell them how horrible their lives are, that they are facing crime at levels that nobody has seen. Even war zones, he says, are safer than living in some of our inner cities.
Egypt is ready to provide medical treatment for the brother of a 13-year-old after the latter had travelled to Italy by boat to seek medical help for his sibling, Egypts envoy in Rome told Italian authorities.

According to an official statement by Egypts foreign ministry, ambassador to Rome Amr Helmy said that the embassy told Italian officials that Egypts health ministry was ready to treat the brother of Ahmed Youssef Marei, who suffers from thrombocytopenia, at the states expenses.

Marei took the medical records of his seven-year-old brother Ashraf to Italy last week aboard a migrant boat after paying smugglers in the Egyptian port city of Alexandria.

Marei asked authorities upon arrival to provide him with a job so that he could pay for his brother's medical expenses, Italian media reported

Ambassador Helmy said an Egyptian official from the embassy arrived at a health care centre in Italys Florence to check on the elder Marei's mental and physical health.

The Egyptian ministrys statement comes one day after it announced that the Marei family would be going to Florence for the treatment.

According to the ministry, the Italian embassy in Cairo had contacted the boy's family after a number of Italian businessmen and families offered to cover the expenses of his treatment.



The Italian officials said that the boy calls his parents daily, adding that they are ready for a constant exchange of information with the Egyptian embassy until the sick brother and his mother move to Italy if they accept the European country's offer.

The case, which has brought attention to Egypts troubled healthcare system, came to light last week after Italian media reported on the youngster's story, with Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi saying a hospital in Florence was willing to treat young Marei free of charge.

Egyptian health minister Ahmed Emad urged the family to contact him personally to arrange for free-of-charge treatment in Egypt, while suggesting that the parents had not sought treatment at home before opting for Italy.

Although healthcare is guaranteed by law to all citizens in Egypt, the quality and availability of treatment is questionable, particularly in public hospitals.

Egypt allocated EGP 53.3 billion to healthcare spending in this fiscal year's budget, up from EGP 49.3 billion in the previous year, putting healthcare at 1.6 percent of GDP.

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Are you smarter than an immigrant? Can you name, say, all three branches of government or a single Supreme Court justice? Most Americans, those born here, those about to make the most momentous decision in civic life this November, cannot. And most cannot pass the simple test aced by 90 percent of new citizens.

Well, then: Who controlled the Senate during the 2014 election, when control of the upper chamber was at stake? If you answered Dunno at the time, you were with a majority of Americans in the clueless category.

But surely now, when election news saturation is thicker than the humidity around Lady Libertys lip, weve become a bit more clue-full. I give you Texas. A recent survey of Donald Trump supporters there found that 40 percent of them believe that Acorn will steal the upcoming election.

Acorn? News flash: That community-organizing group has been out of existence for six years. Acorn is gone, disbanded, dead. It can no more steal an election than Donald Trump can pole vault over his Mexican wall.
The sixth candidate, Alice Cancel, is a novice politician, like the others, but she is also the incumbent assemblywoman, having won a special election in April to fill out Mr. Silvers unfinished term. Mr. Silver and his cronies maneuvered her onto the ballot, for reasons that were never really clear. Her performance on Tuesday deepened the mystery; if she has qualifications for the job, she kept them well hidden.

Mr. Silver was the elephant in the room  though he wasnt in the room; hes out on bail, trying to delay his appointment with a prison cell. A question about Mr. Silvers legacy gave Ms. Cancel an opportunity to disown his blackened record and acknowledge the harm he had done. She demurred.

Asked how she would stop gentrification and high-rise construction from destroying affordable housing, she drew a blank: To be very honest with you, I dont know the answer to that question, in terms of how do we stop whats going on, she said, before suggesting that maybe rezoning would help, which might have been a good answer if she were running for City Council.

But the other candidates stepped in to fill the vacuity, on housing and other issues, like policing, schools and climate change. It soon became clear that voters in the district could indeed have a real opportunity to move beyond Mr. Silver and his echo, Ms. Cancel.

Mr. Lee made a businessmans case for technology and job creation. Ms. Li, Ms. Niou, Mr. Newell and Ms. Rajkumar gave thoughtful, informed answers about infrastructure, land use and police-community relations. Mr. Newell, who ran against Mr. Silver in 2008, showed a strong command of housing policy, discussing the need for rent regulations and tenant protections to keep people of modest means in their homes.
Uber has upended the transportation industry in the span of a few years. But the ride-hailing company has been losing a lot of money while doing so.

Uber recorded losses of roughly $1.2 billion in the first half of 2016, according to a person briefed on the companys financial data, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. More than half of those losses, or around $750 million, accrued in the second quarter of this year, said the person.

An Uber spokesman declined to comment. Bloomberg previously reported on Ubers financial information.

The numbers underscore the difficulties that Uber and companies of its ilk face when trying to build and expand globally. As Uber has opened operations in numerous cities around the world, it has needed to spend to recruit drivers, to market its service and to take on regulators and established taxi companies. The company has also paid for driver and rider incentives in the form of subsidies.

As a result, Uber has been on a fund-raising tear. The company, valued at more than $62 billion by investors, has been raising billions of dollars every few months. In June, the company garnered $3.5 billion from Saudi Arabias Public Investment Fund, one of the single largest investments ever in a private technology company.
Life According to Saki, an ensemble-driven play set in the trenches of World War I, is the winner of the annual Carol Tambor Best of Edinburgh Award, to be announced in Edinburgh on Friday.

The award, presented each year to one outstanding theater production at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, comes with a valuable prize: A production in New York next winter. Life According to Saki will be presented Feb. 9 to March 5 at New York Theater Workshops Fourth Street Theater.

The show, inspired by Sakis short stories and written by the childrens book author Katherine Rundell (who also likes to do some tightrope walking in her spare time) imagines Saki reminiscing about his life and entertaining his fellow soldiers by recounting some of his previously published work. (Saki, born Hector Hugh Munro, died in the trenches in 1916.)

The other soldiers act out various characters in a show that also employs dance and puppetry. Directed by Jessica Lazar, Life According to Saki is being presented in Edinburgh by the British theater company Atticist.
Has anyone ever enjoyed a layover? Either it is nerve-janglingly short or grindingly long. The Layover, a disappointing new play by Leslye Headland that opened on Thursday at Second Stage Theater, achieves the novel feat of being both at the same time. Running a little more than 90 minutes, it doesnt succeed in bringing us deeply into the lives of its principal characters. And yet we dont exactly leave pining for more of their company.

Ms. Headland, whose comedy Bachelorette remains among the most scorchingly funny new plays Ive reviewed, has muffled her comic verve almost completely in this play, although the dialogue occasionally crackles with sharp-elbowed exchanges. Instead she has written a dark drama about infidelity and its unforeseen consequences.

Annie Parisse and Adam Rothenberg, both terrific, play Shellie and Dex, business-class seatmates on a flight to New York stuck in Chicago. They strike up a getting-to-know-you conversation that pivots between flirtation and antagonism. Dex reveals that hes an engineer who lives in San Diego but is on his way to visit his fiancee. Shellie says shes a professor who teaches American crime fiction and is happily unattached.
Durants assistant police chief, James Lee, said an officer was sent to the sisters home around 10 a.m. to conduct what he called a wellness check after they did not show up at work. The door to the home was open, he said, and the officer found the bodies inside.

The Rev. Greg Plata, the priest at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Lexington, where the nuns were active, said he had been told by the police that they were stabbed. One of their cars, a blue Toyota Corolla, was missing. Warren Strain, a spokesman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, said the car was found abandoned Thursday evening on a secluded street barely a mile from the home, The Associated Press reported.

Father Plata said the two women were the only ones who lived in the house. It was not clear if the killings were related to their work. He said they dressed in civilian attire, or scrubs when they were at work.

Chief Lee said that he could not speculate about a motive and that a cause of death had yet to be officially determined. The 10-person Police Department was being helped by the State Bureau of Investigation and the Holmes County Sheriffs Department.
Senator Fran Pavley, a Los Angeles-area Democrat who wrote the 2006 legislation and one of the bills passed this week, said that much had changed in the past decade and that state lawmakers were no longer debating the potential effect of climate change.

People once thought we were being alarmist when we talked about drought and year-round wildfires, she said. But all these predictions have come true, and the realities of climate change seem to be accelerating and are tangibly visible sooner than I ever expected. The discussion here now is how to address it, not if.

The legislation does not address the struggling cap-and-trade program. The program is facing a lawsuit from the California Chamber of Commerce, which contends that the tax is unconstitutional.

Mr. Brown has suggested that he would consider a ballot initiative to get voter approval of the program. It has brought in far less revenue than expected in the most recent auctions, which require companies to buy credits to release greenhouse gas emissions.

John Sterman, a professor and climate policy expert at the MIT Sloan School of Management, said Californias move sent an unambiguous message that major political forces support such action. It says, Were committed to this task, he said. Were not going back.

In a practical sense, Dr. Sterman said, the decision gives companies and innovators clear direction about how to make investments. That could lead companies to drive down their prices in alternative energies, he said.

Still, Dr. Sterman said, even Californias ambitious goals fall short of what will ultimately be needed to head off severe effects of climate change. As welcome as Californias action is, its still not aggressive enough, he said.
WASHINGTON  President Obama is set to vastly expand a marine sanctuary northwest of the main Hawaiian Islands, White House officials said Thursday, creating the worlds largest protected marine area as he seeks to cement his environmental legacy in his last months in office.

Mr. Obama will travel next week to Midway Atoll, a remote spit of land within the Papahanaumokuakea Marine National Monument, to recognize the designation and highlight the importance of protecting pristine lands and waters as the perils of climate change intensify.

The move, which will more than quadruple the size of the refuge and has been championed by conservationists, scientists and native Hawaiians, is the latest example of Mr. Obamas expansive exercise of executive power to preserve public lands and waters.

This act  to build resilience in our oceans, and sustain the diversity and productivity of sea life  could usher in a new century of conservation for our most special, and fragile, ocean areas, said Sarah Chasis, director of the oceans program at the Natural Resources Defense Council.
The recent appointment of Stephen K. Bannon, the right-wing media mogul, as chief executive of Donald J. Trumps campaign was part of an effort to reset a candidacy that has stumbled with minority and female voters and suffered from controversies surrounding high-level campaign officials.

But Mr. Bannon brings to the post his own bumpy background that includes misdemeanor charges of domestic violence and allegations that he threatened his then wife, the accuser, with retribution if she testified in the criminal case, according to a police report of the incident and court records obtained by The New York Times.

The charges date back two decades to the end of a troubled marriage in Santa Monica, Calif., when Mr. Bannons wife, Mary Louise Piccard, claimed that he had attacked her at their home.

He was charged in February 1996 with domestic violence, battery and attempting to dissuade a victim from reporting a crime, but the case was dropped when Ms. Piccard did not show up in court. In court records, Ms. Piccard later claimed that Mr. Bannon instructed her to leave town to avoid testifying.
In neighboring countries, efforts to bring South Americas dictatorship-era crimes before the courts have faltered. But over the past decade, Argentina has been viewed by human rights groups as a beacon of progress, with scores of trials in which more than 600 people have been convicted so far.

The country has even pursued justice beyond its borders with a trial that concluded this year.

Thursdays verdict was widely anticipated because the trial was one of the most extensive, involving 716 victims and testimony from hundreds of witnesses over nearly four years. It was also groundbreaking, prosecutors said, because it was the first time they had progressed in Cordoba with cases involving death squads that operated before the military took power in the 1976 coup. In other corners of Argentina, cases dealing with crimes committed before the coup had been tried.

While human rights defenders have urged the courts to accelerate trials, several defendants died during the process. One committed suicide.

One case that stood out involved Sonia Torres, 86, whose grandchild was stolen by former military officials after her daughter was kidnapped and gave birth in captivity. Half of my task is completed, she told the local news media after the trial, referring to the convictions. Now, I have to find my grandchild.

An estimated 500 babies born in captivity or kidnapped with their parents were raised by families close to the military. A prominent human rights organization has so far helped 120 of those people, now adults, to discover their true identity, reuniting them with their biological relatives.
Egypt condemned on Friday in strongest terms the terrorist attack that hit Somali capital Mogadishu on Thursday, killing at least 10 people at a seaside restaurant.

In an official statement, Egypts foreign ministry spokesman expressed his condolences for the families of the victims, stressing that Egypt stands by the Somali government and people in their fight against terrorism.

The spokesman called on the international community to "intensify efforts to combat terrorism and provide all support for the stability and safety of Somalia."

On Thursday, Somali police said a car bomb detonated outside the Banadir Beach Club in the Lido area before gunmen stormed the building.

According to the BBC, security forces said they killed two attackers and arrested one other after a six-hour operation.

The militant Islamist group Al-Shabab stages regular attacks in Mogadishu and other parts of Somalia.

Earlier this year, Al-Shabab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at customers, killing some 20 people, according to AFP.

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BEIRUT, Lebanon  After four years of siege and bombardment, residents of the rebel-held Syrian town of Daraya struck a deal Thursday with the Syrian government that amounted to a surrender of territory deeply symbolic to both sides.

Under the agreement, the government will evacuate Darayas remaining residents  about 8,000 people  in exchange for control of the town, which is less than two miles from the center of the capital, Damascus.

Daraya, one of the first areas to stage peaceful protests against President Bashar al-Assad in 2011 and to face a violent response, is a rare example of a community where even now, after more than five years of war, rebel groups accept the authority of a civilian local council.

Hussam Zyadeh, who fled Daraya in 2013, summed up the ambivalence of ending the fight amid a feeling that the world had stopped caring and had provided no help. No more barrels on #Daraya, he wrote on Twitter, referring to barrel bombs. No more death no more fight no more revolution no more dignity no more #humanity as the whole world left it alone.
Abbott Laboratories has announced two large acquisitions over the last year. In recent days, both deals have become major land mines.

In January, it unveiled a $5.8 billion acquisition of Alere, which makes medical tests. Alere has been subjected to a series of regulatory inquiries over foreign sales practices, which caused its annual financial report to be delayed. Even though some of those investigations were known before the deal was signed, Abbott has since appeared to have buyers remorse.

When asked in a conference call in April if Abbott was committed to closing the deal with Alere, Miles D. White, Abbotts chairman and chief executive, declined to comment. Alere later released a statement saying that Abbott had requested the two terminate their agreement, and that Alere had rejected that request.

That month, Abbott agreed to purchase St. Jude Medical for $25 billion. This deal was seen as an opportunity for Abbott to propel its position in cardiovascular devices.
Call it the Bill and Carl Show.

William A. Ackman and Carl C. Icahn  two Wall Street hedge fund giants  duke it out over a nutritional supplements company called Herbalife. Arguing that the company is a pyramid scheme, Mr. Ackman stakes $1 billion on a wager that the stock will go to zero. Mr. Icahn, calling him a crybaby in the schoolyard, buys as many shares in Herbalife as he can.

The two stand their ground for years. Then they publicly make up. And now, theres a twist: On Friday, Mr. Ackman said that bankers recently offered to sell him Mr. Icahns shares.

In an interview, Mr. Ackman said he was contacted this month by bankers at Jefferies, the investment bank, who told him they were planning to put together a trade to buy out Herbalifes biggest shareholder (thats Mr. Icahn, who owns an 18.3 percent stake). The bankers asked Mr. Ackman if he was open to buying stock to cover his short position, which would in effect reverse some of his bet against Herbalife.

I said absolutely not, Mr. Ackman said. But he offered to pick up a few million shares if the bankers struggled to find enough willing buyers, he said, adding that he would be willing to lose money to get Mr. Icahn out of the stock.
LONDON  Anheuser-Busch InBev said on Friday that it expected to eliminate at least 3 percent of its combined work force as part of cost-cutting efforts following its proposed merger with SABMiller over the next several years.

The transaction would create an industry giant accounting for about 30 percent of global beer sales and would give Anheuser-Busch, already the worlds largest brewer, a substantial operation in Africa, where it has little presence, and greater dominance in Latin America.

Anheuser-Busch InBev has a target of $1.4 billion in annual cost savings by the end of the fourth year following completion of the deal, which is expected to close later this year. The deal valued SABMiller at more than $100 billion.

As part of its integration efforts, Anheuser-Busch InBev said on Friday that it was likely to cut about 3 percent of the combined companys work force. Those figures exclude sales and front-office staff, which it says it has not been able to include in advance integration planning because of regulatory restrictions, Anheuser-Busch InBev said.
Foreign entrepreneurs building new companies in the United States could soon gain a new immigration option that would grant them temporary entry for up to five years, under a rule proposed on Friday by the Department of Homeland Security.

The proposal, which does not require congressional approval, would allow immigration officials to admit entrepreneurs case by case. To qualify, an applicant must have an active and central role, and a significant ownership stake, in an American company founded in the last three years.

The move is one of many piecemeal efforts by the Obama administration to expand Americas immigration policies without action from Congress. Entrepreneurs in any industry would be eligible to apply, but the new rule would be especially significant for the technology field. Creating an immigration route for start-up founders has been one of Silicon Valleys political priorities.

This is a big step in the right direction, said Patrick Collison, an Irish immigrant and the chief executive of Stripe, a payment processing company based in San Francisco. I think it will have major impact on U.S. entrepreneurship, and potentially on the broader economy.
SEOUL, South Korea  A top executive at the Lotte Group, one of South Koreas largest family-controlled conglomerates, was found dead on Friday in an apparent suicide, hours before he was scheduled to appear before prosecutors investigating allegations of corruption at the company.

The body of the executive, the vice chairman Lee In-won, a close confidant of Lottes chairman, Shin Dong-bin, was found under a tree on a riverside footpath in Yangpyeong, near Seoul, the capital, police said. Police said that they believed Mr. Lee hanged himself with a necktie and scarf, but that they planned an autopsy. Lotte also confirmed Mr. Lees death.

Police said that they had found a suicide note in Mr. Lees car, Yonhap, the national news agency, reported. Mr. Lee had left his home in Seoul on Thursday evening, telling his family that he was going out for exercise, Yonhap reported.

The death of Mr. Lee, 69, came just as prosecutors were stepping up their investigation into Lotte. They questioned another senior Lotte executive, Hwang Kag-gyu, on Thursday. The questioning of the executives was widely seen as a precursor to the summoning of Mr. Shin, who controls Lotte, the fifth largest among the chaebol, or family-controlled conglomerates, that dominate the South Korean economy.
How the company, and Ms. Bresch, strikes that balance seems to be quickly changing. Generic drug companies once dealt almost exclusively in making cheap copies of pills and railed passionately against the anticompetitive tactics of brand-name competitors. Now, through a series of acquisitions and mergers, the handful of large generic companies that are left are increasingly investing in expensive brand-name drugs, and in doing so, are embracing many of the tactics they once scorned.

Its like talking out of both sides of your mouth, said Dinesh Thakur, an advocate for generic drug quality. To me, I think, its opportunistic.

In the interview, Ms. Bresch said the companys latest actions would do the most to help patients where it mattered, by reducing their out-of-pocket costs. And she said that the $600 list price was necessary for the company to recoup its investment in the EpiPen, which includes raising awareness for severe allergic reaction and making improvements to the way the product works.

But she also sought to shift blame away from Mylan, saying that patients are feeling the pain in part because insurers have increased the amount that customers must pay in recent years.

What else do you shop for that when you walk up to the counter, you have no idea what its going to cost you? she said. Tell me where that happens anywhere else in the system. Its unconscionable.

To some, the companys response seemed to ring hollow. Its a real challenge to understand how a management team sits around a board table and makes a decision to raise the price of a lifesaving medication over and over and over, and when the P.R. storm hits, decides to blame someone else for that price increase, said David Maris, an analyst for Wells Fargo. He had warned investors in June that Mylans price increases on EpiPen and other drugs could soon draw unwanted media scrutiny.
We knew that G.M. was getting low-cost inflaters from others, said Chris Hock, a former member of Mr. Taylors team who left Autoliv in April. That was a dangerous path.

Even with the record recall, deadly accidents and research critical of ammonium nitrate, Takata continues to manufacture airbags with the compound  and automakers continue to buy them. The airbags appear in the 2016 models of seven automakers, and they are also being installed in cars as replacement airbags for those being recalled.

Takata said in a statement that it had taken steps to protect the ammonium nitrate it uses against temperature changes, which along with moisture are the main factors contributing to its volatility. The manufacturer said it was also studying, along with safety regulators and some automakers, inflaters with a drying agent to better understand and quantify their service life.

It Turned It Into Shrapnel

The new airbag came not a moment too soon for Takata.

The Japanese supplier had been making seatbelts in the United States since the mid-1980s, but its airbag business, which it began in earnest in the 1990s, was in trouble.

A previous generation of airbags supplied to Nissan had the problem of deploying too forcefully. Those airbags were linked to at least 40 eye injuries in the 1990s.

Takata began experimenting with alternative propellants. But in 1997 its inflater plant in Moses Lake, Wash., was rocked by a series of explosions that destroyed equipment and greatly curtailed production, according to insurance claims made by the company at the time.

After the blast, Takata was forced to buy inflaters from competitors and airlift them to automakers across the country. The companys American business struggled to maintain corporate viability, Takata said in a lawsuit filed against its insurer.
At the start of Mechanic: Resurrection, the hit man Arthur Bishop (Jason Statham) certainly isnt mourning his dead protege from The Mechanic (Simon Wests 2011 remake of a Charles Bronson movie). No, hes just hanging out in a flawed digital backdrop of Rio de Janeiro, trying to forget his blood-spattered resume.

But for Bishop, there is no escape. When his old archenemy, the scheming businessman Crain (Sam Hazeldine), abducts Bishops new love, Gina (Jessica Alba), Bishop is coerced into resuming his former trade. He must deliver three kills for Crain, in his signature style: making the assassinations appear to be accidents.

And Bishop is off on a travelogue  to a tropical prison to bump off an African warlord; Sydney, Australia, to nail a human trafficker (a lavish high-rise pool is involved); and Bulgaria to hunt an arms dealer (Tommy Lee Jones, romping in red sunglasses, a silk robe, pajamas and slippers). In Thailand, we meet Bishops friend the innkeeper Mei (the former martial-arts goddess Michelle Yeoh, squandered in an innocuous character role; surely she could have supplied a kick or a flip somewhere here). Events conclude with a blood bath on a yacht, complete with the time-honored ticking explosive, and a nod to the first Statham Mechanic.

The German director Dennis Gansel, making his Hollywood debut, lacks the glossy flair of earlier Statham directors like Mr. West and Louis Leterrier (The Transporter). If not for Mr. Jones, Resurrection, while competently edited, would be devoid of humor, an area where Mr. Statham has shown promise in the past. (See: the Melissa McCarthy vehicle Spy.) Mostly, the movie suggests the action equivalent of 1970s European soft-core, all diffuse sun-drenched exteriors populated by attractive stars on an exotic working vacation.
Usually, history celebrates the victories in war  Ulysses S. Grant crossing the Mississippi River on the way to Vicksburg, Theodore Roosevelt and the Rough Riders charging up San Juan Hill, the American troops storming ashore at Normandy.

But this is the 240th anniversary of one of the biggest losses of the American Revolution  for the Americans, that is. And in Brooklyn, where it happened, people are, if not celebrating, at least excited.

Its still a cool battle, said Andrew Sapini, 17, who completed his Eagle Scout project at the Old Stone House, a 1699 Dutch farmhouse on the edge of Park Slope that was the backdrop for a crucial scene in the Battle of Brooklyn.

Of course Brooklynites call it the Battle of Brooklyn. Some less Brooklyn-centric accounts, like the one in The Encyclopedia of New York City, refer to it as the Battle of Long Island, because Brooklyn is actually on the western tip of Long Island. Ron Schweiger, a Brooklyn borough historian, said that the Battle of Brooklyn was a relatively new name. Even as unstinting a Brooklynite as Walt Whitman referred to the Battle of Long Island in 1858.
Related Sudanese pound falls to record low against dollar on black market

A Sudanese Antonov aircraft made an emergency landing in Saudi Arabia after takeoff from a base used to bomb rebels in Yemen, the kingdom's aviation regulator said, without reporting injuries.

The propellor-driven An-12 transport plane "made an emergency and safe landing" on Thursday at Baha airport in southwest Saudi Arabia, the General Authority of Civil Aviation said.

Baha is about 300 kilometres (186 miles) north of Khamis Mushait, home to the airbase which has been at the forefront of a bombing campaign by a Saudi-led Arab coalition against rebels in neighbouring Yemen.

The plane was en route to the Sudanese capital Khartoum with 10 crew members, the aviation authority said.

It said the Antonov, an aircraft designed in the former Soviet Union, had engine failure and its tyres had burst on landing in Baha, without specifying if it was a civilian or military model of the plane.

Sudan, one of several Arab countries in the coalition, has deployed troops and aircraft against the Yemeni rebels.

Khartoum has regularly used modified Antonovs to bomb insurgents on its own territory.

In April, a Sudanese military Antonov-26 crashed in the country's restive North Kordofan, killing all five crew members.

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In the eyes of federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the late Thomas W. Libous, long one of Albanys most powerful lawmakers, got away with a lot, in part because time was on his side.

While Mr. Libous was convicted last year of lying to F.B.I. agents and expelled from the State Senate, prosecutors have said that the statute of limitations barred them from charging him with the more serious crimes that were the subject of his lies: crimes like bribery and fraud.

Now, more than a year after his conviction, and some three months after his death from prostate cancer at 63, it might be said that time is again on his side. And it appears likely to help him, in the eyes of the federal authorities, get away with more, including the crime for which he was already convicted, despite his death.
To the Editor:

Re Mr. Trump and the Damage Done (editorial, Aug. 21):

Its pretty transparent that Donald Trump made all those ugly, hateful remarks during the early stage of his campaign in order to energize his base of disaffected white Americans. Now that the polls have turned against him in the general election, hes disavowing his own pronouncements in an effort to appeal to mainstream Republicans and even the ethnic groups that found his words so threatening.

The truth is that he has no moral, intellectual or ideological base and no conscience to constrain him. He will say anything and everything that he feels like saying or that his handlers convince him will improve his polling.

It will be interesting to see how many voters decide we are now seeing the real Donald Trump. In reality, no one, including Mr. Trump, knows what he would do as president. Hes the very definition of a loose cannon or a rogue elephant.

NANCY RAMSAY

Mill Valley, Calif.

To the Editor:

I read with irritation Anger Is Broad as Trump Wavers on Deportations (front page, Aug. 26). Donald Trump has betrayed those Americans who voted for him in the primaries. Mr. Trump used his strict policy on immigration to win over many frustrated voters who were ready to see action taken in this matter. Now, after winning the nomination, he backs down on the aggressive action he so furiously promised to his voters. Trump supporters have every right to be enraged.
There is a saying that came out of the 1960s: The personal is political.

Its still true, but in ways that might make you worry about the future of democracy.

John Herrman reports in The New York Times Magazine on publications that essentially live on Facebook, with a mission to provoke as much as to inform.

People click on headlines in their Facebook feeds like No Media Is Telling You About the Muslim Who Attacked Donald Trump, So We Will , or Did Hillary Clinton Just Admit on LIVE TV That Her Iraq War Vote Was a Bribe? From there, they are taken to pages encrusted with sketchy ads.

John quotes site operators who make $20,000 a month or more on their sites, often saving on the costs of actually reporting and writing by reposting crazy stuff they find on the internet, then giving it a racy headline.
Officials across the country are grappling with waves of heroin-related overdoses and deaths this year, an epidemic blamed on heroin mixed with fentanyl, an opiate estimated to be 100 times as strong as morphine.

But officials in the Cincinnati area and in southern Indiana say that a synthetic drug, carfentanil  10,000 times as potent as morphine  could be tied to at least 189 overdoses across both states in the past week, resulting in at least four deaths in the states.

In the Cincinnati area alone, there were more than 78 overdoses reported between Tuesday and Wednesday, according to a report from The Cincinnati Enquirer. In the same time span, at least 15 overdoses, one of them fatal, were rippling through two neighboring counties in Indiana, some 90 miles away.

It was not immediately clear if the cases in the two states were connected or if carfentanil was, in fact, the culprit, but for weeks officials in Ohio have been warning the public that carfentanil is showing up in local supplies of heroin.
Last month, hundreds clashed with law enforcement officials who used water to repel protesters in below-freezing weather, attracting more attention to the conflict. During that confrontation, Sophia Wilansky, 21, who grew up in the Bronx, suffered one of the most serious injuries of the movement, her arm badly damaged from an explosion whose origin remains in dispute. As many as 2,000 veterans plan to join the demonstrators next week to serve as human shields against what they describe as a militarized police force.

In all, hundreds of people have been arrested since the protests began to attract widespread attention late this summer.

What does each side want?

The Dakota Access pipeline is a $3.7 billion project that would carry 470,000 barrels of oil a day from the oil fields of western North Dakota to Illinois, where it would be linked with other pipelines. Energy Transfer says the pipeline will pump millions of dollars into local economies and create 8,000 to 12,000 construction jobs  though far fewer permanent jobs to maintain and monitor the pipeline.

Members of the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe see the pipeline as a major environmental and cultural threat. They say its route traverses ancestral lands  which are not part of the reservation  where their forebears hunted, fished and were buried. They say historical and cultural reviews of the land where the pipeline will be buried were inadequate. They also worry about catastrophic environmental damage if the pipeline were to break near where it crosses under the Missouri River.
Reno, Nevada - 25 August 2016 SOUNDBITE (English) Hillary Clinton, (D) Presidential Nominee: Everywhere I go, people tell me how concerned they are by the divisive rhetoric coming from my opponent in this election and I understand that concern because its like nothing weve heard before from a nominee for president of the United States, from one of our two major parties. From the start, Donald Trump has built his campaign on prejudice and paranoia. He is taking hate groups mainstream and helping a radical fringe take over the Republican party. // Now Trumps lack of knowledge or experience or solutions would be bad enough but what hes doing here is more sinister. Trump is reinforcing harmful stereotypes and offering a dog whistle to his most hateful supporters. Its a distributing preview of what kind of president hed be. // This is not conservatism as we have known it. This is not Republicanism as we have known it. These are racist ideas, race bating ideas, anti-Muslim, anti-immigrant, anti-women, all key tenants making up the emerging racist ideology known as that alt-right. // The names may have changed, racists now call themselves racialists, white supremacists now call themselves white nationalists, the paranoid fringe now calls itself alt-right. But the hate burns just as bright., And now Trump is trying to re brand himself as well but dont be fooled. Theres an old Mexican proverb that says tell me with whom you walk, and I will tell you who you are. Well we know who Trump is. A few words on a teleprompter wont change that. He says he wants to make America great again but more and more it seems as though his real message seems to be make America hate again.
Donald J. Trumps campaign has hired Bill Stepien, a former top aide to Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey, whose role in the Bridgegate scandal led to his firing and denied him the central role he was expected to play in the governors presidential run.

Mr. Stepien is expected to step in to help guide the campaigns political operations, according to two people close to Mr. Stepien and three people close to the Trump campaign who were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter. Mr. Stepien was hired on Thursday, and one person who confirmed the hire said his title was expected to be national field director.

A campaign spokesman did not respond to an email seeking comment. But the people who confirmed the hire said that Mr. Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner, who is heavily involved in spending and strategy decisions in the campaign, discussed it in staff briefings and pushed for it to occur.

Mr. Christie is the chief of Mr. Trumps transition committee, but he is no longer close to Mr. Stepien and was said to have been uninvolved in the discussions to hire him.
WASHINGTON  Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump have yet to face off in their first debate, but both candidates have already moved teams into a plush marble-and-glass office building a block from the White House, where they are vetting resumes, sketching out organizational charts and otherwise planning the transition to a Trump or Clinton administration.

The jockeying for jobs that usually consumes the two and a half months between Election Day and Inauguration Day is well underway in Washington, with people swapping their notional lists of cabinet officers and speculating about who might get the plum deputy posts just under them.

Speculation on the Republican side has been somewhat subdued, in part because Mr. Trumps personnel preferences are something of a mystery. But on the Democratic side, Mrs. Clintons persistent lead in the polls has made it hard for her supporters to resist the urge to measure the drapes. And no area is more rife with jockeying than national security, with Mrs. Clinton, a former secretary of state, in the rare position of having worked with dozens of the people she may employ again.

There has been a lot of talking going on, and now that it looks like shes going to win, there is even more, said Vali R. Nasr, a former adviser to Mrs. Clinton at the State Department who is now the dean of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies.
Otherwise, Mr. Flake said, this will last decades.

Most demographers did not believe Arizona could be truly competitive for Democrats in a presidential election until 2020 at the earliest. But Mr. Trumps unpopularity has spawned a demographic double threat that has implications in Arizona and beyond: He is not just weak among Hispanics, but also with with educated white professionals who have moved to places like Denver, Salt Lake City and Phoenix in search of better jobs and a lower cost of living.

The trouble signs for the November election have been building. In Colorado, the percentage of registered Republicans as a share of the electorate has dropped by four percentage points compared with 2012. Democrats, who now have about the same share of registered voters, carried the state in 2008 and 2012.

In Utah, Mr. Trumps lack of support with Mormons has allowed Mrs. Clinton to come close to catching him in some polls.

And in Arizona, new voter registration numbers show Democrats have been registering people at a faster rate than Republicans this year. Registered Republicans, however, still outnumber Democrats over all.

Arizona is on the cusp, said Ruy Teixeira, a senior fellow with the Center for American Progress, who studies the political implications of population shifts. And if it is on the cusp this fast, I think that means these other states become even farther out of reach.

The entire West Coast is already a wasteland for Republicans. The last time one of the coastal states  with the exception of Alaska  went to a Republican nominee was California in 1988. Moreover, losses in Arizona and possibly Utah would leave Republicans safe in just Wyoming, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. The peril for Republicans is evident looking at the Electoral College: Those states only have a combined 13 of the total 538 electoral votes. And even in the likely event that Republicans continue to carry Utah, a win in November would yield only six more electoral votes.
Many people already feel like he has.

Mr. Bongos conservation efforts are well known abroad. He banned commercial fishing off coastal waters to establish an enormous marine protected area. He expanded the number of rangers and other employees in the national parks, to 750 from 60, to fight illegal logging and poaching in some of the most pristine forests in the world. He is a regular at international climate and conservation conferences.

But the presidents passion for trees and animals has also flummoxed many residents in a nation that suffers from tremendous inequality.

In a neighborhood of the capital called Cei, abandoned, rusting cars seem to melt into dirt streets lined by apartment buildings with broken windows and crumbling balconies. A river of trash and sewage winds through the neighborhood. Not far away, government ministers cruise down a coastal highway in Mercedes SUVs.

A 2013 McKinsey report commissioned by the government of Gabon classified 30 percent of the Gabonese population as vulnerable, living on about $140 a month.

Mr. Bongo said he took the report to heart. In 2014, he said his government created $500 million in new health and education programs, including 40,000 scholarships, aimed at improving quality of life.

Mr. Bongo has tried to distance himself from the lavishness that was a hallmark of his father, whose tenure was best known for enriching himself and the loyal elite.

Last year, the younger Mr. Bongo sold off some of his inherited French real estate, pledging to give the proceeds to the people of Gabon. But skeptics noted the sale came as a judicial inquiry was underway into the Bongo familys holdings and secret overseas bank accounts, accusing them of misusing public funds. The investigation is continuing.
Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yidirim on Friday denounced as a "bare-faced lie" suggestions in Western media that Ankara's military operation in Syria was singling out Kurdish people rather than militants.

"They either know nothing about the world, or else their job is to report a bare-faced lie," Yildirim snarled when asked to comment on claims the operation was not targeting Islamic State (IS) militants jihadists but Kurds.

He had been asked to respond to an article in German weekly Der Spiegel -- which frequently riles the Turkish authorities -- with the headline "Turkey's Syria operation -- IS group is the pretext, the Kurds the target".

Yildirim said: "Our soldiers' mission is to ensure our border security and the life and property of our citizens. The news apart from that is just a lie."

"You tell lies that Turkey is weak in the fight against ISIS (IS) group but when we save innocent lives from ISIS group you go and write this," he fumed.

Ankara has said it will act in the operation against the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) and its People's Protection Units (YPG) militia who it accuses of seeking to carve out an autonomous region in northern Syria.

Turkey regards the organisations as terror groups who represent neither the Kurdish nor the Syrian people. The YPG are allies of the United States in the fight against IS but Akara argues this is a dangerous error.

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A judge in South Africa refused on Friday to grant prosecutors permission to appeal the six-year prison sentence she gave the double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius, saying an appeal would not have a reasonable chance of success.

Mr. Pistorius, who is serving the prison sentence for the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2013, did not appear in court.

Last month, the judge, Thokozile Matilda Masipa of the High Court in Pretoria, gave Mr. Pistorius a six-year term, far shorter than the 15-year minimum sought by prosecutors.

She cited mitigating factors, including Mr. Pistoriuss disability, his expressions of remorse, his status as a first-time offender and the circumstances of the shooting.
HARARE, Zimbabwe  The Zimbabwean police on Friday violently extinguished a protest against President Robert Mugabe in the capital, Harare, cracking down on a united show of force by Zimbabwes political opposition.

Despite a last-minute court order allowing the demonstration to proceed, the police used tear gas and water cannons to disperse a crowd of hundreds from a square in Harare, beating protesters with batons.

Mr. Mugabes government has been challenged by a series of public protests in the past two months, fueled by widespread anger over the deteriorating economy. But the broad array of opposition figures and the swiftness of the police reaction, despite the court order, signaled a new level of tension.

Leaders of an emerging coalition against Mr. Mugabe  including Morgan Tsvangirai, the nations longtime opposition figure, and Joice Mujuru, a former vice president who broke with Mr. Mugabe  were chased from the square by the police and fled in their cars.
The dispute stems from the governments attempts to enforce the countrys mining laws, which require the cooperatives to allow workers to form unions and put restrictions on cooperatives ability to work with foreign companies. The cooperatives, which operate as independent companies and employ about 120,000 miners, say the laws restrict their independence, and they have taken their case to the streets.

Image Rodolfo Illanes, the deputy interior minister of Bolivia. His body was recovered on Friday by the side of the highway, officials said. Credit... Reuters

The groups have long been a powerful force in Bolivia, and are known to draw tens of thousands to their protests, with many demonstrators armed with dynamite. The miners cooperatives played a central role when they joined protests over Bolivias natural gas supply, which left dozens dead. In 2005, the miners supported further unrest which led to the resignation of Carlos Mesa, then the president.

But the current president, Evo Morales, has long enjoyed the support of the miners cooperatives, which was why the developments this week were surprising to many. Along with the coca growers who Mr. Morales used to represent as a unionist, the miners are important allies for the president, who has rewarded them with political posts and who courts them in speeches.

Mr. Moraless tone on Friday changed after the killing of Mr. Illanes. They kidnapped him, tortured him and killed him, he said. Its unpardonable. I dont understand why our brothers at the cooperatives could do this.

Mr. Morales has suffered declining support this year after accusations of cronyism and a scandal involving a child born out of wedlock.
OTTAWA  He led his government to a crushing defeat at the polls last October, then ceded his office to Justin Trudeau and largely vanished from public view. Now, 10 months later, Stephen Harper, the former Conservative prime minister of Canada, says he is giving up his seat in Parliament and quitting politics.

Mr. Harpers low-key announcement, in a brief video posted Friday on Facebook, was in character with the rest of his 18-year political career, a decade of it spent as prime minister. Unlike Mr. Trudeau, who seems to thrive on plunging into crowds and posing for selfies, Mr. Harpers style was more that of a remote corporate chief executive.

In the video, recorded in what appeared to be a boardroom with two Canadian flags behind him, Mr. Harper offers no indication of his plans after politics, though several Canadian news outlets reported that he intended to open a consulting business with some of his former political aides.

Mr. Harper did not mention his decision to immediately step down as the Conservative leader during his concession speech last October, leaving that task to a statement from a party official. And since then, he has given only one speech, at a Conservative Party convention. While he continued to hold a seat in Parliament representing Calgary, Alberta, his adopted home, Mr. Harper was frequently absent from the House of Commons and did not participate in its debates. A privilege from his time as prime minister allowed him to leave the chamber through a back entrance, bypassing the throng of reporters and cameras in the main lobby.
BEIJING  For Ai Weiwei, the outspoken Chinese artist, the idea was irresistible.

Mr. Ai had become obsessed with a red scribble that appeared on a planning document for an art show next month in Yinchuan, a city in northwest China. He decided to build a large sculpture modeled on the line that he would call Redline  a playful rumination on the idea of censorship.

But this week, the artistic director of the Yinchuan Museum of Contemporary Art, Suchen Hsieh, sent Mr. Ai a cryptic message:

Bose [Krishnamachari, Indian artist and curator of the biennale] and I invited you to participate in this years Yinchuan Biennale because we sincerely admire your artwork. But things change in this world. Even though your project is full of philosophical awareness, an artists prestige overshadows his work. The autumn wind is blowing around us. The museum has no choice but to rescind its invitation to you. Its very unfortunate that the conditions dont allow us to display your artwork. This is the second time I must clasp my hands together and bow to you from afar. Please accept my deep apologies.

Mr. Ai, who provided a copy of the message, was taken aback. It was a very strange note, he said in a telephone interview on Thursday from Berlin, where he lives.

In response, he posted a 173-word critique on Instagram, denouncing efforts to limit free expression. Art is used merely as a decoration for political agendas in certain societies, he wrote. He also posted on Twitter, referring to Ms. Hsieh as Xie Suzhen, using the Pinyin spelling of her name:
MUMBAI, India  In a landmark ruling that could pave the way for more rights for Muslim women in India, the Bombay High Court on Friday ruled that the trustees of the citys famous Haji Ali tomb could not bar women from entering the inner sanctum.

In a 56-page ruling, the court dismissed the trustees claim that they could bar women under a provision of the Indian Constitution that gives religious groups the right to manage their own affairs.

The court said that the constitutional protection of religions applied only to those rules that are an essential and integral part of the religion, without which its character would be destroyed. Because the Quran, the sacred book of Islam, does not prohibit women from entering mosques or tombs, the court said, the trustees of the Haji Ali Dargah Trust could not bar women from entering the inner sanctum.

The trust has no right to discriminate on the entry of women into a public place of worship under the guise of managing the affairs of religion, the justices wrote. They added that the state will have to ensure the protection of the rights of all of its citizens against gender discrimination.
We used to see very serious abuse of women and children quite often, he said, noting that the city was still struggling to absorb an influx of refugees after the civil war in what was East Pakistan, now Bangladesh.

I never even saw any nuns in those slums that I worked in, he said. I think its an imperialist venture of the Catholic Church against an Eastern population, an Eastern city, which has really driven horses and carriages through our prestige and our honor.

I just thought that this myth had to be challenged, he added.

Over hundreds of hours of research, much of it cataloged in a book he published in 2003, Dr. Chatterjee said he found a cult of suffering in homes run by Mother Teresas organization, the Missionaries of Charity, with children tied to beds and little to comfort dying patients but aspirin.

He and others said that Mother Teresa took her adherence to frugality and simplicity in her work to extremes, allowing practices like the reuse of hypodermic needles and tolerating primitive facilities that required patients to defecate in front of one another.

But it was not until he moved to the United Kingdom in 1985, eventually taking a job in a rural hospital, that he realized the reputation Kolkata had acquired in Western circles.

In 1994, Dr. Chatterjee contacted Bandung Productions, a company owned by the writer and filmmaker Tariq Ali. What started as a 12-minute phone pitch turned into an offer by Channel 4s commissioning editor to film an expose of Mother Teresas work. The social critic Christopher Hitchens was hired to present what would become Hells Angel, a highly skeptical documentary.

Over the next year, Dr. Chatterjee traveled the world meeting with volunteers, nuns and writers who were familiar with the Missionaries of Charity. In over a hundred interviews, Dr. Chatterjee heard volunteers describe how workers with limited medical training administered 10- to 20-year-old medicines to patients, and blankets stained with feces were washed in the same sink used to clean dishes.
MANILA  The Philippine government and Communist rebels agreed on Friday to extend a mutual cease-fire and return to the negotiating table in October as they wrapped up their first round of peace talks after a five-year impasse.

A joint statement issued after five days of talks in Oslo said the Communist Party of the Philippines and its armed wing, the New Peoples Army, had agreed to declare and issue an indefinite unilateral cease-fire, extending a truce that had been scheduled to end on Saturday.

Both sides agreed to return to negotiations Oct. 8 to 12 in Oslo.

The Philippines presidential peace adviser, Jesus Dureza, said that President Rodrigo Duterte should share credit for the accord. He said the talks were a milestone in more than 40 years of a rebellion that has left vast areas of the countryside mired in poverty and at least 35,000 soldiers, rebels and civilians dead.

Not only has President Duterte walked the extra mile, he has also taken the step back to give the N.D.F. space under his democratic and inclusive government, Mr. Dureza said in a statement, using the initials of the Communists political wing, the National Democratic Front.
EDINBURGH  You just have to look at the map.

In the June 23 referendum on British membership in the European Union, Scotland is one pristine color, voting to remain, while England and Wales are a different color, voting to leave.

Similarly, in the May 2015 general elections, Scotland is again a different color from the south; the abject collapse of the Labour Party here left Scotland nearly a one-party state, run by the Scottish National Party, which was founded to bring Scotland independence from the rest of the United Kingdom.

Scottish nationalists lost a referendum on independence in September 2014, by 55 percent to 45 percent. But so many people, especially the young, were motivated by the campaign that they nearly quintupled the membership of the left-wing S.N.P. Only a year later, the party won 50 percent of the vote and 56 of 59 Scottish seats at Westminster.

The vote for a British exit, or Brexit, swung by England and Wales, felt crushing to the Scots, who have strongly favored membership in the European Union and its single market, feeding their alienation from the Conservative-led United Kingdom.
An obstacle to peace: no peacekeepers

Peace deals often succeed or fail on the question of who will control military and security forces. In Syria, this may be a question without an answer.

Its an issue not of greed, but of trust. After a war as brutal as Syrias, in which more than 400,000 people have been killed so far, the combatants reasonably fear they will be massacred if the other secures too much power. But a deal that would give the parties equal military power creates a high risk of relapse into war. So does allowing rebels to keep their arms and independence  a lesson the world learned in Libya.

At the same time, there has to be some sort of armed force to restore security and clean up any remaining warlords or militias.

Often, the solution has been for an outside country or organization, such as the United Nations, to send peacekeepers. These forces keep everyone in check during the countrys transition to peace and provide basic security in a way that wont spur either side to rearm.

But what country would volunteer its citizens to indefinitely occupy Syria, particularly with the cautionary tale of Americas experience in Iraq?

Any foreign force would make itself a target for jihadist terrorists, and most likely face a yearslong insurgency that could cost it hundreds or thousands of lives.
The United States and Russia on Friday renewed efforts to secure a military and humanitarian cooperation agreement for war-torn Syria after months of hesitation, missed deadlines and failed attempts to forge a truce.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said the talks on Syria with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry were "excellent" as they took a lunchtime break from meetings in Geneva as part of a new U.S. effort to enlist Russia as a partner in Syria as fighting becomes more volatile and complicated with the introduction of Turkish ground forces.

Staffan de Mistura, the U.N. envoy for Syria, joined the conversations in the early afternoon, and told The Associated Press after the break: "We are still working."

Neither Washington nor Moscow has signaled that an agreement is imminent, although progress appears to have been made in one critical battleground: the besieged city of Aleppo, where the United Nations has been clamoring for a 48-hour cease-fire so humanitarian aid can be shipped into the city.

Asked to describe the main impediment to a nationwide ceasefire in Syria as he sat down with Kerry, Lavrov said: "I don't want to spoil the atmosphere for the negotiations." Kerry did not speak and it was not immediately clear if either man would address reporters after their talks, which include discussions about the crisis in Ukraine.

On Thursday, U.N. officials said Russia was on board for the temporary pause in fighting in and around Aleppo. However, the Russian Foreign Ministry simply reiterated its general support for a ceasefire to open an aid corridor, and was waiting for the U.N. to announce it is ready.

The three-point plan for Aleppo, which U.N. officials say now needs the approval of two rebel groups and the Syrian government, would involve road convoys both from Damascus and across the Turkish border through the critical Castello Road artery. Another mission would go to southern Aleppo to help revive a damaged electric plant that powers crucial pumping stations that supply water for 1.8 million people.

Kerry was to meet with de Mistura separately later Friday in Geneva.

Expectations are low for the talks, particularly given how efforts to forge a new U.S.-Russia understanding have fallen short virtually every month for the past five years. At the same time, the administration is not of one mind regarding the Russians.

The Pentagon has publicly complained about getting drawn into greater cooperation with Russia even though it has been forced recently to expand communication with Moscow. Last week, the U.S. had to call for Russian help when Syrian warplanes struck an area not far from where U.S. troops were operating.

Despite the apparent incremental progress on Aleppo, U.S. officials are keen to broaden the focus and hammer out a diplomatic initiative that would see greater military cooperation with Russia that could lead to a resumption of talks on a political transition.

However, previous efforts to set target dates for the start of the transition process have failed, most recently when an early August timeline had to be abandoned.

U.S. officials say it is imperative that Russia use its influence with Syrian President Bashar Assad to halt all attacks on moderate opposition forces, open humanitarian aid corridors, and concentrate any offensive action on the Islamic State (IS) militant group and other extremists not covered by what has become a largely ignored truce.

For their part, U.S. officials say they are willing to press rebels groups they support harder on separating themselves from the IS and al-Nusra, which despite a recent name change is still viewed as al-Qaida's affiliate in Syria.

Those goals are not new, but recent developments have made achieving them even more urgent and important, according to U.S. officials. Recent developments include military operations around the city of Aleppo, the entry of Turkey into the ground war, Turkish hostility toward U.S.-backed Kurdish rebel groups and the presence of American military advisers in widening conflict zones.

Meanwhile, in a blow to the opposition, rebel forces and civilians in the besieged Damascus suburb of Daraya were to be evacuated on Friday after agreeing to surrender the town late Thursday after four years of grueling bombardment and a crippling siege that left the sprawling area in ruins.

The surrender of Daraya, which became an early symbol of the nascent uprising against President Bashar Assad, marks a success for his government, removing a persistent threat only a few miles from his seat of power.

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CHARLOTTE, N.C.  Kim Jones is a dance detective. That means she rescues lost works by stitching together fragments of ephemera  a choreographers notes, decades-old still images  with original performers fading memories to restage dances that take cues from source material, but are of necessity something new.

Discovering something great choreographers created is unlocking a piece of romanticized history, said Ms. Jones, an associate professor of dance here at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. With work considered lost, curiosity compels me to dig into the past and reveal some of that mystery.

Ms. Jones, a former dancer with the Martha Graham Dance Company, has spent the past 18 months leading a team to reconstruct Paul Taylors 1962 Tracer, with a set piece and costumes by Robert Rauschenberg. She is restaging the piece with Mr. Taylors smaller dance company, Taylor 2, which will perform the work as part of a three-week residency at the university in September.

Ms. Jones came to Mr. Taylors attention after she reimagined the choreography for a lost 1935 Martha Graham solo work, Imperial Gesture, in 2013, at the invitation of Janet Eilber, the Graham companys artistic director. This is the first time that Mr. Taylor has authorized a reconstruction of his work outside his company.
Contention  between those who believe that Shostakovich was a blameless martyr, opposed to and victimized by the Soviet government, and those of us who believe he made pragmatic compromises to survive and prosper  reached such a pitch that if you search for Shostakovich wars on Google, it will fetch thousands of hits. Shostakovich warriors, those who have sought to portray him as disaffected and tacitly hostile to the Soviets, distinguish the literal truth of the letters, journals and memoirs we have, from the essential truth that only inspired speculation can reveal.

Image The Noise of Time by Julian Barnes. Credit... Patricia Wall/The New York Times

The fallacy of such thinking is to regard that essential truth as something revealed rather than created. Tolstoy did not make that mistake. He knew that the difference between real and fictional worlds is that a fictional world is wholly known. Nothing could remain hidden from Tolstoy about his imaginary Napoleonic Russia and its Natashas, Pierres and Andreis. But no matter how diligently he or we may burrow in the archives, there will always be more documents somewhere; some may contradict the ones we know, and there is no end to what was never recorded to begin with.

Mr. Barnes has not fully lived up to the calling he professes. He might have invented his own Shostakovich  his marvelous novel The Porcupine fictionalizes Todor Zhivkov, the fallen Communist ruler of Bulgaria, and lets us hear his inner voice as he faces trial. The owner of that voice is given a fictional name in the book, which frees the author from the factual record, and frees us from expectations based upon it.

So why, then, is Shostakovich given his own name in The Noise of Time (as are all the other characters)? If Mr. Barnes had called his hero, say, Ivan Ivanovich Ivanov and let the reader divine the resemblance to Shostakovich, I would accept his work without demur. But Mr. Barnes evidently wanted to capitalize on the interest that frenzied debate has drummed up in his subject and to claim implicitly to have settled the issues concerning the composers relationship with Soviet power, which scholars continue to dispute. In an authors note appended to the novel, he advertises his fidelity to his sources and his superior insights. He is trying to have it both ways: He wants the novelists freedom and also the historians authority. But in trying for both, he achieves neither.
Against Exercise, the books opening salvo, shows Greif at his contrarian, learned best, invoking the ancient Greeks and Hannah Arendt while questioning the distinction between private and public spaces. Our gym . . . is the atomized space in which one does formerly private things, before others eyes, with the lonely solitude of a body acting as if it were still in private, he writes. As will prove his wont, Greif tends to employ economic terms  the desperate materialist gratifications of a hedonic society, fund of capital  to make humanistic points. There is more than a whiff of the student Marxist in him, but instead of narrowing his view, this slightly censorious impulse lets him see things most of us prefer to overlook, including the anorexic delusion behind the pursuit of fitness: The doctrine of thinness introduces a radical fantasy of exercise down to the bone. It admits the dream of a body unencumbered by any excess of corporeality.

Throughout the books first section, Greif turns the quotidian world over like a miniature globe in his hand, scrutinizing it for false messages, bad faith and the occasional sign of progress. Afternoon of the Sex Children draws a chilling picture of a culture in which youthfulness is fetishized and the pedophilic impulse of Nabokovs Humbert Humbert has become normalized. Greif traces the evolution of what he calls the sex child to a merging of old prurient fantasies, dating from the Victorians and the Progressives, with the actual sexual liberation of children after midcentury. He perceptively notes that our equation of sexual desire with juvenescence sets up a form of competition whereby the mandate to remain young is played upon by all the forces of the marketplace  the professional commentators and product vendors and the needy audiences and ordinary people. Similarly, our narcissistic view of sex as a focus on self-discovery rather than an avenue to overwhelming romantic love turns it into a mirror instead of a window: Self-discovery puts a reflecting wall between the self and attention to the other, so that all energy supposedly exerted in fascination, attraction and love just bounces back, even when it appears to go out as love for the other.

There is, in truth, nothing that Greif writes that doesnt have a kernel of interest at its core, even if his prose frequently bristles with abstractions. So his essay On Food, although it is filled with clattering facts about agricultural mechanization and technicized food and threatens to go off on a full-scale critique of capitalism as well as a smaller quarrel with the writer Michael Pollan, contains pertinent ideas about foodieism (a natural hobby for first-world professionals, Greif says, ostensibly taking up the world, but referring back to domination and the perfection of the enriched, physical self) as well as what he terms the progressive food philosophy that enjoins us to believe that unexamined food is not worth eating.

But perhaps the most surprising essay in this section  in that its not what one would expect from someone with the guilt-ridden liberal credentials Greif seems to have  is his piece on Nadya Suleman, the infamous Octomom. Rather than blame Suleman unilaterally for her decision to have six embryos implanted in her womb (two of which she claimed split, adding pairs of twins), in addition to the six children she already had, three of whom were disabled, he proposes that she was simply living out another tale of 21st-century excess: She played a version of the drama of our time in the marionette theater of her womb. He isnt suggesting she is admirable  She clearly belongs to the tradition of the great American wrecks, he notes  but he is suggesting that the medias anger toward her was displaced from the financial meltdown around the same time, that it was easier to demonize Suleman than to take on the failing banks and fat-cat financiers who created the housing crisis: Octomom was the fat spider at the center of a hanging web. Squash her!

There are a host of other essays, including one on the allure of Radiohead that didnt quite grab me, although even here Greif has intriguing insights about the way pop music fuels defiance (as distinct from revolution). Four loosely linked pieces on The Meaning of Life, with titles like Gut-Level Legislation, or, Redistribution and Anaesthetic Ideology, attempt nothing less than to define the nature of reality as mediated by a market culture. These have a tendency to pile dense idea on dense idea in a way that can be taxing to read  but the final one, Thoreau Trailer Park, connects Greifs formative beliefs with the Occupy movement in a manner that is touchingly personal and ultimately hopeful.
There is a Mel Levine-like character at the core of Carolyn Parkhursts fourth novel, Harmony, a moving and compassionate literary dive straight into the heart of a frantic parent. The book made me think about Levine, a guru capable, it seems now, of good and evil, though Im not suggesting Parkhursts Scott Bean, a parent-whisperer as well, is based directly on Levine. The world is full of people like this, eager to display and exploit whatever magnetizing talents they may have, people with a nose for the anguished and the vulnerable. And Parkhursts Bean is oilier than Levine, without credentials or much of a consistent personal history. Hes a gifted charmer of a low-rent variety, a man who advertises his services on bulletin boards: Scott Bean, Harmonious Parenting, written sideways on tabs with a phone number.

Alexandra Hammond, loving mother of two, is at her wits end, desperate enough to take Beans number and put it in her purse. Her eldest daughter, Tilly, an impossible-to-parent young teenager who appears to be on the autism spectrum, is as brilliant as she is socially awkward: She perseverates endlessly on the encyclopedia of obscure facts she carries around in her head, on subjects like Chinese food and statues. In an especially wrenching and frank sequence, the Hammonds struggle with her frustrated pleas for help in learning how to masturbate to orgasm.

Parkhurst is a sincere and crafty writer. Alexandras perspective on the grueling history of her efforts to care for Tilly is presented in the second-person present tense, yielding a shatteringly immediate portrait of two devoted parents as she and her lovely and equally strained husband exhaust the therapies and schools that have in turn exhausted them in their search for a safe space for Tilly to learn and mature. A telling scene occurs at a meeting to appeal the school boards decision not to pay for Tillys private-school tuition: You look at them across the table, these tired, skeptical women who work for the city (who are certainly decent people, fundamentally, and who probably never thought their jobs would entail denying therapeutic services to children who need them), and imagine telling them, This is a last resort  you know that, right? 

The marriage falters. The Hammonds younger daughter, Iris, suffers. Tilly becomes a danger to herself. Enter Scott Bean, to the writerly equivalent of the theme from Jaws. (The opening lines of the book are In another world, you make it work. In another world, you never even hear the name Scott Bean. ) Alexandra finds his sympathetic attitude irresistible. Lonely and desperate, shes willing to sign up for anything he has to offer.

Alexandras chapters fill in the novels back story. Cleareyed, 11-year-old Iris, the familys well child, unfolds the novels present action in alternating chapters, which take place at a bucolic New Hampshire hideaway designed by Bean to shelter families with hard-to-manage kids. The Hammonds are part of the Core, a small group of families (some with children in far worse shape than the maddening and appealing Tilly) who give up their worldly possessions, buy him this camp and help refurbish it. They all agree to live somewhat off the grid, according to Beans edicts: no electronics, alcohol or artificial anything, modern vices Bean believes may have contributed to their childrens difficulties. They follow his teachings and practices, and help a series of paying families heal themselves by visiting Camp Harmony for weeklong sessions throughout the summer.
ENTER TITLE HERE

By Rahul Kanakia

339 pp. Hyperion. $17.99. (Young adult; ages 14 and up)

Rahul Kanakias debut novel, Enter Title Here, opens with an email exchange between Reshma Kapoor, a high school senior, and a literary agent impressed by Reshmas recent piece in The Huffington Post. Reshma promises the agent she will write a novel. A rough draft of that novel, a book within the book, constitutes the rest of Enter Title Here. After introducing herself, she begins: If you have the free time to read this book, then youre probably nothing like me. Reshma, who attends Alexander Graham Bell High School in Las Vacas, a wealthy Silicon Valley suburb, is first in her class and wants to go to Stanford, but her SAT scores arent great. She needs a hook, and that hook is this book.

Early on, Reshma writes a synopsis of the action to come in which an introverted, studious Indian-American girl . . . starts doing all the regular American girl stuff that she always used to ignore: making friends, going to parties, drinking, dating, falling in love, having sex, etc. That may remind you  it reminded me  of How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild, and Got a Life, that decade-old debut novel about an ambitious suburban Indian-American girl who did all of the above in order to get into Harvard. Opal Mehta was, of course, pulled from the shelves after its teenage author was accused of plagiarism. T.S. Eliot said, Good writers borrow, great writers steal. Perhaps Kanakia drew inspiration for Enter Title Here from the story of that novel and its author (who by the way graduated from Harvard and is apparently doing just fine). Or not.

For someone with zero experience, Reshma handles boys and sex and partying astonishingly well. In the wee hours of the morning, jittery with Adderall, she jogs up and down her stairs, conveniently disturbing George Trivandrum, a hot jock who uses the Kapoors address illegally to attend Bell. Then theres Aakash, the nerdy boyfriend she acquires because her diligently outlined novel requires it. Sweet, skinny, studious Aakash joins a chat group for dating advice and studies up on internet-sanctioned making out. Sadly, George wins.
At a book signing for Surfs Up, my newest picture book about two frogs searching for the perfect book, a librarian approached me. I have African-American kids and white kids in my library, she began, and in order to know which group to read it to, I need to know what color are the frogs? I had to laugh to keep from crying.

It was a question I was becoming accustomed to hearing. The first time I encountered it was a few months after my novel The Crossover was published. A very enthusiastic Texas teacher told me she was planning to read the book to her upperelementary-school students. She praised its rhythm, rhyme and relationships and thanked me for writing a story that would engage her students, especially the boys. Then she asked me, What color are the main characters, Josh and JB? There was an awkward pause. She continued: I need to know their race, because I know my students will ask. I told her to email me after she finished reading the book to her class and, if indeed they were curious, I would answer her question. When she did contact me again, it was to say: You were right; they didnt ask.

Without a doubt, the public- and private-school students in Dallas and Pasadena and Aurora, Ill., who read The Crossover know the race of the main characters  as do the students Ive worked with in Singapore and Ghana. But it doesnt matter to any of them. They all believe I am writing about them. Why is this so much harder for the grown-ups? Is race the only lens through which we can read the world?

When we segregate literature, we focus only on mirrors. Certainly, seeing yourself in books is necessary and crucial to the development of identity  my sisters and I proudly found ourselves between the pages of Nikki Giovannis Spin a Soft Black Song and Lucille Cliftons Everett Anderson series  but not allowing those same books to serve as windows into the lives of others will most certainly limit imagination and possibility.
MULTIPLE CHOICE

By Alejandro Zambra

Translated by Megan McDowell

101 pp. Penguin Books. Paper, $15.

Anyone who has groaned and considered crawling under the table after taking a standardized test will delight in the literary high jinks Alejandro Zambra performs in Multiple Choice. Like an exam, the book contains various fill-in-the-blank sections and brief narratives in Sentence Elimination, and concludes with fully developed stories in Reading Comprehension, all of which point with increasing ferocity at the alienation of the test taker, which in turn illustrates the alienation of the tested citizen.

Zambra was born in Chile in 1975, and his entire primary education took place during the military dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet. His four works of fiction that have been translated into English before Multiple Choice have been lauded for exploring how the repressive forces of that era continue to haunt the country today. This new book, however, is the first to focus solely on the role that education and testing played in constricting the discussion of art and ideas during the dictatorship  and still plays, more than 25 years later in the different context of today. Just last week, my 16-year-old niece in Chile took a multiple-choice test in her literature class that asked her and her classmates to identify the correct order of events in a Borges story.

I shudder to think what Borges would make of such a question, which is really about testing a students ability to recognize, and comply with, the intentions of the test maker. It is this underlying aim  the testing of compliance  that Zambra triumphantly subverts in dazzling, disorienting ways in Multiple Choice. The book is a work of parody, but also of poetry. Zambra turns the structure and questions of the Chilean Academic Aptitude Test, finally phased out in 2003, into a new literary form. In the section titled Sentence Completion, the entries read like Mad Lib aphorisms:

41. And if they have any _______ left, thats what ______ for.

A) energy. . . sports are

B) hope . . . reality is
Sarah Jaffes Necessary Trouble: Americans in Revolt and Zachary Roths The Great Suppression: Voting Rights, Corporate Cash, and the Conservative Assault on Democracy both set out to identify the countrys troubles, but unlike Gaye, Jaffe and Roth try to limit the scope of their examinations. Still, their conclusions are enormous. They are fishing for leviathans.

Jaffes book traces the rebirth and re-envisioning of activism, direct action and protest over the past decade, reporting on movements as outwardly disparate as the Tea Party, Occupy Wall Street, modern labor organizing and Black Lives Matter. Necessary Trouble depicts the country as a pot set above the flames of economic discontent, ready to boil over. Jaffe, a journalist and a fellow at the Nation Institute, posits that what agitates these groups is economic injustice, and the book does well to set up the financial collapse of 2008 as the beginning of the great conflagration that set them all in motion. That collapse, Jaffe argues, may not be the event that explicitly drives union organizers or black protesters against police violence, but it was a signal that democracy, in this country, is failing, or perhaps, as some are coming to believe, that it never really worked.

The structure of Necessary Trouble is a bit tortuous, with the major issues  big banks, the militarization of everything  divided into chapters. Since many of these are necessarily intertwined, Jaffes work is an attempt to understand a behemoth by describing it from different angles. Where it works, it works, and the side-by-side profile of the Tea Party and Occupy Wall Street as two diametrically opposed but fundamentally connected movements is especially striking. But sometimes the momentum of Necessary Trouble feels more like a series of hills and valleys than a buildup and a payoff, as characters from related movements flit in and out. For example, two chapters on black activism, a chapter on socialist challenges to capitalism and a chapter on the Moral Mondays movement in North Carolina might have been better presented as a single story rather than carved up as specific issues.

But Necessary Trouble shines in its assessment of why those fault lines exist in the first place. Capitalism, Jaffe argues, promotes instability and class divisions, a dynamic that also animates what Barbara Ehrenreich called the fear of falling from one class to another. From the beginning, populism, which attempted to wrest power from big corporations, was shaped in the image of white working men. Jaffe largely focuses on those left out of the struggle between traditional populism and corporations, including women and people of color, and her book finds the thread of economic injustice in every tapestry it weaves. In a contemplation of Freddie Grays death and subsequent riots in Baltimore, Jaffe notes that the people in those neighborhoods were also blamed for causing the entire financial crisis.

Zachary Roths The Great Suppression is such a complement to Jaffes book that the two feel as if they could have been written in tandem. While Jaffe states that Necessary Trouble is mostly not a book about electoral politics, it shows a pessimism about our current political systems ability to fix the problems Jaffe explores. The Great Suppression, in turn, exposes the roots of that pessimism, enumerating conservative efforts to combat demographic changes by rolling back democracy itself.
Nora Raleigh Baskins Nine, Ten focuses on the lives of four kids in the days leading up to the attacks. The benefits of Baskins choice are clear: Since readers know that a tragedy is impending, theres dramatic tension in reading about these otherwise ordinary lives. When Aimee fights with her mother, who worked in finance, for a company called Cantor Fitzgerald, a reader may feel dread for reasons Aimee cant know.

Doing justice to four separate story threads in under 200 pages is a tall task, and fewer protagonists would have allowed more depth. But Baskin creates sharply defined, emotionally compelling characters in a few elegant words. Besides Aimee theres Sergio, whose fury at his deadbeat father leads to his jumping a subway turnstile and meeting a first responder as a result; Will, who lives near the future crash site of Flight 93 and has just lost his father, straddling an invisible wall between the world out there, where his fathers death wasnt ever-present, and the world in here, where it always was; and Naheed, who comes to realize that wearing her hijab in a culture that fears Muslims is nothing less than a unifying act of faith and bravery.

Daringly, Baskin saves the events of 9/11 for the last act, effectively ending her book with its inciting event. When the attacks finally occur, Baskin leaves the characters viewpoints to narrate the events dispassionately, starkly setting out facts of timing and numbers of dead. Doing so prevents any hint of sensationalism or manipulation, and puts the novel at a glossy remove. Though some might wonder if a calm and bloodless novel about 9/11 misses the point, its poise allows Nine, Ten to honor the emotional distance many kids today feel from the tragedy.

In one scene of Jewell Parker Rhodess powerful, cleareyed Towers Falling, 10-year-old Deja huddles at a cafeteria table with her friends, secretly watching on a cellphone as people jump from a burning skyscraper. The video is 15 years old, but finally seeing the forbidden images hammers in the abstractions of a long-past tragedy. In their fifth-grade class, Miss Garcia shows a poster of Manhattan with two towers instead of one, and it takes them many minutes to realize the difference: The twin towers are like teeth pulled. Rhodes doesnt assume her readers know the magnitude of 9/11; she walks them tenderly through it.
REVOLUTION ON THE HUDSON

New York City and the Hudson River Valley in the American War of Independence

By George C. Daughan

416 pp. Norton, $28.95.

The title of Daughans book Revolution on the Hudson says it all. In telling the story behind the struggle for military supremacy over the Hudson Valley and the river running through it, Daughan convincingly argues that George IIIs insistence on the Hudsons strategic importance actually changed the course of the war  in favor of the colonists. He is, however, quick to remind us that Washington and every other patriot leader shared this fixation with what Douglas Southall Freeman described as the jugular of America, the severance of which meant death.

In his exhaustively detailed narrative, Daughan provides an exacting account of the personal and national cost of the rebellion on both sides  the speculation, betrayals, political maneuvering, decisive battles, and more. He is most effective when describing George IIIs hubris, which resulted in dangerous assumptions about British naval superiority, and he succeeds in lending an authentic voice to those pasteboard figures we learned about in history class, like John Adams and Benedict Arnold.
Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab militants on a popular beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, city authorities said on Friday.

"Nine people including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday, Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP.

Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab militants attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The assailants also threw grenades at the security services who cordoned off the area. One man with a head wound was detained by the authorities which accused him of being the bomber.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight.

The Shabaab claimed responsibility for the attack in a statement distributed via the Telegram messaging service, claiming to have killed "scores" of people.

It said the restaurant was targeted because it was frequented by "apostates" indulging in "obscenity and vice".

The Shabaab is fighting to overthrow the internationally-backed government in Mogadishu, seeking to impose an austere Islamic rule on the country.

By Friday morning officials said the attackers had been killed.

All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured.

It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people.

The group is expected to try to violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago, Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets.

The militants have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned that the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.

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THE BEST MAN

By Richard Peck

232 pp. Dial. $16.99. (Middle grade; ages 8 to 12)

If youre under the age of, say, 50 and read novels as a kid, youve probably spent some time in Richard Pecks world. When I was in elementary and middle school in the late 80s, battered Peck paperbacks littered my class libraries, often featuring teenage girls in trouble or grappling with newfound supernatural powers, as in Ghosts I Have Been.

But Peck is at heart a gentle realist, a keen observer of family dynamics who uses the soft power of understated emotion to tackle social issues (rape, teenage pregnancy, death). His latest middle-grade novel, The Best Man, is in this vein. Its about a boy named Archer Magill and his relationships with the men in his life: his father, a classic-car buff; his straw-hat-wearing architect grandfather; his perpetually single, sharply dressed uncle Paul; and, eventually, his fifth-grade student teacher, Ed McLeod, a National Guardsman getting a masters in education.

We first meet Archer as a 6-year-old ring bearer in the wedding of a family friend  The Best Man is bookended by two weddings  and follow him through elementary school as he navigates classroom bullies, friendships, the death of one of his beloved male role models and, finally, the marriage of two others. Simultaneously inquisitive and slightly clueless, Archer relies on the adults around him and on his self-possessed best friend, Lynette, to serve as mentors in emotional awareness. But Peck is mostly concerned with his male characters and their emotional landscapes. The men in Archers life talk about their feelings  How am I going to mean as much to you as my dad meant to me? his father muses after the death of Archers grandfather  and they each have something to teach him about how to be a man. Uncle Paul helps him handle a bully, while Mr. McLeod takes on anti-gay discrimination by coming out in front of a classroom of sixth graders.
THE SHIPWRECKED MIND

On Political Reaction

By Mark Lilla

145 pp. New York Review Books. Paper, $15.95.

Revolutionaries imagine time as a stream flowing in the direction they desire. Reactionaries, Mark Lilla writes, are, in their way, just as radical as revolutionaries and just as firmly in the grip of historical imaginings. Yet they are shipwrecked, watching the currents of modernity sweep everything down a course they despise.

Lilla, a professor of humanities at Columbia University, has assembled this brief but far from lightweight volume from essays that first appeared in The New York Review of Books and The New Republic. Taken together they have new force, sketching a cast of mind that has shadowed European thought for a century, and one that may seem disturbingly familiar to students of American politics today.

This books first chapters consider in turn Franz Rosenzweig, Eric Voegelin and Leo Strauss as exemplary reactionary scholars. Rosenzweig, who died in 1929, sought to explain the place of the Jewish people in history  or rather outside of history. The Jews, as the sole people of revelation, lived in a timeless, face-to-face relationship with their God, Lilla explains. This permits them to escape the secularizing forces of modernity, or so Rosenzweig had hoped.

Voegelin, a philosopher who fled Austria for the United States in 1938, also pondered the relationship of history to religion. He traced latter-day totalitarianism to the Christian heresy of Gnosticism, which broadly maintained that the world as it exists is corrupt, that a special form of knowledge could provide an intimate connection to God and that the earth must finally be purified in a violent apocalypse. Voegelins account found favor with American religiously minded conservatives during the Cold War, though Lilla notes, Voegelin thought Christianity was partially to blame for the revolutionary spirit.
But in a July filing with the court, Horseheads financial adviser said the companys assets were worth an estimated $280 million to $375 million. The main reason for the decline? The companys decision to write down to almost zero the new zinc plant in Mooresboro it built for $550 million.

What accounts for the almost total loss in the plants value? Lazard, adviser to Horsehead in the bankruptcy, said it based its valuation on prices of the companys debt and equity, both of which are naturally depressed by the companys Chapter 11 filing. Lazard also referred vaguely to its consideration of the latest 12 months revenue multiples of selected comparable guideline companies.

This makes some of Horseheads shareholders suspicious.

The major issue is how the company has been urging the court to believe that hundreds of millions of dollars of value vanished into thin air and a brand-new factory was deemed to be worthless, said Thomas I. Boswell of Boswell Capital Management in Hong Kong, operator of the Intrinsic Value Limited Partnership, which owns 250,000 Horsehead shares. To say that theyre writing off a $500 million plant basically because the share price of our stock and the prices of our bonds have fallen is ludicrous.

Horsehead did not respond to an email seeking comment.

Christopher S. Sontchi, the federal judge overseeing the bankruptcy proceeding in Delaware, has raised questions of his own about the steep decline in the companys worth. In an unusual ruling in May, he allowed the formation of an equity committee, giving Horsehead shareholders a chance to participate in the process. More than 1,000 individual investors own the stock.

To put it bluntly, something doesnt smell right to the court, Judge Sontchi said, according to a court transcript. There was a certain valuation scenario that existed pre-petition and theres a radically different valuation scenario that exists post-petition, and theres a sufficient amount of ambiguity as to whats right and whos right, that I believe its appropriate in this unique circumstance to appoint an equity committee.
What were some business lessons you learned growing up?

There were aunts and uncles who were always trying to start businesses of their own. And my grandfather would always be focused on profitability. He had a saying: Any fool can lose money. He wouldnt care whether you were selling shirts or tomatoes or you were in the trucking business. Its in the back of my head every time I see a business plan. Im always focused on When will we make money doing this?

My grandfather also built great teams. I watched him put some of his children, aunts, uncles in positions of authority and then fire them if they didnt perform. He didnt care. Either you can do the work or you cant do it.

What else?

He used to say all the time that everybody is replaceable. He used to do this thing called a bucket test. He would be arguing with one of his employees, and hed call me in and say, Get a bucket of water. So Id bring the bucket of water to the room, and hed say, Lloydie, put your hand in the water. Then Id take it out, and hed say to his employee, See that hole that Lloyd left in the water? Thats the hole youre going to leave when you leave here.

The guy was usually trying to get some big salary, trying to explain how invaluable and important he was. Once every eight months or so, my grandfather would call for the bucket of water. So I have a pretty high bar for calling someone irreplaceable. If I hear that, Ill say, Why? Is it Steve Jobs? Is it Einstein? Everybodys replaceable.

When you went to college, did you have an idea of what you wanted to do for a career?

I wanted to be a medical doctor. But when I looked at how long it would take, and how much debt Id be in afterward, I decided to go into electrical engineering. There werent enough people with engineering skills at the time. I didnt even have to interview for my first job. They just came to my school and said, Send the kids with the four best grade-point averages. We need them to start on Monday.
At 30, the writer Emily Witt found herself single and heartbroken, but also suddenly intent on examining the mythology around how life for women is supposed to be. Demographics have changed, people get married later or they dont get married at all, she said recently, drinking rose at a bar in Brooklyn.

In considering questions like why she was not married or almost married (and why many of her friends who wanted to be married were also not married), Ms. Witt, who has written for the London Review of Books and The New Yorker, and is a contributing editor to T: The New York Times Style Magazine, recalled thinking that technology had changed. Social mores had changed to accept a wider range of sexual practices. And it felt like the protagonist in some ways, the main person experiencing all of this, was women.

Thus began her quest to understand the consequences of these changes. The result is her book, Future Sex, to be published Oct. 11.

Along the way, when she would talk about what she was working on, certain editors  male editors  have commented on my memoir, said Ms. Witt, now 35. An editor said to me, It seems like every woman has to write about this at some point. Um, yeah, because its one of the most important things about being alive right now?
The Merkur 23C is three pieces of chrome-finished metal: a handle that screws into two head plates. Between the plates, you place a double-edge blade, the kind you might associate more with cocaine or self-mutilation than with shaving. The basic design hasnt changed in over a century. For $10, I ordered a package of 100 razor blades made by a company called Astra. They came in a cardboard box packed with 20 smaller cardboard boxes, each containing five blades individually wrapped in small squares of wax paper. Astra blades are good for about five days apiece, which puts the annual cost of a daily shave at around $7. Compare that with a pack of four Fusion ProShield cartridges (the newest model has before and after lubrication strips), which is on Amazon now for $20.

It wasnt meant to be this way. King Camp Gillette introduced his safety razor, with disposable double-edge blades, around the turn of the 20th century. But before he was an inventor, Gillette was a starry-eyed utopian socialist. In 1894, he published The Human Drift, a book that, among other things, envisioned most of the population of North America living in a huge metropolis powered by Niagara Falls. Production would be fully centralized, making for the greatest efficiency, while all goods would be free to everyone. Thats the only way Gillette saw to ensure that the benefits of technological development would be shared. No system can ever be a perfect system, and free from incentive for crime, he wrote, employing a prescient metaphor, until money and all representative value of material is swept from the face of the earth. His blade was a model socialist innovation: Gillette replaced toilsome sharpening labor with the smallest, most easily produced part imaginable. The very existence of the Gillette Fusion is an insult to his memory.

To maintain growth, todays Gillette has to keep coming up with gimmicks, even sometimes at the expense of the truth. In 2005, a Federal District Court found that some of the companys ad claims about its vibrating M3 Power razor  that micropulses lift hair up and away from the skin, allowing for a closer shave  were literally false. King Camp imagined a modern world where each innovation would yield more luxury and freedom for everyone. Instead, his name represents a company that sells us increasingly absurd instruments as though theyre the exclusive option for personal grooming. Advertisers pulled off an incredible coup by convincing us that the manliest choice is one that shields us from sharp objects.

I use my Merkur every morning, letting its hefty handle warm in the sink. And every day, I use a fresh Astra blade. Its the kind of efficient extravagance I think King Camp might appreciate. Gillette, the company, actually bought Astra  a Czech company  in 1996 in order to expand its business in Eastern Europe. Now Astra has been swallowed up by Procter & Gamble, which acquired Gillette in 2005. On shaving forums and Reddit, users discuss stockpiling thousands of double-edge blades in anticipation of P.&G.s eventual success and the triumph of capitalist waste. Until then, King Camp Gillettes dream holds on by the thinnest margin.
In 1960, Senator John F. Kennedy won one of the closest presidential elections in history, beating Vice President Richard M. Nixon. Also, birth control pills became available.

In 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated, and soon after, Bethpage Junior High School became one of the first schools in the United States to be renamed after him.

In 1969, the New York Mets stunned fans by winning the World Series, beating the Baltimore Orioles in five games.

Image Beatles fans flocked to Shea Stadium in Queens in 1965. Credit... Associated Press, via Long Island Museum

This mix of events, part of an illustrated timeline that leads visitors into Long Island in the Sixties, introduces the scope and tone of the rest of the exhibition at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook: local and national, serious history (the Vietnam War, the civil rights movement) and pop culture (the Beatles appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, and the Woodstock Music Festival in 1969).
From 2005 to 2010, Matt Ross helped spread the gospel of rock n roll to children across the country, and now he is intent on doing something similar as he helps to develop the next generation of Basquiats and Warhols with his new initiative, One River School of Art and Design.

Mr. Ross was chief executive of School of Rock, the chain of rock music academies, and expanded the number of schools to 55 from five, Paul Green, School of Rocks founder, said. (There are now about 200 locations.)

Hes someone who knows there has to be the right balance between commerce and art, and that what youre teaching is less important than how you teach it, said Mr. Green, adding that Mr. Ross would be very successful in his new fine arts venture.

Mr. Ross, 55, is also not about to let a suburban inferiority complex keep him from becoming an influencer in art education. In the suburbs of New Jersey, our only barrier to the culture of New York City is a river, he said.
Robert Indianas Love sits inside the entrance to the Hudson Valley Center for Contemporary Art in Peekskill. The sculpture is iconic; its presence in the museum, as part of the exhibition Word, offers a rare opportunity to explore the work intimately.

Visitors may marvel at the massive red and blue letters L, O, V and E, and at the dramatic positive and negative spaces the letters create. What they are probably unaware of, though, is how the sculpture, which weighs 1,500 pounds, made its way into the gallery. The procedure required elaborate crating in preparation for overseas transport from its owners in Switzerland; a forklift and a team of specialty art movers upon its arrival in New York; and at the museum, the fabrication of a 12-foot-tall fireproof steel transom to accommodate the sculptures height. The total cost for the installation? About $10,000, according to Livia Straus, the centers director.

Heavy expenditures, complicated logistics, a legion of experts and lots of time are among many unseen ingredients involved in creating shows, from conception to the opening reception.

Planning begins two, three, even five years in advance, and starts with an idea. At the Bruce Museum in Greenwich, Conn., concepts are brainstormed during monthly staff meetings called program forums. People come with ideas, and we figure out whether theyre feasible and whether we can afford them and whether we can get the artwork, Peter C. Sutton, the museums executive director, said. And whether theyre good projects that will appeal to the public.
In the mid-1930s, during an extended tour of Europe, Louis Armstrong found himself in Germany with a split lip, a fairly common injury for him. But by luck, he had recently made the acquaintance of Franz Schuritz, a trombonist who also happened to be the inventor of Ansatz-Creme, an invigorating lip balm. Armstrong was an immediate and lifelong convert.

This is the greatest salve in the world, he said in an interview in 1952. Id be dead without it. Before World War II, I told Joe Glaser, my manager, to buy $250 worth of it. He said, Are you crazy? And I said, Man, I can read between the lines. Theres trouble coming. Now buy it, dammit.

Image Credit... Louis Armstrong House Museum

Playing a trumpet is notoriously hard on the lips, but Armstrongs playing was so punishing that the condition is now known among horn players as Satchmos syndrome. (Armstrongs nickname, Satchmo, was derived from satchel mouth.) By the mid-1950s, Ansatz-Creme was endorsed by Armstrong and the tins were rebranded with his name getting top billing.
Some 35 Muslim and non-Muslim women held a beach party demonstration outside the French embassy in London on Thursday, protesting against a ban on burkinis enforced in some coastal towns in France.

Wearing bikinis and burkinis, the women sat on a pile of sand and played with beach balls in front of the embassy, some holding signs reading "Islamophobia is not freedom" and "Let them wear what they want".

The protest was organised by two friends following the publication of a photograph of armed French police apparently telling a woman sitting on a beach to remove part of her burkini.

"It is never right to tell a woman what she can wear or to take her clothes off. That is not for a man to say," India Thorogood, one of the organizers, said.

"We wanted to show solidarity with Muslim women in France and call for a repeal of the ban."

France's highest administrative court, the Conseil d'Etat, was meeting on Thursday to consider a complaint against the ban in one Mediterranean town.

President Francois Hollande's government has backed the decisions taken by mainly conservative mayors, who argue the garment violates France's laws on secularism.

French Muslims are concerned that the decisions could lead to further stigmatization of Muslims, the head of a body representing Muslims in France has said.

Short link:


But the early days were a challenge. The building, a former deli, required a significant renovation, including the removal of three layers of flooring. The mother and son did much of the work themselves, with some help from members of their church, Ministerios Bethania in Stamford, Conn., where the congregants included contractors and electricians. (Religion is central to their lives  the restaurants Spanish name means Here Is Holy Faith, and a number of dishes are named for people and places in the Bible.)

Image A ceviche with shrimp served in a purple cabbage. Credit... Gregg Vigliotti for The New York Times

A few months after the restaurant opened, a major winter storm hit the East Coast and knocked out power; Aqui Es Santa Fe had to close its doors for more than two weeks. We were already not doing well. So to close for two and a half weeks and have no sales  just because youre closed doesnt mean the bills stop, Mr. Santos said, shaking his head. (Mr. Santos, who worked at an events firm in Manhattan while going to college, now owns the restaurant with his mother.)

The menu was more modest then  sandwiches, smoothies  and the plates were disposable.

Now, patrons happily spend a couple of hours over a three-course meal, with wine, beer or sangria (a recent seasonal special made with rose was memorably good). The plates have stepped up too  now stylish rectangles.

Hallmarks of the restaurants cooking are lightness and balance, terms not always associated with arepas, empanadas, tostones, and sauces featuring Gorgonzola.

The excellent arepas and empanadas are made in-house, from white corn, which is cooked and then ground in a manual grinder called a molino. Tostones, the twice-fried mashed plantain discs, are crisp, not oily. And a sauce made with Gorgonzola, spinach and tomato provides just the right amount of sharpness to a grilled chicken dish called Sinai.
The warm brioche doughnuts at the month-old Grindstone Coffee and Donuts in Sag Harbor are made from five basic ingredients: flour, milk, eggs, yeast and butter (of the European, 83 percent butterfat variety), and are flavored with a bit of honey and nutmeg, with hints of salt and sugar. Its the toppings that give them pizazz.

Daily special spreads, toppings or sprinkles often include lemon poppy seed with fresh berries, house-made blackberry jam, powdered sugar and chai spice, creme brulee or dark chocolate coconut. In addition to these sweet traditional options, Kyle Shanahan, 29, the owner, also offers a daily savory topping; it could be peanut butter with caramelized banana, or an everything-bagel-spiced doughnut with cream cheese. Might there be a pizza doughnut in the future? No question. Were playing around with new stuff every day, said Mr. Shanahan. To me, its comfort food.

Image Strawberry rhubarb pies at Hometown Bake Shop. Credit... Donna Alberico for The New York Times

Image A brownie at Hometown Bake Shop. Credit... Donna Alberico for The New York Times

Baked goods are not just for dessert anymore. New local bakeries are serving treats that can satisfy an appetite and a sweet tooth at the same time. Danna Abrams, chef and co-owner of Hometown Bake Shop in Centerport, said the secret is in the dough. I make the same crust from scratch for both my sweet and savory pies, she said. The sweet pies are finished with sugar; the savory are finished with salt and pepper.
The saxophonist Jimmy Greene and his wife, Nelba Marquez-Greene, lost their 6-year-old daughter, Ana, in the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre in Newtown four years ago. Mr. Greene has had success in addressing the loss musically  a tribute to Ana released in 2014, Beautiful Life, earned two Grammy nominations  but the pain endures.

I still think of my little girl every moment of every day, he said.

Yet Mr. Greene, 41, is moving the needle artistically, and perhaps psychologically. This month, he completed studio work on another, more animated recorded tribute and spent five nights as a sideman at a club in New York City. Next month, he will lead bands at clubs in New York and Stamford and at a concert hall in his native Hartford, where he will draw on the new music.

Its extremely helpful dealing with the complex emotions that the grief process brings on, he said of the activity.

Sitting in his studio at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, where he is an assistant professor of music, Mr. Greene, a big man with a ready smile, said that, in recent months he had become physically stronger and better able to focus. He credited the good wishes, and occasional largess, of family, friends and colleagues.
Its worth noting that the gap in school readiness narrowed because of relatively rapid improvements in the skills of low-income children, not because the skills of children from high-income families declined. Research one of us did with Scott Latham at the University of Virginia showed that both poor and affluent children entered kindergarten in 2010 with stronger reading and math skills than they did in the late 1990s. School readiness gaps between racial groups have also improved: Both the white-black and white-Hispanic gaps narrowed by roughly 15 percent from 1998 to 2010.

These improvements appear to persist at least into fourth grade. Data from the National Assessment of Educational Progress show that by 2015, when those kindergartners were in fourth grade, their math and reading skills were roughly two-thirds of a grade level higher than those of their counterparts 12 years earlier. This was true for children of all racial and ethnic groups and for poor and nonpoor children alike.

Whats behind these surprising developments? One possibility is that school readiness gaps have narrowed because it is easier now for poor families to find high-quality, publicly funded preschool programs for their children. Today 29 percent of 4-year-olds are enrolled in state-funded preschools, up from 14 percent in 2002. Greater availability of affordable preschool programs  particularly if they are high quality  may be part of the reason poor children are starting to catch up to their affluent peers.

It is unlikely, however, that preschool enrollment is the primary explanation. Although more poor children today attend preschool than in the 1990s, enrollment rates dipped in 2010, perhaps because of rising unemployment after the Great Recession. And while the quality of the typical preschool program may have improved, as recently as 2004 most poor children attended public preschools that were far inferior to those available in affluent communities.

It may be changes in childrens homes that have mattered most. Tracking the experiences of young children over time, we found that both rich and poor children today have more books and read with their parents more often than they did in the 90s. They are far more likely to have computers, internet access and computer games focused on reading and math skills. Their parents are more likely to spend time with them, taking them to the library or doing activities at home.
The ingenue police are at my door.

Is this Melissa Errico? The actress? Do you understand that Sharon in Finians Rainbow should be around 27 years old? Would you please come with us?

Then I wake up.

Sleeping actors are known to forget their lines, or what play they are in, or where their pants have gone. When I was offered the chance to perk up my curly curls and scrub up my Irish brogue to portray the fairylike Sharon McLonergan in a coming Off Broadway revival of the musical Finians Rainbow, this version of the actors dream crept into my subconscious and made plain thoughts I was already thinking: At age 46, when does an ingenue hang up her ponytail? When is it time to stop dancing with leprechauns?

What is an ingenue in a musical? Sharon, a role Ive already played twice, is typical of the kind. Shes the young lady who might end up with a nice-looking tenor. She has a high lyric soprano, big eyes, long hair and a figure that is conventionally attractive but not wildly attractive  neither voluptuous nor what you would call sexy. An ingenue is candid and innocent. A little waistline is good, and she certainly isnt a mother yet. Leggy is for the funny or dangerous characters.
Amenities

The hotel lends bikes, although when we grabbed a pair to use during Mexico Citys car-free Sundays, we quickly learned that in bicycle maintenance, you get what you pay for: One seat fell off completely, midride. (The staff members seemed apologetic when we returned.) The boutique Taxonomia offers the latest in Mexican design, from kitchenware to clothing, and is already a favorite of jet-set shoppers. The jewel box of a pool in the courtyard is lovely, though perhaps too much of a fishbowl for some swimmers; it was empty when we were there, but provided just the right backdrop for a fashion shoot one morning.

Dining

The Carlota shines in its public spaces, including the lobby-level bar, poolside tables and the restaurant, all partly open to the courtyard. At the helm are the chefs Joaquin Cardoso and Sofia Cortina, whose experiences run from Alain Ducasse to Mexico Citys much-celebrated Pujol. It offers a sophisticated and cool mealtime scene. The menu experiments with modern Mexican cuisine, and our room service breakfast of chilaquiles and baked eggs was delicious, and nicely served with several bottles of water. But cutlery was an afterthought, one of several instances where the Carlota delivered on style but underperformed on service.

Bottom Line

The Carlota is, above all, a stylish spot to perch; those who prize form over function will relish a stay.
Q. Why do you think women need special guidebooks when traveling?

A. I think women are often told they shouldnt travel  that its irresponsible, that its unsafe. So we really try to do our part to make women feel comfortable, to get out there, while also saying, These are the things you should be aware of. Knowledge is power. Women have special concerns when it comes to traveling regarding their health and safety, for example, so we have a section that has information on women clinics and another one on safety.

Image Kelly Lewis.

Have you ever felt unsafe on one of your adventures?

When I was in Argentina I had bad experiences with employees on long distance buses. I was spied on by an employee. I had another one push himself on me when I was sleeping. My writers had similar experiences when they went to do the guidebook, so we knew this was one thing we had to put in the book.

What about the emotional challenges of traveling?

I think loneliness and homesickness are huge emotions you battle as a female traveler, so our guides address community and how to meet people. We talk about using couch surfing as the best way to form a connection and about how to be outgoing and talk to as many people as possible. The more people know of you, the more they feel a need to protect you.

Do women want to do different things when traveling than men?

I find that women are looking for more connection or purpose when they travel; they have a specific reason to visit a country. So they want to go to Thailand and volunteer with elephants instead of just going to Thailand in general. All our books have a free or low-cost volunteer section in the back.

How do you select which destinations to feature?

We first started choosing cities and countries that are maybe a little difficult for women to go to by themselves. So Thailand is really popular and a wonderful place for solo travel, but it can be a little intimidating. Bangkok is a big city, and the language barrier is a real concern, so thats why we started there. The same is true for Mexico and Argentina, but you are dealing with a macho culture on top of it.
Professor Scheve and Professor Stasavage found that democratic countries have not consistently embraced more redistributive tax policies, and most people do not vote strictly in their narrow self-interest. As the right to vote broadened through the centuries, for example, and people without property began to vote, they did not consistently act to tax the rich. These findings run counter to a popular narrative. Recall that in 2012, Mitt Romney said that in a democracy, a candidate who offers tax breaks to the less well-off at the expense of the rich will win mass support no matter what. That claim does not appear to be supported by the historical record.

Instead, it appears that, for better or for worse, the majority of people share simple notions of entitlement and fairness. Professor Scheve, Professor Stasavage and their colleagues found that in 2014, when people in the United States were asked what marginal tax rates they would most like to see on family incomes of $375,000, the median answer was 30 percent, with the bulk of answers ranging from 20 percent to 40 percent. (The federal marginal tax rate for that income is 33 percent.)

This is consistent with my own survey results, which focused on inheritance taxes. In 1990, Maxim Boycko, then with a Moscow think tank, the Institute of World Economy and International Relations, and I asked both New Yorkers and Muscovites: In your opinion, what inheritance tax rate for really wealthy people do you think we should have? The average answers in the two cities were virtually identical: 37 percent in New York, 39 percent in Moscow. Taxing around a third of wealth, more or less, seemed fair to people. And perhaps it is reasonable, in the abstract, yet what will we do in the future if this degree of taxation wont produce enough revenue to meaningfully help the very poor as well as the sagging middle class?

Along with nine other economists, I contributed to a project that engaged in really long-term forecasting. The results appeared in a book edited by Ignacio Palacios-Huerta of the London School of Economics: In 100 Years: Leading Economists Predict the Future, (M.I.T., 2013). None of us expressed optimism that inequality would be corrected in the future, and none of us ventured that any major economic policy was likely to counteract recent trends.

For example, Angus Deaton of Princeton, commenting on what he called the grotesque expansions in inequality of the past 30 years, gave a pessimistic prediction: Those who are doing well will organize to protect what they have, including in ways that benefit them at the expense of the majority.  And Robert M. Solow of M.I.T. said, We are not good at large-scale redistribution of income. Both Professor Deaton and Professor Solow are fellow Nobel laureates.

No one seems to have an effective plan to deal with the possibility of much more severe inequality, should it develop. In the disturbing book Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation, (Oxford, 1983) Amartya Sen, a Harvard professor, documented an extraordinary thing: In each of four devastating famines in different parts of the world, there was enough food to keep everyone alive. The problem in each case was that the food was not shared adequately. Systems of privilege and entitlement permitted hoarding of food by people of status whose lives went on much as usual, except that they had to brush off starving beggars and would occasionally see dead bodies on the street.

Satyajit Rays 1973 movie Distant Thunder depicted one of those terrible episodes, the Bengal famine of 1942-43. Millions died, almost all from the lower echelons of society. Among the privileged classes, only the most moral seemed to find the situation troubling enough to help in a significant way.

Despite past failures, we should not lose hope in our ability to improve the world. In a recent column, I described ways in which society might change a deep-rooted sense of entitlement by radically broadening wage and job insurance. Such a program would be a start in getting us prepared to deal with some of the immense challenges that may lie ahead.
It was death by a thousand cuts  lots and lots and lots of things to do, and lots of things to keep in mind. A simple but amazingly complicated aspect was the fact that we were lighting with sunlight. That seems totally normal  what could go wrong as long as the sun shines? But what I didnt realize is the sun rises in the east, and sets in the west. [Laughs.] So the direction you shoot in the morning, and the direction you shoot in the afternoon, are opposite to each other, and we had to completely change the schedule to accommodate where the sun was at any one point. Sometimes we would have to start with the end of a sequence. I didnt really get that until I was standing in the middle of the field.

Do those kinds of challenges ever end up improving the final result?

At least 50 percent of the time, they make it better. The example I keep coming back to is the sequence where Jon Snow gets crushed by all his fellow troops, and has that dying and rebirthing moment. Which really came as a result of the fact that it rained, and the pitch got completely waterlogged  there was nine inches of mud, and it slowed everything down. So I consulted with David [Benioff] and Dan [Weiss, the creators and showrunners] and said, I think I can complete the sequence if I can go off script and shoot this idea instead, because its more containable and its not dependent on the weather. They said yes, and it ended up being a very personal moment for Jon Snow in the midst of all of that chaos.

What was the single toughest thing you were asked to depict?

Having 3,000 horses running at each other, especially after we discovered that horses cannot touch each other. Its illegal  its a very valid rule about protecting the horses. So the very thing we were trying to do was not allowed. And we only had 70 horses.

What was the solution?

You would have one guy run into the frame, and then the horse rider would pull the horse, which means make the horse fall and lie down on its side. Later we would digitally superimpose another C.G.I. horse and make it seem like it had impacted the live one. Pulling horses down, you can do. Its about turning their necks in a certain direction, and then having two guys with a rope wrapped around the front two legs  they pull the rope, and then it allows them to fall very painlessly onto a bedded mulch base, so theyre falling into a soft surface. But horses are quite smart, so after a couple of times, they wont let you.
Police on Friday recommended corruption charges against Brazil's ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva as part of a probe into a huge embezzlement scheme at state oil company Petrobras.

The recommendation, which must now be considered by prosecutors before becoming formal charges, was made in a filing seen by AFP. A judge would still have to decide whether to accept the charges.

The development comes as Lula's successor and protege Dilma Rousseff fights an impeachment trial in the Senate.

Lula, who founded the Workers' Party and was president between 2003-2010 before helping Rousseff get elected, and his wife face corruption and money laundering charges.

The case is based on Lula's alleged ownership of a seaside apartment and a country house. Police say that the apartment underwent extensive renovations paid for by a construction company, OAS, involved in the mammoth embezzlement scheme at Petrobras in which companies paid bribes to win contracts.

Lula was planning to go to the capital Brasilia on Monday to support Rousseff when she appears before the Senate ahead of a vote on whether to remove her from office.

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I came to hear your voice, to hear your secrets, says the filmmaker and narrator, addressing her homeland, Palestine, in the film that chronicles her first visit.



My Love Awaits Me by the Sea unfolds as a poetic documentary, but it is more an ode to dreams, dreamers, and the power of fiction in transcending the harsh realities of life.



The film premiered in 2013 at the Tornto International Film Festival, and had its Egypt premiere at the Ismailia International Documentay Festival, winning the Jury prize. It went on to receive four other top awards, at Brazils Festival Internacional de Cinema Feminino, Italys MedFilm Festival, Argentinas Latin Arab Film Festival, and New Yorks New Directors New Films festival.



Mais Darwazah takes us from her own story into the stories of others, talking not about politics, but about dreams.



A portrait of a harsh place, with these small poetic moments of peace, Darwazah tells audiences at Zawya.



Living in Jordan all her life, Mais Darwazah had only heard tales about Palestine, until a childrens book compelled her to visit, and make a film about the place.



Hassan and the sea



I want to honour the artist and writer Hassan Hourani, whose book Hassan Fi Kol Makan ("Hassan Everywhere") was an inspiration for this film, she says.



While Darwazah allowed herself to wander and get lost in the fictional world of Hassan, she found a bridge to Palestine.



Hassan became like a friend to me, taking me by the hand to Palestine. The book is steeped in the realities of politics although it is for children. He helped me create a real Palestine through fiction, Darwazah says.



She went to Palestine to find people that create an alternate reality, some of them living in a bubble that is a safe haven, others creating fiction and art, and others fight oppression by keeping a dream alive.



Reality can break us, but there is a place in the minds of Palestinians that the occupation cant reach, Darwazah says.



The sea is an important element of the story, and is the subject of the opening conversation between the filmmaker and her mother.



No one can influence it, but it influences others, the mother says as they walk by the beach.



The sea influenced Hourani, who in turn influenced Darwazah.



On a visit to Palestine before publishing the book, Hourani left Ramallah to spend a day in Jaffa by the sea with his nephew. Swimming in an isolated place to avoid questioning from authorities, they both drowned that day.



The filmmaker felt this to be very symbolic of life in Palestine, where access to the sea is limited, a dream they harbour.



Darwazah draws a parallel between Hassan and Palestine, between dreams and the sea. In a sense Houranis life was taken by his own dream.



But what Hassan embodies was a spirit, a way of crossing and rising above boundaries, that the film seeks to honour through the people potrayed.



My mother ties it together; she was a dreamer like Hassan, Darwazah says.



Behind the dreams



Take Me Home was the title of Darwazah's first film, her graduation project in 2003 which toured film festivals. Five years later, My Love Awaits Me by the Sea is like an answer to that plea.



I crossed the waters from Jordan to this place that was just a minute away. Although when I used to hear about it, it seemed 400 years away, she says.



I wanted to show Palestine to my family, my friends, and all the people who dont know her.



I spent eight years on the film, and sadly many things didnt change. And just when I finished the film, the war started in Syria.



Working on the film for many years, Darwazah spent three of them writing.



As a documentary, the writing process was not a scenario, but rather a way to sort out her thoughts and pin down her emotions to find the direction for the film.



In Zawyas description of the film, we find questions, such as how do you return to a place that only exists in your mind?", "how do you keep fighting for life when you're surrounded by so much death?", "how can you continue believing in a dream when the outside world lives another reality?" and "how can you own your version of the truth when history has taken it from you?"



Darwazah found herself faced with an overwhelming task of untangling it.



How can I face all that without knowing myself first? In the process I faced myself too, and like Hassan, I created Mais Fi Kol Makan ('Mais Everywhere').



It took me a long time to make it sound like it was your voices not mine. So you dont hear me, but hear yourself, Darwazah tells the audience.



With the organic filming and sometimes shaky hand held camera, we often do hear Darwazahs voice behind the lens in conversation with the subjects she meets.



I didnt have time to create a relationship with the characters before filming, so it had to go instinctively. I told them the film is about a dream within us, and where it is now. And it was like I tapped into a special place with no introductions, she says.



Throughout the film, Darwazahs narration is sometimes accompanied by simple hand-drawn landscapes. The line that makes the horizon, the road, and the blue watercolour paint that makes the sea, are all expanding outside the square frame drawn for them.



They wont be contained, in this simple ode to freedom and imagination.



I invent what I want to see. I like how theres always a way for imagination, says Darwazah.



For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture

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Source: U.S. Department of Education, 2014 data. *Note: Arrows show only movements of 500 or more students.

Students leave behind state financial aid, incur added transportation costs and pay ever-higher out-of-state rates set by underfunded universities. Why do they go?

Some yearn for independence or fun (ski Colorado! Vermont!) or are lured by merit aid (the University of Alabama, Ohio State, University of South Carolina). They may have been shut out of their own flagships (California, Texas, Illinois) or are taking advantage of reciprocity agreements (Midwest Student Exchange Program), which allow neighbors to pay reduced or in-state tuition.

Thomas G. Mortenson, senior scholar at the Pell Institute for the Study of Opportunity in Higher Education, offers another explanation. The surge in emigrants, he says, bespeaks troubles in the public four-year institutions in the home states of these residents.

The Flow of Students for Each State
Lee County Sheriffs Office

 Third-degree domestic violence (assault) was reported Thursday afternoon in Valley.

 Fraudulent use of a credit/debit card was reported Thursday at 10:34 a.m. in Opelika.

 Illegal possession/use of a credit/debit card was reported Thursday at 10:31 a.m. in the 200 block of Lee Road 205 in Salem.

Auburn Police Division

 Three counts of third-degree domestic violence were reported Thursday evening.

 Fraudulent use of a credit/debit card was reported Thursday at 10:55 a.m. in the 200 block of West Longleaf Drive.

 Ashley Dawn Hodges, 25, of Opelika, was arrested Thursday and was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol.

Opelika Police Department

 A burglary and theft occurred Thursday between 1:45 p.m. and 2:10 p.m. in the 3500 block of Birmingham Highway. Nicholas Ladell Carlisle, 18, of Opelika, was arrested and charged with third-degree burglary and fourth-degree theft of property. Keontae Cortez Hollis, 18, of Opelika, was arrested and charged with fourth-degree receiving stolen property. Both subjects were booked into the Lee County Jail.

 An illegal possession of a credit/debit card occurred Thursday between noon and 12:30 p.m. at 2147 Tiger Town Parkway, Best Buy.

 A third-degree theft of property occurred between Tuesday and Thursday at 600 2nd Avenue, BB&T Bank.

 A first-degree theft of property occurred between Sunday and Tuesday in the 3500 block of Randall Drive.

 A second-degree theft of property occurred Aug. 13 at approximately 6 a.m. in the 1100 block of Wallace Avenue.

 A first-degree theft of property occurred between Aug. 6 and Aug. 13 in the 300 block of Overlook Drive.

 A first-degree theft of property occurred June 20 in the 300 block of South Railroad Avenue.

Tallapoosa County Sheriffs Department

 Jackline Lumpkin was arrested Thursday on two grand jury indictments for possession of forged instruments and one grand jury indictment for third-degree theft of property.

 Willie Whetstone was arrested Thursday on three grand jury indictments for domestic violence strangulation, two grand jury indictments for second-degree domestic violence and one grand jury Indictment criminal use of defense spray.
Donald Eugene Bohanan June 20, 1925 - August 19, 2016 Retired Army Major Donald E. Bohanan died August 19 at his home in Auburn, Alabama. He was 91 years old, and his biography reads like that of many of his generation. Born in Hugo, Oklahoma, his family moved to Eldorado, Oklahoma when Bo was a young child. Their lives in Eldorado were almost immediately and certainly profoundly shaped by the Great Depression and the great Dust Bowl. After graduation from Eldorado High School in 1943, what followed was historic and momentous in this young life. He was drafted immediately and served in the U.S. Army Air Corps as the ball turret gunner for the B-17, the "Flak Eater," part of the bombing fleet that flew missions over France and Germany. In 1945, like others who survived service in World War II, Bo took advantage of opportunities provided by the G.I. Bill and the U.S. government. He returned to Oklahoma, went to college, and served in the Oklahoma National Guard. Then came the war in Korea, and the Oklahoma Guard was activated. By this time Bo was part of an armored unit, tankers, and that he would remain -- always a tanker. Korea was the defining conflict for Bo. Of WWII, he always said he was one of the lucky ones -- he was not in the infantry, or at Anzio, or at the Bulge, or in the Pacific, as were so many classmates from Eldorado. He was grateful to have been in the skies, and he always said he was too young to understand how vulnerable the skies were and how heroic its pilots and crews. But Korea was different. He was older, and it was his experiences there that shaped his lifelong revulsion to war and his lifelong gratitude to those who serve. He was given a battlefield commission to lead a platoon of Okies in tanks. From the "Big Bo" he commanded his own Band of Brothers, whom he cherished always. He saw these men as the finest. After Korea Bo remained in the army. His next assignment Fort Chaffee, Arkansas. There he met and married his great love Jean Tays Bohanan. From this point, it was "Bo and Jean, Jean and Bo." They were a Cold War army couple. Two tours in West Germany that encompassed the Berlin Wall crisis, the 1960 Grafenwoehr training tragedy, and then, stateside, the Cuban Missile Crisis. Some of the best years were with the 322nd Tank Battalion in the 1950s. Together this unit moved to Hammelburg, then to Schweinfurt, and finally to Fort Benning, and the couples who were part of the 322nd became lifelong friends. Bo retired from the army in 1968, after another year in Korea. This is when they moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas to be near Jean's family and to rear and educate three daughters at Hendrix College, his proudest achievement. Bo loved being part of the Tays clan, and, in particular he cherished his mother-in-law, Cleavie Roberson Tays, the "finest person he knew," and his two sisters-in-law, Yvonne Tays Heyliger and Cleta Tays Shaw. They were his sisters. And anyone who knew him knew Bo loved Fort Smith. He loved its history as the last outpost before Indian territory (he was proud to be the descendant of his Choctaw forebears), and he always loved the community. He worked in the insurance business until his retirement, after which Bo and Jean simply enjoyed life in western Arkansas. In 2003 and upon the death of their daughter, Lindy, Bo and Jean moved to Auburn to assist in the rearing of their grandson, Eric, and to be near their daughter, Donna, and son-in-law, Frank Smith. This was a good move. Here they found the love of new communities. First, the Burke Place community, which included Doris Howland, Liz and Mike Diorio, and Jane and Mike Bracht. The Bohanan family will always be grateful to them for their friendship and support. Then, they found the support of the very special medical practice of Jonathan Commander. Dr. Commander and his right-hand nurse Diane Mitchell gave Bo and Jean care that took them to ripe old ages with quality and dignity. The Bohanan/Tays clan cannot thank them enough for their medical interventions, and then their compassionate medical maintenance. Our debt to them is enormous. Finally, how can we thank enough the team of people who took care of Bo and Jean at home their family/community? The people whose efforts allowed Bo and Jean to remain in their homes with quality of life until the end. Michael Key and Marah Sanders came on early, and Michael remained till the end. He became part of the calvary, or special forces, who joined the team a year and a half ago. Who were the special forces? Alfreda Crosby, Evelyn Philpott, LouRenia Willborn. Together with Michael, Alfreda, Evelyn, LouRenia allowed Bo and Jean to live their lives as they had hoped to. Crucial as well was the support and care given by April Lockhart and Aubrey Walker. These are the people to whom the Bohanan family has the greatest debt. They are our heroes. Bo lost his wife, Jean, a year and one day earlier. He lost his daughter Belinda, or Lindy, in 2003. He is survived by his daughters, Donna Jean Bohanan (Frank Smith, Jr.) of Auburn, Cynthia Lea Bohanan-Ackermann (Paul Ackermann) of Bern, Switzerland, and his grandson Eric Bohanan-Caddell (fiance, Marah Sanders) of Franklin, Alabama. There will be a visitation at the Jeffcoat-Trant Funeral Home on Thursday, August 25, 6:00-7:00 PM,Central Standard Time and a graveside service at Fort Mitchell National Cemetary on Friday, August 26 at 11:00 AM Eastern Standard Time. The family respectfully suggests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be made to the Ronald McDonald House of Columbus, Georgia, Bo and Jean's favorite charity, or to a relief fund for the victims of the recent and devastating floods in Louisiana.
Over the past few weeks the debate re-emerged over female genital mutilation, or female circumcision, has re-emerged in Egypt.

Several months ago, a 16-year-old girl died at a public hospital in Suez after heavy and unstoppable bleeding in the wake of a medically performed FGM operation.

The government has ordered a legal investigation into the incident on the basis of manslaughter, but not because it violates a law that was adopted some 20 years ago to criminalise the operation.

And a few weeks later, MP Ahmed El-Tahawy, a physician and professor at the Cairo University's medical school, stated publicly that it is not up to doctors to deny or stop FGM practices, because this is not a matter for doctors to decide but rather for clergy.

El-Tahawy, who is a member of the health committee in the Egyptian parliament, was not reprimanded by either the speaker of parliament, the health minister, the dean of Cairo University medical school, or the Doctors Syndicate.

This is probably the most telling reaction you could ever get  this is the kind of reaction that basically shows that what this MP said is not prompting, as it should have, an outcry, neither in the medical, especially gynaecological society nor in the official or legislative quarters; this is because FGM is so mainstream for everyone, most unfortunately, said Hussein Gohar, a prominent gynaecologist, womens rights activist and member of the Egyptian Social Democratic Party.

Listen, I think we should look facts in the eye: medical doctors are not a separate part of society; they are not just medical operators; they are members of society and they subscribe to ideas that formulate the predominant culture just like everybody else, Gohar said.

He added that he was not surprised by the findings shared by some anti-FGM activists that indicated an increased participation of medical doctors  not just nurses or midwives as the case has traditionally been  in performing FGM.

According to Gohar, there are two factors there: the first is that there are some who are convinced, whether we like it or not, that FGM is a religious duty and whatever they are told at the school of medicine they would opt first to follow clerics.

This is despite the suggestion by a small number of Muslim clerics that the saying supposedly attributed to the Prophet Mohamed approving of FGM is unfounded.

Second, Gohar added, the lukewarm on-and-off and poorly designed media campaign against FGM argues that girls who undergo FGM risk infection or un-intentional injury because poor hygiene and inefficient midwives or nurses do the job at home, so the parents decided to take their girls to the doctor.

According to Gohar, this is precisely the two points that we need to address if we are at all serious about abolishing this appalling violation of girls bodies and souls: the convictions of parents and doctors, and the discourse of the clergy on the matter.

What we need is really a proper nation-wide and very committed and long-term national campaign, he argued.

According to Gohar, this campaign should not be just about a few convoluted and vague awareness spots as the case has been traditionally, because what we have had so far has failed to introduce any significant reduction in what most informed gynaecologists and concerned feminists say is a violation to which around one of every four Egyptian girls is subjected.

Listen, there is no media campaign that is going to take the percentage down by 50 percent in a matter of five or ten years; I am sorry but this is not going to happen, unfortunately, he said.

Gohar is convinced, he said, that we are talking about a generation or two before we start seeing a serious reduction in the percentage of this practice.

He argued that those men and women in their twenties or thirties who are about to be the parents of young girls have not been brought up to believe that FGM is not a requirement either by religion  be it Islam or Christianity because the practice is shared across religions  or by traditionally accepted social norms.

Those parents, he argued, were brought up to believe that excising a girls clitoris is something that keeps her sexual desire in line and thus keeps her away from pursuing pre-marital sex.

Now this is the starting point that I think we need to openly and with no hesitation share at the widest scale; men and women need to realize that FGM does not control womens sexual desire but rather blocks womens sexual pleasure, he argues.

But this was never said because our society would not start to even admit, especially in a public forum, that there is such a thing as womens sexual pleasure, Gohar said.

This is the big taboo of all times  not just by women who undergo FGM but even by those who are lucky enough to escape it for one reason or another; womens sexual pleasure is deemed an act of immorality, he stated.

This is not just about the submission of women; but also about the overall ignorance about sexology  and I am not really excluding the schools of medicine here, Gohar suggested.

What Gohar is proposing is a campaign that tells girls and boys in school, in single-sex classes if necessary, that FGM is not the recipe for good behaviour because sexual desire is a function of the brain rather than the genitals, he said.

Moreover, he added, the schools of medicine should give more time to move future doctors away from this practice and I dont think that this should be impossible for a medical society.

The objective here is to get young men and women who will be parents or doctors in the next 25 years to relinquish this practice.

Of course this is not a job that will have a hundred percent success immediately but if we secure a decent percentage reduction then we are on the right track, he added.

However, Gohar acknowledged that the battle against FGM will not be won without the support of clerics who speak openly, repeatedly and firmly against this practice and who are willing to tell society that this is a Nile Basin practice that has no foundation either in either Islam or Christianity.

It would not be convincing for public opinion necessarily, or at all, if I, as a gynaecologist, go and tell a clergyman who is arguing that Muslim girls should undergo the partial or full elimination of the clitoris, that he is making it up and that this practice for example is present in Saudi Arabia; but if a prominent and decent clerical figure does this then it makes a big difference, he argued.

He added that this has to be a vocal and sustainable discourse whereby the clergy do not change what they say in public, in say a TV programme, when they meet privately with some followers.

Of course we have to have the media on board with this campaign, not simply with some promotional material but with substantive discussion, he stressed.

Short of this, no fundamental change is to be expected, he said.

Gohar, who has helped sporadic civil society efforts against the practice, is not convinced that the physical and psychological well-being of girls and women is a priority for the state at this point  no matter what international commitments and national legislations the country had implemented over the years and no matter the lip service that is paid by the state to womens rights and health.



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A 43-year-old Pasadena man faced five counts including grand theft of personal property and petty theft for allegedly selling counterfeit Disneyland tickets on Craigslist.

Prosecutors have accused Brian Edward Anderton of scamming victims out of $2,400 after selling them fake Disneyland tickets posted on the Craigslist website from January to August.

Prosecutors said the victims found out about the scam when they visited the Anaheim theme park and were rejected at the gate.

If convicted, Anderton faces five years in prison.

Contact the writer: JPimentel@ocregister.com or 714-796-2443 or Twitter @OCDisney
A Newport Beach resident is asking a judge to order that City Council candidate Fred Ameris birth name  Farrokh  be used on election materials.

The suit filed Monday by William Stewart in Orange County Superior Court, alleges that City Clerk Leilani Brown and Orange County Registrar of Voters Neal Kelley are misleading voters by allowing Ameri to appear on the Nov. 8 ballot using his widely known nickname, Fred, instead of Farrokh, his legal first name.

Ameri, a 19-year resident of the city, is running to replace termed-out Councilman Keith Curry, who represents District 7. He said he does not know Stewart and believes the issue of his name is meant to stroke fear and racism against him at the polls.

The former planning commissioner came to the U.S. from Iran when he was 19 to attend school, he said.

Associating me to be an Iranian and associating me with the terrorist government of Iran is a dirty trick, Ameri said.

Attorney Bruce Peotter, who represents Stewart and is the brother of Newport Beach Councilman Scott Peotter, disputed Ameris assertion that race is a factor in raising the issue of his name.

It appears he wants to make race the issue, Peotter said. He simply needs to follow the law and use his real name.

Also running for the seat are attorney Phil Greer and Finance Commissioner Will O Neill.

The lawsuit lists the Irvine Police Department, a notary public and a U.S. District Court clerk who processed Ameris naturalization papers as those who know Ameri as Farrokh, according to court documents.

The suit also references Ameris legal name for misdemeanor charges in 2004 for driving with a blood-alcohol level over the legal limit, DUI and reckless driving that were dismissed the next year, according to court records.

Stewart is also requesting portions of Ameris candidate statement be removed for what he says are references to other candidates.

I am personally providing the majority of my campaigns funding, making me the only independent candidate, the statement said.

Peotter said Ameris candidate statement should have only referred to his experience.

The clerk should have prevented that because its against the law to refer to other candidates, he said.

The California election code says the candidate statement should be limited to only the candidates own background and qualifications.

Ameri said everyone knows him by his nickname and that whoever is behind the lawsuit has intentions to mislead voters.

Ive lived in the country for more than 55 years and Ive been using Fred since I was a teenager, he said.

A court date is not yet scheduled on the matter.

Contact the writer: 714-796-2478 or lcasiano@ocregister.com
Another year, another looming government shutdown fight.

Thats the predicament Californias 55-member congressional delegation has put us in. Theyre currently enjoying a month-long vacation after leaving D.C. without fulfilling their basic constitutional duty: funding the government for 2017. When they return after Labor Day, theyll have to scramble to avoid a government shutdown on October 1.

This government-by-crisis is now a tradition. In fact, its been over 20 years since Congress passed a budget on time.

With only days, or maybe just hours, before a shutdown, some lawmakers will advocate for a short-term funding bill that lasts through December. This will kick the debate over next years budget into a lame-duck session  the two-month period between the election and the next administration, when neither Congress nor President Obama are accountable to voters.

Worse yet, theyll use this opportunity to enact a massive omnibus bill thats crafted behind closed doors and filled with handouts to special interests and higher spending. Then lame-duck lawmakers will pass it without even reading it, abandoning their duty to protect their constituents  to protect you.

Californians  to say nothing of everyone else  are understandably sick of this charade. Lawmakers say they are, too. Both Republicans and Democrats say they want budget certainty and fiscal responsibility. If they mean it, theyll stop a lame-duck spending bill at any cost.

But theyll need to think outside the box. Thats why they should pass a long-term funding bill. Were calling this plan Stop, Cut & Fix.

Heres why its the best path forward for Californias lawmakers in D.C.

Start with Stop. A long-term funding bill  say, two-years  would end the cycle of manufactured crises. For the first time in years, there would be no last-minute scramble to avoid a shutdown. Nor would a lame-duck Congress and President Obama be able to craft a deal in secret.

Next up is Cut. The biggest problem with the current system is that some lawmakers  on both sides of the aisle  leverage the threat of a shutdown to hike government spending in a lame-duck session. Its little different than a hostage situation, and its happened three times in the past four years.

But a two-year funding bill would protect the bipartisan spending cuts that were established in the 2011 Budget Control Act. Then, Republicans and Democrats in Congress joined with President Obama to establish modest annual spending caps on the one-quarter of the budget that isnt entitlements and interest payments.

These caps are still on the books. A two-year bill would lock them in through 2018, saving taxpayers $150 billion.

Finally, theres Fix. Its obvious that the budgeting process is broken. A two-year funding bill would give Congress time to fix it. Lawmakers could go through a normal appropriations process, publicly debating spending priorities for each part of the federal government. They would even have time to discuss reforms to entitlements  the main drivers of Americas $19.4 trillion-and-growing national debt.

Now its up to Congress to act. When Californias lawmakers head back to D.C. next month, they have two choices. They can either stick with the failed status quo  broken promises, higher spending and shutdown threats  or they can get behind a plan that prevents a shutdown fight, restores the normal budgeting process and puts California taxpayers first.

It shouldnt be a hard decision.

Andy Koenig is a senior policy advisor at Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce. Visit stopcutfix.com for more details.
(Beijing)  China's largest private shipbuilder Yangzijiang Shipbuilding Holdings has laid off 6,000 workers last year and plans to cut another 2,000 jobs this year, amid dwindling profits as new orders have dried up, an internal company document seen by Caixin said.

The layoffs will trim 28 percent of the Singapore-listed shipbuilder's 28,000-strong workforce as of early 2015, sources close to the company told Caixin.

Yangzijiang, which become the country's largest private shipbuilder after Rongsheng Heavy Industries Group Holdings stopped production in early 2015, reported a 50 percent decline in net profit year on year to 863 million yuan in the first half. Revenue dropped 35 percent to 5.7 billion yuan over the same period, the company's financial report showed.

"The layoffs are cruel but it is a last ditch effort as the company attempts to adapt to the harsh market conditions," said an employee who declined to be named.

There were no signs of recovery for the global shipping industry at least until 2017, Ren Yuanlin, chairman of Yangzijiang Shipbuilding, told shipping news website Seatrade Maritime in early August. Yangzijiang Shipbuilding may consider selling assets for a new capital injection, he said.

The company operates three shipyards in the eastern province of Jiangsu, with an annual shipbuilding capacity of 6 million deadweight tons (TDW).

Chinese shipbuilders have been struggling with overcapacity and empty order books as the global shipping industry continues to lose steam. From January to July, the total carrying capacity of ships built at shipyards across the country stood at 19.2 million deadweight tons, down 15.4 percent compared to the same period last year. By the end of July, shipbuilders had contracts for 117 million TDW of new ships, down 14 percent year on year.

A shipbuilding industry analyst told Caixin that private shipyards were the worst hit amid falling demand and margins and were more prone to go belly-up, compared to their state-owned counterparts that were propped up by government subsidies.

Private shipbuilders are also struggling with access to finance from banks and the increasing risk of payment delays or defaults from ship owners, said Ren. Last year, a number of private shipyards such as Jiangsu East Heavy Co., Zhejiang Zhenghe Shipbuilding Co. and Nantong Mingde Heavy Industry Co. filed for bankruptcy.

Contact reporter Han Wei (weihan@caixin.com); editor Poornima Weerasekara (poornima@caixin.com)
NEW YORK  Hillary Clinton said Friday the charitable programs of her family foundation would continue, perhaps through partnerships with other organizations, if shes elected president, even as critics argue that would present a conflict of interest.

The Democratic presidential nominee, in an interview with MSNBCs Morning Joe, defended the Clinton Foundation, saying the charitable work it has conducted has changed lives for the better and is in keeping with American values.

Republican opponent Donald Trump has accused Clinton of improperly using her former position as secretary of state to bring in big contributions to the foundation from people and corporations seeking access.

The work has been not only transformational, it has really been in line with American interests and values, she said in an interview with MSNBCs Morning Joe. And were going to do everything we can to make sure that good work continues.

In the telephone interview, she also described Trumps campaign as built on prejudice and paranoia, continuing her line of attack from a speech Thursday in Reno, Nevada. In that speech, she accused Trump of unleashing a radical fringe within the Republican Party, including anti-Semites and white supremacists.

Clinton is looking to counter Trumps attempts to revamp his image and win over those skeptical of his candidacy. She is also trying to appeal to Republicans, casting the race as not a normal choice between a Republican and a Democrat.

Trump has rejected Clintons allegations, labeling her a bigot.

She lies, she smears, she paints decent Americans as racists, Trump said, in a Thursday address.

Trump also says Clinton is trying to distract from questions swirling around donations to The Clinton Foundation and her exclusive use of her private email servers for official business while secretary of state.

The Associated Press reported this week that more than half the people from outside government who met or spoke by telephone with Clinton in the first half of her term as secretary of state had given money  either personally or through companies or groups  to the foundation.

On Friday, Clinton promised to put in place additional safeguards to prevent conflicts of interest with her foundation should she win the White House.

I appreciate the concerns that people have expressed and thats why I have made it clear that if Im successful in November we are going to be taking additional steps, she said.

Clinton is eager to capitalize on Trumps slipping poll numbers, particularly among moderate Republican women turned off by his controversial campaign. Shes praised former Republican presidential candidates John McCain and Bob Dole, and former President George W. Bush, for taking decisive steps to counter racism and anti-Muslim sentiment.

She said Friday that candidates can reasonably disagree on how to run the country, but thats not the campaign that Donald Trump has been running, and I am reaching out and asking fair-minded Americans to repudiate this kind of divisive demagoguery.

Lerer reported from Hartford, Connecticut. Jill Colvin contributed reporting from Washington and Jonathan Lemire from Manchester, N.H,
Robust, bearded and barrel-chested, Ron Courreges looks every part the former Marine, mechanic and farmer of his youth.

So its surprising to learn that hes a sentimentalist. The rough exterior belies an inner softie that comes out when he talks about his familys 118-year-old tank house.

Built in 1898, the tank house was a water tower enclosed by siding that supplied water to the family before water mains were installed. The original Courregas tank house also included a windmill connected to a well, a ground-floor bedroom and a storage area.

Courreges is donating the three-story structure  the oldest in Fountain Valley  to the city in advance of the sale of his family homestead to developers.

MIXED EMOTIONS

Although he lives in Huntington Beach, Courreges belongs to one of the founding families of Fountain Valley. And he gets a catch in his voice when he talks about the future of the 1.1 acres thats left from the land his great-grandfather, Roch Courreges, bought in 1878.

The Courreges property sits on the side of Talbert Avenue. Several old pieces of farm equipment, a dilapidated roadside produce shed, scattered signs and artifacts and a weathered home with a sign proclaiming Courreges Ranch are all that remain of a farm that once stretched over several hundred acres. The tank house, partially dismantled for moving, sits behind a block wall.

Courreges said it was emotional for him when the structure that has loomed over Talbert since 1898 was taken down to prepare it for a move to a park near City Hall.

I had mixed emotions. I knew it was for the good of the community, the 74-year-old said. A bulldozer does it no good.

He says his son, also named Roch Courreges, 47, who helped take down and preserve the tank, was also a little down in the dumps about it.

A MOTHERS WISH

Courreges had another compelling reason to do his part to save the building  it was a wish of his mother, Hazel Courreges, a founding member of the Fountain Valley Historical Society.

The structure will be moved at 10 a.m. Aug. 27. As part of the move, the tank house will be escorted by officials and donors in convertibles and greeted at Heritage Park by the Fountain Valley High School marching band.

Cheryl Brothers, the mayor and one of the three presidents of the historical society, said saving the tank was important beyond it being the citys oldest structure.

Weve lost a lot (of historical structures) when we failed to pay attention, said the 42-year city resident.

Lynn Seeden, another president of the historical society, said the organization at one time was unable to save an original blacksmith shop near Talbert and Bushard Street.

When there were doubts about raising the money to save the tank house, Seeden recalls saying to herself, Oh, no, no, no, were going to raise the money.

Seeden said part of her groups responsibility is to tell the story of Fountain Valley. The Courreges Ranch is where Fountain Valley began.

THE TANKS HISTORY

Roch Courreges emigrated to the United States from the Basque area of France. He bought land on a bluff fronting a branch of the Santa Ana River and became a sheep herder. Eventually, he bought more land and took to farming celery, sugar beets, lima beans and a variety of fruits.

The family had the first business license in Fountain Valley, and still keeps it active and emblazoned with the No. 1, for the roadside Courreges Stand, as it was printed.

Joe Courreges, Rons father, served on the Fountain Valley City Council, including stints as mayor, and Ron Courreges remembers growing up and watching crop dusters spray produce fields stretching seemingly to Mount Baldy.

Hazel Courreges was renowned for her canning and preserving skills, winning dozens of blue ribbons at the Orange County Fair. Her son said she was particularly known for her boysenberry creations.

The tank house was not only the familys water tank, but the 15-by-15-foot ground floor became Joe Courreges bedroom when he was older.

Despite its age, the tank house, constructed from redwood and cedar, has held together remarkably well. Long gone is the windmill that used to spin atop the structure. It will not be re-created.

SAVING THE TANK

As painful as the process has been at times to see it go, Courreges has thrown himself into saving the building. The personalized license plates on his car read tankhse. He wears a ball cap with an embroidered image of the tank house.

Courreges negotiated for several years to find the right company with the right price to move the structure. He also painted the building last year to help entice donations.

The Historical Society is raising about $75,000 to move and reassemble the building at the historical park next to the library at 10200 Slater Ave. Any remaining funds will be used for what Courreges called gingerbread stuff.

Plans are to have artifacts and exhibits of the citys farming history on the ground floor.

Although some in the city said they would like the farm property preserved as a park, Brothers said the city doesnt have the resources to buy and maintain the property.

Courreges said he has been approached by developers who would like to convert the property with 12 to 15 units of housing.

As the circle closes on the ranch, Courreges reflects on the former motto for Fountain Valley, where progress shows, saying that will soon be the case at the family homestead.

As if to illustrate the idea of time marching on, Courreges said recently he was told that a group of teenagers was converging on the homestead and looking around.

When he hurried over to investigate he said, I was told it was a Pokestop.

Contact the writer: gmellen@scng.com
WASHINGTON  Senate Democrats, aware of the dead weight that Donald Trump has placed on their vulnerable Republican colleagues, can taste a reclaimed majority.

But just as Senate Republicans blew their chances in 2010 and 2012 before finally taking control in 2014, Democrats find themselves hobbled by less-than-stellar candidates in races that could make the difference in winning a majority.

In Pennsylvania, Katie McGinty, a relatively unknown former federal official who has never held elective office, is ahead in polls but lags Hillary Clintons large lead in the state. In Florida, a nasty primary between two flawed candidates could harm the Democrats chance to unseat Sen. Marco Rubio.

Several high-profile Democrats turned down the chance to challenge Sen. Richard Burr of North Carolina before they settled on a civil liberties lawyer, Deborah Ross, who is not necessarily a good fit for suburban voters there. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat and former state attorney general now running for an open seat in Nevada, has also failed to catch fire.

To challenge 82-year-old Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, Democrats settled on 72-year-old Patty Judge. Sen. Rob Portmans Democratic challenger in Ohio, former Gov. Ted Strickland, is 75, an easy target for Portmans taunting nickname, Retread Ted.

Depleted ranks

The Democrats problem stems from a depletion of their ranks in state legislatures and governors mansions over recent years and a lack of institutional support for grass-roots-level politicians who represent the partys changing base.

Democrats cannibalize each other when they lose those seats and dont have new talent to fill them, said Daniel A. Smith, a professor of political science at the University of Florida. Here and in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin and North Carolina are states that should have Democratic state-controlled legislatures, and the fact that they dont not only marginalizes Democrats, but also makes it increasingly hard to build a farm team.

Republicans, of course, find themselves in a well-publicized existential conflict between Trumps populist insurgents and more traditional conservatives. But Democrats are mired in their own struggle, as they try to identify future stars who can appeal to a base increasingly insistent on an unapologetically progressive agenda.

Floridas Senate Democratic primary Tuesday pits a bombastic, populist liberal, Rep. Alan Grayson, against the establishments pick, Rep. Patrick Murphy, in the kind of showdown that analysts expect to see in the partys future.

Democrats are going to have their own Tea Party moment in 2018, said Jennifer Duffy, a senior editor and Senate analyst for The Cook Political Report. I dont think they are going to put up with the party dictating who their candidates are.

The issue was highlighted this year when Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont found considerable success by running against the sort of incremental liberalism of President Barack Obama and Clinton.

Clinton followed that pattern with her selection of Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia as her running mate. He was widely viewed as a competent and well-respected lawmaker, but to the right of many progressives.

Moneys on their side

Democrats point out that they have strong leads in races in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana and that most analysts believe the Democrats are in a strong position to retake the Senate. They also note that many of their candidates are raising more money than their Republican rivals.

Because of our recruitment work, Republicans are forced to spend money and energy in states they never dreamed would be competitive, said Sadie Weiner, a spokeswoman for Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee.

While some up and coming Democrats like Sens. Cory Booker of New Jersey and Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, had speaking spots at the partys convention last month, none had the prominence of Obama in 2004, when he gave the keynote speech that lifted him to national prominence.

The bench is not apparent right now, said David Axelrod, chief strategist for Obamas presidential campaigns. There are some impressive young leaders, but who among them is the next presidential nominee I cant answer. A lot of them are not there yet.

Democrats have done a poor job, and I take my share of responsibility here, in not being as focused as Republicans have on building at the grass roots, Axelrod said. Look what the GOP and their related agents have done with legislative and city council and school board races. They are building capacity, and Democrats have paid the cost.

Democratic ranks also have been decimated in state governments across the nation, where new leaders tend to plant roots for future higher office.

After the 2008 elections, Democrats controlled 62 of the 99 state legislatures; today, Republicans control 68 chambers, according to Governing magazine. Over the same time period, the number of Democrats in governors mansions fell to 18 from 28. In both cases, Republican control is at or near historic highs.

Clinton, some Democrats argue, is trying to make bench-building more of a priority by coordinating closely with down-ballot races, carrying their campaign literature when canvassing, sharing office space and helping them raise money. These efforts are particularly forceful in Nevada, where Republicans hold a narrow legislative majority, and in Colorado, where the Legislature is closely divided between the two parties.

The organizing our volunteers and staff are doing in all 50 states will not only help elect Democrats in November but also build the partys bench and infrastructure for the future, said Lily Adams, a spokeswoman for the Clinton campaign.

The rise of term limits in legislatures has hurt both parties efforts to create a ready pool of future senators and eventual presidential contenders. There is a big bench out there, said Hannah Pingree, former speaker of the Maine House of Representatives, who lost her position to term limits and is now taking a break to raise her children. Lots of women and young people get term-limited out, she said.

Widely viewed as rising star in her party  her mother, Chellie Pingree, is a member of Congress  Pingree, 39, hopes to find her way back.
Snow Whites family tree has roots that stretch from Los Angeles to the southernmost edge of Orange County.

Saturday, about 20 members of the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs family  the sons and daughters of the artists who worked on the groundbreaking 1937 film for Walt Disney  will meet for dinner at Agostinos by the Sea in Capistrano Beach. It is the second reunion of this group. All the parents are gone, but the children  mostly in their 60s  meet to honor their memories.

Theyll laugh as they tell stories about the old days: how they spent vacations together in Laguna Beach, how they had to act out Disney scenes so their parents could draw them, how they were loyal to Walt Disney even through the toughest times.

These were the children of Disneys Ink and Paint girls, the team of women Walt hired to provide the color for Snow Whites cheeks and the poisoned apple and Sneezys nose. In those days, Disney didnt allow women to be animators, so the only way they could work on those historic films was through paint and ink.

Members of the OBrien, McSpadden, Gibeaut, Bertino, Cole and Nevius families have been invited to attend the reunion. Many of those families began when men from the animator department met the ink and paint girls at the Disney studios  even though fraternizing was frowned upon. Those family names are giants in early film animation.

The animation was all hand-drawn and -inked, said Kelan OBrien, 66, one of four OBrien brothers who live in south Orange County. Kelan grew up and became an artist, like his parents Ken and Yuba OBrien. There was so much magic in it.

They worked at 2719 Hyperion Ave. in Los Angeles, the birthplace of the animated Snow White. The girls worked long hours at wooden desks with two breaks per shift for tea and shortbread cookies. Starting pay was $16 per week.

In retrospect, I think Walt was kind of chauvinistic, said Maribeth Desantis, 64, the daughter of Mary Jane Cole. He wasnt keen on hiring women. But I didnt hear a lot of negativity from my mom.

She heard a lot about, and even got to attend, a few of the great parties among the inkers, who lived mostly in Burbank near the then-new home of Disney studios after the success of Snow White. Those parties were filled with music, dancing, drawing and booze.

They kept up the parties at each others houses for 50 years, Kelan said.

Jim OBrien, 70, said his father was proud of his relationship with Walt Disney.

He loved that Walt remembered everybodys name, Jim said. When my dad called Walt Mr. Disney, Walt said there is only one mister at Disneyland  Mr. Toad.

The ink and paint girls, at the same time, didnt know if Walt had any idea who they were. But he did give them their choice of a cigarette case or compact for Christmas.

The ink and paint girls families grew extremely close over the decades.

Our parents instilled a lot of camaraderie in us, Maribeth said. Everybody in their group of friends had such a great sense of humor.

The children of the ink and paint girls remember the fringe benefits of being Disney families. They got into Disneyland for free  for this group, it was a privilege that ended years ago. They would get reels of new Disney movies at their homes, and they would set up projectors and show them to all the families in the neighborhood. They got to keep a few of the miniature sculptures that were created as models for the rides at Disneyland.

When many of Disneys animators went on strike in 1941, some of the ink and paint girls such as Yuba OBrien and Mary Jane Cole crossed the picket line.

They were loyal to Walt, Maribeth said. But more than anything, they had to make a living.

Mary Jane Cole died at age 95. But in her last few years, she was like a rock star when she went to Disneyland.

We would be in a Disney store, and they would be in awe of her, Maribeth said.

Yuba OBrien was the last surviving ink and paint girl among their group of friends. She died in 2012 after staying with her son Kelan.

One time she woke up in the morning and said, God, what a party we had last night, Kelan said.

There hadnt been a party, but Kelan knew how she felt.

Its like were honoring the whole era, Maribeth said.

Contact the writer: ksharon@scng.com
Fans try and catch a home run by the Yankees' Brian McCann, the third one of the fifth inning off Angels' starter Jered Weaver, during the Angels game against the New York Yankees at Angel Stadium.
I dont know about you, but the Olympics were a welcome distraction from the presidential election. For months the race for the White House has dominated the airwaves and we all know it will pick up right where it left off the now that the Olympic flame is extinguished. But, as important as a presidential race is, lets not forget that this November there are thousands of important choices up and down the ballot. Mayors, city council members, county supervisors, state legislators and other officials will be picked to set policies and run our communities and I would argue that these elections actually have the largest impact on our day-to-day lives.

The old adage from former House Speaker Tip ONeill still rings true, all politics is local. Are your streets and bridges in good condition? Are your restaurants and drinking water safe? Are Zika and West Nile-carrying mosquitoes being kept under control? How long does it take to secure that building permit you need? These government functions are critically important, and thus, so are the choices we make in local and state races.

Trust in government is at a historic low. Only one in five Americans say they trust their elected leaders. Reversing this trend starts with improving the delivery of government services.

Look at Amazon; they are always pushing the limits with cutting edge technology. Whether its drones delivering packages or the first mainstream artificial intelligent Bluetooth speaker. But, the online retailer never takes their eye off the basics. They are laser focused on utilizing technology to deliver best-in-class customer service. Giving you updates throughout the process  whenever, wherever. Thats why they are regularly ranked as one of the most trusted companies.

Government leaders can take a page out of Amazons playbook. Every interaction with government should be an opportunity to build trust.

As an executive at a government technology company, I have the opportunity to meet with a lot of mayors and other government officials. Regardless of political affiliation, the most effective leaders are constantly looking at ways to leverage technology to deliver higher levels of services. These officials often tell me that there isnt a Republican or Democratic way to fill a pothole. We need more leaders like this.

Here in California we are lucky to have many public servants that live and breathe this call to action. Former San Francisco mayor and now Lt. Gov. Gavin Newsom famously would respond to tweets about potholes. While mayor, Newsom brought the citys 311 customer call center into the social media age with the first government integration with Twitter, and, in 2009, led efforts to establish the first government open data policy in the nation. Seven years later, these public data sharing policies are becoming mainstream.

Another California mayor, L.A.s Eric Garcetti, pledged in his campaign to get back to basics with technology, which to some seemed like an oxymoron. But he has made good on his promise, modernizing L.A.s city government  rolling out online services to help small businesses open faster, utilizing data and technology to clean up L.A.s streets, and creating a government performance dashboard that he made available for free to every other city in the country.

In San Diego, Mayor Kevin Faulconer has also been leading a civic technology revolution, pledging to have a city government as innovative as the people we serve. Mayor Faulconer started a city department focused on Performance and Analytics, a so-called startup within the city that has rolled out an open data portal, a performance dashboard and other technology tools to reboot citizens interactions with their government.

Across town at San Diego Countys offices youll find similar civic heroes at work. Turn back the clock a couple years and the county had long wait times in their permitting offices. An audit of their system found that the number one reason people were waiting in line was for rooftop solar permits. San Diego decided to bring this and other permitting processes online. Their new customer-centric permitting effort has helped launch a solar revolution, dramatically reducing the time and cost to install solar panels.

Over the past five years, San Diego County has seen a 300 percent increase in solar installations, and yet, has simultaneously decreased their permit processing times by 75 percent. Thats customer service delivered. Thats how you build trust in government.

Across our country, there are opportunities for government officials to lead efforts to streamline the basic functions of government using technology. By making what should be simple interactions with government actually simple, we will begin to see a shift in the perception of government.

So, as the presidential election returns to full volume, lets not lose sight of the many other leadership decisions well make on November 8th.

Rob Cassetti is a senior vice president for Accela.
DARAYA, Syria  Escorted by armed troops, dozens of insurgents and their families left this war-wrecked suburb of the Syrian capital on Friday as part of a forced evacuation deal struck with the government to end a four-year siege and aerial campaign that has left the area in ruins.

The capitulation by rebel forces in Daraya, an early bastion of the uprising against President Bashar Assad, provides another boost for his forces amid a stalemate in the fight for Aleppo, Syrias largest city.

It also improves security around Assads seat of power, pacifying an entire region southwest of Damascus that was once a backbone of the rebellion. Daraya was the last remaining rebel holdout in the region known as western Ghouta  and the closest to the capital.

The mass relocation of the suburbs residents reflects the governments ongoing military strategy to break up Sunni population areas, weakening the rebellion against it. It also highlights concerns over the forced displacement of members of the Sunni majority, seen by some as a government policy to strengthen its base and create a corridor made up of its minority supporters.

Following the deal struck late Thursday, Darayas rebels began evacuating in government buses on Friday, a process expected to take several days. Around 700 gunmen are to be allowed safe passage to the opposition-held northern province of Idlib, while some 4,000 civilians will be taken to temporary shelter in government-controlled Kisweh, south of Daraya.

The U.N., which said it was not consulted over the plan, expressed concern over the evacuation, saying it was imperative that those participating do so voluntarily.

As the first white government bus carrying evacuees emerged from Daraya carrying mostly women and children, Syrian army soldiers swarmed the vehicle, shouting pro-Assad slogans. Inside, armed troops guarded the doors as the women tried to hide their faces. Nine buses left Daraya on Friday.

One of Darayas fighters, Tamam Abouel Kheir, posted a video message saying, We are forced to leave. But we will return, our nation.

The post included pictures of his loved ones and a photo of a group of young men visiting the Daraya cemetery to pay their respects to the hundreds who died in the fighting. If only we could take the tombs of our martyrs with us, he wrote.

Dr. Mohamad Diaa, a 27-year-old general practitioner in Daraya, said he would likely leave Saturday with the rebels heading to Idlib. Today married civilians and families. Tomorrow, the rest of the shabab leave, he said, using Arabic slang for young men.

His family left Syria long before, but he chose to stay behind, Diaa said, giving only his first and middle names because he feared for his safety. He said he hoped the presence of the Red Crescent would be enough to prevent the government from arresting the evacuating rebels.

Daraya-based opposition activist Hussam Ayash said residents were trying to absorb the shock of suddenly having to leave. Its difficult, but we have no choice, he said.

Daraya is part of Rural Damascus, a province that includes the capitals suburbs and farmland. It saw some of the first demonstrations against Assad after the 2011 uprising against his familys rule in which residents took to the streets, sometimes carrying red and white roses to reflect the peaceful nature of their protests.

After the uprising turned into insurgency, the suburb became a persistent threat to the governments nearby Mezzeh air base. It was pummeled by government airstrikes, barrel bombs and fighting over the years. In August 2012, around 400 residents were killed by pro-government militiamen who stormed the suburb following heavy fighting and days of shelling, according to opposition activists.

Once known for its workshops that produced handmade wooden furniture, Daraya has been besieged and blockaded by government forces since November 2012, with only one food delivery by the United Nations allowed to reach it during that time. It has been held by a coalition of ultraconservative Islamic militias, including the Martyrs of Islam Brigade.

An Associated Press journalist who entered the suburb Friday saw a landscape of severely damaged and deserted buildings, some of them charred. Black smoke rose on the horizon  caused by the rebels burning their belongings before evacuating, according to Syrian army soldiers.

In a statement, the U.N. said it was neither involved nor consulted about the evacuation plan, adding, the world is watching.

U.N. spokesman Stephane Dujarric said a small team of U.N. and Red Cross aid workers would travel to Daraya to meet with all parties and identify the key issues for the civilians.

We are using this lull in the fighting to get in and see what we can do and obviously see for ourselves what the situation is inside the city, Dujarric told reporters at U.N. headquarters in New York.

Daraya is the latest rebel-held area to surrender to government troops following years of siege. Opposition activists and human rights groups accuse the government of using siege and starvation tactics to force surrender by the opposition. Last December, Syrian rebels evacuated the last district they controlled in the central city of Homs, a major symbol of the uprising, after a nearly three-year siege. Rebels there also headed to Idlib, handing the government a significant victory in central Syria.

The first major truce deal was struck in the Damascus suburb of Moadamiyeh, west of Daraya, in 2014. It was followed by truces and cease-fires in the suburbs of Babila, Yalda and Barzeh  all deals that swung heavily in the governments favor and pacified the region.

Daraya provided a stark example of the price of rebuffing truce overtures. For years, government helicopters conducted a brutal aerial campaign, pounding the suburb with barrel bombs  large containers packed with fuel, explosives and scraps of metal. The Syrian government denies using barrel bombs.

Diaa said for the last eight months Daraya has been pounded with hundreds of barrel bombs, as the government attempted to storm it. It was left choked off, with no supply lines and no roads in or out. The U.N.s humanitarian chief, Stephen OBrien, told the U.N. Security Council earlier this year that severe food shortages were forcing some people in Daraya to eat grass.

Residents said the situation became unbearable after the towns remaining field hospital was bombed and destroyed last week. The government had in recent months also encroached on the towns farmlands  the only source of food for the local population.

Diaa said Darayas residents were let down by the international community and by rebel factions in Daraa and eastern Ghouta who did not come to their rescue.

We had hoped someone would stand by us and put some pressure on the regime. But it didnt happen, he said.
Capt. Martin Tripp Hardy, who served as commanding officer of Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station for four years  twice the usual length  officially retired Thursday with the traditional pomp and circumstance.

Fittingly, he and his wife, Grayce, now will sail off into the sunset  or, rather, make their way up the coastline in a 38-foot Bayliner, living aboard it off San Francisco this fall and then off Washington state.

Hardy handed the reins to Capt. Noel Dahlke in a change-of-command ceremony featuring all 50 state flags, more than 300 well-wishers and a gentle ocean breeze.

Speeches were part solemn, part sentimental and part lighthearted. People keep asking, Are you really done? Yes, Im really done, Hardy said to laughter.

Hardy, 50, told his mother: I know you werent thrilled when at 18 I left home to join the Navy. It kind of worked out.

He choked up recalling all that the Navy has afforded him, including an education and trav<code_hh>el around the globe. He again became emotional talking about his warm experiences in Seal Beach.

Everyone is so supportive of our Navy, he said. Its almost impossible to walk down Main Street in uniform without someone stopping you and thanking you for your service.

Dahlke, 46, has been stationed in San Diego, with his most recent tour as deputy commander in Bahrain.

He also began his speech with a little humor: The new guy is like the dead guy at a funeral. Both are expected to be present but neither is expected to speak.

Keeping his remarks brief, as promised, Dahlke acknowledged his wife and two teenage children for the sacrifices they have made to military life. Youve served, too, he said.

Seal Beach Naval Weapons Station is the Navys primary West Coast installation for ordnance storage and loading. It is also home to several endangered bird species at the 980-acre National Wildlife Refuge.

Eight Navy men in their dress whites participated in Hardys retirement rite. The crisp, classic look  which the men have opportunity to put on display only about once a year  doesnt come quickly. I pregamed it and laid out my whites and medals last night, John Sisson said. But my white shoes are already scuffed.

Sailor Torion Smith offered high praise for Hardy. Hes a very laid-back guy, Smith said. He will be missed.

In a tribute, Rear Adm. Mark Rich concurred with that assessment: Capt. Hardy has shown integrity, knowledge and, above all, calm throughout his leadership. Nothing ever riles him up, ever.
Harvest Crusade, the Southern California evangelical Christian institution that has drawn more than 5 million people around the world, is expected to attract huge crowds to Angel Stadium again this week.

And from those crowds, thousands of nonbelievers will run down to the field and make a pledge to accept Jesus Christ as their savior  a decision that Harvest officials and local pastors say can help with the growth of area congregations.

Those new believers are funneled to churches near their homes that are part of the Harvest network.

This is what is unique about us, said the Rev. Greg Laurie, 63, pastor and founder of Riversides Harvest Christian Fellowship. Were from the church, for the church, to build up the church.

I believe in the mission of the church  and I think that every Christian ought to be a part of a church, he added.

As Harvest Crusade continues its 27th year this weekend, the basic format of the three-night gathering will be familiar to those whove attended in the past. Contemporary Christian music prepares the crowd for a sermon by Laurie, who is known for his down-to-earth explanations of biblical teachings and the way he relates them to everyday life.

At last years Harvest Crusade, for example, Laurie quoted Scripture and celebrities such as Jim Carrey and told attendees that objects like cars and cosmetics are not the source of happiness.

The Harvest Crusades, theologians say, appear to be the last of the big Billy Graham-style crusades in the United States. The music and technology are modern. Just as with Grahams crusades, Harvest begins with Christian music and ends with a sermon proclaiming the Gospel and a call for nonbelievers to accept Jesus as their savior.

A MOVEMENT OF MEGACHURCHES

The interest that Harvest attracts every year counters a 2015 Pew Research Center study that found the U.S. public overall is becoming less religious. People who self-identify as atheists or agnostics, as well as those who say their religion is nothing in particular, make up 23 percent of U.S. adults, up from 16 percent in 2007, the study found.

Philip Clayton, a professor of theology at Claremont School of Theology, said Harvest is part of a series of churches and Christian movements that are able to speak to the wishes and desires of Americans today.

This movement is a movement of megachurches  which are increasingly the strongest draw for Christian families in the United States, Clayton said.

That jibes with a 2015 report from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research that found the megachurch phenomenon hasnt waned. New megachurches continue to spring up throughout the nation, the report found. The largest U.S. churches draw more than 30,000 to worship each weekend, and the smallest megachurch attracts 2,000 adults and children, according to the Hartford Institute.

What we are finding is that Americans are losing interest in the church on the corner, the small local congregation, that seems too amateur, not exciting enough for many American consumers of religion, Clayton added.

Megachurches offer a sense of community, of success, he said. Many also often offer a prosperity gospel that is the promise that believers will become wealthy and do better here in this life because theyre followers of Christ, he said.

CHURCH NETWORK

Harvest is a production that has been sustained with the help of an established and growing network of congregations across Southern California. Harvest said more than 350 Southern California churches will be involved with the weekend-long gathering.

This partnership with other churches is the exact model that Graham used in his crusades in the 60s and 70s, but Graham used a fairly broad cross section of Christian churches that included evangelical, mainline Protestant and even Catholic, said Richard Flory, senior research director at USCs Center for Religion and Civic Culture.

He (Graham) got a lot of criticism from evangelical church leaders for including mainline Protestants and Catholics since the evangelical leaders didnt consider them the right kind of Christians  and thus their churches, where new converts could be sent to, werent the right kind of churches, Flory said.

John Collins, executive director for Harvest Crusade, said the Harvest institution throughout the years has established a network of more than 1,000 churches. Their level of involvement varies.

Typically, 150-200 churches are involved as follow-up churches.

From Florys observations, most of the supporting churches are Calvary Chapel congregations, which ensures that converts, or those who are coming back to Christianity, get channeled to evangelically oriented churches, he said.
Its barely 9 a.m. and the midsummer heat in the dry and dusty bed of the Santa Ana River already halts Tim Houchen.

Blotches of sweat soak Houchens short-sleeved shirt as he catches his breath and dials his cellphone in the shade of the Chapman Avenue overpass in Orange.

A heavyset man with bad lungs and deteriorating joints, Houchen, 57, leans on a cane. Years of sleeping on concrete when he was homeless wrecked his body.

But today, even though his trip through the tent-and-tarp encampments is slow, Houchen is in rescue mode.

A day before, someone told him about what he termed an epic emergency unfolding in the riverbed. He sounded the alarm via an email blast:

At least three disabled women in wheelchairs were dumped by churches at the riverbed over the past week. The women claim that churches administering to Skid Row homeless brought them here as some kind of humanitarian effort in order to protect them from rape and robbery in L.A.

Houchen is a self-appointed advocate for the homeless, a foot soldier in a small but active grass-roots army of salvation. Some are driven by the word of God, others by the word on the street.

Whatever the motive, they are an integral part of the complex tapestry of homelessness. With coordinated services from local government in short supply, Houchen and others like him routinely seek to bring some relief to lives that teeter every day in a delicate balance of need and coping.

The most committed keep at it, even if it means falling short  or running into the unintended consequences of good intentions.

THE JONESES

This turns out to be the case with a married couple who shamble up to a tent on the north side of the Chapman Avenue overpass.

Houchen learns from a homeless river dweller that the man and the woman are from Los Angeles. Maybe these are the folks Houchen heard about: The woman is pushing a wheelchair and the man is using a walker.

It turns out that the couple, Billy and Sherri Jones, indeed had been relocated to the riverbed from L.A.s Skid Row more than a month earlier by a man who ministers to the homeless.

But Billy Jones says they werent dumped off. And the wheelchair? Both have health problems  he was hit by a car years ago and she suffers from sciatic nerve pain. But neither depends on the wheelchair to get around; they use it to transport their belongings.

The couple came to Orange County willingly, bringing along their two black Labs, Mini-Me and Billie Jean. The dogs have their own little pup tent, complete with a mattress from a babys crib.

The Joneses, 61(Billy) and 59 (Sherri), say they were OK living in the riverbed until recently.

Its been gorgeous. Its been like Disneyland, says Billy Jones, who wears heavy rings on every gnarled finger.

But they also say they miss the relative comfort of knowing how to be homeless in Los Angeles. There, they say, they are 78th on a list of 300 people waiting for a low-income apartment. Between them, they get about $1,600 a month in disability payments.

Houchen offers to see about finding them some kind of housing in Orange County. But they tell him theyd rather return to Skid Row.

We know where the food is. We know where the shower is, Sherri Jones said, explaining that The Midnight Mission on Skid Row was their lifeline. We know where everything is.

Pastor Allen Quinn, the man who brought the Joneses to Orange County, said later in a phone interview that he is working on helping the couple return. Quinn, who lives in Lake Forest and attended Leadership Bible Institute in Whittier, ministers to the homeless at the Santa Ana River and on Skid Row.

Quinn said the Joneses told him they were tired of the shootings and stabbings on Skid Row and wanted something better after half a dozen years of being homeless. So he brought them and their belongings in his pickup to what he calls Skid River. He believes its a safer environment.

Ive done this to try and save someones lives, Quinn says, and let them know that theyre valued.

But with the move apparently not working out, Quinn said hell get them back to Los Angeles.

Quinn said he doesnt regret bringing the Joneses from Los Angeles to the Santa Ana River because what I did I did out of love, out of compassion. If I have regrets, I might as well stop my ministry now.

STILL WAITING

Houchen works with a similar mindset.

Houchen abused drugs during his seven-year odyssey of being homeless, much of it in Santa Anas Civic Center. Weary of the toll the drugs were taking on his life and his spirit, Houchen said he got clean in late 2013. Two years later, he got lucky; the nonprofit Illumination Foundation placed him and his wife in housing.

Now Houchen focuses on a newly formed project of his own, Hope 4 Restoration. His goal is to connect the chronically homeless to resources that might help them. He has big hopes riding on a pair of homes in La Habra that someone he knows is working to turn into temporary shelters for homeless who are elderly or disabled.

Houchen wants to help people like Denise Lindstrom Le Blanc, the one homeless woman in a wheelchair he meets on his mid-July fact-finding mission.

Lindstrom Le Blanc made her way to the river two years ago. She was out of work and had no place to stay. But she owned a car at the time and still could walk.

A stroke suffered in February left her partially paralyzed. If she could get therapy, the 49-year-old Lindstrom Le Blanc believes she could walk again. Her left arm and hand, curled up in her lap, may never recover.

When Lindstrom Le Blanc needs to relieve herself, she relies on others to wheel her up the dusty slope to the sidewalk and across the street to a Burger King.

About a year ago, she married a man who is 74 and has lived along the river for decades. If her husband is not around, Lindstrom Le Blanc must catch the attention of her homeless neighbors. When she cant find help, she soils herself.

Just the day before, activist Heidi Zimmermann, a familiar figure at the riverbed who stocks her bicycle basket with water to dispense to the homeless, found Lindstrom Le Blanc in an undignified state and helped her to the eatery.

She was completely covered with urine when I was picking her up.

Zimmermann recalled how much more vibrant Lindstrom Le Blanc was when they first met; how the homeless woman used a small solar panel to charge her phone so she could contact temporary employment agencies in search of a job.

She said her heart breaks for Lindstrom Le Blanc.

Lindstrom Le Blanc isnt the only disabled homeless woman Zimmermann has met during her work at the riverbed and in local parks. Just a week earlier, Zimmermann found temporary shelter  at a friends house  for another woman who uses a wheelchair. But she cant sustain that kind of personal involvement.

I could help individual people, Zimmerman said, but I would run out of money and time.

Zimmermann started Omas Angels, an outreach to help coordinate resources for the homeless as best she can while holding down a job at a nonprofit. She also keeps a watchful eye on interaction between the homeless and law enforcement.

As Houchen and Zimmermann spoke, Lindstrom Le Blanc explained that her husband is out seeking a cheap motorized wheelchair, something that might be affordable on disability. Maybe hell find one at a Goodwill store, she said.

Lindstrom Le Blanc recently filed paperwork to apply for permanent supportive housing  a federally supported program that provides shelter for chronically homeless people with disabilities. Theres no telling if or when she will be placed.

Houchen began dialing his phone to find her temporary shelter in the meantime, a place where she at least can get to a bathroom more easily.

SMALL WINS

A month later, Houchen sounded deflated. He hasnt found a place for Lindstrom Le Blanc. She still is living by the river and hopes her housing will happen soon.

Lindstrom Le Blanc did get a motorized wheelchair, donated by a nonprofit. But theres something new impeding her access to the Burger King and elsewhere: the east Chapman Avenue entrance to the riverbed is padlocked.

The couple from Los Angeles, the Joneses, went back to Los Angeles, where Quinn took them at the end of July.

Their story still goes on, he said.

A week later, Quinn and fellow pastor Donald Dermit, who is now working with Lindstrom Le Blanc, sent another homeless woman home to relatives in Michigan.

So, he added, we do help people.

For Houchen, the inability to do more is frustrating. And he has lingering issues from his own homeless years: bad credit, back taxes, sparse income.

Its been very disappointing to me, Houchen said of his slow progress on behalf of others.

But that doesnt mean I cant still do something in the future.

Contact the writer: 714-796-7793 or twalker@ocregister.com Twitter: @TellTheresa
(Beijing)  Taiwan businessman David Shen couldn't believe his eyes on a recent weekend drive down Huanghe Road in Kunshan, about an hour from Shanghai. Once a hotbed of nightlife for thousands of Taiwanese who called the city home, many of the restaurants, karaoke bars and night clubs that once kept the road humming until midnight and beyond were either quiet or closed.

"Ten years ago when Kunshan officials would hold their annual Chinese New Year party, Taiwanese businessmen made up 99 percent of the crowd," said Shen, who has run a component-making plant in Kunshan for over a decade. "These last two years there are fewer and fewer Taiwanese. Last year we probably only made up half the people at the annual party."

As home to the single largest concentration of Taiwan-invested companies in China, Kunshan is a microcosm of the slow exodus of Taiwanese businesses from the mainland over the last few years. Over 4,600 Taiwanese firms have set up plants in the city over the years, engaged in everything from molding, to electronics and semiconductor manufacturing, with total investment of more than US$ 56.3 billion.

But doing business in the mainland is getting tougher not only for Taiwanese but for many foreigners over the last few years, due to rising costs, weakening demand, stricter tax enforcement and increasingly stiff competition from mainland rivals backed by local governments, said Shen.

No official numbers are available on the exodus from Kunshan, but Shen, a former head of the local Taiwanese business association, estimated the number has shrunk by about 20 percent over the last two years.

Kunshan isn't alone in the Taiwan exodus. In Dongguan, another popular spot for exporters due to its proximity to Hong Kong, the number of Taiwanese companies has declined by over 25 percent from the peak, according to the local Taiwan business association. Taiwan-funded manufacturers in Dongguan now number around 4,000, from 6,000 two years ago.

Cities like Kunshan and Dongguan were once magnets for Taiwan in the 1990s and early 2000s, attractive for their low costs and preferential tax policies compared with a more mature Taiwanese market.

Kunshan began offering lucrative tax rates and other preferential policies in the early 1990s, luring such marquee Taiwanese names as bicycle maker Giant, food conglomerate Uni-President Enterprises, and Foxconn Technology, an electronics maker whose clients include Apple.

According to Taiwanese business magazine CommonWealth, more than 70 of Taiwan's top 100 manufacturers have set up plants in Kunshan over the years. As of June 30, more than 97,000 such companies had been approved by mainland regulators, involving total investment of US$ 63.9 billion, or nearly 4 percent of the total foreign investment in China, according to the Ministry of Commerce.

Deja vu

For many Taiwanese, the situation they now face in China is reminiscent of conditions more than a decade ago when they first relocated to the mainland, as ties between the two former Cold War rivals were rapidly thawing.

"Taiwan's economy at that time was very similar to the mainland today," said Liu Shi-Wei, representative of Taiwan Trade Center in Shanghai. After 20 years of fast growth, companies were facing rising costs and tighter taxation rules at home and had to move some older manufacturing technology elsewhere."

But many of the advantages China offered in the early days have slowly disappeared. The onset of tougher times dates back nearly a decade to 2008, when exports that are the life blood of many companies fell sharply during the global financial crisis. According to the Kunshan government, 22 out of the 37 companies that went bankrupt in the city in 2008 were Taiwanese, mostly contract manufacturers that make products for big global brands.

As the Chinese economy has shifted gears in the last few years, local governments have come under pressure to switch from traditional manufacturing to higher value-added service industries. That means many Taiwanese companies that focused on manufacturing began losing their luster and special treatment from local officials.

"Tax reduction was terminated while labor and tax rules were tightened, adding pressure to Taiwanese companies," said Shen, adding that the changes have eroded profits for firms by as much as 50 percent. At the same time, local governments cracked down on some tax avoidance measures that were previously tolerated, with the result that many companies have been punished for tax evasion, said an executive of a mobile phone component maker in Kunshan.

"We understand the change as (Taiwan businesses) can't rely on preferential policies forever," Shen said.

Mainland competitors

Meanwhile, competition from mainland rivals has heated up, especially in the semiconductor industry that has been a staple of Taiwan's high-tech manufacturing machine for decades. A 2014 Beijing policy designed to boost the domestic sector has benefited mainland companies by providing generous financial support for mergers and technology upgrades. At the same time, Beijing's support is also trickling down to local governments, who want to build up their own hometown rivals to compete with Taiwanese counterparts.

That combination of factors is helping mainland producers to quickly catch up to their older Taiwanese rivals. Data from the China Semiconductor Industry Association showed that in the second quarter of this year, sales of high-tech chips and other integrated circuits from mainland companies reached 40 billion yuan (U.S.$6 billion), exceeding Taiwanese makers' 36 billion yuan.

In face the shrinking profits in more affluent coastal areas like Kunshan and Dongguan, some Taiwanese companies are moving to less wealthy interior regions where costs are lower and government incentives are still relatively generous.

One high profile example is Foxconn, which has transferred major parts of its production from Kunshan and southern Guangdong province to the interior cities of Zhengzhou and Chengdu. Foxconn has also moved some production to India, part of a trend that has seen some Taiwan companies leave the mainland completely for cheaper destinations like Southeast Asia, said Li Fei, a cross-strait business expert at Xiamen University

Changing identity

In a somewhat ironic twist, some companies that are trying to survive without moving are changing their official headquarters and identity to access more recent preferential policies that are only available for mainland-based companies.

For example, Beijing requires electronic manufacturers to purchase a certain proportion of their components from domestic suppliers and offers various subsidies to mainland companies, said one Taiwanese executive at a Shanghai-based mobile phone components maker. To take advantage of those policies, he added, his company is in talks to get such status by merging with another local Shanghai company.

While traditional manufacturers struggle, analysts expect a young generation of Taiwanese entrepreneurs to explore newer more value-added areas that have yet to be discovered by mainlanders, such as design, technology and other innovative sectors.

Walter Yeh, vice president of Taiwan External Trade Development Council, said he expects to see more Taiwanese startups engaged in technological innovative sectors, backed by the island's strong manufacturing capacity.

While Taiwan has advanced technology research capacity and talent teams, the mainland can provide a massive market for Taiwan businesses to commercialize their new technologies, said Zhu Bo, CEO of Innovation Valley, a Guangzhou-based startup incubator. "It is a promising path," said Zhu.

Contact the reporter Han Wei at weihan@caixin.com; editing by Doug Young, dougyoung@caixin.com
My wife and I were indescribably relieved that our graduate student daughter weathered the Baton Rouge flooding without injury or damage to her living quarters near the LSU campus.

Thinking about the 40,000 homeowners who suffered damage or complete loss due to the recent flooding in and around Baton Rouge, do any of us have enough insurance and the correct kind of coverage to rebuild or restore our homes to the condition they were in prior to the event?

In California, consider whether you have enough coverage. Are you in a flood zone needing that coverage? Or what about adding earthquake insurance?

If something happens to your property, first and foremost, do not assume your insurance company is going to make you completely whole.

Insurance companies are in the business to make money, said Denise Sze, of Los Angeles-based Merlin Law Group and general counsel for the California Association of Public Insurance Adjusters.

Public adjusters represent the insured, not the insurance company, in negotiating better settlements for a homeowner who lost his home to a fire, for example. Public adjusters receive anywhere from 2 to 35 percent of your settlement with an average of 15 percent according to Sze.

Its a felony for a public adjuster to approach any homeowner within seven days in any declared disaster area, said Nancy Kincaid, press secretary to California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones. Kincaid pointed out public insurance adjusters must be licensed. And, the state insurance commissioners office accepts complaints and investigates on behalf of the insured.

Wendy Holt of Rancho Cucamonga-based Holt Insurance adamantly believes that public adjusters are not necessary.

If the client has a decent agent and you get your estimates (to compare to the insurance companys repair and replace estimates), that will cover you.

Holt stated that public adjusters will monitor fire department radio frequencies. She had one client who signed up with an adjuster within two hours of her house burning down.

That homeowner (unnecessarily) lost thousands and thousands of dollars, said Holt.

In California, think hard before you make an insurance claim or even an inquiry about damage, particularly for smaller matters.

People that file claims are more likely to file more claims, said Kincaid. The insurance industry tracks you individually and tracks each property separately through CLUE or Comprehensive Loss Underwriting Exchange records, according to Kincaid. She pointed out that even an inquiry could get posted to CLUE by your insurance company.

If you do make a claim, be it water-damage, fire or anything else, find out what your insurance company will offer you with their detailed bids attached.

Go get your own comparative bids to be sure the insurance company bids are fair.

Then, contact a public adjuster.

Ask if he or she can get you a better settlement by negotiating for you. If so, sign a contract that specifies that they must do better by X, including their commission. Have your attorney review the contract before engaging a public adjuster.

If you sign-up with a public adjuster, under California law you have three days to rescind the contract, Kincaid said.

Mortgage broker Jeff Lazerson can be reached at 949-334-2424 or jlazerson@mortgagegrader.com or on Twitter: @mortgagegrader_.
ANKARA, Turkey  Turkey sent more tanks into northern Syria on Thursday and gave Syrian Kurdish forces a week to scale back their presence near the Turkish border, a day after it launched a U.S.-backed cross-border incursion to establish a frontier zone free of the Islamic State group and Kurdish rebels.

Skirmishes broke out between Turkish-backed Syrian rebels and the U.S.-backed Kurdish fighters, raising the potential for an all-out confrontation between the two American allies that would also jeopardize the fight against Islamic State in the volatile area.

Turkeys incursion Wednesday to capture the town of Jarablus was a dramatic escalation of Turkeys role in Syrias war and adds yet another powerhouse force on the ground in an already complicated conflict.

But Ankaras objective went beyond fighting extremists. Turkey is also aiming to contain the expansion by Syrias Kurds, who have used the fight against Islamic State and the chaos of Syrias civil war to seize nearly the entire stretch of territory along Syrias northern border with Turkey.

Above all, Ankara seeks to avoid Kurdish forces linking up their strongholds along the border. The U.S. has backed its NATO ally, sending a stern warning to the Syrian Kurds with whom it has partnered in the fight against Islamic State to stay east of the Euphrates River. The river crosses from Turkey into Syria at Jarablus.

The U.S. is interested in stopping this from becoming a confrontation between the YPG and Turkey. That would be a huge detriment to the anti-IS campaign, said Chris Kozak, a Syria researcher at the Washington-based Institute of the Study of War, referring to the main U.S.-backed Kurdish faction fighting Islamic State. Turkey accuses the group of links to Kurdish groups waging an insurgency in southeastern Turkey.

Kozak said an open confrontation between Turkey and the Kurds in Syria would undo much of the progress made working with the Kurdish forces against Islamic State in northern Syria. If there are direct clashes, the U.S. would be forced to take sides, he said, and Washington would likely side with its NATO ally, whose air base is used to launch coalition airstrikes against the extremists in Syria and Iraq.

Also, if the Syrian Kurdish forces are distracted in clashes with the Turks and have to shift resources toward front lines with Turkey or with Turkish-backed opposition groups, that buys (Islamic State) some breathing space, Kozak said.

On Thursday, Turkish officials said Syrian Kurdish forces had started withdrawing east of the Euphrates River. The news was relayed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry in a telephone conversation with his Turkish counterpart, Mevlut Cavusoglu, said the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity in line with government regulations.

Syrian Kurdish officials contacted by The Associated Press would not confirm or deny that their forces were withdrawing east. Instead, the main Syrian Kurdish faction, the YPG, said its troops had returned to their bases after helping liberate the northern Syrian city of Manbij from the Islamic State group earlier this month. Manbij lies west of the Euphrates about 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Jarablus, and Ankara has demanded the Kurds hand it over to Syrian rebels and withdraw.

The Kurdish forces statement said they handed control of the city to a newly-established Manbij Military Council, made up mostly of Arab rebel fighters from the town.

By day break, at least 10 more Turkish tanks crossed into Syria, Turkeys private Dogan news agency reported. An Associated Press journalist saw three armored vehicles cross the border, followed by a heavy construction vehicle. Explosions reverberated across the border, followed by billowing gray smoke.

It remained unclear whether Turkey-backed Syrian rebels would move against Islamic State-held towns or nearby Kurdish-controlled areas, including the town of Manbij.

Turkeys state-run Anadolu agency, reporting from Jarablus, said the Syrian opposition forces were working to secure the town to allow its residents to return, including defusing explosives inside the town or on roads leading to it. Estimates put the towns population at 25,000.

Turkeys defense minister, Fikri Isik, said Thursday that Turkish forces were securing the area around Jarablus. He said the Turkish-backed operation had two main goals  to secure the Turkish border area and to make sure the Syrian Kurdish forces are not there.

Its our right to remain there until the Ankara-backed Syrian opposition forces take control of the area, Isik said. He said Turkey and the U.S. have agreed that the Syrian Kurdish forces would pull out of the northern area around Jarablus within a week.

For now, the withdrawal hasnt fully taken place. We are waiting for it and following it, he told the private NTV television station.

A spokesman for the U.S.-led anti-Islamic State coalition, Col. JD Dorrian, said some members of the force that seized control of Manbij went east of the river, but some remained to secure and clear land mines.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Kurdish forces appeared to be on the move south of the newly captured town of Jarablus, making the potential for all-out confrontation all the more possible overnight. The Kurdish-led group known as the Syria Democratic Forces, or SDF, was advancing south of Jarablus, taking over at least three towns in what appeared to be a push by the Kurdish-led forces to secure Manbij and the river separating it from Jarablus. The advances triggered brief clashes with the Turkish-backed Syrian rebels who had advanced south of Jarablus.

Sharwan Darwish, a spokesperson for the SDF-affiliated Manbij Military Council, said there were no direct confrontations, only warning shots. A Turkish official said he had no immediate comment on the reported clashes.

Meanwhile, U.N. officials said they had received word from Russia that it supports a 48-hour pause in fighting in and around Syrias largest city so that humanitarian aid can be delivered to its increasingly embattled population.

Jan Egeland, who heads up humanitarian aid in the office of the U.N. Syria envoy, said the U.N. now awaits assurances from two rebel groups and written authorization from President Bashar Assads government before any aid convoys can go through to Aleppo amid an upsurge in fighting that has left the city nearly surrounded by Russian-backed Syrian troops.

Egeland said Russia backs a three-point U.N. plan that is to involve separate road convoys of aid delivered both from Damascus and across the Turkish border through the critical Castello Road artery into Aleppo.

We are very hopeful that it will be a very short time until we can roll, Egeland told reporters.
AJMAN, United Arab Emirates  The suspicious text message that appeared on Ahmed Mansoors iPhone promised to reveal details about torture in the United Arab Emirates prisons. All Mansoor had to do was click the link.

Mansoor, a human rights activist, didnt take the bait. Instead, he reported it to Citizen Lab, an internet watchdog, setting off a chain reaction that in two weeks exposed a secretive Israeli cyberespionage firm, defanged a powerful new piece of eavesdropping software and gave millions of iPhone users across the world an extra boost to their digital security.

It feels really good, Mansoor said in an interview from his sand-colored apartment block in downtown Ajman, a small city-state in the United Arab Emirates. Cradling his iPhone to show The Associated Press screenshots of the rogue text, Mansoor said he hoped the developments could save hundreds of people from being targets.

Hidden behind the link in the text message was a highly targeted form of spyware crafted to take advantage of three previously undisclosed weaknesses in Apples mobile operating system.

Two reports issued Thursday, one by Lookout, a San Francisco mobile security company, and another by Citizen Lab, based at the University of Torontos Munk School of Global Affairs, outlined how the program could completely compromise a device at the tap of a finger. If Mansoor had touched the link, he would have given his hackers free reign to eavesdrop on calls, harvest messages, activate his camera and drain the phones trove of personal data.

Apple Inc. issued a fix for the vulnerabilities Thursday, just ahead of the reports release, working at a blistering pace for which the Cupertino, Calif.-based company was widely praised.

Arie van Deursen, a professor of software engineering at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands, said the reports were disturbing. Forensics expert Jonathan Zdziarski described the malicious program targeting Mansoor as a serious piece of spyware.

A soft-spoken man who dresses in traditional white robes, Mansoor has repeatedly drawn the ire of authorities in the United Arab Emirates, calling for a free press and democratic freedoms. He is one of the countrys few human rights defenders with an international profile, close links to foreign media and a network of sources. Mansoors work has, at various times, cost him his job, his passport and even his liberty.

Online, Mansoor repeatedly found himself in the crosshairs of electronic eavesdropping operations. Even before the first rogue text message pinged across his phone on Aug. 10, Mansoor already had weathered attacks from two separate brands of commercial spyware.

When he shared the suspicious text with Citizen Lab researcher Bill Marczak, they realized hed been targeted by a third.

Citizen Lab and Lookout both fingered a secretive Israeli firm, NSO Group, as the author of the spyware. Citizen Lab said that past targeting of Mansoor by the United Arab Emirates government suggested that it was likely behind the latest hacking attempt as well.

Executives at the company declined to comment, and a visit to NSOs address in Herzliya showed that the firm had recently vacated its old headquarters  a move recent enough that the building still bore its logo.

In a statement released Thursday which stopped short of acknowledging that the spyware was its own, the NSO Group said its mission was to provide authorized governments with technology that helps them combat terror and crime.

The company said it couldnt comment on specific cases.

Marczak said he and fellow-researcher John Scott-Railton turned to Lookout for help to pick apart the malicious program, a process which Murray compared to defusing a bomb.

It is amazing the level theyve gone through to avoid detection, Murray said of the softwares makers. They have a hair-trigger self-destruct.

Working over a two-week period, the researchers found that Mansoor had been targeted by an unusually sophisticated piece of software which some have valued at $1 million. He told AP he was amused by the idea that so much money was being poured into watching him.

If you would give me probably 10 percent of that I would write the report about myself for you!

The apparent discovery of Israeli-made spyware being used to target a dissident in the United Arab Emirates raises awkward questions for both countries. The use of Israeli technology to police its own citizens is an uncomfortable strategy for an Arab country with no formal diplomatic ties to the Jewish state. And Israeli complicity in a cyberattack on an Arab dissident would seem to run counter to the countrys self-description as a bastion of democracy in the Middle East.

There are awkward questions, too, for Francisco Partners, the private equity firm which owns the NSO Group. Francisco is only an hours drive from the headquarters of Apple, whose products the cybersecurity firm is accused of hacking.

Messages left with Francisco partners offices in London and San Francisco went unreturned. Israeli and Emirati authorities did not return calls seeking comment.

Attorney Eitay Mack, who advocates for more transparency in Israeli arms exports, said his countrys sales of surveillance software are not closely policed.

He also noted that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cultivated warmer ties with Arab Gulf states.

Israel is looking for allies, Mack said. And when Israel finds allies, it does not ask too many questions.
A Riverside County Superior Court judge rejected a request by a physicians group to put the states new right-to-die law on hold Friday, pending court review.

Technically called the End of Life Option Act, the law passed by the Legislature last year decriminalized physician-assisted suicides for individuals of sound mind diagnosed with terminal health conditions expected to die within six months.

The lawsuit was filed by six physicians and the Christian Medical and Dental Society against Riverside County District Attorney Mike Hestrin in June.

At issue in hearings before Judge Daniel A. Ottolia was whether the plaintiffs could sue Hestrin, and whether there were legal grounds to order a preliminary injunction to put a freeze on the law pending further court action.

Ottolia found that Hestrin could be named as a defendant and that no injunction should be ordered at this time.

Attorney Stephen G. Larson said outside court that the plaintiffs would weigh options on their next steps, including filing an appeal of the injunction ruling.

Opponents of the law have argued it was improperly passed during a special session of the legislature, is unconstitutional and does not offer enough safeguards for patients and their physicians.

Supporters have said the law includes adequate oral and written consent by patients making decisions, and patients and physicians can opt out of exercising the choice to seek prescription medications that lead to death.

The law was passed in Octoer 2015 and gives terminally ill adults in California the option to end their lives by swallowing lethal doses of physican-prescribed drugs. For a patient to receive the drug, two doctors must confirm the patients prognosis of six months or less to live and determine that the patient is mentally competent to make informed health care decisions. The patient must then make two oral requests 15 days apart, and one written request, to a physician for assisted death, with witnesses to all requests.

The issue of assisted death gained momentum after the death of former Orange County resident and UC Irvine graduate, 29-year-old Brittany Maynard, who moved with her family to Portland, Ore., from the San Francisco Bay Area last year after being diagnosed with terminal brain cancer because assisted death was still illegal in California. It was legalized in Oregon in 1997.

Reporter Deepa Bharath contriuted to this report.
California is preparing to create a mandatory state-run retirement plan for an estimated 6 million workers at companies that do not now offer any retirement benefits.

The move could make California the first state to require companies to take part in such a system. Colorado was considering the idea but decided against it in May, and New Jersey and Washington have opted instead for programs with very limited state involvement. But Connecticut, Oregon, Maryland and Illinois are moving forward with their own state-run retirement programs and are looking to California as an example.

Currently, Californias plan would require all companies in that state with five or more employees to take part in what is being called the Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program. The biggest companies will start first, and the smallest companies will have three years to get ready.

Money is not expected to start flowing into the first Secure Choice accounts until sometime in 2017.

The companies will not be required to contribute their own money to the program, only to enroll their workers. Nor does the measure make state taxpayers directly liable. But the financial services industry is questioning whether the program will be financially viable  and what will happen if it is not.

The California Assembly approved the measure on Thursday; next, it must be reconciled with the state Senates version, passed in May. Gov. Jerry Brown, a Democrat, will then have 30 days to sign the measure into law. The bill has the support of unions and the AARP, among others.

Important features of the state program still need to be worked out, such as who will manage the money and what investment options will be available to workers.

On Thursday, the U.S. Labor Department issued a final safe-harbor rule, making it possible for California to run its program without conforming with the federal employee benefits law, known as ERISA, that now covers all nongovernment workers in California and the other 49 states. The Secure Choice program may still be subject to regulation by the Securities and Exchange Commission, however, raising thorny constitutional issues.

The Investment Company Institute, which represents the mutual fund industry, said the new safe-harbor rule seemed to pose a double standard, because the fiduciary standards for company retirement plans were recently tightened, and state-led plans like Secure Choice were exempt.

In a statement, the institute said the Labor Department plans to turn a blind eye on the track record of mismanagement and abuse in state-run programs, whether public employee pension plans or municipal securities disclosure.

Early proposals that called for guaranteed investment returns in Secure Choice have been scaled back in the face of longstanding troubles at CalPERS, Californias big pension system for government workers. CalPERS generous guaranteed benefits have led to grief in California cities that cannot keep up with the rising costs, and skeptics have said that at this point, it would be unwise to add any more state guarantees.

A nine-member board has been working on the Secure Choice program since 2012. It plans initially to invest workers money in safe Treasury securities, through a federal program called MyRA, for My Retirement Account, according to Yvonne Walker, a board member who is also the president of a large Service Employees International Union local in the state.

After the startup, she said, the board will move on to making critical decisions about which other investment options to offer workers and who should invest their money. Walker said she could not speak for the full board, but she thought it might ultimately hire both CalPERS and private firms to handle different investment options. She said the selection could take as long as three years, and if the issue of guaranteed returns were revived, that would take even longer.

We want to be sure that everything we do is deliberate and thoughtful, she said.

Californias Secure Choice measure calls for employers to enroll workers automatically, then start deducting 3 percent from each paycheck. The money is to be transferred to individual retirement accounts, where it will earn tax-free investment income. Eventually, workers will be able to increase or reduce the amount deducted from their pay.

Workers will also be able to opt out of the program entirely and collect their pay in full. Lawmakers hope that by requiring companies to enroll all of their workers automatically, and leaving it to the workers to take the extra step of opting out, most people will get into the habit of saving for retirement, even those who now live paycheck to paycheck and do not think they can save.

Last year, the federal government opened its MyRA retirement program  similar in some ways to Secure Choice  which also sought to promote retirement saving through automatic enrollment. But the federal program is purely voluntary, and Treasury yields appear to be too low at the moment to whip up much excitement among prospective savers. So far, MyRA has just over 10,000 participants.

Proponents in California wanted to have a bigger impact, so they pushed for a mandatory program with a wider range of investment risks and potential rewards.

The California business community resisted the idea when it was proposed in 2012 by Kevin de Leon, D-Los Angeles, the president pro tempore of the state Senate. The programs cost was not the main concern, since the workers would be saving their own money and employers were not being asked to make matching contributions, keep account records or invest the funds.

Instead, business groups worried that the requirement to enroll workers automatically and tell them their investment options would expose employers to liability. In bear markets, they argued, workers might look at their dwindling account balances and accuse their employers of exposing them to too much risk; in bull markets, workers in safe accounts might say their employers had made them miss out on big gains. And workers might look at the fees being deducted from their accounts and argue that their employers should have secured them a better deal. (The voluntary federal program has no fees or minimum contributions.)

As now written, Californias legislation caps administrative fees at 1 percent of assets  higher than in some of the other states, according to Georgetown Universitys Center for Retirement Initiatives, which has a website comparing the programs and tracking their progress. California lawmakers also added language that employers could not be held liable for disappointing investment performance.

With that, Californias major business groups dropped their opposition to the bill. But opposition remains among investment firms.

The Investment Company Institute has also warned that Californias program was based on rosy assumptions about how many workers would stick with the program, what their typical incomes would be and what percentage they would save.

Those assumption make the program look viable, the institute says, but more realistic assumptions would show thousands and thousands of tiny accounts, many from part-time and seasonal workers or from people who drop out of the workforce entirely. Small accounts with irregular activity are more expensive to administer than California lawmakers may understand, the trade group said.

California taxpayers or program participants  most likely both  will likely find themselves bearing unanticipated costs as a result of the program, said the institutes president, Paul Schott Stevens, in a recent letter to Brown.

There exists a very real possibility that California taxpayers ultimately will need to bail out the program.
Sonia Rykiel, the Paris fashion designer who planted her contrarian flag on the Left Bank in the 1960s, flouted haute couture conventions and created chic ready-to-wear clothes that caught on around the world with generations of women on the go, died Thursday at her home in Paris. She was 86.

The death was announced by the Elysee Palace, the office of the French president, and by Rykiels daughter, Nathalie, the artistic director of the fashion house her mother began. The cause was complications of Parkinsons disease.

Often likened to Coco Chanel, the designer who liberated women from corsets in the flapper 1920s, the free-spirited Rykiel made fashions for women who, like herself, were proud of their pregnancies, sophisticated about sex and too busy to fuss over the latest designer fads  women who wanted to look smart, but needed to get on with their lives.

She was best known for raising old-fashioned knitwear to flattering new and practical designs: figure-hugging skirts and sweaters, especially ribbed pullovers with high armholes that made the shoulders seem smaller, torsos narrower and legs longer.

The news media called them poor boy sweaters. They made the cover of Elle, and they were snapped up by Anouk Aimee, Audrey Hepburn, Catherine Deneuve and Lauren Bacall, among others.

Two French presidents conferred the Legion of Honor, the nations highest award, on Rykiel. She was as recognizable to many Parisians as were the politicians in the Elysee Palace: a dramatic, sparrowlike woman, always in black, with a pale powdered face engulfed in a mass of titian hair and bangs that fell to heavily mascaraed green eyes. She looked a bit like Edith Piaf, Frances national chanteuse.

My color is black, she once told an American fashion editor. And black, if its worn right, is a scandal.

We are working women

In a fashion world often seen as a fantasyland of beautiful people and expensive, impractical clothing, she had always been a rebel. Her career spanned nearly a half-century, and while she made clothes for a broad clientele of working and professional women, singles and mothers, including socialites and chief executives, she was after the woman who wanted value and style.

Her typical patron? She is fragile, but strong, Rykiel told The New York Times in 1987. We are working women. Also, we have the problem of children, of men, to take care of our houses, so many things. I try to explain that in my clothes. They are clothes for everyday life.

Unlike many designers whose lives center on fashion, Rykiel was also a writer, and her works included magazine columns, a novel, a childrens book, an epistolary exchange with the writer Regine Deforges, and books on fashion and her own life. Her Paris apartment, with black-lacquered walls and piles of serious books, was a salon for writers, philosophers, musicians, actors, politicians and academics.

Rykiel began designing clothes when she was carrying her second child, in 1961. At a time when maternity clothes were made primarily to conceal bulging midriffs, she could find nothing she liked in stores. They all seemed to convey shame, apologies or suggestions of embarrassment. So she designed an outfit for herself, with a fitted bodice and flowing skirts  one that celebrated her pregnancy.

I wanted to show the world how happy I was, Rykiel told Newsweek in 1976. My mother-in-law was scandalized, but my friends asked how they could find one like it.

Broke the rules

She eschewed traditions. Instead of making clothes for young women and assuming older women trying to look young would buy them, too, she designed dresses, trousers and jackets for no age group. Some critics called it absurd, trying to squeeze young and old into similar clothes. But others said they were becoming on matrons and 20-somethings, and they were comfortable, durable and reasonably priced.

Unbound by training or trends, she broke all the rules. She emphasized pants when skirts were stylish, and hot colors when somber hues were in. Rivals scoffed when she repeated themes, like red, white and blue stripes, after short intervals. She was one of the first to splash words, like mode or amour, on designs. She produced fanny-wrappers, long tight sashes for the hips and derriere. It worked.

And to depose outdated customs, like changes of clothing during the day, Rykiel made reversible dresses and jackets, and she created flexible designs in culottes, which offered the silhouette of a skirt and freedom of movement. She made garments that could be worn inside-out by breaking more rules: eliminating darts, exposing raw edges of seams and doing away with finished hems.

She reversed things at fashion shows, too. While most designers presented their collections on sullen, haughty goddesses who posed in a spotlight at the end of the catwalk, Rykiel sent her models down the runway in groups, chatting and laughing, like friends having fun, Holly Brubach wrote in W magazine in 2015.

Avid following

Rykiel, who sold her maternity wear and poor-boy knits at her husbands store in the 60s, soon had an avid following. She opened her own boutique in St.-Germain-des-Pres in May 1968 but closed it for a time as Sorbonne students rioted, touching off strikes and protests that paralyzed France for weeks. During the 70s, sales of her ready-to-wear designs grew enormously.

The Rykiel mystique has reached such a pass that steel-eyed women were said to cry at the showing of the spring collection for store buyers this week, Bernadine Morris wrote in The Times in 1974. She was told head-turning things: that the collection was the best she had ever done, that it was the best in Paris at this time, that it was the best ever. Much of it is true. Rykiel clothes have just passed from being the delight of connoisseurs to having an impact on mass fashion.

In the 1980s, the Rykiel product lines grew to include clothing for men and children, household items, cosmetics, lingerie, perfumes and accessories. Some Rykiel clothing was criticized as too casual or too revealing, with models occasionally flashing their breasts. But reviewers generally praised her work as reflecting a new attitude and freedom.

I think creativity is inside you, Rykiel told The Times Magazine in 1982. If you have something to tell, you expose it. I never went to any design school. I was so strong in my thinking and my way of seeing fashion, I knew exactly what I wanted. I said to myself, I have no limits.

Teen window dresser

She was born Sonia Flis in Paris on May 25, 1930, the oldest of five daughters of a Romanian father and a Russian mother. Her father was a watchmaker and her mother a housewife interested in fashion. She grew up in Neuilly-sur-Seine, northwest of Paris, in a home where politics, art and literature were discussed at the dinner table.

At 17, she got a job as a window dresser in a Paris dry goods store, and she drew the attention of the artist Henri Matisse with a display of colorful scarves. He bought them all. It was her first hint of creativity in fabrics.

In 1953, she married Sam Rykiel, who owned a Paris boutique. They had two children, Nathalie and Jean-Philippe, who survive her. The couple divorced in 1968.

By 1990, when Rykiel opened her flagship store on the Boulevard St.-Germain, a business that had begun with a single boutique had grown into a global enterprise with sales in 200 retail outlets in Europe, Asia and the United States. The number of outlets later grew to more than 1,000.

In 1985, French President Francois Mitterrand named Rykiel a chevalier of the Legion of Honor. In 2008, President Nicolas Sarkozy named her a grand commander of the legion for lifetime service to fashion, a major national industry.

Sonia Rykiel was a free woman, a pioneer who was able to forge her own path, the Elysee Palace said in a statement on Thursday. Having created her own company, she opened her first store in St.-Germain-des-Pres in May 1968. She invented not only a style, but also an attitude, a way of living and of being, and gave women a freedom of movement. Passionate about culture, she did not conceive of fashion without the arts, which were always present in her creations. Her style is known across the world. It will remain a symbol of the remarkable alliance of color and the natural, of fluidity and light.

Rykiel retired in 2009. Her daughter became the companys artistic director in 1995 and its president in 2007. In 2012, Fung Brands, an investment firm backed by two Hong Kong billionaires, acquired 80 percent of the company, with the founders family retaining 20 percent.

Rykiel continued to attend fashion shows and to travel and write. In her last book, NOubliez Pas Que Je Joue, or Dont Forget That Im Acting (2012, with Judith Perrignon), she disclosed that she had Parkinsons disease, a progressive neurological disorder, for 15 years and had kept it secret, even from her family, until she could no longer hide the symptoms.
If Orange County Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez manages to prevail in the race to replace retiring U.S. Barbara Boxer, it would be an upset on the magnitude of her historic 1996 defeat of entrenched conservative Rep. Bob Dornan.

Sanchez made the cut in Junes top-two primary, but trailed fellow Democrat Kamala Harris  the states attorney general  40 percent to 19 percent. As of the most recent reporting period, Harris fundraising advantage was $12 million to $4 million. And President Barack Obama, Vice President Joe Biden, Gov. Jerry Brown and the state Democratic Party have all endorsed Harris.

Related: Sanchez, Harris clash over debate schedule

Im not saying its going to be easy, but we have a path to victory, said Luis Vizcaino, senior advisor to the Sanchez campaign.

That path includes courting Republican voters, pointing to her record of working across the aisle and emphasizing her experience on the House Armed Services and Homeland Security committees.

When the Orange resident appeared on Carl DeMaios San Diego-based conservative talk radio show Tuesday, she touted the endorsements of Howard Buck McKeon, the retired former chairman of the Armed Services Committee, former Los Angeles Mayor Richard Riordon and conservative pundit Hugh Hewitt  all Republicans.

But while Sanchezs record and reputation are more moderate than Harris, many Republicans say theyd rather not vote than cast a ballot for either. GOP candidates accounted for 29 percent of the primary vote.

A July poll by the Public Policy Institute of California found half of likely GOP voters saying they would sit the race out, while a June Field Poll put the number at 31 percent.

We dont believe that, Vizcaino said. Republicans vote. We just have to make our case and win their vote.

The campaign also hopes Sanchez votes against the Iraq war, the PATRIOT Act and the TARP Wall Street bailout will attract voters, and is looking to perform strongly among Latinos and Southern Californians. In the primary, she won her home county of Orange by a modest 2.5 percentage points against the San Francisco-based Harris.

Battling bad news

A spate of negative headlines hasnt made Sanchezs summer any easier.

After Obama endorsed Harris, Sanchez said on Spanish language TV, I think they have, what he said they have, is a friendship of many years. She is African American, as is he. Ensuing criticism prompted her to issue a statement that she didnt mean the endorsement was race-based.

A San Francisco Chronicle analysis found that she missed more than 20 percent of House votes last year, third highest in Congress. Her Homeland Security Committee attendance sheet found her missing more meetings than all but two of the other 30 members last year, according to a McClatchy news analysis.

Vizcaino said Sanchezs campaigning hurt her House attendance last year. She entered the race in May. He also said there are many aspects to her committee posts beside attending committee hearings and points to the endorsements of two fellow Homeland Security Committee members, and to McKeons endorsement statement.

In that statement, McKeon said in part, I have seen firsthand her ability to put partisanship aside and work with Democrats and Republicans to help move policies forward that better protect our troops and the homeland.

A June Field poll and an early July PPIC poll showed Sanchez trailing by 15 points and 18 points, respectively. Vizcaino said the polls showed progress for Sanchez and thinks his candidate has subsequently gained ground. As for Harris fundraising advantage, he said the front runner has spent far more  $9.4 million to Sanchezs $2.9 million  with little or no improvement to her polling numbers.

Those who say Sanchez doesnt have a chance had plenty of counterparts in her maiden congressional bid 20 years ago.

Like this years primary, Sanchez was outpaced by more than 2-1 in 1996 primary voting. It was a partisan primary back then  Dornans 16,933 primary votes accounted for 65 percent of the GOP ballots. Sanchezs 7,143 votes were 35 percent of the votes in the four-person Democratic field. She ended up beating Dornan by 984 votes in November.

The campaign is stronger than the (news) coverage were seeing, Vizcaino said. Dont underestimate Loretta.

Contact the writer: mwisckol@ocregister.com
The Clintons have been on a long journey in their climb up the ladder of financial success, from their humble backwater start in grifting scams like Whitewater and cattle futures to the pinnacle with the family charity. The Foundation distributes next to nothing to help anyone but the Clintons. On the other hand, if you need a favor now, or sometime in the future, writing a check to someone who may be the next president is money well spent.

Jim Earley

Laguna Niguel

Bickering GOP

Re: Perry v. Cruz [Opinion, Aug. 25]: So this is what it comes to, huh? The Texas GOP is bickering over who to choose as its representative in the U.S. Senate: the hypocritical former governor, Rick Perry, or the absurdist fundamentalist, Ted Cruz.

Both men are sorry examples of political leadership. Though the Register calls Perrys gubernatorial administration successful, despite Texas high childhood poverty rate and tattered social safety net, and in view of the fact that the holier-than-thou Cruz seems to prefer theocracy to democracy, its self-evident that if this is the best the party of Lincoln has to offer voters, they are, to quote George H.W. Bush, in deep doo-doo.

Ben Miles

Huntington Beach

How things stay the same

Re: How things change [Letters, Aug. 25]: You left a few things out, Phil. Your baby boomer president also smoked dope, philandered in office and lied to the people. Guess you conveniently left those out. Fast forward 25 years: Theyre still doing it. Some things will never change. Why dont we try something different this time? The Clintons will continue to entertain us from the sidelines. Bills legacy only involves a stained dress. Class act, baby boomer!

Bob Underwood

Yorba Linda
SANTA ANA  Police said they were investigating a shooting that sent one person to the hospital Thursday night.

A man showed up at a local hospital Thursday night with a gunshot wound to his lower torso, Santa Ana police Sgt. Michelle Miller.

He was shot at at 9:33 p.m. in the 1400 block of West St. Gertrude Place and police were searching for a crime scene there Thursday night, Miller said. Police recovered shell casings at the scene, she added.

The man is expected to survive.

No suspects were in custody late Thursday.

Contact the writer: lawilliams@scng.com
A 52-year-old Horseleap man, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer ten years ago after a massive stage 4 tumour was found in the middle of his head, last week paid tribute to the treatment he received at Merseyside hospitals which saved his life.

A 52-year-old Horseleap man, who was diagnosed with terminal cancer ten years ago after a massive stage 4 tumour was found in the middle of his head, last week paid tribute to the treatment he received at Merseyside hospitals which saved his life.

Liam Ryans book Cancer 4 Me 5 received its Liverpool launch at News From Nowhere on Bold Street. The launch came about because one of the shops own staff, Julie Callaghan, who acted as MC on the night, has herself been treated for head and neck cancer.

Liam grew up over a pub and shop which literally straddled the county boundary between Offaly and Westmeath.

His own mother died from cancer when he was 22, and his father died two years later.

Now resident in Ballina/Killaloe in County Tipperary (not to be confused with the much larger Ballina in Mayo), he lived in Liverpool for many years, and it was there that he met his wife Pam, and where two of his three sons were born. He studied at John Moores University.

Speaking at the launch, he spoke of the role Liverpool played in his life and thanked the support he received from so many people, but particularly the treatment he received at Aintree University Hospital and at Clatterbridge Hospital on the Wirral, as well as the Royal Liverpool Hospital.

In his book, he refers to the help his Christian faith gave him in fighting cancer, and points out that while he was a lapsed Catholic in his late teens and early twenties, he returned to it when he came to Liverpool.

The launch was also addressed by Mr Simon Rogers, a surgeon in Aintree, who paid tribute to Liam Ryans fighting spirit.

The architects book features many anecdotes from areas on the Offaly-Westmeath border, as well as his time as a boarder in Cistercian College, Roscrea, and the occasion when he was one of a group who sneaked out to Shinrone to see Linda Martin and the Chips play there.

An only son, Liam Ryan has three sisters, Carol (a teacher in Boher National School), Dolores (who travelled from Mayo to attend the launch) and Eleanor
Portarlingtons worst example of a derelict building is now almost unrecognisable thanks to a facelift by the local community.

Portarlingtons worst example of a derelict building is now almost unrecognisable thanks to a facelift by the local community.

Arlington House stands on the corner of French Church Street and Foxcroft Street, and although it still is a shell of a building with no roof, its exterior has been revitalised inspired by from RTEs Dirty Old Towns series.

The orginal stonework is now revealed at the front of the building, with the addition of a bright red door, clock and faux windows, while the sides have received a fresh coat of lime render. New fencing and grass have replaced ugly hoarding to the rear.

Last week the volunteers and expert plasterers, with project leader Matt Dunne, toasted the result of their efforts with champagne.

Its actually lifted the spirit of the town. Its getting rave reviews, said Mr Dunne.

However he believes that eventually the listed building may still be knocked.

It is an imposing building on a strategic corner that should have a roundabout so the question remains should it be knocked to make way for the ever increasing traffic flow or should it be refurbished and handed over to the town. It is a huge traffic hazard. There is an outcry for traffic lights there, he said.

The Hugenot building has had mixed fortunes. It was a renowned boys boarding school for the best part of a century, and then housed suitcase manufacturers Travel Goods Limited for nearly 50 years.

Part of it and the buildin was demolished to accommodate the new inner relief road, supermarket and housing estate behind it. Since then it has lost its roof and the current owner, engineer Gerry Foley from Mullingar, has been fined by Laois County Council for leaving it derelict, despite been given planning permission to restore it.

The renovation was a result of many hands coming together, including the owner who donated 2,000 towards it. Many local companies gave equipment and materials to the project, while craftspeople and hard working volunteers all gave freely of their time.

Matt Dunne was delighted to come on board the Dirty Old Towns committee.

I saw it as an opportunity not to be missed that the town could be portrayed in a positive light, with the community working to try and eliminate the eyesores around the town. The cynics say we are wasting our time but we believe that the end result will justify all the hard work. President Obamas catchphrase was Is feidir linn  we can do it, the Portarlington Dirty Old Town Committee have their own catchphrase Rinnemid e  we did it, he said.

For more details on the project see www.leinsterexpress.ie
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China's Great Divide: A New Cultural Revolution?

August 26, 2016

The only question left for China (and every other debt/bubble-dependent nation) is what socio-political consequences will manifest when the credit bubble finally bursts?

In Asia, it's generally seen as unpatriotic to criticize one's country in public, even if you disagree with its direction and leadership. The cultural norm is to maintain the "face" of one's country by hiding its ills from outsiders.

This reticence is especially evident in China, which suffers from the memory of being subjugated by the Western imperialist powers in the late 19th century and early 20th century.

As a general rule, you will rarely hear any profound criticism of China unless you are considered a trusted friend; giving China a black eye in public is frowned upon, even by its domestic critics.

For this reason, the majority of the Western media has very little grasp of what worries Chinese people. Recently, I have heard fears of a Second Cultural Revolution being expressed in private.

There is a Great Divide between generations in China: on the one side is the older generation that remembers the Maoist era with some nostalgia and the terrible adversities of the Cultural Revolution (1966 - 1976). On the other side is the young educated, prosperous generation which has only known consumerist prosperity and personal advancement.

The ideals of the old communes are an abstraction to the young generation, as are the terrible costs of the Cultural Revolution.

A resurgence of devotion to Mao has caught authorities off-guard; they can't very well suppress public displays of secular worship of the Party's founder, but raising Mao's revolutionary ideals from the dustbin of history implicitly challenges the Party's current leadership.

The older generation resents the young consumer-obsessed generation, and some would like to purge China of the excesses of wealth and consumerism.

It's not too difficult to see how rising unemployment (China's Hidden Unemployment Rate) and China's enormous wealth inequality could spark a new Cultural Revolution that would target Party leaders who have benefited from the state-managed neoliberal capitalism that has greatly enriched the leaders and their family dynasties.

In effect, a return to the party's Maoist roots would open divisive fissures in the Party and the nation. Farfetched? Perhaps not as much as the conventional sugar-coated media representation would suggest.

The status quo solution (in China, the U.S., Japan, the E.U., etc. etc.) to a weakening bubble-dependent economy is to inflate another even bigger bubble. If debt reached extremes that imploded, the solution is to expand debt far beyond the levels that triggered the implosion.

If fudging the numbers triggered a loss of confidence, the solution is to fudge the numbers even more, so they no longer reflect reality at all.

If the masses protest their powerlessness, the solution is to push them further from the centers of power.

And so on.

This blowing new bubbles to replace the ones that popped works for a while, but at the expense of systemic stability. Each new bubble requires pushing the system to new extremes that increase the risk of instability and collapse.

In other words, the stability of the new bubble is temporary and thus illusory.

The processes used to inflate the new bubble suffer from diminishing returns. The nature of stimulus-response is that overuse of the stimulus leads to diminishing responses. This is a structural feature that cannot be massaged away.

Goosing public confidence in the status quo with phony statistics and rigged markets works splendidly the first time, less so the second time, and barely at all the third time. Why is this so? The distance between reality and the bubble construct is now so great that the disconnection from reality is self-evident to anyone not marveling at the finery of the Emperor's non-existent clothing.

The system habituates to the higher stimulus. If the drug/debt has lost its effectiveness, a higher dose is needed. This is the progression of serial bubbles. Then the system habituates to the higher dose/debt, and the next expansion of debt must be even greater.

This dynamic can be visualized as The Rising Wedge Model of Breakdown, which builds on the well-known Ratchet Effect: the system is greased for easy expansion of debt, leverage, employees, etc., but it has no mechanism to allow contraction. Any contraction triggers systemic collapse.

The only question left for China (and every other debt/bubble-dependent nation) is what socio-political consequences will manifest when the credit bubble finally bursts?

The answer will arise from the unique interplay of history, social norms and central-state actions in each nation-state as the crisis deepens. In China, the two revolutions--the Communist victory of 1949 and the now-suppressed Cultural Revolution of 1966 - 1976-- will both loom large--perhaps far larger than the current regime would like.

This essay was drawn from Musings Report 28. The Musings Reports are emailed weekly to subscribers ($5/month) and major contributors ($50+ annually). If you'd like to support this blog, please consider subscribing (links below or in the right sidebar).





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LINCOLN  Two insurance companies have dismissed their lawsuits against Nebraska officials over the awarding of $1.2 billion in managed care contracts for the states Medicaid program.

Lawyers for Aetna Better Health of Nebraska and Arbor Health Plan filed notices of dismissal Friday in U.S. District Court in Omaha. Their decision comes a week after U.S. District Judge Robert Rossiter denied requests to halt the states transition to a new management approach for a program that serves 230,000 low-income Nebraskans.

The companies lost out in the bidding this spring for a share of nearly $1.2 billion in managed care contracts in Nebraska. The lawsuits claimed the companies had been shut out of the contracts because of irregularities in the bidding process.

Rossiter ruled the companies could not show that the state acted unlawfully during the bidding process, including a decision to rescore one section of the bids. Nor had the companies produced evidence of favoritism or prejudice by the state, the judge said.

The winning bidders were UnitedHealthcare Community Plan, Nebraska Total Care (Centene) and WellCare of Nebraska.

The three are to oversee the physical and mental health of Nebraskans in a program called Heritage Health. The program is to start Jan. 1, but open enrollment is to begin Sept. 1.
Cancer parents in Nebraska are on a mission to raise money for childhood cancer research, but what people might not realize is the intense, driving force that is propelling us into such action while our children are fighting for their lives.

My determination to do fundraising all started with the death of a baby we met during my son, Coopers, cancer treatment. One minute this babys mom was posting adorable pictures of him online. The next, we were finding out that his cancer was back. A few weeks later, he was dead.

I laid in bed that night weeping for the loss of this baby  feeling powerless against this beast that was threatening our children. What could I do? How could I fight back?

Thats when it struck me  fundraising. Right that very moment I started brainstorming ways we could get money into the scientists hands for research so they could figure out a way to help save our children.

Wed seen what research could do.

Our son had a common form of leukemia. When he was diagnosed, we were handed a treatment plan. Thanks to years of research, we had a schedule of treatment that would help him get better.

But there are so many different kinds of cancer, and childhood cancer as a whole is so very much underfunded that many parents dont have that experience. Fear and uncertainty rule as they pray the doctors will come up with the correct plan to get their child healthy.

Childhood cancer is unbiased. It will strike anytime, anywhere with no regard to medical history, socioeconomic status or all the precautions parents try to take to keep their children healthy.

We know that now. Weve lived it and seen the destruction this disease can cause. So now we fundraise.

We unabashedly, shamelessly beg people for money to support childhood cancer research because weve seen the faces of the children who will die without it.

If you feel the urge to save a child's life, you can make a donation to childhood cancer research here.

***

Jenni DeWitt is married and has two sons, the youngest of whom battled childhood leukemia  and won. Jenni writes weekly for Momaha.com. She is the author of "Forty Days" and "Why Won't God Talk to Me?" You can read more about Jenni here.
U.S. authorities say Patricia Urbanovsky, who faces 25 federal charges in connection with the sale of millions of dollars in worthless travel vouchers, violated the terms of her pre-trial release, according to court documents.

They say she opened a tab at an Omaha bar with a debit card connected to a checking account that she knew to have a negative balance, allegedly consumed excessive amounts of alcohol and had her hands in the books of an event-planning company  all things she was barred from doing, according to the federal agreement that allowed her out on bail as she awaits trial.

Urbanovsky, 31, has been ordered to appear Monday in federal court to respond to the allegations of violating the release terms. Her attorney said in an interview Thursday that he looked forward to being able to tell Urbanovskys side of the story.

The owner of Creative Creations, an Omaha event planning company, was indicted by federal authorities in February, charged with nine counts of money laundering and 16 counts of wire fraud. Charges were filed by the U.S. Attorneys Office in U.S. District Court in Omaha.

If convicted, Urbanovsky could face a prison sentence of 365 years and be fined hundreds of thousands of dollars.

Jan Sharp, the chief criminal prosecutor of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Nebraska, said in an interview Thursday that if the judge finds the allegations that Urbanovsky violated her pre-trial release agreement to be true, the judge could do any number of things, including reprimanding Urbanovsky, changing the terms of her release or ordering her to be detained.

Federal authorities allege that:

 Urbanovsky opened a tab at the Rose & Crown Pub in Omaha on Aug. 19, using a debit card that she knew to have a negative balance. Under the conditions of her federal pre-trial release, she is prohibited from incurring new credit charges or opening lines of credit without the approval of her supervising officer.

When questioned about the incident, she told authorities that she consumed only one drink, which is contradicted by the account provided by staff at the bar, according to the court documents. One of the conditions of her release is to refrain from excessive use of alcohol.

 On June 20, Urbanovsky was instructed by federal authorities not to be an owner or coordinate payments in relation to her employment with The Event Specialists, an Omaha event-planning company that closed its doors this month.

Urbanovsky provided financial statements to a probation officer showing her involvement in making payroll payments as late as July 11, according to the court documents. In addition, a review of the financial statements indicated that the defendant has been accruing charges knowing she has a negative balance.

More than 20 complaints have been filed against The Event Specialists with the Better Business Bureau. The BBB has described Urbanovsky as a key employee at the firm. Urbanovskys attorney, Steve Lefler, has said The Event Specialists isnt owned by Urbanovsky. He wouldnt say who owns the company; he is listed on state documents as the companys registered agent, but he has said he is not its attorney.

Complaints about the firm revolve around unfulfilled contracts for event services and requests for refunds that have not been issued, said Jim Hegarty, president of the BBB in Omaha. With the firms closing, the BBB is advising people who want to pursue action against it to go through legal channels, Hegarty said.

Lefler said hes preparing for next weeks hearing. Well have people from the bar. Well have people from The Event Specialists to respond to these allegations, he said.

Lefler and Assistant U.S. Attorney Donald J. Kleine, who is prosecuting the federal charges, agreed in March that Urbanovsky was not a flight risk or a danger to the community. U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Thalken ruled that she be allowed to remain free while awaiting trial.

Urbanovsky pleaded not guilty to federal charges in March, but she recently was granted a change-of-plea hearing Sept. 9 in federal court.

Earlier, in June 2015, the Douglas County Attorneys Office charged Urbanovsky with three felony counts of theft for allegedly bilking three Creative Creations employees out of $141,000. She was released on bail from the Douglas County Jail in July 2015.

Through Creative Creations, she is accused of bilking customers who bought air travel vouchers, many of which turned out to be useless.

Lefler has repeatedly said that his client isnt a thief but simply lacked business acumen, resulting in a series of honest business mistakes.

The alleged scam came to light last spring when complaints about Urbanovskys business began trickling into the BBB in Omaha from all over the country. The BBB received 1,600 complaints, with alleged losses totaling $1.3 million.

Among those affected: Square Inc., the San-Francisco payment-processing company that ran more than $7 million in payments for the Omaha event-planning company and says it is out more than $4.7 million.

Purchasers booked flights through Creative Creations online portal. Some people were able to successfully book travel through late March 2015, but other would-be travelers came away with nothing.

Creative Creations sold vouchers for travel on Southwest Airlines that it said were valid for travel anywhere in the United States for about $150 or less. Southwest was not involved in voucher sales.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1142, janice.podsada@owh.com
A man with what his father described as a history of mental health problems and a methamphetamine addiction on Thursday night drove a stolen pickup truck into an airplanes front landing gear at Eppley Airfield, police said.

The incident caused nearly $1 million in damage, according to police, $975,000 of which was damage to the plane.

Delairo Koonce, 35, parked his own pickup outside a parking garage at the airport about 9:30 p.m. and walked to the south end of a driveway in front of the terminal. There, he screamed that people were trying to kill him, said Tim Conahan, the chief of the Omaha Airport Authority Police Department.

An Eppley police officer approached and tried to calm Koonce, but he would not let the officer get close, and he bolted for the garage, Conahan said.

Inside, several officers tried to contain him, but he again ran, this time down the front driveway where travelers lug bags as they head to and from the airport. He was bound for bushes at the base of an 8-foot barbed-wire-topped fence and climbed it. In the dark, officers listened as he scaled the fence but could not see him.

There, he took off his pants, Conahan said.

Inside the airports perimeter near the south ramp, Koonce stripped off his shirt and got inside an unlocked and running Southwest Airlines pickup parked just outside the airlines office, Conahan said.

Police cut him off as he drove, but he doubled back, then headed under a jet bridge. Six to seven minutes after the incident began, Koonce, wearing only boxer shorts, drove into the nose gear of a Southwest plane parked at Gate 17. Passengers had just begun to board the flight, which was headed for Las Vegas.

Officials are reviewing the incident to determine whether security adjustments are necessary, Conahan said. He said Koonce was contained to the ramp and did not gain access to the runways or taxiway.

The planes nose-gear tires were flattened, so another plane flew the 113 passengers to their destination, Southwest spokesman Chris Mainz said. The flight arrived three hours later than originally scheduled.

The pilot of the struck aircraft suffered a minor knee injury when his leg hit a console in the cockpit, and a flight attendant hit her elbow. They declined medical treatment.

Koonce also was injured. He was cut by the fences barbed wire and struck his head on the pickups windshield in the crash.

He was taken to the Nebraska Medical Center because of his erratic behavior, Omaha police said. He will be booked on suspicion of felony destruction of property and vehicle theft, Conahan said.

Until recently, Delairo Koonce was happy and stable and working to support his four children, his father, Brian Koonce, said.

Delairo Koonce had been working 12-hour days for Airlite Plastics, his father said. The company, located a mile north of the Eppley terminal, wanted to hire Koonce after he finished working there under a temporary contract, Brian Koonce said, but Delairo Koonces therapist said it would be too much for him.

An Airlite Plastics spokeswoman said she could not confirm whether Koonce had worked there. She said she would need an employees approval before releasing the persons work history.

On Wednesday, Delairo Koonce told his father that he needed inpatient treatment.

 Pops, if something happens to me, tell my kids I love them,  he said, according to his father.

Delairo Koonce was unable to get into a treatment program, his father said.

Nebraska is falling down on the people, Brian Koonce said. They just want to lock him up and not give him any help.

Its messing me up. I know hes crying for help.

Brian Koonce said his sons addiction to methamphetamine was connected to his mental health problems and started when he was a young adult and lived in the family home.

Delairo Koonce went to live in Missouri a couple of years ago to try to get away from the methamphetamine scene in the Omaha area, his father said. The younger Koonce was arrested in Missouri in December 2014 on suspicion of assault on a law enforcement officer. His father said he had been involved in a police chase.

Delairo Koonce later was sentenced to two years probation for misdemeanor assault/placing a worker in apprehension of physical injury.

Omaha and Eppley police, the FBI, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Transportation Security Administration are collaborating in the investigation.

This report includes material from the Associated Press.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Supreme Court has rejected the appeal of an Omaha man convicted of a senseless drive-by shooting in 2012 that targeted two young women, leaving one of them dead.

In an opinion released Friday, the high court upheld the conviction and life prison term of Tracy Parnell for the Oct. 30, 2012, first-degree murder of Eriana Carr, a 16-year-old honors student at Benson High School. Her cousin, Nakia Johnson, 20, was shot 11 times but survived.

Parnell challenged the admission of testimony from an FBI cellular phone expert who presented evidence at trial that calls had been made from Parnells phone near the crime scene at the time of the shooting. He also argued the trial judge erred by allowing testimony that Parnell had threatened Johnson with a handgun days before the shooting.

The state alleged Parnell targeted Johnson to prevent her from testifying against him about the gun threat. Carr was killed because she was with Johnson at the time.

The Supreme Court rejected Parnells arguments on appeal and upheld the rulings of Douglas County District Judge Gary Randall.

At sentencing, the judge called the crime incredibly senseless.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9587, joe.duggan@owh.com
Motorists should be prepared for traffic delays and detours next week in Council Bluffs due to Interstate 80 construction closures.

Crews are scheduled to close westbound I-80 to southbound I-29, or exit 4, Tuesday at 7 p.m. for road work in the area, the Iowa Department of Transportation. The ramp is set to reopen around 6 a.m. Friday.

Travelers should follow a posted detour to access I-29 southbound:

 Exit westbound I-80 at South Expressway.

 Take eastbound I-80.

 Follow southbound I-29.

Prior to the westbound I-80 closure, construction crews will begin moving a crane at 11:59 p.m. Monday. The move will force the shutdown of eastbound I-80 between the southbound I-29 and northbound I-29 exits. DOT officials said they expect to reopen the eastbound lanes by 2 a.m. Tuesday.

A detour will also be in place for the brief closure:

 Take southbound I-29.

 Exit at Metro Crossing, or Iowa Highway 92/U.S. Highway 275.

 Take northbound I-29.

 Follow eastbound I-80.

Iowa DOT said it is reconstructing I-80, I-29 and I-480 in the Bluffs. The upgrade is designed to modernize the highway system and improve mobility and safety over about 18 miles of roadways, officials said.
LINCOLN  The Nebraska Attorney Generals Office on Thursday issued a memo defending its position that it lacked jurisdiction to prosecute State Sen. Bill Kintner, who used a state-issued laptop outside of Nebraska to engage in cybersex.

Because that activity occurred outside the states boundaries, it is beyond the states reach to prosecute, according to the three-page legal summary.

It noted that the enforcement of criminal law is a distinct function of each sovereign state, and that Nebraska law calls for criminal cases to be tried in the counties where they were committed. The memo cited a number of court cases to support its argument.

The memo came as state lawmakers are seeking an explanation about the handling of Kintners case.

A year ago Kintner and a woman exchanged sexually explicit messages that resulted in the two masturbating over Skype. The incident took place while Kintner was in Massachusetts.

Kintner, who lives in Papillion and represents Cass County and parts of Otoe and Sarpy Counties, has resisted calls for him to resign, including requests from Gov. Pete Ricketts and a number of lawmakers.

The Nebraska Accountability and Disclosure Commission this month approved a settlement with Kintner under which he agreed to pay a $1,000 fine for misuse of public resources.

State Sen. Ernie Chambers has called for an outside review of Attorney General Doug Petersons decision not to criminally prosecute Kintner, saying that he disagreed with that decision. Public officials who misuse state property can be charged with a misdemeanor.

Chambers argues that Peterson could prosecute Kintner because its the act itself and the property involved, not the geographic location where it was committed, that constitute the offense. When Kintner returned to Nebraska, his violation came with him, Chambers said.

When he and the property return to Nebraska, he had misused it, he said. The wrongful act does not cease. That act attaches to that property.

Chambers called the attorney generals decision not to prosecute Kintner a matter of Republicans circling the wagons to protect one of the loudest allies that the governor has had.

Speaker of the Legislature Galen Hadley requested information about how the accountability commission had jurisdiction to penalize Kintner yet the Attorney Generals Office said it didnt.

In the legal summary, the Attorney Generals Office called a civil penalty imposed by a state commission a separate matter from a criminal proceeding.

Indeed, the strict limits of the states criminal jurisdiction is the very reason to include a civil penalty for violation of the law at issue  to ensure that state officials cannot escape the arm of the law by misusing state property in outside jurisdictions, the memo reads. Therefore, the law worked as it should here.

The memo noted that one Nebraska Supreme Court case says that the Legislature has failed to enact certain codes that provide carefully-tailored model provisions for extending state criminal jurisdiction to extraterritorial conduct in very specific situations.

Arguably none would apply in Kintners case, the memo said. The Attorney Generals Office declined to elaborate.

The Legislatures executive board is meeting again at 10:30 a.m. Monday in Room 1524 in the State Capitol to discuss the Kintner matter. The hearing will include invited testimony and public testimony. Kintner has been invited to testify.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9581, emily.nohr@owh.com
After living in the United States for 13 years, Dr. Nada Skaf can officially call herself a U.S. citizen.

A rheumatologist at Creighton University Medical Center, Skaf was one of 40 people on Thursday to gain U.S. citizenship at a naturalization ceremony at the National Park Services Midwest office along the Missouri River. The ceremony was held on the same day as the park services 100th anniversary.

Skaf was born and raised in Damascus, the capital of Syria. She was a doctor there, but said she wanted to pursue her education and career in the best country in the world.

It took her four years to obtain a visa, and in 2003 she moved to the U.S.

Im very proud that I came to this country, Skaf said. I respect the political freedoms. I respect how there are opportunities for everybody, regardless of where they come from, what they believe, what they speak.

You cannot find something like this in many, many other countries, including, unfortunately, my country, Skaf said of Syria.

The National Park Service co-hosted the ceremony with U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. Nichole McHenry of the National Park Service opened the ceremony.

You are promising to be loyal to the flag, which is our nations symbol of freedom, bravery and camaraderie, McHenry said.

Judge Laurie Smith Camp, chief judge of the U.S. District Court of Nebraska, administered the oath of allegiance and delivered a keynote address.

Although you have renounced your citizenship (in other countries), you do not give up your own history and your own culture, the judge said. American citizens have much we can learn from you.

Rubi Franco came to the U.S. 12 years ago from Mexico. Shes married to a U.S. citizen, but she wanted citizenship for herself because she said her life will be more comfortable.

This is a new chapter for my life, Franco said, speaking Spanish to a woman she met at the ceremony, who translated for her.

The ceremony was one of 16 across the U.S. that granted 450 people citizenship. Other nationalities represented in Omaha included people from Vietnam, Togo, Hungary and Canada.

Skaf said she has made Omaha her home and has no plans to leave.

Except for the weather, I like Omaha, she said.

Contact the writer: reece.ristau@owh.com; 402-444-1151
All Omaha Public Power District customers' power had been restored by early Friday after strong winds took down trees and power lines Tuesday night.

The last of the outages were repaired before midnight Thursday, said Jodi Baker, OPPDs spokeswoman.

Most of the outages were in north-central Omaha.

Some of the repairs were taking quite some time because each is an individual problem and some require heavy construction, Baker said. With wires wrapped around trees and many poles split or snapped, crews had intensive repairs to complete.

"We havent seen this kind of tree and line damage since 2011," Baker said.

At the peak, about 20,000 OPPD customers were without power.

About 100 OPPD employees were working to restore power. Three groups  line crews, wires-down crews and troubleshooting crews  were working Thursday.

For some, such as those who use oxygen delivery devices to aid breathing, a loss of power can result in medical emergencies. Several concerned people relying on oxygen have called 911 since the outage began.

Baker said OPPD encourages those with special medical needs to create a plan before an outage occurs, and to seek medical attention if theres an emergency. The utility does not prioritize repairs based on medical issues.

Baker said the company understands the severe impact of power outages to homes and families. She said crews worked quickly to restore power.

Contact the writer: reece.ristau@owh.com; 402-444-1151

This report has been updated to include the number of OPPD customers without power as of 9 p.m. Thursday.

Correction: Jodi Baker's name was misspelled in an earlier version of this story.
Springfield will get to continue an annexation fight against Papillion after winning an appeal Friday before the Nebraska Supreme Court.

Were very happy, Springfield Mayor Bob Roseland said on Friday afternoon. Well see where it goes from there.

The courts opinion reversed an earlier ruling by Sarpy County District Judge William Zastera, who dismissed the lawsuit a year ago, saying that Springfield lacked standing to challenge the annexation. The high court sent the case back to Zastera to decide the underlying issues.

Springfield sued in 2015 after Papillion announced plans to bring the Prairie Queen Recreation Area into the city limits and extend Papillions zoning authority.

Springfield asserted that Papillions annexation was illegal and that its extended zoning control would impede Springfields growth. Springfield pointed to a development agreement relating to sewers and an associated future growth map.

Since the 2015 lawsuit was filed, Papillion went through with annexing the Prairie Queen Recreation Area, assigned police to patrol the area and began taking building permits in the expanded zoning area. The city has issued nine building permits since then, said Trenton Albers, Papillions spokesman.

Papillion City Administrator Dan Hoins said the city is disappointed but respects the Supreme Courts ruling.

We will tenaciously defend the legality of (the annexation), he said. It is, in our opinion, an absolutely legal annexation, and we believe it will prevail.

A county sewer plan should not dictate the growth of any city, Hoins said.

The court referred to the County Industrial Sewer Construction Act in its decision.

We hold that the act grants Springfield standing to challenge Papillions annexation, Chief Judge Michael Heavican wrote in the courts opinion.

Papillions annexation infringed upon Springfields power to approve or reject development in its growth area, the opinion said. Papillion also failed to request a revision to the countys future growth and development map, a process that would have given Springfield the right to a public hearing on the matter. Therefore, Springfield has standing to bring its case, the opinion said.

In early August, Papillion also annexed 160 acres south of Nebraska Highway 370 between 132nd Street and Nebraska Highway 50. The move pushed Papillions zoning control right up to the border of Springfields.

Springfield City Administrator Kathleen Gottsch said city leaders will discuss potentially challenging the latest annexation as well.

That annexation was intended to entice an as-yet unnamed company considering building a data center on both sides of Highway 50 just north of Capehart Road. That site was in both Sarpy Countys and Papillions zoning jurisdiction, which would have made the approval process more complicated. Now the site is fully under Papillions zoning control.

The ongoing legal battle shouldnt have any effect on that project or any future development, said Andrew Rainbolt, executive director of the Sarpy County Economic Development Corporation.

Even if the latest annexation also is challenged, Rainbolt said he expects to have the zoning and platting process worked out by the time any decision is made. If Springfield were to prevail in any lawsuit, the data center project already would have the necessary approvals in place so it could continue to move forward, he said.

Contact the writer: 402-444-1216, hailey.konnath@owh.com
LINCOLN  State corrections officials say they need 138 additional full-time security officers to meet the safety requirements of state prisons, according to a draft of a much-anticipated analysis of staffing needs.

The draft report, obtained by The World-Herald on Thursday, says the increase in staffing would cost in the neighborhood of $11 million to $14 million a year. The report comes as an investigation continues into the latest attacks on corrections officers  attacks that many link with chronic shortages of manpower.

Nine staffers at the Lincoln Correctional Center were taken to a hospital Wednesday night after they were assaulted during a disturbance that occurred when at least a dozen prison inmates refused to return to their cells from a yard .

An indication of the seriousness of the incident: Gov. Pete Ricketts postponed an appearance in Lexington on Thursday to visit with the injured employees in Lincoln and consult with State Corrections Director Scott Frakes.

Late Thursday evening, following those meetings, Ricketts released a letter that he sent to members of the Legislature, offering to begin immediate negotiations on a contract for prison staff. Ricketts said in his letter that he believes problems plaguing the prison need to be addressed within the context of union negotiations and that those should be done now, independent of contract talks with the broader state staff. If the union agrees to the negotiations, Ricketts said he would be willing to increase base salaries, reward top performers and examine scheduling.

Mike Marvin, who heads the state employees union that represents corrections officers, said the union has offered many times over the past several months to negotiate steps to improve working conditions but had not received a positive response from the Governors Office until now. He added that negotiations for a new state employees contract are scheduled to begin on Sept. 1.

Investigators with the Nebraska State Patrol were at the prison Thursday as they continued to probe what sparked the violence.

None of the injured prison staffers required overnight hospitalization, but one needed staples to close a cut on her head. Lincoln Fire Department scanner traffic reported that two of the officers were rendered unconscious at some point.

State lawmakers expressed concern about a spate of recent assaults and blamed several years of neglect in staffing the department and a failure to add cells to address overcrowding.

Were almost coming to a state of emergency when it comes to staffing issues at Corrections, said State Sen. Heath Mello of Omaha, who sits on a special prison oversight committee. Unfortunately, it seems like its getting worse instead of getting better.

State Sen. Colby Coash, who has several prisons in his west Lincoln district, said senators are losing patience with the Corrections Department and its assurances that staff shortages will be addressed in next years budget requests and in upcoming labor negotiations.

How many more people need to get hurt before the administration realizes that this is more urgent? Coash asked. The timeline for action needs to be shorter. It needs to be immediate.

High turnover, large numbers of job vacancies and regular requirements that corrections officers work overtime  including back-to-back eight-hour shifts  have been longtime problems at state prisons.

The problems have contributed to low morale among corrections workers. Some say they have also contributed to a rise in assaults on corrections officers because, with smaller crews to supervise them, inmates are allowed less time for recreation, social clubs and programs, and they react by becoming angry and disruptive.

Frakes on Thursday rejected the notion that staffing problems contributed to the latest incident, though he has often said its been difficult to fill job vacancies in Nebraska because of labor shortages here and other factors.

This incident cannot be attributed to crowding or staffing levels. Inmates made the choice to harm staff, Frakes said in a press release.

Staff safety is a priority for our team, he added. We are doing everything we can to prevent these events. We are thankful the staff members were released from the hospital and able to go home last night.

The prison was fully staffed at the time of the disturbance, but some of the corrections officers on duty were working overtime. Corrections officials could not say how many were working overtime shifts on Thursday, but in January, the department reported that such staffers worked an average of 16 hours of overtime each week.

Frakes will get a chance to comment on staffing at 10 a.m. Wednesday, when the Legislatures special investigative committee looking into problems in the Corrections Department has scheduled a public hearing.

Although the recent prison violence in Lincoln will be discussed, the initial purpose of the meeting was to discuss the staffing analysis, data that state lawmakers have sought since Frakes was hired 18 months ago.

The director has said he wanted a thorough analysis. It is the first such staffing study since 2008, when Nebraskas 10 prisons held about 800 fewer inmates  enough to fill another large prison.

Previous statistics have already raised questions about whether prison staffing has kept up with a 19 percent increase in inmates over the past decade. Over the same period, authorized protective services staff  corrections officers, corporals, sergeants and caseworkers  has risen only 4 percent.

The new draft report on staffing was headed up by a six-member committee  five corrections staff members and one federal surplus property manager  and involved visits to the 10 state prisons in Nebraska.

It concluded that likely the worst staffing problem involved the transport of inmates to other prisons and to court appearances and medical checkups. When staff are required for such transports, that creates shortages for assigned duties and increases overtime expenses, the report said.

Incident management, such as the reaction to Wednesdays disturbance at the Lincoln prison and to the riot last year at the Tecumseh State Prison that ended with two inmates dead and more than $2 million in damage, also was cited as a concern.

The draft report stated: While adding employees does not necessarily increase safety, a strong visible command and control of the facility has the ability to improve officer and inmate safety.

The report concluded that every prison in the state needed at least a couple of extra corrections officers or corporals, but that systemwide, 138 additional full-time equivalent (FTEs) protective services staffers were needed. Thats about a 10 percent increase in current security staffing.

The highest-need facility was the Lincoln Correctional Center, which was the site of Wednesdays disturbance, two other assaults on corrections staff this month and the escape of two inmates in June. It needs 44 more FTEs, the report said.

When the Corrections Department was asked for comment, spokeswoman Dawn-Renee Smith said 44 FTEs translates into only about eight additional posts because each post is staffed 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Each post involves three eight-hour shifts, and Smith said 5.2 FTEs are required for each post, because of the need to cover days off and other leave.

She deferred other comment until later, including an explanation of why the Lincoln prison might need more staffers than other prisons.

The Lincoln Correctional Center is not among the states largest prisons, with a design capacity of 308. Nor is it one of the most overcrowded, with 506 inmates on Thursday, or about 63 percent above capacity. It holds both maximum- and medium-security inmates and is the site of the departments special ward for mentally ill inmates.

State senators involved in probing problems at the Corrections Department said they were glad that the analysis was finally completed after months of asking, How much staff does the department really need?

Im personally happy that theyre identifying that number. Now we need to see if we can support that, and make that happen, said Sen. Bob Krist of Omaha.

The state is facing a budget shortfall estimated at more than $550 million over the next three years, but Krist said corrections staffing must be a priority.

Coash said he regularly hears frustration from front-line staff that administrative vacancies are filled before security jobs.

Mello, who like Coash is leaving the Legislature because of term limits, said the Corrections Department has between 125 and 150 job vacancies in security jobs at any one time, and he wonders how the department is going to fill them while also hiring an additional 138 officers.

Were going to have a very candid dialogue on Wednesday, Mello said. The patience that a lot of senators have given in the last few months has started to wane in light of staff assault after staff assault and the prison escape (in June).

Coash said there seems to be a vicious circle of staffing problems in the state prison system: Because of poor pay, turnover is high and much overtime is required; that leads to an inexperienced and overworked staff; inmates recognize that and test the officers, who arent as well equipped to deal with it; the result is more incidents and more turnover.

The system as a whole is really struggling, Coash said. Incidents like this only make it worse. If I just spent two hours in a hospital, my wife would say, Youre resigning tomorrow. 

Smith said that Wednesdays incident started about 6 p.m., when one inmate struck a staff member, then other inmates began assaulting other staff members in the area.

Pepper spray was used to disperse the inmates. Some spray might have hit staffers, officials said.

The departments riot squad was called, but the incident was under control before that squad arrived about 7 p.m.

Warden Fred Britten said the prisons administration would resume normal operations as soon as it is appropriate.

Violence against NDCS staff members is unacceptable. I am proud of the way staff responded to contain and resolve the situation, he said.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com
An 82-year-old Lincoln woman was killed Thursday in a crash with a pickup truck at an intersection on the northwest edge of Lincoln.

Lincoln police said the crash occurred around 8:15 a.m. at the intersection of West O and Northwest 40th Streets.

Donna Thoman, who was driving a 2006 Chrysler, died at the scene, police said. The driver of the 2012 Ford pickup, Brett Cramer, 28, of Omaha, was not injured.

Police said a passenger in the pickup, Kevin Goldman 30, of Omaha, was taken to a Lincoln hospital with nonlife-threatening injuries.

The pickup was westbound on O Street entering the intersection when Cramer said he spotted the Chrysler, which was northbound on 40th Street, pull in front of him, police said. The pickup struck the passenger side of Thomans vehicle, police said.

The pickup came to rest on the northwest corner of the intersection and the Chrysler ended up on the southwest corner, police said.

Police said 40th Street is controlled by stop signs.

Witnesses confirmed that the northbound Chrysler pulled in front Cramer while apparently attempting to turn west on O Street, police said.
LINCOLN  The chief of the union that represents state corrections officers said Friday that the union agrees with Gov. Pete Ricketts that something needs to be done soon to address low wages, mandatory overtime and high turnover among the security forces in state prisons.

But Mike Marvin, executive director of the Nebraska Association of Public Employees, said that he disagrees with the governor on how that should be done, and he questions Ricketts sincerity in addressing the problems of front-line corrections workers.

Marvin said the union has asked several times in recent months to open up labor negotiations, but those requests landed on deaf ears until Thursday, just after a new spate of assaults on prison workers.

I think theyre playing a game, he said. Now all of a sudden, they need to show theyre doing something about this.

The governors spokesman, Taylor Gage, rejected that. He said the governor has launched a serious attempt to address the safety and well-being of corrections workers.

The Ricketts administration wants to work with the union, and we encourage Mr. Marvin to come to the table, so we can move forward together on behalf of our corrections team, Gage said.

The Corrections Department staffing problems rose to the fore this week after a disturbance at the Lincoln Correctional Center on Wednesday night sent nine staffers to the hospital.

While corrections officials said the Wednesday assaults were not due to manpower problems, a group of state lawmakers said the injuries were a symptom of those problems. Because of high turnover and a large number of unfilled jobs, officers are less experienced and often working overtime.

Ricketts issued a press release late Thursday night saying that he had asked union representatives to immediately begin negotiations for corrections staff. He said most of the staffing problems related to pay and scheduling issues.

Marvin, who didnt see the release until Friday, said that hes willing to discuss the governors ideas, but because the unions past requests to bargain had been rebuffed, the union had focused on providing an initial bargaining proposal on Sept. 1, the deadline prescribed in state law. To change course at the 11th hour is problematic, he said. He said he was also concerned that cutting a separate deal just for corrections officers violates state statutes that require any such negotiations to include all workers in a particular bargaining unit.

Gage and two members of the labor negotiation team with the Nebraska Department of Administrative Services disputed that. They said that higher pay raises were negotiated for three groups of employees in the states last contract with the union, and that could be done for corrections workers.

They added that they were aware of only one previous offer to negotiate, in June.

Marvin, though, said that those deals were cut as part of negotiations for the larger state employees contract, and that it wouldnt be proper to do that as part of some special, separate talks.

He added that he directed several of his offers to negotiate to corrections officials, and not to Administrative Services.

Bill Wood, the states chief labor negotiator, said the bottom line for the Ricketts administration is the desire to address the staffing problems with corrections as soon as possible.

Contact the writer: 402-473-9584, paul.hammel@owh.com
Republicans and Democrats dont agree on much, but most agree on this: The federal government isnt working the way it should.

Instead of fixing problems and boosting the economy, recent presidents have seemed to lurch from crisis to crisis  from Iraq and Hurricane Katrina under George W. Bush to the Islamic State and the Obamacare rollout under Barack Obama.

The problem is real, and its getting worse. One recent study found that government breakdowns have occurred twice as often under Presidents Bush and Obama as during the decades before.

That has driven public trust in government to historic lows. Partisans will tell you the reason is simple: People in the other party have messed things up. Republicans say big government doesnt work (even though it once did  better, at least, than its working now). Democrats say thats because Republicans wont let the government work.

In a smart, concise book, Why Presidents Fail and How They Can Succeed Again, Elaine Kamarck, who worked on federal government reform in the Bill Clinton administration, argues that Bush and Obama failed to grasp the importance of managing the federal bureaucracy. As a result, she writes, they brought spectacular failures upon themselves.

In modern America, the government the president leads is an afterthought  until it takes down his presidency, she writes.

Voters are angry at politicians, and thats understandable, Kamarck told me this week. Theyre angry because they want a president and Congress that can get things done, and thats not happening. Some think its because the politicians are corrupt. But Im sorry; George W. Bushs problems didnt come from corruption, and neither did Obamas. And a lot of voters have decided that they dont want politicians any more  that we ought to get nonpoliticians to do the job. But . . . our real problem is that weve had a series of presidents who were so inexperienced in governance that they neglected a big part of their job, and that led to dramatic failures.

The neglected part of the presidents job, she argues, is old-fashioned management: negotiating with Congress, implementing programs carefully and keeping an eye on the vast federal bureaucracy to stop crises before they happen.

Over the past few decades, she notes, the government has become more complex, but the budgets for managing its bureaucracies (like the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which bungled the Obamacare rollout) have gotten smaller.

Presidents and their aides have assumed that good politics and persuasive rhetoric could cover up flaws in performance. They were wrong.

George W. Bush got some very big things wrong in spite of having a brilliant political strategy, she writes. And Barack Obama seems to be the epitome of someone who is a brilliant campaigner with a lackluster ability at governing.

Kamarck is a Democrat, but shes tough on Obama. On Obamacare, she writes, An inspirational and intellectual president failed the most basic test of leadership: creating reality from rhetoric.

Whats the lesson for voters facing this years choice between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton?

Easy question, Kamarck said. (Shes still a Democrat, after all.) Clinton talks about the importance of governing and having a Congress that can get things done. She has lots of plans, lots and lots of plans. That at least means she has a grasp of the problems. He has no plans at all.

But what about Trumps claim that as a purportedly successful businessman, he can force the federal government to shape up fast?

It doesnt work that way, Kamarck warns. The government is different from the private sector in fundamental ways, she notes.

The president administers programs, but Congress acts like a disorderly and willful board of directors  a problem Trump has never dealt with in his privately held companies. In most of the federal government, you cant just walk in and say, Youre fired. 

In the long run, Kamarck says, the next president needs to focus on basic management precepts: Pay more attention to implementation. Do performance audits on the bureaucracy. Set up an early warning system so you arent blindsided by breakdowns.

Meanwhile, the task for voters and journalists during the rest of the campaign is to press the candidates to explain how they plan to accomplish what theyve promised.

This is the time to ask: OK, how are you going to do it? They both agree that the most important priority is creating jobs. OK, who has the better plan?

We already know what the candidates want to do; we know their goals and policies are starkly different. What we dont know, in much detail, is how they would actually govern if elected, especially in the case of Trump.

So lets stick to a simple question: How are you going to get it done?
Our nation has come a long way in its attitudes toward our natural, unspoiled areas. In the early days of European exploration and settlement, the newcomers often looked with hostility on what they termed the wilderness.

When a group of Spaniards first encountered what we call the Grand Canyon, the written account says they werent awed  all they saw was a huge obstacle blocking their progress.

In 1620, William Bradford stepped off the Mayflower with fellow Pilgrims, explored coastal Massachusetts and declared the area a hideous and desolate wilderness they had a duty to subdue.

Two centuries later, John Plumbe Jr., notable in the early history of Dubuque, wrote in his diary in 1839 that Iowa and Wisconsin were lands marked by the hardships and privations of the wilderness, a region to be conquered and civilized.

Creating stable communities was an understandable goal for settlers, and the hardships were real. Still, a new sensibility slowly arose: respect for unspoiled natural areas and the desire to protect them. It was a spirit akin to Native Americans traditional reverence for the natural world.

The country took its first step forward on this score in 1872 with legislation declaring the Yellowstone region a national park, to be protected from injury or spoilation. In the decades that followed, figures such as naturalist John Muir and President Theodore Roosevelt demonstrated forward-looking leadership on the issue.

Then in 1916, President Woodrow Wilson signed legislation creating the National Park Service. The act moved beyond the piecemeal approaches of the past and established a coordinated structure for managing the nations untamed areas.

Its a century mark worthy of celebration.

The National Park System now covers more than 84 million acres, with sites in every state.

These federally protected natural and historical locales offer remarkable variety, including snorkel tours of underwater sights at Floridas Biscayne National Park; experiencing the unique island-chain biosphere at Michigans Isle Royale National Park; and taking in the stretches of lakes and streams at Alaskas Lake Clark National Park, with its three mountain ranges towering nearby.

The National Park System includes 59 national parks as well as federally designated national monuments (such as Homestead, Agate Fossil Beds and Scotts Bluff in Nebraska), battlefields, historical parks and sites, plus scenic rivers (including Nebraskas Niobrara).

During 2015, these sites were visited by more than 307 million Americans. The National Park Services 22,000 staff members and 221,000 volunteers not only help visitors appreciate our countrys natural wonders. They also help them understand our history, in locales as different as Gettysburg, the Golden Spike site in Utah and Herbert Hoovers birthplace in Iowa.

Among our best-known national parks is Yosemite, in California. After camping there, Theodore Roosevelt wrote that it was like lying in a great solemn cathedral, far vaster and more beautiful than any built by the hand of man. Americans, he said, should work to ensure that such areas of natural splendor are preserved for their children and their childrens children forever, with their majestic beauty all unmarred.

This is an enduring responsibility, one that each new generation of Americans has the duty to honor and uphold.
OK, time to get out your No. 2 pencils.

State A decides to begin testing all high school juniors using the ACT college entrance exam, including those with no plans to attend college. The previous year, 88 percent of its high school graduates took the ACT on their own.

In the first year of expanded state testing, you would expect State A to post:

(a) Lower average test scores

(b) Higher average test scores

(c) The same average test scores

If you answered (a), youd be correct.

Nebraska is about to require all juniors to take either the ACT or SAT, which is sure to push down statewide scores. But more data, including specific deficiencies among similar groups of students, could help inform classroom instruction, whether a students aim is Harvard or a trade school. That could help more students in the long run.
When a state has made it easier to vote, can it reverse course and make it harder?

The simplest answer is that it can  provided the effects dont disproportionately hurt racial minorities. But the devil is in the details, as a divided federal appeals court proved this week when it upheld Ohios rollback of its Golden Week, in which voters could register and vote at the same time.

Two judges thought Ohios otherwise expansive voting opportunities made the revocation of Golden Week no problem. A third thought the Ohio Legislatures decision imposed a disparate burden on black voters and was unlawful. Both positions were right. Behold the difficulty of applying voting rights law fairly and rationally in the age of subtle discrimination.

The history behind the case extends back to before the 2004 election. Ohio then allowed its residents to vote up to 35 days before an election. Voter registration was allowed up to 30 days before an election.

That created a five-day overlap in which a person could register and vote at the same time, which came to be referred to as the Golden Week.

In 2004, Ohio faced disastrous voter delays. To prevent the hours-long lines from forming again, the state changed its rules to allow early voting for any reason. But there remained disagreement about the length of early voting.

The Legislature passed a bill in February 2014 that officially established the first day of early voting as the day after voter registration ended. That was the official elimination of the Golden Week.

The NAACP and other groups sued. Before the case reached a final disposition, the NAACP reached a settlement with state officials that accepted the elimination of Golden Week but added an extra Sunday of in-person voting as well as extended evening voting hours.

But a settlement by one set of parties doesnt prohibit everyone else from suing. The Ohio Democratic Party and a few county party organizations brought suit claiming that eliminating Golden Week violates the Voting Rights Act because blacks disproportionately registered and voted during that week.

A federal district court agreed and ordered the Golden Week reinstated.

This time a divided 6th Circuit panel reversed the district court, allowing the state to eliminate the Golden Week. Judge David McKeague reasoned that Ohio is a national leader in providing voting opportunities. He argued the current voting arrangement is the result of the settlement adopted by the state and the NAACP after the 2014 litigation.

The strongest part of McKeagues argument is that the Voting Rights Act shouldnt be used as a one-way ratchet, allowing states to make voting easier but never allowing them to reverse course. Thats logical. But it doesnt follow that states should be allowed to reverse rules when the effect is racially disproportionate.

Beyond this position, McKeague expressed a more general distaste for lawsuits asking the federal courts to become entangled, as overseers and micromanagers, in the minutiae of state election processes.

This sounds like a defensible argument for judicial restraint. But it actually isnt. The reason the judiciary must review state election processes is that Congress required it in the Voting Rights Act.

Indeed, Congress wants even more oversight of state elections than the federal judiciary is willing to allow. In 2013, an activist, conservative U.S. Supreme Court majority, in Shelby County v. Holder, struck down the section of the Voting Rights Act that required many jurisdictions to get approval from the Department of Justice before making changes to their voting practices.

In her dissent in the Ohio case, Judge Jane Branstetter Stranch explained that it was especially necessary for courts to scrutinize state election rules after the Supreme Courts Shelby County decision. She pointed out that contemporary discriminators, unlike those in the past, do not trumpet their intentions  or do not do so publicly.

Turning to the evidence, Stranch said explained that, according to data weighted heavily by the district court, black voters used Golden Week more than white voters in 2008 and 2012. An expert who looked at 100 percent homogeneous black census blocks found that the rate in 2008 was 3.514 times higher than that for 100 percent white blocks. In 2012, the usage rate was 5.186 times higher for homogeneous black census blocks.

Admittedly this statistical analysis is suggestive rather than absolute. Not all blacks or whites live in homogeneous census blocks. But finding evidence of racial disparate impact requires some statistical creativity, and the district court was probably justified in relying on this evidence.

The Voting Rights Act shouldnt be interpreted to write in stone all laws that make it easier to vote, but its nevertheless necessary for courts to look hard at changes to make sure they arent discriminatory.

That isnt judicial activism. Its sensitivity to the command of Congress  in defense of the most sacred right that a democracy has.
Author Michael Harringtons conclusion in his 1962 book The Other America: Poverty in the United States  that the poor have become invisible  couldnt be more true in 2016.

Both presidential candidates have announced their economic plans, but those packages dont hold out much for the nearly 50 million Americans who live below the poverty line.

Moreover, there are more poor people  and in some respects their poverty is more acute and more chronic  than in 1962 or 1964, when President Lyndon Johnson declared a war on poverty.

Albeit, the presidential candidates have taken note of the skyrocketing cost of child care that keeps many families from financial advancement. And they have both advocated raising the minimum wage. Both also favor making the rate flexible so states and localities can adjust minimum wages to local circumstance.

But neither Hillary Clinton nor Donald Trump has made poverty in America a central message in the campaign. There arent many votes there.

How can we help the chronically and multigenerational poor break the cycle of poverty? What will it take for the working poor to be able to make it? Is any campaign this year  for the House or Senate, for example  seriously addressing these questions? What does it mean to be poor?

One basic answer is inability to cope.

The vicissitudes of life strike us all. But when life gets difficult for the poor, economically or emotionally, or most often both at once, it can pitch them into complete chaos.

If moms car breaks down; if her child is sick; if another child is in trouble at school; if the water heater needs replacing, daily routines can break down. And sometimes a job is lost.

This instability plagues millions of Americans, but it is not covered on the evening news.

What about affordable housing, a logical and proven way to attack poverty? In the past, presidential candidates pledged to increase affordable housing. In fact, President Bill Clinton established the National Home Ownership Strategy, and President George W. Bush made it a goal to create 5.5 million new homeowners within a decade. Nothing like that is being proposed this year.

Sure, Clinton mentioned affordable housing recently. And early this year she put forth some proposals on the subject.

But housing is not among the 37 issues her campaign website highlights.

Meanwhile, in Trumps recent remarks at the National Association of Homebuilders, he lamented the decline of homeownership since the 2008 housing and financial crisis. Trumps father, Fred Trump, built the familys initial fortune on the concept that New York families should own their own homes.

But Donald Trump, the candidate, did not offer a new national housing policy.

Nobody suggests ignoring the middle class. But the working poor are a growing number of Americans. A skilled steel worker or autoworker may make $25 to $26 an hour. A typical salary for a home health care worker is $10 to $11 an hour, roughly $21,000 a year. Try to raise a child and support yourself on that in most places in this country.

There is a new book out on Robert Kennedy. It traces his now familiar pilgrimage from cynical and rather ruthless pragmatist to idealist.

The change was jump-started by his discovery of the poor  the chronically poor and the working poor. Bobby Kennedy toured poor America, from Bedford-Stuyvesant to Appalachia. His eyes were open and he listened. It changed him.

He said that having millions of Americans living in poverty was unacceptable in this nation; it could not stand.

But it did. After all these years of toxic charity and government or foundation-funded poverty professionals telling the poor how much they care, poverty is worse in parts of Brooklyn and worse in virtually all of Appalachia. The poor have again become invisible, to politicians, to television, to most of America.
Karnataka to survey all Arabic schools to check if on same page as state board

Not in a position to release Cauvery water for TN: Siddaramaiah

Bengaluru

oi-PTI

Bengaluru, Aug 26: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Aug 26, conveyed the state's inability to release Cauvery water for farmers in Tamil Nadu due to deficit rainfall in the river basin area.

"There is deficit rainfall in the Cauvery basin area, so in the present situation it will be difficult to release water for irrigation purpose," he told a delegation of farmers from Tamil Nadu who met him here. According to the CMO officials, Siddaramaiah said if there were good rains in the days to come and the situation improved, water would be released.

The farmer leaders, who met the Chief Minister at his residence, requested him to release water for samba crop in nine lakh acres, stating that in the absence of water, they might have to face difficulty due to crop damage. Pointing out that the water level at dams in the Cauvery basin area had not reached expected levels, Siddaramaiah said the situation was such that there would be difficulty in providing drinking water.

"In this circumstance, we will be unable to release water even under distress formula. Please understand our situation," he told the farmers. Siddaramaiah has called the meeting of floor leaders of the state Legislative Assembly and the Council on August 27 to discuss Tamil Nadu's repeated demands for release of water and the situation in Cauvery basin area due to deficit rain fall.

Union ministers from the state and district-in-charge ministers from Cauvery basin area have also been invited for the meeting, officials said. The Tamil Nadu government has moved the Supreme Court to get its share of Cauvery water.

Siddaramaiah had recently said his government was also ready for the legal battle. Speaking to reporters on the issue, Karnataka Water Resources minister M B Patil said the state government will apprise the Supreme Court, Centre and Cauvery Supervisory Committee about the situation.

"Tamil Nadu is demanding the release of water. Chief Minister has already said that water is not sufficient for drinking water supply. We have cautioned our farmers about the situation and crops they are going to undertake, but Tamil Nadu is asking for Samba crop. It is a very difficult situation," he said.

On the proposed Mekedatu dam project across Cauvery River, which is being opposed by Tamil Nadu, Patil said Detailed Project Report (DPR) was ready and the draft of it will be placed before the Cabinet next week. It would be a Rs 5,900 crore project and there would be no shortage of funds, he said, adding it would not affect Tamil Nadu's interests.

Patil said the dam would have a capacity of 67 TMC, bigger than KRS (Krishna Raja Sagar) which can store 45 TMC of water.

Noting that Tamil Nadu was having objections to the project, Patil said, "We will disclose the project to the Supreme Court, Central Water Commission and concerned Central government ministries. We will proceed with the project legally, convincing every one.

The project we have prepared is very clear, it is practically feasible." Stating that the project will be initiated in this government's tenure itself, Patil added it will also have a 300 MW power generation facility.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2016, 12:09 [IST]
Caught months later, man had robbed bank and got a new look

Did you know that your bank charges you for every little service?

Business

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

New Delhi, Aug 26: Did you know that your bank charges you for every little service? Most banks do put up information on these charges on their websites, but people seem to pay little attention to them.

Also, perhaps the fact that banks debit the charges directly from one's account, the impact is not felt -- until one gets the statement and makes it a point to read through it!

But here are some services that you get charged for:

For not maintaining a minimum balance: Banks penalise you if you do not maintain a minimum balance in your account, except if it is your salary account. The minimum amount and the penalty for not maintaining that balance are specific to each bank. Private banks typically require you to maintain a minimum balance of Rs. 1 lakh and above. The penalty for not doing so could be as high as Rs. 500-600 a month.

For witholding cheque: If you ask for a cheque payment to be withheld, there's a charge for that, too, although this may not be applied to banks' preferred and long-standing customers.

Debit card fees: This varies from Rs 100 to Rs 500, depending on the bank. You are charged for even an add-on card for a family member.

For e-mail/SMS alert: Did you think all those email statements and SMS alerts from your bank come for free? They charge you for even these. Thankfully, though, these charges are negligible.

For bank statement: Although banks issue a stipulated number of statements for free, above that number, they start charging.

For standing instructions: Banks charge for standing instructions that you issue to pay regular bills, for instance. And if your account does not have sufficient money to honour the instruction on a particular date, the banks charge a penalty for that.

And if you forgot your password! Most banks also charge you to issue new Internet banking or ATM passwords in case you forgot those. A few banks provide the alternative of generating passwords online and do not explicitly charge for it.
KC(M) will not join any political alliance, says Mani

City

oi-PTI

Kottayam (Ker), Aug 26: Kerala Congress(M) supremo K M Mani today categorically said his party, which left the Congress-led UDF in the state earlier this month, would not join any political alliance in the state.

Mani also hit out at the CPI, a day after the Left party opposed any move to bring KC(M) in the fold of Kerala's ruling Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPI(M).

"I have made it very clear that we (the KC-M) will not join any political alliance. I don't understand why CPI is scared of us," he told reporters in his hometown Pala near here. Attacking the CPI, which has been opposing any move to welcome KCM into the LDF fold, Mani said his party did not need any advise from the Left party, "which has a history of selling its Lok Sabha seat" during a general election.

A state Committee meeting of the CPI held in Thiruvananthapuram yesterday had decided to convey its stand to the LDF that the party was against any move to bring KC(M) and Muslim League in the fold of ruling alliance.

The party discussed the issue in detail after some positive vibes being sent to the KC(M) and Muslim League by some CPI(M) leaders recently. Meanwhile, Kerala Congress (Jacob), a minor partner in the Congress-led alliance, today urged Congress high command to take initiative to bring KC(M) back to the UDF camp.

Party senior leader and ex-MLA Johnny Nellore said the UDF has lost its strength following KC(M)'s decision to quit the alliance. Earlier this month, the KC(M) had pulled out of the Congress-led UDF of which it was a part for more than three decades. The party would be "equidistant" from Opposition UDF, ruling CPI-M-led LDF and BJP-led NDA, Mani has said.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2016, 13:48 [IST]
TRS, BJP are two sides of same coin: Rahul Gandhi in Telangana

Hyderabad varsity JAC condemns judicial commission report

Hyderabad

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Hyderabad, Aug 26: The Joint Action Committee for Social Justice, an umbrella body of students' groups at University of Hyderabad, has condemned the report by a one-man judicial commission that research scholar Rohith Vemula, who committed suicide early this year, was not a Dalit.

The JAC alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) influenced the panel to save central ministers Smriti Irani and Bandaru Dattatreya.

It was reacting to media reports that the commission in its report declared Rohith as non-Dalit and also exonerated Vice-Chancellor Podile Apparao.

The Ministry of Human Resources Development on January 28 had appointed former judge of the Allahabad High Court A. K. Roopanwal to investigate the circumstances that led to Rohith's suicide.

The JAC termed the report the political manoeuvring by BJP to deny Justice for Rohith and four other Dalit Research Scholars who were harassed, discriminated and socially boycotted by the vice chancellor to show his allegiance to Irani and Dattatreya.

The JAC said the panel's conclusion that Rohith was not a Dalit was shocking as district magistrate of Guntur had declared Athat he belonged to Mala, a scheduled caste. It claimed that the commission exceeded its mandate.

The commission did not permit Dalit research scholars to present their version of the incidents that led to their harassment on the ground that the mandate of the commission is only to inquire into Rohith's suicide.

The JAC pointed out that National Commission for Scheduled Castes had approved the report of the Guntur district magistrate on the caste confirmation of Rohith and directed the police to proceed under the SC/ST Atrocities Act.

IANS

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Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2016, 10:06 [IST]
Central team roped in as dengue cases in Bihar rise to over 5000

Bihar flood toll increases to 149

India

oi-PTI

Patna, Aug 26: With 14 more deaths, the toll in the Bihar flood rose to 149 today even as the swollen Ganga river has started receding.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made an aerial survey of several flood affected districts during the day.

A release by the Disaster Management Department said Bhojpur accounted for 13 deaths, the maximum in any Bihar district The flood has been caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers and has affected 32.51 lakh people in 2,018 villages under 553 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state, it said.

Ganga, though showing a receding trend, is flowing above the danger mark at seven places - Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts.

The receding trend has been witnessed at Gandhi Ghat, Digha Ghat and Hathidah in Patna. A total 4.16 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.

The government is plying 2,516 boats for evacuation and national and state disaster response forces have already been deployed in the affected districts. Five hundred and eighteen relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas and are providing shelter to 2.05 lakh people, who are being provided medical services by 270 teams.

Arrangements have been made for providing food and other items and the government has so far distributed 6,105 quintal of flattened rice, 1,072 quintal jaggery, 111 quintals of sattu, 82,822 matchsticks packets, 48,629 polythene sheets and 2,43,959 dry food packets, the release said.

Besides, 108 camps were being run only for animals, the release said, adding, 108 cattle have been killed in the floods, it added.

PTI
CISF jawan posted in Delhi Metro commits suicide

India

oi-PTI

Faridabad, Aug 26: A CISF jawan, posted in the Delhi metro network security unit, today allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself from his service pistol. Officials said the incident was reported from Mewala Maharajpur station on the violet line at about 7:40 AM.

Constable Alpesh Rathod was found lying in a pool of blood after he allegedly shot himself from his force pistol.

"A Court of Inquiry has been ordered into the incident to ascertain the circumstances as to why Rathod took the extreme step," an official said, adding that some family dispute might have led him to take the extreme step.

Rathod, a native of Gujarat, had joined the Central Industrial Security Force's Metro security unit in October 2014 and is survived by his wife and a one-year-old daughter.

PTI
Nothing will change in Congress: For Gandhis, power stays but the onus shifts

Rahul Gandhi breaks into dance with Tribals during 'Yatra'

Karnataka govt in fix over alleged cash gift to journalists

Congress, SP MLA join BJP in UP

India

oi-PTI

Lucknow, Aug 26 In a boost to the BJP ahead of the UP assembly elections next year, a Congress and a Samajwadi Party MLA today joined the saffron party here.

Congress MLA Pradeep Chowdhury and Samajwadi Party MLA Shyam Prakash joined the BJP here in the presence of party state president Keshav Prasad Maurya.

A number of former MLAs, MP and others too joined the party. "Their joining will strengthen the party ahead of 2017 assembly polls," Maurya said.

Adding that party would continue to protest against SP government and its policies.

PTI
Tuesday is now No Meeting Day in Haryana and officers to be with people on Friday

Ex-Haryana speaker S S Kadian jailed for 7 years in graft case

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, Aug 26: INLD leader and ex-speaker of Haryana Assembly Satbir Singh Kadian was today sent to jail for seven years in the over 20 year-old IFFCO graft case by a special court which also slapped a fine of Rs 50 lakh on him.

Besides 66-year-old Kadian, Special CBI Judge Jitendra Kumar Mishra also awarded seven year jail term to 64-year-old Vinayak Narayan Deosthali, ex-Assistant Manager (Funds) of UCO Bank, 65-year-old IIT alumni Anil Kumar Malhotra and 70-year- old Sunil Gorawara, ex-Senior Manager (Deposits) of UCO Bank.

The court also sentenced 84-year-old Karuna Pati Pandey, ex-Senior Manager(Cash) of UCO Bank, to two years imprisonment considering his old age and that he was facing financial burden and had suffered punishment during trial for a single mistake or offence committed by him.

"The most peculiar fact in this case is that convict no. 1 (Kadian) is elected representative of the people of his constituency and he was also speaker of Haryana Assembly, may be after the commission of crime.

It is his duty and duty of other convicts also that they should remain faithful to the State, otherwise integrity of the State would be at jeopardy.

"Kadian was chairman of IFFCO and he should feel proud that people have reposed faith upon him as it is his own argument that it was a political post. But instead of proving their faith, he committed the crime by joining hands with other convicts by hatching a conspiracy as per the illegal design of Harshad S Mehta (accused who has died)," it said.

Refusing to show any leniency to Kadian, the court said he was a role model for the country, including Haryana, and if such persons would be given minimum punishment, it will affect the morale of the entire nation.

According to the CBI, while working as Indian Farmers Fertiliser Cooperative Limited(IFFCO) chairman during February 1991 to April 1991, Kadian had invested Rs 32.90 crore, the surplus fund of IFFCO at lower rate of interest and caused a loss of over Rs 15 lakh to the organisation.

It said in one transaction of Rs four crore meant for UCO Bank, New Delhi, for investment, the money was dishonestly and fraudulently diverted to the personal account of accused share broker Harshad Shantilal Mehta through his Delhi based representative.

PTI
Registrations for CEED, UCEED 2023 to commence in October: All the details here

IIT-B bans 9 startups for revoking, delaying placement offers

India

oi-PTI

Mumbai, Aug 26: Premier tech school IIT Bombay on Thursday blacklisted nine companies including startups like Portea Medical and Chinese firm Johnson Electric from placements for one year as a penalty for a variety of violations like, revoking the offers to some of its graduates.

The action follows a controversy over a host of companies, majorly startups finding the going tough, either revoking the offer letters or delaying joining dates which have impacted students.

Online pharmacy player Portea, which has reportedly raised USD 46.5 million in two rounds, has been blacklisted for one year for revoking an offer, the school said in an official statement.

Similarly, the NCR-based Peppertap that was into grocery sales, has also been penalised for revoking offers.

Johnson Electric of China has also been penalised for revoking offers.

Others who faced action for revoking offers include GPSK and Cashcare Technologies, the statement said.

For delaying the joining dates of the selected candidates, consulting companies IndusInsight, and the Houston-based American company LexInnova have been barred from placements for a year, it said.

A company named LeGarde Burnett Group was also blacklisted for both revoking an offer and after it was found "fake" with no proper office address, it said.

Another company Mera Hunar was found to have come up with a different name and hired students for another startup, which attracted the penal action of one year.

It can be noted that since IITs have a centralised placement panel called the All IITs Placement Committee and in all likelihood, the action by IIT-Bombay will automatically bar the startups from approaching any of the IITs in the country for placements next year.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2016, 13:54 [IST]
5-year-old dies after being attacked by pack of dogs in MP

MP: Youth denied Army job for sporting Modi tatoo on his chest

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Bhopal, Aug 26: A youth from Madhya Pradesh was allegedly disqualified for an army job as he was having a tatoo praising Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan on his chest.

The 23-year-old Saurabh Bilgaiyan, a resident of Tikamgarh was allegedly rejected by the army for having a tatoo which says "Jab tak sooraj chand rahega Shivraj mama aur Modi ka naam rahega'."

After being rejected by the army, Bilgaiyan in letter written to PMO,CMO, defence and home ministry has expressed his desire to meet PM Modi and CM Chouhan to ask them why he was denied job by the army.

Saurabh, a Class 10 pass out have been to various army camps including Pune, Anuppur and Guna for recruitment. He met with same fate everywhere.

According to sources,Saurabh, a diehard fan of PM Modi got the tatoo in February 2014.

OneIndia News
Assassination attempt on Angela Markel foiled

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Prague, Aug 26: An assassination attempt on German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly been foiled here as Czech police detained an armed man who tried to join her motorcade during visit to the capital.

"The perpetrator has been detained," the Mirror quoted police spokesman Josef Bocan as saying on Thursday (Aug 25).

"He is suspected of attempting to cause a crime -- specifically an attempt to use violence against an official," he said.

"The incident is currently being investigated by Prague detectives."

Markel, who was in Prague to meet Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, was travelling from the airport to the city when the suspicious Black Mercedes appeared.

The driver refused to obey orders coming from the police cars accompanying the German Chancellor.

The suspect tried to enter the motorcade and cut off a police vehicle that was trying to stop him. He only stopped and got out of the vehicle after the police warned of shooting him.

The incident comes as Europe remains on high alert after a series of terror attacks over the past 12 months.

France, Germany and Belgium have been attacked by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, claiming hundreds of lives.

IANS
Italy quake: 8 foreigners among dead

International

oi-PTI

London, Aug 26: At least eight foreigners were among the 250 people killed when a powerful earthquake struck central Italy this week, officials said, as rescuers continued the grim search for corpses on Friday (Aug 26).

The bulk of the confirmed deaths - 193 at the latest count - were in the small mountain town of Amatrice, which normally has a population of around 2,500 but was packed with visitors when the quake struck as people slept in the early hours of Wednesday. Three British citizens were killed in the 6.0-6.2 magnitude quake, which had a shallow depth of four kilometres exacerbating its impact, an official from Amatrice told the BBC.

The British foreign ministry did not immediately confirm the report, but Foreign Minister Boris Johnson has said a number of British nationals were affected.

"My deepest sympathies are with the Italian people and everyone affected by the terrible earthquake," said Johnson, who sent condolences to his Italian counterpart Paolo Gentiloni. Britain's Daily Mirror reported that one of the victims was a 14-year-old boy from London, who was visiting Amatrice with his family. The boy's parents were injured, while his sister survived and did not need hospital treatment, the newspaper said. Two Romanians were among the dead, the country's foreign ministry said yesterday, while four nationals were injured and eight more were still missing.

Spain's foreign minister said one Spanish national had been killed, with Spanish media saying it was young woman who had lived in the village of Illica with her Italian husband, who survived. Canada and El Salvador both said that one of their citizens had been killed in the earthquake.

"We share in the grief of the lives cut short by this terrible event," said Canadian Foreign Minister Stephane Dion in a statement. El Salvador said the victim, Rosaura Valiente Oviedo, had been living in Italy since 2009.

Her son, Roberto Valiente, survived with minor injuries. The disaster comes seven years after an earthquake in the nearby city of L'Aquila left 300 people dead, raising questions about Italy's ability to prepare for seismic events.

(AFP) ABH
Iraq gets a new government after a year of deadlock

Have retaken key town south of Mosul from IS: Iraqi forces

International

oi-PTI

Qayyarah (Iraq), Aug 25: Iraqi forces backed by coalition air strikes on Thursday (Aug 25) pushed the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group from Qayyarah, a northern town considered strategic for any future offensive against the jihadists' last stronghold of Mosul.

"We control all parts of the town and managed, in very limited time, to root out Daesh (IS)," Lieutenant General Riyadh Jalal Tawfik, who commands Iraq's ground forces, told an AFP reporter in Qayyarah.

The commander said engineering units were now clearing the town, which lies about 60 kilometres (35 miles) south of Mosul, of unexploded ordnance and booby traps.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi issued a statement hailing what he said was a key step towards reclaiming Mosul, IS's de facto Iraq capital and the country's second city.

"Our heroic forces achieved a big victory, an important step towards the liberation of Mosul," Abadi said.

"I present my congratulations to the Iraqi people for the liberation of the strategic town of Qayyarah and neighbouring areas," he said.

The operation to retake Qayyarah was launched on Tuesday and led by Iraq's elite counter-terrorism service.

Iraqi forces had already recaptured a nearby air field and Qayyarah is expected to be become one of the main launchpads for an assault on Mosul in the coming weeks or months.

AFP
Pak off the FATF grey list doesn't mean it's not under scrutiny anymore: MEA secretary

Imran Khan again targets Pakistan's establishment on Day 2 of protest march; govt rules out talks over snap polls

Pakistan: Six, including 5 cops, killed in ambush

International

oi-PTI

Peshawar, Aug 26: Unidentified attackers killed six people, including five police officers, when they ambushed a convoy in Pakistan's troubled southwest today, officials said. The attack occurred near Gurdan area in oil and gas rich, but desperately poor Balochistan province bordering Afghanistan and Iran.

"The convoy headed by a senior local administration official, Naeem Gichki, was passing by an abandoned checkpost of the tribal police...in two vehicles when they were attacked by a group of up to seven people, who were hiding in the post," provincial home secretary Akbar Harifall told AFP.

He said the assailants fired rockets at the vehicles in the convoy and Gichki and five local tribal policemen were killed and three others injured in the attack.

Another senior local administration official Qurban Magsi confirmed the incident and casualties.

No group immediately claimed responsibility but Balochistan is plagued by roiling insurgencies and hit by regular militant attacks. It is also the site of China's ambitious $46 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor infrastructure project linking its western province of Xinjiang to the Arabian Sea via Pakistan.

PTI
Seven killed in Mogadishu beach restaurant attack

International

oi-PTI

Mogadishu, Aug 26: Seven people were killed in an attack by Shabaab jihadists on a beachfront restaurant in the Somali capital Mogadishu, a spokesman for the city authorities said on Friday (Aug 26).

"Nine people, including two Shabaab gunmen were killed in the attack" on Thursday (Aug 25), Mogadishu city spokesman Abdifatah Halane told AFP. Al-Qaeda linked Shabaab jihadists attacked the Banadir Beach Restaurant close to the city's Lido Beach, setting off a car bomb before exchanging fire with security forces.

The restaurant is popular with young people and government officials. Around 20 people managed to escape from the restaurant during the gunfight. By this morning officials said the attackers had been killed. All the "attackers have been gunned down and the restaurant is now under the full command of the Somali government soldiers," regional police commander Colonel Abshir Bishaar told the Somali National News Agency.

"The terrorist attack killed nine persons, five of them were civilians, two security forces and the other two were the militants who carried out the attack," Bishaar said, adding that two other civilians were injured. It is the second time this year the group has attacked the Lido beach area and its many eateries, including upmarket establishments popular with business people and diaspora Somalis who have returned home to the city.

In late January, Shabaab gunmen detonated a bomb before bursting into the Lido Sea Food Restaurant and spraying gunfire at terrified customers, killing 20 people. The group is expected to try and violently disrupt elections due to be held in September and October.

Despite abandoning the capital five years ago Shabaab still launches regular attacks against government, military, civilian and foreign targets. The jihadists have also staged repeated attacks in neighbouring Kenya and a recent security analysis warned the group was expanding its horizons with cells active in Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda as well as Somalia.

(AFP) ABH
Turkey: Car bomb blast at police HQ kills 11; 78 injured

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Ankara, Aug 26: At least 11 people, including many policemen, were killed while 78, including three civilians, were injured in a car bomb attack at the police headquarters in Cizre town in southwast Turkey on Friday (Aug 26).

Although it was unclear who carried the attack but the Turkish media held the Kurdistan Workers Party responsible.

The attack caused huge damage to the headquarters of the special antiriot police with TV reports showing thick black smoke billowing from the spot, PTI said.

Quoting the local governor's office, the state-run Anadolu news agency said eight police officers were among the killed while 45 were injured, two of them seriously.

The country's health ministry said 12 ambulances and two helicopters were pressed into action. The police building was reduced to rubble by the impact of the blast while adjacent buildings also sustained serious damage, TV reports said, according to PTI.

The main road to Cizre from Sirnak, the provincial capital, to the north was shut, the news agancy said. Turkish forces are being regularly attacked by the PKK after a two-and-a-half year ceasefire collapsed in 2015 and several policemen and soldiers have been killed.

The latest attack came just two days after the Turkish forces launched an operation in neighbouring Syria, claimed to be directed against jihadists and Syrian Kurdish militia.

Oneindia News

[With PTI inputs]
ISIS returnee says he was betrayed, NIA calls him a liar

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Aug 26: The National Investigation Agency says that the claims made by Areeb Majeed, an ISIS returnee are completely fabricated. This is in response to Majeed's accusation in court that he was brought down by the NIA and was betrayed.

The NIA says that contrary to what Majeed has been suggesting, it was the Maharashtra ATS which arrested him on November 29, 2014 at the Mumbai airport.

ISIS returnee Majeed says India betrayed him

The arrest was made on the basis of a missing complaint which was filed by his family after he had left his home town in Kalyan (Maharashtra) for Syria to be part of the ISIS, the NIA also told a court which was hearing a bail plea filed by Majeed.

Majeed along with four others had left Kalyan in Maharashtra after they were radicalised. All four of them had left for Syria to fight alongside the ISIS.

Majeed who had begged to return as he was treated poorly, accused the NIA of taking him into custody. He even said that the NIA had kept him in illegal detention and subjected him to third degree treatment.

The NIA, however, said that there is documentary proof of the ATS arresting him. Further the NIA also said that there is proof to show the NIA taking his custody from the ATS. There is a station house diary to this effect and hence his claims are completely fabricated.

Majeed told the court while seeking bail that his arrest is a betrayal by India. He says that it was the Indian consulate in Turkey and the government of India which facilitated his return. He expressed concern that he had been arrested and termed this action as illegal.

He even says that he was in illegal detention for 48 hours upon his return. He further complains that he was handcuffed and tortured by the investigating agencies.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2016, 15:08 [IST]
Will our one order establish Ram Rajya, asks Supreme Court

New Delhi

oi-Vicky

New Delhi, Aug 26: Do you think one order passed by us will establish Ram Rajya in the country? Will our one order lead to the eradication of corruption? Had our orders run so effectively then we would pass orders directing that no one should indulge in corruption of crime.

These were the observations made by the Supreme Court on Friday while hearing a petition that sought to clear encroachments from footpaths. There were some interesting exchanges between the petitioner and the judges who had sought to dismiss the petition.

When the SC sought to dismiss the petition, the petitioner said that the Supreme Court cannot leave the public in the lurch. To this the court responded by stating that it cannot pass such an order when so many people do not have shelter.

The petitioner then asked if this meant that people can go and occupy 10 Janpath or then bungalows on the Lutyens zone?

Further, the petitioner questioned the Chief Justice, "Every morning in the newspapers I read that you have ordered a CBI probe into some matter or the other. For a change why don't you order the removal of encroachment on footpaths?"

The Supreme Court was quick to retort and asked the petitioner, "Will one order establish Ram Rajya in the country? Will our one order lead to the eradication of corruption and bring peace in the country. Had our orders run so effectively then we would pass an order saying none should indulge in crime or corruption."

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2016, 15:29 [IST]
Lalu in for sharp criticism for 'Ganga at doorstep' statement

Patna

oi-PTI

Patna, Aug 26: RJD chief Lalu Prasad has come in for sharp criticism from opposition leaders for his 'Ganga at one's doorstep' remark while taking stock of the flood situation on the outskirts of the state capital two days ago.

While talking to flood victims, Lalu had on August 23 said they (people) were lucky to have the Ganga coming to their doorstep as not everybody gets 'Gangajal' in his home.

He had also said that the floods in Bihar was caused by the sudden release of water by BJP-ruled states. Taking strong exception to Lalu's statement, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi said he has made fun of the flood victims by making such statement.

"On one hand the state government has failed in carrying out relief and rescue operations for flood affected people and on the other hand, Lalu Prasad is making fun of the flood victims by his insensitive statement," Sushil said.

This is being done to deflect people's attention from relief and rescue operations, he said. Replying to Lalu's remark on water released by BJP-ruled states, the BJP leader said the flood was caused by the release of 11 lakh cusecs of water from Indrapuri barrage and Lalu should know that the barrage was in Bihar and not in any BJP-ruled state.

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Ram Vilas Paswan expressed surprise over Lalu's statement saying it rubbed salt on the wounds of flood victims.

"I am surprised to hear such statement. If you cannot provide relief to the flood victims, then at least refrain from mocking them," Paswan said after visiting the flood affected areas in the state. He said the Centre would make foodgrains available to Bihar in adequate quantity if the state government makes a demand in this regard.

Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi too criticised the RJD supremo's statement, saying "People affected by floods in the state are dying in the absence of grains. Neither people nor cattle are getting food and Lalu is joking." The current round of floods in Bihar has taken a heavy toll so far as 37 people have been killed and 31.33 lakh people were affected in 12 districts of the state.

PTI

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Story first published: Friday, August 26, 2016, 11:13 [IST]
The Bombay High Court has ordered today that women should be also allowed entry into the inner sanctum of the Haji Ali Dargah like men. This is a historic judgement can be seen another step towards gender equality. The Haji Ali authorities however are not happy with the decision. Haji Rafat, MIM of the Haji Ali Dargah, said the high court should not have interfered in the issue. The trust will now approach the Supreme Court
A post reagrding PM Modi calling a IAS officer of Tripura has gone viral on social media. Pushpak Chakraborty shared a post about an IAS officer he knows personally who got an unexpected call from PM Modi at 10pm on July 21, 2016. While most people associate every discussion about PM Modi with the politics of the land, an incident concerning PM Modi, is far from being political.
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Komfie Manalo, Opalesque Asia:

Hedge funds serviced by South African prime broker Peregrine reported mixed results in July, either generally flat or moderately down, in relatively volatile and directionless markets.

On an equally weighted basis the average fund was down just under 1% on the month, although the asset weighted figure was higher, suggesting some stronger performance amongst the larger funds.

Peregrine commented, "We return to our primary hedge fund styles where equally-weighted (the more representative number this month) equity long-short posted a slightly weak -0.73% for July (following the -1.88% loss in June) while market neutrals, who tend to be solid, were slightly more volatile this month with a loss of -1.06% (post -1.44% in June). This meant YTD figures of -2.61% for equity long-short with market neutral a moderate -1.34%."

Market sentiment seems to have remained uncertain and non-committal, with most of the big economic questions of the moment (U.S. and Chinese growth, the UK and Europe post-Brexit, the political trajectory of some of the major democracies, the outlook for monetary policy, and so on) remaining stubbornly unresolved.

The All Share Index wasnt isolated from all this and saw short periods of strength and weakness during the month, before ending slightly up at +1.2%. This in turn leaves its YTD at +5.5%.

A closer look at the sectoral indices reveals a strong res......................

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ABC Television's 20/20 will air a program on Friday called "The Girl Left Behind," the main thrust of which is already apparent on ABC's website.

The horribly tragic story is that of Kayla Mueller, an American held hostage and reportedly raped and tortured by ISIS before dying -- it's unclear how, possibly at the hands of ISIS, possibly killed by bombs dropped by U.S. ally Jordan.

Another hostage who was freed reported that ISIS blamed Kayla Mueller for U.S. actions in the Middle East. Among those actions, we learned this week, was imprisoning future ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi at Abu Ghraib, not just at Camp Bucca as previously reported.

Mueller, like fellow ISIS victim James Foley, meant well and was in Syria to try to help people nonviolently. But U.S. policy has made it unsafe for Americans to travel to many places.

ABC will seek to pin blame for what happened to Mueller on Doctors Without Borders. She was kidnapped out of a Doctors Without Borders car, and that organization negotiated the freedom of its employees while refusing to help Mueller or even to trust her family enough to share with them information intended for them from ISIS.

But Doctors Without Borders was in Syria to help people and appears to have meant well. Blaming the doctors is easy to overdo here, and not just because the United States has been bombing its hospitals -- acts that may not involve rape or torture, but do involve murder and maiming. The U.S. government could have helped Mueller by never having destroyed Iraq in the first place, never having sought to overthrow Syria, never having overthrown Libya, or never having flooded the region with weapons. Or the U.S. government could have negotiated with ISIS or allowed victims' families to do so -- something it now allows, too late for Kayla Mueller. Or the U.S. government could have announced new policies that ISIS would likely have accepted as ransom.

ISIS asked, in exchange for Mueller's freedom, for the freedom of Aafia Siddiqui or $5 million Euros. If the U.S. government had, instead, offered an apology to the victims of its wars and prison camps, and massive reparations to the region, ISIS might very well have responded in kind. Instead, the U.S. government proceeded to bomb people, including many civilians, for a cost many times greater than $5 million Euros.

The telling of Mueller's story is, in itself, worthwhile. But the focus on an American victim of a war that is victimizing all kinds of people fuels dangerous attitudes. Focusing on the crimes of ISIS, but not of Saudi Arabia or Bahrain or, for that matter, the United States, looks like propaganda for more war. When a New Yorker like Jeffrey Epstein rapes, nobody proposes to bomb New York, but when Baghdadi allegedly rapes, the appropriate response is widely understood to be bombing people.

I don't think the suffering of Kayla Mueller or James Foley should be used to justify the infliction of more suffering. As 9/11 victims have been used as a justification to kill hundreds of times the number of people killed on 9/11, some of the victims' relatives have pushed back. James Foley is pushing back from the grave. Posted online is a video of Foley talking about the lies that are needed to launch wars, including the manipulation of people into thinking of foreigners as less than human. Foley's killers may have thought of him as less than human. He may not have viewed them the same way.

The video shows Foley in Chicago helping the late Haskell Wexler with his film Four Days in Chicago -- a film about a protest of NATO. I was there in Chicago for the march and rally against NATO. And I met Wexler who tried unsuccessfully to find funding for a film version of my book War Is A Lie.

In the video you can watch Foley discussing the limitations of embedded reporting, the power of veteran resistance, veterans he met at Occupy, the absence of a good justification for the wars, the dehumanization needed before people can be killed, the shallowness of media coverage -- watch all of that and then try to imagine James Foley accepting the use of his killing as propaganda for more fighting.

When Foley's mother sought to ransom him, the U.S. government repeatedly threatened her with prosecution. So, instead of Foley's mother paying a relatively small amount and possibly saving her son, ISIS goes on getting its funding from oil sales and supporters in the Gulf and free weapons from, among elsewhere, the United States and its allies. And we're going to collectively spend millions, probably billions, and likely trillions of dollars furthering the cycle of violence that Foley risked his life to expose.
Reprinted from Truthdig

Accused terrorist Abu Zubaydah has not had his day in court yet. But earlier this week he had his day before a military Periodic Review Board, which apparently has the power to determine whether or not he should be released from the prison at Guantanamo Bay. Zubaydah wasn't allowed to speak. Instead, a soldier read the prisoner's prepared statement.

READ: Charge Abu Zubaydah With a Crime or Free Him

Zubaydah said he posed no threat to the United States or to anyone else and should be released. He said he had been subjected to torture by the CIA -- this is fully documented in the Senate torture report -- and that he wanted to go home.

For its part, the Periodic Review Board, a part of the military detention system and made up of representatives of six U.S. intelligence agencies, released its own report, trying to justify to itself and others why Zubaydah has no hope of ever being released.

In early 2002, when Zubaydah was captured in Faisalabad, Pakistan, the George W. Bush White House announced quickly that the Saudi Arabian citizen was al-Qaida's No. 3-ranking official. Bush told the American people that Zubaydah had intimate knowledge of the Sept. 11 attacks, had personal contact with Osama bin Laden, knew of al-Qaida's plans for a second attack and was the highest-ranking counterterrorism capture in American history.

None of that was true. (Full disclosure: I led the joint CIA-FBI team that caught Zubaydah. I sat with him for the first 56 hours after his capture, spoke with him at length and saw him off to his next destination, which turned out to be a secret prison.)

Now, after 14 years of detention, of torture, of solitary confinement without a charge, all the government can say is that Zubaydah ran a "Mujahedeen facilitation network" in the 1990s, that he "played a key role in al-Qaida's communications" and, without elaboration, that at one time he "had close contact with the No. 2 in al-Qaida."

Other damning evidence against Zubaydah? He "possibly" had advance knowledge of the attacks on U.S. embassies in East Africa in the late 1990s. He was "generally aware" of planning for the Sept. 11 attacks. And he "possibly" coordinated training at a camp when two of the future hijackers were there.

There are no accusations that Zubaydah himself ever committed any specific crime against the United States.

VIDEO AND MORE: John Kiriakou Challenges American Injustice System During Salon With Robert Scheer

At the risk of sounding like a broken record, the only legal, moral and ethical thing to do is to release Zubaydah. He was not the arch-terrorist that the Bush administration and its CIA said he was. He was tortured in violation of U.S. and international law. He was never charged with a crime, and if he had indeed committed crimes against the United States, he has paid for them.

The United States is supposed to be a country governed by the rule of law. It isn't. Only lip service is paid to the rule of law. Theoretically, we all have access to the courts. But, in reality, we don't. If the government decides you are an "enemy combatant," you cannot defend yourself in court. Even American citizens are liable to be caught up in counterterrorist hysteria and find themselves in a military "justice" system that simply does not allow for a defense. It's a terrible, dangerous precedent.

The only way out is to say Abu Zubaydah has paid a price for whatever it was he did. Then declare the whole ordeal over and send him home.
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



Barack Obama - TPP Legacy

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How much is President Obama willing to harm the Democratic Party in order to win approval for the deeply unpopular Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) "trade" agreement? We may soon find out.

On Tuesday, Politico broke the story that the White House will be "making an all-out push to win passage of the deal in the lame duck session of Congress, organizing 30 events over the congressional recess." The effort will be designed to put pressure not only on Democratic members of Congress, but also on swing Republican votes, by lobbying important business interests in their districts.

This is pretty big news for the 2016 elections but it seems to have gotten little to no coverage in major media outlets. The TPP has become a major issue in these elections, with Donald Trump highlighting his opposition, and Hillary Clinton -- who had previously supported the agreement -- vowing to oppose it "before and after" the election. (Bernie Sanders also had a major impact on the debate, and possibly on Hillary's change of position, during the primary season). This agreement is especially despised among the white working class voters who have made up the major swing vote in most of the presidential elections of the past four decades.

Trump is far behind Hillary in the polls, and it seems unlikely that President Obama would have launched a public campaign of this magnitude for the TPP in the heat of an election season, if the race were looking like a serious contest. But there is more at stake: millions of potential Republican voters will stay home in November if Trump is losing by a wide margin. Many others will stay home simply because they don't like him. But many of these disaffected voters could be rallied to the polls if they think that Hillary, and her party, are going to bring them another failed "trade" agreement. (On the other side, some potential Democratic voters could abstain or switch sides for the same reasons). All this could make the difference between the Democrats taking the Senate, and in a big enough landslide, even the House of Representatives.

Why is Obama willing to risk so much to get the TPP passed this year? Many press reports insist that it is because he wants it for his legacy. It is strange to think that he would want such an unpopular agreement for his legacy. There are less flattering reasons that seem much more plausible.

The "fast-track" legislation that allows Congress only an up-or-down vote on the TPP, considered essential to its passage, was approved in June 2015 by just a 10-vote margin in the House of Representatives. Only 28 Democrats voted with their president, and they have since come under increasing pressure not to repeat their vote for the TPP. Meanwhile, nine Republicans who voted for fast-track have publicly stated that they will vote against the TPP.

So it is looking like a very close vote. (For procedural and political reasons, Obama will not bring it to a vote unless he is sure he has the necessary votes). Now let's look at one special group of Representatives who can swing this vote: the actual lame ducks, i.e., those who will be in office only until January 3rd. It depends partly on how many lose their election on November 8, but the average number of representatives who left after the last three elections was about 80.

Most of these people will be looking for a job, preferably one that can pay them more than a million dollars a year. From the data provided by OpenSecrets.org, we can estimate that about a quarter of these people will become lobbyists. (An additional number will work for firms that are clients of lobbyists).

So there you have it. It is all about corruption, and this is about as unadulterated as corruption gets in our hallowed democracy, other than literal cash under a literal table. These are the people whom President Obama needs to pass this agreement, and the window between November 9 and January 3 is the only time that they are available to sell their votes to future employers without any personal political consequences whatsoever. The only time that the electorate can be rendered so completely irrelevant, if Obama can pull this off.

But that is still a big "if," because we still have elections, and Obama has to consider what his campaign to pass the TPP will do to the Democratic Party -- or at least he should. On the other side he has most likely gotten the message that a failure to go all out for the TPP would cause some big money to shift from the Democratic to the Republican party. The most powerful corporations in the country, as well as many actors in the "national security state" want this agreement very badly. It is a coalition of everybody who is anybody. Except for the people.

It's ironic because one of the main purposes of the TPP, like previous "trade" agreements including the World Trade Organization, is to bind the United States to a set of rules that our political leaders would have difficulty putting into law in the US. These include raising pharmaceutical prices by strengthening and lengthening patent protection; allowing corporations to sue the government for regulation that infringes on their profits; and undermining public health and environmental protection, and financial regulation. So by corrupting democracy for this one big, lame-duck vote, our politicians can undermine and limit democracy for many years and even decades to come.

In the next few months, we will see who wins this historic battle.

This column originally appeared in The Hill.
Reprinted from Counterpunch

The main architect of Washington's plan to rule the world has abandoned the scheme and called for the forging of ties with Russia and China. While Zbigniew Brzezinski's article in The American Interest titled "Toward a Global Realignment" has largely been ignored by the media, it shows that powerful members of the policymaking establishment no longer believe that Washington will prevail in its quest to extend US hegemony across the Middle East and Asia. Brzezinski, who was the main proponent of this idea and who drew up the blueprint for imperial expansion in his 1997 book The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy and Its Geostrategic Imperatives, has done an about-face and called for a dramatic revising of the strategy. Here's an excerpt from the article in the AI:

"As its era of global dominance ends, the United States needs to take the lead in realigning the global power architecture. "Five basic verities regarding the emerging redistribution of global political power and the violent political awakening in the Middle East are signaling the coming of a new global realignment. "The first of these verities is that the United States is still the world's politically, economically, and militarily most powerful entity but, given complex geopolitical shifts in regional balances, it is no longer the globally imperial power." (Toward a Global Realignment, Zbigniew Brzezinski, The American Interest)

Repeat: The US is "no longer the globally imperial power." Compare this assessment to a statement Brzezinski made years earlier in Chessboard when he claimed the US was "the world's paramount power."

"...The last decade of the twentieth century has witnessed a tectonic shift in world affairs. For the first time ever, a non-Eurasian power has emerged not only as a key arbiter of Eurasian power relations but also as the world's paramount power. The defeat and collapse of the Soviet Union was the final step in the rapid ascendance of a Western Hemisphere power, the United States, as the sole and, indeed, the first truly global power." ("The Grand Chessboard: American Primacy And Its Geostrategic Imperatives," Zbigniew Brzezinski, Basic Books, 1997, p. xiii)

Here's more from the article in the AI:

"The fact is that there has never been a truly 'dominant' global power until the emergence of America on the world scene... The decisive new global reality was the appearance on the world scene of America as simultaneously the richest and militarily the most powerful player. During the latter part of the 20th century no other power even came close. That era is now ending." (AI)

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Electric Water Heater Market Size likely to exceed revenue of USD 33.22 billion by 2023

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Electric Water Heater Market size was USD 17.5 billion in 2015, and is anticipated to grow at 7.5% CAGR from 2016 to 2024; according to a new research report by Global Market Insights, Inc.Developments in new energy saving technologies, enhanced comfort algorithms and improved display technology will drive growth. Demographic shifts such as numerous small households and surging disposable income will prove beneficial for replacement demand on a global scale. Increasing consumption from hospitals and hotels will fuel commercial electric water heater market size. These products need to ensure higher degree of efficiency and durability as compared to their residential counterparts. They can be glass lined, stainless steel lined, cement and hydrastine cement lined. The segment was valued at nearly USD 6 billion in 2015, with growth projected to outperform the global CAGR in the coming years.Request for a sample of this research report @Residential electric water heater market share was over 85% of the overall volume, and is projected to remain robust over the forecast timeframe, primarily due to considerable product development and innovation. Vendor focus lies on ensuring quality control, improving lead time and productivity, employing ecofriendly materials, and maintaining customer satisfaction. Consumer preferences have shifted towards demand for high-end devices as a direct result of higher purchasing power and evolving lifestyle.Key insights from the report include: Electric water heater industry is poised to exceed 130 million units by 2024, at 7.0% CAGR from 2016 to 2024. Tankless electric water heater market share is forecast to grow at 8.7% CAGR over the forecast timeline. They instantly heat water flowing through the device, without retaining any water internally except for what is required by the heat exchanger coil. Point-of-use tankless heaters are small and can fit inside a cabinet under or in a closet. They are generally employed for single purposes such as for a sink or shower. Whole house units have high flow rate and can handle demand from several sources simultaneously. Storage-based products mainly find application in regions that have limited electricity supply, since they enable continued hot water availability in such cases. U.S. electric water heater market size will surpass USD 5.5 billion by 2024, and represents the majority of North America revenue generation. According to the DOE, the maximum possible temperature rise at a given flow rate decides the rating of the device. Asia Pacific electric water heater market share will grow at 10.7% CAGR estimations from 2016 to 2024. These products are preferred over gas heaters across the region, with steady demand across the residential as well as commercial application areas. The industry is characterized by intense competition due to the presence of advanced technologies, product design, reliability, performance, and quality based initiatives. Incumbent players need to ensure high level of technical knowledge, capital expenditure and R&D investment in order to establish strong presence. Major companies operating in the industry are AO Smith, Rheem, Bradford White, Haier, Midea Group, Racold, etc. Growth strategies center around development of new products in order to reach a wider customer base and to ensure considerable portfolio.Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.29L Atlantic Avenue,Suite L 105, Ocean View,Delaware 19970United States
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Gramlee editors that adhere to the widely accepted APA style guidelines provide quality copy editing services on time. Our Professional APA editors ensure a comprehensive Table of Content, appropriate heading levels, proper section breaks, and quality text, that require correct spelling, word choice, grammar, punctuation, and sentence structure to enhance accuracy in addition, readability of a copy.Gramlee follows an effective process right from the beginning. Upon receiving a copy or dissertation, APA editors carefully go through it to understand and learn the writing style of the author to determine the required types of edits, time, and cost. As every author has a reason to write in a specific manner or style, APA editors edit copies keeping the style and diction of the writer in mind. Therefore, writing style of different clients copies edited in Gramlee does not look alike. Having said that, Gramlee also provides substantive editing when an author wants help in writing. In such cases, as consultants and counselors, APA Editors take the freedom to rewrite major portions.Within 48 hours, APA editors send a revised version of the first 10,000 words seeking feedback from the author. This helps adjust strategies just at the starting, if needed, to meet client requirement. As a process, track change (Track Changes feature in Microsoft Word) is kept on while editing so that the client can see the modification and comments. APA editors assist clients afterwards as well in case of any client query.Call to action: Gramlee edits up to 10,000 words per day.APA editors never compromise on quality to maximize profits. Gramlee has set a target of editing up to 10,000 words per day so that a quality final product reaches the client, making them proud of the copy.Hiring Gramlee for editing can be a turning point for your success, as copy editing here focuses on the five Cs of writing:1. Clear2. Correct3. Concise4. Complete5. ConsistentFollowing the APA style guide religiously is a key factor to achieve all the five Cs that can definitely make any copy worth smooth and enjoyable reading. Amidst thousands of online editing services, Gramlee positions well only because of its quality work and on-time delivery. It leads the clients in a transparent process and clear communication.Call to action: Gramlee refunds orders if it fails to satisfy clients.When Gramlee declares refunding of orders if it fails to satisfy clients, it does not only show confidence but also honesty. Our APA editor will satisfy clients by applying a uniform style, avoiding plagiarism (by citing the source of each paraphrased idea, quote, table, or figure), and making the copy comprehensive at one go.For more information on how the organization works, please visit. Don't worry about grammar, punctuation, or making your copy professional. Gramlee provides you with all you expect from a professional and high-quality editing firm. Copy and paste your content into the fields on the home page. You will receive the revised text in your inbox just after a few hours!For More Details Visit to:About the AuthorOur professional grammar editors will give you online proofreading and copy editing services at cheap cost. Our editors go beyond grammar, spelling, and punctuation. We also focus on contextual prose, verb-tense consistency, and the use of power phrases that dangle carrots in front of your readers' emotions.Online grammar check, proofreading and copy editing services. Human proofreaders and copy editing at affordable prices. 24-hour guarantee.Registrant Street: 417-ASSOCIATED RD #324Registrant Street: C/O GRAMLEE.COMRegistrant City: BREARegistrant State/Province: CA - CaliforniaRegistrant Postal Code: 92821Registrant Country: USRegistrant Phone: +1.7147064182Web site:
Opportunities for youth in digital learning and employment initiative

Avasant Foundation Executive Director, Chitra Rajeshwari, oversees students during a cohort 3 working session

Kingston, Jamaica (August 15, 2016) - Over the last 12 months, Avasant Foundation, has been implementing its Digital Learning and Employment program in Jamaica. The program will see approximately 120 young people being trained for jobs in the Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector under the Digital Youth Employment Initiative.The project is being implemented by the American-based foundation in partnership with the University of Technology (UTech), and through support from Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO). The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), through its Fi Wi Jamaica project, is also a sponsor of the program.The objective of this training is aimed at promoting skills development, and facilitating employment opportunities through existing BPO service providers. The trainees, ages 18 to 26, are benefiting from month-long courses in communications, social skills, professionalism and technology in the workplace as well as customer care. Participants also get first hand understanding of the industry through site visits to local businesses.Already, three training courses have been held since May, and the third cohort of participants graduated on Friday (August 5), during a ceremony held at the UTech campus.Executive Director of Avasant Foundation, Chitra Rajeshwari, informed that 28 graduates from the first cohort of the program have already been employed in the sector, while the second cohort of graduates are undergoing interviews.Through this training we hope to offer a better future to the unemployed youths by getting them into the workforce. We work closely with the BPO industry because they have the need for these trained youths in their workforce. We are also fortunate to get the trainers from the industry who bring their expertise to the classroom. So at the end of the four weeks training the students are ready to work in the industry, she pointed out.Ms. Rajeshwari said, The program will be expanded next year to train between 500 and 800 youths not only in the BPO industry, but also in the banking and hospitality sectors. Youth entrepreneurship will also be a significant aspect of the expanded programVice President of Community Service and Development at UTech and Project Director of Fi Wi Jamaica, Professor Rosalea Hamilton said, Programs like this offer a good taste of what it takes to be excellent and to be ready for the workplace. We are very proud of the collaboration with Avasant Foundation because the university prides itself on being responsive to our community.Professor Hamilton continued saying that, The program also serves to prevent youngsters who cannot afford to matriculate to universities from falling between the cracks, making a difference in their lives and ultimately their communities.Our key partners include the iTEL BPO Solutions, Xerox, Hinduja Global Solutions (HGS) Tritel, IBEX and Business Process Industry Association of Jamaica (BPIAJ).JAMPRO supports the Digital Youth Employment Initiative by getting the industry stakeholders together, creating the connections between the companies and the program, and also promoting the concept of impact sourcing in Jamaica; a model embraced by agency since the inception of the program last year.President of JAMPRO, Diane Edwards, lauded the program and its vision to train hundreds of youths in the next year. She said, We support the initiative to scale the industry and expand the pool of people who can service the outsourcing industry and also to equip at risk young people with new skills and enhance their employability. Outsourcing opens up a potential career path for them to enter a growing industry, where they will learn transferable skills and can aspire to become supervisors and managers in a global sector.The final cohort is currently being trained and is expected to graduate next month.About Avasant FoundationAvasant Foundation (AF) is a not-for-profit that empowers high potential, disadvantaged youth in underdeveloped and emerging economies through education and employment creation. AF leverages its expertise in digital employment to train youth in technology, job, and entrepreneurship skills for career success in the complex economies of today and tomorrow.About AvasantAvasant is a leading management consulting firm focused on translating the power of technology into realizable business strategies. Specializing in digital and IT transformation, sourcing advisory, global strategy, and governance services, Avasant is recognized for delivering high-value engagements through industry-focused innovation and flexible client-based solutions.Avasant is a next generation global management consulting firm assisting public and private sector organizations across the world. Avasant provides services in the areas of ICT & Enterprise Optimization, Sourcing Advisory and Globalization Consulting helping its clients achieve superior business outcomes.Avasant LLCNicole Dulay1960 E. Grand Avenue, Suite 1050Los Angeles, CA 90245Voice: +1.310.643.3030Fax: +1.310.643.3033nicole.dulay@avasant.com
Zeller+Gmelin at the EuroBLECH 2016: Lubricants for sheet metal forming

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Zeller+Gmelin at the EuroBLECH 2016 in Hanover, 25 - 29 Oct. 2016, Hall 27, Booth L42EISLINGEN, 25th August 2016 - At the 24th international technology trade fair for sheet metal processing, the EuroBLECH 2016, Zeller+Gmelin presents its range of lubricants for sheet metal forming. The offer ranges from metal forming lubricants for the automotive industry to lubricants for roll forming and hydroforming. The new Multidraw product family for the automotive sector in its 2nd generation will also be introduced to the professional public.The traditional company Zeller+Gmelin is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Since its beginnings in 1866, the Eislingen expert has become one of the preferred solution partners in the industry for lubricants, printing inks and chemistry. At the EuroBLECH 2016, Zeller+Gmelin will now present a wide range of innovative forming lubricants for a variety of processes and applications to professional visitors. The EuroBLECH is the most important international fair for us as a manufacturer of forming lubricants for sheet metal forming", according to Zeller+Gmelin Product Manager, Katrin Hommel. "We have supported the sheet metalworking industry for many decades with our products and the industry appreciates us as a reliable supplier, innovator and solution provider."New Multidraw series does not only score with the automotive industryThus, customers, partners and prospective customers can convince themselves of the innovatively advanced range of the lubricant expert. Zeller+Gmelin has developed ground-breaking products, in particular in the area of low-lubricant metal forming in cooperation with partners in the automotive industry. At Zeller+Gmelin fair booth (Hall 27, Booth L42), customers can discover everything about the 2nd generation of low-lubricant sheet metal forming of the Multidraw series, which is used for the chipless forming of automotive parts made of steel for light, medium and difficult degrees of deformation. The variety of application possibilities is emphasised here.Multidraw PL 61 SE - Prelubes for the effective oiling of rolling millsA highlight of the fair is thus the new prelubricant Multidraw PL 61 SE which is primarily suitable for the basic oiling of all steel surfaces from the rolling mill and helps to reduce the zinc abrasion during the forming process of hot-dip galvanised surfaces. In addition, the product has optimal draining-off inhibition, as well as excellent compatibility with all non-coated and coated sheet metal surfaces. The specially developed corrosion protection with forming properties offers an optimal preservation of semi-finished products for storage and transport - even under extreme climatic conditions. Due to its innovative composition, the prelubricant is ideal for chipless forming, such as stretch forming and ironing. Additional lubrication before forming in the press plant is frequently unnecessary. At the same time, the latest requirements for the specifications of the automotive industry on removability and paint and adhesive impact are taken into account.Washing oil, spot lube and coil coating agent for integrated useIn order to not only give the stamping plants a new prelube but a completely customised toolbox for their forming problems, a washing oil specially tailored to Multidraw PL 61 SE was developed with Multidraw KTL N 1 SE as well as a specially tailored spot oiling with MULTIDRAW KTL N 20. Thus the latter is predestined for the chipless forming of aluminium, steel, galvanised sheet metal and high strength steels of all kinds for medium to difficult degrees of forming. The new Multidraw washing oil KTL N 1 SE, in contrast, is used in coil and blank washers for cleaning before forming. It is characterised through good forming properties for light to medium degrees of forming.Multidraw Drylube E 1, a water-free coil coating agent with VDA approval for all metals (steel, galvanised steel, pre-phosphated steel, aluminium and stainless steel), also belongs to the family of the low-lubricant sheet metal forming. For better use, the hot melt leaves an anti-slip layer on the metal surface after application. The "semi-dry" film allows high degrees of deformation due to its good flexibility and mechanical properties."With our Multidraw second generation products, we take into account the currently increasing demands on stamping plants from high strength materials, complex design requirements, smaller lot sizes and new surfaces while reducing the use of metal forming lubricants", according to Product Manager, Katrin Hommel. "We look forward to every trade fair visitor who we must convince of the high innovative power of our products!"Image: Katrin Hommel, Product Manager of Deep Drawing Agents at Zeller+Gmelin: The EuroBLECH is the most important international fair for us as a manufacturer of lubricants for sheet metal forming. We have supported the sheet metalworking industry for many decades with our products and the industry appreciates us as a reliable supplier, innovator and solution provider all at the same time."Image: Rolling mill oiled coils with Multidraw PL 61 SE, the new development of the low-lubricant sheet metal forming of the Multidraw series of the 2nd generation.Image: At the EuroBLECH 2016, Zeller+Gmelin will present its wide range of lubricants for sheet metal forming.Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG, founded in 1866, employs over 900 staff globally and almost half of them at its headquarters in Eislingen With its 16 subsidiaries the medium-sized company operates globally. The product portfolio is split into the corporate sectors lubricants, industrial chemicals and printing inks. The high-quality products have acquired a leading position on the international market. Zeller+Gmelin offers both individual and holistic solutions from a single source ranging from research and development to production. Just how high the R & D portion is, can be seen not least in the fact that approximately 20 percent of the staff who are employed in Eislingen work in this area in order to further develop and optimise the innovative products to the market and customer requirements.Susanne SchwedesMarketing CommunicationSchlossstrasse 2073054 Eislingen/Fils - GermanyTel.: +49 (0) 7161 / 802  349Fax: +49 (0) 7161 / 802  11 349E-mail: s.schwedes@zeller-gmelin.deRalf M. HaassengierPRX Agentur fur Public Relations GmbHKalkhofstrasse 5D-70567 StuttgartTel. +49 (0) 711-7189903Mail: ralf.haassengier@pr-x.deInternet:
GPSengine align with Bofan to deliver tracking solutions

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Bofan, long established as a key tracking device supplier in a number of market segments and GPSengine, a leading hosted platform service provider in GNSS, Telematics, IoT and Tracking, today announced a new partnership to bring support for the Bofan range to GPSengine's Platform Connect service.With a range of devices catering for the vehicle tracking and personal tracking markets, Bofan continues to bring new advanced trackers to market. The combination of Bofan tracking devices and the high availability and unique IoTs service offering that Platform Connect provides, allows customers to quickly build a product or service in the tracking space. Adding support of the Bofan range to the Platform Connect system, provides customers with more choice, and the opportunity to take advantage of the features available in the Bofan range.About Platform ConnectPlatform Connect is a hosted platform service that receives, processes and stores information from GNSS, IoTs, devices, sensors, applications and third party services.About BofanWith 10 years of experience in designing and developing vehicle-mounted electronic and GPS products, our 50+ engineers bring innovative and secure GPS trackers to market. Bofan's plant occupies 18,000 square meters, employs 500 skilled workers, 30 QC and DQA engineers, and is equipped with advanced production and testing facilities, including SMT and AOI. (About GPSengineBased in Brisbane, Australia, GPSengine is a white label IoT platform provider, specialising in vehicle tracking. Recognised globally for innovation and quality, the GPSengine platform is the result of more than 10 years working in the telematics space. Since 2014 their primary focus has been the development and support of an easy-to-skin, customisable white label GPS tracking platform, as well as seamless integration of supporting hardware. This combination means GPSengine delivers a comprehensive M2M technology enabling companies to connect and monitor assets with confidence. (GPSenginePO Box 2454Fortitude Valley, QLD, 4006Australiainfo@gpsengine.net
The U.S. State Department has advised travelers to France to comply with local laws after several beach towns imposed a ban on swimwear that includes Muslim veils.

Speaking to reporters Wednesday, spokeswoman Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau said that "if they violate local laws, even unknowingly, they may be expelled, arrested or imprisoned."

The U.S. has expressed concerns about measures taken in France regarding Muslim attire, in particular its ban on full-face veils in public spaces.
Paclights  Offering Clients with High-End LED Flood Lights

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Paclights is a renowned company that presents clients with an assortment of LED light fixtures. The company is popular for its high-speed delivery system and its network of LED suppliers. Paclights has been acclaimed by all its clients for the delivering them top-notch UL/ETL and DLC listed variants. LED Flood Lights have been well received by all individuals as well as commercial setups. These variants are recognized for its cost-efficiency as well as its competency to deliver high-quality illumination to its customers. The primary attribute of LED Flood Lights lies in being performance-centric, to render its clients with unique illumination range that are visually appealing and excel in longevity.The company is popular for its extensive network, which includes well-known illuminative suppliers providing the choicest of LED Flood Lights. These variants are a sure-shot standout primarily due to their utility in many homes and offices. These variants have received acclaim as fast-selling LED fixtures amidst its range of varied lighting. The company uses superior quality LED chips and Drivers for enhancing its quality of lighting and rendering clients performance-centric LED illumination. LED floodlights stand out primarily due to its specialty attributes in form of a rugged construction, made with a black aluminum body and tempered glass lens. The lighting variant incorporates high-quality drivers for rendering clients with balanced aesthetics and longevity.With high-end materials adopted in creating LED Flood Lights, these illumination fixtures are not prone to cracking up. LED Flood Lights from Paclights cannot be compared to the generic variants as they are embedded with the best variant of thermal management technology. All the LED Flood Light items have warranty and are good value additions. The FL series in LED Flood Lights emit light beam that exceeds over 50,000 hours. With superior wiring technology aptly embedded with 5000K color light, clients have their lighting options in the best cost-effective form.LED Flood Lights from Paclights are renowned as articulate options in LED lighting that are suitable for everyday use. The company provides clients with exhaustive product catalogue that has extensive range of LED illumination. The company has always been particular in using the best technology in LED Flood Lights and in the range of LED Canopy Lights, LED Retrofit Kit, LED Wall Packs, Area Lights, Parking Lot Lights, amongst other LED lighting variants. Clients get to select their preferred type of lighting variant in accordance to several parameters that are based upon illuminating intensity, dimensions, and wattages. VisitPacLights is a recognized LED company in Chico, California. It caters to a wide-spectrum of LED lighting fixtures, wherein each of its variant embodies the most high-end technology. The companys LED variants are DLC and UL/ETL listed. The company has offered customers with optimal LED Flood Lights.P.O BOX 928,Chino Hills, CA. 91709United StatesPhone Number: 800-988-6386Fax Number: 800-685-5689Email Id: info@paclights.com
Super Absorbent Polymer Market Projected to Reach US$ 9 Bn, 2015-2020: FMI

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Global demand for super absorbent polymers (SAP) is set to reach 2.37 Mn tonnes by 2016, up from 2.1 Mn tonnes in 2014. Nippon Shokubai Co. Ltd., BASF SE, and Evonik Industries are the dominant players in the global super absorbent polymer market, with Nippon Shokubai Co. Ltd. holding the largest revenue share in 2014. These findings are according to a research report, titled, Super Absorbent Polymer Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015-2020 by market research firm Future Market Insights (FMI).Key Players Focusing on Innovation to Gain Competitive EdgeKey stakeholders in the super absorbent polymer market are bolstering their research and development capabilities to launch innovative products in the market. For example, in November 2014, Sumitomo Seika launched Aqua Keep HP, a high-function SAP for making thin baby- and adult-diapers. BASE SE also made an announcement in November 2014 that it will invest nearly US$ 550 Mn in pioneering superabsorbent technology. Other key players including Evonik Industries and Nippon Shokubai are focusing on increasing SAP production.Disposable Diapers Largest Application Segment for Super Absorbent PolymersMajority of the global demand for super absorbent polymers is concentrated in three industries  disposable diapers, adult incontinence products, and female hygiene products.Request Free Report Sample@Disposable diapers is the largest end-use application segment for super absorbent polymers, accounting for nearly one-thirds of overall demand. FMI estimates demand from disposable diapers industry to reach 1.79 Mn tonnes in 2016, up from 1.59 Mn tonnes in 2014. In terms of revenues, disposable diapers segment is expected to account for US$ 5.81 Bn in 2016.Sodium polyacrylate co-polymers Account for Highest DemandSodium polyacrylate-based super absorbent polymers are preferred over poly acrylamide, ethylene-maleic anhydride, and polyvinyl alcohol co-polymers. Of the total 2.24 Mn tonnes of super absorbent polymers consumed in 2015, sodium polyacrylate co-polymers accounted for 1.45 Mn tonnes. FMI expects demand for poly acrylamide co-polymers to witness an increase in the future owing to their high water retention and non-toxic properties.Asia Pacific Excluding Japan Most Lucrative RegionDemand for super absorbent polymers was highest in Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), followed by Europe and North America.Demand for super absorbent polymers in APEJ is anticipated to reach 705 Mn tonnes by 2016, up from 666 Mn tonnes in 2015. Rising awareness levels and increase in purchasing power are the macro-economic factors driving the super absorbent polymers market in APEJ.Request For TOC@Demand for super absorbent polymers in Europe -- the second largest market for super absorbent polymers globally  is expected to reach 645 Mn tonnes in 2016. By 2020, the Europe super absorbent polymer market is anticipated to reach US$ 2.6 Bn in revenues.The North America super absorbent polymers market was valued at 493.6 Mn tonnes in terms of volume in 2015. FMI estimates this to increase to 518 Mn tonnes by 2016. Demand for disposable diapers and other incontinence products has remained constant in North America in the past, owing to which demand for super absorbent polymers is expected to grow at a steady rate. By 2020, demand for super absorbent polymers is expected to reach 612 Mn tonnes in North America.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Worldwide Smart View Systems Market Segments By 2015-2021

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With growing population and increasing crime across the globe, the individual safety is becoming a major concern. In order to overcome such problems, technological implementations such as installations of video camera play a vital role which is realized by many entities and individual around the world. Smart view system comprises set of various hardware and software such as video surveillance system and recorders. Nowadays, smart view systems can be easily be installed in commercial as well as residential places to ensure the seamless operation while ensuring the high-level security. By implementing such system within the cities and commercial facilities the local government/municipalities and an individual has benefited in many ways such as increased safety and reduced level of pollutants.Rising concern over safety, stringent government laws towards video surveillance in commercial places are some of the major drivers along with macroeconomic factors such as increasing national income resulting in infrastructural developments and growing GDP are fuelling the growth of the global smart view systems market. However, the high cost of implementation and slower adoption rate in some countries can pose a major challenge towards the growth of the global smart view systems market.Thinking about report: Please observe the beneath the hyperlinks to satisfy your necessities; Request for the Report sample:Global smart view system market is segmented on the basis of geography, by a range and by end users. On the basis of range, the market is segmented into three categories;Short RangeMedium RangeLong RangeOn the other hand, on the basis of end-users the market is categorized into two segments namely; residential and industrial & commercial.The global smart view system market is expected to grow with the significant rate over the forecast period from 2015 to 2025. As of 2014, the medium range of smart view camera dominated the market, while long rage is expected to expand at higher CAGR. In terms of volume commercial & industrial segment accounted for more than 60% shares due to expanding industrial and commercial infrastructure activity in developing economies such as India and China.The global smart view systems market is geographically segmented into seven key regions which are, North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan and the Middle East & Africa. As of 2014, Asia Pacific dominated the global smart view system market followed by North America and Europe. In terms of value and volume, Asia Pacific is anticipated to remain dominant over the forecast period. On the other hand, BRIC countries are expected to grow at higher CAGR when compared to other countries in their respective regions.Some of the key players identified in global smart view systems market are CBS Interactive Inc., ADLINK Technology Inc., CCTV Camera Pros, Secureye Pvt Ltd., Trinet Internet Solutions, Inc. among others.The research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types, technology, and applications.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Market SegmentsMarket DynamicsMarket SizeSupply & DemandCurrent Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainRegional analysis includesNorth America (U.S., Canada)Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific excluding Japan (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)JapanThe Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Compaction Machines Market to Expand at 6.2% CAGR Through 2025

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Future Market Insights (FMI), in its latest report titled Compaction Machines Market: Global Industry Analysis and Opportunity Assessment 2015 - 2025, has projected the global compaction machines market to expand at a steady CAGR of 6.2% in terms of revenue during the forecast period 20152025. The compaction machines market is estimated to reach US$ 3,444.3 Mn by the end of 2015, and 6,310.7 Mn by the end of 2025.Increasing investment in infrastructure development and new road development and maintenance is fuelling demand for compaction machines globally. It is projected that the total investment in infrastructure activities would account between 3.5% and 4% of the global GDP by the end of 2030. Investment in road development and maintenance is forecasted to account for 28% of the total investment made between 2015 and 2025. Furthermore, focus on developing smart cities, runaways, and dams is further expected to boost demand.Request Free Report Sample@Product-wise, the market is segmented into heavy compaction machine and light compaction machine. Heavy compaction machines are further sub-segmented into single drum roller, heavy tandem roller, and pneumatic roller. Light compaction machines segment, is sub-segmented into light tandem roller, hand operated machines, and trench roller. As far as unit sales are concerned, the light compaction machines segment account for approximately 85% share of the overall market in terms of unit sales, and is likely to dominate the market by the end of 2025, with the rising adoption in footpaths, road, and highway maintenance.Region-wise, Western Europe and Asia Pacific represented prominent markets for compaction machines globally in 2014. In terms of market value, the compaction machine market in developing countries of Asia Pacific is collectively projected to expand at a CAGR of 7.6%, with major Asian economies such as India and China playing a major role. However, in term of unit sales, Western Europe dominates with more number of unit sales in the light compaction machinery segment. The Asia Pacific region is expected to be the largest compaction machine market in terms of value by 2025 end, followed by Western Europe and North America.Request For TOC@As per the ongoing trend in the market, the intelligent compaction machines with display, sensors and telematics are being included in most of the key players product offerings. Currently, the heavy compaction machinerys rental penetration and secondary sales market is growing significantly. However, this trend is expected to pose a major challenge for new equipment sales.Key companies in the compaction machines market include XCMG Co. Ltd, Wacker Neuson SE, Terex Corporation, Atlas Copco, Volvo Construction Equipment - Volvo CE, Caterpillar Inc., BOMAG GmbH, Zoomlion Heavy Industries Science and Technology Co Ltd, Wirtgen Group and Sany Heavy Industries Co Ltd. Currently, global players account for over two-thirds of global revenues, however, in the future, new entrants to the market are expected to gain traction.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
IQ4I Research & Consultancy published a new report on Transplantation Diagnostics Global Market  Forecast To 2022

Transplantation refers to a surgical procedure involving replacement of a failed or damaged organ, tissue or cell in the human body with a new one. In order to check the donor and recipient compatibility and to monitor the post transplantation rejections the transplantation procedure requires diagnostic tests. Transplantation Diagnostics market is advancing at a rapid pace, as estimated by IQ4I Research the Transplantation Diagnostics global market is expected to grow at a high double-digit CAGR to from 2015-2022.Increased incidences of life style diseases like cancer, diabetes, heart diseases etc. associated with unhealthy habits are likely to damage the organs or tissues, requiring the necessity of transplantation procedures, which is simultaneously expected to propel the growth of transplantation diagnostics market. Along with this the rising disposable incomes in the developing countries, rapid growth in aging and diseased population are some of the drivers of market. However some issues like high test cost, limited reimbursement facility and some ethical issues may hinder the growth of transplantation diagnostics market.The Transplantation Diagnostics global market by technology is segmented into Molecular methods and Non-molecular methods. Molecular methods are further divided into PCR based molecular method and Sequencing based molecular method. PCR based methods are further sub-segmented into SSO-PCR, SSP-PCR and others. Others include SNP-PCR and RFLP-PCR. Sequencing based molecular method is further sub-segmented into NGS and Sanger Sequencing. Non-molecular methods are of three types namely Serological tests, Mixed Lymphocyte Culture assay and Flow Cytometry. The Non-molecular methods occupied highest market in Transplantation Diagnostics technology market.The Transplantation Diagnostics global market by products is segmented into Instruments, Consumables and Software & Services. The Consumables segment is estimated to grow at strong CAGR from 2015 to 2022. The Transplantation Diagnostics global market by screening methods is segmented into Pre-transplantation screening and Post-transplantation screening. The Post-transplantation screening segment is estimated to grow at strong CAGR from 2015 to 2022. The Transplantation Diagnostics global market by Application is segmented into Diagnostic (Medical) and Research application. Diagnostic (Medical) application is further segmented into Solid Organ Transplantation, Tissue transplantation and Stem-cell transplantation. Solid organ transplantation is further sub-segmented into Kidney, Liver, Heart and Others. The Diagnostic (Medical) application occupied highest market in Transplantation Diagnostics application market. The End-users consists of Hospitals and transplant centers, Diagnostic Laboratories and Research Laboratories & Academic Institutions. The Hospitals and transplant centers contributed the largest revenue as per estimates of IQ4I Research.The Transplantation Diagnostics global market based on geography is divided into North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Rest of the world. North American region commanded the largest revenue market in 2015 due to increasing number of organ and tissue transplantation, higher healthcare expenditure, high adoption rate of advanced technology, reducing cost of sequencing HLA genes are factors propelling market growth in this region.There is a huge growth potential for transplantation diagnostics with added opportunities from new avenues like cell-free DNA which is likely to propel the market with very high growth rate.Some of the prominent players in transplantation diagnostics market include Abbott Laboratories, Inc. (U.S), Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (U.S), CareDx, Inc. (U.S), Illumina, Inc. (U.S), Immucor, Inc.(U.S), Linkage biosciences (U.S), Qiagen N.V. (Netherlands), Roche (Switzerland), Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc. (U.S).IQ4I (Intelligence Quotient for Innovation) Research and Consultancy Pvt. Ltd. is a global strategy, consulting and a leading market research company. Our clients include leading businesses, investment banks, researchers and government agencies.We are a team of highly qualified consultants and market researchers, committed to help clients make strategic decisions by providing relevant and firmly reliable Intelligence support. We enable our clients to identify the market opportunities with best-in-class market intelligence reports.Mr. Satish BirudukotaDirector & Head Market ResearchIQ4I Research and Consultancy Pvt. Ltd.No- 11, Industrial Suburb, 1st Stage, West of Chord Road,RajajiNagar, Bangalore- 560010Call Us: +91 80 60500229
Global Oilfield Drilling Additives Market Segments By 2015-2021

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Oilfield chemicals play a significant role in the oil and gas industry. Most common oilfield chemicals used by the industry are organic chemicals and solvents, surfactants, transition metal compounds, inorganic salts, water-soluble and oil-soluble polymers. These chemicals control the bacterial growth, foam & wax formation and corrosive action in oils and gases. Drilling additives is one of the major applications in the oilfield chemicals market.Chemical formulations used for multiple functions in oil processing are termed as oilfield drilling additives. The additive technologies excel with emulsification and thinning or dispersion of oil-based muds. They help to create proper fluid weighting to balance pressure formation and optimize fluid flow. Other functions include maintaining strong boundary lubrication films in silicate-based mud systems specialized for shale drilling, which is done by lubricating agents. Other functions include wettability, dispersant, detergency and clay stabilization. Selection criteria of drilling additives require careful consideration of several aspects, such as pressures and temperatures, rock composition, well design, protection of the producing zone, reservoir chemistry, and environmental regulations. The focus is on performance, temperature stability and tolerance of products from contamination for drilling fluid systems.While there are many types of components and additives currently being used in the industry, usually the classification of fluids is based on the formulation of coatings as water based, oil based and synthetic based. Each type varies greatly and the composition is different with different technical specifications. The major chemicals used in the industry are sulfurized or chlorinated compounds, polyglycols, acrylics, esters polyamides, glutaraldehyde, alcohols and many more.Thinking about report: Please observe the beneath the hyperlinks to satisfy your necessities; Request for the Report sample:In a recent merger by The Lubrizol Corporation, a Berkshire Hathaway company, signed an agreement with Weatherford, stating that the companys drilling fluids and additives business will now be a part of the Lubrizol Corporation. The Lubrizol Corporation has introduced a new mobile application called the Oilfield Drilling Fluids Product Guide, which is designed to help formulators of Oilfield Drilling Fluids to identify advanced Lubrizol chemistries that help achieve a wide range of performance needs. Arabian Drilling Corporation launched three new products AD41, AD42 and AD43; which have special drilling control systems equipped with Amphion Integration, a technology that provides compact and comfortable rigs.Increasing demand from energy sector is creating thrust to drilling deeper for more oil extraction, the protection of oil from various harmful organisms in the biocides industry are some of the key factors driving the growth of the oilfield drilling additives market.Total cost to target with environmentally acceptable fluid systems, European environmental concerns, strict environmental regulations are probable factors restraining the growth of the oilfield drilling additives market.The global oilfield drilling additives market is broadly classified on the basis of formulation of coatings, type and geographies.Based on formulation of coatings, the global oilfield drilling additives market is segmented into:Water basedOil basedSynthetic basedBased on type, the global oilfield drilling additives market is segmented into:DispersantsFluid ViscosifiersCorrosion InhibitorsBiocidesSurface ModifiersDefoamersThe most significant change in the petrochemical industry over the past five years has been the rapid exploitation of shale gas and oil reserves in North America. Global oilfield chemicals market is expected to grow owing to new wells discovery in countries like China, Poland. The global oilfield drilling additives market is expected to expand at a promising CAGR during the forecast period (2015-2025).The global oilfield drilling additives Market is expected to register a double-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, global oilfield drilling additives market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia-Pacific, Japan, and the Middle East & Africa. As of 2015, North America dominated the global oilfield drilling additives market in terms of market revenue. Asia Pacific is projected to expand at a substantial growth and in next few years, the Middle East & Africa is expected to be the greatest market as this region is exploring new oil wells and empowering in the transformation of old oil wells. This will contribute to the global oilfield drilling additives market value exhibiting a robust CAGR during the forecast period, 2015 - 2025.Some of the key market participants in global oilfield drilling additives market are The Lubrizol Corporation, AkzoNobel, The Dow Chemical Company, Imerys Oilfield Solutions, BASF, Chevron Philips Chemical CompanyThe research report presents a comprehensive assessment of the market and contains thoughtful insights, facts, historical data, and statistically supported and industry-validated market data. It also contains projections using a suitable set of assumptions and methodologies. The research report provides analysis and information according to categories such as market segments, geographies, types and applications.The report covers exhaustive analysis on:Market SegmentsMarket DynamicsMarket SizeSupply & DemandCurrent Trends/Issues/ChallengesCompetition & Companies involvedTechnologyValue ChainRegional analysis includesNorth America (U.S., Canada)Latin America (Mexico. Brazil)Western Europe (Germany, Italy, France, U.K, Spain, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia-Pacific (China, India, ASEAN, Australia & New Zealand)JapanThe Middle East and Africa (GCC, S. Africa, N. Africa)The report is a compilation of first-hand information, qualitative and quantitative assessment by industry analysts, inputs from industry experts and industry participants across the value chain. The report provides in-depth analysis of parent market trends, macro-economic indicators and governing factors along with market attractiveness as per segments. The report also maps the qualitative impact of various market factors on market segments and geographies.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Report Highlights:Detailed overview of parent marketChanging market dynamics in the industryIn-depth market segmentationHistorical, current and projected market size in terms of volume and valueRecent industry trends and developmentsCompetitive landscapeStrategies of key players and products offeredPotential and niche segments, geographical regions exhibiting promising growthA neutral perspective on market performanceMust-have information for market players to sustain and enhance their market footprint.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Worldwide Cleaning Robot Market Supply & Demand By 2015 2021

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Cleaning is one of the basic requirement at household which is essential on daily basis and consumes both time and energy. Cleaning robot is an approach to make cleaning a time efficient and easy task and provide comfort to humans. Cleaning robots helps to detect the position of the area to be cleaned, estimates the path to reach the detected position and cleans the area with the help of vacuum cleaner attached. The camera is mounted on the roof so that the robot can easily navigate an area and clean the room using vacuum cleaner attached with the robot. Cleaning robots are widely used in commercial, healthcare, and other applications for cleaning floors, windows, lawns and pools. Moreover, cleaning robots constantly capture video and images and can sense the movements of any object or living thing.. It can be used to sound alarms in case of unwanted movements being noticed, thus ensuring security. Cleaning robot maintains the log of unclean and cleaned area in the secondary storage which helps to keep a track of records for future assistance.The cleaning robot market can be segmented on the basis of product, end-use application and geography. On the basis of product type, the cleaning robot market can be categorized into pool robot, window robot, floor robot, and lawn robot. Based on the end-use verticals, the cleaning robot market can be segmented into residential, commercial, industrial, and healthcare applications. Furthermore, on the basis of geography, the cleaning robot market is classified into five major regions including North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Latin America. North America is the most dominant market for cleaning robots owing to the presence of well-established cleaning robot manufacturers and high labor cost.Thinking about report: Please observe the beneath the hyperlinks to satisfy your necessities; Request for the Report sample:Smaller size and ability to fit in limited space as compared to traditional robots is one of the key factors which is driving the adoption of cleaning robot, globally. The cleaning robots can also clean in areas with hazardous environment and where the human entry could prove fatal. These robots save labor cost and time since a single machine can perform the work of multiple laborers in lesser time. This is one of the factors fueling the demand of cleaning robots across the globe. Furthermore, the technological advancements, especially in visualization and sensing equipment is expected to trigger the growth of cleaning robotics market over the forecast period. The emergence of futuristic robotics is supporting the innovation of low cost, smaller size and technologically advanced cleaning robots. However, the low battery life and durability issues are some of the factors hindering the growth of cleaning robotics market.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Some of the key players in cleaning robotics market include Dyson Ltd. (U.K.), Ecovacs Robotics, Inc. (U.S.), Infinuvo (U.S.), iRobot Corporation (U.S.), Koninklijke Philips N.V. (Netherlands), LG Electronics, Inc. (South Korea), Neato Robotics, Inc. (U.S.), Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. (South Korea), Intellibot Robotics LLC (U.S.), Moneual Inc. (US), and Yujin Robot Co., Ltd (South Korea).About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Global Automotive Heat Shield Market Competitive landscape By 2015  2021

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The areas of a vehicle that develop high temperatures need effectual heat shielding solutions. Vendors are designing sophisticated shielding solutions to help bring vehicles in line with increasing thermal shield requirements.The management of heat is becoming complex with the growing number of temperature-sensitive and sophisticated components in modern vehicles that have to be protected from heat. The demand of heat shielding technology has been increasing along with the number of applications in automotive industry. Minimal cooling air flows, tightly packed components, engine encapsulation, exhaust gas turbochargers and catalytic converter technology result in high temperatures within the area of the underbody, in the engine compartment and across the exhaust system. Heat shielding systems help engine and exhaust systems to function safely and reliably and contribute to enhanced driving comfort and environmental protection.Thinking about report: Please observe the beneath the hyperlinks to satisfy your necessities; Request for the Report sample :Hence the heat shield market is witnessing growing demand in the automotive industry. However, the sophisticated heat shield solutions increase the overall price of the vehicle thereby restraining the market growth as certain applications are restricted to high-end models.In automobiles, the material for heat shield is mainly aluminum or stainless steel. High performance heat shields additionally include ceramic insulation. Such products are commonly used in top-end motorsports such as Formula One. Different material combinations and the custom-engineered shielding solutions for the entire vehicle are gaining traction in the automotive heat shield market. Depending on the specific requirements for heat protection, materials and shape of shields is tailored to the respective application. Companies such as ElringKlinger AG and Autoneum Holding AG are using simulation software (such as Ansys) to simulate the temperatures to which the individual parts are likely to be exposed and thus design the heat shielding parts to match the specific circumstances. Integrating acoustical performance into a heat shield is a growing trend in the market which allows the treatment of noise problems that were difficult to treat before due to the extreme temperature environments.Nowadays, heat protection is also provided in the vehicle passenger compartments. The application is no longer limited to premium models and is further expected to see large scale adoption across all models by the vehicle manufacturers Companies such as Lydall, Inc. provide interior as well as exterior thermal solutions. Interior products are designed primarily for front of dash regions or under-carpet where high temperature sources exist. Exterior solutions are designed to lessen excessive heat from the exhaust system, shielding the fuel systems or floor sheet metal. At present, the solutions available in the market are not just single wall but the multi-layer solutions are also available for higher temperatures.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:The leading players in the automotive heat shield market include Lydall Inc., Morgan Advanced Materials Plc, ElringKlinger AG, Federal-Mogul Corporation, Delphi Automotive PLC, Autoneum Holding AG, Thermo-Tec Automotive Products, Inc., Covpress Limited and Dana Holding Corporation. Asia Pacific is expected to account for largest share in the automotive heat shields market among the other regions such as North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Middle-East and Africa and Latin America. Urbanization, rising demand for high-end vehicles, growing population driven by India and China and the high economic growth in this region is boosting the demand for automotive heat shields in the region.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Aromatherapy Market Analysis, Trends, Forecast, 2015-2025

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Aromatherapy is the procedure for the treatment in which essential oils are used to cure anxiety, headache, muscular pain and so on. Aromatherapy is the type of alternative medicine composed of aromatic plant oils, plant materials and other aromatic plant compounds for the purpose of improving a persons mood and health. The oils that are used in aromatherapy have variant composition as compared to other herbal products because the purification process that is used in aromatherapy restores the lighter phytomolecules in the oils. Some evidences to support the essential oils therapeutic usage are that aromatherapy has unique characteristics that can affect both the functions psychologically as well as physiologically. Measurements to compute psychological and physiological effects are change in heart rate, epidermal activity, peripheral blood pressure, cerebral blood flow, changes in skin temperature and others. Aromatherapy procedure is known to provide benefits such as mood stimulation or sedation, cognitive performance in terms of attention and memory and performance boosting. Aromatherapy is important in healing some maladies like anxiety, insomnia, pain, stress, body and muscular aches, headaches, depression, digestive problems and many more. Aromatherapy treatment is provided by three ways namely aerial diffusion in which the oil disperses into the air to disinfect it by spreading specific fragrances, direct inhalation in which person breathes the oil directly and topical application in which oil is applied on the patient skin. Topical application is commonly used for massage, baths and therapeutic skin care. Direct inhalation will commonly help in respiration disinfection.Aromatherapy Market: Drivers and RestraintsThe primary factor for the growth of global aromatherapy market is the growing awareness about the herbal products among the individuals. The main factors driving the growth for aromatherapy are increasing geriatric population and a shift in the lifestyle of people in cities. This gives rise to problems such as anxiety, insomnia, stress, headaches etc. These common complaints have fuelled the demand for aromatherapy or herbal medicines. The global aromatherapy market has also witnessed a trend of self-medication as it avoids prescription requirement from any doctor. The restraints for the global aromatherapy market are that some scientific studies have found that aromatherapy only makes you feel better although there is no proof that it makes patient healthy and this type of treatments do not give quick results or rapid healing in major diseases. Some patients also have complained about allergies while taking aromatherapy treatment, so it is recommended to consult with aromatherapist before use of any essential oil for treatment.Request Free Report Sample@Aromatherapy Market: SegmentationThe global aromatherapy market is classified on the basis of application, product type and geography.The global aromatherapy market is classified on the basis of application as follows:Aerial diffusionDirect inhalationTopical applicationThe global aromatherapy market is classified on the basis of product type as follows:Basil oilBlack pepper oilClove oilEucalyptus oilJasmin oilLavender oilLemon oilSandalwood oilTea tree oilOther oils (Bergamot oil, Citronella oil, Geranium oil, Thyme oil, Yarrow oil)Aromatherapy Market: OverviewIn the past five years aromatherapy witnessed revolutionary demand as it follows self-medication procedure. Aromatherapy is widely used for the treatment of depression in patients owing to scientific studies which found that women facing depression problems were positively affected by the fragrance of oils and provided good cure. With rapid advancement and wide acceptance of aromatherapy treatments among patients, the global aromatherapy market is expected to expand at healthy CAGR during the forecast period.Aromatherapy Market: Region-wise outlookDepending on geographic region, global aromatherapy market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. Europe held largest share in the global market of aromatherapy followed by North America, Japan and Asia Pacific owing to high occurrence of several diseases and disorders, great advancement in field of aromatherapy and developed healthcare infrastructure. The developing nations in Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa hold huge potential for growth in the global aromatherapy market, due to its affordable costs, less side-effects, excellent results and completely organic nature.Request For TOC@Aromatherapy Market: Key PlayersSome of the key participating global players in aromatherapy global market are Heritage oils, Native American nutritionals, North American Herb and Spice, Mountain Rose Herbs, Aura Cacia, doTerra, Young living.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Market Intelligence Report Solid State Relay, 2015-2025

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Solid state relay market: Introduction & OverviewPower or electricity is the vital component of the society. Considering the amount of power used for completing the day-to-day activities and industrial operations, power outage can bring all the regular operations to standstill. Strong industrial growth across the globe is also leading to increasing usage and congestion of electricity. Solid state relays are invented to resolve these issues.Solid state relay is an ON-OFF semiconductor device which is used to switch electricity to the load when an external voltage is applied across its terminals. In solid state relay there is no movable part alike mechanical relays. Some of the examples of solid state relays are given as; an SCR, power transistor & TRIAC. Solid state relays are often more energy efficient switches as it consumes less energy in triggering from ON condition to OFF or vice versa. Solid state relays are often used in electrical industries because of the advantages provided as; low switching time, higher breakdown voltage & low switching loss in order to make electric current system more efficient.Solid state relay market: DynamicsNow a days, Research and development is more oriented towards automated, compact and low maintenance products. The solid state relay market acquires a great potential across various applications. The key drivers responsible in the growth of solid state relay market include the demand of upgrading aging power of infrastructure in developed regions, increment in the establishment of offshore Wind farm, also the more number of startup companies providing solutions along with the advantages provided by sold state relay as more flexible &/or higher performance nature, small in size & less maintenance are some of them. On the contrary side higher cost factor, higher level of expenditure, higher thermal dissipation of solid state relay are proving to be the key restraints for solid state relay market.Request Free Report Sample@Solid state relay market: SegmentationSegmentation of solid state relay market is done on the basis of packaging type, output type, power rating type, applications & by Geography. On the basis of packaging type solid state relay market is segmented into three segments Panel mount, Din rail mount & PCB mount.On the basis of output type, segmentation of solid state relay market is done as; AC solid state relay, DC solid state relay & AC/DC output relay. By power rating the market of solid state relay is segmented as; low power (0-20A), medium power (20A-50A) & high power (50A & above).By solid state relay applications, its market is segmented into following segments; consumer application as to control power distribution, handling electrical devices, access control, elevator control & others, in food & beverages sector; in cooking appliances like microwave oven, automatic coffee machines & others, in medical & health sector care; in diagnosis & analysis devices, incubators & others, in automotive and transportation sector as in electric vehicles, train control systems, I/O interfaces & others.Request For TOC@On the basis of Geography, segmentation of solid state relay market is done as; North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Japan, Asia Pacific Excluding Japan (APEJ), and Middle East and Africa (MEA). Among which Asia pacific is having largest market share of Solid state relay & Western Europe is the second largest Market of solid state relay & in the forecasting duration Asia Pacific is going maintain its leadership in market of solid state relay.Solid state relay market: Key playersThe key players of the Solid state relay market are Crydom Inc., ABB Ltd., International Rectifier, Infineon Technologies AG, Carlo Gavazzi Holding AG, Vishay Intertechnology (Siliconix), Fairchild Semiconductor, STMicroelectronics, Texas Instruments Incorporated, Rockwell Automation, Inc., Linear Technology & others.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
The United States has nominated World Bank President Jim Yong Kim for a second term.

Treasury Secretary Jacob Lew praised Kim for working to end extreme poverty around the world, tackling inequality and fighting climate change. Lew said Kim "ably" led responses to the Ebola and refugee crises and has been pushing needed reforms at the World Bank.

The American physician, anthropologist, and former college president has headed the bank since 2012. Previously he ran major efforts to fight HIV/AIDS, including a stint at the World Health Organization.
Worldwide Transparent Conductive Coatings Market Competitive landscape By 2015 2021

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In recent years, the transparent conductive coatings industry has experienced many changes in. due to emerging applications and materials such as heat able glazing solutions, antistatic surface and transparent electrodes for displays and solar cells. Transparent conductive coatings are used in wide range of industries such as organic electronics markets and the touch screen markets.The glass is one of the most important industrial materials. The properties of glass can be changed by depositing transparent conductive coatings on their surface that leads to different mechanical, chemical, electrical and optical properties. Transparent conductive coatings cab be deposited on glass substrates by vapor and wet chemical deposition methods. As there are new technologies being witnessed in the market, this market is expected to show considerable growth in the near future.Thinking about report: Please observe the beneath the hyperlinks to satisfy your necessities; Request for the Report sample:Transparent conductive coatings are commonly used in electrical and optical applications to enhance the visibility as they block unwanted reflections from various types of surfaces. They are used for effective glare and reflection reduction. The eyeglasses with transparent conductive coatings make it possible to see the wearers eyes clearly. Telescopes, riflescopes, binocular lenses, kiosk displays, and video glasses are the other applications transparent conductive coatings market.The global transparent conductive coatings market is mainly driven by the growing demand of these coatings from eyewear as well as the electronics industry. Solar PV modules is also another sector that holds great potential in the transparent conductive coatings market. Increasing demand for comfortable and high light-transmitting lenses and eyeglasses will provide great opportunities for the growth of transparent conductive coating products and technologies. Above mentioned factors are expected to drive the growth of the transparent conductive coating market for the forecast period (2015-2025).Global Transparent Conductive Coating market is segmented by resin type, product type, application, end user, and by region.Transparent conductive Coatings By Resin Type:AcrylicEpoxyPolyurethaneOthersTransparent conductive Coatings By Product Type:Single Layer InterferenceMulti-Layer InterferenceIndex MatchingAbsorbingCircular PolarizerMoth EyeTransparent conductive Coatings By Application:Binocular LensesVideo GlassesTelescopesSmartphone DisplaysKiosk DisplaysRiflescopesFlat PanelTransparent conductive Coatings By End-User:EyewearElectronicsAutomobileSolarOthersTransparent conductive Coatings By Region:North AmericaLatin AmericaWestern EuropeEastern EuropeJapanAsia pacific (APEJ)The Middle East & Africa (MEA)The global transparent conductive coating market is estimated to witness a considerable growth for the forecast period (2015 to 2025). North America region is the leading market for transparent conductive coatings due to rising demand for transparent conductive coatings for lenses, eyeglasses, and smartphone displays in this region. According to FMIs forecast, the transparent conductive Coating market in Asia-Pacific is expected to demonstrate the fastest CAGR over the forecasted period. European demand for transparent conductive coatings is mainly driven by automobile and solar industry. FMI forecasts the Asia-Pacific region to be the fastest growing region for transparent conductive coatings market for the forecast period.Key players in the global transparent conductive Coating market are a focus on product innovations and mergers and acquisitions, in order to outperform competitors. Companies in this market are focusing on finding newer applications and newer technologies for transparent conductive coatings, to grow their market and expand their reach.Request TOC (desk of content material), Figures and Tables of the report:Some of the major players of the global transparent conductive Coating market are PPG Industries Inc., Royal DSM, Hoya Corporation, Rodenstock GmbH, Optical Coatings, Essilor International S.A, Janos Technology LLC, JDS Uniphase Corporation, Honeywell International Inc, and others.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a U.S.-based full-service market intelligence firm specializing in syndicated research, custom research, and consulting services. PMR boasts market research expertise across the Healthcare, Chemicals and Materials, Technology and Media, Energy and Mining, Food and Beverages, Semiconductor and Electronics, Consumer Goods, and Shipping and Transportation industries. The company draws from its multi-disciplinary capabilities and high-pedigree team of analysts to share data that precisely corresponds to clients business needs.PMR stands committed to bringing more accuracy and speed to clients business decisions. From ready-to-purchase market research reports to customized research solutions, PMRs engagement models are highly flexible without compromising on its deep-seated research values.ContactPersistence Market Research Pvt. Ltd305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA  Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.com
Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillator Market to be Driven Increasing Number of Training and Awareness Programs across the Globe

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An implantable cardioverter defibrillator is a device that monitors a person's heart rate post its implantation in patients with heart failure. The device continuously monitors your heartbeat and sends electrical pulses to repair a normal heart rhythm when necessary. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) or automated implantable cardioverter defibrillators can save patients from arrhythmias by regulating the irregular heartbeats.Get Free Sample Research Report :The device is used in treating sudden cardiac arrest caused due to cardiac arrhythmias, particularly ventricular fibrillation and pulseless ventricular tachycardia. Invention of the implantable cardioverter defibrillator was started by Michel Mirowski in the late 1960s after one of his close friends death who was also his mentor and had been admitted to hospital with recurrent ventricular tachyarrhythmias.The most important factors driving the global implantable cardioverter defibrillators market are increasing incidences of cardiovascular disorders, increasing demand for implantable cardioverter defibrillator from emerging countries of Asia-Pacific and the Middle-East as cardiovascular disorders are increasing and awareness about the disease also increases in these countries, increasing number of training and awareness programs across the globe for Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators. These training and awareness programs are conducted for the patients as well as the surgeons by Mayo Clinic US.The implantable cardioverter defibrillators governs the appropriate therapy for returning your heartbeat to a normal heart rhythm. Doctor programs the implantable cardioverter defibrillators to deliver functions such as anti-tachycardia pacing (ATP) and cardio. A series of small electrical impulses are delivered to the heart muscle to restore a normal heart rate and rhythm. In cardio, a low energy shock is delivered at the same time as your heartbeat to restore a normal heart rhythm. Defibrillation means when the heart is beating dangerously fast, a high-energy shock is delivered to the heart muscle to restore a normal rhythm. Bradycardia pacing means when the heart beats too slow, small electrical impulses are sent to stimulate the heart muscle to maintain a suitable heart rate.The American Heart Association recommends some guide lines for the person to be eligible for an implantable cardioverter defibrillator. The arrhythmia in question must be life threatening and the correctable causes of arrhythmia (acute myocardial infarction, myocardial ischemia, electrolyte imbalance and drug toxicity) have been ruled out by doctors have ruled out correctable causes of the arrhythmia.Implantable cardioverter defibrillators market can be segmented by product types, by procedure type, and end user type. Implantable cardioverter defibrillator are categories into single chambered, dual chambered and biventricular implantable cardioverter defibrillators on product types. Based on implantation region ICDs are categorized into trans-venous implantable cardioverter defibrillators and subcutaneous implantable cardioverter defibrillators.The subcutaneous ICD (S-ICD) is placed without inserting the leads inside the heart. The device is placed under the skin below the left axilla, or armpit along the rib cage, and not inserting in the standard location near the collarbone. The lead which is connected to the device is burrowed under the skin rather than inside the heart. The advantages of the S-ICD are that it do not show any of the immediate or long-term complications followed due to placing a lead into the heart, such as perforation of the heart and collapse of the lung.Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators is the key driver for the ICD market as it have very less complications and easy implantable procedure. Based on end user type the ICDs are divided into hospital and super specialty hospitals, home users, cardiac catheterization laboratory users and electrophysiology laboratory users. Geographically, the market has been categorized in five main regions: North America, Europe, Latin America, Asia pacific and the Middle East and Africa.The key implantable cardioverter defibrillators manufacturer companies include Boston Scientific Corporation, Imricor Medical Systems, Inc., LivaNova PLC Company, Mayo Clinic US, Medtronic plc, MicroPort Scientific Corporation, MRI Interventions, Inc., St. Jude Medical, Inc.,Browse Research Report :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.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Handheld and Digital Time Tracker: Big Differences, Great Opportunities

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Managing employees work time and attendance has always been a big challenge, particularly for companies involving mobile workers and hourly paid staff. In fact, companies from every industry report that employees often arrive in office late, leave early, and prolong their lunch breaks. A few minutes may seem like an insignificant problem, but different studies have shown it can have a great impact on business performance and efficiency.Accurate time tracking is mostly important for small businesses where even a little error can account for a significant part of the overall budget.Traditional Time Tracking ToolsTraditional time cards and punch clocks have long been used as an effective way to keep track of the hours worked. But as employees become increasingly mobile and sometimes work away from the office, time becomes harder to manage and traditional time punching becomes less and less sensible.These traditional timekeeping solutions have numerous disadvantages, including inefficiency, high risk of error, time ineffectiveness and so on.For the most of businesses, manual, paper-based time tracking requires too much effort and brings too little. The situation becomes even more complicated when there is more than one work area or project to track.There is another drawback associated with traditional time tracking approach. Many businesses report employees who are absent or tardy taking advantage of simple time punching systems and having their co-workers punch for them. This situation results in exponential losses, especially for international companies with many employees.How an automatic time tracker worksA modern time tracker solves the mentioned problems by providing the alternative to traditional time cards.The automatic time tracker has many advantages, allowing companies to effectively manage their work time spend on a every single project. Some of the greatest advantages include fast and simple time tracking process, productivity monitoring, lower maintenance costs, as well as reduced ineffectiveness and time losses. Other benefits associated with modern automatic monitoring are: much better accuracy in terms of payroll and billable hours, reduced or even eliminated buddy punching, as well as fast and accurate payroll and billing processes.And the last, but not the least: using the electronic time tracker is also environmental and can facilitate a companys overall CSR policy, which has become an inseverable part of most contemporary companies.There are time trackers designed to fit the needs and budget of virtually every type of business, offering different features, best of which allow keeping track of employee vacations, days off and sick leave. A time tracker is a complete work time management solution. It is particularly beneficial for international corporations with a large number of employees.In conclusion, as companies' work gets progressively more dynamic every day, time trackers help them record the work of employees much more efficiently than the traditional paper time cards. By automating time and attendance tracking, digital work time data makes all processes much faster, easier, and accurate, leading to increased productivity, decreased time waste and higher efficiency.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.3, Severo-Vostochnoy Ave., Saransk, Mordovia, Russia, 430000
Market Size of Drug Delivery Technology, Forecast Report 2016-2026

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Drug delivery system is the process of administering therapeutic substance through common route of administration to achieve a therapeutic effect in humans or animals. Drugs release the active ingredients in the target area so that in the period of time it controls though its formulation. The most important driving factor for drug delivery technology market is the increasing demand for effective delivery mechanisms of novel biopharmaceuticals.Recently, AstraZeneca signed a licensing agreement with Starpharma for the use of its DEP drug delivery technology aiming to enhancing the dosing and efficacy characteristics of pharmaceuticals. AstraZeneca agreed to fund all development and commercialization costs, including ongoing and future collaborative work conducted with Starpharma.Drug Delivery Technology Market: Drivers & RestraintsGrowing incidence of chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer, technological advancement, innovation, the growing focus on pediatric and geriatric patients, change in lifestyle due to growing urbanization, the increasing demand for minimally invasive surgeries, are the most important driving factors in drug delivery technology market. Since growth of biopharmaceutical market is fast, the demand for drug delivery technology market has increased.With so many advantages and splendid features of drug delivery technology, it has few disadvantages too. Side-effects related to drugs, patents expiry and regulatory hurdles are acting as key barrier for drug delivery technology.Request Free Report Sample@Drug Delivery Technology Market: SegmentationDrug delivery technology market is broadly classified on the basis of the following segments By Route of Administration :Oral RouteParenteral RouteIntramuscularIntravenousIntra-arterialSubcutaneous routeTransdermal RouteInhalation RouteNasal Drug DeliveryBy End User:HospitalsClinicsDiagnostic CentresHome care settingsOthersDrug Delivery Technology Market: OverviewThe drug delivery technology market has grown substantially at a healthy CAGR due to growing incidence of chronic diseases and change in lifestyle. With rapid technological advancement and innovation, drug delivery technology market is expected to grow globally. North America is the largest market for drug delivery technology and Asia Pacific would be the fastest growing market in the forecast period.Visit For TOC@Drug Delivery Technology Market: Region-wise OutlookThe drug delivery technology market is expected to register a double-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, drug delivery technology is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the largest market for drug delivery technology market and is contributing the most as compare to other regions. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the forecast period.Drug Delivery Technology Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players in drug delivery technology market are Johnson and Johnson Pvt Ltd, 3M, Novartis AG, Pfizer Inc, Glaxosmithkline PLC, Merck & Co., Inc, Antares Pharma, Generex Biotechnology, pSivida Corppration, Alkermes, Aradigm Corp., Vectura Group plc, NanoPass Technologies Ltd.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Market Intelligence Report Proteomics, 2016-2026

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Proteome is an entire set of proteins which is produced by a system or an organism. It can vary with different time, requirements, stresses, that an organism goes through. Proteomic is a systematic study of proteins on a broader way. Since proteins are the functional units of cells, hence proteomic answers all the questions related to it. Proteomics research can be enhanced by advances in mass spectrometry and protein and DNA sequence database. Proteomics requires various instruments, equipments, reagents, media and softwares for protein identification, quantification and identification of the interaction between proteins.Proteomics Market: Drivers & RestraintsGrowing demand for personalized medicine market, technological advancement, innovation, increase availability of funds from both private and public sector for proteomics increasing healthcare expenditure, increasing genetic disorders, birth disorders are the most important driving factors in proteomics market. Since growth of pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical market is fast, the demand for proteomics market has increased.With so many advantages and splendid features of proteomics, it has few disadvantages too. High cost of the medicines and devices and lack of professional researchers are acting as a barrier for proteomics market.Proteomics Market: SegmentationProteomics market is broadly classified on the basis of the following segments By Equipment :ChromatographyMass SpectroscopyProtein MicroarrayX-ray CrystallographyProtein fractionationOthersRequest Free Report Sample@By Services:Laboratory ServiceData Analysis and ServicesBy Application:Drug discoveryClinical DiagnosisOthersProteomics Market: OverviewThe proteomics market has grown substantially at a healthy CAGR due to growing need for personalized medicine and rising funds for proteomics research. With rapid technological advancement and innovation, proteomics market is expected to grow globally. North America is the largest market for proteomics market and Asia Pacific would be the fastest growing market in the forecast period.Proteomics Market: Region-wise OutlookThe proteomics market is expected to register a double-digit CAGR for the forecast period. Depending on geographic regions, proteomics market is segmented into seven key regions: North America, South America, Eastern Europe, Western Europe, Asia Pacific, Japan, and Middle East & Africa. North America is the largest market for proteomics market and is contributing the most as compare to other regions. Asia Pacific is the fastest growing region in the forecast period.Visit For TOC@Proteomics Market: Key PlayersSome of the key market players proteomics market are Agilent Technologies, Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc., Danaher Corporation, Genzyme Corporation, GE Healthcare, Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc., Affymetrix Inc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Automotive Interior Ambient Lighting Systems Market Intelligence Report Offers Growth Prospects

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Automotive interior ambient lighting systems primarily consists of the lighting that are incorporated inside a vehicle to aid visibility during specific time and period, particularly during night travel. In addition to the functional benefits, automotive interior ambient lighting systems gives the interior of a vehicle enhanced aesthetic look and imparts a sense of spacious in-cabin feeling.Ambient interior lighting systems also ensures safety of the driver and the passengers as it aids in the effective visibility of control panel and instruments for drivers during instances of low visibility. Nowadays, majority of the interior ambient lighting systems are directly controlled by the infotainment system. The market for automotive interior ambient lighting systems is expected to grow at a healthy rate over the forecast period.Global Automotive Interior Ambient Lighting Systems Market DynamicsThe automotive interior ambient lighting systems market is driven by increasing vehicle production, technological advancements, and the stringent regulations pertaining to the drivers safety. Moreover, the rising demand for comfort, particularly from the developing economies, is expected to drive the market growth. Factors such as product Innovation and new technology advancement to offer lucrative growth opportunities to players in the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market.Request Free Report Sample@Global Automotive Interior Ambient Lighting Systems Market SegmentationThe global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market is segmented on the basis of technology, application, vehicle type, and region.The global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market is segmented on the basis of technology as: Halogen and LEDLED is expected to be the fastest growing technology in the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market owing to the fact that LEDs are energy efficient, lightweight and takes lesser space. These attributes are responsible for the fast growth of this technology over the forecast period. Halogen technology is expected to dominate the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market owing to its low cost.On the basis of application, the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market is segmented into: instrument panel, center stack, console, door panels, speakers, and cup holders, etc.On the basis of vehicle type, the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market is segmented into: passenger vehicles, light commercial vehicles, and heavy commercial vehicles.The global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market is segmented on the basis of region as: North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific exc. Japan (APEJ), Japan, and Middle East & Africa (MEA)Global Automotive Interior Ambient Lighting Systems Market: Regional OutlookGeographically, the Global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market can be divided by major regions which include North America, Latin America, Western and Eastern Europe, Asia-Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan, and Middle East & Africa. APEJ is the largest consumer of automotive interior ambient lighting systems and is forecast to maintain its dominance over the forecast period. Followed by it, Europe is the second largest consumer in the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market.Visit For TOC@Global Automotive Interior Ambient Lighting Systems Market PlayersThe major players identified across the value chain of global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market include HELLA KGaA Hueck & Co., HUECK GmbH & Co. KG, Koito Manufacturing, Magneti Marelli S.p.A, Valeo, Ichikoh Industries, Stanley Electric, ZIZALA Lichtsysteme and others. The companies are emphasizing on research and development and new product development in order to maintain the competitive advantage in the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market during the forecast period. The companies are also focusing on different strategies in order to maintain the market share in the global automotive interior ambient lighting systems market.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is the premier provider of market intelligence and consulting services, serving clients in over 150 countries. FMI is headquartered in London, the global financial capital, and has delivery centres in the U.S. and India.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way,Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage,New York 10989,United StatesTel: +1-347-918-3531Fax: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Cold Chain Equipment Market: Growing at a CAGR of 9.8% between 2016 and 2021

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Zion Market Research has published a new report titled Cold Chain Equipment (Storage and Transport) Market for Meat, Fish & Seafood, Dairy & Frozen Desserts, Vegetables & Fruits, Bakery & Confectionary and Others End-Uses: Global Industry Perspective, Comprehensive Analysis and Forecast, 2014 - 2020. According to the report, global demand for cold chain equipment market was valued at USD 67.0 billion in 2014 is expected to reach USD 118.0 billion in 2020 and is anticipated to grow at a CAGR of 9.8% between 2015 and 2020.Request Sample Report:Cold chain is an unbroken supply chain which exclusively serves storage and distribution facilities with a temperature-controlled range to extend and to help ensure the shelf life of products like vaccines, drugs and chemicals. In cold chain process, the cold chain equipment is a vital entity of the supply chain. The cold chain equipment and vaccine carriers ensure the safety, efficiency or quality of the products distributed/transported.The global cold chain market is primarily driven by increased need to reduce food wastage across the globe. Secondly, rapid growth of frozen food segment is expected to drive the cold chain equipment market. However, high installation cost coupled with stringent government policies and regulation is expected to hinder the growth of cold chain equipment market. Nonetheless, increased demand of food in emerging countries is likely to open new avenues for cold chain equipment market in near future.Storage equipment segment dominated the cold chain equipment market in 2014, which accounted for more than 50.0% share of the global market. Storage equipment is followed by transport equipment segment of the market in 2014. Moreover, storage equipment is expected to continue this trend during the coming years due to growing need of storage equipment to fulfill the increasing demand for food coupled with strong demand of frozen food across the globe.Do Inquiry before buying:Based on end-uses segment, the global cold chain equipment market was dominated by meat, fish and seafood segment. It accounted over 35.0% share of the entire revenue generated in 2014. Furthermore, it is also expected to remain prolong segment owing to robust demand for meat, fish and seafood on global basis. Moreover, dairy and frozen dessert is another important outlet that is expected to witness the significant growth in near future.Asia Pacific is expected to be one of the fastest growing regional markets for cold chain equipment market within the forecast period. This market growth is expected to be driven by the increase in the deployment of cold chain management in India and China. Thus, the increased demand for cold chain logistics in emerging economies is one of the major trends that are expected to contribute to the growth of the global cold chain market during the years to come.Key players involved globally in cold chain market include AmeriCold Logistics, Lineage Logistics, Preferred Freezer Services, and Swire Cold Storage, A.B. Oxford Cold Storage, Bring Frigoscandia AS, Burris Logistics, Claus Sorensen, Cloverleaf Cold Storage, ColdEX and Columbia Colstor amongst others.Browse detail report at:This report segments the global cold chain equipment market as follows:Cold Chain Equipment Market: Product Segment AnalysisStorage EquipmentTransport EquipmentCold Chain Equipment Market: End-User Segment AnalysisMeat, Fish & SeafoodDairy & Frozen DessertsVegetables & FruitsBakery & ConfectionaryOthersRead Report TOC:Cold Chain Equipment Market: Regional Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of WorldAbout UsZion Market 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 Market Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact US:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
Passive Optical Network (PON) Equipment Companies Look to Harness GPON Implementation Opportunities in APAC, says TMR

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About 80% of the PON equipment revenue generated in 2014 was taken up by Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., ZTE Corporation, Alcatel-Lucent S.A., and Calix, Inc, reports Transparency Market Research (TMR) in a new study. These companies have consistently dominated the PON equipment scenario, thus creating a highly consolidated market.Most of the key players are currently looking towards emerging economies for the implementation of better connectivity solutions. Other aspects they are promoting are cost reductions in deployment and the growth of access networks for better revenue generation avenues.TMR states that a lot of the player focus is also driven towards GPON equipment because the GPON structure presents several advantages over the EPON structure as well as multiprotocol transport support. EPON technology, however, still offers a more cost-effective solution for many regional players in emerging economies.Download free exclusive Sample of this report:APAC Holds Key Opportunities in PON Equipment Through Improved Connectivity InitiativesAsia Pacific is currently a hotbed of activities in networking and connectivity, states a TMR analyst. China and India especially are showing a very high demand for passive optical networks. India for instance is planning to introduce OFC connectivity between all its villages. The spread of dark fiber across the Indian network is set to generate significant opportunities for regional and global players alike.China is currently going through a very high adoption rate of electronic devices, thereby creating high volumes of data being transmitted across networks. This high volume data traffic is actually causing users to switch from their currently wireless modes to wired  specifically optically wired  networks.Component Costs Remain too High for Some OperatorsA key restraint on the proliferation of PONs globally is the high cost associated with the operators side components. GPON, the more developed technology set, comes at a very high initial cost, but can prove to be beneficial and less expensive over time. Fiber trenching also requires a high capital investment and takes up a large chunk of a service providers total investment.Although cost recovery is possible, it can currently occur at a very slow pace, which is making several players reconsider PON implementation.View exclusive Global strategic Business report:APAC PON Demand at All-time High, will Continue to GrowThe global passive optical network (PON) equipment revenue generation is expected to progress at a highly positive CAGR of 20.7% within a forecast period from 2015 to 2023. The revenue is expected to reach US$163.50 bn by the end of 2023.WDM/WDDM is currently the largest PON equipment component and is expected to generate a revenue of US$78 bn by the end of 2023 while still retaining its market leadership. Both GPON and EPON structures are expected to grow at an extremely fast rate with GPON being the more preferred structure. It is expected to reach US$114.84 bn by the end of 2023.Asia Pacific will consistently generate the highest demand for PON equipment between 2016 and 2023. By the end of 2023, it is expected to reach US$63.01 bn, marking itself as the region with the most opportunities.Key Takeaways:Asia Pacific PON revenue expected to reach a sizeable US$63.01 bn by 2023.GPON revenue expected to be more than twice that of EPON, to reach US$114.84 bn by 2023.Heavy preference for WDM/WDDM expected to set its revenue on track to touch US$78 bn by 2023.The information presented in this review is based on a Transparency Market Research report, titled, Passive Optical Network (PON) Equipment Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015 - 2023.Key Segments of the Passive Optical Network (PON) Equipment MarketGlobal Passive Optical Network (PON) Equipment Market: By ComponentsOptical cablesOptical power splittersOptical filtersWavelength Division Multiplexer/De-MultiplexerGlobal Passive Optical Network (PON) Equipment Market: By StructureGigabit Passive Optical Network (GPON) EquipmentEthernet Passive Optical Network (EPON) EquipmentGlobal Passive Optical Network (PON) Equipment Market: By GeographyNorth AmericaEuropeAsia PacificRest of the WorldTransparency 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.90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Lubricants for sheet metal forming

Rolling mill oiled coils with Multidraw PL 61 SE

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Zeller+Gmelin at the EuroBLECH 2016 in Hanover, 25 - 29 Oct. 2016, Hall 27, Booth L42EISLINGEN, 25th August 2016 - At the 24th international technology trade fair for sheet metal processing, the EuroBLECH 2016, Zeller+Gmelin presents its range of lubricants for sheet metal forming. The offer ranges from metal forming lubricants for the automotive industry to lubricants for roll forming and hydroforming. The new Multidraw product family for the automotive sector in its 2nd generation will also be introduced to the professional public.The traditional company Zeller+Gmelin is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year. Since its beginnings in 1866, the Eislingen expert has become one of the preferred solution partners in the industry for lubricants, printing inks and chemistry. At the EuroBLECH 2016, Zeller+Gmelin will now present a wide range of innovative forming lubricants for a variety of processes and applications to professional visitors. The EuroBLECH is the most important international fair for us as a manufacturer of forming lubricants for sheet metal forming", according to Zeller+Gmelin Product Manager, Katrin Hommel. "We have supported the sheet metalworking industry for many decades with our products and the industry appreciates us as a reliable supplier, innovator and solution provider."New Multidraw series does not only score with the automotive industryThus, customers, partners and prospective customers can convince themselves of the innovatively advanced range of the lubricant expert. Zeller+Gmelin has developed ground-breaking products, in particular in the area of low-lubricant metal forming in cooperation with partners in the automotive industry. At Zeller+Gmelin fair booth (Hall 27, Booth L42), customers can discover everything about the 2nd generation of low-lubricant sheet metal forming of the Multidraw series, which is used for the chipless forming of automotive parts made of steel for light, medium and difficult degrees of deformation. The variety of application possibilities is emphasised here.Multidraw PL 61 SE - Prelubes for the effective oiling of rolling millsA highlight of the fair is thus the new prelubricant Multidraw PL 61 SE which is primarily suitable for the basic oiling of all steel surfaces from the rolling mill and helps to reduce the zinc abrasion during the forming process of hot-dip galvanised surfaces. In addition, the product has optimal draining-off inhibition, as well as excellent compatibility with all non-coated and coated sheet metal surfaces. The specially developed corrosion protection with forming properties offers an optimal preservation of semi-finished products for storage and transport - even under extreme climatic conditions. Due to its innovative composition, the prelubricant is ideal for chipless forming, such as stretch forming and ironing. Additional lubrication before forming in the press plant is frequently unnecessary. At the same time, the latest requirements for the specifications of the automotive industry on removability and paint and adhesive impact are taken into account.Washing oil, spot lube and coil coating agent for integrated useIn order to not only give the stamping plants a new prelube but a completely customised toolbox for their forming problems, a washing oil specially tailored to Multidraw PL 61 SE was developed with Multidraw KTL N 1 SE as well as a specially tailored spot oiling with MULTIDRAW KTL N 20. Thus the latter is predestined for the chipless forming of aluminium, steel, galvanised sheet metal and high strength steels of all kinds for medium to difficult degrees of forming. The new Multidraw washing oil KTL N 1 SE, in contrast, is used in coil and blank washers for cleaning before forming. It is characterised through good forming properties for light to medium degrees of forming.Multidraw Drylube E 1, a water-free coil coating agent with VDA approval for all metals (steel, galvanised steel, pre-phosphated steel, aluminium and stainless steel), also belongs to the family of the low-lubricant sheet metal forming. For better use, the hot melt leaves an anti-slip layer on the metal surface after application. The "semi-dry" film allows high degrees of deformation due to its good flexibility and mechanical properties."With our Multidraw second generation products, we take into account the currently increasing demands on stamping plants from high strength materials, complex design requirements, smaller lot sizes and new surfaces while reducing the use of metal forming lubricants", according to Product Manager, Katrin Hommel. "We look forward to every trade fair visitor who we must convince of the high innovative power of our products!"Image: Katrin Hommel, Product Manager of Deep Drawing Agents at Zeller+Gmelin: The EuroBLECH is the most important international fair for us as a manufacturer of lubricants for sheet metal forming. We have supported the sheet metalworking industry for many decades with our products and the industry appreciates us as a reliable supplier, innovator and solution provider all at the same time."Image: Rolling mill oiled coils with Multidraw PL 61 SE, the new development of the low-lubricant sheet metal forming of the Multidraw series of the 2nd generation.Image: At the EuroBLECH 2016, Zeller+Gmelin will present its wide range of lubricants for sheet metal forming.Zeller+Gmelin GmbH & Co. KG, founded in 1866, employs over 900 staff globally and almost half of them at its headquarters in Eislingen With its 16 subsidiaries the medium-sized company operates globally. The product portfolio is split into the corporate sectors lubricants, industrial chemicals and printing inks. The high-quality products have acquired a leading position on the international market. Zeller+Gmelin offers both individual and holistic solutions from a single source ranging from research and development to production. Just how high the R & D portion is, can be seen not least in the fact that approximately 20 percent of the staff who are employed in Eislingen work in this area in order to further develop and optimise the innovative products to the market and customer requirements.Susanne SchwedesMarketing CommunicationSchlossstrasse 2073054 Eislingen/Fils - GermanyTel.: +49 (0) 7161 / 802  349Fax: +49 (0) 7161 / 802  11 349E-mail: s.schwedes@zeller-gmelin.deRalf M. HaassengierPRX Agentur fur Public Relations GmbHKalkhofstrasse 5D-70567 StuttgartTel. +49 (0) 711-7189903Mail: ralf.haassengier@pr-x.deInternet:
Q2 Global Propylene Capacity and Capital Expenditure Outlook - Detailed In-depth Study Announcement by iData insights

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Q2 Global Propylene Capacity and Capital Expenditure OutlookGlobal propylene capacity is expected to witness considerable growth over the next five years, potentially increasing capacity from 111.6 mtpa in 2015 to 130.0 mtpa in 2020. Around 65 planned projects are slated to come online in the next five years, primarily in China and US.Key Highlights:~ Asia has thirty nine planned projects, out of which China has twenty six planned propylene projects adding capacity of about 6.0 mtpa by 2019. Capital expenditure for these projects is estimated to total US$3.64 billion over the next five years. Oriental Energy Co., Ltd. and Fujian Meide Petrochemical Co. are the top two companies accounting for major capacity additions in China.~ In North America, the majority of capacity additions are in the US, with planned capacity of about 3.1 mtpa and capex of US$2.44 billion over the next five years. Ascend Performance Materials LLC and Enterprise Products Partners L.P. are the top two companies contributing for major capacity additions in the US.~ In the Middle East the majority of propylene capacity additions are in Iran, with about 1.5 mtpa being added by 2018. Capital expenditure for these projects is estimated to total US$0.85 billion by 2018.~ In Europe, the majority of capacity additions are in Russia, with planned capacity additions of about 1.2 mtpa by 2020.Capital expenditure for these projects totals US$2.88 billion. Rosneft Oil Company and SIBUR Holding are the top companies accounting for major capacity additions in Russia.~ In Africa, Egypt is expected to spend around US$0.88 billion to add capacity of about 0.9 mtpa, expected to come onstream by 2020. In South America, Bolivia plans to spend US$0.19 billion to add capacity of about 0.4 mtpa, expected onstream by 2018.Latest petrochemical study Q2 Global Propylene Capacity and Capital Expenditure Outlook  New Project Announcements in China, Korea, Bolivia, Finland and Saudi Arabia Further Stack Pipeline, provides information and insight on the historic and forecast global Propylene capacity by region. The study also includes capacity share of the major Propylene producers in the world and details on the planned propylene plants and capacity by feedstock.For more information, please visitor Contact:Sarah BrandelPA to MD1866 237 2965 | Indian Office: +91 9810 686 321mark@idatainsights.comiData InsightsiData Insights which operates under Precision Research and Consulting Pvt. Ltd. is a marketing research consulting firm. Its efforts help companies to create and improve products and services based on what the market desires. We conduct both primary and secondary research. Our work does not end with research. We provide actionable recommendations and provide our expertise for business success today and tomorrow. It is our goal to be a partner to our clients in the exploration and discovery, and then be their guide in the implementation of changes that will make a difference to their bottom line.The team of highly trained syndicated research analysts create research reports, newsletters, magazines, directories and online databases which provide customers with broad technical and market trends. Their research and competitive and market intelligence studies provides specific in-depth intelligence to ensure that customers succeed in their undertaking.iData InsightsNE Airport Way, 355991Portland, Oregon, 97230United StatesSarah BrandelPA to MD1866 237 2965 | Indian Office: +91 9810 686 321mark@idatainsights.com
Already suffering from the earthquake that shook the area Wednesday, a strong 4.3 magnitude aftershock hit the town of Amatrice in central Italy.

The aftershock caused more damage to buildings and sent up plumes of smoke, instilling panic in the town.

Meanwhile, civil protection officials have revised the death toll from Wednesdays 6.2-magnitude earthquake to 241, with 184 in Amatrice, 46 in Arqueta and 11 in Accumoli, the three hardest-hit towns, which are largely ruined. Several hundred have sustained injuries and received treatment.

Authorities said they expected to confirm more deaths as the search operation continue. So far, 215 people have been pulled alive from mounds of rubble. Rescue crews aided by sniffer dogs have been digging through crumbled homes looking for more earthquake survivors.
Automotive Keyless Entry Systems Market to ship more than 130 million units by 2021

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Beige Market Intelligence has published a new report "Strategic Assessment of Worldwide Automotive Keyless Entry System Market  Forecast Till 2021Strategic Assesment of Automotive Keyless Entry System Market  Forecast Till 2021 is a new report recently published by Beige Market intelligence with a worldwide coverage as well as a segmentation by product (remote keyless entry, passive keyless entry) by vehicle type (passenger cars, light commercial vehicles, heavy commercial vehicles) by geography (APAC, Europe, Latin America, Middle East and Africa, and North America) and by end-user market (original equipment manufacturers and aftermarket). The market research report provides growth trends, analysis and forecasts for the period 2016  2021 and predicts the market to ship more than 130 million units of automotive keyless entry systems by 2021.Emerging markets tend to be an important factor that is driving the sales for automotive keyless entry systems considering these markets provide ample of opportunities for OEMs to sell their products. The demand for automobiles in general from the developed nations has been more or less steady. The emerging markets however have continued to show a continuous growth and OEMs are ensuring that technology is what drives the growth of the market in these regions. The BRIC nations in particular have seen quite a lot of activity in terms of the number of companies that have been entering and expanding their operations within the given markets. Many global automakers have partnered with automakers of emerging market nations to gain access to their markets. For example Ford has partnered with Changan Auto and BMW sells its cars in China through Brilliance China Automotive.North America to be the leading contributor to the Automotive Keyless Entry Systems Market in 2021The Automotive Keyless Entry Systems Market in North America is expected to be the leading contender in comparison to the other regions in 2021 with more than 40 million units of these systems expected to be shipped in the region. Increasing number of instances of automobile theft in the region has made it absolutely necessary for alarm systems to be installed in all vehicles which a keyless system is able to offer in addition to the convenience of locking the vehicle remotely. Keyless systems are now almost standard with every variant and type of passenger vehicle that is sold in North America. The market is expected to grow at more than 5 percent CAGR during the forecast period with the US being the leading country in terms of unit shipment in the region in 2021.Automotive Keyless Systems will be used Primarily by Passenger cars in 2021Passenger cars are expected to be the highest contributor to the Automotive Keyless Entry Systems market in comparison to light commercial and heavy commercial vehicles. Amongst the three categories of automobiles, passenger cars are expected to contribute to more than 50 percent of all automobiles by 2021. Passenger cars have been a key adopter of keyless entry systems for quite some time where luxury vehicles were primarily the only adopters. As of 2015, almost every category of passenger vehicle is using keyless entry systems.Remote Keyless Entry expected to contribute to more than 65 percent of all automotive entry systems by 2018Remote keyless entry systems were first introduced in the market in the eighties and were primarily used in luxury vehicles. Since then, they are now being used across all categories of vehicles. The next upgrade in keyless entry systems is the passive keyless entry system which is being used across a number of automobile models today, however, is still very much over shadowed by remote keyless entry systems. As of 2015, more than 60 percent of all automobiles that are produced in the market have a remote keyless entry system.Competition among VendorsCompanies operating in this market include Alps Electric, Continental, Delphi, Hella, Marquardt, Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Valeo and ZF TRW.To know more about the Strategic Assessment of Worldwide Automotive Keyless Entry Market  Forecast Till 2021, please visit the linkAbout Beige Market IntelligenceBeige Market Intelligence is a provider of competitive business intelligence, working across various industry verticals. Our expertise and knowledge ensures that the market analysis Beige provides is comprehensive, detailed and complete. The analysis helps our client organizations become aware and to make educated decisions, as far as investing or devising a marketing strategy is concerned. The actionable insights delivered through our market research provide a comprehensive market analysis for every level of market segmentation in an industry.Our team of experts ensure the analysis you receive is not just analyzed and presented, but can also be customized based on the clients requirement. Our deliverables guarantee our current global client base do not look beyond Beige when it comes to competitive intelligence.Beige has an employee base present across the globe. Our analysts come with numerous years of industry experience, which ensures we not only understand our clients but deliver high quality reports as well.ContactBeige Market IntelligenceChinnapannahalli, Doddanekundi Main Road,Bangalore-560037Email: info@beigemarketintelligence.comcall 9986433385
Nuvoton launches comprehensive IoT solutions: The NuMaker series development platforms on ARM mbed OS 5.1

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Hsinchu, Taiwan - 2016/08/16 - To address a range of internet of Things (IoT) developer demands, Nuvoton debuts its comprehensive set of IoT solutions - the NuMaker series of development platforms.The ARM Cortex-M processer family-based platforms feature communication gateways, routers and sensors. The platforms can either be used as stand-alone devices or freely combined with other platforms for faster IoT solution creation and deployment. The NuMaker series of development platforms includes the following models:-ARM mbed OS 5.1-based NuMaker-PFM-NUC472 platform-NuMaker-PFM-M453 platform-802.15.4 based 6LoWPAN wireless solution Cascoda-Python supported NuMaker Tomato for wireless router applications-NuMaker Brick extensible platform featuring six sensor functions-Bluetooth and Wi-Fi modules included with super-low power consumption. The NuMaker Uni is especially suitable for wearable devicesIn its product launch today, Nuvoton demonstrates the IoT smart city application scenario in three parts, to educate developers about the NuMaker development platforms' diversified applications in IoT:-Smart city: Employs NuMaker-PFM-NUC472 platform as the master control to regulate street lamps and automatically collect data from Wi-Fi and light sensors, accompanied by the NuMaker-PFM-M453 platform for energy saving and safety protection. This captures PM2.5 air pollution data from sensor ends and transmits to cloud for big data analysis or further applications.-Smart building: Employing the NuMaker-PFM-NUC472 platform as the master control, it creates building intelligence using smart detection and interactive functions with 802.15.4 based 6LoWPAN wireless transmission. The NuMaker-PFM-M453, combined with three sensor functions enabled by NuMaker Brick, allows various safety management capabilities including gas detection, fire alert, break-in alarm, earthquake monitoring, and humidity control. It allows the building status to be monitored from mobile devices to ensure home security.-Home/Health care: To address the growing ageing population, Nuvoton is offering home and health care solutions which use the NuMaker-PFM-NUC472 platform to execute Bluetooth data transmission, and the NuMaker Uni-based wearable device. This utilizes a gesture or pulse sensor function to immediately alert specific personnel in the case of any abnormalities, helping to prevent accidents with unattended individuals.NuMaker development platformNuvoton uses its rich experience in microcontrollers to continuously develop accessible and innovative development platforms specially targeted at the maker market, with a particular focus on the booming maker community, diversified age and coding capability of makers. The new platforms address a range of IoT developer needs:NuMaker-PFM-M453The NuMaker-PFM-M453 master control platform provides the following features: security, communication and device management modules, low power Bluetooth support, thread, Wi-Fi, 802.15.4/6LoWPAN, TLS/DTLS, CoAP, HTTP, MQTT and lightweight M2M. Embedded with 32KB SRAM and 256KB Flash, it is ideal for IoT equipment operation. Developers may employ NuMaker-PFM-M453 as a collection point or sensor node to securely connect to the device lifecycle services within the ARM mbed Device Connector for equipment connection and management. This allows tiny amounts of data to be collected locally to the cloud for valuable information generation and big data analysis.NuMaker-PFM-M453 features an embedded ARM Cortex-M4 core. The main board uses a general purpose interface and is Arduino UNO compatible. Users may develop their own application by working with any Arduino modules. In addition to the extension interface, the main board embeds scores of peripherals including a buzzer, RGB LED, keypad, microphone, headset input/output, USB OTG, triaxial accelerometer and gyro sensor group.NuMaker-PFM- NUC472ARM mbed OS 5.1 is a result of strong collaboration between mbed partners, including Nuvoton. The NUC472 is enabled by this latest release for developers wanting to design it into production ready IoT devices. Nuvoton is presenting its ARM mbed OS 5.1-based NuMaker-PFM-NUC472 platform, which is designed to tackle even more complex computing requirements and cloud network protocols. In addition to the features of NuMaker-PFM-M453, it also includes a 1MB SRAM and embedded Ethernet networking port for complex cloud network protocol support. The user-friendly input interface provided by Nuvoton enables fast verification, learning, and application development for easy IoT application creation.NuMaker TomatoNuMaker Tomato is a single board computer (SBC) with a simple layout. It adopts a developer-friendly open-source environment and runs on the Linux operating system. It is embedded with a NUC976DK62Y 32-bit ARM926EJ-S processor core which runs up to 300 MHz. The Tomato includes the NAU8822 Audio Codec, making it especially suitable for audio processing. It also comes with a built-in 64MB DDR2 RAM, and offers a comprehensive and rich selection of interfaces including the 10/100 Mbps Ethernet port, Micro SD port, microphone input and 3.5mm headphone jacks. The Tomato also supports two sets of USB 2.0 high-speed host devices and Arduino compatible pins. The NuMaker Tomato is the perfect solution for makers to create various types of customized IoT applications.NuMaker BrickThe NuMaker Brick is a highly extendable open-source IoT platform including a combination of sensors and modules which can work independently or be arranged in any order. The nine cell grid structure of the NuMaker Brick platform integrates IoT sensors including gyroscope, LED, buzzer, sonar, temperature, humidity, IR transceiver, gas, buttons, and master control module. Nuvoton has reduced complexity in the new module development by providing a communication protocol with advanced technology. A maker may select required modules for their desired combination and come up with a design prototype by executing remote monitoring, dynamic system parameter tuning, and module trigger association setup in less time. Makers have been using NuMaker Brick for scores of system designs including firefighting navigation, sleep quality management, aquaponics, air pollution detection, and forest monitoring.NuMaker UniNuMaker Uni is an IoT development platform with small dimensions of 3.5cm x 3.5cm, making it particularly suitable for wearable devices. It integrates the 802.11 b/g/n Wi-Fi module and Bluetooth module, as well as four instantly operable modules including the accelerometer, temperature-humidity sensor, IR transceiver and RGB LED light. The NuMaker Uni leaves 20 multifunctional pins unprogrammed to allow more flexibility in design. In low power mode, it consumes less than 1 of electricity.Cascoda 802.15.4The Cascoda 802.15.4 module comes with 802.15.4 MESH networking. This enables developers to design applications with 6LoWPAN standard, and supports wireless data transmission via a network communication protocol by small devices with low power consumption. The ultra-low power consumption of Cascoda 802.15.4 makes it the perfect fit for sensor terminal nodes in IoT applications. By being able to directly communicate with cloud, developers can easily deploy large scale sensor network for big data collection and analysis.For more information on NuMaker PFM, please visit:To purchase Nuvoton NuMaker series development platform products please go to:* Note: Nuvoton and NuMicro are registered trademarks of Nuvoton Technology Corp. All other trademarks and copyrights mentioned herein are the property of their respective owners.Nuvoton Technology Corporation (NTC) was founded to bring innovative semiconductor solutions to the market. NTC was spun-off as a Winbond Electronics affiliate in July 2008 and became public in September 2010 on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Nuvoton Technology focuses on development of analog/mixed signal, microcontroller, cloud and computing products and has strong market share in Industrial, Consumer and Computer markets. Nuvoton owns a wafer fab, featuring customized processes for analog, power and MCU products. Besides in-house IC products, the wafer fab also provides part of its capacity for foundry services.- Nuvoton Technology Corporation- No. 4 , Creation Rd. III, Hsinchu Science Park, Taiwan- Carol Chang- Email: yhchang8@nuvoton.com- Tel: +886-3-5770066 ext.33123
Medical Image Analysis Software Market Innovations to Dictate the Future of Companies in the Global

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A new market research report by Transparency Market Research, titled Medical Image Analysis Software Market  Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2015  2023, is a comprehensive study elaborating on the prime roles of medical image analysis software. Aspects such as the current size of the market and the predicted growth trends in the forecast period from 2015 to 2013 have also been included in this study. In addition, the report also throws light on the chief performing products in the market, along with stating the estimated performance of these products all through the forecast horizon. Furthermore, the top application segments as well as end-use segments have also been presented via this research report in order to provide a detailed study on the market for medical image analysis software.Request a Free PDF Brochure with Report Analysis:According to this research report, the advantages associated with the utilization of medical image analysis software such as easy readability, sharing and storing of images, and rising productivity are boosting the market for medical image analysis software. In addition, factors such as the rising geriatric population resulting in increased diagnostic check-ups and the rising convenience owing to image availability on mobile devices are also amongst the chief factors fuelling the market, as per this study. On the other hand, factors such as the issues of data security and the soaring costs of software may have a negative effect on the growth of the market.On the basis of imaging modality, the report segments the market into magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and positron emission tomography (PET), x-ray, computed tomography (CT), microscopy, and ultrasound. In terms of end use, the market for medical image analysis software is segmented into diagnostic centers and general hospitals.The report, on the basis of geography, segments the market into Europe, Asia Pacific, North America, and Rest of the World (RoW). Amongst these, North America leads the market and is trailed by Europe. This is owing to the swift technological advancements and the increasing demand for n-dimensional and platform-independent image processing and visualization in these two regions. On the other hand, as per the report, Asia Pacific emerged as the most lucrative medical image analysis software market and is poised to grow at a rapid rate in the coming years. This is owing to the rising occurrence of diseases requiring diagnostic tools, enhancement in health care facilities, and increasing government initiatives in this region.Carestream Health, Toshiba Medical Systems Corporation, Bruker Corporation, and Merge Healthcare, among others, are the major players operating in the market, as per this study.Browse Research Report on Global Medical Image Analysis Software Market:About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Barium Oxide Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2013 - 2023.

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Barium oxide is a hygroscopic compound majorly used for ceramic coating, glass, optical applications. It is a non flammable compound prepared by heating barium carbonate with coke, carbon black or tar. Other method by which barium oxide can be produced is by thermal decomposition of barium nitrate. It is cubical in structure.Barium oxide is majorly used for coating applications. It is used to coat hot cathodes such as cathode ray tubes. It is used as a substitute to lead oxide for the production of certain types of glasses such as optical crown glass. Barium oxide is used as an ethoxylation catalyst in the reaction of ethylene oxide and alcohols. This reaction takes place between 150o and 200o. In addition, it is also a source of pure oxygen though heat fluctuation. Barium Oxide powder is typically insoluble in aqueous solutions (water) and is extremely stable making them useful in ceramic structures such as producing clay bowls, advanced electronics and in light weight structural components in aerospace and electrochemical applications such as fuel cells in which they exhibit ionic conductivity. Furthermore, barium oxide is available in pellets, powder, tablets and nano  powder. Thus, they can be used in an array of applications.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:The growing demand for coating applications in various industries in order to make the products and equipment corrosion and heat resistant is expected to augment the growth of the barium oxide market. In addition, barium oxide is extensively used in nanotechnology. Thus, the increasing demand for nanotechnology coupled with its wide applications in other industries such as glass and ceramics is anticipated to propel the demand for barium oxide. However, barium oxide is harmful to human skin and if swallowed in large quantity causes irritation. Excessive quantities of barium oxide may lead to death. If it contacts the skin or the eyes or is inhaled it causes pain and redness. However, it is more dangerous when ingested. It can cause nausea and diarrhea, muscle paralysis, cardiac arrhythmia, and can cause death. If ingested, medical attention should be sought immediately. Moreover, it is harmful to aquatic organisms. Thus, there are stringent regulations on the use of barium oxide which may restrain the growth of barium oxide in the near future.Asia Pacific was the leading regional market for barium oxide. China had the largest demand for barium oxide owing to huge demand from the automobile and other industries. However, other countries such as India, Japan and South Korea are likely to exhibit more demand for barium oxide in upcoming years. Asia Pacific has experienced dynamic economic growth in the past decade. This trend is expected to continue in the next few years. Asia Pacific was followed by North America. U.S. had the largest demand for barium oxide. The demand was huge owing to increasing demand from various applications and for research and development purposes in chemical industry. Europe had the third largest market share in barium oxide market. Growing demand from automobile industry is driving the barium oxide market in Europe. European countries such as Germany and the UK were the major consumers of barium oxide in this region. Rest of the World market is anticipated to have stable demand for barium oxide market in near future. Latin America is one of the largest markets for barium hydroxide in the Rest of the World.Browse Industry Research Report with free Analysis:Some of the key players in the barium oxide market are Tianjin Flourish Chemical Co. Ltd. and Alliance Global among others.This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends. Geographies analyzed under this research report includeNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeMiddle East and AfricaLatin AmericaThis report provides comprehensive analysis ofMarket growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for upcoming yearsThis report is a complete study of current trends in the market, industry growth drivers, and restraints. It provides market projections for the coming years. It includes analysis of recent developments in technology, Porters five force model analysis and detailed profiles of top industry players. The report also includes a review of micro and macro factors essential for the existing market players and new entrants along with detailed value chain analysis.About UsTransparency Market Research 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. We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700Albany NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453E-mail: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Bio-based Anionic Surfactants Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024.

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Surface Active Agent also called as surfactants, are a group of organic compounds that lowers the interfacial tension between liquids or the surface tension of a liquid. Generally, these are used as detergents or wetting agents, emulsifiers or foaming agents. Globally, anionic surfactants account for the largest share in the surfactants market. Surfactants finds usage across various applications such as detergents, soaps, textiles, personal care, oilfield chemicals, pharmaceuticals, food, elastomers, crop protection, and plastics amongst others.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:Anionic surfactants account for the largest share of the commodity surfactants market. Growing crude oil prices and environmental regulations are expected to increase the demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. In terms of volume, the three largest anionic surfactants were alpha-olefin sulfonates, linear alkylbenzene sulfonates and alcohol ether sulfates. All these anionic surfactants are ethylene based, which is a petrochemical derivative. Bio-based anionic surfactants include alcohol ether sulfate (AES) and methyl ester sulfonate (MES). Methyl ester sulfonate (MES) is produced from palm oil and alcohol ether sulfate is produced from coconut oil. Both the bio-based anionic surfactants namely alcohol ether sulfate and methyl ether sulfate can also substitute few of the other ethylene based anionic surfactants. In terms of properties, bio-based anionic surfactants have all the desirable properties that are required for personal care and detergent products.The main restraints of the synthetic surfactants market are the volatile raw material prices and environment regulations, these factors act as drivers for the bio-based surfactants market. Anionic surfactants are largely ethylene based and hence are prone to price and supply fluctuations. The increase in production cost due to raw material price fluctuation has put strains on the profit margins of synthetic surfactants. This volatility of supply and price fluctuation during the pricing of their products has made it difficult for the surfactant producers to transfer the increased price to their customers, or they risk of losing the market share. The current market demand for environment friendly alternatives has led to boost the demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. All these aspects are anticipated to drive the market for bio-based anionic surfactants in the near future.In initial stage of growth, bio-based surfactant market is being used as a substitute for synthetic surfactants in various applications. Moreover, the scope for bio-based surfactant is wide as the synthetic surfactants market is a relatively mature market. High comparative prices and technological constraints might act as a restraint to the growth of bio-based anionic surfactants market.The regions such as North America, Europe, and Japan contribute to a larger share of demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. In these regions, consumers are more aware about the environmental benefits of these products and tend to prefer environment friendly alternatives. Moreover, environment regulations in these regions have led to an increase in demand for bio-based anionic surfactants. The demand for bio-based anionic surfactants in regions such as Asia Pacific and Rest of the World is anticipated to witness strong growth over the next few years. High price and supply fluctuations of petrochemical products and reducing dependence on crude oil is likely to drive the demand for bio-based substitutes and consequently bio-based anionic surfactants.Some of the major companies operating in the global calcium carbide market are AGAE Technologies, BASF SE, Clariant AG, Rhodia SA, Henkel, Stepan Company, The Dow Chemical Company and AkzoNobel N.V. among others.Browse Industry Research Report with free Analysis: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.The study is a source of reliable data on:Key market segments and sub-segmentsEvolving market trends and dynamicsChanging supply and demand scenariosQuantifying market opportunities through market sizing and market forecastingTracking current trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive insightsOpportunity mapping in terms of technological breakthroughsAbout UsTransparency Market Research 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. We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700Albany NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453E-mail: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Installation to Surge Globally as Demand for Cost-Effective and Renewable Energy Rises

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The presence of a large number of companies offering diverse products and services related to combined heat and power (CHP) installations is fueling competition in the global CHP installation market. A CHP system is manufactured using numerous components such as turbines, filters, generators, engines, valves, and compressors. Several companies are therefore present in the market, selling key components, providing after-sales services, and distributing equipment.BDR Thermea Group B.V. held the largest share in the global CHP installation market in 2014, as per TMR analysis. Some of the most prominent enterprises operating in the market include 2G Energy AG, Siemens AG, Edina Ltd., Wartsila Corporation, ENER-G Holdings Plc (ENER-G), Clarke Energy Ltd., and others. The top eight companies hold 53% of the global combined heat and power installation market.Get Free PDF Brochure for more Professional and Technical industry insights:The demand for CHP systems mainly arises for industrial applications, followed by commercial and residential applications. As the industrial segment accounts for the largest share in the market, it holds lesser scope for growth compared to the residential and commercial application segments. As per TMR, the U.S., Japan, and Germany are at the fore of adopting CHP systems for commercial and residential applications.Strong Existing CHP Networks Facilitate CHP Installations GloballyCHP systems sales worldwide are riding on the strong existing CHP network. Furthermore, the increasing awareness regarding the benefits of CHP systems will boost their installations across emerging economies of Asia Pacific. Since the last few years, these countries have been exhibiting high demand for energy-efficient technologies. Developing countries therefore offer attractive opportunities for the vendors operating in the market.TMR forecasts the value chain of the global CHP installation market to remain highly complicated during the forecast period from 2014 to 2024. The implementation of stringent emission control norms worldwide has compelled leading enterprises to adopt forward integration. Such strategies could have an adverse impact on the markets growth trajectory, said a TMR analyst. Combined with this, the high cost incurred on installing CHP systems is also inhibiting the large-scale proliferation of CHP installations, he added. Nevertheless, increasing scope in the residential and commercial sector is expected to boost the prospects for the market in the near future.Large-scale CHPs to Lose Market Share to Micro & Small CHPs in the Forecast PeriodBy type, large-scale CHPs hold a dominant share of 85.69% in the global CHP installation market, followed by micro- and small scale CHPs in 2014. However, they are expected to lose a significant part of their market share to the latter in the near future. The rising usage of micro- and small-scale CHPs across residential and commercial sector will enable the segment to report the fastest CAGR during the forecast period. However, the increasing CHP installation in India and China will keep the demand for large-scale CHPs high in the forthcoming years.Easy Availability of Natural Gas Boosts Prospects for CHP Installations in EuropeRegionally, Europe emerged as the largest market for CHP installations in 2014. The region accounted for a share of 67.96% in the overall market in 2014. The easy availability of natural gas in Russia, has significantly contributed to the increased demand for CHP installations in Europe. Other countries in Europe exhibiting increasing demand for CHP installations include Germany, Poland, Belgium, Italy, and the Netherlands.Leading companies operating in the market are also looking to explore untapped opportunities in the Asia Pacific market.Driven by the increased demand across emerging economies, the global combined heat and power installation market is poised to surge at 4.38% CAGR. TMR pegs the markets valuation at US$524.89 bn in 2014. By the end of 2024, the market is expected to reach US$812.80 bn.Browse Industry Research Report with free Analysis:This review is based on the findings of a TMR report, titled Combined Heat and Power (CHP) Installation Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth Trends, and Forecast 2016  2024.The report segments the global combined heat and power installation market at:CHP Installation Market: By CHP TypeLarge-scale CHPMicro & Small-scale CHPCHP Installation Market: By CHP ApplicationResidentialCommercialIndustrialCHP Installation Market: By CHP TechnologyCombined CycleSteam TurbineCombustion/Gas TurbineReciprocation EngineOthers (Microturbine, Fuel Cell, and Waste Heat Recovery)About UsTransparency Market Research 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. We are privileged with highly experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Transparency Market Research90 State Street,Suite 700Albany NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453E-mail: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Chromatography Systems Market: Size, Share, Comprehensive Analysis by 2015 - 2021

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Chromatography is a laboratory technique used for separation of mixture and utilized in different ways. Chromatography is an essential technique for life science research, agriculture, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry. Chromatography technique isolates the mixture into two phases specifically mobile phase and stationary phase. The mobile phase travels through the stationary phase by taking compound to be tested with it. At different points in the stationary phase the different components of the compound get absorbed and stop moving with the mobile phase. Over 60% of analysis worldwide is currently done by chromatography technique. Chromatography has a number of advantages over older separation technique such as solvent extraction, distillation, and crystallization.Request Sample Report:Increased importance of chromatography in pharmaceuticals, laboratories, forensic labs is a major driving factor for the chromatography systems market. Additionally, increasing number of research activity and advancement in technology is predicted to fuel the growth of this market. Pharmaceutical industries and biotechnology are the major end users of the chromatography technique. Furthermore, government funds and grants for research can stimulate the usage of chromatography methods in these industries. However, high cost of chromatography products can hinder the market in the long run. Also, necessity of skilled individuals to handle chromatography system and alternative separation techniques may hamper the market growth.Chromatography system market is segmented on the basis of types and geography. By type, the market is categorized into gas chromatography, liquid chromatography (high pressure liquid chromatography, ultra high pressure liquid chromatography, and low pressure liquid chromatography) and other (ion-exchange chromatography, affinity chromatography, supercritical fluid chromatography, column chromatography, thin layer chromatography). Liquid chromatography is one of the largest segments of the chromatography system in use.Do Inquiry before buying:North America accounted for the largest share of the chromatography market primarily due to increased research activities for different medicines, biologics development and government investments. Europe was the second largest market for chromatography systems. North America and Europe are predicted to lead chromatography systems business sector throughout the next five years. Chromatography market in Asia Pacific will grow and expand with a rapid pace due to factors such as extension of local organizations and investment of western pharmaceuticals companies in this region.The major players in the chromatography market include Agilent Technologies, APIX, PerkinElmer, Quadrex, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Inc., CDS Analytical, OI Analytical (Xylem), and Shimadzu Corporation.Browse report at:Global Chromatography Systems Market: Type Segment AnalysisGas ChromatographyLiquid ChromatographyHigh Pressure Liquid ChromatographyUltra High Pressure Liquid ChromatographyLow Pressure Liquid ChromatographyOthersIon-Exchange ChromatographyAffinity ChromatographySupercritical Fluid ChromatographyColumn ChromatographyThin Layer ChromatographyRequest TOC (Table of Contents) of this report:Global Chromatography Systems Market: Region Segment AnalysisNorth AmericaU.S.EuropeUKFranceGermanyAsia PacificChinaJapanIndiaLatin AmericaBrazilMiddle East & AfricaAbout UsZion Market 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 Market Research experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants uses proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Contact US:Zion Market Research4283, Express Lane,Suite 634-143,Sarasota, Florida 34249, United StatesTel: +49-322 210 92714USA/Canada Toll Free No.1-855-465-4651Email: sales@zionmarketresearch.comWebsite:
Asia-Pacific Advanced Driver Assistance Systems Market is estimated to surpass Europe during 2016 -2022

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The global ADAS market is being driven due to several factors, including government initiatives to include advanced technology in public safety on roads, increasing demand for premium passenger cars and growing demand for connectivity in vehicles. The increasing partnerships and collaborations have been observed during the recent past in the global ADAS market. The key players are also engaged in launching new products with up graded technology and features. Europe dominated the global market; however Asia-Pacific is estimated to surpass it during the forecast period.Explore Report with Detailed TOC at:Technical collaborations are very important for the growth of a company in the ADAS market. The leading manufacturers in the industry are collaborating within or outside the industry to upgrade their product portfolio. Valeo entered into two agreements in 2015 with Safran and Mobileye N.V. The partnership with Safran aims at enhancement in driving aids in autonomous vehicles. On the other hand, under the partnership with Mobileye, Valeo will design front-facing camera solutions and products based on sensor fusion with the use of Mobileyes EyeO microprocessors and computer vision algorithms. During the same year, Robert Bosch collaborated with Axel Springer Media Entrepreneurs to develop products with connected mobility solutions including digital content.Request for Report Sample:In 2015, Ford entered into collaboration with RWTH Aachen University, Germany. The aim for collaboration is to conduct research in the field of ADAS to meet changing customer preferences in driving assistance systems. In 2014, Autoliv entered into an agreement with Neonode Inc. for the development and licensing of active sensor steering wheel application to develop a new human machine interface-sensing product for vehicle steering. Under the agreement terms, Neonode will license its zForce drive technology to Autoliv.The information and data in the publication Global Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) Market Size, Share, Development, Growth and Demand Forecast to 2022, represents the research and analysis of data from various primary and secondary sources. A bottom-up approach has been used to calculate the market size in terms of value. P&S Market Research analysts and consultants interacted with leading companies of the concerned domain to substantiate every value of data presented in the report. The company bases its primary research on discussions with prominent professionals and analysts in the industry, which is followed by informed and detailed, online and offline research.Browse Related Research:The key players in the global ADAS market include Magna International Inc., Autoliv Inc., Continental AG, Robert Bosch GmbH, Valeo, Denso Corporation, Ford Motors Company, BMW AG, and Audi AG.GLOBAL ADAS MARKET SEGMENTATIONBy Component Sensoro Ultrasonic Sensoro Infrared Sensoro Radar Sensoro Image Sensoro LiDAR Sensoro Laser Sensor Systemo Tire Pressure Monitoring Systemo Drowsiness Monitoring Systemo Park Assisto Adaptive Cruise Controlo Blind Spot Detection Systemo Lane Departure Warning Systemo Adaptive Front Lighting Systemo Others (including Night Vision System and Driver Monitoring System)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, were 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.DeepAssistant  Client Partner347, 5th Ave. #1402New York City, NY - 10016Toll-Free: +1-888-778-7886 (USA/Canada)Email: enquiry@psmarketresearch.comWeb:
Mobile Advertising Market To Hit US$ 269.14 Bn by 2024 Owing To Exponential Rise In Mobile users Globally

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Mobile advertising is a form of advertising using mobile devices. It is a subgroup of mobile marketing. Mobile advertising provides information/content developed/designed by advertisers intended for customers/mobile device users. The different types of advertising includes display advertising, In-app, In-game, rich media, search, sms/mms/P2P messaging and others. Mobile advertising provides a solution to advertisers to reach targeted users through various devices to deliver information about innovative tools and technology. Mobile advertising solutions enables advertisers to target users, such as advertising campaign solutions, in order to a reach defined set of goals which includes raising brand awareness, establishing brand and increase rate of conversions and so on.Key factors driving the growth of the mobile advertising market include rising concerns about security, and privacy, deletion, and misuse/manipulation of data are some of the major fears that persist among online users.In Global Mobile Advertising Market by Devices, smartphone segment holds the largest share due to high penetration rate of smartphone devices across the world. The smartphone segment is also expected to be fastest growing segment in the forecast period due to increasing adoption rate of smartphones in the emerging economies such as India and Brazil.Free PDF For Full Details with Technological breakthroughs is @In 2014, the search advertising type was the largest segment in the global mobile advertising market. The search advertising type is majorly preferred by the sectors such as BFSI, telecommunication and IT, and FMCG. Search advertising offers an opportunity to place online advertisements on the webpage that shows results from search queries; however this type is majorly adopted by advertisers. In-App advertising is anticipated to be the fastest growing segment in the forecast period due to increasing number of mobile applications for various industries such as banking, logistics and retail.Advertisement Campaign solutions holds the largest share as political parties are using these solutions for attracting the attention of population in their region during different stages of elections which include local body to national level elections. The reporting & analytics solution is expected to be the fastest growing segment in the forecast period due to rising adoption of data analytics solutions in understanding the mindset of customers.In the mobile advertising market by region, North America is the major contributor for the revenue generated in the global mobile advertising market. The APAC region is anticipated to be the fastest-growing segment during the forecast period due to high growth in mobile innovation and high usage of Internet through by consumers in the region. The North America mobile advertising market revenue is mainly contributed by the government and BFSI sectors.Market Insight of mobile advertising can be Viewed @The growth of the mobile advertising market is mainly contributed by major players such as Amobee, Inc. (Singtel Limited), Apple, Inc. (iAd), Chartboost, Euclid Analytics, Facebook, Inc., Flurry (Yahoo, Inc.), Google, Inc. (Admob Ads), Inmobi, Microsoft Corporation, Millenial Media, Mopub Inc., and Tune Inc. (HasOffers).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:
Global ATM Market Segment Forecasts up to 2019, Research Report

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The global ATM market has been growing at significant rate in the last few years. With a simple card, an ATM allows its user to make monetary transactions irrespective of geography and time. A customer can perform a transaction by inserting by entering a PIN or a personal identification number of a CVV number, cards expiry date, and its 3D security pin in case of an online transaction. All of these numerical combinations are unique to every ATM card, and thus unique to every ATM user.Get Free Sample Report Copy :Transparency Market Researchs report on ATM market provides a wealth of knowledge about the market dynamics, current trends, and the forecast for the coming years. The ATM market report gives its readers a comprehensive outlook on the market. These reports have been written by expert industry analysts and thus contain a worthy perspective of the market. To identify the factors affecting the market, the report is written with a SWOT analysis and a Porters five forces analysis. Both these tools will help the readers know the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats the ATM market faces in absolute depth.The last segment of the report also provides its readers with company profiles of some of the important players in the ATM market.Overview of ATM MarketATM is an abbreviation for automated teller machine, which also popularly known as cash point, cash machine, cash line, or automated banking machine. Since the inception and introduction of ATM in the banking system, its market has only grown by leaps and bounds. The major factors driving the ATM market are the ease with which it allows its users to make cash transactions, withdrawals, check their balances, and make purchases both, online and offline. An ATM is also popularly used by foreign travelers as it allows them easy conversion of money in the required currency. As the ATM market allows a possibility of traveling cashless, it creates a chance for safety and security.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :However, the ATM market does face its own set of challenges. As the ATM card can be misused if it is not secured by a PIN. Additionally, sometimes ATM transactions dispense extra cash causing a loss to the bank. An ATM card can also be tampered with, which further leaves room for scams, frauds, and thefts.The report perfectly analyzes the market drivers and restraints for its readers. It also segments the market based on geographical market share. It states, North America is the biggest market share holder for ATM markets, which is then followed by Europe.Companies Mentioned in ATM Market Research ReportSome of the important players profiled in this report are Wincor Nixdorf AG, Diebold Inc, Triton Systems of Delaware LLC, NCR Corp., and among others. These players have been dominating the global ATM market for many years and are most likely the ones to impact it in the near future.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:
U.S. nuclear-powered attack submarines have been clandestinely tracking North Korean U-boats since the North began to show progress in developing submarine-launched ballistic missiles last year.

The U.S. has apparently been keeping the information from South Korea.

SLBM attacks would be difficult to detect unless a country's own submarines lie in wait in front of an enemy's submarine bases and ambush them in a crisis.

The U.S. has been spying on North Korean submarine bases in Hamnam and Sinpo, according to a source, and will probably step up surveillance after North Korea succeeded in test-firing an SLBM on Wednesday.
Teleradiology Market Advancements in Digital Infrastructure and Communication Technology to Empower in Global

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The global teleradiology market is expected to expand at a favorable 11.3% CAGR over the period between 2015 and 2023, and rise from a valuation of US$1,354.6 mn in 2014 to US$3,632.6 mn in 2023.Download Complete Healthcare Analytical Brochure:The highly fragmented market for teleradiology features the presence of a large number of regional players, with the exception of some large companies with international presence, such as vRad, Inc., Radiology Reporting Online, and USA Rad. North America and Europe, the regions with some of the largest vendors in the global teleradiology market, will be the key enablers of teleradiology practices across the world and play a central role in the overall development of the global market, notes a recent report by Transparency Market Research (TMR).Acquisitions of small, regional players, and long-term contracts with remotely located community hospitals and other healthcare service providers, especially across emerging markets such as Asia Pacific and Latin America, will allow teleradiology companies to expand their global footprint. Although less in number than in the European market, teleradiology companies in North America will contribute the largest share in the overall revenues of the global teleradiology market from 2015 through 2023, thanks to their global presence.Rise in Healthcare Expenditure and Improved Healthcare Infrastructure to Enable Widespread Adoption of TeleradiologyThe vast improvement in telecommunication networks, enhanced data transfer speeds, and improved digital infrastructure of remote parts of the world has revolutionized the global teleradiology market in the past few years. In the next few years as well, developments across the data transmission field will be prove to be a major driver of the global teleradiology market, allowing its evolution from an ancillary radiology discipline to a mainstream practice.Radiology is a cost-intensive diagnostic modality owing to the high prices of the technologically advanced medical imaging machines central to the field. This factor, in combination with the factor of unavailability of broadband networks in urban dwellings has remained one of the toughest challenges for the teleradiology market in the past years. However, substantial rise in healthcare expenditures and widened broadband networks in the past few years have enabled the widespread expansion of teleradiology practices on a global front. These factors have especially allowed the teleradiology market in extending its reach to emerging economies such as Latin America and Asia Pacific, considered to be the regional markets with the most lucrative growth opportunities.Asia Pacific to Provide Most Attractive Growth OpportunitiesNorth America is currently the leading regional market for teleradiology and is expected to provide considerable growth opportunities over the next few years as well. The market in the region will be driven by the digitally advanced healthcare infrastructures, integration of teleradiology services in the workflow of a vast number of medical imaging service providers, and high healthcare awareness among the population. The rising prevalence of a number of cancers in the region has also led to an increased need for effective teleradiology services in the region.Nevertheless, Asia Pacific will provide the most lucrative growth opportunities for the global teleradiology market in the coming years. Factors fueling demand for teleradiology services in the region will be the rising expenditure on health and wellbeing, improving healthcare infrastructure, and widening network of high-speed broadband services.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. We have an experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, who us e proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.ContactTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Payroll and HR Software Market Segment Forecasts up to 2020, Research Report

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The Payroll and HR (Human Resources) departments in organizations coordinate various functions like salary hikes, bonus payments, recruitment, benefit deductions, firing employees and vacation leaves. They also need to maintain data that is confidential in nature like employee information, home addresses, financial data and social security numbers. They need to take care that such confidential information is not accessed by unauthorized companies or individuals. The payroll and HR software is a fully integrated functionality that enables the payroll and HR department to operate, access, manage and process organizations various payroll and HR functions. It also helps decision makers to gain a clearer insight of organizations resources even in turbulent situations. The various modules in the software are customized depending upon the needs of organization and minimizes the amount of time spent on the administration work by the staff members. It helps manage everyday tasks more effectively, reduce duplication in work and make reorganization changes quickly and effectively.Get Free Sample Report Copy :Each organization has its own specific needs. The payroll and HR software market can be segmented depending on the size of businesses as small size, medium size and large size organizations. In small businesses, where the employee size is up to 50, every employee plays an important role in contributing to the companys revenue. Even one unproductive employee can have a huge impact on the bottom line of the business organization. For this purpose, payroll and HR department need to be properly managed to avoid any unpredictable circumstances. The payroll and HR management software is customized to cater to various small business functions like performance measurement, time and attendance tracking, and compensations and retirement plans among others. In medium size businesses, the employee size ranges from 50 to 500 employees. The requirements in these organizations are similar to small size businesses but the software is customized to perform additional functions like recruitment which includes hiring and retaining potential talent, and securely streamlining administrative load by simplifying payroll administration. For business organizations with employee size greater than 500, the software is customized to manage risks and contain related costs, production and distribution of pay statements and banking services.As the global economy is improving, companies are looking for latest software solutions that can cut down costs of upgrading systems every year. New user interfaces like mobile applications which enable carrying out operations outside office premises and other features like integration with the existing systems in the organization is driving the market for payroll and HR software market. Also, the payroll and HR is a data driven function and the need to create talent analytics for taking talent related decisions and workforce planning is driving the market for payroll and HR software market. Another driver is the ability to provide customized solutions considering the current workforce dynamics. Companies prefer to invest in these customized solutions as these are affordable and improve various functions like hiring and retaining talent. However, challenges like understanding the technical requirements of organizations and integrating various modules of software to perform various functions are some constraints affecting the growth of this market.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :Some of the prominent vendors in this market include Taleo Corporation, SuccessFactors, Halogen Software Inc, Kenexa Corporation, PeopleAdmin and SumTotal Systems Inc.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:
Warehouse Management Systems Market Forecasts up to 2020, Research Report

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Warehouse Management System (WMS) is a software suite; an integral part of Supply Chain Management (SCM) that delivers the ability to map any warehouse structure (irrespective of the size) according to the specific requirements of the SCM process. It optimizes the management, storage and distribution of products or raw materials. It also helps to increase speed and efficiency in the internal movement of goods.Get Free Sample Report Copy :The established (old) businesses have systems that are ten-plus years old and are too expensive to configure, maintain, upgrade and have outdated functionality. Currently, as existing solutions have matured and more replacements are expected in the near future, which is expected to drive the market demand for WMS systems. These solutions are evolutionary, with built-in enhanced functionalities and better integration with other supply chain management systems, to ensure quick modes of delivery. One of the key factors contributing to this market growth is increased adoption of warehouse management systems by small and medium-sized businesses. But, the main challenge faced by these businesses is the high cost associated with the deployment of WMS solutions.However, integration of software-as-a-service (SaaS) model in WMS has resulted in reducing the ownership cost. It provides WMS as a service by a third party, hosted via cloud-based computing, which these companies can outsource. This gives more flexibility to companies to focus on their core business. It not only brings efficiency in the overall supply chain inventory levels but reduces the allowances for holding executions and recalls at all warehouse sites, thereby contributing to the market demand.Demand for WMS is high in transportation and logistics industry, with many providers offering transportation management systems (TMS) as part of integrated WMS solutions. Huge demand from pharmaceutical and biotech, retail, food and beverages industry is seen during the forecast period due to the advanced customization capabilities of warehouse management systems with hand-held Radio frequency (RF) devices. Such integrations ensure high mobility among workers and increases productivity by providing high levels of accuracy in picking goods through navigational assistance for movement within the warehouse. In addition, many WMS vendors are now offering labor management systems (LMS).Integration of warehouse management systems with LMS can offer a significant return on investment with reduced labor costs, minimum dependency on temporary labor hired during peak periods, and other interface applications such as attendance of the employees. Semiconductor, automobile, and electronics industries too has high demand for WMS owing to growing trend of manufacturing units being set-up or outsourced in the emerging countries to lower the production cost. However, benefits of plant relocation or outsourcing can only be realized when there is accuracy in the delivery of right component at the required place without any delays in delivery. This is ensured with WMS, wherein such rich levels of WMS integration helps companies with agility and responsiveness in their businesses, with the changes in market dynamics.Browse Market Research Report with ToC & Free Analysis :Asia-Pacific regions, such as China, India, Thailand and Mexico, among others, will be the most emergent markets for warehouse management systems due to a shift of manufacturing units to these countries for their cost-effective production advantages. Major MNCs have their base units and warehouses in North America, Europe and Japan and with consistently rising demand for delivery of important components to and from other warehouses, market for WMS will see tremendous demand in these regions.Some of the key vendors providing WMS solutions are SAP AG, HighJump Software Inc., Manhattan Associates Inc., Oracle Corp and RedPrairie Corp. Other prominent vendors include AGI Worldwide Inc., Reply S.p.A., Softeon Inc, Asgard Software Inc., Automation Associates Inc., Advanced Systems Consultants Inc., BFC Software Inc., Cadre Technologies Inc., HAL Systems Corp., Deposco Inc., Infor Inc., and Logitity Inc., 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:
Hotel Business News and Analytics

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NEWS BLOCKS:

Vietnam Hotel Transactions Score Fourth in Asia Pacific

Vietnams hotel transactions reached US$237 million in January  June 2016, putting the country on the fourth place with only Japan, Australia and mainland China ahead. The hospitality industry of the country managed to overcome Taiwan and Thailand.



The amount of total transactions added 13.2% if compared to the same period a year ago and estimated US$3.8 billion. Japan remains the most important player on Vietnamese hospitality market with US$2.1 billion and it expected to remain the biggest investor for the remainder of the year.



Vietnam has become more popular with tourists this year  the country welcomed 21% more visitors during the first half of 2016. The government hopes to reach the mark of 8.5 million foreign visitors for the year. That is 7% higher than in 2015.



Some of the biggest hotel deals of the year in Vietnam include the sale of the Duxton Hotel Saigon in Ho Chi Minh City downtown for $49 million and the sale of 50% stake in Kumho Asiana Plaza hotel complex for $107.5 million. In spring, the Novotel Saigon Centre hotel was sold to a Vietnamese investor for more than $46 million, and the Sedona Suites Hanoi hotel was bought by BRG Group for $31.5 million.

26.08.2016Stay in touch with the latest news of a worldwide hotel industry. All up-to-date analytics, reports , and news about hotel business trends on OrangeSmile.com.
North Korea has been squandering vast amounts of money on almost weekly missile tests in recent months despite barely maintaining itself at subsistence level amid international sanctions.

That was only possible because the regime has been showering the scientists and technicians involved with its scarce resources.

Leader Kim Jong-un has invited them to lavish banquets in Pyongyang in their honor and proclaimed them national heroes, going so far as to name a street in the capital for scientists and building them a high-rise apartment block there. The complex includes a sun deck and sauna.

The rest of the hapless population have to double their efforts to pay for this generosity. Soldiers were mobilized to build the 53-story block in just 60 days, and other complexes are still going up.

The state media constantly hail and praise scientists as "Kim Jong-un's warriors."

"Scientists are part of the elite along with high-ranking Workers Party members and wealthy merchants, so a lot of children now want to be scientists when they grow up," a source said.

Kim has been unusually forbearing with the scientists. After consecutive Hwasong-10 and submarine-launched ballistic missile tests failed, there was no sign that he was punishing anyone for the failures.

Lt. Gen. Kim Rak-gyom, head of North Korea's Strategic Rocket Forces, disappeared from the radar for a while, raising speculation that he may have been sacked, but then he resurfaced at a Hwasong-10 test launch in June.


A second case of cholera was confirmed in Geoje, South Gyeongsang Province on Thursday after a record heat wave threw up the first Cholera infection here in 15 years last week.

Both patients are believed to have been infected after eating seafood in Geoje. Public health authorities warned against a further spread of the disease, which had been thought to be eradicated in Korea.

The latest victim is a 73-year-old woman from Geoje, the Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Thursday.

She had diarrhea after eating raw fish that a fellow churchgoer had caught in waters off Geoje on Aug. 14. She was hospitalized on Aug. 17 but left hospital on Wednesday because her condition improved.

Eleven other villagers who also ate the fish did not show any symptoms.

The first patient, a 59-year-old man from Gwangju, came down with cholera presumably after eating seafood on a family holiday on the south coast earlier this month.
idodumbthings.jpg

(Courtesy of the Eugene Police Department)

On Wednesday, the Eugene Police Department put out a call for help identifying some suspects in an ATM fraud case. The couple, which appear in several pictures taken from security cameras at ATMs in Eugene, are suspected of participating in an out-of-state fraud scheme, police said.

One of the pictures shows a man wearing a T-shirt that says, in all capital letters, "WARNING: I DO DUMB THINGS."

"That's not the worst shirt I've seen on one of these people," Det. Steve Williams, the detective in Financial Crimes Unit who is handling the case, said over the phone Thursday.

Detectives are asking the public for help identifying the following persons of interest regarding the use of local ATMs... Posted by Eugene Police Department on Wednesday, August 24, 2016

In one recent case, he said, a suspect walked up to the ATM with a shirt on and part way through the transaction, pulled the shirt over his head. Then, the shirt slipped down again. In another case, a suspect took his shirt off, revealing a lot of very specific tattoos.

In this case, Det. Williams said the suspects are probably runners for a larger operation and may not be as concerned with protecting their identity, since they may not live in the area.

As far as what they are doing? Det. Williams says they are allegedly using counterfeit cards to take out as much money as possible before the compromised accounts are shut down. "These are real accounts belonging to real people," said Det. Williams, "just that the ones who are (taking the money out) are not the account holders."

If you've seen these people, the Eugene Police ask that you call the non-emergency line at 541-682-5111.

-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker
Devin_Paez.png

26-year-old Devin Paez, a firefighter from Austin, Texas, went missing on Thursday at Wahkeena Falls after he wandered away from his group while hiking.

(Multnomah County Sheriff's Office)

Updated 4:02 p.m.: A hiker found Devin Paez, a 26-year-old firefighter from Austin, Texas, around 3:15 p.m. Deputies said he was on the Oneonta Trail below Triple Falls.

Paez is safe and was being taken to searchers' command post to be debriefed, evaluated and reunited with his friends Friday afternoon.

The hiker recognized Paez from photos shown in media reports, deputies said.

***

Deputies are searching for a missing hiker who wandered away from his group at Wahkeena Falls on Thursday night, Multnomah County Sheriff's Office officials said.

A photo of Devin Paez taken yesterday at Sherrard Point

Devin Paez, a 26-year-old firefighter from Austin, Texas, was hiking with three friends at Sherrard Point when he decided to head back down the trail alone, leaving his gear behind, spokesman Capt. Steve Alexander said in a news release.

One of his friends ran to catch up with Paez, but couldn't find him. They waited at the Wahkeena Falls Trailhead and called police when Paez didn't show up.

Sheriff's deputies and search and rescue teams checked trails for Paez but could not find him on Thursday night and early Friday morning. Overnight teams searched approximately 20 miles of trails.

Paez was hiking with two other Austin firefighters, the Austin Fire Department said on its Facebook page. The firefighters are helping search and rescue teams look for Paez, they said.

Additional search and rescue crews are continuing to search for Paez on Friday, Alexander said.

-- Samantha Matsumoto

Jim Ryan of The Oregonian/OregonLive staff contributed to this report
legore.2.jpg

David Legore, 57, died after his motorcycle crashed into a truck outside Molalla on Wednesday, Aug. 24, 2016.

(Oregon State Police )

A 57-year-old man died after his motorcycle crashed into a dump truck on a highway near Molalla on Wednesday night, Oregon State Police officials said.

David R. Legore from Colton was driving a 2016 Harley Davidson motorcycle southbound on Highway 211, police spokesman Lt. Cari Boyd said in a news release. His motorcycle drove into the other lane and hit a white Ford van shortly before 9 p.m., Boyd said.

Legore died at the scene of the crash. The truck driver, 50-year-old Sean C. Drinkwine, was not injured.

Oregon State Police believe that Lenore could have been drinking and speeding, Boyd said.

-- Samantha Matsumoto

smatsumoto@oregonian.com
Costal Salmon Fishing

Phil Pope, of McMinnville, casts out into Siletz Bay in this 2015 photo. A possible data breach earlier this week prompted Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife officials to suspend online sales of fishing and hunting licenses. No breach was detected and online sales have since resumed. (Brent Drinkut/Statesman-Journal via AP)

(Brent Drinkut)

The message a hacker left Tuesday morning on the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife's website set off the alarm bells the intruder doubtlessly anticipated.

In brief remarks left on the agency's "contact us" page, a hacker claimed the sort of intrusion -- stealing Social Security numbers, driver's license numbers, cell phone numbers -- that has caused nightmares for companies and governments around the country.

"We shut the site down immediately and went to work determining if any data had been accessed or removed," Rick Hargrave, the agency's communications director said Thursday. "Thankfully, we couldn't find any breach."

By day's end Tuesday, the system was deemed secure and online sales of Oregon hunting and fishing licenses resumed.

However, security specialists in the Office of the State CIO said later Thursday that as a "precaution," they are suspending access to the site "until further notice."

Oregon State CIO Alex Pettit, in a news release, said, "We are working with the vendor to determine if any personal information was indeed accessed, while ensuring their system is secure before allowing Oregonians to use it."

The same scenario is playing out in Washington and Idaho, which use the same third-party vendor as Oregon, Active Outdoors, to conduct the sales. Online sales of hunting and fishing licenses in both states have remained suspended as security officials work to determine whether - or how much - personal data may have been stolen.

The Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife has responded to the online-sales shutdown by temporarily dropping the requirement that anglers buy fishing licenses. The one-time suspension of licenses will be effective through Aug. 30.

Hunters, however, will have to wait to buy licenses until the sales system is deemed secure, said Jim Unsworth, the agency's director. He said the agency expects to have a sales channel available before major hunting seasons, such as archery deer, elk and cougar, begin in September.

The Idaho Department of Fish and Game, meanwhile, has suspended the sale of all licenses and tags online after being notified that Active Outdoors' computer system was breached.

"Whether any of Idaho Fish and Games' license buyers' information was obtained has not yet been determined," the agency said in a statement. "Fish and Game is working with the online vendor to investigate the matter and determine whether and to what extend Idaho data was accessed."

The statement added that other western states are investigating similar reported breaches and have also taken similar precautions.

In Oregon, people wanting to buy hunting and fishing licenses can still rely on point-of-sale purchases available at stores such as Fred Meyer, Bi-Mart and Cabela's, Hargrave said.

"Obviously, we take these things very seriously," he said of the possible breach. "We are continuing to monitor the situation, but are satisfied at this point that our system remains safe and secure."

-- Dana Tims

503-294-7647; @DanaTims
Two people are facing charges in the death of a man who ingested counterfeit OxyContin that may have been laced with fentanyl, police said.

Alfred Darrell Warren allegedly supplied the dealer who sold the pills to 24-year-old Gino Miller, who was hospitalized Aug. 15 for a drug overdose that later killed him, police and court records show. Antonio Irving Benjamin allegedly supplied the pills to Warren.

Drugs and vice officers have "identified multiple layers of the distribution network" and expect to make more arrests, Portland police said in a news release Thursday. They believe the fake pills were from China.

Police said they have seized about 2,000 pills they think are "a mixture of counterfeit OxyContin." Police said they have also seized three handguns, two of which were reported stolen; a shotgun; about $10,000 in cash; and "other items linked to drug trafficking."

Miller's overdose death is the 30th Portland police have investigated this year. For comparison: Police said there have been 30 traffic deaths and 12 homicides in the city this year.

Miller and his cousin went in on some of the pills together, splitting them, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. The cousin later gave police a phone number for the dealer who sold the pills to Miller. Police contacted the dealer Aug. 18 at his home, and he acknowledged selling Miller the pills. He then led officers to Warren the next day by setting up a drug order.

What is fentanyl?

"Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent. It is a schedule II prescription drug, and it is typically used to treat patients with severe pain or to manage pain after surgery. It is also sometimes used to treat patients with chronic pain who are physically tolerant to other opioids."

-- National Institute on Drug Abuse

released in June show Prince died April 21 of an accidental fentanyl overdose.

Fentanyl has been responsible for a surge in overdose deaths in some parts of the country. When made into counterfeit pills, users don't always know they're taking fentanyl, increasing the risk of fatal overdose.

-- The Associated Press

Warren, 42, is facing delivery and possession of oxycodone charges, records show. Officers found 10 pills that looked like oxycodone on him during his arrest. They were similar to ones Miller's father gave police -- ones he thought may be of the variety that caused his son's overdose.

On the same day as Warren's arrest, a confidential source led police to Benjamin, 44. The source told investigators Benjamin was going to be at Northeast 122nd Avenue and Glisan Street that afternoon "waiting to make a large sale of the same kinds of pills that were sold to Warren who subsequently sold to" the dealer, the affidavit states.

Officers showed up, and one parked behind the car Benjamin was driving, the affidavit states. Benjamin backed into the marked police SUV while trying to get away, according to the affidavit, and police surrounded the car and arrested him.

Police found more than 1,000 pills in his car, according to the affidavit.

Warren was arrested and released on bail, which was set at $25,000, records show. Benjamin remains in Multnomah County's Inverness Jail on $1 million bail, records show. He's facing delivery and possession of oxycodone and fleeing or attempting to elude a police officer charges, according to the records.

The officers are waiting on lab results and think the pill Miller took "may have been laced with Fentanyl."

According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, "Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid analgesic that is similar to morphine but is 50 to 100 times more potent."

Records show Benjamin and Warren have been convicted of seven and eight felonies, respectively, according to processing documents filed Monday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Police said the investigation, once complete, will be presented to federal prosecutors.

The case is still under investigation. Police ask anyone who has information to call the police bureau's Drugs and Vice Division at 503-823-0246.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
What kind of conversation would we be having about homelessness if Homer Williams had been on a business trip in, say, Salt Lake City and been impressed by a news story on the local homelessness plan? There, the city provided apartments for its poorest residents and reduced its chronically homeless population by 91 percent.

But Williams wasn't in Salt Lake. Instead, the Portland developer was traveling in San Antonio and read a newspaper article about Haven for Hope. He was inspired to request a tour of the 37-acre campus that serves the homeless population in Texas' second largest city, and believed the model would work in Portland.

Williams is eyeing a 14-acre piece of city-owned industrial property known as Terminal 1 to develop a 400-person emergency shelter and, later, a transitional housing complex and resource center. He estimates both phases will cost around $60 million, though he doesn't yet have cost figures for phase I.

When I met with Williams last week, he didn't want me to focus on his involvement in the project.

"It's not about me," he said.

"But, it kinda is about you," I said.

The Terminal 1 proposal, which has been named Oregon Trail of Hope, didn't come from the housing advocate community. It doesn't follow the action plan to combat homelessness created by a coalition of city, county and community members. It's the vision of one man, who made his money doing big and bold things in real estate. It offers a developer's solution to the problem of homelessness.

Williams said he has nothing to gain financially from the project. A nonprofit would run the site and his firm would do the design work pro bono. Frankly, you enter murky territory when you question what's in a man's heart.

But it is fair game to question his past actions.

Portland has a homelessness crisis in large part because of an affordable housing crisis. And two of the massive development projects with which Williams was involved -- South Waterfront and the Pearl -- failed to provide the number of affordable housing units promised to the city.

In 1997, Williams' Hoyt Street Properties got the green light to develop 34 acres in the Pearl District, with the caveat that 35 percent of the condos and apartments constructed by 2014 would be housing affordable to low-income earners.

The developer would receive government subsidies to construct the affordable units. Meanwhile, the Pearl District as a whole received $44 million in public money for improvements such as parks and the Portland Streetcar.

But as Brad Schmidt reported for The Oregonian/OregonLive, Hoyt Street only developed 28 percent of its total units as affordable housing. The city was short-changed by more than 250 units.

There's also the South Waterfront project, started by Williams' North Macadam Investors in 2003. It was supposed to include 400 units of affordable housing, but to date, only one complex with 209 units has been completed, six years behind schedule.

Williams said the shortfalls can be blamed on the economic recession and on city policies that make it difficult to develop affordable housing. He also claims he was never expected to build the units himself.

"It wasn't our job to build and finance the affordable housing," Williams said. "It was our job to reserve land (for it)."

Reserving land was, technically, the bare minimum. The city did have the right to force the developer to sell land back to the city if affordable housing goals weren't met, so the city could get it built itself. When Hoyt Street did sell that requisite land back to the city for affordable housing, it haggled over the pricing.

This history is important because Portland's dire lack of affordable housing is why the successes of San Antonio's Haven for Hope likely won't be replicated here. Haven for Hope is able to place people into permanent housing because there's housing to be had.

San Antonio's rental vacancy rate is 7.22 percent, about a percentage point greater than the national average. Portland has one of the lowest rental vacancy rates in the country, just above 2 percent.

"When we talk about homelessness, we can't talk for very long without talking about housing," said Andy Miller, executive director of Human Solutions. "What we need is permanent, affordable housing. Steps in the direction of increasing shelter and physical capacity for (outreach) programs are all well intentioned, but they are going to do very little good at actually ending homelessness."

If Miller had $60 million to spend on fighting homelessness, he'd put it toward housing. And I got exactly the same answer from George Devendorf, executive director of Transition Projects and Israel Bayer, executive director of Street Roots.

Subsidized housing --created by purchasing existing properties and building on city-owned land throughout Portland - is how you end homelessness. Shelters are a part of the fight, but they only manage the problem.

"I worry as an advocate that we're going to lose the public trust and public determination to end (homelessness) because we're focused on how we manage it, and we'll never manage it well," Devendorf said.

The most attractive aspect of Williams' plan is his promise of tens of millions of dollars in private sector funding. That's something that's been missing from the city's fight against homelessness. But is that money available for affordable housing, or only for the Oregon Trail of Hope? It's impossible to know what those funders would support because they haven't been publicly named.

And that's why you won't see many housing advocates speaking out against the Terminal 1 plan. They don't want to lose that critical private sector buy-in, even in a flawed form.

"We know what the system looks like when it's public money alone," Devendorf said. "A lot of it's working, but it's not sufficient to the challenge."

You can easily argue that Oregonians tend to "over-committee" concepts. But in this case, it would be reckless to toss aside all that committee work for a plan to treat but not solve the problem.

Oregon Trail of Hope appears well-intentioned and well meaning, though at the end of the day, I can't tell you what's in Williams' heart. That's exactly why one man shouldn't drive public policy.

-- Samantha Swindler

@editorswindler / 503-294-4031

sswindler@oregonian.com
A North Portland man who killed his wife with a single bullet to her neck was sentenced Thursday to 12 years in prison due to a defense that is rarely found to be successful: He was too drunk at the time to comprehend what he was doing.

John Grant Coffey, 58, had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26 percent -- more than three times the legal limit for driving -- when he fatally shot Samantha Coffey, 42, on April 25, 2015.

He was charged with murder, which carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison with a 25-year minimum. To prove murder under Oregon law, prosecutors would have had to prove that Coffey "intentionally" killed his wife -- something that would require proof that he was of coherent mind at the time.

As part of extensive negotiations, Coffey pleaded guilty in July to first-degree manslaughter -- meaning that he killed his wife "recklessly" and "under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to the value of human life."

During Thursday's sentencing hearing, Coffey read a four-page, handwritten apology.

"I can't even begin to express and explain how sorry I am in what I've done," Coffey said, his voice wavering. "...There is no one else to blame for this tragedy but myself: John Coffey. I never intended for any of this to happen."

Prosecutor Amber Kinney said in agreeing to the plea deal, her office took into account a December 2015 ruling by Multnomah County Circuit Judge Gregory Silver. The judge found that the evidence was lacking for an "intentional" murder case.

One key piece of evidence: The 911 call of Coffey reporting he'd shot his wife. In the recording, which defense attorney Stephen Houze played in court, Coffey's speech is slurred and he seemingly had trouble comprehending at least one of the dispatcher's questions.

John Coffey had been arrested multiple times over the course of the couple's 15-year marriage for violence in their relationship, as well as in past relationships stretching back to the 1970s. He had never been convicted of any crimes.

The couple's relationship was rocky at the time of the shooting. Samantha Coffey's adult daughter told police that her mother had talked of divorce.

Like her husband, Samantha Coffey had a blood-alcohol level of 0.26 percent at the time of the shooting.

John Coffey told police that he'd grabbed his father's antique gun in an attempt to scare his wife, and he wasn't familiar with how it worked when the gun went off. A defense expert who examined the gun testified that it had a defective spring that could lead to an accidental discharge.

John Coffey told police he didn't know the gun was loaded.

Coffey's case is reminiscent of that of John Coleman Hardaway, who in 2013 was sentenced to eight years in prison for the beating death of his girlfriend. Lawyers for the Gresham man, who had faced a possible death sentence, successfully argued that Hardaway couldn't have "intentionally" killed because his blood-alcohol level was 0.30 percent.

Although Samantha Coffey's two adult children didn't attend Thursday's sentencing hearing, John Coffey apologized to them -- and especially to his wife's granddaughter. She was 1 year old at the time of the killing.

John Coffey said he knows she will grow up without her loving grandmother doting on her. "This is so overwhelming at times, I can't stand it," he said.

Samantha Coffey's daughter and granddaughter lived in the Coffeys' apartment in the 7900 block of North Kerby Avenue. They weren't at the home at the time of the fatal shooting.

John Coffey also apologized to the students of Woodlawn Elementary School in Northeast Portland, where Samantha Coffey had worked in the lunchroom. Known as "Ms. Samantha" or just "Sam," she was loved by students, staff said.

"I will ...go to prison and do my time," John Coffey said. "But the sentence I serve to myself will never end, and it shouldn't. I will live the rest of my life knowing what I have done."

-- Aimee Green

503-294-5119
Jennifer Young drove around her neighborhood one recent morning, taking inventory of the scenes she watches daily.

Tucked into pockets of Lents in Southeast Portland, even around landmarks like Marshall High School, homeless people sleep outside, some in tents or beneath tarps or on top of mattresses and blankets. Still others take shelter in RVs or cars.

When Young stepped out of her car, she spoke to almost everyone she met. She pointed out hypodermic needles in a small pile atop a bucket, and bottles filled with urine.

"I don't want anyone," she said, "to continue to live in these third-world conditions."

More than any other neighborhood, Lents has felt the impact of the few hundred people camping this year along the Springwater Corridor, which spans Multnomah and Clackamas counties. Two of the trail's 20-plus miles pass through the area. And as officials and social-service providers prepare to sweep the trail Sept. 1, and with scant options available for campers to relocate, neighbors worry that burden will only grow.

Even before Mayor Charlie Hales experimented with looser rules on public camping this year, neighbors had already seen an influx of people moving in -- in city parks, in vehicles lining streets, in tents on sidewalks, and on empty lots and slivers of land near homes, schools and businesses.

Some of those camps are far larger than the small sites the city says it will tolerate even after Sept. 1. Many appear to be ungoverned, unlike the kind of sanctioned, camper-organized sites city and county officials have talked of creating.

Lents' example -- with neighbors struggling to reconcile empathy with fallout from unregulated camping -- could play out across Portland. Young, who's lived in the neighborhood for two decades, said she's spent months trying to get city officials' attention.

"Nobody's doing anything," she said, "because it's Lents."

***

Lents, south of Southeast Powell Boulevard and slung between Southeast 82nd and 112th avenues, was once among Portland's early streetcar suburbs. It's been known for decades since as a hardscrabble place where crime, strip clubs and graffiti bloomed in the absence of city investment.

When big government money did come to Lents, in the 1970s, it was for Interstate 205 -- a wall that split the neighborhood. Planners had moved the project east after wealthier neighborhoods closer to downtown balked.

Recent efforts to change that history, by Portland City Hall and the city's urban renewal agency, have taken shape slowly. That shift comes as the city's housing crisis pushes homebuyers' hunt for affordable homes farther and farther east. Lents now has more than 20,000 residents, according to U.S. Census data from 2010.

Lents has long had higher crime than in other neighborhoods, city statistics show. But Robert Schultz, the public safety chair of the Lents Neighborhood Association, contends crime has increased over the past eight months. He said he's spent hours on the phone listening to neighbors' fears and complaints.

Some elderly neighbors are too afraid to come outside, he said, and children aren't safe to roam and play.

A toddler this summer stepped on a needle in Lents Park, he said.

As conditions along the trail grew more perilous this year, some of the campers themselves moved deeper into the neighborhood to take refuge.

Several people living in makeshift camps along streets in Lents this week said they had left the trail in search of safer, more visible places to sleep.

"A woman alone is just not safe," a 61-year-old woman, Jana, said on a recent morning as she curled up on a mattress in a vacant lot near Southeast Powell Boulevard. She said she wouldn't return to the trail.

"Don't want to be robbed," she said. "Don't want to be raped."

But even though most homeless residents say they're merely seeking safer places to exist, neighbors say they have been unfairly burdened by issues that have flared around certain campsites.

"There's not a single person I know who's not affected by crime," Young said.

The city has failed Lents at every turn, Schultz said: Failed to talk with neighbors, address their concerns and hear their suggestions. Failed to find solutions for homeless people with no place to go.

Schultz said neighbors are not insensitive to the plight of the homeless. But they feel Lents has been ignored more than wealthier neighborhoods. And many people in Lents live paycheck-to-paycheck.

"When you put the homeless on us, we don't have the ability to bounce back from that easily," he said.

The result, he said, is increased anxiety in a neighborhood where residents are already struggling to get by.

"The most disadvantaged -- the homeless -- are pitted against the next most disadvantaged," he said.

***

At a neighborhood meeting Tuesday night, more than 100 residents lined up for seats. Outside the community room where they gather, they pulled out their cellphones and scrolled through pictures of drug paraphernalia, knives and heaps of garbage.

Inside, a staffer for Hales stood before the crowd during a sometimes-tense discussion that stretched on for three hours.

Homeowners and homeless people alike shared their frustrations with each other, the police, the city, the lack of solutions.

Again and again, neighbors asked about equity. Why wasn't the city showing Lents the same urgency that it showed Laurelhurst, where police swept homeless campers from a park on Tuesday? Residents in Laurelhurst say they'd counted more campers in the park since the Springwater sweep was announced, spurring more complaints about garbage and disorder.

What has happened in Lents, they contended, wouldn't happen in wealthier neighborhoods. Even with plans a city-sanctioned site near the Beggars Tick Wildlife Refuge lagging, some Lents neighbors said they were ready to protest the effort.

"When are we going to be treated equally?" Erik Benson shouted at the staffer from the back of the room. "I want your answer."

Chad Stover, from the mayor's office, said equity should be a part of every public policy conversation. His office, he said, has been working daily and experimenting broadly to find fixes to problems.

His answers at times drew incredulous laughs from the crowd, or loud outbursts of disagreement. Over and over, he told neighbors he heard them.

"It's very real," he said. "And I'm dealing with it everyday. It's not a joke to me."

Before the meeting, Schultz considered what the coming weeks might bring -- after the Springwater is cleared.

"I fear very deeply that you're going to see more acts of violence," he said. "That's what I see in the horizon, if we don't have any thing in the works here."

Jana, the woman staying on a mattress in a lot near Southeast Powell Boulevard, also predicted more campers would make their way into the neighborhood.

"They're going to flock here," she said.

Stover, the mayor's staffer, hearing the fatigue and impatience in neighbors' voices Tuesday night, interjected at one point. Solutions, he acknowledged, weren't happening fast enough.

"This is a crisis, folks," he said. "An emergency."

This story has been updated with a clarification: Specific plans for a sanctioned campsite near the Beggars Tick Wildlife Refuge have yet to take shape, but the city has not officially said the project won't happen.

-- Emily E. Smith

503-294-4032; @emilyesmith
Update 10:47 p.m

A Southeast Portland man who allegedly tossed an explosive under an occupied motorhome Wednesday said he did so because he was tired of homeless people, according to police and court records.

Jeremy Patrick Kidwell, 46, was arraigned Thursday on three felony charges: first-degree attempted arson and unlawful manufacture and possession of a destructive device. He was released Thursday from Multnomah County's Inverness Jail.

Police responded to 160th Avenue and Division Street around 5 a.m. and spoke with two men, according to a probable cause affidavit filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court. One of them said the motorhome is his and that the explosive didn't detonate.

He told police he tracked down the man who threw the explosive, later identified as Kidwell. He said Kidwell apologized repeatedly, called the explosive "harmless" and said "it just had black powder" inside, according to the affidavit. An arson investigator said the explosive could have damaged the motorhome if it had detonated, the affidavit states.

The man from the motorhome retrieved the explosive and turned it over to an officer. The device was made of three-quarter-inch PVC pipe, was about 4 to 5 inches long, and had a fuse attached.

An officer who was in the area for an unrelated reason arrested Kidwell about 13 hours later, Portland police said in a news release.

An arson investigator who searched Kidwell's nearby home recovered a pipe bomb and hobby fuse, according to the affidavit. The investigator also found ammunition powders, literature about booby-traps and munition, and some PVC pipe "consistent in diameter with the devices found," the affidavit states.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015

Update adds information about Jeremy Patrick Kidwell being released on bail from Multnomah County's Inverness Jail.
A Korean expatriate in the U.S. has been fingered as the source of a rumor that Samsung chairman Lee Kun-hee is dead, which sent the Korean stock market into a panic in late June.

The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency said on Thursday that it has placed the man, identified by his surname Choi (30), on its wanted list.

Choi is accused of posting messages on a far-right online community site on June 29, claiming the Samsung patriarch died that morning. The post was deleted after just 10 minutes, but that was enough to make it go viral on social media.

Stock markets are prone to magical thinking, and though Lee has been in a coma since last year and the conglomerate is run by his son, the message sent Samsung Group shares into a tailspin.

Byun Min-sun at the Seoul police agency said, "Overnight a rumor posted on the Internet spread throughout the country."

In phone and e-mail interviews with police, Choi said he merely wanted to get attention. But police believe he tried to profit from Samsung share fluctuations since he also posted messages showing changes in the conglomerate's share prices and volume.

Police are also investigating the possible role of other market manipulators seeking to make a quick buck.

Choi left Korea in 2000 and lives in the U.S., repeatedly putting off his mandatory military service. He juggles part-time jobs, including bagging groceries in supermarkets, according to police. He was initially willing to cooperate with police but broke contact late last month after being told to return to Korea for questioning.

Police are considering seeking the help of Interpol to arrest him.
A long-promised sweep of homeless campers from the Springwater Corridor, already delayed once near the eve of action, is again less than a week away.

And foreboding and frustration once more mark the countdown.

Officials have found scant short-term options to help ease what could become a wrenching scene, with plans for a complaint-based response when campers seep into surrounding neighborhoods but only talk of new camping spots for those on the trail.

So far, few people are satisfied with the evolving effort as Portland approaches a Sept. 1 deadline for enforcing its outdoor camping ban along the city's 14-mile stretch of the trail.

Tensions are high, and patience thin, among residents expecting a deluge of people. City officials posted more than 1,000 notices about the clear-out two weeks ago, with an estimated 250 to 300 campers still living along the path, said Chad Stover, Mayor Charlie Hales' policy director for livability. Some estimates over the summer put that number as high as 500.

Homeless people and many volunteer advocates who help them are equally stressed, said Lisa Lake, director of Advocacy5. Her nonprofit group funds four others that provide meals, basic health care and other services to the campers. It's unclear how many campers in the weeks since the first planned sweep, on Aug. 1, was put off.

"There's quite a bit of burn out," Lake said Wednesday. "It's really, really hard to balance how much you feel the need to be out there with how much you can be out there."

The corridor - a winding, paved trail that draws thousands of walkers, runners and bikers from downtown Portland to Gresham and beyond - has become a symbol of the city's homelessness crisis. Not enough shelters beds or transitional housing exists to cover some of the nearly 2,000 people believed to be living on the street throughout Multnomah County.

Campers have long congregated along the sides of the trail, but their numbers and public presence soared after the mayor this year instituted a safe sleep policy that allowed tent camping and sidewalk sleeping. In the face of growing criticism, Hales announced the Springwater sweep over the summer and ended the camping reprieve.

Come next Thursday, Portlanders can expect to see hired cleanup teams and security workers roaming the trail with police from the Ross Island Bridge to the Gresham city line. The cleanup is expected to roll out over many days, but officials hesitate to provide exact dates and deadlines to complete their work.

In the meantime, campers are getting ready to filter into surrounding blocks and other areas - some sanctioned, many not. Others might stand their ground.

"We're having to try to help people off the streets while looking over our shoulders to keep the city from sweeping us," said Pastor Michael Davis of Knowing Me Ministries.

***

A four-acre plot in Southeast Portland provides a good example of the undertaking's competing interests and challenges: As the city prepares to move hundreds of homeless people, many merely looking only for places to bed down, it's struggling to find new spots for a few dozen.

And even though the city and county have added hundreds of shelter beds in recent months, those spots are already largely at capacity.

When Hales struck a deal with a group of homeless people threatening to sue over his initial Aug. 1 deadline, their agreement revealed the city was prepping land next to Beggar's Tick Wildlife Refuge for some of the displaced campers.

At the time, a Hales spokeswoman said city officials were planning an organized camp that could take as many as 100 people.

Some homeless campers last month already on the property -- about a half-mile north of the Springwater near SE 111th Avenue -- had been asked to move while the city readied the site and removed mounds of hazardous dirt and other materials. Campers were told they could return by Sept. 1, when the land was available for more people, said Davis, who has worked closely the campers.

But little appears set.

The spot - now commonly called the Reedway site - has triggered vocal opposition from nearby neighbors, with some expecting to converge there for a protest this weekend.

The initial plan, Hales' office said this week, never tied the property to the timing of the Springwater sweep. And city officials apparently are still sizing up the site.

"The city is interested in continuing to evaluate Reedway, and other plots of land throughout the city, as potential areas for an organized, sanctioned outdoor sheltered community," Stover said. "However, there would be further community involvement in that process ... and it would only be done under the right provisions."

The city keeps a spreadsheet with at least 124 properties considered in recent months as potential shelters or spots for approved campgrounds.

Of the top 21 properties, five are considered high priority based on availability, location, price or because they've already opened, such as the former Multnomah County Sheriff's Office building on Northeast Glisan Street recently converted to a shelter.

The list also contains eight properties that are "of interest but have issues to make work." Some need workable bathrooms, or they're located in neighborhoods already dense with shelters or services. Another seven properties show existing churches or sanctioned homeless communities such as the well-known Right 2 Dream Too site in Chinatown.

At the Reedway plot, Davis said he's hearing that the camp - if it opens - will have no more than about 30 people after Sept. 1. He's not sure if his group of about 15 homeless people will be allowed back.

"They feel like they got lied to and betrayed," he said.

Davis also wants to manage the site. City officials are hesitant.

Stover said the city needs the right kind of social service provider to work with campers -- established nonprofits capable of specialized work with Portland's inventory of tiny houses or sleeping pods and other infrastructure.

"We have had people like Mr. Davis say they're interested," he said. "We hear them and that's great. They're not ruled out but there's some logistical hurdles before teaming with them."

Davis said his group has divided up among two other spots, one near Southeast 111th Avenue and Harold Street and another in Gresham.

"The reality," he said, "is no matter how good we run it, we could always be swept."

***

The latest buzzword to describe acceptable public camping after the sweep is "low-impact."

Who to call?

At a community meeting Aug. 23 in Southeast Portland, Portland officials gave a few phone numbers that could be helpful after Sept. 1.

What if a resident finds a homeless person trespassing on their property or committing other crimes such as drug use?

If the resident does not feel comfortable or safe approaching the homeless person, people can call the Portland Police Bureau non-emergency line at 503-823-3333.

What if people find too much trash or aggressive behavior at a cluster of tents?

Use the city's One Point of Contact website, or call 503-823-4000. That's the City/County Information and Referral line. They'll fill out the complaint form for people who don't have web access.

What if someone appears to be having a mental health issue?

Call the Multnomah County Mental Health Crisis Line at 503-988-4888.

-- Staff

That means: "People camp in small groups, two or three people. They don't build elaborate structures," Multnomah County Sheriff Mike Reese said at a community meeting in Southeast Portland, near Gresham, this week.

"If they're on private property, they get permission of the property owner themselves," Reese said. "If they do those things, then they're not going to have an issue with our deputy sheriffs or the Portland Police Bureau."

The trail, of course, will be off limits.

Stover clarified that small groups could range from two to about a half-dozen. But the city won't order cleanups until people complain, mostly through the One Point of Contact website. Officials will continue to consider factors, such as garbage, aggressive behavior, drug use and the presence of children before ordering cleanups.

Meanwhile, Portland police Lt. Craig Morgan told people at the meeting that officers will be using all-terrain vehicles and bicycles to patrol the corridor "when staffing allows us to do so."

He belongs to the Police Bureau's East Precinct, whose dominion generally stretches east from Cesar E. Chavez Boulevard to Gresham and south from Interstate 84 to the Clackamas County line. On any given afternoon shift, 20 officers patrol the entire precinct's streets, he said.

He said people should be patient with response times concerning homeless people or groups accused of crimes by concerned residents.

"We are -- as I'm sure you've seen in the papers -- really hurting on staffing," Morgan said, "and of course that affects our response to a lot of things including issues around this."

--Map by Lynne Palombo

-- Tony Hernandez

thernandez@oregonian.com

503-294-5928

@tonyhreports
A Vancouver man is facing a felony assault charge after allegedly hitting a pedestrian while driving drunk Wednesday night, police said.

Police said Robert William Leary, 37, was driving north on North Interstate Avenue in Portland when he hit a woman walking toward traffic in the bike lane. The woman, 23-year-old Ashley Wirth, was taken to a hospital for treatment of serious injuries. Police expect her to survive her injuries.

Police responded to Interstate Avenue near Schmeer Road around 8:45 p.m. after someone, later identified as Leary, reported a pedestrian had been hit, Portland police said in a news release.

Leary is facing third-degree assault, failure to perform duties of a driver to injured persons, driving under the influence of intoxicants and reckless driving charges, records show. He was arraigned Thursday and has been released on his own recognizance from the Multnomah County Jail.

He has a prior driving under the influence conviction in Washington, according to processing documents filed Thursday in Multnomah County Circuit Court.

Police said Leary called 911 from a nearby ARCO gas station.

-- Jim Ryan

jryan@oregonian.com

503-221-8005; @Jimryan015
Not that you needed another reason to post photos of your pet on social media, but National Pet Day meant the internet was flooded Monday morning with fury (an sometimes scaly) pets.

RELATED: Residents show off dogs for National Dog Day

While pets have a tendency to adapt to their owner's habits, many come into the household with a personality of their own.

For example, if you throw a National Pet Day Party for your Shih Tzu, it will probably sniff everyone in the room at a rapid rate multiple times before attacking any cake you drop. And that no-fuss Bernese Mountain Dog will be watching Netflix while you guys celebrate in the other room.

Click the gallery above to see the top dog breeds and the personalities associated with them.

An estimated 70-80 million dogs and 74-96 million cats are owned in the United States alone, according to the American Pets and Products Association.


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In the laboratories at the former Michigan Molecular Institute building on St. Andrews Road, lab-coated scientists are bustling from one part of a scientific experiment to another.

But upon further investigation, it becomes clear the 12 researchers in the labs are really high school students, seniors this fall, from three different area high schools, all part of Michigan State Universitys initial paid student summer intern program through its still developing STEM Research Laboratory.

The students  six from H.H. Dow High School, four from Midland High School and two from Bullock Creek High School  teamed with MSU faculty to work on real-world problems that the professors and students selected for their eight-weeks of summer work, with an eye toward entering some of the research in the Siemens Science Challenge this year. Only original research can be submitted for the national science award.

SEE RELATED: MSU STEM Research Laboratory in operation

Paul Hunt, senior associate vice president for Research and Graduate Studies, said MSU was going to work with only six students this summer.

But when we saw the strength of the field, we increased it to 12, he said.

The students worked on five different projects, ranging from taking excess fluoride out of groundwater so that it meets World Health Organization guidelines to using polylactic acid-based composites for 3D printing.

The students, faculty and their topics are:

 Nicole Evans (Bullock Creek) and Caroline Szabo (Dow) worked on killing the mites that kill honey bees by attaching naturally occurring miticides to polymers so that the release could be controlled. Their mentor was Edmund Stark, Ph.D.

 James Gustin (Midland) and Kiley Mowry (Dow) worked on evaluating polylactic acid-based products made by 3D printing so that the products integrity could be determined. Their mentors were Robert Bubeck, Ph.D, and Tracy Zhang, Ph.D

 Brittney Duford (Midland) and Matthew Lile (Midland) worked on a synthesis of some compound additives for lithium ion batteries to prevent overcharging. Their mentor was Adina Dumitrascu, Ph.D.

 Samantha Damocles (Dow), Cara Spencer (Midland) and Melody Wang (Dow) worked on reducing the amount of fluoride in groundwater, mimicking the water found in the mining village of Queretaro in Mexico. Their mentor was Daniel Henton, Ph.D.

 Elizabeth Fleming (Bullock Creek), Danny Kim (Dow) and Wade Winton (Dow) completed 19F-NMR analyses on fluoroaluminate complexes to determine which complexes are formed during the removal of fluoride from water with aluminum. Henton was also their mentor.
Midland Tomorrow, Midland Countys economic development agency, recently hosted a Familiarization Tour for Midland Countys local, state and national legislators, which focused on businesses in Coleman.

Attending the tour were U.S. Congressman John Moolenaar, State Senator Jim Stamas, Midland County Commissioners Jim Geisler and Alan Kloha, as well as Midland Tomorrow Board President Pete Milojevic, and Midland Tomorrow, Midland Chamber and Michigan Economic Development Corporation staff.

The group toured Robinson Industries, CM Rubber Technologies, Inc., and Huhtamaki, Inc., and met with Coleman small business owners Jerry and Yulia Coon of Coons Berry Farm, Coleman Mayor Steve Miller and several city council members. They also toured Coleman Industrial Park, which has 65 acres available for light industrial development and is located next to the U.S.-10 exit at Coleman.

FAM tours in the economic development arena are used as a way to introduce site selectors to a particular location. Midland Tomorrow decided to use the concept as a way for legislators to become informed about the businesses in our community, how they operate, and their successes and challenges, said Becky Church, vice president of operations for Midland Tomorrow. Its a win for the businesses as well, since they had a captive audience with their representatives, and were able to let those representatives and local economic development staff know what they need in order to accomplish their business goals and create jobs.

Robinson Industries, founded in 1947, is a family-owned business that manufactures custom-designed thermoformed and injection-molded plastic pallets and packaging. The company offers clients in the automotive, agriculture, retail, etc., sectors a full range of services, from determining needs, designing and prototyping to testing and manufacturing the products.

CM Rubber Technologies was founded in 2004 by spouses Dan and Rebecca Mullins. They recycle thousands of scrap tires each year and shred and refine them, then use the material to make mats, landscape mulch, playground surfaces, drain field aggregate and equestrian footing.

Huhtamaki, Inc., is a worldwide company based in Finland that makes custom paper and plastic food packaging. Their plant in Coleman thermoforms plates, bowls, cups and lids for the retail, food service and consumer markets.

Coons Berry Farm was opened in 2014 by husband and wife, Jerry and Yulia Coon, and grows red and black currants and gooseberries from which they make vinegars and syrups. Their products are currently sold at local farmers markets and they have plans to expand into wine-making.

We were thrilled to see the support from the City of Coleman, Midland Tomorrow, Michigan Economic Development Corporation and especially Congressman Moolenaar and Senator Stamas, said the Coons. It is comforting for us to know that we have the backing we need to succeed from both the public and private sectors.

Coleman is home to great manufacturers who have been in the community for decades. Because Michigan workers are the best, these businesses sell products around the world and consistently beat international competition, Moolenaar said. I enjoyed meeting with the workers at Robinson Industries, Huhtamaki and CM Rubber, and I will continue to fight against government overreach that threatens the success of these businesses.
In the research laboratories that have housed Michigan Molecular Institute scientists for decades, students from three area high schools this summer worked on advanced experiments designed to solve some problems that have vexed scientists around the world.

They are part of the first cohort of students, and other central Michigan residents, who will be learning more about science, technology, engineering and math through the Michigan State University STEM Research Laboratory in the St. Andrews Road building that has housed MMI for more than 40 years.

When funding for MMI began to dry up as congressional earmarks (its main source of funding) vanished, local foundation directors and other visionaries looked for ways to use their multi-million investment in that building differently. At the same time, officials at MSU were looking for more ways to bring the university closer to the communities they serve across the state, including Midland.

So talks began between MSU and The Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation, the Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, the Charles J. Strosacker Foundation and The Dow Chemical Co. Gerstacker Foundation Treasurer Al Ott; Dave Kepler, a retired Dow vice president, and Lindsay Aspegren, co-founder of North Coast Technology Investors, have played key roles in the transition.

Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation President Mike Whiting said the communitys relationship with MSU helped initiate those talks, getting people to think about repurposing the building.

Is there something MSU could do with this building, we asked them? Whiting said. Its really well built and the location, right in Discovery Square, is a great location. You can see why a research facility was built there.

Whiting said the laboratory space was enticing to MSU.

To build new laboratory space would be extremely expensive, Whiting said. So I think that was a big attraction to MSU. They could do STEM research with a laboratory component because they have the facilities right there.

Paul Hunt, who has been at the university since 1979, said the university was looking for ways to bolster its relationship with Midland, with the College of Human Medicine at MidMichigan Health and the College of Business (through the Midland Research Institute for Value Chain Creation in the East End Building) already having programs here.

Hunt, senior associate vice president for Research and Graduate Studies, said there was a variety of reasons the building was attractive for its STEM program.

We have a major mission to develop and provide STEM education, Hunt said. The students here now are the leading edge of a series of STEM programs that we are going to provide.

SEE RELATED: High school seniors learn at MSU STEM site in Midland

He is leading MSUs program that will benefit the community in three main ways: providing access for high school students, providing advanced lessons in cutting edge programs for local school district teachers and providing programs for individuals and businesses in science-related technologies.

Herbert H. and Grace A. Dow Foundation Executive Director Jenee Velasquez said the foundation and MSU signed a long-term lease agreement that included money for remodeling and operating expenses. The foundation is providing $4 million of support that is comprised of $1 million each year from 2015-17 and $500,000 a year for 2018 and 2019. An additional $4 million of support is being provided by Rollin M. Gerstacker Foundation, The Charles J. Strosacker Foundation, and The Dow Chemical Co.

Hopefully, by then, it will be self-sustaining, she said.

Hunt said that internal remodeling began on the building July 1, 2015 and that the architectural firm TWA in Saginaw is working on structural changes to the building to meet MSUs needs and to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.

In the meantime, the university has lost no time in planning to bring the latest in STEM technology to Midland. Last Thursday, the university graduated its first group of local high school seniors (see accompanying story) from its eight-week paid summer internship program, one in which the students worked in teams with MSU faculty to attempt to solve real-world problems through research.

In addition, MSU professor Charles Anderson is presenting to area 10th grade biology teachers his CarbonTIME curriculum, a new program he designed to help students become aware of all aspects of the carbon cycle. The program will be launched in the coming school year, Hunt said.

MSU also is working with Central Elementary staff as it prepares to implement its own STEM programming there, as well as putting together a chemical safety program for adults.

Whiting said the MSU program is a good fit for the community and for the Dow Foundation, which over time has donated 40 percent of its charitable dollars to education.

It is a good use for that facility, a nice cooperative effort among all of us, he said.

Ott said MMI was a dream of Midland resident Ted Doan and the research center fits right in with Doans dream.

He wanted a teaching center, a learning center, Ott said.

Velasquez said she believes the facility will be a place for teachers to gather, for students to gather and also people in the industry who want to be trained, no matter where they live.

MSU is bringing tremendous expertise here, best practices in education, best practices in STEM, hands-on learning, she said. We need to invest in teachers so they can be as effective as possible.
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U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow made a stop this week in downtown Bay City as part of her small business tour across the state

Led by Ryan Carley, CEO/president of the Bay Area Chamber of Commerce, the tour began at St. Laurent Brothers, 1101 N. Water St., a longtime fixture in downtown. Next up was a new business, Ferne Boutique, 922 Washington Ave., and the final stop was at Tavern 101, 101 Center Ave.

Its a wonderful opportunity to showcase all of the growth in Bay County and the Bay area. It also allows us to show that a lot of local leaders have been planning this growth years and years ago. It is a partnership between the private sector and the public sector, Carley said.

St. Laurent Brothers began roasting peanuts to make natural peanut butter in 1904.

We still oil roast our nuts upstairs, said owner Steve Frye as he spoke with Stabenow. This building was built during the Civil War and we bought the business from the St. Laurent family in 1985.

Frye has seen tremendous growth in the downtown.

When we first got here, the downtown was almost all vacant buildings. In the last 30 years, between the downtown development and private enterprise, its really grown, Frye said.

It wasnt all nuts and candy as Stabenow and Frye wandered around the store, with Stabenow noticing the inviting chocolates, ice cream and other delicious treats.

Frye appreciated the time spent with Stabenow, who described herself as an ice cream fanatic.

Shes an important person, in an important position and took time to stop by to see what makes it all go around. Were elated to have her here, Frye said.

From St. Laurent, it was a two block walk up Third Street and right on Washington Avenue to the year-old Ferne Boutique.

We been in this location for little over a week, said owner Laura Horwath. Our first location was on Fifth Street and we just celebrated our first anniversary.

The discussion at Ferne was about the challenges she faces as a business owner.

Keeping inventory, she promptly responded. We turnover quick. We dont reorder often because we want to keep things unique so people feel special that they have something others dont. We have people come in and want something and its gone.

Horwath, who also owns Alberts General Store (mens clothing and accessories) at 809 Adams St. in Bay City, has done what a lot of others have and ventured out to begin her own business.

I was at a young professionals conference. I sat there sobbing because I didnt like my job. I went home and told my husband I wanted to open a store and he asked, With what?

She went out, obtained a line of credit through a local credit union and opened her first location.

But, it was the current location, with its square block ceiling and block way, that caught Stabenows eye.

This has a very unique, city look to it, Stabenow said.

As Horwath explained her desire to expand to other cities, especially Detroit, Stabenow jumped on with her encouragement.

You should seriously consider (Detroit). That is a perfect place, Stabenow said.

The final stop in Bay City, at Tavern 101, 101 Center Ave., included a chat with owner Dave Dittenber.

One thing all three stops had in common was the opportunity for staff to have their photos taken with the senator.

Following her time in Bay City, Stabenow ventured to Saginaw and a tour of the Downtown Saginaw Farmers Market. Previously, the tour included stops in west Michigan, the Upper Peninsula and northern Michigan.

Last October, Michigans other senator, Gary Peters, also toured Bay City, but focused on the waterfront development and the efforts to attract business development, especially to the Uptown Bay City development.
The year was 1945; during the tail end of World War II. The sound of roaring aircraft engines and boots on the ground filled the air, raising decibel levels to resounding heights.



For 91-year-old World War II veteran, Rowland Ball, these familiar sounds served as a nostalgic reminder of his time as a B-29 Superfortress navigator.



When he was an officer in the U.S. Army Air Corps, Ball once called Guam home, flying 27 missions out of Northfield, which is now known as Andersen Air Force Base.



The Second World War



I was in Guam for about six months and left as the war ended, Ball said. During my time, we flew two types of missions: daytime strategic formation flights, where we would bomb factories and other assets, and night flights, which were missions where we bombed our adversaries.



Ball has many memories of Guam, which he was able to recall in vivid detail despite the lengthy passage of time. The challenges he and his crew faced tested their courage and willpower to a breaking point as they faced unimaginable turmoil and anguish.



We lost so many good men, he recounted, with tears in his eyes after a brief pause to collect himself. I dont have many fond memories.





Ball, top row, second from the left, with his crew members

My crew almost perished during a mission over the city of Gifu, (Japan), where we were shot up so badly, bailing out of the plane seemed like the only option. Why we did not die that day, I will never know.



That 18-hour mission was the most frightening. With bad intelligence, mechanical issues and constant enemy bombardment, death was at his crews doorstep. After bombing Gifu, the plane was in such critical condition, they decided to bailout over the Pacific Ocean. Ball was to be the first to jump, but after looking down at the ocean, he asked his team to rethink the situation. After weighing which course of action would have the greatest chance of survival, they decided to fly the aircraft back to Guam or die trying.



The condition of the plane was dire. Preceding their bombing of Gifu, a mechanical error hindered their ability to drop bombs on their targets on time. An explosion in the bomb bay should have destroyed the whole plane. While all of this was occurring, they still had to avoid enemy bullets, many of which were inches away from damaging crucial equipment. Despite the problems, the team stuck together and flew back to Guam.



The war ended soon after the crews successful return from bombing Gifu, and Ball was on his way back to the United States after a few more non-combat missions.



After leaving Guam in 1945, Ball never thought he would receive the opportunity to see it again. As a surprise, his wife bought him and a few family members plane tickets to the small island in the Pacific. After reaching out to base leadership, the family received a warm welcome and was given the unexpected opportunity of a lifetime.



Just like he remembered



During 1945, the flightline was full of excitement and action, with an assortment of planes taking off every minute. There was never a dull moment.



Fast forward 71 years, to the same flightline. The name of the airfield may have changed, but the air operations remains unwavering.



The flightline never skipped a beat, staying just as active as Ball remembered it. He was able to gaze upon the generation of bombers that followed the B-29 firsthand. In an unprecedented moment, the B-52 Stratofortress, B-1B Lancer and B-2 Spirit were all present in front of him. The expression on Balls face when he saw all of these planes was that of a kid in a candy shop. He had never fathomed the opportunity to see one of the bombers up-close, let alone all three at once.





34th EBS aviators talk about the B-1B Lancer with Rowland Ball

Its mind-boggling the type of equipment we have now, said Ball. The technical advantages have come a long way since my time. I remember having to look up at the stars to navigate, but now there is this amazing equipment that makes navigating much easier and efficient. Its a different world altogether. 



What astonished him the most was the amount of damage a B-52, B-1 or B-2 can inflict on an adversary compared to multiple B-29s.



Those who accompanied Ball were also able to share their experiences with him as they guided him through the airfield he could only reminiscence about.



Showing him the aspects of the airfield that stayed the same and pointing out what has changed or been added was an exhilarating experience, said Lt. Col. Kevin Kippie, 36th Operations Support Squadron commander. To be able to show our base and flightline to somebody who forged this theater and gave us our freedom is something to be remembered.



Past and Present: A Meeting with the Current Generation



Rowland Ball shares a moment with 1st Lt. Dillen Stuhlsatz After visiting a few more areas on the airfield and seeing what had changed with his own two eyes, Ball had the chance to share a few more of his stories with present-day aviators. Joy, turmoil, courage, sorrow, team and loss. Those words, though not explicitly said, echoed throughout a room filled with aviators, who were so fixated on Balls stories, they barely moved an inch.



He shared many combat stories with us, but also talked about the ingenuity and creativity his crew displayed during a trying time, Kippie said. What our generation of Airmen can learn from someone who has been to war is courage. His message, that he reiterated multiple times, was how it took a team working together to get to a target. Sometimes sorties didnt go as planned, but they stuck together to accomplish the task at hand as a team.



His message spoke to more than just aviators, but to maintainers, engineers, cooks and other support staff. Ball showed appreciation to each organization, as he knew just how important they were to the war effort.



Even though someone he knew died every day, after every sortie, these men still found the courage to takeoff, Kippie said. What we take for granted these days is their sacrifice. Ive flown around 60 combat sorties and I dont know anyone who has been shot down. This is something we train for, but its not in the forefront of our minds when we are flying combat sorties. We have not had that type of experience, so it was jaw-dropping listening to him talk about it.



Despite long days, hectic missions, the loss and turmoil his crew faced, there were some lighter moments he shared.



The cooks would give us three sandwiches for an 18-hour mission. I had to decide how I would eat them. Should I eat two before a bomb run or after? Would I even be alive to eat the sandwich I saved, Ball said as he took a brief pause to let the audience laugh.



One time, ice cream was included in our meal. Now why would they give us ice cream of all things? So, during that mission, we decided to fly at a higher altitude than normal, to keep it frozen. Unfortunately, by the time we completed our mission, the ice cream was unsalvageable.



After Ball finished sharing his experiences, he received a standing ovation as deafening as a roaring flightline. As he bid farewell to the Airmen, they all lined up to shake his hand. The sound of velcro soon followed, as he was presented multiple squadron patches in appreciation of everything he stood for and accomplished.



It was remarkable speaking to these young Airmen, Ball said. These planes have become so technologically advanced throughout the years. It is astonishing what they have to learn and the amount of studying that needs to take place to fly these behemoths. They will lead America into the future.



Gratefulness



As his visit ended, Ball, who was never at a loss for words, was speechless. Emotional and grateful, the only word he could muster was Thanks.



Thank you people for allowing my family and I to have the opportunity to see this place. You have all been so nice and wonderful. I thought I might be able to see a plane, but this was something else. This visit has made my life and I will remember this forever.

"This visit has made my life and I will remember this forever."
'Mechanic: Resurrection' Review: Two Incredibly Attractive People Star In One Incredibly Stupid Movie

By TK Burton | Film | August 26, 2016 |

Hey, do you remember 2011s The Mechanic? It was a remake of an old Charles Bronson film, and starred Jason Statham, Ben Foster, Donald Sutherland and Tony Goldwyn. Remember? No? Yeah, me neither, despite seeing it. Dustin saw it too, and reviewed it. At the time, he said its suitable for the Netflix queue, right above all the documentaries youve saved but will never actually watch, which feels about right. Do you remember when moviegoers everywhere were clamoring for a sequel? No? Yeah, thats because that never happened, and never should happen.

And yet, Statham is back as hitman-with-a-conscience Arthur Bishop, this time living a quiet life of retirement in Rio. Except, of course, a very bad man named Crain (Sam Hazeldine) wants to drag him back into the life of killing, by getting him to carry out three preposterously complicated assassinations (further complicated by the fact that Bishops specialty is making his murders look like accidents). Bishop turns him down, theres a fight, he escapes. Bishop runs away to Thailand, meets a beautiful woman named Gina (Jessica Alba - wait, Jessica Alba? Really? Well raise my rent), theres a fight, he doesnt escape. Crain threatens to kill Gina unless Bishop carries out the assassinations. There are more fights, more escapes, and then a big fight and a big escape and voila, movie!

Thats literally all there is to the movie. Its an idiotic mess of a movie thats only barely worth even writing about, except to tell you to just not bother. Its listless and lifeless and lackluster. The beginning is fine, I guess, and the astonishingly rapid courtship between Gina and Bishop is nice because a) Alba has become a marginally better actress now that shes a bit more mature and b) the two of them are in bathing suits for the entire time theyre in Thailand and goddamn, they are two incredibly attractive people. But thats the best Ive got. There are gunfights, and fistfights, and Mission Impossible-style feats of sneakiness from Bishop as he carries out the increasingly silly assassinations, even though you know hes going to be double crossed in the end. Theres even a part for Tommy Lee Jones, playing the good kind of arms dealer, who has a soul patch and wears John Lennon sunglasses, yet still looks like someone just propped up Jones corpse up with sticks and periodically tasered it to generate movement.

There are no surprises here, and even Statham, a man whose career has been predicated on his remarkable physicality, fails to really impress or excite (other than via his rampant shirtlessness). Albas character is fine, I guess, but still prone to lapses of blankness and smiling nervously as if shes not quite sure that shes on the right set, but what the hell, lets go for it. For some damned reason, Michelle Yeoh is here, which is just insulting to her and I want to send her a nice pie or something. I have no idea who Sam Hazelton is, but he rasps well enough, I guess.

Oh! Theres also some spectacular racial stereotyping  all of the black men are part of an evil African warlords goon squad, and they drink and fight and believe in some sort of voodoo, dressed in pseudo-African garb even while in prison.

Mechanic: Resurrection is dumb, but at least its forgettably dumb. Its probably going to win the award for most forgettable movie of 2016, and in a year full of boring shit, thats a hell of a prize to take home and set on fire. Dont see it. Dont rent it. If it shows up on Netflix some day, just dont bother. Spend your time eating a pizza, or watching TV, or playing video games, or day-drinking, or masturbating. Or all of the above, all at once. Or spend it staring at a blank wall, contemplating your stupid, futile existence. Even that is time better spent than watching Mechanic: Resurrection.

TK Burton is an Editorial Consultant. You may email him here or follow him on Twitter.

 On Aging Out of Being a Dead Girl and How "The Night Of" Failed Us | Dr. Drew Got Fired, Probably for Being a Terrible Person Who Shouldn't Be Allowed to Say Words In Public 
FAIRBURY  A former records clerk for the Fairbury Police Department has settled a federal lawsuit related to her termination after she voiced concerns about alleged illegal activity.

In a settlement approved July 20 by the Fairbury City Council, Kaci Zimmerman was paid $25,000 in exchange for her dismissal of a lawsuit against former Police Chief Michael Frickey, Mayor Roger Dameron, city Superintendent Leroy McPherson; City Clerk Nancy Widlacki; and the city.

The $25,000 settlement includes $5,414 in back pay for Zimmerman and $196,914 in legal fees. The legal fees and a portion of Zimmerman's settlement was paid by the city's insurance company.

Zimmer worked as records clerk for the city from 2012 until she was fired in 2014.

In the lawsuit filed in January 2015, Zimmerman claimed she witnessed Frickey and other city workers violate police policy, including appropriating evidence in a criminal investigation for their own use. Zimmerman also accused the city and its employees of violating the Illinois Whistleblower Act and her constitutional rights.

Under terms of the settlement obtained by The Pantagraph through a Freedom of Information Act request, the city admits no wrongdoing and Zimmerman agrees to drop all claims.

Zimmerman and city officials agreed not to discuss the settlement. If asked about the dispute, both parties agreed to tell people "the matter has been resolved" and make no further comment, according to the settlement.
DECATUR  Gov. Bruce Rauner signed legislation Thursday allowing anyone convicted of a forcible felony, other than one requiring someone to register as a sex offender, to petition the Illinois Department of Public Health for a health care worker license as of Jan. 1.

For Lisa Creason of Decatur, the signing ceremony at Richland Community College came after she spent more than a year stalking members of the General Assembly.

With her every step of the way was Amy Schneider, her caseworker at the Northeast Community Fund's Family Investment Program.

The secretaries would sometimes like us and sometimes not, Creason said. If they didn't, we would just show up without an appointment.

We would wait, Schneider added.

Now the wait is almost over for Creason, 43, who discovered after earning an associate degree in 2014 at Richland that she was barred from taking the state exam to become a registered nurse because of an attempted robbery conviction 20 years earlier.

During the signing ceremony, Rauner praised her work on behalf of Senate Bill 42, which passed the Senate on March 26, 2015, and the House on May 26, 2016.

She advocated for herself and her family. She stood up and said, 'There are barriers holding back good people in Illinois; let's knock those down,'" the governor said. She got out there and led this effort, and Lisa, God bless you.

Creason was convicted in 1994 of trying tried to take money from a Subway cash register but was thwarted by an employee.

The General Assembly added forcible felonies to the Health Care Worker Background Check Act in 2011 to prevent violent and sexual offenders from having such licenses.

As a result, Creason had to keep working as a certified nursing assistant, a job for which she received a waiver more than a decade ago, and rely on public aid to support herself and her three children.

With tears and hugs, Creason thanked everyone who helped her, including her family, the local NAACP and her former teachers at Richland.

The nursing program here accomplished something that my mother was unable to accomplish in 20-some years; they taught me how to shut my mouth, Creason said. Thank you for offering to help me prepare for my state boards. It's a blessing to have all of you in my corner.
BLOOMINGTON  Fire has destroyed a Bloomington resident's mobile home on the city's south edge, but he was not home at the time and no one was injured.

Bloomington Township firefighters were called at 8:01 p.m. Thursday to 3403 Yucca Drive in The Meadows of Bloomington mobile home park. The mobile home was just across Old Colonial Road from the fire station.

Firefighters frequently saw resident Jim Burns walking in the area, and he was on a walk when the fire broke out, said Assistant Fire Chief Shane DeVault.

The 1963 mobile home was a total loss, said Fire Chief Tom Willan, declining to give a dollar value. The fire was confined to the front half of the mobile home, but there was heavy smoke and water damage throughout.

There was a hole about 6 feet across in the front corner where the outer wall had burned and been pulled away, exposing the kitchen. All the windows were knocked out.

The cause was deemed accidental but remains under investigation, Willan said. "We can't rule out extension cords" as a factor, he said.

When the call came, DeVault could see the smoke from his home on Woodrig Road, which is about a mile north of the scene. Firefighters said the flames were visible from the fire station, and thick smoke soon obscured the area.

"The fire had already broken through the front windows," DeVault said.

The fire was under control after about 30 minutes, and it was confined to the mobile home, DeVault said.

Firefighters from Downs and Randolph and Dale townships were at the scene. MABAS (Mutual Aid Box Alarm System) Division 41 also had a McLean County fire investigation team on the scene.

The man, who lived in the mobile home for about 25 years, said he has a place to stay and did not need help from the American Red Cross, Willan said. The mobile home was not insured.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois attorney generals office is appealing a federal court order that David Gill be placed on the Nov. 8 ballot as an independent candidate in the 13th Congressional District even though he didnt collect the required number of petition signatures.

The attorney generals office, representing the Illinois State Board of Elections, filed its notice of appeal Friday afternoon in federal court in Springfield. The action came a day after U.S. District Judge Sue Myerscough ordered that Gill appear on the ballot and the same day the elections board certified the ballot with his name on it.

Assistant Attorney General Sarah Newman also filed a motion asking Myerscough to put her order on hold pending the appeal, but the judge denied that request.

Gill, a Bloomington physician whos run for Congress four times previously as a Democrat, gathered only 8,593 of the 10,754 valid petition signatures he needed to earn a ballot spot as an independent, but he sued in federal court to challenge the requirement.

Gill says the law is unconstitutional because its so far out of line with whats required of major-party candidates. Republican U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, of Taylorville and Democratic challenger Mark Wicklund of Decatur each had to gather fewer than 740 signatures to get on the ballot in the 13th District.

Myerscough didnt rule on the merits of that argument, but she issued her order because Gill was able to show that he and his supporters would suffer irreparable harm if he were left off the ballot. She said the state failed to show a compelling reason for excluding him.

Newman has argued that the state has an interest in preventing ballot overcrowding and potential voter confusion and that similar signature requirements have been upheld in previous cases.

If signature requirements are no longer certain, it becomes impossible for election authorities to rule on objections, and impossible for candidates (and political opponents) to know exactly what the requirements will be for every race, she wrote in her motion Friday.

Gill filed his lawsuit after Wicklund and former Macon County Republican Party Chairman Jerry Stocks filed objections to his nominating petitions with the elections board.

Sam Cahnman, Gills attorney, said he doesnt understand why the board is so anxious to prohibit this man from getting on the ballot.
Social media has become a central part of our daily lives, and many conversations we have with friends, family members, and peers shift seamlessly between online and offline communication. With the surge of social media and digital communication, it's no surprise that it has also made its mark in the classroom.

In addition to social media, digital literacy-the ability to find, analyze, share, and create content using digital technology such as computers, tablets, phones, websites, and apps-has become a hot topic for educators over the past few years.

Because of this shift in education, it's crucial that all current and future educators become familiar with how to use social media and technology to meet learning objectives for students and become connected to the global education community. As the start of the school year nears, it's an ideal time for teachers to start thinking about how to implement social media and technology into their classrooms so they can unlock their creative teaching potential. Here's a checklist that details easy ways teachers can prepare:

Two Weeks Out

 Explore which free educator resources can work best with your lesson plans. There are helpful resources out there that will allow you to take digital development into your own hands. Here are a few examples:

 Classroom Aid: This website has just about every digital literacy resource imaginable, from fact-checking tools to tips for creating bibliographies.

 The Futurelab: Find real-life examples of successful implementation of digital literacy into the classroom as well as helpful links to media resources.

 Common Sense Media: This extensive review site provides feedback for all kinds of child-specific media (think movies, books, games, apps) and should be any educator's first stop when trying to vet a new piece of media.

 Review real life examples of how teachers have used online learning techniques and tools in the classroom. Keep in mind there's no rush to completely transform your classroom; take small but meaningful steps to do it right. If you need some inspiration on ways teachers are leveraging digital tools in their classroom, head here for some real life examples. For instance:

 Weda Bory of the Hong Kong International School is blending iPhoneography (photography taken on iPhone) with showing her students how to write and tell their own stories. She also transitions her lesson plans to center around photojournalism as the students can use iPhones to capture everyday life and document their photos in journals.

 Determine the best tools to communicate with students and parents. Whether you're chatting with parents or sharing feedback with students, there are various options when it comes to choosing an appropriate communication platform.

 If you want to consider setting up a classroom webpage or blog, there are services like Google, Blackboard and WordPress. For example, a resource like Blackboard is great for communicating with students because there are options to have lecture notes, test scores, and homework assignments all live on one platform.

One Week Out

 Familiarize yourself with using digital tools and social media on classroom computers and iPads. When you're in the classroom preparing for the first day of school, play around with monitors or tablets that may be available to you so you feel comfortable using them effectively. The more you know about different computer or iPad features, the more likely you'll start to implement that knowledge in the classroom and enhance learning for students as a result. Not to mention, you'll be a resource for parents when it comes to social media and technology.

 To help you get started, here is a resource where you can read up on ways to effectively use technology in the classroom.

 Connect with parents or your fellow teachers and share ideas. Social media provides great ways to organize an online community to share ideas, tips, and tools with teachers and engage with parents.

 On LinkedIn, you can create private or public professional groups. Start one for your school or go broader by communicating with teachers in your school district.

 Flip the parent/teacher conference by hosting a Google Hangout with one parent or all students' parents. You can also create a Facebook community for parents to receive classroom and school updates and share pictures or videos of school projects and events.

 Create student assignments and group projects that involve social media. Teachers have been heading over to Pinterest for classroom and learning inspiration, and, in turn, Pinterest has developed dedicated tools for education such as the Teachers on Pinterest space. Given its multitude of features and more than 500,000 education-related pins, there are a significant number of opportunities on the platform. USC Rossier Online has created The Guide to Pinterest for Educators to provide teachers and administrators with the tools needed to not only navigate Pinterest, but to use the social platform as a powerful learning tool for both teachers and students. Here are two ways teachers can engage students through Pinterest:

 Digital Student Portfolios: To congratulate students on their work and encourage them to do well on projects, teachers can have students create a portfolio board when school starts. If a student receives a high mark on an assignment or turns in something creative, students would then be encouraged to pin it to their personalized board. Over the course of the school year, students can build their digital portfolios and by year's end, they'll have a comprehensive snapshot of their work.

 Creative Classroom Brainstorming: While working on visual projects, students can turn to Pinterest for inspiration by searching for ideas on the platform and pinning them to their boards. If working in groups, students can compare boards with one another, which may spark new or interesting ideas.

While social media and digital literacy are here to stay, that doesn't mean teachers must become experts overnight. By doing research, taking advantage of free online resources, and talking to fellow teachers about the best ways to use social media, educators will be able to effectively evaluate which platforms and strategies work best for them and their students. Overall, implementing some of these resources into the classroom will not only help teachers grow professionally, but it will also help students and their parents become more invested in the classroom.

Corinne Hyde, Ed.D. is an associate teaching professor of clinical education at USC Rossier Online. Follow them on Twitter: @DrCorinneHyde and @USCTeacher.
The back to school rush has begun as summer nears its end. In addition to the return to the traditional school supplies, here are some guidelines to make the most of the school counseling services available to your child and family.

Back to school can create stress and school counselors are trained to help students to manage their stress and cope effectively. As a parent, you may have your own anxieties and concerns about the beginning of school, particularly in the aftermath of the recent nation-wide gun violence. There are many resources in the school system to assist your family including a school counselor, school principal and your child's teacher.

Helpful Guidelines: 1) Know your resources! 2) Reach out to your child's teacher to introduce yourself and wish the teacher well in beginning the new school year. This is a great way to begin a positive relationship to launch the beginning of the school year. 3) Be open and honest about your concerns and any changes your child has experienced during the summer break and how they may impact their transition into the new school year. 4) Contact the school counselor to share your worries, concerns and details about personal issues your child may need support with. School counselors have advanced training in working with school age children and can collaborate with the teacher, parent and student to support a successful transition at the beginning of the school year. If additional supports are needed, the school counselor is the professional to provide it! 5) To manage your own anxieties, review your school's safety plan. a. How will I be notified in the event of an emergency? Phone call, text or email. b. Where should I pick up my child in the event of an emergency? c. What safety drills will my child learn? Fire drill? Lock-down drill? d. What is the lock-down policy of my child's school district? e. What is the visitor policy in my child's school?

The transition back to school can be tricky, particularly if your family has undergone a transition itself. The transition may be a divorce or marital separation, a remarriage and blending of families, a move, job loss, an illness or death in the family, the birth of a sibling or an older sibling leaving home for college. There are ways to support your child to navigate the transition with ease and your school counselors are a great resource to help.
Leaked documents from Hillary Clinton's emails have been the bane of the Democratic candidate's presidential campaign. But the latest correspondence that have been coming out, which features Chelsea Clinton discussing the internet with her mother, has been quite a breath of fresh air.

As far as scandals go, this one is hardly a cause for concern and might not even impact the presidential campaign. More than anything, the leaked Hillary Clinton emails with Chelsea Clinton have been described as sweet, amusing and hilarious by netizens.

The correspondence actually feature something mothers with millennial daughters everywhere can relate. It shows a mom trying to get it on with the digital age and a digital-savvy daughter trying to teach her mom the ways of the internet.

Chelsea Clinton used the alias Diane Reynolds in the leaked Hillary Clinton emails, where she discussed how her mom's official website needed to be overhauled. Among a handful of sensible inputs, Chelsea suggested to her mother that she needed her site to look "snazzier," per Glamour. "You need someone else editing the pictures they put of you on the homepage scroll - some are fantastic and some are weird!" Chelsea Clinton emailed to her mom.

But perhaps realizing that her critiques seemed harsh, Chelsea ended her email to Hillary Clinton with an "I love you!" Then, her mom replied that she loves the ideas and feedback. Below is the leaked Hillary Clinton email with Chelsea Clinton.

Chelsea emails Hillary Clinton her critique of the State Department's website: "It could be snazzier." pic.twitter.com/CCJDl6PMzH  Dylan Stableford (@stableford) August 22, 2016

In 2015, a leaked Hillary Clinton email also revealed that the presidential candidate had a difficult time making a fax machine work that she sought a staff for help, per CNN Money. All these emails date back to 2009 though, which could suggest Hillary Clinton might have already mastered some of how the internet and technology works by now.
K-12 online education platform, Classblox, is now available nationally in beta as it continues to add classes and teachers to its menu. Taking a cue from the structured school days of students in Asia, Classblox not only makes early education past 3 p.m. easy and accessible but also, allows American students the opportunity to compete on a global scale. Classblox provides K-12 students the chance to take live, interactive courses with teachers of the highest degree, in the convenience of their own home without forgoing the need for structured learning. Shaily Baranwal, the founder of Classblox, is a respected education expert and entrepreneur, having already established herself in the edtech startup world since launching her first product, Elevate K-12, in 2008.

On Classblox, students are able to sign up for courses ranging from ACT prep, to Algebra, to Mandarin and more, regardless of location. With a laptop, internet access, and a fee for services, children seeking additional learning opportunities outside the classroom can immerse themselves in subjects that interest them, guided by well-trained teachers, and excel beyond the limits of their local public school curriculums.

"My company's mission is to help ensure that every student gets one-on-one, online instructional support, irrespective of geography, demography and ethnicity. Children of this age need a structured environment to learn, and Classblox ensures access to the best teachers the nation has to offer, not just the best in the local school district," says Baranwal. "I could be sitting on a couch at my home in Chicago, while the teacher could be on the West Coast instructing."

Classblox courses range from 8 to 12 weeks long, with one hour online sessions once each week.For parents who want to be involved in the process, a student's success can be monitored through weekly assessments and an online dashboard. Each Classblox course is taught by one instructor, and has up to only four students in a class. All Classblox instructors undergo a thorough and rigorous screening and training process. Teachers are paid an hourly rate, are assessed periodically, and let go if they are not performing adequately. Course prices differ depending on the topic and length, ranging from $199 to $749.

This past spring, Classblox completed its first round of funding with hedge fund billionaire Andy Bluhm of Delaware Street Capital. Resulting from Andy's investment, pilots of Classblox are currently underway in both Chicago and Ann Arbor. The second phase of funding is in movement. While the product, in beta, has been used by students since the end of June, Classblox has seen a 3.6 percent conversion rate from visit to buy, breaking industry conversion metrics for revenue generating pilots. There are 50 students currently enrolled in the program.

Shaily grew up teaching in India before coming to the US in 2005 to pursue an MBA from the University of Michigan's Ross School of Business. During her time at Ross, Shaily launched her first business venture in 2008, Elevate K-12. Elevate K-12 is a product used in the classroom that provides digital instruction and online resources to millions of at-risk students across the US. Proven successful, Elevate K-12 provided over one million hours of online instruction, and boosted student's test scores by an average of a 35 percent. Through both Classblox and Elevate K-12, Shaily's lifelong passion has always been to help children and improve the education model in the US.
Sony Santa Monica relocated Kratos in "God Of War" 4 from Greek to Norse mythology but long before the Viking era. Although "God Of War" 4 created a strong buzz in E3 2016, creative director Cory Barlog pointed out that the demo only covers one percent of what Kratos and "GoW" 4 will bring.

GamingBolt reports that Cory Barlog addressed fan discomfort that Kratos and "God Of War" 4 seem quite different from previous "GoW" iterations. In the social media post, Cory Barlog urged fans to stick around as "God Of War" 4 has a lot more to bring.

Although "God Of War" 4 changed a good many things in gameplay and in protagonist Kratos, Cory Barlog and Sony Santa Monica express confidence that "GoW" is going in a great direction. The media outlet highlights that Cory Barlog revealed that staple "God Of War" chests and "GoW" special unlocks for replay are in the new Kratos game.

We're seeking a Lighting Artist to help Kratos and his son on their journey ahead https://t.co/izVenUCpdz pic.twitter.com/8kv9XhIW4z  Santa Monica Studio (@SonySantaMonica) August 25, 2016

Meanwhile, Game Rant cites Cory Barlog in explaining why "God Of War" 4 shifted Kratos from Greek to Norse mythology. Cory Barlog pointed out that as far as "God Of War" 4 is involved, Kratos merely made a geographical rather than a period transition.

With the new Norse map, "God Of War" 4 then simply takes Kratos from Greece to Scandinavia but still in the time when gods walked among men. Cory Barlog highlights that "God Of War" 4 is not set in the Viking era as in that section of Norse history, men - the Vikings - became representatives of gods but the gods as Odin, Thor and Loki themselves were absent.

"This idea that we're at is saying, 'We're at a prehistory point, where gods did walk the Earth, when monsters were real, before they became extinct," Cory Barlog says of the "God Of War" 4 set-up. This aligns with reports that Kratos will have major forces threatening to destroy the life he built with his new family in "God Of War" 4 so that the "GoW" protagonist and his son will have to team up to defend.

"God Of War" 4 is expected to launch come the holiday season of 2017. Do you support the changes in "God Of War" 4 on Kratos and the mythology or do you prefer the older "GoW" from Sony Santa Monica?
The Archer Daniels Midland Company (ADM) has awarded a $25,000 ADM Cares Grant to support the Council for Adult & Experiential Learning's (CAEL) Leaders Council - Forward Together Fund, (FTF) CAEL President and CEO Pamela Tate announced today. The FTF is an ongoing fundraising initiative that allows CAEL to respond quickly to the policy and advocacy needs of its adult learner constituents not covered by other CAEL funders and is led by members of CAEL's Leaders Council.

In making the announcement Tate said, "The truth is that the majority of CAEL's current revenue sources don't fund policy or advocacy, nor research and development, so this funding is very important to us. With only a small pool of funders that supports adult postsecondary degree attainment and/or workforce development assistance, this grant is critical to our work, and we thank ADM for its generous support."

The donation was given through ADM Cares, a social investment program that directs funds to initiatives and organizations that drive meaningful social, economic and environmental progress worldwide. The program comprises three distinct focus areas: supporting the responsible development of agriculture, improving the quality of life in ADM communities and fostering employee giving and volunteer activities.

Concluded Tate, "Thanks to the support of ADM and its Cares Grant program we can continue our work strengthening our nation's workforce and helping our country's workers thrive."

The Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Chicago, Illinois that assists adults with their educational endeavors, finding practical ways to help them earn college credit for learning acquired through life and work experiences toward the completion of a postsecondary degree. CAEL works with the public sector, private sector industries, and higher education institutions to ensure that adult students receive the most efficient training and education to occupy a meaningful professional place in a 21st century economy. Since 1974, CAEL has assisted colleges and universities to develop programs that evaluate adults' non-collegiate learning for college credit. CAEL is the recognized national expert on a method known as portfolio assessment, and its Ten Standards for Assessing Learning are used by colleges and universities, as well as accrediting organizations, across the country. More information is available at here, Follow CAEL on Twitter at here, or like us on Facebook at here.
Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton reveals that her 3-year-old son Prince George has a favorite inexpensive fun time activity. Prince William's wife told the anecdote about their first-born during a visit at the Youthscape Center in Luton.

Stepping inside the Youthscape's kitchen, Kate Middleton smelled the cookies the teens have been baking and she commended them. She also said that she and Prince George have also been trying baking at home. "He makes so much mess, it's chaos," the duchess shared, per People.

Mirror reports that playing and learning in the kitchen is one of Prince George's favorite fun things to do. The toddler also loves doing arts and crafts with colored noodles, as much as he loves eating spaghetti.

Hello reports that the duchess also spotted some kids at the charity center who were playing with a game of UNO. Kate Middleton told them that the card game was what she and her siblings, Pippa and James, also played with as kids and it's a family favorite.

On the other hand, husband Prince William took a few minutes to play video games with some of the boys and admitted that he has gotten in trouble with his wife for being hooked into it sometimes. "I have been accused of playing too long on computer games," the future King of England joked.

The visit to Youthscape comes as the facility has just been recently renovated. The site takes in kids and ensures their physical, emotional and spiritual welfare.

15 Prince George was too adorable for words: https://t.co/g51BemGPD3  ELLE Magazine (US) (@ELLEmagazine) August 23, 2016

Meanwhile, the royal family is preparing a huge trip to Canada this September. As Parent Herald reported, it will be Princess Charlotte's first royal visit overseas and preparations will include some play time with the children.

However, CBC reports that Prince George and his family won't be visiting the Prince George province, despite the local leaders extending the invite to the duke and duchess. "When we put the request in, we were very realistic about our chances given that so many provinces, so many communities throughout the country wanted to have the Royals visit," said Mayor Lyn Hall.
Big changes are happening to "Supergirl" when it returns for Season 2. Among these, Supergirl's alter ego, Kara Danvers (Melissa Benoist), will have a new superior at work and her famous cousin, Clark/Superman (Tyler Hoechlin) is finally visiting National City. A new character with similar abilities as the alien superheroes, Mon-El (Chris Wood), will also be introduced in the show.

What do these changes mean for "Supergirl" Season 2 and will fans love the transition? "Supergirl" executive producer Andrew Kreisberg exclusively talked with Collider to discuss the points.

Kreisberg said that everyone on "Supergirl" is excited for the upcoming season because "it's almost like a sequel." This time, they will be able to do some things that have previously limited the show's development, adding that the changes are giving the characters more depth. This should have viewers excited and enticed.

For instance, Kara, who fights aliens as Supergirl, will advance in her career and will come to "a little bit of authority and autonomy" now that she is no longer Cat Grant's (Calista Flockhart) assistant. But Kara will also have to adjust to a new boss, Snapper Carr (Ian Gomez), who's not impressed with her just yet. She will also have to deal with her feeling for Jimmy Olsen (Mechad Brooks).

#SupergirlCW has a new home! Watch back to back episodes of Season 1 every Monday on The CW, beginning Aug. 1!https://t.co/RG3WP2gQig  Supergirl (@TheCWSupergirl) July 22, 2016

Meanwhile, the introduction of Mon-El in "Supergirl" Season 2 is definitely going to steer the show in a different path compared to the first season. Per Hollywood Reporter, Mon-El is the person who occupies the pod that Supergirl found when "Supergirl" Season 1 ended. In the DC Comics series, Mon-El has similar abilities as Superman, but he hails from the planet Daxam. Unfortunately, when his pod crashed on Earth, he suffered from amnesia. Being a newcomer on Earth, he also has no idea how things work.

Gansa said that for "Supergirl" Season 2, Mon-El will have his own spin that might deviate from the comic books. Supergirl is actually going to teach Mon-El the ways of the Earth and will somewhat serve as his protector. Their dynamics mirrors what Supergirl was originally intended to do when her parents sent her to Earth -- to become Superman's guardian.

Catch the return of "Supergirl" for Season 2 on The CW on Mondays this fall. The show officially premieres Oct. 10 at 8:00 p.m.
You might think Prince William and Princess Kate are free from parenting stress because of their royal status, but the couple also goes through challenges when it comes to raising their two children. William and Kate recently imparted some tips and tricks for handling stress associated with parenting.

The parents of 3-year-old Prince George and 1-year-old Princess Charlotte visited the charity organization Young Minds in London this week and commended its efforts to improve parents' mental health. The charity offers a helpline for parents in need and is part of a mental health campaign called Heads Together, which was spearheaded by William, Kate, and Prince Harry.

Kate admitted that like other parents, she and William "face worries" especially in regards to their small children, People reported. The 34-year-old royal mom said there can be "really difficult" times in parenting.

William, 34, said parents should accept that they "can't be brilliant at everything" and it's alright to talk about their problems with mental health aids. He said parents feel a lot of pressure that are mostly self-made, forcing them to think that they should handle everything that comes their way.

William stressed that not everyone are "superheroes" even though moms and dads show strength and resilience. There will come a time when the stress becomes too much and parents would need help from experts.

While visiting teenagers at the Youthscape project in Luton, Kate revealed that George tries his hand at baking, though it can be really messy and chaotic most of the time, according to a separate report from People. Aside from baking, Kate said the toddler also loves spaghetti and likes getting really messy while eating them.

George and Charlotte will accompany their parents in Canada, though details about the family of four's trip are still being kept under wraps so far. According to Vanity Fair's Royal Watch, the trip will majorly focus on nature and the outdoors, involving hiking, walking, kayaking, and other outdoor activities.

The places that the royal family would visit are British Columbia, Vancouver, Yukon, the Great Bear rainforest, and Canada's First Nation communities. The Canada visit was Charlotte's first overseas trip, but it's not the first time for George.

In 2014, the then-one-year-old boy was brought along to New Zealand and Australia by his parents, The Independent reported. George, however, was left behind along with his sister during the royal couple's trip to India in April. Kate said George can be "too naughty" and he would have run "all over the place," while Charlotte was considered to be too young for such a journey.
Kristen Stewart and Alicia Cargile relationship has been the center of countless gossips after the "Equals" actress recently gushed about her feelings for her girlfriend. A recent report suggests that Stewart's statement about her ex-boyfriend, Robert Pattinson, has made Cargile furious and is now causing problems in their relationship. Are they breaking up?

Many fans are still hoping to see Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson back together. Unfortunately, their hopes were shattered when the 26-year-old actress publicly confessed her feelings for her girlfriend, Alicia Cargile.

However, a recent report suggests that Stewart and Cargile's relationship may be a short one. The "Twilight" actress may have talked about her infamous relationship with Pattinson too much even though their breakup happened years ago.

According to Celeb Dirty Laundry, there appears to be trouble in paradise for Stewart and Cargile because of the former's comments about Pattinson. During the said interview, Stewart referred to her relationship with Pattinson as a "gross" one.

Cargile allegedly thought it was unnecessary for Stewart to talk about Pattinson when the actor has not even said a word about Stewart in ages. This may have allegedly made Cargile think twice about her relationship with Stewart because of the way she talks about her ex-boyfriend.

This report, however, appears to be in conflict with another rumor, which claims that Kristen Stewart and Alicia Cargile are ready to get married. Hollywood Life reports that the "American Ultra" actress has allegedly proposed to Cargile and the latter accepted the proposal.

Stewart and Cargile are reportedly planning a beach wedding with Stewart wearing a Chanel gown and Cargile sporting a Chanel tux. Kristen Stewart and Alicia Cargile have yet to comment on the alleged breakup and engagement rumors.

Do you think Kristen Stewart and Alicia Cargile will breakup over the actress' recent comments about Robert Pattinson? Share your thoughts in the comments section below!


Could Sony release an exciting PlayStation Plus free games for September 2016 list? Fans are definitely wondering what titles will be up for grabs next month.

Not everyone was pleased with the previous free games list for August 2016. This early, reports are suggesting that Sony could somehow make-up for it by confirming some major titles as part of the PlaySatation Pluss free games for September 2016.

According to Vine Report, rumors are rife that some AAA titles could be included in next month's line-up. The site claimed that fans were recently left disappointed after rumors surfaced that AAA games will be included in the August 2016 list, only to find out that independently made games such as "Tricky Towers" made the cut.

The site speculated that the PlayStation Plus free games for September 2016 list could include "Watch Dogs" and "Killzone Shadow Fall." Vine Report previously noted that since the sequel for "Watch Dogs" has already been slated for a November 2016 release, including the first game in the free games list could be a good marketing strategy.

Meanwhile, Chattsportsnett also previously mentioned that some notable video game titles such as "LEGO Batman 3: Beyond Gotham" and "Diver: San Francisco" could also make it to the PlayStation Plus free games for September 2016 list. Fans should stay tuned for further announcements.

Apart from waiting for the official list of the PlayStation Plus free games for September 2016, fans and subscribers should also take note that there will be an increase in membership fees. According to the PlayStation's blog site, the annual fee is now priced at $60, however, the monthly fee of $9.99 will still remain. This will be the first time the fees have increased since the program was launched in 2010.

Stay tuned for more PlayStation Plus free games for September 2016 updates here!
Will iPhone eventually go down the drain? Samsung Galaxy Note 7 had remarkable sales turnout after its release.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 managed to impress techies as it gathered a total of four and a half stars for its review. The Guardian managed to release an impressive review as Samsung Galaxy Note 7's waterproof feature managed to lure the market.

"The best phablet going is now waterproof, with a brilliant curved screen, better stylus and cracking cameras, wrapped in a narrow, premium body ," Samuel Gibbs from The Guardian wrote.

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 was well accepted in the tech market and caused its sales to skyrocket within 24 hours after its debut. With Samsung Galaxy Note 7's high demand, Fortune noted that their release dates on other markets were adjusted, as some were moved to a later date.

"As pre-order results for the Galaxy Note 7 have far exceeded our estimates, its release date in some markets has been adjusted," Samsung rep told Reuters.

Samsung then mentioned that the tech giant company is doing its best to meet the consumers as soon as possible. Lee Jin-Woo, KTM Asset Management fund manager stated that the company's sales on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 would only be a bonus for the company.

The sales for Samsung Galaxy Note 7 continually increases as its features managed to capture the market. Its waterproof, curve design is not only sleek, but its functionality is superb as well.

With its progressive sales increase, Samsung set a bar for iPhone as apple is also set to release their latest smartphone, iPhone 7. Techno Buffalo noted that techies are not that thrilled compared to what they look forward to for Samsung Galaxy Note 4.

It was mentioned that iPhone 7 may have a hard time in catching up with Samsung Galaxy Note 7. The website then noted that Apple would have to step up its game upon the release of iPhone 7 for the smartphone to get back on track when it comes to consumer sales.
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Yesterday an organization in Japan held its second annual Most Handsome Monk Contest in Tokyo. One participant chopped through 10 cement blocks as part of the talent round. Another monk, a DJ, presented a mock radio program for the audience. But Koyu Osawa, the first ever female participant, won over the audience by leading them through a short meditation practice.

In her post-victory interview, Osawa said I want to connect with people who have never tried it before, or have always wanted to try it, said Osawa.

The contest was organized by Obosan.com / Monks.com, a web-based platform for Buddhist services in Japan. The lead organizer, Kazuma Hayashi, who runs a Buddhist funeral service, expressed his intent for the contest as spreading the word of Buddhism to as many people as possible and making it more accessible in their daily lives. Japan Today quoted him as saying, The distance between Buddhism and people have widened. For example, they would only meet monks during funerals or a memorial service. If that chasm were to remain, the purpose of Buddhism, which is something that should affect our daily lives, will become something more and more distant.

Japans rich Buddhist history, violently interrupted by WWII and its aftermath, have made the country a fertile ground for new approaches to Buddhist practice, especially for and among the laity.
A Review Series of Anonymous Tip, by Michael Farris

Pp. 357-370

So, everyone is in Seattle now, and its time for the hearing!

The trip over had been uneventful, except he [Peter] felt June and Stan asked a stream of questions that seemed more like an interview of a potential son-in-law than questions posted to a lawyer.

Is it normal for people to carpool with their lawyers? Google maps is telling me that its a four-hour drive. Also? Peter really brought this on himself.

Anyway, Peter is not in good shape mentally. Hes worried about the case, intimidated by Seattles skyscrapers, and dreading telling Gwen that hes breaking up with her before their first actual date. He goes for an early-morning run to try to clear his mind and then heads to the hotel restaurant to meet Stan, June, and Gwen. He wears a blue pin-striped suit with a yellow tie.

He walked out of his room, punched the elevator button, and waited. The door opened, revealing Gail Willet, Matt Bartholomew, Donna Corliss, and Rita Coballo, all looking terrible uncomfortable as Peter entered the elevator. Good morning, everyone, Peter said politely. Morning, Bartholomew said. The women all stared silently at the lights of the passing floors as they descended.

Am I the only one who feels like this is really out of character for Gail?

Peter stepped aside to let the women get out first. Coballo stifled her thought to castigate Peter for his sexist manners.

Wait, how big is this elevator? I mean, Peter got in last. The last one in is supposed to be the first one out. If you get in last and then move aside inside the elevator to let the others out instead of just getting out, youre being a jerk. I mean seriously? Chivalry is now about inconveniencing people?

Oh and when Peter gets to the restaurant Gwen of course remembers that Peter was wearing that suit the day they met.

I have called Lynn to check on Casey a few minutes ago. They have called the church prayer chain to pray for you this morning, Gwen said.

Farris finally remembered he couldnt just leave Casey home alone for a few days! And of course shes with Lynn, because of course she is. Did Gwen even have friends before she met Lynn? Honest question.

The foursome ordered breakfast and chatted carefully.

This is the second time Farris has used the term foursome in as many pages.

Anyway, Peter finishes eating and goes up to his room for his briefcase, returning five minutes later. As they head out, Gwen stops, gasps, and points.

The car was unmistakable with its dents and rusted paint spots. It was Gordon Landis turning into a parking garage on the opposite corner, to the south of the hotel.

Peter says that the hearings are unfortunately open to the public and that for some reason Gordon has been able to find out when the hearings occur every time. I wonderif Peter took at that restraining order for Gwen as he suggested (has he?), wouldnt that prevent Gordon from coming to the hearing? Or would this kind of thing be exempt? Also, while Gordon has clearly proven himself dangerous, lets not forget that way back at the beginning of the book Gwen didnt tell Gordon that his daughter was in foster care and that the social workers forgot to notify him (or even ask about the existence of a father). For all that Farris beliefs in parental rights, he appears to be very selective.

Anyway, they head in and find the appropriate room. They learn, in the process, which justices are on the panel of three that will be hearing the appealJudges Lasalle, Thorpe, and Boyle. And yes, Farris gives a paragraph-long biography for each. Lasalle was a corporate lawyer and Republican appointed to the bench by Bush I. Thorpe was a former juvenile judge and a woman, and clearly a dangerous choice despite also being a Bush I appointee. Boyle was a philosophical liberal appointed to the bench by Cartera potential swing vote, apparently.

Peters not happy with the judges they drew, but decides not to let the others know this. They pace and wait and then its their turn. They prepare to enter, but first:

The foursome joined hands and Peter led them in prayer.

Really. Farris uses that word, again.

Farris spends a page describing the room and the seating arrangements. Then the judges enter. A lot of what follows is rehashing, but I do want to hit on a few points.

Thorpe asks Gail why Donna and Rita didnt ask the juvenile judge for a court order to search Gwens house, on the basis of noncooperation. She said the judge probably would have granted it. Gail says she agrees that the judge would have, but that Peter would still take issue with this, because Peter disagrees with the standard of evidence and procedure used in child abuse investigations across the board.

Child abuse investigations are not criminal investigations. Child abuse investigations are not merely conducted to find out who did what to whom; they are court-supervised inquiries designed, like the juvenile courts themselves, for the ongoing protection of children.

Gail correctly gets at what we know is Farriss position. My problem with this logic is that children are not possessions, and that homes belong to children, too. Parents should not be able to keep children from speaking with a social worker. Parents are responsible for childrens care, but they do not own their children. What that conversation should look likehow it should take place, whether the parent or a representative should be present, etc.is up for discussion. But children are not possessions protected under the fourth amendment. To what extent should a parent be able to deny a social worker access to a child and the childs home?

Anyway, Boyle asks how the court is to supervise a search that takes place before legal charges are filed, and the legal argument moves on. Peter concludes that Boyle is on his side. When Peter stands to speak, Thrope immediately jumps on him, asking whether he is seriously asking them to overturn the Supreme Court in Briscoe v. LaHue. The answer is yes, but the import we are to take away form this is that Thorpe is definitely not on Peters side. Peter says there should be an exemption to Briscoe because the allegations of tampering arent just allegations, they are proven.

Peter also reiterates his position about search warrants. Thorpe pushes him on this, suggesting an exemption for social workers, but Peter states that it has been settled for two hundred years that all government officials need search warrants to conduct non-consensual investigations in a persons private home. Thorpe points to Wyman, but Peter responds that that case was only decided as it was because the family took state moneyin other words, searches of welfare recipients homes can take place without a warrant. This again feels very selective on Farriss part.

But I told you I wasnt going to get into the details here, because it really is a rehashing of what weve already heard. When its Gails turn for her final time, Boyle jumps on her immediately. Boyle suggests that social workers are more like police officers, not judges. Gail disagrees, and then her time is up. And then we get this:

I would like to say to both counsel that this case has been briefed and argued at the highest level. We commend you all.

This constant congratulation is getting tedious.

I could stop here, but we havent gotten to anything really interesting yet, so Im going to soldier on through the end of the chapter. What comes next is predictable. Gwen gushes over Peter, and Stan wants to know how he thinks things went. Peter says it all depends on the third judge, Lasalle, who didnt ask a single question. Peter says they wont have the decision for one to six months. They decide to check out of the hotel, have a nice lunch down overlooking the Sound and then drive home.

They werent expecting Gordon.

When they exited the building, Gordon Landis appeared from nowhere. Heres the happy family, he said sarcastically. Only one problem: theyre forgetting the childs father. Gordon, you Gwen said. Gwen, let me handle this, Stan interrupted, putting his hand on her arm. Gordon, you have been a nuisance to my daughter one to many times. We have always had a cordial relationship until now, despite the divorce, but you are starting to go over a line that is going to destroy all that. Well, it is his fault, Gordon said, pointing at Peter. Hes wormed his way into Gwens life. Hes more than a lawyer. Theyre all scumbags. But hes worse. Hes taking advantage of my family and making moves on my wife. Peters face turned bright red.

Stan tells Peter to go back to the hotel separately, saying hell handle Gordon. He tells Gwen and June to wait inside the courthouse. The difficult thing here is that while Gordon is absolutely in the wrongand scary, and dangeroushes absolutely right that what Peter has been doing is inappropriate. He also has reason to feel left outno one even told him when Gwen was taken into foster care. But none of that makes his stalking and harassing at all okay.

So, Stan tries to work things out. They arrange that Gordon will pick Casey up from Stan and Junes house when he comes from visitation, and that if he has any concerns he will call Stan and June, not Gwen. But just when Stan thought they were finished, Gordon had one more demand.

I want an understanding with you, Gwen, that Mr. Lawyer dude wont be spending the night in the home with my daughter.

Id thought Gwen and June were waiting inside? Apparently not. Anyway, Gwen reiterates that Peter and I have no romantic relationship at this point and that it is none of your business and that even if they do have a relationship at some point they will follow the highest moral standards so Peter wont be spending the night anyway. Stan demands that Gordon leave.

And then June speaks.

I, for one, would love to have Peter Barron as a son-in-law. He would be a prince compared to you.

Smooth, June, real smooth.

Stan shushes her and Gordon walks away, June Mansfields words burning in his ears. Oh boy oh boy I just realized whats coming next. Gordon is very very very upset. He gets in his car and heads to Interstate 90 to go back to Spokane.

As he crossed the floating bridge over Lake Washington, eh turned the radio on to try to drown the words out of his head. Junes voice seemed louder and louder. He tried to scream them away, but the words Peter Barron as a son-in-law kept on torturing his mind.

Finally, he pulls off the highway and finds a tavern. He drinks two pitchers of beer and then staggers to the door and heads out to his car. Yep, you can see where this is going. He weaves as he heads back to the highway, but Interstate 90 was a large enough highway that he felt invincible.

The effects of the alcohol were becoming more pronounced by the minute. He swerved slightly as he passed the first of the three ski areas around Snoqualmie Summit. His head began to spin as he passed the second. The road was slightly wet, but only from occasional drizzle dropping from the grey October clouds. It would be at least a month before any snow would fall at this elevation.

He tries rolling down his window. It doesnt help. And then theres a truck.

Gordon turned the steering wheel sharply to go around the truck. He crossed completely over the left lane, his tires veering slightly off the pavement. Gordon tried to break, but his foot could not find the pedal. he swung sharplymuch too sharplyback to the right just as the road took a gentle left-hand curve. Gordons 1987 Toyota went off the right-hand side of the road, rolled over once on the embankment, and plunged into the chilly October waters of Lake Snoqualmie. He passed out as his car rolled and never regained consciousness.

So yeah. That happened.
He writes:

I just came across your honest and heartfelt exchange with a friend who feels l have changed  on Patheos. It resonates, thank you. In many ways this has been my experience as well. So I wanted to write a short note to encourage you. Our parish here in Alberta is very conservative politically. Although most of us here in Canada (certainly me) would look on the Trump phenomena with great dismay, many of the other issues you mention come up again and again  for example, the suspicion of Pope Francis and so on. Recently I read a book co-written by Cardinal Muller and Gustavo Guitierrez (On the Side of the Poor, published about 3 years ago). But who do I talk to about this? No one. If I do, it will likely be my good friend in the US, lives in Vermont, like me a missionary kid  we knew each other years ago in Ecuador. But he is now an atheist. Over the last five or six years weve exchanged about a letter a week, delving into everything about faith and life and the universe. When I read about your correspondence with this (lefty) friend from Brooklyn, I thought right away of my good friend and pen pal. My trip to Guatemala was financed by another pen pal  my cousin, agnostic. Again, about 500 letters exchanged over the last five years. Faith, God, social justice. So, its pretty lonely sometimes!

I hear you. St. John Chrysostom says that if you do not see Christ in the beggar you will not find him in the chalice. The gospel, especially Luke, urges us to see the world through the eyes of the beaten, the losers, the weak, the failures, and the shamed. Jesus takes their part in a peculiar way. He turns ideas of patronage on their heads. Instead of the worldly approach of sucking up to Medicis, Rockefellers, Republican donor bases and Clinton Foundations to live off the largesse of the rich, Jesus tells bizarre parables about dishonest stewards dumped by their patrons who lighten the debts of the poor and then concludes And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of unrighteous mammon, so that when it fails they may receive you into the eternal habitations. (Lk 16:9). He offers strange investment strategies like When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your kinsmen or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return, and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. You will be repaid at the resurrection of the just. (Lk 14:1214).

And the saints take him up on it. St. Lawrence brings out all the human debris of Romehookers, winos, beggars, and failures of every sortand declares them the treasures of the Church. St. John Chrysostom add to the remarks above the shocking observation that the rich exist for the sake of the poor, but the poor exist for the salvation of the rich.

That is a stunning reversal of patronage: the notion that the rich should get down on their knees and lick the feet of the poor lest, in their prayers, the poor condemn them before God Almighty. The idea that, in the Kingdom, God sees in the poor his special favorites and entrusts to them the verdict of heaven or hell. Yet what else are we to glean from the parable of the sheep and the goats, in which Jesus announces that the reason the poor have such terrifying power is that he is present in each one of them? What else do we make of such terrifying stories as Lazarus and the Rich Man? Dives casual neglect of the beggar Lazarus is, no doubt, couched in all the normal crap we always say in order to neglect the poor (He is not the deserving poor. He is lazy. Job Creators cant be expected to contradict the Invisible Hand. The usual excuses.) But the message is really clear: you should have used the goods you were given to help Lazarus when you had em, because that why you were given them. Dorothy Day is discovered to just be stating plain fact when she declares that the gospel takes awayforeverthe right to distinguish between the deserving and undeserving poor. We rediscover that The man who will not work, shall not eat is not written in Paul first epistle to the Republicans, but to the Christians of Thessalonica who sought to neglect their call to do good works to the poor by sky-gazing for the Second Coming. But with respect to those outside the Household of Faith, the gospel command is simply and indiscriminate: Give to him who begs from you, and do not refuse him who would borrow from you. (Mt 5:42). Period. No exceptions.

In the US, there is almost a complete schism between our Eucharistic piety and our piety toward the poor. One is seen as conservative and the other as liberal or even radical. For instance, your mention of the book by Gutierrez and Muller (and my mention of your mention) will make you a marked man in right wing circles. Typical left wing crap from FrancisChurch! is the cry. But heres the thing: Muller was made Prefect for the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, not by Francis, but by Gods Rottweiler himself: Pope Benedict XVI.

Thats because the ridiculous notion that love of orthodoxy and love of the poor are opposites is a nonsense schism in the gospel, like asking which blade on the scissors does the cutting. If you reject the one, you will sooner or later reject the other. We have to find a way to recover and reunite both, not pit them against each other.

I dont know how to do that. But talking about it is a good start. You do well to try, even if it does mean having to write to faraway people to do it. Im sorry it causes you suffering. But know that your heart is in the right place and there are a growing number of people who are listening to Pope Francis and noodling this problem. Its actually a hopeful time. Because Francis is making the issue unignorable, to the consternation of Dives, but the joy of the Holy Spirit.
He writes:

Greeting from Roy Schoeman!

I am writing today to let you know about, and to solicit prayers for, for my upcoming mission trip to the UK and Ireland. I will be giving a retreat at Craig Lodge, in Scotland, the weekend of September 2-4, which will be followed by a series of speaking engagements in and around London (September 12-16), Cork (September 17  19 ), and Dublin (September 20  22 ). As they become finalized the precise details will be posted on my website at www.salvationisfromthejews.com/talks.html .

If you, or anyone you know, would be interested in coming to any, you (or they) are more than welcome! And if not, I would be profoundly grateful for prayers that the mission trip be fruitful.

The trip has a dual purpose, as does all of my ministry  to excite Catholics about the Truth and infinite gift of the Catholic Church, and to generate prayer for the Conversion of the Jews  the people to whom God first revealed Himself in the Old Testament, the people to whom Jesus came and ministered almost exclusively during His life on Earth, and the people whose conversion is needed before He  Jesus, Our Lord and Savior, the Jewish Messiah  can return in Glory! As the new Catechism of the Catholic Church puts it (para. 674): The glorious Messiahs coming is suspended at every moment of history until his recognition by all Israel!

Also a brief reminder  my weekly live radio call-in program, Jesus the Promised Messiah of Judaism, can be heard live every Saturday from 3-4pm EST on radiomaria.us, or its podcasts can be downloaded and listened to any time, either from my website at www.salvationisfromthejews.com/radiomaria.html, or from the Radio Maria website. Listen, or even call in, sometime!

Let us pray for the conversion of the Jews, those who brought our Savior to the rest of the world, so that they too may know and enjoy the infinite gift of what He brought in the truths and sacraments of the Catholic Church! And so that He may speedily finally return in Glory!
OVERCAUTIOUS OBJECTIVITY: Losing Perspective by Being Politically Correct

08/26/16

By Kambiz Zarrabi





I have often appreciated Mr. Gharibs articles and analyses of Americas policies toward Iran in general, even though I do not always agree with all of his views.

In his latest article appearing in payvand.com/news site, he offers a careful and concise critique of the Wall Street Journals chief foreign affairs reporter, Jay Solomon, addressing the historic P5+1/Iran nuclear agreement and its aftermath. Everything seems fine and eloquently presented, until we get to the mid-section of his article where he expresses his own position that coincides with that of Mr. Solomon:

As Solomon points out ............the Iranian government has used the financial benefits brought by the accord to beef up its military spending, and still involves itself in nefarious ways in the Middle East, continuing its support to unsavory groups like Lebanons Hezbollah and Yemens Houthis and, especially, its robust assistance to Syrian dictator Bashar al-Assad.

Well; here we see that Mr. Gharib, in agreement with the Wall Street Journal writer, has bought into the official State Department and the American mainstream media narrative that the Lebanese Hezbollah and the Yemeni Huthis are unsavory groups, and that Irans support for these groups, and for Syrias Assad, is nefarious behavior!

Unsavory! according to whom, Mr. Gharib? Why did he not also bring the Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, into that fold? Does he regard these unsavory groups as terrorist organizations, in which case he must also believe that Iran is the worlds No.1supporter of international terrorism - the official view of the US State Department. Why not, Mr. Gharib?

Finally, in the last paragraph of his article, Mr. Gharib, again indicates his agreement with Mr. Solomon that the nuclear deal achieved the objective of curbing Irans nuclear ambitions and thus prevented an unavoidable war between Iran and the United States:

Solomon, to his credit, makes room in his essay for the argument made by supporters of the deal, and not least the Obama administration itself, about the benefits the deal brings to the U.S. itself: constraining Irans nuclear program.

And:

As Secretary of State John Kerry told Solomon, I have no doubt that we avoided a war.

I am not surprised that Mr. Gharib, again, has bought into the prevailing, official narrative for the reasons for entering into those negotiations and the true objectives thereto. Does he honestly think that the Iranian government was clandestinely seeking the development of nuclear weapons? Does he really believe that a war against Iran was a likely scenario, had the agreement not reached a desirable conclusion? What happened to objective, analytical, thinking?

Jim Lobe and his lobelog.com do bring out a lot of pertinent and well-presented articles that one cannot find in the mainstream media in the United States. But to retain his tenure he has to be careful not to ruffle too many feathers; he has to be cautiously, sometimes overcautiously, objective in his approach.

As for myself, I much prefer Gareth Porters more daring and uninhibited approach. Perhaps it is because I dont have anything to lose!

About the author:

Kambiz Zarrabi is the author of In Zarathushtra's Shadow and Necessary Illusion.He has conducted lectures and seminars on international affairs, particularly in relation to Iran, with focus on US/Iran issues. Zarrabi's latest book is Iran, Back in Context.


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Microsofts Anniversary Update is causing headaches yet again, this time for owners of Kindle e-readers. Some Kindle Paperwhite and Voyager devices are causing PCs running the Anniversary update to lock up and display the dreaded blue screen of death (BSOD) whenever the e-readers are connected via USB, as first reported by The Guardian.

The reason for this odd behavior is unclear, but Microsoft says its working on it.

We are aware of an issue with a small number of Kindle Voyager and Paperwhite e-Readers causing an unexpected behavior when plugged into Windows 10 devices after installing the Anniversary Update, Microsoft said on its support forums.

The impact on you at home: For now, there isnt a solid workaround for anyone whos experiencing this problem. Some users are reporting, however, that leaving the Kindle plugged in to the PC while rebooting will allow them to use the Kindle normally and transfer files. Rebooting the PC and plugging the Kindle back in again just causes another lock-up.

The hits keep coming

This is the third significant problem weve heard about for the Windows 10 Anniversary Update, all involving somewhat common hardware.

In mid-August users reported a bug that caused the PC to freeze when they logged in. Microsoft said the problem happened on PCs where the operating system was on a solid-state drive, while apps and data were on a secondary drivea configuration that a decent number of enthusiasts on a budget swear by.

Several days after the freezing issue came to light, news of a bug affecting webcams popped up. In this case, Microsoft blacklisted two video compression formats that many webcams relied on causing them to freeze. Trying to use the Logitech C920, one of the most popular webcams around, with Microsofts own Skype can force this glitch to occur.

And now this.

The glut of glitches revolving around hardware scenarios may show the limits of the Windows Insider program, as Ars Technicas Peter Bright notes. Microsoft says that beta testers shouldnt use preview builds on your primary PC due to potential instability. Many Windows Insiders turn to virtual machines instead, and preview builds running in virtual machines are unlikely to catch some hardware-related issuesparticularly when peripherals or less common storage configurations are involved.
California legalizing recreational marijuana could grow the industry there to $6.5 billion in 2020  and also serve as a watershed moment for the industry in and outside the United States, according to a report released Tuesday.

Market research firms ArcView and New Frontier delved into Californias massive and uniquely complicated cannabis industry to project its direction and what may be in store if voters pass Proposition 64 in November.

If the Adult Use of Marijuana Act succeeds and is implemented by 2018, Californias legal marijuana sales likely will climb by $1.6 billion within the first year, according to the ArcView and New Frontier market report.

That would put the states medical and recreational industry on track to hit $6.5 billion in revenue by 2020, up from $2.8 billion in 2015, according to the report.

To give a little perspective: The nations legal cannabis industry is expected to climb to $23 billion in 2020, up from $5.7 billion in 2015.

We think the activation of the adult-use market in California will undoubtedly make California the new epicenter in cannabis, said John Kagia, executive vice president of industry analytics for New Frontier.

The sheer size of the state and its economy will help it maintain that status, Kagia said.

Even with a fractured, unregulated medical industry, California already accounts for nearly half of all the nations legal cannabis sales, ArcView and New Frontier reported. But Californias influence as a market mover goes far beyond its size, Kagia said.

Theres going to be a professionalism of the industry, an emphasis on innovation once the market is legal in California that will dramatically accelerate the industry in a way that legalization (efforts) in Colorado and Washington havent been able to do.

Silicon Valley should play a leading role, both via capital as well as technical and intellectual expertise, Kagia and co-authors wrote in the report.

California also is poised to be a leader in creating rules for social pot use; should become a frontrunner in developing organic standards; and likely will become a hub for cannabis research, as the Adult Use of Marijuana Act calls for 10 percent of sales tax collected to be spent on drug abuse research and another 10 percent on cannabis research, according to the market study. The ripple effects could be vast and affect industries such as biomedical research, applied materials and nutraceuticals, among many others, he said.

Additionally, if California goes recreational then it will apply greater pressure on Mexico to legalize, the authors wrote.

The legalization debate south of the U.S. border has evolved quickly as illustrated by the evolution of Mexicos President Enrique Pena Nieto, who in just six years has transformed from one of Latin Americas most vocal drug warriors to a proponent of medical cannabis use and advocate for decriminalizing possession of up to an ounce for all adults. Legalization in California will only add fuel to the debate on cannabis law reform in Mexico and in other Latin American countries.

Californias medical sales should stay relatively flat, according to the report. ArcView and New Frontier project the medical market should decline from $2.76 billion in 2015 to $2.53 billion in 2020.

California also will face plenty of unique challenges if it were to legalize, Kagia said.

The state already has an outsized scale of cannabis production and is starting to see some land grabs by pot prospectors. A greater supply should mean cheaper costs for consumers, but also could very well pinch the producers, according to the report.

Legalization also would raise questions about the viability of indoor growhouses and whether the energy costs could be prohibitive as more greenhouses open, Kagia said.

But perhaps one of the greatest challenges for California is whether it can overcome itself.

Californias medical market operated for nearly 20 years with limited government regulation. There was no agency tasked with regulatory oversight or business licensing, no requirement for patients to register with the state, and essentially no market standards for product safety and quality.

This led to significant problems with diversion of product from the legal to the illicit market, exposed early business operators to enforcement crackdowns, and made it difficult for the state to closely monitor the program due to the lack of centralized data and reporting.

In the fall of 2015, the state took steps to establish more stringent regulations for medical cannabis businesses, and individual jurisdictions will likely see even further policy adjustments in the coming years.

The stringent regulations came in the form of the Medical Cannabis Regulation and Safety Act, a two-year program intended to provide oversight for the medical industry, create a commercial license program and set consumer and environmental standards, according to the report.

Industry members told ArcView and New Frontier theyre concerned about how distribution policies outlined in the medical cannabis act could result in higher prices for consumers, whether the costs would be too high for the majority of existing dispensaries to continue operating, and how local jurisdiction approvals would stymie the industrys potential.

The Adult Use of Marijuana Act does have some solutions for those concerns; however, if the contested legalization ballot issue does not pass, its not necessarily a death knell for California or the nations industry as a whole, Kagia said, noting that other states have legalization measures up for vote. To some in the industry, Prop. 64s failure would give the state the chance to implement the medical cannabis act first and set up an established foundation, he said.

While the failure of the measure in California would be a setback, broadly speaking, we do not think it is going to significantly impede continued forward progress that we have been seeing in the shifting public attitudes (toward legalization), he said.
Redlands good Samaritans have stepped up twice in less than a week to pull children left inside locked cars, officials said.

Redlands police responded to a call about an infant locked in a vehicle in the parking lot of the Walmart at 2050 W. Redlands Blvd. on Sunday evening, according to Carl Baker, spokesman for the department.

According to reports, the child had been in the vehicle alone for at least 15 minutes.

A witness broke the window and removed the baby, who was red and sweating, Baker said. The mother, later identified as Tiffany Moseley, 25 of Redlands, returned to her vehicle and was arrested on suspicion of child endangerment. Moseley, who was released late Tuesday night, has been charged in the case.

Moseleys 3-month-old child was taken to the hospital as a precaution.

Three days before the Walmart incident, around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, police were called to the J.C. Penney Co.s parking lot at 10000 Alabama St. for a young a child locked in a tractor-trailer, Baker said.

Two J.C. Penneys employees witnessed an 18-month-old child in the vehicle crying, according to Baker. They broke the window out of the vehicle and pulled the child out.

The childs mother, Jasmine Marie Lester, 29, and her boyfriend, George Jackson, 52, both of San Bernardino, returned to the tractor-trailer as officers arrived.

Authorities learned Lester and Jackson left the child inside the tractor-trailer while they ran errands, according to reports.

The couple was cited for child endangerment, Baker said.

Temperatures in the Redlands area on both days were in the 90s, according to National Weather Service records, meaning the temperature inside vehicles could have been much higher.

Child Protective Services was notified in both instances.

Authorities remind people to never leave children inside cars  especially during the summer months, when temperatures inside cars can reach well above 100 degrees.

Last year, 25 children died as a result of heatstroke after they were left inside a hot car, according to KidsandCars.org.

Contact the writer: bvalenzuela@scng.com; @BeatrizVNews on Twitter
Moreno Valley Mayor Yxstian Gutierrez said his city is on the economic upswing in a Thursday, Aug. 25, speech that showcased business growth and the controversial World Logistics Center.

Gutierrez, gave his State of the City address before more than 200 community and business leaders at the citys Conference and Recreation Center. He contrasted the citys present with a 2009 New York Times article  headlined A Cul-De-Sac of lost dreams  that detailed how the city had been ravaged by the housing foreclosure crisis.

That image is no longer true, Gutierrez said.

The citys unemployment rate is at its lowest since 2008, foreclosures have declined and housing values are rising, he said.

We have weathered the worst of times, but we are welcoming the best, Gutierrez said.

He credited the citys improvement to attracting businesses such as grocery chain Aldis western headquarters and Karma Automotive, which opened a manufacturing plant employing 200 people earlier this year. A sporty maroon-colored Karma car was parked outside the centers entrance.

Moreno Valley is one of Californias most business-friendly cities and that is something that is exciting, Gutierrez said.

During his speech, Gutierrez highlighted the 40.6-million square-foot logistics center, a warehouse complex. He called it a world-class project that would bring 20,000 jobs and $2.5 billion a year in economic activity. He asked its developer, Iddo Benzeevi, to stand for applause.

Gutierrez described a court ruling last week favorable to the project as a historic victory. The project has been criticized by environmentalists and neighboring cities concerned about increased pollution and traffic. The complex is the subject of several lawsuits. Court challenges, including a possible appeal, continue.

The city also is working to expand cultural opportunities, Gutierrez said.

He promised the city will name a new library branch site in the coming year and plans to revive its sister-city program. The program could include a student exchange, said Gutierrez, who recalled how he benefited from a similar experience when he visited Caracas, Venezuela, when he was 16.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9558 or ighori@scng.com
About 840 employees at an Ashley Furniture HomeStore factory/warehouse in Colton were laid off Friday.

They told us to go into a meeting, and all of a sudden they tried to feed us and they said, You know what, theres no more jobs, said Israel Naja, 37, outside the store at 855 Ashley Way, where fellow employees arrived to collect their final paychecks and commiserate.

Employees said they were asked to show up at either the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino or the Riverside Convention Center on Friday morning at 7 a.m. The meeting, in which the employees were told they would be laid off, lasted about five minutes.

Naja said he received a letter by FedEx Thursday telling him the warehouse  where love seats and sofas also were assembled  was closed.

The retail store is to remain open, however, and the distribution center in Redlands was unaffected by Fridays news.

We cannot let companies like Ashley bleed the American dream, Naja said. Its not only the employees, but the families, the kids, the wives. Theyve got wives with medical situations and things like that. Theres no way a huge company like Ashleys can shut down the doors.

Another former employee, Juan Zuniga, 36, said he is the only breadwinner for his family, with three kids.

I feel sorry for every single one of our family, Zuniga said. This is my family. Ive been here more than in my home. Ive spent 10 to 12 hours working in there.

Roselia Serrano, 40, of Colton, also is the sole income provider for her family with two teenagers. She said Friday was the first time the workers were informed of the layoffs.

Right now, Im in shock. My head is spinning and I dont know whats going to be my next step, Serrano said. I know we have to look for another job.

Zuniga said he and other workers are organizing a Labor Day protest in front of the store.

Were going to be here making a protest and were calling everybody that can come to please support us and find out what they did to us, Zuniga said. Come and support all the hard-working employees and parents that take income to their house. Im the only one supporting my family. Im the only one paying a mortgage.

In a statement, the company said it gave the employees 60 days notice and complied with federal regulations governing layoffs.

We thank our employees for all their hard work, but closing these plants on Oct. 25 and rebalancing our manufacturing mix strengthens production capability and cost structure and will help ensure Ashleys continued ability to compete effectively long-term in the global marketplace from a U.S. base, the company said in the statement.

The majority of production in Colton will move to U.S. plants in Wisconsin, Mississippi and North Carolina, where we can tap into existing capacity and increase efficiency, the statement read.
A man authorities are calling the leader of a Riverside-based gang and three of its members were arrested in the city Thursday, Aug. 25, after being charged with distributing methamphetamine.

The four men are charged with selling over two and a half pounds of methamphetamine in late July and early August. At least four of the sales took place at Primestone Tires Auto Repair at 2945 14th Street in Riverside, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court Aug. 23.

Ernie Gordo Hernandez, identified in the complaint as the 55-year-old leader of the Eastside Riva gang, is charged with four felony counts of distributing at least 50 grams of meth.

The complaint says Hernandez sold a total of about two and a half pounds of the drug. He was accompanied in the sales once by Gilberto Diaz, 30, and once by Bryan Deniz, 25.

Diaz and Deniz are both charged with selling at least 50 grams of methamphetamine  Diaz with two counts, Deniz with one.

Hernandezs 34-year-old son, Angel Bundy Hernandez, is charged with one count of distributing at least five grams of methamphetamine.

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives used a confidential informant and three undercover special agents to confirm the sales which, according to the complaint, took place between July 20 and Aug. 9.

Diaz, Deniz and the senior Hernandez sold a total of nearly two pounds of methamphetamine to the agents and informant in one day, according to the complaint.

In another, the complaint alleges Hernandez sold the informant and an ATF agent about a half-pound of meth.

The Riverside and Los Angeles police departments assisted ATF with the investigation and arrests, said Riverside Police Officer Ryan Railsback.

The safety and security of our community members is always top priority and those criminals who jeopardize it will be sought out and brought to justice, the departments Assistant Chief Christopher Vicino is quoted as saying in a news release from the department.

We will continue to work with our ATF partners and other allied law enforcement agencies in our on-going commitment to making our neighborhoods safe.

The mandatory minimum sentence for possessing 50 grams of methamphetamine is 10 years. If convicted, Ernie Hernandez, Deniz and Diaz could get life in prison, according to a news releases from the U.S. Attorneys Office. Angel Hernandez could get anywhere from five to 40 years in prison, the release said.

The men appeared in federal court Thursday afternoon and are set to be arraigned in Los Angeles on Sept. 29, the release said.
When Saad Awad and Georgi Karakhanyan last shared a main-event card, it was an autumn night in 2008 in a San Diego casino ballroom.

The two longtime friends and stablemates at Rancho Cucamonga Millennia MMA have come a long way since Gladiator Challenge 85: Cross Fire, rising side by side in the Bellator organization, where both have become substantial draws.

Friday night the two Riverside residents will once again be in action together at Bellator 160: Henderson vs. Pitbull at the Honda Center in Anaheim, where Awad (19-7) is set to face Derek Anderson (13-2) in a lightweight battle and Karakhanyan (24-6-1) is tabbed to fight Bubba Jenkins (11-2) at featherweight.

Their ideal scenario would be a repeat of GC 85, where both men had their hands raised.

Awad, 33, is looking to get a winning streak going after moving up from lightweight to welterweight to impressively defeat Evangelista Cyborg Santos by first-round technical knockout at Bellator 154 in May. The 31-year-old Russian-born Karakhanyan will be fighting with a bit more urgency; his current Bellator contract is up after this fight and hes lost his last two.

Awad is back down to 155 pounds for this fight, which could put the winner on a short list of lightweight title contenders.

I feel great about the fight, especially after coming off a high profile fight and going up a weight class, said Awad, who is a San Bernardino native. Im not going to say it boosted my confidence, because my confidence is already pretty high, but it put my mind in the right place after coming off of a loss.

With the win over Santos, Awad improved to 4-1 over his last five. His last loss was in Aug. 2015 to Patricky Friere, whom Anderson has defeated twice, including most recently in his last fight on Dec. 4, 2015 at Bellator 147.

Its hard to compare because styles make fights and his style is bad for (Friere), Awad said. My style is a little bit different; were both strikers, but Im a heavy hitter and he throws a lot of punches. Im not taking anything from him  he beat somebody I lost to  but styles just make fights.

Karakhanyans last victory came against Jenkins, a former Corona resident and 2011 NCAA Division 1 wrestling champion out of Arizona State.

Karakhanyan put Jenkins to sleep in the first round with a guillotine choke at Bellator 132 in Temecula, but has gone on to lose unanimous decisions to Daniel Weichel and Pat Curran, while Jenkins has won his last three.

I told Bellator to give me whoever they can; I was happy as long as I have an opponent in front of me, Karakhanyan said. It sucks for Bubba because hes going to face someone thats on a two-fight losing streak thats really hungry to fight someone.

Karakhanyan-Jenkins was originally slated for the undercard prelims, but an injury to a main-card fighter bumped their fight up onto the big card.

They should have been on the main card, Awad said. Thats a high profile fight. I dont know it got bumped to the undercard. Its going to be exciting to have both of us from out here fighting on the main card in a big organization.

Tickets are available at ticketmaster.com for Bellator 160. Doors open at 4:45 with prelims set for 8 p.m. PDT. The main card begins at 10 p.m. and will air live on Spike TV.

Contact the writer: grizk@scng.com
Two local nonprofits gave a Lake Elsinore veteran nearly $21,500 in home upgrades as a way to say thank you for her time in the military.

The work was done at the home of Karina Chavez, who spent four years in the Marine Corps.

Honestly, there was nothing else I wanted to do but join the Marine Corps, Chavez said.

Chavez completed one tour in Iraq, serving at Al Asad Airbase before being honorably discharged, returning home to the Inland region, starting a family and completing her bachelors degree.

With degree in hand, an expanding family and stable employment at a veterans center serving those returning from combat, she decided to buy a home last year. She quickly realized the demands of working full time and being a single parent of two left her with little time for home repairs or landscaping. Her new home needed lots of both.

Chavez said she heard about HomeStrong USAs Heroes Home Repair Program and filled out the application. Soon, contractors were knocking on the door, ready to help.

Theyve been amazing, Chavez said. Honestly, Im just speechless.

She deserves the nicest house on the block, said Greg ODonnell, HomeStrongs resource development director. Shes the one who makes the American dream of home ownership possible.

ODonnell said they added fans and security lights, changed out doors, fixed plumbing and replaced her weed-filled yard with drought-tolerant landscaping. Most importantly to Chavez, she said, she now has air conditioning.

The A/C alone was enough for me, Chavez said. Ive just been incredibly lucky.

Her good fortune also included solar panels from GRID Alternatives, which will save her $23,000 over the 25-year life of the panels.

It was a bonus when I found out about their Troops to Solar program, Chavez said.

GRIDs program provides job training for veterans seeking employment in the solar industry. GRID manager Cindy Corrales said GRID has helped 20 veterans gain employment since the programs implementation in 2015, including Ernesto Rochester, a former Marine. Its Rochesters first time being a full-time employee since leaving the military in 2010.

Rochester was one of six veterans installing solar panels on Chavezs roof. He said he has installed dozens of solar systems but said being able to help a fellow Marine made this workday extra special.

It is a great feeling helping good people improve their life, Rochester said. I will always serve as an ambassador for vets and disadvantaged communities because I love giving back. Thats why I truly love my job.

Contact the writer: community@pressenterprise.com
U.S. House conservatives are set to re-launch next month their effort to impeach Internal Revenue Service Commissioner John Koskinen, with or without Speaker Paul Ryans go-ahead.

Representative John Fleming says he and other conservatives are prepared to unilaterally force an impeachment vote within days after Congress returns to session on Sept. 6. The only thing up in the air is whether it will be the first or second week were back, the Louisiana Republican said in an interview.

Any action would be largely symbolic, because the effort would get blocked in the Senate if it passes the House. But Republicans remain angry at Koskinen, who they accuse of impeding an investigation into whether the tax agency improperly targeted conservative non-profits. Their allegations include failing to prevent the IRS from destroying evidence and providing false and misleading information to Congress.

A rogue impeachment effort on the House floor by conservatives dissolved last month as time ran out before Congress broke for the seven-week summer break.

Ryan has neither threatened to block this re-do nor given us any lecture or reason not to do it, Fleming said in an interview. But the speaker, while himself critical of Koskinen, has shown reluctance to the idea of setting a modern-day precedent on impeaching cabinet officials.

Legislation pushed by conservatives to remove Koskinen hasnt advanced to the House floor under the normal committee process, which Ryan says he prefers. And Ryan in July emphasized the entire House Republican conference must first settle on an appropriate path to addressing concerns about Koskinen when lawmakers return from break.

New Precedent

The House hasnt impeached a cabinet official since the mid-1870s. Representative John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, is among those who say that even if the House votes to impeach, the Senate wouldnt provide a two-thirds votes to convict him at trial.

But the delay in House action has led conservatives, led by Fleming and other members of the House Freedom Caucus, to want to push ahead with their own plan, even without the backing of Ryan.

In the interview, Fleming said that plan would involve re-filing a privileged resolution of impeachment on behalf of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. That means lawmakers would have two legislative days to vote on either impeaching Koskinen or tabling the measure.

Thats the same parliamentary maneuver he and Representative Tim Huelskamp of Kansas launched a day before Congress left for summer break, but didnt have time to see through before the House broke for summer.

Four Articles

That resolution contained four separate articles of impeachment. Those included one accusing Koskinen of engaging in a pattern of conduct showing he is unfit, including false statements to Congress. The conservatives have accused the IRS under Koskinens watch of destroying 422 backup tapes containing potentially 24,000 e-mails relevant to the IRS targeting of conservative organizations. It all adds up to gross negligence, dereliction of duty, and violating the public trust, they say.

The Treasury Department, which oversees the IRS, responded to the impeachment resolution last month with a statement calling the effort baseless and a distraction, adding that Treasury Secretary Jacob J. Lew continues to have full confidence in Koskinen.

Fleming, in the interview Wednesday, said such statements from the administration make it clear that its being left to Congress to deal with Koskinen.

And this is not happening under the regular committee process, he said.
Torrance police arrested 13 reputed South Los Angeles gang members today in a massive predawn operation to break up an organized ring believed responsible for some 5,000 residential burglaries in five Southern California counties.

The operation, dubbed Operation Money Bags, culminated nearly four years of investigation to not just arrest and prosecute suspected burglars, but to tie their crimes to their gangs, using gang-related sentencing laws that could add years to their prison terms, Torrance police Sgt. Paul Kranke said.

We were looking for ways to solve our residential burglary problem, Kranke said. This is our long-term plan we came up with.

At dawn this morning, more than 400 officers from 18 police agencies joined the Torrance police force to raid 28 locations, primarily in South Los Angeles. The locations targeted members of the East Coast Crips gang, tying them to residential burglaries committed in Torrance and other South Bay cities as well as communities across Los Angeles, Ventura, Orange, Riverside and San Bernardino counties.

Search warrants were served without any problems, Kranke said. Two other suspects were arrested earlier in the week.

We have so far 13 arrests today, Kranke said at 7:30 a.m. We recovered seven firearms and various amounts of narcotics and U.S. currency.

The raids occurred today with no problems or use of force, Kranke said.

A few suspects were still being sought. Others suspected in the crimes were arrested as the investigation proceeded over the years, including some on other charges, police said.

Investigators said the operation was part of what they hope is a long-term solution to a sharp increase in residential burglaries that police officers say began when prison overcrowding relief efforts resulted in shorter sentences for offenders committing nonviolent crimes. The so-called realignment has allowed burglars to return to the streets to commit more offenses, said undercover police officers involved in this mornings operation.

They are going to be sentenced and assigned to state prison as opposed to being in a revolving door, one of the officers said.

Additional crimes attributed to the East Coast Crips occurred in Alameda County in the Bay Area, along with locations in Washington and Colorado, police said. Some crimes were committed simply because gang members had traveled to those locations, police said.

The gang members also are believed to be partly to blame for a recent high-profile increase in residential burglaries on the Palos Verdes Peninsula causing angst among residents and demands for a crackdown, investigators said.

In addition to the raids today, state corrections officers performed searches in the cells of 50 inmates in prisons across the state. The inmates are suspected of allegedly helping to direct the burglaries over illegally held cellphones behind bars or benefitting financially from cash proceeds delivered to them from the crimes, police said.

When Torrance police began noticing the increase in burglaries in 2012, patrol officers studied the numbers and locations, and adjusted shifts to try to tackle the problem. Following some arrests, Torrance police administrators assigned the departments gang unit to join its burglary investigations team when they found that many of the thieves they were arresting were East Coast Crips gang members. East Coast Crips is a primarily black gang made up of various factions located in neighborhoods east of the 110 Freeway in South Los Angeles.

According to investigators, gang leaders had figured out that developing an organized burglary plan could be extremely lucrative. Each day, burglars had a goal of finding $5,000 and a gun, sometimes heading out to commit crimes four or five times a week. Each gang member targeted Friday was suspected of involvement in 125 to 150 crimes.

Police have tied more than 50 gang members to the crimes.

Gang leaders planned the burglaries in meticulous fashion, picking out neighborhoods to target, dressing professionally and using high-end rental cars in an attempt to not draw attention to themselves.

Using white pages apps on their phones to call phone numbers along streets to see if anyone was home, gang members also checked the names of residents on targeted streets and looked out for shoes left on porches, to hit the residences belonging to Asian families. Gang members, police said, believed Asians kept money in their homes and had the best gold.

Following many crimes, police said, gang members kept their profit and stolen property for themselves to live a luxurious lifestyle. Others fenced stolen goods. Stolen guns ended up on the street and were used in other crimes, police said.

But gang members didnt stop there. Those involved in the burglaries began flaunting their riches on social media, posting photographs of themselves holding thousands of dollars in cash on Facebook, Instagram and other sites. Sometimes they even recorded themselves committing crimes and put it online to brag, police said.

Detectives paid attention. The posts became tools for gang members to promote their gangs and recruit new members, and detectives and prosecutors decided to use their braggadocious posts against them, investigators said.

Gang detectives began scouring websites with a new idea. Instead of prosecuting a gang member for a burglary or two, crimes that might get them limited time behind bars, detectives worked to connect burglars to the ring, using their social media boasts to show their crimes were specifically benefitting their gang. So-called gang enhancement charges are often tied to murder cases, where prosecutors allege murders were committed for the gangs benefit.

The District Attorneys Office signed on to add the gang enhancement to burglary cases.

Hopefully, it will reduce burglaries, Kranke said.
Sheriffs investigators are searching for a driver who took out a power pole early Thursday morning, Aug. 25, in Highland and fled the scene, officials said.

The crash took place just after 3 a.m. in the 7000 block of Victoria Avenue, according to a San Bernardino County sheriffs statement.

Highland station deputies were able to identify the driver as Kamal McElroy, 35, of Highland, who reportedly struck the pole, sending it and power lines onto the street, authorities said.

The collision caused the roadway to be shut down while Southern California Edison employees worked for more than an hour to repair the pole and lines, according to the statement. Authorities estimated that McElroy caused over $50,000 in damages.

Anyone with information on McElroys whereabouts is asked to call 909-425-9793.
Twenty-eight U.S. Postal Service employees, mostly in Southern California  including the former president of the Mail Handlers Union  have been charged with crimes including mail theft, embezzlement, bank fraud and conspiracy, the U.S. Department of Justice said Friday, Aug. 26.

The 28 are among the 33 people charged as a result of an investigation by the U.S. Postal Services Office of Inspector General. Most were charged in indictments handed down by federal grand juries this week.

The charges come with postal customers already reeling from seemingly unchecked mail theft right from their boxes. Mail thieves often sell the personal information obtained or use it to commit identity theft.

MAIL THEFT: Frustrated victims ask, What are you supposed to do?

Mail theft across Southern California has increased recently. We are stepping up enforcement activities, including dealing aggressively with corruption within the Postal Service, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker said in a news release.

Theft by postal employees is not new. From October 2014 through September 2015, Office of Inspector General investigators probed 1,607 internal mail theft investigations, resulting in 493 arrests and 1,220 administrative actions, according to the agencys website.

The criminal charges filed against these postal service employees are very concerning, Postal Service spokesman Richard Maher said. This type of alleged behavior within the Postal Service is not tolerated, and the overwhelming majority of the Postal Services more than 636,000 employees are honest, hardworking and trustworthy individuals who would never engage in criminal behavior.

Maher said new hires undergo background checks. Anyone facing charges can be suspended or fired. He did not know the status of the employees charged in this latest case.

Those charged include:

Jarol Garcia, 33, of Hemet, the ex-union president who formerly worked at the Moreno Valley Delivery Distribution Center as a mail handler, is accused of stealing 166 mobile phones from parcels.

Michael Smith, 43, of Lake Elsinore, was accused of stealing money orders from a mail envelope.

Justin Brewster, 25, of Lake Elsinore, a Postal Service mail processing clerk, was accused of stealing video games from the mail.

Sherry Naomi Watanabe, 48, a Los Angeles mail carrier was found to have more than 48,000 pieces of mail in her residence, the release said.

Victoria Uribe, 48, of Rancho Cucamonga, a former Postal Service sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to embezzlement of Postal Service money.

Monica Cavalier, 40, of Victorville, a former sales associate, was charged with making a false entry in an official record related to the sale of stamps related to embezzlement of Postal Service money.

Norman A. Muschamp, 48, a mail carrier from the Mid-City District of Los Angeles, is accused of conspiring to use stolen identities to order pre-paid PayPal debit cards that were sent to primarily non-existent addresses on his mail route, and then selling them.

Jose Hernandez, 35, of Long Beach, who worked for a Postal Service contractor, was charged with mail theft.

Christian Wesley Johnson, 27, of Los Angeles, a postal clerk, was accused of stealing $15,000 worth of cell phones from the mail.

RELATED

Federal indictments target 11 accused Inland Empire mail thieves

Full-size mailbox found in home of mail theft suspect

Duo arrested in February and May caught again
Maybe you were considering hopping on the westbound 91 through Corona at about 9:30 p.m. Saturday en route to a late-night rendezvous in Orange County.

Perhaps you planned to wake up early Sunday, pack the car and take the 91 to the beach.

Those options may be ill-advised given what Riverside County Transportation Commission officials are calling the Main Push: a series of weekend lane and ramp closures along the 91 and adjoining roads so crews can make headway on large portions of the highway widening project.

But if your mind is set, here are some tips on minimizing wait times:

Each westbound 91 access ramp between Maple Street and the 15 will close during a 10-hour window starting at 10 p.m. Saturday, so if youre a Corona resident, make sure you get on the highway before then to avoid weaving through city streets looking for a highway access point.

Eastbound ramps in that same section will close intermittently over nine hours beginning at 9:30 p.m. Sunday. The same advice applies: get on early to avoid frustrating detours.

The biggest hassle could be a full closure of the westbound 91 at Maple Street from 10:30 p.m. Saturday to noon Sunday to enable crews to demolish the old Maple Street Bridge.

Closures to remove the bridge were planned during Coronageddon  the publicized 55-hour highway shutdown in February.

Unlike that closure  which cut nearly all routes between the 71 and the 15  this weekends project received little publicity. The RCTC announced the plan Aug. 19.

If youre heading to Los Angeles on Saturday night, use the northbound 15 instead of the 71, then link to the westbound 60.

If your destination is in Orange County, take either the 60 west to the 57 south, or follow the recommended detour through Corona: Exit at Maple Street, turn onto Pomona Road, head west on Auto Center Drive and re-enter the highway.

Maple Street will also be closed all weekend, starting at 9 p.m. Friday. Detours for north-south travel include Smith Avenue and Serfas Club Drive.

The work is part of the commissions 91 expansion project, a $1.4 billion addition of two tolled express lanes and one regular-use lane in an 11-mile stretch through Corona.

Officials say construction will be finished by May 2017.

RELATED

Coronas Main Push closures may clog Highway 91

91 work should end by next summer

CORONAGEDDON: Proposed 91 full closure reflects statewide trend

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Contact the writer: 951-368-9644, poneill@scng.com, @PE_PatrickO
Hemet residents who saved water will now save money.

The citys water customers conserved enough over the past year that they will be rewarded with less-costly water bills starting next month.

City Council members on Tuesday, Aug. 23, unanimously approved removing drought charges from usage fees, which should lower the typical bill by about $15 per month.

Most of the citys 9,500 customers will continue to pay a meter charge of $24.95 per month, but the consumption rate will drop from $6.25 per billing unit (100 cubic feet of water, or 748 gallons) to $4.28 per unit, a 31 percent decrease.

An average resident uses 65 gallons per day, according to Public Works Director Kris Jensen.

The decision to drop rates was a direct result of the incredible efforts made by our water service area customers in reducing water use, Mayor Bonnie Wright said. Although the drought is not over, the customers have shown that they are committed to responsible and efficient use of our water resources.

Drought rates were enacted in response to the Governors Executive Order declaring mandatory conservation due to drought conditions  which for Hemet was 32 percent in 2015 and 14 percent in 2016  and due to a conservation order placed on the city by the State Water Resource Control Board.

Hemet faced massive fines if conservation levels were not reached.

Twelve cities were given a Conservation Order, and Hemet was the first to have the order rescinded, Jensen said.

Im not aware of any other city in California talking about dropping its water rates, she told the council.

The new rate is effective Thursday, Sept. 1, but some of the savings will only be temporary. A 4 percent price increase is scheduled for Jan. 1. Rates will then increase 3 percent each January through 2020 for the citys residential and business customers, generally located from Menlo Avenue south to Stetson Avenue, and from Sanderson Avenue east to San Jacinto Street.

Hemet residents outside those boundaries are served by the Eastern or Lake Hemet municipal water districts, which set their own rates.

At the same time rates were raised, billing for residential customers switched to monthly from every other month.

That meant lower  but more frequent  bills for customers, which proved to be a burden for some people, leading the City Council to reverse any late fees charged between March and October.

Deputy City Manager Jessica Hurst said plans are in the works to adjust the late fee grace period.

I anticipate returning with a staff recommendation in late September, early October, before the current moratorium expires, Hurst said.

Contact the writer: 951-368-9086 or cshultz@scng.com
Societe Generale Ghana has signed a $50 million Credit Facility agreement with the Government of Ghana to finance the rehabilitation of the Ghana Government Missions abroad.



A press release issued by the company yesterday in Accra said Societe Generale Ghana was happy to support the rehabilitation of Ghanas Missions abroad with $50 million.



The signing of this Credit Facility Agreement has come at an opportune time to support the Ghana Government to address some of the challenges faced by the Ghana Foreign Missions. It is Societe Generale Ghanas desire to partner Ghana in the socio-economic development of the country and to strengthen the already cordial business relations that has existed for many years between the Societe Generale Group, Societe Generale Ghana and the Government of Ghana.



Societe Generale Ghana has more than 11,000 business customers and 216,000 Retail Customers. As a subsidiary of Societe Generale Group present in 19 African countries, the bank offers universal banking services to its clients and the opportunity to directly transact business in the sub-regional and African market.



Societe Generale Ghana and the Societe Generale Group have financed various Government of Ghana projects to the tune of $600 million between 2009 and 2016.



Some of the projects Societe Generale has financed totally or as a participating bank in a syndication include the Aboadze Thermal Plant; Fire Tenders for the Ministry of Interior; Steel Bridges for the Ministry of Roads & Highways; E-Government Project for the Ministry of Communication; 2 GRIDCo Transmission Projects; the Accra Streets Asphalting; the Kwame Nkrumah and Kasoa Interchanges and the Ghana Cocobod Cocoa Syndication since 1997 to date.



The bank, with over 40 branches, is listed on the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) and is a member of the Ghana Club 100 of the Ghana Investment Promotion Centre.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Samsung Electronics West Africa today launched a Smart School for Teachers in the district communities of Bole (Northern Region) and Komenda-Eguafo (Central Region) in partnership with Ghanas Education Ministry.



The Samsung Smart School for Teachers aim to equip teachers with the skills needed to use the solution in their teaching activities, with the incorporation of digital content that makes learning fun and interesting for the learners, as well as build the capacity and confidence of the teachers to use technology.



Teachers will receive training on how to access digital content, share it with students, monitor student progress and conduct assessments.



In line with the UNs Sustainable Development Goal to improve education, we believe it is essential to equip teachers with basic computer literacy, as well as the tools they need to use ICTs for curriculum development and more impactful teaching, and the Smart School for Teachers is an important step in achieving this, explains Mr. Jingak Chung, Managing Director of Samsung Electronics, Ghana.



Training for the Smart School will kick off the day after the launch with 70 teachers anticipated to participate.



The operational training is aimed at equipping the teachers with the skills needed to use the Samsung Smart School solution in their teaching and learning activities with the incorporation of digital content that makes learning fun and interesting for the learners, as well as build the capacity and confidence of the teachers to use technology in enhancing their teaching, adds Mr. Chung.



The Minister of Education, Prof. Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang who attended the handing over ceremony of the Samsung Smart School in Eguafo, Central Region lauded Samsung for undertaken such a project. She advised the teachers to take advantage of the initiative to improve their ICT skills of teaching and learning.



Ghana is the latest country to benefit from the Samsung Smart School initiative, with other schools already established in countries like Nigeria, South Africa, Togo, Senegal and Rwanda.

Source: Peacefmonline.com









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The Principal Medical Officer and Plant Medicine Specialist, Dr De-Gaulle Moses Dogbatsey has disclosed that there is 100 percent pure natural herbal food supplement in Ghana which can be used to improve urinary flow in men with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or enlarged prostate gland.



According to the former Head of Clinical Research at the Centre for Scientific Research into Plant Medicine at Mampong-Akuapem, men between the ages of 40 to 70 years should not panic when they begin to experience the symptoms of enlarged prostate glands.



In an interview with Peacefmonline.com, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Medi-Moses Prostate Centre disclosed that prospective study carried out involving 7000 patients aged between 40 to 70 years with varying degrees of enlarged prostate gland over a period of four years showed complete improvement in their symptoms within two to eight weeks with the usage of Prostacure natural herbal food supplement.



Prostacure is a pure 100 percent natural herbal food supplement used for improving Urinary flow in men with Benign Prostate Hyperplasia (BPH) or Enlarged Prostate gland at Medi-Moses Prostate Centre, he emphasized.



International Prostate Symptoms Score (IPSS) before treatment and after treatment as well as the Initial and Final Prostate weight were assessed using IPSS standard questionnaire and Ultrasound Scan respectively. Initial Prostate Specific Antigen (PSA) levels recorded to include only those whose PSA level is below 10ng/ml to avoid or reduce possibility of including Prostate Cancer patients.



The herbal treatment using Prostacure led to a remarkable improvement in symptoms of BPH such as straining or difficult urination, incomplete emptying of the bladder, frequent urge to urinate, hesitancy, intermittency or interruption in urine flow, weak-stream of urinary flow and frequent urination in the night, he stated.



He maintained that the most novel finding is the drastic reduction in the size and weight of the Prostate gland to normal weight of 40gram and below within a short period between two to eight weeks of treatment using Prostacure.



There was also enhanced libido and sexual function after treatment. This is especially good news for men who have tried conventional therapies for BPH and experienced a decline in sex drive and performance, he added.



He thus stressed that Prostacure appears to be a reasonable first line natural alternative for men with BPH.

Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com.gh









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Government has secured funding from the World Bank to construct a bituminous double surface dressing road from Tatale to Zabzugu to Yendi in the Northern Region, President Mahama has said.



He said proposals had been approved and now going through the tendering process for work to begin on the 80-kilometre road up to Natchamba which shared boundary with the Republic of Togo.



President Mahama said this when he addressed party supporters at Tatale in the Tatale-Sangule District as part of his four-day campaign tour of the Northern Region.



On the third day of his campaign tour of the region, President Mahama addressed a similar rally at Zabzugu, called on the Regent of Dagbon at Yendi and slated to address other rallies at Yendi, Sambu and make whistle stops at Sang and Jimle.



President Mahama said the people of Tatale, Zabzugu and Yendi had suffered for so many years because of the bad nature of their roads and it was only fair to construct a highway that would serve them for many years.



"I will do everything possible to ensure that the people of this area enjoy their share of the national cake...but we can only achieve this if you live in peace and unity," he said.



The President said his Administration would continue to offer all the social amenities for Ghanaians as it was mandatory of every responsible government to serve its people.



The President called on the leaders of the National Democracy Congress to close their ranks and ensure a victory for the party and the NDC parliamentary candidate for Tatale-Sangule, Mr Acheampong Tampi.



Obore Gariba Yankosor II, the Bassare Paramount Chief of Tatale, commended President Mahama for providing the area with potable water and electricity.



He, however, appealed to the President to extend such facilities to Kandin, Sheini, Sangule, Tatindo, Kparibotabo and other adjoining communities to enable the inhabitants to fully engage in commercial activities.



Obore Yankosor denounced partisan activities that could undermine the peace and unity the area is enjoying and gave the assurance that, as a paramount chief, he would do everything under his purview to unite the people irrespective of their ethnic and political affiliation.



He appealed to President Mahama to explore the possibility of mining the iron ore deposits at Sheini to create jobs for the youth in the area and accelerate development.



The Paramount chief later enskinned President Mahama as the Development Chief of the Tatale-Sangule District.

Source: GNA









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The Ghana Airport Company has blamed the recent traffic congestion in and around the Kotoka International Airport (KIA) on the arrival of would be hajj pilgrims at the airport since Wednesday.

According to the Airport Company, the Hajj Committee has since Wednesday started processing the would be pilgrims from the southern sector of the country at the Hajj Village at the KIA. This has resulted in vehicular traffic in and around the airport, a statement issued by the airport authorities said, and accordingly advised users of the airport to bear that in mind when coming to the facility. Travellers and users of the airport are kindly requested to arrive at the airport ahead of normal reporting time to avoid delays, it said.

The Airport Company apologised for any inconvenience the situation might cause them and also urged the public to cooperate with them during the period. The last batch of the pilgrims are scheduled to leave Ghana on August 30.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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TradeAid, Ghana, a Bolgatanga-based Non-Governmental Organisation, NGO, has launched a project aimed at reducing rejected ballot papers in the forthcoming 2016 general elections in the upper East Region.



The project is launched in five constituencies in the region, which have been identified as the constituencies that recorded the highest number of spoiled and rejected ballots in previous assembly and general elections as a result of limited education.



The constituencies are Nabdam, Talensi, Bongo, Bolgatanga East and Bolgatanga Central.



The NGO, as part of its project aimed at enhancing citizens' participation in election 2016, has also developed a roadmap to ensuring free, fair, transparent and peaceful elections.



Briefing some stakeholders, including members of the political divide, traditional leaders, assemblymen and women, Civil Society Organizations, CSOs, among others, at a gathering in Bolgatanga of the Upper East Region, the Programmes Officer for TradeAid, Ghana, Simon Amoah, said he was optimistic his outfit would succeed in its quest to support increase the voter turnout come December 7 general elections.



He said his outfit was committed to complement the efforts of the National Commission of Civic Education, NCCE to carry out sensitisation workshops on the upcoming election and its prospective problems.



He hinted the NGO had adopted scores of strategies to attain the prime objectives of the project that had been implemented.



He noted the NGO, apart from its radio-based education, had also taken the trouble to undertake the voter education to the hard-to-reach communities to enable the electorate appreciate election related issues.



According to him, some community volunteers had also been trained to educate the electorate in their respective communities on the essence of elections and the need to reject politicians who attempted inciting the people to orchestrate violence during elections.







Emphasising the need for the electorate, especially the youth to denounce violence and also reject politicians who initiated warmongering, he challenged political players in the various political parties to heed the political code of conduct.



This, he said, would guide them to campaign based on issues in lieu of attacking one another on rallies and FM radio stations.



Mr. Amoah also called on the Electoral Commission, EC, to make all polling stations disability friendly "so that all our brothers and sisters who are physically disabled can vote on elections day".



He said a political debate would be organised in due course for the parliamentary candidates in the various constituencies to market their ideas to the electorate to enable them "make an informed decision on the candidate they will like to vote for ".



Political parties' representatives, including the governing National Democratic Congress, NDC, the biggest opposition New Patriotic Party, NPP, the Convention People's Party, CPP, the People's National Convention, PNC and Progressives People's Party, PPP, all appended their signatures to the political code of conduct and the roadmap to peaceful elections.

Source: Francis Dabre Dabang/ email: [email protected]









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Former First Lady Nana Konadu Agyeman Rawlings has described the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government as the most corrupt administration under the 4th Republic.



She indicated that at first we thought ex-President Kufuors administration was topping the list but with the rise in corrupt practices which have led to severe poverty, there is no doubt that this government tops the list.



Businesses have collapsed and there is total hardship and poverty all over the place which has come about due to corrupt practices on the part of the present NDC government, Nana Konadu said.



Bombshell



She threatened to expose the mind-blowing corrupt practices under the NDC government especially as the general elections draw closer.



The ex-First Lady, who is also the flagbearer of the National Democratic Party (NDP), spoke on a wide range of national issues during an interview with King Edward of Hello FM in Kumasi.



Rawlings Vrs Mahama



She added that the present NDC administration is stealing like nobodys business. Mismanagement and corruption were minimal during Mr. Rawlings era.



Bloated Figures



She lambasted the current NDC administration of bloating the cost of government projects to enrich themselves, as majority of the population wallow in abject poverty.



Roads and hospital projects, which are supposed to cost 50,000 Euros, are now being constructed at a staggering amount of 350,000 Euros, the NDP leader said.



She told Ghanaians not to consider the so-called road, hospital and school projects being undertaken by the government but think about the cost of those projects.



Jabs NDC



Nana Konadu stated categorically that the NDC government has not initiated any new programme to improve the lives of the masses since it assumed office eight years ago.



She disclosed that every government is mandated to construct roads, schools and hospitals.



Nana Konadu said what new thing has the present government introduced, she said, urging the electorate to critically assess their living conditions and vote for positive change this year.



Collapsed Businesses



Businesses that were once making giant strides are now either collapsing or relocating to neighbouring Cote dIvoire or Togo due to the trend of bad leadership.



Stolen Ideas



Nana Konadu accused the NDC government of continually stealing new ideas and policies of the NDP, saying that she had decided not to declare the ideas of the NDP publicly to stop the NDC from stealing them.



She said the NDP, when voted into political office, would boost salt production, transform technical and vocational education and decentralise the agricultural sector to boost food production.



Montie 3



Nana Konadu said the four-month prison term slapped on the Montie 3 by the Supreme Court was appropriate, saying that the convicts had insulted respectable people in the country for many years.



Nobody was checking them to stop the insults and I am surprised that people now have voices to cry for them.

Source: Daily Guide









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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President John Dramani Mahama on Friday left Accra for Nairobi, Kenya to attend the 6th Tokyo International Conference on African Development (TICAD VI).



According to a release issued by the communications bureau at the presidency, it is first time the Conference is taking place in Africa, and the President is looking forward to both the bilateral discussions at the political level and discussions on boosting the private sectors role in the continents growth agenda.



Heads of State it added, will take part in a special high level engagement with the continents private sector and their counterparts from Japan, and also discuss the promotion of structural economic transformation through economic diversification and industrialisation.



Ahead of the Conference opening on Saturday, President Mahama the stated added, will hold talks with the Prime Minister of Japan, Shinzo Abe, later today and also grant audience to the Executive Director of The Global Fund.



President Mahama is expected back home on Monday.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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The host of the Pampaso show on Accra-based radio station Montie FM, Salifu Maase, alias Mugabe has expressed his appreciation to President Mahama for remitting his 4-month prison sentence.



Mugabe and two others panelists on his show, Alistair Nelson, Godwin Ako Gunn, were released from prison on Friday following the remission of their sentences after they were convicted of contempt and jailed by the Supreme Court.



We would like to take this opportunity to thank the President, John Mahama for graciously exercising his constitutional powers under Article 72 in our favour in remitting the remaining custodial sentence imposed on us recently, he said while addressing his supporters who had gathered at the premises of the station to welcome the trio back from prisonWe would like to thank the Council of State profusely for their role in our release he added.



The trio had expressed their regret for the comments they made on the Accra-based radio station and called on the President to bear in mind the embarrassment their conduct and incarceration has caused their loved ones, in his consideration of the petition and reverse the harsh and excessive sentence.



They expressed their gratitude to God for keeping them safe during their incarceration and taking care of their loved ones as well.



We give praise and thanks to the Almighty for keeping us safe during our imprisonment and given our wives and families strength to cope in the situation we found ourselves in, Mugabe said



The three, who were incarcerated in July, had served one month out of the four-month sentences handed to them by the apex court.



Montie 3 lawyer grateful to Mahama



Edudzi Tamakloe had earlier expressed his gratitude to President Mahama ahead of the release of the three.



Speaking to Citi News he said, We are excited at the prospect of their coming. The expectations are very high we are so thankful to the President and the good people of Ghana for the remission of their wrongs.



It is a feeling of excitement and also sober reflection. Right from the time GBA issued their statement to the time we went to the courts, they have always demonstrated that apology and remorse and have taken steps to retract and apologise to the entire Judiciary, he added.



Pressure on Mahama to free Montie 3



The president had been under pressure to pardon the three, after two separate petitions were presented to him, endorsed by some Ministers of State and senior members of his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC).



Education Minister, Jane Naana Opoku Agyemang, deputy Education Minister Sam Okudzeto Ablakwa, the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Creative Arts, Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection, Nana Oye Lithur and Foreign Affairs Minister, Hanna Tetteh all endorsed the petition.



Other Ministers including Trade Minister, Ekow Spio Garbrah and Transport Minister, Fiifi Kwetey have visited the trio in jail.

Source: Citifmonline









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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Boss Nation Music is preparing for the official release of comic actor, DJ Lilwin's music video for 'Choices' and 'I Dont Think Far'.



According to management, these videos before its official release will be premiered inside X5 Pub located at Krofrom on September 11, 2016.



"This is a special Sala gift from Boss Nation Music Crew to fans of the actor", Razak, manager stated.



Artistes billed to perform that day include all Boss Nation artistes, which include Zack, Sherry Boss, Top Kay, Young Chorus, Ohemaa Dadao, Obibini Takyi Jnr, Sylvia, Eimen, Little Kay, Papa Kumasi, Big Akwess, among others. Also on bill are Guru, Flowking Stone, Medikal, and many more.



There will be red carpet for fans to get the chance to interact and take pictures with their favorite celebrities that day. The show starts at 12 midday till day break.



This event is sponsored by Joy Daddy, Obibini Blackman & Rush Energy Drink.









Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority.

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In a world filled with sexist institutions, it can sometimes be tough for women to remind themselves that they are valued and important members of society. Even when theyre something as basic as Googling a simple dictionary definition.

Google Dictionary sources its entries mainly from the Oxford American Dictionary, and some of their example sentences are err  not exactly what most would use in a family-friendly spelling bee.

Take for instance, promiscuous: the example used is shes a wild, promiscuous good-time girl.

The example sentence was ugly is she thought she was fat and ugly.

So, two Aussie women have decided to take matters into their own hands. They want to open dialogue against the subtle advances of ingrained sexism that women often barely notice  starting with Googles dictionary feature.

Georgia Patch and Kiah Nicholas, both from Sydney, have created an awareness campaign called Redefine Women. They are straight up sick to death of Google pulling entries that put women in a negative light, or display cases of blatant sexism.

Heres just some of the shithouse definitions theyve found:

Hey @google, thats not the way wed use dumb in a sentence. Help us #redefinewomen and change the definition this #womensequalityday @redefinewomen A photo posted by @redefinewomen on Aug 25, 2016 at 1:23pm PDT

Hey @google need we say more? Lets #redefinewomen together this #womensequalityday #womensequalityday2016 @redefinewomen A photo posted by @redefinewomen on Aug 25, 2016 at 3:52pm PDT

Hey @google can you help us bring this definition into the modern world? #redefinewomen this #womensequalityday2016 #womensequalityday @redefinewomen A photo posted by @redefinewomen on Aug 25, 2016 at 3:50pm PDT

PEDESTRIAN.TV spoke to Kiah and Georgia, and asked them why they began the campaign:

Redefine Women is about changing perceptions of women starting with definitions. Were pro-equality, and were always sharing ideas and our outrage at sexism in society. We realised that definitions were reinforcing prejudices against women. We knew we had to do something. We thought about how we could have the most impact, and we knew a lot of people would feel the same way we feel so we wanted to hand it over to people and rally for change through participation, and thought social media would be the best way to do it. Weve found so many already, and our hope is that people can help us find more. Were getting messages every 5 seconds from people whove found new ones. Weve got a lot of content to create! [laughs] We perceive Google as a progressive company, and were reaching out to them for help. Theyre an aggregator, we know theyre not the ones publishing them. But theyre so powerful, I think together we can make a big change.

When we asked the duo what their end goal of the campaign is, they told us,

Just a bit more thought put into what the search engine is aggregating. Maybe an update to the algorithm  it seems like its aggregating old definitions. And also we just wanted people to talk about it; driving awareness and opening conversation, starting with the subtleties were all overlooking.

The pair have only been at it for a few weeks, but are hoping that supporters of their campaign will add to the conversation by regramming their Instagram posts, tagging Google to spread the word, but most of all, opening dialogue about how these kinds of microaggressions contribute to wide-scale sexism.

If nothing changes, weve had people contacting us and sharing definitions. The fact that its being discussed at all makes us very happy.

Dialogue is the key, yo. Found a sexist definition? Speak it loud, tell the world why you think it sucks  your voice is important!

And dont forget to contribute it to Redefine Women at one of the below links:





redefinewomen.tumblr.com/





instagram.com/redefinewomen/





twitter.com/redefine_women

Source: Redefine Women.
Sound the beef conch, cos Briggs has gone HAM on one half of Aussie electro producer duo Flight Facilities after he took to Facebook to question whether this weeks edition of Is this really blackface? was really, yknow, blackface.

If you havent been following the latest racial snafu, it involves a Perth mum who proudly declared that dressing her son as his favourite AFL player, Nic Naitanui of the West Coast Eagles  complete with head-to-toe brown paint  was a QUEENING moment on a Mummy Bloggers FB page, only to be completely annihilated by everyone with half a clue.

Briggs  an Indigenous-Australian rapper with a lot of opinions on a lot of things, mostly the gross ignorance and disrespect that go hand-in-hand with white peoples using blackface as a party trick, and then attempting to justify it afterwards  had his say on the matter with a dot-point list of rebuttals to pro-blackface logic that made a helluva lot of sense.



But one person who wasnt overly impressed with his logic is FF Hugo Gruzman, who got into a heated debate with fellow PEDESTRIAN.TV readers in the comments section of our FB post on Briggs list of no-nos after giving a history lesson on the origins of blackface in a misguided attempt to explain why this particular incident *isnt* blackface.

Here are some of the highlights / lowlights:

Were sure Hugo had good intentions but he kinda lost us at he [Briggs] didnt make it clear why its offensive.

Briggs did *not* hold back on his opinion about Hugos race-splaining, either, calling him a straight-up dickhead to P.TV.

Cool, another white dude who gets to decide what black people are and arent offended by. These dudes are so sheltered and so privileged; youre sitting back and saying you need to educate me on blackface? Its insanely reckless to be talking like that  these kinds of remarks are the telltale signs of this white, paternalistic ideal of race in Australia. Its like, you dont have the right to be tell me why blackface isnt offensive and use history as an example  Australia has its own history of blackface that dates back hundreds of years. So excuse me, Hugo from Flight Facilities, but are you a history major in race relations on Australia? Go fuck yourself.

One thing Briggs does not do: mince words.

One thing we wish everyone could agree on when it comes to blackface:





IT. IS. ALWAYS. RACIST.

If youre still on the fence, heres a v. concise explanation about why its not the jolly joke that some people still consider it to be by Indigenous writer Nakkiah Lui, which aired on triple j earlier this year.

When it comes to blackface there isnt a debate. If a group of people who are the marginalised group, who are still facing racism, who are still facing inequality because of their race, who have to carry the burden of history on their skin and their culture every single day, if theyre telling you that hey, this is offensive to me, it has a loaded history, its making me feel uncomfortable, its making me feel like a second class citizen, its not up to the dominant culture  and in this situation thats white people  to say Why? Why is this making you feel uncomfortable? Because it doesnt make me feel uncomfortable.'



Its also worth mentioning that Naitanui himself has said the incident hurts my heart and that, while he doesnt believe the boys mum meant to cause harm, its a shame racism coexists in an environment where our children should be nurtured not tortured because they are unaware of the painful historical significance blackface has had.



And that, friends, should be case closed.



P.TV reached out to Hugos management for a comment but were yet to hear back at the time of publishing.

Photo: Supplied.
Fremantle City Council has cancelled fireworks for next years Australia Day, after requests that the national day be made more inclusive. In a statement posted to Facebook, Mayor Brad Pettitt said that the change would take place because:

There has been a growing movement that January 26 is increasingly becoming a day that is not for all Australians. For many Aboriginal Australians it is indeed a day of sadness and dispossession.

Obvs, the decision has been met with derision by people who deride things for a living. Right on time, Andrew Bolt has gone full Andrew Bolt:

This is a surrender to the politics of race and identity. It is also a surrender to the politics of grievance from Aboriginal activists whose personal lives have unquestionably been enhanced by British settlement, which has given this country everything from secure food supplies to dentistry and pain relief; from democracy and the rule of law to literacy.

Its an argument that conveniently leaves out, you know, all the genocide. Many Indigenous Australians are celebrating the decision, which starts to rectify what is without question, an incredibly problematic and divisive holiday. As one person reportedly said at the council meeting where the fireworks were scrapped: Every bang to us is like a gun being fired at our ancestors.

And to all the non-politically aware fireworks fans out there today, dont worry. The City of Fremantle has promised a new family-friendly event to celebrate being Australian on an alternative date.

Dont sweat it, 33 people who liked last years fireworks, youll still get to celebrate nationalism via explosions some other time.

Photo: Facebook.
Protesters have thrown a mock beach party outside the French embassy in London to protest Frances ban on the burkini  complete with sand, deck chairs and beach balls, because you obviously cant throw a beach party without em. Or so Ive been told.

A lot of women wear it by choice, said Esmat Jeraj, one of the protest organisers. If the burkini enables women to go and sit on the beach and enjoy the sunshine, surely that should be encouraged. It helps ensure these women are no longer on the margins.

The impromptu protest, in which some of the protesters were decked out in burkinis themselves, really fired up when a truck showed up to dump a shitload of sand outside the embassy, to the general chagrin of attending security guards.

Theres actual sand outside the Frenchembassy. Unfortunately for me, didnt bring my burkini today. #wearwhatyouwant pic.twitter.com/k7vuA4aA4D  Aina Khan (@ainakhan5) August 25, 2016

Its in protest of the widely circulated yarn about armed cops forcing a woman on a beach in Nice to remove her burkini, in accordance with Frances law against the garments. Because clearly the best way to defend liberal secularism is to get the state to point guns at people and enforce dress codes. Right?





Fariah Sayed, another organiser of the protest, said that this was a way to counter the increasingly mainstream argument that Muslim women are oppressed by garments like the burkini, and that the cops were really only liberating her from that. The thing is with Muslim women, they are often perceived as feeble and weak and not having a voice of their own. We wanted to show the world that we do have a voice, and we can use it.

Source: The Guardian.

Photo: Getty Images / Anadolu Agency.
Everyone in the United States of America knows that when you fuck up really, really, really bad, and need to get back to being loved and adored by the general population, theres only one failsafe way you can do it.

Its called Dancing with the Stars.

Yup, its PR rehab 101, and after American swimmer Ryan Lochtes disastrous lie during the Olympics, he needs some serious rehab for his public image.

ICYMI: Lochte told media he was pulled over and mugged at gunpoint by fake cops during the Rio Olympics, which a judge called bullshit on and seized his passport. He then admitted that hed actually gone on a huge bender with three other swimmers, and got told off by a security guard in the Barra da Tijuca neighborhood because he and his fellow three grown-ass men had pissed all over a petrol station. They vandalised a sign, and kicked down the door, too. So rather than being mugged, theyd actually been politely asked to pay for the damage theyd caused. *slow clap*

So, everyones real pissed at Lochte. One, because hes a grown ass adult and trashing property isnt fucking cute, and two, because he tried to cover it up with a fake mugging. He even lost all his sponsors.

So, Dancing with the Stars it is. Washington Post even spoke of the infamous DWTS desperate PR move:

Dancing with the Stars is the ideal safe space for scandal-ridden celebrities, or more specifically for stars that want to change the conversation. Its just good old-fashioned image management; just ask former contestants like Paula Deen, Gary Busey or David Hasselhoff, best known for controversies or erratic behaviour.

In the meantime, Brazilian authorities have confirmed that the swimmer with be summoned give testimony before the Justice Department  apparently hes not obligated to attend, but if he doesnt go he wont be able to lodge a plea bargain if hes charged.





Dancing with the Stars will launch in the US on September 12.

Source: Washington Post.
Oh man  remember getting the choice in school to take the sex education class that included having to look after those weird as hell robot babies?

The whole point of them was basically to make you realise the full weight of the decision to have a child.

It pooped, it needed feeding, it screamed constantly, and if you accidentally let its head fall back to damage its tiny mechanical neck, it screamed and died and you failed the assignment. How fucked up is that?

(But everyone totally knows that urban legend about that one friend of a friend who accidentally left theirs on their car roof as they sped off in their P-plate Hyundai, and it somehow didnt register as a fail because those babies were all old and broken.)

Regardless, MURDERING YOUR ROBOT CHILD GETS YOU AN F, PEOPLE.

So essentially, the subject that involved those terrifying robots, actually called the Virtual Infant Parenting (VIP) Program, was designed to lower teen pregnancy. But apparently, according to new data, it actually did the opposite.

A new study of three thousand women shows that those who completed the program with the robotic infants were 1.6 times more likely to fall pregnant.

The study was controlled for biases such as whether the girls had already been sexually active, and whether their family was rich or poor, and it was also randomised to remove selection bias.

Dr Sally Brinkman, who is an Associate Professor at the University of Adelaide and one of the authors of the report, said,

Even when we control for [these things], theres an increased risk of 1.6 times more likely to have pregnancy if you participate in program than if not.

The study involved around 3000 women between the ages of 13 and 15 from Western Australia  researchers were given access to their medical records until the age of 20, to see how many fell pregnant, and also how many chose to have an abortion.

They found 17% of those who took part in the VIP program had fallen pregnant by then, compared to 11% of those who didnt do the program.

Brinkman says that the studys results were unfortunately not what we were hoping for.

The aim of the program was to prevent teenage pregnancy, we can definitely say that it didnt do that.

The professor couldnt speculate why, but did say that anecdotally, many of the women enjoyed the program and received a lot of attention while caring for the baby.

Brinkman has now recommended that schools stop using the Virtual Infant Parenting program.

Source: ABC.

Photo: CTFM.
Next year, Monash University will become the first University in Australia to introduce trigger warnings on their course guides. Its a policy that many are pushing for in Universities all across the country. Reportedly, the Monash Student Association pushed for the inclusion of content warnings, with Association President Abigail Stapleton saying that it was a simple request that was about making university a better experience for students.

Ironically though, folks are getting pretty offended over the attempt to stop people getting offended. IPA Research Fellow Matthew Lesh has said that trigger warnings defeat the purpose of higher education and encourage academics to stop teaching certain materials.

Australia is a few years behind America on the Safe Space/Trigger Warning debate, which over there is a constant point of controversy. The University of Chicago has recently come out strongly against both of the above, but the overall liberal arts campus culture has increasingly moved in that direction.

It got to the point where last year South Park satirised it  a sure indicator something has reached cultural saturation  in an episode that featured a viciously unkind depiction of Steven Seagal.

Source: Herald Sun.

Photo: Instagram.
In 2013, a virus of sorts ravaged this countrys most liveable city.

It was called the Melbourne Sound.

If you were somehow immune to the savagery of the genre and dont know what that is, heres the top definition of it from Urban Dictionary:

A progression from the uptempo, horn-infused Dutch house style, Melbourne bounce (which also at times fuses elements of acid house and psytrance) is a descendant of the electro house umbrella with inspiring party-hardy jams, raucous horns, and goofy, fun-loving sensibilities. The squelching horns will melt your mind on at a big festival stage or on a huge system.

And one of the pioneers of the mind-melting sorcery was (and is) Will Sparks.

Hes the mastermind behind a string of underground and commercially-successful bangers like Ah Yeah, Chemical Energy and Bring It Back. Sparks now tours the globe performing, and when PEDESTRIAN.TV get him on the blower hes lapping it up in Mykonos. Dont be too jealous though  he assures us he cant tan for shit.

Now a 22-year-old, Sparks started producing music back in 2011. I was a guitarist originally. When the internet first sort of started, I began researching music and downloading, he tells PEDESTRIAN.TV. One night I went to a club and fell in love with the music of a certain DJ, around the time that the Melbourne underground sound started. I became obsessed and I did everything I could to start making music.

And the stuff he produced went proper bananas. Wandering (or staggering) down King St in Melbournes CBD on any given weekend in the peak Sparksy-era of early 2013, youd see that the line to listen to him at Cloud Nine was relentless.

It snaked right round the block, with some punters paying up to $100 to jump the line. The crowd was mainly made up of young women in American Apparel hot shorts, 20-something blokes in nipple-bearing singlets and the occasional normie who thought the music was fun to dance to and wanted to see what the fuss was about.

me wiggling into the promo clip like

His tunes copped air-time on commercial radio, and even made an appearance at Jamie Kings exclusive 18th birthday party.

But it wasnt all heaving bangers and lollipops.

King Street, along with the culture that came with it, was widely criticised in 2014 after a promoter from Cloud Nine was revealed to be a convicted drug trafficker. A spate of GHB-related overdoses in the area further cemented the publics perception that the scene was toxic for the city.

With the lyrics of Chemical Energy reading Drunk in a club, stumbling sideways, munching my gums / Im drunk with a buzz, with the amphetamines under my tongue, youd be forgiven for thinking Will Sparks is a pinger fiend with no regard for his wellbeing.

Well surprise, bitches:

A photo posted by Will Sparks (@willsparksfit) on Jul 16, 2016 at 12:25am PDT

Turns out the Platinum ARIA-awarded producers biggest passion isnt getting munt-daddy at TFU; its health and fitness.

I started going on tour when I was 19, and I was never at home. I was never around friends and wasnt even able to go to the studio, so I got really bored, says Sparks. I went down the the gym at the hotel and that was it, I just started going for it, and it became a massive obsession.

When queried on how he balances an artists lifestyle with wellbeing, he says he tried to stay sober most of the time.

At my age now, I cant even really party hard that often. Maybe once a month Ill have a big night  but Ill feel like shit for a week and a half afterwards. I take things on pretty hard mentally these days and since Im into my fitness, I get guilty. Im all about hard work, so you gotta pick yourself up and keep going  no excuse.

A photo posted by Will Sparks (@willsparksfit) on Mar 23, 2016 at 3:38am PDT

This healthy obsession has lead to Sparks creating a dedicated Instagram to chronicle his workout routines and gains  but it doesnt end there.

Im in the process of creating a protein drink at the moment, and I want to start a nutrition food bar he says. And a gym, and merch.

Ideally, he says hed open the gym in the hot spots like Chapel St in South Yarra or Glenferrie Road in Hawthorn.

And whats Sparks motivation? Is it purely aesthetic, or is he really concerned for his health?

Its definitely both. Its always both. I eat a lot of good things because I want that inside of me. And then the benefits are that you gain more confidence in yourself. I used to be so unhappy with myself, and now Im so much happier. Thats something I want to motivate people with. If you work hard, you can get anywhere.

A photo posted by Will Sparks (@willsparksfit) on Apr 4, 2016 at 2:59am PDT

We [DJs] arent all the crazy lunatics that you guys think we are.

Photo: @willsparksfit / instagram.
UPDATE: Lice Clinics of America - Harrisburg closed in August 2019.

A lice removal company that has clinics in 20 countries will open a clinic on the West Shore.

Lice Clinics of America will open a new location at 20 Erford Road in Wormleysburg on September 10.

Lice Clinics of America - Harrisburg will provide screening, diagnosis and treatment options for people infested with head lice. The clinic will use the AirAlle device, an FDA-cleared medical device that kills head lice and lice eggs.

AirAlle uses heated air and takes about 90 minutes. The treatment comes with a 30-day guarantee when all family members are treated or screened for head lice. The clinic is open seven days a week by appointment.

Hilary Reeser is the owner of Lice Clinics of America - Harrisburg.

Lice Clinics of America and AirAlle are brands owned by Larada Sciences Inc. which is based in Salt Lake City, Utah and has more than 150 treatment locations in 20 countries.

The Lemoyne-area clinic is only the companys second clinic in Pennsylvania. The other clinic is in Montgomery County.
0824_Bacteria sampling[2].jpg

Water samples being collected this summer by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.

(Picasa)

Water samples collected from four stream and river locations in Dauphin and Cumberland counties this summer showed bacteria levels that would be unsafe for swimmers.



The high levels were found at locations along the Conodoguinet and Yellow Breeches creeks in Cumberland County, and the Swatara Creek in Dauphin County. The testing was commissioned by the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.



The water was collected following heavy rains and tested for e. coli and fecal coliform, which are found in the digestive systems of animals and humans, and which can cause sickness in humans.



Unsafe levels of e. coli were found in the Conodoguinet at the North Middletown Township Park boat launch; in the Yellow Breeches at the Messiah College covered bride and the South Middleton Park bridge; and in the Swatara at the boat launch near the Hamilton Street bridge and at the Fulling Mill Road/Clifton bridge.



Unsafe levels of fecal coliform were found in the Conodoguinet at the North Middleton boat launch and in the Yellow Breeches at New Cumberland Borough Park and the South Middleton Park bridge location.

The samples were collected on ten dates in June and July following rainstorms. In some cases, the levels of e. coli and fecal coliform were within safe levels.

The highest levels of e. coli were found in the Yellow Breeches at the Messiah College, New Cumberland and South Middleton locations. At the the South Middleton location following a heavy rain in late June, the e. coli level was more than ten times the maximum safe level, according to the Chesapeake Bay Foundation. The highest levels of fecal coliform was also found at the South Middleton location.



The good news is that no high levels were found in the Susquehanna River, where the samples came from the Fort Hunter boat launch.



Harry Campbell, the foundation's executive director, said the high levels were no surprise, given Pennsylvania's slow progress in meeting goals of a multi-state plan for reducing pollution in the Chesapeake.



The goal is to complete the improvements by 2025. However, Pennsylvania is well behind were it's supposed to by as of 2017 goals. Earlier this year, under pressure from the federal Environmental Protection Agency, Pennsylvania embarked on a "re-boot" plan to catch up. "It's the first step in a long process of getting back on track," Campbell said.



High e.coli and fecal coliform levels typically occur after human or animal waste is washed into waterways by heavy rains. Other common sources include malfunctioning septic systems and wastewater treatment plants.



The high bacteria levels found this summer won't result in any health warnings. However, they can persist for up to 48 hours after rains, and people would be well-advised to stay out of the water during that time frame, Campbell said.



Campbell said Pennsylvania is "woefully" behind in meeting the 2025 goals. The main deficiencies involve runoff of nitrogen, phosphorus and sediment from farms and urban and suburban landscapes, Campbell said.



However, wastewater treatment plans are doing a good job of making progress toward the 2025 goals, he said.



The main tactics for accomplishing the goals include shifting to environmentally safe agricultural practices, using trees and plant buffers to protect waterways, and controlling stormwater runoff.



Pennsylvania accounts for half of the freshwater that flows into the Chesapeake.



In addition to protecting the Chesapeake, reaching the goals will reduce health hazards for humans and produce economic benefits from things such as improved agricultural productivity, Campbell said.



"It requires leadership, commitment and investment," said Campbell, who had no estimate of Pennsylvania's total price for meeting the goals. "This is a solvable issue. We just need to do what we know needs to be done."






Crews have repaired a gas leak that prompted an evacuation for some residents in Hamilton Township, Adams County on Thursday evening, officials said.

"Columbia Gas Company secured the gas leak at their facility at 3316 Carlisle Pike at 11:25 p.m. (Thursday) evening. The evacuation is lifted, and residents are allowed to return to their homes," according to a message posted on Facebook by United Hook & Ladder Company #33 of New Oxford.

Residents within a half mile of the intersections of Carlisle Pike and York Road and Carlisle Pike and Forest Drive were told to evacuate, a Pennsylvania Emergency Management alert said.

About 30 to 35 residents were affected by the order, officials said.

State police said a man had just finished mowing grass at the facility when the pipe was broken.

Police said the man had loaded the mower onto a trailer and was turning the trailer around to leave when the accident occurred.

"(The man) thought he was in reverse but was actually in drive, at which point his foot slipped off of the brake causing (the trailer) to move forward and strike a gas pipe," according to a news release.
A juror's decision to access a Google map of the crime scene has thrown a wrench into deliberations in a Harrisburg murder case.

Shane Barker

The issue arose Friday morning, several hours into the Dauphin County jury's deliberations on the homicide case against 37-year-old Shane Barker. He is accused of fatally shooting Jerome Buckner, 38, in the back at South 14th and Swatara streets on Oct. 18, 2014.

Prosecutors are seeking a first-degree murder conviction and life prison term. Barker's lawyers claim he acted in self defense.

President Judge Richard A. Lewis called the jurors back into the courtroom around 11:30 a.m. to inform them that one of their number had to be replaced because of his Googling.

Throughout the four-day trial, Lewis told the jurors repeatedly that they were barred from accessing the internet about the case or doing any independent investigation beyond the evidence presented to them in the courtroom. Nevertheless, the judge said, one juror had admitted to accessing the Google map on his home computer.

Lewis seated an alternate juror to replace the violator after the alternate assured him he had not accessed any outside information, including news reports, about the crime or the trial.

The judge told the panel that, because of the swap, the law requires that they start over in their deliberations. The jury began deliberating Thursday afternoon and had spent more than four hours weighing the case.
The public typically would not be privy to the eye-popping details of this huge legal settlement in the medical malpractice case of a Pa. mother who lost twins in 2011. But a Pa. judge refused to seal the $4.25 million deal.

The medical malpractice case in Lackawanna County never went to trial, but here are the details of the whopping legal settlement in the case of a mother who lost twins in 2011:

As the Times Tribune reports, Lackawanna County Judge Terrence Nealon, in a rare ruling, rejected a defense request and refused to seal the huge, $4.25 million deal in the case.

Instead, the judge said the public's right to know outweighed concerns defense attorneys raised that the disclosure would discourage hospitals and physicians from settling malpractice cases in the future, the newspaper reported.

Details from the Times-Tribune:

The recent settlement resolved a 2011 lawsuit Jo Ann Page of Archbald filed against Moses Taylor Hospital, Michael J. Kush, M.D., Francis Hamm, M.D., and Physicians Health Alliance of Carbondale in connection with the March 2, 2009, death of her twins, Kylee and Chloe.

The lawsuit, filed by attorney Matt Casey of Philadelphia, alleged doctors failed to properly monitor Page for preeclampsia -- a serious medical condition characterized by high blood pressure. Page suffered a seizure, which caused the placenta to detach from her womb. The fetuses, who were at 33.4 weeks gestation, were stillborn.

Mr. Casey brokered a global settlement of the case despite the fact Dr. Hamm and Dr. McNulty declined to consent to the deal and did not contribute to the settlement, according to court records. Mr. Casey and his law firm, Ross Feller Casey, were awarded 40 percent of the settlement, or $1.7 million, plus $120,301 for costs.

The balance of the settlement goes to Ms. Page, who agreed to pay 35 percent of her share of the proceeds to the twins' father, Charles Dottle.

Much more on the story is here.
Lancaster refugees

Six teenage refugees won a lawsuit Friday allowing them to attend McCaskey High School in Lancaster.

(Shutterstock photo)

Six teenage refugees won a lawsuit Friday that would allow them to attend Lancaster's McCaskey High School after school administrators allegedly diverted them into an alternative school.

The plaintiffs, who range in age from 17 to 21, claimed that they were subject to routine pat-downs and were not properly instructed in English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) at the district's chosen school, Phoenix Academy.

"The class moves fast and I don't learn anything," one of the students, a Sudanese refugee named Khadidja Issa, testified earlier through a translator this month.

Another of the plaintiffs, Somali refugee Qassim Hassan, testified that, "I did not find the school that I deserved." Hassan's father was killed by militiamen prior to his own relocation to Pennsylvania.

District officials had argued that Phoenix Academy was better suited to older refugee students than McCaskey, a larger and more traditional high school.

Federal Judge Edward G. Smith ordered the School District of Lancaster to enroll the plaintiffs at McCaskey, the main high school, if they so wish. He also ordered the district ensure the students' language skills are properly evaluated and that they receive the necessary ESL instruction to allow them to become proficient in English.

"The plaintiffs are not seeking the creation of a new entitlement, or new and better schools," Smith wrote, in his opinion. "The plaintiffs are seeking admittance into a program that currently exists, and that is specifically designed for students with their unique language needs."

Furthermore, the judge ruled that the school must "ensure that the plaintiffs have equal access to the full range of educational opportunities provided to their peers, including curricular and non-curricular programs and activities."

The American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania, which helped bring the lawsuit alongside the Education Law Center Rothschild on behalf of the students, praised Friday's decision.

"Our refugee clients have lived lives of unimaginable hardship, and they are way overdue for a break," one of the students' ACLU attorneys, Witold Walczak, said.

Maura McInerney, senior staff attorney at the Education Law Center, said Friday's decision would change the trajectory of the students' lives by extending to them the opportunities they were entitled to.

"These students were thrown into a fundamentally inappropriate alternative accelerated program where they languished in classes they didn't understand," she said, in a written statement. "One of our clients was pushed through four years of high school in 18 months, without learning English or acquiring basic skills."

Kelly Burkholder, a spokeswoman for the district, said late Friday that it would comply with the judge's orders.

"Because of the late delivery of this order, we will meet with our council on Monday to discuss options," she said, in a written statement. "After weighing our options, we will decide our best course moving forward."

According to the judge's order, the students would be allowed to attend McCaskey High School starting Monday.

Lancaster school lawsuit by PennLive on Scribd
Elliott Ravert and Alicia Buzzard mugshots.JPG

(Myrtle Beach police)

The Lancaster County man accused of removing his girlfriend at gunpoint from a mental health facility earlier this month and fleeing with her to South Carolina has waived extradition

Chief Bruce D. Harris of the Cornwall Borough Police Department said Friday that Elliot Ravert should be back in Pennsylvania next week to face charges.

Ravert, 18, of Narvon, is accused of ordering two nurses to let him into the locked ward at Philhaven Hospital and taking patient Alicia Buzzard, 21, of Heidelberg Township out of the facility on Aug. 10.

They were found in Myrtle Beach Aug. 12 when they were arrested for shoplifting at a Walmart.

Earlier this week, Ravert asked for a jury trial on the shoplifting charge and posted $776 bond on that charge. But he was being held without bail in a detention facility in Horry County, S.C., on a fugitive warrant from Cornwall police on charges of robbery, aggravated assault and terroristic threats.

Buzzard pleaded guilty to the shoplifting charge Aug. 19, was sentenced to time served and is in a "safe" house, said Harris. She has told her family she does not plan to return home.
East Pennsboro High School

East Pennsboro Area High School will remain closed for at least an additional three weeks as the school district works to remediate a mold problem discovered in the school this week. Classes were cancelled across the district as similar issues also were discovered in other East Pennsboro schools. The other schools could open this week.

(File photo, 2008)

East Pennsboro Area High School will remain closed for at least an additional three weeks so workers can complete pipe installation work after mold was discovered in the building this week.

The district's other schools that also closed due to mold/poor air-quality issues could reopen Tuesday and Wednesday if air quality tests return normal results, East Pennsboro Superintendent Jay Burkhart said.

The middle school will remain closed until at least Wednesday to allow for the removal of mold spores found in the building, Burkhart said in a statement posted to the district's website.

The district must perform more work on the middle school's air handling units on the roof to ensure the spores are properly removed.

Officials hope West Creek Hills Elementary School will reopen Tuesday, as mold remediation in the building should be completed this weekend. East Pennsboro Elementary School would reopen when West Creek reopens.

Officials are working with the Pennsylvania Department of Education to develop an alternative schedule for high school and middle school students. Administrators will speak with PDE officials at 10:30 a.m. Monday.

If PDE approves an alternate schedule, the district will hold a public informational meeting at Eisenhower Elementary School, 340 N. 21st St., Camp Hill from 6-8 p.m. Monday.

The district has lost several instructional days that must be made up. Administrators will propose the following makeup days to the school board for approval: Sept. 2, Oct. 10. and Nov. 10. The public will be made aware of additional make up days as they are scheduled, Burkhart said.

The air quality issue was discovered after recent humid weather caused chilled air-conditioning pipes in the high school to sweat during the past two weeks, Burkart told about 400 people during a public meeting Wednesday night.

The water soaked through the pipe's insulation and caused mold to grow on the paper that covered the insulation and the ceiling tiles below.

Samples from the high school were collected Friday to determine whether mold or dirt was present. After the district received the results early Tuesday, officials closed the high school, and East Pennsboro Elementary School, where a similar issued was discovered.

Classes were canceled districtwide the next day.

Burkhart said he would continue providing updates on the situation as he receives them.
tyner spradley.jpg

Joshua Ray Tyner, 29, of Newark, Delaware, and Lorraine Spradley, 46, of Newark, Delaware, are charged with charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, kidnapping to facilitate an felony or flight thereafter, terroristic threats and simple assault.

(East Lampeter Police)

Two people have been arrested in connection with the armed robbery of a Lancaster County jewelry store Aug. 17. All of the stolen jewelry was recovered, polcie said Friday.

Joshua Ray Tyner, 29, of Newark, Delaware, and Lorraine Spradley, 46, of Newark, Delaware, are charged with robbery, criminal conspiracy to commit robbery, kidnapping to facilitate an felony or flight thereafter, terroristic threats and simple assault.

Tyner was extradited back to Lancaster County Friday and after arraignment was committed to Lancaster County Prison in lieu of $2.5 million bail. Spradley remained in custody in Delaware awaiting extradition.

East Lampeter Township detectives say Tyner, wearing a mask, entered the Zales store in the Tanger Outlets shortly after it opened. He threatened two female employees with a handgun and forced them into a backroom, where he restrained them with duct tape.

Tyner then emptied a large amount of various jewelry from the display cases into bags and fled the store, police say.

One of the employees freed herself and called police, and a Strasburg police officer began following a vehicle seen leaving the area where the robbery occurred. The silver Hyundai sedan fled from the officer and the driver eventually abandoned it in Christiana, running into a large wooded area.

Continued investigation led to the arrests of Tyner and Spradley, police said.
A western Pennsylvania man will spend two years on house arrest with restricted access to the Internet after he pleaded guilty to statutory sexual assault involving a 14-year-old girl and drinking her blood.

Jonathan Ryan Davis, 22, of Vandergrift pleaded guilty last year to a felony charge of statutory sexual assault in connection with an encounter he had with the girl in a church stairwell after they had been drinking alcohol, the Tribune-Review reports.

Davis also pleaded guilty to two counts of disorderly conduct because, police said, he and three juveniles drank blood from their arms as part of a role-playing game that Davis read about on the Internet.

The Associated Press and KDKA in Pittsburgh reported that the juveniles included the 14-year-old and two other girls.

In sentencing Davis Thursday, Westmoreland County Judge Richard E. McCormick Jr. said the sentence was justified by Davis' cooperation with police and his willingness to undergo sex offender treatment, the newspaper reported.

Prosecutors, though, had pushed for a jail sentence because Davis previously received probation in juvenile court for impregnating a 12-year-old girl, the AP reported.

In addition to the house arrest, Davis will be on probation for 10 years, can't use the Internet for recreational purposes, can have no unsupervised contact with children, can't consuming alcohol or visit clubs and bars, and must abstain from viewing pornography.

Davis told the judge he was remorseful for his actions.

"I'm sorry for everything, all the pain and suffering I had everyone go through in this case," Davis said.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper waves after speaking at the India National Day Gala in Brampton, Ontario on Tuesday August 12, 2014. Former prime minister Stephen Harper will resign Friday as a member of parliament, The Canadian Press has learned. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn
A flood affected person, left, who rescued four dogs and their four puppies plays on the roof of their under constructed submerged house in Allahabad, India, Thursday, Aug. 25, 2016. Heavy monsoon rains have ended two successive drought years in India with the Ganges River and its tributaries rising above the danger level, triggering evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people from flooded homes in north and eastern India. (AP Photo/Rajesh Kumar Singh)
China to join Australia, US in exercises

2016-08-26 07:40

Beijing confirmed on Thursday that China will hold joint military exercises in September involving Australia and the United States, in addition to its joint naval drill with Russia in the South China Sea next month.

Observers said the drills show the steady development of the Chinese military's ties with key Asia-Pacific counterparts and signal efforts to ensure stability to help ease maritime tension in the South China Sea.

Wu Qian, spokesman for the Ministry of National Defense, announced at a briefing in Beijing that China, Australia and the United States will conduct "Exercise Kowari 2016" in Darwin, Australia, from Wednesday to September 11.

The exercise, the third among the three countries' ground forces, will involve drills for survival in the wild, Wu said.

Additionally, Chinese and Australian troops will hold "Exercise Panda-Kangaroo 2016" in Sydney from September 14 to 23. The exercise will include such tasks as canoeing, Wu said.

Zhang Junshe, a researcher at the PLA Naval Military Studies Research Institute, said the Kowari exercise mirrors a "shared readiness to bring the trilateral security relationship forward".

The fact that the two annual drills involving Australia will be continued this year "demonstrates Australia's wish to avoid sabotaging its security ties with China", Zhang said.

Australia has joined the United States and Japan in pressing China to accept an international arbitration ruling in July in a case unilaterally initiated by the Philippines in its dispute with China in the South China Sea.

Zhang said Australia is trying to strike a balance between the US, its traditional security ally, and China, a major economic and trade partner.

"It is wise to avoid taking sides between China and the US and stop supporting US provocation against China over the South China Sea issue," Zhang added.

In July, the Ministry of National Defense announced that the navies of China and Russia will hold a joint drill in the South China Sea in September to "enhance the capabilities of the two navies to jointly deal with maritime security threats".

On Thursday, Wu said the drill will involve "joint maritime defense actions".

Yin Zhuo, director of the Expert Consultation Committee of the People's Liberation Army Navy, said it is natural for Beijing and Moscow to hold a drill in the South China Sea this year, since they have previously held exercises in other coastal regions of China.

The China-Russia exercise is "out of security consideration" and has no specific target, Yin added.
Heather Mogg to take plea deal in murder case

Heather Mogg is scheduled to make a plea deal with Emmet County prosecutors for the murder of her boyfriend, Jonathan Tippett.
Primary school Chinese textbooks get fresh new illustrations

From:China Daily | 2016-08-25 10:21

Illustration for Ode to Goose by Huang Guoxiang. [Photo/66wz.com]



Primary school students in China will start using new editions of their textbooks this coming September, with new illustrations that will help them understand classic Chinese poems.

To accompany the 110 classic poems included in 12 volumes of Chinese for primary school students from Grade One to Six, one hundred illustrations were painted by artist Huang Guoxiang of Wenzhou, Zhejiang province.

"Illustrations coupled with ancient poems used to be painted using fountain pens, which differs somewhat from the artistic conceptions that Chinese poems aim to express. I think traditional ink painting suits Chinese poems more," said Huang during an interview with thepaper.cn.

The old version of Chinese has been in use for more than a decade.

"Our aesthetic tastes, in adults and children alike, have changed somewhat. The illustrations in textbooks should keep up with that," said Huang.

The 2016 edition of Chinese, published by People's Education Press, has already been approved by China's Ministry of Education. Volume one for first-graders has already been published, and the textbooks for other grades will gradually be replaced starting next semester.

"An editor from People's Education Press called me last September and asked whether I was interested in painting illustrations for the new edition of Chinese. My task was to create illustrations for three poems: Ode to Goose, Min Nong and Spring Dawn, and I spent two weeks working on them. After about 20 days, the publisher called me again and asked me to illustrate for all 12 volumes of Chinese from Grade One to Six," Huang said.

Huang said he referred to the Chinese textbooks his son used previously before working on a new painting.

"The strokes made by fountain pens tend to be harsher. The flow of the ink in ink painting expresses the mood of the poem better," he said.

But he did not just create any ink paintings; Huang tailored his style of painting for his target readers. Primary school students may not necessarily be attracted to traditional Chinese ink painting, as the strokes tend to be thick and the colors dark. So he fused ink painting with watercolor to make the pictures visually appealing to the young readers while fully expressing the essence of classic poems.

For instance, for the poem Ode to Goose, a work that's widely known in China, Huang focused on expressing the gestures of the goose clearly to readers. The goose on shore should raise its neck high as if singing to the sky, and the white feathers of the goose in the water should float gracefully while its feet pedal in the green waters, which are all expressed in the poem.

"It's not that difficult to illustrate a single poem. The hard part is, sometimes there are three poems on one page and the contents of these poems may vary greatly, so it was challenging for me to express the moods of all of them with one illustration. Sometimes I had to think with a bigger picture and create something that fits it all," added Huang.

Huang and the editors exchanged the most views on the style of clothing for the people in the illustrations and whether they fit the era in which the poem was created. "They didn't say anything about the style of my paintings," Huang added.
PROGRESS DOESNT SUCK

BUT AT WHAT RATE SHOULD THINGS EVOLVE?

So, yeah, change is good. But that doesnt mean we cant be more intelligent about how we change mountain bikes. The rate at which bikes and parts become incompatible with one another today is blinding. You buy a bike today and tomorrow theres a whole new wheelsize, bottom bracket or axle standard popping up that renders what you boughtwell, not obsoleteyou can keep riding that thing and having just as much fun on itbut when you inevitably taco a wheel or destroy a fork, you find your options radically reduced.



Manufacturers might trickle out parts from the old standard for a couple years, but make no mistake, the pipeline on that stuff will clamp down right quick. Suppliers, distributors and bike shops cant carry all those "legacy" drivetrains, tires, wheels and forks for long. At least, not in the numbers or variety that riders will demand. Its not cost-effective. At some point (and that point rolls around faster and faster each year) youre going to have a much harder time finding 26-inch wheels, tires, anything with a 142x12 rear axle or a non-Boost 110 fork.



Again, I understand that things change and I wholeheartedly embrace that change. The rate of change and the proliferation of standards that hate one another, however, has gotten out of hand and this, I wholeheartedly believe, is because so many companies are operating in relative isolation, pushing out new parts that are incompatible with everyone elses parts and, moreover, arent as fully evolved as they could be.



Evolution doesn't suck.



Wider flanges, more stiffness, better strength...could "Super Boost 157" be a better solution than Boost 148? On paper it looks that way. Either way, however, it would have been great if more companies in the bike industry had collectively put their heads together on this one.

OKAY, HERES AN EXAMPLE

For the record, I'm not confusing the bike industry with a hippie commune.

JUST A PIPE DREAM?

A kitten dies every time a new press-fit bottom bracket is invented. Save the kittens.

I am not a marriage counselor. Nor am I an engineer. So maybe you should take what Im saying here with a pound of salt, but Im going to say it anywayI wish the bike industry would get together, talk things over, find some common ground and get on the same f@cking page when they roll out the next big thing.Im not against progress; I just think the way we go about this evolution-thing is creating a world of prematurely incompatible parts and burnt-out riders.First, let me state for the record, that I am a-okay with the inexorable march of progress. Bikes change. In general, they get better. I know a lot of readers will disagree with me on that score, but really, its hard to deny.I rode a 28-pound, 6.7-inch (170-millimeter) travel bike up several miles of steep, taint-mauling mountain the other day and not once did I think This bike should be lighter or pedal more efficiently. Not once. Calling that bike a rocket would be overstating the matter, but, sweetbabyvishnu, that long-travel beast climbed better than most trail bikes from six years ago. And on the way down? It was damn near as capable as a full-on downhill bike.A 28-pound, park bike that youd happily tackle all-day trail rides on? No shuttles or chairlifts required? You can sign me up for that shit all day. And, yes, we have progress to thank for that.Having purchased my first mountain bike back in 1988, I can tell you that all those classic retro bikes may look cool, but are actually about as awesome to tote around as a ten-gallon sack of crap.Consider. I am not opposed to Boost. At all. It makes sense. I understand that Boost 148 rear spacing pisses people off, but when wheel sizes grew bigger and spokes grew longer, wheels got weaker and flexier. This particularly affected rear wheels, which, thanks to being dished, have unequal spoke tensionthe bane of wheelset durability.Boost 148 spreads the hub flanges apart six millimeters, which improves the spokes bracing angle. The end result? Stiffer and stronger wheels. Its impossible to argue with that. Really. You may not like that Boost suddenly outdated the expensive 142x12 wheelset you just bought, but its math. Not only did Boost 148 make for stronger wheels, it also allowed for shorter, wider chainstays to co-exist with larger tires. If you like to descend and you like tight trails, these are obvious wins. If you want to go plus-size with your tires, it opens up your options there as well.So, yay, for Boost 148.But heres the thingWhy did we stop at 148? Why not go wider? I was one of many editors who asked Trek why they didnt simply bypass the Boost 148 middle ground and go to downhill spacing instead. Treks thinking was that Boost 148 improved things without screwing up Q-factor or requiring entirely new cranksets and bottom brackets. You could shift the chainline outboard 3 millimeters by simply adopting crankset spiders with 3-millimeters more offset.That logic seems sound. They (Trek and SRAM) were innovating in a way that didnt require as much wholesale change. In fact, that sounds downright compassionate. And I think Treks engineers came to that conclusion sincerely. Hell, it seemed reasonable to me at the time. As it did to every editor out there.But then Pivot shows up a year later with, which affords even more rear wheel stiffness and strength, more tire clearance and still doesnt jack-up your Q-factor or require entirely new cranks or bottom brackets.Im looking at the landscape of change here and it appears that Pivots use of older downhill spacing affords riders more of the benefits (stiffness, durability) and more flexibility (in terms of tire choice). Boost 148 works, but could Boost 157 work better? Thats the question. Frankly, its too early to call it, but heres where I loop back to my premise: What if representatives from the bike industry got together and talked this shit over before they pulled the trigger? Im guessing wed have fewer standards; that would be a very good thing because right now, shit is changing so fast and furiously that riders are afraid of buying a new bike, fork or wheelset.Why would anyone, for instance, dump a thousand bucks into a fork, for instance, when it might suddenly be incompatible with front wheels in a year or two? And wheelsets? Who in their right mind spends a grand on a wheelset after seeing 27.5 wheels with 142 axles enjoy the half-life of a fruit fly? I hear people say it all the time, Ill buy a new bike when things settle down.Well, things arent going to settle down. Ever. That isnt a problem, in and of itself (again, thats just progress and progress is thoroughly kick ass). But the rate of change? Thats gonna bite the bike industry in the ass, sooner rather than later. Riders are losing confidence in the very worthiness of upgrading their bikes and parts. And if that sounds too touchy-feely for the bike industry, let me be plain: A loss in consumer confidence is going to cut into the bike industrys bottom line.Im not entirely naive. I also understand that the reason companies dont get together over tea and share their trade secrets is thatno shitthey areagainst one another in a free market.Innovation sells a whole lot of bikes, so why would anyone give up their goods to the very companies that are trying to squeeze them out of the market place? Fair question.Im not, however, suggesting that Mike Sinyard of Specialized jump on a flight to Wisconsin and divulge his latest frame designs to John Burke at Trek. Im neither stoned nor crazy. All Im saying is that if one bike company is going to come up with a wider axle dimension or a widget that births all sorts of proprietary offspring, that they talk it over with a couple other companies first. Having more minds poring over such a thing would result in fewer half-steps and more breathing room between advances that render everyones bike incompatible.I know what Im saying here sounds crazy. The marketplace is not a hippie commune or a 1960-s style love-in. I get that. Im not suggesting that companies give up their trade secrets, Im just saying that when we start mulling the idea over of changing a standard that we put our heads together and come up with the best solutionone that benefits both companies and riders.The bike industry has tried to do this before. Its not entirely without precedent. I remember an Interbike (I think it was back in 2000), for instance, at which fork manufacturers met and decided which brake mount to go withinternational standard or post mount. Sadly, they went international standard. It took another six or seven years to realize that Manitou was right about the superiority of the post-mount system and, yes, this whole historical tangent sort of invalidates what Im saying here about the wisdom of talking things over, but, hey, at least they. Im just asking that we at least attempt it.Dear bike industry, do it for the children. Or the kittens. Or the dolphins. Or the long-term profitability. Take your pick. I dont really care what the motivation is here, just do it. Get on the same page.
The Project On Government Oversight has learned new information involving its July 6, 2016, article about improper leaks of restricted government documents by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) to a major US military contractor, Kuwait and Gulf Link, also known as KGL. The giant Kuwait-based company has long provided logistical support for US forces in and around the strategic Persian Gulf as part of contracts from DLA worth over one hundred million dollars.

The new information confirms and expands on POGOs earlier findings, that much of the agencys leaking to KGL was not conducted by DLA Associate General Counsel for Contract Integrity Normand Lussier in isolation, but as part of a larger plan conceived in DLAs Office of General Counsel with knowledge and support from OGCs past and present senior leadership.

The new information presented here, which was first brought to POGOs attention in a detailed four-and-a-half page, single-spaced typed anonymous letter, has been confirmed in court documents and has otherwise been independently confirmed by POGO.

The DLAs Office of General Counsel was the focus of POGOs original article, which presented court documents demonstrating the role of Lussier and some of his colleagues and superiors in leaking large numbers of restricted government documents to a Washington law firm hired by KGL. Those documents included sealed federal court records and confidential details of negotiations between the Department of Justice and another big DLA contractor, Agility, which is KGLs principal competitor. According to court documents, DLAs leaks to KGL also comprised law enforcement sensitive information related to an FBI probe of KGLs alleged ties to a US-sanctioned Iranian company, as well as sensitive Privacy Act-protected and Attorney-Client Privileged information.

The mounting evidence seems to show that DLA and KGL were teaming up against the contractors competitors, and that OGCs senior leadership and key subordinates have abused the agencys suspension and debarment procedures to hurt companies they did not like. In fact, two of KGLs largest competitors, Agility and Supreme Group, were placed into contractor timeout by DLA after allegedly overcharging the Department of Defense on contracts to supply US troops in the Middle East. Agilitys suspension, ongoing since 2009, has been riddled with court involvement and waivers. Although it is entirely appropriate to suspend or debar companies and individuals who overcharged the government, the length of Agilitys suspension raises questions. Considering DLAs coziness with KGL and Lussiers previous court statement that he wished ill on Agility, a review of DLAs actions is needed.

POGO has learned that DLA planned some of its leaks to KGL with the apparent knowledge and direction of the agencys general counsel at the time, Fred Pribble, who held regular meetings with the principal leaker, Lussier. Lussier has given detailed testimony about his transfers of government documents to KGL when he was called to give evidence as part of federal and state litigation related to the matter.

Pribble rewarded Lussier by creating a DLA job for him as a reemployed annuitant following Lussiers initial retirement from the agency several years ago. As such, Lussier was receiving a government salary and bonus, while his duties focused largely on supporting Pribble, and DLAs Chief Trial Attorney, Daniel Poling, by keeping track of matters related to KGL and Agility, part of which involved the extensive leaking to KGL.

Pribble retired as DLAs general counsel in May 2016; Lussier resigned from his reemployed annuitant post last fall.

Following publication of POGOs recent article, Senator Claire McCaskill (D-MO) formally requested a briefing on the matter from DLA director Lt. Gen. Andrew Busch.

Lussier declined to comment.

POGO posed specific questions to DLA about the above-noted issues. In a statement approved by the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a DLA spokesperson told POGO: It is inappropriate for DLA to comment on matters currently in litigation. We take all whistleblower allegations seriously and investigate them appropriately.

POGO will continue to urge Congress, the Department of Justice, and the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General to investigate this case.
Unibet Open Copenhagen: Mudassar Khan Leads, Two Previous Champs Still in Contention

August 25, 2016 Frank Op de Woerd

It was the fourth time the Unibet Open poker tour headed to Copenhagen, but it was the first time the tournament was held in the summer. And wouldn't you know it, it was the warmest day of the entire year in the Danish Capital. While the sun was shining outside, 153 players started their day inside the beautiful Casino Copenhagen for Day 1a.

Kenny Hallaert welcomed everyone at noon and started off his first Unibet Open as tournament director. The poker player from Belgium had already signed on as part of the team before he headed to Vegas this summer, where he made his way to the final table of the WSOP Main Event. We're pretty sure it's the first time a November Niner was in control of a major European poker tournament.

One of his first decisions was to change from the planned 10 levels to 9 levels. That gave the 52 survivors of the day opportunity to have a couple more drinks at the welcome party. Because, as per tradition, the Unibet Open wanted to make their poker tournaments about more than a card game. That's why there's a bunch of players planning to go to Urban Ranger Camp on Saturday, and there's a huge party on one of the rooftop bars of Copenhagen later on.

But for the players that signed up, it was about the poker. And there was a lot of poker to be played. During the nine levels of play, we saw some incredible hands, including a straight flush, quads and also some intense action at the live streamed feature table.

Three former champions started the day and two of them made it through to the Day 2. Theis Vad Hennebjerre won in Copenhagen last year beating a field of 460 strong and was back at it today. So far he's one for one, and still in contention to make it two for two. Hennebjerre's sole cash on his HendonMob profile is still his win at this event last year. Can he add another one this week? He started out strong building a stack worth three-times what he started with, but lost a bunch with ace-nine to queens preflop all in. He ended the day with 47,700.

The other former Unibet Open champion, Daniel Chutrov, also made it through the day. The Glasgow champ built his stack up without huge pots or notable hands and will start Day 2 on Saturday with 79,800 in chips.

The chip leader finishing Day 1a is Mudassar Khan from Denmark. The local gathered a massive 272,000 in chips from a starting stack of 30,000, good for 137 big blinds on Saturday.

Tomorrow, Day 1b of the Unibet Open Copenhagen awaits. Another slate of nine, one-hour long levels are scheduled and again PokerNews will be on-site for coverage from the floor.

Photos by Tambet Kask, Unibet Open

Be sure to complete your PokerNews experience by checking out an overview of our mobile and tablet apps here. Stay on top of the poker world from your phone with our mobile iOS and Android app, or fire up our iPad app on your tablet. You can also update your own chip counts from poker tournaments around the world with MyStack on both Android and iOS.
Photo: istockphoto.com.

In the wake of the officer-involved shootings of Philando Castile in Falcon Heights, MN, and Alton Sterling in Baton Rouge, LA, and the assassinations of five Dallas-area officers and three Baton Rouge-area officers; I have been doing non-stop interviews with reporters from the national and international news media.

A number of these journalists have been asking me about the de-escalation training I produce for law enforcement. They ask what the de-escalation concept refers to and how it works. They ask, Shouldnt the police be getting more de-escalation training? While I generally respond that it is always a good idea that street officers receive more training; I have taken a different view that Ill share with you. If you agree with me, I hope that you will share this article with others you know; especially the news media and detractors of law enforcement.

Before I begin this discussion, let me introduce myself. I have been associated with professional law enforcement for more than 40 years. I come from a law enforcement service family. My wife was a member of the Los Angeles Police Department and one of our sons is a police officer. I have been a street officer, undercover officer, detective, academy instructor, and an academy director. I have trained officers for 36 years nationally and internationally and began teaching de-escalation courses after the infamous Rodney King riots in the early 1990s. I have also taught at every level of the American education system up to university masters degree programs.

Given that background, here are some of my thoughts on what is happening in the publics encounters with law enforcement and how to address the problems that are occurring.

Officers are More Educated in the Law Than the PublicThere has never been a more diverse, better educated, well-trained, and technologically advanced law enforcement community than the men and women serving in American law enforcement today. Police academies today are more like miniature universities accredited through community colleges, where officers receive undergraduate credits for course work.

In most states police recruits study and are tested in more than 43 separate topics of instruction during an intense six-month academy. During this period, they must demonstrate written and physical/practical competency with a minimum passing score of at least 80% in all subjects. Cultural and sexual diversity, tactical communication, laws of arrest/search and seizure, civil rights, victimology, preliminary investigations, forensics, mental health, drug influence, traffic enforcement and investigations, physical training, and use of force/deadly force comprise just a few of the many subjects covered. This level and time compression of education and training is far more demanding; and more intellectually and physically challenging than any university I know.

The reason that police academies are far more demanding than universities is because police officers must deal daily with the real and not theoretical difficulties, challenges, and risks of society. Officers are trained to respond to and often make split-second life and death decisions under circumstances that the U.S. Supreme Court has described as rapidly evolving, tense and uncertain.

The police academy is just the beginning of a probationary officers training experience. After the police academy, comes a three- to four-month Field Training Program, where recruits are intensely supervised by personal Field Training Officers (FTOs) and evaluated each day on over 30 separate codified police practices. After the FTO program, police recruits are shadowed on their calls for another six months before being considered as a solo beat officer. Police recruits also undergo a probationary period of from one to two years before being accepted as fully certified officers.

Now lets compare the education and training that police officers receive to that of some in the general public; including politicians, the liberal media, and the activists of the Black Lives Matter movement who enjoy chastising and criticizing police officers.

In the U.S., civil rights are generally not a topic of discussion in middle school and are barely covered in high school. Rather, students learn about civil rights leaders and perhaps their First Amendment rights of freedoms of speech and assembly. Fourth Amendment rights pertaining to law enforcement encounters, detentions, arrests, and searches and seizures are almost never covered. Appropriate behavior during police encounters, the rule of law and police practices are rarely if ever covered unless one takes a constitutional law class in college or a university.

Nearly every university professor I am acquainted with who teaches constitutional law, has little to no idea how police officers are trained. They lack an understanding in the legal concepts of an officers collective knowledge. They generally misunderstand the standards of proof officers rely upon to stop/detain, investigate, search and/or arrest such as reasonable suspicion and probable cause. They know very little about federal case law standards of police practices. This becomes evident when I am asked to step into their classrooms to teach these concepts and I quiz their university scholar students in masters degree programs. This is disgraceful and a true disservice to American society.

The Public Needs More TrainingI have come to the conclusion that it is generally not the police who need more training including de-escalation, diversity, sensitivity and civil rights training; it is the American public. The members of the Millennial Generation have absolutely no understanding of what their actual civil rights are  and more importantly, are not. They have no idea what the legal constraints are with respect to their behaviors during police encounters. They have no awareness as to why they get detained and arrested for the stupid things they say and do. And truthfully most of their parents are even more ignorant than their offspring.

Young people and most adults have no understanding of how police officers are trained and how that training combined with their non-compliant, suspicious, potentially threatening and/or active physical resistance become part of the calculus of the peaceful, or defensively forceful response by police their actions precipitate.

A Simple Rule to Live or Die ByLiterally every so-called controversial, high-profile officer-involved death case bears example of this one simple fact. People who dont make stupid life decisions; are compliant with police when contacted; and who dont resist detention or arrest; almost never have problems with police; or end up hospitalized or in a morgue. Its just that simple. Want some contemporary examples to prove this simple rule? Do the names Michael Brown, Freddie Gray, and Alton Sterling sound familiar?

Sensitivity Training About OfficersIt takes a special person to risk his or her life for those who care so little. The public needs to learn that law enforcement officers are not the publics lackeys. They are not separate from the public. They are the public. They come from the same communities as the people they serve. They are former or current classmates; friends; relatives of the people they serve.

Police do not create societys problems; they respond to them. People create societys problems they consistently make stupid life decisions. Young men impregnate teenage girls because they are selfish, insensitive, and controlling. They abandon their children for the same reasons. Teens cut classes and drop out of school because they are too weak; and/or because their father figures abandoned them. Some teens join gangs and/or take drugs for the same reasons.

Young men and women poison their own people with drugs and sentence them to a life of addiction because they have no moral compass. Young men pack guns; rob people; invade their homes and kill each other for all of the above reasons. Young men create genocide within their own communities, knowing that everything they do is criminal and physically and emotionally harmful. It is the public and not the police who need sensitivity training. The police are the sensitive ones.

Police come into depressed, violent, hopeless communities to save people from themselves. And as thanks for risking their lives; they are then chastised, criticized, demeaned, attacked, and killed for their efforts by cowards who resonate with the false narratives of radical groups who seek to overthrow the rule of law.

Understanding De-escalation TrainingPolice learn very quickly they cannot control people; they can only control themselves. They practice de-escalation training not because they are the ones who need to calm down; but because the people they encounter are often angry, enraged, demented, psychologically unstable, under the influence of illegal drugs, hateful, and/or all of the above.

The general public believe they have rights they dont have. They think and often tell police that they have no right to stop them for a traffic violation; detain them for suspicion of criminal activity, or when police try to intervene when they are unstable, drug influenced, or suicidal. People pack guns; they move menacingly at officers with weapons when repeatedly ordered at TASER point or gunpoint not to. They provoke officers by compressing time and distance. They verbally or by gestures threaten to beat, stab, shoot, and kill officers. Then when force is used against them, they or their surviving relatives sue to get paid.

Where is the Support for Police?What is far worse emotionally and psychologically for police officers when they are forced to use force and perhaps take a life, is that the uninformed media lines up to support the suspect instead of the police without any forensic facts or evidence that the police did anything wrong. They would rather believe the deliberate lies of Black Lives Matter; race-baiter charlatans like Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton; or President Obama that it was the polices faultthe police acted stupidly. The media and the charlatans have gotten the forensic facts of deadly police-citizen encounters wrong time and time again. And our naive, uninformed, low-informed and disengaged public just mindlessly follows along.

There is never an apology or even a concession to police that the media, race baiters, or the Black Lives Matter surrogates were wrong. Thats not the way the New America works these days. No, today its all about #journalism instead of vetted, investigative reporting. Its all about assigning blame rather than accepting responsibility for a wrong-doing. Thats the do-nothing, bring-nothing-to-the- table, cowardly society police are forced to work with. It is far easier to yell, scream, and criticize the brave men and women of law enforcement than to put on a badge and police their own troubled, violent communities. That seems to be beneath them.

The Publics Paradigm ShiftThe simple fact is that it is the public who needs de-escalation training. They need to calm down and have a studied response instead of emotionally charged reactions to the police they encounter during pedestrian stops, vehicle pull-overs, and investigative contacts. They need to know that a court of law and not the street is the venue for arguing the justification of a stop or an enforcement action. They need to know that no matter how much they might dislike the police or the reason(s) for being contacted by them, they are legally obligated to obey an officers directions, orders, or commands. The American public needs to learn how to listen and not argue with police. Americans need to learn how to temper their behavior and not make stupid, threatening, and potentially deadly bad decisions. Essentially, they need to learn to grow up and mind their manners.

While this may certainly be a free society, that freedom is conditional upon obeying the law and its hard to argue an opposing view from behind bars, from a hospital bed, or from the morgue.

Ron Martinelli, Ph.D., CMI-V, is a nationally renowned forensic criminologist, police expert, and certified medical investigator, who directs the nations only multidisciplinary forensic death investigations and independent review team. Martinelli is the author of the new best-selling book, The Truth Behind the Black Lives Matter Movement and the War on Police, (available on Amazon.com). His forensic site is www.DrRonMartinelli.com.
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The big media hype lately is that Donald Trump has suddenly changed his position on immigration.

The new thinking is that Trump is now backing away from his plan of enlisting a mass deportation force to deal with 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the country. Many pundits  liberal and conservative  are now saying his plan, instead, would mirror the one Jeb Bush put forward during his failed presidential campaign.

This is false. Trumps unworkable and inhumane immigration proposal is still alive and well.

In an interview set to air Thursday night on CNN, Trump makes this fact clear.

Tweet via Greg Sargent:

Trump: NO path to legalization. The back taxes are only paid AFTER theyve left and come back: pic.twitter.com/OxU6sValCw  Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) August 25, 2016

For all the recent talk that Trump wont be so harsh when it comes to non-criminal undocumented immigrants, this answer should clear things up. Under Trumps (same, unchanged) plan, 11 million undocumented immigrants  even if they arent dangerous criminals  will be deported.

Every other thing he has spent time talking about recently, like a path to legalization or paying back taxes, only enters the equation after the deported individual leaves the country.

So, no, Donald Trump is not changing his stance on immigration, as another Sargent tweet pointed out:

Just to be clear, we now know that Trump has adopted Jebs position!!! was completely wrong.  Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) August 25, 2016

The question is not whether these immigrants would be deported under a potential President Trump  they will be. Instead, the question is how long must they wait and what is the process for them to return.

So the media can calm down about Trumps supposed change of heart on an issue that he built his presidential candidacy on. He may not be calling Mexican immigrants rapists and criminals in public anymore, but his policy  as of today  still treats them like they are.

His tone has changed, but his policies have not  at least for the time being.
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In another blow to Donald Trumps presidential campaign, news broke on Thursday night that the Republican nominees newly minted campaign CEO and Breitbart chairman Steve Bannon was previously charged with domestic violence in a 1996 incident with his wife.

According to Politico, who first reported the story, Bannon physically injured his wife when they were arguing about their finances.

The report via Politico:

The Santa Monica, Calif., police report says that Bannons then-wife claimed he pulled at her neck and wrist during an altercation over their finances, and an officer reported witnessing red marks on her neck and wrist to bolster her account. Bannon also reportedly smashed the phone when she tried to call the police.



There had been a history of physical altercations in their relationship, Bannons then-wife relayed. In the beginning of their relationship, she said they [had] 3 or 4 arguments that became physical and they had been going to counseling. There has not been any physical abuse in their arguments for about the past 4 years. [REDACTED] said they have been arguing a lot, but no violence, the police report states.



According to the police report, on New Years morning 1996, Bannons then-wife asked for a credit card to go shopping, and they argued over whether she should just write a check. This quickly turned into a bigger argument about the couples finances and future.

She told him that maybe he should find another place to live, that she wanted a divorce. [REDACTED] said he laughed at her, and said he would never move out, the report states.

Bannon had gone out to their car, followed by his then-wife, the report says. She then spat at him, and Bannon reached up to her from the drivers seat of his car and grabbed her left wrist. He pulled her down, as if he was trying to pull [her] into the car, over the door.

[REDACTED] said Mr. Bannon grabbed at neck, also pulling her into the car. She said that she started to fight back striking at his face so he would let go of her. After a short period of time she was able to get away from him, the report states.

Trump supporters constantly say that voters shouldnt worry about their candidates erratic behavior or lack of knowledge on some of the most important issues facing the country because he will surround himself with level-headed and competent people.

Trump himself claims that he will hire the best people if hes elected president.

But throughout this campaign, he has consistently shown that the people he does hire are anything but the best.

Former Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski was seen on tape assaulting a reporter and roughing up a protester at a campaign event. He eventually left the campaign.

Paul Manafort, who also spent time running the Trump show, had to resign in disgrace after news broke of his secret pro-Russia connections.

Trump advisor Al Baldasaro called for Hillary Clinton to be killed, and Trump responded by calling him a very fine person.

Now, it turns out that the new CEO of Trumps campaign has a history of domestic violence.

Presidential campaigns are opportunities for wannabe presidents to show the American public that they can competently lead a large organization. After all, if they cant properly manage a campaign and make smart decisions about its staffing, how can they be trusted to run the country?

Through his poor campaign management and inability to assemble a strong team, Donald Trump has clearly blown this opportunity.
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Hillary Clinton hit Trump with a speech filled with facts about his history of discrimination. Trump responded by throwing a tantrum on Twitter.

Trump tweeted:

Just watched recap of #CrookedHillary's speech. Very short and lies. She is the only one fear-mongering!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2016

Hillary Clinton's short speech is pandering to the worst instincts in our society. She should be ashamed of herself!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 25, 2016

Trump is an unhappy camper because, during her speech on the alt-right, Clinton laid the facts on Donald Trump.

Clinton called Trump, A man with a long history of racial discrimination, who traffics in dark conspiracy theories drawn from the pages of supermarket tabloids and the far reaches of the internet, should never run our government or command our military.

She brought up Trump being sued for housing discrimination, When Trump was getting his start in business, he was sued by the Justice Department for refusing to rent apartments to black and Latino tenants. Their applications would be marked with a C  C for colored  and then rejected.Three years later, the Justice Department took Trump back to court because he hadnt changed.

Clinton talked about how Trump ran his casino business, State regulators fined one of Trumps casinos for repeatedly removing black dealers from the floor. No wonder the turn-over rate for his minority employees was way above average.

She mentioned all of this before discussing Trumps birtherism and bigoted comments during the 2016 presidential election.

Hillary Clinton got under Trumps very thin skin by going beyond politics to paint a picture of a man who has a history of bigotry and racism. Trump hasnt specified what Clinton was lying about because he cant. Donald Trumps discriminatory behavior is a part of the public record.

By telling the truth about Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton has left her opponent impotently typing his childish nicknames while throwing a tantrum on Twitter.

One of these candidates looks like she is heading for the White House, while the other is destined for another season of The Apprentice.
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If there was a Trump immigration narrative before, and Jeb Bush said yesterday there really is not  and NBC News yesterday provided a full list  it has gone off the possibly nonexistent rails.

The thing is, nobody can be really sure.

His spokeswoman, Katrina Pierson, didnt help with her Monty Pythonesque explanation Thursday morning on CNN:

He hasnt changed his position on immigration. Hes changed the words that he is saying.

$#$%@#&$! *deep breath* Umm.no, never mind.

Trump had admitted to Hannity Wednesday,

Now, everybody agrees that we get the bad ones out. But when I go through and I meet thousands and thousands of people on this subject, and Ive had very strong people come up to me, really great, great people come up to me, and theyve said, Mr. Trump, I love you, but to take a person whos be here for 15 or 20 years and throw them and their family out, its so tough, Mr. Trump. I have it all the time! Its a very, very hard thing.

Ann Coulter, who has admitted Trump had her at Mexicans are rapists, had a bit of a public moment as she grappled with what she was hearing. Obviously, from a photo tweeted by Charles Cook, editor of National Review Online:

Ladies and Gentlemen, theres been a slight change of plan. pic.twitter.com/SRASORpp7D  Charles C. W. Cooke (@charlescwcooke) August 25, 2016

She had just published a book praising Trump, after all, In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome! She waswell, dumbfounded at his seeming pivot. Having just praised Trump as some sort of 100-foot tall Badass McCarthyist God walking tall across the landscape, scooping up undocumented workers in each of his massive hands, what was she to think?

Now she was left to tweet, and its a wonder she could lift her quivering fingers to her keyboard,

Well, if it's "hard," then nevermind. Trump: " to take a person who's been here for 15 or 20 years .It's a very, very hard thing."  Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) August 25, 2016

Fighting a blinding wave of cognitive dissonance, Coulter  who had told MSNBC earlier in the week, This could be the shortest book tour ever, if hes really softening his position on immigration, but I dont think he is  went on Hannity Thursday and told him it was all a big mistake:

You know, as for this idea that even if Trump believed  and look, I think he made a mistake in the things he said to you. He was using the catch phrase, oh, and I have a glossary here for all the euphemisms for supporting amnesty, claiming theyll pay back taxes is one of them. No citizenship is another one. These are all the Marco Rubio cliches used to push the Gang of Eight bill. And even  look, I dont think thats true. I think its stupid because all Trump is doing is demoralizing his base. The never  the people who hate him still hate him, but now they can call him a flip-flopper. Way to go, whoever told Trump to say that.

She followed this up with an email to World Net Daily, her spiritual home away from home, that,

Unlike crazed, cult-like Hillary supporters (and Cruz supporters, fyi), Ive provided helpful criticism to Trump in the past, e.g., over the Heidi Cruz retweet, over the H-1B sellout, and other things.

THAT DOESNT MEAN IM ABANDONING HIM.

And yes, the caps are hers.

She explained her apparently moment of loss of faith by saying,

Shortest book tour ever, was a joke! Yeah, its genuine criticism, but its made to encourage a righting of the ship, not to walk away in a tantrum the first time he says something stupid.

Hes said stupid things before! I know he wants to put Americans first and, in the end, he wont be fooled by the amnesty fanatics and their legerdemain.

By Thursday night on Anderson Cooper, it was legitimate to ask, What the hell just happened, if anything? Jeb Bush says, and here he agrees with Joe Scarborough, that its difficult to criticize Trumps position(s) when you dont know what they are. Because, you know, they change so much.

As Abigail Tracy noted at Vanity Fair,

Before, the G.O.P. nominee touted an immigration plan that was arguably unenforceable. Now it is simply unintelligible.

She opined that Even Trump seems confused. The rest of us certainly are, even people like Ann Coulter, who can gloss over her own moment of existential crisis, but it was very real.
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*The following is an opinion column by R Muse*

Even though America has been a leader in scientific research and development, this country has an inordinate percentage of the population, and one political party that denies science religiously. Thats what happens when ignorance and stupidity are hailed as uniquely desirable American traits that make the U.S.A. the most exceptional nation in world history. However, its one thing when a substantial number of the population and a political party denies science, but it is unacceptable when a crucial federal government agency dependent on science joins the moronic masses and Republican Party to become science deniers.

It was hardly covered anywhere, much less by main stream media, but a couple of weeks ago the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) secretly rejected an appeal to the agency to finally remove cannabis from the controlled substance schedule, or at least remove it from the same Schedule 1 classification as heroin. Remember, a Schedule 1 substance, besides being as dangerous and highly addictive as heroin, has no medical value whatsoever. Its not as if there isnt thirty years and thousands of peer-reviewed scientific studies showing the medicinal benefits of the weed, but all that research is firmly rooted in science. Since the Food and Drug Administration, a science-based organization, denies science when its convenient for the pharmaceutical industry, the DEA said Hell NO! And they based their Hell No on the Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) claim that cannabis has no medical value; so it will stay right up there with heroin.

According to the profit-driven motives of the big pharmaceutical industry folks running the Food and Drug Administration, the DEA decided that cannabis will remain as dangerous and restricted as heroin. They based their decision on the FDAs unscientific claim that, Marijuana has no currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, and the agency justified its claim by stating because the scientific evidence is not widely available that marijuana has any medical value whatsoever.

That statement is an even bigger lie than any Donald Trump has told over the past six months and he has told some whoppers. The scientific evidence is widely available and if the pharmaceutical puppets running the FDA had spent 15 seconds looking at the National Institutes of Health website, they would have seen a veritable mountain of scientific evidence the federal government put out so every half-wit with a tablet or laptop could have easy access to scientific evidence detailing the medicinal benefits of cannabis. Including, by the way, describing in great detail how the weed works its magic on a world of diseases, ailments and infirmities with a special emphasis on marijuanas success at fighting and killing cancer.

There was a small policy adjustment in the DEAs determination, but it was made just to satisfy the greed of big pharma. The DEA decided to end the University of Mississippis monopoly on cannabis grown for research, something President Obama did over a year ago. Now the anti-science agency will consider applications for a federal grow license from any institution that has an approved research protocol and the security measures needed to store dangerous drugs.

It shouldnt surprise anyone with half-a-brain that while most universities and research facilities lack anything qualifying as FDA or DEA approved research protocols and security measures to store drugs, it is noteworthy that all of the major pharmaceutical companies easily meet those requirements. This FDA and DEA decision was another federal government gift to the pharmaceutical industry and nothing else; it was a slap in the face of millions of Americans suffering a world of infirmities cannabis could relieve.

The DEA claims there are three fundamental reasons for a substance to be place in Schedule 1 of the Controlled Substance Act. They have no accepted medical use or benefit, there is a gross lack of accepted safety for use while under medical supervision, and there is a high potential for abuse. According to long-established science and research from at home and around the world, none of those reasons remotely apply to cannabis.

As a matter of historical fact, over twenty-five years ago one of the DEAs own highly respected administrative judges concurred with common sense and real established science and ruled in 1988 that cannabis should be reclassified After comprehensively studying the issue, the DEAs now deceased Administrative Law Judge, Francis Young determined In the Matter of Marijuana Rescheduling:

Marijuana, in its natural form, is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man. By any measure of rational analysis marijuana can be safely used within a supervised routine of medical care. It would be unreasonable, arbitrary and capricious for DEA to continue to stand between those sufferers and the benefits of this substance in light of the evidence in this record.

The administrative law judge recommends that the Administrator conclude that the marijuana plant considered as a whole has a currently accepted medical use in treatment in the United States, that there is no lack of accepted safety for use of it under medical supervision and that it may lawfully be transferred from Schedule I to Schedule II [of the federal Controlled Substances Act].

The DEA then, as now, denies established science and the recommendation of its own administrative law judge and asserts that marijuana has no medicinal value and cannot be safely used under medical supervision; so it will remain on Schedule 1 with heroin. It is the decision drug cartels and the pharmaceutical, prison and law enforcement industry demanded and with the FDAs anti-science assistance, the DEA delivered.

The deputy director of national affairs for the Drug Policy Alliance, Michael Collins, said the decision shows that the DEA continues to ignore research, and places politics above science. In reality, marijuana should be de-scheduled and states should be allowed to set their own policies.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) described the decision as further evidence that the DEA doesnt get it. Oh, the DEA gets it and so does the FDA, but they also get that their agencies exist to aid the pharmaceutical industry and law enforcement agencies, not the people.

One anti-rescheduling advocate certainly doesnt get it and had the temerity to claim the DEA used science in making its determination. The founder of the anti-legalization group Smart Approaches to Marijuana, Kevin Sabet said, Theyre looking at the science, taking a nuanced view. Its a good day for science. No, its a good day for law enforcement and prison guards and their unions, the pharmaceutical industry, and the drug cartels; the groups that benefit financially by keeping weed classified as a Schedule 1 substance.

Science never entered into the picture and the anti-legalization advocates, the DEA and the FDA all know it. There has been, and continues to be emerging, scientific and medical research with empirical data showing that not only does cannabis have myriad medicinal uses, the federal governments National institutes of Health devoted a section of its government website outlining the benefits of cannabis; particularly in fighting cancer including explaining how it can be consumed or delivered effectively and safely.

It is an abomination that in America alcohol is completely legal and has been deemed safe for human consumption at the same unrestricted level as tobacco products. Although alcohol and tobacco are drugs, and do not have any medicinal value whatsoever and certainly have not been studied for their safe use and medical value, they are not considered dangerous enough to be restricted for widespread use. This is in spite of several studies finding that both unscheduled drugs, alcohol and tobacco, pose a significantly deadly risk to public health; it is not the case with the much maligned but medically effective cannabis. Still, both of those potentially deadly substances are completely legal for Americans to consume at their leisure and without restriction.

For the FDA to recommend to the DEA that cannabis should continue to be scheduled under the Controlled Substances Act along with heroin, while tobacco and alcohol remain commercially available, is not just unscientific and unethical, it is inhumane. It is also a decision based on science denial and pharmaceutical industry profits that puts the FDA and the DEA on par with the moronic climate change denying Republicans in Congress and the vicious barbarians in the religious right, and likely in collusion with big pharma.
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Maines Republican Governor LePage left a phone message for state lawmaker Democratic Representative Drew Gattine that proves hes gone full Trump. Hates the press, goes crazy based on an unproven charge, threatens Democrats, and thinks hes winning? Check, check, check, and check.

In the message LePage demanded that Gattine prove LePage is a racist, threatened the legislator, and peppered the message with homophobic obscenities for good measure. And then he demanded that Gattine make the message public, as if proud of his temper tantrum.

The Press Herald got a copy of the Thursday morning message with a Freedom of Access Act request last night, and here it is (audio is at link but not safe for work):

Mr. Gattine, this is Gov. Paul Richard LePage. I would like to talk to you about your comments about my being a racist, you co*ks*cker. I want to talk to you. I want you to prove that Im a racist. Ive spent my life helping black people and you little son-of-a-bitch, socialist co*ks*cker.

Then LePage adds that hes after the Democrat, You  I need you to, just friggin. I want you to record this and make it public because I am after you. Thank you.

LePage sent the message in a fit after a reporter asked him what he would say to people who call him a racist. LePage demanded to know who had called him a racist, (sound familiar?), the reporter mentioned speaking to Rep. Gattine but never said that Gattine called LePage a racist.

But in Trump Republican world, facts dont matter. Its all about feelings. And in Republican Trump world, its worse to call someone out on their racist ideas than it is to be a racist and thus harm untold numbers of people.

LePage responded to this question by having a temper tantrum and telling the press You make me so sick and then stormed off, according the Press Herald.

The Press Herald explained, The exchange followed remarks the governor made in North Berwick on Wednesday night about the racial makeup of suspects arrested on drug trafficking charges in Maine.

If youre wondering if LePage had a rethink and calmed down, he later said that he wished it were 1825 so he could duel the Democrat, and I would not put my gun in the air, I guarantee you, I would not be (Alexander) Hamilton. I would point it right between his eyes, because he is a snot-nosed little runt and he has not done a damn thing since hes been in this Legislature to help move the state forward.

So LePage would shoot a Democratic legislator because a reporter said he talked to him and suggested that Gattine might have called LePage a racist by the conflation in his response, but these words were not actually spoken. The reporter never said that Gattine called LePage a racist, and Gattine claims that he never did.

Thats just bsc right there. Full Republican Trump style. No need to verify anything before going off half cocked and threatening to kill someone.

Its also a common right wing tactic to demand someone prove the person is a racist, as if acting like a racist, saying racist things, and supporting racist policies isnt enough.

Sorry, but it is enough. It is the definition of racism and therefor makes the person doing it a racist.

The media has to stop coddling Republicans and pretending that what they are doing and saying is okay, when in fact threatening to kill Democratic opponents, calling for Hillary Clinton to be shot by a firing squad, and suggesting Hillary Clinton might be murdered if she gets elected in order to stop her from or punish her for picking Supreme Court Justices is not okay.

Governor LePage is so gone he wanted this thug message with its threat published.

LePage proves that the Republican Party didnt get handed Trump as a one-off mistake. They worked hard to cultivate a party of bigotry, racism and hatred so offensive that threatening violence is their normal go-to. They did this in 2008, 2010 and now again in 2016.

Trump is simply the most elevated example of what the Republican Party has allowed itself to become after decades of Southern strategy cowardice.
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For the fourth time this week, Donald Trump has canceled a planned campaign event. The campaign event that was scheduled for the competitive battleground state of Arizona was canceled and replaced with nothing but thin air.

NBC12 in Phoenix reported:

BREAKING @realDonaldTrump cancels #PHX event Wednesday. No reason given. "We look forward to having another event soon," spox says. #12News  BrahmResnik (@brahmresnik) August 26, 2016

The Phoenix event has joined the growing list of rallies that Trump has canceled. The Republican nominee has already canceled rallies in Colorado, Nevada, and Oregon.

The cancellation of a string of campaign events comes at the same time as NBC News is reporting that Donald Trumps doctor did not do a full health evaluation on him. According to NBC, the only medical letter that Trump has released was written by his doctor in five minutes while a limo waited outside. Trumps doctor stands by the letter that he wrote, but the letter is not the same as medical records or proof of Trumps physical health.

Donald Trump has tried to make Hillary Clintons health and stamina a campaign issue, but it is the Republican nominee who has not released any medical records while canceling events less than three months before Election Day.

If Donald Trump wants to be president, he needs to assure the American people that he is healthy enough to do the job. This can be done by undergoing a full physical and releasing his medical records.

It is reasonable for voters to speculate about Trumps health given his shifting schedule and lack of public medical records. Donald Trump can easily end the speculation by telling voters why he is canceling rallies and releasing a detailed medical history.
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In another sign that Republicans are moving closer to giving up on Trump, GOP members of Congress are already discussing how they will obstruct Hillary Clinton if she wins the White House.

Politico noted that Republicans are girding for the eventuality of a Clinton win and reported:

Republicans operatives on the Hill, for instance, are already planning to block Clintons agenda by strategically targeting individual Democratic senators who will be up for reelection in 2018. Take Joe Manchin in West Virginia, explained one GOP operative of the strategy. If Hillary puts up an anti-coal pro-EPA judge for the Supreme Court, the smart play is to start pressuring him with an advocacy campaign to vote no. Voting with Clinton would jeopardize his reelection chances, and voting against her would rob her of a Democratic Senate vote she couldnt afford to lose without the 60 votes needed to filibuster.

The fact that it isnt Labor Day yet and Republicans are already planning for how they will obstruct Hillary Clinton after she wins the White House is telling. Republicans dont think that Trump is going to win.

A crushing loss by Trump isnt going to change Congressional Republicans. The Party of No is going to keep obstructing the Democratic president. It doesnt matter if that president is Clinton or Obama, Republicans are going to block and obstruct with their eyes on taking back the Senate in 2018.

Republicans arent going to change, so it is up to voters to kick them out of office. As long as Republicans have a majority in the House or Senate, they will obstruct the Democratic president.

Voting for Hillary Clinton isnt enough. If Democrats want to make real progress, they need to take back majorities in both the Senate and the House.
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RNC spokesperson Sean Spicer was put on the spot on MSNBC, and when asked to defend Donald Trump, one of the top party officials in the country fell flat on his face.

Video:

Transcript via Media Matters:

STEPHANIE RUHLE (HOST): I want to bring in Sean Spicer and really get his reaction to this. Hes the communications director of the RNC. Sean, first I want to say thank you. Clearly youre in the hot seat. This is not the easiest interview for you to react to. But you listened to it. You heard Hillary Clinton detail essentially the reasons why one could say Donald Trump is a racist. What do you think about that?

SEAN SPICER: Well, honestly, I think its somewhat desperate because, look, the Trump campaign is wrapping up probably the most successful second week that its had this cycle, and Clinton is having the second worst campaign, started off  last week when they started having to defend the Iran hostage swap ransom money and then these allegations of the emails coming out, and more and more quid pro quo, pay for play with the Clinton Foundation, and so she is pivoting. And shes now going to start attacking Donald Trump and making up things. Look at what  I mean, literally is she? [She] put an ad yesterday trying to link white supremacists and racism, and this is sort of a new low  go ahead.

RUHLE: Hold on then. Whether  Sean, whether it was a desperate act or not, all those things that she laid out that Donald Trump has said or done, were any of them incorrect?

SPICER: Well, I think the video that they put out yesterday was unbelievably over the top. I mean, I havent seen anything like that in 30 years of politics, and the idea that people dont think that thats unacceptable she went out, cherry-picked some supporters, some people that have attended rallies or are supporting Donald Trump. I mean, I could equally have walked through Philadelphia during the DNC and found a bunch of people that have way outlandish, far left-wing, crazy ideas, and done the same thing and made them answer for it, which I think we should probably do as well. I think the idea that they have gone to that level of desperation shows that they know that the polls are closing, and they know that their stale, status quo message isnt resonating with the American people.

RUHLE: You dont think, you dont think 

Sean Spicer is the RNCs top spokesperson and as of late has been working closely with the Trump campaign in an attempt to try to right the messaging ship. However, when asked exactly what was inaccurate about Clintons speech on the alt-right and Trumps history of racist behavior and discrimination, Spicer couldnt name a single thing.

The strategy for Republicans in this election is to avoid talking about their own nominee at all costs. When Spicer was asked a question about Trump, he tried to change the subject to Hillary Clinton. Spicers horrid interview was a byproduct of the fact that the RNCs entire strategy for years was to make the 2016 presidential election all about Clinton.

The Republican-led Congressional investigations into Benghazi and other right-wing conspiracy theories were designed to center the 2016 election around Hillary Clinton. When Donald Trump won the Republican nomination, he destroyed years of GOP strategy. The election is about Trump, and Republicans have no answers for their nominees history of discriminatory behavior.

Republicans have been put on the defensive, and viewers can expect to see a lot more bad interviews like Spicers, if party officials are forced to answer for Trump and the alt-rights behavior.
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GreenPal CEO Bryan Clayton came to realize he had to scrap his company's $90,000 website.

The business aims to link homeowners with lawn care companies, but its software wasn't equipped to easily handle requests from mobile users, and 85 percent of visitors using those devices left without a transaction.

"We knew we had to completely gut the entire experience and build it from a mobile-first perspective," Clayton said.

More small business owners are recognizing that however they've reached customers in the past, mobile not only needs to be part of their strategy but may need to be the primary focus of their marketing. Research showing phones and tablets edging out other means is helping persuade them. Some are operating only with apps on mobile devices, forgoing websites.

When GreenPal was launched in 2012, the site was set up for traditional computers. "It was almost a different world," Clayton said. A year later, GreenPal realized it had to change. Now, 95 percent of customer interactions come from mobile devices. Customers get bids from lawn care providers, make appointments and can pay using GreenPal's mobile site or app.

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"You don't walk into the other room and sit down at your computer. You just do it on your smartphone," said Clayton, whose company operates in metropolitan areas including Atlanta and Decatur, Ga.; St. Louis; Nashville, Tenn.; Charlotte, N.C.; and Tampa and St. Petersburg, Fla.

More than half of Google searches, which number in the trillions, take place on smartphones and tablets, and more than half the visits to websites that use Google analytic services come from mobile devices. What's known as responsive design has made it easier for companies to fashion sites that work for smartphones, tablets and traditional computers, taking pictures, text and links and reconfiguring them for the particular type of screen.

As consumers rely more heavily on mobile, especially younger people whose phones are never far away, experts say strategy needs to be the priority.

"Investment in growth really should be focused on the mobile market," said Gene Alvarez, an analyst with technology research company Gartner.

Giftagram, which allows shoppers to buy and send gifts, only can be accessed through its app. People who visit the company's website from a computer can download the app to their phone or tablet, which is the only way to browse or order.

As a startup with limited resources, Giftagram decided to put its money where the growth was, said Jason Reid, CEO of the Toronto-based company. Another reason: An app makes it easy to choose a gift and have a notification sent to a recipient via email or text.

"The simplicity of what we're able to do in mobile can't be replicated in a desktop," Reid said.

A mobile-first strategy also makes it easier for companies to cater to specific groups. At GreekGear, which sells clothing, tote bags and other items with fraternity and sorority logos, half the online visitors use mobile devices, CEO Joe Tantillo said.

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Many of them are college students who don't want to spend time browsing all the merchandise, he said, and the items featured on smartphones or tablets are the top sellers. "They can just pick a size and go," Tantillo said.

GreekGear, founded in 1999, began its mobile-first strategy about four years ago because of the increasing number of visits to its website from mobile devices. About a third of the mobile visits result in sales. Tantillo expects that number to rise as each class of college students is more likely to shop with their phones.

"Because they're coming to us this way, it needs to be a priority," he said.

Bear Mattress has seen sales from mobile devices increase since it was launched last year. About half now come from phones and tablets and CEO Scott Paladini expects that to grow because 85 percent of the company's online visitors are using mobile devices.

Although many consumers go to mattress or department stores to buy beds, "we realized there's a growing need to see mattresses on the internet," Paladini said.

One attraction is the ability to call the Hoboken, N.J.-based company with one touch from the mobile site.

"It's the best device to contact and be in touch with our customers," Paladini said.

Manhattan-based Lighting New York began focusing on its mobile sites four years ago and now gets as much as 40 percent of its online visits from mobile devices, said Aaron Covaleski, the company's director of online search marketing. Although many shoppers don't buy lighting fixtures from their phones, they use them for research, then switch to the computer, call or visit a store, he said.

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"It's great for getting people introduced to us," Covaleski said.
A woman arrested a few weeks ago and charged with a pair of felony prostitution counts has been charged again  this time for allegedly blackmailing one of her "johns" for tens of thousands of dollars, as well as a Mercedes and access to his bank records.

Dontania Danielle Petrie, 26, made her first appearance Monday in Olmsted County District Court, where she faces a felony count of coercion-threat to expose a secret or disgrace.

Petrie has been released from custody in lieu of $20,000 conditional bail and is due back in court on Tuesday.

The investigation into the case began Aug. 18, when a man reported to Rochester police that two weeks earlier, he had contacted Petrie via a website that contains a section advertising adult services. He went to Petrie's home in northwest Rochester and paid her $150 cash for a sexual act, the complaint says.

The next morning, the victim said, Petrie contacted him, sent him a covert video she'd made of the previous day's encounter and threatened to "ruin his reputation," court documents say. Petrie said she knew where he worked and allegedly told the man she'd give him the video in exchange for $5,000.

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The man gave her half the amount that day and the remaining $2,500 the next day. He "pleaded with Petrie for the blackmail to be over," the complaint says, but Petrie told him, "We'll talk."

On Aug. 7, Petrie asked to meet the man again, saying she needed more money and a car, among other things. They discussed a dollar amount  $17,500  which the victim gave her over the next few days, the complaint alleges. Petrie also demanded the man give her his bank records, which he did.

A few days later, Petrie told the man she needed another $15,000 for the car, the complaint says. At their next meeting, she said he needed to give her another $28,500 by the end of the week. According to the complaint, the victim bought Petrie a 2014 Mercedes and put it in her name.

Petrie demanded the man write a statement that was later notarized, saying the money was a gift.

The man told police it was "certainly not a gift, but a way of meeting demands in fear of being exposed," the report says.

Another meeting between the two was scheduled for Aug. 19; Petrie allegedly told the man her bail from the July 25 arrest was $75,000 and he would be paying for that. Instead, the victim contacted police, and officers served a search warrant that day at Petrie's residence. Officers entered her home when they realized she was retreating further into the home. Four cellphones were found inside, as well as the buyer's order for the Mercedes. The man's bank records were in the car.

From Aug. 5 to Aug. 13, the victim paid Petrie $48,000, in addition to purchasing the car, the complaint says.

Petrie was first arrested July 25 in Rochester during a prostitution sting. She was charged with one count each of promoting prostitution of an individual and receiving profits from prostitution of an individual, both felonies.

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She was released from custody Aug. 8 after posting $40,000 unconditional bail, "presumably with the money from the present victim," the report says. Her next appearance in that case is set for Oct. 18.
The race for Rochester City Council's Ward 2 seat in the November election is heating up, with both candidates garnering financial support far above their peers in other wards and on pace with candidates for the at-large seat. The race even attracted a personal campaign contribution from Rochester Mayor Ardell Brede.

Incumbent Council Member Michael Wojcik, who is seeking his third term, recently reported more than $9,100 in cash on hand and more than $1,300 in campaign spending. His challenger, Rochester realtor Scott Hoss, reported more than $11,000 in campaign contributions and $5,400 in campaign spending.

Among Hoss's individual contributions of more than $100, which candidates are required to report, was a $250 donation from Brede.

It is not the first time during Brede's tenure as mayor that he has donated to a city council campaign, Brede told the Post-Bulletin. He had previously donated to Denny Hanson's campaign for city council president.

"I've known Scott Hoss for quite a while  through the chamber of commerce and other places," Brede said. "He's a friend, and I thought I'd help him out."

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Brede has not ruled out contributions to other city council candidates this year.

"I may do a couple others yet this year," he said.

Neither Wojcik nor Hoss were surprised at the amount of money that had funneled into the Ward 2 race, though neither said they had made a point of pursuing campaign contributions.

"I think that every time I've ever run that's been the case," Wojcik said. "There's always been a lot of money thrown into my races against me, and I'm not too surprised to see that again."

For his part, Wojcik said fundraising is "relatively far down the list," when it comes to his campaigning.

"I think the most important thing an elected official can do is focus on doing their job very well for the community, day in and day out, and that remains number one," he said.

Hoss, who had not previously run a city council campaign, said Rochester residents have been quick to offer their support.

"It's probably the most, or one of the most, fascinating aspects of this," he said. "I'm new to politics, and I expected that fundraising would be a major part of what I'd have to do. At this point, I have not had to really ask for money. It's been offered to me by people throughout the city, not only in Ward 2."

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Hoss and Wojcik have increased their public engagement efforts and have been out in Rochester neighborhoods to knock on doors and talk about current issues with residents. A theme in these conversations has been Destination Medical Center and the city's plans for growth.

Hoss has advocated for consensus building and growth together, he said.

"We really need to come together, compromise and talk these things through and encourage a way to make these developments happen that really benefits everyone," Hoss said. "Not everyone is going to get everything they want, but change is coming, and simply standing in the way or pounding your fist isn't going to be a way forward."

Wojcik, too, responded to DMC questions with an inclusive message.

"What people don't want to see is they don't want DMC going to benefit a slight few people while others continue to struggle. I think you're seeing some pretty strong reaction to the outsourcing and compensation decreases for some of the Mayo employees," Wojcik said.

The Ward 2 candidates are set to discuss issues in more detail at a forum Thursday at Zumbro Lutheran Church, hosted by the Historic Southwest Neighborhood Association. Details on the event and more information on the candidates are available on their respective websites, scotthoss.com and votewojcik.org .
EYOTA  The 11 acres of land bought for wetland credits took center stage at the Eyota City Council meeting Thursday night.

The council approved two measures concerning the land, but neither of the approved resolutions moved forward without a fight.

First, on a 3-2 vote with council members Ray Schuchard and Tony Nelson voting against, the council approved a resolution to allocate roughly $4,000 of money from the city's storm water fund to pay for a feasibility study on using the land located along the north side of West Second Street and just east of Minnesota Highway 42 and creating a lake west of the city's downtown. The project was recommended by members of the Minnesota Design Team that visited Eyota on April 14-16 to make recommendations for improving the city.

The 11-acre tract was originally purchased with the thought of turning it into a 10-acre wetland with one acre being zoned for commercial use.

Schuchard said before the city spent any money, it should make sure the plan would not be vetoed by any controlling agencies such as the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, Olmsted County, the Army Corps of Engineers or the railroad, which runs just south of the property.

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"Why don't we check with these groups to see if they'll let us do it," Schuchard said, who said he thought the study would only cover engineering, not legal issues.

"I believe the feasibility study would cover both," said Council Member Kurt Holst, who made that point part of the motion authorizing the study.

"We have money set aside in the storm water fund that hasn't been used in quite some time," said Councilman Bryan Cornell. "The people have spoken."

The city polled residents on whether the lake issue should be pursued, and 57 percent of respondents said yes.

The other issue with the land concerned the mechanism the city must follow for selling the one-acre parcel at the southeast corner of the 11-acre tract to a party interested in building a brew pub at the site.

Brett Lincoln, a Twin Cities suburbs resident, began pursuing plans to develop a 4,500-square-foot log cabin-style brewery and taproom at the site. He has since added the idea of a wood-fired pizza oven to his initial plans.

City Clerk Marlis Knowlton said the simplest way to sell the property legally  to avoid putting it out for bids  would be to convey the property to the Eyota Economic Development Authority, which could then negotiate a direct sale to Lincoln or any other interested buyers.

On a 4-1 vote, with Schuchard voting against the plan, the council and Mayor Tyrel Clark agreed to convey the property to the EDA.

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Before any sale could be finalized, the EDA would need to hold a public hearing on the sale, and the planning commission would need to hold a public hearing on rezoning the property to commercial use. Final rezoning approval would be done by the city council, Clark said.

Schuchard brought up three reasons for voting against the plan. He said there was plenty of other commercial land in the city. Cornell argued that lots near the Kwik Trip convenience store sell for nearly $100,000, a much higher price than the one-acre tract.

Second, Schuchard was concerned that residential neighbors might not like living next to a bar.

Harold Anderson, who lives nearby, said he is already disturbed by the American Legion.

"If there's two bars next door, it's more like a bar corner," Anderson said. "That could affect our property value, too."

Finally, Schuchard said the city should not be subsidizing one bar when two current bars in town are struggling.

"People will come here for it," Holst said. "It's a destination. The people who like that stuff will come here."
MINNEAPOLIS  The Minnesota police officer who fatally shot a black man during a traffic stop last month is back on administrative leave after briefly returning to limited duty last week, the city of St. Anthony said in a statement Wednesday.

The city said it decided to put Officer Jeronimo Yanez back on leave "after reviewing concerns and other feedback from the community."

Yanez fatally shot 32-year-old Philando Castile during a traffic stop on July 6 in nearby Falcon Heights. Castile's girlfriend  who video streamed the shooting's gruesome aftermath live on Facebook  said Castile was shot several times while reaching for his ID after telling the officer he had a gun permit and was armed.

In an interview with The Associated Press last week, St. Anthony Police Chief Jon Mangseth said the 28-year-old Yanez, who is Latino, has had a good reputation since joining the city's police force in late 2011. The chief described Yanez as energetic and intelligent.

"He has a real sound ability when it comes to communicating and relating to people," Mangseth said last week. "He showed me that he could shine in that public eye."

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But after Yanez returned to work, a group of protesters gathered at the police station, demanding he be charged. Castile's uncle, Clarence Castile, was among the family members at the protest. When an AP reporter told him of the change in Yanez's status on Wednesday, he said he was glad.

"This guy just shot and killed a man, and a decision hasn't been made whether or not it was a good and lawful shoot  so there's no reason why he should be at work right now," Clarence Castile said. "As far as I'm concerned, he shouldn't go back to work until the case is over  until he's exonerated or been charged."

The city said Wednesday that it decided to put Yanez back on leave "out of respect to the sensitive nature of the tragic incident." The statement said Yanez's status with the police department will be reviewed after the state's investigation into the shooting is complete.

Yanez's attorney said Wednesday that he was unaware of his client's status change with the police department.

Glenda Hatchett, an attorney for Castile's mom, Valerie, released a statement on her client's behalf saying the family "was very much opposed to his reinstatement and is pleased that the decision to reinstate the officer has been reversed."

Castile's death set off weeks of protests and calls for Yanez to be charged. It also put the collection of St. Paul suburbs that St. Anthony police serve in the group of communities dealing with officer-involved shootings of black men, which also include Baltimore, Milwaukee and Ferguson, Missouri.
PINE ISLAND  The city of Pine Island plans to decertify the tax-increment finance district for Elk Run, said City Administrator David Todd.

The TIF district was created to help fund development in Elk Run, but no projects have been started in either the 200-acre bio-business park or the other 1,800 acres of land. So the city, which pays about $1,200 a year in administration plus filing fees to keep the TIF district open, has decided to decertify it.

"It makes no sense to be paying administration fees," Todd said. "We could open a new TIF district if they come to us with a project."

Pine Island Mayor Rod Steele said Tower Investments, which owns Elk Run, is currently in default of the TIF agreement that was established in 2010. Particularly, Elk Run has failed to erect a 40,000-square-foot building for manufacturing or related activities and create jobs equal to or greater than 160 percent of the federal minimum wage.

Pine Island will give Tower Investments 30 days to respond, otherwise the TIF district will be decertified at the Sept. 20 meeting, according to a letter from the city to Tower.

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Steele said the district was opened to help with the construction of a particular project that fell through. As for any future projects, there are periodic indications from Tower of impeding development, but none has materialized yet.

"They've approached us on infrastructure," Steele said. "Right now, the infrastructure stops at Bioscience Drive, and they'd have to extend it beyond there. It would be their expense, but they want to make sure we have the capacity."
House District 26B's representative continuously demonstrates his lack of leadership and inability to represent his constituents.

It is fact, Rep Nels Pierson proposed bills for funding the Rochester airport, Memorial Hall renovation at Rochester Community and Technical College and a local reading center. It is also fact when the first GOP bonding proposal returned to the legislature with none of those projects in it, nothing for Rochester and nothing to show for his work, Pierson still voted for the GOP bonding bill.

Why would someone do all that work and vote against it all you ask? Well, it is simple, his heart was clearly more for his party more than his district.

Another fact, according to a a June 24, Pioneer Press article, Pierson voted 96 percent of the time with House Speaker Kurt Daudt, a leader who was recorded saying he wants to starve the general fund, a fund where money for education, small towns and many other programs comes from.

Voters in House District 26B have another choice. He is a proven leader who is locally grown, well known and who will work across the isle and fight for all of us, even if it upsets some in both parties. His name is John Wayne Austinson, and he has the vision to move our district forward together. Remember, vote Austy on Nov 8.

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Deb Staley

Rochester
The Rochester City Council wants to better understand the value of the city's historic armory building before making a decision on how it will be used. In the meantime, members may be overlooking potential value of a community engaged with the historic building.

Council members quickly changed course Monday, opting to seek an appraisal and market the building, rather than publicly discussing individual merits and shortcomings of the two reuse proposals for the building. Two groups  the Arts and Cultural Initiative and the Minnesota Veterans and Emergency Services Museum  spent months preparing presentations in response to last year's request for proposals.

Both groups offered aspirational proposals seeking to engage the community and keep the armory's doors open to the public.

However, questions about financing and staffing linger.

Unfortunately, the council seems unwilling to ask the questions and let the two groups better define their intentions, which could end up cementing council and community support for either project. During their presentations, members of both groups acknowledged the city's request left room for assumptions on the presenters' part.

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Monday, council member Nick Campion acknowledged the request was short on specifics, and left some guessing about expectations.

That shortcoming shouldn't force a reset, which will likely leave the building empty for months, if not years, after the Rochester Senior Citizens Center moves down the street.

The council has two proposals, and they're proposals council members refuse to call bad. They are from groups willing to revise and hone their plans; they simply want an opportunity.

That opportunity could even come with strings, such as a probationary period or requirement of additional fund raising, especially since some council members have indicated from the start that finances would be a key factor.

The potential financial impact does seem to be driving the change of course, which could put the historic downtown building on the sales block. Oddly, the possibility comes roughly seven months after the city spent $5.5 million to purchase a different historic downtown building  the Chateau Theatre  to make sure it serves city residents for years to come.

Selling the armory raises as many questions as the existing proposals.

The building is registered as an historic structure, which should save it from potential demolition, but the fact that the ground's value is greater than the structure's could lead a potential buyer to look for loopholes. How secure is the building's status, and what would happen if it were challenged?

Additionally, it is unclear whether a sale would serve the public good. Council member Michael Wojcik noted Monday both proposals in hand seek to create an inviting community atmosphere. Would a new owner do the same?

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Long-term benefits of giving up control of the structure also haven't been defined.

Council members appear set to seek the easy way out by putting its new plan in action during the Sept. 5 council meeting. We hope that gives them enough time to see they are simply trading one set of questions for another.

Ideally, they will seek answers to the first set of questions by engaging with the two groups. It could mean the armory building remains an active part of downtown, rather than sitting dark until the elected officials find an acceptable option without too many questions attached.
(WTP)  Six U.S. citizens living in Puerto Rico, Guam, and the U.S. Virgin Islands saw their hopes of being able to vote for President in November take a step backward as a federal court ruled that Congress can deny the right to vote for state residents who move to certain U.S. territories while protecting it for those who move to other territories or a foreign country.

Still pending are plaintiffs claims that a similar Illinois law also violates equal protection. Lead plaintiff Luis Segovia, a U.S. citizen who lives in Guam, served an 18-month tour in Iraq with the U.S. Army followed by a 10-month tour in Afghanistan as part of the Guam National Guard, yet as things stand he wont be able to vote for President in November. Three other plaintiffs are also veterans  two from Puerto Rico and another from Guam. Also joining the lawsuit is the Iraq Afghanistan and Persian Gulf Veterans of the Pacific, based in Guam, and the League of Women Voters of the Virgin Islands. The case is part of a broader effort to secure voting rights in U.S. territories and the District of Columbia through a new constitutional amendment.

Under the federal Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) and Illinois Military and Overseas Voter Empowerment (MOVE) law, a former resident of Illinois who is now a resident of the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, or a foreign country can continue voting for President and voting representation in Congress in Illinois by absentee ballot. But plaintiffs  each a former resident of Illinois  have lost full enjoyment of their right to vote by virtue of living in Puerto Rico, Guam, or the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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Defies Constitution

It defies the Constitutions promise of equality that Luis Segovia  who has served deployments in both Iraq and Afghanistan  cannot vote for President because he lives in Guam, but could if he lived 135 miles away in the Northern Mariana Island. The right to vote as a U.S. citizen should not depend on where you happen to live, said Neil Weare, co-counsel for plaintiffs and president and founder of We the People Project, which advocates for equal rights and representation for the nearly 5 million Americans living in U.S. territories and the District of Columbia.

We are hopeful that the court will still allow Luis and the other plaintiffs to vote for President in November based on the still pending state law challenges, said Attorney Geoffrey Wyatt, who also represents plaintiffs along with Attorneys Luis Marin Rivera (Puerto Rico), Semaj Johnson (Virgin Islands), and Leevin Camacho (Guam).

Before reaching its decision, the court acknowledged (on pages 20-21) statements by Senator Elizabeth Warren at a Senate Hearing where she called the denial of voting rights to Americans in the Territories absurd and noted how the second class citizen status has real implications in these Americans lives.

As evidence of this impact, the court cited a PBS documentary highlighting the struggles of veterans in Guam that asks if they have been forsaken by the country they swore to defend. HBO comedian John Olivers powerful segment on the denial of voting rights in U.S. territories was also cited by the court as an example of the popular criticism these issues have received.

Nonetheless, the court rejected plaintiffs claims that strict scrutiny should apply, relying on the controversial Insular Cases to rule that laws affecting voting rights in U.S. territories are subject only to rational basis review. The court went on to conclude there is a rational basis for allowing former state residents to continue voting for President in the Northern Mariana Islands but not other territories, since UOCAVA was enacted several months before the NMI became a part of the United States in 1986. How this continues to justify such a distinction today, nearly 30 years later, is unclear.

Plaintiffs are considering whether to appeal the courts decision to the Seventh Circuit. Case materials are available here.

Advocating for a new voting rights amendment

The lawsuit is part of a broader effort to build on the Twenty-Third Amendment and guarantee representation and the right to vote for President to all Americans, whether they live in a State, Territory, or the District of Columbia.

Weare explained the outlines of such an amendment and the surprising political prospects it may have in a Huffington Post piece when Segovia was initially filed. The Stetson Law Review will be publishing an article by Weare explaining the details of the amendment in an upcoming Symposium issue.

"The right to vote for federal officials who make the laws we must all follow is as American as apple pie. It's time the Constitution is amended so that America's democratic principles fully apply to all Americans, including the nearly 5 million who live in the Territories and the District of Columbia," said Weare.
We have reached many milestones and witnessed plenty of success stories at the Guam Department of Labor during my current tenure, but I will b Read moreGDOL wants to be a part of your employment solutions
From the first days of his administration, Barack Obama has sought to promote an alliance of sorts between the U.S. and Irans mullahs, and to build Iran up as a regional power. It is not hard to imagine what the Iranians thought of Obamas repeated overtures. You might think the mullahs would show some gratitude for the $100 billion (or whatever the amount has turned out to be) that the administration gratuitously released as part of the nuclear deal. But no: they are as hostile as ever.

This week, there have been at least three incidents in which Iranian boats have harassed U.S. ships in international waters. The first was on Tuesday, when four Iranian patrol boats approached the USS Nitze, a destroyer, at high speed, coming dangerously close even though the Nitze fired 10 warning flares, sounded its ship whistles and tried unsuccessfully to communicate with the Iranian boats a dozen times.

This short video, released by the Navy, shows the patrol boats buzzing the destroyer:

The following day, there reportedly were two more encounters between American ships in international waters and Iranian vessels. The more serious involved two American ships, the USS Squall and the USS Tempest:

The USS Squall and the USS Tempest, two American coastal patrol ships, were transiting the Persian Gulf on Wednesday, when the U.S. said an Iranian vessel harassed the ships. According to a U.S. defense official, the Iranian craft was at one point going head-to-head with the USS Tempest and coming within 200 yards of the American patrol craft. The Iranian ship didnt respond to radio calls. The aggressive behavior of the Iranian vessel prompted the USS Squall to fire three warning shots with its .50-caliber gun and the USS Tempest to fire three warning flares, according to the official, who said the Iranian vessel then turned away. The same Iranian vessel also approached the USS Stout, an Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer, in the region on Wednesday, crossing the American destroyers bow on three separate occasions in what the U.S. Navy deemed an unsafe intercept, the U.S. defense official said. The USS Stout changed its course to avoid a collision, the official said.

I dont know how to interpret these multiple incidents except as deliberate and brazen expressions of contempt for the United States. $100 billion will pay for a lot of patrol boats, so presumably we can expect more such encounters. One would think that at some point we will need to go beyond changing course and firing warning shots, but perhaps that day will never come. In any event, these incidents are more evidence, if more were needed, that President Obamas attempted rapprochement with Iran has been one of the most total foreign policy failures of modern times.
Uniti is an electric city car that aims for holistic sustainability, and a futuristic user experience.

PR-Inside.com: 2016-08-26 17:10:49

Press Information

Uniti Sweden AB

Ideon Alfa 4, Scheelevagen 15, 22363 Lund, Sweden



Verena Kitowski



+46 72 579 0541

email

http://www.teamuniti.com



Published by

Verena Kitowski

+46725790541

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# 362 Words

Ideon Alfa 4, Scheelevagen 15, 22363 Lund, Sweden+46 72 579 0541Verena Kitowski+46725790541

Lund, Sweden - Uniti Sweden AB welcomes crowd-investors to an entertaining and informative tech-open house event on September 1 at Ideon Science Park.The pre-launch event offers the possibility to all interested people to learn more about Uniti Sweden as an investment opportunity (min. 10k SEK per share), meet the team and angel investors. Speakers include Ideon Science Park CEO Mia Rolf who has been an advocate for ambitious start-ups in the mobility industry and Carl-Henrik Monrad-Aas, Greenpeace direct action veteran and brand strategist for major automotive companies. Prototypes on display at the headquarters will include an augmented reality heads up display, steer by wire system, a robotic driving demonstration, and their upgraded immersive virtual reality test-drive, The Kepler Pod.We are working hard to create a positive impact for society and our planet by founding Uniti on business practices that go far beyond the industry standard, says Lewis Horne, CEO. Apart from their first three angel investors, Uniti is currently owned only by the team, and together they have decided to make the next phase of ownership open to the people of Sweden and Europe. Our early stage owners have the biggest impact on the character of our company, these people are critical. Unitis success to date can be largely attributed to the people of Sweden and Europe, from which Uniti has gained significant support from academic and governmental institutions, investors, researchers, partner companies and brilliant individuals. In this video, Horne explains more about Unitis purpose, future challenges and the fundamental logic of the car.Known for developing a high-tech electric city car with a holistic perspective on sustainability, Uniti Sweden opens up for diverse ownership through a crowdfunding campaign that will be launched on October 1, 2016 on the Swedish platform FundedByMe.The official pre-launch event of the crowdfunding campaign takes place at Unitis headquarters at Ideon Science Park, Alfa 4, Scheelevagen 15, in Lund on September 1, 2016. Please find more information and register through the official event page.About UnitiUniti is an electric city car that aims for holistic sustainability, and a futuristic user experience. It is under development in Lund, Sweden. For more information please visit www.teamuniti.com
Zambian regulators should immediately reinstate the broadcasting licenses of three media outlets it revoked, and police should drop all charges against four media workers arrested when police sealed the offices of the countrys largest privately owned television station, the Committee to Protect Journalists has said.

Zambias Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) on August 22 suspended the licenses of Muvi TV, the countrys largest privately owned television station, as well as Komboni Radio and Radio Itezhi Tezhi, which are also privately owned.

It alleged in a statement that the three were guilty of professional misconduct and posed a risk to national peace and stability before and after the August 11 presidential election, according to media reports. It did not provide further details.

Milner Katolo, a lawyer for Muvi TV and Komboni Radio, told CPJ that police arrested four Muvi TV workers.

They were arrested after the police and officials from the Zambia Information and Communications Technology Authority (ZICTA) took control of the stations office in Lusaka on August 22.

They were charged with criminal trespassing, he said.

Costa Mwansa, managing editor at Muvi TV, told CPJ that those arrested were John Nyendwa, Mubanga Katyeka, Joe Musakanya, and William Mwenge, that police released them today, but that they still face trespassing charges.

Canceling the licenses of some of Zambias leading broadcasters on such vague grounds as preserving national peace smacks of censorship, CPJ Africa Program Coordinator Angela Quintal said.

The arrest of four media workers on charges of trespassing on their own premises would be laughable were it not so outrageous.

We call on Zambian regulators to return Muvi TV, Komboni Radio, and Radio Itezhi Tezhi to the airwaves immediately, and drop the spurious charges against John Nyendwa, Mubanga Katyeka, Joe Musakanya, and William Mwenge.

Katolo, the lawyer, told CPJ that the IBA gave his clients no justification for suspending their licenses. We do not have sufficient particulars to respond to a charge of unprofessional conduct, he said.

The lawyer said the IBA Amendment Act, which details the regulators procedures, requires the IBA to give broadcasters notice of a complaint and to give them an opportunity to respond before suspending their licenses.

He said the IBA had told him that the broadcasters would be able to present their case on September 14.

Katolo said Muvi TV and Komboni Radio would appeal to the Ministry of Information based on the IBA Amendment Act, though no minister of information has been appointed, pending the resolution of a court case disputing the outcome of the August 11 presidential election.

Since his clients did not have the luxury of time, he said, he was also preparing court papers.

IBA chairwoman Josephine Mapoma rejected allegations that the IBAs actions were politically motivated or that it had acted unlawfully.

She told CPJ that she could not disclose details of the violations until the broadcasters appeared before the IBA, as she did not want to be seen to prejudge the issue.

Given the gravity of the alleged infractions, she said, the IBA had invoked Section 29(1) (j) of the IBA Amendment Act which allowed it to suspend licenses pending a hearing, she said.

Attempts to reach Radio Itezhi Tezhi were unsuccessful.

The decision to shut down the three broadcasters follows the June closure of the independent Zambian newspaper The Post, ostensibly because of a tax dispute, a move CPJ considers a politically motivated attempt to silence criticism ahead of the election, which was tainted by violence and allegations of voter intimidation.

The opposition United Party for National Development (UPND), has challenged the outcome of the election in court, alleging the countrys electoral commission manipulated the results.

The court challenge has delayed the inauguration of president-elect Edgar Lungu who, according to the official results, won 50.4 percent of the vote against UPND leader Hakainde Hichilemas 47.6 percent.

SOURCE: Committee to Protect Journalists
Zimbabwean police early on Friday dispersed thousands of opposition supporters violently in spite of a High Courts authorisation of the protest in Harare.

Opposition sources and witnesses said clashes erupted after police prevented demonstrators from gathering for a march to the offices of the electoral commission, where they intended to deliver a petition calling for electoral reforms.

The sources said the demonstrators burned tyres, set shops on fire and threw objects at police, who used batons, tear gas and water cannon to disperse them.

The sources added that ambulance sirens were heard howling in Harares central business district after several people were reported injured.

Witnesses said people seeking refuge at the Harare Magistrates Court were tear-gassed.

Police spokeswoman, Charity Charamba, accused protesters of looting shops and said dozens of them had been arrested.

Gift Nyandoro, a lawyer representing former Vice President, Joice Mujurus Zimbabwe People First party, said opposition parties planned the march to pressure President Robert Mugabe to implement electoral reforms ahead of the 2018 vote.

He said the police refused to receive the court order authorising the rally.

Jealousy Mawarire, from the same party, said that each time people gathered, police would start firing tear gas or water cannons.

Obert Gutu from the main opposition Movement for Democratic Change called on the Southern African Development Community to intervene against a threat to regional peace and stability in Zimbabwe.

He noted that Zimbabwe had seen months of protests against alleged human rights abuses and the deterioration of the economy under the 92-year-old president, who had ruled Zimbabwe since 1980.

Meanwhile, Ignatious Chombo, Home Affairs Minister, vowed that instigators of violence would be dealt with.

We are going to ensure that anyone who commits acts of any form of politically motivated violence would face the full wrath of the law, Chombo told dpa. (dpa/NAN)
In recent years, Nigerias domestic intelligence agency, the State Security Service (SSS), has come to be known and addressed as the Department of State Services (DSS).

From virtually no mention in the Nigerian and foreign media in 2011, the reference to DSS as the name of the agency has become widespread. Very few people know or remember the State Security Service (and not Department of State Services) as the legal and authentic name of the agency today.

In this fact-check, PREMIUM TIMES examines how the SSS disregarded its enabling law and surreptitiously gave itself a new name, not known to any Nigerian law.

This newspaper is relying on the the Act that established the SSS, as well as interviews with serving and past security personnel, analysts, lawyers and journalists.

None of these respondents could cite any enabling law that empowers the SSS to refer to itself as SSS.



SSS or DSS?

Checks by PREMIUM TIMES showed that the SSS began describing itself as Department of State Services in official correspondences and in statements to the media in 2011.

Five years later, the reference to the agency as DSS, instead of SSS, has become so popular in the media today that PREMIUM TIMES is the only outlet in the country that sparsely uses DSS in news stories.

This suggests that the policy may have come into effect during the days of Marilyn Ogar, the former spokesperson of the Service who signed press statements distributed to the media.

Foreign reports also mirror that abrupt change. For instance, since it started compiling its annual human rights report on Nigeria in 1976 till as late as 2012, there was zero mention of DSS by the U.S. Department of State. But by 2013, the State Department used DSS interchangeably with SSS.

By the time the 2014 edition of the report was published, the SSS had been completely dropped for DSS.

The National Security Agencies Act, Decree 19 of June 5, 1986, established the SSS and two other intelligence agencies for the Nigerian state.

Section One of the Act states: There shall, for the effective conduct of national security, be established the following National Security Agencies, that is to say-(a) the Defence Intelligence Agency; (b) the National Intelligence Agency; and (c) the State Security Service.

Throughout the Act, the State Security Service was mentioned three times, and nowhere was the Department of State Services cited.

Instrument One of 1999

Those who try to provide reasons for the use of DSS say the agency is acting in accordance with the provisions of an instrument adopted in 1999.

Some SSS officials say Instrument One, a subsidiary regulation derived from the Armed Forces Act, came into effect on May 23 of that year, shortly before a former military ruler, Abdulsalami Abubakar, left office as democracy returned to Nigeria.

But legal experts say Instrument One was never made available to the public, and was not gazetted. PREMIUM TIMES confirmed that Instrument One was never gazetted.

This newspaper perused a copy of the Instrument and no where in the document was SSS allowed to refer to itself with another name.

Even if Instrument One were to be a regulation made pursuant to the NSA Act, it still wont give the SSS the power to go by another name in official documents without an amendment to the NSA Act that reflects the changes, says Femi Falana, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Ms. Ogar took charge of SSS public affairs department in 2009, and began issuing press statements on behalf of the Service same year.

Between 2009 and mid-2011, she was widely quoted in the media as a spokesperson for the SSS. Reporters present at her maiden press briefing also say she introduced herself as public affairs head in the SSS.

During that period, there is little evidence to suggest that she made any reference to DSS in press statements.

However, DSS was boldly written on the bulletproof vests that personnel of the agency wore during the arraignment of Iranian arms dealer, Azim Aghajani, between December 2010 and January 2011.

The first known citation of Ms. Ogar as a DSS spokesperson was in a press statement she distributed on August 31, 2011, announcing that some suspects were arrested in connection with the August 26, 2011, bombing of the United Nations offices in Abuja.

Owing to various speculations and misrepresentations in the media arising from the bomb attack on the United Nations (UN) building on 26th August, 2011 in Abuja, the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of other security agencies wishes to state as follows, the release read in part.

Subsequent press statements issued by Ms. Ogar were signed using the name Department of State Services.

Francis Suberu, who has over 10 years experience as a crime beat reporter, credits the widespread adoption of DSS to Ms. Ogar.

I can tell you it was Ms. Ogar that started using DSS in statements, Mr. Suberu, an employee of National Mirror, says.

Another crime reporter with fair knowledge of covering the SSS is Taiwo Jimoh of New Telegraph Newspapers.

Mr. Jimoh tells PREMIUM TIMES he didnt observe the use of DSS until Ms. Ogar started relating with the media in 2011 or thereabouts.

Ms. Ogar retired in September 2015 as an assistant director, public affairs, in the SSS.

Tony Opuiyo, who appears to have taken over Ms. Ogars role, has sustained the practice as all press statements he has so far distributed were signed using DSS.

PREMIUM TIMES understands that Ms. Ogar took the decision to amplify the use of DSS as part of a communication strategy against Boko Haram.

So the SSS had to come out with new strategic communication and ICT to make Nigerians understand that it has nothing against them and, in fact, needed their support to combat terrorism, says Chidi Odinkalu, a former chairman of the National Human Rights Commission. All that was done when Marilyn Ogar was the spokesperson.

Before Ms. Ogar, you can hardly see SSS parade suspects on television or make public service announcement to encourage public support in counter-terrorism or other challenges.

A former SSS director said the agency has legal provisions for subsidiary legislations and the adoption of DSS is in line with those.

But even this is swiftly challenged by Mr. Odinkalu and other lawyers, including Femi Falana and Liborous Oshoma, who said the agency could only make regulations to govern its operations and not unilaterally assume a new name for itself.

Mr. Odinkalu said SSS is running afoul of the law by parading itself under a name with which it cannot be sued to any court in the land since it is only known as SSS in the National Security Agencies Act that established it.

Mr. Odinkalu made specific reference to the NSA Act which is part of the four existing laws listed in the Transitional Provisions and Savings component of the Constitution.

Section 315 (five) of the Constitution lists the four existing laws as: the National Youth Service Corps Decree 1993, the Public Complaints Commission Act, the National Security Agencies Act and the Land Use Act.

To carry out any alteration to any of these laws requires the satisfaction of Section 9 (two) of the Constitution, which is the same requirement for any amendment to the Constitution itself, Mr. Odinkalu said.

He said the potency of these provisions was recently tested when President Goodluck Jonathan unilaterally renamed the University of Lagos.

Mr. Jonathan took the decision on May 29, 2012, to rename the institution as Moshood Abiola University in honour of the late pro-democracy campaigner and acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993, presidential election which was annulled by Ibrahim Babangida, a former head of state and dictator.

But the former leader had to back down on the decision after his administration realised that the University of Lagos was created by an act of parliament in 1962 and, as such, cannot be altered without recourse to the National Assembly.

CONCLUSION

The use of the name Department of State Services (DSS) by the State Security Service (SSS) is illegal and a violation of Nigerias National Security Agencies Act. It should be reversed.
Nigerias Ministry of foreign Affairs on Friday warned ambassadors of various countries against violating the diplomatic channels of communication between them and their host country.

The ministry warned the diplomats against approaching President Muhammadu Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo directly for meeting appointments.

The Permanent Secretary, Olusola Enikanolaye, who gave the warning at his maiden meeting with the diplomats in Abuja, urged them to desist from unorthodox means of communication with the government.

Mr. Enikaonlaye, an ambassador, frowned at undiplomatic ways of seeking audience with the government where some embassies communicate directly with the presidency and other arms of government rather than going through the ministry.

In saying this however we must hasten to note that some diplomats and some missions are in the habit of going above the Ministry of foreign affairs in seeking audiences and engagement with government at even higher levels.

I need not to stress that this is not what we know as diplomat it is clearly violation of Vienna conventions.

The ministry of foreign affairs is the main means of communication between the diplomatic communities and the host government.

I am aware that we need to put our house in order in the ministry.

And this is what we are already doing by ensuring that we respond quickly, proactively to your requests to your note verbal.

Once we do this, there will be no reason for you to go above us to get things done, he said.

Mr. Enikaonlaye vowed to take a very diplomatic review of a nation that thinks the best way to conduct business with Nigeria is not to go through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to him we have served in your countries and we know what happens in those countries. Please I urge you to respect our rules, respect our laws, respect our channels of communication.

He also condemned a situation where some nations also wrote note verbal to the presidency.

I thought you all know that note verbal is the highest form of correspondence between the diplomatic nations and the minister of foreign affairs.

You cannot address note verbal to the presidency. It is not done. Please I am appealing to you to desist from such an orthodox means of communication with our government.

As regard to seeking for audiences, please make your request known to our principal at least a month ahead so as to give room for preparation and respect for authority

It is in our interest and yours that we have sufficient notice, he said.

He stressed that the Ministry and government were committed to their wellbeing and welfare stressing that the ministry operates an open door policy if there were is issue of concern to address.(NAN)
An Abuja-based Islamic scholar, Sheikh Yahya Al-Yolawi, has advised intending pilgrims to settle their debts and leave their wills behind before travelling to Saudi Arabia.

Al-yolawi, who is the Chief Imam of Area 10 Mosque, made the call while delivering Jummaat sermon title: Essential tips for Hajj Preparations on Friday in Abuja.

An intending pilgrim should settle his debts and leave behind him a clear record as well as writing all his wills or what he intends to pass to his family, he said.

According to the cleric, the need to leave a will behind is because the journey to Holy land may be the final journey for a pilgrim.

He explained that hajj was a unique and extra ordinary journey in the life time of all pilgrims, adding that it was an invitation from Allah to the most famous acts of worship.

The cleric said that journey to hajj required high level of patience as it was always accompanied with difficulties, fatigue, physical and social abnormalities as well as intolerance from other pilgrims.

One should not allow Shaitan (devil) to hijack him and spoil his hajj out of ignorance or annoyance, he said.

Mr. Al-Yolawi said there was need for pilgrims to fulfill all the hajj requirements and avoid all things that would nullify his hajj rites with a view to getting all the spiritual benefits of pilgrimage.

This emphasises on the importance of piety as first ingredient of ones journey to Mecca, which means to maintain good relationship with your Lord by devoting yourself to obey him.

The intention behind ones journey to hajj must be for the sake of Allah alone as whoever performs any act of worship in order to please people or gain popularity has spoilt his action.

Prophets Muhammad (peace be upon him) said: learn your rituals from me, for I do not know whether I would be performing Hajj after this Hajj of mine, (Muslim Hadith no 1297).

Mr. Al-Yolawi admonished pilgrims to ensure that their sources of finance and other materials things were clean and legitimate because Allah accepts only that which is pure.

He also warned pilgrims against taking photographs for whatever purpose while observing hajj rite, saying that such action could contradict pilgrims sincerity of performing hajj for the sake of Allah.

Similarly, the cleric said women having their monthly period should be in a state of Ihram when they pass the Miqat, adding that they should shower and do Talbiyah like everyone else.

Mr. Al-Yolawi, therefore, prayed to Allah to continue to protect Islam and safeguard Nigerian pilgrims as they take off to Saudi Arabia.

May the Lord accept their Hajj, prayers, grant their supplications and bring them back to us safely and peacefully, he said.
Nobel laureate, Wole Soyinka, on Thursday advocated the reinstatement of History as a subject in Nigerian schools.

Mr. Soyinka spoke in Lagos at a press conference to unveil the beneficiaries of an initiative between the Wole Soyinka Foundation and the Cedars Institute, Notre Dame University, Lebanon.

I learnt not so long ago that history has been taken off the curriculum in this country. Can you imagine that? History? What is wrong with history? Or maybe I should ask, what is wrong with some peoples head?

Criticisms have continued to trail the governments removal of history studies from primary and secondary schools curriculum since the 2009/2010 academic session.

Last May, Education Minister, Adamu Adamu, said the federal government was taking steps to restore the subject in the schools curriculum.

Somebody who doesnt know his history is even worse than dead. So this government is going to bring back history, Mr. Adamu had said.

It would even be better if we study local history first. You have to know who you are before you can be anything in this world.

I believe this government is going to return history back to the curriculum.

Mr. Soyinka, a professor of Comparative Literature, described History as life.

History is so fundamental to self knowledge, to identity, to understanding where you came from and therefore where you might be headed, he said

So how can a subject like History be excised from the curriculum of any school?

Asked whether the UNESCOs statement that the war for peace must be waged in the mind should be a panacea to the war against insurgency, Mr. Soyinka said the appropriate response for the insurgents is to return aggression with aggression.

UNESCO was founded on this basis, that since wars between human beings, communities begin in the mind, it is in the mind the war for peace must begin, Mr. Soyinka said.

I always find that paradoxical statement very instructive. But we mustnt simplify wars, we mustnt simplify the solution or the complex causes that lead to war.

Boko Haram, for instance, is a result of religious lunacy and intoxication. Theres no other explanation for it. And if somebody is trying to kill you, I believe you have a responsibility to kill them first. And so I dont want to present myself as a candidate for Nobel Prize for Peace because Im not a very peaceful person.

I believe very much that aggression must be met by, every possible means, aggression.

Im not saying Im dedicated to peace. Im dedicated to culture, to intellectualism, to the expansion of human horizons creativity.

Believe me Im no evangelist for peace. Not when people are torturing, killing children, kidnapping people who we sent to go and learn. For me they got to be wiped out.
The National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) says it has finalised arrangements with the World Bank to grant scholarships to 1,000 less privileged students selected from every state in the country.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University, Abdallah Adamu, said in a statement on Friday in Lagos that the move was part of the mandate of the Education for All (EFA).

The statement said Mr. Adamu made the disclosure when he received members of the Arewa Students Forum (ASF) who visited him in Abuja.

The university said it was also targeting Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in the society.

According to the statement, married women, who suspended their education due to some reasons, were also among the universitys priorities.

The statement quoted Mr. Adamu as urging members of the forum to join in the campaign to ensure that access to tertiary education was taken to the grassroots around the country.

It said in doing this, it would go a long way in the forums drive to contribute their quota to nation building and spread the activities of the university.

It will also go a long way in attaining the Education for All (EFA) agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the United Nations and the Federal Government.

I urge members of the forum to step up efforts in ensuring that more students from the 19 northern states are registered in the institution as part of the beneficiaries of the World Bank/NOUN 1,000 scholarship initiative, the statement said.

It said the president of the forum, Habib Ahmed, lauded the vice-chancellor for his contributions to the education sector.

(NAN)
Barely a day after advising President Muhammadu Buhari on what his administration needed to do to salvage Nigerias economy, Charles Soludo, a former Central Bank governor, has come under fierce criticism from a Nigerian senator, Shehu Sani.

Mr. Soludo cant proffer solutions to Nigerias economic woes when it was his policies, as head of the apex bank, that brought the country to its terrible state, Mr. Sani said.

Mr. Soludo, who spoke on Thursday at the 4th lecture series of the Progressives Governors Forum in Kaduna, advised that, The APC should go back to its manifesto and instigate framework that will engender the atmosphere for growth as Nigeria cannot develop with the current structure where institutions are created only to share from the federation account.

He said it was better Mr. Buharis administration started thinking outside the box, rather than continue to blame the past government for the nations economic problems.

On the current administrations fight against corruption, the former CBN governor said: I dont believe the way we are fighting corruption is the way we should go about it. We are only fighting corruption on the surface; we have to fight it from the systemic level.

But Mr. Sani, the All Progressives Congress senator, representing Kaduna Central, responded to Mr. Soludos advice, by saying that it would be too early to forget that his (Soludos) stewardship at the CBN was the foundation of the current economic crisis in Nigeria.

The senator, in an email sent to PREMIUM TIMES, Friday, said Mr. Soludo was entitled to his opinion, but that it was good to remind him of the role he played in bringing down the countrys economy.

If Soludo and his Government had actually implemented such lofty ideas of reforms, we couldnt have found ourselves where we are today, Mr. Sani said. Its too early to forget the legacy of cronyism, elitism and vindictiveness that occasioned the past administrations.

Soludo was lucky to serve under a Government that was powered by $140 per barrel and without the headache, heartache and bloodshed that has become of Niger Delta and the north east.

Soludo need to be reminded that most of those today on trial for stealing our public funds were the same people rooted in the Government he served before GEJ. Yes PMB is tackling the symptoms of corruption, but the symptoms were there for 16 years.

If Soludo and others have combated the symptoms, PMB could have now focused on the ailment. Its not in contention that blame game by the PMB administration against GEJ must end but under PDP three Governments for 16 years, hardly a day passed without the same blame game on late Abacha.

Mr. Sani also attacked the APC governors for inviting the former CBN governor to speak at the lecture series.

Those who invited Soludo did that to rubbish PMBs economic policies that they dont have the balls to do.

What is the reason and the logic behind APC chieftains inviting a PDP economist to lecture them on the economy? The very party they consistently deride for ruining this country for 16 years?
A former governor of Katsina State, Ibrahim Shema, has denied diverting billions of naira of SURE-P funds, meant for developmental projects, to electoral campaign.

Mr. Shema said the claim by his former aide, Nasiru Ingawa, before a commission of inquiry, that the former governor used the money for election and other personal needs, was politically motivated.

He challenged the governor of the state, Aminu Masari, to sue him if he did anything wrong, and to avoid media trial.

The commission is investigating the misuse of the N5.7 billion Sure-P fund that accrued to the state.

Mr. Shema said his accuser, who was his special adviser on SURE-P, should publish his proof withing 48 hours.

Mr. Ingawa had told the Justice Muhammad Siraj-led Commission of enquiry that: Shema used to tell me: `Nasiru, bring the money I approved for you in a memo to my house in the night, we are going to use it for politics.

He also said all purchases in the department will be made directly and in cash without going through the tenders board.

He said the former governor once authorised 88 withdrawals of cash from two banks in a single day on the eve of last day in office.

But Mr. Shema said his former loyalist was being used by the current administration to get at him.

Speaking via a statement signed and issued by his spokesman, Oluwabusola Olawale, the embattled former governor said his accuser should back his claims with documented evidence or risk being sued for defamation.

The statement reads:

Our attention has been drawn to the statement credited to former Special Adviser to former Governor Ibrahim Shehu Shema on Sure P, Nasiru Ingawa claiming that Shema directed him to bring Sure P money to his house for political activities. We are saying it without iota of doubt that the statement is wicked lies and part of orchestrated campaign of calumny against the former Governor.

At no time during the tenure of previous administration that Shema gave such a directive to Nasiru Ingawa as he claimed, and we challenge him if it is true to publish his facts and supporting documents within 48hrs, failure to do so he should be ready to meet the legal team of Ibrahim Shehu Shema in court.

The information available at our disposal, revealed that Nasiru role was connected to the request of his father, Alhaji, Salisu Ingawa (a retired Director) to assist him to secure a federal government appointment through Governor Aminu Bello Masari, the obligation Masari agreed to fulfill on the condition that Nasiru lies against his former boss.

A night before the testimony of Nasiru at the Commission, he was sighted at Katsina Motel in company of Mal Rabe Nasir who is an aide to Governor Masari and member of the Commission with Masari lawyer perfecting their actions. Also as part of the deal, We learnt Nasiru has been promised to be allowed to run and hide in United States of America where he holds citizenship to evade prosecution.

We are calling the attention of the public to what is going on at the sitting of Commission of Inquiry set up by Governor Aminu Bello Masari as a media trial with sole aim and purpose to tarnish the reputation of His Excellency Ibrahim Shehu Shema who served katsina state creditably well. We are also appealing to the public to pressurise Governor Masari to charge Shema to court if truly he abused public trust while in office as a Governor instead of maligning his name at the charade called commission of inquiry.

It is also curious that Special Adviser to Governor Masari on Budget, Abdullahi Imam admitted at the Commission sitting on Wednesday that Shema administration left about N4billion in the Sure P account after several denials by Governor Aminu Bello Masari and his officials. We know definitely truth will always prevail over falsehood.
The Ekiti State Government has said that the four persons who died during the week at Egbe Dam in Gbonyin Local Government Area of the state, were not World Bank officials.

Initial report by the News Agency of Nigeria had quoted the head of the local area council as saying the victims were World Bank officials.

But a statement on Friday by Idowu Adelusi, the chief press secretary to

the Governor Ayo Fayose, said though the Third Urban Water Sector Reform Project was sponsored by the World Bank, the

contract for the bathymetry surveying of the dam was awarded to Enviplan Nigeria Limited, whose staff were involved in the unfortunate incident.

The statement said the company was to work on Ureje, Egbe, Itapaji and Ero dams.

The sad incident happened because some safety measures were not adhered to by the deceased who refused to wear life jackets and those who survived wore life jackets provided by the company. The victims are staff of Enviplan Nigeria Limited which is a consulting firm to

the World Bank.

The victims are Alaran Tirimisiyu, Abdulwaheed Alayande, David Male and Albert, while the survivors are Charles Ehinlaye, Bukky Ajet and Yahaya. It should be noted that no World Bank official or Ekiti State Water Corporation staff was involved.

The Third Urban Water Project commiserate with the families of the departed and pray that God grants them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss, the statement read in part.
Some aggrieved residents on Friday stoned Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, as he emerged from a mosque where he observed Jumat prayer in Lokoja, the state capital, PREMIUM TIMES learnt.

It is not immediately clear why the residents carried out the attack against Mr. Bello, but witnesses said the incident occurred at the Lokoja Central Mosque in the old market area of the capital.

A source who confirmed the development to this newspaper said the disgruntled persons also carried few placards while chanting anti-government slogans. The source also said Mr. Bello was pelted with rotten fruits and vegetables.

The police dispersed the crowd with teargas soon afterwards, the source said.

The situation in this state is even worse than what the residents are doing. The situation is pathetic, the source said.

An official in the state said that was the second time in two weeks the governor would be so attacked as complaints mount about the depreciating living conditions in the state.

He recently attended an event in Ankpa, and residents there defied heavy security to stone him, the official said. We dontunderstand whats going on.

Kogi State Government spokespersons, Kingsley Fanwo and Gbenga Olorunpomi, could not be reached for comment for this reports.

More details soon
The concept of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has gone beyond the commonly understood provision for humanitarian needs in the immediate community where an organization operates.

The increasing involvement of organizations in projects with long term benefits for the generality of the people underscores the importance of public-private partnership for the achievement of national goals and objectives for the general good.

Access Bank Plc, with Herbert Wigwe as group managing director and chief executive officer has, for instance, identified infrastructure as a key component of the conducive environment that must be in place if Nigeria is indeed to play in the league of leading nations and even to attract the much needed foreign investment that is needed to help grow the economy and empower its citizens to achieving their socio-economic goals.

The banks competence and expertise in infrastructure financing have earned for it the respect and admiration of all across public and private sector institutions, including governments, making it the preferred financier when it comes to projects that impact heavily on the lives of the citizens.

It is not for nothing that the Lagos State government has struck a partnership with the bank as the lead financier for two major projects that have direct relevance to the socio-economic lives of the people of the state, and those outside. The projects are the Eko Atlantic that is designed to be Nigerias version of Manhattan, New York, in the United States, as well as the Fourth Mainland Bridge, the N844 billion, N38 kilometer road/bridge project that will link Ikorodu with Eti Osa Local Government Area.

Access Banks foremost status in infrastructure financing is underscored by the fact that it is leading two internationally renowned financial institutions  J. P. Morgan and Africa Finance Corporation  on the new bridge project.

The bank is also collaborating with the Dangote Foundation to raise five billion naira for the building of a state-of-the-art International Research Centre of Excellence for the Institute of Human Virology, Nigeria, in Abuja, for the promotion of public-private partnership for quality health services, capacity building and research in West Africa.

But what if the bank decided it had no business getting involved in infrastructure development, seeing it purely as a government affair? Its business, and therefore the purpose of its existence, would not be affected in any way. It would still continue to post impressive results and deliver attractive bottom line. But this would be a sharp contrast to its business philosophy that is anchored on the belief that its success can only be measured against the success of the country in its quest to be an attractive investment destination, not just in Africa, but also around the world.
A massive explosion on Friday rocked the Secretariat of the Isoko Development Union in Oleh, a university town in Delta State, witnesses have told PREMIUM TIMES.

The huge blaze ripped through the facility, popularly known as Isoko House, hours after the union began its annual conference there.

Witnesses said the incident appeared to be a coordinated attack, but added that no group has claimed responsibility as at 5:00 p.m. Friday.

The Niger Delta, where Delta State is situated in Nigerias oil-rich south, has witnessed an escalation of hostilities in recent months, as militants targeted oil installations in a sustained effort to force the hands of the Nigerian government to up the regions share of oil revenues.

Meanwhile, the union has resumed the event with its annual award ceremony currently underway, the witness said.
A former president of the Nigeria Bar Association, and now governorship aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress APC in Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has denied making unsavory statements against the former Lagos State governor, Bola Tinubu.

Mr. Tinubu is a national leader of the APC.

Mr. Akeredolu said he did not insult the APC leader over the alleged imposition of candidate on the party.

In statement on Friday, Mr. Akeredolu said comments making the rounds on social media quoting him as insulting some leaders of the party were untrue.

My attention has been drawn to some stories making the rounds especially on the social media linking me with some ridiculous comments and incendiary quotes on the purported endorsement of candidates in the governorship primary, he said.

Those who know my antecedents will attest to the fact that I am a man of courage.

For the avoidance of doubt, I did not insult any of our national leaders in APC, especially Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as quoted mischievously in the social media.

According to him, he stood by the assurances given by the leaders of the party that there would be free and fair primary.

What is happening in Ondo state right now is that some leaders are using the name of Asiwaju Tinubu to cause confusion; claiming that he had given them money to work for a particular aspirant, Mr. Akeredolu said.

Anybody doing such cannot be described as a leader. Asiwaju Tinubus last communication on Ondo State Governorship primary was that there will be free and fair primary.

Mr. Akeredolu warned desperate politicians to stop causing confusion with Tinubus name.

On his emergence as the candidate of Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, in 2012 governorship election, Mr. Akeredolu, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, said the present scenario was different from what occurred in 2012.

Again, politicians are using my emergence in 2012 to justify the alleged endorsement of a particular aspirant, he said.

For the record, I wasnt imposed in 2012. The ACN didnt conduct primary in 2012. All the aspirants submitted ourselves to the selection process of the party and I was selected. Not imposed.

Nobody bought nomination forms. We all agreed to abide by the decision of the leadership of ACN. That was exactly what happened. It was a collective decision of all leaders including serving and former governors of the progressive family in the south west.

It is unfair to use the 2012 scenario to justify the present situations where aspirants have obtained nomination forms.

All said and done, I have implicit confidence in our partys leadership to conduct credible primar, he said.

Mr. Akeredolu urged the public to disregard any unsavoury statement credited to him.

The crisis emanating from the endorsement has led to the sacking the Chairman of the party in the state party chairman, Isaac Kekemeke.
EGG HARBOR TOWNSHIP  Six people at the U.S. Air National Guards 177th Fighter Wing were taken to the hospital as a precaution Thursday after being exposed to a chemical released from a fighter planes emergency power system.

Master Sgt. Andrew J. Moseley said the accident happened around 2:30 p.m. Thursday when personnel were working on the F-16s Emergency Power Unit, which as its name suggests provides electrical and hydraulic power to the aircraft if the engines shut down.

The six people were taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Mainland Campus, as a precaution because of possible exposure to a hydrazine byproduct, Moseley said.

Concerned about the airmens safety and as a precautionary measure, the 177th Fighter Wing sent the personnel in the area of the EPU activation for testing and evaluation, Moseley said in an email.

The emergency power system uses chemicals including hydrazine, which according to the National Institutes of Health's Open Chemistry Database is a rocket fuel. Hydrazine is also the chemical that Matt Damons character catalyzes to create water in the movie and book The Martian.

Hydrazine is a corrosive and toxic chemical. Exposure can cause irritation of the eyes, nose and throat, dizziness, headaches, nausea and seizures, according to the Open Chemistry Database. Acute exposure can lead to kidney and liver damage and neurological problems.

The 177th Fighter Wing protects U.S. airspace over cities from New York to Washington, D.C. The air wing flies F-16s from its base at Atlantic City International Airport.

Contact: 609-463-6712

Twitter @ACPressMiller
MAYS LANDING - Prosecutors have charged four people in the killing of two men last year in an Absecon motel room.

Brian Bennett, 25, of Pleasantville; Aaquile Reeves, 20, of Absecon; Tywan Dixon, 22, of Pleasantville; and Donnell Nicholas, 24, of Atlantic City, are charged with felony murder and other offenses in the deaths of Diante Owens, 22, of Pleasantville, and Gerald Alvarez, 22, of Mays Landing, the Atlantic County Prosecutor's Office announced Thursday.

Also charged were the occupants of the motel room: Trevor S. Murray, 22, of Mays Landing; Zackery M. Geckeler, 23, of Galloway Township; and Ashley A. Villari, 23, of Mays Landing.

Owens and Alvarez were found dead at March 1, 2015, at the Red Roof Inn on Absecon Boulevard. Acting Prosecutor Diane Ruberton says the killings were the result of a drug deal in the motel room and that both sides had and fired handguns.

Nicholas and Geckeler arrived at AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center in Atlantic City later that same morning with gunshot wounds.

In an interview in March, Owens' girlfriend Khadijah Faulkner, said Owens' mother woke up the next morning to find her car, which Owens had driven to the motel, idling outside her Pleasantville home. There was no one inside, but there was blood in it.

Bennett, Reeves, Dixon and Nicholas each were charged with felony murder in Alvarez's death, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery, possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a handgun. Judge Michael Blee set bail on all four at $750,000 with no 10 percent option.

Bennett and Reeves are scheduled to appear in court at 8:45 a.m. Friday before Superior Court Judge Bernard E. DeLury.

Dixon and Nicholas remain at large. Anyone with information on their whereabouts can call the prosecutor's Major Crimes Unit at 609-909-7666.

Bennett was arrested Tuesday by Pleasantville police and detectives from the Major Crimes Unit. Reeves was arrested the same day at the Atlantic County jail, where he was being held on an unrelated matter.

Two dead in Absecon motel shooting Two men were killed in a shooting at an Absecon motel Sunday morning.

Murray, Geckeler and Villari were each charged with possession of Xanax with intent to distribute, possession of a handgun while committing a drug offense, unlawful possession of a knife, possession of a handgun for an unlawful purpose and unlawful possession of a handgun. Murray additional was charged with possession of a weapon by a convicted felon, while Villari was charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana. All three were arrested Wednesday and held on $75,000 bail with no 10 percent option.

Assisting in the investigation were police from Absecon, Atlantic City, Pleasantville and Galloway, Hamilton and Egg Harbor townships.

Contact: 609-272-7234

Twitter @danielpgrote
Calm water and abundant sunshine helped to produce large and steady crowds along the shore this summer, local beach patrol officials reported.

According to Atlantic City Beach Patrol Lt. John Ammerman, crowds this year were bigger than last year, but rescues were reduced thanks to a relatively calm ocean.

Ocean City Beach Patrol Chief Tom Mullineaux said the first two weeks of August bring the biggest crowds to the city. As of Aug. 17, he estimated Ocean Citys beaches saw 2.3 million visitors since patrols began May 26.

Mullineaux said that was about on par with last year, while rescues were down overall compared to last year. The first week of August was the busiest for the guards, with 98 victims over a seven-day period.

Obviously, it strictly depends on the water, Mullineaux said. When the rip currents start churning, thats when you have more victims.

Wildwood Beach Patrol Chief Steve Stocks said the sunny summer resulted in no downtime for lifeguards.

For the most part, the ocean stayed calm, he said, while both crowds and the number of rescues were about the same as last year.

Sea Isle City Beach Patrol Capt. Renny Steele said that while emergency medical technicians had many calls due to the heat, lifeguards were not as busy.

A new and positive trend reported was visitors awareness of the dangers of the ocean.

I think that people want to swim near the guards a little more than they used to, Mullineaux said.

Stocks said he has noticed beachgoers are coming down later in the day than in years past.

Increased rip current risk this week at the shore Abundant sunshine and warm ocean water should make for great beach weather along the Jersey 

Along with noticing that late crowd, I do see a healthy respect for the ocean when the guards are not there, he said.

He said that when guards go off duty, they leave thousands of people on the beach, but only a small fraction gets involved in after-hours emergencies.

We always try to get the message out to swim when the guards are on duty. Its the safest way to enjoy the beach, Stocks said.

Ammerman said Atlantic City is a cosmopolitan area and sees a mixture of experienced and inexperienced swimmers.

Every day youre dealing with people that have never been to the beach or ocean before, and a lot of them are dealing with the hazards that are out there, he said.

Contact: 609-272-7251
From Press staff reports

POINT PLEASANT BEACH  A Point Pleasant Beach man was arrested and charged Thursday with possession of child pornography.

Carlos Diaz Rojas, 54, was arrested as part of an investigation by the High Tech Crime Unit of the Ocean County Prosecutors Office.

The agency served a warrant Thursday at Rojas home on Philadelphia Avenue in Point Pleasant Beach. The search resulted in the seizure of computers and hard drives.

Detectives said they found hundreds of videos and images of prepubescent children engaged in sexual acts.

Earlier this month, 40 people were charged with possession of child pornography in Operation Stateside.

The Ocean County Prosecutors Office and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement are continuing to investigate child pornography through its cyber-child pornography dragnet, spokesman Al Della Fave said.

I want to assure everyone that these types of prosecutions are always a priority, he said.

Rojas was lodged at the Ocean County jail in lieu of posting $100,000 bail set by state Superior Court Judge Wendel E. Daniels.

The Prosecutors Office said Rojas is the subject of an immigration detainer as he is believed to be residing illegally in the United States.
ATLANTIC CITY  Local leaders vented anxieties and pitched strategies to stop a state takeover Thursday during a state Legislative Black Caucus hearing.

More than 20 speakers including city officials, religious leaders and community activists addressed five caucus members at Second Baptist Church. The event, co-sponsored by the Atlantic City branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, drew about 100 people and lasted four hours.

By hearings end, Sen. Ronald Rice, D-Essex, had a long list of suggestions that included a class action lawsuit against the state and getting federal lawmakers involved.

This is a civil rights issue that needs to be addressed, Rice said. Its Atlantic City today and those in other school districts and other cities tomorrow.

Atlantic City needs 'unpleasant' actions to fix finances, adviser says ATLANTIC CITY -- A lot of unpleasant actions will likely be needed to fix this citys fina

Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver, D-Essex, Passaic, said after the hearing that she believes we need to talk to the NAACP legal defense fund and the American Civil Liberties Union" about a lawsuit.

We have a track record that whenever we have come to our litigating allies for help, weve been successful in those cases, she said. I think it will be that way with some of these issues in Atlantic City.

The city has until Nov. 3 to submit a five-year fiscal recovery plan to the state. If the plan is rejected, the state can assume the local governments major decision making powers for five years.

On Thursday, many questioned the constitutionality and intentions of the state takeover bill that passed in May. Some speakers described the bill as a race issue, given the citys large black population. The majority of the citys elected officials are black.

On behalf of the taxpayers of Atlantic City, we believe it is a total violation of our civil rights to come in, remove our mayor from his responsibility, remove our council people from their responsibility, and then order us like were on a farm, said Bishop Robert Hargrove, president of the Fellowship of Churches.

Linda Steele, a member of the Atlantic City NAACPs executive board, said the takeover is a black issue, to some extent, because the wagons are circling and theyre coming back to regain what they gave up a long time ago.

They want Atlantic City because they know that there is still hope here, she added.

Councilman Kaleem Shabazz hinted the citys fiscal plan could be rejected even if it achieves fiscal stability.

The only way our plan, in my opinion, will not be accepted will be if theres political interference, Shabazz said.

Local politics was interjected into the hearing on a number of occasions.

Council President Marty Small criticized South Jersey lawmakers who supported the takeover bill and council members who are being obstructionists trying to gift wrap the city to the state.

Council recently split 4-4-1 on dissolving the Municipal Utilities Authority, putting the city at risk on defaulting on state loan terms.

Im asking the community to hold the other half of city council accountable and have them do the right thing, Small said.

One member of the other half, Councilman Frank Gilliam, said council is not split but officials need to put our petty egos aside. He said no one is elected to just go along with something without privy or knowledge about it.

If you ever look at Frank Gilliam and ask would you vote for him again? I would say never vote for me again if Im just going to rubber-stamp something and not have you in my best interest,'" Gilliam said.

Toward the end, Charles Goodman, of the Atlantic City NAACP, was frustrated with all the political speeches.

This was no political rally, I thought, Goodman said. Youre going to give them all the time to explain their reason for why they didnt vote, or why they did vote and how they vote. We didnt come here to hear that.

Contact: 609-272-7215

Twitter @_Hetrick
VINELAND  The owners of General Mills Inc.s Progresso plant are negotiating severance packages with its union as the soup factory prepares to close at the end of 2017.

More than 375 people will lose their jobs when the plant closes.

City and state officials are hoping General Mills will change its mind about closing the plant. But if it does not, the company assured the city it will help Vineland look for another food processor to take over the plant.

Brian String, president of United Food and Commercial Workers Local 152, said he has had two of four planned meetings with management.

We are in negotiation for effects bargaining  bargaining severance, pensions and vacations, String said.

City and state officials were hoping to offer financial incentives that might persuade General Mills to keep the plant.

String said the union was open to renegotiating the four-year contract it recently struck with General Mills. But the decision to close was not based on labor demands, String said.

Cumberland to get $9M site for budding food entrepreneurs BRIDGETON  Cumberland County and the city will move forward on a $9 million food-developmen

The company said labor costs had nothing to do with the decision to close, String said. After signing a confidentiality agreement and examining their financials, I agree. They did not predicate this on labor costs. We had nothing to offer the company. They were not looking for union concessions.

The closing of the plant would be disastrous to the local economy, Vineland businesses said. Praful Thakkar, owner of Todds News Agency, started an online petition urging General Mills to keep Progresso in Vineland. Progresso has a second soup plant in Hannibal, Missouri. So far, 3,500 people have signed, including 900 people whose signatures he personally collected at his stores.

It definitely is going to hurt all the areas businesses from trucking companies down to small businesses. It would be a big, big impact of downsizing in this area, Thakkar said.

State Sen. Jeff Van Drew, D-Cape May, Cumberland, Atlantic, said he was waiting to see how labor meetings went before pursuing efforts either to change General Mills mind about closing or to find a replacement company.

Van Drew said he spoke to Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno about state incentives to help General Mills remain in Vineland.

But none of that makes sense to do if its hopeless, he said.

Van Drew said he spoke with General Mills officials recently at a conference in Chicago. They said General Mills has a real estate division that could help Vineland find a replacement if Progresso closes.

But we arent at that point yet, he said.

Mayor Ruben Bermudez this week said the city, too, has hope it can change General Mills mind.

We need to help them understand we need these jobs here, Bermudez said.

Theyre going back and forth with the union now. Once they figure out a way to work things out, well be ready to work with them, Bermudez said. On our side, we have all the tools needed to help them stay.

Vineland Economic Development Director Sandra Forosisky said General Mills has not equivocated in its intentions to close the plant.

At this point, they have made their decision. I got that message loud and clear, she said.

So now the question becomes what help General Mills can be in helping to attract a new operator for the factory, she said.

The best we can do is to find a new tenant for the plant, she said.

The state offers tax incentives through its Grow New Jersey program for every employee retained or hired.

When they sold a plant in Ohio, the new owners kept the employees and even added some, she said. Once the dust settles, they assure me they can work with us.

Contact: 609-463-6712

Twitter @ACPressMiller
TOMS RIVER, N.J. (AP)  Gov. Chris Christie is heading to part of the state hit hard by Superstorm Sandy to announce new funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Christie is set to hold a news conference Friday in Toms River to announce a funding match from a FEMA program.

The Ortley Beach section of Toms River lost at least half of its dunes and much of the sand on beaches that were already narrow before the storm hit.

The October 2012 storm came after Sandy merged with two other weather systems. It killed people in several states but hit New York and New Jersey the hardest.

It devastated the oceanfront coastline and caused catastrophic flooding and tens of billions of dollars in damage.
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.




BELLEVUE, Washington, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Apptio, Inc., the leading provider of cloud-based Technology Business Management (TBM) software, today announced that it has filed a registration statement with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for a proposed initial public offering of its Class A common stock. The number of shares to be offered and the price range for the proposed offering have not yet been determined.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401716LOGO

Goldman, Sachs & Co., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and BofA Merrill Lynch will act as joint lead bookrunners for the offering, while Barclays Capital Inc., Jefferies LLC, RBC Capital Markets, LLC and Pacific Crest Securities, a division of KeyBanc Capital Markets Inc., will act as bookrunners.

The offering will be made only by means of a prospectus. Copies of the preliminary prospectus related to the offering may be obtained, when available, from Goldman, Sachs & Co., Attn: Prospectus Department, 200 West Street, New York, NY 10282, or by telephone at (866) 471-2526, or by e-mail at prospectus-ny@ny.email.gs.com; J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, c/o Broadridge Financial Solutions, 1155 Long Island Avenue, Edgewood, NY 11717, or by telephone at (866) 803-9204; and BofA Merrill Lynch, NC1-004-03-43, 200 North College Street, 3rd floor, Charlotte NC 28255-0001, Attn: Prospectus Department, or by email at dg.prospectus_requests@baml.com.

A registration statement relating to these securities has been filed with the SEC but has not yet become effective. These securities may not be sold, nor may offers to buy be accepted, prior to the time the registration statement becomes effective. This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any state or jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such state or jurisdiction.

Related Links

http://www.apptio.com



SOURCE Apptio, Inc.
CORAL GABLES, Florida, Aug. 25, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) for installation of AerSale's new AerSafe system on the Boeing 737 Classic series aircraft (ST03589NY) in compliance with the Fuel Tank Flammability Reduction (FTFR). This new STC is in addition to the STC for the Boeing 737 NG series, approved by the FAA earlier this year (ST02980NY).

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160517/368595LOGO

"AerSafe is one of the few FAA-approved options that complies with the FTFR rule, and at approximately one quarter of the cost of the nitrogen inerting system over the course of 10 years, it provides air carriers an effective low-maintenance solution," said Nicolas Finazzo, Chief Executive Officer at AerSale. "We hired some of the best aeronautical engineers in the business to develop this product, which has been a work in progress for over a year. We intend to expand further the application of AerSafe to include Boeing 757 and 767 series aircraft in the coming months."

Tested and developed to exact tolerances to fill the cavity of the Boeing 737 NG and Classic series center fuel tanks, AerSafe limits the amount of available oxygen that can ignite fuel vapors and prevents sparks from igniting an explosion. AerSafe comes as a complete prefabricated kit that can be installed at any hangar around the world. After initial installation, the system requires no maintenance or expensive spare parts. Lead time for ordering AerSafe is currently 60 days versus the one-year lead time for the nitrogen inerting system.

The FAA enacted the FTFR rule after the crash of TWA flight 800 off the coast of New York. Federal investigations revealed that the accident was the result of an explosion caused by a spark igniting fumes in the center fuel tank of the Boeing 747. The FTFR rule requires fuel tank ignition sources and flammability exposure to be reduced in aircraft most at risk. The FAA gave two options: a flammability reduction means such as nitrogen inerting, or an ignition mitigation means such as AerSafe. These systems must be installed by December 26, 2017, on all passenger aircraft that have high flammability fuel tanks and fly within or into the United States.

AerSafe is a trademark of AerSale, Inc. A global aviation leader, AerSale supplies aftermarket commercial aircraft, engines, and OEM used serviceable material to passenger and cargo airlines, leasing organizations, government entities, multinational OEMs, and independent MROs. AerSale also offers asset management services to owners of end-of-life aircraft and engine portfolios. Headquartered in Coral Gables, Florida, AerSale maintains offices and operations in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

For more information, visit our website at www.aersale.com or contact AerSale Media Relations by calling (305) 764-3200 or via e-mail at media.relations@aersale.com.

Follow us on:

LinkedIn | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram

Contact: Lyndelle Nieuwkerk

Telephone: (305) 764-3200

Email: media.relations@aersale.com

Related Links

http://www.aersale.com



SOURCE AerSale
DUBLIN, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Dublin - Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Laboratory Reagents - Global Strategic Business Report" report to their offering.

The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of World. 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.



This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Laboratory Chemical Reagents in US$ Thousand by the following Segments by Application Area:



Molecular Biology (Monoclonal & Polyclonal Antibodies, Gene Expression, Vectors, Cloning & Sequencing, Gene Synthesis, PCR Reagents, Enzymes, & Others)

Biochemistry (IVD)

Cytokine & Chemokine Testing, Cell/Tissue Culture

Carbohydrate Analysis

Immunohistochemistry

Environmental Testing (Pesticide Residues, & Others)

The report profiles 160 companies including many key and niche players such as



A.G. Scientific, Inc. (US)

Abbott Diagnostics (US)

Agilent Technologies, Inc. (US)

BD Biosciences (US)

Beckman Coulter , Inc. (US)

, Inc. (US) bioMerieux ( France )

) Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. (US)

F. Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. ( Switzerland )

) Gallus Immunotech, Inc. ( Canada )

) GE Healthcare (UK)

Lonza Biologics Ltd. ( Switzerland )

) Merck KGaA ( Germany )

) Meridian Life Science, Inc. (US)

PerkinElmer, Inc. (US)

Promega Corporation (US)

Qiagen N.V. ( Netherlands )

) R&D Systems (US)

SDIX, LLC (US)

Shimadzu Corporation ( Japan )

) Takara Bio , Inc. ( Japan )

, Inc. ( ) Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc. (US)

Wako Pure Chemical Industries Ltd. ( Japan )

) Waters Corp. (US)

Key Topics Covered:



1. Industry Overview



2. Key Market Trends & Growth Drivers



3. Distribution Logistics



4. Product Overview



5. Product Introductions/Innovations



6. Recent Industry Activity



7. Focus On Select Global Players



8. Global Market Perspective



Total Companies Profiled: 160 (including Divisions/Subsidiaries 187)



The United States (114)

(114) Canada (4)

(4) Japan (8)

(8) Europe (52)

(52) - France (4)

(4) - Germany (11)

(11) - The United Kingdom (9)

(9) - Italy (3)

(3) - Spain (5)

(5) - Rest of Europe (20)

(20) Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) (9)

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/x96ngj/laboratory



Related Topics: Chemicals

Media Contact:

Research and Markets

Laura Wood, Senior Manager

press@researchandmarkets.com



For E.S.T Office Hours Call +1-917-300-0470

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SOURCE Research and Markets
PUNE, India, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

According to a new market research report "Healthcare IT Solutions Market Tracker by Product (EHR, PACS, Interoperability, Healthcare Analytics, Telemedicine, CRM), Market Size, Adoption Trends, Competitive landscape (Market Share Analysis, Product Portfolio Assessment) - Forecast to 2020", published by MarketsandMarkets, The global market is estimated to reach USD 228.79 Billion, growing at a CAGR of 13.4% during the forecast period of 2015 to 2020.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse in-depth TOC on "Healthcare IT Solutions Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/healthcare-it-solution-market-12880064.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

The global healthcare industry is currently in a phase of technological transition, where healthcare IT has emerged as a powerful tool to transform the clinical, operational, and administrative outcomes of the industry. Over the past decade, the global healthcare IT market has evolved from basic EMR/EMR solutions to the development of specialized hospital information management systems, population health management solutions, and healthcare information exchange systems. The global healthcare IT market has registered steady growth in the last five years, and is further expected to grow at a CAGR of 13.4% till 2020. This growth is attributed to the rising adoption of healthcare IT solutions by healthcare providers to meet regulatory requirements for patient care and safety, increasing need to curtail soaring healthcare costs, and growing need to improve healthcare quality while maintaining operational efficiency.

This market tracker provides value analysis of the global healthcare IT market for 2013, 2014, and 2015, as well as forecast up to 2020. Each market is comprehensively analyzed by geography to provide in-depth information on the global scenario. It provides detailed market analysis of various healthcare IT solutions available in the market, comprising healthcare provider solutions, healthcare payer solutions, and HCIT outsourcing services.

In 2015, the healthcare provider solutions segment, comprising clinical and non-clinical IT solutions for healthcare providers, accounted for the largest share of the global healthcare IT market. EHR, mHealth solutions, and PACS & VNA are some key clinical healthcare IT solutions covered in this report. Together, these segments accounted for more than 65% of the global clinical Healthcare IT Solutions Market in 2015. Supply chain management, revenue cycle management, and healthcare analytics are some of the key non-clinical healthcare IT solutions covered, accounting for a share of approximately 50% of the non-clinical Healthcare IT Solutions Market in 2015.

Talk To Our Research Analysts: http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/speaktoanalyst.asp?id=12880064

This market tracker also provides detailed geographic analysis of the global healthcare IT market covering major countries in North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, and the Middle East & Africa. The healthcare IT market in North America and Europe is regarded as technologically competent, characterized by the presence of well-established HCIT infrastructure. Together, these two regions accounted for approximately 75%-80% of the global healthcare IT market in 2015, and are expected to grow at a healthy CAGR during 2015-2020. Changing regulatory requirements for improving the quality of healthcare and increasing patient safety and rising healthcare expenditures are some key factors driving the growth of the healthcare IT market in North America and Europe.

Browse Related Reports:

Healthcare IT Market by Product (EHR, RIS, PACS, VNA, CPOE, mHealth, Telehealth, Healthcare analytics, Supply Chain Management, Revenue Cycle Management, CRM, Claims Management, Fraud Management) by End User (Provider, Payer ) - Global Forecast to 2020.

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/healthcare-it-252.html

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.



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SOURCE MarketsandMarkets
DUBLIN, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Intravenous-to-Subcutaneous Drug Markets" report to their offering.

The number of drugs based on biologicals continues to grow at an increasingly rapid rate. Because of their physical properties and the relatively high administration volumes often required to achieve the desired therapeutic effect, the majority are developed and launched for intravenous administration. This is creating a burgeoning demand for infusion facilities, personnel and equipment.

The relative complexity, costs and patient logistics associated with IV infusion relative to other routes of administration is creating interest in post-launch re-engineering of IV drugs to allow them to be administered subcutaneously. A number of technology approaches are currently being employed to accomplish this migration. By pursuing intravenous-to-subcutaneous drug markets, drug owners are finding they can achieve a number of competitive advantages.



What You Will Learn:



What intravenous drugs have been strategically re-engineered for subcutaneous administration, what are the technologies being used, and what is their current market status?

What are the therapeutic markets that are viewed as having the greatest potential for IV-to-SC migration?

What are the major factors driving intravenous-to-subcutaneous drug re-engineering?

How are intravenous-to-subcutaneous drugs currently aligned with drug classes and therapeutic markets?

What intravenous drugs are currently being developed for eventual release as subcutaneously administered drugs, and what is their current status?

What is the market impact of IV-to-SC drug migration? What will it be in 2020?

Who are the significant players in this segment? What are their strategies? Who are their alliance partners?



Key Topics Covered:



1. Executive Summary



2. The Market Opportunity



3. Market Sector Dynamics



4. Intravenous-to-Subcutaneous Technology



5. IV-to-SC - Drug Product Analysis



6. IV-to-SC - Therapeutic Sector Analysis



7. Market Factors



8. Regulatory Issues



9. Company Profiles



For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/ncfr24/intravenoustosub



Related Topics: Infusions and Injectables

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



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SOURCE Research and Markets
LONDON, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Amery Capital Exits Long Tall Sally (LTS) to TriStyle Mode GmbH (TriStyle), Backed by Equistone Partners Europe (Equistone), one of Europe's Leading Mid-market Private Equity Investors

TriStyle, the German direct fashion retailer operating brands Peter Hahn and Madeleine across Europe has acquired the Amery Capital backed tall women's specialist, Long Tall Sally, in deal valued at c. 30 million.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401698 )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160111/320735LOGO )



TriStyle was itself acquired by Equistone last year and the business has been actively looking for other synergistic opportunities that can benefit from TriStyle's strong operating, sourcing and financial stability, strength and momentum.

Long Tall Sally will continue to be operated independently from its east London offices with the existing management team led by Andrew Shapin.

Andrew Shapin, CEO, Long Tall Sally commented: "The tall women of the world have a strong desire to purchase well made, up to date fashion and we are proud and passionate about working to provide them real choice. Our team, with the backing of Amery Capital, has transformed LTS from a 10 million UK retailer to an international, fast growing, profitable, digitally led 50 million (60m, $68m) sales p.a. omni-channel business, with c.70% of sales online. We are very excited about the opportunity to continue to accelerate our growth around the world with the backing of one of Europe's leading direct to consumer fashion businesses."

Maurice Helfgott, Chairman of Amery Capital and Long Tall Sally said, "We are delighted that Michael and Maurice Bennett will deservedly enjoy yet another successful return on the inspiration, wisdom, and laughs they have invested in Long Tall Sally over the past 10 years. They join me in wholeheartedly thanking Andrew Shapin and our experienced teams and suppliers across the world for making Long Tall Sally such a success.

I am very pleased to remain with the business as Chairman, and to reinvest with Andrew in TriStyle alongside such accomplished professional investors Equistone Partners Europe."

Michael Bork Partner of Equistone and Head of the Advisory Board of TriStyle said, "I think Long Tall Sally and Andrew and Maurice and the team are wonderful and am excited and confident about their future together with TriStyle. We are grateful about the opportunity to work together in the future for the sake of our customers. As promised we will add interesting businesses to the TriStyle Group to grow the business organically and by external acquisitions. But it's not all just about growth,the creativity, professionalism, understanding of customers, markets and product of both teams is outstanding and will result in a success story."

Niels Degen, member of the TriStyle management team said: "At TriStyle we are delighted to welcome Long Tall Sally to our group. Together with Long Tall Sally and its fabulous management team we will continue to strengthen our position as a leading women's omni-channel fashion retailer. We will work together closely for continuous growth of the TriStyle companies Long Tall Sally, Peter Hahn and Madeleine."

---

Advisors:

Amery Capital and Long Tall Sally, its Shareholders and Management were advised by BDO (Tax DD), Blick Rothenberg (Audit and Tax DD), Berwin Leighton Paisner (Legal Advisor), Financo (Financial Advisor), KPMG (FDD and Tax Advice), Javelin (CDD) and Livingstone Partners (Management Advisor).

Michael Bork and Dr. Katja Muhlhauser led the transaction for Equistone Partners Europe. TriStyle and Equistone were advised by Shearman and Sterling (Finance EPE), Latham & Watkins (Banking), CMS (Legal Due Diligence, SPA), KPMG (Financial and Tax Due Diligence) and PWC (Commercial Due Diligence).

Notes to Editors:

Long Tall Sally

www.longtallsally.com

Long Tall Sally is an omnii-channel retailer of fashion for taller women. The Company was founded in 1975 by six-foot tall American entrepreneur, Judy Rich, who opened the first store on Chiltern Street in the west end of London in 1976. The Company's mission is to be "the first choice in fashion for tall women worldwide".

LTS an online led omni-channel retailer generating c.70pc of it revenues from it ecommerce websites, supported by a catalogue distributed in its four main markets of US, UK, CA and DE as well as shipping to over 120 countries. The business also has 10 stores in the UK, 7 in Canada, 4 in the US and 5 in Germany. The Company achieved LTM to July 2016 sales of c.50 million and underlying profit of 3.8 million (Euro 4.4m USD 5.0 million). All clothing is designed in-house, carefully proportioned to flatter taller women. The company has 388 employees globally, 212 working in the UK, 129 in North America and 47 in Germany.

Amery Capital Limited purchased long Tall Sally through a CVA in 2005 and has funded the organic growth and acquisitions, which have together transformed the business, including Tall Girls CA, Barefoot Tess USA, Long Fashion DE and Long Elegant Legs USA, all of which have been subsumed into a global single view of customers and inventory,

Amery Capital

Amery Capital was founded by Maurice Helfgott with the backing of legendary retail entrepreneurs, Michael and Maurice Bennett on its key investment projects. Maurice leads Amery Capital as Executive Chairman, with a principal focus on advising and investing in digital, retail and consumer businesses in the private and public markets.

Amery Capital's other current investment interests include Oliver Sweeney and Goat Fashion. Earlier successful investments included Retail Profile Europe Limited which was successfully sold to SpaceandPeople PLC in 2013.

Equistone

Equistone is an independent investment firm wholly-owned and managed by its executives. The company is one of Europe's leading investors in mid-market buyouts with a strong, consistent track record spanning over 30 years, with more than 400 transactions completed in this period. Equistone has a strong focus on change of ownership deals and aims to invest between 25 million and 125 million of equity in businesses with enterprise values of between 50 million and 300 million. The company has a team of 37 investment professionals operating across France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, investing as a strategic partner alongside management teams. Equistone is currently investing its fifth buyout fund, which held a final closing at its 2 billion hardcap in April 2015.

Equistone is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Further information can be found at www.equistonepe.com

Michael Bennett and Maurice Bennett CBE

After successfully building up and selling Bennett Cameras to Dixons in the 1960s, Maurice and Michael Bennett founded Warehouse, the first really successful British own-brand, design-led, fashion retailer, which was subsequently sold to Freeman's in 1986.

In 1991 they founded Oasis Stores , developing the business from  1 million turnover to a hugely successful, publicly listed fashion retailer. Along the way they bought Coast - a brand developed from 2m turnover when it was bought, to almost  100 million today. In 2002, Maurice and Michael Bennett successfully exited Oasis Group when PPM Ventures took the company private.

The Bennetts subsequently took control of Phase Eight, turning around and growing the company and selling it to Barclays Capital in 2005, producing a seven times return on investment for themselves and their partners.

Michael and Maurice were awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drapers Gala Dinner in 2006.

Maurice Helfgott

Maurice is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Amery Capital, a principal investment and advisory firm with a focus on digital, retail and fashion related businesses.

As well as being Chairman of Long Tall Sally, Maurice is Chairman of leading European online optical company, MyOptique Group, backed by six European VCs including Index Ventures and Highland Capital, and which announced a successful exit to Essilor International in August 2016.

He is also Chairman of Amery investee company, Oliver Sweeney, the luxury menswear brand also backed by the Business Growth Fund; Chairman of Unforgettable.org, a start up B Corporation helping people with dementia, backed by Bridges Ventures and Impact Ventures UK. In addition, Maurice serves on the Boards of END. Clothing and Goat Fashion and is Senior Independent Director of Moss Bros Plc. He has worked as an independent industry advisor to a number of leading international PE firms.

Maurice was previously an Executive Director on the Main Board of Marks and Spencer plc and holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.

Andrew Shapin

Andrew has been CEO of Long Tall Sally since 2007. He previously founded and ran the very successful Cotswold Company from 1997, where he remains Chairman. From 1991 to 1997 he was Group Marketing Director of Innovations PLC, a company that seeded much of the marketing talent in early UK digital entrepreneurship.

TriStyle Group

TriStyle Mode GmbH, headquartered in Munich, is a holding which unites the independently managed mail order and ecommerce companies Peter Hahn and Madeleine. The enterprise belongs to Equity Investor Equistone Partners Europe.

With its two brands specialising in high-quality women's fashion for the 45-plus target group, TriStyle is among the European mail-order market leaders in the Best Ager segment. Within this group, it has a stable and expansive portfolio that, on a strategic and financial level, is steered and monitored by the holding.

The company also has sourcing offices in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Istanbul and Porto, incorporated under the name TriStyle Sourcing Ltd.

In the 2014/2015 fiscal year, the mail-order company with 1,354 employees recorded sales of 505.4 million (consolidated). Of this amount, 170.9 million are allocated on Madeleine (272 employees) and 334.8 million on Peter Hahn (1,004 employees).

Each of the two brands - Peter Hahn and Madeleine - is distinct from one another due to their clear brand and product profiles. They cover the entire spectrum of high-quality ladies' fashion and accessories for the 45-plus target age group. The companies sell their products in 11 countries with their own foreign subsidiaries. Across Europe, customers can shop online or by catalogue, as well as in more than 20 department stores in Germany and Switzerland.

SOURCE Long Tall Sally
SINGAPORE, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Leading experts congregate in Singapore to address the critical systems necessary to ensure student mastery of required skills.

Children must adhere to 21 st Century values in order to thrive

Century values in order to thrive Critical thinking and metacognition identified as key competencies

Pedagogy to shift focus towards process rather than outcome

Digital advancements, together with the likes of demographical evolution and globalisation, are the biggest contributors to the changes in requirements needed in the education industry. One of the most crucial challenges we face right now is how students can be prepared adequately so they are able to thrive in a dynamic world where careers they eventually take on don't yet exist and current job opportunities they study towards will have become obsolete by the time they are ready for them. How can education stay relevant and what does 21st Century learning entail?

This was the topic of discussion at the fifth Marshall Cavendish Education Conference last week in Singapore. With a theme of 'Putting Change into Context -- A Journey into 21st Century Learning', the biennial event, organised by Marshall Cavendish Education, a renowned global educational solutions provider, brought together some of the most influential local and overseas experts in education to share insights on holistic learning through curriculum, technology and professional development to empower teachers and engage learners.

There is no question that a robust approach is a necessity for holistic learning, which if done well, can ensure a smooth and efficient transition from school to the workplace. In the innovation-driven, rapidly changing world we live in, being able to read, write and solve arithmetic problems are no longer enough for employers. The upcoming generation must add to these attributes by acquiring skills such as creative thinking, ability to communicate and innovate solutions in order to command the attention of the organisations they want to work for.

Currently, it is all too evident that schools are still full of teacher dominated classrooms that implement regular high stake examinations. Too much emphasis is placed on the outcome, or the grade, but to be 21st Century ready, we must embrace change and move towards a focus on the process rather than the outcome so children can become much better at areas such as reasoning development, and concept explanation. It is the role of academic institutions and educators to teach students metacognitive methods -- the analysis of one's own thinking processes - and the ability to learn how to learn, to put them in good stead for future challenges.

Amongst the discussions held at the three-day Marshall Cavendish Education Conference, Maths was quoted as a case where students who understand the processes required to derive the solution to a problem through 'mastery' rather than applying formulae that are memorised and then regurgitated benefitted more. In many Asian countries and regions such as mainland China, Singapore, and Hong Kong known for their academic excellence where the 'mastery' approach has already been implemented with known results, there are many success stories, that other nations can emulate.

A little over a month ago, the UK-government announced a GBP41 million investment in 'Asian Maths' for primary schools across England to help students improve in Mathematics. While the 'mastery' concept will be implemented in Maths lessons, students should be able to adapt the approach and execute it across other subjects through their newly learned way of tackling problems and be 21st Century ready.

Lee Fei Chen, Head of Publishing of Marshall Cavendish Publishing Group said:

"We will see many changes in the world of education in the 21st century. As a publisher of print and digital education solutions, we have to ensure our content encourages a holistic approach to learning that offers interactive dialogue between the teachers and their students. While the discussions over the last few days at our conference have been about how to make sure education stays relevant, we need to continue to facilitate and contribute to the conversation between the educators, parents, students and media. The challenges around 21st Century learning are very much real, and we have to make sure we have the solutions for them."

SOURCE Marshall Cavendish Education
DUBLIN, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

Research and Markets has announced the addition of the "Nuclear Power - Global Strategic Business Report" report to their offering.

This report analyzes the worldwide markets for Nuclear Power in TeraWatt-hours (TWh). The report provides separate comprehensive analytics for the US, Canada, Japan, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Rest of World.



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. Company profiles are primarily based on public domain information including company URLs.



The report profiles 87 companies including many key and niche players such as



Axpo Group ( Switzerland )

) Bruce Power ( Canada )

) CEZ, a.s. ( Czech Republic )

) China National Nuclear Corp. ( China )

) Chubu Electric Power Company Inc. ( Japan )

) Dominion Resources, Inc. (US)

E.ON SE ( Germany )

( ) EDF (Electricite de France ) SA ( France )

) SA ( ) EDF Energy Plc (UK)

ENBW Energie Baden-Wurttemberg AG ( Germany )

) ENDESA SA ( Spain )

) Enel Spa ( Italy )

) ENGIE Electrabel ( Belgium )

) Entergy Corporation (US)

Exelon Corporation (US)

JSC Atomenergoproekt ( Russia )

) Korea Hydro & Nuclear Power Co., Ltd. ( South Korea )

) NNEGC Energoatom ( Ukraine )

) Nuclear Power Corporation of India Limited ( India )

) Ontario Power Generation ( Canada )

) ROSATOM ( Russia )

) Rosenergoatom Concern OJSC ( Russia )

) Tennessee Valley Authority (US)

The Kansai Electric Power Company, Inc. ( Japan )

) The Tokyo Electric Power Co., Inc. ( Japan )

) Vattenfall Europe AG ( Germany )

Key Topics Covered:



1. Industry Overview



2. Market Trends & Drivers



3. Market Issues & Challenges



4. Regulatory Landscape



5. Technology Overview



6. Recent Industry Activity



7. Focus On Select Players



8. Global Market Perspective



Total Companies Profiled: 87 (including Divisions/Subsidiaries 99)



The United States (29)

(29) Canada (4)

(4) Japan (13)

(13) Europe (27)

(27) - France (1)

(1) - Germany (6)

(6) - The United Kingdom (3)

(3) - Italy (1)

(1) - Spain (2)

(2) - Rest of Europe (14)

(14) Asia-Pacific (Excluding Japan) (21)

(Excluding Japan) (21) Latin America (2)

(2) Africa (2)

(2) Middle-East (1)

For more information about this report visit http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/wfn2pm/nuclear_power



Related Topics: Nuclear Power

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

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SOURCE Research and Markets
The action creates the largest protected area in the world and expands the original monument by more than 442,760 square miles (1.15 million square kilometers). The area now covered is almost four times as large as California.

Today's announcement builds on steps taken by six presidentsstarting with Theodore Roosevelt and including three Republicans and three Democratsto conserve the ecosystems and wildlife of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. In 2006, President George W. Bush designated the islands and the surrounding waters a national marine monument, marking the first time a large area of ocean had been set aside for protection in the United States, which has a long history of establishing national parks on land. At the time, Papahanaumokuakea was the largest marine reserve in the world. Subsequently, more than a dozen large-scale highly protected marine reserves have been created around the globe, including nine larger than the original Hawaiian monument.

"Papahanaumokuakea inspired an international movement to safeguard large areas of ocean and create the world's first generation of great parks in the sea," said Joshua S. Reichert, an executive vice president at Pew who oversees strategy for its Global Ocean Legacy project. "By expanding the monument, President Obama has increased protections for one of the most biologically and culturally significant places on the planet."

U.S. Senator Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii) agreed. "Expanding Papahanaumokuakea makes a definitive statement about Hawaii's and the United States' commitment to ocean conservation. By adopting my proposal to expand the monument, President Obama has created a safe zone that will replenish stocks of tuna, promote biodiversity, and fight climate change, and he has given Native Hawaiians a greater voice in managing this precious resource," Schatz said.

"President Obama's declaration is only the beginning. To create continuing success, we will need to work together to maintain and grow the partnerships that made the expansion possible in the first place," the senator added.

Through petitions, public meetings, and other events, Hawaiians expressed strong support for the expansion, particularly the Native community, which proposed the idea to the White House in January. To Native Hawaiians, Papahanaumokuakea is a place of honor, believed to be the root of ancestral connections to the gods and the site to which spirits return after death.

"Papahanaumokuakea is critically important to Native Hawaiian cultureit is our ancestral place, the birthplace of all life," said Sol Kahoohalahala, a seventh-generation Hawaiian from the island of Lanai and a member of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands Native Hawaiian Cultural Working Group. "The expanded monument will serve as a conservation, climate, and cultural refuge for my granddaughter and future generations."

Pew's Global Ocean Legacy campaign worked with Native Hawaiians, scientists, elected officials, community leaders, businesses, and the larger environmental community to build support for expansion. The efforts included an in-depth study of the biological and cultural significance of the area, town hall meetings, educational sessions, news conferences, and media interviews. More than 1 million people from Hawaii and beyond signed petitions or wrote letters to the White House and lawmakers. In June, some 1,500 scientists signed a letter to President Obama backing the expansion.

Although much of the region remains to be fully explored, Papahanaumokuakea is home to more than 7,000 species, a quarter of which are endemic, or found nowhere else on Earth; some have only recently been discovered. The area provides habitat for rare species such as threatened green turtles, endangered Hawaiian monk seals, and false killer whales, as well as 14 million seabirds representing 22 species. This year, scientists exploring these waters discovered a new type of ghostlike octopus they nicknamed Casper, as well as three new species of fish.

Some places within the expanded monument show 100 percent endemism at depths of 100 meters. Scientists also have found the world's oldest known living organisma deep-water black coral estimated to be 4,265 years oldwithin the new boundaries. Shipwrecks from the World War II Battle of Midway, including wreckage from the aircraft carrier USS Yorktown, also are located in the newly protected area.

More ocean has been set aside for protection in the past 18 months than during any other period in history, with announcements of new marine reserves by the governments of the U.S., the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Chile, and Palau. The Global Ocean Legacy campaign has helped safeguard 2.4 million square miles (6.3 million square kilometers) of ocean by working with local communities, governments, scientists, and other stakeholders around the world.

Even with these successes, only about 3 percent of the world's ocean has been set aside with strong protections. Recent science supports conserving at least 30 percent to maintain biodiversity, support fisheries productivity, and safeguard the myriad economic, cultural, and life-supporting benefits of the seas.

The Pew Charitable Trusts is driven by the power of knowledge to solve today's most challenging problems. Learn more at pewtrusts.org.

Global Ocean Legacy is a partnership established in 2006 to promote the creation of marine reserves in the world's oceans. Current partners include The Pew Charitable Trusts, Bloomberg Philanthropies, Lyda Hill, Oak Foundation, The Robertson Foundation, and The Tiffany & Co. Foundation. Learn more at globaloceanlegacy.org.

Media contact: Laura Margison, +1-202-849-0272, lmargison@pewtrusts.org

Related Links

http://pewtrusts.org



SOURCE The Pew Charitable Trusts
ALMATY, Kazakhstan, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- At 10am local time on August 26, the "Sensing China-Travel to Kazakhstan" exhibition formally opened at Kazakhstan National University in the nation's largest city Almaty.

Co-sponsored by the State Council Information Office of the People's Republic of China, the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in Kazakhstan, the Consulate General of the People's Republic of China in Almaty, Astana government and the municipal government of Almaty, the exhibition will last for six days (from August 26-31) and features a photo exhibition and tourism promotion, a "Created in China" economics and trade fair, the "establishing China" pavilion, the China intangible cultural heritage exhibition, and media visits between China and Kazakhstan.

The centuries-old history, superior natural conditions, inclusive city temperament, cultural exchange and mutual learning brought by the South Silk Road together have formed the outstanding traditional culture of Chengdu. As the region's most traditional art skills, Shu embroidery, bamboo weaving, shadow play, eggshell painting, calligraphy, gourd pyrography and tea art will join together with Ya'an Tibetan tea and Wusheng paper-cutting to offer visitors an interactive and performance-filled experience to vividly present China's intangible traditional art skills to an audience.

Part of the "Sensing China" series sees the arrival in Almaty of 30 panda sculptures, a special gift from Chengdu, in China's southwestern Sichuan province. The "panda exhibition" is set to be one of the highlights of the show and will show the people of Kazakhstan the culture, spirit and charm of China.

The pandas on display were co-created by the young people of China Central Academy of Fine Arts, Sichuan University, Sichuan Normal University, Tianjin Academy of Fine Arts and inheritors of intangible cultural heritage, with the intention of bringing them to Kazakhstan to show the world what it is to be "Created in China", not just "Made in China".

"We want to conserve Chinese culture by borrowing the symbol of China's national treasure, the panda, to protect intangible cultural heritages, instill the newborn strength of Chengdu into younger generations, and present Chengdu in the way that it deserves," said Kevin Liu, the designer of the "panda exhibition".

To see some photos of the exhibition in action, click the links below.

Photo 1

Photo 2

Photo 3

This press release is distributed by Chengdu Economic Daily, a co-sponsor of the "Sensing China-Travel to Kazakhstan" exhibition.

SOURCE Chengdu Economic Daily
NOTE TO EDITORS: The influenza vaccines business, previously owned by Novartis, has been integrated into CSL's influenza vaccine business and now operates as Seqirus.

- An integrated safety analysis of 36 clinical trials was performed for MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine in adults aged 65 years of age and older[1]

- MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine demonstrated increased breadth of antibody responses in comparison to non-adjuvanted trivalent vaccines (TIV)[2]

- As the second largest vaccine provider in the world, Seqirus is committed to delivering a broad range of options to help protect against seasonal influenza

MAIDENHEAD, United Kingdom, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Seqirus today announced results from three analyses of a total of 42 clinical trials that evaluated the safety and immunogenicity of its MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine in adults 65 years of age and older. The analyses, which add to the body of evidence of benefit in using adjuvanted influenza vaccines among elderly patient populations were presented at the Options IX for the Control of Influenza conference (Options IX) in Chicago, 24-28 August 2016.1,2

The first integrated analysis of safety data from 36 clinical trials assessed the risk of less common but serious adverse events with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine in adults aged 65 years and older compared to non-adjuvanted trivalent influenza vaccines. Results showed vaccination with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine resulted in an increase in mild to moderate solicited adverse events (AEs) as compared to non-adjuvanted trivalent vaccines, but no increased risk of unsolicited AEs, including serious AE or deaths. Results also suggested that revaccination with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine in subsequent influenza seasons was well tolerated in older adults 65 and older.1

"Adults aged 65 years and older are at a greater risk of serious complications from influenza compared with younger adults because the immune system may weaken with age," said Gregg C. Sylvester, MD, MPH, Vice President, Medical Affairs, Seqirus. "We are proud to build upon the body of evidence demonstrating the safety profile of our MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine."

In a second analysis of data from four clinical trials, the immunogenicity of MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine against heterologous seasonal influenza virus strains was evaluated among adults aged 65 years and older immunized with either MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine or a non-adjuvanted trivalent vaccine comparator. The MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine demonstrated increased breadth of antibody responses in comparison to non-adjuvanted comparators.

The third analysis, using samples of two seasonal licensure Phase II trials in adults aged 61 years and older, evaluated the heterologous antibody response against the antigenically drifted H3N2 strain during the 2014-2015 season in individuals vaccinated with either MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza or non-adjuvanted trivalent vaccine comparator.

The data from the clinical trials and post licensure studies suggest that MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine generated a higher percentage of significant antibody titer increase against both vaccine strain-specific and heterologous influenza virus strains.2

About the Studies

The integrated safety analysis assessed nearly 13,000 patients aged 65 years and older. The analysis included 15 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) with a TIV control, 17 single cohort seasonal trials, and four trials which compared different vial configurations and formulations of MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine. Results showed vaccination with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine resulted in an increase in mild to moderate solicited adverse events (AEs) as compared to non-adjuvanted trivalent vaccines, but no increased risk of unsolicited AEs, including serious AE or deaths.1

In the second analysis examining immunogenicity of MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine, data from four clinical trials conducted over 19 years showed seroconversion rates were significantly higher with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine than the comparator vaccine (lower 95% CI exceeding 0) in nine of 10 heterologous strains tested. Similarly, geometric mean titers (GMT) amongst subjects vaccinated with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine were significantly greater (lower 95% CI of the GMT ratio exceeding 1) in seven of 10 strains tested.

To specifically examine the heterologous antibody response against the antigenically drifted H3N2 strain during the 2014-2015 season, we used sera samples from two 2013/14 NH seasonal licensure Phase II trials. Microneutralization assays against the vaccine matched A/Texas/50/2012 or A/Hong Kong/5738/2014 viruses were performed with samples from individuals 61 years of age and older vaccinated with either the 2013/14 NH MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine or non-adjuvanted TIV comparator. 32 percent of subjects vaccinated with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine showed seroconversion as measured by a fourfold or greater increase in antibody titers over pre-vaccination titers against the A/Texas cell version, while only 13 percent of those vaccinated with TIV showed seroconversion.2 40 percent of individuals vaccinated with MF59-adjuvanted seasonal trivalent influenza vaccine seroconverted against the A/Hong Kong strain, whereas only 13 percent of individuals vaccinated with the non-adjuvanted TIV comparator seroconverted.2

About Seasonal Influenza

Influenza is a common, highly contagious infectious disease that can cause severe illness and life-threatening complications in many people. Because transmission to others may occur one day before symptoms develop and up to five to seven days after becoming sick, the disease can be easily transmitted to others. Influenza can lead to clinical symptoms varying from mild to moderate respiratory illness to severe complications, hospitalization and in some cases death.3 On average, more than 200,000 people are hospitalized due to influenza-related complications in the US each year.4

About Seqirus

Seqirus is the new global company created in July 2015 from the combined strength and expertise of bioCSL Inc. and the influenza vaccines business formerly owned by Novartis AG. As the second largest influenza vaccine provider in the world, Seqirus is driven by the promise it shares with parent company, CSL Limited, to provide medicines that help to protect and save lives.

Seqirus is a transcontinental partner in pandemic preparedness and a major contributor to the prevention and control of influenza globally, with extensive research and production expertise and manufacturing plants in the US, Europe and Australia and a commercial presence in 20 countries.

Seqirus is part of CSL Limited (ASX: CSL), headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. The CSL Group of companies employs more than 16,000 people with operations in more than 30 countries.

For more information visit www.seqirus.com and www.csl.com.

References

Leav B, et al. MF59 Adjuvanted Seasonal Trivalent Influenza Vaccine: Pooled Analysis of Safety in Older Adults 65 Years of Age. Presented at Options IX for the Control of Influenza Conference, Chicago , USA , 24-28 August 2016 . Settembre, E., et al. Antibody Responses Against Antigenically Drifted Strains of FLUAD, a Seasonal MF59 Adjuvanted Trivalent Influenza Vaccine in Older Adults. Presented at Options IX for the Control of Influenza Conference, Chicago , USA , 24-28 August 2016 . Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Key Facts About Seasonal Flu Vaccine. Available at: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/keyfacts.htm. Accessed April 2016 . Thompson WW, Shay DK, Weintraub E, et al. Influenza-associated hospitalizations in the United States . JAMA. 2004;292(11):1333-1340.

Media Contact

Monica Galimberti Polina Miklush Corporate Affairs, Seqirus Ruder Finn monica.galimberti@seqirus.com miklushp@ruderfinn.com seqirus.communications@seqirus.com Phone: (212) 583-2793 Phone: +39 335 7440521 (mobile)



Related Links

http://www.seqirus.com



SOURCE Seqirus
WASHINGTON, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Amtrak is contracting with Alstom to produce 28 next-generation high-speed trainsets that will replace the equipment used to provide Amtrak's premium Acela Express service. The contract is part of $2.45 billion that will be invested on the heavily traveled Northeast Corridor (NEC) as part of a multifaceted modernization program to renew and expand the Acela Express service.

"Amtrak is taking the necessary actions to keep our customers, the Northeast region and the American economy moving forward," said Amtrak President & CEO Joe Boardman. "These trainsets and the modernization and improvement of infrastructure will provide our customers with the mobility and experience of the future."

The new trainsets will have one-third more passenger seats, while preserving the spacious, high-end comfort of current Acela Express service. Each trainset will have modern amenities that can be upgraded as customer preferences evolve such as improved Wi-Fi access, personal outlets, USB ports and adjustable reading lights at every seat, enhanced food service and a smoother, more reliable ride.

This procurement comes as demand for Acela Express service is as popular as ever, with many trains selling out during peak travel periods. The new trainsets will allow for increased service including half-hourly Acela Express service between Washington D.C. and New York City during peak hours, and hourly service between New York City and Boston.

"As more people rely on Amtrak, we need modernized equipment and infrastructure to keep the region moving," said Chairman of the Amtrak Board of Directors Anthony Coscia. "These trainsets will build on the popularity and demand of the current Acela Express and move this company into the future as a leader in providing world-class transportation."

The new trainsets will operate along the Washington  New York  Boston Northeast Corridor initially at speeds up to 160 mph and will be capable of speeds up to 186 mph and thus will be able to take advantage of future NEC infrastructure improvements.

Additionally, the trainsets use the base design of one of the safest high-speed trainsets. Concentrated power cars, located at each end of the trainset, provide an extra buffer of protection. The trainsets will also meet the latest Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) guidelines including a Crash Energy Management system.

"The next generation of Acela service will mean safer, faster and modern trains for customers throughout the Northeast," said U.S. Senator Charles Schumer. "This investment will pay immediate dividends for businesses and travelers from Washington D.C. to Boston, and the fact that these new trains will be built in Upstate New York makes this project a win-win. These New York-made Acela trains will soon be zipping along the Northeast Corridor and  as a regular customer  I can't wait for my first ride."

"The Northeast Corridor is a national economic engine that carries a workforce contributing $50 billion annually to the national GDP," said U.S. Senator Cory Booker. "Amtrak's continued investment in modernizing its fleet will only serve to enhance this vital rail link between Boston and Washington D.C. while allowing for safer and faster travel at a time when passenger demand is expected to rise. Strengthening our nation's infrastructure is essential to the economic growth of our region and the nation and this investment by Amtrak will help ensure the reliable service travelers expect."

Amtrak is funding the trainsets and infrastructure improvements through the FRA's Railroad Rehabilitation & Improvement Financing program that will be repaid through growth in NEC revenues.

"Amtrak is grateful for all of the support we have received from Congress, especially from Sen. Schumer and Rep. Reed who represents Hornell, New York  home of the Alstom facility," said Boardman. "We would also like to thank Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Thune and Ranking Member Nelson and House Transportation Committee Chairman Shuster and Ranking Member DeFazio for their leadership on the FAST Act. Additionally, we appreciate the efforts of Senators Booker and Wicker for their support on the inclusion of the rail title, the first time Amtrak reauthorization has been included in surface transportation legislation."

In addition to the trainsets, Amtrak is also investing in infrastructure needed to improve the on-board and station customer experience that will accommodate the increased high-speed rail service levels. Amtrak will invest in significant station improvements at Washington Union Station, Moynihan Station New York, as well as track capacity and ride quality improvements to the NEC that will benefit both Acela Express riders and other Amtrak and commuter passengers. Amtrak will also modify fleet maintenance facilities to accommodate the new trains.

The trainsets will be manufactured at Alstom's Hornell and Rochester, N.Y., facilities, creating 400 local jobs. Additionally, parts for the new trainsets will come from more than 350 suppliers in more than 30 states, generating an additional 1,000 jobs across the country.

The first prototype of the new trainsets will be ready in 2019, with the first trainset entering revenue service in 2021. All of the trainsets are expected to be in service, and the current fleet retired, by the end of 2022.

High-resolution photos, a video, fact sheet and other materials are available here.

About Amtrak

Amtrak  America's Railroad  is dedicated to safe and reliable mobility as the nation's intercity passenger rail service provider and its high-speed rail operator. With our state and commuter partners, we move people, the economy and the nation forward, carrying more than 30 million Amtrak passengers for each of the past five years. Formally known as the National Railroad Passenger Corporation, Amtrak is governed by a ten member board of directors appointed by the President of the United States and confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Anthony R. Coscia is board chairman and Jeffrey R. Moreland is vice chairman. Amtrak operates more than 300 trains daily  at speeds up to 150 mph (241 kph)  connecting more than 500 destinations in 46 states, the District of Columbia and three Canadian Provinces. Learn more at Amtrak.com or call 800-USA-RAIL for schedules, fares and other information. Check us out at blog.Amtrak.com, Like us on Facebook.com and Follow us on Twitter @Amtrak.

SOURCE Amtrak

Related Links

http://www.amtrak.com


HAMILTON, Bermuda, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Ardmore Shipping Corporation (NYSE: ASC) ("Ardmore" or the "Company") today announced that it has completed its annual review of securities filings. As a part of this process, the Company has filed the following documents with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"): a shelf registration statement on Form F-3 (the "Registration Statement") registering $500 million of primary securities and additional secondary securities, a registration statement on Form S-8 registering shares under the 2013 Equity Incentive Plan, and a prospectus supplement for an at-the-market ("ATM") program.

Under the ATM program, the Company has entered into an open market sale agreement pursuant to which the Company may offer and sell common shares of up to an aggregate sales amount of $25 million. In addition, the Company's Board of Directors has authorized an expansion of the existing share repurchase plan to $25 million. Ardmore expects to repurchase these shares in the open market or in privately negotiated transactions, at times and prices that are considered to be appropriate by the Company, but is not obligated under the terms of the program to repurchase any shares, and at any time Ardmore may suspend, delay or discontinue the share repurchase plan.

Anthony Gurnee, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, commented:

"We routinely review our securities filings to ensure we have the ability at all times to pursue a range of potential opportunities in the execution of our strategic growth plan. We do not have plans for raising additional capital at this time."

The offering under each of the ATM program and the Registration Statement will be made only by means of a prospectus supplement and an accompanying prospectus filed as part of an effective registration statement on Form F-3 filed with the SEC. When available, copies of the prospectus supplement and accompanying base prospectus related to the offering under the ATM program may be obtained from The IGB Group, telephone: 212-477-8438 or 646-673-9701, email: [email protected] or [email protected].

This press release shall not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy, nor shall there be any sale of these securities in any jurisdiction in which an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful prior to registration or qualification under the securities laws of such jurisdiction.

About Ardmore Shipping Corporation

Ardmore owns and operates a fleet of mid-size product and chemical tankers ranging from 25,000 to 50,000 deadweight tonnes. The Company provides seaborne transportation of petroleum products and chemicals worldwide to oil majors, national oil companies, oil and chemical traders, and chemical companies, with its modern, fuel-efficient fleet of tankers.

Ardmore's core strategy centers around operating a modern, high-quality fleet of product and chemical tankers, building key long-term commercial relationships, and maintaining its cost advantage in assets, operations and overhead, while creating significant synergies and economies of scale as the Company grows. Ardmore provides its services to customers through voyage charters, commercial pools and time charters and enjoys close working relationships with key commercial and technical management partners.

Forward-Looking Statements

The statements in this press release that are not historical facts may be forward-looking statements, including statements about: the Company's future financing activities, including the timing and terms of share repurchases and the Company's plans regarding capital raising. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that could cause the outcome to be materially different. These risks and uncertainties include, among others, changes in the Company's capital requirements and those discussed in Ardmore's public filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ardmore undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements unless required to do so under the securities laws.

Investor Relations Enquiries:

The IGB Group

Mr. Leon Berman

Tel: 212-477-8438

Fax: 212-477-8636

Email: [email protected]

Or

Mr. Bryan Degnan

The IGB Group

Tel: 646-673-9701

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE Ardmore Shipping Corporation

Related Links

http://www.ardmoreshipping.com


KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Award-winning sustainable plantation management company, Asia Plantation Capital, has officially obtained a full manufacturing and processing license, after an assessment of its agarwood distillery and research centre. The license was awarded by the Majlis Perbandaran Pasir Gudang (MPPG: the Pasir Gudang Municipal Council), the local authority that administrates Pasir Gudang, Johor Bahru -- where the state of the art facility is located -- as well as other areas in the Iskandar Malaysia region.

In essence, the MPPG license is a benchmarking scheme for industries to comply with on standards such as safety, the environment, operations and processing criteria, to name but a few. With this license, Asia Plantation Capital is given the green light to manufacture, produce and process all agarwood and related products such as Oud oil, woodchips, bakhoor, incense sticks and more. The license also promotes market recognition of these products, and demonstrates excellence in quality control.

To obtain this license and receive the supporting documents, a thorough and comprehensive inspection was carried out over several months, not only by the MPPG, but also by other bodies such as the Fire and Rescue Department of Malaysia (BOMBA), the Department of Environment, and the Department of Occupational Safety and Health.

Steve Watts, Asia Plantation Capital's CEO, Asia Pacific said, "The MPPG's stringent testing criteria represents the industry's latest standards, and we are very pleased that Asia Plantation Capital has successfully met all the relevant requirements. This comes as another significant milestone for us at Asia Plantation Capital, as we mark our first anniversary of the distillery. It's a testament to the outstanding work we have put in, and means more to us than mere certification. It proves again how important our commitment is to producing Agarwood of the highest quality, in a sustainable manner, and with respect for the environment. Moreover," Watts concluded, "it strengthens our stand as a market leader. We will continue to constantly improve our processes and systems to ensure that we are at the forefront of the industry."

Asia Plantation Capital's facility incorporates an Oud oil distillery, a wood chip processing centre, a fragrance stick factory and a research centre, and occupies a 44,000 sq. ft. unit in the Masai Industrial Park. Also situated within the complex is a visitor centre, along with a wholesale factory shop stocked with the ever-growing range of agarwood products that APC produces. The facility also houses a laboratory for perfumes and essential oils, Asia Plantation Capital inoculation systems production, and MSDS analysis systems.

Equipped with the latest heat exchange steam distillation units using purified water -- as well as a clean energy solar power system to ensure maximum economic efficiency -- the factory utilises sustainable and environmentally-friendly energy systems throughout.

Parallel to Asia Plantation Capital's ethos, part of the MPPG's mission is to strive to develop a prosperous town in a sustainable manner with the characteristics of a green, urban environment in mind. Asia Plantation Capital's unceasing commitment and dedication to 'holistic sustainability' is not limited solely to its operations, but extends to involving local communities, investing in them, and establishing joint ventures with local farmers to provide and secure jobs.

For further information, please contact:

Zaahira Muhammad

Senior PR & Marketing Executive

Email: [email protected]

Office: +6012 203 5344

Samantha Tham

PR & Marketing Executive

Email: [email protected]

Mobile: +65 9144 0933

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160608/8521603739-a

Photo - http://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20160608/8521603739-b

SOURCE Asia Plantation Capital

Related Links

https://www.asiaplantationcapital.com


SYOSETT, N.Y., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Aviva Leebow Wolmer, chief executive officer of Pacesetter Steel Service, Inc., is the recipient of the 2016 CEO ConnectionMid-Market Rising Star Award.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401355

Aviva Leebow Wolmer

"As one of the rising mid-market business executives in the world, Aviva Leebow Wolmer has demonstrated true leadership not only in her role at Pacesetter but by thinking beyond the corporate walls to help improve lives and benefit the greater society," said Kenneth Beck, CEO of CEO Connection. "Her story reflects the importance of the mid-market to the economy and sets a standard for mid-market rising stars."

Aviva Leebow Wolmer has been a transformative and commanding force during her tenure of leadership at Pacesetter, the unprecedented leader in innovative solutions for the manufacturing industry. Initially, she was responsible for creating "Pacesetter University," before transitioning first to Vice President for People and subsequently Executive Vice President  a role responsible for the company's corporate, profitable growth.

Upon Leebow Wolmer's promotion to CEO, she released the "Vivid Vision." This document continues to inspire and direct a culture shift within the organization. Because of her dedication to innovation, partnership and personal fulfillment in the workplace, departmental boundaries no longer exist and she has ignited inspiration, creativity, enthusiasm and collaboration throughout the entire organization.

Leebow Wolmer is aggressively working to break down the perception that steel is an antiquated industry and replace it with her vision of a vibrant, technology-driven cornerstone of American manufacturing.

Last week, CEO Connectionannounced winners of three other 2016 Mid-Market Awards: Mid-Market Company of the Year  LinkedIn; Mid-Market CEO of the Year Ganesh Ayyar of Mphasis; and Social Impact Award  John Replogle of Seventh Generation.

The awards recognize mid-market leaders and companies that have demonstrated leadership, creativity, generosity and other qualities that represent the true spirit of the mid-market.

Award winners will be recognized at the 2016 Mid-Market Convention Sept. 18-21 at The Wharton School in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This exclusive global gathering features hundreds of CEOs, political leaders and business experts convening to discuss issues and challenges for mid-market companies. For more information and to register for the convention, visit www.midmarketconvention.com/registration.

The CEO Connection 2016 Mid-Market Convention is made possible by the interactive support of strategic partners, including ABM, Andromeda Simulations International, Carpedia, Chief Executive Officer, Cooley, Invest in Canada, Delta Private Jets, KR Strategy, MasterCard, Minority Business Development Agency, Prime Genesis, RSM, Sibson Consulting, Mastered in Tennessee and Wharton.

ABOUT CEO CONNECTION:

CEO Connection is the only membership organization in the world reserved exclusively for CEOs of mid-market companies  companies with between $100 million and $3 billion in annual revenue. Our mission is to help mid-market CEOs and their companies succeed. We accomplish this by connecting them to each other; connecting them to people, information and resources to which they would otherwise not have access; and promoting the interests, welfare and perspective of the mid-market.

Members are C-level executives with responsibility for all or significant portions of their respective company. They represent a wide variety of businesses across a broad geographic spectrum. Collectively, mid-market companies account for $10 trillion of the $30 trillion annual U.S. private sector gross receipts.

Inspired by C-level Wharton executives, CEO Connection began in 2005 and has evolved into a dynamic community with wide-ranging benefits uniquely designed to help the mid-market CEO and champion the mid-market perspective. For more information, visit www.ceoconnection.com. Stay connected on Twitter: @CEOConnection and LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/ceo-connection.

MEDIA CONTACT: Erin Allen, Email, 800-244-4719, ext. 501

SOURCE CEO Connection

Related Links

http://www.ceoconnection.com


MOLINE, Ill., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Proterra, the leading innovator in heavy-duty electric transportation, today announced that the Illinois Quad Cities' MetroLINK transit organization, is going forward with the purchase of two 40-foot Proterra XR electric buses this fall, with the potential to significantly expand their zero emission vehicle (ZEV) fleet over the next four years. With 312 zero-emission buses sold to 35 different municipal, university and commercial customers across the country, Proterra continues to solidify its status as the premier North American provider of clean, quiet, emission-free mass transit vehicles. This new procurement represents a joint effort by MetroLINK and Proterra to minimize emissions, reduce traffic congestion and accelerate sustainable infrastructure development throughout the Illinois Quad Cities.

"At MetroLINK, we offer our riders the opportunity to make sustainable choices through public transit. These new battery-electric Proterra buses will not only provide an environmentally friendly service to our customers, they'll also exemplify MetroLINK's longstanding commitment to eco-conscious infrastructure adoption," said Jeff Nelson, general manager at MetroLINK. "Sustainability is at the core of every decision we make at MetroLINK, and we're more than excited to officially deploy our new electric buses in 2017."

With an annual total ridership of 3.5 million, MetroLINK provides mass transit services to Illinois citizens throughout the Illinois Quad Cities region, including Rock Island, Milan and Moline school children and Augustana, Black Hawk College and Western Illinois University students. Now, with access to Proterra's battery-electric buses, all of these riders will be able to enjoy the myriad of benefits of zero-emission mass transit technology, including improved community air quality and a modern, quiet rider experience.

"The Illinois Department of Transportation is proud to be a partner in sustainable transit options throughout the Quad Cities. We look forward to growing service throughout Illinois to improve the quality of life and make our state even better place to raise a family, work and do business," Beth McCluskey, director, Office of Intermodal Project Implementation, Illinois Department of Transportation.

MetroLink's announcement also coincides with the Illinois Public Transit Association (IPTA) Fall Conference, which is taking place Aug. 24-26 in Moline, Ill. and feature presentations on how next-gen mass transit solutions are bettering communities nationwide.

"Increasingly, transit agencies, commercial organizations and communities throughout Illinois and the Midwest are turning to electric infrastructure solutions that cut back on emission levels and lay the foundation for sustainable urban ecosystems," said Laura Calderon, executive director of the Illinois Public Transit Association. "We hope that sustainability will play a key role in the discussion at our Fall Conference next week, and that it will continue to influence transit operators' decision-making in the future."

"MetroLINK and the Illinois Quad Cities already have an outstanding reputation for pursuing and implementing forward-looking transportation technologies. We're proud to help them further solidify this reputation by providing them with our battery-electric transit vehicles," said Ryan Popple, CEO of Proterra. "With MetroLINK and other progressive agencies serving as models, the Midwest is quickly pivoting away from diesel and committing to sustainable mobility solutions that simply make economic and environmental sense, and Proterra is excited to help this regionand the country as a wholespeed into a clean energy future."

About Proterra:

Proterra is a leader in the design and manufacture of zero-emission vehicles that enable bus fleet operators to eliminate the dependency on fossil fuels and to significantly reduce operating costs while delivering clean, quiet transportation to the community. Proterra has sold more than 312 vehicles to 35 different municipal, university, and commercial transit agencies throughout North America. Proterra's configurable EV platform, battery and charging options make its buses well suited for a wide range of transit and campus routes. With unmatched durability and energy efficiency based on rigorous U.S. certification testing, Proterra products are proudly designed, engineered and manufactured in America, with offices in Silicon Valley, South Carolina, and Los Angeles. For more information, visit: http://www.proterra.com and follow us on Twitter @Proterra_Inc.

About MetroLINK:

MetroLINK is the Illinois public transit provider offering the "Metro" fixed route bus service, the "Channel Cat Water Taxi", and ADA Paratransit. The 3.5 million rides a year taken on MetroLINK services provide a vital connection to jobs, education, healthcare, and retail, supporting our local economy and creating a vibrant quality of life. Find out more about your commuting options at gogreenmetro.com.

SOURCE Proterra

Related Links

http://www.proterra.com


The double-blind and placebo-controlled clinical study involving 40 healthy volunteers demonstrates the safety of topically applying FS2 cream at the maximum feasible dose with no adverse effects. The study's findings will be released next week at the 2016 Congress of the International Society for Burn Injuries, the quadrennial gathering of the world's foremost wound-care and burn injury experts.

BirchBioMed holds the exclusive, worldwide pharmaceutical license from UBC for FS2 and AI-001, two medical therapeutic technologies that we believe signal significant breakthroughs in the treatment of scarring and certain autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 Diabetes and Alopecia (disfiguring hair loss). BirchBioMed is developing these revolutionary therapeutics to replace existing treatments for these diseases.

Discovered by UBC Professor of Surgery Dr. Aziz Ghahary, and his team, including Dr. Ryan Hartwell, one of the co-founders of the FS2 technology and Chief Science Officer of BirchBioMed, these technologies are being viewed as important breakthroughs that have the potential to impact millions of people worldwide.

"Until now there has not been a single therapeutic that can satisfactorily target the molecular aspects of scarring, which results from the body over-repairing after an injury, surgery or disease," said Dr. Ghahary, world-renowned as one of the top experts in scarring and burn injuries. Ghahary is also the director of the British Columbia Firefighters Burn and Wound Healing Laboratory, part of the Vancouver Coastal Health Research Institute (VCHRI).

In addition to showing effectiveness in preventing scarring and promoting the breakdown of existing scars, FS2, in combination with our licensed AI-001 therapy, a simple, short-term protocol, has also reversed certain autoimmune diseases, including Type 1 Diabetes and Alopecia, as demonstrated in gold-standard models and reported in top-tier, peer-reviewed medical and scientific journals including Diabetes and the Journal of Cell Physiology.

"It is our intention to develop our therapeutics to deliver products that can serve the entire global market and address a number of healthcare's costliest segments," said Mark Miller, BirchBioMed's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer. "Completion of Health Canada's approved Phase I trial of FS2 is a first of its kind and a major step in bringing its potential benefits to people suffering worldwide."

Dr. Hartwell, BirchBioMed's CSO, said: "The opportunity to radically reduce costs for the burn patient population and scarring in general, as well as FS2's impact on certain autoimmune diseases, holds the promise of changing the face of treating these conditions in revolutionary and highly cost-effective ways."

"Scarring affects hundreds of millions of people," said Dr. Hartwell, "and the physical and emotional toll it takes is devastating. The simplicity of our topical treatment holds the promise of improving patient quality-of-life and potentially achieving dramatic reductions in the cost of treatment."

BirchBioMed's UBC-licensed therapeutics have benefitted from approximately $6 million in academic research grants and donations from the Canadian government, Insurance Boards and leading foundations, including the Canadian Institutes of Health Research Proof-of-Principal Program, the National Science and Research Council, the JDRF (formerly the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) and The National Alopecia Areata Foundation (NAAF). It is also the first technology that UBC, or any other Canadian academic institution, has advanced from the discovery stage through Phase I clinical trials with support strictly from government and private donations. We believe this achievement is an index of this technology's potential importance and impact on society.

To date, BirchBioMed has raised and/or received verbal commitments for approximately $2 million in Series A funding, part of which has allowed BirchBioMed to surpass a major milestone requirement in its licensing agreement with UBC by raising more than $1 million (USD) in seed capital within 12 months (by June 10, 2016) of the license agreement's start date, allowing the Company to retain substantial long-term benefits and upside through its licensing of the UBC technology.

"We are very much looking forward to seeing BirchBioMed advance this new drug to the next set of clinical trials and through to market (because of its) significant potential for widespread benefit," said Brad Wheeler, UBC's Technology Transfer Manager, adding that FS2 is "the most clinically ready UBC therapeutic to be transferred to industry to date."

BirchBioMed's license was granted through UBC's University Industry Liaison Office. BirchBioMed is the 86th life science spin-off company from the university. Both UBC and VCHRI will also benefit through milestone payments based on clinical development and sales performance, as well as royalties based on BirchBioMed's worldwide sales of the therapies as the technologies develop commercially.

SOURCE BirchBioMed

Related Links

http://birchbiomed.com


SAN DIEGO, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- BNBuilders is pleased to announce that it has recruited seasoned Senior Project Manager, Alessandra Lapadula, LEED AP, to its San Diego office. Ms. Lapadula brings extensive experience managing multiple complex construction projects simultaneously. She joins the firm as it doubles operations in San Diego this year due to its reputation of building the best-in-class projects for leaders in the biotech, life science and healthcare industries.

Jamie Awford, Principal at BNBuilders, states, "We are pleased to have Alessandra join our team. Her experience handling technical projects will serve our clients well. She knows how to stay within the schedule and budget, and ensure the success of her team."

Ms. Lapadula joins BNBuilders' San Diego office with 17 years of experience in construction. She earned her bachelor's in Civil Engineering from California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo, and her master's in Civil Engineering/Construction Management from San Jose State University. Ms. Lapadula spent numerous years handling complex projects at Stanford University, including the $160 million Huang Engineering Center and Nano Center for Science and Technology, the LEED Platinum Yang and Yamazaki Environment and Energy, the Knoll Historic and Seismic Renovation, and The Clark Center. With BNBuilders, Ms. Lapadula will be working on the Spectrum Vertex Pharmaceuticals project developed by Alexandria Real Estate which starts in early October; and mapping out schedules, budgets, and subcontractors for new pursuits.

Alessandra Lapadula, LEED AP, Senior Project Manager with BNBuilders, states, "I'm excited to be a part of the BNBuilders team because they deliver so many customized projects to their clients. And that is the most rewarding part of my jobturning over a project that truly meets the needs of the owner."

About BNBuilders

Founded in 2000 in Seattle, BNBuilders is a West Coast general contractor that specializes in complex projects for clients in the life science, healthcare, education, commercial, public, multi-family residential, and office sectors. BNBuilders is known for their innovative solutions to highly technical issues, comprehensive preconstruction services, passion for sustainable construction practices, and commitment to safety. With multiple offices in Washington and California, BNBuilders is a leader and preferred contractor on the West Coast. BNBuilders' San Diego office was opened in 2010. For more information, visit www.bnbuilders.com.

Contact: Beth Binger

BCIpr

619-987-6658

[email protected]

SOURCE BNBuilders

Related Links

http://www.bnbuilders.com


CORAL GABLES, Fla., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- On Thursday, August 24, the United States Bartenders' Guild (USBG) announced New York Regional Finalist, Schuyler Hunton, as its North American "Most Imaginative Bartender" (MIB). The honor was bestowed at the 10th annual bartender competition, sponsored by BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, which took place in London for the first-time ever in celebration of the program's 10th Anniversary. After a fiercely competitive three-day cocktail-crafting throwdown, with ten of the top mixologists from across North America, Hunton, a Boston-native, and his winning drink Breakfast in Bombay (recipe below) took home the victory. As a result, Hunton will be featured on a special edition cover of GQ's December "Men of the Year" issue alongside his winning recipe. For the first time this year, Hunton will also embark on a trip to Tuscany to experience and learn about the selection of 10 exotic botanicals that make up BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin.

This year, the MIB program traveled to 33 American cities and 4 cities in Canada to find bartenders who push cocktail artistry to increasingly great heights. Hunton has not only earned glory amongst his peers, but clout within the industry, which will open up myriad opportunities within the bartending world.

On Monday, August 22, the finals kicked off at Laverstoke Mill Distillery, the home BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin. There, the ten competing finalists met to embark on an immersive experience, learning first-hand about the unique vapour-infusion distillation process of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, followed by cocktails outside the picturesque glasshouses that showcase its 10 exotic botanicals. The first day of the competition took place in the heart of London, where the bartenders competed in a "Market Challenge" judged by British celebrity chef, Jamie Oliver. Detroit-Regional Finalist Alex Chien took home the win, after crafting a cocktail in just 12 minutes from sourcing market fresh ingredients in the surprise "pantry". For the following challenge, "Guest Bar Shift," the finalists were tasked with creating a curated cocktail menu at a top local bar, which earned Hunton extra points for his overall score. Each bartender had the day to source local ingredients throughout London to prepare and batch three different gin-forward cocktail styles: a Gin & Tonic, an aromatic, stirred cocktail, and a long, refreshing cocktail. On Thursday night, during the finals at The Mondrian Hotel, the finalists each presented an original BOMBAY SAPPHIRE cocktail to a packed house of guests as well as the judges for the evening, including New York-based mixologist Pam Wiznitzer, Los Angeles restaurant owner Pablo Moix, San Francisco-based bar partner Jacques Bezuidenhout, Phoenix mixologist and beverage consultant Kim Hassarud, and BOMBAY SAPPHIRE North American Brand Ambassador Gary Hayward.

After an action-packed evening of sampling creations from the top ten finalists, the judges' ballots determined Hunton and his winning cocktail, Breakfast in Bombay (BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, Compound Grapefruit Earl Grey Oleo, Lemon Juice, and Egg White), as the overall winner of the competition  North America's 2016 Most Imaginative Bartender. Hunton also was named the People Choice Winner for the evening. The night showcased an inspirational art gallery, "10 Years, 10 Cocktails," filled with portraits of the past nine MIB winning recipes crafted from paints created from their corresponding cocktail ingredients.

Hunton said that the journey to London has been nothing short of life-altering: "Standing here tonight amongst such incredible talent from across North America, I am so honored to be recognized for craft. All ten of us take our artistry very seriously, and it's an extraordinary feeling to be recognized for doing what I love. I am thrilled to be joining a roster of such inspiring bartenders from across the country as the 10th winner of the program."

Ned Duggan, VP, Managing Director for BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin, said: "It's inspiring to celebrate our 10th Anniversary at the home of BOMBAY SAPPHIRE, Laverstoke Mill, and with bartenders of such high caliber. Ten years ago, when BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin started its sponsorship with the USBG for the 'Most Imaginative Bartender Competition,' we couldn't have imagined that USBG's program would have evolved into what it is today. This anniversary is about celebrating USBG's past nine winners, while welcoming our tenth, and reflecting on the annual journey that has uncovered so many incredibly talented bartenders along the way. These creative minds continue to move the industry forward, and we're extremely honored to play a role in identifying the next generation of innovative bartenders throughout North America."

USBG is proud to shine a spotlight on emerging bartending talent across North America while also showcasing BOMBAY SAPPHIRE gin. By helping to elevate the artistry of cocktails, the annual program increases both consumer awareness of the brand and appreciation for the industry as a whole.

Schuyler Hunton's winning cocktail recipe:

BREAKFAST IN BOMBAY

2oz Bombay Sapphire Gin

3/4oz Compound Grapefruit Early Grey Oleo

1/2oz Lemon Juice

1/2oz Egg White

About the USBG

The United States Bartenders' Guild is an organization of beverage service professionals dedicated to the continued refinement of our craft. Such refinement is achieved through advanced product education; original hand crafted cocktail competitions; and aggressive involvement with other professionals in the beverage industry throughout the country and internationally. It is our intention, desire and main focus to become the most skilled, knowledgeable and professional group of bartenders in the industry. Above all, the United States Bartenders' Guild supports and promotes well-informed, responsible consumption of alcoholic beverages.



ABOUT BOMBAY SAPPHIRE

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is the fastest growing premium Gin in the world and world's number one premium Gin by value. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is created with a unique combination of ten hand-selected botanicals, sourced from around the globe. The brand's global essence and signature vapour infusion process impart a refined and perfectly balanced taste, versatile enough for both classic cocktails and exotic recipes. Infused with Imagination, BOMBAY SAPPHIRE is a symbol of the exploration of worldly and sophisticated lifestyles. For more information, please explore www.bombaysapphire.com.

BE BRILLIANT AND INSPIRED. DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

facebook.com/bombaysapphire

2016. BOMBAY SAPPHIRE AND ITS TRADE DRESS ARE TRADEMARKS.

IMPORTED BY THE BOMBAY SPIRITS COMPANY U.S.A., CORAL GABLES, FL. GIN - 47% ALC. BY VOL.

The BOMBAY SAPPHIRE brand is part of the portfolio of Bacardi Limited, headquartered in Hamilton, Bermuda. Bacardi Limited refers to the Bacardi group of companies, including Bacardi International Limited.

SOURCE BOMBAY SAPPHIRE

Related Links

https://www.bombaysapphire.com


FREMONT, Calif., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ITIWANT LLC has launched a new line of premium personal headphones under the CAPE Audio brand, headlined by its flagship product, Rebellion Headphones, the world's first wireless, active noise-canceling spatial 3D headphones. Designed and created with technology support from Coolhear Ltd., a global leader in spatial 3D sound technology, Rebellion Headphones boast cutting-edge spatial 3D audio capabilities, outstanding Active Noise Control and state-of-the-art design for incredible ergonomics and all-day comfort. Rebellion Headphones are targeted to music aficionados, movie lovers and gamers.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401778

It wouldn't be a revolution without a major change in the way we hear audio. With Rebellion, CAPE pushes the envelope of existing headphone technology to create an exceptional 3D auditory experience.

At the core of Rebellion's spatial sound processing is Coolhear's proprietary 3D sound chip that performs complex algorithms and mathematical manipulations. With this powerful spatial 3D audio chip, music and sound come from behind, from the front, and from side to side  so the audio experience is completely immersive and realistic.

CAPE Audio engineers have utilized head-related transfer function (HRTF) algorithms to elevate 2D audio into 360, top-down and spherical 3D sound. Rebellion's speaker drivers incorporate a proprietary honeycomb design, where they are angled to be slightly parallel to the listener's auricular surface. This design works in conjunction with the Voice Coil Stabilization System (VCSS) to reduce incidental vibrations. The result is crystal clear sound with diminished distortion in the high and mid frequency range, and an even broader horizontal sound stage.

But Rebellion Headphones don't stop there. To attain the best spatial 3D audio experience, CAPE Audio designers knew they had to create a near perfect sound stage free from outside noise. Thanks to the Digital Signal Processor (DSP) in each pair of headphones, the active noise cancellation (ANC) found in Rebellion Headphones meets or beats noise reduction systems found in premium, high-end headphones. And rather than simply broadcasting the "white noise" mask typical to most noise-canceling headphones, Rebellion Headphones use two integrated microphones in harmony with the DSP to modulate music's existing frequencies whenever possible to attenuate noise without compromising on clarity. The DSP also enriches audio to a 3D sound stage worthy of your music, so rather than sounding tinny and flat  as conventional headphones do  Rebellion Headphones reproduce rich, vibrant music that sounds like it's being performed in a concert hall.

A downloadable companion app (for iOS and Android) will also be available that allows users to experience their existing music libraries in glorious spatial 3D sound.

Rebellion Headphones will be followed by several other high-end personal 3D audio devices developed by CAPE Audio. An Indiegogo campaign for Rebellion Headphones began on August 23, 2016 at http://bit.ly/2bLhifB.

To find out more about Rebellion Headphones, visit www.cape3D.us. Get ready for the start of an audio revolution  Rebellion is here.

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This content was issued through the press release distribution service at Newswire.com. For more info visit: http://www.newswire.com

SOURCE CAPE Audio

Related Links

http://www.cape3d.us


WEST BRANCH, Mich., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- A Consumers Energy meter reading supervisor has been recognized by the U.S. Defense Department for her willingness to accommodate an employee and National Guard reservist's military training schedule.

Janice Smith, a meter reading supervisor at the company's West Branch Service Center, was honored by the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, a division of the Defense Department, for going above and beyond to accommodate a short notice training requirement for employee and National Guard Reservist Eric Queener.

"We are committed to a talented and diverse workforce, including the addition of military veterans. We seek ways to welcome these dedicated and professional men and women into the Consumers Energy family  and to ensure they have the opportunity to continue to serve our country," said Cathy Hendrian, Consumers Energy's vice president of human resources.

Queener, a meter reader in West Branch, served nearly four years in U.S. Army active duty as a cavalry scout where he earned his Airborne and Ranger certifications. One of his deployments was to help secure Sadr City, Baghdad, in the U.S. troop surge of 2007. He is currently a staff sergeant and has been an instructor for the past eight years with the 108th training division out of Fraser.

Hired in February by Consumers Energy, Queener was Smith's first interview as a new meter reading supervisor. "Eric was very up front about his military status and obligations. As an Air Force veteran I know his first commitment is to defend our country, and felt this was my obligation to him, not his to me," Smith said.

Originally Queener was slated to attend schooling late last year, but that was cancelled. Then he was called to report to annual training in less than 10 days, while still a probationary employee. Typically reservists are asked to provide at least 30 days notice of scheduled military service.

Queener said Smith was supportive from the minute he told her of his upcoming schedule. "I've heard horror stories about employers who aren't willing to accommodate, but Janice said, 'Let me know the days and I'll take care of it.' I never even heard her sigh," he said.

While performing his annual training, Queener said he talked to fellow reservists who experienced difficulties getting time away from their jobs. He shared his positive story with one of the commanding officers, who told him about the Patriot Award. Queener nominated Smith.

While Smith is the actual award recipient, she said the award should be shared with all her employees, some of whom traveled daily from Midland to help ensure meters got read during Queener's two-week absence.

Peter Pallas, ombudsman director for Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve, saluted Smith. "Without the cooperation of people like Janice Smith and the promise of meaningful civilian employment, these citizen warriors could not defend and protect us at home and abroad," he said.

The Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve was established in 1972 to promote cooperation and understanding between Reserve service members and their civilian employers and to assist in resolving conflicts arising from an employee's military commitment.

Consumers Energy was recently recognized for its dedication to employing military veterans, being named a silver level Veteran-Friendly Employer by the Michigan Veterans Affairs Agency.

Consumers Energy, Michigan's largest utility, is the principal subsidiary of CMS Energy (NYSE: CMS), providing natural gas and electricity to 6.7 million of the state's 10 million residents in all 68 Lower Peninsula counties.

For more information about Consumers Energy, go to www.ConsumersEnergy.com.

Media toolkit

CAREER OPPORTUNITIES: Job openings at Consumers Energy: www.ConsumersEnergy.com/careers

VETERAN-FRIENDLY EMPLOYER: Consumers Energy was recently certified as a veteran-friendly employer: https://www.consumersenergy.com/News.aspx?id=8494&year=2016

NATURAL GAS BOOT CAMP: Learn more about this program for veterans: http://www.gasbootcamp.com/

Check out Consumers Energy on Social Media

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/consumersenergymichigan

Twitter: https://twitter.com/consumersenergy

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/consumersenergy

Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/consumersenergy



SOURCE Consumers Energy

Related Links

http://www.consumersenergy.com


BOGOTA, Colombia, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Due to the vacancies in the Board of Directors, the Chief Executive Officer of Ecopetrol S.A. (BVC: ECOPETROL; NYSE: EC) hereby calls on Shareholders to attend the extraordinary shareholders' meeting to be held on Wednesday, September 14th, 2016, starting at 7:30 a.m. at Ecopetrols auditorium located in Cra. 13 No. 36  24, Bogota, Colombia.

The agenda of the meeting will be:





Safety guidelines



Quorum verification



Opening by the Chief Executive Officer of Ecopetrol S.A.



Approval of the agenda



Appointment of the President for the meeting



Appointment of the Commission in charge of scrutinizing elections and polling



Appointment of the Commission in charge of reviewing and approving the minutes of the meeting



Election of the Board of Directors

The resumes of the current directors and new candidates nominated to fill the vacant positions are available on Ecopetrols Web site.

Shareholders that are not able to attend the Shareholders Meeting may be represented through a proxy, granted in writing, pursuant to the requirements provided for under Colombian Corporate Law. In order to facilitate the fulfillment of these requirements, shareholders are allowed to download from the website, various proxy models that have been designed for each relevant case.

Except for the cases of legal representation, officers and employees of Ecopetrol S.A. shall not be entitled to represent shares other than their own, while in exercise of their posts, nor shall they be allowed to substitute the powers of attorney conferred upon them.

In all events, shareholders representation shall be subject to the rules set forth under Colombian Corporate Law and Securities Regulations, concerning illegal, unauthorized and unsafe practices by the issuers of securities.

JUAN CARLOS ECHEVERRY GARZON

Chief Executive Officer

RECOMMENDATIONS:

Have your identity document at hand, and if you are representing other shares, the respective proxy.

To avoid congestions and ensure proper participation of shareholders, the doors of the auditorium and the registration spots will be opened from 6:30 a.m. onwards.

onwards. Entry of accompanying persons will be allowed only for physically handicapped Shareholders, elderly adults and under aged individuals.

No kits (presents) or food will be provided to the attendees.

-----------------------------------------

Ecopetrol is the largest company in Colombia and is an integrated oil & gas company; it is among the top 50 oil companies in the world and among the four top ones in Latin America. Besides Colombia - where it generates over 60% of the national production - it has exploration and production activities in Brazil, Peru & the US (Gulf of Mexico). Ecopetrol owns the largest refinery in Colombia and most of the pipeline and multi-product pipeline network in the country, and is significantly increasing its participation in bio-fuels.

This release contains statements that may be considered forward looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934. All forward-looking statements, whether made in this release or in future filings or press releases or orally, address matters that involve risks and uncertainties, including in respect of the Company's prospects for growth and its ongoing access to capital to fund the Company's business plan, among others. Consequently, changes in the following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those included in the forward-looking statements: market prices of oil & gas, our exploration and production activities, market conditions, applicable regulations, the exchange rate, the Company's competitiveness and the performance of Colombia's economy and industry, to mention a few. We do not intend, and do not assume any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

For further information, please contact:

Head of Corporate Finance and Investor Relations (A)

Lina Maria Contreras

Phone: (+571) 234 5190

E-mail: [email protected]

Media Relations (Colombia)

Jorge Mauricio Tellez

Phone: + 571-234-4329

E-mail: [email protected]

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SOURCE Ecopetrol S.A.

Related Links

http://www.ecopetrol.com.co


The 870-foot-long, 3,500 TEU containership design provides the capability to transport containers, automobiles and rolling stock, including trailers. Using proven design standards, the design incorporates LNG-capable main and auxiliary engines, which are compliant with Tier III emission requirements. The design accommodates future installation of a LNG fuel gas system.

Once delivered, the Jones Act qualified vessels will serve a trade route between the continental west coast and Hawaii.

"We are very pleased to partner with Matson to build their next generation of shipping vessels," said Fred Harris, president of General Dynamics NASSCO and Bath Iron Works. "NASSCO has long played a leading role in revolutionizing the future of the American shipping industry. Our partnership with Matson builds upon NASSCO's successful track record of constructing high-quality, highly efficient and on-time delivery for the Jones Act trade."

"We are pleased to be working with NASSCO again on new vessels for Matson. NASSCO's deep history and reputation for quality give us confidence that these new ships will be the most advanced efficient and productive vessels in our fleet," said Matt Cox, president and CEO of Matson. "Our last NASSCO vessel, RJ Pfeiffer, has been a mainstay of our Hawaii service and we look forward to adding the superior performance of these new Kanaloa Class vessels to the fleet."

Construction of the first containership will begin in early 2018, with deliveries in 2019 and mid-2020, respectively. The ships will be constructed at the NASSCO shipyard in San Diego.

NASSCO is partnered with Daewoo Ship Engineering Company (DSEC) to provide its customers with state-of-the-art ship design and shipbuilding technologies. Since 2006, the partnership produced four commercial ship designs for five separate Jones Act owners.

NASSCO serves as the only major shipyard on the west coast of the United States conducting design, new construction, and repair of commercial and U.S. Navy ships. As a complement to its government new construction and repair business segment, NASSCO provides extensive experience in commercial shipbuilding. In the past decade, NASSCO delivered 28 ocean-going ships to government and commercial customersincluding the world's first LNG-powered containerships.

For more information about General Dynamics NASSCO, visit www.nassco.com.

For more information about Matson Transportation Company, Inc., visit: www.matson.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20140428/81320

SOURCE General Dynamics NASSCO

Related Links

http://www.nassco.com


NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- HCCA International and HCCA Health Connections (collectively known as "HCCA"), a leader in providing nurse staffing and Clinical Process Outsourcing Solutions (CPO), has consolidated all of its business operations under the new name Shearwater Health.

"We have truly evolved as a company, and we felt it was time to express that with a new brand," said David Bartholomew, President and Chief Executive Officer of Shearwater Health. "We offer a much more comprehensive suite of services than we did just a few years ago."

HCCA International has been recruiting and deploying highly experienced nurses and other medical professionals from the Philippines to hospitals and healthcare organizations in the U.S. since 2002. During this time, HCCA International has placed more than 1,000 nurses in over 100 U.S. hospitals.

HCCA Health Connections also offers a full spectrum of URAC-accredited Clinical Process Outsourcing (CPOSM) services to clients in the United States, improving results and efficiency through medical management services, medical coding, and other healthcare-related support services. These services are provided by approximately 1,500 clinical and administrative support professionals working in the Philippines and the United States. The company focuses solely on healthcare and works with leading companies in the payer, provider and group health sectors.

"We help clients improve outcomes and reduce spending while freeing up clinical professionals and administrative staff to focus on objectives that maximize their talents," said Bartholomew. "Plus our approach is fully scalable  we can grow our relationship with customers as their business grows."

Additionally, the company has moved its operations center in Manila to the new 70,000 square-foot headquarters in Net Park, located in Bonifacio Global City, Metro Manila. The new office accommodates Shearwater Health's rapid growth. The company also maintains an operations center in Cebu City in the Philippines.

Shearwater Health was named as the Best Emerging IT-BPM Company for Healthcare at the annual International ICT Awards Philippines in March, 2016.

About Shearwater Health

Shearwater Health's global headquarters is located in Nashville, Tennessee. Shearwater is the expert at providing global healthcare solutions for their partners that improve their service deliveries while lowering costs of operations. The company utilizes their unique Global Healthcare Solutions Model to provide onsite clinical solutions in the U.S. while also delivering remote clinical and administrative services at scale, known as clinical process outsourcing (CPO). With a concentrated focus on the healthcare market, Shearwater combines their clinical expertise and business acumen to assist their clients in delivering better outcomes and care.

For more information, please visit: www.swhealth.com.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160823/400490LOGO

SOURCE Shearwater Health

Related Links

http://www.swhealth.com


NEWPORT BEACH, Calif., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Images Luxury Nail Lounge will be the Guest of Honor at the Shade Structure Dedication Ceremony today at Plaza Vista School in Irvine, California. As part of a continued mission to give back to its community, Images donated $10,000 toward building the structure in hopes of reducing the risks of skin cancer in children. Now, with construction complete, the local nail salon will proudly cut the ribbon, celebrating the official unveiling of the playground's much-awaited protective structure.

"At Images, it is paramount that we constantly reach out to our community, giving them something special in return for their years of loyal patronage," said Tony Nguyen, general manager of Images. "With the particularly sunny skies here in Southern California and Plaza Vista being a year-round school, we knew that supporting the PTA in the building of a shaded canopy would make a huge difference to both the students' health and happiness."

Mayor Steven Choi will also attend the ribbon cutting ceremony at the school. Afterwards, the Plaza Vista's PTA will host a free outdoor family movie night.

"The American Academy of Dermatology reports one out of five Americans is expected to develop skin cancer in their lifetime," said Nguyen. "Given the fact that schoolchildren spend their recesses and lunches playing outdoors, the decision to help fund a shaded playground structure was not only an easy choice, but also an important one. We are so thrilled we were able to help."

While Images Luxury Nail Lounge may be best known for its ultra lavish spa and nail treatments (i.e. it's $25,000 diamond-studded manicures), the opulent mani-pedi haven is also gaining a reputation for its continued philanthropic initiatives. In addition to its recent sponsorship of Plaza Vista School, Images has also donated time, resources, and efforts to local women's shelters, senior living communities, and various other local causes.

For more information or to schedule an appointment at Images Luxury Nail Lounge, please visit: www.imagesnaillounge.com.

About Images Luxury Nail Lounge

Images Luxury Nail Lounge offers a state-of-the-art interior design to bring its clients a luxurious getaway from the stresses of their lives. The salon provides a complete collection of therapeutic and refreshing nail care, as well as waxing and facial treatments. A pleasant treat for the hands and feet, Images pampers clients with scrubs and baths in marine mineral blends, nail trims customized to certain shapes and lengths, hydrating hot oil treatments, relaxing massages and application of colored nail lacquers, with additional glitz like real diamonds or carats of gold available.

About Plaza Vista School

Plaza Vista opened its doors in 1999 as a year-round option for Irvine students. Focusing on family, arts and academics. Today, Plaza Vista is one of two K-8 schools in Irvine, California and the only school in the district currently to feature ten grades. The school's amazing PTA strengthens the community and provides resources for its many programs and initiatives, which include its May carnival, the Jog-a-thon, the annual membership drive, family nights, guest lectures, the magic show, bingo, assemblies, bake sales, lunch-time activities, field trips and more. Plaza Vista is committed to ensuring all students experience individual success regularly.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401758LOGO

SOURCE Images Luxury Nail Lounge
Contract covers installation of 500 Smart Antennas into first Shopping Complex; Minimum Revenue to iSIGN of $2.7 million Canadian

TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. ("iSIGN" or "Company") (TSX-V: ISD) (OTC: ISDSF), a leading provider of interactive mobile advertising solutions that serves brands, commercial locations, retailers and service providers throughout North America is pleased to announce the signing of a contract between their reseller We Build Apps, LLC ("WBA"), and a major shopping complex for 500 Smart Antennas on August 19, 2016.

The Smart Antennas are being provisioned and prepared for shipment and the ancillary cables and power injectors have been ordered. Shipment to WBA is expected to be completed within fifteen (15) days.

iSIGN revenues generated by 500 unit order consist immediately of two parts  (i) the sale of the hardware and (ii) the monthly fees charged for broadcasting and data management. The sale of the Smart Antennas and ancillary items will generate immediate revenues of approximately $390,000 Cdn, while the broadcasting and data management fees will generate monthly revenues of approximately $65,000 Cdn from date of installation for three (3) years, based on current exchange rates. Revenue to iSIGN from this installation of 500 Smart Antennas is a minimum of $2,700,000 Cdn.

The companies who will be handling the electrical and Smart Antenna installations are in place with multiple crews available to ensure that installations are handled expeditiously. WBA's anticipated date for completion of installation into the shopping complex is sometime in October 2016.

"We are very pleased to announce the closing of this contract," said Mr. Rodney Colley, Chief Executive Officer of WBA. "Our dealings were originally for the use of iSIGN's technology for advertising purposes on 100 Smart Antennas, however, once it became apparent that iSIGN's technology and Smart Antennas could deliver messaging in cases of emergencies, the shopping complex' insurance company designated iSIGN's technology and hardware as a security and safety device, resulting in a reduction in the complex' annual insurance premiums. This designation lengthened the overall approval process by adding additional levels of review to the process. It is worth noting that as the complex expands, additional Smart Antennas will be required to ensure full broadcasting coverage and continued saving on their insurance premiums."

"However, while the involvement of the complex' insurance company extended the delivery time for a signed contract, it also resulted in a larger order," added Mr. Colley. "In addition, we have gained very valuable experience from this entire process that we will be able to use with other prospective clients and we believe this will reduce the time frame for closing future sales of iSIGN's technology and hardware."

The shopping complex, one of 16 properties managed by their management company, is an approximately 78 acre complex that includes retail outlets, restaurants, outdoor concert venues, residential apartments and office buildings, with an annual visitor count of approximately 18 million people.

"Our next step will be presentations to the management company's other properties," added Mr. Colley. "With the insurance premium savings from iSIGN's system having been deemed a security and safety system, our expectation is that we will be installing into all of their properties."

Additional information concerning all partners will be released shortly.

About iSIGN Media

iSIGN Media, based in Toronto, is a data-focused, software-as-a-service (SaaS) company that is a pioneering leader in gathering point-of-sale data and mobile shopper preferences to generate actionable data and reveal valuable consumer insights. Creators of the Smart suite of products, a patented interactive proximity marketing technology, iSIGN enables brands to deliver targeted messaging, personalized offers and loyalty perks to consumers' mobile devices in proximity and with real-time proof of redemption. iSIGN's data gathering capabilities provide analytics on price points, typical purchases, in-store dwell time and other shopper metrics that identify emerging consumer behaviors. These insights enable smarter business decisions and provide increased ROI metrics for more transparent marketing. iSIGN delivers relevant, timely messages on an opt-in basis at no charge to consumers, transmitting rich media to consumer mobile devices via Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity in complete privacy as opposed to iBeacons, apps, downloads and required surrendering of personal information. Proven to increase brand engagement and customer loyalty, iSIGN generates preference-based, predictive "clean data" without compromising consumer privacy. Partners include: IBM, Keyser Retail Solutions, Baylor University, Verizon Wireless, TELUS and AOpen America Inc. www.isignmedia.com

About We Build Apps

We Build Apps, backed and supported by MSNET Corp, is a data-focused, SaaS company based in Cleveland, Ohio. WBA will provide a large area interactive mobile messaging and data capturing solution to foster an engaged Smartphone and mobile device network, in addition to the design of premier apps, to develop effective digital marketing strategies. www.webuildappsllc.com

Forward-Looking Statements

This news release may include certain forward-looking statements that are based upon current expectations, which involve risks and uncertainties associated with iSIGN Media's business and the environment in which the business operates. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend" and similar expressions to the extent they relate to the Company or its management. The forward-looking statements are not historical facts, but reflect iSIGN Media's current expectations regarding future results or events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from current expectations. iSIGN Media assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements, or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements.

 2016 iSIGN Media Solutions Inc. All Rights Reserved. All other trademarks and trade names are the property of their respective owners.

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 or accuracy of this release.

SOURCE iSIGN Media Corp

Related Links

www.isignmedia.com


CINCINNATI, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Kroger Co. (NYSE: KR) will host a conference call with investors on Friday, September 9, 2016 at 10 a.m. (ET) to discuss financial results for the second quarter 2016.

The presentation will be broadcast online at ir.kroger.com. Click on "Quarterly Results" to access the event. An on-demand replay of the webcast will be available at approximately 1 p.m. (ET) on Friday, September 9.

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 our 2,231 pharmacies, 784 convenience stores, 323 fine jewelry stores, 1,387 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.

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SOURCE The Kroger Co.

Related Links

http://www.kroger.com


TriStyle was itself acquired by Equistone last year, and the business has been actively looking for other synergistic opportunities that can benefit from TriStyle's strong operating, sourcing and financial stability, strength and momentum.

Long Tall Sally will continue to be operated independently from its east London offices with the existing management team led by Andrew Shapin.

Andrew Shapin, CEO, Long Tall Sally commented, "The tall women of the world have a strong desire to purchase well made, up-to-date fashion, and we are proud and passionate about working to provide them real choices. Our team, with the backing of Amery Capital, has transformed LTS from a 10 million UK retailer to an international, fast growing, profitable, digitally led 50 million (60m, $68m) sales p.a. omni-channel business, with c.70% of sales online. We are very excited about the opportunity to continue to accelerate our growth around the world with the backing of one of Europe's leading direct to consumer fashion businesses."

"We are delighted that Michael and Maurice Bennett will deservedly enjoy yet another successful return on the inspiration, wisdom, and laughs they have invested in Long Tall Sally over the past 10 years," said Maurice Helfgott, Chairman of Amery Capital and Long Tall Sally. "They join me in wholeheartedly thanking Andrew Shapin and our experienced teams and suppliers across the world for making Long Tall Sally such a success. I am very pleased to remain with the business as Chairman, and to reinvest with Andrew in TriStyle alongside such accomplished professional investors Equistone Partners Europe."

Michael Bork Partner of Equistone and Head of the Advisory Board of TriStyle said, "I think Long Tall Sally, Andrew, Maurice and the team are wonderful and am excited and confident about their future together with TriStyle. We are grateful about the opportunity to work together in the future for the sake of our customers. As promised, we will add interesting businesses to the TriStyle Group to grow the business organically and by external acquisitions. But, it's not all just about growth. The creativity, professionalism, understanding of customers, markets and product of both teams is outstanding and will result in a success story."

"At TriStyle we are delighted to welcome Long Tall Sally to our group," said Niels Degen, member of the TriStyle management team. "Together with Long Tall Sally and its fabulous management team, we will continue to strengthen our position as a leading women's omni-channel fashion retailer. We will work together closely for continuous growth of the TriStyle companies Long Tall Sally, Peter Hahn and Madeleine."

Advisors:

Amery Capital and Long Tall Sally, its Shareholders and Management were advised by BDO (Tax DD), Blick Rothenberg (Audit and Tax DD), Berwin Leighton Paisner (Legal Advisor), Financo (Financial Advisor), KPMG (FDD and Tax Advice), Javelin (CDD) and Livingstone Partners (Management Advisor).

Michael Bork and Dr. Katja Muhlhauser led the transaction for Equistone Partners Europe. TriStyle and Equistone were advised by Shearman and Sterling (Finance EPE), Latham & Watkins (Banking), CMS (Legal Due Diligence, SPA), KPMG (Financial and Tax Due Diligence) and PWC (Commercial Due Diligence).

About Long Tall Sally:

Long Tall Sally is an online-led omni-channel retailer of fashion for taller women. The Company was founded in 1975 by six-foot tall American entrepreneur, Judy Rich, who opened the first store on Chiltern Street in the west end of London in 1976. The Company's mission is to be "the first choice in fashion for tall women worldwide."

Long Tall Sally generates c.70pc of it revenues from it ecommerce websites, supported by a catalog distributed in its four main markets of US, UK, CA and DE as well as shipping to over 120 countries. The business also has 10 stores in the UK, 7 in Canada, 4 in the US and 5 in Germany. The Company achieved LTM to July 2016 sales of c.50 million and underlying profit of 3.8 million (Euro 4.4m USD 5.0 million). All clothing is designed in-house, carefully proportioned to flatter taller women. The company has 388 employees globally, 212 working in the UK, 129 in North America and 47 in Germany.

Amery Capital Limited purchased Long Tall Sally through a CVA in 2005 and has funded the organic growth and acquisitions, which have together transformed the business, including Tall Girls CA, Barefoot Tess USA, Long Fashion DE and Long Elegant Legs USA, all of which have been subsumed into a global single view of customers and inventory.

www.longtallsally.com

About Amery Capital:

Amery Capital was founded by Maurice Helfgott with the backing of legendary retail entrepreneurs, Michael and Maurice Bennett on its key investment projects. Maurice leads Amery Capital as Executive Chairman, with a principal focus on advising and investing in digital, retail and consumer businesses in the private and public markets.

Amery Capital's other current investment interests include Oliver Sweeney and Goat Fashion. Earlier successful investments included Retail Profile Europe Limited which was successfully sold to SpaceandPeople PLC in 2013.

About Equistone:

Equistone is an independent investment firm wholly-owned and managed by its executives. The company is one of Europe's leading investors in mid-market buyouts with a strong, consistent track record spanning over 30 years, with more than 400 transactions completed in this period. Equistone has a strong focus on change of ownership deals and aims to invest between 25 million and 125 million of equity in businesses with enterprise values of between 50 million and 300 million. The company has a team of 37 investment professionals operating across France, Germany, Switzerland and the UK, investing as a strategic partner alongside management teams. Equistone is currently investing its fifth buyout fund, which held a final closing at its 2 billion hardcap in April 2015.

Equistone is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Further information can be found at www.equistonepe.com

About Michael Bennett and Maurice Bennett CBE:

After successfully building up and selling Bennett Cameras to Dixons in the 1960s, Maurice and Michael Bennett founded Warehouse, the first really successful British own-brand, design-led, fashion retailer, which was subsequently sold to Freeman's in 1986.

In 1991 they founded Oasis Stores, developing the business from 1 million turnover to a hugely successful, publicly listed fashion retailer. Along the way they bought Coast - a brand developed from 2m turnover when it was bought, to almost 100 million today. In 2002, Maurice and Michael Bennett successfully exited Oasis Group when PPM Ventures took the company private.

The Bennetts subsequently took control of Phase Eight, turning around and growing the company and selling it to Barclays Capital in 2005, producing a seven times return on investment for themselves and their partners.

Michael and Maurice were awarded the prestigious Lifetime Achievement Award at the Drapers Gala Dinner in 2006.

About Maurice Helfgott:

Maurice Helfgott is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Amery Capital, a principal investment and advisory firm with a focus on digital, retail and fashion related businesses.

As well as being Chairman of Long Tall Sally, Maurice is Chairman of leading European online optical company, MyOptique Group, backed by six European VCs including Index Ventures and Highland Capital, and which announced a successful exit to Essilor International in August 2016.

He is also Chairman of Amery investee company, Oliver Sweeney, the luxury menswear brand also backed by the Business Growth Fund; Chairman of Unforgettable.org, a start up B Corporation helping people with dementia, backed by Bridges Ventures and Impact Ventures UK. In addition, Maurice serves on the Boards of END. Clothing and Goat Fashion and is Senior Independent Director of Moss Bros Plc. He has worked as an independent industry advisor to a number of leading international PE firms.

Maurice was previously an Executive Director on the Main Board of Marks and Spencer plc and holds an MBA with High Distinction from Harvard Business School.

About Andrew Shapin :

Andrew has been CEO of Long Tall Sally since 2007. He previously founded and ran the very successful Cotswold Company from 1997, where he remains Chairman. From 1991 to 1997, he was Group Marketing Director of Innovations PLC, a company that seeded much of the marketing talent in early UK digital entrepreneurship.

About TriStyle Group:

TriStyle Mode GmbH, headquartered in Munich, is a holding which unites the independently managed mail order and ecommerce companies Peter Hahn and Madeleine. The enterprise belongs to Equity Investor Equistone Partners Europe.

With its two brands specializing in high-quality women's fashion for the 45-plus target group, TriStyle is among the European mail-order market leaders in the Best Ager segment. Within this group, it has a stable and expansive portfolio that, on a strategic and financial level, is steered and monitored by the holding.

The company also has sourcing offices in Hong Kong, Bangkok, Istanbul and Porto, incorporated under the name TriStyle Sourcing Ltd.

In the 2014/2015 fiscal year, the mail-order company with 1,354 employees recorded sales of 505.4 million (consolidated). Of this amount, 170.9 million are allocated on Madeleine (272 employees) and 334.8 million on Peter Hahn (1,004 employees).

Each of the two brands  Peter Hahn and Madeleine  is distinct from one another due to their clear brand and product profiles. They cover the entire spectrum of high-quality ladies' fashion and accessories for the 45-plus target age group. The companies sell their products in 11 countries with their own foreign subsidiaries. Across Europe, customers can shop online or by catalog, as well as in more than 20 department stores in Germany and Switzerland.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401727

SOURCE Long Tall Sally
Deep Learning approach to text analysis to drive efficiencies in investment research

TORONTO, ON and BOSTON, MA, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ - Manulife's Lab of Forward Thinking (LOFT) is collaborating with indico data solutions, a Boston-based company that specializes in Deep Learning. This collaboration is part of a strategic effort to leverage best-in-class products and accelerate business adoption of innovative technologies such as Artifical Intelligence (AI), blockchain and virtual reality.

Manulife's LOFT will use indico's platform to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) and Deep Learning tool to analyze unstructured financial data. Using Deep Learning, Manulife will be able to analyze data from news articles, analyst reports and other similar sources and present recommendations that could help investment researchers and portfolio managers make more informed decisions faster than ever before.





"Deep Learning, while proven in the realms of the Facebook's and Google's of the world, is just starting to come into its own as an enterprise capability," said Slater Victoroff, indico CEO and co-founder. "We have spent the past few years building a platform that significantly lowers the barriers of use around Deep Learning and this opens up tremendous potential around unstructured data analytics. John Hancock and Manulife are on the leading edge looking to more fully utilize their unstructured data assets to better serve their various constituents."

Manulife's LOFT is using indico's Deep Learning platform to decipher natural language and more efficiently train the computer to extract insights that can be tailored to each analyst's individual requirements  one of indico's core strengths. Manulife - and under its John Hancock brand in the United States  has established a global network of LOFTs in Boston, Toronto and Singapore.

"indico will help us accelerate our use of Deep Learning to improve the decision-making capabilities of our analysts, portfolio managers and researchers," said Greg Framke, Executive Vice President and Chief Information Officer, Manulife. "By introducing new capabilities that we know will add to our user experience and overall impact we will improve the customer experience."

The announcement follows on Manulife LOFT's recent collaboration with Nervana Systems to build the next generation of intelligent applications.

"Though it's early, we are now starting to see some compelling opportunities revolving around deep learning powered applications that can help knowledge workers become much more efficient," said Vishal Daga, Chief Customer Officer, indico. "We are continuing to invest in our product capabilities to make it easier for our customers to deploy our product in this vein especially in the context of the financial services industry. We are thrilled about the innovative work that the Manulife team has been doing and look forward to continuing our partnership with them."

About indico

indico provides a state-of-the-art machine learning platform for text and image analysis that can be deployed in the cloud or on premise and utilized via a simple to use web service. This, for the first time, enables companies to automatically extract meaningful insight from unstructured data at scale regardless of their size or capability. Furthermore, indico's platform capabilities enable its customers to quickly develop highly accurate new models that are specific to their needs in a fraction of the time and effort that would be otherwise needed. indico is privately held and headquartered in Boston, MA. For more information, visit https://indico.io/.

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 June 2016, we had $934 billion (US$718 billion) in assets under management and administration, and in the previous 12 months we made more than $25.4 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


TORONTO, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -

Who: Foresters Financial, an international financial services provider committed to doing more for families and communities, is offering assistance to its members affected by tornadoes in Indiana.



What: Eligible members experiencing significant personal hardship as a result of the tornadoes can receive grants to help with immediate needs.





Members who are directly affected by the tornadoes can contact Foresters toll-free at 800 828 1540 between the hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. EST, Monday to Friday, or e-mail Foresters at [email protected].

About Foresters Financial

Foresters Financial is an international financial services provider with more than three million clients and members in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and total funds under management of $34 billion1. With a history of more than 140 years, we provide life insurance, savings, retirement and investment solutions that help families achieve their financial goals, protect their families and improve their communities. For more information, visit foresters.com.

Foresters Financial and Foresters are trade names and trademarks of The Independent Order of Foresters (a fraternal benefit society, 789 Don Mills Road, Toronto, Canada M3C 1T9) and its subsidiaries.

Products offered vary by country. Not all products are available for distribution in all jurisdictions. In the United States, products are offered by The Independent Order of Foresters and its subsidiaries, including Foresters Financial Services, Inc. a registered broker-dealer. Securities, life insurance and annuity products are offered through Foresters Financial Services, Inc. or independent producers. Insurance products are issued by Foresters Life Insurance and Annuity Company, New York, or The Independent Order of Foresters. Investment advisory products and services are offered through Foresters Advisory Services, LLC, a registered investment adviser.

1in Canadian dollars as of December 31, 2015

SOURCE Foresters

Related Links

www.foresters.com


BJP governments in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand had earlier announced the implementation of the UCC.
mSurvey will use the Spark Venture Fund investment to drive a value-add to merchants who use Safaricom's Lipa Na M-PESA service, a solution that allows consumers to pay for goods and services easily through their phones using M-PESA.

"This investment enhances our efforts to leverage mSurvey's highly-sophisticated technology as a significant opportunity for growth and innovation throughout our network, while also enabling us to interact and engage with our 25 million customers in one-to-one conversations," said Bob Collymore, Chief Executive Officer, Safaricom. "mSurvey has consistently demonstrated its value to us as clients and now as investors, we see broad potential across a variety of sectors and beyond borders. We are pleased to help fuel a new paradigm of data-driven innovation powered by mSurvey."

Built out of a passion to simplify access to high-quality data from hard-to-reach communities, mSurvey was founded in 2012 by Kenfield Griffith, an MIT alum and Caribbean Native of Bajan/Montserratian descent who experienced first-hand the frustration of going blindly into a new market with limited or no actionable data. Inspired to build a solution in the heart of his first target market in Nairobi, he set off to Kenya to bring his idea to life, pulling together a team of fellow MIT alums, interns and home-grown Kenyan talent including Co-Founder and Chief Technology Officer Louis Majanja, whose experience spanned 18 years as a software developer in the Bay Area.

Today, mSurvey is revolutionizing how businesses create interactive and individual relationships with their customers by providing unprecedented access to real-time, direct feedback that empowers them to have conversations at scale. The company is already working with some of the most well-known brands in the worlds of telecommunications, health and academic research and business, including Safaricom, McKinsey, Airtel, Harvard University, Acumen and Digicel.

"As a mobile technology startup, there's no greater validation on the continent than an investment from Safaricom, a giant in the African telecom market," said Kenfield Griffith, Founder and CEO, mSurvey. "For too long, direct access to emerging world data has been inaccessible, but we are witnessing the power of technology  specifically mobile messaging on our ever-present smart and simple phones to connect people to local audiences. With Safaricom's support, we are accelerating our vision of bringing high-integrity data from frontier and emerging markets that informs better decisions and fuels growth, change and transformation."

From inception, mSurvey was developed to bring hidden and offline voices into the global conversation. Mobile phones have emerged as the communication lifeline in most emerging markets, with usage seeing a dramatic surge over the last decade  over 84 percent in Kenya, 140 percent in Trinidad and over 70 percent throughout the Caribbean. In Africa alone, there are more than half a billion mobile phone users. Recognizing the opportunity, mSurvey has attracted highly strategic investors from Silicon Valley, the Caribbean and Africa including early angel investors Ashish Patel, Managing Director, the Abraaj Group, Steven Tamm, Chief Technology Officer, Salesforce and Bob McNeel, CEO, Robert McNeel & Associates. Joining Safaricom in this initial investment round include the following:

Investing in tomorrow's culture, Cross Culture Ventures (CCV) invests in entrepreneurs creating next generation technology and consumer products. Through a strategic partnership with Atom Factory, CCV works to discover, invest in and develop companies that fuel shifts in cultural trends and behaviors within an increasingly diverse global marketplace. The group, which was also an early investor in Uber, Spotify and Warby Parker via the Atom Factory, was attracted by mSurvey's potential reach and impact given the rising popularity of chat and text messaging.

"We believe culture is the catalyst for winning solutions and mSurvey fits perfectly into our thesis as mobile messaging becomes the primary platform for communication around the world," said Marlon Nichols, Founder & General Partner at Cross Culture Ventures. "mSurvey is disrupting traditional research models by using a medium that transcends borders, demographics and a range of industries, capturing the voice of the consumer like never before."

Backed by the Virgin Group's Branson Centre of Entrepreneurship, Alpha Angels, the Montego Bay based network of investors, is committed to expanding the map for the Caribbean's most promising entrepreneurs by investing in early-stage companies with the potential to scale overseas through seed investments. mSurvey is the group's first investment.

"As early stage investors, the caliber of the entrepreneur is key to attracting our support and Kenfield Griffith is a stand-out talent who has remarkable foresight and an impressive track record," said Yoni Epstein, Chairman, Alpha Angels. "Riding the wave of the emerging market mobile boom, mSurvey is reinventing the way data informs decisions and the platform's potential applications are limitless. Virtually anyone seeking answers can engage in conversations on any topic  from gauging pop culture and political views to facilitating groundbreaking healthcare research and helping businesses build deeper customer engagement and loyalty."

Unlike traditional research tools that can be time-consuming, expensive and subject to low response rates, mSurvey opens a dynamic, interactive and unfiltered communication channel that delivers insights from real people, in real time  no printed questionnaire, local administrator or long response time needed. Using the intuitive interface to target select local audiences or random, diverse populations, users can design structured conversations, similar to customized bots, push questions as chats to the mobile phones of millions, and then watch as the responses roll in on a live data stream  within minutes and with an average 60 percent response rate that triples the reach of traditional survey tools. In the past six months, the platform has engaged 1.58 million consumers  asking everything from their response to BREXIT, Rio Olympic Games and U.S. elections to groundbreaking HIV/AIDS research and customer feedback.

"The unique combination of Cross Culture Ventures, Alpha Angels and Safaricom as our investors strategically positions mSurvey as a truly globally driven and funded startup backed by a diverse set of investors that see our value proposition and understand our vision," continued Griffith. "We are excited about their support and look forward to creating new markets and opportunity using data as a door-opener to economic growth, entrepreneurship and development."

About mSurvey

Launched in 2012, mSurvey is the only global mobile-first research platform leveraging SMS and mobile messaging technology to simplify access to credible, on-demand data from the emerging world. Leveraging the growing reach of mobile phones, mSurvey's robust platform enables users to engage in real time conversations at scale, connecting them directly to people anywhere and on any topic. Delivering elusive data from hard-to-reach communities, mSurvey is quenching the thirst for fresh, credible data that powers growth, ideas, and innovation. mSurvey's proprietary mobile-first research platform serves customers across the globe, providing unprecedented access to rich, real time data from select or random populations in Africa, Asia, Latin American and the Caribbean. Currently, mSurvey connects with communities in Kenya, the Philippines, Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago and Haiti, with plans for continued rollout across the globe. Headquartered in Nairobi, mSurvey continues to grow with regional offices in San Francisco, USA and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean.

Media Contact

Tola St. Matthew-Daniel

[email protected]

+1 917-818-6196

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160825/401412

SOURCE mSurvey

Related Links

http://www.msurvey.co


A personal, deeply affectionate impulse frequently sparked the music of Johannes Brahms and his mentor, Robert Schumann  often including their mutual friend, the violinist and composer Joseph Joachim. It clearly drove all three works on For the Love of Brahms .

Bell, Isserlis and Denk unite here in Brahms's first published chamber work, the Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8 in its rarely performed original 1854 version. Isserlis also joins Bell - as violin soloist and director - and the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in Brahms's last orchestral work, the celebrated Double Concerto (for Violin and Cello) in A Minor, Op. 102. Bell, Isserlis and members of the Academy also offer the first recording of an unusual coupling: the slow movement of Schumann's rarely heard Violin Concerto, in a version for string orchestra made by Benjamin Britten, who also added a short coda.

"I met Steven almost 30 years ago at a music festival, and he has been my close friend and frequent chamber music partner ever since. Jeremy and I have also shared a long-lasting friendship and we have recorded and performed together for more than a decade," states Bell. "Therefore it is fitting that we all come together on this record to play music that is so deeply rooted in love and friendship." Earlier this year, Bell, Isserlis and the Academy performed the Brahms Double Concerto to critical acclaim on an 11-date European tour, which Bell play-directed. The tour also featured the Schumann, and this recording followed. "Steven and I have performed the Double concerto of Brahms many times over the years, and I am so pleased that we found the perfect collaborators in the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields so we could finally record this piece that means so much to us," adds Bell.

In the liner notes he wrote for For the Love of Brahms, Isserlis echoes the belief that Brahms's early piano trio is suffused with his profound feeling for the Schumanns  Robert as his mentor and Clara as a lifelong friend and inspiration for whom Brahms nurtured a volatile yet unfulfilled love.

Both Schumann and Brahms wrote their violin concertos for Joachim. In the 1880s, however, a misunderstanding ruptured Brahms's celebrated friendship with Joachim. Brahms's "peace offering" to Joachim was to write the Double Concerto with him in mind, a gesture that repaired, even if it could not fully restore, the friendship. Clara Schumann referred to it as 'a work of reconciliation'.

"It was fascinating to explore in this album the extremes of Brahms' creative career, from the passionate declarations of his youthful trio in B major to the late Double Concerto, his mellow, affectionate farewell to orchestral music. Since the concerto was written to celebrate Brahms' friendship of over 30 years with violinist Joseph Joachim, it is rather fitting that this recording should mark almost 30 years of close friendship between Joshua Bell and myself," observes Isserlis.

Bell also has a personal affection for Schumann's Violin Concerto, especially its slow movement  "it may be my favorite slow movement in any concerto," he says. Britten's version was made for a special performance at the Aldeburgh Festival in 1958. It allows the slow movement (which Schumann linked without pause to the final movement) to stand on its own. Isserlis (who also plays the cello melody with which the movement opens) was intrigued to find this arrangement in the Britten-Pears catalogue; he got hold of a copy of the manuscript, and immediately sent it to Bell. Isserlis, Bell and the Academy performed it on the tour in early 2016 for almost certainly the first time since its premiere over half a century ago.

For the Love of Brahms continues Joshua Bell's long and acclaimed partnership with the London-based chamber orchestra Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Since 2011, Bell has been the orchestra's Music Director and only person to hold this title since Sir Neville Marriner founded the orchestra in 1958. Bell's most recent Sony Classical recordings with the orchestra include Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Beethoven's Fourth and Seventh symphonies (Bell's first recording as Music Director), and a Bach concerto collection.

Sony Music Masterworks comprises Masterworks, Sony Classical, OKeh, Portrait, Masterworks Broadway and Flying Buddha imprints. For email updates and information please visit www.sonymusicmasterworks.com/.

For The Love of Brahms Tracklisting

Double Concerto in A Minor, Op. 102 for Violin, Cello and Orchestra 1 I. Allegro 2 II. Andante 3 III. Vivace non troppo 4 Violin Concerto in D Minor, WoO 23: II. Langsam (codetta by Benjamin Britten)

Piano Trio in B Major, Op. 8 (1854 Version) 5 Allegro con moto - Tempo un poco piu Moderato 6 Scherzo: Allegro molto - Trio: Piu lento - Tempo primo 7 Adagio non troppo - Allegro - Tempo primo 8 Finale: Allegro molto agitato - Un poco piu lento - Tempo primo

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160826/401806

Media Contacts:

Angela Barkan / [email protected]/ 212.833.8575

Larissa Slezak / [email protected]/ 212.833.6075

Jane Covner for Joshua Bell/ [email protected]/ 818.905.5511

SOURCE Sony Classical

Related Links

http://www.sonymusicmasterworks.com


CHARLOTTE, N.C., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- On August 24, the White House released final regulations and guidance on the so-called "contractor blacklisting" rules. The final rules are being issued by Federal agencies, including the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), to implement Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces Executive Order, which President Obama signed in July 2014. Based on the White House's summary published on its website, here is what Carolinas AGC (CAGC)the commercial construction trade association covering North Carolina and South Carolinahas confirmed about the contours of the final rules:

Effective Date. The final rules will take effect on a phased-in schedule starting on October 25, 2016.

Pre-Dispute Arbitration Agreements: Prohibitions against requiring employees to enter into pre-dispute agreements to arbitrate claims brought under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 or tort claims arising from sexual assaults or harassment will take effect on October 25, 2016 . The White House indicates that this prohibition will not apply "where valid contracts already exist and remain unmodified." Paycheck Transparency: Paycheck transparency provisions of the final rules will become effective on January 1, 2017 . One-Year Delay for Subcontractor Disclosures: For the one-year period beginning October 25, 2016 , disclosures of labor law violations will be required only for prime contractors. Subcontractor disclosures will not be required until October 25, 2017 . Contract Thresholds: For the first six months after October 25, 2016 , the requirement for prime contractors to disclose labor law violations will apply only on solicitations valued at $50 million or more. Starting on April 25, 2017 , solicitations valued at or above $500,000 will be covered. Three-Year Lookback Window: The three-year lookback period for disclosures will be phased in gradually. Initially, the period of time covered by the disclosure obligation will be limited to one year preceding the date on which a contractor submits a bid on a covered solicitation. Presumably, that window will increase from one to two years as of October 25, 2017 , and then to the full three-year window as of October 25, 2018 . DOL to Handle Subcontractor Disclosures: Once subcontractor disclosures are required, the DOL will be responsible for determining whether and how labor law violations will affect subcontractor access to work on covered federal contracts. Subcontractors will make their disclosures directly to the DOL, rather than to prime contractors; and prime contractors will be able to rely on the DOL's review. Equivalent State Laws: The final rules do not contain any timeframe for rulemaking concerning labor law violations involving "equivalent" state laws. The White House indicates that this requirement will be "phased in at a later time" (with the exception for OSHA-approved state plans, which will take effect in accordance with the above schedule). Early Assessment Opportunities: Starting September 12, 2016 , the DOL will offer a pre-assessment" process, which will allow contractors to come forward to the DOL "to discuss their history of compliance with labor laws" and secure guidance on whether "additional compliance measures are necessary." Helpful Citizens: The White House fact sheet highlights the opportunity for the public to make reports to contracting agencies, a point that largely has escaped notice until now. According to the White House, Agency Labor Compliance Advisors "will also be available to members of the public who have information they feel that prospective contractors should have disclosed about their labor violations."

In response to the release of the final regulations and guidance, Stephen Sandherr, CEO of AGC of America, issued the following statement:



"Few other organizations have fought harder, for longer, or more successfully than the Associated General Contractors of America to make sure honest firms aren't forced to compete with bad firms. The last thing any of our members want is to compete against a firm that cuts corners on safety or fails to properly compensate hard working craft people. That is one reason we have worked so hard to make sure the federal government has a robust, clear-cut and fairly-administered suspension and debarment program to deal with the extremely small number of federal contractors that do not operate in good faith.



"Unfortunately this new Obama administration rule is a step in the wrong direction when it comes to weeding out the very few unfair and unscrupulous federal contractors. In addition to the already substantial consequences firms currently face, this new measure permits unelected federal bureaucrats to make arbitrary decisions about which other firms will be singled out for punishment. Even worse, this new rule gives those same federal officials broad latitude to impose separate and inconsistent consequences on those firms.



"While there are many flaws with this new measure, one of its biggest is that it gives federal officials enormous discretion to decide which firms should be singled out for punishment. For example, it allows a federal contracting official to give greater weight to the same safety violations depending on which firm was accused of committing them. Such subjective criteria opens the door to punishing federal contractors based on which political, social or labor causes they support, instead of their safety performance or treatment of workers.



"This new rule will make it extremely difficult for many firms, particularly smaller ones, to continue working with the federal government. While all federal contractors will face difficulties finding ways to deal with the added new compliance and risk costs, smaller firms especially will likely decide the risks far outweigh the reward. As a result, an administration that frequently claims to champion the cause of smaller business will have yet again made it difficult for them to perform federal work.

"Needless to say, we will explore all possible legislative and legal measures for undoing this deeply troubling and unnecessary new federal mandate."



Stay tuned, Carolinas AGC will keep you posted on these regulations as they are rolled out and what they mean to the Carolinas' construction industry. For more information, contact CAGC's Allen Gray 704-609-0760 or [email protected].



Carolinas AGC is the construction industry association in the Carolinas, bringing value to our thousands of members through networking, government relations, job leads, meetings with owners/designers, education and training involving such issues as safety and open shop, and community development. Visit us at www.cagc.org, connect with us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, and LinkedIn.

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120608/DC21490LOGO

SOURCE Carolinas Associated General Contractors

Related Links

http://www.cagc.org


HARRISBURG, Pa., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Secretary of State Pedro A. Cortes today reminded Pennsylvania college students of their voter registration options and deadlines for the November 8 general election.

"Many college students are excited about voting in their first presidential election," Secretary Cortes said. "We encourage them to be well-informed about their rights. Their first decision will be where to register and vote."

College students have two options. Students attending any of Pennsylvania's colleges and universities have the right to register and vote where they live and attend school now, whether that is an on-campus or off-campus address. Or, they can choose to register or remain registered and vote by absentee ballot at their prior home address, even if they have moved to a new county or a new state.

Comprehensive information about absentee ballots, including a downloadable request form, can be found at the Department of State's website Everyone.votesPA.com. Applicants will be asked to supply basic voter registration information and to specify a reason for applying to vote absentee.

Tuesday, October 11, is the deadline to register for the November 8 general election. Applications for new registration, change of name, address or party affiliation must be submitted online at register.votesPA.com by midnight on that day. Traditional paper registration applications must be postmarked no later than October 11.

Although the deadline to apply for an absentee ballot is November 1, Marian K. Schneider, deputy secretary for elections and administration, encouraged students who plan to vote by absentee ballot to submit their applications as early as possible.

"Completed absentee ballots must be received by county election offices no later than 5 p.m. on Friday, November 4," Deputy Secretary Schneider said. "Due to recent cutbacks in service by the U.S. Postal Service, anyone who is planning to mail their absentee ballot in that last week risks missing the deadline. We recommend mailing your absentee ballot request no later than two weeks before the election, or October 25."

Voters may also deliver their voted absentee ballots in person to county election offices.

Secretary Cortes said the November election is expected to generate the usual high interest due to the presidential race. Pennsylvania voters will also be electing a U.S. Senator, as well as the statewide offices of attorney general, auditor general, and treasurer. The state's congressional seats, all state House seats and state Senate seats with odd-numbered districts will also be on the ballot.

Individuals wishing to register to vote in the November 8 election must be:

A citizen of the United States for at least one month before the election.

for at least one month before the election. A resident of Pennsylvania and the election district in which the individual desires to register and vote for at least 30 days before the election.

and the election district in which the individual desires to register and vote for at least 30 days before the election. At least 18 years of age on or before the date of the election.

Eligible citizens can find comprehensive voter registration information, apply for a new voter registration or make changes to their existing registration at register.votesPA.com.

The Department of State's website Everyone.votesPA.com, available in English or Spanish, offers printable voter registration applications, a polling place locator and county boards of elections contact information. It also includes tips for first-time voters and members of the military.

In addition, voters can familiarize themselves with the voting system they will use in their home county on Election Day.

For more information on voter registration, call the Department of State's toll-free hotline at 1-877-VOTESPA (1-877-868-3772) or visit VotesPA.com.

MEDIA CONTACT: Wanda Murren (717) 783-1621

SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of State

Related Links

http://www.state.pa.us


CHICAGO, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- The Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS) announced the resumption of its weekly review of the trending topics in patient safety from PPAHS and around the world.

"Our readers tell us that our weekly roundup of must reads in patient safety are a valuable summary of the key articles and news," said Michael Wong, JD (Executive Director, PPAHS).

PPAHS is one of the leading voices in patient safety, and was ranked by Agilience as the #9 Patient Safety authority.

In the Patient Safety Weekly Must Reads for August 26, 2016, PPAHS highlighted the following five must reads:

#1 Patient Safety Must Read - 5 Key Learnings to Create a Culture of Patient Safety with Capnography

PPAHS interviewed Peggy Lange, RT (Director, Respiratory Care Department, St. Cloud Hospital) about a project that examined acute response team (ART) calls regarding patients who had received procedural or conscious sedation 24 hours prior to the event.

"The result is one of our most popular interviews to date with 7,200 YouTube views and growing!" said Mr. Wong.

To listen to the interview with Ms. Lange on YouTube, please click here.

#2 Patient Safety Must Read - Why All Medical Schools Must Incorporate Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Into Their Curriculums

This week, PPAHS featured a special guest post by Molly Siegel, a medical student at the Boston University School of Medicine, "Why All Medical Schools Must Incorporate Quality Improvement and Patient Safety into Their Curriculums."

Ms. Siegel's article makes an impassioned case for patient safety as a foundational teaching that starts in medical school and continues from there. It's an increasingly topical subject, as the focus on hospital-acquired conditions by governmental institutions such as Medicare continues.

#3 Patient Safety Must Read - Opioids in Patient Safety

The Boston Herald reported that UMass Medical School researchers are testing a wearable, swallowable device that could help clinicians learn about how opioid addiction happens and guide prescription decision making. This follows a growing trend for continuous electronic monitoring across the spectrum of psychologic parameters for wireless and wearable (or, in this case, ingestible!) technology.

Preliminary results from a PPAHS survey of nurses found that nurses would like patient monitoring technology that is wearable and wireless. A full report on this survey is being prepared. If you would like to receive a copy, please complete PPAHS's contact form.

#4 Patient Safety Must Read - Culture & Patient Safety

FierceHealthcare.com reported on a new study from the University of Hong Kong identifying a culture of "speaking up" regarding medical errors and their causes as a critical behaviour of patient safety in hospitals. This new study comes hot on the heels of a study published in June estimating that more than 250,000 could be attributed to medical error in the US alone (for PPAHS's thoughts on the issue, please click here).

In typical Harvard Business Review style, a recent article published on HBR.com breaks down advances in patient mortality reduction into 3 macro trends: technical advancements, standardizing procedures, and high reliability organizing. The authors make a fascinating case for how the next large advances in patient safety will hinge on organizational behaviour in the clinical setting: shifting cultural and leadership models to better enable teams to identify patients in distress and 'rescue'. Read the full article here.

About Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety

Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety is a non-profit 501(c)(3) whose mission is to promote safer clinical practices and standards for patients through collaboration among healthcare experts, professionals, scientific researchers, and others, in order to improve healthcare delivery. For more information, please go to www.ppahs.org

Logo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20131024/CG03341LOGO

SOURCE Physician-Patient Alliance for Health & Safety (PPAHS)

Related Links

http://www.ppahs.org


PUNE, India, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

RnRMarketResearch.com adds "Phenylketonuria (PKU) - Pipeline Review, H2 2016" market research report with comprehensive information on the therapeutic development for Phenylketonuria (PKU), complete with comparative analysis at various stages, therapeutics assessment by drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type, along with latest updates, and featured news and press releases. It also reviews key players involved in the therapeutic development for Phenylketonuria (PKU) and special features on late-stage and discontinued projects.

Complete report on H2 2016 pipeline review of Phenylketonuria (PKU) with 18 market data tables and 12 figures, spread across 51 pages is available at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/phenylketonuria-pku-pipeline-review-h2-2016-market-report.html .

Companies discussed in this Phenylketonuria (PKU) Pipeline Review, H2 2016 report include American Gene Technologies International Inc., BioMarin Pharmaceutical Inc., Codexis, Inc., Dimension Therapeutics, Inc., Erytech Pharma SA, SOM Innovation Biotech SL and Synthetic Biologics, Inc. Drug Profiles mentioned in this research are DTX-501, Gene Therapy for Phenylketonuria, pegvaliase, Proteins to Activate Phenylalanine Hydroxylase for Phenylketonuria, Recombinant Enzyme for Phenylketonuria, Recombinant Phenylalanine-4-Hydroxylase Replacement for Phenylketonuria, SOM-7400, SYN-200 and SYNB-2010.

Phenylketonuria (PKU) pipeline therapeutics constitutes close to 10 molecules. which approximately 10 molecules are developed by Companies.Global Markets Direct's latest report Phenylketonuria - Pipeline Review, H2 2016, outlays comprehensive information on the therapeutics under development for Phenylketonuria (PKU), complete with analysis by stage of development, drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type.

Phenylketonuria (PKU), is a rare inherited disorder that causes an amino acid called phenylalanine to build up in body. Symptoms include intellectual disability, psychiatric disorders, hyperactivity, skin rashes, poor bone strength and abnormally small head. The molecules developed by Companies in Phase III, Preclinical and Discovery stages are 1, 6 and 3 respectively.

Order a purchase copy of this report @ http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/contacts/purchase?rname=662435 . (This is a premium report priced at US$2000 for a single user License.)

The report also reviews key players involved in the therapeutic development for Phenylketonuria (PKU) and special features on late-stage and discontinued projects. The report enhances decision making capabilities and help to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage. It strengthens R&D pipelines by identifying new targets and MOAs to produce first-in-class and best-in-class products.

Scope of this report: The report provides a snapshot of the global therapeutic landscape of Phenylketonuria (PKU) and reviews pipeline therapeutics for Phenylketonuria (PKU) by companies and universities/research institutes based on information derived from company and industry-specific sources and key players involved Phenylketonuria (PKU) therapeutics and enlists all their major and minor projects. The research covers pipeline products based on various stages of development ranging from pre-registration till discovery and undisclosed stages. The report features descriptive drug profiles for the pipeline products which includes, product description, descriptive MoA, R&D brief, licensing and collaboration details & other developmental activities and assesses Phenylketonuria (PKU) therapeutics based on drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type. The report summarizes all the dormant and discontinued pipeline projects with latest news related to pipeline therapeutics for Phenylketonuria (PKU).

Another newly published market research report titled on Nocturia - Pipeline Review, H2 2016 provides comprehensive information on the therapeutic development for Nocturia, complete with comparative analysis at various stages, therapeutics assessment by drug target, mechanism of action (MoA), route of administration (RoA) and molecule type, along with latest updates, and featured news and press releases. It also reviews key players involved in the therapeutic development for Nocturia and special features on late-stage and discontinued projects. The report enhances decision making capabilities and help to create effective counter strategies to gain competitive advantage. It strengthens R&D pipelines by identifying new targets and MOAs to produce first-in-class and best-in-class products. Companies Involved in Therapeutics Development are Allergan Plc, Astellas Pharma Inc. and Vantia Therapeutics. Nocturia Pipeline market research report of 34 pages is available at http://www.rnrmarketresearch.com/nocturia-pipeline-review-h2-2016-market-report.html .

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PUNE, India, August 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ --

The report "Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) Market by Application (Film & Sheets, Paints & Coatings, Adhesives), End-Use Industry (Construction, Automotive, Photovoltaic), and Region - Global Forecasts to 2021", published by MarketsandMarkets, The market size is estimated to grow from USD 2.12 Billion in 2015 to USD 3.04 Billion by 2021, at a CAGR of 6.83%.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160303/792302 )



Browse 91 market data Tables and 44 Figures spread through 146 Pages and in-depth TOC on "Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) Market"

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/polyvinyl-butyral-pvb-market-234670896.html

Early buyers will receive 10% customization on this report.

Asia-Pacific: The largest market for PVB

Asia-Pacific is currently the largest market for PVB. China is the largest market for PVB in the region.

The following factors drive the market for PVB in Asia-Pacific:

Presence of major manufacturers of PVB resin in the region

Growing end-use industries, such as automotive and construction, in major countries such as the China , South Korea , and Japan .

Automotive: The largest end-use industry of the PVB market

PVBs are used in various end-use industries such as construction, automotive, and photovoltaic. These are the main end-use industries considered in the report. The automotive end-use industry is estimated to account for the largest market share, in terms of value and volume, followed by the construction and photovoltaic industries, in 2016. The photovoltaic industry is estimated to register the highest CAGR between 2016 and 2021, in terms of value and volume.

Make an Inquiry @ http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Enquiry_Before_Buying.asp?id=234670896

Films & sheets: The largest and fastest-growing application of the PVB market

PVB resins are used in various applications such as films & sheets, paints & coatings, adhesives, and others. These are the main applications considered in the report. The films & sheets application is estimated to account for the largest market share, in terms of value and volume, followed by paints & coatings and adhesives applications, in 2016. The films & sheets application is estimated to register the highest CAGR between 2016 and 2021, in terms of value and volume.

The key players in the Polyvinyl Butyral (PVB) Market are Eastman Chemical Company (U.S.), Kuraray Co., Ltd. (Japan), Sekisui Chemical Co., Ltd. (Japan), Huakai Plastic (Chongqing) Co. Ltd. (China), Chang Chun Petrochemicals Co. Ltd. (China), Kingboard Chemical Holdings Ltd. (China), Everlam (Belgium), DuLite PVB Film (Taiwan), Tiantai Kanglai Industrial Co., Ltd. (China), and other local players.

Browse Related Reports:

Saturated Polyester Resin Market by Type (Liquid SPR and Solid SPR), Application (Powder Coatings, Industrial Paints, Coil & Can Coatings, Automotive Paints, Flexible Packaging, and 2k PU Coatings), and by Region - Global Forecasts to 2021

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/saturated-polyester-resin-market-127811947.html

Adhesive Resin Market by Technology (Water, Solvent, Hot-Melt, Reactive & Others), by Chemistry (PAE, PVA, VAE, EVA, SBS, Synthetic Rubber, Polyamide, Polyurethane, Epoxy, Cyanoacrylate, & Others), & by Application - Global Forecast to 2020

http://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/adhesive-resins-market-13352119.html

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COLD SPRING HARBOR, N.Y., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory (CSHL) announced today that its free, not-for-profit preprint service bioRxiv (pronounced "bio-Archive") has received generous additional financial support.

In the three years since bioRxiv began, biomedical scientists have warmly embraced the sharing of results as preprints prior to formal publication. Submissions to bioRxiv are growing at an increasingly rapid rate, with more than 1 million article views each month. bioRxiv currently hosts more than 5,500 manuscripts featuring the work of 23,500 scientists from more than 40 countries.

The additional funding for bioRxiv was provided by Dr. Robert Lourie, a Trustee of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Head of Futures Research at Renaissance Technologies. This is the second gift Dr. Lourie has made to the service since its inception and is an addition to his recent $2 million pledge in support of the Laboratory's endowment.

The president of the Laboratory, Dr. Bruce Stillman, gratefully acknowledged today's gift, saying "Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory launched bioRxiv three years ago to assist and accelerate the research community's dissemination and discussion of new scientific results. For over 80 years, scientists worldwide have come to Cold Spring Harbor to share and debate their work with peers. bioRxiv is a crucial extension of the Laboratory's mission in the digital age and we're delighted that Dr. Lourie shares our vision of its value to the progress of science."

Dr. Lourie emphasized his personal interest in the service and continued commitment to bioRxiv, adding, "As a former physics professor, I know how important rapid dissemination of preprints has been to physics, math, and computer science. I am very happy to be able to support bioRxiv in its quest to make preprints as vital in biomedicine as they have become in the physical sciences."

Dr. John Inglis, executive director of CSHL Press and co-founder of bioRxiv with Dr. Richard Sever, expressed his appreciation of Dr. Lourie's support. "The biomedical research community's embrace of bioRxiv is one of the most important changes we've seen in science communication in decades. It has sparked widespread discussion of the role of preprints in the evaluation of new research, the assessment of scientists for grants and academic positions, and the importance of feedback to authors on their work before publication. The additional funding from Dr. Lourie will help drive our continued advocacy for preprints and key technical enhancements, including further integration of bioRxiv with the scholarly communication ecosystem."

About Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Founded in 1890, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory has shaped contemporary biomedical research and education with programs in cancer, neuroscience, plant biology and quantitative biology. Home to eight Nobel Prize winners, the private, not-for-profit Laboratory employs 1,100 people including 600 scientists, students and technicians. The Meetings & Courses Program hosts more than 12,000 scientists from around the world each year on its campuses in Long Island and in Suzhou, China. The Laboratory's education arm also includes an academic publishing house, a graduate school and programs for middle and high school students and teachers. For more information, visit www.cshl.edu

SOURCE Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory

Related Links

http://www.cshl.edu


NEW ORLEANS, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq. and the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF") are investigating the proposed sale of Rackspace Hosting, Inc. ("Rackspace" or the "Company") (NYSE: RAX) to affiliates of funds managed by affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO). Under the terms of the proposed transaction, shareholders of Rackspace will receive only $32.00 in cash for each share of Rackspace that they own. KSF is seeking to determine whether this consideration and the process that led to it are adequate, or whether the consideration undervalues the Company.

If you believe that this transaction undervalues the Company and/or if you would like to discuss your legal rights regarding the proposed sale, you may, without obligation or cost to you, e-mail or call KSF Managing Partner Lewis S. Kahn ([email protected]) toll free at any time at 855-768-1857.

To learn more about KSF, whose partners include the Former Louisiana Attorney General, visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

206 Covington St.

Madisonville, LA 70447

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SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

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SAN DIEGO, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson & Weaver, LLP has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Rackspace Hosting, Inc. (NYSE: RAX) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to affiliates of Apollo Global Management, LLC. Rackspace provides managed cloud services in the business information technology (IT) market worldwide.

On August 26, 2016, Rackspace announced it had signed a definitive merger agreement with Apollo. Under the terms of the agreement Rackspace shareholders will receive $32.00 per share in cash. The investigation concerns whether the Rackspace board failed to satisfy their duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for Rackspace shares of common stock. Nationally recognized Johnson & Weaver is investigating whether the proposed deal price represents adequate consideration; especially given that the price target for one Wall Street analyst is $44.00. The 52-week high for Rackspace stock is $32.14.

If you are a shareholder of Rackspace and believe the proposed buyout price is too low or you're interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ([email protected]) at 619-814-4471. If emailing, please include a phone number where you can be reached.

About Johnson & Weaver, LLP:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York and Georgia. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonandweaver.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Contact:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Jim Baker, 619-814-4471

[email protected]

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SOURCE Johnson & Weaver, LLP

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NEW YORK, Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Pomerantz LLP is investigating claims on behalf of investors of American Renal Associates Holdings, Inc. ("American Renal" or the "Company") (NYSE: ARA). Such investors are advised to contact Robert S. Willoughby at [email protected] or 888-476-6529, ext. 9980.

The investigation concerns whether American Renal and certain of its officers and/or directors have violated Sections 10(b) and 20(a) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934.

[Click here to join this class action]

On August 18, 2016, following allegations that the Company has steered patients away from Medicare and Medicaid programs into higher paying Affordable Care Act ("ACA") programs, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services said that it had sent warning letters to all dialysis centers that participate in the federal Medicare program. The agency also stated that it is weighing financial penalties on providers found to have directed people eligible for Medicare into ACA plans instead.

On this news, American Renal's share price fell $2.31, or 10.44%, to close at $19.81 on August 19, 2016.

The Pomerantz Firm, with offices in New York, Chicago, Los Angeles, and Florida, 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


MILTON, N.Y., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Sono-Tek Corporation (OTCQX: SOTK) held its Annual Shareholders Meeting on August 25, 2016 in Milton, New York. The business review presentation used is available online at the Company's website: http://www.sono-tek.com/annual-meeting/. The results of Fiscal Year 2016, which ended on February 29, 2016, were discussed.

During the meeting, Dr. Christopher L. Coccio, Chairman and CEO, highlighted the past year's business performance which resulted in a 9% increase in sales over the previous fiscal year. He reviewed the performance of the Company's diversification strategy in terms of new products and markets, coupled with geographical expansion to multiple areas of the world. Robb Engle, VP of Engineering, discussed the New Product Development program and the resulting three new product platforms created in the past year. These new product platforms have already led to several orders in new areas for Sono-Tek, and this will continue to be the heart of the Company's business growth model.

The Company's President, R. Stephen Harshbarger, described the current outlook for FY 2017, in which the Company is anticipating a dip in sales compared to FY 2016 due to global economic conditions, particularly in China and parts of Latin America. The decrease in sales has primarily affected the float glass, fluxer, and medical stent segments in the first two quarters of fiscal 2017. He described the Company's actions to expand into additional markets with the creation of new products, in conjunction with front-end investment in sales personnel and expanded trade show participation. Mr. Harshbarger stated that, "Orders and quotations for newly released products are accelerating; and helping to offset the sales decline we are seeing with our more established product lines due to global economic conditions. In addition, the Company's Lean manufacturing program is already having a positive impact in terms of decreased unit costs, decreased inventory tie-up, and shorter cycle times."

Since the meeting occurred just prior to the end of the second quarter of the Company's current fiscal year, the Company indicated that the guidance provided in its last quarterly press release dated July 14, 2016, is still accurate, and its sales volume for the quarter ending August 31, 2016 will be comparable to sales for the quarter ended May 31, 2016. The Company is anticipating an increase in its sales volume in the second half of the year. This increase, coupled with cost reductions, should enable the Company to achieve a profitable result by the end of the Fiscal Year.

For further information, contact Dr. Christopher L. Coccio, at 845-795-2020, or visit our website at www.sono-tek.com.

Sono-Tek Corporation is a leading developer and manufacturer of liquid spray products based on its proprietary ultrasonic nozzle technology. Founded in 1975, the Company's products have long been recognized for their performance, quality, and reliability.

This release contains forward looking statements regarding future events and the future performance of Sono-Tek Corporation that involve risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. These factors include, among other considerations, general economic and business conditions, including the economies of China and Latin America; political, regulatory, competitive and technological developments affecting our operations or the demand for our products; timely development and market acceptance of new products; returns on our investment in additional sales personnel; continued efficacy of our Lean manufacturing program; adequacy of financing; capacity additions, the ability to enforce patents and create new applications; strength of sales in the glass coating, fluxer and medical stent markets; our ability to maintain and build backlog, achieve increased sales volume at projected levels and continued profitability. We refer you to documents that the company files with the Securities and Exchange Commission, which includes Form 10-K and Form 10-Qs containing additional important information.













Fiscal Year Ended



February 29, 2016 February 28, 2015







Net Sales

$11,833,730 $10,849,475







Gross Profit

$5,637,777 $5,215,110







Operating Income

$740,291 $850,194







Net Income

$547,729 $606,133







Basic Earnings Per Share

$0.04 $0.04







Diluted Earnings Per Share

$0.04 $0.04







Weighted Average Shares - Basic

14,943,018 14,737,204







Weighted Average Shares - Diluted

15,029,601 14,846,808

SOURCE Sono-Tek Corporation

Related Links

http://www.sono-tek.com


Since the company's inception in 1906, customer service has been a guiding light. Young entrepreneur Colbert Coldwell established the company in the wake of that year's San Francisco earthquake and fire. Watching families rebuild their lives in the aftermath of the tragedy, Coldwell changed the way people bought and sold homes across America, building what would become one of the largest and most expansive real estate brands in the world.

Today, the Coldwell Banker network has more than 84,000 affiliated sales professionals working in approximately 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 47 countries. In 2015, Coldwell Banker-affiliated agents participated in 730,000 U.S. transaction sides, at an average U.S. sales price of $308,000, approximately 16 percent higher than the average U.S. sales price reported by the National Association of Realtors in 2015.

"Maintaining a global leadership position in real estate requires the ability to continuously adapt and remain relevant to new generations of buyers and sellers," said Budge Huskey, president and chief executive officer at Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC. "Focusing on our core values has allowed us to remain true to the mission of delivering exceptional experiences to our customers. Our success is not by luck; it demonstrates our commitment to be a consumer champion and industry leader. We are proud to celebrate our success and this milestone," said Huskey.

Recent innovations from Coldwell Banker include the first and only tablet-based dynamic listing experience  CBx. CBx brings transparency into the real estate world, and allows sellers to participate in the process of marketing and selling their home. Coldwell Banker has also become the industry leader in smart home technology. In the past year alone, the company developed the Smart Home Definition in collaboration with CNET and launched a smart home learning curriculum with CEDIA for affiliated franchised brokers and agents.

About Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC

Since 1906, the Coldwell Banker organization has been a premier provider of full-service residential and commercial real estate brokerage services. Coldwell Banker Real Estate is the oldest national real estate brand and franchisor in the United States, and today has a global network of 3,000 independently owned and operated franchised broker offices in 47 countries and territories with more than 84,000 affiliated sales professionals. The Coldwell Banker brand is known for creating innovative consumer services as recently seen by taking a leadership role in the smart home space, being the first national real estate brand with an iPad app, the first to augment its website www.coldwellbanker.com for smart phones, the first to create an iPhone application with international listings, the first to develop an iPad application (CBx) to easily bring big data into home listing presentations, and the first to fully harness the power of video in real estate listings, news and information through its Coldwell Banker On LocationSM YouTube channel. Coldwell Banker is a leader in niche markets such as resort, new homes and luxury properties through its Coldwell Banker Previews International marketing program delivering exceptional experiences for all consumers served.

Media Inquiries:





Athena Snow Katy Hendricks Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC CooperKatz for Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC 973.407.5590 917.595.3057 [email protected] [email protected]

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SOURCE Coldwell Banker Real Estate LLC

Related Links

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COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Vectrus Systems Corporation, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Vectrus, Inc. (NYSE: VEC), was awarded a $21 million installation services contract in support of the U.S. Air Force at Al Udeid Air Base (AB) in Qatar. The contract includes a base year and two and a half years of potential option periods and will be performed at Al Udeid AB, Qatar, in support of Central Command headquarters, the Air Force 379th Expeditionary Force Support Squadron and 379th Expeditionary Medical Group.

"We have recently undertaken a number of efforts to reorganize the business development functions at Vectrus to improve effectiveness in our pursuits," said Ken Hunzeker, chief executive officer at Vectrus. "We are very pleased to see these efforts result in a task order win on the U.S. Air Force Contract Augmentation Program IV contract vehicle and we look forward to providing outstanding installation services at Al Udeid AB."

The task order encompasses the full spectrum of installation services and will specifically include maintenance, custodial, lodging, recreation services, and hospital aseptic services. The contract will begin on Sept. 20, 2016.

About Vectrus

Vectrus is a leading, global government services company with a history in the services market that dates back more than 70 years. The company provides infrastructure asset management, information technology and network communication services, and logistics and supply chain management services to U.S. government customers around the world. Vectrus is differentiated by operational excellence, superior program performance, a history of long-term customer relationships, and a strong commitment to their mission success. Vectrus is headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colo., and includes more than 6,000 employees spanning 132 locations in 18 countries. In 2015, Vectrus generated sales of $1.2 billion. For more information, visit our website at http://www.vectrus.com or connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube.

Contacts:

Media

George Rhynedance

(719) 637-4182

[email protected]

Investors

Mike Smith

(719) 637-5773

[email protected]

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SOURCE Vectrus

Related Links

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POMPANO BEACH, Fla., Aug. 26, 2016 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- By a 60-35 vote, drivers at FreshPoint in Pompano Beach, Fla., voted today to join Teamsters Local 769, the third organizing victory at Sysco in South Florida in the past four months.

FreshPoint, a produce delivery company, is a division of Sysco, the largest food-service company in the country. There are 101 workers in the bargaining unit.

"Once again, workers stood up to Sysco's anti-worker, anti-union tactics and stood strong and united in their fight for positive change," said Mike Scott, President of Local 769 in Miami. "The drivers at FreshPoint work hard providing fresh produce to their communities and they deserve to receive fair wages and benefits and to be treated with respect."

"It's a relief to finally have a voice on the job for myself and my co-workers," said Dondi McCrea, a driver and three-year employee. "It feels great to be a Teamsterit's a blessing."

"We have been mistreated for too long, but now we will fight for respect on the job as Teamsters," said 10-year employee Eddy Deronvil, another driver, one of many employees of Haitian descent. "This is a great day."

"I want to congratulate the workers at FreshPoint for standing up to the company and saying 'enough is enough,"" said Steve Vairma, Director of the Teamsters Warehouse Division. "This overwhelming vote should send a message to the company that workers need to be treated with dignity and respect."

In addition to fair treatment and respect, the workers are seeking fair wages, improved benefits and better working conditions.

Founded in 1903, the International Brotherhood of Teamsters represents 1.4 million hard-working men and women throughout the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.

Contact:

Kara Deniz, (202) 624-6911

[email protected]

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SOURCE International Brotherhood of Teamsters

Related Links

http://www.teamster.org


Mumbai, Aug 22 : Tamil-Telugu film actress Regina Cassandra, who will be making her Hindi movie debut with "Aankhen 2", says she will try to balance her career as she can't think of leaving the southern industry for Bollywood.

"I will definitely make time for both. I don't think I can leave the south industry for good... It's where I'm from. My roots are in the south. I might branch out into different places, but I'll always have my roots here," Regina said in an interview.

Regina was dazzled by the Bollywood stars at the muhurat of "Aankhen 2".

"It was an unforgettable experience. Being present among some of the stalwarts of the Hindi film industry isn't something we all get to be a part of everyday. I'm looking forward to my journey in Bollywood," she added.

Why did she choose Anees Bazmee's "Aankhen 2" as her Bollywood debut?

"Well, sometimes you don't choose.Your destiny has already been chosen for you. I did get a few offers in Hindi cinema before. Somehow it didn't feel right. Maybe the time was not right or maybe it was just me. I wasn't ready.

"'Aankhen 2' happened very organically. I was asked to come meet the team in Mumbai and in a days' time, things were sorted. You can say it just happened, much to my surprise," she said.

Why did she wait this long to make her Bollywood debut?

"I wasn't waiting for anything.I was always interested in acting. Be it theatre or ads. Acting is something I respect and take great pride in. I didn't think I'd make a foray in Telugu itself... So Bollywood wasn't something I was dreaming about as well."

Regina realises going pan-India is a leap ahead.

"I know it's something like a promotion for an actor who hails predominantly from Tamil Nadu to be placed in Bollywood because that would mean being positioned on a national level. I'm glad Bollywood has happened at this time in my life, because earlier, I don't think I was fully ready to take on what is being thrown at me now. I've evolved as an actor," she said.

She is grateful to Tamil and Telugu cinema.

"My south films have taught me well. I can now safely say I know my positives and my negative, what I can do and what I need to brush up on. Hence, I think the timing is perfect for my Bollywood debut," she added.

For now, Regina will next be seen on screen in the action thriller "Shankara", which is remake of the Tamil hit "Mouna Guru" and also the source for the Hindi film "Akira", starring Sonakshi Sinha.

"Shankara" is being released on August 26 -- a week ahead of Murugadoss's "Akira" -- to get into theatres first.

Excited about it, she said: "In 'Shankara', I play the hero's love interest. It's an offbeat film and it did really well in Tamil. I'm someone who has always loved thrillers and different stories."

About the same film being released in Hindi, Regina said: "I've heard it's being remade in Hindi as well with a few changes. Looking forward to the Hindi film as well."
Lucknow, Aug 23 : A Lucknow court on Tuesday rejected the final police report in a case pertaining to an alleged telephonic threat issued to senior IPS officer Amitabh Thakur by Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The court ordered that the matter be reinvestigated and also sought a scientific scrutiny of the two voices in the telephonic conversation, said to be between Thakur and Yadav.

Chief Judicial Magistrate Sandhya Srivastava dismissed the police report, which in October 2015 concluded that there was no case made out against Yadav.

Thakur, holding the rank of an Inspector General of Police in Uttar Pradesh, on July 10, 2015, accused the Samajwadi Party chief of calling him on his cell phone and threatening him with dire consequences.

He submitted a voice recording of the alleged conversation between the two and even lodged an FIR on July 11.

The state government suspended the Indian Police Service officer on July 13 and ordered a slew of investigations against him.

Alleging victimisation by the Akhilesh Yadav government, Thakur petitioned the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) against his suspension.

The CAT ordered the revoking of his suspension. Thakur was reinstated, though a number of cases and probes are pending against him.

The investigating official in the telephonic threat case had, in his final report, claimed that the officer raised the matter for "cheap publicity".

Thereafter, Thakur moved the CJM court against the police report.
Wellington, Aug 24 : The Fijian military head arrived in New Zealand on Wednesday to continue the rebuilding of links between the armed forces of the two countries.

Commander Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF) Rear Admiral Viliame Naupoto would be holding talks with New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) and Ministry of Defence officials during his four-day visit, said NZDF Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Tim Keating.

"There has been a good momentum in the defence relationship, this visit builds on that," Keating said in a statement, Xinhua news agency reported.

"I am pleased to be hosting Rear Admiral Naupoto. This is the first visit to New Zealand by a Commander of the RFMF since many years."

The defence cooperation was formally resumed between the two military forces in late 2014, following a normalizing of relations

Keating visited Fiji at the end of June for talks with Naupoto on defence and security cooperation.

The NZDF was heavily involved in the response to the Tropical Cyclone Winston in February, sending its biggest peacetime deployment to the Pacific, involving ships, aircrafts and more than 500 personnel.

The cyclone killed at least 42 people, and damaged or destroyed thousands of homes and other buildings.

Also in June, John Key became the first New Zealand Prime Minister to visit Fiji in 10-years, and held talks with his counterpart - Prime Minister Josaia Voreqe Bainimarama Other Pacific nations imposed sanctions on Fiji after Bainimarama seized power in a military coup in 2006.

Relations were normalised after elections in September 2014, when Bainimarama was elected Fiji's Prime Minister with about 60 per cent of the vote.
New Delhi, Aug 24 : A 24-year-old man has been arrested on the charges of stalking, criminal intimidation and creating fake profiles of girls on social media, the Delhi Police said on Wednesday.

The arrested man, Akhilesh is a resident of Bhind district in Madhya Pradesh and is working as a driver, police said.

"Akhilesh was arrested on August 22 from J.J. Colony area of north-west Delhi after a complaint against him by a minor girl's father for threatening and blackmailing her," Deputy Commissioner of Police (North-West) Vijay Singh told reporters.

The complainant said his daughter was harassed and blackmailed through Facebook Messenger by an unknown person who created a fake Facebook page in her name.

"He created fake profiles of girls and then sent friend requests randomly to other girls. Once they accepted his friend request, the accused exchanged mobile numbers and personal information."

"If he could not meet a girl or his friendship request was not accepted, he created her fake Facebook profile or page and posted her picture and mobile number with obscene comments or title to defame and malign her," the officer added.

The officer said Akhilesh blackmailed a few girls by threatening to create fake Facebook profiles or circulating these in her friends circle or locality.

"He even demanded money in some cases," Singh added.

The police has found around 100 mobile phone numbers of girls whom he had harassed.

Akhilesh was booked under Sections 354-D (stalking), 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman), 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 12 of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act, the police said.
Rome, Aug 25 : A powerful 6.2 magnitude earthquake ripped through the mountains in central Italy on Wednesday, claiming at least 159 lives as it flattened several villages and towns, a media report said.

Citing Italy's national news agency ANSA, CNN reported that at least 159 people were killed as rescue operations were underway in the Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto towns of Italy.

Earlier in the day Prime Minister Matteo Renzi said that at least 120 people were killed and 368 injured in the disaster.

"This is not a final toll," Renzi warned.

A series of aftershocks struck towns in the region, toppling scores of buildings, according to reports.

Many persons are still believed trapped beneath building debris, while rescuers were struggling to reach remote villages and towns levelled in the quake.

The Prime Minister had paid tribute to the volunteers and civil defence officials who rushed to the scene in the middle of the night and used their bare hands to dig for survivors.

The earthquake struck at a shallow depth of 10 km.

The epicentre of the quake was in Norcia in Umbria, about 170 km north-east of Rome, while the hardest hit were the towns of Amatrice, Accumoli and Pescara del Tronto.

Much of the town of Amatrice was reduced to rubble.

Amatrice is known for its traditional all'amatriciana pasta sauce, and was gearing up to hold a festival celebrating the recipe this weekend, CNN reported.

The town is popular with holidaymakers and most of the 2,500 people left displaced by the earthquake were said to be visitors.

The Italian branch of the Red Cross sent at least 20 ambulances and sniffer dogs to affected areas alongside the Italian Defence Ministry.
New Delhi, Aug 25 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Thursday said the passengers of an Air India (AI) flight diverted to Kazakhstan are safe and there was no reason to worry.

She said arrangements for the onward journey of the passengers on the Newark-bound flight are being made.

"AI-191 diverted to Kazakhstan -- Our Ambassador Harsh K. Jain has informed me that all passengers are safe. There is no reason for worry," Sushma Swaraj posted on Twitter.

"The relief plane will land there shortly and take all passengers for onward journey. All those who tweeted in this regard please rest assured."

An Air India Mumbai-Newark flight was diverted to Kazakhstan on Thursday due to operational reasons.

The official said the flight, which took off from the Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport in Mumbai around 2 a.m., was diverted to Kazakhstan where it landed safely at 7.30 a.m.
Mogadishu, Aug 26 : Gunmen stormed a restaurant in the Somali capital Mogaidshu on Thursday and a gunfire was underway after a suicide car bomb exploded at the restaurant, police sources and witnesses said.

The suicide car bomb exploded at the Banadir Beach Club and Restaurant on the Lido beach, Xinhua quoted witnesses as saying.

There was no immediate word on casualties.

Police sources said security forces were exchanging fire with Al-Shabaab militants who were still inside the hotel.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack but the Al-Shabaab Islamist group frequently carries out attacks in Somalia, moslty in Mogadishu, in its fight against the government.
Washington, Aug 26 : Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump ruled out a pathway to legal status for undocumented immigrants in the US.

However, the Manhattan real-estate mogul has declined to clarify whether he would still forcibly deport the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants in the US -- a major tenet of his immigration platform -- after he suggested earlier this week that he was "softening" on the idea and also made a series of comments that indicated a path to legalisation was likely as long as they paid taxes accumulated from their time living here illegally.

"There's no path to legalisation unless they leave the country," CNN quoted Trump as saying after an event in Manchester, New Hampshire on Thursday.

"When they come back in, then they can start paying taxes, but there is no path to legalisation unless they leave the country and then come back."

Trump said that on his first day in office, he would authorise law enforcement to actively deport "bad dudes," such as those who have committed crimes, which he said numbered "probably millions", CNN reported.

But he declined to flatly say whether he would round up other undocumented immigrants, stressing that once the initial deportations occur, "then we can talk".

"There is a very good chance the answer could be yes," Trump said when asked if he would deport those who have lived here peacefully but without papers. "We're going to see what happens."

Trump's comments are the latest turn in a now-daily recalibration of his position on immigration, which Trump said he would crystallise in a speech next week, CNN noted.

Clinton's campaign called Trump's plan "dangerous" in a statement Thursday night.

"He may try to disguise his plans by throwing in words like 'humane' or 'fair', but the reality remains that Trump's agenda echoes the extreme right's will -- one that is fueling a dangerous movement of hatred across the country," CNN reported citing Clinton spokeswoman Jennifer Palmieri as saying.
Mogadishu, Aug 26 : At least seven people were killed in a bomb and gun attack on a beach restaurant in the Somalian capital of Mogadishu, police said on Friday.

According to police, a car bomb exploded outside the Banadir Beach Club in the Lido area on Thursday night following which the gunmen then stormed the building, the BBC reported.

Security forces said they killed two attackers and arrested another after a six-hour operation overnight.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.
Prague, Aug 26 : An assassination attempt on German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly been foiled here as Czech police detained an armed man who tried to join her motorcade during visit to the capital.

"The perpetrator has been detained," the Mirror quoted police spokesman Josef Bocan as saying on Thursday.

"He is suspected of attempting to cause a crime -- specifically an attempt to use violence against an official," he said.

"The incident is currently being investigated by Prague detectives."

Markel, who was in Prague to meet Czech Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka, was travelling from the airport to the city when the suspicious Black Mercedes appeared.

The driver refused to obey orders coming from the police cars accompanying the German Chancellor.

The suspect tried to enter the motorcade and cut off a police vehicle that was trying to stop him. He only stopped and got out of the vehicle after the police warned of shooting him.

The incident comes as Europe remains on high alert after a series of terror attacks over the past 12 months.

France, Germany and Belgium have been attacked by the Islamic State (IS) militant group, claiming hundreds of lives.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said transformation in governance is needed for India to progress in an inter-connected world and meet the aspirations of its youth.

"Development now depends on the quality of institutions and ideas... Thirty years ago, a country might have been able to look inward and find its solutions. Today, countries are inter-dependent and inter-connected," the Prime Minister said at a function of the Niti Aayog.

Modi said a "metamorphosis" is needed and added: "The transformation of India cannot happen without a transformation of governance. We cannot march through the 21st century with the administrative systems of the 19th century."

"No country can afford any longer to develop in isolation. Younger generation in India is thinking and aspiring so differently, that government can no longer afford to remain rooted in the past," he said.

He said he has been holding brainstorming sessions with government officials, and the next step will be getting ideas from outside, adding that India has always been open to ideas from outside.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Singapore Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday here.

Shanmugaratnam briefed Modi on the status of various bilateral cooperation initiatives, especially in the areas of skill development and smart cities, an official release said.

Modi recalled his visit to Singapore last November, during which bilateral relations were upgraded to a "strategic partnership".

Modi said he was keenly looking forward to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's visit to India in the near future.

Modi also conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the people of Singapore on the demise of former President S.R. Nathan.

Singapore has lost one of its great sons, the Prime Minister said.
Washington, Aug 26 : NASA has said that its Juno spacecraft, launched five years ago, will get closer to the cloud tops of Jupiter this Saturday than at any other time during its prime mission.

"This is the first time we will be close to Jupiter since we entered orbit on July 4," said Scott Bolton, Principal Investigator of Juno from Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio.

At the moment of closest approach, Juno will be about 4,200 kilometres above Jupiter's swirling clouds and traveling at 208,000 kilometres per hour with respect to the planet.

There are 35 more close flybys of Jupiter scheduled during its prime mission scheduled to end in February of 2018.

The flyby on Saturday will be the first time Juno will have its entire suite of science instruments activated and looking at the giant planet as the spacecraft zooms past.

"So for this upcoming flyby Juno's eyes and ears, our science instruments, will all be open," Bolton noted.

"This is our first opportunity to really take a close-up look at the king of our solar system and begin to figure out how he works," Bolton said.

While the science data from the pass should be downlinked to Earth within days, interpretation and first results are not expected for some time, NASA said.

"No other spacecraft has ever orbited Jupiter this closely, or over the poles in this fashion," Steve Levin, Juno Project Scientist from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, said.

"This is our first opportunity and there are bound to be surprises," Levin noted.

Not only will Juno's suite of eight science instruments be on, the spacecraft's visible light imager -- JunoCam will also be snapping some closeups.

A handful of JunoCam images, including the highest resolution imagery of the Jovian atmosphere and the first glimpse of Jupiter's north and south poles, are expected to be released during the later part of next week, the US space agency said.

The Juno spacecraft was launched on August 5, 2011, from Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Rio De Janeiro, Aug 26 : Brazil's interim President Michel Temer lit the Paralympic torch as the final countdown to the Paralympic Games here.

At a ceremony in the capital Brasilia on Thursday, Temer was presented with the flame, before lighting a torch held by Brazilian sprinter Yohannson Nascimento, Xinhua news agency reported.

He praised the Paralympic spirit, saying Brazilians could identify with its underlying message.

"Throughout the country's history Brazil has been able to overcome its challenges, just like the Paralympians have done," Temer said.

The torch relay will begin September 1, passing through each of Brazil's five regions before arriving at the Maracana stadium for the opening ceremony on September 7.

Temer said he would be present at the ceremony, adding that Rio was guaranteed to be a successful host.

"We showed during the Olympics that we know how to organise big events. People from all over the world doffed their hats to us after the Olympics and the same will be the case for the Paralympics," Temer said.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : With Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw arriving on a four-day visit to India from Saturday on the heels of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj's day-long visit to that country on Monday, Yangon is seeking to find some kind of a balance in its ties between two large neighbours, India and China.

This will be the first presidential visit from Myanmar after Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy (NLD) assumed power in March this year.

Suu Kyi, who spent a considerable part of her early life in India and was educated at Lady Shri Ram College in New Delhi, however chose to make Beijing her first port of call after she became the country's State Counsellor and foreign minister. She was in Beijing last week.

After the NLD assumed power, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval visited Myanmar as a special envoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 16, and Minister of State for Commerce and Industry Nirmala Sitharaman earlier led a high-level business delegation to the eastern neighbour for the India-Myanmar Business Conclave on May 18-20.

Last month, Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh held a meeting with Suu Kyi on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Laos.

According to Rajiv Bhatia, a former Indian ambassador to Myanmar, two factors have to be watched during President Htin's upcoming visit. "One is the agenda and outcome of the visit," he said. "The other is Myanmar's balancing of ties with China, India, Japan and Asean."

According to K. Yhome, Research Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation think tank and the author of "Myanmar: Can the Generals Resist Change?", Suu Kyi's visit was aimed at balancing ties with the new government trying to reduce its dependence on China.

"They (Myanmar) are also trying to engage with more important powers like the US," he said.

Suu Kyi is scheduled to visit Washington next month at the invitation of US President Barack Obama who had met her during his visit to Myanmar in 2014 for that year's Asean summit.

But at the same time, Yhome said that India figured prominently in the regional geopolitical dynamics of the eastern neighbour. "President Htin's visit is a regional geopolitical calculation of the Myanmar government," he said.

According to Khin Zaw Win, Director of the Tampadipa Institute that works on policy advocacy and capacity-building in Myanmar, New Delhi has been slow in engaging with Nay Pyi Taw, the country's administrative capital, in the wake of the new dispensation.

"India should act fast in implementing these projects according to its Act East Policy while keeping in mind the benefits for the people of Myanmar," Win told IANS over phone from Yangon. "You must ensure that you do not make the same mistakes as in the case of Chinese-funded projects," he said.

He said Chinese projects, like the $3.6-billion Myitsone Dam at the source of the Irrawady river, were started without proper consultations, resulting in a lot of people getting displaced.

Major Indian infrastructure projects underway are the trilateral highway connecting Moreh in Manipur with Mae Sot in Thailand through Myanmar, the Kaladan multi-modal transport project connecting Mizoram with Myanmar's Sittwe port and the Rih-Tedim road in Myanmar across Mizoram.

"It is unfortunate that the infrastructure projects have been delayed for long," said Yhome. "But since the Modi government came to power, there has been a renewed push to implement these projects," he added.

According to Bhatia, security along the international border between India's northeast and Myanmar is also an important issue for New Delhi.

During Sushma Swaraj's visit this week, both sides agreed to make efforts to ensure peace and security along the long, shared border. The Myanmar leadership asured Swaraj that activities of anti-India insurgent groups targeting the Northeast would not be countenanced from its territory.

"Now we have to see if their (Myanmar's) action matches their words," Bhatia said.

India and Myanmar have old historical, ethnic, social and religious ties, besides sharing a long land border and maritime boundary. It is also seen as a gateway to the Asean nations and beyond.

Many Indian companies have invested in Myanmar's energy sector and also set up plants there, especially in the automobile industry. Its natural resources and large reserves of oil and gas are of great interest to China as well, which sees it as a strategic window on India and has invested in big infrastructure projects.

(Aroonim Bhuyan can be contacted at aroonim.b@ians.in)
Mumbai, Aug 26 : Remaining bullish overall on Reliance Industries, leading merchant banker Morgan Stanley says it expects the Jio 4G telecom services to grow to 40 million subscribers in the next fiscal and add $2 billion in revenues, with a positive cash flow by 2019-20.

"We expect Reliance-Jio to generate more than $2 billion revenues in 2017-18 with revenue market shares of 2 per cent in voice and 19 per cent in data, leading to a 6 per cent overall revenue market share," Morgan Stanley Research said in its latest report.

"We believe Reliance-Jio would add more than 40 million subs in 2017-18, at an average revenue per user of Rs 300. We expect it to turn free cash flow positive in 2019-20," the report said, adding the company has so far spent $21 billion on this business with network rollout largely complete.

"We have increased our cumulative project capital expenditure estimate for Reliance-Jio by over 10 per cent, assuming spectrum spending of $1.5 billion in the coming auction. The 800 MHz and 1,800 MHz will be key bands of interest."

Commenting on the overall business outlook for the group, Morgan Stanley said some project delays and higher capital expenditure led Reliance Industries to under perform the sensitive index of BSE by 13 per cent in the last five months.

"But we think this is set to change. By March 2017, Reliance Industries will commercially commission $50 billion in projects, leading average free cash flow of $5 billion for the next three years," referring to the cash it generates after the capital expenditure.

The merchant banker said all eyes are now on the commercial launch of Jio 4G services.

"The telecom venture, Jio, has made great progress in its test launch. It has garnered as much as 20 per cent data volume market share with free usage preview offer. Also, Jio is being offered on multiple 4G LTE handsets, increasing flexibility for customers," it said.
Manila, Aug 26 : Protestors on Friday demanded an end to the wave of extra-judicial killings that have taken place since President Rodrigo Duterte launched his controversial war on drugs.

More than 30 people took part in the demonstration on Friday morning in front of the Philippine National Police (PNP) headquarters in capital Manila, waving flags and banners bearing slogans such as "Stop extra-judicial killings, uphold due process", EFE news reported.

Participants also mimicked an extra-judicial killing scene, lying on the ground in front of the police headquarters with scarves over their heads, surrounded by cardboard signs displaying the words "Stop the killings".

According to police data, at least 756 people were slain during anti-drug police operations between July 1 and August 23, while some 1,160 people were killed by unidentified assailants, many of whom are believed to be vigilantes.

The latest death count means that since Duterte took office on June 30, his violent campaign against drugs has seen an average of 36 deaths each day.

The UN last week condemned the drug crackdown, urging the Philippine government to "protect all persons from targeted killings and extra-judicial executions".

In response, Duterte said the criticisms were "stupid" and threatened to withdraw the Philippines from the UN.

The Philippine government has since insisted that it remains committed to the UN, despite frustrations with the international body's comments over the extra-judicial killings.
Thiruvananthapuram, Aug 26 : Even as the Vatican gets ready for the canonisation of Mother Teresa on September 4, two Kerala ministers are awaiting central clearance for their trip as official representatives of the state.

Kerala Finance Minister Thomas Issac and Minister for Water Resources Mathew T. Thomas have been nominated by the state government to attend the event at the Vatican.

However, Thomas said there seems to be some problem in the matter as clearance by the Centre for their trip is yet to come.

"We do not know what is the reason for the delay. We have booked our tickets to the Vatican to attend the canonisation," said Thomas whose late father was a priest of the Mar Thoma church headquartered in Thiruvalla in Pathanamthitta.

Earlier this month, clearance was denied to Local Self Government Minister K.T. Jaleel who was to travel to Saudi Arabia amid reports of hundreds of Keralites in the Gulf kingdom being rendered jobless.

But the Centre said it had already sent Union Minister of State for External Affairs V.K. Singh to Saudi Arabia to resolve the issue.
Mumbai, Aug 26 : In a historic verdict demolishing another bastion of gender discrimination in the country, the Bombay High Court on Friday permitted the entry of women right up to the restricted grave area of the famous Haji Ali Dargah here.

The 56-page ruling by a division bench comprising Justice V.M. Kanade and Mohite Revati-Dere came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and its office-bearer activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Soman in November 2014.

The PIL challenged a 2012 decision by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust (HADT), prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the shrine, built in 1431, on grounds that "women wearing blouses with wide necks bend on the 'mazaar', thus showing their breasts", which was against Islam.

The trust contended that the ban was "for the safety and security of women". It also said that earlier, it was "not aware of the provisions of Shariat and therefore had taken steps to rectify the same".

The shrine, located on the rocks off the Worli seashore, comprises the grave of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, a Muslim saint revered by all communities.

NGO BMMA's lawyer Raju Z. Moray argued that there is nothing in the Holy Quran which prohibits the entry of women into mosques/dargahs and Islam believes in gender equality.

The HADT's lawyer, Shoaib Memon, contended that Islam discourages free mixing between men and women and the intention of the restriction was to keep interaction between men-women at a modest level, besides preventing sexual harassment of women and their belongings getting stolen.

While permitting women to enter the restricted areas along with men, the court asked the Maharashtra government to ensure their safety and security.

Terming the ban a violation of the fundamental rights of a person enshrined in the Constitution, the judges stayed their verdict for six weeks to allow an appeal in the Supreme Court.

"We hold that the ban of the Trust prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah contravenes Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution...women be permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum at par with men," the judges said.

They directed the state government and the trust to take effective steps to ensure the safety and security of the women at the Dargah.

HADT Chairman Abdul Sattar Merchant said they will appeal against the ruling in the Supreme Court and that the AIMIM (All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen) will also oppose the verdict.

The trust, in June 2012, had barred the entry of women on the ground that Islam did not allow women to touch the tombs of male saints and it was a "sin" for them to enter the area where the grave is located.

An umbrella outfit, 'Haji Ali For All' comprising several social and women's groups, including NGO Bhumata Brigade, had attempted to storm the shrine on April 28, but were stopped by the police on grounds of security.

Later, on May 12, Bhumata Brigade President Trupti Desai, accompanied by her supporters and a posse of police, walked through the one-km narrow causeway on the Arabian Sea -- accessible only during low tide -- to reach the Dargah with scores of other devotees.

She followed the prevalent customs and prayed from outside the restricted area -- barely four feet away from the grave -- and departed a few minutes later.

At that time, the shrine trustees reiterated that permitting women upto the tomb of Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari would be "anti-Islam" and claimed immunity as it was a "minority trust".

Desai is credited with successful agitations culminating in women's entry to the Shani Shingnapur Temple in Ahmednagar and later the Trimbakeshwar Temple in Nashik, both in April this year, besides a partially successful agitation at Mahalaxmi Temple in Kolhapur.

"I welcome the historic verdict of the court today. Our agitation has been successful and the courts have recognized the equality and rights of women. We shall soon go to pray at Haji Ali Dargah," Desai said while reacting to the high court ruling.

Several prominent men and women Muslim intellectuals and activists lauded the High Court ruling.

The Dargah was constructed in 1431 in memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Pir Haji Ali Shah Bukhari of Bukhara in modern Uzbekistan.

At one time, he renounced all his worldly possessions, travelled all around the world, made a pilgrimage to Mecca and finally settled in the then Bombay in the 15th century.

According to local legends, once he saw a poor woman crying over oil spilt from her vessel, afraid that her husband would thrash her.

He took the woman to the spot where the oil had spilt and jabbed his finger in the earth and oil gushed out. The happy woman filled up her vessel and went home.

Later, the saint had tormenting dreams of how he had injured the earth by his action. He fell ill and asked his followers to throw his coffin into the Arabian Sea.

He died during a pilgrimage to Mecca and the casket carrying his body miraculously was swept back to the Worli shore and got stuck in the rocks there.

His Dargah was constructed at the same spot; and on Thursdays-Fridays, it is visited by large number of pilgrims of all religions from India and abroad for the saint's blessings.

(Quaid Najmi can be contacted at q.najmi@ians.in)
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Actor Abhay Deol is keen to break his "non-mainstream" image in Bollywood and says he would love to come out-of-the-box and do mainstream films like an actioner.

Asked if he will ever do an out-and-out actioner, Abhay told IANS: "I hope so."

"Action requires a budget, especially the ones we make in our industry. It would be great to read a script, which is an action script uniquely written so that it doesn't cost an arm or a leg because we are now accustomed to seeing action in the superhero form," he quipped.

The actor, who has done films as different as "Dev.D" and "Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara", says since he has done a lot of "non-mainstream" cinema, he doubts if filmmakers will offer him an action film.

"The thing is that because I have gone and done non-mainstream movies, the reaction will occur that, 'He is not mainstream'. So they (filmmakers) themselves won't offer me those films," he added.

Abhay says he wants to do commercial films, but he feels he has been "boxed" as a type in the industry.

The 40-year-old actor said: "It's not that I don't want to do different films. The non-mainstream stuff that I did, started to get successful... But for an industry which runs essentially on money, they do put you in a box. You try hard to do what you believe in and try hard to not put yourself in a box, but you inevitably get put in a box."

Abhay, who was recently seen in "Happy Bhaag Jayegi", says he would like to come out of the box.

"But now for me to get out-of-the-box and do something like an action film that I would love to do, someone else too has to take that chance with me. I can't do it alone," he added.
New York/ New Delhi, Aug 26 : Amid the recent fluctuation in global crude oil rates, prices fell on Friday, in a situation of supply glut following indications from Saudi Arabia that no output freeze was in the offing.

Members of the 13-nation Organisation of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), of which Saudi Arabia is a leading member, will meet on the sidelines of the International Energy Forum in Algeria September 26-28.

US West Texas Intermediate was trading lower early on Friday at $47.23 a barrel on the New York Mercantile Exchange, while Brent crude was trading at $49.46, 21 cents lower than its previous close, on the London ICE Futures Exchange.

OPEC member Iran, which has been ramping up production to its pre-sanctions levels despite the recent supply glut, said on Friday that it would cooperate with other producers to stabilize oil markets, adding, however that it expected others to respect its individual rights.

Following its June meeting in Vienna when it decided against an output cut, OPEC, which accounts for 40 per cent of global crude output, said in a statement that its members were committed to a "stable and balanced oil market and that the market is moving through the balancing process".

The price of the OPEC basket of 13 crudes closed at $45.28 a barrel on Thursday.

Instead, the Indian basket, composed of 73 per cent sour grade Dubai and Oman crudes and the rest by sweet grade UK Brent, closed trade on Thursday at $46.66 per barrel, as compared to $46.58 "on the previous publishing day" on Tuesday, as per official data.

Oil prices have recently surged over 80 per cent, from a 12-year low in January, mainly on account of a weaker US dollar.

Making its previous fortnightly revision in fuel prices on August 16, state-run Indian Oil Corp cut the price of transport fuels, of petrol by Re 1 a litre and of diesel by Rs 2, both at Delhi, with corresponding decrease in other states.
Bhopal, Aug 26 : Office bearers of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), including party chief Amit Shah, met here to review the performance of the Madhya Pradesh government for a second day on Friday.

The two-day coordination meeting which is being held in Sharda Vihar Educational Institute is to conclude later on Friday.

The RSS held discussions with the state government and all ministers, except Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan, were in attendance at the meet and provided details about their departments, sources said.

During their meeting with Amit Shah, the BJP and RSS leaders discussed the current situation in the state and talked about better reciprocity, sources reported. Shah returned to Delhi later in the day.

The RSS had directed all ministers to leave their vehicles, guards and mobile phones at the entrance gate of Sharda Vihar but most ministers did not pay heed, sources said.
Kathmandu, Aug 26 : Nepal's new Foreign Minister Prakash Sharan Mahat on Friday said his country will accord top priority to enhancing relations and trust with neighbours India and China.

"Neighbouring India and China are two very important countries in our foreign relations," Xinhua news agency quoted Mahat as saying.

The new government, he said, wants to have cordial ties with neighbouring and other friendly countries to promote mutual beneficial cooperation.

Addressing a separate programme on the same day, the foreign minister expressed the hope that high-level exchange of visits between India and Nepal will take place in the near future.
Colombo, Aug 26 : UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon will meet war displaced people during a visit to Sri Lanka next week, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday.

Ban will visit Sri Lanka from August 31 to September 2 at the invitation of the Sri Lankan government, Xinhua news agency reported.

In Colombo, the Secretary General will meet Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and call on President Maithripala Sirisena.

The UN chief will travel to the southern town of Galle where he will participate in an event involving youth under the theme "Reconciliation and Coexistence: Role of Youth".

He will also visit the northern town of Jaffna where he will meet Governor of the Northern Province Reginald Cooray, leader of the Opposition R. Sampanthan and members of the main minority Tamil party, the Tamil National Alliance, and a resettlement site.

During the visit, the UN Secretary General will also meet several Cabinet Ministers, including Minister of Foreign Affairs Mangala Samaraweera, Parliament Speaker Karu Jayasuriya and leaders of political party as well as civil society representatives.
Srinagar/New Delhi, Aug 26 : Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti flew to Delhi on Saturday evening for talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Kashmir Valley remained on the boil with one more civilian killed in firing by security forces.

Government sources in Delhi and Srinagar told IANS that the meeting between Modi and Mehbooba was scheduled to take place on Saturday morning at his official 7 Race Course residence.

The sources said the Chief Minister was summoned to Delhi after Home Minister Rajnath Singh's two-day visit to the valley.

They said the Home Minister had asked the Chief Minister to act tough against and round up those perpetrating a deadly civilian unrest triggered by the July 8 killing of Hizbul commander Burhan Wani.

"Rajnath Singh carried the same message and that is what Modi is expected to tell Mehbooba," one of the sources said.

The source said state and central intelligence agencies have prepared a list of around 170 ringleaders, found inciting the unrest and provoking people to take to the streets and throw stones at security forces.

Most of these ringleaders are from south Kashmir, the bastion of Mehbooba's Peoples Democratic Party.

Jammu and Kashmir Police have "not acted and the alleged troublemakers are roaming about free", the source said, adding that the Chief Minister was being pressurized to crack down on them.

As Mehbooba jetted off to Delhi, one more civilian died after security forces opened fire in south Kashmir's Pulwama district. This took the death toll in the ongoing unrest to 70.

Over 7,000 civilians and more than 4,000 security personnel have been injured during the unrest - the deadliest the valley has suffered in six years.

Police said Shakeel Ahmad Ganai, 22, was killed after he sustained bullet injuries in a clash with the security forces in Haal village.

A doctor at the sub-district hospital at Pulwama said Ganai had been hit by a bullet that pierced through his heart.

Some three dozen people were injured in other clashes across the valley after the Friday prayers.

The security restrictions were tightened on Friday amid apprehensions that separatist leaders may stoke further trouble. They had asked people to gather in Eidgah prayer grounds for a pro-freedom protest rally in the heart of the volatile old Srinagar city.

But the government thwarted the protest march to the sprawling prayer ground.

Syed Ali Shah Geelani, who heads the hardline Hurriyat Conference, was held outside his upscale Hyderpora residence as he defied restrictions and attempted to march to Eidgah.

The moderate Hurriyat chairman, Mirwaiz Umar Farooq, was also arrested near his Nigeen house. Both the separatist leaders were briefly detained at police stations near their houses.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Muslim clerics on Friday questioned the Bombay High Court verdict allowing entry of women up to the restricted grave area of the Haji Ali Dargah, asserting that while they respect the court, the ruling goes against Islam.

"Our Constitution gives every right to Indian citizens to follow the religion of their choice. When someone follows a religion, then he or she must also follow the rules of that religion. There are certain Islamic laws pertaining to Dargah and graveyards, which restrict women. The high court judgement is, therefore, questionable," Maulana Khalid Rasheed Firangi Mahali, a prominent Lucknow-based Muslim cleric, told IANS over phone.

He contended that while women were "not prohibited" from entering a mosque, the rules for Dargah and graveyards were different, and claimed that certain Hindu laws too imposed restriction on women from entering cremation grounds.

"Islam gives equal rights to women and doesn't prohibit women from entering a mosque. But rules are different for Dargah. If any committee has made rules in light of Islamic Shariyat, it must be protected," he said referring to a 2012 decision by the Haji Ali Dargah Trust (HADT), prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Mumbai-based Dargah.

A cleric from Islamic seminary Darul Uloom Deoband, in Uttar Pradesh, said that while the matter was for the Iftaa department (which issues edicts) to comment upon "it's not ideal for a woman to enter a Dargah or graveyard, as per Islamic law".

"In Islam, though it's not a sin, but it is also not considered good for women to enter a Dargah or graveyard. Women had been going to the Haji Ali, so it must not be a problem, but it's not ideal," the cleric, who wished not to be identified, told IANS over phone.

The cleric also opined that though not ideal, women can continue visiting the graves or Dargah where they had been going to.

"However, it's wrong to promote visiting to those Dargahs or graveyards where it had always been prohibited," he said.

Islamic cleric Sajid Rashidi, from Delhi, also denounced the court's decision describing it as anti-Islamic.

"The high court is perhaps unaware of Sharia law. We respect the court but this is against Islam. The HADT has already resolved to approach the Supreme Court," Rashidi told media.

However, some clerics and schiolars, including Hina Zaheer, first woman Qazi of Uttar Pradesh, and Zakia Somani, founder member of Mumbai-based Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA), welcomed the decision.

BMMA had in November 2014 filed the PIL challenging HADT's decision banning women inside the core area of Haji Ali Dargah.

"It's a welcome move and it will go a long way in restoring the faith of the people ... in equal rights and gender justice," Zakia Somani told media persons adding that the verdict sends a strong message to members of all other religions where male custodians have put themselves in charge.

"Gender justice is fundamental to Islam. Men and women both go to Haj... there women are allowed to go right up to Kaaba... women can go to mazaars all over the world," said Somani adding that "it was a great setback for us" when the Haji Ali Trust barred women from entering its sanctum sanctorum in 2012.

The Bombay High Court earlier on Friday permitted the entry of women right up to the restricted grave area of the famous Haji Ali Dargah here.

The 56-page ruling by a division bench comprising Justice V.M. Kanade and Mohite Revati-Dere came on a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan (BMMA) and its office-bearer activists Noorjehan Niaz and Zakia Somani.
Paris, Aug 26 : France's highest administrative court on Friday suspended a ban on full-body burkini swimsuits, that has outraged Muslims and opened divisions within the government, pending a definitive ruling.

The Conseil d'Etat gave the ruling following a request from the League of Human Rights to overturn the burkini ban in the Mediterranean town of Villeneuve-Loubet on the grounds it contravenes civil liberties, The Mirror reported.

The ruling could set a precedent for up to 30 other towns that imposed similar bans.

The court will make a final decision on the legality of the bans later.

Amnesty International welcomed the court's decision. The human rights group's Europe director, John Dalhuisen, said it had "drawn a line in the sand".

"French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women. These bans do nothing to increase public safety but do a lot to promote public humiliation," Dalhuisen added.

Opinions polls suggested most French people backed the bans, which town mayors said were protecting public order and secularism, BBC reported.

Muslims in France said they were being targeted unfairly.

The court said local authorities did not have the power to restrict individual liberties in this way without "proven risk" to public order.

According to the Independent, terror analysts have warned that the ban would fuel jihadi propaganda as terrorist groups like Islamic State attempt to portray France and other Western countries as at war with Muslims.

Former President Nicolas Sarkozy, who is seeking nomination in 2017 presidential election race, said he would bring in a nationwide burkini ban if elected to his former post.

Sarkozy controversially labelled the swimwear a "provocation" earlier this week.
Bhubaneswar, Aug 26 : The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and the Odisha human rights panel on Friday issued notices to authorities over the undignified treatment meted out to the bodies of two women in the past two days in the state.

Taking suo motu cognizance of media reports, the NHRC asked the Odisha Chief Secretary to submit a report on the two incidents within four weeks.

Expressing anguish and pain over the two incidents, the NHRC observed that, if true, these raise serious questions of violation of human rights of the two deceased persons.

In the latest case, shocking images appeared of two men carrying a deceased elderly woman's body strung on a pole after breaking the body's hip bone.

The two incidents occurred despite the state government's "Mahaprayan" scheme that offers free transportation of bodies from government hospitals to the residences of the deceased, said a commission release.

During the day, the Odisha Human Rights Commission (OHRC) too had asked authorities to inquire into the two cases.

The Kalahandi District Collector and the Chief District Medical Officer (CDMO) were asked to submit a report within two weeks on the cases.

A tribal, Dana Manjhi, was on Wednesday forced to carry his wife's body on his shoulders for nearly 10 km as hospital authorities declined to provide him an ambulance or a hearse as he could not afford to pay for it.

His wife had died of tuberculosis at district headquarters hospital at Bhawanipatna.

In the second case, the body of an 80-year-old widow Salamani Behera run over by a goods train near Soro railway station in Balasore district was taken to a Community Health Centre at Soro.

The body was to be transferred to the district headquarter hospital, 30 km away, for autopsy.

On Thursday, workers at the community health centre allegedly stood on the dead woman's hip to snap the bones and fit her inside a plastic sheet. When her son protested, officials claimed it to be a case of rigor mortis.

Rabindra Barik, the dead woman's son, told IANS: "The workers broke my mother's bones at the hip and wrapped the body in a sheet. Then they strung the body to a bamboo pole to take it to the railway station."

The bereaved son demanded action against the persons involved.

The OHRC sought an explanation on the incident from the Government Railway Police and the Balasore district authorities within four weeks.

The state commission too took suo motu cognizance of media reports in both cases after the video clips went viral on TV news channels over the past two days.

Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik described the incidents as "extremely distressing".

On the sidelines of an investment meet in Bengaluru, Patnaik said: "It is extremely distressing. We have ordered an inquiry. Action would be taken against whoever is found guilty."

The Sub-Collector of Bhabanipatna has submitted a report to the District Collector on Dana Majhi's case.
Chandigarh, Aug 26 : In the biggest internal setback for its Punjab unit just six months before the state assembly elections, the AAP removed its Punjab unit chief Sucha Singh Chhotepur from his post on Friday following allegations of corruption.

The political affairs committee of the Aam Aadmi Party took the action against Chhotepur, the Punjab AAP convener who had led the emerging party in Punjab for nearly two and a half years.

Chhotepur will now face a disciplinary committee of the party, comprising Delhi lawmaker Jarnail Singh and former Punjab bureaucrat and AAP leader Jasbir Singh Bir, regarding allegations of corruption.

Differences between top leaders of the AAP's national leadership and the Punjab unit came out in the open on Friday with Chhotepur saying he won't leave the party on his own.

"I will not leave the party. I have built it brick by brick in the last two and a half years. Let the party take action against me. I have done nothing wrong," Chhotepur told the media here.

The AAP leader, who was the party's most visible face in Punjab till now, alleged that he had been framed by a "conspiracy of my own friends" in the AAP.

Chhotepur's comments came hours ahead of an AAP meeting in New Delhi, called to discuss the controversy around a video clip in which Chhotepur is allegedly seen accepting money from a party supporter.

The AAP leader told media that AAP national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had made "anti-Sikh" remarks to him (Chhotepur) after the AAP got embroiled in a serious religious controversy when it published its election symbol "broom" with a photograph of the holiest of Sikh shrines Harmandar Sahib, popularly known as Golden Temple.

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the state Home Minister, said on Friday that if any AAP leader or supporter submitted a complaint in writing to the state government for alleged bribery in ticket distribution (by AAP), the state government could probe such allegations after checking its veracity.

Taking a dig at AAP, Badal said that "all the rowdy elements out to make money have been given prominence in the party which resembles a bunch of rag-tag leaders".

Chhotepur particularly blamed AAP national spokesman Durgesh Pathak for the present situation and claimed that Pathak was in "complete control" of the party's Punjab affairs and was handling tickets to candidates, joining of leaders of other parties as well as funds.

"I am not such a light man to get sold over one or two lakh rupees. I have spent 40 years in politics and no one can raise a finger at me. There is a clear conspiracy against me by some people to oust me," Chhotepur said.

He added that Kejriwal and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia had not given him the opportunity to explain his side.

"It is unfortunate for Punjab (the present controversy). The AAP was the state's last hope. Many tickets have been distributed wrongly," Chhotepur said.

A few AAP leaders from Punjab on Thursday wrote to Kejriwal seeking action against Chhotepur following the emergence of a video clip on the purported sting showing an AAP supporter giving money to Chhotepur reached the AAP leadership in Delhi.

In the first two lists of 32 candidates released by the AAP, Chhotepur's name was strangely not cleared for any assembly seat, leading to speculation that all was not well within the party.

He was also not present at both press conferences where the lists were announced by AAP leaders, especially of Sanjay Singh, who is in charge of the party's affairs in Punjab.

Condemning the "dirty tricks resorted to by AAP leaders from Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Haryana against the son of the soil Sucha Singh Chhotepur", Punjab Congress President Amarinder Singh said on Thursday that AAP leaders from outside the state had taken control of the party.

"Kejriwal has a history of using and throwing away people. He did it with his mentor Anna Hazare, Kiran Bedi, Yogendra Yadav, Prashant Bhushan, and Chhotepur is only the next and not the last in line," Amarinder said.

The AAP is posing a challenge to the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP alliance and the opposition Congress in the Punjab assembly polls likely to be held in February next year.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : India on Friday reiterated the leaked Scorpene documents will not hurt the country's strategic interests with Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar stressing that it was not a "big concern" while the Australian journalist who broke the story claimed the Indian government was downplaying the incident and weapons data also figured in the papers.

Sources from the Indian Navy, meanwhile, said the documents that newspaper The Australian has put out on its website are old.

Parrikar, talking to journalists on the sidelines of an event here, said: "We are waiting for the report. Basically what is on the website (of The Australian) is not of concern to us but we are assuming on our own that this has been leaked and we are taking all precautions."

He stressed the documents do not contain information on the weapons.

He added that as the trials of the first submarine Kalvari are on, signatures are yet to be established.

"The most important signature does not form part of the documents."

"What I am given to understand is that there are a few pockets of concern assuming that what is claimed to have been leaked has leaked actually."

"We are going by assumption of the worst case scenario. I think there is not big worry because we will be able to put things in right perspective," he said.

Asked whether it may affect the Rafale fighter jet deal, the minister shot back saying: "You stop using all products from France? Obviously, the companies are different, the type of equipment is different, and an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there. It is not intentionally leaked."

Australian investigative journalist Cameron Stewart, who broke the story, meanwhile, alleged that the Indian Navy is trying to downplay the leak, and said his newspaper can post all the leaked documents online if India feels they pose no threat.

In an email response to questions from IANS, Stewart, an Associate Editor with The Australian, said the navy was just trying to do "damage control".

"The Navy is just trying to control the public relations damage of the leak, so they are trying to play it down. If they claim there is no damage, then maybe we should now put all 22,400 confidential documents on the net," Stewart told IANS.

Following Parrikar's statement, he hinted weapons data was also in the leaked documents.

"When I say we will release a leaked document on Scorpene weapons systems, they will of course be redacted by us of sensitive information (sic)," Steward said in a series of tweets.

"India's defence minister is wrong to say leaked Scorpene docs do not include weapons info. will release (self-censored) weapons doc Monday."

In the third tweet, he said The Australian "has not and will not" put on web any document that would "harm India's national security".

Sources from the Defence Ministry, who are aware of the details of the analysis of leaked information that is going on, said that the documents were part of specifications given to India.

The source ruled out any damaging impact of the published documents, but added that in worst case, India is capable of handling the damage.

Asked about the Indian Navy insignia on some of the documents uploaded by the Australian, the source said it was put in place by DCNS, which prepared the document and it was a "usual practice".

The official also said that they are using all means to assess if there is any damage, and are in touch with the French as well as Australian sides.

Sensitive data related to India's Scorpene submarines has been leaked from French shipbuilder DCNS, which designed the submarine, comprising documents running over 22,400 pages, according to The Australian.

Navy officials had on Wednesday too downplayed the leak, stating that there was "nothing to get alarmed" about, as the specifications in the documents will not be same as in the submarine to be finally manufactured.

The Defence Minister has sought a report on the extent of damage following the leak, which, he said, appeared to be an incident of "hacking".
New Delhi, Aug 26 : The Supreme Court will hear on August 29 a plea contending that the top court appointed oversight committee headed by former Chief Justice R.M.Lodha was going beyond its mandate of monitoring the work of Medical Council of India (MCI).

Petitioner Anand Rai, who is credited for exposing the Vyapam admission and recruitment scam in Madhya Pradesh, has contended that Justice Lodha Committee which also comprises former Comptroller and Auditor General Vinod Rai and Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences Director Shiv Sarin has reversed the MCI and Health Ministry's rejection of a large number of applications by medical colleges without undertaking any fresh inspections.

His PIL says that Justice Lodha Committee "not only (acted) in contravention of Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution" but took decisions not fulfil the test of reasonableness and being in larger public interest. It flagged Justice Lodha Committee's grant of recognition and increasing the intake of students including extending time schedule of admissions.

The bench of Chief Justice T.S. Thakur, Justice A.M. Khanwilkar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said that the matter would be heard by the bench headed by Justice Anil R.Dave.

The constitution bench comprising Justice Dave, Justice A.K. Sikri, Justice R.K. Agrawal, Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice R. Banumathi had set up Justice Lodha Committee, which, it had said, "will function till the Central Government puts in place any other appropriate mechanism after due consideration of the Expert Committee Report".

While setting up Justice Lodha Committee to monitor the working of MCI including discharge of its statutory functions, the bench had relied on a Parliamentary Standing Committee which had observed that the "MCI was repeatedly found short of fulfilling its mandated responsibilities. Qualify of medical education was at its lowest ebb, the right type of health professionals were not able to meet the basic health need of the country".

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare which examined the existing "architecture of the regulatory oversight of the medical profession" had said in its report, that "MCI was not able to spearhead any serious reforms in medical education. The MCI neither represented the professional excellence nor its ethos. Nominees of central government and state governments were also from corporate private hospitals which are highly commercialised and conduct unethical practices in order to extract money from hapless patients".

The report was submitted to Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha on March 8.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Advising West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Benarjee to stop behaving like her Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal, who usually blames the central government for non-cooperation, the BJP said on Friday that she should rather focus on governance.

"Our advice to Mamata Banerjee is to stop behaving like Arvind Kejriwal and get down to good governance so that the ruling Trinamool Congress honours the mandate given to them in 2016," said BJP National Secretary and West Bengal in charge Siddharth Nath Singh.

"Moreover rather blaming BJP for a cow census in Bengal, she should conduct census of cow smuggling to Bangladesh from Bengal being supported by her party workers," he added.

Banerjee had on Friday given three months time to the central government to waive the huge debts her government inherited from the previous Left Front regime and threatened to launch a movement on the streets of New Delhi if "interference" in the federal structure is not stopped.

"Mamata Banerjee's outburst at (Prime Minister Narendra) Modiji today at TMC party function reflects her frustration as she cannot in her second term, blame previous state government of legacy problems she had inherited," Singh said in a statement.

Hitting back at Banerjee, Singh said that governance has never been her asset.

"Therefore, knowing her weakness, she is from day one of her second term, started to play a victimhood card and blaming centre for funds and non-cooperation," he said.

Singh claimed that Modi government is known for strengthening the federal structure and it is also important to note that under 14th Finance Commission, it has allocated Rs 2.5 lakh crores more than what West Bengal got under 13th Finance Commission.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : BJP's member of parliament Virendra Singh 'Mast' on Friday turned down a visa by the US Embassy here after he was asked by embassy officials to remove his 'pagdi' or headgear for the visa documentation.

Upset at being asked to remove his pagdi, Mast, a Rajput from Uttar Pradesh, refused to visit the US and returned to his constituency Bhadohi.

'Mast', a well known agriculturist by profession, who is always seen in a traditional safron pagdi, was invited by the US Embassy to visit the country and give a lecture on Indian agriculture techniques.

"The US Embassy had invited me to the US to attend a function on farmers, where I was asked to give a lecture on Indian agriculture techniques," Mast told IANS.

"When I went there on Wednesday for the visa documentation, the officials asked me to remove my pagdi to take my photograph. I refused and turned down the visa. I told them that I had been invited by the US and any invitation is not given on conditions," he added.

"How can I remove my pagdi," Mast said, adding, "It is my identity. It is my pride. Beside being an Indian and a farmer, I am also a Kshatriya. How can I remove my pagdi. I can't compromise with my pride."

Mast told IANS that it was the US Embassy which had contacted him and requested him to visit the US for giving the lecture.

"I did not ask for the invitation. In fact, they invited me. Some US Embassy officials contacted me before the monsoon session of parliament. They wanted to know about the Indian agriculture techniques and I briefed them about it. I was also interviewed by them," the MP said.

"They were impressed and they requested me to visit the US to give a lecture. But I politely refused as the monsoon session was to begin. They said they will be happy if I could agree to visit after the session ends," he said.

Mast said that after the end of the monsoon session, the US Embassy officials again contacted him and he then agreed to their proposal.

Mast said he will raise the matter with the External Affairs Ministry and also in parliament.
Chandigarh, Aug 26 : Punjab's ruling Shiromani Akali Dal said on Friday that it was "shocked" by disclosures made by ousted AAP Punjab unit chief Sucha Singh Chhotepur regarding "anti-Sikh" remarks made by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Describing Kejriwal's remarks, made to Chhotepur, as "shocking in the extreme", the Akali Dal termed these as "anti-Sikh, most disparaging and humiliating remarks".

Chhotepur had, earlier in the day, made public a conversation between him and Kejriwal, in which the Delhi Chief Minister allegedly "ridiculed the pain of being excommunicated from the (Sikh) Panth (religion)".

"According to Chhotepur, in this conversation, when he explained his inability to defend the imprint of 'Jhaadoo' (broom, the AAP election symbol) on an image of Sri Harmandar Sahib as this would have led to his being summoned by Sri Akal Takhat Sahib and the possibility of being excommunicated from the Panth if he defended the picture, Mr Kejriwal remarked, 'Aap ko panth se nikaal dete to kya ho jata." (So what if they had thrown you out of Panth!) At this, according to Mr Chhotepur, he expressed his inability to defend the party on the issue and this was the beginning of his alienation from Kejriwal," an Akali Dal spokesman said here on Friday.

The AAP found itself embroiled in a religious controversy after the publication of the photograph of the holiest of Sikh shrines with a broom led to an uproar in Punjab. Kejriwal and other AAP leaders had to apologize for the incident. The photograph was published on the front cover of the AAP's youth wing manifesto in July.

Akali Dal general secretary Harcharan Bains said that outside leaders from Uttar Pradesh and Haryana were trying to lord over AAP leaders from Punjab and the Chhotepur incident had shown how top Punjab leaders could be treated.

"Kejriwal's secret ambition to be Punjab Chief Minister also explains the decision to block entry of Navjot Singh Sidhu into AAP as Kejriwal feared being overshadowed by a Punjab leader. What he is doing to most Punjab AAP leaders is a part of a design to render all of them just parasites dependent on him," Bains added.

"The disclosures of Chhotepur have finally and irrevocably vindicated all allegations levelled by other AAP leaders that Kejriwal was instinctively anti-Sikh and that the party was being run by anti-Punjab and corrupt gangsters from UP led by AAP bigwigs Durgesh Pathak and Sanjay Singh," Bains said.

AAP leaders had to face embarrassment last month when Delhi leader Ashish Khetan compared the AAP youth wing manifesto to the holy book of Sikhs, Guru Granth Sahib. A case was registered against Khetan even though he apologized for the comments.
Lucknow, Aug 26 : Two more legislators -- one each from the Congress and the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) -- on Friday switched loyalties and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Pradeep Chowdhary, Congress legislator from Saharanpur, joined the BJP in the presence of state unit president Keshav Prasad Maurya. Many of his supporters too joined the BJP.

Shyam Prakash, Samajwadi Party legislator from Hardoi, dumped the SP in favour of the BJP.

Former SP member of legislative council Vishal Sharma, former Bahujan Samaj Party state minister Govind Singh Kushwaha and former legislator from Harchandpur in Rae Bareily Ganesh Lodhi also left the Congress to join the BJP.

Two BSP leaders, including Mahaveer Rana, also joined the BJP, saying they had faith in the development-oriented politics of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

In the past one month, six legislators of different parties have crossed over to the BJP.
Kolkata, Aug 26 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday said the state government would not allow any bandh on September 2, in the wake of the central trade unions' call for a general strike.

"We will not allow any bandh in the state on September 2. We will keep everything open and normal. Vehicles will ply and shops will open. If vehicles and shops are damaged by bandh enforcers, the state will take stringent action against them and will also provide compensation for properties damaged during the bandh," she said while addressing a meeting of the Trinamool Congress' students wing here.

She also urged for people's cooperation against the bandh.

In order to protest against the "anti-people, anti-national and anti-worker" politics of the central government, the central trade unions called for a national general strike on September 2.

"Why don't they go to Delhi and stage sit-in movement to register their protest," she said.

INTUC President G. Sanjeeva Reddy last month had announced that he would urge Banerjee to give her nod to Trinamool Congress' trade union wing to participate in the strike.
Mumbai, Aug 26 : Actor Shahid Kapoor and his wife Mira Rajput were blessed with their first child, a baby girl on Friday evening.

Shahid Kapoor took to Twitter to announce the news.

"She has arrived and words fall short to express our happiness.Thank you for all your wishes," he tweeted.

Mira delivered the baby at around 7.45 p.m. at Hinduja Healthcare Surgical hospital in Khar.

Shahid tied the knot with Mira, a student from New Delhi, in 2015.
Kolkata, Aug 26 : The West Bengal government has, for the time being, shelved the plan to discuss the GST (Goods and Services Tax) Constitution Amendment Bill in the ongoing special assembly session that began on Friday, a ruling legislator said.

"In the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) meeting of the state assembly comprising all party members, held on Friday, has decided that the resolution on the GST bill for discussion will be taken up at the suitable time," government chief whip Nirmal Ghosh told IANS.

"It was decided the bill would be ratified but the matter related to when the ratification will done is the prerogative of the state," he said adding members needed more time to discuss GST among them.

The special session would continue till August 30.

The GST constitution amendment bill was passed in finally passed by parliament in early August. In a process to make it a law, the bill will have to be ratified by at least 15 of the 29 state assemblies before going for President's assent. Gujarat, Assam, Bihar and Jharkhand have already ratified the GST bill. The centre is keen to roll the GST from the beginning of the next fiscal.

According to oppositions, the discussion for GST Amendment Bill along other issues was scheduled to be discussed on August 29 but it was dropped after the BAC meeting.

However, Ghosh said the discussion on the issues relating to rename West Bengal as "Bengal", the central government's "step-motherly" attitude towards the state and spread of dengue would be discussed on Monday.

The decision came at a time when the state government has been alleging that options of states are being bullosed in the name of cooperative federalism. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also alleged that the situation in the country was worse than emergency now.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : First time job seekers from rural and semi-urban areas will be able to search for jobs through an app now, with National Career Service Portal (Ministry of Labour) on Friday entering into a partnership with FirstJob, a hiring solutions firm.

"The government is committed to provide more employment opportunities and signing of MOU is a step in this direction," Banadaru Dattatreya, Minister of Labour said at the conference here.

He also declared that his ministry will organise 'rozgar mela' in every district of the country to help youths from any corner of India to find jobs. Firstjob also said that it can help the government's efforts by holding pan India national virtual "rozgar melas".

"In our country, there are employers who complain they cannot find people; at the same time, many jobseekers are desperately looking for suitable roles in tier 3/4 cities and rural areas. FirstJob leverages technology to overcome the logistics challenges and connect the employers with jobseekers. FirstJob application also provides guidance and counselling to the job seekers; further, the job seekers can practice interview session in a safe and secure environment from the convenience of their smart phone and gain confidence to get the best job they deserve," said Arvind Singh, the founder of FirstJob.

With Firstjob, a candidate can upload his profile and can also appear for a screening interview making the employers hire people easier and faster.
New Delhi, Aug 26 : Dubbing the Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2016, as "medieval and non-progressive", the Congress on Friday said the Centre should have discussed it with

other political parties before approving it.

"The bill seems to be of the Stone Age. It is totally out of tune with the present times," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told a press conference here.

He said the bill's version presented by the earlier United Progressive Alliance government in 2010 was far better, and cautioned the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government that the proposed law might not get parliamentary approval.

"I doubt this will get parliamentary approval," Singhvi said, adding it was a step in the backward direction.

Calling for a "rethink" on the bill, the Congress leader said: "It seems that surrogate agency like the RSS (Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh) created its draft."

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday gave its nod to the bill, which seeks to prohibit

"commercial" surrogacy and denies foreigners, non-resident Indians, single parents, live-in partners and same-sex couples from becoming parents through surrogacy.

Touching upon the issue of former Congress MP Ramya, against whom a sedition case was registered for her remark on Pakistan wherein she had contradicted Defence Minister Manohar Parikkar comment that Pakistan is hell, Singhvi said that there is no freedom of speech in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime.

The Congress leader recounted how churches were attacked, an elderly nun was raped and how people of minority communities are being harassed in the name of cow protection ever since NDA came to power, and accused the central government of ruining the image of the country.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it intolerant India," he charged, and asked why people would like to live in a country which does not allow freedom of speech and does

not inspire confidence among minority communities.

"Would we all like to live in a country like this," he asked, adding that definition of India was changing from tolerant India to intolerant India.

On the Kashmir turmoil, Singhvi said that there should be coordination among all concerned.

"It's not that it cannot be solved, but you need coordination for it," he added.
Islamabad, Aug 27 : Pakistan Wildlife Department on Friday arrested a shoemaker who made Peshawari sandals with deer skin for Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan.

With years of experience and one of Peshawar's oldest chappal maestros, Jahangir Khan boasted about the sandals in the media only to invite Wildlife Department to take action against him. The department later confiscated the Peshawari sandals and deer skin, ARY News reported.

As the killing of deer was prohibited, the police was interrogating as to how did Jahangir get deer skin and who else were involved in the illegal activity.

From Peshawar, King Khan's paternal cousin sister, Noor Jehan, is due to fly to India next month to meet him and she was to deliver the sandals to the Bollywood actor.

"Since I will be visiting Shah Rukh Khan very soon, I telephoned him to guess what he wants from Pakistan and he has actually asked me to bring Peshawari chappals for him," Noor Jehan was quoted as saying.

It took a month to design and then create the masterpiece, said Jahangir who has a long history of making Peshawari sandals for well-known Pakistani celebrities and politicians.

Sandals from Jahangir's shop in Peshawar are also frequently exported on expatriates' special demands to other parts of the world, including England, Dubai and Australia.
Jans world feels heavy. Even after the arrival of a new friend, being cast in a school play with her crush Derek (who might be crushing back) fails to make her feel like she belongs. Her archenemy, Stephanie is still around, more determined than ever to mess with her.

The World Fell On My Head was written in the Judy Blume tradition, where issues like suicide, self harm, poor self image, as well as the more mundane trials of being a teenager are dealt with poignancy, seriousness and humor. This is a book that will have your teenager laugh and cry as they will easily relate to the main character.

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Simon Kaplan is a writer, actor, theatre director, and playwright. He has worked with youth in theatre his whole life having directed over fifty plays at elementary, middle, and high schools. Additionally, he has toured professionally with the childrens theatre company, the Traveling Lantern. Two of his plays were also professionally produced: The Plants Taking Over (with Ira Levin) and I Got A Haggadah. Mr. Kaplan currently lives in his hometown of Saint Louis. The World Fell On My Head is his debut novel. Find out more at https://www.facebook.com/SimonKaplanAuthorPage/.
Akeneo is excited to recognize StrikeTru as a leading Akeneo deployment partner and first Silver Solution Partner in the US

StrikeTru, a Product Information Management (PIM) consulting firm in the US, and Akeneo, the leading open source Product Information Management software vendor, today announced that StrikeTru has been named the first Akeneo Silver Solution Partner in the US.

Customers today rely heavily on product content to make online and store purchases. Poor product content lowers brand equity, search engine rankings, and sales, and raises operating costs. The stakes are high for organizations struggling with legacy content management operations that involve high cost and complexity, says Vikram (Vik) Gundoju, a Partner at StrikeTru. Increasingly, they are turning to firms like StrikeTru and Akeneo to improve their product content management capabilities, meet rising customer expectations, and compete better.

StrikeTru provides integrated Akeneo based PIM or product content management solutions  delivered on-premises or as a cloud-based service. Since 2014, StrikeTru has been working closely with Akeneo to deploy PIM solutions in the US market. This partnership combines Akeneos next-generation PIM software with StrikeTrus expert implementation services to help clients simplify how they manage and disseminate high quality product content consistently to their e-commerce and other sales channels.

Other potential benefits include improved customer experiences, search engine rankings, traffic, and sales, while reducing brand damage and operating costs.

"Akeneo is excited to recognize StrikeTru as a leading Akeneo deployment partner and the first Silver Solution Partner in the US," said Frederic de Gombert, CEO and co-founder of Akeneo. StrikeTru has consistently leveraged its strong industry experience and Akeneo PIM software capabilities to help accelerate the growing adoption of Akeneo PIM in the US as companies face increasing pressures to provide rich and high quality product content across all channels."

About StrikeTru

StrikeTru, located in Houston, TX, is a boutique consulting company with expertise in implementing Product Information Management (PIM) and Master Data Management (MDM) solutions. StrikeTru works with companies looking to transform themselves into fully digital businesses by helping select and implement the right PIM/MDM solutions so they can compete better and capitalize on the digital trends shaping global economies today. StrikeTru provides business process consulting, implementation, support, and value added product content services. StrikeTru has been named the first Akeneo Silver Solution Partner in the US, and has executed multiple Akeneo PIM deployments.

StrikeTrus leadership team has significant experience delivering PIM, MDM, Enterprise Content Management, Data Warehousing, and CRM solutions. Its PIM personnel have come from doing sophisticated PIM work with leading retail, manufacturing, distribution, energy, pharma and other companies. For more information, visit http://www.striketru.com.

About Akeneo

Akeneo helps more than 30,000 merchants worldwide to handle their product information management needs!

Akeneo PIM is an intuitive platform built to radically simplify catalog management processes and is designed for companies looking for efficient answers to their multichannel needs (including ecommerce, website, mobile app, printed catalog, POS, etc.). It helps merchants centralize, harmonize, translate and control the quality of the product information, leading to better SEO, higher conversion rates, shorter time-to-market, and lower return rates. Its Enterprise Open Source PIM software brings dramatic efficiencies to marketing teams struggling with excel files or inflexible legacy tools. Akeneo is the leading vendor in the open source PIM market, and has been installed over 30,000 times in 160 countries. Today, the Akeneo community includes 80+ enterprise customers and 2500 developers. Several companies including Made.com, Kurt Geiger, Market America | SHOP.COM, Samsung, Five Ten, Richmond Supply Company, Amer Sports, and ePetworld chose Akeneo to improve their product information management processes. For more information, visit http://www.akeneo.com

Contact:

Vikram (Vik) Gundoju

StrikeTru

832-303-3257

vikram.gundoju(at)striketru(dot)com

Sebastien Lieutaud

Akeneo

857-334-3126

sebastien(at)akeneo(dot)com

SOURCE STRIKETRU LLC

RELATED LINKS

http://www.striketru.com

http://www.akeneo.com
We are tremendously proud to have Chesela on our team

PROSHRED Seattle, the only 100% female-owned shredding company in Washington state, is proud to welcome Chesela Gabriel to its roster of experienced professionals. Gabriel serves as one of PROSHREDs customer service professionals and shredding truck operators on routes spanning from Everett to Olympia.

We are tremendously proud to have Chesela on our team, says President and CEO, Natalie LaBerge. Shes knowledgeable about truck maintenance and able to complete the physical tasks that come with shredding as well as any other shred truck driver. Gabriel comes to PROSHRED Seattle with a bachelors degree in science and business administration as well as commercial truck driving experience. Cheselas experience makes her a real asset to our team, says LaBerge.

Like all PROSHRED Seattle access professionals, Gabriel has completed rigorous credit and criminal background checks prior to being hired. All PROSHRED drivers are trained to adhere to the strict service requirements set forth by PROSHRED in addition to the security measures outlined by the NAID and ISO 9001.

Its important to us to support women in our own community, explains LaBerge, and we just so happen to be gaining a very qualified employee in Chesela while doing just that. PROSHRED Seattle is a prominent shredding company in Western Washington, offering drop-off, onsite, and purge shredding services for government, business and residential clients. With flat-fee pricing and no additional charges, PROSHRED aims to be the most cost-effective, secure way for its Seattle area customers to destroy everything from documents to mixed media products.

Our goal is to become a five shred truck operation thats broadly recognized for our integrity, reliability, and secure service, explains LaBerge, and Cheselas addition gets us one step closer to that goal.

PROSHRED SECURITY pioneered onsite shredding services over 30 years ago. Today the company has more than 30 operational franchises in the U.S. PROSHRED is one of the most widely-respected names in secure, affordable shredding services nationwide.

PROSHRED Seattle has been in business since 2013 and is fast becoming a leader in Seattle mobile shredding services. For more information on PROSHRED Seattles services, plans, and pricing, contact their Tukwila office at 1-206-258-2900.
Nathan Neil "The team, culture, clients, and products all make Purple Deck Media, Inc., a very exciting company to serve." - Nathan Neil

On Monday, November 21, Nathan Neil will be honored as one of Central Penn Business Journals 2016 Forty Under 40 award recipient for his commitment to business growth, professional excellence and community service at an evening reception and awards program at Hilton Harrisburg from 6:00 to 9:00 p.m. This year marks the programs 22nd anniversary.

Neil is the Chief Operations Officer at Purple Deck Media, Inc., a company co-founded by him, James H. Sulfare, Jr, and Daniel Shope in 2014. His professional expertise is in business operations, from start to finish. He leads the daily activities of the company, is the primary Project Manager, in addition to working directly with legal and accounting to ensure that objectives can be met.

In late 2012, Purple Deck Media started as an idea to enhance the way consumers interact with their smart phones. At that time, it was just an idea, but Neil and the other founders worked hard to form the business and a sophisticated platform for mobile content delivery. In 2014, Purple Deck Media was submitted to the business to the Ben Franklin and Penn State BIG Idea Competition, in which they were a finalist. Later in 2015, Neils community impact objective led to the company being a finalist in the PA Governors Community ImPAct Awards.

In the span of just four years, Purple Deck Media, Inc. has gone from an idea to a corporation with strong partnerships in the United States and International. Purple Deck Media is unique, with a growing staff, and a corporate culture like no other. With a significant mindset towards the future and enhancing the user experience for mobile devices throughout the world, the team is constantly leading new ideas and new innovations within the company.

It is an honor to work for and help build such a wonderful and innovative company! The team, culture, clients, and products all make Purple Deck Media, Inc., a very exciting company to serve. I have to thank one of my mentors, CEO, and fellow founder, Jim Sulfare for his mentoring and leadership. I am looking forward to seeing our company grow each day and serve the community of organizations that are part of the Purple Deck Media family! said Neil.

Following the event, Mr. Neil and the other award recipients will be featured in a special publication distributed in the November 25 edition of the Central Penn Business Journal.

The 2016 Forty Under 40 program is sponsored by Members 1st Federal Credit Union, Infiniti of Mechanicsburg, The Hill Society at the Hilton Harrisburg, Harrisburg University and Classic Drycleaners & Laundromats.

For more information about the Forty Under 40 awards program, the complete list of the honorees and/or to register to attend the awards reception, visit http://www.CPBJ.com/events or contact Jill Caldwell at jillc(at)cpbj(dot)com or (717) 236-4300.

It is the mission of Purple Deck Media to increase availability, security, and delivery of information across mobile platforms. Purple Deck Media envisions a society with access to information from anywhere without the need to search, feeding the hunger for rapid access to accurate information. >> Learn More
Emuge engineers can walk a customer through the proper cutting tool selection and then assist in helping them dial-in the correct operating parameters with our in-house machinery, continued Hellinger.

Emuge manufactures high performance rotating cutters and tool holders for all industries and machine tools. Proprietary designs include Circle Segment milling cutters for 5-axis machining, Softsynchro tap holders, EF-high penetration rate drills and GIGANT-IC insertable thread mills. Its Technology Center in West Boylston is evolving into a full service center for manufacturing, grinding, training and process development. The new Hurco equipment is part of that evolution.

Emuge will be using the Hurco VMX30Ui five-axis trunnion machining center and VM20i high-speed 3-axis vertical machining center for demonstrations and training.

The facility will also be a resource for Hurco/Brooks customers for training and process improvement.

We are very excited about our partnership with Hurco / Brooks and our expanded Technology Center in W. Boylston. Our goal is to offer Emuge customers complete tooling solutions including advanced cutting tool geometries along with 3 and 5 axis programming support, said Bob Hellinger, President of Emuge Corporation. Emuge engineers can walk a customer through the proper cutting tool selection and then assist in helping them dial-in the correct operating parameters with our in-house machinery, continued Hellinger.

Likewise, Hurco and Brooks are also enthused about the new venture. We are excited to be partnered with a high performance, forward-thinking company such as EMUGE, said a spokesperson from Brooks Associates. We believe we have a the most complete and price competitive five axis and high speed products on the market. Partnering with EMUGE is a logical step in further entrenching ourselves in those markets.

The new location is central to the Northeast territory, conveniently located at:

1800 Century Drive

West Boylston, MA 01583-2121.
Soderquist Leadership sadly announced the death of Donald J. Soderquist on July 21, 2016 at the age of 82 due to complications from heart surgery. Don was the Founding Executive for Soderquist Leadership which began in 1998. Prior to this, Don was most notably recognized as the retired COO and Senior Vice Chairman of Walmart. Joining the company in 1980 and later appointed to COO by Sam Walton in 1988, Don was instrumental at the retailer during the years of rapid expansion. After Waltons death in 1992, Don became known as Keeper of the Culture.

Under Dons leadership, Walmart grew from being the largest retailer in the world with sales of $43.9 billion the year of Sams death, to becoming the largest company in the world with sales over $200 billion. Walmarts success is grounded in the highly ethical, performance-focused, servant leadership philosophies that Sam and Don instilled in the hearts of every associate. Don's passion was to teach those same principles to companies and organizations around the world.

This passion is what drove Don to establish Soderquist Leadership which operates two facilities in northwest Arkansas and is affiliated with John Brown University. Soderquist Leadership is a provider of leadership development for organizations of all sizes, dedicated to developing values-based leaders around the world, while offering a variety of products and services designed to facilitate leadership development in person and digitally. More information about this organization can be found at http://soderquist.org/

Although Soderquist Leadership will deeply miss Dons presence, the executive team, led by CEO Chuck Hyde, looks forward to furthering Dons legacy through the continued growth and development of programs for companies both locally and nationally. According to Chuck, Don had a unique ability to make others feel valued through his genuine interest in them as people. His driving motivation to impact people in a positive way, I believe, is the mark he left on Walmart and why Soderquist Leadership exists today. We will miss him terribly but we know his expectations for us. We are blessed to do good work and will carry that forward to impact people and honor his legacy.

Clearly Dons desire to influence others has left a notable impact on Soderquist Leadership and hundreds of professionals. In Dons own words, A great joy in my life has been to see people grow and develop and become more than they ever dreamed they could be, to have a sense of direction they never felt before and to achieve a greatness beyond their wildest expectation.

He is survived by his wife Jo Soderquist and four children and their families.

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We are excited to continue to be a value add to our manufactures as well as a great resource to our servicers. said Al Fartaj,COO of Reliable Parts.

Appliance Parts Depot, a Reliable Parts company, has announced the opening of a joint Reliable Parts + Appliance Parts Depot branch at 609 Spring Hill Drive, Spring, TX 77386, in September.

The opening of this new branch gives Reliable Parts the opportunity to serve our customers well, said Al Fartaj, COO of Reliable Parts. This location was specifically chosen for convenience and to better serve our customers within the Houston Metro area. This furthers our commitment to our customers that we will continue to be their partner of choice that is easiest, fastest and provides great service that can help them get the job done.

The branch will be stocked with over 12,000 appliance parts SKUs from major manufacturer brands like Whirlpool, Electrolux, GE Appliances, Bosch, Samsung, and LG as well as 180 other brands. Available to customers will be a variety of parts for laundry, refrigeration, dishwashers, range/oven, microwaves, HVAC, installation, accessories and much more.

Other branch amenities include will call pick up, a servicers lounge where customers will have access to free Wi-Fi, charging stations, comfortable work areas and refreshments.

We are excited to continue to be a value add to our manufactures as well as a great resource to our servicers. said Fartaj.

About Reliable Parts and Appliance Parts Depot

As a result of their merge in July 2015 Reliable Parts and Appliance Parts Depot are now one of the largest appliance parts distributors in North America, and soon to be branded solely as Reliable Parts. With the opening of the Spring, TX branch, they will now have 60 branch locations, 8 distribution centers and 8 call centers. For more information, please visit http://www.reliableparts.com.
Our customers are faced with an increasing need to react and adapt to changing trends and business priorities to stay competitive. We believe dynamic governance coupled with insights is a key enabler

Houston, TX - (August 17, 2016) - Riversand Technologies, a worldwide leader of Multi-Domain Master Data Management (MDM) and Product Information Management (PIM), today announced the release of MDMCenter version 7.8, the first significant step towards next generation MDM platform and apps.

"Data is exploding in volume, velocity and variety due to the innovation from enterprises such as Google, Facebook and LinkedIn. It is now the central focus of many business objectives for enterprises and master data is no exception to this trend. Our customers are faced with an increasing need to react and adapt to changing trends and business priorities to stay competitive. We believe dynamic governance coupled with insights is a key enabler" says Shyam Potta, Product Manager for Riversand.

Key features in this release include:



Design for Dynamic Governance: This module will allow our customers to configure business processes and policies with ease, with an intuitive interface to manage rules using Riversand Business Language, map and deploy them.

Information Governance Reporting and Insights: This is a data visualization module built using the new Riversand platform, to enable advanced data analysis and visualize the results in charts, tables, and dashboards.

Enhanced Workflows: Various enhancements have been made to the already robust workflow module to enable dynamic business processes, with ability to map relevant tasks to be completed.

Entity Overview and Family view UI: Users can now visualize and manage every aspect of an entity, its hierarchies, variants, extensions and relationships in a much simpler and usable way.

According to Gartner, "Information governance is foundational for digital business and analytics programs. Success requires data and analytics leaders to change their organizations' behaviors, adopt a proven roadmap and measure success along the way" [1]. Through this release, Riversand is also introducing a NoSQL based platform to bring advanced Governance and Insights capabilities to supplement traditional MDM functionality.

For more information about dynamic governance, read this Blog and the article.

About Riversand

Riversand is an innovative leader in Master Data Management. It provides a single, integrated, scalable and robust multi-domain MDM platform that caters to a variety of use cases across multiple verticals. In addition, Riversand offers specific solutions such as Vendor Portal, Spare Parts Management, Material Master, GDSN on-boarding, Media Assets Management, Print Publishing, and more. Riversand provides accelerated time-to-market, increased customer engagement and improved operations. Contact us at http://www.riversand.com for more information and follow us @RiversandMDM on Twitter.

References:

[1] Gartner: Ten Steps to Information Governance, July 5, 2016
UpCity, the leading local inbound marketing software provider, and the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network, a global network of independent marketing consultants, today announced a technology partnership and integration.

The partnership will build on UpCitys expertise in providing local inbound marketing software to simplify SEO, local and social marketing and combine it with Duct Tape Marketings proven system for marketing consultants and their small to mid-sized clients.

As part of the announcement, UpCity will be supporting the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network through their comprehensive software. Consultants using the UpCity platform will be able to utilize a Duct Tape-specific project plan and robust reporting via a white-labeled application to efficiently deliver results to their customers.

It is imperative to have a solid process when executing on an inbound marketing strategy for a local business, said Phil Singleton, CEO of Kansas City Web Design and a Duct Tape Marketing Certified Consultant. With UpCitys platform I have become more efficient by managing my team through a custom process and reporting on our activities to our clients all in one place.

To support small to mid-sized businesses looking for help, UpCity is providing Duct Tape Marketing software support for the Duct Tape Marketing System. The Duct Tape Marketing System is an innovation in online marketing and training, providing an in-depth curriculum that includes SEO, Social Media and more. It is designed for small business owners currently managing their own online marketing who want an integrated marketing system and strategic consulting.

UpCitys powerful local inbound marketing platform has become an integral part of Duct Tape Marketings offerings, said John Jantsch, founder of Duct Tape Marketing. Creating effective and affordable marketing systems for our consultants and small businesses is no easy task. UpCity has made that process much simpler.

We are very proud to partner with a high-caliber organization like the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network, said Dan Olson, CEO at UpCity. John Jantsch and his team work tirelessly to bring the best marketing solutions to consultants and small businesses. Providing our software to their network further validates the vast need for software to help scale local marketing programs.

Also as part of the announcement, UpCity will also be featuring Duct Tape Marketing consultants on UpCitys Top Local Agency marketplace. The Top Local Agency marketplace is a resource for small business to find the best digital marketing service providers, including web designers and SEOs, in more than 60 cities across the United States and Canada. Verified Duct Tape consultants are now featured and can be contacted directly by small businesses looking for help with their local marketing needs.

About UpCity

UpCity provides a comprehensive local inbound marketing platform to help digital marketing agencies scale SEO, local and social marketing services. The UpCity platform serves as a single operating system that includes robust project management, sales tools, reporting, and can be fully white labeled to streamline client engagements from onboarding to ongoing engagement. UpCity, a venture capital-backed business based in Chicago, was founded in 2009. Learn more at http://www.upcity.com.

About the Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network

The Duct Tape Marketing Consultant Network is a growing network of independent marketing consultants who use the Duct Tape Marketing System and set of done for you marketing packages to help grow the revenue and profits of small and mid-sized businesses around the world. The Network was founded by John Jantsch, author of the Duct Tape Marketing book. Learn more at https://ducttapemarketingconsultant.com/
...In 2017, we anticipate Oscar to be very competitive through Covered California, so we expect to sell a lot more Oscar health plans.

Oscar California Sales Leader, Dennis Negron, met with Health for California Insurance Center (HFCIC) on Wednesday morning, August 24, to strengthen the partnership between the companies.

Oscar is an up-and-coming technology-driven health insurance company. Health for California is one of the leading agencies for health insurance sales in the state, especially for sales through the Covered California Health Benefits Exchange.

We didnt sell much Oscar health insurance during the 2016 Open Enrollment Period, only 31 plans, said Health for California Insurance Center CEO, John Hansen. But in 2017, we anticipate Oscar to be very competitive through Covered California, so we expect to sell a lot more Oscar health plans.

Negron mentioned at the meeting on Wednesday that so far Oscar Health Care has around 5,000 members in California. In 2017, he said that conservatively they expect to double their enrollment by growing their brand awareness and by increasing sales in the on-exchange market, which was very encouraging for HFCIC.

Partnerships with key agencies like Health for California Insurance Center play a role in helping Oscar reach its goal. Mr. Negron assured the agents at Health for California Insurance Center that Oscar realizes how important brokers are, especially in the California market where brokers and agents make about 50% of health insurance sales in the individual and family market.

New York and California Markets

Negron mentioned Oscars achievements in New York, and was optimistic about future success in California. He was especially hopeful about the new San Francisco market, where Oscar will be able to reach tech savvy, affluent young people that have tended to gravitate toward Oscars technology-driven model.

Hansen and his team of Covered California licensed agents were very happy to see Oscar making inroads to Northern California.

After the presentation, my agents wanted to sign up for Oscar themselves, said Hansen. Their online tools are especially impressive. The fact that they are withdrawing from the New Jersey and Dallas markets was of some concern; however, the reasons for their departure make sense.

Oscar was profitable last year in California, and they expect to be profitable in New York in the next year, largely due to the legwork that they have done building their own doctor/medical group network in the New York market.

The leadership at Oscar is making a lot of smart decisions, said Hansen. I foresee that they will become a strong player in the densely populated areas of the California market in the next few years.

About Health for California Insurance Center

Since 2004, Health for California Insurance Center has ranked as one of the top online individual and group health insurance agencies. The company consists of certified Covered California insurance agents who provide personalized insurance services to individuals and businesses needing assistance with enrollment through the Health Marketplace as well as directly with top carriers that provide health insurance in California.

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The well-deserved success of the recently completed agreement can be attributed to setting high goals, planning and re-prioritizing as required, good old-fashioned hard work and excellent communications among the mentor, protege and the sponsoring program

Lockheed Martin in Owego and Crowley Fabricating & Machining Company in Endicott were named the U.S. Navy's only Nunn-Perry award winner.

In 2012, Lockheed Martin and Crowley Fabricating & Machining Co., Inc., formed a Mentor Protege partnership to provide the U.S. Navy with a reliable source of machined parts and products. Forty-three months later, the Lockheed Martin/Crowley team was named the U.S. Navy's only Nunn-Perry award winner in 2015. The Nunn-Perry award was named in honor of former Senator Sam Nunn and former Secretary of Defense William Perry. The partnership with Crowley has contributed to several current programs at Lockheed's Owego facility including the U.S. Navy's MH-60 helicopter program and the VH-92A Presidential helicopter program.

The Mentor, Lockheed Martin, is a global security and aerospace company that is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

The Protege, Crowley Fabricating & Machining Co., Inc., is a local Service-Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business (SDVOSB) that specializes in metal stamping, Computer Numerical Control (CNC) milling and turning, water-jet cutting, and sheet metal fabricating and assembly.

The Mentor Protege Program provided the resources to facilitate Crowley Fabricating & Machining Co., Inc. identification of strategic initiatives to enhance their business processes and highlighted exceptional growth opportunities. These recommended improvements focused on integration and activities automation, bridging Crowley Fabricating & Machining's technological investments with company strategy.

SCORE, with Lockheed Martin Owego and Crowley, facilitated the development of a detailed project plan that identified and prioritized tasks required to implement recommended improvements. This project plan integrated various initiatives and identified key resources/dependencies. This detailed plan was then briefed to Mr. Ken Carkhuff, Acting Director for Small Business (NAVAIR Headquarters) and Mr. Brad Taylor, Assistant Director, Office of the Secretary of the Navy, Small Business Programs.

With 20% of its employees as veterans or spouses of veterans, Crowley's achievements include: a 33% increase in company employee growth, a 97% increase in annual revenue, more than six DoD prime contracts awards, and more than 360 DoD subcontract awards; as well as increased technical innovations and capabilities, including Coordinate Measuring Machine (CMM) techniques, spot welding, sheet metal fabricating expansion, achievement of ISO9001 and AS9100 certifications, and enhanced cyber security readiness.

"The well-deserved success of the recently completed agreement can be attributed to setting high goals, planning and re-prioritizing as required, good old-fashioned hard work and excellent communications among the mentor, protege and the sponsoring program office," said Ken Carkhuff, Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) Office of Small Business Programs.

Crowley Fabricating specializes in sheet metal fabrication. It's a Service-Disabled Veteran-Owned Small Business. Through the partnership with Lockheed, the company now contributes to Navy and Presidential helicopter programs. "They taught us how to do business differently, using integrated enterprise software to drive our processes, resulting in improved manufacturing capabilities and increased employment from about twenty employees to forty employees. This is bringing more work into the area which is a good thing about this program," said Crowley President Tom Crowley. Crowley's fabrications will be used in the manufacturing of Lockheed Martin ground vehicles as well as space and satellite systems including the F-35 program.

This initiative is exemplary of how to use tax payer resources to create jobs and provide best value in use of taxpayer dollars. It should also be noted that the Small Business Mentor-Protege Program is championed by local Congressman Richard Hanna.

Media:

Defense Department Honors Lockheed Martin, Crowley Fabricating

Celebrating Success

For more information about SCORE and how SCORE can assist you, please call the Binghamton Chamber of Commerce, (607) 772-8860, to request an appointment. You may also visit our Chapters website at https://greaterbinghamton.score.org.

About SCORE: SCORE is a nonprofit association dedicated to helping small businesses get off the ground, grow and achieve their goals through education and mentorship. We have been doing this for nearly fifty years. Because our work is supported by the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA), and thanks to our network of 11,000+ volunteers, we are able to deliver our services at no charge or at very low cost.
Screenshot of Ergobreak healthy technology tip Ergobreak 4 kids apps the healthy solution for technology habits with devices in school or the home.

The debate about the excessive use of technology in schools or the home by children is endless. Some argue that parents should limit technology use, while others insist that todays parents need to get comfortable raising children in the digital age. Some educators have suggested phasing out technology in schools, whilst others are looking for solutions for the health and wellbeing in children. Regardless of which camp youre in, there is one angle that everyone should be concerned about: long term injury is sure to result from long periods of poor posture.

According to Professor Leon Straker, Director of Research in the School of Physiotherapy at Curtin University Ergonomics is really important for school children. Before they finish high school, two thirds of children would have experienced their first episode of back or neck pain. Having back or neck pain as a child makes you more likely to have chronic back or neck pain as an adult.

Priscilla Rinetzky, CEO of Ergo Productions, has thus launched Ergobreak 4 Kids, an App that ensures children develop healthy patterns of technology use, with ergonomic tips, short breaks showing an exercise to ensure circulation and avoid repetitive strain. As adults, being hunched over a computer for long periods of time, without taking breaks has been standard. It has now been seen that these habits have created often devastating physical ailments. Parents of now didnt grow up using technology everyday, and didnt have the opportunity to observe the long term effects of poor posture. Todays digital parents often dont realize that their children need to take breaks, change posture and exercise whether they are using technology for 20 minutes or two hours per day. Forming the right ergonomic habits in their formative years is as important as it is for a thinner child to learn to avoid sugar and junk food for lifelong health. Rinetzky is thinking big picture - her vision is for all Elementary Schools to employ Ergobreak 4 Kids to drive the right habits early and ubiquitously. And shes getting traction.

Ergobreak 4 kids has drawn international attention and support from renowned experts. The Educational App Store of the UK, which consults leading academics and practicing teachers to build its Teacher Library, added Ergobreak 4 Kids, giving it 5-star accreditation. Ergobreak 4 Kids is also being incorporated into all lesson plans on Tap2Teach.com, a new website that will provide free Apps and associated lesson plan materials for all teachers. Dr. Kirsty Goodwin is a highly sought after brain researcher and expert on young children and technology. Having conducted workshops for Nickelodeon Australia, Dr. Goodwin highly recommends use of Ergobreak 4 Kids ( http://www.ergobreak4kids.com) because it offers practical and simple ergonomic tips and advice for kids, parents and educators. This tool helps todays youth form healthy and sustainable digital habits that wont compromise their physical health and well being.

About Ergo Productions:

Ergo Productions is a Sydney-based company comprised of a team of international designers and developers who are committed to developing educational, ergonomic Apps that keep children and teachers healthy whilst using technology. Ergo Productions is committed to further building a powerful family of Apps that focus on ergonomics and healthy technology lifelong habits.
The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council will honor Atlanta Mayor Kasim Reed with the prestigious Blue Legend Award on Friday, September 16th at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. The Spirit of Alliance Awards gala is a showcase of the best and brightest in supplier diversity each year, celebrating the achievements of the State of Georgias top corporations, small business owners and champions of inclusive procurement. The GMSDC is the state of Georgias leading small business development and supplier diversity organization, having facilitated business opportunities for companies across the state for more than 40 years. Mayor Reed will join an elite circle of distinguished recipients of the Blue Legend Award in the past, including Herman Russell, Mayor Maynard Jackson, Senator Sam Nunn, Congressman John Lewis and Ambassador Andrew Young.

The top individual award presented at the Spirit of Alliance gala each year, the Blue Legend Award is presented to visionary leaders who have demonstrated extraordinary courage in the face of challenging obstacles, and whose lifelong contributions have created business opportunities and helped level the playing field for minority business owners in Georgia. The Blue Legend is unique among all of the awards presented at the Spirit of Alliance, in that they recognize outstanding accomplishment for the previous year, while the Blue Legend celebrates a lifetime of dedicated service to the minority small business community in Georgia. Stacey Key, the President and CEO of the GMSDC, thinks Atlantas Mayor is the perfect choice for this years Blue Legend Award. Mayor Reed has built upon Atlantas long-standing history of leadership in providing opportunities for diverse businesses, she says. He has had a hand in so many landmark accomplishments in his time in office. There is no question that the landscape for Atlantas small business community has changed for the better because of his leadership.

Mayor Reed is a native of Atlanta and a two-term Mayor of one of Americas most influential cities. Throughout his career as an attorney, a State Representative, a State Senator and now the Mayor of the City of Atlanta, he has been a staunch supporter of small business development and equal opportunity for diverse suppliers. A student of the legacies of his predecessors in this role, Mayor Reed has preserved and even expanded the position of leadership in supplier diversity that Atlanta has enjoyed since the 1970s. During his tenure as Mayor, he has had a hand in tremendous growth and expansion in sectors such as technology, app and game development, logistics and movie production, while serving as a champion of the inclusion of women and minorities in the supply chains of both the City of Atlanta and the worlds most traveled airport. He has also lent his support to incubator projects that prepare our workforce for tomorrows economy and a mentoring initiative for women entrepreneurs. The 2016 Spirit of Alliance Awards will take place at 6:00 pm on Friday, September 16th at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. Tickets are available at http://www.gmsdc.org.

About the GMSDC

The Georgia Minority Supplier Development Council (GMSDC) is a not-for-profit organization headquartered in Atlanta that fosters value-driven partnerships between corporations, governmental entities and minority-owned businesses across the state of Georgia. With some 400 national and local corporate members and more than 700 certified minority business enterprises, the GMSDC has been advocating for inclusive procurement in the Georgia business community for more than 40 years. The Spirit of Alliance Awards gala began in 1982, to recognize groundbreaking achievement by corporations, individuals, and Minority Business Enterprise firms from the supplier diversity community in Georgia. For more information, visit http://www.gmsdc.org.

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INC Executive Minister, Brother Eduardo V. Manalo, is greeted warmly after leading the dedication of the new house of worship in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Hundreds of Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC or Church of Christ) faithfuls in South Africa receive a historic visit from Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo, as he returns to witness the regions growing membership and dedicate the newly-purchased and renovated house of worship in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Purchased just last year, about 2.2 million ZAR worth of renovations went into beautifying the 937 square-meter property and its surrounding area. The building was formerly owned by Telecom Added Value Solutions, before being purchased by the Iglesia Ni Cristo for 1.1 million ZAR. Located at 141 Johannesburg Street, it is now home to faithful members of the Church Of Christ who, for years, have held services in their homes or rented facilities.

From the time the Executive Minister last visited the region in 2014, the INC has since flourished throughout the continent. The house of worship in Johannesburg is the second chapel dedicated by the INC in all of Africa, but the first in Johannesburg and in the Gauteng province. It is one of 28 local congregations and group worship services in Africa, eight of which are in South Africa. Another house of worship will be dedicated in Capetown later this week.

And its growth only continues  one day after the dedication of the house of worship in Johannesburg, over 20,000 residents throughout the Gauteng province made their way to the Ivory Park Sport Stadium for an INC Outreach Evangelical Mission  a free event sponsored by the INC wherein attendees received an introduction to the Church Of Christ and were also given numerous food parcels.

On behalf of the community, on behalf of the people of South Africa, we are grateful, we appreciate, and words seem to be inadequate, says Lesedi Mapheto, one of the event organizers.

What I loved about today is that I am thankful we got to know this Church. Your Church is great and this is the first time I see a Church this great. May God help it grow, says Megdelina Nkosi, one of the recipients from the outreach event.

The Churchs rapid and unprecedented growth under the leadership of Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo is expected to continue in 2016 with the support of its membership worldwide.

When many nonprofits have been forced to close their doors or cut back on services, we are thankful to God that after 102 years, the INC is still growing internationally, says Brother Alex Batulan, District Minister of Africa.

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About the Iglesia Ni Cristo (Church Of Christ)

The Iglesia Ni Cristo (INC) or Church Of Christ is a global church comprising of more than 5,500 local congregations in over 100 countries and territories worldwide, with membership of at least 110 nationalities. Its Central Administration is in Quezon City, Philippines.
Melissa Marsh, Senior Managing Director - Occupant Experience Workplace strategy has developed into an incredibly nuanced, data-driven opportunity to leverage the office environment.

Savills Studley, the leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation, announces that well-regarded workplace strategist Melissa Marsh has joined its New York City headquarters office as Senior Managing Director  Occupant Experience, further expanding the companys capabilities and expertise.

Workplace strategy has developed into an incredibly nuanced, data-driven opportunity to leverage the office environment, said Marsh. By joining a firm dedicated to the needs of tenants, our team will provide a comprehensive solution to companies seeking to enhance their employees experience.

Melissas approach to workplace innovation expands our teams focus to include unique capabilities such as wellness, workplace innovation, design strategy and occupant engagement, said Michael Colacino, president of Savills Studley. She will help grow Savills Studleys capabilities in every market to clients across all industry sectors.

Marsh is the founder of PLASTARC, a highly successful consulting firm dedicated to the quantitative and qualitative study of tenant requirements. She will continue to direct the company, which will engage in research and product development, resulting in increased awareness and enhanced capabilities for Savills Studley.

A well-known thought leader across the architectural, design and real estate industries, Marshs work as an innovator seeks to fundamentally shift the conversation of workplace to occupant experience. As employees become more demanding of their physical surroundings, Marsh believes that buildings must evolve to support the occupants needs. Savills Studley remains committed to its core principle of representing tenants, Marshs expertise will enable clients to further leverage their office space as an economic asset.

The addition of Marsh to Savills Studley comes as part of the company significant ongoing expansion of its North American operations, highlighted by the establishment of seven new offices in U.S. and the opening of the companys first office in Canada, as well as the acquisition of several key new hires and services lines across the country.

About Savills Studley

Savills Studley is the leading commercial real estate services firm specializing in tenant representation. Founded in 1954, the firm pioneered the conflict-free business model of representing only tenants in their commercial real estate transactions. Today, supported by high quality market research and in-depth analysis, Savills Studley provides strategic real estate solutions to organizations across all industries. The firms comprehensive commercial real estate platform includes brokerage, project management, capital markets, consulting and corporate services. With 29 offices in the U.S. and Canada, and a heritage of innovation, Savills Studley is well known for tenacious client advocacy and exceptional service.

The firm is part of London-headquartered Savills plc, the premier global real estate service provider with over 30,000 professionals and over 700 locations around the world. Savills plc is listed on the London Stock Exchange (SVS.L).

For more information, please visit http://www.savills-studley.com and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter @SavillsStudley.
Nicole Guenther, President Clickstop Cares Board of Directors We really wouldnt be able to give back to the community like this without the support we have received from Clickstop employees and community members. We are very grateful.

For a second year, Clickstop Cares partnered with the Vinton-Shellsburg Community School District and other organizations to ensure underprivileged children have tools they need to start the school year on the right foot.

Qualified families living in the Vinton-Shellsburg district were invited to visit the Clickstop Cares Closet, 2535 Bing Miller Lane in Urbana, during free distribution events Aug. 9 and Aug. 17.

A total of 196 students  40 more than last year  in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade picked out and took home backpacks and school supplies, along with hygiene products, new socks and undergarments. The district had expected the larger number after a tornado in July impacted several families.

Many items were collected from local residents, churches and businesses, including a partnership with Vinton office supply store Monkeytown. Monetary donations also were accepted. Every $40 sponsored a full set of grade-level supplies for one student.

The turnout this year had volunteers bustling around the Cares Closet to get families what they needed, Clickstop Cares Board President Nicole Guenther said. On top of that, we helped little sisters and brothers and made a lot of parents happy.

Those interested could browse racks of new and gently used shoes, clothing and other basic essentials, available at no charge to children or their families.

In addition, Clickstop Cares responded to about 30 requests for clothing and shoes from students in surrounding communities. Some received school supplies, as well.

We really wouldnt be able to give back to the community like this without the support we have received from Clickstop employees and community members, Guenther said. We are very grateful.

Nearly 60 volunteers helped organize the event and assist shoppers with making selections.

Classes began Tuesday, Aug. 23 for Vinton-Shellsburg students in first through 12th grades. Kindergarten started Thursday, Aug. 25.

Clickstop Cares is a nonprofit charity organization founded by Clickstop employees. To learn about volunteer and donation opportunities, visit the Clickstop Cares Facebook page, call 1-888-794-1413 or email Cares(at)ClickstopCares(dot)org.

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About Clickstop Cares

Clickstop Cares is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization created and managed by Clickstop Inc. employee volunteers, with additional support from surrounding communities. Clickstop is the parent company of several brands based in Urbana, Iowa. Its focus on great workplace culture has landed the company multiple work environment-focused awards including two first place achievements as the Coolest Place to Work. Clickstop brands serve diverse markets that include the moving and cargo control industry, energy efficient insulation products, and home organizing solutions. For more information, visit Clickstop.com.
We started out as a small family-owned business, and our vision and commitment to our clients and staff has allowed us to grow quickly.

Inc. Magazine has recognized Kobie Marketing, a leading marketing services and technology provider, as one of the fastest growing private companies for the seventh year in a row. The company ranked No. 2262 in the 2016 Inc. 5000 list, boasting revenue growth of 161 percent growth over the preceding three-year period.

Published every year since 1982, the Inc. 5000 list maintains a comprehensive database of Americas fastest-growing companies, which it ranks by percentage growth over a three-year period. Kobie has held a spot on the list for the past seven years, and over its 26-year history, has posted a profit every year.

Kobie  which designs, develops and implements cutting-edge loyalty marketing programs for global brands  began as a two-person firm in 1990 and has added 340 new employees since first ranking on the Inc. 5000 list in 2010, with 239 new hires in the past three years alone.

Kobie has humble roots, but our growth has been extraordinary, said Bram Hechtkopf, CEO of Kobie Marketing. We started out as a small family-owned business, and our vision and commitment to our clients and staff has allowed us to grow quickly. It is truly a privilege to lead Kobie Marketing through such an exciting time. As we continue to expand our team, adopt innovative technologies and partner with top thought leaders in the loyalty marketing field, we look forward to seeing our capabilities and client roster grow even more.

Earlier this year, Florida Gov. Rick Scott highlighted Kobies expansive growth during his Million, Billion Jobs Victory Tour celebrating statewide job growth. The company plans to add 255 additional employees in the coming years and last year alone saw 75 new hires. Last month, the company opened a contact center, which is expected to create 100 new jobs by year-end.

As part of their growth strategy, Kobie is continuously searching for new talent. To view their current openings, visit http://www.kobie.com/careers, or follow Kobie on LinkedIn or Twitter.

About Kobie Marketing, Inc.

Kobie Marketing is a global leader in loyalty marketing and an industry pioneer, delivering end-to-end strategy, technology and program management solutions. For over 25 years, Kobie has provided innovative loyalty experiences to the worlds most successful brands, helping clients receive incremental revenue, product and household penetration, and brand advocacy. Kobie drives results and ROI through Kobie Alchemy, a best-in-class loyalty marketing technology platform. To learn more, visit http://www.kobie.com.

About Inc. Media

Founded in 1979 and acquired in 2005 by Mansueto Ventures, Inc. is the only major brand dedicated exclusively to owners and managers of growing private companies, with the aim to deliver real solutions for today's innovative company builders. Winner of the National Magazine Award for General Excellence in both 2014 and 2012. Total monthly audience reach for the brand has grown significantly from 2,000,000 in 2010 to over 15,000,000 today. For more information, visit http://www.inc.com.

Methodology

The 2016 Inc. 5000 is ranked according to percentage revenue growth when comparing 2012 to 2015. To qualify, companies must have been founded and generating revenue by March 31, 2012. They had to be U.S.-based, privately held, for profit, and independentnot subsidiaries or divisions of other companiesas of December 31, 2015. (Since then, a number of companies on the list have gone public or been acquired.) The minimum revenue required for 2012 is $100,000; the minimum for 2015 is $2 million. As always, Inc. reserves the right to decline applicants for subjective reasons. Companies on the Inc. 500 are featured in Inc.'s September issue. They represent the top tier of the Inc. 5000, which can be found at http://www.inc.com/inc5000.
A visitor studies "Operation Cowboy" Due to Stewarts bravery in crossing into Nazi territory, Patton awarded him a German Drilling shotgun....

Its a story right out of the Old West: Stolen horses. Risk-taking. Retrieve horses. Return horses.

Except, this story happened in the waning days of World War IIand it wasnt the Wild West, but Czechoslovakia.

A new exhibit, "Operation Cowboy," is now on display at the Cody Firearms Museum (CFM) of the Buffalo Bill Center of the West and relates this remarkable story. In 1945, the U.S. Second Cavalry under General George S. Patton learned of a number of stolen Lipizzaner horses held captive by German lines in Hostau, Czechoslovakia. In addition to the hundreds of horses, there were also a large number of Allied prisoners of war (POWs). The exhibit tells of the Second Cavalrys liberation of the horses and prisoners.

Located in the CFMs military firearms section, the temporary exhibit focuses on this secret mission during the last days of World War II. Cody Firearms Museum intern, Rebecca Hoback, used the opportunity to tell this amazing story to the public.

Operation Cowboy was successful because of the initiative of Intelligence Officer Thomas Stewart who assisted in persuading German troops to release hundreds of POWs and the prized horses, Hoback explains. Due to Stewarts bravery in crossing into Nazi territory, Patton awarded him a German Drilling shotgun, which is now on display in this exhibit.

The Lipizzan is one of Europes oldest breeds of horse, developed exclusively by the Hapsburg monarchy of Austria; the breed is closely associated with the Spanish Riding School of Vienna. There, the best of the horses continue the iconic Airs Above the Ground movements of classical dressageincluding highly controlled leaps and stylized jumpseven today.

Read more about Operation Cowboy here in Hobacks blog post.

Since 1917, the award-winning Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, has devoted itself to sharing the story of the authentic American West. The Center, an affiliate of the Smithsonian Institution, is now in its summer schedule, open daily 8 a.m.  6 p.m. For additional information, visit the Center's website or its pages on Facebook and Google+.
Over the past 10 years, Chris has built a reputation as a preeminent figure and thought leader in the UK marketplace... We look forward to helping him provide an even greater level of service through our extensive infrastructure.

Onward Search is excited to announce that Chris Haslam has joined the Onward Search London team as a Senior Account Executive.

Haslam was the Founder and Chief of Move, a premier London-based staffing firm whose clients include some of the most well-respected brands, creative agencies, and start-ups in the UK. As a veteran of the creative staffing space, Haslam brings with him nearly a decades worth of experience to the Onward Search London team. His specialized areas of recruitment include user experience, digital design, web development, and production.

We are excited to add someone with Chriss background in the digital creative space to our growing European operations, said Kevin Clark, CEO of Onward Search. Over the past 10 years, Chris has built a reputation as a preeminent figure and thought leader in the UK marketplace. His ability to meet the creative staffing needs of corporate clients and digital agencies of all sizes is unparalleled and we look forward to helping him provide an even greater level of service through our extensive infrastructure.

Onward Search is a recognized staffing leader in the United States specializing in digital, creative and marketing talent. They launched their European headquarters in London during July of 2015, and have since grown rapidly. Today, Onward Search provides talent solutions for the top companies, brands and digital agencies which help compose the creative industry, which contributes roughly 84BN to the UK economy.

"I am incredibly excited to be joining the Onward Search team and look forward to helping them grow their European footprint, Haslam said. I am most pleased that Onward Search is a business that shares the core values which have been pivotal to the success and existence of Move. I plan on meeting the high standards Onward Search has set for its European market, and to leverage their outstanding operations and support teams in order to exceed our clients expectations.

Onward Search offers a full range of recruiting, staffing, and talent management solutions to include temporary / contract staffing, executive search / direct hire, and enterprise services. Their talent pool is diverse and can satisfy any number of digital creative needs from traditional marketing efforts, to cutting edge technologies such as virtual and augmented reality experience development. Visit http://www.onwardsearch.co.uk for more information.

About Onward Search:

Onward Search is a leading recruitment and staffing agency for digital, creative, and marketing talent. The company offers a full range of solutions to include contract staffing, permanent placement, and executive search. Onward Searchs European headquarters are located in London, England and they have eleven offices throughout the United States.. We can also be found on Twitter at @onwardsearch, or on Facebook at facebook.com/onwardsearch.
Zip, the social platform that made national news last week, has released more information regarding public opinion on Trump and Hillary. After stating a strong showing for Trump among users prior to last week, the social media app began analyzing its anonymous data to garner further results on the status of the national political campaign.

After this weeks explosion of downloads and engagements, Ric Militi, Co-Founder and CEO of San Diego-based Crazy Raccoons, maker of Zip  The Question Answer App, instructed his data team to analyze the responses and identify an aggregate group of Liberal and Democrat users through a series of anonymous questions regarding their position on the upcoming election.

From a sample size of 5,885 unique Zip users in the United States over the age of 18 identified as Liberal based on their anonymous responses on Zip, 35% chose Trump when asked who they would vote for. As for Democrats, out of a sample size of 2,342 unique Zip users in the United States over the age of 18, the data showed that 30% would choose Trump. In this study, unique users are users who have answered the same way consistently over a series of questions with the same subject matter, stating their unwavering opinion.

We spent one week going through all our data and are 99% confident that our assumptions based on the data are correct. The data has been filtered and cleaned to only use high-quality responses, says Sean P. Jaeger, Co-Founder and Director of Architecture and Technology of Zip  The Question Answer App.

Non-quality answers have been removed from these results and Militi noted it is technologically impossible for a user to vote more than once on any one question. Liberals and Conservatives on the Zip team were asked to review this data and agree on the information from both sides of the aisle, so the results would not be subject to any unintentional bias. The final sign off had to come from a member of the organization representing both perspectives for Militi to accept these results.

It is not our intent to become a political barometer in any way, Militi said. We are a social platform for all users to give their opinion on 25 different categories. Its understandable that Trump followers, like all users that are drawn to Zip regardless of their age, gender, social views, interests and more, feel comfortable using our social platform because of its anonymous nature. Zip was designed to prevent bullying, intimidation, profanity or egregious comments, and thats why relationships and dating is actually our most popular category alongside politics because people have very personal views in both arenas. Were hoping now that users across the country from all viewpoints will continue to join in and voice their opinions equally, he said.

In addition to providing data, Zip  The Question Answer App intends to be a source of content for all media outlets in all categories throughout life and plans to begin sending out their top 10 questions among top 10 categories on a weekly basis.

About Zip  The Question Answer App

Zip  The Question Answer App, created by San Diego-based technology think tank Crazy Raccoons, LLC, is a unique and fun social app that instantly settles friendly squabbles, arguments, debates and opinion-based questions by gathering responses from fellow users quickly and anonymously. Zip is revolutionizing the communications industry with its proprietary app, which allows for interactive, two-way communication between brands and public figures and their audience while also providing insightful analytics. Earlier this year they set a course for expansion by bringing former Fox executives Sandy Grushow, Jon Hookstratten, and Ira Kurgan to the Zip Advisory Board. More information at http://thezipapp.com/.
We are proud of the organic results we helped Central Vacuum Stores achieve

Bayshore Solutions digital marketing achievements in Organic Search Engine Optimization for Central Vacuum Stores is selected as an international finalist for Search Engine Lands 2016 Landy Award honoring the Best Retail SEO Initiative.

Just five search marketing entries are named finalists in the Landy Best Retail SEO competition. Search Engine Land created the Landy Awards to recognize worldwide excellence in search marketing. Winners will be announced on September 28, 2016 at the awards gala during the SMX East conference in New York City.

2016 marks the second annual Landy Awards competition. With nearly 200 entries, the competition was filled with incredible efforts by search marketers across the globe. Finalists were selected by Search Engine Land editors and search industry professionals including Google and Bing. Thorough and compelling case studies were entered for the Judges review and were evaluated on:



Innovative strategies & creative tactics implemented

Best Practice methods employed

Resources & technology utilized

Tangible, Measurable business results

Bayshore Solutions is honored to be recognized by Search Engine Land among the best search marketers in our industry, said Kevin Hourigan, President and CEO of Bayshore Solutions. The very core of our agency is focused on applying technology and marketing expertise to deliver measureable results for our clients. We are proud of the organic results we helped Central Vacuum Stores achieve and it is really nice to receive industry acknowledgement of the quality of this work.

Learn more about Central Vacuum Stores website and digital marketing initiatives here.

View more of Bayshore Solutions award winning results in web design and digital marketing here.

ABOUT BAYSHORE SOLUTIONS

Digital marketing agency, Bayshore Solutions, offers award-winning capabilities for custom web design, website development, e-commerce, and digital advertising. Founded in 1996, the website design and digital marketing company is celebrating 20 years of driving digital success through custom web applications and marketing services to over 2,200 clients in 54 countries. Headquartered in Tampa, Florida, the digital agency has offices in Denver, Colorado and Miami, Florida. Bayshore Solutions integrates technology and marketing services to ensure measurable results for clients.

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Dr. Michael McNamara Dr. McNamara shares our view that microbiome analysis has the potential to become a routine, but vital, diagnostic tool for health professionals.

uBiome, the leading microbial genomics company, continues to consolidate its team of scientific advisors with the appointment of Monaco-based Dr. Michael McNamara, a pioneer in preventive diagnostics.

Dr. McNamara grew up in the U.S., undertaking his university and medical studies at the University of Michigan, followed by an internship in medicine and surgery in San Diego, California. He subsequently specialized in Radiology and Advanced Heart Scanning at UCSF. In 1986, he was appointed to create the first European hospital-based Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scanning facility at the Princess Grace Hospital of Monaco, remaining as Chief of Department until 2003. He then founded Monte-Carlo LifeCheck, the first facility in Europe to perform preventive medicine check-ups utilizing three-dimensional total body scanning technology.

Dr. McNamara is currently active in the development of all-natural powerful evidence-based personalized preventive health supplements for a wide range of cardiovascular, cancer, and degenerative diseases.

Dr. McNamara co-edited the medical textbook MRI And The Body, has authored and co-authored more than 80 scientific papers and book chapters, and delivered over 150 medical scanning and heart disease lectures around the world including a keynote speech at Dubais prestigious Festival of Thinkers. Dr. McNamara is a naturalized Monaco citizen.

uBiome is the worlds leading microbial genomics company. It applies next generation high-throughput DNA sequencing technology to generate detailed analysis of the human microbiome, the ecosystem of trillions of bacteria which coexist in and on the human body. Individuals can get their own microbiomes tested by providing a straightforward self-swabbed sample, returned by mail. Test analysis currently allows citizen scientists to explore five different sites  gut, oral, nose, genitals, and skin.

Many of the bacteria found in the microbiome play crucial roles in supporting life. For example, gut bacteria aid with digestion and the synthesis of vitamins. Pathogenic bacteria, however, can also be associated with a range of conditions, some very serious, such as celiac disease, inflammatory bowel disease  including both Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis, irritable bowel syndrome, esophageal reflux and esophageal cancer, Clostridium difficile infection, colorectal cancer, and many others.

Dr. McNamara says: The ground-breaking progress that uBiome is making is truly significant. Ive long been a proponent in my own work of the exciting role that technology can play in helping healthcare professionals to make early diagnoses  crucially catching disease before it becomes difficult or impossible to treat. We accept that MRI and CT scanning enable us to see inside the body, and blood analysis is obviously invaluable, enabling us to implement life-saving treatments to reverse and prevent disease. Now were ready to add microbiome testing into this powerful mix, opening a window into the microorganisms living in and on a patients body. I believe that in the next five years, microbiome testing is going to lead a revolution in healthcare.

Jessica Richman, Co-founder and CEO of uBiome, says: We are honored that Dr. McNamara has agreed to join our scientific advisory board. Together, we share the view that DNA sequencing technology can  and must  contribute to healthcare. Dr. McNamara shares our view that microbiome analysis has the potential to become a routine, but vital, diagnostic tool for health professionals.

uBiome was launched in 2012 by scientists and technologists educated at Stanford and UCSF after a crowdfunding campaign raised over $350,000 from citizen scientists, around triple its initial goal. The company is now funded by Andreessen Horowitz, Y Combinator, and other leading investors.

uBiomes mission is to use big data to understand the human microbiome by giving users the power to learn about their bodies, perform experiments, and see how current research studies apply to them.

Contact:

Julie Taylor

julie(at)ubiome(dot)com

415.212.9214
Camp Aging Insurrection at Burning Man: Joining the Generations 2016 Rebranding aging is critical not only to our company and industry success, but to the way many of us, myself included, will age in America. Rebranding means changing the way people look at aging and hence, how they look at seniors living communally.

Juniper Communities founder Lynne Katzmann in her NIC Talk on ageism in September 2015, challenged the senior living industry to focus on a mission of anti-ageism. One of her visionary approaches to the challenge was a call to create an anti-ageism camp at Burning Man. Her rationale was that the senior living industry has a vested interest in combatting ageism. The industry as a whole has often been perceived negatively  looked at as the place of last resort, where individuals reside only when no other options are available to them, either as a result of physical or cognitive decline. A group of senior living industry experts, including Juniper team members, along with a wider group of all ages and from all walks of life has partnered together around this mission of changing the face of aging in America and recognizing that across the generations we are all very much the same. This loose coalition has come together in a formal theme camp, Aging Insurrection, at Burning Man, August 29 to September 5. Members of the camp range in age from their 20s to their 80s.

As part of its mission, Camp Aging Insurrection has taken a strong stance against ageism. The term ageism is used to reflect the prejudice and stereotyping seniors are experiencing in a culture that embraces and idolizes youthfulness. This includes demoralizing seniors by marginalizing their mental and physical abilities, not respecting their opinions, and making them feel unwelcome. Camp Aging Insurrection seeks to combat this prejudice and stereotyping in multiple ways.

Camp Aging Insurrection will be hosting two events, both open to the wider Burning Man community, at its camp. The first is an Insurrection Salon, which will be a wide-ranging and open salon-style discussion group focused on ageism, aging inclusion, intentional communities within senior living, wisdom sharing, and other trailblazing ideas. Their other event will be a Joining the Generations Coloring Party. This will be an intergenerational coloring party resulting in fantastic murals to beautify the camps exterior and to share daily with the Burning Man community at large. They will be partnering with Camp Kidsville for this event.

Rebranding aging is critical not only to our company and industry success, but to the way many of us, myself included, will age in America. Rebranding means changing the way people look at aging and hence, how they look at seniors living communally. Burning Man is a great way to not only share our views on aging, but also to demonstrate that mature adults are people; people who enjoy music, art, intellectual conversation and adventure at all ages, explained Lynne Katzmann, CEO and Founder of Juniper Communities.

Other industry leaders joining Camp Aging Insurrection include Steve Moran, founder, Senior Housing Forum; Sue Lehrer, national director of Business Development, Cadence McShane Construction LLC; Bailey Beekin, president, Validated Learnings, LLC; Tamara Coughlin, nurse practitioner, Redwood Health Partners; Linda Donato, vice president of operations, Juniper Communities; Diane Byrne, vice president of training and program development, Juniper Communities; and Cindy Longfellow, vice president of new business development, Juniper Communities.

Burning Man is an annual event hosted in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, United States. The event lasts for a week and is described as mass experience in community, art, radical self-expression and radical self-reliance.

About Juniper Communities, LLC.

Juniper Communities, founded in 1988 operates long-term care communities in NJ, FL, PA and CO. Juniper is dedicated to Nurturing the Spirit of Life in each individual served and believes the keys to healthy aging are an active body, an engaged mind, and a fulfilled spirit. The companys mission is to serve its stakeholders, residents, families, employee associates, and investors with excellence and strong dedication to the companys hallmarks of quality, value and innovation. For more information on Juniper call 973.661.8300 or visit http://www.junipercommunities.com.
Crescent Harbor (http://crescentharbor.com) is pleased to announce that it has added new House of Troy LED picture lights that customers can purchase from the Crescent Harbor online store.

Our picture lights are the perfect solution for highlighting the beauty of all kinds of art, said Tim Fossett, President. We are proud to have picture lights from Crescent Harbor being used in both well-known art galleries and in residential homes.

At House of Troy, fine craftsmanship is a time-honored tradition, and this tradition extends to its progressive picture lighting fixtures. For example, the direct wire slim line 24-inch picture light is the ultimate in minimalist design and is available in 15 different finishes to ensure it complements the artwork.

The classic 14-inch hooded picture light emits a warm, white light from a fixture that is angled to project direct light directly onto the artwork. The angle is perfect for works of art that are designed to come alive through the use of reflection, light and shadow.

The direct wire 36-inch light is very classic design and an excellent choice for galleries or any room where more than one work of art is displayed. The combination of slim lines and a minimal hood softly focus the light without ever detracting from the artwork.

These are just three of the many House of Troy picture lights available from Crescent Harbor. Remember, every great work of art, be it a rare painting or your childs school masterpiece, deserves to be shown off in the best light!

Crescent Harbors online clients can also enjoy free shipping (conditions apply), an easy return policy and a very special price guarantee. To learn more about Crescent Harbor and/or to purchase high-quality House of Troy lighting and fixtures at affordable prices, visit http://crescentharbor.com/picturelights

About Crescent Harbor Lighting

Crescent Harbor Lighting is the online arm of The Lighthouse, a family-owned lighting company founded in 1972. The company specializes in a high-touch customer service approach to retailing lighting fixtures, ceiling fans and other related items.

Contact Details:

Tim Fossett

President

88 York Street

US Route One

Kennebunk, Maine, 04043

Toll Free Phone: 1-888-355-9525

Local Phone: 1-207-985-3535

Fax: 1-207-985-4569

Source: Crescent Harbor Lighting

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NorthStar was named on Utah Business Magazine's 2016 Fast 50 list. This award highlights the 50 fastest-growing companies in Utah based on revenue growth and total revenue. Winners will be featured in the September issue of Utah Business Magazine, and were recognized at a banquet for all award recipients. Here, individual rankings were announced, and each company was highlighted for their unique contribution to the world of Utah business.

Each nominated company has exemplified different and notable characteristics including: tenacity through challenges, creativity, and constant growth in revenue. As a winner of this award, NorthStar was recognized for its entrepreneurial spirit, innovative business tactics, and exponential revenue growth.

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About NorthStar Home

NorthStar Home is one of the fastest-growing home security and automation companies in North America. Since 2000, NorthStar has been providing families with peace of mind, while staying true to the core values of integrity, accountability, and service. NorthStar is now serving over 50,000 customers nationwide, and has the equipment, relationships, and reputation that you can count on. Visit northstarhome.com for more information.
Managing Risk. Delivering Results. Once again our teams commitment to the company vision and growing client base, propelled us in rankings and recognition as one of the fastest growing private companies in the nation.

Capital Edge Consulting, Inc., a nationwide consulting firm that specializes in helping federal government contractors solve complex business problems, is pleased to announce their ranking for a second year as one of the top 5000 companies listed on the 2016 Inc. 5000, the 35th annual ranking of the fastest-growing private companies across the nation.

Once again our teams commitment to the company vision and growing client base, propelled us in rankings and recognition as one of the fastest growing private companies in the nation, said Chad Braley, CEO. Our vision has always been to provide best in class services that contractors need to be successful, but to do that, you have to have great people. This honor is truly reflective of our entire teams efforts, their talent, and the quality of their work. I couldnt be happier for them to receive this recognition.

The Inc. 5000 is an exclusive ranking of the nation's fastest-growing private companies. The list provides a comprehensive look at the most important segment of the economyAmericas independent entrepreneurs. Companies such as LinkedIn, Pandora, Timberland, Dell and many other well-known names gained invaluable market exposure as members of the Inc. 5000.

"The Inc. 5000 list stands out where it really counts," says Inc. President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. "It honors real achievement by a founder or a team of them. No one makes the Inc. 5000 without building something great  usually from scratch. That's one of the hardest things to do in business, as every company founder knows. But without it, free enterprise fails."

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Resista-Flag is an exercise invention designed to provide an efficient way of working out while improving ones balance, endurance, and muscular shape. The fitness industry is worth $84 billion," says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. "As Americans become more concerned with their health, this industry has been growing steadily. Past News Releases RSS World Patent Marketing Invention...

World Patent Marketing Success Team...

World Patent Marketing Invention...

World Patent Marketing, a vertically integrated manufacturer and engineer of patented products, announces Resista-Flag, an exercise invention designed to provide an efficient way of working out while improving ones balance, endurance, and muscular shape.

"The fitness industry is worth $84 billion," says Scott Cooper, CEO and Creative Director of World Patent Marketing. "As Americans become more concerned with their health, this industry has been growing steadily. Gym memberships have double since the year 2000."

Getting enough amounts of exercise is important to keep the body strong and healthy, says Jerry Shapiro, Director of Manufacturing and World Patent Marketing Inventions. "However, not all exercises are able to improve ones posture and balance. Resista-Flag is an exercise invention which can provide the correct and highly efficient way of exercising with added benefits.

Resista-Flag is an exercise invention specially created to provide a convenient and efficient way of working out. It is designed with a pair of handles with sturdy hand grips to prevent it from slipping out of the hands of the user. The handles serve as the container wherein the weights are kept securely and is kept in place by an end cap. What is great about this invention is that the weights can be interchangeable to accommodate the needs of the user. To use this invention, one simply waves the flags at varying speeds and directions to create patterns of resistance. Ultimately this will burn calories, gently reduce joint stiffness, and release muscle tension as overall mobility improves.

Resista-flag is the ultimate new wave fitness experience that allows everyone to move with fluidity, ease, and confidence at any age, says inventor Patricia W. This fun and innovative tool is part of an all-encompassing program that combines resistance of a free flowing flag with an optional weight to energize, heal, and revitalize the entire body. A variety of easy to follow programs encourage faster results giving the body a leaner and toned look, improved posture, balance, and joint mobility in ways not possible with conventional programs. Resista-flag can adapt to satisfy the needs and interests of rehabilitation patients and committed enthusiasts and encourage kids to move and help people with restricted mobility. The versatility of Resista-flag addresses the health and fitness needs of all ages for a variety of reasons giving it universal appeal during workout sessions,whether following a personal home program or in a group setting..

Resista-flag is an alternative to old workout methods of exercising and provides positive results without injury.

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During the writing of Tell the Truth, Shame the Devil, I was very much aware of how my own background shaped this novel, but I had no idea of what the 2016 reader would bring to it. The thing Im certain of most is that Ill be asked whether the terror attacks across the world these past 18 months inspired this story. Its a fair enough question. In my novel, a deadly bomb goes off on a tour bus in Calais, France. But back in early 2013 when I was in the planning stage, my reason for France was because the English Channel afforded two countries a view of each other on a clear day.

The thing is that I grew up on Bible stories. The one that stuck most in my head was of Moses leading the chosen people to the promised land. The image in my Catholic childrens bible was of him seeing it from a distance but never getting there himself. In a way, the view from Calais to Dover across the Channel became the promised land for one of my characters, who yearns to return home.

Im not one to write down the genesis of a character, or an idea, when I first think of it. I wish I were, because Id love to revisit those early moments. But what I do know is that my focus for this novel was never going to be terrorism. Instead the idea came from my obsession with stories about wrongful convictions, whether it was the Guildford Four from Ireland, or the Memphis Three, or the Central Park Five. Of course, the tragedy of those cases lies primarily with the victims. But there are always scapegoats, and in most cases, wrongful convictions are about class or race.

With regards to character, Im not sure where Bish Ortley came from, except that he came to me known. I gave him my own age, my fears, and to a certain degree, I gave him the skills Id acquired teaching high school boys. In that job, I learned to negotiate, bargain, empathize, ask questions, and listen. I didnt want Bish to be a tough detective who had seen it all on the streets. I wanted his skill to be with people. So when hes caught up in the bus tragedy because his daughter survived the bombing, its his ability to empathize and communicate that finds him unofficially working for the Brits to work out what happened across the channel.

Ultimately as a writer, my focus is always on the ties that bind us as humans and the communities we become part of. Its that sort of universality that I always aim for, regardless of what is taking place in the world at the time of a novels release.
The author-illustrator team interviewed each other about their picture book collaboration, Schools First Day of School (Roaring Brook/Porter), which is out in time for back-to-school season.

Christian Robinson: What inspired you to write Schools First Day of School?

Adam Rex: I was at a party near Portland a few years ago where I actually met you for the first time, Christian. Literally everyone there was in kids books in one way or another, and conversation turned to picture book cliches  one of these mentioned was the old standard about a little kid or waistcoated animal whos worried about his first day of school. I leaned over to our friend Mac [Barnett] and whispered, A school is nervous about his first day of children, because thats how my brain is wired. If I hear an arrangement, Ill often reflexively reverse it to see if its funny.

I must have thought there was something to this offhand joke, because I made a point of repeating it to our agent when I saw him the next morning. And he immediately said, Youre writing that. Thats your next book.

I sat down to try it out and came up with a voice for the school that I kind of fell in love with right away. Later I was reminded of all those Peanuts comic strips in the 70s where Sally talks to her school and the school has thoughts of his own. I sort of think I was carrying those around in my head for 30 years, waiting to process them and remake the idea into something new.

Robinson: That was a nice get-together in Portland. I remember feeling nervous and bit out of place because I was still very new to world of kids books. I dont think my first illustrated book had even come out yet. You know whats also kinda crazy  when I first met Mac he mentioned a ghost story picture book hed been writing [which turned into Leo: A Ghost Story, illustrated by Robinson]. I think Ive been very lucky with first introductions and future book collaborations.

Rex: Im guessing that you get sent a lot of picture book manuscripts, and that you probably turn down a lot more than you illustrate. So could you tell me what led you to work on Schools First Day of School, but in a way that doesnt make it seem like I just asked you this so youd compliment my writing?

Robinson: There are a couple of things that make me want to illustrate some manuscripts over others. One is just the feeling I have after reading: am I moved in some way, does it resonate with me? The other thing is when I begin to visualize the story, characters, setting  is it something I actually see myself having fun with? Its really important that I can imagine myself enjoying the process of completing the story. Deciding to illustrate Schools First Day of School required very little thinking. I am a huge fan of your words and honored that youd entrust me with making the pictures to go with them.

Which brings me to my next question. Youre an accomplished crazy talented author and illustrator. Why not illustrate Schools First Day of School yourself?

Rex: A few reasons. One was that Id actually been looking for a project for a while where I could be the author and someone else could be the illustrator, because I just wanted to see what that was like. Of course I really only wanted to see what that was like if I could work with one of my illustration idols, but I suppose all authors feel that way: they only really want an illustrator they love, and some authors get that and some dont. But Im in a fortunate position, I guess, in that I can always fall back on illustrating the book myself if everyone seems to be hinting at an illustrator who I think would be a bad fit.

Did that sound harsh? Im trying to come off as likable.

Anyway, working with an illustrator also seemed like a good way to deal with an issue I alluded to in my question to you: if were lucky, we all get to the point where we have more potential projects than we have time in which to do them. In the future Id like to continue being honest with myself and admit when Id be better off asking someone else to illustrate my writing.

So that brings me to the last reason: Schools First Day of School seemed like the perfect test case for this kind of honesty, because I really just didnt know how to illustrate it. I wasnt sure how to handle the main character, the school itself. I could only think of two extremes, which were to either give the school no personification at all  no face, just a brick wall like the one Sally talked to  or else turn it into something cheesy like youd see on a School Is Cool poster, where there are big sparkly eyes in the windows and a smile with the tongue hanging out.

I was leaning toward the former, and whenever I imagined how I might draw and render it I kept seeing a style like yours or Carson Elliss or Jon Klassens. Nothing like my own. So instead of ripping off Christian Robinson, why not see if we could actually get Christian Robinson?

You gave the school this beautifully subtle face in its front doors, and I remember being told that you based its facade on an actual school you visited. Is that right?

Robinson: Yes, thats right. When I agreed to do the book I shared the same anxiety you expressed concerning what the school should actually look like. I love looking for inspiration, doing research and going to museums, all the sort of things that help spark ideas. Its really special, though, when inspiration comes to you. School was inspired by this little school I came across when I was visiting Boston. I was out sightseeing with my boyfriend, John. We were walking down a charming residential neighborhood when a school with a face appeared. I turned to John and said, I think I found School! John was like, What?

Thinking back to your school days, what were some of your favorite school smells, sounds, tastes?

Rex: I dont know if Id call it a favorite, but there was an entree in the rotation at my grade school cafeteria called Salisbury Steak that was some kind of freestanding spongiform potage covered in a sauce that would probably have to be spelled grayvee for legal reasons. I know that making fun of school cafeteria food is kind of hacky, but 35 years later the memory of its specific smell will sometimes just hit me, suddenly, like a punch in the nose.

I was probably supposed to say I loved the smell of paste or something. What about you?

Robinson: My elementary school had a recess split, so you were either in the first recess group or the second. I was in the first group and I remember always coming in from recess full from lunch and tired from running around outside. My desk was near the window so I could hear the kids in second recess playing outside. I think I may have been around the age when nap time was no longer a thing. But I desperately needed a nap  like clockwork I would fall asleep at my desk to the sounds of the playground. To this day the collective sounds of kids playing outside, laughing, screaming, running, dodge balls bouncing, jump ropes tapping the ground, I find comforting and makes me sleepy.

Rex: And with that, let me compose you a little soundscape, Christian: Tap, tap, tap goes the jumprope. Laughter. Tag, youre it, hey no tag-backs. Miss Suzy had a steamboat, bright voices sing, and the tetherball tether keeps time with a swish, swish, swish, bump.

There. Christian is sleeping now.

Goodnight, everyone.
Aye, aye! Dav Pilkey, best known for his Captain Underpants series (which has sold 70 million copies worldwide), is launching a new spinoff series, called Dog Man; hell kick it off on August 30 in his hometown, Cleveland, with a multi-city Dog-gone Spectacular Superheroes Tour. Today he and his wife, who is his business manager, divide their time between Minamiizu, Japan, and Bainbridge Island near Seattle. PW spoke with Pilkey about, among other things, the inspiration behind his new title, next years celebration of the 20th anniversary of Captain Underpants, and a new DreamWorks movie based on the adventures of class-clown fourth graders George Beard and Harold Hutchins.

You created Dog Man and Captain Underpants, in that order, when your second-grade teacher banished you to the hallway. Are you a packrat who saved those old drawings, or did you have to recreate them?

Im not really sure if I have any of the comics. Somewhere up in my parents attic somewhere? But its mostly up in my memory. Dog Man did come before Captain Underpants. He was a little bit different when I first started drawing him. He was more of a superhero. I think he was a pet some children had, and he had superpowers. He wasnt a police officer back in the old days. When I started drawing him as an adult, I wanted to create a new backstory for him.

Whats the backstory?

His current incarnation is as a police officer whos part dog and part man. I mentioned him in the first Captain Underpants book. By the ninth book, he was a character showing up in George and Harolds comic. My fan mail started to change. Usually kids would draw Captain Underpants. Starting with book number nine, they were all drawing Dog Man. That was one of the reasons why I decided to break out and start a new series about Dog Man.

So you based Dog Man on the hallway drawings, but you imagined him back then as a superhero?

Back then it was all about superheroes for me. Maybe thats true with a lot of second graders. When youre a kid, adults are always telling you what to do, and you feel pretty powerless. Thats why superheroes, especially for young kids, are pretty appealing. They can change the world. They can do anything.

How did the police officer persona come to be instead?

Dog Man is a spinoff book, kind of like George and Harold and Super Diaper Baby. Theyre more super powered. I wanted to get away a little bit from the super powers and come up with a character who had to use his brain to solve his problems. I thought it might be more of a challenge if his brain was actually a dogs brain.

The misspellings in Captain Underpants have vanished in Dog Man. Whats up?

This is their first book where the spelling is all correct. They still make up some of their own words. If you make up your own words, you can spell them however you want. Their grammar is not 100% perfect, but of course, it wouldnt be because theyre kids. They talk the way kids talk.

And the drawings look different.

Dog Man is supposed to be drawn by Harold and written by George. Theyre meant to be seen as if they were drawn by a child. In the Captain Underpants books, theres usually one or two chapters where George and Harold take over and draw a comic.

Youve talked about growing up with dyslexia and ADHD and about reading funny books that made you forget your struggles. How do you channel your inner kid and continue to come up with new potty humor and chapters with names like Weenie Wars?

I dont know exactly how I channel that inner kid. George and Harold are characters I like spending time with. They started out as different versions of myself. Channeling my inner child is really just kind of like writing through them. Its almost like being an actor, a character actor. You almost pretend to be someone else. That frees me up in a way because I dont really have to feel like Im my boring old self. I can be someone else.

I dont think a lot of teachers back then had the tools that they have now when it comes to dealing with kids who had special needs like I did. When I came home, my parents were so encouraging. Instead of looking at these challenges as bad things, they wanted me to look at them as good things. In some ways, I was doing the cartoons and being the class clown as a way to shift the focus. I didnt want to be the kid who everyone knew couldnt read as well as everyone else. I wanted to be the funny kid, the artist.

So how did the books go over at school?

They were very popular with my classmates  not so much with my teacher. She was not a fan. She used to take my comics and stories and rip them up and tell me that I needed to straighten up, that I couldnt spend the rest of my life making silly books. I didnt get a whole lot of encouragement from my teachers. When I came home, everything changed. I had so much encouragement from my parents. They used to ask me to make comics for them.

Did they save them in the attic?

Yeah. I was doing a lot of potty humor back when I was a kid. They liked that OK. But they wanted me to do a superhero or series about someone who wasnt a plunger or a toilet. I came up with a guy called Water Man. He could do anything water could do. He wasnt necessarily a superhero. I think I did like 20 or 30 comics about Water Man. My parents saved every single one.

Where do you create most of your books?

I do a lot of my writing in Japan. Theres a cave near where we live. I kayak to the cave, and I do a lot of my writing and illustrations there. Just recently Ive started working digitally, on a portable laptop, called a Cintiq. Its like a tablet  it has a computer attached to it, and little pens come with it.

As Dog Man comes out, what would you like your fans to know about your life?

When I was a kid, I wish I had known that there were other people who I looked up to who had quite similar struggles to mine. I didnt really know that when I was a kid. I kind of felt very alone. One of the things that I love most about my job is being given the opportunity to go out and meet children all over the country, all over the world. Im carrying on the message that my parents gave to me. Thinking differently can be a good thing. And some of these challenges, something good might come out of it.

It sounds as though youre truly enjoying book tours these days.

Its so much fun to meet the kids. A lot of times, after theyve been waiting in line, theyll show me some comics they did or drawings they did. A lot of times theyre based on something I did. I love seeing that. It reminds me of my own childhood, when I was constantly drawing Charlie Brown or Snoopy. I would have so much loved to meet Charles Schulz.

My approach has changed. When I first started going out doing author tours, I was just doing signings and talking to the kids individually. I had to overcome the shyness, and I had to really work on that. Getting up in front of a group of people and giving a speech was terrifying for me at first. Ive come up with a program with a PowerPoint presentation that I do, and theres a lot of humor involved and a lot of line drawing.

What are your plans now?

Dog Man 2 is in the can, and Im working on Dog Man 3 and 4. Dog Man has kind of taken over my writing and my thinking lately. Ive been having a lot of fun with this character. Although Captain Underpants was a lot of fun for me, it was a bit cathartic because I was taking these sometimes very painful experiences and turning them around into something fun and funny. With Dog Man, its the first time Ive been able to do books that are just pure joy for me. I love dogs, and I love kids. The ideas seem to be coming at a fast and furious rate.

Im actually looking at one book for Scholastic after that, a bunch of stories from my childhood. This is kind of my first nonfiction book, hopefully for the spring of 2018. I just finished the dummy this summer. Its actually for a YA audience. It covers from about age two to age 17.

How much is it like Persepolis?

I love that book. Its not as serious at that. This one will be very funny, but there will be serious parts.

What will it be called?

The working title is The Moon Is Made of Cheese. Its really an exploration of not only my childhood but the story of faith. I grew up in a Christian household and went to Christian schools. So its really a story of faith and belief and how it intertwines with my childhood.

How involved are you in the process of the Captain Underpants movie?

DreamWorks was so good to me. They said you can have as much involvement or as little involvement as youd like. I decided to leave it up to them and focus on my writing, and they were fine with that. I trust them so much. Everything that they do I love.

The director is David Soren, who wrote and directed the movie Turbo. Thats such an amazing film. After meeting David, I felt like he seemed like one of the kids I grew up with. I know he used to make comics with his friends. He really seems like a kindred spirit. We were down at DreamWorks talking with David and a lot of the key people who were working on the film, and many of them grew up with Captain Underpants. The kids who grew up reading the books are now making the film. That means so much to me.

Dog Man by Dav Pilkey. Scholastic/Graphix, $9.99 Aug. 30 ISBN 978-0-545-58160-8
What is the backstory of the peculiar children who eventually found refuge with Miss Peregrine? Ransom Riggs gives fans of his bestselling Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children trilogy a glimpse into the lore behind this curious brood that the author provides in Tales of the Peculiar, a collection of 10 stories due from Dutton on September 3. Featuring woodcut engravings by Andrew Davidson, the book will launch with a million-copy first printing and a consumer marketing campaign highlighted by pub-day celebrations in more than 1,000 bookstores across the country. Penguin Young Readers Group has dubbed the books launch Loop Day in honor of the time loop Miss Peregrine set on September 3, 1940, which froze time in her remote island home in Wales to protect her wards from an imminent bombing.

Published by Quirk Books, Riggss trilogy, which encompasses Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children (2011), Hollow City (2014), and Library of Souls (2015), has sold more than six million copies in more than 40 languages. Tales of the Peculiar was inspired by fictional tomes that play key roles in the Peregrine universe: the Map of Days, a hefty atlas of time loops, and Tales of the Peculiar, a Grimms-like collection of folktales beloved by peculiar children everywhere.

I love building out the worlds of my fiction with fictional books, Riggs explained. The Tales are an important part of Hollow City, when the kids discover secrets encoded in them that end up saving their lives. I wrote two tales as part of Hollow City, and spent the next couple of years finishing the trilogy, but itching to write more tales. Once Library of Souls was complete, I finally had time to return to them  and its been such a joy!

Further demonstrating his penchant for enhancing his fiction with fiction, Riggs credits Millard Nullings, the most scholarly of Miss Peregrines wards, as the author of the new Tales collection. Millard spent much of his 70-plus-year tenure in Miss Peregrines loop with his nose buried in books, amassing knowledge of his many wide-ranging interests  one of which is peculiar folklore, Riggs said. When Miss Peregrines home burns at the end of the first novel, Millard risks his life to rescue his three-volume set of the Tales from the flames. In Hollow City, his deep knowledge of them proves invaluable when he decodes crucial secrets hidden in their pages, like the location of an important loop. And near the end of Library of Souls, Millard actually announces his intention to work on a new edition of the Tales. Really, the job has been his for a long time!

Bringing Riggss Work to Life  and to Readers

Tales of the Peculiar has a somewhat different look than Riggss trilogy, which is famously illustrated by vintage, fittingly peculiar photographs from the authors extensive collection. Set in an ancient era that predates photography, Tales called for another illustrative medium, Riggs explained, to make it resemble an artifact from the world of the peculiars  something you might find on Miss Peregrines own bookshelf. It needed a classic aesthetic, and no style of illustration communicates that more effectively, to my mind, than woodcut engravings. They feel timeless rather than dated, and they allow for an incredible amount of detail and dynamism. Andrew was able to capture and deepen the meaning of each story marvelously.

Riggs also praised the creators of the forthcoming 20th Century Fox film, Miss Peregrines Home for Peculiar Children, directed by Tim Burton and written by Jane Goldman, whose September 30th release date follows right on the heels of Tales. The author noted that his involvement in the films development was limited to reading drafts of the screenplay and giving general feedback. Yet Riggs knew that his novel was in safe hands. I thought what Tim and Jane were creating was brilliant, so I wasnt too concerned, he said. Also, Ive been a huge fan of Tims since I was a kid, so it was easy for me to give him the benefit of the doubt. But any doubts I might have had about changes that were made to the story vanished when I saw the film. Tim captured the heart and soul and tone of my book perfectly, while creating a film thats just classic Burton in the best way.

Dutton Childrens Books president and publisher Julie Strauss-Gabel, who brokered the deal for Tales of the Peculiar with Riggss agent, Jodi Reamer of Writers House, lauded the author for his original and extraordinary storytelling and vision. She anticipates that Tales will bring even more readers into the realm of all things peculiar, since Ransoms trilogy fans will obviously want to read Tales, but there are no requisites for entering the world of these stories  anyone can enter it, and enjoy it.

And, she added, shes hopeful that Riggs will further expand his Peregrine legacy with additional story collections. After all, in the world of the trilogy, the Tales fills three volumes, Strauss-Gabel observed. I think Ransom may have endless ideas for stories set in this universe, and that there are more unopened doors he wants to explore.

For now, Riggs is gearing up for Loop Day, when hell attend back-to-back celebrations at five stores in the San Francisco Bay Area, his home turf. In the days before and after these September 3rd events, the author is scheduled to visit additional stores and libraries across the country. Several appearances will include conversations with his wife, childrens author Tahereh Mafi, whose most recent novel is Furthermore (Dutton, Aug. 30).

To build the buzz for Tales of the Peculiar and Loop Day, Penguin is each week revealing one of five allegedly lost, never-before-seen photos of the peculiars online. Each photo contains a number included in a specific longitude/latitude coordinate which, when pieced together, corresponds to the location of a new time loop. Bookstores that signed up to participate in Loop Day received promotional materials and giveaways, and qualified for a chance to be the new time loop site  to be revealed on September 3.

The publisher has also created a retail floor display and has extensive consumer advertising, social media outreach, and school and library promotion in the works. All of which will hopefully help keep fans of Riggs  and his peculiars  in the loop.

Tales of the Peculiar by Ransom Riggs, illus. by Andrew Davidson. Dutton, $24.99 Sept. ISBN 978-0-399-53853-7
End-of-Summer Reads

Last week, we published Web profiles of Jonathan Safran Foer and Ron Rash, whose new novels are among the most hotly anticipated September books. Heres a quick taste of both.

Im just tired. Like, really tired. Whats the expression, to leave nothing on the table? Is that what it is? Its good in the sense that Ive left nothing on the table. But now I have this hunger to do more, and I dont know what it would be.

Jonathan Safran Foer, on how it felt to finish Here I Am (FSG), his first novel in a decade. Read the complete profile.

One thing thats important for me in my work is to remind people that there is a natural world. Its very easy to think we are not connected to it anymore, but we are, whether we want to be or not.

Ron Rash on The Risen (Ecco) and eco-literature. Read more.

From the Newsletters

Tip Sheet

Esther Allen talks about the six-year process of translating the classic Argentine novel Zama (New York Review Books), which is finally available in English 50 years after its original publication.

Childrens Bookshelf

How debut novelist Katharine McGee hit the jackpot with The Thousandth Floor (HarperTeen), due out in September, with ABC Studios picking up TV rights and foreign rights sold in 25 territoriesnot to mention the blowout launch party featuring the books trailer playing on a Times Square Jumbotron.

Religion BookLine

Publishers are marking the 20th anniversary of the death of Henri Nouwen, the Catholic priest and popular writer, with a wave of new and reissued titles by and about him. We round them up.

Global Rights Report

The scoop on Edouardo Albinatis The Catholic School (Rizzoli), a 1,000-page nonfiction novel thats been topping the bestseller charts in Italy for months.

Podcasts

Week Ahead

PW senior writer Andrew Albanese on the evolution of library reference service.

KidsCast

Barbara OConnor discusses her middle grade novel Wish (FSG), about a girl who relies on daily wishes, an unexpected friend, and a stray dog as she faces an uncertain family situation.

PW Radio

Author Jacqueline Woodson discusses her new novel for adults, Another Brooklyn (Amistad). PW editorial director Jim Milliot presents this years ranking of the worlds largest publishers. (You can see it for yourself.)
Egmont is a leading Nordic media group that is active in 30 countries with 6,600 employees. The companys media portfolio includes Nordisk Film, TV 2 in Norway, cinemas, book publishers, educational publishers and PlayStation as well as a number of partly owned film companies.

Egmont operates under The Egmont Foundation, which annually donates a share of the profits from the media companies to institutes, organizations and projects for vulnerable children.

Egmont Publishing was created in November 2013 from Egmont Kids Media and Egmont Magazines. The unit produces over 700 weekly and monthly magazines, as well as childrens books and brand licensing. It also operates digital services and e-commerce.

Egmont Books consists of Norway's largest publisher, Cappelen Damm, and Denmark's second-largest publisher, Lindhardt og Ringhof. Egmont Books publishes fiction and nonfiction, children's books, audiobooks, e-books and educational materials. Egmonts non-Scandinavian book publishing activities include the Turkish publisher Dogan Egmont and the Australian press Hardie Grant.

Analysis & Key Developments

Financial

Egmonts total revenue for 2015 amounted to 1.58 billion EUR, the highest to date. Calculated in local currency, this corresponds to 5.2% growth. The growth was driven by digital business, cinema and payTV. In contrast the operating profit declined from 131 million EUR in 2014 to 97 million EUR in 2015.

The Egmont Publishing division continued to suffer revenue losses, with a 1% decrease from 2014 to 594 million EUR. Results were impacted by instability in Russia and Ukraine and a weak Norwegian currency coupled with a strong USD. On the other hand operating profit increased to 36 million EUR, based on solid performances in all main markets in the Nordic countries as well as in the UK, Germany and Poland.

Egmont Books closed fiscal 2015 with a decline. According to the amended International Financial Report Standards, the company is no longer allowed to include revenues from Cappelen Damm in the consolidated financial statements. Revenue from Egmonts share of Cappelen Damm accounts for 126 million EU, a decrease of 10 million EUR from the past year. Revenue without Cappelen Damm totalled 44 million EUR in 2015.

Internal Organization

Egmont launched Saga Books in 2015, a new e-book and audiobook publishing unit for Scandinavian authors, which aims to digitize 15,000 titles over two years. The aim is to double the total number of e-books in Denmark. Saga Books additionally published more than 1,000 Danish e-books in Germany and Sweden.

Egmont Publishing has created two global divisions for its licensed content business across books and magazines: Global Licensing Management and Global Content Development. The new Global Licensing Management team will acquire global licenses and sell international rights for intellectual property. The Global Content Development division will develop internationally transferable content for books and magazines.

International

Egmont performed well in Germany, mainly due to the phenomenal success of Asterix issue no. 36, which supported magazines as well as books. The English-speaking region enjoyed a solid year, based on the continuing success of Minecraft. Ongoing political instability in Russia and Ukraine on the other hand continued to negatively impact international results.

Digital

In 2015 Egmonts digital activities increased again, particularly in audiobooks and e-books due to the introduction of Saga Books. The company also saw sales growth from strong media content and digital businesses, as well as media channels with direct consumer contact.

Bestsellers

Lindhardt og Ringhofs fiction list featured a wide variety of bestselling and literary titles, including a personal guide to Berlin and Vi elsker Berlin by Sissel Jo Gazan. A new edition of Harper Lees To Kill a Mockingbird immediately topped the bestseller lists along with the sequel Go Set a Watchman. Other prominent fiction titles in 2015 included Michael Katz Krefelds thriller Sekten and Nadia Plesnerss Simple Living. Kamp og kunst fra en campingvogn, Butchers Crossing by John Williams, bestselling Norwegian author Karl Ove Knausgards Hjemme  ude, the French crime author Pierre Lemaitre with Camille and a collection of Siri Hustvedts essays also sold well.

The non-fiction division maintained its market lead in history, cookbooks, lifestyle and culture. The list was led by two cookbooks, Rigtige mnd and Den store bagedyst.

Return to the full listing of the world's largest publishers.
HarperCollins is a subsidiary of News Corp, a global media and information services company comprised of businesses across a range of media, including news and information services, cable network programming in Australia, digital real estate services, book publishing, digital education, and pay-TV distribution in Australia. Headquartered in New York, the activities of News Corp are conducted primarily in the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom. News Corp split in two companies in 2013. Television and film assets were put into the new 21st Century Fox, while roughly 130 newspapers (including the Wall Street Journal and the Times of London), educational businesses and other assets formed a new company under the old News Corp name. The split completes a process that the company announced in 2012, and responds to investor concerns that the newspaper and book publishing divisions were dragging on the faster growing pay TV business.

HarperCollins is one of the worlds largest English language book publishers. The company owns over 120 branded imprints, including Avon, Harper, HarperCollins Childrens Publishers, William Morrow and Christian publishers Zondervan and Thomas Nelson, which HarperCollins acquired in July 2012. In July 2014, HarperCollins completed its acquisition of Harlequin, the leading publisher of womens fiction, from Torstar Corporation.

Analysis & Key Developments

Financial

Revenues for HarperCollins grew by 233 million USD for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015, from 1.43 billion USD in 2014 to 1.67 billion USD, a 16% increase from 2014. The growth was primarily driven by the acquisition of Harlequin, which contributed 281 million USD during fiscal 2015. The increase was also attributed to backlist sales in the general and childrens books categories, notably American Sniper by Chris Kyle, which partially offset lower revenues from the Divergent series by Veronica Roth of 84 million USD and the negative impact of foreign currency fluctuations.

Internal Organization

In August 2015 HarperCollins announced the formation of HarperCollins Brasil, which combines the existing operations of Thomas Nelson Brasil and Harlequin Brasil with Ediouro's commercial trade publishing titles and personnel.

HarperCollins introduced its new Italian division, HarperCollins Italia, in September 2015, when HarperCollins bought out Monadoris 50% share in Harlequin Mondadori, previously a joint venture between Harlequin Enterprises and Mondadori Libri. HarperCollins paid 6.7 million EUR for the buyout, according to the Italian press.

In April 2015 HarperCollins announced another expanded international division, HarperCollins France. Previously, Harlequin SA was a joint venture in France with Hachette Livre, but Harper Collins bought out their partner. They will continue to work with Hachette in an "ongoing partnership for distribution and sales.

Acquisition

In February, HarperCollins Italia acquired 20lines, an app for the iPhone and Android that allows users to write, read and share short stories.

In March 2016, Harper Collins acquired the publishing rights for the accompanying volumes of the Warner Bros. film Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them by the best-selling author J. K. Rowling.

Merger

Also in March, Harper Collins Germany expanded its sales team and started a joint venture with the Aufbau Vertriebs GmbH. The independent company provides the personal care of the stationary book trade of HarperCollins, HarperCollins ya! and MIRA Taschenbuch in Germany and Switzerland.

International

As part of the marketing campaign for the new young adult novel by Alyson Noel, Unrivaled, HC published the book in 16 languages in more than 200 countries simultaneously on May 10, 2016. The coordinated effort was done to generate greater consumer awareness and help strengthen the authors global brand. As the world gets smaller and  especially in the YA market  consumers are finding authors from all around the world, the importance of a global author brand becomes increasingly important, said Chantal Restivo-Alessi, Chief Digital Officer and Executive Vice President, International for HC Publishers.

Digital

As of June 30, 2015, HarperCollins offered approximately 100,000 publications in digital formats. Nearly all of HarperCollins new titles, as well as the majority of its entire catalog, are available as e-books. Digital sales, including e-books and digital audio books, represented approximately 22% of global consumer revenues for the fiscal year ending on June 30, 2015. Digital sales increased by 11% compared to fiscal 2014 due to the inclusion of Harlequins results and increased digital audiobook sales, which were partially offset by the lower contribution from the Divergent series as well as a shift towards the nonfiction genre, which has a lower e-book conversion.

In May 2015 HarperCollins Publishers announced that it would be the exclusive global book content partner for the launch of Shazam's new visual recognition functionality. This feature extends Shazam's mobile engagement platform by transforming static print and digital images into dynamic content. When a Shazam user waves their mobile phone over a HarperCollins book or promotional content with the Shazam camera logo on it, they will be taken to exclusive content from HarperCollins, including author interviews, special offers, videos, playlists and more.

HarperCollins Publishers announced in October 2015 its acquisition of The Midlist from Libboo, the industry leader in audience development through sharing content. The Midlist is a daily email newsletter featuring e-books deals.

Bestsellers

HarperCollins U.S. landed 214 titles on the New York Times print and digital bestseller lists. Fifteen titles reached number one, including Divergent (series) by Veronica Roth, Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo with Lynn Vincent, Yes Please by Amy Poehler, The Heist by Daniel Silva, American Sniper by Chris Kyle with Scott McEwen & Jim De Felice, and The Promise by Robyn Carr.

Return to the full listing of the world's largest publishers.
When former Farrar, Straus and Giroux editor Jesse Coleman was looking to get back into publishing after spending years building a freelance editorial business, he found himself weighing opportunities at Big Five houses against a job at a software company. Hoping to get away from the isolation he felt as a freelancer, Coleman jumped at the chance to create a book division for a Los Angelesbased software company called NationBuilder. The companys goal? To create the kind of nonfiction books that have consumer appeal, and extend the companys brand.

NationBuilder, Coleman explained, sells software that helps organizations more efficiently communicate with people in their network. Particularly popular among political organizations and nonprofits, the companys clients include schools such as Columbia University and various political candidates in the U.S. and much of Europe. (Both sides of the Brexit campaign, for example, used NationBuilder.)

That a software company would be interested in a book division seems, as Coleman acknowledged, a bit odd. But the idea for the book unit was something that began brewing when Coleman was hired as a freelance editor to work on a book that Jim Gilliam, NationBuilders cofounder and CEO, had written.

Gilliam got his first taste of publishing in 2011, after a speech he gave at the Personal Democracy Forum (an annual technology conference) went viral. The speech, titled The Internet Is My Religion, chronicled how Gilliam found solace in the connections made possible by the World Wide Web while he was battling cancer.

When the talk started racking up clicks on YouTubeto date, its been viewed more than 60,000 timesGilliam received calls from literary agents asking him if he was interested in writing a book. He was, but he had no desire to hand over his story to a traditional editor or publishing company. Instead, Gilliam went ahead with his book, writing it with NationBuilder cofounder Lea Endres.

Endres and Gilliam found Coleman through his editorial company, NY Book Editors, and hired him to do a critique of the manuscript. Endres and Gilliam then went on to self-publish their book, The Internet Is My Religion, and quietly began givingand sellingcopies to clients and business contacts. They then approached Coleman about establishing a book division tied to NationBuilder that would publish titles like Gilliams, that are part business book and part inspirational memoir. (The Internet Is My Religion, in addition to telling Gilliams story of finding success as a tech entrepreneur, chronicles his fundamentalist Christian upbringing, his overcoming cancer, and his belief that the Internet is the ultimate tool for connectivity.)

Now, NationBuilder Books will officially launch this fall when The Internet Is My Religion is rereleased as a more widely available consumer title on September 13. NationBuilders titles will be available in both print and online, and Coleman said hes currently in negotiations with a major distributor. Veering from the traditional royalty model, Coleman is instead commissioning books as works for hire. In lieu of royalties, authors will be offered flat advances of $20,000 each.

Acknowledging that the houses unique model may initially be a tough pitch to some agents and authors, Coleman believes NationBuilder is offering something traditional publishers are not. He said that the kind of books he wants to buy would likely each come with a $10,000 advance and a small print run of maybe 3,0005,000 copies at a big New York house. NationBuilder, by contrast, will offer higher advances and intends to do first printings of around 20,000 copies each.

So far, working largely through personal networks, Coleman has signed up eight books. Hes relief on existing contacts thus far for everything from acquisition through productionhis copy editor works at the Paris Review, his jacket designers are at a smattering of Big Five housesand is just now starting to meet with more agents to tell them about the book division.

Coleman, who is now based out of NationBuilders L.A. office, said his house will bring books to market with the intention of selling the title, and giving it away. Though NationBuilder books will be seen as brand builders for the company backing themits hoped that potential clients will find the books and then hire NationBuilderthey are also intended to appeal to regular consumers. As Coleman put it, NationBuilder wants to be recognized not as a software company but as a place that cultivates and supports leaders. And, in order to do that, Coleman will publish books that make people think about how to create change in the world.

Correction: A comment about Nation Builder's pending distribution deals was credited to Jim Gilliam. This story has been updated to reflect the fact that the comment was made by Jesse Coleman.
A dinner held August 16 at the New York City residence of Reiichiro Takahashi, the ambassador and consulate general of Japan in New York, marked the beginning of what Japanese publishers hope is a new dialogue between Japan and the U.S. that will lead to increased book business.

The event was the brainchild of Takahashi and Masashi Takai, chairman and CEO of Kinokuniya. The two met for dinner in July 2015 and discussed what could be done to improve the cultural exchange between Japan and the U.S., and the ambassador suggested that he could host a dinner. The New York gathering was part of a swing through the U.S. by Japanese publishing and bookselling executives, who were in Columbus, Ohio, earlier in the week to attend the International Federation of Library Associations annual congress.

In comments to open the dinner, Takai explained: We are eager to grasp the dynamics of U.S. publishing and bookselling, and to learn from the visions and experiences of U.S. executives. At the same time, we want to share with you our own business ideas and our excellent publishing content. It is our hope that our conversations here will result in exciting joint initiatives by two countries.

The August 16 dinner drew 20 Japanese executives from 17 companies and 12 members of the American publishing community, including Penguin Random House CEO Markus Dohle, HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray, and Macmillan CEO John Sargent. In his remarks, Takai acknowledged that the Japanese book market has been in decline for 20 years, but he said the country still has many authors whose works should find a more global audience.

Though Japanese authors such as Haruki Murakami and Marie Kondo have done very well in the U.S., Takai said simply selling translation rights to overseas partners is not sufficient. He added, Japanese publishing houses must work closely with international partners to develop promotional plans and commit themselves to directing sales activities at each target country.

One Japanese-American partnership took place earlier this year when Kadokawa, a major Japanese publisher of manga, prose, and digital content (and whose chairman, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, and director Toshiyuki Yoshihara were at the dinner), took a 51% stake in Yen Press, the Hachette Book Groups manga and graphic novel imprint.

At the time of the deal, Masaki Matsubara, representative director and president of Kadokawa, said the agreement was driven by the fact that the U.S. market remains incredibly important to Japanese manga publishers. He cited both the rebound in manga sales in North America and the continuing popularity of Japanese pop culture in general. Another impetus for the agreement is the growing popularity in North America of light novels, illustrated prose works based on manga and anime properties.

HCs Murray called the dinner a good first step in making better connections between American and Japanese publishers. He noted that HCs Harlequin group has been selling romance works in Japan for a number of decades, and that since HCs purchase of Harlequin the office has been converted into the HarperCollins Japan office. In addition to continuing to sell romance books, HC is now looking to publish local authors in Japan in such areas as business, as well as to publish commercial international bestsellers that would succeed in the country. Murray said the HC Japan office is now releasing about 165 tittles annually and has sales of approximately $35 million.

Murray also said he believes there is potential to increase sales of Japanese manga and comics in the U.S. Other areas where there could be interest are business and self-help, Murray said.

A PRH spokesperson observed that the company publishes Japanese authors around the world (in the U.S. it is the publisher of Murakami and Kondo). The spokesperson also pointed to the strong demand for manga and graphic novels in the U.S. and noted that the company has had great success with Japanese-culture books, as the distributor for Vertical and Kodansha USA. Sales of the latter have tripled since PRH took over distribution in 2010.

Executives from both countries indicated that they are interested in following up with their counterparts, and the Japanese publishers say a second trip to the U.S. is a possibility.
A classic of Argentine literature, Antonio Di Benedetto's Zama is available for the first time in English. The novel, about a provincial magistrate of the Spanish crown named Zama, is a riveting portrait of a mind deteriorating as the 18th century draws to a close. Esther Allen brilliantly translates Di Benedetto's novel, and talks about the six-year process of bringing the book to U.S. readers.

No, Google Translate was in no way useful to my translation of the 1956 Argentine novel Zama: let's get that out of the way first thing.

However, during the six years I worked on putting Antonio Di Benedetto's masterpiece into English, I performed an experiment. Every so often, I'd run the first line through Google Translate, to see what it came up with.

The idea came from a 2010 New York Times piece that put Google Translate through its paces by having it "translate" the first lines of famous novels: Gabriel Garcia Marquez's One Hundred Years of Solitude, Antoine de Saint-Exupery's The Little Prince. The problem with this, as David Bellos pointed out in an Op Ed follow-up, is that Google Translate doesn't translate. It's a search engine, scanning a massive corpus of already-translated material for correlations with the phrase it's currently processing. And of course both novels are widely available in English. Connecting the original line to its existing translation is "an impressive trick for a computer," Bellos noted, "but for a human? All you need to do is get the old paperback from your basement."

In the Spanish-speaking world, Zama is an awe-inspiring, foundational work that has powerfully influenced generations of writers from Julio Cortazar, Roberto Bolano, and Juan Jose Saer, to Sergio Chejfec, Daniel Saldana Paris and Alvaro Enrigue. It's been translated into German, Italian and Polish, but has never before been published in English. Which made it the perfect Google Translate test case.

The first line is Sali de la ciudad, ribera abajo, al encuentro solitario del barco que aguardaba, sin saber cuando vendria.

Here's Google Translate:

"I left the city, river bottom, to meet the boat alone waiting, not knowing when to come." (2010)

"I left the city, riverside down to meet the boat alone waiting, not knowing when it would come." (2012)

"I left the city, riverside below, solitaire game boat waiting, not knowing when to come." (2014)

"I left the city, banks down, the lone meeting the boat waiting, not knowing when he would come." (2016)

Google Translate's stock-in-trade is stock phrases, that vast majority of all speech and writing which simply repeats standard formulations. When you plug "Sali de la ciudad" into the Google search engine (which has rapidly become one of the literary translator's most indispensable and versatile tools for any number of purposessuch as, for example, determining whether something is a stock phrase) more than 3.5 million instances of that exact character string turn up. No surprise, then, that the translation of that first clause is a cinchcomes out perfectly every time. In my own agonized versions of the line, which also varied a good deal over the years, those three words"I left the city"never changed, either.

The Google Translate results feel less and less lucky as the sentence progresses, and with each new roll of the search engine dice. The 2012 is probably the best of the lot, but, like the 2010, does not hold together grammatically and gives the mistaken impression that a boat is actually there, waiting for the narrator. The 2014 conjures up a nonsensical game of solitaire, and the most recent version is the worst of all, adding a "he" that introduces a nonexistent second character.

Mistakes can be made by human translators, tooand sometimes forgivably. The biggest issue with the machine-produced language is its failure to convey the personality, character or time frame of the narrator: a man of the late 18th century (the year is 1790), marooned in Asuncion, Paraguay, and in his own, echoing internal voice, existing in expectation of... something. (Zama is dedicated "To the victims of expectation.")

What has compelled Zama's readers most, over the decades, is its structure: both the overall structure of the whole and the calibrated, rhythmic intensity of each line, written, said Roberto Bolano, with the "steady pulse of a neurosurgeon." Recreating that structure in a film, as Lucrecia Martel, one of Argentina's most renowned directors, has been doing for the past several years, involves translating the internal perspective of the novel's first-person narrator into the camera's inevitably external view. A translation of Zama into another literary language must recreate the character as the original novel does: through his voice, so that each successive word deepens our sense of the man speaking and his dilemmas, both internal and external.

Another unvarying element of the Google Translate versions is the word "boat" for barco, a perfectly correct rendering of a simple Spanish noun. But in English, we have the expression, "When my ship comes in," which ferries with it a long history of mercantile navigation and trade, Shakepeare's Merchant of Venice, investment, hope, expectation, salvation. (The closest corresponding expression in Spanish has its origins in the Bible: Cuando lleguen las vacas gordas, "When the fat cattle come.") Translating barco as "ship" brings an echo of that deep history of longing into our first, fleeting image of the narrator, Don Diego de Zama, who lives in the hope of a ship that will come to save him.

Google Translate has been great for literary translators like me, but not by making our work obsolete, as many people assumed it would. Instead, by inviting everyone to participate in the act of translation, it has created much greater awareness of how very challenging translation is and how elusive and evasive linguistic meaningnot to mention linguistic beautycan be. Over the last decade or so, literary translation has experienced something of a Renaissance in the English-speaking world, becoming much more widely appreciated and studied. It may well be that Google Translate has played a part in that.

Nevertheless, many people still run phrases through Google Translate and assume that the results are some sort of unvarying, literal, mathematical, algorithmically precise translation. Once my translation of Zama is published, the search engine may locate my painstakingly-crafted interpretation of that first sentence, and present my version to its users as its own (probably with one preposition changed just a bit, since the search engine appears to be programmed to evade charges of plagiarism when matches are too exact). I wonder how long it will take before that happens, or if I'm increasing the chances of it happening by including my translation of the first line in this article.

But I'm not too worried about that, actually. In Zama, the taut balance of every sentence creates a rare literary phenomenon: silence. The words that make up the novel thread among vast, resonant silences. And silence is a human thing that no computer can ever be programmed to translate.

Here's the line:

"I left the city and made my way downriver alone, to meet the ship I awaited without knowing when it would come."
The strength of the many small presses that have sprung up in recent years made compiling our annual list of the best fall indie titles especially challenging. We worked hard to balance fiction and nonfiction, adult and childrens titles, and books in translation and books originally in English. PWs reviews editors contributed significantly to the effort; we also scoured bookstore newsletters and the Indie Next List, and spoke with premier booksellers to find out the small-press books theyre most excited about this fall. Links to reviews are provided when available.

Emily Books

(dist. by Consortium)

Ill Tell You in Person: Essays

Chloe Caldwell (Oct., $16.95 trade paper)

Author tour, 8,000-copy first printing

The second book from Coffee Houses new imprint addresses becoming an adult and the various imperfect ways most of us get there. Chloe Caldwell writes with an emotional intensity that is insightful, heartfelt, and often hilarious, commented Shawn Donley, new-book purchasing supervisor at Powells Books in Portland, Ore. She perfectly captures what its like to try to navigate your way through the traumatic first decade of adulthood.

Europa

(dist. by PRH)

Shelter in Place

Alexander Maksik (Sept., $18 trade paper)

12-city U.S. and Canadian tour, bartender marketing campaign on West Coast, 45,000-copy first printing

Chuck Robinson, owner of Village Books in Bellingham, Wash., calls this an incredibly courageous novel that delves deeply into issues of love, gender, violence, and mental illness. Like A Marker to Measure Drift, Masiks earlier book, the writing is not only beautiful but is evocative of time and placein this case the Pacific Northwest in the early 90s.

Fantagraphics

My Favorite Thing Is Monsters

Emil Ferris (Oct., $39.99 trade paper)

Author events, 10,000-copy first printing

In a story that offers a vivid embrace of 1960s working-class Chicago, 10-year-old Karen Reyes tries to solve the murder of her upstairs neighbor in a graphic diary, employing B movie horror imagery and pulp monster magazines. PW senior news editor Calvin Reid calls Ferriss debut graphic novel awesome.

Graywolf

The Art of Waiting: On Fertility, Medicine, and Motherhood

Belle Boggs (Sept., $16 trade paper)

12-city tour, Goodreads giveaways, an Indie Next Pick, 25,000-copy first printing

The Art of Waiting is essential reading for those interested in what an essay today can do, says John Francisconi at Bank Square Books in Mystic, Conn. Boggs is somehow able here to transform the clinical and sedate language of infertility treatments into a beautiful song of hope, and transformation. The metaphors Boggs finds for her travails sing, and the patient quality of her narration stuns.

Grove

Christodora

Tim Murphy (Aug., $27)

An Indie Next pick, an Amazon best book of August, 17,500-copy first printing

Set in the Christodora, an iconic building in Manhattans East Village, this novel moves from the Tompkins Square Riots and the attempts by activists to galvanize a response to the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s to a future New York City of the 2020s, where subzero winters no longer exist. Paul Yamazaki, head buyer at City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco, called it the best novel Ive read about the cost of activism.

New Directions

The Last Wolf and Herman

Laszlo Krasznahorkai, trans. from the Hungarian by George Szirtes and John Batki (Sept., $16.95 trade paper)

These two novellas by the most recent winner of the Man Booker International Prize showcase why he won. On their own, both volumes are slender storytelling jewels, but together they are an existential inquiry into the human animal by a unique and ingenious writer, PW wrote in a starred review.

New York Review Books

(dist. by PRH)

Zama

Antonio di Benedetto, trans. from the Spanish by Esther Allen (Aug., $15.95 trade paper)

It has taken 50 years for this classic of Argentinian literature to be translated into English. Set in the last decade of the 18th century, Zama describes the solitary, suspended existence of Don Diego de Zama, a high-up servant of the Spanish crown who has been posted to Asuncion, the capital of remote Paraguay. Don Diego does as little as he possibly can while plotting a transfer to Buenos Aires, where everything about his hopeless existence will, he is confident, be miraculously transformed. PWs starred review called it a once and future classic.

Oneworld

(dist. by PGW)

Umami

Laia Jufresa, trans. from the Spanish by Sophie Hughes (Sept., $21.99)

Winner of an English PEN award, 7,500-copy first printing

This novel, which was listed as an International Hot Property by PW last year and was named one of the most anticipated books of 2016 by the Millions, takes place in Mexico City. Ana, a precocious 12-year-old who reads Agatha Christie to forget the mysterious death of her little sister, decides to plant a milpa, a crop-growing system common in the Yucatan, in her backyard. As she digs, her neighbors delve into their own past. The ripple effects of grief, childlessness, illness, and displacement saturate their stories, secrets seep out, and questions emerge.

Open Letter

(dist. by Consortium)

A Greater Music

Bae Suah, trans. from the Korean by Deborah Smith (Oct., $13.95)

Author and translator tour

A young Korean writer falls into an icy river in the Berlin suburbs, which sets in motion a series of her memories. Throughout, the writers relationship with Joachim, a rough-and-ready metalworker, is contrasted with her friendship with M, an ultra-refined music-loving German teacher, who was once her lover. Some see Suah as the next big South Korean writer to break out, following Han Kang (The Vegetarian). This is her second novel to be published in English; two more are slated for 2017.

Other Press

(dist. by PRH)

Agnes

Peter Stamm, trans. from the German by Michael Hofmann (Oct. $18.95)

Chicago outreach, backlist promotion, reading group guide, Goodreads giveaways, 25,000-copy first printing

Stamms international bestselling debut novel, a psychological romance first published in Germany in 1998, is being published in the U.S. for the first time. In it, an unnamed writer pursues a love affair with a Ph.D. candidate after meeting her at the Chicago Public Library. Write a story about me, she said, so I know what you think of me. While he crafts the story of their love, their relationship is often dictated by the story itself, as he imagines what might be rather than what is.

Princeton Univ.

(dist. by Perseus Academic)

Welcome to the Universe

Neil deGrasse Tyson, Michael Strauss, and J. Richard Gott (Oct., $39.95)

Author appearances, advertising, 25,000-copy first printing

This heavily illustrated book by three leading astrophysicists covers topics including why Pluto lost its planetary status, whether our universe is part of an infinite cosmos, and the prospects of intelligent life elsewhere in the universe.

Sarabande

(dist. by Consortium)

Malafemmena

Louisa Ermelino (Aug., $15.95 trade paper)

In this eclectic collection from PWs reviews director, the stories follow strong-willed women on adventures at home and abroad. In a starred review, PW wrote that the stories themes are elemental and affecting, lingering in the mind like parables or myths sketching something vital, sad, and true. PW Interviewed Ermelino.

Soft Skull

(dist. by PGW)

Another Place Youve Never Been

Rebecca Kauffman (Oct., $25)

These linked stories, set in Buffalo, N.Y., follow Tracy from being a spunky 10-year-old to a troubled adolescent to a struggling adult. A starred PW review calls this an undeniably moving and emotionally true portrayal of the kitchen sink of human experience. Longlisted for the 2016 Center for Fiction First Novel Prize.

Soho

(dist. by PRH)

Never Look an American in the Eye: Flying Turtles, Colonial Ghosts, and the Making of a Nigerian American

Okey Ndibe (Oct., $25)

Author tour, 35,000-copy first printing

Ndibes memoir takes its name from the advice his uncle gave him when he left Nigeria to edit African Commentary magazineadvice that caused some problems when he was mistaken for a bank robber 10 days after he arrived in the U.S. Ndibe examines his development as a novelist, as well as the differences between Nigerian and American etiquette and politics. His novel Foreign Gods, Inc. was starred in PW and was an NPR Great Read of 2014.

Two Dollar Radio

(dist. by Consortium)

The Gloaming

Melanie Finn (Sept., $16.99 trade paper)

5,000-copy first printing

In her second novel after Away from You, Finn, a finalist for the Orange Prize, has created a literary thriller about a young woman whose husband has left her. After a tragic accident in the Swiss countryside, the woman flees to Tanzania, where she cant shake the feeling that shes being followed. Published in the U.K. last year (under the title Shame), the novel was shortlisted for the Guardians Not the Booker Prize.

Univ. of California

(dist. by Perseus Academic)

Nonstop Metropolis: A New York City Atlas

Edited by Rebecca Solnit and Joshua Jelly-Schapiro (Oct., $49.95 hardcover; $29.95 trade paper)

Author tour; advertising, including in New York subways and subway stations; first printing: 55,000-copies paper, 5,000-copies hardcover

This beautifully designed and illustrated volume from journalist Solnit and Jelly-Schapiro, author of Island People (Knopf, Nov.), conveys the experience of being in New York City through 26 maps and essays by experts including linguists and ethnographers. The book, which completes a trilogy of atlases, celebrates New York Citys unique vitality, while critiquing its racial and economic inequality.

Univ. of Chicago

Down, Out, and Under Arrest: Policing and Everyday Life in Skid Row

Forrest Stuart (Aug., $27.50)

In his first year working in Los Angeless Skid Row, sociologist Stuart was stopped on the street by police 14 times, usually for doing little more than standing still. A woman he met there was stopped more than 100 times and arrested upward of 60 times for sitting on the sidewalk. Down, Out, and Under Arrest looks at how zero-tolerance policing and mass incarceration have reshaped the social fabric of Skid Row and other disadvantaged neighborhoods.

Wave

(dist. by Consortium)

My Private Property

Mary Ruefle (Oct., $25)

5,000-copy first printing

Excerpted in Granta, Harpers, the Paris Review, and Tin House; 5,000-copy first printing

Laurie Greer of Politics & Prose in Washington, D.C., comments on this collection of short prose pieces from the Whiting Awardwinning poet: Like snapshots of a mind caught in brief pauses, these fully justified blocks of language look like prose. They act like poetry, argue like essays.

Children's

Cinco Puntos

(dist. by Consortium)

Rani Patel in Full Effect

Sonia Patel (Sept., $16.95 hardcover; $11.95 trade paper)

This was the only book by a small independent publisher to be featured in the YA Editors and Authors Buzz panels at BEA. In a starred review, PW wrote: Patel sets her powerful debut novel in 1991, filling it with bygone rap references and an electric verbal blend of Gujarati, slang, Hawaiian pidgin, and the rhymes Rani crafts. Patel compassionately portrays Ranis entangled emotions, lack of self-confidence, and burgeoning sense of empowerment as she moves forward from trauma. Ages 12up.

Flying Eye

(dist. by Consortium)

The Journey

Francesca Sanna (Sept., $18.95)

I am so grateful for this candid, colorful, and graceful retelling of a familys fleeing home, which transcends any specific time in history or place on Earth to welcome us all into its pages and its story of common courage and hope, says Joanna Parzakonis, co-owner of Kalamazoos Bookbug. PW gave it a starred review. Ages 37.
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - State relief agencies were calling for more volunteers and financial contributions to help victims of back-to-back storms that triggered flooding and tornadoes across a wide swath of north-central Indiana over the past 10 days, damaging homes, commercial buildings and crops and leaving at least a dozen people injured.

While the extent of the damage was still being assessed, it was uncertain how much federal aid would be available for Indiana, said Steve Cain, Purdue Extension disaster communication specialist and Indiana contact for the national Extension Disaster Education Network.

"Because of so many recurring disasters, some of which are ongoing across the nation, we will not likely get all of the national disaster assistance that we might have gotten five years ago," Cain said. "This will have to be Hoosiers helping Hoosiers. Regardless of the scale of the disaster, the impact on individual lives and property is the same."

St. Joseph County and other parts of the north-central Indiana region known as Michiana received almost nine inches of rain during a storm Aug. 15-16. The total of 7.69 inches of rain that fell in South Bend on Aug. 15 set a record for most rainfall on any date in the city. Flooded streets were closed, and more than 700 homes were evacuated. Initial damage estimates exceeded $4 million.

Cain said rebuilding efforts from the flooding alone could take up to two years. The first priority was to help residents clear their homes of waterlogged belongings, a process called "mucking out."

"The timetable of the recovery depends on the money that's available," Cain said. "Many of the areas affected by the flooding in South Bend were lower-income neighborhoods where residents had no flood insurance because their homes were not in a flood plain."

On Wednesday (Aug. 24), a severe storm system covering much of the central part of the state produced a series of tornadoes. Kokomo and neighboring communities in Howard County, about 50 miles north of Indianapolis, were hardest hit. At least three funnel clouds were reported in Marion County and another was sighted near Delphi in Carroll County. Heavy rains and strong straight-line winds were recorded throughout the region.

Damage estimates were just underway Friday (Aug. 26) as residents, emergency workers and volunteers began to sift through the debris.

Jane Crady, coordinator of disaster preparedness and response for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Indianapolis and president of Indiana Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, said people wanting to help should make a monetary donation to their local disaster relief agency or a trusted charity so officials could purchase whatever supplies were needed in an affected area.

"Cash is always better," she said.

VOAD members were already on the ground in St. Joseph County and more would be on their way to the areas where the tornadoes hit, Crady said.

"We are responding but as we move into the long-term recovery phase, we will need more help," she said. "We encourage all Hoosiers to join us in the rebuilding efforts."

Donations to assist tornado victims in Howard County are being accepted by the United Way of Howard County at 210 W. Walnut St., Kokomo, IN 46902.

For more information on how to make donations to support relief in St. Joseph County, contact Cain at 765-494-8410, cain@purdue.edu.

Writer: Darrin Pack, 765-494-8415, dpack@purdue.edu

Source: Steve Cain, 765-494-8410, cain@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-2722;

Keith Robinson, robins89@purdue.edu

Agriculture News Page
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.  Purdue University trustees on Friday (Aug. 26) requested the Purdue Research Foundation's (PRF) assistance to develop the Purdue Innovation District and approved land exchanges with the foundation to facilitate development of the Innovation District and Aerospace Technology Park.

The Board of Trustees also approved a revised resolution to plan and rename a facility at Purdue University Northwest-Calumet and moved forward on four projects on the West Lafayette campus.

Under one resolution, PRF is asked to proceed with the overall development of the Innovation District, including the planning and procurement of projects to be located there. This resolution also approved a memorandum of understanding between the university and PRF that describes the manner in which they will communicate, coordinate and collaborate on the Innovation District development.

"The Purdue Innovation District is a long-term project that will transform the west side of the Purdue campus. We are fully prepared to advance this critical project and see it to fruition," said Brian Edelman, COO of the Purdue Research Foundation. "This is truly a collaborative project among the foundation, the university, Browning, West Lafayette and our surrounding community with a goal of enriching the lives of the students who attend Purdue University and the residents who live in the surrounding area."

"The foundation has partnered with Browning Investments LLC to develop this area, located on the west end of campus," said Michael B. Cline, vice president for physical facilities. "Overall, this potentially represents a total development investment of more than $1 billion to create an environment that addresses the educational, economic and cultural needs of the university and community. Since PRF is undertaking this effort as part of its mission of support to the university, it was important to set up the framework for our collaboration and delineate PRF's role."

Enabled largely by the State Street Redevelopment Project, development of the Innovation District is expected to begin late this year or early 2017.

Related to the Innovation District, trustees also approved a real estate parcel exchange with PRF. The university will receive PRF properties in the "Purdue Island" and "Western Lands," while PRF will receive approximately 68 acres, designated as the "Purdue Village Land," located near the southeast corner of State Street and Airport Road.

The exchange would facilitate the planning and construction of an apartment housing project in the Purdue Village area that would provide housing for about 800 residents and potentially incorporate street-level retail space, restaurant space and flex work areas.

Board members also approved a second parcel swap through which the university will acquire property along Tower Drive that includes the water tower in exchange for university-owned parcels on the western edge of campus and north of the Purdue Airport. This exchange would further consolidate university holdings near campus and facilitate ongoing development of the 980-acre aerospace park.

Trustees also revised a resolution to plan a facility on the Purdue University Northwest-Calumet campus and to rename it from the Emerging Technologies Building to the Bioscience Innovation Building. In 2008 trustees originally approved using fee replacement bond proceeds to begin planning; however, in its 2015 session, the General Assembly provided a $2.4 million cash appropriation to fund the planning of the $40.5 million project.

The renaming of the Bioscience Innovation Building better reflects intended uses for the facility, which will be home to the College of Nursing, Department of Biological Sciences and shared instructional spaces, and the design will facilitate technology-assisted learning, applied research and professional community outreach.

"This project addresses several facility challenges and will replace outdated labs with state-of-the-art facilities," said Thomas Keon, Purdue Northwest chancellor. "It also will provide the kind of quality space needed to educate and prepare students for careers in nursing and the life sciences.

The Physical Facilities Committee also granted approval to plan, finance, construct and award construction contracts for the following projects:

* Renovations to Earhart Hall bathrooms. The project is the sixth of nine planned phases to renovate University Residences' H-Hall bathrooms. This $5 million phase will complete renovations on floors one through eight of the hall's west tower by replacing original plumbing infrastructure and reconfiguring restrooms to provide ADA accessibility, improve privacy, provide larger restrooms and more showers, and update appearance. Construction is scheduled to begin in May 2017 and be complete in August 2017. The project will be paid for with departmental funds.

* Enhancement of ADA accommodations in Owen Hall. The $2.2 million project will create ADA-accessible public restrooms, add an elevator to provide access to both floors of the central building and construct a grade-level building entrance. When complete, the project will improve public accessibility and enhance programming by ensuring all residents and guests have full access. The work is scheduled to begin in February 2017 and be complete in August 2017 and will be financed through departmental funds.

* Improvements at the Feldun Purdue Agricultural Center in Bedford, Indiana. The $2.3 million project includes construction of a 7,246-square-foot shop and office building, construction of a hoop structure for manure storage and improvements to the utility infrastructure. Construction is scheduled to begin in April 2017 and be complete in February 2018 and will be financed with departmental funds. The Feldun Purdue Agricultural Center is located on approximately 880 acres and serves as an agricultural farm and research facility to grow corn, soybeans, wheat and hay and to raise cattle. The center also is home to the Indiana Beef Evaluation Program.

* Utility and tunnel infrastructure repairs. The $2.49 million project will repair utility infrastructure in the southeast area of campus, install new chilled water lines and valves from Sheetz Street to South Grant Street, install new chilled and domestic water lines to serve Young Hall and upgrade steam service to Krannert Center and Rawls Hall. Work is scheduled to begin in May 2017 and be complete in August 2017 and will be financed through university infrastructure central reserve funds.

Sources: Michael B. Cline, 765-494-8000

Thomas Keon, 219-989-2203, tkeon@purdue.edu

Brian Edelman, 765-588-1039, beedelman@prf.org
Created in response to the Arab oil embargo of 1973-74, the U.S. government created the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR). Deep inside underground caverns at four storage facilities along the Texas and Louisiana Gulf Coasts, the SPR has a max capacity of 727 million barrels of crude oil. Its purpose  to serve as an emergency stockpile of crude oil to help blunt the impact of disruptions to the flow of crude oil to the American marketplace. In theory, the SPR would prevent the use of crude oil as a potential weapon, as with the 1973-74 Arab embargo, and to mitigate the impact of global crises on the U.S. economy.
"Politics? Maybe," so shrugs a young Barack Obama (Parker Sawyers) in Richard Tanne's "Southside with You."

At the moment, he's got more important things to focus on -- namely, his companion, Michelle Robinson (Tika Sumpter) and whether they're on a date or not. Tanne's film follows the first date of the future first couple, "Before Sunrise" style.

It's a little bit about politics, but mostly just about these two remarkable people, their life stories and what they want to do in the world, which at this time is simply "more."

As the American public has come to realize, Michelle is a star, and Sumpter plays her with both radiant grace and a determined tone in her voice, which is clipped, low and forceful. She keeps Barack on his toes from minute one, and you can imagine she still does.

She instantly and repeatedly asserts that their afternoon together is not a date until she says it's a date, seeing as she's his supervisor at the law firm where he's interning as a summer associate.

Sawyers bears more than a passing resemblance to the current commander-in-chief, especially in profile, but he avoids doing an impersonation more suited for late-night comedy.

Hints of Obama's cadence come out in Sawyer's speaking, but he portrays the young law student as a rakish, swaggering work-in-progress, puffing on cigarettes, driving a beat-up Datsun with a rusted out floor, struggling to reconcile his conflicted feelings about his father with the ambitions he holds for himself. This is not the Barack Obama we know now as our president, but the young man he once was, still learning and growing, but with his values firmly in place.

Their banter and repartee isn't just about their hopes and dreams and light fluffy romance, but about the way that they challenge each other, in a caring way, to interrogate themselves and their patterns of thinking.

Michelle is a worker and a fighter, and she always stands up for herself, quick to point out injustice and judgments. She exudes a strong sense of self, shored up by her own determination and backbone, and she's a formidable presence.

Barack goes toe-to-toe with the stronger, more mature woman, testing her, but he's more of a philosopher, willing to debate for the sake of debate, observing and logically drawing conclusions.

"Southside with You" is an exceedingly pleasant film, from the 1989 radio hits to the sunny Chicago setting, as the attractive pair drifts from the Art Institute to a community meeting at organizer Barack's old haunt, to drinks and a showing of Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing."

But it's never escapist, always rooted in the realities of their life in Chicago, and their individual experiences in the world. One wouldn't quite say this date movie is political, but this deeply personal portrayal of the President and First Lady is inherently political -- asserting their humanity and the specific life experiences that brought them to the White House.

Their lively debate inevitably makes for a few tough moments, but it's clear that they are learning about themselves as much as each other.

It's as if they are setting, and then meeting, a standard they possibly didn't know existed, with each challenge. It's a demonstration of the ultimate goal for a mutually respectful partnership: They simply make each other better.
"This Side Up" by Kit Grassi, directed by Chris Jansen, will be performed at 7:30 p.m. tonight and Saturday (plus Sept. 2-3), and 2 p.m. Sunday (plus Sept. 4) at the Village Theatre, 2113 E. 11th St., Village of East Davenport.

The new play was initially given a reading as part of last years New Ground Playwrights Festival. In the story, Jack is a boy with an active imagination. But as his 13th birthday looms, is he too old for trips to outer space, samurai fights in China and deep-sea diving? But if he gives them up, where will that leave his imaginary best friend, Brutus? And what is Jacks imagination protecting him from?
Chad W. Kutzman, 37, of Milan, pleaded guilty to Rock Island County Circuit Court on Thursday to aggravated participation in methamphetamine manufacturing and was sentenced to six years in prison.

Five related counts alleging possession of methamphetamine making materials and possession of methamphetamine precursors were dismissed. Mr. Kutzman also will have three years of mandatory supervision upon his release from prison.
LeCLAIRE  On Saturday, the Mid-West Corvette Club will host Vettes on the River  Vettes Supporting Vets on the LeClaire levee. All money raised from the car show and other activities will be donated to the Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 299 in Moline.

The event will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and most of the 300 Corvettes that will be displayed will be in place by noon. A flag-raising ceremony by Vietnam veterans will take place at 11 a.m. to salute all veterans and active military members.

Old and new Corvettes from across the Midwest are expected to be on display. A LeClaires Choice honor and trophies for each C generation will be awarded, according to a news release.There will also be live music by Cosmic from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Admission is free for spectators. The schedule includes:

8 to 11 a.m.  Car registration.

8 a.m.  Breakfast on the Levee, from Big Dave & Hollys.

9 a.m.  Raffle drawings start, with tickets drawn every 15 minutes.

11 a.m.  Lunch on the Levee, from Big Dave & Hollys.

2 p.m.  Silent auction winners announced.

3 p.m.  Corvette awards presentation.

For more information, visit vettesontheriver.com.
NEW BOSTON  He sits  only for a moment  in the far corner of the house he designed and built.

The town he loves is to his left, and the river  such a big part of his life  rolls swiftly to his right. At age 85, the Korean War veteran is sturdy, and save for a small hitch in his right foot, he is crisp. Ever-engaging, he is the guy you hope you sit next to in a waiting room, coffee shop or diner.

As his wife of 60 years enters his man cave, he blushes. You can tell in an instant why New Boston's Barb and Norm Baggett have been happily married for 60 years.

"She's the best," Norm says with a wink.

If logic had its way, Norm Baggett would not be having a chat with anyone on this gorgeous summer morning, let alone be riding his three-wheeled motorcycle and serving  along with Barb  as the grand marshal of the parade in New Boston Parade this weekend. The 10 a.m. parade will serve as the warm-up for the annual New Boston Fish and Chicken Fry, which is set for its 95th go-round Saturday.

Norm suffered a stroke in 2011 and needed heart surgery in 2014. Just after his heart procedure, he suffered a sizable stroke, was in a coma for 10 days, and lost the fingers on his left hand.

Doctors told Barb and their two sons not to expect the old Norm to return.

"Determined is the best way to describe the way Norm has progressed," says Barb, a first-team sweetheart. "He never looked back and wondered if he would be OK. He just did it. Nothing gets him down.''

Norm, a 24-karat gem himself, had a plan. He has always had a plan, and it did not include a lengthy rehabilitation or any negative effects of losing the fingers of his left hand.

"You have to have a plan, something that keeps you motivated," Norm says. "You whither away if you don't. My plan was to get back and get after life. I was way ahead of any schedule the doctors had for me. I guess I'm still ahead.''

There were, it should be noted, two exceptions to Norm's grand plan.

One was back when he and Barb decided they would live in Alaska upon graduating from college. After Norm served in Korea and met Barb, the two married. Barb would become the first married homecoming queen at Eastern Illinois University. Instead of heading to Alaska after college, the two took teaching posts in the Westmer School District.

They set up shop in New Boston.

Norm taught high-school shop and driver's education, and Barb taught high-school home economics. They carved out a wonderful life and careers in a mighty cool river town. Heck, Norm even ran the town ferryboat that crossed the Mississippi River each day.

"Wise choice, coming here,'' says Norm, a skilled ham radio operator, adding that he and Barb have made several mission trips to Alaska through the years. "This is a great place to raise a family. We got to know pretty much everyone teaching at the high school.''

The other exception to Norm's plan? There was no sign town leaders would honor him by picking him to be grand marshal of the annual parade.

"So wonderful they thought enough to ask,'' says Norm, who also owns a 400-acre farm in southern Illinois. "We are always part of the parade, and we go to the fish fry, but I never thought about anything like being grand marshal. It should be a great day.''

For two great people.
Almost 50 Illinois counties have filed lawsuits against Democratic Governor, JB Pritzker, and the ill crafted SAFE-T Act. Introduced in the General Assembly by the Illinois Black Caucus, the Act passed the Democratic-led General Assembly in the wee hours of Jan. 13, 2021. Amongst many of its weaknesses and deficiencies, the Act eliminates cash bail, emboldens criminals, and makes it even more difficult for law enforcement to keep offenders off our streets. Public Safety personnel and States Attorneys across our great State have decried the legislation, noting that it was drafted and written with very little constructive input from Public Safety leadership, from either party; potentially impacting every Illinois community with dangerous consequences. Allowing perpetrators to bail out of jail, based on their good word that they will be glad to return to court is laughable, at best, and both ludicrous and dangerous, at worst. Soon after the SAFE-T Act was passed at the State level, the Republican-led Henry County Board drafted a resolution, requesting that the General Assembly repeal and replace the SAFE-T Act with a new criminal justice bill, this time with input from professional law enforcement, States Attorneys from across the State, and other Public Safety officials. We unanimously passed our resolution on May 19, 2022, and encourage all County Boards in Illinois to follow our lead. Our Republican-led Board in Henry County believes we all, Democrats, Independents, and Republicans, deserve effective and fair law enforcement in our communities.
A few weeks ago former professional journalist, now turned Democratic Party spokesman, Chris Mathews said that voter ID was a Republican attempt to deny minority voters their inalienable right and designed to keep them away from the polls.

Nothing could be further from the truth.

Every four years or so we have this national debate about state voting requirements. The Democrats always say the Republicans are trying to limit the number of minorities who vote, while the Republicans always say that there is way too much voter fraud without strict voter identification. As the reins of power shift in a given state, so may its voter requirements, depending on legislation passed which fits the political mold.

The answer to the national debate lies in how much identification should be required. In every election there are incidents of voter fraud, but these occurrences are small and not widespread. Another truth is that the requirement for photo identification doesnt stifle the numbers of minority voters.

During an interview with President Obama on Al Sharptons radio show, Keeping it Real in 2012, the president said that voter ID laws do not stop African-Americans from voting. He went on to say, keep in mind most of these laws are not preventing the overwhelming majority of folks who dont vote from voting. Most people do have an ID Most people do have a drivers license. Most people can get to the polls. But the bottom line is, if less than half of our folks vote, these laws arent preventing the other half from not voting.

If the leader of the Free World and the Democratic Party thinks that voter ID laws arent a problem, theyre not a problem. All the uproar is pure bull and nothing more.

According to the international consortium of investigative journalists, "nearly all countries' ID requirements for registering or casting a ballot fall into one of three categories: 1. multiple forms of ID are accepted, 2, standard government-issued IDs are required, or 3. particular types of government ID are required that voters must actively obtain.

One final argument against photo IDs in the U.S. is that the laws are too restrictive. What that argument lacks is a specific look at state-by-state voter laws. Most of the strictest voter law states offer a large menu of exceptions to the law including religious beliefs; confidentiality needed in domestic abuse cases; for physical disabilities and several other reasons as well.

The key to any voter ID law is that states need to insure that only its citizens can vote, however they decide to do it. If most all countries of the world, including those in the developing world, have a system to identify their citizens, so should we. There should be no argument here as long as the exceptions are generous enough to cover all our citizens.

Even though Chicago did have a vote early and vote often law back in the 1890s, we should insure our voter laws today are followed with appropriate punishment for violations. Perhaps, more than voter ID requirements, our national debate should be what to do about voter intimidation at the polls.

We can never allow groups to intimidate voters in the way members of the New Black Panther Party were alleged to have done in 2008. Activity such as that is racism. The requirements voted by each state are, in no way, racist.
Shark Rotator Speed Powered Lift-Away 3-in-1 Vacuum is rated 4.4 out of 5 by 421 .

Rated 1 out of 5 by dasberry from Shark lift off rotater This thing sucks now the belt has stopped working.don't waste your money on this.

Rated 1 out of 5 by Katscrafty from Don't buy I purchased this vacuum 6/17 and it was great at first, I loved it. Then it seemed like I was always taking it apart because it would loose suction. Or it would overheay and I would have to wait an hour for it to cool down and reset itself. I would use it once a week and Disney vacuum up anything I wasn't supposed to I was always cautious about that. I used it the other day and iy sounded horrible so I turned it off and waited an hour, turned it back on and now the motor is going out on it. REALLY! It didn't even last 2 1/2 years? I will never buy another Shark product. How s a piece if crap. $300.00 down the drain.

Rated 1 out of 5 by Ms Bina from Garbage piece and worthless warranty I'd give this product 0 star if I could. I purchased this vacuum less than 2 years ago. Since I have a house cleaner, I didn't use it much. I would say I used it no more than 8 times. The last couple of times I tried using the unit, the suction was practically gone and if it picked any debris, it would drop it back to the carpet/floor. I finally called QVC and was told to contact the manufacturer. I was on the phone for 45 minutes with the manufacturer rep. I was told in order to get a replacement, they needed to go thru the troubleshooting with me. I was finally told they would send me a replacement in 7 to 10 business days and I just needed to pay $21.95 for shipping. Well that call took place on November 5th. I called Shark this afternoon December 10th only to be told, not only they didn't know when I'd be receiving my shipment but it's not even going to be a new unit, they will be shipping a PART. Wait, what?? I'm not a vacuum tech. I complained and asked to speak to a supervisor but was told they would escalate the call, which can take 3 weeks. I was also told they have no idea when they'll have this part because they ONLY made these for QVC. Are they making a lesser quality product for QVC?? They were not willing to budge on sending a new unit. So I'm left with no certainty on anything. I did call QVC to let them know of this poor so called warranty service. I will buy my next vacuum at my local Costco and THAT'S why customers are loyal to Costco. they deal with the manufacturer and save their customers the headache. I know this isn't by any means QVC's fault but I will take my business where I feel the warranty or return policy is more solid. I hope the procurement team will think about their relationship with manufacturers and not just focus on price.

Rated 1 out of 5 by Senyah from vac This model is good at all. It has poor suction and gets clogged up all the time. I can't vacuum a whole room without stopping to unclog the it a feww times.

Rated 2 out of 5 by Shey237 from Should have spent the extra money My almost 10 year old dyson was slowly dying and instead of taking it in for a tune up I decided to get a new vacuum. I had heard it from everyone, mother included, "why would you pay so much for a vacuum?" So I switched to a shark. At first I loved it. The attachments were pretty cool and it did a great job, and then the 1st month was over and it wasn't sucking so well. So I washed the filters. That didn't help very much. It was still ok, so I continued to use it. Figured I would get a good 3-5 years from it. Nope, not the case. A year in and a hose has ripped inside the floor piece. I called customer service and that is considered wear and tear. They wanted to charge me $75 for a new piece. After a lot of complaining I finally got the part for the price of shipping. It was seriously a year in! I will save up my pennies again and when the hose breaks again in a year I will be going back to Dyson. I should have spent the extra money in the first place and stuck with Dyson. NOW I know why I spend so much on a vacuum. Lesson learned.

Rated 1 out of 5 by lisadawne from waste of money It hardly has any power at all and jams up repeatedly. It doesn't work at all on animal hair. It has a few features I liked: longer cord, easy to push, lights. But, there was much more wrong with it than was right.

Rated 1 out of 5 by Pacnorthwestmom from Stopped working Ive had the vacuum 1.5 yrs and it no longer works the motor completely died on me. Not to mention theres like 7 different filters!
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!
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The Pardee RAND Graduate School (PardeeRAND.edu) is home to the only Ph.D. and M.Phil. programs offered at an independent public policy research organizationthe RAND Corporation.
This commentary is part of the American Worker series, which explores a range of critical topics that affect the American workforce. The series is sponsored by RAND Labor and Population.

When defining the profile of today's American worker, it is critical to include military veterans who comprise nearly 7 percent of the U.S. labor force. More than 2.8 million men and women in uniform have served America since September 11, 2001, gaining unparalleled experiences and skill sets while doing so. Over the next decade, RAND estimates that the number of returning veterans will grow to 4.2 milliona robust talent pool that can be an asset to the civilian workforce. However, even as the value of these American workers is appreciated, the transition from battlefield to boardroom is not always seamless.

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges facing veterans as potential employees is matching military experience to civilian job requirements (and vice versa). The skills that veterans have gained through military experience must be translated into terms that are understood by civilian employers. Likewise, military veterans need to be able to recognize how their talents align with positions in the civilian job market. For service members in certain career fields, this translation is fairly straightforward. The skills of an Army medic, for example, are readily matched to those of a civilian EMT. Similarly, a logistics officer may find his or her training readily applicable to supply chain management in the civilian sector. Yet for service members in other career fields, particularly infantry and similar specialties that are more operationally-focused, the skills acquired in the military may not be as apparently relevant to civilian employers.

Employers recognize that skills like leadership and the ability to work in teams are qualities that veteran employees bring to the table.

To overcome this ambiguity, veterans and civilian employers must look beyond the technical skills gained through military service to other attributes, frequently referred to as soft skills, which are equally valuable. RAND research has found that employers recognize that skills like leadership and the ability to work in teams are qualities that veteran employees bring to the table and often make them stand out from their nonveteran counterparts. Federal resources are available to assist veterans in articulating their full range of skills to civilian employers. Some companies are working to bridge this gap as well by ensuring their recruiting staff includes military veterans who can speak the language and interpret the resumes of transitioning service members. But the effectiveness of these initiatives, whether public or private, has not been broadly assessed.

Skill translation is not the only challenge a service member may face when transitioning to the civilian workforce. Many civilian career fields require licenses or certifications as a condition of employment, which veterans must obtain even if they have honed relevant skills as part of their military training. For example, veterans who drove trucks in the military will still need to go through commercial driver licensing before applying for civilian truck driver positions. In some cases the process can be expensive and lengthy and there can be uncertainty about which certifications are truly in demand by civilian employers. These barriers can make it difficult for service members to obtain jobs for which they are otherwise well qualified. Stakeholders at the federal and state levels are taking steps to help service members obtain relevant licensing, sometimes while still in uniform. But such programs will be limited in scope and are typically not evaluated to ensure that the resources spent will pay off for veterans in the job market.

Effective veteran employment programs must not be limited to helping military veterans find positions best aligned to the technical skills gained during a military career. Like many civilians whose interests change during the course of a career, some veterans see their transition out of uniform as an opportunity to change career paths to one that emphasizes different skills. For this reason, the focus of many efforts devoted to assisting service members in transitioning to civilian employment has shifted from simply finding a job to developing meaningful careers over the longer term.

An emphasis on the softer skills gained during military service paired with appropriate training to address technical skill gaps may be a better route for some veterans, providing them with the tools to embark on a civilian career in a new field. And employers who are able to take this longer-term view as well are likely to be rewarded with higher retention of their veteran employees. A thoughtfully coordinated transition that begins well before separation can help veterans find civilian employment that sticksa win-win outcome for both employer and employee.

Military veterans are American workers who contribute a unique set of skills and attributes that make them a boon to the civilian workforce. For civilian employers to fully benefit from this talent, resources must continue to be invested to support service members' transitions to the civilian workforce. We have identified several areas where attention will be needed for some time to come: skills translation, certification and licensing, and comprehensive career counseling. Continuing to invest in these and other areas will help facilitate successful career transition for the millions of service members who will enter the civilian workforce in the years ahead.

Kimberly Curry Hall is a policy analyst at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
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Like Star Trek, I turn 50 this year. But that's not my only connection to the original television series. Star Trek inspired me to become a scientist, convincing me at an early age that science and the advancement of human knowledge could make the world a better place.

Like many people my age, I was transfixed by the futurism of Star Trek and the adventures of the Starship Enterprise. Part of the appeal was the action and exotic science-fiction elements: giant space amoeba, time travel, cloaking devices  even shape-shifting alien salt-vampires. (Like I said, I'm a lifelong fan.)

But part of what makes Star Trek so compelling has been a consistent commitment to a set of pro-social values. If an advanced alien species sets up some sort of bizarre test where the only way the crew could survive was by acting in some barbaric or murderous fashion, you could be darn sure that they would choose to die rather than betray their values, and they would make their stand exceedingly clear in a moral lecture to said advanced alien race.

Coupled with that unshakable moral commitment was an unsinkable optimism: In the Star Trek universe, all problems are solvable. Some predicaments were short-term, with plot-advancing solutions that relied on the ingenuity and competence of the crew. Other dilemmas were long-term, such as the Cold War-like hostilities between humanoid aliens the Klingons and the Romulans, but the show made clear that one day those same enemies would become our friends.

I wanted to be part of that world, one where the best intentions mattered and scientific knowledge was more important than military power.

I wanted to be part of that world, one where the best intentions mattered and scientific knowledge was more important than military power. But then math happened, as it does to many of us. As a high school student I thought my struggles with math meant I couldn't do science, and so I sought a different way to make a difference. I became a Marine, which ended up being a profoundly good experience for me.

But life takes strange turns, and at age 41 I enrolled in a doctoral program at Carnegie Mellon University. I found that scientists don't just count things  they describe them as well. I found that software could do a lot of the heavy math-lifting. And I found that there were places like the RAND Corporation, a research institution where scientists work in teams to do their part to make the world a safer, healthier, more just place for everyone  a description that sounds like something members of Star Trek's United Federation of Planets would recognize.

After I joined RAND in 2013, I was pleased and surprised to learn that I now shared another connection with Star Trek, because a RAND employee had been involved with the show years before the first episode aired on Sept. 8, 1966.

RAND researcher Harvey Lynn had served as a consultant to series creator Gene Roddenberry, brainstorming technical issues and contributing insights that helped shape such Star Trek signatures as the Enterprise's computer (he suggested that it talk, in a woman's voice), the sickbay (he suggested outfitting the beds with electrical pickups that monitor the body) and the transporter used for teleportation, series star William Shatner later recalled.

Gene wanted authenticity and Harvey helped deliver it, Shatner wrote in I'm Working on That, a 2002 book about the link between Star Trek scientific fact and fiction. An Air Force colonel who knew Lynn to be a creative scientific thinker had connected the series creator with the researcher, who consulted for Star Trek as a private citizen, not as part of a RAND project, a fact noted in the FAQ about RAND.

The back-and-forth documented in letters between Roddenberry and Lynn is serious, respectful and occasionally playful, much like the give-and-take between my researcher colleagues. After thanking Lynn for his detailed comments, Roddenberry wrote in 1964: Any point you feel strongly about, please feel free to continue arguing.

Star Trek and RAND also share a values connection because both are fundamentally about trying to improve the world. Star Trek makes the case that technological advancement, the accumulation of knowledge and our perfectibility and maturation as social beings can work together to ensure a better future. RAND's policy research aims to accomplish a similar goal by producing and synthesizing knowledge in an attempt to solve persistent problems around the globe. I think the 10-year-old me would be happy with my small role in this scientific galaxy.

William Marcellino is a social and behavioral scientist at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School.

This commentary originally appeared in Los Angeles Times on August 26, 2016. Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
Many RAND studies are published in peer-reviewed scholarly journals, as chapters in commercial books, or as documents published by other organizations.

2022
Ukrainian bank seeks $1 bln from Russia for assets in Crimea

MOSCOW, August 26 (RAPSI) - Ukraines state bank Oschadbank has filed with the International Court of Arbitration a lawsuit against Russia demanding more than $1 billion for its lost assets in Crimea, according to the banks statement.

Claims under the lawsuit include cost of loss of assets in Crimea and business interruption as well as interest which would be awarded pending a final courts resolution and prior to the actual getting the compensation calculated at the commercial rate established by the court.

According to the banks press office, the court will hear the lawsuit under a simplified procedure; the final hearing is planned for late March, 2017.

Oschadbank, one of the largest banks in Ukraine, reported initiation of arbitration proceedings against Russia in order to ensure protection of economy and restore investment lost in Crimea in January.
The Washington post, August 20, 2016

Pamela Constable & Sayed Salahuddin

KABUL  In the prevailing view of Afghan history, King Habibullah Kalakani was an illiterate highway robber who toppled a reformist monarch in 1929 and spent nine despotic months on the throne, brutally uprooting all traces of modernization, before he was captured by the royal army and hanged in Kabul.

But in Afghanistan, a country with a bloody tradition of tribal warfare, fierce resistance to foreign conquerors, and warlords who reinvent themselves as statesmen, even long-dead bandit kings have fan clubs.

The case made by Kalakanis supporters, mostly activists from his ethnic Tajik minority, is that he was a pious Muslim and social Robin Hood whose horror of rapid modernization  epitomized by photos of the previous kings wife wearing Western clothes on a trip to Europe  was shared by many Afghans at the time.



Afghan King Habibullah Kalakani, known by the disparaging nickname Bachai-Saqao, or water-carriers son, during the 1929 civil war in Afghanistan. (Photo: Alamy Stock Photo) Afghan King Habibullah Kalakani, known by the disparaging nickname Bachai-Saqao, or water-carriers son, during the 1929 civil war in Afghanistan. (Photo: Alamy Stock Photo)

For 87 years, Kalakanis remains have lain in an unmarked spot below the majestic hilltop mausoleum of the countrys ethnic Pashtun dynasty, including King Nader Shah, who ordered him executed. Now, a group of Tajik leaders and scholars are demanding that he be dug up and moved to a more respectful setting in the capital.

The campaign did not spring up on a nostalgic whim. It is in part an effort to counter the reburial of Mohammed Daoud Khan, the president who was assassinated during a communist takeover in 1978. Khans body was discovered in a mass grave in 2008, and the following year, on orders of then-President Hamid Karzai, he was reburied and given a state funeral.

It is also part of an ethnic struggle bedeviling the current national unity government, in which power is shared by President Ashraf Ghani, an ethnic Pashtun, and Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah, who ran against Ghani for president in 2014 with strong support from ethnic Tajik political groups.

Daoud Kalakani, a member of parliament, heads a group that has asked the government to allow Habibullah Kalakanis final resting place to be upgraded like Daoud Khans. He said the long-dead king, known by the disparaging nickname Bacha-i-Saqao, or water-carriers son, should receive the same degree of respect as Daoud Khan. The group has threatened to stage mass protests if there is no official response within two weeks.

Another supporter, university scholar Omar Ahmad Parwani, said settling the matter would help bring national reconciliation and resolve a historical grudge. He complained that Ghani had given the title of national martyr to an ethnic Hazara militia leader who died two decades ago but was not willing to honor a Tajik [emir] who belonged to all of Afghanistan.

The cause is also being championed by some former Tajik militia commanders, especially in the Shomali Plain north of Kabul where Kalakani was born. In an email, supporters said they had been snubbed when they took their petition to Ghanis office but were more sympathetically received by Abdullah.

Dr. Abdullah said this was high on his list, said Tahir Qadiry, a spokesman for Attah Mohammed Noor, a powerful Tajik governor whose Jamiat-i-Islami party has been putting pressure on Abdullah to bring its demands to Ghani, including the Kalakani reburial.

On Wednesday, Abdullah met with Ghani to discuss a number of issues that caused a public rupture between them this month. On Thursday, Kalakanis portrait suddenly appeared on a wall in the Defense Ministry, where Ghani presided over a ceremony for Afghanistans independence day, marking a 1919 treaty with Britain. Visitors said it was hung next to a portrait of Daoud Khan.

Kalakanis supporters exulted over this sign of his official rehabilitation, but the issue has added a new source of ethnic vitriol to Afghan social media. Some Tajik websites call Kalakani a hero and juxtapose his images with those of Ahmed Shah Massoud, the iconic Tajik anti-Taliban commander who was assassinated in 2001. Some posts on these sites mock Pashtuns with vulgar slurs.

But posts by some Pashtuns and others denounce Kalakani as a brute. He was a misogynist and a backward criminal, one critic tweeted, noting that he had shut down all girls schools during his brief reign. Others called him a stain on our recent history and compared him to the late Taliban leader Mohammad Omar.

On Friday, on the hilltop crowned by the royal tombs of Nader Shah and his son, King Mohammed Zahir Shah, a guard described Zahir Shahs reign from 1933 to 1973 as a time of peace and stability, and he dismissed the movement to memorialize Kalakani as a ploy by Tajik leaders to advance their own interests. There is no difference between Kalakani and Mohammad Omar, he said.
Khaama Press (Translated by RAWA), August 22, 2016



From "Afghanistan Unveiled" by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

More Photos From "Afghanistan Unveiled" by Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy.

A report from Nangarhar province states that a young woman was burned to death the night before in her house. The media offices of Nangarhar have reported that the incident had occurred in Behsood district.

The woman was named Sheeba and the reason for her killing is still not known. The police has arrested two suspects in connection to the incident. According to the report, the men arrested include one of the girls relatives, Mahmood, and her father-in-law, Shah Wali. Both are being investigated.

Another girl of 18 years, was also killed in northern Jowzjan province last night. Human rights officials in this province have expressed concern over this killing, the reason of which is still unknown.

Originally published on August 20, 2016
VOA Dari (Translated by RAWA), August 24, 2016

By Mirwais Bezhan



Self-burning victim in Farah province, Western Afghanistan, July 2007. Self-burning victim in Farah province, Western Afghanistan, July 2007.

A 17-year-old woman fell victim to domestic violence, after she was beaten by her mother-in-law and father-in-law, and burned to death. The incident occurred in Guzargahe Noor district of Baghlan province.

Khadija Yaqeen, head of Womens Affairs in Baghlan told VOA that the girl was named Hoorjamal, and she was living with her in-laws after her husband travelled to Iran. According to Ms Yaqeen, Hoorjamals in-laws tortured her with hot iron rods, and she was finally killed under torture. She said that the incident had occurred the day before and one suspect had been arrested.

According to forensics, Hoorjamal was killed by torture and abuse.

According to the Baghlan police, the victims father-in-law had fled after the incident. Yaqeen expressed her concern, stating that the perpetrators had escaped due to the intervention of powerful figures.



Womens rights activists in Baghlan have said that the lack of prosecution of perpetrators of domestic violence against women is the reason for the recurrence of such incidents.

Originally published on August 20, 2016
VOA Dari (Translated by RAWA), August 25, 2016

By Khalil Noorzayee

HERAT  The girl named Raihana, from Sheikh Almand village of Ghor province, married a young man last year and moved to Jowand district of Badghis province.

Abdul Hai Khatibi, the spokesman for the governor of Ghor said that the girl was killed by her brother-in-law, with help from her mother and sister in-law. Her body had been transferred to the government hospital of Ghor province.He added that security and local officials of Badghis province have been notified to find and arrests the murderers of the young girl.

It is said that family issues had led to her murder. Local officials of Badghis have not commented on the matter so far.
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.
Brexit will enable the UK to throw off the EU shackles. The increasing demand for British goods and services from Commonwealth nations has the potential to boost the UK economy for years to come. As the EU continues to decline, British exporters should be licking their lips at the prospect of a Brexit bonanza.
This article first appeared in TomDispatch.

At the federal courthouse, Ignacio Sarabia asks the magistrate judge, Jacqueline Rateau, if he can explain why he crossed the international boundary between the two countries without authorization. He has already pleaded guilty to the federal misdemeanor commonly known as illegal entry and is about to receive a prison sentence. On either side of him are eight men in the same predicament, all still sunburned, all in the same ripped, soiled clothes they were wearing when arrested in the Arizona desert by agents of the U.S. Border Patrol.

Once again, the zero tolerance border enforcement program known as Operation Streamline has unfolded just as it always does here in Tucson, Arizona. Close to 60 people have already approached the judge in groups of seven or eight, their heads bowed submissively, their bodies weighed down by shackles and chains around wrists, waists, and ankles. The judge has handed out the requisite prison sentences in quick succession -- 180 days, 60 days, 90 days, 30 days.

On and on it goes, day-in, day-out. Like so many meals served in fast-food restaurants, 750,000 prison sentences of this sort have been handed down since Operation Streamline was launched in 2005. This mass prosecution of undocumented border crossers has become so much the norm that one reportconcluded it is now a driving force in mass incarceration in the United States. Yet it is but a single program among many overseen by the massive U.S. border enforcement and incarceration regime that has developed during the last two decades, particularly in the post-9/11 era.

Sarabia takes a half-step forward. My infant is four months old, he tells the judge in Spanish. The baby was, he assures her, born with a heart condition and is a U.S. citizen. They have no option but to operate. This is the reason, he says, that Im here before you. He pauses.

I want to be with my child, who is in the United States.

Its clear that Sarabia would like to gesture emphatically as he speaks, but thats difficult, thanks to the shackles that constrain him. Rateau fills her coffee cup as she waits for his comments to be translated into English.

Earlier in April 2016, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, still in the heat of his primary campaign, stated once again that he would build a massive concrete border wall towering 30 (or, depending on the moment, 55) feet high along the 2,000 mile U.S.-Mexican border. He would, he insisted, force Mexico to pay for the $8 billion to $10 billion barrier. Repeatedly throwing such red meat into the gaping jaws of nativism, he has over these last months also announced that he would create a major deportation force, repeatedly sworn that he would ban Muslims from entering the country (a position that he regularly revises), and most recently, that he would institute an extreme vetting process for foreign nationals arriving in the United States.

In June 2015, when he rode a Trump Tower escalator into the presidential campaign, among his initial promises was the building of a great and beautiful wall on the border. (And no one builds walls better than me, believe me. I will do it very inexpensively. I will have Mexico pay for that wall.) As he pulled that promise out of a hat with a magicians flair, the actual history of the border disappeared. From then on in Election 2016, there was just empty desert and Donald Trump.

Suddenly, there hadnt been a bipartisan government effort over the last quarter-century to put in place an unprecedented array of walls, detection systems, and guards for that southern border. In those years, the number of Border Patrol agents had, in fact, quintupled from 4,000 to more than 21,000, while Customs and Border Protection became the largest federal law enforcement agency in the country with more than 60,000 agents. The annual budget for border and immigration enforcement went from $1.5 to $19.5 billion, a more than 12-fold increase. By 2016, federal government funding of border and immigration enforcement added up to $5 billion more than that for all other federal law enforcement agencies combined.

Operation Streamline, a cornerstone program in the Consequence Delivery System, part of a broader Border Patrol deterrence strategy for stopping undocumented immigration, is just one part of a vast enforcement-incarceration-deportation machine. The program is as no-nonsense as its name suggests. It's not The Wall, but it embodies the logic of the wall: either you crossed illegally or you didnt. It doesnt matter why, or whether you lost your job, or if youve had to skip meals to feed your kids. It doesnt matter if your house was flooded or the drought dried up your fields. It doesnt matter if youre running for your life from drug cartel gunmen or the very army and police forces that are supposed to protect you.

This system was what Ignacio Sarabia faced a few months ago in a Tucson court. His tragedy is one that plays out so many times daily a mere seven blocks from where I live.

Before I tell you how the judge responded to his plea, its important to understand Sarabias journey, and that of so many thousands like him who end up in this federal courthouse day after day. As he pleads to be with his newborn son, his voice cracking with emotion, his story catches the already Trumpian-style of border enforcement -- both the pain and suffering it has caused, and the strategy and massive build-up behind it -- in ways that the campaign rhetoric of both parties and the reporting on it doesnt. As reporters chase their tails attempting to explain Trumps wild and often unfounded claims and declarations, the on-the-ground border reality goes unreported. Indeed, one of the greatest secrets of the 2016 election campaign (though it should be common knowledge) is that the border wall already exists. It has for years and the fingerprints all over it aren't Donald Trump's but the Clintons', both Bill's and Hillary's.

The Wall That Already Exists

Twenty-one years before Trumps wall-building promise (and seven years before the 9/11 attacks), the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began to replace the chain link fence that separated Nogales, Sonora, in Mexico from Nogales, Arizona, in the United States with a wall built of rusty landing mats from the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. Although there had been various half-hearted attempts at building border walls throughout the twentieth century, this was the first true effort to build a barrier of what might now be called Trumpian magnitude.

That rusty, towering wall snaked through the hills and canyons of northern Sonora and southern Arizona forever deranging a world that, given cross-border familial and community ties, then considered itself one. At the time, who could have known that the strategy the first wall embodied would still be the model for todays massive system of exclusion.

In 1994, the threat wasnt terrorism. In part, the call for more hardened, militarized borders came in response, among other things, to a never-ending drug war. It also came from U.S. officials who anticipated the displacement of millions of Mexicans after the implementation of the new North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), which, ironically, was aimed at eliminating barriers to trade and investment across North America.

And the expectations of those officials proved well justified. The ensuing upheavals in Mexico, as analyst Marco Antonio Velazquez Navarrete explained to me, were like the aftermath of a war or natural disaster. Small farmers couldnt compete against highly subsidized U.S. agribusiness giants like Cargill and Archer Daniels Midland. Mexican small business owners were bankrupted by the likes of Walmart, Sams Club, and other corporate powers. Mining by foreign companies extended across vast swaths of Mexico, causing territorial conflicts and poisoning the land. The unprecedented and desperate migration that followed came up against what might be considered the other side of the Clinton doctrine of open trade: walls, increased border agents, increased patrolling, and new surveillance technologies meant to cut off traditional crossing spots in urban areas like El Paso, San Diego, Brownsville, and Nogales.

This administration has taken a strong stand to stiffen the protection of our borders, President Bill Clinton said in 1996. We are increasing border controls by fifty percent.

Over the next 20 years, that border apparatus would expand exponentially in terms of personnel, resources, and geographic reach, but the central strategy of the 1990s (labeled Prevention Through Deterrence) remained the same. The ever-increasing border policing and militarization funneled desperate migrants into remote locations like the Arizona desert where temperatures can soar to 120 degrees in the summer heat.

The first U.S. border strategy memorandum in 1994 predicted the tragic future we now have. Illegal entrants crossing through remote, uninhabited expanses of land and sea along the border can find themselves in mortal danger, it stated.

Twenty years later, more than 6,000 remains have been found in the desert borderlands of the United States. Hundreds of families continue to search for disappeared loved ones. The Colibri Center for Human Rights has records for more than 2,500 missing people last seen crossing the U.S.-Mexico border. In other words, that border has become a graveyard of bones and sadness.

Despite all the attention given to the wall and the border this election season, neither the Trump nor Clinton campaigns have mentioned Prevention Through Deterrence, nor the subsequent border deaths. Not once. The same goes for the establishment media that can't stop talking about Trumps wall. There has been little or no mention of what border groups have long called a humanitarian crisis of deaths that have increased five-fold over the last decade, thanks, in part, to a wall that already exists. (If the people dying were Canadians or Europeans, attention would, of course, be paid.)

Although wall construction began during Bill Clintons administration, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) built most of the approximately 700 miles of fencing after the Secure Fence Act of 2006 was passed. At the time, Senator Hillary Clinton voted in favor of that Republican-introduced bill, along with 26 other Democrats. "I voted numerous times when I was a senator to spend money to build a barrier to try to prevent illegal immigrants from coming in, she commented at one 2015 campaign event, "and I do think you have to control your borders."

The 2006 wall-building project was expected to be so environmentally destructive that homeland security chief Michael Chertoff waived 37 environmental and cultural laws in the name of national security. In this way, he allowed Border Patrol bulldozers to desecrate protected wilderness and sacred land.

Imagine a bulldozer parking in your family graveyard, turning up bones, Chairman Ned Norris, Jr., of the Tohono Oodham Nation (a Native American tribe whose original land was cut in half by the U.S. border) toldCongress in 2008. This is our reality.

With a price tag of, on average, $4 million a mile, these border walls, barriers, and fences have proven to be one of the costliest border infrastructure projects undertaken by the United States. For private border contractors, on the other hand, its the gift that just keeps on giving. In 2011, for example, the DHS granted Kellogg, Brown, and Root, a subsidiary of Halliburton, one of our warrior corporations, a $24.4 million upkeep contract.

In Tucson in early August, Republican vice presidential candidate Mike Pence looked out over a sea of red Make America Great Again caps and t-shirts and said, We will secure our border. Donald Trump will build that wall. He would be met with roaring applause, even though his statement made no sense at all.

Should Trump actually win, how could he build something that already exists? Indeed, for all practical purposes, the Great Wall that Trump talks about may, by January 2017, be as antiquated as the Great Wall of China given the new high-tech surveillance methods now coming on the market. These are being developed in a major way and on a regular basis by a booming border techno-surveillance industry.

The twenty-first-century border is no longer just about walls; its about biometrics and drones. Its about a layered approach to national security, given that, as former Border Patrol Chief Mike Fisher has put it, the international boundary is no longer the first or last line of defense, but one of many. Hillary Clintons promise of comprehensive immigration reform -- to be introduced within 100 days of her entering the Oval Office -- is a much more reliable guide than Trumps wall to our grim immigration future. If her bill follows the pattern of previous ones, as it surely will, an increasingly weaponized, privatized, high-tech, layered border regime, increasingly dangerous to future Ignacio Sarabias, will continue to be a priority of the federal government.

On the surface, there are important differences between Clintons and Trumps immigration platforms. Trumps wildly xenophobic comments and declarations are well known, and Clinton claims that she will, among other things, fight for family unity for those forcibly separated by deportation and enact humane immigration enforcement. Yet deep down, the policies of the two candidates are far more similar than they might at first appear.

Navigating Donald Trumps Borderlands Now

That April day, only one bit of information about Ignacio Sarabias border crossing to reunite with his wife and newborn child was available at the Tucson federal courthouse. He had entered the United States near Nogales. Most likely, he circumvented the wall first started during the Clinton administration, like most immigrants do, by making his way through the potentially treacherous canyons that surround that border town.

If his experience was typical, he probably didnt have enough water or food, and suffered some physical woe like large, painful blisters on his feet. Certainly, he wasnt atypical in trying to reunite with loved ones. After all, more than 2.5 million people have been expelled from the country by the Obama administration, an average annual deportation rate of close to 400,000 people. This was, by the way, only possible thanks to laws signed by Bill Clinton in 1996 and meant to burnish his legacy. They vastly expanded the governments deportation powers.

In 2013 alone, Immigration and Customs Enforcement carried out 72,000 deportations of parents who said that their children were U.S.-born. And many of them are likely to try to cross that dangerous southern border again to reunite with their families.

The enforcement landscape Sarabia faced has changed drastically since that first wall was built in 1994. The post-9/11 border is now both a war zone and a showcase for corporate surveillance. It represents, according to Border Patrol agent Felix Chavez, an unprecedented deployment of resources, any of which could have led to Sarabias capture. It could have been one of the hundreds of remote video or mobile surveillance systems, or one of the more than 12,000 implanted motion sensors that set off alarms in hidden operational control rooms where agents stare into large monitors.

It could have been the spy towers made by the Israeli company Elbit Systems that spotted him, or Predator B drones built by General Atomics, or VADER radar systems manufactured by the defense giant Northrup Grumman that, like so many similar technologies, have been transported from the battlefields of Afghanistan or Iraq to the U.S. border.

If the comprehensive immigration reform that Hillary Clinton pledges to introduce as president is based on the already existing bipartisan Senate package, as has been indicated, then this corporate-enforcement landscape will be significantly bolstered and reinforced. There will be 19,000 more Border Patrol agents in roving patrols throughout border enforcement jurisdictions that extend up to 100 miles inland. More F-150 trucks and all-terrain vehicles will rumble through and, at times, tear up the desert. There will be more Blackhawk helicopters, flying low, their propellers dusting groups of scattering migrants, many of them already lost in the vast, parched desert.

If such a package passes the next Congress, up to $46 billion could be slated to go into more of all of this, including funding for hundreds of miles of new walls. Corporate vendors are salivating at the thought of such a future and in a visible state of elation at homeland security tradeshows across the globe.

The 2013 bill that passed in the Senate but failed in the House of Representatives also included a process of legalization for the millions of undocumented people living in the United States. It maintained programs that will grant legal residence for children who came to the United States at a young age and their parents. Odds are that a comprehensive reform bill in a Clinton presidency would be similar.

Included in that bill was, of course, funding to bolster Operation Streamline. The Evo A. DeConcini Federal Courthouse in Tucson would then have the capacity to prosecute triple the number of people it deals with at present.

After taking a sip from her coffee and listening to the translation of Ignacio Sarabias comments, the magistrate judge looks at him and says shes sorry for his predicament.

Personally, Im mesmerized by his story as I sit on a wooden bench at the back of the court. I have a child the same age as his son. I cant imagine his predicament. Not once while he talks does it leave my mind that my child might even have the same birthday as his.

The judge then looks directly at Sarabia and tells him that he can't just come here "illegally, that he has to find a legal way (highly unlikely, given the criminal conviction that will now be on his record). Your son, she says, when he gets better, and his mother, can visit you where you are in Mexico.

Otherwise, she adds, he'll be visiting you in prison -- not exactly, she points out, an appealing scenario: seeing your father in a prison where he will be locked away for a very long time.

She then sentences the nine men standing side by side in front of her for periods ranging from 60 days to 180 days for the crime of crossing an international border without proper documents. Sarabia receives a 60-day sentence.

Next, armed guards from G4S -- the private contractor that once employed Omar Mateen (the Pulse nightclub killer) and has a lucrative quarter-billion-dollar border contract with Customs and Border Protection -- will transport each of the shackled prisoners to a Corrections Corporation of America private prison in Florence, Arizona. It is there that Sarabia will think about his childs endangered heart from behind layers of coiled razor wire, while the corporation that runs the prison makes $124 per day for incarcerating him.

Indeed, Donald Trumps United States doesnt await his presidency. Its already laid out before us, and one place its happening every single day is in Tucson, only seven blocks from my house.
Ankara's incursion into northern Syria to seize the border town of Jarabulus from Islamic State is being held up by Turkish officials, but critics question the government's motives. Tom Stevenson reports from Istanbul.

Turkish government officials praised the Turkish army's successful operation to take control of the northern Syrian town of Jarabulus on Wednesday - Turkey's first direct foray into the Syrian conflict - in no uncertain terms.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim described the US-backed operation, which saw Jarabulus captured with little fighting and no Turkish casualties, as evidence of Turkey taking action over Syria in contrast to the West's dithering inaction.

"They are just competing with each other instead of solving the problem. Then, who pays the price? The displaced and killed civilians and Turkey pay the price," Yildirim said.

On Thursday Turkey's special forces commander, Lieutenant General Zekai Aksakalli, was photographed in Jarabulus celebrating the operations. Turkey's EU affairs minister Omer Celikclaimed the move was essential to European security.

The pro-government Turkish press celebrated the operation across the board. The "Daily Sabah" newspaper, which is owned by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's family,described the operation in an editorial as "nothing but an act of self-defense."

The chief commentator of the pro-government daily "Yeni Safak," Ibrahim Karagul, who is known to be close to PresidentErdogan, said the operation would "move the stones and change the power map; not only in Syria but in the entire region."

"Those who resisted the July 15 coup and civil war attempt are today resisting the siege in the South... The struggle in Istanbul and the struggle in Jarabulus are no different," Karagul wrote. "This operation is enthusiastically supported by the entire country. Turkey is advancing and IS and the [Kurdish Democratic Union Party] are withdrawing. They are going to withdraw even further.

Who is Turkey working with?

But not everyone agrees with Turkey entering the Syrian conflict.

The Democratic Union Party (PYD), the main Syrian Kurdish political party, strongly criticized Turkey's intervention, accusing Turkey of acting to stop Kurdish gains in northern Syria rather than to combat the Islamic State.

Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the Republic People's Party (CHP), Turkey's main opposition party, expressed skepticism about the Jarabulus operation. "We do not agree with hosting foreign armed forces in Turkey and then sending them into another country," Kilicdaroglu said on August 24.

Turkey hosted and supported 1,500 Syrian rebel fighters from the Free Syrian Army (FSA) for the Jarabulus operation, and handed control of the city to those forces.

While US-backed militias such as the Suqour al-Jebal Brigade were involved, the Turkish-backed force also included Islamist fighters from the Failaq al-Sham and Jabha al-Shamiya groups, and fighters from Islamist groups like Ahrar al-Sham with links to al Qaeda.

The force also included the Nour el-Din el Zinki, whose fighters were filmed last month beheading a child, and have been accused of abducting and torturing aid workers in Syria.

"Ahrar al-Sham has regularly allied with al Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front (now known as Jabhat Fatah al-Sham) and has some personal and ideological links with Nusra," said Sam Heller, a non-resident fellow with The Century Foundation. "Yet it also diverges from Nusra in important respects, and those sorts of tangled-up personal and familial ties exist across the spectrum of the Syrian opposition."

"There are probably reasons for international concern, including the possibility that Turkish-backed rebels will turn south and open a new front with the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces around Manbij," Heller told DW.

Where next for Turkey in Syria?

The Turkish government says it will continue to operate in northern Syria to secure Turkey's borders, and that it aims to create a "terror free zone" by permanently stopping the influx of foreign fighters.

"Turkey will continue operations until we are convinced that imminent threats against the country's national security have been neutralized," a senior Turkish official told DW.

The Turkish-backed forces say their next goal will be to connect Jarabulus with the town of al-Rai, further west, and then proceed to capture al-Bab. The town is currently held by Islamic State forces and unlike Jarabulus is well fortified; Syrian Kurdish fighters are also known to want to assault the city as part of their long term plan to create an autonomous Kurdish region in northern Syria.

"The FSA leads the charge against the terrorists in northern Syria. Turkey's main role has been to facilitate FSA advances," the Turkish official said.
Over 40 years ago, Bassam Tibi, a political scientist from the city of Gottingen, left Syria for Germany. In an interview with DW he says that even he is opposed to limitless immigration.

DW: A year ago, during the mass influx of refugees, Angela Merkel became known for her "We can do it" mantra. Large parts of the German population took part in what became known as "welcome culture" after the borders had effectively been opened on September 5. A year on, how would you assess "welcome culture?"

Bassam Tibi: According to Max Weber, a politician has three obligations: 1) a sense of responsibility 2) sound judgment and 3) passionate objectivity. "We can do it" is a slogan. That can be good or bad. I'm not interested in it. What interests me is whether there is an idea behind it. But I don't see the idea. The Koran asks about the main human trait  I am a Muslim, "Don't you have a brain? Can't you reason?" Human beings can reason. And the main purpose of reason is the ability to learn. A year after "We can do it," Angela Merkel interrupts her vacation; she goes to Berlin after the terrorist attacks in July. And you may think, "Now the woman has learned something; now she will be logical when she speaks. And what does she say? 'We can do it.'" I almost fell off my chair. I thought, "What country am I living in?" There is more reason in my home country Syria than in Germany.

In your opinion, what should Angela Merkel have learned?

Angela Merkel must know. Last year, there were 58 million refugees worldwide. The number has reached 65.3 according to the United Nations. The majority of these people come from Africa and the Middle East and they want to go to Europe. That is the problem. I am willing to accept 1, 2 or 3 million. But I cannot accept 65 million. It is not possible. We are not talking about morals. Politics is not morality. "Politics is a strong and slow boring of hard boards," as Max Weber says. Merkel has not recognized the problem. Even if you want to receive refugees, but within limits, Merkel says the constitution states no cap. Can you name a law with numbers and percentages? I feel duped! "We can do it" is not a solution, but instead, a moral confession.

You yourself were born in Syria and came to Germany as an 18-year-old in the 1960s. Shouldn't you actually be happy about the Germans' willingness to receive your compatriots - and their limitless willingness?

I am a rationalist; I am not a moralist. A few days ago here in Gottingen I met about 10 Syrians from three groups. I spoke with them. I thought two Syrians from Damascus were great. They had come here when they were 16 and now they are 18. They go to school and they want to learn a profession. They are ordinary people. When we parted I told them, "Do not forget: School always comes first. If you keep going to school, you will graduate from high school. If you study at university, Germans will be wonderful with you." I embrace and warmly welcome these kinds of Syrians.

'Islamists come here'

This morning members of the Muslim Brotherhood were also here. They want a theocracy here in Germany. I told them, "You must be grateful to be here. You cannot impose your ideology on Germans." Then they asked me, "Are you a Muslim?" I said "yes." Then they said, "The earth belongs to God. And Germany belongs to Allah. And Allah gave us Germany. And we will apply God's laws here!" That is not the Islam that I came to know as a tolerant religion in Damascus. Syrians do not exist as an overall category. My experience this morning was that there are Syrians that are good. They are grateful to be here. They will get an education and become successful. But Islamists also come here. They want to spread ideas that our constitution does not allow.

In this context, it is worth looking at France. There, the integration of Muslims and security policy are discussed as two different discussion threads. The language of security policy is used for people who speak the language of violence and Islamism. Muslims who accept the French constitution are embraced and warmly welcomed. Welcome culture is not limitless.

Many refugees wanted to come to Europe but not just Europe, specifically Germany. Why is Germany, of all places, so attractive?

I was in Cairo in March and April as a professor at the American University. Believe me, even beggars on the streets of Cairo know very well that you can get an apartment, monthly payments, and so on in Germany. Germany offers a lot: You can enter Germany without valid documents. You can apply for asylum. If you are rejected, you are still tolerated. So you can stay. You receive welfare benefits. No other country in the world does that. How long can Germany go on like that? How long can it remain peaceful here without social conflicts? My circle of friends consists mostly of immigrants: Persians, Afghans and Turks. And we, as immigrants who have lived here for a long time, are concerned. We are scared. And I can tell you what we are afraid of: The do-gooders of today can become the neo-Nazis of tomorrow. Then we're in trouble.

What are your fears based on?

The great Jewish sources that I admire: Helmuth Plessner, the author of the best book that has ever been written about Germany, " Die verspatete Nation" ("The Belated Nation") and of course my teacher from Frankfurt, Adorno. Both are German-born Jews. And they both say, "Germans are volatile and are always susceptible to the charm of extremes." Look at Horst Mahler: First, he was an RAF (far-left militant group) ideologist and then he ended up with the NPD (The National Democratic Party of Germany, a far-right political party).

Back to the immigrants again. How do you assess the risk that we will have parallel societies in Germany?

That is not a risk. It is a reality! A politician must think in three stages. First, the problem must be named, then facts must be gathered and then a solution must be worked out. Historical experiences are also facts. There was a war in Lebanon between 1975 and 1990 - for 15 years. During that war, thousands of Lebanese went to Germany. One of my best students is a Lebanese who went to Germany with his parents back then. Today he is an important advisor for German authorities and much more faithful to the constitution than many Germans. That is a good example. A bad example is in Berlin. Go there and you will find Lebanese parallel societies where drug dealing, prostitution and crime prevail. And even Berlin's police do not dare go there.

Germans are 'susceptible to the charm of extremes'

German authorities have not learned anything from this historical experience. My experience in recent times has shown that among the people who have come here, there are Syrians who are willing to accept the German constitution, who want to integrate and who want to get an education. But there are also Syrians who are Islamists and they want to live out Islamism here. We must finally learn to distinguish between them. Foreigners and refugees do not exist. There are criminals among the refugees. And among the refugees are people who are traumatized, who we must help and deserve the help.

Between 1973 and 2009, the political scientist Bassam Tibi was a professor of international relations at the University of Gottingen.
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FILE - In this July 28, 2014 file photo, a Delta Air Lines jet takes off from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in Arlington, Va. Most restrictions on flights between the U.S. and Mexico will lift on Sunday, Aug. 21, 2016, a change expected to bring more options and possibly lower prices for travelers. American, Delta and Southwest have already announced that they will offer new flights across the border later this year. United is watching the demand for flights and will respond accordingly, a spokesman said. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta, File)

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By DAVID KOENIG, AP Airlines Writer

DALLAS (AP)  Most restrictions on flights between the U.S. and Mexico will lift on Sunday, a change expected to bring more options and possibly lower prices for travelers.

American, Delta and Southwest have already announced that they will offer new flights across the border later this year. United is watching the demand for flights and will respond accordingly, a spokesman said.

The United States and Mexico agreed in December to open their aviation markets to each other's carriers. Rules that had generally limited two or three airlines from each country to a particular route will go away.

Airlines on both sides of the border will be able to fly whatever routes they want as often as they want and set their own prices, said Thomas Engle, the State Department's deputy assistant secretary for transportation.

"This will help reduce airfares for sure," said George Hobica, founder of the travel site airfarewatchdog.com.

Hobica said base fares between the U.S. and many destinations in Mexico are already low, but both countries impose taxes that inflate the price of a ticket. "The fares are low, it's the rest that makes it seem expensive," he said.

For example, on a round trip between Dallas-Fort Worth and Cancun, Mexico  already a popular route  taxes and fees can account for between 20 and 30 percent of the price of a bargain, economy-class ticket of $383 to $585.

Southwest promoted fares as low as $258 for a round trip, although seats were limited and the offer was scheduled to end Sunday.

The agreement between the U.S. and Mexico does not relax limits on takeoffs and landings at Mexico City's busy main international airport. So the first new flights from U.S. carriers will focus on resort towns in Mexico.

Delta Air Lines Inc. announced Friday that on Dec. 17 it will start daily nonstop flights between New York's Kennedy airport and Cancun and between Los Angeles and Los Cabos. It will run Saturday flights between Kansas City and Cancun.

Southwest Airlines Co. announced that on Dec. 4 it will start flying daily from Los Angeles to Cancun, Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta. Southwest plans to fly from Oakland, California, to Los Cabos and Puerto Vallarta starting in February if it gets approval from the Mexican government.

American Airlines Group Inc. will begin flying between Miami and Merida on the Yucatan peninsula on Nov. 4 and from Los Angeles to Cancun and Puerto Vallarta on Dec. 15, a spokesman said.

Engle, the State Department official, said in an interview that the agreement should help American travelers and increase Mexican tourism to the United States.

"We think it will help drive economic growth in sectors well beyond aviation, including tourism and manufacturing," he said.

The agreement also covers cargo airlines. It will let U.S. cargo carriers fly from airports in Mexico to other countries without stopping in the United States.
Courtesy of Dave Jacobs Professional Guide Service

Jonah Cameron of San Jose displays a fresh Sacramento River king salmon that he caught while fishing with Dave Jacobs Professional Guide Service.

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Sacramento River salmon

Fishing for king salmon slowed this week after what looked to be a better showing of bright king salmon the week prior. Many of the salmon from last week moved upriver into Red Bluff and into the canyon below the Barge Hole. There could be better salmon fishing upriver this weekend as the kings have moved north of Hamilton City and Corning. The salmon fishing bite in Hamilton City and Corning at Woodson Bridge was dead slow this week with slow salmon fishing Sunday through Thursday. This could change anytime as many king salmon are still being reported in and around the Golden Gate. September and October could be the two best months to catch king salmon on the Sacramento River this season.

Feather River salmon

Reports have come in this week of better salmon fishing from the Feather River below Oroville as a good push of king salmon have shown up lately. The fishing has picked up for both the bank and boat salmon fishermen in and around the Outlet Hole. The river has had very good high flows for over a month now and it looks to be attracting more king salmon than are being seen on the Sacramento River. Fishing pressure has really spread out this week with many anglers divided between the Sacramento and Feather rivers.

This week's Sacramento and Feather River salmon fishing report is courtesy of Dave Jacobs Professional Guide Service. For more local river fishing information, call Jacobs direct at 530-646-9110 or visit his website at www.sacramentofishing.com.
Anderson logo

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By Joe Szydlowski of the Redding Record Searchlight

For some, it may be Anderson River Park.

For others, it may be the active Anderson Teen Center.

Still more would probably name other things they like about the city  and on Tuesday, Christine Haggard is hoping they will.

She and others are putting on Celebrate Anderson with the doors opening at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday at Anderson Union High School. The town-hall style forum will feature civic leaders, business and nonprofit representatives, residents and others with an interest in Anderson who will discuss how to showcase its good side, said Haggard, a community organizer with Shasta County's Health and Human Services Agency.

"(Let's) celebrate the things that are almost the community's best-kept secrets," she said. "Our crime is going down, schools are having less problems. Those are things we want to celebrate and embrace."

To do so, the event begins with a meet-and-greet at the high school library to allow those in different areas to mingle. At 5 p.m. the town hall starts and everyone can share ideas on good things about  or happening to  Anderson.

"We reached out to different sectors of the community: Individuals who either work, live or play in Anderson," she said. "Many business owners work in Anderson but live in Redding."

Then, attendees will be invited to share ideas on how to promote those positives and think creatively about ways to get the whole city on board with big events, such as homecoming or the Christmas Tree lighting, she said.

"Not only does it take a village, it takes the whole community to make a vibrant community, (for example) how a business might work with schools," she said. "... There's a role for everybody to engage and participate. In the next few months, ask yourself what you can do to help with the homecoming. Maybe you're a business and can decorate your storefront, or coordinate with students to make posters to hang up."

She is, however, asking people to focus on improving positive aspects of Anderson and people's awareness of them rather than problems it's experiencing.

However, anyone who is interested in contributing, even if they can't make the forum, can contact Haggard at 225-3763.

If you go

Who: Open to the public

What: Celebrate Anderson forum on how to showcase positive things in the community

When: Doors open 4:30 p.m. Tuesday; forum begins at 5 p.m.

Where: Anderson Union High School Library

Admission: Free
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By Damon Arthur of the Redding Record Searchlight

More potentially harmful algae has been discovered in Lake Shasta, California water quality officials said Thursday.

The cyanobacteria was discovered on the Squaw Creek Arm of the lake and in the areas of the Jones Valley and Silverthorn resorts, state officials said.

State officials first reported finding the algae blooms only on a particular section of the upper Pit River Arm earlier this summer.

Warning signs have been posted at the new sites on the lake, and the postings will remain in place through Labor Day, officials said.

State officials said people are still encouraged to visit Lake Shasta, but to be careful when coming in contact with the algae.

"We're not trying to scare people," said Clint Snyder, assistant executive director in the water board's Redding office. "But at the same time, anyone using the lake should take precautions."

The concentration of the toxin is low and does not pose a threat to people swimming in the water. However, ingestion of algal material, scums and mats could be dangerous, according to a press release from the California Water Quality Control Board.

Children should be kept away from algae in the water. Dogs and livestock should also be kept away from the algae blooms, which sometimes appear as bright green with white or brown foam, scum or mats that can float on the waters surface and accumulate on the shore and in boat ramp areas, officials said.

Snyder said the algae discovered on the lake this month can't be seen, whereas and the cyanobacteria found on the Pit River Arm earlier this summer could be seen.

This is the first summer that the algae blooms have been found on Lake Shasta, Snyder said.

Algae blooms are caused by a variety of conditions, including warm, stagnant water, warm, sunny days and high levels of nutrients such as potassium and phosphorus, he said, Snyder said.

He said they are still trying to determine whether the nutrients in the water are from human activity, such as agricultural runoff, or naturally occurring.

Algae blooms were also found in isolated parts of Lake Britton in eastern Shasta County earlier this summer.

Bloom conditions can change rapidly and wind and waves can move the algae into various parts of the lake.

If dogs and other animals get into the algae, they should be rinsed off and they should not be allowed to lick themselves.

The cyanobacteria can cause eye irritation, skin rash, mouth ulcers, vomiting, diarrhea and cold and flu-like symptoms, officials said.

For more information on algae and cyanobacteria blooms, go to the states Harmful Algal Bloom Portal at www.mywaterquality.ca.gov/habs/.
Andreas Fuhrmann/Record Searchlight

Patricia Lord is the new director of the Shasta Historical Society. She said she's been greeted by a supportive board of directors and welcoming community groups.

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By Jenny Espino of the Redding Record Searchlight

After earning her two master's degrees in museum studies and business administration two years ago, Patricia Lord was ready to leave the hurried pace of the San Francisco Bay Area for a smaller, more relaxed town.

She found that place living just outside Yellowstone National Park and working at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, rich in Native American history and life in the American West.

But in her mind, Lord, who previously lived in Wisconsin and in Chicago, knew she'd return to California.

This month, she marked her third month as Shasta Historical Society's executive director. She's made the rounds meeting members of other community groups and overseen the rearrangement of space at the downtown office. She's also continued making collections available online for those in search of their roots. In less than two months, she will help the historical society put on two events at the Cascade Theatre.

"Like I said, it's been a busy three months," she said, noting how she has been greeted by a supportive board of directors and welcoming community groups.

Mike Dahl, the historical society's new board president, spoke of the strategic thinking Lord has brought to the position as the organization's influence grows.

"She has the ability to think long range," he said. "We've expanded our mission over the last few years through diversity of our history."

The historical society made a significant cultural mark last year, when in February it took Black History Month to the stage at the Cascade. The organization followed that up in October with a street fair and a packed show at the Cascade for its first Indigenous People's History Day program.

"We anticipate this year's to be even better than the one last year," Dahl said of the latter.

Indeed, Lord said the historical society is working to turn programming for Indigenous People's Day into an annual event. It is scheduled to return Oct. 22 to the Cascade.

Also in October, theater-goers will be treated to "Faces of Shasta County," a show about some of the area's prominent historic figures. The Oct. 9 production is the result of collaboration between the historical society and Riverfront Playhouse.

The society also is hopeful about a program next year on Shasta County's most recent immigrants, members of the Laos and Mien communities. Those groups fought in America's secret wars during the Vietnam War.

The McConnell Foundation, which has international programs in Laos, is the society's partner.

"This is about the story of the people in Laos who were allies, and they had to flee after the war was lost," said Jesica Rhone, McConnell's director of international programs.

Lord said the historical society has potential to become a hub for other local historical societies and groups that share a common vision.

"We see ourselves as really making connections between organizations and really creating a cohesive, stronger support system in this community," she said.

And for Dahl, it means telling a more complete story about Shasta County's history.

"It makes us who we are as a community," he said.

Lord arrived in California in 2011 to start her master's programs at John F. Kennedy University in the East Bay. She worked for a period at the California Academy of Sciences, where she was struck by its bright lights, clean design and multi-disciplinary approach to offer engaging exhibits that mixed biology, geology and anthropology.

"I had been used to other institutions that were not as bright and open," she said. "That really threw me for a loop in the most positive way."
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By Nathan Solis of the Redding Record Searchlight

A Texas-based developer received approval from Shasta County to bring a Dollar General to Shingletown after a few leaps over some water hurdles.

Water woes stalled developers from moving forward with the project at Highway 44 and Emigrant Trail for several weeks. A lack of water pressure in the area could spell inadequate fire coverage and Shingletown residents pointed this out during public hearings and in letters to the county.

The Shasta County Board of Supervisors approved the developer's application for a zoning change after county planners turned in an updated report earlier this week. The new report said, yes, fire suppression in the area is a concern and the developer, Embree Asset Group, would need to build a 90,000-gallon water tank to serve the retail store. The county's report states the project is in an area with a "very high" fire hazard.

Other concerns, like storm runoff in the area, were brought up during public hearings and county planners spelled out in a March environmental study that developers would need to build a storm water basin. The retail store will receive its water supply from a raw water well, identified as Alpine Meadows, or CSA 13.

The zoning request from the developer changes a small portion of the lot, about less than a quarter of one acre from residential to mixed use, which is located next to several homes and a natural wet land. The 9,100-square-foot retail store will also have a parking lot and loading dock.

Meanwhile, the Shasta County District Attorney's Office offered an update on real estate fraud at this week's Board of Supervisors meeting.

The DA's office had four criminal investigations in the past fiscal year and helped one victim receive $55,000 in civil restitution in a real estate transaction fraud. Another case involved a woman, Vickie Johnson, who was convicted on a misdemeanor for forgery after getting the death records of her former brother-in-law, which was part of an investigation with the Sheriff's Office.

The DA's office estimates $253,295 was claimed as money lost by victims in the last year due to real estate fraud.
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University of British Columbia researchers say they've found actual evidence that marijuana may make users lazy, "which could reduce their chances of successful life outcomes."

The study was first published in the Journal of Psychiatry and Neuroscience and reported by Medical News Today.

According to the authors, past research has indicated that marijuana makes some users prefer easier physical tasks, but no one had looked into whether the same applies for cognitive tasks.

The Canadian study involved rats and found that high rodents preferred easier cognitive tasks, even if the reward -- a sugar pellet or two -- was greater with a harder task.

Specifically, tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) was found to be what caused the rats to be lazy, authors said.

To figure out which component of pot was to blame, the rats also were given cannabidiol (CBD) by itself, and the authors said the rodents didn't choose easier tasks with only CBD in their systems.

When CBD and THC were combined, though -- even though the authors said some studies have indicated CBD can offset THC's effects -- the rats still chose the easier task.

But when no marijuana was in their systems, the rats went for the high-challenge, high-reward task, the authors said.

The findings indicate that marijuana users may not be unable to complete challenging work, but simply don't prioritize it, researchers said.

"Perhaps unsurprisingly, we found that when we gave THC to these rats, they basically became cognitively lazy. What's interesting, however, is that their ability to do the difficult challenge was unaffected by THC. The rats could still do the task -- they just didn't want to," said Mason Silveira, the study's lead author.

Medical News Today reports that the authors say a "chronic dosing experiment" is needed to delve deeper into the true association between THC and an aversion to challenging mental tasks.

Since California may legalize recreational marijuana in the November election, the findings could have special significance.

To see the study, click here.
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By my scientific count, there are only two newspaper columnists in the known universe who have not already declared Donald Trump's presidential campaign dead and buried. One is me. Having mocked Trump for getting in a Twitter war with a Mexican narcotrafficker way back at the beginning of the campaign, only to see him shoot to the top of GOP polls, I long ago certified this campaign as too bat-guano-crazy to predict.

The other dissenter is the lethally blonde Ann Coulter, whose new book "In Trump We Trust" will be published Tuesday and, if history is any indication, will next be spotted on The New York Times best-seller list.

Coulter, an early and enthusiastic backer of Trump (he essentially adapted her book "Adios, America" as his campaign platform on immigration), has been warning that the polls were undercounting his supporters ever since he started out near the bottom of a 17-candidate Republican field.

And though Trump is trailing by an average of more than 5 percentage points in the Real Clear Politics survey of major opinion polls with about 75 days to go before the election, she is still convinced he's neck and neck with Hillary Clinton  maybe even ahead.

The main reason, she believes, is that Trump is going to be the biggest beneficiary ever of the so-called Bradley Effect, named for Tom Bradley, a black mayor of Los Angeles who lost the 1982 gubernatorial election in California despite a seven-point lead in the polls on the eve of voting.

Pollsters concluded that a lot of the people they interviewed didn't want to admit they were voting against a black candidate. The Bradley Effect  or, if you're a social scientist, "social desirability bias"  has since become a blanket term for voters who lie to pollsters for fear of violating political-correctness norms.

"Trump has endured $75 million in negative ads from his opponents, and the news media universally hate him," says Coulter. "A lot of people would rather admit to being Nazi war criminals than to say they're voting for Trump. But once they're inside the voting booth, it's private  no one will ever know they voted for him."

In fact, argues Coulter, a lot of Trump voters aren't even being contacted by pollsters, because they're so alienated from American politics that they aren't even registered voters  yet.

"In the past, that would be a real problem at this stage of the election," she says. "But now all these motor-voter laws have made it really easy to register, and you can do it really late. Thank you, Democrats! Democrats are about to learn what a 'petard' is."

Coulter's full-front-attack style is not everybody's cup of tea  even among those who share her conservative politics, there are plenty to whom it tastes more like hemlock. And like her other books, "In Trump We Trust" is sometimes scabrously funny, sometimes just scabrous. I'm sure I won't be the last person to laugh at a section on Jeb Bush titled "The Bush Family Collapses, A Nation Rejoices," or at her merciless lampooning of a talking-head Marco Rubio adviser attacking Trump on TV: "Can you think of a worse item to have on your resume than 'Rubio adviser'? How about, 'Fire marshal, The Hindenburg'?"

Venomous punch lines aside, "In Trump We Trust" undeniably brims with insights into the candidate's appeal, particularly his lock-down-the-borders stance on immigration. His opponents and their courtiers among the chattering classes essentially tried to declare the discussion out of bounds by labeling it racist. Political reporters added that it was crazy, because nobody they knew was against immigration.

But as Coulter notes, Trump's candidacy took off precisely at the moment he pledged to build that "beautiful wall" on the Mexican border. Since then, even though he's spent little money on his campaign and shunned Washington's hordes of political consultants and their precious focus groups, Trump has become the top vote-getter of all time in Republican primaries.

Perhaps Coulter is wrong about the polls, and Trump will lose in November. But she is clearly correct when she says the lesson of his candidacy is that a lot of Americans are unhappy about immigration and refuse to allow the argument to be circumscribed on the grounds of political correctness.

Several recent polls show about three-fifths of Americans think the United States permits too much immigration. Donald Trump may go away, but the forces that produced him won't.

Glenn Garvin is a columnist for the Miami Herald. Readers may email him at ggarvin@miamiherald.com
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No matter how you slice it, dice it or add it up, the firefighters who work for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection are among the lowest paid in their profession in the state.

And it's not just a little low, but shamefully low for what they do to keep our cities and towns safe from wildfire.

Cal Fire union leaders are out to change that, and as fires rage along the width and length of the Golden State, they are marching in Sacramento and getting the word out that they need higher pay.

According to a 2014 study put together by CalHR's Office of Financial Management and Economic Research, Cal Fire firefighters earn around 30 percent less than their counterparts at municipal fire departments as compared to 20 other cities and counties, including places as disparate as Los Angeles County and Stockton. It looked at four classifications: entry level, fire apparatus engineer, fire captain and battalion chief.

The figures it came up with were based on best-case scenarios when it comes to overtime pay and benefits. It did not take into consideration the part-time nature of Cal Fire's seasonal firefighters who battle summer's infernos for around $10 an hour. Those firefighters don't get all the same benefits as full-time, permanent firefighters, and thus their total compensation is even less than what's reported in the study.

So here are the figures as drawn directly from the report for total monthly compensation that includes what the state chips in for to health insurance and pension benefits, as well as the value of vacation and sick days. Keep in mind that what firefighters actually deposit in the bank each month is far less, but these figures reflect the total cost to taxpayers.

Entry level firefighters who work for the 20 governments make on average around $29 an hour, and their total monthly compensation with benefits is $14,373 a month. Entry level Cal Fire workers, however, start out at $11.25 an hour, and their total monthly compensation, best scenario, is $11,050 a month. That disparity continues for the other three classifications, with municipal fire apparatus engineers making on average $33 an hour and $15,850 total monthly compensation, Cal Fire's making $12.83 an hour, $12,219 total compensation a month. Municipal fire captains earn around $39 an hour on average, $18,651 monthly compensation; Cal Fire captains make $14.77 an hour, with $14,034 total monthly compensation. Municipal battalion chiefs earn $50 an hour and $22,132 total monthly compensation, and their Cal Fire counterparts make $18.81 an hour, $15,818 total monthly compensation.

The low pay is making it hard to keep qualified firefighters, and even get them to seek promotion, union officials say. Firefighters bail at the first chance they get to join municipal departments, where even the hours are better.

Cal Fire officials and firefighters say the disparities go beyond the difference in pay. Cal Fire firefighters are often sent to far-off fires around the state, especially when fire season hits its peak in summer and early fall. As drought dried up the state and record high temperatures baked it, some years fire season went all year long. They may be away from home weeks at a time, if not more. They may finish with one fire only to be called to another one on their drive home.

Cal Fire firefighters have to pick up the tab for their own training, clothing, boots and food. That's a lot to ask out of a wage that starts at a little more than $11 an hour.

Cal Fire Local 2881, which represents the state's 6,500 Cal Fire firefighters, rightfully says the low wages are not acceptable. Considering all that these firefighters do, we agree. Cal Fire firefighters work in what's called the wildlife/urban interface  the areas on the edge of cities where wildfire can jump from wildland into neighborhoods with a single hot ember. They work side by side with local firefighters, fighting the same fires. For that, they'd like somewhere close to the same pay.

The union has been in contract negotiations with Gov. Jerry Brown for a year, and those have hit a stalemate. Thus, the march Monday in Sacramento and a get-the-word out campaign.

It's thoughtful to put up signs saying "thank you" when they save our homes. But what they really need, and deserve, is a raise.
We can't all be as beautiful, powerful or wonderful as Barack and Michelle Obama. But we can try to emulate them as much as possible, right down to their first date.

In "Southside with You," the first couple goes on their first date in 1989 Chicago. The two spent the whole day together"He was showing me all facets of his character," Michelle said in a 2012 campaign videoand the rest is literally history. Now, we can't all be this lucky in love, but with a little finagling you can recreate this first date and hope for the best.

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Although none of these places are in the South Side of Chicago, we were inspired to envision a date centered around two places Barack and Michelle visited: the Art Institute and the Music Box Theater.

Stop one: The Art Institute

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111 S. Michigan Ave. 312-443-3600

In the movie they go to the Cultural Centeralso a solid place to take your future baebut according to that same campaign video, the Obamas actually went to the Art Institute. The Art Institute has more commonly known pieces of art, so you'll likely be able to dig deep to that art history course you took in college and impress him or her.

Admission: $20 each for Chicago residents

Stop two: Millennium Park for lunch

11 N. Michigan Ave. 312-521-7275

Millennium Park didn't exist back in 1989, but the Obamas went to a park for lunch, and this is as good as any if you're already at the Art Institute. Stop by The Plaza (touristy, yes, but a classic if you're there). Grab a grilled chicken burger with kale to make Michelle extra proud.

Grilled chicken burger: $12

Stop three: Lakefront Trail

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Nothing says romance like a long walk along the water, right? We're sure that cliche is what Barry had in mind while planning the next portion of his date.

Stop four: The Butcher's Tap

3553 N. Southport Ave. 773-325-0123

You'll need to start making your way to Lakeview to catch a movie later, so The Butcher's Tap is a solid place to grab a beer beforehand.

Two Goose Island Green Lines: $12

Stop five: Music Box Theatre

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3733 N. Southport Ave. 773-871-6607

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

The Obamas saw Spike Lee's "Do the Right Thing," which, sadly, won't be playing. But any movie here will be a good one (or at least artsy enough to impress your date), so take your pick.

Two tickets: $22

Stop six: Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams

3404 N. Southport Ave. 773-348-7139

If you're already up on Southport, you have no excuse to not stop here for ice cream. It's not only delicious but also highly Instagram-worthy. Do it for the 'gram.

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Two small cones: $10

@shelbielbostedt | sbostedt@redeyechicago.com
No country has grown without educating its people. India's shameful lag in primary and secondary education has persisted for several decades, and the crisis in higher education is now threatening a social and political calamity, says Ashoka Mody, Charles and Marie Robertson visiting professor in international economic policy at the Woodrow Wilson School, Princeton University.

Image used for representational purposes only. Photograph: Sivaram/Reuters.

India's economic policy-makers have sought to induce short spurts of growth in the hope that these spurts would pull up institutions and infrastructure essential to support the next round of growth. But we are now at a moment when failure to mount a big push in critical areas will not only hurt short-term growth prospects but will also prevent the virtuous possibility of growth creating its own momentum.

Dealing with acute water crisis is the immediate priority. In principle, as the economy advances, additional funds and new technologies will help renew our water resources. But perhaps we have lost this race. Additional growth will further deplete water reservoirs, and by the time we are ready for the heroic response needed, the crisis would have turned into an unstoppable catastrophe.

We have reached the same critical juncture in education. From the industrial revolution in the late-18th century to today, one -- and only one -- variable is resolutely correlated with growth.

No country has grown without educating its people. India's shameful lag in primary and secondary education has persisted for several decades. The crisis in higher education is now threatening a social and political calamity.

Students with "grace marks" are pushed into the competition for college seats. Lakhs apply for hundreds of slots. When they get to their colleges, teachers and infrastructure are scandalously missing. Even in Delhi University, Professor Shobhit Mahajan reports, blackboards, classrooms, and laboratories are in a dreadful state.

We are celebrating the 25th anniversary of "reforms." Why is the state of education so abysmal? Why has growth not pulled up education? Could it be that educational institutions are mired in a network of patronage, which benefits those who have access to public funds but have no incentive to provide real education and may actually see it in their interest to hold education back? Meanwhile, in an ever more competitive global economy, the next generation of aspirants is ever better educated. We are left struggling to handle international competition abroad and at home.

The imploding Gujarat economic "miracle" is a warning. The Dalits have reason to feel left behind despite years of public effort to pull them up. The Patels are up in arms because they lack privileged access to education, and those certified as "educated" lack jobs. The traditional textiles, gems, and engineering industries are floundering because the global market is weak and, in the domestic market, it is hard to compete with Chinese imports.

Throughout the country, as increasing numbers seek a better life, the task of delivering quality education and jobs will become more daunting. A World Bank study estimates that about 13 million potential job seekers come on stream every year. Only 3 million get a job.

Abandoning its bureaucratic caution, the World Bank warns: "In a young and increasingly aspirational society, this growing jobs deficit has the potential to turn the much-awaited demographic dividend into a demographic curse."

Our cities, with their endemic diseases and violence, work only in the sense that we have come to believe that this is the way things are. Corruption in public health, medical practice, and police departments make it ever harder to regain the basics of civilised existence.

Through these evolving pathologies -- be it dying water resources, the erosion of education, or collapse of cities -- runs one thread.

It is the cancer by which millions exploit their little pockets of access and authority for immediate advance and material gain. Through their daily actions, which they see as their right and as their only way to keep their foothold in a harsh system, they inflict a million daily wounds.

The system encompasses district councillors, state legislators, building contractors, and local hooligans. The public hungers for a glimpse of idealism, such as that tantalisingly offered by the Aam Aadmi Party, but idealism is quickly crushed. The incentives and behaviour powerfully perpetuate themselves, ensuring a bleaker future.

Leaders respond by promising more labour market reform (easier firing of workers), the goods and services tax (GST), and visions of "start-ups" and "smart cities." The guiding philosophy is one of "incrementalism," the idea that little steps will keep growth chugging and deeper institutional change will follow as India becomes richer.

But the leaders are not even able to deliver on these baby steps. They remain endlessly fascinated by their economic strategies and political games, much like the drunkard who looks for his lost keys under the lamppost because that is where the light is. We keep our morale up by repeating stories of incredible individuals who have pulled themselves out of dire poverty. Meanwhile the erosion of water resources, education, and cities continues.

Offering an alluring alternative, Nandan Nilekani, the hi-tech entrepreneur and public intellectual, has described a vision in which millions will connect on smart phones to their bank accounts and public services. Thus connected, they will access new sources of education and create quality jobs in a system with greater integrity and accountability. Indeed, countries have "leapfrogged" over dysfunctional institutions and infrastructure into to a new era of growth. But relying on technology as the elixir may well be another instance of looking under the lamppost. Technology without new institutions and incentives will never renew water or deliver core education, health services, and public safety.

The race is on. We can choose business as usual and place our faith in optimistic rhetoric and the power of technology. But if we delay national mobilisation to confront and address our fundamental problems, the challenge will become greater and our failures could soon overwhelm us.
Reforms under the Modi government will maintain a slow and tentative pace, constantly wary of political opposition. It may not be reform by stealth, but it is reform on the quiet, says A K Bhattacharya.

Image: Prime Minister Narendra Modi walks out of Rashtrapati Bhavan after a ceremonial reception. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters.

Confusion over the quality and pace of economic reforms being pursued by the Narendra Modi government has just got a little more puzzling. Three developments, in the last week or so, are ample testimony to this bewildering experience. Investors and analysts have already begun wondering about the contours of the economic reforms agenda of the Modi government during the remaining period of its tenure and what they might mean for economic growth and investment prospects.

But first it is important to place the current confusion in context. Senior members of the Modi government have made it clear, on more than one occasion, that they do not believe in big-bang economic reforms. When asked why the government has been slow to usher in big reforms, senior ministers have come up with a counter-question: What are the big-bang reforms that need to be undertaken? And when it has been pointed out that reforms of land and labour laws or privatisation could be counted as big reforms, the Modi government representatives have responded with a dismissive smile whose only conclusion could be that this government is just not interested in radical path-breaking reforms.

In a similar vein, Mr Modi has been credited with the view that public sector undertakings can be made to perform better, implying that there is actually no need for privatisation or ownership change to improve their profitability and reduce their dependence on government finances. The relevance of subsidies also has been redefined under the Modi government. It has been reiterated that the government's objective is not to eliminate subsidies, but to target them better so that the needy can benefit from them and the rich are excluded.

And yet the Union Budgets of the last two years have planned for strategic disinvestment of government equity in public sector undertakings, which is a different name for privatisation. In 2015-16, an estimated Rs 28,500 crore was to be mobilised through such equity sales, but the year ended without any such transaction. Similarly, the Budget for 2016-17 has a provision for strategic disinvestment to fetch Rs 20,500 crore.

But if recent developments are any indication, this target too is likely to remain unmet by the end of the year.

For instance, consider the finance ministry's latest response to a question on diluting its stake in IDBI Bank. Remember that the Budget for this year had talked about the government bringing down its stake in IDBI Bank from the current 74 per cent to below 51 per cent.

Even as talks are going on to implement this decision, the minister of state for finance has stated in his reply to Parliament that such dilution of government stake below 50 per cent will not happen. What does one then make of the government's Budget target of strategic disinvestment or the plan to reduce government stake in IDBI Bank to below 50 per cent?

Within days of making this startling revelation, the prime minister, however, entrusted NITI Aayog with a new responsibility that is likely to create a new narrative for the pace of economic reforms. Far from the incremental reforms that this government was being associated with, Mr Modi told the Aayog that it must come up with a reforms agenda that would be transformational. And he added that transformational changes meant that the steps to be devised by the Aayog should not be incremental by nature.

Of course, Mr Modi did not outline any specific transformational measures that he would like the Aayog to recommend, but the thought has once again perplexed those who are tracking the reforms agenda of this government. How would transformational changes differ from big-bang reforms?

If this was not enough to cause confusion, the petroleum and natural gas ministry announced on Monday that prices of kerosene and cooking gas would be raised by small doses every month for the next 10 months. This is a welcome move and shows admirable pragmatism on the part of the government to increase prices in a manner that the decision is politically acceptable. Once again the Modi government took a leaf out of the Manmohan Singh government, which had successfully begun raising diesel prices in small doses, which eventually led to the introduction of market-linked pricing for diesel. Nevertheless, however, it does raise the question on the Modi government's stance on reforms.

The significance of the decision to gradually raise kerosene prices should not be underestimated. For the first time in five years, the government let oil marketing companies raise kerosene prices by 25 paise a litre last month. And now it commits itself to raising the heavily subsidised kerosene prices for the next 10 months.

Cooking gas prices too have not been raised frequently in the past. But now it seems the government is keen on making it a regular monthly feature. In short, the Modi government is planning to eliminate subsidies on kerosene and cooking gas instead of just targeting them for the poor.

Somewhere along the way, the Modi government's reforms perspective seems to have made a strategic shift. If it has shied away from big-bang reforms it is because it realises the political resistance it cannot overcome. But given an opportunity it would go ahead with eliminating subsidies as in the case of kerosene and cooking gas if there are no political upheavals over the move.

On privatisation, too, it might move on as the last word on the IDBI Bank has not yet been heard. In short, reforms under the Modi government will maintain a slow and tentative pace, constantly wary of political opposition. It may not be reform by stealth, but it is reform on the quiet, using whatever political opportunity comes the government's way.
Interestingly, in December 2014 also, the DoP had issued an order blacklisting HCL Infosystems and its subsidiaries for a period of five years.

The Department of Posts (DoP) has blacklisted HCL Infosystems and its subsidiaries for a period of six months debarring the company from participating in any tenders issued by it.

According to sources, the order was issued on August 3 and HCL Infosystems approached the Delhi High Court and got a stay against the order on August 12.



The hearing of the case is likely to be on August 29.

The exact reason for blacklisting is not clear but sources in DoP said it was because of the delays caused by the company to a hardware project for modernisation of post offices.

Interestingly, in December 2014 also, the DoP had issued an order blacklisting HCL Infosystems and its subsidiaries for a period of five years.

However, it is not clear what happened to that order and why the department chose to issue a fresh order debarring the company for six months.

Asked to comment on the matter, an HCL spokesperson said: "The Delhi High Court has admitted the petition of HCL Infosystems against the order by Department of Post and has granted a stay in favour of HCL Infosystems on 12th August 2016. Since the matter is sub-judice we will not be able to comment further on it."
Of 194 entities thrown off the exchange, BSE doesn't have promoter names or addresses for 168 firms; yet it has ordered all promoters to buy back shares

The BSE stock exchange has published a list of 194 companies, delisted for remaining suspended seven years or more. It also gave the fair value to be paid to the public shareholders for each of these.

However, for most of these companies, it does not know who the promoters are, making market participants wonder how these orders would be enforced. According to detailed public notices published in newspapers on Thursday, the column under the head of 'name and addresses of the promoters' read 'not available' for 168 of the 194 cases.

The names and addresses of promoters as available in exchange records or received from the RoCs (registrar of companies), RTA (registrar and transfer agents) or depositories have been included, a foot note said.

The delisting move is part of the drive by Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) to reduce the number of listed companies. In May, Sebi chairman U K Sinha had said the regulator was pushing for delisting of defunct companies and penalising of the promoters.

If the promoters do not give exit offers, we will take action against them. First, we will debar them from raising funds from the markets. There will be action against the company, the promoters and even directors, the Sebi chief had said.

The BSE delisting notice said these companies cease to be listed from August 17. Adding: Promoters of these delisted companies will be required to purchase the shares from public shareholders as per their fair value determined by the independent valuer appointed by the exchange.

The onus of giving an exit to the public shareholders at the fair value mentioned in the notice was on the promoters, the notice added. These unnamed promoters were also barred from accessing the securities market for 10 years.

Investors say the process would become farcical without names of the promoters. Virender Jain, president, Midas Touch Investors Association, which had fought a public interest suit with Sebi on the issue, said: This is very funny. You are banning some phantoms and allowing them to get away with the booty. And, said the process was illegal. Delisting cant be done without giving public shareholders the fair value.

Asked about the road ahead and efforts taken by the exchange to trace the promoters, the BSE spokesperson declined to comment.

Senior professionals who deal with securities regulations agreed with Jains assessment. It is infructuous to engage in such a process. They should delist only such companies where all details are available. These companies seem 'undelistable', to coin a term, said S N Ananthasubramanian, a senior governance professional and past president of The Institute of Company Secretaries of India. Adding: This seems to be another instance of 'operation successful; patient dead'.

Under Regulation 22 (6) of the Sebi (Delisting of Equity Shares) Regulations2009, it is mandatory to disclose 'The names and addresses of the promoters of the company who would be liable under sub-regulation (3) of regulation 23. The latter regulation stipulates that the promoter of the company shall acquire delisted equity shares from the public shareholders by paying them the value determined by the valuer.

Pavan K Vijay, managing director, Corporate Professionals, a Sebi-registered merchant banker, said: The delisting process should be a combined effort of all regulators.

It is not that these people have disappeared into thin air. Though these stocks have not been trading, some of them have kept their companies alive by complying with MCA (ministry of corporate affairs) rules. He added if the promoters remain anonymous, the whole process becomes a farce. Who will pay the fair value? Investors wont get anything.

Ananthasubramanian said the issue calls for a new provision in the regulations. They need to do some homework and take a fresh look at the problem at hand, rather than go for on-paper compliance and become a laughing stock.

Sources close to the exchange said the regulator was in the loop and their efforts to trace these companies had been fruitless. E-mails have been sent to the companies. Showcause notices have been posted but there has not been any response, an executive said.

Investors felt the exchange has to put in the public domain the efforts it has taken to trace these companies. How many FIRs (police reports) have they filed against these missing promoters? These people have swindled public money. By putting such a notice without names, we are exonerating them. It allows everyone to wash their hands off completely, said Jain of Midas Touch.

Image is used for representation purpose only.

Photograph: Ronen Zvulun/Reuters
IMAGE: Shah Rukh Khan with son Abram, who was born through a surrogate. The proposed bill would not allow such a procedure.



As a mother, as a woman, as a human being, Savera R Someshwar/Rediff.com is horrified by some of the provisions of the Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2016.

And, I read it again.

And, I rubbed my eyes. Again.

Before reading it one more time.

What I was reading, to put it mildly, left me horrified. As a mother. As a woman. As a human being. As a citizen living in what we proudly proclaim is the largest democracy in the world.

Maybe, the reportage was wrong. Exaggerated. So I hunted for the video.

Indias honourable minister for external affairs, Sushma Swaraj, had actually said all the things I had read as she was explaining the draft of the Surrogacy Regulation Bill, 2016 that has been approved by the Union Cabinet.

The Bill allows altruistic surrogacy for a limited section of society. The others, Swaraj said genially, were most welcome to adopt. And why couldnt they avail of surrogacy? Well come to that in a bit.

Some of her views, as expressed in the press conference on Wednesday, were clearly representative of the present Indians governments regressive views.

She began, very kindly, by explaining how surrogacy would now be restricted in India to childless couples, who are medically unfit to have children. They could, she went on, because clearly it was a tragedy for them, to take help from a close relative in a process that she called altruistic surrogacy.

But what, for example, if you didnt have close relatives who were willing to help?

Maybe, like a reporter pointed out in the press conference, you were two orphans who had chosen to get married to each other and later discovered that one or both of you were medically unfit to have children.

Maybe, you married against your familys wishes.

Maybe, you come from a small family and there are no women who qualify as a surrogate mother, either due to age or due to their physical ability to carry an embryo to term. Or maybe, since the bill demands that a surrogate mother has to be married and have a child, they dont fulfil those requirements.

Maybe -- and I am sure that Swaraj, as a mother herself, understands the emotional bonding a pregnant woman feels with the baby she is carrying; even if it is someone elses embryo -- a potential surrogate, closely related to the childless couple and sympathetic to their sorrow, may not be sure that she could cut off the emotional cord as easily as the placenta is snipped off at birth.

Lets take another look at the close relatives suggested by the honourable minister. Ms Swaraj, do you know how women are treated in our country? Will the bhabhi have a choice? What if she does not want to do this?

Will the sisters husband and in-laws allow her to be a surrogate mother even if she wants to?

Lets move on to another aspect: Pregnancy. As Swaraj surely knows, this comes with its own complications, right from everyday stuff like nausea, swollen feet to stretch marks, genetic diabetes to having a breech baby to babies dying in the womb to genetically deformed babies. Even if all goes well, there could be problems during delivery. The cord could be wrapped around the baby's neck, the baby could swallow meconium...

But the government is not concerned with all of this. The Bill, among other reasons, is being proposed to prevent the abandonment of the girl child and babies who are challenged, either physically or mentally or both.

If the foetus is discovered to have a problem, what happens if the surrogate mother decides she does not want an abortion for religious or emotional reasons? Will the parents, who are compelled by law to not abandon the child, born out of a surrogacy procedure, under any circumstances, find themselves capable of taking care of the child?

What if the surrogacy results in a girl child and the adoptive parents want an abortion? Will, given the circumstances in India, the surrogate mother have a choice?

What if the embryo implant results in twins? Or triplets? And this makes the pregnancy risky for the surrogate mother? What if the surrogate mother is advised bed rest for the duration of the pregnancy?

The surrogate mother, according to the bill, has to be a married woman with at least one child because it indicates that she is able to carry a child to term. In the scenarios listed above, what happens to her responsibilities towards her own family? What if she decides, at that stage, that the surrogacy is demanding too much of her?

If help is hired for her in such situations, who pays for it? The surrogate mother/family or the couple who want the baby who, according to the proposed bill, can only pay for medical care?

What about post-natal care? To what extent is the couple who want the baby responsible for it? What if the surrogate mother slips into post-natal depression and needs long term care? Who will take the responsibility?

And then, there are family dynamics and politics -- as well as societys unfeeling comments -- to be taken into account.

What if relations between the surrogate mother/her family and the couple who want a baby/their family break down irretrievably? Ms Swaraj, I am sure you are aware this irreversible breakdown of relations happens in families. What then?

According to the legal contract that is to be drawn between the would-be parents and the surrogate mother, the child belongs to the parents. But have you thought of the emotional state of the surrogate mother during this time? And what if she had donated her own egg for the surrogacy? Wouldnt the bond be even more strong and, under the circumstances, even more painful?

The bill also says that a woman can give birth to a surrogate child just once. But what if shes been forced to abort an earlier surrogate foetus, once or multiple times? What if he had been unable to carry a foetus to term? Will she be forced to become a surrogate again and again until a baby is delivered?

Each pregnancy, whether it results in a delivery or not, takes a physical and emotional toll on the mother.

So, what about the rights of the surrogate mother?

Swaraj is sure those rights cant be toyed with. After all, according to her, there is so way this industry can go underground. It will always be supervised. After all, the clinics are there. They are attached to the hotels (she means the apartments where the surrogates live). The mothers will be there, lying down for nine months, she explained. Everything is right there. So what can prevent the law from being implemented?

But you are talking about commercial surrogates, Ms Swaraj. Why would an altruistic surrogate not stay in her own home? Why would she opt for a commercial establishment rented by a clinic? And, in that case, how would any kind of legal infringement be supervised?

As we leave Swaraj to ponder over how the bill is protecting the surrogate mother, lets move on to some of the other things the bill says.

If, for whatever reason you cannot have your own child biologically, there are some more terms and conditions. Heres one: you have to be legally married for five years.

So, if youre married but havent crossed that five-year landmark decided by the government, hard luck.

If youve married late and want to start a family immediately, hard luck.

If you are a live-in couple, hard luck.

If you are an unmarried man or woman, hard luck.

If you are divorced, hard luck.

If you are separated, hard luck.

If you have lost your husband/wife to death, hard luck.

If you are a homosexual, hard luck.

If you are a lesbian, hard luck.

If you have a biological child and want one more, hard luck.

If you have adopted a child and want a biological one now, hard luck.

If you are poor, and cannot afford the cost of surrogacy, hard luck.

If you were born in India but now live abroad, or a now a citizen of a different country, hard luck. You cant ask your sister, or your bhabhi to help.

If you are a divorcee parent who has married a second time -- which means you have a child from your earlier marriage -- and wants to have a child but cant, the outline of the bill, as presented by Sushma Swaraj, offers no clarity.

In order to make that absolutely clear, let me quote Swaraj, Kaanooni roop se male and female legally wedded couples ko hi yeh anumati di jayegi (Only those men and women who are legally wed to each other will be given permission for surrogacy).

Which basically means the government has disqualified most of us from opting for altruistic surrogacy. It has decided to intervene in your private life, asked your sister or your husbands bhabhi or the mother of either parent, if they are within the age limit defined by the bill -- if one goes by whom Swaraj has qualified as a close relative -- to be a surrogate mother for you, take control of what should have been a personal decision, limited your freedom of choice and basically said, Well decide if you can have a child; otherwise, of course, you are free to adopt.

But is adoption the solution? There are thousands of children, innocent mites, who need a home, but Swaraj, Narendra Modi and the Government of India need to understand that adoption is a personal choice. Not everyone is qualified emotionally to be an adoptive parent and those who do so without being emotionally ready are doing the child a great disservice. And, in India, its not just the parents who adopt a child; the family has to have a welcoming heart as well.

Oh, and heres the reason why live-in and homosexual couples cannot opt for surrogacy. We dont recognise homosexuality and live-in relationships. It is against our ethos.

Whose ethos, Ms Swaraj? And who is this our that you are talking about?

And since youve decided that you, by which I presume you mean the Government of India, do not recognise live-in relationships, does it mean the Supreme Court judgment last year that an unmarried couple who cohabited continuously as man and life for a long time would be considered to be in a relationship akin to marriage as far as the law is concerned is illegal?

As for those who fit within the Indian governments carefully defined outline, you cant opt for altruistic surrogacy if you have a biological or adopted child, unless your child is mentally or physically challenged or suffers from a life-threatening disorder or fatal illness.

This, as Swaraj explains, has been decided so that there's no discrimination between the two children. You may not differentiate between when it comes to food and the way you bring them up, but the discrimination will definitely come in when it comes to property.'

Oh, so siblings dont scrap about property? They dont go to court against each other over money-related matters? Really? Is that how it happens? I didnt know!

And obviously, our adoption agencies are doing a terrible job, handing over kids to all and sundry (actually, that isnt true I have had friends and family go through the process and I know how thoroughly each couple has been investigated before they were approved as adoptee parents). The government should be suing the media for all those stories of siblings battling -- and even killing each other -- over wealth and property. Or for reports about physically or mentally challenged people being abandoned by their families/siblings. How, going by these recent revelatory guidelines by the government -- can this possibly be true?

Heres another remarkable statement Swaraj made: Mujhe dukh hai yeh baat kehte hue ki jo cheez zaroorat ke naam pe shuru ki gayi thi woh ab shauk ban gayi hai (I am saddened to say that something which began as a requirement has now become a hobby).'

And how does she know it? Well, of course, because, and I am going to quote her directly, Kitne hi itne udhaharan hamare saamne, aur badi celebrities ke hain, jinka apna bachcha ek nahi do-do hain, aur beta aur beti dono hai, toh bhi unhone surrogate child kiya hai. Toh yeh zaroorat ke liye toh hai anumati, shauk ke liye nahi hai. Aur na is liye hai ki kyonki patni prasav pida nahi sehna chahati, is liye chalo surrogate child kar lo. Yeh koi anand ki cheez nahi hai.

Heres what shes basically saying.

We have so many examples, including that of well-known celebrities who have their own child -- in fact, they have two children, a boy and a girl -- yet they have had a third child through surrogacy. Though this bill, we have given permission for a need, not a hobby. Nor will surrogacy be allowed because a wife does not want to go through the pain of delivery.

And then she adds, So, because your wife does not want to go through the pain of delivering a child, you will pay a poor woman to do so.

Ultimately, said Swaraj, heres what the bill would do. Surrogacy, as an economic activity, would be banned. India would no longer be the worlds cheap, rent-a-womb destination. The governments reason for doing this was, according to her, purely benevolent, far-sighted and revolutionary. All those women who had been conned/coerced/forced into selling their wombs would now be safe. It will, she said, shut down India's surrogacy industry which has thrived on the misery of poor women.

In a largely patriarchal India, this does happen more often than any decent human being would like it to. Like most other decisions, the decision of renting the womb is not the womans or only the womans. Factors, mainly financial, come into play. Many a time, the circumstances are grim enough to override the fear of social stigma and even ostracisation at the thought of a woman carrying a child not created by the union of her egg with her husbands sperm.

India may now be listed as the seventh richest country in the world, but that statistic makes no difference to her poor, who continue to struggle to eke out a living.

And so, these women rent their womb in a trade where they are most often cheated. In the many fly-by-night surrogacy clinics that have opened up in India over the years, the focus is entirely on the soon-to-be-born child, the source of profit. The mother-to-be matters only as the receptacle bearing this source of this profit.

If, in the process, her health is at risk, its not really a matter of concern as long as the baby is not affected. And the fact that she has to part with the baby -- a living, kicking, moving human being she has nursed in her womb for nine months -- is just swept under the carpet.

Sadly, what the bill does is blatantly ignore the commercial surrogate mothers and the reason why they rent out their womb.
The solution to the Kashmir problem does not lie in India speaking to Pakistan; it does not lie in the Indian government speaking to the separatists; it lies in the Kashmiris talking to their inner selves. They need to trace their history to include their rich cultural heritage of Hindu Saivism and Sufi mysticism. Only then will Kashmiris be at peace with themselves, says Vivek Gumaste.

The currents of history do not coalesce together logically or flow smoothly. They pursue an erratic capricious course with an uncanny knack of picking up nondescript incidents or seemingly minor indiscretions that appear paltry and banal at that moment and transforming them into sentinel events of enormous significance whose impact stretches out into posterity for generations.

So in the 1300s, when Devaswami, the head pontiff of Sharada Peeth (the great Kashmiri centre of Vedic learning) in a transient fit of arrogance rebuffed Rinchinas (a prince of Ladakh and an usurper to the throne of Kashmir) request to be inducted into the Hindu fold, little did he realise the far-reaching consequences that his fateful pronouncement would have for the Hindu community of Kashmir.

Rakesh Kaul recapitulates the poignant exchange between them in his magnificent historical novel, The Last Queen of Kashmir (2016. Harper Collins, India) which artfully reconstructs early 14th century Kashmir -- a contentious period rife with anarchy and chaos that facilitated the entry of Islam into the cradle of Vedic civilisation.

The book virtually transports one back in time: use of vernacular phrases, flowing references to Vedic shlokas, tongue-twisting Sanskrit terminology, and colourful descriptions of native people and their characteristic clothing infuse the novel with a medieval reality that is impressive and credible.

But more notable than the literary embellishments is the historical fidelity of the narration that is sustained throughout its entirety: the overall plot remains true to historical time lines and rarely deviates from reality.

This saga of 14th century Kashmir courses through a rich and complex plot of personal betrayal, political intrigue and subversive religious proselytisation culminating in a disastrous alteration of ideological demography: the guiding principle of Kashmir -- truth, beauty and bliss through knowledge and consciousness -- is thrust aside to make way for a narrow, rigid and alien fanaticism.

Central to the theme is Kotarani, the young beautiful and pragmatic daughter of commander-in-chief turned leader Ramachandra; her life forms the fulcrum around which these events are narrated. When Ramachandra is murdered before her eyes by the turncoat Rinchina, a Tibetan Botha who had been given sanctuary by her father at her behest and with the assurance that from now on you are a part of Kashmir where dharmic justice is the law of the land, Kotarani lapses into a state of shock.

In pursuit of her vendetta, Kotarani accepts the offer of marriage from a partially repentant Rinchina in order to safeguard the interest of Kashmir. However, Rinchina soon realises that despite his betrothal to the rightful queen of Kashmir, his outsider status persists. He approaches Devaswami for acceptance into Hinduism. When Devaswami demurs, the hurt Rinchina succumbs to the machinations of the wily Shah Mir (another key player in this drama) who manipulates him into embracing Islam -- he thus becomes the first Muslim ruler of Kashmir.

Fortunately for Kashmir, Rinchinas religious mentor proves to be a benevolent Sufi mystic named Bulbul Qalandar whom the Kashmiri respect and honour: 'The Kashmiris honored Bulbul for his divine insights and in return they were the beneficiaries of his grace. It did not matter what faith you were: Bulbuls heart was the universal receptor, and the Kashmiris marveled that Islam had produced such a luminous being.'

Nevertheless, this turn of history paves the way for Islam to find a prominent place in the Valley. Shah Mir, an immigrant from Swadgabar who had sought asylum in Kashmir in 1313 with his band of followers and relatives, is a man who harbours mounting political ambitions and is smitten with religious fervour. His religious confidant is a foil to Bulbul Qalandar: an extremist fakir who propounds an aggressive brand of Islam at odds with the pluralistic milieu of Kashmir.

Together, the fakir and Shah Mir plan on a strategy.

Coincidentally, fear of invasion by barbaric and fanatic religious raiders like Dulucha and his Ghazi warriors who demand zan, zamin and zenana (gold, land and women) along with religious submission hangs heavy over the kingdom of Kashmir.

Thus, internal and external forces collude to undermine the native philosophy of Kashmir.

Meanwhile, Shah Mir with fake humility and cunning ingratiates himself to the system rising to be the commander in chief of the kingdom, all along coveting the throne of Kashmir. Once firmly ensconced in a position of authority he resorts to outright political murders, stages dissent and corners Kotarani into submission.

In response to his precondition for marriage Kotarani kills herself on July 17, 1339, and Shah Mir establishes the first Muslim dynasty of Kashmir, a dynasty that would ring the death knell of Hinduism in Kashmir through its descendants like the notorious Sikander Butshikan (1389-1413), the iconoclast during whose reign forced proselytisation reached a peak.

In barely 100 years, by the end of Sikandars regime, the demography had been irreversibly altered to leave a lasting impact on Kashmir.

The striking parallels between those times and modern-day happenings in Kashmir is hard to ignore: history does not go away, it repeats itself.

On January 19, 1990 (known as the Kristallnacht of Kashmiri Pandits), the ghosts of Dulucha and Sikandar once again returned to Kashmir. On that cold wintery night as the frightened Pandit community cowered behind closed doors, mosques in Kashmir blared out a warning as all law and order collapsed: Kashmir mei agar rehna hai, Allah-O-Akbar kehna hai (If you want to stay in Kashmir, you have to say Allah-O-Akbar); Yahan kya chalega, Nizam-e-Mustafa (What do we want here? Rule of Shariat); Asi gachchi Pakistan, Batao roas te Batanev san (We want Pakistan along with Hindu women but without their men).

ALSO READ: 19/01/90: When Kashmiri Pandits fled Islamic terror.

The spirit of Sharadapeeth and Baba Qalandar still lingers on in the Valley albeit in a muted form but so do the likes of Shah Mir and the fanatic fakir.

The solution to the Kashmir problem does not lie in India speaking to Pakistan; it does not lie in the Indian government speaking to the separatists; it lies in the Kashmiris talking to their inner selves and coming to terms with their whole identity -- their past and their present.

They need to trace their history from the beginning of time to include their rich cultural heritage of Hindu Saivism and Sufi mysticism. Nobody is asking them to negate their Muslim persona but to be true to themselves and their ancestors they must accept their Hindu past that stretches back 5,000 years. Only then will Kashmiris be at peace with themselves.

The Last Queen of Kashmir is a tour de force that is informative, entertaining as well as edifying.
The Haji Ali dargah verdict will help Indian women from all faiths and backgrounds.

It is our firm belief that Islam is a religion of gender equality.

IMAGE: Devotees walk out of the Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

On Friday, the Bombay high court, reversing the ban on women entering the inner sanctum of the city's famed Haji Ali dargah, said, The ban is contrary to Articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the dargah on par with men.

The words brought much cheer and joy to petitioner Zakia Soman, founder of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, who has waged a lonely battle for gender equality.

Soon after the historic verdict, Zakia told Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com that the ruling will help in the reform of Muslim personal law.

How do you view the Bombay high court verdict that allows women to enter the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali dargah?

This is quite a historic judgment. It has restored the old order where womens right to enter the mazar (tomb) has been restored. This is a historic judgment because it talks about Muslim womens equality. The whole issue of reforming the Muslim personal law will be helped by this. This judgment will help all Indian women from all faiths and backgrounds. It will help women who are seeking entry into the Sabrimala temple and all other religious places in the country.

It is a truly historic judgment.

The people who opposed you said that Muslim women have no right to enter the sanctorum or to touch the tomb. What do you have to say to them?

Why then were we going to Haji Ali mazar (the saint's tomb) till 2011? Why do we go right up to the Kaaba Muazzama (Grand Kaaba) when we go to to Mecca perform the Hajj?

There are so many sufi dargahs in Mumbai and across the country where women go right up to the mazar. They have no argument. They never saw this problem before 2012.

Muslim women can read the Holy Quran, they can interpret it and they can educate themselves. Muslim women will not accept these kinds of patriarchal norms anymore.

But there is a general belief among Muslim women that they are not allowed inside religious places.

Who believes this? It is not our belief nor is it the belief of Sufi Islam. Sufi Islam is humanist Islam. It is Islam of peace, love, brotherhood and harmony. Sufi Islam is not exclusionary.

We do not follow extremist Islam. Their Islam excludes women. We believe in humanist Islam and we believe in Islam where all human beings are equal irrespective of gender, language or background.

2012 The year in which the Haji Ali Dargah banned the entry of women inside the inner sanctum

Do you feel the people who prevent women from entering the sanctum sanctorum want to reinforce male domination over Islam?

Our society is highly influenced by patriarchy. This includes the entire Indian society cutting across religions. We are a male- dominated society, but it is beginning to change.

This changed in Shani Shingnapur and we are going to see (the change) in Sabarimala.

In our country, the religious custodians have always been males. Be it Hinduism, Islam or Christianity, it is the male version of religion which is prevalent and ultimately it is the males who are arbiters. This is beginning to change now and our Constitution enables that change. What has happened today in the high court is an example of that change and therefore this is a historic judgment.

The people who lost the case against you are saying that courts must not interfere in religious matters.

We are also saying the same thing. The men who were barring us from entering the mazar are also interfering with our right to religion.

Islam is meant for both men and women, it is not exclusively for men. Actually, they have interfered in womens right to religion and womens right to religious freedom.

Do you know how many Islamic countries allow women to enter graveyards?

We go for Hajj. All Muslim men and women go for Hajj. The holiest place of Islam is the Kaaba. Men and women perform Hajj together. They go right up to the Kaaba. All these arguments are meant to obfuscate the truth. All these arguments are meant to continue the denial of justice. All these arguments are made to discriminate against women.

But I am asking about graveyards, not Hajj.

I have grown up going to my grandmothers and my mother-in-laws graveyards.

During Shab-e-barat (when Muslims visit the graveyard to pay their respects to the dead) all of us go to graveyards. As children we went, too. That is what I am saying.

Why should we follow their version? We are ourselves capable of reading the Quran, interpreting it and implementing it in our lives. That is what more and more women are doing now and quite a few men are supporting them.

Women outside the Bombay high court celebrate the court's decision. Photograph: Sahil Salvi/Rediff.com

Is it written anywhere in the Quran or Hadith (sayings of Prophet Mohammed) that women must not enter graveyards?

No. It is not written. They are misinterpreting the Quranic injunctions. They are distorting the Quranic verses and they are giving it their own male dominated, patriarchal thinking colour. It is our firm belief that Islam is a religion of gender equality and the males are not arbiters of that belief. And this is our faith.

So how did this culture come about where women were not allowed into graveyards?

This is because we are a backward society, we are patriarchal, we are male-dominated, we do not have education and we do not have economical empowerment. This pertains to South Asia and India as all societies are male dominated in South Asia.

How does this judgment help in the ongoing debate on triple talaq (divorce) cases which are seen to be regressive and against women?

This judgment will help and build the climax for reform and gender justice for all women. It will help.

Could this verdict lead to public protests as we saw following the 1986 Shah Bano case?

I dont think so. I think the majority of the Muslim community is ready for change. The majority of Muslim community wants change. They have suffered on account of this kind of extremist and conservative beliefs that have been imposed on them.

A lot has changed since Shah Bano. Today, the average Muslim wants education and jobs. They want to live a life of dignity.
There were absolutely no guidelines (on surrogacy) and poor women were being exploited.

The poor surrogate mothers do not understand the value of life. They only understand the value of money.

Germany and Britain banned it because they know surrogacy is exploitation of womens body. Therefore the foreigners were coming to India.

Image: A surrogate mother at a hostel for such mothers in Anand, Gujarat. Photograph: Mansi Thapliyal/Reuters.

For the last 18 months, lawyer Jayshree Wad has been fighting surrogacy in the Supreme Court.

She petitioned the Supreme Court stating that surrogacy had become a business in India, which then ordered the central government to frame rules governing surrogacy.

On Wednesday, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj announced that the Union Cabinet had approved the draft of the Surrogacy Regulation Bill 2016 meant to regulate the process. The bill will be tabled before Parliament in the forthcoming winter session.

Wad, 77, says she is happy the government has taken concrete steps to regulate the procedure. Surrogacy is exploiting a womans body, she told Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com in an interview.

Why did you file a case against surrogacy in the Supreme Court?

We have fundamental rights for every citizen in India. In our petition we quoted Article 14 to Article 23 of our Constitution stating that you cannot exploit anybody. There is personal liberty. And when I read about surrogacy in October 2014, I realised that surrogate mothers were being exploited for money. Therefore I felt something has to be done about this.

In the absence of any law, what is to be done? Because I am a practising lawyer in the Supreme Court for the last four years I filed a petition stating that the fundamental right of such mothers was being infringed upon. And after my petition, the Supreme Court passed a direction to the government. There were absolutely no guidelines (on surrogacy) and poor women were being exploited.

What is your personal opinion about surrogacy?

My opinion is that if a couple do not have child, then through some friend or relation have a child through surrogacy. A surrogate mother must know what is going to happen to her body. Right now poor, illiterate women are going in for surrogacy to make money.

A contract is signed between the surrogate mother and the couple who want to have children, which states that the surrogate mother will not be able to see the child after she delivers the baby. This is quite unusual for a mother who bears the child for nine months.

You are against surrogacy because it was being done for money and had become commercial.

Absolutely true. I am against it because women who are becoming surrogate mothers are completely ignorant about the procedure. This is exploitation of women because they are ignorant.

Did you do any research as to what happens to surrogate mothers after five to six years of delivering the baby? What happens to them emotionally and physically when they give up the child they deliver?

I have done research on this subject and also studied material from the West. I found that surrogacy is taking place in India because we are a poor country and women are being exploited. When a woman goes for surrogacy for money, the whole procedure is wrong.

There is another example. A couple came from abroad and got their baby after the mother delivered the child. Unfortunately the mother died during delivery. But the couple refused to pay any compensation because they said they had a contract only with the dead mother. The woman became a surrogate mother to support her own children financially and safeguard their future. This incident really made me angry.

These poor surrogate mothers do not understand the value of life. They only understand the value of money.

What happens when an unmarried man or woman wants to have a baby or a woman who is divorced wants to have a baby?

At this moment we do not have a law. Therefore I cannot comment on this issue. I took up this case to stop the exploitation of women. I have not taken up the case of any woman who is unmarried or a divorcee. I have read about a woman who has produced more than five children due to surrogacy.

On one hand our government says we should not have more than two children and on the other hand through surrogacy these poor women are producing five children. What will happen to her body? And suppose the surrogate mother dies, what will be the future of her own children?

Countries like Germany and Great Britain have banned surrogacy.

They banned it because they know surrogacy is the exploitation of a womans body. Therefore these foreigners were coming to India.
'All gau-bhakts, of whichever ideological shade, party or banner, anybody and everybody is entitled to participate in the commemoration.'

'Most importantly, the programme has to be totally peaceful.'

On November 7, 1966, the Delhi police fired upon Naga sadhus who were marching from the Red Fort to Parliament to demand enactment of a law to ban cow slaughter. The police opened fire when the agitators broke the police cordon and entered Parliament.

To mark 50 years of the police firing, the Goraksha Andolan, founded by Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh ideologue and former Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Kodipakkam Neelamegacharya Govindacharya, has organised a day-long event in memory of those killed in the incident.

Though newspapers widely reported the number of deaths in the police firing at six, it was strongly contested by Hindu organisations which believe that more than 200 sadhus and sants were killed that day.

Prasanna D Zore/Rediff.com spoke to Govindacharya, image, below, who despite being the founding father of Goraksha Andloan, said that he will be attending the event in his individual capacity.

You are commemorating the deaths of sants and Naga sadhus who died in the 1966 police firing in 2016. What is the significance?

This is not the first time that we are organising a meet to remember the gau rakshaks (cow protectors) who were killed in 1966. Every year, big and small programmes were organised in Delhi's Ramlila Maidan to remember those who were killed.

For five-six years continuously Jagadguru Shankaracharya Madhavashramji Maharaj, who has his ashram in Old Delhi, along with the Godhan Sangh used to take the initiative for organising this commemoration.

Since 2016 is the 50th year of this brutal killing, it was decided that we should call all those individuals, groups and organisations together and hold a commemoration programme that will include some kind of havan, japam, moksha deepam.

We want to pay respects to the gau rakshaks who died.

But those who opposed cow slaughter and sought a ban on it did not die in police firing only in 1966. Before that too cow slaughter has been opposed continuously in India. So, this year's commemoration is nothing new.

You have said that more than 200 people died in the police firing. Do you have their names or list or any proof to substantiate your claim?

It was published in some newspapers at that time that around 249 sadhus and sants were killed in the police firing. This was the figure quoted in some newspapers during those days. I am not sure about the number (of deaths in the police firing).

Are you going to invite members of the Bharatiya Janata Party to be part of this commemoration?

All the gau-bhakts, of whichever ideological shade, party or banner, anybody and everybody is entitled to participate in this commemoration. But one has to act according to the discipline of the committee that is organising this event.

Most importantly, the programme has to be totally peaceful.

In the recent past there have been many violent attacks on Dalits and Muslims by cow vigilantes...

I won't like to comment on that. I wouldn't like to join this issue at all at present.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi too has made a statement against the violent cow vigilantism...

Again... I won't like to join this issue as well at present.

Would you be inviting the prime minister to this event?

I have not yet thought about it but I am not the organiser of this event. I will be participating as an individual.

Image: Members of a gau-rakshak group are pictured with cows they claim to have saved from slaughter in Agra. Photograph: Cathal McNaughton/Reuters.
An assassination attempt on German Chancellor Angela Merkel has reportedly been foiled in Prague.

Czech police arrested a man after he attempted to drive his black Mercedes into the motorcade of visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Prague.

The police said the suspect was in custody and that Merkel was not in danger.

Local reports claim that officers found a baton, a canister of tear gas, cement blocks, and handcuffs in the mans black 4x4 Mercedes.

The chancellor was in Prague to meet Prime Minister Bohuslav Sobotka.

She was travelling from the airport to the city when the suspicious vehicle appeared on the outskirts of the city,

The Mercedes driver is reported to have refused to obey orders coming from police cars accompanying the German chancellor.

He is alleged to have carried on trying to enter the motorcade and cut off a police vehicle that was trying to stop him.

The driver reportedly only stopped and got out of the vehicle after police warned him that they were going to shoot.

Merkel is meeting 15 other heads of state this week to create a new agenda after Britains decision to leave the European Union.

A series of demonstrations have greeted her in Prague, while demonstrators held posters saying Merkel is killing Europe.
With 14 more deaths, the toll in the Bihar flood rose to 149 on Friday even as the swollen Ganga river has started receding.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar made an aerial survey of several flood affected districts during the day.

A release by the Disaster Management Department said Bhojpur accounted for 13 deaths, the maximum in any Bihar district

The flood has been caused by a spate in Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Burhi Gandak, Ghaghra, Kosi and other rivers and has affected 32.51 lakh people in 2,018 villages under 553 panchayats of 74 blocks in the state, it said.

Ganga, though showing a receding trend, is flowing above the danger mark at seven places -- Digha Ghat, Gandhi Ghat, Hathidah in Patna, Bhagalpur and Kahalgaon in Bhagalpur district, besides in Munger and Buxar districts.

The receding trend has been witnessed at Gandhi Ghat, Digha Ghat and Hathidah in Patna.

A total 4.16 lakh people have been evacuated so far from the 12 flood-affected districts of Buxar, Bhojpur, Patna, Vaishali, Saran, Begusarai, Samastipur, Lakhisarai, Khagaria, Munger, Bhagalpur and Katihar, the release said.

The government is plying 2,516 boats for evacuation and national and state disaster response forces have already been deployed in the affected districts.

Five hundred and eighteen relief camps are being run in the flood-hit areas and are providing shelter to 2.05 lakh people, who are being provided medical services by 270 teams.

Arrangements have been made for providing food and other items and the government has so far distributed 6,105 quintal of flattened rice, 1,072 quintal jaggery, 111 quintals of sattu, 82,822 matchsticks packets, 48,629 polythene sheets and 2,43,959 dry food packets, the release said.

Besides, 108 camps were being run only for animals, the release said, adding, 108 cattle have been killed in the floods, it added.

Kumar made an aerial survey of Bhagalpur, Katihar, Munger, Khagaria, Begusarai, Samastipur and Vaishali districts. He was accompanied by Water Resources Minister Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh and his Principal Secretary Chanchal Kumar.

He also held a review meeting at Bhagalpur airport along with the principal secretary to the water resources department, Bhagalpur divisional commissioner, district magistrate superintendent of police.

He directed them to intensify relief work and assess the damage caused by floods.

While inspecting the various relief camps in Patna district, Kumar announced that Rs 15,000 and Rs 10,000 would be given to each girl and boy child respectively who are born in relief camps or hospitals after their mothers were evacuated from the flood affected areas.

The disaster management department release said every registered person in the camps would be given bath soaps and soaps for cleaning clothes, combs, hair oil, mirrors and sanitary napkins for women.

Besides, people in relief camps would be given clothes and served food in stainless steel utensils which they can take home when the flood water subsides.

The funds for utensils, clothes and soaps, comb, hair oil and sanitary napkins would be made available from the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, the release said.

IMAGE: People wade on a banana raft in flood hit area of Hajipur, Bihar. Photograph: PTI Photo
As a debate raged over sensitivity of leaked Scorpene data, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar on Friday played down the leak, saying it is "not a big worry" as weapon system details were not included, a remark challenged by the publisher who asserted these will be made public on Monday.

However, the minister while noting that he is speaking on the basis of Navy's briefing to him, said there are "few pockets of concerns" because the ministry is assuming the worst case scenario.

He also made it clear that the leak of documents on Scorpene submarines will not have any impact on any deal being worked out with the French including the Rafale fighter jet contract.

The defence minister said that the leaked documents put on the web of 'The Australian' newspaper does not include details of any of the weaponry systems of the Scorpene as has been reported in the media.

Parrikar said that the Navy has assured him that most of the leaked documents are not of concern.

"Weapon system agreements are with weapon manufacturers and they are separate agreements. Secondly, all submarines have so far not done the sea trials. Therefore the most important signature (movement of the submarine) does not form part of the documents.

"The most important aspect is that we do our integration through our technical capability," he said.

Hours later, Cameron Stewart, the journalist who broke the story regarding the leak of 22,000 pages of "restricted" data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai under licence from DCNS, said those also have been leaked.

"India's defence minister says leaked data on Scorpene Submarines does not include weapons systems. Wrong. We will release weapons docs Monday," he tweeted.

"When I say we will release a leaked document on Scorpene weapons systems, they will of course be redacted by us of sensitive information."

The remarks by the Minister came even as Defence Ministry sources played down the leak saying it does not compromise national security as the documents were old and did not contain details of weapon system.

The minister also said that Scorpene submarine has not even fully completed the sea trials, which is important to understand how it will work under water.

The Indian Navy has taken up Scorpene document leak matter with French Directorate General of Armament.

"We are waiting for the report. Basically, what is on the website is not of big concern. We are assuming, on our own, that this has leaked and we are taking all precautions", he told reporters on the sidelines of a seminar organised by defence website bharatshakti.in

"What I am given to understand is that there are few pockets of concern assuming that what is claimed to have been leaked has leaked actually.

"We are going by assumption of the worst case scenario. I think there is not big worry because we will be able out put things in right perspective", Parrikar added.

Asked by a journalist whether the Rafale deal would be affected because of the leak, the minister, who was puzzled by the query, shot back questioning whether one can stop using French products just because a leak has happened in another company.

"You stop using all products from France? Obviously, the companies are different, the type of equipment is different and an incident should be punished with whatever the contractual punishment is there. It is not intentionally leaked," Parrikar said.

While media reports from France have said that the documents were "stolen" by a former DCNS employee, India has not received anything in writing.

More than 22,000 pages of top secret data on the capabilities of six highly advanced submarines being built for the Indian Navy in Mumbai in collaboration with a French company have been leaked, ringing alarm bells in the security establishment.

The combat capability of the Scorpene submarines being built at Mazagon dock at a cost of over $3.5 billion under licence from French firm went public when the Australian newspaper put the details on the website.

Asked whether the Ministry has got in touch with the newspaper for the set of documents, he said, "Why should I? I am assuming that everything has leaked."

When asked if the DCNS should have informed India about the leak which is said to have happened in 2011, Parrikar said the government will wait for an official reply from the firm.

"One aspect is security which is a top priority for us. We have a team in place. They are going into the details assuming that the leak has taken place.

"The second aspect is the contractual obligation and proper information. That we have asked and are waiting for a reply from them. Let the reply come," he said.

Asked how concerned or how alarmed was he, the minister said, "If you ask me, I have always expressed my concern until a solution has been found. But the navy has assured me that most of the concerns, like I told you for example, the arms... we have different contract as far as arms and ammunition are concerned.

"In 2011 and 2014 we have developed our own document, with the help of which we have... whereas there are many modifications which have been done," he said.

Parrikar stressed that India does its own integration.

"So all these aspects makes lot of concerns in much lower potential or category. They (navy) have assured me that probably they we will be able to address most of concerns," he said.



IMAGE: Navy's Scorpene submarine INS Kalvari being escorted by tugboats as it arrives at Mazagon Docks in Mumbai. Photograph: Shailesh Andrade/Reuters/Files
France's highest administrative court on Friday suspended a controversial ban on the burkini by a French Riviera town after it was challenged by rights groups.

In a judgement expected to set a precedent, the State Council ruled that local authorities could only restrict individual liberties if wearing the Islamic swimsuit was a "proven risk" to public order.

The judges said there was no such risk in the case before the court concerning Villeneuve-Loubet, one of around 30 towns to have introduced the bans.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith hailed the ruling as a "victory for common sense".

Police have fined Muslim women for wearing burkinis on beaches in several towns, including in the popular tourist resorts of Nice and Cannes, sparking controversy in France and abroad.

The burkini bans have triggered a fierce debate about women's rights and the French state's strictly-guarded secularism.

Amnesty International welcomed the ruling.

"By overturning a discriminatory ban that is fuelled by and is fuelling prejudice and intolerance, today's decision has drawn an important line in the sand," Amnesty's Europe director John Dalhuisen said.

"French authorities must now drop the pretence that these measures do anything to protect the rights of women," he said.

The CFCM's secretary general Abdallah Zekri said: "This victory for common sense will help to take the tension out of a situation which has become very tense for our Muslim compatriots, especially women."

The State Council heard arguments from the Human Rights League and an anti-Islamophobia group.

A court in Nice had upheld the Villeneuve-Loubet ban this week.

President Francois Hollande said on Thursday that life in France "supposes that everyone sticks to the rules and that there is neither provocation nor stigmatisation".

Anger over the issue was further inflamed this week when photographs in the British media showed police surrounding a woman in a headscarf on a beach in Nice as she removed a long-sleeved top.

The office of Nice's mayor denied that the woman had been forced to remove clothing, telling AFP she was showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the picture was taken.

Prime Minister Manuel Valls on Thursday condemned any "stigmatisation" of Muslims, but maintained that the burkini was "a political sign of religious proselytising".

But in a sign of the divisions within the Socialist government on the issue, Education Minister Najat Vallaud- Belkacem said the "proliferation" of burkini bans "was not a welcome development".

Vallaud-Belkacem, who is of Moroccan origin, took issue with the wording of the ban in Nice which linked the measure to the jihadist truck attack in the resort last month in which 86 people were killed. "In my opinion, there is nothing to prove that there is a link between the terrorism of Daesh and what a woman wears on a beach," she said, using another term for Islamic State.

IMAGE: Protesters demonstrate against France's ban of the burkini, outside the French Embassy in London, Britain. Photograph: Neil Hall/Reuters
The death toll from Italy's devastating earthquake rose to 267 on Friday as aftershocks rattled rescuers racing to find survivors.

Releasing the new count, Immacolata Postiglione, head of the Civil Protection agency's emergency unit, indicated there had been no survivors found overnight in any of the remote mountain villages of Amatrice devastated by Wednesday's powerful pre-dawn quake.

IMAGE: A body is carried away by rescuers following an earthquake in Amatrice, central Italy. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has declared a state of emergency for the regions affected by Wednesday's quake, which occurred in an area that straddles Umbria, Lazio and Marche.

Renzi also released an initial tranche of 50 million euros ($ 56 million) in emergency aid.

At least 367 people have been hospitalised with injuries but no one has been pulled alive from the piles of collapsed masonry since Wednesday evening.

IMAGE: Rescuers walk with dogs following the earthquake in Amatrice. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters

More than 900 aftershocks have rattled the region since Wednesday's 6.0-6.2 magnitude first one triggered the collapse of hundreds of ill-prepared old buildings across dozens of tiny communities playing host to far more people than usual because of the summer holidays.

Many of the survivors camping out in the tents were carrying plastic bags containing the handful of possessions -- clothes, ID documents, phones and wallets -- they had been able to grab before fleeing their homes in terror.

Over a dinner provided by an emergency cell of an Italian chefs' organisation on Wednesday evening, one survivor told how close she had come to being trapped in a house in the tiny hamlet of Illica.

IMAGE: People are seen preparing to spend the night in a gym. Photograph: Ciro De Luca/Reuters

"I managed to get out alive because I found a hole in the wall and managed to make it bigger and I made it out onto a roof and walked across until I got to a terrace and managed to get down from there," said Elisa.

"We shared clothes, there were people going around with one slipper on, those who were basically naked until 11:00 am.

"When dawn came it was devastating because then we really understood what the damage was, and that there were people who couldn't be found, who were missing, who were dead."

IMAGE: A man walks along a makeshift camp in Arquata. Photograph: Remo Casilli/Reuters

Quake experts have estimated the cost of the short-term rescue effort and mid to longer-term reconstruction could exceed a billion euros.

There are also fears of a negative impact of an already stagnating Italian economy.

At least eight foreigners were among the dead, according to media reports and updates from foreign ministries.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and two other varsity students were on Friday granted regular bail in a sedition case relating to alleged anti-India slogan-shouting at JNU campus in February by a Delhi court which noted that there was no ground not to grant them the relief.

Earlier in the day, Delhi Police told the court that Kanhaiya and two other students -- Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya -- did not misuse interim bail conditions and cooperated with the probe in the case.

"In view of the fact that these three accused persons are on interim bail and have joined the investigation as and when called, I admit all these accused persons Kanhaiya Kumar, Umar Khalid and Anirban Bhattacharya to regular bail on the same terms and conditions on which they were granted interim bail.

"Bail bonds and surety bonds have already been furnished by these accused persons at the time of availing interim bail. The same bond shall remain in force till further orders," Additional Sessions Judge Reetesh Singh said in his order.

Special Public Prosecutor Rajiv Mohan, appearing for the special cell of Delhi Police, told the court that "the accused persons have joined the investigation as and when called during the period of their interim bail", and that they did not misuse the liberty granted to them.

Kanhaiya, Khalid and Bhattacharya, who are out on interim bail, had moved the court for regular bail.

Kanhaiya's move came after the Delhi High Court on August 17 had refused his application for regular bail and asked him to approach the sessions court for the purpose. He was granted interim bail by the high court on March 2 for six months which is scheduled to expire on September 1.

While granting interim bail to Khalid and Bhattacharya on March 18, the trial court had observed that the role attributed to Kanhaiya does not appear to be different from the allegations levelled against the other two accused.

The court had granted the relief to Khalid and Bhattacharya on furnishing a personal bond in the sum of Rs 25,000 with one surety of the like amount, which was complied with by them. After that, they were ordered to be released till September 19.

It had also directed Umar and Anirban not to leave Delhi without permission during the period of interim bail and make themselves available before the investigating officer as and when required for the probe.

The high court had earlier granted interim conditional bail for six months to Kanhaiya, asking him not participate actively or passively in any activity which could be termed anti-national.

Kanhaiya was arrested on February 12 on sedition charge in connection with an event on the campus on February 8 where anti-national slogans were allegedly raised. Umar and Anirban were arrested later.
The Kerala government on Friday virtually brushed aside Union minister Maneka Gandhi's opposition to its proposal to cull violent dogs, saying it will go ahead with its resolve to check dangerous canines even as three more children were injured by stray dogs.

"There is no change in the state government's decision to tackle violent street dogs," Local Administration Minister K T Jaleel said, reacting to Gandhi's statement that the move to cull the dogs was "unlawful and unscientific".

The government is contemplating how to overcome the problems caused by the street dogs and sterilisation process will be also strengthened, he told reporters in Kottayam.

"Violent dogs would be handled the way they should be handled," he said, noting each person would have an opinion on the law in this regard.

However, the minister said the wishes of animal and environmental lovers also would be taken into consideration.

Taking a dig at Gandhi, Jaleel said, "How can people talk about being humane to animals when they did not have compassion towards human beings. First of all one needs to have love towards fellow human beings.

"It is not our policy to kill dogs...What we are contemplating is how to overcome the problems," he added.

In the wake of the recent death of a 65-year old woman who was attacked by a pack of dogs, the government has announced steps, including culling violent dogs.

Meanwhile, stray dog attacks continued in different parts of the state with three children, including a five-year old boy, suffering injuries due to dog bites in Thrissur district last night.

The children were undergoing treatment at the MedicalCollegeHospital in Thrissur, police said.

In a related development, Stray Dog-Free Movement, an outfit campaigning against stray dog menace, asked the state government to take immediate steps to cull violent dogs.

Its Chairman and industrialist Kochouseph Chittilappilly said the outfit would write to Prime Minister Narendra Modi detailing the dangers posed by stray dogs in the state.

The stray dog menace has became a major issue in the state following the death of the 65-year-old woman after being attacked by dogs at coastal hamlet Pullivilla near Thiruvananthapuram last week.

According to a report submitted in the Supreme Court recently in a connected case, more than one lakh people in Kerala have been bitten by dogs in 2015-16.

The report has also said there were about 2.5 lakh street dogs in the state.
An Indian man who is serving a three-year sentence in Pakistan for illegally entering the country faces "threats" to his life in prison, Pakistan Human Rights Commission has said and asked the government to ensure his safety.

Hamid Nehal Ansari, 31, a Mumbai resident, was convicted in February in Kohat, a city in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province of Pakistan.

Ansari went missing in Pakistan in 2012 where he had allegedly gone to meet a girl he had befriended on the Internet, authorities last month admitted that he has been in army custody and facing a trial in military courts.

"The former, a young Indian engineer, illegally entered Pakistan because he wanted to help an internet friend, a young girl, and was arrested in 2012. The authorities denied any knowledge of him for a long time and eventually disclosed that he was tried by a military court and sentenced to three years' imprisonment," HRCP Secretary General I A Rehman said.

He said the Peshawar high court is hearing his petition for the inclusion of the pre-trial period of detention in Ansari's imprisonment term, but now concern has been raised about "threats" to his life in prison.

"The government must ensure his safety and it will be proper to start preparing for Ansari's repatriation to India," he said.

According to the Commission of Inquiry on Enforced Disappearances, 56 cases of enforced disappearances occurred in January this year, 66 in February, 44 in March, 99 in April, 91 in May, 60 in June and 94 in July. That is, 510 cases in the last seven months, or an average of 72.86 cases per month.

In reference to the report the commission said, "No review of disappearances can be complete without taking notice of the plight of Hamid Ansari..."

The commission has said although many more instances of enforced disappearance are not reported, the number of cases received by the commission is high enough for the government to abandon its complacency.

"The government of Pakistan should take a fresh look at the problem that has caused endless agony to thousands of families over the last many years," Rehman said, adding the government cannot pretend to be ignorant of the fact that enforced disappearances is still a major human rights issue in Pakistan and that a thorough reappraisal of the efforts to solve it is overdue.

The commission has also decided some 480 cases this year. Of them 111 were dropped for not being enforced disappearances and 372 persons were traced - 189 persons said to have returned home on their own.

The commission however does not tell where these people were during the period they could not be traced by their families.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan had issued instructions for such people to be interviewed so that those responsible for their disappearance could be identified and punished.
Last updated on: August 26, 2016 11:49 IST

Heres a recap of the events from the past 24 hours.

A girl dressed up as Hindu Lord Krishna performs during Janmashtami festival celebrations marking the birth of Lord Krishna, in Ahmedabad. Photograph: Amit Dave/Reuters

Vegetable dealers gather with their boats laden with vegetables at a floating vegetable market at Dal Lake in Srinagar. Photograph: S Irfan/PTI

A devotee breaks a clay pot containing curd as others form a human pyramid during celebrations to mark Janmashtami in Mumbai. Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters

Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal feeding baby rhinos rescued during the recent floods at Wildlife Rehabilitation and Conservation Centre at Kaziranga National Park. Photograph: PTI

A vehicle submerged in a flooded area in Allahabad. Photograph: PTI

Members of All India Students' Association and Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union shout slogans during their protest in connection of JNU rape case at Police Headquarters in New Delhi. Photograph: PTI

Women carrying firewood on their heads as they cross a river in Latehar district, Jharkhand on Wednesday. Photograph: PTI
The 'whistleblower' behind the Scorpene document leak will hand over the disk containing thousands of pages of data detailing the Indian submarine's stealth and warfare capabilities, to the Australian government on Monday, The Australian newspaper on Friday said.

It said that the identity of the unnamed whistleblower is already known to The Australian authorities.

IMAGE: A DCNS worker looks at the propeller of a Scorpene submarine at a facility of the shipbuilder near Nantes, France, in April. Photograph: Reuters

The weekend edition of the newspaper said that neither France nor India knew about the leak till Monday afternoon when it sought a comment from French firm DCNS.

The paper said whistleblower wants Australia to know that its future submarine partner, France has already lost control over secret data on India's new submarines.

His hope is that this will spur the Turnbull government and DCNS to step up security to ensure Australia's 50 billion dollar submarine project does not suffer the same fate, it said.

"He has not broken any law and the authorities know who he is. He plans to surrender the disk to the government on Monday," the newspaper said.

The newspaper said the story behind this leak may be more of incompetence than espionage, more Austin Powers than James Bond.

The Weekend Australian has been told by sources that the data was removed from DCNS in Paris in 2011 by a former French Navy officer who quit the service in the early 1970s and worked for French defence companies for more than 30 years before becoming a subcontractor to DCNS.

Sources say they believe this subcontractor somehow copied the sensitive data from DCNS in France and, along with a French colleague, took it to a Southeast Asian country.

If so, he broke the law and may face prosecution, the paper said.

The two men worked in that Southeast Asian country carrying out unclassified naval defence work.

The speculation is that the data on Scorpene was removed to serve as a reference guide for the former naval officer's new job, but it is unclear why anyone would risk breaking the law by taking classified data for such a purpose.

The two men are then said to have the fallen out with their employer, a private company run by a Western businessman.

They were sacked and refused re-entry to their building. At least one of the men asked to retrieve the data on Scorpene but they were refused and the company -- possibly not knowing the significance of the data -- held on to it, the newspaper said.

The secret data was then sent to the company's head office in Singapore, where the company's IT chief -- again probably not knowing its significance -- tried to load it on an internet server for the person in Sydney who was slated to replace the two sacked French workers.

The data was placed on a server on April 18, 2013, and it was then that it was dangerously vulnerable to hacking or interception by a foreign intelligence service.

It is not known whether the data stayed on this server for a few days or for a year. It is not known if any foreign intelligence service obtained it during this time, the paper said.

Unable to send such a large file over the net and not knowing the significance of the data, the Singapore company sent it on a data disk by regular post to Sydney.

When the recipient, who was experienced in defence issues, opened the file on his home computer he was stunned.

He was expecting to read notes on a low-level naval programme, but before him lay the secret capabilities of the new Indian submarine fleet, the report said.

The data was not encrypted so he transferred it to an encrypted disk. That evening the man wiped the old disk with special software, grabbed a hammer and smashed it to pieces in his backyard.

He placed the new encrypted disk in a locked filing cabinet in his office and there it remained for more than two years, before he decided to show it to the The Australian, the report said.
Alleged taped conversations among Indrani Mukerjea, Peter Mukerjea and his son Rahul Mukerjea emerged in the media on Thursday, indicating that there was an attempt to cover up the Sheena Bora murder case.

Reports said that these tapes, recorded by Rahul Mukerjea, were handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation to assist them in the case and bolster the chargesheet against the Mukerjea couple. CBI has only used seven out the 20 recordings handed over to the CBI, citing the others to be irrelevant.

In one of the conversations, Rahul asks Peter about Sheenas whereabouts to which Peter says that he did not know anything about her.

In another taped conversation, Indrani, Sheenas mother and the main accused in the case, tells Rahul that Sheena might have found some other person to take money from. She also says that Sheena did not contact her after taking money from her.

In another conversation reveals that Peter and Indrani both wanted Rahul to move on and forget about Sheena, hinting that she may have left the country and settled down abroad.

In yet another tape, Indrani is heard telling Rahul that she was approached by the HR personnel of the company that Sheena worked for. She says that the HR person told her about Sheena taking a leave.

Another conversation exposes that Rahul felt that something was amiss and he knew that Peter and Indrani knew it too.

Though the tapes do not conclusively prove anything, if genuine they would imply that the Mukerjea couple did not want Rahul to continue with his pursuit of Sheena Bora.

Sheena went missing on April 24, 2012. More than three years later, Mumbai Police arrested her mother Indrani Mukerjea and stepfather Peter Mukerjea for allegedly abducting and killing her, and then burning her body.
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump has alleged that the actions of his Democrat rival Hillary Clinton during her tenure as the US Secretary of State constitutes all of the elements of a criminal enterprise.

Hillary Clintons actions constitute all of the elements of a major criminal enterprise, Trump told his supporters at an election rally in New Hampshire.

She created a private illegal e-mail server in order to hide her corrupt dealings. She did so knowing full well it would put American lives at risk by making classified information highly vulnerable to foreign hacking.

But, she didnt care, as long as it helped her get away with her crime, no risk to America was too great, he said.

Trump claimed that to further cover-up her crime, Clinton deleted 33,000 e-mails to keep them out of the hands of authorities and the American public and as a further element of the criminal cover-up, she claimed under penalty of perjury that she turned over all of her work related e-mails.

We now know this to be one more massive Clinton lie. The Federal Bureau of Investigation found thousands of work-related e-mails she failed to turn over, including the new discovery this week of 15,000 more work-related e-mails she failed to disclose, he said.

A Secretary of State sold her office to corporations and foreign governments, betraying the public trust, putting innocent lives in danger and then she went to great lengths to hide, delete, destroy and lie about the evidence, he added.

Trump said that Clintons alleged corruption can be expected in a third world country, but not in America.

Just imagine the damage to our security, to our integrity, to our standing in the world, if Hillary Clinton is allowed to sell the Oval Office the same way she sold her office as Secretary of State, he said.

Responding to Clintons allegations that his campaign is racist, Trump called it as insult to the millions of Americans who are supporting him.

Hillary Clinton is going to try to accuse this campaign, and the millions of decent Americans who support it of being racists. Its the oldest play in the Democratic playbook, he said.

When Democratic policies fail, they are left with only this one tired argument. Its the last refuge of the discredited politician, Trump said.

He said the people who have been betrayed by Democratic policies, including millions of African-American and Hispanic-American citizens, will reject the politicians who have failed them and vote for change this year.

He also attacked Clinton for her policies, saying it has failed and betrayed communities of colour in this country.

But she just doesnt care, shes too busy raking in cash from the people rigging the system. Nearly 4 in 10 African-American children live in poverty. Fifty-eight per cent of African-American youth are not working. More than 2,700 people have been shot in Chicago this year alone, he said.

These are the consequences of Hillary Clintons policies. She has brought nothing but pain and heartache to our inner cities. On top of that, she wants to raise taxes on African-American owned businesses to as much as nearly 50 per cent. We should be helping these businesses to grow and expand, but Hillary Clinton is trying to shut them down, he added.

Trump alleged that instead of defending her record, Clinton has launched a negative campaign against him.

As I discussed yesterday, these are the same tactics the establishment powers used to try to scare the British people out of voting for change too. It didnt work there. It wont work here, Trump said.

Hillary Clinton isnt just attacking me, shes attacking all the people who support our movement. We cant let that stand. Voters are used to the old game where failed politicians like Hillary Clinton falsely smear Republicans with charges of racism. Republicans then back down.

Democrats then continue to push policies that are devastating to the communities of colour, he said.
Officials say many politicians and retired bureaucrats make every effort to stay in these government bungalows despite having completed their terms, reports Sahil Makkar

Earlier this week, authorities had to evict the estranged wife of former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Omar Abdullah from the 7 Akbar Road bungalow, allotted to the family 17 years ago. Since no family member is a Union minister or chief minister, an eviction notice was served.

Officials say many politicians and retired bureaucrats make every effort to stay in these government bungalows despite having completed their terms for the following reasons:

>> The rent of the biggest bungalow for politicians, bureaucrats and judges is less than Rs 4,000 a month

>> These bungalows sprawl over 2-3 acres, with huge lawns

>> Rent for a similar private bungalow ranges from Rs 25 lakh to Rs 30 lakh a month

>> Bungalows on Prithviraj Road, Amrita Shergill Road & Aurangzeb Road command premium rent

>> The value of one bungalow is at least Rs 100 crore. Sale of a 2.4 acre plot in March 2015 had fetched Rs 304 cr

>> Lutyens Bungalow Zone covers approximately 3,000 acres or 1.5 per cent of the landmass of Delhi and is close to the prime ministers house, ministries, India Gate

>> The population density is 10-15 people per acre -- the lowest in Delhi or perhaps in the country

Image: Several of the government bungalows are located on Akbar Road, which enjoys a low population density.
The court said, The ban imposed on women from entering the Haji Ali dargah is contrary to Articles 14, 15, 19 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the dargah on par with men.

In a landmark judgment, the Bombay high court on Friday lifted the ban imposed on women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of Haji Ali Dargah in Mumbai, saying it contravenes fundamental rights and that the trust has no right to prohibit womens entry into a public place of worship.

We hold that the ban imposed by the dargah trust, prohibiting women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah contravenes Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution of India. Women should be permitted to enter the the sanctum sanctorum at par with men, a division bench of Justices V M Kanade and Revati Mohite Dere said.

Under these articles, a person has the fundamental right to practice any religion he or she wants. They prohibit discrimination on grounds of religion, gender and so on, and provide freedom of conscience and free profession, practice and propagation of religion.

The court has, however, stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The bench allowed a PIL filed by two women, Zakia Soman and Noorjehan Niaz, from NGO Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, challenging the ban on womens entry into the sanctum sanctorum of the dargah from 2012.

The state government and the Haji Ali Dargah Trust will have to take proper steps to ensure safety and security of women at the said place of worship, the court said.

The bench held that the trust has no power to alter or modify the mode or manner of religious practices of any individual or any group. It also noted that the right to manage the trust cannot override the right to practice religion itself.

The trust has no right to discriminate entry of women into a public place of worship under the guise of managing the affairs of religion under Article 26 and as such, the state will have to ensure protection of rights of all its citizens guaranteed under the Constitution, including Articles 14 and 15, to protect against discrimination based on gender, the court said in its 56-page judgment.

The court refused to accept the arguments of the trust that allowing women in close proximity to the grave of male Muslim saint was sin in Islam. The trust had also quoted and submitted certain verses from the Quran to support its claim.

Simply making the aforesaid statement and quoting verses are not sufficient, more particularly, when women were being permitted to enter the sanctum sanctorum up to 2012. There is nothing in any of the aforesaid verses which shows that Islam does not permit entry of women at all, into a dargah/mosque and that their entry was sinful in Islam, the court said.

The bench noted that the petitioners counsel Raju Moray has, in fact, quoted certain verses from the Quran which show that Islam believes in gender equality and that the ban was uncalled for.

The court also held that one has to determine if a practice like the one that has been challenged in this petition is an essential part of Islam.

Essential part of a religion means the core beliefs upon which a religion is founded and essential practice means those practices that are fundamental to follow a religious belief. The test is to determine if a practice is essential to the religion and to find out if whether the nature of the religion would change without this practice, the court said.

It said that the trust has not been able to justify the ban legally or otherwise, and hence it cannot be said that the prohibition is an essential and integral part of Islam and if taking away that part of the practice would result in a fundamental change in the character of the religion or belief.

The court also refused to accept the justification of the trust that the ban was imposed for safety and security of the women, in particular, to prevent sexual harassment of women at places of worship.

The trust had claimed that the ban was in keeping with an order of the Supreme Court wherein stringent directions have been issued to ensure that there is no sexual harassment to women at places of worship.

The court, however, noted that this submission by the trust is completely misplaced and misconceived and is out of context.

The trust under the guise of providing security and ensuring safety of women from sexual harassment, cannot justify the ban and prevent women from entering the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah, the court said.

It added that the trust is always at liberty to take steps to prevent sexual harassment of women, not by banning their entry into the sanctum sanctorum, but by taking effective steps and making provisions for their safety and security for example by having separate queues for men and women, as was done earlier.

It is also the duty of the state to ensure the safety and security of the women at such places. The state is equally under an obligation to ensure that the fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 14, 15 and 25 of the Constitution are protected and that the right of access to the sanctum sanctorum of the Haji Ali Dargah is not denied to women, the court said.

t's a big victory of women power'

Elated with high court's decision, members of city-based Bhumata Ranragini Brigade led by Trupti Desai, who has been spearheading the fight for gender equality in all places of worship, have decided to visit the shrine on Sunday.

"We welcome the decision of the high court. It is a tight slap on the faces of those who put a ban on women's entry into the Dargah. It's a big victory of women power," said Desai celebrating the verdict with her group outside her office in Pune.

"This is a landmark decision. The right that women are entitled to get, the right that has been given to women in the Constitution, that were somewhere taken away from us. The ban was on entry of women in the 'mazar' (area) of the Haji Ali dargah.

"We have been fighting against the secondary status given to women...patriarch mentality, this 'dadagiri' (high-handedness) attitude of the (shrine) Trust that 'we will not allow women'...This (the verdict) is a victory of movement of Bhumata Ranragini brigade," she added.

"Though the high court has stayed its order for six weeks following a plea by Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which wants to challenge it in the Supreme Court, we will go on August 28 till the point where women are allowed and will seek blessings," she told reporters.

Desai had led a high-profile campaign in April this year to break the bar on women at the core area of the dargah, but was stopped short of entering the shrine at the last minute amid resistance by activists of outfits opposed to the move. However, in May she offered prayers at the dargah but skipped venturing into the inner chamber of the shrine where women were not allowed.

The women's rights activist, whose previous campaigns were centred around Hindu temples, had then maintained that her agitation for right to equality for women at places of worship is not linked to any religion.

Bibi Khatoon, another social activist and member of the Bharatiya Muslim Mahila Andolan, a Muslim women's rights group, which had fought the ban, too rejoiced the verdict and said, "Firstly, I would like to thank the high court judge, Kanade sir. All these women who have been fighting for this right for sometime now had taken a back seat fearing what society will say...but then let the society say what they want to...but what we want do, we will do."
Lake Chad Basin: Boko Haram-induced crisis is 'children's crisis,' UNICEF warns

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 August 2016 Related Document(s) Children on the move, children left behind - Uprooted or trapped by Boko Haram Cite as UN News Service, Lake Chad Basin: Boko Haram-induced crisis is 'children's crisis,' UNICEF warns, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfda7940c.html [accessed 29 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.

25 August 2016 - Years of violence by Boko Haram in Africa's Lake Chad basin, which includes Nigeria, Cameroon, Chad and Niger, have led to a worsening humanitarian crisis that has displaced 1.4 million children and left at least one million still trapped in hard-to-reach areas, the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a report released today.

"The Lake Chad crisis is a children's crisis that should rank high on the global migration and displacement agenda," said Manuel Fontaine, UNICEF Regional Director for West and Central Africa, in a news release.

"Humanitarian needs are outpacing the response, especially now that new areas previously unreachable in northeast Nigeria become accessible," he added.

Released ahead of the UN Summit on Refugees and Migrants on 19 September 2016, the report, Children on the Move, Children Left Behind, looks at the impact of the Boko Haram insurgency on children in the Lake Chad basin countries and its devastating toll on children.

The report noted that, in addition to the 2.6 million people currently displaced, 2.2 million people - over half of them children - are feared to be trapped in areas under the control of Boko Haram and need humanitarian assistance.

The report also noted that an estimated 38 children have been used to carry out suicide attacks in the Lake Chad basin region so far this year, bringing to 86 the total number of children used as suicide bombers since 2014.
UN rights chief calls for international probe into alleged violations in Yemen

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 August 2016 Related Document(s) Situation of human rights in Yemen Cite as UN News Service, UN rights chief calls for international probe into alleged violations in Yemen, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfdb5540e.html [accessed 29 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.

25 August 2016 - Underlining the seriousness of alleged breaches of international humanitarian law and international human rights law in Yemen, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has called on the international community to establish an international, independent body to carry out comprehensive investigations in the country.

[Civilians in Yemen] continue to suffer, absent any form of accountability and justice, while those responsible for the violations and abuses against them enjoy impunity, High Commissioner Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said today in a news release issued by his office (OHCHR).

Such a manifestly, protractedly unjust situation must no longer be tolerated by the international community, he added.

The UN human rights chief's call comes as his office (OHCHR) released today, a report on the situation of human rights in the country which outlines a number of serious allegations of violations and abuses committed by all sides to the conflict in Yemen and highlights in particular their impact on civilian lives, health and infrastructure.

It contains examples of the kinds of possible violations that have occurred between 1 July 2015 and 30 June 2016, including attacks on residential areas, marketplaces, medical and educational facilities, and public and private infrastructure; the use of landmines and cluster bombs; sniper attacks against civilians; deprivation of liberty, targeted killings, the recruitment and use of children in hostilities, and forced evictions and displacement.

The perpetuation of the conflict and its consequences on the population in Yemen are devastating, the report stated, adding: The international community [] has a legal and moral duty to take urgent steps to alleviate the appalling levels of human despair.

The report also noted that in several of the documented military attacks, OHCHR was unable to identify the presence of possible military objectives.

In numerous situations where military targets could be identified, there remain serious concerns as to whether the incidental loss of civilian life, injury to civilians and damage to civilian objects that could be expected from the attack were not excessive in relation to the anticipated concrete and direct military advantage apparently sought, it added.

Furthermore, while a national commission of inquiry was established in September 2015 by the President of Yemen, the report found that the commission did not enjoy the cooperation of all concerned parties and could not operate in all parts of the country.

It was thus unable to implement its mandate in accordance with international standards, said the news release.

It further noted that the High Commissioner also urged all parties to the conflict to work towards a negotiated and durable solution to the conflict in the best interest of the Yemeni people and to ensure full respect for international humanitarian law.

According to the UN human rights arm, between March 2015 and 23 August 2016, an estimated 3,799 civilians have been killed and 6,711 injured as result of the war in Yemen. Furthermore, at least 7.6 million people, including three million women and children are currently suffering from malnutrition and at least three million people have been forced to flee their homes.

Following nearly 16 months of conflict in Yemen, the cessation of hostilities was declared on 10 April. While peace talks between a Yemeni Government delegation and a delegation of the General People's Congress and Ansar Allah continued, serious violations have occurred in Marib, al Jawf, Taiz and in the border areas with Saudi Arabia. Those UN-facilitated talks ended on 6 August.
Liberia: 'Arduous path to sustainable peace' requires long-term Security Council engagement  UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Liberia: 'Arduous path to sustainable peace' requires long-term Security Council engagement  UN envoy, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfdc3840c.html [accessed 29 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.

25 August 2016 - The United Nations envoy for Liberia today stressed the need for long-term, robust engagement by stakeholders, particularly the Security Council, towards a sustainable peace in the West African country.

Briefing the Council, Farid Zarif, Special Representative of the Secretary-General and Head of the UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL), said many Liberians are concerned about the prospect of the Mission's withdrawal and potential lack of UN support during the October 2017 presidential and legislative elections.

"There is a consensus among national actors that the next elections will be a critical test for Liberia's stability, democracy and development," Mr. Zarif said, emphasizing that both the Government of Liberia and the international community must not lose sight of the still arduous path to sustainable peace in the country and the region, which "will require long-term robust engagement by all concerned, particularly by this august Council."

He began his briefing by applauding the Government of Liberia for the successful completion of the security transition, in keeping with Security Council expectations, and commending the Liberian institutions and international partners for their leadership and commitment which made reaching the "historic" milestone possible.

Mr. Zarif said that following the security transition, the overall situation in Liberia has remained calm, and that UNMIL has been closely monitoring the performance of the security institutions and adjusting its engagement accordingly.

This has also necessitated a review of the nature and form of the future support and cooperation between the Government, on the one hand, and UNMIL and other international partners, on the other, based on the clear lead role of the Liberian actors and continued, recalibrated support from international actors, he said.

Consultations are ongoing between the Government and UN and other stakeholders on the revised institutional framework for such cooperation, he added.

Mr. Zarif warned of the potentially serious consequences of "political wrangling" in the Legislature, such as a delay in adopting the national budget for the 2016-2017 period which includes the financing of the National Elections Commission and preparatory activities, including those related to security for the October 2017presidential and legislative elections.

This should also be viewed against the background of hardening socio-economic environment due to the worsening economic outlook which has prompted the introduction of austerity measures and revising downwards the current year's budget and an 11 per cent decrease in the proposed budget for the next year, he said.

In Liberia, as anywhere else, the prevention of conflict can only be effective in the context of broader social, political and economic transformations, and the respect for the rule of law, he said, expressing concern about the overall lack of progress on addressing the underlying causes of divisions and exclusion in Liberia.

"The failure to robustly pursue reconciliation and delays in structural changes, such as land reform and decentralisation, raise a 'red flag' about future prospects for peace and security," he said.

Also briefing the Council was Joakim Vaverka of Sweden, whose Permanent Representative to the UN serves as Chair of the UN Peacebuilding Commission's Liberia configuration.

In May, the Government and the Commission launched the revised Statement of Mutual Commitments on Peacebuilding in Liberia, which outlined priority actions over the next two years, he noted.

The Commission would continue to promote national reconciliation, security sector development and strengthening of the rule of law, and would follow up on conversations with national interlocutors regarding good governance, employment generation, equal treatment of ethnic and religious groups, and on the need to build trust between the security sector and citizens, he said.

In the coming months, he added, the Commission would pay special attention to preparations for the presidential and legislative elections in 2017 by engaging with the National Election Commission and the Governance Commission. By addressing critical factors early, it would aim to ensure that dispute resolution mechanisms were in place and that regular dialogue channels between security forces and the Government were supported.

The Commission also would pay close attention to reconciliation, he said, which the Government had described as a multidimensional process of overcoming social, political and religious divisions; healing physical and psychological wounds from the civil war; and confronting historical and structural wrongs. "This cuts to the core of addressing root causes of conflict," he said, and the Commission was committed to help in that pursuit.

In the fall, he said, the Council would make important decisions on the future of the UN presence in Liberia. The Commission would provide advice on longer-term peacebuilding needs and priorities and convene a multi-stakeholder forum to discuss peacebuilding priorities. The UN has a responsibility to sustain attention on Liberia during and beyond the Mission's transition by mobilizing financial and political support.
Situation in Kosovo more stable, but underlying tensions remain  UN envoy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Situation in Kosovo more stable, but underlying tensions remain  UN envoy, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfdc5940c.html [accessed 29 October 2022] Comments All reference to Kosovo should be understood in full compliance with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244. 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.

25 August 2016 - Special Representative of the Secretary-General in Kosovo Zahir Tanin told the United Nations Security Council today that while opposition parties in Kosovo continue to try to generate, exploit and, if possible, prolong moments of 'crisis,' they appear to have become aware that the use of violence is counterproductive to their objective of gaining more political influence.

"From my recent talks with top leaders in Kosovo, I have the impression that [they] understand the need to place realism and practicality higher on their political agenda," said Mr. Tanin in his regular briefing to the Council.

"Many have their eyes upon emerging wider trends, and the opportunity these trends offer to seize levers of opportunity, and remove old obstacles, in order to achieve faster progress," he added.

He recalled his meetings with local officials and communities where he heard their concerns related to employment, public services, and confidence in governing institutions, and in particular, their desire for improved relations and more confidence between ethnic communities, the UN envoy highlighted that it was clear that economic, educational and healthcare issues, as well as the rule of law and combatting corruption, and not interethnic politics are the main concerns of people.

Noting that many among the immediate post-conflict generation in the region have known little of public life apart from divisive post-conflict rhetoric, Mr. Tanin, also the head of the UN Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) underscored: "If stability and prosperity are to be achieved, the post-conflict generation is in need of clearer directions, and better opportunities, as inhabitants of modern Europe, and as world citizens."

Importance of regional cooperation

The UN envoy further said that there is a strong emphasis from top Kosovo leaders on regional cooperation, better understanding of the positions of other sides and, especially, the need for the European Union-led Dialogue to be successful.

Wide view of the Security Council during its meeting on Kosovo. UN Photo/JC McIlwaine

He added that Prime Minister Vucic, recently, told him that too much time was being lost, and that more serious, sustained and committed work on the Dialogue is needed from all stakeholders, including the international community.

"The EU-led High-Level Dialogue remains a cornerstone in the road toward reconciliation. It is the EU perspective in the region that continues to be a main driver of reform, particularly in the vital areas of governance, rule of law, and human rights," he said.

Since his last briefing to the council, Mr. Tanin reported that progress continues to be made in some areas, including the start of the refurbishment of the Mitrovica Main Bridge, as well as the narrowing of differences on the telecommunications issue.

However, he added that more focussed work is clearly needed regarding other agreements, such as the Community/Association of Serb-majority Municipalities.

Assisting the communities affected by the conflict

Mr. Tanin further told the Security Council that focus should be brought back on addressing the issues of the communities affected by the conflict.

"Around 16,000 persons remain displaced within Kosovo, with many more outside. With the elapse of time, many have by now built new lives in their places of displacement," he noted.

"Yet the voluntary, safe and dignified return of displaced persons is a fundamental right [and] to achieve returns, constructive engagement is needed with returnees and receiving communities, which must be matched by political commitment, but even more importantly, by the commitment of resources," he added.

The UN envoy said though many people have registered to return, for the return itself to take place, realistic commitments must be demonstrated in allocating the requisite resources and ensuring that the proper conditions are present.

Victims of intimidation have a different perspective than those who haven't experienced it

He further noted that despite no large-scale inter-ethnic disturbances or any significant attacks against cultural sites in the last three months, vulnerable groups, in particular among non-majority communities, are subject to higher rates of intimidation.

According to UNMIK, on average around 25 'potentially ethnically motivated' crimes are recorded every month in Kosovo. The primary motives behind such crimes are frequently found to be non-political.

"[However] victims of intimidation always have a different perspective from those who have not experienced it. More sensitivity to this essential truth is needed by authorities from all sides, as well as from ourselves," Mr. Tanin underlined.

Commending recent steps initiatives of President Thaci which included visiting and paying respects at a memorial commemorating the killing of Kosovo Serb civilians, he said: "These visits remind us also of the fact that all leaders share a solemn responsibility to do more to help resolve the cases of persons missing from the time of the conflict,"

Stressing that even 17 years after the end of the conflict, over 1,600 persons still remain missing, he said:

"The issue of the missing should not be allowed to slip from the political agenda. The missing will only be found and their fates determined if there is fundamental and sustained commitment by all, including [UNMIK]."

Challenge of violent extremism

Noting that violent extremism is a major global challenge and that radical Islamist elements and organisers are present in Kosovo, the UN envoy said that despite measures taken by local authorities to mitigate the threat, it is important that everyone is vigilant and aware.

"Kosovo authorities have implemented a strong law enforcement approach concerning those who advocate violence and those who facilitate volunteer fighters," he said, adding that they have acknowledged that, "this can only work when it goes hand in hand with a developmental approach which effectively targets the specific socio-economic drivers of extremism in Kosovo."

Mr. Tanin stressed that there is an important role to be played by the international community through well-coordinated assistance, including from the UN.

Concluding his briefing, the UNMIK chief said the constructive engagement with Kosovo leaders has been significantly strengthened and that constructive engagement with Belgrade leaders remain essential for the balanced and objective role of the Mission, within the framework of regional interaction, and toward the full realization of its mandate.
Aid convoys 'ready' to enter Aleppo; UN envoys await Russia-US talks on truce

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Aid convoys 'ready' to enter Aleppo; UN envoys await Russia-US talks on truce, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfdca640e.html [accessed 29 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.

25 August 2016 - Reporting that the Russian Federation is backing a 48-hour humanitarian pause in and around Aleppo, senior United Nations envoys on the Syrian crisis today said they are "waiting for others on the ground to do the same," and are ready to green light aid convoys to the war-ravaged city once assurances are received.

"We are ready, trucks are ready and they can leave anytime we get that message," UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura told reporters in Geneva, where negotiations on humanitarian aid delivery and a cessation of hostilities are under way.

The taskforces for these two subjects, created by the International Syria Support Group (ISSG), have been meeting separately since early this year on a way forward on the crisis. Russia and the United States are the co-chairs of ISSG, which comprises the UN, the Arab League, the European Union and 16 other countries.

In a press stakeout, Mr. de Mistura explained that Russia has already pledged support for the 48-hour pause, and humanitarian convoys are waiting for all the others to "do the same.'

The UN envoy, who has been mediating the intra-Syrian talks, did not comment on the political front, saying that US Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov are expected to meet tomorrow in Geneva - a meeting that he said will certainly have an impact on the course of ISSG discussions.

"Our focus, at least when we talk about humanitarian access, should be the people, not political posturing by one side or the other, but the people, that is what is guiding us and what will help, of course, anything that happens regarding also the political process," he said.

Also speaking at the stakeout was UN Senior Advisor, Jan Egeland, who outlined the Aleppo emergency response plan's three elements: first, sending two convoys of 20 trucks each that would carry enough food for 80,000 people in eastern Aleppo via the Castello Road, the safest and most direct route.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura (right) and UN Senior Advisor, Jan Egeland, brief the press in Geneva. UN Photo

The second plank is to have simultaneous distributions to western Aleppo, cross-line mostly from Damascus, he said.

The third, he went on, is to use the 48-hour pause to repair the electricity plant in the southern part of Aleppo that serves 1.8 million people and even more importantly, power the pumping of water in the eastern and western parts of the city.

"We have also agreement now from the Russian Federation of the 48 hour pause; we are also waiting it from the other actors on the ground. That has taken more time frankly, than I thought was needed, I thought everybody would help us make it happen," Mr. Egeland said, but he was hopeful that humanitarian convoys "can roll" shortly to help the long-suffering people in Aleppo.

Turning to other places in Syria, Mr. Egeland said it has been 116 days since aid last reached Madaya, Zabadani, Foah and Kafraya, the besieged areas under the 'Four Towns Agreement.'

"The one glimmer of hope" was that at long last there was an evacuation in the recent week of 40 children and others of great medical needs in Madaya, Fouah and Kafraya.

He urged those behind the Four Towns Agreement, including Iran and Ahrar al-Sham, help get aid to these four areas where "starvation is just around the corner."

He said the only place reached this month via land routes was al-Waer, which is getting its second convoy of the month today. Regarding Deir ez-Zor and Qamishli, these places were reached via air drops and air bridges, respectively.

"But we failed the other besieged areas of Syria and it is heartbreaking really when we have all of the supplies ready," said Mr. Egeland.

The UN estimates that five years on, the conflict has driven 4.8 million refugees to neighbouring countries, hundreds of thousands in Europe, and displaced 6.6 million people inside the Syria against a pre-war population of over 20 million. Well over 200,000 people are believed to have died.
UN adviser on preventing genocide deplores 'inflammatory statements' by senior Burundi official

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, UN adviser on preventing genocide deplores 'inflammatory statements' by senior Burundi official, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfdcc740c.html [accessed 29 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.

25 August 2016 - The United Nations Special Adviser on Prevention of Genocide, Adama Dieng, has expressed concern at inflammatory statements concerning the genocide in Rwanda that were made by a senior official of the ruling party in Burundi and cautioned that such statements could constitute incitement to violence.

On 16 August, Pascal Nyabenda, at that time the President of the ruling Conseil national pour la defense de la democratie-Forces pour la defense de la democratie (CNDD-FDD) party and President of the National Assembly suggested that the genocide in Rwanda was a "fabrication of the international community" and that it was used to remove the Hutu government that was in place at the time.

"This irresponsible statement could be interpreted as genocide denial", Mr. Dieng said in astatement issued by his Office yesterday.

"[It] has the potential to inflame ethnic tensions, both within Burundi and outside its borders," he warned.

A new head of the CNDD-FDD has been appointed by the party at its meeting on 20 August but Mr. Nyabenda continues in his role as President of the National Assembly.

The statement added that the situation in the African country continues to be marred by instability and serious human rights violations, including allegations of extra-judicial killings, disappearances, torture, and arbitrary detention of members of the opposition, civil society and those suspected of opposing the Government continue to be reported.

Concerns at the situation in Burundi were also expressed by the Geneva-based UN Committee Against Torture in their concluding observations, issued on 11 August, following its review of a special report submitted at the request of the Committee.

Mr. Dieng's statement noted that the Committee had urged the Government of Burundi to refrain from making any public statements that could exacerbate ethnic tensions or incite violence or hatred and to ensure that public and law enforcement officials do not accept or tolerate such acts.

The Committee Against Torture is a body of independent human rights experts who monitor the implementation of the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment by its State parties.

Mr. Dieng's statement also noted that human rights defenders and journalists are among the hundreds of thousands of people who have fled the country since April 2015.

He further raised concern that the youth wing of the CNDD-FDD party, known as the Imbonerakure, continues to be associated with human rights abuses and is reported to have threatened ethnic violence.

According to the country's Minister of the Interior, the Imbonakure formed part of the national security strategy, noted the statement.

Reminding the Government of its obligation to protect its populations, regardless of their ethnicity or political affiliation, and to refrain from any action or discourse that could inflame ethnic tensions, Mr. Dieng stressed:

"[It is important to] counter such messages with alternative speech to foster unity rather than further entrench divisions, and [I call] call on all parties to prioritize inclusive dialogue to bring about an end to the protracted crisis."

Burundi was thrown into crisis more than a year ago when President Pierre 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.
Afghanistan: UN mission condemns attack on American University in Kabul

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as UN News Service, Afghanistan: UN mission condemns attack on American University in Kabul, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfdce440e.html [accessed 29 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.

25 August 2016 - The United Nations' mission in Afghanistan has condemned last night's attack on a university in the capital, Kabul, that killed 12 civilians and injured more than 50 others, mostly students.

"An attack deliberately targeting an educational facility, during evening classes for university students, is an atrocity and those responsible must be held accountable," Pernille Kardel, the Secretary-General's Deputy Special Representative for Afghanistan and Acting Head of the UN Assistance Mission there, known as UNAMA, said in a press statement.

The attack began with the detonation of a suicide vehicle-borne improvised explosive device at a gate of the American University of Afghanistan, after which two gunmen entered the compound during the busy evening class period, according to the statement, which also noted that 11 of the killed were students, nine male and two female.

"The country's youth are a source of pride and bring real hope for a better future," Ms. Kardel said, adding that she is hopeful that "violence will not discourage their desire for continued learning and attaining the knowledge and skills critical to Afghanistan's prosperity."

On behalf of the Mission, she expressed deepest condolences to the families of those killed in this incident and wished a speedy recovery for all those injured.
Egypt: Refusal to release survivor of torture and disappearance an outrageous blow

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Egypt: Refusal to release survivor of torture and disappearance an outrageous blow, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfe3de4.html [accessed 29 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 Egyptian authorities' refusal to release Islam Khalil who was tortured and subjected to enforced disappearance for 122 days is another alarming setback for human rights in Egypt, said Amnesty International.

Islam Khalil was transferred to the Second Raml Police Station in the coastal city of Alexandria in preparation for his release yesterday after a court ordered his release on bail of 50,000 EGP (approximately US$ 5,630) on 21 August 2016. However instead of releasing him, the police officers beat him repeatedly until he fainted and brought fresh charges against him including the accusation that he physically assaulted a police officer yesterday.

"The police officers' refusal to comply with the court order demanding Islam Khalil's release from custody shows the Egyptian authorities' shocking disregard for rule of law. It also sends a chilling message that they have no intention of reversing the spike in enforced disappearances which has seen hundreds vanish for periods up to seven months at the hands of the state since early 2015," said Magdalena Mughrabi, Deputy Director of Amnesty International's Middle East and North Africa Programme.

"Islam Khalil shouldn't even be behind bars in the first place, yet instead of releasing him immediately, state security forces have fabricated new charges against him and subjected him to severe beatings and injuries. His case highlights how crucial it is for Egypt's authorities to stamp out the use of enforced disappearances, torture and all other forms of ill-treatment. They must urgently release Islam Khalil now and open an investigation into his allegations of torture and other ill-treatment and bring those responsible to justice."

It appears that the Egyptian authorities are refusing to release Islam Khalil in retaliation for national and international campaigning efforts on his behalf.

According to his brother, Islam Khalil was beaten with pipes all over his body until he became unconscious, by police officers who threatened: "Is this whole noise to pressure for your release? We will not release you unless you are dead". He suffered injuries on his face, hands, and head. He is now in solitary confinement awaiting questioning by a prosecutor and has been denied access to his family and lawyer.

Islam Khalil was forcibly disappeared for 122 days in 2015 after being abducted alongside his brother and father from his home by agents from Egypt's National Security Agency. He was held blindfolded and handcuffed in solitary confinement and was beaten, given electric shocks and suspended by his wrists and ankles for hours at a time. He has been denied access to a doctor, his family and a lawyer.

In a detailed report published in July 2016 Amnesty International highlighted that hundreds of people have been subjected to enforced disappearances since early 2015, claiming that enforced disappearances have become a 'state policy' in Egypt.

Islam Khalil's case was featured in an Amnesty International video issued together with the report.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Malaysia: Sedition conviction must be quashed

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Malaysia: Sedition conviction must be quashed, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfe51e4.html [accessed 29 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 conviction of Mohammed Fakhrulrazi Mohammed Mokhtar for sedition should be quashed immediately, Amnesty International said today.

"This is a clear violation of the right to freedom of expression. Malaysia's sedition law is a crude colonial-era instrument designed to silence dissent. It has no place in a modern rights-respecting society and should be repealed immediately," said Josef Benedict, Amnesty International's Deputy Director for South East Asia and the Pacific.

Background

Mohammed Fakhrulrazi Mohammed Mokhtar, the vice-chief of the Parti Amanah Negara Youth, was found guilty of sedition by the Sessions Court in Kuala Lumpur and sentenced to eight months in prison.

Fakrhulrazi, also known as Ustaz Fakhrulrazi, was charged with sedition for calling for the release of opposition politician and Amnesty International prisoner of conscience Anwar Ibrahim, at a rally in February 2015.

The charge, under Section 4(1)(b) of the Sedition Act 1948, carries a maximum penalty of three years' imprisonment and a fine of RM5,000.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Colombia: End of negotiations over conflict brings hopes of peace

Publisher Amnesty International Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as Amnesty International, Colombia: End of negotiations over conflict brings hopes of peace, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfe5664.html [accessed 29 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 announcement that the Colombian government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) have reached a deal to end the five decade-old armed conflict is a momentous and long-awaited development that brings hope that peace will at last be possible, said Amnesty International.

In Cuba, the two sides announced that, after almost four years of official talks, they had settled all the major outstanding issues. The 297-page agreement covers a range of issues, such as rural reform, political participation, drugs trafficking and victims' rights.

"We are seeing history being made in Colombia. One of the key issues to ensure a long-lasting and sustainable peace will depend largely on whether the authorities can ensure the millions of victims of disappearances, killings, sexual violence, forced displacement and torture see proper justice," said Erika Guevara Rosas, Americas Director at Amnesty International.

The specific agreement on the rights of victims, which was finalized and made public at the end of last year, sets out the mechanisms to be implemented to ensure victims' rights to truth, justice and reparation. However, serious doubts remain about whether it will effectively guarantee these rights in line with international law and standards.

The conflict has been marked by crimes under international law, including unlawful killings, forced displacement, enforced disappearances, hostage-taking, torture and crimes of sexual violence, committed by all the parties, including the security forces and paramilitaries, either acting alone or in collusion with each other, and guerrilla groups.

Many of these human rights violations and abuses have not occurred in the context of direct combat between the security forces and guerrilla groups. Instead, many have been motivated by economic factors linked to the exploitation of lands occupied by Indigenous people and Afro-descendent and peasant farmer communities. There is, therefore, a very real risk that such crimes will continue even after the peace agreement is signed.

"For any peace to be truly effective the authorities must ensure that all those suspected of criminal responsibility in human rights violations are brought to justice in fair trials before civilian courts. They must also ensure that comprehensive measures are put in place to guarantee the safety of those groups and communities most at risk and to put an end to human rights violations and abuses," said Erika Guevara Rosas.

The peace agreement is due to be formally signed in Colombia, probably in mid to late September, and will then need to be ratified via a plebiscite, scheduled for 2 October. The FARC will begin to demobilize and disarm only after the peace agreement is formally signed and the process will be implemented in stages over a six month period.

Copyright notice:  Copyright Amnesty International
Open letter to Sultan of Oman about detained Azamn journalists

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 24 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Open letter to Sultan of Oman about detained Azamn journalists, 24 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfe5fb12.html [accessed 29 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.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) wrote yesterday to Sultan Qaboos bin Said asking him to intercede to obtain the unconditional release of three of the newspaper Azamn's leading journalists, who are being unjustly detained and prosecuted in connection with an article about suspected corruption within Oman's judicial system.

His Majesty Sultan Qaboos Bin Said

Diwan of the Royal Court

PO Box 632, Muscat 113

Sultanate of Oman

August 23, 2016

Subject: closure of newspaper Azamn and detention of three of its journalists

Your Majesty,

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) and the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), two NGOs that defend media freedom, would like to draw your attention to the decline in media freedom in the Sultanate of Oman.

Media professionals in Oman are worried about the newspaper Azamn's closure and the illegitimate detention of three of its journalists as a result of an article on July 26, 2016 about suspected corruption within the judicial system. The three journalists - editor Ibrahim Al-Maamari, deputy editor Youssef Al-Haj and local news editor Zaher Al-Abri - appeared in court on Monday 15 August on charges including undermining the prestige of the state, disturbing public order, and violating a ban on publishing on the case. During the second session of the trial on August 22, Zaher Al-Abri, was released on bail and the trial was postponed to August 29. Surprisingly, the Omani court also ordered that journalists and civil society representatives refrain from publishing details of the hearings.

This high-profile trial has garnered international attention and wide support on social media from people who appreciate the newspaper's coverage or show solidarity with its journalists.

Detaining and prosecuting journalists because of their investigative coverage of a judicial case amounts to criminalizing the very essence of journalism, which is to provide the public with information. The Sultanate of Oman has a much deserved reputation at the international level today in mediating crises in the international arena, and it has potential to rise as a more tolerant and stable actor in the region.

We therefore ask you to intercede to obtain the unconditional release of these journalists. We recognize the government's right to deny the accuracy of Azamn's reporting. But no journalist should be jailed for their reporting, regardless of the government's contentions concerning the veracity of their work. We also urge the lifting of the newspaper suspension ordered by the Ministry of Information on August 9.

We are extremely disturbed by the latest restrictive measures adopted with regard to the newspaper and its members, and we hope that, as result of your intervention, independent media voices will no longer be silenced.

We thank you in advance for the attention you give to our requests.

Sincerely,

Robert Mahoney, Committee to Protect Journalists Deputy Executive Director

Christophe Deloire, Reporters Without Borders Secretary General

The Sultanate of Oman is ranked 125th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Turkey-style pretext used to arrest critic in Azerbaijan

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 24 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Turkey-style pretext used to arrest critic in Azerbaijan, 24 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfe7094.html [accessed 29 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.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the arrest of Faiq Amirov, the financial director of the leading opposition daily Azadlig, and calls for the withdrawal of the ludicrous charges brought against him.

Amirov, who is also an adviser to the head of the opposition Popular Front Party, was arrested on 20 August and was charged two days later with "inciting religious hatred" and "violating the rights of citizens under the pretext of conducting religious rites."

The authorities, who have ordered him held provisionally for three months, absurdly claim that he is an "imam" in the movement led by Fethullah Gulen, the US-based Turkish cleric now regarded by Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan as the leading threat to his government.

The claim is based on the alleged discovery of books about the Gulen Movement's philosophy in the trunk of Amirov's car at the time of his arrest. The allegation has been greeted with widespread incredulity and well-known independent journalist Khadija Ismayilova commented: "They used to plant arms and drugs to frame critics, but now they have upgraded to planting books."

Planting drugs in the personal effects of government opponents and journalists is a much-used practice by Azerbaijan's police. But as Amirov's lawyer, Agil Layjev, has pointed out, these books are not banned in Azerbaijan.

"By borrowing Erdogan's 'hunt for Gulenists' leitmotiv, the Azerbaijani authorities have found a great pretext for launching a new crackdown against their own critics, even if it is completely absurd," said Johann Bihr, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.

"If any evidence was needed that last spring's release of a few political prisoners was no more than a tactical concession, this is it. The international community must wake up and start pressing the government again to end the repression and restore pluralism - in other words, to just respect the undertakings it has given to its own citizens and to such bodies as the Council of Europe."

In response to Amirov's arrest, Azadlig issued a statement warning that its survival was threatened and calling for the broadest possible campaign against the crackdown. "The newspaper Azadlig will continue operating in these difficult conditions and will remain committed to freedom of expression until the end," the statement concluded.

Azadlig has been persecuted in different ways for years and its situation is now very precarious. Its editor, Ganimat Zahid, has fled abroad, where he produces a satellite TV programme now labelled by the government media as "Gulenist", signalling further pressure to come. The authorities harass his relatives who are still in Azerbaijan and several are in prison on trumped-up charges.

President Ilham Aliyev's autocratic regime began stepping up arrests of government opponents in mid-August on the eve of an upcoming referendum on a proposal to reinforce the president's powers yet again. The pretext of combatting the Gulen Movement is inspired by the witchhunt launched in Turkey after the 15 July coup attempt.

After being close allies for more than a decade, Erdogan and Gulen fell out and now Erdogan accuses Gulen of masterminding the attempted coup. The Azerbaijani authorities were similarly supportive of the Gulen Movement for a long time but now demonize it.

Azerbaijan is ranked 163rd out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Zambia: RSF decries sudden closure of three broadcast media

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Zambia: RSF decries sudden closure of three broadcast media, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfe8284.html [accessed 29 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.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) condemns the decision by Zambia's Independent Broadcasting Authority (IBA) to suspend the licences of three privately-owned broadcast media - Muvi TV, Komboni Radio and Radio Itezhi Tezhi.

IBA employees and police raided Muvi TV's studios on the evening of 22 August, evicted its personnel, seized its transmitter and sealed off access to the building. Komboni Radio and Radio Itezhi Tezhi then suffered the same fate.

The closures come amid a tense climate for journalists since President Edgar Lungu's reelection on 11 August - a victory that has been disputed by the opposition in street protests.

At a news conference, IBA chairman Justin Mutale said that "before, during and after the 11 August 2016 elections" the tree media outlets had been "conducting themselves in an unprofessional manner" and had thereby posed a "risk to national peace and stability." He did not elaborate.

The legal basis for the closures is an article in the IBA Amendment Act that empowers the IBA to withdraw a broadcasting licence if it is "necessary in the interest of public safety, security, peace, welfare or good order."

"The Zambian government clearly wanted to silence these independent media and used the cover of a supposedly independent authority," RSF said. "Regardless of the criticisms that can be levelled against the three media outlets, shutting them down without warning is completely disproportionate. We call for their licences to be restored at once."

Hellen Mwale, the head of the Media Institute of Southern African's local branch, MISA-Zambia, described Muvi TV's coverage of the presidential election as "fair and balanced" in comparison with other media.

Muvi TV's lawyer, Milner Kakubo, announced that the TV station will appeal against the closure. A hearing with the IBA has already been set for 14 September.

Zambia is ranked 114th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Peru: death threats to reporter who exposed police scandal

Publisher Reporters Without Borders Publication Date 25 August 2016 Cite as Reporters Without Borders, Peru: death threats to reporter who exposed police scandal, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfe8b74.html [accessed 29 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.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) calls on the authorities to identify and arrest those responsible for the threats to newspaper reporter Doris Aguirre and to guarantee the safety of Peru's journalists. Aguirre was threatened after revealing the existence of a death squad within the Peruvian National Police (PNP).

A well-known investigative journalist with La Republica, one of Peru's leading dailies, Doris Aguirre says she received anonymous calls on her mobile phone on 12 August in which she was insulted and threatened with being the death squad's next victim.

The threats followed a series of five reports published by La Republica in July in which she alleged that members of the PNP had participated in a death squad responsible for the extrajudicial executions of at least 27 persons.

Her claims caused an outcry and prompted a judicial investigation that acknowledged on 22 August that there was hard evidence confirming the implication of police officers in these deadly operations.

"It is absolutely essential that the Peruvian authorities identify the source of these threats and bring those responsible to justice," said Emmanuel Colombie, the head of RSF's Latin America desk.

"In view of the gravity of La Republica's revelations and the ensuing judicial investigation's initial findings, the threats against Doris Aguirre must be taken very seriously and must be dealt with in a manner that is beyond reproach. The authorities have a duty to protect journalists in danger and to guarantee the free flow of news and information, regardless of their nature."

RSF extends its fullest support to Aguirre, who said that these threats "have changed my life."

The PNP death squad affair continues to make the news. The government acknowledged three days ago that a group of senior and junior PNP officers had summarily executed at 27 alleged criminals between 2012 and 2015 while pretending to conduct official operations.

The administration of Peru's new president, Pedro Pablo Kuczynski, who took office on 28 July, has said it is ready to carry out a complete overhaul of the PNP, which is regarded as corrupt and not efficient.

Peru is ranked 84th out of 180 countries in RSF's 2016 World Press Freedom Index.
Kyrgyzstan: Historical Debate Straining Ties with Russia

Publisher EurasiaNet Publication Date 25 August 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Kyrgyzstan: Historical Debate Straining Ties with Russia, 25 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfeb7f4.html [accessed 29 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.

In the countryside surrounding Kyrgyzstan's capital Bishkek, lots of towns and villages in valleys have notably Slavic names while Kyrgyz-sounding settlements dot the hills and mountains.

Such were the divisions in 1916, an important but challenging date for authorities in Bishkek and Moscow. It is also a complicated topic these days at thousands of schools in Kyrgyzstan.

Over the past year, historians and politicians in Kyrgyzstan have been recalling the events of 1916, when an estimated 100,000 or more Kyrgyz died during an uprising sparked by the Russian Empire's attempts to mobilize the Muslim population for service on the Eastern Front during World War I.

There is paucity of research on those events, particularly on the Kyrgyz side, but that has not prevented local historians from asserting that the Urkun, or the Great Flight, was the climax of a failed liberation movement. Vexingly for Russia and educators teaching ethnically mixed classes, the lack of scholarly research has also enabled some public figures to characterize the 1916 events as a genocide carried out by Tsarist forces.

"A people's gathering has pronounced the national tragedy Urkun a genocide," garrulous opposition figure Azimbek Beknazarov declared in mid-August. Beknazarov is, among other things, a member of a public commission that has been reviewing the history of the Urkun in parallel to a state body approved by President Almazbek Atambayev.

"The commission has informed society, the government and the presidents of Russia, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Turkey," Beknazarov said.

This topic has been a part of the history syllabus in Kyrgyzstani schools since the country gained independence in 1991. Soviet-era textbooks pointedly ignored the Urkun.

Some textbooks produced since 1991 have aroused the anger of Kremlin-appointed academics and Slavic public associations. But anecdotal evidence suggests some history teachers do not play by the rules. "To be honest, I cannot remember if we learned it or not," one local journalist in his early 20s, who preferred to remain anonymous, told EurasiaNet.org. "That is not surprising though. I went to a Russian-language school and my teacher was ethnic Russian."

Such oversights may be less possible now that interest in the Urkun - so called because of the perilous and, in many cases, lethal journey made by fleeing ethnic Kyrgyz over the passes into China to escape Tsarist repressions - has surged with the arrival of the centenary.

A trailer for a film on the uprising that is to be released imminently has already gathered thousands of views on YouTube, and members of the government-appointed commission are set to hold a conference to discuss their findings in October.

While skeletal remains and Russian archival evidence point to a brutal repression of the Kyrgyz uprising - one facet of broader unrest across Central Asia - other issues are under dispute. One is the extent to which outside interference may have stirred unrest.

The events occurred in the latter stages of what is popularly known as the Great Game - a jostle for influence in middle Asia that pitted Russia and Britain against one another - and at a time when a fascination with Ottoman-inspired Pan-Turkism was sweeping across the region.

Another is the role of the manaps, fractious Kyrgyz tribal leaders who local historians now herald as national revolutionaries, but who were depicted by Soviet academics as reactionary feudal chieftains.

"Not enough is known about these manaps other than the fact that they fought with each other quite a lot. Did they accelerate the tragedy? Did they receive orders from abroad? It is all possible," says Talant Jumabayev, a writer for Kyrgyz television, who has authored scripts for history programs.

"Our modern-day manaps certainly have a lot to gain from their interpretation as heroes," Jumabayev quipped.

Historians, in turn, see a clear Russia-driven agenda in muddying the narrative of 1916 - a perception Russia itself has done little to quash.

In 2009, Russian academics released the findings of a state-backed review of 187 school textbooks in 12 ex-Soviet countries. The academics concluded that Russia was portrayed negatively, and with what they viewed as significant biases, by textbooks across the region, except in Armenia and Belarus.

In Kyrgyzstan, the target of Russian rage was Murat Imankulov, author of History of Kyrgyzstan in the 20th Century, a textbook published in 2004 and translated into Russian in 2006, which is still studied by students in the ninth grade. "I didn't call it a genocide but wrote [in the textbook] that the Kyrgyz who fled did so to escape [a potential] genocide," Imankulov explained.

"Local Russian chauvinists said I was discrediting the Russian people. The press secretary of the Russian Embassy supported them. I said: 'Is describing the history of Genghis Khan discrediting the Mongolian people? Is describing the history of the Nazi state discrediting German people?"

After making attempts two years ago to fund alternative studies of the events of 1916, Russia now seems publicly to accept Kyrgyzstan's right to trawl through the vicissitudes of their shared colonial history.

Tynchtykbek Chorotegin, a historian, who, like Imankulov, sits on the Kyrgyz government's historical commission, noted "unqualified" support from Russia's ambassador for the commission's work, as well as cooperation from the Moscow's archival authorities in a conversation with EurasiaNet.org.

But for some ethnic Slavs in Bishkek, the prospect of the Urkun taking on a greater role in public life, especially in the classroom, where historians are lobbying for more lessons on Kyrgyz history, is very troubling.

"When I go to Almaty [in neighboring Kazakhstan], I see lots of mixed Kazakh and Russian couples and there are no problems, but it isn't like that here. In the last decade or so, there is so much nationalism," said Russian-speaking Tamara Tikhonova, 35, a mother to a seven-year-old boy.

"When they teach this Urkun, will they also talk about what Kyrgyz fighters did to Russian settlers, Russian women? Or will it just be 'Russia is evil'? This is something that bothers me a lot," she told EurasiaNet.org.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Kazakhstan: Sex Workers Call for Legalization of Prostitution

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Saule Emrich-Bakenova Publication Date 18 August 2016 Cite as EurasiaNet, Kazakhstan: Sex Workers Call for Legalization of Prostitution, 18 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfebf14.html [accessed 29 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.

Sex workers in Kazakhstan want to make the world's oldest profession a legal trade.

In mid-May, the yvision.kz website posted an open letter signed by 597 self-declared sex workers that called for the legalization of prostitution and its regulation by the state.

In their open letter-addressed to President Nursultan Nazarbayev's administration, as well as international organizations, including the UN and OSCE-the sex workers argued that legalization would better protect them from potential harassment and harm done by customers and pimps. Legalization would also pave the way for better health services for both prostitutes and customers and thus, presumably, check the spread of sexually transmitted diseases.

The letter also outlined economic arguments for legalization. For one, state regulation would better protect Kazakhstani prostitutes from competition on the part of migrant sex workers from other FSU states, in particular Kyrgyzstan, Uzbekistan and Ukraine, it contended. In addition, the letter emphasized that the taxation of the commercial sex trade could contribute a tidy sum to Kazakhstani government coffers at a time when state revenue streams in other areas, most notably in the energy sector, are declining.

The positions staked out in the Kazakhstani open letter are similar to those advocated by the global rights watchdog Amnesty International' (AI), which in 2015 came out in support of the decriminalization of all aspects of consensual sex work not involving coercion exploitation or abuse.

The concept of regulating the flesh trade is a tough sell for legislators. Many are opposing legalization on moral grounds, and at least one nationalist MP has characterized prostitution as a "Western" value that is undermining young people's understanding of Kazakh culture.

Outside of parliament, the debate on legalization has focused mostly on economic questions. The idea has gained modest support from one women's advocacy organization, the Feminist League of Kazakhstan, but the group's representatives have nonetheless expressed skepticism that legalization would generate a bonanza of revenue for the state. The group contends that the number of prostitutes in Kazakhstan is comparatively low, thus, if taxed, the amount collected by the government would not be able to plug many budgetary gaps.

Data on the number of sex workers in Kazakhstan is hard to come by. Estimates in recent years have not been made public: the Ministry of Interior does compile such statistics, but the information is classified and for internal use only. In 2011, officials said there were 4,000 prostitutes working in the country. Unofficial sources, however, said the actual number could be double the government estimate.

Some critics worry that legalization would present the wrong image of Kazakhstan to the outside world, and turn the country into an undesired sex-tourism destination.

It is not a crime to sell sex for money in Kazakhstan. However, there are administrative and criminal penalties for activities related to prostitution, such as soliciting or offering sexual services in public areas, operating a bordello, or engaging in the trafficking of persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation.

While authorities have condemned prostitution, they have not been able to back their words with deeds. Several years ago, an Interior Ministry-sponsored measure to ban prostitution and impose criminal penalties on those who buy sexual services failed to gain traction.

The effort to secure legalization now seems stuck, but it does not appear the issue will go away anytime soon.

In a recent public opinion survey conducted by the Gazeta.kz news website, 61 percent of the almost 15,000 respondents favored legalization. Given the unscientific nature of the poll, it is hard to determine whether it is an accurate gauge of public sentiment. It is likewise difficult to say with certainty that a majority of sex workers in Kazakhstan are in favor of legalization. What does seem certain, though, is that a vocal portion of sex workers in the country will continue to agitate for the state to address the matter.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Uzbekistan: Teachers Mobilized for Ferghana's Cotton Season

Publisher EurasiaNet Publication Date 10 August 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Uzbekistan: Teachers Mobilized for Ferghana's Cotton Season, 10 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfec1c4.html [accessed 29 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.

When cotton-picking season comes around in Uzbekistan, lists of names start to be compiled by local officials up and down the country.

On them are the names of the teachers, civil servants and health workers that make the backbone of a press-ganged army of harvesters that support this economically important industry.

For Tursuna, a 50-year-old teacher in the agriculturally rich Ferghana region, it is a time of dread.

"I have high blood pressure and a weak heart - I should not be picking cotton. But the headmaster says: 'Either quit or find somebody who can pick the cotton in your place,'" Tursuna told EurasiaNet.org. Disgruntled individuals like Tursuna are willing to provide their full names out of frustration, but surnames are being withheld from publication out of concern over possible reprisals.

A stint of picking cotton means a 40-day stretch under the punishing summer sun. Those that feel unable to carry out the task, like Tursuna, must pay their way out of their predicament. Workers lists are detailed and include full names and passport data. Last year, Tursuna paid her niece, Nargiza, 600,000 Uzbek soms (around $100) to do the picking for her.

"Living in barracks and eating broth - I am just not up to it, and it is dangerous. Many of my young colleagues return from cotton fields suffering from hepatitis or stomach flu," she said.

Uzbekistan has grown increasingly sensitive to pressure applied by international nongovernment groups objecting to use of child and forced labor in the cotton fields. Significantly, hundreds of global companies have boycotted Uzbek cotton over concerns of forced labor.

Tashkent is eager to be seen to be taking action to prevent abuses.

On July 28, Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyayev told a government meeting that during this upcoming cotton harvest campaign, no school or university students should be sent out into the fields. Those kinds of statements are part of the cat-and-mouse game that Uzbekistan is now obliged to play because of an inspection regime implemented by the International Labor Organization (ILO).

In fact, students from all regions except those around the capital, Tashkent, have to go into the fields on pain of expulsion. The much-criticized practice of deploying children has largely disappeared, so the burden has fallen on students at vocational colleges, lyceums and universities. First-year students at colleges and lyceums get a pass, which means harvesting is done by boys and girls over 16 years of age.

An official in the Ferghana regional administration told EurasiaNet.org on condition on anonymity that harvesting in his area was being done mainly by civil servants and employees of agricultural enterprises.

One farmer, Muzafar, said that without gatherers from the city and regions, there is no way the harvest could be completed. "According to the plan, we are supposed to gather all the cotton in 40-50 days. I have 80 hectares of land - of that, 50 hectares is reserved for cotton," Muzafar told EurasiaNet.org.

Some anecdotal accounts reveal the startling scale of the mobilization. Ferghana region consists of 14 districts, each of which is expected to mobilize around 20,000 pickers. That requires the mobilization of 280,000 souls across the entire region to pick 185,000 tons of raw cotton, as stipulated under the government plan. The entire population of the region is 3.7 million.

Compulsory laborers receive paltry compensation. Cotton-pickers in Ferghana said that last year they were paid 260 soms ($0.04) per kilogram gathered. The fees for this season have not been decided yet, but there is every likelihood they will remain the same.

Economist Anvar Nazirov explained that drawing on members of the population with no link to the cotton industry to perform harvesting duties is a custom that dates back to the Soviet era, becoming an established practice in the 1930s. "In the post-Soviet period we may have done away with state-owned farms and collective farms, but we haven't given up Soviet agricultural management techniques.  In theory, it is the farmers themselves that are supposed to deal with the issue of gathering cotton. They hire people on contracts and pay them," Nazirov said.

But as long as farmers receive their orders from above - the government - about what to sow and who should harvest, agriculture will remain uncompetitive and ineffective.

In addition to being deprived of the choice of what to grow, farmers are also not allowed to pick their own buyers. The state buys the whole crop at fixed prices.

Last year, farmers were paid 1.2 million soms ($200) for every ton of cotton they supplied.

"The government needs to abandon the existing agricultural paradigm, and to stop forcibly making people pick cotton in general. They need to implement modern cultivation technology, improve the condition of soil and, of course, introduce mechanical cotton harvesters," Nazirov said.

On paper, the government is making moves in this direction. Speaking at the opening of the International Uzbek Cotton and Textile Fair in Tashkent in 2013, Mirziyayev said that Uzbekistan would move toward 80-90 percent mechanization of cotton harvesting within two years - by this season, in other words.

But this appears to be a hollow promise for now, although it is periodically revived.

Speaking at a plenary meeting of the International Cotton Advisory Committee in December, Uzbek cotton industry representative Rinat Gulyayev noted that while only 20 percent of cotton is now machine-picked, that number will soon increase to 80 percent. Gulyayev, who has since making those remarks been appointed head of a state cotton research institute, said that the necessary machinery had been designed locally and was being assembled at a plant in the capital, Tashkent.

The marked absence of mechanized cotton harvesters inexorably leads to an uncomfortable conclusion. Handpicked cotton is typically higher quality and yields better prices, so the temptation is strong to retain cheap, labor-intensive harvesting as long as is possible. This is particularly pressing in the face of long-term declines in prices for cotton.

Uzbekistan produces around 3.5 million tons of cotton annually. The crop is of strategic importance to Uzbekistan's economy, bringing in about $1 billion every year.

Many of the foreign sales are made at a cotton and textile fair in Tashkent every October. The fair is held under an intense veil of secrecy, and journalists and rights activists trying to attend are actively hindered in their attempts. In 2015, agreements were sealed with foreign companies for the sale of 700,000 tons of cotton fiber. Buyers of Uzbek cotton mainly come from Bangladesh, China, and South Korea.

But as the US-based Cotton Campaign pressure group notes, it is far from clear any of this benefits the population. "Profits of the Uzbek cotton sector support only [President Islam Karimov's government," the group notes on its website. "The state profits from sales to global buyers. The profits disappear into a secret fund to which only the highest level officials have access, known as the Selkhozfond."

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Kazakhstan: Making a Tentative Foray Into Digital Money

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Aktan Rysaliev Publication Date 23 August 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Kazakhstan: Making a Tentative Foray Into Digital Money, 23 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfee1b4.html [accessed 29 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 confidence in Kazakhstan's national currency at an all-time low, some see an opening for the ascent of digital currencies, of which Bitcoin is perhaps the best known.

Daniyar Akishev, the youthful head of the National Bank of Kazakhstan, appeared to row against the tide of official wariness on the issue earlier this year, when he revealed that a working group had been created to study what he described as surrogate currencies.

"This is a reality with which we will come up against in the very near future, and ignoring it is not possible," he said in June.

Government positions on digital currencies have veered in the past between wariness and outright hostility. In 2014, Akishev's predecessor, Kairat Kelimbetov, suggested that the National Bank could adopt moves to designate Bitcoin a form of financial pyramid scheme.

"This is quite a difficult issue. Some say that this is a form of money laundering and that is therefore completely evil and should be banned, as China's monetary authorities have done. Others say: 'Well, let's have a look, see what happens,'" he was cited as saying by Tengri News.

Backers of the blockchain technology that underpins digital currencies like Bitcoin hail it as a breakthrough in transparency. By serving as a ledger of data available for public scrutiny, blockchain should in principle ensure strong protection from fraud. But the complexity of the technology leaves the uninitiated confused and with a lingering suspicion that unscrupulous practices, or even a sophisticated hack, could lead many to financial ruin.

Akishev has admitted blockchain could come in useful for Kazakhstan. "We are considering the possibility of using the blockchain system, either on the stock exchange or in other areas of payment services," he said.

Monetary authorities across the world are waking up to the need to get in on the crypto-currency game. In March, Britain's Daily Telegraph reported how computer scientists have teamed up with the Bank of England to devise their own rival to Bitcoin called RSCoin. As the newspaper noted, the fortunes of crypto-currencies like RSCoin could be helped by the perceived trust factor of state support.

In another signal that authorities in Kazakhstan are catching up, there are moves to draft legislation to regulate digital currencies. A bill could be introduced later this year.

Aivar Baikenov, head of the asset management department at brokerage company Kazkommerts Securities, told EurasiaNet.org that the authorities' measures are geared toward integrating Kazakhstan into the global economy.

"Introduction of new technologies is being done by most local commercial banks that want to enhance competitiveness. This will increasingly become the case as financial transactions go electronic. It is necessary to ensure the security of transactions. This is necessary not just for local players, but also to potential foreign investors, which are very important to Kazakhstan," Baikenov said.

Baikenov added that the parent company of his brokerage, Kazkommertsbank, as well as Kaspi Bank and the local affiliate of Russia's Sberbank, was leading the way in introducing electronic payment technologies. Nurlan Zhagiparov, executive director at Kazkommertsbank, told EurasiaNet.org that the benefit of blockchain technology was that by decentralizing banking, it enables financial services to be performed not just by established banks but also by specialized start-up companies.

This poses fresh challenges for regulatory bodies trying to keep tabs on financial operations carried out without heed for national borders.

Despite growing acceptance, the time for crypto-currencies to go mainstream in Kazakhstan remains a remote prospect for now. A number of banks contacted by EurasiaNet.org said they had no immediate plans to incorporate any kind of crypto-currencies based on blockchain into their payment systems.

"In the Kazahkstani context, it is still too early to talk about this. We need to wait another year, a year-and-a-half for serious projects to appear," said Zhagiparov, who was director of Kazkommertsbank's innovative technologies department from 2005 to 2010. "We're monitoring these developments, but we are not yet using these technologies in our services."

Yelena Dudka, a representative for Kaspi Bank, said that her company is still at the stage of studying the market and assessing demand among customers.

Another major lender on the Kazakhstan market, ATF Bank, has not even got that far. With the lack of necessary legislation and demand, there is no cause for adopting crypto-currencies as of yet, said Dmitry Schuka, director of digital technology development at ATF Bank.

Nurlan Bekkaliyev, former director of IT at AsiaCredit Bank, said another point to keep in mind is that neither Kazakhstan nor Russia have been receptive to crypto-currencies at the official level. "That said, in Kazakhstan you can exchange, buy foreign crypto-currencies for private individuals - unofficially. But personally I have never used them and do not plan to," Bekkaliyev said.

For all that, a small group of pioneers have begun dipping their toes into the water.

A self-styled Bitcoin servicing center was set up by Boris Komarov in 2014 in the hopes of popularizing the currency by offering consultancy and intermediary services. "People are slowly getting to know Bitcoin and crypto-currencies, but very slowly. They need better education, which is why I created the first Bitcoin course in Russian for beginners and established First Bitcoin Center to help them. But so far, not many people are asking for help," Komarov told EurasiaNet.org in emailed comments.

In December, the Bitcoin-focused news website Fork Log reported that a Bitcoin terminal had been installed in a prime location in Kazakhstan's business capital, Almaty, to purchase units of the crypto-currency. But as the terminal's owner, Kanat Amrenov, admitted, the launch was more than anything a public relations exercise to get the word out about crypto-currencies.

"The Bitcoin terminal is used, but not in large volumes. Not enough to be able to say that the terminal will soon give a return on the initial investment," Amrenov told EurasiaNet.org. "But starting in the fall, I hope the figures will be much bigger. And then we can start thinking about extending the network of terminals."

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Azerbaijan: Growing Number of Citizens Heading Abroad for Medical Care

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Durna Safarova Publication Date 15 August 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Azerbaijan: Growing Number of Citizens Heading Abroad for Medical Care, 15 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfee734.html [accessed 29 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.

Just about everyone in Azerbaijan has heard scary tales about the country's healthcare system.

One recent case involved Tarlan Mammadova, an 87-year-old sufferer from diabetes, who had to have her left leg amputated because of the disease, only to have the doctor take the wrong leg during the operation earlier this summer. Mammadova died from complications from the botched procedure on July 31. Then there is four-year-old Arzu Gurbanli, who went in to a clinic for a tonsillectomy, only to die the day after from complications.

Such horror stories are helping to prompt lots of Azerbaijanis to travel abroad when they need to undergo all sorts of surgery. Precise numbers are hard to come by, but healthcare professionals cannot help but notice the trend.

"The tendency to go abroad for the treatment has increased since Azerbaijan's independence from the Soviet Union," said Adil Geybulla, a surgeon and professor at Azerbaijani Medical University. "The main reason is mistrust of the national health system."

Where Azerbaijani citizens go for surgery depends on how much they can spend. An individual who can spend up to 5,000 Azerbaijani manats (over $3,000) tends to head for Iran, Azerbaijan's southern neighbor. Someone who can afford upwards of 10,000 AZN (roughly $6,000) might go to Turkey. As for the superrich, they head to the United States or European Union.

Azerbaijan's image is a sensitive topic for President Ilham Aliyev's administration, which has spent heavily on such events as the recently held Baku Grand Prix with the aim of raising the country's international profile. Thus, the healthcare system's poor reputation rankles authorities.

Nasib Guliev, a top official at the Ministry of Health, vigorously defended the quality of state-funded healthcare in Azerbaijan, asserting that 600 government-operated medical institutions have been constructed or renovated over the past decade. Guliev blamed media outlets and social media for exaggerating problems and distorting public attitudes.

"What countries don't have these kinds of problems?" Guliev said, referring to widely publicized botched operations.

The healthcare system has made marked improvements since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Guliev argued. "Compared with 1990s, the budget [for healthcare] has increased 11 times. The government allocates money, free food, free medicine.  Children are vaccinated totally for free," he noted.

While citizens technically have access to low-cost healthcare, many Azerbaijanis report that corruption is rife in the healthcare system, in part because state salaries for medical personnel are relatively low. A nurse, for example, earns roughly $150 per month. Accordingly, would-be patients often must offer what some might describe as a supplementary payment, and others less charitably call a bribe, in order to obtain basic medical services.

While government allocations may have risen significantly over the past two-plus decades, spending has dipped by roughly 4 percent over the last year, due primarily to a budget crunch brought on by the decline of global energy prices. Azerbaijan is heavily dependent on energy exports. The rapid depreciation of the country's currency also has hit the healthcare system hard, as many medicines and equipment must be imported.

According to Geybulla, the surgeon and professor, the rate of Azerbaijani state spending as a percentage of overall GDP lags behind that of other formerly Soviet states. He said the FSU average was 5.9 percent of GDP; for Azerbaijan, state expenditures on healthcare amounted to 4.5 percent of the country's GDP.

At an opening ceremony for a new clinic in 2015, President Aliyev said he wanted Azerbaijan to become a destination for medical tourists. "We should create a system that draws foreigners to Azerbaijan for medical treatment," he said.

Medical tourism is already a popular concept in Azerbaijan, but it works the other way. Responding to growing demand, several Turkish-based companies have launched operations in Azerbaijan specializing in helping Azerbaijani citizens find the right treatment, at the right price, in Turkey.

"Azeris will do everything for their health. They [are willing to] sell their house, cars, or cattle in order to come to Turkey and spend it on their treatment," Azerbaijani doctor Orkhan Ibrahimov said. Ibrahimov received his training at a medical school in Turkey and now works at a family healthcare center in Istanbul.

According to Hamdi Kocer, an oncologist who treated women with breast cancer in Azerbaijan from 2011-2014, the number of patients coming to Turkey from Azerbaijan for treatment is increasing every year.

"Satisfied [Azerbaijani] patients refer more people," he said, adding that many make great financial sacrifices to obtain desired medical care. "I feel sorry for most because they don't have enough money and choose to come [to Turkey] by bus, and that takes 35-40 hours."

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Uzbekistan: Cinematic Morality Tale Chronicles the Rise and Fall of Ferghana Radicalism

Publisher EurasiaNet Publication Date 16 August 2016 Other Languages / Attachments Russian Cite as EurasiaNet, Uzbekistan: Cinematic Morality Tale Chronicles the Rise and Fall of Ferghana Radicalism, 16 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfeeda4.html [accessed 29 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.

Namangan, a city in Uzbekistan's portion of the Ferghana Valley, was aflame last month. Bursts of gunfire punctured the air. A bus was set alight. Led by two fierce-eyed young men - Tahir and Juma - a mob shouted "Allahu Akbar!" and demanded vengeance against the authorities.

Many Namangan residents seemed shocked. Such spasms of discontent had not been seen in the city in decades. But this was no sudden outburst of pent-up frustration. It was the filming of a scene from a soon-to-be-released feature film titled "Sacred Desire." The movie depicts decades-old events and the lives of militant Islamist leaders Tahir Yuldashev and Juma Namangani.

The telling of their story fits into a recent trend of cinematic morality tales produced by Uzbek authorities in an effort to discourage young people in present-day Uzbekistan from falling into the clutches of religious extremists.

Yuldashev and Namangani are played by little-known actors Komil Hamrayev and Dilmurod Massaidov respectively.

The residents of Namangan are conflicted about the movie, which filmed on locations around the city in July.

Robiya, a 48-year-old trader at Chorsu market, not far from where filming took place, was perplexed about the need to rake up the past. "We have already begun forgetting about it. Young people born after the 1990s don't know a thing about Juma and Tahir. I can barely remember those events. Our city is now peaceful and calm. I will not be watching this movie," Robiya told EurasiaNet.org.

But younger people like 23-year-old Akram are more enthusiastic and proud that a high-profile movie is being filmed in their city. "This movie is a kind of warning. Many people don't understand anything about Islam. Tahir Yuldashev poisoned the minds of young people with heresies," said Akram, a teacher at a Namangan school.

Yuldashev's and Namangani's first brush with conflict came during the Soviet military occupation of Afghanistan. The experience caused the pair to embrace radical Islamic ideas, and when they returned to their native Namangan, they saw their moment to act on their beliefs during the collapse of the Soviet Union in the early 1990s.

According to a narrative espoused by incumbent authorities, KGB officials and Communist Party apparatchiks mismanaged the religious awakening that coincided with the Soviet implosion, enabling radicals like Yuldashev and Namangani to gain prominence. And as Uzbekistan's economy experienced a meltdown, events quickly became volatile.

By December 1990, a dark and violent mood had descended over the city, punctuated by an incident in which five off-duty Soviet Interior Ministry troops were killed at the hands of a mob in center of the city.

According to an account published by the Soviet newspaper Komsomolskaya Pravda, and headlined "Namangan's Rotten Apples," the killings were a reprisal for the soldiers' alleged (and imagined, as the newspaper had it) manhandling of a local woman.

News reports at the time said that four soldiers were trapped inside a bus and burned alive. A fifth was severely beaten and succumbed to his injuries the following day. Local officials said the mob was composed mainly of boys in their late teens.

Yuldashev and Namangani attracted a considerable following under the uncertain economic circumstances. There is no document that better illustrates the rise of the radical Islamic sentiments than the remarkable video footage filmed in Namangan in December 1991 that shows Yuldashev verbally browbeating a stony-faced President Islam Karimov before a massive crowd of supporters.

Karimov's reprisals for that humiliation were merciless and continue to this day. Yuldashev and Namangani were driven into exile, initially to Tajikistan, where they joined ranks with the armed Islamic opposition in that country, which had descended into civil war in 1992. Once Tajikistan's conflict wound down, the pair refocused their attention on their home country and founded the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan with the goal of toppling Karimov. Both would eventually be killed in US airstrikes in Pakistan and Afghanistan following the 9/11 terror attacks in the United States.

The director of "Sacred Desire," Hilol Nasimov, has carved out a career as the creator of some of Uzbek cinema's most ideologically pro-government movies. His credits feature movies heavy on the need to abide by a moral code as preached by the state. Nasimov has never given interviews to foreign media, but talks regularly to local outlets.

"With this movie, I want to show how our independence was formed. These were difficult times when various extremist religious organizations came out into the open and wanted to create a caliphate," Nasimov told Podrobno.uz news website ahead of filming on "Sacred Desire."

Shukhrat Abbasov, a veteran filmmaker described as the father of Uzbek cinema, told EurasiaNet.org that the production of movies like "Sacred Desire" might be politically motivated, but that their existence is justifiable. "Considering what is happening in Syria and Afghanistan, this topic is very relevant. The main thing is to produce good and well-crafted cinema, and not just a poster," said Abbasov, director of the seminal 1967 movie "Tashkent - City of Bread."

Film critic Aziz Matyakubov said Nasimov's movie should be read as a call to caution. "The movie is about the dramatic 1990s, when our country was taking its first steps toward independence. For us young people it is interesting to understand the hearts and thoughts of people at that time. From a historical perspective, this will be a very valuable movie," Matyakubov told EurasiaNet.org.

According to a person close to Nasimov, "Sacred Desire" has cost around 1 billion Uzbek sum ($320,000 at the official exchange rate and $166,000 at the unofficial rate) to produce, putting it at the higher end of the budget range for local productions. Average movie budgets in Uzbekistan typically range around $10,000 to $50,000, according to industry insiders. Some 80 movies are produced in Uzbekistan every year - around 10 with government funding.

Nasimov's movie comes on the heels of a similarly toned 2015 blockbuster, "Traitor." That movie was a largely fictitious recreation of events in the run-up to the bloody unrest in the city of Andijan in 2005, which was ruthlessly put down by government troops. Again, the lesson there was clear: Good intentions can be cruelly exploited by wicked people setting helpless victims up for a fall.

"Sacred Desire" is slated for release on September 1, ahead of celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of Uzbekistan's independence.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Azerbaijan: Mountain Jews See Government as Protectors

Publisher EurasiaNet Author Lolita Brayman Publication Date 24 August 2016 Cite as EurasiaNet, Azerbaijan: Mountain Jews See Government as Protectors, 24 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bfefa14.html [accessed 29 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.

Beyond Azerbaijan's bustling capital city of Baku, with its modern skyline now defined by flame-shaped glass towers, is an abundance of ethnic diversity. Living in compact settlements nestled among the lush green hills and snow-capped mountains of Azerbaijan are about 50 different ethnic populations speaking over 40 languages.

Krasnaya Sloboda (Red Town) is one such hamlet. Named for its red roofs that visually pop from nearby highland lookouts, it is one of the only all-Jewish towns outside of Israel.

Just off Krasnaya Sloboda's center square, inside its main chaykana (a traditional Azeri teahouse usually reserved for the exclusive use of men), I interrupted an intense game of backgammon. Here, I met Anatoliy, the town's synagogue keeper, who was eager to explain the history of the Mountain Jews in Azerbaijan.

He took me on a tour, pointing out historic sites, including the cemetery reserved exclusively for Mountain Jews, and the renovated homes of prominent individuals in the community. A lavish wedding hall overlooks the Qudyal River, and on the other side, Anatoliy pointed to the Muslim city of Quba.

"We've always lived peacefully here in Krasnaya Sloboda with our Muslim neighbors," he said. "Our mutual respect for one another allowed the Mountain Jews to preserve our unique and ancient customs."

The Mountain Jews have inhabited the region since the 13th century, but the existence of a modern-day shtetl in Azerbaijan is surprising mainly because the country predominately adheres to Shi'a Islam.

Elsewhere in the Muslim world, Jews were expelled from many countries shortly after the Arab-Israeli war and the creation of the state of Israel in 1948. Before independence in 1991, Azerbaijan was also part of the Soviet Union, where Jews endured discrimination and experienced government-sanctioned anti-Semitism.

Azerbaijan is also known more for its oil wealth than its love for diversity. Indeed, the country's post-Soviet existence has been defined in part by a bitter conflict with Christian Armenians over the Nagorno-Karabakh territory. Despite a shaky ceasefire since 1994, the so-called "frozen conflict" once again erupted in April of this year, resulting in dozens of casualties.

The past does not weigh heavily on Krasnaya Sloboda, however. Azerbaijan's Mountain Jews see the current government more as protectors than as persecutors.

The Mountain Jews' comfort with President Ilham Aliyev's administration might have something to do with the national narrative Azerbaijan's government wants to publicize - an inclusive and cosmopolitan society that is secular and non-threatening to Western values.

Despite the enmity between Azeris and Armenians, Milikh Yevdayev, a leader of the Religious Community of Mountain Jews of Azerbaijan, asserted that Azerbaijan should be held up as an example of a country where "people of every culture and cloth have something fundamentally in common."

To a certain extent, Aliyev's administration is trying to reconnect to a historical tradition in which Baku was celebrated as an internationally oriented city that was hospitable toward Jewish groups. The capital's ethnic diversity in recent centuries was rooted in its status as a Silk Road trading hub, especially its role as a conduit for trade between Turkey and Iran. The oil boom of the late 19th - early 20th centuries heightened Baku's cosmopolitan feel.

President Aliyev likes to call attention to this heyday era of inclusivity. For example, an international gathering held in early May in Baku, sponsored by the United Nations Alliance of Civilizations (UNAOC), took place under the motto: "Living Together in Inclusive Societies." First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva even held up the prosperous existence of Krasnaya Sloboda as an exemplar of Azerbaijan's tolerance.

Rights activists and some other observers contend that the government's emphasis of its acceptance of Jews might be a tactic designed to muddle the international community's recent criticism of Azerbaijan's democratization record. Watchdog groups now rank Azerbaijan among the more politically repressive states in the world. According to anthropologist Bruce Grant, amplifying an idyllic shared history can be perceived as a vehicle for state sponsorship - in other words, propaganda.

How the Mountain Jews got to Azerbaijan remains in dispute among religious historians. Yet the population's distinct language, Judeo-Tat or Juhuri (an Arabicized dialect of Farsi) lends some clues. Linguistic evidence suggests that Juhuri is closely related to the endangered Tat language, which is spoken by neighboring Caucasian Muslim populations. Juhuri is also of a different language group than Azeri, the Turkic national language of Azerbaijan.

Both Tat and Juhuri are linked to Persian. Thus, the Mountain Jews are likely descendants of Persian Jews. Following the destruction of the first temple in ancient Israel, they migrated to Iran in the 8th century and continued onward in the Caucasus, settling in remote and mountainous areas of present-day Dagestan and Azerbaijan.

In 1742, the Khan of Quba gave the Jews permission to set up their own municipality, Krasnaya Sloboda. This enabled the community to escape persecution, and preserve their Jewish identity and traditions. The remoteness of the community likewise helped Mountain Jews to endure the vicissitudes of World War II, Soviet pogroms, and a myriad of other 20th century political upheavals.

In the mid-1980s, before the Soviet Union started to unravel, the Mountain Jews in Krasnaya Sloboda numbered over 18,000 people. Today, it has just over 3,000 inhabitants. But many who have left, especially those who have prospered, retain a strong connection to the town. Some who now call Moscow, New York or Israel home continue to invest in projects that improve their hometown's simple way of life without diminishing its traditions.

There are two functioning synagogues in Krasnaya Sloboda, a summer and winter one, where colorful hand-woven rungs adorn every inch of the chapel's floor. Anatoliy pointed out that all visitors are required to take off their shoes before entry. Taking off your shoes to pray is not a Jewish tradition, but in the Southern Caucasus, the synagogue keeper explained, some Muslim rituals were borrowed by the Jews. And in this part of the world, both the Mountain Jews and Shi'ite Muslims are considered equally Azerbaijani.

Editor's note: Lolita Brayman is a freelance writer based in the United States who likes to travel and write about the South Caucasus.

Copyright notice: All EurasiaNet material  Open Society Institute
Chinese Military Promises Aid to Syria

Publisher Jamestown Foundation Author Peter Wood Publication Date 22 August 2016 Cite as Jamestown Foundation, Chinese Military Promises Aid to Syria, 22 August 2016, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/57bff2994.html [accessed 29 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.

Link to original story on Jamestown website

China has announced a shift in its foreign policy toward Syria. During a visit to Damascus on August 14, People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Rear Admiral Guan Youfei () noted that this year marks the 60th anniversary of relations between the two countries. He further declared that China has consistently supported political solutions to Syria's problems and the preservation of Syrian independence and sovereignty (China Military, August 15). RADM Guan, who is director of the Office for International Military Cooperation of the Chinese Central Military Commission, also committed to improving military-to-military cooperative ties, including training, and promised to extend humanitarian assistance.

While most meetings between Chinese and Syrian officials have focused on humanitarian aid, the commitment to military exchanges and training suggest that China may increase its role as the Syrian crisis grinds to a conclusion. Overall, this move by China fits into a larger pattern of shifts toward a more engaged, and possibly militarily active foreign policy currently occurring across the Middle East and Africa (China Brief, June 1; China Brief, July 6). In late December China approved a counter-terrorism law that explicitly legalized the use of special forces and other units abroad, if approved by the Central Military Commission (China Brief, January 25). A recent article in the PLA Daily urging the use of special forces, particularly in a counter-terrorism context, seems to indicate that support for action is growing (PLA Daily, August 14).

China has maintained support for the al-Assad government during the five-year Syrian Civil War, describing its relations with Syria as a "just position" (). However, according to Chinese President Xi Jinping, a continuation of war in Syria without a decisive winner is "not sustainable" (Chinese Embassy in Syria, January 22; China Brief, January 25). In April China appointed Xie Xiaoyan () as special envoy to Syria to more directly represent Beijing's views (FMPRC, April 21). Perhaps reflecting a new sense of urgency, Xi Jinping replaced China's Ambassador to Syria Wang Kejian () with Qi Qianjin () -although this could be a routine personnel change at the end of Wang's two-year posting rather than a reflection of a loss of faith (Pengpai, August 11).

A core concern of Chinese leaders regarding Syria has been the return of radicals from Syria to China. Some 100 militants (primarily ethnic Uyghurs from China's western Xinjiang province) are alleged to have joined the Islamic State (IS) (BBC Chinese, December 7, 2015). China has over the past eight years seen a spate of attacks planned or executed from abroad (China Brief, January 25).

Chinese think tanks have carefully monitored this situation. Researchers at the Ministry of State Security (MSS)-affiliated think tank China Institute for Contemporary International Relations (CICIR), Jia Chunyang () and Gong Zheng (), for example, have noted that the "defeat of IS on the battlefield does not mean failure," and the shift in tactics (as evidenced from a number of attacks in Europe) are shifting the focus of counter-terrorism efforts (CICIR, July 31). Another CICIR researcher, Fu Xiaoqiang () writing in PLA Daily, drew on China's own revolutionary theory, urging the international community to unite to fight a "Protracted War" () against IS, across a wide range of fronts (PLA Daily, January 9). In regards to Syria, the Chinese government clearly prefers the continuation of the al-Assad government to the possibility of an even more violent and chaotic situation, in which the Syrian opposition or radical elements to win decisively.

More direct intervention in the conflict by China, through arms sales or training of government troops, could be motivated by fears that the al-Assad government's forces could collapse following recent setbacks in Aleppo at the hands of Syrian rebel forces. Beijing may be trying to ensure that China has a seat at the negotiation table if some sort of peace is made. Another consideration is helping cement Russian influence in the region as a hedge against U.S. dominance of the region. Although Russian military support for the Syrian government has outlasted expectations, the airstrikes-which have begun using bases in Iran-are exacting a toll on the Russian military.

The Syrian government has had to rely heavily on Russian support, and is likely leveraged to the hilt with loans to Russian military equipment companies. An influx of additional supplies from China could open new sources of badly needed cash. China previously supplied the Syrian government with 500 anti-tank weapons in 2014. [1] Additionally, videos and images from the civil war indicate that a wide variety of Chinese weapons have been used in the conflict by both sides, though it is unclear whether they were directly transferred from Chinese suppliers or acquired via resellers.

Although it is highly unlikely that China will deploy a large force or even, as one widely disseminated and erroneous report suggested, its aircraft carrier to fight in Syria, it is clear that China is increasing the visibility of its support for Bashar al-Assad's government to improve its level of influence in whatever resulting post-civil war government emerges.

Notes

1. Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Arms Transfer Database, accessed August 18, 2016.

Copyright notice:  2010 The Jamestown Foundation
SATURDAY

Car show

The second annual Cooper High School Band Car Show will be presented from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the high school. The Cooper Band will perform at 11 a.m. Registration is $20, and will be open from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. Proceeds will go to the band.

PanCan fundraiser

PanCan, a fundraiser concert featuring eight musical groups, will be presented from 3 p.m. to midnight at Mezamiz Coffee House, 3909 S. Seventh St. A silent auction will be available. Admission is free, but donations will be accepted. Proceeds will go to the Pancreatic Cancer Action Network.

Musical

OLD GLORY  The Old Glory Musical will begin at 6 p.m. at the Old Glory Community Center. Concessions will open at 5:30 p.m. For more information, call 940-989-2966 or 940-989-2816.

Movie at the Mockingbird Library

A free showing of a classic animated film will begin at 6:30 p.m. at the Mockingbird Branch of the Abilene Public Library, 1326 N. Mockingbird Lane.

'After Zoey'

A production of the musical 'After Zoey' will be presented at 7:30 p.m. in Fulks Theatre at Abilene Christian University. Tickets are $15.

'King o' the Moon'

A production of 'King o' the Moon' will begin at 7:30 p.m. at Abilene Community Theatre, 809 Barrow St. Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for students, seniors and military.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, 10 a.m., Shades of Hope, 402A Mulberry St., Buffalo Gap. 800-588-4673.

Abilene Society of Model Railroaders, 10 a.m. to noon, 2043 N. Second St.

SUNDAY

Volunteers sought

Zion Lutheran Church, River of Life Church and Global Samaritan Resources, in partnership with the Children's Hunger Fund, are seeking volunteers to assist with packing approximately 2,000 packages of food from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Zion Lutheran Church, 2801 Antilley Road. For more information, email shuerta@childrenshungerfund.org. Monetary donations will also be accepted at www.Childrenshungerfund.org/OneHeartOneCity.

'After Zoey'

A production of the musical 'After Zoey' will be presented at 2 p.m. in Fulks Theatre at Abilene Christian University. Tickets are $15.

Fantasy pool tour

The Abilene Preservation League will conduct its Hidden Fantasy Pool Tour, featuring backyard landscapes around Abilene, from 5:30-8:30 p.m. Tickets are $10. For tickets, call 325-668-9436 or 325-665-3717.

MONDAY

Overeaters Anonymous, noon, Hinds Square Building, 100 Chestnut St., Room 112.

Schizophrenia Support Group, 1-2 p.m., Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Anorexics Bulimics Anonymous, 6 p.m., Shades of Hope, 402A Mulberry St., Buffalo Gap. 800-588-4673.

Central Texas Gem & Mineral Society of Abilene, 7 p.m., 7607 Highway 277 South. 325-692-0063.

Abilene Toastmaster's Club 1071, 7 p.m., Conference Center, Texas State Technical College, 650 E. Highway 80. 325-692-7325 or abilene.toastmastersclubs.org.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

Mid-City Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First Christian Church. 325-670-4304.

Memory Men (4-part a cappella singing), 7 p.m., Calvary Baptist Church, 1165 Minter Lane. Park on east side, enter through kitchen. 325-676-SING.

Abilene Community Band rehearsal, 7:30 p.m., Bynum Band Hall, McMurry University. 325-232-7383.

South Pioneer Al-Anon Group, 8 p.m., 3157 Russell Ave.

Alcoholics Anonymous/Narcotics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Avoca United Methodist Church. 325-773-2611.

Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse Group. 325-676-1400.

TUESDAY

Mental health program

The Alzheimer's Association  North Central Texas Chapter will present 'Understanding & Responding to Dementia-Related Behaviors' from 2-4 p.m. at the Abilene Regional Office, 301 S. Pioneer Drive, Suite 105. Admission is free, but space is limited. To register, contact 800-272-3900 or mbannister@alz.org.

Public meeting

CLYDE  TxDOT will conduct a public meeting regarding possible safety enhancements to the Interstate 20 corridor from 4-8 p.m. at the Clyde Auxiliary Building, 2515 S. Access Road West.

OSHA workshop

Texas Tech Small Business Development Center Abilene will conduct an OSHA 300 Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses Workshop from 6-8 p.m. in the Texas Tech Training Center, 749 Gateway St., Suite 301. To make a reservation, call 325-670-0300.

Square dance workshop

TYE  The Key City Squares will conduct a square dancing workshop at 6:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Other ...

Mission on the Move Soup Kitchen, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., Southwest Drive Community United Methodist Church, 3025 Southwest Dr.

Abilene Southwest Rotary Club, noon, Beehive Restaurant, 442 Cedar St.

High Noon Al-Anon, noon, Southern Hills Church of Christ, 3666 Buffalo Gap Road (south end; follow the yellow signs).

Blood drive, 1-6 p.m., Haskell County Courthouse.

Stroke/Aphasia Recovery Program support group, 1:30-2:30 p.m. West Texas Rehabilitation Center boardroom, 4601 Hartford St. 325-793-3535.

Dystonia Support Group, 5:15-6:15 p.m., Not Without Us, 3301 N. First St. Suite 117.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly (TOPS), 5:30 p.m., Brook Hollow Christian Church, 2310 S. Willis St. 325-232-7444.

Legacies Al-Anon Family Group, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-280-7584.

Family (of Mental Health Consumers) Support Group, 6-7 p.m., Mental Health Association in Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

MHAA Bipolar/Depression Peer Support Group, 6-8 p.m., Ministry of Counseling & Enrichment, 1502 N. First St. 325-673-2300.

Free certified nurturing parent class (pregnancy to toddler), 6-8 p.m., Mission Church, North Third and Mockingbird streets. 325-672-9398.

Abilene Star Chorus, 6:15 p.m., Wisteria Place Chapel, 3202 S. Willis St. 325-829-1470.

Overeaters Anonymous, 6:30-7:30 p.m., Exodus Metropolitan Community Church, 1933 S. 27th St.

Al-Anon Parents Group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. Use Church Street entrance.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., Doug Meinzer Activity Center, Knox City. 940-658-3926.

Abilene Society of Model Railroaders, 7-8:30 p.m., 2043 N. Second St.

Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St.

WEDNESDAY

Coffee with CASA

Big Country Court Appointed Special Advocates will conduct a 'Coffee with CASA' informational meeting at 9 a.m. at The Birdhouse Coffee Shop, 500 Chestnut St., Suite 101. For information, call 325-677-6448.

Flying Fortress salute

The B-17 Flying Fortress Texas Raiders will present tours of a B-17 bomber from noon to 5 p.m. at Abilene Aero, 2850 Airport Blvd. Tours are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $20 for families of up to five. A limited number of flights will be available. For flight reservations, go to b17texasraiders.org or call 855-FLY-A-B17.

Dog Days at the Mall

Dog Days will continue from 5-8 p.m. at the Mall of Abilene. Participants are encouraged to bring their dogs. CJ Photography will be present to take photos of pets.

Square dance workshop

TYE  The Wagon Wheel Squares will conduct a square dancing workshop at 6:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Other ...

Overeaters Anonymous, 8 a.m., Hinds Square Building, Room 112, 100 Chestnut St.

Blood drive, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., First Financial Bank, 400 Pine St.

Abilene Cactus Lions Club, 11:45 a.m., Cotton Patch Cafe, 3302 S. Clack St.

Abilene Wednesday Rotary Club, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway. $12 for lunch. Jo Ann Wilson, 325-677-6815.

Kiwanis Club of Abilene, noon, Abilene Country Club, 4039 S. Treadaway Blvd.

Clearly Speaking Toastmaster Club, noon, Westgate Church of Christ, 402 S. Pioneer Drive. 325-795-5570.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 5:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Veterans Peer Support Group, 6 p.m., 765 Orange St. 325-670-4818.

Mid-week Al-Anon Family Group, 6-7 p.m., Open Door Building, 3157 Russell Ave. 325-698-4995.

Advanced Square Dancing, 6:30-8:30 p.m., Wagon Wheel.

Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First United Methodist Church, 1501 N. Broadway, Ballinger. 817-689-2810 or 325-977-1007.

DivorceCare support group, 7 p.m., Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler Ave. 325-691-4200.

THURSDAY

Flying Fortress salute

The B-17 Flying Fortress Texas Raiders will present tours of a B-17 bomber from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Abilene Aero, 2850 Airport Blvd. Tours are $10 for adults, $5 for children and $20 for families of up to five. A limited number of flights will be available. For flight reservations, go to b17texasraiders.org or call 855-FLY-A-B17.

Art workshop

A workshop on mixed-media fiber collage will be presented from 6-8 p.m. at The Grace Museum, 102 Cypress St. Registration is $30 for members and $35 for nonmembers. To register, or for more information, go to www.thegracemuseum.org.

Discovery Adventure Theater

Discovery Adventure Theater, a monthly event featuring films related to religion and family, will begin at 6:30 p.m. at The Discovery Center, 810 Butternut St. A showing of 'The Wild Brothers' will be followed by 'The Mind of the Skeptic' at 7:15 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, call 325-673-5050.

Square dance workshop

TYE  A-Team will conduct a square dancing workshop 6:30-8:30 p.m. at the Wagon Wheel.

Resource conservation meeting

The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service in Taylor County and the Middle Clear Fork Soil and Water Conservation District will conduct the Fiscal Year 2017 Local Working Group meeting from 7:30-8:30 p.m. at the Taylor County AgriLife Extension classroom, 1982 Lytle Way. Stakeholders are invited to for discussion on conservation topics and priorities. For more information, call 325-692-8238 Ext. 3 or go to www.tx.nrcs.usda.gov.

Other ...

Veterans Association Club, 10 a.m., Rose Park Senior Citizens Center (in Rose Park, South Seventh and Barrow streets).

Chronic Pain and Depression Group, 11 a.m. to noon, Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St., 325-673-2300.

Abilene Founder Lions Club, 11:30 a.m., Al's Mesquite Grill, 4801 Buffalo Gap Road.

Kiwanis Club of Greater Abilene, noon, Beehive Restaurant, 442 Cedar St. 325-695-0092.

Retired Military Wives Club business meeting, 1 p.m., Rose Park Senior Activity Center, 2625 South Seventh St. 325-677-9656 or 325-793-1490.

Mental Illness Open Support Group, 1-2 p.m., Mental Health Association of Abilene, 333 Orange St. 325-673-2300.

Abilene 42 Club, 6 p.m., Rose Park Senior Center.

Teen Recovery Group, 6-7 p.m., Mission Abilene, 3001 N. Third St.

Free certified nurturing parent class (all ages), 6-8 p.m., Mission Church, North Third and Mockingbird streets. 325-672-9398.

Take Off Pounds Sensibly, 6:30 p.m. Brook Hollow Christian Church. Weigh-in begins at 5:30 p.m. 325-665-5052.

Free swim class for people with multiple sclerosis, 6:30 p.m., YMCA, 3250 State St.

Gambler's Anonymous, 6:30 p.m., Unity Spiritual Living Center, 2842 Barrow St. 325-338-2575.

Key City Coin Club, 6:30 p.m., Rose Park Senior Citizens Center, Room B. 325-675-0266.

Round Dancing, 7 p.m., Wagon Wheel. 325-829-1517.

Old Town Abilene Neighborhood Association, 7 p.m., Shining Star Baptist Church, 302 Palm St. 325-676-4068.

American Legion Post and Auxiliary 661 meeting, 7 p.m., Lueders Legion Hall, Highway 6, Lueders.

Big Country Audubon Society, 6 p.m., Abilene State Park. 325-690-6355.

South Pioneer Al-Anon Group, 8 p.m., 3157 Russell Ave.

Unity Group of Alcoholics Anonymous, 8 p.m., Episcopal Church of the Heavenly Rest, 602 Meander St.

FRIDAY

Bake sale

TUSCOLA  A bake sale benefiting On the Way Home Ministries will be open from 9 a.m. to noon at Texas National Bank, 441 Graham St.

Community sale

A community sale preview will be 5-8 p.m. at the First Christian Church activity building, 1420 N. Third St. Admission is $3. Proceeds will go to the church's children's programming.

Big Country Conference

The 36th annual Big Country Conference, featuring several AA speakers over three days, will begin at 8 p.m. at the Abilene Civic Center, 1100 N. Sixth St. Registration will begin at 4 p.m. Registration is $25, and includes meals. For more information, email 2016BigCountryConference@gmail.com.

Other ...

Abilene Chinese Corner, 5:30-6:30 p.m., Abilene Christian University library. lld09a@acu.edu.

Mid-City Al-Anon, 7 p.m., First Christian Church. 325-670-4304.
In Paint Creek, a small school with big hopes

No legs on the desks? I wish Mrs. Sherwood could see this.

My fifth grade teacher didn't tolerate any shenanigans, I wondered how she would have felt about us sitting on the carpet?

'We took the legs off today so that students can sit on the floor and work at their desk if they want to, so they can be comfortable,' said Christy Harris. It's her first year teaching fifth grade at Paint Creek ISD, on Tuesday the school held it's Meet the Teacher night.

There are taller desks in the room too, for any children who prefer to sit in a chair. Later, an even taller desk will be added for kids who want to work standing up.

'It's just getting to the kids learning styles,' Harris explained. 'Not just with their assignments and papers, but by how they learn.'

A couple of the desks had pillows the children brought to sit on, but overall it appeared a lot more comfortable than what I went through. Comfort can go a long way toward keeping antsy 10 year olds focused and on-task.

'Yes, and with a room full of seven boys and one girl, we are very energetic and we move a lot,' Harris agreed. 'Sitting in a chair, that is boring. It's boring to me.

'I wanted to make the kids comfortable. This is their room, this is their home for the next nine months.'

Eight kids in a class? I'm pretty sure Mrs. Sherwood's class was triple that, if not more. But then, the entire Paint Creek student body numbers 135 students.

Which is precisely the reason Annie Brady enrolled her three children in the school this year.

'I hope they do better, I think the smaller classes are going to help them a lot here,' she said. 'We like the one-on-one action with the teachers.'

Her son Stetson Blair is in Harris' class, who described what she was looking forward to the most this year with her students.

'Teaching them science and social studies. I really want to get outdoors with them, let them get a hands-on learning experience,' Harris said. 'Being out here in the middle of nowhere, it's going to be great, it's going to be fun. We're going to try to blow things up, make volcanoes, that sort of thing.'

I'm pretty sure Mrs. Sherwood didn't want us making volcanoes. Or blowing stuff up. We caught a hard enough time over those pencils and paper clips shot into the ceiling tiles.

Paint Creek is an unincorporated community in southern Haskell County, the last census had the population somewhere around 325. The community is most famous, of course, for being the hometown of former Texas Gov. Rick Perry.

In fact, my most vivid memory of Perry is photographing him when he launched his candidacy for governor in 2002 from the school's gymnasium. When the governor ran for President of the United States in 2012, for a time the world seemed to land on Paint Creek's doorstep.

'I was driving a bus at the time and I'd pull up and there would be all these reporters just laying out there on the grass taking pictures of the kids coming off the bus and stuff,' said Roy Gardner, now the school's principal. 'It was crazy for a while.'

Portraits of the graduating seniors from the last few years hang in the hallway outside of the cafeteria. I was hoping to see Perry's school picture too, but instead there was only the standard portrait of him used when he was in office.

It's probably all for the better, my class photos are best left in the past as well. I got a sour look from Mrs. Sherwood over the new faces I'd tried out.

In the room on the other side of the wall from those portraits, the cafeteria was packed with people. Faculty, parents and their children lined up for burgers and hot dogs still sizzling from the grill out in the parking lot.

The buzz of conversation was loud and Gardner briefly interrupted it with having the teachers line up and introduce themselves. But with such a small student body, I wondered why Paint Creek needed a Meet the Teacher night in the first place. Doesn't everyone already know the teachers?

'Except for the new ones. We had a huge turnover this year, so I wanted to get everybody up in front, so (the parents) when they call they would know who they are talking to,' Gardner explained.

The summer was a busy one for the school. They improved the drainage around the campus to prevent flooding during heavy rain, and the Ag shop has seen big renovations too.

Testing is also on everyone's mind.

'This year, I would think doing well on that, because everyone is worried about doing well on the STAAR and EOC,' Gardner said. 'I know that's what the parents are always talking about, and the students seem really excited this year.'

The State of Texas Assessment of Academic Readiness and the associated End of Course testing has always engendered its share of anxiety over the years. I don't think Mrs. Sherwood would have cared much for it, either.

Most of the Paint Creek teachers live in Stamford or Haskell, with a few others coming from Abilene and Clyde. To commute that far each day, there must be something about the school that must be worth it.

'You get used to it. This is my favorite place, I love it out here,' Gardner said. 'I live in Hamlin and I'm not going anywhere else.'

Neither did Mrs. Sherwood, she loved us too.
The Abilene City Council will hold the final public hearing on the city's proposed 2017 budget and tax rate Sept. 8.

Two people spoke during Thursday's hearing on the subject, with both saying that the way the city sets the tax rate and allocates the funds received from property taxes is confusing.

Ryan Marrs, who ran for City Council earlier this year, said he thought not lowering the tax rate after the city pays off debt is a poor practice.

Councilman Bruce Kreitler agreed. He said that if any portion of the tax rate goes toward paying off debt and that debt has been paid, the tax rate should be decreased to reflect that.

City Manager Robert Hanna said the city's longtime practice has been to use the portion of the tax rate that went toward debt that is now retired to fund maintenance and operations. If the council wishes to discontinue that practice, the city will do so, he said.

For example, Hanna said, the city paid off some debt last year using $740,000 in revenue from taxes. The city did not lower the tax rate by the small percentage that produced that $740,000 but instead directed that money toward the maintenance and operations fund. He said many cities do this as a way to grow revenue.

Councilman Anthony Williams suggested the council discuss the practice at a later date to see whether it wants to change it.

Kreitler said he looks forward to that conversation because he wants the city to be as transparent as possible.

The city has proposed a tax rate of 74.65 cents per $100 valuation, up 4.55 percent from this year's rate of 71.4 cents. The majority of the tax rate increase would go to pay bonds approved by voters in May 2015.

The proposed general fund budget is $89 million, up 2 percent from this year's budget.

Additionally, the council voted to issue more debt  $2 million to fund capital improvement projects and $28.4 million to fund bond program projects.

Kreitler and fellow Councilman Steve Savage voted against issuing $2 million in certificates of obligation to fund the capital projects, which include a public safety facility for records storage, renovations to existing municipal buildings, and parks and recreation improvements.

The council unanimously voted to issue the $28.4 million for the bond program. The projects that will be funded by that debt include the Rose Park Aquatic Center, the anteater and fishing pier projects at the Abilene Zoo, two new fire stations, and various sidewalk and street projects.

Lastly, council members voted unanimously  without the presence of Williams, who had to leave the meeting early  to provide up to $715,000 in incentives for Broadwind Towers to expand its Abilene production facility.
The Republicans won't stop harping about President Barack Obama's handling of the Louisiana floods. Their media focus until this week was to talk exclusively about whether he would break into his August vacation and tour the damage. When he got there, of course, it was (for them) too little, too late.

What has been noteworthy about this coverage is that it has criticized Obama without actually specifying anything  other than stagecraft  that the administration got wrong.

This doesn't mean there might not be something to criticize. But doing so would require that the opposition party understood, and cared about, how government was supposed to work.

Those Republicans in a position to make smart criticisms don't seem even to acknowledge that there's more to 'presidenting' than photo-ops. This means the pressure for the government to do a good job isn't nearly as strong as it should be.

The New Republic's Brian Beutler makes a good point about the Republican efforts to turn the events into 'Obama's Katrina' -- The Thing that will finally drag the president down, just as George W. Bush was (sort of) dragged down by Katrina in 2005.

Beutler describes why Bush was fairly accused of botching the federal response to that disaster. Earlier in his administration, Bush had downgraded the Federal Emergency Management Agency, and then chose someone ill-equipped for the job of leading it.

Yes, the media and Democrats made much of the stagecraft failures in Bush's inept personal response to Katrina. But the root of his supposed indifference was the real mismanagement stemming from his fundamental attitude toward governing, and the opposition was able to highlight that.

Maybe the Republicans will ferret out some real problems in Obama's disaster management. But their response so far fits a larger pattern.

Take their approach to foreign policy. We had years of attacks on 'Benghazi' that focused on the nonsense of Sunday-show talking points and fictional stand-down orders but never got around to a serious examination of diplomatic security or Libya policy. We heard plenty about mythical Obama 'apology tours,' but little about the real choices the Obama presidency was making.

Health care is another example. When the Republican Party isn't willing to stake out a realistic position on how they would 'repeal and replace' Obama's health care law, it becomes dangerous to hold serious congressional hearings on the subject because the results might suggest plausible moderate measures to improve the current system. If Republican politicians advocated such improvements or even admitted that they are possible, they would face revolt from inside their party.

The big picture here is that the political system depends on an incentive structure that rewards politicians for good results and punishes them when things go wrong. This incentive structure is undermined when Republican politicians and Republican-aligned media reflexively attack anything a Democratic president does but don't bother to learn the details to deliver appropriately harsh but meaningful criticism.

For a healthy democracy, the U.S. desperately needs a better Republican Party.

Jonathan Bernstein is a Bloomberg View columnist covering U.S. politics.
Want to get the conversation started? Say the magic word: Potholes.

Work is underway to fix streets in Abilene. Many are cracked and pitted with potholes. Some joke that evasive moves taken by NASCAR drivers are nothing when compared to those made by local drivers who are trying to avoid a cavernous crater in the road.

The city of Abilene, using $46 million in funds approved by voters in the May 2015 bond election, is addressing our deteriorating streets, including Ambler Avenue  work began Monday, some have questioned the condition of South First Street. That four-lane, east-west thoroughfare is maintained by the state. It's officially business Interstate 20.

MaryBelle Turner, our local contact at the Texas Department of Transportation, said a 'mill and fill' project is scheduled to be let for bids in March 2018. For those scoring at home, that's about 18 months from now.

Construction wouldn't start until later that spring or summer.

'Mill and fill' is replacing several inches of asphalt. There also will be some spot base repair, she said.

Other TxDOT projects are being planned for our area  a meeting was held Tuesday to discuss those with the public. Other projects already moving forward include work on U.S. Highway 83/84 south of the city and on Interstate 20. Treadaway Boulevard, which is Business 83, is being addressed.

Of course, funding is as important as planning the right projects.

We do hope that before South First is rehabbed in 2018, its poor street quality in the downtown area  from Butternut Street east to Treadaway signal lights  at least is temporarily addressed. Potholes are becoming numerous, creating a safety hazard and a disheartening image of the center of our city. Visitors will not consider it's a state-maintained road but rather a street neglected by the city.

TxDOT holds meetings to get public feedback. Tuesday's meeting in Baird was the first of six focusing on I-20 in the Abilene district. These meetings will not address South First Street but that doesn't stop the public from expressing its concerns. Public input is where TxDOT should get some ideas for projects.

Go to http://www.txdot.gov/inside-txdot/district/abilene/contact.html and find 'Abilene' atop the district listing to the left. Click that and you'll find information there on how to call the district's public information office or to send an email.

This being a transportation issue, we are reminded of the adage 'the squeaky wheel gets the grease.'

Considering this some 'squeaking' about the condition of South First Street in Abilene.
Nathan Tinkle, Abilene

Making America great again requires a little 'context.'

George Washington acknowledged God's hand in every aspect of the birthing of the new nation, and refused a sentiment to install him as king. The current president makes no acknowledgment of God's influence in any aspect of America's growth and heritage, and would welcome a 'kingship' as his rightful place over a country, the which he and his family have demonstrated disdain for several generations.

For many years it was common practice for Congress, courts and the executive to seek God's counsel by asking for sermons to be delivered in their chambers prior to important decisions. Special prayer days were set aside to implore God's help in times of crisis. Current Congress, court and executive make every effort to exclude any reference to the God of our fathers.

For approximately 150 years, the Bible was recognized as God's word, America's basis of morality for laws and behaviors, public and private. Current administration, spearheaded by a 'godless' court, attempts to force the people to accept behavior the Bible calls immoral, accelerating America's plunge into immorality.

Presidents, until the current one, have expressed their desire to be considered Christian, or evidenced a belief in a supreme being who will hold men accountable for their behavior. Mr. Obama has often appeared to be anti-Christian, anti-Bible, anti-America ... the first president to so appear, accountable only to himself.

The pathway to greatness seemed quite clear to America's founders. They must have been 'separation of church and state' challenged.
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Thousands of people have signed a petition to the Australian authorities to call off two concerts in honor of late supreme Chinese leader Mao Zedong, amid growing concerns over the lengthening reach of the Chinese Communist Partys "soft power" influence overseas.



More than 3,000 people had signed the petition on change.org by expressing deep concern over two planned concerts honoring Mao Zedong in Sydney and Melbourne in early September.



Mao was personally responsible for massive tortures and persecutions resulting in the unnatural deaths of over 70 million Chinese people, the petition, posted by a group called the Embrace Australian Values Alliance, said. Other accounts have put Mao's body count at around 30 million.



More and more people see him as one of the most cold blooded dictators in human history, surpassing the cruelty of Hitler in Germany, Stalin in Russia and Pol Pot in Cambodia, it said.



Mao and his crimes against humanity contravenes everything that Australian Values stand for, it said, adding: Australia is NOT the place for publicizing or glorifying Mao.



Two concerts are currently planned, one at Sydney Town Hall on Sept. 6 and another in Melbourne three days later.



The group called on the Sydney authorities to revoke the booking for the event.



As tax-payers of this great country, we cannot tolerate tributes to a violent dictator at a Council venue - the Sydney Town Hall, the petition text said.



Alliance spokesman Zhong Jinjiang told RFA that honoring Mao would sully the political values of a democratic nation.



What we should be talking about in Australia is the fact that Mao Zedong and his political thought effectively mean the deprivation of peoples freedom and of their lives, Zhong said. But there are some Mao fans in the West who want to put events like these on.



According to Zhong, there are two motivations for doing so.



One is the opportunists, who dont necessarily buy into all the Maoist stuff, but who want to  build a good relationship with the Chinese leadership, so they take this opportunity to  improve their business prospects, he said.



Another may be pretty bizarre, but it has to do with people who have been so brainwashed back in China that they cant think straight.



Zhong said political backing for the cult of Mao appears to come from the highest level in China, albeit tacitly.



This has a great deal to do with Xi Jinping, who looked to Mao to synthesize the first 30 years of communist rule in China with the last 30 years, Zhong said.



He said many events in Maos honor also praise Xi. That is pretty ridiculous, he said.

Controversial Mao

Mao remains a controversial figure even among the Communist Party elite, however.



Earlier this month, a recording of a lecture given by Party School historian Wang Changjiang went viral, largely because it contained comments that were highly critical of the Great Helmsman.



He ruled for nearly 30 years, and during that time he used every conceivable method, political movement after political movement, Wang tells the class. But in the end, he couldnt even solve the problem of keeping ordinary people warm and fed.



But while Wang goes on to classify the Mao era as one of profound destructiveness and chaos, his overall argument is still compatible with current governments line that it has used a socialist market economy to bring large numbers of people out of poverty.



According to Beijing-based democracy activist Zha Jianguo, those within the party have some, though very limited, leeway to criticize the Mao era of Chinese history.



Its seen as slightly safer to criticize Mao than it is to criticize Xi Jinping, Zha, a member of the banned opposition China Democracy Party (CDP), told RFA in a recent interview.



But to criticize Mao is also to criticize the party, and therefore the current leadership, he said, citing the recent purge of editorial staff at the reformist political journal Yanhuang Chunqiu, which had also taken aim at the late supreme leader.



Guangzhou-based writer Ye Du agreed, saying that Mao is making something of a comeback among Chinas political elite.



The reformist faction within the party has tried to drive a wedge between the Deng Xiaoping faction and the traditional Maoists within the party, but that just isnt going to happen, Ye said.



Both factions are still part of an indivisible ruling power which can only accept or reject something with one voice, collectively.



With public trust in Chinese political processes at an all-time low, and censorship of public opinion at its highest level in years, there is scant support for the reformers, he said.



Theres no changing the authoritarian rule of the Chinese Communist Party, because  there will be no more public voices heard in support of the reformers within the system, Ye said.



This year, China marks the 50th anniversary of the launch of Maos Cultural Revolution (1966-1976), a decade of politically inspired mob

violence and social turmoil.



The anniversary comes at a time when many fear that Xi, who has consolidated more power in his own hands than any other Chinese leader since Deng Xiaoping, may be taking the country in a similar direction.



In April, some 300 performers took to the stage in the Great Hall of the People on Tiananmen Square in Beijing for a concert of revolutionary songs from the Mao era, which include cult hymns like Chairman Mao is the Reddest Burning in Our Hearts and Without the Communist Party, There Would be No New China.



While no high-ranking leaders attended the concert, which drew a crowd of 6,000 people, it was given by the Fifty-Six Flowers entertainment troupe that is ultimately controlled by the Ministry of Culture.



Reported by Pan Jiaqing for RFAs Cantonese Service, and by Yang Fan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Chinese riot police line the streets of Shuozhou during a strike by miners from the China Coal Pingshuo Coal Co. in northern China's Shanxi province, August 2016.

Workers at a state-owned coal mine in the northern Chinese province of Shanxi have called for the release of colleagues detained during clashes with police amid ongoing strike action over pay and conditions.

Some 1,500 miners and other workers at the China Coal Pingshuo Coal Co. have joined the strike over deductions from their paychecks, ostensibly for "social security" purposes.

We are still on strike; this has been going on since Aug. 16, a striking miner surnamed Liu said on Friday. Its over equal work for equal pay and about our insurance payments and what they cover.

There are about 70 or 80 [police] here today, Liu said. There were more than 100 yesterday.

They beat up three workers, and detained three, he said.

The clashes came after around 1,500 people gathered outside the mine gates, blocking the road outside and calling on management to stand by its promises, the Sichuan-based rights website Tianwang reported.

The striking workers were detained during clashes outside municipal government offices in nearby Shuozhou city, where more than 1,000 protesters gathered on Tuesday.

Insurance contributions

This strike is about our insurance contributions and the five-in-one benefits system, another striking worker surnamed Yang told RFA. We have still had no response from the government; we are outside the gates of the city government right now.

He also said police were preventing the protesters from entering the government complex.

Were not blocking the road; were squatting by the side of it, and there are police here who have beaten up some students and snatched away our banners, Yang said.

He said miners were incensed to discover that deductions taken from their pay-packets hadnt gone towards their social security accounts as promised.

Out of four years, they have only paid our social security contributions for 20 months, Yang said. We are also demanding equal work for equal pay, a change to our contracts and a five-in-one social security contribution system.

There have been at least 200-300 people here protesting every day for the past few days.

The renewed protests come after an employee who answered the phone at the Pingshuo Coal Co. earlier this week said the strike was over.

Theyve all left; the situation has now been resolved, the employee said on Tuesday.

Mass layoffs

Tianwang founder and rights activist Huang Qi said the protest comes amid mass layoffs in Chinas coal industry amid falling demand.

I think the main reason has to do with the recent economic situation, which has seen a fall in the fortunes of the coal industry, Huang said. Thats why people are standing up and protesting for their rights and interests.

On top of that, you have a situation in which the local government, in particular the labor department, is biased in favor of management, which causes a lot of anger among the workforce, he said.

Wang Shengsheng, a rights lawyer specializing in labor law, said companies are forbidden from taking deductions from workers salaries except to pay them into social security schemes.

Any deductions from salaries are only allowed when there is a very good reason, otherwise they are in breach of the labor law, Wang said.

Rights groups said the decline in the coal industry has been so sharp this year that it has led to a fall in the number of strikes and protests by miners.

China in February announced plans to lay off 1.8 million workers in the coal and iron and steel industries, or about 15 percent of the workforce, the Hong Kong-based China Labour Bulletin said in a recent report on its website.

But local governments, fearful of growing social unrest, have been dragging their feet, it said.

A March mass protest by thousands of miners in the northeastern city of Shuangyashan had made very apparent the dangers of failing to pay workers on time and laying off workers without proper compensation, it said.

Reported by Qiao Long for RFAs Mandarin Service, and by Lee Lai for the Cantonese Service. Translated and written in English by Luisetta Mudie.
Two Myanmar political parties formally objected on Thursday to the governments newly created Rakhine state advisory commission to examine sectarian tensions between Muslims and ethnic Rakhine Buddhists in the troubled western coastal region where tens of thousands of Rohingya Muslims reside.

The day before, the office of State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi announced the appointment of former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan to chair the nine-member commission, which includes three international representatives, four Buddhist and Muslim members from Myanmar, and two Myanmar government representatives.

But in a letter to the government on Thursday, the Arakan National Party (ANP), which represents the interests of the ethnic Rakhine people in Rakhine state and in the commercial capital Yangon, demanded that the commission be disbanded.

It said it objected to the appointment of three foreigners to the commission, contending that they would not be able to grasp the history and current situation in troubled, ethnically diverse Rakhine state.

The State Counselor Offices statement said that the commission will review Myanmar refugees around the world, said ANP chairman Aye Maung. Millions of refugees said that they are from Rakhine state and the review is likely to bring them back to the state. It could cause Rakhine people to be concerned about our ethnic sovereignty.

He also said the ANP would examine whether the commission is being formed in accordance with Myanmars constitution which gives only the president authority to create such bodies.

State security issue

The opposition military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party (USDP) also issued a statement on Thursday, noting that the commissions endeavors are to be humanitarian in nature and ignore the state security issue in Rakhine, according to a report in the online journal The Irrawaddy.

We still dont know what the result will be, said USDP spokesman Khin Ye. We will watch the commission because we are concerned whether security and national matters could be harmed.

One Rakhine citizen also objected to the appointment of foreigners to the commission.

We are not comfortable having foreigners appointed to resolve domestic problems, Thar Pwint, a resident of Rakhines capital Sittwe, told RFAs Myanmar Service.

To be effective, the commission must adopt a careful and measured approach, said political analyst and commentator Yan Myo Thein.

To solve the challenges practically, the commission must approach local people carefully and avoid extreme actions, he told RFA.

The map shows Rakhine state in western Myanmar. RFA graphic A diverse committee

Besides Annan, the two other international members of the commission are Ghassan Salame, a Lebanese academic and former senior advisor to Annan when he was U.N. secretary-general, and Laetitia van den Assum, a career Dutch diplomat and former advisor to the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS.

Win Mra, chairman of Myanmars National Human Rights Commission (MNHRC), and Saw Khin Tint, chairwoman of the Rakhine Literature and Culture Association in Yangon and vice chairwoman of the Rakhine Womens Association, are the commissions two Buddhist ethnic Rakhine members.

Aye Lwin, a Muslim leader and founder of the interfaith group Religions for Peace Myanmar, and Khin Maung Lay, an MNHRC member, will be serving on the commission as Muslim representatives.

Thar Hla Shwe, president of the Myanmar Red Cross Society and Mya Thida, president of the Obstetrical and Gynecological Society of the Myanmar Medical Association and member of the Myanmar Academy of Medical Science, are the two government representatives.

Future of the Rohingya

At issue for the committee will be the future of Rakhines stateless, Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority.

The Myanmar government and the countrys Buddhist majority call the Rohingya Bengalis because they consider them to be illegal immigrants from neighboring Bangladesh, and deny them basic rights, freedom of movement, and access to social services and education.

Communal violence between Buddhists and Muslims four years ago displaced 140,000 Rohingya in Rakhine, where the majority of them lives, and left more than 200 dead and tens of thousands homeless.

The Rohingya, who bore the brunt of the attacks, were later forced to live in refugee camps, where about 120,000 remain today.

Aye Lwin said the commission will benefit from having members from different religions, and in foreigners members, in discussing the matter.

I believe that we will have more justice than before because the people who will lead the commission are impartial and third-party intervenors, he said. They are of different nationalities and religions, [including] Christians. They have diplomatic skills and are well-experienced.

Neutral individuals?

Though an announcement issued on Wednesday by Aung San Suu Kyis office said the nine commission members selected were highly experienced, respected, and neutral individuals, there are past indications that not all of them may be impartial, and that the Rohingya will continue to face a hard slog of it in Rakhine.

In a June 27, 2012, speech at Aloetawpyi monastery in Rakhines Rathedaung township, commission member Saw Khin Tint referred to the Rohingya as Bengalis, charging that they are invaders who have received support from the Muslim Circle and have lied about their history in Rakhine state.

She also contended that Western countries have bought into the image that the Rohingya are destitute and deprived of human rights in Myanmar.

Although we [ethnic Rakhine people] have been pointing out the truth to the world, in return weve been misunderstood, she told RFA on Wednesday. We hope we can get more understanding from the world when Kofi Annan, who is an impartial person, sees the real situation and truth in Rakhine state.

The Myanmar government will sign a memorandum of understanding with the Kofi Annan Foundation in September so that the commission can begin its work.

Reported by Thiha Tun and Thinn Thiri for RFAs Myanmar Service. Translated by Khet Mar. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
Cartons of books attacking the character of exiled Uyghur leader Rebiya Kadeer were recently left outside several mosques in Sydney, Australia, in an apparent bid to discredit the popular activist in the eyes of her supporters, sources say.



Copies of the book, titled The Uyghur Enigma, Discover Rebiya Kadeer, were dropped off in July and again last week in boxes containing multiple copies each outside Sydneys Gallipoli Mosque, Bonnyrigg Mosque, and another mosque and restaurant serving the citys Turkish community, a local activist told RFAs Uyghur Service.



Five boxes, each containing 14 books, were left [at the third site], for a total of 70 books, the activist named Bextiyar Bore said.



At the entrance to the Gallipoli Mosque there were seven boxes containing a total of 98 books, and at the Bonnyrigg Mosque we found 10 boxes, containing a total of 140 books, he said.



The book, published originally in English last year, described the formerly successful businesswoman Kadeer as a black marketeer and tax cheat and had been translated into Uyghur, Dolkun Isasecretary general of the Munich-based exile World Uyghur Congress (WUC)told RFA.



We were shown security camera footage of the actual dropping-off of the books, and from what we saw we concluded that those who left the books were [Han] Chinese, Isa said.



We informed the Australian authorities, he said.



Suspect language



This book was written in language that reflects Chinas colonialist and dictatorial point of view, Isa added.



There is nothing objective about it, and it wont fool the international community.



Amazon.com sells the book for $27 and identifies the publisher as based in Poland. The on-line seller lists the authors as Paul Laurence and Dalrymple Alexander, but offers no information about the pair, whose names are similar to those of long-deceased British figures.



Exploring to startling discoveries [sic], and offers an opportunity for a new understanding of China's ethnic difficulties and the policies in place to resolve them, says the promotion on Amazon.



Rebiya Kadeer, 69, was released from a Chinese prison in March 2005 after being jailed for six years for sending politically sensitive newspaper clippings abroad, and went into exile in the United States. She now serves as president of the WUC.



Uyghurs in Xinjiang have long been subject to violent police raids on their households, restrictions on Islamic practices, and curbs on their culture and language by Chinese authorities who impose heavy-handed rule in the region.



But some experts outside China say Beijing has exaggerated the threat from Uyghur separatists, and that domestic policies are responsible for an upsurge in violence that has left hundreds dead since 2012.



China meanwhile regularly monitors Uyghur exiles overseas, with Australias Refugee Review Tribunal concluding in September 2011 that the activities of Uyghurs living in the country were likely to be reported to authorities in Beijing, according to a Dec. 30, 2015, Reuters report.



Reported by Shohret Hoshur for RFAs Uyghur Service. Translated by Mamatjan Juma. Written in English by Richard Finney.




Ukrainian leaders, Human Rights Watch, and protesters in Kyiv called for the release of a Crimean Tatar activist who was forced into a psychiatric hospital in Russia-annexed Crimea.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin compared Ilmi Umerov's detention to the Soviet-era practice of holding dissidents in psychiatric hospitals.

"Punitive psychiatry is a return to the terrible times of the NKVD," Klimkin wrote on Twitter, referring to the secret police under Stalin.

He and other supporters of Umerov started a Twitter hashtag #StopKillingIlmiUmerov.

A group of Crimean Tatar activists and government officials held a protest at Kyiv's Independence Square carrying a banner reading: "Free Ilmi Umerov."

And in a statement on August 26, Human Rights Watch urged the Russia-backed authorities in Crimea to drop the trumped-up charges against Umerov and provide him with necessary medical treatment.

Umerov, the former deputy chairman of Crimean Tatars' self-governing body, the Mejlis, was charged with separatism in May after he made public statements against Moscows annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula in March 2014.

Speaking to the AFP news agency by phone from inside the hospital on August 26, Umerov said: "Just the fact of my being here in a psychiatric hospital is one long act of torture."

"I feel...like a free man in a cage."

Umerov, 59, whose relatives and lawyers say he suffers from diabetes, Parkinsons disease, and heart problems, has been in a psychiatric hospital against his will since August 18.

"His life remains in danger," his lawyer Nikolai Polozov told AFP, saying his client was suffering from spikes in blood pressure.

The Moscow-based Memorial Human Rights Center has called the case against Umerov "illegal and politically motivated."

With reporting by AFP


Before the guns of April, came the protests of February and March.

Before the armed conflict, came the unarmed uprisings.

Before there was a war in the Donbas, there was the so-called Russian Spring.

There has long been scant doubt about the Kremlin's deep involvement in -- and instigation of -- the war in Ukraine's Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts that began in April 2014.

But the mass antigovernment demonstrations that erupted in Russophone cities in eastern and southern Ukraine in the months prior -- dubbed the Russian Spring by the pro-Kremlin media -- were always much more ambiguous.

In the hypercharged and chaotic environment after pro-Moscow President Viktor Yanukovych was ousted by the Euromaidan uprising in Kyiv, it was entirely plausible that the Russian Spring was an organic local grassroots phenomenon that the Kremlin merely exploited and piggybacked on.

But that seems a lot less plausible now.

Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office this week released what it says are recordings of intercepted telephone conversations between Kremlin aide Sergei Glazyev and proxies in Ukraine, in which he gives them specific instructions about instigating unrest in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, and Odesa as early as February 2014 -- before Russia had even annexed Crimea.

The intercepts suggest not only that the Russian Spring was instigated, organized, and financed by Moscow, but also that the Kremlin planned to annex large swaths of eastern Ukraine if the uprisings proved successful.

But in order to do this, they needed a "massive local insurgency, Anton Shekhovtsov of the Vienna-based Institute of Human Studies noted.

It didn't matter "whether those locals would be ideologically mobilized or bought, Moscow needed them to present a picture of a native uprising and justify the military invasion "in defence of the people," Shekhovtsov wrote on Facebook.

As it turned out, Russia only managed to stir up sufficient unrest to intervene militarily in Donetsk and Luhansk. They failed in Kharkiv, Odesa, Zaporizhzhya, and elsewhere.

But it apparently wasn't for a lack of trying.

In one intercept, dated February 28, 2014, Glazyev discussed financing uprisings in Kharkiv and Odesa with Konstantin Zatulin, a former State Duma deputy and now an official in Russian-annexed Crimea.

In another, dated March 1, he berates a man identified only as Anatoly Petrovich, about the lack of crowds on the streets of Zaporizhzhya and instructing him to organize people to take over the Oblast Council building.

Why is Zaporizhzhya silent?" Glazyev said, adding that he has "direct orders from the top to get people on the streets in Ukraine."

Glazyev stressed that there could only be Russian armed support if the antigovernment protests were sufficiently large and there was the impression of local support. "If there's no people, what kind of help can there be?" he says, adding that if enough people get on the streets Russia can intervene, as in Crimea.

Glazyev also instructed a man from Odesa, identified as Denis, that demonstrators must take over the Oblast Council, declare the authorities in Kyiv illegitimate, and make an appeal to Putin for help. He also appeared to suggest that Russia was prepared to intervene militarily.

Both Glazyev and Zatulin have denied the authenticity of the recordings. But they are consistent with a Kremlin strategy memo that was leaked last year to the liberal newspaper Novaya Gazeta.

The memo was reportedly drafted under the supervision of Kremlin-connected oligarch Konstantin Malofeyev and discussed by top officials in February 2014 -- at the height of the Euromaidan uprising and before Yanukovych was toppled.

The document advocated the incorporation of Crimea and large parts of eastern Ukraine, particularly Kharkiv Oblast, into Russia.

"Russia's participation in the highly likely disintegration of the Ukrainian state will not only give new impetus to the Kremlin's integration projects but will also enable our country to preserve, as mentioned earlier, control over the gas-transport system of Ukraine," according to the document.

"At the same time, it will fundamentally change the geopolitical layout of central and eastern Europe, returning to Russia one of its main roles."

On one hand, this all just reinforces what many have suspected from the start.

But nevertheless, taken together, the Malofeyev strategy memo and the Glazyev telephone intercepts have gone a long way toward filling in the blanks in the historical record about the origins of the war in the Donbas.

"They imply that not only the so-called 'civil war' in Ukraine was triggered by Russia," writes Andreas Umland of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic ooperation in Kyiv.

"The social conflict that preceded the use of guns had also already been secretly orchestrated, guided and financed from Moscow."

NOTE: Be sure to tune in to today's Power Vertical Podcast when I will discuss the issues raised in this post with co-host Mark Galeotti and guests Andreas Umland and Anton Shekhovtsov.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov and U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry have held twelve hours of talks in a bid to secure a military and humanitarian cooperation agreement for war-torn Syria.

After talks ended in Geneva on August 26 no major breakthrough, however, was announced.

Kerry said 'clarity' had been achieved with Russia on most steps to renew a truce in Syria.

He added narrow issues still needed to be resolved, something echoed later by Lavrov.

The talks in Switzerland were part of a new U.S. effort to enlist Russia as a partner in Syria as fighting becomes more volatile and complicated with the introduction of Turkish ground forces.

On August 25, UN officials said Russia was on board for a temporary pause in fighting in and around Aleppo.

However, the Russian Foreign Ministry simply reiterated its general support for a cease-fire to open an aid corridor, and was waiting for the UN to announce it is ready.

Lavrov and Kerry were also expected to discuss the conflict in eastern Ukraine, where fighting between Russia-backed separatists and forces loyal to Kyiv has flared up in recent weeks.

Based on reporting by AP and AFP
Kyrgyz authorities say they have detained a Russian citizen on suspicion of recruiting Kyrgyz nationals to fight for the Islamic State (IS) extremist group in Iraq and Syria.

Bishkek City Police Department spokesman Oljobai Kazabaev told RFE/RL on August 26 that the suspect was detained after police found a grenade, ammunition, and IS propaganda materials in his apartment in the capital.

The suspect's identity has not been disclosed, although Kazabaev revealed that the man was born in 1973 in Russia's North Caucasus.

Kyrgyzstan's State Committee for National Security (UKMK) said earlier this month that some 600 Kyrgyz nationals had joined extremist groups in Syria and Iraq in recent years, including more than 100 women.

More than 70 Kyrgyz citizens who joined extremists in the two Middle Eastern countries have been killed, according to the UKMK.


A court in Moscow has prolonged the house arrest of Natalya Sharina, the director of the Ukrainian Literature Library, who is facing charges of extremism and embezzlement.

The court ruled on August 26 that Sharina's house arrest would be prolonged until October 28.

On August 15, the Moscow prosecutor's office refused to indict Sharina and returned the case to investigators without giving any reasons.

Sharina was detained last October and charged with inciting extremism and ethnic hatred because her library's collection allegedly included books by Ukrainian ultranationalist and author Dmytro Korchynskiy, whose works are banned in Russia.

She was placed under house arrest.

In April, investigators charged Sharina with misallocating library funds, allegedly because she used library funds to pay for her legal defense in another extremism case against her that was dismissed in 2013.

Her lawyer said the authorities had "trumped up" new charges after realizing their initial case against his client was too weak.

Sharina has rejected all the allegations, saying they are politically motivated.

Based on reporting by Interfax and TASS


Gunmen have killed at least six tribal police officers and wounded four others in an attack in southwest Pakistan.

Abdullah Rind, spokesman for the Levies tribal police, said the attack occurred late on August 25 in the city of Gwadar, near the Iranian border.

He said the attackers fired a rocket and then opened fire on a vehicle carrying the policemen, who were returning from a border town near Iran.

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, although previous attacks have been blamed by authorities on ethnic Baluch separatist groups which have waged a low-level insurgency in Baluchistan Province for years.

The resource-rich province is also a safe haven for the Afghan Taliban, whose leadership is believed to be based there.

Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansur was killed in a U.S. drone strike in Baluchistan in May.

Based on reporting by AP and Geo News
Sometimes it takes awhile for the historical record to become clear.

Sometimes it takes time for the things we have long suspected -- and even assumed -- to be confirmed.

Sometimes it takes years to fill in the blanks.

That's exactly what happened this week when Ukrainian prosecutors released recordings of intercepted telephone conversations between Kremlin aide Sergei Glazyev and proxies in Ukraine.

In the intercepts, Glazyev gives detailed instructions about instigating unrest in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, and Odesa as early as February 2014.

So what did we learn from the Glazyev tapes? And what are the implications?

On this week's Power Vertical Podcast, I discuss these revelations with co-host Mark Galeotti, a senior research fellow at the Czech Institute of International Relations in Prague, a visiting fellow at the European Council on Foreign Relations, and author of the blog In Moscow's Shadows, and guests Andreas Umland of the Institute for Euro-Atlantic Cooperation in Kyiv and Anton Shekhovtsov, a visiting fellow at the Institute for Human Sciences in Vienna.

Enjoy ...

Listen to or download the podcast above or subscribe to The Power Vertical Podcast on iTunes.
Germany's foreign minister is calling for a new arms control deal with Moscow as intensified military exercises by Russia and NATO have raised concerns that a war could inadvertently be triggered.

In an opinion piece in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper on August 26, Frank-Walter Steinmeier said that while Russia has since 2014 violated the bonds of trust built up over decades as well as basic principles of peace, "we must all be united in the desire to avoid a further twist in the escalating spiral."

In 2014, Russia illegally seized Crimea from Ukraine and began backing separatists fighting Kyiv's forces in eastern Ukraine.

A new arms control process would offer a "proven means for transparency, risk avoidance, and trust building," he said.

"We want a structured dialogue with all partners who carry responsibility for the security of our continent," perhaps working through the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe [OSCE], he said.

His comments follow an appeal by former NATO foreign and defense ministers on August 24 for an agreement with Russia on rules for handling unexpected military encounters.

Steinmeier drew some criticism in June for calling NATO's recent military exercises and moves to bolster forces in eastern Europe "saber-rattling and shrill war cries" that could worsen tensions with Russia.

With reporting by Reuters

* This story has been amended to include a reference to the fighting in eastern Ukraine.